#anyway my mom asked me to spend Christmas with them and I have never been happier to say NO | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

supernovafics · 7 months

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𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄

"i'll be there for you" universe masterlist

pairing: bestfriend!roommate!steve harrington x fem!reader

word count: 3.2k words

warnings: explicit language, some mentions of alcohol, parent drama (both reader’s and steve’s parents suck)

summary: in which your parents and steve’s come over for dinner

author's note: this has absolutely nothing to do with the harry styles song but the title of it is just very fitting so yeah<33 i’ve been rewatching a lot of gilmore girls this fall season so i feel like that's helped me get the hang of writing awkward/tense dinners with family lol so this needed to be done

general note: everything in this universe/series can be read as standalone oneshots but to understand the full “lore” it would prob be best to read the other stuff too<333

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Fall 1985

When your and Steve’s parents first suggested this “early Thanksgiving dinner,” you thought that it wouldn’t actually happen.

The initial idea sounded pretty funny to you— your parents and Steve’s parents would have a full on dinner at your apartment a week before the actual holiday. Yeah, right.

It sounded like the kind of idea that parents that really cared about spending time with their children would have, and that wasn’t how you’d necessarily describe yours or Steve’s.

A month ago, when they told you about the ski trip the four of them were going on during the entire week of Thanksgiving, you expected to just not see them probably until Christmas— and that felt like a bit of relief to you because spending time with your parents wasn’t your favorite hobby.

But then you remembered how, only during the holidays, your parents always had a need to show, or maybe more so “prove” to themselves, that they actually cared about you. So, of course, they wouldn’t let this stupid holiday go, and instead they thought that it would be best if you all did something early and together.

And sadly, none of the immediate excuses that you and Steve came up with worked because your moms had solutions for everything.

When you told yours that the kitchen in the apartment was too small to cook for this kind of elaborate dinner, she simply told you that they’d buy and bring all of the food and you and Steve wouldn’t have to cook at all. She also not-so-jokingly mentioned that she would’ve never trusted either of you two cooking anyway.

And when Steve told his mom that the current dining table you two had was way too small to fit all six of you, she promptly had one ordered and delivered to your door in just a week. It was an expensive dark wood set that could comfortably fit six people, and you and Steve spent hours struggling to build it the day it showed up at your front door. It took up an obscene amount of space, but it did actually look kind of nice.

Now it was weeks later and the dreaded night was finally here, but you still tried to come up with any way to avoid it from happening.

“And we’re sure that we really can’t get out of doing this tonight?” You asked Steve as you folded the blanket that was lying half-hazardly on the couch. “I could call my mom and say that we’ve somehow fallen tragically ill in the last hour?”

“I’m ninety-five percent sure that they’re all already on their way.”

“Shit.”

“It’ll be fine,” Steve said, and then he considered his words. “Actually, it will probably suck, but overall, we will be fine.”

You let out a sigh and placed the now folded blanket back on the couch and then started cleaning off the coffee table, stacking the random magazines in a neat pile and then adjusting Harold’s cage so that it was nicely in the center. Your and Steve’s shared pet hamster was currently nibbling on the food that you had put in his bowl only moments ago.

An abrupt feeling of worry shot through you as you looked around the apartment. The place was clean— probably the cleanest it had ever been— since you and Steve had spent the day doing everything to avoid either of your parents saying anything bad about the place. However, in the grand scheme of things, you knew that it didn’t matter because they’d still hate the apartment. They would hate how you two decided to furnish and decorate it, and they would passive aggressively make fun of the place for however long this dinner would have to be.

“Let’s try not to think about how bad this night is gonna be and just be glad that we’re not gonna have to suffer alone, like usual,” Steve said, practically reading your mind and the look on your face, as he started setting plates out on the new table.

He was completely right. This was the first time that a collective Thanksgiving was happening among all of you. Usually, it was just you alone with your parents in Chicago visiting family members that you never talked to, and Steve was doing the same exact thing except he was in Indianapolis. You’d always end up calling each other at the end of the night from the hotel or family house you were staying at, and you’d tell each other stories about whatever weird family members you encountered or how boring it all was.

It did make things feel a bit better that, for once, you didn’t have to go through this alone and neither did Steve.

“You’re right,” You said with a nod and then smiled. “We’ll be going through this shitshow together.”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door and since Steve was closer he went to answer it. You took one brief and final look around the apartment before heading toward the door too, so Steve didn’t have to be by himself in this greeting.

“Hi,” He said when he opened the door and saw all of your parents standing there. There was a bright smile on his face and he effortlessly turned on that “Steve Harrington charm” that people had adored in high school— you hadn’t even gone to the same high school as him, but you still heard so many of the stories.

A chorus of Hi’s and Hello’s were heard as your moms entered the apartment first since they were carrying all of the food and your dads followed in right behind them.

“I still hate that you moved into a place that doesn’t have a front doorman, or, at least, a buzzer system,” Were your dad’s first words to you; deciding against saying the simple “How are you?” that you had expected. “You two should get a better lock on your door.”

You laughed a bit. “We live in Hawkins, not New York, Dad. I don’t think anyone is really itching to rob us anytime soon.”

“Anything can happen,” He responded, looking at you seriously. “I’ll bring you a new one when we get back from Colorado.”

You only nodded at his words instead of saying anything to rebut them; you knew that he overall meant well. “Okay.”

Your attention turned to your mom and she pulled you into a hug that felt way too forced before pulling away and giving you a quick onceover. “Oh… Is that what you’re wearing?”

You thought that your outfit was fine; a V-neck navy blue knit sweater that was a bit cropped and a simple pair of black jeans. But, your mom always managed to find something wrong with everything, so this reaction to your current outfit didn’t necessarily surprise you; it did still annoy you all the same, though.

“Oh, um, no I was just about to change,” You told her and forced a small smile.

She nodded at that. “Okay, that’s good, that’s good. You go change while Christine and I get the table set up.”

You started heading toward your room but looked back at Steve first. He was in a conversation with his parents that looked like they were doing much more of the talking than him. As if sensing your gaze on him, his eyes met yours and he gave you a hopeful look and that was enough to make you feel a little better.

It didn’t take long for you to change. You kept your sweater on but traded your jeans for the long black silk skirt that your mom had always liked on you. You hoped this slightly different outfit would be enough to satisfy her, and if not, you were willing to suffer through her inevitable look of disappointment.

You lingered in your room, tidying up your desk for no particular reason and then deciding to remake your bed. It was clear that you were stalling, avoiding having to face your parents again, and as much as you wanted to continue doing that, you also didn’t want to leave Steve to fend for himself. You were supposed to be suffering together, after all.

You immediately noticed the dining table when you walked out of your bedroom. The food was now nicely set out and there were even brown placemats sitting underneath the plates that Steve had already set out. It was all set up in a way that would’ve felt nice and wholesome if either of your families had ever remotely felt like the ones portrayed in most TV shows or movies. But, they weren’t anywhere close to being like that, so this all just felt weirdly forced.

Of course, you didn’t say that, though.

Instead, you sat down with everyone at the table and desperately hoped that the next few hours of your life would breeze by.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“From the brochure, the pictures of the cabin look really great. We hope it actually looks that way in person,” Steve’s mom, Christine, said.

You took another bite of the mac and cheese on your plate as you continued to listen to your parents talk about their ski trip that was happening next week, which they had been doing for the last twenty minutes and you fully didn’t mind it. Since the conversation wasn’t centered on either you or Steve, things actually didn’t feel tense or nervewracking. If you could just make your parents talk about themselves during the entire dinner, you would probably end the night with a smile on your face.

“Oh, and there are a lot of bedrooms too,” Your mom chimed in before taking another sip from the wine glass in her hand. “Maybe you two could take a trip up there soon and invite your friends to go too.”

“Yeah, that would be nice,” You said with a small nod.

“Enough talking about the trip, though, that’s probably so boring for your kids to hear about,” Your dad said, and you internally sighed because you knew the exact direction the conversation was about to go in. You felt him look at you. “How’s school been going? The semester is almost over.”

“It’s been good,” You answered, keeping your response short and sweet. You decided not to mention that you really couldn’t care less about the majority of your classes because none of what you were doing in any of them felt like it really mattered.

“Okay, and your grades and everything are fine, right?”

You only nodded in response to his question, hoping that your lack of actual words would signal to him that you wanted to bring an end to this topic of conversation. Of course, that was only wishful thinking.

“That’s good,” Your mom said. “You have to make sure your grades stay like how they were in high school, or even better, for when you transfer to the University of Chicago. We don’t want to have any reason for them not to accept you again.”

You suddenly felt like you were right back in middle school and high school, where your conversations with your parents solely revolved around school; what your grades were, if you were doing your homework and completing assignments on time, and studying for tests. It always annoyed you that the only times they would bother to pay attention to you was when it came to that stuff. Other than that, you were always seemingly an afterthought, never a bigger priority than their jobs.

In a way, this entire conversation should’ve been expected; it was always inevitable. Pretty much anytime you talked to your parents in recent months, the discussion always seemed to circle its way back to that school and you going there in two years instead of right now, like they had wanted you to.

“I’m still so surprised that you decided to not go to the University of Chicago now,” Christine said and you turned your attention to her. It was starting to feel a bit painful to you that the subject still hadn’t changed yet. “When Steve told me that you were going to go to the community college close by, I couldn’t believe it, honestly.”

You noticed your parents share a look upon hearing her words. The mix of disappointment and annoyance toward you that was shared between them in that moment felt palpable.

“I didn’t think it was time to leave Indiana just yet. I’ll be going soon, though,” You said, keeping your voice light and plastering on a fake smile, even though all you wanted to do in that moment was leave the table and hideout in your bathroom for the rest of the night.

You saw your dad smile a little and then you also noticed the look of relief wash over your mom’s face. For some stupid reason, you still felt the need to make them feel pleased with you. And somehow that made you feel even more upset with yourself than anything they had said to you so far tonight.

The only thing that managed to make things feel remotely tolerable right then was Steve sitting across from you, giving you a look that said, “Everything will be okay.” For the time being, you chose to believe him and you simply took another bite of your food.

You were about to say something about how good the turkey was so your moms would start talking about the restaurant they got all of the food from and why they chose it— you were sure that there was some story behind it all— and that would finally bring an end to the college conversation. But, before a word could leave your mouth, Steve’s dad began speaking.

“Well, at least, you’re in college. We can’t say the same for Steve here.” He then looked at his son. “Do you really want to work at a video store for the rest of your life?”

Christine let out a sigh. “Jeff.”

“What?” He shrugged as if his previous question wasn’t completely condescending. “I’m just asking a question.”

“I’m actually starting at the community college next semester,” Steve told his parents and you tried to hide your immediate confusion. “I found out I got in a few days ago.”

“Well, that’s great,” Christine said happily, and Jeff smiled approvingly as well.

You had no idea Steve had gotten in or even applied, and you wondered if he was lying right then to just get his parents off his back, but you couldn’t tell. Something about the way he said it honestly felt pretty real. The only part that didn’t feel real was that you were finding out during this dumb dinner instead of at any other time.

“So, I was wondering,” Your mom began and you braced yourself for the impact of whatever she was going to say. “Why did you two decide to get a hamster? I feel like it makes things smell a bit funny in here…”

A part of you was glad that the conversation finally shifted away from college. But you didn’t think that the passive aggressive comments toward the apartment would begin with Harold.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“Well, this night was fucking brutal.”

You let out a sigh. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

Steve was doing the dishes as you put what was left of the food into tupperwares and then put them in the fridge. Surprisingly, it was a lot of stuff leftover; your moms definitely went overboard with the amount they had ordered. You and Steve already made plans to invite Robin and Eddie over tomorrow to have some of these leftovers.

“I’m actually glad that the dessert tasted bad since it made them want to leave early.”

“It was honestly a bit bittersweet because I was kind of excited for that pie,” You said as you placed the final tupperware of food into the fridge and then went over to Steve. “Oh, and also,” You punched his arm and ignored his immediate “ouch.” “Why the hell didn’t you tell me that the stars have finally managed to align and we’ll finally be going to the same school for the first time ever?”

He smiled a little at your dramatics. “I didn’t wanna make a big deal out of it just in case I somehow didn’t end up getting in. I swear I was gonna tell you tomorrow.”

“So, you did all of that annoying application stuff by yourself?”

“Robin helped me with it.”

“I would’ve been happy to help you,” You told him, and maybe you were being a bit overdramatic, but you actually felt slightly offended that he hadn’t wanted to come to you about this.

The possibility of you two going to the same middle or high school was a far out idea that never happened because you lived in different towns. But, it was still something that was adamantly and wistfully talked about by you and him; how much more fun both of your school lives could be if they intersected in that way like the other parts of your lives did.

Of course, going to the same college would’ve been the most obvious way for it to finally happen, but Steve never seemed that interested in going to college, and up until the last possible second you were being pushed toward Chicago by your parents.

But now things were finally different.

“I know that you would’ve, but I didn’t want to talk about it to anyone, honestly. Robin saw me working on the application one day and decided to help,” He explained and you only gave him a small nod in response. “I didn’t even think I’d tell my parents about it, but when I heard my dad’s dumb comment about Family Video I felt like I had to say it so he wouldn’t keep looking at me like a disappointment.” He sighed. “And it’s kinda fucked up… I really don’t wanna care what my parents think about me and what I’m doing with my life, but I think there will always be a part of me that does.”

You thought back to your dad’s approving smile and your mom’s relieved look when you reassured them that you still planned to go to the University of Chicago; how much you still wanted to make them feel at least a little proud of you even though you knew you shouldn’t.

“Me too,” You said softly.

“I’m glad we probably won’t have to see them again until Christmas.”

You sighed. “Apparently, my dad is gonna bring us a new lock for the door when they get back from their trip.”

“Oh,” Steve said and then smiled at you when it looked like he thought of something. “Okay, what are the odds that he’ll just send someone to put the new lock on the door instead of coming himself?”

You thought about it for a second. “Honestly, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance that would happen. He’ll probably be too busy with work after the trip to actually come and do it himself.”

“Okay, let’s hope for that,” He said as he finished washing the last plate and placed it on the drying rack. “So, since the dessert was a bust tonight, do you wanna go to the diner? I’m sure Mary would never fuck up her apple pie. And then when we get back, we can finish that bottle of wine that our moms left.”

You smiled at his suggestion. “You have a brilliant mind, Harrington.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

let me know ur thoughts<333

(requests are open for stuff you wanna see in the universe/series!🫶🏾)

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington smut #steve harrington x you #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x fem!reader #stranger things fluff #steve harrington #steve harrington series #steve harrington imagines #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x reader smut #stranger things imagine #stranger things series

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justagalwhowrites · 7 months

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New in Town - Ch. 9: Second New Year

Ringing in the New Year after you and Joel's first year together. The last chapter of New in Town, found in its entirety on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Best Friend's Dad!Joel Miller x Female Reader

CW: Smut :D. No use of Y/N. Age gap (reader is 35 Joel is 47, not a focus of the fic). Minors DNI, 18+ only

Length: 6.3k

AO3 | First Chapter | Previous Chapter

“Sarah, if you don’t stop fucking with that it’s never going to stay,” you said, glaring at her in the mirror as you drew on eyeliner.

“It’s driving me insane,” she groaned, leaning so close to the hotel bathroom mirror that she was fogging it with her breath, adjusting the false eyelashes for what had to be the millionth time.

“Yeah, because you keep fucking with them,” you said. “You have to give yourself time to adjust to them. Or just take them off because I’m not spending half the night fixing them for you, drawing the line in the sand now.”

“You are absolutely no fun,” she said but she smiled all the same. “It’s New Year’s Eve, I want to look extra good. Plus Nick thinks the long lashes are hot and I am ready for hotel room sex.”

“I didn’t hear that,” Maria called from the bedroom where she was putting on her dress.

“Hotel room sex, hotel room sex, hotel room sex!” Sarah called back.

You laughed, picking up your mascara.

“I don’t think it works like Beetlejuice where you say it enough times it just shows up.”

Sarah laughed back.

“Fuck I hope not,” she said. “Really don’t want to manifest hotel room sex in front of my aunt and my mom.”

She said the last word with a drawn out teasing edge and you had to pull the mascara wand away from your face so you didn’t end up with makeup in your eye from laughing so hard.

“Swear to God if you don’t stop calling me that I will marry your dad just to spite you,” you said once you calmed down again.

“You’re basically already married anyway,” Sarah said. “For the record, I would be fine with it.”

You paused for a second, putting more mascara on the wand and looking at her in the mirror.

“Yeah?” You asked.

“Yeah,” she smiled at you in her reflection. “But don’t expect Mother’s Day gifts from me if it ever happens.”

You snorted, returning to your makeup.

“Better get a bouquet, box of chocolates, the whole nine for holding your hair when you get drunk.”

You couldn’t believe it was already New Year’s Eve again. The last year had gone by so fast it didn’t seem like it could have contained quite as much as it did. But you’d spent almost the entire time so blissfully happy that it made sense that the time felt so damn short.

Things with Joel had been going so well before Sarah found out that it was hard to believe it could really get better, but it did. Not feeling like you were hiding from the most important person in both your lives was like losing a weight you didn’t even know you were carrying. Neither of you were dancing around talking about how you were spending your time now, not being careful about what pictures you sent her and not having to just pretend like a huge part of your life didn’t exist when talking with her.

When she went back to Seattle after Thanksgiving, the three of you started having weekly FaceTime calls, you and Joel sometimes on your couch or at his kitchen table or even in a hotel room in New Orleans once when you decided to get away for your first trip together as a couple.

That Christmas had been the best you’d ever had. Not that there was much competition but Joel and Sarah both had completely brought you into all their holiday traditions. The driving around to look at Christmas lights with a thermos of hot cocoa, the annual trip to Mi Tierra in San Antonio so you could properly appreciate the Christmas lights that apparently were up year round. When Sarah came back to town a few days before Christmas, she dragged you and Joel to the mall and made the three of you take a picture with Santa. You got some funny looks in line - three full blown adults with nary a kid in sight - but Sarah whispered something to woman getting ready to take the picture and she smiled and nodded, helping the three of you get arranged for the photo. You sat lightly on one of Santa’s knees, Sarah on the other, Joel leaning against the side of the large chair. Joel insisted on getting the actual printed photo and, when you picked it up, they also handed you a candy cane and a small Santa figurine. You frowned at it for a second.

“First Santa visits should be commemorated,” the woman behind the counter smiled. “Merry Christmas!”

You looked at Sarah for a second, worried you might cry and she smiled.

“You have a Christmas decoration now,” she said. “But if you really don’t want it at your place, we can add it to the Christmas village at Dad’s!”

You just hugged her and she laughed, hugging you back.

That Christmas, the figurine and the picture sat on the book shelf in your living room, right where you could see them from your couch. The perfect image of the kind of life you’d always wanted to have, one that was filled with people who loved you.

This year, the figurine and picture were at Joel’s because you were, too.

Your lease was up in the fall and, by that point, the two of you were having a hard time remembering the last time you’d slept apart. You were wondering how to broach the subject with Joel - did you just ask if you could move into his house? Was not quite a year of knowing each other too soon? Did you just find a new apartment and never mention it? - when he brought it up one night over dinner.

“Your lease is comin’ up soon, right?” He asked and you froze for a second, a bite of enchilada on your fork half way to your mouth.

