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fullmoonremus · 5 years ago

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God Damn Smile | Edmund Pevensie x Reader

Warnings: Fluff :)

Time/Era: Modern AU

Word count: 3.7k

Summary: Edmund reconnects with his childhood best friend, and it makes old, forgotten feelings resurface.

Request: Hey! Can you write an Edmund x reader based on “A Typical Teenage Love Song” by Tate McRae? It’s fine if you can’t. Tsym in advance!

A/N: This song is so cute :D Ahhh, I love this imagine!!! I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! Thanks for the request :)

masterlist | read on ao3

“No! Don’t step on him!” Five year old Y/N L/N yelled at her friend, Edmund Pevensie. He had his foot raised above a small garden snail, right in the middle of a game of Godzilla. The pair were currently in Y/N’s back garden, playing amongst all the plants. Both children were dressed in brightly colored rain boots and their play clothes to enjoy the rainy weather.

“It’s just a snail,” Edmund responded, lowering his leg to the ground. Instead of squishing the garden creature, he kneeled down to the ground for a better look. It wasn’t anything special, just a normal garden snail, but it seemed to be rather important to his playmate.

“He is not just a snail! He is my friend.”

“If he’s your friend, what’s his name then?” Edmund let the small snail crawl up onto his finger before standing upright.

“Snaily,” Y/N responded, putting her hand out and throwing the teddy bear in her arms to the ground. Edmund placed Snaily on her palm and smiled a toothy smile. This made Y/N grin, putting her hand at eye level. “Thank you for not squashing him.”

“He’s my friend now, too. You don’t squash friends.”

Y/N nodded in agreement, “You don’t squash friends.”

“Do you remember being a baby?” Edmund asked Y/N. They were now eight and sitting on the Pevensie family swing set, avoiding the youngest Pevensie child, Lucy. Y/N adored Lucy, she thought the girl was adorable, but Edmund insisted the two have “big kid things” to attend to.

The swing set was old and rickety, as it had been in their family since Edmund’s older brother, Peter was a toddler. The colors were faded, the slide had a large crack in it and Edmund had written his and Y/N’s initials on one of the support beams. “No, am I supposed to?” Y/N answered. She had been last to reach the swings, so she was stuck with the squeaky one. Her face cringed each time the chains made a noise, despite her attempts to stay as still as possible. Y/N brought her hands to the teddy bear on her lap, covering its ears. Having been in the sun all afternoon, the swing was hot on her legs and it stuck uncomfortably to the skin on her thighs.

“I don’t think so. My parents were looking at our baby books this morning so I was wondering,”

“My mom has a picture of us when we were three hanging in our living room,” Y/N’s nose wrinkled and she kicked up a small patch of dirt. “We’ve been friends since we were babies. I don’t remember meeting you, though. You were just, there.”

Edmund laughed, standing so he could lean his stomach against the seat of the swing. He swung on his stomach once before situating back onto his feet. “Our fathers are friends which means we’re friends. That’s just the way the world works.”

“Friends forever, even if one of us moves far far far far away?”

“Friends forever, Y/N.”

“Do you have to go?” Ten-year-old Edmund stood outside of Y/N’s house, holding a box of barbies. Mr. L/N took the box from Ed’s hand and put it in the trunk of his car.

“It should only be for a few years at most, Ed. I’m getting relocated for work,” Mr. L/N responded, messing the young boy’s hair up with one hand. “We’ll be back. I gave your Dad our new address and you can write to Y/N to your heart’s content.”

When Y/N joined them at the car, backpack slung across her shoulder and her favorite teddybear hugged between her arms, tears were rolling down her face.

“I don’t want to go, please don’t make me!” She cried, holding to her teddy to her chest. Her face was scarlet and her mouth was etched into a frown.

“You can stay with us!” Edmund offered, his own tears starting to roll down his face. Y/N was more than just his playmate, she was his best friend. They had spent the last seven years of their life seeing eachother almost daily, and now all of that was going to come to a sudden halt.

“That’s sweet of you, buddy, but I think her mother and I would miss her too much,” Mr. L/N smiled down at the two before walking to the front of the car where his wife was talking to Helen Pevensie.

“I wish you didn’t have to go,” Edmund sniffled. “I’m going to miss you. I have no one to play on the swings with!”

“You can play with Lucy.” Edmund made a face at this suggestion, making Y/N sadly giggle. “Or Peter.”

“No, Lucy cries too much and Peter always kicks sand in my eyes.”

A thoughtful look came over Y/N’s face and she looked down at the plush in her arms. After a small moment of what looked like intense thought, she held her teddy out towards Edmund.

“Here, Ed, now you can have a friend!” Edmund hesitantly took the bear from Y/N’s hands and looked down at it. It was obvious Y/N really loved that thing because it was a bit raggedy and one of the brown button eyes was replaced with a bright green one. “Teddy likes it better here, anyway. You can take care of him.”

Y/N awkwardly gripped her upper arm with her hand, swaying on her heels. Edmund hugged it to him and nodded stiffly. “He’s in good hands. I will protect him with my life.”

Both kids laughed and embraced before Y/N was whisked into the car.

Dear Y/N,

Happy 12th birthday! I’m sad I couldn’t be there for it, but I hope your cake was yummy. The picture my mum showed me looked absolutely delicious. She also said you took up archery at your new school! My school doesn’t offer that, so I thought that was cool. Did you shoot anything? I know you are too nice to shoot any animals but I never know with you. ;) I hung out with this girl in my English class the other day, she reminded me of you. She had long brown hair and blue eyes and a laugh that sounds like yours. She wasn’t as fun as you, though. I think she wants me to be her boyfriend. I’m not sure if I want to be her boyfriend. She kept trying to hold my hand. Her hand was sweaty. And she kept saying I have a cute smile. I don’t know how a smile can be cute? Teeth are weird. Peter said that was her way of trying to flirt with me. Do you flirt with boys at your school? What do you say?

Maybe we can play Minecraft together again soon. Last time we played I had a great time. Have your mom text mine and we can try to schedule something. I want a phone, it would be easier to talk to you.

I attached a picture of me and Teddy at the park. He misses you almost as much as I do.

I’ll be waiting for your response,

Ed,

Thank you for the birthday wishes. :D The cake was delicious, I wish you could have tried it!!! And to answer your question, yes, but I’ve only ever shot targets. It’s against school rules to shoot anything other than them. Sort of a bummer, though.

Your not-girlfriend sounds nice. I agree with her, your smile is very nice. You always look so happy when you smile, especially when your eyes light up.

I don’t really flirt with boys, boys are kinda gross. Not you of course, but the guys at my school. There is this one guy named Ethan who is kinda cute. He wouldn’t want to be my boyfriend though. My friend always talks about kissing him. I want to kiss someone...have you ever kissed a girl?

My mum said I can get a phone when I turn 14. Then, we can text and call whenever we want! I miss you. How’s teddy? He looks so happy in that picture. I hung it on my bulletin board.

Respond quicker this time, will ya?

Y/N

EDMUND!!!

I’M HAVING A CRISIS AT THE RIPE OLD AGE OF 13! Remember that boy, Ethan? Well, apparently he has a big crush on me. That’s fine, he’s cute and everything, but my friend has a big crush on him. I guess it’s like friendship code to not date him? I feel bad rejecting him. I kinda have a crush on someone already. I know he doesn’t like me though.

Are you still dating that one girl? In your last letter, you said you were gonna break up with her. How’d that go? Did she cry? Did you cry? I hope you didn’t. I don’t like it when you cry. It makes me sad.

Can you believe we’re teenagers now? It seems like just yesterday I was handing you Teddy and crying in the car for an hour. I hope we come back soon. But hey! I’m almost 14, which means I’ll be getting a cell phone. Maybe if I have a phone my mum can convince yours to get you one.

I miss you, Ed. I hope to be back soon.

Y/N.

Y/N!!!!

I’m not sure if that really counts as a crisis, but okay. If you don’t like him, don’t date him. That’s why I broke up with mine. I discovered I kind of like someone else, so I broke up with her. And no, I didn’t cry. If felt like a relief more than anything. Let me know how the “crisis” turns out.

I can’t wait until I get a phone. My entire grade has one, and so do Susan and Peter. I feel kind of left out, having to write letters when I want to talk to someone. It’s always fun when I get them, though.

If I have to hear Stitches by Shawn Mendes one more time, my head is going to explode!!!! Susan keeps playing it on repeat. I tried to turn it off earlier and she almost broke my arm. Why are siblings so mean? Or are mine just weird? You’re lucky you’re an only child. I miss you too, Y/N. If you were here life would be so much easier.

Edmund

“Edmund, you got a letter,” Lucy says, dropping the envelope on his desk. He was working on college applications, typing away on his laptop, and looking grumpy. Music blasted through his speakers as he worked.

“I didn’t order anything?” He grunted in response, not taking his eyes off of the screen.

“It’s from the girl you’re basically in love with, I think. It has her name on it.” Edmund looked at the envelope with scrunched eyebrows. Sure enough, it had her name and address written on the front in her familiar handwriting. His heart rate sped up while he gently (and shakily) broke the paper seal. Why didn’t she just text him?

Hey, Edmund,

I know we haven’t talked since we were like 15 and I could have just texted you, but this seemed more nostalgic and romantic in a way. You know how I tend to romanticize everything.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know we’re moving back for Senior year, crazily enough. A few years my ass, huh? We’ll be back on the 14th, so get ready for chaos.

Seriously, I’m looking forward to seeing you outside of Instagram again. You don’t have to come see me if you don’t want to, I know it might be a bit awkward, but I’d really like it if you did. My address is 1014 Swanwhite Lane. Come stop by if you feel like it.

I do miss you. Judging by your social media, you’re doing well. I’m happy to hear that.

Hopefully, I’ll see you soon.

Y/N

“Oh my god, she’s coming back,” Edmund says, gripping the thin paper in between his thumb and middle finger. “What’s the date?”

Lucy pulled her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it, “The 28th. Why?”

“She got back the 14th! She’s been back for ages and I had no idea, oh my god!”

“Well, are you going to go see her? You lost your chance to sweep her off her feet by waiting for her to arrive.”

“Sweep her off her feet?” Lucy rolled her eyes and hit him with the rest of the family’s mail.

“Don’t play stupid. I’ve heard you and Peter talking.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His eyes skimmed the letter again. Lucy snatched it from his fingers and hit him with it.

“Don’t know what I’m talking about? Really, Ed? The whole ‘I’ve been in love with her since I was 8 years old’ thing you told Pete? You don’t recall? Or the fact you have her post notifications on?” Lucy read the letter herself. “She wants to see you! Come on, this is your chance. You haven’t even looked at a girl since you were like 13.”

“I’ve been focusing on school. What’s wrong with that?”

“It’s a Friday night in the middle of August and you’re getting a head start on college applications. Ed, go see the girl.”

“Mum will never let me,” Lucy held up one finger and left the room. After about 5 minutes, she returned and held his coat out to him.

“She said to go have fun. Here, it might be chilly.” Edmund sighed and took his jacket. The corduroy felt soft under his fingers as he slid it on.

“You don’t have to be so pushy, Lu.”

Lucy smiled, “It’s only because I love you. Besides, if I didn’t push you, you wouldn’t go.”

Edmund sat on the curb across the street and looked up at Y/N’s house. It was well past 11 at this point and only one light in the house was on. Hopefully, it was Y/N’s.

He awkwardly thumbed through his contacts before pulling up Y/N’s. The last text was on his birthday, a simple two message conversation consisting of “Happy Birthday!” and “Thanks!”

Look outside

He watched nervously as his message went from delivered to read, but no typing bubble popped up. Edmund sighed and stood, shoving his phone into his jacket pocket and walking towards the house. Sure enough, the front door opened and a grown-up Y/N stepped out. She was still dressed, but her shoes were off and her hair was tied back. Edmund smiled at her mismatched socks, old habits die hard apparently.

“I thought you were never going to come and see me,” Her voice was like honey.

“I just got the letter today, so blame the postal service. Not me.” The two walked to the curb and sat down.

“Well, I’m glad you still came. I was expecting you to wimp out.”

“Wimp out?! Why would I do that?”

Y/N let out a forced chuckle and looked at the pavement. “Because you stopped answering my texts and calls.” She crossed her arms across her body and shivered. She was only wearing a short-sleeve shirt and a pair of pajama shorts. “But I get it, life gets in the way sometimes.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Are you cold?” Without waiting for an answer, he shrugs off his jacket and drapes it across Y/N’s shoulders. It smelled like spearmint gum and pine.

Y/N let out a real chuckle this time. “Smooth, Ed. Very cheesy.”

“I will happily take it back.”

“Please don’t, this is the closest I’ve been to you in years.” Her fingers gripped the material and closed it around her torso. She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. Edmund didn’t quite know what to do. “I missed you, Edmund. It’s so nice to see you again.”

“I missed you too. Your return is a few years late.” His chest vibrated with a snicker.

“I know, but I’m back now.” A moment of silence filled the air as the two tried to grow more comfortable in the familiar company.

“I used to dream about sitting with you like this, you know,” Edmund said before he could stop himself.

“You did?”

“Yeah, I used to picture us in all sorts of situations, but most of them were small things like this.”

“But not anymore?”

Edmund sighed, laying his head on top of hers. His hair tickled Y/N’s forehead. “I figured you moved on from me.”

“Moved on? What do you mean?”

“I mean, you have so many friends and a new life… and we stopped texting as often. I don’t know, I thought you, maybe, outgrew me.”

Y/N played with the zipper on Edmund’s jacket, making a small clicking noise fill the air. “I never outgrew you, Ed. In fact, a day didn’t go by that I didn’t wish I was here with you.”

“I don’t see why. You had so many friends and such an exciting life. I’m rather dull in comparison.”

“You’re definitely not dull. And it doesn’t matter how many friends it seems like I have, you’re the only one I consider a best friend. I should have reached out more, maybe I could have had a better year.”

Edmund shifted so he could wrap an arm around her waist. “Did you have a bad year?”

“Yeah, that’s sort of why we came back. But, I mean, I’m here with you, so everything has a bright side.”

Edmund grinned and tightened his grip. “That’s one of the things I love most about you. You can always see the positives in everything.” Y/N pulled back and looked at his face.

“I love it when you smile,” Y/N commented. “I could spend hours staring at that god damn smile.” Edmund’s cheeks reddened and his smile grew bigger.

“Why don’t you, then? Stay with me for hours, I mean.”

“I will if you let me, Pevensie.”

Edmund sniffed once.

“Did you ever end up dating that guy from your Chemistry class?” Edmund asks, studying the side of her face. His eyes scanned over her skin, admiring how soft it looked.

“No, I’ve been in love with someone else for quite some time.”

“What a lucky guy, then.” Edmund’s voice was only a bit louder than a mumble as he turned his head away from her.

“Yeah, I guess he is. I’ve known him since I was really young.”

“How’d you meet him?” Every word felt like a dagger into his stomach.

“I don’t remember, he was always just there. Our dads were friends so we were friends. That’s just how the world works.” Edmund took his hand off of Y/N and placed it in his lap.

“Oh, I see.”

“Yeah, he’s super cute. He’s really smart, too, but kinda oblivious.”

“Wow, he sounds great, Y/N. I’m so happy for you.” Each word sounded like he was choking them out. He stopped listening a few responses ago, but he still wanted to support her. No matter how hurt he felt, he was still her friend.

“He’s the best person I’ve ever met, if I’m being quite honest. He can be a bit of an ass though.”

“What’s his name?”

“You might know him,” Y/N tucked her hands into her sleeves before continuing. “His name is Edmund Pevensie.”

“Wow, what a cool- wait what?” Y/N giggled at the look on his face. His eyebrows were lifted and his mouth was open slightly.

“Yeah, I don’t know, maybe you’ve met him.”

“You’ve been in love with me?”

“Been and am, darling. God, when I got your text tonight my heart almost stopped.” Edmund was speechless, he couldn’t believe the girl he had been in love with for so long felt the same way. “Of course it’s okay if you don’t feel the same-”

“-No! I’m just shocked. I can’t believe this. I have loved you since we were little, I feel like I’m dreaming.” He couldn’t help but let the smile engulf his face, making his freckles stand out against his red cheeks. This was not what he was expecting when he had walked to her house.

“There’s that handsome smile I love to see.”

“So, you were waiting for me?”

“Just like you were waiting for me. Lucy texted me about six months ago about how you never show any interest when she tries to set you up with girls. Now is just our time, unless you aren’t going to show interest in me.”

“When did you get so sassy?” Edmund turned so he was facing her straight on.

“When did you get so flust-” She was cut off mid-word by his warm lips being pressed against hers. He tasted like licorice and mint, and Y/N instantly got intoxicated off of his lips. Both parties had dreamed about this moment for years, so now that it was happening, it left them both feeling light-headed. Edmund pulled back and smirked.

“Who’s the flustered one now?” He asks, hand cupping her cheek.

“Does this mean you’re finally mine?”

“Y/N, I’ve always been yours. Hell, I’ll always be yours.”

Edmund made a face as if he remembered something and reached into his backpack, “By the way, I’m not the only one who missed you.” He placed a very old teddy bear in his lover’s lap.

He had raggedy fur and one green eye.

