#So proud of Paige and Emma

[cairavende]

Worm Arc 6 thoughts:

Holy shit what an arc.

ABB is brought down, Lung is in the Birdcage. I'm sure the Birdcage will keep it's escape proof status forever and he will never be a problem again.

Some great Chatterbug moments. I'm still team Wolfspider if I had to pick one, but I don't see a reason I have to pick one.

LazyTown call out. The second "pink wig" and "pirate" were said I was pulling up the YouTube video.

Nothing like spending time putting IKEA furniture together with a cute boy. IKEA, the true furniture of romance.

Brian's sister is fun. I expect we'll get to see a lot more of her. Hope she gets a cool power.

The fucking attack on the gala OH MY GOD! Just coming in through the fucking roof, taking out most of the opposition in seconds. Christ they went all in.

I hope Emma got stung a lot. I'm pretty sure Sophia is Shadow Stalker (though not positive) so I hope she got stung too.

Taylor fucking figuring out how to get them all out of there? How to beat Polearm Man? Fucking jumping under the halberd to prevent the bug zapper from happening? Goading him? Ok so tossing the halberd off the roof didn't end up being as useful as she hoped, but still! THAT'S MY FUCKING GIRL!

I did enjoy watching Metalstick McGee get the absolute shit kicked out of him in the parking garage. (Can you tell I never liked the guy?)

Dauntless could empower literally anything. Fucking ANYTHING. And he just went for a standard spartan getup. So boring OMG. Get a whip or a super-soaker or fucking anything interesting god damn.

Did not expect Coil to be the secret boss, caught me off guard. His powerset is pretty interesting. I hope he isn't too horrible of a person.

Holy fuck the scene with Taylor's dad. Fucking locking her in the room to force a confrontation. God damn. He clearly does care about her but man does he not do the right thing to show it. My man fucked the hell up. Lisa to the rescue though, all the more reason for her to be one of my favorites.

Taylor finally lets herself just be a supervillain! YAAAAAYYYY! Go get em champ, make mommy proud!

Interlude thoughts - Well it sure fucking sucks to be Paige don't it.

[env0]

God all the alumni in this episode of degrassi is amazing.

Liberty, Emma, spinner, Sav, Peter stone, Craig, Manny mention, Holly j Sinclair, Paige. Marco!!

Also the protest is so on brand. The kids of degrassi being loud and proud and banding together against the school and the system.

It's on brand.

[kazoosandfannypacks]

"Open to Interpretation" by kazoosandfannypacks

Chapter 16/16: Epilogue- Reinterpretation Pairing: CaptainSwan Rating: General Chapter Word Count: (986/24K) Summary: Emma Swan is appalled at works by modern artist Killian Jones- until a handsome stranger convinces her otherwise- and after introducing himself as the artist in question, he invites her out on a date. As their relationship develops, they find that they might not be as different from each other as originally though. Chapter Summary: Killian's painting at the Nolan Blanchard Art Museum is unveiled. Tags: au, fluff, captain swan, modern au Author's notes: This has been such an exciting journey. When I think that this was originally just a silly little oneshot from a silly little prompts list... I'm not gonna get all emotional, but I want to thank everyone whose enthusiasm and excitement over this fic has gotten me through to the end of it. I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have! Taglist: @zahara @kmomof4 @jonesfandomfanatic @booksteaandtoomuchtv @jrob64 @tiganasummertree @anmylica @teamhook @undercaffinatednightmare @gingerchangeling @lonelyspectator @caught-in-the-filter @ultraluckycatnd @cs-rylie @pirateprincessofpizza @lfh1226-linda @pawshapedheart  [if you'd like to be added to or removed from this list, hmu in my dms or askbox!]

Also on Ao3!

 Killian's residency at the Nolan Blanchard ended a year later, with the unveiling of the painting the museum had commissioned him for. His brother came up to see the unveiling, along with Uncle Nemo and Paige, the latter of whom was more than "just" a friend of Liam's by this point. August and the new Mrs. Booth came by to support him as well, along with the Nolans- and their new infant son.

 But Killian, admittedly, didn't care one iota about whether or not those people were here for the celebration- and if he did, he didn't care nearly as much as he did that Emma was there- today was a day to celebrate her too.

 On his way to his wing, Killian saw his girlfriend, staring at a new painting that had recently been put on display in the museum.

 "I can't believe this Emma Swan has a painting in this museum now," Killian teased, as he came up behind her.

 "Why not?" Emma asked, with a playful smile as they stood in front of her newly recommissioned painting of "Small."

 "Because it's just one painting. She deserves a whole gallery of her paintings, so everyone can see her talent," Killian smiled as he put his arm around her, "though none of the masterpieces could ever live up to their artist."

 "Or her boyfriend, for that matter," Emma nudged him.

 "You've got that right, love," he kissed her forehead.

 They walked into his wing together, where his new painting hung behind a large sheet. There were cameras and a few other people around as well as Killian's guests, all waiting for Killian to unveil his masterpiece.

 "Go get 'em, tiger," Emma said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

 As Mr. Nolan announced him to the group, Killian didn't feel as nervous as usual- though maybe that was just because he was comparing how terrifying this would be with what he was planning on doing afterwards.

 "I want to thank you all for coming out here today," Killian said, "and while I don't want to keep you all waiting too long when there's refreshments in a moment, I'd like to give a few brief words. When I partnered with the Nolan Blanchard a year ago, I was a mess. My life was empty, sad, and lonely. During my time here, I got to know some pretty cool people- Mr. and Mrs. Nolan, who've become like family to me, and my beautiful girlfriend Emma. This piece, hopefully, reflects that."

 He pulled off the tarp off the canvas to reveal a painting he was rather proud of. It featured two hearts- anatomical hearts- one bright red, though cracked and bruised in a couple places, but with a glow coming from behind it. The heart next to it was in perfect condition, but was gray and dusty, and had metal bars like a jail cell across it.

 "Sometimes we go through so much hurt that we don't think we can keep going," he pointed at the farther, grayed heart, "we think we'll do better if we avoid breaking our hearts, so we avoid even using them, and instead we let them wither away in their pristine condition."

 He then pointed at the closer heart, the cracked and glowing one.

 "But if we use our hearts- if we let ourselves risk getting them hurt- they'll flourish, and thrive, and keep beating. We have to let people in- we have to love. Too often we think 'my heart's too broken to love again-' but that's how you know you can love again. If it can be broken, it means it still works- and the more we use our broken heart, the sooner we can heal it."

 Killian nodded and stepped away from the painting as those watching started clapping. He crossed paths with Mr. Nolan, whom he assumed would give him a handshake but instead gave him a hug.

 Mr. Nolan then dismissed everyone for refreshments, August and Belle especially making sure everyone cleared out of the room quickly- and August giving Killian a thumbs up, as he was the last one out besides Killian and Emma.

 "We probably better get down there if we want there to be refreshments left for us," Emma said.

 "Wait," Killian said, taking her hand, "I have something to ask you about first."

 "What is it?" Emma asked.

 "When we first started out, our relationship was open to our interpretation," Killian said, his throat drying up as he fished around in his pocket, "and then you agreed to be my girlfriend, and now," he half chuckled, "I want to reinterpret us. I don't want you to be my girlfriend anymore," and he pulled a little box out of his pocket, and he got down on one knee, and he opened the box to reveal a ring, "I want you to be my wife instead," he gulped, "Emma Swan, will you marry me?"

 Killian wished he could capture her face in that moment on canvas. Sure, he always wished for that, but never more than when he looked up at her on his knees in his gallery, like a ship looking up to its lighthouse, drawn in by the smile beaming on her face.

 "Yes," Emma said, "yes, I'd love to!"

 Killian smiled as well, all of his fear melting away at her excitement. Energy coursing his veins, he slipped the ring onto her finger, and she helped him up, off of the ground and into her arms.

 Emma smiled down at the ring on her finger, then back up at Killian.

 "Permission to kiss the masterpiece?" Emma asked.

 Killian bit his lip, never having been more in love with her than he was in that moment- but knowing that love would continue to grow with every moment he spent at her side.

 "Aye, love," he said, as they drew their lips together, "permission granted."

[storiesaremylife]

Teaser 1

A/N: This is an introduction to some of the characters in my TSC future AU, some were created by my friends but most were made by me. My ask box is always open, so let me know your thoughts, questions, and who you think I should do next.

Clary refused to admit Jace won. 

Others may have said it wasn’t a competition, but it totally was and Clary lost. It was all the more bitter that she didn’t so much mind the loss, as it had changed her life for the better. Never as a teenager would she have imagined she’d end up here, her heart this full, her home this… loud. 

Three kids. That was the compromise. Jace wanted eight, Clary wanted one, so they’d agreed on three. No more, no less. Marriage was, after all, all about compromise. 

She was thinking about all of this as she moved through the Institute late one August night, checking on each of their sleeping children. Clary pushed open the door to the first room, the one that used to be Izzy’s, and wondered not for the first time how she could have produced such a daughter. 

Gabrielle Celine Herondale, whose first word had been “sparkle” and whose bedroom was decorated with so much pink and frills that teenage Clary would have gagged. However, she felt nothing but pride, knowing Bri had made that comforter herself. Her eldest daughter would be eighteen next month and had been showing interest in running the Institute after her parents’ retirement. She had such confidence. The only evidence of herself Clary saw in Bri came from the desk in her room that was littered in sketchbooks. Even her looks: her hair was more orange-pink than red, her eyes green but speckled through with gold. 

Not that her next child was any more similar, Clary thought as she peaked into the next room. While it was more blue than pink and sleek than frilly, it still far more a girl’s room than Clary ever had. Posters of famous Mundane teenagers were tacked up alongside those of famous ballets. Emma Lucine Herondale, who was two days shy of her seventeenth birthday. Emmie probably worried Clary the most. She seemed to have no interest in the Shadowhunter lifestyle these past few years, which was fine except she’d begun to alienate her friends and family at the same time. Even her best friend, Micah, seemed to be held at arm’s length. 

Unlike her elder sister, though, there was no doubt Clary’s genes ran through Emmie’s veins. While tall, proud, and beautiful like her father, she had Fairchild eyes. And her hair… her hair fell in long, near white curls. Like her cousin, Ash. Like Ash’s father. 

The next three rooms were nearly interchangeable as far as who slept in them. The first two were across the hall from each other, and for the last fourteen years there had been many sleepless nights thanks to the doors opening and closing.

The first belonged to their third child, the one Clary had assumed would be the last. The perfect three, the goal, and another girl. But when Brother Enoch had come in and announced that their three was actually four, that they would be having twins… well it was that moment that Clary knew she had lost. 

The room itself wasn’t changed much from the standard Institute bedroom. It was however… a mess. Papers and books littered almost every surface, and those they didn’t were littered in clothes. She could hardly see her daughter– Aurora Paige Herondale, better known as Rory– through the multitude of blankets and pillows stacked on her bed. Looks and personality wise, Rory was certainly the one most like her mother: fiery red hair, introverted, small build. Her twin was pretty much the polar opposite of her. 

Aiden James Herondale. Julian Blackthorn had jokingly called them the Blaze Twins, both because their names meant dawn and fire (respectively), and because of the way the pair tended to blaze their way through every Institute they’ve ever visited, Aiden in the lead. 

As much as Rory was like Clary, Aiden was a miniature Jace. He had those gold curls Clary loved, that sarcastic troublemaker grin, and the charm that got him out of that same trouble. Something did keep the twins from being perfect clones. Clary remembered when their eye color had settled, the confusion both she and Jace had had, the sadly fond looks Tessa and Jem had given the babies. She just couldn’t fathom how *her* babies ended up with *Alec’s* eyes.  

Aiden’s room was also the opposite of Rory’s with that same obsessive neatness Clary had never really understood about his father. It was also stacked wall to wall with books. Two full walls were dedicated solely to bookshelves, and there was a neat stack of them by his bedside. There were books of sheet music and comics on his desk, along with a few loose papers of what he was working on at the moment. 

After the twins, Clary was done. She’d agreed to three. She’d had three pregnancies. She’d ended up with four kids, which was four more than she’d ever pictured herself with when she was younger. And Jace had agreed. They had their beautiful family. They were happy. 

It was about 8 years later. Clary smiled at the memory as she pushed open the third door, the room with almost as many instruments as the music room itself. Jace had been on business in Wales, while Clary had been attending a local crisis: Emmie had taken some of Bri’s clothes and gotten them dirty. He’d returned a mess. He’d told her all about a boy he’d met in Swansea, whose eyes had reminded Jace of himself at that age. 

They knew about the process intimately, thanks to Rafe. There had been a lot of traveling back and forth between New York and Swansea, lots of fine print needed, but they’d had a new addition to their family: Rhys Morgan Rainwind, now Rhys Herondale. They’d been a bit worried, as he was only two months older than the twins, but the three of them immediately took to each other, referring to themselves now as triplets.

That should have been it. It really should have been. Ironic, honestly, for the girl who created the birth control rune to be the one to find out it wasn’t *one hundred percent* effective. 

The last room belonged to their youngest. Marylyn Stephanie Herondale, who would be four later that year. Her room now was decorated in a soft pink, filled with books and stuffed animals that her many siblings and family members felt she just *had* to have. She had blond curls like Jace, and green eyes like Clary, and the stubbornness and attitude of both of them combined. Mare could be anything when she grew up, and Clary had no doubt that she would be. Her daughter. Her baby.

So. Six. The agreement had been three, but of course nothing ever went the way Clary planned it. And of course, Jace won. And Clary couldn’t really bring herself to mind. So really, all was as it had always been. Clary closed the door and headed back to the room where her husband was already sleeping, looking forward to what tomorrow might bring. 

[scarr-stuff]

That Didn't Work For Me . . .

This year, I DNF'd more books than previous years. And I'm proud of myself for that! However, based on how many books I finished but didn't enjoy, I would like to see more DNFing in 2023.

As far as books that didn't work for me - some of these are just books I did not like, and some are books I personally think have problematic messaging. If you enjoyed any or all of these books that’s okay! We should have different tastes and preferences. Also, reading journeys (should) change your opinions about books you've previously read. There are many books I read years ago that I loved and raved about but if I were to read them now, I likely would not have the same opinion - for a variety of reasons. And there are books you just like regardless of your growth as a reader, and that is okay, too. By the Hour by Roni Loren - this is by far the biggest offender I read this year and I will never, ever read another book by this author. I disagree with the messages of the book. (context, the MMC worked as an escort for years but no longer is one when the mc's meet. He now works as a sex surrogate for patients). Anyway the FMC did not respect the MMC's surrogacy job until he was physically assaulted during a session with a patient. Another issues is how the book seems to say sex workers are only doing sw until they find something better and we should encourage them to pursue other careers effectively removing their agency. On top of that is the MMC's shitty understanding of consent - which is weird considering he is supposedly used to frequent sex clubs and is "in" the BDSM lifestyle.

This genre is often hostile to sex work/ers and kinksters - dehumanizing these people by using them and their lifestyles as props for "spicy" content. Like, these are real people and in the case of sw'ers, a group so marginalized that, at best, people find them and the work they do distasteful and, at worst, morally reprehensible and unworthy of their humanity. There are authors who can write these experiences really well, and those are the ones I will read. In 2023, I pledge to no longer read books that do not take seriously the rights and humanity of sex workers. Sustained by Emma Chase - this was an example of folks I follow loving something (it has to be nostalgia!) and me hating it lol. From the get-go, I knew this book wasn't for me. The MMC was a douche and all the friends were mean. I should have dnf’d this! Alas I am a coward. Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole - I have read 4 books in this series and none of them worked for me. I read Hunger Like No Other years ago and despised it so much I never went back. And it wasn't just the non-consent for me, it was the bad writing. Last year and this year I decided to give the series another go. Although the books I read were better than HLNO, they weren't good. I think Kresley's writing doesn't work for me as I've tried to read books by her outside of IAD and had a similar experience. I own Dark Desires After Dusk so I'm gonna try it; but if it doesn't work for me, I will abandon this series for good. A Twitter friend said this series is on life support lol and after only 4 books read, I agree.

Rock Hard by Nalini Singh - This was not great eek! The FMC has experienced trauma in her life and the mmc spends the entire book attempting to grift that trauma into getting his dick wet. I’ve read books where one MC has had similar traumatic experiences and the love interest doesn’t attempt to bang the trauma out of the person. So yea this just didn’t work for me.

Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore - The MCs did not fit well together and they basically disliked one another so much that I just could not believe their pairing. I will say, the role-playing sex scene was very good.

The Dirty Duet by Laurelin Paige - as I said in my GR review for this duet, "these books were free of charge, but they were not good." Or they were not good for me! Rough sex with a virgin, bullying, rich people being mean, etc.

One Moment Please by Amy Daws - Amy Daws books are anti-abortion. In every book of hers I have read that included a pregnancy (always unplanned) the pregnant character ALWAYS makes a point to stress they would NEVER, EVER have an abortion. I’ve read several of her books and I have no excuse for continuing to read even though I knew better.

Dominic by Elizabeth Amber - The book has two novellas and both were not great. The magical system didn't make sense and the sex throughout was non-consensual. I haven't read any of the other books and have no plan to. Also - the sexual language was laughable but like unintended - the woman in the first story referred to her vagina and butt as her nether throats ☠️☠️☠️

[sothischickshe]

I created and single-own the relationship tags Rio x Envelopes and Beth x Her Bourbon Glass on AO3 and I couldn't be more PROUD!!!!! 😂😇😍

(you did create this new ask game where ppl come and tell you what tags they invented, right?)

haha!!! wellllll i was actually contemplating a new tag game, but i applaud this initiative!!! <3 <3 <3

& those truly are fantastic tags, normally i think i hold my own with this game (i mean ive got rio/rio, dean boland & rio, beth boland/sleep, rio/dean's bathrobe AND amber dooley/ofc) but those are god-tier (as is dean boland & you which you inexplicably failed to mention?!)

in fact... P I V O T !

let me rec you some RARE rare ‘pair’ fics?!

