#but that journey stretched over about 30 something chapters

[rosalette-roxburgh]

Penacony goes harder than any other hyv storyline ive played so far (in my personal opinion) and this is because. Well. They actually had a plan

[bloodylullaby]

Give Me Something Beautiful

Summary: Morrigan's ordinary life takes an extraordinary turn when Noah Sebastian, the lead singer of Bad Omens, stumbles upon her quaint little shop, adorned with her captivating photography. Intrigued by her talent and drawn to her genuine spirit, Noah invites Morrigan to capture the essence of his band's concert through her lens. As they spend time together, their initial friendship blossoms into a deep and meaningful connection, fueled by their shared love for art and music. Despite the challenges they face as their worlds collide, Morrigan and Noah navigate the complexities of fame and intimacy, ultimately finding solace and strength in each other's arms. Through their journey from strangers to lovers, they discover that amidst life's chaos, true beauty lies in the simple moments shared between two souls who are destined to be together.

Pairings: Noah Sebastian x OC

Content Warning: None

Word Count: 2421

MasterList

Chapter Two

"Shit," I muttered under my breath as I dashed down the sidewalk, raindrops pelting my skin. I was running seriously behind schedule. My father's impromptu return from a golfing trip had derailed my plans, his endless chatter about the perfect golfing conditions delaying me until 6:40. With barely any time to spare, I sprinted the five minutes back to my apartment, frantically throwing on a black lace-bustier cami top, ripped black skinny jeans, and my trusty pair of Demonias platform boots. 

I left my shoulder-length, black and purple hair in its natural curly state, opting for speed over styling. By the time I managed to get dressed, it was already 7, leaving me no choice but to rush out the door and make a mad dash for my car in the back lot. The drive to the theater was surprisingly smooth, but finding a parking spot proved to be a challenge, eating up precious minutes as I circled the area in search of a vacant spot.

Frustration surged through me as I finally found a parking spot in a garage a mile and a half away. Consulting my phone for the time, I took a deep breath before popping open the trunk of my car to retrieve my camera bag. Midway through the parking garage, a sinking realization hit me like a ton of bricks—I had left my keys in the ignition. Panic surged as I hastily turned on my heel, racing back to my car. However, my frustration only intensified when I reached my vehicle, only to find another car parked so close to my driver's side door that opening it without denting theirs seemed impossible. 

With an exasperated huff, I popped open the trunk once more. Thankfully, my car boasted a hatchback, providing a precarious but feasible entry point. Clambering into the trunk, I grappled with the task of folding down the back seat. Minutes ticked by as I wrestled with the stubborn mechanism, determination fueling my efforts. Finally, with a triumphant grunt, I managed to coerce the seat down, granting me access to the interior of my car. Retrieving my keys, I exhaled a sigh of relief, grateful that my absent-mindedness hadn't resulted in a complete catastrophe. Emerging from the confines of my vehicle, I carefully reorganized my belongings before securing the car and setting off once more, this time with a renewed sense of urgency propelling my steps.

I glanced at my phone, feeling a wave of frustration wash over me as I saw that it was almost 7:30. "Jesus Christ, why does everything have to go wrong when I'm excited about something?" I muttered to myself, my irritation mounting. After cracking my neck and ensuring I had all my gear, I hoisted my camera bag onto my shoulder and set off in a brisk jog.

Arriving at the theater didn't take too long, but my heart sank as I came to a halt, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The line stretched around the corner and further down the street, a daunting sight that left me feeling bewildered and overwhelmed. How could there be so many people here? With the show about to start, the fact that so many were still waiting to get inside only added to my growing sense of unease. Taking a moment to catch my breath, I pushed through the crowd, eliciting groans of protest and complaints from those I brushed past. Determination overriding my nerves, I made my way to the main entrance, where the door supervisors greeted me with looks of confusion.

"Back of the line, sweetheart, good looks don't get you in faster," one of the door supervisors quipped, their tone laced with amusement. I raised an eyebrow, meeting their chuckles with a wry grin of my own.

"Well, if you would let me talk, you would know that I was invited to come in, and I am on some sort of list, but from the looks of it, I think reading might be a little too hard for you guys," I retorted in a deadpan voice, my frustration simmering beneath the surface. As one of the supervisors stepped forward, attempting to intimidate me, the other hastily radioed in to confirm the situation. Rolling my eyes and crossing my arms, I couldn't help but feel exasperated by the unnecessary delay. Why was it so difficult for them to simply read a list or ask for my name, especially when they knew someone was expected with photography equipment?

"Listen, I am running late and don't have time for this. Either the two of you get your heads out of your asses, or I will force my way in," I stated with a firm edge to my voice, my patience wearing thin. However, before I could even finish my threat, one of them grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back, causing a sharp jolt of pain to shoot through me.

"Alright, little lady, it was entertaining initially, but the threats took it too far. You're out of here," the door supervisor declared, his tone firm as he motioned for me to leave. Meanwhile, the other supervisor hurried inside to seek assistance.

"You're kidding me, right? You didn't even do your job to see if I was on a list or ask for my name; you just assumed I was trying to sleep my way to the band. Which, by the way, is sexist," I fired back, my frustration boiling over as I launched into a scathing retort. However, my tirade was abruptly interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind us.

Turning around, I found myself face-to-face with another photographer, his presence casting an unexpected twist in the situation. “Morrigan Emerson?” He asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, that would be me," I replied with a relieved smile as the door supervisor promptly released me and stepped aside.

"Follow me; the band has been waiting for you," the photographer instructed, gesturing for me to follow him. With a smug grin directed at the door supervisor, I complied, flipping him off with a sickly sweet smile before trailing after my new favorite friend.

"My name is Bryan; I am Bad Omens' photographer," he introduced himself as we walked, glancing back over his shoulder. His words sparked a flicker of recognition, but I couldn't quite place where I had heard the band's name before. As we navigated down a hallway, a knot of nervousness began to form in my stomach. Who had I agreed to see tonight? Eventually, we entered a larger space that was just one room away from being backstage, and my apprehension grew. What awaited me on the other side of that door?

As we stepped into the room, my eyes immediately sought out Noah. He stood facing away from us, engaged in conversation with a group of guys whom I assumed to be his bandmates. Clad in a sleek black turtleneck, matching pants cinched with a belt, and polished black shoes, he exuded an effortless allure that left me momentarily breathless. Could this man possibly get any more attractive?

My reverie was interrupted when one of the guys spotted Bryan and me, pointing in our direction and catching Noah's attention. "Morrigan, you made it!" Noah exclaimed, his voice filled with genuine excitement as he made his way over to me. I returned his enthusiasm with a shy smile and an awkward wave, feeling a rush of nerves as he drew closer.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Had a bunch of bad luck on my way here," I explained sheepishly, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment. Bryan chuckled, adding his own twist to the tale.

"She was ready to kick some ass when I found her. They had her in an arm lock and everything, and she was still going on a tangent," Bryan recounted, prompting laughter from the group. As Noah and the others looked at me with a mixture of confusion, amusement, and concern, I felt my nerves start to bubble up, manifesting in a nervous giggle.

"Yeah, well, when I got to the doors, they assumed I was trying to sleep my way in with you guys, so I might have gotten a little too hot-headed and threw in some insults that got me in a sticky situation," I admitted, feeling a flush of embarrassment color my cheeks. Noah's expression darkened at my words.

"They thought you were a groupie?" he asked, his tone laced with disbelief. I nodded, unable to meet his gaze, my discomfort growing with every passing moment. I hadn't intended for Bryan to make a big deal out of it; I just wanted to move past the awkward encounter and focus on the reason I was there.

"Yeah, but I handled myself just fine. Bryan stepped in before I could actually kick some ass. Everyone almost got a free show," I quipped, trying to lighten the mood with a touch of humor. Thankfully, my attempt elicited laughter from the group, diffusing some of the awkward tension that had settled over us.

Noah's touch on my shoulder was gentle as he guided us away from the others, his expression serious yet filled with genuine concern. "I'm glad you can find humor in the situation, Morrigan, but I'll take care of them. That shouldn't have happened; I made sure everyone knew I invited a friend to see us. They should have stayed professional, and for that, I'm sorry that my team has let you down," he apologized sincerely, his words carrying a weight of responsibility that touched me deeply. How sweet could one guy be? Although security was from a different company, Noah still took ownership of the situation, demonstrating his integrity and care for those around him.

"Noah, it's okay; it isn't your fault. I appreciate the apology, but I know that they work for a third party from the design on their shirts. I'm not mad at anyone but them, so please don't worry. Bryan came and got me, and that is all that matters. If you want to do something about it, by all means, go ahead. Just know that it isn't your fault," I reassured him, offering a sincere smile to emphasize my point. 

Noah returned the smile, his expression softening with gratitude, before turning to address a security guard who had called him over. With a few words exchanged, Noah reviewed the details with the guard and requested that the door supervisors be released and replaced. Once everything was settled, he guided me back to the group, seamlessly reintegrating me into the fold as he introduced me to everyone.

"Morrigan, this is Nick, Jolly, and Folio. They're the ones who help me make the music possible," Noah introduced, gesturing to each member of the band in turn. "Guys, this is Morrigan; she's the one I told you about with the beautiful and unique photography."

The band members greeted me warmly, expressing their admiration for the photos Noah had shared with them. As the conversation shifted to their excitement for the upcoming show, they began to pump each other up, their energy infectious. Feeling my social anxiety creeping in, I attempted to step to the side, but Noah gently kept me within the circle, ensuring I wasn't left out. As the minutes ticked by and the anticipation mounted, my nerves began to escalate. With just ten minutes left until showtime, Noah turned to me, his expression gentle yet encouraging.

"You'll be with Bryan for the night, so if at any point you feel overwhelmed, you can either go to him or step outside for a breather," Noah reassured me, his words laced with genuine concern and consideration. His kindness was like a breath of fresh air, a stark contrast to the often self-serving interactions I'd grown accustomed to. All I could manage in response was a grateful nod, my mind racing with appreciation for his thoughtfulness.

It struck me how rare it was to encounter someone so inherently caring and gentle, especially without any ulterior motives. As I struggled to steady my breathing, Noah noticed the drained color on my face and promptly guided us to the side, away from the hustle and bustle of the group.

"You'll be okay, I promise. Nothing is going to happen to you. There's a barricade between you and the crowd. Don't push yourself out of your comfort zone if you're not ready," Noah reassured me, offering a supportive thumbs-up. His words were like a lifeline, grounding me amidst the whirlwind of anxiety.

Taking a deep breath, I scanned the room until my eyes landed on exactly what I needed: liquid courage. Making my way over to the table, I couldn't help but grimace at the sight of the options laid out before me. It was a choice between straight liquor or beer, with no chaser or anything to mask the taste. It was clear that this was a situation where necessity outweighed preference.

Taking a deep breath, I reached for a cup and filled it with the dark-colored liquor, steeling myself for the impending taste. As I stared at the liquid in my cup, trying to muster the courage to take a sip, I noticed the band members preparing to take the stage and Bryan making his way over to me.

With a resolve born of necessity, I plugged my nose and quickly downed the drink, grimacing as the harsh burn lingered in my throat. Gagging slightly at the unpleasant aftertaste, I tried to compose myself as Bryan approached me. "Ready?" he asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I replied with a small smile, determined to push through my nerves and enjoy the experience to the fullest.

"Cool. Let's head out then before the lights go out," Bryan suggested, prompting me to grab my camera bag and gather the necessary lenses. With a determined nod, I signaled to Bryan that I was ready to go.

As we made our way towards the stage, I couldn't help but steal a glance at Noah. Catching his eye, I was met with a reassuring smile, a thumbs-up, and the silent encouragement, "You can do this." Returning his gesture with a nervous smile of my own, I turned away and followed Bryan towards the stage. With each step, my nerves began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of excitement and anticipation. I was going to do this, and I was going to have fun doing it.

Authors Note: I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far :) Summer classes are about to start so chapters will go between pushing them out fast and slow.

[freesia-writes]

Howzer + Aurelia Ch. 38 - Entanglement

Beginning with his shiny days, this story follows Howzer's character arc through some heartwarming romance, action, adventure, yearning, angst, and growth.

Content/Trigger Warnings for Entire Work (individual chapters not labeled): wartime peril, injury, and death; sexual assault up to kissing; relationship passion up to making out and heavy petting; sexual relationship alluded to (smut is posted separately); pregnancy, birthing trauma, and stillbirth (chapters 30-39, can be skipped and still keep up with the story).

Master List of Chapters

Word Count: 1.5k

38. Entanglement

[Summary of last chapter, for those who skipped: Aurelia's water broke 10 days early, and after a difficult night and day of labor, the baby didn't make it. Lennox was with her throughout the whole thing, creating a deep bond through the shared tragedy.]

 The next ten days blended together in a blur of attempting to cope. Lennox coordinated extra volunteers at the clinic, promising that she didn't need to come in until she was ready, but Aurelia felt even worse with nothing to do. Her tiny dorm room was a place of safety for her grief, but it felt smaller by the day, and a sudden idea came to her one morning. She was shocked she hadn't thought of it before, throughout all the months she'd been back on Coruscant. 

Pulling on the nearest clothes she could see, she ventured out to the upper levels, watching the world continue on around her as if nothing had happened. She felt isolated, walking among a staggering variety of people who were laughing, talking, planning, and bustling about -- business as usual. It was a slow journey as she found her way, but as she saw the park stretching out before her, her sense of relief was accompanied by a bittersweet pain in her chest. Perhaps this had been a mistake. But something within encouraged her to press on, and as she gingerly strolled the paths, noticing the increased overgrowth and changed landscape from the way she remembered it, the rhythmic sound of her steps and the growing quiet of the space began to have a comforting effect. 

She found their old spot, although the branches between the trees had grown so much that she couldn't get through. Finding another way around, she tiptoed past the water's edge to find the fallen log, staring at it in disbelief. How had it been only a few years since she'd leaned against it, heart thrilling at Howzer's sheepishness as he revealed the poetry he'd found? The shock of his sloppy first kiss resurfaced, bringing a wistful smile to her face despite the ten-pound weight in her chest. She lowered herself slowly to the ground, grateful for the pain and bleeding having lightened enough for her to begin to move around more normally. The world seemed to slow around her, creating a loving and peaceful space where she allowed the grief to pour out once again. As she emptied herself, eventually becoming quiet and still, she felt the sun on her face, closing her eyes to bask in its glow. One step at a time.

* * * 

A few days later, she found herself in a proverbial pit of darkness, curled in the chair in the corner of her room. She'd gone to the clinic a few times, moving through the motions with a flat affect, grateful for the polite discretion of the few others that were there. Lennox had been checking in on her regularly, bringing food in both the mornings and evenings, most of which had been left uneaten, and smoothing the way for her at the clinic to keep her duties simple and optional, void of patient interaction. 

There was a gentle rap at the door, and she shuffled over, blanket wrapped around her shoulders, clothing wrinkled and mismatched. It slid open, revealing Lennox's lanky form, and the kindness in his eyes stifled any self-consciousness that Aurelia may have felt. As he took in her overall appearance, he said nothing, stepping inside as she beckoned and setting a small box of snacks on the counter. 

"Need a hug?" he asked simply, waiting patiently at an arm's length, and Aurelia leaned in, nodding minutely. He felt guilty, knowing that he enjoyed her touch more than he should have, and pulled away after a moment. It tore him up inside to know that her heart belonged to another, yet he couldn't bring himself to create distance between them. He knew it was foolish, that he was simply increasing his own disappointment, but he couldn't help it. And perhaps, if he was honest with himself, there was the possibility that someday she would be unattached... Or that she might see better options for herself... But he stifled the thought immediately, moving instead back toward the door.

"Rough day today?" he observed, leaning against the doorframe. 

"Rough few days... I thought I was getting more ambitious but then I lost it," Aurelia answered, shrugging dismissively. "I'll probably come in today. I need to do stuff..."

"If you feel like it," came the gentle reply, "But also... if you need a distraction... There's a lecture tonight that a few of us were going to go to. I thought you might enjoy it, if you'd like to try something new. No pressure at all if you're not up to it."

"No, that sounds good. What is it about?" 

"Subatomic particles."

Aurelia chuckled mirthlessly in surprise, "What does that have to do with medicine?"

"We don't know... yet. But it sounded intriguing. Besides, can't a guy have interests outside of his work?" Lennox pointed out, raising his eyebrows and tilting his head. 

"Fair enough," she conceded, giving him a nod and a smile. 

* * * 

The lecture hall was a warmly lit space, full of chairs that curved around the stage. Aurelia shifted in her seat next to Lennox, feeling wildly out of place. She'd showered and put fresh clothes on, which had helped her to feel better immediately, and venturing to a new place had also given her mind something else to consider. As the speaker took his place, the crowd grew silent in polite expectation. 

"This year, we recognized three scientists who made groundbreaking contributions in understanding one of the most mysterious of all natural phenomena: quantum entanglement. In the simplest terms, quantum entanglement means that aspects of one particle of an entangled pair depend on aspects of the other particle, no matter how far apart they are or what lies between them..." 

Her mind immediately turned to Howzer, and her shoulders drooped with the weight of his absence. An entangled pair, indeed... Was she foolish to dwell on it like this? Would she be a horrible person for moving on? That thought wasn't something she could consider yet, and she felt a warmth growing in her chest as the lecturer continued. 

"These particles could be, for example, electrons or photons, and an aspect could be the state it is in, such as whether it is "spinning" in one direction or another. The strange part of quantum entanglement is that when you measure something about one particle in an entangled pair, you immediately know something about the other particle, even if they are millions of light years apart. This odd connection between the two particles is instantaneous, seemingly breaking a fundamental law of the universe."

The continued metaphor brought a wistful smile to Aurelia's face, wondering how many light years separated them now. She had a strong sense, deep within, that their story wasn't over yet, and whether she was deluding herself into believing it or not, it was as though she could feel his presence, and she closed her eyes, leaning into the experience. His integrity, his warmth, his humor, his strength... His incredible complexity and his struggle with the world and his place in it... 

The rest of the lecture passed with Aurelia lost in a blur, daydreaming and reminiscing. As it ended, the crowd got up and began to shuffle toward the exits. Lennox draped an arm across her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze and smiling at her fondly. 

"What did you think?" 

"Lots of big words," Aurelia said, leaning into him for a moment before politely pulling away. "But that sounds wild. I'm curious how they'll utilize it in more fields as they understand it more."

"It's definitely intriguing," Lennox agreed, as they began to walk toward the train. "Listen..." he said, a more serious tone to his voice, "Chuchi is in contact with people in other systems, and they're trying to create more of a network so it's not totally centralized here. She's asked me to man a mobile medical unit for field work, to avoid having to come to Coruscant as much. I wondered... Well, I hoped you might like to come too."

"Oh, wow..." came the ponderous response. "When are you leaving?"

"I don't know, probably a few weeks? We're finalizing the details. I just didn't know if a change of scenery would be helpful for you..."

Aurelia had no words, mulling it over in her head. But there was a sense of warning deep within, and she realized that the distance might be a good thing for them, even though she would ache at the loss of her closest friend. She turned the possibilities over, considering the options, as they walked in sync back to the medical clinic.

"I'll think about it; is that okay?" she finally answered, feeling that she already knew the answer but not wanting to jump the gun. 

"Of course."

.

Next Chapter

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

Works Cited -- the speech about quantum entanglement was copied from Andreas Muller's article at The Conversation, found here.

[elenaaadaniels]

Chapter Twenty One: Menace Aura

Warnings: mentions of anxiety, fluff, nightmare

___________________________________ I'll take away the hurt. Tell me all your fears. And if you're feelin' scared, I'll be here. You don't have to be tough with me. I'll protect you from it all. I could be your safety net, if you'd let me. 'Cause when you're happy, I'm home.

- 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘯  ___________________________________

The wind moved through Nadia's hair as the Mythrol drove the cruiser towards the destination Greef had discussed. She was thankful for the wind needing some air to calm her down, the sick feeling in her stomach still around at their small little journey. She was smushed in the center console seat between Din and Greef trying her best to not look so worried, but each time she thought she succeeded, Din would turn towards her. By the fifth time he had done so, he placed his hand on her knee rubbing circles with his thumb.

The action shocked her. He wasn't one for PDA keeping a strict fearsome warrior status, but it seemed he didn't care right now. It was because of who they were around. Cara and Greef already suspected something between them long before Din and Nadia had even known themselves. The action wouldn't surprise them and they already knew how fearsome the Mandalorian was. Plus, the Mythrol was busy driving the cruiser to even notice the warriors soft gesture.

" The whole base is powered by a reactor." Greef spoke breaking the silence when they entered the canyon.

Cara turned slightly towards them," We sneak in, overload the reactor, and get the hell outta there."

" Let's be fast." Din ordered glancing at Nadia for the sixth time before to the Mythrol." And keep the speeder running."

Nadia wondered if he wanted to return to the kid and the kid as much as she did or if he was so worried about her that he just wanted to ease the anxiety that seemed to radiate off of her.

" There it is, right there." Greef gestured pointing to the large shuttle base." You see it?"

" Kind of hard not to." Nadia swallowed wondering how many stormtroopers were inside.

" How close you want me to drop you off?"

" How 'bout the front door?" Greef bargained causing the Mythrol to frown.

" It's a little close for a civilian, isn't it?"

" I got two choices for ya. You take us in and I knock a hundred years off your debt."

" Or?" The Mythrol stretched.

" Or I leave ya out here in the lava flats to walk home with whatever's left in your humidity vest." Greef snapped this time causing the Mythrol to grip the steering wheel out of nerves.

" It's not much of a choice, is it?"

Nadia stared at the fortress thinking of the positives that could come from this. The mission could run smoothly simply flooding the place from the inside and flushing all of the troopers out of Nevarro. They can get back on the cruiser, get the child, and leave heading to Corvus next without a hiccup. She shook her own head at the idea. She knew better. When has anything ever gone smoothly for them without a hiccup. The Mythrol pulled the cruiser all the way to the front of the doors parking with a gulp.

" All right. We can't go any further than this."

" Let's go." Greef coughed.

Nadia got up from her seat waiting for Din to get out before hopping out herself and taking her blaster out. So far from the bottom, no troopers stood around guarding the place from anywhere she could see.

" Controls are useless." Din announced stepping away from the controls." They're melted."

Greef huffed," Well, it's probably not rated for lava."

" Wow. The irony of that." Nadia snickered rolling her eyes on how the Imperial's made it this far in life.

" All right, I'm headed back." The Mythrol quivered waving his hands around," Hit me up on the comm, we could set up a rendezvous time."

Greef snapped his head over," You park your gills right there until I say otherwise." The man ordered.

" I'm startin' to dehydrate, boss."

" Okay, how does 30 more years off your debt sound?" He bargained next getting annoyed with the blue man.

The Mythrol huffed in defeat," Can you at least be quick about it?"

" You wanna be quick? Grab the flange cutter and help us out." Greef ordered harshly causing the Mythrol to mumble things between his teeth.

Nadia ignored the two bickering back and forth noticing Din study the place above them. She knew him long enough to know he was coming up with a plan, looking at the landscape around him as the gears turned in his head. 

He turned towards the group, " Hold tight." he stated never waiting for an answer as he jet-packed up to the building.

Cara frowned looking to Nadia," Do you know what he's doing?"

" Honestly? No." She remarked turning to the Mythrol" How long is this gonna take?"

" Look, lady, this is rated for light plumbing and such." He sassed at Nadia causing her to smirk at his reaction." You're lucky I even packed it at all."

" Dank farrik." Cara cursed when the sound of fighting caught their ears.

Nadia's head shot up towards where Din went hoping her ears were deceiving her or he was at least winning the fight.  Her question was answered when a storm trooper landed on the ground right next to them and the doors to the elevator opened right behind them.

Nadia nodded a bit proudly," I guess he was doing that." She said entering the elevator along with the others.

She balanced on the balls of her feet watching the elevator climb up until they opened to the sight of her Mandalorian unharmed surrounded by unconscious troopers.

" Empty base, huh?" Din qouted causing Nadia to smirk at his arrant comment.

" The reactor should be set in the heat shaft." Greef spoke." If we drain the cooling lines, this whole base will go up in a matter of minutes."

Nadia nodded," Where is it?" 

Greef pointed to the doors to the right of the base causing the group to walk towards it.

" Look. It's a mint Trexler Marauder." The Mythrol commented in amazement." We can get a lot for this on the black market."

" And it's gonna get vaporized like the rest of this base. Now, let's go." Din demanded placing his hand on the small of Nadia's back for her to keep going.

Cara, Nadia, and Din took the right side while Greef and the Mythrol took the left side ready for any firepower that might come there way. Greef gave a nod and Din pressed the controls to the runway opening waiting for anything. When nothing came, they peeked carefully double checking before entering the cold complex. Static came from a single room and Cara checked before running in slowly seeing a Imperial officer looking at the security fottage.

" Shuttle bay, this is..."

Cara was quick with her actions grabbing the man into a tight headlock blocking any air from his airways. He gagged at the lack of oxygen grabbing at Cara's arm, but it was no use against her strength as he slowly fell to the ground losing consciousness. Din and Nadia ran right in afterwards, together turning off all of the security footage and comlinks from a 3 mile radius.

" I found the heat shaft." Din announced retracing the map in his head before turning towards the door." Let's go."

They made it to the hallway once again, Din and Cara guarding the front while Greef and Nadia kept an eye behind them making sure no one snuck up on them. A wave came over Nadia that she didn't recognize. She paused where she was feeling a dreadful aura come around her. Like someone bad had been in this building before. That something bad had happened here. She wanted to shake the feeling off, but it was almost like this aura was warning her.

" Nadia." Greef called out quietly causing Din to stop at her name being called." What's wrong?"

She turned back to the group, practically feeling through the beskar helmet, Din's eyes burned with worry on why she had stopped so far away.

" Nothing." She forced out walking forward again with the group.

" The access corridor should be right past this junction." Din continued, his gaze lingering on her before turning around to guide them again.

They made two turns through the hall, one almost bumping into some trooper guards before slipping into a narrow hallway that made sense to Din.

" There, Mythrol, slice that door." He ordered." Use the code cylinder."

The Mythrol placed the code cylinder into the target base causing two doors to open up to there destination. Upon opening, heat surrounded them. Nadia scrunched her face at how hot it was looking over the edge to see the lava down below.

" Whoa!" She said in amazement when Din placed a hand carefully on her chest for her to not fall over.

Greef nodded his head equally amazed," Yeah, whoa is right." He mocked looking around the room." That's it. Get on the reactor controls, drain the coolant lines. We'll watch the doors."

When the Mythrol noticed Greef was looking at him, his eyes widen as his legs wobbled in distress.

" Me?" He sputtered out.

Greef rolled his eyes at his cowardness," Yes, you!"

" I'm afraid o' heights. And heat. And lava."

" I'll do it." Nadia volunteered taking the code cylinder from the Mythol's hand.

Din shook his head," Nadia-"

" I can do it." She reassured staring into his visor.

From inside it, he bit his lip unsure. One wrong move and she could easily slip with the lack of guard rails, but he also knew he had to trust her like she trusted him.

" Careful." He practically begged

She nodded her head carefully placing her hand on the side of the wall before slowly moving against the small rail of the platform to the controls. She didn't need the heat of the lava to feel Din's eyes burn into her skin. She could practically feel the nerves coursing off of him. When getting to the controls, she gripped the side of it placing the code cylinder into the correct spot and placing in the key pass Cara had told her about. The controls made a sound of warning turning from its usual white to a dark reddish hue.

" I think I did it." She announced when the lava down below stared to erupt loudly building up." Oh, I definitely did it."

Din took in a sharp breath" Nadia, come on!" 

She nodded her head this time quickening her steps before grabbing Din's hand and hopping to the regular platform. Unlike when they first entered, they sprinted down the halls of the fortress trying to remember the path they had taken backwards.

" How long do we have?" Cara questioned by Greef's side.

" Ten minutes at the most."

The alarms blared loudly in a warning. Red flashing through the halls in side lights trying to warn whoever was inside. Din heard the troopers before the others and wrapped his arms around Nadia yanking her body back behind the wall for cover. He peeked his head over, seeing the entrance they came through was not going to work from the reenforcement placed. He pointed the other surely knowing their had to me more exits. They made a right coming to a room where two of Imperial officers frantically moved around the datepad. At the sight of the group, one turned to the other.

" Destroy it!"

They all lifted their blasters sending it towards each other until Din and Greef had gotten them. The bad feeling came over Nadia again. She ignored it turning her head, but it was answered. Inside glass domes, were bodies submerged in water with evidence of being tested on over and over again. Some where human-like while other bodies were of other creatures that didn't deserve this treatment.

" What the..." Greef slowly spoke in shock.

Cara turned in his direction," I thought you said this was a forward operating base."

" I thought it was." He admitted.

" No, this isn't a military operation. This is a lab." She explained turning to the Mythol." We need to get into the system and figure out what's going on."

He looked at her thunderstucken," What about the reactor..."

" Do it!" She barked causing the man to shut up instantly and do as he was told.

" I don't like this." Din whispered, but Nadia still heard it glancing over at him.

" Replicated the results of the subsequent trials, which also resulted in catastrophic failure."

 The voice sound familar as Din and Nadia turned to see a hologram of the scientist from long ago. She remembered him. Back when Din had traded the child, it was the same doctor that was doing test on him. Nadia couldn't forget a face like that.

" There were promising effects for an entire fortnight, but then, sadly, the body rejected the blood. I highly doubt we'll find a donor with a higher M-count, though. I recommend that we suspend all experimentation. I fear that the volunteer will meet the same regrettable fate if we proceed with the transfusion. Unfortunately, we have exhausted our initial supply of blood. The Child is small, and I was only able to harvest a limited amount without killing him. If these experiments are to continue as requested, we would again require access to the donor. I will not disappoint you again, Moff Gideon."

Nadia's heart sunk instantly at the transmission. She gripped the desk in front of her feeling dizzy. The child was in danger once again. Din was in danger once again. There safety was no longer on their side.

 " This must be an old transmission." Din wavered in a state of panic." Moff Gideon is dead."

" No. This recording's three days old." The Mythol confirmed causing a shaken breath to leave Nadia's mouth.

" That's impossible." She breathed barely able to." We...we watched his ship go down. If Gideon's alive then..."

" Over there!" A trooper shouted firing into the room.

Din raised his blaster shielding his body in front of Nadia's knowing she wasn't in the right headspace to fire back, but she proved him wrong grabbing the blaster from her side and angrily firing at the troopers at the thought of the child being in danger once again. With the troopers down in seconds, Nadia turned to Din with determination.

" We need to get the kid."

" Jet back, you're faster that way." Cara suggested already knowing their group had to split up." We'll head to the speeder and meet you in town."

