#best curling iron 2016

[seirclys]

OG! Penelope Eckhart Headcanons: A Life Before the Eckharts

Part 6!

This one was uh... it took a while. While some may remember Shrike's version of Penelope's parents, who are perhaps the best parents she could ask for... the reality, I think, will be much darker.

Studies, like Bywaters et al. (2022), which is a critical review of research papers in the period between 2016-2021 that compiles evidence and analyzes them together, show that food insecurity, low income, unemployment, and other factors in relation to poverty lead to a higher chance of childhood neglect.[1]

Given that from canon, we know that Penelope's father is dead or at least presumed so— "Her widowed mother was a poor traveling merchant"[2]— it's reasonable to assume that he's just not in the picture.

From Part 4, if you recall, Penelope is a World Catalyst where her world is expressed as a romance-genre dating simulator. I'll definitely elaborate on this in another part, but suffice to say, Penelope's life is pretty much written to be tragic no matter what.

Thus, isn't it fitting to give her a just-as-horrible childhood before the Eckharts?

It would certainly explain why she was so desperate for love, despite the seemingly-obvious idea that she misses the love of her biological family.

The Father— Aleksander

Aleksander is a Greek name meaning "defender of the people", with this particular variant can be traced to Central and Eastern Europe.

Aleksander is from the Northern territories of the Eorka Empire, near the borderlands with treacherous, eternal winter. He moved from the North to warmer lands when he became of age.

He had three siblings, but his older sister died shortly after marriage. On the other hand, his younger brother died in childhood from sickness and a particularly harsh winter.

His father disappeared one day while hunting for prey in the forests, and his mother was beaten to death for stealing from a noble household.

Aleksander has classic, deep magenta curls (think old Hollywood). The color is so dark that it looks black.

His hair is left somewhat lengthy, reaching his mid-back and tied back with a ribbon.

In addition, his eyes match his hair but have an orange glow to them instead.

He has a slender physique, not necessarily muscular or very strong.

Aleksander is extremely religious.

He has a pleasant smile and a gentle disposition, but that doesn't mean he's weak or useless.

He knows how to wield a small dagger, but that's it.

Aleksander was a doting father and loving husband, content with a simple life with his family.

Originally, he left the church he was a part of to follow his wife, but left and returned to his religion and the North when he found out that Penelope had mana.

His religion actively pursues wizards and those of Ancient Wizard blood, and his daughter is no exception.

It's unclear what happened on the day he found out. All his wife knows is that when she returned from her daily trip to the marketplace to sell her wares, her husband was gone, with blood on the bed.

Penelope was holding her neck, terrified.

In the aftermath, he became obsessed with tracking down wizards to "atone" for not having killed Penelope, torn between the guilt of attempted silicide and also the regret of not having snuffed out an Arcani's life.

He feels similarly torn with Nilar, reasoning that since he can never be a descendant of those filthy traitors who served Laila(the Ancient Wizards), then Penelope's magic must have come from his ex-wife.

Aleksander's fate is unknown, but evidently kept out of the capital and surrounding territories, staying in the outskirts. Penelope never met him again.

Edit: ok I didn't mention his third sibling but his mother had the baby when he was away studying to be a priest. It's not clear what happened to the child, but it died before he could meet his sibling.

In truth, Aleksander HAS Ancient Wizard heritage, ironically — his sibling was killed because flowers started blooming around the infant in the middle of winter. Like, summer flowers in the crib, growing out of the mattress.

His mother, terrified, suffocated the infant. Truly, like mother, like son.

The Mother— Nilar

Nilar is a female name of Burmese origin meaning "Sapphire", with the origin having NOTHING to do with my characterization of Penelope's mom. I left the choice up to @eloise175 in a blind-box situation.

If it had any bearing, it would be that Nilar was born in a foreign land but is Eorkan by blood. Her parents just settled down in a foreign land for a bit to ride out the pregnancy.

She was part of a merchant ship crew that docked frequently in the port city of Tratan. By extension, it's near Soleil Island, which is Laila's hideout.

She has abandonment issues due to her parents' mysterious disappearance when she was young. While traveling, she met Aleksander and fell deeply in love.

Nilar is an accomplished Arcani(One who uses mana and is of Ancient Wizard descent). However, her love for Aleksander blinded her, causing her to seal her own powers so he wouldn't turn on her.

Nilar's mother's powers were primarily water-based, which is why they were seafaring. Her powers are Earth-based.

Nilar's hair is naturally a bright pale turquoise-green with darker roots, ending around her mid-thighs. The ends of her hair shift according to her mana. It'll turn from a burnt-sienna color to a pale blonde when uses her powers.

As a civilian, her hair is kept in a low bun.

Nilar's eyes are bright green, near-glowing in their saturated hues. She passed them onto her daughter, though Penelope's eyes tend to stray more turquoise.

She has a soft expression as her default, but her face is naturally stern, which is where Penelope's default "villainess expression" stems from.

In addition, she has a strong physique, from her years as a mercenary in addition to being a merchant. She didn't just settle in Eorka but traveled all over the world before meeting Aleksander.

Had she never settled down with Aleksander, she might've been hired as an Imperial mage, or even an Archmage to fight for the Empire.

Nilar's love blinds her to the red flags surrounding her husband.

After she had Penelope, she became more frail as a result(Giving birth to a World Catalyst, especially one so connected to the world, takes a toll).

When she found out that Aleksander left with her daughter injured, Nilar kind of shut down. She tried to take care of Penelope but found herself spiralling into self-doubt, especially since her daughter looks just like her missing husband with the hair and smile.

As Penelope grew older, Nilar worsened in health, especially since she could no longer easily support two people and pay for expensive medication. She didn't unseal her mana, deluding herself that Aleksander would come back. Poverty made things worse, and the neglect and abuse began to worsen.

Nilar would always cry and apologize to Penelope but it became so frequent that Penelope began to doubt her. Her health and mental state deteriorated to the point where her own mana was lashing out against her, worsening her condition.

Eventually, she died of sickness, a mere three months away from Penelope's 10th birthday.

Life as a Street Orphan

Penelope wandered for many months between villages and towns, hitching rides on merchant carts in exchange for some labor.

She would take refuge in abandoned houses, sheds, and as she got to larger settlements, brothels.

The ladies there cooed over her magenta hair and sparkling eyes, giving her at least a warm bath and clean(if a bit shabby) clothing.

When she got to the capital, Penelope, again, stayed in some of the brothels. She acted as a messenger girl and was groomed to be one of the upcoming new flowers(essentially, she would've started working at the brothel when she was fifteen).

However, an incident with an unruly customer who tried to touch her made her lash out and stab the customer to death with a sharp hairpin.

She fled the brothel, living on the streets as she continued to wander further and further away. She lived in a dilapidated shed amongst the rest of the shacks. It was barely standing with one wall completely broken down.

During the rainy season, Penelope dragged herself back only to find a woman collapsed in her shed, clearly dead.

At this point, she was too weak and hunger-starved to drag the body out, so she stayed inside with the body.

Eventually, this was how Duke Eckhart found her.

[blue-eyed-bloodstains]

When it’s time to dress up for a special occasion, are you more likely to wear a dress, a skirt or dress pants? usually dress pants but I’ll wear a dress depending on the occasion

Does your family eat any unique foods for Thanksgiving that aren’t the norm and if so, what are they? no it’s the usual feast, my faves are always stuffing and candied yams

If you eat oatmeal, do you add water or milk to it and what’s your favorite flavor? haven’t had oatmeal in over a decade but usually milk, and my fave flavor oatmeal was peaches and cream

What’s the best movie you’ve seen this month? Pet (2016) with Dominic Monaghan...best psychological thriller I’ve seen in many years! it was fucking insane and fucked with your head and was played out really well

Was the last video you watched on YouTube a music video and if not, what was it of? public freakout compilations lol guilty pleasure

Has your favorite color changed at all from when you were younger and if so, what was your favorite when you were little? no

What’s your favorite breakfast food? don’t ever eat breakfast but definitely bacon. bacon is life.

Have you ever been brave enough to cut your hair in a very different way and if you have, did you regret your decision after? I shaved my head completely summer of 2021 and I felt sooooo liberated and loved it so much and it made me feel confident for once in my life! would do it again in a heartbeat

What was the last book you had to read for school and did you enjoy it or were you just trying to get through? oh god you want me to remember the last one from SCHOOL?! jesus umm...either Great Gatsby or Catcher In the Rye during senior year and I loved both for many reasons

Has anyone you know personally ever won the lottery and if so, how much did they win and would you or have you ever played the lottery? no I wish lol we’ve played many times but always lost

What was the first election you were able to vote in and if you aren’t old enough yet, will you vote in the first election possible? I’ve been able to vote since 2010 but I never have and probably never will...I hate politics

When you come across a word that you don’t recognize, do you look it up or try to use context to figure out what it means? look it up

How many friends have you hung out with in the last week? none

If you were going to be a teacher, what subject would you teach and what age group? probably English Lit or Social Studies, those were always my two faves. as far age group middle school or higher for better content

What was the last thing someone has sincerely thanked you for? mom for being a distraction when needed especially lately

If you could only own a hair dryer, curling iron or straightener, which one would you choose? hair dryer I guess

If you aren’t religious, do you feel awkward at social situations when there’s a benediction, prayer, etc. and if you are religious, how often do you pray? I’m not religious and I mean I’d never attend mass or anything like that but I mean saying a prayer I’m comfortable with I even say it with

What’s your favorite type of art to take part in? writing

What band, celebrity, etc. do you know the most information about and who would you like to learn more about? Alexz Johnson and Eminem for know most about. as far as learning more...hmm I don’t know really.

[mystarmyangel]

[TRANS-THEQOO] 221003 Today’s article photos of YoonA who cut her bangs

At time of posting 3 Sep 3pm KST: 62.2K views, 304 comments (Will translate more interesting and non-repetitive comments)

1. So pretty2. Crazy, The very essence of loveliness 4. I really like YoonA with bangs ㅋㅋㅋ She looks so lovely ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 6. Omo, really so pretty and young 10. How is it that YoonA doesn’t age? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋShe looks the same as Mr. Mr. era.  Anyway, she is so pretty 12. Goddess.. 13. YoonA looks exactly the same as when she cut her bangs back then. Was it 2016? When was it? 14. I didn’t even realise she is wearing a cropped top because I was just looking at her faceㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 15. YoonA is seriously so pretty….. 17. (Replied to 14th comment) Ah ㅋㅋMe too, I only knew after reading the commentsㅋㅋㅋㅋ 18. (Replied to 14th comment) Ah me tooㅋㅋㅋㅋ I only knew it was a crop top after seeing this comment ㅋㅋㅋ 19. You look so cute with your bangsㅋㅋㅋㅋ 22. Really damm pretty 23. Wow YoonA has always been so prettyㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜHer smile is so pretty 27. It fits you well. So pretty 28. I watched the live stream, and her real person looks even better~ ㅠㅠ 29. Where is YoonA going?? 33. Am I the only one getting old.. 34. Heol! Bangs???? 36. Are you going to the Miu Miu show? 37. Why isn’t this unnie growing old? 39. Look at that waist of the pants 41. Heol, it is like going back to few years ago 42. So cute and lovely 44. Super cute. I am waiting for ‘King The Land’ 45. Heol, in my personal opinion, I think this is YoonA’s best styling among all her recent stylings. 47. Ha.. so refreshing ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ 48. (Replied to 29th comment) Actress YoonA left for Paris, France via Incheon international airport this morning to attend Paris Fashion Week. 51. Wow really so pretty and lovely. These days you are so pretty 54. You are always pretty no matter what 56. Wow YoonA really look like a college student in her 20s. 57. She is really incredibly pretty 60. YoonA’s eyes are seriously pretty 61. YoongPh(rodite)... 64. The style is also Autumn’s. Really pretty 66. Crazyㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ   70. I watched the video because she is so pretty 73. Innocent and cute, the bangs suit you well. Ah ah ah ahㅠㅠㅠ   75. Oh, you are attending Miu Miu Paris Fashion Week 77. She looks better without bangs 83. YoonA will always be a So Nyuh (young girl) 91. Ah this unnie, doing this to me early in the morning......!!!!!!! ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ 92. How does it feel to live with this face? 93. It is like first love 95. Even though she got even prettier after gaining some weight, but she has always been pretty even back then, but I am amazed every time. 98. She looks so puppy like 100. Wow so pretty and fresh 102. Omo, my babyㅠㅠㅠㅠ Have a safe trip 108. Miu Miu looks really good on you. Have fun and come back safely 110. Her hair is very pretty but I am shocked by the outfit. ㅋㅋ I will say its trendy.. 112. I would believe if you told me you are a freshman in college 121. It is so refreshing from the morning ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ YoonA, have a safe trip 123. Is this from 2014? 128. This is from today???! 130. The pants are prettyㅎ 131. I don’t like the outfit, but YoonA saved it 146. What is this. Did you debut just yesterday!!!! 147. Why are your pants so big ㅋㅋㅋ So cute 156. I was staring at YoonA’s face and now just notice the outfitㅋㅋㅋ

158. Perhaps you... are my first love..? 159. I want to comb your hair.. is it windy? 163. Your face is so pretty ㅜㅜ I like it better without bangs, but you are so pretty with bangs tooㅜㅜ 167. What is this hair colour? It is so natural and pretty 174. The pants are weird and the shoes that revealed a little is also weird, but YoonA is very pretty 175. Unnie fairyㅜㅜㅜ 176. Your upper half look is so cute and pretty 180. Its so pretty. The clothes are pretty too. 183. You look like the prettiest college student 195. You look like a princess   196. I thought the pants are weird when I look at the photos. But when I saw the video, YoonA looks cool because she is tall, it suits her well. 207. Did you get a perm? Or it is by a curling iron? Your hair is pretty 208. Wow.. so pretty. YoonA has no ups and downs. 212. Super pretty... but everyone is talking about the pants so I look at the pants firstㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Cordi, why did you do thatㅠ 234. YoonA with bangs is so lovely, her visuals are going up lately, no, but I mean, isn’t this face just right for ‘King The Land’.... I am really looking forward to it.

235. I was amazed by her face and surprised with the pants... YoonA’s face won ㅜㅜ 236. You are pretty everyday 237. Because her face is so dazzling so I was only looking at her face. I only knew of the pants design after reading the comments ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 241. She looks really pretty in the video 249. The pants only look good because its YoonA wearing it. If it is me... 253. Wow really so pretty. She is a deer fairy goddess.. 259. Be careful of tummy ache (because her stomach is exposed) 263. Face won 264. YoonA, I think this hair colour suits you most. Really lovely... 266. YoonA’s bangs remind me of her lid (her famous fake bangs that flipped like a lid lol) and it makes me laugh ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 267. Did you sleep in a lock and lock container...? Why aren’t you ageing? 269. Its Miu Miu too, so please dress YoonA up in pretty outfits too. 274. Out of all the YoonA’s bangs I have seen; this is the prettiest. 276. Wow YoonA has always been so prettyㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜHer smile is so pretty 278. I am busy looking at her face, I didn’t notice her outfit 287. Just looking at her makes my mood better. Pretty

Source: TheQoo Trans: mystarmyangel

[nctnews]

220313 | WinWin’s interview for the March Issue of Nylon Magazine China

In his fewer than 25 years of life, Dong Sicheng has spent half of that time making a living away from home. At the age of 12, he went alone from Wenzhou to Beijing to study dance, at 18,he was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama. At 19, he went overseas to become a member of the idol group NCT 127, at 24, he continued moving forward as a new actor; he has always been on the move throughout his youth.

"On the road of life, even if you keep walking without stopping, there is always that point of not having enough time." Dong Sicheng shared his understanding of this quote, "Once time has passed by, if you didn't do something well in the past, you will have regrets, therefore you should cherish the moment." Differing from the majority of people who feel helpless when quoting this saying, this boy gave a more positive interpretation of it, which was also similar to a self-reminder.

Therefore, no matter whether it is dance or being an idol, including performances that have only just begun to be put into practice now, looking back on past life experiences, we will never hear Dong Sicheng expressing a "If I changed to my current self, I would be able to do this better..." type of sentiment. This slow-burning young man is not only keen on watching movies that focus on life, he is also good at finding joy in his own daily life.

The magazine shoot that day revolved around a trampoline, on which Dong Sicheng needed to stand on top of it and jump, while providing different body shapes and expressions. The whole process was clearly quite physically demanding, but perhaps due to his many years of dance foundation, he managed to complete it neatly, accidentally falling down once but instead laughed in a carefree manner, as if he was in a playground instead of a filming studio. This smile makes one realize that despite his young age, the boy in front of our eyes is not a novice in front of the camera. Since his debut overseas in 2016 as a member of the idol group NCT 127, shooting MVs, being on stage, promoting, he has had more than five years of experience in front of the camera.

"Basically, as soon as I arrive at a work environment I tell myself, this is my home ground now, and then show my best side to everyone. Dong Sicheng shared his "secret" to being active on set. Therefore, even though he had only slept for two hours the night before due to his work schedules and slight insomnia, once he starts work, he will tell himself to do his best.

This habit was also brought by him to the set of a new drama. In October 2021, the Chinese fantasy drama "The Shadow" commenced filming in Hengdian, and Dong Sicheng plays the character Situ Weilian. According to the official introduction, this character is "a mutant who is over 100 years old", "sunny and lively on the outside, self-confident and arrogant on the inside". In Dong Sicheng's eyes, Situ Weilian is a very "direct person" and a "kid" who has lots of tricks and wicked ideas.

There are many differences between the two of them. Situ Weilian is quite fashionable, he wears shirts, ties, bow ties, vests, windbreakers, the complete package, even having a head of curly hair -so much so that the actor himself has to carry a curling iron when getting into costume; Dong Sicheng prefers to be comfortable, he is wearing loose-fitting casual clothing most of the time. Situ Weilian is arrogant and has a poisonous tongue, whereas Dong Sicheng is known for being gentle and good-natured.

However, all this does not prevent an actor from getting into character. During the several months of filming, Dong Sicheng got along well with this new friend. This was the first time in his life to really join a production crew, and like a newborn calf, he was more excited than nervous. "It's just like a child encountering new and fresh things." Dong Sicheng recalled that when he first started filming, he always liked to walk all around the set, being curious about how this lighting was adjusted, how that camera was set up, he felt like there were interesting things to see everywhere, "Every day, I felt fired up when I started work."

Of course pressure still exists. He still remembers that around the second day of filming, director Li Muge, who does not often give praise to people, affirmed his performance. He couldn't help but feel like he was "flying". Even though the director reflected that his performance in the next few days was satisfactory, he himself was not satisfied. Throughout the following month, after getting off set and returning to the hotel, this led to Dong Sicheng often losing sleep as he could not help but keep reviewing his performance for the day in his mind, he could only get up and do a few sets of exercises. After this conflicted period passed, his "cherish the moment" spirit made its appearance again, he was then able to let go and have fun.

Although he does not have much experience in acting, Dong Sicheng is good at certain things. For example, he can always memorize his lines very quickly, sometimes he can memorize all three scenes to be filmed the next day in less than ten minutes. Also, he does not get stage fright; his past efforts have not been in vain, as he has already adapted to the challenge of facing many cameras alone in an unfamiliar environment. Besides that, he is also very good at staying up late. The later it gets, the more energetic he becomes, which is particularly advantageous for him as part of the crew in "The Shadow" as they often film night scenes due to the drama's theme.

"I only need one cup of iced Americano, it's the cup I have when I wake up, and it must have ice in it!" While talking about this, the young actor who calls himself "Night Dog" showed a satisfied expression, taking the opportunity to share how he rescues himself using a cup of iced coffee when entering the studio at 7 in the morning.

As for why Dong Sicheng wanted to become an actor, we should start from his time as a student. He started out as a dance student in the early days, and when he was in elementary school, the school had a requirement for everyone to have at least one talent or skill, so his parents sent him to learn dance. When he was 12 years old, Beijing Dance Academy went to his area to select students. Due to his excellent foundation, and ranking first place in the art and dance major, he was admitted to an affiliated high school of Beijing Dance Academy. That moment onwards started his long journey from home.

During the six years at the Beijing Dance Academy, the young boy lived a disciplined but free life. Dong Sicheng was a boarding student, and at first, he was sad because he missed his parents but he quickly got used to it. Beijing Dance Academy had a lot of training; the days he attended class, he often needed to practice from 6 in the morning till 10 at night. On weekends, he occasionally went to Xinzhongguan* with his classmates and a little further out was Xidan Joy City*. Being able to have a meal at Haidilao made him very happy.

*(T/N: Xinzhongguan and Xidan Joy City are both shopping malls in Beijing.)

These days continued until his junior year of high school, which is when his classmates began to select their university aspirations. Some continued studying dance and took the folk dance or classical dance exams, while other classmates who could sing well opted for musical theater. It was by coincidence that a friend decided to go to the pre-examination training course run by the Central Academy of Drama. Dong Sicheng thought that he was bored anyway, so he went to the class together with his friend.

After the class, he signed up for the exam and passed it very smoothly. In 2015, Dong Sicheng became a freshman in the Performance department of the Central Academy of Drama. From that moment on, performance formed a true connection with his life.

But if he was made to think back, this choice was not made by accident. Long before the training class, Dong Sicheng had already had the idea of learning about performing.

He said that in the first three years, there was a time when his Politics class teacher assigned homework and asked the students to prepare a sketch for the class. He recalled that it was a story, telling everyone not to go to Internet cafes. Dong Sicheng was honored to be chosen as the male lead actor in this performance, and he performed a segment in front of the whole class. What moved him was that after they finished, the Politics teacher found him and said, "I wanted to cry when i saw your expression just now". Dong Sicheng thought to himself, "I am that good?" In addition to this happiness, he had gained more courage and interest in learning to perform.

By comparison, becoming an idol seemed to be even more of an Easter egg that suddenly appeared in his life. Having hit puberty a little later on, he has always been slender and small, and Dong Sicheng doesn't feel that he is very eye-catching. If he hadn't been scouted by a talent scout at the school gate, the Sicheng from that time would have never thought he could have such an experience.

Returning to the present, the new drama "The Shadow" has successfully wrapped up filming. Having arrived at the first stop on this journey, this is just the beginning of all. Dong Sicheng hopes he can become an actor that works hard and is able to portray a character naturally. Therefore, he also manages his life seriously so as to not miss any views along the way. Dong Sicheng started sharing his daily life in bits and pieces: "Yes, there happens to be a coffee machine at home. "Now there are those kind of filter nozzles used for showering where they filter your water, those are really good for the skin. "Thereafter, would I like to learn to ski. There are times when I just want to lie down, other times when want to move around.'

We couldn't help but ask him: "Starting out at 24 years old, aren't you worried about being too late?" He shook his head firmly and jokingly replied: "The older have their older kind of charms too. This reminds one of something Hirokazu Koreeda said during his explanation of the film name "Still Walking" "I prefer walking to running, like the view see while walking, and the feeling of the change to the speed of walking."

Translated by Maria - nctnews

[lavender-lotion]

Fanfic Writer Asks

I was tagged by @asarcasticwitch - thank you so much!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

737, which is an ugly number :(

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,890,054 words, which ... AH I might actually get to 2mil by the end of the year!