(& also tut at basically everyone in this fandom including myself for not using the relationship tags on ao3 that fully, haha)

ao3 / tags

Hell Is Other People by @onemore-light technically isn’t the only fic tagged beth boland/rio/james fitzpatrick, butttt im pretty sure the other fic using said tag doesnt mean it (it’s also got beth boland/ruby hill/annie marks tagged and uh guyZ, i do not think that means what you think it means ha, but! i digress! my point: im counting this for being a single intentional use!). it’s SO creative and i love it!!!

the instigator by @inyoursheets likewise technically isnt the only fic tagged as beth boland/rio/rhea, but since the other one also uses the beth boland/ruby hill/annie marks tag im gonna apply the same logic. anyway: this fic!!!! yes.

Ain’t No Sunshine by @missmaxime is inexplicably the only beth boland/jim turner fic on ao3. also it’s so fricking good!!!

Come, let us march against the powers of heaven by @fairhairedkings (which is a fabulous ~brio ~reincarnation fic) is, im pretty sure, the only gg fic tagged as aphrodite/ares

You & Me Babe How About It is not in fact the only fic tagged as beth boland/debbie ocean, buttt since both fics are by @nakedmonkey im gonna ~cheat and count this ship singly anyway haha. an inspired pairing!!!!

And I’d have told you I was lonely too by @fairhairedkings is a great rio-was-johnny graceland/good girls crossover fic, and the only paige arkin/johnny tuturro fic in the gg tag

Rush by Azdaema is SOMEhow the only fic tagged beth boland/adrenaline????!?!?!??!?!!?

vile and yet devout by @inyoursheets is the first part of a very sexy brio grocery manager au (!!!!) and features background jt/annie marks/nancy (and is sadly the only fic using this tag)

Drop your defenses (and come into my arms) by @pynkhues is a magnificent mar(r)y pat/mick series!!! (ship of ships!!!) AND the first part is also tagged as boomer/pain, which is truly one of the most important gg ships

your thighs, my throne by ElasticElla is SOMEhow the only diane/phoebe donnegan fic?!!!

Falling for her incognito by @misshazelevers20 is the only fic tagged diane x rhea & it’s a lotta fun! (althoooo  listening through the airshaft by @mego42 (which is a fantastic multi-outsider pov fic about beth/rio) features rhea/diane!!!! and is that tagged thusly you ask? why no it is not)

Crush by @foxmagpie (which is a prequel piece for delinquents, and features silly sausage baby rio) is im pretty sure the only gg fic tagged original female character/original male character (which is uh...making me realise i def shouldve tagged one of my fics like that too, whoops ha)

gimme the dream by ElasticElla is the ONLY beth boland/amber dooley fic somehow!

Knock First by @bensonstablers is a v fun threesome fic, and the only one tagged as beth boland/rio/original male character(s)

ao3 & tags

Milkshakes by @bensonstablers (which is a LOVELY pre-canon beth/rio fic) is the only one tagged as emma boland & rio (although May The Moon’s Silvery Beams by @pynkhues is also deffo kinda an emma & rio fic i’d say?)

AITA for wanting to stop paying my wife’s “business partner” and yelling at her? by @lemoncupcake (which is!!! the most!!!! fun!!!!!!!!!!!) is the only fic tagged as dean boland & annie marks (one day im gonna add a fic to this tag though <3)

Like Icarus Who Flies to The Sun by kibasniper (which is great fitz pov) is the only fic tagged beth boland & james fitzpatrick

Earning her M.R.S. by oyhumbug (which i am obsessed with!!! it’s a high school au where beth & rio are the teachers!!! <3) is the only one tagged with: beth boland & judith boland, beth boland & original male character(s), beth boland & original female character(s) AND beth boland & ben marks!

Walk-Off by oyhumbug (which is a sweet baseball brio AU) is the only one tagged as: beth boland & sara hill (although ahem at the In Lumine chapter of Nest in the The Center and Circumference series by @pynkhues yknow), marcus & gretchen zorada, beth boland & gretchen zorada (side-eyeing more fics than i can be bothered to list haha)

Almost Checkmate by kibasniper is great creepy phoebe pov, and it’s the only phoebe donnegan & ruby hill fic

ao3 vs. tags

i don’t think there are any of these?! im not sure this is a relationship style you can tag on ao3?! what gives, beth vs. rio is the ship of ships!!!!

tumblr-only fic (for now, grr)

I don’t think there IS any beth/phoebe tag tagged fic on ao3, but! there is a great phoebe pov beth/phoebe tumblr ficlet from @nakedmonkey (put it up on ao3 too though you monster?!)

never say never by @foxmagpie does not YET include any beth/rio/diane BUT here’s a sneak peak!

the untagged

Show Me by @janejoens isn’t tagged as beth boland/rio/original female character(s), but also that kiiiinda is what’s going on? also, it’s excellent, as is the entire series!

Working On Things by odenkirk is not tagged as beth boland/dean boland/rio(/phone) but i think that’s a reassssonably accurate description of the dynamic?! also, it’s incredible!

Touch (without leaving a trace) by @sdktrs12 is a fantabulous ~brio gang bang fic (!!!!) which deffo features some beth/mr cisco amongst others. is it tagged for any relationships other than beth/rio? non

To Face Unafraid by @pynkhues (which is a delightful xmas fic & part of the C&C series) is at least in part about rio & judith boland’s relationship (!!!!) (and ok beth & judith’s too), but it’s not tagged as such

Everybody wants to know if we fucked on the bathroom sink by @misshazelevers20 (which is wonderfully entertaining outsider pov on brio) features mrs karpinski & hipster hitted barman (!!!!!!), yet is it tagged with that?! no it isn’t!

if no one is around you, say baby i love you, if you ain't running game by @medievalraven (which is a wonderful phoebe pov wire fic) is kind of.... phoebe & beth/rio? i dont think you can actually tag things like that on ao3, which now i think abt...is kinda unreasonable...? i don’t think there’s a single fic tagged beth boland & phoebe donnegan though, which is kinda wild??

Both Sides of the Law by @joeyjoeylee (THE law school au!!!!) deffo has plenty of rio & gretchen zorada but isnt tagged for that (again i dont think there’s any fic tagged thusly? w i l d ! )

Copper Kisses by @missmaxime definitely has some beth boland/rio/jim turner Vibes but isnt tagged with that (is my fic with similar vibes tagged any better? no but ok im not the one on trial am i)

.....so ughhh i might go add some relationship tags of my own to my bookmarks is i think what im saying haha (or more like think abt it & then not do it which is practically the same thing right?)

addendums

I shouldn’t need to rec your own fic to you (although you do seem to have forgotten it?! ha) but i also can’t let an opp to rec: But the tigers come at night with their voices soft as thunder (by @bourbon-ontherocks) pass! a fic where dean complains abt his sex dreams abt rio to you the reader inaugurating the dean boland & reader relationship tag which was better than i could possibly have imagined!!!!!! so good!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

also! there are several gg fics tagged with no relationship/s (some of which confused me, I mean Sure am using you (by Aniara) isn’t tagged as rio/original female character? anyway it’s amazing, but that’s not a single-use tag so i digress).

no tag is i guess def not a single use (lack of) tag, but i feel like these probs don’t get recced much so here’s one:

Under no illusions by mallanghours (is this basically a dean & rio fic...you decide! haha)

anyway! back to the original point haha.... indeed, do all come tell me about the relationship tags you (will) inaugurate w/ your gg fic (existing or to-tag or to-write)!!! and/or which of these thus far ~single-use tags you plan to fill up??!!!!

[atlafan]

Office Neighbors - Part Eleven

a/n: another part where a lot happens, I think you all will be happy the little surprise at the end, enjoy! (reblogs and feedback are super helpful!) not proofread, sorry!

warnings: slight angst?, fluff, and smut

words: 13.8K

masterpost

Another school year down, you couldn’t believe it. Two entire years done, and only more until it’s your turn to walk across the stage. Now that it was getting nicer out, your new favorite to work was the back deck, especially when Harry would come out and bring you a glass of wine. It wasn’t lost on you how much he doted on you. If you got cold, he was right there with a blanket and your fuzzy socks, if you were hungry he was right there with a snack. There was plenty you did for him, or that you did equally, like laundry and cooking and cleaning, but it was hard not to notice the way her almost…babies you.

Now, most of the time, men were the ones that liked to be babied in relationships, and that’s not to say that Harry doesn’t. He loves when he gets to lay his head on your chest and you play with his hair, or when you scrub his head in the shower, or the mornings you get up before him and lay his clothes out for him. You both took care of each other in different ways, which was nice, but he was used to taking care of someone in a parental way.

Harry was extremely different at work, though. He didn’t want to give students or colleagues a reason to tease either of you, so despite his clingy nature, he wouldn’t be too kissy or huggy with you. He was thankful that the school year was over so he could love on you all he wanted.

He had his own work as well, he had his latest manuscript. He would try to work when you were working, but sometimes he got writer’s block, or inspiration would hit at an odd hour. You loved watching him work, and if it was the middle of the night with him working away, you’d crawl into his lap and tell him it was time for bed. To which he happily listened.

It was weird being home while Andy was still in school, but it left you with plenty of time to plan his party. This year his party would be at your house since it was at Paige’s last year. You wanted to make sure there were tons of yard games for all the kids to play, and also things for the adults to do. You and Andy started crafting a playlist together that Harry was not allowed to help with because “no one my age wants to listen to Fleetwood, get over it!” was an argument you were sick of listening to, plus it was nice to have something to do together.

“Okay, we’ve got horseshoes, badminton, water balloons, and corn-hole, that should plenty of things for people to do back here.” You say as you look around the yard. Andy and Harry were just getting the badminton net into place.

“We also have a volleyball in case they wanna play that instead.” Harry says. “And we’ve got all the snacks in the world to keep everyone happy until I get to grilling.”

“So is this less of a family party?” You ask him.

“Little bit, I mean, Lydia, Allie and Ned will be here, but that’s it for Paige’s side. There’s more friends coming this year, that’s for sure.”

“I’m getting the Bluetooth going so there’s music when people start to show up.” Andy says. “I’m really excited, Caroline’s sisters are coming, and they’re really nice.”

“Is her oldest still coming to the university in the fall?” You ask.

“Yup.” He smiles.

Andy and Caroline had remained…close oddly enough. Brandon was still with Molly, and Andy couldn’t quite figure out why. Although, it was giving him more time to sort out all of his feelings. He really didn’t want to be in a relationship just yet. He just wanted to have fun with his friends.  

“I hope they’re not bored here.” Harry runs a hand through his hair.

“The corn-hole should keep them occupied, babe, don’t worry.”

“What are their names again?” Harry asks.

“Emma is the oldest, then Sophie and Charlotte.”

“Right, the twins.”

“I’m gonna go put the sign on the door to let people know they can just come to the back.” You say.

“I’ll tie the balloons to the mailbox!” Andy says and Harry sighs as he watches him go inside.

“What’s wrong?” You ask Harry as you walk up the stairs to the deck.

“Nothing…he’s just…twelve.” He pouts at you and you pout back.

“Please don’t cry.”

“I’m not.” He huffs. “He’s getting too old, I’m over this whole growing up thing.”

“But look at what a nice young man he’s growing into!” You put your hand on his shoulder. “Try to celebrate instead of dwell.”

“What are we, at a funeral?” He smirks.

You roll your eyes at him and go inside. The house was spick and span, thank god. This summer you’d be tackling renovating the kitchen since Andy would be at Paige’s. You were excited to do this with Harry. The new cabinets and granite were all ordered. You both just needed to do all the demo yourselves and then the contractors could come to do the rest.

“Mum and Noah are here!” Andy yells from outside, and you and Harry go out front to greet them.

“I…I promised myself I wouldn’t cry, but look at you, you’re twelve!” Paige blubbers and throws her arms around Andy.

“Mum, please.” He groans as he hugs her back.

“None of your friends are here yet, I get to do this now.” She kisses his cheek and lets him go. “Gram will be here soon with your aunt and uncle.”

“Happy birthday, Andy!” Rachel says brightly as she hops out of the car, giving him a hug.

All it took was for Paige and Harry to make eye contact and they both burst into tears. They side hug each other as they both look at Andy.

“He’s so grown up, and I swear he’s getting taller by the minute.” She says.

“It’s not fair, he was a baby just yesterday.”

“You two need to get a grip.” Andy says.

“Yeah.” Rachel agrees. “I’m getting second-hand embarrassment.”

The two giggle and start walking around back. You and Noah stand there awkwardly as Paige and Harry let each other go.

“Right, well, we, uh, brought some extra snacks, and all the gifts are in the trunk.” Noah says.

“I can help bring all that in.” You say. “What do you all typically do for Rachel’s birthdays?” You ask him as you lead him inside.

“Well, we usually go to Florida to visit with her grandparents. She loves it. Sort of a daddy-daughter thing.”

“Oh, that’s so nice!”

“Yeah, her birthday’s in October, so the weather is usually perfect.”

Friends and other family members start to show up. Andy was such a social butterfly. You could really tell that he was popular amongst his friend group. He was making everyone laugh. All of the yard games were a big hit, and Caroline’s older sisters even seemed to be having a good time. You were up on the deck sipping a drink when Harry came up from behind you to hug you.

“Having a good time, darling?” He says to you.

“Yes, thank you.” You chuckle. “Are you?”

“Mhm, I’m really glad the weather stayed so nice, I was nervous it would rain.” He kisses your cheek. “I’m gonna get the grill fired up.”

“Alright, do you want some help?”

“Maybe if you could just help me organize the food out here on the table? We could set it up buffet style.”

“On it.” You head inside as Harry turns the grill on.

Harry was feeling a lot of things today, his son was officially a preteen, and all sorts of things could start changing for him this summer. He could start to see pimples, or his voice may start getting lower, or pretty much anything else. Then there was you. Harry usually had to recruit another parent to help him with his parties for Andy, but he didn’t have to do that this time because he had you. You were on top of everything, and he was grateful. He was also just proud to show you off to so many people. For years everyone saw him as this single dad, but now they got to see him in a fully functioning relationship with a wonderful person.

“Okay, here’s all the burgers and dogs.”

“Y/N!” You whip your head and see your parents, Phil, and Julian.

“Oh good!” You say and head down the stairs of the deck to go greet them. “Did you get stuck in traffic?” You ask as you hug your family.

“Just a tad.” Phil says. “There was an accident on the other side, and you know how people love to rubber-neck.”

“Well, you’re here now, that’s all that matters. Feel free to go inside and freshen up, Harry’s just getting the grill started, but there are other snacks, and there’s drinks in the coolers.”

As you were talking Noah and Paige were playing a game of corn-hole with Ned and Allie.

“Oh, who’s that?” Noah points over to you.

“That must be her parents and brother, and his partner. How nice for them all to come!”

“Just don’t pounce on them Paige.” Allie tells her.

“What are you talking about? I’ll be friendly…”

“I’m not saying you won’t, just let her bring them over to introduce you, don’t go over to them first.”

You lead your family inside, after they all say hello to Harry. You wanted to give them a tour of the place you now called home. You explain your plans for the kitchen, and they all nod along.

“It’s a lovely home, honey.” Your mom says. “Very spacious, plenty of room to grow.”

“Yeah! The basement couch has a pull out in case we need to turn the guest room into a nursery at some point, and the loft could easily be converted into a bedroom too.”

“Slow down there, you just moved in.” You dad chuckles.

“I’m just saying, we’ve thought ahead.”

You lead everyone back outside, and down the stairs. Andy notices your family and smiles, he had no idea they were coming. He runs over to you.

“Andy, look who’s here.” You say to him.

“Hi!” He gives everyone a hug. “Thanks for coming to my party.”

“We wouldn’t miss it!” Your mom says. “You’re twelve today?”

“Yeah.” He smiles. “Would you like to meet my friends?”

“Sure.” Phil says.

Andy waves over Brandon and Caroline, and they both come jogging over.

“You guys, these are Y/N’s parents, um…”

“Rebecca and Richard.” Your dad says with a smile.

“Right, and this is her big brother Phil and his Julian.”

Phil and Julian smile at each other and say hello.

“These are my two best friends, Brandon and Caroline.”

Brandon felt bile in the back of his throat. Since when did Andy consider Caroline to be his other best friend?

“Hey, Andy, your friend Tyler…” Rachel had come over but she trails off.

“Rachel, these are my parents and my brothers.” You tell her.

“Hello!” She smiles brightly. “I’m Andy’s step-sister.”

“Well aren’t you just a precious little thing!” Your mom says.

“You’re Jewish like me, right?”

“Why yes we are.” Your dad says.

“When we went on our ski trip together, Y/N sat with me and helped with my alefbet.”

“She was pretty good at reading from the Torah as a kid.” Phil says. “I wasn’t so lucky.”

“You just never studied.” You tease him.

“Not all of us can be book worms, Y/N.” He sighs.

“My mum’s over there…” Andy points. “Do you all want to meet her?”

“That would be great.” Your dad says. You look back at Harry who was talking with Mr. Stewart as he grilled, and then you look over towards Paige.

“Yeah, let’s have everyone meet.” You say and lead them over. “Paige? I hate to interrupt the game…”

“Not at all!” She says with a smile. “Hello.” She says towards your family.

“These are my parents, Rebecca and Richard, my brother Phil, and his partner Julian.”

“It’s so nice to meet you all, I’m Andy’s mother, this is my fiancé, Noah, and my sister Allie and her husband Ned.”