They nodded back to her breaking into full sprints down the halls of the fortress. Nadia's head was everywhere at the same time. Shooting troopers that went in front of them. Forcing herself not to cry at their new ordeal. Determination to get to the child.

" This can't be happening." She said shaking her head in defeat." If Moff Gideon is alive he's after the both of you."

" He's not going to get us." Din confirmed shooting one of the troopers that got in his way while Nadia got the other.

Much to her surprise, they came back to the Lava control room seeing that the Lava had risen higher than before bubbling up to a eruption point.

Nadia tilted her head," Question, why are we back here?"

" Fastest way."

She nodded her head when she noticed a white figure out of the corner of her eye," Mando!" She warned whipping her blaster up shooting down two of the troopers while two more ran from the hallway after them.

" Come on!" He stressed hugging her body to his own before taking off into the sky.

She watched from over his shoulder as it was just in time at the sight of the lava erupting in a big pool of molten rock taking down some troopers that were outside and melting their equipment. The victory wasn't given yet. It took a matter of six minutes before Din landed right by the razor crest nearly given the workers a heart attack.

" Is the razor crest ready?"

" Yes-"

" Good." He said throwing some credits to the workers and turning to Nadia." Get it started."

She nodded running up the ramp since it was fixed and up the ladder knowing they didn't have time to waste. Cara and Greef needed their help and all she wanted to do was get the hell off of the cursed planet. She turned on all of the controls watching the Razor Crest come to life without any shutter or damages like before.

" Cara, come in." She called through the coms hoping to hear her friends voice." Are you guys okay? Cara?"

The sound of someone coming up the ladder caused her to turn see Din with the child in his arms.

" They're not responding."

" Get us off the ground." He ordered placing the child in the seat and strapping him in.

Nadia nodded remembering how he taught her and slowly brought the Crest up off of the ground high enough before forcing the steering wheel forward to take off back towards the fortress. Din placed a hand on her shoulder and she switched places with him seeing the child's brown eyes on her. She wanted to cry. Wanted to hold him close to her, but that would only worry him, so she forced a smile onto her face rubbing his cheek.

" Hey, little guy. How was school?"

" Nadia, I need you to strap in." Din warned glancing over his shoulder and watching her do so." Time to kick some bucket head ass."

She smirked at his choice of words seeing in the distance a Trexler Marauder was being tailed by three tie fighters. Din squeezed his hands over the triggers sending multiple blast towards the first one erupting it in a ball of fire. He turned the thrusters on flying high in the sky after the second one causing the child to squeal loudly in excitment and throw his little arms in the air. Even in the heap of danger, Nadia couldn't help, but to join in his laughter. He shot the second one down before placing on his wing spoilers and having the ship literally flip around to get the third one.

" Holy shit!" Nadia shouted in both excitement and fear.

The razor crest spun in circles dodging each of the tie fighter until Din locked it in sending it into a third ball of fire. Din found a smirk onto his face turning over his shoulder.

" Not too bad, huh, kid?" He teased only for the child to throw up all of his blue little cookies.

" Oh, boy. I got you." Nadia cooed unbuckling his seatbelt and grabbing a rag.

" That was some pretty impressive flying, Mando." Greef spoke over the transmission that finally came through." What do I owe ya?"

" With the repairs, let's call it even."

" Can I at least buy you a drink?" Greef offered

" Sorry. I have some onboard maintenance I gotta take care of. Then we gotta hit the road before Gideon catches wise."

For a solid minute, Nadia had forgotten of their danger so engrossed on the small little happiness they had together laughing. She cleaned the throw up from the child staring into his brown eyes only to get a smile back from him. 

" Well, good luck flying, my friend."

Nighttime came around fairly quickly, which wasn't exactly a difficult feat when driving through hyperspace. The rumbling and rhythmical clanking of the engines aided Nadia in lulling the child to sleep, his little cheek rested against her right shoulder and his little mouth letting out soft snores. Din carefully climbed down the ladder, so carefully Nadia did not hear or notice him. She was too engrossed with the child in her arms revealing in the moments that she knew he was safe and sound.

Once she was sure the child was out for good, she kissed his little hairy forehead and laid him down on the small hammock that previously belonged to her. She had to clean up a bit on the crest and wanted her eyes on the little one, but she was suddenly engulfed in a thick darkness and panic for a moment, when a pair of strong hands grab her by the waist and feel a strong and hard body rest against her back. Immediately she relax leaning her head back feeling Din's stubble against the side of her head.

"Did it take you that long to put the kid to sleep?"

She shook her head,"I was having a moment with him." She whispered sadly that it caught his attention.

" You okay?"

She turned in his arms placing her hands on his chest feeling no beskar armor," I don't know what it was, but I felt something on that base."

" Like what?"

" I don't know." She repeated because she truly didn't." Like I felt a presence, but it wasn't a good one. I don't know if it's just me, but sometimes I sense the child's presence like when he wakes up or when he's hungry. The one at the base...it felt bad. What are we going to do? It could be forever before we find a Jedi and he's in more danger almost every day."

" We'll find a Jedi and we'll save him."

" What are we going to do about Gideon?" She asked, a question that was eating her on the inside.

" Stay off his radar."

She laughed sarcastically," That's harder said than done."

" He's not a threat."

" Not a threat?" Nadia questioned bewildered that he had said it." Din, he shot an explosive and almost killed you. He's a big threat-"

" I was trying to calm you down. I realize that I did the opposite." He admitted shaking his head at his foolishness.

She took a deep breath," What if Gideon does find us? What if we can't run forever?"

" Then we fight together."

" And your okay with that?" She asked looking up to where she could guess his face was.

" Are you?"

She answered in a heartbeat," Of course." She said, confidence in her voice." I just didn't know if that's where you want to end up."

" Where you go, I go." He promised leaning down to capture her lip in a tender kiss.

It didn't take long for sleep to catch up to up to the Crest. The adrenaline and exhaustion creeping up on them once they were safe in their hull, but it wasn't a peaceful sleep for Nadia. She was back on Navarro. The small town was back to its original state with troopers surrounding them. The buildings surrounding her were on fire, but more importantly, Moff Gideon stood in front of her dangling the child by his tunic in one hand and a blaster to a beaten Mandalorian next to him. Din crotched over in pain, blood seeping through his woven garment while his beskar was stained the same way.

" Please!" She cried out in desperation." Please don't! You've hurt him enough!"

"You should be more worried about what I will do to him than what I already have done," Gideon stepped closer to Din, giving him a swift kick to the ribs that caused a horrible crunching sound reverberated through the air.

" Ah!"

"Stop! Don't hurt him!"  She shouted tears flowed past her cheeks. 

Gideon just smiled ruefully at her before turning to the masked man, "Did you hear that, Mando? Your girl is begging me to not hurt you. Should I listen to her?"

"Nadia, run..." Din begged barely having the strength to do so.

She shook her head," I'm not leaving you."

 "Maybe she'd prefer if I hurt your child?" Gideon taunted grabbed the child by the back of his sack and gave him a shake. 

"Hurt me instead!" Nadia screamed when hearing the child's cries." Just hurt me...n-not him."

 "Why would I hurt you— physically, at least— when I can hurt my most hated adversary?" Gideon laughed moving his blaster from Din's head to his chest where he had no armor to protect him." I told you once you can't run. There is no where in the galaxy I wouldn't find you and for running...."

He pulled the trigger causing the Mandalorian to scream out loudly as a hole was burned into his chest sending him to the ground limp. Nadia let out a blood curled scream falling to her knees as his blood poured out of his body down the dirt until it reached her hands in sticky warmness.

" Din!"

Nadia woke up in a cold sweat, her heart pounding so hard that she couldn't hear anything. She desperately tried to school her labored breathing, but in her shaken state , her efforts weren't in the right place. Two warm hands are on her shoulders then, the touch light and cautious so as not to startle her. She knew it was Din and the minute she felt him, she let out a soft cry as, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest and tucking her head under his chin. The kicking in her sleep and her gasp for air was enough to wake him from his own slumber worry about her.

"Shh. Come here. It's just a nightmare,"he murmurs running his hands through her hair.

It takes some time for her to come down from the panic induced by the nightmare, but slowly the sound of Din's voice becomes clearer and stronger. Nadia buried her face in his shoulder. His voice rumbles low in his chest as he speaks to her, and she could find it easier to focus on that than the words he's saying. Din can feel her muscles relaxing as he holds her, the tension slowly pooling out of them and allowing her to be calm again. Her heartbeat, once wild against his chest, has steadied and softened breathing easier again.

But his worry stays.

"Talk to me," He quietly encouraged.

"It's nothing-"

" Nadia," He pushed. "It's not nothing if it's enough to wake you up in a cold sweat."

A whimper leaves her lips at the memories. The soft pad of his thumb wiped away tears that she didn't even know she'd shed. Her heart breaks at the strain in his voice, something that he can't hide as easily without the helmet on.

"What can I do?" Din begged, his hand coming up to cup her cheek.

A sigh escapes her lips, "You're doing everything for me already, Din." She softly replied grabbing a hand fist of his shirt." Just hold me."

" What was it about?" He whispered into her hair.

The tears welled up in her eyes instantly," Nevarro." She cried failing in her attempt to not worry him." Moff Gideon...I couldn't...I couldn't save you."

He lowers his forehead to hers, noses barely brushing against each other. "I'm sorry I can't fix this," He apologizes knowing the events on Nevarro long ago would never leave her.

She sniffled while shaking her head,"Don't apologize for something that isn't your fault,"

"I should be able to help you but I–"

She pressed her lips to his, cutting him off before he can continue with his self deprecation.Din kissed back instantly placing a soft hand on her cheek kissing with passion and ending with his forehead leaning against her own.

"I'm not going anywhere Nadia," He breathed, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek, "I'm right here."

And she believes every word he spoke and looked up kissing his lips. He kissed back instantly, passionate with every second. When they broke apart, he moved his lips to her forehead pressing another small kiss shifting with her still in his arms. He leaning back against the wall of the ship and closing his eyes. 

" There's no where else in the galaxy I rather be."

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Christmas Reruns 2023 Day 5: A Pirate's Christmas Carol (2/2)

Merry Christmas if you celebrate it and happy holidays if you don’t!  One of the things I love about Christmas is watching reruns of all the old classic Christmas movies–Christmas is a big time for nostalgia.  A few years ago, I decided to incorporate that tradition into my fandom life and post my CS holiday reruns.  So here you go!  Enough holiday (mostly) fluff to get you to New Year’s Day. (With a new story posting on Christmas Day.)

Rating: G

Word Count: 2724

Other chapters: 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Notes: This is the conclusion of my 2016 fic A Pirate’s Christmas carol.  At the time it was written, it was a future fic, but now that canon has disproved it, it’s more of an “alternate” fic.

Killian woke with a start, heart pounding, utterly disoriented, realizing he wasn’t in his bed with Swan curled up at his side.  After a moment, it all came back to him…his fears and insecurities about upcoming fatherhood, coming to sit before the tree and the fire so his restlessness wouldn’t wake his sleeping wife, Liam, the journey to the past.

Had it really happened?

Surely not.  Likely his sleep addled brain had conjured an elaborate dream, seeking relief from the anxiety.

The thought was sad, somehow.  How he would have loved to spend another hour in Liam’s presence, even if his brother was naught but a ghost.

Deciding it would be best to return to bed, Killian got to his feet.  It was then that he noticed the other presence in the room.

Henry stood still and silent in the corner near the Christmas tree.  He stared, unblinking, merely taking Killian in.  It was unnerving as hell.

“Henry, lad,” Killian said slowly.  “I didn’t see you there.  Did you…did you need something?”

The lad shook his head slowly, and then finally spoke.  “It wasn’t a dream, Killian.  You know that, don’t you?  It truly happened.”

Killian took an involuntary step backward.  There was something eerie about this conversation.

“Uncle Liam, I mean,” Henry continued.  “He came to help you overcome your fears, and so have I.”

“But…I was under the belief it would be ghosts visiting me lad.”

Henry nodded.  “Indeed.  Henry lies sleeping peacefully in his bed.  I’m but a shade of your stepson.  Think of me as the Ghost of Christmas Present.”

That…made about as much sense as anything else had on this confusing night.  Perhaps Swan had been speaking literally and not merely in a figure of speech when she called Christmas Eve night a magical time.

“And have you come to show me vignettes from my present?”

Henry nodded and then smiled brightly.  “Absolutely.”

“Well then, lad, lead on.”

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

Killian first found himself standing near the window in his own bedchamber.  Bright rays of sun burst through the gossamer thin curtains and came to fall on the bed.  Emma slept on her side, a peaceful smile on her face.  Killian lay behind her, holding her to him.

As the sun continued to pour in, the Killian in the bed woke slowly and stretched.  Sitting up, he ran his hand through his hair, and then smiled down at his still sleeping wife.  A glint of mischief came into his eyes, and he leaned down, brushed her hair back from her face and began to kiss the spot on her neck he knew she particularly liked.

Standing by the window, Killian felt his face flame.  “Henry, lad.  Are you sure you wish to be privy to this?  It appears we’ve wandered into a scene not fit for a son’s eyes.”

“Relax, Killian,” Henry said with a good-natured roll of his eyes.  “You really think I would have brought you to a moment that would leave me wanting to bleach my eyes?  Yeah, I don’t think so.  Just watch.”

Killian shot him one last skeptical look, and then turned his attention back to the bed.

Emma squirmed, and then turned onto her back, eyes opening, smile firmly draped over her face.  Without a word, she reached up behind his head and brought his lips down for a long, slow kiss.  When it came to an end, Killian caressed her face, joy radiating from him like the rays of the sun.

“That was quite the way to wake up,” she said.  “Looks like someone’s in a good mood.”

“Aye,” Killian said.  “And while I’d greatly love to continue on to activities that would ensure both of us were in an even better mood, I fear your lad will be knocking soon, eager to open the gifts we left for him last night.”

“You’re probably right,” Emma said, awkwardly moving to a sitting position, her protruding belly making the movement far more difficult than it would have been otherwise.

Killian reached over and rubbed Emma’s belly, then leaned down so he could better greet his little one.

“Good morning my lad,” he said.  “I love you, and I can’t wait for the moment I may greet you properly.”

Hand still placed on Emma’s stomach, Killian jumped slightly, feeling a little foot kick him.

Emma chuckled.  “Looks like someone’s excited to hear his daddy’s voice.”

“Truly?” Killian asked, face a bit wistful.  “You think he recognizes me.”

She laughed again.  “Killian he kicks and squirms and does somersaults every time you’re around.  I think your son loves you already.”

Killian leaned down to kiss Emma’s belly, right over the spot the babe had kicked.  “I hope you’re right.  I’d never known it was possible to love someone this much—and he hasn’t even greeted the outside world.”

Emma pulled him up until she could kiss him once more.  “You’re going to be an amazing father, Killian.  You know that?”

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

The scene blurred, and Killian rubbed his eyes.  When he opened them again, he and Henry stood near the Christmas tree in their home.

“The first Christmas with the whole family at the new house,” Henry explained as Killian looked around at the Charmings, Regina and Robin (who had made a miraculous return from the dead), Roland, little Robyn and even Zelena.  (Emma had expressed reservations at inviting the greener of the two Mills sisters, but Snow had insisted, stating that if they wanted Zelena to continue on her hero path, they had to give her a chance to prove herself.)

Killian saw Emma making some last minute preparations in the kitchen, assisted by her mother, and Henry sat near the fire playing with his young step-brother and entertaining his even younger uncle…but Killian didn’t see himself in the happy family tableaux.

“Where am I, lad?” Killian asked, feeling a sense of loss at the idea that he was missing Christmas afternoon with his family.

“Don’t worry, Killian,” Henry said.  “You just went to the Jolly to check on her after last night’s snowstorm.  Oh look!  There you are now.”

Accordingly, just as the lad indicated, the front door opened, and Killian came barreling in, quickly closing the door to the winter cold.  He removed his coat and then turned to kiss Emma.

“Hey Killian,” vision Henry said, getting up and going to his step-dad.

“Merry Christmas again, lad.”

“Is the Jolly weathering the winter well?”

“She’s right as rain, my boy,” Killian said. “Nothing so prosaic as a snowstorm can disturb her.  She’s truly a marvel.”

“Cool!”  Henry said.  He continued to smile for a moment, and then suddenly began shuffling from foot to foot. 

“Is something troubling you, mate?” Killian asked, brow furrowed.

Henry averted his eyes.  “No.  Nothing’s wrong,” he said.  “I just…I was hoping I could talk to you.  You know somewhere where everyone isn’t watching.”

“Of course.  You are aware you can always talk to me about anything on your mind, are you not?”

“Yeah, I know,” Henry said.

The two stepped through the door to what used to be the creepy Dark One cellar—now turned into a comfortable man-cave, as Emma called it.  The visitor Killian and his guide Henry followed their other selves; somehow Killian knew this conversation was precisely what guide Henry wished him to see.

“Now, what’s this about, lad?” Killian asked as soon as they were assured their privacy.

“It’s just…” Henry began awkwardly.  He turned away, reached into a satchel Killian hadn’t realized he’d been wearing.  After a moment of shuffling, he pulled out several pages.

“A new story for your storybook, lad?”

“Yeah,” Henry said.  “Well…more for your storybook.  Yours and moms.  I’m gonna give you guys the start of the book for Christmas, but…I don’t know…I wanted to give you this story separately.”

Killian took the pages and looked over them.  “Our story,” he breathed softly.  “You wrote of the difficult times we’ve just overcome—from your mother becoming a Dark One, to her confrontation with the hooded figure.”

“Yeah,” Henry confirmed.

“But why did you feel the need to pull this story out in particular, and why did you wish to give it to me privately?”

Henry looked anywhere but at Killian, his shuffling and squirming beginning again in earnest.  “It’s just…I wanted to say thank you.  I mean, these last few months have been really, really hard, and you’ve always been there for me, even when you were scared for mom too.  So, yeah.  Just…thanks for being the best step-dad out there.”

Killian felt the familiar rushing sensation, and the next thing he knew he was back in his living room in the middle of the night.

Killian felt a suspicious lump in his throat as he watched the scene play out.  “Do you really think that way about me, Henry?” he asked in a small voice.

“Of course!” Henry said with a smile.  “And that’s why you have nothing to worry about.  All you have to do to be a great dad is to love your children, and you do.  You really do.  My little brother is going to be a lucky kid.”

“I hope you’re right, mate,” Killian said, allowing hope to fill his heart and almost—not quite but almost—push away the fear.

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

When Killian woke the next time, he looked around eagerly, wondering which familiar face had shown up to guide him this time.

He found himself peering into the face of a stranger.  He was tall and handsome with straight, black hair and familiar green eyes.  Killian was quite sure he’d never met the man before, but there was a definite air of familiarity about him.

“Would you happen to be the Ghost of Christmas future?” Killian asked carefully.

“That I am,” the man said.  “I’m here to show you a Christmas from your future.”

“Pardon mate,” Killian said, “but who might you be?”

The man smiled, a secret smile that Killian couldn’t quite understand.  “For the moment, you can simply call me Charles.”

“Very well, Charles,” Killian said, feeling somehow both eager and hesitant to see the future visions this man had to show him.  “Lead on.”

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

The first thing Killian noticed when the room stopped spinning was himself and Emma sitting on the couch before the fire.  Many years had clearly passed as both of them were quite elderly, sporting snow-white hair and skin significantly wrinkled.

“She’s still beautiful, isn’t she?” Charles asked, following Killian’s gaze.

Killian let out a long, slow breath.  “My Emma is gorgeous, and she no doubt will be until the day she dies.”

Charles rolled his eyes good-naturedly.  “The two of you have always been so romantic and in love it’s almost disgusting.”

“You’ve known us long?” Killian asked, curious about the identity of this guide.

“All my life,” came the cryptic reply.

“In what capacity?”

Charles shushed him, pointing toward the front door of the Swan-Jones home. 

After a quick knock, the door was opened and a woman entered; a woman Killian didn’t recognize—but he didn’t need an introduction.  The lass was the spitting image of Swan at the time he met her.  This must be…couldn’t be anyone else but…their daughter.

Killian felt the tears come to his eye as his lovely daughter rushed forward and hugged first Emma and then him.

“Eva!” Emma said.  “You’re here!  You actually made it!”

“Surprise!” she said. 

“What happened, love?” Older Killian asked, joy suffusing every inch of his face.  “You told us you were required to work over the holiday.”

“I couldn’t do it, Papa!” she said.  “I know how much Christmas means to you.  To both of you.  I rearranged my schedule and took the first flight I could get into Storybrooke.  I couldn’t stand to be anywhere but at home for Christmas.”

Older Killian hugged his daughter once more, a single tear tracing its way down his wizened cheek.  “You couldn’t have given me a greater gift, little love.”

The living room blurred, and when it came back into focus, Killian noticed that the evening had turned to night and Eva was joined by a whole houseful of new—and familiar—faces.  Killian noticed a middle-aged Henry, seated next to a similarly aged Violet.  Several children played, running and chasing each other in the far corner of the room.

Killian continued to scan the scene, smiling as Eva and Emma sat talking and laughing together.  He saw himself with a tiny boy on his lap…and sitting next to them was none other than Charles.

“Papa!” the tiny boy said, turning toward Charles, “Grandpa told me a story!  An exciting one about when he was a pirate!”

“Did he now, Liam?” Charles said, ruffling the boy’s hair.  “Grandpa has all kinds of exciting tales to tell.”

“I know!” Liam said.  “He said he’d tell me the one about the beanstalk and the giant and his first ‘venture with Grandma.  He’s the best Grandpa ever, isn’t he, papa?”

Charles put a hand on older Killian’s shoulder.  “That he is, Liam.  My dad is the best father and grandfather I know.”

Killian gasped, turning to look at his guide with new eyes.  “You’re…you’re my son?”

Charles grinned.  “The very same.  You haven’t officially met me yet, but I’ll be born in just over a month.”

The emotions rose up and nearly overwhelmed Killian.  This man, this happy, well-adjusted man with a loving wife and a beautiful son was the first child born of his and Emma’s love.  “So…I didn’t fail you, lad?”

“Look around you, Papa,” Charles said, gesturing at the happy, if slightly chaotic, sight around him.  “Look at the family you and Mama built.  This is hardly failure.  This is just about the greatest example of success I could imagine.  I wouldn’t have traded my life with you and Mama for anything in any of the realms.”

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

“Killian?”  He woke slowly, feeling a gentle shaking of his shoulder.  “Killian, are you alright?”

Swan.

He smiled, reaching for her and pulling her in for a quick kiss.  “Aye, love.  I’m quite fine.”

Killian looked around, noticing the first soft rays of the sun beginning to peek through the front windows.  “What day is it, Swan?”

She gave him a strange look.  “Um…well it was Christmas Eve when we went to bed last night, so that makes today Christmas.  That’s how these things work.”

“So they did it all in one night,” he muttered to himself, thinking of his three ghostly visitors and all the many places—and times—he’d seen.

“What?” Emma asked.  “Killian, are you sure everything is okay?  I woke up and you were gone, and your side of the bed was cold.  It’s not like you to leave our bed in the middle of the night.”

Killian smiled tenderly at her, caressed her cheek and pulled her in for another long, slow kiss, his hand caressing her belly.  When the kiss came to an end, he pulled away only far enough to press his forehead to hers.  “I was afraid,” he admitted.

Emma started and pulled away.  “Afraid?  Of what?  Don’t tell me we have a new villain in town!  It’s Christmas!  Can’t they at least wait until after the holiday to make our lives hell?”

Killian chuckled.  “Calm yourself, love.  Nothing like that.”  He rubbed her belly once again.  “We’ve only a month yet before this little one comes, love, and I suppose I feared my ability to be the father our son deserves.”

“Killian…” she said gently, but he stopped her with a raised hand.

“Don’t worry love,” he said.  “Last night my fears were put to rest, thanks to some very persuasive guests.”

“Well this sounds like it will be quite the story.”

“Indeed,” he admitted, getting to his feet, “suppose I tell you the entirety of it as I make you a Christmas breakfast?”

NEXT CHAPTER-->

[heartlessfujoshi]

flufftober day 30 - promnis 'no stakes'

Title: No Stakes Chapter: 6 of 6 Fandom: FFXV Pairing: Promnis (Prompto Argentum x Ignis Scientia) Rating: Teen (Subtle Flirting - Fluff - Ep Ignis V2 - Minor Angst - First Kisses - Feelings Realization) WordCount: ~2,240 Prompt: Self-care/love

Read: Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5

---

The return to Insomnia had been a long journey, one that Ignis hoped that he would never have to repeat in his lifetime. It took Noctis ten years to return to them, ready to end the fight with Ardyn, which they had done together as a group, as they had all had issues with the first Caelum. That had been close to six months ago, and now they were in the process of getting Insomnia back to its former glory. 

“Your Majesty - you have a meeting today with one of the senators from Lestallum.” Ignis reminded Noctis, who was sitting on his throne, looking a little bored. He wished he could feel the same, but with everything happening, he felt he had little time to himself. 

“Right.” Noctis stretched, then sat up on his throne. “What time was that at?” 

“In thirty minutes.” 

He returned to his bad posture, and exhaled a long sigh. “Good. Can I be left alone until then, Ignis?” 

“Very well.” 

Ignis decided that sometimes it was best to let the King do what he was going to do, rather than try and corral him into doing something that should be done. Whatever it was, it could wait. Ignis looked at his watch, and saw that if he timed it right, he might be able to sneak in a quick visit with his better half. He tucked his tablet under his arm, and left the throne room, leaving Noctis to reflect in silence until he needed to meet with the senator. 

The elevator came quickly, allowing him to get to his destination much faster than he anticipated. Checking his watch one more time, the elevator opened onto the floor where most meetings were being held by the newly established committees to help get Insomnia back into shape. A door opened as he stepped off the elevator, quite a few individuals making their way out as a meeting had just come to an end. 

“Scientia.” He looked up and saw Cor was walking towards him. “What brings you up here at this time?” 

He was about to answer the Marshal when he saw a familiar shade of blond hair come up behind him. “Iggy!” Prompto greeted him, coming over to him with a quickened step. Ignis smiled as his lover approached, looking as handsome as ever in his Crownsguard uniform. “What are you doing up here??” 

“I thought I would come and say hello.” He looked at Cor, who nodded his head towards him and began to walk away, leaving him alone with Prompto. With Cor now gone, he leaned forward and gave his lover a proper kiss on the lips. “How was your meeting, darling?” 

“It was okay.” Prompto sighed, shaking his head. “There’s so much that needs to be done, and I don’t know how we’re going to do it all.” 

“Remember, there is no rush.” Ignis linked his arm with Prompto’s, walking him back to where Prompto’s office was. He’d been up here enough times as of late, as it seemed this was the only time he was able to spend with his lover. He was with the King until late in the evening most nights, and by the time he returned to his apartment with Prompto, his lover was asleep. He could never fault him for that - they both were living such different lives, especially now that Noctis was back with them. Most weekends were taken by the King, as there was no real time off when it came to running the country. It was both a blessing, and a curse. 

They entered Prompto’s office, the room a controlled mess of papers and books. Prompto had dove head first into the rebuilding project, saying he wanted to make sure that Insomnia was safe for everyone. Ignis knew that there was still a part of Prompto that felt like an outsider, and no matter what he said to him, it hadn’t changed over the last ten years. It wasn’t a constant argument, but it did happen every few months or so, when Prompto would become really down for no apparent reason - he would stare at the barcode on his wrist, and sigh a lot. Ignis knew in those moments, his lover needed to be alone, but also made sure that the blond knew that he was there if he wanted to talk. Prompto never did, though. 

“I know, but I’m pretty sure all the refugees would like to come back home.” Prompto sat down at his desk with a grunt. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this job, Iggy. This is too much responsibility.”

“You are doing great.” Ignis was also prepared for this conversation, as his lover tended to flip flop on his new position every other week. “The progress you’ve already made has been a vast improvement. Everyone here knows that you’re the reason why we have certain amenities again.” 

Prompto began to blush, shaking his head to cover it up from him. “It’s really nothing, Iggy. I’m doing what I can so that our lives can go back to how they were.” 

“Darling, we both know that that will never happen. No amount of fixing this city will bring back the tranquility we experienced before leaving on our road trip.” Ignis walked over to Prompto’s desk, and offered him his hand. Pulling him up, he put his arms around Prompto’s body, and gave him a long hug. “I wish that we could go back, but the only way we can go is forward.” 

“Forward is bullshit.” Prompto dropped his head against Ignis’ shoulder. “I’m tired of forward.” 

“We all are.” 

Neither of them spoke, choosing to hold each other as they both thought about that word. Forward meant that there was no going back, no matter how hard they tried. Ignis wasn’t really interested in returning to that time, as he wouldn’t be where he was right now with Prompto if it was that way. They would still be strangers to one another - perhaps acquaintances on the surface, but really, they had been strangers. Ignis was happy where they were now - two persons who shared an unspeakable amount of love. 

“Will you be home early tonight?” Prompto broke the silence as he slowly pulled away from Ignis. 

“I’m not sure.” Ignis couldn’t promise anything. His day to day work with Noctis was ever changing. 

“Will I ever be good enough for you, so that you would come home when I want you to?” 

Ignis felt his stomach clench as Prompto asked him that question. “Prompto, you know that that isn’t what this is about.” 

“It feels like it is.” Prompto sat back down at his desk, his eyes now going to the bracelet that continued to hide his true identity from the rest of the world. “It feels like since Noctis came back, that’s where you are. With him.” 

He knew that this was a dangerous conversation to be having, especially since he had to return to the throne room in ten minutes’ time. Instead of freaking out on him, he came closer to where Prompto was sitting. “You know that my job as the King’s Strategist means that I am to be by his side.” 

“I know.” It was said in a quiet voice, but Ignis could still hear him. “I’m sorry, Iggy. It’s just….it’s really hard for me. I miss you.” 

“I miss you too, darling.” He reached for his hands, and brought them to his chest, holding them against him. “I know that things changed drastically upon Noctis’ return. I’m trying to find a way so that I can spend more time with you. I’m so sorry that these moments seem to be our only reprieve as of late.” 

Prompto clung to his hands, holding them tight. “I know, Iggy. I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I’m like this. But you and I - we spent a lot of time together when the world was dark. Ten years that I took for granted, because you were always there for me. And now - now you’re with the King, and I know - I know that’s where you would have been had Noctis still been here. I’m not an idiot. I….I miss you. I miss us. And I’m sorry that I feel like I’m not good enough, because that’s how I’ve felt my entire life.” 

“Oh, Prompto” He pulled him back up, and flung his arms around him, hugging him against his chest. “My sweet Prompto.” Murmuring low into his ear, he felt Prompto tremble in his arms. “We must work on that self-esteem of yours. You are more than good enough, darling. You are my everything, and there isn’t anywhere I’d rather be than when I’m with you.” Ignis kept his arms around him. “I love you, and no one will ever change that.” 