3) How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they?

thank you, ao3 dashboard for this handy list:

Teen Wolf (TV) (377)

X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies) (187)

Marvel Cinematic Universe (93)

Glee (29)

Young Justice (Cartoon) (11)

Kingsman (Movies) (9)

Original Work (9)

The Avengers (Marvel Movies) (8)

Criminal Minds (US TV) (7)

Thor (Movies) (6)

Deadpool (Movieverse) (5)

Weird City (TV) (5)

X-Men (Original Timeline Movies) (4)

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga) (4)

Ragnarok (TV 2020) (4)

Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies) (3)

Teen Wolf (TV) RPF (3)

Iron Man (Movies) (3)

The House in the Cerulean Sea - T. J. Klune (2)

Venom (Marvel Movies) (1)

Stranger Things (TV 2016) (1)

Captain America (Movies) (1)

Fate: The Winx Saga (TV) (1)

Power Rangers Ninja Storm (1)

X-Men - All Media Types (1)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan (1)

Riverdale (TV 2017) (1)

X-Men Evolution (1)

Push (2009) (1)

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

With You, I Belong

Mates and Marriage Proposals

The Perceptions of You and I

(baby) maybe that matters more

Breathing You In

5) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

ughh so, fair warning, I have a lot of works. I definitely do not remember all of them, however I do have four works tagged as Unhappy Ending and then another nine works tagged Ambiguous/Open Ending, which is way more than I’d thought I had! 

however, there is one fic that stands out in mind when I think about which of my works has the angstiest ending! Heed the tags :)

And Now?

Teen And Up Audiences | Major Character Death | M/M | Teen Wolf (TV) | Chris Argent/Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski | Chris Argent, Peter Hale, Stiles Stilinski | Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canonical Character Death, Peter Hale Dies, Unhappy Ending

Stiles Stilinski finds out who his soul mates are by setting one on fire.

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

ughhhhhhhh I truly do not know??? 

7) Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I don’t write many crossovers at all! I have some mcu/teen wolf cross overs, I have a teen wolf/glee cross over plotted (that i’ll probably never write), but my strangest is probably this teen wolf/x-men cross over!

what-ifs (don’t fuckin’ matter to no one)

Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | M/M | X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)Teen Wolf (TV) | Logan (X-Men)/Sheriff Stilinski | Logan (X-Men), Sheriff Stilinski, Stiles Stilinski | Memory Loss, Telepathy, Mentions of War, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Child Neglect, Grief/Mourning, Telepath Stiles Stilinski, Telekinetic Stiles Stilinski, Nightmares, Cuddling & Snuggling

There’s somethin’ there. Somethin’ that has him sleeping curled up on his side with a pillow tucked to his chest, somethin’ that has him splittin’ up his food ‘fore he eats ‘cause he don’t need as much as a baseline. Has him turnin’ to tell someone shit that ain’t there. There’s just...there’s just somethin’ there that’s missin’ and it shouldn’t be missin’.

8) Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

sometimes! I don’t write a lot of smut because I actively dislike writing it, but the smut I do write is super super soft and sappy and full of emotions lol

9) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I respond to almost all of my comments! comments i won’t respond to: negative comments, unsolicited criticism, comments that aren’t relevant to the fic itself, comments simply asking for more 

I love love love responding to comments! I love every single comment that I get and I want to show how much I appreciate getting them, and personally I think responding to comments is the only way to do that! everyone has different comment philosophies, but for me, if someone is taking the time to comment on my fic like I so badly want them to, I think it’s important to respond to show my appreciation! 

10) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

aha YEAH I DO. this past weekend I actually got a number of shitty comments and had to file two ao3 abuse reports for harrasment (: I love it

I am no stranger to hate comments. I write copious amounts of age difference fic. I write copious amounts of incest. I am not going to apologize nor am I going to feel bad for enjoying either.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

ughhh I sure as heck hope not! 

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I have a number of them :) I always always do my best to make sure it’s linked to the original fic, AND that I add a tag noting that there’s a translation!

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have made a few attempts! the only successful attempt is there's nothing i wouldn't do to make you feel my love which is a collaboration with @flightinflame, not quite a co-write!

14) What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I am unable to answer this lol I don’t have an all-time favourite. mutli-shipping forever.

15) What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

god okay this is such a good question! imma ramble about a few so bear with me here! (i may have 700 posted works but I also have a few hundreds wips & ideas floating around in my gdrive, too)

gone & past - this is a starrish wip i’d started in 2017. I ended up deleting it from ao3 to rewrite it and never got there, but I have about 20k of content! I built my home, inside of you - thorki human au with college jock thor and high school dancer loki. i’ve got a start and nothing else Sheriff Stilinski Gets Some Sweet Sweet Lovin’ - massive wip where... well, the sheriff fucks his way through the entire pack. I want to write it but. trans allison au - this is an au where allison is trans and that changes the entire season 1 canon. it features stallison, petopher, and a looooooong ass outline that will never exist beyond my wips You Fill My Heart (With Such a Gentle Love) - this is a stetopher a/b/o au with pregnant omega stiles and alpha pair petopher falling in love. it started as a labour of love to someone I no longer have in my life. I have about 30k, a full outline, but idk. makes me sad to think about it they slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered - this is my big x-men first class rewrite that I honestly don’t think i’ll ever finish. I have a few thousand words, a full outline, but no love lost for cherik so. doubtful Physiotherapy (I'll Be Your Baby) - this was a fic I was SO excited about, and then it kinda flopped and stayed a wip because I didn’t have a plan or the motivation to finish it. it’s a winterspider human au with amputee bucky and science twink peter that I adore the premise of but who knows breathing you in chapter 2 - I have a massive second chapter planned for this fic but the first did so good so fast I am way too intimidated to write more in case everyone hates it lmao

there are more arjgoirjeg there are so many more but these are the bigger ones I can think of right now!

16) What are your writing strengths?

ughhhhh I hate answering this because I have, like, seriously bad imposter syndrome around my writing BUT I do think i’m able to weave poignant backstory into narration & i write strong, distinctive narrative voices!

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

literally I can’t write settings at all. I don’t know how people vividly describe settings but I absolutely cannot do that and it’s one of the reasons I haven’t delved into original fiction. I need to write the town my characters live in?? fuck that imma just use a location we’ve seen on screen & let readers fill in the blanks lmao

I am also shit at long fic. I don’t have the mind for long and interesting plots, and I don’t have the focus to write long fic (which is why every long fic i’ve ever posted has taken me literal years to complete smh).

18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I like it! both as a reader and as a writer. as a writer, I generally only use a few words, or small sentences that can be understood by context, and I generally don’t 

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

the last thing I wrote and posted was this one:

Languish

Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | M/M | X-Men (Original Timeline Movies) | John Allerdyce/Bobby Drake | Bobby Drake, John Allerdyce, X-Men (Team) | Not Canon Compliant, Future Fic, Established Relationship, Summer, Teasing, Fluff

It was a really, really hot Saturday, and most of the school was outback, enjoying the sun, not caring about the heat, and having the time of their life.

Everyone but Bobby, of course, who was melting away.

“I just want to remind everyone that I make ice. I am the Ice Man. I am not built for the heat and soon enough I’m going to melt away into nothing.”

20) What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

this is another impossible question! I have a few I really enjoy, but I really don’t think I have a favourite that stands out above the rest!

i’m tagging: @4magicandmayhem @insertmeaningfulusername @midrashic @wynnefic @ikeracity @stronglyobsessed @elledelajoie @wolfnprey​ & anyone else who sees it and wants to do it! seriously! go ahead :)

blank questions below the read more!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

3) How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they?

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

7) Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

8) Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

9) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

10) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

14) What’s your all-time favorite ship?

15) What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

16) What are your writing strengths?

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

20) What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

[opheliawillowbrook]

Chapters: 1/13 Fandom: Teen Titans - All Media Types, Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016), Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017), Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Raven/Damian Wayne, Garfield Logan/Tara Markov Characters: Raven (DCU), Damian Wayne, Garfield Logan, Tara Markov, Jason Todd, Djinn (Teen Titans), Jaime Reyes, Wally West, Dick Grayson, Koriand'r (DCU), Rose Wilson, Donna Troy Additional Tags: DamiRae - Freeform, Damirae week 2021, Demon birds, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff and Smut, Sherlock Holmes is Bad at Relationships, raven breaks up with bb, Tim Sheridan thanks for blocking me on twitter, Tim sheridan, fuck you Timbo, this one is for you, beast boy is a shitty boyfriend, this one is not for bbrae Summary:

After a year of dating, Raven realizes, with the help of her best friend Damian, her relationship with Garfield Logan isn't what it seems, or maybe it is?

A seek peak!

Raven sat on the roof, the night’s cool breeze blowing through her dark ebony hair. The stars above were dull over the glow of city lights of which they were no rival, leaving Raven to think: Neither can I...

She glanced down at the phone in her pale hand. Her black thumbnail tapping the screen over the text she’d sent, left on read in tiny letters. She’d sent it hours ago, but still no reply. She rested her head on her knees, self pity on her brow, and hugged them close to her aching chest. It wasn’t the first time he’d let her down, made a fool of her, and broke her heart. And if Raven’s calculations were correct, it would be far from the last.

She looked up into the paling blue colors of the night sky, wanting to cry, but couldn’t bring herself to shed another tear. Knowing he was out there, somewhere in the unknown, and probably not alone.

“If heaven is what you make it, hell is what you put me through.” She sighed with a sick, bitter feeling and dropped her phone in her bag.

“Talking to yourself again, Roth?” Raven heard a familiar voice say, and a warm smile stretched across her chilly expression.

She turned to find Damian in the entranceway. His arms crossed, leaning on its frame, the corner of his mouth curled into a charming grin.

“If you come sit with me with me, then I don’t have to,” she sang, a hint of sadness still tangled in her throat.

Damian’s brow creased, noticing the glimmer of sadness shining in her violet eyes: dejected. He’d never forgive Garfield for that.

“What did Logan do now?” Damian asked as he stepped away from the door.

She glanced away, her bottom lip curled into her mouth. He saw her face pinch into a painful grimace, but she couldn’t hold it back.

“Aside from blowing me off again and not answering my texts?” She replied, sweeping her hand to the side with a pretty yet sullen face.

“I was gonna say I thought you guys had a date?”

“He said he’d let me know,” Raven clarified.

“Not to be that guy , but what else would he be doing? You’re his girlfriend?”

“Yeah well, Gar likes to keep his options open,” Raven groaned ironically.

“Are you saying you’re—”

“ Not the only one, yeah,” Raven confirmed. “God, why do I do this to myself? I always fall for this shit.”

“I’ve asked myself the same question.” Damian droned; he could never understand why Raven put herself through such torture. Or better still, what she even saw in the shape shifter. “I’m not trying to be a dick, but you deserve a lot better.”

“I appreciate that,” she smiled and stretched her hand, wrapping her finger around his. “Thank you, Damian.”

A soft smile filled his face as his heart thumped against his chest. “Well, now that you know how this story ends, what are you gonna do?”

Raven shook her head. “I guess break up with him. If he’ll even grant me that luxury, he hasn’t returned any of my texts or calls.” Again a frustrated hand combed through her bob length hair. “I mean, I know this is gonna sound pathetic, but I need the closure. I need to tell him how I feel. I can’t move on until I do.”

“No I get it, it makes sense,” Damian agreed. He may have thought her relationship with Gar was a waste of time, but he understood she owed it to herself to say proper goodbye. “On that note, let’s go.”

“What? Go where?”

“To find that waste you call a boyfriend,”

[jeonstellate]

classified files: out of time — file x

steve rogers picks up reese katherine from her favorite hangout spot.

⍟༄ platonic!steve rogers x original character

⍟༄ mentions of suicide, grief, and death

⍟༄ paragraph format — 1K words

masterlist | cf: out of time masterlist

[gif’s full credit belongs solely to its owner]

Steve Rogers didn’t panic when Reese Katherine seemed to have vanished yet again.

One quick look at the sky, he knew the sun was just about to set. The calm blue hue was gradually being replaced by a mixture of pastels, ultimately dimming the natural light. The breeze rustled the trees, taking the fallen leaves along its path.

Reese didn’t leave any note about where she went, but Steve knew exactly where to go. There was only one place she visit on a regular, after all, so he figured that was where she most likely was.

The roar of his motorcycle was loud, but it grew silent under the collective sound of life happening in the city. He navigated through traffic with ease, his path to his destination already embedded at the back of his mind. He was in no hurry, but he was yet to admire the sights he passed through.

Before he even knew it, he was already facing a set of iron gates. It towered over him, proud and almost intimidating. Amongst the darkness of its metal bars, the bright contrast of its golden name stood out: Garden of Fallen Leaves.

Pushing the feeling of mockery aside, he zoomed passed the gates. Through the left and right turns he made, he only stopped his ride when he caught a sight of the familiar outline of her back. Then, just like the previous times he came there and picked her up, he parked his motorcycle next to the curb across the street.

Steve wondered how his life had come to that particular moment — from being a supersoldier bachelor to, in a blink of an eye, a single parent of a teenager.

It wasn’t that too long ago, a few months at most, when he found out about Reese. Apparently, she was a creation of HYDRA — made with his and his best girl’s blood in order to bring the world to its knees. However, her asthmatic nature (something that she inherited from him) thwarted their plans before it even started. According to Tony Stark, which she later confirmed herself, she was raised by her blood-mother before she was frozen when she was twelve.

He never questioned the truthfulness of her origin, partly because he could not fathom any other possible explanations why she uncannily resemble both him and his ladylove physically and mentally. Of course, there was also the issue of her decades’ worth of icy slumber — no one would be willing to sky-jump into the freezing waters of the Arctic Ocean if they weren’t faced with a world-ending alternative.

There was no way she could feign her heartbreak when she learned that everyone she ever knew had already passed, either.

Reese was yet to be familiar with how the modern world operated. Naturally, she only surround herself with those that she remembered from her childhood. Being raised in New York and now living in Washington, D. C., however, there were only a handful in the area that she recognized. Fortunately, that short list included her beloved mother.

In loving memory of

Margaret Elizabeth “Peggy” Carter

S.S.R. agent & S.H.I.E.L.D. cofounder

9 April 1921 - 18 June 2016

Her legacy will live on

It was always felt like a punch in the gut for Steve whenever he caught a glimpse of her tombstone. It reminded him of what he could’ve had — and what he lost. He could almost say the same thing about the young teen, except in a greater extent.

Whenever he come and pick her up, he would often find her either having a one-sided conversation with her mother or drawing away her sorrows. Whatever activity she chose for distraction, it would always seem to her that nothing had changed; that her mother was still alive and well. That day was hardly an exception, yet still one nonetheless.

Reese Katherine was curled up on the grass, her back facing him. When he moved closer, he quickly noted her closed eyes. She hardly let her guard down in public, so it came quite as a shock for him when she actually took the liberty to nap whilst alone. But of course, her arm had unconsciously laid over her most-priced possession as if she was protecting it from being stolen.

Much like her blood-father, she loved to draw her feelings away — especially the ones she prefer not to voice out just yet. She was quite adamant not to show her sketches to anyone, thus her art remained a mystery to everyone . . . including him. Though, as it seemed, her sleepiness overpowered her desire to protect her secrets — and had accidentally left her sketchbook open.

Steve valued her privacy, but it was quite too late when he realized that he was staring at one of her artwork. Strangely, as much as he wanted to divert his eyes, he couldn’t seem to will himself so — especially when he finally grasped what he was seeing.

There were three human figures, drawn intimately close to one another. The person on the left, a woman, was donning a military uniform. Her hair was just a bit past her shoulders and was curled by the tips. Her dark eyes held some intimidating intensity in them, but nevertheless managed to look fondly at the girl on her right. She was notably younger than the first, yet almost identical except for her donned dress and lighter-colored eyes that resembled the ones of the man on her right. Like the woman, he also wore a military outfit. His hair was styled and light, as his eyes were shining bright. He, too, was looking at the young girl with such affection.

It took Steve a full second to realize that it was, indeed, a picture of them; of him, Reese, and Peggy, as a family.

He wasn’t sure how to feel. He had never been sure where he stood in her life. He might be her current guardian and her blood-father, but not once did she acknowledge him as such. Yet, now, it seemed as though she has been all along — just without his knowledge.

His heart felt like it was about to burst.

Perhaps even more so when Reese murmured in her sleep, “Dad?”

For once, Steve Rogers finally felt complete.

[strafethesesinners]

Tagged by @blissfulalchemist to post a fic from a year or more ago (? I think that’s how it goes). None of my Far Cry 5 is a year old yet, but I’ll take this opportunity to post this Dishonored oneshot I did back in 2016. 

(I’ll tag some people if you want to do it or just want to read @risenlucifer @nightwingshero @chazz-anova @smithandrogers @madsismad @amistrio @chyrstis @consumedkings @faithchel @shallow-gravy)

Spoilers for the Knife of Dunwall Dishonored DLC Warnings for violence and gore Words: 2392  also on AO3

Daud was drowning. The icy, stinking water of the Wrenhaven River grew darker and darker above his head as he sank further into its depths. Daud was a strong swimmer, but something had a hold of his legs, pulling him down. He looked below him and screamed. Hundreds, thousands of corpses clogged the riverbed, clinging to his legs, his arms, and tearing at his clothes with rotting claws. Water rushed into his throat, but he could not close his mouth or his eyes. The more he struggled, the harder the bodies gripped him. They were screaming, moaning, begging for mercy. The water became blood: the blood of every person he had ever killed. It was choking him, yet he could not die. The pleading eyes of the corpses turned black and Daud understood: he was already dead and this was his hell. Still he fought against it, trying in vain to break free and reach the surface, but the ghosts clung on, all of them wailing as one.

“Mommy!”

Daud woke up shaking, his stomach curdling. He sat up and dry heaved over his blankets, but nothing came up. He tore off his sweat soaked shirt and tried to stand. It took him several minutes to regulate his breathing and bring his mind back to reality. It was barely after sunset, judging by the faint light coming through the glass-less windows. Daud lit a cigarette and walked out onto his small balcony on the top floor of the Chamber of Commerce building. He took a deep breath, welcoming the cool air on his sweaty face. The Flooded District smelled of Weepers, dead rats, and whale oil, but it was a familiar smell, and lately, Daud had been latching onto anything even vaguely comforting. He was starting to think his assassins were right, and he was losing it. He could sense them losing confidence in him day by day, and he was grateful none of them were here right now to see him trembling, and sweating, wearing only his trousers: terrified of a dream. But as his mind grew clearer, it seemed odd that no one was around. Daud’s eyes scanned the rooftops carefully. There were no Whalers in sight. A different sort of unease pricked at the back of his mind, as he tossed his cigarette butt away. Instantly, he was alert: listening, watching. He tensed. His scarred hands gripped the iron railing, the Outsider’s Mark glowing faintly on the back of his left hand. Daud was about to turn back into his room when he heard a click behind him, and the cold metal of a pistol pressed against the base of his skull. 

He froze. There were only two people in the world that could sneak up on him undetected. Not sure which one he was dreading more, he spoke.

“Billie?”

“Yes.”

The shock of hearing her voice was colder than the hands of the nightmare ghosts. Daud now knew he would have gladly taken the Royal Protector over this; he would have taken anything over this. Daud’s mind was reeling, but he kept himself absolutely still, and his voice calm.

“You’re here to kill me.”

“Yes,” she said again, although it had not been a question. His dream came rushing back to him, and he was suddenly afraid. All these years he had often longed to die, but now a terrible thought occurred to him. What if these dreams were glimpses of what was to come? He never asked the Outsider, but he assumed that his spirit would go to the Void after his death. What if his fate was an eternity drowning in blood in the Void; tormented forever by those he had slain? 

I don’t want to die, he thought, almost frantically, I can’t die. His heart was beating hard, but still he remained outwardly calm. Billie kept her pistol at his head, but had not moved to pull the trigger. Daud took her hesitation as a good sign. This would not be an easy thing for her. Daud had not become the most feared man in the Empire through violence alone; he was as cunning as he was ruthless, and he had talked himself out of sticky situations almost as much as he had fought his way out. If he could somehow convince her to spare him…..

“Billie…” he began.

“Don’t try to talk your way out of this one, Daud,” Billie said. Her voice was clear; she wasn’t wearing her mask.

“You know me too well, Lurk,” he said wryly.

“Shut up, I know what I’m doing and you’re not going to change my mind.” The slightest tremor ran up her arm; Daud could feel it through the pistol point. 

“Kill me then,” Daud said. She did nothing. Daud took a chance, and turned slowly around to face her. She did not lower the pistol, but neither did she fire. Billie’s eyes were wide, but there was a determined set to her jaw. It was an expression he knew well. She had the same look when they had first met, and she had dared to face him: clearly frightened and yet too stubborn to back down. 

“Can at least ask why I’m about to die?” He looked her in the eye.

“You’re weak,” she replied coldly, “and old. This outfit needs a new leader. Someone to get us through this plague, and the chaos you caused by killing the Empress. I don’t want to do this, but it has to be done.”

“Does it now?” Daud snapped. There was an awful pain in his chest. Worse than any physical wound he’d ever had. It was a pain he hadn’t felt since he realized he would never see his mother again. “I always assumed one of you would kill me and take my place,” he said more softly, “ I just never thought…” He couldn’t finish his sentence. He knew he was too compromised to get out of this one by talking, Billie was much too close to him and had learned all his tricks over the years; the realization made him sick. He had never felt so vulnerable. 

“You’re right, Billie,” he said, “I always thought of myself as clever, but clearly I was a fool for ever trusting you.”

Billie smiled her little apologetic smile; the one she would wear when he scolded her for killing one guard too many, and she knew he didn’t really mean it.

“There’s more to it,” she said, “you deserve to know the truth. The woman you’ve been seeking, Delilah,”

“What about her?”

“She…..came to me, a while back. She offered me so much…...showed me a new way to see; she gave me so much more than you ever did. More than you could ever hope to give.”

Daud could hear the contempt in her speech and it hurt. But now anger was starting to burn in his veins. Of course it all came back to her. Delilah. She had taken his best fighter, his best friend even, certainly the only person he cared about in the world, and turned her against him. A familiar itch clawed it’s way down his arms, making his fingers twitch and ache for a blade. The sun went down behind the buildings, and the Flooded District was doused in the cool grey glow of twilight.

“The power she has, Daud,” Billie was saying, “you can’t even imagine. She’s stronger than you, stronger than anyone I’ve ever known. And all I have to do to be at her side is…..get rid of you.”

She stared at him and her eyes were sad. Daud’s head was pounding.

“I’m sorry, Daud,” Billie said. 

“Me too,” he said. 

Daud’s hand flashed up and grabbed Billie’s arm, forcing it to the side. Her shot went wide, and he twisted her arm hard. She gave a gasp of pain, and the pistol fell over the railing into the muddy water far below. Daud transversed past her back into his room. He snatched his sword up from beside his bed, there was no time to grab anything else. Billie drew her sword. The metal floor was cold on Daud’s bare feet as they circled each other for a moment; the Outsider’s Mark burned hot. Billie sent a wristbow bolt at his head, and he dodged, then drove forward with a quick thrust at her midriff. She blocked it just in time, and pushed back against his blade. She stomped down on the top of his right foot with her boot, the pain made him falter and she beat his sword aside and punched him in the face. Daud hopped backward, ducking as another bolt flew over his head. He spat out a mouthful of blood with a curse, and then transversed behind her and struck. She turned and parried, and he blocked her retaliatory slash. They battled back and forth across the metal walkway that served as Daud’s bedroom for what seemed like an hour. It was hard to measure time during a fight. But Daud was the better swordsman, and he was closing on Billie when she crouched, opened her mouth, and screamed. 