“Yeah,” you said when you remembered how to move and respond again. “Six weeks I think? They want me to decide whether or not I’m staying within the next two…”

“Have you thought about if you might want to move in with me?” He asked, his jaw tense but his eyes soft. “Only if… you know… you thought you were ready for that. Just figure I’m at yours or you’re at mine most nights anyway and…”

“Joel,” you smiled, setting your fork down and leaning on the table with your arms crossed in front of you. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

“Only if you wanted,” he said quickly. “Not tryin’ to… I dunno… put pressure on you or something. Never tried to do this before so…”

You pressed your lips together, trying not to laugh. More at yourself than at Joel. Because of course he was thinking what you were thinking. Of course you were in the same place on this. Of course you were both nervous about bringing it up to each other.

“I’d love to move in with you,” you said once you were sure you had yourself together. “As long as you’re offering because that’s what you really want and not because you think you should.”

“Oh I want it,” he was smiling now and leaning toward you across the table. “Was considering just taking stuff from your place and moving it to mine, get you in the door before you even knew it was happening.”

“That what happened to my sexy underwear?” You teased.

“Nah,” he waved you off. “I stole those to jerk off with when you’re not there because you don’t live with me yet. Can have ‘em back when we unpack the moving truck.”

You moved in a few weeks later. Joel cleared out most of his closet, his jeans and button downs taking up only a small corner of it to begin with, and built you shelving for your purses and shoes. He made space for your things throughout his home, for your favorite pots and pans in the kitchen, for your decorations in the living room. Setting aside the bits and pieces of his life to make sure it could hold yours, too. If he’d asked you to marry him in that moment, you’d have said yes in a heartbeat.

“Oh shit,” you sighed, rifling through your makeup bag. “I think I left my fucking lipstick in my room…”

You went to get your room key from your clutch but Sarah plopped a tube of lipstick in front of you first.

“Use mine,” she said. “I’m almost ready and I don’t want to waste time with you up down three floors and all the way over to your room before we go to the party. I want cocktails, I want music and I want to flirt with my hot boyfriend while I wear a slutty dress.”

“Maria is still getting dressed, I’ve got five minutes…”

“No you don’t!” She called from the bedroom before coming to the bathroom door and turning around. “Zip me?”

You laughed and obeyed, Maria adjusting the dress a bit before turning back around.

“Hey sexy mama!” You whooped at her. “That looks like it was made for you.”

“Right?” She flung her long braids over her shoulder before admiring herself in the full length mirror on the bathroom door. “My pregnancy boobs have shown up but the bump is still in hiding. It’s the perfect dress moment, had to take advantage of it.”

“Hear that little one?” Sarah said, looking toward Maria’s lower stomach. “You’re making your mom look hot!”

“Hotter,” you corrected. “They’re making their mom look hotter.”

You settled for Sarah’s lipstick and the three of you headed for the elevator to go meet up with the guys.

Your first New Year’s Eve with Joel had been far more low key. Sarah was in town and Joel invited Tommy and Maria over to watch the ball drop. You’d ordered pizza and gotten drunk and played charades with your boyfriend’s family and, at midnight, kissed Joel so deeply that you could taste the champagne on his tongue.

This year, you had plenty to celebrate. It was Maria and Tommy’s last one before they became parents - you highly doubted they’d be up until midnight next year. Sarah had gotten promoted and you’d gotten her a job at the Austin branch in August. She had moved back to town just a few months before you moved in with Joel and the three of you had found a comfortable - if unusual - dynamic as a family. And it felt like you had finally found everything you’d ever truly wanted.

Instead of staying home this New Year’s Eve, you all decided to go to a party at one of the nice hotels in Houston. You’d all gotten hotel rooms so no one had to drive and the boys had all gone on ahead to the rooftop bar to hold a table while the three of you got ready to go.

“Crap, one sec,” Sarah said, frowning at her phone as the three of you went for the elevator. “Left something in the room, wait for me, OK? I don’t want to try to find them on my own!”

You and Maria watched her run back to her room - where the three of you had been getting ready - and you frowned as she tottered on her high heels.

“Is she acting weird?” You asked as Maria leaned against the wall.

“Sarah?” Maria laughed. “She’s always weird.”

She came back a few minutes later, tugging her dress down as she went and a little breathless when she got there.

“OK,” she smiled and took a deep breath. “Now we’re good!”

You were almost giddy as you rode the elevator up to the party, feeling the thud of music through the elevator doors before they opened.

It was hard to say why you were just so excited. It wasn’t like you’d never been to a party before - you and Sarah had rung in the New Year at a party a lot like this one that your office had handled the advertising for in Seattle one year - but it felt like something new. Like you were stepping into the first year of your life where everything had finally fallen into place.

“Hey!” Tommy yelled, standing and waving his arm over his head as he saw the three of you leave the elevator. You could barely hear him over the thud of the bass. “Over here!”

“How many beers do you think he’s had?” Maria asked conspiratorially and you laughed.

“Probably the same number mine has,” you replied, smiling at Joel as he craned his neck to get a better look at you.

“Holy hell woman,” he said, getting out of the round booth as you got to the table. He pressed a kiss to your cheek and dropped his voice low. “Not sure I’m gonna take that dress off you later, might need to leave it on.”

You smiled as he gave you a squeeze and you sat down, Joel sliding in beside you, one hand of his going below the table to the inside of your thigh.

One thing that hadn’t changed in the last year was just how insatiable the two of you were for each other. You kept waiting for it to calm down a bit, to stop looking at him and immediately start thinking of how to get him alone and naked as quickly as possible. But Joel was still the single sexiest man you’d ever seen and was still far and away the best in bed. You couldn’t help but want to fuck him all day every day. You were just thankful he seemed to feel the same way about you.

One of your favorite things about living with Joel was your after work routine. When you managed to make it so you left the office around the same time Joel left his job site, you’d join him in the shower, your hair in a knot on top of your head to keep from getting too soaked, Joel still a little sweaty and dirty from a hard day’s work. Sometimes, you just enjoyed each other. You loved the quiet intimacy of it, of being in such a private space together in just your skin, helping him wash the day from his body before he pulled you against him under the water. Other times, Joel pressed you against the cool tile and fucked into you, hard and fast and eager, making your back arch as your leg wrapped around him, the heat of his mouth and the steam filling you when you kissed him.

The new routines had just given you more reasons and opportunities to fuck, it seemed, instead of sex getting lost in the monotony of daily life. Sometimes it was in the middle of late night TV when you were both getting tired on the couch. Sometimes it was when you were putting away laundry. Sometimes it was when you were making dinner.

It was just that, sometimes, it required… additional boundaries.

Sarah had a key to Joel’s place, of course, but she quickly learned that she needed to announce herself before just coming in the door when she wasn’t expected, her walking in the house without warning when he was deep inside of you while you were draped over the kitchen counter was a little too close for comfort for all three of you.

“I have literally never wanted to know less about your sex life,” she shuddered a few hours later when you were sitting in Joel’s back yard, fully clothed with a beer in your hand.

You laughed.

“Never wanted you to know less about it so that works just fine for me.”

You, Joel and Sarah all had dinner together at least once a week, another routine you’d come to love, and you got Sarah all to yourself most days over lunch, happy for the chance to laugh with your best friend.

You weren’t sure life could get much better.

“Oh sweet!” Sarah said as the waitress came by the table, tray of drinks in hand, passing a cosmopolitan to Sarah. “Who knew this was just what I wanted?”

“Happy to take credit for that,” Nick smiled, kissing her cheek and you smiled at him. He was a relatively new addition to Sarah’s life but he seemed promising. You’d never seen her quite so giddy over a guy before and you were trying not to mention it so you wouldn’t jinx it.

When she finally owned up to being hung up on the man, though, you were going to start teasing her as relentlessly as she’d been teasing you. You were getting double wedding jokes lined up and ready, waiting for the perfect moment to hit her with it.

But it was a holiday. You’d take it easy on her for a little while longer. Assuming she stopped calling you Mom.

Joel had been paying attention too, it seemed, and the server handed you a mojito. Appropriate, since you’d just been lamenting the fact that you didn’t have fresh mint at home just two nights before.

“How often are you really gonna muddle mint for a drink?” Joel asked, barely contained smile on his face.

“At least once in a while!” You laughed. “Come on, we could do a whole herb garden in the yard…”

“You are not gonna keep a garden alive.”

“Yes I will!” You protested. He raised his eyebrows at you, incredulous. “If I have the motivation of cocktails I will.”

“Fine,” he sighed but still smiled, kissing your forehead. “In spring I’ll build you a garden and you can kill as many herbs as you want, Beautiful.”

“Is this supposed to bribe me into you not making me a garden?” You teased, taking a sip of the drink.

“Baby, I will make you whatever makes you smile,” he kissed your exposed shoulder. “But if I’m saving the lives of some poor, innocent plants by ordering you a cocktail…”

You laughed and kissed him, the scratch of his facial hair on your skin comforting and familiar.

The party really picked up not long after you got there and you, Sarah and Maria went to dance while the guys hung back to talk for a bit.

“You don’t think they’re being too hard on him do you?” Sarah asked, watching the table.

“Oh I’m sure they’re being super nice,” you said. “Joel and Tommy have never been protective of you, not once.”

“Oh God,” she groaned but she smiled.

“Wouldn’t worry too much,” you laughed. “It looks like he’s weathering it well.”

“Hold on,” Maria smiled and shook her head. “We can get him some help…”

She started waving to Tommy, who clapped Nick on the shoulder and got out of the booth to join his wife on the dance floor. You looked at Joel, eyebrows raised, until he met your gaze and you saw him sigh and smile before heading your way.

You put your arms around his neck and kissed him, pressing tightly to him and feeling every line of him through your clothes. His hands went to your waist, pulling you closer.

“You tryin’ to distract me?” He asked when you pulled away.

“Trying to get you to play nice,” you teased.

“Always play nice,” he said as you turned around in his hold, your ass going back against his hardening length. He lowered his lips to your ear, his breath hot on your skin. “Except when you ask me not to.”

You resisted the urge to drag him back to your hotel room right that second. Instead, you pressed yourself harder against him, moving your body in time to the pulsing, thrumming rhythm. His hands slid to your hips and you couldn’t help but think of how they felt on your bare skin.

But you managed to keep it together for a few songs, dancing until you were breathless and you really couldn’t take it anymore. You draped yourself around Joel again, pressing your lips to his ear.

“Order me a water and another mojito,” you said, your hand sliding into his pocket, brushing his half hard cock through his jeans, as you grabbed your phone. “And check your texts.”

You didn’t give him a chance to respond, just meeting his wide eyes for a moment before slipping into the crowd. You went around to the pool area of the rooftop, far quieter than the bar and the dance floor, the lounge chairs all stacked up next to a storage space that looked like it would provide the perfect cover from the dance floor. You took a selfie with just a glimpse of the thudding party in the background and texted it to him.

“Come find me.”

It didn’t take him long, coming around the corner while glancing back over his shoulder, looking nervous. You grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him into you, your back against the storage room.

“You are up to no good,” he said, pressing you back against the wall, his mouth covering yours, his body warm against the cool night air. “Tryin’ to get us kicked out of the damn hotel?”

His hand went to your breast, anyway.

“We can keep our clothes on,” you panted against him. “Be very well behaved. Like that time in the bathroom.”

“Fuck, Beautiful,” he groaned, putting his thigh between your legs, your skirt covering part of his jeans. He rocked his hips against you, his hands going to your waist, the outline of his hard cock against your stomach. “Wanna make me come in my pants like a fucking teenager?”

“Don’t think we’re making it to midnight any other way,” you were needy, aching as you ground your pussy down on the straining muscle of his leg.

“Still gonna let me fuck you later?” He kissed down your neck, rutting harder against you, your hands on his shoulders, grip tightening.

“You think I’m starting a new year without you inside me as soon as possible you’re insane.”

He laughed a little and nipped at your collarbone before pulling you tighter against his leg, making you moan. You started working yourself harder and faster against him, pulling him tighter to you, your wetness soaking your panties.

“You’re close, aren’t you, Baby?” He asked, voice dark. Your motions stuttered but you nodded frantically against him. “Gonna come all over my fucking leg aren’t you? Come from just riding my fucking thigh?”

You were close enough that you’d lost the ability to speak. You just nodded again and he kissed you, hard and messy and deep and you pressed yourself firmly against his leg as you fell apart, the tight coil inside yourself snapping as your clit throbbed against him.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He gasped as he pressed his cock hard against you and you felt him throbbing there, spilling into his jeans before slumping against you. His nose brushed yours for a moment and you smiled, kissing him lightly.

“You’re going to kill me,” he laughed a little breathlessly. “More than a year into this and you still want me to fuck you so bad you’re dragging me away from a party?”

“That’s nothing,” you teased. “Wait until we’re really old and we’re finding ways to sneak around the nursing home.”

He laughed and kissed you again.

“Love you so fuckin’ much.”

It was easier to focus on the party after that. Tommy gave Joel a look when you made it back to the table and Joel told him to mind his own business and you laughed and drank your mojito.

By the time midnight rolled around, you’d been pleasantly tipsy for more than an hour, draping yourself over Joel at every opportunity when you weren’t dancing with Sarah and Maria. As the countdown started, the six of you crowded onto the dance floor with everyone else, champagne in hand, Joel’s arm around you as he held you to his side.

“Three, two, one!”

Joel turned you to him and kissed you before you’d even had a chance to yell happy New Year and you sank into him, almost forgetting about the drink in your hand until some of it dribbled down your wrist, making you laugh against his lips.

“Couldn’t let a second of the year go by before I kissed you for the first time,” he said, his lips still close to yours. The knot of heat and wanting that had eased after your antics earlier was back with full force.

“Good,” you said quietly, drinking in the hungry look in his eyes.

“It’s supposed to be a toast, you insatiable weirdos,” Sarah laughed and you laughed back, separating from Joel far enough to raise your glasses and toast with your new found family.

It wasn’t long before all of you made your way to the elevators, piling into one with a handful of strangers, you happy for the excuse to stay pressed tightly against Joel.

“Good luck!” Tommy said, a teasing edge to his voice when the doors dinged open on your floor.

You frowned at him, confused, as the doors closed and you laughed a little as Joel led you back to the room.

“Why do you need luck? Is Tommy under the impression that you have to work to get sex out of me?” You teased. “Because it’s sweet that you’d protect my honor that way but we both know that’s a damn lie.”

“Tommy’s just a dumbass,” Joel replied. “Ignore him, that’s what I do.”

You laughed, the tail end of your buzz waning.

“Thinking we should take full advantage of that jacuzzi tub,” you said as Joel unlocked the hotel room door. “And use it to research the investment of a hot tub in the back yard…”

“You’re insatiable,” he teased, opening the door for you.

You laughed and were so busy looking at him - his thick, dark hair that was flecked with gray; his plush lips; his soft eyes - that it took you a second to realize there were roses and petals all over the room, a bottle of wine chilled in a bucket on the small table.

“Joel?” You looked back at him and he just shrugged, smiling.

You went further into the room and realized that it wasn’t just flowers and wine. There were framed pictures of you and Joel from the last year of your lives together. One of the two of you on Bourbon Street, another from when you decided to actually take those wine tasting classes you’d talked about, one from your second Longhorn’s game. There were at least a dozen, each one making it look so, so obvious that you made each other happy. That you gave each other the lives you wanted.

You picked up the picture by the bedside, the first selfie you’d ever taken together. You were hiking and you’d held your arm out far enough to try to capture some of the view behind you. You were smiling hugely at the camera, hair grimy with sweat, Joel’s arm around your shoulders. But he wasn’t looking at the camera. Instead, he was looking at you. Looking at you like you were the only thing worth looking at. Looking at you like you made him happier than just about anything else on Earth.

“What…” You trailed off, looking up from the picture to see Joel, on one knee with a box in his hands at the foot of the bed.

You gasped and jumped, your hands covering your mouth on instinct, eyes wide. Your feet moved before you really realized what was happening and it seemed sudden that you were right in front of him.

“Joel,” you breathed, trembling hands slowly leaving your face.

“For a very long time,” he said, his voice assured. “It felt like I’d gotten the only good thing I was going to get out of life. I had Sarah and seemed wrong to ask for more than that so I wasn’t lookin’ for it. Wasn’t lookin’ for you. But then I found you - or you found me, anyway - and I realized just how good life could be as long as I got to live it next to you.

“You are the single best person I’ve ever met. You’re so smart and funny and creative and kind and the most fun I’ve ever had and I can’t imagine anything better than getting to live the rest of my life with you. Will you make me the happiest man on Earth and marry me?”

***

Joel wasn’t sure his heart had ever beat this fast. Maybe when Sarah was first born and there were the torturous few seconds of silence before she started crying, not sure how anything about pregnancy or babies worked. Definitely never since.

But the silence between you seemed to drag on for an eternity even though he knew it could have only been a second or two. That didn’t stop his heart from racing.

“Yes,” you nodded, your voice thick, tears in your eyes. “Yes, yes, yes, yes yes!”

You damn near tackled him and he laughed, catching you and holding onto you as he lowered the two of you to the ground on a bed of rose petals.

Joel, Tommy and Nick had been in here getting everything set up while Sarah and Maria kept you busy in Sarah’s room. There was a brief moment of panic when Sarah texted that the three of you were headed to the party and Joel had to ask her to buy at least two minutes because they were walking to the elevator themselves.

“I’m so happy for you, man,” Tommy said, clapping Joel on the shoulder as they headed up to the party. “You deserve this, you really fuckin’ do.”

“She ain’t said yes yet,” Joel said, feeling the nerves all sudden and hot under his skin. “Don’t jinx it.”

“She’ll say yes,” Tommy said, sounding so confident. “Don’t ask me WHY but that woman adores you. She’s gonna love it.”

He hoped you did. He hoped you loved the idea at all, that you loved the proposal, that you loved the ring. Sarah had helped pick that part out so he was more confident of that, finding a piece that was elegant without looking dated, something that he hoped you’d like wearing for the rest of your life.

Because that’s what he wanted. He wanted you, wanted to make you happy, for the rest of your life.

He slid the ring onto your finger, the diamond catching the light as he did.

“Are you serious?” You asked, looking from the ring to him.

“Serious about spending the rest of my life with you?” He asked. “Can’t think of anything better.”

You threw your arms around his neck and kissed him, hard and needy. He leaned into it for a moment before he pulled back from you.

“Should move to the bed,” he breathed. “Gotta treat my fiancee right.”

You just nodded quickly and Joel got up before helping you to your feet.

He tugged your dress up and over your head - as much as he wanted to fuck you in the sexy little thing you’d been tempting him with all night, the need to feel your skin was too great - and eased you down onto the bed.

You moved to the middle of it and Joel got undressed, his eyes watching you hungrily, the glint of his ring on your finger making him somehow even harder. You removed your bra and cast it aside before you slipped your panties down your legs and tossed them to the side, leaving you exposed and bare. You were everything it seemed like he’d ever wanted and you were his, the proof of it right there on your hand. He fisted his cock, pumping himself once, twice, as he climbed between your legs.

He wanted to make this last. He wanted to go down on you and swallow your pleasure until you were screaming with it. He wanted to kiss every inch of your skin. He wanted to tease you with his fingers until you were begging for his cock. But he wasn’t sure he could, not that moment. He had a feeling you wouldn’t be leaving the bed for a few days after this.

“Joel,” you panted, watching him, pupils blown and back arched. He smiled. For some reason, you wanted him like he wanted you.

“Yes, Mrs. Miller?” He breathed, settling between your open legs, the apex of your thighs hot against his skin. You moaned and rocked your hips up against him, your needy little clit pressing into his skin.