“P-Promise?” 

“I can.” Ignis nodded, then sought Prompto’s lips with his own, giving him a kiss that he poured all of his feelings into. “You deserve to have a proper lover, and I’m sorry that my duty to the King is preventing that from being a reality. But I will try, Prompto. I will try to be there when you need me most, all right?” 

“Iggy…” 

The tears began to fall as he hugged Prompto tight. They were all on edge, and it was bound to happen. He knew that this wouldn’t be the only time either, and that was fine. He would always be there to comfort Prompto, and would profess his undying love to him day after day.  It was what Prompto deserved. What they both deserved. 

He shared a few more quick kisses with Prompo, then pulled himself away as he was due back down in the throne room. He approached Noctis, who was looking as bored as he had been before he’d left him alone. Ignis cleared his throat, bringing the King’s attention to him. “Your Majesty - are you ready to receive our next visitor?” 

“Yes, Ignis. I believe that I am.” 

Somehow the senator only wished to spend a few hours with the King, and there hadn’t been anything scheduled afterwards. Ignis was only a little bit surprised when Gladio entered the throne room, having just finished teaching a new group of recruits for the Kingsglaive. The way that Noctis perked up as soon as his Shield entered the room, Ignis began to wonder why those two were bothering to keep their feelings a secret from the rest of the world. 

Gladio had stayed away from both him and Prompto during the time that Noctis had been in the Crystal, stating that it would be easier this way. Ignis had agreed, but made sure that Gladio returned to where he and Prompto had set up base to help those less fortunate in the world every few weeks, so it wasn’t total isolation for him. But with Noctis’ return - Gladio had perked right up, and had dived into work with a gusto that had surprised Ignis. Now he knew why. 

“Your Majesty.” Gladio greeted them. “Would you like an escort home?” 

“You know that I would.” Noctis jumped off the throne, and used his warp-strike ability to be by Gladio’s side in less than a second. “Ignis - go home to Prompto.” 

“Is that an order, Your Majesty?” He asked, his eyebrow raised up in question. 

“It is. And take tomorrow off. Both of you. I know my best friend misses you.” Noctis grabbed onto Gladio’s arm, who only had eyes for the King. “That’s a direct order from your King.” 

Bowing his head, he brought his left arm across his chest and bowed to him. “Yes, Your Majesty.” 

He waited for the two to leave, and then took his own leave. He headed to his shared apartment with Prompto, and once he walked inside, he saw Prompto was in the kitchen cooking dinner. Seeing him turn around with a shocked look on his face made his surprise worth it. “Iggy??” 

“Yes, darling.” He walked across the room, and waited for Prompto to approach him. Soon, they were hugging each other with the same eagerness that they had earlier in the day. “I’m home.” 

“You’re home!” 

“And, it looks like we both have tomorrow off, courtesy of His Majesty.” 

Prompto laughed, and wrapped his arms around Ignis’ neck. “Really? Noct is giving us the day off?” 

“He said that he knows how much his best friend misses me.” He brought his forehead to Prompto’s, and took a deep breath. “I love you, Prompto. I never want you to think that you’re not good enough for me, or for any of this, okay? You deserve it all. My love. The responsibility. You are perfect for both jobs.” 

“I wouldn’t call loving you a job, Iggy.” A giddy laugh left his lover’s mouth. 

“Wait for another ten years, darling. You’ll see what a chore it will be.” He caught his lips with a searing kiss, and then returned his forehead to his. 

“I’m looking forward to it.” 

He looked into Prompto’s eyes, and could feel all the love in the world pouring out of them. A large smile came to his lips, as he knew that Prompto would be his until the end of time, and that made him the happiest man on Eos. He kissed him again, then pulled him into another tight hug. “As am I, darling. As am I.” 

---

Cross-posted to AO3

[ramusfurniture12]

A Day of Escape and Inspiration: From Bangalore to Isha

Rise and Shine: Time for a Break

Feeling like your life is stuck on repeat? You wake up, drag yourself to work, and end the day with more stress than you started. But today is different. You decide it’s time for a change. You pack a bag, leave the office behind, and set off for the Isha Foundation in Chikkaballapur. This isn’t just another day; it’s your chance to escape the routine and immerse yourself in a day of peace and self-discovery.

Chapter 1: A Journey to Calm

As you head towards the Isha Foundation in Chikkaballapur, the noise and rush of the city begin to fade away. The road stretches ahead, surrounded by green fields and trees that seem to invite you to relax and let go of your worries. The drive itself is calming, a gentle reminder to leave behind the stress of daily life.

https://ramus.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-16-at-6.26.48-PM.jpeg

Chapter 2: Finding Peace at Isha

When you arrive at the Isha Foundation, you’re immediately surrounded by a sense of calm. The noise and rush of daily life fade away as you step into this peaceful haven.

You join a yoga session that gently resets your mind. The meditative spots are perfect for deep breaths and finding your center. Whether stretching or simply soaking in the peaceful atmosphere, Isha helps you reconnect with yourself and appreciate the simple joys of relaxation.

And now, you’re ready for the next ultimate comfort exploration—just a short drive from Isha to our Ramus Furniture 👈✨

Chapter 3: Discover Your Style at Ramus

As you say goodbye to the calm of Isha, your adventure continues. Stepping into Ramus Furniture with our 30 years of legacy in the furniture and interior design industry feels like entering a space where comfort and style come together perfectly. As a leading furniture manufacturers and interior design experts, our showroom welcomes you with cozy sofas, tables, chairs perfect for luxury and relaxing and dining tables made for memorable meals. Each piece is designed to reflect your unique taste, making your home truly yours.

You might think, “How did I live without this comfy sofa?” or “This dining table is perfect for family dinners!’’

Our team greets you with a smile and a cup of coffee (because who doesn’t love a good cup of coffee?). They’re ready to help you explore our collection, from plush sofas to stylish dining tables, and everything in between. Whether you’re browsing or buying, it’s all about making your space uniquely yours. And if you see something you like, don’t worry—purchase it right away or order it how you want.

After soaking in the tranquility of Isha and enjoying the comforts of Ramus, the next stop is all about turning your vision into reality. Imagine stepping into Ramus Furniture, where the journey doesn’t just end at choosing beautiful pieces—it continues with bringing your dream interiors to life. From designing cozy bedrooms to luxurious kitchens and resort interiors, we handle every aspect of your project with precision and care.

Our showroom isn’t just a place to browse; it’s where we start crafting your ideal space. For interior designers, architects, and companies looking for B2B interior job work, we offer comprehensive solutions that cater to your specific needs.

Chapter 4: Home Sweet Home

After a day of relaxation at Isha and exploration at Ramus Furniture, it’s time to head back home. You drive back, imagining how your refreshed and stylish home will look. Maybe you’ll even invite friends over for a housewarming party, or just enjoy your new space with a cup of tea by imagining your new home design with Ramu’s Furniture and Interiors.

Chapter 5: Reflect and Enjoy

Settling back into your routine, you realize the impact of a day well spent. The calm at Isha has recharged you, and the new furniture from Ramus has transformed your space into a haven of comfort. It feels like hitting the refresh button on life.

Conclusion: Cheers to a Great Day

So, here’s to a day well spent: a little peace at Isha, a lot of inspiration at Ramus, and a refreshed outlook on life. We hope you enjoyed your journey as much as we enjoyed being a part of it. Here’s to a happy trip, a cozy home, and the blessings of Shiva from Isha Foundation.

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[dailyaudiobible]

11/26/2023 DAB Transcript

Daniel 2:24-3:30, 1 Peter 4:7-5:14, Psalm 119:81-96, Proverbs 28:15-16

Today is the 26th day of November, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here as we greet another brand-new, shiny, sparkly week. Take the next step forward. Today is China's birthday, our daughter. So, happy birthday China. And yeah, this is the last, we’re not to get out of this week without getting into a new month, and when we get there, we’re on the home stretch, the final month of the year. So, here we are, taking steps forward toward the end of our journey and the conclusion of the Scriptures for this year, but we got a ways to go. And there's a lot for us. So, this week we’ll read from the New International Version and picking up where we left off yesterday will lead us back into the book of Daniel. Daniel chapter 2 verse 24 through 3 verse 30 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word, we thank You for bringing us into this new week. We thank You that You will bring us into a new month and into new territory, new books in the Scriptures, as we navigate and continue through this week. We take to heart what we learned today from the words of the apostle Peter. Humble ourselves under Your mighty hand, that You may lift us up in due time. Cast all our anxieties on You, because You care for us, and stay alert and of sober mind. There is an enemy who is prowling around, trying to devour us, resist, standing firm in faith, because we know that we’re not alone. Our brothers and sisters are going through things all over the world, we take that to heart. We humble ourselves before You, and we wait for Your rescue, You are our only hope, and we love You with arms outstretched, hearts humbled. Come Holy Spirit, lead us into the truth we ask in the precious, capable, mighty name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hello Daily Audio Bible, this is Salt and Light. I’m asking for a miracle prayer request. My dear friend’s daughter, 24 hours ago, fell in her shower and was non-responsive. They rushed her to the hospital. And it’s been 24 hours of no brain activity, and they are keeping her alive on life support. I am asking for a miracle. A miracle. She was born in 1991, she’s 32. Dear Jesus, thank You.

Greetings to you my DAB family, this is Walking in the Light in Tennessee. Just calling to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving Celebration. If it’s something that you celebrate, I hope you have the grandest, greatest Thanksgiving ever. And if you don’t have a big family and a warm fire and a big turkey on the table and all the traditional things that you know, the culture makes us think is what Thanksgiving is all about, pause. And just thank God for health and strength, the family you do have, the friends that you do have. Even if your Thanksgiving consists of a bologna sandwich with chips, which I absolutely love. Even if that is your Thanksgiving, give thanks to God for it, because we owe it all to him. Just want to say to everyone that I need your prayers. I’m having some health issues now. Different things going on in my body. And I know that the God that I serve, knows all about it and I know that He is able to sustain me. Even in the midst of the health issues, I’m praying for all of you. Just asking that you would remember me. There used to be a song in the church that we would sing that says, oh Lord, remember me. And so, I know that the God that we serve will never forget who we are, according to the word, he has names written in the palms of His hands. And he knows all about us. So, I’m asking the DAB to remember me, Walking in Light in Tennessee. Please lift me up in prayer for health and for strength and for focus and direction. I love you all. I give praise and honor to God for what is, has become. One of my main daily lifelines. Walking in the Light in Tennessee, signing off for Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Hello, my DAB family, this is Jamie in New Jersey, Standing on the Word of God. I humbly ask you to please pray with me. Dear Father in heaven, on this Thanksgiving Day, we bow our hearts to You and pray. We give You thanks for all You’ve done, especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son. For beauty in nature, Your glory we see, for joy and health, friends and family. Thank You for Your goodness and Your blessings over our lives. Forgive us when we don’t thank You enough for who You are, for all that You do, for all that You’ve given. We ask that You encourage us to serve others who are in need. May we good stewards of Your creation and of all our talents and blessings. We proclaim glory and honor to You. This Thanksgiving, let those of us who have much and those who have little gather at the welcoming table of the Lord. At this blessed feast, may rich and poor alike, remember that we are called to serve one another and to walk together in Your gracious world. With thankful hearts, we praise You our God, who is like a loving parent and denies us no good thing. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for praying along with me, my brothers and sisters. I love each and every one of you. Have a good night.

Hi guys, this is your Eyes of a Dove. I’ve developed some uncomfortable sensation in my body and I’ve kind of ignored it, thinking it was just, I don’t know, nothing. And it got more intense last night. I went and saw a doctor. We discovered a portion of my body that the skin is black and blue and it’s in a very sensitive area. I’m being sent to an oncologist specialist to have it potentially biopsied and looked at. There’s nothing I can do right now, I’m very uncomfortable. I’m very fearful. Would you guys please pray. My mind just goes to the worst place. I don’t want to leave my children. This one is very scary because I can visibly see it. And it is blocking me and Billy in our marriage. Physically, we can’t overcome this, until we figure out what it is and how we can fix it. So, we need, we need prayers. I need prayers for peace because there’s nothing I can do. We’re going into a holiday weekend, and I have to wait for this oncologist specialist to call me back to schedule this very scary procedure to find out what the heck this is. I’m just praying that God would heal me right now, in the name of Jesus. Father, please heal my body. Amen. Thank you, guys, bye bye.

[rockislandadultreads]

Libby Spotlight: Gaming eMagazines

The Story of Pokemon

Welcome to the world of Pokémon! For over 25 years, this series has entertained leagues of aspiring Trainers. Inside this special celebratory bookazine, we’re going to take you on a journey from the very first generation of Pokémon, all the way to the eighth. On our quest, we’ll learn about how each era brought something new to the series, explore each and every Pokédex expansion and delve deep into the stories behind the videogames, television series and more. Whether you’re a Pokémon Professor or an aspiring Pokémon Master taking their first steps towards the Indigo Plateau, we’re confident that you’ll enjoy the ride. Your very own Pokémon legend is about to unfold. A world of dreams and adventures with Pokémon awaits. Let’s go!

The Ultimate Guide to Roblox

This ultimate guide will include inside tips and tricks for any level of Roblox payer, in addition to a guide no player should be without! There is so much to explore, it’s daunting to find the best experiences. That’s where this updated issue comes in! We break down the most popular games available and give tons of details to help you decide which to play. Inside you’ll learn about Welcome to Bloxburg, Work at a Pizza Place, Adopt Me, Jail Break, Piggy, Royale High, Meep City, and Nuke Town. We also look at 15 games gaining popularity right now. For players new to Roblox, we have a guide explaining the platform, and more advanced users will find tips on how to make money inside the gaming world. This is the ultimate guide to discovering everything you need to know about the gaming sensation.

Nintendo Archives

Nintendo is one of the most exciting publishers in gaming today, with a legacy that stretches back 127 years. Nowadays it’s best known for consoles such as the NES, N64 and GameCube, and classic franchises that include Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong and Metroid. This fantastic book looks at every one of its main systems, as well as its greatest games. No Nintendo fan should be without it.

Featuring:

Inside the NES - Masayuki Uemura reveals how he helped create Nintendo’s 8-bit masterpiece

30 Greatest Super Mario Moments - The amazing moments that defined Mario. How many do you remember?

Playing With Power - Everything you need to know about Nintendo’s 16-bit super console

Nintendo’s greatest games - The hits that defined the NES, Game Boy, SNES, N64 and Game Boy Advance

The Ultimate Guide to Fortnite

A new Season of Fortnite is always a cause for excitement, but Chapter 4, Season 2 is on a whole new level. The southern end of the Island has been completely transformed, with a brand-new Biome inspired by incredible real-life locations in Japan. Wander the dark streets of MEGA City, a futuristic cyberpunk metropolis, or admire the traditional architecture and stunning scenery in the surrounding regions—this is Fortnite like we’ve never seen it before! There are also some new game mechanics coming to spice up the fight, like Rail Grinding: You can explore the Island at lightning speed while keeping your hands free for combat. Take to the skies, ride the rails and get a bird’s-eye view of the landscape . The new Battle Pass is as exciting as ever, jam-packed with amazing items for you to collect. Along with seven new characters, alternate styles, accessories and more, there are extra quests to complete for bonus gifts—just start playing and rake in the rewards!

[space-helen]

Back To Vegas - Chapter 4

Words: 1948

Pairing: Nick Stokes x reader

A/N: Case is unfolding now!! I promise there’ll be more Nick and Reader moments in the next chapter

CH1     CH2      CH3     CH4    CH5   CH6   CH7   CH8

______________________

“Y/N?” You looked up from the evidence gathered at Hallie’s house that was out on the table.

“Greg?”

“New DB just came in. Want to join me?” he questioned stepping into the room. 

You looked at Grissom opposite you and he gestured towards Greg “Go. I’ll be ok with this. Catherine will be back in a second anyway.”

You stood and began to leave, Greg leading the way. “You wanna drive?”

“Uhh I think you should. I still don’t know Vegas that well.”

The man laughed “You’ll get to know it soon enough. I’m surprised Nick hasn’t taken you on a tour yet.” 

You got into the car with the man “Well we haven’t exactly had the time yet.”

“I was going to ask Nick if he wanted to come hiking soon and you’re more than welcome to join to.” The man started the engine.

“I’ll ask him later. Thank you”

“My pleasure. So Y/N tell me what sort of stuff are you into?”

The entire car ride was spent talking about your hobbies and getting to know the man, allowing him to talk about the history of Vegas and his friendship with Nick.

“I’m sorry I didn’t make too much of an effort to get to know you. Or come and see you and Nick. I was actually kind of nervous. I knew you were a big part of his life and I didn’t want to scare you away or something.”

“Don’t apologise or worry about it. It would have been nice to get to know you sooner, don't get me wrong. But you and Nick were always calling each other so I feel like I know you anyway.”

“Same to you. He spoke about you a lot, you know. Still does.”

You rolled your eyes “As much as I love the man can we move away from the relationship talk? I feel like I’ve been grilled and questioned by everyone about it.”

“Alright. No relationship talk.” The man pulled into the drive of a house. The police presence around the house was instantly noticeable.

“High profile?” 

The man shrugged “I don’t think so.”

The two of you got out of the vehicle and grabbed your kits, quickly moving towards the house.

“Why so many officers?” you questioned an older looking man by the front door.

“The body is fresh. Found by his kid. He was a professor and writer. The kid said he saw a woman leaving.”

You thanked the man and entered the house, Greg right behind you. The two of you saw a teenager in the corridor with a detective “Hi.” you greeted them.

“Sanders and?” the detective enquired.

“Y/L/N” you replied and stretched out your hand. 

He shook it “Wentz” The man turned to the teenager “This is Steff Nichols, Mr Nichols, the vic’s, son.” He turned to the man “Tell them what you saw.”

Steff fidgeted “I came home from tutoring early and shouted for my Dad. I knew he was in, he never leaves on a Thursday night. He has to be home to watch his favourite show. I didn’t hear a response so I looked for him and came to his room and found him on his bed grasping at his chest. I went to run for my bag and cell phone and saw that someone was running down our drive I didn’t chase her I called nine one one and went to try help him.” he was visibly upset.

“Don’t feel bad you did the right thing.” you re-assured “Have you given Detective Wentz a description of what she looked like?”

He nodded “The best I could.”

“Did you touch anything in the room?” Greg asked from beside you.

“No. My focus was on Dad and… he was gone by the time help got here.”

“Did they touch anything?” Greg asked.

“Nothing. Just the father” Wentz replied.

The two of you nodded. “Stay with the detective alright?” Greg told the kid as the two of you continued down the corridor to the room his father lay.

The room was large and the man lay on the floor next to his bed, far from the door. You took a picture as soon as you entered the room. You slowly approached the body and took more as Greg fell into step with you.

Something caught Gregs eye as he approached the opposite nightstand. “Y/N look” he pointed at a vial on the nightstand as he began to rush out of the room “I’ll ask if they left anything.”

You took a picture of the vial before placing your kit down and picking up the vial. Greg was back with you within seconds “They didn’t even take anything out of their packs. Anything they did was over by the body.”

You read the label and passed it to Greg who now had an open evidence bag. “Potassium.” He sealed the bag and read it through the plastic. 

“These cases are more intertwined than we thought.”

“Is it ok if I call Nick? He said that his vic looked like they OD’d but maybe it was something connected to this? Can you call David to check for puncture marks on Hallie?”

He nodded “You call Nick.” Greg brought his phone out of his pocket and walked to the otherside of the room to make his call. Slipping out your phone you quickly called Nick.

“Everything ok?” Nick’s voice was curious

“Yeah.” you pushed some stray hairs back “I’m with Greg with the new DB. We found a vial of potassium here. I know you said your case looked like a general overdose in a motel but be sure to check for Potassium in her bloodstream. We’ll explain more later.”

“Sure, sure. Ours vic had a pretty big concoction of drugs in her stream. We initially thought she was a long time user but she wasn’t at all. I’ll check again for potassium.”

“Thanks Nicky. I’m just finishing this scene and we’ll be back to properly fill you in”

“No problem Darlin’. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“See you in a bit. Love you.”

“I love you too.” 

With that you hung up the call and turned back around, Greg stood on the other side of the room with a smirk on his face and arms crossed around his chest. “Love you Nicky.” he teased.

You couldn’t help the smile that spread across your face “What? Are you jealous Greggo?”

“Don’t you dare.” he laughed “Let’s get back to the scene shall we?”

You composed yourself “Sure.”

The two of you collected the evidence efficiently and effectively and were soon walking back to the car. Bringing out your phone you checked your messages “Nick says there was potassium in his vic.”

“Right. David said he found puncture marks in Hallie too. This calls for a proper meeting.” Greg slid into the driver’s seat and brought out his phone. He began to frantically tap the screen before locking it and putting it away.

Just as he put it down your phone vibrated and you pulled it out.

“It’s only me.”

You read the text on the screen calling for a team meeting upon your return. 

“I’ll drop the evidence off ready to be properly processed then make my way over to the meeting.” you pulled your seatbelt across as he pulled away from the scene.

“Did Nick tell you about that time he left evidence in his car and-”

“Yeah.” you laughed “He gets pretty embarrassed about it.”

“I would too. It was a rough day.”

“When he told me the story I instantly got second hand embarrassment and it lives in my head rent free now. I’ll never leave evidence in a car.”

The journey was quick and you both leaped out the car. Greg chucked you his keys before rushing inside. You grabbed all of the evidence from the trunk and locked up before following Gregs footsteps inside. 

You quickly dropped off the evidence and hurried to the breakout room. Greg was straight ahead of you at the back centre of the room as you entered. Slipping inside you stood by the door next to Sara.

“I’ve called you here because it looks like all of our cases are linked. Each of them are all linked with a potassium overdose or elevated levels in their stream. Y/N and I just got back from a scene where an older man, a professor and writer was found having a heart attack by his son and he saw a woman fleeing the scene but stayed to help his dad.”

Greg paused and looked around the room before continuing. “We need to find the link between these cases. We’ll all be working together from now on. I want the teams to review all evidence from now on. Finish whatever you were doing and come join Y/N and I with your evidence.”

The group split up and you were soon falling into step with Greg. You spread the evidence out across the table and began to upload the crime scene photos before joining Greg back at the table.

Nick was the first to join you. He placed a box of evidence down on the table and stood beside you. Sara and Grissom were quick on his heels with more boxes. Nick’s hand settled on the small of your back as he leaned forward and used his free hand to sift through some evidence.

Sara got to work looking through all of the crime scene photos and Catherine was soon coming into the room with armfull’s of paperwork.

The team worked effortlessly together. Looking through evidence and moving around the room smoothly, lending knowledge effectively and researching as appropriate.

You pulled out the picture strip found on Hallie and looked over the faces with her in the booth. “This face is familiar.” you showed Greg next to you.

He took the strip from your hands “That’s Shana. The first vic. The teacher.” He held up the strip to the room “We’ve found out first link. Find out how they know each other.”

Catherine took the strip from Greg “On it.”

People began to leave the room, finding new clues and going to research them Greg had to excuse himself to take a call but he was soon returning.

“Sara, Y/N.”

“Yep.”

“New Dead body for you both. Could be connected.”

The two of you were soon leaving. “I never thought something like this would be my first case in Vegas.” you admitted to Sara.

“Vegas is different.” Sara laughed “It’s thrown us all straight into the deep end.”

“You can say that again.” 

The scene was a small nicely furnished home. It wasn’t high end but not low end either. The surrounding houses were full of families. The victim was Tessa Spencer, a woman in her 30s found dead in her living room by her brother. Sara and you processed the scene swiftly.

“Do you have any idea who could have done this? Did she have any enemies?” Sara questioned Tessa’s brother, Julian.

“A lot of people liked her. She was a really good person.”

“I know but you really need to think for us. Is there anyone who would want to see her hurt?”

He sighed. “I know she had a disagreement with our cousin last week. She mentioned it over the phone. The two have never really got on. She’s definitely spiralled over the years.”

“Would you say your cousin is capable of murder?”

“Yeah. Most definitely. They were on trial a couple of years ago”

“Who?”

“Hannah West”

Sara’s head snapped to Julian “I beg your pardon.”

Next Chapter

Tag List: (open)

CSI:

Nick Stokes: @wanniiieeee​  @pumpkinfriend

[angryschnauzer]

Last Night on the Plain

Summary; As an archeology student at the end of your first year of University, you spend the summer on a dig in the South of England. Throughout the whole dig you’ve lusted after the site-lead; a fresh out of his doctorate Dr Cavill, assigned to the dig to get some leadership experience. Will the last night you spend on Salisbury Plain be one to remember?

(This fic is a prequel to my multichapter story Superior Specimen it can be read alone but contains spoilers for that story) Links for Superior Specimen: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9

Pairing: Grad Student Henry Cavill x 19 year old Female Reader

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Mutual Pining, Professor/Student Relationship, Oral Sex, Blow Job, Fingering, Unprotected Sex. SPOILERS FOR Superior Specimen.

I do not operate a tag list, but if you follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications, you will get an alert every time i post a new fic.

Please check out my AO3 for masterlist.

Last Night on the Plain

 Sitting on the kerb outside Iceland, the little town of Warminster was quiet on a Saturday afternoon. The Land Rover would soon be coming through to pick you and your friends up, the dig site lead having driven a few of you into town to collect supplies for the last night of the six week long dig. 

 Six weeks of living in tents, running to the nearby stream to dive into the Watercress filled waters and wash, rinsing your underwear in a bucket and hanging over guy ropes of the tents and hoping the cows in the next field over don’t lean over the fence and eat them, six weeks of celebrating the end of your first year of University. 

 You loved Archaeology, having studied hard for your A-Levels at college, you got the grades to go to Southampton University to study it. The dig would contribute towards your yearly grade, teaming up with other uni’s from around England, the excavations on the far west of Salisbury Plain in the south of England, and the project was to uncover settlements from when the giant pillars of Stonehenge were moved from their starting point in Wales and anything from the trade routes over the following millennia. 

 Your friend nudged you in the ribs, nodding to the vehicle heading towards the three of you;

 “Hey hey, here comes Cav”

 “Dibs on shotgun” you blurted out, your friends groaning at your speed at calling the front seat.

 Standing, the three of you watched as the site lead pulled up to the kerb, his big smile at seeing you misfits waiting for him made your stomach do a little flip. He brought the Land Rover to a bumpy halt at the kerb, leaving the engine running as he got out and helped load the supplies into the back, reaching the front passenger door just in time to hold it open for you. You missed the way he looked at your ass as you climbed in, shutting the door after you.

 The ride back to the dig site was bumpy; 30-year-old Land Rovers weren’t known for their comfort, the lack of seatbelts in the vintage vehicle not helping as the country roads and tracks were littered with potholes. You were painfully aware of the way your breasts were bouncing around, having foregone bras within the first week of the dig. They pinched and prodded you as you bent over excavating for hours on end and became an unnecessary addition to have to bother keep washing by hand. 

 On one particularly vicious bump you were bounced across the narrow bench seat, grabbing at Cav’s leg before you ended up headbutting the steering wheel. He apologetically smiled at you;

 “Sorry…”

 “S’ok”

 You rode in silence for a while, the pair in the back deep in discussion about the merits of getting an upgrade from their Sony Ericsson’s to Blackberries. Finally your seatmate spoke;

 “So, pink, huh Punk?”

 You pulled at a strand of hair, holding it out from your head and grinned;

 “The Sun-In turned it orange. Orange isn’t my colour”

 “I left you in town for forty five minutes… how did you have time to dye your hair?” he said with a grin.

 “It’s Cherry flavour Panda Pop. We stood in the alley behind Ladbrokes and poured a bottle over my hair”

 He laughed, his toothy grin wide and genuine;

 “That explains the smell”

 “Hope you’re referring to the cherry and not the alley”

 His face paled and he stuttered, before you grinned and gave his thigh a squeeze;

 “I’m teasing”

 He smiled and turned his attention back to the road, concentrating on the journey now that the paved roads had finished and it was now dusty tracks across the farmland. You watched as he steered the vehicle, and you knew he was going to be your only regret of the summer. Dr Cavill, or Cav as everyone called him on site, fresh having finished his doctorate in Palaeontology, but desperately in need of some leadership skills and experience on how to run a site dig.  He was cute. Tall and fit, gorgeous blue eyes and high cheekbones, both of which were regularly hidden by his mop of soft chestnut brown hair. When he was deep in concentration he would nibble at his lip and it only made them plumper. 

 You were so in your little dream world that when he made the sharp right hand turn into the field the dig was in you lost your grip, your hand sliding from its spot on his thigh to in between his legs, your head low on his stomach;

 “Oh!”

 He slowed the Land Rover as you scrambled back to your seat, his cheeks flushed and pink.

 “Sorry…”

 -

 The campfire was down to its last embers, the sun almost fully set. It was the last night of the dig and you were all celebrating. The finds had been fantastic, everything catalogued and recorded, friendships hatched and grown, sunburn peeling away to reveal soft skin, leave-in bleach hair sprays and nights of passing around a three litre bottle of White Lightning - the cheapest by volume cider you could find. Cav had excused himself to his tent, not often joining the students for the latter parts of drinking, and the nights argument was whether or not it was too late to walk the three miles to the Red Lion pub in Heytesbury.

 “You guys go. I’m gonna take one last look at the north end trench, see if i can find my amethyst necklace I lost last week”

 “Punk, you’re drunk, it’s getting dark too!”

 “I’m not drunk, I’ve had a few sips of Cider, and I’ve got a head torch”

 “Fine, suit yourself”

 -

 Brushing through the sandy soil you were yet to find your necklace, but as the friction under the brush suddenly changed you looked closer, smiling when you saw what was revealed. 

 Minutes later you stood at his tent, calling out;

 “Cav? I’ve found something…”

 He appeared in the doorway, the camping lantern illuminating his tent as it sat on the table where he would write his notes and inspect finds;

 “Hey! What have you…” he saw the shards of pottery you were holding in your hands, his eyes going wide; “You found the last parts?”

 Nodding you smiled. Throughout the dig the team had discovered finds from multiple era’s, and one he’d found was the majority of shards from a Roman Pot, an urn that would have been used to carry Olive Oil all the way from the southernmost parts of the Roman Empire. You knew that it had been frustrating him that all his attempts to reassemble the urn had failed, the missing pieces seemingly integral to the structure.

 He pulled the tent flap to the side for you to enter, setting the pieces down onto the table before straddling the bench that sat beside it. Cav came over and grabbed the tray that held the other parts, a ball of blu-tack nestled in the corner;

 “This is amazing! It looks like all the missing pieces are here!” he turned to you, his eyes shining bright in the glow of the lamp; “I thought you all were going to the pub?”