Everyone shakes hands. The kids had run off to go play, so it was just the adults right now.

“We absolutely adore Andy.” Your mom tells Paige. “He’s a sweet boy.”

“Oh, thank you.” She smiles. “He raved about those paints you got him, he uses them all the time.” Out of the corner of her eye, Paige spots Lydia and waves her over. “This is my mother, Lydia. Mum, these are Y/N’s parents, and brothers.”

“Nice to meet all of you.” She smiles to the best of her ability and shakes their hands.

“Well, I need to go see what else Harry needs help with, so I’ll leave you grown-ups to chat.”

“We’ll help too.” Phil says. “I am a chef after all.” He tugs Julian along, full well knowing how nasty Lydia can be from what you’ve told them. Your parents could easily handle it. “She looks too nice to be a bitch.” Phil smirks.

“Trust me, she has her moments, although, she doesn’t make many comments too me anymore.” You smirk back.

All of the kids enjoy the freshly grilled food that they were ravenous for. After lunch was the balloon toss. Harry pairs up with Andy, just like last year, and you decide to participate with Phil.

“I swear, if you whip this thing at me…” He says as you’re still relatively close.

“Don’t be such a baby. It’s a trust exercise if anything.”

“Mhm, exactly.”

“I prank you with one whoopee cushion and-“

“You did that in front of my prom date!”

“Well, good thing you’re gay or else I’d be more concerned that I embarrassed you in front of her.”

Phil bursts out laughing as you continue to toss the balloon. He ends up dropping it at one point, which disqualifies you. Caroline and Rachel are out next, and then Tyler and Alexis. Brandon has paired up with his dad, and it was down to the four of them again. Mr. Stewart drops the balloon at the last second, which causes for Andy and Harry to be champs once again.

Once everyone settles a bit, it’s time for cake and gifts. Andy’s friends got him some good gift certificates and other little things.

“A new skateboard!” Andy beams. “Thanks, Noah.”

“You’re welcome, buddy.” Noah smiles proudly. Things were going really well recently between him and Andy. “That’s from my parents, they send their love.” Andy nods at him.  

Next up you had passed him the gift your family brought him. You had no idea what it could be.

“Holy shhhh-cow.” Andy corrects himself as he tears the wrapping paper open. “A home pottery kit?!”

“Y/N mentioned to us how much you enjoy the clay in your art classes, and we found this for kids.” Your mom explains. “Do you like it?”

“I love it! Thank you so much.”

Lydia had gotten him some new ski equipment which he was grateful for. You give your family a thumbs up. The last gift was one from you, Harry, Paige, and Noah as it cost a pretty penny. It was just in an envelope. He opens it carefully, and his eyes widen, nearly welling up with tears.

“No way.” He looks at the four of you.

“What is it, Andy?” Brandon asks.

“Three tickets to the Ariana Grande concert and…a pass for a meet and greet.”

“Whoa!” Caroline exclaims. “That’s incredible!”

Andy stands up and gives everyone a hug, thanking you all profusely.

“Think this’ll hold you over until you get a phone next year?” Paige asks him.

“Definitely.”

He knew the three tickets implied that he could bring a friend with him, and the obvious choice was Caroline. Brandon didn’t mind Ari, but it was something that Andy and Caroline really bonded over. He could talk to her about it later.

The party was a huge success, and Andy was feeling super happy. It was nice for him to see so many people interacting.

“Well, we better get going since it’s getting late.” Paige says to him, giving him a big hug and kiss. “I’m so glad you had a good birthday, baby.”

“Me too, thanks again for everything, Mum.”

He says goodbye to Noah, Rachel, Allie, Ned, and Lydia as well. Then he takes his time saying goodbye to your family. Needless to say he was pooped by the time everyone left.

“When can I use the pottery kit?” He asks Harry as he cleans some things in the kitchen.

“I can set it up in the garage one of these weekends and you can go to town.”

“Alright!” Andy exclaims. “I’m gonna go to bed early I think, I’m tired, but thanks for everything today.”

“You’re welcome, but don’t just thank me.” He nods towards you and Andy gives you a hug.

“Thanks, Y/N.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

He lets you go and heads to his room. Once his door is closed Harry yanks you towards him and you giggle.

“Laugh all you want, but I’m going to ravage you tonight.”

“Oh?”

“Mhm.” He ghosts his lips along your jawline before kissing on your neck, sucking a little making you moan softly. “You were incredible today. Well, you’re incredible every day, but…everything just meant a lot to me.”

“I really feel like we’re a family, you know? I love it so much, more than I ever thought I would.”

Harry kisses you, a little more passionately than you were expecting, but it was still nice.

“Go on into the bedroom, I’ll be in after I finish with the dishes.”

“Nonsense, I can help.”

“Don’t be silly, I’ve got it.”

“Harry, I can help with the dishes.”

“I know you can, and you usually do, but you don’t have to worry about it right now. I want you to go in and wait for me.”

“Okay…” You turn away and stop short to look back at him. “I think I’m gonna run a bath…long day outside.”

“Put in that lavender bath bomb for me, would you?”

You smile and nod and head into your room’s en suite. Tonight was going to be a good night.

//

Harry slips into the tub, and you sit in front of him. He had checked on Andy before coming in, and the poor kid had all but passed out in his bed. You rest your head on Harry’s shoulder as you both relax.

“This was an excellent idea.” He sighs. “Feel like we don’t take advantage of the tub enough.”

“We don’t usually have time.”

“Well, with school over we will, especially during the day with Andy at school.”

“I’m gonna miss him when we send him off to Paige’s…”

“It’s a month away, babe. Plus, we’ll still see him plenty.”

“I know…”

“You’ll come camping again, yeah? He and Brandon are really looking forward to the annual trip.”

“Oh, definitely! And this time when we wake up all snuggled up it won’t be weird.”

“Can’t believe that was almost a year ago.” He kisses your temple. “Now we’re living together, it’s wild.”

“I’m really glad the school doesn’t care about colleagues dating, or we’d be in a real pickle.”

“Oh, I would have just secretly dated you.”

“Oh, really?” You turn slightly to look at him.

“Yeah, you’re talking to an unapologetic romantic here, a secret romance would be, like, right up my alley.”

“You’re an idiot.” You giggle and kiss his cheek. “Can you believe I only have one more year of doctoral work to do and then I’m done? I can’t wait for my work to be published.”

“I was thinking…the journal that publishes my works is always looking for younger people in the field, if you ever wanted to chat with them.”

“No, that’s your thing, babe, but thank you. Lisa has a few names of some people for me anyways.” You take his hand and kiss his soapy knuckles. “But, I will need your help soon. I need to start working on my defense presentation.”

“Who’s on your committee?”

“Lisa, Sandra, Dan and Alice from English, Patricia from Psychology, and Greg from Philosophy.”

“Good group.”

“Thanks, I thought it was pretty decent. And then obviously whoever else wants to come can. I just want the presentation to feel fun and eye-opening. You’re so good at captivating your audience, I wanna work on that.”

“You know I have horrible stage fright?”

“No way.”

“Way! I get all these nerves right before I need to give a lecture like that, but I accept the fear and use it to help me give a good performance.”

“Do you ever get nervous before teaching a class?”

“I’m always nervous on the first day, but once we get rolling and I can gauge how the kids will be I’m usually fine.”

“Same for me.”

“Well, I’m more than happy to help you, baby, you know that.”

“Thank you.”

His arms were wrapped around you stomach gently. One of his hands starts to drift lower, and between your legs, causing your breath to hitch.

“Alright?” He says into your ear.

“Mhm.” You say as you part your legs a little for him. His other hand come up to grope one of your breasts.

His fingers rub circles into your clit before slipping into your center. You groan and buck your hips forward by accident. His other hand comes up to your mouth.

“Gotta be quiet, baby.” He coos as his fingers pump in and out of you. You nod against him and removes his hand. “That’s my good girl.”

“Harry.” You whine softly. “Wanna ride you.”

“Okay.” You move to turn around but he stops you. “Should be able to just slip it in like this, yeah?”

“Let’s give it a try.”

You lift yourself up enough for him to line himself up with you and you sink down on him. He thrusts up into you and you gasp. He brings his fingers to your mouth for you to suck on and you reach back to do the same thing for him as you continue to fuck each other. His other hand stays rubbing your clit, and you feel yourself getting closer and closer. You start squeezing around him, tighter and tighter. You moan out around his fingers once you’ve gotten your release. Harry as to quickly lift you off him to come on your back.

“Jesus, shit.” He pants. “That was a close one.” He kisses your shoulder before pressing his forehead against it. He reaches for a washcloth to dip into the water to clean your back up. You hum your response as your eyes flutter closed.

“M’sleepy now.”

“Me too, love, come on.”

He helps you stand up and you both towel off and get ready for bed. Harry gives you kisses and smooches before you turn over so he can spoon you.

“Love you so much.” He sighs as his arm wraps around you.

“I love you too.” You adjust against him and sigh as well.

//

“Straight A’s again!” Andy says as he slaps his report card down on the table when he gets home from his last day of school. “Also not to brag, but Caroline and I won the three-legged race during field day, so I think ice cream is in order.”

“You didn’t partner up with Brandon?” Harry asks.

“Caroline got to me first.” Andy shrugs. “Please, Dad, can we get ice cream?

“Yeah, please, Dad.” You pout with Andy, and Harry sighs with a chuckle.

“Alright, we can get ice cream after dinner tonight.”

Y/N and Andy high five to celebrate.

“Andy, things are okay with you and Brandon, right?” Harry asks him.

“Yeah, they’re fine.”

“Did he ever, um, try to teach you anything again?” You ask, carefully.

“No.” Andy shakes his head. “We never really talked about it. He’s excited for the camping trip though.”

“Well, that’s good.” Harry says. “It’ll be a nice couple of days.”

After dinner you all go downtown to get ice cream at the local shop, and sit outside to enjoy your treats. You smirk to yourself as Andy bites into your sundae.

“You know, I’m pretty sure I joined you for this last year, but I recall you not being able to get topping because you texted me with your dad’s phone.”

“Oh, yeah!” Andy chuckles. “That was pretty good.”

“You’re a little too sly for your own good.” Harry says. “I could have gotten her to come with us on my own.”

“Yeah, but you were taking too long. Sometimes you have to take some initiative, Dad.” Andy smirks as Harry rolls his eyes.

“Eat your ice cream.”

You laugh at that, and gives Harry’s hand a squeeze.

“Either way it was nice to be included. Do you have big summer plans with Mum, Andy?”

“Yes and no. I mean, her wedding is next month, so that’ll take up some time, and then Rachel and I will come stay with you when they’re on their honeymoon. But I think in between all that Noah’s got some boat trips planned. I like fishing with him.”

“That’s right…they’ll be with us for my birthday…” You look at Harry. “I don’t know what my family has planned…”

“I was hoping to take everyone up to the cabin that week so it still felt like a little vacation.”

“Oh, that would be fun!”

“Your family could come up if they wanted.”

“I don’t wanna create more work.”

“You wouldn’t be, I think it would be fun.”

“Yeah! We can go on the jet skis.”

“You mean you can go on the jet skis. I’ll watch from the shore.” You laugh.

“It’s actually pretty fun.” Harry grins.

“I’ll take your word for it.”

//

Brandon slept over the night before the camping trip so you all could leave bright and early. Harry was taking you up a different 4,000 footer. You must have asked him a dozen times if there would be a bathroom there, and every time Harry said yes, so you believed him.

The boys were really excited. You could hear them up late talking about the view they’d have since Andy had hiked it before. Brandon seemed thrilled to be having some one on one time with Andy. As you started up the trail, you could tell they were having a good time by the sounds of their laughter.

“Doing alright so far?” Harry asks you. “Other than the couple of small hikes we went on last month, this is, like, your first big one of the season.”

“Oh, sure, I’m fine. I’ll probably be sore tomorrow. I’m just happy to be outside, you know?”

“Definitely. I hate seeing you all cooped up.”

“Can’t help it.”

“I like seeing you do your work out on the deck.”

“I love having an outdoor space to do it in, you have no idea.”

It was a very long hike, full of breaks, and look out points. You all weren’t in a rush, which always made things more fun. Once you’re at the summit you all drop your gear with relief. Tons of pictures are taken, and then you head off to find the bathroom while the boys set up the tents. It felt like an anniversary in a way. This when you sort of realized you might like Harry as more than a friend. You’ll never forget waking up with him like you did.

“You guys are speedy.” You say after coming back.

“I’d say we’re professionals at this point.” Andy says and it makes you laugh.

As the sun starts to set, you all get cozy around the fire. Harry had made a nice dinner, and now you were enjoying some s’mores. The boys say goodnight first, and then you and Harry clean up before heading into your own tent.

“Look at us, sleeping in a double wide sleeping bag.” You giggle as you cozy up to him.

“Should have just done this last year too. I think that really would have put out there how I was feeling.” He chuckles and kisses your hairline.

“At least it won’t be awkward when you wake up spooning me.”

“I never thought it was awkward.” He strokes your cheek with his thumb. “Especially not with how you looked up at me.”

“I wanted you to kiss me that morning.”

“I did too.” He pecks your lips.

“I love kissing you.”

“Love kissing you too, baby.”

While you and Harry were whispering sweet nothings to each other, Andy and Brandon were have their own conversation in their tent.

“So, your mom’s wedding is next month, are you excited?” Brandon asks Andy as they get settled into their sleeping bags.

“Yeah, I get to walk her down the aisle, so that’ll be cool.”

“Is your dad going?”

“Officially, yeah.” Andy sighs. “I think Y/N told him it would be good to go for the whole thing, and he agreed. Although, I think he said he plans on sitting all the way in the back.” Andy laughs. “I know it’s gotta be awkward for him.” Andy rolls over onto his side to look at Brandon easier, and Brandon does the same. “When do you, um, go to camp?”

“Last week of July through the first week of August…well, that’s when I usually go, I don’t know if I wanna go this year. I have another week to decide.”

“Why don’t you wanna go?”

“Because of Molly.” Brandon groans. “We broke up again.”

“You did?!”

“Yeah.”

“When?”

“Like…two days ago…”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I figured I’d tell you this weekend, it’s not a big deal, but I don’t really feel like dealing with her for two weeks. I’m keep my fingers crossed that we won’t have the same schedule next year.”

“So, you don’t think you’re immediately going to get back together with her when school starts?” Andy laughs.

“Nope.” Brandon smiles. “I’m over her.”

“Cool…” Andy blushes. “Well, if you don’t end up going to camp, um, my mum said I could invite a few friends to her wedding.”

“Oh, yeah?” Brandon raises an eyebrow at him. “Who else are you going to invite?”

“Probably Caroline and Tyler.”

“Andy…if you still like her so much, why did you break up?”

“I like being friends with her, I don’t know. I don’t think I was ready for all that…dating someone…maybe when I’m older.”

“There were a few rumors going around that you liked someone more than her.” Andy’s eyes widen at Brandon. “Is that true?”

“Yeah.” Andy swallows. “Yeah, there’s someone I like more than her, but I’m still not really ready to date so I’ve been keeping it to myself.”

“Who, um, who is it?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why?” Brandon frowns. “You’re my best friend, Andy…I’d tell you if I liked someone.”

“Would you?” Andy sits up and looks the other way. Brandon sits up as well.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”

“Can I ask you something first?”

“Okay.”

“If…if Tyler had been nervous about kissing Alexis…would you have offered to show him how like you did with me?”

Brandon’s face flushes. He was thankful that it was dark in the tent.

“Well, he’s not even with her, so it doesn’t matter does it?”

“Yes it does. Would you have done that with anyone?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re my best friend.” Brandon takes a deep breath. “You have been for as long as I can remember, Andy. I mean…the day you told me that you weren’t going back to your mom’s for the school year was, like, more exciting than any present I’ve ever gotten. Getting to start middle school with you was like a dream come true. Ty’s great and all, but he’s not my best friend.”

“So…that’s all it was then? Because I’m your best friend and you just wanted to help?”

“Yeah.”

Andy nods and lays back down. Brandon does the same. They both lay on their backs.

“You’re gonna tell me who else you like, are you?”

“No.” Andy looks at Brandon slightly. “Not yet anyways.”

“If I don’t go to camp I’ll come to the wedding.” He looks at Andy. “Just don’t dance with Caroline the entire time.” He smirks.

“I won’t.”

Andy rolls over to his other side, facing away from Brandon. He blinks a couple of tears away. How could he tell Brandon he liked him when Brandon was telling him he was just a friend? He didn’t want to do anything to ruin their friendship. He also knew he just wasn’t ready for kissing or things like that, so he wasn’t going to say anything until he knew he was really ready.

//

The next morning you wake up in Harry’s arms, like always, and give his cheek a kiss before sitting up to stretch.

“Sleep alright, baby?” He yawns.

“Mhm, did you?”

“Yup.” He smiles and you smile back at him. This weekend felt like an anniversary to him too. Your actual one was coming up soon.

You both get up and use the bathroom, and see that the boys are already up and ready to go. They seemed to be tired.

“You both sleep alright?” You ask as you start your journey back down the mountain.

“Mhm.” Brandon yawns. “Just tired, it’s early.”

“I’m so glad school’s over so we can just sleep in.” Andy says.

“I know the feeling.” You say. “Although, your dad makes it impossible sometimes.”

“Well excuse me for trying to stick to a routine.” Harry scoffs. “I do my best to stay quiet.”

“Mm, sure, Jan.” You say and it makes him laugh.

“Is that something Auntie Janette would say?” Andy asks.

“No, it’s from The Brady Bunch.” Harry says. “You know that old show, we’ve watched it a couple of times. Jan can’t stand her older sister Marsha, and Marsha always catches Jan in a lie. It’s pretty funny.”

“It’s, like, a catchphrase, right, Mr. Styles?” Brandon asks.

