#and they didn't tell louis about it either AND they told him to GO REST im crying they care about each other so much

[cbrownjc]

A small note for later seasons (episode 2x07 as well as TVA book spoilers):

So just an FYI for everyone to remember: Claudia's execution was told from Armand's POV in the show. Louis wasn't there, Lestat's mind was only half-there due to not being fully healed as well being mind-spelled (yes, he was) . . . and we're about to see what becomes of the rest of the coven next week.

So right now, there is only one person who can fully tell what happened to Claudia once Louis was taken from that stage.

And that is deliberate IMO.

Because even in the books there is something about all of this that Armand never spoke about. Didn't say one word about to Louis or Lestat . . . until he finally told David Talbot about it, and it was put in his book The Vampire Armand.

And I think the show is going to do the same thing. They won't reveal it now, during this season IMO. But I can see, in a season or two, Armand telling Daniel (instead of David) the full of what happened. Which I am now going to put under a cut:

In the book The Vampire Armand it is revealed that, before Claudia was executed, Armand did an experiment on her where he cut her head off and placed it on the body of a female adult vampire. Just to try and give Claudia her final wish of being in an adult body.

And when it didn't work and turned out rather horrible, he put her head back on her body and then left her to be burned by the sunlight.

And the show didn't show all of that now, IMO, because I think if they had revealed it now . . . there is just no way Armand would get sympathy back IMO. But the show very much dropped hints about it, as far back as 2x02. And as Assad said, this show very much plants seeds for things we won't see for a while. And I think they have very much done so wrt this.

Oh, and for those who've never read the books, the reason why what Armand did to Claudia wasn't in the 1994 movie is because the book that revealed it wasn't published until 1998.

But yeah, I do think this is something the show is going to reveal one day, but just not right now. Because again, the audience losing Claudia is just way to raw and real at this point in time. Revealing that on top of it? Seeing such a thing -- in HD4K -- would be way more horrific than just reading about it I suspect. And I'm not sure Armand's character could have won non-book reading audiences back if they had revealed that now. Or even in the next episode, which I don't think they will either.

However, Claudia's execution was only told from Armand's POV, and pretty much can only be fully told by him. And, as I said, IMO that was very deliberate.

[merchelsea]

hotel room - charles leclerc

pairing: charles leclerc + fem!reader

summary: charles decided to rent a room in a hotel that was not associated with f1 to take girls into without causing any drama, but it turns out that asking for extreme discretion on a cheap hotel is not a great idea.

author's note: this is obviously going to have a part two, i'm not a monster to leave you hanging like this

word count: 5,3k

part two

"hello?" you blurted out after a long minute of awkward silence in your hotel room. two men lay on your bed.

at first, you thought they were employees, but it took you exactly ten seconds to realize they weren't. first, because they stood there, just looking at you; second, because people who work in hotels don't typically carry louis vuitton suitcases.

"we didn't ask for room service." one of them told you. he had water-blue eyes, brown hair, a short beard, and a strong french accent.

"this is my room." you replied shortly. they exchanged puzzled glances while you stood there waiting.

"well, surely you got the number wrong. this one is mine." the other man said, showing you his key. the first man was handsome, but the second was exceptionally good-looking.

his green eyes, perfectly brushed brown hair, and the little facial hair he had fit together with the rest of his features, making him one of the most beautiful man you had ever seen. his accent was just as strong. were french men always this good-looking?

the logo on his red t-shirt, which you recognized all too well due to your tifosi brother's passion, left little doubt that he was likely in melbourne for the race.

"i did not" you insisted, showing him your own key. he furrowed his eyebrows and got up from your bed.

"they probably just gave you the wrong key." he had came closer and you handed him your key for him to see.

"no they didn't, i have this confirmed for the past two weeks. room 81 is mine." you had the right room, but so did he. and the worst part is that you both had your ways to prove it.

he looked back at his friend, and the three of you silently thought about what to do.

"call them, they must have an explanation for all of this." the blue-eyed man suggested. "i told you this wasn't a good idea." he mumbled to his friend, and french-number-two proceeded to follow french-number-one's advice.

they picked up immediately, and the ferrari fan asked someone to come. the silence lingered until a blonde woman, dressed in her work attire, entered the room.

"hello, sir. how can i help you?" she glanced you up and down dismissively. you thought, 'Bitch', but refrained from saying it out loud. you looked at the men to see if they had noticed, and french-number-one apparently had.

"we seem to have a complication here," he began. you moved closer, realizing that you were part of the problem too. "it looks like we both got the same room." he pointed at you.

the woman tilted her head to the side. "that's not possible." she said. a smile planted on her lips.

"well, obviously it is." you retorted, delicately handing her your phone for her to see the reservation. "just have one of us moved, please." you needed rest after a twenty-one-hour flight, and dealing with this was not what you had in mind.

"well, miss, that is not my job, but i'm pretty sure my colleagues can’t help you with that either." you and french-number-two stood silent as she explained that the hotel had run out of rooms due to the race happening in melbourne on sunday.

"what do people find so entertaining about this car thing, after all?" you mused aloud as you sat on the bed.

"oh, i don't know," the blue eyed laughed, while the green eyed looked at you, seemingly offended. you closed your eyes for a couple of seconds, trying to collect your thoughts. "well, can you tell your colleagues who deal with this to sort this out? you're not planning on making them share a room, are you?"

"no, sir. i’m sorry. you two can come with me, and i'll take you to talk to someone," she implored, begging them forgiveness with her eyes, though she never glanced your way.

whether she was desperate to get laid or they were important clients to the hotel, you couldn't help but feel enraged. you resisted the urge to scream, "i'm here too," and instead remained silent as you followed her to a more private area of the hotel.

the woman took you to a room that looked like an office, where a brunette sat behind a desk, wearing a superior expression. same expression that faded as soon as she looked the frenchman’s direction.

the blonde left the three of you alone, and the ferrari fan explained the situation to the woman behind the desk. she instructed you to sit, so she could make a call to figure out what happened. so you did, and in silence you heard her fingers press the numbers she intended.

your mind was elsewhere when the man next to you whispered, "what's your name?" his accent so strong that you were sure english wasn't his first language.

"y/n. what’s yours?" you whispered back.

"charles," he replied, his name matching the idea you had of him.

"now i can finally stop calling you french-number-two in my mind." you remarked. he furrowed his brows, and you cursed him for looking so good like this.

"wait, why is pierre french-number-one?" pierre was also a french name, you realized, amused by your accentology.

"he was the first one to talk, and everything about him just screams french." you explained.

"fair point, but I'm actually not french," Charles confessed. you looked at him with curiosity. “i’m monegasque.”

"that makes sense," you replied with a nod, and couldn't help but notice how well the name suited him.

"i’m sorry, i figured out what happened," the woman interrupted, her tone now more professional. "firstly, I would like to apologize to both of you for all of this mess. miss, you reserved and paid for the room two weeks ago, while..." she gestured toward charles. "you called us later. it turns out the person you spoke to that day is a fan of yours and gave you our best room without checking. we are very, very sorry, for this misfortune and we'll do everything we can to provide you with some comfort."

charles and you exchanged glances. you were curious with what she said about a fan, but you decided not to ask. on the other hand, he was preoccupied with how unprofessional this situation was turning out to be.

"well, 'comfortable' would be if we could have separate rooms," the, now known as monegasque, complained.

"that, i cannot offer, but we can transfer one of you to our affiliate hotel, which is an hour and a half from here and offers excellent service quality." anything that didn’t mess things up like this would be great.

both charles and you shook your heads in unison, declining the offer.

"it's too far from where i have to be." you informed her, hoping that charles had plans close to this hotel she talked about.

"exactly, it's too far for me too." he confirmed, and luck seemed to be as far from you as possible, even when you needed the most.

"i'm very sorry, but it appears you'll have to share the room." the woman concluded.

you took a deep breath and left the room before you could say something offensive. charles followed you.

"we can make this work," he said.

"we better." you replied with a sigh.

"i need some sleep too," you groaned when charles asked you to vacate the room until 2 a.m.

"it's friday! why are you planning on sleeping at 6 p.m. on a friday?"

"because i just endured an incredibly long and exhausting flight. i'm desperate for some rest." you explained as you collapsed onto the bed, struggling to keep your eyes open.

"why don't we let you do that now, and then pierre here can pick you up later so I can have the room for a couple of hours? you can sleep as much as you'd like when you return, i promise." charles suggested, making a last offer.

he had given up hope right after revealing his plans to you, mainly due to the disapproving look you gave him. it's not an everyday thing that you're asked to leave your room just because your unexpected roommate wanted to have a girl over.

"i want fresh sheets when i get back." you demanded as you headed to the bathroom to change into more comfortable sleepwear. the monegasque nearly jumped for joy when you agreed to this insanity.

"thank you, thank you, thank you." he repeated numerous times to express his gratitude. you could still hear his excited exclamations inside the private compartment. suddenly, you remembered that you had no idea where you were going.

"pierre can pick me up to go where, exactly?" you raised your voice so they could hear you clearly.

they remained silent for a moment, and you understood that they hadn't thought this through. after all, this was a bad thing for the both of you.

"i know of a few clubs i can take you to, i guess," pierre yelled back, his uncertainty evident in his tone.

"what do you wear to a club in melbourne?"

"something nice, i don't know, i'm not a woman. just wear whatever you wear to a club." you chuckled to yourself and returned to the bedroom.

"okay," you said, facing them again and ready to get some rest. "now, you two french things, get out. i'm going to catch up on some jet lag."

"i'm not french." charles mumbled as he exited the room, followed closely by pierre.

the actual frenchman retorted, "i don't think she cares at the moment."

with that, you found yourself alone, left only with your exhaustion and the comforting embrace of your bed.

you stirred awake, the relentless pounding in your head a cruel reminder of the little sleep you had. slowly, you opened your eyes, and the now familiar blue gaze of pierre greeted you.

"hey," he began with an apologetic tone, "charles insisted i wake you up. i'm sorry."

sleepily, you tried to check the time, scanning the unfamiliar room for a clock, anything to anchor you to melbourne's time zone.

"it's around ten, i think." pierre informed you once he realized what you were trying to do. he settled on the edge of the bed when you decided to sit up. "you need to go get ready, i'll take you to eat something."

"what are you? my body guard?" you smiled to him, still dizzy. the four hours you slept doing nothing but giving you a headache. "i can get my own food pierre."

he quickly shook his head. "charles would murder me." he confesses, his words leaving you puzzled. your groggy expression must have been quite evident. "i think the remorse is kicking in. he even tried to bribe me to stick by your side."

"how thoughtful of him," irony slips through your smile as you speak. "he does realize i would have preferred if he'd just let me sleep instead?"

"his brain has its limits." he lets out a chuckle and you sight, needing much more of that sleep you just woke up from.

dragging yourself out of bed, you clutched your suitcase and shuffled into the bathroom, determined to transform into a club worthy version of yourself.

with time in short supply, you limited your skincare routine to a quick facial cleanse and your trusty hydrating lotion. makeup took you, surprisingly, just a few minutes; you decided to go for a no-makeup, makeup look. the real problem lay in choosing the right outfit.

in your haste, it seemed you had packed either too much or too little to this club. with your birthday at the door, you had plans to party, socialize, and maybe even get a little wild. yet, the occasion left you stuck between a simple cropped top and jeans or your favorite dress, which felt a bit too extravagant.

of course you had tons of clubbing clothes with you, but you couldn't wear those. you soon enough realized they weren't regular people who worked in offices, and now that you knew charles even had fans it was all a lot more complicated. so where do people, who seem to be famous, take the girl that's stuck sharing a room with their friend?

that's when your white skirt caught your eye. it hugged you figure perfectly as if made specifically for you to use it. a quick search revealed the white, long sleeved top you'd thrown into the bag last minute. together, they formed the ideal clothing for the night ahead.

this may not have been part of your initial plans, but you were determined to make the most of it and fulfill your primary goal for this trip — meeting new people.

you step out of the bathroom, fully prepared to head out to wherever pierre decides to take you. he lounges on the bed, engrossed in his phone until you approach and gently pat his knee.

"get up." you instruct him, and his gaze sweeps up and down your body. it's only then that you take notice of his outfit – light blue jeans paired with a simple white shirt. it's casual yet an excellent choice.

you briefly wonder if you might be overdoing, but the thoughts quickly dissipate. "you certainly know how to dress for a night out in melbourne." he says, referencing your previous conversation.

"i wasted a considerable amount of time picking out these clothes," you admit and motion for him to rise so you can tidy the bed.

in a matter of minutes, your suitcase has been stowed away, and your phone now rests securely in your purse.

"what are you in the mood for dinner?" he inquires as you leave the room behind, ensuring everything is clean and ready for charles' girl later.

"anything," you reply, your hand instinctively moving to your stomach. "literally anything, i'm starving." you add, emphasizing your hunger.

"alright then, we’re going for italian" he decides, and you nod in agreement, already imagining the delectable Italian dishes that await, making your stomach growl even louder.

after returning to the room, well past 3 a.m., you tiptoed in to find charles cocooned in the sheets, presumably asleep. you quietly went to your suitcase, took your pajamas, and moved to the bathroom. after changing, you removed all you makeup, getting your face clean before heading out to bed. you hadn't put on that much, but you didn't like to sleep with it.

with hushed movements, you fetched your charger and silenced your phone, choosing to ignore your friend's texts.

the night had exceeded your expectations. initially hesitant when they suggested going out with pierre, who by then was a complete stranger, you eventually embraced the idea of this little escape.

pierre took you to a charming restaurant that couldn't be more your vibe. the ambiance, delicious food, and nice people made it a really great experience. you mentally thanked whatever god made you go out with this french stranger.

after getting to know each other a bit, you both headed to a club where you met a lot of new people, including some of pierre's friends. you couldn't have been happier about skipping that sleep.

as you slipped under the blankets, a voice startled you, "it's past three."

whispering, you responded to charles, "i thought you were asleep."

"i'm not, but it's past three," he repeated, his voice heavy with sleepiness.

"yeah, i know." you said, already nestled comfortably in bed.

"i told pierre to bring you back at two so you could rest; i've been waiting."

"oh, i met some of his friends and stayed a bit longer." you explained, turning your back to him. "are these sheets fresh?"

he chuckled softly, "yes. which friends did you meet?"

"a lot of people which i can't remember the names now. his girlfriend kika, a goddess. and some guy named lindo, landon, i think that's his name." you replied, still unsure of the pronunciation.

charles laughed at your attempt, "his name is lando. no 'i' or 'n'"

"not too far off," you quipped.

"if you say so..."

"oh, I have a question for you," you turned to face him, even if the room was in absolute darkness and you couldn't see a thing. "what do you guys work with? there were bodyguards and security procedures all night. i couldn't understand a damn thing."

an "oh" lingers in the air for a while. this was a topic the monegasque wanted to avoid as much as possible. he knew that you would figure it out, eventually, he just wanted to stick with "charles, the normal (french) dude" for a little longer.

"we're formula one drivers," he confesses. you burst into laughter. "i'm serious. i drive for ferrari, and pierre drives for alpine."

"shut up! you know lewis hamilton in person?" you didn't know much about motorsports, but c'mon, everyone knows lewis. "i do, actually." he's puzzled about why that was your first question.

"i recognized the logo on your shirt earlier. my brother's a fan, but i thought you were here just to watch the race."

"in a way, i am, just from a different perspective," he jokes. "how's your brother going to react when you tell him you're sharing a room with charles leclerc?"

"go back to sleep, charles leclerc." you tease, struggling to pronounce his name correctly.

"don't ever try that again." he laughs, turning his back to you.

"oh shut up." you playfully retorted.

you found yourself leaping onto your bed without bothering to check if charles was already there as night fell. meeting new people was exciting, but reuniting with old friends held a special charm. reconnecting with people ranked in the top three of your favorite things to do, even though it could be quite exhausting.

to be totally fair, you were tired because of the entire week you had just gone through. completing 26 out of 43 items on your bucket list was not easy, but you managed it all within a week and a day.

sharing the room with charles turned out to be much more enjoyable than expected. he was not only a genuinely nice guy but also a source of constant entertainment. when you went to bed, boredom was never an option as charles would introduce you to new games you'd never heard of and make you learn them to play with him.

it was really easy to get along with him, and you understood that as time passed and you were getting closer. sharing a room became something you no longer detested.

suppressing the urge to surrender to sleep, you got up to change and the next moments blurred together. all you could recall was your roommate entering a little while after you.

that’s until, in the middle of the night, your phone erupted with numerous notifications.

“geez, are you famous or something?” charles mumbled, awakened by the noise.

“it’s on your side, please turn it down." you groaned, covering your ears with a pillow. he reached for your phone but accidentally read one of the 47 notifications.

"happy birthday? is it your birthday?" he asked.

you buried your face in the pillow as more notifications poured in. "just turn that down," you demanded. "I love my friends, but this is too much." you knew they were doing it on purpose because of the lack of communication. this was their way of reminding you that you couldn’t be rid of them for so much time.

“it’s your birthday?” he inquired, sitting up.

“yeah, officially 22 now!” you replied, cursing the friends responsible for your rude awakening. exhausted, you had forgotten that your 6-hour nap was meant to be a quick one.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” charles exclaimed, throwing himself into an enthusiastic yet somewhat ungraceful hug. you laughed and thanked him. "why didn't you mention it earlier?"

