#Not proofreading this no way not gonna happen I’m gonna go eat food instead

[anti-dazai-blog]

opinions on Atsushi and Fukuchi ? BTW feel free to ignore this ask, since ik you're primarily a Dazai analysis blog. Idk, I feel like the concept of Atsushi as a character had AMAZING potential, but somehow he's given (imo) less fleshing - out than Dazai and the others. The other characters get interesting little quirks and opinions, Atsushi gets none. I just wish BSD would develop its protagonist better. I really wanna like Atsushi but he's just written so MEH at times.

Oh and, why do you think Atsushi was chosen as the protagonist? No, I'm not saying any other character would make a better one. But I'm curious about Atsushi's significance to the story's themes. For example, do you think Sigma, Ango, Akutagawa or Yosano could have been the protag instead ? They tend to fit the common protag archetypes more I guess.

Also I see a lot of fandom gate for Fukuchi, which I think is dumb because a former nationalist getting PTSD from the atrocities he committed for his country, and then vowing to destroy the concept of national boundaries, is awesome and metal as fuck. Yeah of course Asagiri gives him that dumb flatulence schtick and some loony OP gimmicks cuz burnout / anime idiosyncrasies, but he's a character who deserves much more appreciation cuz he's so INTERESTING. I'm not saying he's a poor meow meow. He's morally grey but he makes some valid points, and he's a great exploration of fascism, guilt and the dark side of man - made boundaries.

As far as I could tell, Atsushi is actually the standard protagonist archetype for his genre. He’s a filled-in blueprint of what a fantasy protagonist usually is. 

The basic formula for a fantasy genre protagonist is, first and foremost; somebody who’s an outsider. Someone who’s unfamiliar with how the magic system works, so that the story has an excuse to explain it to them—and through that, explain it to the audience, who are outsiders to the magical system as well. 

The second step to the make-a-protagonist formula is to make them bland—or at least bland relative to the characters they’re surrounded by. You want the audience to be able to project themselves onto the protagonist, so making them overly-gimmicky or with too much of a unique personality may turn people away. You want them to be someone the audience could picture themselves as. You want them to have the highest possible relatability. Atsushi’s the guy with the fewest gimmicks, so. He’d be the LOP of the show. Least Objectionable Protagonist. (yeah I do think I’m funny and I’m hoping all media students find me funny as well) (I’m leaving this joke in for the one person who gets it and finds it funny)

Step three is to make them overpowered. It doesn’t have to be overpowered by that world’s power standards, but they have to have a surefire way to succeed often, and to be potentially seen as a threat by others (<-that’s the thing that usually makes conflict happen). They often start out rather weak so that they have room to learn and grow, but it becomes apparent quickly that they could potentially be the strongest once they learn how to use their abilities properly.

Atsushi checks all these boxes perfectly.

All other BSD characters don’t fit into that mold. Atsushi didn’t know about abilities and didn’t know about the agency/mafia/guild, and so it all had to be explain to him (and simultaneously, to us). All characters listed other than Sigma would be disqualified from the start, for being within these systems from a much younger age and therefore unable to learn about them for the first time during the course of the show (and age is a pretty common factor in the Blueprint for Fantasy Protagonists too). 

As for Sigma, I’m not saying he’s designed to be similar to Atsushi, but. If the mangaka decided to explicitly have characters in canon say “hey you remind me of my coworker,” then who am I to argue with that. Sigma was designed to resemble Atsushi (in personality, at least). He was designed to have a convenient ability to be used when needed. I have no doubt that he’ll be returning to the story, on the basis that his ability is too convenient to lose. But a guy designed to resemble the story’s protagonist is not the most likely candidate for the protagonist role. 

Funnily enough, we do get to see what other BSD characters would be like in the role of protagonist thanks to the light novels. Ranpo/Fukuzawa, Chuuya, Dazai, etc. etc. have all had their chance to be in the spotlight. But notice how their quirks from the main series have been toned down through rationalizing them via a first person POV—in 15, we don’t view Chuuya as short tempered or easily annoyable because we see what’s really going on—he’s working towards his own goal on the side. So when Dazai goads him into a stupid bet, we don’t see him as easily-provokable for accepting, but rather someone who’s trying to figure out how much this mafia guy really knows about the case they’re working on—the one where, as we later find out, he has a personal connection to. 

And with this added insight into the thought behind his actions, we can see him as a rational and cautious person—cancelling out his seemingly impulsive actions, and taking away his primary “gimmick.” 

Removing a gimmick turns a character from a caricature to a human, and as audience members, we’d love to see humanized versions of all the characters—but for the writer, the gimmicks make them stand out and differentiate them from each other. Now that we’re so much farther into the story, both us and Asagiri know all the characters much better now, and there’s definitely a higher chance of characters becoming more humanized in the future (note how a few characters have lost their gimmicks as the story progressed—Dazai became less focused on suicide, Ranpo became more competent and willing to do his job..). So I have high hopes that, while we probably will continue BSD with Atsushi getting meh character development, we will most likely see a few more light novels with other fan-favorites in the protagonist role.

NOW onto Fukuchi.

Fukuchi doesn’t deserve the hate he gets. His entire character is very Fullmetal Alchemist-esque. And we all love Fullmetal Alchemist. I truly don’t understand why we love the cast of FMAB and understand the story it’s trying to tell, but cannot understand Fukuchi. Yes, sometimes people go to war. And sometimes people to awful, horrible things. And then come to regret it. And want to make a change, and want to fix things, no matter what the cost may be. Why can we all root for Roy Mustang but draw the line at Fukuchi. Is the primary difference that Fukuchi is more powerful and therefore capable of and the cause of more destruction? Is it because Roy is a 20-something year old attractive guy and Fukuchi is an old man? Who knows, I think Roy with Fukuchi’s level of power might have been about the same as him.  

But why fandom circles choose to hate specific characters will always be a mystery to me. (even I, a professional hater, am baffled by a lot of what I see here)

Regardless, this is longer than I intended it to be. I hope I covered the topics properly, thanks for the ask!!

[babydollmarauders]

TOLERATE IT — JOHN MARINO

john marino x fem!reader

summary: in which y/n’s love is tolerated at best, and she wonders what ever happened to her loving boyfriend

warnings: not much dialogue in the beginning?, happy or sad ending depending on the way you look at it, not proofread.

notes: i love writing angst but as a john girlie, this hurt me— but i did this to myself

the page turns, John’s fingers skimming it gently.

his head is dipped low, one leg perched on the other. he’s sat on the other end of the sofa, engrossed in his book; whereas i pay no attention to the movie that plays on the tv, rather watching him instead.

his demeanor is peaceful, and i know better than to actually disturb him. this is some of the only time he gets to relax, and i don’t want to take that away from him. so i sit quietly instead, just enjoying the rare company.

but i can’t help but wish he would actually do something with me. watch a movie, cuddle, talk, anything. instead i’m subjected to medium silence and the sound of paper flipping.

i turn the tv off, rising from the couch, and his eyes flicker up at my movement, but he dismisses it quickly, going back to his book.

“i’m going to bed.” i tell him softly, quietly yearning for him to join me, but instead he just hums in acknowledgment. “are you gonna join me?”

his eyes scan the page for a few more seconds as i stand before him, waiting for his response. finally, he looks up at me properly, shaking his head.

“no, i’m good.”

my heart sinks at his reply, but i nod, “okay.”

i spend my entire bedtime routine hoping that he’ll walk into the room. that maybe he’ll change his mind and for once, we’ll go to bed together; like we did early in our relationship. but when i climb into an empty bed and he’s still in the living room, i have to accept the fact that it’s not happening. that those days are apparently over.

**

i stir in my sleep, shifting under the weight of an arm draped over my waist, and for a second my heart leaps in my chest, thinking John has decided to cuddle me as i slept. but when i turn under his touch, my eyes fluttering open, i find him asleep. the spooning an unconscious movement, and as soon as it’s started, it’s already over, his arm drawing back as he moves in his slumber to lay on his back.

i settle on my side, resting my head in my hand as i watch the steady rise and fall of his chest in the darkness of the room. the silence piercing as i watch him breathe.

what ever happened to the boy who held me as we slept? the same one who comforted me when people criticized our five year age gap. the one who told me he would do anything to keep me happy.

***

my heart races in my chest as i set the dining table.

the usual plastic plates and cups being replaced for fine china and wine glasses. a singular candle is lit in the middle of the table, next to the steaming pasta that waits to be served. homemade french bread sits beside it, a dish of herb infused butter resting atop of the wood as well.

i spent all day in the kitchen, making everything from scratch. the noodles, the sauce, the bread, the butter, all done today by me. as well as John’s favorite chocolate cake, in which i got the recipe from his mother.

it’s officially our two year anniversary, and i took advantage of the fact that John had practice today and then was going to the gym. i figured a slightly early dinner and then dessert would be a good plan before i gave him his present and then hopefully we would make our way to the bedroom.

but now i sit in my seat at the table, awaiting his return. he had told me he would be home by six, but the clock on the dining room wall displays that it’s a quarter past seven and he still isn’t home.

i’ve stuck the food into the oven to keep warm at this point, but the empty chair across from me and the soft music that floats through the house taunts me.

“alexa, stop the music.” the instrumental cuts off abruptly, tears welling in my eyes at my boyfriends absence.

i’m just about ready to eat by myself and call it an early night when i hear the front door open, footsteps echoing through the house, getting closer and closer. they halt when he reaches the dining room, and i look up to find him standing in the doorway.

his brows are threaded together, his gym bag slung over his shoulder.

“you made dinner?” he questions, setting his bag on the ground beside him.

i perk up immediately, disappointing myself with how quickly i’m ready to move past his lateness.

“yeah.” i smile, motioning toward the empty seat. “take a seat, i’ll go grab it out of the oven! i was waiting for you to get home.”

he nods, sitting down as i scurry towards the kitchen. i bring the pasta and bread and butter out one at a time before taking my seat across from him.

i’m on the edge of my seat, eagerly awaiting his praise for my cooking and the setup, or even just a ‘happy anniversary, baby.’ but it never comes. we eat silently as he scrolls on his phone, and when he finishes his food, he quickly stands to dismiss himself.

“wait!” he stops at my shout, furrowing his brows at me. “i made cake.”

my eyes are soft, silently begging him to stay.

despite the fact that he evidently forgot our anniversary, i’m still eager to please him; vying for his attention and love, the best i can.

he nods, settling back down in his seat.

“dinner, cake, wine, and glass plates?” he laughs, “you were feeling fancy tonight.”

my heart shatters in my chest. even though i know he forgot the date, it still hurts to hear him speak like it’s just another day. proving even further that he doesn’t know how special today is.

“well, yeah, it’s-” i’m so close to reminding him, but then i think of how guilty he’ll feel, and i stop. “it’s just been a good day.”

i plaster a smile on my lipstick covered lips, hoping he’ll buy it; and he does. he gives me a small smile back and i excuse myself to the kitchen, taking a moment to blink back tears before i cut into the cake, setting a slice on a plate and hurrying back to him.

i place the dessert in front of him, before sitting back down, just watching him as he eats. i’m no longer in a cake mood, my appetite gone as i push my still only half eaten pasta around my plate.

“Jack said hi, by the way.” he speaks between bites and i hum.

“that’s nice, i’ll have to text him.” i acknowledge. “i talked to your mom today.”

“you did?”

“yeah, i called her for the cake recipe.” i explain. “she said to tell you to call her.”

maybe she can remind him what day it is, seeing as she remembered it as soon as i called her.

“okay, i’ll call her soon.” he tells me, finishing his last bite before he stands once more.

“anything else, or can i take a shower now?” he asks, as though i’ve inconvenienced him somehow.

“you can shower.” i wait until he’s walking away, heading down the hallway to our room before i speak again, lowly whispering. “happy anniversary.”

i know i deserve better; that my love should be celebrated. i know that i deserve someone who will remember our anniversary; maybe even someone who will get me flowers just because and who will spend time with me and appreciate my love rather than tolerate it, but i love him.

***

i sit backwards, on my knees on a chair in the living room, facing the front door. i wait eagerly, checking the time on my phone religiously.

i know John should be home soon. a week long roadie finally ending with his long awaited return.

it’s half past two in the morning, much later than i normally stay up, but i refuse to let him arrive home without a proper welcoming.

my eyes are half lidded, but excitement still courses through my veins, remembering his three goals and seven assists in this past four games.

i perk up at the sound of the front door unlocking, watching with baited breath as it creaks open. John steps through the doorway, looking exhausted, slipping his shoes off and dropping his roadie bag on the floor.

i squeal excitedly, gaining his attention as i hop off my chair and run straight into his arms.

“welcome home, Johnny!” i cheer, snaking my arms around his neck, and jumping up to wrap my legs around his waist.

he stiffens for a split-second, letting out an ‘oomph’ before his hands fly to my butt to hold my weight.

“jesus, y/n, warn a guy, would you?” he huffs out a laugh and i lean back to look at his face, expecting a smile but all i see is a blank expression and tired eyes.

i give a sad smile, unwrapping my legs and letting my body slide down his.

suddenly, i feel incredibly insecure, my happy mood diminishing and quickly being replaced by regret.

“you’re right, i’m sorry.” i breathe out, backing away. “i guess i was overly excited.”

i turn quickly in order to keep him from seeing my now glassy eyes, tears threatening to spill as i retreat down the hall to our bedroom.

i don’t expect for him to accompany me, but suddenly i can hear his footsteps behind me, slowly following.

“what was that?” he questions as we reach the bedroom.

i can feel myself reaching my boiling point, choosing to ignore his words as i walk into the en-suite bathroom. i turn the shower water on, but he follows me into the bathroom too.

“y/n.”

y/n. not ‘babe’ or ‘love’. just y/n.

i swallow the lump in my throat before i turn to face him.

“aren’t you gonna go to bed?” i ask in attempt to avoid his question. “you seem tired.”

“aren’t you?” he raises a brow, and i shake my head.

i jab my thumb towards the shower behind me, “i’m gonna shower first.”

“i see that.” he huffs. “what was that? you just walked away from me.”

i sigh, knowing what’s finally coming, and turn to shut off the shower water before facing him again.

“doesn’t feel good, does it?” i walk around him, back into the bedroom, but he’s hot on my heels.

“what?” his hand grips my wrist, spinning me back around to look at him. “what are you talking about?”

“look, if this is all in my head, tell me now.” i start, only confusing him further by the looks of his expression. “but, you don’t love me anymore.”

tell me i’ve got it wrong.

he closes his eyes, taking a deep breath before he opens them again. “what are you even saying? i’m dating you, aren’t i?”

“are you?” i laugh bitterly, taking a couple steps backwards. “or are you tolerating me?”

“y/n,” he sighs, shaking his head. “you’re tired. and i must’ve upset you somehow, but you’re not making any sense.”

“you don’t appreciate me!” i shout, my hands gesturing wildly in the air.

“i cooked a nice dinner for our anniversary and you were late and forgot the date! and while you’re off playing hockey and winning games, where am i? here! i sit here and polish plates until they gleam and glisten. i clean the house and sit and wait for your return, and then when you do get home, you don’t even seem happy to see me! at all!”

John blinks in surprise at my outburst, his lips parting to speak, but i cut him off before he can get a word out.

“i made you my everything and you don’t even seem to care! i’ve been begging for you to love me again but i’m done! what happened to the man that assured me that my past relationships didn’t define me? the you that actually spent time with me?”

my chest heaves as i regain my breath, watching his expression change from confusion to defensiveness.

“i spend time with you!” he huffs and i roll my eyes.

“no, you sit and you read or you watch games or you do something by yourself on the other side of the couch.” i clarify dejectedly, nearly ready to give up. “you don’t do things with me. and if i try, you wave me off.”

“i just- i don’t understand where this is coming from.” he tells me, and i slump on the end of the bed, furiously wiping away tears that have begun to fall.

“that’s just it. you assume i’m fine with this, because i’ve let it go on for too long. i’ve sat here, and i’ve painted you in the best colors, and i’ve put you on this pedestal. i told myself that if i just did more- if i just did anything you could ever hope for- then we would be fine. that eventually you’ll love me again and you’ll treat me how you used to and we would be happy. but instead i watch you live your life and i’m delegated to the sidelines, begging to be even a minor part of your life. you tolerate me living with you. you tolerate my existence. and you tolerate my love.

“but i’m done. i can’t do it anymore.” my face falls in my hands, sobs wracking my chest.

i’ve finally given up.

John is quiet, but i can hear his feet padding against the floor for a moment, moving farther away before he comes back.

his fingers spread across my thigh, and when i drag my hands away from my face, opening my eyes to look at him, he’s kneeled on the floor in front of me.

“i’m sorry that you feel i don’t love you anymore. i never meant to make you feel like you’re just tolerated in my life. but i promise you, i see you. i do appreciate everything you do for me, and the love that you give me.”

his hand leaves my skin, fumbling with something in his grasp before holding it up.

my heart skips a beat, those butterflies returning in my stomach as my lips part in surprise. my eyes lock in on the diamond ring that sits in the little black velvet box in his hands.

“i promise, you’re not just going tolerated. i love you, and i want you in my life forever.” my gaze flickers up to his face, and i already begin nodding my head. “will you marry me?”

i nod even faster, an excited grin spreading over my lips, and he smiles softly, removing the ring from the box and slipping it onto my outstretched finger.

i admire it for a second, appreciating how right it looks to have a ring on my finger.

this is it.

this is what i did it all for.

what i’ve waited my whole life for.

my hands cup his face, pulling him in to press my lips to his.

“i love you.” i whisper, my lips still burning for his, and in response, he pulls me in for another kiss.

when we finally part, we begin to get ready for bed, effectively ignoring the outburst i just had. and once we climb into bed, i kiss him once more, melting into his touch like i used to.

“i’m sorry, you must be tired. i took up so much of your time tonight, you could’ve been asleep by now.” i mumble, listening to his heartbeat under the weight of my head.

“it’s okay. don’t apologize.” his fingers run through my hair and he turns off his bedside lamp, blanketing the room in darkness. “i love you.”

i fully plan on responding, but amongst the comfort, my eyes have already turned heavy, and speaking feels like too much work. my breathing evens out as i bask in the closeness of this moment.

i love him.

[stellamancer]

notes: uh. well. i considered writing this with todoroki and deku but. uh. i wrote bakugou instead. ahaha.... anyway, i’m not gonna say i endorse eating ice cream for breakfast but.... well no one stopped me today. :D  i’m sorry i’m always writing about food. but.... i can’t help it. i love food. also not proofread. oops

word count: 786

When you turn around and find Katsuki standing behind you in the kitchen, you nearly drop your breakfast— three healthy scoops of vanilla ice cream sitting in a small ceramic bowl decorated with bunnies. 

Maybe he won't notice, you think— you hope. You scurry past him, doing your best to seem nonchalant, like having ice cream at eight o'clock in the morning is the most natural thing in the world. 

"Oi!" he half-yells and you jump, knowing from the tone of his voice that you've been caught. "What the fuck is that?"

You whirl around and find him glaring at your bowl like it’s done something to offend. Actually, knowing Katsuki, it probably has. You smile sheepishly, "Breakfast?"

Katsuki's eyes flicker up to yours, then back down to your bowl. His mouth twists into a scowl as he says, "That's fucking ice cream."

"...and?" you ask, tempting fate itself with your question. 

"That's not fucking breakfast," he grounds out as if it should be obvious. 

At this moment, there are two choices left open to you: concede and probably put your ice cream back in the freezer to be enjoyed at a more Katsuki approved time or to defend your choice.

You choose the latter.

"Sure it is," you argue, your tone light in an attempt to make it seem like you're not picking a fight with Katsuki who is most definitely a fan of the traditional Japanese breakfast. "Whatever you eat first thing in the morning counts as breakfast, right?"

He growls and you really should have known that he wouldn't let you off the hook with that kind of explanation. "You know what I mean, brat!"

You frown and shoot back. "I wanted something sweet!"

"Then fuckin' make pancakes or something!"

"No! That's too much effort!" you argue. While you can agree that some American breakfast offerings would definitely satisfy your sweet tooth, all of them require way more effort than you're willing to put in on a weekday morning when you have work. 

Katsuki scowls and you wonder if maybe, just maybe he'll make you pancakes. If he makes you pancakes, that would be the best thing ever, actually. You wouldn't mind giving up your ice cream for a taste of Katsuki's amazingly fluffy and soft pancakes. You know he knows this too, with the way he grins menacingly at you. Were you in the right mind, and not thinking of Katsuki's delicious homemade pancakes, you would have realized the truth of what's about to happen, but you're not and Katsuki lifts the bowl from your hands and deposits it in the freezer. 

In your foolishness, you make your way to the table and wait, your mind filled with images of pancakes— stacks of warm pancakes slathered in slabs of melty butter and drenched in luscious rivers of maple syrup. You’re practically salivating at the thought.  A few moments later Katsuki deposits another bowl before you and…

It’s yogurt. 

A modest amount of creamy white yogurt in a bowl, topped with an arrangement of fresh berries topped with a glimmering drizzle of honey with a sprinkle of granola. Katsuki’s not the type to go all out on plating, so you know that he tried here, but…

“These aren’t pancakes,” you say flatly, betrayed. 

"Y'really think I've got time to make fucking pancakes?" Katsuki retorts, ready to dig into his own bowl of fruit and yogurt.

You glance at the clock and he's got to leave in the next hour and you know that Katsuki's homemade pancakes are at least a two hour affair. 

"...guess not," you grumble, pouting. You lift the spoon and thank him for the breakfast but before you take a bite, you decide to ask. "...what's the difference between this and ice cream anyway? Other than the toppings."

" 's healthier, you idiot!" he hisses. "Now shut up and eat or you'll be late!"

"...but Katsuki," you whimper pathetically. "I want pancakes now. Take responsibility for deceiving me with the promise of pancakes."

He shoots you a glare but you ignore it and give him your best puppy dog eyes. The two of you have a staring contest that lasts a couple minutes and finally, finally, he rips his gaze from yours with the annoyed click of his tongue and you know that that means he's lost.

"Fucking fine! I'll make you pancakes on our next day off!" he relents and you cheer. "But I better not fucking catch you trying to have ice cream for breakfast again!"

"Okay!" you agree cheerfully, finally digging into the yogurt bowl Katsuki’s made for you, pleased that there will be pancakes.

Even though it’s going to be a whole week until you get them.

[bunnyboowrites]

𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓶𝓼 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓻𝓾𝓮 ~ 𝓟𝓽.2

Roanoa Zoro x Reader

Warnings: slight nsfw, almost being assaulted (nothing too serious happens) cursing, some bad writing and not proofread.

Sorry I haven’t been updating but I promise I took a little self care break and I’m gonna put out one more part of this and a couple more stories! Xoxo

       The dynamic of the crew shifted drastically to accommodate the new crew mate; It  was starting to infuriate him how quickly everyone was getting along with the new stranger (other than Zoro) ; it seemed that (Y/N) was everyone's new best friend. Luffy was clinging to her, and it got worse when even Robin would go out of her way to be around the new girl. (Y/N) tried to talk to him  many times but he just didn't want to talk to her, and eventually his silent treatment made her finally cave into leaving him alone. He was ‘sulking’ alone on the deck according to Usopp

        “Come on Zoro! It's almost time for (Y/N)’s welcome feast and you have been practicing instead of getting ready” Usopp turned away from his plants to look at the swordsman “I don’t know why you act so cold towards her, she seems to only sing your praises”  Zoro raised his brow, straining as he did another set of push ups with a dumbbell in his mouth. 

      “She just appeared and i don’t trust her, she is hiding something and i can’t believe you idiots don’t see that it's suspicious” he huffed as he moved back onto his haunches watching as the sniper just shrugged before disappearing to go to his workshop. Zoro sat there with his thoughts before he could hear the perv yell thanks to someone and Zoro knew the universe hated him at that moment. There she was in some of Nami’s clothes. The low rise jeans hugging her pudgy hips and the top left very little to the imagination; cropped and low cut with words he couldn't make out from where he was sitting. The kitchen door swung closed behind her and she was getting closer to him. She had a bottle of sake and a sweet smile on her face.

        ‘Zoro i'm sorry if i offended you or made you feel like you couldn't trust me” with the bottle in hand she shook it to entice him to being nice for her “ i stole this from the kitchen and thought i could start over with the introduction” he closed his eye and crossed his arms across his chest, she tried very hard not to look at his straining chest. He ran through his options, he could drink later without her but he also knew the rest of his crew would hound him until he talked to her sooner or later. He sat back and crossed his legs “you can sit, but i get the first drink” she clapped and plopped next to him he reached for the bottle and his fingertips brushed hers and she was hit with a vision.

   Clacking was what came to her first the noise of fighting and then she saw the image. A girl laughing as a young Zoro fell to the ground “another win for me Zoro” his scowl familiar to (y/n) he got up and quickly got back into position “you won’t this time Kuina” 

    Her vision ended and it bled back into reality; Zoro’s hands were on her shoulders violently shaking her “Hey! Hey! What's wrong? Wake up” she groaned and sat up, his breathing was uneven from the panic. “What just happened? What happened to you?” he questioned. She looked into her lap, she got nauseous; they didn't know about her powers and she wouldn't let them know. “I'm sorry for bothering you Zoro, i'll see you later at the feast” she stood up and waved as she ran towards the girls dorm. 

       Later that night she was sitting by the fire with Robin and Nami watching everyone drink and dance. Zoro finally decided to get off the ship and join the rest of the crew he plopped down next to Luffy who was too busy eating to notice the arrival of his first mate while Usopp and Franky taught Chopper a new dance while Brook played on his guitar. Sanji carried drinks and food over to the table where all the girls were sitting. Zoro felt her gaze but it was gone the moment he looked over. He couldn't hear what was being said across the banquet grounds but he could see a man sitting besides (Y/N). Her face was all he needed to know that she wasn't comfortable but Zoro just took a chug of his sake. Nami and Robin were there; they could handle it if she truly needed help.

      “So pretty I wouldn't believe you were a pirate.” she rolled her eyes and just looked at the man who appeared trying to hit on her “well i'm having a party about being a part of a pirate crew so i hope you would know that.” she rolled her eyes and took a sip of her fruity drink. She was still upset with herself for invading Zoro’s privacy and all she wanted to do was drink and eat until she passed out but this sleaze wouldn't leave her alone. “Would you like to dance honey?” he purred, maybe she should just enjoy his advances. Robin asked if she was alright and she said she could handle it. It wasn't like she had to do anything more than dance. She nodded and he took her hand leading her to the group of dancing bodies. She eventually got more drunk and was leaning against the stranger's chest giggling at the whispers he was sweetly reciting into her ear.

        Nami waved and giggled seeing the brown skinned girl pull the stranger towards a darker ally way away from the chatter of the party.  Zoro got a bad feeling about it seeing as she was just trying to reject him before she was drunk. Against his better judgment he followed after them. (Y/N) giggled at the kisses going down her neck, her body warm pressed against the man “what's your name? I at least wanna know who i'm gonna have sex with” she muttered flustered and fiddling with her ring. He looked at her and just continued on with groping her body. His hands went down her back gripping her butt “ow that hurts” she whimpered he huffed and put his body weight onto her. “Hah- you sweet mourning lamb.” he pressed a knife to her throat  “Just shut up, after this is over I'll take you back to your father. He's paying a pretty penny to get  you back” the panic washed over her like a splash of cool water; she started to struggling against him, the tears were blurring her vision “i said too STOP” she shouted, the tendrils of energy rolling through her body to her fingertips blasting him against the opposite wall a sickening crunch noise was heard as she  stood in the ally way watching with horror as the man's limbs began to break in multiple places. Her body wasn't her own and she could only watch as the light left his eyes; the energy seeped back into her skin as he fell to the floor with a sickening thud. She turned to leave and get far away from his body but she froze in her tracks when she saw Zoro.

“What the hell was that?” he reached for his sword and she held her hands up in surrender “i- he wouldn't stop.” she sobbed “i didn't mean too but he wouldn't stop and he was gonna take me away” he let go of his hilt almost reluctantly and sighed “we have to go now, we have to gather everyone up and leave.” he grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him “stay close to me and don't answer any questions, i'll let our crew know it's time to leave and hopefully we make it out of here before they discover him” she nodded comprehending what was asked of her.

       It wasn't hard to convince Nami and Robin it was time to go when they saw (Y/N)’s panicked face and they quickly went to round up the rest of their crew. Once everyone was back on the ship Zoro leaned against the railing and closed his eye. He felt a warm embrace across his chest and quickly looked down to see their new crew member, and his smart response died on his tongue he just wrapped her in a hug. He could hear her silently crying and he just looked up to see everyone shocked at how soft he was being and he scoffed and looked away, they didn't  miss the flush on his face as they got ready to sail off.

[tobesolonely]

kindergarten teachers

summary: teacher!harry and coworker y/n have a hard time coming to terms with their feelings for each other

a/n: ahhh she’s finally done! i’ve been working on this fic for sooo long and i hope u all like it! big thanks to @queencharry​ for helping me when i got stuck and beta reading, and @behindthatbabyface​ for beta reading as well and giving me feedback!! i appreciate u both <3 enjoy ~11.3k words of some mutual pining and teacher!h interacting with lil kindergarteners 🥺also i am sorry if theres any major grammar mistakes (as always) or crazy typos, i always miss some things when i go back and proofread that im sure i’ll catch later! thank u

warnings: smut, mentions of alcohol 

talk to me about harry and y/n! let me know your thoughts!!

my ko-fi! thank you :)

From the time you were very young, you knew you wanted to be a teacher. One of your earliest childhood memories was going to school dressed up as one for career day. Your usually untamed hair was pulled back into a sleek bun (courtesy of your mother), and you donned a funky baby-pink sweater. For bottoms, you wore the closest thing to a pencil skirt you had in your five-year-old wardrobe. When you look back on the photographs your mother took of you that day, you did not resemble a teacher in any way. You were sure if you had not done your Career Day presentation in front of the whole class, no one would have even known who you were dressed up as.

Once you moved onto college and declared Education as a major, that was when people really started to let you hear their opinions on the career path you wanted to pursue. It seemed like whenever you went home for a holiday, relatives were always in your ear saying, “You know teachers don’t make a lot of money, right? Have you ever considered something in the sciences?”. You always responded, “I know, but what would the world do without teachers?”.

Eventually, you finished your undergraduate career, successfully completed student teaching with the highest praise from your superiors and colleagues, obtained your teaching credentials, and even went back to school to get your Master’s degree. So, it was much to everyone’s surprise when you settled on being a Kindergarten teacher. People assumed that because you completed so much schooling, you wanted to be a university professor. However, the thought never even crossed your mind. You always thought Kindergarten teachers were the most impressionable people out there and knew you wanted to be one.

To you, there was no greater responsibility than that of a Kindergarten teacher. It was your responsibility to teach your students reading, writing, art, and music at the most basic level. You showed them how to play with others, how to be kind, and give them the tools necessary to succeed once they leave your classroom. You were the first teacher your students ever had, so you needed to make them fall in love with school instead of hate it, considering they’d have to stick to it until they were at least eighteen. 

You’ve been a credentialed Kindergarten teacher for the last three years, and you’ve loved every moment of it. You were one of the younger teachers at school, but you never felt left out. Your colleagues were amazing people who often shared tips and tricks they wish they knew when they first started teaching.

Now, you were groggily unlocking the door to your classroom, feeling those first-day-of-school jitters you always felt. You knew kindergarteners weren’t there to harshly critique you. Still, you wanted them to go home and tell their parents about how excited they were to have you as a teacher, not run home in tears. That never happened, of course, but you didn’t want to take any chances. You drop your keys and mutter a quiet, “Shit!” setting your travel mug filled with coffee on the ground and readjust the box of donuts you had for your kids on your hip. As you reach for your keys, you hear a deep voice ask if you need help. You quickly turn around, eyes wide from being startled.

“Oh! You scared me,” you place your free hand over your chest. “But yeah, actually, that’d be great. I’m struggling to get my door open.” The man nods, his own keys he wore around his neck jangling as he retrieves first your keys, then your coffee mug.

“I’m Harry– Mr. Styles, if you want,” he holds your keys out for you to take, your coffee mug still in his large hands. “Uh, I’m the new Kindergarten teacher.” You give him a confused look and trade the box of donuts in your arms for your keys, opening the door. “The last one, Mrs. Brown, I think it was, I guess she decided a few weeks back that she wanted to retire.” You get your door open and walk inside your classroom, turning on the lights. It was a little stuffy, considering you hadn’t been there to open any windows in about a month.