“Exactly.”

It’s a smooth trek down the mountain. You all take your time just as you did going up, and eventually you get back to the car. Harry drops Brandon off at his house, and Andy walks him up to his door.

“Well, thanks for another great trip.” Brandon say.

“Sure, I’m glad you came.”

“When do you go to your mom’s?”

“In a few days…”

“Okay, maybe we can hang out before you go?”

“Definitely.” The boys hug and then Brandon goes inside. Andy sighs heavily when he gets in the car. You and Harry look at each other before he drives off towards the house.

“Andy, when you come back later this summer the kitchen’s gonna have an all new look, are you excited?” You say, trying to break the tension.

“Yeah! You better send me pictures along the way.”

“We will.” Harry says. “We’ll need your expert input I’m sure.”

//

Doing demo in the kitchen was a liberating experience. Knocking out the old cabinets with Harry was more fun than you thought it would be. Then again, how could it not be a good time watch him use a sledgehammer?

“I say we’ve earned ourselves a couple of drinks.” He says as he gets a couple of beers out of the fridge. “I know beer’s not your favorite, but-“

“It’s fine.” You take it. “Let’s go sit outside, it’s all dusty in here.”

He agrees, and you both head out to the deck.

“I’m glad we rented that dumpster, clean up shouldn’t be too difficult.” Harry says as he cracks his beer open. “Especially with how much we already did.”

“I know! We got so much done today. I can’t wait to see what the new stain on the floor will look like.”

“I was talking to the floor guy about that, he said since he’s refinishing it as well we won’t be able to walk on it properly for a few days. I was thinking we could go up to the cabin while it’s getting done. We both can still work without a ton of fumes.”

“Good idea. I certainly wouldn’t mind the view of the lake for a few days.”

“Cabinets should be installed by the wedding.” He says as he takes a sip.

“You’re sure you’re okay to go? I don’t want to force you…”

“No, I know I need to be there. I wanna see Andy walk her down the aisle and all that. Besides, my suit is gorgeous, I can’t let it go to waste.” He scoffs and it makes you laugh.

“Just making sure.” You reach for his hand and give it a squeeze. “Ugh, I need a long, hot shower. I feel gross.”

“Same here. Feel like sharing?”

“No, I’m on my period.” You pout. “Just need a little alone time.”

“Fine.” He sighs. “Go do your thing.”

“Thanks, babe.” You get up and kiss the top of his head before going inside.

Harry knew you were going to take a shower by yourself, but he wanted to play it cool. He had ordered pizza and made sure to get your favorite wine, but had to hide it from you. He cleans himself off quickly in the other bathroom, and gets everything set up outside. He lights a few candles. Satisfied with his work, he waits for you.

“I’m all done, thanks for…” You walk outside in an oversized shirt and pajama pants. “What is all this?”

“Our anniversary dinner.” He smiles and wraps his arms around you. “It was a year ago today that you came here with this exact meal and we kissed for the for the first time.”

“Oh my goodness, Harry.” You kiss him and wrap your arms around his neck. “This is so sweet, I…I thought we were celebrating in a couple of days though, I-“

“That’s what I told you so I could surprise you. Normally I’d cook, but the kitchen isn’t functioning at the moment.”

“I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

You both kiss again, and you decide to sit on his lap as you ate and drank. You just really wanted to be as close as possible right now. He didn’t mind one bit, he liked when you’d cling to him a little more.

“The candles were a nice touch, very romantic, Har.” You sit back against his chest and he wraps his arms around your stomach.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it! I’m not super into overdone surprises, so this is literally perfect.”

“You really do like keeping things simple, huh?”

“Mhm, I mean, the gesture is always appreciated, I just don’t like people making such a big fuss over me, you know?” Harry hums his response and moves some of your hair so he can kiss on the back of your neck.

“But you’re worth making a fuss over.” He mumbles as his lips move up your neck. “How heavy is your flow, baby?”

“Should be minimal since I just showered.” You bite your bottom lip. “Do you really feel like it?”

“Yeah, we can just put a towel down like we’ve done before.”

“Okay.” You smile as he nibbles on your earlobe.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” You giggle and get off him. You bring the pizza and leftover wine inside before going into the bedroom.

Harry puts a couple of towels down while you go into the bathroom. You come out and quickly walk over to the bed to lay down. Harry rolls a condom on, and puts some extra lube on it so he doesn’t hurt you.

“All set?” He says to you as he knees onto the bed.

“Mhm.” You smile.

His lips slot over yours and his hands knead your breasts. He pushes inside you and you gasp into his mouth.

“Lube was a little cold.” You giggle.

“Sorry, baby, is it better now?” He asks as he rocks in and out of you.

“Yes.”

He squishes his nose to yours, and you wrap your legs around his waist. He comes closer so you’re chest to chest. You lick into his mouth and he groans against you. You feel tears start to form in your eyes and you start laughing.

“You haven’t even come yet, why are you crying?” He laughs as he uses his thumbs to wipe the small droplets away.

“I’m just really happy we’re together.”

“Me too, darling.” He kisses your forehead.

“I’m also hormonal.”

“Mhm, sure, blame it on that if you want.” He smirks and continues thrusting in and out of you.

“Fuck, that feels good.” Your nails rake down his back and he groans into your ear. Your nails dig into his ass as he fucks you harder. “Just like that, Harry, don’t stop.” You moan.

He bites down on your neck, and you whimper. It always felt so fucking good when he would do that, and with you not having to work and Andy being at Paige’s, Harry was free to litter you with marks. Well, within reason. He’d save the really nasty bruises for your inner thighs.

You cry out as you come undone, and Harry fills up the condom not too long after. You both get cleaned up and you grab the bottle of wine as you get settled for a movie in bed. You each take turns swigging from it. You were sitting in front of Harry, all cozy.

“I’ll need to work on my paper tomorrow.” You tell him. “Taking a couple of days off for demo was good to clear my head, but I need to get back at it.”

“That’s fine, I have some work I need to do for my manuscript. Are you planning to go to the CMT conference again this summer?”

“Can’t.” You take another swig from the bottle and look up at him. “It’s in California this year, and it’s right before the fall semester.”

“So?”

“So…that’s time I would need to prep for my classes. I’d be gone for about a week with the traveling.”

“Do you want to go?”

“Well…yeah, there’s going to be some really good speakers this year.”

“Then you should go.” He smiles. “I’d go too, but I need to be around for Andy once August hits.”

“You’d really be okay with me being gone an entire week across the country?”

“Baby, no one loves a lecture more than you, I don’t want you to not go because of me.” He kisses your hairline.

“I’d literally be getting back the day of our first faculty meeting. I looked into it already. I’d have to go from the airport to the school.”

“You’re always hours early for the faculty meeting…”

“Yeah, because I like getting my office in order.” You scoff. “Is there a reason you want me to go?”

“No.” He shrugs. “I just think it’s rare when we don’t have to cancel class to go to a conference, and the school will pay for you to go.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you can apply for a scholarship, I can show you. Then it would just be the air fare which isn’t that expensive out there this time of year.”

“I suppose that’s true…if I can get the school to pay for it then I’ll definitely go.”

“Good.” He smiles.

//

A few days away at the cabin were just what the doctor ordered. It felt weird not having Andy around, but you honestly weren’t upset at having a break from parenting. You texted with him here and there, just to check in and let him know you were thinking of him, as did Harry. You really cherished the time you and Harry could just be you and Harry. He got you to go on a jet ski with him, and even though you screamed the entire time, it was still fun. It was the perfect getaway home, and when you got back to your actual home your new kitchen floors looked stunning. The cabinet people came in a couple of days later, and you made sure to send Andy all of the pictures. July was flying by.

“Okay, so, for your birthday, we’ll go to the cabin and bring the kids, and your parents and brothers will meet us up there for a couple of nights as well?” Harry says as he looks over his planner.

“Yes.” You chuckle.

“What?”

“You just look so serious. I feel like I’m having an appointment with you at your office.” You clear your throat. “You wanted to see me, Dr. Styles.” You pout at him and he swallows hard.

“That’s not funny.” He puts his pen down and takes his glasses off to look at you. “I could get in a big heap of trouble if a student came onto me like that.”

“Did it ever used to work on you when you were younger?”

“No.” He scoffs. “Although the girls, and some boys, would try, I have to give them credit. I’d get offers from them to babysit Andy just because they wanted to know how I lived and all that. It was more difficult when I was closer in age, now I don’t even give it a second glance. They know not to flirt with me anyways because my girlfriend would probably step in and pummel ‘em.” He grins at you.

“Got that right.” You smirk. “Although, you’re the jealous one, not me.”

“I would strangle any kid at that school if I saw them trying to make a move on you, no doubt about that.” You burst out laughing and put your hand over his to give it a squeeze.

“Okay, okay…are you ready for tomorrow?”

“Am I ready to see my son all dressed up? Yes. I hope he’s been behaving at the rehearsal dinner.” Harry looks at his watch. “Should be over soon.” He chews on his inner cheek. “Y/N…someday…when we, you know, get married…” A smile grows on your face. “I don’t think I’d want to invite them.”

“Wow, really? I’m…shocked…”

“At a petty level, I truthfully just don’t think she deserves to see me so happy, and I feel like she’s rubbing how happy she is in my face. She’s always been like, just, painfully oblivious.” He rests his chin on her palm. “I know it would hurt her, but I wouldn’t want her there.”

“Okay.” You get up and sit in his lap.

“Okay?”

“Yeah, I don’t need your ex at our wedding.” You laugh. “Maybe it’s different for her since she’s the one that called it quits. I know you’re over her, but I can understand how all this might still hurt.”

“It brings up a lot of things, yeah.” He looks up at you and smiles. “But I’m really happy with how everything worked out. I’m happy I’m with you.” He gives your shoulder a squeeze. “You-you’ve become like a second mum to Andy and…I feel like for so long I was just living my life on auto, just doing the same thing every day, but now…I have more of a purpose again.”

“Harry.” You coo and stroke his cheek. “You’ve changed my life for the better too.”

//

You were able to get your hair in a cute low bun, with some curls left out. You bought a light blue semi-formal dress to wear to pair with Harry’s suit. He was just getting his contacts in as you were slipping on your heels.

“Be honest, how do I look?” He says to you.

“Like I don’t wanna let you leave this house.” You bite your bottom lip.

“Excellent, just what I was going for.” He rubs his hands up and down your arms. “You look stunning, baby.”

“Thank you.”

“Ready to go meet her entire family and Noah’s?”

“Is everyone really going to fit in her backyard?”

“The ceremony is in the back yard, the reception is in a tent on the beach.”

“Oh…fancy.”

“Nothing but the best for her.” Harry rolls his eyes. “Got the gift?”

“In the car already.”

Harry nods and you both head out.

Andy looked handsome. His hair was perfect, and he essentially never looked more like his father. It was the tan he had from being out so much. He wouldn’t be able to see his friends before the ceremony since he needed to stay in close proximity with Paige. They were able to take all of the bridal party photos beforehand. Same with the groom’s party.

There were a ton of chairs set up, and people were finding their seats. You and Harry sit in the last row of seats on the bride’s side. He puts a pair of sunglasses on. The last thing he wanted to do was be recognized and exchange pleasantries with Paige’s extended family.

“I have some tissue in my purse if you need some.” You say to him. “I don’t know about you, but I always cry at weddings.”

“So do I, thanks.” He holds his hand out for the tissues and you give him a couple. He puts his arm around you and kisses your temple.

“Think there will be an open bar?”

“Oh, for sure.” He scoffs. “We’ll be drinking well tonight.”

“Hi, Mr. Styles.” Brandon and Tyler come up to you and Harry. “Can we sit with you? We don’t really know anyone else.”

“Sure!” Harry says.

“Yeah, plenty of room.” You say. “Where’s Caroline?”

“Why should I know?” Brandon says as he sits down next to you.

“Because you’re all friends, duh.” You say to him.

“She’s in the bathroom.” Tyler says. “She’ll be here in a second.”

Caroline eventually joins everyone, but she’s a little fidgety.

“What took you so long?” Brandon asks her.

“There was, um, a line.” She says.

More and more take their seats, and music starts up. Everyone looks forward as Rachel walks up with Noah and the rest of the groomsmen. She looked lovely. Noah gives her a hug and kiss before she gets in line with the rest of the party. A couple of Paige’s younger cousins act as the flower girls. Allie and Ned walk Lydia down the aisle, and then come the bridesmaids. Harry knew them all well. Friends from college, and friends from work. Some of their eyes widen when they notice Harry, but they keep walking. Everyone stands up when Paige’s bridal music starts. You get your phone ready to snap a few shots of Andy.

“Oh my god, look at him.” Harry whispers proudly. He lifts his sunglasses to see him better. Andy waves to his father.

Paige and Harry briefly make eye contact. They nod at each other as Andy continues to walk her down the aisle.

“He’s a spitting image.” You whisper to Harry, and he smiles at you.

The ceremony is quick, there’s some Hebrew from a rabbi, and Noah steps on the glass. Everyone’s told where to go for cocktail hour, and they start making their way.

“Dad!” Andy shouts to get his attention. “Mum wants a family picture.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, like, with all of us, come on.” He tugs on Harry’s jacket sleeve, and Harry looks back at you panicked. You follow them to the spot where the photos are being taken.

“Hey you two!” Paige beams. “Of course your suit is amazing, shouldn’t have doubted it for a second.” She says to Harry. “And you look lovely, Y/N.”

“Um, thank you. Congratulations.” You say to her.

“Thank you.” She giggles. “I’m a missus!  Can’t believe it. Anyways, I thought it would be nice if we took a blended family photo.” Harry just nods and follows her. “Okay, so I was thinking I could stand in the middle, Rachel on one side, and Andy on the other, like, in front, and then Noah on one side and you on the other, and Y/N next to you.”

“Wait, you want me in the photo?” You ask.

“Of course! You’re family now, have been for a while.”

Harry snakes his arm around your waist and pulls you close to him, and uses his other hand to put on Andy’s shoulder. They take a few photos like that as everyone else stands to the side watching.

“Okay, well, we’re going to the cocktail hour, thanks for including us in your very special day.” Harry says with just an ounce of sarcasm and an ironic grin, and tugs you along.

“Alright, I can see what you mean now, painfully oblivious.”

“Jesus, thank you! Was that awkward or was that awkward?”

“Nope, very awkward. Come on, let’s go drink.”

The tent on the beach was exquisite. There was an open bar, a DJ, and waiters walking around with appetizers. You and harry go right up to the bar for cocktails before finding what table you’ve been put at.

“Harry!” A woman squeals and lunges onto him, making him almost spill his drink. “God, it’s been years!”

“Sarah!” Harry hugs her back. “I know, how are you?”

“I’m doing well.” She steps back from him. “You haven’t aged a day.”

“My hair would beg to differ.” He runs a hand through it.

“Oh, please, you look distinguished.” She smiles and looks at you. “And who’s this?”

“Oh! Sorry, um, Sarah this is my girlfriend, Y/N. Y/N, Sarah and I went to uni together with Paige.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” You shake her hand.  

“Same to you. My hubby, Joe, is just getting us some drinks. Seems like we’ve been put at the same table. I wonder if we all were.”

“All?” Harry asks.

“Sure! Jane and her wife are her, and so is Greg, he came stag…” She leans into Harry. “Divorced recently.” She whispers. “Oh! And Lauren’s here too. Basically the reject list for the wedding party.” She laughs.

Harry didn’t think Paige was still this close with all of their old college buddies. It would be like a mini-reunion, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. He almost wished he was put at the kids table with Andy and his friends.

“I’m shocked to see you here, I mean I’m happy to see you and all, but-“

“Well, as you saw, our son walked her down the aisle and she really didn’t want me to miss it, so here I am.”

Slowly everyone else makes their way over to the table. Harry introduces you to everyone. The last one to make their way is Lauren.

“Harry Styles.” She smiles and he turns to look at her.

“Hey.” He smiles back and hugs her. “Um, this is my girlfriend, Y/N.” He hooks his arm around your waist and pulls you close to his side as you shake your hand.

“You’re a very lucky woman, Y/N. Harry’s the best.” She says.

“Yeah, he is.” You say.

You all take your seats as the wedding party makes their way into the tent. Harry keeps his hand on your thigh the entire time. Harry could see on Paige’s face that she was desperately trying to keep it together. She missed her father. Everyone stands up and crowds around the dancefloor as Noah takes Rachel’s hand for a father-daughter dance.

“She is too cute.” You say to Harry.

“I know it, absolutely precious.” He agrees and takes a sip of his drink.

Next up is a mother-son dance for Andy and Paige. You watch as the smile grows on Harry’s face. He was proud of Andy for being such a good sport, and he could see that Andy was having fun. You take your phone out to take a video of the dance so Andy could see it later. Noah has a dance with his mother, and then Paige has a dance with Lydia.

“I’m shocked.” Harry says to you. “Lydia’s so traditional.”

“I’m glad to see her doing something nice for Paige.”

Once all of that is out of the way, everyone takes their seats again for the first course. Just a Caesar salad and some bread. You listen as Harry and his friends reminisce. You wonder, briefly, what his deal with Lauren is. She seemed to be the most sentimental. She was sitting next to you and you could feel her eyes burning into you.

“So, how long have you and Harry been together for?” She asks you.

“A year.” You smile. “But we were friends a year prior to us getting together.”

“Oh, do you work with him at the university?”

“Yes, we met because I ended up being his office neighbor. I guess that’s why we became such good friends too.”

“You know what solidified us being friends?” He leans over you, joining the conversation. “That first game night you came to. We were playing charades remember?”

“How could I forget?” You smile and kiss his cheek. He goes back to the other conversation he was having with his friend Greg. “How did you and Harry meet?” You ask Lauren.