“it didn’t come up.” you said, returning the hug.

"and do you have any plans for today?" he asked, returning to his original position.

"not really. i thought i might visit some places here in melbourne," you answered, rubbing your eyes.

"do you want to come watch the race then? consider it my birthday gift. if you'd mentioned it earlier, i would've prepared something better." the driver offered.

"i suppose the tickets must be sold out. have you seen how many people are here these past few days? there are no rooms since last week." you informed him.

"and you think I'd let you watch from the stands? no way. you'll… i mean, you would be in the Ferrari garage." he said with conviction.

"that sounds boring." you complain.

"is that a yes?" he asked, seeing a glimmer of a smile in your eyes. "i'll do my best to win, just for you."

“isn’t that your job?” you teased.

"yes, but doing it for you adds a little extra pressure," he admitted. you nodded in agreement, and he reclined again. "now, go to sleep. tomorrow is your big day."

"big day," you mimicked in a comical male voice, turning on your side. "thank you, charles."

"yeah, no problem." he replied. you couldn’t see him now, but you knew he was wearing a smile, and it made you smile too.

"wake up." you heard, your senses slowly returning. as you opened your eyes, you found kika, pierre's girlfriend, looking down at you.

what is it with people waking you up? it's always someone new.

"hey. it's time to get ready." even though your head was a big question mark, you did as she asked and sat up. she sat right before you.

"did charles sent you?" you inquired.

"no, he just told me you'd be coming to the race and since we've met that other night, i thought i would come to make you some company." she replied with a warm smile. "happy birthday, girl." she opened her arms for you and you embraced her immediately.

"thank you." you murmured into the hug. "do you want to get ready together?" you proposed. "i'm going to need some guidance."

"of course." her smile was the most beautiful one you had ever seen and it made your heart melt. "i'll just have to leave you alone with all the birthday wishes to get something to wear, and i'll be back soon."

"okay, see you in a bit." as she left, the first thing you did was grab your phone and start replying the overwhelming (and exaggerated) number of messages from your friend group. after that, you called your brother, not only because he asked so but also to let him know where you would be spending the day.

when kika returned, you were on the phone with your mother, crying your heart out. she loved you so much, and her words never failed to touch your soul.

"i love you too, mum." you whispered and ended the call. francisca smiled at you from the other side of the room. "come on, let's get ready." you wiped away your tears and got up from the bed.

yesterday, while charles slept peacefully, your mind had traveled through your current wardrobe to find the perfect outfit to wear. you knew it had to be ferrari red, but it also needed to make you feel special because it was your birthday.

in the end, you chose the red dress you had recently purchased. it seemed perfect for the occasion. as you shuffled through your clothes to retrieve it, kika had a chance to admire the piece.

"oh my god, that dress is going to look so good on you." she exclaimed excitedly and you both smiled as you made your way to the bathroom.

kika opted for a white button-up oversized shirt paired with pink pants that you discovered matched the colors of alpine's livery. She looked gorgeous, as always.

as you expected, your dress fell amazingly on you body, and it was incredibly comfortable. it wasn't an overly extravagant party dress, but it was just right for special occasions like your birthday.

"so, tell me what's charles doing here." the brunette asked when you both started getting your faces ready for make-up.

"charles?" she confirmed, and you glanced at your reflection in the mirror, somewhat oblivious to what she was referring to. "what's he doing here?" she repeated the question. "sleeping?" you half-answered, half-asked.

"yeah, of course, but why is he sleeping here." your eyes met hers through the mirror, and you noticed the smile on her lips.

"because it's his hotel room too, i guess."

"pierre told me that, but why is he still sleeping in this room if he has the one ferrari got him? he has one, doesn't he?" she asked.

"i don’t know." the truth was, you hadn't even thought about it. the monegasque had never told you, and you never asked, so you assumed this was indeed his only room.

"okay i’ll try again. what's going on between you two?" she smiled at you, a knowing look in her eyes.

"nothing," you replied as quickly as the question got to you. "seriously, tell me. you can trust me." she persisted, trying to get something out of you.

"i am telling you, kika." you laughed. in her mind, it was obvious that something was going on because there was no way the charles leclerc she knew would trade a king-sized bed in a five-star hotel for a cheap one he'd have to share.

"are you seriously telling me there's nothing going on between you two when he ditched a rich and attractive model for you, is lying to his team to come sleep in this room when he probably has a much better one waiting for him every night, and hasn't been bar-hopping to stay here teaching you how to play chess? Not to mention that he's taking you to a race to meet his team and friends. do you know how many girls he took to watch a race?" the portuguese counted on her fingers dramatically, as if accusing you of a proper crime.

you continued doing your makeup as she spoke, but you didn't miss a single word. in fact, you paid close attention to everything she said, the words penetrating your bones and getting to your brain automatically.

"yes, i am telling you that." you began and she sighed in response. "what do you mean he ditched a hot model for me?" curiosity filled your body when you heard that, you had to ask.

"that first night when we met, i know he was supposed to meet up with her because she was also a friend of mine, but he didn't show up. when i asked pierre about it, the only thing he said was your name." your face displayed confusion as you applied some contour to your cheek. you stoped what you were doing right away.

you were confused, yes. but you were also slightly irritated, because if the driver hadn't gone to meet that model, you could have slept through the night and avoided the exhausting day that followed.

"i assumed you guys had fancied each other, like love at first sight or something." you shook your head to deny it and picked up your pencil to blend the previously applied contour.

"that did not happen." another sigh left her throat and a question lingered in the tip of your tongue, ready to come out as soon as you opened your mouth. you weren't sure if you should ask, but you were certain you wanted an answer. "the thing you said about the number of girls he took to a race. how many?"

her lips immediately curved as if she said 'nothing may have happened, but you are interested', and of course you were.

who wouldn't be? charles was majestic, a genuinely good guy who knows how to treat people right, and he looked like the most adorable person in the world while sleeping. you would be lying if you said you didn't find him attractive, but he appeared too friendly for you to believe that he even considered flirting with you.

"two, and they were his girlfriends at the time." the smile never left her lips, but your mind was far from her grin.

you eventually finished getting ready, and so did she, a few seconds after. you chatted the whole way to the paddock, only stopping to catch your breath. kika apologized to you for pressing you to tell her what she wanted to hear, but you didn't mind; you knew you would do the same if the roles were reversed.

your social anxiety flared up when francisca had to go in a different direction to reach the alpine garage, but it quickly dissipated when your eyes found a familiar face approaching you with a smile.

charles hugged you once he was close enough and whispered a quiet "hey." he was well aware of how risky it was to show affection in public, especially with all the shit press would give him and possibly even give you. let's just say that he didn't really care.

he guided you to the garage, where you met carlos sainz, his teammate, and bumped into lando, whom you had met on your first night in australia.

meeting lando brought back all the thoughts kika had shared earlier, and those thoughts stayed with you.

charles must have mentioned your birthday to his team because every person you passed by wished you a happy day. you graciously smiled and thanked them, walking by his side.

he briefly introduced you to everything you needed to know and hugged you goodbye when he had to go. you snapped a lot of pictures to send to your brother, and when the race started, you paid close attention to every moment.

the headphones made it harder to zone out as you normally would but you appreciated that. being new to this world, you didn't understand a single word you heard, but that didn't stop you from trying.

all you knew was that the team was incredibly pleased with charles and carlos's performance today. It was evident from their tone and the broad smiles on their faces.

the spark in their eyes intensified when charles overtook the last driver, securing his lead in the race. from what someone told you, a first and fourth-place finish was a significant achievement for scuderia ferrari, and you could know it was true by the fans' excitement.

both ferrari drivers managed to maintain their positions, finishing the race with what appeared to be an outstanding result. you weren't entirely sure what you were cheering for, but you were genuinely happy.

you celebrated with the team and watched the podium ceremony from a distance, still uncertain about where you should be and how to act. you applauded the number 16 and engaged in discussions about his performance with people who had a stake in the matter. from what you heard, he was a really good driver.

people all around you started to move to one direction, and you followed them with your gaze to find the one and only race winner already looking at you. he paused to chat and celebrate with his team, before moving up to you.

opening your arms for him, you embraced him, smiling from ear to ear, genuinely happy for his achievement, even if you didn't fully grasp the significance of a win.

"this one was for you. happy birthday." he whispered in your ear while still holding you close. "thank you, frenchie, and congratulations." you laughed into his shoulder. he playfully protested against your nickname for him but couldn't help but laugh too.

you were engrossed in conversation with him when suddenly, pierre and kika arrived with a cake. everyone in the tifosi garage began singing the "happy birthday" song.

your cheeks flushed, matching the color of your dress within seconds, and you covered your smile with your hands. you were genuinely grateful for these people who didn't even know you but were singing and clapping for you.

the cake they brought was adorned with all your favorite flowers, and now you understood charles' early morning question. as if he could read your thoughts, he approached you, smiling, and hugged you sideways while still singing with his weird accent.

pierre had came closer and at the end of the song you were able to blow out the candles. the smiles on their faces enchanted you, how they all seemed genuinely happy for you, even though it was the first time they had set their eyes on you.

they arranged a table in which pierre placed the cake, and someone handed you a knife to cut it. you, of course, offered the first slice to charles, not only because he knew you best but also because of everything he had done for you. all of this exceeded your expectations.

when you had decided to come to australia to spend some time alone, you could never have imagined what awaited you. not only did you meet new people, but you had also made friends, or at least one friend.

[lemoncrushh]

Best Friends

Summary: You and Harry are best friends, but he would love for it be more.

Warnings: None, just fluff

Word Count: 1628

A/N: A cute best friends blurb from 2016. This blurb is a little bit different. It's still written for the reader, but it's in Harry's POV like he's telling you about you and him. It's 1D Harry, but you are roommates (not sure why I did that, it might have been a request lol). Louis, Niall, Liam and Cheryl appear in this one too.

"Y/N!" you heard me call from the kitchen.

"Yeah babe?" you yelled from your bedroom.

"What do you want for dinner?"

You slipped into your shorts and t-shirt, not bothering to put on a bra. You'd been living with me for years, and we were best friends. There was no reason for you to be modest around me. You walked into the kitchen, lightly drying your hair with a towel.

"What have we got?" you asked, my head behind the freezer door.

I stepped back, nearly knocking myself in the head as I looked at you. Jesus, you were beautiful. You were never really one to be high maintenance, but on the daily you always tried to look your best. If we ran into each other in the mornings before you left for work, I always told you how gorgeous you looked. You would smile and say, "thanks babe," giving me a kiss on the cheek. If I took you out with me to a dinner party or some other industry function, you'd look so amazing it would take my breath away. But this...this was my favourite. When you were freshly clean from the shower, your running shorts or a pair of sweats on, no makeup, your hair damp. You were absolutely stunning, and to be honest, I had a hard time not staring.

"Um..." I swallowed, "not much."

You shrugged. "Anything's fine with me. We can order pizza if you want."

Not waiting for a response, you walked back to the bathroom to hang your towel on the rod. Then returning to the living room, you plopped down on the sofa, grabbing the remote control. I watched you as I ordered pizza from my phone, then placed it on the counter.

"How was your day?" you asked me. You flipped through the channels before landing on Friends.

"It was okay," I shrugged, walking over to sit next to you.

"Just okay?" you raised a brow.

"Well, you know. Writing, studio time."

"Is the album coming along?" you inquired, adjusting yourself on the sofa so that you faced me, your elbow resting on the back. I adored the little things like that. They showed me you cared about me, and weren't just making small talk out of obligation.

"Yeah," I nodded with a grin. "It's coming along great. We have six tracks recorded now."

"Eeek!" you squealed, clapping your hands. "I can't wait to hear them! You will let your dear BFF hear them first, won't you?"

I chuckled. "Of course."

You smiled, reaching for my hand to squeeze. "I'm so excited, Harry!"

"Me too," I beamed. I couldn't help it. When you looked at me that way, my heart wanted to beat out of my chest.

We sat and watched Friends together, laughing at Phoebe getting hummus on her dress and Joey walking in with all of Chandler's clothes on. The pizza arrived and we ate it in front of the television. We ended up opening a bottle of wine, enjoying it with good conversation well into the evening. I loved watching your cheeks get pink from the alcohol, your eyelids slightly heavy. I wanted so badly to kiss you, but I knew you didn't feel that way about me. So just like every other night, I pushed the urge aside and continued with our friendly banter.

Finally around midnight, you rose from the couch to take our glasses to the kitchen. I sat back on the sofa, resting my eyes and silently wishing you'd either suddenly feel the same about me, or my own feelings would dissipate. I could hear your footsteps as you returned to the living room, stopping in front of me.

"I'm going to bed now, babe. I'm exhausted."

My eyes fluttered open to look at you, an easy grin spreading across my face.

"Okay, love," I sat up. "Goodnight."

"Night," you murmured, leaning over to give me a kiss on the cheek. "I'll go shopping tomorrow for the dinner party."

"Oh. Right." I'd almost forgotten. Tomorrow the boys were coming for dinner and you were planning to cook.

"I love you," you declared.

"I love you, too."

Giving me a soft smile, you turned and headed toward your bedroom. With a deep sigh, I leaned back against the sofa again. If only you knew how much I loved you. If only...

Our dining room was noisy and smelled like a mix of garlic and cologne, which to some might sound questionable, but as for me, I wouldn't have had it any other way. You'd made the most delicious meal I'd ever tasted, and once again you'd proven to be the perfect host.

"Shall I get dessert?" you asked, starting to rise from the table.

"I'll help," offered Liam's girlfriend, Cheryl.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, standing up. "I need to make a toast."

You raised your brows in question, sitting back down and taking your glass.

"To..." I hesitated. "To best friends, best food, and best company."

"Hear hear!" everyone said in unison. I heard the sound of glasses clinking together as I turned to look at you.

"Thank you, Y/N," I grinned. "You're amazing."

You gave me your million watt smile, bringing your glass to your lips. I watched you take a drink before sipping my own.

"I'll get the dessert," you said softly, your eyes still on me.

As soon as you'd left the room, I ran my hand down my face with a groan.

"What's wrong, mate?" asked Niall.

"Nothing," I shook my head.

Louis scoffed, shaking his head.

"What?" I narrowed my eyes.

"It's so obvious, Harry," he remarked.

"What is?"

"That you're in love with her."

"Y/N?" Niall turned to me, his eyes wide. "Ya are?"

"He has been from day one," said Louis.

"I have not," I argued, my stomach suddenly in knots.

"Does she know?" Liam piped in.

"No," I shook my head. "She doesn't have a fucking clue."

"So ya are," Niall nodded.

I glared at him.

"Ya gonna tell her?"

"I can't," I dropped my head. "She seems so happy with the way things are. I don't wanna mess it up."

"Mess what up?" Cheryl asked when she walked through the doorway from the kitchen, three dishes of dessert in her hands. She placed two of them in front of Louis and Liam and sat down with her own.

"Harry's in love with Y/N," muttered Liam.

"Shhh," I put my finger to my lips.

"You are?" Cheryl's eyes widened.

"Am I the only one who picked up on this?" Louis threw up his hands.

"Yes, okay?" I whisper-shouted. "I'm in love with her. I've been in love with her for a long time."

Louis nodded, just as you emerged from the kitchen. My heart felt like it was in my throat as I prayed you hadn't overheard our conversation.

"Here you go!" you sang, placing dishes in front of Niall and me.

I looked up at you while you sat beside me, digging your fork into your dessert. I reckoned you could feel my gaze so you side-eyed me, giving me a smirk.

"What?" you asked.

I shook my head, dismissing the moment and biting into my own dessert.

After everyone had said their goodbyes and we saw them out the door with a gracious thank you, I followed you into the kitchen, offering to help you with dishes. We worked together in silence, my heart racing and my brain on overdrive. I didn't know if you'd heard my confession, but it was nearly killing me that you were being so quiet which was unlike you.

Finally, putting the last dish in the washer and shutting it, you turned to me.

"I heard you," you muttered.

"What?" I stopped. My initial reaction was to question it, because surely I misunderstood you.

"I heard what you said. What you told Cheryl and the boys."

I lowered my gaze to the countertop, my finger tracing a nonexistent pattern.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked.

"I didn't want to embarrass or humiliate you," you replied.

"How...how would you have humiliated me?"

"Harry..."

I lifted my head to look at you. What I already knew was staring me in the face.

"You don't feel the same," I stated.

You were silent for a moment until you shook your head. "It's not that. It's just...I had no idea you felt that way about me. I thought all this was harmless flirting and friendship stuff. It's...it's kinda weird, you know?"

I blinked, nodding my head. You stepped closer to me, reaching for my hand.

"I love you," you declared. "I care about you. I don't want any awkwardness between us."

"I get that," I agreed.

You lifted your other hand to touch my cheek.

"You're so amazing," you added. "And if..."

I covered your hand with mine, looking into your eyes.

"If what?"

You swallowed hard. "If I let my guard down...I could easily fall in love with you."

I felt my lips stretch into a smile as you did the same. Then leaning forward, you lightly brushed your lips against mine, kissing the corner of my mouth. I knew you were still hesitant, so I didn't push further.

"One step at a time," you said, echoing my thoughts, though it was almost a question.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm going to bed," you whispered. "Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight."