 “I stayed… I wanted to have one last search for my necklace I lost last week”

 “Oh… did you find it?”

 “No. But this is so much better! C’mon, I wanna see if we can get this to fit together now!”

 His long legs meant he could step over the bench with ease, sitting down next to you and you watched as he started to push the pieces together, cradling them in his large handspan. Softening the blu-tack he pulled a little off and applied it to the edge of a piece, angling his arm at an awkward angle, cursing under his breath;

 “Could you…”

 “Sure” taking the piece from him he held the fragile urn in both hands as you bent over his arms and stuck it into place, moving onto the next piece, this time near his hand furthest from you. 

 Due to the angles you were struggling to see, before you spoke quietly;

 “Lean back a little”

 He did as you asked, extending his arms to full stretch as he held the artefact, letting out a squeak of surprise as you tucked yourself under one arm, shuffling to straddling his lap and sit;

 “Okay, now I can see what I’m doing…” you muttered as you pushed your ass back against him, the whole thing completely innocent, but you were unaware of the look of panic on his face, how he was afraid he was going to crack a tooth from gritting his jaw, willing his dick not to get hard.

 He was now rendered to simply holding the urn in place, he was unable to concentrate, however you had taken over the placement of the new pieces, slotting them into their gaps, the blu-tack holding them secure. As you slid the final piece in you sat back, resting your back against his chest, smoothing your hands over his as you both took in the piece of pottery that dated back two millennia;

 “It's stunning…” you muttered.

 He softly brushed his thumbs over the sides of your hands, and you felt the warm puff of breath on your neck as he spoke;

 “So are you…”

 You let out a breathy sigh, your back arching and you could feel he was hard, the bulge against your ass pressing incessantly against you. Resting your head against his shoulder you turned your head and his lips caught your own. The world stopped and you saw stars as those soft pink pillows caressed your lips, moaning into his mouth and he took the chance to slip his tongue against yours.

 Somehow the two of you managed to gently rest the delicate artefact back onto the tray in the midst of your fledgling passion, his hands intertwining with yours, fingers laced together as his tongue worked magic with your own.

 When you broke the kiss you were gasping for air, his mouth finding your neck as he kissed along your exposed shoulder and neck, his sharp teeth dragging against your skin and making you moan;

 “Oh… oh fuck… yes…”

 He stopped for a moment, his hands still entwined with yours but he wrapped his arms around your body;

 “Tell me to stop… tell me this is wrong, I’m your supervisor…”

 “It’s the last night… let’s give ourselves this night… Just promise not to fall in love with me…”

 “It may be too late for that already” he murmured against your skin, but you were lost in the haze of lust to comprehend his words.

 Your hands finally parted, his slipping beneath your strappy t-shirt, yours reaching back to curl into his hair as his tongue danced patterns over your neck again. You were writhing on his lap, lost in the moment when suddenly the bench tipped, the two of you falling back and landing on the ground. 

 You moved first, rolling off before turning and straddling him, leaning over to catch his lips with your own as you ground your clothed core against the bulge in his tented shorts;

 “I’ve wanted to feel you between my thighs for the last six weeks” you muttered against his earlobe, pressing kisses to his jawline as his hands found your ass and pulled you firmly down onto his body; “The amount of times I’ve gotten myself off in silence as I thought about sneaking into your tent…”

 He could only let out a guttural moan, and as your hands found the edge of his t-shirt you parted so you could strip him of it. 

 You sat back, pressing yourself down harder against his growing erection as you admired his smooth and pale chest, the tiniest crop of hairs right in the centre, delicate muscle definition but still slim and athletic. You watched his face as you trailed your fingers down the length of his long body, finally brushing against the thin trail of hairs that led from his navel into his shorts. You shifted back a little, unfastening the button on his Khaki shorts and unzipping him, reaching into his underwear and grasping his hot length before pulling him free of the cotton confinements. 

 Bending you took him into your mouth, sliding your tongue over his hot flesh as you swallowed around him, bobbing your head up and down. His hands found your head, pressing gently to tell you the speed he liked, a string of curses falling from his lips as you rapidly drove him to the brink of pleasure. It didn’t take long until he let out an ‘uh-oh’ and you slid a hand up his stomach, his own grasping at it as he started to cum in your mouth. You swallowed all that he gave you, his back arching as he thrust up into the warm comfort between your lips, before his body went limp. 

 Pulling off him his hands gripped at your arms, pulling you up his chest until you were laying on top of him;

 “You’ll need to give me a moment… then I’ll be right with you…”

 You grinned and pressed a kiss to his bite swollen lips before standing, and he pushing himself up to rest on his elbows, a look of panic on his face before you grinned at him;

 “Chill… just getting more comfy…”

 You pulled your top off and dropped it to the ground, unfastening your combat shorts and let them fall too, kicking off your flipflops before you were standing there in just your knickers, your thumbs hooked over the sides before he finally spoke;

 “I want to be the one to take those off…”

 He quickly stood and pulled you over to the double air mattress he had in his tent, watching you lay back against his sleeping bag as he stripped himself of the rest of this clothing. As he climbed on he crawled up your body, and it was then that you saw the tiniest patch of brown in the sea of his blue eyes. You were mesmerized by it as he lay over you, your legs parting as he rutted against you, already growing hard again. He moved to your side and slid a hand down the length of your sternum, over your soft stomach and into your underwear, feeling how the thin cotton was soaked through with your arousal. Sitting up he pulled the ruined scrap of fabric down your legs, looking at your soaked petals as he parted them with his long fingers, finding your sensitive nub and rubbing delicate circles against it, before sliding his hand down and pushing two fingers into your soaked hole;

 “Fuck… you feel so tight…”

 “I need you… I need you inside me…”

 “I don’t… I don’t have any protection…” he looked pained to admit what could be the stopping point of the night.

 “I’m on the pill… been taking it continually so I didn’t get a period whilst on the dig…you can go bare…”

His eyes went wide, he’d had a number of lovers over his years at University, and he was well into his mid 20’s, but he had always used condoms, never wanting the girl to have to take the responsibility for their tryst… he had never gone bare but just at the mere thought of sliding into your heat, to feel your hot wetness against his skin, it made him as hard as a rock.

 He scissored his fingers inside you before shifting, pulling them from you as he positioned himself between your thighs, the light from the lantern casting long shadows over your bodies. He rested his tip against your folds, taking a moment to lick your juices from his fingers, then with a smirk he started to press into you.

 With each passing inch your eyes fluttered shut, not realising you were missing the look on his face as he found heaven between your legs. The feel of your pussy around him was almost suffocating, hugging him so tight as he slid in with ease from your arousal;

 “Oh my god… you feel so fucking good… you’re gonna have to tell me how you like it, cos’ I don’t think I’m going to last long…” he muttered.

 Wrapping your hand around the back of his neck, you pulled him down for a fierce kiss, all teeth and tongues whilst your body grew accustomed to his impressive length inside you, the biggest you had ever taken;

 “Hard and fast, I was made to be broken… break me…”

At your words something changed in him, pushing his body onto his arms as he started to rut into you, watching your juices shine on his dick as he pulled out, only to slam back in as your body took every inch of him, your silken channel hugging him tight. The tent was filled with the wet slap of skin on skin, and knowing you were the only ones on site your voices rose, your moans filling the night sky. 

 Your body was bucking beneath him, shaking from pleasure and he could tell he wasn’t going to last much longer. He desperately wanted to feel you come around him, pushing a hand between your bodies he rubbed furiously at your clit, feeling your body tighten and your back arch, and as you came your body trembled around him. 

 The feeling was indescribable, he was so deep in pleasure that when his back arched and he came deep inside you he let out a roar, his eyes screwed shut as he filled you with his come, finally going limp, his arms shaking from the exertion of holding himself above you. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and pulled him on top of you, burying your face in his neck as you breathed in his scent.

 Finally finding his voice he whispered quietly;

 “Stay with me tonight”

 Wrapped in the sleeping bag and blankets you did just that, curled up in his arms and the warmth of his embrace.

 -

 Henry was woken by the sounds of the camp being broken down, the crews from the various universities packing up their things as the minibuses arrived to take them back to the halls of residences or shared houses. He was alone in his bed, and as he sat up he could hear your voice yelling out to your tent-mates to ‘pick up your fucking stuff’. 

 In the hours that followed various vehicles turned up on site, his own supervisors, benefactors and sponsors of the dig, all very excited by the finds and reports, and especially of the assembled Roman Urn. At every moment he tried to get away, tried to find a moment to talk to you, but as the minutes and hours ticked by the window was closing. 

 You were all packed up, everything in the old minibus. Every time you had looked across the site he was talking to someone important looking, never getting a moment where he was alone. The driver of your minibus honked the horn and you panicked;

 “Hang on, I’ve just got one more thing to do…”

 You ran across the site and he saw you, excusing himself from the people he was talking to and managed to intercept you behind the old Ford Transit van that was taking the equipment away. He wrapped his arms around you and pressed a kiss to your lips;

 “I didn’t want you to leave before I got to say goodbye”

 Your bottom lip trembled, your voice shaking;

 “I’ve left my number on a piece of paper on your table, its tucked under the tray with the urn on”

 He let out a sigh of relief, nodding before kissing you again, the sound of your minibus driver honking the horn impatiently.

 You reluctantly pulled out of his arms, giving him a final wave before running to the bus, and he watched from the side of the van as you climbed in, the vehicle driving off into the distance as a cloud of dust trailed behind it.

 “Henry!” an older male voice called out cheerfully. 

 Rubbing his palms over his face he took a deep breath, before turning and smiling at his supervising professor;

 “Hey, good to see you Sir”

 The older man clapped a hand over Henry’s shoulder;

 “You’ve done an amazing job on this dig… the reports that came in have been exemplary. You had all the same students at the end of the dig as at the start which I’ll have you know is a particular skill… some site leads drive students away in droves!”

 Leading Henry back towards the dig site he waxed lyrical about Henry’s skill and how he showed true leadership skills, turning to another gentleman that was leaning against Henry’s Land Rover;

 “Have you met Piers?”

 Henry shook his head, he knew who he was being introduced to, the CEO of the most prestigious museum in the UK and some would say the world with regards to Archaeology and Palaeontology. Shaking the man’s hand he was speechless;

 “We’ve been following the dig reports, your talent is something I haven’t seen for many years… we’d like to discuss a position on our expedition board with you…”

 “Y-yes… that would be fantastic! Thank you”

 “Now, let’s see that Roman urn I’ve been hearing all about…”

 Leading the men to his tent he lifted the tray, pulling it out into the sunshine as they took in the beauty of it, no-one noticing the small scrap of paper catch on the wind and slipping out of the tent, Henry too distracted by the reality of being hired for his dream job.

 -

 Many Years Later.

 Henry grinned as his team crowed around him, the heat of the Siberian Summer seeping into their pores. In broken Russian the students were laughing and shouting, before three of them carried the massive femur bone they’d excavated a few days previously over to Henry, heaving it into his massive arms.

 “Smile!” someone shouted out and he heard the clicks of phone camera shutters, before he gently rested it onto the soft ground, chatting to the team as he did so.

 That night they hit the bars of the nearest town, Henry smiling when he saw one had wifi, connecting his phone and uploading a few updates to the dig account and also his own. An hour later he checked his phone and saw his Instagram notifications, one account name in particular catching his attention; @thepunkwiththepinkhair

 It couldn't be, could it?

 It was. It was you. The pink may be gone, but he had finally found you again.

*******************************************************************************

Thank you for reading!

Some explanations of British shops/brands;

Iceland = a budget supermarket chain

White Lightning = cheap, harsh apple cider, sold in bottles that are 3000ml/a gallon for around £5.00 (USD7/EURO6)

Panda Pop = very cheap fizzy drink, full of additives, artificial colours, sugar.

Ladbrokes - a chain of gambling shops.

Sun-in - spray in hair bleach that you would spritz on your hair and go out in the sunshine, and it would bleach your hair. Apparently it was meant to give you ‘sun kissed highlights’, but when i was 18 i turned my hair bright orange with it.

In the UK University starts when you are 18, and a degree lasts 3 or 4 years. You can then do a ‘post graduate course’ which is another year of studying, and if you want to work towards your doctorate, it can be another 4-7 years on top of that, which is why Henry in this story is literally fresh out of studying even though he is approximately 25 years old.

[bloodylullaby]

Give Me Something Beautiful

Summary: Morrigan's ordinary life takes an extraordinary turn when Noah Sebastian, the lead singer of Bad Omens, stumbles upon her quaint little shop adorned with her captivating photography. Intrigued by her talent and drawn to her genuine spirit, Noah invites Morrigan to capture the essence of his band's concert through her lens. Their initial friendship blossoms into a deep and meaningful connection as they spend time together, fueled by their shared love for art and music. Despite their challenges as their worlds collide, Morrigan and Noah navigate the complexities of fame and intimacy, ultimately finding solace and strength in each other's arms. Through their journey from strangers to lovers, they discover that amidst life's chaos, true beauty lies in the simple moments shared between two souls destined to be together.

Pairings: Noah Sebastian x OC

Content Warning: None

Word Count: 3280

MasterList

Tag List: @thescarlettvvitch @malerieee @lookwhatitcost @herbhuntress @thatgirlforever5 @xxkittenkissesxx @lma1986

Chapter Seven

I groggily rub my eyes as a soft knock on my door pulls me from my slumber. With a yawn, I reach the door, feeling the weight of sleep still lingering in my limbs. Opening it, I'm greeted by Noah's equally groggy expression, but his smile instantly brightens my morning.

"Good morning," he greets me warmly before heading down the hall to wake the others. I can't help but smile back. I take a minute to stretch and clear away the lingering drowsiness. With a deep breath, I start getting ready for the day ahead, feeling a sense of anticipation building within me. Excited about my first day on the tour and eager to make a good impression on everyone I am meeting, I put extra effort into my appearance. I carefully select an outfit that perfectly balances casual and chic.

 I opt for a short black skirt paired with a cropped black turtleneck, creating a sleek and sophisticated silhouette. To add a touch of flair to my ensemble, I cinch my waist with my trusty corset belt, adorned with O-rings in the shape of a heart. As I slip into my favorite pair of platforms and accessorize with a few carefully chosen pieces of jewelry, I can't help but feel a surge of excitement for the day ahead. Stepping out of my room, I'm greeted by Noah and the rest of the group. 

Together, we go to a nearby Denny's for breakfast, ready to energize for the day. Sitting across from Noah and next to Jolly, a soothing sense of fulfillment washes over me. Joining their conversation, I find myself drawn into their lively discussion. As we continue chatting over breakfast, our conversation flows effortlessly from one topic to the next. Noah shares funny stories from past tours while Jolly adds witty remarks, keeping us all entertained.

After finishing our meal, we linger a bit longer, hesitating to start the day. Eventually, we gather our belongings and head out, reluctant to leave. “What’s our first stop?” I inquired, eager to gain insight into our itinerary for the day. 

"We have a series of interviews lined up, kicking off at 8," Folio informs me with a smile. Glancing at my phone, I notice that it's already 7:30. With a nod of understanding, I join them as we head towards the waiting van while Bryan heads off to prepare for his tasks, leaving me one of his cameras. The twenty-minute drive passes swiftly, and as we enter the building for our first round of interviews, I'm immediately struck by the bustling activity and organized chaos accompanying such events. People rush around, and the boys are quickly whisked away to ensure they look their best and have everything they need.

Standing awkwardly by the cameras, another photographer approached me. "Hey, you look new around here. I don't think I've seen you with them before,” she stated. “ I'm Kristina, by the way. What's your name?" she asked with a friendly smile. I returned the smile, my awkwardness slowly melting away.

“I’m Morrigan, and today is my first official day. I am extremely nervous,” I replied with a chuckle. 

"Nice to meet you, Morrigan!" Kristina responds warmly. "Don't worry; feeling nervous on your first day is totally normal. You'll do great!" she assures me with an encouraging smile. Her words help ease my nerves, and I feel more confident as we prepare for the interviews. As she walks away, I notice Noah walking towards me with a goofy smile. 

"How are you doing? Are you feeling okay?" Noah asks me eagerly, excitement shining in his eyes. I nod and give him a thumbs up, trying to match his energy. Noah gives me a quick yet reassuring hug before leading me over to where they'll be sitting for the interview. He pats the space beside him, indicating that I should sit there. I settle in, waiting for the others to gather before the interview begins.

As we wait for the others to join us, Noah engages me in casual conversation, helping to ease any lingering nerves. We share lighthearted jokes, laughing together as we anticipate the upcoming interviews. Soon, Nick, Folio, and Jolly join us, taking their seats as I get up and move by the cameras to take my position. As I adjust the camera, Noah flashes me an encouraging smile, which fills me with a sense of reassurance and confidence.

The interview is going exceptionally well. The boys exude their passion for their craft through their articulate words and expressive body language, captivating everyone present. Snapping candid shots of them relaxed on the couch infuses the photographs with a charming authenticity, especially when they playfully make subtle, amusing faces in my direction. Noah proves to be the main instigator; whenever I point the camera at him, he never fails to offer a small, lighthearted gesture, ensuring my comfort behind the lens.

From time to time, Kristina strolls to my side to check on me and ensure I'm still doing okay. During these moments, I take the opportunity to share some of the pictures I've been capturing, and she never fails to offer kind compliments on my photography skills. I noticed Noah would tense a little whenever she came around me and discreetly stared in our direction. His behavior left me puzzled, prompting me to cast him a questioning glance. However, each time I attempted to address the issue, he would brush me off, pretending nothing had changed in his demeanor.

As my confusion about Noah's behavior continued to gnaw at me, I became increasingly preoccupied during the rest of the interview. Even as I focused on capturing photographs and engaging with the group, Noah's unusual reactions lingered in the back of my mind. After the interview wrapped up and the group dispersed, I approached Noah, determined to address the elephant in the room. "Hey, Noah," I began tentatively, "I couldn't help but notice that you seemed a bit... off whenever Kristina was around. Is everything okay?"

Noah's initial reaction was one of surprise, quickly masked by a forced smile. "Yeah, everything's fine," he responded a bit too hastily, his gaze flickering away. With a brief excuse, he moved toward Nick, pulling him aside for a private conversation. Feeling increasingly perplexed, I scanned the room for Kristina and made my way over to her.

"Hey, Kristina, do you have a moment?" I asked, offering her a warm but slightly strained smile. She returned the gesture kindly and nodded. Together, we made our way to a quiet corner of the room.

"What's up?" Kristina asked, her expression filled with concern. "You seem a little nervous and out of it." I let out an awkward laugh before responding.

"Every time we're together, Noah has been acting strange. Do you have any idea why? I tried to ask him about it, but he quickly brushed me off and then ran off," I explained, confused and frustrated.

Her eyes lit up, and she let out a chuckle. "Oh, that," she said. "I'm best friends with one of his exes. We occasionally run into each other in the entertainment industry, but usually, he's more composed than this. He must really hold an attachment to you," she explained, offering a knowing smile. My cheeks instantly turned pink, and I attempted to hide them, but to no avail, as Kristina noticed and let out a small laugh.

"It's not like that," I murmured shyly. Kristina raised an eyebrow at me, clearly skeptical of my protest. I doubled down. “We’re just friends. You can ask any of the boys. There is nothing between us.” 

She playfully rolls her eyes and lightly laughs. "Whatever you say, hun. Rest assured, though, it wouldn't bother me if you guys had something going on. Just be careful," Kristina replied with a reassuring smile, her tone conveying genuine concern. 

Nervousness suddenly struck me. "Are you going to tell her about me?" I asked, feeling a knot of apprehension tighten in my stomach. Kristina raised her eyebrow again and gave me a sympathetic smile.

"I'm not sure. It's still a tough subject for her," she said, sensing my worry. I gave her a concerned look. “Nothing too bad happened between them. Honestly, they just weren't a good fit. They were great people separately, but together, they were just toxic with one another. It happens," she explained reassuringly, trying to ease my concerns.

Feeling relieved by Kristina's explanation, I nodded slowly, grateful for her honesty and understanding. "Thanks for telling me," I said sincerely.

With a reassuring smile, Kristina nodded back. "Of course, anytime," she replied warmly.

Suddenly, a rush of words spilled out of me before I could stop them. "What does she look like?" I blurted out, the words tumbling from my lips hurriedly.

She stood there, momentarily caught off guard, before letting out a short, loud laugh that drew the attention of Noah and Nick. Noah glanced over, a hint of concern and annoyance in his expression. "Sorry," Kristina said with a smile, appreciating my candid question. "Give me a second." With a swift movement, she pulled out her phone and, within the next moment, turned it around to show me.

As soon as I saw her picture, my heart stopped. She was gorgeous—gothic like me, but somehow even better. She embodied everything I aspired to be, and that realization stung a little. The fact that Noah was with someone so stunning left me feeling disheartened. What chance did I ever have if he was with a goddess like her? Kristina's suggestion that there could be something more between Noah and me suddenly felt like a distant dream, overshadowed by the stark reality of his previous relationship.

I cleared my throat, summoning a smile to cover up my insecurity. "Wow, she's extremely beautiful," I stated, maintaining a cheerful tone. My comment did the trick, as Kristina responded with a big smile and an agreeing nod. We exchanged a few more words before parting ways, and I returned to join the boys. Jolly lit up when he saw me and warmly draped a friendly arm around my shoulder.

"Having fun?" Jolly asks with a big smile, unaware of the slight tension going on with Noah. As Jolly's question hangs in the air, I glance at Noah, who looks at me with a strained smile. Sensing the underlying tension, I quickly redirect the conversation, responding to Jolly with a forced smile of my own.

 "Yeah, it's been great," I reply, hoping to keep the atmosphere light and cheerful. Jolly seems satisfied with my answer and continues chatting animatedly, oblivious to the unspoken tension coming off from Noah. 

Nick approaches my side and gently replaces Jolly's arm with his own, leaning slightly to whisper in my ear. I notice Noah discreetly trying to catch a glimpse of our conversation. "Hey, are you actually okay?" Nick asks, his tone friendly and concerned. "I know Noah's been acting a little weird, but I promise it has nothing to do with you." His words offer some reassurance, and I nod gratefully, appreciating his gesture of support.

Suddenly, Nick unwraps his arms from around me and gently nudges me in Noah's direction. However, due to his sheer strength and perhaps a lack of awareness of how easily I can be pushed over, I stumble and begin to fall. Thankfully, Noah quickly reacts, reaching out to catch me just in time, his arms wrapping securely around me to steady my fall. Jolly playfully hits Nick on the side of the head as they sneak off, leaving Noah and me momentarily alone. I look up and meet Noah's gaze, feeling embarrassment and gratitude.

"Hey," Noah said softly, his arms still gently balancing me before reluctantly letting go.

"Hey," I replied with a small smile, feeling warm and comfortable in his presence.

Noah clears his throat and looks past me, presumably towards Kristina. "I know that I've been acting slightly weird," he begins, his tone earnest. "But I wanted to let you know that Kristina is a close friend of a recent ex. I value you and our friendship a lot, and I was just nervous that she might say or do things that would make you look at me differently." 

I stare at Noah with admiration, appreciating his vulnerability. Without hesitation, I reach out and give him a sudden hug, catching him off guard. It only takes a second before he wraps his arms around me, sighing in relief. "First off, nothing would make me view you differently in a negative light," I murmured into his chest. "Secondly, she said nothing bad about you. She only mentioned the relationship because I asked why you were brushing me off and acting so strangely." I then lift my head and look at him, slightly caught off guard by the close proximity of our faces. With him looking down at me, our lips are at a close distance, and it makes me slightly dizzy.

I take a reluctant step back, trying to rub away the blush on my cheeks. "I did see a picture of her," I admit bashfully. "She is gorgeous," I add, glancing in every direction except Noah's.

"Hey," he says softly, gently placing his hands on my face and guiding my gaze back to his. You're gorgeous, too." My breath catches in my throat as I stare into his sincere eyes, feeling my heart race. He then kisses me gently on the forehead before squeezing my shoulders in reassurance. The warmth of his touch and the tenderness of the gesture fill me with a sense of calm and security.

“Thank you,” I say with a shy smile, feeling a mix of gratitude and bashfulness.

Noah returns my smile, his eyes full of warmth. "Anytime," he replies softly. Before we can say more, Jolly and Nick return, their playful energy breaking the moment.

"Hey, are you ready to get back to work?" Jolly asks with a mischievous grin on his face. Noah and I nodded and returned to the couch for another round of interviews. The rest of the interviews went smoothly, the boys' infectious energy lifting everyone's spirits. Noah stays close, occasionally glancing my way with a reassuring smile. Capturing more candid shots makes me feel more at ease, knowing supportive friends surround me.

As this part of the day wraps up, Kristina approaches me again. "You did a great job today, Morrigan. Those photos will turn out fantastic," she says, her smile genuine.

"Thanks, Kristina. It means a lot," I reply, feeling accomplished. After the interviews are over, we all start to pack up. Noah comes over, his arm casually draping over my shoulder. 

"Ready to head out?" he asks. "Our next stop is sound check."

"Yes," I answered excitedly. This will be my first time at a sound check, and I can't wait to take pictures of it. We gather our things and head to the van, the air buzzing with anticipation. The drive is filled with light chatter and laughter, and everyone is in high spirits. Noah's hand occasionally brushes against mine, a silent reminder of the connection we shared earlier.

When we arrive at the venue, the scene is a flurry of activity. Crew members hustle around, setting up equipment and making final adjustments. The boys quickly get into their groove, checking instruments and microphones. I stand back, camera in hand, ready to capture every moment.

Noah catches my eye and gives me a reassuring smile before joining the others on stage. As they begin their sound check, the empty venue fills with the powerful energy of their music. It's a raw, behind-the-scenes glimpse that feels intimate and exhilarating. I move around, snapping photos from different angles. The guys look so focused and passionate, and I can't help but feel proud. This is their element, and being able to document it feels like an honor.

After a while, Noah jumps down from the stage and walks over to me. "How are you feeling?" he asks, his eyes full of warmth.

"I'm Excited," I say, genuinely smiling. I can't wait to see you guys perform again."

"Good," he replies, squeezing my arm. "We'll make sure it's a show to remember."

We head backstage, where the boys continue preparing for the evening's concert and get ready for round two of the sound check. I find a quiet corner to review my photos, my heart light with the promise of the night ahead. The energy in the room is infectious, and everyone is focused and excited for the performance.

Eventually, Bryan shows up, immediately adding to the lively atmosphere. "Hey! How's it going?" he asks, grinning widely.

"Great! I'm just going through some of the photos I've taken," I reply, holding up my camera. He asked to take a look, and I gladly obliged. 

"These are kick-ass! You’ve really captured the vibe," he compliments, returning the camera. I thanked him, feeling good about everything. We spend a few minutes catching up, discussing the interviews, and sharing laughs. The second sound check is about to start, and the boys head to the stage, with me following eagerly, ready to capture every moment. As I step onto the stage, my eyes widen in amazement at the vast, empty venue, the lights casting a magical glow.

Noah looks over at me and smiles, motioning for me to stand by him. "Pretty cool, huh?" he says, his voice filled with pride and excitement.

"Yeah, it's incredible," I reply, my voice barely a whisper as I take it all in. The atmosphere is electric, even with no audience, and I can feel the anticipation building. The boys start their sound check, and I move around, snapping pictures of them as they play. Each shot captures their dedication and passion, and the intensity of their performance is evident even in this private rehearsal. Noah's presence next to me is comforting, and I find myself drawn to his every move and note.

As the sound check progresses, I catch glimpses of their friendships and playful interactions, adding a layer of authenticity to my photos. They laugh and joke; their bond as a band is evident in every exchange. Noah glances at me frequently, his eyes lighting up whenever he sees my reaction to their music. His smile is infectious, and I can't help but smile back, feeling a deep connection with him in these moments.

When the sound check ends, Noah walks over to me. "What do you think?" he asks, his eyes searching mine for approval.

"It was amazing," I say sincerely. "You guys are incredible."

He grins, looking both relieved and pleased. "I'm glad you think so. Are you ready for the real show tonight?"

"Absolutely," I reply, my excitement bubbling over. "I can't wait."

As we prepare to leave the stage, Noah gives me a quick, reassuring hug. "Thanks for being here," he whispers in my ear, his breath warm against my skin. I nodded, hoping my face wasn’t as red as it felt. With everything in place, the boys get ready for their big performance. As the concert time draws nearer, the venue starts to fill with fans. The anticipation is palpable, and I can feel the collective excitement of everyone present. I take a moment to soak it all in, knowing this will be a night to remember. As I take a final deep breath, I turn on my heels and follow the guys backstage, eager to see what the night has in store fo

[peeterparkr]

perfidy;tom holland|18

chapter 18: the script.

enemies to lovers au/enemies with benefits

chapter summary: Valerie, William, Teddy and Robbie.

pairing: tom holland x y/n

warnings: angsty, alcohol mention

word count: 7.6k

playlist(1: with song names)

playlist 2 (Spotify link)

Playlist: perf1Dy (one direction+solo songs)

social media before you read (IMPORTANT FOR THE CHAPTER) :

part one: with New York and coming back.

part two: meeting the parents

previous chapter next chapter series masterlist wanna be tagged?

“When we walk in with the idea of a sworn enemy, it is expected to be deceived. One never walks into a war without expecting a battle, without expecting casualties.”

That’s how a certain script started, a young Valerie narrating the events of how she, stupidly, fell in love with her long time enemy. But how she turned the tables around.

Y/N never really believed in happy endings, there is really no such thing for it, all that crap movies show us. Y/N loved the buildup of a story, in real life, everything that leads to it, the journey of it, you must say,  but she knew that we never really get the happy ending because… well, life is a bitch. But she could write it, and she could pretend this was her own happy ending. Because it really felt like one, maybe it was only a beginning. But it was good.

It was good.

Y/N paced around her kitchen and her living room, a notebook in her hand, as she scribbled down every single correction they were giving her.

“But heartbreaks can be felt,” she explained. “It’s scientifically proven, it’s not only something I made up, the brain registers it so it—I am keeping that, Alessandra,”  she continued as she sat on a stool in her kitchen. Y/N had been on the phone with her for almost 30 minutes now, apparently she would have to pitch the script the very next day. Honestly, she knew Alessandra was a genius but sometimes she was just simply very stupid.

And calling in the middle of the night wasn’t exactly her dream come true. Especially because everything seemed like it was turning out perfectly. Things had cleared up, and that’s all she really wanted. She still had to tell Tom about the script, but maybe she would find a way to tell him the next day. Right now it didn’t matter, they were happy.

“Can they really?” Alessandra questioned.

“Yeah, I’ve felt them, that’s why it’s in the script.”