“Fuck,” you moaned, closing your eyes, fingers gripping his bicep tightly. “Love the sound of that…”

“You have no idea, Beautiful,” he said, kissing you, grinding his cock against your dripping slit. You moaned, the movement of your hips stuttering for a moment before you adjusted the angle so the tip of him was catching on your entrance with ever pass, just enough for the most sensitive part of him to be enveloped in your tight, wet heat.

“Need you,” you were almost gasping with it, desperate and wanting. “Please, please, need to feel you, I need…”

“Always going to give you what you need, Baby,” he said, his cock dipping further into you this time before he pulled back and pushed himself against your clit again. “Always gonna take care of you, always.”

He pushed into you then, firm but not to fast, your breath catching on your throat as he did. Joel kissed you, trying not to think about how damn good you felt, how it seemed like he belonged right there, deep inside you.

“Fuck,” your nails dug into him but he held on. “Fuck, you feel so fucking good how do you feel this fucking good?”

He could only moan in response, fucking into you, feeling you open up to him, your walls gripping him tight. He stayed still inside you for a moment, savoring it, the feeling of you around him while he was over you, the way you held onto him.

But he couldn’t last that way for long. You - his fiancee. His fiancee, no one else’s, you belonged to no one but him - felt too damn good for him to last too long inside of you and he had to move, he had to.

So he did, starting a little slower but still firm, pressing his hips into you so your hot little clit was against his skin.

He could feel you starting to tighten around him, like your body was trying to pull him deeper somehow, your lips messy and desperate when they found his, trialing little kisses over his body when they don’t.

“That’s it, Beautiful,” he panted into you. “Come for me, can feel how close you are, just let go for me, let me feel you. Need to feel you…”

You gasped his name and pressed your whole body tight against him as you came around him, your pussy fluttering around him, working his cock, all warm and soft trying to pull him as deep as you could take him. He fucked you through it, hardly able to hold off his own orgasm, the aftershocks of yours still rippling through your tight channel when he emptied himself into you until he didn’t even have the strength to hold himself up anymore, collapsing on you, his head over your shoulder so he could smell your skin and your hair. Fuck, he loved that smell. Fuck, he loved you.

After a minute, he adjusted the two of you so you were draped over his chest, your arms all soft and pliant, close enough that he could feel your heartbeat on his skin, feel your soft, little breaths on him. You held up your left hand, turning the ring back and forth in the light.

“You’re sure about this?” You asked, glancing up at him as you fidgeted with the ring.

“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything,” he said. “Would make you Mrs. Miller tomorrow if you’d let me.”

You laughed a little at that, putting your hand down on his chest and taking a deep breath.

“Doesn’t seem fair,” you said softly.

“What doesn’t?”

“You’ve given me so much,” you said. “You’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted - everything. Feels like I’m not holding up my end.”

“You kiddin’ me?” He scoffed. “You’re so perfect I have to remind myself that you’re real sometimes, that I’m not just imagining you. You make me the luckiest man on Earth every damn day by just breathing in the same room as me. If anything’s not fair, it’s that I got too greedy asking you to marry me. Should know to quit when I’m this far ahead.”

You laughed and pressed your lips into his chest, looking at the ring again, twisting it this way and that with your thumb.

“Make you a deal,” you said, adjusting your head so you were looking at him.

“What’s your proposal?” He asked, teasing.

“You take care of me,” you said. “Make sure I’m not getting too overwhelmed or overdoing it at work or just getting too in my own head. I’ll take care of you, make sure you take time for yourself, make sure you relax, make sure you know how great you are. Deal?”

He smiled a little.

“Deal, Mrs. Miller.”

You smiled bigger.

“Excellent, Mr. Miller.”

He kissed your forehead.

“Don’t have to change your last name, you know,” he said, giving you a squeeze. “I can always just call you that for my own damn enjoyment without making it official.”

You laughed a little.

“No, I want to change it,” you said. “Sarah was right all along. I think I’m going to make a great Miller.”

A/N: Ahhh! I hope you all loved reading the story of Joel and Sarah's best friend as much as I loved sharing it! These two are so fun and so sweet, I'm so glad I got to give them the happy ending they deserved.

Thank you so so much for being here, for following along with this little story that started as a one shot based on a request that came in after I wrote another one shot as a request. I so appreciate that you're here, that you've spent your time with this fic and these characters and all of your support. This corner of the internet means everything to me and it's because you're a part of it <3 Love you!

Taglist: @fanficismydrug

#fanfic #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x oc #new in town #joel miller smut

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kscheibles · 6 months

Text

christmas break (college bf! au)

content warnings: f! reader, fluff, smut, oral sex f! receiving, gagging

word count: 2.4k

a/n: merry christmas from your sweet boyfriend who also doms you :)

You watch the minutes pass on your computer clock as you sit under the punishing fluorescent lights of the library. You’ve been done with your assignments for a half hour, but have dutifully decided to stay with Matty until he finishes researching his term paper. It’s some rumination on Sartre you don’t quite understand but you told Matty you’d keep him company and you intend to keep your word.

He’s been homesick all semester, you can just tell. He takes every opportunity to bemoan the lack of brown sauce in New England and show you photos of his family preparing for the holidays back home in Wilmslow. In an effort to make him feel better, you’d driven to a specialty food store to buy him the specific chocolates he’d been craving the most. A few weeks ago, you’d looked up flights to Manchester together, hoping that with a few tricks you’d learned from a friendly compsci acquaintance, you’d be able to score a deal. But Matty’s on work-study and can barely make enough money to cover his living expenses, let alone a transatlantic flight. It will be his first Christmas without his family, no matter how he spends it.

He slams the top of his laptop down suddenly, sighing dramatically as he does. You rub your boyfriend’s thigh in hollow reassurance.

“You ready to head up?” he asks.

You nod. “Did you finish your research?”

“Fuck the research. I can’t focus, my Adderall has worn off anyway.”

“Okay,” you acquiesce, beginning to pack your belongings into your bag. The air is thick with something unsaid. Matty would never try to make you feel bad, but your excitement for the winter holiday is not something he shares. It makes you apprehensive to broach the subject of even going on a date to the local light show. You can’t imagine that would make him feel better.

You both trudge up to your dorm, as is your ritual. Matty always follows you to your door and waits for you to take your backpack off so you can give him a proper hug before he heads home. You would sleep together if you could, but the stiff single beds you rent are hardly comfortable, let alone sexy. At your door, you set your things down and envelop Matty between cold, brittle arms, squeezing him gently so hopefully he knows you care.

“I was thinking,” you start, pulling away to look in his eyes, “We have room for a guest at my house. I think my parents would be okay with you staying over the holidays as long as you take the spare bedroom. Would you like that? I know it’s not home home and my parents will definitely try to suss you out, but there will be warm food and Christmas traditions and–”

Matty cuts you off with a soft kiss on your lips. “I’d love to stay with your family, babe.”

Your face breaks into a grin. You nod slowly.

“Okay. Okay, then it’s decided. I’ll get them to cave.”

“My little meddler,” Matty beams, ruffling your hair. You catch his hands and move them off, smoothing your hair down.

“I’m their only daughter and they haven’t seen me in months,” you shrug.

“I love you,” he says, seriously.

You fall into his chest and smile, “I love you, too.”

It feels weird dragging your carry-on luggage up the pathway to the home that used to be yours. You have Matty in tow whereas the last time you lived here, you had never met him before. You’re transformed, yet when you put your key in the lock and step across the threshold, you feel like the same girl who lived there for eighteen years. You feel like a child again somehow.

“Mom, Dad! Matty and I are here!” you shout out. Your mom comes scurrying from the kitchen.

“Hi, how are you?” she asks you as she pulls you into a hug, rubbing your shoulders, “I thought you were supposed to have stopped growing. Harold, get in here, she’s grown three inches!”

You shake your head, chuckling. Your mom opens her arms warmly and holds Matty in a welcome hug.

“I’m Carol, nice to meet you,” she says.

Matty introduces himself as your dad shuffles into the entryway.

“Ah, there she is! I had a work call that ran long, shutting down for the holidays it can be a lot,” he leans down to hug you, “We missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” you sigh, “Especially missed your cooking.”

“Speaking of, I’m making Papa’s chicken tonight!” your dad exclaims, “Matty, I hope you aren’t a picky eater because we’ve planned a whole spread to welcome our girl back.” Your dad reaches out, offering his hand to Matty as he speaks.

“Not at all, sir,” Matty replies.

“Good then,” your dad states, “Why don’t I show you to your room, Matty? Let our girl get settled.”

You give Matty an apologetic look and head over towards the opposite side of the house and to your old room. It’s been preserved in its perfect adolescent state of whimsy, but something isn’t right. It's weird that it used to hold all of your clothes, all the evidence of your accomplishments, all your turbulent, hormonal emotions and now it’s like a movie set or a museum exhibit. Or an archeological site. Your bed is made with a childhood favorite stuffed animal in the middle against the pillows. You pick her up and give her a quick hug, she smells like home. You used to not be able to smell it because you smelled like home, too.

You take care unpacking your clothes, meticulously folding your sweaters and jeans, and placing them in your dresser. You open the windows to rid the place of the smell of nostalgia and then head back to the kitchen nook, where Matty is talking to your mom. You put on a brave face and massage Matty’s shoulders sweetly before sitting down with them.

When everyone’s departed to their separate rooms at night, you take an extra-long time doing your evening routine. You press each serum and treatment into your skin extra carefully and brush each tooth individually. When you’re sure your parents will have fallen asleep, you tiptoe to the other side of the house and open Matty’s door. He’s tucked into bed, back against the pillows, and phone in his hand. It almost flies out when he recognizes you in the doorframe.

“Fuckin’ hell! Thought you were the grim reaper,” Matty whisper-shouts as you make your way to the bed and tuck yourself in next to him. His arm pulls you close to him on instinct.

“You alright?” he asks.

“Yeah, just missed you,” you whisper.

“Awwwwww,” he pouts condescendingly, “Well, I’d love to have you stay, but your dad might actually take me outside and shoot me if he found you in here.”

“Oh god, did he give you the talk?”

“Just a little, don’t worry about me,” he consoles, “I kind of respect it anyways. I’m sure I’ll be the same with our daughter one day.”

“Our daughter?” you ask, looking up at his eyes.

“Too much? My daughter then. I dunno I just… I get the protective instinct.”

“It’s not too much,” you tell him, leaning over him to kiss him on the lips, “Very cute and very appreciated.”

Matty smiles into your mouth and you move to sit on his lap, straddling him comfortably.

“Well I really like your dad, too,” he says.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, he really loves you,” Matty states, rubbing circles onto your hip, “You can tell that everything he does is for you.” You get shy at that.

“It’s fine, you can call me spoiled.”

“Not spoiled if you deserve it,” he says.

“I want you to spoil me,” you say into his ear, “Need you, baby.”

“Baby, I can’t, Harold will have my fuckin’ balls.” You giggle in response.

“Will you just put it in, then? I’ll be so quiet, I promise,” you plead. You see a familiar glint in his eyes and feel him hardening under you.

“One sound and I take it out, you understand?” he tuts.

You nod eagerly. “I understand.” You move his pajama pants down and take yours off, moving your panties to the side as you sink down onto him. You breathe wildly for a moment when you’ve taken him all the way. Your world is spinning.

“You okay?” he asks. You nod, “C’mere.”

You fall into his chest, totally content, and start kissing his bare collarbone. You lay the side of your head on his shoulder and try to catch his eyes. He leans down and nips at your earlobe.

“Bein’ so good for me, baby,” the praise makes you squirm and you clench around him repeatedly, looking for some relief. “I can feel that,” he teases. You pout in response. Matty’s hands reach for the hem of your oversized nightshirt and lift it over your head, revealing your naked breasts to the cold night air. His hands cover them instantly and his head ducks down to take one of your nipples into his mouth.

“Matty,” you warn. He responds by lapping his tongue all over you, sucking you more insistently. He bites gently at the sensitive bud, and you whine loudly, involuntarily.

“Shhhhh,” Matty tsks, looking up at you, “You don’t want me to stop do you?”

You shake your head back and forth so quickly you think it might fall off. Then it tips back; you look at the ceiling fan hoping the sight will ground you but it doesn’t. Your body is filled with pleasure and you have no outlet.

“Matty, can I move? Please? I promise I’ll still be quiet.” Matty huffs frustratedly and lifts you off of him harshly. You look at him sadly while he gets up to get out of bed. You reach for his hand as he does, feeling as though you might cry if he leaves you hanging.

“Please, Matty, I didn’t know that talking counted. I need you!” you say as loudly as you comfortably can. His hand slips out of yours as he heads towards the closet and kneels down to rummage through his luggage, leaving you dripping on his sheets. When he turns around, he has a tie in his hands.

“What’s that for?” you ask.

“Well I was gonna take you to a nice dinner while we were here,” he says playfully, “But now…” He taps your bottom lip, a command to open your mouth. When you do, he places the silky fabric on your tongue, looking into your eyes for permission as he ties a snug knot at the back of your head. “Need to shut you up if I’m gonna give you what you want. Would you like that? Gonna be a good girl and take it nice and quiet?”

You nod, drool already pooling in your mouth, soaking through the tie. Matty pushes you down so you’re flat on your back. You make grabby hands at him as soon as you’re down, still trying to be good. He smiles good-naturedly and takes his pants all the way off before moving on to you, removing your last stitch of clothing: a heart-printed pair of cotton underwear you’ve probably had since high school. He kneels before you – knowing he’s being watched closely – and slowly brings his mouth down between your legs, breathing all over you before licking a broad stripe up your soaking cunt. You gasp, trying to stay as quiet as possible as he starts to fuck you with his tongue; filling you and leaving you again. You grab his hair and try to maneuver him a bit higher to your clit.

Matty takes the hint and starts working on you there, switching between flicking his tongue up and down and sucking at you. You can feel the pressure in your body building and you accidentally let out a moan. Matty stops for a second, looking up at you. You realize what you’ve done too late, slapping a hand to your mouth. Matty chuckles a little before leaning down again, thrusting two fingers into you.

“Keep that hand over your mouth, okay, baby?” You nod, delirious from lack and need and anticipation. Matty’s mouth finds your clit once more, licking side to side and keeping in rhythm with his hand fucking in and out of you. You can feel your moans trying to escape on your hand as you begin to buck your hips in time with Matty’s assault on your pussy. You tug on his hair a little to catch his eyes and nod, silently communicating to him. Then he’s sucking on your clit and you’re a goner. You burst into flames as you cum, clenching his fingers as he works you through it until the pleasure feels like pain. You remove your hand from your mouth and gasp, pulling your boyfriend away from your tortured cunt.

Matty kneels over you a second later, untying the gag, wiping your mouth gently, and pressing a kiss to your lips.

“Thought you were gonna fuck me,” you say playfully.

“Greedy, greedy.”

“Not greedy, I just want you to feel good,” you tell him earnestly. Matty lifts the tie up so you can see the wet spot you left on it.

“I’m gonna use this when you go to sleep don’t worry about me.”

“But I’m here now.”

“I know but I’m really quite scared of your dad,” he laughs a little as he says it, but you believe him.

“Okay,” you kiss him hard and long, “Goodnight.”

“G’night, baby.”

On Christmas morning, Matty knocks on your door before going to the living room. You beckon him in to sit on your bed, careful to leave the door open in case your parents wake up. You give him a quick kiss and then turn around to grab something from your dresser.

“Close your eyes,” you tell him. Matty looks at you questioning but finally gives in. You place the item on his legs and indicate for him to look.

On his lap is a set of pajamas, matching ones that your whole family wears.

“My mom gets them for all of us every Christmas, you don’t want to be caught without,” Matty is quiet, “Do you not like them?”

“I love them,” he says, pulling you into a hug, “I’m so grateful to your family for taking me in this Christmas. I felt like a bit of an orphan, to be honest.”

You hold his face in your hands.

“You always have a place here, okay?”

“Okay,” he smiles shyly.

“Merry Christmas, baby.”

#matty healy fanfic #matty healy x reader #matty healy x y/n #matty healy fluff #matty healy fanfiction #matty Healy #matty healy smut

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kpop-stories-21 · 6 months

Text

A Boyfriend For Christmas

Group: Stray Kids

Pairing: Han x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2.6k

Rating: 18-21+

Genres, Tropes, & AUs: Non-Idol AU, College AU, Romance AU, Strangers to Lovers, Fluff, Smut

Content & Trigger Warnings: Barista!Han, Student!Reader, strong language, unprotected sex(wrap that shit up kids), manhandling, oral sex(f receiving), edging, slight degradation, slight dumbification, intense orgasm, aftercare, after-sex cuddles

Summary: Telling your parents you had a boyfriend always kept them off your back about settling down. Now that they're coming up for Christmas your lie is about to be exposed. Luckily, Fate takes pity on you and has you running into a cute barista who captures your heart.

Tags: @kpop---scenarios @stardragongalaxy @jeonrose @skittlez-area512 @mybiasisexo @biaswreckingfics @anyamaris @trashlord-007 @liliesofdreams @rdiamond2727 @naturalogre @millennial-fangirl @twisted-tales-of-all @yoonguurt @staytinyville @dimpledsatan @kwanisms SKZ Tags: @lovelyhange

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Network pings: @kdiarynet | @cultofdionysusnet

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“Yes, Mom, I'm doing fine.” You sighed into the phone, rolling your eyes at her ill-founded concern.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me young lady.” Your mother scolded. “I’m just looking out for your wellbeing.”

“I know Mom, I know.” You admitted grudgingly. “Anyway, before you ask, my studies are going fine as well.”

“Good! Just remember, if at any point you want to change your major, you can go to your father’s friend Mr. Kim.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.” You said, knowing full well that you never would.

Just then your roommate Karina poked her head in and eyed you expectantly. You nodded in acknowledgement and began to end the call with your mother.

“I gotta go now Mom.”

“Okay sweetie. I’ll call back soon, I want to hear more about this new boyfriend of yours!”

Once you hung up, Karina stepped into your room.

“Still stalling her with the new boyfriend bit?” She inquired.

You nodded. “They haven’t questioned it so far.”

“Are they still planning to come up for Christmas?”

“Yeah, unfortunately.”

“So you have until then to find a guy?”

You frowned. “It’s either that or admit I’ve been lying, and that will not go over well.”

“Well, I wish you luck.” She said warmly. “I’m getting ready to head back home, you sure you’ll be alright staying here by yourself?”

“I’ll be fine Rina.” You say with a grin. “I can take care of myself.”

“Of that, I have no doubt.” Karina teased.

You laughed and chucked a pillow at her. “You better get going before your mom assumes you missing and calls the army.”

“Okay, Y/N! See you next year!”

After Karina left you fell into the same routine you always did, spending most of the day in the dorm room except for the few times you went outside to get coffee or takeout. A few weeks passed, and then came the dreaded call from your mother, announcing that she and your father would be coming up soon to spend Christmas with you.

Panic began to set in, and as you walked to the corner coffee shop one morning you wondered if you should maybe download Tinder or some other dating app. You were so lost in thought you failed to see the figure right in front of you until it was too late and you found yourself tumbling to the concrete, limbs tangled with those of whoever you had crashed into.

Looking up, you found yourself inches away from the most gorgeous man you'd ever seen. Eyes wide, the two of you just stared at each other for several moments until he finally snapped out of his daze and stood, brushing himself off before offering his hand. You took it and he gently pulled you to your feet.

“I am so, so sorry “ He began, remorse clear on his face. “I have a terrible habit of not watching where I'm going.”

You smiled comfortingly. “No, no, the fault is mine. My mind was elsewhere and I didn't even see you until we collided. It's me who should be apologising.”