I watched you once again as you walked away towards your bedroom. So, the cat was out of the bag as they say. You knew the truth. You hadn't reciprocated my feelings, but at least you hadn't shut them down either. I had hope. And I planned on holding onto it for a while.

MASTERLIST | KO-FI | FEEDBACK

Also, if you enjoy my writing, please consider joining my Patreon!

[pumpumdemsugah]

I find the sentiment that Claudia should have listened about the coven being bad news mad because why would she trust Lestat?

Which adult child living at home with their parents hasn't considered renting from a slum lord because you want to get out so bad ? The fact she's permanently a child so always needs adulthood supervision because of them is bad enough. If my parents birth me and i always had to be 14 for the rest of my life + they were bad parents and kind of dumb ( Lestat is not smart, I'm sorry he really isn't. Think about it? ) id become a James Bond villain with the goal of blowing up the world

Why doesn't she depend on her dick obsessed dumb dumb parents for the rest of her life ? Who knows. It's a mystery

We've established that Louis is a bad parent but Lestat is also shit. She said how she felt " who's going to fuck me!" And what changed ?

When she ran away and he found her this was his deeply mature understanding response

He beats Louis up and reveals he can fly. What is she meant to do but not kill him ? He theatrically told her I'm your jailer and there's nothing you can do about it. Through a mix of stupidity and arrogance Lestat thought this was a good idea and didn't tell them anything about the vampire world ( or laws ) but some vagueness about European vampires being brutal while acting like this but please be scared of them now get back in that dog cage

Why didn't Claudia want to stay in the dog cage and trust someone that didn't even mention he can fly? It's a mystery.

The day they made her they doomed her by making her reliant on them. They could have used their speed to drop her off with a human that may have been able to save her. It doesn't matter if either of them loved her they gave her no reason to trust or rely on them. They made her need other people.

[mayisgoingnuts]

lowkey, spill the beans on LavenderCrook. They look cute^^

KAJSJS HOORAY!!! OKAY SO,, IT'S A BIT LONG I HOPE YOU GUYS DON'T MIND

PS: My name headcanons for Fat Thief is Oliver and for Thin Thief is Louis + They're brothers to me!!

Tagging @articus-icecream cuz IT'S YOUR FAULT GEAHAHSJKSJSJ/pos

Lila and Oliver met purely by accident when she needed help with something, most likely a very casual place such as a supermarket where Lila was too tired to even make sure that the co-worker gave her the right charge and he corrects them so they'd pay the rest. It'd stay like that, but he tried to talk to her a little more because 1. She looked pretty tired and perhaps needed some help and 2. She was very pretty overall,,

She ended up not accepting any help but did offered her number since they had a nice conversation, and slowwly they were talking more and more, going from texts, to seeing each other, to Lila actually inviting him over! He'd do it aswell but his house is MISERABLE and Louis didn't even know about her-

Either way he was getting closer to her, consequently to Skid aswell, BUT lying regards a few things on his life such as telling Lila that he works in a simple store and NOT telling that he's a thief, and a lot more like his house, family, etc, he was just scared that it'd startle her.

AND FINALLYYYY after lots of trust and talks and helps, they fell for each other. Took longer for Lila to accept and let her fears aside but once it happened they started dating, and it was just what she needed. Just wholesomeness, someone there to help with the house and her son, and he's just a normal guy!!! Apparently

Yea, no. Just like the cult demanded, both of the thieves began to steal Lila's house after Skiddad's stuff, which Oliver did tried to avoid and resulted in NOTHING but himself being scolded. He felt super guilty already for stressing his girlfriend even more without her knowledge and the DOUBLE of guilt upon finding out that the oh so traumatizing husband that she had was actually his leader.

Oliver began to be even more affectionate and caring with her to try compensating how much of an ASS he's being (despite doing it unwillingly), to the point where he gave up and told Louis about her since he was spending more time outside than at home without even updating Louis. His brother keeps telling that he has to tell her the truth to not upset her but Oliver is way too scared for that. If Lila ever finds out that Oliver knew all of those things and never told her she'd try her best to understand his side of things but also be completely devastated that once more she has been betrayed by someone she loved.

[doueverwonder]

short fluffy IndiBama thing but I'm embarrassed about it under the cut (I use she/her for Indy cause I can)

Alabama had been tossing and turning for hours. He was used to humidity but it seemed worse tonight, not aided by the fact that it was still boiling even in the middle of the night, and no matter what he tried mosquitoes, flies, and heck even lightning bugs kept getting in. He had watched the minutes tick by on his alarm clock, not being able to get any sort of rest til almost two am. Even then it was barely sleep, more a weird in between, exhausted and conscious enough of the time he had to be up to 'sleep', but uncomfortable enough to stay asleep for more than a couple minutes.

Around three he sat bolt upright, the steps coming down the hallway at this hour initially scaring him. Alabama, along with the rest of the south, groaned realizing it was just Florida and Louisiana stumbling in like they did almost every weekend night. Those two really were the worst when it came to being quiet. Texas would grumble about how he was going to give them the what-for one day but it had yet to happen as he was the only one who could actually sleep through them coming in.

After ten minutes of trying to get back to sleep he finally gave up. He got up groping around in the dark before finding the basketball shorts and t-shirt he had initially gone to bed in. He put both back on, along with a pair of--probably mismatched--socks, usually he wouldn't bother but the floors of the upper floors were always so chilly even in summer. He also pulled a sweatshirt out of his closet, but tucked that under his arm, it wasn't for him. It was a peace offering for the person he was about to wake up.

He could teleport, but Gov always seemed to know when they did that and the last thing he felt like explaining was why he was up and about this late. So instead he climbed the two sets of stairs. The first landing he held his breath trying not to make any noise, not because the Northeast was easy to wake up but because New York didn't sleep. He made it past and up to the third floor, really why did the South have to be on the first floor? It just meant they had to climb more stairs than any other states.

As soon as Alabama stepped off the landing he felt better, it was still warm but less 90s and more low 70s. The humidity was bearable up here as well, still more than some places--he had got caught in Nebraska talking about how corn sweats or something like that to know why--but better then the majority of the South. He stuck his head down the hall that led to the kitchen and living room to make sure no one was up before tiptoeing down the hall where the bedrooms were.

Gladly the one he needed to get to was only the second door down the hall, he took a breath knocking lightly and praying no one else heard. He waited a long moment before knocking again, this time the door opening just a crack Indiana peering out;

"Hey sweetheart" he half whispered,

"'Bama?" she squinted, yawning "what are you doing up here?"

"I couldn't sleep, was wonderin' if I could crash here for the rest of the night" Indy very rarely got mad about much, but he had never woken her up at half past three am either. So he couldn't say he would be surprised if she told him no.

Lucky for him she just nodded, opening the door the rest of the way for him to come in. The door closed behind him, she sat down on the edge of her bed, rubbing her eyes. "why couldn't you sleep?"

"Too muggy in my room, and Florida and Loui woke me up" She nodded humming, wasn't the first time he had complained about those two waking him up. Alabama tossed Indiana the sweatshirt, not needing to tell her what it was for a look of pleasant surprise to cut through her still half asleep features as she pulled it on, putting the hood up immediately. He knew it would be months before he saw that sweatshirt again; Indy was the top sweatshirt thief in the statehouse, her most infamous one being a colts sweatshirt she stole from Maryland just a couple months before before actually stealing the colts all together.

She had climbed back under her quilt, patting the other side of the bed to tell him to hurry up. He pulled off his shirt, tossing it over the back of a chair and climbed in bed, turning off the lamp and flicking on the night light. The first couple times he had slept over he had thought it silly that she had a night light, the only answer he was able to get about why was a mumbled fun fact about being able to see the Chicago lights from the Indiana dunes 60 miles away. Now turning it on was basically muscle memory, even if she said he didn't have to turn it on if it bothered him.

They usually talked while falling asleep, he assumed not tonight with it being so late as is but as Indy settled into his arms she asked through another yawn "Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

Despite the fact that he could already feel himself finally relaxing he responded, "Just a meeting with Gov, what 'bout you sweetheart?"

"I have to sneak my boyfriend out before Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan wake up" Alabama tried not to laugh too loudly, even though he knew she was close to dead serious. They usually didn't mind him being there... as long as they knew beforehand.

"Best savor our time together then case we oversleep and I'm dead come mornin'' Indy just pressed herself closer to him, barely nodding more or less fast asleep again.

Alabama relaxed the west of the way, really he should have just come up when he first realized he wasn't going to be able to sleep in his room. He was warm again, but this time because he was under a pile of blankets with his girlfriend in his arms. This was definitely much better then the 98% humidity.

[felixcloud6288]

Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 83

I missed Lin so much.

We finally have the name of the lion chimera. He's Heinkel.

Y'know, Lin has effectively gotten what he wants on his journey and the only thing left is to either wrest control from Greed or convince him to go back to Xing. Lin has no personal reason to tell Ed about Father's plan.

So yeah, Lin really is Ed's friend and wants to help him out.

The Homunculi like to go on about their pride and superiority to humans, but what they have is less pride and more like ego. They all mindlessly follow the orders of their "loving" father who has some grand ambition for himself and never once question what they do. And they continuously look down on people calling them weak, powerless, foolish, etc. Meanwhile, they have no actual ambitions or achievements to call their own. They just have their empty egos.

And I think Greed knows that. He is ambition made manifest and he cannot tolerate being bound to someone else's will.

But another thing the Homunculi lack is camaraderie. They exist only for Father's purpose and there is no true love between them. Ed gave him an unconditional offer to be his ally, and Greed didn't know how to process that. And then he turned it down because of his Homunculus ego.

Greed, you feel empty because you've actually experienced true friendship and had it all taken away.

No but seriously, why do Darius and Heinkel follow Ed around?

Olivier Mira Armstrong is showing us her Armstrong heritage, complete with the Armstrong sparkles.

This is the most Armstrong she's ever been. I suppose being around her family will do that. The only thing missing is she never mentioned her skills which were passed down the Armstrong line for generations.

We have the first main chapter appearance of PHILIP GARGANTOS ARMSTRONG, Mrs. Armstrong, and Catherine Elle Armstrong. And you can just feel the sheer Armstrong vibe in the room.

Olivier Mira Armstrong and Alex Louis Armstrong's fight is one of those moments that you need to watch in the anime. In the manga, we just hear all the fighting while the rest of the family packs their things to go on a vacation. In the anime, we actually see miscellaneous background events while the shot is still focused on the family packing up and leaving.

When Alex asked Olivier if she sent the family away so they couldn't be used as hostages, she just smiled and told him to get out. It kind of implies she was doing it for her own sake, but I'd say she did it for Alex's sake.

Olivier is the kind of person who is willing to act even if it would put her family in danger. But Alex is not. By sending the family away, she's telling him "When the time comes, you can do what you think is right without worry."

And now let's check the information chain. Hohenheim knows when the Promised Day is and he told Alphonse. Al then called Izumi's store and passed the message to Mason. Then Sig called Mason to get the information and they went to Briggs to pass the message to Miles and Buccaneer. Falman then passed the information over to Graman who gave Rebecca Katarina leave to go to Central and visit Hawkeye and Sergeant Major Black Hayate. Rebecca passes the message to Hawkeye, who hides it in a pack of cigarettes she gives Havoc, who then gives it to Roy.

The only major outlier to that information chain is Izumi and Sig. It feels like wild happenstance that they would happen to be traveling north and Sig just happened to call the shop and got the message from Al. Also, Al is not privy to the North-East alliance against Central.

I guess if I were to headcanon-conspiracy theory a guess, Izumi and Sig have allied with Hohenheim after meeting with him again. They may have headed North to check for signs of the underground tunnel there similar to how Hohenheim went to Reole to check for it there. And Hohenheim was planning to inform Izumi about the Promised day after he'd gotten confirmation.

Then Hohenheim told Al about Izumi's involvement and Al added that she should seek out Miles and Buccaneer to give them the info as well. Al knows Briggs is on their side. The fact that the East HQ is allied with them as well is just an unexpected bonus.

Meanwhile, Ed found out from a direct source. Maybe he'll try and contact Roy about it only to find out the Colonel already knows. Roy is surprisingly competent at gathering intel.

Quick note: Rebecca appears in the title art for chapter 53. She's on the photo in the bottom-left corner, just hidden under the chapter title.

And I guess Black Hayate is neutered.

And y'know what? I had thought Roy's team were the ones who came up with all these secret code systems to share information. But after seeing this insane display of covert information sharing, I'm going to guess they were all trained by Graman. He's known ever since Raven approached him that Central has been up to something so he's probably been training every person he can trust in the art of espionage.

back

[sparxaf]

TSIME: Meet Bobby's Crew (part 1)

One of my favorite parts of writing is actually just character creation. I love knowing exactly what they look like and all kinds of fun details about them, even if those details never end up in the actual story. So I figure, since I wasted tons of time making long character profiles for them, I figured I might as well write them up, make them pretty, and share them. Why am I doing this? Because sharing is caring. Duh. Defnitely not because I'm avoiding editing. How dare you?

ANYWAY. In this post we're meeting Bobby's best friend, his husband, and their daughter.

Meet Louis:

Interesting facts:

🗸 Louis is a loving, generous soul and does not charge Bobby rent. But he does occassionally ask for baked goods and Bobby always obliges.

🗸 Before they even got engaged, he insisted on paying for all of Dean's sick mum's housing and care, to take the stress off of his beloved.

🗸 He's a homebody who hates traveling. He finds it stressful and doesn't like feeling unmoored. He decided against going to a prestigious culinary school because he didn't want to leave Glasgow.

🗸 He and Lili get along because they're both type-A snugglers.

🗸 Comes from a wealthy family. His mother is a very successful estate agent and his father was a popular rugger (now retired). He's an only child.

🗸 His father, who grew up working class, decided that Louis should go to public school so he'd experience the real world outside of their wealthy bubble.

🗸 In school Louis was routinely, sometimes viciously bullied for being posh. Something he never told his family. But he didn't come out until he was twenty years old because he feared even more bullying for being gay. His parents had already guessed and gave him nothing but love and support.

🗸 Louis was not happy when Bobby added Jonno to their friend group in P6 and even less happy when Fenella was added when they were adults. He puts up with them because he loves Bobby and just accepts that his best friend is the type who brings mangy strays home, thinking they're beautiful. And who is Louis to tell him they're not? That said, they're not all mingin'. He adores Maitland and Nivaan.

Meet Dean:

Interesting facts: (there's a lot for Dean)

🗸 Despite being so tall and muscular, Dean is a fluffy bunny of a man. Very sentimental and kind. He will not kill bugs. If Louis wants a spider squashed, he's on his own.

🗸 He has four siblings, one sister and three brothers. He was the youngest. His home life was not great. His family was incredibly poor and his dad was abusive, sexist, and homophobic (among other award-winning personality traits). His mother was loving, but very passive and preferred not to rock the boat.

🗸 When he was fourteen he was trying to make sense of his bisexuality, so he confided in his mum. One of his older brothers overheard and told their dad. To say it was handled poorly would be an understatment. Hurt, scared, and unwelcome in his home, he moved in with his sister, an artist who lives in Rochdale. He says she is the person who actually raised him to be a decent person.

🗸 His mum and dad divorced when she had two strokes and his fuckface father wasn't interested in caring for her. Dean routinely comes down to Norfolk to take care of her affairs as she didn't want to move. His brothers do care about their mum, but theyre mostly skivers who don't know how to be helpful. His sister keeps in contact with Dean, but she has no interest in being near the the rest of the family so he's the only one taking care of his mum.

🗸 His dad and brothers actually have the nerve to try demanding money and help from him, because they know Louis is wealthy. Never mind that they have not supported their marriage and have never said a kind word to either of them. Dean has never given them a dime.

🗸 He has never and will never ever admit this to anyone, but the night he met Bobby at the pub, he assumed the Scot was grafting and he was 100% ready to take him back to his hotel room. So he was confused when Bobby told him he'd called his friend Louis and he was coming to the pub to meet Dean. Then Louis showed up and Dean could hardly speak because he was so instantly and completely smitten. It was weeks later that he realized Bobby was just obliviously flirtatious with everyone.

MEET ISLA:

Interesting facts:

🗸 There are none. She's three. Toddlers are generally low on interesting backstory.

Stay tuned for part 2 to meet Maitland, Fen, Nivaan, Jonno, and Samantha!

[undeadorion-archive]

I cannot believe Anne Rice started her slutty gay vampire series with the amazingly tragic and handsome figure of Louis then decided to make the rest of the series primarily about his narcissistic, petty, toxic, and abusive boyfriend instead. The guy who was so gross and controlling it took murder to get away from him (he got better, though).

The second book is written by Lestat. In direct response to Louis interview being published. It sets the tone of the most unreliable narrator known to mankind.

I'm only halfway through and I cannot take a single thing that happens at face value. So unless something later the the series not from Lestat's perspective confirms it, I'm going to assume most things are either exaggerated or utterly fabricated in the context of this fictional world.

The whole thing reads like the most over the top YA nonsense. So far there's been no strong through line of conflict or overarching plot other than flat out not believing any of it.