#edmund pevensie #king edmund #king edmund the just #edmund pevensie x reader #edmund x reader #edmund pevensie fanfic #edmund pevensie fanfiction #the chronicles of narnia #the chronicles of narnia fanfic #the chronicles of narnia fanfiction #narnia #c.s. lewis #c. s. lewis #modern au #edmund #fluff

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nellie-elizabeth · 4 years ago

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The Handmaid's Tale: Vows (4x06)

Huh, I don't know, honestly! This was probably my least favorite episode of the season, which was a bummer because I was looking forward to it so much!

Cons:

So, first of all, the writing seemed a little bit... hokey in the flashback scenes with Luke? It was all too on the nose, and didn't ultimately tell us anything new about Luke and June's relationship, other than the fact that June was insecure about giving him a baby. I get why they did this, and how it parallels that heartbreaking scene at the end, but... something about the actual scenes themselves didn't click with me.

As I'll talk about in a minute, I'm absolutely thrilled that June is out, in Canada. It's the status quo change we desperately need at this point in the story. But this episode itself felt like a lot of stalling. June's not going to leave. Then she's leaving. Then she's willing to be turned in. Then she gets through. Then she's going to escape and go back. Then she's not. I'm not sure anything in this episode was really revelatory enough to justify the buildup. That scene with Luke in the end was "the point" of this episode, and it was a great scene. But there was just a lot of chaff to get through, before we got to that wheat.

The conflict between Moira and her girlfriend makes sense and would be interesting, but we never really got to know them as a couple before this. It's a bummer because the emotional investment isn't quite there. I want to understand what this relationship means to both of the characters, and what losing it would mean. The pacing was just off. Maybe a few episodes back when we were watching June being tortured scene after scene, we could have swapped that out with a bit of development for Moira and her girlfriend. Something to give it a bit more weight.

WHERE'S JANINE? One of the reasons I think this episode didn't quite work for me was how it works in its placement in the season as a whole. We've spent quite a bit of time with June and Janine over the past couple of weeks. That's been our focus. Then, explosion, and chaos, and Janine is not accounted for. I can't believe they'd kill her off like that, off-screen, but what am I supposed to think? I really, really wish we'd had a hint of her whereabouts.

Pros:

This whole episode, as I said, was about that scene at the end where June is standing in front of Luke and saying "I'm sorry I don't have Hannah, I'm sorry it's just me." It was a great scene, masterfully acted by Elisabeth Moss as usual. It backfilled so much of who June is as a person for me. Everything we've seen, her persona as the leader of a revolution, falls apart in the face of one thing: she was staying for Hannah, and now she feels she's failed. It's not that we didn't know this information, but now we have it stated for us outright, and it shines a different light on so many things.

I'm curious to see how Luke's resentments will play into things moving forward, if at all. He was angry that June chose to stay in Gilead, even knowing she might never see him again. Now, he understands that she couldn't bear to turn up "just herself" without Hannah in tow. It seems to me that there's a deeper insecurity that's been percolating from the beginning of their relationship. Despite what Luke might insist to the contrary, maybe June was only as good as her ability to give Luke a child, when his first wife never could.

There's something juicy and also incredibly troubling about the fact that June has been in love with two men that we know of, Luke and Nick, and she's given them both children. How much does her own perception of being a good partner/wife/lover get tied up in the question of motherhood? In this world, where even as everything is fractured and poisonous, most people can rally around at least one central concern, that of the falling birthrate, and what it means for the future of humanity?

These are the kinds of questions we can explore in a show like this, and I feel like we saw glimpses of promise here.

Also, Moira and June being reunited feels so good! I like that it's not really an occasion to celebrate, and Moira has to bully her onto the boat. It makes so much sense. We also see in the flashbacks a reminder of the fact that Moira wasn't exactly Team Luke back in the day, and yet here June is confiding in her about how she's failed, and how Luke will never forgive her... it was just such a moment of friendship and solidarity for the two of them even in this insane situation.

I also liked the setup for what June's escape is going to mean overall. The relief efforts that Canada has been undergoing might be called off entirely. It's big stakes, and June has enough guilt on her shoulders as it is. I'm excited to see what might happen from here. What is the resistance and government in Canada going to do now that they have June Osborne freed from Gilead? Should be intense!

I wanted to love this episode so I think the focus on Luke threw me for a loop... that said, I still enjoyed it and I'm excited for what it sets up in the future.

7/10

#review #the handmaids tale #the handmaids tale review #the handmaid's tale #the handmaid's tale review #handmaid's tale #handmaid's tale review #handmaids tale #handmaids tale review

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wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

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Riding High

Ch3: Chicken wings and Confessions.

Chapter Summary: Fliss heads to Frank and Mary’s for a cookout, and they both learn a little bit more about the other’s troubled past.

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. Talks of domestic violence and suicide.

Chapter Pairings: Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

A/N: Again, as you will all know I’m a Brit so apologies if too much British horsey lingo slips into this…ASK away if you don’t understand. Tagging all my SSB/CSI readers…if you want in or off the list PLEASE just tell me.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding High Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 2

“Frank goes out most Fridays, but Saturday we hang out.” Mary explained about her weekends to Fliss as she sat on the chair with her juice box. Mary had finished her riding lesson roughly fifteen minutes ago and they were now sat in Fliss’ office waiting for Frank to finish working on the tractor. Fliss had noticed instantly that Mary’s demeanour around the two other girls on her lesson had changed, she had become a lot more introvert. Almost like the children bored her so to speak.

It had surprised Fliss a little, as normally it was the other way round, kids happy to be outgoing with people their own age and more reserved with grown-ups. But she had ignored it and introduced the three girls to one another, simply carrying on as normal. Mary had completely focussed on her riding, not really speaking to the other kids and Fliss was starting to understand now why Frank thought she needed to socially interact a little more with children.

“That’s cool.” Fliss smiled. “So what are you doing tonight then?”

“He said he was gonna do a BBQ.” Mary looked at her. “Roberta’s coming over. She’s our neighbour. She turns up uninvited all the time so Frank said we might as well ask her if she wanted to come as she’d just rock up anyway.”

Fliss grinned ��Is Frank any good with BBQs?”

“He BBQs better than he cooks.” Mary answered and Fliss chuckled. “But that’s because it’s not really cooking is it? It’s just heating meat to a temperature so that all the bacteria is killed.”

“Talking about me again?” Frank leaned in the doorway of the office, wiping his hands on an old rag and Fliss looked up, smiling at him.

“Mary was just telling me about your cooking.”

Frank snorted “Yeah it’s not much to write home about.”

“It’s bad.” Mary grimaced. “Unless you get it out of a jar.”

At that Fliss tipped her head back in a loud laugh. “Oh God!”

Frank shook his head smiling to himself before he changed the subject. “Tractor’s all done.”

“You, Sailor, are a God send.” she smiled “What do I owe you?”

“Nothing” Frank shook his head “I had the parts lying around so…”

Fliss frowned, before she smirked at him, “Okay then, today’s lesson is on me again.”

Frank looked away shaking his head before he turned back, smiling “That’s how it is?”

“That’s how it is.” she nodded.

“Alright, quid-pro-quo.” he shrugged, tucking the rag he had been using into his back pocket.

“What are you doing tonight?” Mary asked and Fliss smiled.

“Well my Mum and Dad are away so I have the house to myself. I’ll probably grab a beer, lay by the pool for a bit and then…”

“You have a pool?” Mary’s eyes widened, cutting her off.

“My mum and dad do.”

“That’s so cool.” Mary looked at Frank “Why can’t we have a pool?”

“We do.”

“A communal one.” Mary rolled her eyes. “A private one is way better.”

“Yeah, well, sorry life is such a disappointment to you.” Frank looked at her, Mary pouted a little at him and Fliss smiled at the easy to-and-froing that was going on between the two. “And here’s another disappointment, time to go.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve taken up enough of Miss Gallagher’s…”

“Fliss, please.”

“Fliss’ time, and I need to get to the store if you wanna eat anything tonight.”

Mary grumbled but stood up and trudged slowly towards the door.

“Before you go do you wanna book in for next week?” Fliss asked.

“You gonna let me pay for that one?” Frank looked at her.

“Depends if I find anything else for you to fix.” she shot back, Frank snorted and shook his head. “Same time?”

He nodded “That’s great, thanks.”

“No problem.”

She bid them both goodbye and Frank and Mary made their way to the truck, Frank’s hand dropping to the back of Mary’s head as they walked, keeping her from diverting her attention as she spotted Joanne bringing in one of the horses from the pasture.

“Do you not think Miss Gallagher might be lonely?” Mary asked Frank suddenly.

“Lonely?” Frank looked at her, “Why do you think she might be lonely?”

“Because she’s on her own, at home.” Mary shrugged

“She lives near her parents.” Frank replied.

“Yeah but her parents have been away since Tuesday. And she told me that she doesn’t have a lot of friends round here.”

“Neither do you.” Frank looked at Mary.

Mary scoffed “I have you and Roberta, and Fred.”

“Well then Fliss has her family, her horses.”

“But why not us?”

“I’m not following?” Frank shook his head. “I mean why can’t we be her friends?”

“Well, we are.” he said, “Sorta, anyway.”

“So why doesn’t she come round tonight as well?”

“Well, I…” Frank paused and looked up. He’d only know the woman a week but he couldn’t deny he liked her company. They’d chatted over text most nights since, and in person it was just as easy to talk to her as it was behind a phone screen, but he didn’t know her in any detail… well, not yet anyway. He was hoping he would in time, because he found her a breath of fresh air to be around. She was someone who didn’t know anything about him, his life. She took him for who he was and he liked that.

Taking a breath he looked back down at Mary. “You think she’d wanna come?”

Mary shrugged before she hopped round to the other side of the truck. Frank patted the roof and leaned through the open window of the driver’s side. “Wait her a minute.” he instructed, before he turned and walked back onto the yard.

“Fliss?” he called and she turned to face him.

“Forget something?” she asked, smiling.

“No, well kinda, look. If you want, and that’s only if, there’s no obligation at all but you’re welcome to join us tonight.”

“When I said I was alone, I wasn’t angling for an invite.” she explained and Frank shook his head.

“No, I know…” he assured her “But the offer’s there if you fancy it. Although my limits are burgers, sausages and steak.”

“No chicken wings?” she frowned “What kind of sorry ass BBQ is that?”

“You want chicken wings, you can bring them.” he laughed.

She looked at him for a second before she smiled “Alright, deal.”

“Say about half five? Will you be done here or…”

“I can get one of the girls to close up.” she smiled. “Half five is fine.”

“Ok, well I’ll text you the address.” he said with a nod “It’s not hard to find, we live near the dock not far from St Pete’s beach. It’s the little trailer-slash-prefab park.”

He paused, waiting for the usual judgmental look that came whenever he explained where he lived but it never arrived. Instead, Fliss smiled and nodded.

“Near the dock huh?” she grinned “That’s pretty cool.”

“Well it means the commute to work is acceptable” he shrugged and Fliss laughed.

“I bet the views are amazing.”

“Well, sadly we only have a single storey apartment so can’t see much.”

“Shame.” Fliss nodded. “I could quite happily lose a day watching sailors.”

There was a pause as Frank arched an eyebrow, as she held his gaze, smirking a little and he found his neck and cheeks going warm.

Was she flirting with him?

“Unfortunately you’ll have to make do with me.” He replied, testing the water.

“Yeah, that is a bummer.” She sighed. “Not sure how I’ll cope.”

There was a twinkle in her eye and Frank shook his head, giving a little chuckle.

Yup, definitely flirting.

“Okay, so I guess I’ll see you later.” He asked and she nodded, smiling.

“Yeah, you will.”

***** “Hi guys!” Fliss waved at the screen as her mom and dad squeezed in to say hello.

“Hey Titch!” her Dad grinned back “How’s it going? Burnt the house down yet?” “Yeah, fire brigade are dealing with it now” she rolled her eyes. “How’s Seattle?”

“Hot, like muggy hot, and full of people.” her dad grimaced and she heard her mum tssk in the background before she too appeared on the screen.

“Ignore him!” Verity appeared on the screen, smiling “It’s wonderful!”

“Hmmmm” Bill rolled his eyes “I tell you what won’t be wonderful, my bank statement when I get it. You’ve hit every shop going.”

Fliss laughed as her parents began to bicker affectionately.

“So what are you up to tonight?” Verity turned to her daughter “Making the most of the peace and quiet?”

“Actually I’m going out.” she said, ignoring but not missing, the surprised look her parents exchanged. “Well, to a BBQ”

“A BBQ?” Bill asked.

“Yeah, Frank and Mary invited me so,” she shrugged, “I thought it beat sitting at home alone.”

Another significant look was exchanged between the parents.

“Oh and he fixed the tractor” Fliss said, in a hope that would divert her Dad’s attention. Luckily for her, Bill was a tactful man and could recognise when she was trying to change the subject so, to avoid her mother digging further, he took the initiative and began to ask her a few questions about it, which she answered as best she could. The call lasted for another ten minutes or so before the oven sounded, telling her the marinated chicken wings she had cooked to take with her were ready so she bid them both goodbye, promising to be at the airport to pick them up the following evening, and headed into the kitchen.

Once the wings were out cooling, she took a shower then set about trying to decide what to wear. Her stomach was churning a little, she was nervous for a number of reasons, the main one being she actually kinda liked Frank. He was easy to talk with, funny, flirty and even better to look at. Fliss had never imagined post her husband she’d ever feel as comfortable with a man so easily as she had with Frank, which could only be a good sign, right?

In the end she settled on a pair of cut-off jeans which grazed her ankles, a pair of brown, strappy flat sandals and a light green checked sleeveless button down. She kept her make up light, and pulled her long hair back into a loose bun. Once she had made sure the dogs were okay she grabbed the chicken wings and the beer she had also bought to take with her, double checked the directions and set off.

It wasn’t a long drive to the park Frank and Mary lived on. Fliss slowed down carefully, looking for the number she had been given and soon spotted Frank’s truck parked up in a space just off the little road. She stopped her Jeep behind it and clambered out, only to be almost bowled over by a flurry of blonde hair.

“Hi!” Mary said, giving her a hug. Fliss chuckled and bent down to hug her back.

“Mary you saw me like a few hours ago.” she laughed.

“I know but, I’m glad you came.” she beamed, letting go. Mary then reached down to pick up a ginger one-eyed cat which was following her. “This is Fred.” “Nice to meet you Fred.” Fliss grinned, giving the cat a scratch behind his ear.

“Mary for God’s sake give it a moment before you start bugging her half to death.” Frank’s voice sounded and Fliss looked up, smiling at him as he appeared from the side of the house. Fliss gave him the once over from behind her sunglasses. He was dressed in a pair of light blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a pair of grubby white sneakers. As he crossed the lawn area towards them, he gave Fliss a smile which made her stomach twist and to distract herself she turned and opened the passenger side of the car, reaching in for the ceramic dish covered in foil

“You told me to bring chicken wings.” she smiled as she handed him the dish “I also brought beer.”

Frank laughed and shook his head “I wasn’t being serious…”

“Well, I did them anyway. And they’re already cooked so you just need to char them. No chance of food poisoning.”

“Good to know.” Frank nodded, before he gestured with his head “You err, wanna come in?”

Fliss looked over to their apartment and nodded. “Sure.”

Together they walked round to the back of the house and up a set of steps into a small kitchen.

“I’ll show you round!” Mary said, grabbing her hand. Fliss let the girl lead her into the main room of the house.

She looked around smiling softly, taking it all in. It was small, cluttered and packed with personal touches which gave it a homely feel. A small desk in the corner by another door, which she assumed led to a bedroom, which was loaded with books and school supplies. Underneath a window sat a small leather couch, and the walls were adorned a slightly shabby light coloured wooden panelling which gave the place the feel of a beach hut. It might not have been fancy, but it was nice, the vibe was good and Fliss could tell this was a home that saw a lot of love. And she instantly felt at ease.

“Probably not what you’re used to huh?” Frank watched her as she looked around, suddenly a little conscious that she was more than likely coming from a fairly opulent background with the job she did and her family and sporting heritage.

“No, but,” she smiled at him,“I love it, feels like a home.”

“It’s not much but it does us.” Frank smiled at her comment as he moved back to the fridge. “Beer or…”

“Yeah, beer’s good.” she followed him back to the kitchen, standing in the doorway and nodding to the carrier bag of bottles she had put on the table.

“You know you didn’t need to bring any more.” he said, as he glanced inside it “I got plenty”

“I’m sure you do but my Mum always told me it was polite to take something with me when I go to someone’s for dinner.”

Frank smiled and began to place the bottles in the fridge before he pulled out two already chilled Bud Light and flipped the tops off before passing her one.

“Thanks” she smiled.

Mary walked past the pair of them, Fred shooting ahead of her as she tossed a ping pong ball into the grass of the yard and, with the hand that had just grabbed his aviators off the table, Frank gestured after her, questioningly. Fliss nodded and they stepped back outside onto the lawn area, where a BBQ and a small table and a few chairs sat were set up.

Fliss took a seat as Mary flopped onto a beanbag to their left on the grass.

“Frank bought the special burgers” she stated “Said if we had company that wasn’t just Roberta we should wheel out the good stuff.”

Frank groaned at his niece as he slid on his sunglasses. “Mary.”

