#Please please please ask about any of my Harlow ocs please please please I want to talk about the bitches

[hoodharlow]

The Muffin Man

AN: one thing about me is that I'm gonna start another series on top of the ones I have started lmao 🤪🤪🤪 also, in this universe Devin Booker doesn't exist. He's going to be face claim for OC's older brother in this series <3

Requested? No

Warnings: bad flirting, mentions of cheating but it's all a big misunderstanding on Jack's end and brief mentions of solo smut

Word Count: 3.6k words

It was embarrassing at this point. At his grown age he shouldn't be having crushes, for fucks sake, he's Jack fucking Harlow. Yet here he was palms sweaty, nervous out of his mind to order his drink from the cute cafe owner in his apartment building. She moved into the building a few months ago and bought out the previous cafe owner. Personally, and this isn't because he has a thing for her, but Jack likes the drinks more from her than the previous owner. There was a more authentic vibe to them. 

Jack watched her take a tray over to a table where several older women were sitting with matching books. They all complimented her and thanked her for bringing their drinks. She smiled and went back to take orders. 

There was only one other person ahead of Jack and Urban. Just as the person was paying Urban's phone rang. 

"Shit, I gotta take this. It's the gallery, can you get my usual?" Urban asked. 

He didn't wait for Jack to respond; he just walked out to the terrace to answer. It made Jack panic more since Urban was the one who ordered for him. He just paid.

"Next." She said, motioning Jack to step up and order. 

"Uh, can I get a strawberry-banana smoothie and a tea to go, please." Jack said nervously. He glanced down at her nametag, pinned nicely on her chest, and said that it said Ynez in cursive.

"What kind of tea?" Ynez asked.

"Oh, just the hottest you have." He said, pulling out his card.

"I meant flavor wise like green, chai, ginger-orange, canela, black, earl gray, matcha–"

Someone walked up to the counter to the food display. It was Ernesto Cruz aka Ernie by everyone, forward for the Atlanta Hawks. He dropped a twenty in the tip jar then grabbed the last blueberry muffin from the display and took a bite. 

"Ernie, seriously?" Ynez frowned.

"I'm running late." Ernie said, kissing her temple. "Love you." 

“I love you too.” She rolled her eyes as he walked out of the counter. She turned back to Jack. "I'm so sorry about him. He has no home training.  any food items I can interest you?"

"Do you have more blueberry muffins?" He asked. 

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry he took the last one." Ynez said apologetically. 

"Oh that's fine." Jack waved her off. 

"Now I feel really bad– you know what, your smoothie and tea are on the house." She said, tapping the screen.

"What? No, here." He passed her his card. 

"On the house, don't worry about it." She shook her head. 

"Fine." He gave in

Jack slipped a twenty in the tip jar when she turned around to get food from the kitchen in the back. He sat at a small table in the back and checked his phone. He looked up Ernie Cruz on Instagram. He didn't have many posts, but he found one from a few years ago of him and Ynez at his college graduation. 'My day one' said the caption. Jack saw that Ynez was tagged and clicked on her @, but much to his dismay, she was private. He sighed and exited out of the app. He couldn’t believe she had a boyfriend and that he was an NBA player. Granted Ynez and Ernie moved into the building at the same time, but Jack never put them together. But at least he now knew he didn't have a chance and could act normal with her. 

"Hey, uh, you never told me what kind of tea you wanted." Ynez said, approaching him. 

"Just a green tea." Jack said, quietly.

"Okay coming right up." She nodded, writing on the cup. "I truly am sorry about the muffin." 

"Don't worry about it." He said, giving her his signature grin. 

Ynez felt her cheek flush, panties melt, and stomach drop seeing his smile. She pushed back her hair and pointed back. "I'm, uh, going to get your drink, um, made." 

"Thank you." He nodded. 

He pretended to stretch his back so he could watch her ass in the tight black jeans she wore. She may be taken, but that wasn't going to stop him from appreciating her body. He was just going to admire from far. 

"Look at you, telling her more than three words." Urban said, sitting across from him. "When's the wedding?"

"Shut up." Jack grumbled. "She's got a man." 

"Who?" His best friend asked curiously.

"Ernie Cruz." He said. 

"Your new neighbor?" Urban folded over laughing. He wiped fake tears. "Man, you have the worst luck.”

“What did the gallery say?” Jack asked to change the subject. 

“Everything is going smoothly and they said the opening is set for a few weeks from now." Urban explained. He had submitted some of his photographs into a photography competition. The winner would get a $5000 cash price and the gallery would exhibit the winner's art for two months. He nodded his head to Ynez. "You should ask her to come see the exhibit when it's up."

Jack gave his best friend a pointed look. "Did you not hear me when I said she has a boyfriend?"

*

Ynez was in her apartment's kitchen making some muffins for Jack Harlow. Technically it's her brother's apartment since he paid for everything, but she was on the lease. Her and Ernie were half siblings. Their dad didn't know condoms existed and got their moms pregnant at the same time. They were born days apart and their family called them the twins as a joke. Their dad ended up marrying Ernie's mom, Morgan, but he still co-parented with Ynez's mom, Gabriela, until she passed when Ynez was eight. They took her in and Ernie's mom raised her like her own. Her family never made her feel left out and she felt loved by them. When she was twelve Ernie's mom legally adopted Ynez. Since then they've been a close family. She was the one who got her into baking. She even passed down her infamous blueberry muffin recipe to Ynez. 

Speaking of blueberries, Ynez genuinely felt bad that her brother took the last blueberry muffin when Jack Harlow wanted to buy it. She set the bowl down and went to where she set the blueberries to dry, only to find her brother popping a large handful in his mouth. 

“Stop eating them, you’re not gonna leave any for the muffins.” she smacked him with the wooden spoon.

 “Dude, that shit hurted.” Ernie rubbed his arm. He grabbed another handful to piss her off. “I doubt your little boyfriend won’t care if it’s not full of blueberries.”

“Jack isn’t my boyfriend. Besides, it's the least I could do since you stole from my shop.” 

“I left a very generous tip for those overpriced muffins you sell.” her brother argued. 

Ynez turned to Kiko, their two year old doberman and pointed to her brother. “Kiko, bite him for me.” 

Kiko lifted his head from his bed and sighed dramatically before going back to sleep.

“What are you doing after you drop off your boyfriend’s muffins?” Ernie asked, buttoning his dress shirt. 

“What are you doing later? Got a date?” Ynez eyed him. 

“I’m just going out, don’t worry about it Nezzie.” he said. 

“One, don’t call me Nezzie and two, I know you have a date. Te conozco.” she said as she folded the blueberries into the batter. 

“Think what you want, Nezzie.”He pulled out his wallet and handed her one of his cards. “Get some dinner that isn’t dino nuggets and tater tots. I’ll be back before midnight. Te cuidas.” 

“Bye Ernie.” she said. 

She knew her brother was lying; he was going on a date. A few weeks since they moved to Atlanta, they ran into his ex at the store when she was finishing up her twelve hour shift at the hospital. She was surprised to see the twins in Atlanta. 

Him and Aisha, his ex and Ynez’s best friend at the time, broke up because Ernie was going to Duke to play for their men’s basketball team. Ynez and Aisha stayed in Arizona and went to ASU. Ynez studied communications while Aisha studied nursing. They drifted apart during college since they studied different things and Aisha got more involved in school. Ynez just went to her classes and baked in her free time. After she graduated, she became her brother’s assistant when he got drafted to play for the Suns. He played in Phoenix for a few years then Ernie was traded to the Atlanta Hawks. 

After Ynez and Ernie saw Aisha, Ynez reached out and in one of her days off they met up for coffee. The whole time Aisha asked about Ernie but not in the fake way other girls do when it was painfully obvious they only talked to Ynez so they could get on her good side because if she didn’t like them Ernie wouldn’t give them a second glance. Ynez could see that Aisha still had feelings for her brother and vice versa of course. 

Ernie was a mess and couldn’t believe that she was in Atlanta as if they still didn’t follow each other and he commented on her post where he congratulated her because she got her dream job. Ynez told him to just hit her up so they could catch up, but his stubborn ass didn’t want to. 

She left it alone, not wanting to end up in the middle of it if it got weird. But the last few weeks she picked up on the signs that he was talking to someone. He was pretty open with his phone and would let Ynez use it when she wanted to order food when he was in the shower or just chilling in the living room. Now he kept it at his side at all times and he even changed the passcode. She casually mentioned it to Aisha during one of their coffee hang outs,and she seemed pretty unfazed. That was when Ynez deduced that they were talking again. In addition to the exes having the same dopey grin whenever they would get the text alerts. Now all Ynez needed was confirmation that they were seeing each other. 

She scooped batter for her muffins into a muffin tray and let them back in their designated time. Ynez decided to get some dinner. She scrolled through various food delivery apps until she chose QDOBA. Was it her favorite? Not really, but she wasn’t in the mood for anything else nor was she in the mood for Ernie to lecture her on her dino nugget eating habits. Plus it was a good ten minute walk from the apartment building, so she didn’t have to uber or drive. 

By the time she finished getting ready, the muffins were ready so she prepped the tupperware container where she was going to put Jack’s muffins in while they cooled down. Ynez carefully placed them in the tupperware and wrote a note for Jack then she placed it on a small lilac envelope, taping it on top of the container lid. She wrestled Kiko into his harness and the two of them made their way to the lobby through the private elevator. 

“Good evening Miss Cruz.” Miles, the night doorman, greeted her. He was an older man in late 60s. He reminded her of her grandfather with how friendly he was. When she opened the bakery he was on his way out so she always gave him free coffee and doughnuts after his shift.

“Hi, Miles.” she said, walking over to him. “I had a small favor to ask you.” 

“Anything, miss.” he said.

“Could you please deliver these to Jack Harlow?” she asked in a hushed voice. “Earlier he wanted some muffins and you know how Ernie is and he–”

“There’s no need to explain Miss Cruz. I’ll do it.” he nodded. 

“Thank you.” Ynez smiled as she walked out with Kiko. 

She was too busy confirming her QDOBA order that she didn’t see in front of her and ran into a very tall body. Then Kiko ran around them, trapping them with his leash. Ynez was chest to chest with none other than the muffin man, Jack. 

“Hey,” Jack said, giving her a pantymelting smile. 

“Hi,” she squeaked, not looking at him. 

Fortunately Kiko didn’t tie them tightly so Ynez was able to turn around. Jack bit back a groan when she bent forward to hold onto her dog’s harness and untangle them. 

“Sorry about that.” She apologized.

She didn’t give him a chance to answer and she sped walked away. Jack pushed back his curls confused and walked over to Miles. 

“Sup, Miles.” he greeted him. 

“Good evening Mr. Harlow.” Miles nodded. 

“Miles, I’ve been living here for almost two years, please call me Jack.” he said. 

“It’s a habit Mr–Jack.” the doorman chuckled. He bent down on his desk and handed Jack a tupperware container. “Miss Cruz wanted me to give you these.”

“Thank you.” Jack nodded. 

He had no idea who Miss Cruz was. Once inside his private elevator. He opened the container and saw six large muffins. They were the same ones from Ynez’s bakery. Then it all hit him, Ynez was Miss Cruz. Which meant she was Ernie’s wife. 

Jack cursed. Of course with his luck, he had to go and catch feelings for a married woman. His elevator opened and he walked down the hall to his apartment. The top three floors of the building were the penthouses. Each floor had two penthouses. His apartment was 512 and the one on the other end was 510. 

Once inside he set the tupperware on the table where he kept his keyes and went to get ready to go out. He had a work dinner with Drama and some other producers. He didn’t feel like going since he spent the whole day in the studio reworking what one of the new engineers did. He walked out and grabbed his keys. That was when he noticed the lilac envelope on top of the tupperware container. He opened it and read the note:

‘I’m really sorry Ernie stole the last muffin. His father didn’t teach him any manners. Hope you like these. Sincerely your neighbor from apt. 510, Ynez’

Of course she had to be his next door neighbor. 

*

Jack had a perfect view of them from where he sat. He stopped paying attention to whatever story Drama was telling. He probably heard it a hundred times beforehand. All his attention was on Ernie and the beautiful woman sitting next to him that was not his wife. He couldn’t believe he would outright cheat on Ynez like that and in public. He should have some decency and get a private room or something.

“Jack, are you paying attention?” one of the producers asked him.

“No, sorry, today was a long day.” Jack apologized. “What were you saying?” 

“I was just asking you if you wanted to go with us to this lounge a buddy of mine owns and have some drinks.” he said.

“I think I’m gonna call it a night, but thank you for the invite.” he said. 

After dinner Jack drove home. He tried sleeping but he couldn’t. Guilt was eating him alive. He still couldn’t process how or why Ernie would cheat on Ynez. The woman with Ernie was beautiful, there’s no denying it, but that shouldn’t be enough to cheat on someone. 

Sleep finally caught up to him and he fell asleep at three in the morning. He woke up around noon and was on autopilot the rest of the day. He came back from the studio that evening tired. All he wanted to do was sleep. When he got in his apartment the first thing he saw was the tupperware container. He took it as a sign to tell Ynez. He placed the muffins in a cake stand where he put all his pastries. He washed the container and made his way across the hall. 

He knocked on her door and waited. 

Seconds later, she opened the door. 

“Hi?” she smiled. Her bathrobe opened, revealing her chest to him. 

“Your, uh,” Jack gestured to her bare chest.

“Oh my fuck–I’m so sorry.'' She turned around and tied it. “One second.”

Ynez closed the door. A few minutes later she opened the door, now fully dressed in an ASU hoodie and leggings. 

“I am so sorry, I was coming out of the shower when you knocked and–”

“It’s okay, they looked good–shit, I meant, you don’t have anything to be ashamed–”

“How about we start all over, and forget I flashed you.” Ynez suggested. 

“That would be great.” Jack grinned. 

“Hi, would you like to come in?” she asked. 

“Uh, yeah.” he nodded. He followed behind her, eyeing her ass in the tight leggings. He quickly averted his gaze elsewhere and took in the penthouse. It had the same layout as his, but there was a more homey vibe to hers. Her dog came by and sniffed him then retreated back to the living room. 

“So what made you journey across the hall?” Ynez asked, pouring them some glasses of agua fresca. 

“I brought your container back.” Jack said, sliding the tupperware to her. 

“Oh thanks.” she said, taking it. She went to the other side of the kitchen and put it back in its designated stop in the cabinets. 

“Is Ernie here?” he casually asked. 

“No, he flew to Charlotte, I think, for a game. I’m not too sure. I don’t really keep up with his game schedules.” Ynez said, taking a seat across from him. 

“Oh,” he nodded. 

“Yeah,” she nodded back. 

There was an awkward silence. The only sound was Kiko’s loud snores coming from the living room. 

“I didn’t come just to drop off your container.” Jack finally said after a few minutes. “I don’t know how to say this. It’s really not my place and stuff, but I couldn't not tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Ynez furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

“I saw Ernie yesterday with a woman–”

“Did she look like this?” She passed him her phone, showing him a picture of Aisha. 

“I wasn’t wearing my glasses so I couldn't make out her face, but I think it was her.”

“I fucking knew it!” she laughed. “He thought he was slick but I knew.”

Jack was now the confused one. “You knew your husband was cheating on you?”

Ynez tilted her head. “I don’t have a husband.”

“So Ernie is…”

“My half brother.” she giggled. “Wait did you think Ernie was my–ewww. God no, he's my brother.”

“And I’m the biggest idiot.” he felt his cheeks flush. 

“It’s an honest mistake. We don’t look alike.” she shrugged. 

“Well I’m glad, I didn’t ruin any marriages.” 

Ynez laughed at his comment. They changed the subject and talked for a good hour, getting to know each other, before Jack had to leave because he had an early flight to New York. Ynez wished him a safe trip and walked him out. She closed the door and let out the loudest laugh. 

She couldn’t believe Jack Harlow thought she was married to her brother. Of all conclusions he could have made. But she did find it noble of him telling her that he saw Ernie with Aisha. She’s scrolled through articles and tweets in the past saying that Jack was a kind and generous guy. She finally got to witness that. In an awkward circumstance, but that proved to her what kind of guy he was and she knew she could trust him. It made the small crush she had on him develop into a full on crush. She cleaned up the kitchen and got ready for bed. She had to be up at five in the morning to prepare everything for the cafe. She checked the time and her brother should be back at his hotel room, so she Facetimed time. 