“At a party.” She shrugs. “I was a year ahead of him, same with Paige. I think Greggy brought him out, they were roommates their sophomore year. He fit right in with our group. He immediately had a crush on Paige, everyone could see it.” She laughs and your mouth forms into a straight line. “Don’t worry, all of that was a long time ago.”

“Yeah.” You finish your drink and tap Harry’s shoulder. “I’m going to get another one.”

“Do you want me to get it?”

“No, I need to stretch my legs.” You stand up and walk towards the bar. Harry looks at Lauren.

“What?” She asks him.

“Did you say something to her?”

“About what?” He gives her an obvious look. “No, why would I mention that?”

“Because you’re you.” He smirks.

“All I said was that it was obvious that you had a crush on Paige from the first time Greg brought you out, nothing about you and I.”

“Maybe don’t mention how much I used to like my ex?”

“She asked me how you and I met, it was just part of the story. Lighten up, H.”

“Here, I got you another one too.” You say as you sit back down.

“Thanks, babe.”

The main course is served, and toasts start being made. Allie gives a small toast, but tears up. Noah’s best man lightens the mood with some funny jokes. Andy and Rachel even give a toast, a poem they worked on together. Harry had to dab his eyes with your tissues to wipe a few tears away.

“I’m just so proud of him. He looks so grown up.” He pouts at you.

“I know.” You smile. “It’s okay.”

Noah and Paige thank everyone for coming, and then most people make their way to the dancefloor. Andy comes racing overo to your table and throws his arms around Harry.

“How was it?” He asks.

“You did amazing, buddy.”

“Y/N, will you come dance?”

“Sure, let me just kick these heels off.” You giggle and get up. Andy takes your hand and leads you to the dancefloor.

Harry watches as you twirl Andy around and just be silly with him. It warmed his heart.

“I’m gonna go join them.” He takes his suit jacket off. “Hope you all will dance too.”

“Need about three more drinks.” Sarah says. “But feel free to warm it up for us out there.”

Harry laughs and heads over to you. His dance moves make Andy laugh hysterically. The wedding photographer comes over and takes a picture of the three of you. After a few songs, Andy says he’s gonna go dance with his friends, and enjoy some cake.

“Are you having a good time?” Harry asks as you both make your way to the bar again.

“Mhm, are you?”

“It’s not too bad. I’m really glad you’re here.” He gives your hand a squeeze. “This’ll probably be my last one, I don’t wanna get so fucked up that I can’t drive us home.”

“I can cool it if you wanna keep drinking.”

“No, it’s okay. I also don’t want Andy seeing me sloshed, you know?”

“Oh, true. Let’s nurse these ones then, yeah?”

“Harry!” Paige comes over to you both. “Would you come take another picture with all our college friends?”

“Um, sure.” Harry hands you his drink and you follow to where the photo is being taken. He stands as far away from Paige as he can, and flashes that toothy smile of his.

“Not that I don’t love Noah, but seeing Harry tonight…makes me sad that Paige couldn’t work it out with him.” You overhear a woman say to another. You try not to make it obvious that you’re listening.

“I know! How could you not make it work with a man like that? Must be his personality, good dick can only make you happy for so long.”

Your mouth falls open in shock. You turn to the women and grimace. Before you have a chance to say anything Harry’s coming back over to you, snatching his drink and tugging you back to the dancefloor. You shake what you heard from your head as you look at him. Harry had a wonderful personality, and if those bitched were too dumb to see that, then fuck them. It was fun to dance with Harry like this, just goofy and without a care.

Andy was having a good time dancing as a group with his friends. A slow song comes on to give everyone a break from the fast paced music. He looks over and sees you and Harry coming together for a dance and he smiles.

“Now this is my favorite kind of dancing.” Harry says into your ear.

“Really? So when we went to that club up north and I backed my thang up against you...?” You raise an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, this is my second favorite kind of dancing.” You both giggle. “That was a great night, I have to say.”

“Mhm.” You smile and kiss him quickly before resting your head on his shoulder as he leads you.

“Andy, wanna dance?” Caroline asks him shyly.

“Yeah.” He smiles and puts his hands on her waist.

“You look really handsome.”

“Thanks.” He blushes. “I like your dress. You know you always look pretty.”

She smiles at him.

“I’m glad we’re still good friends.” She says as they sway back and forth.

“Me too.”

“During the next slow song you should ask Brandon to dance.”

“What?”

“It’s like you’re always saying, rip the band aid.” She grins at him.

“Caroline, I…”

“Look, I’m not trying to assume anything, but if I had to guess who it was you liked I’d say it’s him, and I think he likes you too, but you both are just being stupid by not going for it.”

“You really think he likes me back?” It was the first time he had admitted his feels to a friend.

“I think so, I think he’s just nervous.” She shrugs.

“This whole thing has been really confusing. You were the first girl I ever really liked, and I like him too, so…”

“My oldest sister deals with the same thing.”

“She does?!”

“Yeah! She came out to us earlier this year, she said she’s bi.”

“And your parents were cool with it?”

“Sure, they were just happy she felt comfortable enough to say how she was feeling.”

“Wow.”

“See? It’s way more common than you think.” The song ends and they let go of each other. “And, just for the record, you were the first boy I ever really liked too, and I’m happy I get to say Andy Styles was my first boyfriend.” She kisses his cheek and he smiles. “I have to use the ladies room, I’ll be back.”

“What was that about?” Brandon asks Andy as he and Tyler step closer.

“Nothing.” He shrugs.

“Are you back together?”

“No, she just kissed my cheek, uh, thanking me for the dance. It’s no big deal, B.”

Brandon nods and they all start dancing again. You and Harry sit for a bit to rest your feet, and to munch on some bread. You notice that Lauren and Greg have been pretty chatty.

“Think anything’s going to happen between those two?” You nod over to them.

“Wouldn’t put it past her.” Harry scoffs. “I bet she was hoping I wouldn’t be here with someone.” Alright, so he was a little drunk, and that statement just slipped.

“Why’s that?”

“Hm? Oh, I don’t know.” He shakes his head and you narrow your eyes at him. “What?”

“Harry if you used to hook up with her you can just say so, it was, like, fifteen years ago…”

“You make me sound so old.” He pouts. “Alright, yeah, we used to hook up, but it wasn’t serious, and we kept it quiet, not wanting to disrupt our circle of friends. She’s just one of those people that you think is really sweet and wholesome, and then she’s not. I didn’t like it.” He stands back up and puts his hand out to you. “Come on, let’s go dance some more.”

“Okay.” You take his hand and go back out to the dancefloor. Another slow starts and you happily wrap your arms around Harry’s neck. “I take back what I said earlier, this really is the best kind of dancing.”

He smiles at you and then leans in for a kiss. Your lips press together and then you both sigh as you dance. Andy takes a deep breath and goes over to Brandon who was sitting down, drinking some water. Tyler and Caroline had been picked up to go home already. Brandon’s parents wouldn’t be there to pick him up until a little later.

“Hey.” Andy says to him.

“Hey, my parents are on their way.”

“Oh…so you don’t wanna dance?” He rubs the back of his neck.

“To this song?” Brandon stands up and puts his hands in his pockets. “A little slow, don’t you think?”

“I’m okay with the tempo.”

“There’s a lot of people around…”

“We could go outside, I’m gonna walk you out anyways.”

“Okay.”

Andy and Brandon go outside the tent. There were a few people out there having smoke breaks and just a breather from dancing. They go to the side where things are a little more secluded.

“How…how should we do this?” Andy asks.

“We could just hug and sway back and forth.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” The boys hug and start swaying back and forth. Andy’s heart was racing like never before. “I’m really glad you didn’t go to camp this summer.” Andy says and they stop to look at each other.

“You are?”

“Yeah.” He smiles at his friend.

Brandon daintily cups one of Andy’s cheeks, and Andy closes his eyes. Just as Brandon leans in his phone goes off. He sighs and presses his forehead to Andy’s for a moment before getting his phone out of his pocket and letting Andy go.

“Hello?” He says obviously annoyed. “Yeah, I’m ready, are you here? Okay…I’m down at the tent, I’ll wait outside for you.” He hangs up. “My dad’s, uh, gonna come get me out here, so…”

“Right.” Andy nods. “How long do you think he’ll be?”

“He said five minutes.”

“Alright, well, I’ll wait out here with you.”

“Thanks.” The boys walk close to the entrance of the tent to wait for Brandon’s dad.

“Brandon?”

“Yeah?”

“Were you going to kiss me?”

“Yeah, I was.” Andy’s face flushes as he looks at his friend. “Got sort of interrupted.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Maybe another time, though?”

Andy smiles at him and nods yes. Mr. Stewart comes to the tent and the boys say goodbye. Andy goes back inside and heads to the dancefloor with you and Harry.

“There you are!” You exclaim. “They’re gonna do the cha cha slide.”

“Great!” The song starts and Harry watches a ton of you follow along with the steps of the song. “Come on, Dad!”

“Fine!” Harry jumps in and follows along as well.

It ended up being a great night despite some of the awkwardness. You get your shoes on, but they sting. You contemplate just walking out barefoot, but you could easily step on broken glass outside, so you decide against it.

“All set?” Harry says to you. “Just confirmed with Paige. The kids will get dropped off in a couple of days, and then we’re headed to the cabin.”

“Perfect. It’s gonna be a great week away.”

You both say goodnight to Andy, who was about ready to pass out from all the dancing he did. Him and Rachel head up to the house.

“So, how were things with Brandon?” She asks him.

“Good…we danced together outside the tent.”

“Oh, how was that?!” She squeals.

“Shh, do you want the neighbors to hear? It was fine.” He smiles. “Just fine.”

Harry gets the two of you home, and you give him a devious grin as you get inside. He raises his eyebrows at you as if to ask if you’re not too tired, but you wink and start walking towards the bedroom.

“Feeling a little frisky, eh?” He asks as he takes his suit jacket off.

“Mhm, you looked so sexy tonight, and watching you dance really did it for me.”

“Oh, yeah?” He pulls you close to him.

“Yeah.”

You press your lips to his, and swipe your tongue along his bottom lip. He opens up for you and your tongue molds to his. He reaches behind you to unzip your dress, and it falls to the floor, pooling at your feet. Your hands work to unbutton his dress-shirt, and you push it off his shoulders. Next you get his pants undone and he leads you over to the bed. He shimmies out of his trousers and gets on the bed with you. You get between his legs and tug his boxers down. You kiss his tip and he hisses from the sensation. You lick up and down his shaft before wrapping your lips around him. You bob up and down slowly and look up at him.

“That’s so good, baby.” You raise your eyebrows at him while your tongue runs over his slit. “You’re a good girl, Y/N.”

Your eyes flutter closed, and you continue to suck on him how he likes, drool dripping down your chin. You don’t suck on him for too much longer since you want him to fuck you. You crawl up his body and grind your covered center over him. He unhooks your bra and kisses on your chest. He rolls ones of your nipples between his teeth and your head falls back.

“I need to get these off.” You grunt and get your panties off. You grab his length and line it up with yourself. “Okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll just pull out.”

You nod and sink down him. Your mouth falls open as he stretches every inch of you. You grip his shoulders and move yourself up and down.

“You got this wet just from sucking on me?” He grunts as he grips your hips to help move you back and forth.

“Can’t help it when I’m doing that and you call me a good girl, Harry.” You peck his lips. “It’s so hot.” You move to suck on his neck, and he presses you as close to him as possible.

You move in sync with each other, and you grind against him in the perfect way. You start breathing heavier as you feel yourself getting closer. You breathlessly tell him to keep going. You tighten around him as you come undone around his hard dick.

“Shit, fuck, Y/N!”

“Oof!”

He had to toss you off of him so he wouldn’t come inside you, leaving quite the mess on his lower stomach and thighs.

“Sorry, are you alright?”

“Yeah.” You giggle and prop yourself up on your elbows. “Are you? Normally you can hold it a little longer.”

“Not when you tighten up like that, Jesus…” He sighs and looks down at himself.

“I’ll go get a rag.” You get off the bed and go into the bathroom to grab a washcloth and run it under some warm water.

You come back and clean him up. He smiles up at you and you lean down to kiss him.

“We need to be more careful.” He says as you get into bed with him. “Just suck it up and use the condom, you know?”

“I know.” You sigh. “It just feels so good.” You pout at him.

“I know, darling, but you said you didn’t want to get pregnant until you have your doctorate. I’d feel terrible if it happened, and you got really stressed out…”

“Harry, if it happens it happens. It would be stressful, but plenty of women do it all the time. Now’s not the most ideal time, but I can’t tell you how excited I get when I think of carrying your baby sometimes.” You bite your bottom lip as you look at him.

“Don’t even fucking tempt me, Y/N, you know I’d put one in you now if you really wanted it.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” You kiss him quickly before turning over. “Soon, I promise.”

//

A week with Andy and Rachel at the cabin was interesting to say the least. Watching their dynamic was fascinating. They really did act like brother and sister. They’d bicker one minute and be laughing the next. He showed her how to use the jet skis, and they built sand castles together. Your family came up, and it made it ten times more fun for your birthday. Your parents even stay in to watch the kids so you, Harry, Phil, and Julian can all go out to a bar to celebrate. You couldn’t believe you were already twenty-eight. It was hard to feel old, though, when you could still have such a great time dancing and drinking. The day of your actual birthday you all enjoy some cake, and a few gifts.

Andy was back home with you and Harry now that it was just about the middle of August. It was nice having him home, it was too quiet without him, even if you did enjoy the alone time with Harry. Andy loved all of the changes that were made to the house. He had kept what happened with Brandon, or what almost happened with Brandon, to himself. He just wanted to keep that moment for himself. The Ariana Grande concert wouldn’t be until November, but Andy was already talking to you about outfit choices for the meet and greet.

“I just got back, and you’re leaving for a week?” Andy asks you at dinner when you tell him about your trip to California.

“Yeah, I have a conference to go to, I’ll be back before you know it.” You smile. “You’re gonna have some nice quality time with Dad.”

“Yeah, we’re gonna have a lot of fun.”

“Mhm, I can’t wait to go back to school shopping with you and Mum.” Andy rolls his eyes.

“That’s a day that should be way more fun that it is, and we’re not doing that until after Y/N gets back. We’ll have another pot painting day.” Harry takes a bite of his dinner. “I was thinking we could go to the pottery paint place, though. Have a little father-son date.”

“Ew, don’t call it a date, Dad.”

You burst out laughing. You’d miss your boys over the next week.

//

“Dad, can we do the pottery thing another time, Brandon invited me to go to the skate park tomorrow.” Andy says to Harry the night before they’re supposed to go to the pottery place.

“Oh, well, you can go skateboarding with him any time, can’t you? Or even afterwards?”

“Why can’t we just go paint another day?”

“I was sort of looking forward to spending the time with you.” Harry frowns. “We haven’t done much just the two of us in a while.”

“That’s because you spend all your free time with Y/N.” Andy smirks and sits down on the couch with Harry.

“Not true, we do stuff as the three of us. I feel like you like spending time with her more than me.”

“That’s not true! I guess I can go skateboarding with B another day.”

“I don’t wanna go tomorrow if it’s gonna be a force for you.”

“It won’t be. It’ll be fun.” He looks at Harry. “She’s only been gone two days, you know?”

“I’m aware.”

“So, she’ll be back in another three. It’ll go by quick.”

“I just feel bad that she has to go right from the airport to our faculty meeting.” He sighs. “But I suppose it’s all going to work out perfectly.”

“Yeah, she’s gonna be really surprised.”

//

Spending a week in California was amazing. You felt like your old independent self. It was nice to explore in the evenings, and you got a lot out of the sessions you attended. You had a ton of new ideas for your classes and for your paper. You spoke to Harry when you could. The three hour time difference was much more manageable than the six hour one like when he was in London.

You were happy with the tan you managed to get out there, and did your best to sleep on the plane home so you weren’t totally exhausted. You take the bus back to town, and load your things up in your car and drive over to the university. You managed to freshen up at the airport, and you texted Harry updates so he knew when to expect you. What you refrained from telling him was that you were going to stop by your office quickly just to open it up and let it get some fresh air from the window. You also needed to grab your spare laptop charger.

There was something you liked about the quiet before the semester started. It was like the calm before an incredible storm. You were feeling extremely prepared for this semester. It would be your third year teaching at the university, and you were feeling really good about it. You key into your office and set something down.

“Well, if it isn’t my not so new neighbor.”

“Jesus!” You nearly jump out of your shoes. Even though you knew Harry’s voice well, he still found ways to scare the shit out of you. You sigh and turn around. “And to think I was…excited…to…see…you…” Your eyes widen when you see him down on one knee with a small velvet box in one hand, and a shit eating grin on his face. “How…how did you know I’d come here first?” Your eyes start to water.

“Because I know you very well, come here.” You step towards him and take his free hand in yours. You were shaking. “Are you gonna be okay?” You nod your head yes. “Good, because we don’t have a ton of time before our meeting.” You chuckle slightly at that. “Still excited to see me?”

“Yes.” You whisper.

“Do you know what’s in this little box?”

“I have an idea.”

“I truthfully never thought I’d be buying another one of these for someone. I…I didn’t think I deserved to have someone love me the way that you do, but I know now that I do. Sometimes I’d wonder why things didn’t work out the way I thought were supposed to, but I realized that everything I went through was just part of my journey to you, Y/N.” You cough out a nervous giggle as you had tears running down your cheeks. “I was trying to think of the perfect moment or place for this, and nothing felt better than the place we first met and became friends. Plus, I knew you’d nearly shit yourself.” He smirks and you shake your head. “So, with all that being said, and may I remind you I don’t care about how long we’re engaged for because I know your doctorate comes first…will you marry me?” He opens the small box and you gasp at the ring. It was stunning, beyond stunning.