“What?” she asked, and Fliss laughed.

“I’m glad you think I’m worthy of good burgers” she teased, and Frank noticed the corners of her eyes that weren’t hidden by her Oakley’s crinkling up as she smiled.

“And I’m offended to know I’m not.” A voice said, and Frank jumped slightly. Fliss turned to see a kindly faced black woman with chin lengthy curly dark hair rounding the side of the house. Mary jumped up to give her a hug and the woman greeted her before she smiled at Fliss who had stood up.

“You must be Fliss.”

“Roberta, yeah?” Fliss asked nodding as she shook the ladies hand “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Same here.” The woman nodded before she turned to Frank. “You going to get me a beer?”

“Get one yourself.” Frank shot back “Make yourself at home. You usually do.”

Fliss grinned as Roberta aimed a slap to his head and he dodged the hit as if he knew it was coming. Which he probably did, Fliss realised. There was a comfortable familiarity between the two of them, a mother-son kind of vibe, even if Frank was trying to be all gruff about it.

Roberta came back and dropped into a chair and they all settled into a comfortable chat. Roberta asked Fliss questions about her Yard, Mary interjecting comments here and there as Frank stood by the grill observing their food. Any tension that Fliss had been feeling quickly evaporated as she became even more comfortable in her surroundings, and she happily chatted away, instantly warming to Roberta as well. She told them about her brother, Steve and his twin boys Charlie and Joel who were both Mary’s age, where she was from in England, and her parents, revealing to Frank’s surprise that Bill wasn’t actually her biological father.

“I didn’t know that.” Frank looked at her.

“Why would you?” Fliss shrugged “It’s not important really. My actual dad left my mum before she had me and then he died when I was four months old. I never met him. Bill brought me up from the age of 2 and adopted me when he married mum, so he is my dad, in everything but blood.”

“You said they were out of town?” Roberta asked. “Anywhere nice?”

“Seattle.” Fliss smiled “Mum’s always wanted to go and, well last year they didn’t get much chance to travel what with everything that was going on so they’re just starting to get round to it. Kinda strange them not being here, it’s the first time since I’ve been in Florida that they haven’t.”

She pondered that for a moment, her nails lightly tapping on her beer bottle before she gave a grin and looked up at Frank. “I face timed them before. Their reaction when I told them I wasn’t simply sitting at home tonight like a total loser was priceless. I thought Mum was going to tell me to give her a ring when I got back home safely.”

Frank gave a little laugh and was about to reply when Mary cut in.

“Why’s that? You’re a grown up.”

Frank rolled his eyes at Mary’s nosey demeanour but Fliss didn’t seem to mind.

"Well like I told you, hun, I don't really have many friends here so I don’t go out a lot” Fliss shrugged "I only really know the guys from the yard and a few people through my parents. My friends are all in the UK, even the people I knew in Boston were more…” she trailed off before she took a breath and smiled “Well, I left them all behind when I moved."

"Well now you got us, right Frank?" Mary said simply as she sat on the large bean bag as she tossed a ping pong ball for Fred who obligingly chased it across the lawn.

"Sure does." Frank smiled, apologetically. “And we’re kinda hard to shake off. "

"Like a dose of the clap." Roberta dropped her voice so only Fliss and Frank could hear. Fliss choked on her beer, sputtering a laugh as Frank flipped the woman off.

"Fuck you"

Fliss wiped the beer she had slopped onto the front of her blouse, taking a little longer than she needed as her eyes had watered up at the sudden sentiment of the moment. She had only known Frank and Mary a week, yet here she was in their home as if she’d known them forever. Friendship was something she had been aching to feel again for months and now she found herself suddenly surrounded by it and she was a little overwhelmed, but in a good way.

When she finally looked up, Frank was surprised to see there was a shine in her eyes as they had watered over. He shot her a wink, tactful enough not to mention it and then asked her if she would mind grabbing him a beer from the fridge whilst he kept an eye on the steaks, giving her chance to escape and compose herself. She shot him a grateful nod and headed inside, taking a deep breath.

“She alright?” Robert asked, standing up and moving to the grill “She looked a little upset.”

Frank shrugged, focussing on the grill before he looked at Roberta “Think I should go after her?”

Roberta shot him a look as if he had just asked the most stupid question in the world. “Dur.”

“Watch that.” he instructed, handing Roberta the tongs before he headed inside and Fliss turned to look at him, gesturing to the beer on the side.

“Was just about to try and find the bottle opener.” She spoke quietly and, reaching into his pocket Frank handed it to her and smiled.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, before she took a deep breath. “It’s just, well, I’ve not done anything like this in a while, other than with my family so…” “Overwhelming?” he smiled softly and she gave a little shrug.

“A little, maybe. But it’s nice.”

“You might not be saying that when you taste my cooking.” Frank deadpanned and Fliss laughed, following him back outside.

******

To Frank’s delight the food was actually pretty damned good. Roberta had brought a potato salad with her and everything got eaten, there wasn’t a scrap left which was why he and Fliss were now sat on the chairs in the garden, Fliss groaning about being in a food coma. Roberta had left half an hour ago and Mary was now flat out on the bean bag, covered by a fleece blanket. Frank had moved the grill away and lit the small portable fire pit before he had retrieved another blanket for Fliss and himself from the stash down the side of the sofa.

Their conversation had turned to Frank’s work and he was telling Fliss about some of the people he had met, the pair of them giggling as he spoke about a real stuck up couple he had fixed a boat for, who had then only gone and crashed it into the side of another boat on the first day of them taking it back out.

“What a waste.” Fliss laughed, “All your hard work gone up in smoke.”

“Well I got paid.” Frank shrugged “And it was a nice boat to drive”

“Sail.” Fliss corrected him and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm as much of a sailor as you are a cowgirl."

Fliss grinned as she took another swig from her beer bottle before she turned to him, the reflection of the fire pit flashing in her eyes. “Well, if the boots fit" Frank laughed "Do you actually have a pair of cowboy boots?"

"I used to." She took a deep breath. "I spent a week in Texas one summer on a ranch, just to try my hand at Western riding. They gave me a pair of boots and a hat when I left. And then my husband burned them one night after I was late home, also breaking three of my Pandora bracelets that I spent years collecting charms for because I also brought back the wrong brand of coffee.”

Frank bowed his head.

"Sorry." Fliss sighed. "That kinda killed the conversation didn't it?"

Frank shook his head softly "In all honesty I was just thinking about what a prick he is. Something I'll never understand, a man laying hands on a woman."

"I tried to understand it for years." Fliss bit her lip. “Even after he was sent down I still wonder sometimes what I did to make him behave like that but I know it’s him with the problem not me." she paused and shook her head again “I have no idea why I’m telling you all this, sorry.”

“Don’t apologise.” Frank looked at her. “Like I said the other night, I’m a good listener.”

“Yeah, you are. You don’t talk much though.” she looked at him.

“What do you think I’m doing now?”

“That’s not what I mean.” she looked at him. “Just a pity I can’t google you like you did to me.” Frank took a deep breath and grimaced as he looked at her “My dad told me” she smiled.

“Yeah, sorry about that, Mary was curious”

“Its fine.” she sighed. “How much did you read?”

“Not much.” He replied honestly. “It isn’t really any of our business.”

“I wish most people thought like that.” She picked at the label on her bottle. “It attracted a lot of interest amongst the circuit. The main reason I left Boston was to get away from all of it but it seems it just follows me all over.”

“Well, no matter how much you try and leave the past behind it always has a habit of catching up on you.” Frank spoke, glancing at Mary. He hesitated before he turned to Fliss.

“Give me your phone.”

“My phone?” she frowned, reaching into her pocket. “I’m not…”

“Well, you might not be able to google me, specifically, but you can google my story.” He said as she unlocked it. “I’d do it but my phone isn’t geared for that type of thing, not really.”

She swiped at a screen then handed it to him where he hesitated for a second. Was he really sure he wanted to do this?

He supposed it was only fair so he typed in what he wanted before holding it out to her.

“The first day we met you asked me what I was running from.” He took a deep breath as Fliss took the phone from him with a questioning look before she glanced down at the article on display.

It was from the Boston Herald.com and her eyes were immediately drawn to the black and white picture of a pretty woman with short, light hair. She was the double of Mary. Across the top the headline read “A Mind for math: Is Diane Adler the missing female variable that finally solves the Navier-Stokes Equation?”

“That’s my sister.” Frank supplied “Mary’s mom. She was basically a genius. The Navier–Stokes equation they’re talking about, well, it’s of huge interest in a purely mathematical sense. It hasn’t yet been proven whether solutions always exist in three dimensions and, if they do exist, whether they are smooth or…”

“You’ve lost me.” Fliss shrugged “I was an English major, numbers and maths really not my strong point.”

Frank chuckled “Sorry, force of habit.” he smiled as Fliss handed him the phone back.

“So, what happened to her?” Fliss asked softly. “I mean, I figure something must have for you to end up with Mary but…”

“She killed herself.”

“Shit.” Fliss sighed, “I’m sorry Frank.”

He took a deep breath. “She was only 27. I was running late for a date of all things. She just showed up, on my doorstep. And she never did that unannounced, and more to the point she never simply showed up with Mary either.” Frank swallowed and Fliss waited patiently for him to continue. “She said she needed to talk. I told her I would talk to her when I got back and I left. I mean, couldn’t be late for a date could I? God forbid it damage my chances of getting’ laid.” Fliss noticed the bitter edge in his voice as he continued “Came home that night. Mary was on the couch…and I found Diane on the bathroom floor.”

Fliss gently touched his arm “Frank, there’s no way you could have known.”

“But I should have.” Frank shook his head, his voice soft. “She was my little sister, you know, I was two years older than her and when my Dad died but I promised then I’d always look after her but…”He shook his head. “Anyway, when she died as soon as I could we moved here. Fast forward 6 and a half years and, well, we’re still here.”

“I take it Mary’s father isn’t about?”

Frank snorted “No.”

“And your mom?”

“She turned her back on Diane when she got pregnant. Didn’t fit with her plan. That’s part of the reason I moved Mary and me here. She’s a very exacting woman, uncompromising, very British.”

At that Fliss raised an eyebrow and Frank looked at her, suddenly realising what he had said.

“She’s from England.” he added, and Fliss smiled. “She hated the fact I gave up my job and, well we don’t speak.”

“What did you do before becoming a Sailor?” Fliss smiled and Frank chuckled slightly.

“I was an assistant professor at Boston University” he said. “Philosophy.”

“Wow.” Fliss smiled “That’s pretty smart.”

“You sound surprised?” he looked at her

“No, not at all.” Fliss protested.

He smiled again, “You know, sometimes I see so much of Diane in Mary, and she’s just a child. She comes out with stuff that’s way beyond her years. I mean earlier this week she asked me what I thought Executive Order 13769 was going to mean for all those refugees being refused entry…what seven year old talks about stuff like that?”

“A very smart one.” Fliss replied

“Exactly.” Frank nodded “I don’t want that life for her, the pressure associated with being a childhood genius like Diane was. Which is why she’s going to a normal school in September, where she’ll hopefully learn how to be a kid.”

Fliss looked at him.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t notice it before when she was with the other kids on the lesson.” Frank eyed her and Fliss looked down a little “See, she doesn’t know how to a normal seven year old, well, very rarely anyway. In fact the only time I’ve seen it recently is when she’s at the yard with you.

“She’s just a little socially awkward, that’s nothing to worry about.” Fliss looked at him.

“But I do worry.” Frank sighed

“Yeah, because you care.” Fliss said gently, her hand falling to his arm. “I think you’re being a little hard on yourself and her. She’s a good kid.”

“Yeah, considering I brought her up.” Frank chuckled.

“I think you’ve done a good job so far.” Fliss shrugged “It can’t have been easy.”

“Still isn’t” Frank sighed. “It’s not how I envisaged my life panning out that’s for sure.”

“Tell me about it.” Fliss snorted “If you’d have told me ten years ago that by the time I was thirty-three I’d have had my dreams cut short at the age of twenty-eight, then divorced after being hospitalised by the very man I moved thousands of miles to be with by the age of thirty-two, I’d probably have laughed but here we are.”

“He hospitalised you?” Frank frowned, suddenly feeling an inexplicable surge of anger towards this fucker, one which he really shouldn't feel so strongly considering he had known Fliss for all of a week.

“Did you not read that bit?”

Frank shook his head “No I stopped reading after it mentioned domestic abuse. Like I said, none of our business.”

“He wanted us to have a baby and frankly the thought of bringing a kid up, with him, in that environment…so when I found out I was pregnant I got rid of it. He found out and he beat me so hard he broke three of my ribs, ruptured my spleen and fractured my eye socket. I was in hospital for over a week.”

“Shit, Fliss, I had no idea…”

She waved his apology away “In a sick, twisted way I’m almost glad it happened. It was the final push I needed to leave him for good. Wasn’t easy mind, I was low. Very low for a while and when the trial was going on…” she stopped again and shook her head “You know he plea bargained? Pleaded guilty to a lesser level of assault and got four years last summer. He’ll be out next June I expect if he applies for parole, which he will because, well, that’s John all over.”

“Fucker.” Frank bit out between gritted teeth.

“Yeah, well it’s behind me now.” she shrugged “I’m in a good place. I’m happy, my business is taking off and it’s a job I love. I have my family and, well, some friends.”

Frank smiled and nodded “What Roberta said before is true you know. We’re harder to get rid of than an STD.”

Fliss laughed loudly and drained her beer bottle “Well I’m glad to hear it, because I kinda like you Sailor.”

“Back at you Cowgirl.”

They changed the subject then, Fliss talking about her horses, in particular her chestnut mare that was her pride and joy, and then when Mary stirred Frank glanced at his watch and realised it was past midnight. He didn’t want to kick Fliss out but when he stood saying he should get the little girl in bed, Fliss nodded and agreed she should be going as it was late.

Frank told her to wait whilst he swept Mary up and carried her into the house before he came back out to walk her down to her car.

“We should do this again.” Fliss offered, “Only this time you can come to me. Although I’m a better cook than BBQ chef.”

“You’re on.” Frank said, “Although don’t mention it to Mary. It’s all I’ll hear about.” Fliss grinned and then leaned up on her toes to press a soft kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you, Frank. I had a lovely evening.”

He smiled as she climbed into her car and as she set off he tossed a hand at the tailgate as she rounded the corner. Once she was out of view, he turned and headed back inside, contemplating the evening. The chat had been hard going in some places, he hadn’t told anyone about Diane in a long time. Hell, Mary didn’t know a lot about her mother, he tried to keep her sheltered but he knew that as she grew older that was going to get harder to do and justify. With that in mind, he knew exactly how much it must have taken Fliss to open up the way she did.

It left him with a puzzlingly warm feeling in his chest, one he couldn’t really explain. And he had a feeling it was to do with the fact that he actually wanted to spend time with the woman and get to know her, instead of simply fucking her into his mattress.

Yup, for the first time in his life, Frank realised he’d extended an offer of no strings attached friendship to a woman.

And he couldn’t deny, it was nice.

**** Chapter 4

#riding high #frank adler #frank adler x ofc #frank adler x original female character #gifted #gifted fan fic

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asimpforarmin · 4 years ago

Text

Not so Safe? 💛

Content: Armin Arlert x Reader, Modern AU, two dorks being awkward

Summary: You and Armin go to the beach during quarantine as a way to get away from the stressors of life, keeping safe during it.

WC: 2,123

Genre: fluff?? maybe i guess. Wholesome stuff.

Warnings: None

A/n: This is my first fic on this account and also the first one I’ve written in a long time, so this might be bad, idk. Btw check out this playlist: https://youtu.be/1_2lm4tS9N4 It’s really nice and I listened to it while working on this. Ok bye-

You were bored, just slouching in bed late at night waiting for something to happen. Since quarantine hit, you really haven’t been able to see your friends, well not without a screen. You’ve been keeping up with your closest friends, Connie, Sasha, and Armin, and playing Minecraft with them when you don’t have (or don’t do) your schoolwork. You’ve been missing actually hanging out with them though.

So you decided to group message them about it, see if they wanted to go do something, taking safety precautions of course. Turns out Sasha’s mom wouldn’t let her go anywhere because she was worried for her, and Connie was staying with family out of state. But Armin could come.

You moved to private messages to talk to Armin about it, so you don’t spam the group chat or make Sasha and Connie jealous.

“Hey, are you free on Friday?” you asked.

You quickly saw him typing back to you, “Sorry, no, but I can do something on Wednesday or Thursday.”

You sat up a bit, “Alright, either one works for me.” You had that equivalent of awkward silence between texts where neither of you know what to say. “Which one do you prefer?”

He responds after a moment of thinking. “Wednesday’s fine. What do you wanna do?”

You thought it over for a moment, not actually expecting to get this far. “I know that ice cream shop down the road’s open. We could get some ice cream and head down to the beach for a while and just screw around if you want.”

“Sure. Which ice cream shop again?” He questioned. Armin lived not too far from you and had been over a couple times.

“That one we pass when you come over. Taking a right from my house it’s on that corner, a few shops down from the gas station.”

“Oh that one! Ok.” He responded.

“Did you get your bike fixed?” You asked. You all had bikes and would go places on them before the whole virus thing happened. Thing is, Connie crashed into Armin after hitting a pothole and totaled his front spokes.

