#anyway yeah there will definitely be a few changes to this in the future because I wanna add some small details

[icewindandboringhorror]

boy in silly sitting positions compilation

[existentialcrisis-24-7]

Subject to change as is all my redesigns, but this is the vibe I’m going for for Aisha/Layla’s enchantix

[words-4u]

right person (2/3)

pairing: luca x reader

wc: 3.3k

a/n: part two is hereee! i took the conversation that marcus and luca had while chopping/folding dough and revamped it for this fic <3 hope yall like it

warnings: 18+ SMUT, swearing

part 1 / part 3

as it turns out making shiso gelee wasn't as complicated as it sounds but it also helped massively that chef luca is always near to correct any mistakes.

the kitchen is silent besides the sounds of pots and smacking of dough from marcus' station.

luca is drying some tupperware at the table behind you while you whisk some liquid gelatin.

"that's a little bit too thick," he says peering over. "so just add some more pineapple juice."

you caught a whiff of his aftershave which made you want to lose your mind. "yes, chef."

doing as he instructed, you add more juice. "just to know for the future, can i ask why?"

he glances at you before going back to his task at hand. "uh, the thicker it is, the stronger it is. so too thick and it overpowers the other components."

"good to know... and what do you serve this with exactly?"

"uh, we do that with a thin slice of marzipan and a caramel cracker," luca answers.

"damn, that sounds good," you say.

"yeah, it's a nice dish," he comes over to your side and puts away some freshly dried containers.

"uh you're good to go on your break, by the way. we can pick this up in 15,"

"are you sure?"

"yes. the gel needs to set anyways."

"thank you, chef," you smile and make your way to an area behind the restaurant for a smoke break. lucky for you, that area had a nice wooden bench. you take a seat and place a cigarette between your lips, lighting it.

taking your first drag, you shut your eyes and lean your head against the exposed brick of the building.

"i, uh, i don't suppose i could use your lighter, chef," a voice asks. the accent is instantly recognizable.

"oh, sure," you go over to where he's standing and close the distance between you as you light his bud.

you stuff your lighter back into your pocket but don't return to the bench.

"y/n," you say after a few moments.

"sorry?"

"it's just, uh, when we aren't in the kitchen, you can call me y/n,"

he nods.

"so tell me y/n," he says. "how do you like you copenhagen so far?"

"well, considering i've been in the city less than 48 hours, i have no complaints. the scenery is beautiful. food is pretty good and the people..." you look up at him. "i'm still getting to know the people."

he holds your gaze before letting out a cloud of smoke. "hmm."

if you didn't think there was a weird tension between you earlier, you definitely feel it now.

“if you, uh, ever want a proper tour, let me know,” luca says.

it takes everything you have to not breakout into a massive smile. “thanks, chef.”

“outside the kitchen, luca,”

this time you nod. “luca.”

he clears throat and steps on his cigarette. “well, we’d better get back inside and check on the gelee,”

“of course, how could we forget about the gelee,” you say following him back in and you swear you hear him chuckle.

when you got back to your station, you began blanching some large green leaves first by boiling it in hot water and then immediately dumping it in a metal bowl filled with ice water so it doesn't lose its colour.

luca took the metal bowl and brought it to the table behind you where the blender was. he takes a clump of the leaves and then adds water.

"start off low," luca says as he turns on the blender.

the loud noise jolts you a bit.

"you can see the colour change," he says as you move closer. "you see it starting to get brighter?"

"gorgeous colour," you say.

"yeah, it is."

luca pours the green liquid into a sifter and hands you the purified liquid.

he watches as you pour the liquid into a new bowl and asks you to to bloom the gelatin with the cold green liquid to prevent potential clumps.

the second half of your shift flew by because before you knew it, it was time to clock out of the day.

in the change room, you removed your apron and since you were alone you removed your shirt as well quickly sliding on the grey sweatshirt you came with.

just as you brought your sweatshirt down, luca walked in and stood at his locker across from you.

turning your head slightly to peek at him, you caught him pulling off his shirt and since his back was turned towards you, he couldn't see you drinking in the sight of him.

you turned back around and pressed your lips.

"uh, luca," you say.

"yeah?" he says.

"about that, uh, personal tour? is now a good time?" you slowly turn his way.

he cracked the faintest smile. "sure. anywhere particular in mind?"

you shake your head. "wherever you wanna show me,"

"in that case, might i suggest some sustenance first? does coffee sound good?"

"coffee sounds fucking great," you sigh and follow him out the door and on to the sidewalk.

"there's this cafe that i love just up the road," he says.

walking alongside him, you take in your height difference. he's probably 6'2" to your 5'7" so it was perfect.

when you arrive at a hole-in-the-wall cafe, that had blue painted bricks and picture frames of happy looking folks. probably customers or family members.

"hi," luca says going up to the old woman behind the counter. "can i get a medium black coffee and...." he looks to you to say your coffee of choice.

"just a caramel latte please,"

"a caramel latte," he repeats "and two snegls please,"

you grab a table for the two of you near the window so you can people watch while luca gets your order. it's midday now and you watch as people in their own little lives pass by the window.

luca makes his way to you holding two coffee cups and clutching two bags of pastries.

"okay now can i ask what the hell a snegl is?" you say once he's seated.

"sure. it's cinnamon roll style pastry but shaped like a snails shell if that makes sense," he explains.

"so a cinnamon bun?"

he was going to refute your statement but upon seeing the look on your face, he concedes. "yeah, it's a cinnamon bun,"

you guys shard a small laugh.

"so long have you been a cook?" he asks taking a sip of his hot drink.

"about six years now. i went to university for psychology but didn't really feel like it was my thing," you answer.

"so you dropped out?"

"no. after all the hard work my parents did to raise me, dropping out, no matter how disengaged i was, was not an option. so i got that degree but i did tell them the truth. that my heart wasn't in it for that right reasons."

"so how did you fall into cooking?" luca sat up ready to hear your story.

"my dad taught me everything i know," you say a lump started to form in your throat. "i swear his favourite place besides his bed was the kitchen."

luca stayed silent and let you collect yourself. "he passed recently... but he was the best mentor i could have asked for."

"i'm sure he's proud," luca said with sincerity.

you give him a small smile.

"what about you?" you say ready to move on before you start crying in front of your hot co-worker. "how long have you been doing this?"

"uh, fourteen years now..."

"oh, so you started when you were three?" you ask deadpanned.

he chuckles. "close enough, yeah."

"and with that accent i'm guessing you're from london."

"you'd be correct. and you're from chicago?"

"born n raised," you confirm. "so did you go to culinary school?"

"i didn't. no. i didn't do too well in school. got in quite a bit of trouble. ditched the check. they caught me. made me wash dishes, and, uh, i loved it."

"wow, you might be the only person i know that loves washing dishes,"

he shrugs. "it gives me time to reflect."

"fair enough," you hold your hands up. "i can't argue with that."

"so, uh, you said your dad passed recently, but how recent? if you don't mind me asking?"

"no, not at all. i love talking about him," you say. "he died a little over a year ago and not gonna lie... i didn't handle it too well. it was sudden. in his sleep. so i had no chance to say goodbye and i think that's what still hurts more than anything."

you let a tear fall but quickly wiped it away. "i'm sorry."

"you never have to apologize to me. ever. and especially for crying," he hands you a tissue that came with the pastries.

"you're an only child?" he asks taking out a snegl and placing one in front of you.

"i have two brothers. and you?"

"uh, yeah. i have a younger sister somewhere... yeah,"

"somewhere?" you echo taking slow bites of your snegl.

he clears his throat. "half-sister, i have to clarify. my parents separated when i young and my mum quickly found someone new. then my sister came along and then one day... my mum just left. no goodbye or anything just a note saying she wanted to focus on herself... my step-dad got custody of my sister and well i was 18 by that time so i moved out and moved on."

you stay silent for a few seconds. you couldn't believe a mother could abandoned her kids like that, especially someone as great as luca.

"she's missing out... your mom."

"yeah," he sighs.

you were starting to see luca in a different light. after telling him your story and you his, all you wanted to do was hold him and hope to ease his pain and loss. but you couldn't do that so you opted for something safer. kind of...

"hey, want to come back to mine and i can cook us a meal or something?"

"you still wanna cook after today?"

"you can take the cook out of the kitchen, but you can’t take the kitchen out of the cook."

he laughs at that. "okay, let's go."

you and luca talk some more on the way to your place. he makes you laugh telling stories of his younger rugrat days in london and when you're talking, he hangs on to your every word.

"you... live on a boat?" he says when you arrive.

you look back opening the door. "cool, huh?"

"very."

you turn to luca as you place your bag on a hook at the front door. "can i get you anything?"

"water is fine," he says taking a seat the dining table. you get his water and tell him to make himself comfortable as you went up stairs to change into a t-shirt and loose jeans.

it's only when you make your way back down and see luca sitting at the table, that you've realized how small your space and intimate your living space was.

"what's on the menu for tonight, chef?" luca asks as he spots you coming down the steps.

"home made pizza, if your elegant taste buds can handle that?" you reply.

"i can never turn down a pizza,"

you got started on the dough and soon enough luca is by your side helping. what was supposed to be you cooking for him, turned to him taking over and doing all the work which you let him happily.

"how did you get good at this?" you ask as you finished with your slice.

he exhales. "honestly, i made a lot of mistakes."

"so that's the secret then? just fuck up?"

he smiles. "it might be, you know, fuck up."

"i think 'cause i started early, i got my skill set up really quick and then started to feel like i was really the best, you know, like at all these really good places. i really was the best cook. and then i started at this really great place as a commis. and this other chef started the same day as me, and..." he sighs.

"i thought we were competition, um, but really we weren't. he was better than me. much, much better than me. he worked harder and faster than i ever could. and it was the first time i realized that i wasn't the best," he confides.

"and i was never gonna be the best. so i started looking at it like it was a good thing. like, at least i knew who the best was now, and i could take that pressure off myself. and the only logical thing to do was to try and keep up with him. so i never left this guy's side."

"and you got better," you say.

"oh, i got better than i ever thought i possibly could be just from trying to keep up with him."

"that's incredible, honestly," you say putting the dirty dishes in the sink and hopping on the counter.

"thanks but i think at a certain stage it becomes less about skill and it's more about being open."

"open?" you echo.

"yeah. to-to the world, to yourself, to other people. you know, most of the incredible things that i've eaten haven't been because the skill level is exceptionally high or there's loads of mad fancy techniques. it's because it's been really inspired, you know." he says.

"i like that," you say softly.

"you can spend all the time in the world in the kitchen, but if you don't spend enough time out there..." he trails off but you understood what he meant.

"right," you nod.

luca lifts his gaze to you. "it helps to have good people around you, too."

"is what i am? good people?" you smile coyly.

he gets up and walks over to you, placing his hands on either side of the counter in front of you. "honestly? i really think so."

a few moments go by where luca just studies your face and you can feel your heart beating a million miles per hour.

"you are so fucking beautiful," he finally says. his voice barely above a whisper.

those words set your body aflame. you parted your lips and he leaned. "may i?"

"please," was all you managed to get out before luca held your chin and guided your lips to his. he was taking things slow, trying to sus your level of comfortability and giving you the chance to pull away if you wanted but you didn't want that. ever.

you brought your arms around his neck pushing him closer to you. the kiss got heavier and you moaned as he bit your lip. "i have been wanting to do this since i first saw you,"

"good because i've wanted this too," you say as luca starts to kiss your neck and moves his hands under your top.

he slides his hand up and down your back and then around to your boobs to start playing with your nipples. you lean your head back and revel in his affection.

you were desperate to get his hands on him as well so you lifted the black hoodie he adorned wanting to see his chest that you caught just a glimpse of earlier.

"wow," you say as you running both hands across his pecs and abs. you trail your fingers down south before you cup him through his jeans. "is this okay?" you whisper.

"more than okay," he lets out as you message him through his jeans.

he moves to take off your top next and you help, revealing your bare chest to him. luca looks at you in awe and immediately attaches his lips to your nipple while still playing with other.

you unbutton your jeans and luca helps you shimmy out of them.

"fuck," he whispered at the sight of you sitting completely naked and ready for him. he slides two fingers up and down your slit. "you're so wet, is this all for me?"

you whimper at his touch, spreading your legs wider. "all for you, luca."

he brings his fingers to his lips to taste you. "just like i imagined, you taste so sweet" he says as he gets on his knees and slides you to the edge of the counter.

the first lick was heaven. you couldn't help but throw your head back and moan. luca doesn't waste anytime, eating you like your his last meal.

"l-luca," you whine as he sucks on your clit. you grab his golden locks as he laps at your cunt.

"you're the best thing i've ever tasted," luca says in between licks. coming from a chef, that was the highest praise a girl could get.

he detaches himself from your cunt, his nose, lips and chin covered in your juices. he stands and holds your face in his hands and kisses you. you taste yourself on his tongue as he slipped it down your mouth.

"i need to fuck you or else i'm gonna lose my mind," he says in breathy whispers.

"upstairs," is all you said before he carries you in that direction and up the stairs to your bed.

luca drops you on the bed and you lay on your forearms and watch as him takes off his jeans and then his boxers. as he pulls that down, he watches you watch him.

your eyes go wide at the sight of his hard, and rather large, dick. you reach to wipe the pre-cum leaking from his tip, pressing it to your lips. he groans and climbs on top of you. "condom?"

"i'm on the pill," you say caressing his hair back and bringing his lips back to yours.

luca takes his aching dick and rubs it against your slit. "are you ready?"

"mmhm," you say as he wraps your legs around his waist as he sinks into you.

muffled moans are exchanged between the two of you as your mouths clashed hungrily.

"you're so big, luca" you say, squeezing down on his eliciting a hiss from him.

"y-yes squeeze me like that again... fuck," he thrusts his hip into you at a steady pace as you scratched your nails across his muscled back.

"this feels so good," he murmurs.

you gasp as he pulls out almost all the way only to push back int you again. you pull your knees up so he can reach deeper inside you. you could feel him stretching you and filling you up, his beautiful face inches away from yours as he peppers your neck with sloppy kisses.

the sounds falling from your lips are incoherent, his pace moving at a high speed as he wants to get you off. it didn't take long for you to gain the warm sensation in the pit of your stomach. "i'm so c-close,"

"yeah? cum for me, darling," he moans keeping that speed that he's at, his dick throbbing inside you as well signalling he was gonna cum soon.

luca let out a throaty groan before he snaps his hips into you, feeling his first load release into your cunt. you follow close behind as you cover his dick with your wetness but he stills fucks you through your high.

as you catch your breaths, he leans his forehead against your collarbone before he pulls out.

"wait there," he says and goes downstairs and comes back up just as quickly carrying paper towels. he smiles to himself seeing you in your current position all fucked out, liking the effect he had on you.

the bed dips as luca makes his way to you and cleans you up.

you slide under the covers, and when he discards the paper towels, he joins you.

"that was good," you say as he brings you into his chest.

his fingers trail up and down your arm softly while he lays his head on top of yours.

"it was," he says planting a kiss on your head.

"can we stay like this for a bit?" you ask not wanting this moment to end.

"yeah, i'm not going anywhere," he says.

between the day that you had and luca caressing you, you let tiredness wash over you.

tags: @leopard-skin-pillbox-hat-ok, @eddiemunsonreader, @sodapop182, @haydensith, @inpraizeof, @thecraziestcrayon, @zeeader, @tiana76, @jackierose902109

hope you guys enjoyed part two and thank you for all the support on the first part! part three is coming soon <3

[peace-love-and-french-toast]

Severus Snape rant

Disclaimer: I don't support JK Rowling's views and I'm not a TERF. TERFs, DNI for you.