“Yes, oh my god, yes!” Your hand was shaking terribly, but he manages to slip the ring on.

He stands up and swings you around in his arms. He slots his mouth over yours, and you almost forget where you are until you hear a bottle pop.

“Woo! Congratulations!” Janette says with a freshly opened bottle of champagne. Lisa, Mateo, Lucas, Andre, and Sandra all come out as well. “You should have seen your face, Y/N.” She chuckles.

“You guys!” You laugh and go to hug your colleagues. “You all knew?”

“All Harry said was that we should wait upstairs and to bring champagne, we just assumed.” Lisa says as she holds out some cups for Janette to pour the champagne in.

“Where’s Andy?” You ask him as you take a sip.

“At Brandon’s.”

“Did he know?”

“What are you, new? Who do you think helped me design the ring?” He smirks and nudge his shoulder. “We’ll celebrate with him tonight when we get back from dinner, there’s an ice cream cake in the freezer just waiting to be eaten.”

You all chat about the excitement before you need to actually go through the things you needed to in your faculty meeting. It was hard to concentrate, though. You wanted to call your parents, your brother, your friends; everyone! Not to mention the ring itself was distracting. You weren’t expecting something quite so…large. Then again, Harry was the gaudy ring type, so it shouldn’t be that surprising that he went all out.

“You two should go home to be with Andy to celebrate.” Lisa says. “We can all go down to the pub another time.”

“No, it’s alright, he’ll probably be annoyed if we pick him up too early from his friend’s.” Harry says.

“I actually wouldn’t mind going home...had a six hour flight earlier, you know?”

“Shit, you’re right. No one minds waiting a few days?”

“Not at all.” Janette says. “Let’s just all meet up Friday, it’ll be more fun.”

You drive separately back to the house, and Harry helps you get your things inside. You wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him. You suck on his bottom lip and he moans into you.

“This is why you wanted to come back, huh?” He smirks.

“You’re not the only one that’s good at being sneaky.”

You couldn’t feel luckier than you do now, to be engaged to the absolute love of your life.  

[turnsthepaige]

You can call me Saraya now.

Today is my last official day as Paige.

I got signed in April of 2011, at 18 years old. I was just a baby from Norwich, England. And as I’m sitting here now, I’m only a month away from turning 30. That’s crazy, right? I’ve been Paige for over 11 years. For my entire adult life, I’ve been with WWE.

And while I’ve changed a lot over that time, one thing feels the same to me today as it did back on the day I tried out: the thrill of those three letters. WWE — those three letters have given so much to me. In many ways, they’ve come to define me. And they’ve never lost their meaning. The idea of being a WWE Superstar … I’m still blown away by that, still humbled by it.

Which makes it hard to say goodbye.

I’ve known this moment would be coming for a while, but it almost didn’t seem real. Now that it is real, though, I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude.

Gratitude to people like A.J. — what an absolute badass she is. But she’s also so sweet and so thoughtful. I remember the first time we went on the road back to England, she got me this pair of Doc Martens with a Union Jack on the toe. Those little things that make someone feel cared about … that’s A.J. for you. I used to call her “my fairy godmother.”

Gratitude to people like the Bellas, who took me under their wing when they definitely didn’t have to. This business hasn’t always been the most encouraging place for strong women, and I admire how Nikki and Brie just came in and said, “You know what? Fuck that.” The Bellas empowered me, and then they taught me how to empower myself.

Also, seriously: the gratitude I feel toward each of the AMAZING women I shared a ring with!! While there are a million pieces to being a WWE Superstar, in the end for me it all comes back to wrestling. And that’s where a lot of my best memories are. Whether it’s my matches with Nattie (my favourite opponent), or with Emma (forever proud of the work we did in NXT), or countless others. When I first got to WWE, we weren’t very far removed from the time of bra-and-panties matches. A lot of people still considered the women’s match on every show to be the “pee break.” And I’ll always feel such a kinship with the women of my era, because we worked so damn hard to prove ourselves. To prove that we couldn’t just wrestle — we could wrestle our asses off.

And while I wish the same support had been given to earlier eras of female wrestlers, to WWE’s credit they did come around on what our group was capable of. So many people had our backs and gave us the tools to succeed. Stephanie and Hunter, obviously. Dusty. Dr. Tom. Norman Smiley. Joey Mercury. Steve Keirn. Nothing was handed to us, but it felt like anything was possible. Want to dress more alternative? If you can get it over, go for it. Want to do a top-rope suplex? If you can pull it off, we won’t hold you back. That was the attitude. We were very fortunate.

I’m also grateful for the CURRENT group of female wrestlers in WWE. Everyone seems to have a different idea on where and when our Women’s Revolution started, but to me the where and when don’t matter. What matters is that it happened, and that women’s wrestling is in good hands with the talent on this roster. I’m incredibly honoured to have gotten to be a part of something so special, and can’t wait to see what the future brings.

And then of course the other part of this that I’m grateful for … it’s more bittersweet.

The truth is, it was easy enough for WWE to get behind me in those early days. I was a young woman who could wrestle at a high level and cut good promos and move loads of merch — I was probably one of their top assets, you know what I mean? And you don’t learn much about people from how they treat you when you’re on top.

You learn about people’s true nature, I’ve found, from how they treat you when you’re closer to the bottom.

And a few years ago I got pretty close to the bottom.

It was like, almost overnight, so many things changed: Suddenly my neck was fucked and I couldn’t wrestle. I popped a drug test. My sex tape leaked. I got depressed. I started drinking. And I became less of an asset to WWE, and more of a liability, for a long time. I’m sure of it.

But they never lost faith in me — they never once threw me off to the side. They got me the help I needed when I needed help, and they gave me the time and space I needed when I needed time and space.

They even gave me a full segment on Raw to announce my in-ring retirement. I’ll cherish that for the rest of my life. Not just getting to make the announcement like I did, but also the respect it showed on WWE’s part, that they viewed me as worthy of that kind of treatment — the kind normally reserved for an Edge, or a Daniel Bryan, or an HBK, or a Hunter.

That they viewed me as someone who’d built a legacy of her own.

I’ll leave on a quick story. Before I came back from my injury in 2017, I probably had the craziest case of anxiety I’ve ever had. I just kept thinking to myself, like, These people are all going to hate me now. With things having spiraled so out of control (and in such a public way) in my personal life, I had doubts about whether I still belonged, and about whether that connection I’d made with the fans had permanently been lost.

And I’ll never forget this: As I was getting ready to go out there for my “re-debut,” Stephanie pulled me aside. And she just held me for a minute. She gave me the biggest, longest hug. And she said, “Hey — everyone out there loves you. They’re going to be excited to see you. You want to know why? Because you’re a survivor. You SURVIVED. And that means something. So hold your head up, and enjoy this moment. It’s yours.”

Stephanie was right (as usual). I went out there … and it was the most amazing feeling. No one hated me!! They were actually glad I was back. I was still Paige. The connection was still there.

And in a lot of ways, that story is my time with WWE in a nutshell. It was far from perfect. There were some brutal setbacks. And to be honest, I was a bit of an ass for a couple of years. But they always believed in my will to survive, and in the person I could grow to become.

So I wanted to say thanks.

And I want to thank YOU ALL — truly, anyone who might be reading. From my bosses to my coworkers to my friends to my fans. For the past 11 years, you’ve let me live out my dreams. More living to come. I’ll see you down the road.

—Saraya

[the-writerly-night-owl]

Something About a Legacy

Desire and Decorum/ Inspired by the main story and minor MC x Ernest 

Summary: 4 girls, a few of the descendants of Clara and Ernest discover just how their ancestors met and where the Sinclaire family is in the future. 

Authors Note: so they mention where Duke Richard’s Karlington is in the 21st Century (Madeleine and Godfrey) and I wanted to write something where we see what happened to the Earl of Edgewater title. 41 Days of Cheer day 10 Ancestor. This was actually super long and this really condensed from what it originally was. Also yes this is my OH MC, I intended her to be a descendant. 

I’m probably not going to get many notes for this but happy reading!  

Clarissa Sinclaire had been to London before, in fact she had done a project studying her family here. So this wasn’t new to her. It was exciting to meet the family she had never met before. After all this was the Sinclaire family reunion.

Outside of the impressive mansion (boy was it big!) stood another family member aimlessly texting on her phone.

Someone at the door was already ushering them in. It was even prettier on the inside as they stopped in the foyer. Clarissa tried to remember the details of the email. Everyone finally gathered in the main living room as she glanced around. Besides her cousin Hannah she didn’t know anyone else. She went to Hartfeld too as the two hugged. She couldn’t help but feel horrible for Hannah as her brother Jonathon had died in a car accident.

“Are you okay Hannah?” she asked as she squeezed her hand.

“I’m good,” she said as they turned attention to those around them.

“Now, I say let’s go around and get to know each other,” said the girl as she grinned at them. “Um, just to get better acquainted, me, my sister, and my brothers are your grandpa’s brother’s grandkids.” She gestured to the slightly younger girl as she grinned widely. “I’m Lizzie Sinclaire, Elizabeth if you’re my mother and angry with me. I sit in parliament, I have a law degree and all.  Oh and I’m getting married at the end of August.”

She gestured for her sister to go next as she took that as a sign to introduce herself.

“I’m Paige Sinclaire,” she said as she clapped her hands together. “Um, I’m a certified midwife and obgyn.” She made a face as she tried to think of something else to describe herself. “I enjoy meat lovers pizza.”

The rest of the girls smiled as Paige laughed at herself for thinking of something completely random. She nodded to the next person as she seemed to be relaxed and confident.

“Clarissa Sinclaire,” she said smoothly.  “I’m a doctor at Edenbrook Hospital in Boston. I’m married and have two kids but couldn’t really bring them. Ethan is a doctor too and has a schedule that’s a little bit stricter than mine.”

She nodded to Hannah as she seemed to be last.

“I’m Hannah Sinclaire,” she said feeling a little foolish adding her last name, everyone had that last name. “I also graduated from Hartfeld too, except my undergrad is in history. I’m going back to get my graduate degree in psychology though.”

It was relaxed as everyone seemed to know each other a little better. Lizzie started to pass around a paper.

“Alright so I figured since we’re here for a few weeks setting up and the reunion. We could have some fun. We have a few items to find but that’s about it. The list is what we need.”

She peered at it and grinned. Perfect, just a few ancestral items that they’d display during the reunion.

 The list of what they were looking for passed around as she folded hers and stuck it in her back pocket. The others started to pair off to make things easier. There were only four of them and two to a few rooms didn’t sound horrible. Hannah and Lizzie started toward one wing. Paige and Clarissa in the other direction.

Ledford was beautiful, she thought, as they looked down at the list.

“So, we’re looking for a few different items, it looks like we already have a pocket watch engraved with a message from Lydia Sinclaire on it. Then a tiara dating back to William the Conqueror? Dang, I didn’t know we had that family far back. We’re looking for a sword, a WWI medal…” She listed off each item as she best as she could and the note saying that they could keep whatever caught their fancy. Neat.

For the next half hour or so the girls swiftly cleared out as many rooms as they could. Finally she and Paige found themselves in a small office area with books on one shelf and the window overlooking the front.

Curious Clarissa studied the books on the shelf. Each of them had a name engraved on the side of different names: Hannah, Marie, Lydia, Clara, Josephine. The books stretched on depending on the name. Hannah had roughly thirty books, meanwhile Emma had two. What kind of books were these, she thought, before pulling the one at the top of the shelf off.

Clarissa guessed that all the books were in order as she dusted off the shelf. Everything in this room hadn’t been touched anytime recently. Her fingers ran over the spines as she pulled out the first one with the name Clara on it. She pulled it out curious as that was her middle name.

She went and started to read those forgetting that she was supposed to be cleaning.

Good afternoon, morning, night, or whenever you may be reading this. Thank you for taking time to read my writing and what advice that I must give to you. The next mistress of Ledford will be my son’s wife, I trust that you will take care of him and love him just as much as I do. I am not with child yet, but I hope to be soon. I always wanted a big family and I think Ernest would love a few sons.

Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Clara Sinclaire (nee Mills) and I am fifteen years old – I only jest – I am really twenty. I will take the first few pages of my journal to introduce myself and then clear up all the misunderstanding that has surrounded me for nearly a year now. I hope the next mistress reading this will understand the truth and what I have gone through. To start I will let you know that my father was the Earl of Edgewater, Vincent. My mother an opera singer, Mary Mills.

Time went by fast as she got enraptured with the story.

“Clarissa are you okay?” asked Heather as she saw her. Cleaning was pretty much done for the first day and they were talking about sightseeing tomorrow. Since she had been to London before she could show them some of her favorite spots.

“Yea, I’m just reading these old diaries left behind from our great however many grandmothers. They have all these cool and interesting stories. I mean listen to some of this stuff.”

She turned and flipped to a page and started to read:

Ernest and I had an amazing wedding night. Just thinking about it makes my skin quiver in joy. He had taken me to our room. And we stripped bare down to nothing. The way he touched me made me feel a warmth between my legs I’ve never felt before. He had used his cravat to tie my hands above my head as he just wanted to touch me. Closing my eyes I let him.

Being frank the way he entered me and to feel his manhood enter me just wanted to make me scream and I did. I couldn’t wait to make him feel…”

The rest of the girls gasped and shared excited looks.

“Hot damn.”

“You go girl let him work his magic,” said Clarissa with a smirk. “Sounds like me and Ethan.”

“Oh my gosh this is a gold mine,” said Hannah. “Look! This moment sounds so sweet listen.”

Ernest and I held our new baby in our arms nearly the entire night. I probably slept for only a few hours. I already learned how to help change him and rock him to sleep. We have chosen to name him Vincent after my father. We probably would have never met without him.”

Together all the girls visibly awed at the thought. Then flipped through the pages as carefully as possible picking out passages to read to each other.

Ernest and I had celebrated ten years married together! That’s right ten years and we have so much to be thankful for. We have many children that would make my father proud and Lady Grandmother appalled at the sheer number. I feel loved and happy to live to see each new day. I can’t wait for 1827 and what it will bring for us this new year’s. I can’t wait to tell him that I am with child once again.

Again, another aww echoed through the room as they picked out another passage.

I watched Vincent marry Bishop Monroe’s niece with pride in my eyes and squeezed Ernest’s hand. He could only smile back and assure me in my ear that everything was perfect. But that nothing would outdo our wedding. We had never felt prouder as we exchanged a rather chaste kiss. Later we would resume that action later.

I, Clara Sinclaire, do declare that I only want my children to marry for love. I want them to feel just as strong emotions and me and Ernest do. Vincent and Amelia are great friends and even better with each other. This is how I feel about my husband and my friends with their partners.”

“You know this is rather cool to learn about our ancestors this way. I wonder if we’ll ever share our legacy like this,” said Clarissa. “Maybe one day, I’m glad that my kids last names are Ramsey-Sinclaire.”

“I wish we could meet them,” said Hannah. “I mean Clara sounds like fun.”

“Yea, why don’t we display these books?” asked Paige, “Just like a part of their story and how we came to be. I vote for when she kicked duke Richards in the nuts at some point.”

The girls burst out into laughter and nodded that was one of the best parts next to the wedding.

“Yes, that has to be displayed. I mean why not?” said Lizzie. “Just think 200 years later they have a family still standing with a title and everything.”

“True although why couldn’t our grandfather be the earl?” teased Hannah.

“Because he wasn’t born first,” said Lizzie shaking her head but smiling all the same. “That’s my dad that’s earl of Edgewater and my older brother will get that title next. And then my nephew, wow, that seems so surreal.”

They found a good place to display some of the pages and only looked on at the other souvenirs of their family with pride. Clara and Ernest Sinclaire had well over hundreds of descendants who would never know their ancestors. This was just that special connection that brought them all together. Many would come over the next couple of days to see just how cool their ancestors really were.

Tag list: @flyawayboo @fluffy-cat-whisper @am-i-invisible777 @adrianadmirer @melodyofgraves @symonde @paisleylovergirl @elainew13 @itsbrindleybinch @brightpinkpeppercorn @darley1101 @mfackenthal @jlpplays1 @writerapprentice @indescribablechoices @wildsayeed @princess-geek @perriewinklenerdie @lilyofchoices 

Of possible interest: @hellooliviaolivia @noeschoices 

[wolfpawn]

Once Bitten, Twice Shy Chapter 5

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Chapter Summary - Paige wakes up next to Tom, both discuss the night before, the only issue is, as they do, the sound of women’s boots stride across the floor downstairs.

Tag, @wolfsmom1 @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog @nonsensicalobsessions @damalseer

anyone else who wishes to be added to the tags, just ask :)

The meal went incredibly well. His mother and sister adored Paige. There was nothing she seemed to say that they could find f ault with. She was, like the night of the gathering in the Cumberbatches and in Tom’s own home the night before, wonderful company. She spoke on a large range of topics, literature, history, politics. When they learnt she had studied in Oxford, it seemed yet another box regarding a worthy partner for Tom was ticked. All the time throughout the meal, Tom watched with trepidation that Paige would finally have enough of the situation and admit the truth, or something would rattle his deception, but nothing did. Paige was the most incredibly patient woman, giving his mother and sister her full attention. Laughing and joking with them as though they knew each other for years. It was a wonderful meal, part of him wished for it never to end, Paige was everything someone could want in a partner as far as he was concerned. He remembered her commented the night before, of how her ex had called her boring. Having been in her presence and, also having been in bed with her, he could very much confirm with complete certainty, that she was not boring in any manner, and the man that had done what he had to her, was nothing more than a selfish prick.