“Oh, that’s right! Welcome,” you give him a warm smile. “I’m Y/N– Miss Y/L/N if you want.” A slight blush appears on his cheeks. “We’re gonna be working together then, it seems. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Mrs. Brown, but it’ll be nice to collaborate with someone closer to my age, you know?” Harry nods, and you realize he still had your coffee mug and box of donuts in his hands. “You can just set that on my desk, thanks for helping out. Would you like a donut?”

“Um, I- it’s okay,” he stammers, setting the items down. “Sorry, it’s just that I’ll probably crash if I have a donut first thing in the mornin’.” You smile at him and move to open all your windows and the back door, wanting the stuffy classroom to air out a bit before the children got here. 

“I totally get that,” you giggle, walking back over to your desk. “Are you excited about the first day? I always get a little nervous. I also talk a lot when I’m nervous, I’m sure you caught onto that.” 

For the first time that morning, Harry laughs. “Yeah, I’m nervous, too. ’ve never taught in the States before, so this is a bit new to me.” He’s playing with the keys hanging from his lanyard. 

“I noticed you had an accent, but I didn’t know if it was weird to ask about it. What brings you to California?” You open the box of donuts and take one out, wanting to eat it before it gets cold, and the glaze hardens.

“Uh, I went to University here, but when I graduated, I decided to go back home and teach for a couple of years. I really missed being here though and wanted to come back, so I got my credentials, and uh, here I am,” he tells you with a grin, and you notice he has deep dimples. 

“Well, we’re glad you’re here,” you tell him earnestly. “The kids are just gonna love your accent, too!” you joke and Harry laughs for the second time that day. 

“If all else fails, ’m hopin’ to charm everyone over with my accent,” he stares at you for a moment before speaking again. “Well, I better finish getting situated. It’s fifteen til, and I reckon the children will be arriving soon, yeah?” He asks. You nod. 

“Best to be waiting at parent drop-off too, there are always a few parents that are just as nervous as their babies, if not more, and could use a quick pep talk.”

“Thanks for lettin’ me know. I was thinking about standing out there anyway, just to make a good first impression.” You take another bite of your donut, giving him a thumbs up. 

“You’ve got this, Harry. I know you’re not completely clueless since you’ve taught before, but I know the first day can be a little intimidating. You know where I am if you need anything.” He gives you a grateful smile, quietly thanking you before turning to walk out the door. You’re left thinking about your new coworker, only being pulled from your thoughts of him when the first bell rings.

“Good morning everyone, my name is Miss Y/L/N. Are you all excited to get this school year started?” A chorus of high-pitched yeses fills the room, and you smile warmly at your class. “I’m so excited that you’re all here! I have a little surprise for each of you!” You grab the box of donuts and walk back to the rug in the center of the room that the children usually sat on for storytime. Little gasps fill your ears, and they all say, “Donuts!” and “Yummy!”. You smile at the kids again, already feeling overwhelmed with how adorable they were. 

“We all get a donut?” one little girl asks, her eyes wide. You nod at her.

“Of course! Everyone will get a donut, sweetie.” You move to get the plastic food gloves you kept so you can safely hand out a donut to everyone. “Okay guys, I’m going to pass a stack of napkins around the room. Take one and pass the stack to the person sitting next to you. Does that make sense?” All the students nod their heads in confirmation, so you grab a stack and hand them to the child sitting closest to you. “Once the last person has their napkin, let me know, and then it’ll be donut time!” You say this over-enthusiastically, and the children squirm in their seats in excitement.

As you go around handing out donuts to each of your students, you learn their names and ask them to tell you one fun fact about them. Most children say things like, “I have a brother/sister!” or “I can run really fast!”, and you find it absolutely adorable. One thing you loved the most about teaching five-year-olds was their ability to think everything was cool. It was comforting to know that no matter what you did, they’d find you cool, and your first-day jitters quickly dissipated. As the children eat their donuts, you read them a story, putting on different voices for all the various characters. You show them how to raise their hand when they have something they’d like to share and remind them to use their “listening ears” when you or one of their classmates are speaking.

When it’s time for recess, you show them how to line up quietly at the door, and assign a line leader and a hall monitor. You remind the children that they will all get a turn at these tasks eventually because it’ll switch every week, and not to worry. As you’re walking down the hall backward (one of your teachers walks that you’d finally perfected), you hear Harry’s voice.

“Okay Room Ten, we’re gonna go out to the playground now, where you all will get to play every recess and lunch. That sounds like fun, doesn’t it?” He asks them, and you hear little voices chattering out to him in excitement. You can’t help but peek into his classroom as you walked by, as his door was open. He didn’t see you because he was busy organizing his class into a straight line, so you keep going. Your class, who, much to your surprise, was walking very quietly, got loud once they saw the Kindergarten play area had a slide and monkey bars.

“We get to play on this?” one of your students, Destiny, questions. 

“Yup! This is a pretty cool play area, isn’t it?” They nod and stare at you, waiting for direction. “Oh, you can all go play and run around, get some of that energy out. When the bell rings, though, I want you to listen to the yard teachers because they’re gonna help get you all lined back up so we can go back inside. Deal?” The children give you nods and thumbs up, and you grin at them, telling them to have fun and be nice to one another. As you’re turning to go to the teacher’s lounge to refill your mug of coffee, you see Harry walking down the hallway with his class, and decide to wait for him. He gives his class the same spiel you gave yours and tells them to “Treat each other with kindness” before noticing you waiting for him.

“Hey,” he gives you a grin, looking far more relaxed than he did when you saw him earlier that morning. “How’s it going so far?”

“It’s great,” you reply, leading him in the direction of the teacher’s lounge. “They’re all adorable.”

“Yeah, don’t know what I was so nervous fo’. They’re great. Also, you’re right,” Harry has an amused look on his face. “The first thirty minutes of ’em bein’ there was just them askin’ me to say things because they think I sound funny.” 

“I told you!” you exclaim, laughing at him. “A British accent is definitely not something we hear every day, not here at least.”

“I figured,” he replies, and silence falls between you. “Where are we going, by the way?”

You stop in front of a blue door and sift through the keys on your lanyard, finally finding the one you were looking for. “Teacher’s lounge. Have you had the chance to check it out yet?” He shakes his head, and you pull open the door after having unlocked it. “After you.” He shakes his head and steps back, signaling you go ahead of him. You quirk an eyebrow at him, and he gives you a defensive look.

“What? ‘M a gentleman. Ladies first,” he insists, holding the door open. You walk inside the room, trying to refrain from rolling your eyes. There aren’t many teachers in the lounge. You figure they all must be in their classrooms, trying to do some last-minute organization and lesson planning amidst the first day of school chaos. However, a few colleagues that you’re rather fond of are in the room, so you take it upon yourself to introduce them to Harry.

“Hello everyone, I hope you’re all having a relaxing morning!” They chuckle lightly at your sarcasm. “I’d like you all to meet Mr. Harry Styles. He’s the new Kindergarten teacher that took Mrs. Brown’s place.” A look of realization washes over all three teachers’ faces, and they warmly greet him. Harry goes around, shaking each of their hands, voice dripping with charm.

“Lovely to meet you all. Looking forward to collaborating,” he tells them quietly. They begin engaging in polite conversation, so you leave Harry’s side, walking over to the coffee station to get what you came for before recess was over. He joins you shortly after, grabbing a disposable cup. “They were a nice bunch.” He mutters, pouring the steaming coffee into his cup. You hum in agreement.

“Everyone here is nice. The lounge is usually much more crowded than this. Everyone else must be in their rooms,” you flick your wrist up to check the time. “We got some time to sit down and breathe for a bit if you’d like? Unless you wanted to get back to your room.”

“‘M in no rush, trust me,” he tells you, flashing you a small smile. “Let’s take a seat.” Harry walks over to an unoccupied couch and sits down slowly, taking care not to spill his coffee. 

“You didn’t want a lid?” you question when you see him struggling. He shrugs.

“Not necessary. Jus’ some extra plastic,” you hum and look down at your lap. You were quickly learning that Harry was not a big talker, and he liked to get his point across in as few words as possible. Him being a Kindergarten teacher contradicted heavily with his rather bashful demeanor, but that just made him all the more endearing to you.

“Do you live nearby, or is your commute long?” you ask him after a few moments of silence. As soon as you ask the question, you internally cringe, feeling like it was too invasive. If Harry thought the question was weird, he doesn’t show it.

“I live in town. I actually walked here today, believe it or not,” he tells you with a chuckle. “Was such a beautiful morning that I figured I should.” Every time you think Harry can’t possibly get any more captivating, he does, and you find yourself biting back a smile.

“How long is your walk?” You cross your legs and then uncross them, a nervous habit that you had. Harry takes a sip of coffee, mulling your question over.

“I’d say it took me about twenty minutes. I was walkin’ at a pretty leisurely pace, though,” Harry shrugs. “How about you? Do you live nearby?”

“I also live in town, but I’m way too lazy to walk, so props to you,” you smile. “The best thing about living around here is seeing your kids out in public. It’s the cutest thing.” Harry smiles, not saying anything else. A silence falls over the two of you again but instead of feeling the need to fill it, you just sit beside him, drinking your coffee. Your mind wanders off to what you were going to do for the rest of the school day, if you had enough groceries in your apartment for dinner or if you should go grocery shopping after work, and if you remembered to pay your bills on time. The bell rings to signify the end of recess, and you jump slightly.

“Ready to go back?” Harry asks, standing up and walking back over to the coffee station. “Think’m gonna get a bit more.” You go to stand by the door, waiting for him to pour another cup of coffee. He quickly rejoins you, and the coffee sloshes a bit, some getting on his hand, but he doesn’t seem to notice. “Hope those lil’ buggers got some of their energy out.”

“Right! Mine was even more hyper than they probably would’ve been ’cause I gave them those donuts this morning,” you laugh. “So, for my sake, I hope so too.” When you and Harry arrive back at the Kindergarten play area, your classes are already lined up quietly awaiting instruction, thanks to the yard teachers. You and Harry both thank them and move to stand in front of your kids. 

“Miss Y/L/N,” one of your children calls out from the back of the line. “Can we get more donuts when we go back inside?” You see Harry smile out of the corner of your eye as he’s giving instruction to his class.

“There are no more donuts, you guys ate them all! I have something even cooler than donuts planned for us, though, okay? Now, remember what I told you all about walking quietly, right? Mr. Line Leader, how does your line look? Do you think we’re all set to go back inside?” The child you appointed line leader turns around to look at everyone, occasionally shushing some people. After a few moments, he turns back to you, giving you a thumbs up. 

Harry moves to stand beside you, leaning down to whisper in your ear. “Wanna eat lunch together and do some planning? I feel like it would be a good idea for us to be teachin’ the same things, more or less.” Your body feels warm all over, and you just look at him and nod, not trusting yourself to speak. Harry smiles and places a hand on your shoulder. At a normal volume, he says, “See you then, Miss Y/L/N.” 

Upon entering Harry’s room, you’re immediately met with the scent of vanilla and the loud hum of the air conditioning. It was bright, adorably decorated, and surprisingly decluttered. It was the polar opposite of your room, and you found it very welcoming and comforting. “Nice set-up you’ve got going on in here,” you tell him. He jumps in his seat at his desk, not having heard you come in.

“Fucks sake,” he mumbles, face going red. “You scared me. Thanks, though. My sister helped me decorate, I don’t really have an eye for this type of stuff.” He rubs the back of his neck, sheepishly. 

“Well, if you ever need any help decorating for back to school and your sister isn’t around, I’d be more than happy to help.” Harry smiles and suddenly gets up from his chair, offering it to you.

“Please, take my seat. I’ll just sit in one of the kids’ chairs,” he rolls it towards you, and you shake your head, about to object, but he interrupts you. “It’s okay, Y/N. Their chairs aren’t that bad.” You take the seat Harry was just in, mumbling a quiet thank you. He hums and pulls a tiny chair up beside you, legs scraping loudly across the floor. When he sits down in it, you can’t but burst out laughing.

“Harry, that chair is so tiny! Are you sure you don’t want me to sit there instead? You look so uncomfortable,” you tell him in between laughs. “This is your classroom, after all, I’m just a guest.” Harry shakes his head, cheeks flushed.

“It’s okay, Y/N, really. ‘M perfectly comfortable in this lil’ miniature chair,” he looks at the lunch bag you sat on his desk. “What’s for lunch?” You reach for your sack and unzip it, pulling out a pre-packaged salad from Trader Joe’s.

“I’m very lazy when it comes to packing my lunches,” you admit sheepishly, pulling out a fork. “How about you? Did you eat already?”

“Oh yeah, I had a green smoothie. Not a big lunch guy,” he replies calmly. “Wanna get started with planning? I think we only have about thirty minutes left.” He looks down at his watch to confirm the time. Harry opens his planner, and you see pages filled with his neat, blocky scrawl. He jumps right into talking about the ideas he had in mind, excitement filling his voice that you haven’t yet heard. 

The passion and enthusiasm he has for teaching are evident through the way he tells you about the activities he has planned, new materials and teaching methods he wants to try implementing, and things he’s tried before that didn’t work out the way he wanted them to. He asks you for your advice and listens intently when you speak, jotting down notes.

You find yourself having to mentally remind yourself not to stare at him. He was a handsome man– there was no denying that. He had curly brown hair, soft and wild-looking, the most beautiful green eyes you’d ever seen, and arms covered in tattoos. You also noticed he had the tiniest cross on his left hand. You wanted to ask him about it, but you figured that was a conversation for another time. 

“Y/N? Did you hear what I just said,” Harry asks, giving you a concerned look. “Are you alright? I think you just zoned out for a couple minutes or somethin’.” You nod quickly, feeling your palms growing sweaty.

“Oh yeah, sorry, I was just thinking about something I have to do later. What did you just say?” You play off how you were just wholly drooling over your new coworker, feeling scrutinized under his piercing gaze.

“Jus’ got an email from the principal. Said we have a faculty meetin’ after school at three. Wanna go together?” He asks. You know Harry’s asking you to accompany him primarily because you’re the only person he really knows so far. However, it still makes you feel warm and special. “He said we’re gonna go over some planning for the Fall Festival. What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s just the back-to-school festival. It’s adorable,” you explain. “It’s like a mini carnival that we have right here on the playground. Every year they have teachers host booths. It’s a great way to get to meet your kids’ parents and bond with the other faculty.” Harry nods, standing up from the tiny chair right as the bell signifying the end of lunch rings.

“That sounds lovely,” he chirps, smiling down at you. “We’re gonna have the best booth out of everyone Y/N, trust me.” He jokes, the corner of his eyes crinkling. This was the most Harry had talked since you met him that morning and you were enjoying witnessing him open up to you more and more with each conversation shared.

“It is,” you stand up as well, gathering your trash and empty lunch pail. “Thanks for having me, Harry. Next time we can meet in my room. I wouldn’t mind making this a daily thing.” As soon as the words came out of your mouth, you physically wince, figuring Harry had to think you were obsessed with him at this point. He looks down, the corners of his mouth upturned when he makes eye contact with you again.

“I’d like that, Y/N. I’ll actually start bringin’ a proper lunch, so you’re not the only one eating,” you smile. “I’ll meet you in your room after school?” You nod in confirmation, walking out the door in front of him. 

“See ya later.”

“Did everyone have a good day today?” You ask your class, walking backward to the dismissal gate. You’re met with a chorus of cheerful sounding ‘yeses,’ and you place your hand over your heart in a dramatic fashion. “That makes me so happy, everyone! You’re all incredible little people, and I think we’re gonna have a fantastic year. What do you guys think?” The children chatter excitedly, glad to have made it through their first day of school and see their parents on the other side of the gate eagerly awaiting them, cell phones snapping pictures. 

Harry’s already at the gate, waiting for the bell to ring so he can dismiss his class. He’s walking down the line asking each of the children if they see who they’re supposed to go home with, crouching down to their height so they can point them out to him. Some children in his class look a little upset because they don’t see their parents yet. Harry quickly consoles them, telling them they can all play a fun game together while they wait for their ‘Mummies and Daddies.’

You do the same with your kids, and by the time the bell rings and you finish dismissing the ones who saw someone there to pick them up, there was one child from your class who was still waiting and two from Harry’s. He walks over to you, one of their tiny hands in each of his. The boy looks unbothered, but the girl was beginning to cry.

“Hey, Ava, should we ask Miss Y/L/N and her friend if they want to play iSpy with us? The more, the merrier, isn’t that right?” He looks down at her, and she nods, looking down. You figure she’s one of his more shy students he was telling you about earlier.

“Hi, sweetie! I’m Miss Y/L/N, are you waiting for your mom or dad?” She nods, biting her lip. You turn and gesture to your one student who was waiting as well. “Well, so is she! Don’t worry, they’ll be here.”

“I’m Matthew,” the little boy holding Harry’s other hand informs you, shifting from foot to foot. You give him a big smile.

“Hello, Matthew! I love your Spiderman shirt; he’s just the coolest. Jade, do you want to introduce yourself to Mr. Styles, Ava, and Matthew? Remember when we learned about introductions today in class? When you got to introduce yourself to all your classmates?”

Jade nods, a big, toothy grin on her face. “Hi! My name is Jade, and I am five-years-old but my birthday is September 19th, so I’m actually almost six-years-old,” she tells them matter-of-factly. “It’s very nice to meet you!” She adds, remembering the script you gave them earlier. Harry looks down at her, an impressed look on his face.

“Well, it is very lovely to meet you too, Jade! Do we all know how to play iSpy?” Jade and Matthew shout in excitement, but Ava just grips tighter onto Harry’s hand. He looks down at her again. “Do y’ want Miss Y/L/N and I to show you how to play, Ava?” His voice is very quiet, slow, and soothing. She nods, letting go of his hand.

“Well Ava,” you say, looking around for something to start the game out with. “I would say, “I spy with my little eye something green. Then you, Mr. Styles, Matthew, and Jade, would have to look around and name out everything that’s green. If you name something and it’s not it, then I will tell you nope, and you can try again, but if you figure it out, then you’re the winner! Does that make sense?”

She nods, and you see a gleam of excitement in her eyes. “Can I go first?” She asks quietly. You tell her, yes, and she looks around quickly, trying to find something to say. “I spy with my little eye something blue!” She has a triumphant smile on her face, and even though you immediately know she’s talking about the sky and you’re sure Harry does too, you both decide to take a step back and let the children take the game into their own hands.

“Y’know, that lil’ introduction Jade gave was really somethin’. I didn’t even think about teachin’ my kids that. Think I’ll try that out tomorrow,” Harry whispers, craning his neck slightly to be at your ear. You shiver at the feeling of his warm breath against your skin. 

“Yeah, I feel like that’s always a good first day of school activity for them to do. A lot of them have never really been exposed to people outside of their immediate family, so they’re not too sure how to talk to others.” Harry hums, standing back up straight.

“Mr. Styles,” Matthew calls, running over to Harry. “My mommy is here. Can I go now?” Harry nods, telling Matthew to wait for him so he can say hi to his mother. You watch as he walks away, overhearing as he tells the boy’s mother what a great job he did today and how he’s so excited to go through this school year with him in his class. Ten minutes later, Jade and Ava are gone as well, and Harry locks the dismissal gate. 

“I forgot how exhausting the first day could be,” he tells you, letting out a quiet sigh. “Ready to go to that meeting, though? It’s just about three.” You check your watch and see the time read at 2:57 PM.

“Yeah, just let me grab my bag, and we can head over there. I’m really hoping this won’t take too long; I was planning on going grocery shopping after this,” you walk down the hall towards your classroom and feel Harry’s gaze on you.

“Where do you like to go grocery shopping?” he asks after a few moments of silence. “I need to pick up some groceries this week, too. ’ve been eatin’ takeout for the past week, and I’m starting to feel like shit.” You laugh, unlocking your door. Harry stands outside, holding it open while you grab your purse and lunch bag.

“Honestly, I don’t have a preference. I switch it up a lot,” you shrug, making sure all the windows are closed before walking out. “Was there something, in particular, you were looking for?”

“Uh,” Harry scratches the back of his head. “No? Maybe you could text me a list of all your favorite stores, though. Jus’ so I won’t forget.”

You quirk an eyebrow at him, ignoring how fast your heart was beating. “Are you asking for my number, Mr. Styles?”

“I guess I am,” he replies nonchalantly. “We’re gonna be workin’ together a lot. Might as well have your number– if that’s okay, I mean.” He looks down at you.

“Yeah, remind me after the meeting,” you tell him, trying your hardest to play it cool. “Don’t let me forget.”

“Trust me, I won’t.”

“So Y/N and Harry, you two will be in charge of the pumpkin decorating booth? Is that right?” The principal looks down at his notes and then shifts his gaze between the both of you. You both nod.

“Yeah, I’m excited! I think it’ll be a lot of fun,” you reply excitedly. “We can go to the craft store and get a bunch of paints, but where do you think the best place to get the pumpkins would be?” You pull out your planner, ready to jot down any suggestions.

“You two could try going to a pumpkin patch? They’re starting to pop-up around town,” one teacher suggests. “I’m sure if you purchased a bunch and told them it was for a school event, we could get some kind of deal.” The rest of the faculty buzzes in agreement.

“Y/N and Harry, could you get to a pumpkin patch sometimes this week and see if they can give us an estimate of how much it would cost? Then I could let the PTA know.” You and Harry confirm that it will be possible to do sometime this week, and the meeting continues on.

By the time you’re finally free to leave the meeting, it’s already growing dark outside. Harry’s hands are shoved in his pockets, and he’s looking down at his feet. “So–”

“Do you want–”

You both stop, laughing awkwardly. “You go first.” you tighten the grip on your purse.

“Uh, I was jus’ gonna ask if I could get your number now. Yanno, so we can plan when we’re gonna go get all the stuff for our booth? And you still gotta tell me what your favorite grocery stores are,” he has a playful look in his eyes. For the thousandth time that day, your hands become clammy. There was just something about every interaction you had with him that made you so nervous. 

“Oh yeah,” you answer coolly, digging in your purse for your phone. “Just text your number, so I have it.” You hand him his phone, and he stops dead in his tracks, a look of concentration on his face. 

“I can’t walk and be on the phone at the same time,” he mutters when he looks back up and realizes you were watching him the whole time. “I don’t know how people do it.” He hands you back your phone. “What were y’ gonna ask me?”

“I was just um, I was gonna ask if you wanted me to give you a ride home? I mean, since you walked to work today and it’ll be dark soon,” talking to Harry made you feel like a nervous school girl interacting with her first crush, and you hated that feeling.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that–”

“It’s no bother, really,” you cut him off, and you realize you sound a little eager, but at that point, you didn’t even care. “I’m sure we don’t live too far from each other.” Harry looks slightly unsure but nods, and you let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding.

“If you’re sure, Y/N. I appreciate it, I owe you one,” he’s following behind you to the teacher parking lot. You silently pray your car isn’t messy inside like it usually is as you approach it. You decide to pick up your pace and walk ahead of him, telling yourself if the passenger side was messy, you’d just quickly throw everything in the back. “Heyyyy, why’re you walkin’ so fast? Are you sure you’ve got the time to take me home?” He takes a few big strides and quickly catches up with your hurried, tiny ones.

“Yeah, of course, I have time,” you respond, unlocking your car as you approach it. “If it’s messy, then just ignore it.” you preface, honestly not remembering the state in which you left your car this morning when you walked into work.

“Don’t worry about it. You should see mine,” Harry jokes, and it immediately puts you at ease. As you’re about to open your door, Harry quickly rushes to your side, opening it himself. “Let me.” 

His hand rests over yours, and you quickly pull it away, your body heating up. “Harry, I’m already right here. I can open my own car door.” 

“I know you can. But I’m a gentle—“ 

“You’re a gentleman, I know,” you playfully roll your eyes and take a step back, allowing Harry to open your car door all the way. You couldn’t lie and say you weren’t flattered and honestly a little bit turned on. He flashes you a smile as you situate yourself behind the wheel of the car and makes sure you’re all the way in before slamming it shut. You see him lightly jog around to the passenger side, and soon enough, he’s beside you, your car immediately starting to smell like his cologne. 

“What music do you like to listen to?” Harry asks, pulling his phone out of his pocket. 

“You ask me a lot of random questions, Harry,” you reply, looking behind you as you slowly back out. 

“Is it a crime to wanna get to know my new coworker?” you can hear a smile in his voice. “C’mon. What’s your favorite music to listen to?” 

You shrug, looking both ways before exiting the parking lot. “Where do you live?” 

“I don’t know my address yet. Just take a left at this light coming up. Favorite music?” Out of the corner of his eye, you see him scrolling through his music library. 

“You don’t know your address yet?” 

“No. I’ll play something random,” he says, tapping his hand on his knee. “You can take a right at that stop sign up there.” You put on your blinker and glance over your shoulder before switching lanes. Harry quickly pairs his phone with your Bluetooth, and a song you’re unfamiliar with blares through your speakers. Neither one of you says anything else, only speaking to each other when he’s giving you directions to his house, and you’re confirming what he said.

After two more songs, Harry says, “S’right up here.” He’s led you to a beautiful apartment complex— one you were looking at when you were moving out of your parent’s home but just couldn’t afford as a new graduate. You expertly parallel park and then turn the car off, a silence falling between the two of you.

“This is a nice complex,” you tell him after a moment. “Really close to school. I see why you opted to walk to work today.” 

“Mhm,” he hums. His seatbelt is still fastened. “I understand if you’re busy, but did you wanna come in?” You raise an eyebrow at him, and he quickly backtracks. “I mean— it’s just— remember the activity you taught your kids today? About introductions? Jus’ wanted to know if you could walk me through it, that’s all.” 

“Oh. Well yeah, I can hang out for a bit.” You unbuckle your seatbelt and reach in the backseat for your purse that you threw haphazardly over your shoulder earlier. 

“Will your boyfriend be okay with you coming in, though?” He’s chewing on the inside of his cheek.

“What makes you think I have a boyfriend?” You’re slightly taken aback and oddly flattered that he thought you were in a relationship.

“I dunno,” his face grows red. “You got all weird when I opened doors for ya. Figured you had a boyfriend.”

“I don’t.”

“Cool.” More silence falls, this time an awkward one.

“Should we go inside now?” you unlock the doors, quickly getting out of the car. Harry follows behind you and waits for you to walk onto the sidewalk before going up the walkway.

“How close do you live to me?” Harry asks, punching in his gate code. He pulls the gate open and gestures for you to go ahead of him. You decide not to comment on it this time.

“A couple blocks away. I could probably walk over here if I was in the mood to,” Harry shuts the gate behind you and walks over to the first set of stairs, taking them two at a time. “I was interested in this complex when I was moving out of my parents’ but I settled on something else.” He hums, stopping in front of the first door at the top of the stairs. There’s a brown ‘Welcome!’ mat outside his door, along with a few potted plants.

“Here we are,” he looks over his shoulder as if he’s checking if you’re still there. “Excuse the boxes. ‘M not done unpacking yet.” He pushes open the door and steps in, quickly turning on the light. You’re met with the same sweet scent of vanilla that’s in his classroom. Considering he was in the process of unpacking, his apartment was reasonably tidy.

“It looks good in here,” your heart felt like it was going to beat out of your chest. You were in your coworker’s house that you just met that day, and you could already feel yourself developing a crush on him. There was obviously no way you’d let this relationship progress past anything strictly professional, but that didn’t mean you weren’t allowed to admire his beauty.

“Thanks,” he gives you a smile, relief washing over his face. “You can set your bag down if you want. Take a seat, make yourself at home.” He leaves the room, and you hear him rattling around in the kitchen. “Can I get you anything to drink? Wine? Coffee? Tea?”

“Coffee sounds great,” you reply. You set your purse down on his coffee table and sit on the edge of his couch, inspecting his living room closer. There were two books on the table, both flipped upside down as a way to mark his page. There were a few more plants inside, similar to the ones in front of his door. There was a framed picture of him with two beautiful women you assumed to be his mother and sister. Harry comes back into the room a few minutes later, two steaming cups of black coffee in hand.

“Here you are, Miss Y/L/N,” he puts on an exaggerated posh accent, and you giggle.

“Why thank you, Mr. Styles,” you respond in the same voice. “Do you have cream and sugar?”

He wrinkles his nose. “I think I might have sugar. Is oat milk, okay? I don’t have cream.” He goes back to his kitchen to retrieve the items before you can tell him it’s okay, and you’ll just drink it black. You thank him, pouring the tiniest splash of oat milk into your coffee. You can feel his eyes on you as you add a bit of sugar, stir, taste, and then add some more.

“So,” you begin after your coffee is made to your liking. “What did you think about your first day? You can be honest since we’re not on campus anymore.” Harry laughs, looking down at his fingernails.

“Uh,” he starts. You notice he says, ‘uh’ a lot. “It was terrific. Not so sure I would’ve felt the same way if I didn’t have you to help me through it.” 

“We’re partners in crime now, Harry. We’re the two Kindergarten teachers, and you’re the only other person there my age? We’ve definitely gotta stick together,” you give him a big smile. He doesn’t smile back but looks a bit troubled instead. You wait for him to speak, coming to accept that long pauses were just a thing when having a conversation with Harry.

“Y’know how I assumed you had a boyfriend earlier? I thought after I’d said that–– rather I hoped after I said that you’d be like,” he clears his throat. “‘Why, no! I don’t have a boyfriend. Do you have a girlfriend?’” He put on the worst American accent you’d ever heard to imitate your voice, causing you to laugh. “To which I would’ve replied with a simple ‘no.’” 

Now it’s your turn to leave Harry wondering what you’re thinking for the first time all day. You can feel his eyes on you as you look at his couch cushions, noticing a bit of crumbs that you hadn’t seen before. “Are you flirting with me?”

“I think you’re beautiful.”

“You don’t even know me. We just met today.”

“Does that mean I can’t think you’re beautiful?”

You bite your lip, feeling yourself starting to grow a bit turned on by his forwardness. There was a part of you that would risk it all for just one night in bed with Harry because you just found him that attractive. The rational, adult side of you was screaming, ‘Don’t mix business with pleasure!’. By now, you had both moved closer on the couch to one another, knees nearly touching. “I think you’re beautiful, too.” He grins, setting his coffee cup down. You do the same.

“Would it be crazy of me to tell you that I really wanna kiss you right now?” His face is mere inches from yours, so close that you could smell the coffee on his breath. You shake your head.

“No. I really wanna kiss you too.”

“C’ mere, then.” 

Harry leans forward a bit more until his lips are ghosting over yours. You pull at the collar of his shirt, bringing his already close body even closer to yours. His lips are softer than they look, and he’s a better kisser than you thought he’d be, too. He brings his hands up to tangle them in your hair, and that’s when you abruptly pull away, not wanting things to go too far. “We shouldn’t…” He looks at you with sad eyes, but he nods, understanding what you mean.

“Probably not the best idea?” his response comes out as more of a question than a statement, but you nod in agreement anyway.

“Definitely not. I’m um–– I’m actually gonna go,” you stand up, slinging your purse over your shoulder. “Thanks for the coffee, Harry. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, see––”

You’re out the door, rushing down the stairs before he can even finish his sentence.

The rest of the school week goes on without either one of you mentioning it. It’s a little awkward for a couple of days, but by the time Friday rolls around, both of you decide the best course of action to take regarding the kiss would be to act like it never happened. 

You’re in your room at lunch hanging up your kids’ artwork they made during their ‘Free Time’ this morning, having declined Harry’s lunch invitation for the fourth time that week. You decided to pretend to be busy with work so you wouldn’t be too tempted to go into his room. To most people, you’re sure it looked like you were avoiding him–– and maybe you were. However, you were trying to get over this crush on him in the best way that you knew how.

“Need some help?”

You jump, nearly falling backward off the stepstool you were on. “Holy shit, Harry! You scared the hell out of me!” You feel your body getting warm, and you quickly look away, not wanting him to see how flustered you were.

“Sorry, you weren’t answering my texts, so I decided to come see what you were up to,” he walks over to where you were standing and hands you a piece of art, smiling at it before handing it to you. “You’ve got some artists in your class.”

“Mhm,” you hum, not looking him in the eyes. You hear him let out a quiet sigh.

“Still able to go see about getting those pumpkins ordered after work?”