First there were wolves that Lestat was nearly killed by but he killed them and survived. Then he was traumatized for a bit. But then he got a boyfriend and the only conflict what that his father and brothers were awful and his mom might die. But then that was over when he ran off to live in Paris. So then the conflict was trying to survive, but that was over in just a few pages cause he got a job at a theater. Then a vampire shows up and torments him and turns him against his will. And you'd think he'd take at least some adjustment time but then it's like "oh, this is fine, actually."

But then the old vampire kills himself without teaching him anything other than "don't go in the sunlight" and that could have been some beautiful tension of fumbling through the world and trying to survive after having his life turned upside down. But no, he figures it out pretty fast and the old man vampire left him a literal mountain of treasure. So he was fine.

Then he made a faint play at "oh, I'll just feed off of bad people and criminals." But then something happened and he fed on an innocent person and had no real qualms about it and just fed on anyone.

Then his mom showed up in Paris and begged to see him because she'd die at any moment. Then he had to reveal himself to her and tell her what he was. And she was chill with it, and he turned her and she was totally cool with that too. There's a really weak conflict going on after that where he's "cut off" from her, and can't communicate with her mentally. But that's barely an issue.

Since being turned the closest thing to internal conflict he really seemed to have was some self imposed thing where he couldn't talk to his boyfriend anymore. He tried to frame it as some noble and difficult thing while it was visibly hurting the boyfriend.

Then there was the vampire cult who started chasing and harassing him. But that lasts like 2 chapters because suddenly they've kidnapped Nicki, Lestat's boyfriend. Which Lestat didn't even know was missing until they taunted him about it.

Then surprise! The cult leader is Armand, Louis big gay crush. And the cult is really weird about self imposed torment and living in the dark and doing god's bidding and some other weird nonsense. And they have a half dead Nicki in a cage on top of a huge pyre that they're threatening to light, but they only have 3 torches and Lestat easily takes them all and puts them all out. And no one lights another one for some reason?

But then with one magical speech Lestat brings the cult to an end. Hundreds of years of weird rituals and beliefs where they thought that it was a sin to live among humans. And just by saying "But I do it just fine" then all go "Yeah, let's go live like humans!" and the cult breaks up. And then Armand goes feral and just burns all but 5 members of the cult, but Lestat is told this after the fact. Because the last remaining members now totally trust him and want him to lead him. When literally just days before they were trying to murder him and now they're all "omg you're so powerful and amazing and wonderful and we love you."

Oh and after rescuing Nicki, Lestat turns him. And there's a conflict for about 2 days where Nicki won't speak and is just sort of a zombie. Then Nicki goes to the theater where they'd both worked, which shut down because Lestat gave them tons of money to move to London. And there's a whole thing where Nicki finally isn't a zombie anymore because he got his violin back. And he decides to lead the ex cult vampires and they create, get this, the vampire theater. The very one that took Louis in the first book.

And where I've left off has Armand flip flopping between being an absolute monster and being absolutely pathetic. And not at all like the one that Louis met. Like literally begging Lestat to love him, to trying to murder him by feeding on him, to nuzzling him by the fire in Lestat's secret tower.

It just reads so much like a jealous lover who got humiliatingly dumped and is trying to show that he's better than his ex. "Oh, that place he went and got tortured? Yeah, I created that! That guy he had a huge crush on? He begged me to fuck him. And I didn't even like him! And look how horrible he was anyway. And you think I'm the bad guy?"

[dyahere]

i just watched the mtp OVAs they were SO good especially the 2nd one

[alwayslovingharry]

ABCDEFU

A/N:I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday, but I couldn't do it yesterday. I know today's chapter is a bit of a step back from the last one, but it's necessary. I hope you like it and I promise that there's less time left for Mr. Styles to reappear…maybe only 2 more…you'll see….

previous part

PAIRING: Harry Styles x Hailey Foster (1Dmember!reader)

WORD COUNT: 3.9k

WARNING: Not an english native speaker.

SUMMARY: Hailey receives a visit and goes to an unexpected meeting.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3/03/2017

I can't stop a grunt from coming out of my mouth when the alarm clock goes off four hours after I got into the bed. My flight from Milan yesterday was delayed for four hours due to some mechanical problems. I ended up getting back to London at 2am and it wasn't until after 3am that I got home and was able to lie down on my bed to sleep. I rolled over, staring at the ceiling wondering if it's really worth waking up so early to make the most out of the morning

Since Valentine's Day, my schedule has been non-stop. I've had several meetings with different clothing brands in New York, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Milan... I've spent more time between planes these past 3 weeks than I have in my entire life. 

Now I can finally have some time off until the end of April, when I will have to go to New York to attend the Met Gala as a guest of Versace. During this time I will only have to go and try out my outfit in one of their boutiques here in London. The rest of the time I will be able to spend my time resting and even composing. 

Since Harry gave me the blank notebook, I have started to use it daily, writing down any lyrics, phrases or pieces of songs that come into my head. I have taken my guitar with me on some of the trips, even if they didn't last more than two days, using some of my free time to try out some melody or chords that came to my mind. I have also used the notebook as a kind of diary to write down my feelings and thoughts. 

I haven't spoken to Jack since the restaurant, but he has called me almost every day since then. The only thing I know about him is what he has told me in the messages he has been sending me. He must be in Manchester now, closing a deal to partner with a construction company. 

I haven't tried to contact Harry either, even though his face pops into my head more than once a day. That determination I had after opening his presents on Valentine's Day vanished the next morning as soon as I woke up.

That's why Louis refused to be my spy. He's coming back from Jamaica tomorrow after spending a week there with Harry and his team. He didn't tell me much in his messages either, apart from telling me that he and Harry had agreed that Jamaica was the best time they had had in a long time. The only thing he made clear to me is that he loves Harry's album.

I sigh, pulling the duvet away from my body and very slowly getting out of bed. I pick up my phone from the bedside table, tucking it into my pajama trousers pocket and walk down the hallway to the stairs, down to the living room and into the kitchen.

After 3 weeks of hardly coming home I find the fridge and pantry half empty, but in the end I manage to find a box of coffee capsules in one of the cupboards so I can at least have some breakfast before going shopping. I grab a cup from one of the shelves while I switch on the Nespresso machine. 

While the coffee maker is making the coffee, I look at my little back garden from my kitchen window. The flowers in the garden box are still without buds as it's still early March and the weather is still cold. Today looks like it's going to be one of those typical London winter days where the sun doesn't even make an appearance. I sigh, picking up my freshly brewed coffee with both hands, warming them with the warmth of the cup. 

The doorbell rings and I leave the mug on the counter. I walk back through the living room, picking up a jacket from the sofa to put on over my pyjamas. Before I open the door I decide to look through the peephole, I don't usually have visitors at half past seven in the morning. I open the door when I recognise that curly hair.

"James, what are you doing here so early?" My brother smiles as I open the door for him.

"Can't I visit my little sister?" he asks as he rushes over to hug me tightly.

"Of course you can visit me, but it's not normal for you to visit me unannounced and at this hour."

"Mum told me you were coming back from one of your trips yesterday but I have to be on set soon so... why not invite myself to breakfast at my sister's house?"

"Well, you've planned it wrong because I've only got coffee for breakfast."

"A coffee works for me." 

I return to the kitchen with James following me and I start making his coffee. As I grab another pod and cup, I glance sideways at my brother. James is keeping quiet, which is rare for him. 

The whole thing seems strange to me. James does like to come and visit me as soon as he can, or at least call me every week at least. But since Christmas, he's barely called me a couple of times,and that’s strange. Even when I was on tour with the band James and I hadn't lost touch that much. And now he suddenly shows up at my house first thing in the morning.

"Come on, spill it," I say as I hand him the cup with his coffee and take mine back in my hands.

"What do you mean?"

"You can try to act smart and think I don't think it's weird for you to show up here for breakfast now after months of not even seeing you. You've never stopped talking to me like this without any big reason, you're already telling me what's going on with you."

"Sometimes you're worse than mum, Hails."he replies. 

“I know you better than her, you're my big brother, now tell me what mess you need me to help you with. "

James takes a sip of his coffee and sighs before speaking again. 

"Remember how ever since I was 12 I was always telling mum not to expect grandchildren from me and that I was never going to get married either?"

"Sure, Mum's never been amused by that, her retirement plan is to be able to look after her grandchildren and for you to say you don't want to have them or get married...you're not disinherited by a miracle, Jamie."

"Ha ha ha ha, you' re hilarious, you've always been his favourite for wanting all that and for being mummy and daddy's little princess," I laughed as he took a sip of his coffee.

"And what does that have to do with you ignoring me since Christmas?"

"I didn't ignore you...not on purpose. What's happened is...I've been really busy."

"You can't tell me you were too busy, when I was touring with the band and you were studying at Juilliard and auditioning for Broadway plays you were calling me after almost every concert or the day after every concert. That's no excuse."

"Hailey..."

"Hailey nothing, it pisses me off that after barely knowing about your life you're now coming to my house for coffee like it's nothing."

I turn to clean my cup in the sink, turning my back to my brother. We've always told each other everything, supported each other in everything, and called each other whenever something happened to us to talk to each other about whatever we went through.  

"I...I might now, well in the very near very near future, be mum's favourite son." mumbles James as he hands me his empty mug to wash. 

"What?" 

"Okay, so…over half a year ago I met this girl, Brooklyn, although she likes to be called Brooke or Brooks. She was one of the stylists on one of the shows I filmed last year in America and... I've never felt the same way about anyone else. Not even with Austin, the roommate I had when I was at Juilliard, with whom I had the friends with benefits thing. She's different, she's...my soul mate. She's Rose and I'm Jack, she's Sophie and I'm Sky..."

"I get it, I get it" I cut him off before he goes on with his references to his favourite couples in film and theatre history, he's obsessed. ”Why didn't you tell me this before? You knew her at Christmas, you could have told me."

"I know, I know, but I didn't want Mum to find out and force me to take her home and start intruding into our lives with her little questions.I wanted to take it slow with her." I leave the mugs dripping in the sink and I drie my hands on a tea towel, turning back to look at James." I'm really sorry, Hails. "

"It doesn't matter anymore, at least I'm relieved to know that you didn't stop talking to me because you're in a cult or into drugs. "

"I love your sense of humour." he says wryly as I walk into the living room and sit down on the couch, sitting down next to me. 

"So you've settled down with this girl, have you?" 

"Yeah, a couple of weeks ago she came to live in my flat and everything seems to be going great between us. "

"You look good, it suits you to have something stable and that seems to be lasting."

"She's the best thing that's happened to me in a long time, Hails," we both smile, but I can see there's a twinkle in her eyes that I've only seen when she's talking about a big role or something she really cares about. "She's gorgeous, inside and out, kind, very smart, funny, sweet...I'm sure when you get to know her you'll like her a lot, I'm sure. Every day I spend with her and get to know her a little more, I'm even more sure I'll never be able to leave her. I’m going to marry that girl, I can assure you."

"That's very sweet, James," he replied, smiling. "She seems like a nice girl."

"I can promise you she is, I need you to meet her, as soon as possible."

"Wow, why are you in such a rush now? You've kept her a secret all these months and suddenly you want me to meet her as soon as possible." 

"Well...I think you two should meet before she has the baby, I don't want it to be awkward getting to know each other with a baby in between."

"What? This is a joke, isn't it?" I ask, still not taking in all this information. " You' re going to be a dad?"

"I'm going to be a dad!" shouts James as I throw my arms around him and hug him tightly. 

"I'm going to be an auntie!"

We both laugh as we try not to fall off the couch while hugging each other. I'm so happy for James. I'm so glad he's found something that really makes him so happy...I'm so proud of him. 

"How far along is she? Is everything ok? Is she and the baby ok? Did you guys plan it or..." 

"The truth is it wasn't planned at all but it was a very exciting surprise and we are both very excited. Brooks and the baby are fine, we found out 2 weeks ago and we went to the doctor last week and everything was great with both of them. She' s about 12 weeks along."

"Oh my gosh...James! You've gone from being directionless to being a family man! "

"I know." We both lean our backs against the couch again but the smiles don't leave our faces. "I'm so happy about all this..."

"I'm really happy for you, I need to meet this girl you've been so enchanted by. "

"I'm sure you'll get along well, I can't wait for you two to meet." 

My phone vibrates in my pyjama pocket just as I'm about to ask James more about his girlfriend. I pick up my phone and unlock it, finding a couple of messages from one of my managers.

L. Peterson: We need you at 9 o'clock at the offices.

L. Peterson: It's an important meeting, you can't possibly miss it or change it.

L. Peterson: A car will pick you up at 8:20.

I sigh wearily and James just looks at me, raising his eyebrows. I turn my phone over, letting him read the messages and grimace.

"I should probably get going soon anyway if I don't want to be late for the film set."

"I hate that they decide to have meetings when they feel like it, I wanted to keep talking about my sister-in-law and my future niece or nephew."

"How about one of these days I give you a call and we can meet Brooks so you can get to know her?" James stands up and offers me a hand so I can get up from the couch as well. 

"That would be perfect." 

"And please don't say anything to mum and dad yet, I'm trying to think of the best way to tell them all of this without them making a fuss over me. "He says as we walk to the door and opens it so we can go out. "I don't want mum to faint."

"Sure, you know you can always count on me, Jamie."

"I know." we both quickly hug once more." And you can rely on me too, I know Louis and Olivia are your best friends but I'm my big brother and can also help or listen when you need it. 

"I know."

"Next time we'll talk about what's going on in your life sis, mum told me about the situation in the restaurant and Jack? Are you okay?" 

"I'm always fine, James." she smiled lightly against his shoulder. 

"If you need anything I'm just a phone call away, okay?"

I nod and we both separate again and stand for a few seconds watching each other. We've both grown up and matured, barely noticing the passage of time, succeeding in our own ways, but James will always be my big brother. 

"See you, Hails."

"Take care."

"Always." 

I stand on the porch watching him leave until he disappears completely from my sight and I go back inside. I look at the clock on my phone, I have about half an hour to get ready before the car comes for me so I run up the stairs to the upstairs to have a shower and get changed. 

More than an hour later I am getting out of the car that has brought me to the management offices. We have been stuck in London traffic for over 40 minutes from my home in St. John's Wood to Peterborough Road. It's usually more than half an hour's drive, even more if it's rush hour like today. 

I walk quickly into the offices hoping that no paparazzi are around to recognise me, sometimes they wait outside of the building to get pics of the artists that come to the offices. As I enter, a receptionist is already waiting at the door to take me to the meeting room, asking if I need anything to drink or eat while I politely decline all her offers.

"Good morning," I greet as the receptionist opens the door to the meeting room, where the two Modest managers who have always looked after me are waiting. 

"Hello, Hailey," Luke Peterson says as he rises from his seat to greet me and shake my hand. 

“Good morning, Miss Foster, you may take a seat.” Brenda Walker is my other manager, the one who usually runs my career, she's much cooler and more serious than Luke. 

"We've called you in to discuss a couple of things about your schedule over the next few months," Luke explains as I settle into my chair.

"Until the Met at the end of April I only have dress fittings at Versace every week, right?"

"Yes, but maybe you'll stay a few more days in America after the Met. We got a call from CBS and they'd like you to come on Late Late as a guest so James can do an interview with you about the gala and your new modelling projects."

"Sounds good to me." 

"It would just be the interview and at most some of the typical games on the show, nothing complicated. "

"Okay, I have no problem doing anything, I trust James and his team. "

"Then until the end of the summer you have more or less free time again with only some promotional events or photo shoots for Dior and Versace. In August you have rehearsals for the Versace runway show in Milan and also rehearsals for the Dior runway show that you have a few days later at Paris fashion week. "

"And we've been talking to Gucci, Alessandro Michelle would like you to become one of the brand ambassadors or at least he'd like to collaborate with you and have you join him sometime for your events." Brenda speaks for the first time as Luke jots something down on his iPad. 

"But I already have deals with Dior and Versace?

"We know and that's why you're going to say no, you can't be their ambassador," Luke explains. "We'll accept his proposal to collaborate, maybe to dress you on a red carpet, interview or awards show, but you have to be loyal to Dior and Versace. "

"It looks great for a young woman like you to collaborate with brands that are leading women and championing female empowerment . Gucci may be fashionable for all its innovations but Versace and Dior are run by Maria and Donatella, who know what they do and how to succeed," says Brenda as she gets up from her chair and walks over to the living room windows. 

"And that's all you had to tell me?

"Yes, basically that's what I needed to talk to you about, I'm not quite clear on the dates yet but as soon as I have a more or less fixed schedule, I'll mail it to you. Also everything about the Met and the Late Late." replies Luke as he picks up his IPad and gets up from the table." I've got to go now, I've got a meeting with the 5SOS guys." 

"Tell them I said hi.”

"Of course, see you soon Hailey." he says goodbye with a smile as he walks out the door, leaving me alone with Brenda. 

I never got along with Brenda, I was introduced to her about 4 years ago, when each of the boys and I were assigned a different manager to contact whenever something happened to us. I hate her, from the beginning she has treated me like a puppet that she can drag around wherever she wants. I've always got on better with Luke, he's the one who usually contacts me for all my schedule and appointments, when I met him he was still just an intern for Brenda and from the beginning I could see how she didn't treat him very well either. 

"Answer me this question, why don't you pick up Jack's phone?"

And as a bonus, she's also my mother-in-law. 

"Brenda..."

"I'm asking you a question, Hailey, my son has been trying to contact you for almost a month now after you stood him up after he proposed to you. "

"I haven't had time, I've been running all over the world."