When the time came to pay, Tom could see the determination in Paige’s eyes. He gave a slight shake of his head, hoping to convey that it was his treat, as she had been forced into the situation because of him, but the slight shake she returned told him she would have none of it. He sighed, not sure what way to argue it when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He ignored the device, knowing his mother would scold him for checking it at a meal, something she had practically forbidden but when it kept vibrating, he became worried. He took it out and carefully noted who was calling.

“Thomas.” His mother gave a warning.

“It’s Luke and he has rung four times and sent three messages to pick up,” Tom explained, apologising and walking to a quiet area to see what his publicist wanted.

“My brother is an utter twat sometimes, what is someone like you doing with him, honestly, you could do way better.” Sarah declared as soon as Tom was gone.

Paige, seeing the smile on her face, laughed. “Tom is amazing, honestly, I love just talking to him. He is so animated about his passions, he is so respectful, one of the few men I have ever even gone to dinner with that actually is respectful of women, Mrs Hiddleston, you raised the most incredible man, I genuinely hope you know that. But it’s clear you did that with all three of your kids. The respect he speaks of you and Emma,” She looked a Sarah. “And even how he references the women he has done projects with, or even simply met in passing, honestly, he is a credit to your family.”

Diana gave a proud smile. “I am very glad to hear that. Tom has always been incredibly well behaved on that front. I mean, he had some boyish mischief, but thankfully nothing with regards women, so many men have so little respect.” Paige did not even register that she was nodding, Derek very much front and centre in her mind. If only she had not been so foolish as to waste her time with such a prick, she wished she had met someone more like Tom, considerate and fun. She loved talking to him and she loved his family, but the feeling of rejection, betrayal and heartache came to the fore once more and she shook the idea of perhaps trying to find someone new from her mind once more and instead refocused on merely enjoying some company for a short period. Tom’s family, like him, were lovely people, so she wanted to enjoy their presence.

Tom returned to the table a few minutes later, looking incredibly sheepish. The three women looked at him expectantly. “We’ve been spotted.” He stated. He looked directly at Paige when he spoke next. “Your battery has died, I assume?” Frowning slightly, Paige took out her phone and looked at the screen, pressing the side button only to have his words confirmed when it failed to light up, a red light flashing for a moment, she looked at him and nodded. “Apparently, Oscar is trying to get through to you, after failing, he has instead gotten on to Luke, they are working out what is the best thing to say.” Paige felt her eyebrows raise at his words, Oscar, her PR officer/manager rarely needed to worry about these things with her. “They’re not overly bothered, merely annoyed we said nothing about going out in public and them having nothing prepared.

Paige knew what Tom was saying, she could see it in his eyes, he was pleading and apologising with his eyes for her to go along with it. Internally, Paige swore never to help another person again. It really was true what they say, ‘no good deed goes unpunished’. She looked at Tom, sighed and nodded. It would do her no favours to go against what Oscar was asking her to do on this, she knew that. He only had her best interests at heart, he had ever since the beginning, so she would trust him on this. Tom was a lovely guy, no drinking too much, no drugs, no abusive behaviour to anyone, he was the ‘internet’s boyfriend’, a gentleman, and the only person she knew of that was an ex of his was not going to be bothered by her, so she said nothing more and just nodded slightly. No doubt she would have to talk to Oscar about it later. “I guess we better pay up and deal with the real world again.” She got to her feet, her phone case in her hand, her card in it, adamant that she pay for the meal.

“No,” Tom stated firmly, knowing what she was doing.

“Try and stop me.”

The smirk on her face made it all the more fun for Tom. “You shouldn’t, it’s my family and after everything…”

Paige leant up and whispered into his ear, “If you think this makes up for what I’ve put up with today, you have another thing coming, ‘Hiddles’, You owe me big time for this.” “I thought you weren’t keeping a tab?” He smiled back, loving the clearly playful mannerisms she was displayed.

“I reconsidered.” Tom licked his teeth, seeing the playful look on her face. “I don’t blame you.” He was going to apologise again when the waitress came over. He went to give her his card when Paige took out hers and a twenty-pound note. The waitress took hers and place it in the machine. “But…” “Yeah, you’ve got to speak the language of the working person, they don’t teach you that in Cambridge.” She took the machine and put in her pin number before handing it back to the waitress.

“Did you pay extra for it in Oxford?” “No, actually, that one came from the School of Mum who came from a single parent home, who never got past her GCSEs and who worked her ass off to have fuck all. She married my dad, who went through the bottom rung up way of work to own his own company thanks to some very smart choices and when my brother and I were young, my mum went to night school and learnt how to do accounts and secretary work and with a good loan and the happenstance of the global rise in the economies, my parents lucked out and were able to give me and Mark everything we could ever want, but with respect for people in the position my parents had been in. I did my A-levels having never had to know a part-time job because my parents wanted me to focus on school, but Mum educated me what people on the life of a struggling to get by waitress, including, tipping.” She took her card back and said her thanks to the waitress.

“I tip.”

“But to get your card to be the one taken, you need to tip well and show it from the start.”

“It’s nice to let someone treat you from time to time.” Paige gave an almost scoffing face in retort. “When was the last time you let someone treat you to something?” “I don’t need someone to treat me, I treat me.” “That’s not a valid answer to that particular question.”

“Does it matter?” “Yes,” Tom studied her face curiously. “You see, I think this is part of your issue, you are so used to not being treated that you don’t realise you are not obligated to pay for things.” “I am fully aware I do not need to, but I wished to. I enjoyed this and since we are being honest, be honest with me, when was the last time a woman did not expect you to pay for something without ulterior motives for it?” Tom’s brows rose for a moment before he cast his mind back. In all honesty, Taylor had her own money, but looking back, with her actions with her songs, she made it back tenfold in the end. “Exactly. Allow yourself to be treated, Tom. the fact it is not expected of me is a very pleasant change. I never get cooked a homemade dinner quite as you made.” She turned and went back to the table, satisfied none heard their quiet exchange.

Tom went to the bathroom for a moment, startled by the allure of such an incredibly independent woman, and one so unapologetically so. He liked strong women, it was something he always found attractive, but Paige was unapologetic about it in a manner unlike many others, would make it a point of principal to declare, ad naseum, that they were independent in a manner that seemed to them to be their only defining feature, not simply a part of their overall person.

Paige returned to the table, his mother and sister having seen but not heard the slight argument for who would pay and having seen Paige rise victorious from the situation.

“Thank you.” Sarah smiled. “You know, from your books and your interviews I have read, I knew you were amazing, but meeting you, you’re even more so.” “I’m not perfect.” “No one is,” Diana replied. “It’s the ones that do not admit that who you should be wary of.” Paige nodded, she had met so many like that since she began her career. “So, you will consider going with him to aunt Geraldine’s?”

“I will check my work schedule.” She smiled diplomatically.

When Tom arrived back to the table, he could see from simply looking at Paige that his mother had badgered her more. He gave another apologetic look and suggested they leave.

Diana requested that he bring her and Sarah to Oxford Street so they could go shopping, which he did without complaint. The women said goodbye to the pair quickly, with comments that they would see them again soon and once more suggesting that Paige join the family at the aunt’s event in the coming fortnight. Tom pulled away from the curb and drove off, Paige sitting in the passenger seat, saying very little.

“I don’t even know where to start apologising,” Tom confessed.

“I have learnt a very valuable lesson from this,” Paige commented plainly.

“Don’t say ‘yes’ to me?” Tom hampered a guess, half joking.

“Don’t say yes to anyone. Don’t help anyone.” Tom looked at her, startled, her face was not showing the smile of earlier, instead, it was almost sad. “I try to be nice and I end up getting into a mess.”

“I am genuinely sorry.”

“It’s my own fault. I am a big girl, I have to take responsibility for me.”

Nothing more was said between the pair as the car went through the streets of London until they got to Archway.

“Left at the traffic lights.” Tom glanced at Paige, who was instead focusing on the streets going by. “Anywhere along there is good. My place is down a narrow enough street so I don’t want to be a bother.” “It’s fine, honestly.” Tom stole another glance and felt his guilt rise, she clearly felt awkward. He did too, but clearly, she was more so. He indicated and went left.

“It’s on the right.” She barely spoke above a whisper.

Tom indicated again and waited for further instruction. After a moment, one house stuck out to him. “It’s that one, isn’t it?” He pointed to the second last building from the end. Paige stared at him, startled at his accurate assumption. “It screams ‘You’.” He explained.

“How?” Tom shrugged. “I’m not sure, it just does.”

Paige did not know what to say to that. “I hope I was of help to you for your part.” She went to open the door.

“Paige, I cannot apologise enough to you.” “It’s fine, honestly.” “Evidently not. I have no idea what my Mum said when I went to the bathroom but you have become almost downtrodden since and I feel terrible for that.”

“It’s not something negative. You have an incredible family Tom. I see with Ben that getting to where you want to be in your business is hard, keeping who you are while doing it is even harder. Your Mum is incredible, she is so caring and wants nothing but the best for the three of you and it shows, and honestly, I can see why Sophie always goes on about how incredibly good and how much of a gentleman you are and it is clear your mother is a huge part of that.” “Then why are you so down?” “Because I don’t get the pleasure of doing it again.” She confessed. “Thank you, Tom. I will let you get back to normality and I better get on to Oscar before he terminates our contract.”

“Luke would take you in a heartbeat, I dare say he would love to get rid of me sometimes, I am nothing but trouble when I get started.”

Paige laughed. “Yeah, you’re definitely an undercover Kurt Cobain or Liam Gallagher type personality, aren’t you?”

“I hide it well.” Paige laughed again. “You are by far, one of the most incredible women I have had the pleasure to meet, and I genuinely mean that.” “That’s very kind of you, Hiddles.” She smirked, seeing his reaction to the nickname. “I will hopefully talk to you soon.” “I hope so. Perhaps at one of Sophie and Ben’s dinners.” “Perhaps.” She opened the door, got out and walked towards the house. As soon as she did, a somewhat fat looking ginger cat rushed out from a garden to meow at her. “What?” It meowed again. “Are you seriously on my back about what I do?” Another meow. “You see, this is why she leaves you outside, you are too much of a damn Busybody.”

Tom could not help but laugh at Paige’s interaction with the feline. It was silly but funny to see her act in such a manner. He had, more than once, reacted to animals in a similar manner, it was a good way to be in his opinion. With a final wave to one another, she went into her home and he drove away.

[bearterritory]

No. 4 Bears Fall In Overtime In NCAA Semifinals

Cal Pushes No. 1 USC To The Brink Before Ending Season

As tough as this weekend’s 10-8 overtime loss to No. 1 USC was Saturday in the semifinals of the 2019 NCAA Championships, don't expect Cal head coach Coralie Simmons to try to forget about it anytime soon. "I'll probably watch this game two thousand times," Simmons said. The 4th-ranked Golden Bears' season came to an end Saturday, but not before the team sent a message that it should be considered on par with whomever ends up winning the national championship. USC, with just one loss in 28 games this season, was on its heels for much of the game as the Bears put a scare into the top team in the land. "This is a semifinal we will never forget," Simmons said. "We want another two minutes. But it was a lot of fun. I want to play the game over." After a fun win over #5 Hawaii the day before, Cal was raring to go.  But the Bears (17-8) fell behind 3-0 just over six minutes into the game, yet as they’ve  done so many times against top teams this season, came storming back. By early in the second quarter Cal had evened the score at 3-3, then twice erased a two-goal deficit to finally force overtime. Sophomore Brigit Mulder, capping off a breakout season where she assumed much of the scoring load vacated by the departure of four All-Americans from last year, scored twice in the first half to aid the Bears' comeback. Cal, which held the Trojans scoreless for over 16 minutes in an 8-3 loss earlier in the season, turned it up defensively again, allowing just four goals in the final three periods of regulation. Much of their defensive success was due to another superior effort by senior goalie Madison Tagg, who matched her career-high with 18 saves that she set during last month's MPSF Championships against No. 3 UCLA. Tagg finished with 488 saves in her career, good for sixth on the program's all-time list. Tagg, who was named an ACWPC All-American Honorable Mention last year, was named to the All-MPSF Second Team at the end of the regular season and figures to garner more All-American honors this year when those honors are handed down. "She showed growth in a number of categories – mostly maturing as a leader and maturing as staple for us in and out of the water," Simmons said. "That helped her gain a lot of confidence and security in her role as a goalkeeper. Her ability to show up in big moments and really be the backbone for us defensively allowed us to compete at a high level." Sophomore Kitty Lynn Joustra scored on a wicked backhand with 2:57 remaining to tie the game at 7-7 and ultimately force overtime. USC scored the first two goals of the extra sessions but sophomore Elli Protopapas answered with a goal with 39 seconds left to pull the Bears back within a goal. The Trojans added the punctuation mark with a goal with eight seconds remaining to close it out. Junior Emma Wright scored her 67th goal of the season, putting her in eighth place on Cal's all-time single-season scoring list. She also now has 154 career goals, which is ninth all-time in program history. "I'm super proud of this squad," Simmons said. "I couldn't ask for more from them battling and having a lot of fun doing it. We were loose and playing for all the right reasons." No. 1 USC 10, No. 4 Cal 8 (OT) Cal 2 2 1 2 0 1 - 8 USC 3 2 1 1 1 2 - 10 Cal Goals: Brigit Mulder 2, Emma Wright, Kitty Lynn Joustra, Sarah Siepker, Elli Protopapas, Claire Sonne, Lauren Charter. USC Goals: Paige Hauschild 3, Alejandra Aznar 2, Maud Megens, Grace Tehaney, Mireia Guiral, Bayley Weber, Tilly Kearns. Cal Saves: Madison Tagg 18. USC Saves: Amanda Longan 11.

[mattholicguilt]

Femslash February - Feb. 4 : Café

X-Men - Generation X - Jubilee/Monet

They’re shopping in downtown Snow Valley, stopping at a boutique so Monet can buy some new shoes, stopping at a cutesy little shop so Paige can buy notepads and pencils. Jubilation leads the charge, chattering nonstop about something Everett said or Emma’s new hairstyle or what Artie and Leech have gotten up to lately.

Sometimes Jubilee talks so much it’s like she takes up all the oxygen. Monet used to find it annoying, stifling… but she’s come to think of Jubilee’s nonstop babble as a kind of comforting backdrop. Like elevator music.

“So anyway, I told Angelo—”

“Ooh, hold that thought,” Paige says, throwing out one arm to stop Jubilee in her tracks. Across the street a coffee shop is luring them in with big comfy-looking couches and the faint aroma of cinnamon lattes. “I’d kill for a coffee right about now. You girls in?” Monet’s about to say Hell yeswhen she notices Jubilee shaking her head furiously.

“No, nuh-uh, we don’t need to go there,” she huffs, walking faster, trying to lead them down the sidewalk and away from the café. “Why don’t we just finish shopping and then we can all have hot cocoa at home, huh?”

“No, I kind of want a coffee,” Monet says, looking over her shoulder at the coffee shop. “Let’s just go in.”

“NO,” Jubes says, absolutely adamant. “I, um, I heard that place has bugs. Like, everywhere. They would’ve gotten a D on their health inspection but they bribed the health inspector. Real shady stuff. We could go somewhere else?”

“This place is right here,” Paige argues. She hooks an arm around Jubilee and drags her across the street.

“Yeah, what’s your problem?” Monet huffs, and even though she meant it in an irritated fashion, it still comes out a little meaner than she wanted it to sound. Jubilee is immature and loud and occasionally obnoxious… but she genuinely looks horrified at the prospect of walking into this stupid café. Maybe they should rethink the decision.

Too late, Paige pulls open the door and steps outside. The wave of warmth and the smell of freshly brewed coffee that wafts forward erases any doubts or misgivings from Monet’s mind. The place has a funky, almost retro vibe to it. There’s even a Ms. Pac-Man machine in the back, which should totally be Jubilee’s thing. How is she not all over this place?

Jubilee, instead of looking around the coffee shop, jumps behind Monet like she’s hiding. “Are you serious?” Monet scowls, turning around to glare at Jubilee.

That’s when the guy behind the counter with the yellow-green hair perks up. “Jubes! What’re you doin’ here on your day off?”

“Day off?” Paige asks, whirling around. She’s practically got little cartoon question marks in her eyes.

“H-hey, Kev,” Jubilee says weakly, waving from behind Monet. “Oh, I was just shopping with my friends. This is Paige, and Monet,” she introduces, pointing to them. She looks furious but also trying to keep her cool for the sake of her— coworker? Boss?

“Fun, fun,” Kev says, drumming on the counter with his knuckles. He’s got a tattoo of David Bowie climbing up his left forearm. “What can I get you ladies?”

Paige spares one last confused look at Jubilee and then turns to skim the specials board. “I’ll have the house blend with half-and-half and sugar,” she says, reaching for her wallet.

Monet orders a latte with whipped cream and Jubilee gets a cappuccino. Kev gives them all the employee discount, which only makes Jubilee’s face get even redder. Once they finally sit down, Paige clearly can’t hold it in any longer.

“You work here?”

“Well… in a sense,” Jubilee says, hunching her shoulders in as she blows on her cappuccino. It looks like she’s trying to use the big mug to hide her face.

“What sense would that be?” Monet asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, ya know,” Jubilee sighs, staring into her cappuccino like she’s thinking of drowning herself. “I, um, I make coffee and serve it to people, and in exchange for, like, helping out, the manager pays me money.”

“So you work here.”

“Yeah I guess I could’ve just said that,” she mutters, looking out the window, looking at the floor, looking anywhere but at Paige and Monet. “It’s not a big deal. That’s why I didn’t tell anybody.”

“And that’s why you tried to run away when we suggested coming in here?” Monet asks, crossing her arms. “I don’t get it. So you have a part-time job. Why is that some huge secret?”