“Que paso cabezona?” He greeted her.

“I had an interesting talk with Jack Harlow.” 

“He told you he saw me out with Aisha, didn’t he?” Ernie deadpanned. 

“Yes, but we’ll circle back to that in a second.” Ynez said. “He thought we were together.”

“What?” her brother grimaced. 

“I know.” She agreed with his reaction. 

“How the fuck did he come up with that conclusion?” he asked. 

“I guess we give off ‘siblings or fucking’ vibes. He came to drop off the tupperware and he began apologizing, saying how it wasn’t his place to say, but he couldn’t not tell me, you know. Then he went on telling me how he saw you with Aisha and was confused on why I was happy for you.”

“That explains why he was mad dogging me at Giani’s.” her brother said, scratching his beard. 

“Ooh, you took Aisha to Gianis?” she said, impressed with him. 

“All I’m gonna say is be careful. He’s a rapper after all.” Ernie said, changing the subject.

“Why would I be careful?” she asked, taken aback. 

“Because you fucking like him. And before you go on and say you don’t, remember that I’m your older brother and I know you. Have fun but don’t expect much from him. Some of my teammates know him and know of his rep. I just don’t want you to get hurt, Nezzie.”

Ynez rolled her eyes. “You were doing so good until you called me Nezzie.” She sighed. “You have nothing to worry about. It’s just a little crush that I have. In a few days it’ll go away. It’s not like he likes me too.”

Taglist: @cherryxcreme ​ ​​ @heavyhitterheaux ​ ​​ @carma-fanficaddict ​ ​​ @youngharleezy ​ ​​ @youngharleezyxo ​ @babyharleezy ​ ​​ @that-90s-girllll ​ ​​ @alinaharlow ​ ​​ @whywontyoulovemecami ​ ​​​​ @meyocoko ​ ​​ @harlowcomehome ​ ​​ @nattinatalia ​ ​​ @webinurcloset ​ ​​ @gassyandsassy1 ​ ​​ @jackharloww ​ @awhore4moree ​ @noescapricho-essentimiento ​ @a-moment-captured ​ ​ ​@neon-lights-and-glitter @purecinnamonextract

[covecornerarchive]

Ahoy, Me Hearties! Welcome to Harlowe Hearse's "Cove-tober," art challenge! Proceed only if ye dare.

This is just a fun art challenge I've had in mind for a while, and wanted to throw out there for the Candle Cove community to join in on during the spooky month of October if they please!

Rules:

If you're familiar with the popular yearly art challenge "Ink-tober," it'll be a lot like that. For every day of the October month there will be a prompt, and based on it you can make a piece of art.

However, unlike Ink-tober, you're free to make any type of art of your choosing, whether it be drawing, sculpting, writing, etc! Absolutely anything as long as it uses the initial prompt as inspo.

The only thing I ask is if you post your pieces, you tag them with "covetober." This is just to make them easier to find and see.

If your piece does include:

NSFW, Heavy Gore, or any topics that you think may be triggering for anyone at all or that minors shouldn't see

Please put it under a "read more link" (click the squiggly icon that is next to the "add link" option in the set of icons that pop up when editing posts) so as to keep this a safe and fun experience for!

The Art Prompts:

 Static

 Bravery Cave

 Favorite Crew

 Abyssian

Captain 

 You Have To Go Inside

 High Tides

 Siren 

 Horrible

 To Grind Your Skin

 Wimp!

 Childhood

 Favorite Pirate 

 Laughingstock 

 Screams

 Shipwrecked 

 Cutlass Islands 

 Nightmare 

 Come, Come, RIP

 Calliope Music 

 Favorite Villain

 An AU (if you don’t have one, free day!)

 Tartar 

 Birthday Present

 Marionettes

 A Crossover 

 Favorite Background Character 

Porcelain

 Lost

 An OC (if you don’t have one, free day!)

 Free day!

Prizes:

Ohhhhh yeah. There's some loot involved!

At the end of the month when the challenge is finished, the ten posts with the most notes will be put in a public poll where people can go and vote for their favorite 3 (I trust given the chance people will have the decency to not vote for their own posts. We're pirates, not jerks people).

The prize for the three winners: I'll be taking character(s) illustration requests:

1st Place Winner: Will receive a full color + shaded illustration.

2nd Place Winner: Will receive full lineart.

3rd Place Winner: Will receive a cleaned up sketch.

I won't be giving notes to any posts for the challenge until it's all over just to keep things fair. I might also post some of my own art for some of the prompts throughout the month, but for obvious reasons they won't be a part of the challenge or considered for the poll.

If your posts include NSFW or any of the other elements listed earlier as cause for using the "read more" link, they will not be considered for the poll.

Request Rules:

I'll only draw at most 2 characters per request

The requested characters must either be candle cove related, or oc's/ self inserts.

You can make specifications about the request (what the character(s) are wearing, what they're doing, a specific color palette, a specific version of the character, etc.) as long as it isn't tooooo complex.

I won't be drawing any NSFW, SUPER heavy gore, fetish art, or anything I end up being uncomfortable with

The Cove-tober Art Challenge will begin on October 1st! May you have fair winds and following seas me maties!

(September 16, 2022)

[lumpofwhump]

Who's your favourite OC?

Do you prefer romance or platonic relationships in writing?

Thanks so much for asking!

Who’s your favorite OC?

Even if we narrowed it down to just my characters, picking one is not going to happen. The ones I tend to write for and draw the most are Harlowe, Topher, Lenavee, Zail, Barclay, and Alina. The first four are the ones I would like the most as real people… probably because they’re all extremely whumped caretakers or would-be caretakers. (If you want me to infodump more about any of these characters, please let me know! I just don’t want to bore everyone...)

Do you prefer romance or platonic relationships in writing?

I’d say I have a moderate preference for platonic relationships, but the characters involved will really determine how I feel about it. That being said, I tend to imagine most character relationships, even romantic ones, as being asexual or ones where sex is fraught rather than an automatic part of the relationship… for instance, one character is asexual, or one or more of them have trauma histories that need to be worked around.

The caretaker/whumpee or mutual caretaking relationships are the ones I get the most emotionally invested in. For those I more often than not find myself writing (queer)platonic relationships. But once in a while I find/come up with a pairing where I (and my OC, if applicable… almost always a caretaker type) have a burning need to have that ship sail. Found family situations, where most or all of the characters have platonic relationships and a few might be romantically involved or interested, are a favorite of mine.

The whumper/whumpee relationship… my main concern is, what makes it the most plausibly fucked up given the specific characters and scenario? In stories where the whumpee is or was voluntarily involved with whumper - at least in theory - what kind of dynamic would make them stick around the longest (and what would it take to break it)? I generally don’t get as attached to whumper/whumpee ships beyond how they add to the whumpee’s angst and affect their eventual recovery, though.

[dreams-of-static]

Intro I guess: I'm Harlow. They/she. I love lost media, horror of all kinds, computer science, old tech, and researching the hell out of topics no one else cares about. I'm just here to vibe.

If you have any leads about the 90s tv show "Wright is Always Right" or anything possibly related, contact me immediately. No matter how small.

If you have any questions or comments for me, send me an ask.

This is an roleplay oc ask blog by me (@eldritchpluto) about my horror project called Hourglass! At this moment there is no official release of any related media to it, but hopefully there will be in the future! This blog is about a horror character, so general warnings for a character exhibiting paranoia, unreality, and the like. I'll try to tag these things! If you want to know anything else about this project, please send me an ask on my main blog! Or if you want to ask something directly to the character themself, send it here! <3

Things all will be tagged “rp” or “ooc” accordingly! If you’re getting to this late, the rp tag will have all of the important posts!

[beels-burger-babe]

The Hive's One Year Celebration

It is almost time for the Hive's (@beels-burger-babe 's blog) one year anniversary and this calls for a celebration!

It's party time people! And I'm going to be throwing a full-day event to show my thanks to all of you for the overwhelming support and love that I've gotten this past year.

What is the party?

The party will be a full day event held here on @beels-burger-babe on Monday, April 11th. Any events that I'll be mentioning will be set in Atlantic Standard Time (AST), since that's my time zone. There'll be all kinds of fun things around Obey Me going on!

What will be happening?

There will be limited pre-assigned role-plays happening all day that will be done between you or OC and your favourite Obey Me character (excluding Melphis, Raphael and Thirteen since I don't know them well enough yet) OR one of my OC's (Lady Harlow, Bruno/Ramen, Seren, my version of Michael, and platonic rp's with Harper) OR if you really want, you can RP with me, B, as a fellow-exchange student at RAD.

A fun new fic will be released for your reading pleasure

A special thank-you video from yours truly will also be posted

Wanna take part in some other way?

Amazing! I love talking with you guys and getting to chill with you so there are all kinds of other ways you can take part!

Submit fan art of your OC/MCs and your favourite boys celebrating

Write a birthday/party fic of your own and tag me in it

Have fun! If there’s just something that reminded you of the event or that you created inspired by it please feel free to either tag me or send it to me!

How can you sign up for the Role-Play slots?

Easy! The table below is in Atlantic Standard Time. Following it, send in an ask stating which time slot you’d like and what character you’d like to role play with (and if there’s something specific you’d like to do, please state so as well).

There are examples of what these sessions from our last event looked like under the #the hives fantastical ball tag.

Please remember this is an SFW blog so NO NSFW requests. Once you send in the ask, I’ll get back to you ASAP giving you a confirmation on whether or not the slot is already taken and confirming your spot in the Role Play schedule!

*You can role play as yourself OR as your MC! It’s up to you. AND if you are too shy to role-play through the asks, but are still interested, send me a DM and we can arrange to have the role-play session be private 🥰*

An example of a submission HERE Don’t know how role play works? I answered a question about it here

Thanks again everyone for the love and support this year! I can't wait to celebrate with everyone. See you April 11th 😘

[humansofriverdale]

First and foremost, welcome to Humans of Riverdale!

This blog is run by @reggiemantleholdmyhand-tle, aka Vannah. This is a project that I decided to take on after I came across a ‘Humans of New York’ post. I’ve been looking for new ways to collab with/showcase my favorite OC creators, and I thought this would be a fun and interesting way to do so!

The premise is Bo Beckett, a seventeen year old junior at Riverdale High in 2021, is conducting interviews with the people of Riverdale, or people who used to live in Riverdale if they relocated after the time jump. He asks specific questions, and is looking for specific answers from the perspective of the character. The final product will be posted with a short description of Bo’s interview process and why he chose to interview the character.

Under the cut, you will find the form to submit your own OC post and the prompt questions, as well as an example post in order to see the formatting I’m looking for.

Feel free to submit as many OCs as you like, (or even duplicate questions for the same OC) and I appreciate you all for being patient with me as I try to get them all posted!

(Please do not send as asks, I am only accepting submissions. Submissions may be edited for formatting purposes.)

PROMPTS:

“Tell me your most embarrassing memory.”

“Tell me about someone who impacted your life, whether positively or negatively.”

“Tell me about a time where you thought you’d never recover.”

“Tell me about your first love.”

“Tell me about an important moment in your development.”

“Tell me the craziest thing that ever happened to you.”

“Tell me your most treasured memory.”

“Tell me about your family.”

“Tell me about what it was like to grow up in Riverdale.”

“Tell me about your childhood.”

“Tell me about your teen years.”

“Tell me about a time you were at peak happiness.”

“Tell me your saddest memory.”

“If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?”

“Give me some advice, whatever you think is important for people to know.”

“Tell me a story. Anything goes.” (free-for-all question)

FORM:

What blog to tag (optional - just in case you have a sideblog!):

OC’s Name:

OC’s Faceclaim:

OC’s Pronouns:

OC’s Occupation (if after time jump, if not please specify):

Color you associate with your OC:

Any other information you would like to include?:

Prompt:

Answer goes here (no text limit - make it as short or as long as you’d like!):

EXAMPLE: (using my own oc)

What blog to tag (optional - just in case you have a sideblog!): reggiemantleholdmyhand-tle

OC’s Name: Mabel Harlow

OC’s Faceclaim: Haley Lu Richardson

OC’s Pronouns: she/her

OC’s Occupation (after time jump): Film (actress/screenwriter/director)

Any other information you would like to include?: n/a

Prompt: “If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?”

Answer goes here (no text limit - make it as short or as long as you’d like!):

“That’s an easy one. If I was able to, I’d take little Mabel by the shoulders and tell her that family is not defined by blood. I’d say, ‘Mabel, you are going to find people that love you and would do anything for you, and you’re going to do the same for them, because that is what family does. It’s not about what you’re born into, it’s about who you find along the way.’

It took me a while to realize that. My dad had such a hold on me when I was younger that I felt, I guess, guilty for wanting to get away from him, because he was my blood.

You know what they say, the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.

F- oh, sorry, can I curse?

Okay, cool, cool.

Anyway: fuck anyone who says otherwise.”

I look forward to your submissions!

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

What’s Old is New Again Challenge

First, I want to say thank you to everyone who had gotten me to this milestone. I love you all and you’ve made the last year wonderful! <3

So I know my last challenge had a similar theme but for my 10,000 Follower milestone, your prompts will be quotes from Old Hollywood actresses. So the challenge isn’t to include these word for word in your story but to use them as inspiration. These stories do not have to take place in a specific era and you only need to be creative. How you use these quotes is entirely up to you. Don’t feel restricted by the quotes.

What kind of story do I write?

This is a dark! blog but we will change it up and you will not be restricted to dark! characters. This is an MCU leaning challenge so keep that in mind by I am open to other fandoms upon consideration.

If you do write a dark!fic,  a reminder that it doesn’t need to include noncon but the characters should be darker than their canon counterparts (how you do that is up to you.) However this challenge will not include underage, bestiality, or incest relationships. (if you write Peter Parker, make it an adult Peter and not high school Peter)

You can write reader, pairing, OC, or whatever you’re most comfortable with. Include all necessary warnings, please and thank you.

How do I get involved?

You will choose from the quotes listed below and send in the following

your character(s) of choice (dark or otherwise)

your chosen quote

After you have sent in your ask/message, I will add you to my list. For each quote, I will accept up to two users based on the response to the challenge.

What do I do when I finish?

When you’ve finished your fic, send an ask and tag me in your fic and include the tag #roosoldhollywood

All fics will be included in a masterlist that I will include on this blog 😊

When do I have to get this done by?

June 20th

If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I look forward to reading all of your creations!

Quotes are listed below the cut! 

strikeout means no longer available

Prompts:

"Must I always wear a low cut dress to be important?" - Jean Harlow

"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul." - Judy Garland

"I was born with a tremendous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it." - Audrey Hepburn

“No one ever expects a great lay to pay all of the bills." - Jean Harlow

"I'm a woman of very few words, but lots of action.” - Mae West

“I'm so gullible. I'm so damn gullible. And I am so sick of me being gullible.” - Lana Turner

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” — Katherine Hepburn

“I never said, 'I want to be alone.' I only said, 'I want to be left alone.' There is all the difference.” - Greta Garbo

"I will not retire while I've still got my legs and my make-up box." - Bette Davis

“It's not the having, it's the getting.” - Elizabeth Taylor

“Love is disgusting when you no longer possess yourself.” - Pola Negri

“A woman isn't complete without a man. But where do you find a man - a real man - these days?” - Lauren Bacall

“As Daddy said, life is 95 percent anticipation.” - Gloria Swanson

"I do not know how to kiss or I would kiss you. Where do the noses go?" - Ingrid Bergman

“When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas." - Jean Harlow

"I can live without money, but I cannot live without love." - Judy Garland

“It’s a pity nobody believes in simple lust anymore.” - Ava Gardner

“A gentleman is simply a patient wolf. – Lana Turner

“I’d rather regret the things I have done than regret the things I haven’t done.” — Lucille Ball

“I fell off my pink cloud with a thud.” - Elizabeth Taylor

“Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution." - Mae West

"I'd marry again if I found a man who had fifteen million dollars, would sign over half to me, and guarantee that he'd be dead within a year." - Bette Davis

“At night, when the sky is full of stars and the sea is still you get the wonderful sensation that you are floating in space.” - Natalie Wood

“I don’t bite, you know, unless it’s called for.” - Audrey Hepburn

“If you're going to do something wrong, do it big, because the punishment is the same either way.” - Jayne Mansfield

“The ceremony took six minutes. The marriage lasted about the same amount of time though we didn't get a divorce for almost a year.” - Hedy Lamarr

“It's the good girls who keep diaries; the bad girls never have the time.” Tallulah Bankhead

“A woman's dress should be like a barbed-wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view.” - Sophia Loren

“Most girls don't know what to do with what they've got.” - Jayne Mansfield

“I do everything for a reason. Most of the time the reason is money.” - Ava Gardner

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

A Family of Five- Part 2: Like Sugar, With Salt

Calum and Harlowe’s marriage hasn’t always been easy, but it has always been filled with love. This is a collaborative experience with In Sorrow and In Joy. Dad!Calum. Black OC.