The sound was like a physical force. It lifted Daud up off his feet and sent him tumbling over the railing into his office below. He landed hard on his desk. For a brief moment he lay stunned; the air knocked out of him. Then her heard the sound of Billie blinking down next to him and jumped up as quickly as he could. He wasn’t quite fast enough. Her sword missed its target of his neck, but cut his shoulder to the bone. The pain of it spurred his desperation, and he attacked with everything he had left. Billie was never taken off guard, but his fury did seem to rattle her some. He managed to get in a few cuts of his own in as her first few blocks came too slow. But against her padded leather whaler suit, the damage was nowhere near as bad as when she hit him. Soon he was bleeding heavily from wounds to his forearms and chest, in addition to his shoulder,and his strength was starting to fade. He could barely lift his sword arm high enough to parry her strikes. He curled his Marked hand into a fist and sent a call out through the Void, but no assassins appeared. Billie must’ve told them ahead of time what she planned, and killed anyone who objected. Daud wondered if Thomas was dead, or if he had also turned against him. He retreated across the room. He tried one of the doors, thinking of escape, but they were barred from the other side.

Of course he thought grimly. He spied the open window behind his desk, and blinked over to it, using the last of his energy. He turned to locate her before he jumped. Billie was standing in the middle of the office. She raised her hand, and sent a shower of several shadowy darts flying at him. He blocked some with his sword, and covered his face with his other arm. But there were too many. One went through his thigh, three into his unprotected guts, and one into his chest. It had missed his heart he know, or he would already be dead, but he could tell it had punctured his lung. He fell to one knee, struggling to breathe. Billie came towards him, but stopped at his desk, just out of reach. Daud still gripped his sword tightly. She approached him slowly. He attempted one last weak slash, but she grabbed his wrist and wrenched the sword from his hand. Gently, she set it down on his desk. 

“It’s over, Daud,” she said quietly. 

“Looks like it, huh? I taught you too well,” he laughed, and blood came bubbling up his throat. He choked and coughed, the blood spattering down his bare chest and onto the wooden floorboards. He slumped back against his bookshelf. Billie stood watching him. When he looked up at her again, her eyes were wet. Daud had never once seen her cry. And yet, staring into her eyes, Daud knew she was still going to go through with it. He wasn’t ready to face the Void, but, now that it seemed inevitable, he wasn’t so afraid as before. There was no point. The best he could hope for was that he was wrong, and that there was nothing after death. And the worst…..Daud wondered if it was possible to fight ghosts in hell. He wanted to laugh again, but it hurt too much. Blood leaked steadily from the holes in his gut. 

“It was always going to end this way, Daud,” she said, “You and me. It’s our nature. But you’re not as weak as I thought.”

“Thanks,” Daud coughed again. The pain was agonizing. “Could you find it in you to end it quickly?” he gasped out. Billie continued to stare at him, unmoving. Daud didn’t know how long it was going to take to die, maybe up to an hour depending on how bad the wound in his chest was, maybe even longer.  But maybe that was all part of it. He never thought Billie hated him so much. He tried to reach up to her and she flinched back, still wary.

“I’m not going to fight you anymore, Billie, I just need you to do it now. If you ever had any….feeling for me at all, don’t let me die like this, make it a clean death.” She still did nothing, looking at him almost in disbelief now, as if she didn’t quite trust what she was seeing. “Billie, please,” Daud said, “don’t make me beg.”

Without a word, Billie took his sword from the desk and knelt down so she was level with him. She reached out and cupped his face in her gloved hand, and then drove his sword into his heart with all her strength. He convulsed once as his life bled away.

“Sorry, Daud,” Billie whispered. 

Her whisper went on and on and turned into the haunting hiss of runesong, which became the mournful cry of whales. The pale blue light of the Void crept over his sight, obliterating everything else, and the Knife of Dunwall was dead.

[tozierrichard]

Reddie Fanfic Masterlist

the amazing works that have changed my life (also using this to organize myself)

tear it with your teeth by belby | 32.1k

"We could leave this place, Eddie," Richie says. "God, imagine that? Not having to live in this trash dump anymore. We could go wherever we wanted. A different place every night."

notes: reddie from ages 15-18. this one hurts (but it’s incredibly beautiful)

It's Not My Fault! by shanisafan | 92.7k

“I want to be there for you when things get hard just as I know you will be there for me. Ben wrote his poem by me talking about how much I think I’m not good enough for you.”

“Richie -“ Eddie squeezed the other boy’s hands.

“I’m serious Eddie. I’m not. I’m selfish to take someone off the market who is as great as you. So I want to thank you for everything. Here’s to you and whatever happens next.”

notes: read this for the characterization wow! perfect amount of fluff and angst

Lovesong Series by WaxAgent | 164.9k

They're all connected, sure, but nothing comes close to the iron bonds between Richie Tozier and Eddie Kaspbrak; they have their ups and their downs, but they always have each other. A look at their lives from leaving Derry to being dragged back by a promise than both of them had long forgotten.

notes: this work has not been updated since 2018 but it is incredibly amazing, mind blowing and i just wanna cry and talk about it with someone, please suffer with me

the years go by like days by georgiestauffenberg |121.9k

It’s Eddie he wants to get a hold of, though, and he does, tucking him under his arm, and ruffling his hair, making him laugh. He’s startled when Eddie looks at him with such happy, shining eyes. And, for a split-second, he’s tempted to kiss him right then, right there in front of everyone.

He wants to. Badly. He doesn’t.

He leans in, instead, and he smacks a loud, wet kiss to Eddie’s cheek, punctuating it with a “mwah!” He does it again and again. “I’m so proud of my little Eds Spagheds!”

“Get off me!” Eddie says, laughing and shoving him away, swatting at his hands.

AU. in the 27 years in-between, Richie and Eddie forget a lot, but they don't forget each other.

notes: THE reddie fic

in the heat of the summer (you're so different from the rest) by kaboomslang | 109.5k

There’s a heatwave in L.A., the first time Richie sees Eddie naked.

or

One very hot year in the life of two idiots in love, working shit out.

notes: the author’s Meticulous with a capital M. one of my favorite characterizations of richie! and the love confessions are lovely!!

not exactly where i need to be (and yet it seems so close) by varnes | 49.3k

Richie runs all the way to Eddie’s. He has a bike but he can’t remember, just now, where he put it. Everything feels real, feels — the gravel hurt his shoeless feet, his lungs burn when he gets tired, there’s a cut on his chin that aches a little. It feels real but things always felt real, with It.

You can’t trust how you feel or what you see. That’s the core of the terror of It. That everything is real and nothing is real and all of it can kill you.

Richie clambers up the drainage pipe and shoves open Eddie’s window. He’s afraid to look. He’s afraid of what It has prepared for him.

But it’s nothing. It’s just Eddie, small, young, cast still on his arm. He’s curled up on his side and is using the cast as the world’s worst pillow.

“Holy shitballs what the fucking shit,” breathes Richie, lunging forward to fling himself on top of Eddie’s sleeping form. “Don’t scream, don’t scream, hey — Eddie! Eddie, shut the fuck up, you’re going to wake your mom, it’s me! It’s me.”

---

OR: Richard Tozier goes to sleep on a plane in 2016, and wakes up in 1989.

notes: time travel AU, i’d sell my soul to the devil if it meant getting to read this for the first time again ahhhhh

as the ghost begins to bleed by ShowMeAHero | 208.3k

Richie refuses to let Eddie stay dead. When he says he'll do anything to get Eddie back, he means anything.

notes: THE canon fix-it au

maybe i’m breaking up with myself by Anonymous | 59.3k

Underneath Derry, Richie Tozier is caught in the Deadlights. At that moment, across the country in the thick summer heat of Los Angeles, Henley Tozier passes out cold.

Three minutes pass, and Eddie Kaspbrak is impaled through the chest. At that exact same time, Atticus Kaspbrak clutches at his stomach, where a knife-sharp inexplicable pain is blooming.

notes: eddie has a son and richie has a daughter. a fix-it & everyone lives au, with the CUTEST children the losers could have. love love love 

Skeleton Key to My Heart by Amuly | 31.2k

After they kill that fucking clown, Richie is left with a broken arm, a list of bad baseball comedy jokes, and one beautiful, dedicated nurse by the name of Eddie Kaspbrak. But then Richie's manager Steve rushes to his side, and Richie's seeing double as the two most important men in Richie's life square off to see who can Handle Richie Tozier's Shit the best. Which isn't a bad problem to have, in Richie's book--he just wishes they could figure out how to get along.

notes: i love the reddie dynamic in this. i enjoyed reading this so much!!!!

WIP 

currently reading these

Baby, I'm Counting On You by PuddingTown | 109.7k

When Richie Tozier breezes back into his hometown of Derry, Maine, he’s expecting to see familiar faces. Of course, he’s not expecting to see an old flame chasing around a baby. With a million questions, nowhere to go, and a help wanted ad for a nannying job, he finds himself at the doorstep of Eddie Kaspbrak.

notes: i’ve loved domestic reddie but it’s also angsty. this is (re)self-discovery by richie tozier

ribs by mikeshanlon | 93.9k

Almost every time the lights turn off and they cram in the shitty twin bed, Richie seems to become a different person. Maybe not different, per say, but the stupid jokes and teasing die down, the guard of nonchalance dropping. Eddie feels lucky to see this side of Richie, soft and caring-- vulnerable. It’s not like he hates the other side of Richie, he secretly enjoys their constant banter and his dumb jokes. No, it’s that this side is rare, and it’s something beautiful. Here, safe in the soft flannel sheets, it feels like they are the only two souls for miles, and they can be themselves, and that is terrifying and reassuring all at once.

“I’m gonna miss this. When we go off to college,” Richie admits, the weight behind his words telling Eddie he felt the same about their shared nights.

“Yeah,” Eddie agrees softly, “Me too.”

notes: the losers’ senior year. this has made me laugh pretty hard and cry just as much. makes me nostalgic but in the best way. go give it the love it deserves

Running up that hill by speakslow | 59.6k

When Eddie Kaspbrak's mother gets remarried, she sends him off to Catholic boarding school. Will it be exactly what he pictures: same old prison, new location? Or will it be something else entirely?

my oh my god they were roommates story, loosely inspired by Dead Poets Society (but it's set in the fall of 1992)

notes: the last update was this past week so i read the entire thing again and oh my god let me hug everyone. all the losers are pretty prominent in this and i love that. lowkey enemies to friends to lovers?

[atlafan]

Take it Slow - Part Fifty-Seven

a/n: okay this is my first shot at a harry:y/n fic, and it will be multiple parts. y/n had a bad experience with an ex over a year ago, and finally accepts her coworker and good friend Niall’s invitation to go on a blind date with his friend Harry.

Warnings: Smut and Fluff.

Masterpost (all previous parts can be found in the masterpost)

As promised, Wednesday after work, you and Harry went to the tattoo parlor so you could get your nose pierced. You picked out a white gold stud, and picked out a few hoops you’d want to interchange with once you could.

“This one is so cool, it has diamonds on it. It could be for like special occasions.”

Harry couldn’t wait to see you with the hoop once it was time. He was already parched just thinking about it. You grabbed some thinner hoops for work as well. He watches you look over the naval piercings. He points to a few he likes and you grab one of them. Your name gets called and you go to sit in the chair.

“Which side?”

“Left, please.”

“And you’re doing this so you can have a hoop later, right?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, so I’ll do it a little lower down. Now, don’t twist this like you would an ear piercing. You need to let this be so it can heal properly.”

“Okay.” You reach out for Harry’s hand as the man cleans up your nose. You close your eyes, and Harry almost thinks to take your picture because he think you look so cute.

“Okay, here we go.”

You grit your teeth and white knuckle Harry’s hand. He places his other hand on your shoulder.

“Son of a bitch!” You yelp as the needle goes into your nose.

“Almost done.” The man reassures you.

Your nostril felt numb, but you were happy with it when he showed it to you in the mirror.

“Looks great, love.”

“Alright, Harry, you ready?”

“Yup.” He hands him a piece of paper from his pocket. “I’d like that on my forearm, where there’s space.”

Harry sits down in a chair as the man cleans up his arm. You sit next him.

“What are you getting?”

Before Harry can answer, the man puts a piece of paper over where Harry wants it and peels it back. You see a very small, very detailed sunflower.

“A sunflower, for my sunflower.” He winks at you.

“Oh, Harry…are you sure?”

“Positive. Will yeh hold my hand?” He smiles.

“Don’t make fun of me.” You pout. “It really hurt.”

“I know baby.” He puts his hand out to you as the man gets to work. You’re amazed that Harry doesn’t even flinch, but he had so many he could hardly feel it anymore.

Thirty or so minutes later it was done. You take a picture of it for him before the man bandages it up. You each pay separately for your things and head out.

“So my nose really looks good?”

“Yup, can’t wait to see the hoop in it though.”

“Six to eight weeks.” You smile. “I can’t believe you got my favorite flower tattooed on you, that was so sweet.”

“S’not weird?”

“Not at all! It’s so special, like, something for the two of us.” He takes your hand in his and kisses it.

//

Harry had confirmed your double date with Rachel and Mariah. The four of you agreed on a trivia night at a local bar. You all meet there Friday night after work. It was a little weird for Harry to be hanging out with someone outside of work, but he got on with Mariah pretty well, so it wasn’t totally awkward.

You and Rachel told stories from college, and Mariah talked about getting into photography. Rachel explains why she wanted to be a high school art teacher.

“I just think kids that age lose a lot of the fun in their lives. Art is important at any age, but when they’re getting ready to go to college, I wanna help them destress with my classes.”

“That’s so cool.” Mariah says and Rachel blushes.

“Mariah, what was it like when you and Harry first met?” You were a tad tipsy.

“Oh god, I was terrified of him.” She laughs and his jaw drops. “But then when he shook my hand and I saw the bright pink color on his nails, I knew wasn’t so scary.” She giggles. “I’ll never forget, after the first two weeks, he comes over to me and he says, ‘I think you’re the only person here other than myself that isn’t a blithering idiot’.” Everyone at the table laughs at her impression of him. It was pretty good.

“I was right though.”

“Very true. God, it’s so annoying when someone else tries to set up a shot for you, isn’t it? Like hello, I have a vision.”

“Exactly! If it was as easy as just snappin’ away, anyone would do it.”

“So was everyone scared of Harry?” Rachel asks.

“I think they were mostly intimidated. Everyone talks to each other and gets together, but H always stuck to himself.”

“Not the type of people I wanted to be chummy with.” He has a disgusted look on his face, thinking of Mykenzie. “I quite like Isaac though, he’s been a good addition.”

“Love Isaac, he always gets us everything we need.”

“He’s always so nice when I come to visit.” You say.

“He’s got a huge crush on Harry.” Mariah giggles.

“Stop it.” Harry says groaning.

“You know he does.”

“Thought he just thought I was cute or somethin’. Didn’t think it was a crush.”

“Well, I’ve never asked him personally, so he could easily just be attracted to you. I’ve heard him talk about it with Julia and Dana.” The sound of Julia’s name makes you want to vomit.

“Jesus, Harry, does everyone at your work have a thing for you?” Rachel asks.

“Everyone except this one.” He winks and nods towards Mariah, making both girls giggle.

Trivia starts and you all pick a stupid team name. You and Rachel were best at coming up with answers. You both knew a lot about pop culture, and luckily there weren’t too many other categories.

“How the fuck did yeh know that?” Was something Harry said quite a bit, and you both just shrugged your shoulders.

“Which Kardashian married an NBA player after dating for thirty days?” The emcee asks.

“Oh that was Khloe.” You tell Rachel to write down. Harry’s jaw drops. “What?”

“You’re obsessed with reality television!”

“Not true! I used to watch Keeping Up when I was in college. It was night to have on in the background when I’d do homework. It’s not a show you have to pay attention to.”

“What was the name of season twenty Bachelor?”

“Ben Higgins.” You, Rachel, and Mariah all say at the same time.

“Jesus Christ.”

“You watch the Bachelor?” Rachel asks her.

“Never miss an episode. You watch?”

“Yeah, we should get together to watch some time.”

“I’d like that.” They smile at each other. You put your hand on Harry’s leg and give it a little squeeze.

“What did Leonardo DiCaprio text back to Jennifer Lopez after James Corden texted him from her phone back in 2016?”

“Who the fuck would know-“

“You mean tonight boo boo? Club wise?” You say as Rachel nods and writes it down. You look at Harry whose mouth was hanging wide open. “Do you not watch carpool karaoke ever?”

“Can’t say I do, love.”

“You’re missing out.” You giggle.

“Do you still have that picture of Leo with that quote over his like serious face and it’s in black and white?”

“I do! It’s in a drawer in my office. Makes me laugh when I look at it.”

You were quirky, and Harry rarely got to see these little things come out. He liked it, a lot. You were sort of nerdy in your own right and he thought it was insanely cute.

Your group came in third place, earning you each a coupon for a free app the next time you came to the bar. You all say goodnight, and confirm what time with Rachel you should be over tomorrow to get ready.

//

Your hair was up in messy bun and you had sweats on before you left for Sarah and Rachel’s. You bring your large overnight bag out to the front hall, and go up to the loft to say goodbye to Harry.

“Any plans tonight, baby?”

“Yeah, Niall’s comin’ over. Think we’re goin’ to play Madden.”

“Oh great!”

“That’s what you’re wearin’ for your big night out?”

“God no, I’m getting ready with them. Like old times. We pregame a little while doing each other’s hair and make up. We decide on outfits, all that girly stuff.”

“So I don’t even get to see what you’re wearin’ out before you go?” He pouts and puts his hands on your hips as you stand between his legs.

“’Fraid not.” You lean in and kiss his forehead. “I’ll send you a pic though.” You kiss him on the lips. “Have fun with Niall.”

“Have fun with the girls.”

He watches you descend down the stairs. He was very curious to know what you might be wearing. He hoped it wasn’t too sexy since he wouldn’t be there. The thought of a bunch people looking at you didn’t sit right with him, but it was out of his control. He also hated that you wouldn’t be coming back to him tonight. He wanted your drunk cuddles, they were the best.

You drive to Rachel and Sarah’s and hug Sarah and wish her a happy birthday. You all start drinking and get ready. You each take turns posting to your Instagram stories. Giggles and music in the background.

Niall comes over to see Harry, and they both get set up on the sofa.

“How was your date last night?” Harry asks.

“Made her cry tears of joy, finally gave her a key to my place.”

“Good for you mate!” Harry smiles at him. Niall checks his phone and looks at all three of your stories. “What in the fuck was that?”

“Our girls havin’ a grand ol’ time. Look.” Niall shows him Sarah’s story and sees you with your hair half done, curling iron in hand, making a kiss face as Rachel dances behind you. “Like they never stopped livin’ together.” He chuckles.

“Any idea where they’re goin’?”

“Pinz I think.”

//

“Okay, what am I wearing?” Sarah asks.

“We got you this sash that says ‘birthday bitch’ so you have to wear it.” Rachel giggles.

“Guess that means I should wear my red dress to match, huh?” She snatches it. “What did you bring, Y/N?”

“Oh, just my fav party outfit.” You grin. You take out a skin tight quarter sleeve, olive green, midi dress.

“Ohhh shiiiittt.” Rachel says. “She back in town.”

“For one night only.” You wink.

Sarah puts on a short sleeve red dress that flowed around her thighs. Rachel put on a black pencil skirt and white crop top. You all looked great. None of you wore a bra, purposefully, to just make out all of your piercings. You set up your phone to take a few pictures of the three of you. The three of you were feeling sexy, and you were ready to show Sarah a good time.

“Wait, I told Harry I’d send him a picture.”

“Better send one to Niall too.”

“Okay, line up you heteros.” Rachel says sarcastically. You both stick your tongue out at her.

“Y/N, push your boobs up, really put a show on for him.” She giggles.

“Okay, like this?” You push your boobs up and pout your lips.

“Model! Model vibes!” Sarah screams as she takes a shot of tequila.

“Okay, now turn around and look over your shoulder. Gotta show that booty.” You do as she says.

“He’s gonna kill me.” You laugh.

“Why?”

“Because not only am I not wearing a bra, but I don’t have any panties on either.”

“Well, duh, you can’t with that dress.” Sarah defends you. “Okay, my turn.”

You and Rachel snap pictures of the birthday girl. You both send the pictures to your boyfriends. You take some more silly pictures altogether.

“You know what’s crazy? This is my first birthday without Kate in years…”

“Are you upset we didn’t invite her?” Rachel asks.

“Not really.” She shrugs. “I haven’t really missed her to tell you the truth.”

“Me neither.” You admit. “I miss the old times, but I’ve been less stressed without her in my life.”

“Agreed.” Rachel says. “Uber’s here! Let’s hit it.”

//

Niall and Harry’s phones go off at the same time. They look at each other and pause their game.

“Jesus.” Harry’s eyes pop out of his head.

“Holy hell.” Niall says looking at the pictures Sarah sent him.

Harry zooms in on the pictures best he can. You looked incredible. He wanted to tear the dress right off you.

“Mate?” Harry says with his mouth hanging open.

“Yeah?”

“She’s not wearin’ any knickers…”

“Doesn’t look like Sarah’s got a bra on either.”

“Same with Y/N…why would they do that?” Harry looks at him panicked. “I mean, look, not even any knickers!” He shoves the phone his face, but Niall pushes it back.

“Do ya really want me lookin’ at her arse?”

“Right, no, I don’t. And I don’t want anyone else to either. Why would she do this t’me?” He whines.

“To remind ya how fuckin’ lucky ya are.” Niall gets up. “Come on, we better break into the liquor instead of just beer tonight.”

“Good idea.”

//

The three of you get to Pinz, and Sarah is given a free shot and drink of her choice as the bartender sees her sash and ID. You all head to the dance floor once you have your drinks. The music was good tonight, really good. You were all laughing and singing, adding more to your Instagram stories. Niall and Harry couldn’t help but keep refreshing their feeds to see what the three of you were up to.

“They’re havin’ a lot of fun…” Harry says.

“Fuck girl’s nights. We should be allowed to show up.” Niall slurs.

“Even to just roll up and have a shag in the bathroom quick, then I’d be good.”

“Exactly! S’not askin’ too much.” He sighs. “But we can’t. I was told specifically not to show up.”

“Bullshit is what it is.” Harry slurs. How much did they drink?

You go up to the bar to grab the next round of drinks. You bump into someone by accident and apologize.

“Oh, no worries…Y/N?”

“Matt?!” You cross your arms over your chest immediately.

“Hey!”

“Hi, um, how are you?”

“Good! It’s great to see you.”

“Yeah, you too. How are things with school?”

“Good, new semester. Miss working with you all.”

“We miss you too.” You walk up closer to the bar. You lower your hands and flip your hair slightly to get the bartender’s attention.

“Whatya have gorgeous?”

“Three vodka cranberries please.” You push your boobs closer together.

“Got a tab?”

“Nah.”

“Alright, that’ll be ten bucks.”

“But that’s only-“

“Know it’s your friend’s birthday over there.” He winks at you, and you put a ten dollar bill and a couple of singles down on the bar while he makes the drinks. Matt was in awe of you.

“Come here a lot?” You ask him.

“A little yeah. We came here for my birthday like you suggested, so we come out when we can. Guys! This is Y/N!” A few of his friends look at you and their faces flush, they wave hello and you wave back.

“Alright, here ya go.” You hear the bartender say.

“Thanks so much!” You say taking the drinks.

“Get off at two by the way.” You blush and smile at him. “Just a girl’s night, but thanks.” He nods in understanding.

“Well, it was good seeing you. Have fun!” Matt and the bartender watch you walk away.

Rachel and Sarah each take a drink from you. You notice a napkin stuck to yours.

“Oh god!”

“What?” They both ask.

“The bartender gave me his phone number! What should I do? Just throw it out right??”

“Toss it on the floor!” Rachel says. And you do just that. You didn’t want to risk Harry finding anything like that.

The three of you continue to dance and pop your asses to the songs the club was playing. It was a really great time. You each have another round of vodka cranberries, courtesy of Rachel. Harry hadn’t texted you more than a kissy face since you sent him the pictures. You take out your phone and send him a drunk text.

You: having fun w ni?

Harry smirks when he sees it.