You had completely forgotten that you and Harry decided today would be the day you’d go get the pumpkin situated figured out for your booth. For a second, you consider making an excuse to get out of it, but you decide against it. This was something that both of you were asked to do, not just him, and you didn’t want the fact that you let your attraction to him cloud your judgment getting in the way of your professional responsibilities.

“Yeah, that works.”

He doesn’t say anything, and even though you’re not looking at him, you can see the gears in his head turning. “Should we talk––” 

You’re quite literally saved by the bell, the end of lunch interrupting where you knew he was about to lead the conversation. “I’ll see you after school? Did you walk here again? I can drive.” Harry nods slowly.

“Uh, yeah. he replies. “I walked. Uh, ’m gonna go get my kids. See you after school then?”

“Yup!” you respond, fake enthusiasm in your voice. Harry gives you one more look before walking out of your room. You wait until he’s all the way down the hall before following behind him to bring your class back inside. You knew you were the one making things awkward between you and Harry. However, the realistic part of you knew getting involved with your coworker was one of the worst ideas you’d ever had in your life. For now, you’d just tell yourself that you were probably more into Harry than he was into you and pray that would be enough to make you get over your crush.

“I haven’t been to a pumpkin patch since I was a kid.” Harry stuffs his hands farther into his pockets while yours are tightly hugging your chest. You hum, not saying anything. The car ride there was a little awkward, and you were glad it was so short. You could tell there was a lot Harry wanted to say, but you were glad he wasn’t saying it. You keep seeing him glance at you, but you pretend not to notice.

“What size pumpkins should we ask for? Small ones, huh?” Harry nods, looking around in childlike awe. There was a small petting zoo, booths selling warm drinks and kettle corn, and an obscene amount of children.

You walk around together for a moment before encountering a friendly-looking employee who looked like he could help you out. Harry takes over, explaining the situation, and why you need to order one hundred tiny pumpkins. While you’re waiting for the employee to ask the owner if that would even be possible, Harry turns to face you.

“Y/N? Can we talk about what happened on Monday?” you’re about to tell him that you’d rather not, but he continues. “I felt something during that kiss, Y/N. I’m not sure if you felt it too, but I don’t want things to be awkward between us. We have to get through an entire school year working side-by-side, and if you’re not interested, then I respect that one hundred percent, but I just want––”

“So the owner said that is possible!” The employee that was helping you out comes back with a form and clipboard in their hand. “Can you just fill out some information and let us know what time you need it tomorrow? The owner said he could get it delivered and give you guys a discount since you’re ordering so much.”

“That’s great!” you exclaim, taking the form from him. You were glad to have been saved from your conversation with Harry. You quickly go through and fill out everything you can, telling them they can bill your school’s PTA. 

The walk back to your car is silent. You’re replaying what Harry was saying to you over in your head, thinking about what he was going to say before he was interrupted. He opens your car door like he’s been doing, but he doesn’t make eye contact with you or say a word as he slides into the passenger seat.

“Y’can just drop me off,” Harry says quietly. He leans your seat back and closes his eyes. You wait to see if he’ll connect his phone, but he doesn’t, so you turn on the radio at a volume so low it almost can’t be heard. It takes everything in you not to speed back to his place. You just wanted him out of your car. You had such strong feelings for him that it physically hurt, and restraining yourself from telling him how you really felt was growing harder and harder.

“We’re here.” your voice is a little hoarse from not saying anything. Harry slowly opens his eyes and unbuckles his seatbelt, opening the door.

“Right. Thanks for the ride. What time do we need to be at school to set up our booth by?”

“Four. I can pick you up if you want?”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow, Y/N.” He closes the door and walks up to his gate without looking back at you once.

“Hi Miss Y/L/N! Hi Mr. Styles!”

Groups of your students had been coming up to you excitedly all evening. It made you happy to see that the Kindergarten classes were no longer divided. They were starting to hang out with one another. Their parents tell you how their children thought it was just the coolest thing to be on school grounds on a Saturday, and how even though it was only a week into the school year, they were having the best time. It was comments like this that made you fall in love with your job all over again.

Things between you and Harry were going well. It wasn’t awkward, but you think it was because you were both too busy helping children paint their pumpkins. You were glad that Harry didn’t take the bit of downtime the two of you had when no one was at your booth trying to talk about the kiss and instead talked about other random things instead. You find out he loves baking (specifically, bread), he has an obsession with old music, and has about fifty tattoos. He talks to his mom on the phone every day, and he is extremely close to his sister. You tell him about your parents’, your undergraduate experience, your hobbies, and you finally tell him what music you like to listen to.

The festival quickly comes to an end, and you find yourself sad once you and Harry are done cleaning up your booth, knowing that you were just going to drop him off at his apartment and go back to yours to spend another Saturday night alone. You get to his complex almost too quickly, and you almost want to keep going and pretend you accidentally missed it just to be with him a bit longer. Instead, you park.

“D’ya wanna come inside?” He blurts out. Even in the darkness of your car, you can tell his face is flushed. “I mean if you haven’t got plans. I know it’s a Saturday night, so I understand if––”

“Nope, I don’t have plans. I’d love to.” Your hands are shaky as you unbuckle your seatbelt. He quickly gets out of your car and runs around to your side, opening the door for you before you can do it yourself. You almost don’t even notice since it was becoming such a habit.

“I picked up this new bottle of wine a couple days ago that’ve been wanting to pop open. Think we deserve a glass or two after such a long week, hmm?” You wordlessly nod, wholly mesmerized with just how good Harry looked after such a long day of work. His curls fell perfectly across his forehead, his eyes were sparkling and full of excitement. 

“A glass of wine sounds great,” you reply with a chuckle. “I’m ready to drink a whole bottle by the end of the week if I’m being honest.” Harry laughs, quickly punching in his gate code. You could see his hands shaking a little bit, but you decide not to comment on it. He takes the stairs up to his apartment two at a time like he did last time you were there, but this time there’s an urgency and clumsiness to his actions that you haven’t seen before. He jams the key in his lock, quickly shoving the door open.

His apartment is a little messier than it was when you were in it at the beginning of the week, but it’s nothing disgusting. He runs his fingers through his curls, moving aside papers that were scattered along the length of the couch. “Sorry, I was doin’ some planning. Make yourself comfortable.” He disappears to the kitchen, and moments later, you hear the pop of a wine cork and the smooth sound of him pouring the alcohol into glasses.

He emerges from his kitchen, handing you a generously poured glass of wine. “Thanks, Harry,” you tell him before taking a big sip. It was sweet, and while you usually preferred a more dry wine, it was still delicious. 

“Cheers to the end of a successful first week,” he holds up his glass, and you smile, clinking yours with his. “Thanks for helpin’ me get through it, Y/N. Couldn’t have done it without you.” You give him a timid smile.

“Stop, Harry. You’re a great teacher. I can see your kids love you already,” you take another sip of wine. “I kinda do too. I mean–– that came out wrong. I don’t love you, but I do think I like you.” You didn’t know what came over you at that moment, but something told you now was the time to lay it all out on the table with Harry. He sets his glass of wine down, the biggest smile on his face.

“Really? I thought you weren’t interested. Was kinda startin’ to feel like you hate me,” he sounds a little sad. You shake your head.

“Quite the opposite, actually. I’m really into you,” you didn’t even realize how you’d inched your way towards Harry. “I’ve been trying not to think about how we kissed because we shouldn’t, you know? We’re coworkers. I’ve been trying not to think about it all week, though, and I just can’t get you out of my mind.” He stares intensely into your eyes, chewing on the inside of his cheek like he usually does when he’s thinking.

“Can I kiss you, Y/N?” he finally asks. You’re in the same position as you were last time, being mere inches away from the other’s lips. Only this time, you smell the wine on his breath, not coffee. You nod quickly, and Harry cups your face in his hands, hungrily pressing his lips against yours.

“You can do more than kiss me, actually,” you tell him breathlessly. “You can do whatever you want with me.”

Harry raises an eyebrow, a shocked look on his face. “When you say anything…” he trails off.

“I want you to fuck me, Harry,” you tell him bluntly. “Please. Been wanting that all week.” He licks his lips, looking at you in a way he hasn’t yet before. 

“I can definitely do that,” he replies, resting his hand on your thigh. His large hand is dangerously close to your pussy, and you can already feel yourself growing wet. “Let’s get all these clothes off you then, huh?” 

You stand up and quickly start removing your clothes. First, your blouse comes off, and that’s quickly followed by your bra. Harry’s leaning back on the couch, arms resting behind his head. “Enjoying the show?” you ask, quickly pulling down your jeans and underwear. You’re completely naked in front of him in thirty seconds flat, and you reckon that’s the fastest you’ve ever undressed for anything. 

“Very much so,” he mumbles, palming himself over his khakis. “C’ mere, Y/N.” he pats his lap, and you move to sit in it, now straddling him. He softly presses his lips against yours, the hunger that was there just a moment ago completely dissipated. This was a much more hesitant kiss, more gentle and tender. “You’re really beautiful, Y/N.”

You giggle. “I know. You’ve told me that before.”

“I want you to know how much I mean it.”

“I know you do.”

Harry nods. “Can I have a taste of ya now?” you notice that his accent sounds a bit thicker than usual, voice a tad gruffer. You nod, swallowing thickly. Climbing off Harry, you lay back on the couch, situating yourself, so it’s a little more comfortable. He looks into your eyes, placing his hands on your knees. “Is this okay, Y/N?” You nod again, and he removes his hands.

“What’s wrong?” your voice has a hint of desperation in it, but after a week of extreme sexual tension, you wanted nothing more than to cum by the hands of this man.

“Wanna hear you tell me it’s okay. I don’t wanna do anything you don’t want,” he’s looking down at his hands.

“Harry, I wouldn’t have given you a striptease and laid back on this couch for you if I didn’t want it. I wholeheartedly give you permission to do whatever you want with me––”

That’s enough for him. He roughly pries your legs open, immediately licking a long stripe up your heat. You cry out, not expecting him to get right into it. You look down at him and groan when you see he’s making eye contact with you, a smug look on his face. “How’s tha’, love?” You nod, tangling your hands in his curls.

“Yeah Harry, please,” you moan. Harry sucks harshly at your clit, pulling off loudly, the sound echoing throughout his minimally furnished apartment.

“Please what, pet?” He’s looking you dead in the eyes, a devilish grin on his face while his index finger rubs small circles on your clit. Your chest is heaving up and down quickly as you try to calm your breathing down.

“Please make me cum on your tongue, Harry,” you try pushing his head back down to your cunt, but he doesn’t budge.

“Think I rather like hearin’ you beg like this fo’ me. Enjoyin’ watching you squirm like tha’, love.” Just as your about to beg for him some more to feed his inflated ego, he attaches his lips to your clit once more, this time adding his ring finger into your tight pussy. “You’re tight. Sure you’ll be able to take my cock?” His voice is muffled, and you just barely make out what he says.

You clench around his finger, and he laughs, the vibrations sending a new sensation across your clit. “Y’like thinkin’ about my cock, hmm?”

“Yeah, want you in me,” you beg, lifting your hips up. He grips onto your hips tightly, keeping you in place.

“Can feel yeh gettin’ ready for me, darlin’. Think you can take another one?” You nod, and Harry gently places kitten licks on your swollen clit while he slowly pushes his middle finger into you. You feel full in a way you haven’t felt in such a long time, and he only had two fingers in you. Once he pumps his fingers in and out of you a few times, he goes back to harshly sucking on his clit, moaning every so often so you can feel the vibrations against your cunt.

“Fuck,” you’re moaning loudly, and you pray Harry’s neighbors don’t hear you, knowing how thin apartment walls were.

“So fuckin’ wet for me, doll,” he mutters, adding another finger inside you. The burn feels amazing, and you place your hand on his wrist, urging him to go faster. “Gonna cum in my mouth, hmm? Gonna let me feel ya around m’ fingers?”

“Yes, please, Harry,” you feel yourself nearly there, your orgasm threatening to overtake you at any moment. 

“Give it to me then, Y/N. Cum for me,” he demands. As soon as he says those three words, you’re done for, your body going tense as waves of pleasure roll throughout your body. He doesn’t remove his digits from the your cunt until you’re coming down from your high, placing a kiss to your clit. He laughs as you shudder at the overstimulation. Harry places his three fingers that were just inside of you and his mouth and sucks on them, not once breaking eye contact with you. 

“That was really good,” you tell him, crawling on your knees towards him to place a kiss on the underside of his jaw—Harry’s beaming, a triumphant look on his face.

“Not yet. Gotta make y’ cum one more time. I’m a gentleman, after all.” You know he’s messing with you but also serious, so you lean back on the couch, opening your legs once again.

“Are you gonna take off your clothes too? Why am I the only one that’s naked?” Harry laughs, and you hear the clanking of his belt as he undoes it. 

“You’re impatient, aren’t ya?” you nod, and he pulls down his tenting khakis and tight boxers. His cock springs up, slightly touching his stomach, and he hisses at the feeling. “Hold on a sec.” He gets up quickly, and you hear him hurry to what you assume in the bathroom, rummaging around. He comes back a minute later with a box of condoms, making you laugh.

“Is that a new box of condoms? Have you been holding onto those all week, Mr. Styles?” Harry rolls his eyes and opens the box, ripping open a condom expertly with his teeth.

“Weren’t you just the one beggin’ for me, pet? I’d watch it if I were you,” he jokes, rolling the condom onto his hard length. He leans down to place wet, opened mouth kisses to your breasts. “So beautiful.”

“Are you gonna take off your shirt?” you ask quietly. “I kinda wanna see all your tattoos.” Harry raises an eyebrow at you but unbuttons his shirt nevertheless, throwing it into the mess of clothes scattered around the living room. You reach your hand up, shakily tracing the swallows on his chest, moving down to the butterfly across his stomach and finally to the ferns on his abdomen. Harry’s staring down at you, watching as you delicately touch his skin. “You have so many.” you finally say. He nods.

“Yeah. Some of them I just got for the hell of it. Felt like after I got that first tattoo, it was hard to stop.” He caresses the skin on your thighs, and you shudder again. “Gonna let me get inside that pretty lil’ cunt now?”

“Please.”

Harry aligns himself with your entrance and slowly pushes into you, sharply inhaling as you clench around his length. “Relax, Y/N.’ve got ya,” he tells you reassuringly. “Can’t get inside ya if you’re all tense like tha’.” You can tell Harry’s trying his hardest not to absolutely wreck you, the vein in his forehead very prominent from clenching his jaw so tightly. You grip tightly onto his bicep, biting your lip as you adjust to his size. You were so wet and indescribably turned on that you felt every vein his thick cock had to offer, and you knew you wouldn’t last long once he started moving. By the looks of it, Harry wouldn’t either.

“You can move,” you tell him, squeezing your eyes shut. Harry slowly pulls out of you and then ever so gently sinks back inside you, bottoming out. He lets out a breathy moan, moving one of his hands up to tweak your nipples. “Harder, Harry, fuck.” 

He immediately pulls out of you and slams back inside, the sounds of his balls slapping against your ass echoing in the room. You scream in pleasure, no longer caring if his neighbors hear what you two were doing. 

“Like tha’?” He asks cheekily, working up a steady rhythm. You nod, gripping your boobs to keep them from bouncing. Harry shakes his head, forcefully removing your hands. “Nope, none of that. Wanna see ’em.” He takes both of your hands in one of his, pinning them up over your head. His other hand reaches in between your bodies to rub at your clit, and before you have time to warn him, you’re cumming again, squirting all over his cock. 

Harry throws his head back in pleasure, his thrusts getting sloppy and frantic, and you know he’s seconds away from his own orgasm. You spur him on, telling him how badly you wanted him to come inside of you (even though he was wearing a condom). He stills moments later, shaking above you as he holds himself up with an arm, not wanting to collapse on top of you.

“Fuckin’ hell, Y/N. Why did we wait a whole week to do this again?”

[mieohmy]

[𝟽:𝟹𝟽]

𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘤 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 :\ 

   The sound of keys clicking filled the room. Occasional sniffs and coughs could be heard, but your brain blocked it all out. It was a long day at the office, and with the holidays coming up, you had way more work than you had liked.

You typed one more sentence before sitting up from your slumped position, stretching your neck and arms. You took the time to glance around. Everyone else seemed focused. Heck, even Haechan was clicking away instead of his usual banter, face never leaving the computer screen.  

After handing your report to Mark with a grimace, you tell him “good luck,” and he gives you a strained laugh before saying he’ll just give it to Jaemin to proofread. You decide to stand up and get some water, wincing as you hear your bones crack. Walking over, you meet Renjun filling up his water bottle at the station. You greet him as he starts talking. “Y/n, I swear I’m gonna sleep for days once we finish this project. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t hear from me after.” You laugh before agreeing. “I know, my eyes are dead from staring at a screen 24/7.” He moves aside as you fill up your bottle, continuing to chat and sip on his water.

You hear him greet someone. “Yo Jeno, did your boss assign you a 3,000-word report too?” You stiffen before slowly turning around to meet him. Jeno immediately locks eyes with you, even though he’s responding to Renjun’s question. Your eyes flick away, deciding to focus on Renjun instead. Renjun shoots you a weird look before walking off and groaning about one last page to do.

You take a sip before deciding to leave to get back to the mountain of documents you desperately need to finish, but once you take two steps forward, Jeno quickly grabs your hand. You immediately tense, head turning to face him. He takes a glance around the room before softly asking, “Have you eaten yet?” You slowly shake your head, looking around to see if anyone saw before taking your hand from his grip. Jeno frowns in disapproval before he says, “You haven’t eaten since eight this morning? Let’s grab food after work alright?” You nod before quickly walking back to your desk, hoping no one witnessed anything.

You sighed as you sat back down at your desk to continue working. You hoped you didn’t seem too cold towards Jeno. It’s not that you were ashamed of your relationship or anything, but dating in the workplace wasn’t the most professional thing, and you took your job seriously. You tried to seem neutral towards him whenever you had to interact with him in the office—hoping no one would catch on,—but Jeno was making it a lot harder to hide.

You two weren’t the most affectionate couple in public, but Jeno’s sweet actions made your heart flutter a lot more than you would admit. He would sneak drinks at your desk with a cute note and pack you snacks in the morning to take to work. (he left in the morning before you because he worked under a different boss that required him to arrive earlier.. and maybe also so no one didn’t suspect anything).

______________________________________________________________

Once you finally get to the last paragraph, you slump back in your chair, exhaling. Glancing around, you realized it was dark outside, and there were only a few people left still in the office. Jeno being one of them. You blink a couple of times before focusing again, only to feel a pair of eyes on you. You grin, knowing he was watching you. You figured he had probably finished already, being the hard worker that he was, and was waiting for you. You reminded yourself to hurry up, feeling your stomach grumble and remembering what Jeno said.

You faintly hear Jisung and Chenle sign off as you type the last sentence, saying goodbye before turning their lights off and walking out. It’s quiet for a moment, and you think you’re the only one left in the room before you hear a chair rolling towards you. You feel a smile growing, knowing who it was already. Quickly packing up, you gather everything before spinning around to face him.

Jeno was sitting in his chair, chin resting on his palm while staring at you. “Missed me that much even though we’re in the same room?” you tease. He doesn’t say anything, just causing a surprised gasp to escape your mouth as he suddenly pulls your chair towards his. His hand comes up to your chin, tilting your chin up as he comes closer. Your eyes instinctively fall shut, waiting. You feel the ghost of his lips on yours before suddenly hearing voices coming closer and getting louder.

You immediately jerk and push Jeno off you, eyes opening to find his shocked face staring back at you, lips slightly puckered still, getting smaller as his chair slowly rolls further and further away.

You can only stare in horror until your attention is moved to the voices again. It was Chenle and Jisung, looking at you and Jeno (who had stopped rolling 10 feet from you) with confused expressions. You blink. “Um- what’s happening?” Chenle looks at you, then at Jeno, before focusing on you again. “Uhh I just left my jacket.. haha... we’ll get going now..” He quickly retrieves his jacket before grabbing Jisung and leaving.

It’s silent for a moment. It takes you a second before you immediately rush over to him, not moving and silent. You can’t read the expression on his face, but he slightly turns so his back is towards you, and you can’t see him. You hesitate for a moment before reaching out to grab his hand. “Jeno...” He quickly moves his hand away. You pout. “Baby... I didn’t mean to.” You hope the nickname worked.

He still doesn’t look at you. You try to turn his chair around, but he stops you. “Are you that ashamed of me? To the point of hiding our relationship like that?” Your eyes widen. “No!! It’s not like that.. you know I love you, but I just don’t think it’s the right time to show it..” You’re finally able to get him to face you. You smile at the cute pout on his face, knowing he was trying to seem angry. You bring your face close to his, attempting to appeal to him. “I’m sorry Jen..”

His eyes avoid yours, but you can see a small smile forming. He lets out a small humph! and turns slightly away from you. You laugh, pressing a kiss to his cheek.  

You squirm. “Come onnn. I’m hungry. Let’s go to that restaurant you wanted to visit a week ago?” Playfully tilting your head at him, you grab his arm and pull him up. Jeno grumbles before reluctantly grabbing his stuff.

As you two make your way down the stairs, you continue to play with him. You hug his arm, whining. “Are you still upset? You know I’ll give you kisses at home, ok??” He mumbles a response, ears red. You can only laugh and intertwine your hands together.

Jeno, being the gentleman he is, opens the door to the exit for you as you giggle from something he said, wrapping his arm around your waist after. You’re about to continue when you hear a “What the fuck?” You and Jeno immediately freeze. You whip your head, and it’s the boys standing in a group to your right. Shit. Why are they still here?! Jeno’s grip on your waist tightens.

Mark and Jisung are just staring at the two of you, mouths open. Jaemin’s frozen, and you think you hear Renjun whisper-shout “I fucking knew it!”

You laugh awkwardly. “What are you guys still doing here??” Haechan slowly speaks. “Waiting for our ride to take us to go eat together?” His eyes kept flicking down to Jeno’s hand still around your waist and back up to you. There’s an awkward pause until Chenle coughs. “So... you two ..?” Jeno only shrugs. “Guess the secret’s out??” he says sheepishly.

Renjun scoffs. “It wasn’t a secret. I could totally tell you liked Y/n. I just didn’t you two were already together.” You shoot Jeno a look before looking back at the group. “Please keep this a secret?? We don’t want everyone at work to know. I want to be professional still,” you plead, eyes wide.

Haechan coughs while muttering, “i think everyone knows,” before Jaemin elbows him. They promise to keep the “secret” before bidding you two farewell. You continue walking with Jeno silently until he speaks up. “Well, that was unexpected.” You sigh before looping your arm through his. “Yeah, it was gonna happen eventually.” He suddenly steals a quick kiss from you before starting to run. You yelp as he pulls you along. “What are you doing??” He only laughs. “Don’t you wanna get to the restaurant before it closes?”

[horansqueen]

New Angel - Chapter 5

story masterlist [x]

chapter 1  ☆ chapter 2  ☆ chapter 3  ☆ chapter 4

NOTES

☆ written from Niall’s pov ☆ i don’t proofread, I never do, I hate it. ☆ AU comedy/fluff/smut/romance ☆ 2.5k ☆ i accept requests and ideas for this story, so message me in my inbox! ☆ if you want to be notified when this story is updated (or be taken off the update list) CLICK HERE

☆ you probably noticed that my chapters are shorter, which makes it tough because I feel like I can’t write everything I want to write in one chapter. so ill probably update this soon with the next chapter that will just be the continuity of this one.

NIALL

It took a few days before I received a text message from Summer who was inviting me to the movies. It was not really original but I was happy I'd get to spend some of my time with her. Millie had convinced me to go back to work and I had to admit that keeping my head busy was a nice way to get a break from my heartache. I preferred Summer to keep my mind off Grace but I would use every way possible to get over my heartbreak as soon as possible.

"You're not eating diner with us?" Louis asked, making me look up after playing with my keys.

"Nope!"

"Ah, you're gonna get laid." he just pointed out with a nod, making Millie chuckle near him.

I glanced at her and sent her a small smile before looking back at Louis and sending him a smirk. I wanted to joke and ask him if he was jealous but it would be useless since I knew he pretty much had sex whenever he wanted to. Instead, I just shrugged with an amused smile and raised my eyebrows.

"Hopefully."

"D'you need condoms?" he added to tease me.

"Naa, thanks, we're clearly not the same size."

Louis raised his hand up, showing me his middle finger and I started laughing, taking a few steps back, doing the same to him, my middle finger up in the air. I smiled more when my eyes met Millie's and I shook my head slightly.

"Not you Mills, you know I love you!"

She jokingly blew a kiss at me and I pretended to catch it and push it in my pocket, making her laugh. The only good thing beside Summer that came with the fact that Grace broke my heart was that I was getting close to my friends. I was always quite close to Louis, but this whole thing made me realized that we didn't talk much anymore, and we didn't hang out much either. Now that I was single (or something?), I got to spend time with him and I had missed him. Millie was also a good addition to my life. She was still slightly annoying but the more time i spent with her, the more I liked the side of her that made her say things the way they were. Her bluntness was refreshing. I felt like most of the time, everyone around me tried to be sorry for me, or would tell me what I want to hear. She was not rude, she just told me when I was going too far, or shook me when I needed to be, and I realized that true friendship was not pretending the people around you were perfect, it was helping them move on, grow up, and be a better person. Millie was doing just that with me.

"I guess you're also not going to be there tonight, or when we wake up." Louis added as I shrugged again.

"Hopefully." I repeated, making both my friends smile more.

"Have fun!"

---

The movie was boring but I spent the whole time glancing at Summer who seemed to be focus on the screen. I wanted to wrap my arm around her but I was scared of the message it would send so I decided not to. I also didn't dare kissing her for the same reason, and I took a mental note to ask her about the kind of relationship she was looking for on the same night. I just wanted to make things clear and get rid of that restraint inside me that made me think twice about everything I wanted to do or say.

Near the end, I stared at her as she reached very slowly for the popcorn, groping around to find it, and it made me smile. There was no doubt in my mind that I liked Summer and that I wanted to get to know her, I was just scared she was going to be some sort of rebound and I felt extremely guilty about it.

I don't know how the movie ended but when we walked out of the theater, she sent me a big smile and my heart twisted in my chest.

"So, did you guess that they would end up together?" she asked, making my lips part.

"Uh, no."

"Me neither." Summer admitted, raising her nose up slightly. "I'm not good at guessing these kind of things."

I pushed one of my hands in my pockets and chuckled, feeling slight embarrassed. I brought my free hand to scratch the back of my head and I glanced at her. "The truth is, I didn't really watch the movie. I was focused on you."

Her eyes got bigger with surprise and finally, her lips curled slightly to the left. I liked the way she was looking at me and I also liked how oblivious she was. She didn't see the way I looked at her, and she didn't seem to realize how pretty she was. Somehow, it made her prettier. Perhaps it was only because I was used to date confident girls who knew their worth and it was not a better or worst thing, it was just different.

"You really know how to sweet talk women." she pointed out before letting out a short laughter. "But I like it."

"Seriously. I mean it."

"Okay." she nodded, licking her lip before her eyes got smaller. I felt like she was studying me and I liked it. "Then how about you come over to grab a bite? That way you can spend some more time watching me?"

I let out a louder laugh than intended and finally nodded too. "That's a great idea!"

I drove us to her place when when we walked in, I let my eyes roam around. The apartment was small an decorated with pastel colors. It was clearly not the colors I would have picked but it was clean and welcoming, and it fitted well with Summer's bubbly personality.

"Okay, let's see what leftovers we have..." she said in a soft tone, opening the fridge and bending down to look inside.

I suddenly wondered if she did that on purpose but I just shook my head and closed my eyes for a few seconds. From what I knew of Summer, it was not the kind of things she did, but it reminded me that it was exactly the kind of things Grace would do, and I liked it.

"Pasta good for you?"

I opened my eyes when I heard her voice again and blinked a few times before nodding. "Yea, yea it's perfect."

She handed me a beer before putting the food in the microwave and started it. I took a sip of my drink as she turned around and leaned her butt against the counter. She sent me a small smile but I couldn't help and let my eyes move down on her. The necklace she was wearing was falling gracefully between her breasts until her navel but unlike the dress she was wearing at the club, her outfit on that day was pretty simple: a black pair of jeans and a pink shirt that molded her upper body perfectly. I was pretty sure she looked good no matter what she was wearing and it made me smile. She tilted her head slightly, playing with her hair falling down from her high pony tail down to the middle of her back and licked her lips.

"If you want I can tell you what happened in the movie while you stare at me like that."

I looked up and our eyes met again but when I saw her smile, I mirrored it and walked closer. "I'd rather know more about you."

Her amused smile faltered slowly, changing into a loving one, and she tilted her head just as the microwave beeped. She chuckled a bit and turned around, making a bowl for me and one for her, and we sat down at her table, facing each other.

"Okay, tell me what you want to know." she just proposed before taking a bite.

"Okay... age, last name, siblings?" I asked, raising my eyebrows and making her laugh as she chewed.

"You're right, we don't know that much about each other." she admitted with a nod. "We talked at the club but we quickly ended up in your apartment."

I smiled more. "I know you study in fashion and that you used to live with a few friends but that you recently moved here by yourself. I also know that you've only been in two serious relationships, one of them when you were still a teen, and that you've been single for two years. But I have no idea how old you are."

"Glad to know you can stare at me and listen to what I say at the same time!" she joked.

"I'm a multitask guy." I shrugged with a chuckle, making her laugh too.

"I'm 23." she admitted. "I have two older sisters, and my last name is Carpenter."

"Good to know. And apparently, you like romantic movies."

"Don't we all?" she asked with a shrug but chuckling when she saw me raising my eyebrows. "I mean, most of us want to find real love and live happily ever after, right?"

My smile faltered as Grace invaded my head again. I felt a wave of sadness invade me but when I looked up at Summer, I realized she hadn't noticed anything.

"Yeah, I guess it's human nature."

I tried to push my ex girlfriend out of my mind and we kept talking about each other for a while and when she got up to bring her dishes to the dishwasher, I followed her and helped her. She turned my way and looked up in my eyes as I felt my heart jump in my chest at the proximity of our bodies. She smelled exactly the same as she did wat the club. It was that perfume that lasted for 3 days on one of my pillows but I couldn't tell what exactly it smelled like. She started nibbling on her bottom lip while staring at me and I couldn't take my eyes off of her either.

"I want you to know that I normally don't do that."

"Don't do what?" I asked very low.

"Sleep on the first night." she confessed in a whisper. "But you're special, I don't know."

"Is that a good thing?"

Her lips curled and she chuckled, nodding slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. "Mhm, yes."

I was not expecting it but she got on her tiptoes and kissed me gently but firmly. Her lips moved against mine and I tasted her lip-gloss when my tongue ran on bottom lip. It was sticky and it smelled like strawberry, telling me that it was probably her favorite.

"Summer," I murmured between two kisses. "We need to talk."

"I know, but we can do it after."

Her arms wrapped around my neck and I kissed her deeper, pulling her closer. I don't know how we ended up in her room but I knew I went a bit too roughly when I pushed her against the door and she stopped me.

"How about we go on my bed?"

I nodded quickly and grabbed her hand, pulling her gently but quickly with me. I layed on top of her, grinding down against her as she whimpered in my mouth, and I couldn't help but tell myself that it felt even better than the first time. Her shirt and her pants ended on the carpet and I let my lips run down her neck, sliding between her breasts and on her stomach until I reached for her panties. I wanted to taste her, and I could tell how aroused she was just from the way she smelled, but when I pulled her panties down with two of my fingers on the sides, she tensed.

"Niall, please, not today, okay?"

My heart skipped a beat, hoping I didn't ruin the moment, and I moved back up to press my lips on hers. "Okay, anything you want."

"I'll remember that." she joked with a chuckle, making me smile against her mouth.

She grabbed my shirt and moved it over my head before her hands ran in my hair and down my naked back, making me feel the same burning sensation I had felt the first time and when I finally lied down on top of her naked, I realized how similar everything was.

"Summer, baby, you want to ride me?" I asked in a murmur, moving away slightly to look in her eyes.

Her lips parted and she held her breath but after a few seconds, she nodded and licked her lips. I lied down next to her but quickly sat back up, searching for my pants on the floor and grabbing the condom I had brought with me. I could feel guilty for even bringing it as if I expected to have sex with her but my mom always said 'better safe than sorry' and I would have hated myself if I hadn't brought one and didn't have the chance to do that again with her. I lied down on my back and when she straddled me, the sight made my dick twitch and my heart jump. She was hot and watching her move on top of me was definitely going to bring me to an orgasm fast.

