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1d1195 · 1 year

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Sun-Kissed II

Alrighty, the first part of Sun-Kissed is here. This is the second and final part. Just over 8.1k words. It picks up right where the last part let off. I hope you enjoy.

Warnings: More 18+ things happening here. Public sex (kinda), oral sex. If you’re not into this, I wouldn’t read it. There's some minor angst but it's really mostly fluff still.

Once more reminding everyone I know how impractical love at first sight is now that I'm a full grown adult, however I fully believe in love at first sight for Harry Styles.

“This is not the kind of beach vacation you had in mind, I’m sure.”

“Kitten, it’s so much better, because of you,” he pressed a kiss to the shell of her ear. “I’ll stay all night,” he promised her.

The research on love at first sight was no longer a worry. She had all the proof she needed right here.

It was so surreal having dinner with Harry’s mom and sister. They were a delight. She could see where Harry got his charm, his lovely looks, and just his wonderful personality. He was touchy, but not inappropriate. She insisted she help with dinner, and he pressed a hand to the middle of her back while she worked on getting the plates from her cabinet for the table. Immediately, she could feel her brain returning to normal functionality. While they spent a good hour on the beach kissing and holding one another watching the sunrise, the thought of leaving him for any extensive amount of time after she just fucked herself on his leg made her extremely disoriented.

Harry pressed a kiss to the back of her neck as he hovered beside her while she helped him cook the fish on the grill. “Y’look so pretty,” he said. She did change despite all three of them saying it wasn’t necessary, just a black tank top tucked into a pair of jean shorts to make her feel a little more presentable. It was by far the most boring look on the planet, but she liked the fact that Harry thought she was pretty. She tried not to blush too much, and she really didn’t want to overwhelm his family with their PDA. Even though she really wanted to wrap herself around him like a koala to a tree.

When they sat down to eat, Harry sat beside her, resting his hand on her knee, drawing small little circles along her skin. Anne complimented both her cottage and Harry’s. She thanked her no less than thirty times for letting them intrude for dinner. She already, insanely, adored Anne. She reminded her so much of her own mom who she missed a lot during the summer months, when no one wanted to set foot around this town. “Are you going to watch the sunset later?” She asked.

“That was the plan. And then ice cream of course,” Harry smirked.

“Oh, please come with us!” Gemma cheered. She loved Gemma too. It was effortless. Everything about Harry entering her life seemed so effortless. Gemma was so funny and lovely. She thought Harry must have had the best childhood with a sister like her in his life.

“I really don’t want to intrude,” she said kindly.

Both women rolled their eyes. “Like Harry made us intrude on you for dinner? Please,” Anne scoffed. “We want you to.”

She glanced at Harry who simply smiled at her, delight dancing in his green eyes waiting for her answer. “You’ll all need sweatshirts,” she told them.

Gemma and his mum walked out a bit on the tidal flats to get some more pictures at different angles. She and Harry stayed put in the lifeguard stand once more. “Thank you for dinner,” he murmured in her hair. This time he made no fuss about getting as close to her as possible. He felt better having as much physical contact with her as allowable. Harry was situated on the actual seat of the stand while she sat on the floor of it, between his legs. He leaned forward to kiss the top of her head and speak to her.

“Thank you. I’m sorry—”

“Shh,” he hushed. “Nothing t’be sorry ‘bout.”

He played with her hair letting his fingers get caught in the waves and gently tugged through them to avoid it knotting and hurting later when she needed to brush it. He spotted his sister taking a picture of the pair of them, but he didn’t bring it to her attention. Instead, he focused on her hair, mindlessly braiding it. “Are you braiding my hair?” She giggled.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You are...” she sighed and tilted her head back a bit. “I’m very glad I met you.”

Harry wanted to sleep in the same bed as her. He didn’t even care if anything sexual happened. He just wanted to be as close as humanly possible to her. Unfortunately, his mother and sister were totally killing the vibe tonight for that to happen. “They leave in the evening, the day after tomorrow,” he murmured. “Then I want t’kiss y’on every surface of Sea View. And watch another sunrise with you.” She shuddered, nodded mutely. His voice was utterly dreamy. She immediately clenched her thighs together for some relief. He inhaled sharply. “If y’clench those pretty thighs together in front of me again, love, m’gonna have t’fuck you before they leave, and I don’t know how we’ll manage t’hide that.”

It took every bit of self-control in her not to do it again. He was a little bossy. It made her ache of course between her legs and she honestly thought of doing it just to spite him. Just so he could figure out how he could fuck her without letting his family know. Make him sweat because it seemed entirely unfair that she would have to use her own fingers before falling asleep tonight instead of his thigh...or his dick.

“Did I go too far?” He asked quietly. He sounded concerned, but not quite remorseful. She was pretty sure he knew why she was silent, and he was just trying to make her a little crazier. He slid his hand down her arm, grabbing the elastic from her wrist because not once did he stop his fingers from braiding her hair. Saying salacious things but continuing the sweet gesture. The dichotomy of his personality was overwhelming.

“I’m getting an ice cream cone just so you have to watch me lick it,” she whispered.

He groaned and dropped his face to her neck, tugged her around the waist so she was in his lap. She could feel the bulge of his dick pressed against the back of her thighs. “Can’t believe I invited them.” She smiled and dropped to the side of his lap, draping her legs across his lap so his erection was covered but she wouldn’t tease him—even though she wanted to. “Didn’t know I was going t’meet the goddess of the sun on m’vacation,” he mumbled. “Never would have invited them.”

She laughed and shook her head at him. “You’re something else, Harry.”

He spent the entire day away from her and it felt like agony, especially since the only relief he got between his legs was his hand in that outdoor shower where he imagined her licking him the same way she licked her ice cream cone the night before. At least his brain was functioning better.

I refilled your grill, so it’s all set if you need it. :) She messaged him around lunch time.

Come to the beach. He answered in response.

Enjoy your family, Harry. She sent a kissing emoji.

I can’t stop thinking about your mouth.

Harry.

Please, love. Want you so bad.

Shhh...

“Are you texting her?” Gemma asked. Anne was down by the water, collecting shells and Gemma was reading her book, glancing up at Harry from the rim of her sunhat. She already knew the answer was yes because Harry couldn’t hide the absolute delight on his face.

There was no use trying to lie. He could feel his face smiling like a moron at the screen of his phone. She gave them her umbrella for the day and all the sunscreen she had. The unending kindness she had was admirable and he was so grateful to have met her. “Gemma, I think m’going t’fall in love with her.”

“I think you already are, you dummy,” she rolled her eyes. That was accurate. He probably was. “Just...be careful. I feel like neither of you are thinking about how you leave in a week, and you live in different parts of the state,” she reminded him. “I adore her. That’s not the problem. I just don’t want distance to hurt you...either of you.”

Harry hadn’t really thought of it like that. He’d been too focused on this bubble of salt air and love at first sight. He had been teaching at the same school for the last two years after being at two different schools prior. He loved where he was in his career, but if it meant he could be with her? He would apply to any school necessary. He’d have to wait and see where the week went, he supposed. He was sure they could do long-distance. They had all the same breaks and things to map out time for one another.

They’d always have the summer, too—he knew where she’d be.

“Do you want t’go in the water?” Gemma asked. “Mum looks like she has all the shells on the beach in her arms.”

Harry chuckled. “What’s she even collecting them for?” He asked, grabbing Gemma’s hand to help her up from her chair.

“She’s got some wreath vision in her head,” she shrugged as they headed toward the ocean. “Think she saw it in Better Homes and Gardens last month.” He nodded and scooped up his sister the second she was off guard, just as their toes hit the water, and he hurried out further to toss her into the waves. She spluttered as she came to the surface, and he was laughing. She splashed him and gave him a big wet hug. “I don’t know what that girl sees in you.”

Given that she was literally at the beach at the same time, Harry (and his family) insisted she sit with them on their last day of their visit. They chatted the whole day about almost everything and anything. She could see where Harry got his easy-going vibe. It was as easy to talk to them as it was with Harry. He rubbed lotion on her back, so she didn’t burn, and continued to find ways to touch her without being over the top. He brushed sand from her temple after she laid on the blanket beside him, so it wouldn’t get in her eye. Whenever they were near each other, he constantly pressed a hand to her hip in an effort not to be in her way as they reached for things out of the cooler.

Harry felt so much less tense than he had the day before. She spent their time apart running errands and letting Harry have a fun-filled day with his family. Being in her presence made him so instantly happy. It was impossible to believe he could fall so hard and so quickly. He truly wondered what was in the salt air that made his heart overtake all brain function.

Gemma shared at least three different fish recipes and vegetarian meals with her. “It’s hard to cook for us, I know,” she smiled.

“It’s not bad, I just run out of ideas. I am just very boring, and only like plain boring fish. Or salmon. That’s it.”

“That’s plenty, honestly. Don’t feel bad. I miss chicken teriyaki every day,” Gemma nodded.

Anne smiled at Harry from across their space while the two girls huddled over the jewelry, she got from a specialty shop in town. “Let me make a call and see if I can get us in. They’re very particular, but I know the owner,” she smiled. “We’ll have to leave early though; I don’t want to cut your beach day short.”

“No, that’s okay. Harry was going to take me to the shop you told him about with the sweatshirts?” Anne said.

“Oh, not fair! I want to go!” Gemma pouted.

“We could probably do both, but you may just wait a long time at the shop,” she explained. “There’s always so many people.”

Anne and Gemma shrugged. “You go to a tourist location, you’re going to deal with tourists,” she smiled.

Harry just watched all three women strategize showering and getting ready to go run their errands. She made her phone call and proudly stated they could go, just a half hour before they closed at four. It was like a military operation and Harry was overcome with how much he liked having his mom and sister get along with his beach goddess. “I just have to make him muffins before we go,” she rolled her eyes.

“You bake too?” Anne wondered.

“Oh yes. A real hobby of mine. Muffins are my specialty. I put cranberries in them with chocolate chips and an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract. Everyone goes crazy about them, but otherwise I just follow a basic muffin recipe.”

“You’ll have to save us some. Harry used to work at a bakery before he went into teaching,” Anne explained. “We’re huge fans of baked goods.”

“I’ll save you some,” she giggled, and Harry thought there wasn’t a vacation that would ever top this one.

The man at the jewelry store clearly wanted her as much as Harry wanted her. He couldn’t blame him though because she decided to torture him in a sundress. It was a pale pink with orangey red seashells patterned on the fabric. Sunglasses atop her head, he once more thought she looked like a princess, truly thought she would live in a sandcastle if she could. It was flowy, draped to the floor and Harry wanted nothing more than to crawl underneath the skirt and live there. She paid no mind, however, to the way the man looked at her. Nor did she seem to see the internal fight Harry was having of keeping it PG as the other person working helped Gemma and Anne while she looked at other beachy jewelry. “Oh, those are so pretty,” she cooed pointing to rustic looking earrings. A little chain dangled into two pearls with a seashell fitted at the end of the little chain. Harry pressed his hand to her back as he looked over her shoulder. “Do y’want them?” He murmured into her hair, his lips touching the back of her head. He hoped that her friend saw how close he was to her while he munched on the muffins.

Maybe Gemma was right. How was he supposed to be separated by practically a whole state from her when he couldn’t even fathom another man talking to her? She rolled her eyes, but she leaned back into his embrace. He wrapped an arm around the front of her hips, kissing the side of her head as she spoke. “No, Harry. You met me less than a week ago, I don’t want you buying me a $150 pair of earrings,” she rolled her eyes. Harry wanted to get them for her. He would probably steal them for her if she asked him to. He didn’t see what knowing her for less than a week had to do with it.

“Excuse me, can I get these?” Harry asked.

“Harry,” she whispered trying to turn out of his embrace. She caught the way Gemma and Anne exchanged a look and smiled to themselves as they were fitted with their own array of beach jewelry. Harry slid his card through effortlessly as soon as the man took them out of the case. He had a bit of chocolate on the corner of his mouth, but Harry couldn’t blame him. She shared a few with him and his family and she could see why people went nuts about them. He did notice the way he eyed the closeness of Harry’s arm draped around her waist. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Assurance you’ll let me come back next summer,” he winked.

“It should be a thank you for bothering her all week,” Gemma said as they headed back out to the car with their purchases. Harry drove and she sat in the back with Gemma so Anne could sit up front. Harry grabbed his mom’s hand unceremoniously and she thought it was the most adorable thing in the entire world while she directed him to the overcrowded shop.

“He wasn’t a bother,” she giggled sitting forward to squeeze his shoulder while he drove. He felt like there was electricity zipping through him, he worried he wouldn’t make it to the store in one piece if she did it again.

The overcrowded shop was actually very fun for people watching. Harry found his arm around her waist the entire time and insisted on getting matching sweatshirts in different colors. She rolled her eyes once more at how crazy this all was falling so quickly for a man she just met. She would have to research love at first sight and see if there was some evidence that it was normal to feel and behave this way.

Content again with their purchases, they returned to the car. “Dinner?” Anne asked. “We’d like to treat you for invading your home the first night,” she said sweetly.

“Seriously, it was the least—”

“Love, jus’ let us buy y’dinner,” Harry hummed. “Jus’ tell me where t’go,” he glanced at her in the rearview mirror and winked at her.

So, what was she supposed to do but enjoy dinner with Harry and his family again?

Anne gave her a huge hug, thanked her no less than thirty more times, and then hugged Harry and told him to be polite and give her space if she wanted it. There was nothing she wanted less. In fact, if she could have glued herself to Harry she probably would.

But she also thanked her for dinner and for being so kind to her that first night even though she looked crazy in her post-nap haze. Anne thought nothing of it and Harry wondered if he would ever get over the euphoria he felt, knowing his mum liked the girl he was already smitten with.

Gemma also hugged her and thanked her profusely. Told her she hoped to see her again and let her know if she needed recipes for Harry while he was there. The pair waved as Harry’s family left Sea View. They walked back to Sun-Kissed Cabana hand in hand. Fingers twisted together. She still needed to do the dishes from the muffins she made earlier. “Do you want to watch the sunset or go to—”

The second they were inside her little place; Harry dropped to his knees and lifted her skirt over his head. He didn’t even shut the front door. “Harry,” she gasped as his lips started the ascent up her leg, starting at her knee, trailing over her thigh, moving inward toward her underwear. Harry sighed, pressing a chaste kiss to the outside of her underwear. She put a hand on the wall as he lifted one of her legs to go over his shoulder and she wished her brain was working at full capacity. She would have requested the door close so no one walking or driving by could see right in the entry way and see her gasping at the man between her thighs. Anyone that even glanced would immediately know what was happening. She would ruin countless family vacations if anyone looked. People would glare at the indecency, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. The only reprieve from her worry was that the sun was setting, and they hadn’t turned on a light.

“Can I make y’feel good, love? Please?” He begged. “Been dreaming ‘bout y’on m’tongue, kitten,” his voice was nearly muffled by the fabric of her dress paired with the fact his voice was so low and deep.

How could she say no to him begging her? God, she wanted his tongue on her. “Yes, yes, please,” she whimpered closing her eyes as his finger hooked around her panties and pushed them to the side. He didn’t wait one second before his mouth was on her.

His lips wrapped around her clit, and he sucked hard making her cry out. She was certain she was dripping. Embarrassingly wet. If his mouth wasn’t there, she probably would have dripped on the floor. Harry groaned loudly against her sending vibrations through her. Her vibrator would never compare ever again. She whimpered, grabbing his head atop the fabric of her dress pressing him toward her. He pulled back pressing kisses to the inside of her thigh over his shoulder as he paused for a breath. “M’gonna live here,” he promised making her feel shaky on the one leg that remained on the floor.

“Please don’t stop,” she begged.

“No, no way, kitten,” he murmured kissing a trail back to where he wanted to be; almost as much as she wanted him there. “Gonna make y’feel s’good. Promise. Gonna make y’come all over m’tongue again and again,” his words were so sweetly said despite the filth coming from them. However, given that his lips and tongue were doing sinful things to the apex of her thighs, she shouldn’t have been so surprised that he could turn her to mush physically and mentally with his mouth.

He continued, lapping between the folds. He held her in place, pressing his hands into her fleshy backside. She moaned, wishing she was pressed against the wall so she could drop her head back. She was worried she would collapse and break his neck. Especially when he did make her come. “S’fucking good,” he groaned into her kissing her puffy clit. “God, you’re s’wet. S’that for me?” He wondered sliding his hand over her backside toward her hip, down her groin where his finger slid through her folds gathering the sticky moisture that accumulated from herself and from his mouth. “Did I get y’this wet?”

Oh, he was enjoying this way too much. She nodded breathlessly, unable to speak if she wanted to. He couldn’t even see her nodding. She was overheating. She wanted his mouth back on her. It was unfair he was torturing her with words and physical movements of his mouth. “Y-yes,” she managed. “Harry, please,” she croaked out afterwards.

He groaned at the way she sounded. Like heaven. Begging. He was rock hard, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to taste her. Wanted to have her come all over him so he could clean her up and do it again as fast as possible.

After massaging her clit between his thumb and forefinger and letting his middle finger slide through her folds he finally dipped it into her hole. She cried out at the invasion and ground into his hand. “S’that good, baby? S’that make y’feel better?” He asked. That mocking tone from the morning she got herself off on his thigh was back she wished she could bite back a retort, but his lips weren’t allowing any coherent thoughts through. “S’that make the ache go away?” She nodded again, not that he could see but she thought he probably knew it was true. It did make the ache go away except she wanted to come so badly. “Such a good girl,” he moaned licking her like he was the one that invented doing this. “Y’gonna come on m’tongue?” He asked.

“Please,” she thought she was going to cry if she didn’t get a release soon. His finger felt so good, wiggling around her walls looking for the spot that would drive her wild while his lips attached back to her clit. “Please, Harry, please,” she moaned, and Harry thought she might be crying but he couldn’t see with her dress covering his head. It was warm below the fabric, his hot breath, and her carnal need to come making all senses done for. He swore the only thing he knew to do was make her come hard. He picked up the pace of his finger dipping in and out of her soaking wet hole. She was starting to clench just barely while he kept flicking his tongue over her clit that he kept in place while sucking it between his lips. “Right there,” she cried. “Please, please, please,” she begged as the flutter of her walls began to work around his finger.

He brought his arm around her, pressing her close to him so he could continue licking and fingering her until finally she moaned and shook. “Yes, fuck,” she whimpered, and her perfect pussy clenched rapidly around his finger while he continued his licking of her clit so she could ride out her second orgasm due to Harry against his lips and hand. As the waves finished wracking through her she was breathing heavily as Harry lapped up all the wetness making insanely lewd slurping noises as he did—like he wanted every drop of her. When he finished placing the most ironically chaste kiss on her oversensitive clit, she sighed. The leg on his shoulder slumped to the floor. He pulled her panties down to her ankles, kissing down her leg as he did. Helped her step out of them.

“You’ll need new ones,” he stated as a matter of fact. Not a need to brag although he very well could have. As he flipped the curtain of her skirt back over his head to free him, standing in the same moment.

His hair was a little staticky from the fabric brushing his hair. He smiled at her, impishly it seemed. Her breath was uneven, and she tried to remember how to speak but couldn’t find the words to say. “Are y’alright? Was that okay, love?”

She nodded, her eyes fluttering as if she were about to pass out. She was speechless. It made him feel good that he could get that kind of reaction out of her, but he was worried he accidentally broke her. Her eyes looked glassy like she wasn’t fully coherent yet.

He smiled, sweeping her into his arms like she was a bride and carried her to the sofa. It was so quick, and he made it seem so effortless she didn’t have time to think about how heavy she must have been for him to do that.

He left her safely and softly on the couch, kissing her forehead before he made his way to the kitchen. The ache between her thighs was satiated and she could feel her brain cells reconnecting and hoped she’d be able to form a sentence at any moment.

“Harry?” She asked tentatively. Her voice was cracking. Blinking unsurely, at the lack of Harry beside her.

“M’right here, angel. Jus’ getting us some water,” he promised sweetly and hurried to sit beside her. The worry in her voice with just his name made his heart hurt. He handed her the cup so she could get rehydrated. Harry thought she was the most precious thing he’d ever laid eyes on, but he sensed her uneasiness. He knew she felt it the other day too after their sunrise fun—except he spent most of the day not seeing her. He would make up for it now. Scooping her into his lap, scrunching the fabric of her skirt up over her hips so she could straddle his lap, he didn’t focus on the fact there was nothing between her body and his shorts. Her head dropped to the crook of his neck, and he soothingly rubbed her back while he took his own sip of water over the top of her shoulder. “Y’okay, love?” He asked tentatively again now that she had time to process the event in her mind, had some water, and that Harry was holding her carefully.

“Mmm,” she hummed softly. Her breath tickling his neck. “Thank you.”

He chuckled and kissed her hair. “I’d say the pleasure was all mine, but I think y’got the brunt of it.”

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to make you feel that good,” she mumbled sadly. Almost as if she was hurt by the idea.

He smirked. “Won’t be difficult, kitten. Thought I was gonna come jus’ from touching you,” he promised. She didn’t pay attention to that bit of info. She was too busy feeling bad about how needy she was right now.

“M’sorry m’needy,” she whispered—it always happened when she orgasmed like that at the hand of another guy. There were only a select few that managed to do it, but only one that left her high and dry after. It made her feel terrible and it had been a long while since she let it happen like that. Worried that she would feel dirty and gross again. She couldn’t really help herself with Harry though and she worried that she would bother him being so needy. “This is not the kind of beach vacation you had in mind, I’m sure.”

“Kitten, it’s so much better, because of you,” he pressed a kiss to the shell of her ear. “I’ll stay all night,” he promised her.

The research on love at first sight was no longer a worry. She had all the proof she needed right here.

Harry doesn’t know how many times he orgasmed. True to his word, he kissed her and kindly fucked her on every possible surface in Sea View. Except the outdoor shower. But that was only because it was raining. She giggled as Harry closed his eyes, smirking at her little laugh. “Something funny, kitten?” He asked reaching out across the bed—where they ended their escapades for the day.

She shook her head. “Never thought I’d be part of the group that’s been fucked at Sea View.”

He rolled over top of her, the sheets keeping a barrier between them. “S’been the best vacation of m’life,” he promised. “Gonna leave a six-star review,” he promised.

She laughed loudly, making his heart thrum with adoration at how carefree it sounded. “I don’t do this for everyone that stays here, don’t make reviews I can’t cash in on.”

“Love, if I could afford it, I would rent this place the whole summer.”

She smiled so beautifully. Harry thought she really was an angel like her friend said. A sun-kissed one for sure. “You’ll stay the night, yeah?” He asked. “We’ll watch TV and order food, whatever you want,” he promised.

“I’d like that. But I’ll need to go get a change of clothes.”

“You won’t need them,” he shrugged.

She giggled again.

They spent the next few days in the normal routine they developed the week before. They went to the beach, they checked an item off Harry’s vacation bucket list, they ate dinner together, watched the sunset, got ice cream, and moaned into each other’s mouths as much as possible.

They also touched a lot more. Harry held her hand while they waited in line behind the group of people ahead of them at the mini golf course. His arms looped around her back while they waded in the water, holding her close to him. He kept a hold of her foot in his lap while they read their books in the evening before sunset.

When they slept at night, in the comfy bed at Sea View, he wrapped her close to his chest and curled around her, his arms caging around her. “What if I have to pee?” She giggled the first night.

“Then I guess you’ll have t’pee on me,” he shrugged through her laughter.

It was unspoken that they didn’t talk about his vacation ending very soon. The only time she left him alone was when she showered at Sun-Kissed Cabana. He cutely told her he missed her the moment she returned to his home away from home. “So full moon tonight?” He asked looking down at her face. Today they read with her head in his lap, her face turned toward his stomach at the moment rubbing her nose against his warm t-shirt. He combed his fingers through her hair focusing on his book.

She nodded, wrangling her phone from her pocket to in front of her face so she could look at the weather app on her phone. “Nine thirty,” she glanced at the weather, there should be no clouds or rain to ruin the evening.

“It’ll be cold, yeah?” He asked. She checked the temperature and nodded again in affirmation.

“Probably wear what we wore for the sunrise.”

“Oh, I love that outfit,” he said flirtatiously. She rolled her eyes and turned to lay flat back against her lap and stare up at him. He smiled while he finished the page he was reading. “What?” He hummed.

“You’re obsessed with sex.”

“Me?!” He cried throwing his book on the coffee table. “You’re the one moaning and pressing your bum up against me all night,” he reminded her and brought his face down to hers so he could kiss her repeatedly. She giggled as he pulled her upper body with him as he leaned back against the sofa. He pulled her close to him. He was obsessed with sex. But only with her it seemed. It was a billion to one chance he would me this angel this vacation. Another billion to one chance he would find her stunning and adore her immediately. Of course, it was only another billion to one chance he would want to make her come so many times her legs would shake just walking three houses down when she needed something from her little cottage.

Ugh, he wanted to stay here forever.

“Love,” he said gently. She was busy tracing his eyebrows and running her fingertip over his eyelids while he was lost in thought about how obsessed with sex he was. “I leave in a few days,” he reminded her. She frowned almost instantly and nodded. Looked away from him, ducked her face so her lips pressed to his shoulder. He pressed a hand to the back of her head, rubbing his fingertips gently into the back of her skull.

“I know,” she mumbled against his skin.

They were quiet for a few moments. Harry was trying to figure out what to say. It certainly couldn’t be that he was in love with her. He would sound like an idiot. She was intelligent and beautiful. Just because he wanted to live between her legs didn’t mean he could go around saying he loved her after a week and a half. “I want t’be very clear, kitten. I really don’t want t’leave,” he kissed the side of her head. “S’been a very special vacation,” he promised. “S’because of you, y’know. I don’t want t’leave because you’re here,” he combed through her hair with his fingers and kissed the crown of her head once more.

She didn’t answer but Harry could feel a teardrop fall onto his shirt. He didn’t move from this position. Didn’t want to call attention to her sadness and make it worse. They would have these moments and they could figure out the rest when the time came.

They walked hand in hand, the pathway lit by the flashlights on their phones. They wore their sweatpants and long sleeve shirts and were barefoot as they walked the same beach path, they always walked to the lifeguard stand. Before they even got there, Harry was speechless. “Oh wow,” the moon was just over top the horizon and since he had only seen the sunrise once this vacation, he only had one way to compare to it. If it wasn’t for the dark sky, he’d have no clue it wasn’t the sun. It was breathtaking.

She smiled and turned her flashlight off to take a picture. Harry did the same, wrapping his arm around her as she did so he wouldn’t lose her for even a second in the dark. “Is anyone else here y’think?” He asked.

She shook her head, bumping against him. “Probably not; mostly kids around here with their families. They can’t stay up this late,” she giggled. She yawned. “Honestly, me neither. I was up so late last night,” she reminded him.

He rolled his eyes. “‘Harry, please, please, please let me come. Oh, it’s so good,’” he mocked. She jabbed her elbow into his stomach not hard enough to hurt but he kissed the side of her face. She ignored him, turned her flashlight back on, and pulled him toward the lifeguard stand. They sat in silence, watching the moon slowly rise into the sky. It looked enormous. Beautiful. He said it when he first got here, but he truly believed she was right that this was the most magnificent place on earth.

She was taking pictures and playing with the exposure and lighting in the settings as she tried to capture how beautiful it was. The moon was now almost at the point where it was illuminating the beach. If he listened carefully, he could hear the sound of vacationers calling attention to their partners to look at the sky from their porches and cabins and cottages.

Harry snapped a picture of her focused expression managing to get her profile superimposed on the moon in the background. She blushed, not that Harry could see it in the dark like this but still. She wanted to talk more about what all this meant. What they should or would do when he left. It was so hard, the second it crossed her mind, tears filled her vision and she had to swallow the rock lodged in her esophagus. How was she supposed to have an adult conversation with Harry about it when she couldn’t even get the words out?

Hearing him say how much this all meant to him was a good start. It made her anxiety lessen. Because this meant the world to her; it was rash, quick, and ridiculous to fall in love so easily. She felt like a Disney princess falling for the first guy she saw. While she wasn’t sure if Harry was in love with her—which would be a completely normal thing—she could rest assured that he at least cared about her in some capacity. “Y’okay, kitten?” He hummed into her ear, pressing his lips to her temple while she thought. “Can hear the gears turning from here,” he smiled against her skin.

She shook her head. “It’s crazy to me how fast the moon rises,” she said. Harry nodded in agreement.

“Let’s head back, s’getting cold and I want t’get y’out of these clothes,” he murmured into her neck.

Harry dropped from the stand first, climbing down so he could make sure she made it down without injury. Once on the sand, they paused, leaning against the frame to gaze at the moon more.

She was pretty certain it was her doing, but she would never admit that to Harry. But soon her hand was in his sweatpants, holding his dick in her hand massaging the length of it, pulling and tugging it to get harder and longer. “Kitten,” he groaned quietly.

It was extremely ridiculous for her to do something like this on a public beach. Even if it was late at night. The moment he groaned out her pet-name she felt her thighs press together. She swore she was soaked already, and they’d hardly even begun. “Something about sweatpants with you,” she mumbled as she pulled down her own to just to mid-thigh. Harry followed suit. “S’gonna have to be quick,” she whispered standing in front of him, reaching behind so his body would curve around her.

“Oh kitten, m’already ready t’burst jus’ at the thought of your pussy around me,” he promised and slipped himself inside her from behind. She moaned quietly as he began pumping into her, in and out. She loved the darkness, only the moon casting a low glow over them while it still rose higher in the sky. It provided a good cover in case anyone did happen to walk their way down here. She turned to the side, gripping the wood of the lifeguard stand as she bent forward more. The sound of the waves lapping at the shore disguised the sound of Harry’s skin smacking against hers.

“So good,” she whimpered. “Harry,” she cried. He gripped her hips pulling her back toward him as he pushed forward. It was a miracle she could have this many orgasms in only a matter of days. She had never tried before to have this many but was once more worried that she wouldn’t last one day without him, let alone a whole year before she would see him next summer. “Harry,” she whined again and grabbed his hand holding onto her hip.

“Yeah, love? Y’close already? Y’all excited and wet for me because we’re on the beach? Gotta be quiet for me, baby. When y’come. Don’t want anyone t’hear. All those noises y’make are for me, yeah?”

She was going to scream at the top of her lungs, and she didn’t care who heard her. “Your pussy is s’good. So wet. Feel y'gripping me,” he mumbled and grabbed he cheek of her bum with one of his hands. He pressed hard, certain he would leave little finger print bruises and he wished he could be gentler but this was so fucking hot he thought he was going to lose his mind.

“Harry,” she whined again. “Please,” she begged.

“Y’can come, angel. Come as much as y’want. Come all over m’cock, please. Make yourself come all over me, love,” he moaned snapping almost brutally into her.

She whimpered as she did, her legs shaking almost to the point where she would have collapsed if Harry wasn’t holding her up. He continued to drive his dick up into her as he pulled her back toward him, so she was pressed to his torso. With a few more pumps he felt himself about to burst and alerted her. “Gonna come so hard, cause of you,” he groaned. She dropped to her knees, wrapping her lips around the head of his cock just in time to catch all of him in her mouth. He shivered as her mouth worked over him and he pulled away and pulled her up as he did.

He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arm around her tightly. “M’legs are tired.”

He nodded. “I know baby,” he cooed, pulling her pants up. He pulled his own up, catching a glimpse of the moon. “Do y’still have your phone?” She nodded mutely. Harry smiled, kissed her lips gently and then cradled her in his arms as he carried her back to the cottage.

They were two days and several hours away from Harry leaving. Her chest thought it was going to break open from the force of hiding her emotions. She was finishing getting fixed up after their walk and separate showers. Even though Harry did invite her. “We have to go to the store, you maniac,” she giggled as he tried to convince her with kisses down her throat.

“The store will be there in an hour.”

“S’never just an hour with you,” she muttered under her breath.

“Was that a complaint?”

“No, not even a little.”

No, they left the shower off their new kinky little bucket list for Harry’s vacation. Something to look forward to for next year. She was just finishing her hair when she heard the screen door. “Kitten?” He called.

“Bathroom!”

He stood in the doorway watching her put the final touches in her hair. He was grinning like an idiot. Like he had a secret. “Can we talk?” He asked.

She whipped around so fast to look at him and ask why he would ever say such a thing that she knocked her bottle of hair stuff onto the floor. She was lucky the lid to the toilet was closed where she had placed her towel from her shower, or she would be adding hair product to their grocery list since it merely bounced off the top of it. Harry’s mouth popped open, but she could see his eyes dancing in amusement.

“I should have picked a better phrase,” he nodded firmly.

She looked at him in shock. “Ya think?”

He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. “There’s...” he shook his head. “Jus’ c’mere,” he pulled her to her main room and flopped the pair of them onto the sofa. He brought his hands to her face, brought her to his lips and kissed her forehead, her nose, and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips. “M’going t’say a lot right now,” he told her. “Can y’be patient?” he asked. She nodded, nervously. Hopefully he would just treat it like ripping a Band-Aid off. “Y’have nothing t’be nervous about, love,” he promised kissing her forehead again.

“You’re making me anxious,” she said seriously. He chuckled.

“Okay, okay. I’ll start,” he smiled shaking his head. “I have immensely enjoyed this vacation. But even if I was trapped in the worst city in the worst home and you were there, I think I would have enjoyed it,” he rubbed his thumb along her cheek. It was starting off okay at least. “M’really heartbroken I have t’go,” he told her. “I didn’t even shower I was on the phone looking for another rental for every week this summer,” She smiled at that, feeling her eyes water. He swept his thumb below her eye seeing the tears appear. “But m’friend Mitch called me too. His wedding is in early October. I...I wasn’t given a plus one originally, but he said I could have one. I told him all about you. In fifteen minutes. Mitch and Sarah were insistent at that point,” he told her. “I know s’not much. But I’d be able t’see you. And...I know s’like three months away...but it’s something right? Would y’go with me?”

She would see him again. She nodded. It didn’t matter how ridiculous it was.

“And...we could video chat. Every day. Hell, love, I’ll apply to a new school, I jus’ want t’have you in m’life in some permanent way. I’ll spend every school holiday with you. We’ll spend all summer here, every year. I know—” She started full on sniveling, and she covered her mouth as he spoke. “You think m’nuts,” he frowned.

She nodded. “I do, but only because I am too,” she promised tearily. “I want all of that,” she agreed. Harry sighed with relief, bringing his thumbs across her cheeks once more to rid them of tears and kissing her deeply. It wasn’t quite like the kisses that led to him pulling all her clothes off, but it had almost as much passion.

“I promise, I don’t usually fall in love this quickly,” he admitted. Her lips parted at the L-word in surprise and Harry slapped a hand against his face. “Fuck...I mean...” he sighed shaking his head. “I think s’obvious given that I jus’ invited you t’a wedding after knowing y’for a handful of days,” he shook his head quickly like he was trying to rewire some of his neurons in hope of making sense again. “Sorry,” he tucked his face into his neck terrified he just ruined everything by telling a girl he knew for only ten days he loved her.

She giggled through her tears. “I... forgot I’ve had an orgasm...let alone had sex...literally ever...when I was dry humping your leg at the beach. I don’t think...this is very different than any...I don’t do this sort of thing,” she nodded in agreement. “I like you a lot,” she whispered at least she had enough sense to not say love—even if Harry thought she kind of wanted to say it back—and she did want to say it. “An embarrassing amount. I’m dreading having to say goodbye. Dreading the end of your vacation and at any moment I’m worried I’m going to invite you to stay with me, nearly a stranger, for the rest of the summer just so I don’t have to let you go,” she then pressed her fingers to her lips and closed her eyes. “Shit,” she muttered against them.