“Yeah, it’s all ready to go. Do you have a cooler?”

“I know there’s one somewhere in the garage that I can find and clean out.”

“Alright, I’ll see you Wednesday?”

“Definitely.”

You were excited to see at least one of your close friends during the pandemic. You set your alarm for tomorrow, which was Monday. You only had to wait until Wednesday to see him.

~~~~~

Wednesday rolled around soon enough and you had just finished the last of today’s schoolwork. You packed up a backpack with some extra snacks, water, and some bandages in case either of you fall.

You texted Armin “Hey, where do you wanna meet?”

“I can just meet you at the ice cream place if you want.”

“You sure? That's kinda far from where you are.”

“I’ll be fine, it's not terribly far.”

“Alright, well I’ll see you there.”

“Cya,” he signed off.

You put your phone in your backpack, before dusting off that old cooler, filling it with ice, and putting it in your bike basket. You set out for the shop feeling good. You haven’t been outside in a while, and feeling the wind against your skin felt perfect.

You went down the road a ways, pulling up into the shop’s parking lot. You pulled your bike over and leaned it against the curb with the kickstand, and waited for Armin.

About 10 minutes later, the blond comes into view, pulling into the lot, spotting you, and heading over. You look up at him, pulling your mask up as he does the same. He wipes his brow as he’s hauling his bike over. “Hey, how are you?” he asks, looking down and putting his kickstand to the curb.

Your smile, “Good, how about you?” In all honesty you were great now that he’s here. You haven’t seen him in person for around 11 months and you’ve missed him.

He looked back up at you and you could tell he was smiling even under his mask.

“I’m fine, happy to be outside,” he sighed.

“Hey, your hair’s a little longer,” you pointed out.

He blushed a tiny bit, “I’ve only gotten it cut once during this and now since everything’s reopening, my mother’s scared to take me to get it cut again. The only reason she let me come on this trip was because it’s contactless.”

“I see, well either way it looks cute,” you reassured him.

He let out a small laugh, “Thanks.”

“Anyways,” you say, going up to the front of the building, “what flavor do you want?” You put some gloves on before reaching for your wallet.

“I’ll just have the cookie dough.” Armin pulls out his phone to pay that way.

“Hey, I can pay for both of us if you want,” you say, looking over at Armin.

“It’s fine, I have my own money,” he politely declines.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s my pleasure,” you say, taking money out of your wallet, enough for the two of you. “What size do you want?”

He puts his phone back into his pocket, looking up at the size chart. “I’ll just have a medium.” You nod and go up to tell the person at the counter your orders. A few minutes later, your orders are in the window. You hand the cashier the money, then take off your gloves and grab your ice creams. You put the bowls in Tupperware and then in the cooler.

“You ready to go?” You ask Armin. He nods, clicking his helmet back into place and getting on his bike. You get back on your bike too and the both of you head out.

It’s another 10 minutes before you get to the beach. It isn’t the best weather for this kind of visit. It’s overcast and a little bit foggy, but it’s still a nice place to hang out.

The both of you lock your bikes up and take your ice cream out of the cooler. You hand Armin his dessert and open your own.

“Wish the weather was better,” you commented, looking up at the grey sky.

“Well if the sky’s not clear, that means less people will come,” Armin points out, looking over at you. You nod and look around for a spot to sit down. “We could go over there,” Armin suggests. He’s pointing at a couple boulders decently spaced apart up on the hill away form everything.

“Ok,” you say. You both start going over. There’s no one else at the beach besides a few random people chilling at the shoreline. Armin hops up on the boulder to the right and you get on the left one.

“Thanks for paying for this,” Armin sheepishly says, taking a bite.

“It’s no problem, I’m happy to,” you say. God, you wish you could hug him. Quarantine’s been horrible to your social interaction, plus you may have an inkling of attraction to him. Even to just hold his hand would be ethereal. But you can’t. You need to stay safe, and you don’t know if he feels the same about you.

“So, um, how’s your week been so far?” He inquires.

“It’s been okay. Hating school as usual, but besides that I’ve had a good time keeping up with you all,” you say.

He takes another bite before speaking, “If you want, I could help you out with your work if you’re having trouble.” This wasn’t the first time he offered, but you felt like too much for agreeing last time.

“I’ll think about it, I’m managing alright for now though. How about you? How’s quarantine been treating you?” You ask him.

“I’ve been able to keep up with things for the most part, but it does get tiring. It’s good to finally get out of the house again.” You nod and both of you just sit there for a moment, eating and looking out at the ocean. You couldn’t see that far out because of the fog, but what you could see was nice.

The waves slowly crashed against the sand and rocks while you heard gulls above you. You cherished this moment, as simple as it is. Even if your feelings were unmatched, he was still your best friend. You get butterflies whenever he’s around. He makes you happy and anxious in the best ways possible.

Armin looks up before taking out his phone. “Looks like it’s supposed to rain in a bit.”

“That’s a bummer, I wish we could stay out here longer,” you say.

“We can always come back. I’m still free tomorrow.” You perked up at his suggestion.

“Same, we can do that,” you quickly reply. He nods his head in agreement.

“Same time?”

“Sure.” You both went back to eating for a moment. “We should do this more. This is fun.”

“I do quite like this. It’s relaxing to take a break every now and then,” he says.

The two of you keep talking, about home, friends, hobbies, school, etc, when you felt a raindrop on your cheek. You look over at Armin, who looks up at the rain.

“Guess it’s time to go,” he says, slightly frowning. You stand up, getting the trash from your ice cream and start walking over to the trash can. It’s under one of those buildings that look like metal car awnings, but with benches and the board that shows the directory and rules of the beach. Armin follows suit.

“We really should have checked the weather,” you say, disposing of your trash, “I don’t feel comfortable with either of us biking in the rain on the road like this.”

Armin throws his trash away, “We’ll be okay, it’s not a whole lot,” he says. “Besides, you can call someone if you don’t feel comfortable.”

You sit down on a bench, looking on your phone. “Looks like it’s not supposed to stay for too long. We could just stay here for a while if you’re okay with it.” He sits down next to you and nods. He looks between you two and sees the small gap.

“Sorry,” he says as he moves further away.

“Hey, it’s okay,” you say. You want to tell him how you feel, you really do, but if he doesn’t feel the same, you’re afraid things won’t go back to normal.

You start to say his name at the same time he speaks, which causes you to both chuckle. “You go first,” he says.

“Go ahead, I’ve already forgotten what I was saying.”

“That quickly?” he smiles.

“Apparently.”

“Well I- I don’t know how to put this properly, but…”

“But what?”

“I want to do this more often, and I know you already said that but I really miss hanging out with you.” He looks over at you, waiting for your reaction.

“I miss you too,” you say. You felt your cheeks darken as your face warmed up. You look over at him, he was just the same as you. That gave you the confidence you needed. “I really like you, Armin.”

He looks up at you suddenly, “You mean like, more than friends?” he asks you nervously.

“Yeah. More than friends. I have for a while but I just haven’t said anything.” You look away until he says something, not wanting to face him as he’s making up his mind, but he answers almost immediately.

“I do too! I- I mean I just didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure if you felt the same.” You felt your breath hitch in your throat, wanting to say something, but you just didn’t have the right words.

“Well, um, we should definitely do this more often then,” you finally say, giving him a smile.

“Do you uh, want to hold hands?” he asks shyly.

“Should we?”

“It’ll be fine as long as we wash our hands when we get home.” You nodded and stuck out your hand. He took it as he moved a bit closer to you.

You two just sat there for a moment, taking everything in. The rain, each other, the sounds coming from the road. Even though it seemed so new, it felt good. It felt right. Armin started speaking again, talking about how he’s been thinking of this moment for a long time. You smiled and continued the conversation for a decent half hour, still clasping hands.

You finally heard the rain let up and the sun began to shine through the clouds.

“You want to go down to the shore for a bit now?” You asked him.

“Of course,” he said. You got up, taking him by the hand down the hill.

#aot #aot x reader #snk #snk x reader #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #attack on titan x reader #shingeki no kyojin x reader #armin arlert x reader #armin x reader #fluff? i guess

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popculty · 4 years ago

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52 Films by Women: 2020 Edition

Another annual challenge complete!

Last year, I focused on diversifying my list. This year I kept that intention but focused on watching more non-American films and films from the 20th century. Specifically, I sought out Agnès Varda’s entire filmography, after her death in 2019. (I was not disappointed - What a filmmaking legend we lost.)

I also kept a film log for the first time and have included some of my thoughts on several films from that log. I made a point of including reviews both positive and negative, because I think it’s important to acknowledge the variability and breadth of the canon, so as not to put every film directed by a woman on a pedestal. (Although movies directed by women must clear a much higher bar to be greenlit, meaning generally higher quality...But that’s an essay for another day :)

* = directed by a woman of color

bold = fave

1. The Rhythm Section (2020) dir. Reed Morano - Not as good as it could have been, given Morano’s proven skill behind the camera, but also not nearly as bad as the critics made it out to be. And unbelievably refreshing to see a female revenge story not driven by sexual assault or the loss of a husband/child.

2. Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962) dir. Agnès Varda - If you ever wanted to take a real-time tour of Paris circa 1960, this is the film for you.

3. Little Women (2019) dir. Greta Gerwig - Still my favorite Little Women adaptation. I will re-watch it every year and cry.

4. Varda by Agnès (2019) dir. Agnès Varda & Didier Rouget

5. Booksmart (2019) dir. Olivia Wilde - An instant classic high school comedy romp that subverts all the gross tropes of its 1980s predecessors.

6. Girls of the Sun (2018) dir. Eva Husson

7. Blue My Mind (2017) dir. Lisa Brühlmann

8. Portrait of a Lady On Fire (2019) dir. Céline Sciamma - Believe the hype. This film is a master thesis on the female gaze, and also just really effing gorgeous.

9. Belle Epine (2010) dir. Rebecca Zlotowski

10. Vamps (2012) dir. Amy Heckerling - With Krysten Ritter and Alicia Silverstone as modern-day vampires, I was so ready for this movie. But it feels like a bad stage play or a sit-com that’s missing a laugh-track. Bummer.

11. *Birds of Prey (2020) dir. Cathy Yan - Where has this movie been all our lives?? Skip the next onslaught of Snyder-verse grim-darkery and give me two more of these STAT!

12. She’s Missing (2019) dir. Alexandra McGuinness

13. The Mustang (2019) dir. Laure de Clermont-Tonnere - Trigger warning for the “protagonist” repeatedly punching a horse in the chest. I noped right out of there.

14. Monster (2003) dir. Patty Jenkins – I first watched this movie when I was probably too young and haven’t revisited it since. The rape scene traumatized me as a kid, but as an adult I appreciate how that trauma is not the center of the movie, or even of Aileen’s life. Everyone still talks about how Charlize “went ugly” for this role, but the biggest transformation here isn’t aesthetic, it’s physical – the way Theron replicates Wuernos’ mannerisms, way of speaking, and physicality. That’s why she won the Oscar. I also love that Jenkins calls the film “Monster” (which everyone labels Aileen), but then actually uses it to tell the story of how she fell in love with a woman when she was at her lowest, and that saved her. That’s kind of beautiful, and I’m glad I re-watched it so that I could see the story in that light, instead of the general memory I had of it being a good, feel-bad movie. It’s so much more than that.

15. Water Lilies (2007) dir. Céline Sciamma – Sciamma’s screenwriting and directorial debut, the first in her trilogy on youth, is as painfully beautiful as its sequels (Tomboy and Girlhood). It’s also one of the rare films that explores the overlap of queerness and girl friendships.

16. The Trouble with Angels (1966) dir. Ida Lupino – Movies about shenanigan-based female friendships are such rare delights. Rosalind Russel is divine as Mother Superior, and Hayley Mills as “scathingly brilliant” as the pranks she plays on her. Ida Lupino’s skill as an editor only enhances her directing, providing some truly iconic visual gags to complement dialogue snappy enough for Gilmore Girls.

17. Vagabond (1985) dir. Agnès Varda – Shot with a haunting realism, this film has no qualms about its heroine’s inevitable, unceremonious death, which it opens with, matter-of-factly, before retracing her final (literal) steps to the road-side ditch she ends up in. (I’m partly convinced said heroine was the inspiration for Sarah Manning in Orphan Black.)

18. One Sings, The Other Doesn’t (1977) dir. Agnès Varda – Probably my favorite classic Varda, this film feels incredibly personal. It’s essentially a love story about two best friends with very different lives. For an indie made in the ‘70s, the diversity, scope, and themes of the film are impressive. Even if the second half a drags a bit, the first half is absolute perfection, engaging the viewer immediately, and clipping along, sprinkling in some great original songs that were way progressive for their time (about abortion, female bodily autonomy, etc) and could still be considered “bangers” today.

19. Emma (2020) dir. Autumn de Wilde

20. Black Panthers (1969) dir. Agnès Varda

21. Into the Forest (2016) dir. Patricia Rozema - When the world was ending (i.e. the pandemic hit) this was the first movie I turned to - a quiet, meditative story of two sisters (Elliot Page and Evan Rachel Wood) surviving off the land after a sudden global blackout. Four years later, it’s still one of my favorite book-to-screen adaptations. I fondly remember speaking with director Patricia Rozema at the 2016 Chicago Critics Film Festival after a screening, her love for the source material and desire to “get it right” so apparent. I assured her then, and reaffirm now, that she really did.

22. City of Trees (2019) dir. Alexandra Swarens

23. Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) dir. Eliza Hittmann - To call this a harrowing and deeply personal journey of a sixteen-year-old who must cross state lines to get an abortion would be accurate, but incomplete. It is a story so much bigger than that, about the myriad ways women’s bodies and boundaries are constantly violated.

24. Paradise Hills (2019) dir. Alice Waddington

25. *Eve’s Bayou (1996) dir. Kasi Lemmons – I’ve been meaning to watch Kasi Lemmons’ directorial debut for many years now, and I’m so glad I finally have, because it fully deserves its icon status, beyond being one of the first major films directed by a black woman. Baby Jurnee Smollett's talent was immediately recognizable, and she has reminded us of it in Birds of Prey and Lovecraft Country this year. If merit was genuinely a factor for Oscar contenders, she would have taken home gold at eleven years old. Beasts of the Southern Wild has been one of my all-time favorites, but now I realize that most of my appreciation for that movie actually goes to Lemmons for blazing the trail with her story of a young black girl from the bayou first. It’s also a surprisingly dark story about memory and abuse and familial relationships that cross lines - really gutsy and surprising themes, especially for the ‘90s.

26. Blow the Man Down (2019) dir. Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy - Come and get your sea shanty fix!

27. Touchy Feely (2013) dir. Lynn Shelton - R.I.P. :(

28. Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (2020) dir. Madeleine Parry - If you thought Gadsby couldn’t follow up 2018′s sensational Nanette with a comedy special just as sharp and hilarious, you would have been sorely mistaken.

29. Girlhood (2013) dir. Céline Sciamma

30. Breathe (2014) dir. Mélanie Laurent

31. *A Dry White Season (1989) dir. Euzhan Palcy

32. Laggies (2014) dir. Lynn Shelton

33. *The Old Guard (2020) dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood – Everything I’ve ever wanted in an action movie: Immortal gays, Charlize Theron wielding a labrys (battle axe), kinetic fight choreography I haven’t seen since the last Bond movie…Watched it twice, then devoured the comics it was adapted from, and I gotta say: in the hands of black women, it eclipses the source material. Cannot wait for the just-announced sequel.

34. Morvern Callar (2002) dir. Lynn Ramsay

35. Shirley (2020) dir. Josephine Decker

36. *Radioactive (2019) dir. Marjane Satrapi – The story is obviously well worth telling and the narrative structure – weaving in the future consequences of Curie’s discoveries – is clever, but a bit awkwardly executed and overly manipulative. There are glimpses of real brilliance throughout, but it feels as if the director’s vision was not fully realized, to my great disappointment. Nonetheless, I appreciated seeing Marie Curie's story being told by a female director and embodied by the always wonderful Rosamund Pike.

37. *The Half of It (2020) dir. Alice Wu - I feel like a real scrooge for saying this, but this movie did nothing for me. Nothing about it felt fresh, authentic or relatable. A real disappointment from the filmmaker behind the wlw classic Saving Face.

38. Mouthpiece (2018) dir. Patricia Rozema - I am absolutely floored. One of those films that makes you fall in love with the art form all over again. Patricia Rozema continues to prove herself one of the most creatively ambitious and insightful directors of our time, with this melancholic meditation on maternal grief and a woman’s duality.

39. Summerland (2020) dir. Jessica Swale - The rare period wlw love story that is not a) all-white or b) tragedy porn. Just lovely.

40. *The Last Thing He Wanted (2020) dir. Dee Rees – As rumored, a mess. Even by the end, I still couldn’t tell you who any of the characters are. Dee, we know you’re so much better than this! (see: Mudbound, Pariah)

41. *Cuties (2020) dir. Maïmouna Doucouré – I watched this film to 1) support a black woman director who has been getting death threats for her work and 2) see what all the fuss is about. While I do think there were possibly some directorial choices that could have saved quite a bit of the pearl-clutching, overall, I didn’t find it overly-exploitative or gross, as many (who obviously haven’t actually watched the film) have labeled it. It certainly does give me pause, though, and makes me wonder whether children can ever be put in front of a camera without it exploiting or causing harm to them in some way. It also makes one consider the blurry line between being a critique versus being an example. File this one under complicated, for sure.