He chuckled lightly. “Alright then. I happen to work at a coffee shop nearby, can I at least buy you a coffee or something to make it up to you?”

You needed no hesitation to answer his question. “You had me at coffee! I was heading to my favourite coffee shop anyway.”

“Perfect!” He exclaimed, smiling so widely his eyes disappeared.

“My name's Han Jisung, by the way. Most people just call me Han because they know at least one other Jisung.”

You grinned. “I'm Park Y/N and I happen to fall into that category as well! Nice to meet you, Han.”

As you walked you fell into a comfortable conversation with Han. He was easy to talk to, listening intently while also inserting little jokes and puns at the most opportune moments. Before you knew it the two of you were standing in front of the very coffee shop you’d been heading to before you ran into Han.

You were surprised, sure that you would have remembered seeing him there before. “You work here?!” You exclaimed. “I come here all the time, how come I’ve never seen you before?”

Han grinned. “I’ve only been here about a week, I’m kinda new in town.”

You nodded understandingly. “Ah, that would explain it.”

Han opened the door for you, making you blush a bit as you walked in. You’d been here enough times that you knew all the staff by name and considered them friends, so you received several greetings as Han stepped in behind you.

“Hey Han, you’re a bit early today.” Felix called out, blond hair in its usual ponytail.

“Yeah, me and Y/N here had a bit of a collision so I said I’d buy her a coffee to make up for it.”

Minho smirked mischievously. “Well I’m surprised she didn’t kiss you for that, Y/N-ah really loves her coffee.”

You glared at the brunette playfully. “Ha, ha. Very funny, Min.”

“I thought it was quite funny.” Black-haired Hyunjin quipped as he walked by.

You stuck your tongue out at him and he returned the gesture, stopping only when Jeongin started to complain about how grossed-out he was.

After ordering your coffee you sat down in a corner booth, watching fondly as they all teased poor Han about being perfect “boyfriend material” for you. Once they’d left him alone he came to join you, conversation picking right back up like nothing had ever happened.

Students and other people came in and out, oblivious as you talked with Han until his shift started. By the time you decided you should leave, the sun was already starting to set. You gaped at the time on your phone, shocked that you’d been out all day. Gathering your things you bid farewell to Han and your friends, and hurried back to your dorm.

Once back inside, you pondered your encounter with Han. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t find him extremely good-looking, and you were secretly hoping he’d feel the same. You’d never really believed in love at first sight, but there was no denying the instant attraction you felt when you made eye contact with him. It was worth pursuing at least, especially with your parents’ visit looming ever closer.

By the end of the following week you had exchanged numbers with Han, and hope was growing within you that maybe he felt something for you too. Having a boyfriend in time for your parents’ arrival was the last thought on your mind now, 90% of your brain was taken up with Han and how you felt about him.

One day you woke up feeling rather bold, and decided to just get it over with. Shooting him a quick text revealed he was free, and so you asked him to meet you at the wishing fountain near the coffee shop. He arrived there mere seconds after you did, curiosity written all over his face.

“Hey Y/N! Your text seemed kind of urgent, is everything okay?”

You nodded briefly. “Yeah, mostly. However, there is something I wanted to ask you.”

“Oh? Ask away then.”

Taking a deep breath, you blurted it out before you lost your nerve. “I really like you and I was wondering if it was at all possible that you like me too.”

Something akin to relief flashed across Han’s features, then he took your hands in his and held them tight. “I’ve been trying to work up the courage to ask you this very same question, but it seems you’ve beaten me to it.” Looking you right in the eyes he added, “Yes, I like you Y/N; so, so much. From the very moment we ran into each other you have been almost the only thing I’ve thought about.”

You blushed, feeling suddenly like a teenager speaking with her crush. “I’ve been the same way.” You admitted, which made Han smile brightly.

Leaning forward a little you caught his eyes and asked softly, “Can you kiss me?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” He remarked cheekily.

You smacked his arm playfully and he chuckled, pulling you close and covered your lips with his own. Fireworks exploded behind your closed eyes as your heart rate picked up, and you gripped his shoulders in an effort to ground yourself.

You parted after a moment, both of you breathing a little harder.

“That was…breathtaking.” Han murmured, hands coming up to gently cup your face.

“You took the words right out of my mouth.” You replied with a smile.

After that the rest of the week became a bit of a blur, most of your time spent either with Han or packing for the trip to the family cabin where you’d spend Christmas with your parents. You’d expected Han to go back and spend the holidays with his own family, but he insisted they wouldn’t mind if he went with you this time. So you soon found yourself driving those all-too-familiar roads while Han sat in the passenger seat and kept you company.

Upon arriving at the family cabin, you were surprised to find that your parents weren’t already there. Usually they would get there early to make sure the place was nice and cosy by the time you arrived, but this time they were nowhere in sight. Once you and Han carried all the luggage in you checked the answering machine to see if your parents had left a message. They had, and you played it immediately.

“Y/N sweetie, it’s your mother. We had a bit of an accident on the way here so we’re laid over for a few days until we can get the car repaired. Don’t worry about us, we’re both fine. You just have fun with your boyfriend and we’ll see you in a couple days!”

You turned off the machine and looked at Han. “Well, looks like we have the place to ourselves for a few days. What should we do?”

Han thought for a few minutes, then said “I have a few ideas, but they’ll all have to wait until the morning.”

You glanced at the time. “It is pretty late, I’ll fix us something for dinner and we can start our adventure in the morning.”

Han agreed to this and you set about fixing a quick meal of bibimbap, which he declared was the best he’d ever had. The two of you washed the dishes together, then retired to your room, where you unpacked and got ready for bed.

When you woke up in the morning it was freezing. Confused and more than a little concerned, you woke Han and together you made your way to the living room to look out the big picture window. To your utter chagrin, you saw that there’d been a massive snowstorm overnight and there was a thick layer of the stuff that reached halfway up said window.

“Seems we’re snowed in for the foreseeable future.” You grumbled, rubbing your arms vigorously to keep them warm.

“Hey, it’s not all bad.” Han stated as he came up behind you, engulfing you in his warmth as he wrapped his arms around you. “I can think of a few things we can still do.”

You looked up at him, curious. “Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Like…make breakfast together.”

You giggled and let him pull you towards the kitchen. “That sounds like a good place to start.”

Han, as it turned out, should not be allowed anywhere near a kitchen; a fact you only discovered after he put too much molasses in the cookies, dropped the jar trying to put some back, slipped on the sticky floor and pulled you down with him as the bowl of dry ingredients was dumped all over the both of you.

Sitting on the floor covered in multiple white powders with several sticky patches all over, you turned to a sheepish Han and gave him a playful glare. “You are banished forthwith from the kitchen, under pain of death.”

Han rubbed his neck, embarrassed. Then a look full of mischief came onto his face and he yanked his shirt off in one smooth motion, reaching over to do the same with yours. Before you could react or even open your mouth to complain, he had snatched you up and tossed you over his shoulder, all but running to your shared bedroom. You were dumped unceremoniously onto the slightly cool duvet, goosebumps popping up all over your skin at the contrast in temperature.

Looking up revealed Han hovering over you, eyes dark as he gazed down at you. A shock of arousal raced to your core, and you returned his gaze with rapidly growing want while quickly shucking off your sweatpants.

“You look so pretty laid out like this, baby.” He rasped, running his hands over the blue lace of your bra and panties.

“Wore them just for you.” You breathed, feeling your body heat up even more as he slipped his fingers under the waistband of your panties. “They’re an early C-Christmas present.”

“How thoughtful of you, baby. Now you just lay back and let me unwrap my present.”

The panties came off in one swift yank; then he hooked your legs over his shoulders and slid his tongue into your wet folds, eating you out like a man starved.

“Oh G-God, feels s-so good Han, please don't stop!”

His nose pressed against your clit as he continued his ministrations, bringing you to the edge three or four times but never letting you cum.

You were an overstimulated mess by this point, pitifully begging for your orgasm as if your life depended on it.

“Look at you baby, already going dumb and I haven't even fucked you yet. If you hold it till I finish, then I'll let you cum. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes, I can do it, I promise. Just please, please fuck me!” You babbled, mind blank aside from the overwhelming need for release.

“As you wish, my love.” He replied, making short work of his own pants and underwear before hovering over you once more, filling you to the hilt in one quick thrust that punched a sob of pure pleasure from your lungs, fingers wrapping the duvet in a death grip as you fought to hold back your orgasm.

Han set a rough pace, pounding into you with an urgency that belied his own imminent high. The sounds of squelching and slapping skin filled the room, the air permeated with the smell of sex and sweat. It made for a heady mixture of sensations that had your eyes rolling back as his thrusts grew faster, until finally he slammed into you one final time. Lips brushed your ear as he spoke the words you'd been waiting for: “Come for me baby.”

You let go, the world washing white as your limbs went stiff and liquid bliss flooded your veins, a hoarse scream ripping from your throat as your climax crashed over you. After a few moments that felt like forever, you began to come down, the white quickly replaced with black as you fully passed out.

You came to and found Han cleaning both of you as well as the duvet, a relieved smile appearing when he saw that you were awake. “Hey baby.” He murmured, kissing your forehead. “How do you feel?”

“Like I've been fucked into next year.” You whispered, voice almost completely gone. Han chuckled and pulled you under the duvet with him, wrapping around you to help keep you warm.

“Merry Christmas, my sweet Y/N.” He breathed, caressing your cheek.

“Merry Christmas to you too, my handsome Hannie.”

#cultofdionysusnet #fanfic #16 days of smutmas 2023 #MochaMadness:ThePerfectPair23 #kdiarynet #sandsofirenet #stray kids #han x reader #stray kids x reader #stray kids smut #stray kids fluff #stray kids han #han smut #han fluff #maturefanfic #18-21+#au

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baronessblixen · 7 months

Text

Prompt: 8. "Give me that, before anything happens."

Sequel to day 22 "Cookie Theft And Other Crimes" but can be read as a stand-alone: What happens when Mulder wakes up with Scully in his arms? (Fluff all the way! wc: 1,137)

Tagging @today-in-fic @xffictober2023

Fictober Day 27: Christmas With You By My Side

This could be a dream come true; he’s slowly waking up, Scully soft and warm in his arms, still fast asleep and snuggled against him. It would be a dream if it weren’t for the indistinct chatter becoming louder and clearer.

Mulder blinks his eyes open and loses himself in the sight of Scully with her mouth partly open as if she fell asleep in the middle of an argument. He brushes a strand of hair out of her face, afraid it’ll wake her. He’s hoping she’s so used to her family chattering about that they won’t wake her. He was not as lucky.

“Let them sleep a moment longer. It’s still early.” He hears the whispered hiss. That’s distinctively Mrs. Scully. He cracks a small smile. She of all people knows that her daughter needs all the rest she can get.

“Did you not see them?” Bill Jr. is awake too. Mulder is almost sad that he was blissfully asleep when the other man must have seen them down here on the couch together. He takes it all in. There’s a blanket over them so Bill Jr. couldn’t have seen that his sister is draped over him, her leg between his. Her head is resting on his chest, and he tries to keep his breathing even so that she slumbers on. Knowing Scully, she’d feel if something was wrong even in her sleep.

“I think they look cute.” That must be Tara, Bill’s wife.

“Cute? The guy showed up here in the middle of the night and no one even knew about it.”

“Bill, your sister wanted him here.”

“She doesn’t know what she wants.” Mulder takes a deep breath and tries to stay calm. Another glance at Scully to make sure she doesn’t hear any of this. Last night was hard enough. The throbbing in his jaw reminds him of when Bill Jr. discovered him here and showed him exactly what he thought of him. Mulder just took it and he knows he’d do it again. Maybe he shouldn’t have said the thing about him spending the night in Scully’s bedroom, but he couldn’t help himself. They ended up sleeping together anyway. Not in her bed, but why would they do any of this like normal people might? They left normal behind long ago.

“Bill!” Tara says, remembering too late they’re supposed to be quiet. “That’s your sister you’re talking about.” Mulder finds he likes Tara. How she ended up with someone like Bill Jr. remains a mystery. Maybe they can open an X-File on it.

“He’s caused her nothing but pain.” The disdain in Bill Jr.’s words hits Mulder unexpectedly. His eyes find Scully’s face, so peaceful in sleep. Last night all he saw there was hurt and weariness. He held her, let her know she wasn’t alone. And never would be. He made her smile, too. Elicited a small laugh even. Scully has reminded him more than once that none of what’s happened is his fault. Sometimes, though, it’s difficult to remember. What if Bill is right? The guilt gnaws at him.

“It’s not your place to decide who your sister spends her life with.” Mrs. Scully interrupts his pity party. “Fox and Dana have something special. She loves him and he loves her.” Mulder hears a gasp and for a moment isn’t sure if it came from Bill Jr. or out of his own mouth.

“But Mom…”

“You’ll be nice to him at breakfast.” It’s an order so harsh that even Mulder nods. “Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Mulder chuckles and that’s when he sees that Scully is looking up at him with a curious expression and the smallest of smiles.

“How long have you been awake?” he asks in a whisper, their faces close together. He should care about morning breath, but he doesn’t.

“Just a moment,” she says, her voice still sleepy.

“I hope I didn’t wake you.” She shakes her head, stretching, but not leaving his side. Instead, she snuggles closer and he has to control his breathing again. This time to not let her notice how excited he is. In more ways than one.

“No. It was Bill.” Her tone is laced with annoyance. “His voice has that effect on people.” Mulder just grins at her. “You know he’s wrong, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“When he said that you cause me nothing but pain.”

“You heard that, too?”

“I did, and I want you to get it out of your head. It’s not true. I see that worry line on your forehead there, Mulder.” She touches his forehead with the tip of her finger. “It’s not true.” She says, looking into his eyes. “You hear me?” He nods solemnly, trusting her. If she says it’s not true then all he can do is believe her.

“What about the thing your mother said?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” She’s so obviously lying that he has to laugh. Scully covers his mouth with her hand, not wanting to be found out. For the rest of the house, they’re still fast asleep. “Fine, I heard it.”

“You know it’s true on my end. I told you.”

“We’d just fished you out of the ocean, Mulder. I bet you said I love you to every nurse.”

“I didn’t, and I can just say it again now, Scully. I love you. Your mom is absolutely right about that. And you don’t need to say anything else now. I know how you are in the morning before your coffee. I don’t need the words from you. I know it in here.” He puts his hand on hers, close to his heart. “You follow me to haunted mansions and you let me comfort you when things get too much. I have everything I ever could have asked for.”

Scully doesn’t say anything, but he sees the wheels turning in her head. And then, completely unexpectedly, her mouth is on his. It’s a soft and tame kiss, appropriate for Mrs. Scully’s living room couch. But it’s still the best, most perfect kiss he’s ever received.

“Eww, there are grown-ups on the couch and they’re kissing!” A kid yells and suddenly it’s mayhem.

“They’re what!” Bill Jr. yells.

“Better give me that, before anything happens,” Tara says to either one of the kids or her husband.

“You get back into the kitchen, right now,” Mrs. Scully interferes before Bill can make it to the living room where Mulder and Scully still cling to each other and this moment. More and more people of all ages appear in the living room and Mulder doesn’t know who they are or where they came from. He can’t quite care either because Scully is still smiling at him. It’s already the best Christmas he’s ever had.

#fictober23 #fluff!#i feel happiest when i write it #and a sequel cause people asked for one #msr #xf fanfic #my writing #my fic

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specialagentlokitty · 3 months

Text

Master chief x male!reader - what you make me feel

Hi!👋 Would you be able to write a Master Chief x male reader fic with this prompt "I'm scared to tell you how I really feel, but I think you need to know." Where the reader says it? You don't have to if you don't want to😊 Thank you very much - Anon💜

You had loved every moment of your job, you loved the friends you had made along the way, and some of the beautiful sights you had seen.

If you had to pick a certain thing you enjoyed the most, it would have to be your late night walks.

It may have sounded strange to anybody, but it wasn’t so much the fact of walking that you enjoyed, though everybody did enjoy a good walk.

It was the company you had on the walk that you enjoyed.

Tonight was no different, usually between a particular dangerous mission you would walk around, you wouldn’t be able to sleep, you’d just spend a lot of time thinking about what could happen.

“You’re very quiet tonight.”

You flicked your gaze up to the man beside you, and you smiled a little bit.

“I guess I’m just thinking. I usually do before a big mission, but I’ve never been on one with you guys before. Most of my missions are usually Spartan free.”

John nodded his head.

“You have nothing to worry about.”

“I’ll always worry before a mission. I’ll worry about my squad, you know? Like if something happened to them, and my mom if something happened to me.”

“I see. You send your mother letters every time, correct?”

You smiled brightly at him, turning around to walk backwards.

“Oh yeah, I mean I send her letters all the time but before a mission I always make sure I’ve got a letter written for her. Each time I come back I bin it and write a new one the next time.”

“What do you write in them?”

“Well, I tell her about what I’ve been up to, what I’m allowed to tell her anyway. I’ll tell her about the books I’ve read, and I’ll always remind her that I still play that song she loves on guitar so when I go home I can play it for her again.”

John nodded his head.

“Is that the song you are always playing?”

“Yeah, she fucking loves it, I don’t know why, but it makes her happy so I don’t mind it really. Oh! And she sent me some of those books you were asking for, they’ll be here next week.”

“Tell her I said thank you. I will return them when I’m finished.”

You laughed and shook your head.

“No, John, they’re yours. You can keep them, she got them for you. And a sweater since it’s coming up to winter, she actually sent all the Spartans one so you won’t get cold.”

John rose a questions brow at you, placing his hand on your shoulder so he could guide you around the corner before he let go.

��She’s a little old woman John, let her have this.”

“Well tell her thank you.”

You beamed brightly at him, turning back around so you could carry on looking where you were walking.

“Do you ever get nervous before a mission?” You asked.

“No, why would I?”

“I guess it’s just that thought knowing that we could die at any given point. I mean I know we can anyway, but know I could die out there it’s kind of scary.”

“Why do you keep going?”

“For my mom, for the dream I had as a little boy to explore space.”

John nodded his head, glancing down at you.

“May I ask you something?” He asked.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“I would like to join you for your holidays again this year, is that okay? I found last year to be rather interesting, I would like to see that again.”

You grinned brightly.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Thank you, will I have to wear that paper hat again?”

“My mom loves the whole Christmas aesthetic, you’re definitely going to be wearing the paper hate and an ugly Christmas sweater which will be the most uncomfortable fabric you’ve ever worn.”

He nodded his head.

“What did you write in your letter for your mother this year?”

“Well, I told her about some projects I’ve been working on, again about that song she loves, I also told her about my pay rise, and the fact I’ve fallen in love with somebody, since she asks every single time we speak.”

“Oh?”

You smiled a little to yourself.

“Yeah, I’ve not said anything yet though. I don’t know if it’s too soon, so I thought I’d wait until after the mission, then say something.”

“Would it not make more sense to say something beforehand?”

“Maybe, but I don’t want the worry of what this person will while I’m out there, I can’t be distracted.”

You stopped by the door of your quarters, and you grinned up at him.

“Anyways, I’m going to try sleep. Later John.”

“Goodnight.”

John made his way back down the hallway while you went to try and get some sleep before the mission.

In the morning you pulled your uniform on, made sure to leave the letter neatly on your desk in case anything happened to you.

Pulling your helmet on you joined your squad to get the mission started.

Everything seemed to be going well, so far you had all managed to stick to your schedule, everything going as planned.

Of course that’s when things had to go wrong, the Coventry got the jump on you.