Sorry for ranting, y'all. I'll try to keep things quick (note from the future: be warned. I failed). Spoilers and mentions of friendship toxicity and bullying under the cut.

By the way, for this I am generally talking about regular canon. When I discuss things people think about this, the headcanons are generally assumed to go alongside regular canon to complement it. I understand that there are fix-it fics out there where everyone is happy, and while I love that, I'm talking about how JK Rowling let it play out.

UPDATE:

Don’t interact with this post if you only want to insult me/my writing style. I am not accusing anyone of doing this, but I can see that there is a very definitive downward spiral, and I don’t want to see the bottom of it. However, I am willing to listen to arguments until things turn into personal attacks.

I don’t care that much about Snape: just a few lines on a page. I understand people have strong opinions on him (me too!). That’s fine. But I’m a real person, just like all the people on this platform (well, except bots). Let’s embrace that, and focus on the fact that we are all, in the end, Harry Potter fans.

Kat out.

Let me start with this: Severus Snape shouldn't be with Lily.

To keep to the simple stuff and the things most people can agree on first, no one "deserves" Lily. In this post, I was nearly guilty myself of talking like this, but please keep in mind: Lily Evans is not some kind of consolation prize, something given out to whoever is deemed the most worthy, the most angsty, whatever. Regardless of Snape's virtues (or lack of them: but give me a sec) he won't somehow earn the right to be in a romantic pairing with Lily. In all the stuff on the table in terms of how Lily viewed Snape, she wanted a platonic relationship. So that's part of what I have an issue with: talking about canon as if there was any part of romantic thing on the table. Lily never had a crush on Snape. It was a one-sided thing.

Now, to controversy. Let's address some common reasons for why people say Lily shouldn't have ditched Snape and why these shouldn't excuse his behavior. Keep in mind I'm talking about things that happened before Lily's death, because after death doesn't really matter to her. She's dead by then.

Snape had a bad home/school life.

That's true. But he then chose to continue the cycle of pain by joining a pureblood supremacist group and calling fellow students slurs?

2. The Marauders did some terrible stuff to him.

I really need a disclaimer here. THIS WAS TERRIBLE, AND I HATED IT, AND THE MARAUDERS WERE COMPLETELY IN THE WRONG HERE.

But this post isn't defending the Marauders, it's arguing that Lily was justified in choosing to let go of their friendship.

Anyway, this is an irrelevant excuse for why Lily should remain friends with him, because she thought this was terrible too... and then Severus screamed a slur at her when she was trying to help him. Way to go, Snape.

3. He loved Lily.

Hold up. Stop the clock.

Wut.

Wut.

Okay, this needs to be a new section. Let's call it:

Being In Love With Someone Doesn't Excuse Your Actions Towards Them

Quick story time, cause this section uses an extensive metaphor. IRL, I used to be best friends with this girl. She was toxic and refused to change.

Her excuses for why I should keep hanging out with her?

Current mental health situation.

Things just "slipped out". (Yeah, Snape LITERALLY USED THIS EXACT EXCUSE)

I was really important to her (So was Lily to Snape)

I stopped being friends with this girl regardless, because her actions harmed my mental health, isolated me, etc.

(And before someone says friendship is different etc. she had a crush on me two Valentine's days in a row and I'm unsure if she still does)

These are all excuses. Let's define that word for a second.

"attempt to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense); seek to defend or justify." -Oxford Languages from Google.

Contrast with an apology, where someone actually tries to make things better. Snape constantly gives excuses. His apology comes much, much too late in the form of begging Lily. Now, with my own toxic friend, she also claimed to want to make things better.

In the case of both Snape and Toxic Friend, they'd continually insisted it wasn't their fault, ignoring the problems in the relationship and not making an effort to fix them. By the time Lily and I broke things off, we'd made up our minds. We turned away and felt good about it, because they negatively impacted our lives.

Maybe Snape was in love. Maybe my friend really wanted to be friends with me. Both are probable.

Still, neither followed through on the steps necessary for a good friendship.

Depersonification, aka Lily is a Person Not A Shiny Toy, Severus

Crack open your books, hit play on the movie, or simply recall as we all remember how Snape looked at Lily.

In the books (won't mention the movies because I didn't watch them) he looks at Lily and Harry sees "undisguised greed" in his eyes. Um...

Snape's fine with hurting Petunia, figuratively and literally.

He ignores what Lily is actually trying to say to him once she tells him what he wants to hear.

And calling her Mudblood. (Can't help myself interrupting here: I myself never 'just accidentally' call someone a racial slur. That's because I don't use them, so they aren't exactly waiting on the tip of my tongue).

All of the things he does are in there for a reason. JK Rowling is trying to unsettle us, and she succeeded. Snape seems to view Lily as an accomplishment, an achievement, a plaything to be admired.

Why?

He never takes Lily's feelings into consideration. Not once until it negatively impacts him. Look at where he comforts Lily: when it looks like they've made a mistake and hurt Petunia.

When Lily gives up on him.

And I know: there was more, there was more, there was more.

Potions homework done together.

Eager chatter between classes.

It's not black and white.

But these are the scenes JK Rowling has decided will give you the best impression of their friendship. She didn't pick tender scenes with cocoa and cookies because that isn't a theme in this friendship.

And onwards to:

They Used To Be Friends, Why Did Lily Stop Talking To Him Like This

It's hard to know what a person is truly like. You only know what people show you, and they hold back the worst of themselves at first. In Lily's first scenes, she doesn't know everything. She doesn't see the greedy looks he gives her. He is a new boy about her age who understands her like nobody else in town could.

Years go by. He calls people like her "Mudblood", he makes friends with awful classmates who do illegal and immoral things and are rumored to be training for war. The other side of the war, the one that kills people.

He shows her the worse sides.

By the time he calls her Mudblood, she has already tried to stop him from going down the wrong path. He's ignored her and ignored her and she finally snaps.

Can you blame her?

This apology seems like yet another excuse, a means to an end of keeping her by his side.

She's had enough.

Conclusion

So concludes the saga of Lily and Severus.

As he makes his decisions and she hers, Lily perishes saving a son whom Snape will later torment in her classes.

Harry grows up.

Snape oversees the creation of a school designed for indoctrination, watching passively as cruciatus curses are dished out. Her son meets him on the battlefield.

Voldemort gets to Snape first.

And thus, Snape meets his end.

And that's it, because things work out like that sometimes. Snape chose his path in life. Lily responded accordingly. And years later, he continued to stay stagnant in character growth, even becoming a child's worst fear from his unequally distributed cruelty.

A note:

If you disagree, feel free to debate me! I enjoy calm discussions. HOWEVER, please remember that we are all, in the end, people with lives and feelings, so don’t scream at me if you don’t agree with what I’ve said here.

[belphegorbillickin]

Could I request b,e,o,v,x for Floyd and Jade

Honestly, I feel like this is one of the only situations where the yandere version of the characters would actually be nicer and potentially even healthier, at least for Jade.

So consider yourself warned.

Bargain, would they just accept a break-up? Do they mope around or try to fix things? How would they attempt to get you back?

Honestly, I could easily see Floyd going either way. He's definitely not the type to start crying and clinging onto someone as they leave, but he's also definitely not the kind of guy that just lets someone leave either. So if Floyd's getting kind of bored or if he can tell you're just trying to play mind games with him? He'll let you go with zero fanfare. Or, if he's actually annoyed, he'll start rubbing it in and use every one of your closely guarded insecurities against you to ensure your faux tears turn real. Honestly, it's your fault shrimpy, for assuming he wouldn't notice just 'cause he's a little moody. Floyd is eerily perceptive, he just rarely utilizes it for anyone else's gain. Well, besides maybe Jade and occasionally Azul, if he compensates him enough.

But if he doesn't want you to go? You don't. Period, end of story, capiche? Try to leave and suddenly everyone you've ever cared about is either under contract, got the other twin's fist wrapped around their throat, literally and figuratively, and the trio already has several lists worth of blackmail ready to send to everyone's employers and landlords. Whether it's actual evidence, falsified, or both is up to you and your loved ones. So do be sure to make a wise decision, won't you?

Trying to get the police involved means getting the family involved, and while they don't have as much influence above sea level, it's still more than enough. You're in this for life, or y'know, until they get bored of you. Which isn't all that unlikely, although chances are if neither has gotten sick of you a few years in you're probably stuck for life. But who cares about the fine print when you're living in the moment? You're having fun, aren't you? Aren't you?

Jade is a bit trickier, as his behavior can change quite a bit depending on your own. Even in a relationship, you can never be quite sure how honest he's being. Although honestly, I can't see him being the kind of person to truly chase after someone, and he's certainly not the kind to beg or plead with any kind of sincerity. Well, romantically that is, he very much loves to chase people in the literal sense. Especially when they let out those delightfully high-pitched shrieks humans are just so full of. Regardless, chances are if you want to break up it's most likely because he's already started to lose interest, otherwise he would've already prevented that. Or tried his best to, anyway. But, in the rare case that you saw something you shouldn't have or you start to want to stray for whatever inane reason, I could see Jade pulling his usual schemes to get you back.

Though, there is an extremely high chance he's only winning you back just to gouge your heart out and ruin all of your future relationships instead. You do remember what he said back in Scarabia, right? "If I were betrayed by someone the way you were, I'd lash out with a torrent of unmitigated abuse to break them mentally, then bind them and drag them beneath the waves."

In the even smaller chance that he actually wants you back… Yeah, you're still getting much of the same. If anything he's even more likely to isolate you and carefully lash out at any support systems you may have. Not because he's under any real delusion that they caused this and you're just an innocent little guppy, but because Jade believes in an eye for eye and you've left him awfully blind. Or rather, Jade believes in an eye for an entire shattered skull, at the very least. Jade is aware that he's a rather complicated man. He adores chaos and unpredictability, but delights in squashing the weak and innocent under his boots, one inch at a time, controlling every aspect of their life. But don't you feel flattered to catch his ever wandering eye? You should you know, he can count the number of people who've entertained him this long on one single, spindly hand. Do take care to keep that up now, won't you?

Outrageous, how do they react when you get yourself into trouble? Do they bail you out or are you on your own? Do they expect you to get them out of trouble?

Honestly, both Floyd and Jade probably find it funny, or at least entertaining. So long as you're not in mortal danger of course. They'll give you the chance to get yourself out of whatever trouble you've gotten yourself into, just for the sheer joy of watching you struggle, but neither of them would pass up on the chance of getting you indebted to them. It'd be incredibly hard to get to the chance to actually save Jade, and honestly I think he'd find it very disconcerting at absolute best anyway, especially since that would typically mean neither Floyd nor Azul had been able to get there first. Jade wouldn't dare act ungrateful though. He'll immediately start paying you back, but he's putting at least twice as much effort into finding some way to gain control over you in turn.

Floyd would also be slightly uneasy at first, but mainly head over heels for his beloved shrimpy! Your spine will be shattered by his sheer adoration and excitement instead of the usual reasons. He'll still pay you back, but he's nowhere near as concerned about it as Jade is. Who still tries to get you under his control, just for his brother's sake instead of his own this time.

Emergency, what would they do if you needed them? Do they drop everything? Do they panic? What do they do if they need you?

Floyd may not seem like it at first, but he's very protective, territorial even, when it comes to his darling shrimpy. A dog bites you, tearing out a piece of your flesh? Well, you'd better find something to bite down on yourself, because Floyd is going to be gouging it out with his own needle-like teeth soon after. Don't whine too much, alright? Azul can fix that right up. But not before Floyd bites you first, for... reasons. Eelmer reasons. You may uh, also want to keep any Mr John Wicks away from the area depending on the circumstances and how bad your injuries are. …Okay, yeah. Realistically whatever animal that attacked you is getting beaten to death in a way that'd make his usual go-to of being gutting something alive with his claws or snapping a spine in two seem merciful. The owner is likely getting their ass handed to them as well, especially if they did nothing to intervene or even blamed you, regardless of how high up they think they are.

People living under the sea, especially in the deep, dark trenches where eelmer usually live, don't have the same luxuries as those living above it. If something, whether that be another predator or simply another unknown mer, gets too comfortable around their pod, then they must be destroyed for the good of the group. Open, bleeding wounds are a one-way ticket to a feeding frenzy, and although mer may not be anywhere near as protective of their young as most of the other sapient races, they would still rather kill any predators their children have no hope of surviving. Besides, what kind of mate would he be if he allowed you to bleed out? From something he didn't even do himself at that? Humans are awfully pathetic creatures, aren't they? Good thing you have him to protect you then, like any other good eel protected their beloved shrimp. (Even if it is very a bit reminiscent of a protection racket.)

Jade, for all his efforts to appear oh so controlled, is actually not all that dissimilar once his instincts kick in. You'd never know it just listening to his voice, but get him riled up enough and it'll be shockingly easy to mistake him for Floyd with the way he's wailing on your assaulter, one broken bone at a time. Though you do have to wonder if Floyd was ever this cruel as he somehow manages to avoid knocking them out, prolonging their suffering even further. But don't worry. Once he's done with that he'll ruin them financially, if they're even still alive that is, as well as everyone else they've ever loved as well. 

Vacation, Do they have vacation plans? Where are they taking you? For how long?

Floyd would love to take you back home! It's where he can laugh at all of your pathetic attempts to keep up with him as you beg to not be left behind. It sure does feel nice to be wanted, doesn't it? Where he could scare you by hiding in the kelp forests and dragging you into them, show you all of his favorite spots, the cute wildlife he imagined you cooing at, and show off his fighting abilities in a form even stronger than the one you're used to.  As much as Floyd loves to seek out new experiences, he does seem to be the most homesick and comfortable in his natural form out of the three of them. Besides, having you come along with him keeps things fresh and exciting! And mama's been dying to meet you! Don't be shy, she doesn't bite. Without good reason to, at least. Unlike her (two) son(s.) As for how long? Probably not too long, but as is everything with Floyd, it's rarely consistent. Even when he's already agreed to a specific date.

Jade, on the other hand, would love to bring you to the mountains with him. He's surprisingly patient with you, even if you keep stumbling and asking for breaks, so long as you're willing to let him ramble on about the wonders of nature and show at least a little excitement for him. He's maybe a little too excited, especially when you (un)knowingly bite into the love(mysterious mushroom)-packed lunch that he made just for you! But why wouldn't he be? Are you really so cruel as to accuse your poor "little" heartbroken boyfriend of having some ulterior motives? He would love to stay longer, (and see how long you could last out in the wilderness,) but alas, duty calls. Jade can rarely stay for longer than a weekend, but he'd love to leave Friday night and come back Monday morning if he could.

X-ray, what are some of their thoughts when with you that they don’t say aloud?

It'd be easier to list the things that Jade did say aloud, in front of or about you. Honestly, I don't think Jade would be all that into romance on his own at first. He'd probably think of your relationship as more of an experiment at first, in the psych study kind of way, until he finally started getting attached. Not that he would've just done it with anyone though, that would be a colossal waste of his time and effort.  No, you were still special to him in your own way even before that. Enough for Floyd to notice his interest in you and consider interfering even. For his brother's sake of course, what kind of an eel do you take him for?

Floyd on the other hand hardly ever keeps anything to himself, regardless of how that might make you feel. He absolutely loves the cute little faces and complaints you make when he says something a bit too crass. If he thinks you should be wearing something more flattering or acting a bit smarter? He'll tell you. If he thinks you look really good in public? He'll definitely tell you with zero care of who's watching. Or especially so, if it means offending someone like Riddle. Floyd does whatever his black little heart desires at the time, regardless of (most of) the consequences. The only real exceptions are things that Jade doesn't want you to know, (Azul's usually fair game though, especially if it gets him all huffy,) and classified details about the family business. That's not to say he can't be incredibly sneaky or plan things out however. Remember Bean Day? As Floyd himself said, Morays are cowards at heart. He won't go in for the kill until everything's set up just right, even if the waiting is killing him, and he's certainly not averse to bringing Jade or Azul into his plans. You may not even notice he's planned anything at all however, as Floyd's behavior is so erratic that all of his carefully laid plans and suddenly bossy behavior as he pulls you along don't stand out at all.  Your only hope of noticing when he's going to pull you into something particularly dangerous or permanent is the excited gleam in his eyes, and how much of his undivided attention he's been giving you for hours on end. So yeah... Good luck with that.