"Well now the next thing on your agenda is to call him and say yes to his marriage proposal."

"I told you when you first told me he wanted to propose, I'm not ready to get married. "

"Well, you can get ready now, I've started talking to my contacts to start preparations for the wedding. "

"I don't know if you're understanding me," I reply as I put my hands on the table and stand up. I'm not going to say yes to your son just because you tell me to. "

"Yes you are." Brenda turns to look at me and also places her hands on the table, mimicking my posture." Or I'll see for myself that after you do the September shows you don't have another project for a long time until you've married my son. "

"Marrying your son means that, we both know Jack doesn't like me being a singer or a model." 

"I'll take care of my son, but you're getting married in the summer of next year." 

I can't believe they're actually doing this to me. Forcing me to get married for my career? It's one thing to stay in a fake relationship and quite another to sign up for a fake and unhappy marriage. 

"If I say yes, I want conditions that benefit me. "

"Well…" Brenda sits back in her chair and I remain standing. 

"I want to be able to compose for other singers and create my own music with the possibility of releasing a solo album at a time when I want to."

 "You know very well that from the management we don't think you'll be successful as a solo artist, not even as a songwriter."

Ouch

"If you don't say yes to this now I will tell your son that our relationship exists only because my contracts force me to." 

We both know that she doesn't want Jack to know that our relationship is bound by my contracts and my managers. From the beginning I've used this as a fallback when I really didn't want to agree to do something, it's one of the few excuses I can use. 

"Okay, you can make an album eventually and we can try to sell songs that you write." 

"And remove the clause of having to compensate you if my contract ends and I refuse to continue with you as my manager or with SYCO. "

"That's impossible." 

"If you don't remove that clause I don't see it possible to marry your son either, remove those clauses and everything will be as you want it to be at the wedding." Brenda remains silent for a few seconds looking at me with hate, we can both play this game. 

"Alright, that's it, nothing else and you better hope my son calls me at the end of the day and tells me you talked to him and said yes."

"Okay," I reply as I sigh.

Where did I get into?

"Well," she stands up again and I straighten up as much as I can as she stretches out her hand towards me, "I can finally tell you, welcome to the family." 

"Can I go?" I reply, ignoring her hand. 

"Yes, I expect that call before tonight, Miss Foster." 

I leave, slamming the door shut as I hear those last words from Brenda. I hate her, with all my heart, every time I spend time alone with her I feel helpless at everything she says or does. 

"Would you like a car to take you home, Miss Foster?" asks the receptionist as I walk past her towards the door.

"No, thank you."

When I leave the offices, I see how it's raining hard and if I walk home like this I'm going to get totally wet, but I still go out to the street while I call for an Uber and look for another place nearby to get out of the rain. Right now I don't want to accept anything to do with my evil mother-in-law or my managers.

to continue...

next part

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it, please leave any comments or leave a like it if you enjoyed it.

See you soon :)

[twopoppies]

hi!! i looked in your fic rec MP and i didn't see it, so i thought I'd ask. i read In Vogue recently and LOVED it and then I've been binging project runway episodes (bc why not) and now I'm craving good fashion fics. maybe even a project runway one. have you read any good ones? and could you maybe rec some?

Hi sweetheart. Ohhh, I love that fic. And yes, I’ve got a few that have to do with fashion.

In Vogue by otpwhatever / @thecelineharry (M, 121K) This one is just….so much. The intensity of the characters, the crazy hot smut (oh god, the window scene), the FASHION, the angst (I had to take a walk around the block after reading it), the epic love story between two men who could rule the world if they could just figure their shit out. The fic has been deleted, but the link is to a download.

These Constant Stars by stylinsoncity (M, 31K) This author has written so many great fics and this one is really lovely. I also always like when one of the boys is not what he seems to be on first glance. There’s also a second part, told from Harry’s POV.

Three French Hems by 100percentsassy, gloria_andrews (M, 20K) the characterizations and set up for this fic are sharp and funny, making this a really fun read. Plus there’s a lot of talk of Louis worshipping Harry’s thighs. LOL!

Fading by tothemoonmydear (M, 202K) Let me start by asking you to please read the tags on this one. It’s a very well-written fic, but it deals very graphically with Louis’ character’s eating disorder. At the time it was written some people felt it did not portray ED recovery accurately, so if the subject is at all triggering for you, please don’t read this one. Of that’s not an issue for you, make sure you have tissues ready because I ugly cried through almost all of this. I read it years ago and loved it at the time, but it’s not one I could handle reading twice.

sweet, where you lay by @infinitelymint (E, 27K) I read this ages ago and my notes only say that it was “sweet and sexy”, which is not terribly helpful. But this author is a good one, in general, so I feel safe including it here.

The rest of these were suggested by @cuethetommo who generally likes the same sort of fics I do. I either haven’t read these, or don’t remember enough about them to have an opinion! 😆 But I trust her.

Put It All On Me by LoadedGunn (M, 15K)

"Yeah, yeah, give it to me, that's it, spread your legs a bit, there you go."

The camera follows Louis as he does. Maybe if the modelling thing doesn't work out, he could try the porn industry. Then again, he's a bit too stocky to be twinky and a bit too twinky to be anything else. He likes that about himself, though. Well, directors and photographers like that about him. He could pull off pretty and edgy, could do GQ in the morning and a perfume commercial in the afternoon. Right now he thinks he could pull off anything, because it's Harry fucking Styles directing him.

Or, a Top Model AU where Louis is accidentally there to make friends, not become Britain's Next Top Model. (Also Zayn is the supermodel host.)

you pull me in by yoursongonmyheart (NR, 7K)

“Did you really wear silk jammies to meet him?” Fizzy is almost in tears.

He’s going to kill them.

He’s really going to kill them.

Ernie throws his backpack on the floor before telling Fizzy, quite loudly, “Mr. Styles looked at Achoo like this” and making an exaggerated jaw dropped face.

“That is not what happened!” Louis protests.

“And Achoo looked at Mr. Styles like that, too!” Doris pulls the same face before laughing.

------

//or the one where Louis is a model, Harry teaches Doris and Ernie at primary and now might be a good time to fall in love.

This Road Leads Where Your Heart Is by LittleLostPieces (E, 15K)

Alright, so Louis has a bit of a type is the thing. And as fit as his supermodel flatmate (Harry) may be, he isn't what Louis is looking for in a potential partner. That’s all. He’s not Louis’ type, with his miles of lanky limbs and his bright, boyish eyes. His impossibly tight, little body and infectious laughter are not what Louis wants. They're not. Really.

swimming in a champagne sea by delsicle (E, 17K)

Louis is a supermodel. Harry is a celebrity photographer known for capturing the brightest up and comers in their most candid moments. They meet at London’s most exclusive New Year’s Eve party.

An alpha/alpha fic filled with confusion, banter, Ubers, and glitter

Life at Shutter Speed by zarah5 (E, 20K)

AU. Having landed a job modelling for an outdoor clothing catalogue, Harry certainly wouldn’t mind doing some extracurricular work for photographer Louis Tomlinson. Say, a private photo session? Yes, please? Good thing that Harry has ten days and three beautiful locations -- Morocco, Indonesia and the Swiss Alps -- to make Louis see just how good they could be.

Special Topping by LoadedGunn (E, 20K)

'Who would even want so many pizzas so late at night?' Harry wonders before the door opens.

Oh. Apparently short guys with shaggy brown hair and a scruff and bright blue eyes and heart-stopping smiles. That's who.

Harry's not even ashamed of how he nearly drops all the pizzas. This guy is gorgeous and Harry hasn't noticed anyone like that in ages, let alone provided services to them. If he opened his mouth right now the only thing that would come out is, "By special topping did you mean my dick?"

Or, the AU where Harry delivers pizza and Louis really just wants Tim Gunn to spank him.

everywhere (i want to be with you) by itiswhatisbutterfly (E, 42K)

Harry and Louis meet because they have terrible friends, they fall in love because something feels right in a world of uncertainty and shifting grounds. Louis is an actor and Harry is a model at the top of his game, the best things in life are the most unexpected ones and the things that hit you when you are least expecting it.

Featuring winter in London, nights in Paris, early mornings in New York, burning heat in Monte Carlo and an enduring love spent transcending four corners of the globe.

Young Gods by sincewewereeighteen (E, 77K)

“Why don’t you stay?” Harry looked down at him and snorted. “What?”

“You’re not my type, Louis”, the boy rolled his eyes sitting on the edge of the bed to put on his boots.

“Says the man you just had sex with”, Louis pointed feeling smart, but Harry was one step ahead of him, with the answer on the tip of his tongue.

“You see, if you were my type, I wouldn’t have”, Harry winked, cheeky as hell. “I would’ve gotten to know you first.”

“Bullshit”, he accused the boy not letting it show how intrigued he was. “How can you know I’m not your type if you don’t know me?”

“How about I list five things about you to prove I’m right and if any of them are false I’ll lie down again.”

“Ok. Go.”

[Or: the one in which Louis is a model and Harry's supposed to be a normal guy... Until he isn't.]

[sunflowerim]

I LOVE YOU 3000!

-PART 42

Weekend 8

When you want time to slow down, it happens to roll faster. Saturday had arrived in the blink of an eye.

"As much as I like having you, don't you think you gotta talk to Lou?" Niall said Saturday morning, handing Harry his cup of coffee. Harry had taken to crash at Niall's place random times of the day since the uneventful incident on Wednesday. Not a single text exchanged with Louis. And lots of media training.

"And say what exactly?" Harry replied coldly, taking the cup from Niall, "that I have to stoop so low for the publicity of my movie?"

"First of all, stop that. Celebrities need publicity and you're new to this field and it'll do you good with the general public. But yeah I don't consciously agree with the whole "stunt" thing," Niall frowned, "and that's why I want you to talk to Louis. Explain stuff to him before he gets the wrong idea."

"No Niall you don't understand."

"Then enlighten me."

"It's all very new to me okay. My feelings for Louis. Me coming to terms with my sexuality. It's all new. And I'm scared Ni. I really am."

"H, but you told me Louis likes you too right? And I know him man, he's a good friend before everything else. He'll understand."

"Louis didn't have a very good image of me okay- and it took me some time to make him trust me, and to low-key make him believe that my media image isn't me. Trust me, I don't have it in me to tell him that I'm a guy who fakes a relationship for the sake of promo. I value relationships man and he does too. So if it's making me angry, rest assured he'll be pissed too."

"God Harry you're overthinking. You never cared what people thought of you."

"Louis isn't people Niall."

"Then TALK TO HIM."

"I don't want him to hate me."

"He will not. Trust me."

"And it's not just that," Harry fumbled with the coffee cup, "Taylor is involved too. And you know how Louis worships Taylor, I don't want him to think less of his idol either. It'll crush him."

"But it's not your fault Harry, and I think it'll be easier for you guys if he knew it was for show."

"I suppose you're right Niall, but I don't have it in me to tell him. He'll think of me as a shallow spineless celebrity. Again."

"You're being paranoid."

"And you're not being a good friend," Harry said, setting down the cup rather too hard.

Niall softened at that and said soothingly, "ok how about this, today's a Saturday. Go to Louis', spend some time with him and just skip this topic. You're missing him. I'm sure he's missing you too."

"How will I face him after what I did last time?"

"Just go on with whatever story you made up that day, since you don't wanna tell him the truth," Niall said, sounding a little disappointed.

"I hate lying to him," Harry replied sadly.

"Ok I'm running out of options here. Just go meet him alright, everything will be fine."

"Fine," Harry sighed, "if you say so," Harry said getting up.

And he drove off to Louis'.

-

Back in the apartment, Louis was distractedly stirring his fourth cup of tea. It was 11a.m. and he hadn't had any breakfast owing to the fact that his helper was on a sick leave and he didn't feel like ordering either. Clifford was kept prodding his knees, probably sensing Louis' sad demeanor.

He was wondering whether he should just visit his sister for lunch when the bell rang. Louis' heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be Harry could it, Louis thought with a start. No that'd be absurd. Harry had possibly lied to him, abandoned him and ignored him for three days. Why would he come here now.

With his heart in his throat, Louis opened the door. And there standing with his silly gorgeous green eyes and stupid beautiful curls was Harry.

Louis' heart sank to his stomach.

"Hi Lou," Harry said slowly, eyes struggling to look into Louis'.

"Um hi?" Louis asked still standing at the door.

"Can I come in?"

Louis was so lost in his thoughts that he missed the question. His mind was burning with questions. Why was Harry here? To apologise probably. He surely had a reason for his behaviour last day and Louis will listen to whatever Harry has to say.

Harry cleared his throat and repeated, "Will you not let me in Lou?"

Louis' mind came back to the boy in front of him and he moved aside to let Harry in without saying a word.

Clifford leapt up to Harry and barked madly with joy. He was clearly missing his friend.

"Ah good to see you too Cliffy," Harry said, bending low and scratching Clifford's fur.

He stood up again, facing Louis, "I'm really sorry for the other day Louis. It's just I couldn't find a way out." Harry's eyes kept flickering down to his hands, which he was nervously wringing. Still lying, Louis thought.

"Are you sure it wasn't something else?" Louis asked in a calm voice.

"No," Harry replied, still looking down.

"Okay then," Louis said, walking over to the couch and picking up his cup of tea again. "Make yourself comfortable," he said before sitting down himself.

"You're having tea now? How many cups have you had already?" Harry asked.

"This might be my third one." Louis wasn't looking at Harry either. He kept his attention on his phone.

"I'm sure you haven't had any breakfast."

"And?" Louis looked at Harry and raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing. I'll make you some," Harry said, walking over to the kitchen.

Louis didn't find it in his heart to stop him. Maybe if Harry was trying to fall back in their normal habits, he'd eventually talk about whatever the fuck was going on.

Louis didn't join him in the kitchen where Clifford kept running around Harry. He stayed in the couch listening to Clifford and Harry's conversation. Clifford had missed him. Louis had too, but he'd eat avocados sooner than admit that.

Harry made a quick breakfast and called Louis over. Louis ate in silence, aware of Harry's intense gaze on him but every time he looked up, Harry would look away.

"Okay, are you gonna tell me what's bothering you?" Louis snapped.

"Wha- nothing. Nothing." Harry stammered.

Louis took a deep breath to calm himself. "Sorry for that. You know what, take your time. I'm here. I'll listen whenever you're ready."

And Harry could've kissed him, but he kept himself in check. He'd probably had lost his privileges. Louis was so understanding, Harry didn't deserve him.

"I just wanted to spend some time with you and maybe watch a movie."

"Oh yeah," said Louis, remembering something, " the last one's left, I'll put it on."

Louis didn't set up the projector this time. He simply connected the player to the television and settled back in the couch as Avengers Endgame started playing.

Harry didn't know about Louis, but he could hardly focus on the movie himself. His mind kept replaying his previous visits to the apartment, to various funny incidents, to some heart warming ones, to last weekend-

No. Harry couldn't think about it. That hurt. He couldn't imagine how Louis must be feeling at that time.

The movie was showing Iron Man tucking his daughter in bed and his daughter saying, 'I love you 3000'.

Harry glanced sideways to see that Louis had a little smile playing on his lips. Harry made a mental note to remember that it probably held importance to him.

Harry kept fidgeting in his place and in a few minutes, Louis had paused the movie.

"What's wrong Harry?"

Harry didn't know what to say so he kept staring at the motionless character in the television.

"Is this about last weekend?" Louis continued, "Did I cross the line? Do you regret it? Because if so I'm really sorry about that."

Harry looked at Louis with a horrified expression on his face, trying to ignore the pang of sadness it was causing him to know that Louis thought that way.

"Regret? What? No Louis. I don't regret anything. I could never," Harry said earnestly, hoping Louis would understand.

"Then why are you ignoring me?"

"I'm not-" Harry replied, sounding unsure.

"You are Harry. You're making me feel like I was some random hookup for you and trust me, it doesn't feel good." Louis' voice broke.

It made Harry miserable, seeing Louis like that and he wondered for a brief moment if he should take Niall's advice and tell Louis everything. Louis' presence made the decision easier. He was ready to blabber everything to Louis when his phone rang. Fucking Manager.

"Hello," said a gruff voice from the other side.

"Yeah?" said Harry irritably.

"Where are you?"

"That's none of your business it is?"

"Turns out it is. Did you forget about your outing with Taylor?"

"Ofcourse I didn't. It was on 3rd of July," Harry wanted to punch his manager.

"Which happens to be today."

"Wha-" Harry quickly moved his phone from his ear and checked the date on the lockscreen. July 3rd, 2021. Harry wanted to punch himself. "Okay yeah, um, I didn't notice the date, so uh, is there any way we can postpone this? I'm really busy right now-"

"Taylor is already here. The car is waiting outside your house. So, no."

"Damn it. I mean yeah-"

"Hurry up."

"Yeah I'm coming."

Louis obviously could hear only one side of the conversation and he clearly understood that Harry had to leave. Again.

Harry turned to look at Louis, his eyes apologetic, but Louis looked away.

"Lou-"

"It's alright, just go okay."

"I'm sorry about this."

"Sure you are," Louis replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What- what's that supposed to mean?"

"Are you sure you're not doing this intentionally?"

"How could you even think that?"