She saw Tom walk out of her room, she beamed as she saw him. He had his shirt back on. And y/n could only wonder why.

“Hi,” she mouthed at him as she stretched her arm to reach out for him. He didn’t look at her. Tom seemed to be pale.

“How do they feel like?” Alessandra asked.

“Yeah, they can be felt,” she explained. “It feels like… the world stops, and not in a good way. Like… the world stops only so you can feel more pain. Like everything around you is blurry, there’s a pain in your chest, and you can’t… really walk, your stomach feels like it’s sinking down, and the whole world turns around, upside down, you run out of breath, and the light just stings you, every single noise becomes a trigger. It’s like the worst headache you’ll get, and you’ll feel sick.”

And Tom was feeling all of that, the pain on his chest, the blurry image, and that feeling that every single organ in his body had collapsed. He couldn’t breathe, he could talk and his hands were shaking. Y/N hadn’t noticed.

Y/N had been so caught up in her fantasy that she’d forgotten that every single thing could go wrong. She had forgotten about her words, words that were powerful weapons. Weapons that had Tom bleeding now.

“I actually—I was,” she gulped. “No, yes, the heartbreak was diagnosed,” she said. “I, yeah, when she goes to the doctor yes, that was real,” she continued. “I went in with chest pain, thinking it was something—and it wasn’t, just a heartbreak.”

Tom only watched her. He understood. In a way, he understood. Why she wrote a script about the first and last times.

But Tom didn’t really want to address it, not now, he had to process it, he really had to process the bomb that had fallen to him. He first thought it might have been a coincidence, William and Valerie. They could be only a coincidence, a story where the beauty falls in love with the beast, and the beast hurts her and a story where the beauty takes her revenge, and starts a make believe relationship. Only to get back at him. Only to make the beast feel the pain the beauty had felt. The story was set in college, going back and forth, proving to him a lot of things. Proving that it was their story. The perfect perfidy.

A few lines had stuck in his head. But honestly, how could he forget it?

Valerie, the Rebel teenager.  William, the dumb, emotionally unattached dumb idiot. The monster, the beast. The bad guy.

And… Edward, Teddy, the perfect guy.

And Robert, Robbie, William’s… best friend, and Valerie’s too.

The story went back and forth, with lavenders, not yellow flowers, lavenders, and stories from childhood, details changed, made up stories, but with their clear essence. But there was a constant...William and Valerie hating each other. Destroying each other. William deliberately hurting Valerie. And it was there.

Each and every heartbreak. Each and every stupid heartbreak. Every single one of them. Each and every fucking  heartbreak. And maybe there were a lot of things that Tom understood now, why y/n was so careful around him.

He hadn’t read much he couldn’t continue, but there was this other constant. He—William was painted as a monster.

Heartbreaks, just like y/n had said and written, can be felt.

But maybe that wasn’t what had bothered him the most, not the whole script, he hadn’t even read all of it. But the first few pages, where Valerie had made a bet with her friends, where Valerie had said that William would fall in love with her and she’d break his heart. And it wouldn’t have mattered, it really wouldn’t have mattered had she not used her own notes. Had it now used her own notes, her little notes on the sides, with pictures. Everything they’ve lived throughout these two months, the enemies with benefits, the a.m. conversations, every single thing. The real story.

And he understood it then, why she wanted to solve things, why she avoided the drama, why she really didn’t want it to rain in New York. Because it was all fake, because she really needed him to not feel hurt, ….yet. Because, just like she had described it, she was pulling a perfect perfidy. Having Valerie making William believe she was in love with him so she could finally have her way back with the heartbreak. It was all so perfectly crafted.

It only took him a few lines to understand where this was going. Because heartbreaks can be felt. Heartbreaks can fucking make you feel like you’re dying, like there is no light.

And Tom really wasn’t seeing any light.

Tom only stood outside her room, as she was still trying to reach out for him. She jumped out of the stool and made her way over. How could she not notice that he had just been hit by a bloody truck?

She placed the phone in between her ear and shoulder and wrapped her arms around him.

“Sorry,” she covered the mic. “It won’t take me long.”

But Tom didn’t hug her back, she frowned as she let him go, she took his hand and led him to her couch. Tom tried to get off her grip, but she got on her tiptoes and kissed the edge of his lips.

“No, but—“y/n turned to her call. “After all they’ve been through, they can’t have a happy ending—”

Tom felt another stab in his already. Of course they couldn’t.

“But—Teddy and her having a happy ending?” She frowned.

Tom started to sweat cold, he really didn’t want to listen to this. Did she want to end up with Teddy—Tim?

“No—but—It doesn’t work with Teddy, unless yeah—,” she continued to listen, “Right.” Tom sat down, not sure how to react, y/n sat down on his lap. “I—Yeah, no, we still have to go through an ending.”

She covered the mic again, as she tugged on his t-shirt, “I thought this was already off,” she whispered with a faint giggle and then turned back to the call. “What—? Yeah I mean—I thought you had said that scene was—uh, off.”

Tom  really felt like he was about to faint. Y/N looked down at him again.

“Are you alright?” She asked him. “Wait—Alessandra, can I call you back? I’ll take everything you told me into account—yes, I’m just—It’s—An emergency—yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll be there, early in the morning! See you, thank you.”

She hung up the phone and placed her hands on his cheeks. “Hey are you alright?”

He didn’t want to say anything. How could he hide it? Why did he want to hide it now? He had the right to yell at her, he had the right to make a scene right? But he wasn’t going to give her one. He really didn’t want to give her another scene for the script. And he really didn’t know how to act, he only looked her in the eyes, and he wondered if he’d imagined it. If she really didn’t love him. Because her eyes… said it.

“Tom?” She pushed. “You look sick, are you okay, love?” She asked as she rubbed his cheek.

“I need to leave,” he stated.

“But are you okay?” She pushed, kissing his cheek. “Do you need any water?” She was worried. “I—I’ll bring you some water,” she quickly stood up and ran to the kitchen.

“No, y/n—I’m…I need to go home,” he said.

“What happened? Are you okay?” She had come back with a glass of water as she caressed his cheek. “Baby, what’s the matter?”

He gulped as he stared at her. So clueless.

“I’m going home.”

She bit her lip. “Okay, I’ll—I’ll drive you,” she nodded as she looked up for her keys.

“No, Haz is on his way.”

She paused as she watched him. “What’s wrong?”

He didn’t answer, instead he picked up his jacket and headed to the door.

“Tom?” She followed after him. “But what’s wrong? Can you at least tell me?”

He looked at the elevator, and then at the stairs. He really needed to get out of there, he started going down the stairs. Y/N followed after him.

“Tom,” she stopped him midway. “What’s wrong?”

He really wanted to say it, he really wanted to ask about it. But if she had just talked to her boss about it and was willingly still going to write it. And he heard it, she didn’t think they deserved a happy ending, and she was probably only waiting for her final move. What would she do?

He gulped down every feeling he was about to vomit. If she was going to keep up with the act then maybe he could, just for a few minutes. But he couldn’t. He was hurt.

“I—I just really need to go home.”

She watched him. And maybe a heartbreak could be felt by y/n too. Because she feared it, she feared it would also come. She only nodded.

Tom continued down the stairs and then stopped at the lobby. It was raining, a storm. Thunder clapped, and the lighting was striking.

They stayed quiet, as they waited for Harrison.

Y/N had her own fears. Ones that didn’t involve a script, ones that had been built up for a while.

“You know I love you, right?” Were the only words that could come through her mouth. Words which were barely and roughly translated to: please don’t let this be Rome.

Tom kept looking out, silently, the rain pouring down. He really only wanted to go outside and pity himself in the rain, to lay down and be dramatic.

Tom only put on his jacket and dug his hands in his pockets. He took a deep breath.

She approached him, quietly and carefully, fearing he’d say it now how all of it had been a joke. How all of it was another prank, or whatever he’d come up with tus time. And she felt insecure, very insecure, about her hair, her body, her feelings.

And she only locked her hand with his hand and rested her head on it. He didn’t push her back, but It didn’t feel welcoming.

Eventually a pair of light illuminated the rain and a car was parked in front of it. Tom walked out of the building, with no warning whatsoever, but y/n rushed to stop him.

“Tom?” She called him as she stepped in front of the car. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

He pursed his lips. “It’s raining y/n, go inside.”

But neither of them seemed to care the cold rain was outing down on them, she only kissed his cheek, a cold long kiss.

“Please don’t let it be like last time,” she whispered to him, her voice cracking as she pulled away.

He scoffed before walking past her to get into the car. Harrison only gave y/n a long, cold but worrying stare before he drove off.

Y/N watched them as the lights became smaller and faded out, she stayed out in the cold rain for a while, wondering where things had gone wrong. But eventually she walked back in, trying to go through the day again. But this was so typical of Tom, this was it. What she had feared once it had come right after her, but what had gone wrong?

She took a warm shower knowing that she couldn’t afford getting sick at this point, it’d be a different day tomorrow so she had to be presentable.

But she didn’t sleep. She texted him, several times, and several times she didn’t, she only stayed with the half written text before deleting every single letter. She turned in her bed, round and round. She found a t-shirt he’d left from the day before, she put it on and hugged a pillow. It felt weird sleeping alone for the first time in weeks. No one to hold her.

An empty bed feels big, and cold. She placed a pillow behind her but it made no difference, it was cold. And she didn’t even know where they had gone wrong. She opened up the box, the one with his name. She’d had to get a bigger box, of a closet full of him, maybe.

And she really wanted to believe he was tired, maybe he was angry about other things, what had gone wrong?

Had it lead to this?

And she opened her still packed suitcase as she took out her belongings. If this went wrong, if this really went wrong she really had to box up many things. But she boxed in the good ones, the plane ticket from their first date, and a little disposable towel she’d snatched from it. A picture of a peony, which she was really debating which box to put it in, Timmy’s? The Polaroids, from their dates, the city and the elevator, home to many and different kisses. A dirty, ripped and empty sour patch kids bag from that night, and a napkin from that hotdog stand.

The tickets to their date at the baseball game, and the lingerie she was wearing the first time they said “I love you”.

She was drowning in pictures and memories, trying to understand where it had gone wrong. If it had gone wrong. She perused around in her room, to see if anything had gone wrong.

Had it been the Polaroids hanging on her wall? Timmy did have a lot of focus on her room, but—If you looked around, really, Tom was the main character in those Polaroids. But it couldn’t be that, that hadn’t bothered him before.

Except of course, before he didn’t know about the ring, and if you really looked around you could see film canisters turned into nice little lamps. Had that been what bothered him? Maybe. Was it that?

And y/n kept looking around the room, and she saw what Tom probably saw, Timmy was everywhere. And he really was everywhere, but, could she ever get rid of him?

She looked at her closed laptop, and how even after everything, after the story was over, she still wanted to keep writing pages. Everything. Everything. Because—she didn’t even know why.

Had Tom seen that? Maybe he had. And she tried calling him but hung up just as it started to ring. But she loved Tom and that’s the only thing she was sure about. And she didn’t want to lose him.

She looked around her room, pictures of Sam… and Harry. Thousands of pictures of Harry.

Was it that?

He knew that she knew. Of course he didn’t know anything else but—did it hurt him?

Her head roamed with different scenarios to what had bothered Tom. And she feared it would come, and she didn’t want to be one of those nights, where the night didn’t seem to come at all. But it felt like it, a night that was a beginning of her broken heart.

Not far from her, Tom had avoided any conversation he had opened a beer, and then locked himself in his room. And this wasn’t the first time he’d felt like shit, no, but right now it felt way worse. The pain across his chest. A sleepless night, and not for the good reasons. He was running out of breath, and he only heard y/n calling. He didn’t want to talk to her. He really didn’t want to talk to her. He only laid down, feeling sorry for himself, without knowing y/n was just mirroring him.

There they were, both in empty cold beds, crying.

But she had to sleep, eventually. It was a big day, so with sorrow in her heart, she had to sleep, even if it only were for barely two hours. She woke up and she had lost her senses, she wasn’t feeling well. Y/N had woken up earlier, taken a shower and headed first to his place. She needed to solve whatever was on his mind. Whether it was Timmy or Harry.

But what if it had something to do with her? Her clothes? Her hair? She couldn’t stop thinking about it as Haz opened the door.

“Hi, y/n,” he gulped. “Hey—uh, Tom is not—feeling well. He… is not here.”

Y/n watched him, and maybe he had noticed it. In her eyes, they didn’t hide that she’d been crying no matter how much makeup she was wearing.

“That makes two of us,” she admitted. “Harrison—I—“ she took a deep breath. “I don’t know what happened but it was so out of the blue—“

“He—“Haz gulped. “I—he didn’t tell you why he left?”

“No,” she blinked. “Is there a reason?”

Harrison looked away. “No, no—Well, I don’t know,” he lied, watching her. “I—come in.”

She walked in, and turned to him. “I know you know what happened.”

“I don’t.”

“Harrison—it’s—I don’t want to be broken-hearted again,” she admitted, as she kept walking, seeing empty beer bottles. “What happened here?”

“Tom—“he gulped. “Look, y/n, I think you should talk, communicate feelings and—“

She sighed, “I can’t afford another heartbreak by him, and I’m not—At least I’m not going to—I don’t want this to end you know? I love him too much— even if it’s stupid to admit it, I love that big dumbass with my everything.”

Harrison pitied her, but he really couldn’t feel sorry. It was weird. Because he knew the reason why Tom had left but then again, he saw y/n, and he believed in her. She loved him. But then, what was on that script?

“Well, I—you should tell that to him,” Haz said. “I literally am not able to do anything with that information.”

She sighed. “Right, right, but… what happened? Was it because of Timmy? Harry?”

Haz looked away, not wanting to answer that question.

“Because—I well… I will tell Harry today, he’s my best friend I should—I should tell him right?” She said.

“You-you’ll-tell who? What?” Haz widened his eyes.

“I don’t know, he called me—Well technically I called him, I—will go later for lunch withhim, I should tell him right? Oh but what will I tell him? That his brother will most likely break my heart again when—“

Haz bit his lip. “Y/N… I really.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m just—“she sat down. “I’m stressed—And I have to pitch my script today and—I really can’t even think about it.”

Harrison saw a chance for her to either admit her mistake or at least know where this was coming from. Because she was broken, and he could easily see it. And maybe he didn’t blame her, how many times had she not found herself in that predicament, wondering why Tom was doing this. If anything, Harrison knew that Tom was a stupid kid when it came to speaking out his feelings and emotions. The fact that he had never admitted that he loved her was only the necessary proof he needed. Yes, y/n had probably written a script about every time Tom had broken her heart but if she had enough content, that spoke to Harrison. Who really didn’t believe it was a lie or a… perfidy as Tom had said, if it was the girl wouldn’t be standing here on the verge of crying when she probably had more important things to go to. But then again, he hadn’t read the script and Tom had barely given him any updates on their soap opera. He had barely any information.

“The—Screenplay? Oh nice—What’s it about?” He faked ignorance.

Y/N stayed quiet.

Harrison wondered if she had realized it.

“Well?” Haz pushed.

Y/n looked away. “It’s about—“ she took a deep breath. “I don’t even know anymore… it’s a love story.”

Harrison watched her, he felt guilty and he wasn’t sure why.

“No—uh, y/n, you should go—he’s upstairs”

She frowned, “you said—“

“He told me not to tell you if you came here but—“Harrison sighed. “I—I really don’t want to be in the middle of this.”

She took a deep breath. “You know Harrison, I’ve seen this film before, many, many times, and I didn’t like the ending.”

She left the cold room, and then went upstairs and found herself behind a locked door. And she only sighed before knocking on it. He didn’t open it. She knocked again.

“What’s up Harrison?”

She knocked again. And then finally, Tom opened the door. He was not pleased to see her, but he saw her, with her eyes tired from crying, and her voice shaking as she only stared at him, trying to come up with some lame apology to tell him. Tom didn’t know why she looked so broken-hearted if he had done nothing. He’d done nothing this time, it was on her.

“What?” He said.

“What?” She frowned. “I don’t understand anything and I—you just left and you ignored me and I know something is wrong and you can’t tell me what it is?”

He looked away.

“Look—I—Please, let’s talk about it later, okay? Please, I—I have to go, I have to pitch the screenplay and—“

He scoffed. “Of course.”

“Tom, please—And I’m,” she watched him with pain. “I’ll see Harry later, we… You can come and—“

“For what?” Tom snapped, “really, y/n—I just can’t believe you, you keep doing this!”

“Doing what? I don’t get it, Tom.”

He rolled his eyes.

“What was it this time, Tom?” She finally snapped. “What was it? Is it you running away again? Are you trying to hurt me again? What—?”

Tom groaned as he looked away. “That’s all I am, huh?”

“What—?”she stepped into his room, more empty bottles. He hadn’t slept either.

“You’re waiting for it, aren’t you? For me to break your heart—?”

She looked into his eyes, “I don’t understand what went wrong you literally just—left without any explanation! Please let’s solve this, Tommy.”

“No, we—Y/N we can’t solve this.” He watched her. “Because I can break your heart in the blink of an eye,” he said, quoting her words.

She stepped back, out of his room again. “Tom—I really want this to work, please don’t take this away from me—I’m only asking you this for one last time, please, don’t—Don’t take this away from me, come on, we can solve this.”

“Don’t get touchy….When’s your last movement y/n?” He sighed. “Or are you waiting for mine?” He only closed his door.

She kicked it and then left but.. she came back. “Tom I—really, please come to the Harry thing, or I’ll see you later? We could talk—I—Tom, I’m really trying, okay? I’m sorry—I Don't know what upset you but I’m trying, okay? I really want this to work out.”

Leaving with more doubts than from when she had arrived,. She walked past Harrison.

“Your best friend is an idiot and I don’t fucking know what is wrong with him, tell him I’ll wait for him at 5, I’ll be there with Harry at that café we like.”

Harrison hated this. He really hated this. The both idiots were breaking the other and neither knew why, that was the problem with them. That was the biggest and stupidest problem, if only they talked and explained. Although, Harrison didn’t know if they could get out of this one.

Nothing made sense, really, and his best friend had barely told him anything.

He went to knock on his door.

“Y/N—I swear,” he took a deep breath. “I really don’t want to talk to you.”

“You’ll be pleased to know it’s me then,” Haz pushed.

Tom opened the door. “What?”

“Look, I know you’re—I know you’re very mad at her,” Harrison conceded, “but—“

“But?” He frowned. “She literally—“

“Did you finish the script?” Haz asked him.

Tom scoffed. “You’re joking, aren’t you?” He took deep breaths, as he groaned. “I—Harrison, I don’t even—“

“A lot of people base off their art on personal events, it doesn’t have to mean anything,” Harrison pushed. “Maybe it’s just a coincidence?”

Tom watched his friend with pain, as he only kicked the bed. “No, it’s not—a coincidence, it’s—It was there, okay, like she kept some sort of journal—Fuck, it’s not—It’s not a coincidence.”

“I don’t think she’s faking it,” Harrison pointed out. “I—she probably just based it on it.”

Tom looked away. “No.”

“She deserves an explanation.”

Y/N didn’t call him. And she didn’t call anyone. They didn’t like the script, or not—entirely. They said it felt unfinished, that the ending didn’t make any sense. It didn’t go well. Her dreams had… shattered, yes.

But of course they wouldn’t like the ending, they are rooting for someone the whole time and she ends up not choosing him. Problem was that they didn’t understand that she didn’t understand it.

What she understood was that she had looked for him, she had tried to find pieces of him in every person, but no one was him. And people didn’t understand it.

That it was him, 2 am or 6 pm. No matter where you went, Rome or New York, Paris or London. It was him.

And though the answer was clear, because his name tasted so good everytime she called him, and him calling her name sounded like a sweet symphony. It… didn’t make sense. Because you kept the whole story rooting for someone.

Nobody gets happy endings. Except of course, for Harry and Emma.

Y/N had cleaned the remaining tears and applied a little more makeup just to make sure they didn’t know. But Harry would. He knew her. Completely.

She stared at her phone, expecting a text, a call, anything. For the first time she feared he’d never text back again. And she didn’t even know why. And it felt like it, it felt like last time and she really didn’t like last time.

She took a deep breath, gulping down a sob before she faked a smile.

And there was Harry with his bright smile, those worn overalls she’d told him to buy and a pair of sneakers. Y/N’s fake smile turned into a real one as she ran to his open arms. Maybe everything was okay now.

“I missed you so much,” he said, as he kept hugging her.

“I missed you more!”

Two months without him, and she had just realized it. How stupid she had been on ignoring him because she was giving in to something that was—so momentary. Something that probably was already ending.

But not with Harry… not yet, though.

“I invited Tom,” she warned him.

“Oh, alright—“he cleared his throat. “So—Uh, where is he?”

And there was her answer, she knew he wouldn’t come.

“I—well, Dunno, maybe he’ll show up later but, please, we need to talk about everything—Your first movie!”

Harry laughed. “Fine, alright, come on, lets—“

Harry helped her forget why she hadn’t slept the night before, and he made her forget that they’d turned down the script. He made her forget that her whole world was probably tumbling down. With his stories and their jokes, and the way that he brought her a smile. It was great.

And y/n had never said it out loud, but she often thought about it, how she’d fallen in love with the wrong Holland. But of course, she knew that no matter how big her mistake, still her heart chose Tom. No matter how bad the decision was.

“Let’s get to the other important thing,” y/n said. “You’re getting married, oh my god, I just… We didn’t even have the time to talk about it.”

Harry laughed. “I know, it’s been so crazy but…”

“I’m … I can’t even believe it, you know? So, any plans yet?” She pushed.

“I… Well, yeah, many, you’d know more if you hadn’t ignored me for two months,” he pointed out. And there it was, the guilt.

The big guilt she’d felt for not calling him for two months, for hiding so many secrets from him. He didn’t deserve it, but in a way, she knew she was protecting both of them. In her own life, y/n saw it as before Rome, and after Rome, if it didn’t make any sense, at all. And the before Rome included that ‘almost-kiss’ with Harry that had her doubting everything, questioning every single feeling towards him. But she didn’t want to think about it, how quickly her doubts had been erased when Tom had shown up.

“I’m... “ She didn’t even know how to begin the apology. “I’m sorry Harry… I was too busy writing, helping Tom around, he can really be a pain in the ass, you know?”

“And I bet it’s even harder trying to hide your relationship with him, huh? So—let's get to it, what’s up with you and Tom?” Harry finally slipped the question. So abruptly.

“What?” She almost choked on her tea.

Harry smiled, coldly. “Oh come on, the whole showing out his girlfriend, the picture… the tweets, I know it’s you.”

She didn’t want to say it now, what was she supposed to tell him? Ah, yes, we became sort of official and then he stormed out of the blue. Was that what she was supposed to tell him?

She gulped. “Ah well, yeah that’s—that’s me, I guess—“

Harry furrowed his brows. “You guess? You’re in a relationship and you guess?”

“Yeah,” she turned a cough into a chuckle. “Yeah, well—It’s… Yeah.”

Harry gulped, and looked away with a smile. “So how did it happen?”

“Well—it just—“she chuckled. “It’s—Weird, guess we grew closer, and then—I dunno, we started hanging out,” she gulped, that was a way of saying it. “I—I dunno, we just went out on a date in New York and yes—“

Harry laughed. “Yeah I’m not buying that.”

“What?” She frowned. “Why not?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “You guys think you’re sneaky but you really aren’t,” he commented. “But since when did it really start?”

She opened her mouth, and then she chuckled, ignoring her best friend’s gaze. “I—uh.”

“Y/N?” He smirked. “Please, you’ve been crushing on him since we were kids, and you’re finally dating him, I want to know.”

“But it’s your stupid brother who we’re talking about,” she said, trying to change the subject.

Harry watched her, carefully. He wasn’t hurt, it wasn’t the first time he’d heard her talk about a boyfriend. Harry had gotten used to it. But it was different, from when he’d listen to her rant about Louis, or Timmy or whoever else. This was different, and probably because she… wasn’t ranting. She wasn’t talking for hours about him, she was changing the subject. Harry  had moved on from his feelings, almost all of them, anyway.

Of course, you can never truly get rid of feelings. Not for the person you’ve loved the most for your whole life, before Emma, that is. But his feelings were probably showing now, but he didn’t know if they were jealousy or actual concern, or other type of feelings. Because he’d noticed y/n had kept more than one secret for a while, he didn’t want to push it but he knew that his own brother had to do with it. She’d been crying, and if she hadn’t said it by now she probably didn’t want it to be addressed.

“How did it really start?” Harry asked.

She coughed. “Uh, well,” she squeezed her eyes shut. “It’s not exactly a fairytale.”

Harry laughed. “You and Tom? Oh who would’ve thought that mortal enemies are not having a fairytale.”

“We slept together.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “Yeah, I could… see that.”

“What?”

“You guys really thought we wouldn’t notice?” Harry rolled his eyes. “Look, I only know it was before I announced my engagement, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, so romantic, then, you sleep with each other and then you’re dating,” Harry rolled his eyes. “That’s… Really not what I expected from you.”

She covered her face. “It was…” She closed her eyes. “I really don’t want to talk about me sleeping with your brother, that’s weird.”

“Well,” Harry chuckled. “I just want to know, are you happy?”

She didn’t answer right away, because she could say she was happy right now because she didn’t even know why she told him they were a thing, because from what she could barely gather this morning it would come to an end.

“I—Yes, I’m happy.”

“Then why have you been crying?” He asked, going straight to what he had wanted to ask since he’d seen her run to him. She was not good at hiding it. She looked tired, and her smile just wasn’t there, her laugh seemed turned off. “Did my stupid brother make you cry?”

“I… gave the ring back to Tim,” she said.

Harry paused but listened. “And how do you feel about that?”

“I dunno,” she gulped. “I… I really,” she sighed. She knew Harry was the only person she could really talk about it with. “It’s like I let go a part of me, and I don’t… I don’t mind the ring.”

“No, I know,” Harry nodded. “It’s letting go of Tim.”

“And I’m not sure if I was ready for that, you know?” She confessed. “It’s…” She sighed. “Too complicated.”

Harry only stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate, but she didn’t so he continued to question her. “Do you love him?”

“I do,” she admitted. “But… I,” she gulped looking down at her tea. “I love your brother, too much for my own convenience, even when I know I shouldn’t, and I’d just… It sounds silly but I really would give up everything for your brother.”

Harry pitied her, a little. Because she was in love with someone who was going to hurt her, and y/n knew this.

“But what would I even give up now, huh?” She cackled dryly to herself. “Right? I’m losing everything.”

“No, you haven’t.”

“I—“She took a sip of her drink,deciding whether to tell him or not . “They turned down my script,” she admitted.

Harry only reached for her hand, “oh—I’m sorry.”

“No, well,” she sighed. “It’s—They didn’t turn it down it’s just—Well, they did—Because of the ending, and because this other guy brought a story that he swears it’s the new Stranger Things, which—Is, I mean they asked us for something based on our life and I really doubt he is—Actually dealing with any ghosts but,” she coughed. “But they preferred that over mine so—“

Harry nodded, as he squeezed her hand.

“I mean, I know I could come up with something like that, you know?” She sighed, her voice . “But I had to write a stupid story that was my story and I chose one where I don’t—I don’t even know the ending to, a story that I myself don’t understand.”

“What’s it about?” Harry asked.

“About first and last times,” she explained. “And I guess—I don’t know, it was on me, but—They said they didn’t like the ending, but I don’t want it to end I—“She was building up a sob, and Harry knew that. “I don’t want it to end, and maybe that’s why I wrote that ending because it—It makes no sense. I don’t even know, I don’t like that ending either.”

Harry didn’t understand it, he didn’t know what she was talking about, but he had learned that with y/n there was always the reason behind, the whole not meaning what she says, reading in between the lines.

“It’s cause, it’s a story that we all know, but—Nobody likes the ending, and maybe—I thought that by changing it—I—god, I don’t even know, nothing I write makes sense,” she continued, “I think I want to give up on it—“

“No, y/n, it’s only a script—You’re very talented—“

“But it’s not only a script, Harry, I gave—I gave my whole heart to it, it’s—“She pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s the story, I don’t like the ending either okay? It was—A big piece of my heart, I just didn’t want it to end okay? Not like that.”

“We’re not talking about the screenplay, are we?” Harry sighed.

Y/N ran a hand through her hair. “It’s—Complicated.”

“Why?”

“The screenplay is about Tom.”

Tom, who had almost gone to the cafe, but stayed in, instead. Because y/n had written about him, sure. He didn’t want to see her, anyone else would be flattered but he was depicted as a monster. And that’s the thing that had him thinking, because that’s all y/n saw him as. And how dare she write about their relationship? And when is she going to break his heart? He guessed he could tell her that he’d found it, the script, no need to build up another heartbreak, he was already there.

And he had almost gone with her and Harry, thinking it might be the right thing. Give her the chance to tell him about it.

But she wouldn’t, she probably wouldn’t.

And he stayed quiet for the next couple of days, she’d gone to his place every day, though. And every day he shut her out. He didn’t want to speak to her, he’d avoid her.

“Tom, oh my god, seriously,” Harrison yelled at him once. “I know it’s not my business—“

“You’re right, it’s not,” Tom snapped back.

“But you have to fucking give her an an explanation, and when she shows up tomorrow—Which I know she will, fucking give her one.”

And Tom thought about it, why did he need to give her an explanation? To give her a scene? To give her more to write about? It was stupid even thinking about it. But it—she didn’t feel it. Because: “who could ever love such a monster” were those her words? Or were they worse? Tom didn’t even want to look her in the eye. Because heartbreaks can be felt, and it hadn’t stopped hurting. He couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t talk, he’d run out of breath. He tried working out but he’d have to stop because his mind would bring her back.

Maybe he did need to give her an explanation, make her give him an explanation.

Except the next day, it wasn’t y/n who showed up. Harry. It was Harry.

“Bloody hell, what happened to you, you look like shit,” Harry said as soon as he had walked into the kitchen. “What the hell is up with you?”

Tom blinked, looking up from the now soggy cereal he’d been eating for the past hour. “I’m—tired.”

Harry opened the fridge and took out something to drink. “Why don’t you call your girlfriend, eh? She might be able to make you smile.”

Tom felt a punch right in his stomach. Did he know? He genuinely had forgotten the whole trouble it would bring if he told him. Did he even have to tell him now?

“I—girlfriend?” Tom asked, before coughing.

Harry crossed his arms. “Oh, so—You’re going to deny it again?”

Tom looked away. “Deny what?”

“That you’re dating y/n,”Harry pointed out.

Tom didn’t answer, he only watched his brother. He knew. Had y/n told him?

“I figured it out—oh, and mum told me, how happy they were when they heard the news, news which you didn’t tell me,” Harry continued.