Honestly, I've just never really abided by the popular fanon characterizations.

I wasn't active in the fandom at all until book three had been released on the English app, and still rarely sought out anything until after book 4, so seeing them being characterized the way they are on tumblr left me feeling like I had read something completely different.

At least one member of the octatrio is always in my top 3 specifically because they were some of the only "truly evil, unrepentant villains" in TWST.

Especially because I only really got into TWST when I was feeling frustrated about OBM! losing almost all of it's edge and seeing nothing but fluff & lighthearted humor 24/7.

[pensat-i-fet]

An unbearable fan (Rúben Dias x Reader)

**So I was requested this the other day and it's kind of funny huh? Me writing from the POV of a Madrid fan. Just in case you didn't know it was fiction, this is the definitive proof 😅 anyways, it’s just banter and a bit of angst and fluff for all of you to hopefully enjoy! ❤️**

Word count: 1238

Masterlist

Wattpad

There were downsides to any relationship and that included a relationship with a football player. All the travelling, all the emotions that went up and down depending on the result of that specific day…it could be a lot. But when the player didn't play for the team you loved with all your heart, things could get a bit messier.

Luckily for you, Rúben played in England. Your team played in the Spanish League. So the chances of him playing against Madrid were so small…but there still was a chance.

And so when Madrid beat Chelsea and City beat Bayern, it was time for a second semifinal in a row between your team and your boyfriend's. And you hated it.

For the first leg, the teams played at the Bernabéu. Being back there was special for you. And it helped you daydream about Rúben playing there in the future…but for the home team. A girl can dream.

The match ended in a draw and Rúben should have been given MOTM because he drove your attacking players insane. They don't call him "the wall" for nothing.

"Just 1-0 at home, and we're in the final".

"Yeah, good luck with that", you said, rolling your eyes. "My boys were just warming up yesterday. They saved all the magic for the Etihad".

"You lot are really into saving the magic for the last minute. It gets annoying, you know?"

"Not to us!", you shrugged.

The banter continued during the next week but what changed was the nerves you felt. Rúben being in the final was great but you couldn't just root against your team. They had already been in a similar position the previous season and it broke your heart. But also, you were happy he lost and that made you feel like a horrible person. You tried not to show it in front of him but he wasn't dumb.

"Are you wearing that?", he asked, pointing at your outfit.

"Yes. What's wrong with it?"

"You always wear my shirt to matches. But I guess you're just making it clear again you want me to lose".

"It's not that but, it's my team…imagine Madrid and Benfica played each other! You'd want Benfica to win and I wouldn't blame you".

"You don't play for any of the teams. That makes the difference. I get you want them to always win but you should make an exception when they play against me!"

"I'd be happy if you win…".

"I doubt it".

You didn't want to say more because it'd only make things harder to fix later. But driving in silence was going to make you go insane.

"Good luck".

"It almost sounded like you meant it".

"Rúben, I do mean it".

"You mean you want me to do well while my team is destroyed. But it's a team sport. What I do means nothing".

"Tell that to Benzema".

He ignored your comment and left to join the rest of the team without saying goodbye.

Why couldn't they draw another team instead of yours???

Rúben wasn't completely wrong. Whatever happened, you wanted him to be the best player on the pitch. It could be someone else who messed up when your team scored.

And he was one of the best…but then again, so was Bernardo who scored a brace. And Julián only needed a few minutes on the pitch to seal their pass to the final. 4-0, how did that happen?

Apart from Rúben doing well, you wanted just a simple 0-1. No team needed to be humiliated this time. But yours was and it was against one of your biggest enemies. Pep.

When you saw Rúben waiting for you by the car, you noticed his smile and that pissed you off. So you couldn't want your team to win but he could laugh after humiliating you? Bit unfair, that.

"You feeling ok after that?"

Your response was to look inside his trousers' pockets, which confused him. "Did you take Karim out already? Nice, he needs the fresh air".

"You're joking?"

"It's that or telling you to go to hell. I'm trying to be diplomatic".

The day after the match, you were off work so sleeping in sounded like the best way to start your day. By the time you woke up, Rúben was long gone and so you made it to the kitchen expecting it to be empty.

And there was no Rúben there but it looks like he had time to buy, and print, all the newspaper articles about the match before leaving to train. He even checked the Barcelona press to find the most insulting headlines.

But two could play that game.

"Did you read the news today?", he asked when he got back home.

"I've never been a newspaper person. I prefer to get my news from Twitter".

"From Madrid fan accounts? I bet they are real objective".

"Are you a comedian now?"

"Come on…", he said, hugging you. "Forgive me for annihilating your team".

"Should we talk about last season, Dias? Stop it!"

"Such a sore loser", he laughed.

"Well, I'm not used to losing unlike others".

                                      **

The weeks that passed between the semifinals and the final had helped you two forget your little fight. But you were still petty and had a surprise saved for Rúben.

"It's so tiring to pack for just a couple of days. I've checked the weather so many times to bring the right clothes".

"You can always use that as an excuse to go shopping there".

"You're right. But…can you help me? I don't know if this outfit is right for the match?"

When he got there, his smile disappeared.

"I can't stand you".

"Is it good or not?"

"When did you buy an Inter shirt?"

"When I saw the newspapers you left for me".

"It was a joke", he said, annoyed.

"This is a joke too".

"A joke is supposed to be funny".

"Really, Rúben? So you thought I would laugh at what you did to me?"

And it was back to square one. But at least this time you travelled separately. And, even if he pissed you off so much since he beat Madrid, you still wore his shirt to the match. You didn't even wear a Madrid one to the semis and he really thought you'd wear an Inter one now? Silly boy.

But all the jokes and digs meant nothing when you saw him lifting the trophy. Your eyes watered immediately and you couldn't wait to hug him.

"You…you won", you said, sobbing and hiding your face in his neck.

"Yeah, sorry about that".

You both laughed and he held you tighter while you cried.

"I'm really proud of you, you know?"

"Even if I beat your team to win the trophies?"

"Yeah", you said, looking up at him. "Even then. Seeing you after you won just…I didn't expect it to mean so much".

"It means a lot to me that it means a lot to you".

You hugged in the middle of the pitch, forgetting about everyone else.

"Besides, you still have a long way to go to catch us so…we like doing charity work and letting others win every once in a while".

Rúben laughed and shook his head. "You are the most unbearable fanbase in the world, you know?"

"I know. But at least you managed to get one of us to be happy you won today".

[bassettmemes]

FEAR STREET SERIES. ↳ quotes from the fear street book series by r.l. stine. they're not all horror-themed, but there are mentions of murder, death, and a few mentions of food.

“i have a couple of suggestions to help things along. first of all, go back to school on monday.”

"my first day back was a non-event."

"they will come when they come. screaming your throat raw will not change anything."

"i hope you learned your lesson."

"i'm not into lord of the rings."

"this must be what it's like on the moon."

"it's bad enough that we killed [name]. we can't kill four people."

"i heard the whole story. i'll phone the police."

"you've been out in the ozone somewhere since we got here."

"oops! forget you heard that. it just slipped out."

"simon and angelica fear were supposed to be the most evil people in the world. we studied it all in fourth grade."

"without the nectar, i'll perish!"

"where'd you get that line? out of an old horror movie?"

"yes, i know what facetime is."

"like, hello. it's the twenty-first century — geeks rule!"

"dreams are all wishes, right?"

"sorry, i'm on my break."

"i sound so broken up about it, even i would believe me."

"evil never dies. those who do it's work can be conquered, but the evil never goes away. it only seeks a new vessel. anyone can be the victim of evil. even the kindest heart, the gentlest soul, is at its mercy."

"what if you're a ghost from the future?"

"you're not interested in their story, you're interested in their bod!"

“i know i’m going to be different when i go to college. i’m getting my nose pierced, definitely. and maybe a tattoo.”

"good idea. let's get some pizza!"

"why is she so sad? and so mysterious?"

"i will never apologize to a murderer!"

"that's dumb. my plan is better than that."

“i think i’ll write to my mom that you and i have gotten to be very close — very close friends.”

"did you really believe i was a ghost?"

"how can i prove that i'm not a ghost?"

ever since i found out Iiwas a pisces and water was my sign, i’ve had a much better relationship with swimming.

"that was the worst, thinking a fish had eaten the eyeballs out of my skull."

"you went out with me just because you wanted to kill mr. northwood?"

"psychos are allowed to wear maroon, too, you know."

" i tore a fingernail while getting dressed for school this morning and burst into tears. that’s how messed up i am."

"yeah, well, there's no guarantee the sun will rise tomorrow."

"he's so intense, but i like him anyway."

[genericpuff]

Oooh, I love that you're actually using Withy (and maybe Krokos as well?), so I can't wait to see where this storyline goes! Ngl though—and this is a problem I have with Rachel as well, I know Withy comes from there—but I kinda wish you had taken the opportunity to use a more Grecian name instead. Withy is another word for willow stem, so something like Helike or Itea could've fit very well.

Funnily enough, a Helike actually is associated with the abduction of Persephone, albeit according to the Roman Ovid in his Fasti, though in this case. If I remember correctly, she'd originally been a nymph (specifically one of Zeus's nurses) and eventually became Ursa Major as a reward, according to Aratus' Phaenomena.

Two Bears wheel together—wherefore they are also called the Wains. Now they ever hold their heads each toward the flank of the other, and are borne along always shoulder-wise, turned alternate on their shoulders. If, indeed, the tale be true, from Krete (Crete) they by the will of mighty Zeus entered up into heaven, for that when in olden days he played as a child in fragrant Dikton (Mount Dicte), near the hill of Ida, they set him in a cave and nurtured him for the space of a year, what time the Diktaioi Kouretes (Dictaean Curetes) were deceiving Kronos (Cronus). Now the one men call by name Kynosoura (Cynosura) and the other Helike (Helice)

"You Arcadian stars (since you can see all things, Never plunging beneath the watery wastes) Show this wretched mother, her daughter, Proserpine!"

She spoke, and Helice answered her in this way: "Night’s free of blame: Ask the Light about your Stolen daughter: the Sun views, widely, things done by day."

Sorry for the weird ask, I just found it's a bit of a pet peeve of mine when names aren't consistent with a certain culture. Again, I have this problem with Rachel too and even some retellings I really like, so nothing against you personally.

Anyway, I really like that you made her be associated with music! The painter Polygnotos depicted Orpheus as having brought willow with him when he went to the underworld, and if I recall correctly, willow is a common plant to be associated with poets. He also encounters a willow nymph in the Argonautica, while Homer tells us in The Odyssey that willows (and black poplars) are sacred to Persephone.

Orpheus sobbed as he prayed. But the Nymphai were still at hand, and they took pity on the suffering men. They wrought a miracle. First, grass sprung up from the ground, then long shoots appeared above the grass, and in a moment three saplings, tall, straight and in full leaf, were growing there. Hespere (Hespera) became a poplar; Erytheis an elm; Aigle (Aegle) a sacred willow. Yet they were still themselves; the trees could not conceal their former shapes--that was the greatest wonder of all. And now the Argonauts heard Aigle in her gentle voice tell them what they wished to know.

When you have crossed the stream of Ocean, you will reach the shore, where willows let fall their dying fruit, and towering poplars grow in the forest of Persephone.

So yeah, the fact that Persephone—future Queen of the Underworld—encounters a nymph essentially named Willow twice, first while said nymph is playing music and now in the underworld, is a really neat reference, intentional or not lol!

Not a weird ask at all, that was actually one of the few things from LO that I kept that I still kinda go (ノωヽ) on as well haha Although my biggest worry wasn't so much Withy, but Krokos, because in the original myths Crocus/Krokos was a man (and supposedly one of Hermes' lovers though the sources on that are a bit muddier) who had nothing to really do with Persephone.

The inclusion of Krokos and Withy is definitely one of those times I've ultimately decided to keep an element from LO despite it being out-of-place. Some things I changed for the sake of correcting the course Rachel put LO on, other things I kept in spite of the inaccuracies for the sake of storytelling, Krokos and Withy being one of those inaccuracies. The Act of Wrath plotline was one of my favorites from the LO storyline so when Krokos and Withy got swept under the rug, I wanted to use Rekindled to give them an actual spotlight and role in Persephone's story as unique characters, especially for readers and critics of the comic such as myself who wanted to see more done with them. I thought of changing their names at one time, but I felt like it would stray too far from the goal of redrawing/rewriting LO in doing so. So that's one of those "bear with me" things while I work with LO's ingredients (a challenge I'm fully open to taking on LOL) while also trying to respect the original myths.

What I will say without spoiling is that the Withy Persephone saw in the opening parts of the comic and the Withy she's seeing now are one and the same ;) So have fun with that fridge horror thought (•̀⌄•́)

[be-with-me-so-happily]

Chapter 5

Series Summary: Gemma is definitely Cassidy James' favourite Styles family member, considering they are best friends and all. And especially considering that Harry Styles is Gemma's smug and self-centered younger brother. Her life isn't perfect, and neither is she, but she knows for a fact that anything involving Harry gets messy.

Chapter Summary: Things are changing, for the entire world, so Harry and Cassidy navigate their friendship through the new situation that everyone now finds themselves in. Will things ever be the same as they were?

Chapter Warnings: Some explicit language, Covid-19, lockdowns & quarantines, mild injury, potential jealousy, wine consumption

[ present - March 2020 ]

With her phone held in front of her face, Cassidy quickly scans the vicinity of the room, through the door frame, making sure Cecelia is not within earshot.

"At least half of the country is on edge." She states quietly, eyes still glancing around to look out for her toddler. The little one doesn't need to hear or sense any concern that is present in their current conversation.

"It's the same here. The new travel ban isn't helping." Harry replies, sighing as he dips his head down. "It's the uncertainty of things. No one knows what's going to happen. It's as if the future is hazy."

"Hopefully it's nothing to be too concerned with." She responds, yet feeling a mild tightness in her chest. Just like Harry said, it's the uncertainty that worries her.

"On to a more positive subject, if things settle down, are you doing anything for Mother's Day? It's in a few weeks, yeah?"

Cassidy's shoulders raise in a shrug, an odd and solemn feeling rushing over her. She's never truly celebrated the holiday. When she was younger, her father obviously never did anything for her mum. Not anything good, anyway. Cassidy tried to do fun things with her, but it wasn't much. When she became a mum herself, there wasn't another person in the home besides her baby girl, so no one else was there to share in the traditional festivities of the day. Not that she wanted a big fuss anyway. Besides, this is the first year that Cecelia is even remotely aware that there is anything special about it. Needless to say, it has yet to be anything but another day of the week up until this point, so she hasn't thought to do anything specific.

"I don't know. It's like Valentine's Day, we'll probably just keep it simple."

"Nope." Harry states with a strong shake of his head. "I'm texting my mum."

"Don't you dare, Harry!" Cassidy exclaims, wishing she could reach through the screen to stop his plan from going any further, whatever it may be.

"You can't just do nothing for Mother's Day, Cass! You're a good mum! You should do something!"

"Harry, I swear to god-"

"Too late!" He proclaims triumphantly, that smug little smirk appearing immediately. Cassidy gives him the most intense glare she possibly can, hoping he can feel it somehow on the other end of the video chat.