Harry chuckled, bit the inside of his lip glad she was speaking from her heart the same way Harry did. “Honestly, love? I would stay, if y’wanted me to.”

She flicked her eyes up to him. Adoring the green irises that were haunting every thought. “Yeah?” She whispered.

He nodded. “I...I think this might be the best vacation I’ve ever been on. Too bad y’don’t have an outdoor shower. S’where I’ve been imagining some really fun things ‘bout you.”

“Why imagine when you could have them? We still have two days.”

He moaned. “M’gonna fuck you with a Sea View,” he said pulling her to stand and all but racing back to his perfect little cottage home. Enjoying her giggles as he stripped her naked in the backyard along with him. Harry was eternally grateful to whatever powers that be he got this vacation spot with the beautiful goddess from Sun-Kissed Cabana all to himself.

And an outdoor shower.

general taglist: @justlemmeadoreyou @daydreamingofmatilda @sunshinemoonsposts @youdontcaredoyou @tiredinwinter @loving-hazz @likeapplejuicenpeach @straightontilmornin @freedomfireflies @littlenatilda @kathb59 @babegoals @angel-upon @lilfreakjez @mleestiles @ameliaalvarez06 @canyonmoondreams @summertime-pills @daphnesutton @l4rrysh0use @kissinthekitchen

@pancakerry

Please let me know if you'd like to join the taglist, if it didn't work, if you no longer want to be included, etc. :)

If you like this, check out my masterlist for more of my writing.

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dodgeryy · 5 months

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This blog is dedicated to neurodiversity and mental health, specifically personality disorders and even MORE specifically cluster B. I love using this blog to connect with others like me, reblog and share their experiences, and try to bring light-hearted PD content into our communities. I personally do not post vents on my blog, but I do take care to properly tag them when I post/reblog them. I also post the occasional fandom / chronic illness / disability post here and there as well as ofc cute animals and funny hahas.

ASKS / DMs / SUBMISSIONS OPEN AND ENCOURAGED!

I am an adult! Minors are free to interact/follow/moot, but be aware that I might interact w or reblog adult content. (Anything heavy will always be tagged.)

Some posts may have themes of trauma, child hood trauma, psychosis/mania, depression, anxiety, and paranoia. I tag as best I can, and don't ever get graphic. Feel free to ask for specific trigger tags if you are a follower.

DIVAS. I am Ery, I am known 4 dressing cunt and acting like cunt. I am a big fan of the whimsical and fantastical, and media that is horrifying and gut wrenching. The waters call to me and every time I see anything bigger than a puddle I want to jump in.

I am a college student student w impulse control problems. I am studying fashion design and like to spend my money on calico critters and way too expensive accessories. You can find me in my sewing studio half naked because I realized there is a cute, easy, life changing alteration to the outfit I was wearing that I need to make RIGHT NOW. I spend my free time buying things to feel something, video gaming, and being not normal about many things.

My go to coffee order is a mocha.

Gay gay insane and disabled so here are some labels / disorders I got.

Genderqueer • aroace • lesbian

AuDHD • NPD • BPD • OCD

POTs • Pectus Excavatum • Connective Tissue Disorders • Mitral Valve disease

HERE ARE MY HOBBIES

Sewing / designing

Dungeons and Dragons

Character design / drawing

Arts and crafts in general

Color guard

Astrology / Tarot

Yearning for the waters (swimming and lifeguarding)

SPECIAL INTERESTS

Airplanes / aviation

How to train your dragon (books)

Dungeons and Dragons

MEDIA I HAVE PLAYED/WATCHED

These are not all current but does not mean I am not down 2 chat about them!

Greys Anatomy

LoL/Arcane

JJBA

Hades

Gemini Home Entertainment, other internet horror series!!!,

madoka magica

HTTYD(animated)

Harry Potter

PjO

good omens

critical role + Vox Machina

and a lot more I forgor but like. There.

MUSIC ARTISTS I LURV

Saint Motel

Oingo Boingo

Orville Peck

Cake

Record Heat

Lord Huron

TV Girl

Bjork

Florence + the Machine

Portugal the Man

#cluster b #personality disorder #pwpd #npd #bpd #actually narcissistic #actually borderline #mental health #nuerodiverse #npd safe

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lunarheslwt · 2 years

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Hi! I wanted to put together all the fics I've read and loved over November for this month's 28th appreciation, so here they are! Click on the links for full tags and summaries. If you read any of these make sure to show the authors some love by leaving kudos and comments!

🔸I know you rider (gonna miss me when I'm gone) by @cyantific

(9.4k | T | single-rider line au)

The one where Louis hates hippies and roller coasters and Harry tries to fix that with lots of fun facts, terrible puns and perhaps one very life-changing moment in a dark tunnel.

"Nostalgia inducing, simply delightful, summer 90's vibes"

🔸Adélfes psychés by pleasinglouis

(19k | E | Greek mythology au)

Harry has been hopelessly in love with a certain woodland nymph for as long as he can remember and no amount of wooing seems to be working

(summary cut so the post isn't too long!)

"poetic, a little ethereal, incredibly sweet."

🔸Everyone's entitled to one good scare by @levelofcharm

(10k | E | Halloween themed CNC vampire au)

“We can play hide and seek. Go on, try to hide bunny,” he coos as he taps the cool knife to Louis’ heated cheek teasingly, his voice switching with ease to something stern and serious, “but hope I don’t find you.”

Louis has suspected his husband isn't what he says and is determined to be right this Halloween

(read tags please!)

"thrilling, dizzyingly hot, perfect Halloween gift"

🔸Where sirens fear to tread by @aliensingucci

(28k | M | siren forbidden love au)

in the royal line, there are only a select few sirens with the ability to transform into humans once a month. harry is one of those sirens. he mostly sticks to the rules. when he's on land, he reads his books. he buys copious amounts of ice cream. he keeps to himself. that is until he meets a lifeguard named louis working at one of the luxury resorts on St Barts. and unfortunately, harry doesn't know the rules about falling in love at all.

"endearing, gripping, characters you root for"

🔸Compete against the stars by @daggerandrose

(30k | M | arranged marriage a/b/o)

“We should probably keep our distance,” Harry says, now backing up until he’s leaning against the wall opposite of Louis. It already feels too far away. “I don’t know if I can handle not being able to touch you in some small way.”

Louis nods and looks down. “The solstice will be here soon,” he murmurs.

“And with it, our mates,” Harry finishes, his voice cracking at the last word.

An ABO au where Louis finds out he's claimed to another Alpha. Angst ensues.

("ridiculously soft, smidge of tension, fuzzy vibes")

🔸When love is enough by @larrysballetslippers

(5k | E | poly relationship)

“Please, daddy,” Harry begged, he wanted Louis so much. Louis shuffled to his side and kissed his lips. Harry felt like he was in heaven, Louis’ kisses were always soul-healing but also so devilish.

Louis pulled back, eliciting a whine from Harry, and stroked his cheeks “I’m going to make you cry today, edge you so hard you don’t know how-”

Louis stopped talking when they heard the bell ring in the distance. Louis’ eyes grew large when it rang for the second time. “Harry, who are you expecting?”

Or, Harry gets an unpleasant surprise visit in the middle of a scene.

"part of a must read series, heart warming, sweet"

🔸You go undercover (you cross your fingers) by @forthetherapyy

(25k | E | kid fic)

When they reach the top of the steps, Harry puts the buggy down gently.

“Thank you,” Louis says. “My hero.”

Harry laughs.

“You don’t need rescuing,” he says.

louis didn’t think that motherhood would be easy, but he certainly wasn’t prepared for just how challenging it would be. he also wasn't prepared for a certain alpha called harry appearing each time he needs help until accepting is no longer a difficult thing to do.

"incredibly sweet, warm, and a comfort read"

🔸Every witch way by @falsegoodnight

(36k | E | a witchy au)

The last thing Harry wants to be doing this summer is running his aunt's occult shop while she's away, but that's where he finds himself, bitter and bored. That is, until a boy and his cat stumble into Harry's life and turn it upside down.

"incredibly gripping, stunning world building, flawless"

🔸A Springtime's Wilt, an Autumn's Bloom by snowcaplou

(20k | E | chauffeur au)

Harry is Louis' personal chauffeur, and although he hides his feelings for his boss behind a wall of rigid professionalism, Louis still manages to squeeze through the cracks.

"perfect for a quick read, sweet, wonderful characters"

🔸Dip you in honey by @eeveelou

(28k | E | omega x omega royalty au)

Princess Harry, the pearl of England, is set to be married to the youngest prince of France in just six months. Anxious about his performance on his wedding night, he enlists the help of his loyal handmaiden Louis to help him practice everything he needs to know

"delicate, pure, and delightfully scandalous all at once"

🔸what a wicked thing to do (to make me dream of you) by @maroonmoonlouis

(44k | E | enemies to lovers dark academia heirs au)

Heirs Louis and Harry have been promised as mates to each other their whole lives. It's expected that they will be the perfect pair to bring honor to their families. Louis cannot let that happen.

"captivating, electrifying, and perfect"

🔸Even on my worst days by @homosociallyyours

(21k | E | sick fic, chronic illness)

When they meet at a party, Louis is instantly drawn to Harry like a moth to a flame. They hit it off, and Louis is eager to get to know Harry better-- maybe even take him out on a date --but Harry is hesitant. Cautious.

Since developing chronic fatigue a few years earlier, a lot of things have changed for Harry, his once active lifestyle reduced to the occasional outing like the one he met Louis at, visits to the doctor, and doing his best to take care of himself on hard days. He can't imagine that anyone-- especially not someone like Louis --would ever really want to be with him.

It takes time to convince him otherwise, but Louis can see he's worth it. He just has to get Harry to see it too.

"beautiful, touching, characters you will adore"

🔸Wanna play you like a game, boy (what's the thrill of the same toy?) by @thebreadvansstuff

(10k | E | humiliation kink)

Louis is Harry's boss, and Harry has a humiliation kink. (for full summary click fic link 😩)

"stupidly hot, hot and hot."

🔸You Can Lay Your Hands On Me by @momrryrights

(37k | E | bdsm au)

a non-famous, established relationship BDSM AU where Harry would really like his very sweet and caring boyfriend to dom him. Said boyfriend is more than happy to do so.

"delightfully detailed, super hot, incredible"

🔸wanna wake up with you and say baby let's do it all over again by @alwaysxlarrie

(16k | M | service kink fic)

“Harry, it’s okay. This is a safe space.”

“No, it’s not. You throw cheese puffs at me any time I walk around naked.”

“Okay.” Niall tilted his head in acknowledgement, then corrected himself. “It’s a safe space for things I deem acceptable.”

“Of course.” Harry rolled his eyes. “So, what’s the thing?”

“Your service,” Niall flailed his hands in the air for a few seconds, “thing.”

“My service,” Harry paused to mimic Niall’s hand movements, “thing?”

“Yes.”

"the dream duo dynamic, equally hot and cute, a gem"

Thank you wonderful writers who keep giving us the most amazing works<3

#28th appreciation #fic rec #larry fic rec #November reads #larry

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vikingmagic33 · 1 year

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Summer ACOTAR Writing Circle 3 hosted by @azrielshadowssing — thank you so much for organizing and running this event. Check out the full list of fanfics here.

I just LOVED the vibe of this fic and was honored to write an update. Check out Cool for the Summer Part 1 by the amazing @aldbooks

Part 2 is below and on AO3

Emerie’s phone vibrated from where she had it tucked next to her thigh. With one hand still fingering the tip of her own braid, Em reached for it reluctantly and with a practiced nonchalance that she found impressive.

Gwyn: potential love interest incoming at 10 o’clock

Nesta: *smug emoji* Oh. I see her

Emerie: could you STOP calling her that

Nesta: Could

Gwyn: But WON’T *glasses emoji*

Emerie: I hate you

Gwyn: such a pouty little liar

Nesta: I thought lying was insulting.

“When does the hot tub open?” The blonde slowed slightly in her sultry strut down the length of the pool deck and past Em’s perch atop her chair. The voice was little more than a purr and had anyone else been around, Emerie might have doubted it was aimed at her.

“Same time as the pool.” Strictly the facts. Keep it to the facts.

“So.” Mor lowered her glasses again, that time it was to peer up at Em through meticulously darkened lashes. “That would be now?”

“Exactly.” Emerie smiled. She couldn’t help the coolness of her tone. She couldn’t help regretting it either. That place brought it out in her, not that doing so was particularly hard.

“Cheers then.” The glasses went back and up and the strut resumed.

Gwyn: Was that a little hottie flyby?

Nesta: Looked like one from here.

Emerie: Cool your jets. She just asked me about the hot tub.

Gwyn: I think you mean that she asked you IN the hot tub.

Nesta: I agree with the ginger. *smirking emoji*

Emerie: Laugh it up bitches. I’m done with both of you.

Emerie heard the unmistakable ding of a phone nearby, but her’s hadn’t vibrated. She looked across the pool with a careful eye. She noticed Gwyn tucking her phone back in the pouch on the side of her lifeguard chair with a flourish and a shit-eating grin. Then Nesta snorted.

Emerie: NOT COOL

One lapse. All it took was one slip of the mask and the sharks were circling. They’d never let her hear the end of it. It wasn’t like Emerie didn’t understand. She’d been out with more than her share of women, but she didn’t give up information easily. With the way her family behaved, it was no wonder she played her cards very close to her vest. If Gwyn was an open book when it came to her love life, and she really was, then Nesta was that snarling, furry thing with teeth from Harry Potter. Emerie was somewhere in the middle. She smiled. Perhaps she’d be that map that went blank to outsiders.

Her friends were practically starved for information. Em loved her truck and had custom restored the 1976 Bronco. She’d even picked the perfect tangerine color for the paint job. When it was spotted at the Tri Delt House a few nights in a row, Em didn’t deny the shockingly satisfying hookup. Her truck could be spotted still parked in front of Pearl Bar late into the morning, she didn’t bother grabbing it until after brunch.

She liked to think that she was just being respectful and private, not sneaky or ashamed. But shame was a tricky beast. The only family she cared about were old and set in their ways, and the rest were surly and dangerous in their own fragility. It was easier, and safer, not to rock the boat, so Em didn’t rock it.

On campus or with her friends, most people spotted her as a lesbian right away. Her style wasn’t particularly masculine, but it wasn’t very femme either. She was just her. She’d always been considered pretty, especially given she didn’t go for much makeup. She kept her hair long but with a blunt cut and she’d been told she had a swagger that tended toward cocksure more than mere confidence. Em’s grin spread.

The truth was that she was comfortable in her own skin without needing a bunch of labels or distinctions, but they were put upon her anyway. She’d always been athletic and she got plenty of attention from men. She didn’t mind it and she’d dated a few. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t her. She could sleep with men, but she’d never truly dated one. She’d never actually loved one.

Her eyes fell on the blonde again. Em didn’t kid herself that what she was feeling at that moment was anything but lust. She watched the waiter bring another round of drinks. From the look of it, her eye candy was drinking Long Island ice teas. It was her third in as many hours. Em wasn’t one to break up a party and if the bar kept serving her that was on them, so long as she kept her lithe frame out of the pool.

Em felt her phone vibrate and looked across to Gwyn hopping on her seat. She looked left and Feyre had taken up a spot near Nesta’s chair just as that Cassian guy had slipped into the lanes at her feet. With any luck, he’d be an impressive swimmer and Nesta would be positively done for. With shoulders like that, Em was begging for a butterfly. He did not disappoint. Cassian whipped across the pool and that was when Em remembered where she’d seen him.

He swam for VU and then again at the world championships. Fuck. He was THAT Cass. Em attended a smaller private school with Nesta and Gwyn on soccer scholarships. They were the bulk of the tiny swim team, but they saved their real competition for soccer. They were good enough to compete in a small program and good enough to be in the stands when Cass and his boys blew past all the world records.

Without thinking Em grabbed her phone and groaned. She had a handful of messages that were already a few minutes old. Gwyn had to be stopped.

Gwyn: Red looks good on her *red dress emoji*

Gwyn: Go talk to her

Gwyn: Want me to go?

Gwyn: I’m a good wingman

Gwyn: Wingwoman

Emerie: No way

Gwyn: Yes way

Emerie: Fuck off

Emerie: Don’t u fucking dare

Gwyn: Come on!! *pouting gif*

Emerie: She’s marinated. If she tries to swim, I will HAVE to talk to her.

Gwyn: Yeah. Saw that

Gwyn: Sorry. That’s less fun.

Emerie: Yeah.

Emerie: I’d rather hear what Nesta thinks about Cas and his butterfly stroke?

Gwyn: YAS! Do you think it is HIM?

Emerie: *100% emoji*

Emerie: U gonna b ok Nes?

Nesta: F me

Gwyn: louder. I don’t think he heard u

Nesta: go away

Gwyn: NEVER

Emerie: NOT A CHANCE

They didn’t get to follow up on their playful ribbing of Nesta. Cassian was catching his breath at the other end of the pool, chatting with his friend. The friend was still watching Gwyn though. The rest of the group was busy chatting in the cabana, which was why nobody else seemed concerned as Ms. Diva approached the pool.

Nesta: Shit.

Emerie: Those chicken-shits should stop serving her out here.

Nesta: I can do it, Em.

Nesta: I’ve met her before.

Emerie: And?

Nesta: she lowkey hates me

Gwyn: I could try.

Nesta: Ur too nice. U’ll just hold her drink.

Emerie: Or her hair. I got this.

Em slid down from her chair and crossed the pool toward the blonde who was wading out into the deeper water with her drink still in one hand.

“Miss.” Emerie cringed, but what else should she call her. “We don’t allow drinks in the pool. I’m going to need you to step out.”

Emerie used the friendliest of her professional-sounding voices and she hoped this didn’t escalate. She’d seen it happen before. It was the hardest part about working at the Country Club for the summer when you were basically an outsider. Worse than an outsider, Em's family had been working their way up to actually joining the club. Her grandfather had worked as a caddie and a driver, and even saved up and pulled some strings to get her dad into school with some of these men. He’d squandered that chance and so she was back working for these same families. Em reminded herself that she was a college student and a lifeguard. She wasn’t the glorified servant from generations before. Though many of the people around wouldn’t think twice about putting someone like Em back in her place.

Nesta and Gwyn didn’t really get that. Em tried to focus back on her job. She was just a local girl trying to keep the fun going without any unnecessary casualties.

The blonde giggled and made her way toward the edge of the pool. She stumbled a few times but managed to keep her head above water and the glass out of the pool.

“Yes, officer.” Mor pouted and Em sighed, unimpressed.

“Thank you.” Em started to turn back toward her chair.

“Isn’t this the point where you tell me that I’m cut off?” Mor snarked and there was a sharper edge than before. Seemed like she wasn’t keen on her pout not working.

“I don’t work at the bar.” Em clarified. It wasn’t her job to decide whom to serve, but it was her job to decide who got to swim.

“Yes.” Mor raked her eyes down Em’s body. “The skimpy suit told me as much.”

Em glanced down at the dangerously high sides of her red suit. Gwyn often opted for the tank and swim shorts, but Em went full Baywatch when she was on duty. It suited her best.

She looked down at Mor’s slinky bikini snuggling her surprisingly generous curves given her lean frame. Em offered her best neutral glare and managed not to shrug. She was just trying to get a rise out of Emerie and it wasn’t going to work. Emerie nodded once to the woman and started walking back toward her chair.

“You’re Nesta’s friend, right?” Mor shouted at her back.

“I am.” Em agreed over one shoulder.

“I’m Morrigan.”

Em smiled and kept walking. She could feel the woman’s eyes on her the whole way. The Morrigan. Of course, she didn’t have some simple name and of course, Em had heard of her, of her family. Em looked back and could just make out the scar on the woman’s abdomen. What she hadn’t expected to see was the seductive way that she was watching her.

Gwyn: She seems feisty

Nesta: U have no idea

Emerie: Just drunk

Nesta: No. She’s always like that

The good thing about the morning shift was usually that they got off early. Nesta and Gwyn were able to leave, but they were short staffed and her manager talked her into staying. The pool had state-of-the-art heating and lighting, so it was technically open until 10pm with at least one guard making rounds. The cabanas drew their own type of attention, and Em was slightly jealous of that freedom in a place like the club.

Few members tried the actual pool after dark. Mostly, nights were just Em walking in circles watching the water dance over the lights. She was busy with her own thoughts when she heard steps on the deck behind her.

“Don’t they ever let you go home?” Mor’s voice shocked her.

“They do.” Em agreed with a smirk. Mor was shockingly close and no less intoxicated than she had been earlier.

“You remind me of someone.” Mor reached up for her face fondly and there was heat in her gaze.

“Someone nice?” Em shouldn’t encourage it. She was at work, not that she felt harassed. It still wasn’t good to engage in a flirtation with members. It just felt wrong.

“Very.” Mor’s voice was full of emotion. Had she been crying? Mor leaned in for a kiss and stumbled only slightly, but it was enough to kill the already delicate mood. Em reached around for her waist and spun her lightly away dodging.

“Let’s find that cousin of yours.” Em knew Rhys by sight and she felt comfortable releasing her into his care. Her shift was basically over anyway. She started walking toward the rest of the club and she heard Mor start to apologize.“Don’t worry. You won’t even remember me tomorrow.”

“I will. I always remember.” The words were clear and Em believed her and for some reason, it broke her heart.

#acotar writing circle 3 #acotar modern au #emorie #emerie x mor #emerie acosf #the morrigan #the valkyries stick together #acotar fandom #acotar fanficton

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telltalesonline · 8 months

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40 Fun Facts About Harry Styles

Heartthrob, Harry Styles blessed everyone’s screens in 2011 when he participated in The X Factor and quickly became one of, if not the most popular One Direction boy.

Over the last decade, this trending celeb has gone from an adored young boybander to a bona fide pop superstar right in front of our eyes.

Now one of the most influential male solo artists around, as well as fashion icon and inspiration to many, Harry actually has a lot about him behind closed doors that even his biggest fans don’t know about.

So, if you ever needed more reason to fall in love with the pop idol some more – continue reading these 40 fun Harry Styles facts below…

1. He Wanted to Be a Lifeguard

In another life, Hazza would’ve been riding the waves instead of rocking the stage.

Believe it or not, singing wasn’t always in the pipeline for Harry. Before auditioning for The X Factor, the popular star actually applied to become a lifeguard. Harry didn’t make the cut, so he pursued his dreams of becoming a pop star, instead.

2. He Was the First Man Featured on Vogue’s Front Cover

If you didn’t already know, landing the front cover of Vogue is huge. And it’s an even bigger deal when you’re the first man to do so. In December 2020, Harry Styles became the first man to appear solo on the front cover of Vogue magazine.

For his cover shoot, the singer famously sported a blue dress paired with a black blazer, a look that expressed his love for fashion…but also had him accused of queerbaiting.

3. Harry Has Dated Many Famous Women

Ever since he stepped into the limelight, Harry Styles’ dating life has been scrutinized and publicized.

Over the years the superstar has been linked to models, actresses, and fellow singers, including Caroline Flack, Kendall Jenner, Taylor Swift, Nicole Scherzinger, and Olivia Wilde, among many others.

4. He’s Never Labeled His Sexuality

While Harry’s been with various women, he’s never publicly labeled his sexuality. After starring as a gay man in My Policeman; having a gender-fluid fashion sense, and being an advocate for the LGBT+ community (e.g. frequently waving pride flags during concerts), many fans accused Harry of queerbaiting and not being honest about his sexuality.

“Sometimes people say, ‘You’ve only publicly been with women,’ and I don’t think I’ve publicly been with anyone. If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re choosing to have a public relationship or something,” he told Rolling Stone.

“It doesn’t matter, and it’s about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you’re checking,” he continued.

5. He Burst into Tears When He Went Solo

After leaving One Direction and embarking on a solo career, Harry apparently burst into tears. The singer told Better Homes & Gardens that he cried when signing his solo contract, because he “felt free.”

When recalling his time in the band, Harry explained that he was always cautious about his behavior and the image he portrayed, and “terrified” about voiding one of the cleanliness clauses in his contracts.

“In lockdown, I started processing a lot of stuff that happened when I was in the band,” he said, noting that he had “to get people to engage with you, to like you.”

Continue reading at Tell Tales Online.

#harry styles #one direction #1d #directioner #sign of the times #watermelon sugar #harry's house #celeb #celebs #celebrity #celebrities #pop culture #pop culture icon #pop culture news

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oliwrightofficial · 2 years

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I agree on what you said about Louis' circle cuz like as much as the docu is quite compressed and "staged" you can see people around Louis are quite intellectual and also down to earth. I swear, Oli is such a lifeguard to Louis, Oli keeps Louis sane, grounded and calm. Look, as much as Harry is Louis' moon/love his life/rose, your childhood bestie has more power than all of that combined and I stand by that. He such a comic relief in Louis life and how Nizam(?) is kinda like that as well. Also, how the band saw and perceive Louis? Like he really just a human being, who is humble, who makes mistakes, who has voices in his head, and I'm just- 💖💖💖💖. Like, seriously, one of the great aspects of the docu is people seeing Oli as not the bland boring bread AO3-obssessed Larries think of him as, He's like... ChocoCaramel Marble Bread, a full package. Also, if you focus on Oli's eyes, I swear I saw him rolling his eyes on one 🍑 sign, so probably your other anon isnt biased as they think they seem. Not just that, the way he carried Freddie like a ragged doll 🤣🤣🤣 even he was tired and needed to be babied by Louis 🤣🤣🤣

Oli These Voices reports!!! ChocoCaramel Marbled Oli who is the Full Package now THAT'S a description that will live in my head forever and thank you for it anon

#OliTheseVoices!!#aotv spoilers #Oli if tinder DIDN'T work out for you guess what your fandom stock is rising and the girlies are talking about your package....

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wolfpants · 1 year

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ten books to know me

thank you for the tag lovely @moony-saraneth and @schmem14! No pressure tagging @danpuff-ao3 @sitp-recs @getawayfox @tackytigerfic @maesterchill and anyone who wants to join in!

The Baby-Sitter's Club book series, by Ann M. Martin I don't know what to tell you, I was hooked on these books as a kid. I used to beg my school library and my local library to stock more of them and I'd always get a new one for Christmas. I even wrote to Scholastic thinking they'd tell Ann M. Martin I was her biggest fan, and in return I got a little note from who probably was their intern at the time, and a free book. My favourite character was Dawn 🍃

Point Horror book series After the Baby-Sitters came the teens tortured by slashers, ghosts, and possessed funhouses. What can I say, I evolved. I loved these books. I might even still have a few knocking about somewhere, but I distinctly remember enjoying The Lifeguard and The Snowman. Which really brought me onto...

Carrie, Stephen King And basically every King book of that ilk. I'm a huge fan. This was the first book I read, I took it out my school library and devoured it in a night. My best friend and I used to call each other without fail every night at 8pm (this is when everyone had landlides) and I remember boring her silly with my gushing over Stephen King (and Buffy and Harry Potter, and eventually fandom).

Drawing Blood, Billy Martin This is still published under Billy's deadname, fyi. DB was the first book of his I read and let me tell you, I was floored. I found out about his work via the good ol' dial up internet/discussion forums when I was trying to find some new queer horror to indulge in. I was into the Vampire Chronicles but it just didn't hit the spot for me back then, you know (I was about 16 and very sheltered). My mum, having no idea what the content of this book was, took me to Waterstones in Edinburgh to buy this and Lost Souls together from the horror section, and from then on I was hooked. Now this is what I call queer horror!! Disturbing, sexy, nasty, emotional, dramatic, it has it all.

Mysterious Skin, Scott Heim I read this book when I was 17 and it blew me away. It's harrowing, horrific, disturbing stuff, and I loved Heim's ability to weave in all these different voices and trauma responses. It's not for everyone. The film is pretty good, too.

Ghost World, Daniel Clowes I love Ghost World so much I have some of it permanently etched onto my skin. Two nihilistic girls against the world and, eventually, against each other as they grow up and grow apart. Oh, and Enid Coleslaw really did inform some of my wardrobe choices as a student.

More Than This, Patrick Ness This book had a profound impact on me when I read it for the first time. I have suffered from thanatophobia on and off for decades, and I'm definitely better about it now than I used to be, but something about this book really comforted me in a time of crisis when I needed it most. I found it incredibly healing.

Captive Prince series, C.S. Pacat To say I am obsessed with this series and the world within it is probably an understatement. I have read and reread these books an embarrassing amount of times, and they're always the comfort I turn to when I need a good distraction from the world around me! Beautifully written and realised, and a central relationship where both characters are flawed, strong, competent, and complex.

The Testament of Gideon Mack, James Robertson My favourite piece of modern literature. Flawless (to me, at least, I understand everyone has different tastes!) from the first page to the last. Bizarre, heartbreaking, funny, and very Scottish. I love the exploration of religion/atheism, mental health, reputation, and the paranormal. This is my desert island book.

The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller This book changed my brain chemistry. To adapt a piece of ancient literature and tell it with such power and stab you in the heart and make you eat it beauty... I just. No words. To me, this is the ultimate love story.

#tag game #books and reading

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harryshairclippy · 1 year

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i found love in you (and i learned to love me too) - @larrydoinglaundry - 166K

After months of battling with his own demons, Louis goes back to get what he once left behind, but Harry's not sure if he showed up in time.

A journey of remorse, healing and love that's strong enough to break them down and build them back up again.

Sequel to 'love is a word, you gave it a name'.

Wild Love - @daisyharry - 130K

“Good,” Julia says, clearly pleased to have them both uncomfortable and unable to look at each other. “Now, I only have one more question before you can go. What are you planning to do when this experiment ruins your friendship?”

“We said we’d stay friends no matter what,” Harry says smoothly, his chin lifting in defense.

“That was our one thing going into it,” Louis agrees. “Stay friends no matter what.”

Julia raises a perfectly manicured brow, “That’s all fine and good. But I hope you realize your emotions aren’t going to realize this is an experiment in the end. If one of you falls for the other and finds out those feelings are not reciprocated, you’re not going to be able to laugh it off as a social experiment. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do this, I’m just hoping you’ve considered all of the possible outcomes.”

- AU: Two best friends try to date each other for forty days. It's supposed to be fun until emotions make it complicated.

Wild and Unruly - @100percentsassy - 123K

Harry is a cowboy sitting on the biggest oil reservoir in Wyoming, and Louis is the paralegal assigned to pressure him into selling his land.

The blue in your eyes is the Tenerife sea - lookingforparadise - 105K

Where We Are Tour

Say You'll Remember - whisperdlullaby - 93K

au. louis and harry are best mates that are only half aware that they're also soulmates. alternatively, louis goes to university and harry travels the world, and they always manage to find their way back to each other.

takes place over nine years, in which they love and hurt, make mistakes and learn, and above all, grow.

Baby, What a Big Surprise - @icanhazzalou - 33K

As Harry settles into his seat, self-consciously adjusting his shirt over his slightly distended stomach, he can’t help but wonder how he got himself into all this. But he knows, of course he knows. It isn’t exactly easy to forget the moment that changed his entire life forever.

It all started with a party.

Or, the one where shy, quiet Harry has no idea he's a carrier, and a one night stand with the most popular boy in school shows him just how wrong he was.

Featuring Lottie as Harry's best friend, Niall as her boyfriend, and, of course, Louis as the popular boy with a soft spot for his little sister's quirky friend.

He Still Takes My Breath Away - @parmahamlarrie - 32K

Camp Infinity is the perfect place for a lot of things; hiking, swimming, sports, eating, and falling in love. Harry Styles is a bit too familiar with the last one from his years of being a camper. This year things will be different. He’s 21, a grown man now, and ready to see Camp Infinity from a different point of view; working as a lifeguard. However, his whole summer turns upside down when a familiar British lad makes his return into Harry's life.

Or the one where Harry is a lifeguard and Louis is the head of recreation. And, sometimes, you just need a little push to realize what was right in front of you the whole time.

Also known as – The Summer Camp Fic

Paint a Rainbow Inside My Heart - @cyantific - 22K

A story about hiding in plain sight and the journey to revealing your truth, told in six acts.

Or, the five times Harry queer coded with actions, behaviors or clothing and the one time he was too proud to hide anymore.

A 5+1 fic.

Rock Those Blue Jeans, Baby - shakespearesque - 4K

Louis has a hate/love relationship with the video diaries. He has a love/love relationship with Harry, though, and the video diaries don't help with that at all.

#would recommend

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helladirections · 2 years

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Under Summer Skies

(the long awaited Campfic)

a/n: As an alumni of 11 years of Jewish Summer Camp, this fic means more to me than anything else I have ever posted on here. I’ve been planning to write this for as long as I can remember, and working on it for at least 2 years. I hate editing and literally spent months editing. So if it’s terrible please do not tell me.

Author: @helladirections Pairing: Harry x YN Status: Complete Word Count: 37k

MASTERLIST | PATREON | USS TAG | WRITING TAG

Deleted Scene - Campout Extra 1: Lemon Over Ice

Summary: Harry and YN are longtime best friends back for another summer as the Dream Team on staff. Featuring getting called out by 12 year olds, two dumb best friends who can’t see what’s right in front of them, and lots of stargazing.

Preview:

“Listen to me YN. I’ll be here for everything you need. I can be everything for you. Let me be everything for you.” He took a deep breath, shifting his hand from her jaw to rest on her cheek instead. “I can tell that you’re lonely, but I’m literally right here. Let me be here for you. I just... I want you to be happy. Let me make you happy.” “I’m so lucky to have a friend like you, Harry.”

Read below or on AO3 or Wattpad

Pool time was, objectively, one of the most frustrating parts of the day for YN.

Not because she didn’t like the pool or the kids were difficult - actually it was practically an hour off for most of the counselors because the campers were fenced in and watched closely by lifeguards. No, it was frustrating because she was constantly tempted by Harry’s body in a swimsuit, even though he rarely went swimming.

He wore no shirt and a pair of swim trunks with a shorter seam than she deemed necessary, causing YN to be sometimes distracted by his honey golden skin, which only tanned more as the summer went on. His muscles looked like he could be a professional wrestler, but really he only ever used them for soft, welcoming hugs. His deep green eyes always made the person he was looking at feel like they were the most important person in the world. His chocolate brown curls were often disheveled in exactly the perfect way, the only real sign of exhaustion from a hard day’s work.

There was no doubt in anyone’s mind, Harry was the cute counselor. Even before campers arrived and the staff was still in training, other counselors were falling all over him, just begging for a piece.

Even YN would be lying to say she wasn’t distracted by him at least a little. They were lying beneath the shade of an overhang during pool time; Harry preoccupied with drawing on the back of his clipboard and YN focused on a new, complex friendship bracelet pattern. His skin glowed in the sun, a littering of tattoos on display now that his shirt was off despite the fact that he had no intention of going swimming. And if YN looked close enough (which she definitely did not do) she could just see the light dusting of chest hair he had started to grow in the last few years.

They were a reasonable distance away from the campers, taking advantage of this time to catch up with each other and only keep half an eye on the kids while they were contained and supervised by three lifeguards. They were gossiping about staffing changes among the higher-ups, a rumor that Mitch was hooking up with YN’s co-counselor Sarah, and that Harry’s co-counselor Niall had been hungover when he got back from his last day off. But mostly, they were sitting there together in relative silence. It was nice, and comfortable.

Eventually, Harry broke the silence, snapping the cap back onto his sharpie and letting his clipboard rest on the ground next to him.��

He nudged YN’s feet with his own, outstretched as he rested back on his hands. “What are you doing for cabin time tonight?”