Tom didn’t want to give in to that conversation. But he had to, now. He had to admit it now, to his brother standing right there.

“So?” Harry pushed sipping from his drink. “How’s it going?”

“I—Harry I'm sorry-“

“Why are you even sorry?” Harry frowned.

Tom let the spoon fall down to his bowl. “I—I… look Harry.”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to, Tom,” Harry pushed. “And I swore I wouldn’t get involved. I promised to her I wouldn’t get involved.”

“You loved her,” Tom pointed out.

“I love her,” Harry corrected him. “No past tense, but no, I’m not in love with her. That, that’s it. I’m not in love with her, I am in love, and I love Emma now.”

Tom frowned. “Look, Harry—“

“What I don’t understand, Tom,” Harry continued. “Is why you keep—it makes no sense to me, Tom.”

Tom stood up. “It doesn’t? What doesn’t click you?”

“If you’ve been in love with her your whole life—again, nobody told me, figured it out, it’s easy to know when someone else is in love with the person you love—Why you kept doing that, hurting her.”

“Because you loved her, and because she didn’t choose you,” Tom snapped, “it’s stupid but that’s what it is. I didn’t want you to be hurt—Because I knew you loved her and it made no sense she fucking kept choosing me—“

“I’m not even hurt she didn’t choose me,” Harry scoffed. “You know what? I’m hurt you didn’t tell me,  and that you had to hide this from me because deep down you know you’re not right for her. Because you’ve been an asshole to her.”

There it was, someone else thinking he was an asshole,  a monster, and Tom didn’t even want to deny it. Maybe that was it. He was even angrier at himself for being so stupid. No, but—Then again y/n didn’t love him back. He’d hurt her enough for her to craft up a perfidy, whatever that word even meant by now.

Harry watched the quiet Tom. “And I’m hurt that even after everything even after every time you’ve fucking hurt her,” Harry continued. “I don’t even—Right now, you’re hurting her so fucking much she still chooses you and you manage to fuck it up,”Harry said exalted. “I’m hurt you still don’t realize how much you can hurt her and how much she loves you.”

Tom didn’t believe that statement.

“I was in love with her yes,” Harry sighed, “and did it hurt that she didn’t love me back? Maybe, did it hurt when something almost happened and then she came back parading with you? Fuck, yes, it hurt but—But if you made her happy, I was okay with that, it didn’t matter in the end, because you’re my brother as I wanted you to be happy and I wanted her to be happy,” he gulped. “But—look what I found, the two of you crying, both of you and you’re so pathetic excuse of love,” Harry shook his head, “I don’t even know it, do you even love each other?” He clicked his tongue. “Yes, I was hurt for a while, it hurt like a bitch, and it hurt me that the woman I loved would cry over and over because of your bullshit, and now you’re trying to put the blame on me? You’re saying you were an asshole because I loved her?”

Tom stayed quiet, he really didn’t want to answer that question. Because she’d crossed more lines and because he already knew it, an asshole, a monster, whatever, and there he was, being the bad guy again.

And there was Robert, Robbie—Harry, believing he was the bad guy. And everybody believed it. Because maybe, Tom truly was the bad guy.

“You thought that by hurting her I'd turn out to be triumphant?” Harry asked him, “is that what you really thought?” Harry couldn’t be more calm about this, as if he had rehearsed everything he was telling Tom.

“Do you really love her, Tom? Or is it another whim of yours?” Harry pushed.

But Harry didn’t know about the script. And Harry didn’t know the most important thing. Harry didn’t know that at one point, Valerie had been in love with Robbie.

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[howtoeatworms]

Fairy Tail: The Celestial Journey

                              Chapter 1: The Journey Begins

It’s been one month since the war with tartaros. Magnolia has been busy rebuilding and with help from the generous amount of jewel the king has given to all those affected, almost a quarter of the town has been rebuilt.

The guild on the other hand was rebuilt in under five days thanks to the insane workload Erza forced on everyone. The craziest thing wasn’t even that. The master thought of disbanding the guild, the idea almost gave me a heart attack, But I’m glad Master changed his mind after he realized how sad everyone would be if that happened.

Everyone seems to be going back to their daily routines but some wounds are too deep to heal. It’s just not the same even now. But I’m sure things will get better soon.

I love you mama. I will talk again soon.

Lucy then put the finishing touches on the letter and put it away for safekeeping inside one of her top cabinets opposite her bed.

After having a nice warm shower Lucy was having a hard time deciding what to wear.

“I know, He can help me. Open! Gate of the little dog! Plue!” Lucy chanted as she pointed her key in the air.

In a puff of smoke what looked like to be a short, carrot nosed dog puffed into existence.

“Hmm. I haven’t worn this one in a long time, what do you think Plue?” She asked her little celestial spirit.  The small little creature walked over to over a dozen outfits sitting on her bed and pointed to a blue and white outfit.

Lucy looked at the outfit Plue had chosen and gave him a big hug saying; “I knew you could help me. Thank you Plue.” Shortly after in another puff of smoke the spirit was gone.

Lucy was walking down the road to the newly rebuilt guild hall wearing a blue shirt, a short, white skirt, long brown leggings and a black sleeve with her hair tied into a long ponytail.

Before she knew it Lucy was already at the guild hall. She pushed the doors open to find the usual scenes. People drinking merrily, some checking the request board and fiends chatting.

Lucy went to sit down at an empty table right near the entrance. She smiled at all the commotion around her. Thinking of better times.

“Oh Lucy! It’s so nice to see you at the guild again. You haven’t been here for weeks.” Mirajane said as she walked over to lucy’s table.

“Yeah, it’s good to be back.” Lucy murmured looking down at the table.

“Is there anything I can order for you, Lucy?” Mirajane asked.

Lucy murmured “No thanks, mira.”

“Well, if you need anything just call.” Mirajane said as she walked off to serve another person.

Lucy looked around the guild for Natsu and Happy hoping that they could go on a mission together.

“It’s just been so long.” She said to herself. Suddenly, something caught her attention in the corner of her eye.

    “Erza! We’ve been waiting 30 minutes for our beer and it’s still not here! You’re a worse waitress than Kinana!” Wakaba shouted in a semi drunken state.

“Uh, bud I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Macao replied to his long-time friend.

Just hearing the remarks by Wakaba, Erza rushed over to the table where he was seated, and like a tiger killing its prey Erza instantly jumped Wakaba.

“If it’s alcohol you want then it’s alcohol you’ll get!” Erza said as she started to force down a whole barrel of alcohol down his throat.

Lucy watched on in confusion and worry, glad to be sitting a few tables back.

“Erza being a waitress is a pretty scary thing.” Lucy nervously thought to herself.

Getting tired of sitting around Lucy got up from her seat and walked over to the request board.

“Even if I can’t go on missions with Natsu and Happy, I still need to pay rent.”

Lucy scanned the request board looking for a job suitable for both herself and her spirits. Unfortunately, she could only find dangerous jobs that would require a three-person team.

Suddenly a familiar flying, blue cat flew into the guild hall and grabbed a handful of flyers.

Lucy looked up above in surprise. “Happy it’s you! I haven’t seen you and Natsu in ages. How has he been?”

Happy looked down to see Lucy staring up at him. “I can’t talk now, Lucy! Got work to do!”

Lucy murmured, looking at the floor. “Of course, you do.”

  Hours later, Lucy was working on the finishing touches on another two pages of her novel. Feeling tired, she stretched her arms and decided it was time to go to bed.

Lucy signed, lying in bed. “I spent a whole day at the guild and I didn’t even get a single job, and Rent is coming up soon too. Maybe tomorrow I might find something.”

As Lucy slept in her bed, a dream started to form in her mind.

“Puny human, no mortal can stand up to the might of the four Celestial Gods.”

“I don’t care! I need to do this so I can save my family.”

“Draco! Deal with this pest for me.”

“Yes, my lord.”

A hulking monster appeared as if out of nowhere, standing down Natsu.

“So, you’re the Celestial god everyone’s been talking about, huh?” Natsu said in a sarcastic tone.

“Natsu! Get away, you’ll die!” Lucy screamed at the top of her lungs.  

The creature simply attacked, paying no attention to Lucy’s words.

“Celestial God Dragon… Roar!”

In a split second a wave of fire that felt as hot as the sun engulfed Natsu, and a split second later there was nothing left but ash.

Suddenly Lucy shot awake, she looked around, realizing she was safe in her own bed.

“It was just a dream, then?”

Lucy realized her body was shaking in fear, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Natsu…”

  Lucy was sitting by the bar, drinking a coffee to try to keep herself awake. She didn’t get much sleep after she awoke from her nightmare.

“Oi Lucy! Watcha doing?” Natsu said as he draped his arm around lucy’s neck and chest, a little too close for comfort.

Lucy turned around and saw Natsu. “Natsu, it’s been so long. What have you been doing?”  

Natsu looked Lucy in her eyes and said; “Oh nothing! Just missions and stuff. I need to get stronger and stronger!”

Lucy’s face lit up, and an idea popped into her head. “Since you’re here, how about we go on a mission together?”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

“Happy! Find a flyer for Lucy and us.” Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Aye sir!” Happy replied.

A large shard of ice suddenly shot through the air and hit Natsu in the head.

“What the hell was that?” Natsu yelled.

“Hey, flame brain! Leave a few jobs for the rest of us will ya!” Gray yelled.

“Huh?” Natsu grunted.

“You’re taking all the damn jobs in the guild, soon enough there won’t be any left.” Gray replied.

Natsu jumped up from his seat and yelled; “Ya got a problem with that, popsicle man!”

Gray was starting to get visibly annoyed at Natsu’s ignorance. “You know I do, weren’t you listening, dumbass.”

Natsu then suddenly punched Gray and the force of the impact destroyed a table.

“Oh, it’s on now, Natsu!” Gray yelled.

Soon enough the entire guild was their battleground, getting other wizards caught up in their brawl.

Lucy looked at them both and murmured; “They never learn, do they?”

“I feel so tired.” Lucy said as she started to yawn. “I think I’ll just rest here for a bit, Mira.”

“Don’t sleep too long.” Mira replied.

Lucy started to drift off to sleep, the guild’s noise acting as a lullaby to her.

Lucy suddenly found herself in a very familiar place. It was her father’s old mansion. She started to stroll through the lovely garden out front when suddenly she was pulled away and dragged into a terrible memory.

It was raining.

Everyone was dressed in black.

Suddenly, Lucy knew what the memory was.

It was her mother’s funeral. When Lucy looked around, she realized she was her child like self again. Small and defenseless. The wails of pain and agony were a chorus of tears Lucy wished she never had to remember again.

Then, suddenly, the dream changed. Lucy was standing in shallow water, now an adult again.

“Fix the keys… the land of the spirits.”

Lucy heard a familiar voice.

“Who are you? Why do you sound like my…”?

A figure appeared in the distance. Lucy ran to it. It was Layla.

“Mum?” Lucy murmured.

The figure turned its head to reveal a half rotting corpse, a small smile etched on its face.

  “AAAHHH!!”

Lucy suddenly shot awake and her scream stopped the guild, as if everyone was frozen.

Natsu and Gray stopped fighting, Erza stopped eating her cake, all to look at Lucy.

Natsu ran over to Lucy as fast as he could, with Happy flying behind him, he ran over to the stool Lucy was sitting on.

“Mama?” Lucy said as she looked at Natsu, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Oi Lucy! Are you alright?” Natsu asked, shocked at her scream.

Lucy looked at Natsu and Happy.

She murmured; “I’m fine, I just… had a dream.

“You had us all worried sick. Are you sure you’ll alright?” Natsu questioned.

“I’m fine, really I am.” Lucy said.

Happy was floating above Lucy’s head. “Was it about tasty fish?”

Lucy slightly laughed. “No happy, it’s not about tasty fish.”

“Oh! I betcha it was about Fighting.” Natsu yelled.

“No, fish!” happy replied.

“Fighting!”

“Fish!”

Lucy walked over to master, who was sitting on one of the tables nearby.

“I’m sorry master. I’m sorry everyone. I didn’t mean to worry you all.” Lucy said sadly.

Makarov looked at Lucy with a worried look.

“There’s no need to worry, my child. We all have bad days, but the important thing is to always remember that tomorrow will be better. So, keep your head held high, for that is the Fairy Tail way.” Makarov said.

Lucy looked at the ground, not able to look master in the face. Whether that was out of shame or cowardice she didn’t know.

Moments after Makarov’s talk the guild started to liven up again, becoming its old rowdy self.

“I think I need to go home.” Lucy said.

Makarov watched Lucy walk out of the guild with concern plastered on his face. Lucy looked like she was in a haze.

 Lucy barely made it home to her apartment. Walking home in a daze.

As soon Lucy entered her home, she started to undress.

“I need a hot shower… I’ll fell bet…”

She suddenly collapsed on the floor.

Lucy awoke in the same void of shallow water as before. She saw the same thing parading around as her mother.

“Who are you? Answer me! Lucy shouted nervously at the figure.

The figure moved and as it turned its head, Lucy anticipated the horrific figure from earlier. But it never came. All she saw was the beautiful face of her mother.

“Lucy, I have not seen you in years. You have grown so much since I last saw you.” Layla said.

“I don’t understand any of this, what’s going on?” Lucy asked her mother.

Layla looked at Lucy with sadness on her face.

I have been trying to contact you, I have a mission for you, a way to save Aquarius.

Lucy was shocked, she couldn’t believe what she heard.

“Let me explain, my daughter.” Layla said.

“In the northern continent, in ancient times a meteor hit and devastated the landscape, however since that day, that place has become a wellspring of power for celestial spirit wizards. Go to the celestial steppe and you will find a blacksmith that can fix any key, even celestial keys.” Layla Stated.

Lucy tried to run closer to her mother but no matter how close she got Layla would always be out of reach. “How do you know all this? Can I even trust you?”

Layla looked at her daughter with sad eyes.

“Of course, you can trust me, I’m your mother. All will be explained soon, just know that I love you, lucky Lucy.” Layla smiled and then disappeared.

Lucy woke up from her dream, determined to make it a reality.

“I’ll be with you soon, Aquarius. Just hold on a little more.” Said Lucy.  

  The next day Happy and Natsu were standing by the request board in the guild. They had found the perfect job for Lucy.

“I’m sure Lucy would loooove this one!” Happy yelled, with the flyer in his paws.

“I wouldn’t miss seeing Lucy looking like that for the world.” Natsu said as he grinned mischievously.

Natsu ran out the guild’s doors as fast as he could with Happy flying not far too behind.  

“Hey Lucy! Me and Happy found a job that you’d really like. It pays well.” Natsu Yelled outside Lucy’s apartment window. The flyer moving in the wind.

There was a silence for a moment.

“Is Lucy not home?” happy asked.

“Nah, she’s just ignoring me. Watch.” Natsu said as he jumped from the ground to the window sill outside Lucy’s window.

Natsu pulled the wooden frame up and hoped inside, with happy flying in after him.

“She’s not here.” Said Happy, looking around.

“Well, she’s gotta be. Let’s have a look around.” Natsu told Happy.

“She’s not in here.” Happy said as he lifted up the lid for a cookie jar.

Natsu grinned. “I know where you are. I’m coming in!” Natsu ripped the shower curtain off its rod expecting to see a naked Lucy.

“Huh, she’s not even here?”

Happy flew right into Natsu’s arms with tears in his eyes. “I looked around everywhere and Lucy isn’t here. Is she okay?”

“I dunno, bud.” Natsu replied. “But something is wrong.”

“Master!”

Natsu burst through the guild hall as loud as a bull and ran up to Makarov, who was sitting on the bar top.

“What is it my boy.” Makarov asked.

Everyone looked at Natsu in confusion. Breathing heavily from running to the guild, Natsu and Happy were trying to regain their breath. “It’s…Lucy…she’s… gone!”

“Hmm, what do you mean by that Natsu.” Makarov said.

“Lucy was here and then she was gone and I can’t find her anywhere.” Natsu said quickly, panicking.

“Calm down first Natsu.” Erza replied, who was standing to the right of Makarov.

After waiting a minute for Natsu to catch his breath, he finally spoke;

“I went to Lucy’s place to tell her me and Happy had a job for her to do, But I couldn’t find her anywhere. Then we looked around Magnola hoping to find her scent, but nothing. It’s like she just disappeared.”

“Well, this is troubling.” The master said.

“This is not like Lucy at all. She can be clumsy but she wouldn’t just leave like that.” Erza said.

“Could this be an enemy targeting Lucy?” Juvia chimed in.

“It’s a possibility. After what we went through fighting Tartaros I wouldn’t be shocked if someone wanted revenge.” Gray pondered.

For a moment Makarov closed his eyes and meditated on the news.

“We’ll send out a search party to look for Lucy. Natsu, Gray, Erza, Juvia and Wendy, you all will form a search party and look for Lucy. Also, we will use your telepathy, Warren to try and locate her as well.” Master Makarov announced.

Natsu was grinding his teeth and had his fists clenched, an aura of anger surrounding him.

“Don’t worry Lucy, we’ll get you back for sure. You can count on it.”

  It was one whole week after Lucy disappeared and everyone was low on spirits. The guild was as busy as ever, but it had a tinge of sadness in the air.

One whole week of searching all over Fiore and nothing showed up, not even a single hint.

Suddenly a strange, fat woman walked in the guild hall wearing Lucy’s old outfits with a wagon filled with boxes of clothes and other items.

“Isn’t that the landlady Lucy rented from?” Gray asked, pointing to the guild’s doors.

“The Landlady, why would she be here? Erza questioned.

“Is this the place where Lucy Heartfilia works?” The woman yelled.

“Yes, why?” Gray Asked.

“That brat went up and left, not even paying the rent she owes me, she left all her crap at my apartment too, So I’m dumping it here.” The woman ranted.

Natsu walked up to the landlady, looking at her with disgust. “Lucy always paid her rent on time. She always panicked about getting kicked out. This isn’t like her.”

“Well, your friend doesn’t give a crap anymore, that’s for sure.” The landlady said as she pushed all of Lucy’s belongings off the wagon and onto the floor.

Natsu stood there, clenching his fists in anger.

As the landlady started to walk out the door, she threw a letter on the ground.

“Oh, and she left this too.”

“A letter?” Natsu said as he picked it up and opened it.

Natsu couldn’t believe what he read. His hands started to shake.

“Natsu, please read aloud the letter, for all of us.” Erza said.

Dear Natsu.

“It saddens me to say this but, I’m leaving on a journey, one that is more important to me than you could ever imagine. I don’t know how long I will be gone; it could be a month or it could be a year or two.

I wish I could have stayed in the guild longer, but don’t worry, I will always be in your hearts and I will always be a member of Fairy Tail.

If you’re reading this, Natsu, then it means that I have already crossed the borders of Fiore. I will be sending this letter to my apartment, so if you ever break in be sure to read it.

Sincerely,

Lucy.

  A horse drawn carriage pulled up to a stop on near the edge of a mountain. The driver rubbing his cold hands together to try to heat them.

“I’m sorry miss, but this is as far as I can take you. The blizzard is just too strong.”

A slender, young woman jumped out of the carriage and said; “It’s okay, thank you for taking me this far.” She threw a bag filled with jewel to the driver.

“Nice doing business with ya!” The driver said as he directed his horse the way they came.

Lucy fixed her scarf closer to her neck for warmth. She looked off over into the distance, everything was a flurry of white.

“I’ve finally made it to the northern continent. It looks like my journey starts now.”

[itsnsfwalways]

Canyon Moon

FIC MASTERLIST

warnings for ch 3: mentions of drug use (weed), swearing, oral sex (m! and f! receiving), a hint of degradation if you squint

chapter 3: you’re so golden

The sun hitting your eyes was the first thing that woke you up, the warmth inviting, but also very bright. Scrunching you’re face up, you tug the blanket over your head, turning to the side and taking a deep breath in. You find giving your body a few minutes to wake up before you force yourself out of bed makes you feel so much more awake and in a good mood.

Stretching your back, you rub the sleep out of your eyes and roll out of bed, trudging to the bathroom to wash your face and brush your teeth.

Yawning as you walk into the kitchen, you make yourself an iced coffee before starting on breakfast. Putting on Rumours, you sing quietly to yourself while making a scramble with a bunch of veggies to get your greens in early.

Heading back to your room with hot sauce in hand, you light some incense and take a few bong rips before eating your breakfast quietly on the window sill. That was something you absolutely LOVED about your room, the edge of the window was just wide enough for you to sit (or lay down) and admire the view of palm trees and beautiful blue skies.

Opening up Misery, you finish a few chapters and mindlessly eat for a bit, listening to the birds chirp and the buzz of the city waking up. Once you finish your food, you go sit cross legged on your meditation pillow, facing the floor length mirror as you make sure your posture is straight. Putting on your favorite meditation music, which, at the moment, is 432hz Healing Tones, you take a deep breath in, clearing your mind and allowing the sun and healing vibrations to roll over you. You imagine yourself breathing in healing energy and nothing but love, and exhaling all of the stuck, negative energy, trying to ‘push’ it out with your breath. Sometimes it felt a bit silly, but if it made you feel loads better, why not do it?

About twenty minutes pass before you slowly blink open your eyes, yawning quietly before going into child’s pose, stretching your back and hips after sitting for so long.

Lying down on your back on the mat, you stare up at the ceiling, feeling an overall sense of being okay. Your body feels good, your mind feels good, your stomach’s full of butterflies that make you smile and blush at the thought of seeing Harry in a bit.

Pulling yourself up with a grunt, you throw on a swim suit and a random pair of shorts, not caring to bring a real top. After applying a bit of sunscreen on your face and shoulders, you slide into your flip flops and fill up a water bottle before heading out the door.

Unlocking Sunflower, you sit on the edge of the side door while sliding on your scuffed white rollerskates with obnoxiously bright blue wheels. They were your pride and joys, and made you feel as if you were in a different time, enjoying the breeze on your cheeks as you skate towards your spot. The journey only took about 15 minutes, with minimal stumbles, so it was already turning out to be a great day.

Finally pulling up to the small lot, you squat down to pull of your skates, putting them behind a rock along with your socks and shorts. You shook your head as you sprinted towards the ocean, leaping into the freezing water. It was the only way you were able to get in, you were never one to wade slowly in. Swimming about half a mile out, the waves crash over you coolly, soothing your quickly warming body. It was going to be a hot day today, good to know. Treading water, you look at the coast, everything looking so small. You made sure to breathe in, capturing this exact moment in memory. The feeling of salty water on your skin, wet hair stuck to your neck and the slight burn in your arms, but this was it. This was pure bliss.

But, you’re also not insane, so after a bit you swim back to shore, spending about ten minutes doing handstands and flips before getting out, wringing out your hair on your way up the beach. Climbing up the pile of large rocks next to cliff, you lay on top of a relatively flat one, allowing your body to dry off for a little bit and give you a few extra moments of sun.

You always hated dusting off your feet for forever before getting back in your socks and skates, but rather that than get sand in them.

“Fuck, I really am killing it today,” you pant to yourself, definitely feeling a burning in your thighs as you start heading home, desperately wanting a shower and some chocolate.

Throwing your skates in Sunflower, you slam the door closed and trudge up the steps to the apartment, practically falling over as you enter the door.

Laura looks up from her phone, perched on the countertop eating a bowl of cereal.

“Look at you, sexy girl, how was the water?” She teases, handing you a banana from the counter immediately because she knows you need it.

“Good,” you sigh, taking a bite and moaning, leaning against the wall for a minute in silence.

“When’s your date with Harry again?” She asks, glancing at the clock.

Oh fuck.

The clock read 10:30.

“Okay, that’s not bad, I just need to get my ass in gear,” you convince yourself, throwing the banana away and grabbing a spoonful of peanut butter. You didn’t have time to make yourself anything else, plus you were eating with Harry soon anyways.

“You got this. Do I get to meet him?” Laura encourages, raising her thumbs at you.

You laugh and nod. “Absolutely, just don’t ask about his exes or I’m going to look crazy.”

“Got it, no exes. Get in the shower, you’re dripping everywhere!”

You run upstairs, yelling back, “I’ll clean it up,” as you head into your room, turning on Currents by Tame Impala to pump you up as you shower, quickly washing your hair and body, shaving the itty bitty stubble just in case.

Running some curl cream through your hair, you try and scrunch and dry your hair as fast as possible, which doesn’t really work, but at least you tried.

A bathrobe envelopes you as you sit down at your small vanity, starting on a little bit of makeup. Dabbing a bit of concealer on your undereyes and small blemishes, you keep it semi-natural with just bronzer, blush, and highlighter, admittedly a ton, but who’s to say. Brushing your brows out and filling in the ends a little darker, all that goes on your eyes is a brown eyeshadow and a beautiful gold pigment, then comes drenching your eyelashes in mascara.

You turn your attention back to your hair, thank god you were having extremely good luck today, because it fell perfectly, the layers framing your face so elegantly that you had to smile at your reflection. Self-love is a journey, and you were glad to be in a good space.

Checking your phone finally, you find a text from Harry, sent 2 hours ago. Whoops.

Good morning, Y/N, just wanted to make sure we’re still on for 12. Hope you slept well.

Well, it’s confirmed, you’re a completely asshole. It’s 11:15 and you still haven’t responded to a text about a date happening at NOON.

AHH IM SO SORRY hi harry ! i don’t check my phone for a while in the mornings, i’m the worst, i know. we definitely are still on, haha, noon still work for you ?

You throw your phone on your bed while you stare at your closet, trying to find a good outfit for today.

Eventually coming to a pair of high waisted white shorts that you got from your mom, thankfully having the same waistline as her in high school, and a light blue silk tank top with gold straps. Planning on wearing your black boots with the gold detailing, because, hey, it seems you’ve got to up your fashion game dealing with Harry, you place them next to your bedroom door before checking your phone.

You scared me for a minute, I was about to go eat a very sad lunch by myself. I’m going to start heading over, that alright by you?

You giggle quietly at his response, typing out,

sounds great :) i’m planning on wearing a pair of boots, should i bring sandals or anything ?

Woah, trying to outdress me?

He sends the next one moments later.

Just teasing, boots will be fine. We’re going to this cafe I really like.

of course i’m going to out dress you, who do you think i am ? and awesome !! see you in a bit !!

You grab a small black bag, putting your sunglasses case, gum, keys, wallet, chapstick, lighter, your dab pen (you never know), and a small rollerball perfume inside. Sliding in some gold hoops and placing your rings back on your fingers, you wiggle them a bit. They always look a bit naked without them on.

Putting on your boots, you head into the bathroom to brush your teeth once more before Harry arrives. But nope, the doorbell, rings as soon as you start brushing your molars.

“Shit,” you gasp, heading over to the door, toothbrush in hand.

You swing open the door and rush out, “Hey, Harry, I’ll be out in two seconds, come on in.”

Taking in his appearance, you grin at the white sunglasses pushed in his hair. Wearing a white t shirt, it’s tucked into a pair of blue pants that matches your shirt to a goddamn T, which you can’t help but laugh at as you walk away. Passing Laura in the hallway, you give her a look as she walks over to him.

Their conversation travels through your open door as you finish brushing your teeth.

“You must be Laura,” Harry starts, and you can just see him reaching his hand out.

“I am, it’s great to meet you,” she says, her smile bleeding into her voice.

“You have a beautiful home, so close to the beach too,” Harry compliments.

“Thank you, yeah, Y/N found this place forever ago and we’ve been living here since we moved out. My dad knew the landlord and they gave us a ridiculously low price for it, but I am not complaining.”

“Oh that’s sick, I’ve been in Malibu for just a bit, always kind of changing my location around LA and England.”

“That was what we thought we were going to do, but I definitely am glad we stayed here. Living in the city is fun and all, but it’s a lot, you know? We need our peace and quiet at home.”

You walk back out, purse and phone in hand, taking in their positioning. Laura’s sitting on a stool, cup of coffee in hand as Harry stands across from her, eyes on you as soon as you walked out.

“I’ll see you later,” you grin at Laura, sneaking another glance at Harry as you give her a quick hug.

“Okay, bye! Nice meeting you, Harry!” she smiles, and of course he replies with the same.

You close the door behind the two of you and he looks you up and down again, meeting your eyes and smiling.

“Hi,” you breathe out, his eyes capturing you immediately.

“Hi,” he whispers back, squeezing your exposed side. “You look really good, Y/N.”

You bite your lip to hide your smile, placing your hands on his shoulders, feeling the fabric (but really just his muscles). His hands immediately go to cup your waist, not pulling you in, just holding you.

“So do you. Like the blue,” you grin, moving your hands down to his waistband.

“Proper matching, I’d say,” he cheekily smiles, thumbs feeling the edge of your shirt’s material along your ribs, your breath hitching slightly at his movement.

You’re the first to pull away, moving your hand to lace your fingers together, tugging him gently down the stairs. He follows after you, squeezing your hand with his and shaking his head, trying to mask his smile by twitching his nose.

That gorgeous being of a car is parked in front of your house, the color alone bringing a smile to your lips, but now the top was down, which was about to make this a lot more fun.

“God, Harry, I might have to steal this from you,” you sigh, arms crossed as you look up at him seriously.

He laughs loudly, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

“Maybe one day I’ll let you drive it,” He whispers, kissing the top of your head before pulling away and opening your door like nothing happened.

You stand there still for a moment before blinking and getting in, holding his hands on the door when he closes it. Turning your body, you lean out the door, placing your hands next to his as you whisper in his ear,

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

Sliding your lips along his cheek as you pull away, you plop back into the chair, putting on your sunglasses and messing with your hair a bit.

Harry clears his throat before walking around the car, sliding into the driver’s side and starting the car.

“Do you want to play music?” He slowly asks, his tone sending shivers down your legs.

You perk up at this, nodding quickly and taking the aux cord from him.

“I’d love to. Have you heard of Tash Sultana? They released an EP a few years ago, their voice is incredible. They make all their own loops and play every instrument by themselves.”

Harry gives you a side eye, grinning as he says,

“That’s some pretty new music for you, princess.”

Your lips part slightly and Harry watches closely as your cheeks flush, licking the side of his mouth with a grin.

“Have I found a nickname you like, Y/N?” His voice has raised slightly, obvious excitement in his expression.

“Only sometimes,” you shrug, trying to play that off as cool as possible. “And yeah, my ex actually introduced me to their music.”

Harry raises his eyes at this, bringing a finger to his lips to hold his laugh in.

“Why the fuck did I say that?” Your hands go up to your face as Harry finally laughs at you, turning the volume down just a little to listen to you.

Sighing for a second, you pull your hands away before blurting out,

“I don’t want you to think that I’m lying to you about not knowing your music or you, because I do listen to stuff released now, obviously. I’m not a music snob or one of those too cool for school people because I absolutely blast SZA when I’m drunk and I’m starting to overthink and-“

Harry cuts you off by taking your jaw in his hand, turning your face towards him. Perfect timing, as always, pulling up to a red light right when he needs it.