"I hate you."

"That's not very nice…" He pouts, causing him to receive an eye roll of an unamused nature. "May I please talk to Cece? She's much more pleasant."

"Yeah, well, that's because she actually likes you." Cassidy quips, mimicking his mischievous smirk to add to her sarcastic insult.

"Hey…" Harry states. "Bloody hell. You're a grump today…"

Cassidy chews on the corner of her bottom lip. She knows she's being a bit too snappy. She isn't meaning to. All the talk, and worry, about this new virus that is spreading rapidly, it's getting to her a bit more than she expected. It doesn't help that she just started her menstrual cycle, and that Cecelia woke up multiple times during the night with a sudden onset of bad dreams.

"Sorry about that." She sighs, looking up to her phone, finding Harry's eyes attempting to flicker over her features through the video call. "It's just that things aren't really going very well today."

"Do you… you don't have to… but do you want to talk about it?"

Much to her annoyance, Cassidy cannot help the small flutter in her stomach at his concern and willingness to help. It hasn't even been that long but he really has become one of her closest friends.

"It's…" She chuckles, feeling just slightly awkward enough to stop herself before talking to him about her physical female issues. "Woman stuff."

"Ah. Okay." Harry responds, nodding as if he understands exactly what she means. Though, he might. He grew up with two women in the household, and has obviously dated a number of them too. Even still, it's not something she's willing to go into detail about.

"Also, Cece didn't sleep well last night." Her lips tense together in an awkward smile, and Harry presents a more sincere pout at the new information.

"That's no good." He replies, a slightly sad tone to his words.

"I'm sure she really would love to talk to you, actually." She admits, no longer with her comical demeanor.

"Alright. Send me over to her." He smiles, causing Cassidy to do the same.

She gets up from the edge of her bed, walking into the living room where she, of course, finds her daughter colouring across multiple pages of paper.

"Hey Bug, Harry wants to say hi."

Cecelia immediately drops her crayons and bounces in her place on the floor, waiting for her mum to bring over the phone. Cassidy giggles at her daughter's excitement and looks at her phone to switch the camera view for Harry to see the little girl's anticipation.

Suddenly, she is halted and instantly feels a shooting pain through her foot, originating from her pinky toe. Her hands fly up and she turns around to watch in agony as her phone lifts into the air and then falls onto the floor, smacking down against the tile in the kitchen.

"Oh for fu-... for crying out loud!" She shouts, holding back the true words she wants to release, for the sake of setting a good example for her daughter.

"Umm… hello? What happened? It's dark over here." She hears Harry say as she wobbles over and retrieves her device. "Are… are you alright?"

"I stubbed my damn toe." She growls, turning it over to find the back camera cracked all the way through. Shattered would be a better description. "And the camera is broken."

"Is it salvageable?"

"I doubt it. I can't do much about it anyway. I don't have the time right now to get a new one. Figures." She sighs, grinding her teeth down enough to feel pain in her jaw. She is usually better at handling or at least hiding her frustration, but her hormones and lack of sleep, as well as everything going on in the world, have just built up inside and this was the thing to tip her over. "Nothing is going my way today."

For some reason, she brushes off the phone, as if the dusting off would solve her problems, and then walks back over to Cecelia, whose eyes are wide open, clearly trying to use her three year old brain power to understand what just unfolded in front of her.

"Is Harry still on da phone?" Cecelia asks, her face changing to one ready for disappointment.

"Yes he is." Her mum replies, flipping the camera view back to face her, handing the device over to her daughter, and plopping down onto the sofa behind her.

"Harry!"

"Hello Cece!" He exclaims back, with just as much enthusiasm as he received. "What are you doing today?"

As Cecelia lifts up each of her drawings to proudly show them off, Cassidy examines her now throbbing toe, discovering the nail half snapped off, and she grimaces at the pain.

She leans forward and rests her elbows on her thighs, pinching her nose between her finger and thumb, squeezing her eyes shut. This isn't the worst thing to happen to her, and it isn't the worst day she's ever had. Not even close. Quite a few from her childhood could easily win that title. But, the sense of feeling overwhelmed still manages to hit her hard, and tears begin to sit on her lower lash line.

"Yeah, but Mummy helped-ed me when I had da bad d'eams."

"You have a very good mum." Harry states, causing Cassidy's head to snap up, seeing his gaze switch between her and Cecelia. His subtle smile pulls her out from the downward spiral of negativity, just enough to straighten her posture.

"She's da best mummy ever!" Her daughter exclaims, and Cassidy's eyes begin to water again, forming out of gratitude now instead of helplessness.

"Could you give the phone back to your mum, please?"

"Yeah, 'kay. Buh-bye Harry!" Cecelia waves to the forward facing camera, thankfully still working for this interaction, and hands the phone back to Cassidy. She quickly swipes a finger over each cheek, clears her throat, and lifts up the device to be in full view of the man on the other end.

"Cass, are you sure you're okay?" He asks, so much compassion in his voice that even the hardest of hearts would not be able to reject it. She's almost positive that statement would have changed her mind about him when they were younger. Possibly.

"I'll be alright." She replies, unsure of the honesty behind her answer, but certain that she does not want to burden him with any of these minimal problems.

"I'm here to help if you need me, okay? Well, I'm here, in Los Angeles, but the sentiment still remains." He chuckles, and Cassidy cannot hold back the small laugh she instinctively lets out.

"Thank you." She replies, knowing his generous heart, and not being one to hold back from doing what he can for a friend.

"No problem. But I should get going, and get a bit of sleep."

"Wait… what time is it there…?"

Harry pulls his lips inward, tightly, and closes his eyes, being accompanied by a subtle shake of his head.

"Harry…"

"It's 1 in the morning." He utters, scrunching up his face with the admission.

"Oh my god, Harry! We wouldn't have rung if we knew what time it was there! Why did you answer the phone in the middle of the night?"

"I couldn't ignore a call from one of my best friends, and her mum!"

"Piss off. You're horrible!"

"And you're still a grump. G'night!"

Cassidy rolls her eyes and watches Harry give a quick wink before reaching in front of him and ending the call. She locks the screen and reaches to place it in her pocket when she feels a notification cause her phone to buzz. She brings it back around and opens her messages to see a couple of texts from Anne.

🗨️ Anne: come over on mother's day

🗨️ Anne: and that's non-negotiable

"Oh for fucks sake." She whispers. "I'm going to kill him."

•••

Curled up on the couch in a blanket, fingers tapping away on the laptop sitting on her thighs, Cassidy groans at the sudden rapping at the front door. The thought crosses her mind to ignore the stranger on the other side, but the knocking continues, so she figures an answer to their persistence will shut it down sooner.

She angrily swings the door open, ready to scowl at the intrusion, when she is halted by the sight of her best friend.

"Bloody hell, CJ!" Gemma exclaims, her eyes wide. "Why weren't you answering the door?"

"I was trying to avoid the annoying person who was interrupting my day." Cassidy chuckles, feeling thankful it was simply her friend, and slightly guilty that she didn't respond to her sooner.

"Annoying?" Her friend drops her jaw in disbelief. "Bit rude considering I brought you some coffee!"

Cassidy's eyes travel down to the to-go cups in her friend's hands, and can already feel the warmth of the drink inside.

"Just let me in and then drink this immediately, for fucks sake." Gemma adds, bringing Cassidy's eyes back up as she opens the door.

Gemma makes her way in and directly over to the sofa, instantly settling herself in as Cassidy takes a seat to the side of her.

"So, what's up?" She asks, taking a sip of beverage she has just been handed.

"I can't just visit my best friend?" Gemma replies.

Cassidy immediately lets out a laugh. Despite loving to spend as much time together as they can, and do, she knows her friend too well to ignore the expression all over her features.

"Not when your face looks like that!" Cassidy points out. Gemma opens her mouth in dramatic fashion, attempting to portray offense at Cassidy's assumption of ulterior motives.

"Fine. I heard that you're spending Mother's Day with me and Mum…" Gemma states. Cassidy subtly grumbles at Harry's sneaky plan to get her to celebrate the holiday. She definitely plans to give him a few words about inconveniencing his own family, just to get her out of the house. "I was hoping you could help me figure out what I can get for her."

"Shit." She responds, thankful that her daughter is currently at daycare and not within earshot of the curse words that just have, and will most likely continue, to be uttered during their conversation.

"Right? Why is she so difficult to buy for?" Gemma whines, pouting as if she were a toddler herself, again.

"She's just always so fucking generous that she never wants or asks for anything for herself."

The pair laugh at the notion of complaining about how selfless Anne is, though they love her for it. Cassidy likes to think that Cecelia's contentment for anything and everything she receives has come from the influence of that wonderful woman. Neither Anne nor Cecelia care too much about what they have or are doing, as long as it's with the people closest to them, which sparks a small idea.

"Why don't we treat her to a fancy afternoon tea time somewhere?" Cassidy perks up with excitement, one she can actually get on board with if the celebration must include herself. "She's always wanted to go to Claridge's, right?"

"Yes! That's perfect!" Gemma exclaims, pulling her phone out swiftly and bringing it in front of her. "I'm going to tell Harry so he can pitch in."

"You're making him contribute? He's not even here." Cassidy chuckles.

"So? She is his mum too… and I'm pretty sure his bank account can handle it."

Her statement is true, and Cassidy is once again reminded of just how big a star her friend Harry is. It boggles her mind that she grew up with him, that she actually grew up with the now famous Harry Styles, because she still doesn't really think of him that way unless and until it's brought to her attention in certain situations. But, she realizes that as his career continues growing, his celebrity status is a fact that is becoming more and more prominent to her.

Cassidy takes another sip of her coffee and a sudden knock at the door causes both of them to immediately snap their attention towards that direction.

"I have no idea who that could be…" She states, turning back to her friend as if Gemma would have more of a clue.

"So then answer the bloody door, CJ." Gemma chuckles, rolling her eyes as her thumbs type out a message on her phone.

She gets up, hastily making her way over, and opens the door to find a man standing in front of her with a decent sized box in his hands.

"Miss James? Miss Cassidy James?" The man asks, and as she looks over his attire, she notices that he doesn't appear as someone who usually makes deliveries.

"Umm… yes, that's me…" She responds timidly, only leaving the door open enough to view the stranger on the other side.

"Excellent. I have a package here for you from Mr. Styles." He explains, lifting the box in full view with a pleased smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, what?"

The man looks down to the object in his hands, glancing over the information typed out on the printed label.

"Mr. Styles asked me to deliver this to you as soon as it arrived." The man clears his throat, which causes Cassidy to shift in place. "He said that he didn't want just anyone to bring it to you and to personally make sure you received it."

Her mouth opens slightly but her brain seems to be unable to form words. Without her ability to function normally, she gives the man a simple nod to thank him, retrieving the box through the doorway.

"Have a good day, miss." He states, responding with his own nod and a smile as he walks away, and Cassidy closes the door behind him.

As she makes her way back to the sofa, her expression immediately turns into confusion, and her curiosity begins to heighten. She is completely unsure as to what Harry could have sent her way, especially considering he is held up in an entirely different country.

"What in the-?"

"Just open it! I want to know what's inside!" Gemma squeals, bouncing in her spot much like something Cecelia does quite often when she is excited.

"You don't know?"

A simple head shake from her friend gives her the boost of interest to grab the mysterious package and pull it into her lap.

She looks to the small table to the side of the couch, quickly finding a pair of scissors that are just sharp enough to cut the tape. A few snips and the box is free to reveal what's inside. Cassidy gives a quick look to her friend, finding comedy in the giddiness they both suddenly begin to feel.

She pries open the top, reaching in and pulling out a box of chocolates. It's not something that needed to be sent to her or delivered by a man in a nice coat, but nonetheless, she won't complain.

The sweets are set next to her as she brings her attention to something else she seems to have been gifted. As her eyes meet the item inside, shock takes over the function of her body, as well as inhibiting any words to leave her lips, yet again.

"Well…?" Gemma asks impatiently, leaning forward and peering to get a view for herself. "A phone? Why did he send you a phone?"

Cassidy's focus shoots over to a paper flush against the side and pulls it out to find a note from the man in question.

CHOCOLATES TO FIX THE ATTITUDE PROBLEM AND A NEW PHONE TO FIX THE CAMERA ISSUE.

- H

"I'm seriously going to kill him." She whispers to herself, not knowing if Gemma was aware of the sentence she just spoke.

"I agree with the attitude problem. You've been quite moody. I suppose that's understandable though." Gemma jokes, pushing her shoulder against Cassidy. "But what's wrong with your phone?"

She lifts herself enough to pull the device out of her pocket, handing it over as she continues to glance over the new one now in her hands, removing the plastic from the outside container.

"Yeah, this camera is done for." Gemma states, placing the broken phone into the box in replace of the updated version. "How did Harry know that you needed a new one?"

Cassidy suddenly feels a miniscule version of something she experienced a long time ago. Something she felt after both times that she and Harry had sex. Nerves. And a dose of guilt. Yet, it's a ridiculous thing to be feeling. This is not the same situation in the slightest. She and Harry are friends, and that's all. And what's more, Gemma knows they are friends. Unlike her lack of awareness of the other incidents. It has to be residual effects from the past, because there is absolutely nothing for her to be worried about.

"We were on a video call when it happened." She replies, finally taking her eyes from her gift and landing them on her best friend, being met with a mildly inquisitive, raised brow.

"Oh, okay." Gemma plainly responds, her simple answer reassuring Cassidy.

"Yeah, me and Cece. I hurt my foot and dropped my phone." She shakes her head in remembrance of the event that felt so tragic when she was in the middle of it. "I told him I couldn't get a new one yet. Apparently he took it upon himself to do just that."

"He's that kind of guy." Her friend explains with a shrug, as if it's something Cassidy should automatically know. But then again, that's all she has been experiencing from him since their friendship started, so she truthfully shouldn't be surprised.

"He didn't need to do this." She utters, still having the instinct to turn down the kind gesture.

"He knows that. But it's not going to stop him. He takes care of his friends and family."

"I'm becoming very aware of that fact." Cassidy exhales with a single, subtle sound of a laugh.

"I'm just glad you two are finally getting along."

The surprise of the comment causes Cassidy's heart to stop along with her breath.

"What?"

Gemma turns her body towards her, rolling her eyes at the question she was just asked, as if the answer should be obvious.

"You two were insufferable around each other when we were kids."

"Well, I mean, he-"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, Harry was definitely a major pest, still is at times to be honest. But, come on, you were exactly the nicest to him either." Gemma explains, and Cassidy can all but keep from readjusting in her seat. "I guess I just thought you both would grow up and grow out of it, and end up… ummm, you know, being friends. Eventually. Or at least not hating each other!"

Flashbacks flood Cassidy's mind as she remembers back to their childhood. Not once did she think that her friend felt anything but the same annoyance that she herself felt.

"Shit. I'm sorry, Gem."

Her friend raises a hand to wave off the apology, as if it wasn't needed, though Cassidy feels otherwise.

"Yeah, well. It was only torture for me, for about twenty years…" She thankfully giggles, helping Cassidy's sudden guilt to lessen in intensity. "So just stay friends for an equal amount of time, at least, and we will call it even."

The thought of being Harry's friend for that long causes Cassidy's stomach to tighten and her lungs to inhale a deep breath. It's a reaction she wasn't prepared for, and one that's indiscernible at the moment. Although, she can acknowledge that it isn't of a negative nature.

"Be around Harry for that long?" She smirks, looking back down to the new phone just gifted to her by the man himself. "I can't make any promises. I already want to clobber him for this!"

•••

The bouncing of her leg does not help the impatience she feels as she waits for the call to be answered from the other end. She double checks the time, hoping that her calculations are correct, and that she can catch Harry as his morning begins.