I ran my hands on her thighs and when she moved on her knees to sit on my cock, It was my turn to hold my breath while my lips parted. She felt so good around me that I let out a low curse word and blinked a few times, trying to see her better as I became dizzy. She had a small shy smile and I let my hands slid up until her waist just to feel her skin against mine.

"Fuck, you feel amazing."

She started moving over me, riding me gently, and she bent down to kiss me again. I ran my hands on her, wherever I could touch, but she didn't move back her and stayed laying on me. I enjoyed the way her hips were moving against mine and when I felt myself reach an orgasm, I held her waist tighter. I felt her start shaking over me a few seconds after I came and when her body went limp on top of me, I sighed with a smile, running a few of my fingertips on her spine.

"Now, we have to talk." I repeated in a gentle tone, bringing my hand up to move her hair out of her face and press my cheek on the top of her head.

She remained silent for a few seconds but I felt her lips press on my chest and it made me smile. "Mmhm, we can talk now."

[agapaic]

tianshan drabble. 💞 created for Fay @nightfayre following her matched donation to Communities United Against Police Brutality. see here for more information. thank you so much to @fantasiapegasus for proofreading! 🌸 synopsis: guan shan receives an unexpected birthday present.

-

‘We’ll be late,’ He Tian says, the reminder only a little impatient.

Guan Shan’s lip curls. ‘I’m not rushin’ anywhere,’ he says. ‘Not today.’

He Tian holds his hands up, like catching his fingers on a burner, and says nothing. He’d bought them both bubble tea from the café in the apartment’s lobby that morning, and now he watches Guan Shan finishing his, which is cold and sweet. Guan Shan gives it a shake. Small tapioca balls drift around at the bottom, the colour and shape of pomegranate seeds, strangely tacky on He Tian’s tongue when he accepts the proffered remnants of the cup and tips his head back. He Tian puts the empty cup on the side of the kitchen counter.

‘Now can we go?’

Guan Shan narrows his eyes. ‘You know I fuckin’ hate birthdays.’

‘I know.’

‘You know I fuckin’ hate bein’ told what to do.’

A wry smile. ‘I’m very intimate with the concept.’

‘Bein’ told what to do or me hatin’ it?’

He Tian says, ‘Yes.’ He hands Guan Shan a light jacket; the day will be warm, but the mornings are still cool, and He Tian had bought the jacket for Guan Shan’s twentieth birthday a few years ago and still admires its fit.

The café they’re going to for brunch doesn’t take bookings, but they’ve made an exception for He Tian, and Guan Shan’s mother will be meeting them there. Ordinarily, they would spend the morning fucking and He Tian would fetch a box of hot sweet bread and fresh baozi from a breakfast stall down the street. They would watch Li Ziqi on Weibo for half the day, pretending they were somewhere beautiful in Sichuan, and Guan Shan wouldn’t mind if He Tian got crumbs on the sheets.

‘We can go there,’ He Tian would say. ‘Right now—I’ll take you.’

And Guan Shan would explain, in his own way, that there was no real desire in him for it; the want was brief and insubstantial. He wanted to live Li Ziqi’s life like he wanted mushroom jiaozi instead of shrimp, a bland preference. He wouldn’t mind either way which he got.

Today, He Tian hasn’t allowed for the simple pleasure of sex and food. Today, after a year, he can offer something more. He checks his messages on his phone as they ride the elevator down to the lobby, and Qiu has sent him a thumbs-up emoji. They’re good to go. He Tian feels a little sick, and his smile feels warped on his lips when Guan Shan catches his eye in the ceiling mirror.

‘What?’ Guan Shan murmurs. They’re alone in the elevator, but the need to lower their voices is instinctive. ‘You look funny.’

‘I’m just happy,’ He Tian says. ‘It’s your birthday.’

Guan Shan looks away. ‘Fuckin’ weirdo,’ he mutters, but the corner of his mouth is tight, like he’s holding in a smile.

‘You’re not excited to see your mother?’

‘We see her every week for dinner.’

He Tian shrugs. The elevator dings; the doors slide open. They walk out into the complex’s underground car park, and He Tian’s black sports car bleeps as he raises the keys. It doesn’t fit his emaciated salary of being a nightclub bartender, but the car is an element of He Tian’s family wealth to which Guan Shan doesn’t object.

Guan Shan argued once that it defeated the point of the underprivileged image He Tian has been working on cultivating since his father struck him off—which is true, in a fashion—but money still leaks from somewhere, and He Tian wears the marks of it like an oil stain.

They get in the car, and He Tian pulls out from the car park and into the bright mid-morning air, busy with gnats and birds and the muted twang of far-off city construction work. A blackbird flits across the windshield, and He Tian is careful as he eases onto the street.

‘So,’ he says, ‘if you could have anything—’

‘Have we gotta do this every fuckin’ year?’

‘—anything, Mo Guan Shan, what would it be?’

Guan Shan sighs. ‘A pony. Buy me a fuckin’ pony.’

‘Where would we keep it?’ He Tian asks, laughing.

‘I dunno. Where do the rich fuckers in this city keep them?’

‘In stables out of the city.’ Grimacing, He Tian adds: ‘They go riding on weekends, but hire an ostler for most of the year.’

Guan Shan’s expression is comical. ‘Tell me you haven’t.’

He Tian laughs again. ‘I haven’t, I swear. I only know ‘cause friends of the family used to have horses. Still do, I suppose. It’s the kind of thing you never leave, right?’

‘Like working for the mob?’

There’s a collective pause, and then He Tian says, ‘Wow, you really do hate birthdays.’

He catches Guan Shan wince, a token of regret. He hasn’t lashed out in a while, and they don’t talk about He Tian’s family—or its business—unless they can help it. Usually, it’s He Tian remarking on some old pastime he had to endure on his father’s orders. On even rarer occasions, Guan Shan mentions it when he's indulging in a particularly foul mood and their disparate upbringings become a tool only to set them further apart.

They drive for ten minutes in silence, and Guan Shan chews on a hangnail and flicks through radio channels before switching the system off entirely.

‘You know why I hate them,’ Guan Shan says. And then: ‘Sorry.’

He Tian knows. It was only revealed to him on a night out for Guan Shan’s eighteenth birthday. Guan Shan had been drunk, and cried in the taxi on the way back to his mother’s apartment, then threw up onto the pavement with his head hanging out the doorway after the driver stopped the car.

The story went like this: it had been his birthday when his father was arrested for fraud and associated gang activity; his parents had planned to close up early and make him a cake together in the kitchens, which they’d eat slice after slice until they felt sick. Instead, police had swarmed into the restaurant in riot gear, and Guan Shan had hidden under a table in a cleaning cupboard, memorising the labels on bottles of bleach until he had a headache from the chemical fumes and a uniformed woman with a face visor pulled him out by the wrist. He’d been five, and didn’t see his mother for four days. After everything, she’d known nothing.

‘Seriously,’ He Tian says. ‘Tell me what you want.’

‘Brunch with you and my ma.’ He Tian doesn’t look at him; he sounds frustrated. ‘I’m not gonna say I want him there ‘cause he’s not gonna be there.’

He Tian checks his mirrors. ‘Guan Shan—’

‘Yeah, yeah. Don’t wish for things you’re never gonna get. I’ve learnt my lesson, whatever.’

‘Actually, sweetheart, I was going to say we’re here.’

Guan Shan blinks. Gravel crunches beneath the tyres as He Tian eases the car into a parking space in the city hall’s car park. He pushes the pedal for the parking brake, and the engine turns off automatically. Obviously, they’re not at the café.

‘I don’t understand,’ says Guan Shan, and then he looks at He Tian. ‘I swear to fuckin’ god, if there are marriage papers waitin’ in there…’

He Tian laughs loudly, startled. The thought hadn’t occurred to him, but now he wishes it had. ‘No,’ he says. ‘Not today.’

Guan Shan glowers at him, and He Tian opens his car door. ‘Come on,’ he says, nodding his head. ‘Quick detour.’

He can hear Guan Shan muttering in furious debate with himself as he unbuckles his seatbelt and gets out the car, slamming the door a little too hard. His grip is white-knuckled in He Tian’s hand when he reaches his side, and He Tian smooths his thumb across Guan Shan’s knuckles.

‘You’re sweating,’ He Tian says.

‘I don’t like surprises,’ Guan Shan grinds out, then swipes at the sheen on his forehead with the sleeve of his jacket. ‘What the fuck are we here for?’

‘I told you—’

‘That was bullshit.’ Guan Shan only looks ahead, approaching the steps with a vague grimace of contempt. A woman and man stand at the entrance in bullet proof vests, cradling guns in their arms. ‘Sorry, but it’s bullshit.’

He Tian shrugs. He flashes a badge to the officials standing at the main entrance, and says, ‘Magistrates’ hearing.’

They’re allowed in.

‘What the fuck,’ he hears Guan Shan whisper, and then pulls him through when the officials step aside, wearing sunglasses and looks that are equal in severity. Inside, the glossy hallways are cool, and He Tian becomes aware of the swiftness of his own pulse, a staccato metronome. Guan Shan looks sharply at him as they head towards a part of the building that is marked out by signs on polished chrome stands that read ‘Magistrates’ Court & Legal Offices’. Everyone they pass wears a suit; the click of women’s heels on the marble tiled flooring is loud.

Eventually, they walk through a final hallway and out into a brightly lit atrium. Mid-morning sun filters down like they’re in a church, and it makes Qiu’s hair look bright and see-through.

‘The hell is he doin’ here?’ Guan Shan asks, voice wavering with nerves. ‘He Tian—’

‘It’s alright,’ He Tian soothes. ‘Trust me.’

He Tian nods at Qiu, who is standing before a huge set of closed wooden doors with metal rivets studded down each side. Briefly, He Tian entertains the possibility that Qiu is the gatekeeper to some celestial doorway, and he squeezes Guan Shan’s hand tighter.

‘They’ve just made the ruling,’ says Qiu. ‘It’ll only take a minute.’

He Tian nods.

As a three, they stand in silence. It is the silence of men who know that something is about to happen, but don’t know exactly what. Beside He Tian, Guan Shan is shaking. He Tian has lost some of the sensation in his hand, and his pulse aches at his wrist. When he glances at Guan Shan, he can see a bead of sweat run from the crop of red hair at his temple, and down the soft slope of his ear.

Please don’t throw up, He Tian wants to say, jokingly, but then he thinks that might trigger it.

Eventually, there’s sound behind the doors, like the scraping of chairs, and a man’s voice. The three of them stand to one side as they eventually open, and a strange breath of air flows from the room, cool and hot all at once. Inside, the courtroom is disappointingly small, and there are only a handful of people: a jury, the judge, the necessary legal representatives, and a man in a suit that might once have fitted him.

He can take the jacket off, He Tian thinks, and roll up the sleeves. It’ll do for brunch.

‘Oh, you fuck,’ Guan Shan says, the words an exhale. He’s not looking at He Tian. Really, the words could be directed at anyone. There’s a bubble of hysteria welling in He Tian’s throat, and he’s not sure if he wants to laugh or cry. He does nothing, and lets Guan Shan’s hand fall from his.

‘We got him a lawyer,’ he tells Guan Shan, standing at his shoulder, speaking quietly. ‘A better one. They won the appeal.’

Guan Shan nods, but He Tian knows he’s only half listening. His mouth has fallen open. There’s a taut line between his brows where they’ve drawn together and made a ridge. He looks like he’s in pain, and He Tian supposes he probably is. How many years has he looked at his father behind a grate, or smeared glass? Fifteen? Sixteen? He Tian knows it’s more.

He watches the moment Mr Mo’s gaze meets his son’s. There’s fear there—shame, too. Mr Mo’s lawyer whispers something in his client’s ear, pats a hand to his shoulder, then walks from the hall with his briefcase and a courteous nod in He Tian’s direction. His job is done; in an hour, he’ll send an invoice. Alone, the space between them some unchartered territory, Guan Shan takes an uncertain step forward.

Like a child, He Tian thinks.

After a moment, Guan Shan takes another, and another. He’s started crying. When they’re only a foot apart, he and his father stare at each other. It lasts a few seconds, until they both smile at the startled realisation: they’re the same height. Staying where he is, He Tian watches the embrace; he can’t hear the words that follow. Their mouths move the same; their eyes are deceivingly soft. He Tian presses down his envy. He catches the words birthday and red. Mr Mo’s hands gesture to Guan Shan’s hair, appraise his clothes with pride and something like fear.

He Tian waits a few minutes before he begins to move forward. He expects Qiu to hold him back, but Qiu doesn’t. Up close, the similarities between them are unnerving.

‘Dad, this is He Tian,’ Guan Shan says when He Tian reaches his side. He Tian doesn’t touch him, but he wants to.

‘I know,’ says Mr Mo, his voice gravelly with disuse and too many cigarettes. ‘We’ve already met.’

-

🌸 in the footsteps of @nightfayre ‘s wonderful initiative, i’ll be filling any drabble requests following a donation to help the fund for george floyd, the black lives matter movement, or any similar cause. please read here if you would like more information! ✨ 

[smcc212]

In Debt Again- part 2

Pairings- Little bit of Tommy x Lizzie, reader x Tommy(platonic!), and reader x Lizzie(platonic!)

Word count- 2,547

Warnings- Tiny mentions of abuse(if you squint), and a little swearing.

A/N- Soooo, this is quite long. I’ll try to make future chapters shorter, no promises though. Also, I tried to proofread this, but I’m dyslexic so I’ve probably not done a great job at it, hahah. Anyway, Enjoy!!

“Umm, would... would you mind coming in with me?” You stammered.

“Why?” Tommy responded, blowing out a cloud of smoke.

“Well... I-I didn’t lie to you w-when I said that I-I didn’t know where my dad was... B-but, I’m scared he could’ve come home now, a-and I don’t want him to hurt me,” You mumbled the last part, but Tommy heard. You couldn’t tell, but a wave of sadness and empathy hit him like a punch in the gut, so he nodded.

You climbed out of the car, Tommy by your side. You pretended to unlock the door; a habit you’d picked up after so long of living there. You opened the door and walked inside, stopping after four steps to listen for you dad; you didn’t hear him so you motioned for Tommy to follow upstairs.

You crept into your bedroom, and slowly started to pack the few things you owned: two dresses, four shirts, a blazer, two pairs of trousers, suspenders and your black, steel-toe-cap boots. The only pair of heels you owned were on your feet.

After packing everything away, you crept back downstairs, this time, Tommy was in front of you. Your heart was in your throat, the fear that your father may appear when you were in the house was ever present.

Until, eventually, you made it back to Tommy’s car. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding as the car started to move.

Most of the journey was silent, until Tommy spoke up,

“You don’t own a lot of stuff, but you own more shirts than dresses, why?” He didn’t sound shocked or appalled, he sounded genuinely curious.

“I prefer to wear a suit, they’re more comfortable than dresses,” You mumbled, but again, he heard you. Tommy just nodded and you fell into a slightly more comfortable silence than before, although it was still rather awkward.

When the car pulled into Tommy’s drive, your eyes widened and your jaw dropped. You knew Tommy was wealthy, but his house was immaculate. The car stopped and you and Tommy got out. You grabbed your small bag and walked towards the gorgeous house. Insecurity ate you alive more with each step you took.

Tommy opened the door and you walked inside, he followed after you, closing the door behind you.

“Wait here,” Tommy ordered. You nodded and he disappeared. Just as you were beginning to take in the grand design of the place, Tommy reappeared, this time with a stunning woman and two children trotting behind them.

Tommy beckoned you towards him, you walked up to him.

“(Y/N), this is my wife Lizzie, my son Charles, or Charlie as he prefers, and my daughter Ruby.” He gestured to each of them as he spoke.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” You said, shakily.

“All of you, this is, (Y/N)-“ He continued, “-she’ll be staying with us for awhile.”

“Okay!” Charlie and Ruby chirped together. “Can we go play now?” Charlie asked.

“Alright, but take one of the maids with you,” Lizzie responded. The children squealed before running off to fine a maid. Lizzie looked you up and down, her eyes staying fixing on your injury’s for a moment, before she turned to Tommy. “And why is she here?”

“Her father owes us a fair amount of money. She came to try and help out with it, but... her father did that to her, Lizzie. I couldn’t let her help him and I certainly couldn’t let her stay at his house anymore, okay?” Tommy responded.

“Alright, I’ll get a maid to make up a room for her, but we’ll talk more about this later.” Lizzie sauntered off. Tommy huffed,

“Don’t worry about her. You need help and I’m gonna give you it.” Although you knew what he meant and part of you wanted to thank him, again. The other part of you was livid.

“I don’t need your help! Yeah, I wanna get away from my dad but I don’t need you to do that!” You shouted at him. Tommy was almost going to tell you to get the fuck out and that you should’ve been grateful. But, he looked in your eyes and saw the pain behind them so, instead, he just sighed heavily.

“I’ll show you around a little.”

“Okay.”

After Tommy showed you around, he walked up to a woman in a maids outfit and asked what room you’d be staying in. She told him and you lead you there.

Although you didn’t let it show, you were still in awe of his house. It didn’t feel real that you’d be staying here; part of you thought it was a dream.

“Here’s where you’ll be sleeping. Also, if you want to, you can change into a suit. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“I’ll do that. Thank you,” You replied.

“It no problem, and you don’t need to keep saying ‘thank you’, I understand you’re grateful.”

“Oh, okay.” And with that, he walked out your room. You changed into your suit and put your boots on, letting out a sigh of relief; this was much better. Then you just stood there. You didn’t know what to do. Where you allowed to roam around his house, or did he want you to stay in your room. You’d have killed for a book to read to pass the time.

As you stood there, wondering what you were supposed to do, there was a knock at your door.

“Are you decent?” A woman’s voice traveled through the door, it sounded like the woman Tommy told you was his wife.

“Uh... yeah, yeah, I am,” you stuttered. She let herself in.

“Umm... Hi, Mrs, Shelby,” You mumbled, awkwardly.

“Hi, (Y/N), I just wanted to talk to you about living here.”

“Alright,” You replied.

She sat down on the bed and you sat down next to her.

“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but, I don’t want you to be alone with the children. Again, don’t take this the wrong,but I don’t know you. I don’t know if I can trust you,” She spoke, her voice was soft. You tell she wasn’t trying to intimidate you, she was just being a good mother. You wished you had one of those.

“I understand, if I was in your position I wouldn’t want me around your kids either.” The two of you shared a nod of understanding before you continue, “But, for the record, I would never do anything to harm your children... I’ve been harmed enough,” You muttered the last part, hoping she wouldn’t hear you. But she did.

“Do you not have a mother to look after you?” It was clear her maternal instincts kidded in.

“No, I don’t. My father fucked some prostitute and she left me with him. He always shit-talks her because she sold her body, something I never understood.”

“How did you not understand?” Lizzie asked, remembering her old life and how people used to-and still do- talk about her.

“I mean, I don’t understand why people care so much. It’s not their body, if someone wants to fuck other people for money-or if they have to- why does that make them a bad person. It’s their body, they can use it however they want.” Realising you’d been rambling, you turn to face Lizzie. “Sorry, my opinions on prostitution aren’t important to you.”

“No, I like that you’re vocal about it. And, I agree, what a woman does with her own body is her choice.” She smiled kindly at you.

“And what a man does with his body is his choice,” You added, mentally cursing yourself bringing up your opinions on male prostitution. No one cares about that. You thought.

“Exactly.” You smiled at Lizzie.bit was nice to have someone share your views.

“Erm, is that all you came here to say?”

“Yes.” She started to walk out before you spoke up,

“Am I to stay in here, or can I go to the library and grab a book?” You asked. You chuckled lightly, gesturing with her hand for you to follow her, so you did.

She lead you to the library that Tommy had shown you early.

“Pick anything you’d like.” You walked around, picking up random books and reading synopsis’ then putting them back down, none of them peaked your interest. Lizzie noticed and asked, “What type of books do you like?”

“Crime novels... I promise this isn’t the reason I’m here-“ you giggled slightly, “-but mostly gangster related ones.” She smiled, walking over past you and grabbing a book she thought you’d like, sand passing it to you.

“It’s not really about gangsters, but it’s about crime, and there’s a little about gangsters in there,” She said, passing you the thick, leather clad book.

“Thank you.” You smiled at her before walking back to your room.

You were about half way through your book, and you had to give it to Lizzie, it was a good book, when Tommy knocked at your door. You muttered a quiet ‘come in’, but he heard and opened the door.

“Dinner’s ready, come on.” He waited as you Mark your page, got up and walked up to him. You followed him to the dining room. You’d never seen so much food before.

“Help yourself,” Lizzie said, kindly. After your encounter early on, she’d started to take a liking to you. Since it was Sunday, the meal was a Sunday dinner. You’d never had one, but your father would have one every Sunday. You took a slice of chicken then a one spoonful of carrots and one spoonful of mashed potatoes then you started to eat.

“That’s all you’re gonna have?” Tommy asked in disbelief.

“It’s enough to keep me going until dinner tomorrow,” You replied. Were you supposed to take more?

“Whenever you’d have Sunday dinner, that’s all you’d take?” Tommy questioned.

“Well...umm... I’ve never had Sunday dinner,” you mumbled, slightly embarrassed. “But sometimes my father would let me have a slice or two of chicken on my sandwich!” You enthused, a smile grew across your face as you thought of the few times that had happened.

“Seriously?” Tommy had a look of pity in his eyes. You turned to look at Lizzie, she, also, had a look of pity in her eyes, but also sadness.

“Yeah...” You muttered. “Why?”

“It’s just... never mind. Why don’t you take some more?” Tommy suggested.

“Yeah-“ Lizzie added, “-we had the cooks make more mash and carrots for you. That’s not even a full meal you’ve got there.”

“Oh... alright.” You took another slice of chicken and half a spoon of potatoes before continuing with your dinner.

After everyone had finished eating, Lizzie told a woman in a maids outfit-not the same woman Tommy had talked to before-to take Ruby and Charlie to bed. Then it was just the three of you.

After a few minutes you broke the silence, “do you want me to go back to the guest room?” You assumed neither one of them wanted you there. No one ever wanted you around.

“You tired? Or do you just wanna continue reading your book?” Tommy questioned.

“Neither, really, I just thought you’d want me to leave.”

“What do you normally do before bed?”

“Well... I-I don’t really... I just, erm, I just go to my room. You know, so my father doesn’t get angry.” You shrugged, you went to stand up when Lizzie put her arm on yours, causing you to stop.

“Tom here sometimes goes out to check on the horses, you could go with him?” She suggested.

“I’d hate to be an annoyance.” You smiled at her, her arm slipped from yours as she offered you a kind smile back.

“I don’t really mind,” Tommy mumbled.

“If there’s one thing I know, it’s that when a man says ‘I don’t really mind’ he does mind.”

“Alright, let me try again. I don’t mind, (Y/N), would you like to come check on the horses with me?”

“You sure?” You didn’t think he’d hurt you, but you were still scared of annoying him; subconsciously you were scared he might hurt you if you did.

“I’m positive.” The corners slightly raised and, from Thomas Shelby, that was enough to make you feel like he was okay with it.

“Okay then.” You smiled back. Lizzie stood up and placed a reassuring hand on your back before looking between you and Tommy.

“I’ll be in bed, don’t know if I’ll be asleep though,” She drawled as she walked out of the room and headed to their shared bedroom.

You stared at the beautiful creatures, you always loved horses. Your father, however, hated them. He always complained about how ugly he thought they were and that they got scared by the tiniest thing. But you loved them. Part of you related to them. Being scared of a rather large sound or a movement, you understood that. Also, you could never understand how your father thought they were ugly. They were to most gorgeous animal in the world to you; they run around all day, and when they felt tired, they could relax. You envied them so much.

“Majestic, aren’t they?” Tommy said.

“Yeah. I’ve always wanted to learn to ride one, but my father hated them.”

“Your dad-“ you cut him off.

“Don’t call him my dad! He’s not my dad! Dads care for their children, love them... he’s not like that!” You took a deep breath. “Sorry... I just don’t like him being called my dad.”

“Noted.” Tommy replied, he looked at you and you could see a slight smile on his face. Half of you was angry that he was smiling at your outburst, but, the other half of you loved that he smiled at your outburst because that side of you understood why he smiled; that side of you knew Tommy could tell you wanted nothing more than for your father to love you, and Tommy definitely knew that feeling.

You and Tommy were with the horses for half an hour before you walked back inside. No words exchanged after your outburst. You know Tommy wasn’t mad though, because he wouldn’t be able to hide his anger if he was. After what you’d gone through you could tell when people were angry, not matter how hard they tried to hide it.

When you got back inside and started to head to your room, you over heard Tommy and Lizzie talking about you. You stood outside the room, listening to them. You knew you shouldn’t, but they were talking about you. You needed to know what they were saying about you.

“How long do you think she’ll be here?” Lizzie asked.

“I don’t know, she’ll be here until I figure out what do with her. That alright with you?”

“Yeah, she’s sweet. I can’t believe her own father would do that to her.” Anger and disgust laced Lizzie words.

“I know. Evil fucking bastard,” Tommy seethed. “Oh, by the way, don’t him her dad, she doesn’t like it.”

“Okay. Understandable, I guess.”

Things were looking up for you. Finally, you felt as though you’d never have to see your father again.

Oh, how wrong you were...

[hold-me-sickfics]

Alright y’all, I’m proud to introduce you to some of my new OCs! There are more coming, but these are the first😊💖💜 I want to thank @thatoneemokpop-02 and @bt20-whump for proofreading and inspiration. You two are awesome 💜💖💙 so... here goes 😊

TW: food, strip club mention, alcohol, emeto, tiny heartbreak, lots of fluffy cuteness (I think that’s all but if you see any I missed please let me know and I will fix them!)

“Parker, what is the point of coming to the library if you are not going to study?” Cody only looked up from his laptop for a moment before refocusing on his screen.

“I’m trying to help my poor, clueless friend find a date to the smart people formal.” Parker was spinning his fidget spinner at speeds unheard of by mankind.

Cody rolled his eyes, stealing just one more glance to his left.

Parker noticed.

“Dude, why will you not just go talk to her?” Parker could definitely have been heard from across the room.

“Talk to who? I wasn’t looking at anyone.” Cody blushed, his cheeks involuntarily rising in a smile to meet the rims of his glasses.

“Sure. So you were totally not just checking Brooklyn out. Of course not, so you won’t mind if I just go on over there and-”

“Wait! Wait.”

Parker smirked.

“Maybe I was. It’s not important.”

“Are you kidding? Look when you meet the chick that makes you… well… I won’t say it for your sake but if Maverick was here I would. Anyways, that means you gotta shoot your shot. It’s like basketball.”

“Parker I hate sports. We’ve been over this.”

“All because one frisbee hit your glasses yeah yeah…” Parker looked over at Brooklyn. She looked like Cody’s type. He had to get Cody to at least attempt it.

“What if you ask for her snap?”

“I’m not doing that.” Cody shut his laptop. “And another thing. It looks sleazy to just walk up to a girl and ask for her snap okay? You really should try a new method.”

Parker had his idea.

“Oh… you know what? You’re right. What should I do instead?”

“I don’t know, maybe… talk to her? Like at least get on some sort of “friend” level before you ask. It just looks better.”

“Uh huh…” Parker was getting ready to help Cody in a slightly less than orthodox way. “So to talk to her, you’d need a reason right?”

Cody looked over at her, hoping she wouldn’t catch him.

“Yeah… some sort of reason I guess.”

“Okay, don’t kill me.”

Parker got up, and started to walk over to Brooklyn’s table. She was there alone, seemingly very involved in her studies.

“Pardon me ma’am. My name’s Parker, and I was wondering if you like pineapple on pizza?”

Brooklyn blushed.

“I don’t exactly think it’s my thing… although pepperoni is pretty good.” She smiled.

“Awesome. So now that I’ve been established as the crazy person you have in common, Cody?” Parker called back to his previous seat. Cody had his face hidden in a book. He peeked out, throwing the book aside and doing his best to act “chill” as Parker had called it.

“Hi Brooklyn, I apologize for this… i don’t really know what to call him actually. I’m Cody. The-” he partially glared at Parker “more sane one.”

“It’s nice to meet you Cody, and Parker.” She bit her lip, and Cody felt his entire body go stiff. Parker could tell he had to save the day once again.

“So, you’re a hot girl. Have a date to the smart people dinner thing yet?”

“You mean the Academic Formal?”

“Yeah, love the bigger words. They really suit ya.”

“Let me just- one second.” Cody practically pulled Parker over to the side.

“You’re an idiot.”

“But I’m good at it, thank you.” Parker winked, and then went back to Brooklyn.

“Here’s the thing, my main man Cody here doesn’t have a date yet, and I thought you two would make a really cute couple so here’s his snap.”

Cody felt dizzy. Had Parker really just done that? This was the last time he was ever disclosing feelings to him. Actually, come to think of it, this is not the first time he’s said that.

Parker laid on his classic *Dean Winchester* smile, and then came back over to Cody.

“I’m literally planning your demise as we speak.”

------ time skip to 5:00 pm, in Parker’s dorm room------

“Ah I did good today. I found love for the little guy. I’m proud of myself and that means-”

“Do not touch the ice cream Parker I swear I will hurt you.”

Parker jumped.

“Maverick you aren’t supposed to be home yet!”

“And you aren’t supposed to touch my ice cream. So, even.” Maverick took the container away from Parker.

“Now, you wanna explain to me why Cody is trying to recruit me to kill you?”

“Not really.”

“Should I have him explain it?”

“Probably not… how about you just eat your ice cream hm? That would end well for all of us.”

Maverick rolled his eyes. He knew Parker must have really done something bad this time.

*buzz* *buzz*

Parker’s phone went off.

5:23 pm Cody: “ Why did you have to butt in?”

5:24 pm Parker: “ Because you couldn’t do it yourself.”

5:26 pm Cody: “Yeah and if you hadn’t done it, I could still be admiring her from afar and just getting silently and unrightfully irritated when she found another date.”

5:34 pm Parker: “Andddddd where’s the fun in that?”

5:37 pm Cody: “THE FACT THAT IT IS SAFE YOU NIMROD!”

5:43 pm Parker: “It’s still funny that you won’t cuss.”

5:45 pm Cody: “She just snapped me! What do I do? Parker I am scared.” “Parker?” “Parker!”

6:00 pm Parker: “Sorry, Maverick let me have ice cream and I forgot to text back.”

6:02 pm Cody: “ *facepalm* you are no help.”

6:15 pm Parker: “Well, what did it say?”

6:17 pm Cody: “I’m scared to look.”

6:18 pm Parker: “Dude, I’ll tell you what it says. Ready?” “ Hi”

6:20 pm Cody: “SHE WROTE BACK “HI” WHAT DO I SAY???????”

6:21 pm Parker: “You’re sure they invited you to the smart people thing right? Like it wasn’t a mix up?”

6:22 pm Cody: “Parker yes they invited me. I’m so dang smart that I have no idea how to… “my people skills are rusty.””

6:24 pm Parker: “Dude if you don’t stop with the references I am going to send you to a psych ward.”

6:25 pm Cody: “Noted. Okay, I am going to respond.”

6:30 pm Parker: “Good now text me when you have an actual conversation rolling aight?”

Parker put his phone in his pocket and went back to his ice cream cone. At 7:00, he got another text.

7:00 pm Cody: “She… um… she told me she’s going with someone else.”

Now Parker felt bad. The poor kid got rejected, and unlike himself, who bounces back and just moves on, he knew Cody had a tendency to get attached. Ah well, no use crying over spilled milk.

7:01 pm Parker: “Who?”

7:03 pm Cody: “It doesn’t matter. I’m glad she found someone she wants to go with. Well, I’m gonna go on to sleep so I can study some more tomorrow. Night Park.”

7:04 pm Parker: “Sorry dude. Night Cody.”

Now he felt really really bad. He thought for a bit, and then, an idea hit him.

7:23 pm Parker: “I am on my way. Do not do anything stupid like buying more books. You cannot keep any more in your room. There is officially no more space.”

Parker was going to do the one thing he knew cured heartbreak. They were both 21…

When Parker got there, he found Cody halfway through a bag of popcorn watching a romcom.

“Dude… I get that you’re sad but this is just straight tragic.”

Cody sniffled, holding the blanket up to his nose.

“Shush this is all I have now.”

“Nope, not gonna happen. Come on.” Parker picked Cody up and placed him on his feet.

“Why can you not let me cry in peace?”