“Not sure, why?” After two weeks, she had used up most of her easy evening cabin activities and hadn’t had a chance to start brainstorming new ones yet.

“Thought it might be fun for me to come in. Do a little question time, see what’s on their minds.”

“Really, with kids this young?”

Harry turned to look towards the campers for a moment. Half of them were still enjoying the pool, the other half pretending they were too cool for it and sitting around the edges gossiping or playing cards.

“Why not? Y’girls been staring at me for weeks now, must have somethin’ on their minds.” He gestured towards a group of five or six of her campers, sitting around in a circle whispering and looking over at them, quickly looking away and giggling when Harry waved to them.

YN mulled it over. She had ten campers in her cabin, half of them eleven and half of them twelve. They would definitely be excited for anything involving Harry.

“Alright,” she relented. “I mean, they do adore you.”

“I’m staying in the cabin though,” she clarified. “I know a couple of mine wouldn’t want to be left alone.”

He shrugged. “That’s fair. Y’little one always struck me as quite shy.”

“Oh no,” she laughed. “She’s the most rambunctious of the bunch. Did I tell you what we caught her planning the other day?”

As YN told him the story of the shenanigans her camper had gotten up to, she was reminded of when she and Harry were that age, getting up to similar mischief. Long before Harry was the cute counselor, he was a camper with a reputation, notorious for sneaking out at night to make out with whichever girl was brave enough to risk getting caught. YN, however, was never Harry’s kiss of the week. He never offered, so she never asked, and she buried her little crush in the back of her head to make room for a friendship instead. If he wasn’t busy locking lips with someone, he was still sneaking out, but with platonic intentions to watch the stars with YN.

It was around age 16 or 17 that YN realized it was futile to have a crush on Harry. For one thing, she had too much competition and she could never really compare. And for another thing, having a crush meant being awkward and he just seemed so nice she would rather be able to have an actual conversation with him without trying to uncomfortably flirt (a skill she never truly mastered). That’s when they started eating meals together and sharing items from care packages and gossiping about their friends. It was when they discovered their special spot by the lake and they snuck out to go stargazing and not touch each other. Some of the other girls noticed that they were getting close, but no one ever thought it was anything more than a friendship. More than a few times, YN was asked to put in a good word with him for other girls, hoping that next time he snuck out it would be with them. And sometimes it was, but he had turned down makeout sessions on numerous occasions to stargaze with YN instead.

YN never really stopped thinking Harry was cute, or sweet, or any of the nice things the other girls said about him, because he was. She just stopped putting so much emphasis on those things and treated him like a whole person instead. And somewhere along the line, he started treating her like a whole person as well.

They kept in touch during the school year as they got older - time zones made it difficult while he was back in England but they got creative. YN knew all the gossip at Harry’s school across the ocean, and he knew hers. He called her on holidays, even the American ones that he didn’t celebrate. Sometimes they would text at all hours, first thing in the morning for one of them and last thing at night for the other. But they managed.

So YN gave up on a crush and instead she earned a best friend that she trusted with her entire being. And that trade-off seemed pretty fair to her, looking back. Boys would come and go, but Harry had become a constant, and she didn’t want it any other way.

As they entered into adulthood, they grew even closer. YN had always been very independent, sure, but there was something inside of her that craved companionship that she was never quite able to satisfy. Except for Harry.

Their first year on staff together they were assigned to the same age group for the first half of the summer and from the get-go, there was something special between them. It was even to the point where Mitch, the camp director, noticed that when they were together, kids listened better, cabins were cleaner, and the kids were more engaged in programs. So YN and Harry appropriately started calling themselves the Dream Team and no one ever tried to correct them. It felt nice, YN realized roughly three-quarters of the way through that summer, to feel like she was doing life with someone (even if that someone was a different person than the someone she was hooking up with, but that was beside the point).

So it was natural that when they both came back for their second summer on staff, they were smart enough to equip themselves with cheap little walkie-talkies so they could stay in touch throughout the day and night, seeing as there was no cell service out in nature. Without some lame asshole trying to take advantage of her, YN found herself clinging to Harry even more than the year prior. If he noticed, he never said anything, and he seemed to enjoy being with her at least equally as much. Harry never tried to change her mind about anything important, never tried to pry if she made it clear she wanted to keep something to herself, and never allowed her to feel alone or unloved, which was something she had definitely never experienced before. He made it clear that he valued her independence, her strong-willed nature, and her opinionated mind. Every ex she had ever had, including the one from the summer before, had attempted to change or alter some aspect of who she was, and Harry never did. Instead of trying to reel her in and make her fit into a specific place in his life, the two of them were equally part of each other’s lives, cheering each other on and supporting one another in whatever they were doing or saying or thinking.

To no one’s surprise, they were placed in the same age group together again, too. Unfortunately, they were given the most difficult age group - 11 and 12-year-olds - which Mitch validated by claiming the Dream Team could handle anything. Middle schoolers were difficult for lots of reasons - some had started puberty and had the hormones of teens but the knowledge of children. Others hadn’t yet and felt the pressure to keep up with their peers. They still needed to be reminded to brush their teeth every night, but if they were left alone for too long they might start trying to kiss each other in the middle of the field.

She knew it would be a bit difficult, but everything was made slightly easier with Harry by her side. It meant they could spend quality time together during the day, and when he talked, the campers would actually stop and listen to him. Plus, the girls definitely thought she was cooler since she was so close with the cutest counselor. Unsurprisingly, they were pretty obsessed with Harry. And honestly, YN didn’t blame them.

It was like Harry was born to be a camp counselor. He had something about him that entirely bloomed if he was in the right setting, and YN was confident that their summer camp was that setting. He was fun, energetic, and he played the guitar. The kids loved him and his silly antics, and the staff wanted to be near him. He had the most beautiful British accent which made everyone stop and listen, even the most ruthless campers. And of course, he was undeniably cute.

Before long, the lifeguard blew his whistle. YN and Harry each stood up and started counting their campers, getting ready to head back to the cabins to shower and then on with the rest of the day and other activities. The two of them were glued together as always while they sent their campers off to electives, sat in the daily staff meeting, played sports on the field, and wrangled everyone for dinner. And they walked together leading the group to their evening activity for the day. Which at the three-week mark in the summer was a talent show in front of the campfire.

The talent show was a camper favorite and the counselors even came up with a clever name for it a few years ago - Talents Under The Sky (TUTS). So, after every act instead of applauding the audience would “tut, tut, tut” as if they were disciplining a toddler. It made no sense, but everyone bought into it and it brought out laughter so it was definitely a winner as far as Mitch was concerned.

YN was mostly relieved that she was going through this with kids that were old enough to have actual real talents, and not the 8-year-olds that all insisted on doing skits about nothing that made no sense while speaking too quietly for anyone to hear. Her campers sang songs, did gymnastics, and told jokes. One of Harry’s even attempted to rap. He was a total mess, but you’d never know based on the way that Harry cheered him on and congratulated him when he got off the stage.

After all the kids had their turn, a few of the counselors decided to step up and show off as well. Sarah read slam poetry that was clearly a joke and had the kids bending over with laughter. And Niall brought out one of his golf clubs to hit pinecones with, allowing some of the campers to run out into the field and measure which one went the furthest. But YN had limited skills and didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of campers who already only thought she was cool when she was next to Harry, so instead of going up on stage, she used her marshmallow roasting talent to build s’mores for all the kids.

Harry, on the other hand, was actually filled with talent. As the last act of the night, he joked that he was headlining the show. With a guitar in hand, he stepped up to the stage. Lit by the fire in front of him, his skin glowed even more than it did under the bright summer sun. His rosemary eyes reflected the sparks of the fire, twinkling in a way that made it so YN couldn’t look away (she almost burnt a marshmallow but blew out the flame just in time). But mostly, YN thought he looked at peace, at home. Sitting there on the stage in front of campers, staff, the fire, and YN must be his happy place, YN decided.

He pursed his lips to the side as he sat there on a chair and looked up at the sky considering what to play.

“Anyway, here’s Wonderwall,” he started with a chuckle and no other introduction.

The campers sang along, but Harry’s voice came across strong and clear over them. It didn’t really matter what he was singing, his voice would always be soothing to her ears. It reminded her of years past, of their own campfire talent shows, of music elective as a camper, and late nights under the stars. She felt goosebumps on her skin, but brushed them off as caused by the chilly night air.

By the end of the song, every camper had a s’more and YN switched her focus to making one for herself (and one for Harry after he finished playing guitar).

Harry let out a breath. “Ok.” he slapped his own legs with finality. “That was... not too bad, right?”

Most of the kids cheered for him, but one of the boys from his cabin called out “that was trash!” giggling as he spoke.

“Early bedtime for you tonight, I think,” Harry called out with a laugh. “Alright, I know we said everyone got to do one song but... I’m in charge so I’m gonna do another and no one can stop me.”

A few of the campers laughed and YN smiled as she finished putting together the sandwich treats for herself and Harry.

“Some of you might know this song, but I’m not sure. It’s one of my favorites and it’s called Girl Crush.”

YN sat on a bench, her own s’more in hand as she gazed up at Harry in front of her. Curled in on herself and her sweater to keep warm, YN admired the way the stars framed his face. She could feel a bit of marshmallow finding its place on the corner of her mouth, but she didn’t mind - the treat in her hand tasted good and the majority of her attention was on Harry and his guitar.

His voice sounded beautiful with everything he sang, but for some reason on this last song, YN felt completely enraptured by his angelic tones. He belted out notes that she didn’t think he could reach, lyrics clear and melody soothing. And if she didn’t know any better, YN could swear he was looking over in her direction a little too often.

There was a moment at the end of the song - all the campers and staff were silent as Harry was singing softly, his gaze directed at YN, eyes wide and unblinking. He finished the last word, strummed the last chord, and in that moment, it looked like he was going to say something. Taking a breath, he opened his mouth, but no words came out. His audience waited for a beat or two, expecting him to say something with finality, but he didn’t. All he did was cock his head to the side, look into YN’s eyes, and sigh.

“Alright, a round of applause for all of our very talented friends tonight!” Sarah called out, breaking up the moment.

Harry blinked a few times and turned his attention back to the rest of the group, clapping along with the campers. He stood up and walked off the stage, removed the guitar strap from his chest, and went to sit next to YN, taking the s’more out of her hands with a small smile of thanks but not saying anything.

When YN got her campers back to the cabin after closing circle, they were still hyped up from TUTS, but mostly they were gushing over Harry’s singing.

“He sounded so pretty and his hair looked so cute!”

“Oh my gosh did you guys see the way he was looking at YN while he sang that last song? He’s totally in love with her!”

YN realized it was time to cut them off and shift their attention. “Brush your teeth please, but don’t get changed for bed. We’re having a guest tonight!” YN called out when she got her campers back to their cabin.

The girls immediately started giggling and chatting, giddy with excitement as they tried to guess who would be coming and what they would be doing. For the most part, they followed her instructions and cleaned up the floor for their guest before sitting together in a circle in the front of the cabin by YN’s bed. She checked her watch - Harry should be there any moment, it couldn’t take that long to get his boys ready for bed and leave them with Niall.

It was sweet, the way the girls were all jittery and excited without even knowing what was in store. YN fondly remembered nights exactly like this when she was their age. Sure camp taught her how to climb trees and tie-dye shirts and sing new songs, but the untold truth was that camp was the perfect place to learn about boys and kissing and dating, and when she was only a year or two older than her current campers she appreciatively remembers a girl telling her about blow jobs. It seemed so grotesque back then - boys don’t even wipe when they pee, why would she want to put that in her mouth?

Finally a knock at the door.

“Hello? Yeh all decent?” Harry called from the other side of the cabin’s door.

The girls shrieked.

“Yeah, come on in,” YN replied.

Harry walked in, ducking his head to make it through the barrier which had been originally built in the 1930s and had hardly been upgraded since. When he looked up and made eye contact with her, YN couldn’t help but notice how bright his deep green eyes looked, even after a long exhausting day of being a camp counselor. He had on a pair of worn-out jeans with holes over the knees and a baseball t-shirt with a yellow collar and sleeves, which showed off his arms nicely.

He made his way over to the center of the cabin and sat down on YN’s bed next to her. The girls were all smiling and whispering to each other.

“Y’need anythin’? Water?” Harry asked YN softly, holding up his own water bottle.

YN chuckled a bit. “H, this is my cabin, I’m good.”

“Just making sure,” he shrugged before turning his attention to the campers. “Alright ladies,” Harry started. He almost always referred to the girls as ‘ladies’, and YN secretly loved it - it was sweet that he was giving them that kind of respect. The campers quieted down, looking directly at him like whatever came out of his mouth was going to be the most important thing in the world. “I’m here tonight to do a question time. Ask m’anything you want. Can ask about me, or about boys, or camp, or school. Whatever’s on y’minds, alright? All questions are valid and I’m an open book.”

He smirked, looking over to YN next to him. The area was small and their shoulders and legs were touching as the aging bed sagged in the middle from their weight.

A few girls raised their hands to start asking questions, and Harry called on them one at a time. They started rather innocently.

“What’s your middle name?”

“Edward.”

“How many years have you come to camp?”

“This would be m’tenth.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Pink.”

But it wasn’t long before they strayed...

“What color is your underwear right now?”

“Blue.”

“Boxers or briefs?”

“Do y’even know what the difference is? Anyway boxer-briefs.”

“How old were you when you had your first kiss?”

“Hmm...” he paused. “Think I was thirteen. Happened here at camp actually, out behind the Oak cabin if m’not mistaken.”

“Ooh tell us the story!”

Harry smiled, looking over towards YN. He opened his mouth to speak but one of the girls interrupted him.

“Oh was YN your first kiss?!?!?”

Harry chuckled. “No, no. But she was kind of there if I remember correctly.”

YN nodded at the memory.

“Was with a girl in my age group named Anna. Though she was quite cute, so I gave her the pot I made in art elective. Sat next to her at every meal for three days, too. Finally, she slipped a message to me to meet her outside behind her cabin at midnight, when she thought her counselors would be gone. So me and Niall snuck out of our cabin and met her. We got there and she had a friend with her, so our two friends walked a little bit away. Was quite awkward, but she was sweet.”

“I was in the cabin,” YN clarified. “But we were all staring out the window.”

“And your counselors were asleep?”

Harry laughed again. “No, we underestimated how late they would stay up. Got caught red-handed, we did.”

The campers laughed.

“But I want yeh to know, it’s ok if you’re a lot older before you have your first kiss, or younger, or however old. The most important thing is that it’s a good experience, right YN?”

He looked over at her for reassurance and she nodded.

“And always remember, you never need to define yourself by a romantic partner. You are all strong little people who will grow up into stronger bigger people. And if you really want a partner when you’re older, you’ll find one who respects you for who you are. But don’t ever be afraid of being alone.”

The campers totally looked past her well-meaning, deep-hearted advice. “How old were you, YN?”

“Hey now, that’s for another night. This is Harry’s question time, not mine,” she teased back at her camper.

“Harry, do you have a girlfriend?”

He took a deep, shaky breath and stared at the ceiling for a moment before answering. YN knew the question must be difficult for him. He’d been dating a girl back in London for around six months when he heard back that he had been hired to work at camp for another summer. She didn’t want to come with him. She didn’t want to do long distance. She didn’t want him to leave.

Harry called YN out of the blue one day - well it was the middle of the night for him, that’s why he said he called her instead of a friend in London. He told her that he didn’t want to wake anyone up. And he wanted to know what she thought since she was his best camp friend. And she was honest with him.

“Look H, I can’t tell you what to do. But I want you to be happy and I know I’ve never seen you happier than when you’re on a hike to the hidden campsite. And someone who really loves you should also want you to be happy. But I don’t know. Maybe you’re happier with her and I haven’t seen it. Just... do what makes you happy H, yeah?

He broke up with her the next day and called YN in a blubbering mess.

“No, no I don’t,” he answered softly.

“You should date YN!” one of the younger ones called out without missing a beat.

YN felt herself blushing, but she wasn’t sure why. Campers always wanted their counselors to date each other. And it wasn’t the first time someone had suggested it to the two of them. But he was sitting close to her, legs and arms touching, lounging on top of her favorite blanket. It had been a while since she had even considered it. But there was no point in thinking about it, really - they were best friends and she wouldn’t risk anything to lose him.

Harry flashed her a toothy smile, and if she didn’t know any better, YN would’ve sworn she saw a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

“I don’t know, ladies. Your YN’s got staff boys falling all over her,” he teased. “Of course they know they have to get through me, first,” he said, puffing out his chest in show.

She gave him a playful shove and they both laughed. They both knew it wasn’t true.

“You’d be so cute though! Harry could sing to you and you could go on romantic hikes and he clearly likes you, everyone can tell.”

Harry was smiling, all in good fun until that very last statement. His brows were high on his forehead, eyes wide. He coughed. YN tried to read him, but it was hard. Other than shock, he wasn’t giving much away. Taking a deep breath, he looked back over to YN. Their eyes met and she shrugged.

“Have you ever dated each other? Or kissed? Or anything?”

Both of them shook their heads. “Nope. YN is my best friend. We’re the dream team, right?” he looked to her for a nod of agreement. “I’m so lucky to have her in my life.”

“Ok, well, what’s your favorite thing about YN?”

Harry looked at her for a moment. “I like... I like that she’s kind to everyone, even if they don’t deserve it.”

Most of the campers let out a little “aw” as she blushed at his response. But the little one wasn’t satisfied with the answer.

“What’s your favorite thing about her physically though?”

“Everything,” he answered quickly.

The response kind of took her by surprise. He didn’t even take a pause to think it over, didn’t try and come up with a bullshit work-around answer. Straight up, ‘everything’. What was she supposed to do with that information? Did he actually like the way she looked?

“Ok, next question?”

“You sang that song Girl Crush so... do you have a crush on anyone?”

His smirk spread across his face.

“A crush is supposed to be a secret, if I tell you then what happens?” he answered. “Can’t have you telling her because then I’ll never get my chance to do it properly, hm?”

“That means yes, you totally do!”

He shrugged. “Alright, who’s next?”

“How do I know if a boy likes me?”

“Who was your first crush?”

“What do penises taste like?”

Some of the questions really challenged the statement that all questions were valid and they wouldn’t laugh. But they did their best. YN definitely helped answer some, because Harry for one had no idea what penises tasted like, but he did promise that if he ever found out, they would be the first to get his report back.

They pushed and pushed about the two of them together. Something about being 11 and 12 years old made it engraved into their DNA that they would never let this go, no matter how many times both Harry and YN reassured the kids that they were only best friends. They asked what his favorite color of eyes was, and then pointed out that YN had that color. They asked what his ideal first date would be, and then cheered about how cute it would be for the two of them to go on that together. And they asked what he likes best in a girl, easily noticing that every characteristic he mentioned matched YN perfectly.

All together, Harry’s visit was probably the most exciting cabin time they had ever had. They were pretty riled up by the end of it when YN noticed it was ten minutes past their bedtime and forced the session to a close.

“You can ask me any questions, any time you want. I’m a safe, open book, alright?” he promised them.

“Except not who you like!”

“Still gotta keep some things to myself, hm?” he said, looking directly at YN.

After Harry left, YN spent over half an hour getting the campers settled down and ready for bed. All in all, they were good kids, even if tweens were generally awful. At least her kids listened pretty well and everyone took showers. That’s all she could really ask of them.

She turned the lights out, saying goodnight and walking back over to her bed area. Technically, counselors were supposed to stay inside the cabin if it was their turn for bed watch. But YN’s co-counselor was on a night off, and she hadn’t had a spare minute to herself for far too long, so she changed into her PJs, grabbed her phone, and snuck out the back door.

Her quiet escape was almost ruined, though, when she walked directly into another body and gasped louder than she meant to.

Harry put his hand over her mouth as fast as he could.

“Don’t let them hear you,” he whispered.

She smiled, and Harry let his hand slowly drop away.

“Scared me, H,” she told him as quietly as she could manage. “This is what the walkies are for, aren’t they?”

He chuckled a bit, taking half a step back and nodding towards the half-wall built in to support the hill a few feet away. They sat together for a moment in silence, looking at the window and listening for any movement that might be coming from inside the cabin. Only when they were both convinced the kids were still in bed did YN released the breath she was holding and turned to face Harry.

“The girls had fun tonight, I think,” she whispered softly.

Harry smirked. “So did I.”

“After you left they asked me what boxer briefs were.” She paused for a moment, laughing at the ridiculous way the question sounded as it came out of her camper’s mouth. “Led to quite an interesting discussion, I think.”

“Oh, I bet. You’ll have to give me your notes on it later,” he responded.

YN realized she was still holding onto her phone, so she slipped it into her back pocket. She had wanted to come out here to be alone, but being with Harry was undoubtedly better.

“You know,” she started, looking straight ahead towards the cabin. “They’ve been telling me to date you all week.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, probably should’a warned you about that.”

She turned back to see him shrug.

“Didn’t mind the question that much, really.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, why would I mind?”

Because you would never want to date me. Because I could never compare to your ex. Because every straight girl on staff is plotting how to get into your pants. Because we’ve been best friends for years and I gave up hope on anything romantic between us ages ago. Because everyone I’ve ever been with has made it clear that in some way, I’m too much for them.

“Dunno,” she lied. “Kids can make things like that a bit awkward, ya know?”

Harry responded with a noncommittal hum. “I don’t know. They’re just kids - they have crushes and want to start dating and so they project that onto us. ‘S natural.”

“I guess... Sounded good at TUTS tonight,” she tried to change the subject.

“Thanks, love that song. It means... a lot to me...”

YN nodded, kicking a pebble lightly with her toe.

“Did you mean what you said when they asked you about the crush?”

“Which part?”

“The part where... well you said you had one but you wouldn’t tell...”

Harry chuckled a bit. “Course I won't tell a bunch of kids like that. When it’s time to tell her I like her, she’ll know.”

YN looked up at the sky as she contemplated what that meant - that he had already fallen for someone else and her chances with him (that she definitely wasn’t hoping for) were all but forgotten. The feeling wasn’t new, but it meant that maybe one day, sooner than she would like, her place beside him would be replaced with someone else and she would be out on her own again. Which, honestly, was ok. She had gone this long by herself, she could do it again. But she couldn’t deny that she would miss having someone next to her, physically and metaphorically.

The sun had gone down long ago, and the stars were shining bright above them. That’s one thing she especially loved about camp - the nighttime stars. They were so much clearer than in the city. It was easy to get lost in them if she allowed herself - not unlike Harry’s eyes when he gave her that special look filled with softness and care and something else could never quite place. His eyes were probably made of stardust, she thought. Like someone had snatched one out of the sky, ground it up into little tiny flecks, and scattered them around his face as a little baby. And now, years later, those flakes were still present as shiny spots in his irises, in freckles on his nose, in the little mole under the corner of his mouth.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been staring at the sky before Harry nudged her.

“Oh, sorry.”

“Lookin’ at the stars again?”

“Yeah,” she sighed.

“Hey,” he brought her attention back to him. “What do you say we go stargazing tomorrow night? You’ll be off, right?”

It had been a long time since they had gone out together in the late night, walking to the hidden spot near the lake where they would lay on their backs and look at the stars. Sometimes they were silent, but other times they talked about what else was out there, or what shapes they could see in the stars, or anything and everything that came to their minds.

YN furrowed her brow. “Yeah, but you’ll be on bed watch, right?”

“Technically,” he shrugged. “But Niall owes me.”

She didn’t respond right away. Maybe she was still a bit lost in the stars, or maybe she was lost in Harry.

“Y’cold?”

“Hm?” she asked.

Harry reached out to rub her arm. “Got goosebumps. Y’want my jacket?”

She looked first at where Harry was trying to warm her, and then quickly noticed what had probably actually gotten his attention. When she changed into her PJs she had taken off her bra, not expecting to be face to face with anyone else for the night. It wasn’t completely out of the ordinary for the two of them to be hanging around in pajamas and braless, but they weren’t usually outside in the cold and her nipples weren’t usually hard and on full display.

She looked between Harry and the cabin, weighing the odds of getting back inside, finding a jacket, and coming out again, all without the campers noticing. Even if she was wearing a bra, she knew that the chances of the whole endeavor working out were fairly slim. And Harry always had the softest sweatshirts.

“Uh, yeah. If you don’t mind?”

“Course I don’t.” He laughed as he pulled off his hoodie for her. “I would do anything, give you anything. You know that, YN.”

She slipped it on over her head, breathing in deeply when she thought he wouldn’t notice. His smell was so nice.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

Harry looked back at her, but she couldn't read his expression. He didn’t respond, just let his eyes meet hers. With a slight smirk, he tilted his head to the side but still stayed silent.

“What?” she giggled.

“Nothing.”

“That’s a lie.”

He sighed, but with a smile. “You’re right.”

She thought she had him trapped, but he still stayed quiet. Maybe it was the kids throwing it out only an hour earlier, or maybe it was being surrounded by his scent in his comfy hoodie, but YN might have tricked herself into believing that Harry was looking at her with something a little extra in his eyes. But she knew better.

“Well whatever it is, I’ll be here when you want to tell me.”

YN figured that he would share his thoughts with her eventually, he always did. She made sure he knew that he could trust her, that she would listen without judging and that everything said between them would stay between them.

She didn’t know that Harry was thinking about how good she looked in his clothes. About how he would like to see her walking around in one of his large t-shirts and no bra, socks on her cold feet as she walked around his apartment. About how in this particular sweatshirt she just looked so cozy and all he wanted to do was grab her and hold tight, cuddle under some blankets and fall asleep with a smile. About how she’s always on his mind these days. She didn’t know any of that.

But she listened as he continued on with something unrelated. He told her how Niall had convinced his campers that the dining hall staff actually have a way to measure which age group is eating the most vegetables, so they better eat more or else he could get fired for malnutrition. They sat down together on the cabin porch and he told her about how he had discovered a dusty old guitar in the back of the music room and spent a few hours trying to get it into tune, only to no avail. When an owl spoke up in the distance, she listened as Harry told her about the time a kid in his class when he was 8 years old who was obsessed with owls and talked about them incessantly, and to this day Harry can name random owl facts that he wished he didn’t know.

And she listened until Harry had bored himself, realizing that he had spent the entire time talking.

“Let’s talk about you, hm?” he offered.

YN shrugged. “What about? I’m not that exciting, H,” she laughed. “My campers think I’m lame unless I’m with you, I have no idea what life holds for me when the summer ends, and I haven’t even touched a boy since that guy last summer.”

“Yeah well,” Harry crossed his arms over his chest. “Liam was no good anyway.”

“He was fine, harmless, H,” she insisted.

“YN, seriously.” His tone lowered. “You keep calling him ‘that guy last year’ but he was your boyfriend. And he sucked.”

Sighing, YN took a few steps away from Harry, kicking a rock before turning back around to respond to him.

“Well first of all, he refused to suck, so write that down.” She looked up, expecting Harry to laugh at the joke but was only matched with a concerned face and a raised eyebrow, so she continued. “He just... he made me feel a little less alone, ok?”

“He took advantage of you, YN. He was only nice if he was sober and he told me he never liked you.”

“I know!”

Both of their eyes widened at her outburst, forgetting they were standing right outside a cabin of hopefully sleeping kids. They waited for a moment, expecting a voice to come from inside. After it was quiet for a moment, they continued.

“I know he took advantage of me, H. But no one had ever given me that kind of attention before, you know? He made me feel wanted, made me feel like maybe I could be loved because I could do something for him that no one else could. Made me feel like even if I was ok alone, maybe I didn’t have to be.”

“I know,” he answered softly, bringing a hand up to her arm and squeezing lightly. “But you don’t need that kind of attention, not from guys like that.” He paused for a moment, looking up at the sky before looking back at her.

Before he could open his mouth again, she filled the silence.

“But this is what I get, right? Men are trash and I let them in because I’m just a big dumpster fire?” She laughed at the end, looking down at her feet.

“YN, look at me.” When she didn’t, he got stronger. He softly grasped her jaw, forcing her attention back to him and bringing his other hand to rest on her waist. “Stop trying to make jokes to get out of this. You don’t need him, or anyone like him. You have me, and I’ll give you all the attention you want. I won't let you be alone anymore.”

She closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she processed his words.

She leaned her head into his large, supportive palm, and allowed his warmth to spread through her. YN was grateful it was late and there were no lights behind the cabins because if there were then Harry would have seen her blushing at his comment.

“I’m here, YN. I’m yours. Ok? I’m yours and you’re mine, and we’re going to be ok.”

He said it with finality, and YN didn’t want to fight him. Instead, she lunged forward arms first, grabbing around his torso tightly and tucking her head into his chest. From her spot against him, she could feel the puff of his breath as her body reached his with a bit of power behind it, and then the way his heart was beating a bit faster than usual.

He wrapped himself around her quickly, one arm around her waist and the other rubbing up and down her back softly. After a moment, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“I’m so lucky to have a friend like you, Harry.”

She was flattered that he felt so protective over her. So she listened as he talked about how much cared for her. And she listened as he talked about the standards she should be holding herself to. And she listened as he gave her a hard time for never taking her own advice. And she listened as he gave her comforting words, reminding her that she was worth so much more than she was allowing for herself.

And she listened when Harry checked his watch and realized he had ten minutes to get back to his cabin and get in bed before curfew.

The only thing she didn’t listen to was his insistence on her keeping his sweatshirt.

“I’m like five feet away from my bed, H. You need it more than I do.”

“Fine, but stargazing tomorrow, alright? Don’t forget.”

Not that she ever could.

. . .

The next day seemed to have dragged on for ages, even though she knew it was the same daily routine they had been following over the past three weeks. They did group activities, sports time, meals, electives, pool, shower time, and more group activities. But still, the day felt like it was never going to end, there was always something next other than spending alone time with Harry. She did see him literally all day and ate every meal sitting next to him as always, but looking forward to stargazing that night made the seconds tick by slower than ever. Bedtime couldn’t have come soon enough.

As the closing circle wrapped up and kids hugged each other goodnight, YN felt a firm but soft hand come to rest on her back.

“Click the walkie three times when you’re ready,” he whispered, reminding her of their code. “Meet me in the parking lot, ‘ve got a surprise.”

She could hear the lilt in his voice and knew without even looking that he was trying to hide his signature smirk. YN couldn’t for the life of her figure out what kind of surprise he might have in store for them, but the butterflies in her tummy came back in full force. Taking a breath, she nodded her head. Harry’s body was close enough that she could just barely get a whiff of that signature smell he carried around with him. She wanted to drown in it.

Back in the cabin, she waited for a while to help the girls get settled into bed. It was Sarah’s turn for bedwatch, so YN allowed her to take the lead on calming everyone down and getting them into bed. Before turning out the lights, she changed into comfortable clothes and grabbed her walkie-talkie from the shelf next to her bed.

“YN!” one of the campers whisper-yelled to her.

She whipped her head around until she spotted a camper on a top bunk lying with her head in her hands, watching YN. She walked over, resting a hand on the bunk.

“Where are you going tonight?”

YN couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Just on a little adventure. If I’m not back by morning, call the authorities... or call Harry,” she joked before turning back around.

“You’re going on an adventure with Harry?!” the camper cheered out.

Suddenly the calmness in the room was shattered as most of the campers were sitting up in bed, asking questions or yelling out reminders (specifically that if Harry ever let her touch his hair she was required to report back to them in vivid detail what it was like).

“I knew you were dating him!” the first camper called out again.

YN laughed under her breath as she gathered up her things for the evening. “I’m not dating him, he even told you himself, didn’t he?”

“But sometimes counselors lie,” the girl insisted.

YN pulled on a sweatshirt and grabbed her phone and walkie to put into her pockets.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’ve never told a lie in my life!”

She headed towards the door, but the campers were still eagerly chatting away about the situation. YN was grateful that it wasn’t her night to stay on bed watch, and Sarah would have to calm the kids back down now. After three nights in a row, she deserved the night off.

The staff parking lot was at the very bottom of the hill, meaning YN found herself walking through the entire camp. After all these years, she still found awe in the way camp looked at night after everyone had gone to bed. It was quiet in a different way than she was used to. And although she had every other night off from bed watch with the freedom to spend time by herself, she still found beauty in the eerie stillness of a place that was usually bustling with energy.

When she finally reached the lot, which was really more like an extra-wide dirt road with some dusty vehicles parked along the edge, she spotted Harry sitting on the trunk of his car, distracted by the phone in his hand. As she walked along the road, she laughed at the jokes and names and shapes that campers and staff alike had drawn into the dust-covered surfaces of the cars.

She watched as Harry finally looked up from his phone and spotted her walking towards him from about fifteen feet away. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but she could’ve sworn she saw his face light up at the realization.

“Well hello darling,” he greeted her softly.

YN took the last few steps towards him before hoisting herself up onto the trunk next to him.

“Hey H. Hope you haven’t been waiting too long. I know I sent the signal a while ago but then one of the girls asked where I was going tonight and when they found out I would be with you, all hell broke loose,” she giggled.

He looked back at her with a soft gaze, shaking his head.

“No such thing. Would wait hours for you, you know that.”

It was quiet for a moment before Harry coughed, bringing her attention back to him.

“So um, I’ve actually got a little something planned for tonight, if you’re alright with it. Still gonna stargaze! Just thought... y’know... maybe we could have a little fun along the way.”

She looked back at him quizzically.

“Uh right so, actually the surprise is in the car so...”

Harry jumped off of his perch before lending a hand to YN and helping her down as well. She watched him fish his keys out of his pocket and start opening the back end of the car.

“Hey, s’a surprise,” he insisted, urging her to giggle and turn away from him.

With her eyes closed, she could hear him opening the trunk, throwing a few things around, and closing it again. A few options of what it could be ran through her mind - some good food he’d smuggled in from his last day off, an extra one of his perfect-smelling sweatshirts, some candy he had confiscated from a camper.

“Are y’eyes closed?”

“Yes, Harry! Tell me what it is already!”

First, she heard him - his footsteps on the imperfect dirt road. Then she felt him - his breath on the back of her neck and his left hand resting on her waist. She held her breath.

“Alrigh’,” he whispered directly into her ear. “Open up.”

It took a few blinks for her eyes to readjust to the limited lighting they were under, but when she could get a clear picture again she couldn't help but smile wide. She turned around in his arms, laughing as she went.

“Harry! You snuck in alcohol?!” She gave him a little shove to his chest to punctuate her accusation.

Harry shrugged. “Yeah, brought it at the beginning of the summer but wanted to save it for something special. But any occasion with my girl is a special occasion. And I know for a fact that you haven’t had anything to drink yet this summer, even on your days off. You deserve to have some fun, so I’m not taking no for an answer.”

YN sighed, feigning discontent.

Harry just raised his brow, challenging her.

Ever the rule follower, the truth was she did feel guilty drinking during the summer even on days off. But Harry was right, it had been weeks. And if she was ever going to break a rule with someone it was going to be Harry. He always made those moments worth it.

“Fine, just this once though, ok?”

A giant smile spread across his face then as he knew he had won her over.

“You say that now, but I bet y’would drink again if it came with the bonus of spending time with me.”

“Bonus? Hanging out with you is like a chore at best,” she teased. “Now open that thing before I change my mind.”

Harry shook his head as he turned his attention to the bottle of cheap vodka in his hands. She would tease him for buying the off-brand as well, except that she knew what his salary was, because it was the same as hers, and it wasn’t nearly enough to validate buying the good stuff like she knew he preferred.

Once the lid was twisted off, he handed the bottle to her.

“Do the honors?”