Suddenly, the ringtone from the video call disappears and her gaze is met by a tousle-haired Harry.

"Oh my god. Did I wake you up?" She immediately questions, her heart racing with worry that she may have disrupted his sleep.

"No. Not at all." He chuckles, a coffee mug being brought up to his lips, covering up the small smile that has appeared at her exasperated question. "And good morning…"

"Good morning." She replies with a sigh of relief, and she notices the smile still stuck on his face when it is revealed to her again. "Umm… I wanted to give you a quick ring to thank you."

"No problem." He quickly states, with a raise of his eyebrow immediately following his words. "Wait, thank me for what?"

Cassidy can't tell if he truly doesn't understand what she is referring to, or if he is arrogantly playing dumb to get her to elaborate, but either way she feels a mild sense of embarrassment creep out onto her cheeks.

"For the chocolates, of course." She jokes, holding up the box that already has half of it's contents consumed. "But mostly for the phone. Harry, you-"

"I'm going to stop you right there." He interrupts, sternly but somehow also sweetly.

"Right. I know. You like doing things for your friends. But come on, Harry. This is not the same as just cooking dinner for us…"

"You needed a new phone, Cass." He states, with a sincere yet still stern tone. "How else was I going to talk to Cece?"

"It was only that back camera that was broken."

"Not just that. Your phone was like one thousand years old. You needed an upgrade." He exclaims with a smirk.

"Coming from the guy who doesn't even use emojis." She jokingly scoffs, drawing out a loud laugh from the man on the other side of her screen.

"Fair enough." He simply replies, being followed by a poking out of his tongue. "Does it work, though? Do you like it?"

Cassidy blinks her eyes as if in disbelief at herself, truly realizing that she has only questioned his generosity, despite ringing to express her gratitude. But also disbelief due to his apparent insecurity about the gesture. Not only does he want to do this for her, but he also wants to make sure she's happy with it, and it's fully taken care of.

"It's great, Harry. Truly. Thank you so much." She responds, a warmth traveling up her neck. "The camera on this one is really good! I've taken so many photos of Cece already!"

Harry's expression brightens at her answer and the heat creeps further up to her face. It's the fact that he helped her, and her thankfulness, that are creating this reaction. As much as she's working on accepting all of this, it's still all new to them.

"You'll have to send me some." He mutters.

"Sure."

A silence falls upon them for a moment, a bit of flickering of their gazes from each person.

"So… do you have anything planned for the day?" Cassidy asks.

She notices him play with his bottom lip, and a more serious expression rapidly displaying across his face.

"Harry…?"

"Umm… yeah, I've got a meeting." He quietly states, and Cassidy senses a sadness in his tone. "Bit worried that I won't be able to tour this year…"

"Oh shit." Cassidy instantly feels her heart hurt for him. She's always known how much he loves that part of his job, and to potentially not be able to do it must be painting him more than he is showing. "I'm so sorry. I know how much touring means to you."

"It's not-..." He sighs, his fingers combing through his hair more than once. "It's not even about me. It's all the people who buy tickets… and flights… and hotel rooms to come see me. It's not fair to them."

Cassidy stays silent as she watches his gaze drop down in a preemptive defeat. She knows there is nothing she can really say to ease his worries. But he's there for her, and she'll be there for him. And if that means sitting in silence on the other end of a video call, that's what she will do. She'll be there for her friend.

•••

She doesn't know if she's ever been more grateful to have a new phone. With the new nationwide, and seemingly worldwide, lockdowns now in place due to the coronavirus, Cassidy has never felt more alone. Besides Cecelia, but there's only so much she can talk about with a 3 year old.

Needless to say, she has already used her phone more than ever before, especially for video chats with her friends. Particularly Harry. Because it seems that not even miles of separation nor a pandemic can break the bond he and Cecelia share.

"I wan' say g'night to Harry…" Cecelia pouts, as she nuzzles into her bed and under her quilt. Her little hands lift up to rub her eyes, deceitfully reassuring Cassidy of her daughter's need for slumber.

"I know, Bug. But it's very late at night for him. He's sleeping."

"M'kay…" The little girl mumbles, the sadness so evident in her tone that it tugs at her mother's heart.

"How about we send him a message, yeah? So he can wake up to it in the morning."

Cecelia's eyes light up as much as possible with the heaviness of the day, and Cassidy props herself up against the headboard.

🗨️ Cassidy: sorry about this being so late… cece wanted to ring you before bed but i told her we would message you to say goodnight… so, goodnight from cece.

"Okay. I told him." Cassidy simply states, locking her screen as she looks down to her daughter, stroking the girl's long locks.

"I miss Harry."

Cassidy's eyes instantly widen at Cecelia's words. She knows the bond they have, but it still manages to catch her off guard at random moments. Not in a negative way, just in how tight that bond is.

"I know you do. He's your friend." Cassidy replies.

"He's my best friend!" She explains, even with her sweetly sleepy voice. "Well, you first. And Emily at school. Harry is after. But… don' say dat part!"

Cassidy can't help but chuckle.

"Okay." She smiles, giving Cecelia one final kiss on her forehead and moving towards the bedroom door. "I won't. Goodnight Bug."

"G'night Mummy. Love you." A little, relaxed sigh leaves her lips.

"I love you, too."

Cassidy closes the door and makes her way back to the living room. She plops down and grabs the remote, letting her body sink into the couch cushions. She smiles as a thought crosses her mind. Despite the horrible things happening in the world, and the chaos that quarantine creates, she still has things to be thankful for. Things that aren't seeming to be affected by any of that negativity. Those things bring her comfort, which is more than welcome these days.

•••

With the sound from a rerun of 'The Great British Bake-off' playing in the background, Cassidy scrolls mindlessly on her phone, attempting to wind down from the day. A sudden buzz causes the device to drop into her lap from surprise, and as she picks it up, she is even more shocked to see that the vibrations are due to a phone call from Harry.

"Good morning!" He states as soon as she answers, not even waiting for her to speak. "Oh. Wait… guess it should be more of a 'good evening' greeting for you…"

"Yes." She quickly pulls the phone back from her ear and checks the time. "It's 9pm here.

"Shit. I'm sorry. Were you asleep?" He asks, his voice going quiet, as if he isn't thousands of miles away in a different country.

"No, no. Just watching the telly." She replies, swearing she can hear his relieved exhale on the other end of the line. "What time is it there?"

"Umm… let me see… it's 5 in the morning."

"Since when do you get up that early?" Cassidy laughs, covering her mouth immediately in hopes that she didn't wake Cecelia. She skipped her nap and really needs her sleep.

There's a pause in the conversation, and Cassidy looks at her screen once again, checking if the call has disconnected, only to find that he is still on the line.

"I haven't been sleeping the best, to be honest. Lockdown has that all out of whack." He mumbles, and it squeezes her chest tight. Everyone has been out of sorts these days. Quarantine is hard on each person in their own way.

"Hey, it's your X-Factor audition anniversary today, isn't it?" She asks, hoping to take him out of the negativity she can tell that he is sitting in. Maybe a good memory will do the trick.

"Umm... yes, it is... how do you remember that?"

Cassidy unintentionally lets out another loud laugh, bending over at her waist at the amount of comedy behind Harry's question, and the certainty of her impending answer.

"Are you joking?" She asks, doing her best to regain control of her breathing, and stay quiet for the sleeping toddler in the other room. "I think that date is ingrained in my brain forever! You wouldn't shut up about it after Anne signed you up!"

[ flashback - March 2010 ]

For the past several years of her childhood, Cassidy has been subjected to Harry's increasing levels of annoyingness. However, today she feels as if he may have reached his peak.

If she hadn't already heard the news from Gemma herself, it wouldn't have taken long for the information of Harry's upcoming X-Factor audition to be brought to her attention. It felt as if the entire school knew within a matter of minutes.

"Hey, Cass!" Harry shouts out from behind her, causing her to internally cringe at the sound of her name coming from his mouth. It can't mean anything good, at least not for her. It never does.

She stops in her tracks and twists around to find the young lad jogging up to her with a wide grin stretching across his face.

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?" She asks, playing dumb, though quickly realizing it just creates the opportunity for him to brag, and she internally scolds herself.

"I'm gonna be famous!" He exclaims, and the arrogant statement causes Cassidy to unintentionally scoff. "Hey…"

"You don't even know if you'll be on camera." She replies, knowing full well that the crew will inevitably be drawn to his irritating charm that everyone seems to fall for.

"So you did hear…" His grin widens. "I don't care. I get to sing!"

"You sing all the bloody time!" She reminds him.

"Right. Exactly. People seem to like it. So, I want to see if the judges do too."

"I don't like your singing." She blurts out, not meaning to let her annoyance with him get the best of her and her words. Especially considering the statement wasn't exactly true, though she'd never openly admit that to him.

"That's rubbish… you sing along any time White Eskimo plays..."

"That's because I like the actual songs."

"You can come along… if you want…"

"What?"

"To my audition. You can come along if you want. Robin, Mum, and Gemma will be there."

Cassidy opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out. Is he really inviting her? There's absolutely no reason for her to go, and definitely no reason for him to want her there. Unless it's to feed his growing ego. Maybe even use it as a way to 'prove' to his schoolmates that she 'loves' him, like he continues to lie about. The realization hits and manifests into a strong furrow of her brow.

"March 27th? I think I'll be busy that day."

"Marked it on your calendar already, did you?" His arrogant smirk immediately pulls his left dimple inward. "Might be the last time you get to see me…"

Cassidy cannot help the rolling of her eyes, even if the idea is quite shocking to think about. As her gaze focuses back on him, and sees his smug face, her desire to sass him back quickly reappears.

"Don't get my hopes up Harry."

[ present - March 2020 ]

"Hey, I was excited!" Harry exclaims, almost as if to verbally pout, as Cassidy chuckles at the memory.

"But I'm pretty sure you weren't supposed to tell anyone at that point. At least not the whole town!" Cassidy pulls her lips inward to hold back another loud laugh threatening to push out.

"I didn't ring you to be teased." He responds, a clear lightness to his tone.

"You should know better by now…" She teases again. "Why did you ring then?"

"I was told someone wanted to talk to me. But… I didn't realize what time it was for you."

Cassidy feels a little smile form with her mouth at the fact that he is so thoughtful to call Cecelia back, yet missing the slightly important detail of what time it is on the other side of the world.

"She just wanted to say goodnight to you."

"I miss that little one." He confesses, and she feels a warmth build up inside her chest. "I miss both of you, I suppose. When you aren't being a bully."

"First off…" Cassidy begins, letting out an amused exhale. "No, that's fair… but you're not missing anything. It's only been a couple of days since we've all talked."

"I'm aware. But I enjoy our chats. They're keeping me sane." Harry replies, and she can practically feel the sincerity to his statement.

"You don't feel sane?" She asks with a small laugh, though genuinely understanding his meaning.

"I just miss everyone. I miss home. Feels a bit lonely over here."

"Aren't you living with a bunch of people right now?"

"That's… yes. But that's not what I mean." He sighs, and she can hear a mild pain in his exhale. "Los Angeles isn't home. Not truly."

"Right. It will be nice to have you around again." Cassidy admits, sensing the mild desire to have had this be a video call, for the sake of displaying a reassuring expression to ease him.

"Did I just hear that correctly? You actually like having me around?"

"Shut up, you twit." Cassidy scolds with a chuckle. "But, it's honestly not the same without you here."

There's a silence that falls between, and Cassidy feels that light comfortability she is becoming accustomed to feeling when she dwells on the good things she still has to keep her going. These talks, and this friendship with Harry, are definitely one of them.

Her attention turns back to him as she hears the clearing of his throat, and she reverts back to being grateful that this call is not a video, as she senses a pink hue rushing to her cheeks.

"I just think that, when I'm finally home in London again, it'll feel like things are getting back to normal."

•••

[ present - June 2020 ]

As nice as it's been to work completely from home for the past few months, and spend more quality time with Cecelia, there is only a certain amount of sanity that someone can maintain while quarantining in general, let alone with an energetic toddler. So, Cassidy jumped at the chance to accept Anne's invite to her home, especially giving her daughter some freedom to go off and play while she chats face to face with another adult.

However, as she sits across from the woman who basically helped raise her, she can sense an awkward nervousness coming from Anne as she strums her fingers on the tea cup.

"I'm still sorry about Mother's Day being canceled." Anne expresses, slightly throwing Cassidy off that her anxiousness seems to be based off of the uncontrollable situation.

"It's not your fault. We went into lockdown!" She giggles, hoping her easy going demeanor helps to ease the unnecessary guilt Anne seems to be feeling.

"I know. It just would've been nice to have one last outing before everything shut down." Anne smiles, small but sweet.

Cassidy stays silent, gazing down to her beverage, the two seemingly understanding the nonverbal agreement. It hasn't been easy, for anyone, despite the rules of lockdown beginning to ease up. She's never been more grateful for open coffee shops and food delivery services, even if masks are required.

"Have you been out much now that we can, you know, go out a bit?" Anne asks.

Cassidy shakes her head slightly and she swallows her sip of tea.

"Haven't had much of a reason to go anywhere, besides the shops, for groceries."

"Oh." Cassidy hears the short reply.

As her eyes gaze back up to Anne, she is met with an unexpected expression, though one she had just been witnessing. The anxiousness has returned, or is still there, she isn't sure which one.

"Is… is there something else bothering you?"

"No, no. Not bothering…"

"But there is something." Cassidy replies, her eyebrow raising immediately.

"Well… it's just that, if you did want a reason to go out… there's this very nice guy, the son of a friend I have, and I thought-"

"Oh, so this was an ambush!" Cassidy states with amusement, but also a little frustration. She knows Anne means well, but she isn't even sure if she's ready for anything like a set up, and certainly wasn't expecting it to come from Anne.

"No, darling! No. I just… you're just a wonderful girl. And from what I know, he seems like a good guy. I just thought you two would have a nice time together…"

"I just don't know if I'm ready to date." Cassidy replies, the truth to her answer apparent to her in the way the thought of such a thing chaotically swirls around in her mind.

"Not ready? I can't even remember the last time you went on one! You definitely haven't since Cece was born!" Anne exclaims, snapping her mouth shut once the words come out, her features filled with regret. "I'm sorry. It's not my place."

"It's okay, Anne." Cassidy places her own hand over Anne's, waiting until their gazes meet.

"I just want you to be happy, CJ."

"I am happy." She reassures her.

"But you deserve to be loved. You deserve someone who absolutely adores you. Who, umm, who thinks the world of you, and never stops feeling that way. Who loves you through anything and everything life has and will put you through."

"Well, I have Cece…" Cassidy giggles, trying to divert the conversation to a more comfortable topic of discussion.

"You deserve someone who will love you both that way." Anne states, and Cassidy can see the emotion manifesting itself as tears form in the corners of her eyes. "I'm surprised you're still single, to be honest. But, if nobody… has tried… that's their loss. It's not as though you need it. A woman doesn't have to have a man to be happy. But, darling, you both deserve all the love in the world."

Anne's beautiful words and pure-hearted expression cause Cassidy's heart to melt. There isn't a sneaky or malicious bone in that woman's body, and she knows Anne is only doing it out of genuine love of her own.

"It doesn't have to be a commitment. Just a date. Or even just a… hang out of sorts." Anne adds, and Cassidy realizes she doesn't think she can reject Anne's offer. Or suggestion. Or whatever it is. She sighs, partially from gratitude but also defeat, and squeezes the hand she's holding.

"Alright." She agrees, watching as Anne tries to hide the way her face wants to light up.

"Alright?"

"I'll meet him." She concedes, every fiber of her body pricked with anxiety.

"Are you sure?" Anne asks, suddenly displaying more timidity than moments before.