You all began taking heavy fire, and you were hiding behind some buildings, barking out orders to your squad while John was doing the same thing next to you.

“Focus on the evacuation, we’ll handle the Coventry.” He said.

You nodded your head, patting your hand on the stomach of his armour.

“Be safe.”

With that, you jogged away behind some buildings to help your people evacuate the citizens to the safe zone so they could be taken away.

You had already taken a couple of trips when you heard the cries from some people stuck in a building.

Looking around, you found the small back door had been covered by fallen debris and you rushed over, trying to pry them apart but you couldn’t.

You pressed the comm on your vest.

“I need one of the Spartans, Cortana send my location to them.”

You carried on trying to get the large rock aside, and a minute later there was somebody next to you to help.

John easily moved the rock aside, and you ushered everybody away to a few of your squad.

“I’ll check inside.”

“Be quick.” John said.

You nodded, making your way inside, gun raised as you carried on looking through the rooms one by one.

The ground shook a little and you paused, then you carried on going, and it shook a lot more.

“Let’s go!” John called.

“On my way!”

You jogged back down the stairs, back towards the back door where John was waiting for you, and another tremble shook the ground, this time knocking you over, cracks filled the walls, and before you could roll over there was debris falling everywhere.

“(Y/N)!”

John ran inside, debris bouncing off his armour.

He crouched over you, and you breathed shakily.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

You slowly nodded your head, and you brushed some of the dust from your face.

“I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes…”

The trembling finally stopped and he slowly stood up, carefully not to drop any of the debris on you.

John held his hand out, and you let him help pull you up.

“We need to go.”

“Yeah, let’s move.” You replied.

Both of you made your way out, and you looked around before making your way to the safe zone.

“You know, I think I realised something back there…” you mumbled.

John glanced down at you, then back to where he was looking.

“What’s that?” He asked.

You made sure you comma were turned off, gesturing for him to do the same thing which he did.

"I'm scared to tell you how I really feel, but I think you need to know."

John froze for a second before he carried on walking.

“I love you, I get you might not know anything about that, or what to do or say or whatever and that’s cool, you don’t have to know. I.. I just thought I should put it out there.” You said quietly.

John didn’t reply, and you sighed a little bit.

“Evacuation is complete, let’s go, now.” John ordered.

Everybody filed into their respective aircraft’s, and you did the same thing, standing at the doors as they went up.

You stumbled back a little bit.

“Cap, you good?” Someone asked.

You nodded your head, and you went to run your hand up and down your side, when you stopped, finding that your uniform was soaked.

You pulled your hand away, seeing the red on your skin.

“Oh for shit sake..”

You stumbled back again, two of your men catching you, and they lowered you to the ground slowly putting pressure on your wound.

“There’s some metal in there.” One of the guys said.

“We’ll do that we can until we’re back, just hang in there cap.” The other said quietly.

You slowly nodded your head, trying to focus on your breathing and not the pain that was slowly washing over you.

Your men did whatever they could there and then, they took your vest off, cut your shirt, they tried to get a better view of the wound but it wasn’t safe to remove the metal.

Instead, then focused on packing the wound to trying and stop you from bleeding out, trying to keep you awake, but you were slowly fading.

They didn’t know much blood you had lost.

“He’s got internal bleeding, we need to go, now!” One of them snapped.

“We’re nearly there!” Another called.

One of the guys gently slapped your face, and you groaned a little, turning your head away from him.

“Come on cap, I know you’ve got a little more fight in you.” He said.

You mumbled something he couldn’t understand, and he wiped the blood from the corner of your mouth on his sleeve.

“We’re gonna get you home and you’ll be alright…”

The aircraft landed, and a team of medics were waiting nearby, as well as the Spartans who were waiting to take over to take the civilians somewhere safe.

Your squad helped you on to a stretcher, and the medics rushed you down with your squad following close behind.

John was walking back with the admiral when he saw the stretcher rushing past, and he caught a glimpse of your face before you were rushed away.

“You’ll be of no use while he is in surgery.” The admiral said, “take them to the agreed upon location then come back.”

John slowly nodded his head, pulling his helmet back on, a sense of urgency in his step as he rushed to aircraft.

He needed to get there and back as soon as possible, he was beating himself up over it, how hadn’t he noticed? How did he miss that? How did cortana miss that?

He felt responsible for the condition you were in, maybe if he was quicker, maybe if he’d noticed sooner he could’ve done something about it, he could’ve helped you

#halo #halo x reader #halo x you #halo imagine #halo the series #John 117 #John 117 x reader #John 117 x you #John 117 imagine #master chief #master chief x reader #master chief x you #master chief imagine

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bomberqueen17 · 7 months

Text

every other year

So my family has this thing, where every other year we get together for Christmas, and the off years are for those of us with in-laws to go see them.

Odd years are my with-family years, even are with Dude's family.

And then we do Thanksgiving the opposite. So this is an odd year, so Thanksgiving is here in Buffalo, and Christmas is with my family.

And somehow this never fucking works.

So the year Dad died was an even year. I was to be here for Christmas. Dad died very suddenly on Dec 21st of 2020. Mom wouldn't let me come home. I spent Christmas silent in a corner at Dude's mom's, because I was grief-stricken and in shock. I was not allowed to view his body, he was cremated before I could come home.

The next year was to be our first Christmas together without him. Last-minute, older sister called us all up-- second week of November-- and said "ah can we do Thanksgiving together instead? My in-laws are demanding we do Christmas with them!"

No, I said, because I can't change my plans so suddenly. Everyone else could, so they did, and I got in my car and left the farm just after they all arrived, because I had already made promises and it was too late to cancel them. I drove home crying, cold and alone, and had a very quiet thanksgiving with dude's mom and aunt. Because I had promised to. I spent Christmas with some friends in Rochester, because they had room for me.

Last year was a Christmas-here year. We had Thanksgiving at the farm, and we had a wonderful time, and then I came home and it snowed five feet and I spent Christmas shoveling snow to rescue Dude's mom. We couldn't get his aunt out but fortunately she had enough provisions to get through it.

This year in like October my older sister called me and asked to clarify what the plans were, and I told her, it's an odd year, so it's a Thanksgiving apart, Christmas together year. She said great, that's fine, we're on, let's do it. So I made my plans.

November eighth her husband invited his mother to come up for Christmas, neatly locking them out of coming up here. So she called us all again and said "ah! switcheroonie! Thanksgiving together instead?"

And again I said, "I cannot change my plans so suddenly," because Dude's mom had already reviewed the menu with us, had already bought the ham she was going to make, had already begun her preparations, because that is the kind of person she is.

"Maybe we'll come up right after Christmas," older sister said, and I said "I can make arrangements to accommodate that, let me know as soon as you can".

No, the answer was no, she couldn't make that happen. She couldn't drive up twice in two months. "Why don't you guys come down here instead," she asked, which is what we did in 2017, the last time we were all together, but that had been the plan from the beginning that year, we did Christmas together and it worked out. Another time we did New Year's together as a make-up for Christmas but I can't figure out which year that was. I did confirm just now looking back at my photos that they missed christmas 2019 and we did a make-up New Year's event at the farm that year.

No, I said reluctantly, I can't do that, because among other things I can't leave my cat at the boarding kennel long enough to go to Baltimore after having spent the holiday near Troy NY. And like, it is a *brutal* drive back from Maryland to Buffalo and there is always snow somewhere along that route, we've had a miserable time of it both years we've gone down there.

Anyway. So now they're coordinating Thanksgiving plans, and someone asked a question and I answered, and then said, "I will, as I said, not be able to attend", and Farmsister wrote back with the most condescending bullshit I have ever encountered, saying that since she spends every Thanksgiving right there, and anyone is always free to join in, I'm not being excluded just because I choose to be somewhere else.

Did she think I felt like I hadn't been invited??? Does she think I'm somehow letting the family down by honoring promises I had already made???? I promised to be somewhere else, that is not the same thing as declining to attend!

So that set me off and I've sent a bunch of unhinged shit to the family groupchat, but. Like. i'm not crazy. Am I????????

Older sister was like "well we can make plans for next year" and I said straight out to her, okay, so I go to my in-laws this year on Thanksgiving, and I say I want to reverse things, and do Christmas with my family next year, and this is enough notice so they'll surely go along with it, and so mother-in-law buys her tickets for California and is confirmed and is going out there next Christmas, no problem. And then next November 1st or 8th or 16th my brother-in-law pitches another tantrum, and again plans are reversed, and I'm left out of Christmas, having already excluded myself from these other plans. What do I do then?

Maybe I'll tell my dude to plan to go with his mother to California, I said, and the two of them can go and be out of the way, and then I can sit by the phone and be available, and if you have space to squeeze me in I can show up, and if not I can make last-minute plans with the friends I go to when this happens (every time) and I need last-minute plans, they're always welcoming. I can't do this to Dude, he needs things to be set, but I can scramble last-minute. So is that what I should do? Just leave myself open, so I can come if you have room for me, but I won't know until the last minute.

I understand that this is my horrible brother-in-law's fault (NOT farm-BIL, who is not involved in this; he also has a horrible dramatic family but unlike some he has put in a lot of work and tries to keep that from spilling over to affect other people too much) and my sister is in a stressful position trying to keep everything together. I get that. But it is literally always my problem that I cannot drop everything and scramble. And I'm blamed for it, that I'm inflexible and can't just make the best of it. Everyone else is mad that I can't just pretend this is okay. And, obviously, blames me. And I'm sort of over it.

So anyway I'm writing this down because I'm fucking terrible at planning and at remembering things, but my blog entries are a big part of how I have been able to piece together the truth in the face of literally the entire rest of my family claiming that it's never been a problem before.

No, it's been a problem every time, it's just that it's only my problem, so nobody else remembers or cares. But it has, in fact, been a problem. Every time. Just, only for me.

#about the author #personal #family shit #holidays #bullshit

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callsign-joyride · 1 year

Note

Bradley Bradshaw & number two! 🩷

G.U.Y. | Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Summary: Bradley teaches you a lesson after his class reunion.

Content warnings: SMUT (18+), rough sex, unprotected p in v, spanking (once), spitting, ass play, squirting, creampie, cum eating, overstimulation (I blacked out while writing this lmao it's filthy)

Prompt: "Will you stop talking or do I have to make you shut up?"

This was written for my Summer of Smut writing event. Feel free to send in requests!

Bradley never went to his class reunions. Sure, he had been invited. He wasn’t popular, but he knew everyone and everyone knew him. He tried to put his past behind him after graduation, especially after joining the Navy. He didn’t hate going to school by any means, but Carole was sick for most of the time that he was in high school, so he had to skip out on most of the extracurricular activities.

He tried to hide the invitation for the twenty-year reunion under a stack of mail, but you found it when you were looking for the water bill.

“What’s this?” You asked as you handed it to him. He was watching an old baseball game in the living room.

“An invitation for a class reunion. I’m not going. I never go to those things, anyway.”

“I think you should go. It’ll be close to Christmas and we could visit your parents at the cemetery.”

Bradley put the piece of cardstock down and stood up to put his hands on your hips.

“You would go to Virginia with me? In the dead of winter?”

“Yeah… I mean, it’s where you’re from. You’ve been to Arizona with me tons of times. Maybe you’ll have more fun if I’m there.”

You ended up being right, for the most part. Phoenix was willing to keep an eye on the home that you and Bradley shared while you were out of town. You planned the trip so that you’d be back in Fightertown just before Christmas, so you’d be able to spend the holidays with the Dagger Squad. You landed in Virginia around dinner time the night before the reunion and dropped your bags off at the hotel before going out to eat. He wanted to go to an Italian place that was Carol’s favorite, and you were excited as the host seated you and handed you the menus.

“What was your mom’s favorite wine?” You asked as you looked at their selection of wines.

“I don’t know… Mom didn’t really drink that much, but she always ordered the primitivo when we went here.”

“Okay, I’ll order it, then. And we’re here for a few days so I might order a bottle if I like it.”

“You really don’t have to, but I can buy the bottle if you like it.”

Bradley ended up buying you the bottle of wine. You were both exhausted when you got back to the hotel, so you put the bottle in the fridge and started getting ready for bed. Everything about the night was normal, with you easily falling into your routines even though you weren’t at home. Bradley ordered breakfast to the room after you woke up and you both started getting ready.

“One of my buddies texted me last night, said his wife thought she saw me at that restaurant. D’you wanna get lunch with them?” He asked. You thought about it for a moment before finishing applying your lip gloss.

“I mean, I don’t see why not. You’re not in town very often.”

“I’ll let him know.”

The lunch went well, and it was nearing time to head out for the reunion. It was going to be hosted in the gymnasium of the high school with dinner and dessert provided. Soft music played when you walked in with Bradley, you in a simple green dress, and Bradley in a white Henley and jeans. His dog tags were on the outside of his shirt this time, because he really hadn’t seen most of his classmates since graduation.

“Great,” he grumbled as the two of you were finally able to sit down.

“What is it?” You asked.

He picked up the place card that was across from you and did a double take of it. Of course his ex was going to be there, she was one of the “popular” girls. And of course someone put them at the same table. As he explained the situation, you gently took the place card out of his hands and walked over to a nearby table. You were going to swap out the place cards, but he stopped you before you could get the chance.

“Maybe there was a reason for it? I don’t think she’ll try anything, anyways.”

“Okay.”

Bradley talked to a few people who approached the two of you for a few minutes before you got up to go to the bathroom. When you came back, Bradley’s ex-girlfriend, Cassandra, was sitting in her seat across from Bradley and it looked like she was trying to flirt with him. He was being quieter than usual until you got to the table and put your arm around his shoulders and said hi to Cassandra.

“Oh! Are you his new girlfriend?” She excitedly asked.

“Well, we’ve been together for almost three years. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Bradley, I thought you were single!”

“I’m not, so…” Bradley shrugged his shoulders and announced that he was getting up to get a drink. You asked him to get you water and something to snack on while he was over there, and he said yes.

When he left, you were having small talk with Cassandra. She asked you where you were from, what you did for work, other things like that. When he came back, you looked like you were getting angry and you sounded like it, too.

“That’s interesting. Bradley never wanted to get married or have kids when he was with me. I always thought that it was because of what losing both of his parents did to him.”

“Or maybe it was just you that he didn’t want to marry or have kids with… Just a thought.”

You didn’t even realize that Bradley had come back until he put your water and snacks in front of you. He put his hand on your shoulder as he sat down with his beer.

“Hey, I think maybe you should calm down a little bit,” he said. You glanced at him and took a sip of your water before looking back over at Cassandra.

“I mean, look at you. You were the popular girl with mom and dad’s money to let you do whatever you wanted. I’ll tell you right now, I wouldn’t be with Bradley if he didn’t want to have kids. He’s a nice guy, too, so I think it’s just you. From what I’ve heard, you were quite the mean girl. It’s no wonder that you’re still single.”

“Alright, you’re taking this a little too far. Cassandra, I’m sorry for what was just said. I think we’re gonna head out. I’ll see you around,” Bradley said. He grabbed your bag and helped you stand before you walked out of the building.

The drive back to the hotel was silent except for the radio softly playing. Bradley unlocked the room for you before closing the door and locking it.

“Take off your dress and get on the bed,” he said as he kicked his shoes off.

“I hope you know that I’m not sorry for what I said to that bitch earlier.”

Bradley sighed and walked over to you. He rolled you over so that you were on all fours and you could feel his hardened cock press up against you.

“Will you stop talking or do I have to make you shut up?” He asked as he moved your panties to the side.

He rubbed your pussy and you let out a small scream as he slammed his cock inside of you. With his arms around your waist, he moved in and out of you at a grueling pace. He pulled out almost all the way and smacked your ass before slamming into you, eliciting a moan from you.

“Oh, you liked that, didn’t you?” He rasped into your ear. You could only moan in response as he continued to pound into you. You groaned as you felt a warm droplet of spit and let out a sharp cry as Bradley used that as lubricant to slowly insert his thumb in your ass.

“You want me to stop?” He asked.

“Bradley, fuck - don’t stop! Feels s’good,” you said.

His thrusts got impossibly faster and he used his other hand to rub your clit as he brought you closer to the edge. You came right as you felt Bradley’s cock twitch inside of you, gushing all over him and the bed. With his cum leaking out of you, Bradley rolled you over and put a pillow under your back before starting to go down on you. You let out a cry from the burn of his mustache on your sore clit and he moved up to lay his head on your chest. He glanced over at the clock on the bedside table and looked up at you before kissing you.

“Let’s get cleaned up and then we can go and get something to eat,” he said as he carried you to the bathroom. Before the two of you left to get tacos, Bradley called room service to get a clean set of sheets.

“You should do that more often. I like it rough,” you said as you and Bradley got to the lobby of the hotel.

“You gotta stop doing that. We’re in public.”

Taglist:

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#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster x reader #bradley bradshaw #rooster smut #top gun maverick #rooster #rooster top gun #bradley bradshaw imagines #x reader #reader insert #top gun #bradley bradshaw smut #callsign joyride's summer of smut

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thistlesofgrace · 5 months

Text

Whenever I find myself bothered by something I try to understand why I feel a certain way and what the root cause of the issue may be.

Last week, my brother and his wife (who never make the drive to come visit in the town we live in, always have to go to them) came up for dinner. Felt odd, but discovered it was to announce they are pregnant. It’s very early - like 6 weeks along. My mom was very excited for them. I’m not sure I’d announce so soon, but they did.

I too am excited for them but I would be lying if one of my immediate responses wasn’t “oh man, another year about them.” Ouch, Hannah, why?

I recognize the feelings from that come from, they got married last April and for over a year leading up to the wedding, there were all kinds of events, trips and projects. My brother married someone who has high expectations and they spend a lot of money, in my opinion, keeping up with their friends. In fact, while I was going through peak stress meltdown from my former job and some health issues, they guilted me into creating custom corn hole boards for them for their wedding. It was somewhat expensive and something that took several weekends to complete. They also repeatedly used M’s handyman skills to help build an elaborate display wall that held all their champagne glasses at their wedding. It was fancy. And they sold it for like $1000. Profited off M’s labor 🫡

Back during the planning (I’m not kidding there was a wedding binder and wedding Wednesdays!) they decided that they’d have the maid of honor and best man give speeches. To my own surprise, my feelings were hurt by that and I actually spoke up and said that I wanted to give a speech. I’m your own sibling and I’m great with words (and funny!) Come on! My brother acted like he had no idea that I would even be interested which was wild to me.

So they made room in their very tight wedding schedule to allow me to give a speech. And out of the 3 speeches given, it was pretty obvious I was the only one who put time, thought and practice into mine. Go figure.

Anyway. I think this is all good background information to process my feelings regarding last nights events.

Last night we went to dinner with them and they started talking about baby names. Knowing my brother, he’s not sitting around pondering names of his future children but his wife immediately spouted off “their” list. Which contained TWO of my most favored names that I’ve been vocal about since the early days M and I got together. I know at some point, I would have shared this information with her/them.

My face had to have been obvious, I was shocked. But then it occurred to me. I have become such a side character in their lives and everything is about them. It kind of made me spiral and rethink about their wedding. And how they ditched my birthday in October to be with their friends instead. And they didn’t come to our Christmas because it was more important to go to her families for the second consecutive year. It just seems to be a theme but the name thing really had me internally screaming. It’s not even a common name, and the way she immediately looked at me and said “I found it in some book..”

To make the conversation even more cringe worthy, his wife asked if my best friend had given birth yet. Yep. 7 months ago. I’ve posted tons of pictures, talked about them endlessly and even traveled to visit. It took some serious self control not to ask to leave the table.