“Wait, you don’t have any chaser, do you? Harry!”

He laughed again. “You get what you pay for, love. Now take a drink before I change my mind about sharing with yeh.”

She rolled her eyes before bringing the bottle up to her mouth. YN took a small sip before opening her mouth wide, sticking her tongue out, and making a disgusting noise that she would only ever allow Harry to hear.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it!” he insisted.

“Harry, I swear to god, if you ever make me drink straight vodka like that again-”

“Relax, babe,” he cut her off with a giggle. He turned back around and opened the trunk again, pulling out a bottle of juice and holding it up.

“Harry!”

“What! I just wanted to see if you would do it s’all.”

He grabbed a couple of plastic cups as well before closing the trunk and using it as a table. YN hopped back up to sit on it, swinging her legs back and forth against the back of the car as he mixed their drinks. They stayed there for a while, drinking together and chatting. It hadn’t been long since they had last talked, a few hours at most, but over their entire friendship, they had never once managed to run out of things to talk about. They traded stories of their nights out during the year away from each other. Most of YN’s involved her friends doing stupid things and her having to clean up the mess, and most of Harry’s had to do with his ex.

Harry was in the middle of telling a story about the time that he and his ex went to a bar, she lost exactly one shoe, and he spent twenty minutes crawling around on his hands and knees in the sticky bar looking for it only for her to remember she left it at their table.

“Hey, stop that,” YN interrupted.

“What? “ Harry raised his brow and took another sip of his drink.

“Stop talking about her. I don’t want to hear about her and I know you don’t want to talk about her.” She paused for a moment, pursing her lips and looking down at her feet before looking back up at him. “Alright, here’s the deal. No more mentions of her tonight, tonight is a fun night. And then we can pick a different time to sit around and be sad about her, alright?”

Harry seemed to think over the proposition for a moment before nodding his head. “I’ll do my best. ‘S hard though... spent nearly every day with her for six months.”

“You also spent time working and studying and doing things with friends, right?”

Again, he nodded.

“Great, tell me those things.”

“Fine, but not here.” He hopped off the car, grabbed his mixed drink in one hand and the half-empty bottle in the other, and started walking further down the dirt road away from the cabins and fields and program spaces and towards the hiking trails.

“You coming?” he called back over his shoulder.

YN followed his lead, hopping off the back of the car and jogging to catch up with him as they walked deeper into the forest. When they reached the first fork in the road, YN started naturally going right, but Harry stopped her.

“C’mon, let’s go this way,” he nodded to the left with his head.

“Towards the lake?”

“Yeah, why not?”

YN was a little confused at first. “Lake” was a strong word for the collection of smelly water hidden at the end of that trail. For years camp tried to clean it out and make it swimmable, or boatable, or even just not smell so bad. But every year they came back for the summer and it was exactly as disgusting as ever. Generations of campers and staff continued the legend that if you touched the water you would get a special rash that no one in the infirmary could heal. And when YN was a young camper, she swore she saw a dead fish floating around in it, but no one ever believed her.

But Harry looked determined, and YN trusted him, so she followed him anyway.

“Fine, but give me a refill,” she insisted, holding her cup out in front of him.

He gladly filled her cup and continued to lead her down the path. About five minutes in, YN realized how long it had been since she had gone this route. They no longer took campers to this spot anymore, not on purpose anyway. Which meant the last time she had been there must’ve been when she snuck out of her cabin as a teen. And that had to mean...

“Harry, are you taking me to our spot?” she asked softly.

He kept his focus straight ahead as he nodded.

“Yeah, thought it would be nice. S’alright, right?”

“Mhmm.”

There was an easy pause before Harry started up again telling a story of the time his friend accidentally picked up a stranger’s phone at a bar and got halfway home before realizing it. YN laughed along as they walked.

Truthfully, YN could listen to Harry talk for hours and never get bored. It didn’t even matter what he was saying. The sound of his voice was familiar and soothing, and the way he spoke sounded like a gentle melody from the birds or the waves crashing in the ocean. She had been known to completely zone out while he was talking, listening to the rhythm of his voice and entirely forgetting what the words coming out of his mouth actually meant.

Harry finished the story as they reached their destination, but YN almost didn’t even notice. She was so much more wrapped up in his presence next to her than what he was saying.

YN shivered as a cold wind blew through them.

“YN,” Harry said a bit sternly, “Did you forget to grab a jacket again?”

She shrugged.

“Here, take mine.” He placed his cup and the bottle on the ground carefully before taking his jacket off and draping it over YN’s shoulders. YN would never say no to getting to be wrapped up in Harry, even his clothes were close enough to the real thing.

The trail eventually opened up to a clearing overlooking the lake. Structures that had been built there in the past were worn down and weeds were growing in the center of an old fire pit. But off to the side still sat the small platform that YN remembered. Apparently at one point in time, it was used as a stage for campers to do talent shows, long before anyone had come up with naming them TUTS. But its only real use in YN’s memory was for lying on her back next to Harry and staring at the stars above.

They sat in the center of the platform together, cross-legged as Harry placed the bottle of vodka in between them.

“Alright,” he started with a sigh, hands landing on his knees. “We’re out of earshot of children for the first time in weeks, tell me what’s really on your mind.”

YN smiled but just shrugged. “What, like sex, drugs, and rock and roll?” she teased.

That had Harry giggling, which told YN he was definitely at least as tipsy as she was by that point.

“Ok, well the first one is sex, you go first.” she declared.

“I go? What do you mean I go? Like what do you want me to say?”

“Like, I don’t know. Tell me something I don’t already know. Like..” she stared out at the lake for a minute. “Ok, I’ve got one. Tell me a kink you have!”

“What?!” Harry said. “I’m not doing that, YN ask something else.”

But she crossed her arms and held firm, a pout on her face. “Nope, you have to answer, that’s the game.”

“What game?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Just answer the question ok? You get to ask me one next.”

“Alright fine,” he eventually relented. He turned his body away from her to look straight ahead at the overgrown firepit and took another sip of his drink.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t want to look you in the eye while I say it out loud.”

“Harry! That’s not fair! You totally have to look at me.”

“Fine,” he groaned, twisting around. “Just one, right?”

“You have more than one?” she raised her brows high.

He had a small smirk on his face as he darted his eyes, looking around everywhere except at her but not answering the question. “I really like... uh...”

“Out with it!”

“I really like being told I’m doing a good job, ok? I like... lots of compliments and nice words and honestly, the moaning counts too, because that means I’m doing, like, an extra good job.”

“So, a praise kink?” she clarified.

YN could see the blood rushing up to his cheeks even more than it already had, and it wasn’t because of the alcohol.

“Uh, yeah, I guess so.”

His fingers toyed with his lower lip, a nervous tick that YN was well acquainted with. She couldn’t believe he would even consider the idea that she might make fun of him for that.

“A praise kink is like, totally super normal. Tons of people like that shit,” she reasoned. “It’s kinda cute, actually.”

The words slipped out of her mouth before she could realize what she was saying. By the time it hit her that she had sort of called him cute, it was too late. But he was smiling back at her.

“Yeah? Y’think so?”

“Mhmm.” YN didn’t know what to say, looking down at her fingers in her lap and picking at her cuticles to distract herself. After the campers badgered him the night before she had meant to be extra careful with using those kinds of words around him unless she wanted to completely embarrass herself. But the alcohol made her loose-lipped and she couldn’t really help it.

He sat there in silence for a moment before finishing up the second half of his current drink.

“Wonder if you’d say the same thing when I get all possessive over you,” he said under his breath with a chuckle, refilling his cup.

YN’s eyes went wide for a moment.

“Alright, your turn,” he told her with renewed vigor, not giving her a chance to ask about what he had just blurted out. “Tell me something... oh, ok, I’ve got it. Tell me about the best fuck you ever had?”

“Ever?”

“Yeah. Who was it, what made it so good, spill.”

YN let out a breath. That was actually a pretty difficult question, considering her relative lack of experience. Harry talked like everyone had a sex life as extensive as his. She knew for a fact that he started having sex years before she did, and had heard plenty of stories from the other girls at camp about the experiences.

“What’s taking y’so long?” he whined.

She shrugged. “Dunno. Haven’t really had... I mean some times were better than others, yeah? But none really... stuck out as all that special, y’know?”

YN watched as Harry tipped his head to the side, curiously. “No, I have no idea. I remember all the special -” but he cut himself off mid-sentence. “Oh my god,” he gasped.

Now she was confused. “What?”

Harry just took another sip of his drink, chuckling as he swallowed. She hated when he did this, goading her on, teasing her with information. In the back of her head, YN knew he only did it because he liked to get her riled up. And as much as she didn’t want to let him win in his endeavor, she really had no choice in this situation. At least not with her lowered inhibitions and the feeling in her lower stomach that she was desperately trying to ignore.

“Harry!”

“No, I’m gonna make you say it.”

“Well, how can I say it if I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“Ok fine,” he relented. “I wanted you to admit that Liam was small. Probably didn’t even make you cum!” he teased.

“Yeah, well... he wasn’t the only one,” she grumbled, taking another sip out of her cup.

“You’ve been with other really small guys?”

“No, I mean...” she didn’t want to admit it, not to Harry of all people. But she supposed she made up the rules of the game and now she had to stick to them and actually answer everything. “I mean... no guy has ever made me... y’know... finish. I mean there was this one time where I thought maybe it happened but like, I know what it feels like and I just really liked the guy and was trying to convince myself he was making it happen.”

“Wait, really? Never?”

“Never by a guy... no,” she admitted.

She felt small under his gaze, but not because of what he was saying or doing. Just the knowledge that he had so many partner-induced orgasms that he had to specify a favorite. And on top of that, he knew for a fact that he was at least good at fingering girls because he had fingered Rachel L down by the gazebo three summers ago and everyone found out. All of that combined and YN felt like she could never compare, not to Harry, not to his ex, not to anyone. She was better off staying alone, like she always had been, like she probably always would be.

“Hey, hey, don’t be sad. We’ll make sure it happens for you,” he assured her, placing a comforting hand on her thigh.

“We?” She looked from his hand to his eyes.

Harry paused for a few seconds, then nodded. “Yeah, of course ‘we’, who do you think I am? Dream Team, remember? Gonna make sure your dream comes TRUE this summer.”

YN couldn’t keep from laughing at that.

“Ok your turn,” she declared.

“Shoot.”

“How big is your dick?”

Harry scoffed. “Tell you for a fact that I’m bigger than Liam from last year, and the guy from high school.”

“You’re just saying that!”

“Fine, fine. You really wanna know that bad?”

She had always been a tiny bit curious, but now that he was playing his little game and trying to hold the information back, YN was literally going to explode if he didn’t tell her.

“Well now I do, yeah.”

“Alright, it’s... well it’s about this thick around and this long...when I’m hard... on a good day.”

He showed her the measurements with his hands, and her drunken mind was in awe. There was no doubt in her swirling mind by then that he was anything like anyone she had ever been with. The idea of someone that big? He had to be bigger than any vibrator she currently owned (very well hidden away inside her suitcase under her bed and behind all her shoes so no one would find them). The image of him stretching her out as she had always hoped to experience one day was painted on the inside of her eyelids. It would probably hurt a little at first, and he would groan as she shifted her body to adjust to him. He would tell her how tight she was in between thrusts and she would feel so full - maybe even feel him all the way in her tummy when he came inside of her.

Harry laughed.

Her eyes went wide as she realized she had actually sat there and asked Harry about his dick then closed her eyes and imagined it right in front of him. The alcohol was clearly starting to get to her. He started pouring himself a refill, not giving YN time to fully recuperate after learning this new information.

“Ok, your turn. When was the last time you had a real orgasm and who were you with? Or I guess... what were you thinking about?”

He asked it so casually. And on the one hand, of course he did, that’s the game they were playing. But on the other hand, YN could feel the butterflies flying around her tummy because she knew what the answer was going to have to be.

“I... I mean I do it a few times a week, the last time was yesterday.”

She stopped short, but his gaze never left her.

“And you were thinking about...?”

She sighed. YN really didn’t want to have to come out and say it. Harry was her best friend and she didn’t want to make it weird. If he got all weird and looked at her differently after she told him, well she didn’t think she could survive the rest of the summer like that. It would be such a stupid reason to have to break up the dream team anyway. Even if he didn’t make it weird, she probably would. YN was already embarrassed by the way her campers talked about her and Harry, she didn’t need to add any fuel to the fire.

But, she was exactly intoxicated enough to not be able to think of a reasonable lie and the liquid courage took over instead.

“I was thinking about...Uh... well... you,” she finally admitted.

Harry put the alcohol down on the platform quickly before looking over to YN. She couldn’t read his face. He didn’t say anything, not right away at least, and she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks as she did her best to look away from him rather than melt under his gaze. She had ruined it, hadn’t she? All these years of friendship and she messed it all up with one drunken admission and now she was going to be miserable. He knew something he was never, ever supposed to know.

“Hey,” he started, letting his hand rest on her thigh to get her attention. “S’not weird.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, ‘s like... s’a compliment, right? We’ve all thought about people while doing that. And at least it was someone I approve of.” He paused for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought before cracking a smile again. “I want to know how you had time at camp!”

She giggled at that. It was clear to her that Harry was trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible, which only fed into the mushy melting feeling she had inside of her chest while looking at him.

“During my hour off, Styles. Geez, you’re an amateur.” She finished up her drink as an emphasis to her point, Harry chuckling beside her.

YN reached out for the nearly empty bottle of vodka, only for Harry to swipe it out of her grasp.

“Harry!”

“Come on, love. I think you’ve had enough.

She let out a little ‘hmph’, sparking a little laugh from Harry as he set the bottle on the other side of the platform.

“You’re just doing that because you don’t want me to see you get any harder,” she insisted.

Harry coughed, clearly taken back by her comment. “You... I... what?”

“Well you’re really bad at hiding how turned on you are,” she said with a shrug, pointing towards the obvious bulge in the front of his sweatpants. Of course, she had been trying to ignore it, but with his size, how could she? In her slightly drunken state, she tried her best not to think of what specifically had turned him on to that point. She tried to remember that there was no way he could be attracted to her or something she said. So, therefore, it must be an alcohol thing, right?

Harry clearly didn’t want to address the situation at hand, so instead, he tried to change the subject. By this point, YN wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or the late hour and lack of sleep that was making them delirious, but either way, she just couldn't stop laughing. And neither could he. Everything one of them said was the most hilarious thing in the world.

“I saw a whale one time,” Harry told her, sitting up proud.

“A whale! Oh my gosh, a whale! No one has ever, in the history of the entire world, seen a whale before!” she teased.

He shoved her lightly by the shoulder before finally looking at his watch.

“Oh shit, we better get back. Gotta get you to bed, don’t even wanna know what you’ll be like in the morning if I let you stay out any longer.”

. . .

“You look like shit.”

“Thanks, Styles, just what every girl wants to hear. Such a way with words.” YN shoved him a bit as she came up next to him at the coffee station during breakfast.

His face broke out in a smile, dimples and all, as he finished stirring his coffee. She rolled her eyes, reaching toward the stack of coffee cups. But he pushed her arm aside.

“Here, I made this for you. Figured you’d need it after last night... plus I noticed there was only a drop of that non-dairy creamer you like left.”

YN felt a soft smile break out across her face, and she recognized a look in Harry’s eyes that she had seen in the past but couldn’t quite decipher.

“Thanks, H.”

“Of course.”

It was quiet between them for a moment, but not in an uncomfortable way. She just so genuinely appreciated him and the things he would do for her. The little things - like making her coffee exactly the way she liked it because he was worried the creamer would run out prior to her getting there. Or making sure she got to bed on time to get enough sleep. Checking in whenever he could tell she was feeling sad, or planning a fun day off for the two of them because he knew she needed it. One time in the winter he even ordered a delivery meal for her, from all the way across the ocean. He always took such good care of her.

“Scuse me,” Niall pushed his way in between them, breaking YN out of her thoughts.

Harry grabbed another cup to make his own coffee, which he took with no creamer and only one sugar. YN shifted her weight to one side as she watched him, realizing that if he didn't use a creamer, he had no reason to notice that it was almost empty. Maybe the bottle was in his way and we went to move it and that’s how he noticed? Or maybe whoever had made coffee right before told him it was running low?

They walked together to sit at the end of a table, their campers a good six feet away and too preoccupied with each other to notice or care what their counselors were doing.

YN took a sip of her coffee, looking across the table at Harry again. She might look like a disaster after a bit of drinking the previous night, but he looked as perfect as ever. His hair looked fluffy and soft, curls in the front highlighted by the summer sun and reminiscent of cinnamon rolls. His eyes were bright, and focused, and didn’t have any bags. And his shirt displayed his broad shoulders and muscular yet comforting arms in precisely the perfect way. It wasn’t fair, really, that he could be up late drinking and still look like that in the morning.

She knew she had been a little loose-lipped that night, and it’s not that she didn’t trust him. It’s just that... she never meant for him to know some of those things. He didn’t need to know that no guy had ever gotten her off, or that she thought of him while she touched herself sometimes. They were good friends, of course, but even still there were some things you always keep to yourself.

“So about last night...” she started, softly so no one could overhear them. Harry raised his brows, urging her to continue. “That stuff we said...it stays between us, right?”

“‘Course,” Harry answered easily, taking another sip of his own coffee. “You can always trust me, you know that.”

“I know it’s just...” she sighed, looking away from him for a moment. “I never really meant to tell you those things. I said it because I was... well... your surprise and all..” She didn’t want to say out loud that she was a bit drunk, just in case a camper or other staff could overhear her. It would be grounds for getting fired.

“YN,” he started softly. “It’s ok. I won't tell anyone anything. Hey, look at me.” He tipped his head to the side, reaching his hand across the table to rest on hers in an attempt to draw her attention back to him. “I’m on your team, always.”

She could feel herself blush at that, but she couldn’t make herself look away. His eyes were so clear and gentle, and she knew he meant every word he was saying. It wasn’t that she doubted he would keep her secrets, it was just that she needed reassurance that everything was going to be ok. That nothing had changed between them and he wouldn’t treat her any differently. That he valued her the same way he always had, and always would. His answer went further than that, though, telling her she could rely on him always. His words, the look in his eyes, the way he spoke to her outside her cabin a couple of nights ago, it’s like he was telepathically giving her a giant, warm, cozy hug. She desperately wanted one for real, but knew this wasn’t the time or place.

Before their conversation could go any further, one of YN’s campers came up to her asking to be taken to the infirmary.

“Duty calls.”

As they walked away, the camper whispered “are you dating him though? You can tell me, I’ll keep it a secret, I promise!”

. . .

“Nah, you’re way too good for Niall. Trust me, I saw him wear the same underwear two days in a row once,” Harry laughed.

It was later in the morning, and both YN and Harry’s cabins were having their turn at the ropes course. On the short hike through the trees, the two of them walked side by side, chatting as always. He had asked her if she had her eye on anyone this summer - she didn’t really, but she started listing other counselors that she thought were cute enough. Apparently, she gave the wrong answer.

“You asked who I thought was cute though - and he is. That doesn’t mean I’m like, in love with him or gonna make a move or anything.”

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Want you to be happy. And he’d make you happy for a few minutes but not... not much longer.”

“So you’re saying he can’t last?”

“No! I’m saying - are you running out of breath?”

They were almost halfway there, and YN started getting tired and her breathing sped up. Harry noticed right away.

“Drink some water, babe,” he told her.

“Forgot my water bottle.”

“Have some of mine.”

When they arrived at the ropes area, the boys and girls split off to do their activities separately. It started with team-building activities for the kids on the ground, getting them comfortable with some of the equipment and learning to work together. The boys were having trouble, arguing with each other so Harry, Niall, and Adam, the ropes staff, kept having to cut in and calm them down. But YN’s girls were in their own little world, working through the problems together and finishing some of them in record time.

That’s how the girls ended up getting to climb the rock wall, climbing tower, and actual ropes course first. And everything was going well for a while - the climbing wall wasn’t very tall and there was a lower point on the tower that the kids could stop at if they were really afraid of heights. Plus they were secure in harnesses and connected to ropes managed by some pretty strong staff members.

It was the on ropes course itself that there was some trouble. It hung up high in the trees, roughly 30 feet above where they were standing. The ropes were old, and from the distance, the kids thought they looked a bit worn down. Plus, the first section required partner work, and even with the team building and safety measures, most of the kids were pretty worried. YN reassured them over and over again that if they could do the earlier team-building activities together, then working with a partner to walk across the rope bridge should be a piece of cake! But it was to no avail.

Then Adam had the amazing idea of putting YN in a harness and having her demonstrate to the campers how to do it. He had to stay on the ground as part of the safety rules, Sarah was on her hour off, and she couldn’t be partners with a camper, so that’s how she and Harry ended up perched on top of a poll, 30 feet or so off the ground, attached with carabiners and ropes.

YN held onto the pole so tightly, her knuckles were turning white. She kept looking down, even though she knew not to. And Harry could see the way she was nervously shaking her leg.

“You’re not actually afraid of doing this, are you?” he asked her softly, so no one on the ground could hear.

YN shrugged. It wasn’t that she was afraid of heights, per se, and she knew if she fell the harness and ropes system would catch her. But the ropes course hadn’t existed when she was a camper and she had never actually tried it. They had the chance during staff training week before the campers arrived, but she and Harry opted to test out some of the new guitars instead. She had no real reason to be afraid, but the concept of a ropes course, in general, is quite daunting.

Harry’s face dropped when he realized that she was, in fact, a bit scared. He reached out, touching her arm lightly to get her attention.

“Hey, it’s ok. I’m right here. I’ll never let anything happen to you, ok?”

His voice was soft but strong, and YN found herself holding her breath for a moment before finally releasing it and nodding her head. Harry would be right there. He would be holding her and guiding her across the bridge, and everything would be ok.

“Dream Team, right? We can do anything. We can do this,” he assured her again.

“Ok...yeah...ok.” She didn’t sound very convincing, not even to herself. And she could tell from the look on Harry’s face that he wasn’t convinced either. But Adam called out from down below and started giving Harry directions on how to get to the platform in the middle of the bridge.

He looked at her one last time, taking a deep breath and following the instructions. She didn’t want to look down, so instead she focused on his arms, muscles working hard as he lifted himself further up the pole, across a hanging log, and back down to the platform.

“Now there’s nowhere for her to put her hands for balance,” Adam explained from the ground. “So Harry is going to have to do that for her. Harry!” he called out. “Put out your hands so she can reach for them, and YN go ahead and step onto the first rope on the bridge.”

Looking down at her feet, YN could feel herself becoming nauseous. It was a long way down, and even if the ropes caught her the harness was really uncomfortable, and it would be so embarrassing in front of the kids. She silently wished she hadn’t agreed to this, not realizing how intimidating it would be until she was already at the top of the pole and it was too late.

“YN,” Harry whispered, arms stretched out in front of him. “I’ve got you.”

She took a deep breath and used one leg to test the first rope of the bridge. There was some slack, and she would definitely be needing Harry’s help. That was the point of the activity, after all. Placing each of her hands in his, she looked back up at him.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” she asked

“Always.”

Nodding her head, she took the first step. YN wobbled quite a bit, but Harry’s strong arms stayed constant to support her. His hands were warm and solid, comforting and secure. With her feet spread wide, she was able to find her balance and control her breathing. He squeezed her hands, causing her to look up so he could smile at her.

“See how she’s distributing her weight across the rope and not in one spot?” Adam pointed out the campers, who all nodded. “And he’s got his knees bent for a stronger stance so he can give her extra support. Alright, YN, whenever you’re ready you can take the next two steps and get to the center platform.”

Lost in a trance, YN was staring at the ropes in front of her, part of her brain trying to figure out how to approach the next challenge and part of it was trying to convince herself that she was going to be ok.

“The first one’s always the hardest,” Harry insisted, drawing her attention back to him. “Everything from here is easy.”

They worked together, her relying heavily on his strong, sturdy arms to make her way across. With each step, she got closer to him. Her hands moved from his hands to his forearms. She could feel how tense his arms were, but his face looked so relaxed. His soft, warm skin supported her as she moved to the third rope, hands now moving to his biceps. And she knew he was strong, she knew he had muscles, but she had never taken the time to really appreciate them and feel them in this way. His upper arms were dense and sturdy, and her grasp didn’t fit as far around them as she expected. Finally, she reached for his shoulders and made it to the center platform, letting out a sigh of relief.

That was, until she realized exactly how small that platform was, clearly built for children and not for two grown adults.

“Here lemme just...”

Harry placed his hands on her waist, pulling her close to him and then rotating them both to get her across to the other side of the small platform. He was focused, looking down at their feet as she trusted him to maneuver their bodies.

Down below, YN could barely make out Adam explaining something to kids. She took a moment and looked into Harry’s eyes. When he finished rotating them, he looked up at her and smiled.

“See, Dream Team.”

“Yeah,” she let out a huff. “Something like that.”

Her hands rested softly on his shoulders still, his securely on her waist. The entire fronts of their bodies were touching from their chests all the way down to their toes. He held her close to him, and she wasn’t entirely sure if they needed to be as close as they were. But she didn’t mind, and judging by his soft smile, neither did he.

“I’ve got you, YN. You know that, right? I’ve always got you.”

She nodded her head, taking another breath and looking behind her at the other half of the bridge. If she did the first half she could surely do the second. It would just be a bit more difficult with Harry behind her rather than in front of her.

“Alright guys!” Adam shouted up at them. “Good job switching positions but now YN needs to turn around so she’s facing the second side of the bridge!”

YN felt Harry’s hands, still on her waist, as he turned her around. Their bodies still touched as they were confined to the small space, and she could swear she could feel his breathing on the back of her neck. He squeezed her lightly.

“Call me selfish,” he started, just loud enough for her to hear but not loud enough for anyone on the ground, “But I’m so glad I was here to be your partner. Wouldn’t want anyone else holding you close like this.”

She swallowed hard. What was that supposed to mean? Did he really enjoy holding her close? Did she like the way it felt to be close to him? Blood rushed up to her cheeks and she was grateful that she was already facing away from him so he wouldn’t be able to see.

Before she could respond, Adam called up to them, instructing how to take the next step off the platform.

She didn’t really pay much attention to anything that happened after that, risking her own safety to flip his words over and over in her head. Hours later and she still couldn’t get the comment out of her mind. Wouldn’t want anyone else holding you close like this. Why would he say that? Would someone else holding her close mean that Harry would get jealous? Wouldn’t want anyone else holding you close like this. Did she like being close to him like that? Did he like it just as much? Wouldn’t want anyone else holding you close like this. After all those years as friends, as pretty much the only girl he never tried to get with, did something change?

She thought about it when he cheered for her after she made it to the end of the ropes course, a task she couldn’t have completed without him, literally. And she thought about it when he sat at the top of the waterslide during pool time, counting 15 seconds in between each kid to keep them safe and listening as they called silly things out to hear the echo. She thought about it again when she convinced her most stubborn camper to take a shower because honestly, people were starting to notice. Then she thought about it when supervising field time and watching Harry teach some of the boys how to properly throw a frisbee. She even thought about it when the kids were at their elective time and the counselors were in their daily team staff meeting with Mitch going over the schedule for the next day.

And it was still on her mind when the meeting ended and their daily hour off started. She walked up to Harry out of instinct, but soon realized she didn’t quite know what to say. Which was quite out of character for her, since she and Harry had pretty much never run out of things to talk about. They had talked earlier about sneaking into the kitchen and stealing some of the good snacks ahead of distrubution, but she had other more urgent things on her mind. Biting her lip, she looked up at him. But before she could get anything out, he stopped her.

“I’m just gonna take some time to myself in the cabin today if you don’t mind postponing our snack burglary,” he teased.

“Oh, yeah,” she said softly. “Enjoy yourself.”

This of course left YN with an entire hour to herself, which normally was something she relished, but on this day she so desperately wanted to be distracted and stop thinking of what he had told her. Harry was her best friend, and she shouldn’t be spiraling over something as simple as this. A few words shouldn’t be affecting her this much.

They hadn’t always been this close, though. Both started going to camp when they were pretty young, at an age where the girls and the boys didn’t really mingle all that much. She knows for a fact that they were in the same age group for several summers, but she had absolutely no memory of him ever existing.

Then they got a bit older, and middle school came around. YN does have memories of Harry during this time, but they were mostly from a distance. He was always so cool and exciting and popular, and she was just kind of there. He was foreign and had an accent and fluffy hair and sparkly eyes, and she just kind of existed. Harry was always kind to her, but not in a way that was any different from how he treated everybody. He was always helping people when they fell down or thanking the lunch ladies even if they made burnt grilled cheese for the third time in a row.

It was in high school when things started to change. Harry went from being only that sweet, cute, British boy over there to being the one all the girls - and some of the boys - were fawning over. YN knows for a fact that he was at least three different girls’ first kiss in one summer, because she was actually present when all three happened (truth or dare, at a campfire, and behind a tree while they were supposed to be playing capture the flag). And if she remembered correctly, Harry soaked it all up. He didn’t brag, the other boys did enough of that for him. But he preened in the attention and accepted his role.

It was after YN had resigned to ignore her quiet little crush and make friends with Harry that they got so close. And eventually, they were practically inseperable. Harry even helped YN decide on a college, and then classes, and then a major. He never told her what to do but he was a great listener and always asked the right kinds of questions to get her thinking until she could come up with an answer she was confident in. He reminded her that school and work would never be her entire life, but they would be the way that she spends a lot of her time. And no one should spend that amount of their time miserable. And that was really the theme - he just wanted to make her happier. He pushed her to go out with friends more often and go on spontaneous adventures and learn about things she was actually passionate about - all from thousands of miles away.

In the past two years, they had spoken nearly every day - either over the phone or by texting, though Harry always preferred to actually hear her voice. They would stay on the phone until late at night talking about whatever was on their minds and on more than one occasion YN had a roommate bang on the wall to get her to quiet down. Sometimes she even got to fall asleep to the sound of his voice. They talked about their days, or their jobs, or their families. They talked about the universe like they used to do under the stars at camp. They talked about relationships and what they wanted in a partner. She knew all about his girlfriend, who he was really smitten with for a long time. They had no real secrets between them, none that she knew of anyway. Besides, she had kind of spilled the beans in the only category she was really keeping to herself the other night after drinking.

And if they didn’t have any secrets, then it should be easy to have a conversation with him about what he said up on the ropes course, right? She should be able to walk right into his cabin and say “Hi Harry, What did you mean when you said you wouldn’t want anyone else holding me close? Has something changed between us?”

So without thinking over it any harder, she marched right down to his cabin with the intention to do just that. Walked down to the boys’ village where she wasn’t technically supposed to be (but there were no campers around so it was fine) and threw open the door without knocking. No secrets.

Except, maybe they should have some secrets. Like it probably could have stayed a secret that Harry had his cock in his hand, his computer beside him playing a video, and soft moans coming out of his mouth. YN probably didn’t need to know that he was turned on by watching a video of shower sex. Or that he liked to alternate between fast and slow strokes. Or that he spit directly on his dick for lubrication.

YN probably could have gone her whole life without knowing those things.

But it was too late. By the time she yelled “Oh my god!” and turned around with her eyes closed, she already knew too much.

Harry slammed his computer shut and yelled out several expletives. She could hear him moving around on his bed searching for his shorts and pulling them on. And then she could hear silence.

A silence that had never really existed between them before. And it lasted for what seemed like an eternity.

Eventually, Harry coughed. “You uh... you can turn around, if you’d like.”

He sounded scared.

YN took a deep breath before turning around, waiting another couple of seconds, and finally opening her eyes. The view in front of her this time was much more than what she was used to - Harry, sitting on his bed, fully clothed, fluffing his pillow to give himself something to do. It still wasn’t completely normal, as she couldn’t help but notice he was still completely hard beneath the loose-fitting shorts, which were doing nothing to try to hide that fact anyway.

At first, she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing really came out. She wanted to say she was sorry. She wanted to pretend none of this ever happened. She wanted to make a bad joke that would distract them from the issue at hand and allow them to move on without discussing it further. But that’s not what she said.

When she finally spoke, she only mustered up, “Were you just touching yourself?”

“No,” Harry deadpanned.

Which, like, was obviously a joke but considering the situation YN was too afraid to say anything.

“YN you literally told me last night that this is the time in the day where you do this. I told you I wanted to spend some time alone and you didn’t put that together?”

“Well, I... I was thinking about other things,” she admitted with a shrug.

She looked up at Harry, desperately trying not to look at his lower half but it was a pretty tall order. He raised a brow, asking her to continue.

“I was thinking about you...” she started. And she was going to say she was thinking about what he said earlier in the day, she really was. But he jumped in first.

“So was I... about you! I mean. Not myself. That would be... I have an ego but it’s not that bad.”

And that... was definitely not what YN was expecting to hear.

“Really? Me? While you were...?” she asked softly, feeling somehow afraid of the answer. Because if he really was thinking about her, that meant even more than his little remark on the rope bridge. It would mean that they had both thought of each other in that moment. It could mean... a lot.

Harry shrugged, “yeah.” And it wasn’t fair, really, that he was able to brush this off like no big deal and she was still standing there feeling like there was a spotlight pointed directly at her with a ticking time bomb getting ready to go off somewhere in the background.

“Oh,” was all she managed to get out.

“It doesn’t have to be weird... you told me yesterday you thought about me so I figured...”

“No, yeah, I mean. Not weird at all,” she lied.

“Ok, good.” Harry let out a big sigh, looking down at himself. “I uh... I’m kinda...”

“Oh, right, yeah. I’ll um... I’ll let you take care of that. I’ll see you... later?”

She started to leave, but not without hearing Harry under his breath say “Maybe you’ll help me out next time.”

. . .

That night for cabin time, YN and Sarah tried to wear out the campers by having a glow stick dance party. Unfortunately, all it seemed to do was rile them up further. The amount of energy stored inside 11 and 12-year-olds' bodies seemed limitless. And the little one broke a glow stick and got it all over her fingers, which meant she got it all over her bed, which meant YN had to spend 20 minutes helping her clean it before turning out the lights.

It felt like it took ages for them to actually quiet down and start to go to sleep. She had to resort to playing an old meditation story so they would at least stay quiet enough to hear and hopefully, maybe, eventually drift off. While the story was playing Sarah left for her night off and YN stayed behind on bedwatch. She heard the walkie click three times - her code with Harry that it was time to chat - but the girls were definitely still awake so she had to wait. To kill the time, she cleaned up the floor, refolded her clothes, and pushed her suitcase further under her bed. Anything to give her something to do so her mind wouldn’t wander too far.

This day had been... a lot. Just in 24 hours, YN felt as if everything had changed between her and Harry, and she was terrified of it. A new door had opened in their relationship and she still didn’t know what any of it meant.

The meditation story eventually ended, and YN let out a breath of relief when she could hear the sounds of steady breathing. To be safe, she turned on another story as she grabbed her walkie and carefully slipping out the door.

She took her seat just outside the cabin, checking to make sure no one was within earshot, and clicked the walkie three times, biting her lip as she waited for a response. YN had never been this nervous to talk to Harry. Everything was always so easy with him. Conversation came naturally and she trusted him so deeply. But now, everything was confusing.

It wasn’t long until Harry’s soft, calming voice came across the radio.

“Hey darlin’,” he whispered, likely sitting directly outside his own cabin. “Was afraid you weren’t gonna wanna talk to me tonight.”

YN furrowed her brows. “That’s crazy, H. Why wouldn’t I want to talk to you? Things get so boring here.”

“Oh so I’m only good for my entertainment value?”

“Obviously.”

She smiled softly.