Cassidy nods, mostly out of instinct. Anne has the best intentions, but bringing a guy into her life is not as simple as a casual 'hang out'. She has Cecelia. Not every man is open to being in a relationship with someone who already has a child. And Cassidy is more than a little cautious about who she brings into their dynamic. However, she knows that Anne is onto something. Even though she is perfectly content with it being her and Cecelia together, she can admit to herself that having someone else join their little unit wouldn't be the worst thing ever. As long as it's the right person. And she can't know if someone is the right person unless she gets to know them. So she might as well start somewhere, with someone. And if Anne knows this man, that's certainly not a bad place to begin.

•••

Derek is nice.

As planned by Anne, he and Cassidy first met up outside a small cafe, taking caution by social distancing from others, and enjoying the company together outdoors.

He is nice. Smart, successful, good looking, and seemingly uncomplicated.

The last part could be most important, considering that, as a single mother, her life can be the opposite at times.

Though, he seems to be very fond of her. He immediately made his intentions known that he won't see anyone else while they get to know each other. Again, uncomplicated. And any free moment she has, he wants to spend with her.

Which is why they are walking down the corridor to her flat, after he treated her to a very posh picnic in the park.

He guides her to the front door, a warm and strong palm placed on the small of her back, and stops behind her as they reach it.

She spins around, causing his hand to glide to her hip, and she swallows the lump in the throat that developed from the motion. It's been quite a long time since she's been touched like that, in that way.

"Thank you for today." She states quietly, some nerves seemingly getting the best of her.

"I'd like to do something with you tomorrow." He replies, a subtle squeeze of her hip accompanying his statement.

"Oh. I… I have some work to do, unfortunately." Her gaze drops out of unexpected shyness. It's not a lie, she does need to complete a few things, but she always finds herself in a daze after being with him. Dating feels new to her, all over again, and she always feels as if she needs to process their time together. Process the feelings.

His disappointed sigh is halted as the sound of the elevator rings out. They both turn their heads to see the doors open, and watch as Harry walks through them, his head down and his hands behind his back.

His pace slows as he gets halfway down, gazing up to meet the eyes of Cassidy, then shooting them over to the man beside her.

She looks over to Derek, whose expression matches that of her friend's.

"Harry? Harry Styles?"

"Yes…" Harry answers with hesitancy, and Cassidy concludes that he may be nervous about an awkward interaction with a fan.

"It's Derek. Derek Mills." He exclaims, raising his hand to his chest as if to provide visual proof of who he is. As if his identity should be obvious to the other man. "Holmes Chapel Comprehensive!"

Cassidy watches as Harry's eyes widen, flickering between her and the man he has now, apparently, been reintroduced to.

"Derek. Right. How's it going mate?" He asks, giving a blank stare and similarly neutral tone.

"It's going well. Yeah, I'm doing really, really well." Derek replies, giving a smile as his gaze moves to Cassidy before returning to her friend. Potentially his own old friend, though she can't quite be sure.

"Wonderful." Harry states, providing no emotion in his statement. He looks down to his hands after bringing them in front of him, showcasing a beautiful arrangement of flowers that she had somehow missed when the interaction began.

"I didn't realize you two knew each other. Especially considering, you know…" Derek points in Harry's direction. "He's famous."

"Oh, well-"

"We're good friends." Harry interjects. "We've known each other since we were kids."

An uncomfortable silence falls between the three of them, with only the jingling of Cassidy's keys sounding down the corridor.

"Those are nice." Derek states plainly, pointing to the bouquet, matching the tone he has been receiving thus far.

"Oh, right. I, umm, brought these over… for Cece." Harry replies, now keeping his gaze fixated on Cassidy. "Can I give them-"

"Oh." She responds quietly, suddenly feeling a tidal wave of tension filing the space around her. "She's having a little afternoon nap."

"Of course." Harry nods, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I should've remembered it was her nap time. I'm sorry."

"That's okay!" She instantly responds. She waves her finger between herself and the other man beside her. "We were just… saying goodbye. So I can take them inside."

She turns to Derek, being met with pure confusion. Not that it wasn't clear he wasn't being invited inside. That's something Cassidy put a boundary on as soon as he asked to see her again after that first date. So the confusion is most likely regarding this uncomfortable interaction between the three of them.

He gives Cassidy a nod and a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Message me tonight." He states, turning away from her and moving closer to Harry. "Nice to see you again, Harry."

"You too." He utters in reply, not giving the man much acknowledgement as he walks closer to Cassidy, and Derek walks further away.

Harry looks back at the now empty hall, and turns around to meet her stare.

"I didn't know you were… dating anyone…" He states softly, with a familiar timidity that she hasn't heard in a while.

"We've been on a few dates. Nothing too serious right now." She shrugs, rummaging through the bag she has hanging from her shoulder.

"Right. Well, that's… nice..."

"What's with the tone?" She asks, a sternness beginning to attach to her own tone. What reason can he have to be snarky with her?

"I'm a bit surprised that you didn't tell me about this."

As much as Cassidy was just questioning his current, negative demeanor, she didn't expect a real answer. Certainly not that answer.

"I didn't realize it's something you would even want to know…"

"I'm your friend! Of course I want-... I mean… we talked a lot while I was away. Seems like this would be something that came up in conversation…"

She studies his face, watching with uncertainty as he expresses the same sentiment.

"Your mum only introduced us a couple of weeks ago and-"

"My mum set this up?" Harry's eyes widen, just enough for Cassidy to pick up on the movement of his features.

"Yeah…" She replies, still sensing a sliver of the snarky tone he had used moments before. "She thinks I'm not happy. Or… wants me to be happier, at least. She wants me to have more love in my life."

"Love?" Harry immediately straightens his posture and his eyes widen with, what looks like, a curious shock.

"Well, god, one step at a time please…"

"So, do you like him?" He utters, a volume that almost caused Cassidy to miss his question.

"I suppose so." She shrugs. Her answer would truthfully be that she does, but that suddenly feels as if it would be a troublesome response to give at this moment.

"You suppose so?"

"He's a nice guy."

"Did you even know him in school?" He asks, passive aggressively at best.

"No… he was in the year ahead of mine. What's that got to do with-"

"I just don't remember him being a nice guy."

"In school? Harry, that was ages ago." She chuckles, trying to ignore the once familiar frustration making itself known. "I don't particularly remember you being at your best back then either."

"Yes, but that's-... it's just that, I-" He stutters, swallowing harshly and running his fingers through his hair as he clears his throat. "You're right. I wasn't."

"And look at you now. Bloody hell, look at us both now! I hang out with the biggest pop star in the world!" Cassidy exclaims, delighting in the comedic truth to the statement, even if it's not the real heart of their reconciliation. "But, moreso, I'm your friend. We are friends. People change, Harry."

"True." He utters in response. "I just… I'm looking out for you."

"I appreciate it. But you don't need to worry about me, I can handle myself." She smiles, standing up straighter to further display her confidence. "I'd like to think I have a good judge of character."

Harry opens his mouth, but quickly closes it, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.

"So… did you only come over to bring Cece some flowers?" Cassidy gives a small smile, still feeling an odd, mild tension in the air, but hoping the change of subject eases it away.

"Well, no. Since I just got back into town, I was going to invite you both over to my place." He returns her smile with one of his own, but the attempt still doesn't give her the reassurance she needs. "But since Cece's asleep, maybe another day then."

"Sure! Tomorrow?"

He hands over the bouquet and brings one hand up to fiddle with his lower lip, crossing the other around his waist, and furrowing his brow in thought.

"Yes. Tomorrow afternoon will work just fine."

Harry gives her a slight nod, along with a matching smile, and turns back to walk down the corridor. Cassidy watches as he gets back on the lift, his expression still seeming to be one of deep concentration on whatever his mind is dwelling on, and she begins to feel an uneasiness in her chest that she wasn't expecting to materialize between the two of them.

[ flashback - July 2014 ]

Dragged to yet another One Direction concert in London. That's where Cassidy finds herself with Gemma. It's annoying, at this point, that she so easily caves to her best friend's request of joining her, when she never wants to attend any of their shows. Not fully anyway.

And this time is worse, because Gemma managed to convince Cassidy to hang out backstage before the show, rather than after when she can use exhaustion as an excuse to get out of there quickly.

"So, what's new?" Niall asks her, scooting closer to her as they both lean against one of the dressing room walls.

"Not much really." She shrugs, considering the fact that her life is nowhere near as exciting as the one they lead.

"She's being modest." She hears coming from her right, feeling her friend nudge her with an elbow as Gemma walks up beside her. "She's finishing up at uni and then doing an internship for a place in Manchester!"

"That's amazing, Cassidy!" Niall exclaims, giving her a cheeky wink.

She simply shrugs, still highly aware of the company this news is being given to, knowing that this megastar's reaction is out of politeness.

"And she started seeing someone…" Gemma adds, causing Cassidy to shoot a strong, scolding glare in that direction.

"You're dating? Who are you dating?" A voice asks, and Cassidy turns her gaze to see Harry walking over from the other side of Niall, leaning one shoulder against the wall with his arms crossed over his body.

Who does he think he is to assume he has the right to even know the details of the new relationship she is in?

"You don't know him." She growls through her teeth.

"I might…"

"You don't."

She watches Harry look over to his sister, and out of the corner of her eye, sees the confirmation Gemma gives him. As if Cassidy's answer wasn't enough, or wasn't the truth. As if he knew better than to take her word for it. That arrogant prick.

"Does he know you know me?" His annoyingly famous smirk immediately appears after his words come out.

"Why would I tell him that?"

"Just don't want him to get jealous." He states, tapping Niall on the shoulder, obviously looking for someone to agree with his comedic statement, but only, and thankfully for Cassidy, receiving a shake of Niall's head.

"There's nothing to be jealous of."

[ present - June 2020 ]

The sound of chopping can instantly be heard as Cassidy and Cecelia enter through the front doors to Harry's house.

"In here!" They hear coming from the kitchen, and as they turn the corner, Cassidy is met with the view of Harry busying himself around the room.

"Can I go ou'side?" Cecelia asks, looking between her mother and their host.

"Of course!" Harry immediately exclaims, not bothering to check with Cassidy, even though her answer would be the same. She smiles at the comfort and normality of it all now, and realizes that it may never cease to cause her heart to fill up with so many good feelings. Happiness qand gratitude being the main emotions. "I could use your help picking some pretty flowers to put on the center of my dining table…"

The little girl's eyes light up, nodding at the suggestion and skipping her way outside.

"What have you got going on over here?" Cassidy asks as she turns back to Harry and moves into the kitchen, finding different foods sprawled out across the counter.

"Just… a small charcuterie selection…" He replies, laying cheese slices on the middle of the board.

"You didn't hav-... it looks delicious, Harry!" She states. Clearly she is still learning to accept his generous gestures, though that is one thing she may never get used to. She has spent so many years having to do anything and everything herself, that it is still doesn't feel entirely normal for her to have someone else do something for her.

"I have some wine over there if you'd like to pour yourself a glass." He gestures behind him, not taking his focus away from the food in front of him.

Cassidy walks over to the opposite counter of where he stands, picking up the one bottle he has pulled from his collection, and reading over the very intricate label.

"Are you sure you want to open this one? It looks pretty fancy."

"It's just a bottle of red wine, Cass."

"It's a 1982. That's older than me! And it says 'rouge'… I consider that pretty fancy. But then again, I'm not the famous Harry Styles. I usually just go for the cheap Zinfandel or a pink Moscato." Cassidy giggles, looking up from the bottle in her hand to find Harry lacking the amusement that she herself is finding in her statement.

"Oh I'm aware." He replies, rolling his eyes in a very sarcastic nature.

"But maybe this pinot will wash away your 'grumpy old man' mood…"

Harry's gaze shoots up from his task, displaying wide eyes, as if he hadn't been clueless of his previous, serious expression, or the sourness in his tone. Although, she is almost positive that he knows.

"What?"

Cassidy scoffs out a laugh and shakes her head, choosing to move past his clear pout over her beverage commentary.

"Nothing. I just think you should save this one for another time. A better occasion."

He shrugs. Simply shrugs, and arranges the final few strawberries with the other fruits, as Cassidy finds a less extravagant wine for the both of them to consume. One that is more relatable to her more normal lifestyle.

"Shall we?" He asks, nodding in the direction of beautiful back doors, leading out to an even more beautiful backyard.

Cassidy grabs the glasses and they exit, each finding a comfortable spot on his patio furniture, both close enough to the outside table and within reach of the lovely food spread he has created.

"So, catch me up. What's… what's new in your life?" Harry asks, taking his glass and then a sip of wine, seemingly hiding his expectant expression, though failing to keep it from Cassidy.

"Well, considering we saw each other yesterday…" She giggles mildy. "Nothing."

"Right." He scoffs within a chuckle of his own. "But it wasn't much of a conversation, and I have been away…"

"We also talked multiple times a week, you pest. Besides not actually being around, and considering we couldn't do much anyway, you didn't miss anything."

"Don't know, it feels like I did." He mumbles. "With… with everyone."

Her gaze flickers over to him, noticing the way he has begun to run his teeth along his bottom lip, staring out to the backyard view.

"I bet it feels good to finally be back home then, yeah?"

"It does. Yes." He utters in response, a quietness that feels a little surprising to Cassidy, considering how desperate he seemed to leave Los Angeles and return to London. "I won't be able to settle in too much though."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm… I'm actually headed to Italy soon."

"That sounds amazing! How soon?"

"Umm…" He runs his fingers through his hair and his gaze drops as he swirls the beverage around in his glass. "I'm leaving next week."

"Next week?" She exclaims, turning to face him completely. "Wow. I feel like you just got back home."

"I know." He softly states, giving nothing more than that simple response.

"What are you going for?" She feels her brow furrow slightly, the expression caused by the confusion she feels throughout herself. However, she lightens her features, even if just to ease her own mind. "Finding even more pretentious wine?"

"Of course." He replies with a simple smile, very unlike his usual grin, or smirk. "And, umm, I guess to also figure out what I want to do next. Maybe write a song or two, if inspiration strikes."

"And you can't do that here? At home?"

"I need a clear head. Free from distractions."

The confusion grows and a worry begins to build alongside it, though she isn't quite sure why. He's a grown man. He can do whatever and go wherever he wants to, it doesn't affect or involve her in any way. Except that, to an extent, it does.

She looks over to Cecelia, who is completely comfortable at Harry's home, and completely content digging around in the garden outside.

Her gaze quickly shoots down to her fingers as they begin to fidget with the stem of her wine glass, then slowly moves back over to him.

A realization falls over her. She's a bit sad. For Cecelia, who just got her best friend back, but also for herself. She just got her friend back too. Her other best friend. Now he's headed off again, and another realization hits her. Their lives are so different. As much as she sees him as the Harry she knew as a kid, he is not just that. And for the first time since they became friends, she worries that it could change things. Change what they now have.

"Right." She utters, still caught up in her thoughts. "Free from distractions."

Series Masterlist

•••

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•••

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[destinedfordiaperstories]

Sammy’s Little Problem, Chapter 22

“Thank heavens for Legos,” Lindsay thought to herself. She needed the distraction from the awkwardness of the timeout, as well as something to do with Sammy that was Little appropriate.

It was strange having to think back to her childhood to find common ground with Sammy, when just a few weeks ago they were discussing their future, independence, and careers.

But here Sammy was playing with Legos in a diaper that Lindsay herself changed. It was such a wild departure from everything she expected. Not just for Sammy—but her too.

Lindsay thought Sammy would be the Maid of Honor at her wedding. And, of course, Lindsay would be the Maid of Honor at her Sammy’s wedding. That’s what best friends did.