CW: Over the course of this series, there are mentions of pregnancy, therapy, and postpartum depression. There is also 18+ Content (Smut)

Enjoy my masterlist | Series Masterlist

Support me on kofi

No one has my permission to repost my work of fiction. This includes translations as well. 

__________________________

Harlowe is still laying in bed. The alarm went off hours ago. She managed to get up, change her clothes. Calum made her eat with him and the kids. But the second she could escape, shower, and change again, she crawled right back into bed. The TV plays. Normally she would be watching it, but it’s more like the TV is watching her. The afternoon has settled in nicely, a bright clear day. She knows she ought to get up. There’s laundry to do. There’s lunch to fix. The very least is laundry. The absolute minimum. Calum can’t do it all himself. Laundry, she can do laundry. Throwing her feet to the floor, she pushes up. Just do laundry. Just do laundry. 

She walks into Te Koha’s room first. His toy trains lining the molding of his floor. He likes to think this is cleaning, since it’s not in the middle of the floor. He’s stubborn that way. Her and Calum have both collectively just let this happen. It doesn’t interfere too much and she’s glad at the very least that it’s not cluttered in the middle. There’s a path--and it works. Pulling his tiny hamper, she drags it behind her in, leaving it near the door before checking Esha’s room. Even though she’s still barely a toddler, she has her own hamper. Harlowe thought it would be frivolous but Esha wants everything Te Koha has, his tiny shadow. 

Grasping both hampers, she carries them down stairs. There’s no one inside. There’s not a giggle or chuckle or the twinkle of Pepper’s tag. It’s unusual for sure. But it’s not crazy. Just noteworthy, the silence settles thickly. Just the barely audible hum of fridge. She walks over to the kitchen window and sees Calum bouncing Esha as Te Koha runs around with his airplanes, Pepper runs behind him. Koha spies her from the window and smiles. His chubby cheeks lift as he waves. “Momma!” he shouts.  

She leans over the counter, pushing open the open the window. “Hi baby!”

“Will you come outside today?”

The question hurts. Things have gotten so bad again. Harlowe knows that. She just never thought her children would notice. Just go out for him. Go out for him, Harlowe chants to herself. She nods.. “I gotta put some clothes in the washer, but yeah, I’ll come out.”

The smile on his face radiates. He cheers. “Need help? I can help?”

“No, baby. Mommy’s got it. Keep an eye on Papa Bear for me. Make sure he doesn’t step on my rose bushes,” she adds. 

“I can hear you, you know,” Calum gripes. Koha laughs, but resumes his running with the toy plane. Calum steps closer to the open window. “If you don’t feel like coming out, don’t push yourself. Take it one step at a time.”

She exhales. It’s good for her. Just for a little bit. “I should go out.”

Esha whines in Calum’s arm, reaching for something below. He sets her down. “Okay, baby girl, I know. Down, I know.” She trots toward Koha. Calum turns back to Harlowe. “Let me know if you need anything, okay? Please?”

“I will.” He eyes her, head tilting forward. “I promise.” He knows she’ll suffer in silence. They both will. To a fault. Even if it’s bad, but that’s just who they are. A cry starts up; Esha. Doesn’t sound particularly bad, it’s more like a startled cry. 

Calum jogs over. “What happened, baby girl? You’re okay.”

“She just tripped,” Koha says. 

She leaves the window open. The small chirps and sounds of life help, make her feel less isolated. She sorts their clothes by colors and tosses them into the machine. The kids have a special detergent and she grabs it, always a little shocked by how heavy it is. The washing machine begins to rumble. She rests her hands onto it, feeling the vibrations shake up her hands and arms. She is still alive. Right? 

The back door is unlocked from when Calum took the kids and dogs out. She wonders if Calum knew that she needed a moment’s silence. Or maybe he was worried. If the kids watched her fall apart for too long, would they become hyper concerned? Would they want to do nothing because she was doing nothing? What was she teaching her kids? Her forehead falls into the glass of the door. She can’t teach them that. She can just water the flowers, right? 

There’s still lunch to fix. The kids will be getting hungry soon. She can get to that right? Calum’s here. They’ll get that that. She twists the doorknob, stepping onto the warm wood of the deck.  Koha rushes up the porch steps, wrapping his arms around her legs. Brushing her palm over his back, she sucks back tears. Koha’s only ever wanted good for her. He deserves his old mother back. Not her now, covered under a thick blanket of tired, of doubt, of shame. “We didn’t water the flowers yet, Momma. Do you want to do that? Can I help?”

He starts to pull back from her. Harlowe’s quick to wipe her tears from her face. “Yeah, let’s go water the flowers.” The walk to the garage door. It cranks after she types in the code before they walk inside, Te Koha takes hold of her hand. Harlowe gives it a squeeze, smiling, however briefly down at her son. A spitting image of her. With Calum’s soul. 

Things were better when he was first born. Harlowe had gotten pregnant with Te Koha well before she and Calum had ever considered getting married. But it didn’t matter. Besides, Harlowe will never forget the day Calum did propose, down on one knee in the middle of her empty apartment. He was sweaty for sure, having helped move her out so she could stay with him. She was swollen, stomach, ankles, feet. Everyone that looked at her was afraid she’d pop at any second. But it was Calum who popped instead, on his knee, to take her hand. 

He was going to do right by her. After nearly fucking things up. He couldn’t loose Harlowe a second time. Her pregnancy with Te Koha was fine. There were aches and pain for sure. But she felt fine. She was fine. Te Koha was a fairly easy baby. And now there is just a fog. Esha wasn’t a worrisome baby. She was stubborn and a opinonated, even at two. But she wasn’t difficult. It was just Harlowe’s brain. Her brain was making things hard. 

“Momma?” Te Koha asks, taking his water can from her hands. He can see the frown pulling down his mother’s face. 

“Yes, baby?”

“I’m sorry you’re sad,” he whispers. “I promise to be good.”

She gasps, a short explosion of air before her chest squeezes. She kneels in front of her little boy. His brown eyes are teary up like mine. Cupping his face between her palm, she brings his attention to her. “What’s happening to me is not your fault. It’s not Papa Bear’s fault; it’s not even Esha’s fault.”

“Then what happened?” He sniffs, wiping underneath his nose. “You were so different before.”

“Momma’s had some serious health issues. It’s…. been hard on me. But it’s not your fault. Please, please, please don’t think it. I wish I wasn’t like this. Mommy wishes she could be her old self. I am so sorry.”

“Is there is anything I can do to help?”

“Just keep being you baby boy. Just keep being you.”  She wipes the tears that have fallen from his skin. “Do you still want to help me water the flowers?”

He nods. “Yes. I always do.”

“Okay,” she whispers. “Let me grab my can.” They walk to the hose, Harlowe filling Koha’s up first. Then filling hers. He trails behind, waiting for the every other plant that Harlowl leaves to him.  He sticks his tongue out a little, watching as the water slips over and splashes onto the ground. Harlowe pauses occasionally to pluck the dead leaves and weeds around certain plants. Te Koha follows suit, under the careful eye of his mother. This is the mom he remembers. A soft smile on her lips when he pulls hard at a weed and successfully uproots it. A small cheer of pride echoes from his chest. 

“Need any help?” a voice says behind me.

Harlowe looks over her shoulder. Koha shoots up from his seated position. “Uncle Mikey!” 

Michael laughs, collecting Koha into his arms before picking him up. “Oh, you’re getting big. No wonder Cal’s got arms like fu--freaking Superman. Lifting kids all day is a great work out.”

“Michael, what are you doing here?” Harlowe’s not sure of her own voice. It’s strange for sure. But there’s a glimmer of something light, something like happiness. It is happiness. He’s still the same. With the basketball hat, the fringed hair, the leather bracelets, and the rings. 

He opens his free side to her and Harlowe folds into his embrace. “Cal called me over. Said you were having a decent day. Wanted to check in.”

Harlowe and Michael have, over the years, gotten close. They bonded originally over video games. Harlowe has her degree in psychology and through her willingness to always listen to him they grew closer. Michael isn’t necessarily reserved but he’s not always forthcoming about things. He’s vocal when it’s necessary. Harlowe never judged--she pushed occasionally for him to open up. But she never sneered at him, never berated him over his feelings. She just listened. 

Michael returned the favor. He’s always become a great pillar of support since this funk after Esha’s birth. She had shockingly cried to Michael a couple times about her inability to conceive a third child. She wanted to give Calum that picture perfect family. Her body and mind weren’t ready for that--they were telling her to slow down. She always had trouble listening. 

“It’s been okay,” she says softly, pulling back from his hug. 

“Okay is good. Okay is great.”

“Are you going to help us?” Koha asks. 

Michael laughs. “Sure, why the--why not?” Michael’s still working at censoring him around the kids. Almost five years should’ve been enough practiced but Michael was only the uncle currently with no kids. He didn’t have the filter on all the time.

The three of them settle back down in the front garden. Harlowe pulls out the gardening seat for Michael to sit. He complained about potentially ruining his jeans. “Look!” Koha puts out a bug, nestled into the mulch. Harlowe pulls back his hands a little. Even though he’s wearing gloves, she fears that it could be a snake or spider. It’s not though upon closer inspection. 

By the time they move to the side of the house where the kitchen window is, Calum gazing out of it. “Lunch’s up soon, bud. Come inside and wash your hands,” he says softly to Koha. 

Koha and Harlowe look up at each other. The window is opened just enough. “Can I Momma?”

She grins and looks over to Calum. Hhe sighs, hopping onto the counter and holding out his hands. “Fine, you two are definitely fucking Aries.”

“Swear jar, Papa Bear,” she laughs, sliding off the gloves and hoisting Koha up. He grabs Calum’s forearms and he slides in through the window. Calum sets him down. “Wash your hands now. I don’t want to find actual ants on your ants on a log.”

She just barely catches Koha’s laugh as he walks away from the window. “He loves going in through the window. Why not let him live a little?”

“Because then he’ll think it’s normal to climb in through the windows,” Calum laughs. 

“You saying it’s not?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, missy.” They share a laugh. Including Michael. He’s used to their shenanigans. “You coming in for lunch?” Cal asks. 

“Once I finish up out here. Shit, the laundry.”

Calum shakes his head. “One load is already done. Second load is in the dryer.”

“I’m so sorry I forgot.”

“Baby, it’s okay.”

She sighs. “I’m just so off. I hate this.”

“Just consider the meds, think about it, okay? I’m not asking you to makeup your minds just yet. But don’t count it out.”

Michael rests a hand on her back, not quite on her shoulder but not quite off it either. “They honestly could help, Harlowe. Don’t eliminate the possibility. I know you don’t want to take meds. I know you can do this without. But you don’t have to.”

“The ACT is helping, I think. I just don’t want to add more to our medical expenses. I’m already running it up as it,” Harlowe counters. 

Calum wishes he could shake his wife sometimes. Snap her out of whatever haze she was in. Or just get her to see that he cares not what dime amount it costs. “You know money is not a problem here.” Harlowe opens her mouth. Calum continues before she can interject it. “Finish up in your beds and then come in and eat. Relax the rest of the day. Think you can finish the beds?”

She nods. It’s been weeks since she’s been out here. Calum tries to do it for her. Harlowe’s picky, picking it up from her mother and her grandmother the particular meticulousness when it comes to her yard. He does what he knows she likes and knows how to keep the basics up  but doesn’t push it too much further. 

He slides off the counter. “Ready to eat little man?” Koha nods. 

Harlowe goes back to her yard. Michael calls into the window for something before handing a bottle of water to Harlowe. “Maybe you should get out of LA,” he says holding the bag for weeds open.

“You sound like Calum now. You guys have been working here for years now.”

“It doesn’t mean that we can’t move, you know? We’ve been discussing going back to Sydney, anyway. Going back to our roots, settling down. Cal and Luke already have kids. LA’s no place to raise kids.”

She rips the weed from the dirty. Some mulch flies up through the hair. It lands and Harlowe stares down at it. “ I don’t want to be lectured at about moving.Then I have to look for a new university to work out. I’ve got three years where I’m at.”

“You’re not tenured. You said they’re already discussing making changes to the Creative Writing department.”

“I love the kids I work with. They’re brilliant. I have great reviews from them. They’d be crazy to get rid of me.” She yanks at out another weed.  

Michael sighs. “They’ve done crazier things before, you know that better than anyone.”

“Even if the band moves back, it will still take me awhile to find work. I can’t force Calum to take care of the bills alone.”

“Harlowe, you’re making fucking bank. Calum’s smart and has been for years now. He could handle everything and more by his income alone.”

He’s right. Calum’s invested some money. Most of those profits go towards savings for the kids future education plans. Advancements from albums and merch sales have also been sitting in savings for them. Her income is chump change comparatively. Calum’s always treated it equally. The sales from her books helps too for kids savings. Her salary covers half the bills.  My income is chump change compared to him.

She could move. Maybe she should. Calum’s been dropping the possibility more and more since everything went downhill. “My family,’” she says softly. 

“They’re going to cause you to go gray.”

A sob chokes her. Her chest squeezes. When did she start crying? When did the tears burn her eyes? I’m so used to being able to handle things. I don’t know what to do.”

Michael rubs at her back, shushing her softly. “You’re allowed to be weak. Being strong doesn’t mean being able to handle everything. It’s about knowing your limits, knowing when you need help.”

It takes a few minutes before the tears subside. The water soothes the ache in her throat. The passing moments are filled with silence. Michael points to some small green leaves, making sure it’s okay to pull before he gets a grip on it. He can’t tell if it’s a new plant or not and would rather not cause her another crying fit. Harlowe nods before clipping off some browning leaves. 

“You are not alone in this, okay? Remember that.”

“Thanks, Michael.” 

She watches, to make sure he gets safely to his car. It’s all the years of drinking as a young woman and knowing that any moment could be someone’s last. It’s the years of being a mother and freaking out whenever Te Koha decides to hide behind a rack or mannequin. She has to see with her own eyes to everyone’s safely. 

When she gets inside, after double checking the lock on the door, she notices  Esha’s standing with her little horse. Her smile is bright. Harlowe does her best to return it as she goes to wash her hands. Esha clambers right behind her, the clacking of the plastic striking the floors. Harlowe steps to get a paper towel. More clacks are heard. 

Harlowe runs in a circle, the clicking following her ‘round and ‘round. She scopes up her little girl, lifting Esha above her head. “You’re getting so big, girlie. I love you.”

She giggles at Harlowe. “You’re not tired?” Harlowe asks. “You should be tired by now. You ran behind Koha today. He’s a fast one. My little zoomer.”

When she looks over to him, sitting at the table, tracing over the alphabet with Calum, he grins. “Nyoom,” he laughs. 

“Down,” Esha pleads. It’s softly at first. Then she repeats herself, more firmly, when the request is not immediately fulfilled. “Down.” 

“So demanding, you’re my child. Lord help you.” Harlowe sets her down and she runs back to her horse. 

Calum chuckles. “Alright, c’mon, Koha. You’re half way done.”

“I’m being Momma���s little zoomer,” he huffs but goes back to tracing. 

Calum turns his attention back to Harlowe. “Make sure to eat.” 

She nods. She’s not very hungry though. She knows she should be. But she’s just not. Her appetite goes most days. “Want to shower first.”

He points to the fridge. He means right now. “Please, baby. Just something. A turkey sandwich and apple. It doesn’t have to be a lot. I even bought pink ladies, your favorite.”

“I smell.”

“Harlowe.”

She knows that tone. She marches to the fridge to find the plate all ready for her. She knows, during the first couple of bites that she won’t get it all down. Something is better than nothing under Calum’s watchful stare. She pretends not to notice his constant glances and gazes out of the same window that Te Koha was lifted through. They both know the other is watching. 