Harry: mhm, having fun with the girlies?

You: so much fun!! Miss u

Harry: miss you too baby

You: ur a cutie

Harry had a dopey smile on his face and Niall starts laughing.

“Oi, what’s so fuckin’ funny?”

“You’re so gaga over her.” He shakes his head.

“S’not a bad thing.” He pouts.

“Not at all.”

The three of you laugh and sing and are actually quite annoying in the back of the uber on the way back to Rachel and Sarah’s. The three of you set up camp in the living room with air-mattresses, blankets and pillows. Sarah uses the bathroom first to wash her face and change. You sit down and your head feels heavy. You decide to FaceTime Harry, Rachel sits next to you to get in on it.

“Oh check it out, she’s FaceTimin’ me.” He says to Niall. The two had just started a movie. “Hello?”

“Hey!”

“Hi Harry!”

“Hi girls.”

“Where’s my girl?” Niall pouts.

“Birthday girl got first dibs on the bathroom.” You explain. “Whatcha up to?”

“We just started a movie, love.”

“Ohhhh, fun. We’re gonna do that too, just waiting to wash our faces.”

“How was the bar?”

“So much fun! We danced the whole time.”

“I’ll bet. Any guys try to give yeh their number?” He jokes. Your face and Rachel’s lose all color. You both look at each other and laugh nervously. “Wait, did a guy actually try to give you their number?”

“Um…just the bartender.” Harry’s eyebrows raise. “But I didn’t even realize it! He had put a napkin with our drinks and I noticed it. I threw it right on the ground!”

“Why did he give it to you though?”

“Y/N only paid ten buck for the drinks.” Sarah giggles, sitting down with them, only in a large t-shirt. “Oh, hi Niall!”

“Hey baby!”

“You only had to pay ten dollars for three drinks?”

“Mhm.” Your face grows red. Rachel starts giggling. “Stop, you’re not helping.”

“What did you do? Why’d he discount it?”

“He said he knew it was Sarah’s birthday.” You shrug. You burst out laughing. “And I may have pushed my boobs up.” The other two start laughing.

“Y/N, that’s not fu-“

“You know what, I really need to pee. You know how I am when I really need to pee, Harry. I love you, have a fun rest of your night!” You end the call and get up to use the bathroom.

Harry pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

“You cannot get mad at her, mate.”

“Why not?”

“Because she’s drunk, clearly. She doesn’t know what she’s sayin’.”

“She purposefully showed off to get a discounted drinks!”

“Like you’ve never done the same thing.”

“Not while I was datin’ someone…”

“Oh Harry.” Niall shakes his head. “Please don’t make this a big deal. If I was a woman that looked like her, like any of ‘em, I’d do the same thing. Relationship or not. Don’t spoil her fun.”

“M’not.” He sighs. “You wouldn’t be mad if Sarah told you somethin’ like that.”

“It’s her birthday, she can do whatever she wants.” He shrugs.

Niall and Harry pass out on the couch, and they both wake up around three in the morning. Niall leaves and goes back home across the street while Harry sleeps in his bed alone. He imagines how lonely it must’ve been for you while he was away. He sleeps in the middle of the bed so it doesn’t feel so large without you.

//

You and the girls stay up until nearly five in the morning. You watch old movies and reminisce on your days in school together. You all pass out snuggled up together like old times. Harry woke up around eleven and you still weren’t home. No texts or anything from you. He sighs, and gets up to make some coffee. Just as he’s walking out to the kitchen, only in his boxers, he here’s your footsteps. He stands leaning against the wall of the outside of the kitchen, arms crossed waiting for you to enter.

Your hair was up in a messy bun, your sweat pants were hanging low on your hips, your dress from last night was rolled up to look like a shirt, and you had your sunglasses on. You drop your bag once you get into the living area, and you jump when you see Harry.

“Christ.” You say, pulling your sunglasses up on the top of your head.

“Fun night?”

“Mhm.” He starts chuckling. “What?”

“What are you wearin’?”

“I woke up sweaty and didn’t wanna wear my shirt home, so I put this back on, and these are your sweatpants, so they’re baggy, and I know I look ridiculous okay?” You walk towards him and go into the kitchen. He follows you. “Need coffee.” You go over to the Keurig.

“Do you remember FaceTimin’ me last night?” He asks with his arms still crossed. Yes.

“Vaguely.” You press the button on the machine after putting your favorite mug underneath.

“Do yeh remember sending me those pictures at the beginning of the night?”

“Course I do.” You turn to look at him. “I looked like a fucking stunner.” He looks down and sees your pebbling nipples through the top of your dress. You cross your arms over yourself.

“So happy everyone got to see your nips last night.”

“No one saw anything. It was dark in the club.”

“You didn’t have any knickers on.”

“And how would you know that? Easily could’ve been wearing a thong.”

“Were you?”

“No.” He lets out an exasperated sigh. “You can’t wear underwear with this dress, it shows everything.”

“Why would you wear it then?”

“Because I felt like it.” The coffee finishes pouring. You go over to the fridge and grab your creamer, and pour a little in. You bring the mug to your lips and take a small sip. You sigh happily. Harry begins making his own coffee. “Did you and Niall have fun?”

“Yes.” He narrows his eyes at you.

“What?”

“Nothin’.” He takes a sip of his black coffee. “Yeh hungover?”

“No, stomach just feels gross. We drank vodka cranberries all night. Way too much sugar.”

“Need breakie?”

“No.” You giggle. “Thanks, we ate. We had some hash-browns and cheesy eggs, that’s why I’m just getting back now.” You finish up your coffee and put your mug in the sink. You yawn and stretch. “I feel like I need to sleep for like ten years.”

You leave the kitchen and start taking your clothes off as you make your way to the bedroom. You were desperate a shower. But Harry was more desperate for you. You feel him wrap his arms around you from behind. You had only taken your top off.

“You’re still not wearin’ knickers.” He says into your ear.

“Nope.” You press back against him, and you feel him growing hard.

“I missed you last night.” He whispers while nipping at your earlobe. You turn around and wrap your arms around his neck, pressing your bare chest to his.

“And I bet you missed more seeing me dressed like that?” Your nose brushes against his as he nods. “My poor baby.” You rest your chin on his shoulder as you hug him closer to you. “Let me take a shower, and then I promise I’ll love on you all day.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” You kiss him on the cheek and let go of him.

“I can’t shower with you?” He pouts.

“I need to, like, shave and stuff. Just ten minutes, get cozy and wait for me on the bed, okay?”

“Alright.” He sighs like you’ve denied him of the world, and gets on the bed.

You do your thing in the bathroom. You don’t need to wash your hair, so that saves a good chunk of time. Your stomach still feels like shit, but you know it’ll pass. You dry off completely and moisturize your freshly shaven legs. Usually you’re wrapped in a towel, have your robe on, or even have pj’s on after you shower. You and the girls were introduced to tik tok last night, and you kind of want to try the new challenge going around. You just hoped Harry kept his boxers on.

You grab your phone and start the video, showing the audience that you’ve dropped your towel. You open the bathroom door slowly. Harry had an arm behind his head, and the other hand was scrolling through his phone. You giggle as you open the door the rest of the way.

“Hey baby?” He looks over at you, furrowing his brows while he smiles.

“What are you doin’?” He reaches his hands out to you.

“Air drying.”

He gets up off the bed and walks towards you, picking you up, you stop your video and laugh hysterically. He puts you down on the bed, and wonders what’s so funny.

“Were you recordin’ me?”

“I won’t post it if you don’t want me to since you’re like naked.”

“Post it where?”

“Tik tok…”

“Jesus, how old are you?” He chuckles. “Dana and Julia are on that app all the time.”

“It’s actually a lot of fun. The girls and I all downloaded it last night. There’s this challenge going around for couples, so I thought I’d give it a try. Look, watch your face.” You play the video back for him and you both start laughing. “But I won’t post it if you don’t want me to.”

“S’fine, I don’t really care.” He shrugs.

You post the video and add all the hashtags, then put your phone on the night table. You turn over and rest your head on his chest. You drape your leg over his, and he pulls your thigh up closer. He rubs his hand back and forth.

“Ohh, nice and smooth.” He coos. “Not that I really care if you’re hairy.”

“So if I just stopped shaving my legs, you wouldn’t care?” You raise an eyebrow.

“You said it’s for your own comfort right? Do what yeh want. It doesn’t bother me, hair is natural.”

“How progressive of you.” You say facetiously. He looks down at you as he continues to stroke your leg.

Your hand goes up into his hair and he leans in to lightly kiss you. You kiss him back, and you both sink into it. Your mouth opens for him and his tongue slides in tasting you until your tongue meets his. You both let out soft moans. One of his hands is cupping the back of your head, the other leaves your thigh and moves up to your breast, kneading it.

You pull him on top of you, and you feel his hard cock press against your hip, as your kiss deepens even more. It wasn’t often the two of you just made out. You always really liked kissing, to have someone’s lips on yours. Harry had soft lips, always. He was good at pressing them hard against yours, always making yours puffy and swollen after. You loved the shade of his lips too, especially after kissing. They would become this raspberry color. It made you want to bite onto them even more.

Subconsciously that’s what you do. You bite his bottom lip and suck it into your mouth. He groans and grinds himself against your hip. You let go of his lip slowly, really making a show of it as you open your eyes to look up at him.

“Want you.” He says in a whisper.

“Take me.” You whisper back.

He groans again kissing you quick before tugging his boxers down his legs, and tossing them to the floor. He hovers back over you, and you put your hands on his shoulders. One of his hands reaches between your legs to make sure you’re wet. Of course you are. It doesn’t take much with him. He smirks as you spread apart for him. He lines himself up and he slowly pushes inside. You both moan at the initial contact.

Once he’s all the way in, he stays there for a moment, just savoring how your velvety walls feel around him. You tighten out of instinct, and loosen up letting him know he can move. He slowly starts to rock his hips against yours. Your head falls back against the pillow.

“Y’like that?”

“Yes.” You say with your eyes rolling back into your head.

He keeps up the same motion, just rocking in and out of you, his tip hitting your g-spot already. He picks up the pace only a little to give himself some of the friction he’s been craving, but he slows it back down for you because he knows that’s how you like it. One of his hands drops back down to rub slow, but purposeful circles on your clit.

“Ngh, Harry.” You moan softly.

One of your hands moves from his shoulder to the grasp at the hair on the nape of neck. He drops his head to the crook of your neck, kissing you softly. Your breathing was getting heavier. He could feel you starting to tighten against him in preparation for your orgasm.

“Gonna come f’me, angel?” You moan at his words, your eyes fluttering closed. “Go on, I know you can do it. Come all around my cock.” He nips at your neck, and your heels dig into the backs of his thighs.

You let out a large moan of his name, tears pricking at your eyes, and he feels you pulsate around him. He fucks you through it, not letting up on your g-spot or clit. You come really hard, and the sound in the room fills with squelching and skin slapping against skin.

“Gimme another one, come on, let’s see how many we can go for.” Your eyes pop open. You realize he still hadn’t let up on you. You start panting again.

“Harry.” You groan. It was too much. You were so sensitive.

“Don’t hold back baby, just relax. Don’t fight it.”

“Shit, shit, shit.” The way he was talking to you was sending you to another dimension. You release around him again and he groans against you, loving the way it feels.

He leans up a bit and looks down at you with a wicked grin.

“What?” You say trying to catch your breath.

“Can I hit it from the side, love?” Your eyes grow dark with lust and you nod.

He helps you turn your body with him still inside you. One of your legs going up over his shoulders, and the other staying between his own legs. He rocks into you and your back arches immediately.

“Feel good?” He smirks.

“So good.” You clutch at the blankets as he continues to rock in and out of you. “Fuck, Harry.” You grit your teeth. You reach down to rub your swollen clit.

“Jesus.” He moans watching you touch yourself.

“Harry, I…I want you back on top of me, wanna feel your weight on me, please.”

“Anything you want, angel.”

He pulls out of you only for a moment to let you adjust. Both of his eyebrows raise as he watches you flip onto your stomach. You look back at him over your shoulder.

“Go on, I’m okay. Want it this way. Just get fully on top of me. You’ve done it before.”

“Okay…but…if-“

“I promise I’ll tell if you if I’m scared.” You wiggle your butt back at him to let you know you’re getting impatient.

He uses his thumbs to spread you apart, and he lines himself up to enter you again. You feel his chest flush to your back, and he rocks into you slowly. You raise your hips slightly to slip your hand underneath yourself to rub your clit. Harry grabs your other hand with his, and you intertwine. That’s that good shit, you think to yourself. Your hands rest together by your head.

He’s getting in so deep this way, and the way he’s squeezing one of your hips just feels so good. You rub yourself a little faster, and you feel another orgasm coming on. He can feel it coming too.

“That’s it baby, come f’me again.” That was all he needed to say to make your release come. “You feel so fuckin’ good.” You pulse and vibrate around his cock. You wonder how much longer he’ll last.

You both have a pretty decent rhythm going. You push yourself back against him, and his hand moves from your hip to your ass. You squeeze tighter on the hand that’s intertwined with yours. He kisses on the back of your neck and shoulders. You arch up into him.

“I love you, Harry.” You groan.

“I love you too, so fuckin’ much. Wanna be able to look at yeh, can we do that?”

“Yes.”

He pulls out so you can flip back over. You grab back at his hand so you can continue to hold onto it. He knows you really like this. His other hand slides up your torso, feeling every inch of your smooth skin. His hand rest gently on your throat, he doesn’t even tighten around you, he just wants it there. You wrap your legs around his waist and pull him closer to you. He thrusts in deep and stay there so you can grind against him.

“Harry.” You moan. You were overly sensitive at this point, but he was so rock hard inside you, it felt amazing.

“C’mon baby, show me how you do it.”

You nails from your free hand dig into his bicep as your fourth release comes out in waves.

“Shit! Fuck!” You scream. You were completely drenched in sweat now. You felt like you were going to need another shower. “Harry, please.”

“Not done with yeh yet, my love.” You look up at him. What the hell was he trying to do to you? He kisses you hard as he moves his hips in circles.

“Mother of fuck!” You gasp.

“Yeah, you like it when I do that, huh?” You nod your head yes as he continues you stretching you out like this.

You’re down for the count when you feel your legs start to shake again and your back arches fully off the bed. He smirks watching your body writhe underneath him.

“Harry.” You breathe. “It’s too much.”

“Want me to come now?”

“Yes, please. Fill me up.”

He grins at you and squeezes tightly on your hand as he thrusts in and out of you. It doesn’t take much for him to come. The warmth from it all feels incredible. He pulls out once he’s done, and collapses next to you. Your mouth hangs open as you look at him. Your legs felt like jello. It was some intense love making to say the least.

“What was that all about?” You say, reaching for him. He lays his head on your chest.

“Just something maybe you’ll keep in the back of your head next time you flirt with some bartender to get free drinks.” He looks up at you with a smirk, and your jaw drops farther.

Oh he was good, really good. He was telling the truth when he said he missed you. But he didn’t want to make you come over and over just because you both were in a lovey mood. No, he wanted to teach you a lesson. To remind you he was always there, no matter what. That he was the only one worth giving the time of day to. That he was the only one that was ever going to make you feel this way. Well played Mr. Styles, well played.

[peeterparkr]

delayed ➵ tom holland.

pairing: tom holland x reader

word count: 6.7k

warnings: christmas, fluff, elton john, george michael

summary: the four times you saw him at an airport, the three times your flight was delayed, the two times you shared coffee and the one time you gave him your heart. 

Once bitten and twice shy I keep my distance But you still catch my eye Tell me, baby Do you recognize me? Well, it's been a year It doesn't surprise me

You were coming home for Christmas. It would be fair to point it out now, you didn't want to go home for Christmas. Home wasn't… Home anymore. Because you would have to fake a smile, and pretend that you wanted to be there, and you didn't. You didn't want to go because it meant dealing with people who you did not want to deal with. Family. Exes Ex friends. Questions you didn't want to answer about your job, about your new position and how, although it was going well, it wasn't enough, questions from your aunts, gossiping fans, who loved to know what had happened concerning ex-boyfriends who had been horrible enough to break your heart. And questions about last Christmas. And why you hadn’t showed up. 

You would invent stories of how you were doing well and tell anecdotes that had never happened simply to please your aunts. Maybe this year you wouldn’t have to.  

Questions of why you never brought anyone at Christmas. You were about to take someone the previous year, fair to highlight. Well, that was a very promising statement. When in fact ... it didn't say much. 

But, you know, around Christmas time, people say, problems are forgotten. You did believe that, at least for a day, your mother and father wouldn't fight and your brother and sister would be nice to you. Maybe you could be decent, too. You knew that in spite of everything, when Christmas Eve arrived, all problems would disappear and pretend to be a happy family. You remembered how it had gone last year. And the past one, too. A family dinner which had you all singing. It was good. But there was always something missing. 

Maybe you needed a miracle. 

If it were for you, you'd stay in New York, the city always had a ring to what you loved, always something happening. Honking cars, people asking for money, and a Santa Claus in every corner. You had spent the previous night at the Rockefeller centre, you had seen the tree and you were not sure if your imagination had played you a game or if you had actually seen him there too. 

It's the job of the trade, seeing him everywhere. You had a vivid imagination. But, you also had the worst (best?) Luck in the world. 

But, you wanted to stay in New York, so you wouldn't have to run into your ex-boyfriend who would now spend Christmas with your family, he was now married to your cousin. It's complicated, isn't it? Your stomach hurt just thinking about it. 

In addition, New York had its charm. If it sounded crazy, it probably happened in New York. Even now that you were at the airport. You wanted to stay in New York. Last Christmas you had, and it had been perfect. 

You were still thinking about the Rockefeller centre. The lights and everything you like, you wanted to have something fantastic. Unusual. You liked to visit it. You didn't want it to be the same Christmas as usual, maybe you needed someone, or maybe not. 

You were in the airport waiting room and you didn't believe your eyes, he was there again. Like the previous and last year, and the one before that. That had you on the edge of your feet. But you liked to think that there was a sort of connection. 

There was some hope you'd find him again this year. It had all been a coincidence but, you were sure you were going to find him. It was stupid, really, to think you were going to see him. But last time, just like you were right now, you were also in New York waiting for your flight to London. 

And you had seen him again, with a cap and his earphones, scrolling through his phone. With a big coat and a hoodie. Your stomach jolted. 

It seemed that this had become a tradition, you supposed. Seeing him there, also going back home. He looked at you and you didn't know if he had recognized you, you didn't blame him if he didn't. It was the fourth time you had met at that airport. Of course, the previous year had been something very different. 

Circa Christmas, 2016 

Since the first time you had seen him, you had fallen in love with him, like a fool. Brown hair, a little curled and skin as pale as the New York snow you loved, extremely handsome. The first time you had talked a little, about how you were afraid of an approaching storm. 

However, this Christmas, you really needed to see your family. You had lost your job, and you were not at your best. It seemed that you had the worst luck in the world, because you felt that all your dreams had collapsed. You were a mess. You always had been. 

Adding to your bad luck, your flight had been delayed by three hours, not a big deal. You had run into him at the nearest Starbucks. You could not believe how nervous you were. But of course, you had fallen in love with a stranger and his gaze had stuck in your mind. 

"'Tis great, huh?" He had commented to you while you were in line. “We're here for another 3 hours.”

You had only smiled. “One can never have too many expensive airport coffees.” 

He grinned. "Yeah. You're… Going to London, too? For Christmas? ” 

“ Yeah, ”you had answered. “Well, not London, but yeah. I'm going to take a train after we arrive. ” 

He grinned as he rubbed his hands together. “Can't wait to see my family.” 

“That makes only one of us,” you had chuckled. 

He watched you with curiosity. “You don't like your family?” 

“I do…” You squeezed your eyes shut. “I do, I just… I can wait.” You chuckled. “I just need a little more time to get prepared to see 'em. I just need a little calm before I come home. ” 

“Calm? ”He asked. “And you're calmed in New York?”

“Even with all the city noise, trust me, New York is quieter than my family around Christmas,” you explained. “And I always want three minutes to drink a mean cup of tea and just… quiet, you know? but no, all the children are yelling, I need to help in the kitchen, and-- You know. Everyone is singing out of tune carols and… Well, that's kind of it. ”  

“So this is perfect for you, ”he chuckled as he glanced at the Starbucks. “A… cup of coffee with Christmas carols.” 

“Yeah, not the tea I'd love to have but sure,” you chuckled. “It counts, I guess.” 

He smiled. “I'm Tom, by the way.” 

“Y / N.” 

And both of you had ordered your coffee and drifted apart. But since you were bored, your imagination had gone crazy. It became a habit of yours, imagining your life with strangers. And there was something about him that was very particular to notice. Maybe it was the way he licked his lips or how he would rub his hands together. 

His smile, yes, that was very interesting. And maybe he had noticed your staring, while your mind wandered on how you could take him home for Christmas and maybe that year you would've. 

“So, how was your coffee?” Tom asked as he made his way over. 

You shook your head back into reality. “Hm?” 

“Was it as good as your ideal cup of tea?” He asked with a grin. 

“Uh, well, you know, the Toffee Nut is always a hug to the heart,” you laughed.

And he had tried to make some more conversation, small talk. Strangers. But it had continued and you had ended up talking about your favorite christmas songs and movies. Both of you couldn't stress enough your love for Home Alone and your love for Last Christmas. 

"Everything involving George Michael is good," you had said. 

"Can't disagree," Tom chuckled. 

“I'd say it's my favorite, yes,” you grinned. 

“Though, there's this one classic song,” he hinted with a smirk. "We can't forget it." 

You raised your eyebrows. "Which one?" 

He laughed. “C'mon! The ultimate christmas song? ”He pushed. 

You shook your head. 

"Don't ... don't make me sing it," he said, embarrassed. 

You laughed “You… don't have to? Just tell me the name? ”You giggled.

“No, but I have to sing it.” He closed his eyes. “I can't believe I'm gonna sing to a stranger.” He laughed before singing the familiar notes of this one very popular Christmas song, if not the most popular one. 

You threw your head back laughing. “All I want for Christmas! How could I forget? ” 

“ It's a classic! ”He pushed. 

“And I bet Mariah is jealous of your voice,” you teased. 

And the conversation had revolved around that, about Christmas and how he was a fan of the Holiday and how you simply had your head elsewhere. You discussed Christmas and your jobs and how you both wished more to the Holiday. You said it was not the same, it seemed that the magic of Christmas,that you had back in your childhood had vanished, that it was now more important to outshine everyone else, to know who threw the biggest party or who was best dressed, and the many people who were in your house always trying to pretend their life was more perfect.

He said the same thing, but vice versa, that now, although he loved to spend Christmas alone with his parents and siblings, he felt he had become smaller. He wanted noise and wanted emotions. 

It seemed ironic, you wanted a silence and he looked for the hustle and bustle. 

“I guess it doesn't feel… real, you know?” You had said. “I mean, I guess they've hidden themselves in the whole glamor that Christmas is.” 

“Really?” 

“I mean, the days before Christmas that's where everyone is crazy you know? They show their real selves. ”

Tom nodded. “Oh yeah, and then Christmas Day arrives and they all turn happy?” 

You nodded. 

"That's not a bad thing," he said. “I mean. They turn nice, don't they? ” 

“ Well, yeah, ”you chuckled. "I haven't seen it that way." 

Tom smiled. 

“But it's hard, don't you get all those questions?” You wondered. “You know, the whole, 'what are you doing with your life?' Kinda questions. ” 

“ Ah, yes, and the whole 'where's the girlfriend?' 'When will you finally settle down, Thomas?' ”He laughed. “So annoying.” 

“At least there's only a few people in your family, I have to go through that for hours, with all my family.” 