“Because it’s not how I roll. Now, we’re getting you dressed, and then we’re going to a strip club.”

“But.. but I don’t-”

“Trust me, you’ll get the hang of it.”

Parker had considered inviting Maverick, but he was kinda the rule-stickler type. His grandparents had raised him to be pretty straight-laced.

---- time skip to driving to the club-----

“I really think this is a bad idea.” Cody looked down at his navy button-up and his black pants and dress shoes.

“You’ll be fine. Look, I’ve done this hundreds of times.”

“Hundreds??”

“Eh, okay maybe tens, but same thing.”

They pulled into the parking lot, and the one thing that went through Cody’s mind is that this was not going to end well.

----- time skip to 3:28 am-----

“Wowwww she was-s right in ma face! Did you see?”

“Yes I saw.” Cody pulled his friend up from the floor of the club.

“Ohh no! Iss time to go ba-back now?”

“It is. Maverick is probably worried about you.”

“Pshhhhhhhh nahhhhh… m’ fin”

“You’re fine?”

“Yeash I’m fineeeeee”

“And here I was thinking I was a lightweight. Alright, out we go.”

“BYE BRITTNEEEEEEEEEE!” Parker’s head lolled to the side as he let Cody handle most of his body weight.

They stumbled to the car, somehow making it in a decent amount of time. Cody opened the passenger side door, and helped Parker slide in.

“Thank you *burp* you’re my bestesetest of frans. I luv you mann.”

Even Cody had to laugh.

“I love you too. Now, in the car. We’re putting your seatbelt on.”

“NO! NO I WON’T BE TAKEN AGAIN! I CAN’T GO BACK *hiccup*”

“Tell it to the judge bub.”

Parker heard the seatbelt click into place and immediately started bawling.

“I *hiccup* am s-so sorry-yee. I did not mean to *hiccup* tell the *hiccup* panda to go *hiccup* f-”

“Okay that’s enough bud. Sleep. We’re headed home.”

“I c-can’t f-feel my eyeballs *hiccup*”

“You aren’t supposed to feel them. They’re just there.”

“BUT HOW DO I KNOW THEY ARE NOT STOLEN????”

Cody took a deep breath and looked down at the clock in the dashboard. They’d be home in ten minutes, maybe less if Parker didn’t stop blubbering. He’d already called Maverick, who had assured Cody he would take care of their drunk friend, but Cody had decided maybe it would be nice to take care of Parker instead of being on his own tonight. Despite everything that happened that night, he still wanted some company.

“Oh jolly good young fellow wherefore art the d- oh! Look at the grass! It’s so green!”

“It’s brown bub. It’s winter.” Cody smiled, pulling into the parking place that he’d been assigned.

Cody smiled, pulling into the parking place that he’d been assigned.

“Welp… I’m bout to turn it *hiccup* green…”

Cody looked over to see Parker’s cheeks puffed out and his chest rolling forward in a heave.

“Hang on! Hang on-” He jumped out of the car and opened the door on Parker’s side. It was just in time. Pure alcohol mixed with some sort of greenish jello shot coated the ground. It splattered onto Cody’s pants, but he didn’t care.

“There ya go. You’re doing great.” He awkwardly rubbed Parker’s back as the boy gagged again, turning to face the grass below once more.

“M’ overdid *gag* it…” Parker started to cry from the exertion.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about that now. Cody’s gotcha.”

Another bout of liquid spattered on the ground, some of it dripping down Parker’s chin. Cody had some napkins put away in the glove compartment, so he reached in and grabbed a couple.

“I *hiccup* unhghh…”

“You done Park?”

“Yeah…”

As if his body were trying to prove that it would not be controlled, he heaved up another round of clear, bubbly liquid.

“M’ done now.”

“Okay, up we go.” Cody wiped Parker’s mouth before slowly helping him up. His friend looked so pitiful, his hair so tousled and sweaty, his skin so pale… he hated to see him feeling so bad, but he had done it to himself.

“Alright, now… we’re going upstairs to my dorm room. If you need to puke, here’s a bag. Tell me to stop walking if we need to.”

Cody knew that was too much information, but it was worth a shot.

By some miracle, they made it to Cody’s room. Cody scanned his entry card, and then helped Parker onto the bed.

He sat next to him, rubbing his arm. Parker was curled up in a tiny half-asleep ball.

*buzz-buzz*

4:35 am Maverick: “Hey, you guys okay? How much did he drink?”

4:37 am Cody: “More than he should have… hey listen um… I was wondering… do you happen to know who’s going to the dinner with Brooklyn? She told me she was going with someone but didn’t say who.”

4:46 am Maverick: “You’re gonna flip out if I tell you.”

As much as that text intrigued him, Parker had partially woken up and had just puked all over himself and the bed.

Cody put his phone on the bedside table and then held Parker up so he wouldn’t choke if he puked again. Which, he did.

“Hnnngh… I feel like s***.”

“I know. You look like crap too.”

“Hhuuurrrrrrrkkk!” A thick, sludgy liquid came up.. It was sort of white and yellow… oh wait. Yeah, Cody would never look at french fries the same after tonight.

“That’s it. Get it up. I’ll fix the bed later.” Cody knew he couldn’t move him yet, so it was just best to get everything out.

After a few more empty, dry retches, Parker was finally done for the moment. Cody made the decision to take him to the bathroom and let him sit next to the toilet while he got some of his extra clothes to put on him.

He heard loud retching, almost obnoxious, from the bathroom. He just took a breath and went on looking for the clothes, knowing that more than likely Parker wouldn’t be done for a while, and probably didn’t register that he was there anyways.

“C-Cody?” A weak whimper filled the silence. Cody was shocked, but immediately grabbed a pair of boxers (which admittedly he felt weird about), pajama pants and a t-shirt, and then went to the bathroom.

He found Cody in a puddle of puke, tears streaming down his face.

“Don feel *hiccup* good…”

Cody felt his heart break.

“It’s okay. I know you don’t feel good. I promise it’ll be over soon.” He had to lie. The poor thing in this confused, overly dazed state couldn’t take the truth that he’d more than likely be puking for the next two days after how much he drank.

Cody got down next to Parker, putting a hand on Parker’s back. His shirt was damp with sweat and vomit. Cody rubbed up and down on his side, watching as Parker curled himself around the toilet.

“You’re gonna be okay Park.”

“S-sorry…” For a moment, Parker almost sounded sober…

“It’s alright, I can clean it up. You’re good.”

“No… the *hiccup* chick…”

Cody had been trying to forget about that.

“It’s not a big deal, really.”

“If I didn’t feel *hiccup* like I was gonna *hiccup* throw my guts up *hiccup* I’d have tried harder…” Parker turned his head back toward the water and puked up a thick stream of alcohol and whatever other fried foods he’d gotten into.

Cody felt bad. He knew Parker had tried, but he felt worse that Parker was sitting here puking and still thinking about that. He was sick. He didn’t need to be worried about that.

“Let’s um… talk about it when you’re sober hm?” Cody smiled sheepishly.

Parker nodded, his mouth opening slightly before gagging again.

“I’m gonna go get the bed ready. Can you stay here for a bit?”

“Mhmmm…” Parker spit a stringy line of saliva into the toilet.

Cody went out, and took the bedspread and pillowcases off. He tried to get as much of the puke off as he could, but hopefully the washing machine could do most of the work. He didn’t have another comforter, so he had to find his best throw blanket and go with that.

He finished making the bed, and then went back to the bathroom.

“Park?”

The boy was asleep on the toilet seat. Cody could feel his heartstrings being pulled one by one. He wet a washcloth and then sat down next to Parker, leaning him back slowly onto his shoulder. Cody then softly wiped his face, noting how sick he looked. Usually Parker was all crazy plans and bold ideas and loud things. It was far different to see him this way. So quiet, weak, and… helpless really.

He continued to clean Parker up, and then got him into fresh clothes. Then he helped him to the bed, and laid him down. This time, he’d put a bucket next to him. Not that it would really make much difference since Parker was probably too drunk to notice it. He pulled the blanket up to Parker’s shoulders, and then went back to the bathroom, cleaning up the rest of the mess.

When he finished, he went back to the couch and fell asleep. He knew he’d need the rest for Parker’s hangover the next morning. Thank goodness today was a Friday so they wouldn’t have school tomorrow.

(Part 2 coming soon!)

[baekhypnotized]

my love

ღ Genre: fluff, romance, slightangst

ღ Pairing: Baekhyun x You/Reader (First POV)

ღ Summary: “I will be with you. Always, my love for you.”— My Love, Baekhyun (2020). Going through all the hardships and beautiful moments together with Baekhyun will always be the special ones in you life. From an annoying strangers to best friends, to lovers and finally as married couple. He’s the love of your life, the one’s that will bright up you day with his light. No other guy like him can do the same thing. My one and only, Byun Baekhyun. Always, my love for you. 

ღ A/N: A Baekhyunee birthday fic from me is up!! I came out with this idea as an initiative for me to do at least something for him and for the readers too. I asked the prompts at my friends and I compiled it into a one shot story!! Please ignore minor errors because I didn’t proofread them properly. Do give a lot of support and endless love to our forever light, Byun Baekhyun✴

ღ  Word count: 10,027

19 years old…

It has been days that an annoying person came to disturb me at school. I don’t even know why he chose me among the others but I’m really pissed off with him. Well, I’ll be fine if he only bothers me a few times. Instead, he bothers me every single time. From the very first step that I enter the school compound, our classroom and even during the lunch hour. And guess who is this guy?

Byun Baekhyun. The highschool’s delinquent despite having an attractive face that makes almost all the girls gone crazy over with his charms. Almost. Not all of them since I hate him for pestering my life right now. 

“Hey,” He jogs from behind to catch me up as I’m trying to get away from him. Despite that, I failed to do so since Baekhyun blocks my way by standing right in front of me, leaning over the locker with both of his hands tucked in his pocket. “Where are you going? The cafeteria? How about we go there together?” He throws endless questions, making me sigh in frustration. 

“Baekhyun, how many times should I tell you that I’m tired of your games? Go away and stop interrupting me, please.” This time, I request him and at the same time, I was begging him silently. I may look really upset with Baekhyun right now so when I think that he finally understands, I walk away and leave him. 

Two steps. He’s not following.

Four steps. Still not following.

A satisfied smile stretches on my face when there’s no sign of Baekhyun. As I breathe in relief because he finally obeys to my instructions but then, he comes again, walking backwards right beside me. Sighing once again, I give him a fiery glare straight into his eyes, hoping it will knock him off, at least. 

Instead, Baekhyun flashes a smirk once he notices and succeeds to make me annoyed with his endless teases as he trails me everywhere. I really don’t like being around people especially him because obviously, there would be a quite amount of eyes witnessing me with a troublesome boy. As we arrived at the cafeteria, I went straight to buy food and I simply bought egg sandwiches and a carton of milk. 

I don’t bother to ask him even though he’s been following me everywhere but when it’s his turn to buy his food, I quickly try to run away from him. As fast as I can, I head upstairs until I reach the rooftop. No one really knows that I love hanging out here during lunch hour and I do hope that I get to make him lose his way to find me. After assuring that he’s not coming, I take a seat on the floor and unwrap the plastic in order to eat the sandwich. 

As I was about to take my first bite, suddenly the door flies open and reveals the one and only Baekhyun. I give him an unbelievable expression because how on Earth did he know where I am? Rolling my eyes at him, I ignore Baekhyun and finally take a bite of the egg sandwich. He walks towards me with a smug smile on his face. 

“What? You really think that I don’t know about you hanging around at the rooftop? Absurd,” He chuckles, taking a seat right beside me. Baekhyun busies staring at me eating silently that makes me feel uncomfortable with his presence. I was about to scold him but I don’t know why I almost choke myself right at the moment. He panics for a few seconds and when he sees the milk, he opens it and offers it to me. Quickly, I grab and gulp it right away. 

“You okay?” Baekhyun asks me in a worried tone. I nod my head as a reply. “You sure?” 

“Yeah. Thanks,” I thank him for the first time for trying to save myself from choking. Instead of replying to me with words, his lips quirk upwards into a soft smile. I look into his eyes, I suddenly feel my heart skip a beat. Then, it starts to beat faster. My whole body starts to heat up when realising that Baekhyun’s staring at me adoringly and before risking myself into anything, I scoff lightly to break the silence. 

I continue to indulge the sandwich but his stare continues to burn my skin and makes me nervous. “Baekhyun, what are you doing here? If you don’t have any matter here, just leave.” I say at him with a stern voice. 

“Well, I do have one. And it’s you.”

I scoff lightly at him and suddenly he takes out a plastic container that is filled with fresh strawberries. “Let’s share this together!” Baekhyun takes one of it as he bites onto the small fruit, offering them to me. At first, I was hesitating to accept it but his adorable eyes successfully hypnotized me to take one. 

“Thank you…” While I was busy finishing up my sandwich and milk, the school’s bell suddenly rings as it indicates that our break finally ends. In which, we’re gonna be very late for the next class plus the journey to the classroom is quite an adventure. 

“Baekhyun, we’re gonna be late!! Hurry!!” I eat the whole strawberry and gather all the rubbishes, throwing them into the nearest bin. I rush to the classroom when a hand slides to grab onto mine, he pulls us to run to the classroom together. I couldn’t believe it’s quite fun hanging around with Baekhyun even for a while. And thank God we get to arrive at our seats before our homeroom teacher comes. Then a few moments later, Mrs Kim finally enters the class. 

She abruptly starts the class with the new syllabus as the whole classroom begins silence. But, I’m still annoyed that Baekhyun and his friends are currently peeking, laughing silently at me as if there is something funny or odd happening at me. I decide to ignore those dorks, trying to search for a textbook in the drawer when suddenly I feel something squishy and moist. As I take it out, it’s a freaking LIZARD.

“SHIT!!” I curse loudly, jump away from my desk and also make my chair fall on the floor. Everyone in the room including Mrs Kim averts their attention on me. I am extremely shaking right now because I really hate lizards so much.

“What’s the problem?” My teacher asks me, her gaze turns into a stare. All of us know that she really hates when someone is disturbing her during her class which most of them will end up in the detention room. I gulp nervously, knowing that I’ll probably be one of them now when I realised that the ‘lizard’ is a fake one. 

“I-I…” Stuttering, I still couldn’t bring myself to answer her in words because if I do explain her about the lizard, the whole class would think it’s just a childish matter but to me, it’s not. They would definitely laugh at me and later, I need to think where I should hide my face from humiliation. “N-Nothing, Mrs Kim… I f-forgot to bring the textbook today.” Then, I decide to lie.

“You know that you can share with your deskmate instead of cursing loudly, right miss?” She emphasizes the word as her voice indeed sounds like she’s irritated with me. I nod my head slowly, trying to not fight her back because it is obviously rude for a student to do such a thing. 

“Detention room. Leave now,” Mrs Kim commands and I obey her without saying anything. I pack my stuff with me, tidying up my desk as she continues her teaching back. When I’m about to leave, I can see that Baekhyun’s friends are laughing with each other and I guess this is all their work. I leave the class silently, grudging on them because why do they need to prank people just like that. And why Baekhyun didn’t stop them? 

Sigh. The detention room for a first-timer and here we go. 

“Dude, did you see her face when she saw the fake lizard? Damn ugly,” Joohyuk asks Baekhyun, laughing with the scenario still wandering in his head. On the other hand, Baekhyun still keeps his mouth shut, staring outside at the hallway. 

“Well, no she’s not ugly.” He says, eyes still checking on the hallway. Joohyuk realises that Baekhyun is being extremely strange right now and most probably checking on me. 

“So, you’re saying that she’s pretty?”

“Yes,” Baekhyun confesses right away. Joohyuk was surprised with his answer and started to speculate that Baekhyun likes her. 

“No. I mean yes but you kno- Whatever. I’m not in the mood for today’s class. See you later, bro,” Baekhyun bids goodbye to him before leaving the classroom quietly as all the teachers know how problematic the student is and they can’t stop him from doing that. He goes straight to the detention room, feeling quite giddy to meet the person he’s searching for. 

And I’m all alone, sitting by the empty desk while staring blankly at the window. I was shocked when suddenly the door’s wide open, revealing the guy that I hope he disappears from my life one day. Baekhyun comes inside the class, a smug smile etched on his face. 

I roll my eyes at him, placing my head back on the desk. Why does he need to be here wherever I go? Obviously that I’m still mad at him for putting a prank on me and got me into detention. But then here he is, effortlessly trying to annoy me still. He pulls and turns a chair, taking a seat right in front of my desk. I continue to ignore him. 

“Hey, are you asleep?” He pokes lightly his index finger on my skin, poking it by following every syllable word he says. Flinching away, I groan softly.

“Go away, Baekhyun. You and your friends made me end up here so why are you bothering me?” 

Baekhyun senses that I’m angry with him but he continues to disturb me as he places his face right in front of me. As I open my eyes, his charming face with the soft smile appears. Once again, my heartbeat quickens realising that our faces are only a few inches away. My cheeks start to burn up, probably flushes with some red hues on it. 

He brings his hand to tuck a strand of my hair that has been covering my face slightly behind my ear. He chuckles softly as Baekhyun slowly brushes his knuckles on my cheek that makes my heart drop right away. 

“Are you blushing?” He questions and at the same time he teases. I shake my head to deny it, gulping a large lump in my throat. I don’t know that having the most problematic person here can actually turn me into a nervous state. I swear, out of all guys I’ve met, Baekhyun’s the first one that successfully makes me feel all jittery. 

“Go away, Baekhyun. I don’t want you here.”

“But I want to be here with you!” He grins widely at me, as I thought he must be hoping that I allow him to stay with me here. “Since this sweetheart got frightened by a fake lizard, let me accompany you throughout your detention hours.”

And guess what happens next? Baekhyun and I end up conversing throughout the time until my detention time is finally over. He tells me about his dreams and a little about his family too. I never thought he insists to open up about himself to a complete stranger like me. But, after hearing the story of his life, I don’t really think he’s that bad. As time passes by, I’ve realised that the way he’s been smiling at me differently.

Silently, my heart grows fonder to him.

22 years old...

No one ever thought that Baekhyun and I would end up being best friends ever since high school. The most problematic student with a normal girl. Well, we don’t have any special relationship aside from the best friends title. We haven’t really talked about our feelings to each other but I’m just glad I get to be with him this long. 

Baekhyun has become a trainee in music entertainment, counting days to debut as an artist in a group while I continue my study in which I enrol into a good university. Also, I’ve been living with my boyfriend in a small studio apartment in thoughts that we both will end up together.

But shits happened. 

The day I went back home from a group discussion, I found out my boyfriend’s cheating on me as they made out on the bed that we shared. The moment I witness the scene, my whole mind went blank. I couldn’t do anything and I feel that I can’t move at all. 

“Babe, listen to me. I swear that this is all a mista-” As he tried to explain, I ran away from the house with such a heavy pain on my chest. I dig out my phone quickly and dial for Baekhyun’s number. It’s almost 12 AM but I hope that he’s still awake.

“Hello? Why are you calling me at this h-” Baekhyun doesn’t get to finish his sentence when he senses that something’s wrong. “Where are you?” He asks.

“Can you m-meet me at the park near my apartment? Please?...” I beg him softly, stuttering while trying so badly to not cry. Baekhyun says that he will be there right away before he ends the call. I arrive at the park, taking a seat on the unoccupied wooden bench. The park is eerily silent and there’s only me, all alone with a heartbreak. 

A few minutes later, Baekhyun finally arrives and quickly sits right beside me without hesitating. The two of us don’t utter anything when he suddenly pulls me closer to him, hiding my face in his coat. Unconsciously, my tears start to flow like an overflowing sink. 

“H-he he…” Sobbing like a mess, the words aren’t able to come into a sentence. Baekhyun just simply caresses my hair to soothe me while he hushes softly. “He cheated on me, Baekhyun… They fuck on our bed…” 

I can feel that his body gets a bit tense but I grip his shirt tightly, hoping he will never leave me to do anything at him. I don’t want him to end up in a fight. I don’t want Baekhyun to get hurt too. 

Baekhyun wraps his arms around my body, he places his chin on my crown. “Let it all out… I’m here and no one will see your ugly face. Don’t worry.” He tries to comfort me with his words and at the same time, he mocks. 

“Hey!! That’s rude of you, Baekhyun!!” I move away to smack his chest lightly, causing him to laugh. Baekhyun plasters a wide smile at me, satisfied that he is able to make me smile at least as I do. Then, I have myself back in his warm embrace as I think. 

I never thought to have Baekhyun in my life would make me feel like my life is finally complete. He was always there with me especially at my worst and basically, he was there as I went through various episodes of life. 

He always makes me smile with his jokes, calms me down when I’m in a mess and provides protection. Baekhyun is like a light that has been shining my gloomy days and also my knight and shining armour. 

And I’m in love with him. Deeply in love with him. 

Hearing his calm heartbeat that helps to soothe me, I finally realised that Baekhyun has been extremely transparent with his feelings towards me. He sometimes confesses ‘I love you’ even when he says that he only loves me as his best friend. But, this time, I’m pretty sure that he loves me more than that. 

Since the incident when my ex cheated on me, I moved out of the apartment and Baekhyun let me move in with him. It was really awkward at first but after a few months after that, he finally confessed his feelings towards me. I never thought I could recover that fast from my heartbreak and decided to just date with him. Because of deep down inside, I know that he will cherish, protect and love me unconditionally. 

I joined a dance club because I love to dance even though I’m not as good as Baekhyun (since he’s a trainee in music entertainment). Our club will be holding an end semester performance and we’re inviting the entire college to come and watch it. Speaking of performance, almost all the practices end late nights which at first, my boyfriend dislikes about it. 

I convince him slowly about letting me join it and at the end, he does. But, he insists on picking me up in the practice room because he is scared of my safety if I go back home all alone. 

As the members are trying to take part in the performances, I will have to do a duet performance with Sihyeon, the so-called cute guy that everyone has labelled him. Honestly, he is cute but obviously, my cheek Baekhyun is the cutest among all the guys. I go back home that night, informing him about it and his reaction is extremely, should I say adorable?

“Babe, can you ask anyone else to replace you instead?” 

“Wait, there might be some steps that he will have his touches on you… Am I right, baby?”

Baekhyun has been trying to make me change my mind. And he fails. I assure him that he doesn’t need to feel jealous because I will never avert my attention to Sihyeon. Well, I do tease him a bit. “You know, my friends told me that I’m lucky that I got to duet with the cutest guy in the dance club.” His eyes dilate bigger after listening to me as I continue, “I’m just saying though.” I giggle. 

And there’s one night, he’s being super jealous and annoying. I think he saw me talking to Sihyeon while I’m on my way to his car after my practice and as I call for his name, he doesn’t answer at all. His grips on the steering wheel are tighter than usual, his face looks extremely mad. I guess that he’s upset seeing me get along with Sihyeon. 

I’m definitely right about it.

Baekhyun hasn’t talked to me at all since that night. Even on our bed, he had his back facing me for several nights and when I tried to approach him, he simply ignores me. In which I’m super annoyed with him for being such a baby. But since I’m his favourite girl, I still do good things in the hope that it will coax him from sulking. The result? Nothing.

“Baekhyun,” I call him. “I cook lunch for us so let’s eat, hmm?” 

He doesn’t say or nod his head at me even though it has been a week. I’m getting out of control and patience when suddenly I burst it out at him. “You know what, Baekhyun? Fine. I’ll quit from the dance club if you dislike me so much being around guys. Now, happy?” Then, I head straight into the room, slam the door and practically lock myself the whole day. A few hours later, waiting for him to coax me, Baekhyun doesn’t come. Instead, he sent me a message.

I’m going out to meet the others for practice.

After I guarantee he’s not home, I head out to have a quick lunch and right after eating, I come back into the room without doing anything. Laying on the empty bed with mixed feelings, I realised I’ve been missing him so much. Baekhyun never fails to make me smile and laugh but since he’s giving me a silent treatment, I can only dream of it.

Baekhyun arrives home around 10 pm and I was still in the room, wrapping my body securely with the duvet. I can hear a few faint knocks on the door before the door is open with a creaking sound. His footsteps can be heard coming towards me, the bed sinks a bit when he sits at the edge of the bed. 

“Babe…” He brings his hand on top of my body, caressing me slowly. Then, he shows me a box of chocolates which is my most favourite ones. “I brought you your favourite chocolate!...” 

Later, he finally says the word that I’ve been waiting for. “I’m really sorry, babe…” Baekhyun hops off from the bed, kneeling right in front of me and he slowly pulls the duvet from covering my face. I purposely act like I’m asleep but truthfully, after I saw the chocolates and also I miss him, my lips stretch into a smile. 

“So, my baby girlfriend isn’t actually sleeping, huh?” Baekhyun mocks me, caressing my cheek with his hand that makes me moves away slowly from his touches. The touches are cold and it makes me tickle. 

“Stop, go away, Baekhyun. I’m still not talking to you,” I say, turning myself to face the other side but as I halfway turn, Baekhyun hovers on top of me. He attacks my tummy with his tickles that make me gone wild with waves of laughter. “Okay, Baekhyun! Stop! Stop!!” 

I beg, trying to push him away but he’s much stronger than me so the tickles continue for a few more minutes. Later on, Baekhyun leans over to pepper my face with sloppy and wet kisses. And when he finally stops, he smashes his plump lips onto mine, sliding his tongue into my wet cavern. I extend my arms to wrap around his neck, pulling him closer to me so I can kiss him deeper. 

“Gosh, I miss you so much, babe. Sorry for being such a dick.” He apologises between the kisses.

“Apology accepted because you do have one,” I bite my lower lip, feeling satisfied when I mock him. Baekhyun scoffs lightly, continues to devour my lips as he nibbles onto my bottom lip. 

“Can I have you?” Baekhyun politely asks.

“Then take me.”

He doesn’t wait any longer when his lips start trailing on my jawline, slowly down to my collarbone. In a glimpse, the two of us are already naked, feeling all wild and in love all over again. We make love in the bed, recover back the moment that the two of us missed for the past days. 

Baekhyun shows me the love he has on me and I never thought I feel alive again to have him. 

"Baekhyun, I’m studying…”

It's the weekend but that doesn’t mean I should not study since my exam is literally next week. Even though my friends said that I’m fully prepared for it, I feel really uneasy and it’s worrying me to death. The qualms make me have no appetite to eat or even to have some good sleep. But, as I’m trying so hard to focus, Baekhyun insists to disturb me.

“Babe, let’s make popcorn and binge Netflix!!” Baekhyun’s being a kid he is, he invites me. Shaking my head to resist his invitation, I continue to focus my attention on the study materials on the table. My study table right now doesn’t look like one. Papers scattered everywhere. 

“Then, how about we eat a tub of ice cream together! We can eat your favourite flavour this time,” He tries again to lure me to stop studying. Baekhyun then comes closer, softly placing his hands on my shoulders as he starts to massage the tense muscles that are cramping. 

As I insist on ignoring him this time, Baekhyun tries again and most probably he wouldn’t stop until I give in. “Okay, but can we at least cud-”

“I swear to God, Baekhyun. Can’t you see that I’m trying to focus here??” Swatting his hands away, I finally lash it out at him as I’m really fuming in anger. Why can’t he understand that I don’t want him to disturb me especially at this crucial time? It’s a simple thing but Baekhyun’s being such a childish one right now and I couldn’t stop myself from getting mad at him. 

Baekhyun flinches away after hearing me increasing my tone. He slowly marches out from the study room and leaves me finally alone in peace with a sad puppy-like face. This time it’s a success to me that I get to actually kick him out from here because my examination is really important at this moment. Sighing in half-relief, I get back to the exercises and past year questions without wasting any time. 

After approximately an hour, there’s really no sign of his presence at all. The apartment is really silent as if there’s no one at home except me. When I suddenly remember about Baekhyun, I feel really bad at him. I didn’t think that my actions and words can actually hurt him because if he’s giving me a silent treatment, it really means that I did hurt him. 

I put my laptop to sleep mode, deciding to search for him. As I leave the room, I can see Baekhyun's sitting on the couch while watching Netflix with such a low volume. He must have lowered it down since he didn’t want to annoy me again. 

Again, I feel awful and guilty. 

After taking a seat right beside him, it seems that Baekhyun scoots away from me. He's pouting his lips and this time he’s trying to ignore me. I slowly get to hold one of his hands but as he tries to pull away, I grab on it strongly. 

“Baekhyun…” I call his name, my other hand cups his cheek. “Look at me, hmm?” I coo. He’s attempting to avoid my eye contact but I force him to look at me. He gives in but he still rolls his eyes at me since he’s probably upset that I lashed out at him previously.

“I’m sorry…” I apologise.

“I’m really, truly sorry for scolding you. I was just too scared and worried about my upcoming exam. What if I fail? I don’t want to disappoint my parents and you too… I’m sorry…” Putting my feelings into words, I explain to him slowly as my eyes start to swell in tears. I was stuttering to hide from sobbing and when I feel a tear fall on my cheeks, I quickly hide my face as I look down on the couch. Crying silently, I hope that Baekhyun’s able to forgive me for being mad at him. 

Baekhyun cups my chin as he lifts up my head. His gazes are comforting and adoring. “Babe, don’t cry…” He wipes off the tears away with his thumb. “It’s okay… I forgive you.” Humming softly, he lifts me up and places me on his lap. I land my head on his broad chest, sobbing silently with his hand caressing my hair as he soothes me. 

The guiltiness towards Baekhyun was still there creeping in my heart but when he’s assuring me that he’s fine, I feel calm. It takes a while for me to calm as the two of us stay in this position. He secures me tightly with his hands wrap around my waist. His chin rests on the top of my head while he caresses my back continuously. 

“I’m sorry too if I annoyed and disturbed you, baby. But I was about to invite you for a rest. You’re gonna be fine with your exam too. You’re worrying too much,” He lands a kiss on the top of my crown. I silently smile because Baekhyun knows that I’ll always be stressing too much when the exam season is coming. 

“You’ll do well. You’re gonna ace it like you always do, right?” Baekhyun speaks as he tries to comfort me with his supportive words. Slowly, I lift my head to see his face as I nod my head for a few times. 

He leans over to give an affectionate kiss on my lips. “Now, that’s my girl.”

Baekhyun questions me whether I have any plan to do for today but all I want is to cuddle him throughout the day. Because he gives me comfort and I feel so much safe being in his embrace and also it’s like a way of gesture for me to ask him forgiveness since I still feel guilty. 

And yes, we do end up cuddling until we go to bed.

24 years old...

I jolt in surprise when a pair of arms suddenly wrap around my frame from behind as the person lands his chin softly on my shoulder, kissing my hair. Smiling in contentment, I continue to stir the chicken soup while Baekhyun back hugs me. Finally, he’s home. He doesn’t utter any words but his breathing is audible enough to indicate that he’s tired after a long day. And of course, I’m worried about him. As long as he’s here, I’m grateful enough. 

“You’re home, baby?” My hand is lifted to cup his cheek and Baekhyun just simply hums. I chuckle softly and while waiting for the soup to sim for a while, I lift and turn my head a bit to face him. His hair is dishevelled and even from this limited view, his dark circles and eye bags can be clearly seen. A comforting smile appears across my face, jutting out my lips to him.

Baekhyun upon seeing it, he chuckles in disbelief before leaning on to peck his plump lips onto mine. After I’m satisfied with the kiss, I turn around back to stir the soup for the final round. Without any warning, his lips land a kiss on my sensitive spot in between my neck and collarbone that makes me shiver. His one hand starts to roam freely from the waist, trailing down to my buttcheek as he massages one of them. His touches are addictive and if I give in, we would probably end up for a quick session here.

Turning around, I stop him by pushing an index finger on his chest to warn him. “You need to take a shower, mister. We’re not gonna do it here,” I say. He plasters a pair of pleading eyes as he continues to seduce me with the touches. Despite that, he fails this time when I shake my head a few times to resist it. Baekhyun sighs in surrender and before he’s leaving for his shower, he gives a peck on my cheek.

While he takes his quick bath in order to freshen him up after such a hectic day, I busy preparing the table by serving the chicken soup and also put the rice into small bowls. I cook chicken soup purposely to help him to regain strength and calmness as this recipe was shared by Kyungsoo since he’s an expert in cooking too. Even the other members agree that he’s a professional chef among them. 