Jubilee glowers. “I don’t have a rich father, okay?” she says. “I don’t… I don’t even have a father, or a mother. I don’t have any parents sending me any money, and I don’t have my big brother’s X-Force stipend to support me,” she says, looking in turn at Monet and then Paige. “For me to be able to afford to go out shopping with you guys… I have to work.”

They sit in silence for a moment, the only sound the crackly hum of old John Denver songs over the café stereo system.

Then Paige says, “You didn’t have to hide it from us, Jubes. Heck, I detassel corn over the summers, that’s the only reason I got any money. Most of Sammy’s money goes back home to the kids and Momma.”

“What made you think we’d look down on you for going out and getting a job?” Monet says, her typical air of disdain scraped away in favor of something genuine. It’s so rare to see Jubilee actually act embarrassed about something. She usually takes everything in stride, playing off everything as a joke.

“I guess I just… I dunno,” Jubes sighs. “I’m used to getting shit from the townies about bein’ a mutant. I didn’t wanna get shit from you guys for working here.”

“Are you kidding? Jubilee, jeez, I’m proud of you,” Paige says. “This is great.”

“Yeah,” Monet agrees. “Who knew you could be responsible?”

Jubilee lobs a balled-up napkin at her, and things are less tense after that. They drink their drinks and talk about Banshee’s latest attempts to teach the kids to sew. He keeps trying to tell them that simple life skills like home ec matter just as much as honing their mutant abilities. So far, no one except Everett is really buying it.

Kev the Barista waves to them when they leave, telling Paige and Monet that it was nice to meet them.

And that might have been the end of it, except that Monet shows up at the start of Jubilee’s lunch break during her shift the next day.

“What are you doin’ here?” Jubes asks, slipping her apron on a hook behind the counter.

“I thought you might be hungry,” Monet suggests, and while her words are helpful the tone (and expression) come off as mischievous. “So… I brought you an apple,” she says, holding up a shiny Gala apple.

“Oh, you think you’re a fucking comedian, don’t you?” Jubilee says, but she’s grinning. When Monet was trapped in her Penance body, Jubilee used to bring her apples all the time. And now Monet’s returning the favor. “Gimme that, it might be good to eat somethin’ healthy. All I eat when I’m here is muffins and croissants.”

Monet tosses her the apple and sits in the seat by the window, gesturing for Jubilee to sit with her. “Good to know,” she says. “Next time I’ll bring you a salad or a pot pie or something.”

“Next time?” Jubilee says.

“Of course,” Monet says, and when she leans forward and puts a hand on Jubilee’s knee, Jubes could swear her heart stops for a second. “Unless you’d really rather hang out with townies all day,” she smirks.

Her big brown eyes are regarding Jubes warmly, and her voice is lower than normal, like she completely knows the effect she has on Jubilee. Jubilee ruins the moment by taking a big bite of her apple, munching and crunching.

“Well, thanks,” she says, purposely speaking with her mouth full because she knows it annoys Monet. The other girl is maybe-sort-of-kind-of flirting with her, and Jubes only knows how to flirt back one way: by annoying her.

Monet shows up every day that Jubilee works, bringing her lunch and chatting with her during her breaks. Sometimes she brings a book and hangs out in that seat by the window, ordering chai tea lattes and reading while Jubes takes coffee orders.

One day, Jubilee’s coming out of the restroom after her shift and Kev calls her name. “Your girlfriend’s outside,” he says pleasantly, and Jubilee looks through the window to see Monet standing there in combat boots and a flowy sundress. Perfection.

“She’s not my—” Jubes starts, but then she cuts herself off. Is she? Jubilee doesn’t really know. “Thanks, Kev,” she says, and goes outside to walk home with Monet.

[wendyscottsworld]

Women's evolution

Before 2015 women in WWE were looked at as eye candy for the guys. On Monday night raw 23 February 2015 a tag match between the bella twins and Paige and Emma that only went 30 seconds. After the match the #givedivasachance trended for 3 days. Then at Wrestlemania 32 the WWE rebranded the divas division to the women's division and the women called superstars the same as the men. Which showed that the women were equal to the men.

After that the women were constantly in the main event of pay-per-view. In 2018 the women got their own royal rumble match and an all women's pay-per-view. This showed that the women could do the same if not better than the men. To watch this made me feel so proud to be a female because I had just seen so many strong women perform.

At elimination chamber this year there was 34 minutes of women's wrestling including the first women's tag team title match. Which was won by 2 of the four horse women Bayley and Sasha Banks. The other 2 Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair were in a brawl. The 4 years since 2015 have been transformational and should be celebrated.

One of the pioneers for the sport is Paige as she was a primary catalyst in changing the divas division. What set Paige apart was her anti-diva persona and how she made it known she wasn't a diva. This made her matches more technical and more enjoyable to watch as a fan. This also forced writers to dive deeper into women's storylines. Since retiring in 2018 after an in-ring injury, she was made general manager of smackdown. Her presence was short lived yet impactful and her work will go down in history

[jobethdalloway]

Degrassi TNG Rewatch

okay so all of Degrassi is on Youtube and I decided to do a rewatch bc it’s been YEARS since I’ve seen any of the episodes and watching them all in order from way back in the beginning has been A TRIP

I just finished s1 and here are some thoughts:

-most importantly, it taught me to confront my own homophobia!!!: I was a young devout tween when I first started watching this show, and was uncomfortable with having a gay older brother. “Uncomfortable” is probably a nice way of putting it. I never said or did anything mean to him, but I had uncharitable thoughts for sure. In this season, Ashley learns her parents got divorced bc her father is gay. She’s so upset (and upset about him “lying” to her about it, when lying = being in the closet) that she tells her friend Terri she’s made the decision to cut him out of her life. Terri, whose mother is dead, calls her out: “My mom’s gone, she’s not coming back. Your dad came back.” “It’s not the same thing, Terri.” “You’re right, it’s not. You have a choice.” BAM. Terri got to me. I hadn’t wanted a gay brother but I sure as hell didn’t want a dead one, and this episode forced me to confront my own cruel thoughts

-i had to skip the pilot bc it creeps me out too much

-why does the theme song end with a close-up on some girl’s butt? it’s so randomly uncomfortable

-the phones. oh my gosh all the mobile phones. 

-I FORGOT HOW AWFUL PAIGE IS, ugh, “hun” 

-all I’d really remembered about Terri was the devastating way she was written off the show. I’d forgotten how pure and sweet she was and I just love her so much?? What a sweetheart of a friend. Ashley doesn’t deserve her. Paige doesn’t, either. Does anyone? idk

-speaking of Terri’s sad exit, is it also weird that I get emotional thinking of the torture and/or death that awaits these fictional children? (WE DON’T TALK ABOUT JT, IT’S SO UNACCEPTABLE) but honestly. the shaming that manny will have to go through, liberty’s unwanted pregnancy, sean’s life, jimmy getting shot, spinner falling into the wrong crowd ughhh they’re all such BABIES here and i love them and want them to be ok bc rewatching this show reminds me of how i kind of grew up with them and it feels like revisiting former classmates, a lot of whom have also had sad endings 

-part of the power comes from casting actually kids. even if the dialogue is sometimes stilted, a lot of them are really natural (spinner, emma, manny, liberty, and JT are the most authentic imo). and like sean has acne??? aw

-I remember really not liking Emma when I was younger bc I thought she was preachy and annoying. Well I guess she’s still kind of preachy and definitely a proto-SJW (like a younger, Canadian Jessie Spano) but I actually don’t mind her as much anymore. I’m proud of her, actually. Same with Liberty. She’s so precious.

-I love this scene where Spike confronts a guy at the mall for saying something really inappropriate to her & Emma, which inspires Emma to shut down JT for teasing her about her period. Which Sean notices and is impressed by

-bby Sean is so sweet and I actually was like kind of ok with him and Emma? I hated them as a youth bc I was such a hardcore Sean/Ellie shipper (I think I’d missed the earlier seasons at that point) but I’m like, ok with them now

-interesting that this season focuses so much on Ashley & Toby, who are arguably the two least interesting characters in the show at least at this point imo

-JT Yorke looks like, idk, if Jamie Lee Curtis was a middle school boy??

-I love the unironic use of phrases like “surf the web.” And how Ashley gets a same-day, bike messenger delivery of condoms bc, as she tells Terri, “you can order anything on the Internet.”

-I’m obsessed with the fashion, the hairstyles, everything. It is so much more of a throwback than I ever could’ve imagined. I hope someday kids are able to dress like kids again.

[silvery-tears-blog]

Hey guys. I found out that there are very few books with anorexic characters or just characters with eating disorders in general. So I'm writing a story about an anorexic girl for my finals (we have to do this writing thing where we pick a topic and write a report or do an experiment). I'm trying to make this book as realistic as possible, including things like feelings and the not so great side of eating disorders (like the physical symptoms of being incredibly underweight but also how a sufferer may be proud of themselves when they reach certain symptoms, like constant dizziness). Anyways, I haven't figured out the exact plot yet but at some point the girl is going to be admitted to a hospital where she meets other people like her. I'm going to try to make this book as diverse as possible, because often the characters in eating disorders stories are always white girls with great grades and a boyfriend and so on( not that that's bad, but there are so many different kinds of suffers from eating disorders and they are all valid. Plus, I could never relate to those girls who were totally committed and never binged, because that's just not my reality. Anyways, there are two reasons for this post. One, I would like to hear from you guys what kind of things you think should be mentioned in this book. What thoughts and feelings. What hardships and successes. What things do you wish people knew about living with and trying to overcome an eating disorder. I want to make this a voice for people who may feel that there opinions or there struggles are not heard or seen. Two, character names. I can never think of character names. As of right now, I just have kind of average names (just for the main character)

1.) Emma Lee

2.) Eleanor Paige (or Lenore Paige)

3.) Eliana Grace (or Sara Grace)

4.) Gina Elise

5.) Phoebe Sophie

I don't know. Just tell me your thoughts.

[thefosterspoilers]

The Fosters Springs Forward in Its Landmark 100th Episode

The Fosters concluded its fifth and final season with a touching graduation ceremony and a four-year time jump, which meant big changes for a few members of the Adams-Foster family.

On the Stef (Teri Polo) and Lena (Sherri Saum) front, their trip to a relationship retreat helped Stef break down the anxiety she's been experiencing over the course of the season. She was able to confront the damaging insecurities she developed as a teenager with her disapproving parents and begin the hard road to loving herself for exactly who she is. That breakthrough helped her and Lena bridge the gap in their relationship and once again return to wedded bliss.

Brandon (David Lambert) didn't have nearly as good of a time. It turned out that Grace (Meg DeLacy) didn't respond to the gene therapy and she made the decision to stop getting treatment for her leukemia. There wasn't a magical new cure or turnaround either. She died the night before Brandon and Callie's (Maia Mitchell) graduation, leaving Brandon in shambles the morning of his big day. Luckily, Callie was able to convince him to show up for their big day and they made it just in time to graduate with the rest of their class. They received their diplomas and we found out that Brandon made it into the Musician's Institute and Callie was able to score a last minute spot in the University of California San Diego's five-year law program.

Brandon and Callie's graduation wasn't the only one fans got to see at the end of the two-hour 100th episode event. The show skipped forward to Jesus (Noah Centineo) and Mariana's (Cierra Ramirez) graduation. Jesus was also able to graduate with the rest of his class and continued on to San Diego Community College. Mariana was accepted to MIT with Emma (Amanda Leighton). The show then skipped forward another three years to Jude's (Hayden Byerly) graduation. The youngest member of the Adams-Foster family will be spending his college days at UCLA.

The series could have ended there, with everyone in their chosen fields, but the season finale is actually a set up for The Fosters three-night series finale event airing this summer on Freeform. That special event will be the pathway for The Fosters spin-off centered on Callie and Mariana coming to the network later on. TV Guide talked to The Fosters executive producer and co-creator Bradley Bredeweg about the emotional two-hour episode, the time jump revelations and what we can expect as the series comes to an official close.

TVGuide: Did you know that you wanted to time jump or is that something that came about once you knew that this was going to be the semi-end of the series? Bradley Bredeweg: It's something that came about over the last couple of years, especially when we knew we were building towards the end of the show because we had such a tight timeline that kind of kept us a few years behind anyways within our Fosters world. We knew that as we grew up the kids and wanted to see them enter into adulthood that we were going to have to kind of speed things up. So it just came naturally out of the storytelling process within the room.

TVG: We do have these final three episodes that are going to air this summer which will serve as the big conclusion. This time jump is only four years. Callie and Mariana still have one more year of school, at least. Can you say how much time the summer finale will encompass? Bredeweg: The final three episodes are taking us into their young adult lives. There's a slight time jump but it's really the last three episodes focus on a very specific short amount of time for us.

TVG: I found it very interesting that Jude decided to go to UCLA, which is going to make it very convenient for him to maybe pop in on Callie and Mariana when these two are in their own spinoff. Bredeweg: Yes. There's a lot of possibilities for Jude to make his presence known and we're going to want to check in with that wonderful young man. As you probably know, Brandon also lives in Los Angeles pursuing his music career within the business. So they will be around.

TVG: Was there anyone that you wanted to get back for these final two episodes and maybe also for the three-episode finale coming up? Bredeweg: For me, it would be AJ. I would love to have been able to explore where he's at in his life right now. But unfortunately, the actor took a sabbatical in Europe and we're so proud and happy that he got to do it. I was a little bummed that we weren't able to explore that a little bit more. But he had a great foster family and foster father in Mike. We can only assume that his life is continuing to grow and flourish.

TVG: Stef and Lena have broken so many boundaries and gotten so far over the years. Why did that feel like an interesting story to break Stef down to her teenage anxieties at the end of the series? Bredeweg: Because even though we're all continuing to grow and better ourselves and our lives and our relationships, we all still have so much underneath that and so many layers and so many things that happen to us in our lives, especially our younger lives that we haven't always quite dealt with. Peter [Paige], Johanna [Johnson] and I just got to talking about anxiety and how it affects the three of us really. We're in a very high-pressure world and where does that come from? What is the seed of that anxiety? What is the birth of that anxiety? We know Stef to be this force to be reckoned with and this woman that takes on life with so much strength. But, you know, she's vulnerable too sometimes and we wanted to get underneath that and really discover and understand why she may say something like that. We found it to be an interesting time to dive into it.

TVG: She does get to shed her guilt over lying for Mike at the end of this episode. Does she get to stay a cop? Bredeweg: Stef will step into something a little bit different. She won't stay a cop. I will tell you that.

TVG: I was not expecting Grace to die in these final episodes. That was heartbreaking. Why did that feel like the best way to end that story line for Brandon? Bredeweg: There was one of two ways of going about this. Brandon's been through so much this season. He's grown into such a young gentleman and we really talked about how interesting it would be to explore that story on him because no person his age should have to face death like that. But, if anyone can take it on it's Brandon because he was raised by two incredibly strong women.

Now we get to see him apply all that he's learned from his moms to take on life after Grace. Let me tell you, he takes it on head on and then some. I think you'll be able to tell that Brandon is going to build this incredible life for himself. There may be hints of how he moves on and who he moves on with in our finale too. But I don't want to divulge too much on that.

TVG: On Callie's side, it feels like law was the most obviously choice for her. Why do you think it took her so long to figure it out for herself? Bredeweg: Sometimes what's so obviously and right in front of us, we tend to ignore or dodge it a little bit. I think we all have to explore the other possibilities before we really make that one big life decision. Because Callie is who she is and because her journey has been so incredibly present these last five years, particularly. She went from this girl lost within our system with no real hope for a future to this young, powerful woman with the entire world of possibilities in front of her. I think that's a big reason why we wanted to explore the different layers and possibilities on her.

TVG: It's so sad that the show itself is ending, but we do get to stay with these characters. What does aging them up allow you to do and how will exploring them in this new way be different from what we've been seeing on the series? Bredeweg: It's just good to be able to see all of these kids that we knew as kids and through their young adult lives as a family and really setup the platform for them to go out into the world and succeed. Then the spinoff is about these twenty-somethings out in the world fighting for their lives and fighting to build lives for themselves and fighting for what they believe in. We're seeing a lot of that right now. We're seeing the younger generation, especially for example in Florida, doing just that a few weeks ago. We want to explore what it's like to be at a young adult age when you find yourself in a world of chaos and you want so desperately to make it better.

TVG: These final two episodes felt like they could have been the series finale by themselves. What did you guys feel like still needed to be explored/wrapped up before you moved into the spin-off and the summer specials? Bredeweg: You're absolutely right. It does feel like a finale but we also wanted to ... we're not ready to say goodbye to the Foster family. The fans out in the world aren't ready to say goodbye. We really wanted to give everyone a final goodbye to this family and really spend time with them as a unit to see what happens in their lives after the foundation and the structure that we've all experienced these last five years on the show. So we take them outside the house and we enter a different world and we see what this family is like outside those walls of the Fosters' home.

TVG: This is going to be a tough one. What are you most proud of, of everything that you've done on The Fosters so far? Bredeweg: Oh my gosh. Look, we've been so incredibly lucky to be able to work on this show for five years, especially the last two years during the current political fire storm. To be able to tell these kinds of stories that seem to make a difference and seem to inspire our younger generation of viewers I think has been the job and the opportunity of a lifetime. I can't even put into words how grateful I am to have been a part of this.

We all tear up every time we think about how lucky we've been to be able to be a part of this family. I'll say our last night together just a few nights ago as a family on set was one of the most beautiful but probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. We wrapped at like 5:30 in the morning and we all just stood there in this big group hug not wanting to let go. We kind of literally didn't. We just stood there for what seemed like forever until the sun came up. I think just being a part of this family and being on this journey with this incredible cast and being able to tell these stories during this time has been quite a beautiful journey for all of us.

The Fosters will return for a three-night series finale event this summer.

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