There were so many things YN wanted to say to him at that moment, but none of them seemed quite right. She was scared of what he might say, what might change, what all of it could mean. She was scared that he would be scared and then she would be alone again. So instead she figured the safer conversation would be the one she owed him anyway, which would remind him of where they really stood.

“Anyway, I know I cut you off from talking about... her... last night, and that wasn’t really fair. So if you want to think out loud, or vent, or whatever, I’m here for you to do that tonight.”

Harry sighed through the speaker.

“Yeah I... I guess I probably should talk about her some, to get it out, right?”

It was hard for YN to listen to Harry talk about his ex, but as his friend, she knew it was the right thing to do for both of them (because also maybe it would remind her not to get her hopes up too high about him). He had been carrying some of this around for so long, and she could see the look in his eyes when the campers asked him if he had a girlfriend and knew that he was still feeling some sort of pain. It had been over a month now since they broke up, but he had been sharing his concerns about her with YN for much longer.

When they first got together, Harry seemed so genuinely happy. He was always telling stories of his time with her - going on adventures, seeing new places, meeting new people. She brought out something special in him that no one he had previously been with seemed able to do. He seemed relaxed around her and YN could hear his smile through the phone while he talked about her. He was happy, and so YN was happy for him.

Harry would acknowledge that something changed around the time Camille’s lease was up and she started suggesting either moving in together or moving out of town. But he didn’t know that making that decision was just the start of it. He didn’t know that Camille had called YN up one day (Harry had given them each other’s numbers and they texted occasionally, but only in reference to him) and practically threatened her to stay away from Harry. She claimed YN was taking up too much of Harry’s time and it wasn’t normal for someone in a relationship to be that close and talk that often with another girl. She was convinced he was “emotionally cheating” on her with YN.

And to be honest, YN was a bit intimidated by Camille at first. She had a strong presence, a loud voice, and sounded serious on the phone. But when Harry called her the next day, she realized how ridiculous that was. Anyone who supports Harry should support all of him, including his other friendships and relationships. Hell, YN was supporting his relationship with Camille because it made him happy. So she wasn’t surprised that shortly after that conversation, Harry started mentioning things getting weird between the two of them.

When he flat out rejected the idea of moving in together (“six months is a long time but it’s also not that long. Not long enough to make entire life decisions based on”) Camille was furious. She still tried to convince him to move out of town with her, and he did seriously consider it for a while. He felt pretty selfish when he decided to stay, but YN would remind him that if he was making a decision based on what he thought would make him happiest, then he had no reason to feel anything but confident in his choice.

Apparently, that wasn’t enough for Camille to end things with him, but she definitely held onto the anger. They stopped going on dates, stopped seeing friends together, and their conversations ran stale. Harry complained to YN that she had turned into a fuck buddy, the exact habit he was trying to escape. She would come over, eat dinner, watch an episode of tv, fuck, and then leave without so much as a cuddle. That was the hardest part for YN to hear about - their sex life. He never went into detail but even the fact that he acknowledged it existing was difficult to hear - partially because of her old crush and partially because of her own lack of sex life.

“I’m so glad camp started when it did,” he admitted. “I don’t think I would’ve had the courage to leave her otherwise.”

“Sure you would’ve,” YN insisted. “You always do what you know is right.”

“Maybe...” he sounded pensive. “Sometimes I... sometimes I miss out on opportunities and regret it later.”

“Like what?”

“Like... well it’s not important. The point is she went from being my girlfriend to a fuck buddy and it sucked.”

“Hey - at least she sucked in a good way, right?” YN teased.

Harry groaned on the other end.

“That was terrible.”

“I know, but I’m absolutely not sorry at all.”

“Ok but, the last thing I want to think about right now is doing that with... her. I’d much rather talk about you.”

“What about me? We talked about my sexual shortcomings last night, there’s not much else you don’t already know.”

“Just... tell me what’s on your mind? I’m done talking about her. She’s old news and honestly, I feel like a robot when I talk about her now. I miss having a person, but I don’t miss her. ‘Sides, you’re my person now.”

He said it so easily, it wasn’t even fair. YN was grateful that he couldn’t see her and the way the blood rushed to her cheeks as he admitted that she was his person. The sentiment wasn’t anything new, but hearing him say it so bluntly like that... brought back her swirling thoughts from earlier in the day.

“There’s a lot on my mind.”

“Like what?”

YN took a deep breath. They were beyond the point of no return, there was nothing she could say to him that would be any more embarrassing than anything that they had experienced in the last day. So she might as well be honest.

“Been thinking a lot about you, H.”

“Oh. Like.. have you been...after you saw me were you....doing it and...”

“No!” she quickly cut him off, knowing what he was insinuating. “Not that I wouldn’t...or that I would? I just... ugh.”��

Harry chuckled through the walkie. “It’s alright YN, tell me what you were thinking then.”

“Was thinking... well, earlier I was thinking about what you said this morning, on the ropes. That you wouldn’t want anyone else to hold me close. What.... what did you mean?”

“I meant... I meant what I said. Had an excuse to hold you close, and if I saw anyone else doing that with you I would’ve... well... I don’t know, YN. I’m selfish, I get jealous, and you’re mine.”

“I’m yours?”

“Yeah, my person, my dream team, all that. Wanna just... just keep you all to myself sometimes, yeah?”

“Harry, we spend all day every day together.”

“I know. And I like that. I like... I like having you with me. You make me smile, and... you’re safe. And holding you close like that this morning... it was nice. Wanna do that more. But maybe on the ground and not 30 feet in the air with 20 little kids staring up at us,” he laughed at the end.

YN let out a small laugh, but she was too deep in thought for it to sound genuine.

“Does this mean... Harry, has something changed between us?”

The silence while she waited for an answer seemed to last for an eternity. What had she done? Asking him so forward like that? But everything he was saying, it was so... sweet. And it made the butterflies in her tummy flutter bigger than they had in years. Her mind was swirling with possibilities, the good and the bad.

He liked holding her close. Would he hold her close in bed, for a nice cuddle? Would he stroke his hands through her hair while they watched tv? Would he squeeze her too tight in his sleep, just by instinct, forcing her to wiggle away from him? What if her wiggling woke him up? Would he have a cute, sleepy, pouty face as he opened his eyes, grabbing his hands out to nothing until she relented and moved back into his grasp? Would he kiss her goodnight before tucking his head into her neck and letting out soft little snores?

Or would he be completely appalled and offended that she had even asked the question? Maybe he would laugh and say something to remind her that he would never see her romantically. She could never be more than a friend to him, always having to push her little crush into the back of her mind so it wouldn’t bother anyone. Because that’s what it was, wasn’t it? An embarrassing little childhood crush that had never quite faded away. He would connect the dots, after her admission last night, and the questions she asked him today, and he would no longer feel so safe and comfortable with her. He would put space between them like they were young again and she would lose her best friend.

“Of course not, don’t be silly. I’ve always felt this way about you, YN, you should know that. Well, maybe not always but a really long time.”

“Oh.”

YN wasn’t quite sure what to make of that answer. He wasn’t exactly declaring his love for her, but he wasn’t pushing her away either. He was just... continuing on with what they already had. And that had to be good enough YN.

She wanted to ask him what he meant about ‘feeling this way’. She wanted to ask what the future was going to look like. She wanted to ask if she was ever going to have a chance or if he would just be a soft, lovey-dovey best friend forever.

But she didn’t ask.

“Me too,” she responded softly instead of any of the questions running through her mind.

“Good... I’m... I’m really lucky to have you in my life, YN.”

In the short silence, she heard Niall’s voice distantly in the background from the radio.

“Ah, Niall’s back. Should probably head to bed anyway. See you in the morning.”

“Yeah...see you.”

YN went back into the cabin then, closing the door as softly as she could. But as soon as she did, one of the campers sat straight up.

“YN!” she whisper-shouted.

“Shh... you’ll wake everyone up. What do you need?”

The camper rubbed her eyes before answering. “You were talking to Harry.”

“Yes...”

“I don’t know what he said, but I heard his voice. He has a nice voice...”

“Yes, he does,” YN smiled. “But it’s late. Harry went to sleep and I’m going to now. You should be asleep too.”

“Ok,” she answered softly, lying back down on her bed.

YN made her way to her bed, changed into her pajamas, and got under the covers. But she didn’t sleep. How could she, with Harry’s words running through her head? Instead, she spent the night tossing and turning, rolling around in her bed and desperately trying to shake her thoughts free. That night, she was up later than the time the campers wanted to pull an all-nighter.

. . .

Looking back, it would have been smart of YN to cut her conversation with Harry short, go to bed early, and get a good night’s sleep. She would have smiled while thinking back on a conversation about mundane nothingness, snuggled under her warm blanket that she brought from home, and drifted away into an easy dreamland for eight hours. Maybe she would have even dreamed something sweet about Harry, something mixed in with crazy dream logic like maybe he was holding her close and teaching her to fly off a cliff so they could escape the crazy ostriches chasing them through the forest. That would have been nice.

But no, that’s not what YN did. She had a conversation that left her more confused than she started, and she hardly got any sleep. Rolling over every five minutes and never truly able to get comfortable, she struggled all night. Her body would not let her relax. Her feet kept tapping and her mind kept swirling and her leg was really itchy for some reason.

All in all, she probably got four hours of good sleep that night. And normally, she would have been able to make do, maybe take a nap during her hour off, take it easy for the day. But that wasn’t possible as she was woken by excited screaming and pounding on the doors and windows.

Somehow, YN had forgotten that it was Color Wars day. And when the realization hit her, it came with the extra weight of remembering that she was supposed to be a team captain. Blue Team - which it turned out was different from the team her campers would be on because they were assigned separately, which made the morning quite complicated.

The kids were excited, jumping out of bed as they searched through their clothes for something red to wear to represent their team color. They were eagerly chatting and Sarah had to remind them to brush their teeth because they were just so excited.

Meanwhile, YN rolled out of bed slowly, groaning as her aching body moved and her eyes adjusted to the light in the room. Why had she agreed to be a team captain? This day was practically a day off for most of the staff - not having to shepherd the kids from one place to another, most of the responsibility landing on the team captains and the teenagers. And then she remembered that Harry had talked her into it a few weeks ago. The original idea was to be team captains together, but then Mitch thought it would be funnier to make them compete, and now YN was going to spend her entire day opposing Harry instead of lounging around with him.

It didn’t help her mood that the wake-up call of screaming teenagers came 30 minutes earlier than the usual alarm so that the teams could congregate prior to breakfast and start the day with energy. So with less sleep, more on her mind, and no real enthusiasm, YN trudged her way to the amphitheater where she made sure her campers were seated with their team and she took to the stage with the other captains.

Harry was already there, all dressed in red complete with a red cowboy hat and sunglasses. YN smiled to herself, knowing the girls would love being on his team for the day. Next to him stood Niall, YN’s co-captain for Blue Team. Niall was always sweet, and always had so much energy, so he would be a great captain in that respect. But she knew that he would get lost up in the excitement of everything and YN would end up being the one to count the kids and make sure everything actually ran smoothly.

Music was playing loudly in the background (too loudly for so early in the morning, if you asked YN, not that anyone did) and the kids were all dancing in their seats. When it was time for the team captains to introduce themselves, Harry of course went first.

“I’m Harry and I’m your Red Team captain! And Red Team is going to win because we’re on fire!” The girls on the benches screamed after him, giggling to each other about how they would get to spend the whole entire day with him. He had way too much energy for someone who had the same conversation the night before as YN did. It wasn’t fair.

“I’m YN and I’m the Blue Team captain! And Blue Team is going to win because we’re the coolest!” Niall came up after her and sprayed his entire water bottle on the Blue Team campers in the front row.

At breakfast, YN made a beeline for the coffee station. She was going to need more than one cup if she was going to survive this day. The coffee machine was slow, so she stood there for a few minutes surveying the room, eventually making eye contact with Harry. He smiled wide and walked over to join her.

“Y’alright?” he asked, wrapping his arm around her in a short hug.

“Yeah,” she sighed.

“Y’look like sleeping is your next sport.”

“I’d lose at that too,” she told him with a sigh. “Couldn’t sleep last night. Gonna need extra coffee to get through this day.”

“Really? The Color Wars energy doesn’t just... run through your veins and make you go crazy?” he teased.

YN snorted. “Not exactly, Styles, no.”

He dropped it, grabbing a cup to make his own coffee for the morning before changing the conversation.

“Why couldn’t you sleep? We weren’t up all that late.”

She shrugged. “Had a lot on my mind after...” She drifted off, not exactly sure how to finish her sentence. But he nodded anyway, understanding.

“We gotta work on that - make sure you’re sleeping good at night. S’not healthy to not sleep... plus you get so cranky, pain in my ass.”

YN playfully whacked him on his arm.

“I’m just being honest, looking out for ya,” he shrugged.

They sat together for breakfast, ignoring the fact that the teams were supposed to be divided in the dining hall. But no one tried to separate them. They talked as they ate their rubbery pancakes, laughing over old memories and new camper stories.

And then Harry stopped. He looked at her with his head cocked to the side and reached out to her face. With his fingertip, he brushed just under her eye.

YN held her breath.

“Y’got an eyelash,” he said softly, sitting back down but holding the lash on his fingertip for her to see. “Make a wish.”

She closed her eyes, thinking for a moment and then blowing the lash away. When she opened them again, Harry was looking at her with a gentle smile.

The moment was interrupted by Mitch handing them their schedules for the day. They were disappointed to realize the only hour in the day they would have together was capture the flag in the late afternoon - which they would also be required to participate in. That meant YN had to spend the whole day giving off fake energy for a day she didn’t really care about and Harry wouldn’t even be there to cheer her up or keep her going. It also meant more time for memories of the conversation last night to take hold in her mind and no way to clear anything up with him.

She did her best to grit her teeth and make it through. To the best of her ability, she did what she could to ensure that none of the kids knew she was dreading every moment of this day. With a smile on her face at all times, she kept campers of all ages engaged and excited and pretended like someone was actually keeping score of who was winning all the sports and games. (Yes, games. There were complaints last year that sports-only was not inclusive enough so this year they included things like competitive Apples to Apples and water pitcher chugging contests.)

And although YN didn’t exactly have a companion directly by her side all day like usual, she had to admit, being paired up with Niall for the day wasn’t so bad. She was mostly right about him being sweet and kind and full of energy. She was also right about her having to do most of the logistics and responsibility aspect of the job, but she was ok with that. He kept up the energy and she made sure no one got killed and for the most part, things seemed to be going smoothly. Only three kids had been taken to the infirmary and only one of those kids was actually injured in a way that made her nervous, so she considered that a pretty big win.

Lunch wasn’t so bad either. It was a tradition that the campers had to be silent at lunch on Color Wars day, and only the team captains could speak. That meant she couldn’t sit down and have a regular conversation with Harry because everyone could hear everything she was saying, but it meant that she got to call across the giant room to Niall and wave and make jokes about how the Blue Team was going to win. And he wasn’t Harry, but Niall definitely made her laugh quite a bit.

By the afternoon, YN was more exhausted than ever, but her mood was a little better than it had been in the morning. With a handful of fun moments under her belt, and a break from her own cabin of campers, the day hadn’t been a total loss after all. But then she twisted her ankle playing basketball causing her team to lose, and she caught three different sets of campers making out behind a fence, and her grumpiness came right back.

So when it was time for capture the flag against Red Team with Harry, YN was both annoyed in general with her day and relieved to at least get to see him. But they couldn’t even play on the same team since they were opposing team captains, which only made her crankier. Plus, YN had never seen her campers so engaged in an activity as they were when they were listening to Harry describe the strategy for the game. Which totally wasn’t fair because they never listened to her if she tried to give instructions or remind them to shower or quiet down at the end of lunch.

The game started and kids from both teams started running around the field, tagging each other and guarding their flags. Harry was deeply invested in the game, or so it seemed. He stood at the border between the two sides and instructed the campers on who should run where, who should go up against who, and what their best possibility for actually getting the flag might be.

YN, meanwhile, stayed back. She helped to guard Blue Team’s flag, which sat in the middle of a circle of bright orange cones. Her thinking was that most of the campers and staff would get tagged before they even got to her, so she wouldn’t really have to do all that much. She also thought that if she had a frown on her face or her brows were furrowed, no one would really notice because they wouldn’t really be looking at her, but looking past her to the flag itself.

When YN and Harry first made eye contact from across the field, his expression changed from one of determination to one of concern. He cocked his head to the side and mouthed “are you ok?” as best he could, and YN shrugged and nodded. He didn’t seem convinced, but a camper ran up to him to excitedly tell him a new possible strategy, and being the allstar counselor he was, Harry turned his attention to the child.

After that, they caught each other’s gaze a few times from across the field, Harry’s devious smirk growing more pronounced each time. YN couldn’t quite figure out what it meant, so she pushed the thought away and continued in the game. So far, her strategy of staying back and putting in minimal effort was working, and she was rather proud of herself for that. Maybe she could get through this game without too much difficulty, finish off the day strong, put the kids to bed, and spend time in the lounge with Harry comparing their days through laughter.

After the game had been going for nearly 30 minutes, campers were getting tired, and YN was checking her watch, she knew something big had to be coming soon. Harry was smart, and he wasn’t going to keep directing his team to be doing the same thing forever. Plus he noticed that YN wasn’t in the happiest of moods and if history meant anything, he would probably be doing something stupid to try and cheer her up pretty soon.

YN was right, as she saw Harry circle up a group of campers (mostly her cabin, who were essentially attached to him all day). They broke up their huddle and spread out and Harry counted down from three, and that’s when all of them, including Harry, ran towards the Blue Team’s side of the field. Typically he would let a camper here or there catch him and send him back to the other side to give the illusion of success, but not this time.

He swiftly dodged the many small hands reaching for him until he made it to the back side of the field. Standing in front of YN, his stance was crouched down a bit with bent knees and he looked at the game around him. His eyes then reached YN, who took his same stance mockingly.

“Think you can get past me, Styles?”

“Maybe.” His dimples were on full display.

“Can’t get the flag for yourself, gotta let a camper get it. Come on, thought you were better than this.”

Harry shrugged. “Maybe I am.”

He looked around again, and when he saw that several of his team’s campers had made it to the far end of the field with him, he called out to them “NOW!”

One foot in front of the other, he ran directly at YN rather than trying to get around her.

“Harry what are you - HARRY!” she called out as he wrapped his arms around her waist, picked her up, and carried her over his shoulder and away from her guard post, legs kicking out and arms whacking his back.

“Harry put me down!” she called out through a laugh.

“NO! This is for Red Team!”

He carried her as close to the edge of the field as he could before dropping to his knees, placing her on the ground on her back, and pinning her down. He sat on top of her, legs on either side of her hips. Smile on full display, dimples deeper than she had probably ever seen, and eyes bright and mischievous, he held her there giggling at his own strategy.

YN was lost in his eyes at this point, no longer paying almost any attention to the game at hand. Later on, someone could tell her that actually a meteor had struck the middle of the field and everyone had passed out and she probably wouldn’t have noticed. She was too busy gazing up at the best view she had seen in ages - Harry’s excited, devious, cute face.

“Let me go!” she called out, though she didn’t really mean it.

“Never!” he answered.

She started flailing her arms around, pushing on his shoulders in a last-ditch attempt to get him off of her, but he only grabbed her hands in his own and raised them above her head, pinning her down completely. He was bent over at the waist, their faces closer than before. They sat there for a moment then, both of them laughing. YN’s cheeks were starting to hurt from the strain of her own smile.

But then something strange happened. Harry’s face dropped, and he suddenly looked much more serious. His gaze traveled to where their hands clasped together above her head, down to her face, along her torso, eventually making his way back up to her eyes.

“Shit, can’t wait till we’re alone...so much I wanna do to you right now...” he whispered with a deeper inflection to his voice than usual.

YN’s smile fell then too as her gaze traveled along his body, landing at the spot where they were connected but saying nothing.

Harry closed his eyes for a moment before inhaling deeply and looking back at her.

“Y’alright though? Didn’t hit the ground too hard did you?” he changed the subject.

“I’m fine, Harry,” she responded, still smiling.

Harry nodded, looking away from her for a moment to gauge what was happening in the game.

YN took her opportunity then, gathering her strength and rolling them both over in the grass until he was on his back and she was on top. Smiling back on her face, she bit down on her bottom lip as she took control of the situation.

And maybe this wasn’t the smartest move YN could have made. Maybe rolling around in the grass until she was sitting on top of Harry, her center resting over his hips, hands held together next to his head, wasn’t the greatest thing to be doing in the middle of the day around a group of campers. And maybe relaxing her waist and putting more pressure on him when she already knew he was at least a little bit turned on wasn’t the most appropriate thing she could have done to her best friend. But she did it, and the look on his face when he closed his eyes tight and let out a breath was all the reward she needed.

“Fuck, YN,” he groaned out, still quiet enough that no one else could hear but her. “Y’gonna kill me, y’know that?”

She felt him then, solidly beneath her, right where she always secretly wanted him to be, and her eyes went wide at the realization of what she was feeling.

“Shit Harry I - I’m sorry I’ll get up, I’ll -”

“No!” he cut her off. “If you... if you get up now then everyone will see that I’m...”

“Oh... yeah lemme just...” she shifted her weight onto her knees so she was hovering above him then, quickly missing the sensation of him between her thighs but immediately feeling guilt over the thought of her best friend.

“Just... just need a minute,” he told her, eyes squeezed tight.

YN looked up then as she heard screaming from the other end of the field. Harry’s strategy had worked and one of the girls had carried the flag back to Red Team’s side leading to a celebration.

“Think of Niall snoring,” she told him quietly, hoping it would solve his problem before they had to take over responsibilities as captains again. Her suggestion made him laugh.

So, maybe the day hadn’t been a complete waste after all. YN was undoubtedly in a much better mood after their little moment on the field, which was a good thing considering neither blue or red won, but actually it was the green team who was announced as the winner of the day just ahead of dinner time.

YN’s campers spent the evening telling her about their day with Harry. Apparently, he was significantly more fun than they realized, he helped them win lots of games and encouraged them. They were arguing over who got the most high-fives from him and the little one bragged that she even got to give him a hug! He was so muscly but also soft! And his arms were bigger than my face! YN smiled as she heard them recount their stories. Harry was always so good with the kids, knowing when to be kind and gentle, when to give some tough love, and when to make them laugh.

“You’re so lucky you’re dating him, YN,” one of the campers said that night before bed.

“I told you a million times, we’re not dating.”

“Whatever... you spend a lot of time with him and he obviously likes you.”

“And we saw you fighting with him on the field during capture the flag! He was smiling with dimples and everything!” another one called out from her bunk.

“I don’t know what you think you saw,” YN started, “but I’ve told you a million times, we aren’t dating.”

She turned off the lights shortly after that, and luckily the kids were pretty wiped out after the exciting day. It was Sarah’s turn for bedwatch so YN changed into her comfy sweatpants and snuck out the door quietly. Harry hadn’t made a plan with her for that night, but she knew he would be off that night too, and likely in the staff lounge with most of the other counselors.

The stars were bright that night, brighter than usual it seemed. YN almost walked into a tree three separate times on her way down to the staff lounge because she was so distracted by the shapes in the sky. She realized then that they never actually did any stargazing the other night. Maybe she could get Harry to join her in that tonight instead.

She heared the laughter before she even opened the door of the small structure. Inside, something like ten other counselors were sitting in a circle, sharing snacks and laughing about their day. Harry’s face snapped to the door as soon as she opened it, his smile growing big across his face as he scooted over on the old couch to make room for her to sit next to him. YN could feel the tension releasing in her shoulders at the sight of him, realizing that she could have her buddy back and feel a little less alone again.

“YN, just in time!” Adam called to her from across the circle. “We were gonna start playing truth or dare.”

“What are we, 15?” YN teased.

Adam shrugged. “Maybe those teenagers got something right about a fun way to spend the night together.”

Harry draped his arm around the back of the couch then, making space for YN to move in a bit closer to him. His body heat radiated off of him and warmed her on the chilly night. She wanted nothing more than to cuddle into him for real, rest her head on his chest and listen to his heart beat as he spoke soothing words to put her to sleep. Maybe his arm would come down from the couch and wrap around her to keep her securely next to him and he would give a kiss to the top of her head and she closed her eyes.

YN visibly shook her head to get the thoughts to dissipate.

The game started then, going around in a circle. It felt like they were teenagers again - daring each other to kiss and making each other share embarrassing stories or fantasies. Adam apparently had a thing for fucking doggy style and Niall admitted that he had hooked up with two girls in one day one time.

When it was Harry’s turn, he picked truth. Adam started snickering right away.

“I’ve got a good one,” he declared to the group. “Would you ever hook up with YN?”

Her heart dropped. She didn’t want to hear the answer. If the answer was no, she would be at least a little heartbroken to know that she had absolutely no chance, and none of what he had been saying the past few days really held any weight. And it would be so completely embarrassing for that to come out in front of so manypeople, who would no doubt see her face fall a slightly and read into it and maybe realize that she kind of liked him and-

Harry looked down at her with a soft smile before looking back at Adam across the room. He shrugged a bit, dropping his arm from the back of the couch down to rest around her shoulder.

“Sure, why wouldn’t I?” He admitted.

YN was a bit in shock, but she tried her best not to show it. She felt every muscle in her body tense up and her brain was on fire.

The group around them started chatting and joking about the answer, and Harry leaned down to whisper into YN’s ear.

“Are y’alright? That wasn’t too..?”

“No... yeah... I’m...I’m good,” she told him with a forced smile.

Harry dropped his brows. “Y’cold?” he asked, seemingly looking for an answer to why she seemed so uncomfortable.

“No, I’m fine H.”

“YN, it’s your turn!” someone called out, bringing her attention back to the group.

“Um... truth I guess?” In all honesty, YN was a bit afraid after that last question that if she had chosen dare they would dare them to kiss and although she had imagined that moment a million times, she didn’t want it to happen like this. If it was going to happen, she wanted it to happen for real.

“And you have to ask her a different question!” someone clarified.

The group seemed to be thinking to themselves for a moment, trying to come up with a good question before Niall spoke up.

“I got one - YN, tell us about the first time a guy made you cum?”

She immediately felt the blood rushing to her cheeks as she looked down at her lap. Of course, she didn’t want to answer the question, but she didn’t want to cause a scene either. Maybe she could lie. Make up some guy from college who theoretically rocked her world and call it a day. But the point of the game was to tell the truth and she was shit at lying and a stickler for following the rules. The whole room was staring at her, the pressure intensifying with every second. She squeezed her toes, desperately wishing at that moment she could simply disappear and none of this would matter anymore.

Harry’s arm flexed and held her tighter against him as he spoke up.

“She’s not gonna answer that one, ask something else,” he said.

“That’s not fair, it’s the point of the game. Come on, we all shared,” Adam insisted.

YN looked up at Harry, silently begging him to do something. And it was like he could read her mind.

“I said she’s not answering. Either ask another one or we’re leaving.” His voice was deeper and stronger than usual, and all signs of his typical smile vanished completely from his face.

“What, you’re not a virgin are you?”

“No! I’m not it-it’s just...” she couldn’t find the strength to say anything. Luckily, Harry came to her defense again.

He stood up suddenly, grabbing her hand in his and standing up suddenly.

“C’mon, we’re leaving. You don’t have to answer that,” he told her. “She’s not answering it,” he repeated again to the room as he started walking them towards the door.

She did her best to look apologetic to the rest of the group, but when they reached the night air outside and the door closed behind them she let out a sigh of relief. They walked down the hill a little way before Harry stopped, wrapping his arms around her neck and pulling her in close. He always knew exactly what she needed.

“Thank you, H,” she whispered into his chest, arms secured around his lower back. He was wearing an old cozy sweatshirt and she wanted to crawl up inside of it.

His hand started to rub up and down her back. “Of course. Stays between us, right?” He reminded her of his promise the other day. “Still gonna make sure that happens for you this summer though.”

YN knew exactly what he was suggesting, and she felt herself blushing again as she considered Harry somehow fulfilling his promise to give her a partner-induced orgasm before the end of the summer. After everything he had said to her recently, she started to wonder what his plan was. She was grateful that her face was still hidden in their hug.

“Now,” he started softly. “What are we going to do with the rest of our night? Hm?”

YN released her arms from around his back, and Harry followed suit.

“Well I realized we never actually did any stargazing the other night, and it’s so bright tonight I thought maybe we could -”

“Yes!” Harry cut her off. “That sounds perfect. Don’t wanna walk all the way out to our spot though, mind if we go somewhere else?”

YN agreed, and Harry took her hand to lead her to wherever it was that he had in mind. She expected him to let go after a few steps, but he didn’t. Instead, their hands dropped between them and he held onto her tight. His hand was large and warm around hers. Occasionally his thumb would rub up and down the back of her hand.

The walk was nice, and peaceful. She always loved walking through camp at night but it was ten times better with Harry. In the quiet between them, she let her mind wander to happy memories of summers past. The time she watched Harry win a hotdog eating competition in the dining hall. The time she almost fell on her roller skates but Harry reached her right in time so he fell on his ass but she fell only on him. The time YN attempted to play frisbee with him on the field, but accidentally threw the disk into the forest and it took Harry 15 minutes to find it and come back. The time they discovered mint growing down by the creek and picked some to put in their water bottles. The time when they were kids and YN tried so hard to teach Harry to properly dive, but he was a terrible pupil and ended up smacking his face on the water every time.

She had memories with other friends too, sure. But it was those moments with Harry - some special and some rather mundane - that stuck out to her the most. It was him she thought of when they passed each of those locations in the still night, bright stars overhead, and hands clasped together.

“Can practically hear you thinking,” he broke the silence.

She looked up at him with a soft smile. “Yeah, but good things though. I promise.”

Harry hummed in response as they turned the corner and reached the field. “Thought we could hike up to the cliff, stargaze from there. Know it’s dark but it’s not far and I’ve got a flashlight,” he suggested.

She realized then that he must’ve been somehow planning this because he never carried anything with him that he didn’t absolutely need. YN agreed and followed him to the small trailhead at the corner of the field. They started hiking up the narrow path, hands never releasing from one another.

They had hiked this trail dozens of times - a signature hike that was practically a requirement for any camper. But neither of them had ever done it at night. Harry led the way, scanning the trail with his flashlight and warning YN of rocks on the path or roots sticking up. He pushed low branches out of their way and tested the bigger rocks for stability, only allowing her to cross over them when he was convinced she would be safe.

Eventually, the trees parted way and opened up to a small clearing at the top of the cliff. From the edge, they could see the entire camp by the light of the moon. Harry stood behind her, holding her close with his arms around her middle, and she relaxed back into him. Her head rested on his chest and she let out a deep breath.

“Don’t think I’ve ever been up here at night,” he whispered to her like it was a secret, even though they were alone.

“Me neither.”

YN was meant to be looking up at the stars, but she was so at peace in that moment she let her eyelids drop and soaked up the moment with Harry instead. He had said he liked holding her close, but she never truly appreciated how good it felt until this moment. If she could freeze time and live in one moment forever, she’s pretty sure she would choose this one.

They were silent for a while, appreciating the moment together. Harry’s thumb stroked up and down her tummy a bit, and YN moved her hands to hold Harry’s arms. He was soft, and warm, and strong, and safe. The entire universe could melt away leaving just the two of them, and YN would still be happy to be standing there together.

After a few minutes of quiet, she opened her eyes. Adjusting to the moonlight, she blinked a few times, letting out a contented sigh.

“Harry?”

“Yeah?”

“I like when you hold me close too,” she admitted.

“Good,” he answered. “Because I think I want to start doing it a lot more often.”

YN turned around to face him without removing leaving his grasp. He had a pout, clearly disappointed that she was no longer resting up against him.

She leaned her head back and looked up at him to ask, “What do you mean when you say those things, H? Like when you said you wanted to be everything for me, or you were selfish and I’m yours. Or on the field, you said you wanted to do things alone?”

Harry sighed, a smile on his face as he shook his head at her. “You ask all these questions, YN. Thought I was making it pretty obvious.”

“Making what obvious?”

“That... that I want you.”

They were whispering, even though no one was within earshot. Harry used one hand on her lower back to press her closer to him, and lifted the other to rest his palm on the side of her face, his thumb rubbing softly at the apple of her cheek.

“Want me how?” she asked, breathless.

“Want you like this.”

He looked down to her lips, then back up at her eyes. Closing the distance between them, his soft lips touched hers. The gesture was gentle, careful, both of them holding their breaths. She melted into his touch and reached out for his body bringing one hand to his hip and the other to his chest. When his lips began to move, her hand grabbed at the top of his shirt, bringing him in even closer.

Harry took the lead in parting slightly, their lips still brushing as he spoke.

“You’ve no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

“Really? I... I never thought that you would want this... with me.”

He looked at her quizzically, head cocked to the side. “Why not?”

“Well... because you’re you, and I’m me,” she explained like it was obvious.

“What does that mean?”

“It means... Harry, you’re cute, and you’re sweet, and you have that accent, and you could get anyone you want. You kissed all my friends and never made a move on me so I just figured....”

“YN,” Harry started, shaking his head. “That is so... stupid. I never did that with you because... you were always worth too much to me. Those girls... I kissed them once and then never talked to them again. Or we hooked up a few times and then things got weird. I didn’t... even back then I knew you were more important than that, I didn’t want to lose you. Been thinking about this for years but you... you always turned me down.”

“Turned you down?” she asked, confused now. “You never even...”

“Babe, all those nights we went stargazing? You wouldn’t even touch my hand or give me a hug! I tried so many times but eventually, I just gave up and... I figured I’d rather have you as my friend than not have you at all. Or even the other night, outside your cabin. I told you I wanted to be everything for you, and you just hugged me and said I was a good friend. I’ve always been here. I’ve been right here waiting for you.”

YN was shocked at the revelation but did her best to hide it.

“You are... everything to me. Really.”

“For so long I thought you would never see me as anything else,” he admitted to her. “But now that I know that you... I’m never going to let you feel alone, ever again. I promise.”

“Well... let’s make up for lost time then.”

He didn’t answer, only leaned back in and started kissing her again, this time with a little more force. His right hand supported her jaw while his left traveled down to her hips where he used his leverage to pull her in tighter against him. YN let out a little gasp when she felt her core right up against him, and he used the opportunity to slip his tongue between her lips. YN took to it naturally, her heart fluttering as he squeezed at her hip and let his other hand move back into her hair.

“Harry,” she breathed out as he took a moment to catch his own breath.

“I know,” he responded before diving back in.

They continued like that for a while, hands wandering, lips and tongues working together. She could’ve sworn she heard him let out a few little sounds, but it might have been a trick of her brain when some birds called out overhead. His body was warm, and cozy, and safe. And he was really good at what he was doing.

A gust of wind passed over them, causing YN to shiver a bit. Harry stopped then, a look of concern on his face.

“Y’cold? Can have my jacket if you want,” he offered.

“No, I’d rather just... just keep holding me.”

So he did. They stood there together, at the top of the cliff overlooking the whole camp, and held each other close - YN’s back leaning against Harry’s front and her head resting on his shoulder. Their breaths synced up and YN turned her attention to the sky, where it was meant to be all along. And they stayed like that, close and warm and content until YN looked down at her watch and noticed it was almost staff curfew.

“Should probably head down now,” she said.

“Yeah...” he agreed but didn’t move. “Just... lemme stay like this for a couple more minutes.”

. . .