42. A Call to Spy (2019) Lydia Dean Pilcher – An incredible true story of female spies during WWII that perfectly satisfied my itch for British period drama/spy thriller and taught me so much herstory I didn’t know.

43. Kajillionaire (2020) dir. Miranda July - I was lucky enough to attend the (virtual) premiere of this film, followed by an insightful cast/director Q&A, which only made me appreciate it more. July's offbeat dark comedy about a family of con artists is queerer and more heartfelt than it has any right to be, and a needed reprieve in a year of almost entirely white wlw stories. The family's shenanigans are the hook, but it's the budding relationship between Old Dolio (an almost unrecognizable Evan Rachel Wood) and aspiring grifter Melanie (the luminous Gina Rodriguez) that is the heart of the story.

44. Misbehaviour (2020) dir. Philippa Lowthorpe – Again, teaching me herstory I didn’t know, about how the Women’s Liberation Movement stormed the 1970 Miss World Pageant. Keira Knightley and Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s characters have a conversation in a bathroom at the end of the film that perfectly eviscerates well-meaning yet ignorant white feminism, without ever pitting women against each other - a feat I didn’t think was possible. I also didn’t think it was possible to critique the male gaze without showing it (*ahem Cuties, Bombshell, etc*), but this again, invents a way to do it. Bless women directors.

45. *All In: The Fight for Democracy (2020) dir. Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes – 2020’s 13th. Thank god for Stacey Abrams, that is all.

46. *The 40-Year-Old Version (2020) dir. Radha Blank – This scene right here? I felt that in my soul. This whole film is so good and funny and heartfelt and relatable to any artist trying to walk that tightrope of “making it” while not selling their soul to make it. My only initial semi-note was that it’s a little long, but after hearing Radha Blank talk about how she fought for the two-hour run-time as a way of reclaiming space for older black women, I take it back. She’s right: Let black women take up space. Let her movie be as long as she wants it to be. GOOD FOR HER.

47. Happiest Season (2020) dir. Clea Duvall - Hoooo boy. What was marketed as the first lesbian Christmas rom-com is actually a horror movie for anyone who’s ever had to come out. Throw in casual racism and a toxic relationship treated as otp, and it’s YIKES on so many levels. Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, and an autistic-coded Jane are the only (underused) highlights.

48. *Monkey Beach (2020) dir. Loretta Todd

49. *Little Chief (2020) dir. Erica Tremblay – A short film part of the 2020 Red Nation Film Festival, it’s a perfect eleven minutes that I wish had gone on longer, if only to bask in Lily Gladstone in a leading role.

50. First Cow (2019) dir. Kelly Reichardt – I know Kelly Reichardt’s style, so I’ll admit-- even as I was preparing for an excellent film, I was also reaching for my phone, planning on only half paying attention during all the inevitable 30-second shots of grass blowing in the wind. (And yes, there are plenty of those.) But twenty minutes in, my phone was set aside and forgotten, as I am getting sucked into this beautiful story about two frontiersman trying to live their best domestic life.There is only one word to describe this film and that is: PURE. I’ve never seen such a tender platonic relationship between men on screen before, and it’s not lost on me that it took a woman to show us that tenderness. Reichardt gives us two men brought together by fate, and kept together by a shared dream and the simple pleasure of not being alone in such a hard world; two men who spend their days cooking, trapping, baking, and dreaming of a better life; two men who don’t say much, but feel everything for each other. The world would be a much better place if men showed us this kind of vulnerability and friendship toward each other. Oh, and it’s also a brutal take-down of capitalism and the myth of the American Dream!

51. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) dir. Patty Jenkins - My most-anticipated film for the past two years was...well, a mixed bag, to say the least. Too many thoughts on it for a blog post, so stay tuned for the upcoming podcast ep where we go all in ;)

52. *Selah and the Spades (2019) dir. Tayarisha Poe

I hope this gives you some ideas to kick off your new year with a resolution to support more female directors!

What were your favorite women-directed movies of last year? Let me know in the tags, comments, or asks!

#finally finished this #52 films by women #2020 #writing #movies #movie reviews #orig

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ciggylungz · 5 years ago

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Summer bummer- Chapter.3

word count- 1.9k

Summer bummer- pt.3

Pairing- Harry x reader

(a reality tv au)

______________________________________________________

The confessional room was hot when Y/n stepped in, she had a few things to get off her chest. Some personal feelings, the finger banging session with Harry from two nights ago and a phone call she had gotten that was really dampening her mood.

She closed the door and turned the camera on, sitting herself in front of the green screen taking a deep breath before starting. “So, these last few days have been kinda crazy…me and Harry have been getting closer and fooled around some. I feel a bit nervous because I think I might actually like him and I know with how dating goes in situations like this it can end horribly especially if he only sees me as a hookup. I also got a call from my sister and she was telling me how she went to my apartment and saw my ex had trashed it after finding out I’m on the show. He even stole my locket with a picture of me and my best friend in it which had nothing to do with him!...” she didn’t want to cry. The asshole didn’t deserve her tears, but it was a shitty feeling and he violated her home so she was really upset.

“It just…god it sucks. We’ve been here for 2 months so we only have one left, and part of me doesn’t want it to be over…I don’t want to have to fuckin’ deal with the shit back home and I wanna see Harry…but we don’t always get what we want I guess so I’m fucked I guess.”

She turned the camera off, exiting the room to make her way to the kitchen to get a snack before sulking outside to have a smoke and mull things over in her head, she couldn’t decide if she was happy or more anxious when she saw Harry sitting on the patio nursing his hangover cure beverage since he’d gone out the night before but Y/n was too upset to.

“Hey love” he settled into the outdoor sofa scooting to make room for the younger girl, patting the cushion for her to sit. “Look a bit down there girlfriend, penny for your thoughts?”

Y/n shook her head slightly lighting her cigarette, “don’t wanna be a Debby downer, seems like you already got a headache” Harry gave her a ‘tsk’ before scooting closer to her. “Nonsense, tell me. been fingers deep in you before, don’t gotta feel vulnerable talkin’ to me.” Y/n lightly smacked his shoulder looking at one of the cameras pointed at the pair getting a little pink tinge to her cheeks. “shush, fine…I’m sad. My sister called and told me my piece of shit ex broke into my apartment and trashed it since he found out I was here. He’s insane, he spray painted ‘whore’ and other shit all over the walls and stole some of my jewelry. And I’m just really conflicted, and I-“ she rubbed her eyes lightly “-I’m sad because we don’t have much time left here, and I like you and don’t want to go home and never see you again…”

Harry smiled at her, bringing her closer to him so her head rested on his chest while her body laid on the couch. “Hey, first and foremost I don’t plan to never see ya’ again. I like ya’ too. Second, want me to deal with that shit head? I’ll go back with you when filming wraps and I’ll beat his ass and help you clean everything up, yea?” she simply nodded and hugged herself closer to him. One of her worries now fading, but she still had a lot on her plate.

While the rest of the house was grooming themselves to go out to another club tonight, Y/n was just finishing her shower changing into some comfy clothes and toweled off her hair opting to stay home tonight not exactly in the party mood.

she had thought she was home alone, but Harry soon made his presence known by knocking on her bedroom door clad in some sweatpants but missing a shirt. “You didn’t go out with them?” Y/n questioned while sitting up in bed, letting Harry enter her shared room.

“Nah, decided to stay in with ya’. What kind of man would I be if I let you stay home all alone when you’re sad? Like you too much to do that poppet cmon scoot over.”

She complied, shuffling over to the right side of the twin sized mattress letting the tall man squeeze himself in her sheets. “C’mere give me a cuddle sweetheart.” His arms opened and his warm chest drew her in, her fingers tracing the butterfly tattoo on his upper stomach as they talked.

“Bout’ what you said earlier, how would you feel about goin’ out with me y/n? think we could give it a shot hmm?” He got exactly the response he hoped for, her head tilted up to look at him, happy eyes and a shy nod. “Yea! Really? You’re not pullin’ m’ leg right?” “course not, think I want ya’ to be my girl.”

Y/n was ecstatic, the sadness seeming to go into hiding for the time being while she kissed the man. Her fingers weaving into his hair as she let him drag her body on top of his, pulling her duvet over the two of them so the cameras didn’t get a proper eye full of their private moment. The most he was willing to ket those cameras pick up was the clicking noises of their kisses.

When Y/n pulled away from the kiss momentarily she used the time to make a request,

“Can you finally fuck me now? Please? I’ll be a good girl I promise” her words were whispered but they still had the same affect, a smirk growing on Harry’s face and a stirring of his cock in the sweats. “Yea? Want me to fuck you now that you’re my girl? You’re going to be good and take it all right?” Y/n nodded her head quickly while tugging her shirt off quickly tossing it over the bed, not caring about the fact she was basically about to have a sex tape from the cameras littered in the room about to capture her fucking Harry.

They were frantic, tired of waiting and so they made quick work of their clothes, Y/ now in only her panties and Harry in his now painfully tight boxer briefs, “Take me out pet, go ahead.” His voice was deep, gravelly, and his accent was thick as tar at this point, letting the younger get tug his cock from his underwear watching it spring to his stomach, and to say she was a bit shocked would fit her current expression. “I…I don’t know if I can take it all…why didn’t you tell me you were so big?” Harry only chuckled, wrapping his fist around himself and giving a few strong tugs to his cock, “didn’’t I tell ya’ the first day that if we had fucked you would know? Kinda hinted that I wasn’t small dove”

“jesus…biggest I had was 7 inches” Harry smirked at her bringing her face forward to kiss her again, “First time for everything, including taking your first 9 inch cock huh?” Harry wasn’t shy, he was quite sure of himself and happy with his package, and Y/n was too far gone to even think about backing out now, she didn’t want to. “Take your panties off, you got any condoms in here?” the girl nodded pointing to the night stand next to her bed while she dragged her underwear off her body leaving her completely bare under the blankets. Harry fished the rubber out and brought his hands back under the blankets to rip it open flipping so she was laying under him allowing her to put the condom on for him, smiling slightly watching her use both of her small hands to roll it down his cock. It was a snug fit, he decided next time he’d supply the condom so it fits a bit more comfortably but for now it would do.

Before he started Harry made sure the comforter was covering them as he judged the side of his tip between her folds smiling when he saw how huge the crown looked even before he entered her, yet he looked up when her small hand rested on his lower stomach, “Go slow at first please? It’s been a while and you’re really big.” Harry cooed slightly, nodding as he pushed his tip in slowly. He slowly got about 5 inches in before he felt her muscles tense, causing a great deal of resistance halting his actions noticing her pinched up a bit, “You alright baby?” “Y-yea, just burns a little from the stretch…” “it’s alright yea? Gotta relax so I don’t hurt you…there you go ah shit” he tried to keep his mumbling quiet while he got the majority of himself in her, the tightness almost painful yet he fucking loved it.

Soon enough they found themselves in a rhythm, his hips snapping into hers while she dug her heels into his bum while rolling her clit between her fingers in quick tight circles. Their moans weren’t so quiet anymore, but they didn’t care they felt too good to keep the noise minimal.

“feel’s good now huh? Tell me how I’m makin’ ya’ feel pet.” His breathing was rapid and labored while he tucked his face into her neck, Y/n let out another moan before replying “Good, so fuckin’ good. Feel full can feel you in my tummy…ah daddy.” She couldn’t help the dirty name slipping through her lips, her head was swimming and her body was vibrating. Her orgasm approaching sooner than later, and Harry couldn’t help but eat that shit up.

“Daddy huh? Fuck that’s hot, got daddies cock in ya’ don’t you doll?” Y/n nodded quickly her toes pointing as she came. She couldn’t hold it back anymore, she didn’t want to anyway. Her cunt clamped down on him making him choke on his moans while she had a rather intense orgasm, thanks to him.

“There you go, that’s a good girl…Daddies good girl cummin’ hard aren’t ya? Christ I’m gonna fuckin’ bust doll face.” Harry was in heaven, his balls pulling back into his body while he emptied himself into the condom going stiff while he finished. His muscles going to stone with the overwhelming pleasure causing Y/n to writhe beneath him.

Once he gained composure, he noticed Y/n’s droopy eyes and quivering body, pushing on his stomach slightly telling him ‘it’s too much’ finally taking a deep breath as he removed himself from inside her slipping the condom off and tying it before tossing it in the trash.

“Did a good job dove. Proud of ya’, took my whole cock.” The girl nodded, sleepy flutters of her lashes giving him the hint she was near falling asleep. “gonna be sore tomorrow aren’t i?” Harry chuckled a little tugging her into his side, “Probably, but don’t worry daddy will carry you around if ya need me too.”

(I hate this chapter, I’m not proud of it. It’s somewhat of a filler chapter to give some body to the piece while setting some updates to help the story flow better after this chapter. They boned so be happy with that sluts. Love ya xx h)

#harry styles angst #harry styles imagine #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fluff #harry styles writing #harry styles smut #harry styles au #harry styles series #harry styles concepy #harry styles blurb #harry styles

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woopboopboop · 5 years ago

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green is not only the colour of leaf

A/N: another florist harry content for the quarantine time! thank you for all the lovely responses on my previous post. hope you’ll like this one too. happy reading and for those who are celebrating, ramadhan mubarak! :D

TW: strong language, slight mention of death.

[florist!h went on a date and Y/N is mildly protective]

It's been months since Harry’s first visit to Y/N’s parents’ grave. For the following visits, at times, he will join her if he finds that the flower shop is barren from customers but not without asking her first. For her, his company is rather nice, a complete contrast to her usual silent walk to the graveyard.

It was quite awkward to have him during their first visit together since after knowing him for years, that is the first time ever he got to meet her parents. Not to mention that he is meeting with the representation of her parents: two marble headstones, instead of actual human beings. Not really an ideal way of introducing your parents to someone.

But after couple more visits, having Harry tagging along during the visit is a part of the routine. It becomes something that she is familiar with, very contrary to the newfound feelings that she has for him. That is something that she is not familiar with. Yet.

Their time together has been fine until the feelings becomes somewhat a knot and the butterflies start to flutter in her stomach. In the beginning, she blames it on the shop. Harry’s flower shop is tucked at the corner lot without any tall buildings surrounding it and has big glass windows covering majority of the shop which allows the sunlight to permeate from almost every corner of the shop.

The interior seems to be almost always bathed in natural glow of sunlight, creating a welcoming ambience. Thus, anywhere he is in the shop, she watches how the sunlight falls over his skin and highlights parts of his face in a pretty shimmer. With his laughs, soft curls, stupid jokes and accent, it’s hard to stop the knot from unravelling defiantly. The only thing that she can do is to slow it down. Maybe at this point, she needs to stop blaming the shop.

“So, how’s our plan tonight?” she asks the lads with the attempt to distract herself from her thoughts. In the shop, Harry is recutting flowers stems on the work table and Niall is rearranging some new arrivals in the cooler.

“I’m still up for it but Harry won’t be joining us.” She hears Niall says followed by the sound of the cooler being closed. She is about to go back on her phone when she heard the last part and the butterflies in her stomach seems to be flying low by then.

They were planning on having a movie night at Harry’s place later that night. She is excited because she got to finally spend some times with her friends and it is also a much needed escape from writing. Plus, it’s her turn to pick the movie that they are going to watch and she had chosen a horror story just to mess with both of them, especially Harry since he doesn’t like watching anything scary.

So, to hear that he is not going to be with them is a bummer. She thought that everyone’s schedule is clear? The last time she checked, everyone has agreed on spending the night together and that is why she is giving Niall a quizzical look but he doesn’t notice the look on her face because he is walking towards Harry.

Her eyes follow his movements from the cooler until he stands besides Harry. And when he starts to put one arm around the curly headed lad’s shoulders, she is getting more confused. “Wai – what?”

“Yeah. Apparently, someone has a date tonight,” Niall says in a sing song tone of voice as he pulls Harry close. On Harry’s face, there is a small smile forming. In her stomach, the butterflies seem to stop moving all together. A date?

The information somehow triggers a tinge of bitterness to appear in her mouth and tighten her chest. Shaking it off, she tries her best to play it cool. “Oh? Is that so, Eroda boy?” She can only hope that the nickname that she usually uses when teasing him and the wriggling of her eyebrows mask what she is feeling inside. Looking at it, there is no way that she is jealous. Nonsense.

There’s an accompanying blush on his cheeks now as he nods his head and scratches his ear.

“You… you didn’t tell me?” she asks playfully but the frown that appears on her face is deceiving. She didn’t mean to sound demanding but she kind of feel left out on the news. From across the room, Harry reads her face and this is the first time that they locked eyes since the beginning of the conversation.

There is something a bit off about her tone he noticed. The way she looks around the shop also shows that she is purposefully avoiding his gaze. But he thinks that there is nothing better than telling her the truth right then and there. “Um… It’s sort of a last minute date. Sorry that I didn’t tell both of you sooner.”