More than half the sandwich is gone and the whole apple is finished. Harlowe tips the plate in Calum’s direction before dumping the core and sandwich remnants. He gives a slight nod. His acknowledgement of what she’s eaten. He worries. Maybe more so than he should. But who can fault the concern? Who can find any issue in the pure love that he carries for her? He wants her to be okay. 

Harlowe walks over to the penmanship study and tugs at Calum’s elbows. “You stink, you know?” he teases. 

She lifts an arm, turning the armpit to his face. “Wanna try something else smart to say?” 

Calum rears back. “God, I can’t breathe. Te Koha, help me. I’m going to suffocate from the stink.”

Koha laughs in his seat. “Sorry Daddy, I have to finish tracing.”

“My own son betrays me,” he gasps, pretending to pass out. No one reacts. “So you all were just going to let me die? Even you Esha,” Calum sits up, pulling her into his chest. He smiles over Harlowe’s shoulder to her. She coos, smacking her toys together in excitement. “Yeah, even you were just going to leave your old man high and dry. No love.”

She stands and walks over. Harlowe end down to pick her up. She reaches for Calum though. “She’s such a daddy’s girl,” Harlowe laughs. 

“I love you,” he breathes into her skin, lips brushing over from the forehead kiss.. “I love you so much. Mommy loves you too. You too, Koha,” he says turning his attention to his son, brushing his fingers through the tight coils. “We love you too.”

“I know,” he says softly. A grin taking over his face. “I know.”

Harlowe decides on a soak. But after her shower. The shower will let her cry if she needs too. Though, after her tears in the garden, she thinks today will be decent. The rose scent of the bubbles starts to invade her nostrils. Her eyes close and Koha’s face fills her dark vision. His tears. His plea for her to get better. Her own children take the blame for her brain’s reaction. 

The sting starts up behind her closed lids. God, she’s so unfit. With lips pressed together, Harlowe tries to quiet the sobs. It’s just about nap time; she doesn’t want to wake them. But God, how unfit. Unable to remember the laundry she had started. Hardly able to keep the yard together and in good shape. Can’t even a fucking sandwich. 

Every second she can sit in bed, she does. Calum must think she’s disgusted with him. Harlowe hasn’t touched him sexually in months. She wants too, just lacks the motivation to go through with it. All her energy is spent before her feet ever hit the floor. Covering her mouth, she lets one nasty sob rip through her. The floor thuds with footsteps; Calum’s heard. Fuck. She sniffles. Pull it together. He can’t see her crying again. He doesn’t even bother knocking, not that he needed to anyway. If he heard the wail, she knows he would’ve broken down the door if necessary. 

“Babe,” he rushes out, settling onto the edge of the tub. “Talk to me, please.”

Her hands tremble; her throat hurts. The words are stuck in the dryness that coats her mouth. Grabbing her towel from the counter, he sets it on his lap before pulling her out of the water. Calum wraps the extra fabric, then holds her to his chest. The rocking motion helps. All she has to do is focus on the back and forth motion. She doesn’t have to think about anything else. 

“Te Koha thought it was his fault,” she breathes. The words are sour. She feels like there is bile on them as she speaks. “He thought he had done something wrong. I forgot about the laundry. I’m barely eating. I’m falling apart. I don’t want to fall apart. I’m not taking the fertility meds like I should. I want to give up; I don’t want to keep doing this.”

Calum finally speaks, voice thick. “Do you want to get better?”

“Sometimes I do; sometimes I don’t.”

“Right now, do you want to get better?”

“I’m just tired, Calum. I’m so fucking tired.”

“You know I’m here for you. You know I care, right?” She nods against his chest. “Do you trust me?” She nods again, clutching onto the cotton t-shirt. He releases a breathe. “Then we can’t stay here. You can’t keep dodging therapy appointments. You can’t skip your meds.”

“I know; I’m sorry.”

Calum kisses the top of her head, or what he can reach of it behind the pineappled afro. “I need some extra hands. We need some extra hands; I know a nanny scares you. But we’re getting out of LA, as quick as possible. I’m calling your parents, see if they can help for a little bit. But we’ve gotta get out of here. I know you’re worried about insurance costs and such. But maybe it’s time to leave the States. My parents could help us; I’m sure they’d be happy to.”

She is small, in that moment she is that eleven year old girl that cried in a bathroom because she heard her parents arguing. She is that eleven year old girl that needed her father’s comforting touch. She is small again, in Calum’s lap, still damp from the shower and bath. She needs someone to help her. Maybe she can stop torturing herself, her husband, and her kids. 

“Okay,” she whispers. “I need the help.” A tiny drop of relief hits her stomach. She needs help. She needs help. She just needs the help. There’s no shame in that, right? There’s nothing wrong in admitting that sometimes the burden is just too heavy to carry all by herself.

[6-mcs-for-6-lis]

Hi! Asking for the oc asks! 💍 💝 💔 (love your blog)

Thoughts on marriage?

Prima: If marriage is on the table then I will gladly take it. Hell, I’ll get down on my own knees if I must.

Zaza: ...marry Muri? Yes please ♡＾▽＾♡

Rina: Eventually? Maybe? I kinda want to ask Ilya myself at some point.

Harlow: Nadia already proposed and I...said yes. Of course. I’m scared, but in a very good way!

Ziv: Um....I mean maybe? If Asra ever wants to... put an official label on it? We haven’t talked about it at all and at the same time I think we both know the other is not going away any time soon.

Ayo: Marriage isn’t on top of my priority list, but to be completely honest I think Pasha has a wedding planned out. It’s sweet, and I think she’s trying to keep me in the dark to not “scare me off”. She won’t, but I also wouldn’t say no if she were to ask.

Dearest Gift They’ve received?

Harlow: When I was 14, I got the opportunity to leave Drakra and apprentice in Vesuvia. It was the first time I ever left my family, and moreso my twin sister, Harmonia. The night before I left, we cut each others hair, and braided locks for us each to keep. I carry it with me always.

Prima: Before my mother died, she gave me her favorite necklace. It’s a plain black velvet choker, but I wear it every day to keep her memory with me.

Zaza: I was seven, and all I wanted for my birthday was a teddy bear. My sisters got together, and they took scraps from their old dresses and stuffing from a pillow the dogs got a hold of and made me one. I called him Ragga-rascal and still have him tucked away in the shop!

Ayo: This will sound very strange, but my leg. I was born without a right leg, and grew up using a crutch. When my growing slowed down and pretty much stopped, my dad was able to barter for a prosthetic. I started getting used to it, and showed it off to Asra and Muriel, and then one day I woke up and it had been all painted and decorated! Dad had let Asra and Muriel in during the night and they had painted birds and flowers all over the leg like tattoos!

Rina: Lilinka saw my potential for magic, and for energy healing. Shae gave me my first ever crystal - a rose quartz pendulum I can wear as a necklace when the mood takes me.

Ziv: The Magicians Heart, in more ways than one. The necklace Nadia inadvertently returned to me the first night at the palace was actually given to me years ago by Asra. He never would tell me where or how he got it, but I... I honestly cried when he gave it to me. The other way I mean it is Asra’s heart. The heart of that particular magician is the most precious thing in the world to me.

Ever had your heart broken? Ever broken any hearts?

 Zaza: Look, am I a bit of a slut? Yes. I admit that. Am I ashamed of that? Not at all. Don’t you dare come for me. Have I had many partners at the circus and in Vesuvia? Also yes. Were there any strings attached? No. Did I still have my heart ripped out every single time they didn’t want anything more than my ass warming their beds? ........nope. not at all. I’m fine.

Ayo: I... think so. to both. There was one person when we were teenagers. We got close, and I thought we were just very good friends. But they wanted more, and I didn’t. I didn’t have those feelings for them. I’ve never had those feelings for anyone, really. They avoided me after that, and they took a bit of my heart with them I think.

Harlow: My heart broke in half when I left home. But romantically, no. I’ve always kept to myself, and the only person I’ve ever been smitten with anyway is Nadia.

Rina: Oh yeah. She wanted to run away with me and stow away on a pirate ship. It all sounded so romantic until I ruined it. I pointed out one very big reason why becoming pirates might be hard. We were five. She cried. Then so did I.

Prima: No more nor less than any other diva in the opera. (Her heart was ripped apart when Lucio went up in flames but she won’t admit that to anyone other than him or Valley)

Ziv: Romantically I’ve had my heart broken three times. Two of those were childhood flings that lasted maybe a season. The third was the fight with Asra when I sent him away while I stayed behind to help find a cure.

Thank you so much for the ask and I am so happy you like the blog! <3

[geewithluv]

jimin♛ meeting her parents

Ｐａｉｒｉｎｇ：Park Jimin x Fem!OC Harlow

Ｇｅｎｒｅ：Fluff

Ｗａｒｎｉｎｇｓ： suggestive content at the end

Ｒａｔｉｎｇ：PG

Ｗｏｒｄ Ｃｏｕｎｔ：1.3k

Ａ／Ｎ： «this belongs in my headcanon universe and you can read the other parts in the masterlist, the description of the characters is [here] so you get a summary of who they are. »

ｍａｓｔｅｒｌｉｓｔ

Harlow loved Korea, she wouldn’t have stayed so long if she didn’t. It was her brother, Peter, that brought her there. He had been friends with a guy back in America who moved out to Seoul to be an underground rapper. Peter followed him as part of his entourage and recommended Harlow to do his hair for some photoshoots as he got bigger. One gig turned into a dozen which turned into idols hiring her as well. So, she stayed. Why throw away a good thing?

 The bad part was, the rest of her family stayed in America so she hardly saw them. Even video calls were scarce given the time difference. They made it work, but it wasn’t the same. Her parents didn’t want to come to Korea despite their children being there most of the time, so she tried to visit at least once a year. Harlow had been dating Jimin for two years when she asked him to meet her parents. She took a couple of weeks off her freelance work to go visit family and BTS was taking a short break.

 Jimin, being the perfect boyfriend, said yes without a hint of hesitation. Harlow’s brother even arranged to come out for a short while. He had actually been going back and forth from Korea for about a year or so while his friend made some big moves in America so it wasn’t as much of a hassle to get to their family home.

 Jimin was excited to say the least. Excited to do some traveling with Harlow, excited to see her hometown, excited to meet her family. It was all exciting. That was, until, the plane ride when Jimin realized one big thing. Language barrier.

Harlow was pretty good at Korean. Sure, she couldn’t talk about the economy or climate change but she could watch TV and talk to people in Korean with little difficulty. Jimin, however, wasn’t as skilled with English. He understood quite a bit but engaging in a meaningful conversation could be difficult, especially with someone he was nervous around. He knew Harlow wouldn’t judge his English but he wasn’t sure of her family.

 “Finally.” Harlow broke Jimin out of his thoughts as the pilot announced the plane was landing. “Peter is picking us up.” She tells him, reading a text message from her brother. Jimin had met Peter a grand total of two times. Both very rushed having been backstage at concerts either he or Peter had been working.

 “Oh, that’s nice.” Jimin said, he meant it honestly but it didn’t come across that way. He was too deep in his worry.

 “We’re gonna have so much fun.” Harlow smiled brightly and Jimin felt reassured for a moment. Just a moment though.

  The car ride with Peter was a little awkward. Peter spoke Korean, but not nearly as well as Harlow and didn’t really seem to like using it. Harlow explained most of the rappers he works with were born in America and moved to Korea for careers so he hardly needed to use Korean but she assured Jimin that he probably understood every word and just couldn’t be bothered to respond.

 Not comforting. Jimin thought.

 “Home sweet home.” Harlow sighed happily as they pulled into a driveway. It was a very beautiful home in the countryside of Georgia. A couple neighbors within view but not nearly close enough to be bothered by. Jimin understood why Harlow spoke so fondly of the location. It was right out of a movie.

 “My babies!” An older dark-skinned woman came out of the house rushing over to the car. She opened the door to wrap Peter in a hug while Harlow and Jimin exited. As Harlow opened the trunk, Jimin noticed a man coming down from the porch slowly, glaring right at Jimin. Her father, he recognized from pictures.

 “You look so good, baby! I was worried about your curls but they look just as bright and springy as ever!” Harlow’s mother embraced her. “Oh! And you must be the boyfriend! Jimin? Right?”

 “Yes, ma’am. It is very nice to meet you.” Jimin spoke slowly, afraid of messing up a word.

 “Don’t tell me your knee is still hurting?” Harlow spoke to her father who was still a good 10 feet away.

 “No, just taking my time.” He grunted. Harlow rolled her eyes playfully.

 “Well take these suitcases instead of your time, just got off a 12-hour plane ride and you want them to take in their own suitcases?” Harlow’s mother scolded her husband. “Useless, I swear.” She muttered to her daughter.

  Dinner was good, Jimin even added to conversations more than he had expected and he thought it was going pretty well despite his limited English. He was sure the rest of the trip would go the same, that was until Harlow was called to help her mother with something and left Jimin with her father and older brother.

 “Now, just what are your intentions with my daughter?” Was the first thing the older man said. Jimin’s eyebrows furrowed. Peter translated, noticing Jimin’s confusion, but it didn’t exactly help him come up with an answer.

 “I love her. Very much.” He said. It was a safe answer, he thought.

 “I’m sure you do. Real kind girl. Too kind for her own good sometimes and I’m sure you like that a lot. Don’t you?” He said but Jimin didn’t quite understand the connotation but the look on the man’s face didn’t make it seem like he was saying something good. “She’ll do just about anything for someone she cares about, things she wouldn’t do otherwise and I’m letting you know now that if I find her in even one unsatisfactory situation I’ll find you and--”

 “Theodore! If you don’t leave this boy alone, I swear to the heavens you’ll sleep on the porch.” Harlow’s mother came back into the room with Harlow following close behind, her bright brown eyes were wide with confusion and worry.

 “I think Jimin and I are gonna turn in, Momma. Jet lag is kicking in.” Harlow’s voice cut through some tension.

 “Alright, now let me know if you need more blankets or pillows. I got plenty in the closet.” Harlow’s mother rubbed her shoulder, silently letting her know everything was going to be just fine.

  “I’m sorry about my dad.” Harlow sighed as she changed into her pajamas, the baby blue silk with black lace trim shorts and tank top set that Jimin loved so much. He sat at the side of the bed, already changed.

 “It’s okay.” He shrugged.

 “Momma likes you though. Says your aura is nicer than any other guy I’ve brought home.” Jimin tenses just slightly at that. “Oh, don’t get all jealous on me.” Harlow giggled as she walked between Jimin’s legs. “You’re the only one that’s perfect for me.” She kissed his plush lips. 

 “Don’t want you with someone else.” He pouts and pulls her onto his lap.

 “Never again.” Harlow promised, running her fingers through his hair.

 “I love you.” He says after a moment of them sitting just staring into each other’s eyes.

 “I love you too. Don’t worry, please. I can feel you freaking out. My dad will come around, especially if my mom tells him to.” She laughs and Jimin softens. “We’re going apple picking tomorrow so we better get lots of rest, okay?” She gave him a quick kiss, about to stand before his grip stopped her.

 “Lots of rest? With you wearing this?” He scoffs, rolling them over so she’s under him. “I don’t know if that’s possible.”

 “Jimin!” She scolds. “I’m serious!” She says but lets him run his hands under her shirt.

 Jimin made sure to thank the Georgia heat for an endless supply of shorts and tank tops to grace her bronzed body. And, of course, for plenty of family-friendly activities to get him closer to his future in-laws.

FIN.

[bobasheebaby]

I did this three times before but apparently I can’t stick to just a few series and keep adding. So here is the full breakdown of all my Choices series. It’s long cause my crazy ass has too many series so under the cut will be the breakdown complete to series masterlists. If there is no link it’s still being planned but I decided to put it anyways.

I start fairly mild, well maybe not mild, I go full smut with Poly and mlm and develop In Their Hearts which started my love for crack pairs with Dramien.

I move on to adding a pinch of drama in the form of a love quadrangle. I add a handsome older Duke to the mix to try to take Athena away from Liam. Jealous Liam, angst, I actually get fluffy, and of course glorious smut including slash in What Almost Was.

Which feeds to wedding drama in Following Her Heart and poly drama with the sister series Starting Over, Together.

Then I get my first inspiration for causing drama based on exactly what’s going on in TRR. Although I admit I go a bit off the rails. Betrayal takes us through MC cheating on Liam and Drake confessing his feelings, ouch.