YN couldn’t stop smiling. It was plastered across her face all day, and only got wider when she saw Harry or remembered last night. She was in a great mood in the morning, a time that she was usually a little bit grouchy. And had almost too much enthusiasm when her campers won a basketball game. At pool time, she actually changed into her bathing suit and played with the kids, jumping and diving in and taking silly pictures.

Harry was being sweet on her all day too. At breakfast, he made her coffee and let her eat off of his plate. He disciplined a camper so she didn’t have to when they were refusing to clear off their lunch plate. And he sat next to her during every program and activity - which wasn’t different from normal, but given what had just happened, it felt different to YN. Some little empty spot inside of her heart that had been there for as long as she could remember felt like it had been filled with a magic, sparkling warmth that only Harry could give her. She remembered how Harry had told her that night behind the cabin that he knew she was lonely, and YN knew in that moment that she was never going to feel lonely again. Not as long as Harry was around.

Like every day, the campers pestered her about Harry, but she indulged them a smidge more. When they giggled over how cute he was she casually agreed, and when they asked what his hugs were like she described them as solid and warm and safe. When they asked if they were dating, she still said no but she said it with a bit more of a smile than usual.

In the early afternoon during art time, the girls were working on ceramics and the boys were having a turn at tie-dye. YN doesn’t always participate in these activities with the campers, often taking the time where they are being supervised by additional staff to take a step back and relax or gossip with Harry. But he was heavily engaged in helping his kids with their tie dye (mostly making sure they didn’t squirt dye at each other) so YN decided it was as good a time as ever to try her hand at making a pot. There was definitely some trial and error involved, and when Harry walked over to check on her “need some water or anything?” she couldn’t stop herself from dabbing a spot of wet clay onto his nose, both of them giggling.

They sat together during the daily staff meeting, Harry’s arm securely around YN’s shoulder as Mitch droned on with information that they were meant to be listening to. She had to resist the urge to melt into his side the same way she melted into him while held her on the cliff the night before. In all honesty, she hardly paid any attention to the meeting. Her mind was too busy replaying visions of her and Harry hiking, looking at the stars, kissing...

Harry stood up, shaking YN out of her thoughts as the meeting ended. He turned around to look at her with a soft smile.

“So, steal some snacks? Watch TV in the lounge?” he suggested.

“No, let’s... let’s hang out in my cabin.”

Harry’s smile grew wider as he knew exactly what she was thinking. They walked up the hill hand in hand, giggling as they fell through the doorway of the cabin, trekking over the messes left by campers after weeks of not cleaning. They made it to the front of the cabin and stood in front of her bed.

Hooking his fingers into her belt loops, he pulled her in closer to him so their centers matched. Her breath was heavy as she looked into his eyes and started giggling softly, one hand on his bicep and the other resting over his heart. Matching her energy, Harry placed a few pecks on her lips before leaving short kisses on the tip of her nose, her cheek, her forehead. Her laughter grew with his every touch and she felt the butterflies in her tummy dancing like fireworks.

Stopping for a moment, Harry backed up and tilted his head, hearts in his eyes as he admired YN who started blushing uncontrollably.

“Y’so.... fuckin’ beautiful, shit,” he murmured under his breath. Her blush grew even deeper.

“Shut up and kiss me,” she responded, moving her hand from his arm to bury her fingers in the hair at the back of his head.

“Alright.” With a smile, he dove back in, kissing her deeply.

The night before on the cliff was gentle, timid, unsure, and soft. But this time was eager and hungry. One of his hands stroked up her side, thumb gently passing over the side of her breast and then snaking around to her upper back, where he used his new leverage to push her even closer to him. His other hand remained on her hip, squeezing tightly, and she hoped there might be faint bruises left over.

As they stood there together, making out in an empty cabin in the middle of the day, YN was the happiest she could ever remember being. Historically, she had not always loved making out compared to other acts she could be doing instead, but with Harry, she would take whatever he would give her. His lips were soft and plush, his body was warm, and she never felt more wanted than in that moment with him.

He let his hand wander from her hip around her back to appreciate her ass. Squeezing one cheek lightly, the tips of his fingers reached below the frayed hemline of the shorts and came in contact with her soft skin.

“Fuck, babe. Driving me crazy running ‘round in these things,” he groaned against her lips.

She giggled in response, becoming pliant as he turned their bodies similarly to how they navigated the platform on the ropes course, and the back of her knees hit the edge of her bed. Their lips broke for a moment as she rearranged herself to be lying down on the twin-sized mattress. Harry followed her, his left arm supporting his body on the bed next to her shoulder and his right hand finding its place on her jaw. He hovered above her, tilting her chin up to meet his as he reconnected their lips.

That’s when she felt his hips drop down to meet hers. She let out a small gasp into the kiss as she felt the extent of his excitement, and he chuckled under his breath in response. They tried not to break their lips apart, but when he rolled his hips into hers, she couldn’t help but let out a shallow breath, mouth open wide.

“Fuck...so much I wanna do... don’t know where t’start,” Harry admitted, lips brushing up against YN’s.

“Harry, I’m gonna be honest, I’m so fucking wet right now I don’t even care what you do but if you don’t do something right now I’m going to literally die,” she begged.

He laughed a bit at that, shifting his body enough to leave a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Want me to take care of you?” he asked.

“Please.”

“How much time do we have left?”

YN looked at her watch. “A little over 40 minutes.”

“Ok,” he nodded, gears clearly spinning as he thought through his plan. “I can work with that. But next time,” he raised a brow, making sure she was looking at him before repeating himself. “I can make that work, but next time we’re gonna go slow, alright?”

She nodded her head eagerly, still desperate for him to do something, anything. To touch her or kiss her or something.

“Eager today, hm?”

“Harry, I’ve been waiting for this for so long, please just touch me.”

He laughed again, leaning down to kiss at her jaw, behind her ear, and down her neck. Desperately, he wanted to leave a mark on her pulse point but he knew better than that given the circumstances. Still, he took his time, appreciating every bit of her body that he had access to. Her shoulder, her collar bones, the top of her chest.

Finally, his hands found their way under the hem of her shirt and started to lift slowly. His touch on her skin felt like fire in the best possible way.

“Can I?” he asked. Again, she nodded her head.

She sat up a bit to help him lift her shirt up over her head, which he threw to the ground to join the rest of the mess in the cabin. Before YN could lay back down completely his hand twisted around to her back, resting flat over the clasp of her bra.

“And...?”

“Yes,” she breathed out desperately.

With a quick twist, he released the clasp and she wiggled her shoulders to help the old, unexciting bra fall down. He took it the rest of the way off of her, throwing it on the floor as well. Then he sat back for a moment, eyes glued to her body, admiring her wordlessly. YN started to squirm under his harsh gaze, tempted to cover herself with her arm.

She started to move to block his view, but he caught her hand just in time and placed it back beside her.

“No just... so pretty I jus’ wanna...” his voice drifted off and his gaze turned softer as he leaned down and started leaving kisses on the tops of her breasts.

YN closed her eyes, appreciating the feeling of his mouth on her body, finally. While his mouth focused on one side, his hand kneaded at the other until they switched. He sucked and pinched at her nipples until they were standing up proud for him to lick at. But he was moving slowly, too slowly, and they only had limited time before they had to pick up their campers from electives.

“Harry, this is great but I need you to-”

“I know,” he cut her off.

Harry left one last kiss on each breast before trailing his mouth down her stomach until he reached the top of her denim shorts. He hooked a finger beneath the waistband and looked up at her, waiting for her nod before he continued to pull down her shorts and panties in one pull. She lifted her hips to help him and he threw them onto the floor with the rest of her clothes.

“Take off your shirt,” she demanded.

He smiled, pulling his shirt from the back of his neck and tossing it aside.

“Like what you see?” he teased.

With a straight face, she responded “Yes, now please.”

Harry giggled a bit, sitting back on his knees at the end of the bed. He placed his hands on her thighs and looked up at her with a soft gaze as he left a gentle squeeze.

“Now this,” he said, dimple popping on one side, “is where I keep that promise from the other night.”

It took YN a moment to break through the fog in her brain and remember what he was talking about - a partner-induced orgasm.

“Bold of you to assume you can do it.”

“Is that a challenge? I take this very seriously,” he replied, smile still plastered across his face.

She nodded.

“Alrigh’ then, spread your legs for me darlin’,” he told her softly, dragging his hands down her thighs and helping to spread her open.

He took his place in between her legs, and exactly as he had with her chest he took a moment to admire her body in front of him.

“Can’t believe y’hid this pussy from me for so long,” he said mostly to himself, shaking his head.

YN felt the cold air meet her center and shivered.

“Won’t be cold for long, I promise.”

With that, Harry dove down and got to work. He started by licking her core up and down, appreciating it and getting a feel for her body. When he sucked lightly on her clit she felt her body jolt, completely out of her own control. And when his tongue entered her, she threw her head back on the pillow.

But the killer was when he sat up a bit to take a breath and used his hands to spread her lips apart, keeping direct eye contact with her as he let a trail of spit land right on her most sensitive spot.

“Harry,” YN said breathlessly. “It’s... it’s a lot but it’s so... fuck H... you’re doing so good you...” She could barely get a sentence out but tried her best knowing that he liked the praise.

“Y’like that? Good... you’re doing so good for me, baby.” Her body shuddered again, but this time it wasn’t from the temperature in the room. Maybe she liked the praise a little bit too.

“Harry...”

“I know baby, I know,” he whispered against her skin, not stopping his movements.

He looked right up at her then, making eye contact as he put on a show of licking at her little button. It didn’t last for long though, since she closed her eyes to cope with the pleasure she was feeling. By this point, she was squirming and wiggling beyond her control, and Harry had to place his arm over her lower tummy to help keep her still for him.

They were in a rush timing-wise, but based on Harry’s movements she would have thought they had all the time in the world. He used his tongue in long, languid strokes, his fingers assisting with her clit while he tasted her. Rubbing in slow circles, his movements somehow matched the low groans he was letting out at her taste.

“Best thing I’ve ever tasted,” he murmured under his breath before looking up at YN’s face. “Could stay down here all day, y’know that?”

“Harry, please. We don’t have much time.”

She was right, his slow movements were eating away at their deadline and if he wanted to get her to the finish line he was going to have to start working for it. He looked at the time on her bedside clock, eyes going wide as he saw that they only had 20 minutes left.

“Want you to relax for me, can you do that?” he asked her. “Only gonna work if you relax and let me work, ok?”

“I’ll try.”

“Good girl.”

She keened at the phrase, and blood would have rushed to her cheeks if it wasn’t already rushing down to her throbbing clit. A bit embarrassed, YN was relieved that Harry didn’t say anything about her reaction, but secretly hoped he noticed enough that he would at least say it again.

As he refocused again, he brought his mouth to her clit and filled her with his fingers. She hadn’t had anyone inside of her for a long time, so even though his fingers were smaller than her vibrator, the sensation took a moment to get used to. But he hardly gave her any time at all, thrusting his fingers in and out of her at a ruthless pace. Meanwhile, his lips encased her enlarged clit, sucking hard in pulses and using his tongue to circle around the area. It was a lot, and it was so good.

“Harry... I... fuck... you’re so... Harry...”

He hummed without lifting his mouth from its spot and the vibrations went straight to her core. She could feel her stomach starting to tighten up, her toes starting to curl, the muscles in her legs starting to tense. With one hand she grabbed at the sheet, the other buried deep in his hair and starting to pull. She wanted to tell him he was doing a good job, wanted to tell him she was going to cum soon, wanted to tell him ‘thank you for trying so hard’, wanted to appease the praise kink she knew he had. But in that moment her brain was relegated to a pile of mush and if she tried to say any words she was confident they would come out like gibberish.

So instead she opened her mouth, allowing her vocal cords to wake up and add some music to the heavy breathing and panting she had been doing up until that point. Her small moans did the talking for her, letting him know she was close and starting to lose control.

The octave of her sounds went up suddenly when he twisted his fingers, rubbing them against the top of her walls and finding that elusive spot that no other man had managed (or even tried) to find. Her hips started bucking towards him on their own accord, and that’s how she knew he was really going to keep his promise.

“Harry... I... Harry,” was all she could get out of her mouth prior to the flood of pleasure ripped through her body. It was completely different than the orgasms she had caused by herself. Maybe her vibrator could be a bit stronger than his fingers, but with Harry never stopping his motions, she felt grateful and happy in a way that the small robot could never make her feel. Her eyes squeezed tightly closed, head leaning all the way back to reveal her elongated neck, and she tugged even harder at Harry’s hair (which only made him moan again, increasing the sensations she was experiencing in that moment).

YN wasn’t even aware of the noises she was making or how loud she was being, even though she probably should have tried to keep quiet as the old buildings were definitely not soundproof to any extent. But in that moment none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was Harry and the way he was making her feel.

He continued rubbing and thrusting and sucking and licking until she couldn’t take any more, whimpering as she used her grasp in his hair to push him away. She was panting, eyes still closed as she attempted to catch her breath.

Opening her eyes just in time, YN saw Harry bring his fingers up to his mouth, sucking them clean followed by wiping his shiny face on the back of her discarded shirt. He crawled up the bed to lie down next to her, and she knew she had a stupid smile on her face but she didn’t even care.

“Told you I’d make it happen for you this summer. Dream team, right?”

She giggled at that.

Looking at her watch, she realized they only had 10 minutes left until they had to be down the hill with their campers, which meant they only had 5 minutes until they had to throw their clothes back on and leave the cabin.

“Is five minutes enough for me to... for you... your turn?” she settled on, unsure of how to ask what she was suggesting.

Harry let out a short breath. “Shit, YN. After watching you do that I think I could cum in about 30 seconds. I mean. Fuck.”

YN giggled as she reached down to his tummy, spreading her fingers out to feel his soft skin and muscles before drifting lower to the top of his shorts.

“Gonna let me help, then?” she asked softly.

He nodded in response as YN hooked her fingers in his waistband and pulled his pants down. When his length sprang up and nearly hit his stomach, she had to pause. YN wanted so badly to admire his cock, to appreciate his body the way he had done for her, or maybe even more so. But they didn’t have time. She could swear it was both longer and thicker than what he had described while they were drinking a few days ago, but she could easily be remembering wrong. Regardless, it had no business being as pretty as it was. Solid, a thick vein running up the side, his head sensitive and nearly purple as he started to leak.

But right as she was about to reach for it and get to work, Harry stopped her. He grabbed her hand, bringing it up to his lips where he kissed each of her knuckles.

“Wait, no babe,” he told her. “We don’t have time and I want... I want things to always be good with us, yeah? I made you feel good, and next time it can be my turn, ok?”

With a few minutes left over, the two of them opted to stay where they were in her bed, YN resting her head on Harry’s chest and their arms wrapped around each other. This was the type of holding close she had been secretly hoping he was talking about up on the ropes course. She heard his heartbeat eventually start to slow down, and his breathing stretched out. If they had more time, they definitely would have both fallen asleep like that.

But they didn’t. With five minutes left until electives ended, at the time they should have been walking out of the door, YN and Harry groaned in a very unsexy way as they pulled themselves out of the bed. Harry threw his clothes back on quickly, but YN had to dig through her shelf to find a new shirt and make sure to hide the dirty one at the bottom of her laundry bag.

After changing, YN turned around to see Harry looking at her with a smile.

“What?”

“Nothing just...” he placed a short kiss on her lips. “Alright, now we can go.”

It was like that for a few days, then, spending that quality alone time together in her cabin during hours off. On nights off they had to get more creative with their locations - the storage room on the field, behind the infirmary, in the oversized bathroom, on a platform hidden behind some trees that no one ever used. It was risky, sure. But it was exciting, and fun, and new. YN didn’t really care where they were or what they were doing as long as they were doing it together.

Harry was so good with his words, too. So many years of practice made him great at getting her worked up just by what he said to her and how he said it. Sometimes he would whisper something naughty in her ear during the staff meeting when they were surrounded by their peers. But mostly he spoke to her in that perfect way while he was knuckles deep inside of her, or his head was buried between her legs, or his dick was inside of her mouth and his hand was on the back of her head.

They always felt like they had limited time. Even on nights off, there was a curfew and the ever-present risk of getting caught. They were hardly the first couple to hook up at camp but still, no one wanted to get caught in the act. So with the risk and time limits hanging over their heads, they never felt safe enough to really go for it, to fully give themselves to one another in the way they really wanted to.

YN didn’t mind though. Ever since that night on the cliff, she craved Harry’s lips on hers. It was like a drug. She started getting distracted while he was talking to her because instead of staring into his bright eyes, she was gazing longingly at his plush lips. On more than one occasion she caught herself right in time before leaning in to kiss him in front of campers. When they finally got to be alone, the first thing she would always do is attach herself to him by the lips and swear she would never let go.

They weren’t always being naughty while they were alone though. Oftentimes they were doing the same thing they had always been doing, just with some extra affection. They still snuck into the kitchen to steal snacks but hid in an empty room so they could give each other kisses between bites. She told him about her day with her head on his lap as he played with her hair. And she scratched his back lightly while he was face down on her bed complaining about a camper. Sometimes they held hands and walked through the forest at night, reminiscing over old memories. And a lot of the time they held each other close, cuddling warm and cozy without saying a word.

One night they decided to hike to the hidden campsite that was never used anymore and do some more stargazing together. They sat down on a big rock and Harry wrapped his arm around YN to hold her close and keep her warm. Like they always had, they would point out shapes in the stars to each other, discussing the universe or whatever else was on their minds. But what was on their mind tended to be them together, and in between, they couldn’t keep from kissing each other. YN even caught Harry looking at her when she was trying to point out a puppy she had found in the stars.

“H, you’re not looking,” she chastised him softly.

“I’m looking right where I wanna be, babe.” He left a kiss on her cheek before finally turning to see where she was pointing to.

And when it was quiet, they would talk about the future. They discussed their career paths, and how YN always wanted a little home with a picket fence and a dog. And Harry told her about the garden he always dreamed of when he was little. She told him about the cities in America she was considering when it was time to leave camp and start a year-round job, and Harry desperately tried to convince her that London was better.

“But it’s so foggy and gray, Harry,” she had complained.

Harry shrugged. “Sure it’ll brighten up if you’re there. You’ll see. I’m taking you in September, and don’t even try to stop me.”

And she didn’t. She loved the idea of getting to visit London with Harry, finally seeing the places he had been telling her about for years. But mostly she wanted to see him in his other comfort zone - camp was definitely a home to him but his real home, she was sure, would bring out something else in him that she might not have been able to see yet. And she always wanted to see more of him.

One day they decided to do things a bit backward. Instead of sneaking out at night, they each slipped out of their cabins early in the morning, before the sun was up. YN was giggling to herself when she found Harry at the trailhead for the cliff in the corner of the field. They were each still in their pajamas, wrapped up in sweatshirts and bracing the chilly morning air. They made it up the hill in time to watch the sunrise over the camp together. The wind was sharper up there, so YN brought herself close to Harry, hugging him tightly and tucking her head under his chin. He held her close, rubbing up and down her back to help keep her warm as they looked out at the pinks and oranges in the sky together before quickly hurrying back down and into their cabins before anyone could realize they were missing.

YN was notoriously not a morning person, but it was impossible to say no to Harry if he suggested something so special. To make it up to her, he had her coffee and breakfast waiting for her in the cafeteria that morning.

Even in her sleepy state, Harry was able to make her laugh at breakfast that morning. They always laughed together, but in the recent days since they kissed they had been laughing even more. It was a big lift, considering Harry had been making her laugh for years. But for some reason, every word that came out of his mouth seemed funny, and she couldn’t keep herself from giggling. She was just as bad as some of her campers, except they would run away as the giggles broke out. With nowhere to run, YN was relegated to childish laughter right in front of Harry. But he never seemed to mind. She could swear it made him smile deeper.

Harry took that laughter to heart, apparently. Because after his little move at capture the flag worked on her, he was desperate to catch YN like that again. He practically chased her around the pool until the lifeguard actually blew a whistle at them. She slowed down to a walk, but not for long as he rushed up beside her, grabbed her by the waist, and jumped into the deep end with her screaming. They came up for air laughing and gasping for breath. YN tried to shove him a bit, but Harry just swam away, daring her to catch him.

And YN didn’t hold back anymore, either. Not that she really was before. But when he walked into dinner wearing a yellow shirt that showed off his honey skin tone and gray shorts that were a bit shorter than his regular tan line, she couldn’t control herself.

“You look hot,” she told him after looking around to make sure no one was in earshot.

He shrugged. “I was out in the sun all day. Here I got you that salad dressing you like,” he said, passing a plate over to her.

Harry had always taken care of her, asking if she needed water, reminding her to grab a jacket. He redoubled his efforts in that area. Refilling her water for her when the line at the fountain was long, reminding her to actually eat her meals when she got distracted by a needy camper, even bringing an extra one of his sweatshirts one evening because he knew that no matter how much he reminded her, she would always forget how chilly it gets once the sun goes down. The effort was big enough that YN noticed, like really noticed. And for the first time, she realized that he had been doing some of these things all along. And maybe if she wasn’t so dense she would have noticed that he didn’t just treat her so well because they were best friends, but because he cared so deeply for her that he couldn’t help it.

YN did nice things for Harry as well. In addition to the onslaught of hugs he was receiving, she gifted him the clay pot she had made in art a few days prior. She painted it rainbow, and when she gave it to him she promised that on their next day off they would buy potting soil and a nice plant to grow in it. She snuck some of his dirty clothes into her bag when it was girls’ laundry day and he was running out of clean socks. Over the years she had made Harry countless friendship bracelets, but it was always because he asked her. Now she was making him one of the biggest she’d ever made and wouldn’t even let him pick the colors because the colors are based on my impression of your aura. You can’t give me any hints.

The campers definitely noticed that something had changed between them as well, but for once, YN didn’t really mind their badgering. She started answering their questions a little bit more coyly. Instead of saying no when they asked if she was dating Harry, she would respond “well, what did I say last time? Do you think anything is different than the last hundred times you asked?” They were so intrigued by him, begging and begging for him to come by their cabin in the evening again, that YN finally relented and invited him to bring his guitar to sing lullabies.

That night was a good deal for YN anyway. She got to spend more time with Harry, listen to his beautiful singing voice, and even put her campers to bed earlier than usual. His voice was nothing short of angelic to her ears, and apparently, the kids agreed. Most of them drifted off within fifteen minutes of his arrival. And although he was technically supposed to be singing to the campers, he spent most of the time looking directly into YN’s eyes. After most of the campers had drifted off, he played both Landslide and The Chain by Fleetwood Mac, which YN knew were two of his all-time favorite songs. His voice was soft and calming as YN eventually tucked herself into bed.

Before he left, Harry gave YN a kiss on the top of her head.

“Sleep well, baby,” he whispered to her, careful not to let any lingering ears hear the pet name.

Already under the blankets and cozy, YN decided it was probably best to call it an early night. Not long ago she had been kept up late because she was thinking of Harry - but this night, she felt comforted and safe even just by the memory of him being there. She imagined he was in the bed with her, innocently cuddling up close to each other. That night she dreamt of his voice singing only to her while she rested her head on his chest, his arms embracing her, warm under the blanket in a room by themselves.

It might have been fun and games for the campers, but trouble came in the form of other staff noticing that things were changing. No one could really point to anything in particular because if they said it out loud, it sounded like the kind of stuff they always did - sitting together at meals, gossiping during programs, spending nights off together. What had changed was in the unspoken moments - the way they looked into each other’s eyes, the vibe let off while they were together.

It had gotten to a point where Mitch had actually reprimanded the two of them for spending too much time together and not enough time with their campers. They tried to argue that they were often together because they were with their campers, but it was to no avail. The ultimatum was that if they weren’t sitting with their campers at the next meal time, they wouldn’t be allowed in the same age group next session. And that was a risk neither of them were willing to take, especially not now.

So they sat at the table eating their soggy tacos for lunch surrounded by 11 and 12-year-olds and pretending like everything was exactly the same. YN tried desperately to follow the stories the kids would tell, to understand the gossip they were spinning, but she always lost her way. Harry, on the other hand, was right there with them. He really shined while he was doing his job. He listened, he made them laugh, and he gave great advice. The girls were still coming up to him with random questions after his promise to always be honest with them after that first night in the cabin.

And honestly, even while YN was surrounded by kids, she had a pretty narrow vision of Harry. She was practically blinded by the light he was letting off. Multiple times the kids had to reach around her to pass the sauce because she wasn’t paying enough attention. And normally she would have felt guilty - she really prided herself on her job as a counselor. But at this point, she didn’t really care as much as she cared about listening to whatever words came slowly dripping out of Harry’s mouth.

So they met the ultimatum, but only barely.

At dinner, Mitch instructed them to sit completely separately from each other. They needed to show the campers that you should be friends with everyone! And as hard as it was, both of them knew they had to do it. A little time apart would be ok. And they weren’t truly apart anyway, they were only sitting at different tables for one hour for dinner. How bad could it be?

YN honestly thought it wasn’t too bad at all. At first, she was frustrated because after spending days completely absorbed in Harry, the thought of losing one of their favorite moments of the day together was going to be difficult. But she ended up sitting with a group of campers and Niall, and she already knew he could be fun after they were color wars captains together. He was funny and made her laugh with his dramatic stories and big gestures. The kids ate up every word that came out of his mouth (including when he told them to eat their vegetables).

“Y’know,” he turned to her when the kids were mostly distracted. “On color wars day, when we went back to the cabin after lunch, he was all mopy and grumpy,” Niall told her.

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. But he always gets like that when you’re not around.”

This was news to YN, but she couldn’t say she was surprised. She often felt out of sorts when they were separated too, and after the way he had been treating her so sweetly recently...

“He was so cranky I had to mess with him so of course I put a peeled banana in his pillowcase that night. Didn’t laugh as much as I had hoped but, it helped.”

YN laughed at the story, and she kept laughing as Niall told her about more pranks and jokes he had pulled on Harry and others. And because she couldn’t see the look in Harry’s eyes from across the room as he watched her laughing at Niall’s jokes, she thought everything was fine and dandy. She happened to be standing next to Niall during closing circle that evening, and while the arm around her waist wasn’t Harry’s, it was nice being supported by someone over the age of 12. When the song ended, the kids all started to hug each other goodnight, so naturally, YN gave Niall a quick hug and then sought out Harry who was on the other side of the room.

YN was excited to get a moment to talk with Harry after being separated from him for most of the day, but as she approached him she saw a deep furrow in his brow. Her smile dropped quickly as she cocked her head to the side, questioning him.

“Why’re you so grumpy?”

“Not grumpy,” he denied, voice deeper than usual.

She smiled then, reaching up to push back a curl of his hair that had fallen in front of his eyes. Grabbing his face lightly, she used her thumbs to try and smooth out the crinkle in his brow. His gaze softened a touch, but not as much as she had hoped.

“Definitely grumpy about something...”

He sighed. “Just... I mean just because we weren’t allowed to be together today doesn’t mean y’gotta be all over Niall, y’know?” he said softly so no one else could hear.

At first, YN thought he was kidding and started to chuckle. But when his expression didn’t change she realized how serious he truly was.

“Oh babe, I wasn’t all over Niall. He’s a nice friend, gives good hugs. No need to be jealous.” She used a gentle tone, hoping to soften him up a bit.

“‘M not jealous,” he insisted. “It’s just...” he grabbed her hand and pulled her body closer to his, but still not as close as she knew he wanted. Whispering in her ear he finished his sentence, “You’re mine, ok?”

“Course, H. We’re the dream team.”

“No,” he shook his head. “We’ve always been the dream team, but now you’re really mine...”

“Oh.” She didn’t know how else to respond. The comment made her insides feel like melted marshmallows and the campfire that burnt them all at the same time.

“I don’t like to share,” he admitted.

YN stood there for a moment, thinking until a lightbulb went off.

“You don’t have to share me, H. In fact... meet me by the parking lot again tonight. Think it’s a good night for our spot, yeah?”

They agreed, and YN gave him a short kiss on the cheek goodbye, immediately blushing and looking around to see if anyone saw. She thought she might be in the clear, but just in case, she started brainstorming excuses. Harry could apparently see the gears rotating in her head because he cut off her thoughts.

“Tell them it’s a British thing - they won’t know any better.”

And the line worked because the girls definitely had something to say when they were back in the cabin. They were so thoroughly convinced that YN and Harry were in love that the little one started asking things like “What’s the nicest thing he’s ever done for you?” and “Does he like to cuddle at night?” She brushed them off as usual, but it was getting harder every day to keep up the charade. Before they had gotten together it was annoying but fun to field their questions. But now? Now it was getting to be a bit of a struggle because camp rules required them to never find out the truth.

She clicked the walkie-talkie three times as she headed out the door, and smiled when she heard three clicks in return. Practically skipping down the hill, she made her way to the parking lot where Harry was already waiting for her. Although this time she was hoping he had no alcohol with him.

When they were still a few yards away from each other, YN couldn’t help but jog, jumping up into his open arms. She stood on her toes, arms around his neck, and kissed his lips eagerly. It was difficult, though, because both of them were smiling like teenagers.

“Your hair looks nice,” she told him, dragging a hand through his locks after they separated their lips.

“You’re only saying that because you want to get in my pants,” he teased.

She shrugged. “No, I think your hair looks nice and I wanna get in your pants.”

He kissed her nose sweetly and then turned his attention away from her and back to the trunk of his car.

“Listen I have a few things I thought we could bring with us...” he trailed off as he searched around in the endless dark void.

“You are not drugging me up again, Styles,” she demanded.

“Don’t worry babe, wouldn’t even dream of it. I have... ah!” He looked proud of himself as he pulled out what looked to be an old blanket.

“Y’always get cold, even with a sweatshirt, so I thought we’d bring some blankets. And I knew you’d forget your water, so I brought some extra.”

“Take such good care of me, H.”

They walked hand in hand down the path on the way to their old spot, recounting their days to one another. For the first time in a long time, they actually had new information for each other after spending some time apart. One of Harry’s boys might’ve sprained his ankle during sports time, causing a whole scene and refusing to go to the infirmary. And one of YN’s girls had gotten a crush on an older boy that she couldn’t stop talking about. Both of them, it turns out, had to field more questions than usual from their campers regarding their relationship.

“Getting harder to convince them nothin’s happening,” Harry told her. “I think they see the way I look at you.”

They reached their spot, the small stage in the middle of the clearing near the lake. Harry spread out one of the blankets he had brought and they laid down on it, on their backs so they could look up at the sky.

It was quiet, except for the rustling of the trees as the wind blew or the scurrying of a small animal a short distance away. She held his hand, interweaving their fingers as they settled into their peaceful surroundings. Even with all the other new fun things they were doing together, nothing would ever beat this - stargazing in their spot together. And for the first time in a long time, YN’s head wasn’t spinning with scenarios or ideas or questions. She was just content. Harry was with her, the stars were above her, and she was content.

“After the summer, I think we should travel together,” he stated out of nowhere.

She laughed a bit. “Sure, H. You gonna pay for that on your amazing camp salary?”

“I’ll find a way.”

It was quiet again for a moment.

“Can I wear your yellow sunglasses tomorrow?” she asked softly.

“Sure.”

Another pause.

“What do you think the stars would taste like?”

At first, she wasn’t sure if he was serious, but he asked the question softly so she considered it.

“Putting aside the fact that they’re like... fire or whatever...” they both giggled. “I think, like, metaphorically, they look like they taste like honey.”

“Honey?”

“Yeah.”

She didn’t explain. And he didn’t ask.

“Harry?”

“Yeah?”

“I like having you with me.”

“Always been here, babe. Was waiting for you to realize it.”

She rolled over, then, to give him a quick kiss on the lips, though they were both smiling through it making it a bit difficult logistically.

“I just wanna tell everyone that you’re mine,” he admitted quietly.

“Everyone?” YN started. “I think you really just wanted to tell Niall today.”

Harry laughed. “Yeah well... someone has to tell him eventually, hm?”

“Tell him what, exactly?” she challenged.

He looked at her with confusion. “That you’re mine?” His voice went up a bit at the end.

“Is that a question? What... what does being ‘yours’ mean?”

And he answered her question much like he did her question up on the cliff.

“It means this-” He rolled over, kissing her deeply and bringing his hand up to rest on her jaw.

YN wanted more answers, she wanted to get him to actually explain things for once. But more than that she wanted to keep feeling his lips on hers and his hands on her body. She would never get completely used to the feeling of kissing her best friend, but it was so good that the nerves faded away quickly.

She reached to bring one hand up into his hair and the other one around his back. He rolled further on top of her, still hovering a bit but allowing their bodies to touch. She felt surrounded by him, and his smell, and the heat coming from his body. They were rolling around making out on an old blanket atop an abandoned stage, it was comfortable, and she never wanted the feeling to end.

“Haven't... haven’t done much star g-gazing,” she stuttered between kisses.

“Fuck the stars.”

“Or you could fuck me.”

He stopped then, backing his face away from hers so he could look into her eyes. Waiting a moment, he left ample space for her to take back her comment, to say it was a joke, to withdraw consent in any way. But she didn’t. She bit her lip, staring up at him like he was the entire universe, and silently begging him to do more.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish, YN,” he replied breathlessly.

“If I can’t finish, that’s on you.”

He chuckled at her response before kissing her again, this time with more desire and urgency. Using his arms to support himself, he readjusted his legs so one was against her center, and started rolling his hips into her. She gasped into the kiss and he bit down on her lower lip lightly.

Without stopping his movements, he whispered to her between breaths. “I think... you’ve always been mine... just didn’t know how... how to tell me.”

And he wasn’t wrong in that assumption. She had always been his best friend, his default partner, his confidant, his dream team. And he was just as much hers, she just never realized that when he reminded her to drink water or gave her his sweatshirt it was because she had him utterly and completely whipped for her.

“Tellin’ you now...”

“Tell me then. Tell me you’re mine.”

He practically growled at the last phrase, digging his hips into hers with more force and causing her to gasp again. Every bit of his body felt good, and she was only barely touching him. Her grasp in his hair got tighter, and her fingers curled in to grab at his shirt on his back.

“Yours... I’m yours.”

“Fuck.” Harry hung his head low, trying to even out his breathing. “That’s by far the hottest thing you’ve ever said to me... I can’t... YN I can’t wait any longer. Gotta make you mine for real. Gotta... shit.”

“You wanna fuck me?” she filled in for him.

And again he groaned at her words. “Fuck yes, babe. I... shit I don’t have a...”

“It’s ok,” she cut him off. “I... I’ve got an IUD and I’m clean and you...”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m clean. Promise. Shit, you sure you’re ok with this?” he asked, giving her another opportunity to back out.

But she didn’t need it. She was confident that she wanted this as she had never wanted anything else before.

“I... yes Harry,” she told him. “Just...”

His head snapped up to look at her when he sensed her hesitation.

“Just haven’t done this in a while, so I might not be... I’m a bit rusty, ok?”

Harry gave a comforting chuckle.

“Baby, all you gotta do is lay there and look pretty. And you’re doing a damn good job at that. Doesn’t matter what you do, I think I’ve made it pretty clear I’m crazy for you.”

YN wasn’t typically the most assertive in sexual situations, but in this case, she couldn’t wait any longer. She used her leverage on the back of his head to bring his face down closer to hers and continue kissing him, slipping her tongue between his lips until he opened up and allowed for the intrusion. Their tongues worked together, dancing and drawing shapes around each other furiously.

Her grip in his hair tightened again and her hand on his back searched for anything to grab onto. He audibly groaned as she started scratching lightly at his skin. She used the opening to further explore his mouth with her tongue, silently begging him for more.

“Gonna... gonna fuck you so good... make sure everyone knows... knows that you’re mine,” he said between breaths.