“Hey,” he whispers with a smile, stroking your cheek. “I don’t think that you’re lying to me, and I understand. I was kind of a dick for saying all that right away to be honest, but I get it. I listen to mostly oldies too, if I really think about it.”

You exhale, looking up at him.

“Okay. I’m still going to freak out about it and make sure you know.”

He squeezes your jaw slightly, scrunching his nose.

“No,” he cutely protests, and you can’t help but giggle.

He smiles in return and lets your jaw go, hands going back to grip the wheel a little bit tighter

The two of you drive for a little bit, not really saying anything. You can’t help but dance in your seat to the beat, silently mouthing the lyrics to yourself. Harry keeps glancing over at you, too, grinning at the way you blush when he notices you doing it.

“How was your morning so far?” You start, just wanting to hear him talk.

He has to talk a little bit louder over the wind, but he’s happy to get the conversation started.

“Quite good actually. I’m going to Cabo in a couple weeks and was just getting some early packing in. Don’t you hate when you go somewhere and realize you forgot something like a toothbrush at home?”

“It’s the worst, I always end up having to go to a corner store and get something. What’s in Cabo?” You ask, already so amazed at his lifestyle.

“Friend of mine is having a birthday, so we’re there for a bit celebrating, going to be an amazing trip. Happy to be here, though,” he adds, eyes flicking to yours as he says it.

“I’d be worried if you weren’t.”

“What about you? How was your morning?”

“Really good. Sorry about not texting you back for so long, by the way. I just have this thing about using technology right after I wake up, it gives me pretty bad headaches so I go as long as I can without it unless I hear it ring. But it was super productive, I got a good breakfast and read in, meditated a bit, skated to the beach and went for a swim, then got ready for this.”

“You put me to shame, Y/N, you really do.” Harry laughs, running a hand through his hair.

“I just woke up in a really good mood. I can definitely be grumpy in the morning, I’ll tell you that,” you try to explain, scared of feeling too pretentious.

“Yeah? I can see you throwing a fit if someone wakes you up before you’re ready,” Harry nonchalantly says, looking at the rings on his fingers before checking your reaction.

Cheeks hot, you feel almost scolded by him, thankful for the large sunglasses on your face.

“You’re not wrong,” you finally agree, crossing your legs smoothly.

That doesn’t go unnoticed by Harry, reaching a hand down to rest on your thigh almost immediately. His large hand wraps around your skin, thumb immediately starting to go in small circles.

“I started meditating a few years ago but I absolutely love it, I feel like it allows you to start the morning off right.”

Taking a deep breath before answering, you nod and say,

“Completely agree. It still can feel a bit weird doing it when I’m in a mood or anything, but whether you believe in it or not, having all that negative energy in you without doing anything about it isn’t good for you.”

“You’re quite cute when you talk about things you like. Light up like a little sun,” Harry smirks, pulling his sunglasses up to look at you, the piece of gum in his teeth allowing his jawline to be even more prominent. You do the same, placing them in your lap as you uncross your legs, his hand staying on your left thigh as it goes back towards the seat.

“Yeah?” You don’t stop looking at him, watching his eyes flit between you and the road.

Harry hums before adding, “I think you know that though.”

“That I’m quite arguably the epitome of all things golden? Of course, but it’s always nice to hear.”

You make a noise of protest as Harry removes his thigh to make a left, while simultaneously laughing at you.

“You are absolutely golden, love, don’t you forget it.”

He pauses for a moment before starting again.

“I’m going to warn you right now that there might be some photos taken of you when we go in or leave, or fans coming to take pictures. If that bothers you-“

Cutting him off quickly, you sit up, shaking your head.

“I dressed cute for a reason, if it happens it happens. I’m going to be pissed if someone comes for my outfit though.” You giggle at yourself and grab Harry’s hand, squeezing it gently. “I know what I’m signing up for. You’re good.”

Squeezing back, he looks down at his lap for a moment before glancing back at you, eyes so sincere your heart clenches a little.

“Thank you. Just... need a little reminder sometimes too.”

Unlacing your fingers, you stick your pinkie out, swearing, “I promise that I will always remind you that you’re not going to cause me any problems, and I’m not going to do the same. You promise to always remind me I’m golden?”

“‘Course, love. Was gonna do that anyways,” Harry chuckles, intertwining your fingers, heartbeat going just a little bit faster.

He couldn’t explain it, didn’t want to admit it to himself even, but your presence made his world just a little bit brighter. He couldn’t get you out of his mind, your smile, giggle, and sweet-smelling perfume was all he could think about since last night. His brain was trying to come up with reasons why this was a bad idea, how you could be using him, you were going to break his heart and leave without a second glance. But one look at your face, those eyes looking at him with so much wonder, made him hate the part of himself looking for excuses. These feelings felt way too much, too fast, but all he knew was he wanted to call you his girl. His sweet Y/N.

Parking his car next to some trees, he runs over to open your door, helping you step out and shutting the door behind you, placing the cover on the car quickly. The two of you walk into the cafe in silence, arms swaying next to each other. You figured he wasn’t comfortable holding hands in public on the first date.

The atmosphere of the Beachwood Cafe was everything you could want in a coffee shop. Absolutely stunning artwork covering the walls, a checkerboard floor, fun colors splattered all over. Your face must show how excited you were because you feel Harry bump you, grinning down at you. You hum, smile on your cheeks as he holds your face in his hands for a second.

“Like it?” You nod happily at his question, following the waitress to your table, one in the furthest corner from the door.

“Can I start you off with some drinks?” She asks, setting menus in front of the two of you. Harry gestures for you to go first and you quirk an eyebrow before turning.

“Can I please get a large iced coffee with some honey? Thank you so much,” you add, looking Angie, her nametag reads, in the eye.

“And for you?”

“A large iced americano would be wonderful, thank you, love.” Flashing that award-winning smile at her, she writes down his order and heads back to the front.

“This place is really cute, Harry,” you gush. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

His chest tightens at your cute face looking at him from across the table, the amount of gratitude coming from you at all times filling him with light.

“‘Course, honey. You don’t have to thank me,” He earnestly tells you, placing his chin in his hand.

“I know, but I feel like I need to,” you trail off, looking at one of the names of the scrambles on the menu. Snapping your eyes back up to him, Harry can tell where you’re going with this.

“Please don’t,” he half-laughs, half begs.

“But it’s so easy,” you pout, grinning when he sighs and waves his hand for you to continue.

“Should I ask how strong the Weid scramble is going to hit?”

Groaning into his palm, Harry tries his hardest not to laugh, but can’t help one escaping when you kick him under the table.

“Satisfied?”

“Very,” you nod, looking over the menu once more. “Have you had the Thai noodle salad? That looks hella good.”

“It is ‘hella’ good,” Harry teases, using quotation marks in the air.

“Right then, love, what’re you getting?” You respond in a British accent, folding up your menu.

“Probably the Brussels sprouts salad, it’s my usual here.”

You open your mouth to say something before your drinks are placed in front of you, Angie asking if the two of you are ready to order. Harry goes ahead and orders for the two of you, delicately grabbing the menu from your hands to hand it back to her with a charming smile on his face. Watching her walk away, you grab your drink, lifting it for a cheers.

“To living,” you simply state, Harry repeating it with a look in his eyes you can’t quite name.

“So,” you start, adjusting your position in your seat for a second. “You said you’re writing for your second album, right?”

Harry nods, licking his lips as he pulls away from his glass, catching the way your eyes wander to his mouth.

“Sort of. I want to, you know, take a break, try and just have some fun, rather than jump straight into writing and recording again. At the same time, I really fucking miss it. Writing and being in the studio and getting all that out just feels so good.”

The way his accent wraps around his words makes it hard for you to focus on what he’s saying all the way, realizing he’s waiting on you to respond.

“I definitely think you could use some down time. But that also doesn’t mean you have to stop making music. Write out your ideas when they come to you, and when you feel like you’re ready, start pumping them all out. I’m willing to bet $100 that you already have at least a few songs under your belt, though, am I wrong?” You grin at the headshake Harry gives you, catching the blush on his cheeks. “I knew it! We all do, it’s impossible to just not write, but don’t worry about timelines or due dates. You can’t rush art.”

“God, it’s just so good to hear out loud, I feel like you already know me,” Harry shakes his head, pushing his hair away from his face with one hand.

“I’m pretty good at reading people, I’d like to say,” your arm raising above you as you stretch a little, tilting your head from side to side.

Seeing your neck arch and the way your veins move slightly under your skin causes Harry to have to clear his throat a little, taking a sip of his drink as he feels his forehead start to sweat.

“What kind of artists do you normally write for?” He blurts out, trying to figure out how to get to know more about you in a roundabout way.

“If you’re offering me a job, I’m walking out right now,” you warm, raising your eyebrows. “Kidding. I don’t know, really, I write for a lot of my friends, like I said, when they need help on some of their own projects, or if I’m hanging out in the studio I get pulled around the rooms for a different set of ears. Working with Khalid was one of my favorite experiences, though, he was so fucking cool.”

Harry’s eyes sparkle at this, perking up.

“Love Khalid. He is so talented, and hilarious. I swear, my stomach was aching after being with him for a little while. I only asked because I think I’m trying to figure you out a bit. I just wanna get to know ya,” He shrugs, fingertips tapping on his glass.

“I wish you good luck on that task, Harry, I really do. The first step in recovering is admitting you need help,” you solemnly nod, bursting out laughing when he rolls his eyes and ATTEMPTS to hide his smile.

Your food is placed in front of you suddenly, and you jump, glaring at Harry for smirking at your reaction. He couldn’t help it, you were like a little puppy, overexcited and always jumping from place to place. Harry starts eating right away, sending you a quizzical look when you sit with your hands in your lap, almost like you’re waiting for something.

“You going to start eating, honey?” He gently presses, snapping you out of wherever you went.

“Sorry,” you blush, grabbing your fork and shaking your head a little. “I don’t know what the fuck that was about.”

Fuck, yes you did, and Harry knew that. You were waiting for his permission, and that thought alone sent you into a daze. Closing your eyes around the fork, you fought off the urge to moan and tried to push the fact that he already holds so much control over you out of your head. Snapping them open, you find Harry’s eyes on you, the look in them dangerous. Clearing your throat, you whisper, “It’s really good,” which Harry responds with a simple hum, leaning forward on his elbows towards you.

“You tell me if this is too forward or too much, yeah?”

Your lips part as you nod your head, not really ready for what’s about to cross his lips.

“I’ve been noticing certain... things that you do and, well, are you a sub, darling?”

Your throat dries, unable to break eye contact or even speak, only nodding when he squints his eyes a little at you. Fuck, this was not happening, you thought, reaching to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear.

“Like to hear that pretty voice of yours, yeah?” Harry urges you, hands fighting off the urge to hold your jaw in his fingertips.

“Yeah,” you sigh, taking a swig of coffee to think of something to say. “I’m going to assume you’re a dominant,” pausing to let Harry nod, jaw moving as he chews. You throw your hands up, leaning back in your seat.

“You are the complete package, Harry, shit.”

He laughs at this, covering his mouth quickly. “‘S’all you. A dream, really.”

Your heart flutters at this, shit, no, this is a FIRST date, you cannot be feeling like this. Taking a bite of your food, you are able to just sit back and look at him. Watch how he sticks his tongue out while he puts a bite in his mouth, something you’ve done since you were a kid for no reason. How his hands look almost sinful holding the white napkin to his lips.

“Staring at me, love,” he comments after a few minutes, his eyes looking at you sweetly, like he didn’t mind, but just needed to call you out.

“Merde, je veux te sucer,” you breathe out in French, banking on him not understanding you.

“Viliane,” Harry tuts, clicking his tongue at you. Before you’re able to answer, Harry is handing his card to the waitress who passed your table, asking for two boxes for your meals.

Your eyes snap to his, all the oxygen leaving your body as he brings your plate his side, getting ready to pack it up for you.

“W-Where?” Is all you manage, drinking the rest of your coffee, before setting it down on the table, a drop of honey falling down your lip. Harry can’t help but swipe it off with his thumb, slowly placing it in his mouth afterwards, not breaking eye contact, with you.

“I live nearby. That alright with you?”

Nodding slowly, you sit quietly in the booth as Angie comes back with the check and two boxes, legs bouncing excitedly as Harry packages the food up.

“Come on, lovely, let’s get out of here,” he tells you, holding you by your elbow as you walk outside, heading straight for the car. He doesn’t bother taking the top off, opening your door for you without a word and shutting it, almost sprinting to the driver’s side.

His hand finds your thigh immediately, rings shocking the delicate skin and making your muscles tense, his fingers quickly moving to massage out these aches.

“You wanna give me a safeword, pretty girl?” His voice drips with confidence, his hands moving closer to where you needed him most. His eyes keep flickering back to you while trying to focus on the road. His curls are a mess around his sunglasses, the brown hair swallowing up most of the eye ware. A pinch on your thigh reminds you that he expects an answer, shaking your body out slightly before answering.

“The stoplight system’s good. Green, I’m good, yellow, slow down or take a break, red, stop everything. What kind of dom are you, Harry?” You push, wanting to know what you’re getting yourself into. You had done a lot of kinky stuff in the past, and there were some things you weren’t a fan of.

“Mm, I’m relatively easy going. Not going to give you any rules, unless we’re playing and have a scene set up. But,” he pauses to exhale harshly, “I’m quite mean, love. I like to take control, pick you apart bit by bit until you’re just trembling under me, can’t say anything but my name. How does that sound, puppy? Tell me now how you like it.”

His voice sends shivers throughout your body and you moan quietly, biting your lip to try and stifle it. Harry’s words circle around your brain, your stomach tightening with need. All the air seems to escape you, but you know he wants an answer.

“G-good. I like it rough, dirty, just wanna please you,” you stutter out, chest rising and falling rapidly. You absent-mindedly rub your fingers against your neck, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe while thinking about what he’s saying.

“Good fuckin’ girl,” he moans, removing his hand from your thigh to place it behind your neck, squeezing it in his grasp. He knows what you want, even if he’s driving, he’s able to pick up on any little signals your body makes. Your back arches as you let out a breathy moan, eyes slipping closed.

“Tell me, princess,” he starts, squeezing the side of your throat to make you open your eyes and pay attention to him. “What do you want to happen when we get back to my house? Don’t want to go too far too soon.”

“Fuck, Harry, I just really want to suck you off, please, please, please,” you beg, a tear actually falling from your eye as you look at him. His pupils dilate at your words, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows harshly, mouth suddenly dry,

“Y/N,” he growls, reaching a hand to squeeze his growing bulge in his pants. His tanned hands and dark rings contrast the bright color, adding to your ever growing list of things that Harry does that turns you on.

The car pulls up to a gate and you sit there for a few seconds before Harry is buzzed in, probably driving way too fast back to his house. Parking in his driveway, he finally releases his hand from your neck and exits the car, making his way around to open your door. Holding your hand as you exit, he places his hand on your low back to guide you into the gorgeous home, the size of it taking your breath away. Harry gives you no time to admire it, shutting the door behind him with a slam before bringing his hand up your chest to rest on your throat, slamming you into the wall. He slips a leg in between yours and takes your hip in his free hand, guiding you to start grinding on his thigh. Your face flushes with heat as he tightens his grip.

“Know you wanna suck me off, but will you cum for me first? Don’t want this pretty cunt to go to waste.”

Your head rolls back and hits the wall, hips stuttering at his words, eliciting a chuckle from Harry as he leans in, breath hitting your lips before he envelopes them, encouraging you to start grinding faster. His tongue runs along your bottom lip, prying them open to lick into your mouth, your moans being instantly swallowed by him. Pulling away slowly, he maintains eye contact with you as he removes his hand from your throat to slip two fingers into your mouth. Feeling your wet mouth on him, sucking his fingers with such need, Harry groans lowly, removing his fingers to kiss you even harder, hands making quick work of removing your shorts.

“Such a naughty girl, can’t even wait to get to the bedroom, just has to have me feel you right here, hmm?” Harry scolds, removing his lips from yours to suck a mark into your neck, fingers moving to feel your wetness through the cloth underwear. Your hands wrap around his curls as you shakily inhale, resting your forehead on his to moan out lowly.

“Fuck, Harry,” you sigh, feeling him rub along your folds through the fabric, pushing it ever-so-slightly inside of you. His mouth pulls away from you with a pop, only to bite down on the red skin harshly, working his way up to your mouth once more. He bumps his nose against yours and opens his mouth to move his tongue past your lips. Your head is spinning, breath ragged as you suck his tongue with yours, feeling the vibrations in your mouth when he moans lowly, pulling a whimper from you.

Suddenly, he drops to his knees, pulling the thong down with him. You swallow at the change in pace and allow him to help you step out of them.

“Wanna take your boots off, sweet girl?” He checks, kissing your inner thigh softly as you lean fully against the wall. You think for a second, these were pretty comfortable, pretty solid grip, why not stay in them?

“‘S okay. Perfect height for you,” you breathe, bucking your hips up. He doesn’t even wait a second to smack your pussy, grabbing your thighs to spread you even wider.

“Filthy, you are,” he growls, licking a long stripe from your hole to your clit, a gasp immediately falling from your lips. He looks up at you and grins, licking long stripes through your folds, almost like he’s trying to remember how you feel. He takes his time catching your wetness slowly, despite the little gasps and moans coming from you. Flicking his tongue over your clit for a second, he pulls back to blow cool air on it, the motion causing your legs to falter for a second.

“Gotta stay still, okay? Can’t have you falling over,” he spits directly on your core as he says this, looking up at you with his jaw hanging slightly open, loving the way your hands go to your hair to find something to grab on. He smirks to himself, licking into you while his hands find your hips, pinching the delicate skin between his fingertips. He collects as much of you and his spit on his tongue as he can, swallowing around your clit after he sucks it into his mouth. The suction makes your hips fight to buck up into him, but you use all of your strength to stay still, causing your thighs to start quivering in his palms. Harry grins and scrapes his teeth along your clit, your loud moan going directly to his quickly hardening cock.

“Taste so fucking good, angel,” he groans, nose rubbing against your clit as he fucks his tongue into you, the soft muscle dragging along your walls and guiding your wetness into his mouth. The sounds coming from him are obscene, loud slurping, sucking, and spitting onto your trembling pussy.

“Fuck, Harry, I’m not going to last,” you cry out, feeling yourself start to clench around him. He grins around you, pulling away to thumb at your clit and look directly into your eyes.

“Mm, that’s not how good girls ask,” is all Harry gives you, slipping a finger inside and immediately curling it towards himself, finding your g-spot with ease. His lips wrap around your clit, sucking harshly while his tongue draws designs on the sensitive button.

“Please, Sir, can I come?”

This has Harry moaning against you, pinching your clit between his teeth as he slides another finger in, fucking into you faster. Your eyes roll back, one hand splayed against the wall, another in his hair to give you some sort of balance. He relentless massages and thrusts into your g-spot with his fingers, feeling you clench around them so tightly that his head starts to spin. “That’s it, puppy, ask me again,” he demands, the title you gave him sending shivers throughout his body. He sucks harder on your clit, somehow speeding up his fingers inside you. A moan vibrates against your center when you pull on his curls, your hips bucking up against his waiting hand.

“Sir, please please please can I come? I’ve been so good, haven’t moved,” you beg, gasping loudly when your legs start to shake noticeably. Harry pulls away, looking up at you and grunting out,

“You have been such a good girl, haven’t you? Go. Cum, now, right fucking now on my tongue.” A loud slapping noise is heard when Harry smacks your ass, the pain sending you over the edge. Your head hits the wall with a thud, but your moan drowns everything out, the guttural sound coming from your soul. Tilting your head back, you cum into his mouth, one leg slipping out from under you and Harry places it on his shoulder without a second thought, holding you up as you ride out your orgasm. The tightness in your stomach releases and your pussy trembles around his fingers, only encouraging him to continue the constant pressure on your g-spot.The strength of it knocks the wind out of you and sends electricity throughout your finger tips, your hips slowing down their rocking motion as Harry eases his fingers out of you. He continues to lick you clean before placing your shaky legs back on the ground together, trailing his hands up your body as he stands up.

“Thank you,” you breathe into his chest, holding on to his hips for balance. His chuckle vibrates against your cheek, and you feel him move your hair out of the way to kiss your shoulder.

“Of course, lovely. How you feeling?” He is all smiles, his voice gentle and caring as he breathes in your smell, leaving small kisses along your neck.

“G-good,” you stutter out, nudging his head to make eye contact with you. He pulls away after a second, one arm going around your waist when he notices how you’re practically falling over with how shaky your legs are. Smirking, he places his other hand on your cheek, pulling you in for a kiss. Tasting yourself on his tongue was too much for you, whining into his mouth before pulling away.

“Can I suck you off now?” You ask shyly, using your best puppy dog eyes. And, wow, do they work. Harry groans, biting your bottom lip harshly before pulling away, not wasting a second before pushing down on your shoulders. You topple to the ground easily, landing surprisingly softly (thanks to Harry’s expert hands), on the hardwood floor. After helping him remove your shirt, you place your hands behind your back immediately and tuck your chin down, grinning to yourself when you hear the moan Harry let’s out at your position.

“Spoiled little girl. Gets everything and more that she asks for, hmm, yes?” Harry demands, tugging your chin up by his hands. His eyes are pointed, staring directly into yours, pupils blown out and hair a mess behind him. You can see the pieces stuck to his forehead from sweat, but his chin glistens with something that has to be you.

“Yes, sir, so good to me. Wanna make you feel good, please,” you beg, leaning closer into him, the difference in clothing setting you into a daze, seeing him fully dressed while you’re waiting on your knees in front of him, naked, panting, and pleading to have his cock down your throat.

“Greedy,” he sighs, taking his hand away from your face to slide off his shirt, tossing it to the growing pile of clothes on the floor. He keeps his eyes trained on yours, daring you to avert them as he unzips his pants, stepping out of them. He looks away for a second to pull of his boots, and you take your time admiring his thighs, because, fuck. They were thick, muscled, tanned, and the little tattoos on them were asking to be bitten, you made a mental note to do that later.

“Got a bit of a staring problem, love.”

Harry’s voice snaps you out of your daydream, eyes flickering back up to him, mouth dropping open when he’s bare in front of you, slowly stroking himself. You involuntarily make a little noise in the back of your throat, sticking your tongue out for good measure. Seeing Harry’s hips thrust up into his hand and his neck vein pop was confirmation enough for you, but you waited for him to put himself in your mouth, absolute torture you must say.

Harry finally takes mercy on you, moaning out, “God, you’re such a little cockslut, just want something in that fucking mouth of yours. Bet I could leave my fingers in there all day and you wouldn’t complain once,” when he eases himself into your open mouth.

You flatten your tongue on the underside of him, not breaking eye contact as you slide off his cock to lick at his tip with feather light touches, drawing figure eights along the top. Suckling lightly on just the head, you feel a spurt of precum land on your tongue, licking it up happily. Tearing your eyes away from his, you open up your throat to begin taking him deeper, feeling his hand immediately come to your hair as you do this.

“Yes,” Harry draws out, allowing you to take control for a moment. You wanted to suck him off, so who is he to tell you how to do it? The view is what is killing him the most, though. Your tits bouncing as you slurp him down, spit falling onto your thighs, your little bit of stomach pudge falling over as you completely lose yourself in making him feel good. That is what gets him to buck into your mouth, closing his eyes and biting his bottom lip, breathing heavily as he begins to thrust into you. You pull away after a moment, jerking him off steadily as you swallow and look up at him.

“You can fuck my throat. Don’t have much of a gag reflex, anyways. Wanna see how you like it, Sir,” you pant, not giving him any time to think before you take him back into your mouth, placing your hand on the wrist that’s in your hair, giving him another okay.

“God, Y/N, you’re heavenly,” Harry breathes, testing out the waters by doing some shallow thrusts, only then beginning to actually throat-fuck you. He places his other hand around your neck, essentially pulling you into his throat and choking you from both ways. Your eyes roll into the back of your throat and you place your nose against his belly, breathing in deeply. Harry pulls himself out of you, rubbing his cock against your cheeks.

“Feel so good,” he draws out, easing himself back into your waiting mouth, rubbing the head on the ridges on the roof of your mouth. He moans through closed lips and tilts his head back, giving you the chance to admire his strong jawline from this angle, body sculpted by Michaelangelo himself. He had no room to call you all these beautiful names while he looked this fucking good getting his cock sucked.

You start speeding up your bobs, keeping him deep in your throat and only picking up a little, the change in pressure earning you a tug on your roots when Harry pulls you to look up at him.

“Mm, you want me to cum, don’t you, dirty girl,” he grunts, a lazy grin on his now flushed face. His thumbs make their way to press on either side of your cheek, moaning lowly when he feels himself through the tissue.

You hum around him, using your tongue along the vein you can feel, looking up at Harry with such need in your eyes. You pull off for a quick second, gasping loudly while saying,

“Want you to come in my mouth so bad, want to taste you and make you feel as good as you made me,” Taking him back in your mouth and sucking him off with a vice-like grip.

“Fuck,” Harry half-laughs, half-moans. “You’re incredible. Gonna make me come so fast, you’re taking me so fucking deep.”

Not even a minute later, you feel him begin to pulse in your mouth, pulling back to just suck on the head, using your tongue to dip into the hole, and Harry cums with a loud shout, burying his cock down your throat as he shoots ribbon after ribbon of come into you. You keep your eyes at his face, remembering how his mouth looks wide open, his eyes pinched closed, hair making a perfect halo around him. His throat makes you want to cry, the veins popping out and slightly red. He stays in your mouth for a while, allowing you to suck him dry and soften slightly, before pulling out of you with a pop.

“Thank you,” you croak out, swallowing what’s left in your mouth and leaning into his touch, quite spent if you were being honest.

Harry had to look away for a second, moving his hand to hold your head while he caught his breath. You were right about being golden, your skin shone, and you just radiated everything good in this world, right after he had his cock balls deep down your throat nonetheless.

“You’re too much, beauty. Thank you, did such a good job,” he gushes, kneeling down. He takes your chin inbetween his fingers and kisses you softly, just barely moving his lips. He leans his forehead against yours and wipes your lip with his thumb, allowing you to suck the bit of cum still on your face off with a blush tinting your cheeks.

“Reminds me of this morning, a bit,” he giggles, laughing louder as you hit him in the chest, grumbling ‘dumb’. He pushes your hair out of the way and holds your face in his two hands, effectively shutting you up as you breathe in deeply, feeling strangely comfortable being this vulnerable with him this fast.

“Do you wanna take a bath with me right now? Know you were on shaky legs and this hard floor for a while,” he pouts, kissing your forehead softly. You nod slowly and he smiles, nodding against you before pulling away to unzip your shoes, placing them next to the wall before he’s picking you up with way too much ease, pulling a shriek from you.

“‘Sorry, love, your poor legs okay?” he asks, holding you to his chest with one arm, using the other to hold your thigh. He receives another nod to the shoulder and he nuzzles you, trying to see what’s happening.

“I’m okay, just tired,” you sigh, and he murmurs an ‘okay’ kissing your temple before allowing you to sink back onto him, making a mental note to ask you about it once you’ve got your breath back.

“Why don’t you go turn on that shower and wash yourself real quick with some warm water and I’ll have the bath ready when I join you, that okay?” Harry whispers, sliding you down slowly. He pushes you toward the large glass door and you smile back at him, your heart bursting with appreciation.

This one is going to change you.

A/N: and that’s a wrap !! lemme know if you guys prefer this kind of phrasing (‘you said’), or if you like ‘she said’, or ‘i said’ better. this is my first time working with a full story using y/n and second/third person kind of view, so pls bear with me. also !! i know some people aren’t really cool with weed. im a ~stoner~ (such a weird thing to type out lmao) so i smoke a lot, but if y’all aren’t comfortabke with me mentioning it p much every other chapter, let me know !! (it can even be anonymously sent in) hope you liked it, and let me know if you have any other requests for future chapters or just one shots💗💗

- lana💔

[binniewon]

Paring: BTS/Female!Reader

Summary: You had never let yourself fall into love because every time you did you got hurt but when seven boys come into you life and seem to ruin everything you might actually find a reason to fall.

Warning:Mild language, mention of panic attack, reader has a bad past, mention of alcohol abuse 

Word Count: 8k

A/N: Hi loves so this is something that I have been wanting to do for a long time I hope that you enjoy it! Also I am sorry if there are any mistakes I edited as best as I could I have never written this much lol!

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You could hear the light laughter of kids playing on the playground, the small talk that would be made between friends, sisters and brothers it was all so fresh in your mind even as you walked out of the orphanage doors and out into the cold dark world you looked back at the place that had so many bad memories but in them were also good ones strangely you would miss this place.

You walked the streets with a small trash bag of clothes and an envelope in your pocket with money the wind brushed coldly across your face as you sat on a bench the swish of the river in front of you was a sweet sound to your ears where would you go now all you had ever known was the orphanage but now you were eighteen and on your own the first thing on list was finding a place to sleep tonight.

The loud talking and laughing of people in the streets was a drastic difference from the quiet orphanage you knew, you knew that you would need to get that place out of your mind it was one chapter in your life and now it was time to start the next one.

“Um…ma’am where can I find a motel” you asked a random lady that walked past you she smiled sweetly at you and told you the directions to the nearest one which was only a few minutes away you thanked her and started walking you were tired but you could make it.

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You unlocked the door to the cheap motel room and was immediately hit with the strong stench of alcohol and cigarettes you pushed it aside it was only a temporary living place until you could figure out what you were going to do.

That night was a bit rocky you had your normal nightmares that you have been having since you were young who would have ever thought that your own mind would trap you in a never ending saga of screams and cries for help, you don’t remember your childhood before the orphanage that much you were sure that it was your brains way of protecting you all you knew was that it was terrible if the fact that you spent most of your life in a rotting home with broken kids and an even broken system said anything.

You woke up to screams that you later realized was your own it took you a quick second to recognize where you were you wiped the sweat off of your face and stretched your limbs before you got out of bed and made your way to the bathroom you slowly stripped off your drenched clothing and stepped into the shower the sudden icy water hit your warm skin and you jumped back you thought that the water would eventually get warmer but you were wrong if anything it got colder that morning you showered with freezing water and the fresh image of your nightmare still hanging over your head.

After your shower you put on some clothes that were way too tight for you but it was the only thing that you had and you didn’t have enough money to buy new ones you figured that you would go to the library and try and apply for collage on their computer you knew that it wouldn’t be easy but all you could do was hope that you at least go into one even if it was a community college you figured that collage would be your next step in life your next step on a new journey.