"I'm trying to understand the situation Harry. In two months we became closer than ever, so what exactly did I do in the last few days for you to avoid me. I'm sure it's not work related problem, because then you'd have told me."

"No Lou you don't understand-"

"I think I do."

"Lou please, you have to believe me, whatever I'm doing, it's because I don't wanna hurt you."

"Well, guess what, you already did."

Harry tried to reach out for Louis but he moved back a few steps, away from Harry's touch. "Just leave Harry."

Harry's face fell at the last words. He tried to speak again, to make Louis understand, but no words came out and eventually he thought it best to leave. With great difficulty he made his way towards the door and left.

And after a while, Louis left for the gym to channel his frustration to someplace useful. He didn't let himself feel sad about the fact that him and Harry were no longer close, that some unknown barrier had introduced itself in between.

The Next Day

Zayn was overjoyed to see the mail. He could actually see Louis' face as he told him about it. Louis would be thrilled. And his designs on Harry! He had some amazing outfit ideas for Harry. Zayn remembered that the first time he'd heard about Harry being his client he'd refrained from telling Louis about it because back then Louis wasn't exactly on pleased at Harry's existence in general. But now that he was absolutely smitten by Harry, this was going to be nice.

He set off for Louis' at once deciding to surprise him with the news being oblivious to everything that was going on between Louis and Harry.

He stopped by McDonald's drive-thru to grab Louis' favourite milkshake and hash browns.

Harry knew what was coming and he couldn't hold himself back anymore. Louis would be seeing the article soon. He couldn't imagine what Louis was going to think about him. Once again, he felt courage build up in his stomach. He was gonna tell Louis. He dashed to his car and drove off before his paranoia returned.

Back in Louis' apartment, things weren't looking that good. Louis had forgotten that he'd turned on twitter notifications for Harry's update account. So, when his phone vibrated with a notification, he clearly wasn't prepared enough to absorb whatever he was seeing. He hastily clicked on the notification and froze at the contents of the screen.

Louis was stunned. He waited for a few seconds before he clicked on "undo retweet". No he wasn't gonna mope about Harry, Harry who simply didn't ever care about Louis, Harry who kept lying to him. Louis shuddered to think about all those times he thought him and Harry actually had something. Was Harry lying through it all? He couldn't think about it anymore. No,no, no. He won't think about Harry. He won't let him affect him. Enough of all that shit. He sat frozen in his spot in the couch when the bell rang.

Louis absent-mindedly made his way to the door. His heart sank when he saw who was standing outside. Harry.

"Louis believe me! It's not what it looks like," Harry said, panic stricken.

"Get out of here," Louis' ocean blue eyes bore a thunder like expression, his voice steely.

"Lou I'm sorry."

"As you should be."

"Louis, pl-"

"You broke my heart Harry Styles."

"But-"

"Good. Fucking. Bye." Slam.

Louis shut the door in Harry's face and slowly made his way back to the couch. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.

No sooner did he fall back on the couch than Clifford came running to him. He leapt up on Louis' lap and Louis broke down.

"Harry broke our heart Cliffy," he said between sobs. "He never liked us. It was all a big lie."

Clifford lapped up the tears keen on making Louis stop crying, but Louis went on and on. "We shouldn't have made friends with him. Such a waste!" Louis hugged Clifford tightly and Clifford made a sad whimper and settled his head on Louis' shoulder.

For a few minutes, no other sound could be heard in the apartment other than Louis' sobs and hiccups.

Suddenly the bell rang again. Clifford jumped from his lap and began sniffed around the door. Thinking it was Harry, Louis decided to ignore it but then the bell rang twice again and Clifford started to bark happily. Louis wiped his tears and walked up to the door and there stood Zayn grinning ear to ear and holding a McDonald's pack, but his grin faded when he saw Louis' tear stained face and red-rimmed eyes.

Louis flung himself on Zayn and began crying again. Zayn hugged back the shaking sobbing mess in his arms and asked slowly, "hey hey Lou, what happened? I'm here. Tell me."

"Harry-", that's the only word Zayn could make out from Louis' muffled sobs.

"What about Harry?"

Louis stepped back from the hug and pulled out his phone. He showed Zayn the tweet and Zayn was equally shocked. "What the fuck is this? What? No this can't be true. I'm sure this is some rumour. Remember he told you once, how he's set up with every girl he's spotted with."

"It's not just that-" Louis replied before breaking down again.

"Hey ,hey please don't cry. You know what, let's go for a drive. Let's get you out of here and you can tell me everything that happened."

Louis silently nodded and bringing Clifford out of the house, locked the door behind him. Dropping Clifford off at the dog park, so he could play with his friends, Zayn drove off with Louis.

Zayn offered him the milkshake and and hash browns and let him eat in silence as Louis slowly regained his composure. One by one, Louis told Zayn everything that had been happening, from the day out with Harry, Theo and Lux, to the sudden change in behaviour two days later, to yesterday's almost argument to Harry showing up today after the article was dropped.

Zayn listened in silence and tried to make sense of what Louis was saying. The incidents didn't add up. He'd really taken a liking to Harry and he couldn't process that Harry would do something like that.

But then again, the sight of his best friend sitting miserable next to him, was making his heart harden towards Harry. He tried to reason with Louis, who refused to listen to anything. Zayn sighed and asked, "music?" hoping that'd calm Louis a bit and help Zayn think.

Zayn tuned in to the radio and a soft melody sounded,

"I want her long blond hair

I want her magic touch

Yeah, 'cause maybe then

You'd want me just as much

I've got a girl cru-"

One look at Louis' face and Zayn slammed the music shut.

Why was everything so difficult?!

Zayn had driven them to a club on the outskirts of the city. The club was pretty famous but owing to it's high maintenance, was mostly accessed by celebrities or people connected to celebrities and was much less crowded compared to the other. Well, a quiet cafe would have been nice too except, now that more people knew Louis and connected him to Harry, if anyone spotted Louis like this, it'd raise an issue. Hence, a club with dim lights and loud music it was.

Zayn led Louis to booth and after making sure Louis was a bit stable, went off to buy drinks.

Zayn didn't drink because he had to drive Louis back but after 3 rounds of drinks Louis was feeling lightheaded, but at the same time, it was very distracting. Zayn kept talking to him about different topics, not bringing up Harry until Louis did that himself.

Eventually Louis started talking.

"I don't understand one thing Zee," he slurred, "that if this was indeed some rumour, why didn't he talk to me? He was clearly avoiding me this week."

Zayn knew whatever he said won't have much of an effect on him, so he just kept rubbing soothing circles on Louis' back. Talking for so long had efficiently tired Louis out and he asked to be taken back home when suddenly,

"Louis! Zayn!"

The duo looked up see a blond haired someone walking towards them, but they couldn't make out the face. It wasn't until the person was right in front if them and the lights fell directly on the face that they made out who it was. Taylor Swift.

Taylor smiled down at the two boys who stared unblinkingly at her, unable to say a word.

"Hi? You guys okay? Can I join you?"

Zayn came back to his senses and smiled, "yeah sure."

Taylor joined them in the booth and looked at Louis again, who was still staring with a blank expression at Taylor.

"What's up with him?" Taylor asked Zayn.

Zayn looked at Louis and then back again at Taylor, "uh, nothing, just work stress. We just came to get some steam off." There's no way he could tell what really had happened.

"Huh, tell me about it. I'm so tired with all the promo work," she replied.

And that's when it hit him. Taylor was dating Harry too. Up until now, he was just thinking about it from Louis' point of view and thinking about how Harry broke Louis' heart but now it dawned on him that it meant Taylor was involved too. Taylor, the person Zayn had liked for quite some time and had to bury his feelings for the sake of his profession.

Here he was, consoling his friend, trying to mend his broken heart, when the reason his own heart ached had decided to grace them with a visit. Things couldn't be worse. Zayn pushed down the pang of sadness he was feeling and tried to think of something to say when Louis started sobbing again. Taylor's presence seemed to have reminded him about Harry.

Louis didn't take Harry's name but went on and on about a certain someone who'd broken his heart. Taylor listened with interest and tried to console him best as she could. Her words were actually effective on Louis who had eventually stopped crying and was listening with rapt attention to Taylor. Zayn himself tried to take in some of the advice, and surprisingly it was good. Taylor really had the magical ability to comfort sad people.

After a while Louis got more drunk and insisted on taking a picture with Taylor and Zayn happily complied because Louis' mind was finally off Harry's.

Soon they bid their goodbyes and left the club, and Zayn drove back with a less sad but slightly drunk Louis.

---

When Louis shut the door on Harry's face, he didn't see how crestfallen Harry looked. He didn't see how Harry ran to his car, barely able to control his tears, which had started falling incessantly thinking that Louis hated him. Harry drove to his apartment, not wanting to face Niall. He knew what Niall would say, I told you to talk to Louis. You should have listened.

No, Harry needed to be alone for a while.

Dave, Harry's personal assistant, noticed something was off and made a whole flask of hot chocolate for Harry and quietly slipped it in his room.

Harry spend quite some time drinking the hot chocolate and thinking about the good times he'd spent with Louis when his phone rang with a notification.

Harry was taken by surprise. What on earth was Louis doing with Taylor? Especially today? What could have possibly happened for them to hang out and for Louis to even post a picture?

Probably Harry was the only person he hated, probably he adored Taylor way too much to think bad of her. Whatever might be the case, Harry was sure of one thing- Louis hated him and Harry had lost his chance at love. Yes, love.

At this point Harry knew, that he was head over heels in love with Louis and he had ended up hurting him.

He'd lost Louis, probably forever.

PREVIOUS / NEXT [ note ]

INTRO

[mikkomacko]

Wonderwall 4

"You're gonna be the one that saves me."

~

He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't stand watching her twirl around with Zayn, green dress that perfectly matched Harry's dress robes flowing out around her thighs. He couldn't stand to see her laugh and smile, hanging on Zayn's chest because her smile is beautiful and Harry should be the one making her laugh like that. It was risky to push his way through the crowd to her when Zayn disappeared to the drink table, hooking his fingers around y/n's wrist.

She jumps, yanking her arm from his grip as she spins around to him. Harry holds his hands up innocently, smiling to put her at ease.

"Sorry, I should've just said hi." He chuckles, dropping his hands when her shoulders deflate and she smiles back.

"No, it's OK. I just thought you were someone else."

"Um," Harry falters, shifting on his feet and trying to remember something, anything, he can say to make it seem like he didn't storm up to her out of jealousy. "A-are you having fun?"

Lily shrugs, the strap of her dress slipping down her arm with the movement. Harry's quick to catch it, warm fingers brushing her skin as he returns it to it's spot over her collarbones. Goosebumps rise on her skin and his veins buzz with some unfamiliar feeling. She eyes him curiously, perhaps feeling the same buzz he did, and Harry's heart thumps in his ears.

"Yeah, it's fun. M'not much of a dancer though." A nervous laugh leaves her pink lips, and she pushes a strand of dark hair out of her face. The crowd behind her shifts wildly with the song change, pushing her closer to him. She stumbles, his hands reaching out to steady her by her waist and the buzzing in him intensifies. He has to look down at his feet to make sure they're still on the ground.

"Funny," Harry mumbles, voice thick. "m'not either." Lily is close to him, closer than she's ever been. Her breath hits his cheeks, and he can feel every time she inhales because her abdomen presses into his. Knowing it's not long until Zayn will return, Harry takes his chance.

"Want to step outside with me for a moment?"

He doesn't know what exactly he was expecting from her, but it definitely wasn't an eager nod nor her hand slipping into his. Heart hammering, he leads her towards the doors of The Great Hall. The corridor is much colder than The Great Hall, and goosebumps rise on y/n's bare arms. Harry leads her further from the doors outside, stopping off to the side of the stairs and slipping off his coat.

"Here," Harry whispers, throwing it over her shoulders without a second thought. It falls around her easily, the sight making him a bit breathless.

"Thanks Harry."

He doesn’t know what he’s supposed to say. He feels like he’s got a million things bottled up in his heart for her, but now that he’s got her alone all he can do is look at her. She’s so beautiful. Harry sighs longingly, wishing he had had the guts to ask her to be his date tonight instead of Molly Witkins. He hasn’t seen her since they walked in together, not that he minds. She only agreed to be his date because she’s good friends with Louis’ girlfriend. 

“You look good in green.” Lily tells him quietly, dark eyes falling to look over his frame. It’s a deep green,practically Slytherin inspired, and he wonders if that’s why she likes it so much. “Matches your eyes.”

He simpers, tilting his head. “And your dress.”

She chuckles, nodding because they did somehow end up matching. Her soft hands come up to cup his face, finger tips cold as she smooths them over his cheekbones and jawline. “You’re eyes are prettier than the dress.”

A goofy, boyish grin splits across his face, so fondly that Lily’s pale cheeks tint pink, and a nervous titter leaves her mouth.

"You're sweet," Harry compliments, "but wrong. Wanna know what would be the prettiest?" He waits for her nod before continuing. "You on my arm tonight instead of Molly."

"That's not very Gryffindor of you to say." Lily immediately replies, but Harry's noticed the way she's flushed a deeper red and her eyes widened.

"M'Gryffindor lovie, not Hufflepuff."

"And yet you're acting like you could be Slytherin."

Harry's smirk widens. He didn't know how quick on her feet Lily is, and he can't help but find it attractive that she keeps up. "You're clever. If I didn't know better, I'd say you might be Ravenclaw."

"You can call me Ravenclaw," Lily shrugs. "but the response you'd get would definitely be Slytherin."

Harry quirks an eyebrow at her words, mouth gaping as if discovering some big secret. "Ravenclaw a touchy subject for you?" He asks teasingly. "Did one of them out wit you?" Lily rolls her eyes at him, but a tiny smile is trying to pull at her mouth. "That's okay lovie, you're still the smartest in my book."

His words pull a giggle from her, and she playfully shoves at his abdomen. Harry's quick to grab her hand, holding it to his chest as he laughs too. That buzzing spreads through him again and he can't help but step closer to her. "You know," y/n murmurs, stepping closer to him. "you don't look like you belong in Gryffindor either."

Head tilting, lips curled into a smirk, Harry asks, "No?"

"You're too dorky to be so brave." She flutters her eyelashes bashfully at him, his heart copying their action.

"M'brave enough to do this," Harry boasts, slipping his other arm around her waist and leaning into her until their foreheads touch. Y/n has froze in his hold, eyes wide as they look at his, but she doesn't look uncomfortable and she's not telling him to let go. So he takes his chance, fueled by her speechlessness, and slots his lips against hers. Sizzles like sparklers bud between them, rushing up his skin and seeping into his bones. Jittery, he parts her lips with the tip of his tongue, releasing the hand against his chest to cup her face. Little fingers trail up his shoulder and tangle in his hair, the pressure of them bringing him closer to her. Harry walks her a couple steps back until she's leaning against the wall, Harry pressing his hips into hers and groaning when that magic buzz floads through him again.

"And that." Harry smirks, panting against her mouth when they finally part. She chuckles, breathless, and her tongue swipes over her swollen lips. Her eyes travel over his face with a warmth he's never seen from her before, but before he can comment something stupid about her being at a loss for words after one kiss, she's kissing him again, and now it's him that's speechless.

~

The more snow that builds up outside the castle walls and in the windowsills, the more blankets Lily drags up to Harry's bed. He's not sure how many she happens to own, but she's already got four piled up on her side of the bed, as well as a little spot in his wardrobe for one of her uniforms to hang. After weeks of her trying and failing to sleep on her own, she's basically moved into his room. He doesn't mind, he sleeps better with her there and so does she. He's recently found out that when she's well rested, she's as sweet as a Hufflepuff, and he loves it. He loves that she looks like she'd belong in Gryffindor, and that she's as clever as a Ravenclaw, and as kind as Hufflepuff, and as tough as Slytherin. It's like he gets a little bit of everything in her.

The corridor is dark and empty, nothing but pitch blackness. All except for the pair of eyes that light up when the portrait swings open, peeking out from under the dark hood of a sweater. His lips curl upwards, fingers reaching out for her hand and leading her into the common room. The Fat Lady swings shut behind them with an indignant snort, and Lily shivers in delight at the warmth of the room.

"Shouldn't even bother going down there anymore," Harry murmurs, pulling her towards the fireplace that's still got small flames flickering in it. "just come up here."

They fall into the couch together, her legs curling up under her and laying her head on his shoulder. "I like to go with Zayn for a bit. It's the only time I really see him now."

Her words are innocently spoken, but guilt pricks at his chest. Perhaps he's been hogging her too long and he should tell her to go back to Zayn. Besides Potions (when they all sit together), Harry's taken over Zayn's seat in every class, and Lily sits with him for lunch almost every day.

"You should spend more time with him. I can handle being without you for a few.... minutes." Lily laughs at him, squeezing her fingers through his.

"It's okay, he knows about... me, and that I can control myself around you. He doesn't mind."

Liam's words spark into Harry's mind, remembering that he sat in this exact spot when Liam told him about Zayn's advice. It's been days of them waiting for Harry's agreement, and they won't get it unless Lily agrees to help him, but he's yet to ask her.

"Zayn had this idea," Harry mumbles, tilting his head to look at her. The fire dances over her heart shaped face, licking shadows across her soft cheeks, "about starting a secret club. We can teach others Defense Against the Dark Arts, you and me, to keep them protected."