Right on time, Baekhyun comes closer when I finish setting up the table. “Let’s eat so that we can go to bed early tonight, hmm?” I request and a single hum can be heard from him as he takes a seat at his usual chair. I take a seat right beside him and when he begins to dig in the food, I watch him diligently, hoping that he likes it.

“How was it? Is it good?”

“Of course it is. My sweetheart’s cooking is always delicious,” He praises, taking another bite of the rice. My face flushes a bit after hearing his appraisal before he starts eating my own part. Since I know that Baekhyun had a tough day, I decide to not ask him regarding his activities because I’m afraid it will spoil his mood. Instead, the two of us end up eating without creating any topic to converse. 

On the other hand, I’m happy that his appetite for tonight is unbelievable. He asks for more rice and chicken soup which causes me to smile in amusement and satisfaction. I’m already full even by witnessing him eating deliciously. Right after the two of us (technically him) done eating, we help each other to clean up the mess which he offers to give his hands to wash the dishes while I clear up the dining table. 

Then, we head straight to bed as I switch off the lights before throwing myself to lay right beside him. Baekhyun pulls the thick duvet to cover our body and being such a clingy baby, he pulls me closer to him. I offer myself to pat him to sleep when he caresses my hair at the same time. I begin to feel sleepy but he is still wide awake while his face is plastering all his qualms. 

“Hey…” Bringing my hand to brush his puffy cheek, a worrying question escapes from my mouth. “Do you have anything to share with me, Baekhyun?” I softly ask him, hoping it successfully makes him confess.

He sighs lightly. “I’m so afraid…” 

“Afraid of what, Baek?”

“A lot of things…” He continues as he sighs again. “What if I’ve become a failure? Fail to achieve my dreams, fail to make everyone proud, fans, my family and even you?”

His eyes begin to brim with tears when he looks at me. “What if one day, I’m gonna lose you?”

I hush him right away. It has become the moment where his mind has filled with negative thoughts that make him worry on his own. But despite all of that, Baekhyun never fails to make people amaze with him. Being the main vocalist in the group makes him shine brighter, being the soloist who managed to secure every chart has made him who he is right now. He is such a talented one and everyone is grateful for his presence in their lives including mine. 

“Baekhyun, listen here. You will never lose me and I will never leave you. I promise you that.”

I try to make him trust me with my words as he nods his head. “And everyone is already proud of you, Baekhyun. Okay, it’s absurd if your family isn't proud of you because you’re such a childish, puppy-like person. Even Mongryong is much more mature than you.” 

“Hey!! I’m not childish, okay??” Baekhyun denies it and I only giggle at him.

“Yes, you are!! Anyway, as I said, everyone is proud of you, Baekhyun. Don’t let your fears overtake your confidence. This is not the Baekhyun that I know. You told me to be cool, happy, strong and fearless. You make every impossible possible, baby. And I love you for who you are right now.” I express everything to him as long as it can help to comfort him. He replies to me with a soft and endearing smile. 

“Gosh, why am I so lucky to have you, babe?” Baekhyun’s peppering kisses continuously on my lips makes me giggle with happiness. 

“I love you so much,” He confesses. Even if it’s a simple confession, I know that it brings thousands of feelings. His love for me is beyond words and only by the way he treats me throughout our relationship, I really know that we are meant to be together until eternity. 

I was about to doze off to sleep slowly when Baekhyun suddenly calls, “Babe.” I hum to him as a reply. “Marry me.”

Abruptly, I’m stupefied with his impromptu proposal. “W-What?”

“Marry me, would you?” He proposes again.

“Babe, don’t you have anything to say or wish at me?” Baekhyun curiously asks, caressing my hand as he drives the car. I shake my head to deny it. I can hear clearly he’s sighing and probably disappointed which makes me laugh silently.  

Today is finally Baekhyun’s 24th birthday and he will arrive at the airport from his solo oversea schedules. And since I don’t have any work for today, I offer myself to pick him up. Also, I’ve planned a surprise birthday party where I invite his family and also the other members. The guys offer to set up the party because his flight arrived around 7 pm. 

Also tonight, I’m gonna give my answer to his proposal too. 

The journey back to our apartment didn’t take that long. Baekhyun became extremely upset as he didn’t talk much. After receiving a text from Chanyeol that they are already hiding, I do my part which makes Baekhyun go straight into the bedroom without stopping anywhere. He then goes straight into the bathroom to take a shower which I run to the living room, greeting his family and friends softly. 

When everything is finally set up, I head back to the bedroom and see Baekhyun strides out from the bathroom. He goes into his closet to choose short pants and a plain T-shirt to wear before he throws himself on the bed with a soft grunt. I chuckle, laying right beside him as I scoot closer to be in his embrace. 

“Tired?” I ask him. Baekhyun nods his had while his eyes are shut. I give him a soft peck on his cheek and when my phone vibrates, it’s a sign. “I’m going to the kitchen to grab a glass of water,” I say as he hums. I head out to the living room slowly. All of us wait almost 10 minutes to finally listen to Baekhyun’s calling for me.

“Baby? What took you so long?” And when he opens the door as he walks towards the living room, all of us shout.

“Surprise!! Happy Birthday, Baekhyun!!” 

Baekhyun’s face was expressionless. He was really shocked by the surprise and now he knows why I didn’t wish for him at all. We sing a happy birthday song, letting Baekhyun make a wish before he blows the candles. All of us cheers in excitement as we clap our hands too. 

“Now, it’s time for you to unbox your presents.” Baekhyun obeys to our instruction as he opens one by one. He receives various types of gifts from the members and family and when he’s finally done unboxing everything, it’s finally my turn to give my present to him.

I cuddle closer to Baekhyun on the couch as the tv’s screen turns on. It’s showing a compilation video I’ve made and there were all of our beautiful moments that we have created. From day one we became friends, best friends and into lovers. Baekhyun has become an amazing and special person in my life as I’m really grateful to have him. As I peek at him who’s watching the video diligently, I can see that his eyes are already swelling with tears.

“To Byun Baekhyun, happiest birthday to you, baby!! You’ve made me the luckiest girl on Earth to have you by my side and we’ve gone through such a roller coaster ride together as one. You always protect me, cherish me and give all your love to me. I love every part of you even though you were pretty annoying back then in high school. So Baekhyun, it’s a yes.”

The video ends right away after my speech as all of us including Baekhyun look at me curiously. It takes him a few moments when he finally gets the idea. “OMG fuck… Baby, it’s a yes???? I’m not delusional, right?” Baekhyun asks for my confirmation and I nod my head. His face has brightened and the tears finally escape from his eyes. He lifts me up in the air, twirling me around in happiness in which it makes me giggle. The others are happy too as they congratulate us for the engagement because they know, the two of us are meant to be together.

Baekhyun places me on the floor back, cradling me in his arms before he gives a long and passionate kiss on my lips. The kiss is overwhelming us too much and when he breaks the kiss, he whispers to my ears. “Gosh, my wish finally came true and this is the best birthday gift I’ve ever had.”

25 years old…

That night when I accepted his proposal to be his wife, everyone is beyond excited especially Baekhyun. As I say excited, we got married a month later because he was too eager to make me as his legal wife. I didn’t object since we’ve been waiting too long to finally have the title, husband and wife. Our wedding day turned out to be pretty sorrow thanks to him though. He cried when he saw me walked down through the aisle and he made me teared up too with his wedding vow. 

Then in October, I found out that I’m carrying not one, but two beans inside my womb. Well, we didn’t actually plan to have kids right away but yeah, things happen when we’re talking about Byun Baekhyun. How did I found out? Basically, we’re moving out of the apartment to our new house as he bought it for our future big family. As we’re on our way to the new house, my throat felt really uncomfortable in which I asked him to stop by the roadside because I’m getting a headache. When I’m feeling much better, he continued to drive but with a faster speed. 

After the car stopped right in front of the main door, I quickly unlocked it, finding the nearest toilet as I threw up everything into the toilet bowl. Kneeling in front of it as I continued to puke, Baekhyun came to me a few minutes later, caressing my back. Since he was really worried about me, he brought me to the clinic to get a check-up. So that’s the day when we knew the two of us became parents.

The first trimester was really like a hell. Morning sickness almost every time and I really didn’t have any appetite to eat. But, Baekhyun took care of me throughout my suffering moments, always reminding me that these were my sacrifices for the twins. 

I’m now 34 weeks and my tummy is really huge. Please don’t compare it with a watermelon because it is bigger than that. My feet are all swollen, backaches and I could go to the toilet almost every second. At the same time, I still cannot believe that the 25 years old me and Baekhyun are going to have kids within a few weeks. It’s undeniable that a childish guy like him is ready to be a father, right?

We are currently hanging out at the living room, I lay on my back on the couch while Baekhyun extends his hand to caress my bulging tummy. “Am I the only one who thinks that our beans are quite active today?” He averts his attention from the television screen to me and his question sounds a little bit of worry. 

“Yeah, I think so too?” Placing my hand on top of his hand, I caress our hands together when suddenly we receive a strong kick. I grunt softly because it gives me quite a pain. The two of us decide it’s just a normal movement came from one of the twins. After a few minutes, my lower part feels gushy and wet. As I try to touch it with my fingers, I assume I peed myself a bit. 

“Baekhyun, I’m gonna go to the toilet since I think I peed a bit at here,” I giggle, acting innocently as he replies me with chuckles. The moment I stand up, more liquid flows out, trailing down to my thighs and instantly, I clutch my stomach because it hurts. 

Baekhyun’s being the overprotective one, he grabs me in his arms. “Hey, you okay?”

I shake my head slowly, looking down when I finally see a small pool of liquid on the floor as I gulp nervously. “I think it’s time, Baekhyun…”

Baekhyun brings us to the hospital right away and I get to admit into our private room where at first, the doctor came for our last check-up before I finally going into labour. As Dr Kim spreads the gel all over my tummy, she then brings the probe to start the ultrasound. 

“The babies are very ready to meet the world,” She chuckles, followed by Baekhyun too. After the ultrasound, the nurse helps me to wear some sort of belt that detects the fetal movement and the whole room begins to fill with the heartbeats’ sound of our little babies. 

While I’m still inducing, I take some rest to prepare myself for the labour later. Baekhyun sits right beside my bed, holding and caressing my hand in his hold. I face him, a soft smile spreads across my face. “How are you feeling, daddy-to-be? Excited?” I brush my knuckles onto his bulgy cheek.

“Yeah and worry too…” He expresses it with a soft tone. 

“Hey, you don’t need to be worry, Baekhyun. Everything will be alright,” I try to comfort him because apart from the eagerness to see our little juniors, he’s so worried about the excruciate pain that I need to handle while in the process of giving birth. I admit it, I’m worried to death knowing that my life also depends on it but knowing that we’re gonna see our little angels, everything will be absolutely worth it. “And you’re gonna be by my side right?”

He nods his head, getting off from his seat to peck on my lips before landing a long yet endearing kiss on my forehead. Baekhyun lets me take a rest while waiting for my cervix to dilate. Legitly, I couldn’t sleep at all with the number of contractions that are attacking me. Tossing, laying and sitting on the bed, all the positions wouldn’t make rest at all. Instead, he offers to massage my back because it’s aching so much. 

Approximately 3 hours later, that’s the moment when everything’s gonna change. I was brought to the labour room with Baekhyun’s hand tightly in my hand while we’re on the way. The pain is beyond words. My forehead starts to sweat hard, tearing up with him comforting me by my sides. 

“You can do this, baby. I’m here, okay?”

His supports, his presence and his love help me a lot throughout the session. With endless pushing, a shrill sound of a baby crying makes the two of us smiling so bright to each other. “Our first princess is out, mommy. One more, hmm?”

Using my strength all out, I give a hard push and finally, our youngest daughter is born. Haerin and Hanbyul, our little angels. Baekhyun peppers my face with his kisses while he chants thousands of thank you. And now, our little family is finally completed with Baekhyun’s cute girls. I wouldn’t ask for anything but I only need them in my life.

Baekhyun whispers into my ears, “Thank you so much, babe. For carrying our girls and for the hard work to give birth to them. I love you and it’s always you, my love.”

My husband, Byun Baekhyun and the small princesses, Byun Haerin and Byun Hanbyul. 

30 years old...

“Promise me that my two little princesses will continue to behave until mommy’s come back home, okay?” I softly calm and ask the twins through the video call since Haerin and Hanyul have been missing me for days. I went for a business trip and Baekhyun was left to look for the twins while I’m gone but I’m grateful he can handle our 4 years old girls. The two of them simply nod their head at the same time, hugging their dolls in their arms. Some of the tears are still there in their adorable eyes that makes me laugh over their cuteness. 

“Be good girls to your daddy too, okay? Mommy loves you both so much!” Throwing flying kisses on the screen, hoping it will at least make the twins feel the love that I’m trying to convey. The two of them move their faces closer to the screen, taking turns to kiss on the screen with their cute small lips. While the girls are busy giving me kisses, I can hear Baekhyun’s chuckling behind the phone. Because for sure, he must be falling in love with the devastating scene of the twins’ crying as he’s holding his phone throughout the video call. 

Baekhyun brings the phone as he faces the screen and I finally get to see his face. “Bab- woah,” He was about to say something when suddenly the two princesses come to stand in between his thighs. I titter as I feel my heart is full right now seeing them together on the screen. Baekhyun shakes his head, chuckling before giving pecks on their heads. “Call or text me when you’re going back home tomorrow. Don’t leave anything behind and your meals too. We’ll wait for you, right babies?” 

He asks Haerin and Hanbyul as they nod their head. Then, he bends over to land kisses on their cheeks that cause them to giggle cutely. Once again, I’m falling in love with Baekhyun and no doubts that I will love him until the very end.

Haerin starts to yawn, eyes swelling in tears as she finally feels sleepy and it’s their bedtime. “Okay, it’s time for the princesses’ bedtime!! I’ll see you guys tomorrow. I love you guys.” I begin to bid goodbye and goodnight to the three of them. 

“Goodbye, mommy!! Hanbyul loves you so much!!” Hanbyul confesses as I nod my head. 

On the other hand, Haerin in a sleepy state wishes me goodnight with her droopy eyes. “Goodnight, mommy!...” 

Baekhyun brings his phone closer to him to look at your face clearer, “I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Goodnight, babe. Talk to you later.” 

“Thank you, Baekhyun, for taking care of them for me,” I thank him and he shakes his head as his reply. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” He replies. And after a few goodbyes, I end the call. Baekhyun puts his phone into the pocket of his pants before wrapping his arms around the twins. “It’s bedtime, babies. Let’s tuck you both in bed!” He announces but as he checks on Haerin, she’s half-awake.

Baekhyun lifts her up and carries her over his shoulder while Hanbyul holds onto his other free hand. They walk upstairs towards the master bedroom, which the girls had been overnight for days since I’m not around. When they finally arrive, he slowly places Haerin on the king-sized bed before he takes Hanbyul to lay right beside her sister. He tucks the two of them as he covers them with the duvet.

He lands kisses on their forehead before he slides to lay right beside Hanbyul and switches off the main lights. Haerin is already asleep and most probably in her sweet dreams while Hanbyul is still awake. Stretching his arm to wrap around the girls’ small bodies, he’s surprised when the still awake twin turns around to face him. Hanbyul places her small hands on his cheeks, revealing her sparkling eyes at him. 

“Aren’t you sleepy, baby?” Baekhyun concernedly asks her with his soft voice. 

“Daddy,” She calls as he hums. “Do you miss mommy?” She questions him. 

Baekhyun chuckles silently, leaning over to kiss her pouty lips. “So much. Does my little star miss mommy too?” It’s his turn to ask her and the little one nods her head.

“Now, Byullie needs to sleep so mommy can come home fast,” He tries to persuade her to sleep, which he succeeds since she complies. The little girl scoots closer to his chest, shutting her eyes close before she slowly dozes off to sleep. When Baekhyun checks on her, a soft smile spreads across his face seeing his princesses soundly asleep. 

He pulls Haerin slowly into his arms and it’s his turn to have a nice sleep after a tiring day taking care of the twins. “Daddy loves you both so much.” He whispers softly. Having them in his arms for tonight, Baekhyun will definitely have a good dream and will wake up with a very loving and adorable view. Digging out his phone from his pocket, he takes a few pictures of the girls’ sleeping with their dolls in their arms. A smile creeps upon his face.

- Baekhyun -

[attached pictures]

Mission accomplished for today, mommy!

- Me -

Good job, daddy!

:)

- Baekhyun -

Looks like they’re having a goodnight dream

I miss you already

Come home fast, okay?

- Me -

Awww Baekhyun

I miss you too

I’ll be back tomorrow okay?

Now go to sleep

Muah, I love you

Baekhyun doesn’t have to reply since honestly, he’s really exhausted after a tiring day. Trying to balance between the house chores and taking care of the twins’ were really another hard level. Also, he really can’t believe that a woman like me can actually handle them. And that’s why he’s proud of me being a wife and a mommy of two beautiful princesses.

His life has been beautiful and full of happiness with this small family.

The next day, Baekhyun wakes up early in the morning with such a beautiful sight of his daughters’ sleeping peacefully. Before he starts the day, he always leaves kisses on them. He still couldn’t believe that the two of us actually made such adorable princesses. He starts the day by working out in his private area and after that, he will take a quick shower before preparing breakfast for them. 

Since he can’t cook and prepare a special meal for breakfast, he is only able to make pancakes and it’s a bonus because of the twins’ super love with his pancakes. The process to prepare it didn’t take much longer and right on time he’s finally done, a soft and cute voice calls his name from upstairs. 

“Daddy? Where are you?”

Baekhyun rushes to check on her, smiling widely seeing his little Haerin searching for him while rubbing her eyes with her hand.  He walks upstairs, carries her in his arms and pecks onto her cheek. “I’m here, baby. Good morning, princess!”

“Good morning, daddy,” Haerin yawns cutely but he is able to cover her mouth with his hand. As he chuckles, they enter the master bedroom and realise the other twin is finally awake with such a bedridden hair. She tosses and turns her head on the pillow before she finally sits up to greet her other twin and her daddy.

“Good morning to my little star,” Baekhyun sits at the edge of the bed, inviting Hanbyul for a hug as she crawls slowly to her daddy. Once the two of them are finally in his embrace, he hugs them tightly and gives a kiss on top of their crown. 

“Mommy’s here?” Hanbyul asks him. He shakes his head to answer her question. As to avoid making her disappointed with his reply, Baekhyun lifts them up in surprise. 

“My two stinky monsters need to take a bath!!” Baekhyun imitates a cartoon voice and dashes properly to the bathroom that makes them giggle in amusement. Their petals of laughter surely make him the happiest person on Earth. He doesn’t realise that the three of them have been spending almost an hour in the bathroom. Right away, he brings the girls back to the room and drying them with the towels.

“So, what do my girls want to do today?” Baekhyun kneels in front of them, both bodies wrapped cutely with pink towels. He finds they are cute as they look so fresh and adorable. The two of them places their index finger o their cheeks, reenacting on how people in the cartoons behave when they were thinking. He chuckles softly, waiting patiently for their answers. 

“Can we have a tea party where Byullie and Rinnie be princesses, daddy?” Haerin cutely suggests an activity. Since Baekhyun has nothing to do today except taking care of them, he’s going to make all their wishes come true.

“You two are already daddy’s princesses!!” Baekhyun tickles their tummies that make them giggle loudly. “Let’s go and choose your princesses’ gowns then, shall we?” He lifts them abruptly, causing the girls squealing in excitement as he brings the two of them to their room. After he places both of them on the floor, they run cutely towards their closet and each of them chooses the gowns to wear. Soft pink for Rinnie and soft purple for Byullie. 

“My two princesses need to have their breakfast first or not you’re gonna get a tummy ache,” Baekhyun holds onto their hands, guiding them down the hall as they slowly walk downstairs and head to the dining table. He lifts them one by one and places them on their high chairs. 

“Byullie wants to eat!” Hanbyul says in exhilaration.

“Rinnie too!!” Then, Haerin follows. He’s chuckling softly while cutting the pancakes into pieces so that the girls can eat them easily. After placing them on the plates, Baekhyun brings the two plates to the table. The girls’ smiling widely when they see the pancakes with their sparkling eyes.

“Pancakes!!!” They squeal. 

Baekhyun places the plates in front of them and he can see that their cute legs are wiggling in the air. “Princesses, do you guys want daddy to put honey syrup on your pancakes?” He asks. They nod their head at the same time, showing their plates to him. Pouring the honey syrup around their pancakes, suddenly Haerin butts in. 

“Strawberries?” She tilts her head slightly on one side, waiting for the answer. Baekhyun chuckles, going to the fridge to grab the ones that his girl is searching for. Haerin and Hanbyul smile brightly. He proceeds to cut them into bite pieces then he brings it to them. All three of them begin to eat their breakfast together, but most of the time they’re playing around in which their giggles make the whole house alive. But, it’s still incomplete without my presence.

After breakfast, the girls straightly invite Baekhyun to play tea party right away as he complies. They bring out their tea party toys set, setting it on their cute small table. “Daddy!! Sit here!!” Hanbyul pats the empty seat and he slowly sits on it. The seat’s quite small for him but he will restrain it for the sake of the girls. 

“Daddy, daddy!! Can you braid our hair like mommy?” Baekhyun becomes clueless when Haerin requests something from him in which he doesn’t know how to braid their hair. But since he doesn’t want to make them upset, he spends a lot of tutorials on Youtube on how to braid. Almost an hour, he finally has done and believes that he can at least braid their hair even though it will turn out bad. 

Baekhyun takes turns in braiding their hair, inhaling the strawberry scent and assumes it came from their shampoo. I took him 30 minutes because they insist on having braids like how princesses have. He even used some clips to secure their hair neatly. And when all of them is finally satisfied, he places the twins’ crown on top of their head as they continue to play along with the tea party theme. 

I finally arrive home, smiling widely knowing that they will definitely wait for my arrival. I unlock the door and begin to search for them. “Baekhyun? Girls?” I call them but there’s no one answering. Pulling the luggage into the house and closing the door behind me, I walk straight to the living room. 

I have a view of my husband and my twins passed out on the couch, cuddling close to each other. By seeing the girls’ wearing dresses and crowns, they definitely had a fun tea party. Despite that, I just realised that their hair was braided messily and it must be his work. Baekhyun also has some hair clips on his hair.

As I chuckle softly and after seeing this beautiful sight, I married the right man that would love me endlessly and be the great yet loveable daddy to our princesses. 

And he’s my one and only, Byun Baekhyun. 

[worldofandromeda]

Headcanon: Dating Minho.

A/N: Who do you guys want to see next? I’m thinking I will do Hyunjin, who do you want? (I swear if I fuck up the your/you’re think again, I’m gonna sue my school for making me more idiotic than i was to begin with).

Word Count: 1673

Not proofread or edited.

CRUSHING ON YOU

Accidentally becomes mean while trying not to let you know about his crush

Always finds something to compliment you on

Will try to flirt sometimes, maybe but it probably won’t go very well

Would talk to his crush for hours, about everything

He wouldn’t care what they were talking about as long as he was with them

Really fucking nervous around you

Blushing, stuttering, playing with his hair, biting his nails, tapping his fingers, etc.

Definitely stalking your social media accounts

Accidentally likes one of your pictures that you posted like four years before hand

HIS PHONE SAID YEET AND HIS THROAT SAID SCREECH

As well as nervous, definitely shy, not as talkative as he usually is

CONFESSION

As I said earlier, Minho was really shy around his crush

So, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to confess to them properly, like face to face

But, he also thought asking you out over text was just a shitty thing to do

So, he opted to write you a letter, not necessarily a love letter but he was confessing, so, maybe a bit of a love letter, lol.

He would leave it on your pillow

He probably nearly tripped when walking out of your room because he was so nervous

Was tempted to go through your closet, he didn’t

But he did eat your snacks

Anyway, so, this note would say…

Dearest Y/N, I’m sorry that I’m not confessing to you in a manly way but I know I will never be brave enough to tell you how I feel to your face, so, this is happening.

I’ve liked you for a while now, at least a year. You’re beautiful, intelligent, funny, ambitious, nurturing, calm but also crazy. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted in a partner.

I don’t know why I started feeling this way about you but I did and I’m still feeling this way and I hope you feel the same, it’s okay if you don’t but…

Anyway, all there is to it, is that I like you, I want to be your boyfriend, to take you on dates and to eat food with you at 4am while playing Mario kart. I want to have dance battles with you and for Stays to make memes out of our faces together but most importantly I want to be able to love you with all my heart and I will try my hardest to do that if you accept.

Will you go on a date with me and hopefully be my girlfriend, pretty, pretty please?

Love, Greek God Minho.

You had laughed after reading it, smiling widely before getting off your bed falling YEETING YOURSELF stumbling down the stairs and walking the short route to the dorms.

You slammed open the door, walking into the living room to see Minho with Jeongin and Jisung.

They knew something was up from the unreadable expression on your face and so, they got up quickly leaving you and Minho alone together.

You stalked towards Minho, making him quickly get up, ready to run away from you, terrified of your reaction.

You quickly grabbed him, pushing him down onto the couch as you positioned yourself on his hips, making sure he couldn’t move.

Minho was flustered

He was trying to say something, anything but he just kept blubbering

His nervousness making it extremely hard for him to create a coherent sentence

“Minho, why didn’t you tell me?”

He looked up at you and shrugged slightly, an anxious expression on his face as he bit his lip.You pulled his lip from his teeth, leaving him with his mouth open as he stared up at you in aw

.You couldn’t keep up your ‘sexy, hot and cool’ façade anymore

You squealed slightly and launched yourself down onto Minho

Your arms wrapping around him as best as they could as you stuffed your face into his neck

“Um, are you okay?”

Minho felt the warmness of his blush creeping up his neck and he cringed at the feeling

You always made him so nervous

You nodded, laughing slightly as you pulled back but stayed laying on top of him

“Sure, I’ll go out with you, Minho.”

Now, it was his turn to let out a squeal as he wrapped his arms around your back, squeezing you

Just when he was about to say something, Jisung yelled which caused you to jump in fear

And fall off of Minho and hit your head and die

“HEY, NO SEX IN THE DORMS!”

“DAMMIT JISUNG, WE WERE BEING CUTE! NOT FUCKING!”

FIRST DATE

For your first date, you and Minho went paintballing

It fucking hurt

You were left with bruises all over you after

And they weren’t good bruises

You know what I’m saying 😉

Anyway, so, you had just started the round

You were cautious, making sure to look everywhere But, then, when you turned around, Minho was standing in front of you

He shot you and ran away

You ran right after him, shooting him in the head

AND WRECKING HIS BEAUTIFUL HAIR I WOULD KILL A BITCH

Anyway, after that it wasn’t team against team anymore

It was just you and Minho against each other

It was like a game of tag but instead of tagging the other person, you got to shoot them

With a motherfucking paintball gun

DAVID DOBRIK WOULD BE PROUD

And so afterward

When he saw your bruises

He frowned, apologising but you just laughed, pressing a kiss to his cheekbone

“It’s okay, your head is going to be hurting way worse later.”

“Yeah! Isn’t it against the rules to shoot someone in the head?”

“I don’t know. Probably.”

FIRST KISS

Your family had kicked you out for unknown reasons and you went to the only person you had left

Minho

You two had become official two weeks beforehand

And you hadn’t kissed yet

But kissing was the last thing on Minho’s mind when he opened the door

To you with tear stained cheeks, a suitcase, drenched clothes and ruined makeup.

He quickly pulled you inside and brought you to the couch, telling you to wait there

He ran upstairs, grabbing a towel and some of his clothes plus his bag of makeup wipes

He does wear makeup after all, of course he has some makeup wipes

Anyway, so, he quickly sprints back down to you

Pulling the clothes off of you as you sat there

Not moving

You weren’t even bothered when Minho pulled your shirt over your head, exposing your bra

Or when he tugged down your pants

“Here,”He held out a pair of sweatpants and a plain white tee

You didn’t move, so he sighed

He threw his shirt over your head

And you shivered as his hands ran up your back under the shirt

Unclipping your bra

Which made you gasp and turn around to look at him

“Your clothes are wet, including your bra and underwear, they need to be taken off or you’ll get sick.”

He expected you to finish getting yourself dressed seeing as he had gotten your attention

But he was proven wrong when you turned back to look at what you had been previously

So, he pushed his hands back under the shirt, tugging the straps of your bra down

Until your bra fell into your lap

Your underwear was a bit different

He knew it would be really difficult, so, he resorted to cutting the side of it with a pair of scissors

Covering his eyes, the minute part of you was exposed

He brought the sweatpants up your legs

And reached into the sweatpants near your hip, tugging on a piece of fabric which pulled your underwear from the pants

He put your ruined underwear into the garbage and when he came back, you hadn’t moved

He sat in front of you on the couch

He called out your name multiple times

But he never got a reply

He was getting fed up with you daydreaming

Or maybe you were just ignoring him

Either way, Minho was done with it

And to catch your attention, he grabbed your shoulders and brought his lips to yours

The kiss was intense and caught you off guard but you sunk into it the minute Minho’s hand found its way into your hair

Once you both pulled back, you stared at each other for a few seconds before you started sobbing

Pushing your face into his chest as your arms wrapped around his torso

His arms sat around your waist as you cried, Minho smiled slightly

At least you had come to him and he knew you were safe

“YOU GUYS BETTER NOT BE FUCKING!”

“DAMMIT JISUNG!”

FIRST “I LOVE YOU.”

“Why would I cheat on you?”

Your voice got louder every time you yelled at Minho.

“Maybe because you were all over that fucking guy!”

“Wrong! He was all over me and I rejected him multiple times.”

“Sure, you did, L/N.”

You stopped, you didn’t use that surname anymore

It hurt you to hear it after your family had kicked you out onto the streets with no explanation as to why

You growled to yourself before replying

“I didn’t cheat on you and I wasn’t planning on it either.”

You turned, starting to walk away when he yelled

“Why should I believe you?”

“Why should you believe me? WHY SHOULD YOU BELIEVE ME? MAYBE BECAUSE I HAVE PUT MYSELF THROUGH SO MUCH SHIT FOR YOU! MAYBE BECAUSE I’M NOT A STUPID WHORE LIKE YOUR EX GIRLFRIEND! MAYBE, JUST MAYBE YOU SHOULDN’T THINK I CHEATED ON YOU BECAUSE I FUCKING LOVE YOU!”

Minho’s face fell as you finished ranting

“What?”

“I love you and all you’re doing is hurting me.”

Your voice cracked at the end and you gave up, starting to sink to the floor so you could cry

But before you could get there, Minho rushed towards you, grabbing you harshly and pulling you tight against his chest

“I’m sorry, my beautiful girl, I’m sorry.”

“ARE Y’ALL FUCKING?”

Both of you yelled simultaneously, “SHUT UP, SQUIRREL!”

[heyyyharry]

My Girl Series: Chapter 11 - Paper Love

…in which Y/N tries to compromise, and Harry tries to change.

Series description: Y/N falls in love with the older boy next door who doesn’t feel the same, years later they meet again at a funeral.

AU: actor!harry, older!harry, younger!y/n; (4-year age gap)

Chapter 10: Storm In A Teacup - Breaking someone else’s heart is breaking your own

Warning: smut *shrug*, no proofreading.

OC version

.

Thirteen days.

It'd been thirteen days since Harry last saw Y/N. And frankly, he hadn't been doing so well. He tried to distract himself with parties and work, but as soon as he crawled back to bed at night, his mind would start wandering back to her. For the same reason, he couldn't get close to any other girls and didn't see the point in trying to, because if a beauty like Madeline Grey couldn't even take her place, then he was already beyond repair.

He thought about driving past Y/N's block in hope that he might meet her again, yet the fear of not knowing what to say if that actually happened got him turning his car every time he got close to her street. He'd rather waste his own time by taking a longer route than come knocking on her door and talk it over like two adults. Needless to say, Harry was miserable.

But Y/N wasn't the only one he couldn't face. There was also Isaac, who hadn't spoken a word to him since the Italy trip, so of course, he had no idea about Isaac coming back until he saw him with Y/N. All that aside, Harry still cared about his best friend like a brother and loved Isaac's family as if they were his own.

A couple days ago, Isaac's mother called Harry to ask about him and his family, then from her, he found out about Isaac's little brother Tony staying in the hospital after his surgery. Harry was more worried about the kid than mad at his best friend for not telling him about it. So he rearranged his schedule to get a day free and come visit Tony.