He is stuttering through his words a bit, looking back and forth between Y/N and Niall. She is not sure if it’s because he feels bad about not telling her sooner or because he is already nervous thinking about the date. Not wanting to make him feel bad for something that is not even a big deal, she waves him off with a grin. “Nah, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

She then exhales loudly, looking down at her hands which makes Harry and Niall turns to her simultaneously.

“What’s wrong?” Harry asks with a very concern look on his face.

“Nothing,” she shrugs then shifts her gaze to both of them, “It’s just that I’ve planned on scaring the shit out of you guys with the new horror movie. Guess, it’s just Niall tonight then?”

“Oh, hell no! No no no. I’m going to be picking up what we’re gonna watch tonight,” he protests, sliding off his arm from Harry’s shoulders and crossing both arms in front of his chest. Harry lets out a loud laugh at his sudden outburst and Y/N tries to stifle her own laughter by biting inside of her cheek.

She still taste the bitterness at the back of her mouth and decides that it is wise to shift her thoughts. When their laughter subsides, she immediately asks Niall, “Are we still going to go to Harry’s?”

“Can we still go to yours?” Niall turns to ask Harry. It’s not like they live too far apart but Niall does have a good reason when he says that Harry’s place is better. The last time they went to Niall’s, the three of them ended up cramped in front of his laptop and the worst part is that he had no speaker so they ended up reading subtitles instead of watching the movie. And she doesn’t suggest her own place either since she hasn’t cleaned up her place just yet to let people come and hang around.

“Yeah, of course,” Harry answers his question with a shrug before Niall walks off to answer the ringing phone on the counter. Harry then looks at Y/N with pleading eyes and pursing lips, “Um… I also need your help with something.”

Despite his large frame, tattooed body (which is intimidating), he can be such a softie at times and the look on his face makes the butterflies in her flutter once more. “Anything for you, darling,” she says, exaggerating the pet name which in returns make him blush even more.

As soon as the bitter taste in her mouth reappears, she quickly swallows it. Even though she knows well that some of the Harry’s words are going to fall on her deaf ears and her mouth might taste bitter for the third or fourth times that day, she still asks, “So… who is this lucky lady that get to date this handsome friend of mine?”

“Just so you know,” Niall says, hands reaching out to the popcorn bowl on the coffee table and continues, “m’not sharing.” The popcorn bowl now sits well on his lap and one of his arms is holding onto the bowl.

Y/N scoffs and rolls her eyes seeing him hogging the bowl of popcorn to himself but she doesn’t do it with spite because that’s just how he is. Niall is always quite generous with other things, but not food. “Since when do you ever share, Niall? Hmm?” she jokes which earns her a kick on the side of the couch that she is sitting on.

They started the movie night a bit late after spending the first one hour helping Harry on what to wear on his date. If she is to be honest, he doesn’t really need any fashion advice since he is better than her when it comes to picking out outfit either for everyday look or for special occasions.

But he insisted on her help because to quote him, “It’s different, Y/N! At least you can tell me straight away what a girl like to see on a guy during first date!” to which she replied, “A good personality is enough, H. And I’m pretty sure you got that covered.” He had been pacing in front of her for a good minute and she was positive if he didn’t stop any sooner, there’s going to be a hole in the living room rug.

As if he knew that she wanted him to stop pacing, he stopped for a moment in front of her and without warning engulfed her in a big hug. But of course, after he said thank you, he was still worried on what to wear which left her no choice but to comply to his request.

“Which one do you think is okay?” he asked Y/N who was preparing their movie night snacks in the kitchen with Niall. He was standing under the archway that separates the living room and the kitchen holding two outfits in the air. On one hand, he had a dark blue velvet single-breasted jacket with black dress pants and on the other hand, he had brown double-breasted suit.

“The brown one looks nice,” she commented before continuing to rummage the cabinet for popcorn box.

“Yeah. Gotta agree with her,” Niall chimed in after eyeing at the brown suit.

With that, Harry skipped to his room bringing along the outfits and a cheerful smile on his face. While he gets changed, both of them settled themselves in front of the television in the living room.

“What movie do you wanna watch?”

She flips through the list of movies on screen, deciding to let Niall pick what they are going to watch that night. Since Harry is not there with them, she doesn’t find the idea of watching horror movie just to see them get scared is entertaining anymore. She could have a good laugh looking at Niall’s scared faces or listening to him scream after a jump scare alone but the thought is not as appealing.

Truth is, she keeps on drifting back to the thought of Harry having a date that night. He is indeed going to walk out that door looking dapper as hell and have a nice dinner with a girl (who she doesn’t remember anything about despite him telling her earlier that day except for her name which is Kate). Of course he is going to be a total gentleman too, that’s just how he is. She doesn’t know why she cares so much. It’s not something of her concern anyways.

Her wondering is then stopped by Niall’s suggestion to watch Step Brothers.

Half an hour into the movie, she is having a good laugh while Niall guffaws at almost everything that is happening on the screen and she can now understand why this is the twelfth time he watches the movie. It’s plain dumb humour but it certainly is delivered well.

“Guys?” Harry’s voice distracts them from the ongoing movie. Both of them turns to see him adorning the brown double-breasted suit completed with a blue button down shirt underneath a purple sweater since the weather is cold. He also has a pair of loafers on and two rings on his fingers; a rose and a cigar band ring. “What do you think?”

“Looking good, Harold!” Niall compliments him before sinking back to the armchair where he is sitting. His focus is now back on the television and the popcorn on his lap.

“You really do look good though. Clean up well,” she says with a smile, resting her chin on the top part of the couch cushion, looking at him. Well, admiring him to be honest but she is quick enough to not let any feelings simmer inside of her by glancing back to the movie on screen.

“Thanks!” The proud smile on his face is evident and she feels happy for him but at the same time, the bitterness starts to creep in again. “Well, I’m leaving,” he informs while walking to the front door and grabbing the essentials before leaving. “Don’t set my house on fire!” he says before the door is closed.

Y/N plops back on the couch, taking all the spaces, head resting on the armrest. Her eyes follow the characters movements on the screen but she is not really paying any attention as soon as Harry left the flat. The sounds of Niall’s laughter and the movie are drowned by the question that she has in her head.

“Niall?” she calls out and he lets out a short hum.

She rolls her head to the side and eyeing him carefully. “Do you know who the girl is? Kate?” she finally asks.

“I mean, a bit, yeah. She’s working at one of the boutiques near our shop.” His eyes are still fixated to the screen.

“How do they know each other?” she questions further as the curiosity gets the best of her.

“We send flowers to their boutiques. Sometimes they help with their clients’ wedding orders so they come to our shop. Guess they bond through that,” he shrugs, tossing popcorn into his mouth.

She nods her head, listening and also thinking the possibility of Harry sharing his random flower fun facts with Kate while they are eating their dinner like how he always shares them with her. She grimaces at the thought. She is pretty sure that the girl is nice but Y/N is not ready to share that special thing with other people.

“Why’d you ask?” He shifts his gaze from the screen to her and hearing that, she turns her head away from him to look at the television.

“Nothing. Just curious,” she says, hiding away her flustered expression with a shrug.

“Are you jealous?” There a teasing tone in his voice and that is never a good sign.

She sputters. “M’not jealous.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Excuse me, Horan?” she quirks her eyebrow at him. “If anything, I’m just mildly protective.” She mentally facepalm herself, regretting her words. Maybe she shouldn’t have said the last part but it’s too late to take it back since Niall is having a good time teasing her.

“I’m just mildly protective,” he repeats with a mocking tone while snickering.

“Oh, fuck off, would you?” She rolls her eyes which sends Niall into a bursting laughter.

She stirs from her sleep when she heard the front door opening and closing. The movie has long finished and when she looks next to her, Niall is out cold on the armchair. She doesn’t even remember falling asleep.

“Hey. I thought you guys had left,” Harry greets her with a low voice. He makes his way to the couch with blazer folded in his arms.

Making a space for him to sit down on the couch, she sits up, tucking her knees close to her chest and head resting on the top cushion. “Hi. Nope. Seems like we’re going to crash here tonight.”

He nods his head. They sit next to each other in silence before Harry sighs, back resting against the couch as he lolls his head next to hers, eyes staring to the front. It’s not like they have never been close before. But there’s something about their foreheads almost touching, his tired green eyes and musky scent of his cologne that makes the knot in her unravel a tad bit fast.

“How’s the date going?” she asks, turning her head slightly to face him.

He blinks slowly before tilting his head to meet her eyes, “T’was… good.” Despite the positive denotation of the words, his uncertainty penetrates through his voice.

Her eyebrows knit together thinking what could possibly go wrong during the date? Y/N feels bad knowing that his date is not working out but not completely though and she knows that it is wrong to do so. She studies his face before asking, “Something’s wrong?”

His fingers rakes through his curls and he sighs once again. “Dunno. Maybe it’s my fault?” It must’ve been bugging him since he is looking down at his fingers, twisting and turning the two rings. A habit that shows he has a lot in his mind.

“What d’you mean?” At this point, she is very confused of what had happened that makes him overthinks but after listening to his story, she couldn’t help but giggle. Apparently, Kate drew a line when it comes to too much flower talk during first date.

Hearing her giggling, he turns to her, pulling a face with bottom lips jutting a bit. “That’s not nice.”

“Sorry, H. But you’re such a dork when it comes to flowers,” she coos before giggling even more. Niall stirs a little maybe because of her not so soft giggling and so does the bowl of unfinished popcorn on his lap. Not wanting to risk the unfinished popcorn to spill, she lowers her voice and covers her mouth to stop herself from making any more noises.

Still pouting, Harry tries to defend himself. “Hey, I don’t know what to talk about okay? M’nervous,” he mumbles, looking away.

Y/N lifts her head and turn her body to him slightly so that her side lies on the back of the couch. She then reaches out to cup his face in her hands. She couldn’t help but smile at his childish behaviour. “Alright, alright. I’m sorry for laughing at you.”

This time, he is still wearing the same expression, but she recognises the playful glint in his eyes when they meet hers. “You’re just milking it at this point, H,” she says, squeezing his face before letting her hands fell into her lap.

He shakes his head, smiling with dimple full on display. He stares at the ceiling, his smile flattering when he speaks again, “I really thought that it’s going to work. She’s a very nice girl.”

She doesn’t know what pain her when he said that. Is it the fact that he really make an effort to get this girl and fail or that it is not her. “I bet she is. But maybe the next date you’re on it’ll be better?” She offers to soothe whatever doubt he has in his head.

“Perhaps.” He yawns, sinking further into the couch while clutching his blazer closer to his chest.

She returns to her original position; sitting back on the couch, head lolling on the top cushion, she is gradually drifting away.

Harry’s voice suddenly makes its way to her ears causing her to flutter her sleepy eyes open only to see him staring at the ceiling. “Remember when you say I look good earlier?”

She snorts thinking how on brand it is for him to ask random things when she thought that he has gone to sleep. “Yeah?”

There’s a long pause and she thinks that he is probably just sleep talking.

Feeling her eyes are getting heavy with sleep, she’s about to close her eyes when he starts to open his mouth to speak again. “Let’s make a deal. If I’m not married by 36 and so do you, let’s marry each other.” He deadpans, looking at her face intently.

And she swears her brain and heart and every other organ in her body stops working. All the sleep in her eyes just now vanished into thin air and she is left speechless. It takes her few moments to come back to her senses. He couldn’t be serious. It must be his sleepy brain she tells herself but she answers him nonetheless.

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Alright, then. Cause I definitely would,” he says giving her a soft smile before closing his eyes.

If there’s anyone who is sleeping tonight, it would be Harry. And also, Niall. She’s not sure about herself though because she is pretty sure the “deal” that they agreed on just now are going to keep her awake for quite a while.

#writings #feedbacks are always appreciated #Harry Styles #florist!harry #florist!au #eroda #harry styles fic #harry styles fics #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #harry styles angst #erodaboy #harry styles fluff #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n

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palmtreepalmtree · 5 years ago

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Good afternoon, gentlepeople. I’m back with another edition of

The Worst Movie on Netflix Right Now™ Christmas Edition!

In case you missed it, a couple weeks ago we did Part 1 of a Country Christmas Round-up. Now we’re back with Part 2 --- because nothing says Christmas like an acoustic guitar cover of “Silent Night.”

First up we’ve got Christmas in the Smokies...

Obviously by this point now you’ve encountered some tongue-in-cheek social media posts about Christmas romance holiday tropes. A little bit of column A, column B, and column C and you’ve got yourself a holiday rom-com. And you know what? This one is no fucking different. It’s like the writers just pulled the lever on the trope slot machine and wrote a movie for whatever got spit out.

Here’s the premise: Shelby lives on her parents farm where they grow berries and make pies and jams. But the bank is calling in their loan, due just after Christmas, while a developer salivates over the property. Meanwhile, her country music star ex-boyfriend who ghosted her back when she was a teenager is back in town trying to rehabilitate his bad boy image.

And I think you know where it goes from there.

This is one of the better quality Christmas rom-coms on Netflix right now. Sarah Lancaster (you might recognize her from Chuck) can act just fine, and the supporting cast is equally serviceable. The production looks good --- as in they look like they’re in real homes in a real town in a real place --- which puts it well above the vast majority of these Netflix Christmas movies.

But like, dude. This movie is such a fucking bummer. Everything about it is sad. Shelby is sad and bitter. She’s still SUPER PISSED OFF about having been stood up on Christmas by her ex-boyfriend when she was a teenager, even though it’s definitely at least a decade later. I mean, I get it. He is the reason she has abandonment issues and never left home. It was traumatic! But like... GET THE FUCK OVER IT. Go on with your life! You’re a beautiful woman! Have you seriously dated no one since you were sixteen?

And when you combine that with the constant impending doom of them losing their family farm...? Like mannnn. The Smokies are rough.

Girl, same.

As far as country Christmas movies go, this one is decent. Shelby says things like, “You always were all hat and no cattle” which is as home-spun as any of these movies get. It doesn’t get the real snow bonus, but there are horses and places that look like actual farms, so it’s got that going for it. Heads-up guys, this one scores two out of three wise men on the putting-the-Christ-in-Christmas scale. Amen.

The last movie in our Country Christmas Round-up is Christmas in the Heartland...

So, full disclosure. I was about 15 minutes into this movie before I realized it was not a Christmas rom-com. Instead, it’s a teen flick. But you know what’s weird? I liked this movie better than pretty much anything else I’ve watched so far this year. Cause this movie is fucking INSANE. Here’s the premise:

Two teenage girls have a chance encounter on a flight heading to Oklahoma where they’re both going to spend Christmas with previously estranged or unknown family members. Kara is a rich girl who is going to meet her wealthy estranged grandparents for the first time. Jessie is a poor girl who is going to meet her trailer-park grandmother who only recently learned that her son had a daughter. These two girls hatch a plan to swap lives. Instead of going to their own family members, they’ll go see how the other half lives. They swap clothes and identities, and then get off the plane to their new lives.

Like, to begin with, it’s BANANAS that they thought that this would work at all. But of course things immediately get complicated. Kara -- posing as Jessie -- is about to meet Jessie’s dad for the first time, whom Jessie has never met! Jessie -- posing as Kara -- is being pressured to act like a debutante and date the right boy and enter pageants and... well it’s a mess y’all.

The thing about this movie is that everything works for it in the way that a made-for-TV teen Christmas movie should work. Shelley Long is great as an Oklahoman trailer grandmother and Bo Derek is great as the Oklahoman rich snob. As the two families start to come to life on screen, you kinda believe it? Like these people feel real and sweet and lovely and maybe, just maybe, I kinda would want to spend Christmas with them?

The writing is also kinda lovely when it needs to be --- not particularly good, but definitely not bad either. It just does what it’s supposed to do. It gives the cast room to play without getting in their way. And even as the plot starts to spiral, you really kind of go with it.

And boy does the plot spiral.

Just when you think this movie could not get more crazy, it absolutely does. Like I didn’t even see the direction this fucking movie was going. It’s so insane, I don’t even want to spoil it for you cause you should absolutely watch this batshit movie.

Overall, the reason that Christmas in the Heartland wins this weird-o Country Christmas Round-Up is because everyone involved in it looks like they’re having a fun time. They know this is fucking insane. The movie is earnest when you want it to be and silly when you don’t. It’s kinda just a good old wacky time. And I don’t know what else you can want out of a made-for-TV Christmas movie.

#ptpt reviews #i probably should have seen it coming #and i kinda did #but i still can't believe they went there #absolutely love the insanity of it

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shuahoonie · 5 years ago

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you. [tom holland] - five.

PAIRING: tom holland x female!celebrity!reader