A beat of silence passes, Lily's blank gaze locked on the fireplace in front of them. Harry angles his body towards her, free hand coming up to push her hood off her head. He cups her face, fingers threading through the soft strands of hair falling by her ear.

"Why me?" She finally asks, allowing Harry to nudge her chin towards him. He connects their foreheads, welcoming the buzz of magic that shoots through him.

"Because there's something special about us baby, and we can do something special with it."

Her eyelashes tickle his cheeks as they flutter shut, tilting her head as if she were going to kiss him. "Like what?"

"We can stop him, I know we can." Harry swears, and her eyes open to look up at him. "There's a reason I could see you in that graveyard, and there's a reason you've got my scar. Why don't we find it?"

Instinctively, her hand comes up to his left arm, brushing over the tortured patch of skin Wormtail cut into him last year. The same mark that etched itself into her arm, despite her being thousands of miles away at the time.

"There's a lot of things I have to tell you before we find it Harry, and I don't know if I can say them."

His chest seizes. He's always known there's things she keeps from him, secrets she refused to share. That's why she so actively avoided him for years up until last year. She's scared to tell them, and she was scared to be around him because she opens up with him, whether she wants to or not. The reminder that she doesn't want to, at least not entirely, still stings.

"You know you can tell me anything Lily, I think you've always known that."

She doesn't have to respond. He can tell by the way she slumps forward into him, lips ghosting together that he's right. When it comes to Lily, he knows just about everything.

~

At first, I thought it was adrenaline. The numbness in my fingertips, the nauseating swirling in my brain, the pressure against my sternum. How can I not be nervous? Harry just disappeared into a magic maze with nothing but a fleeting look back at me, and Fleur has already had to be pulled out from the maze, unconscious with bloody scratches across her skin.

It's been too long. I know Harry, he'd be out by now if he were okay. A throb buds in my temples, so strong I lean forward onto my knees, digging the palms of my hands into my forehead. The floor swoops beneath my feet, and I squeeze my eyes shut. Instead of being met with nothing, the blurriness of fog and smoke meet my eyes. Confused, I open them back up but the wooden stands have turned into soggy grass, and the seats around me are now grey tombstones.

My heart thunders in my chest, looking towards the maze only to find the last thing I expected. A dozen figures, covered in black robes and the masks of Death Eaters are standing in a circle, muffled laughter breaking through the fog. I squint, trying to see what they're laughing at and when the wisps clear, my heart lodges itself in my throat. Lord Voldemort is in the center of the circle, snake eyes glowing yellow as he points his wand forward. As he points his wand towards a familiar boy.

Harry is dropped from the arms of a tombstone, crumpling to the ground with a pained gasp. The pressure on my chest let's up, and Harry reaches up to rub his own sternum. I can't hear them, but Harry's speaking to Voldemort, nose flaring as he yells heatedly. A streak of blood is dripping down the side of his face, dropping to the grass below.

I move from behind the tombstone I'm tucked behind, circling the Death Eaters. I don't bother being discreet, they can't hear me, because there's no way this is real. I'm paranoid, I'm seeing things because I'm too anxious about Harry getting hurt. Voldemort isn't back, he couldn't be.

A choked gasp leaves my mouth as I get closer to Harry, finding the yellow shirt of Cedric Diggory on the grass. I don't have to get close to know what's happened, because I can see his lifeless eyes from here. If Cedric is dead, Harry's next...

"Harry!" I shout, spinning around to face him. He's locked in a duel with Voldemort, teeth gritting as he tries to fend off the impeding curse being thrown at him. "Harry!" I call out again, moving across the grass with numb legs towards him. My hands reach out to touch him, but instead of feeling him, I'm met with the cool feeling of touching wet glass. But he must feel me, because he turns to me, eyes widening. His arm sweeps me behind him, grunting when the blue jet coming out of Voldemort's wand inches closer.

"Lily?" Harry calls over his shoulder, blocking me with his arm when I try to step out from behind him. "What are you doing? How-"

"Harry you have to come back!" I cut him off, tears stinging in my eyes. This is becoming too real. The feel of his hands, the way he's looking at me over his shoulder. This can't be my imagination, because I've never seen Voldemort in the flesh, and I've never seen that spark in Harry's eyes.

"Lily, I can't-"

"Please Harry!" I reach for his elbow, but my fingers disappear through his skin and bones, as if made of smoke. He fades into wisps of fog, blending and swirling with the scenery until I'm squeezing my eyes shut to fight off the motion sickness. This time, when I open them, I'm looking at the maze, and the crowd of Hogwarts students are chatting away as they wait.

"He's in trouble." I say aloud, hands trembling and sweat tickling the back of my neck. My eyes frantically search the crowd for Dumbledore.

"What? Who is?" Zayn asks, but I don't answer him because I've spotted the headmaster. Practically leaping up from my seat, I dash down the stairs and onto the grassy field.

"Professor Dumbledore!" I call frantically, running towards him. He turns to me, eyes confused under his spectacles and brow furrowed.

"What is it Lily?"

"It's Harry! He's needs-he's in danger. Voldemort-" I'm cut off by another bout of dizziness, one that has me swaying on my feet. My legs seem to move on their own, carrying me away from Dumbledore. I stumble, vision blurry and fall to the grass just as a crack fills the air. The crowd screams, but it's all muffled as Harry tumbles into my lap. A flash of yellow fabric falls out of his arms, and I don't have to look to know it's the body of Cedric.

Harry's crying, calling out "He's back!" as he scrambles for something to hold onto. My arms wrap around his chest, his heavy body falling into me but I don't flinch, not even when his elbow digs into my hip. He grips my shirt in his fist, trembling and mumbling Voldemort's name as Dumbledore rushes forward with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. I don't meet their eyes, instead threading my fingers through Harry's sweaty hair in attempt to soothe him.

"It's okay Harry." I mutter in his ear, echoing the words he's said to me before. "It's okay, I've got you."

He silences into whimpers, eventually turning his head away from Cedric when his father tumbles down the stairs and onto the grass, sobbing hysterically over his sons body. Harry's tears and blood soak into my "Styles is #1" shirt but I don't mind, because when I lift my left hand from his back to wipe the tears off my own cheeks, it's stained with my own blood, dripping from a deep cut I don't recall receiving.

Confused, I look around the grass for anything that might of cut me. Instead, I find Harry's arm around my thigh, his arm bleeding profusely from the same cut I have. I didn't cut myself on something, Harry did, and now I'm bleeding for him too.

~

They agreed to meet in the Hogshead. It's on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, and typically empty so it should be safe to discuss their 'club.' Word got around Gryffindor house fairly quickly after Lily promised Harry she'd help, and then Louis' spread it around Hufflepuff, and Zhavia around Ravenclaw, and Zayn around Slytherin. Harry's not sure who from Slytherin would ever willingly learn from him, but if Zayn says he knows people, who is Harry to deny him?

The turnout was more than he ever expected, leaving him speechless as he sits in front of the room. Fred and George showed up of course, and Louis managed to get Penelope and Molly as well as a couple other Hufflepuff girls. Zhavia brought with her a handful of Ravenclaws, most of which are a couple years above her, but if anything, that's a bonus. It's easier to teach older students, Harry supposes. And to his surprise, four Slytherin girls trailed in, waving at Zayn and Lily with little smiles. Harry doesn't know them, but he's seen Lily hang out with them before. He thinks they might be her roommates.

Liam is the first to stand up, clearing his throat to gather the attention of everyone around him. Everyone falls silent, looking at him expectantly and Harry's so glad he took the reins for this.

"We all know why we're here," he announces, voice wavering nervously. Liam's never been a fan of public speaking. "we need to be able to protect ourselves-"

"From what?" A Hufflepuff boy calls out, rudely.

"From You-Know-Who, you jackass!" Niall grumbles, glaring at the boy. Lily snickers quietly, and Harry's shoulders sag with ease at the sound.

"How do we even know he's back? Styles has no proof!" All eyes flicker to him, and his stomach twists as he recalls the night Cedric died, not that he could ever really forget. It's haunted his dreams on more than a few occasions. Harry opens his mouth to answer, to let them know he's not here to talk about that night and if that's what they're here for, they should just leave.

"What proof would you like Evans?" Lily snaps, rising from her seat next to Harry and moving to stand next to Liam. "Want us to dig up Cedric? Show you that he was killed by the curse that's currently killing dozens of others? If you're here to make him talk about that or you get your rocks off to some twisted drama about Harry, you can leave before I make you."

Harry can't really see around Lily's figure, but he can perfectly picture the boy gaping at her, or maybe even puffing smoke out of his ears. Lily's always had a way of putting people in their places and he's always admired that.

When nothing else is said, she returns to her seat, hand finding Harry's under the table. He nudges his knee against hers in thanks, and she flashes him a smile.

"Listen," Zayn grumbles, ever the sourpuss. "say what you want, but you know why we're here and you showed up for a reason. We all know a storm's coming, and believe it or not, Harry and Lily are the only ones prepared for it."

Harry's face prickles with heat and by the way Lily turns her gaze to her lap, he knows she's flustered too. He doesn't know what makes Zayn believe this, but he supposes he is the one that knows the most about fighting Voldemort. He's still confused on how Lily fits into that, though.

"Alright then," Liam claps, drawing everyone back to him. "that being said, we've got an agreement to make. This is top secret, so we've all got to be careful."

The last part is mostly thrown over his shoulder at Harry and Lily, who are both notorious for their tempers. They share an innocent look, lips curving up into soft smiles as they mirror each other's actions. A sheet of paper is passed around, everyone's names written down and Harry knows that Liam's put a spell on it so anyone who exposes the group will break out in harsh boils. The idea had been Louis', as well as the name Dumbledore's Army. Like usual, he never disappoints.

Harry's watching the paper get passed around when Lily turns to him, knees against the side of his thigh. "You okay?"

He turns his head towards her, mulling over the question. It's not until he sees the determination in her eyes that he knows the answer. He leans closer, pecking between her eyebrows. "Perfect. You?"

She squeezes his hand. "I'm with you." She says with certainty, as if that alone is enough to ensure that she's fine. Harry smirks, because he'll always make sure she's okay, as long as she's with him.

~

The further down Harry swims, the warmer the water gets, and he's grateful considering it's the middle of winter and he's lake diving for a missing possession. He's not even sure what it is he's looking for, because he doesn't recall losing anything.

She wasn't with Zayn, his brain reminds him, and maybe it's got a point. Lily was the one to help him solve the clue and she had offered to help find a way for him to breathe under water. Until Professor McGonagall dragged her out of the library and Harry resorted to Louis' help. Which worked, he thinks as he runs his webbed fingers over the gills on his neck. But Lily should've been stood on the docks when the challenge started, she promised him she would be. It's not like her to break promises, so it'd make sense that she be the thing stolen from him. However, that would mean that someone knows about them or at least that she means something to him, and he promised her he'd keep his affection a secret until she's comfortable. So how did it get out? How did the ministry know she'd be worth driving into a freezing lake for?

Maybe it's not her, he thinks, but as the seaweed around him lessens and he can see into the clearing of the mermaid village, he knows it's her. He can tell from the dark hair that's floating up in the water and the Slytherin uniform she's wearing. It's the one she was wearing last night when McGonagall retrieved her.

Tied to the statues below, Fleur's sister floats like a porcelain doll, her white hair making a ying-yang next to Lily's. Molly is next to her, obviously being the possession stolen from Cedric and Harry feels a bit guilty that she keeps getting tied up with Triwizard contestants. He'd ditched her at the ball and now Cedric's got her tied up under water. The next is a girl Harry doesn't know, but he's positive she's from Durmstrang because she's been seen around Victor Krum a lot.

He's too busy examining the four stolen students to realize Victor and Cedric have appeared until the head of a shark is biting the rope tied to the Durmstrang girl, and the legs of Victor propel her towards the surface. Cedric taps his wrist at Harry, letting him know time's almost up, and then he's using his wand to rid Molly of her rope and taking off towards the surface as well.

Harry quickly unties the rope around Lily's ankle and her unconscious body bobbles by him as he swims up to match her height. The blonde girl stays tied, and while nerves prickle at his neck, he ignores it because Fleur is coming. She's perfectly capable of saving her sister, that's why she's a contestant. He wraps his arm around Lily's waist, kicking his legs up and up until the water turns cold again and he's reaching the surface. He can't breathe with the gillyweed still in his system, so he pauses for a moment because it should wear off in a few minutes. Eventually, the same stinging that had prickled his neck when he ate the plant returns and he watches the webs between his fingers fade away and he's choking on water.

Finally breaking the surface, him and Lily suck in harsh gulps of air. The crowd cheers and arms lock around his neck, legs furiously kicking into his as Lily realizes she's in water. Harry holds her waist tighter, shushing her when he sees her fearful gaze.

"Its okay Lily," he mururms, starting to haul them towards the docks with his free arm, "you're okay. You're with me."

"Wha- are we in the fucking lake?" Lily breathes, looking around in confusion. She seems to find her bearings though, because she starts paddling with him.

"Yeah," Harry chuckles nervously. "funny thing, turns out you're the stolen item I had to find."

"Oh," Lily answers, dumfounded, "who else?"

Harry suddenly remembers the last girl still tied down below, and he immediately looks up towards the crowd. To his horror he finds Fleur wrapped in a towel, shivering and crying as she stares back at him. "She's still down there." Harry mumbles to himself, pushing Lily towards safety. "Go! I'll be right back!"

The last thing he sees is her confused face before he's driving back into the freezing water, cheeks puffed with the breath he's holding. It doesn't take him long to find the girl again, easily spotting her bright hair from above. He paddles down as quick as he can, needing to hurry now that he hasn't gotten magic gills. He reaches the girl, digging his wand out of the band strapped to his leg and using it to rid her of the rope. He shoves at her feet, lungs starting to burn uncomfortably as she floats up. Harry goes to push himself up when soft fingers wrap around his ankle, tugging him down. As if touching an eel, his skin prickles and burns, and he immediately flinches, bubbles of much needed air leaving his mouth.

His vision blurs the more the fingers touch him, body falling slack and lungs emptying. His heart thunders in his chest and temples, panicking but he can't bring himself to lift his wand. Just when he thinks he'll pass out, when he'll actually die and Lily will be left floating in the lake with Fleur's sister, an unseen force pulls him up and up. He kicks and flails, coughing up water when his head breaks the surface. This time two arms wrap around him, Lily breathing a relieved laugh into his ear. He blinks, focusing on her in front of him. She's warm against him, and water droplets dip off of her eyelashes and nose, cheeks pink in the cold. With hundreds of people watching them, and his body aching like he'd been lit on fire, Harry thinks he could kiss her again and again, for as long as she'll let him.

~

Harry's always hated being in the castle corridors in the winter. It's always freezing, no matter how many torches they light along the walls, and the air gets this musty, wet aroma that makes him congested. But he'll gladly roam them for hours and hours, up and down stairs, around dark corners, if that's what Lily wants. She seems to like mindlessly walking, because she's the most at ease he's ever seen her when they're not hiding in his bed or the library corner.

Her fingers are loosely hooked through his, hands swinging back and forth between them with each step. Lily's dressed down today, a pair of skinny jeans that Harry knows always leaves marks on her legs for being too tight, and a big green sweater he thinks might have been pulled from his wardrobe. Her hair's ruffled and messy, and he's learned that in the winter it gets frizzy, but he still thinks she looks nice. She looks more simple, more human like this, and not like a perfect girl that must have come from a cauldron of potions considering she's got no flaws.

Well she's got a couple, Harry thinks fondly, because he still likes her flaws. He likes that she keeps secrets, because when he wiggles one out of her, he feels accomplished. He likes that her nose flares and her eyes turn black when she's mad. He thinks that darker side of her is hot, and it makes her so much sweeter when she goes soft for him. As if sensing his thoughts she looks over at him, lips curling into a shy smile when she sees the fascination in his gaze.

"Stop looking at me like that, you dork."

Harry chuckles at her words, grin growing and shrugging. "Like looking at you like this." His free hand reaches out to lightly pinch her cheek. "and I think you like it too, lovie."

Her eyes roll and she's scoffs, but her grin doesn't falter for a second. In fact, she steps closer to him, enough so that their shoulders brush with each little step. "Do you think it'll work?" Lily asks, suddenly somber. "Dumbledore's Army? That we'll actually get away with it?"

Harry stops walking, pausing her too and pulling her closer to him. "It has to," he breathes, looking over her face with a serious glare. He thinks of all the nightmares he's had with her, all the times he's seen Voldemort twist and torment her, and he knows it's going to work. He's going to make it work. "because I refuse to let him take anyone else from me."

Lily gets that closed off gloss in her eyes, lips falling into a tiny frown, and Harry wonders what she's thinking of, why she's looking at him like that. Finally, she gives him a nod. "If you're sure, than I am too."

It's then that Harry begins to see what Zayn sees. Lily, notorious for being gloomy and closed off and even selfish, is none of those things at all. She's strong, and she's protective, and she'll do anything for those around her. Her determination to keep people safe is what got her in Slytherin house.

His lips pull up, thankful and proud to know Lily the way he does. "We're going to need a practice place," Harry says, eyes falling to her mouth because he suddenly wants to kiss her breathless. "somewhere we won't be found."

That light sparks back up in her eyes, and that little proud smirk he usually sees in potions class takes over her space. "I know a place," she whispers, excitedly. "the Room of Requirement."