“Yes,” she told him. “Yours... I’m yours... make me feel so good...”

He groaned at that, her words clearly affecting him as he left his spot on her mouth and allowed himself to lick and suck at the tender spots on her neck instead. At first, she let out a disappointed whine at the loss of contact, but the disappointment quickly turned into pleasure when he bit down harshly on a soft spot right below her ear.

Slowly, he continued a trail of kisses down her neck, to her chest. Her shirt was in his way and clearly frustrating him.

“Gonna take this off, ok?” he asked, pinching her shirt.

She nodded and sat up a bit to help him lift the shirt over her arms. He had seen her without it many times now, but he still stopped for a moment to stare and appreciate her body in front of him.

Mumbling to himself, she barely heard him say, “shit, y’so fucking beautiful... love y’body so much.” He said it quietly, clearly out of pure admiration.

As she was about to beg him to move, he leaned back down and picked up right where he left off, leaving small, wet kisses to the tops of her breasts. He made his way down a little lower, pulling one of the cups of her bra down and biting down a bit harder just next to her nipple. She whined lightly, but he soothed the area with kisses and then leaned back to admire his work.

He had left a deep, pretty mark, not far from her nipple where it was sure to always be covered. She felt like he was claiming her, and it felt amazing. He continued kissing around the area, hands exploring her body, but he wasn’t moving fast enough.

“Harry... please do something...”

“I am doing something,” he teased.

“Do more.”

“What do you need, darling? Tell me.”

She huffed, grip in his hair once again tightening until she heard him hiss against her skin in response to the pain.

“Touch me,” she breathed. “Need you to touch me.”

“I am touching you.”

“No... touch me... here.”

She took his hand and dragged it down her body to rest above her core. There was a heat swirling in her stomach, stronger than ever before. She could tell she was wet between her thighs and her body had never been more ready for him.

“Shit, YN,” he groaned. “This mine too?”

She nodded her head.

“No. You gotta say it... say it and I’ll touch you.”

“It’s yours.”

“What is?”

“My...my...” in most situations, she hated the word that she knew he was trying to get her to say. But for the first time, she finally understood why it could be so hot because in this moment it was the only word that accurately described not only her body but the way she was feeling. “My pussy is yours.”

And that’s where Harry just lost it. He moaned at her words, hanging his head between his shoulders for a moment to catch his thoughts and his breath, shaking his head.

“The things you do to me...” he mumbled beneath his breath. He looked back up at her, “gonna take this off, ok?” he slipped his finger beneath the waistband of her pants.

She nodded her head, and he got to work stripping her of her pants, then his own top layer of clothing until they were left in their underwear with a blanket draped over them. He kissed around the tops of her breasts before grabbing the other cup of her bra and pulling it down to match the other and expose her to him further. His tongue swirled around her nipple, hand pinching and pulling at the other one.

“Harry,” she gasped between breaths. “Feels good but... want you... please.”

“I know baby, but you know how big I am. Gotta make sure you’re ready for me,” he told her between kisses.

“I’m ready I promise I’m-”

He cut her off with a desperate kiss to her mouth. As she caught her breath, he moved a strand of hair out of her face and behind her ear.

“Know you feel ready. Just want to make sure. Wanna make my girl feel good, yeah?”

She nodded her head silently. Hearing him call her his girl did a number on her, and she felt it deep in her tummy. She was his, she had always been his, and she always wanted to be his.

Harry trailed down her body, leaving a string of kisses in his wake. The moisture from his mouth mixed with the cold night air gave her the chills so she reached for a blanket, but Harry stopped her.

“Take my sweatshirt, babe,” he whispered. “Wanna fuck you in my clothes.”

YN was completely surrounded by all things Harry, then. His blankets, his sweatshirt, his mouth. It all smelled like him and she couldn’t keep from taking a big deep breath inside of the hooded jacket. His smell was so nice - had always been comforting but now even more so. She would buy candles of it if she could.

Harry spread her legs wide, hands on her thighs and thumbs stroking over her skin gently as he looked at her.

“Look at that...” he mumbled, mostly to himself. “So pretty... look at how wet you are, how swollen that clit is. Is that all for me?” He looked back up at YN, waiting for her to answer.

She knew now that he needed to hear her words, so in addition to nodding she told him, “yes, all for you.”

“Because this is my pussy, right?”

“Yes, H. Yours. It’s yours.”

He couldn’t take it any longer and started working over her center with his mouth and his fingers.

“Gonna... make you cum... before I fuck you... make you feel good... then make you... mine,” he told her in a low voice between licking and sucking and kissing on her folds.

She let out an unconscious whimper at that. She knew he would make her feel good - he always did. But something about the way he said it this time made her eyes roll into the back of her head. In desperation, she wanted to respond to him, to hype him up and make him know how wonderful he was making her feel. But she couldn’t get the words out, whines and moans and groans taking their place.

“That’s right... good girl... let it out just like that...'' he encouraged her. “Geez, y’so fuckin’ wet for me.”

With one hand he stroked her inside walls, driving her crazy, the other sitting firmly on the inside of her thigh to open her back up again every time she tried to close around his head. His hand was a warm and comforting presence on the cold and quiet night, and she let out a gentle sigh. Her sigh was cut off though, and turned into a bit of a squeal as he sucked harder on her clit, curling his fingers inside of her and hitting her best spot. His tongue lapped at her wet folds, hungrily taking everything she would give him.

It didn’t take long - it never did with Harry. Compared to the other guys she had been with who never made her cum even once, Harry’s ability to do it so quickly and consistently blew her mind. He knew what he was doing before he even touched her, but then he took the time to learn her body too. Harry knew what she liked, what felt the best, what drove her over the edge. He knew which pulls of his hair meant she was feeling good and which meant that he needed to slow down and give her a break. He knew the way her body shuddered when the pressure was building, and he knew the way she tasted after that bubble burst.

Usually, after she finished, he would kiss back up her body until he reached her mouth and whisper sweet things to her as she came down from her high. But this time, he kept working where he was. He was gentler on her sensitive nub, but his fingers moved faster. He spread her out, opening her up for him and adding in a third finger. YN gasped at that, one hand flying to her own chest and the other finding purchase in Harry’s hair again.

“H... fuck... s’a lot... feels... a lot,” she told him from above.

“I know darling,” he comforted her, removing his mouth and leaving careful kisses at the top of her thighs. “But m’cock is gonna be even more. You still want it, right?”

He was giving her another out, an easy out, and wanted to make sure. They both knew that once you fuck your best friend, there’s no going back. But YN never wanted to go back. It didn’t even feel possible to go back. She just wanted him. And she told him as much.

“H... make me yours... I want... I wanna be yours.”

Harry sat up on his knees then, one hand with fingers still inside of her and the other getting to work on his own briefs. His cock sprang free, hard as ever and practically leaking from the purple tip. YN’s eyes went straight to it, as they always did. She could never get herself to look away. He looked too pretty. And that pretty thing was about to be inside of her.

She moaned his name, begging him to hurry up, and he got the message. Removing his fingers from her, he made a show of licking each one. He tapped her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, where he inserted his first two fingers. She closed around him and sucked lightly, tasting herself on his skin.

“Fuck,” he groaned at the sight.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m waiting for,” she teased back.

He chuckled before hovering his body over hers and lining up his cock with her center. Slowly he dragged the tip up and down her folds until she let out another little whimper.

“You want my cock?” he asked her.

“Yes.”

“Lemme hear you say it. Tell me what you want.”

She took a breath. “Want... want your cock, Harry. Want to feel you inside of me. Want-”

He cut her off then as he entered her, entering her slowly and stretching her out.

She let out little gasps as he went deeper.

“Good girl... know you can take me...”

She couldn’t help but moan at his words, but her eyes were screwed shut.

“Look at me, baby. Please...” Harry begged her softly, his words practically a whine.

Opening her eyes, she gazed up at him like he hung the stars and the moon. But when he pushed in a little further she squeezed her eyes closed again, the feeling tight and the stretch a little tingly.

“S’really big, H.”

“Relax, baby,” he whispered, kissing her forehead. “Gotta relax for me, let me in...”

She let out a deep breath signally for him to continue until she was completely full of him. Waiting a moment, he gave her time to get used to his size, and he took a moment to get used to the feeling of her around him.

“Fuck baby, ‘slike you were made for me,” he whispered into her ear.

She whined at that, and he took it as a sign to start moving. He started slowly, both of them moaning at the feeling. Dropping his head down to her shoulder, he bit down lightly, causing her to gasp. Her hands came up to his hair and his back again and she held onto him like he was going to float away if she didn’t.

“Feel so good,” he whispered. “So fuckin’ tight. So...fuck... so good... y’pussy feels like heaven. M’not gonna last very long.”

“That’s ok, just... just keep going. You’re so big... stretching me... so deep... fuck... Harry, please.”

She didn’t know what she was begging for, but she knew he would give it to her. And he did, as his hips started snapping against her harder and faster. Her moans and groans and gasps filled the air around them, but neither of them cared since they were far away enough from the rest of the camp. It was just them, under the stars, together.

“Sound so pretty,” he mumbled between thrusts as she gasped and moaned into the night air. “Best sound in the world... wanna hear that... hear you all the fucking time,” he groaned.

Harry reached down again then, rubbing her clit with his thumb as his thrusting continued. She accidentally held her breath, only releasing it when his lips met hers in a sloppy kiss. Their lips hardly even touched as they panted into each other's mouths, savoring the feeling and the moment they were having together.

Her hands frantically searched for something to grab onto on his back, but upon finding nothing she resigned to digging her nails into him lightly. Apparently, that was the right decision, because his movements only sped up more.

“Tell me how you feel,” he instructed her.

“So good... fuck H you feel... I can’t even...” she let out another gasp as his tip went deeper than ever before, and she felt his smirk against her own lips.

“Too good for words, hm?”

She nodded her head in agreement.

They were both trying to hold off for as long as possible, but with the days, weeks, and years of build-up, it was nearly impossible. Both of them knew it was going to be over soon, but neither of them wanted it to end.

“Fuck... Harry,” she moaned again as he increased the pressure rubbing on her clit. Her body reacted to the change, contracting on his dick and making him see all the stars that were never there.

“Think you can... can cum again?” he asked her.

“I don’t... maybe but...”

“Gonna make my girl cum again,” he stated, sure of himself.

“Yes, yes I’m yours,” she cried out again, followed by a long whine as the head of his cock brushed against her g-spot.

He lifted her legs then, her knees bending over his shoulders as he pushed into her again, the new angle giving him deeper access. From higher above her, he could see her breasts wiggling with the movement of her entire body. But she could tell he was looking mostly at the place where they connected, where it was wet and messy and amazing.

“Mine,” he growled again.

She nodded her head, unable to make any words come out of her mouth anymore. There was too much happening all at once. The pressure building in her lower stomach, her clit throbbing below Harry’s thumb, her walls being stretched by his length. It was so much, too much.

“Too much,” she told him.

“Want me to stop?”

“NO!”

“Then it’s not... not too much,” he concluded, never losing his pace.

“Gonna... soon... almost...” she still couldn’t get her words out, but he was able to decipher her message.

“It’s alright baby,” he whispered. “Cum for me. Want you to cum again for me. Then I’ll cum inside this pretty pussy... my pretty pussy... make you mine. All mine.”

And she completely lost it at his words. Her back arched up and she pressed up into his warm chest. Her head rolled back as much as it could on the hard surface and her eyes squeezed closed as she felt tears starting to form at the edges of her vision. The feeling was white hot, like a star exploding somewhere in distant space, a mess to experience but beautiful to the viewer.

So beautiful, in fact, that Harry let his own release go shortly after. He shot ropes and ropes of warm cum, filling her. His hips kept moving, thrusting slower but not giving up, even though he was through. She whimpered at the feeling, both of them fucked raw. When he was too sensitive and just couldn’t take it anymore, his hips eventually stilled. He kissed her neck and shoulder until he could catch his breath but made no move to slip out from inside of her. As they both caught their breaths, YN started rubbing Harry’s back lightly. He hummed at the feeling.

“Harry?”

“Yeah?”

“You never... you never answered my question?”

“Which question darling?”

YN tried to think back, her mind still foggy from the two intense orgasms.

“What do you mean when you say I’m yours?”

There was silence for a moment, their hearts beating in unison but still fast. Most if not all of his weight was on her, and his body was like a furnace keeping her warm.

“Means I get to do that again.”

“Will you still be my best friend?”

He laughed at that, before realizing she was serious.

“Of course, sweetheart. Always. Best friend, dream team, girlfriend. They aren’t mutually exclusive.”

“Girlfriend?” she asked, a cheerfulness in her voice.

“Mhmm...if that’s... if you want that?”

“Yes!” she answered quickly. “Want it with you.”

Harry smiled before kissing her lips lightly. She could see his pupils were still mostly blown out, although it might have been a reaction to the dark night around them illuminated only by the stars above, which they had stopped looking at ages ago.

“Alright then,” he started. “Looks like we should probably get my girlfriend cleaned up and ready for bed, hm?”

He made a move to change his position, to pull out of her and do what he had said, but she stopped him with a firm grip.

“Not yet, just... lemme stay like this for a couple more minutes.”

MASTERLIST | PATREON | USS TAG | WRITING TAG

Deleted Scene - Campout Extra 1: Lemon Over Ice

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peterparkers-bad-youtube-apology · 3 years

Note

Hi! Can I get a lifeguard!Tom who’s relationship with the reader is kept a secret. While lifeguard!Tom is on the shift, reader and their friends come to surf but an accident happens so lifeguard!Tom has to resuscitate them? make it really angsty please lol, but obviously the reader survives. <3

I LOVE this request, I love me some angst. This was so fun for me so thank you girlie, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Until Your Last Breath

Pairing: Lifeguard!Tom x Reader

Warnings: angst, drowning

Summary: Tom’s struggling to commit

Taglist

Masterlist

⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒

“Tom you’re being completely ridiculous,” (y/n) groaned, “It was one month in high school.”

“He’s my brother (y/n),” Tom deadpanned, “My own flesh and blood, I can’t do that to him.”

“Oh my god,” she threw her hands in the air in defeat, “I will literally text Harry myself just so you can see how stupid you’re being.”

“Don’t you dare,” he seethed.

She sighed, “I don’t want to be kept a secret anymore Tom, I’m not keeping this up if you won’t be honest about us.”

He gripped his fists at his side, “Fine, go then.”

Her mouth fell open, “Go?”

He nodded, “I’m not giving up my brother for you (y/n), so you should just go.”

“I’m not asking you too! Harry and I dated for a month Tom, in high school, you’re the only person who cares about that. But you know what? Fine, I don’t need to waste my time with you anyway,” she stood and snatched her purse from his bed, “You’re a dick you know that?”

He bit his cheek and glanced away, “Whatever, just leave my stuff at the door.”

She rolled her eyes and stomped out of his apartment, slamming the door behind her.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　　｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

(y/n) sighed, her head resting in her hands while her friends talked. She’d been in a funk since her blow up with Tom, she didn’t even understand how she could even get so heartbroken over a secret relationship.

“Earth to (y/n),” June waved her hand in front of her face with a frown.

“Sorry,” she blushed, “I don’t mean to be such a bummer guys.”

“You can’t help it if you’re a little heartbroken,” Hailey soothed.

“You shouldn’t be though, he’s a dick,” June scoffed, “And you’re too pretty to be sad over that douche.”

“I just miss him, I really liked him, a-and I thought he liked me too…”

Hailey squeezed her shoulder, “No guy that hides you away really cares about you, you deserve better than that.”

“Duh, he dumped you because you had a fling with his brother in fucking high school,” June stood up, “He was obviously just looking for a way out.”

“Where are you going?” (y/n) frowned.

“We’re going to the beach,” she grinned, “Daniel and his friends are heading there now.”

Hailey and (y/n) looked at each other with wide eyes, “You’re hot older brother Daniel?” Hailey clarified.

June nodded, “Yeah, and you know who else will be there?”

“Tom,” (y/n) groaned.

“Exactly,” she shook (y/n)’s chair.

Hailey’s jaw fell open, “You’re going to let (y/n) flirt with Daniel?!”

“I will, but only to rub it in Tom’s face, you can’t sleep with him,” June squeezed her shoulders, “Come on, you guys are always pissing me off asking me for a pass, I’m finally giving you one.”

“Oh come on (y/n),” Hailey whined, “It’s the forbidden fruit, your best friend’s brother, like the Victoria Justice song.”

(y/n) cracked a smile, “Yeah, I guess hitting on Daniel is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

June nodded, “Yes it is, so go put on your cutest bikini, and let’s go.”

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　　｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

“Hey Danny!” June hopped out of the car and went running for the beach, trying to grab the attention of her brother and his friends, “Wait up a second! We’re coming with you!”

(y/n)’s attention turned to the lifeguard stand, where Tom was overlooking the beach.

“Come on,” Hailey set a hand on her back, “Don’t stare at him, stare at Daniel and his hot friends. The best way to get over is to get under, remember?”

She took a deep breath and nodded, “Right.”

Hailey kept an arm around her shoulders while they walked, mostly to make sure she didn’t try to look at Tom.

“Hi girls,” Daniel waved to the pair as they approached, “Heard you guys are gonna be joining us today?”

“Oh yeah, we’re in dire need of some relaxation,” Hailey squeezed (y/n) as she spoke.

“Cool, well we brought out our boogie boards, you guys can totally share with us.”

“Thanks Daniel.”

Hailey and (y/n) had always teased June about her hot brother, saying that he was their favorite himbo, and oh what they wouldn’t do for a chance with him. But now that she was being presented with the chance, (y/n) didn’t really want it. She didn’t think he was as good looking as Tom, and she didn’t really feel like flirting with anyone. She complied only because her friends thought it might cheer her up, and she figured anything was better than hanging around her house and pouting.

“You actually wanna try hitting the waves today?” Daniel teased (y/n) while they walked, “Or are you gonna stick to tanning?”

Despite her relationship with Tom she’d never really been one for the beach, or water, she wasn’t a strong swimmer and she’d always preferred pools. Tom had always warned her about swimming too far out, that’s why she usually opted to stay on the beach while her friends got in the water.

“I wanna go in the water,” she confirmed, “B-But I don’t really know how to boogie board…”

“I can show you,” he winked, “Don’t worry, I’m a great teacher.”

“Thanks,” she blushed lightly, her eyes darted toward Tom. His face was hard-set and unreadable, but his eyes were locked on their group, “Just stay close to me alright? I’m not a strong swimmer.”

He nodded, “No problem.”

Daniel stayed close to her just like he promised, helping her wade through the water to find a good spot. He held her waist to keep her steady while he showed her how to hold the board. He was close, very close, and when (y/n) looked up she saw Tom was still watching them. His lips were drawn to a hard line and his eyes narrowed at them, it made her smile. So she turned to face Daniel, pretending she needed more help than she really did.

Tom gritted his teeth while he watched Daniel dote on (y/n). He told himself he was just keeping an eye on them because he knew (y/n) wasn’t a strong swimmer, that he was just doing his job, but deep down he knew that wasn’t true. Daniel had mentioned to Tom once that he’d wanted to hook up with (y/n) but June had told him her friends were off limits. Tom didn’t understand why June was now just sitting by idly and watching them flirt. He didn’t understand why (y/n) would even flirt back when she was so clearly out of his league.

The only time (y/n) had ever really liked being in the ocean was when her and Tom went for the occasional late night swim, but even then they’d never gone that far in. She squealed as she hopped onto the boogie board, it wobbled under her and she hated the sensation of it. She hated it so much that she decided to drop the board, thinking she’d simply be able to stand back up, but she ended up getting swept under the water.

Tom’s eyes widened when (y/n) disappeared under the waves. He gripped the edge of his chair and anxiously waited for her head to pop back. He started counting down from five, telling himself that if she still hadn’t popped up by the time he reached zero he would help. Those five second dragged on and on, but right when he reached one she popped back up. She took a big breath of air and swept her hair out of her face while her friends all laughed. Daniel grabbed her waist again, Tom rolled his eyes and went back to scanning the beach.

“Nice wipeout,” Daniel teased, wrapping an arm around (y/n) to help her steady herself.

“That sucked,” she shook her head, attempting to flick the water out of her face.

“Hey, I think you did pretty good for your first time,” he winked.

“Good job,” Hailey smiled as (y/n) waded back towards them, “Honestly you lasted longer than I thought you would.”

“That was so embarrassing,” (y/n) complained, plucking the board up as she approached her friends, “Someone else can go, I’ve got salt water in my eyes.”

“It was a good try babe,” June assured, “Come on, I’ll help you rinse off.”

Tom watched (y/n) and her friends have fun for hours, he was surprised by how much (y/n) got in the water. She’d hardly even get in the water with him and he was a lifeguard, but it seemed every time Daniel asked her she was happy to go running back in. All day he’d kept his eyes peeled, just waiting for them to do something he could get them in trouble for. It was petty, but he didn’t really care, he just wanted to ruin some of their fun. And he finally got his chance when he spotted them playing chicken. June was on the shoulders of one of the boys, and Daniel had lifted (y/n) onto his. They were all giggling and having a good time, it was the perfect opportunity for Tom to spoil their day.

Tom blew his whistle at them, “Hey knock that off!” he yelled sternly.

Daniel gaped, “Oh come on Tom, we’re just having a bit of fun!”

“I don’t care, it’s not safe,” he scolded, “Don’t do it again.”

He smirked while (y/n) glared at him.

Daniel rolled his eyes as he helped (y/n) down, “What’s his problem? We’ve never gotten in trouble for playing chicken before.”

“He’s just a douche in general,” June scoffed.

“Normally he’s cool,” Daniel shrugged, “Well whatever, I’m getting hungry anyway.”

“Me too,” his friend Maison agreed, “We could head up to Beachside?”

Daniel nodded, “Good call. Ladies, you want us to bring back some food?”

“Yeah, lots of it, I’m starving,” June rubbed her stomach, “Thanks boys.”

“No problem, we’ll be back in a few,” Daniel turned to (y/n), “Should I pick you up something too?”

She blushed, “Just something to drink please.”

“No problem,” he winked.

“I think Maison might be hotter than Daniel,” Hailey hummed as the boys walked away, “He’s got a better butt.”

“Maison has a great ass,” June agreed, falling down onto a towel beside Hailey, “You seem like you're having fun today (y/n).”

She nodded, “Yeah, it’s been nice, thank you guys for taking me out.”

“Well we wouldn’t be good friends if we let you hang around home and mope all day,” Hailey beamed at her, “You know you’ve been boogie boarding with everyone except me today?”

“Because you’ve been flirting with Maison all day,” (y/n) reminded, “I don’t want to go out again Hales, I’m wiped.”

“Aw come on,” she whined, “The sun is setting, it’s beautiful out there, just one more run won’t hurt will it?”

(y/n) rolled her eyes, “Fine, one more, but this is the last time I’m getting in the water, got it?”

She smiled and hopped to her feet, “Well grab a board, I wanna race.”

Tom cracked a smile when the boys finally left, though they left their things so he knew they’d be back. He’d hoped they’d all leave before his shift ended, but it seemed like they planned on staying until the beach closed.

“Hey Tom,” Allyson waved as she walked up the stairs, ready to take over for the final shift of the day, “How was it today?”

“Fine,” he hummed, his eyes stayed glued to (y/n) and her friends.

(y/n) and Hailey had picked up the boogie boards again.

“Good to hear,” Allyson squinted, trying to see what he was staring at, “Something wrong?”

“What? No,” he shook his head and stood up, pulling his large jacket, “(y/n) just isn’t a strong swimmer is all.”

Allyson chuckled, “Alright, well I can keep an eye on her now Tom, you’re free to go.”

“Right…” he leaned on the tower rails, watching as Hailey and (y/n) waded through the waves.

He wanted to walk over there, to say something to her, but he didn’t know what. What could he even say? I miss you? What good would that do him? She was still his brother’s ex, even if it only had been a fling.

He sighed as she hopped onto the waves, she glided across a couple before she wiped out again. She’d been getting better throughout the day, but she still wiped out pretty frequently. Tom had relaxed after her first couple of falls because she always came bobbing back up. So he waited, expecting her head to pop out of the water like it had every other time, but she never came back up.

“I win!'' Hailey declared, jumping over her board as she came gliding towards the shore, “I can’t believe you wiped out again (y/n),” she laughed and looked over her shoulder, where she expected to see her friend swimming towards her, “(y/n)?”

“Hailey she hasn’t come back up,” June came wading towards her worriedly.

Hailey’s eyes went wide as she turned back to the water, “(y/n)!”

Tom’s heart pounded as he dove into the water, his body acting on its own as he swam towards her. He grabbed her by the waist and swam towards the surface, thinking of exactly how he’d lecture her once they were out of the water.

“Tom!” one of her friends yelled at him when they broke through the surface.

“I got her!” he assured, cradling her head against his chest, “Right baby I-” he stopped himself when he looked down at her, she was still limp, her lips just barely tinting blue.

Panic took over Tom once again and he pulled her towards shore. Her friends yelled at him while he laid her in the sand but he was too concentrated to make out what they were saying. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears while he started compressions, his whole body felt like it was burning suddenly.

‘What if she doesn’t wake up?’

The thought hit him suddenly.

‘What if you were too late?’

He tried not to let the thoughts get to him as he went in for mouth to mouth. There was no way she was going to die when the last thing they’d done together was fight. She wasn’t going to die thinking he didn’t love her or want to be with her, he couldn’t let that happen.

“Will one of you stop gaping and call a fucking ambulence?!” he barked at her friends.

He hadn’t meant to sound so harsh but his emotions were starting to get the better of him. Anger and fear swirled in his chest, he didn’t know what he’d do if she didn’t wake up.

“Oh my god (y/n) it’s just some fucking water,” he voice was shakey when he spoke again, “It’s not that fucking hard to spit it up is it?”

She started coughing as if on cue and Tom turned her head to the side while she spit up some water. He felt like he could finally breathe again when her eyes opened, he sat her up and cradled her against him.

“T-Tom?” she stuttered while he buried his nose in her hair.

“You scared me half to fucking death,” he mumbled before he pressed a long kiss to her forehead, “You’re banned, I don’t want to see you anywhere near this fucking beach ever again. You understand me?”

She nodded, “Yeah, I think I’m okay with that.”

“Good,” he cupped her face and brushed away her messy hair, “God I love you so much.”

“L-Love?” she blushed.

He nodded quickly, “Yes, god yes,” he kissed her forehead again, “I love you so fucking much and I thought I was going to lose you,” tears started welling up in his eyes while he spoke, “I’ve never felt so awful in my fucking life, god don’t ever do anything like that again.”

She frowned, “T-Tom are you crying?”

“Oh my god, you almost died, of course I’m crying,” he sobbed.

“W-Well don’t cry,” she wrapped her arms around him hesitantly, “I’m alright, a-and I’ll probably never get in another body of water, so it won’t happen again.”

He hugged her tight against him, “Good, I couldn’t take it if something happened to you.”

“Woah what the hell happened?” Daniel’s worried voice interrupted them.

Tom gritted his teeth, “She’s not into you Daniel, back off.”

“Yeah, come on Danny, they’re obviously having a moment,” June elbowed his side, “Why’d you have to ruin it?”

“I’m sorry?” he replied in confusion.

(y/n) smiled and set a hand on Tom’s cheek, “Tom?”

“Are you alright?” he asked worriedly, “There’s an ambulance on the way.”

“No, no, I’m fine,” she promised, “I-I just wanted to tell you that I love you too.”

“Oh,” he smiled and wiped his watery eyes, “W-Well I love you too, a lot, I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“Yeah, me too,” she giggled, “Thank you, by the way.”

He smiled and pressed his lips to hers, “Don’t mention it love.”

⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒

Taglist:

@niallsvirgosun @spideyssunshine @namoreno @thevery-firstpage @roseke @outshineallthestars @zspideyy @emistrash @andreagf956 @tomsirishgirlx @peachyafshawn @agbspidey @sleepybesson @nj01 @misshale21 @prancerrparkerr @raajali3 @ellabellabus07 @mayal0pez @xoxomaterialgirl @belovedholland @minjix

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orange-peony · 3 years

Text

Written for @drarrymicrofic with the prompt "oscillate".

This is for @phoebe-delia and @written-in-ash 💙 thanks @onbeinganangel for the bonk.

*Insert Baywatch opening theme*

Harry's feet sink into the warm sand as he walks towards the lifeguard tower. Adam waves at him as he leaves the post, and Harry looks around the beach, searching for a familiar green towel and the palest body in sight.

"There he is," he mutters to himself, taking a seat on his stool as he observes Malfoy lifting his sunglasses and winking at him. Tosser.

Malfoy stands up and stretches his long arms and lithe body, all lean muscles and mile-long legs.

Harry always assumed Speedos were for losers, but Malfoy somehow manages to pull them off, looking infuriatingly sexy in them. Wanker.

Harry wonders how on earth he doesn't get sunburnt, but then he considers the number of times Malfoy forced him to slather sun cream on his pale skin. He remembers how smooth and soft it was and sighs.

Malfoy casts a glance in his direction and then strolls towards the water, pausing when it laps at his feet to turn and wiggle his eyebrows at Harry.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Harry mutters, watching Malfoy walk until the water reaches his waist.

He stops, and his body oscillates, as if lulled by the waves. And then Malfoy unceremoniously plops down into the water and starts screaming.

"Help! I'm drowning!" he shouts, splashing water everywhere. "Who's going to save me? Help!"

People start gathering on the shore, calling for help, and Harry shakes his head, heading towards the water.

"He's such a twat," he mutters under his breath.

"I beg your pardon?" a woman asks, sounding outraged.

"Never mind," Harry groans, finally getting a move on and running into the water until it's deep enough to dive.

When he reaches Malfoy, his body goes immediately limp, his grey eyes fluttering close when Harry holds him and lifts him up.

"Maybe you should eat fewer sweets," he mumbles while he carries Malfoy to the safety of the shore in what can only be described as an over dramatic newlyweds pose. The utter dickhead.

Malfoy inhales deeply and then goes completely still when Harry deposits him onto the sand.

"He's not breathing!" a girl shouts, sounding hysterical. "Quick! You need to do CPR on him."

Harry rolls his eyes, but kneels down next to Malfoy, tilting his head back and opening his mouth with his thumb.

"I hope you're happy now," he whispers before pressing their lips together. He feels Malfoy's tongue sliding against his, the little puff of breath against his nose.

"Mhhh," Malfoy moans, wrapping his arms around Harry's neck and pulling him closer to deepen the kiss.

"He's alive!" someone says excitedly in the background. "It's a miracle!"

"Awww," someone else adds.

When they finally part for air, Malfoy smirks at him and traces Harry's top lip with his tongue.

"My saviour," he murmurs, making Harry frown.

"Really?"

"How about dinner at mine," Malfoy says, his fingers sliding through Harry's wet curls. "Six o'clock sharp. Don't be late this time."

"Knob," Harry grumbles.

"Speaking of which," Malfoy says with a mischievous smile. "I really liked it last night when you did CPR on my coc-"

"This is a family beach!" Harry interrupts him, his cheeks on fire.

"Your face is awfully red, my dear. I think you need some sun cream," Malfoy drawls. "Come on, Potter. I shall help you cover your entire body in it."

"Merlin save me…"

#this is so silly #but it was a trip down memory lane #drarry microfic #my fics update #my writing

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parmahamlarrie · 3 years

Text

My Fic Masterpost

Here are all the fics I've posted on AO3 in order of word count.

You can subscribe here to be notified for all new works - happy reading! x

✨The First Year || E || 46k || Oct. 2021 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter Uni AU, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Bad Boy Louis, Soft Harry, OT5 When Louis Tomlinson was assigned a first year student to be his roommate for his final year at the University of Manchester, his expectations were low. All he needed was a cheap place to sleep and keep his stuff amidst his nights out, willing his brain to forget his past. He never expected Harry Styles to become his eclectic, sweet, and cuddly best friend. That was never the plan. Or the cliche Uni AU

More under cut

✨ Chasing, Searching, Dreaming || E || 46k || May 2022 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter Soulmate AU, Kid Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Friends to Lovers Everyone is chasing, searching, dreaming of their soulmate. Harry has known who his soulmate is since he was twenty years old, and ever since, he has been waiting for Louis to be ready for him. The unexpected passing of his Louis' mum, and the fact that now he is the guardian of his twin two-year-old little siblings, just means that Harry is going to have to wait a bit longer. A soulmate AU full of cute kids, house building, therapy, and a lot of dreaming.

✨A Hopeless Connection || E || 33k || Oct. 2021 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter Soulmate AU, Hurt/Comfort, AngstIn a world where everyone has a soulmate, what do you do when you don’t have one? As soon as Louis Tomlinson was born, his Timer, the one that determined when he would meet his soulmate, was already at zero. He’s spent the last twenty-five years of his life looking for that void to be filled with faceless strangers. Can he still find love?

✨He Still Takes My Breath Away || T || 32k || Aug. 2021 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter Summer Camp AU, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Footie Instructor Louis, Lifeguard Harry Camp Infinity is the perfect place for a lot of things; hiking, swimming, sports, eating, and falling in love. Harry Styles is a bit too familiar with the last one from his years of being a camper. This year things will be different. He’s 21, a grown man now, and ready to see Camp Infinity from a different point of view; working as a lifeguard. However, his whole summer turns upside down when a familiar British lad makes his return into Harry's life. Or the one where Harry is a lifeguard and Louis is the head of recreation. And, sometimes, you just need a little push to realize what was right in front of you the whole time. Also known as – The Summer Camp fic

✨Something to Remember || E || 25k || May 2023 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter Soulmate AU, Famous/Non Famous, Travel Writer Louis, Hawaii Every time you meet your soulmate, the event is marked on your skin forever in the form of a corresponding tattoo in roughly the same place on both of your bodies. Sometimes, it takes a few tries before you piece together who that person is, leading some to be more covered in soulmarks than others. Travel writer Louis Tomlinson has no tattoos. Neither does singer and actor Harry Styles. Will a trip to Maui’s most exclusive and private resort bring these two soulmates together, or will their bodies be constant reminders of what they missed out on?

✨Like How I Pictured It || E || 17k || May 2022 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter Blind Louis, Baker Harry, Childhood Friends to Lovers Louis Tomlinson hasn’t always been blind. As a child, his vision was impaired, but he had hopes that there would be years before he lost his sight completely. Before the darkness, he had a normal childhood running around alongside his best friend, Harry Styles. When Harry moved away as a teenager, Louis was lost in more ways than one.

What will happen when a chance encounter brings the two together again? What will happen when he finally asks for his something great?

✨A Fateful Snow || T || 11k || Dec. 2021 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter A/B/O, Christmas, Omega Harry, Alpha Louis, Baker Harry, Christmas Tree Farm owner Louis, Stubborn Harry Christmas can be the busiest time of year for small business owners. Louis Tomlinson, owner of Tomlinson’s Tree Farm, and Harry Styles, owner of A Bashful Taste bakery, know this all too well.

The busyness of the season can lead to - well, quite literally missing the subtle (and not so subtle) nudges fate gives you.

Will Harry allow a simple misunderstanding keep him from the hottest alpha he’s ever seen? Or will a bit of snow and the magic of Christmas bring the two together?

✨A Christmas Kiss || T || 8k || Dec. 2021 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter KidFic, Nurse Louis, Single Dad Harry, ChristmasHarry never expected to spend Christmas in the Emergency Room, but it might just be the (second) best thing to ever happen to him, after the birth of his son, of course. Because while in that hospital waiting for his son to be discharged, he met the most beautiful pediatric nurse he’s ever seen. Or the one where Harry is a single dad, Louis is a pediatric nurse, and Arlo needs to stop eating hazelnuts.