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The refreshing smell of books welcomed you with open arms as you stepped into the library the librarian gave a kind welcome and asked if you need anything “No thank you” you said as you started to walk to where the computers were you slowly let your fingers brush against the books on the shelves a library was always your safe place you came here when you were angry, sad or even happy. It was something about the atmosphere that made you feel safe like as long as you were here nobody could hurt you.

You slowly sat down on the chair and turned on the computer not knowing what you were looking for you typed in collages in my area and you were met with a long list of names you were sure you would be here for a while.

A small tap on your shoulder made you jump as you woke up out of your sleep “I’m sorry Miss I wasn’t trying to scare you but you had fallen asleep” the librarian from early said to you with a small smile on her face “oh thank you” you said as you sat up and stretched your arms before you went back to what you were doing.

You got out of your sit and started towards the door you had found a few collages that caught your eye but it was closing time, gradually you made your way down the street looking at all the different shops and people with gigantic smiles on their faces as they looked at their friends or loved ones you wished you had that but you had fallen so far away from socialization that the slight thought of talking to another human scared you why did you have to be like this maybe if your head wasn’t so messed up you could allow yourself to fall into the arms of love and life but that might never happen.

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The loud growl of your stomach made you quickly look around for an affordable meal it wasn’t long before you found a gas station the light jingle of the bells on the door alerted the cashier that they had another customer they said a lazy welcome and continued looking down at their phone. You rolled your eyes and looked around for anything that could count as a meal as you walked back up to the front you realized that they had actually food you ordered two pork burritos the cashier bagged your things and told you to have a good night you smiled and walked back into the coldness of the night.

You unlocked the door to your room and made your way over to the bed after you had changed into your sleepwear you grabbed the bag with your food and began to eat it wasn’t the best thing that you had ever had but it would suffice.

The next morning you woke up to feeling like you were going to puke you quickly made your way to the toilet and threw up all of your dinner after you fleshed the toilet you sat there and looked back on your life how everything led you to this moment you had never been shown any attention it is probably the reason that you are so afraid of people now but you knew that everything that happened to you happened for a reason you just needed to figure it out.

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For the next two years of your life you had made little progress the only thing that you could actually be happy about was the fact that you got a job it was nothing major you just worked at a book café it was really the only place that would hire you and the only place that you wanted to work at you liked the atmosphere it was calming.

You recently applied for a collage and was still waiting to hear from them until then you would continue your life as you had “Y/N” an excited name called out for you it didn’t take you long to realize that it was the voice of your boss and owner of the café Jade “It came in it freaking came in” you looked at her dumbfounded what was she talking about what came in “Jade what came in” she looked up from the mail in her hand and then at you “Are you flipping stupid or something the collage finally wrote you back you will found out if you got in or not” she said as she laced her fingers together and looked at you fondly “I will open up the shop and you can read this good luck” she said as she handed you the mail and patted your back.

30 minutes you sat there for 30 minutes before you actually opened the damn letter even then you couldn’t read it this was going to decide the next stage in you live your next chapter if you didn’t get in then you really didn’t know what you were going to do next. You let out the air from your lungs and quickly looked at the paper as soon as you did it was on the floor Jade walked in and saw your face and the paper on the floor and thought the worse “Oh I’m sorry sweetie you can try again or a different collage” she said as she came and hugged you “I got in” you said quietly still surprised “What did you say” she asked as she pulled away from the hug “I got in” you said again she looked at you with wide eyes “You got in oh my gosh my baby is going to collage” she said while she jumped up and down this is your next chapter and you were going to make the most of it.

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You got your luggage out of the back of Jades car when she found out you didn’t have many clothes and you didn’t have a suitcase she took you on a shopping spree which you repeatedly declined but she still dragged you out of your foul smelling motel room and to the mall you can truly say that, that day was the best day of your life.

After you had gotten everything out of the car you turned to Jade as she stood there trying to hold back her tears never once in your life had you cried you figured there was no reason to, it only gave you a headache and it didn’t solve anything but when you looked at her the only person who had ever shown you love and compassion someone who had quickly became you mother and friend the tears came out on their own accord you didn’t even realize it until Jade ran up to you and put you into a bone crushing hug “I will miss you” you said sadly as you pulled away from the hug and looked into her eyes you had so much that you wanted to say to her but that was the only thing that would come out “I miss you too now go have fun but learn also call me when you have the chance” she said as she hugged you one more time you smiled at her and looked at the building it is time to start writing you next chapter.

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The following months had gone smoothly you had surprisingly became friends with your roommate it turns out she was a foreigner exchange student from Korea her name was Eunji you both had a lot in common she was also an orphan and had gotten into a small collage in Korean she told you that as soon as she got the chance she left that she was tired of seeing the same thing over and over again and that she wanted something new.

As you both walked down the collage halls you saw that they had an exchange program and one of the place that you could go was Korea you really wanted to go but you didn’t want to go alone you figured that you would ask Jade since she was your only friend but you weren’t sure if she wanted to go back it didn’t really sound like she wanted to but maybe with you being with her it would be different.

“Eunji I have something to ask you” you said carefully as you ate a bit of you salad “Yes” she stopped what she was doing and looked at you giving you her full attention “I saw today that they have an exchange program and on there they had Korea and I was planning on going and I was wondering if you would like to go with me” you said as you looked at her you could tell that she was contemplating and you kind of hated yourself for asking her you knew that she went through so much while she was there why would she go back “Okay I’ll go” she said nonchalant you looked at her surprised “You will need a translator no” she said with a small smile on her face it was settled you were going to Korea you needed to tell Jade.

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“Make sure to spray anyone with this if they even get close to you also be careful of what you eat your body might not be used to it and-” you chuckled “Jade I’m fine I have Eunji” you said as you looked at your new best friend with a smile “Okay but be careful please” she said as she hugged you one last time “I will”.

You and Eunji sat down in your sits and buckled up “Welcome Passengers” the flight attended started to tell us everything that we already knew so you slowly started to block her out and look out at the evening sky it was so beautiful the light calling of your name woke you out of your day dream “We should go to sleep we won’t be there anytime soon” Eunji said to you as she started to get comfortable in her sit you decided you would listen to her so you slowly got comfortable and started to fall into the arms of sleep.

You woke up and saw that the sun was starting to rise “Miss would you like something to eat” the flight attendant asked nicely you nodded your head and got something for you and Eunji you figured she would be hungry when she woke up you were right as soon as she opened her eyes you heard her stomach growl “Here I got you a sandwich” you said as you handed her the box of food she thanked you and sleepily started to eat her food you looked at her and thought you couldn’t have asked for a better best friend she was going back to her past to make your present better nobody had ever done that for you when she looked at you, you held out your pinky to her “Promise me that we will always be friends no matter what” she looked at you weirdly but still put her pink in yours “Promise”

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You walked out of the airport and looked out at the many buildings this was defiantly going to be different “Let’s go get some food I’m starving” Eunji said as you both got into the car “Have you ever had Korean food” she asked you as she started up the car “No” she snickered “Well you’re eating it today” you both laughed at her sass filled statement “Okay I’m excited”.

The night life in Seoul was amazing it seemed like there was more people out during the night time than during the day but you actually liked it since you had become friends with Eunji you had gotten out of your shell more it was like she had a cure to everything that was wrong with you or you thought was wrong with you Eunji just said it was your personality but you disagreed with her, she was like this happy pill that would make you forget about your messed up past she helped you begin your new chapter you don’t know where you would be without her maybe still in your dorm room curled up in your blankets trying to get away from the thoughts in your mind Eunji was your savior.

“I love it already” you said as you and Eunji sat down and looked at the Han river the sound of the running river relaxed your body you could get used to this “I am glad that you like it I wasn’t able to ever enjoy the Han River this much but now that I have someone to enjoy it with I think that I might enjoy staying here with you” she said as she looked up at the sky and then at you with a smile “Best friends for life” you said as you held out your pinky “Best friends for life”

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The irritating sound of your alarm woke you up annoyed you blindly searched for your phone not finding the object you peaked your head out of your warm covers and saw that it wasn’t on your nightstand where you left it last night “Good Morning Y/N get dressed we have class in an hour” you looked behind you and Eunji standing with your phone in her hand with a smile on her face you rolled your eyes annoyed yet you still got out of bed you guess she was excited.

You both walked up to the large stairs at the college entrance “Wait we do have all of our classes together right” she looked at you and laughed “Y/N you will need to learn Korean at some point, I won’t always be there to translate” you looked at her like she was stupid “I know that Eunji I have already started to learn on my own I was just asking a question” she looked at you flustered “Umm...sorry we have all but one class together” you nodded your head and started toward the school.

The school setting was completely different than Americas but you knew that you would adjust fast “Hi my name is Eunbin what is your” a guy said to you as you walked into your Anthropology class “Y/N” you said as nice as you could while walking to a sit at the back of the class “Nice to meet you Y/N would y-you like to me my friend” his heavy accent was kind of adorable you could tell he wasn’t good at English so the fact that he was trying to be friends with you even though there was a language barrier touched your heart “Sure” he cutely clapped his hands together and sat down next to you now you weren’t as scared to be in the only class that you didn’t have with Eunji.

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You looked up from your lunch when you heard Eunji’s voice you were surprised to see that she was not alone but with seven other people “Y/N I met some new people from my class met Kim Namjoon he also speaks English, Kim Seokjin but you can just call him Jin, Yoongi, Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook” they all waved at you with sweet smiles on their faces “This is my friend Y/N” you bowed your head in respect “It was nice to meet you Y/N but Eunji we have to leave now we have another class in a few minutes” Eunji told them bye and excitedly sat down in front of you immediately you could tell something was different about her but you just brushed it off and went back to eating your food as you put your head down you saw something out of the corner of your eye Jimin and Taehyung were holding hands and not in a friendly way.

You looked at Eunji confused but she was in a daze “Eunji, Eunji EUNJI” she looked at you with a haze to her eyes “I think I might be in love” she said you nearly chocked on air even more confused as to who she was in love with because she had to know that there was something else going on with those seven boys “Who are you talking about” you asked her innocently “The boys they are so handsome and charming and smart and-“ you interrupted her “Totally in love with each other” she looked at you like you were crazy “No they aren’t they gave me their number even if they were I wouldn’t mind having all of them” she said with a smirk on her face “Okay” you said not wanting the conversation to go any further.

A few weeks later you were sitting in your dorm room working on your Korean when there was a sudden knock on the door you sleepily stood up and went to answer the door but before you could Eunji came out of the bathroom with a beautiful red dress on she did a quick look over in the mirror and went to open the door “Eunji baby you look-wow” you heard the voice of Jimin say it had only been a few weeks but you could tell that they had all gotten really close to Eunji in fact you had started to see Eunji less and less “Where are you going” you asked her as you went back to your spot before the sudden disruption “To the club I would have asked if you wanted to come but I know you don’t like big crowds I’m sorry we might be able to do something together soon but right now I have to go bye” was all she said before the loud bang of the door filled the silent dorm room you could tell that you were slowly starting to lose your best friend.

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A few months pasted and Eunji was barely at the dorm room anymore a few weeks after that night she came clean about being in a relationship with the boys she told you that they had an open relationship but they were willing to only love each other and her nobody else. Because the boys lived off campus she had basically started to live with them you only saw her in your classes together or when she comes to get more clothes to be honest it hurt you to your core the second person that you allowed to see you the actually you and she treats you like you’re a random person in the collage.

You knew that she usually came to the dorm on Friday so you waited for her you were going to tell her that you were moving out of the dorm and off campus with Eunbin but you were in for a surprise when Hoseok Yoongi and Namjoon came instead of her “Oh hi Y/N how are you” you knew that it wasn’t their fault but you couldn’t help but feel like they took Eunji away from you “Where is Eunji” you replied coldly “She is at our dorm we came to get some of her clothes since we were already out” Namjoon replied with that disgustingly sweet voice of his “Wow look at you begin great boyfriends” you said sarcastically as you wrapped your arms around your body and looked away from them “There in the left closet” you said and got up to leave the room them being there was a little too much for you “I can’t help but fill like you don’t like us” Hoseok said in Korean you scuffed and turned to him “No I actually don’t” you said and walked out of the room slamming the door behind you.

It might have been the fact that you were Eunji’s “best friend” or it might be the fact that you seem to be the only person on the plant that hates them but after that day it seemed like they were always around you and most of the time it was without Eunji even though it wasn’t anything major you still noticed the difference and quite frankly you didn’t like it.

“Hi Y/N” Taehyung said as Him and Jimin walked up to you during lunch you did what you usually do and didn’t reply you just got up and went to leave “It is rude to not reply to someone who is talking to you” Jimin said sharply that statement made you upset “And it’s not polite to take someone’s best friend from them” you said and started to walk away but a grip on your wrist stopped you “We’re sorry okay we just want to be friends whatever we did to hurt you we’re sorry” you chuckled and folded your arms “I don’t fucking care about your sorry okay just get the hell out of my life you can have Eunji she doesn’t want me anymore” you turned around and saw Eunji standing there with her eyes wide “What makes you think I don’t want you in my life Y/N” you laughed “You got to be kidding me not only did you basically move out of the dorm you don’t talk to me unless it has something to do with the guys and when I ask if you want to hang out the answer is always the same “I can’t today I am hanging out with my boys” and honestly I’m fucking tired of it Eunji I came to Korea so that I could continue to write the new chapter in my life so that I could get away from the demons that haunt me every time I closed my eyes I came here with you but I think it would have been better if I came by myself I want you to know that I am leaving the dorm tonight and moving in with my real friend” you said as tears rolled down your cheek as you went to pass her she grabbed your arm “I thought we were Best Friends for life” you ripped your arm out of her grip “I thought we were too” .

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You don’t know why but ever since you ended your friendship with Eunji the nightmares had gotten worse you had also developed a rather unhealthy liking to alcohol it seemed to numb the pain that you constantly felt in your heart also since that day you had become more reserved you barely spoke to Eunbin even though he tried to break through to you, you decided that you would never fall that deep into anything again whether it was love or friendship the only thing that had ever come with that was pain.

On a Saturday night you were out at a pub and for some reason it had been a particularly bad day it might have been that you only got one hour of sleep since the nightmares were so bad or it could have been that you were suffering from a massive hang over from Friday. It was well over Midnight when you decided to leave the pub and attempt to head back to your dorm while you were walking you accidently bumped into a group of guys you mumbled a sorry and kept on walking but the guys didn’t really take kindly to that “Watch were you’re going” one of them said you didn’t reply and you didn’t stop either one of the guys came over to you and turned you around “Y/N” confused as to who would know your name you looked up and saw Jungkook looking back at you with his doe eyes “Why are you out here so late” Jimin asked concerned as he walked towards you it didn’t take long for you to realize that Jimin Taehyung and Jungkook were the guys that you bumped into you quickly got out of Junkook’s grip and stepped away from them “Leave me alone” you said as you turned around and started to walk away from them.

You could hear them right behind you so you speed up into a jog you assumed that they weren’t going to leave you alone so you started to run and hope that you were faster than them but you were wrong they quickly caught up to you and grabbed you “Leave me alone I j-just want to be alone” you said as you hit the chest of whoever had taken hold of you. You felt their arms wrap around you and pull you into a hug “It’s okay Y/N it’s okay” you realized that they person that was holding you was Taehyung you didn’t want to admit it but it felt good being in his arms you actually started to melt into his touch but reality crashed down on you and you pulled away from him “Stay the hell away from me”.

They all looked at you confused at your sudden outburst “Y/N what is wrong with you” are they stupid or something this is all their fault why else would you be out here half drunk and an emotional train wreck “We aren’t going to hurt you Y/N” Jimin said as he carefully walked towards you “Why don’t you just let go hm” he said as he cautiously held your face in his hands “Let us make you feel better” was the last thing he said before he smashed his lips against you’re the warmth of his kiss heated your whole body you slowly started to let yourself fall deeper into his passionate kiss when you felt hands travel down your arms and light feathery kisses on your neck “Just like that baby” Taehyung’s deep voice whispered in your ear.

Never in your life had you felt this type of love before guys usually ran away from you but it wasn’t like you were so egar to talk to them either but you wanted this you wanted to feel loved and wanted like you were now, Jimin slowly pulled away from you and started to kiss the other side of your neck the light sting brought a slight moan out of your mouth Jimin walked behind you to allow Jungkook room “Babygirl you look so beautiful like this” Jungkook said sweetly before he slowly kissed you his kiss was drastically different than Jimin’s his was more slow and careful it was like he was killing you slowly.

The sudden realization that you were kissing your ex best friend’s boyfriends dawned on you and you pushed him away “I have t-to go” you said as you ran away you could hear them calling your name but you ignored them how could you do this?

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That night you cried so hard that you almost threw up the only thought running through your head is you needed to get out of here there was nothing for you in Korea anymore you contacted your collage but they said you had to live there for a who year you had only been here for six months so you had a whole six months left before you could leave you would just count down the days until you could get out of this place.

A few days later a light knock on the dorm room door woke you out of your slumber Eunbin usually gets the door at this time of night and he also knew that you had been having a hard time so you just figured that he would get it. As you started to fall back asleep another knock sounded it was then that you remembered that Eunbin was not here but with his family on a trip, with a huff you got out of bed and went to the door.

“Can we please talk” it just so happened to be the three men that cheated on your best friend you snickered and went to close the door but Jimin put his foot and jam it before you could close it “We aren’t leaving until you talk to us” Jimin said you bit your tongue and turned your head annoyed “Fine we can talk through the door but you aren’t coming in here” you were holding your ground they weren’t getting through to you that easily you could hear one of them huff “W-we are sorry Y/N we don’t know what got into us that night but Eunji hasn’t really talked to us since you guys stopped being friends in fact she stays in her room most of the time the others have been trying to get through to her but she isn’t budging” you were actually worried about her it wasn’t like Eunji to not want to be surround by people she loved “I-is she okay” you asked concern dripping from your words “We don’t know” Taehyung said you could tell he was equally concerned you huffed and opened the door fully.

They looked terrible their hair was in disarray and they had large bags under their eyes it looked like they hadn’t slept in days “Come in” you said as you turned around and walked into your small but homey living room “You guys don’t look so well” you told them honestly Jimin sadly smiled but didn’t say anything “So why are you here again” they looked at each other and then back at you “We needed a place to stay being in the house with her is just so…-” Taehyung stopped but Jimin picked up where he left of “suffocating” he said as he looked down at Jungkook’s hand and slowly intertwined their fingers together “Is it okay if we stay here” Jungkook asked shyly you wanted to be cruel and tell them no but they looked like they were about to lose their mind you knew that feeling and you wouldn’t wish it upon anybody “Fine you can have my room I don’t think Eunbin would take too kindly to random people sleeping in his bed” you said as you got up “the bathroom is the first door on the right and my room is right after it Goodnight” you picked up the blanket that Eunbin always kept on the couch because he was always cold, the couch wasn’t the most comfortable place to sleep but you hoped that they would only be here for the night.

“Thank you” Jimin said as they walked towards your bedroom you didn’t say anything if they didn’t look like death warmed over then you would have told them to leave and never come back.

You woke up gasping for air another nightmare when would they stop you got up and walked to the bathroom as you stood in front of the mirror you rolled your strained neck and turned on the cold water you let it slowly run through your fingers it was a nice contrast from your burning skin you quickly washed the sweat from your face and walked out of the bathroom.

As you sat down on the couch you looked around for your phone and realized you hadn’t brought it with you when you got the door “crap” you said quietly hopefully the boys were asleep carefully you walked towards the door to your room and opened it as quiet as possible you knew you left it on your night stand but it was so dark that you couldn’t see anything you had to trust that you knew where you were walked, you jumped back after you knocked something off of your desk you stopped for a second and held your breathe when you were sure that you hadn’t woken them up you quickly tried to locate your phone “Who’s there” you heard a sleep filled voice say “It’s just me” after that the lamp on your night stand turned on you had woken up Jimin “I’m sorry I was looking for my phone” he looked down and handed it to you “Thanks” he smiled and rested his head on his hand while he looked at you it didn’t look like he had been to sleep at all yet he looked 10 times better than he did earlier you smiled at him and made your way out of the room his eyes followed your every move “Goodnight” you said as you went to close the door but he quickly got out of the bed “Wait” he whispered as he followed you out and shut the door behind him and lend against it “What’s wrong” you asked him as you leaned against the wall opposite of him “Nothing I’m just not tired anymore”

You guys stood there for a while and talked quietly to each other “Why don’t you have a boyfriend” he asked you suddenly but you just looked at him “or girlfriend?” you chuckled “I don’t believe in love” you said as you looked down “All my life up until about two years ago I had never known what loved felt like being an orphan isn’t something that guys or girls look for in a partner” you said as you raised your eyebrows “Why” you asked suspiciously “No reason” he said with a small smile for some reason his eyes drew you in it wasn’t like they were anything magnificent just your normal dark brown but they were so beautiful you sadly allowed yourself to get lost in them for the first time in forever you allowed yourself to fall and it was then that you felt the tears roll down your cheeks “We should go back to sleep” you said as you started to walk away but he grabbed your arm before you go get far enough away “Why do you do that” you looked at him confused “Do what” you asked him “You allow yourself to let go but then you put your walls up again” how did he know that you had only ever really talked to him twice and one of those times he kissed you “You’re not good at hiding your emotions” he said “Why don’t you allow people in” he gently let go of your arm “Because Jimin when I let people in I get hurt I always get hurt and it’s not fair what have I done for the world to treat me so cruelly I-I just want to feel love you know I want to allow myself to fall but every time I trust someone they do something that makes me feel worthless like I don’t deserve love and honestly Jimin I’m tired I am so tired” you said as you let your head fall on his chest “Why am I not allowed to feel loved” he slowly wrapped his arms around you “You are Y/N…you are” was all he said as he slowly rocked you both back and forth.

You didn’t hear the door open but you felt arms wrap around you from behind “What’s wrong baby” the voice belonged to Taehyung “N-nothing” you said but he just chuckled “I know that’s not true Y/N but you don’t have to tell me I will wait on you” for the first time in a long time you allowed yourself to truly fall and this time someone caught you.

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The boys left the next morning and promised to text you every day and surprisingly they did you guys slowly started to become friends. It was a few weeks after that day and you were sitting and watching YouTube on your computer when loud banging on your door got your attention you quickly got up and went to answer the door it was Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook but this time they were with the other boys and you didn’t see Eunji but you did realize that Taehyung was holding a sobbing Jimin and Jungkook had tears streaming down his face as well “Can we please come in” Namjoon asked sweetly but you could see behind his façade “Of course” they all slowly shuffled in you closed the door and turned toward them “I-I we don’t know how to tell you this” you looked at them with curiosity in your eyes “Just tell me” Namjoon looked at Yoongi “We can’t find Eunji”

You were furious how they hell do they not know where Eunji is and why are they coming to you and not the police “Y/N can you please stop pacing” Taehyung asked you nicely you stopped and looked at them ready to yell at them again when your phone rung you answered it without looking at the caller id “Hey Y/N how have you been” it was Eunji you knew her voice it was the same voice that would talk you out of your panic attacks after your nightmares the same voice that promised that you would be best friends forever “Eunji where the hell are you” the boys all perked up at her name but didn’t say anything “I want you promise me something Y/N” she said with a shaky voice “Eunji just please tell me where you are I’m worried” you could hear her take a deep breathe “Y/N just promise me something can you do that for me please” you wanted to say no and yell at her for scaring you but you didn’t “Yes I can” you heard her snuffle “Promise me that you will find love” you huffed angrily “Why would you want me to promise you that right now, where are you” she just chuckled “Y/N we bonded over our past because it was so similar we were each others rock I found love but I slowly fell out of love but I can tell you that it helped me and that is why I am on a plane and why I am leaving Korea” you almost dropped your phone “Eunji why” your voice cracked “Korea isn’t for me Y/N it is only filled with ghost of my past it is not the place for me but it is for you I could tell when you stepped off the plane so please just promise me that you will fall in love I want to know that you have a shoulder to cry on and someone to annoyingly wake you up in the morning” you took a deep breath and wiped the tears from your eyes “I-I promise” the tears where falling fast but you didn’t let Eunji know you could tell she was already crying “Best friends forever” she said sadness laced in her words “Best friends forever” “Bye Y/N” you heard the line go dead and it was then that you fell to the floor sobbing it hurt so much because you could tell that, that was her last goodbye to you.

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It had been two months and you only ever left your dorm to go to classes and you only left your room to eat or use the bathroom that day you cried yourself to sleep and when you woke up you cried some more Jimin wasn’t really helping he did admit that he never loved her but she had become a really good friend to him the other guys tried to be there for you but every time you looked at them you saw Eunji.

“Y/N” Eunbin called out for you with a soft knock on your door you let out a soft yes “There are people here to see you” you grabbed a blanket and made your way to the door when you opened it Eunbin came into your sight sympathy written all over his face you gave him a forced smile and made your way down the hall, when you stepped into the living room you saw the boys all standing there “Hi Y/N” Jin said you were surprised that they had recovered so fast but you had this feeling that they were all just like Jimin and had only looked at Eunji as a close friend “Hi guys” you said as you sat on the couch “How are you doing sweetie” Hoseok asked as he sat next to you and put an arm around your shoulder and pulled you into a side hug “I’ve been better” you said honestly they all hummed in agreement “Would you like to go out to eat with us” Jungkook asked with a smile on his face you didn’t have anything better to do “Sure”

After you guys had eaten you all walked around Seoul it reminded you of your first night in Korea you were so amazed at the night life and all of the people and somehow it still amazed you, your favorite part about Seoul is the Han River you come here because it helps clear you mind so as you stood and looked out at the river you allowed all the thoughts in your mind to disappear you looked to your side and it looked like the boys were doing the same thing a smile managed to make itself to yourself and in that moment you thought that you had never seen anybody more beautiful than them.

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After that you guys spent almost every day together and if you were being honest with yourself you were starting to fall for them but you couldn’t tell them that it would make things different between you all you didn’t want to ruin a great friendship because they made you feel safe also since you had become friends your nightmares had stopped it might be because one of them is holding you every night.

They had convinced you to move in with them after Eunbin had to move back to his home town after his mom got sick but you weren’t complaining you loved the warm feeling that they gave you every time they complemented you or pulled you closer.

“Hey Y/N are you free tonight” Namjoon came in your room with Jin behind him “Umm… I think so yeah” they smiled “Great we are having dinner tonight we have something to tell you” you slowly started to panic but smiled anyway and told them okay you prayed that it wasn’t anything bad you had finally started to feel safe, wanted, and maybe even loved.

You walked out of your room and saw them all sitting on the couch when they looked at you their jaw dropped you didn’t know why it wasn’t like you were in a dress but they all quickly recovered and acted like nothing happened “Are you ready” Hoseok asked and you laughed a bit “Yes I am”.

When you got to the restaurant the waiter took you all to the reserved table and you noticed that there were nine seats instead of eight but you just brushed it off as a mistake. You were proven wrong when Namjoon got up and said that there was going to be someone else joining, you were confused they usually tell you this kind of thing but you guessed it was a surprise and oh were you surprised when a girl was on Namjoon’s arm when he came back she sat in front of you and introduced herself “Hi I’m Cho-hee nice to meet you” you introduced yourself and bowed in respect.

The rest of the night went normal they weren’t paying as much attention to you but you didn’t mind “Do you want dessert” the waitress asked when she came back to your table Yoongi looked at you all since he was paying “Sure” Cho-hee said they all said they wanted dessert except you “Y/N are you sure” Taehyung asked and you just nodded your head.

“We have something that we need to tell you Y/N we figured you should know since you are our friend” Jin said, that hurt, Taehyung quickly responded “Best friend” and that hurt worse “Ok” you said as you looked at Jin but Jungkook spoke instead “Cho-hee is our girlfriend” and that killed you, you looked down trying to register their words they had a girlfriend and they are just now telling you and in front of her you couldn’t even get words to come out so you got up and ran out of the restaurant.

The cold air on your wet face felt soothing as you sat down on the bench that you and Eunji sat the first day in Seoul you don’t know why it hurt so much because you knew that they didn’t feel the same way they couldn’t they always introduced you as their “friend” or “best friend” and if they did something that to some would seem intimate they would make it known that they only saw you as a friend.

After sitting there for a while you got up and decided to walk around you didn’t know where you were going you just knew that you couldn’t sit and listen to the thoughts in your mind anymore. When you stopped you realized that you were in the same place that you shared the kiss with Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook the place where you believe your feelings for them were born.

“Y/N” you heard you name being called and looked up you saw two people running towards you they were too far so you couldn’t tell who it was until they got a little closer and you realized it was Yoongi and Hoseok you heard what sounded like Yoongi tell Hoseok to tell the other that they found you “Why did you run out like that” Yoongi asked as he walked closer to you “I-I don’t know” you lied of course you knew it was because you loved them you finally admit to yourself that you love them but it was too late now they already have someone else “You see Y/N I think you do know and you just aren’t telling me or us” Yoongi said as he crossed his arms you saw out of the corner of you eye that there was more people running towards you and you knew that it was the other guys “Are you okay” Taehyung said when he reached you he tried to grab you but you stepped back he furrowed his eyebrows confused “What’s wrong” he asked concerned “I don’t know” you said quietly as you looked at your shoes suddenly finding them interesting “Can you please stop with the lies Y/N just spit it out” Yoongi raised his voice you could tell he was upset “I-I” he huffed “Spit it out” you looked at them “I love you there I said it are you happy now” you asked angrily nobody said anything they just looked at you with wide eyes.

“I wasn’t going to say anything because I knew something like this would happen I don’t even know why I love you or when it started but I can say I hate myself for it I knew that this would happen it always does so just tell me to get my things and move out and you don’t want to ever see me again” nobody said anything for a while “But we can’t do that” Jungkook said as he walked closer to you “Why is that” you asked confused

“Because we love you too”

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You sat up quickly out of the bed and ran to the bathroom you hated throwing up it was the worst, you felt a hand rub your back “Are you okay baby” Namjoon asked sleepily you must have woken him you and if you woke him up then you woke up the others “Y/N are you okay” Jin asked as he came running into the bathroom Yoongi and Hobi right behind him “I’m-” you didn’t finish that sentence before you lend over the toilet again “You don’t think” Hobi asked as he looked at Yoongi and then Jin “I’m not pregnant Hobi” he looked at you sheepishly but still replied with a you don’t know that “You do realize that for a whole year I lived off of gas station food right I am sure it is just food poisoning I will be fine” They all just smiled at you and helped you get off the bathroom floor.

As you laid back down and looked at them you thought about how lucky you were all your life you had been looking for a reason to let yourself go free and a reason to truly let someone love you and you love them you didn’t know but they were in front of you the whole time they were everything that you could have asked for they allowed you to fall and they caught you they always caught you.

“What” Jin asked you sweetly you smiled…

“I love you”