He laughed. “Well, that sounds like fun.” 

“It is, just not for me,” you laughed. 

He grinned, "maybe get a fake boyfriend next year." 

"No because then — then they're going to ask about marriage," you explained. 

"Get a fake husband," He suggested. 

"No—"

"Because then they'd ask about children,” he finished your sentence  “Get a fake child—"

"Fake child?" You laughed.

“No, wait...then they'd ask for the second fake child.” 

Then you both started to talk about the silly routines both your families went through the Christmas Day. 

“And god, no, my mother, she likes to-- They,” you smiled. “They always organize this talent show, that comes before charades,” you giggled. 

“Charades is a fun game!” 

“Oh, don't get me started on charades,” you laughed. “But well, they do this talent show, and my mum, she believes… Well, she believes she's a good singer.” 

“Does she sound worse than me trying to be like Mariah?” 

“Your performance is Grammy worthy compared to her singing , ”You explained, making him throw his head back. 

"Your family sounds fun," Tom grinned. “Meanwhile we only have dinner and talk.” 

“That's decent,” you sighed. “Because all the magic of Christmas ends for me the moment someone tries to outshine the other. Everyone wants to shine, you know? And I think that not everybody has to shine every time. ”

“ And do you?

"What?" 

"Shine every time?" 

You laughed. “I haven't shined in a while.” 

“Why not?” He nudged you. 

“Life sucks,” you shrugged.

He stayed quiet but then an idea popped to his mind. "Let me tell you a secret," he grinned. “Be good to yourself cause nobody else has the power to make you happy.” 

You chuckled closing your eyes. “Isn't that a song by George Michael?” 

Tom smiled, embarrassed. “I was hoping you wouldn't catch it.” 

“I know all the songs by George Michael,” you stated. "And Elton John, now that we're into it." 

Tom started humming. You grinned, knowingly as he hummed to the Bennie and the Jets intro. You hummed along. 

You looked at each other, “hey kids, shake it loose together!” 

He laughed as both of you whispered the song, in a high pitched way, between laughs and giggles. 

"B-b-b-Bennie and the Jets," he sang. 

“I love that part you know? B-b-b-b-b-b- “

“ I love the high note on magazine! ”He said as he tried and failed to reach the note, making you throw your head back laughing. 

“Bennieee And the Jeeeeeets,” you san on an even higher pitch.It was his turn to laugh. 

"Bennie!" Tom yelled again. 

“Bennie!” 

People were staring at you, and you both giggled to yourselves. 

"I never thought a delayed flight would be this fun," he grinned. 

That got you thinking.

They were called to board, and everyone left by their side. By the end of the flight, you had embraced and wished the other a merry Christmas 

And maybe you were being dumb, but having been accompanied at the airport had helped a lot to see that Christmas on a different way. You had given each other your phones and sent a message from time to time. 

Around Christmas, 2017. 

You had arrived in advance at the airport. Little desire for anything. Your heart had been broken and you really didn’t want to arrive that Christmas to answer questions about why a chair would be empty. You were hoping to see him a third time at the airport. But, it was impossible. 

Besides, it would be stupid to call him and ask him, or send him a message, and what would you even say? What? That you expected to see him again? That you were that stranger with whom he had shared a cup of coffee and talked about Christmas carols? It was stupid. You would not call him. 

But big was your surprise, a very pleasant one when you had seen him arrive. He looked good, nice hairstyle. His coat was expensive, you supposed. He sure smelled good, you thought. But you had seen him arrive, with a girl’s hand around his elbow. There your pleasant surprise was over. She was beautiful. Much prettier than you. 

Probably because her makeup was not run like yours, and she hadn't been crying for days. Her boots were new and not scratched like yours. While you suffered the flu, she looked splendid. Her curly hair was perfect, while yours was tangled. 

She was someone perfect for him. Sure that's probably why he was taking her home for Christmas. He gave you a smile. 

Well, your heart was broken a second time, you didn't know why. It didn't have to happen. However that stranger had been on your mind. And of course, you were the fool who had become obsessed with Tom. 

You didn't even know his last name. 

“Y/N! Nice to see you again,”he greeted you. And he had said his girlfriend's name, but you had kindly ignored it. “Are you ready to see your family this time?” 

And you weren't, but you weren't going to tell him that in front of a stranger. As if he wasn't a stranger himself. 

“Oh, Tom, right?” You faked ignorance as if his name hadn't been stuck on your mind all year long. “Hello, yes, yes, all ready. What about you? ”

“This is y/n, ”he introduced you to his girlfriend. “We met last year, in this airport, we were stuck. And yeah,”he turned back you.

And you had really hoped you weren't stranded on an airport with them. Not with miss perfection. 

Besides what were your hoping for, actually? To see him again and invite him over for Christmas? It was a very stupid wish. 

But you had imagined it, how it would go. Of course, had he not come with a girlfriend, it would've been very disastrous still. Your smudged mask was not exactly inviting. But it did make sense, in a way you had connected with him. 

Besides, this was the third time seeing him. It had to mean something. Fate. Destiny. Call it what you want, but him and you were meant to find each other. 

But he was hugging his girlfriend and you had to look away. Maybe it bothered you more because you had just gone through a breakup. 

They announced that your flight was, yet again, delayed. Only for two hours this time. 

His girlfriend had fallen asleep against his arm so quickly. You guessed he was a good pillow.

"Hey," he called for you. "Are you alright?" 

You had looked up. “Yeah, yeah, perfect.” 

“Last Christmas you seemed more cheerful,” Tom pointed out. 

"I'm just going through this terrible cold," you lied. “Didn't let me sleep last night,” which was half true. 

"How were the charades?"He teased. "Last Christmas?" 

You chuckled. "As terrible as they could go," you smiled. “The talent show was good, however.” 

“I'm glad, did you participate?” Tom asked. 

“I was inspired by you, actually, I sang all I want for Christmas,” you told him, causing him to laugh softly. "How was your dinner?" 

"Quiet," he shrugged. “Hope this year it isn't.”  He watched you. “Are you sure you're okay?” 

“Let's say it's not my year to shine yet again,” you shrugged. 

"Let me tell you a secret," he whispered. “Put it in your heart and keep it.”

You closed your eyes with a smile, remembering last year he had quoted the exact same song. 

“Something that I want you to know, do something for me, listen to my simple story,” he continued, a little higher this time, now singing it. "And maybe we'll have something to show, you tell me you're cold on the inside," he giggled. “How can the outside world,” he watched you, expecting you to sing with him but you just simply dedicated him a snicker. “Be a place that your heart can embrace, be good to yourself…” And he stayed quiet, waiting. 

“'Cause nobody else, has the power to make you happy,” you finally ended the song. 

Tom just smiled, a genuine smile. And then you had imagined how it would've been different, with you laying on top of him instead, and you bringing him home for Christmas. It would be good. 

But it only remained on your dreams. And for a strange reason, you felt like you were falling in love with him only by picturing it in your head. The good old way. 

But his arm was around his girlfriend, and he didn't hug you a merry Christmas this time. You had texted him a Merry Christmas, he never texted you back. 

And you had been the whole next year looking out for him in children and old men, trying to see if life was kind enough to you so you could meet him again. There were a few times that you thought you had seen him, but in the big crowds of New York, it probably wasn't, so you ignored it. 

Around Christmas, 2018

You were looking around at the airport, you had brought your own blanket and you were reading a book, but your head was going back to the Rockefeller centre. 

You didn't know why exactly you knew he was coming. But you had looked up at him when he had arrived. You didn't want to relive the fact he had broken your heart by not answering your text. It had hurt. 

He didn't have a girlfriend by his arm this time. And you didn't know if it would be decent to talk to him. Considering, of course, that you were probably still in love with him. You didn't think he recognized you. It's been a year, it wouldn't surprise you. 

But he had, and he had sat right beside you. "Hello, y/n." 

"Hey," you looked up. 

“It's funny, don't you think?” Tom chuckled. “How we keep bumping into each other.” 

You smiled. "Yeah," you laughed. “Funny.” 

“How are you? It's been yet another year, ”he laughed. “Are we making this a thing? Seeing each other at the airport?” 

“ I'm good, ”you smiled. “And, well seems like we should.” 

“It's the third time,” he chuckled. 

“Third, already?” You asked. 

"Yeah," Tom grinned. “Or maybe more, I dunno, I mean, we've talked only those two times but I remember seeing you before.” 

You smiled. “Ah, maybe, maybe!” You pretended to not know about it. “Well, someone out there really wanted us to meet.” 

He chuckled. "Seems like it," he grinned. 

“Are you ready for Christmas?” You were the one to ask this time. 

Tom shrugged. "Not sure," He admitted. “Feel like I need more time to myself this time, I don't want to go home this time.” 

You sighed. “I get that.” 

“I… I've got to ask,” Tom cleared his throat. “I think I saw you yesterday, ” he pointed out, with a smile. “I didn't… I didn't say hello or anything because well,” he cleared his throat. “Thought you wouldn't recognize me out of an airport.” 

You smiled. “Where did you see me?” 

“Rockefeller tree,” he said. “I think it was you, and if it wasn't then… Gosh, it wouldn't be the first time I thought I saw you and it wasn't you.” 

Your heart stopped as you heard him say those words. So maybe he had been thinking about you, too. But that didn't stop the fact that he had never texted you back Last Christmas and broken your heart. 

“I was there! It probably was me, ”you smiled. 

Tom blushed and chuckled. "Should've said hello," he grinned. “But to be fair, you were also kind of having a moment.” 

And you had been, you had just stared at the tree by yourself, asking for a Christmas miracle. You weren't sure why, but you needed to get out of the routine. Something fantastic. 

"I ..." You closed your eyes, repressing a laugh, "This might sound stupid, but I wished for a miracle." 

"There's a fair share of those around Christmas," he grinned. 

You smiled. "Yeah, but with my luck?" You laughed. “I just wish I could stay in New York.” 

Tom chuckled, knowingly. "Yeah, yeah," he laughed. “It's weird, isn't it? We both have the power to decide and stay here, yet we're both here, going back home. ” 

He was right. 

There was a snowstorm approaching, but according to the weather channel, it wouldn't hit until the next day. You were safe 

But if you looked out the window, you saw how you were definitely not safe from it, it was snowing, not as bad. But it did give a nice white shot. Making you cold only from looking at it. 

“I feel like all the weather channels are wrong,” he pointed out. 

"Let's hope they're not, we would be stuck here yet again for another year." But you were secretly hoping you would. Strange things your heart wished. “Where's your girlfriend?” You asked, and it hadn't come out as poisonous as you had expected it would. 

He laughed with pity and rubbed his face. “She dumped me the day after Christmas.” 

You brought your hands to your face, in shock. “You're kidding.” 

“I wish I was,” He faked a laughed. “Apparently she only wanted someone to pay her a trip to London, and guess she didn’t like it as much, so she...dumped me.” 

"Oh god, that is awful," you couldn't believe it. “Oh but… The silver linings, right? Now you can sing Last Christmas. ” 

I smiled. "Yeah, yeah, I guess," he shook his head. “Then I need to find someone special.” 

You hummed the song. It was weird. Because soy were both like old friends, when in fact you were both strangers to the other. But it didn't feel like it, it felt like an old song that you had listened once in your childhood. It felt like he had been there your whole life. 

“What about you? No fake boyfriend yet? ”Tom asked. 

"Haha," you rolled your eyes. "No," you chuckled. “Well, actually, last Christmas I was going to bring one… a real one,” you said, “not a fake one.”

“And what happened?” 

“Broke up with me the day we were going to go to London, that's why last year I looked like a mess. ” 

“ Hey, hey, ”he grinned,“ not fair, you always look like a mess. ”

You nudged him. "Excuse me!" You laughed. “But hey, I think it's not as bad as what she did.”

“Yeah, I won!” Tom grinned. 

"Except you didn't," you chuckled. “He's engaged to my cousin.” 

“No!” His eyes widened. 

“Yes, and she's bringing him for Christmas!” You laughed. "I don't even want to know how they met," you laughed. “But oh well.” 

“Now I get why you don't wanna go home for Christmas,” he commented. 

“Yeah, I have to deal with the whole ‘are you still single?’ question while watching my cousin kiss my ex-boyfriend.” 

“Well, then don’t go home,” he laughed. 

“It's not that I don't want to, I just… want an adventure, you know?” You laughed. 

“And you think you'll get one? In an airport? ”He laughed. 

You shrugged. “You never know.” 

The snow was getting worse. An both of you just stared at the other. As if it had been orchestrated, the familiar voice that you had heard the past three years called. 

“This is an announcement for passengers on flight 1224 to London. The flight has been delayed due to bad weather conditions. The flight crew has arrived at the gate, but the ground crew is still de-icing the wings of the aircraft. Due to the upcoming storm, we might stay here for a couple more hours. We apologize for the inconveniences-- ” 

Both of you couldn't help but laugh. 

"I should've seen that coming," Tom chuckled. “It seems like we are getting a pattern here, maybe you bring me bad luck.” 

“Me? That never happens to me! I travel all the time! And only when I see you shit like this happens! ”You complained. 

He laughed “Let's go get coffee.”

And it was like two years before, the two of you drinking your coffee, telling stories about the year and complaining about the weather. But it was so simple, it became so simple. How they were yet stranded on an airport. 

“J.F.K. airport is cursed,” Tom laughed. 

“Can you imagine if we had to stay and live here?” You chuckled. 

“Oh, yes, yes, like that movie with Tom Hanks,” he grinned. “Yes, and then we’d have to live out of crackers and ketchup,” he laughed. 

You grinned. “Gosh, such a great movie!” 

He smiled. “I actually watch that movie on the Holidays, funnily enough.” 

“To remind yourself that your flight might be delayed?” You teased. 

He laughed. “Probably, yeah.” 

You looked out the window. “We’re not getting out of here, not tonight,” you laughed. “We might as well go home.” 

He looked out. “You think? I’ve got some… hope. And I don’t want to go back to my apartment, just in case.”

You shrugged. “Right. But what can we do? I mean… We will be bored to death,” you sighed. “We... I’m sorry, I am using we, you’re free to do whatever you want.” 

“No, but let’s do something, together.” He grinned. 

“Like what?” You chuckled. 

He shrugged. “Dunno, there’s plenty of stuff to do here, you know?” 

You laughed. “I doubt it.” 

“No, no,” he smirked. “Let’s… C’mon.” 

You chuckled and you followed him, you walked around through some shops and played in some of them. It was very silly. You made fun of all the airport clichés, like buying a Toblerone, and remembering the giant one in Friends. You continued to explore the shops, very silly. You started to mimic the voices at the airports, sillying around. You took a cart for luggage and he pushed you around the airport as both of you laughed. 

You then sat on the floor and sat close to each other, your blanket covering both. And you kept walking, through the shops, through the food courts, and then through the other gates, watching how everyone else was waiting for their flights that probably would not take off until tomorrow. 

You were staring at tourists with their ‘I heart NY’ hoodies and their plushed Statues of Liberty with very poor taste. And you were falling for him, with his jokes and his laugh. The way he bit his lip when he was thinking, and the way it made you want to know how those lips tasted. 

“I love these,” he said as he hopped into one of the moving walkways. You followed after him. “These are fun.” 

“The walkways?” You chuckled. 

“Yes, don’t you love them?” He asked. 

“Hmm, I guess I do,” you said before sitting down. 

He chuckled sitting beside you. “You just made these way more fun.” 

“Ugh, don’t you think it’s annoying?” 

“What?” 

“How neither of us want to go back home, but we are both going just to impress our families and prove them wrong?” You asked. “But I know they’ll be disappointed.” 

“Yeah,” he laughed. “No matter what I’ll do. They’ll be disappointed.” 

You sighed. “And I don’t want to see the build-up to it, because they always have hope, but I think that they’re just waiting for me to…” 

“To let them down,” he grinned. “Huh, yeah.” 

“I think the whole idea of the holidays just… Scares me, you know? Because they want to see a version of me that… doesn’t exist anymore.” 

He shrugged. 

“Aren’t you scared?” 

“Of not being who they thought I was?” Tom bit his lip. “Maybe.” 

You smiled staring into his eyes. But the moment was quickly erased as a family was going through the same walkway. You had to stand up as they ran past you. You chuckled. 

He looked around to see everyone. 

“What are their stories?” He wondered. 

You followed his gaze. “Probably the same as ours.” 

He grinned as he took out his earphones. “Hmm, want to listen to music?” He asked as he placed the eraphone on you. You chuckled as he started playing the song you thought he’d play. “Heal the Pain.’ George Michael.

You didn’t know how or why but as the song played you were getting closer and closer to the other. Maybe it was because you were cold. But it felt like magic. 

You got to the end of the walkway and took the earphones off, the song was in the early beginning. 

You blushed. “Well, we’ve run out of things to do at this airport.” You said, hopping to the walkway that would take you back. 

“No, we haven’t,” he laughed. “Okay, okay, wait,” he said as he ran off, you watched him with confusion as he walked to the sideways walkway, and now you were both getting dragged to each other. You rolled your eyes, laughing. 

“What are you doing?” You asked him. 

“Wait, do I know you?” He asked you as he walked backwards, trying to catch up with you. You laughed as you did the same, to stay in the same place he was. 

“I don’t know, do you?” You grinned.

He laughed. “I think I do,” he continued. “Or maybe I don’t, I’d never forget a smile like that.” 

You blushed, rolling your eyes. “You’re silly.” 

“I am,” he laughed. “I’m just going along with it, you know?” 

“What?” 

“C’mon, don’t you feel it?” He pushed, laughing. “I feel like I was meant to find you.” 

You grinned. “A christmas miracle.” 

He laughed. “Yeah, maybe, maybe.” 

“Well, but this is only an airport story,” you smiled as you stopped walking as it soon would drag you to the end of the walkway. 

And both of you thought of the same thing, because both of you changed walkways, and now, played another game, it seemed. Like charades of sorts, just making faces and not making any sounds, except for your laughs. His laugh, such an adorable sound. 

But then you stopped walking, and he ran, trying to catch up with you and he ran faster so he’d be there with open arms as soon as you’d get off the walkway. You chuckled as you jumped into his arms. And you wanted to pinch yourself because maybe this was another one of your stories, only coming from your mind. 

And he hugged you tightly, and you made sure it wasn’t a dream. He laughed as he let you go. 

“I just hope we get to meet each other again,  and then next year we will remember it and tell it like, hey, remember last christmas? When we fell in love for a few minutes?” He said, as he continued to walk along. 

You stopped, watching him leave. You felt your heart jolt but followed after. You chuckled. “Sounds like the perfect Christmas redemption arc.” 

“It does, doesn’t it.” 

And you wondered how he could continue walking after saying that. You went back to your gate and asked about your flight, it was delayed for even more hours. So you sat down, as hope was slowly going away. 

He sat down beside you. “I feel like until I do this,” he said carefully. “Our flight will continue to be delayed.” 

“Do what?” You grinned. 

“I need to ask you out,” he declared.

You closed your eyes, snickering. “You’re joking, right?” 

“Think about it,y/n, we’ve been stuck before on an airport, and we’ve had chances to talk to each other and… Last Christmas, one would’ve thought that because I brought someone it wouldn’t be delayed, yet it was, I feel like it’s some sort of destiny calling us.” 

“So you want to ask me out relying on the fact that you should because of the circumstances?” You asked, incredulous. 

“And relying on the fact that since I’ve first met you, I couldn’t seem to get you out of my mind.” 

You blushed as a smile appeared on your face. “Fine then, but only because I really like you.” 

And it was his turn to blush.

You didn’t have many options at the airport. So you went to a bar. And it didn’t seem like a first date, it seemed like a couple who’d been dating for years was travelling together for Christmas,. Because it just… made sense. You had chemistry, nobody could deny that. Besides, everyone at the airport was stuck like you. But everyone was bored. 

Tom smirked. “Everyone looks so bored.” 

“Well, we’re stuck in an airport,” you laughed. “It can’t be as fun.” 

“I’d like to disagree…” He licked his lips and rubbed his hands. “Let’s show them some fun, kay?” 

You blinked and watched as he asked the bartender something. As soon as he walked back, you heard the notes. Bennie and the Jets. 

You closed your eyes. “Oh my god,” you remembered. And he took you by the hand. 

And you started singing the song, so out of tune, and so not remembering the words. He sang out loud and yelled while you were both trying to hit the high notes. Maybe it was the Christmas miracle, or maybe it was the fact everyone was bored, or maybe the fact that around Christmas all the problems seem to be gone, but people started singing along with you. 

And suddenly you were singing at a bar at an airport, with someone you’ve sung with before. And it felt nice, and fun. And it seemed planned again, but the next song fit perfectly. To get in a more Christmas spirit. 

“Last Christmas…” 

“I gave you my heart,” you sang to Tom. 

“But the very next day, you gave it away.” 

And it was all magical. Like in a movie, everyone singing and clapping to themselves, forgetting the sole fact that a snowstorm had dragged you all in there. 

“Tell me baby, do you recognize me?” You sang. “Well, it’s been a year, it doesn’t surprise me!” 

“Merry Christmas!” Everyone sang, laughing. 

Before you knew it, your lips were an inch from his, and he was blushing and you were smiling. He looked down at your lips and without hesitation, kissed you. And it had been just slightly cold, and he still tasted like beer, but it was okay, it was warm and it was just what you had been waiting for, these past 3 years, only it was better. Way better than you could have ever imagined. 

And after making your way back to the airport, kissing on the walkways, because you were both so hungry for each other, you made your way back to the gate. 

“I just… I just have one question,” you said looking up, as soon as you were sitting down, cuddled together. “Why didn’t you answer? Last year?” 

He gulped. “The text?” He sighed. “I don’t… I don’t know, I guess. I knew that I liked you, and I just wanted to forget it, you know? It sounds silly but I feel like I was… too invested on a stranger, right?” 

You laughed. “But we are strangers.” 

“Last Christmas we were,” he chuckled. 

You grinned. “I wanna bring you home for Christmas,” you joked.

“Well, why not?” He chuckled. 

“Brining a stranger for Christmas,” you laughed. 

“Are we really?” He grinned. “We could say that we met years ago, but never really dated, until now.” 

You laughed. “They would ask me questions, though, they love asking those, how did we meet? When did we fall in love--?” 

“Or we could ignore the questions,” he suggested. “And go straight into that talent show, I mean we really got something to show them.” 

“B-b-b-bennie and the jets,” you sang, laughing.

“They’d love that,” he grinned as he hugged you closer.

And you both imagined it, how taking each other home for Christmas would be. And the different scenarios it involved. Sooner or later, you had fallen on his embrace. But either scenario would probably not come true, at least not this Christmas, because when you woke up, the flight had been cancelled. 

Present

You were in the airport waiting room and you saw him. Like the previous and last year, and the one before that. That had you on the edge of your feet. But this time, you had expected it. And you had seen him again, with a cap and his earphones, scrolling through his phone. With a big coat and a hoodie. Your stomach jolted. 

“You’re late,” you giggled. 

And he smiled at you, just like he had the year before. And you remember how you gave him your heart. And it was just like the song. And for the first time, your flight wasn’t delayed. But it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. 

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[aleteia-ff]

A Decade To Find You - 3

Also Read On: AO3 | FF.net

Thank you everyone for the support! Unfortunately, school started again, so this update came in a bit later, but I'm definitely finishing this story! My current expectation is that it will end at 5 chapters, perhaps 4. This one turned out a lot longer than I'd anticipated, hence me coming back from my earlier estimate of 3 chapters!

I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Astrid didn't think much of the guy she bumped into just after midnight on January 1, 2010. It was just a hasty apology, a quip and a lop-sided grin from his side. It wasn't supposed to be special.Hiccup felt the same way. That was, until he locked eyes with her again one year later. And the year after that. And the next.But somehow, their destinies only seemed to intertwine that one night a year... On New Year's Eve.