While I’m not currently pregnant (that I know of) I just felt unseen and small to the person that has known me my entire life. And somewhat because of who he has chosen as a partner.

I swear if they really choose my favorite name, I’ll make some unhinged comment about how weird it will be for two cousins to have the same first name. 🤣 At this rate it’s not like they’ll know each other that well or be in the same school systems.

And finally. Perhaps just for myself to note, I don’t think anything they do is out of maliciousness, I truly think they are just living in their own world and none of this is apparent to her. My brother might have some ability to reflect, if a conversation takes place. But we never really spend much time having meaningful conversations and I hate to make him feel bad.

So instead I’ll write it down here.

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boatem-probler · 6 days

Text

That There's a Choopah Cobbler in... Tokyo Soul!

1 / You Are Here! / 3 / 4

Hello once again dear readers! Al Boatem-Probler here to bring you another report on this mid-2010s Minecraft roleplay series.

Everyone's favorite boy is here, which means I will now be keeping track of Deaths Witnessed, Injuries Sustained, and Other Traumatic Events, the way @paranoidpug did in her own summaries. Not to mention, I've gotten to the episodes that haven't been covered in @sketchygainedyoursoul's summaries! Very exciting!

This report contains mentions/discussion of: scatological humor, violence, guns, stalking, harassment, and Professor Geode Rocks.

Previously on Tokyo Soul:

“STOP DROP AND RICKROLL” – Dom

“Fish are just flowers that swim in the ocean.” – Taurtis

“I’ve never felt so unsafe in my life.” – Taurtis

This Time...

Episode 6 – THE NEW GIRL!

I forgot to write this down last time, but it’s been established that Taurtis can and WILL fall asleep literally anywhere. I was reminded of this because Sam decided to sleep in Taurtis’s bedroom, while Taurtis fell asleep standing up directly outside the door.

Sam attempts to wake him up by enticing him to eat the sushi that has been sitting on their kitchen table for over a day now.

Sam insists he can see the creepy old man hiding behind a wall near their house. Taurtis insists he’s crazy. In a break from form, Sam is actually telling the complete truth this time.

Dom is putting the horrible old sushi on a bagel. Just thought you guys should know this.

They know what happened to Grian now, he went to the other Tokyo, you know, the one in Canada.

Sam: “Do you remember Grian? He’s lived with us for a very long time?” Taurtis: “That guy with the glasses, who had that rocket ship? Yeah, the rich person!” I think this is probably referencing the Yandere prequel thing? IIRC they were doing it at the same time as Tokyo Soul, but I’d have to check to be sure.

Checking the dates on the episodes… oh dang this one went up on Christmas Eve. Grian Christmas Present Momence. Okay, the first episode of Yandere went up nearly four months after this episode, so uh… in conclusion I have no idea what’s going on with this dialogue. Interesting.

Dom calls Grian “the Friendly Kid”.

Anyway they go to pick Grian up from the train station. I can’t tell if this is a different train station or if the name of it has changed between episodes.

GRIAN’S HERE!!!!!

Grian: “I don’t know whooooo was responsible for that. But you sent me halfway round the globe.” Sam: “Why are you looking at me when you say that, it wasn’t my fault!” Grian: “I just feel like… you just gave me the wrong ticket, that’s all.” Sam: “I put ‘em all in a box, I shook ‘em up, and I randomly drew one.” Grian: “And two of them went to Tokyo, Japan, and one of them went to Tokyo, Canada.”

I just had to relate nearly all of that conversation because right now I feel like any of it or none of it could be true. Because playing Russian Roulette with their plane tickets is some shit Sam would do I think, but intentionally giving Grian the wrong ticket and lying about it is also some shit Sam would do I think. So I’m just like, putting it out there for public debate.

Taurtis: “How long did it take you to realize that it wasn’t actually Japan?” Grian: “When I was on the plane, and they said Welcome to Canada.”

Apparently Grian had to spend all of his own money on the plane ticket back from Canada.

Taurtis: “How do you get your face caught in a blender?” Grian: “It happened One Time.”

They notice Geode walking to school. It seems he lives in a house with some kind of weird construction on top of it that is perpetually on fire.

Sam makes Grian show them the way to the school he hasn’t been to yet. Grian ends up asking Igbar von Squid again.

Hey whatever texture pack these guys are using has a really good nighttime skybox! This shit is pretty!

Sam’s mom texts him apparently???? I wasn’t aware she existed.

Sam and Taurtis nonchalantly introduce Grian to the creepy old man. Grian is appropriately terrified.

A new student turns up, named Yee, who’s Minecraft skin is I think supposed to be Monster Kid from Undertale. They have immediately started hitting on… one of the boys, it’s unclear which.

There is a circle of blood around a sheep’s head inside the school.

Grian: “Ooh, this school is an upgrade… [walks around the corner] Ohhhkay I take back what I said.”

Ah, apologies, it’s a goat’s head. Someone killed one of Señor Loro’s goats.

Regardless, Sam and Taurtis make Grian wrestle for his class schedule. Grian legitimately sounds terrified the whole time. Señor Loro accidentally punches a hole in the wall and runs off in shame.

Ohhhhkay, the creepy old man is IN the school, WEARING a girl’s school uniform.

Taurtis and Sam attempt to pressure Grian into going over to talk to him. It actually doesn’t entirely work, they end up all going over there. Taurtis and Sam attempt to set up the two “newbies”.

Taurtis: “Grian, you like girls, right?” Grian: “No, I’m into dudes.”

Ellen was Grian’s baby gay awakening. Taurtis immediately wants to know who Grian thinks is cuter, him or Sam. “You guys are just not my type,” Grian says. He does however admit that Taurtis has “some good glutes”.

Geode is collecting the goat blood from the floor. I cannot stress enough that Geode looks aggressively normal. He is wearing the blandest suit and has the blandest haircut imaginable.

Grian’s locker is absurdly far away from everyone else’s. Like down multiple hallways.

Episode 7 – SENOR LORO!

Tori tells Sam off for punching another kid who came in late. She is the only reasonable teacher in this school probably.

Tori is taking them fishing this class.

They walk past the girl’s bathroom next to the pool because Tori is lost. There is another goat head in it. Sam and Taurtis decide to take the head with them, in case they run into Señor Loro. Grian is worried he’ll think they killed it.

They continue to the pond behind the school, where they are given fishing rods to use. For some reason, the fishing rods sound like guns. I feel like this wasn’t intentional.

Creepy man sighted once again. Sam is now calling him Grian’s “girlfriend”.

Not Dying Class! Nurse MD has decided to call Grian “Mr. BoyMan”. Today, they are competing in a Food Pyramid Scavenger Hunt for the prize of a lifetime subscription to Hunter x Hunter. Their homework is to eat at least one item on the food pyramid. Grian is mad that their teacher isn’t teaching them anything.

Sam and Taurtis terrorize Grian with, uh, Bathroom Chocolate. Grian throws up a couple times. To be honest I’m not entirely sure what Sam and Taurtis are and aren’t doing In The Fiction so to speak, but Grian definitely vomited, so I feel I must put this on the record.

The principal has been sighted by the vending machine! Grian disagrees with his staffing choices, and tells him so, very vehemently. The principal gives Nurse MD a raise. Nurse MD gives Grian detention.

Nurse MD: “Go to the guidance counselor to get your attitude in check.” Grian: “You need to go back to university to get your degree sorted.”

Grian: “Dr. Nurse MD has to be there while I do the detention, sucks to be him!”

Apparently Nurse MD is allowed to just lock him in a room, actually. Also half the school was filming this altercation from the courtyard.

Sam: “I think that’s going up on YouCrab later.” Grian: “Good, I want everyone to know what useless staff they have here.”

Apparently “this sort of thing really triggers” Grian, this sort of thing presumably being incompetent teachers. He’s sort of using “trigger” flippantly here, but like, you could very well argue it’s true.

Oh, apparently “detention” means you have to wrestle Señor Loro. At least Sam legitimately offers to tag in for Grian (after a little while enthusiastically cheering for Señor Loro to “give him the ol’ one-two”).

They tell Señor Loro about the second Goat Murder, and he asks them to help him look for the rest of his missing goats. He gives them each a “Crystal of Tenochtitlan” whatever that means. Oh, apparently they allow you to talk to animals.

Episode 8 – GIRLFRIEND?!

Instead of searching for Señor Loro’s goats, the boys attempt to figure out which one of them Yee keeps hitting on. It’s Grian! Sam immediately tells Grian he should ask Yee to take off her glasses so they can see if she’s a lizard person. She does. She is a lizard person, and not Monster Kid as I had previously thought. In my defense, Sans Undertale has literally been in the background of several scenes already. Grian is spooked, Yee is angry, Sam has never laughed this hard in his life (according to Sam). I think they’re all being a bit mean.

Gym class is a competitive obstacle course, Girls (easy) vs Stupid Boys (difficult).

On the way to Professor Geode’s class, Sam and Taurtis tell Grian what happened last time (roughly). Grian is very apprehensive.

Geode collects everyone’s trash. The classroom has been slightly rearranged. There is now some sort of… operating table? In the center, with all the chairs arranged around it. Dom is in a giant test tube in the back. Taurtis is given a Special chair next to Geode’s throne.

Sam is told to “COLLECT THE MILK OF THE INNOCENT ONE”. This means Dom, apparently. When Sam fails to do this, Geode does it instead. I don’t know exactly what this entails, because Sam wasn’t looking at it, because Sam is not a very good cameraman. But I suspect that the limitations of Minecraft would still leave me scratching my head if I had seen it. Dom can be heard to take damage, but that’s all the information I can give you.

Geode throws onto the operating table, which I’m beginning to suspect is more of an altar: Milk of the Innocent, Toilet Paper, Rare Crystals, and Hair of the Chosen One.

This apparently clones Taurtis, somehow, although there appears to still be only one Taurtis in the room.

Geode does not offer any explanation, he’s too busy being confused by Grian’s accent and not knowing what England is. I’m… also not entirely sure he knew what a clone is either, before Sam explained that he’s not Uncle Sam because some people can have the same name.

Oh also Google Docs tried to autocorrect “Geode” to “God” I just feel like you all should know that.

Episode 9 – INTERNET DATING!

I am now officially into New Territory, not covered by previous summaries!

They try to free Dom from the test tube and the stained glass texture SERIOUSLY bugs out.

There is. Ah. Some sort of. Sheep… cultist… possibly robot? In the hallway. It has some sort of… mechanical backpack on?

Apparently its name is Jorje the Special Goat. So this is what breaks me.

I don’t know why I’m so stuck on this, I’m usually great at stories where Things Just Happen.

Anyway, Jorje has a dire need to go to the computer room to talk to his girlfriend.

“Is your girlfriend single?” – Taurtis Minecraft, 2015

The gang try to convince Jorje to break up with his internet girlfriend and/or that his internet girlfriend is catfishing him, so that he will tell them what he knows about the Goat Murders.

Dom is just. Up on a rooftop, by the way. He keeps doing this.

It turns out that not only is Jorje’s internet girlfriend a real person, but they’re also a person of ambiguous gender and probably a furry, which are some pretty big plusses in my book. It seems like they didn’t know Jorje was Actually For Real A Goat, though.

But the boys do manage to get some information on the Goat Murders, so that’s nice. Apparently there’s some sort of Creature or perhaps a Beast underneath the soccer field at school.

“That there’s a Choopah Cobbler!” – Jorje

Actually he called it a “chuubakaabra” but potato, potato.

They tell Señor Loro about the chupacabra. Señor Loro hands them guns. Peachy. At least this time it’s Grian who accidentally shoots Taurtis.

Sam then shoots Taurtis on purpose.

There’s an item in Señor Loro’s vending machine called “Fully Cooked Ramen?” and I’m losing it.

Grian: “Hey, Mr. Principal! :) Your teacher gave us snipers! :) I don’t know what kind of circus you’re running here! :)”

Episode 10 – HUNTING A MONSTER!

Half the school is at this soccer field this feels so dangerous.

Taurtis is just shooting wildly.

Uhhhh. That there’s a Choopah Cobbler!

I promise I’ll stop saying “that there’s a Choopah Cobbler”.

Everyone tries to shoot at the chupacabra through a very narrow doorway. They mostly just end up shooting each other.

The chupacabra flees into the sewers. Dom is also in the sewers. He goes there to read.

They lose the chupacabra, briefly mistaking the creepy old man for it.

“Can I shoot him anyway? I reeeeeaaalllly wanna shoot him.” – Grian

Kurokuma: “Uh, you didn’t find any bodies, did you?” Grian: “Not yet!”

He doesn’t, in fact, shoot the creepy old man. Score one for morals, I guess. :/

Half the damn town is in these sewers.

They shoot at a “sugar dealer”, agree to say they were the chupacabra and call it a day. They then attempt to exit the sewers, which takes some time because whoever made the map didn’t account for the ways in which ladders interact with trapdoors in Minecraft.

They’ve emerged in a completely unfamiliar part of town, and it’s getting late, so Señor Loro suggests they stay in a hotel for the night, and WHY IS THE CREEPY OLD MAN AT THE FRONT DESK. Like, this place is swanky.

The old man makes a comment about setting up cameras in their rooms. Great note to end this part on.

Grian Trauma Count!

Deaths Witnessed:

Aftermath of 2 Goat Murders

Injuries Sustained:

Grian jokingly implied that he got his face caught in a blender once

Likely some bruises from wrestling Señor Loro

Shot in the leg by Sam, who was aiming for the chupacabra

Shot by Senior Loro, apparently on purpose?

Traumatic Events:

Sent, possibly on purpose, to a completely different country without any of the people he knew, and had to use his own money (all of it) to get back where he was supposed to go

Stalked and sexually harassed by a creepy old man (he keeps making comments about the characters’ legs). Also forced by his friends to actually speak to said creepy old man.

Vomited twice due to Sam and Taurtis being gross.

Punished for calling out his teacher’s incompetence and made to wrestle the guidance counselor.

Was handed a gun by one of his teachers again (and accidentally shot Taurtis), and brought on a monster hunt.

Geode’s Class is a traumatic event in itself.

Some pretty big numbers already, folks!

Something I think is interesting: before Grian arrives, both Sam and Taurtis are pretty vocally uncomfortable with Old Kurokuma, but as soon as Grian's with them, Kurokuma is suddenly "our friend who runs the panty shop", "Grian's Girlfriend", "Grian why are you uncomfortable, this is a completely normal schoolgirl, she said teehee".

I feel like I still need to chew on this a bit more to be able to actually say anything analytical about it, but it's definitely catching my attention.

Next Time...

"I'll do one post per school day," I say, and then they almost immediately stop going to school for an arc.

#al's unhinged tokyo soul summaries #tokyo soul #yandere high school #yhs #this'll be the last time i tag *all* of those i think

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numinousmysteries · 6 months

Text

A Miracle, Perhaps

@eightnightsofmulder

@today-in-fic

Eight Nights of Mulder Day Five: Miracles

[on Ao3]

November 1994

Hanukkah falls early this year, beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Mulder hasn’t mentioned anything about going to visit his mom so Scully isn’t surprised to see him in the office on Monday morning.

“How was your Thanksgiving?” he asks as she turns to hang her coat up.

“Fine,” she says, not wanting to elaborate.

In truth, it had been an awkward affair. She hadn’t realized how much her family’s congenial rapport depended on everyone being on their best behavior for her father. Without the captain to steer them, tensions flared. Thinking he’d be free of Bill Scully Sr.’s judgment, Charlie made his first appearance at his mother’s table in years with his long-term boyfriend Harry, only to face Bill Jr.’s wrath. This led to a very drunk Melissa “accidentally” knocking a full glass of red wine onto Bill’s shirt as she gestured wildly in her little brother’s defense. Once Charlie stormed off with Harry trailing behind him (apologizing to Maggie and thanking her for the food as quickly and quietly as he could) Bill turned his anger on Dana. He argued that by staying with the FBI even after her abduction she was only asking to get killed.

It all ended with Maggie retreating to her bedroom to cry, Melissa vomiting in the bathroom, Bill cursing into his whiskey at the table, and Dana silently washing dishes in the kitchen.

“Did you spend the holiday with your family?” she asks, coming to sit across from him at his desk.

Mulder shakes his head. “Nope. Frohike made his famous chicken wings, which is close enough to turkey for me.”

“What about Hanukkah? You celebrated with your mother last year,” she says, hesitating as she eases into new territory.

Two years into their partnership and they still do this awkward dance around each other when it comes to anything remotely personal. She’s more than partly to blame herself since she doesn’t willingly share much about her own life.

“‘Celebrate’ is a generous word,” Mulder says. “We didn’t exactly light the menorah and spin a dreidel around. My mom started taking her sleeping pills earlier and earlier each day until she was basically conking out after lunch. I don’t think she really likes having me around.”

“That can’t be true.”

Mulder shrugs. “I think I just remind her of Samantha. Or rather Samantha’s absence.”

“What about your father?” Scully says, trying to change the subject.

“It’s funny,” he says. “My dad’s family was Jewish and my mother only converted before they got married, but as long as I can remember he never wanted anything to do with religion. Besides, Hanukkah isn’t even a very significant holiday. It just happens to fall around Christmas so it’s gotten swept up in that all-American, gift-giving, capitalist fervor.”

“What’s the story again?” She’s familiar with the basics of the holiday but she knows Mulder likes weaving a tale for her, and she likes to listen as he does.

“Well, it all started with the rise of the Greek king Antiochus the fourth in the second century BCE. The Greeks had a mostly live-and-let-live attitude toward the Jews until then, but Antiochus wasn’t a big fan. He forbade Jews from practicing their religion and demanded they worship Greek gods instead. This all came to a head when Antiochus invaded Jerusalem, killing thousands of Jews and turning the Holy Temple into a shrine to Zeus. He also forced Jewish people to eat pork, which was strictly forbidden by the Torah, but now that I mention it, oddly puts me in the mood for bacon.”

Scully smiles but shakes her head at him.

“Anyway, a small group of Jews known as the Maccabees formed an army and managed to overpower the much larger Greek forces. They retook the temple and got rid of all the Greek idols but ran into a little problem when they went to rededicate it by lighting the menorah with pure olive oil. Because the Maccabees were soldiers returning from the battlefield, they themselves couldn’t produce pure oil until waiting seven days after having handled dead bodies. All the oil in the temple had been defiled by the Greeks except for one jug that supposedly only had enough to last for one night. But of course, as the legend goes, it ended up keeping the menorah lit for eight days, just in time for the Maccabees to start churning out their own oil. Since this all went down after the Torah was written, the only biblical allusion to the Hanukkah is actually in the New Testament when Jesus visits Jerusalem to observe the holiday—”

“—in the book of John,” Scully finishes his sentence.

“Someone paid attention in Sunday school,” he says, and she fights the feeling of a blush rising to her cheeks.

“Are you surprised?” she asks with a smile.

“Not at all,” he says, returning her grin. “Of course, some scholars consider the Maccabees to be religious fundamentalists who even killed fellow Jews they didn’t consider to be hardcore enough. And some versions of the story don’t include any reference to the so-called ‘miracle of oil,’ so who’s to say what really happened?”

“Mulder, you are willing to believe in claims of parasitic alien life forms, shape-shifting mutants, and widespread government conspiracies, but miracles don’t pass muster?” Scully asks, the corners of her lips creeping up into a smile.

He shifts in his chair, leaning forward, closer to her. “I recently witnessed one miracle that I believe in.”

“Which was?”