Then I go dark, like really dark. I take our dear sweet Liam and turn him straight up evil, read From the Wolves with caution, it’s dark. It deals with depression and Liam is EVIL! So my penchant for twists and turns and dark drama has started.

Consequences of a Fling is my second foray into taking something from the books and bringing the drama. This time I take the fling and make MC pregnant-but that’s not enough for my drama loving heart, not only could she be carrying Drake’s child instead of Liam’s she still has feelings for Drake, or does she? Then I kinda get influenced by a few people and my dark and twisted mind goes off the rails again. This series is full of cliffhangers and twists and turns.

I’m back at it with crack pairs, a full series for my new favorite pairing: Baslivia—Bastien and Olivia. I know it seems odd but they work. It starts smutty, and then we go to pining because they won’t make it easy. Falling For You also has Ellie (MC) who is Olivia’s person how can you not love two tough snarky woman becoming best friends?

One shot turned mini series, Maneater follows Addison and she is far from kind to our boys. There once again is cheating, I think it will be contained to two chapters, they are mentioned in the Masterlist if you want to avoid cheating. Full of smut.

Harlow was my answer to Addison. Addison started as a Bastien x MC request and I hated how I was hurting and using Bastien so sweet Harlow was born. Harlow realizes early on in the social season her heart belongs to Bastien and not Liam, Made For You is a mini series.

I got a request for a MC x Rashad story where MC leaves at the end of book one and falls for Rashad and Liam had zero chance getting her back. I answer that request with Law of Love and Lennox and Rashad. Flashbacks, heartache and a bit of fluff.

My third Poly series came from a talk about the fling in Vegas in which I turn it into a threesome in Vegas Skies. Something More will follow Drew, Liam and Drake trying to figure out how to handle things after the fling.

Reclaiming Destiny, evolved past what it was supposed to. It was meant to be a Bastien x OC series following Bastien coming out in the guard and somehow twisted itself into a Poly series with Bastien, Olivia and my newest OC Caleb. Something More & Reclaiming Destiny will be interconnected and the next chapter will be a full crossover and posted in both.

I have always hated that Liam couldn’t stand his ground and still say MC at the coronation ball, so Side by Side will fix that.

A Mobster AU called Crimson Rain. It’s got two MC’s and Bastien & Liam are essentially rival bosses. There is a grudge and serious baggage, let’s see how dark I go with mobsters. Tons of twists, and more to come! Contains character death and pregnancy loss as well as depression.

The Rise is a full on crossover AU. It’s a zombie apocalypse so please proceed with caution. My penchant for crack pairs will be revisited in this crossover series. So far the books are Endless Summer, The Royal Romance, Bloodbound, and Perfect Match, I have plans to add in both Open Heart and Nightbound. There is going to be lots of character death, please block the tags #choices zombie au or #the rise to avoid if you need to.

I blame a rattle, yes a rattle did weird things to my brain. The cover art for The Royal Heir did some seriously weird things to me and we ended up with When Fairytales Break. This series contains cheating, depression, feelings of being trapped, and smut. This is a Liam x MC, Bastien x MC story and goes to a different place than my initial thought.

I have a few more things I’m working on cause I just can’t help myself. Impossible Choice will be spinning into a series called Learning to Breathe. Right now I’m fighting my muse because of the pairing she wants and I’m not sure. This will deal will moving on after loss and maybe some depression.

Only You, the more I think about my poly stories the more I think of Driam’s start and it’s always the same. I will be moving It Started With a Kiss from In Their Hearts to its new home that will be an early Driam story that will work as canon history for all my poly AU’s.

I have two non TRR series, the first is a Red Carpet Dairies series called What a Way to Say It’s Over. The final chapter of RCD2 had me wondering what our LI might be thinking if you suddenly dropped away from them. I almost always thot (very few books am I faithful) and I had chosent Matt only to drop him for Hunt in the last chapter. As I was playing I kept asking myself how he’d react. It was only going to be a one shot but now it’s a series.

I fell instantly in love with Sienna Trihn in Open Heart and need her as a LI. Moving On With You follows Dr Camila Maitland and Dr Sienna Trihn after Sienna dumps Wayne. I was thrown by Danny but more is coming.

Jeez, my mind really went there with some of those. And some the drama is coming. And through most of these, Liam gets hit-sorry.

So I guess if you want drama and twists of any level you know where to go, me. Lmao. Just be sure to buckle your seat belt some of these rides are mighty bumpy. Your heart will likely hurt after many of these.

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

A Family of Five- Part 5: Connected

Calum and Harlowe’s marriage hasn’t always been easy, but it has always been filled with love. This is a collaborative experience with In Sorrow and In Joy. Dad!Calum. Black OC.

CW: Over the course of this series, there are mentions of pregnancy, therapy, and postpartum depression. There is also 18+ Content (Smut)

Enjoy my masterlist | Series Masterlist

Support me on kofi

No one has my permission to repost my work of fiction. This includes translations as well. 

_________________

Harlowe looks to her left, over to the driver seat. Calum tugs on the blue baseball cap, readjusting it on his head. The traffic isn’t light, though it’s not as bad as they imagined. Harlowe can see the tension in his jaw. She sighs, reaching out for his knee. The kids are so excited to be going down to Disneyland, as they always are. The flight was good for most of them. Nikau was content to sit in either her or Calum’s lap. Esha and Te Koha slept for a lot of it, and the portion that they were awake for they were overflowing with energy. Harlowe could tell something was going with Calum halfway through the flight. He said it was only a small headache, but it was a lot more. She even said that she’d drive; she had rested longer than him on the plane ride. Calum told her he could handle it. 

At the contact of her hand, he looks over, still pressing the brakes as they are caught in small stand still. Esha and Koha are huddled over one of their portable gaming stations. Te Koha is trying to help her beat a stage boss. Nikau is fast asleep in his carseat.

“Take the next food exit, we’ll grab the kids some breakfast and I’ll take over,” she offers to her husband. 

Calum closes his eyes for a second before nodding. “Yeah, okay.”

“Also you’re taking an Advil too. I’m not sure why you refused it on the plane. But you’re going to get around it now.”

Though there’s tension all along his neck, shoulders, and the base of his skull, he chuckles. The brake lights disappear from the cars in front of them. They travel for a couple more miles before Calum sees an exit with gas stations, and some fast food place. 

“This isn’t Disneyland,” Esha states as the car stops in front Hardee’s. 

“Making a small pit stop, baby girl. Hungry?”

“Starving,” Te Koha replies to his mother, laughing. They all unbuckle. Harlowe hands her purse to Calum, with a stern gaze. He finds the small plastic bag in her zipper pocket while she unfastens Nikau, helping him out. Esha steps out of the truck followed by the eldest. The five of them huddle into the restaurant. Harlowe wrangles the kids, figuring what each child wants and then orders two of her order for Calum. 

Calum steps into the bathroom for a second, closing his eyes to try and relieve some pressure from his skull. He didn’t sleep much the night before the flight, nor did he sleep much on it, too tense and too worried that his plan could fall through at any second. He was elated that the kids mostly slept through the flight. Te Koha can keep a secret; Esha cannot. She’s vital to this plan, but if she says the wrong thing too soon, things won’t work out-- not like he had hoped though. 

 He stretches his shoulders, praying at something, anything will do the trick and give him some relief and it does. However, the second he lifts his hand, the pounding in the base of his skill resumes. He groans, but exits the bathroom and sees Harlowe balancing one tray with Nikau on her hip. Te Koha is holding the second one. “I think this one is mine,” Calum teases, sliding the tray from Harlowe’s hand. 

“Why thank you, my good sir. Now if only I could get this baby off my hip who’s very upset to be awake right now, I think we’d be golden,” Harlowe coos, rubbing Nik’s back. 

“I am not a wizard,” Calum returns, kissing her forehead as they settle into a booth. 

“Just my luck, a princess that falls in love with the frog.”

“Daddy’s more a prince charming, Momma,” Esha states with an eye roll. She unwraps her sandwich after rubbing the hand sanitizer thoroughly. 

“Maybe more like Kristoff,” Koha ponders. 

“So no one’s going to say Maui; I’m hurt.” Calum fakes like he’s leaving the booth. Esha grabs his arm, pulling with all her strength. Calum leans back into her gently, spreading his arms out, dramatically huffing. 

She giggles, pushing at him. “Alright Dad, no need to be that dramatic.”

Sitting up, Calum kisses the top of her head, patting Koha on his shoulder. Though it hurts to laugh, he bears through it. It’s worth it, seeing his kids smile and laugh. Especially Te Koha, even if it’s just a small chuckle--Calum will take that over the gloom that had settled behind his boys eyes. Since starting Year Ten, he’s withdrawn a little. Calum prays this trip gives him the much needed rest and a chance to feel like he can open up. Harlowe’s tried talking to him, but Koha usually shrugs, says it nothing. His parents know it’s not nothing. It can’t be nothing with the way he drags out of bed. Not with the way he doesn’t like talking about school, barely wants to stay back for lacrosse practice. Te Koha’ has always been a fairly quiet child, but not this quiet. 

Calum looks over to Harlowe. They are sharing the same thought, the same concern. What is happening with their son? Calum doesn’t want to bring this conversation up right now, not in front of Esha. The two of them are so loving towards each other, but Calum wants to pull his son aside, talk to him in private, just in case it’s too personal. Harlowe doesn’t want to make it seem like she’s forcing or pushing him to talk-- so she keeps quiet-- but prays Koha knows that she’s always there for him. It takes all her strength not to reach across the table and pull Te Koha into her lap, it takes every ounce of willpower not to rock him like she used to do when he was a baby. If only a hug could fix it, she would’ve healed his ache long ago. 

“Babe?” Calum questions, sliding his hand over hers. 

Harlowe glances up from her sandwich, blinking back tears. She hadn’t even realized that she was tearing up, body somehow so lost in her thoughts that the sting never registered, that they blur to her vision hadn’t clicked as her warning. “I’m okay,” she says softly, wiping her nose. 

“Momma?” Nikau questions, holding a round hashbrown out to her. 

Harlowe shakes her head, smiling, “No, eat Nikau. Momma’s okay.”

He continues to hold it out, “Eat.”

“I have my own food, baby.” When Nikau doesn’t retreat with the hashbrown, she bends down, taking hold of it and pressing kisses into his chubby cheeks. “Thank you, bub.”

 Nikau watches her, to make sure she doesn’t sneak it back in front of him. “Welcome,” he smiles--a spitting image of Calum’s. 

“Have you taken your meds?” Calum asks, wrapping his fingers tight around her palm. She nods, her eyes don’t fall to his cheeks. She’s telling the truth. Calum studies her face and watches as her eyes fall to his side of the booth, towards Te Koha. He understands now and nods, rubbing his thumb over her hand. 

Finished with their breakfast, everyone piles back into the rental car, Harlowe in the driverseat. She double checks everyone is buckled, then single Calum’s out. “If I don’t hear snores from you on the rest of this drive, we fighting. I’m pulling over and it’s going to be over for you.”

Calum puts his hands up. “It’s lights out o’clock,” he grins. The tension has faded somewhat, thanks to the water and some food. He can still feel a dull ache. The meds are slowly kicking in for him. Sleep might help; he knows at the very least to try to and sleep after Harlowe’s warning. Even though there’s only about half an hour left in the drive, it’s better than nothing. Reclining his head against the headrest, Calum pulls the hat down even more, to block out the rising sun from his eyes. 

Harlowe gets back onto the highway, noticing some morning traffic up ahead of her. It’s thinning out though, which she appreciates it. Rolling down the pavement, Harlowe nods a long to the song playing from the radio. The back of the truck is too quiet. “Y’all mighty quiet back there,” she teases, glancing back for a second. Not even Nikau is talking. 

“Boss, Ma,” Te Koha responds. 

Harlowe nods with a hum. “Kick their butt,” she laughs. “Go for the kneecaps.”

Esha chuckles. “I wish. But thanks Momma.”

“Anytime, baby girl.”

Esha release a groan, the sounds of furious tapping bleeding in as the song changes on the radio. Te Koha starts talking to Nikau, playing with him before Esha speaks up,  “Ugh, can you do it Koha? My fingers are dumb.”

“You almost got it though.”

“Please?”

“One more try and if you die then, I’ll do it for you,” he concedes. Esha’s whine is cut off by Calum’s snore. Harlowe smiles, pleased at the sound. Esha’s tapping cuts in and out of of the songs and snores. After a few more minutes, cheering starts up. 

Harlowe’s not sure what happening, but she lets out a small, “Whoop whoop” before asking, “Now what are we celebrating? Did you beat the boss, Esha?” Nikau claps, giggling with excitement at the sudden uproar in the car. 

“Yeah, I did,” she cheers a little too loudly and slaps her hands over her mouth. Calum snaps awake. Esha sees his wide-eyed stare. Koha laughs from next to her. “Sorry, Dad,” she whispers. “I just beat the boss. Go back to sleep.”

He nods, before settling back down in the passenger seat. Harlowe, having pressed her lips together, releases her laugh in a short snorts. When she glances back from the rearview mirror to the backseat, Esha’s embarrassment is still clear on her face.  It’s a good thing Calum can fall asleep anywhere and in three seconds flat. Though now after kids, he does wake easily. Harlowe can’t blink in bed without waking Calum some nights. 

The car is silent for another minute or so. “Why do we always go to Disneyland?” Esha whispers. 

“We don’t always go to Disneyland,” Harlowe replies. They do go very often, she’ll admit. But it feels extremely important to go this year after Nikau. They didn’t go the first two years after his birth just because of the flight was so long. His done well on other ones, though they were much shorter. Harlowe and Calum have a special connection to the theme park. It might seem childish, but she loves these trips. 

“We come here a lot,” Te Koha interjects. 

“Papa Bear and I had our honeymoon here,” Harlowe answers, switching lanes before continuing her thought. “I got pregnant with Te Koha before we even got engaged. It wasn’t almost until I was about to deliver that he asked me to marry him. He said, he had been planning to ask months before we even found out. He was just afraid that the kid would make me run off. He didn’t want to ask and then make a fool out of himself. Mind you, I was the one that asked if I could move in with him. That way, he could be as close with his baby as he could be before touring and being a rockstar made him leave. He was so happy to be a father, talked about it every chance he could. Though he wanted to move back to Sydney, he couldn’t do so right away. 

“No this wasn’t my ideal situation, but I was more than happy to start a family. Calum proposed while in the middle of moving me out of my apartment. He was sweaty from lifting and going up and down the stairs. But he had disappeared with some boxes to put into the moving truck for far too long. So when he came back, I could see something in his pocket. I didn’t think anything of it.”

“It was the ring?” Esha questions. 

She nods. “Yeah, I turned around, to point out what stuff was going into the garbage, and what stuff was the last of my things to move. When I turned back around, he was on one knee, holding the box open.”

“Do you remember what he said?” Te Koha asks, looking over to his dad, baseball cap partially covering his face again. He’s always seen his dad as a quiet person, never too emotional, but funny and caring.

“I remember,” Harlowe answers softly. Te Koha has always wondered what Calum was thinking feeling when asking that question. He knows what his dad’s surprise is for his mom, knows how worried he was about everything going off perfectly. To see Calum that worried about something for his mom made Te Koha see how much love is there. Even though they tease each other and the entire family is made up on a lot of sass, there’s so much love. 

“What did he say?”

“Well, one he was a firehose of tears, but he said, ‘I’ve thought about how to ask you this question for months. I’ve kicked myself for not asking sooner. But I love you, I love you and that child you’re growing. I know I said I will always be there, always do whatever you needed me to do. I want to be selfish, I want to do this for me. I want to ask you to be my wife, because I want that honor and no one else. I want my family to be complete, and there’s no one better to complete it with and no better way to complete it than asking, Will marry me, giving me the honor to call you my wife?’” This time the tears are clear to Harlowe as they start. She makes the right turn, onto their exit. She inhales deeply at the memory as it washes over her. 

“Dad’s such a softie,” Esha giggles. “That’s so cute.”

“I’m in the wedding photos though,” Koha probes, needing more details. “I don’t remember it really, but I’ve seen the photos.”

“We didn’t get married until you were about three. I wasn’t in a rush to get married. We had our hands full with you. I couldn’t even think about planning a wedding. The band was releasing a new album about a year after you were born, so I went on the road with them for a few months with you. I thought about just going to a courthouse in one of the cities. But the schedule didn’t really work and Papa Bear was very much against it.”