Hiccstrid, New Year’s Eve Fic. Spanning the entire past decade.

Chapter 3: New Year’s Eve 2016

December 31st, 2016

Life came with a lot of difficult choices. Hiccup knew that all too well. Batman, Superman, or simply admitting that the DCEU, especially after Suicide Squad, didn't quite hold a candle to the MCU? It was a shame, really. He'd always loved Batman, had reread many of his old comics since 2014, even saw the humour in George Clooney's Batnipples. But perhaps Justice League would prove everyone wrong in 2017. Hopefully.

At least it hadn't been difficult to choose between Team Cap and Team Iron Man. As much as he adored Spider-Man, his father's opinion was simply more important. And Steve Rogers was their guy.

He felt silly to be spending energy on those dilemmas, but after all the shit he'd been through, it was a breath of fresh air to be worried about stuff that was simple. To have his life on the rails, to no longer be forced to sort through his father's will and figure out how to handle all the insurance and ownership documents. He'd even felt comfortable enough to go and study abroad, having spent the best part of the last half year in Melbourne while Gobber, Snotlout and Uncle Spite took care of what was now his house.

Uncle Spite had told him that it was fine if Hiccup wanted to sell it, that he would find a trustworthy real estate agent who got him his money's worth. It would allow Hiccup to buy an apartment in Hopeless, closer to university, and leave Berk and all the painful memories there behind.

He'd seriously considered the change of scenery, because of course it was difficult to forget what had happened when so many people around him knew. Not just the small family that remained. But also Mrs. Ack from down the street, who kept bringing him leftovers, because his thin frame had led her to assume he wasn't feeding himself properly. The Bog family, who lived a few houses away and whose eldest daughter, Camicazi, frequently stole his garbage bags long and put them at the side of the street for the truck to pick up. Everyone knew what had happened to him, and wanted to do their utmost best to support him. He didn't need it, and had told them to stop several times, painfully elated and awkward, rubbing the back of his head so hard he was surprised he hadn't gone bald yet. But Berkians were stubborn, and persisted nevertheless.

And the more time he'd spent in Australia, the more he'd started to miss Berk. He didn't know what it was about the town that had been his family's home for seven generations. But the moment he'd set foot in it again after returning from the other side of the world, it had simply felt like home. And for now, he had no intention to leave.

He didn't know what it was, exactly. Tuffnut and Ruffnut weren't around much, their band now touring the country and only returning as a service to Gruffnut, who had given them the necessary spotlight by booking them last New Year's Eve - although the way the twins told the story, it was Gruffnut who owed them, not the other way around. Fishlegs was studying at the Hopeless Institute of Technology - the name of which was a HIT with students in exam weeks - like him, so Berk wasn't where they saw each other most. Hiccup had grown closer to Snotlout however, some of his cousin's obnoxiousness having faded after his father passed away. Or it was simply being channelled into the roles he played with Berk's local musical theatre company.

Still, Hiccup felt something was keeping him in Berk. He didn't mind it, not in the slightest, it felt good, like he'd finally found a fragment of inner peace. But he didn't know what it was exactly.

And he didn't have time to think about it, since a voice snapped him out of his tragically derailed train of thought.

"What's on the menu?"

He had only heard it one time before, seven years ago. Yet he recognised it immediately.

He turned his head, looking right into the beautiful blue eyes of the woman next to him. He had to look down at her now, unlike on the first day of 2010, but felt incredibly tiny nevertheless. He'd thought he'd blown it when she'd fled from him last year, having rejected her himself the year before that one. But here she was, smiling at him with a teasing smirk on her face and making the ground underneath his feet disappear, sending him into a free fall.

"Hey - uh - hey -" He laughed sheepishly when he finally remembered how to form words, rubbing the back of his head, and her grin only widened. "Hi," he concluded more sternly, as if it would miraculously make up for his earlier stammering.

She bit her lower lip, laughing still and making his insides contract because he'd thought she couldn't look cuter, a dark blue beanie pulled over her ears, but of course she kept surprising him. "Hey."

For all the times he'd imagined spending time with her, he now realised he'd put embarrassingly little effort into what exactly he would say to her when the stars finally aligned.

There were a million thing he could say, but now that he had the chance, he couldn't come up with anything. His eyes flicked back to the wooden stall in front of him, to the choice he'd been trying to make, and he finally realised that she had already asked him a question he still had to answer.

"All of this is on the menu," he told her, widely gesturing at the space in front of him, a holiday market stall selling all kinds of New Year's treats and drinks from around the world. "I don't even know half of it, but I figured I should try something."

"How about you let me pick?" she proposed. "And I'll pay for it too, in case it's horrible."

"Only if you have it with me," he smiled, her smirk contagious. "And let me buy you a drink in return."

"Deal," she nodded, instantly stepping forward to examine the shop's showcase, her brows furrowing as she focused. Occasionally, she made an adorable sound when she not-so-silently judged the different kinds of food, and Hiccup found himself staring at her, cherishing the moment.

Because she hadn't disappeared yet.

He quickly pretended to be studying the sign that listed the available drinks when she glanced over her shoulder, shooting him another smile.

"Glühwein?" he asked, his voice shooting up as if he'd gone straight back to puberty.

"Nah." She shook her head, looking away from a moment. "I don't drink." She paused before adding: "Not anymore."

"I can respect that," he nodded, thinking back to the times he'd seen her considerably less sober. Despite only catching a glimpse of her, he was sure just last year had been one of those. And he couldn't deny that while he respected anyone enough to let them make their own decisions, she hadn't looked as well as she'd done the years before. As if there had been a little less light in her otherwise bright eyes.

She pulled up an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, gesturing at his head. "Hangovers suck. Kills your brain too. And booze doesn't even always taste as good as people pretend it does."

"I'm glad you agree," she hummed.

"You make it sound like I'm special."

She took him in for a moment, as if she was seizing him up. "I guess you are. Most of my friends at university disagreed."

"Seems like you need better friends."

"Which is why I'm here." Her lips settled back into a smile. "And I think you still owe me a mug of hot chocolate."

He couldn't help but grin. "Sounds like a plan."

He ordered two mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top while Hot Chocolate Girl - her name, he had to ask for her name - picked out a snack she liked. They walked away from the stall with what she laughingly informed him were called 'Dutch doughnuts' - huge balls of deep fried dough with raisins in them, covered in about a pound of powdered sugar.

He asked her if she wanted to sit down.

"Of course," was her simple answer.

They zigzagged through the crowd, her leading so he wouldn't lose sight of her - not again - until they reached one of the market's squares. He thanked the Gods Luktuk had gotten spiteful and had organised its own winter market this year. Meaning it was a lot less busy and that there were actually some free spots. He had already started to dread the prospect of having to go and sit back with Snotlout. Not that Snot wasn't good company, but from the corner of his eye he could easily see his cousin, already sufficiently drunk, draw Barney Stinson's hot-crazy scale in the air, challenging Fishlegs and the twins to determine where Hot Chocolate Girl would land.

So much for Snotlout losing some of his obnoxiousness.

They sat down across from each other at one of the wooden picnic tables, and for a moment, Hiccup felt himself caught in how unreal the situation felt. He had thought of this girl for years, imagined what she might be like, chased by the notion that seeing her every year on one specific day couldn't be a coincidence. And now he had the chance to confirm that suspicion.

He laughed at himself for his superstition. He had no idea if she even had the same ideas about him. But she chuckled, too, and their eyes met again.

"What's your name?" he asked, curling his fingers around his mug.

"Astrid. Astrid Hofferson." She - Astrid - slowly moved her spoon, mixing the cream into the hot chocolate. "You?"

He blinked, somewhere surprised that she didn't know it already. That he had forgotten that she knew as little about him as he did about her. "I'm -"

He was going to offer her the formal introduction he gave any stranger. But that didn't feel right.

"People call me Hiccup."

Astrid - such a pretty name - pulled up her eyebrow. "Hiccup?"

"It's a nickname," he shrugged. "People close to me have been calling me that for as long as I've known. I was quite small as a kid." He held out his hand next to the table, at the same height his hip would now be. "Dad called me a little Hiccup, and it stuck. First with my cousin, who was in the same class as me in elementary school… And you know how kids are."

"Assholes," she noted.

"Definitely."

She reached for her pocket, whisking out her phone. She bit her lower lip as she started to type. "Are you Hiccup on Facebook too?"

He gave her a sheepish grin. "No, I actually don't have Facebook. Nor Instagram. Or Snapchat."

"Whoa. What century did you come from?"

"I'm not much of a social media guy," he tried to explain. "Not a fan of Mark Zuckerberg getting his hands on all my data."

"Yeah, he is a bit of a creep," Astrid nodded. "Shame I can't go without Messenger."

"Call me old-fashioned, but I can give you my number instead," he proposed. "I do have WhatsApp."

She frowned. "Didn't Facebook buy WhatsApp like two years ago?"

"Just an introduction to how consistent my principles are," he quipped.

"At least you have some. I'm just a regular sell-out." She swiped around on her phone for a moment, before handing it to him. She had opened a new contact, the name already filled out.

"Fake Foot Guy?" he laughed.

"It's not much worse of a nickname than 'Hiccup'," she shot back.

She'd had a nickname for him too. "Can't argue with that."

He typed his number into her phone and handed it back to her, feeling awfully giddy at how easy it was to talk to her. Astrid tucked it back into her jeans, and pointed at the curious snack in front of her. "After you."

"Whoa, Astrid," he objected, putting his hands up in the air. "You picked it out."

"Fine, I'll be the brave one," she joked, and lifted the doughnut, making a toast with it. "Bon appetit."

She took a bite, looking pensive as she chewed calmly before finally publishing her verdict. "It's not too bad, actually."

Encouraged, he began to eat as well, taking a big bite to show he wasn't a coward.

"You're right, not as bad as it looks."

"You doubted me?"

"Not even for a second."

She shook her head at him, working the rest of the doughnut down with impressive speed. She propped her head up on her hand as she waited for him to finish, playfully cocking her head and tapping her fingers on the table while grinning to herself.

"Hey, at least I'm taking the time to enjoy my food," he defended himself.

"Oh, that's now why I'm laughing," Astrid grinned. "You just have some sugar on your face."

"Where?"

Astrid gestured to her own face, drawing a circle in the air. "Everywhere."

Way to make an impression, Haddock. He hastily grabbed his napkin, but when he looked back up he found Astrid leaning over the table, tentatively reaching out to him with hers.

He sat there, frozen when she carefully wiped the tip of his nose as if it was the most obvious, the most natural thing to do. With her so close, he could count the few freckles on her cheeks, her entire presence kissed by the sun in a way people in Berk so rarely were. His eyes fell to her soft, pink lips, slightly chapped by the cold, and he considered hooking his finger underneath her chin and finding out if she still tasted like sugar too. But he figured she always did.

It felt like it was supposed to. It felt right. As if he'd never done otherwise. As if he was lucky enough to get to gaze into her beautiful blue eyes every single day.

While the truth was that he hardly even knew her.

"What do you do?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"Huh?" Astrid blinked, then looked at her hand, her eyebrows shooting up as if she hadn't realised it belonged to her. "I'm sorry -"

"No, don't be," he told her as she backed away, already missing the closeness and sheepishly cleaning the remaining sugar off his face to occupy himself. "I just meant, what do you do on, you know, other days than New Year's Eve?"

"Oh." She sat down, wiped off her hands and tucked some of her hair back behind her ear. "Mostly volunteer work, these days. Trying to help people where I can."

"That's great!"

"Yeah, it's very satisfying." Her voice trailed off, making him raise an eyebrow.

"Sounds like there's a 'but'."

She smiled slightly. "It's not exactly long-term. I need to find an actual job eventually so I can move out and become an actual adult."

"Any ideas on that yet?"

She shook her head. "That's the issue. I went to uni to become a doctor so I could help people, but it wasn't for me. So this past year, I've been trying to figure out what I want to do instead."

"I don't see how that's an issue."

"Because it's not the way it's supposed to go!" Astrid exclaimed. "I always thought gap years were a waste of time, and now here I am, doing exactly what I vouched I never would."

"Life hardly ever goes how it's supposed to," he shrugged, taking a sip. "And it doesn't seem to me like you're not doing anything."

She cocked her head at him. "What makes you so sure?"

Because I feel like I've known you all my life. "You don't seem like the kind of person to lie in bed watching Netflix all week."

"Of course not," she snorted.

"And you probably volunteer like ten, twenty hours a week…" he murmured, trying not to grin.

"Thirty. At least," she corrected him. "Fifty maybe, if there's a kickboxing tourney in town."

"Okay, public service announcement, don't pick a fight with Astrid," he quipped, painting the words in the air. "Although it's unlikely kicking your ass fits her schedule, because she works so godsdamned hard."

Astrid gave him a determined look. "I can always take time out of my day for special cases."

"Lucky me, people have been telling me I'm very special all my life," he mock-gaped. "What are the odds!"

"About the same as those of living in a town with one hundred thousand people, but nevertheless seeing the same person eight New Year's Eves in a row?"

He froze and looked at her, the way his blue eyes peered into his, searching for something. "You realised it too," he gaped, his voice suddenly a lot softer.

"Of course I did," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I may be a drop-out, but I'm not stupid."

"Didn't meant to imply you were, just…" he laughed at himself. "I thought I was the weird one."

"I don't think you're weird," Astrid reassured him. "Just a dork."

"Do you…" he started, his throat suddenly dry. "Do you think it's a coincidence?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out."

He was staring at her again, wondering if leaning across the table and kissing her would be an acceptable way of 'figuring it out'. If she would find it inappropriate, or if she would wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him back until their position inevitably became uncomfortable.

He could get up and walk to the other side of the table, sit down on the bench next to her and pull her into his lap, curl his arms around her and hold her until the clock hit midnight. So she wouldn't vanish, not this year. Ask her to come home with him, or meet him again tomorrow, because they had only barely talked and he already couldn't imagine never hearing her voice again. Because it had been enough to catch a hint of how she was brave, passionate, selfless, and smart. And he wanted to know everything else there was to learn about her.

He was snapped out of it by Astrid clearing her throat. "So what about you?"

He blinked profusely and sat back, not even realising he'd been leaning forward. "Huh?"

"What do you do?"

"Oh, I -" He took a deep breath, trying to push away the heat in his cheeks through sheer force of will. "I'm still studying. Trying to become an engineer."

"What kind?"

"For a long time, I wanted to do something with aviation," he elaborated, studying her face for a trace of boredom but finding her eyes opening up instead. "Like, my room is full of sketches of rockets, air planes, flight suits."

"Flight suits?"

"Yeah, you know, so people can fly themselves." He moved his arms, demonstrating the idea until she laughed and made him realise how stupid he made himself look. "It'd probably be a regulatory nightmare though, given that airports already aren't happy with people flying drones." He grinned. "So naturally, I got myself one for Christmas."

Astrid leaned forward, giving him a knowing look. "Does it fly yet?"

"No, but -" He continued, despite Astrid's chuckles. "That's only because I'm making some modifications."

"Sure," Astrid teased.

"It's true! Sticking to the basics takes all the fun out of it."

"Basic planes do sound a lot safer to me, you know," Astrid countered.

"Well, you're in luck, because that's what I was getting to," he explained. "I've loved planes all my life but recently, I've been giving a lot of thought to this thing. You know, what gave me my superhero name." He grinned, vaguely gesturing to his left foot. "The longer I live with it, the more ideas I get to improve it. So maybe I should do that instead." He shrugged. "Help people like me."

Astrid smiled softly. "I think that's a wonderful idea."

"Me too."

He could only smile back as a silence settled between them. It wasn't uncomfortable - on the contrary, he felt he could do this all day, simply look at her, the sounds of the busy market around them seemingly non-existent. Suppress the urge to reach out towards her, unwrap her delicate fingers from around her mug just so he could study them.

He felt like Tarzan - minus the dreadlocks, broad chest and any other kind of muscle definition - wanting to pull off just one of the gloves of his Jane. Not that she was his, of course, he barely knew her name, for years he had known nothing more than that her smile warmed his heart and that every moment they shared seemed to last forever. Besides, he was a 21st century man who didn't believe women to be his property in any way. In fact, he didn't mind a woman who looked like she could kick his ass instead.

But he cherished the thought of carefully taking her fingers in his, treat them delicately despite her obvious strength, and press their palms flat against each other. To get a sense of just how real she was, her warm skin against his, treat her as if she was the first woman he'd ever laid eyes on. Because in a weird way, it felt like it. Then again, everything about this was weird, but in a way that made his heart beat faster.

He could do it. Take her hand, wrap his fingers around it and simply hold them. He would settle for that, and not let her go for the rest of the night. Not even when the fireworks started. He wasn't concerned with those. He was just wondering if they would also go off in his head the moment he kissed her.

Or he could finally realise he was staring at her like a fool, way longer than any sane person would. He blinked profusely, and she cocked her head at him, clearly amused as she took another sip.

He cleared his throat, trying to come up with something smooth, or another topic, but he found himself speechless. "There's so much I want to ask you," he laughed, embarrassingly awkward. "But I can't think of anything."

"Really?" Astrid teased. "Nothing?"

How old are you? Do you prefer dogs or cats? Sushi: overpriced raw fish or actually quite okay? How do you feel about Brangelina getting divorced? Who is your favourite character in Friends? Will you think less of me if I admit I exercised almost every day last Summer, but that ninety-nine percent of that was walking around town catching Pok émon? What even is Brexit?

Do you feel like there 's something here too? Do you like me, even a little bit?

"I just don't know where to start," he shrugged.

"Perhaps you could Google it," she grinned, seemingly content with letting him drown.

"You know, there are actually lists for that," he pointed out, pulling another useless fact out of his repertoire. "Questions to ask on dates."

"Oh?"

He treasured the fact that she didn't ask whether this was a date. So he leapt again. "Yeah. Like a list of 36 questions that 'guarantee' two people will fall in love with each other."

She snorted. "Now that sounds like yak dung." He opened his mouth to agree, but she added: "So go ahead."

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, like a confused goldfish, not having expected to get this far. "I don't know them by heart…"

"You don't do this often?"

He liked the twinkle in her eyes, the way she consistently teased and challenged him. No, he loved that.

"But there was this one question that stuck with me, regardless," he continued. "If you were able to live to the age of ninety, and retain either the mind or the body of a thirty year-old for the last sixty years of your life…. Which one would you want?"

Astrid answered nearly instantly. "Body."

Well, if I had yours, that's what I'd pick too.

"And that's not to sound vain," she elaborated before he could comment. "It's not about that at all, but the thought of becoming so old that I can no longer move around on my own, that I'd need help to get everywhere, or that I simply don't have the energy to do the things I love anymore… I'd hate that. I would lose my independence, my freedom. I don't know what it's like to be thirty yet, of course, but if I got to live the next sixty years feeling like I do right now, but with more and more experience as time goes by, I'd sign up for that." She grinned. "And of course, not getting any wrinkles, or menopause, is an upside too."

"Not sounding vain, right?" he quipped, earning him a punch in his shoulder.

"I gave you a serious answer!"

"I know, I know!" He put his hands up in the air. "But hey, don't blame yourself for being gorgeous."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Hiccup…"

He liked the way she said his name. He hoped she would do it again. "Look, if you can't take a compliment, that's not my fault."

"Fine." She rolled her eyes. "You're not bad yourself either."

He tried not to bask in that comment, in the knowledge that she might like him, even a little bit. He did his best to wipe his grin off his face and continue where they left off. "But I get what you mean, I suppose. People say that you need three things to live a happy life." He counted on his fingers. "Time, energy, and money. If you're young, you have time and energy, but no money. When you're a proper working adult, you have energy and money, but no time. And once you've retired, you've finally got time and money, but no energy. So I don't think your choice is that strange at all. Let alone vain."

"Well, that's one way to get depressed," Astrid huffed.

He gave her a wry smile. "Leave it up to me to brighten the mood, I guess."

"No worries, it won't keep me up at night," Astrid shrugged. "So what about you? What would you pick? If you remembered the question, you probably thought about what you'd answer too."

"I did," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "It's… interesting, but I always thought the answer was obvious. Then you made some really good points, and -"

"And I'm interested in yourreasoning, not your backpedalling."

"Okay…" He shifted, pushing his bangs back. "I'd choose mind. I'd never thought about those things you mentioned, about the whole 'walking around with a walking frame' part of getting old. Especially with my leg and all." He vaguely gestured beneath the table. "Whenever I think about reaching those ages, my mind always goes to the documentaries, the news reports about people with dementia. Because I just find them so incredibly… scary."

Astrid nodded at him and he briefly chewed on his lower lip before he continued. "The thought of getting Alzheimer's, of digressing until you forget yourself and the people around you… I don't think it runs in my family, at least not the early version of it, as far as I know, but I know that doesn't make me immune and it's just -" He sighed. "I know we all die eventually, that's inevitable. But I wouldn't want to go like that."

"Me neither," Astrid softly said, glancing at her hands. "Can I still change my pick? No use in feeling fit if you don't remember what to do with it."

"Or we could team up," he joked, wanting her to smile again. "One preserved body, one preserved mind."

"Sounds like a plan," Astrid laughed. "When I'm old and senile, you just tell me what to do and I will carry you around when you can no longer walk yourself."

"Perfect!" he agreed, grinning. "Match made in heaven."

Astrid cocked her head, observing him as her lips settled back into a slight smile. "It'd seem that way."

Had they both just implied they'd still be in each other's life years from now? Was he reading too much into that? Into the way Astrid's eyes seemed to soften the longer she looked at him, in how he was struggling to remember the last time he'd felt both this excited and this at ease?

He should just ask her. Show that he wasn't afraid to step up and declare he liked her more than he should like anyone he'd talked to this shortly.

"Do you -"

He was interrupted by a loud crash, a shout coming from the other side of the square, the world suddenly larger than just the two of them. He twisted his head to see a guy with fiery red hair stumble backwards, reaching for his eye.

"Dagur!" Astrid jumped up, sprinting in the direction of the sound as the man - Dagur? - balled his fist.

And punched the guy Hiccup only now recognised as Snotlout right in his nose.

"Fuck," Hiccup muttered, rushing after Astrid.

Snotlout recoiled, grasping his nose, blood seeping out from between his fingers as he ran into Dagur shoulder first. Ruffnut and Tuffnut cheered as the two fell over, crashing into the bench Fishlegs had been sitting on until a second ago. What the Hel had they gotten themselves into?

Astrid reached them before Hiccup did, shouting in exasperation at the men rolling around on the ground. "What the fuck are you doing!?"

No one gave her nor the small crowd that had gathered the answer they were looking for. Astrid rolled her eyes, digging her nails into Dagur's leather jacket and pulling him off Snotlout with a show of strength that seemed to surprise Dagur too and left Snotlout on the ground, wide-eyed.

Dagur tried to rush back in, but Astrid yanked him back. "Nope, you're not ruining my night, not this year." She twisted his arm behind his back when he moved again, making him yelp. "You can go berserk in your own time!"

"It wasn't my fault!" Dagur sputtered, his left eye blue with something Hiccup didn't know was a bruise or a tattoo. "He hit me first!"

"You were asking for it!" Snotlout yelled, coughing as blood streamed into his mouth from his obviously broken nose.

"Nah." "Not really." The twins countered instantly, crossing their arms.

Hiccup rushed over to Snotlout as he got back up, and put his hands on his shoulders. "Whoah, Snot, calm down."

"Move over," Snotlout insisted. "Let me at him!"

"Dude, your nose's broken," he argued as calmly as he could, trying to use his height advantage to prevent Snot from moving.

"You know him?"