Harry doesn't know where the hell is room at because it's never shown up on the Mauraders Map, but he smiles too. "Brilliant," he compliments, and then he's kissing her in the dark corner of the corridor until he's sure she can feel his heart pounding against hers.

[finderskeepersff]

56.

How gracefully his name spilled from my lips. Soft, sweet, desperate, full of need “ahh, god. Cassius” That caused him to go wild and buck forward. I arched away from the floor and curved into him, I spread my legs wide and gasped when he crawled up my body, feeling the material from his clothing brush up against my clit. I gripped his shirt and fisted the cotton tee between my fingers when he grabbed my breast and pulled it into his mouth. Twisting my nipple between his lips, Cassius rocked his hips, grinding the length of his erection against the slick lips of my core. I whimpered and moaned, banging my head back against the floor. I wrapped my legs around his body and locked my ankles together. Cassius grabbed my face and placed open mouth kisses along my shoulder and up to my neck, growling when his lips met with the soft skin there. He licked and sucked down on my neck. He continued to push his erection against me, holding my face between the palms of his hands, he rolled his hips so that I could feel his dick stroking against my pussy each time. With his mouth still glued to the side of my neck, Cassius moved his hands to my hips then down to my thighs and around to my ass. Squeezing my cheeks, he applied more force to the roll of his hips.

I moaned, more so annoyed than pleased. Cassius is playing the kind of games I didn't want in my life right now. I pushed him off me, just enough to roll us over and switch positions. Straddling his waist but the cry of Cartier stop this whole thing “see what you did now, messing around all that time” hitting his shoulder “me? I was just taking my time” side eyeing him “taking your time, more so that I am naked. You better go upstairs and see to him” getting off of his his waist “wow, you’re wet. Look at my tee” he is way too annoying at times for my liking “give me your tee so I can wear it and I can go upstairs. Hurry up, my baby is crying” I swear down he is taking his time “but my dick is hard” Cassius got up from the floor “and I am naked, go” Cassius threw his top at me, now he is awake there won’t be sex. He wasn’t wrong about me being wet, I marked his tee. Putting his top on and then untied my hair, I still expect sex actually.

Picking my clothes up from the floor in the living room, my friends are still here but they went out clubbing and I didn’t go because Cassius wouldn’t let me, he said no so we watched a movie which we didn’t really get to watch, we ended up having sexy as we do, well he ended up getting me naked and teased all of that time. Sighing as I turned the baby monitor off, my baby has stopped crying. Let me take my ass upstairs, I honestly wanted sex but now I guess not “dirty stop out” I stopped midway on the step looking behind me, Mia and Olivia both staring at me “I mean I have seen your butt before, you go girl” I laughed “I guess you got a better offer, I mean I would take dick over the club” turning on the step “how was the club, good?” Olivia held her hand out to me “I fell, well I got pushed. Because I told a guy I was taken, it’s ok we made them regret that. But we came home early” walking down the steps “oh my god, your hand is bleeding. That is awful” men can be so cruel sometimes “he needs feeding!” Cassius shouted from upstairs “you go upstairs, we are ok. Have a few drinks downstairs, see you in the morning” nodding my head “goodnight” let me take my ass upstairs.

I hate when Cassius stares at me breastfeeding “Cassius you better play with that thing and relieve yourself because I ain’t helping you, we could have had sex, but no. You had to make sure you played about” Cassius moved closer to me “no, move away now” Cartier moved away from my nipple “you’re interrupting my sons feeding, I swear to god” Cassius just laughed like it’s a good thing “you are so ugly for this” lifting Cartier up, let me just rub his back and then hopefully he will latch on again but Cassius is annoying me and him “I want your mom’ breast! Cartier, stop playing” rubbing Cartier’ back “leave my son alone, stop it” Cassius whined out “please” shaking my head “so anyways, the girls came back. Someone pushed Olivia at the club because she rejected him” looking over at Cartier to see what he is doing, he is just staring at Cassius annoying ass “good” frowning at him “good?” I repeated “Olivia got a loud mouth, she probably did the most” wiping the bit of sick that left Cartier’ mouth “why are you being like this, Olivia is not a bitch” I don’t know what he is on about today “I am not saying she is a bitch but she can loud, you did admit it was Olivia’ idea to check my phone right? I think she is a good person still” Cassius rested his head on my thight next to Cartier “can I have mommy now?” laying Cartier back down “let him drink” Cassius groaned out.

I had to laugh at the fact Cassius fell asleep from waiting, I wish I could feel sorry for him but I don’t. He played around all that time, it’s what he deserves. Placing the blanket over Cartier, he is sound asleep. He has a big day with his dad actually, he is going suit shopping. It will be a long day for him, he is my pride and joy this boy. I thought I would put him in the bassinet in our room, he is big for it but he may wake up again. He is feeling unsettled for whatever reason, hearing light knocks on the room door. I bet them two are drunk as shit, walking over to the door. Dragging it open, seeing Mia at the door “I am so sorry, I didn’t think they would do this. Atlanta niggas are crazy but those guys are outside the home, they must have followed us. They pressed the buzzer. I goes my dad is home, stop it. I lied but I looked out of the window and they are still there” I am glad they are going back tomorrow “I don’t want that trouble Mia, you know this. I will get Cassius to deal with it, what did you actually do with them?” it’s weird that they actually follow “it was Olivia, it’s her damn fault. She kissed the guy, that is how it started and I goes the fuck you doing and then it escalated, it’s a mess. I am sorry” a mess, I don’t want Cassius to start like that “niggas don’t know how to stop, it’s fine” closing the bedroom door.

I deep down don’t want to wake Cassius up but they can’t stay outside the home either, Olivia is all up in arms about something. I cannot believe she kissed a guy, she has Kenton. She always goes through this, I don’t know why she can’t be happy. Walking over to the bed with my hand on my forehead, I am so annoyed. Sitting on the edge of the bed “Cassius, hey” touching his arms “Cassius, baby. Hey!” shaking him “what” he said groggily with his eyes firmly closed “erm, you know when I told you a guy pushed Olivia, well. Some guys have followed her back here, they outside the home” Cassius eyes shot open “then throw Olivia outside, let them have her” he know damn well that won’t happen “why bring trouble when I have shit on me already” he is angry “Cassius please don’t get angry, please for me” he is so tense “just please for me, tell them to go nicely” Cassius is so angry, getting up from the bed and moving out of his way. Cassius dragged his jeans on “stupid as shit, I am angry. I don’t care what you say” I cringed.

“Outside my home Fabien, wake the fuck up!” I shouted down the phone, they are there to fucking do this for me “I mean I did say talk, you don’t need guns” Sofia said “you don’t know these people” dragging open the door, hearing a gasp. Both Mia and Olivia moved out of the way, it’s not fun or fucking funny. Real life shit, they can be anyone outside my home. Dragging open the door, there is a group of them “it’s just some nigga!” one of them said, maybe I can just make them move. Walking down my drive, seeing Fabien and Louis walking down across the street. This nigga is ugly “you on my gate” I said to him “you hiding pussy in that house” three of these ugly niggas are touching my gate “it needed you to bring two cars for what? She said no?” Looking behind them and at both Fabien and Louis, I hope none of them girls are looking out of the window “she talked shit to me, that mouth needs a lesson” I am guess he is the guy “you must be the most dumbest niggas on earth, y’all niggas behind you getting killed” I pointed behind them, Laurence and Jasper both punched the two guys that turned around, I didn’t even need to get my hands dirty for this.  Before the third guy could shout and run he got shot in the head, perks of a silencer “clean this now, hurry up” turning around to go back to sleep.

Walking back into the bedroom, the girls are all sat here “it’s done” I said “I am so sorry Cassius, what did he say?” Olivia said, she is crying now “that you have a big mouth, he went now. Go to sleep, it’s fine” Sofia is looking at me like she don’t believe what I say “I am so sorry Cassius, I really didn’t mean it” taking my top off “it’s fine” walking towards the bathroom “he is angry ain’t he? I didn’t think they would come here, honestly” hearing Olivia say, I just want them out of my room now. Bringing idiots to my home, I am honestly pissed off about it “I will see you girls in the morning” my burner started to ring in my pocket, grabbing my phone from my pocket seeing Celine’ name, what the hell she want “what is it?” I answered the call, I actually ain’t asked how Bryce is “I thought I would let you know about Bryce” letting out an oh “he knew me Cassius, he was happy. He’s not cried once, he is ok. Did you give your dad a lot of money? It was a duffle bag of money” feeling a pair of arms wrap around my torso “don’t be angry” Sofia said “it was” I mumbled “I will speak to you tomorrow or something, bye” disconnecting the call “it’s cool Sofia, it’s done with” looking up in the mirror “but you’re angry, don’t be angry. What did you really do?” I sighed out “nothing, told them to go” Sofia moved her arms back, watching Sofia from the mirror as she stood at the side of me “did you really?” looking over at her “when I said nothing, I mean nothing” walking off to go to sleep.

I am sad to see my friends go, I will miss them. I always do, it is always eventful when they are here but I think they did annoy my baby a lot “I am so sorry Sofia, I feel like I really made him mad” rolling my eyes at Olivia “you a dumb bitch but don’t worry about it, he will be over it. His moods are very up and down, like he can be ok and then he will switch, I understand why” turning to the fridge, I understand he gets in that zone where he has to go after these men and then be all ok, it probably drains him but I am just upset that he is upset “we can see it is, I hope he is ok. We literally typed out everything you need to do, send the invites to the people ok? Get the venue booked, make sure he gets his suit, your dress is bomb as fuck so I can’t wait for the end result. We can get you married off, I am so happy for you Sofia. You got a son, you got a husband, a job, a home. It’s like dreams don’t come true for many but for you it has, you deserve it so much. I love you girl” Mia is going to make me cry “I will not cry” I said laughing “I love you sisters so much, for everything. All of the support, I can’t ask for better because I got that. Even if Olivia is a dumb bitch, don’t be kissing other men. What about Kenton? So what you get bored, Kenton deserves your all” she is a stupid girl sometimes “look, I was drunk and also we took some weed from Cassius” Mia hit Olivia “excuse me what?” do I know anything in this house that happens “look, I won’t do it again. Do not tell Kenton” rolling my eyes “I ain’t said the time you cheated on him have I? So just leave it as that but be happy with what you got” some girls are never happy.

Walking out behind the girls, I will miss these girls “Cassius, are we banned from your home?” Olivia asked him “as long as you don’t go kissing other men and cause shit, also Sofia wouldn’t let me ban you guys but it was nice seeing you both” Mia opened her arms out to Cassius “well I am sorry for Olivia’ behaviour, she is the naughty one. And when we do come Kenton will be here” Cassius did hug Mia “also Olivia snitched about the weed” I didn’t even know that “of course she did, just take care. Have a safe flight, if you need anything let me know. Like we spoke about” Cassius winked at her, furrowing my eyebrows at that wink, bit too sexy for my liking “do I get a hug? Come on Cassius” Cassius pulled a face but he did hug Olivia “what did you and Cassius speak about?” Mia walked over to me to give me a hug “just about the people I live with, that is it” letting out an oh “so the guest list, get those invites sent out for us” hugging Mia “I will, I miss you girls already” I wish I could keep them close “also if you feel something is wrong, you air that shit out. Remember this” I do need to air it out but I always keep it in.

[louistomlinsonisharrysbae]

When Harry woke up the next morning he was surprised that he had woken up an hour earlier than he should have but knowing there was no way he was going to be able to fall asleep again he made his way into the kitchen.

No one else was awake but Harry knew they all probably had work in the morning so he decided to make pancakes for the boys.

He rummaged trough the cabinets for a while, checking to see if they had the ingredients and then went to grab his apron that he had gotten from the bakery he used to work at.

He grabbed his phone and put on a random palylist and started making the batter.

While mixing the ingridients he began rocking his hips and humming along with the music.

"Morning Harry. Having fun?" Liam asked, his voice still a little horase from sleeping

Harry quickly came to a stop "Liam! You scared me a little there, Good morning! Hope you like pancakes cause I'm making plenty" He smiled, Liam smiled back "That sounds really good just make sure Niall doesn't eat them all when he wakes up. Do you drink coffee? I'm gonna make some"

"I usually prefer tea but some coffee would be great right now" Harry said, pouring a bit of batter on the pan.

When Harry was about halfway finnished making the pancakes Niall came running into the kitchen "Are those pancake?!"

Harry laughed and Liam gave Niall a fond smile.

"Yeah, woke up early and decided to make some before leaving for work, thought you guys might appricate it"

"Harry, you're my favorite roommate now." Niall says dramatically and hugs Harry from behind, Harry chuckles and notices Liam frown and slouch a little in his chair.

" You said you were working this morning right? I've got an early shift too, I could help you find your way around if you want? Leeeyum and zaynie are gonna be busy doing their training all day so we'll probably have the apartment to ourselves after work too so we can get to know each other" Niall sat down at the table next to Liam who pouted at the nickname

"That sounds great Niall. Now what do you guys say we get started on these pancakes?"

"And this is the courtyard, the guards and the prince usually spar here. We're supposed to be cleaning the balconies right above it today" Niall said, finally having finished his tour " Lets go then!" Harry smiled

"So...I saw the way you look at at Liam, You like him don't you?" Harry asked hurrying to grab the cleaning supplies

"Well he is very easy on the eyes and I definitely wouldn't say no if he asked me out but he's probably way out of my league" Niall blushed a little and scratched the back of his neck with a sad expression

"Hey, don't think like that. It's totally mutual, you should have seen the way he smiled at you this morning, he's definitely into you" Harry reassured

"Maybe. I mean I am pretty hot so if he doesn't like me than that's his fault. Thanks Harold"

"That's not my name and you know it Neill." Harry frowned "ugh, Hey! Look there's Liam" Niall exclaimed leaning over the edge of the balcony they had just started cleaning

"oh and the prince too, bet they're here to spar."

Harry turned to look and saw the most drop dead gorgeous boy he had ever seen. He had brown hair that looked newly cut and perfectly style, piercing blue eyes that looked familiar, he was shorter than Liam but dressed in fancy blue clothes that fit perfectly.

He looked confident and weirdly warm and welcoming. Harry felt the same kind of pull that he did yesterday when he saw Louis but a little stronger. Suddenly the pretty prince turned around and started looking around for something but gave up and faced Liam instead.

"Harry?" Niall spoke sounding a little smug "A little distracted are we?" Harry turned bright red "oh sorry Niall, Just a little dazed I guess" Harry mumbled barely acknowledging Niall at all and kept staring at the prince

"Right... dazed, more like love struck" Harry snapped out of it quickly and replaced his dazed expression for a sad one. "Well he's the prince so it doesn't matter, he's probably straight anyway so I shouldn't waste my time pining for something I can't have"

Niall frowned "Hey! You just told me not to think like that! Plus he is NOT straight, did you live under a rock or something before coming here? He is openly gay and I heard from Zayn that he's very very attracted to men. Plus you're like really attracted, I mean if I wasn't already pining for Liam I'd totally be trying to chat you up" Niall winked and Harry couldn't help but laugh a little

"Right, so he's gay, it doesn't change anything,he's still the prince and he's a shapeshifter right? So he's turning 18 in like 3 months, meaning he'll be able to sense his soulmate and he's probably gonna want to be with them. What are the chances that I'm going to be his soulmate?"

Niall grins like he knows something that Harry doesn't and he probably did but it didn't look like he was gonna tell Harry either ways.

"I don't know, anything's possible"

They kept cleaning until they heard an especially loud clang and looked down towards the courtyard.

Turns out the prince had dropped his sword and Liam seemed to finally have an upperhand.

Liam looked proud and he had a wide smile, Harry could practically feel Niall melting next to him.

But he got a little too cocky and somehow in a matter of seconds the prince had managed to kick Liam's sword out of his hands and grabbed it himself, holding it towards Liam's neck.

"Damn Louis, That was really well done, a little risky though, if I hadn't been so surprised I could have stabbed your leg" Liam huffed

Louis? The prince's name was Louis? Could it be- No the prince wouldn't be a havana brown, he would be a Persian like the rest of his family, right?

Louis was a pretty popular name anyway

Louis chuckled "I already know I'm incredible but a reminder is allways nice" He smirked and god did his lips look good, Harry felt an overwhelming urge to kiss him right then and there.

"Nice moves leeeeyum!!" Niall shouted down. Liam immediately turned into a strawberry when he saw him which both Harry and Louis seemed to find hilarious.

"H-How long where you watching?" Liam stuttered, Niall shrugged " We've been up here since before you two came outside"

Liam seemed to turn even redder if possible

"You must be Niall? Liam can't stop talking about you, it's cute." Louis said, Niall blushed a little and nodded and Liam looked like he either wanted to kill Louis or himself.

Harry giggled at the thought, Louis looked at him with wide eyes and wouldn't look away. He swallowed "And who might you be pretty boy?" His voice was smooth and sent shivers down Harry's spine, he sounded like an angel.

"H-Hi, I'm Harry, Harry Styles. I'm roommates with Niall and Liam"

Harry smiled shyly.

By now Harry and Niall had already finnished cleaning the balconies and were both leaning over the edge.

"Pleasure to meet you love, I'm Louis Tomlinson but I bet you already knew that"