“I surely was,” Calum states through a sigh. He stretches, a yawn interrupting his next sentence before it can leave his lips. “We had a kid before we even being engaged. I was going to give her the wedding she deserved.”

“But we both agreed on taking a family trip to Disneyland. That was our honeymoon. Even if we did honeymoon with all of Papa Bear’s family, it was a great time. Everything I could imagine,” Harlowe bites her lip, remembering the two days that Joy took Te Koha leaving them to some much needed alone time. 

Calum knows what she’s thinking about and rests his hand on her thigh. High enough to give a hint, but not too high that the kids will say anything. “The wedding was worth the wait right though?” he asks, squeezing Harlowe’s thigh. 

“It was. You did a Haka with your family and Te Koha and I damn near cried.”

“You did cry,” Calum corrects. 

“Ssh, no I didn’t. I got an eyelash in my eye.

“Both of them? At the same time?”

Harlowe pouts, knowing she did very well cry watching Calum and his family members. She swore for a second there, she saw spirits floating above them too while they danced. Calum hasn’t done one since, so she can’t say for sure what she saw or if it was the tears. But watching him made her insides light with a fire. Mali and Joy stood with her, watching as well. Mali was animated, return gestures and faces. Joy held Harlowe’s arm, tears streaming silently down her face. Harlowe was stunned, teary eyed but filled with an eagerness to join in. 

By the end, Joy released her, sensing how badly Harlowe wanted to acknowledge the traditional cry. Mali taught her--it was rushed and not perfect but the two of them chanted and cried back at the group of men. It was seeing the light in Te Koha’s eyes as he danced with his father that got Harlowe, made her want to show her son it’s okay to be proud. That it’s okay to look a little different and still love your roots. Though sometimes Harlowe shouted back in her Native tongue, it was in that atmosphere, amongst spirits of ancestors that the language barrier did not exist. It was the act of souls touching souls--the same tongue was not needed. 

Harlowe pulls into the resort parking lot, wiping her face with her shirt. “I’m turning into the firehose of tears now, shoot.”

After checking in, Harlowe agrees to take the kids down to the pool. Te Koha and Esha head to their rooms to change. Nikau grabs onto Calum. “Do you want to swim, Nikau?” He shakes his head, tugging again at Calum. 

“Aww, buddy, Daddy’s here,” Calum chuckles, picking him up. 

“How’s your head?” she asks Calum. 

“Better, sleep helped. I’ll take Nik for some exploring--just walk around. We’ll meet you at the pool, okay?”

Harlowe nods, kissing her boy’s cheeks, gently nibbling with her lips. He laughs, “Stop, Momma.”

Harlowe ceases, stroking his hair. “Momma loves you.”

“Wove you too.” 

Harlowe changes, taking the two kids down the pool. Calum waits until the door clicks shut before pulling his phone out. There are several texts and phone calls. Calum stands Nikau on the counter top, grinning as the boys dances a little to the ringing tone. 

“Think Momma’s going to like her surprise?” Cal asks his baby boy. 

Nikau nods. “Yes.” 

It takes about twenty minutes to touch base with everyone. Calum packs a little bag with water and some snacks and a change of clothes before setting out on their adventure. Nikau happily trots alongside his dad, pausing only whenever a bug flies by and watching it intensely. Calum only gets stopped once by some fans who ask for pictures. Nikau smiles, and waves at them from his father’s arms. Once they are free from fans, the walks continues and Calum snaps a few pictures of Nikau intently exploring the earth around him. Once the last text comes in that they’ve arrived safely to the resort, Calum heads to the pool. He’ll take them off the resort for dinner, so Harlowe won’t run into anyone before tomorrow. 

At the pool, Calum spots her easily, reclining on the sun lounger, brown skin glistening, proudly wearing a two piece even with the stretch marks from three kids. Calum stands over her, blocking the sun from her way. Nikau attempts to climb up into the seat. So Calum places him next to her. “I was kind of soaking that up,” she retorts, sitting up and settling Nik between her legs. 

“You should be watching the kids,” he laughs. 

She pushes up her glasses, nodding in their direction. “I’m watching them just fine.”

“Momma, look,” Nikau holds up tiny purple blossom. 

“Oh, it’s so pretty, baby boy. Did you find it on your walk?”

He nods. “Yes. Daddy pick it for me.”

“By the time I noticed what he was doing, I just plucked it,” Calum laughs with a shrug. 

Carefully, Harlowe picks up the blossom and notices there’s a small bit of the stem left. “Do you want it in your hair? Or do you just want to hold it?” she asks. 

“Hair,” Nikau replies, pointing to his head. Harlowe nods, reaching into her bag. A clip in her hand and she carefully places it in his hair. It’s a very small blossom, so it won’t be too heavy for the clip. 

Calum looks out to the pool, Esha and Te Koha having a small splash war before he tries to swim away. Esha chases after him. “I think Papa Bear should’ve gotten a flower too. You two could’ve been twins,” Harlowe teases. Calum turns back to her, heart hammering a little. God, even after all these years, Calum still finds himself so stunned by her beauty. He stretches over, kissing her softly. He can’t wait to see her face tomorrow. 

__

“Where are we going again?” Harlowe asks sliding into the cork wedges. Calum insisted that she pack a white dress. She wasn’t sure why initially but didn’t question it too much. She thought it might be a for a themed dinner. But now the day of, she’s not sure that’s it. It was well after park hours. The kids aren’t wearing white, thankfully, because Nikau is notorious for falling and getting grass stains all over himself. He’s dressed in black dress pants and a cute green polo. 

“It’s a show,” Calum explains, leaving the first few buttons of his shirt undone and letting the black tank underneath peek through the navy striped button up. He watches her in the mirror, debating which jewelry to wear. She slides on some gold bangles but leaves it at that. 

“Momma! I need help!” Esha shouts. 

“What’s up?” she calls back, scurrying out of their room towards Esha’s cry for help.

“Zipper,” is the answer. Calum dabs on some cologne, pulling a face in the mirror as Nikau watches from the bed. The baby laughs, falling backwards in his fit of giggles at his father’s wide eyes and pouty lipped expression. 

Calum turns around, tickling the boy. “Silly boy,” he laughs, picking him up and setting him to the floor. Te Koha walks into the room, knocking softly on the open door. “What’s up?”

Koha holds out the velvet black box. “Figured I’d hand that over now while Mom’s busy.”

“Thank you, for helping me a lot. I really appreciate it, Koha.”

He shrugs. “No problem, Dad.” There’s something in the way he stands, Calum notices. He looks to the floor. 

Calum pockets the box. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right, son?” 

Koha nods, picking at his fingernails his gaze is still settled on the carpet. Cal knows better than to push this. He lets the silence linger. Te Koha finally looks up to his dad, noticing the careful slight downturn to his brows. It’s the concern, the want to ask, the need to help, but a fear to push too much. Koha exhales deeply. “Can we talk? Like after the ceremony and everything?”

“Of course we can.”

“Cool, thanks Dad. For being there.” 

“I’ll always be there,” Calum states, gently pulling Koha into his side and hugging him. Koha’s just about staring him eye to eye. It’s terrifying how tall he’s getting. But it’s to be expected. Calum runs a hand over the current hairstyle, a boxtop. “You actually use that oil Mum recommended?”

Koha huffs with a smile, patting down the afro. “Yeah, I did, Dad. I gotta look good for the girls.” He pauses for a moment. 

Calum notices. There’s something else on his lips that he dares not let fall. Calum laughs, slinging his arm around Koha’s shoulders. “Whatever gets you to take care of your hair and shower is fine be me.”

Esha and Harlowe emerge soon after, ready to go. Calum’s already got Harlowe’s purse and the backpack for Nikau with some coloring stuff and a spare change of clothes just in case an accident happens. Though it’s not likely. It’s as the limousine waits in front of the resort that Harlowe suspects for sure that it’s not a show like Calum is trying to pass off. They slide into the back of the car, door clicking close by the driver. 

“What did you do?” Harlowe narrows her gaze at Calum. 

He shrugs. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“What have you done?” she asks again. Calum shakes his head. She turns to Koha. 

He holds his hands up. “I was only told to get dressed for dinner. I don’t know anything.” She sighs. Of course he’d be a hard one to crack. Too calm under pressure. Harlowe looks to Esha. She’ll give it up. 

“Mom, I may or may not know what’s happening. But if I tell, it’s my life. I like living.”

Harlowe sighs, dropping her head for a second. “Calum you’ve done something and have roped our kids into it. I’ll never know how you managed to keep Esha quiet, but whatever it is, it’s good. Too good.”

Readjusting his hold on Nik, Calum bends down kissing her temple. “It’s just a show and dinner.”

“With a limousine? Baby, I wasn’t born at night, let alone last night.” The drive in a battle of Harlowe hurling questions to get a hint to the truth and Calum batting them down. He’s too damn good at this, at this calmness on top of a lot of panic. With a playful wag of her fist, Harlowe resigns to the drive with no clues. The car tops and from the windows, she can see pink and purple lights. 

The sight catches her breathe in her throat. The door opens and the Sleeping Beauty Castle stares down at her light up in a beautiful purple. Esha and Koka climb out first. Koha takes Nikau as he climbs out and they wait for their parents to exit the car. Esha laughs as her mother’s sobs start up. “Calum, no, you didn’t,” Harlowe cries, climbing at of the car thanks to his help. 

Esha slides her mother some tissue and they lead the way. Harlowe clings to Calum’s arm, whispering over and over, that it’s in his best interest to tell her what is happening. She is a mess though and know the threats are empty, hollow even before she can utter them. They walk through the park, attendants, smiling hard at them. They lead them to the front of the castle. Harlowe sees a crowd already waiting. Her family and his in the crowd. 

They stand in the presence of Calum and Harlowe. Mali hands her a bouquet and note cards. “You’re a mess,” she teases, dabbing under her eyes. 

“Mali, thank you. I can’t stop the tears. You know how I get.”

Fanning her face, Mali clears away some of the mascara that started to run down her face. “It’s alright. It’s why I’m here.” They hug quickly and Mali ducks back to her seat. 

Harlowe glances down to the cards in her hand, they’re her original vows. She gasps turning to Calum who’s still holding onto her arm. “No you didn’t,” she laughs, lightly hitting his chest with the notecards. They talked about renewing vows, but the way Calum asked questions, she always thought it would later. She was okay with that, okay with waiting. But she knew she should’ve listened to her gut when he started asking what she wanted to her new band to look like, what she wanted to put on his new one. All those months ago--that was her warning to what was to come. She thought herself crazy, it seemed suspicious, but harmless enough. 

Calum grins, grabbing onto her free hand. “You’re not a princess anymore. You’re a queen. But I figured you’d appreciate the Disneyland magic for our vow renewal.”

“I love you,” she whispers, kissing him sweetly before they walk down the aisle. Koha stands next to Esha, holding a black folder in his hands. Harlowe looks around to see the grandparents huddled together with Nikau. He waves at his parents as they pass. It’s a moment before Harlowe recognizes the song playing, Work Song, by Hozier as they proceed. 

At the end of the aisle, Harlowe and Calum face each other. Esha holds the bouquet. Koha starts, reading a small speech about his parents love and watching the two of them uplift each other even when things seemed dark. “I wish them many more happy years together. Dad’s been a rock for Mom in her trying times. Mom’s the glue when Dad’s ducktape jobs don’t always work. But they always put us first, and each other above themselves. If that’s not love, I don’t know what else is,” Koha concludes. 

Esha reads next. “I know I haven’t been alive very long. A point Momma likes to make a lot. But even in my eleven years I have watched my parents grow. I have watched them make mistakes, and learn from them. I have watched them roll with the punches. I have watched them to constantly make it through. I have watched them love each other and me, Te Koha and Nikau unconditionally. Mom, I know it’s still hard to let people help you. I know you want to be strong and do it all yourself. You don’t have to. We are here. Dad is here for you. We love you. Thank you for letting Dad help you. Thank you for choosing to love him every day, thanks for loving us. Dad, I know you’re going to have choice words for me bringing this up, but, I am my mother’s daughter.” Calum laughs, with a shake of his head. “Dad, thank you for letting Mom into your life. Thank you for loving her. Thank you for letting her crack you open. Without her, we wouldn’t be here. But don’t think all the work is done. She makes a choice and so do you. Make sure you’re choosing her. We know you choose family every second of every day, but Mom’s, well she was there first, don’t forget to choose her as your wife, not just our mother. You’re going so far. I want a love like yours. Thank you for setting a good example for me.”

Harlowe’s eyes start to swim again with tears at the speeches. Sometimes, she really can’t stop the tears, her eyes become a leaky faucet. Koha turns it over to Calum to recite his vows. “Esha’s a little too on the nose with her speech. I suspect someone read my vows,” he jokes, raising an eyebrow at her. “But, Harlowe, we’ve seen nearly twenty years together. It is by no mistake that I asked you to marry me in the middle of your empty apartment. I promise to be there. I promise to choose you, to choose us, to choose our family. I was wrong then to think it would be an honor to have you call yourself my wife. The real honor is that I get call myself your husband, to have been there for every poem you’ve written, to have gone to the readings I could, to crash your lectures, to watch you grow three beautiful children, to see you raise three amazing people and I get to be right at your side. I will be there for the next twenty years and the next twenty after that and the next fifty after that. I will be there in sickness, in health, for rich or for poor, now, and tomorrow, next week and my next life.” Pulling out the new band, he switches them. “With this ring, I seal my vow to you.”

“God,” Harlowe huffs, fanning herself. “Who’s got the switch to my eyeballs? I’d like to turn them off for now, no more tears,” she laughs. Reading over the vows, she shakes her head. They won’t do. Those are eighteen years old, those are vows from a woman who is entirely different from her now, those are from someone young and naive. She’s older, wiser now. “I vowed to you eighteen years ago, to be there, to support you, to comfort you in wee morning hours, to love you. Those are old. My vows today are to curl up in bed with you at 9 pm, to answer your calls when I get the chance, to listen to you more than I hear you. My vows today to you are to help you raise three kids and not lose our sanity while we’re at it. I vow to love you everyday, to choose to love you, to put blood, sweat, and tears into loving you. I vow to be more vulnerable with you. I vow to lay up on the living room floor after we’ve run our tails off behind Nikau and let you know I still find you attractive, in more ways one. I vow to slow down for you. I vow to nag you to death, but only when you need it. I vow to learn to say yes to help more often. I vow to continue to grow with you. I vow never to be stagnant with you, to always, always grow.”

Esha hands her Calum’s new wedding band. Slipping it out of the box, she takes places the new band on. “With this ring, I seal my vow to you.”

Koha closes his folder. “So, yeah, now’s the part where you two kiss, I guess.”

Calum, with a grin on his face, slides his hand across Harlowe’s round brown cheeks, sealing his mouth over hers. They kiss slow, Harlowe sliding her fingers into the loops of his pants. As they part, she ducks her head into his chest, inhaling his scent, tightly gripping the fabric of his shirt. “I love you so much, Calum.”

“I love you too, Harlowe.”

The reception takes place at the Small World Mall in the park. Music plays, until a drum beat starts up. Harlowe knows that sound; she listens to it when she dances, when she’s homesick for a place she’s never step foot in. She watches Calum, Koha, and even Nikau walks over to the center of the dance floor. Harlowe sees Esha sliding out of her shoes and completes the tiny circle in the middle of the dance floor. Harlowe, who kicked out of her shoes, long ago, dances her way into the middle. The moves are not accurate--she knows she’s doing them wrong. But the music is transporting her, the tall drums stretched with hide make her feel at peace. 

Around the small circle of Calum, Te Koha, Esha and Nikau, her family makes a circle around them. Then a third bigger circle wraps around. And all the while, as the drum steadily rings out, people shouting in different Native tongues, Harlowe bounces on her heels in the center. She hikes the skirt of her dress in one hand, a cry ripping over her throat. She’s not sure where it comes from, who it is for, but it leaves her so loudly, with so much force, she bows. She cannot stand upright. When her eyes open, she knows it’s not tears--she knows it is spirits descending and ascending, meeting in a rainbow above her head. As soul touches soul, there is no barrier here. 