He looked back over his shoulder at a sceptical Astrid, her eyebrow pulled up, Dagur's efforts to squirm out of her hold futile. He didn't know whether to yell at Snotlout or simply stand there and be impressed with how well she handled guys two times her size. Make a bad and inappropriate joke about her handling him, sometime…

"My cousin," he shrugged, trying to make clear that he also didn't ask for this. Out of all the nights Snotlout had to be, well, Snotlout…

"Nice family you got there," Astrid snorted.

"Right back at you."

"Nope." Astrid shook her head. "Best friend's brother."

"Oh my Thor… You broke my nose!" Snotlout suddenly yelped, as if he'd only just realised it.

"Heh. You kind of sound like Hiccup, talking through your nose and all," Tuffnut commented.

"You gave me a black eye!" Dagur yelled.

"I'm gonna sue you!"

"Playing the lead role in a local production of Grease doesn't make you an American, Snot," Hiccup bit, trying to glance over Dagur's shoulder, where Astrid was trying to hold her grip. "Astrid -"

"Is there are doctor around!?" Snotlout whined.

"I hope so, cause you need one, to fix your head!" Dagur bellowed.

"Guys, fighting doesn't solve anything, please stop…" Fishlegs tried weakly.

Dagur surged forward with such force that the last thing Hiccup saw was Astrid tumbling backwards on the ground, right before Dagur collided with him and Snotlout. They landed in a pile of limbs, both real and fake, Hiccup's elbow landing right in Snotlout's stomach and Dagur's knee digging into his thigh. He cried out in pain, trying to push Dagur off him but ending up as the heavily abused third wheel, caught in the crossfire while neither Snotlout nor his assailant paid any actual attention to him.

"Alright, fine, then we'll try it this way."

His misery was interrupted by a few flashes of blond, followed by pained yelps from Dagur. Finally free, he sputtered and rolled off of Snotlout. He pushed himself up, glancing around to thank his saviour and finding Astrid next to him, perched up on Dagur, holding his arms behind his back as he was lying face down on the floor. Looking uncannily comfortable, as if she was doing this every day.

"We should probably get out of here before the cops get here," she casually remarked.

"If I didn't know better I'd think you were currently undercover," he grinned, distractingly offering Snotlout a not-so-helping hand while keeping his eyes on the most badass woman in the world. He was happy she wasn't with the police though. He didn't need the idea that she could end up like his father.

"You caught me," she laughed. "I'm trying to get a breakthrough in the curious case of cute guys who only appear on New Year's Eve."

He could feel his face change colour. Along with his hand when Snotlout gripped it, leaving it sticky with blood as his cousin hauled himself up.

"Geez, can no one hand him a tissue?" he asked, agitated. Ruffnut shrugged as if there was no other sensible option, zipped open her coat and tore off part of her shirt, handing it to Snotlout, who promptly pressed it to his nose.

"Astrid -"

"Oh Gods," Snotlout gasped, glancing at the piece of fabric and seeing how red it had gotten in mere seconds. "That's a lot of blood."

"- this is not how -"

"Am I dying?"

"- I thought this would go -"

"I'm definitely dying."

"- but thank you, and -"

"But I'm too young and handsome to die!"

"And I think you should get your charming cousin to the ER," Astrid smiled, softly patting Dagur's head when he struggled again.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup tried. So this was how it ended. His first true chance in seven years.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Astrid reassured him with yet another smile.

That phrase stayed with him as he told her goodbye, dragging Snotlout away from the crowd, the others following in his wake. It was echoing through his head when the clock hit midnight in the waiting room of the hospital and Snotlout lamented this being the worst New Year's ever, his complaints unheard because Hiccup himself simply disagreed. He was on cloud nine despite the hospital smell, despite having to explain to the twins that bringing booze into the ER to 'have a bit of a party after all' wasn't socially acceptable behaviour, despite being semi-traumatised by Fishlegs Googling every single medical condition a nosebleed could be a symptom of. No matter how often Hiccup pointed out that there was a direct correlation between the position of Snot's nose, the unstoppable force that had met it and the voluminous amount of blood.

Astrid's words were still with him when he woke up the following morning, feeling like he had a hangover despite not having drunk any alcohol. But in a good way. The best way. The kind that made him giddy and excited, anxiously glancing at his phone while he tried to go about his day.

And they didn't leave him until by the end of January, Astrid still hadn't called.

[teatitty]

Rogues Lore

First of all I want to thank @schweeeppess for letting me spam her with Rogues lore 2 months ago cuz it made this post so much easier to type out when I can just copy-paste everything and then edit it to be more cohesive lmao

Second this is under a read more because it is A Lot

Leonard Snart AKA Captain Cold

He grew up with a super abusive father and his only refuge was when he would hang out with his grandfather in his grandfather's ice truck. When the grandfather died, he grew tired of his dad's abuse and set out to start a criminal career and moved to central. 

(He's the one who started the rogues!) 

He found blueprints for a "cold gun" which he ended up making from scratch (it’s also canon that he knows the gun so well he can remake it out of scraps in about 30 seconds to a minute) and had three main rules in his group: No Killing, No Harm To Women Or Children and No Drug Use. His cold gun is capable of interfering with the speedforce cuz it can reach “absolute zero” which is even colder then Mr Freeze's tech. 

He's also the only cold-based villain capable of mastering this temp. In New Earth he was described as an "adversary" but in Prime Earth (same backstory as before mind you) he's described as being a straight villain whose only rule in the group is "no killing" (which seems to be a pretty flexible rule these days cuz DC has made him more, well, down with killing). He's also much younger here then he was in NE. 

In Flash 2016 #17 we see another upgraded version of his gun that's capable of separating the Flash from the speedforce directly and, in doing so, causing Barry excrutiating pain. Generally, he and Barry had more respect for eachother in NE, to the point that Len even considered him family. In PE, though they have teamed up now and again, Len is far more hostile towards Barry, sometimes even being written in a way that suggests he wouldn’t mind if Barry died.

Sam scudder AKA Mirror Master (the first one!) 

He was a simple convict who just really wanted to learn how to get inside a mirror's reflection. He practiced in a hall of mirrors and, once he succeeded, became Mirror Master. He was a frequent foe for Barry and, during Crisis on Infinite Earths, died around the same time Barry did.

 He was the one who discovered the "mirror world". At one point he got himself trapped there and hated that the mirror world could just get him whatever he wanted instead of him stealing it so he got Barry to bust him out. He could also use mirror's to mind control ppl (dont ask) and this intrigued Barry. 

 On PE he's dating Lisa Snart (Len's younger sister) and is the only Mirror Master to exist. In N52 he, Len, Lisa, Mick and Marco all got fused with their weapons for a while and given meta-human abilities which I. hate because it took away what made them all so cool (I'm fine with Marco tho and you'll find out why in a minute) he's also a really big attention seeker lol

Hartley Rathaway AKA Pied Piper

Alright most of Hartley's info is from NE so: he was born deaf to wealthy parents who got him very high-tech hearing implants. He became obssessed with sounds and started experimenting with sonic technology. Bored of his rich life (and sometimes it's implied he had ableist and/or homophobic parents too) he took to a life of crime after learning how to hypnotize people through music (Pied Piper ayyy). 

He was the first person to ever successfully break out of Iron Heights and did so because he befriended the rats there and used them to help himself escape, adding more to his whole Pied Piper thing. After Barry died he gave up crime and started working to help the poor and underprivelaged (I'm not saying he quit specifically bc of Barry's death buuuuuut most of the Rogues did so). 

He struck up a close friendship with Wally and came out as openly gay! On PE all that we know for certain is that he's a "reformed vigilante" who's the conductor for the Central City orchestra. He used to share an apartment with Barry (yes for real) before he moved in with his bf, David Singh (also Barry's director in the CCPD). Lisa was the one who convinced him to come out to the Rogues, and they were all chill with being gay, their problem came when he started dating David who is, you know, a cop.

He has a pet rat called Moon (cute, right?). Also in pre-N52 canon (cant remember if it was NE specifically or older) Hartley once had a nervous breakdown after Barry arrested him so Barry took him to get help at a mental health hospital :')

(Some artists draw him blonde, some brunette and others go more for reddish-brown it’s kinda confusing)

Marco/Mark Mardon AKA Weather Wizard

On NE he's a two bit criminal called Mark Mardon (he's also white and yes thats important to note) but one day, after escaping from a cop van, he ran to find his brother, Clyde, who was a scientist only to discover his bro had died of a heart attack (however, there's implications that he actually murdered his brother and simply blocked out the memory). 

He then found Clyde's notes on how to create a wand to control the weather and made it for himself. The worst he ever did on NE was imprison a town in winter and after Barry's death he went into semi-retirement (told you the Rogues all did this)

On PE however! He and Clyde are Latino and are the heirs to a huge cartel! Clyde takes over the cartel and Marco wants nothing to do with that life. After their father dies, Marco runs away and eventually becomes Weather Wizard. 

He comes back when he hears his brother has been murdered and gets accused of the crime. He finds out it was Clyde's wife, Elsa, who orchestrated the whole thing and, in a fit of grief and anger, kills her with lightning. He also tries to kill himself at the same time but it doesn’t work. After her death, he curls up into a ball and starts crying because he feels like he hasnt got any family left but then Lisa shows up and is like "yo the rogues are still here for you bitch"

His emotions affect the weather in this continuity and I’m a weak bitch for that but that’s 100% my bias for Ororo Munroe showing itself lol

James Jesse AKA Trickster (the first one!)

James Jesse was born to the Flying Jesses, famous circus performers. He, however, was afraid of heights, and preferred reading stories of Western criminal Jesse James. 

He invented air-walking shoes to get rid of his acrophobia, and this led to his fame as an aerialist at the circus. Buuut he wanted more excitement in life and became a conman instead! He had a lot of wacky gadgets like exploding teddy bears and, after Barry's death, moved from Central to Hollywood and started working in special effects. 

Like Hartley, he even attended Barry's funeral. He once beat the devil, Neron, at his own game and eventually started using his skills for good, collecting weapons of incarcerated villains so they couldnt fall into the wrong hands. He eventually died protecting Hartley during Final Crisis. Deadshot was the one who got him. 

On Prime Earth his parents were straight up neglectful and, instead of creating his own boots, he stole them from STAR labs instead. This version of him is also WAY more fucked up and murdery then NE to the point us long-term Rogues fans got really upset at how much DC had changed him 

On NE his real name is “Giovanni Giuseppe” (swear this is, like, the only italian name DC knows) and on PE the Flying Jesse's were a deliberate rip off of the Flying Graysons

George “Digger” Harkness AKA Captain Boomerang

The illegitimate son of an American toy-maker, W.W. Wiggins, and an Australian woman, Betty Harkness, George Harkness was raised in poverty in the small town of Kurrumburra, Australia. His stepfather, Ian Harkness, hated the boy and made his life miserable. (Like canonically Ian was an abusive alcoholic and even abused Betty who was too ill to defend herself or George. The reason George goes by "Digger" is cuz that's what his mom used to call him before she died; it's aussie slang for "soldier") 

In school, Harkness crafted a boomerang. He discovered he had great skill with the aboriginal weapon and often used it for mischief with his best friend, Mick Wentworth. He further honed his skills while spending some time hiding from the law in the Australian bush. 

When Digger was eighteen, he and Wentworth robbed a general store and were able to make their escape with the aid of Digger’s boomerang. However, this incident caused Digger’s stepfather to kick him out of the house. 

His mother gave him a plane ticket to Central City and told him to get in touch with Wiggins. Wiggins had been searching for a spokesman for W.W. Wiggins Game Company's latest product, a toy boomerang. Under the alias "George Green", Digger auditioned for and got the job. Wiggins outfitted him with a costume and gave him the name "Captain Boomerang."

Ridiculed by the audience, he took to a life of crime instead.

His story is pretty much the same on PE. The only diff being there was no childhood friend and Digger made boomerangs in an attempt to impress his absentee father. Also he has a habit of making up fake stories about himself lmao 

The only one's he really doesnt stab in the back are the Rogues and Harley Quinn but everyone else? fair game. In Flash: Rebirth he and Barry even exchange favours for info and it’s implied this is a regular thing for them

Roscoe Dillon AKA The Top

He technically appears on PE but he's one of Thawne's acolytes so lets just. Skip that and focus on NE instead

Literally his whole thing is that he was obssessed with spinning tops as a kid and taught himself how to spin fast enough to deflect bullets. He became a criminal, tried to blackmail the entire world once, and was Lisa's first boyfriend! 

He was also her ice-skating coach and taught her how to spin super well like himself! He has a very confusing characterization tho cuz sometimes he was written to be all about revenge and killing but other times he was just like the other rogues; a blue-collar criminal who stole things because he liked to. 

He died eventually which I'm not going to try to explain cuz it's...yeah. There's also this whole thing where he could possess people after his death but this was in the silver age and that shit just happened sometimes so whatever 

In short: Roscoe has a really cool concept to him but nobody really knew how to write him so he ended up all over the place

He also has a Spinning Top shaped satellite in space where he stores all his loot (dont ask)

Mick Rory AKA Heatwave

Mick Rory has pyromania! Very severely! He was born on a farm outside of Central and, as a child, was very fascinated with fire. This turned into an obssession and he ended up burning his house down. So fascinated by the flames, however, he never ran to get help, watching his whole house burn down (and killing his parents inside) and he ended up living with his uncle after this. 

On a schooltrip, his schoolmate stuck him in a meat locker as a prank where he gained Cryophobia (fear of the cold) so in retaliation Mick locked the boy in his house and set the thing on fire (again, pyromania). He ran away again and ended up becoming a fire-eater for a circus. That didn't last long either because, surprise!, he burned the place down. 

Desperate to find a way to help his obssession, he happened to see the Rogues operating in Central and decided to take up villainy. At first he and Len got into a few altercations with eachother due to Mick's fear of the cold but eventually they settled their differences and Len officially brought him into the Rogues. 

Mick kinda relies on them to keep his pyromania in check basically. There was a time where he was, briefly, reformed and gained a close friendship with Barry (even being roommates with him. By then he'd already known Barry's real identity for a few years) and used his pyro knowledge to become a fire-fighter consultant. At one point he even worked for the FBI

His backstory is practically the same on PE the only difference being that he never expressed regret for burning down his house, and actually says he wishes he’d burned down the whole neighbourhood instead

Lisa Snart AKA Golden Glider

When I say her NE version is leagues above PE I mean it. 

Like Len, she suffered abuse under their father and escaped it by becoming a figure skater under the name Lisa Star for the Futura Ice Show! Her fame came from her very fast spins, a trick she was taught by Roscoe. When Roscoe died while fighting Barry (brain complications though there’s more to it, but again I’m not going to get into that) Lisa turned to villainy, blaming Barry for her lover's death. 

Her attempts on Barry and Iris' lives were always foiled. She used a pair of ice skates that created their own ice flow, and had many gadgets that caused hypnotism. She also stole Len's gun once but retooled it into a twirling Baton. 

When Barry died she renounced her feud with him and attempted to go straight again with her brother. They created a company that recovered lost or stolen items. Eventually she returned back to a life of crime, went through three boyfriends, all using the name Chillblaine (she named them that iirc), until the fourth Blaine killed her. Len got revenge on that one 

On PE, however, Lisa had a brain tumor (it got cured later) and was a tag-a-long villain for her brother and her boyfriend, Sam Scudder. This version of her never became a skater and is instead murderous just for...the sake of it. She also has this thing about wanting to be the leader of the Rogues instead of Len, and when she's in charge of them for a while the Rogues’ morals change and killing is suddenly fine so. Whatever. NE Lisa is the best (also her whole outfit? Stunning)

Roy G. Bivolo AKA Rainbow Raider (not technically a Rogue anymore but he was a member for a while)

He appeard on PE as Chroma but gets murdered by Grodd so we only have NE canon to use (they did my mans dirty) 

He was a wonderful painter from an early age but was born colourblind. His father, an optometrist, was determined to create a device that would let him see in full colour. Toy didnt get the device until after his father's death but unfortunately the device didnt let him see colour. 

Instead, the goggles could project beams of light that could become solid objects, make him invisible, blind his opponents, or affect the emotions of his targets. Angry that he couldnt pursue an artistic career. he decided to become a thief and primarily stole famous artwork. He was eventually killed by Amunet Black

Evan McCulloch AKA Mirror Master (second one)

Evan was born to rich parents Louis and Carol Erikson who gave him up for adoption because they were too young to be responsible parents. He ended up at the McCulloch orphanage. 

At age 8 he was molested by one of the older boys there and, in self-defence, ended up drowning the him. At 16 he left the orphanage, taking on the name of the woman who raised him and moves to Glasgow (he’s scottish btw) 

He found that it was super difficult to hold down a job but, needing to make ends meet and constantly breaking the law anyway, he turned to a life of crime and became a hitman and then a professional assassin.

One day he got hired to kill his birth father but was unaware of who his target was until after he took the shot. Grief-stricken, he attended the funeral and tried to work up the nerve to approach his birth mother. By the time he had, she'd committed suicide and he turned himself in for his crimes. 

Either the Scottish or US government gave him Sam's old Mirror Master gear and hired him to be a mercenary. 

His first job was scaring Animal Man into stopping his activism, but he failed because of Animal Man’s wife. Refusing to actually kill the wife and children (thanks to his own morals) he gets fired and helps Animal Man seek revenge.

He continues to work as a criminal and supervillain-for-hire, even working out of costume as a mercernary in Britain.

Eventually he found his way to Central City and joined the Rogues, taking over as Sam Scudders official successor. There was a time where he had a Cocaine Addiction which caused friction between him and Capt Cold because of Len’s rule against drug use. 

Throughout all of this, Evan made sure to donate a portion of all the money he ever got to the McCulloch Orphanage

Axel Walker AKA Trickster (second one) 

On PE, Axel was recruited by the Rogues early on in his career. He messed up during a heist and they kicked him out (they'd never do that but w/e) 

He worked for Mob Rule as a henchman for a bit then went freelance when MB was arrested. He saved Cold's life cuz he felt he still owed Cold a debt. When Grodd took over Central, Axel tried to join his side but Grodd tore his arm off from the bicep (ouch) and left him to die on the street. Axel got himself a cool sleek robot arm and returned to crime anyway. He got accused of murder, Barry cleared his name, but he still got sent to Iron Heights for other charges. 

The Rogues, hearing about this, went to bust him out and were like "okay fine u can hang with us" and he stayed with them from then on

In NE canon, while Jesse was working with the FBI, Axel stole all his gear and ended up working for Penguin in Gotham. Penguin gets attacked by Tarantula, Axel fails to stop her and a few days later he gets caught by Robin (Tim) for causing trouble in Gotham. 

He moves on to work with Amunet Black, but after her defeat is offered to join the “new Rogues” by Capt Cold and accepts the offer. Some stuff happens, he fights the OG Trickster who leaves him in a dumpster and tells him never to pick up the gear again, then Axel answers an ad from some college students asking for a trained hero to teach them some things, he has dinner with them and then kills them all. Neat.

When Jesse died, Axel redonned the Trickster gear and started operating his own crew out of an old Rogues hideout. When the Rogues returned to Central, Axel found out they were gonna retire and go underground. He rejoined them to help them get revenge on Inertia for manipulating them into killing Bart Allen, and he stayed with the group henceforth. 

Evan explained to him that joining the Rogues wasn’t a matter of him wanting to be one, but why he needed to be one

In short: Axel is a punk kid who wants to fit in with the big boys and the Rogues are the only ones who really gave him a chance, acting like his older siblings. It’s worth noting that canon never mentions any relatives for him so, as far as we know, crime is all he’s ever known

And that’s all of them!

[horansqueen]

AM Conversations : chapter 14

A Niall Horan fanfiction ; rated MA

CHAPTER 1 || CHAPTER 2 || CHAPTER 3 || CHAPTER 4 || CHAPTER 5 || CHAPTER 6 || CHAPTER 7 || CHAPTER 8 || CHAPTER 9 || CHAPTER 10 || CHAPTER 11 || CHAPTER 12 || CHAPTER 13

NOTES:

-one chapter is her pov, the next is his. -4k. -im sorry, i never proofread, i hate it. -there WILL be smut. but not only smut. -this is a romance, comedy, smut story. -for the summary, check my MASTERLIST.

- IF YOU WANT TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN THIS IS UPDATED, I THOUGHT I COULD START A TAG LIST SO LET ME KNOW. IF YOU’D RATHER BE NOTICED IN PRIVATE, MESSAGE ME TOO PLEASE!

- there will be smut added soon, just thought i’d give a fair warning!

- i’m having a hard time finding 2015 Niall gifs so i may add 2016 gifs instead. if you want to propose me any PLEASE message me. youll make my day!

- thank you so much for all the asks i get. you guys make me so happy. i cant even explain. thank you forever. i love you!!!

-tbh idk what i think of this chapter meh im not super proud i admit :X

-please, message me, give me feedbacks, it would mean sooo much to me!

Chapter 14 : His chapter

NIALL

It was the last thing I expected. I saw my best friend rush out of the bathroom and walk up to us quickly. She looked so determined and It made me realized I had never seen her like that or at least, not that I could remember. She looked taller, like her courage made her grow a few inches, but she also seemed stronger and it made my heart jump in my chest. Seeing her confident like this was a good change and I loved it.

That is until I saw her grab Harry's shirt and kiss him. I stood there, motionless as their first kiss happened right in front of me. It felt like all the noises around me faded. All I could hear was a sharp and piercing sound invading my head until all that was left was an intense and excessive thumping that echoed all over my body. I didn't think it would hit me that hard but here i was, my heart throbbing so hard in my chest I thought it was about to completely stop. Or explode. Or both.

My eyes followed his hands who reached for her waist and that's when I realized she was wearing my sweater and it almost made me sick. The image was ironic but also extremely painful and when their kiss grew, I had to leave. Without thinking, I turned around and walked quickly to the kitchen, searching through the cabinets for something stronger than beer. I opened the freezer only to find spicy rum and grabbed it quickly, not even bothering to get a glass. I opened it and swallowed a long sip without even thinking. The alcohol was strong and although there were still traces of ice on the bottle, it burned my throat as it went down.

I made a grimace when I was done and placed the bottle a bit roughly on the counter as I closed my eyes tight. What was wrong with me, suddenly? I was not going to lose my best friend anyway, right? She wouldn't replace me with Harry, would she? I groaned again and rubbed my face with both hands, trying to get rid of that annoying feeling inside me. I had to get over it, it's not like I didn't expect it anyway.

"Oh, here you are, I was looking for you."

I held my breath and blinked a few times to see clearly. Maya was standing a few feet away and when our eyes met, she smiled at me. I felt disappointed that it wasn't Liv but when she took a few steps closer, my gaze followed her.

"I don't know if you saw, but Olivia and Harry finally kissed." she pointed out, sending me a small smile. "I mean, it was about time, don't you think? They're so cute together..."

My eyes moved on her perfect face as I tried not to hear her words but I couldn't help it. I wanted her to stop talking about my best friend and my bandmate kissing. I wanted her to stop saying how much she thought they were meant to be, how good they looked together and how intense their kiss was. I held my breath and swallowed hard, doing the only thing I knew would shut her up.

Quickly and without a second thought, I bent down and pressed my lips against hers. It only took her half a second to relax and answer my kiss and I made it grow quickly, pushing her against the counter and pressing my body against hers. I couldn't think straight. All I tasted was the spicy flavor of the rum I had swallowed as the beatings of my heart were still going strong, images of Liv and Harry kissing filling my mind. I frowned and pushed the thought away as Maya's hands reached for my chest. I put mine on each side of her, maintaining myself against the counter, and tried to focus on the way she was moaning in my mouth. I felt anger and whatever else feelings inside me extenuate quickly and finally stopped kissing her, keeping my lips very close to hers as I panted low.