But now, everything was different. Could a Little even be a Maid of Honor? Lindsay could only imagine how awkward that conversation would be, let alone the wedding itself.

Sammy would obviously never marry. If Lindsay knew anything about Littles, it was that. Littles never dated, never married, never even kissed anyone. That’s just the way things were.

Lindsay wondered if that was something Sammy had thought about. She knew she would in her position. How could she not? They both discussed the dream men they hoped to marry for hours only a few weeks ago.

Lindsay’s heart sank for Sammy. Surely she’d thought about that. Surely it was just one of a hundred things she knew she lost along with her independence.

“Wow! You’re flying through that!” Lindsay said enthusiastically, “almost back to where it looked like you were before it broke!”

“Yeah, it was easy because I remembered most of what I did!” Sammy said proudly.

“The way you’re going I think you can finish before Allie gets home!” Lindsay encouraged Sammy. She never thought she’d be congratulating Sammy so authentically for something as simple as a Lego construction—or that Sammy would be so happy about it.

“I hope so, I want to show Allie when I finish! She said it would take me a week, but I can do it in 2 days, just watch!”

“I know you can, Sammy!”

Lindsay watched Sammy enthusiastically build for the next 40 minutes, smiling at her determination. Sammy never noticed the pictures Lindsay took, or even cared that Lindsay was absentmindedly scrolling through instagram.

Sammy suddenly felt a rumble in her stomach. She knew what it meant. And she definitely didn’t want it to happen right there in front of Lindsay.

Sammy tried to think of a distraction. Anything that would keep Lindsay occupied. She wasn’t hopeful enough to think she could make it to the bathroom, but she could at least get away from Lindsay to do it. She didn’t want her to see it happen.

“Lindsay, I forgot something in my room, I’ll go get it real quick. Be right back!” Sammy tried to say casually.

Lindsay had seen Sammy grab her stomach, rocking back and forth, knowing what was about to happen. But she decided it was her gift to Sammy. She’d give her enough privacy to fill her diaper in peace.

“Okay, Sammy, I’ll be waiting right here! Don’t take too long!”

Sammy got slowly, trying not to upset her tummy. She slowly waddled out of the room, not daring to take any sudden movements. Once she was out of sight she relaxed.

Lindsay laughed. Sammy actually believed Lindsay couldn’t see her.

Sammy tried to take a few extra steps upstairs, but it was no use. She squatted down where she stood, grunting in effort to fill her diaper. She wished she hadn’t eaten those chicken nuggets, as they definitely were creating much more work for her.

She tried to push, aiding her body, so she wouldn’t draw Lindsay’s suspicions by taking too long. She knew her grunts were louder than normal, but it was fine. Lindsay couldn’t see her anyway.

She pushed and pushed, working hard to fill her diaper. She felt her diaper sag, burdened by its unusually heavy load.

In between pushes, Sammy tried to look at her jeans, wondering if her diaper was noticeable. But whenever she tried, her body forced her back into a squat.

Finally, Sammy thought she finished. She hadn’t pushed in a while. She decided to stomp on the stairs a bit to sell that she was coming back downstairs.

She walked back into the room, trying her best to act casual. “Sorry, I thought I forgot my paci.”

Lindsay tried her hardest not to laugh. She knew Sammy’s paci was clipped to her shirt. But she didn’t want to make Sammy’s childish antics seem too obvious. It didn’t matter. She would fill her diapers anyway. If she thought she had privacy, and that made her happy, that was all that mattered.

“No biggie, Sammy! Did you get it?”

“Yeah!” Sammy said, putting the pacifier in her mouth.

Lindsay tried not to wince as Sammy sat back down, smushing her mess even more, giving Lindsay even more work to do. “Well, what’s the next step, Sammy?”

Sammy talked Lindsay through the next few steps. Proud of the progress she was making—and tricking Lindsay into not knowing she messed her diaper.

“Wow, I can almost see it looks like I’m Star Wars!” Lindsay brags for her.

“Well right now I’m just working on the insides. Once I finish I can put the exterior pieces!”

Lindsay let Sammy work for a few more minutes. The smell was becoming obvious. And she knew Allie would never forgive her if she let Sammy go too long with a loaded diaper.

Lindsay pretends to sniff the air, as if it wasn’t obvious what she was sniffing. “Uh oh, I think someone here has an icky diaper! But who could it be?”

Lindsay didn’t know why she said it like that, but something made her think it was the right approach.

She doubled down, “hmmm, I wonder who it is?”

Sammy tried to act as innocent as possible, hoping Lindsay wouldn’t press the issue. “I don’t know! Maybe it was one of my stuffies!”

Lindsay smiled, “you know what, it could be! Let’s go check your stuffies upstairs!” She couldn’t have thought of a better idea. She’d be right next to the changing table and ready to change Sammy once she admitted it.

Sammy didn’t know how, but she was determined to get out of this. She got into Stanford, she could think of her way out of this.

“Okay, I bet it was Mr. Bunny!” Sammy said, trying to act cute and distract Lindsay.

“Well I think we should go check! Mr. Bunny won’t get diaper rash on my watch!”

They head upstairs, Sammy leading Lindsay to her room. Lindsay laughs to herself, wondering if Sammy realizes her smell gives her away.

“Where’s the lil’ stinker Sammy? Show me where Mr. Bunny is so I can clean is tushy!”

Sammy leads her to Mr. Bunny having no idea how to get out of this situation. All she knows is she can’t have Lindsay find her in a dirty diaper. And the thought of her changing her like this? No no no.

Lindsay spots Mr. Bunny. “Is he the one responsible for the stinky smell?” She takes a dramatic sniff of Mr. Bunny. “Hmmm, I don’t think Mr. Bunny is our culprit. But who can it be?”

Sammy tries to slowly sneak out of the room, knowing the jig is up.

“Wait a minute, I think someone is trying to frame Mr. Bunny!” Lindsay says as she sees Sammy try to run out of the room.

Sammy thinks she’s in the clear as she turns the corner. She turns around to see if Lindsay is following her. As she does, she takes a step back, not noticing her stuffie on the ground. She trips, falling straight back on her messy diaper.

The sensation immediately overwhelms Sammy. It’s too much. She feels dirty and needs help. She doesn’t even care anymore if Lindsay knows. Anything to stop this feeling.

Sammy doesn’t know what to do or what to say. How to admit to Lindsay she needs her. All she knows is she’s overwhelmed. Tears start filling her eyes as she starts to sob. Once she starts, it grows in intensity as she begins to cry out for Lindsay.

Lindsay hears Sammy fall. She runs out of the room after Sammy, only to find her on her back, crying her heart out. Lindsay thought it would be cute if it wasn’t so heartbreaking.

There her best friend in the world was, laying on the ground in a dirty diaper, sobbing like a toddler. For the first time that day, Lindsay didn’t see her best friend. She saw a needy toddler in desperate need of a clean diaper.

She had to help her, not because it was her best friend, but because her Caregiver instincts were suddenly taking over.

As Sammy cried, Lindsay reached down and picked her up, putting Sammy on her hip.

“It’s okay, Sammy, I got you. I’m here, Lindsay is here. We’ll get you into a clean diaper in no time, sweetie. Just breathe. I got you, baby.”

Despite her best efforts, Sammy continued to cry. Lindsay decided there was nothing else to do but change her. She put Sammy on the changing table and got to work.

[sad-stucky-shipper-107]

The tusken massacre controversial take (both sides)

tw: mentions of rape, torture & racism

People WILL probably block me for this but IDC because I went up ahead and read up on the tuskens on the official Wiki and while I definitely DO see how it could be interpreted as racism (I genuinely believe Lucas Did Not mean for it to be read as such) . But. BUT.

I'm not saying the murder of the tuskens was "justified" but it was definitely a much. much. more complicated situation than people make it out to be. It is CANON that Tuskens are mistrustful to the point of Xenophobia of the other settlers on the planet, settlers who by this point have been there for generations. So the argument has to be made that their culture and traditions would NOT change overnight if at all. And therefore Anakin was right about one thing, (and I am willing to die on this hill.) the tusken children Would have grown up to be the same torturers and killers (possibly rapists, there were very few reasons for them to keep Shmi alive and none of them good)

Now, am I saying that killing children for something they might do or in this case Will do in the future is wrong? I'll be very honest, im only 70% sure my answer would be a definitive No. The other 30% is genuinely considering it. I cannot comment upon the female tuskens as there is literally almost NOTHING about them in Canon verse and so I know nothing about how culpable they are in this. But motherfucker NEITHER DO YOU.

Anyway yeah there are many tribes of tusken and some of them peaceful but this one was Definitely Not. We were sown this. This wasn't a matter of racism. this was a matter of Murderous, Torturing, Kidnappers. Who kidnapped and possibly raped this guy's mother.

Fact: Shmi was an innocent woman who had done NOTHING to the tusken

Fact: She was tortured at their hands for days

Fact: If someone did that to my mom, I'd be pretty murderous too especially if someone had been grooming (palpatine) me to give into my worst nature from age 9.

Idk man, things are definitely not as black and white as we are making them out to be. On EITHER SIDE. And if we're talking about bringing up the consequences of his actions before the senate? Most of them are not Nearly empathetic enough even give a fuck. They need the Hero With No Fear too much and even if they didn't they would NOT give a fuck. The jedi council definitely would but they would ALSO debate this, like a LOT.

EDIT: ALSO ALSO, ONE MORE HLL I'LL DIE ON, ITS MENTIONED IN WOOKIEPEDIEA THAT 1 TRIBE WAS A COMMUNITY OF 20-30 PEOPLE, STOP CALLING IT A FUCKING GENOCIDE. IT WAS A MASSACRE. IT WAS A FUCKING MASSACRE WHICH WAS UNACCEPTABLE BUT IT WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM A GENOCIDE.

Edit 2: The tuskens also engaged in slavery. Definitely not the "🥺 innocents" people make them out to be.

[legoiscrying]

Since you guys liked my first k2 analysis so much, I've decided to make a second one and mainly focus on things that I mentioned in the last paragraph there: how I see their romantic relationship. This is probably going to be more headcanons than analysis but we'll see lol (it ended up not)

As I mentioned before, I don't really see k2 having some sort of special feelings for each other when they're young. Meanwhile it can kinda work with Kenny, it's probably won't work with Kyle: Kyle already has two strong sources of emotions. His bond with Stan and his sort of rivalry with Cartman clearly means more to him. And to get myself more clear: No, I do not erase everything I said in the previous post about their interactions, they're still very sweet and in my personal opinion important. But if we analyse Kyle's relationships with others and give everyone some sort of a status, Stan would be "best friend", Cartman would be "frienemy" (it's not so obvious when I say it like this but we all should agree that Kyle cares a lot about the shit Cartman says, not necessarily in a good way but it's still a huge source of emotions for him). And Kenny, as I believe, would be just "friend". Not much to add.

But if we're looking a little bit further...Time skip for a few years. Or not a few. High-school maybe?? Or adults?? Whatever you prefer more

From this part it'll be mostly headcanons because different people can see the future relationship of the main four differently. I'll talk about my personal point of view here (I think it's the most popular one in the fandom anyways)

So this is where Kyle's previous sources of strong emotions are kind of fading away. With Stan...I'm almost sure that no one is going to argue with me for this. Stan, as a depressed individual, would probably at some point of his adulthood change his relationships with people. He'd cut contact with some and just sort of change his attitude to other. And although I believe Stan and Kyle would still be friends (close friends??) when they grow up...There's not going to be the "bond" as strong as it was before. This is debatable, but even if you don't agree with my statement: One source of strong emotions is definitely not enough.

With Cartman my point of view is much easier to explain: they're not kids anymore. I believe their rivalry won't dissappear, but. They're not kids and not gonna fight 24/7. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this properly, but I think it's just not gonna take all their time. So yeah. It's not enough

AND THAT'S WHERE WE FINALLY GO BACK TO K2. THANK GOD.

Kyle feels a bit more lonely. So he hangs out with Kenny, who pretty much feels the same. They spend time together, talk a lot, remember some things...And realize how similar they are to each other (this part is also analysis btw, I didn't come up with it from nothing). They realize that back then they both were trying to act kind to people around them, but no one seemed to appreciate it as much as they wanted. They were doing it differently and was getting treated differently, but in the end both ended up being lonely without much people around. You. You can feel my thought here. right

They realize how similar they feel, so they decide to try to help each other. Just make some company. It won't hurt, right?

It didn't. I see them a bit fast burn... They start to appreciate each other's company more. And more. They hang out in a lot of different places. Anywhere you can get your old buddy: like seeing some cool movies with him, taking him to restaurants so you can make sure he eats well, sometimes going to his ol' house with him to help his sister...At some point Kenny starts calling it "dates", and Kyle is extremely flustered about this.

Kyle falls first, but Kenny confesses first: so their relationship-thing happens not so long after that.

And yep. This is what I wanted to share from now. I really hope someone reads all that xD

Love k2, appreciate k2, enjoy k2, share k2. They're very lovable little guys!

(If this gets 100 likes AGAIN I will write k2 headcanons. Go)

[jascurka]

this is purely out of curiosity and i don't want to send hate your way, but do you ship mob and reigen? and if so, why?

I do, yeah. An ex-friend of mine asked me the exact same question (just more... harshly I think and with what I assumed was prejudice) before they decided to part our ways and I could never properly answer them because I was so stressed by the situation, it was hard to gather my thoughts. So I'll do my best to explain here, hopefully to make myself understood better.

Sorry if this gets lenghty >_< I'll just put a readmore right here.

I think the biggest reason for why I like them is their canon relationship that has been explored in the series already quite thoroughly - that they have changed eachother, helped eachother grow and one wouldn't be the person they are without the other. I think most of us understand the depth of it. Reigen is Mob's teacher and friend, someone like an older brother. There surely is a strong bond between them and they've seen each other at their best and worst and still acknowledged and accepted eachother's flaws. They trust eachother, they would give their life for eachother even (at least Reigen would, he almost did in the finale after all). And I do think that they love eachother but in a way that isn't actually romantic in canon. I'm perfectly capable of realizing that and I value it a lot both in the series and in fanworks (one of my fav works of fanfiction is about exactly that).

It was my curiosity that made me search up a ship fic of them, I was just confused why people ship them in the first place and whether it can be good and I found myself enjoying it a lot (to my surprise). It was set into the future, and dealt with some serious topics like loss and acceptance, it was kind of bittersweet. Then I felt that maybe it was just slightly ooc because all of the serirei fics I was busy reading depicted Reigen slightly different. Nontheless, I had the other ship on my mind then so I never really dived into Mob/Reigen, but it changed my perspective on them a lot.

And at some point into all this I realized, why not? Why can't I haz 2 cookies? (god im sorry that was terrible sfjgsdkj). What I mean is that the buildup canon offers can be taken further - more of their relationship can be explored in terms of new tropes, sometimes romantic too.

On a personal note I'll just add that I'm rather picky about them and tend to stick to fluff, hurt/comfort and slow slow burns. And I like them most post-canon, a few years into the future. It turns out that it all depends on how they're portrayed for me to like them anyways. I talked on here recently about a work that really had it all and portrayed their relationship in a very satisfying and mature way, with all the complicated feelings, it felt very realistic, especially on Reigen's side. So if anyone wants, here's a rec from me again -> in my dreams (I seem to be more honest) on ao3, just because I think it has all that I like about the ship.

I think that this is the whole point of fanworks - to kind of look further and have fun with it, to see "what if?". Even if it's something sort of.. taboo I guess? Because you get to take it apart in a fictional dimension (if that makes sense). And I completely understand if this is something that can ick some people out or that someone doesn't want to ruin their perception of the characters' relationship. That's totally fine by me and I'm not going to force anyone into liking the ship of course. And there are definitely tropes and tags I really don't want to look into - not everything is for me either.