The drumming fades. Calum collects her into his arms, beads of sweat running down her forehead. The circles, rings of connected, physically break, but emotionally and mentally still remain. Harlowe rocks in Calum’s arms, voice gone from all the emotion stealing it. She cries into his chest, only a breathy, “Thank you,” tumbling from her lips. 

Harlowe excuses herself to the bathroom, sweat still rolling down her skin. Calum returns to the table, sitting down next to Koha. He immediately starts to speak. “I know I said I wanted to talk later, but I guess now feels more appropriate,” his son starts. “People are mean, and I know they always will be. But like, it hurts to hear them say stuff about you.”

Calum nods, resting his arm around Koha’s chair. “It’s always hard to hear it about yourself.”

“A lot of people ask me questions about being black and like what’s it like in America and what it means to be Māori too. I don’t mind that, but I hate it when they ask me how does it feel to be white too. Like, as if somehow that part of me erases everything else I am. As if I’m somehow not really Black and Māori too. Like I wish I could show them this, show them how real I am. But I can’t.”

Turning in the seat, Calum stares down at his son. He can’t change what makes up his son, can’t change the way he looks. “Look at me Te Koha.” Koha lifts his gaze from the center of the dancefloor to his father. “You are you; you know who you are. Changing yourself to appease them will only hurt you. What do they want? For you to be darker? Then they will ridicule you for that. If you’re lighter, they’ll tell you you are lying about who you are. They will never be satisfied. The question is are you satisfied with you. Are you happy with yourself? If you can say yes to that, then their opinions don’t matter. This is all easier said than done of course. It takes time to be happy with yourself. But you take it one step at a time. You be happy with the way your hair looks one day. Then be happy with your skin. Then be happy with your nose. Then be happy with your hair and skin. One thing at a time. All the self love that builds, they’re words won’t be able to get in.”

Koha nods. He gets what his dad is saying. But why did life always have to go for the long play? Why wasn’t there an easier solution? “That makes sense. But what do I do for now? That’s a long play; I’ve got issues right now.”

“For now, you live in this moment. You live among your people, your family, the circle of love surrounding you. That’s what you do right now.”

Koha chuckles, staring back out to the dancefloor. “I remember some of the Haka. Not all of it.”

“I’ll put in a special request for tomorrow. A crash course, your Mum will love it.”

Grinning, Koha nods up at his dad. “Thanks, Dad. I’d like that.”

“What else is family for?”

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

A Family of Five- Part 9: A Family of Five, Not Including The Dogs

Calum and Harlowe’s marriage hasn’t always been easy, but it has always been filled with love. This is a collaborative experience with In Sorrow and In Joy. Dad!Calum. Black OC.

CW: Over the course of this series, there are mentions of pregnancy, therapy, and postpartum depression. There is also 18+ Content (Smut)

Enjoy my masterlist | Series Masterlist

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No one has my permission to repost my work of fiction. This includes translations as well. 

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"How did you and Dad meet again?" Esha asks, setting her plate into the dishwater. The topic only came over dinner because Koha was talking about the next step with Davon. This comes at no shock, seeing as the pair has stuck out not only the last couple of years of secondary schools but also the distance of Davon at university. This sparked discussion about Calum and Harlowe, though most of the focus stayed on him. Until now, of course.

"I've told you this story so many times before," Harlowe laughs, sealing the tupperware top over the leftovers. It's a shock there ever are any with three kids. But Te Koha, now at 21, has moved out within the last year, so it's one less mouth to feed regularly. Esha will be going off to college at the end of August. That will just leave Nikau, the baby at 10, in the house. It's going to be too quiet without them. Never mind the fact that there's three dogs. There's less ruscus from the dogs now, as they've gotten older. They play a little, still like their walks, but at home it's time to lounge around, be the kings and the queen of the castle.

"But I haven't heard it Momma," Nikau pleads, handing his plate to Esha. He's a spitting image of Calum, the same fat cheeks, big brown eyes, and pouty lips.

"It's better when you tell it," Esha agrees, pressing a kiss to Harlowe's cheek. "Are those the last of the dishes before I start 'er up? Last call or your hand washing your dishes," she calls out to the house.

Harlowe shakes her head. There is no denying Esha on Harlowe's part. She'd be hard pressed if she wanted to even try. Between the personality and the soft and full cheeks and shade of brown, softer than Harlowe's hinting more to a caramel. Te Koha brings in the last of the dishes. "You don't have to yell. Mom does enough for all of us." He grins, skin dark like hers, grinning. "Still love you though."

"You're pushing it,just like your Papa Bear."

"What about me?" Calum asks, walking into the kitchen the dogs following behind him.

"Your child," Harlowe teases, "likes to push my buttons too."

"How do we know he's mine?" Cal grins.

Te Koha walks over, patting Calum on the shoulder. "I think it's evident enough," he laughs. Te Koha definitely got his height from Harlowe's side though, all the men are well over 6 feet. He is no exception as he towers over Calum.

"Please Momma. Please," Nikau begs, leaning against her legs.

"Okay, okay. But first," Harlowe says which earns a groan from Nik.

"If you say get ready for bed," he sighs.

"You have to get ready for bed." Nikau gives a big huff, almost folding his arms across his chest and then deciding against it. The fleeting glare of Harlowe's eyes makes him realize he can't. His mother is not the one to front on too much. "You have that field trip tomorrow and you have to be up early. It's kind of a long story. Since you asked, you're going to get the full version, uncut, director's cut."

"Okay!" Nikau runs out of the kitchen. Koha follows behind him- trying to get a hug before he leaves. Sissy follows behind the both of them. She's really the only one that has the energy to keep up with the energy of Nikau. Pepper's getting to the point where she trots around but doesn't have the get up like before. Jack was never the one to run around a lot. He got excited for the walks, for the treats, but overall is pretty healthy. But the age is clear in all of them

"Please tell me you're not going to give completely unedited version," Calum chuckles. "He may be too young for some of those details."

Esha gags next to Harlowe. "That's an image I'd like to erase from my mind."

"How you think you got here?" She asks with a laugh.

"A stork," Esha responds.

"If that's what you want to think, go for it." Harlowe is not going to be one the burst that bubble.

"Thanks for dinner, Mom," Koha says as he returns from upstairs, hugging me. He comes over every Sunday for dinner with us. Once he started working in welding and doing neon work, things took off for him. He had to fly with it. It was hard letting him go, her first baby to fly the coop.

"No need to thank me," Harlowe says softly, wrapping her arms tightly around him. She knows that she's holding on a tad too long when Calum starts rubbing her back. "Thirty more seconds," she laughs before releasing Te Koha.

Calum and Koha hugs before Esha gets hers. "How come you're not like this with me?" Calum asks in a whisper.

"Because I didn't birth you. I just married you," Harlowe says. "It was a privilege to marry. It's an honor to have kids." Calum laughs kissing her temple. She's right. He knows that down in bones. But he's glad to have that privilege. The dogs get their goodbyes too before Koha leaves.

Esha clings to Harlowe, head resting on her shoulder. "It's not the same without him here."

"You do have a whole other brother to annoy," Harlowe laughs, rubbing her back. She rests her head on top of Esha's. "But I get it. The house is shrinking."

"I know, but remember when we still lived in the States. I was painting and spilled the red all over your manuscript."

"Yes! I 'bout had a heart attack!"

Esha laughs. "But Koha took the blame for it but made me do his chores for a week. Even though I hated touching the trash, I did it because I was terrified."

"I knew you were the one that spilled it. He didn't even get in a lot of trouble."

"I figured that out later. But we got even because after we moved, I covered from him breaking the picture frame."

"I had no idea who broke that. It could've been either one of y'all," Harlowe laughs. "Thought it might've broken during the move."

"We didn't even ship any glass," Calum counters.

"You grow three kids and see how your mind ends up. You're lucky I still remember my own name," she huffs.

"Sometimes you don't," he snickers.

"You lucky Esha holding me back or else."

"Or else what? You're going to forget my name too," he taunts.

"I wish I could forget your name sometimes. Maybe I'd remember what I was going to say for a hot second."

"You too are disgustingly in love with each other and as much as this makes me want to vomit, this also makes me, like, envious," Esha states, shaking against her mother. She's still wrapped into Harlowe, tucked under her mother's arm. Part of her hopes she finds something like that. To be so disgusting in love with that it matters what no one else thinks about. She knows beneath all the taunts her mother would go through hell for Calum and her.

The two of them pile up onto the couch.  Harlowe passes through the living through to check on Nikau. Pepper lays near the front door, eyes watching. "Poor girl," Harlowe whispers. There are pictures of the chocolate lab mutt watching over Koha, who's fast asleep in the rocker. The two of them ran around the block.  Koha wanted to take her with him when he moved but his apartment building didn't allow dogs.

She's able to hand the distant a little bit better now. Harlowe knows it still hurts her heart every time he leaves. Koha talks about moving into a building that allows a dog. It's a bit more expensive though; Calum and Harlowe offered to cover the difference. He won't have it and Davon needs a better location for his work. So things are in a tough spot for the moment. "Pepper," Harlowe calls, paused at the stairs. She twitches her ears, but doesn't move. Esha settles down beside her, gently petting her.

Jack takes advantage of the empty space now and curls up with Calum. "You know the dogs shouldn't be up on the couch," Harlowe says to Calum.

"When have I ever listened to that rule."

"You're such a softie."

"Someone has to be with your hard-ass around." The only response is a roll of her eyes. She ascends the stairs. Much to her shock the bathroom door is closed. It opens though before she can close the distance.

"Turn to the left?" Nikau asks. After redoing the bathroom, there is still some things to get used too. Harlowe nods. He nods and then closes the door behind him again. She waits, then catches the rush of water hitting the tiles.

Back downstairs, she settles in next to Calum, placing Jack on her thighs. He seems very unbothered by her presence. However, after a few second's he walks into Calum's lap. He's always been a bit more keen to Calum. Calum taps away at his phone for a second. Before leaning over, a kiss pressed into Harlowe's temple. "I love you even if he doesn't."

Harlowe shakes her head, her laughter short and mostly silent. "I'm not offended." Esha's still consoling Pepper when Nikau finally descends the stairs, dressed in pj's. He takes over Jack's previous spot. "Now will I get the story?"

She plays at his tight corkscrew curls and nods. "So, many moons ago,"

Nikau interrupts. "How many moons?"

"That," Harlowe chuckles, squeezing his side a little, "is not important. It was many moons ago before we moved here, to Sydney. Papa Bear was living in LA, making music, getting all the girls," she teases.

Calum groans, burying his face in Harlowe's shoulder. "Do not fill my son's head with lies. She's lying Nik."

"It's not a lie," she shrieks. "You know girls were practically falling all over you."

"So what if they were, it's not important here," he returns.

"So you admit you had girls lining up for you?"

"Let's just say, I knew I had options." He grins. "But not one compared to you." His lips press into the crook of her neck. "I love you," Calum breathes as if the air is leaving his body for the last time.

With her hand, she taps his knee. "I love you too. But back to my story, Auntie and I went out to LA for a girl's trip. She had just finished her master's; I was still working retail in Virginia but was in the midst of looking at places to go to school for my first master's. She wasn't a partier, but I was. While walking around, looking for some bar that I wanted to go to, we ran across one that was having an open mic night. Auntie wanted to check it out; I wasn't sure about it. I figured we weren't having much luck my way, so why not?

"So we head inside; I order a drink. We're just listening, laughing, joking amongst ourselves. The announcer steps onto stage and notes that one performer couldn't make it, so they were going to open the stage up to anyone. I wasn't going to read anything. I was two drinks in by this point. I had hit a lull in writing and wasn't producing anything I felt particularly proud of; the stars did not feel too aligned for me. But she insisted, and insisted, and insisted. Finally, I get my hips out my seat and walk up to the mic. I can hear her cheering in the crowd, shouting my name, "Whoa, go Harlowe!'' She imitates in a quieter whisper, as the sound comes flooding back to her eardrums. Nikau watches the far way look taking over his mother's eyes. Her fingers are still brushing over his back but slowing.

"I get up and read a few pieces. It goes better than I anticipated though. What I hadn't realized is that someone in the crowd was particularly intrigued by me." Nikau looks across to Calum, raising his eyebrows at his dad. Calum returns the gesture with an added wink.  "I walked up to the bar to get another drink. The place is kind of packed, so it took a minute before anyone ever even saw me standing there. As I'm waiting to be seen, someone slides up next to me. I don't think much of it, maybe they're just ordering a drink too. So I wait for a moment and then they start talking to me. 'I really liked your work.'" Harlowe lowers her voice to imitate Calum's grovel and cadence. She fails of course. But it matters not how accurate she is. Calum laughs at the attempt. She continues on. "I have no clue who it is until I look up. Lo and behold, it is Calum freaking Hood, talking to me."

"Did you almost have a heart attack?" Nikau acts with a chuckle.

"I surely did! I knew who he was; I had listened to the band's music. But never in my twenty-four years did I think that I would run into him. I try to play it cool, ya know? I can't let him know that I'm freaking out on the inside."

"She failed horribly," Calum interjects.

"Are you telling the story or am I?" Harlowe asks. Calum holds his hands up in surrender. "I tried to play it cool, right. We talk for a little bit; I tell him I'm just visiting and a bunch of other stuff; he even pays for my drink. Such a gentleman. It's flirty, but nothing serious. I go back to the table where Auntie and I are sitting and we flip out. Our night is coming to a close and before we can stand from our table; Calum comes back over. I am flustered, thinking, What does the likes of him want with the likes of me? I wasn't anything special, just a girl looking to have some fun in the little three, four days I had out in California."

Calum speaks up again. "You were hot and clearly talented. I wanted a lot to do with you."

"Gross, Dad" Esha huffs. "That's just gross."

"What happened next?" Nikau asks.

"We exchanged numbers. He told me and I quote, 'Call me if you want to see more than just the flashing lights of LA.' And I knew exactly what he meant."

"And you fell for that, Mom? I am disappointed."

Harlowe laughs, looking over to see Esha with Pepper's head in her lap. "Let a hot guy with tattoos and a leather jacket approach you with the prettiest eyes you've ever seen, you'll fall for whatever bullshit that falls out of his mouth too."

"That's twenty-cent," she reprimands. The swear jar has long stood in the family but is never seriously used once the kids got older. "But just because he was in a band and famous doesn't mean you should've fallen for that line."

"What line should I have jumped his bones with then? "Hey, wanna come see my band" is that the line I should've fallen for?"

Esha scrunches up her face. "Okay, that just sounds pretentious. I'm so glad you didn't use that line, Dad. Kudos to you. But I still can't believe how easy it was."

Harlowe smiles. "Let someone with tattoos and a leather jacket come home with you. We'll test just how easy it is."

"Oh, that's so not fair. It's different now."

"Time may be different, but I assure you people are not."

Esha laughs, "So I totally shouldn't tell you all about Jen then."

"Oh we'd love to hear about Jen," Calum teases.

"Mom's story first," Nikau protests. "And then Esha."

"I've done it to myself," Esha says.

Harlowe continues on. "Now where was I? I called the next day. And well, that's kind of it. We became friends, of sorts. I wound up going to school out there too the next year. We dated, for a long time. Had Te Koha, got married, then Esha came along, moved to Sydney and then we had you. And now here we are."

"It can't be that simple," he pouts.

Calum reaches over. Nikau carefully climbs over Harlowe into Calum's lap. Jack curled up into his Calum's side long ago, freeing up his hands for the moment. "Me and your mom had our issues and fights. But at the end of the day, it all leads back to this, the five of us being a family, not including the dogs."

"It's hard to picture the two of you not being my parents. Or fighting. You guys don't fight. Like you get mad, but I've never seen a fight," he insists.

"I'm a lot mellower now," Harlowe says. "With Te Koha, it was way different. We were still working on other issues. It might not have always been the prettiest sight for him." She hopes Koha knows she'd take it all back. She'd redo everything if she knew then what she knows now.

Calum nudges her. "They're not shouting matches if I didn't yell back." There's a shit-eating grin on his face.

"I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But you aren't either."

He nods. "She's right," he addresses Nikau. "I wasn't perfect nearly 25 years ago, and I'm not perfect now. But I am better, so is she. Besides, we're too old and tired to argue anymore."

"Mom could probably argue in her sleep," Esha interrupts.