I was not going to lose Olivia, I knew it, it was impossible.

"It's impossible." I breathed out so low I barely heard myself.

"No, it's possible, Niall." she replied to me very low, taking me out of my thoughts. "I'm sure we can make this work."

My eyes opened suddenly and I backed away, realizing she had thought my words were about her or at least, directed at her. I kept my lips parted, feeling a bit guilty for bringing her into this, and finally licked them, sending her an embarrassed smile. How was I going to get out of this?

"Uhm, yea, I don't know, I need to think about it." I expressed awkwardly. "I'm sorry."

Without a glance back, I walked away and got back to the living room. I noticed Liv and Harry, sitting on the couch. He had his arm around her and her head was laying on his shoulder and I couldn't help but think she would be cuddling with me if they hadn't kissed. I tried to pretend I was fine for a while but after about an hour of torture where I plastered a fake smile on my face, I had enough. I got up, stretched and told everyone I was going to bed, making sure my eyes didn't meet Maya's. I had succeeded to ignore her since I rushed out of the kitchen but I knew I couldn't do this forever and I had a lot of thinking to do.

I walked to the room I shared with Liv, not really expecting to see her at all, now that she and Harry were most likely dating, but I tried to tell myself it was awesome that I'd get the whole bed just for me. I went to the bathroom for a quick shower but when I walked back in the room, I held my breath. The light was off and all I could see was someone laying over the covers on the bed. I secretly prayed it was not Maya and when I took a step closer, the lights coming from outside and shining through the window illuminated my best friend's face. My heart dropped in my chest immediately but I couldn't explain how happy it made me even If I tried not to show it too much.

"Look who's here." I just expressed with a chuckle, rubbing my towel on my wet hair before placing it in the laundry basket near the bathroom's door. "I thought you'd sleep in Harry's bed tonight."

"You left quickly, why?" she asked, ignoring my comment and sitting up in bed as I shrugged, sitting next to her and leaning against the headboard.

"I was not feeling social anymore." I lied, looking up at the ceiling.

I couldn't tell her I had left because I couldn't handle seeing her all cuddled with Harry. I couldn't admit to her that I decided to come this weekend just to spend time with her and rekindle our friendship. I couldn't tell her I was scared she was replacing me with someone else. I was so fucking scared to lose her. But I couldn't tell her.

"Did you drink?" she asked low but I knew she was frowning. "You smell like... rum?"

I chuckled, wondering how the hell she smelled that after I took a shower but I guess I hadn't brushed my teeth just yet when I really should have.

"Why? Are you jealous?" I asked with a smirk, turning my head to look at her.

"Not a big fan of rum, you know it, so no."

Our gazes met and my smirk turned into a fond smile. My eyes roamed on her face, trying to find out if something had changed but she looked like she always had, but slightly better, and I couldn't understand why. Was it because of Harry?

A good friend would ask her about the kiss she shared with Harry, I knew it, but the words were stuck in my throat and I swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat. I couldn't ask her about it. I couldn't let the horrible feeling that invaded me earlier get the best of me again.

"I guess I need to brush my teeth then, don't I?"

Her lips curled and she nodded quickly but I remained motionless and staring at her for a few more seconds before sighing and getting up. She followed me and I noticed she had grabbed her toothbrush too. We shared the toothpaste and looked at each other in the bathroom mirror as we brushed out teeth. The more we stared, the more we smiled, and when my mouth was full, I spit in the sink, noticing she did the same at the exact same time. We fought a bit for the glass but ended up sharing and going back to bed.

I wanted to ask her how it felt to clean her mouth off of Harry's taste but I didn't dare. The last thing I wanted was to fight with her and I didn't know what could come out of my mouth if we started talking about it.

"Those games were fucked up, weren't they?" I just asked with a chuckle after a few minutes of silence. "Watching Gemma kissing Max was surreal."

Olivia laughed and I turned my head to her again, noticing her whole body was turned my way. My lips curled more.

"So you've seen all your bandmates naked, haven't you?" she pointed out. "And you're still trying to make me believe that you guys didn't have masturbation sessions?"

At her words, I rolled my eyes and my lips parted. I knew she was joking but I was also aware that the thought that there was a tiny chance it happened excited her. I turned her way so my body was facing her and brought my hand to her, pressing my palm on her face and pushing on it gently.

"Shut up with that fantasy already!" I almost begged, making her laugh.

When I pulled my hand away, she blinked, a large smile still plastering her face.

"I can't help it, the thought is very hot." she laughed again. "Boys masturbating is... a.. an amazing sight."

"You saw me masturbate, isn't that enough for you?"

As soon as the words left my lips, I thought about that time where she caught me. I had stopped being embarrassed by it a long time ago but at this exact moment, after all that happened recently, the thought made my heart jump and I was glad the lights were off because I was pretty sure I was blushing. The thought that she saw all of me, even at a young age, was troubling for a reason I ignored. It has never been before, why now?

"No, I caught you, it's totally different."

Her eyes moved away from me and she got lost in her thought. I watched as she took her bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled on it gently. I thought about how she would probably see Harry masturbate soon enough and I held my breath. I really had to stop linking everything to Harry and their extremely possible relationship or I was gonna go insane.

"You know when I told everyone you didn't keep any secret from me?" I asked in a gentle tone, making her focus back on me. "I didn't mean anything by it. You don't have to tell me everything."

Her lips curled into a tender smile and her fingers gripped the bed slightly. I waited a few seconds and she finally let go of the sheets to bring her hand on my cheek. Her fingertips brushed on my skin and I frowned for half a second but she took it back right before it touched my lips. She didn't answer what I said but I was glad I had told her.

It was the second time in a week that someone mentioned to me that Liv was not my girlfriend and although it pissed me off, it also made me think a lot. Were we too close to each other? I didn't feel like it, but I couldn't ignore the fact that people thought I was overprotecting her. I wanted to think they simply had no idea about how much we loved and cared for each other but she was here, in bed with me, after kissing Harry, and I still was not sure why.

"When you were asked to talk about your most awkward kiss, I thought you were going to mention that moment we kissed when we were 15."

My eyebrows raised in surprise and my eyes met hers again as the memory appeared in my mind. I was a scrawny kid back then and I remember my friends had been teasing me about Olivia for months now. What was exactly between us? Why were we always together? Why was this friendship so intense? Kids are stupid and I was no exception. When the bottle had pointed at her, I could hear the teasing from my friends expend from me to her, and I knew she'd get the aftereffect. I remembered the way she had looked at me, I remembered the way my heart had tried to flee from my chest. I remembered how told her I was sorry before kissing her but never explained her why. I was pretty sure people had teased her too after our kiss but she never complained or even mentioned it. I couldn't forget that that specific kiss was the most powerful kiss I had shared with anyone, if only for the fact that I knew her so well I could anticipate almost all of her movements, from the way her head tilted to the taste she'd have. I shook my head to get rid of the thought.

"That was not an awkward kiss." I just answered, frowning with a chuckle. "Did you think it was awkward?"

Slowly, she shook her head from left to right and I smiled more.

"Why did you apologize, then?"

Her voice was low, like the question was upsetting her and somehow, I could understand why. Who says they're sorry before kissing you?

"I just.. I knew people would tease us after that." I explained with a sigh. "My friends were already teasing me about you I mean, you know how teenage boys can get? I said I was sorry that you'd probably be teased too."

The surprised expression on her face made me chuckle and she licked her lips before swallowing.

"Oh."

"I don't know why I thought it was obvious." I shrugged. "I'm sorry I said that, it was stupid."

As an answer, she smiled more at me an squirmed to get a bit closer. I could feel the warmth of her body and I pushed my head harder on the pillow to find a better position.

"Now, tell me. What was written on the card you picked?"

My lips curled into a mischievous smile and she raised her nose in a grimace, a groan escaping her lips. She knew I would never let go before I see the card and she rolled on her back, looking for something on the floor and brought her jeans up, searching in one of the back pockets before letting her pants fall back down and roll on the bed to face me again.

My eyes moved from her face to her hand then back to her and I grabbed the card she was handing me quickly, trying to read the words in the dark. It was not easy and I moved slightly to get some light from the window and my smile fell immediately.

"I thought about kissing you." she blatantly explained without expression, making me look up at her again. "But then I thought about that kiss and I didn't want you to apologize again. Plus, kissing you because of a game a second time seemed ridiculous."

I knew an other of the reasons was probably that she didn't want to hurt Harry and I could understand that. I played nervously with the card and waited a few seconds. I felt like there were many things I should say but for a reason I ignored, nothing wanted to come out. I had no idea how I would have reacted if she had kissed me instead of Harry when she came out of the bathroom and the thought made my heart skip a beat.

"Does that mean you love me more than Harry?"

I waited a few seconds and my lips curled. She raised her nose up and groaned, pushing lightly on my chest, making me laugh this time.

"Do you?"

"Why do you ask me that when you know the answer?"

"I just love hearing you say it." I admitted, laughing more. "Come on, say it."

She rolled her eyes as I waited and finally looked up at me, her smile turning into a loving one as mine fainted slightly. I pretended I was joking but the truth was, I needed to hear it, as juvenile and pathetic as it sounded. She was here instead to be with him, and she had thought about kissing me instead of him, and those were pretty good clues, but I wanted to hear her say it. I had never wanted to know that she loved me the most as much as I did at this exact moment.

"Niall James Horan, you are the person I love the most in the entire universe."

Her words warmed my heart but also my whole body. It was a real relief and I was not even sure why but I decided I didn't want to question it. I just let it invade me as I stared at her.

"You're the person I love the most, too."

I could swear her eyes fluttered but she just licked her lips nervously and I was not really sure what was happening between us in that moment. The room was still dark but my eyes were now used to it and I felt extremely comfortable, even more than usual. The fear I had felt earlier, after I saw her and Harry kiss, was not gone and it felt good, kind of like when a migraine leaves after you've been suffering for hours. I didn't know what to do, I had no idea how I was supposed to feel and I just passed my hand in my hair and turned on my back.

"it's time to sleep, are you tired?"

It took her a few seconds to answer and she turned around in bed too, squirming to get under the covers. I did the same and slipped one of my arms under my pillow.

"Yea."

I looked at her until she was laying comfortably and raised my eyebrows.

"Are we still allowed to cuddle or?"

I didn't want to finish my question and she just chuckled and turned around, her back now facing me. I frowned for half a second uuntil she backed up to let her back press against my chest. Instinctively, I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her closer with a smile.

"Goodnight, Niall." she whispered as I held my breath.

"Liv?"

"Mm?"

"I'm glad you're here with me."

                                                          ----

I woke up quite early but decided to let Liv sleep. She looked peaceful and for some odd reason I didn't understand, I didn't feel like bothering her the way I normally do in the morning. I made sure I remained quiet while dressing up and closed the door gently behind myself before rushing downstairs. I was surprised I didn't have a headache but I was hungrier than I thought i'd be. I ended up in the kitchen, making eggs and toasts, until I saw Harry from the corner of my eyes. He remained near the door, leaning against the frame, and stared at me. I frowned, putting my food in my plate, and brought it to the table.

"Morning, you want some eggs?"

He didn't answer and after a few seconds, I looked back up to raise my eyebrows at him, expecting an answer. He had crossed his arms on his chest but was still intensely staring at me and it was starting to get uncomfortable.

"Okay?" I let out, turning around to pour myself a cup of coffee. "I made coffee, if you're interested."

"You know what you could do for me?"

I hated how he had just ignored everything I said and I frowned, watching him push himself back on his two feet and walk up to me. I didn't want to help him in any way, especially if it had anything to do with Liv, but I just shrugged at him and breathed in.

"You can always ask."

I looked up at him and noticed his eyes roaming on me. He seemed to hesitate and for half a second, I wondered if he knew I wasn't pleased with this situation. He was my friend, though, and I didn't want to hurt him or ruin things for him, so I tried to calm the hard thumping of my heart in my chest and put a smile on my face.

"I'd love to spend the day with Olivia. I mean, only me and her, no one else." he explained as I tried to restrain a grimace. "Could you, I don't know, bring everyone somewhere? Like, at the beach, maybe?"

I blinked a few times and swallowed the bitter remark I wanted to let out. This would also mean spending the day away from Liv and close to Maya. After what had happened the night before, I didn't really want to be near her because I didn't know what to tell her anymore. That kiss was a mistake but at the same time, If this time my best friend had with Harry was meant to last, I would need a new distraction. The word made me think about Heidi and I realized that although I was not dating her, we still had something going on. Yes, it was only sexual, but now that I had kissed Maya, I was feeling guilty. I just wasn't sure why and towards who. I had to talk to Maya, I knew it, I just wanted to postpone it for as long as I could. Why was I still having sex with Heidi anyway? I really needed to end whatever we had as soon as possible.

I tried to focus back on Harry's request and shook my eyes, closing my eyes tight.

"Uhm, yea, I guess."

The answer I wanted to give him as a plain and rude 'no' but I bit my tongue hard enough to silence myself and sent him a fake smile. I hated this and I couldn't tell anyone.

"Thanks Niall!" he let out happily, his lips curling more. "I owe you!"

He put his hand on my shoulder, bringing it to my hair before rubbing my head roughly a few times. I pushed him away and he laughed, running out of the kitchen as I stood there, motionless. My eyes found my plate and I rolled my eyes at my now cold eggs, grabbing a toast and taking a bite. I knew i'd have to get used to it but I didn't want to. I didn't want to witness their relationship, I didn't want this whole thing to become serious, and I didn't want them to spend the day together. Still, it was clearly better than seeing them act like a couple right in front of me and I tried to convince myself it was better this way as I walked back up the stairs to wake everyone up and tell them to get ready.

[scary-movies-on-netflix]

UNFRIENDED (2014)

I liked this more than I expected.  It’s a “haunted internet” movie (much like the bad “Friend Request” (2016) AND ALSO a “found footage” movie.  Interesting, but the combination makes sense.

We start off with a girl watching viral videos of another girl’s death and the embarrassing YouTube video that set her off.  (Actual site names are used throughout the movie.)  Her boyfriend calls her via Skype, and they start to intersex when all of their friends suddenly join in.  Problem is, there’s also some unknown person on the group call, and they can’t get rid of ‘em.  Meanwhile, the first girl, let’s call her Girlfriend, starts to get Facebook messages from the dead girl!  Shit! She “unfriends” her.  See?  

Anywho, the Skype stranger reveals herself(?), using the name and handle of the dead girl.  She says if they hang up they’ll die.  So, eventually, one girl’s screen is frozen, and then she dies by drinking bleach.  They see a video feed from the inside of another guy’s room, and he goes to investigate, but then they see him shoving his face into a blender.  The dead girl then forces the rest of the crew to play “never have I ever,” where you admit to doing stuff, and they all realize that they’ve been shitty to each other.  Like, Girlfriend fucked her boyfriend’s best friend.  People stop being polite and start getting real.  Girlfriend and the guy she fucked both get messages via their printers, but they won’t read them to the group.  Her boyfriend demands that she read it, and she holds up the paper and it says, “IF YOU SHOW THIS, THE GUY YOU FUCKED DIES.”  The guy promptly shoots himself in the face.  We see that he had the same message, except with Girlfriend’s name.

There are now only three people left: Girlfriend, Boyfriend, and another girl.  The last dies when she runs into the bathroom, and then we see her with a curling iron shoved down her throat.  The dead girl then asks which of them uploaded the embarrassing YouTube video. (The dead girl passed out at a party and pooped herself.  Eww.)  A timer counts down, and Girlfriend finally admits that it was Boyfriend.  Boyfriend promptly stabs himself in the face with a knife.

HOWEVER, another countdown starts.  Girlfriend tries to tug on the dead girl’s heartstrings by showing her their “friendship timeline” or something.  (I don’t use Facebook so I don’t know what that is.)  The dead girl is not moved.  She posts the complete cut of the embarrassing video, and we see that Girlfriend was the one who filmed it!  People online start to berate Girlfriend for being a bad person, but then the screen slaps shut and the dead girl lunges at her.  THE END.

All of this was told entirely over the screen of an Apple computer (eww), so at first I was thrown off by the weird, not-Windows, interface.  Also, sometimes there was just too much on the screen at once, such as five or six faces, side chat conversations, Facebook notifications, and so on, but I guess that’s just how kids are these days.  That being said, the film rather effectively provides some spooks, once you accept the conceit that the Skype call cannot end.  There’s a good sense of paranoia, and then rising fear, as you become invested in the characters.  The “never have I ever” turned sour, mainly because they all turned into assholes, but you realize that’s what they were the entire time.  The dead girl is getting revenge on her bullies.  It’s a sad story at the end, and no doubt there were people (i.e. teenagers) watching who cringed because it was too real for them.

I watched this on HBO NOW, but it’s streaming all over the place.

[is6621]

Yes, This Hairdryer is a Status Symbol - By Madison Wood

After taking a brief inventory of my hairstyling hot tools, I have realized that I own two curling irons, a curling wand, a flatiron, an “air spin brush” (don’t ask, it was on sale), and a hairdryer. SIX hot tools. Like many women, I feel as though as soon as I get really good at using one of these tools, there’s something new and fancy that promises to make my hair perfect (spoiler alert, it never does). And usually, the tool is within a price range that makes the semi-impulse purchase justifiable (think $150 or less).

But this time is different. I’m putting my foot down. I refuse to buy this. Not because I don’t want it (trust me, I REALLY REALLY do), but because it costs $399! Take a look at it…. Absorb it and all it’s crazy, robotic, futuristic glory. What is this witchcraft? But wait, if you really want to be extra, there is a version in 23.75kg gold that costs $449!

Brought to you by Dyson (yes, the vacuum cleaner company), comes the most ludicrously expensive hot tool imaginable, the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer. This tool is quiet, powerful, and engineered to complement all different hair types. There are a lot of articles available describing the mechanics and innovation of the motor… but I would prefer to keep that magic a mystery. 

And just went I didn’t think it could be more outrageously pricey (and desirable), Dyson released an expanded hair styling product, the “Dyson Airwrap™” and it collectively broke my brain and the internet.

The Airwrap™ package contains a variety of attachments that straighten, curl, and/or smooth, in addition to drying your hair. Priced even higher than the original Dyson Hair Dryer, the Dyson Airwrap™ costs $549. In spite of that insane price point, within 24 hours of being released, the Dyson Airwrap™ was sold out EVERYWHERE.

How Did Dyson Hair Products Become SO Famous?

1. Really, really good targeted ads

This thing is following me. No matter where I go, no matter the device, browser, platform, I see this monstrosity. Yes, I understand how targeted digital marketing works, and of course, I clear my cookies and browsing data…. but I continue to be haunted by the Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer or Dyson Airwrap™. Dyson is investing A LOT of money in digital advertising, and I can’t lie, it might be working. Let’s be clear, after researching Dyson this blog post, I’ll never ever escape theses ads.

2. Sponsored Articles

Dyson has been sponsoring hair styling articles in popular online publications and blogs such as Refinery29, Hello Giggles, Elle, and InStyle. In these articles, beauty writers and editors offer insights on how to style a variety of hair types. A few article titles include:

This Beauty-Editor-Approved Hair Tool Might Just Change How You Style Your Hair (Refinery29)

If You Have Curls, You'll Love This New Dyson Supersonic Attachment (Refinery29)

How I get my hair to look just like Blake Lively’s (Hello Giggles, via Yahoo)

The Best Hair Dryers to Protect and Volumize Fine Hair (InStyle)

Sometimes it is not immediately apparent that the articles are sponsored or endorsed by specific brands or products, and the publication receives a cut of proceeds resulting from the purchase of products from their site. For example, CNET named the Dyson Airwrap™ one of the 8 best beauty gifts for 2019. It’s important to keep this in mind as we enter the holiday season and every eCommerce site posts its “best gifts” lists (i.e. “Shape Beauty Awards 2019: Best Hair Products” where the Dyson Airwrap™ also appears)… these items do not usually end up on the list by happenstance. Some sites even use sweepstakes, contests, and giveaways as an opportunity to amplify sponsored products and brands. Recently Elle magazine received thousands of contest entries in their recent Dyson Airwrap™ giveaway. All of these impressions come at a cost, and usually, it is not cheap. 

I am not saying that there are not honest reviews of the products out there. Often the product is provided to beauty editors to try (for free) in hopes that the trial will result in an appearance in the publication. While the publication still needs to disclose the gift (via FTC standards), their reviews can still be completely trustworthy. An article on The Daily Beast is titled “The Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer Really Is As Impressive As It Claims” (link below in sources). Another article on Vice Media draws in readers with the sassy title “The Dyson Hair Dryer Is Totally Worth It, Unless Your Time Is Worth Nothing”. Each of these product reviews praise the Dyson Hair Tool Suite, and seem to be legitimate!

3. Celebs and Influencers

Celebrity and social media influencers alike have become major advocates for the Dyson hair styling suite of products. Of course, we can assume that many of these are sponsored endorsements, but the number of impressions collected through these posts has propelled the Dyson products into the “Must Have” stratosphere as a status symbol of the stars. Jennifer Aniston’s hairstylist styled her hair with the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer for her recent Apple TV+ premiere for “The Morning Show”, a highly publicized event. Aniston’s hairstyle was covered by multiple publications and her hairstylist was very vocal about the Dyson tools in her arsenal.

The celebrity hairstylist, Jen Atkin, (stylist to the Kardashians and has several million Instagram followers) claims that the Dyson Hair Dryer is a “Game Changer”. Atkin is outspoken about her partnership with Dyson and continues to advocate for the product in a variety of high profile ways. (Pictured below with Dyson founder and chief engineer Sir James Dyson)

In her November 2019 spread in Vogue, Tracee Ellis Ross demonstrated how she styles her signature natural curls with the Dyson Hairdryer.

4. Product Placement

The British reality TV show, Love Island, became a worldwide sensation in the past couple of years due to the show being made available for streaming on Hulu. In the first several seasons, contestants used a variety of styling tools to get ready each day; in more recent seasons (especially this past season), contestants each have a Dyson Supersonic hairdryer, which is prominently displayed in several shots each episode. There are 54 episodes per season of Love Island, so if the Dyson dryer was featured a minimum of twice per episode, it will have appeared well over 100 times. Considering Love Island viewership was over 3.3 million for the UK premiere alone… that is a LOT of impressions for the Dyson Hair Styling Suite. [Yes, she’s using a $399 hair dryer to blow dry her eyelashes… ]

In conclusion, I will probably never be able to stomach the price point for either the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer or Airwrap™; however, through a variety of different approaches, Dyson has made their hair tool styling suite into a highly coveted status symbol worldwide.

SOURCES:

https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/beauty-style/jennifer-aniston-natural-waves

https://people.com/style/jennifer-aniston-wears-natural-hair-texture-red-carpet/

https://www.cnet.com/news/best-beauty-gifts/

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/wedding-hair-routine-tips

https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/dyson-supersonic-new-attachments-curls

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/hair-look-just-blake-lively-002846868.html

https://www.instyle.com/hair/hair-products-tools/best-hair-dryer-for-fine-hair

https://www.vogue.com/article/tracee-ellis-ross-beauty-secrets-curly-hair-guide-foundation-free-skin-red-lip-twiggy-lashes

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-dyson-supersonic-hair-dryer-really-is-as-impressive-as-it-claims

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kz4eda/the-dyson-hair-dryer-is-totally-worth-it-unless-your-time-is-worth-nothing

https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/beauty-style/beauty-awards-2019-best-hair-products

https://www.elle.com.au/beauty/dyson-competition-21117

https://observer.com/2016/09/kardashian-hair-guru-jen-atkin-calls-this-400-blowdryer-a-game-changer/