But the funny thing about life was that you could never guess what was going to happen. The moment Harry stepped into the hospital room to surprise Tony, it was he who ended up getting surprised. His feet were glued to the floor when those lovely eyes stared right back at him. They sparked with astonishment as Y/N parted her lips, probably trying to figure out whether or not she should say hello, but then she decided to keep quiet, like he did.

"Harry!"

Tony's happy shout made Isaac, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with his back facing the door, turn to look at the unexpected visitor.

Pressing his lips into a smile, Harry lifted the paper bag in his hand and said, "I got you food, little man."

"Is that from Billy's?!"

"Yes! The best sandwiches in town!"

Harry's answer got the boy all excited as he punched the air, causing his brother and even Y/N to laugh out loud.

"Your mum told me," Harry said before his best friend could ask, and Isaac flashed him a grin.

"I figured," said the blue-eyed man as he nodded. "Thanks for coming, H."

"Hey Harry," Tony spoke fast. "Have you met Y/N?"

There was no way Harry had missed that question, because the only sound in the room other than Tony's voice was the beeping of a random machine somewhere by the bed. But he pretended like he hadn't heard the boy and walked in to set the paper bag down on the table, just a step away from where Y/N was standing with her arms crossed, eyes on her feet.

When a female nurse showed up at the front door, it was a sigh of relief for the three adults who'd just been saved from the overwhelming awkwardness surrounding them. However, the woman wasn't there to check on Tony, instead, she asked to speak to Isaac in private. Harry and Y/N flinched at the same time, for they knew they would be left alone with the kid if Isaac left. Even though on the outside they couldn't look less unbothered, their inner voices were screaming for objection.

Isaac told them that he would be right back, then followed the woman out of the door which was soon closed as they were gone.

And now, the silence battle finally began.

Y/N could tell Harry was mad at her, he hadn't looked at her for the second time since he stepped in. Though one tiny bit of her wanted to be the one who initiated the conversation, the rest fought to remain silent. She stood with her back against the wall, watching the man take out two sandwiches and give one to Tony as he sat down on the mattress so they could both eat together.

"Do you have one for Y/N?" Tony asked, pointing at the girl, whose face brightened up when her name was mentioned, yet Harry didn't even bat an eye.

"I only bought two," he replied, not even looking at her.

Before Y/N could react to his unpleasant attitude, Harry suddenly winced as he put the sandwich back into the paper bag, looking slightly disgusted. "I can't believe they gave me mayonnaise...," he muttered to himself.

But she heard him loud and clear, unable to stop the smile from growing. No matter how hard Harry tried to cover it up, deep down he was still that thirteen-year-old who cringed every time he saw people put mayonnaise in his or someone else's food because. "It tasted weird," he would reason every time she made fun of him.

The memory kept the smile on Y/N's face as she walked towards the bed, sitting down on the other side, opposite from him.

"Hey, Y/N. Thank you for watching the football match with me," said Tony with his a mouth full. "I never thought a girl would enjoy football."

Y/N almost let it slip that she used to come to Harry's football matches when they were children, but she held herself back as soon as she saw the look on his face. Just seconds ago she had thought he was still the same cute boy she used to know, but watching the way he rolled his eyes had her blood boiling in an instant.

"Isey doesn't like football," Tony broke the silent, apparently not being able to feel the tension between the two adults sitting on both sides of his bed. "Maybe as his girlfriend you can change his mind."

"Oh, I'm not his girlfriend."

This time, Harry let out a snigger. He wasn't looking at her but she knew he was driving her insane on purpose and lowkey enjoying how annoyed she seemed. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do but shoot him a death glare and remained silent.

"Hey little man," he said to Tony, smiling like nothing was wrong. "Let's play football again sometimes, yeah? We haven't got together in so long."

"Sure! I'm gonna show you some new skills I've learned. Can Y/N join us?"

Y/N expected Harry to change the subject, but this time he actually answered the question with her name in it. " Y/N only plays solo. Kinda selfish huh?"

Her mouth fell open as she heard him.

"Tony," she immediately grabbed the boy's hand so he would stop paying attention to Harry and turn to her. "I would love to play on your team. I can't stand people who belittle women, like Harry here."

"No, I respect women, Tony. We all should. But I'd rather not speak to selfish people."

This time, Y/N nearly made a direct comeback at him, luckily Tony was there to save the day.

"But I don't think Y/N is selfish. She's pretty and she brought me a milkshake."

"Aww." Y/N breathed out a laugh as she saw Harry pucker up his lips in reaction to what the boy had said. She could tell how embarrassed he must be so she decided to enjoy this a bit more than she should. "Say it again, I don't think Harry heard you."

"I said—"

"I heard you, little man," he told the kid but his eyes were on her.

Honestly, she didn't know how to feel about that look he was giving her. She wanted to slap it off his face but at the same time wanted to drag him somewhere private and make out with him. Every cell on her body was fighting hard to not be bothered by him either way, but she'd failed. All of her effort to get over him in the last thirteen days had all been flushed down the toilet.

When Isaac finally came back a while later, both Y/N and Harry happily rose from the bed like two children waiting for their dad to arrive home. For a second, Y/N thought she didn't need to suffer from the tension between her and Harry anymore. But Isaac just had to crush her hope by saying he had some stuff to take care of, asking her if she could wait thirty minutes for him to return and drive her home.

She'd only been in the same room with Harry for five minutes and she was slowly turning mad. How could she survive thirty?

"It's okay. I'll just walk home."

Isaac furrowed his brows at the girl. "Your ankle just healed. I can't let you walk home."

"Healed?" Harry asked as his face contorted. Y/N didn't want to build her hopes up but at that moment she believed he was genuinely worried.

"She sprained her ankle," the blue-eyed man replied with a frown upon his face.

Then all of a sudden, Harry said, "don't worry. I'll drive her home."

"No, I—"

"Don't be stubborn, Bambi," he said, looking straight into her eyes now.

Her heart pulsed to the sound of the nickname. Even though she knew it would've been for the best if she'd never got to hear it again, she had truly missed it as much as she missed him. Eventually, she agreed to let him drive her home, hugging Isaac goodbye and promising his brother Tony that she would come back another time.

By the time Y/N turned back to the door, Harry had already left, so she had to hurry her feet to catch up with him before he got into the lift. He'd just shown a bit concern about her injury not so long ago, now it seemed like he wanted her to break her leg running after him. She knew it was her fault to beat around the bush this whole time and break things off without a clear explanation, but she didn't deserve the attitude he was giving her. Now all she wanted was to get home right away, hoping after that she would never have to see him again.

.

.

.

The rest of the drive back to Y/N's place was filled with silence. Harry kept his eyes on the road as she kept stealing glances at him, wondering how long he was gonna keep torturing them both. Right now, she began to believe he could continue forever.

When his car pulled over in front of her building, instead of getting out and opening the door on the passenger side for her like he would always do, Harry unlocked it and sat there, tapping on the steering wheel as if urging her to get out as quick as possible. Y/N didn't need him to say the word, she couldn't wait to get away from his obnoxious attitude.

But as soon as the girl unbuckled her seatbelt, she saw him reach inside his jacket and pull out a lighter and a pack of cigarette. Completely stunned, Y/N sat there with her mouth agape as she watched him put the deadly thing between his lips like it was a piece of candy that did no harm. And before he could light it up, she snatched it away along with the pack and the lighter. Harry was shocked by her action so he just widened his eyes when she got out of the car. Without saying a word, Y/N tossed the cigarettes onto the pavement and stomping her heel on it. If he hadn't pulled her away, she would probably have kept doing that until she sprained her recently healed ankle again.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He asked, gripping onto her arm, but she shrugged him away with force.

Y/N watched the older man pick up the pack of cigarettes and toss it back into his car, trying to figure out what had caused him to go back to smoking again, but she couldn't get him, not at all.

"What the fuck is wrong with me?" She exhaled harshly. "What's wrong with you? You told me you'd quit!"

"Not anymore." Harry laughed wryly and yanked the lighter back, shoving it into the back pocket of his jeans as he turned away. It was what she said next that stopped him dead in his track.

"Why are you doing this, Harry?"

"Why do you care?" He turned back, eyes locked with hers. "We're over, remember?"

She opened her mouth to argue, but he shushed her at once and pulled out his phone to make a call, probably just to end the conversation he didn't want to have. Annoyed and frustrated, Y/N sucked in a breath. In a heartbeat, she snatched the device away from his hand, ignoring him shouting at her when she dashed into the building without taking one look back, at the same time quickening her pace so he couldn't catch up with her. The lift was still broken so they took the stairs and she was walking so fast that he was left far behind and gasping for air.

"Give me back my phone, Bambi! This isn't a fucking game!" He shouted while trying to steady his breathing. Y/N, on the other hand, was perfectly fine. She was already used to climbing all those floors on a daily basis.

"Oh, now you want to talk to me?" The girl laughed, shaking her head and kept on running. "Well, I don't want to talk to you, Harry. Go home."

"Don't be a fucking child!" He shouted just as she reached her front door and he finally caught up with her.

Looking at him with her eyes narrowed, Y/N hooted. "I'm a fucking child? Me?"

"Yeah, you." He struggled to breathe, finally getting his phone back when she wasn't guarded. But the phone was the least of her concerns at this point.

"Excuse me, you were the one who told a twelve-year-old boy that I was 'selfish'! You're the fucking child here!"

"Only a child would get this defensive when being called a child." He scoffed, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "And why were you at the hospital? You didn't even know Tony! Just because you and his brother—"

"Yes, I slept with Isaac. Was that what you wanted to hear?"

That sudden response cause Harry to hold his tongue immediately. He stood there like a statue, gawking at her, trying to get a grip on reality after hearing those cruel words. As for Y/N, she didn't even know why she'd told him that, but Harry was driving her insane and that was a good enough reason for her to stick to her lie.

"You fucking didn't." He shook his head slowly.

"I did." She nodded fast, unlocking her door with fury before turning back to gaze at him again. From his reaction, she knew he began to believe it now, and him looking so upset somehow fueled her satisfaction. Instead of ending the conversation there, she put the keys back into her bag and took a step towards the man, keeping their intense eye contact as she said, slowly and clearly, so he wouldn't miss a single word, "I fucked him, not just once, but many times."

"Shut up," he warned her, clenching his fists. But she didn't listen. Now their faces were close enough for him to feel her breath against his mouth as she edged him on, "in every single corner of my flat. All the places we had sex, I did it with him. And it felt good."

Without warning, he clutched her hips and pushed her against the door, shutting her mouth with his own for a hungry kiss as if he wanted to just devour her right there. Y/N dropped her handbag onto the floor so her fingers were free to tangle into his dark locks, and Harry seemed to enjoy that because he released a heavy groan into her mouth, and she drank all of those heavenly sounds with great pleasure.

"He can't fuck you like I do," he said, biting her bottom lip as she laughed lowly.

"Better. He was much better."

Her answer made him growl.

"Why can't you be nice like Madeline, huh?" Harry whispered when she trembled under his touch. Now that he knew he had the upper hand and the table had turned, he started sucking that spot right below her ear to earn a soft moan that got him smirking when her grip tightened in his hair.

"Fuck Madeline," she sighed, making him chuckle.

"Already did."

"No, you didn't." She frantically pulled away to look him in the eye. "Tell me you didn't."

Both of them were out of breath as he cupped her face and brushed his thumbs against her cheeks like she was the most delicate thing he'd ever held.

"Baby." He smirked. "I thought we were being honest with each other."

Y/N wanted to shout at him and she could come up with so many things to say at this point. But instead of letting it all out, she eagerly forced his mouth back on hers, kissing him passionately and running her hands all over his body. Actions always spoke louder than words.

One hand on her hip, Harry cursed under his breath as he struggled to open the door with the other and afterward guided her quickly into her living room, before he lost his patience and ended up fucking her in the hallway.

Everything just happened so fast, neither of them knew how they'd managed to get rid of their clothes, but they missed each other's body too much to even wonder. Harry held Y/N up against the door, both of her legs wrapped around his waist so he could thrust fast into her while nipping onto her collarbone. She was now a moaning mess. Her head tossed back and her nails left visible red marks on his bare back, but it only turned him on so he could move his hips harder.

His hands were strong yet his touch was soft. It was all over her, on her face, her chest, her heart, her fantasy. He was everywhere. Now she was struggling to breathe but at the same time feeling so alive. His fingertips danced on her hot skin, grazing it with flame. While burning, she was still clinging onto him like he was her lifeboat.

Harry held Y/N's waist and kept rocking into her. The sound of her name got out in short breaths mixing with heavy moans and words so dirty that made her cheeks flush and her eyes roll in ecstatic pleasure. But in between all that lust and filth, he also said that he missed her.

Y/N tried not to pay attention to those words as she tossed her head back, gasping for air, feeling her orgasm come so close that her body started trembling against his. Soon her sight went white and her toes curled as she cursed out his name, feeling his release not so long after she'd finished. Harry's thrust became sloppy and slow. Not until he stopped did Y/N finally fall back to reality.

He kissed the corner of her lips tenderly once they had regained back their normal breathing pace. Finally, he opened his eyes into hers. The gentleness of that bright green color left a lump in her throat as he set her wobbly feet back on the ground. Y/N leaned back against the door for support, not breaking eye-contact with the man. From the way he was looking at her, she knew he didn't want this moment to end either.

"I missed you so fucking much."

There came those words again. He sounded so out of breath when he spoke and the raspiness of his voice sent shivers down her spine. She had tried to ignore them earlier, but now she must find out what they meant or she'd be forever second-guessing. What Y/N needed wasn't a dictionary. What she needed was to know if his heart beat the same way for her as hers did for him.

This time, she'd find enough courage to ask, "you mean...having sex with me?"

Harry shook his head fast without thinking twice. "I mean you," he admitted. "All of you."

Those green eyes flickered with intense emotions, so she knew he was telling the truth. And now she couldn't stop smiling. Taking a deep breath, she told him she missed him too. They kissed for a moment before heading to the bathroom to wash off since both were drenched in sweat.

They had showered together many times before, but only for the sake of getting cleaned, not to be intimate. This time, it was different. The warm water poured down on them both as Y/N's mind faded into doziness and the fogged up glass created a barrier between them and the outside world. Right there in the confined space of her small shower, they stood face to face, focusing on one another and nothing more. Harry started washing her body with special care and let her do the same to him as they kissed slowly, allowing the sensation of the steamy water to put their minds at ease.

"I never slept with Isaac," she blurted in a moment of realization. "I just...I just wanted to make you mad."

"You really succeeded." He nodded, pressing his lips into a weary smile as he cupped her chin and left a peck on her moist lips. "But I guess it was only fair...I mean...I couldn't even finish the date with Madeline let alone sleep with her."

"Why did you go out with her then?" The frown on her face almost made his heart ache.

"I...I said no at first..." His tone was full of guilt. "But I saw Isaac carry you home and...I got upset."

"So you did that to get back at me?" She huffed as he gave her a pout. "H, I couldn't walk that day. I sprained my ankle."

"I know, love...I figured it out when Isaac said it." Then he dropped his head to look at her foot, asking if it was still painful, but she only laughed and tugged on his arm to get his eyes back on hers.

"It's all better now. You couldn't even catch up with me when we were running up the stairs, remember?"

The thought had Harry titter as he rolled his eyes. "God, if I were there that day I would've kissed it all better." Then he brought her face up to capture her lips with his own again, mumbling into the kiss, "stupid, stupid me."

That open-mouthed kiss could've turned into something else when he pinned her against the shower wall, yet the moment was soon interrupted by the constant alerts from her phone on the sink. She ignored those messages as he started sucking on her neck, but then came a call, the ringtone of which torn right through the peacefulness in the steamy shower.

"Fuck...It's my dad," she mumbled, gasping into his mouth when he lowered his hand to where she needed him most.

"You set a different ringtone for your dad?" Harry chuckled lowly, at the same time enjoying the way she struggled to keep her eyes open and her breathing steady when he was moving his digits so good inside of her.

"Hmm." She hummed, chewing on her bottom lip. The little fraction of self-control he'd got left soon crumbled when he saw her face contort with pleasure.

"Call him later." He breathed into her chest, his free hand gripping her side. "Let me have you again."

Y/N could barely speak, she only managed to nod rapidly, tossing her head back when his fingers curled inside of her. He would probably leave marks on her collarbone but the girl was now too high to even care. She hoped her dad would just leave her alone soon like he always did every time she ignored his calls, but the annoying ringtone had been blasting for a moment now and it was hard to pay attention to anything else other than that.

Harry pulled his two fingers out, causing the girl to nearly collapse in reaction to the loss between her legs as she gripped onto his arms for support. With hooded eyes, she watched him put those fingers in his mouth to suck them clean, eyes rolling back in frustration as he smacked her bum and told her to go answer the phone.

"Another reason to hate him now," Y/N mumbled, making Harry laugh as he watched her step out of the shower.

However, that smile on the girl's face soon disappeared when she read the texts from her father, which caused her to put on her bathrobe quickly and leave the room to call him back right away. Watching the door fall shut behind her, Harry knew something wrong had happened again.

.

.

.

It was one in the morning, but Y/N couldn't sleep.

The sixteen-year-old rolled out of her warm bed to go downstairs, trying to navigate her way in the dark because the light would wake up her parents. She told herself to go get a glass of water and return to bed right after. If she didn't get enough sleep, she would miss the first period again, and this time her mum would be called to the principal office.

But as soon as she walked past the kitchen table and spotted the pile of mails sent to her house that day, she instantly remembered that she hadn't looked through them yet. It had become almost a daily routine, how could she forget?

Y/N checked every single letter, reading every "from" and their address, hoping to see one that she could recognize. But another day, another disappointment. There was none that said Harry Styles.

She was just about to put those envelops back and return to her room when the light came on without warning, causing the teenager to freeze and shoot her head to the kitchen doorway. Tam stood there in her PJ, a sleepy smile spread across her chapped lips as she saw how startled her daughter seemed.

"Having trouble sleeping?" She sat down at the table, patting on the chair right beside her. Y/N came to join her mother, for a second forgetting the messy pile of mails she'd just looked through. But Tam had noticed that since the moment she stepped in.

"Any good news?" Her next question only made Y/N frown grow bigger. Letting out a breath, she told her daughter, "well, maybe tomorrow."

Y/N knew her mother only wanted to cheer her up, because even though she checked the mailbox every single day, deep down inside she was hopeless. The first few weeks after Harry had left, she assumed his letters had got lost on the way. But after two years, she kind of knew he had never once written anything to her. She was just trying to fool herself into believing that he still remembered her, when in fact he probably didn't.

"Mum, how do you forget someone?" The girl blurted out. Normally she wouldn't talk to anyone besides Celine about him, but this time of the day was perfect for confessions. Besides, her mother already knew how she felt about the boy next door, there was no point in trying to keep her feelings hidden anymore.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Tam asked, holding her daughter's chin.

Y/N could only sigh as she turned to look at her fidgeting hands in her lap. "He does it so easily, but no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to let him go."

There was a moment of silence. Tam tried to come up with an answer that wouldn't crush her teenage daughter's heart. She knew first loves weren't always the lasts, still, they were just as hard to move on. Cupping Y/N's face with both hands, she leaned down so their eyes stayed fixed on each other.

"You know, when I was little, I used to hate my big nose so much because I got teased about it a lot," Tam spoke softly, ignoring the look of confusion on the young girl's face as she went on, "one day your grandma found me crying in my room and she asked me why, so I told her about my insecurity, saying I couldn't see beauty in me even after spending hours in front of a mirror and telling myself that I was beautiful. You know what she said?"

Y/N shook her head, eyebrows knitted together.

"She said, 'when people really want something, they'll find a way to make it happen; but when they don't really want it, they'll find an excuse. So if you really want to see beauty in yourself, you can and you will'."

Y/N could see the point she wanted to make now. Maybe it was something she'd taken after her mother, who was a painter, an artist. She would always look for underlying meanings of the spoken or written words because that was where you'd find the most honest feelings.

"If you really want to forget someone, you can and you will. The only reason you feel like it's impossible is that a part of you still want to hold on to this person. Until you can convince this part to let go, you won't be able to let that person go for good," Tam said, stroking Y/N’s hair gently.

Without asking further questions, the girl sighed and pulled her mother into a hug, mumbling a quiet "thank you”.

When they broke apart, Tam was startled to see the time on the clock so she pulled Y/N up and urged the girl to get back to bed immediately, knowing all too well how often she skipped classes every time she overslept. Kissing her mother goodnight, Y/N stalked back to the door, but then Tam called her name, making her spin around.

"Maybe you should write to him.”

Y/N parted her lips to respond, yet she thought again and only gave her mother a smile. Just like that, she hurried her way back upstairs.

.

.

.

"Bambi."

Y/N snapped her head to the kitchen entrance and found a half-asleep Harry standing there in only his boxers and t-shirt.

"What are you doing out of bed?" His voice was rough and low, causing her skin to tingle as she pressed her lips into a sly smile. She was clutching the chain around her neck, just a second ago she could still see her mother but she guessed this was the reality now — a dark cold kitchen instead of the homely and warm one in her memory. But at least he was there to fill the void.

Harry grabbed a chair right to sit down by Y/N's side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. That was when he noticed the empty cup of tea right in front of her on the table. With eyebrows puckered up, he said, "I already made you a cup before bed."

"I couldn't sleep still, so I needed another one," she mumbled.

"Is it because of your dad?" Harry finally questioned. He'd been wanting to ask about the call ever since he got out of the shower and found her sitting on the bed with her face in her palms. He didn't say anything before, for he knew she wouldn't like him to interfere with her family problems. But now he worried about her too much to act indifferent about it.

Y/N let out a sigh, staring at the teacup instead of him. "Those two changed the wedding date. They're getting married at the end of this month."

"That fast?"

"Apparently the people in town have been shit-talking about them living together so they want to be married as soon as possible." She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "But as long as I'm alive, I doubt the shit-talking would ever stop."

The way she tried to add some humor into her sadness made Harry chuckle as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. Finally, she turned to face him.

In the darkness of the room, except for white patches on the floor and the wall created by the moonlight through the window on their left, all furniture was monochrome. Somehow the green in his eyes was still as vibrant as it was in the daylight. He was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, and every time she looked at him he would appear more gorgeous. She just had to touch his face and bring it closer to brush her lips against his, feeling his kiss but not wanting to have a taste of it now.

Before he woke, she'd been thinking about her mother's words, and she believed there would always be a part of her that wanted to keep him around. So if they were to use each other's body and at the same time saw other people, she knew she couldn't bear it. She didn't want him to touch another the same way he'd done to her. That was why she needed to know if he also felt the same way. She needed to know so she knew when to really give up. All this false hope would keep her holding onto him just like her sixteen-year-old self had by checking the mailbox every single day.

"Have you been sleeping with any other girls?" She asked. The agony in her voice was obvious as she waited impatiently for an answer.

"No." He shook his head. "I thought about it...I thought that I should try but I couldn't."

There was a sense of bittersweet in his answer that got her chuckle sadly as she nodded.

"Same," she muttered against his lips, feeling his breathing pace quicken as his eyes almost fell shut, but he kept his gaze fixed on her. That look had her entire body go limb. She held onto his face for support and he did the same, grasping her waist.

"H..."

"Yeah?"

"Can we..." She swallowed hard. "Can we just be with each other...and no one else?" Y/N thought she probably sounded pathetic because she'd never begged for something in her life, but there she was, begging for him. "I don't want you to be with another girl. I know it's selfish but...I don't want that."

For a second, she was afraid he might pull away and say no because he couldn't stay committed to someone he was only fucking. But instead, he kissed her hard, repeatedly whispering yes into her mouth as his fingers tangled in her messy hair.

"Just you, yeah?" He sighed into the kiss, holding her tight. "Don't want you with anyone else either." Her giggles that followed were music to his ears. And for the first time since their first night together, both Y/N and Harry actually felt secured in their fragile relationship.

.

.

.

The next morning, Harry must go before Y/N woke up to be at work on time. He hated to get dressed while she was still lying in bed with only his t-shirt on, like a sleeping angel, making his heart throb and pants tightened every single time.

In the new light of day, her face appeared like a work of art in a museum, so nostalgia, so beautiful. Carefully, he bent down to kiss her forehead, whispering into her ear that he would miss her a lot and would return to her at the end of the day. After writing her a note, he grabbed his jacket and car key to head out.

As Harry left the building, the mist was beginning to clear as the sun filtered through the clouds, warming his skin at last. It was the first sunny morning in London in thirteen days. Harry took in a deep breath of fresh air as he happily crossed the street, thinking maybe the emotions inside of him had always been the best weather forecast. The random thought kept a gigantic grin on the man's face as he opened his car door.

There on the passenger seat lied the pack of cigarettes he'd kept since forever. Despite repeatedly telling himself that he would be better off without it, he still constantly made up excuses to go back to it when things got rough.

After a moment of thinking, Harry decided to pick up the pack, finally tossing it into the bin right nearby before getting into his car.

It was time to really try again.

[dreamgirl4certain]

The Elevator Bae

Chapter THREE

ONE TWO

Erik x Black OC (Phoenix)

Word Count: 2k || Song Suggestions: Rihanna + Kanye West x FourFiveSeconds, Khalid x Talk

A/N: Sorry, I did not proofread this yet. I will go through it later. Again, thanks so much for those who read this. Y'all make me such a happy lil nigga. I love you lots.

A small, tired voice wakes Erik from his sleep. His eyes shoot open and he finds Sydney balled up under his arm as their both sit on her couch.

“Your alarm is going off. Get it!” She says with her eyes closed.

He reaches for his phone sitting on her coffee table. 4:32AM flashes on his screen. He wipes his hands over his face before standing and walking to the  door. 

“Where are you going?” Erik turns to Sydney now sitting up with a confused face.

 “I gotta go.”

“So you’re just gonna leave? ”

“You were a good time, Syd. I’ll catch up with you later.”

She rolls her eyes, watching him leave out the door. He gets on the empty elevator to go up into his penthouse. He does his usual morning routine— teeth, face, shower and puts on a fresh pair of clothes. Black cargo pants, a dark grey thermal shirt and black boots. He grabs a pre packed duffle bag from his front closet and leaves out. When he gets down into the parking garage, the first thing he notices is Phoenix’s car parked right in front of the elevator doors. He stands there remember how pissed she looked the day before as he drove up to speak to her. Was she having a bad day? Did she see him with Sydney? Erik would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t think he had a thing for her. Sure, she wasn’t the extra type that he’d usually go for, but it was something about her. He shook the thoughts from his head and walked to the back of the parking garage to a blacked out Chevy Tahoe and leaving.

-----

Phoenix staycation was calm and relaxing just as she planned it to be. She was recharged and ready for the busy schedule for the next couple of weeks. She was in her meeting with her manager, Alyssa when Ava texted her.

Ava: Hey, let me know when your meetings done. Let’s get food.

Phoenix texted back a quick ‘Okay’ as she continued to listen to the executive from Atlantic records. The woman went on and on about the deal they were offering her but ultimately, Phoenix decided against it. She was worth more than what they were offering her. She made a promise to herself that she’d never let anyone walk over her in this business. It was rare that a female DJ/Producer was making these kind of waves in the industry. Her work was slowly, but surely becoming the talk amongst big names. She knew that women were always given the short end of the stick but she wouldn’t fall for any of the bullshit. She made it this far on her own and she was sure she could keep up the good work until someone offered her a deal she couldn’t refuse.

“Proud of you. Most people I’ve worked with would’ve taken it just to say they were signed to Atlantic.” Alyssa says.

“I mean… that wasn’t easy.”

“And it won’t get easy. Now is when shit gets real and the work gets a little harder. But the thing about you, you’re tough,”

Phoenix smiles at that. Her mom tells her that all of the time. “Which is why you’re my favorite. You’re not afraid to work hard.”

“I’m glad someone notices.” Phoenix leans over the large table.

“I’m not the only one that notices. Clearly people are watching. I mean… since you’re booked and busy these days.” Alyssa pulls her iPad from her bag, unlocking it like she’s in a rush to find something. “Speaking of busy, the opening of X got moved up to Sunday.”

Phoenix sits up in her chair, looking concerned. “That’s in two days. I don’t have my set playlist done yet.”

“Didn’t I just tell you shit won’t get easier?”

Phoenix rolls her eyes. “I’ll work on it tonight.”

Alyssa stands, “Good! Well, I have a date with my man.”

Phoenix follows her out. They hug and say their good-byes and Phoenix text Ava.

Phoenix: Hey Av, I’m done. Meet me at my place. I’ll order us something.

Ava: K.

Getting in her car, Phoenix puts her music on shuffle. Rihanna x Kanye West - FourFive Seconds comes on and she turns the volume all the way up. Driving into the street, she sings along.

I think I've had enough // I might get a little drunk

I say what's on my mind // I might do a little time

'Cause all of my kindness // Is taken for weakness

Her phone goes off with a message. Alyssa sends her the official flyer of the club opening with her picture on it to post on her IG later. Some excitement fills Phoenix’s chest and she sings louder.

Now I'm FourFiveSeconds from wildin' // And we got three more days 'til Friday

I'm just tryna make it back home by Monday mornin' // I swear I wish somebody would tell me

------

Phoenix is 2 minutes away from her apartment waiting at a red light when her phone goes off with a text.

Ava: I’m here. Your spot is open next to me.

Phoenix: Almost there.

She turns her volume down as Khalid - Talk now plays. She finally makes it to her parking garage, parking next to Ava’s car. She’s still inside waiting for Phoenix. They both get out and Phoenix rushes to hug her friend. It’s been weeks since she’d last seen her.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too. I thought I was gonna have to book your ass to hang out with you.”

Phoenix waves her hand, dismissing Ava’s joke. “Girl, bye.”

As they wait for the elevator, they discuss what food they want to order. Settling on some Chipotle, Phoenix goes to the DoorDash app to begin their orders.

DING.

When the elevator doors open, they are met with Sydney and one of her friends.

“Hey.” She says waving to Phoenix and Ava.

Hey, girl.” Ava says. Phoenix just waves and smiles.

They step out of the way for Sydney and her friend to walk out and they proceed to walk in. Phoenix hits the button for floor 7. A hand stops the doors and Sydney stands between them.

“Hey, Phoenix. This is random I know but umm,” she scrunches her face in thought, “have you seen Erik around?”

Phoenix is taken back by the random question. “I...haven’t. No.”

Sydney looks as if she wants to say something else.

“Is something wrong?” Phoenix had to ask.

“Well, we hung out a few days ago. He just kinda left and I haven’t heard from him or seen him.”

Thinking back to how she didn’t see him on her elevator rides for awhile after their late night encounter, “I’m sure he’ll pop up.”

“Yeah… thanks.” Sydney walks away, letting the doors close. The moment the doors close and the cabin begins going up, Ava finally breaks her smile.

“So… is Erik is the lucky elevator boo?”

Phoenix was confused. How did she know about this? She only told Coby and Sza. Ava and Coby only met once and they weren’t friends and she know damn well Ava and Sza aren’t kekeing over tea and Oreos.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Your little crush that you’re writing songs with Sza about?”

“What the fuck? How do you even know that?”

The elevators doors start to open. As they step out onto Phoenix’s floor, she stops in the hallway. She needs to know right now how Ava knows this.

“A little birdie told me,” Ava walks around Phoenix, going to her apartment door. “C’mon. Open this damn door.”

“NO! Not until you tell me who told you that.” Phoenix folds her arms and shifts her weight onto her hip. Ava knows that Phoenix really won’t open the door unless she offers up some information.

She releases are long sigh. “Coby.”

“COBY! Why are you talking to Coby?”

Ava throws her head back, trying to hide her smile. “Well,” she starts before looking at Phoenix, “We’ve been hanging out.” She makes quotes with her fingers.

Phoenix’s mouth drops in complete shock.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“Hell no. He didn’t tell me shit!”

“I guess we have a lot to catch up on.”

Phoenix unlocks the door, “We absolutely do.”

When they get inside, they sit on the couch. Phoenix finishes their food order. It’s a 30minute wait. Perfect time to ‘catch up’ and figure out just how much more Ava has been keeping from her.

“30 minutes for the food.”

“Okay. So, tell me about this Erik character.”

“Are you and Coby fucking?”

Ava looks at Phoenix with the straightest face.

“Can we focus on the original conversation first?”

“Are you and Coby fucking?”

“Oh my God. No girl. Not yet, at least. I would like to because that man is fine.”

Phoenix scrunches her up in disgust. Ava sucks her teeth. “Girl, I get you see that nigga as a brother but can’t deny that he’s fine as hell.”