SUMMARY: ah, to be young and in love. it sounds great if only you and tom were actually dating out of pure love and not for the sheer reputation of your careers. it also should be great if you two actually got along, but life isn’t that easy.

WARNINGS: mostly swearing! sexual innuendos are present kids! a bit of fluff, a bit of angst. it’s haters to lovers / fake dating au so take that information as you wish! this is definitely a filler chapter tho.

WORD COUNT: 3761 words

SONG INSPO: hard times - paramore

A/N: hiya babes! sorry if i skipped a two weeks-worth of an update, got caught up from uni & my part-time job. been writing for uni a lot, and ngl yall kinda wanna cry! anyways, the amount of love i’ve received for this series is wild you guys!!! thank you so much for the kind words! i know i suck at replying but please know that i really appreciate it you guys and y’all make me feel soft and so loved 🥺 sorry again for the late update, hope this makes up for it!! enjoy part five & happy reading x 🥰💛

UPDATES EVERY SATURDAY 11 PM CST

gif credits: @thwip

You woke up by the sun beaming on your face. Already dreading the day, you pulled the covers over your head and buried yourself in the pile of pillows that were taking up most of the space on your bed. God, you were exhausted from yesterday.

See, yesterday- yesterday was a blur. Everything happened so fast. You and Tom were trending on Twitter for god-knows how many hours. Headlines about you two dating were plastered everywhere.

It made you roll your eyes. Do people care that much? And they do. People cared a lot about you two. People said that you two look great together, while a handful said you were in it for the clout. Technically, we both are.

So, now that you got the people’s attention, what’s next?

Well, for starters, they started tracking yours and Tom’s relationship from where and how it started. They wouldn’t find anything because you two aren’t really dating in the first place.

However, they did compilations of possible hints that you two were dating-or maybe was just getting to know each other. Luckily for you two, you followed each other on Instagram for quite a while now so you got that foundation to build up.

You liked some of his photos before, as did he. You actually found Tom quite adorable back then. The first time you saw him was when you saw Captain America: Civil War with your friends. You and your friends bonded over watching Marvel movies and once you saw Tom Holland as Peter Parker on screen, it was safe to say that you weren’t just crushing on Sebastian Stan anymore.

However, you did convince yourself that nothing trumps over your crush on Sebastian Stan. You also convinced yourself that you were crushing on Peter Parker-not Tom Holland. Peter Parker was sweet and kind, Tom Holland was not.

You pushed off the covers and finally pulled yourself out of bed. After doing your morning routine, you threw yourself into the couch with a coffee in hand while a toast on the other.

Today was your last day off before you went back to taping so you were expecting a pretty dull day today- that is until your phone kept on buzzing.

You looked at the caller ID before letting out a huge groan, “Zoë, Please for the love of God, it’s my day off.”

“Good morning to you too, Y/N.” Your manager said on the other line. “And I know it’s your day off, I just wanted to check up on you.”

You furrowed your brows. “That sounds oddly suspicious, what are you planning to do, Zoë?”

“Would you relax, Y/N? I was just asking if you have anything to do for your day off.” She replied.

“I’ll probably do a bit of grocery shopping later, but other than that I might bury myself in blankets and watch movies in the living room.” You answered and took a bite of your toast, frowning as you tried to swallow your sad and bland breakfast.

“Okay, that’s good to know-Oh, and I also wanted to tell you that your taping tomorrow has been moved for the next two days. Apparently, Alissa won’t be back till tomorrow.”

“Oh, thank god,” You sighed, relieved to hear that you have another day off. “Thanks for the heads up, Zo. I’ll see ‘ya soon.” You hung up the phone and finished the piece of toast.

You watched a few episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine before you gathered up the will to get yourself ready. After taking a well-deserved warm bath and doing your extensive skincare routine -watching videos about Koreans sharing their skincare routine on Youtube really got the best of you and your bank account- You put on a plain white shirt and paired it with your favourite pair of mom jeans.

As you grabbed your keys and your wallet, ready to bust out the door, you heard your phone ring.

“Are you home?”

“Yes, I am, Ronnie. Why are you asking?” You asked her.

“Cool. Can you open the door please?” She asked on the other line.

Confused, you opened your front door and sure enough, Veronica was standing in front of your apartment wearing her university sweatshirt and denim jeans.

“Oh thank god you’re ready, I had the most awful day at school. I just received my paper for my 400-level political science class and let’s just say that the mark I got, I haven’t done it in bed for a while now.” Veronica ranted off, taking her shoes off before placing her books on the coffee table.

It took you a solid minute before you just realized what she just said. “Ronnie, I don’t want to know about your sex life-” You said before you fixed your hair. “Or lack thereof.”

“I could really use some good fucking, ‘yannoe?”

“Jesus Christ, Ronnie-” You sighed as you handed her shoes back to her. “C’mon, I have to do some serious grocery shopping.”

“Okay, but I’m driving,” Ronnie said as she grabbed her car keys. “You’re a horrible driver.”

“Works for me,” You shrugged and locked the front door.

The travel to the grocery store was typical: you two belting One Direction songs the whole time. You and Veronica were strolling the yogurt aisle when she asked about your whole love life situation.

“Oi, I thought you and Tom weren’t dating?” She asked as she put an assorted pack of yogurt down the cart.

“I’m never going to eat that,” You pointed at the yogurt. “And we aren’t.”

“I will eat it whenever I stop by unannounced at your place,” Veronica argued. “Then what’s with that photo that I’ve seen with you two holding hands yesterday?”

You looked around, checking if there was anybody within-distance that could hear whatever you were about to say. “We’re not actually dating.” You murmured.

“Come again?” Veronica asked, completely lost.

“We’re just doing it for publicity.” You whispered loud enough for Ronnie to hear.

“I’m sorry, but how exactly did it escalate to that?” She asked, totally confused.

“Remember that stunt I pulled at the club the other day?”

“Yeah, you were all over the news.”

“That was the reason as to why it had to escalate to me and him dating.” You answered as you pushed the cart again.

“Yeah, no, I need a cup of coffee before we do this, I’m all caffeine-out,” Veronica said before she bid of herself off and went towards the Starbucks that was found near the entrance of the store.

You rolled your eyes playfully at your friend and carried on completing the least stressful adult task for you.

It was actually quite serene. You managed to finish your shopping without people noticing you-well, that’s a stretch. People did notice you. Most of them gave you an acknowledging nod followed by a small smile, some of them asked for a photo, and only a few just stared at you-which you didn’t mind.

You were paying for your things when Veronica appeared right beside you with a cup of coffee in hand. “What? Did the line at Starbucks reach the parking lot? What took you so long?”

“No, but a cute guy bought me a drink.” She beamed, taking a sip of her coffee.

You chuckled. “Good for you, Ronnie.”

“Y/N, girl, I swear- he has the most gorgeous eyes.” Ronnie carried on, the smile was stuck on her face. “Oh, he was so sweet.” She sighed happily.

You were happy for your friend since it’s not every day she meets someone that she’s completely enamoured with. However, she can express her liking for this guy while helping you load the grocery back in the cart. “Ronnie, that sounds great and all, but can you help me with the groceries so we can leave now?” You practically begged.

Veronica nodded and helped you load the groceries back in the cart, immediately speeding up the process. Taking too much time fixing your groceries at the till always gave you anxiety, especially when there’s a long queue behind you.

“Oh my god, Y/N,” Veronica gasped as you two were walking towards the parking lot.

“What? What happened? Are you okay?” You asked, completely baffled.

“I forgot to tell you that he has this amazing accent,” She sighed, making you roll your eyes.

“Ronnie, I swear to god I will fucking kill you.” You grumbled as Veronica opened the trunk of her car and started handing you the groceries for you to put in.

“I forgot to get his name though,” She mumbled. “which is a bummer because he was honestly a godsend.”

All you could do was roll your eyes as you were lost for words.

“Oh, quit rolling your eyes at me. Just because you have a boyfriend, doesn’t mean I don’t deserve to have one.” Ronnie pointed out.

“As if I actually have a boyfriend,” You countered, finishing up with the groceries.

“Whatever,” Veronica mumbled and shut off the trunk of her car. “I’ll just put this cart back and-”

“Hey, Veronica, was it?”

You and Veronica both turned your heads towards the person who just called Veronica’s name. As soon as she saw who the voice belonged to, it gave her extreme delight.

“Yes,” She beamed at the brunette with insanely blue eyes. “We talked earlier but I didn’t get your name.”

“Sorry ‘bout that. I had to take a phone call and when I got back, you weren’t there.” The guy explained. You took a good look at him. He seemed familiar but you couldn’t exactly put your finger on it.

“No, you’re okay! I had to go back to my friend here-which reminds me,” Veronica pulled you closer “This is my best friend, Y/N, Y/N, this is-”

“Harrison,” The guy smiled at you and extended his hand for you to shake. You politely shook his hand and after what seemed like an eternity, his eyes widened. “Wait, You’re Y/N L/N, right? From the Alchemist?”

You gave him a small nod, still trying to figure out who he is. “You’re also Tom’s girlfriend, I presume?” He asked a bit shyly.

“Great. I can’t believe I have to live with that label attached to my name now.” You thought to yourself.

You weren’t exactly sure if and how you were going to answer his question. Where are you with this stunt anyway? Are you and Tom supposed to be vocal about your relationship or were you two just blatant and left the people to figure out for themselves?

Harrison seemed to take notice of your hesitation in regard to the question. “It’s okay,” He says softly. “I know.”

“Pardon me?”

“I know the real deal about you and Tom.” He whispered.

There was a look of panic in Veronica’s eyes. “Yeah, that they’re totally in love.” She said defensively. You, however, seemed unbothered. You were also curious. You’ve seen Harrison before but you couldn’t point out where you’ve seen him.

“Harrison, you’re Tom’s best friend, yeah?” You asked him, starting to get a picture of how familiar he is.

Harrison nodded. “I wasn’t really expecting for our first meeting to be like this.” He chuckled.

“Eh, it’s alright,” You shrugged. “Much better for us to meet this way and in our own circumstance, considering your friend makes everything ten times more unbearable.”

Harrison let out a small laugh, “Tom’s not that bad once you get to know him.”

“Oh trust me, I know him plenty and so far, I’m not liking it.” You argued quite defensively. “Well, I’ll leave you two to chat for a bit as I put this cart back in its place.” You said as you gave Veronica a short look, in which she beamed at you in return.

You purposely took your time with returning the pushcart back in its rightful area. You fumbled with your phone for a bit, checking your Twitter only to find out that you’re still trending and people still have no idea what to feel about you and Tom’s relationship.

“Why did I pour my drink all over him again?” You asked yourself in frustration.

As you walked back towards Ronnie’s car, you saw your best friend and Harrison talk animatedly around each other with their smiles never leaving their faces.

The tad bitter side of you wondered if their mouths hurt from all that smiling, it also made you wonder if it’s even okay for a normal person to smile that much. However, the better part of you was glad that your best friend was happy. Veronica needed to be happy.

Soon after, they bid their goodbyes, not before exchanging phone numbers. Harrison gave you a friendly wave-goodbye before he walked towards his car.

As soon as you sat on the passenger seat of Ronnie’s car, you were already greeted by a huge smile on her face.

“Okay, don’t get mad-” Ronnie began.

You groaned. Knowing your best friend, you knew that she did something that will get you mad. “Ronnie, what did you do?”

“Okay, so I know that tonight was supposed to be our movie night but I just couldn’t help it! You know me through thick and thin, Y/N! You know how I do things impulsively around guys that I’m interested in. I’m like a mindless machine around them! I don’t even know why I’m talking this much when I usually have everything under control but Harrison-”

“Ronnie sweetie, breathe,” You said with your hands placed on top of her shoulders. “You are babbling and I need you to get straight to the point.”

Veronica took a deep breath before she said the words that almost made you want to smack the living daylights out of your friend. “I invited Harrison for dinner and I told him he can bring Tom too.”

“Could you stop?” Veronica threw the kitchen towel at you as you continued to glare at her. “You’re being childish, hon.”

“I am not being childish! You’re being childish.” You argued, crossing your arms.

Veronica just stared at you, her face seemingly screams that she’s absolutely done with you.

“Okay, so maybe I am being childish,” You admitted. “But you threw the towel at me so I’m not the only one here with an attitude.”

Veronica rolled her eyes as she finished setting up the table. You two were supposed to have pasta over dinner and have a Harry Potter movie marathon while eating junk food. Well, you two were still going to do it, except this time you’re joined by Harrison and Tom.

“This is the worst thing you’ve ever done to me,” You said dramatically.

“Y/N, hon, you’re exaggerating. I’m pretty sure this evening’s not going to be bad.” Ronnie commented.

Veronica left the kitchen and proceeded to the living room to check her makeup in the mirror that was propped over the wall. You followed her into the living room and threw yourself on the couch.

“Ronnie, why did you even invite them? Don’t you have classes tomorrow? Also, aren’t you supposed to be writing your paper for your social class?” You asked as you watched Ronnie retouch her makeup.

You were trying your best to cancel this dinner. You tried to reason with your best friend though because this is your house in the first place. However, she pulled the “This is my chance in getting myself a love life” card and she has moaned for years that she really wants to meet someone. You’d do anything for Veronica’s happiness. You’d also do anything to keep your best friend quiet about how she wants to date so bad.

“I already have my draft for that paper, just need to edit it,” Ronnie replied as she applied a coat of mascara. “Besides, I don’t have any classes on Mondays, you knew that.”

“Right,” you mumbled. “Still think this is a bad idea though. Things got so unbearable with Tom yesterday, I don’t think I’ll be able to handle another day with that guy ever again.”

After your whole lunch scene with Tom yesterday, it felt suffocating. It was unbearable. He was back with his usual snarky attitude and it drove you mad.

You learned one sure thing about your set-up though: He was only charming around other people, but if it’s just you two? He was a jerk.

Not even a minute later, the doorbell rang. You got up and checked who was at the door and sure enough, two familiar faces filled up the screen.

“Speaking of the devil,” You muttered before opening the door and was greeted by Harrison who gave you a hug.

“Thanks for having us over, Y/N” Harrison said as he pulled away from the short hug. He then proceeded to give Veronica one, and it was obvious that his intentions were solely focused on her anyway.

“Uh, yeah. No problem.” You said almost awkwardly as you gave Ronnie a look, who in turn mouthed a grateful ‘Thank you’.

You turned back to the door and saw that Tom standing there, a stoic look on his face. He looked like he came out of a photoshoot based on the clothes he was wearing: slouchy black button-ups and a pair of denim jeans. “Holland,” You greeted him as you opened the door a bit wider.

“Y/L/N,” He said as he gave you a once-over. “You look...” Tom seemed like he was really trying hard to think of a nice word to say.

“Don’t strain yourself,” You said as you rolled your eyes.

You were wearing an oversized band shirt -that was tied in a knot at the front- and paired it with high-waisted patterned pants. You and Ronnie shared a small argument on what you should wear for dinner.

She insisted that you should dress for your comfort while looking presentable and you argued that that is the outfit that gave you comfort.

You also argued that Ronnie and her guests should be glad that you weren’t wearing sweatpants like you anticipated before Ronnie invited people for dinner.

“Good because I wasn’t planning to,” Tom nagged, sending you into absolute overdrive.

As soon as he had his back turned on you, you resisted the urge of strangling him right then and there.

Unbeknownst to you and Tom, Veronica and Harrison caught the frustration painted on your face causing them to chuckle amongst themselves.

You and Tom had only known each other for two days at most, and yet you already had the most confusing relationship that existed in this world.

“If this carries throughout the evening, the world will know me not as Tom Holland’s girlfriend, but as the girl who killed him.” You muttered to Veronica as you passed by her.

“Relax, Y/N,” Veronica chuckled as she put a hand over your shoulder. “Dinner wouldn’t be that bad.”

Saying that dinner wouldn’t be that bad would be an understatement. Dinner was horrible.

Veronica and Harrison were pretty much occupied during the entire meal. They mostly had their attention to each other, which didn’t surprise you. Ronnie and Harrison were smitten for each other, it actually made you snort.

You and Tom, though, were a different case. You two were seated across each other and you two wouldn’t stop bickering.

It started when Tom accidentally kicked your foot underneath the table.

“Ouch!” You yelped. “Why did you kick me?!”

“It was an accident,” He said defensively.

“Psh, right” You scoffed. “Accident my ass.”

The “I accidentally kicked you underneath the table” carried on for the entire meal, with you and Tom exchanging kicks every few minutes.

You two also shared glares throughout the dinner.

“Why are you mad at me?!” Tom argued.

“Because you’re here!”

“Well, why did you invite me then?!”

“I didn’t! It was all her!” You hissed as you pointed at Veronica who was rather talking intimately with Harrison, and was also very much oblivious to the argument unveiling in front of her and Haz.

“God, why did I even think coming here was a good idea.” Tom moaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously annoyed.

It didn’t even end there, as you all moved from the kitchen and into the living room to start the Harry Potter marathon, you and Tom started bickering over a piece of furniture.

As Ronnie and Haz went to the loveseat sofa, you claimed the larger couch so you could lay down while watching the film and leaving Tom with nothing to sit on. You didn’t have much furniture considering you’re the only one who lives in this apartment.

“Scoot over, Y/N.” He said as he approached the couch you were laying on.

“You can sit at the ottoman.”

“And have nothing to rest my back on?”