“Watching you go from the brink of death in that hospital bed a few months ago to sitting here and debating Talmudic wisdom with me right now. If that isn’t a miracle I don’t know what is.”

She instinctively pulls back, bracing her hands on the armrests of her chair. He doesn’t budge, keeping his eyes locked on her.

“Mulder, I can’t clarify what happened to me, why I was returned or why I recovered,” she says quietly, “but when I was unconscious in the hospital, I saw things that I believe can only be explained by the existence of a higher power.”

She hadn’t confessed this to Mulder before and she isn’t sure why. This is a man who believes in werewolves and time-traveling killers. Why is she scared to tell him about her own visions?

“What did you see?” He asks, softly, leaning in towards her.

“I saw my father. I saw my sister—and I saw you,” she says quietly. “But it wasn’t just seeing. I felt your presence.”

Mulder pauses for a beat, opening his lips to speak but not saying anything.

“Scully, I’ve heard about near-death experiences, people believing their seeing through a portal into the afterlife. But in nearly every case they can be explained by low-oxygen levels or misfiring neurons in the brain.”

“No, Mulder,” she says, looking down at her hands now. “I read my medical report. I never suffered from hypoxia or unusual neurological activity. There’s no scientific explanation for what happened.”

“So you think it was God?”

“I don’t know, Mulder,” her voice quavers. “But I can’t say for sure that it wasn’t.”

“Whatever it was, I’m glad you made it through.”

“Thank you,” she says, feeling the heat rising in her chest.

She doesn’t tell him that along with sensing his presence she felt something more—a fierce devotion bordering on love. Maybe he’s right and it was a miracle that brought her back to him. Or perhaps the miracle is whatever brought them together in the first place.

#eightdaysofmulder #eightnightsofmulder #8dom #txf #xf fanfic #xfiles fanfic #msr

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avatar-anna · 2 years

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I'm latina and i've never had a snowy christmas because it's summer where i live... so i imagine spending christmas in New York or London with Harry, playing and dancing in the snow all day like little kids and then having a cozy dinner by the fire. A DREAM 🥺😍

this reminds me that i have a younger harry christmas fic hanging around somewhere in my drafts lmao. enjoy!

another post from my wattpad🤪🤪🤪

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first time Y/n and Harry traveled to London with the intention of staying there for more than a week or two was something of a hectic one.

Because it wasn't just a trip. It was Christmas.

Up until now, they'd always gone their separate ways for the holidays to spend time with their families, but this year was different. Y/n was headed for England to spend Christmas with Harry and his family.

And so excited to share his life in England with his girlfriend, Harry packed the first few days with activity after activity. He took her all around London to see everything there was to see even though she’d seen them already—he claimed that it was different now since she would be a temporary resident.

He took her shopping at all his favorite stores, which was mostly just him shopping and her watching, but she’d become very good at it since they started dating; she even enjoyed how he would come out of a dressing room to show her a pair of pants or a shirt with beautiful embroidery on it and ask her what she thought. They went to a Christmas market, had a pretty intense gingerbread house contest that ended with frosting everywhere but where it should've been, they even decorated a tree together. A small one since they were going to be in Holmes Chapel for a majority of the trip, but it was still a special moment together.

His biggest plan for her though was a weekend trip to his hometown. To meet his family.

Now, she’d met his immediate family before—Gemma and Anne, his father, Des, his step siblings and a couple of his cousins—but the way Harry described the weekend, he made it sound like nearly everyone in Holmes Chapel was coming to his childhood home to meet her. Y/n’s eyes widened when Harry told her about the “little party” his mom had planned for them, feeling like every time he mentioned it, another ten people were coming.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t accustomed to big family parties, that was pretty much all she knew when it came to her family getting together. But that was her family. She knew her family and their quirks, knew what kind of food would be served at dinner and the kind of music that would play when the dancing began. She didn’t really know anything about Harry’s family outside the people she’d met, or his whole town, for that matter.

There was also a small, irrational fear the size of a pea in the back of Y/n’s mind, one that realized that she was a far cry from some of the women he’d dated in the past and perhaps brought home. It was never really something she thought about before, and if she wasn’t about to meet every single person who had been a part of Harry’s childhood, she wouldn’t. But she felt insecure for some reason, like she was suddenly aware of how short she was, the size of her waist, the way one of her front teeth was slightly on top of the other one, and—and had her boobs always been that small? She didn’t want to, but late at night, the night before she and Harry were going to drive to Holmes Chapel, every teeny tiny insecurity she’d ever had came bubbling to the surface. Even worse, she felt painfully aware of her tan skin, which had darkened a little from spending so much time at the beach before coming to London, of her name, which was unusual even in her own family. She thought back to how she stopped introducing herself by her full name in high school. It’s what everyone at home called her anyway, but the first couple of times she tried it her first week, some people gave her funny looks, and teachers kept mispronouncing it, so she just made it easier on herself and everyone else.

It was silly, how she was feeling, but she couldn’t close her eyes and fall asleep and forget about the tension in the pit of her stomach. Harry was not at all the kind of person she was worried about, and neither were his parents or sister, or any of the other family members of his that she’d met. But it was like the later it got and she still hadn’t fallen asleep, the more her thoughts continued to spiral, as they often did if something was bothering her. She thought about the stories she’d heard growing up about her mom meeting her dad’s family for the first time, the questions they would ask her, the assumptions they had made because she was different.

Harry could tell something was up with Y/n the last day or so, but he didn’t ask her what was wrong, trusting that she would come to him when she was ready. And while Y/n desperately wanted to confide in him, she felt like she couldn’t, not this time. She didn’t know how to tell her boyfriend that she was worried his family wouldn’t like her because she feared they might be ignorant. Who wouldn’t be offended by something like that?

Y/n squirmed in bed next to Harry, hoping that if she was tucked against his chest she might finally fall asleep. When ten minutes had passed and she still didn’t feel the least bit tired, she wiggled around and faced away from him again, then five minutes later she moved onto her back to stare at the ceiling. When she made to move again, Harry sighed and slung an arm over her waist.

“Okay,” he mumbled, his voice still thick with sleep. “What’s wrong?”

He spoke against her neck, his lips moving against her skin. Y/n held onto the hand that was still draped across her middle, her thumb brushing across the back of it. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s just jetlag.”

“See I would believe you,” Harry said, sounding more awake now. He moved so that he was leaning over her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “But seeing as you didn’t sleep all day today, and the fact that watching me shop tires you out more than going for a run does—which still baffles me by the way—you should be exhausted, but you are not.”

Y/n pursed her lips. It’s not that she didn’t want to tell him, it’s that she felt like she couldn’t; she was too afraid that her feelings would hurt his own. “It’s nothing, honestly. Go back to sleep.” She kissed him and brushed a hand through his hair and turned onto her side, shutting her eyes tight.

It was silent for a moment, and she thought that Harry had let it go, opting to ask her about it in the morning. It was a rookie mistake on her part, she should’ve known that Harry would never let her go to sleep now that he knew something was definitely up.

She heard him get off the bed and walk around to her side and sat down on the floor. Y/n didn’t open her eyes, but she knew he was there, sitting and waiting for her to acknowledge him. When she finally did open her eyes, he gave her a close-lipped smile that was almost expectant. She closed her eyes again, pretending she hadn’t seen him, even though they both knew she had. Opening them again, she bit back a yelp when she saw that Harry was practically nose to nose with her, still grinning, still waiting for her to talk to him.

She stuck her hand out and put it over his face to push him away, and she felt his grin widen against her palm. She took Harry’s face between her two hands and pushed his cheeks together. He let her gaze at him with his lips puckered out the way they were, his eyes tired but staying open for her sake. “Sorry for being weird,” she whispered, her thumb brushing an eyelash off his cheek.

He gave her another sleepy smile. “It’s okay.”

She let out a small laugh. “I feel like you’re supposed to say, ‘No, babe, you’re not weird. I love you so much.’”

“Oh, sorry. No, babe, you’re not weird. I love you so much.”

“Shut up.” Y/n let go of Harry’s face and flipped over so she wasn’t facing him anymore.

Harry laughed quietly and crawled back into bed so that he was cuddling Y/n into his chest. He kissed her neck and her jaw and her shoulder, his hands rubbing into her sides soothingly. “You know,” he said, kissing her temple once, twice, three times. “If you’re nervous about meeting everyone tomorrow, you can just say that.”

She wiggled around so that she was facing him. It felt weird to have him on this side of her, but she didn’t say anything about it. “Maybe a little.”

“Just a little?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “Should I remind you that I met your entire family after only a couple weeks of dating?”

She smiled at the memory of that very first weekend they spent together. Looking back now, she realized that in any other circumstance, inviting Harry over to her childhood home after only knowing each other for a few weeks seemed crazy. But at the time, she hadn’t thought twice about it. Something about inviting Harry felt right.

“Yeah, and you charmed the pants off of everyone. Myself included.”

Harry’s responding grin was both smug and a little sheepish. “I did, but I also got so shitfaced that I crawled around on the floor and you had to carry me up the stairs so I could sleep in your bedroom. Without you, I might add.”

“Yeah, that would’ve happened even if you weren’t drunk off your ass. I’m a lady, Harry.”

“Mm, I don’t know. I can be quite persuasive.” Harry took her hands in his and kissed her fingertips, then her palms. “Is that really it? You’re just nervous about tomorrow? I know it feels like the whole town is throwing a parade for us or something, but it’s really not like that. And everyone’s going to love you.”

A warmth starting at Y/n’s head spread all the way down to her toes at the sincerity in his voice, which then made her feel guilty for not being completely honest with him. Taking a deep breath, she leaned over and kissed him, moving her lips against his slowly, the same familiar butterflies erupting in her stomach the way they always did when she kissed him.

“It—It’s not that I’m nervous about meeting everyone. I mean, I am, but that’s—it’s not what you think. I mean, I know I’m not exactly the kind of person you might’ve dated or brought home before.” Harry opened his mouth to contradict her, but she kept going. “And I don’t normally care about that stuff, you know that, but I don’t know, it’s like every time I look in a mirror, I notice things. And then there’s this whole other thing, and I didn’t even want to mention it because it’s ridiculous and I never want to hurt your feelings, or offend you or your family, but I couldn’t help—I… I feel like a crazy person, Harry, and I know I sound like one, but—”

“Okay, okay, take a deep breath,” Harry finally said. He knew that Y/n might be a little nervous about meeting everyone back home, for the first time, but he didn’t know that it bothered her this much. Still, he did his best to keep his expression neutral. “No secrets, okay? Not between us.”

It was an obvious thing to say, but it was almost like saying “I love you.” It was a reminder that there wasn’t a single thing they needed to keep from each other, that no burden would be shouldered alone as long as they were together.

“No secrets,” she repeated. She kissed him one more time, almost like she needed it for good luck. “I’m sorry, I don’t know where all of this is coming from. I’m proud of who I am and what I look like, I don’t know why now all of a sudden…” She paused and looked down at where her hands were still holding Harry’s.

“Holmes Chapel is filled with some of the nicest people in the world. The only reason someone might look at you funny is because they’d be surprised someone as beautiful, and smart, and wonderful as you ended up with me.”

Y/n met his eyes, surprised that he knew exactly what she’d been thinking. That was usually her thing. “You’re not mad, are you?”

He wanted to tease her for thinking he would be mad at her about something like that, but seeing the troubled look on her face, he didn’t, opting to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. “No, my love, I’m not.”

“Really? Because if you were, I would totally understand. And it has nothing to do with you, or—or your mom and Gemma or your dad. You know how my thoughts like to spiral out of control. And I was just thinking about this one instance with my mom and my great aunt Deborah, and—” Y/n paused, her eyebrows raised, a little confused. “This is usually where you kiss me to shut me up.”

“I thought about it, but I’m actually interested to hear about Great Aunt Deborah,” Harry admitted, smiling when he saw her grin. He understood why she was nervous now, and he was kicking himself for not realizing it sooner.

“Trust me when I say you don’t want to know. She’s a thing of nightmares. There’s a reason no one talks about her,” Y/n said jokingly, but on the inside, she felt relieved that Harry seemed to get where she was coming from. And of course, he would, because he was Harry, and he loved her, and he always understood.

She wrapped her arms around him and held him close to her chest, whispering a small thank you to him. His skin was warm against her cheek, his heart beating steadily beneath. He felt like home when she held him like that. Harry hugged her back, threading his hands through her hair. Leaning down, he whispered, “If someone so much as causes your brow to furrow, they’re dead.”

Y/n laughed, leaning her head back slightly to look at him. “My hero.”

Harry kissed the tip of her nose. “Always.” She rolled her eyes at him, but she let him kiss her anyway. “I love you. Now go to sleep. We’re supposed to get up early tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she nodded, but before she shut her eyes for the night, she asked him one last question. “So no Great Aunt Deborahs?”

“Not a one.” Harry kissed her cheek. “I love you for who you are, and I will defend you against anyone who doesn’t for the rest of my life. Count on that, okay?”

She rolled her eyes. “Well how the hell am I supposed to go to sleep now when you say stuff like that to me?”

Harry’s responding grin was sincere and a little smug. “I’m just telling you the truth.”

Scoffing playfully, she pushed Harry against the mattress and slid on top of him so that she was straddling his waist. Leaning over him, she kissed his neck, his chest, a straight line all the way down to the waistline of his sweatpants. Harry’s breaths picked up as she continued to kiss him, but before she could get too far, he pulled her back up. She kissed his lips, her hands reaching into his hair as she tugged on his bottom lip with her teeth. He groaned against her, his hands finding their way to the backs of her thighs as she nipped at his jaw and moved her own hands down to his waist again.

“Hey, lovie,” Harry whispered into her neck. “Are you sure? We have to be up early tomorrow, and I know how much you hate not getting enough sleep.”

She paused, already halfway down his chest again. “I’m sure, but if you’d rather sleep, then…” She patted his cheek and began to move off of him, but before she had the chance, Harry’s hands were on her waist to keep her where she was.

“I never said that,” Harry said, already tugging her shirt over her head. He reached over to the nightstand by the bed to grab a condom. When he righted himself, he pointed a finger at her. “No complaints when I wake you up, though. Promise?”

“Promise. So…?”

Harry huffed, pretending to be exasperated. In all honesty, he just saw the love of his life, looking down at him like he was the most precious thing in the world. He hooked a finger around the necklace she was wearing and pulled her forward so he could kiss her.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

“Hey.”

There was no movement from the heap of blankets in the middle of the bed. Sighing, Harry nudged her shoulder, hoping it would be enough. It was not.

“Y/n, my love. It’s time to wake up.”

“No, bubba,” she whined, her voice muffled by the pillow her face was pressed up against.

He tried to hide his grin and nudged her shoulder again. “Yes. Come on, you can sleep on the way there.”

To his surprise, she did move, but it was only an arm and it was just to press her pointer finger on his nose, then his forehead. He let her poke his face a couple times before reaching for her hand and pulling it away from where it was pressing against his cheekbone. “What are you doing?”

“I’m looking for the snooze button,” Y/n mumbled. “I need at least five more minutes.”

Harry did laugh this time. “I gave you an hour. We were supposed to leave an hour ago”

She peeked an eye open. “Did you really?”

He nodded. “Yes, now let’s go. You promised, remember?”

“Yeah, but that was past me. She’s an idiot. Present me is tired and sore, which is your fault, by the way.”

Harry pretended to be offended. “Yikes, you’re extra grouchy this morning.”

He laid back down on the bed, and Y/n noticed that he was already dressed for the drive to Holmes Chapel—a pair of light wash jeans, one of her favorite sweatshirts of his with a coat over it, and a tiny clip, her clip, holding up his hair up in a small tuft on the top of his head. Stretching her arms out, she finally sat up. “I’m sorry, even if it is a little true.”

Y/n took the clip out of his hair and ran a hand through it. For a moment, he leaned into her touch, forever a sucker for when she did that. It was only a moment, though, and then he was sitting up again and pulling her with him. She groaned, but she let him do it anyway, finally okay with the idea of sleeping in the car. He kissed her cheek and told her he made breakfast, then left her to get ready.

It was December, which meant it was freezing outside, even more so for Y/n, who couldn’t stand being cold. She changed into a pair of leggings and a thick sweater she’d bought on one of Harry’s shopping sprees this week, figuring that something from London would be better at fending off the weather than anything she brought from home. Before she put on her shoes, she sat down on the bed, now made up, and looked up the weather in Holmes Chapel.

“You’re kidding,” she groaned, falling back against the bed. A fresh layer of snow had fallen last night, and there was more to come later.

She eyed her little section of Harry’s closet- he promised her that when he had a chance, they would do some renovations to his house so it would be more like their house, but she told him there was no rush—even though she had a feeling he was desperate to get his closet space back and wouldn’t admit it—and saw a pair of jeans hanging up. Y/n stared at them for a while, debating, and when Harry called up to her and asked if she was almost ready, she grabbed them off the hanger and slid them on over her leggings. Getting into her coat and slipping her phone into her pocket, she jogged down the stairs and followed the smell of food all the way to the kitchen. Harry was waiting for her with a plate of eggs, toast, sliced fruit, and a glass of orange juice at his kitchen table. She had yet to try the English specialty of beans on toast, but that wasn’t for lack of trying on Harry’s part. Y/n just couldn’t make herself try it yet, the idea completely bizarre and not very appetizing to her.

She tried to eat her breakfast as quickly as she could so that they could get on the road. Now that she was more awake, she felt bad that she slept in way past when they were supposed to leave. As she ate, Y/n scrolled through her phone, answering texts from family members and smiling a little at the pictures of her family around a Christmas tree. She was happy to be here with Harry, but she missed her family too, especially during the holidays.

Setting her phone down, Y/n looked up, ready to tell Harry she was ready to go. She figured he had been on his own phone while she ate, doing more of the same of what she’d been doing, but he was just sitting quietly with his chin resting in his hand, staring at her. She refrained from rolling her eyes, having grown used to Harry’s tendency to stare while she did virtually nothing. Most times she was convinced that Harry didn’t even realize he was doing it.

“My cousin has a girlfriend,” she said, not addressing the fact that she’d caught him staring at her.

Harry blinked, coming out of his daze. “Really? Who's he dating?”

“I’m not entirely sure, he’s being very close lipped about it. I’m gonna try to call him later and see if he’s willing to say more if it’s just me asking instead of the entire family.”

“Is that how it was with me?”

Y/n grinned as she recalled what it had been like when her siblings found out she was seeing Harry. “Wouldn't you like to know.”

“I would actually,” Harry said, standing up from the table.

Tugging on his hand, she brought him to her lap and kissed his cheek. “If you must know, yes, it was like I was being interrogated over text. Someone had seen an article that had pictures of us holding hands, and they happily shared it with the rest of my family, and then suddenly I was getting calls from family members I rarely speak to on the phone.”

Harry hummed at what Y/n had said and how her hands reached under his clothes to rub circles against his stomach. He remembered how nervous he’d been to go out with her in public places. Not because he was embarrassed to be seen with her, but because he knew that no matter how hard he would try to be discreet, someone would manage to get a picture of them.

Y/n, of course, didn’t mind as much as Harry did, taking the challenges of dating someone with a large following in stride. She held his hand and rubbed it soothingly with her thumb if she felt him start to get tense, and distracted him when he started to notice people pointing phones or cameras in their direction. If he was honest with himself, it was one of things that endeared him to her more than he already was. Y/n was handling a part of his life that sometimes was more than someone could bear, and never did she once hold it against him.