"Not proud of that," Harlowe admits. She's had to get better about voicing herself without yelling. A hard trait from her childhood having always felt like she was looked over. "But I'm much older. I've been a parent for a lot longer. That was hard being a first time parent and then your fiance is gone most of the day, or for months at a time. You almost feel like you're alone. It gets to you; I'm hard-headed and stubborn too like Papa Bear. He tried to get me to move here when we found out Esha was coming. But I was terrified. My parents couldn't really help being on the other side of the country; his parents were halfway across the globe. I was terrified of having to find work at a new university. After a year or two after Esha was born, I felt like I was going insane it felt like. I needed help, a lot of help. We tried therapist after therapist, eventually, I broke down. It was bad. I felt like such a horrible mom."

It hurts less now to admit that, Harlowe thinks. It's just the truth of the matter. The reality she was matched with.

"You're a good mom," Nikau counters.

"Thank you, baby. But I'm okay. It was just the truth of my situation. I'm better now. Besides, I ever tell you, you were a miracle baby."

He shakes his head. "No."

"Yeah, you are. I had a lot of problems when I was pregnant with Esha; delivery was an ordeal. Doctors told me it was a miracle that I lived, others were telling me I would never get pregnant again. It was a lot. I wanted three kids, so badly. So, so, so badly. It was rough, a lot of trips to the doctors. Eventually I just felt useless, unfit. When I finally broke down to Papa Bear in that bathtub, he knew he had to do something. We sold the house in LA, moved in a temporary place back on the east coast. My family helped me, but it was still kind of stressful. Eventually we moved here, found a therapist that was right for me.

"I was still fighting to see if I would have a third kid. Even the doctors here thought it was a coin toss. Nothing seemed to be working. I had truly given up hope. I was thankful and so happy for Koha and Esha, but it still hurt that I wouldn't have that third baby. I kinda stopped going to appointments; wasn't taken the medicine like I should've. Things had just gotten better but also worse. I thought I was pregnant at one point. But I just couldn't bear going to the doctor's for them to tell me it was all in my head. Grandma Joy dragged me to a doctor's appointment after rescheduling and rescheduling and putting it off. She kept telling me that something was happening if only I'd go to the doctors. I just didn't believe it."

"But she was right?" Esha asks.

Harlowe nods. "Of course she was, when isn't she? She asked the doctors to do an ultrasound; she seemed so nervous and excited. I was holding my breath. I was praying I had imagined anything. And then there you were, on the screen." She gently taps the end of Nik's nose. "Inside my belly. I cried, like bawling, sobbing. Snot running. Joy and I were a fucking mess. Calum walked in and I knew it was real. "

"Forty cents," Nik says sternly.

"Sir, yes, sir. I'll get right on that."

"I'm sorry you went through all that Momma." Nikau's cheeks are flushed with tears.

She kisses his forehead. "Don't be; it gave me you."

"Damn, now I'm crying," Esha huffs before walking over to Harlowe. She slides in next to her mother on the couch, head slotting in space between chest and shoulder.

"That's twenty cents, missy," Harlowe laughs. Sissy pops her head up. "Not you, baby. Not you."

"Does Te Koha know about this?" she asks.

"Yeah, he knows. He asked too many questions for us not to tell him," Calum offers with a laugh. The silence lingers for a while before it's broken.

"Esha your turn," Nik says.

She groans. Why did she open her big fat mouth? "She's just a friend right now."

"With tattoos and a leather jacket?" Harlowe asks. Esha can hear the tease dripping from the words.

"I reserve the right not to incriminate myself," she returns. To redirect from her embarrassment, Nikau suggests a movie. Everyone agrees. Harlowe knows that soon though, Nika will be fast asleep. Not before long, his head drops, startling him until he drops into Calum's chest.

"Out like a light," Calum whispers.

After the movie, Nikau's placed into bed. Esha heads out to a friend's house for a party. The house is silent. The dogs are sleep too. Harlowe falls across the bed, releasing a sigh. Calum lies across the mattress, arms draping across her. His torso is bare. She can see some of the tattoo on his ribcage. It's one of the old poems she wrote about him when they first started dating. He got it tattooed about a year ago. Fans have speculated what it is, but neither of them have confirmed it. There's no real need.She runs her fingers up his arms, tracing over the black ink. "You know you're an awesome mum right?" he asks in a whisper.

"I try. That's all I can do."

He finds her forehead, a stretch upwards before planting several kisses. "And you do very well. I'm so proud of you. So," he punctuates the word with a kiss. "So. So. Proud. I know it's not been easy, but with every battle you made it out on the other side."

"I had your help. You were there. You literally are the reason I'm still fucking alive. If you hadn't have moved us, I don't think I would still be walking this earth."

"You're strong. You still would be."

"Listen to me," she starts, sitting up, his arm falls to her lap. "I literally would not be right now in front of you. I felt so alone and so useless but you were there, the entire time. You helped me help myself and that honestly makes me so grateful to have you."

Tears are collecting on his lower lash line. "I saw your hurt; I saw your pain." He sniffles as she brushes the tears from his cheeks. "I had to do something. That's all I was thinking, I can't lose my wife. My kids can't lose their mother. I didn't care if I had to fight hell or high water; I was going to help you whatever way I could. I am so thankful to wake up next to you every day, even when you roast me and nag me. I'm just so grateful you are here. You could've left me 23 years ago. You should've left me; I was being such an asshole, cutting you off like that. But you fucking stayed. You stuck it out through harassment, online hate, rumors. God, the rumors," he sobs into her thighs.

"Sshh, it's okay." She knows what he's referring too. A lot of nasty comments were said when it got publicized that she was pregnant with Koha before any type of engagement or marriage. Calum proposed a few weeks later, after being nervous for months. A lot of people attacked them saying that he only proposed because he didn't want his children to have a broken home. That one tore him apart; he flew back at the comment with a huge paragraph about how much he loved Harlowe and wanted to do right by her. For some it worked, for others, even after decades of being together, they're not convinced.

"Breathe, baby." His shoulders shake beneath her fingertips. "Hey." She tries to coax him up. The cotton of her shorts become wet, her thighs damp with his tears. Her fingers gently scratch over his scalp and nape of this neck. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm right here."

It's a few minutes before Calum collects himself and sits up. She grabs the tissues for the nightstand and wipes his face and nose. "I cannot and will not let you slip through my fingers like that again."

Her focus is locked in on cleaning his face. But Harlowe nods. "I know. I believe you."

"Your shorts," he sighs.

"My shorts literally do not matter. C'mon." They walk into the bathroom. The water drips into the porcelain sink basin, and over the washcloth. He leans against the counter, fingers playing at the hem of her shirt. "I love you; I am in love with you. I am not going to stop love you. It's a choice I am happy to make over and over again."

"I love you too." Harlowe presses the damp cloth to his puffy cheeks. She has never and will never get over how much she can pinch and squeeze them. Right now is not the time though. She restrains herself. "I am in love with you. I have never stop loving you and will never. Even when you're dead and gone, I will love you and nag you for leaving me alone with three kids and three dogs!"

Calum pulls the damp washcloth from my hands and wraps his arms around my waist. "I give you every right to nag me when I'm dead. Though I can't promise I can defend myself." Calum spins us, so I'm up against the counter. He cleans her thighs.

"You do realize I've had piss, shit, blood, and vomit on me. Mother of three kids. Snot is the least of my worries."

"I know," he grins, tossing her a clean pair of shorts from inside the bedroom. "I really just wanted to see your ass jiggle as you change."

"All you have to do is ask. It's not like you have to make excuses anymore."

"It's more fun to make excuses."

Before stepping in the clean shorts, she makes a dramatic show of shaking her bottom in his face. Calum laughs. That's his wife. But he wouldn't have it any other way. It would be boring if she weren't the way she was, if she weren't so loud and boisterious. If she weren't willing to fight every instinct that tells her she's a bad mother. Calum realizes his life, while it tried and tested him, is full because his heart is full.

Harlowe struggles just a little to get the shorts up. Three kids have given Harlowe the hips of her mother, but she does her best to keep in shape. Her body before was long gone after Esha and after Nikau she hasn't bothered trying to chase the old photographs. She settles for just being healthy. That's all she needs to keep up with a 10-year-old now.

She was nervous though after having Te Koha that Calum wouldn't find her as attractive. Her skin had already started to sag just a little, the stretch marks lined her body aggressively. There was no hiding it. Sometimes there was shame, staring her in the mirror. It was shame telling her to she needed what was before. But Calum was always there, always a voice to break through the clouds.

"Let's watch Moana again," Calum suggests, arms encasing her waist. He walks them back to the bed, lips ghosting over the skin of her neck.

"If you fall asleep, I'm taking video and putting it on twitter. And it doesn't get deleted this time. Deal?"

"Deal." They climb into bed and she huddles into his side. Their family watches Moana or Black Panther as a pick me up movie. Koha and Esha were obsessed with Moana, especially after Calum surprised the kids by dressing up as Maui. Nikau was hooked after his first viewing. There are have many videos of Calum with the kids wrapped around him as he sings.

Barely half an hour into the movie, snores hit the air. She called it and with a shake of her head, she finds her phone. Calum, once a rock when he slept, has become more of a lighter sleeper since having the kids. She's grateful that reaching across to her nightstand doesn't wake up. With the camera trained on him, she films for a few seconds. The snores are clear as they escae him.  

Twitter is a hot buzz of activity. Her mentions are littered with her and Calum's handle. It's not unusual for the pair. But Harlowe can see something has happened. She only spends a few minutes to draft the tweet before scrolling the mass of tweets.

Calum's new twitter&insta bio are the fucking cutest, one user gushes. She clicks onto Calum's profile. It takes a second before the full profile loads. Bassist in 5 Seconds Of Summer. Dog father of 3. Human father of 3. Husband to Harlowe. "Speak--" Tears fill her vision for a second. His now matches her, for the most part. She avoided added his name when she said wife leaving it at the capital C. The thing that really gets her is the last part. It's part of the poem he tattooed onto his ribs. She wrote in a buzz, watching him and the band work one day.

They hadn't been officially dating. Though everyone called them the old people couple. It was a testament that still rings true for them. She told Calum that she felt like his soul was blue and not in a bad way. He just had a calming aura about him. He didn't talk a whole lot. But he did have things to say. He just always wanted to make sure that his words were properly together first before he spoke.

Harlowe wanted him to just speak. She watched the way his brows knitted together, his eyes flickering between Michael and Luke discussing the progression. It was like he wanted to say something but was holding it back. She rushed to grab a piece of scrap paper from the center table, amongst all the scribbles of their ideas. She grabbed Calum's pen from his hand and started writing. The letters were sloppy, too big and not fully formed. It slanted down the page because it lacked lines.

Calum was shocked by her sudden outburst, the pen being snatched from his hand. But he could see her wheels turning, how she couldn't get the words down fast enough. He didn't say anything. Harlowe just wanted to him to speak; she could feel the words he was not saying. She was feeling words that she couldn't say but wanted too. It overflowed onto three pages worth.

Harlowe's phone buzzes, snapping her back to reality. It's a text from Esha. Then another one comes through before it shakes with her contact photo lighting up the screen. "Is everything okay?" she asks. There's more panic in her voice than she likes.

Calum reaches out, awake when he heard the first text come through. He thought it was his phone.

"Nothing's wrong, Mom. Did you see Dad's new bios?" The background is loud. Her voice is just barely reaching over the receiver.

She exhales, squeezing Calum's hand. "I just did. Also, I didn't think you kept up with your old parents."

"I have to," she laughs. "I have to help keep you guys hip. But did you see his reply?"

"Reply to what?"

"He replied to someone, Ma. Go to his profile. Swipe to the left to see his tweets and replies. That hasn't changed in the decades twitter has been around."

"I'll check it. Do you need one of us to stay up and grab you after the party?"

"Mom, I'm like three blocks away. I'll be okay."

"Girl, does it-"

"Besides," she interrupts. "Madeline drove here and she's a few beers in. I took her car keys. I'll walk back with her."

"There's plenty of leftovers. If you text me before you leave, I can heat them up for you two."

"Okay. I'll be back by 1 at the latest. Love you."

"Love you too. Be safe and text me!" The call ends; Harlowe is sure Esha didn't hear her.

"Esha?" Calum questions.

Harlowe nods. "Madeline is spending the night, drunk I suspect. Also, you fell asleep. The video is already posted."

"Go figure."

"She called gushing about some twitter activity on your part." Harlowe swipes over, as instructed, to his replies tab. There it is, the recent reply that reads, Raising 3 kids, 3 dogs & keeping my wife happy was a lot more important than my social media. But I figured it was about time that I updated it.

Harlowe scrolls up to see the original tweet, It's been how long? And Calum finally remembered how to update his twitter bio.

Calum pretends to be interested on something on his phone when Harlowe looks up to him. She kneels on the bed, phone dropping to the mattress between then. Her lips are soft against his cheek, then his temple, and finally sealing over his lips. "Have I told you I love you today?"

"Once or twice," he grins. His kiss is short, though his hands travel to her thighs and squeeze. Blindly in their kiss, Calum sets his phone onto the nightstand next to his side. Harlowe straddles his waist, sinking slowly down onto his lap. The boxer briefs and cotton shorts are a thin barrier between them.

____

The house alarm beeps, calling out that the front door has opened. Calum is slow to move his hands away from Harlowe's heat. But she pushes at his bicep. "It's probably Esha."

"I never heard a text come in." His lips ghost over her collarbones.

"Well it sure as hell wasn't Nik sneaking out and back in."

Calum moves off her when she pushes at him again. The alarm clocks read an angry red 12:30.  There's no doubt Esha is not sober. Harlowe uses the bathroom first, door open. There is little need to close it because Calum comes in to wash his hands, gargling quickly with mouthwash.

"Alright, so good cop bad cop our drunk daughter and her friend or just good cop this?" he laughs. The answer is obvious but he knows his wife. She's worried because there was no text. Before sliding into underwear and robes, Calum stops Harlowe, her face already contorting.

"She made it home. That's all that matters."

"I know. I'm a worrywart."

"It's alright. You care." Listening from the top of the stair, the house fills with giggling and Esha shushing. As they descend Harlowe sees Madeline falling into Esha; Esha's using the wall to help take some of the weight off her.

"Sorry I didn't text," Esha sighs. Her eyes are a little glassy, but she doesn't seem too far gone. "I got too caught up in that last game of beer pong. But we fucking won!"

Harlowe hooks Madeline's other arm around her shoulders. "I'm proud. So naked lap for you guys?"

"Hi Mrs. Hood," Madeline giggles.

"No ma'am. You ain't raise a quitter," Esha says.

"Was Jen there?" Calum asks, working on heating up the leftovers for them.

"She left early," Esha pouts. There's a moments pause as both women settle Madeline into the chair. Esha collapses into the seat next to her. "She had an amazing perfume on. We need to go to the mall. I need it."

"Looks like it was a fun party," Harlowe laughs.

Esha rests her head against the wood of the table. "This is so cool. I thought I was melting for a second."

She's definitely drunker than Harlowe and Calum figured. But she's still mostly coherent. Always a good sign. Harlowe grabs both of them an extra tall glass and filling it up with water. "Drink up, girls. You're going to need it."

"Thanks, Mrs. Hood," Madeline giggles, bringing the glass to her lips. Esha stares at her glass for a moment before lifting it to her lips.

. "Good night girls," Calum states. "Be sure to drink some more water before calling it in."

"Your parents are so cute together," Madeline says, a tad loud. It carries up the stairs.

"Ssh! Nik's sleeping," Esha shushes. "But thanks. They're disgusting together sometimes."

"You only say that because you're jealous."

"It's all fun and cute until you see hickeys on your mom's neck and you know your dad put them there," she scoffs.

Calum laughs, too loudly. Harlowe ducks, arms pushed into Calum's back to get him into their bedroom. They might still be visible. Though it would be a miracle for either girl to notice their own hands right in front of them.  "You could've blown our cover," Harlowe reprimands. "You'd make a horrible spy."

"Good thing my job is to be a dad and not a spy."

"Did you ever sneak around behind your parents back? God, your sneak skills are terrible."

"Never had to, really."

"Count your blessings."

"I'm counting on a lot more," his voice drops as he pulls his shirt over his head.

"Yeah, Z's because I'm tired and you're a terrible spy."

As he turns around, Harlowe notices the scratch marks she left from earlier. "Z's it is then," he chuckles, settling onto the bed and patting the spot next to him.