“God, you are such a diva.” You grumbled. “Just sit on the floor then.” You replied as you pulled the faux fur blanket over you, keeping you warm and cozy.

“I don’t want to sit on the floor for hours,” Tom argued as he tried to pull you up from your position.

“Fine, I’ll get you the floor cushion.” You said in defeat.

“I want to sit on the couch, Y/N.”

“I am not moving, Holland. You can’t make me.” You said rather childishly.

“Fine,” Tom sighed and pulled the ottoman closer to the couch. He pulled up your feet and sat on the end of the couch as he propped his feet on top of the ottoman. He placed your feet on top of his lap, as you claimed you weren’t going to get up from your laying down position. “Then don’t move.” He dictated, leaving you to roll your eyes.

And as for the cherry on top, you had your manager nag you to post something about your evening. You didn’t even know that Veronica filmed a quick story for her Instagram until you received a message from Zoë saying: “A couple of fans that follow Ronnie saw her story. Share it on your Insta too, it adds foundation to our story.”

Ronnie’s Insta story showed the television playing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone, and it panned to Harrison who was smiling softly at the camera and then, panned to you and Tom who were sharing the couch. You two were watching intently and from the looks of it, you looked like a very believable couple.

Your manager was right and that irked you. The devil works hard but Zoë works harder.

TAGLIST:

@thomasthetankson @autty0314 @marvelous-tswiftfan @averyfosterthoughts @theolwebshooter @jackiehollanderr @sltwins @herondalescecilys @notjustpenandpaper @ihopethatwemeetinanotherlife @gothicwidowsworld @heartofholland @stxfxniexreads @peruvian-bae @hollands-osterfield @thenoddingbunny-blog @galacticstxrdust

CAN’T BE TAGGED:

@sectusempried

#tom holland imagine #tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland fluff #tom holland fic #tom holland fanfic #tom holland blurb #tom holland and reader #tom holland angst #tom holland imagines #tom holland x y/n #tom holland au #tom holland and you #tom holland and y/n #tom holland x you #the girl writes i guess #txmhoellandwrites

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jamielea81 · 5 years ago

Text

Conversations

Chapter 8

Description: You accompany your friends on a day trip to Animal Kingdom Theme Park where you meet Scott Evans by chance. This one afternoon leads to a year long friendship with both Chris and Scott over text messages and phone calls.

Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader

Warning: A couple of curse words, fluff, overthinking, Scott being a little shit.

Word Count: 3,210

A/N: I know nothing about the lives of the Evans family and mean no harm. This is purely fiction and for fun. Reblogs and comments are much appreciated! The tag list is now closed. Each chapter tends to get reblogged from me a few times, so if you’re following me, you can’t miss it.

*Italics are internal thoughts

“It’s like I don’t even know you anymore,” Scott whined.

“You’re being dramatic.”

Scott was facetiming you and being his normal grumpy self. If you didn’t love him so much, you would have disconnected the call ten minutes prior.

“I thought we had no secrets,” he plainly said.

“We never agreed to that. I’m pretty sure there are a million things I don’t know about you,” you threw back at him, one eyebrow raised.

He scoffs and shakes his head with a little bit of a smile coming through.

I knew he’d break.

Chris had gone back to Massachusetts two days prior and you still hadn’t stopped smiling.

After sharing a few more sweet kisses that night, the two of you watched the sunrise before making the short walk back to your house. It was the first time you had experienced both the sunset and sunrise with someone all in the same day. Sleep deprivation never felt so good.

You dropped Chris off an hour later. He wanted you to come inside to say goodbye to his mom, but with half your makeup worn off and the giddy look on your face, it wasn’t the impression you wanted to give. Especially since the first one didn’t play out so well.

With the two of you parked like teenagers outside his rented home, you struggled with what to say.

“Thanks for having me over,” Chris offered with a lazy smile.

“Thanks for coming over and for lunch.”

You turned in your seat to face him head on. Chris grabbed your hand intertwining your fingers.

“I hate to be a bummer, but I don’t know what I can come back to visit. But I want to see you again. Don’t want to leave today and have you thinkin’ this is it,” he said.

You nodded your head numbly, trying to keep the last eighteen or so hours in your mind solely. No use in being sad right now. Leaning forward, you captured his lips once more. The two of you pulling away with sleepy smiles.

“Call me when you get home,” you said.

Chris lifted your linked hands, bringing them to his lips, and kissing yours softly.

“Of course,” he said.

“Fine…You still should have told me,” Scott insisted.

You rubbed your right eye with the palm of your hand, momentarily freaking out before you realized you didn’t have any makeup on.

“I don’t really know what it all means,” you sighed out. “Okay, that’s not completely true.” Scott chuckled at your indecision. “It was nice and I kind of wanted to keep it to myself for a while.” You shrugged a shoulder.

“Well, he can’t stop gushing about you,” Scott replied. That made you perk up.

“Really?”

“Yeah, it was like the first thing he told me when he got home. No mention of Disney, just Sassy,” he said.

“See, I didn’t have to tell you. You guys tell each other everything. Which honestly concerns me.” You gave him a smirk. “But what did he say?!”

Scott laughed, shaking his head at the same time.

“I don’t know…Think I need to start keeping my relationships with the two of you separate.”

Sticking out your bottom lip, you give him the biggest pouty face you could muster causing Scott to chuckle again.

“All I’m going to say is he said you spent the night together and it was wonderful.”

“Wait. Wait. Hold up. That sounds like our night was more than PG13!” you exclaimed.

“Oh my god! I didn’t even think of that!” Scott laughed. “He didn’t mean it that way, I swear. But that’s all you’re getting from me.”

“Fine,” you groaned.

A week had passed and the endless smile had finally dissipated. You weren’t upset or anything like that. No. The euphoric state you were in had just…faded. Chris and you spoke or texted over the last week, but reality set in that the night you shared would probably be no more than a night. This of course was not stated with actual words between the two of you. Saying it out loud seemed much too scary. But since it wasn’t spoken, you could only assume that Chris had come to the same conclusion. Really, what were the two of you? The calls and texts were much the same as they had always been. Teasing each other, a good amount of flirting, small talk about your days, and maybe a little Scott talk. It was really just getting your mind to wrap around the idea that Chris was your friend that you happened to have kissed. A few times. Maybe that was good enough.

Cirque du Soleli was premiering a new show called Drawn to Life, after being closed for some time in Disney Springs, the shopping and entertainment district at Walt Disney World resort. Jana had agreed to be your date, but since she was coming from work, she was running a bit behind. You busied yourself with a drink on the outdoor patio at House of Blues, letting the dark rum and mix of juices take your mind off the busy week. Grabbing your phone out of your purse, you decided to give Chris a call since Jana wouldn’t be arriving for at least another ten minutes.

“Well, hello there sweetheart. What are you up to?” His soothing voice answered.

“Hey there yourself. I’m just drinking alone. At a bar. Woe is me,” you replied.

“I don’t like the sound of that. Tough week?” Chris asked.

“Wasn’t too bad. Just waiting on Jana who’s running late.”

“Oh, you two. Do I need to warn the cops that you’re out together?” he teased.

“Well, we’re on Disney property, so we can’t get into too much trouble. Watchin’ the new Cirque show that’s opening tonight for the paper. They actually gave me a plus one and I couldn’t think of a better date,” you bated him.

“Really Sassy? Aiming low I see?”

“I haven’t a clue at what you’re implying Mr. Evans.”

“Mmhm, I’m sure. She gonna kiss you goodnight when the evening is over?” he asked.

“Well, she’s married. So…”

Chris chuckled at that. “So, what you’re sayin’ is she doesn’t know about that little spot right below your ear that gets you all hot and bothered?”

This man will be the death of you some day. It took a moment for you to compose yourself. Clearing your throat quickly and blowing out a breath.

“No, no. Sh-she doesn’t know that. But you barely know that, so dial it down buddy,” you giggled.

“Ah-huh. Alright, sweetheart. I’ll try to rein it in.” There was a beat of silence on both ends, the only sound was each other’s breath. “God, I miss you,” he softly spoke.

With your heart hammering in your ears, you licked your lips. “I miss you too.”

You felt a tap on your shoulder, turning your head you saw Jana who gave you a silent wave.

“Um, babe, Jana’s here now,” you said, struggling to get your voice.

“Alright. Have a good night and don’t get into any trouble,” he warned.

“I promise nothing. Talk to you tomorrow?” Why you asked it as a question, you weren’t sure.

“Always. Goodnight sweetheart.”

“Goodnight,” you replied, hitting the end call button.

Dropping your phone into your purse, you turned back to Jana, gesturing for her to take a seat.

“Who was that?”

“Chris.”

You’re sure she can see the heat in your face, but you don’t care at the moment. He said he missed you. You’re glad you aren’t the only one.

“How are you holding up?” Jana asked.

Lifting your glass to your lips, you took a sip of the mostly watered-down rum. “I’m doing good. Chris is still my friend and that’s all I can really ask for,” you said, shrugging your shoulders.

Jana gave you a pointed look, setting her bag on the tabletop, resting her arms on either side of it. “Really?” she asked.

“Of course, not!” you practically shouted. Had it been anyone else, they would have flinched at your sudden loss of composure. Taking a calming breath, you composed yourself once more. “We did just have a nice conversation, so I’m feeling better. I’m fine.”

“Yep. Sure, seems like it.” She stood up, pushing the chair back in. “Let’s go. Time to join the circus.”

You knew she probably would have given you a lecture about going with the flow and learning to discuss your feelings if you had time before the show started. And if you were an adult about the situation, you would listen to her.

Whenever your phone rang during the middle of the day from one of the Evans boys, you knew something was up. Seeing Chris’ name on your screen surprised you a bit. He had been filming the last couple of weeks for another Apple TV+ series, so it was a lot more texting with a few phone calls sprinkled in. Usually just as you were falling asleep.

“I’m sorry, who’s this?” you answered.

You hear a deep chuckle on the other end of the line. “Funny. Did you delete my contact or something?” Chris asked.

“Not this week. Not yet anyway,” you teased.

The newsroom was packed this afternoon being that it was Friday and mostly everyone was required to make an appearance. You pushed away from your desk, getting to your feet to find an empty conference room.

“Not this week? What did I do last week?” He sounds tired. You know he loves to work, but you really wish he’d take a little more time for himself.

You found an open room, quickly shutting the door, plopping your butt in a chair at the large round table. “Hmm. If you don’t know, that makes a bigger case for me to delete you as soon as we hang up.” The chairs in the conference rooms were always much nicer than the ones on the floor.

Wonder if I could swap mine for one of these without anyone noticing?

“Maybe I could change your mind,” Chris offered.

“I’m listening,” you said, tapping your fingernails against the polished wood table.

“Could you take off work for a couple of days? I’m going to be a New York City for a few days, and my schedule isn’t going to be packed. Thought maybe I could convince you to come see me.”

You wouldn’t say it out loud, but you most definitely would make something work. It had only been a month since your weekend together, but that month felt more like a dozen. With his filming schedule, you planned on waiting another couple of months before you would even bring up the idea of seeing him.

“When exactly? I’m sure I could get away, but if it’s a Friday, it will be a little harder to swing it.”

“You don’t think I know that Sassy? Fridays you have meetings and you can’t be late,” he said, a smirk in his voice.

“Kudos to you, Mr. Evans.”

“I’m gettin’ in Monday night, late.”

“This Monday?”

Crap. Maybe not.

“Sweetheart, I’m not calling you last minute. The week after.”

Relaxing a bit when you realized you’d have a little over a week to prepare rather than just a couple of days. You’d have to look up flights and hotels to see what you could find. Figure out what part of New York he’d be in. Knowing you probably wouldn’t be able to afford where ever he was staying, you wanted to at least be close.

“I can make that work. Maybe come in Tuesday morning and leave Thursday night?”

“Whatever you can make happen Y/N, I’ll take.”

You smiled at his words. “I’ll look at some flights and hotels. Where are you staying?”

“No, no, no, sweetheart. I’m flying you out here. My treat,” he said.

“Chris, no. I can’t have you do that. That’s too big of a gift,” you reasoned.

The two of you were friends, maybe something a bit more, but mostly just friends. It was much too much for him to paying for trips.

“Let me do this. I want to see you and it’s really not that big of a deal.”

You shook your head and then rolled your eyes at yourself remembering he couldn’t see you.

“Let me at least pay for the flight, Chris.”

“You’re frustrating, you know that?” he groaned.

“I’ve been told that,” you chuckled.

“If you’d feel more comfortable, I can get you your own room. But if I’m being honest, I’d like you to stay with me,” he said softly.

Holy shit.

“Ye-yeah. Yeah. I’d like that. To stay with you I mean.”

Chris chuckled at your response. “One room it is. Let me know you flight info and I’ll arrange a car to pick you up.”

“Okay. Yeah, I’ll do that.” You had a dopey smile on your face, but you couldn’t help it.

“Talk to you soon, sweetheart.”

“Bye babe,” you replied.

If you weren’t at work, you’d pretty much be freaking out. The freak out would need to wait.

Your flight was booked for seven in the morning on Tuesday, flying home at four in the afternoon on Thursday. Not a lot of time, but at least it was two full days. Two full nights as well. That was a whole other thing. You were spending two nights with Chris. Presumably in one bed. Unless he booked a room with more than one bed. Who were you kidding? He probably doesn’t even book his own rooms. He was there for work, so the room probably only had one bed.

You quickly fired off a text to Jana.

Y/N: Am I just a booty call?

You knew Chris didn’t think of you that way. He was your friend. You were close friends with his brother. But being whisked away to New York for a couple of nights sure made you feel a little bit like one. And you agreed to sleeping in the same room.

Jana: In general, or??

Bitch.

Your friends were all trouble and as soon as you get back from New York, you were going to look for new ones.

Y/N: Thanks, I’m about to call your husband instead.

Jana: He told me to type that!

Y/N: 🥺

Jana: You are not a booty call. Chris lives a different lifestyle from most people. If the two of you want to spend time together, flying to different cities is probably how it’s going to go.

She was right. You knew she was. But your dumb brain didn’t want to accept it.

Nine at night was entirely too early to go to bed. Usually you weren’t even in your room that early, but it was Monday and you were trying to fall asleep at an earlier hour since your alarm was set for three in the morning. Why you picked a seven AM flight was beyond you.

Y/N: I’m going to bed early. Talk to you tomorrow.

You waited a few minutes for Scott to text you back. He was in L.A. if you were remembering correctly, so it was a lot earlier than normal.

Instead of texting back, he was calling.

“Hello, Scott,” you answered.

“Hi Sassy. I’m trying to have a nice dinner with Zach and you’re interrupting what was once a beautiful evening.”

Yet I’m the sassy one?

“I’m pretty sure by you calling me, you’re interrupting dinner with Zach. Tell him hello from me by the way,” you replied.

“I hate when you’re right,” he chuckled.

“Just stating facts, sweetie. You didn’t have to call, just wanted to let you know I was turning in early.”

“Is your flight early?” he asked.

“Yeah, seven. Not sure what I was thinkin’ there.”

“Thinkin’ about gettin’ some,” he murmured.

“Scott! Dude! What the fuck?”

Rather than respond he just continued to laugh on the other end of the line.

“I’m just saying. Don’t kill the messenger here,” he continued to chuckle.

“What happened to keeping yourself separate from Chris and my relationship?”

“Uhh, yeah. You’re right. My lips are sealed,” Scott replied.

“Unanswered prayers!”

“Watch yourself, Sassy,” he said sternly. “But have a safe flight. Give Chris a hug and kiss for me.” It was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde all of a sudden. So serious one second and nice and sweet the second. Scott Evans was a man of mystery.

“Yeah, thanks, Grumpy. Goodnight.”

“Bye, love.”

One of the positives about taking an early flight was that security was a lot easier to get through so early in the morning. You had said for years you were going to get Pre-Check but you always just put it off. Going through a short security check was nice.

Picking up a coffee and a bagel, you made your way to the gate. Boarding wasn’t for another hour, but that gave you time to finish your food, use the restroom, and over think the trip.

Sigh.

No amount of crying babies and couples arguing about which bag had the phone charger could distract you from knowing you’d be seeing Chris in a matter of hours. Do you greet him with a hug, high five, or a kiss? I mean, really, it could be anything.

Sigh.

Y/N: Let’s say I wanted something more to happen on this getaway. I’m not saying that’s what I want. Hypothetically speaking.

You chewed on your lip waiting for Jana’s reply. You should have bought a pack of gum. Your lips would be raw before you even touched down in JFK.

Jana: Hypothetically you want to bang him

Y/N: Where is that coming from? I never said that.

Jana: It might be time you spoke to a professional.

She probably isn’t wrong.

Y/N: Let’s say the answer is yes. Too soon?

Jana: That’s entirely up to you. If that’s what you both want.

Y/N: It’s me. I have no idea what I want. I wish there was some magical way to know what the other person is thinking.

Jana: Doesn’t work that way babe

Y/N: Yeah

Brooks: Just bang him!

Jana really needed to stop telling Brooks everything.

You quickly replied to Brooks’ message.

Y/N: Not a word to Scott.

Now that two of them talked, who knows how quickly this conversation would get back to Chris.

Brooks: My lips are sealed.

Damnit! That’s what Scott said last night.

Because you bought your seat a week out, you ended up buying an upgraded seat in Delta Comfort which essentially gave you a few more inches of leg room and a seat just past the first-class section. The bigger benefit for you was being boarded sooner. Being able to skip most of the standing around the gate like watching a street act was nothing more than a blessing for your nerves.

Settled into your seat, you decided to send Chris a text before powering down your phone.

Y/N: Hey there, Delilah What's it like in New York city? I'm a thousand miles away But, girl, tonight you look so pretty Yes, you do

Chris: Cute. Now get your ass here so I can kiss you.

Maybe you knew what you wanted.

Chapter 9

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