He kissed her then. It was at an odd angle because he was sitting in her lap but it still gave him the same headrush he always got when their lips met. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers, a faint smile on his face. “I called my mum after we first met, you know.”

Luz raised an eyebrow at him. “You did?”

Harry nodded, kissing the top of her cheekbone. “Mmhm. I just knew you were someone special . And later that week I got a call from Gem asking about you and saying our hometown was buzzing with the news that I had met someone.”

“I feel like you’re trying to calm my nerves, but you’ve done the opposite,” Y/n tried to joke. After last night, she was feeling a little better about the prospect of meeting all of Harry’s closest friends and family, but now her worries and doubts were starting to creep back in.

He cupped her cheek in his hand. “What I’m trying to say is that everyone already loves you. You make me happy, that’s all they’ll care about.”

Y/n couldn’t help the smile that erupted on her face. She let Harry stand up and pull her to her feet. They quickly cleaned up the kitchen together, realizing that they were super late now. By the time all the dishes were put away, overnight bags were stowed in the car, and they were settled in the driver and passenger seats, Y/n found that she wasn’t tired or nervous anymore. She was just excited to meet the people who helped make her boyfriend the wonderful person that he was.

***

Harry was wandering his mother’s house in search of his girlfriend.

For the first two hours, Y/n had remained so close to his side, he thought she’d glued herself to him. It was an interesting sight to see. In the time that Harry had known her, Y/n had been nothing but outgoing and talkative, making friends with bartenders, Uber drivers, his fans, people she passed by on the street. She always found common ground with people.

But tonight she almost hid behind Harry, letting him do the talking while she quietly listened with her hand tightly gripping his as she was introduced to person after person.

It was when she disappeared into the bathroom that Harry lost track of her. He was waiting patiently outside the door as she had requested when his mother came up to him and dragged him to one of her friends that she claimed he hadn’t seen in ages and just had to say hello. He got caught up in answering all sorts of questions from was he working on new music to when he planned on marrying Y/n. He blushed at that one, and used it as an excuse to leave to go find her.

Except he couldn’t find her. Harry checked and double checked every room in the house, and unless his girlfriend was hiding in a cupboard, he was pretty sure she wasn’t in the house. He moved to searching the backyard, thinking maybe someone had pulled her outside.

Y/n was nowhere to be found in the little backyard, but when he spotted his sister, he walked over, hoping she might know where his elusive girlfriend was.

“Hey, little brother,” Gemma said, waving Harry over to where she was talking to a few of her friends from school.

He waved and gave everyone a small smile. “Hi. Have you seen—”

“Y/n? Yeah, she’s right—Oh, that’s weird, I swear she was talking to Patrick a minute ago about his hip replacement surgery, and then before that to Lisa about where she grew up, I think, and then—”

“She shouldn’t be overwhelmed like that, Gem, she’s supposed to be having fun,” Harry sighed. He was glad she’d come out of her shell with the members of his family, but he feel didn’t want his girlfriend too feel like she was under a microscope, either.

“Oh, relax, Harry. Did you honestly expect to have a girlfriend that’s from America and there not be questions? And it’s not like people are bombarding her. She offered to teach me a little Spanish while you and Mum were out at the store earlier.”

Harry sighed again. He supposed his sister had a point, he just didn’t want people to overwhelm her or only talk to her about where she came from. There was so much more to Y/n than that.

“Relax, Harry. Everyone loves her,” Gemma said, reading the look on his face despite the dim lighting outside. “So have a drink, and try not to think so little of the people you’ve known your whole life, yeah?”

“That’s not—Yeah, alright, fine. Sorry, for being so tense, I just want things to go perfectly. For her.”

“And they have. So take a breath and let yourself enjoy tonight.”

Harry leaned down and kissed the top of Gemma’s head. “Thanks, Gem.”

“Yeah, yeah. Go on and find your bird. And fill my glass while you’re inside, will you?”

He rolled his eyes, but took the wineglass out from her hand anyway. He left his sister and her friends behind and went back into the house. He’d checked every room already, but Y/n must’ve sneaked past him at some point. He walked slowly to the kitchen where the open bottles of wine were, craning his neck around in the hopes of catching sight of a familiar head of hair in a thick knit sweater.

It was when he passed by the slightly cracked open door of the bathroom that he heard her voice.

“—brother pushed me off a swing and I needed four stitches right here. And here, I was playing outside and busted my knee open. Six more stitches. And then when I was playing football, I slid and had a huge scratch on my bum for weeks. Can you believe that?”

Y/n’s words were followed by a fit of giggles at the mention of her scratching her “bum.” It was weird to hear her say that, but when he heard a young boy’s voice, he understood.

“No you didn’t!”

“It really happened, I promise,” she insisted. Harry had quietly pushed the door farther open while she and the boy, his little cousin Joshua, Harry realized, were talking, so he could see that she was tending to a cut on his knee. “And you know what? You can’t even see the scar anymore. So I think you’re gonna be just fine.”

Joshua’s jeans were rolled up past his knee on one side, a large band-aid covering what must have been a scrape. There was peroxide and little scrunched up cotton pads on the bathroom counter; clearly Y/n had taken Joshua to get cleaned up from some kind of fall.

“And if it still hurts, I think if you pout enough your cousin Harry might carry you around the rest of the night. How does that sound?”

She turned her head and winked at Harry. He didn’t know when she’d noticed him, from what he could tell she hadn’t looked at him until now. She’d put her hair up into a ponytail so it was out of her face while she worked, the sleeves of her sweater rolled up past her elbows.

“Hm, I’m okay,” Joshua said, directing both Y/n and Harry’s attention back to him. His eyes were a little red and his lashes stuck together like he’d just been crying. Harry understood then that he must’ve taken a pretty bad fall.

“Well, if you change your mind…” she said, her voice trailing off. She lifted Joshua off the counter where he’d been sitting and set him down on the floor. Before he left, Y/n pulled his pant leg back down and gave him a fist bump. Joshua ran off down the hallway, saying hello to Harry as he went.

Harry leaned against the bathroom door, watching as Y/n began to clean up the counter. Of course she would be helping one of his cousins with a cut up knee. She might have been nervous about meeting everyone tonight, but Y/n loved helping people and talking about her family. He should’ve known that talking about her job was one of the only things that would calm her nerves.

“I heard you’ve become quite the social butterfly,” he said while she washed her hands.

Y/n took a moment to answer while she dried her hands on a fluffy grey towel. When she turned around her cheeks were a little pink. “Yeah, sorry, is that weird? I was so nervous before, but it all just kind of melted away.”

Harry smiled at her. “No, babe, you’re not weird. I love you so much.”

“Shut up,” she laughed, punching him lightly on the shoulder. Reaching for his hand, Y/n played with the ring on his middle finger. “I don’t know, it felt easier to talk to people by just talking about my family instead of myself. After you abandoned me that is.”

“Sorry about that. My mum said there was a friend of hers I had to say hello too. I’ve been looking for you ever since.”

She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around Harry’s neck. “Why do you always do that?”

He looked at her curiously. Y/n sounded annoyed, but amused at the same time. And yet her arms were around his neck and her hands were playing with his hair. He loved Y/n and he loved being in love, but sometimes his girlfriend was hard to read. “What?”

“I try to playfully make fun of you, and you turn it into a loving moment. It throws me off sometimes. I can’t decide whether to hit you or kiss you.”

“Well…I can tell you which one I would prefer,” Harry said. He didn’t know what the problem was; all he ever wanted was to make her smile.

Y/n hummed and went up on her tiptoes so she could kiss him. Not caring at all that they were surrounded by his family or that the door to the bathroom was wide open, Harry kissed her back, setting the wine glass down on the counter behind her so he could hold her with both of his hands.

He couldn’t get enough of her. It was like every time he kissed her was like the last and he had to savor every touch of their lips and brush of his tongue against hers. She whined against his mouth as his hands creeped under her sweater, his hands cold from being outside. They continued roaming anyway as they kissed, eventually finding purchase on the backs of her legs so he could prop her up on the bathroom counter.

“Harry, what are you doing?”

She felt like a teenager as he settled between her legs and held his face in her hands. The fact that anyone could see them like this at any moment was painfully obvious to Y/n, but she made no move to slip off the counter.

“You took care of Josh, but what about me?” he said. “What if I had an injury that needed your special attention?”

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes because she knew there was nothing wrong with him, she asked, “Sorry. Is there anything wrong with you?”

“Yeah, I have some pain right here,” he said pointing to a spot on the base of his throat. The same spot that also made Harry’s breath hitch when Y/n kissed it.

Understanding what he meant, she leaned forward and placed her lips against his skin. “That should do it. Anywhere else?”

They spent the next few minutes like that, Harry pointing to areas around his face and neck that needed tending to while Y/n kissed the “pain” away. At one point, Harry glanced down where his belt was looped around his jeans, an inquisitive look on his face. “Absolutely not,” she said immediately, blushing furiously. With one last kiss to the corner of his mouth before she hopped off the counter, she whispered, “At least not right now.”

Harry knew he hadn’t seen his family in ages, and he wanted to catch up with everyone at his mum’s house, but he suddenly wished they were back at his flat in London where no one would bother them.

“We should get back out there,” Y/n said quietly. She knew they should, but she liked when it was just her and Harry, too.

“I know,” he sighed, moving a strand of hair away from her face. “One last kiss?”

She obliged, fixing his hair clip when they finally pulled apart, having taken it out of his hair when he’d lifted her up on the bathroom counter. With one last kiss to her cheek, Harry took her by the hand and led her back to the party.

As they shuffled out of the bathroom, a woman crossed their path. She raised her eyebrows at the pair, but didn’t say a word as she moved down the hallway. Y/n pressed her face into Harry’s side. She didn’t know who that woman was, but she didn’t care. They couldn’t have looked more guilty as they walked out of the bathroom, who knew what that woman thought or what she would say to the other people in the house.

“Remember the embarrassment you felt after waking up and facing my parents after you made an absolute fool out of yourself that one time you accidentally texted my dad a message meant for me? That’s how I feel right now.”

Harry blanched as they walked towards the kitchen. He still had to refill his sister’s wine glass. “Wait, I thought you said he never read it?”

“I didn’t want you to feel bad around my parents,” Y/n said, blushing at the memory. She swung their joined hands back and forth. “And you quickly won them over with your charm and goofiness, anyway. I didn't see the point in telling you.

“Goofiness?” he asked, his mind snagging on the word.

“Yes,” Y/n agreed. “One of the things I love about you is how well you balance the two.”

“Me too. Though my life is much more entertaining when he acts more goofy than charming,” Gemma said. She was sitting at the kitchen table with a couple people that looked her age.

There was a low buzz of assent coming from the table, and Y/n didn’t even have to look at Harry to know he was blushing. She thought if he could hide behind her and avoid the light teasing from his older sister, he would. Y/n thought it was cute how bashful Harry had become; he’d hardly blinked when they got caught coming out of the bathroom together, but here he was, his neck and face flushed as he shuffled behind her the tiniest bit. Y/n was used to every kind of sibling teasing in the book, so she felt right at home with Gemma, but it was clear Harry wasn’t as comfortable about it. At least when it was happening in front of his girlfriend.

She squeezed his hand comfortingly and took the glass out of Harry’s other one. “I think you’re very charming. And sexy. You can blush about that instead, okay?” She kissed his cheek and let go of his hand, finding that he was grinning like an idiot at her. “What were you having, Gemma? Red or white?”

“Uh, red. Thanks, Y/n,” Gemma said, raising her eyebrows at her brother.

When Y/n was far enough away, one of the guys at the table leaned forward as Harry sat down. “She’s great, H.”

Harry tried to hide his smile with his hand. “Yeah. She’s—She’s, uh, she’s everything.” He hadn’t meant to say that, it was a rather embarrassing thing to say in front of his sister and her friends, but that didn’t make it any less true.

“Can you believe it? My baby brother, settled down and in love,” Gemma sighed. Harry was about to tell his sister to shut up when Y/n came back with two glasses of wine.

She handed one to Gemma and one to Harry before perching herself on his lap. “I am kind of great,” she mused, patting her boyfriend on the knee. “And smart. I’m really smart.”

“She is,” Harry nodded, kissing her shoulder.

“That’s brilliant!” One of the girls sitting down at the table said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her curiously, not sure where the outburst came from. She blushed and hid behind her drink for a moment before collecting herself. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just that Gem and I go to a bar in London and they have these trivia nights on Thursdays, and I just thought-”

“Oh, Emma, you’re a bloody genius, of course!” Gemma said, her eyes lighting up. “Y/n, we’ve been looking for a third member to join our trivia team for weeks, and you would be perfect.”

“I like trivia,” Y/n said, her thumb rubbing back and forth over Harry’s hand affectionately. She had been nervous about her semi-move to England. Excited, but nervous. It would involve a lot of downtime in a place she wasn’t familiar with and where the only person she knew was Harry, but making some friends of her own while her boyfriend had to work was the exact thing she needed. And she knew Gemma already. Y/n didn’t know her friends very well, but she could start with trivia nights on Thursdays and go from there.

“You sure, lovie?” Harry asked. He didn’t want his sister or her friends to overwhelm her.

“She’ll be fine, H. We’ll take good care of her,” the girl, Emma, insisted.

Y/n would’ve been worried about hanging out with them if she didn’t know Harry, and Gemma, for that matter. If she wanted to have a life here, she needed people. She loved spending all her time with Harry, but she knew that they wouldn’t be spending every waking moment together. In fact, she was perfectly aware of the fact that he was putting things off to help her get settled in his London flat. Having friends of her own would ease her mind and his, make him not worry about her constantly when he wasn’t around.

The rest of the night, Harry sat back and watched as Y/n made new friends with his old ones. He remained relatively quiet, content to relax in his childhood home with his girlfriend in his lap and playing with her hair. The sound of her voice as she talked to his sister and all their friends felt like home too, her laugh alone making him smile against her shoulder. He loved how outgoing she was, how much everyone seemed to be as drawn to her as he was. If he didn’t have to be, Harry preferred being on the quiet side and listening more than doing all the talking himself. He liked to leave the extroverted side of him for his performances, crawling back into his shell once he was off the stage.

Y/n was the exact opposite. Anywhere they went, she made friends or started conversations with strangers, commenting on tattoos she liked or asking someone where they got their shoes. But whenever she went to one of Harry’s concerts, she became totally shy, blushing furiously or hiding behind whoever she was with if he winked at her or tried to talk to her from the stage.

Harry knew she had been nervous about coming here and meeting his family, but there was no trace of nerves now. She leaned comfortably against his chest and fiddled with the rings on his fingers the way she usually did when they held hands, talking animatedly about her job, her family, and anything else that Gemma and her friends threw her way.

However, the longer Y/n spoke and laughed and got to know his friends and family, the more Harry wanted her to himself. He loved how much the most important people in his life were all getting along, but by the time the night was winding down and it was time to head up to his childhood bedroom, he was itching to kiss her, to touch her, to be truly alone with her after sharing her with his family for the last few hours.

“You’re so needy tonight,” she joked. She’d been drying off her face when he came up behind her and began nuzzling her neck. Needy or not, she raised her hand and threaded it through his hair, feeling him smile against her neck.

“Wanted to make sure you were extra comfortable tonight,” he mumbled, twisting her around and propping her up on the bathroom counter. He did that a lot—sitting Y/n up on countertops and all sorts of surfaces so that they were more level with each other.

Of the two of them, Y/n tended to be more quiet about her feelings for Harry. He liked to kiss her cheek while they were out, and play with the ends of her hair, and pull her into his lap in front of groups of people, while she was content to hold his hand and save her affection for when they were alone, the only time she did more was when she saw someone flirting with Harry in front of her or if she was completely comfortable in her surrounding. But now that they were alone, she wrapped her arms around Harry’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

Harry grinned against her and kissed her back, cupping either side of her face and rubbing gentle circles into her skin with his thumbs. “I had a really nice time tonight. Your family’s wonderful.”

“I tried to tell you,” Harry murmured, kissing along her neck and jaw. “Maybe you should listen to me more.”

“Ha!” Y/n didn’t mean to sound so incredulous, but she prided herself on being right, and while she could admit to perhaps overthinking how tonight would go, she would continue to go with their usual dynamic—Harry listening to her.

Pulling back, Harry rolled his eyes and helped Y/n down from the counter. Holding hands, he led her to his room. It was almost exactly the same as when he’d left so many years ago. Posters were peeling off the walls, old trophies and ribbons had a thin layer of dust on them. The only thing that was different was his bed, which his mum had gotten new bedclothes for a couple of years ago.

“Ooh, am I the first girl you’ve ever brought up here?” she teased as she looked around the room.

“Um, I’m not going to answer that,” Harry replied, blushing a little. She wasn’t, but she was the one that mattered the most to him.

Y/n grinned as she unbuttoned her jeans so she could change into her pajamas. “Relax, I’m just kidding. Your mum told me all about your girlfriends at school.”

“Of course she did. I’m surprised Gemma didn’t—Wait, what on earth are you wearing?”

All night, Harry had watched his girlfriend walk around in a pair of jeans, but he never would’ve thought she’d be wearing two pairs of pants, which was what he realized now as she shimmied out of her jeans but was still completely clothed.

“I didn’t want to be cold,” she shrugged, trying to move on before Harry had the chance to tease her.

“No no. We’re not moving on from this. You seriously wore two pairs of trousers tonight?”

Y/n huffed and rested her hands on her fully clothed hips. “Come on, are you really that surprised?”

Harry chuckled and shook his head, both in disbelief and to agree with her. He did know how much she hated being cold, but he never thought she would layer her clothes like this. It wasn’t even that cold tonight.

“I’m worried about how you’re going to handle the actual cold days,” he said, slipping out of his own jeans and getting into bed. He didn’t sleep here very often anymore, and the fact that he was going to do so with the woman he was quite sure was the love of his life was a little odd.

Y/n didn’t seem to have the same thoughts as she quickly slipped off her leggings and got into her pajamas. Harry opened up the covers for her once he saw that she was ready, and she practically flopped onto the bed, latching onto him like a magnet.

He was always cozy and warm, but it felt different during the holidays for some reason. There was a giddiness that came with spending a holiday together as a young couple. They built snowmen and ice skated and drank hot chocolate, but now it was time to sleep under the warm glow of twinkly lights Harry’s mom hung up in his room, and it was absolutely perfect.

“I’m going to shrivel up into a husk of the person I once was, but I will have done it for love,” she told him, giving his chest a quick little peck.

Laughing, Harry pulled her impossibly closer and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I will do everything in my power to keep you warm.”

“I’m sure you will,” Y/n replied, understanding what he meant. “But not tonight.”

“Why?” Harry whined, jutting out his bottom lip a little. He knew what she was going to say before she said it, but that didn’t make him any less disappointed about it.

“Your mom is down the hall, and you’re not exactly quiet,” she said, grinning a little at his blush and the way he mumbled, you’re not either. “So we’re in agreement. Also, there’s a picture of One Direction over there, and I don’t know how I feel about a young you or any of your band mates staring at me like that.”

Before he fell asleep, Harry stared at the ceiling, thinking about how much had happened since he’d properly moved out of his mum’s house so long ago. Never in a million years did he ever think he’d be in the same bed he slept in at sixteen with the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. As he slowly drifted off to sleep, Y/n’s foot lightly kicking him in the shin as she slept, Harry couldn’t imagine that there was anyone on this planet who was as lucky as he was.

She had a point there. While he was away, his mum liked to put up pictures of him to make it feel like he was there. Sighing, Harry settled for cuddling his girlfriend and kissing her until their eyes closed, Y/n’s head resting comfortably on his chest.

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