And I think this goes without saying but I'll add it here anyways: what I like to see in fiction doesn't mean I would like or encourage anyone to do the same thing in real life! It's just interesting to explore from a safe distance where no one can get hurt.

[genshrineimpact]

You did state how goddess! reader would be afraid to touch fragile and beautiful things, fearing that whatever their fingers brush will die in their hands. It's the reason why they are so protective of those who are under her care.

I think they would relate to Xiao in one way or another. He's aware of what his Karmic Debt can and will do to him now and in the future. He knows how much it would hurt the humans around him, which is why he stays away from fragile living things.

They would slowly bond together, just like a mother to their child, and put Xiao under their wing to take care of and train. Add plus points if goddess! reader could temporarily take away his karmic debt for, let's say 6 hours per day.

Just like Zhongli, Xiao has great respect for you. He will silence and kill those who dare curse your name, often looking from afar once you settle with Zhongli in Liyue as "mortals".

oh gosh yes definitely!!! there were some replies about this too under the dragon hatchling hc, and i love to imagine that xiao is basically (one of) reader's and zhongli's adopted kids lol

⬙⤠ masterlist ⤝⬙

reader and xiao's relationship would be very wholesome. they connect on a spiritual level and understand each other's fears. speaking about karmic debt, it got me thinking... xiao got them because of all the demons he fought and defeated, right? and since reader in this case is the god of war themselves, surely there must be repercussions for taking so many lives over thousands of years?

perhaps there would be a certain time in a year - maybe on the seventh month (the hungry ghost festival irl), where it is said that the souls of the dead are free to roam the lands of teyvat. on one particular day, the spirits whom you have killed with your hands come back for vengeance in a form similar to xiao's karmic debt, and maybe it renders you severely weakened and vulnerable? just for that one day, it would be very easy for the god of war themselves to die in the hand of the other gods.

this is a secret you guard with your whole life, even from morax at first. he knows nothing of it even after years into the relationship - but with how close you both are, and how perceptive he is, he'll connect the dots and figure out a hypothesis in the end. he doesn't force you to talk, but he takes it upon himself to always place himself somewhere nearby. not enough to breach your privacy but close enough for you to call upon him if you need to.

and xiao notices, of course. he notices the pattern of your disappearance, sees the 'festival' celebrated by your people, sees the way zhongli always lingers near your abode, and the tenseness of his lord's posture. he remembers the way your eyes hold sympathy and the way your lips curl into a bitter smile when you see him struggle with his karmic debt for the first time. and xiao too, start to have a suspicion about what's going on.

tldr; starting then you have two protective guard dogs who would be more than ready to throw hands if they spot any sort of danger or threat that might endanger you at this time of the year.

shoot i strayed off from the topic lsdkjflksdf

anyway, yeah, xiao and reader. overall, very wholesome parent-child kind of dynamic. zhongli loves seeing you both get along. you're one of the few people who can make the adeptus smile. 15/10 in the wholesomeness scale.

ps. morax calls him "little one" / "young one" and you call him "child" and no one can change my mind. the nickname never fails to render xiao into a blushing mess, and whenever you start pampering him like two overly doting grandparents he feels himself dying inside. still, he visits your home regularly. just to check on you both <3

© genshrineimpact | 2022 ◆ no repost. reblogs much appreciated. feel free to reach out to submit suggestions, feedback, comments, or if you just want to talk!

◇ taglist ◇ @paintingsofdragonspine | @genshinparty

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[bizarrelittlemew]

greetings, i hope you’re doing better today than we all were yesterday…

so i have a theory. it was clear that everyone involved with ofmd expected it to get renewed. it even seemed like hbo was planning on it (the merch, the billboards, the show on the front page). this all feels very last minute and i haven’t been able to comprehend it at all.

until i thought about the money aspect of things, because obviously, capitalism kills art. there’s no way that ofmd didn’t make hbo enough money. i dont buy it. i think that some higher up saw how successful the show was with a 40% budget cut and thought “well if they can make a season that good with so little why don’t we give them a bit less.”

yknow. because studios want as much output with as little input as possible. i think that they tried to slice the budget AGAIN and djenks + the crew just didn’t take it. which would be the right call imo.

idk, i might be wrong about the financial aspect of things. what do you think?

i woke up feeling worse lol i thought it was supposed to go the other way (i do have a lot of other difficult stuff going on in my life right now though so it's just a big complicated grief smoothie right now)

anyway i hope you're doing better!!

i definitely think everyone expected it to be renewed until a few days ago. seems like it was all ready to go ahead. i have no industry insight but i've been following @TheCozyPirate on twitter to try and gain some context - of course there's no way to verify anything for certain so treat it like that, but what they're posting seems reliable and makes a lot of sense to me (and also makes me so so angry at the current state of streaming in general and the highest-level execs at max in particular).

but yeah. essentially i think production was ready to go ahead, everyone involved was sure it was gonna happen, probably just needed the final stamp from the top, and max suddenly changed the renewal requirements from "profitable 3rd season and future possibility of spin-offs" to "needs guarantee that spin-offs can be milked for cash forever based on a guesstimate at best". so yeah, corporate greed and mismanagement

anyway these are obviously just my thoughts and i am still trying to wrap my head around it all. i love how the fandom is showing so much love and creating a lot of noise 💗💗💗

[tkblythofficial]

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

Read at own risk

Is Noah C interested in R?

Pulled: The High Priestess

Tarot 2.0: woah he wants her kitty bad. She’s irresistible to him. If he opened his mouth around her he would bark like a dog. BARK! BARK! Was he on Teen Wolf?

Me: No….not every random male celeb you don’t know is from Teen Wolf.

Tarot 2.0: oh.

Is Jacob E interested in R?

Pulled: Knight of Wands (reversed)

Tarot 2.0: no! In fact she should be weary of him. Not a good card to pull with this type of situation. I don’t even see it working career wise either. This is a great example of “never work with your industry friends”, she would be disappointed after working with him.

Any other potential suitors for R?

Pulled: Queen of Pentacles

Tarot 2.0: absolutely. She’s getting many offers or at least people are lusting after her. Not surprising at all. She’s young and on the rise.

Any other potential suitors for T?

Pulled: Seven of Cups

Tarot 2.0: holy shit. Yes, woah. Can’t express how much kitty is being thrown at him. That’s overwhelming. Lots of temptation. Isn't he in the middle of the mountains with horses and shit right now? So no kitty up there but when he’s out in public again? Yikes.

How’s the sex life between R and J?

Pulled: Knight of Pentacles (reversed)

Tarot 2.0: Lazy! Sloppy! Boring! He is not laying the pipe like he should. No wonder she has so much energy, he hasn’t been putting her to sleep.

How’s R's future career?

Pulled: The Moon (reversed)

Tarot 2.0: She will go through a rough patch but will come out stronger. She will overcome some of her anxiety and do different projects. She also should listen to herself a lot more. She’s self-critical and overthinks her career decisions but she will be fine as long as she transforms herself emotionally.

How’s T’s future career?

Pulled: Ten of Wands

Tarot 2.0: Not surprising. He has many projects, so many that he will be stressed and burnt out in a few years. He won’t have many breaks and needs to spend time working on self-care. His future is important but not at the risk of collapsing from exhaustion and being overwhelmed. He will miss the finer things in life.

Why did T cry while R sing the first time they met?

Pulled: Justice (reversed)

Clarification: Queen of Cups

Tarot 2.0: Another karmic card. They were definitely meant to meet. She turned down this role, right?

Me: yeah a few times

Tarot 2.0: she avoided gaining karma then. Narrowly. The universe kept warning her not to miss out this opportunity and she almost did.

Me: she said she tripped in front of a THG sign in Vegas

Tarot 2.0: a place filled with bad karma

Me: she also called her agent about playing Lucy Gray right when the book dropped. She always wanted to play the character.

Tarot 2.0: all these signs yet she almost didn’t do it. That’s crazy to me. Pisses me off actually. Anyways, her and T talked along before they met. That zoom call was the first time he heard her sing but it’s not the first time they talked. He really wanted her for the role. He felt compelled to take this role actually. He was self aware of his inner feelings during that time. He tried his best to get this role because he had a feeling it would change his life and he would meet someone important. I’m also getting the feeling he didn't like other potential cast members for Lucy Gray. It would have been a huge injustice if they didn't meet. Thank God they did.

Has R visited the blog frequently, and read what we posted? or they just told her a slanted version?

Pulled: Three of Wands

Clarification: Strength

Tarot 2.0: She’s trying to move on from this blog but it keeps appearing. She’s trying to be strong and ignore it but temptation is her greatest enemy. She knows a lot about this blog actually? Who’s telling her? I think she’s lurking.

Do their friends/coworkers and family know about zeglyth? What do they think?

Pulled: The World

Clarification: Knight of Wands

Tarot 2.0: R and T are in their own world around each other. It’s magnetizing and other people feel it. When they think of Zeglyth, it’s about success and new opportunities. They’re slightly worried that R and T had a fling but no one will say anything.

How does T feel about R’s hate?

Pulled: Three of Cups (reversed)

Clarification: Ace of Swords (reversed)

Tarot 2.0: he thinks they’re losers! No life. GET A JOB! STAY AWAY FROM HER!

Why T defend R?

Pulled: Four of Cups (reversed)

Clarification: Four of Wands (reversed) and The Sun (reversed)

Tarot 2.0: He was a witness to a terrible time in her life. He knows her self esteem was low and how much this movie meant to her. I’m seeing a lot of anxiety leading up to the premiere. She was so worried she was going to ruin the movie for everyone in terms of backlash. T reassured her that wasn’t the case at all. He truly doesn’t care about what those losers say.

What did R and T think of each other when they first met (in person)?

Pulled: The Empress, Seven of Cups, Five of Cups

Dropped: Page of Pentacles, Five of Pentacles and Temperance

Tarot 2.0: damn these cards wanted to be seen, okay. The Empress? Pregnancy? T thought of pregnancy from the gate? No way. Arrest him! But in all seriousness, he knew he would love her from the moment they met. This is also an adjacent karma card. The potential to meet your life partner.

Seven of cups? A new person in your life to cause relationship issues! Of course this card appears. R and T cause issues in each other’s lives and with their partners.

Five of cups? R’s mental health was horrific when she met him. He made her feel better all the time. J tried but he wasn’t enough. T carried most of the emotional burden.

Page of pentacles? He was willing to work hard to make this project and friendship work.

Five of Pentacles? Someone was feeling left out in the cold. Was J with them when they met? Most likely.

Temperance? Soulmates! Two extreme people on opposite ends (spot on!) needing to find a balance to make it work. Communication!!

What are T intentions for liking all these model pics?

Tarot 2.0: I swear if I get a red flag I’m done with this reading

Me: :(

Pulled: Queen of Swords

Tarot 2.0: Oh!

Me: Do you hate him now?

Tarot 2.0: no! Thank god it’s what I expected. He sees a beautiful girl with sexy clothes (or lack of clothes rather), he likes the pics and moves on. This is not like that one celebrity who was purposefully liking young girls' pics on purpose. T is a typical man who has wandering eyes and is a visual creature.

Why does T like and unlike instagram photos of Rachel?

Pulled: The Empress

Tarot 2.0: oh this card AGAIN? He’s down bad. He’s flirty and obsessed. I’m sensing hesitance though. He’s aware of how liking thirst traps looks and regrets it. Also I’m hearing the word promise here. Maybe he promised himself that he wasn’t going to like anymore pics from her….that lasted a day lol if that.

How does BB feel about it? Does she know about it?

Pulled: Justice

Tarot 2.0: woah. What a card to pull at this question. Another karma card. She’s trying to be understanding and compromise but she’s not happy about it. Doesn’t think it’s fair and is trying to be “the cool gf” but it’s not working. It bothers her deep down. She’s very aware of R though. That’s one person she doesn’t want him to interact with online. A random influencer makes her sad but she’s livid about R though. But she didn’t tell him to unlike it. She doesn’t want to bring up R at all actually. The name R is banned from her lips!

Is R upset about the fact that T is ghosting her?

Pulled: The Emperor

Tarot 2.0: Yes, very upset. She’s emotional about it. This girl needs Jesus or something. A therapist and straight jacket (it will tie her hands from grabbing her phone!). No way someone not talking to her for a day is making her this upset. Hmm. I don’t think he is completely ghosting her now that I’m reading it. Maybe he is very dry, one worded responses or taking a usually long time to respond and she knows the last time he did that, he stopped talking to her for days. She doesn’t understand what she did wrong. She’s unbelievable. She called this man the devil yesterday and pouting because he’s not answering like he usually does. Is that what you wanted, R?

Why is J so emotionally distant?

Pulled: Nine of Wands

Tarot 2.0: He’s tired of her. She is draining to be around. She even talks to him while he’s trying to sleep. Sounds exhausting. Literally. He’s close to giving up entirely.

Doesn't J get upset over the hate R gets?

Pulled: The Empress (reversed)

Tarot 2.0: Ouch. The complete opposite of how T sees her. He finds her overbearing and a huge burden. He wishes she would shut up sometimes and stop constantly getting herself into trouble. A part of him used to feel bad but he doesn’t care anymore. Don’t get mad at me but he’s lowkey right. I hate agreeing with this man. But she needs to relax.

R loves the attention Zeglyth gets but why?

Pulled: The Lovers

Tarot 2.0: She loves him. It’s that simple. She refuses to let him go. They’re soulmates. It’s a spiritual thing at this point. Which is why they’re so hot and cold. They’re resisting what’s meant to be. And I lowkey agree that they should for now. Their back and forth feelings are annoying. They need to stay either hot or cold. They'll even meet in the middle one day. While I they’re cold now, I’m sensing their turn hot soon actually. They’re both crazy to me.

how does J feel when R posts him like this

Pulled: Knight of Wands

Clarification: The HangMan

Tarot 2.0: it’s an ego boost but he’s not happy. He’s feeling trapped. It’s embarrassing to him. He also ignores her if she asks him if she can post things online about their relationship. He desperately wishes she wouldn’t but she ignores him too and ends up posting. Very immature.

Why is T done with R currently?

Pulled: The Devil (reversed)

Tarot 2.0: Oh this is hilarious. R called him the devil yesterday and T said “aight bet!” What a turn of events. He’s trying to be free of her. He’s becoming aware he’s too emotionally involved with her and wants it to stop. I think his birthday put things into perspective. He’s reflecting and thinking about how the relationship won’t work right now.

Is R's recent posts of J a way of her acting out of spite towards T?

Pulled: The Magician (reversed)

Tarot 2.0: it’s more for fans actually! Or her “J haters”! Aw she’s putting on a cape and defending her man like Superman! Shouldn’t it be the other way around? J’s silent and embarrassed. But T seeing her love stories is an added bonus.

T’s irritated but he thinks she’s of course you guessed it —

Me: A fool.

Tarot 2.0: you’re so smart!

Maybe also ask if T plans on ghosting her forever?

Pulled: Eight of Cups (reversed)

Tarot 2.0: He has a deep fear of his feelings so he’s choosing to not focus on them. He’s accepted they will always be there but he needs to occupy his time elsewhere. Career, BB, family, friends. He’s having fun and not thinking about it so much. But no, he will never be able to cut communication completely. He’s tried but can’t let her go.

Is it big?

Tarot 2.0: my heart is very big! Thank you for asking me !

Me: IS IT BIG?

Pulled: The Hierophant and The HangMan

Tarot 2.0: Call him the HANGMan, The Tower of God, The Elephant Man–

Me: chill out

Tarot 2.0: Snow lands on top! EIGHT INCHES OF THAT SNOWSTORM!

Me: *flickers water on her*

Tarot 2.0: You didn’t need to do that. I was already wet–