Shrugging her shoulders, “He’s decent.”

“Anyways… tell me about Erik.”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

Ava takes note of the changes in Phoenix’s tone. How she was just excited to hear about her love life to now being so flat and dry.

“There’s a nigga that you clearly like and making songs about but he’s fucking big booty Sydney. There’s definitely something to talk about.”

“Well that’s all there is to it then.”

Ava didn’t want Phoenix to go into shut down mode. She didn’t push her. She decided to let the conversation of Erik go… for now. To get her best friend back into high spirits, she knew talking about music would help.

“Okay, well, are you ready for the opening?”

“Not at all. Alyssa just told me today that it’s now on Sunday instead of next week.”

“You got this. Let me see your playlist.”

Phoenix goes to get her laptop from her room. They discuss what she has planned for the club. Their food comes and Ava joins Phoenix on the floor as they eat and she helps her finish her playlist. As the hours go by, they dance to the songs and catch up on all of the things that’s happened over the last few they haven’t hung out.

“Oh shit! I forgot to post the flyer.” Phoenix jumps up for her phone. She posts the pic Alyssa sent to her earlier.

Ava repost it instantly. “Damn girl, you look good as fuck on this flyer.”

“Thanks boo. I need to take some new pictures. My Instagram lame as fuck right now.”

“Let’s take some right now.”

“Girl, it’s like 9 o’clock--” Before Phoenix could finish her sentence, Ava was already walking away to her room. She follows her into her closet. Ava goes through her clothes, pulling out some outfits. She knows Phoenix and her style so pairs some jeans with a Vintage style Aaliyah Tee with clear, strappy heels and an oversized t-shirt for a dress with her Black Doc Martin boots.

“Get dressed and fluff your curls. We got the hallway, your balcony-- Oh, you know what, let’s do leggings instead of jeans so we can see your butt.”

“Ava, no.”

“C’mon girl, stop playing with me. Put this on and sit your thick ass on that kitchen counter. I got you.”

Phoenix laughs but does what her friend says. Ava does a whole photo shoot for Phoenix in her kitchen. They even took some on the balcony, catching some city lights in the background. Phoenix picks a few of her favorites as she goes through them. There were A LOT of to choose from.

“Don’t post any tonight. Wait until tomorrow afternoon.”

Phoenix just gives Ava a look. “Don’t look at me like that. I know Instagram. You’re gonna need as many people seeing it to push your face as the DJ opening up Club X, believe me.”

Phoenix just nods and tells her friend thank you. She didn’t understand the thing with Instagram. Managing her social media wasn’t important to her. She preferred to post her music and go. But she also knew that Ava knew what she’s talking about so she trusted her friends words. They said their goodnights and Ava was off on her way home.

“Text me when you get in.”

-------

Sunday had finally arrived. Phoenix was ready. Her set was amazing, full of all of the Summer’s hits, mixed with some throwbacks. She knew just what a crowd wanted to hear. She spent the early part of the day going through sound checks with the hosts, signing contracts and networking with some of the promoters. The vibe was just her type.

As night fell over the city, she began her preset. Just a mini playlist she created to play as she gets ready herself. This was a big event and Phoenix never disappointed. She had a soft makeup look with wing eyeliner (her go to look), her curls sat in a messy, top knot bun and her nails were painted a glow in the dark neon blue. She wore black, combat pants with a silver sparkle tube top and some black Prada combat heels. She finished her look with silver accessories--rings, layered necklaces and crystal hoop earrings and of course her signature blue Beats headphones.

She steps outside with some of the promoters to take pics. The club is getting packed by the minute with artists, athletes, etc. She makes her way back inside to begin her set. Instantly, when she spins her first song, the crowd screams the lyrics and begins dancing. This night was one to remember. People were loving her. The host brought a few people up to the DJ Booth because they wanted to meet her. It got to the point where the host just shouted her out on the mic so everyone would hear.

“Yo, let’s make some noise for our lit ass DJ, DJ Phoenix Blue.”

The love made Phoenix full of joy. She was so in the zone, she didn’t even notice Ava come in with their other friends, Camren and Mica. They never missed a show or appearance. They turned up with Phoenix until the party was over.

-----

It was almost 4am when Phoenix was finally on her way home. The high of the night still moving through her body. She turns into the parking garage, noticing a black truck turn in behind her. As she parked, she looked out to watch the truck. The driver parked all the way in the back so she could only see a small bit of the headlights. Not sure what was going on, she waited for awhile before getting out. She looked around to see if she could see anyone walking through the cars. She heard a door slam… and then another one. Soon after a figure walks around the cars, going to the elevators. It was Erik. He was carrying a large duffle bag. She thought about just sitting in the car until he got on the elevator until he looked back right at her car. He stood there like he was waiting for her. She realized, he never actually pressed the call button for the elevator. He continued to stand there. She might as well get out. She grabbed her bag with her laptop and got out. Her feet were hurting. With him waiting, she felt a sense of safety so she took this opportunity to get a pair of sandals from her trunk. Erik seemed to be patient as he waited. She finally made her way toward him. He gave a weak smile and she gave one in return. He hits the call button.

He looks her up and down. She pretends not to notice.

“You look sparkly tonight.” he says.

“And you look,” she looks over him, “...tired.”

“Shit, I am.” he drags his hand over his face.

“Sydney was looking for you a few days ago,” He rolls his eyes, uninterested. “She asked if I had seen you because she just her place and disappeared.”

He didn’t offer a response. “Are you two--”

“Nah.” his words coming out louder than he intended. Phoenix didn’t mean to piss him off. The elevator doors opened and she stepped inside, he followed. She stood in the back corner. He scanned his keycard and hit the button to her floor for her. She looked down, playing with her keys. Did he scare her?

“Hey,” she looked up at him. “I ain’t mean to come off like that.”

“You’re good.” she says, looking back down. He watches her.

“Sydney cool, but I’m not feeling her like that.”

“Why?”

“I have my eye on someone else.”

Someone else? Who? What the fuck? Her thoughts went from 0-100. Sydney’s not who he wants so could he be talking about her? She wanted so bad to ask him who but didn’t want to be in this man’s business. “Well I think she likes you, so you should tell her that. Communication is key.”

“Yeah, I will.”

The cabin comes to a stop at Phoenix’s floor. The doors open and she walks out. She looks back at him, “Goodnight, Erik. Get some rest.”

“You too, baby girl. Goodnight.”

Her eyes got big at the pet name. He noticed her reaction and winked at her as the doors were closing between them. She rushed into her apartment, dropping her bag and shoes into the floor. She takes out her phone to text Ava.

Phoenix: BITCH! Come over tomorrow. I need advice. It’s about Erik.

Ava: Oh now your dusty ass wants to tell me about Erik at 5 o’clock in the morning. I’ll be there. Make me some pancakes.

Tags: @purple-apricots @abeautifulmindexposed @lostennyc @missshae @tip222u @janelledarling @lushloaded @chaneajoyyy **If anyone would like to be tagged in the next one, let me know.

[just-existing1]

14 Days of College AUs!

Pairing: Friend! Jaehyung x Reader

Warnings: None really, aside from that I didn’t or proofread this because I was tired, so yeah, enjoy!

Summary: After a small incident your roommate is mad at you and decides to sacrifice you to the Pollen Gods. Who can you turn to? The only other person who hates pollen just as much as you.

You roll around in your bed and sigh softly as you feel your nose running, a groan emanates from deep within your chest as you sit up trying to breathe. How could your nose be running when it was clogged? How was it possible for you to have so much trouble trying to force air out of your nose but yet snot could slide through with no problem? The real question wasn’t either of the aforementioned ones, but really it was what had sparked your allergies in the first place. You had been inside all weekend, trying to very hard to make sure you didn’t breathe in even one pollen particle so how had this happened in a span of one hour while you were sleeping?

Slowly your eyes scan the expanse of your dorm room before settling on the open window at the opposite end of the room. You feel anger rising inside of you, why would your roommate open the window when they know you have such terrible allergies? The soft music your roommate is playing only makes your anger begin to bubble higher. Throwing your blanket to the side, you make your way to the window, slamming it shut, before spinning around on your heel to face your roommate.

“What are you doing?” They ask, turning away from their plethora of flashcards, highlighters, and sticky notes. You can hear how annoyed you’ve made them. You take a deep breath trying to relieve some anger before crossing your arms across your chest.

“You know I have bad allergies, why would you open the window on today of all days? The day where we’re having the most pollen?” You question, reaching over to grab some tissues to wipe away the streams of snot that were trying to make their way down your face.

“Be cause it’s hot and I don’t want to turn on the AC. There’s perfect weather outside, so why turn on the AC?” They snap, standing up angrily and walk over to the window, placing their hand on the handle.

“You can study literally anywhere else. I don’t like having to say that because it’s your room too but I can’t even walk outside for twenty minutes without feeling like my head it going to spontaneously burst open.”

“I shouldn’t have to go anywhere else to study, like you said it’s my room too.”

“Then you could at least be considerate of your roommate who is literally having trouble breathing and just turn on the AC instead of letting all the pollen into the room.”

“You could be considerate and just take medicine so that I can open the window.”

“You’re really impossible, you know that? I can’t go get any medicine! Do you want to go get me some? You know I haven’t been able to go out all weekend because of my allergies and you think that I’m just going to be able to go out today? How does that make any sense to you?”

“That’s not my fault or my problem,” Your roommate argues back and you huff as they open the window once more. While standing there wondering how you could possibly avoid dying at the hands of your sadistic roommate, a thought pops into your head. You fumble through your sheets for your phone and then open your messages, selecting the thread at the very top.

You grab the closest jacket to you along with a scarf and wrap it around your face tightly so the least amount of pollen possible will reach your nose. Going around your room, you pull snacks out of various places where you’ve hidden them from your roommate and find some ramen adding all of your treasures to a bag and then grab your phone charger. You take a deep breath, holding it as you open the door and begin your sprint up the stairs. After two flights of stairs and running down a corridor, you reach your friend’s door. Twisting the handle, you slip inside quickly shutting the door behind you and release your breath. Panting, you sit the bag of food on the floor and look around the room trying to find your friend.

“Is it closed?” A voice comes from seemingly nowhere and you spin in a circle trying to find him.

“Uh, yeah, it’s closed,” You say and remove your scarf and jacket. To your surprise the wardrobe door opens and your friend, Jae, steps out. Your eyes widen and he turns to you with a smile.

“Jae… why were you in the closet?”

“To hide from the pollen, Y/N. I don’t just hang out in my closet for no reason. I’m not a weirdo.”

“The fact that you were in the closet in the first place makes you a weirdo, Chicken Little.”

“I can kick you out into the pollen and let you suffer, you know?” Jae says, stretching his arms above his head and you swear you can hear every joint in his body pop.

“You haven’t been… in the closet all week end right? Like, it was just while I opened the door?” You question, taking off your shoes and wander over to his bed, tucking yourself under his cover.

“No, I wasn’t hanging out in the closet all week end. If I was, I wouldn’t be able to move at all.”

You smile and point to the bag of food on the floor.

“Wanna play video games and eat the snacks I brought? I figure that way at least we’re not bored while we wait for an inevitable pollen induced death,” You joke as he bends to pick the bag up off the floor and takes out two bowls of ramen before tossing the snacks at you.

“Might as well enjoy our last moment together, eating ramen and potato chips while we murder aliens or something,” He says and starts getting the ramen ready while you get up and turn on the console, grabbing the controls and then hide yourself amongst his blankets again. Scrolling through the games he has on his console, you finally settle on Borderlands and sit up straight as he walks toward you, a bowl of ramen in each hand.

“Why is it that you look more comfortable in my bed than I do?” He asks as he hands you a bowl, “If you spill that in my bed, I will make your death come faster than you expected.”

You chuckle, feigning fear and move to sit on the floor, before starting to enjoy your ramen, talking to him nonchalantly about the classes he was taking this semester. While learning just how much Jae seemed to hate every class he had signed up for you stood up, walking over to the kitchen area. After devouring every noodle, you toss the disposable bowl in the trash and finally started the game.

Hours of enjoying snacks and changing between games, because Jae got bored of playing the same thing over and over again, you finally gave up and told him to play whatever he wanted and laid on his bed scrolling through your social medias, when a post caught your attention.

“I thought your roommate was home for the weekend?” You ask, not really thinking much about your question.

“He is.”

“Then why did he post that he’s really loving the weather on campus right now?”

“Because it’s the end of the weekend, Y/N. He should be home anytime.”

You sit up quickly and look at him. Wrapping the blankets around your face, you groaned, only letting your eyes peak over the top of the cover.

“He’s going to open the door Jae, we’re gonna die. The pollen will sense us and then we’ll be dead.”

Jae turned to face you, you could see his eyes widen as they flitted back and forth between you and the door. Both of your faces showed horror when you could hear his roommate unlocking the door, you couldn’t help but start laughing when Jae ran to the wardrobe and flung himself inside just in time for the door to open. His roommate stepped inside and stared at you for a moment before closing the door quickly.

“You good?” He joked as he walked toward his bed, you nodded and released the blanket slowly.

“Yeah, just… pollen, you know?” You say and lean against the wall.

“Oh yeah, you and Jae both have crazy bad allergies… where is Jae exac-” His roommate cuts off his sentence when Jae tumbles very unceremoniously from the closet, “What the fuck did I just witness?”

“Hiding from pollen,” Jae says picking himself up from the floor and looks between the two of you smiling, “Welcome back, Brian.”

“Why do you insist on calling me Brian?”

“I don’t know. It just rolls off the tongue, Bri Bri.”

You chuckle at the banter between and sigh softly as you pick up a bag of potato chips, watching the funny exchange between the roommates in front of you. If anything, aside from offering you a safe haven from the pollen, Jae also always somehow managed to bring a smile to your face and if Brian was including, you knew you would be dying of laughter sooner or later. You could tell that your ribs would be aching by the time the night was over just by seeing how Brian already had Jae in a headlock as Jae explained that he may have potentially eaten one of Brian’s snacks.

[horansqueen]

AM Conversations : chapter 15

A Niall Horan fanfiction ; rated MA

CHAPTER 1 || CHAPTER 2 || CHAPTER 3 || CHAPTER 4 || CHAPTER 5 || CHAPTER 6 || CHAPTER 7 || CHAPTER 8 || CHAPTER 9 || CHAPTER 10 || CHAPTER 11 || CHAPTER 12 || CHAPTER 13 || CHAPTER 14

NOTES:

-one chapter is her pov, the next is his. -4.2k. -im sorry, i never proofread, i hate it. -there WILL be smut. but not only smut. -this is a romance, comedy, smut story. -for the summary, check my MASTERLIST.

- IF YOU WANT TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN THIS IS UPDATED, I THOUGHT I COULD START A TAG LIST SO LET ME KNOW. IF YOU’D RATHER BE NOTICED IN PRIVATE, MESSAGE ME TOO PLEASE!

- THERE IS SMUT IN THIS CHAPTER. not a lot. and not super explicit, but just a fair warning.

- this is mostly about Liv and Harry. I hope you still enjoy.

-is this story getting boring? i really really need to know!

- thank you so much for all the asks i get. you guys make me so happy. i cant even explain. thank you forever. i love you!!!

-tbh idk what i think of this chapter meh im not super proud i admit :X

-please, message me, give me feedbacks, it would mean sooo much to me!

Chapter 15 : Her chapter

OLIVIA

When I woke up, I kept my eyes closed and reached out to find Niall but groaned when I realized I was alone. I didn't remember him trying to wake me up by shaking me or threatening me to do something embarrassing and I ended up thinking I must really have been out of it.

i tried to remember the whole conversation I had with Niall the night before and I shook my head with a sigh, my eyes still closed. I was an idiot. He looked good, he was sweet, and I had been so close to kiss him. That would have been an extremely stupid move. Not only would it ruin our friendship, but just a few hours before that, I was kissing Harry. It was a miracle I had initiated a first kiss, it would have been insane to think I could initiate a second one on the exact same night.

I rolled on myself, ending up in the middle of the bed, on my back, and my eyes fluttered open. I stared at the ceiling for a few minutes and finally forced myself out of bed. I was impatient to see Niall but nervous to see Harry. What were we supposed to tell each other? What did that kiss mean anyway? What was the next step? Knowing Harry, these were all useless questions. He was laid-back and never really bothered with labels. I was the total opposite. Everything was so much better when it was clear and said. Still, I didn't want to rush anything and I had no intention to have that kind of serious conversation with him 12 hours after our first kiss.

I took a quick shower and dressed up before brushing my teeth and rushing downstairs. The house was extremely quiet and I frowned, looking through every open door to find someone. I ended up in the kitchen and my heart skipped a beat when I saw Harry making food.

"What are you doing?" I asked with a frown, my lips curled into a smile. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh shit, I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed," he let out as toasts popped out of the toaster. "I guess it's ruined."

I raised my eyebrows and chuckled, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Well, I apologize."

"No, no!" he argued, shaking his head. "Should have worked a bit faster."

I watched him run around for a few more seconds and he finally put a full plate on the table, placing a very similar one right in front. I took a step closer as he showed me the chair with his hand. We both sat down and I leaned my chin on my hand, my elbow on the table.

"Are you trying to impress me with your cooking skills?" I asked with a smirk.

"Maybe, is it working?" he answered, his lips curling more.

"Maybe."

We started eating and I noticed how we kept glancing at each other. The nervousness I had felt earlier was gone but the thumping of my heart against my rib cage was still present. Perhaps I liked Harry more than I thought.

"So, why are we alone?" I asked after a few minutes of silence, looking up at him.

He did the same and chuckled, leaning against his chair and taking a sip of coffee.

"I sort of asked Niall to take everyone to the beach?" he admitted, scratching the back of his head.

He looked embarrassed and I liked it. I nodded slowly and tried to restrain a chuckle. I didn't even want to know how Niall reacted. I was a bit lost at the way he was acting recently. Sometimes, I felt like he wanted Harry and I to finally be together but some other times, I could swear he still thought Harry would break my heart. Either way, he was respecting his promise to not come between whatever Harry and I had and I was grateful for that.

"And besides breakfast in bed, what else did you have in mind?" I asked curiously, staring at him. "Or maybe you thought we'd stay in bed?"

This time, he laughed and I joined him. He pushed his plate away and took the last sip of his coffee before diving his gaze in mine again.

"Are you trying to get in my pants?"

I didn't answer but laughed and rolled my eyes. The truth was, I wouldn't be against some action. It's been so long since I felt someone's hands on me it was driving me insane. When we had kissed the night before, I could have sworn it had made my whole body throb. It anticipated what could happen and I felt like I disappointed it by not going further. Is that even possible? To disappoint your own body and mind?

"When's the last time you had sex, Harry?" I asked daringly, raising my eyebrows.

My questions surprised it at first and his eyes got bigger but after a few seconds, his lips curled again and he laughed.

"You're really one of a kind." he pointed out, licking his lips. "I don't know, I'm pretty sure I met someone when the tour started?"

I thought he knew how straight forward I was by then but apparently, I could still startle him. Even Niall was surprised by my behavior sometimes, so I didn't think anything bad of it.

"Are you trying to tell me you didn't get into anyone's pants since the tour started?"

"I wanted to but every time I could have, I preferred to stay at the hotel or in the tour bus with a cute brunette who chokes on jello."

"I'm never gonna get out of this one, will I?"

He laughed again and shook his head, moving closer to the table and intertwining his fingers, his hands on the table.

"No, you won't." he pointed out. "You want to know why?"

Every time Harry talked, I was curious to find out what he was going to say next. He knew how to make me smile, he knew how to make me melt, and with an other glance at his hands, I was pretty sure he knew how to make me cum.

"Why?" I wondered, raising my eyebrows as I tried to stop thinking about specific parts of his body.

"Because that's when I realized how much I liked you." he explained, the right corner of his lips curling fondly. "I mean I knew I liked you, I knew I wanted to kiss you, but on that night?" He shrugged. "I don't know, I realized it was more than a stupid little crush. It was more than infatuation. It was stronger."

The traits of my face softened quickly at his words. I was not even sure I deserved this, I was not sure I deserved him, and I felt extremely selfish because I knew I was going to go for it even if my mind was telling me not to. I was going to spend time with Harry, get to know him even better, and maybe even go further.

"You know exactly what to say and when to say it." I just pointed out in a whisper. "Maybe we should go in bed right now."

This time, a loud laughter boomed out of him and the way he closed his eyes was endearing. I stared at the cute crinkles on the corners of his eyes and my gaze traveled down to his perfect lips and straight teeth. Why did a guy so fucking perfect had feelings for someone plain and boring like me? I knew physical appearance was not a criteria, or at least I knew it was less and less important the older you get, but someone like Harry could get anyone. I was pretty sure there were many girls out there who would be a thousand times prettier, smarter and funnier. There were a thousand girls out there who had an amazing personality along with a perfect body. Why was Harry losing his time on me?

"We should go to the lake instead, what do you think?"

I chuckled and nodded, grabbing my mug and taking a sip of my cold coffee to hide the redness of my cheeks.

"Why did you ask me about the last time I had sex?" he questioned after a while. "Are you scared I cheated on you?"

I rolled my eyes again but shook my head.

"No, silly. Even if you had, it clearly wouldn't be cheating." I explained with a shrug. "I just asked because I haven't had sex in so long I can't remember when it happened last."

"That's... impossible. And sad. I mean, how can you not remember?"

If I racked my brain, I thought it was probably with the last person I dated but I just grimaced and shrugged again. It was not worth trying to remember, I was sure about it.

"Maybe I just don't want to."

"I can definitely understand that." He chuckled and nodded. "Okay, go get prepared, I'll clean a bit and we can leave."

He got up and I did the same quickly, walking to him and putting my hands on his shoulders. He had our two plates in hands and I just got on my tiptoes again to kiss him. I didn't make the kiss grow but I closed my eyes, feeling the softness of his lips against mine.

"Unfair." he breathed when I moved back from a few inches. "You did that when both my hands were busy."

I laughed and moved back down on my feet, raising my nose a bit.

"You can use your hands later, Harry."

                                                         ---

I dropped my stuff on the dark sand, putting my phone on my towel and letting my eyes roam on the lake as soon as we got there. Harry stood next to me but quickly took his shirt off, sending me an amused smile. I tried to keep my eyes up into his but ended up glancing down at his chest, making him laugh.

"It's a bit unfair, you know?" he asked jokingly with an other chuckle. "You keep this shirt on but I'm dying to see you without it."

I felt both my cheeks turn a soft shade of red and cleared my throat looking away. I was so insecure about my body that even being in a swimsuit bothered me, and somehow, I was sure he could tell. We both knew I was nothing like the girls he usually hangs out with, even less the girls he dates, and i tried to push away the thought that crawled evilly in my head. What if this was all a big fat joke? Or worse, what if he pitied me enough to give me that kind of attention, at least for a while?

"Are you scared of what i'll think of you?" he asked with a small frown, looking concerned. "Because you really don't have to."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, taking a step closer to the lake until my toes were in the water. How could I explain this to him without sounding desperate for compliments?

"All the girls here look amazing, I mean, have you seen Maya?" I just asked rhetorically, raising my eyebrows but still avoiding his gaze. "All the girls you've been with are models, Harry. I'm not stupid and I read gossips."

We remained silent for a few minutes and i held my breath when I saw him move from the corner of my eyes. He stopped behind me and he was so close I could feel the warmth of his body on mine, making my heartbeats accelerate. Gently, he brought his hands to my shoulders and lets his fingertips brush on the skin of my arms. I felt goosebumps appear on my skin but tried to remain motionless. One of his hands moved back slowly, pushing  my hair over one of my shoulders and I felt his breath on my neck.

"You don't have to take it off if you don't want to." he whispered, his lips barely touching my neck. "But I promise I love all of you."

I knew the word was random but I felt my whole body stiffen when he said 'love'. We were far from reaching that stage but I just kept quiet and licked my lips, keeping my bottom one between my teeth. He trailed kisses on my neck and my eyes fluttered close as I tilted my head to give him better access. I hadn't been touched in so long, whether it was sexually or romantically, and I was craving his touch more than I wanted to admit.

"Tell me if you want me to stop." he breathed close to my ear again.

I nodded and felt his arms wrap loosely around me. I sucked my belly in when his hands slipped under my shirt and all I could think about was that he was used to flat stomachs and firm bodies. When was the last time I actually exercised? Months ago, probably?

"Please, relax." he let out in a murmur. "You're perfect."

I felt his hands move up again and reach my breasts, bringing an intense throbbing between my legs. It was sad but I could already feel myself get excited and I cursed at myself mentally for that while I shut my eyes tighter.

"Do you know how many times I thought about touching you?"

His voice was slightly huskier and my lips parted at the sound. I didn't know where to focus anymore and when he reached up for the straps of my bathing suit, I knew I was fucked.

"You're not gonna fuck me here, Harry, are you?"

He chuckled low and I felt him shake his head.

"No, I just want to touch you."

I felt his fingertips run on my breasts and stop on my nipples and he took a step closer. He was so close I could feel his half-hard cock rub slightly and gently against my ass and it made me swallow hard. I hadn't touched myself since... since Niall caught me. My eyes opened suddenly and I glanced at my phone, moving slightly in Harry's arms.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked as his hands stopped moving over me.

I tried not to think about my best friend and I finally turned around, feeling his hands slip out of my shirt. I pushed my hair behind my shoulders and took a step back, sending him a smile.

"I think we should swim a bit."

He sent me an amused smile and shook his head as I chuckled.

"You're rare, Olivia." he let out loud enough to be sure i'd hear. "You know that, right?"

I laughed again and shrugged, turning around and getting completely in the water, immersing my head for a few seconds as I tried to calm the beatings of my heart. I liked Harry, then why did I always end up thinking about Niall? After all, I stood no chance with him while Harry was ready to let me in and give me a chance. A chance I was not sure I deserved.

When I got my head out to get air, I noticed Harry very close to me. He smiled at me fondly and pulled me closer. I expected the kiss as his warm lips pressed on mine and slowly, I brought my arms around his neck and felt his hands on my back, over my shirt.

"You know that half my bathing suit is just... hanging down." I pointed out as I laughed against his mouth. "Fortunately, I have a shirt."

"Or unfortunately, depends who you ask." he replied as we both laughed. "You can always just take it off. Ever been skinny dipping?"

I moved my face away slightly and shook my head.

"No!" I let out a bit too loud. "You remember we kissed for the first time yesterday, right?"

He sent me a smirk and shrugged.

"Would you rather take your time?"

My smile faltered a bit and finally turned into a loving one. I licked my lips and brought them back on his, wrapping my arms tighter around his neck. I could feel his wet hair tickle my shoulders and neck and I loved it.

"No." I admitted in a whisper after a few more kisses. "In fact, I want all this to go quicker."

He laughed a bit against my mouth and his pulled me closer, hugging me against his body.

"That can be arranged."

He brought me out of the water, still kissing me deeply, and I noticed our height difference when my feet met the sand again. i felt his lips detach from mine slowly and I groaned low, making him laugh.

"Are you always impatient like that?" he wondered, placing a towel around me , making sure it covered all of me before rubbing his hands on my arms to warm me.

"No."

My answer made his lips curl more and he held out his hand for me. I stared at it a few seconds before slipping my fingers in it. When he squeezed my hand in his and pulled on my arm to incite me to follow him, I felt my heart skip a beat.

"I'm special, then?" he questioned, glancing at me, as we walked back to the lodge.

"Perhaps."

I felt like the walk back took an eternity but when he closed the sliding door behind us, I brought my shoulders closer to my face, keeping the towel around my body. The AC was on and I shivered a few times.

"I think I'll go take a hot shower." I just said, sending him a small smile.

I left the bathroom's door open and he waited for me, sitting on the bed, as I tried to warm myself under the hot stream of water. I held myself against the wall and allowed myself to think about Niall and wondered what he was doing.

I got out and looked at the clothes I brought with me intensely and for a while. I was torn between dressing up completely or partially and I could feel my heartbeats throb all over my body. I was nervous and scared but I wanted this and I knew I would regret it if I didn't do it. There was nothing worse than regretting not doing something. I decided to just wear my panties and a dry shirt and breathed in deeply before getting back in the room. Harry looked up and his lips curled immediately at my sight. I liked the feeling and I took a few steps closer, stopping right in front of him. He looked up at me and we stared at each other for a few seconds.

"You have no idea how bad I wanted to join you."

His words made me smile and slowly, I put one of my knees on the bed next to his thigh before doing the same with the other, straddling him. I brought my hands up to cup his face and kissed him deeply. I felt his fingers graze my naked thighs and whimpered low in his mouth.

"I wouldn't have minded." I confessed in a breath, letting one of my hands slip in his hair.

He tasted just as good as the day before and his lips were sweet, the taste of caramel still lingering on his tongue, and I ended up thinking that I would be fine with tasting this all my life. The thought scared me and excited me at the same time, making my heart jump so high in my chest that I felt it in my throat.

I gripped the back of his shirt and pulled it over his head with difficulty. I thought it would make him laugh but he looked up at me and his eyes roamed on my face. I felt slightly anxious but I didn't move as I watched his lips part slightly.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked softly, placing his warm palms on my thighs. "We can wait you know, as long as you want."

"I really don't want to wait." I said without hesitation, feeling my heart beat harder.

My heart swelled and I had to swallow the lump in my throat when his hands reached for the bottom of my shirt. I tried to concentrate on the skin of his chest and the form of his tattoos but all i could think about was his hands bringing my shirt up slowly and the way his impatient eyes ran on me. My shirt ended up on the floor and I held my breath again when his hands brushed slowly on my sides.

"Fuck."

He pushed my hair gently over my shoulders and let his hands travel down to my breasts again.

"Why didn't we do this before?" he whispered mostly to himself.

My lips curled a bit on the left, remembering that I had asked myself the same question when we had kissed the night before. After all, I had the right to be happy, didn't I? And trying to make things work with Harry was a step closer to my happiness, or at least, something that seemed pretty close to that. 

I bent down to kiss him again and he immediately parted my lips to kiss me deeper. He pulled me closer and turned us around as I chuckled again his lips and ended up under him, spreading my legs to give him more space. I could feel him getting harder as I moaned in his mouth and his lips ran down my neck, making me shut my eyes tight as he ground down on me, noticing just then that he had changed his wet bathing suit for a pair of dry shorts. There was nothing I wanted more at this exact moment than for him to take them off but I gripped the sheets on the bed with one hand while the other slipped in his hair again.

I felt both his hands slip down my waist as two fingers moved on the sides of my panties, pulling them down so slowly I thought it would never end. He moved up on his knees, his body still close to mine, and I pushed my panties away with my feet as he laughed against my mouth, probably at how impatient I was.

"We have all day, no rush." he pointed out, grabbing my upper lip between his and sucking gently on it while his hand slipped between my legs.

"Oh. Oh god."

I shut my eyes tight and arched my back despite myself as two of his fingers slipped on my slit before sliding inside me. My grip on his hair tightened and I bucked my hips in an attempt to feel his fingers deeper.

"It's been way too long." I repeated again.

My eyes shot open and I held my breath when his thumb rubbed on my clit a few times. I knew he could read how desperate I was just by looking in my eyes but he didn't smirk. He just looked at me as his fingers slipped in and out of me, slowly at first and quicker after a while, his thumb still brushing skillfully on my clit, not skipping a beat.

"Harry, if you don't stop i'm gonna..."

"Don't hold it."

I felt a rush to my brain as an orgasm hit me hard, shaking my body beneath him. I would feel embarrassed to reach my high so quickly if I wasn't busy enjoying the incredible feeling invading my whole body. I kept my eyes closed but felt my pupil flutter behind my eyelids as a comfortable warmth spread all over my body.

His lips reached mine again and i smiled, kissing him back. I thought he would want to keep going but he finally moved away and sent me a fond smile, brushing his nose a few times against mine, giving me an eskimo kiss.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, sitting up and passing his hand in his hair. "I could use a snack."

I looked at him with surprise as he bent down to grab something on the floor and hand it to me, holding it with two of his fingers. I smiled shyly when I noticed it was his shirt and took it. As I put it on, it reminded me that I still had some of his clothes that he let me borrow on the last day of tour and I would have to bring them back to him. This shirt, though, had no holes and it smelled like him. I fucking loved it and I felt myself blush at that thought.

"I thought you'd want to..." I didn't finish my sentence and just chuckled, shaking my head and pressing my lips together.

"I told you." he just said in a low tone, moving closer and pressing his lips firmly on mine. "We have all day."