✨I'll Keep You Warm || T || 6k || Jan. 2022 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter Neighbour AU, Snow Storm, Fluff Louis is the kind of guy who keeps his head down and minds his own business. He’s lived on the same street for years and barely would recognize the buildings, let alone his neighbours. That’s all about to change however, due to a broken key and an unexpected snow storm.

✨Gotta Get (Me) Outta My Head || E || 6k || Nov. 2022 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter Girl Direction, Established Relationship, Daddy Kink, Collaring, ADHD Harry Sometimes, Harry Styles cannot get out of her head. Her ADHD, coupled with working from home, sometimes makes it impossible for her to ever find peace. Luckily, she has Louis, her loving girlfriend and Daddy, to take care of her. Or the one where Harry gets her first collar.

✨Mistletoe and Eggsnogging || E || 5k || Jan. 2023 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter Christmas Fluff, Strangers to Lovers, Flirting Harry has a plan. It involves mistletoe, a night out at a club, and the hope that perhaps he might pull a nice boy tonight. The night does not go in any way like he had planned, but it all works out in the end.

✨Perfect, for Now || T || 5k || Feb. 2023 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter A/B/O, Alpha Louis, Omega Harry, Nesting, Neighbour AU Moving to a new city is always hard, being away from home, finding your new community - none of it is easy. Dealing with all of this while being touch deprived is even more difficult. That is where omega Harry Styles finds himself a few months into his move to Brighton. Then a mysterious alpha's scent enters his life, and he finds that he can't stay away.

✨"Why WAS There a Street Sign on the Floor?" || E || 5k || Nov. 2021 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter - Spanish Translation Exes to Lovers, College AU, Frat boy AU, College Rivalry, Porn with Plot, Song Fic Louis Tomlinson's been pining after his high school sweetheart Harry Styles ever since their painful split before the two went their separate ways for college. Will they let the Gator/'Noles rivalry keep them apart? Or will one night of football change the course for them in this game we call love?

✨Wouldn't Want it Any Other Way || E || 4k || Feb. 2022 || AO3 - Tumblr - Twitter Girl Direction, Established Relationship, Car Sex It has been ages since Louis and Harry have been on a proper date night. Between work and their two young kids, they just don't have the time anymore. With one text, Louis makes sure to change that, and Harry has very clear ideas on how she wants the night to end.

#28th appreciation #larry fic rec #trackinghappily #trackinghome #tracksintheam #hersheltracks #1d source #fic rec list #my fics #for pinned x

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ladyaj-13 · 3 years

Text

Welcome to my March 2022 fic appreciation post, now with a fancy header and organised by length! This month featuring Lilo, Tomlinshaw, Niam, Paylinshaw, Nouis, Zouis and, of course, Larry :D

Lilo

Call Me Maybe - justyrae - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @astorytotellyourfriends – 3k, M – AU, deaf Louis, phone sex, pining. This is so cute. Seriously. And funny. And so cute (it's worth saying twice).

You Put Your Arms Around Me and I'm Home - justyrae - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @astorytotellyourfriends – 16k, E – AU, fake relationship, PINING. So much pining on both sides, I just - ugh. Lovely.

if i could reach the stars (i’d give them all to you) - countthestars - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @moondoggiestyle – 16k, T – 13 going on 30 AU. Listen. I love this film, and I've already read two amazing Larry AUs of it, and then to find a fantastic Lilo one? Jackpot!!

you can hear it in the silence - countthestars - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @moondoggiestyle – 21k, E – woke up married, emotional hurt/comfort, AU. Stumbling across this fic was such a treat, ALL the good tropes and so well written.

a long road to london - words_unravel - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 25k, M – Regency AU, fake relationship (sort of), OT5 friendship. Happy sigh. Loved this one. Oh my historical-loving-Lilo-obsessed heart.

Tomlinshaw

into your heart i'll beat again - orphan_account - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 8k, NR – canon, secret relationship, (sort of?) cheating. I just wanted to SHAKE Louis by the SHOULDERS he is such an IDIOT but also this story is cute and wonderful.

Niam

I Used to Think That I Was Better Alone - justyrae - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @astorytotellyourfriends – 5k, M – lifeguard!Niall, surfer!Liam. A cute, summery fic with real heart! I think this is actually my first Niam as well.

Paylinshaw (Liam/Louis/Nick Grimshaw)

Only In Dreams - orphan_account - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 11k, T – telepathy, canon. I really loved this! Such a fun idea and so well-executed.

we've opened our eyes and it's changing the view - reachthetree - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 32k, M – uni AU, polyamory negotiations, friends to lovers. I need more of this combination! Wonderful.

Nouis

Fucking Cute - bluecolouredlou - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @bluecolouredlou – 1k, G – canon, post-band, touring, nervous!Louis. Freaking adorable (to synonymise the title, but it's accurate!). Cuddly Nouis, what's not to love?

penitus potes de fonte sapientiae - singersongwriterlilo (andfollowthesun) - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @singersongwriterlilo – 4k, T – uni AU, famous/non-famous. This was just wonderful! Well written and... I don't know how to put it. Classic? It did exactly what it set out to do and did it so well. One of those fics you finish with a happy sigh.

Zouis

ring of fire - countthestars - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @moondoggiestyle – 17k, T – high school AU, bets and wagers, friends to lovers. I don't normally read much Zouis. I love their friendship dynamic, but for some reason I've not been that interested in them in a romantic sense - I usually just ship Zayn with Liam. This has changed my mind. It was wonderful.

Larry

Read the Recipe - LadyLondonderry - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @londonfoginacup – 2k, G – famous/non-famous, personal chef!Harry. I love everything this author writes and this is certainly no exception. Just what I needed as a quick little before bed read.

Where Love Grows - Neondiamond - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @neondiamond – 6k, T – AU, single parents, neighbours, kid fic. Very cute, poor Harry (what a hand he's been dealt) with Louis to the rescue over and and over again :)

feel so foolish - juliusschmidt - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @juliusschmidt – 13k, M – high school AU, size kink, bullying (but not really). This felt so natural and hesitant and I loved the resolution too.

Save your loving arms for a rainy day - BriaMaria - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @briannamarguerite – 18k, E – famous/non-famous, sad Louis, music. Just great. I love the weaving through of music and what it means, and the angst (love me some angst) but with humour dotted in and a lovely happy ending.

All the small things - kitundercover - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @kitundercover – 20k, G – magical transformation (shrunk Harry), rabbits, domestic fluff. This was so sweet and lovely, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

If I Should Stay - gloria_andrews - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 31k, E – Bodyguard AU, hurt/comfort. Glorious. Absolutely adored it. Both the sexual tension and the tension tension were so beautifully done.

you're an alpha, harry! - fondjumpedtheshark - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @agape-28 – 32k, E – Sex Education AU, omegaverse. Incredibly readable with a great use of humour, and you don't need to have seen the show (I assume, as I haven't!).

walk my days on a wire - sunshiner - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @theprizeofcoolness – 38k, M – fake relationship, AU, actor!Louis, musician!Harry. So good! A really nicely written fake relationship AU, which is one of my fave tropes.

Sail away with me - Star_Henderson - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 47k, E – fake relationship, cruise ship, friends to lovers. Yes. SO GOOD. Slip into a proper relationship without realising what you're doing, hook me up with that good stuff.

hold on to your heart - falsegoodnight - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @falsegoodnight – 54k, E – The Proposal AU, omegaverse. One of my absolute fave films, now Larrified! Go read it immediately :)

#28th appreciation #fic recs!#1d rare pairs

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wroteasongabouther · 4 years

Text

can’t stand to see you lonely: part 1

a/n: oh my god guys it’s finally here!😬 i really hope i didn’t hype myself up too much and that you guys actually like it. overall i just wanted to put out a story that revolved around christmas and this is what i came up with! so without me babbling too much, i hope you enjoy part 1 of my new story and as always any feedback/reblogs are very much appreciated.

and of course, thank you to the lovely jess @arrogantstyles and jill @havethetimeofyourstyles for beta reading this part for me and giving this rusty old writer the help i needed lol

word count: 17k

warnings: mentions of alcohol, some sexual tension, and an over consumption of starbucks holiday drinks.

fic page // let’s chat // cstsyl playlist

“What floor?” Harry asks, eyes stuck on the many buttons in the elevator instead of seeing who had entered the small space with him. He can tell it’s a woman, and they smelt lovely.

“Six please,” her soft voice replies.

Harry looks over his shoulder in what he hopes is a smooth motion to get a quick peek at who was behind that sweet voice. Her eyes were squinting slightly as she smiles at him. She must be my new neighbour, he thinks as he hits the number six button and it lights up before the elevator begins to move. He steps back, standing in the opposite corner of the young woman. Harry assumes that she is maybe a few years younger than him, but one thing he knew for sure was that she was very pretty. He may even say she was stunning. She's all bundled up with a long coat and a thick scarf as he guesses she had just gone out for some shopping, judging by the few large white paper bags hanging off her arm.

“Did you just recently move in?” He questions, catching her eyes switching from gazing at the wall to his own instead.

She smiles again and nods, “yeah.”

“I thought I heard someone move in beside me,” he exclaims. He was certain that someone had moved in beside him. It caused him a bit of a headache hearing all the moving around. And then on top of that, his new neighbour had decided to get right to hammering in on the wall they shared. Little did he know, there was a determined and beautiful girl on the other side.

“Oh you’re my neighbour then?” She says, bringing Harry back from his memory of a few days ago.

“Harry,” he introduces himself, reaching a hand out into the space between them. She switches her Starbucks holiday cup into her other hand in order to shake his. Her hand is warm from holding the drink and it causes Harry's stomach to erupt with little bitty butterflies.

“Y/N,” she says in the same gentle voice as before. He wanted to hear her talk more. There was something about the soft tone of her voice, like he could listen to her speak into the late hours and early mornings and never once get tired of it. He blinks a few times and drops her hand at his intimate thought.

Harry didn't believe in love at first sight per say, but he was known to develop an infatuation of sorts very quickly. A crush as some would call it. Well, to be precise, Mitch teases him the most of his little crushes. There was that one time that Harry fumbled over his words over and over again when they had gone for dinner and had a rather attractive waitress, having asked for her number at the end of the night too. Mitch mocked him for days about it, asking if she had ever texted him back - she didn’t. And Harry didn’t even want to think about the time he spilled an entire blended margarita on his white vans when a certain handsome lifeguard had winked at him during their trip in LA last summer. Mitch still doesn’t let that incident go either.

The elevator doors open, and Harry gives her a smile and motions with a hand for her to walk out before he does. His mom must’ve raised him well, Y/N thinks at her new neighbours mannerisms. First holding the elevator for her, then offering to press the elevator button, and now letting her exit first. Suppose it was just minor things, but growing up in this lovely city that is New York meant she was used to the rudeness of people and sadly the simplest of gestures can make her heart beat just a bit faster in her chest.

“If you uh,” Harry pauses as Y/N stops at her front door but looks back at him as he speaks. Harry slows his steps to keep eye contact with her. “If you ever need anything, don’t feel shy to knock on my door.”

Y/N smiles again, nodding at his offer while she twists her key in the lock and opens her front door. Harry's walking backwards now, just a few steps to that same door he’s saying she can knock on. His eye contact is intense, but addicting, like every word she had to say to him mattered. His eyes are green, just green, nothing crazy and yet she found them very endearing. Would it be cliche of her to say she swore she saw them sparkle?

“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you,” she says and before she can say anything else, she steps into her new apartment and shuts the door behind her.

Y/N finds herself standing there for a moment, remembering every word Harry had spoken to her as she slips out of her shoes. She then remembers his facial features while undoing her coat and hanging it up along with her scarf. The bit of facial hair he was sporting, how it seemed like it may have taken a while to grow so he kept it minimal. Or that little mole by his mouth, she even took note of that in their short time together. He had a cute nose too, she thinks. Harry takes up every inch of space in her mind for over an hour before she’s brought out of whatever dream state fog she was in. She lets out a deep breath and shakes her head a little before going about wrapping the presents she had bought earlier in the day while sipping her Christmas Starbucks drink, falling back in love with the holidays all over again.

“No, no, no, no,” Y/N groans as she twists and turns the knobs for her shower, and yet, nothing happens. Only a few drops fall to the tiled floor causing her to let out another string of curses. “This can not be happening,” she says.

But it was. Y/N’s hair was a mess, beyond greasy and a bit matted from her sleep last night. Not to mention she smelt like sweat from bringing up the box that held her new fake christmas tree this morning. She had been tempted to walk down the hall and knock on Harry's door, but she didn’t want to be annoying and fall into the stereotypes of the helpless young female living on her own for the first time. So instead she grabbed a cable knit sweater, tugged on her old dirty ugg boots, and went down in the elevator to meet with the Amazon delivery person. Little did she know that the box was way too tall for the elevator. So, she ended up bringing it up herself. All six flights of stairs, Y/N pulled and dragged that box up to her floor which caused her to break quite the sweat. Thankfully, it wasn’t so heavy, but she couldn’t help but think that she went through all of this just so she could get her new fake christmas tree up. Freaking fake! Not even a real one because apparently that wasn't allowed at her apartment building. Oh, how she was going to miss the smell of a fresh christmas tree. And oh, how she wanted to get rid of this disgusting smell of sweat she embodied now.

“Why me?” She winces, looking up at the ceiling and letting the glass door for her shower close as she gave up on the water magically appearing.

Is this the most appropriate time to not be shy and knock on Harry's door? Suddenly, her Apple watch vibrates, and she brings her arm up to see the reminder she had set before to tell her of the tight schedule she’s on for the day. With only 45 minutes left to get ready, she needed to get moving quickly. Y/N curses herself for wasting the past fifteen minutes on her phone, reading over her newest Instagram comments and aimlessly scrolling through her feed. So she tugs both sides of her purple robe that she had changed into anticipating a shower in her own home. Y/N pulls it tighter and ties the belt around her waist into a bow, and before she can give it a second thought, she’s out the door of her own apartment and starting down the hallway.

Harry didn’t know when he thought Y/N would eventually knock on his door. A part of Harry was hoping that she would have knocked sooner than a week later. But nonetheless, when there was a frantic knock on his door, he didn’t miss how his heart skips in his chest as he imagined Y/N standing on the other side. Peering through the peephole in his door he saw her standing there - in a bathrobe? Harry's brows pull together in confusion as he unlocks the door and heaves the door open.

“Is your water working?” She asks, her voice sounding as panicked as her knocking had been. But before Harry can answer she starts talking a million miles an minute. “Cause mine’s not, like not a single drop and I need to shower. So badly. And I know it’s probably super weird and rude of me to just bang on your door and ask to use your shower. Honestly, I can’t even believe I am but I am in such a hurry and I have the busiest day ahead of me with work and going to the-”

“Y/N,” Harry cuts her off abruptly. Y/N rolls her lips into her mouth and blinks up at him. “You need to use my shower? Is that what you’re getting at?”

Harry is a bit thrown off, not once did he think she’d come knocking for this reason. He glances down the hall awkwardly. He hopes that that noisy neighbour of theirs across the hall wasn’t peeping into their conversation, or seeing Y/N in this bathrobe. Mr Matthers can be a bit of a creep, Harry thinks. At the thought he hears a creak come from behind the door that’s across the hall.

She nods, “I know it’s like super strange to ask but mine is not working and I don’t have time to figure it out.” When Harry looks back at her, he notices she’s staring down at the ground between them, her eyes blinking rapidly as if she’s realizing what she’s gotten herself into. Harry didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable.

“S’alright, really, come in,” Harry says while opening the door to his apartment wider.

Y/N gives him a smile of appreciation before stepping into his home. The layout of Harry’s apartment is really just the opposite of hers, but the interior design he’s gone with is a lot better.

He’s gone for the classic monochrome look with blacks, white and greys. But with pops of colour where it matters, like a blanket over the back of his large L-shaped couch that looked handmade. She wonders if a family member made it, quite liking the light blues and pinks blended together. He’s got the same hardwood flooring like her own apartment and the plain off white paint on the walls - but with a few very unique paintings hung up on them. There’s two tall shelves, full of vinyls and novels and some picture frames too, that are on either side of his large flat screen tv which he took the time to hook up on the wall. It’s got a TV show paused on the screen, in her quick glance she can’t tell what show he was watching before she knocked but it looked like a cooking show. The corners of her lips twitch up into a smile at the thought of Harry being into cooking or baking maybe. He’s got a matching chair to his couch in the living room too that looks like she could fall asleep in it within a second. Overall it simply seems more grown up than her apartment - more put together and clean, that’s for sure.

To give her some credit, she has just moved in while she’s sure Harry’s been here for a while. Harry steps away from the door after locking it again, taking a few steps in order to be in her line of sight. With an arm thrown up, finger pointing down the hall, he gives Y/N another smile. He can’t help it, she looks rather adorable in that purple bathrobe. Was that all she was wearing? He thought to himself. He clears his throat as his mind goes on to imagine what’s under that plush purple material she’s wearing.

“Bathroom’s the first on the left,” he states, “did you bring your own soap or anything?”

“Honestly, no, I just kind of ran out of my place in quite a hurry and didn’t think twice as I got the sudden nerve to come over here.”

“Well, lucky for you I care about hair care, so there’s some good shampoos and even a nice hair oil to put into your hair afterwards when it’s damp. It’s in a small clear bottle with a white and gold label, by my toothbrush,” Harry explains. Y/N nods and starts towards the bathroom. With each step further into Harry’s home, she realizes what exactly she’s done. She can’t believe it really - just asking a complete stranger to let her shower in their home. She could be a murderer for all Harry knew, and he just opened his home up so freely. She steps into the bathroom, switching on the lights and the fan, she shuts the door and sighs. Lifting her arm up her Apple watch lights up to show the time. She had twenty minutes tops to shower, that’s all.

The bathroom is clean, very clean actually. Y/N lets her gaze wander around the space for a moment. There’s matching hand towels and all his skin and hair care are placed neatly on the small counter space too. She assumes he’s a bit of a neat freak. Turning to the shower, she opens the glass door gently and instantly reaches for the silver knobs. As she turns them water falls from the showerhead above her.

“Thank God,” she whispers while looking up at the water.

Y/N adjusts it to her preferred temperature and then she works on untying the knot of her robe. Words can’t describe how grateful she is that it held together in front of Harry. Him seeing her in the robe and with her hair in the state it’s in is embarrassing enough. Honestly, she can’t believe she even knocked on his door in it, and without any clothes to change into afterwards too. Stupid, she thinks while opening the glass door once more and stepping into the shower.

As Harry had said, there’s many bottles littering the built in shelves of the shower. Her fingers lazily turn the bottles so the labels face her. They’re all scented lavender of some sorts, helping with curly hair and volume. Well that explains why his hair looks so lovely, Y/N thinks as she opens a bottle of shampoo and squeezes it till a good amount falls into her other hand. As she hums ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ she lathers up her hair and massages her scalp. Rinsing it out after and then doing the same with the conditioner. While she lets the conditioner sit in her hair she scans the few other bottles on the shelves for a body wash. She didn’t want to come out of the shower smelling like a pre-teen boy, but she also did not want to smell like sweat. Goats milk and lavender infused, Y/N reads the label of what looks to do a locally owned product. She can’t help but smile as she reaches for it and pours some into her hands before rubbing it over her skin. There’s something so sweet knowing that Harry supports local businesses. He really doesn’t seem like the guys that Y/N is used to.

Three sharp knocks on the door startle Y/N, bringing her out of her day dreams. She quickly brings her arms up to her chest, trying to save herself some modesty if Harry did walk in. Because of course she didn’t think to lock the door. God, what if Harry is a murderer? Y/N thinks. She doesn’t know him, he could very well walk in here with a large kitchen knife and stab her multiple times in the chest while the water begins to run red and she dies right here all because she thought his dimpled smile and green eyes were enduring. Didn’t she learn anything from the whole Ted Bundy thing? Hello, hot guy doesn’t immediately mean nice!

“Y/N?” Harry calls out from the other side of the door, raising his voice just slightly so she could hear it over the running water. She shakes her head from her ridiculous thought - no more Criminal Minds at night for her, she takes the quick mental note.

“Yes?” She responds.

“I just realized I didn’t give you a towel,” he says, his voice sounding strained as he closes his eyes and tries to not imagine his neighbour naked in his shower. Harry’s fist tightens around the towel as his mind ignores him and thinks of how the water is dripping down her skin.

“Oh, yeah,” she breathes out. Looking around the bathroom beyond the foggy glass. There weren't any towels that she could see. Maybe they were under the sink.

“So I uh, I grabbed one for you. I can just open the door really fast and drop it in, I wouldn’t look in I swear, I’d face the hallway and just reach through,” he clarifies, “wait, you locked the door didn’t you?”

“Actually, I didn’t,” Y/N says, “so yeah just drop it in, please and thank you,”

Harry nods, regardless of the fact Y/N can’t see him. He takes a deep breath before turning the doorknob and opening the door just a crack. The towel doesn’t quite fit through, so he opens it a bit more. His eyes are on the towel as he makes sure it gets into the bathroom. He notices the steam pillowing in the small space and just before he looks the other way, he sees Y/N’s purple bathrobe on the floor. Only her purple bathrobe. Harry swallows and drops the towel to the floor and quickly shuts the door again. Y/N jumps at the sudden slam of the door, her heart having been beating out of her chest as she stood under the warm stream of water and listened to Harry deliver the towel.

He spins around and walks away from the bathroom in a brisk walk, making it to his kitchen in record time. He takes a few breaths and blinks at the view from his kitchen window above the sink. It’s beginning to snow. Something tells him this will excite Y/N - just a feeling he has. He hardly knows the girl and he’s been conjuring up versions of her in his head these past seven days. He’d heard her play music through the walls Tuesday night, he recognized the artist after a few moments. Van Morrison, one of his favourites. What were the odds? He had thought. But then he quickly shut that thought down because many people liked Van Morrison, and just because his very cute neighbour liked the same music he did, that didn’t mean she was meant for him.

Then on Thursday in the middle of the day he had seen her running across the street from his apartment. One thing he loved about his apartment facing the front of the building is how he got to see people coming and going. That day it looked as though she was carrying a take out bag from his favourite restaurant. Again, what were the odds that she liked the same place? But again, he had another hard conversation with himself saying that it was a rather popular place in this area and lots of people liked to go there. Y/N was still a stranger to him. A naked and attractive stranger who was in his bathroom right now.

Harry breathes in deeply and leans both hands at either side of his sink as he watches the large snowflakes fall over New York City. He still couldn’t believe he lived here sometimes. Having grown up in a rather small town in Northern England, where the most exciting thing was the bakery he used to work in as a young teen or maybe the fun graffiti on some of the walls downtown, living in NYC always seemed a bit unrealistic to think of. But this was always a dream of his. To be in one of the biggest cities in the United States and doing what he loved the most.

“It’s snowing?” Y/N’s voice full of irritation catches Harry off guard. He turns around to see her standing in the threshold between his kitchen and living room. That purple robe, which would be making an appearance in his dreams he’s sure of, is back on her now clean body while the towel he had given her is wrapped around her hair atop of her head.

“You don’t like the snow?” Harry questions, both of his brows raised high at how off he was about his instinct of her loving the snow.

“No, I mean, yes I do,” she shakes her head slightly, “I just don't like driving it in. New York drivers already freaking suck and the moment snow starts falling it’s like they forget how to drive altogether.” Y/N explains, crossing her arms at her chest.

“It’s the same in London, nearly got into a few accidents in my early years of driving thanks to it,” Harry reveals. Y/N smiles at the knowledge about himself he had let slip, regardless of how irrelevant it is.

“Anyways,” she sighs, “thank you for letting me barge in here and use your shower.”

“It’s no problem, really,” Harry assures her.

“No seriously, you saved me a lot of trouble.”

Harry’s chest swells at her words, mirroring her smile as he stuffs his hands into the front pocket of his trousers and leans back against the edge of the counter. Y/N takes this time to look over Harry’s outfit. He’s got on a cream collared ribbed t-shirt, a beaded necklace adorning his neck, a pair of brown pants that flare out and nearly hid his white sock covered feet. He doesn't dress like the men Y/N sees day to day. It's different, kind of old school, but she likes it. Suits him, she thinks, despite the fact that she barely knows him.

“You’ve got to drive somewhere?” Harry questions, unsure if he’s prying.

“Yeah, JFK unfortunately,” she frowns.

“That’s going to be a nightmare,” Harry says.

“Thanks for the reminder, yeah,” Y/N teases him while fighting back the smile pulling at her mouth.

“Sorry, I just meant that it’s sort of a long drive and airport terminals are a pain, that's all.”

“I’m just bugging you. It most definitely is going to be a nightmare,” Y/N agrees with a chuckle, “and I’m going to be late if I don’t hurry.” She adds while jabbing a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of her own apartment. Harry nods and notices how her robe’s a bit looser than before as she drops her arms and it falls a few inches down her shoulder - exposing more of her soft looking skin. Harry has to look away and walk towards his front door with Y/N before his imagination gets the best of him.

Harry unlocks the door and holds it open for Y/N to walk out of his home. He liked having her in his space. Harry internally curses himself for yet another intimate thought about his neighbour fogs up his mind. Just as she steps over the threshold of his apartment, Y/N spins on her heels quickly and reaches up with both hands to grab the twisted up towel around her hair. Harry nearly comes undone right then and there. The sight of her wet hair falling down effortlessly around her freshly washed face causes Harry’s mouth to feel dry suddenly. But as she makes the move to reach up, pulling it off of her head, and then holding out the towel in front of her, all of this causes her robe to fall even more off of her shoulders. Now both of her shoulders were fully exposed for him to see. Which Y/N notices right away and blushes, rushing to try and readjust herself, then only holding the towel with one hand while she bares her other arm over her chest to keep the robe from falling open completely.

“Nearly stole your towel,” Y/N breathes out.

She’s distracted by how her robe is slipping apart and how Harry’s eyes are falling with it. Harry clears his throat and takes the towel from her, giving her a chance to fix her robe, and he leans against his door for support as his head spins from the scene he has played out in his head. Her robe falling apart, seeing the swell of her breasts, how her nipples must look. He imagines they’re hard from the chill in the hallway, pebbling into little buds. Then he’s imagining how he’d pull her back into his apartment, kissing and touching all over her skin till she’s left breathless and begging for more.

“Thanks,” Harry says and drops his arm to hold the towel down at his side.

“I owe you one,” Y/N states, “for letting me use the shower,” she adds. She’s not sure what else he would think she’s talking about, but she just felt the need to clarify. And she really needed to get back to her own apartment and finish getting ready. “See you around, Harry,” she says with a smile before walking away and hurrying into her home.

Harry thinks of how he should've wished her a safe flight, or even said goodbye. But instead he heard her door shut and followed suit by closing his own. Harry walks into his living room - discarding the towel on the back of his large arm chair, before moving his acoustic guitar from where it was laying on his couch and taking a seat. He then reaches for his cell phone that was left on the coffee table. Opening his contact, he finds the building's maintenance number and calls them.

“Hey Phil, how are you doing?... Good, I’m good yeah, uh, I’m just calling because the water in 602 isn’t working...Yeah Y/N, she actually had to leave in a bit of a rush, so I just wanted to make sure someone got in there as soon as possible to check it out,” Harry explains the situation to the building’s head maintenance man. “I’m not entirely sure when she’ll be back home, maybe you could give her a quick call and double check... Just being a friendly neighbour, Phil… Thanks Phil, have a good day and say hi to Georgia and the kids for me… Bye.”

Harry hangs up the phone and sets it back down onto the table, looking at the open notebook beside it. He hadn’t written anything all morning. Just had a few good cords stuck in his head. Harry picks up the guitar once more and plays the cords.

“Tangled wet hair, soft silk skin, looking so good it should be a sin,” Harry sings softly. It’s not his best and it’s not even that good, if he’s honest with himself. But it seems that Y/N sparked some inspiration inside of him. He grabs his pen, and starts scribbling down the words that now flow through his mind. Finishing with writing ‘Plush Purple Robe’ in capital letters before dropping the pen and going back to strumming the guitar.

He wrote nearly an entire song, thanks to how Y/N looked in that damn bathrobe standing in his apartment, and he just knew this would result in some teasing words from his friends when he brought it into their studio session next week.

Y/N was tired and her third Starbucks of the day wasn’t helping her out at all. She brings a hand up to cover yet another yawn that escapes her. Her eyes feel heavy, drooping as she blinks slowly a few times at her screen. She feels as though she might doze off if it wasn’t for the loud bang of the mail cart smacking against the elevator doors signalling it’s arrival for the day. It jolts her upright once again and she takes another big gulp of coffee, and sends a prayer up above, before she begins clicking away again at her laptop trying to finalize her schedule for the upcoming month of December.

Fittings, photoshoots, buyers meetings, and more fittings, there was rarely any free time in the first two weeks of the month. But thankfully her boss isn’t a complete Grinch and gave her minimal work during the last two weeks. Plus Y/N really did love her job. She lived for the magic world of fashion. The way her bustling office just meant that the designer’s creations were coming to life as A list celebrities and New York's elite fell in love with the pieces she’s gone through lengths to get for them.

She also loved Christmas just as much, if not more, as her job. Even thinking about everything she was looking forward to this holiday season made her feel all giddy inside now. Growing up in the city meant she knew the thrill of skating in Central Park and seeing the Rockefeller Christmas tree being lit up. Her smile was as bright as the lights. She loved going to the annual Christmas markets that were held; walking around with hot chocolate in her hands as she browsed the many homemade soaps and ornaments, and even clothing too. Y/N even enjoyed shopping at the Macy’s down the street and gasping at their holiday displays, and found herself buying a few too many decorations for her home while there. Over the past few days - with any free time she had off work - she had gone into full blown decorating mode in her apartment. It was like Santa’s village and it filled her with so much joy as she set everything into its rightful place in her new home, smiling from ear to ear at the twinkling lights and tinsel lining the perimeter of every room.

“Earth to Y/N,” her co-worker, Sammy, sings while leaning back in his desk chair to try and make eye contact with her.

“Sorry,” she mumbles, zoning back into reality and turning her own chair away from her desk that was up against the large floor to ceiling windows.

“Daydreaming about that hot new neighbour of yours?” Sammy teases her with a smug look on his face. Y/N rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest.

“No, I was not,” she says, “I’m regretting telling you about him already,” she adds. Sammy returns the eye roll.

“There’s no shame in having some eye candy as a neighbour you know,”

“Yeah there is when-“

“Y/N!” Her name suddenly being yelled across the room cuts her sentence off and makes Sammy and herself look over to where it came from. They both see their boss, Amanda, standing in the doorway of her office with both hands up in the air and a look of annoyance across her face. Y/N’s watch vibrates just on time to remind her of her meeting with Amanda. She’s always at least five minutes early; suppose daydreaming about the holidays - not her hot new neighbour - had put her behind schedule a bit.

“Better not keep her waiting,” Sammy says as he rolls his chair back over to his own desk while Y/N closes her laptop, taking it and a notebook with her quickly before slipping her feet back into her black heels. She always took them off when she sat at her desk to give her poor feet a break. As she broke into a speed walk across the office space, nearly avoiding the mail cart, she internally went over what today's meeting entailed.

“Sorry Amanda,” Y/N apologizes as she steps into the office, closing the glass door behind her quietly.

“It’s alright, you’re rarely even a few minutes behind that schedule of yours, so I was more surprised than anything,” Amanda states as she smooths her dress out and takes a seat at her desk. Y/N takes a seat in the chair across her desk, setting her laptop on her lap and then the notebook on top of it while she keeps her favourite pen in hand. It had a cheesy Christmas sweater snowflake pattern on it, which Y/N had bought a whole set for her and Sammy at Target last week.

“I wanted to quickly talk about your time with Miss Woods a couple days ago,” Amanda says, referring to one of the clients from North Carolina that had visited recently. “She said you showed her great hospitality and were a true New Yorker in her eyes, her words exactly.” Amanda gives Y/N a proud smile. “So, great job. She ended up purchasing those Gucci purses we had bought in hopes she’d like them even though she didn't ask for them. All thanks to you putting her in such a good mood, really.”

“Well she was a blast to be around, age really didn't slow her down,” Y/N and Amanda share a laugh. “She turned up my radio every time we got in my car, ordered doubles at dinner and brunch, and even talked about boy issues with me. It was a great time,” Y/N explains while adjusting herself in her seat and crossing a leg over the other casually.

“I think it’s your energy. Your love for this city can be infectious sometimes Y/N,” Amanda says. Y/N’s lips pull up into a smile at her words, they made her feel warm inside.

“Thank you,” she says softly with a nod.

“Now, onto what’s happening over this next week, let’s see how our schedules look,” Amanda starts as she opens her large planner than was always either on her desk or brought home in her large Louis Vuitton purse.

“I got an email from the lovely Mrs. Archibald this morning,” Y/N states. Amanda shakes her head as her face twists up at the mention of one of their bigger clients who happens to be married to the richest man in New York City. It’s just too bad she’s a real bitch sometimes because her attitude could make doing their job a bit harder at times. But Amanda and Y/N loved a challenge, and Mrs Archibald was just that. “She has a last minute dinner party tomorrow and she needs the newest item from Gucci that we can find immediately,” Y/N explains.

“Shit, our new stuff from Gucci doesn’t come in till next Monday,” Amanda curses, eyes roaming around her desk as if the answer to her problem would pop up somewhere.

“I know, which is why I went ahead and called Greg at the store on Fifth and Fiftieth, he said they just got a handful of exclusive holiday pieces early and would gladly have one of us pick a couple items up for Mrs Archibald,” Y/N says. Amanda’s sour look fades instantly and is replaced with a wide smile.

“What would I do without you, honestly!” Amanda exclaims. “Head over to Gucci after lunch today, and then we’ll get Mrs Archibald in first thing tomorrow.”

“Will do,” Y/N says while jotting down her after lunch plans onto a blank page in her notebook.

“How’s your influencer work going for you?” Amanda asks, her eyes on her planner in front of her instead.

“It’s been good, getting closer to five hundred thousand every day. I think the holidays will push me over the mark soon enough,” Y/N states.

“Great, make sure you’re getting close up shots of the dresses Greg shows you. Tease the people of what an exclusive holiday gown looks like,” Amanda suggests. Y/N smiles and jots down the note.

Having an audience was never the goal for Y/N. In fact, she thought of suspending her Instagram account all together once she got the promotion at work. She was worried that it would cause a conflict of interest, but Amanda and the rest of the team saw it as a plus. Having so many people follow Y/N’s life, being interested in what she’s interested in, wanting to get their hands on what she had, all lead to good publicity for the company. It even got them a few A list celebrities because of her account as they saw the company’s name in her bio, which led to contacting the company about setting some fittings up.

And with that set up, they settle into the rest of their itinerary for the week, making note of who needed to be involved with what, and who would be coming into their offices. Jennifer freaking Aniston was scheduled for a fitting this Friday and Y/N was praying she made it back from picking up an order of Louis Vuitton scarfs in time to see her in her custom grown that their team's seamstresses had been working tirelessly on with Prada’s team.

By the end of her and Amanda’s meeting, it was time for lunch. Sammy was waiting by her desk with his black Gucci backpack in hand that Y/N was sure held a Kardashian sized salad. Y/N was glad she meal-prepped teriyaki chicken and rice, so she didn’t have to eat yet another salad seeing as Sammy had gotten her into the over sized salad eating last month; she’s had enough of it.

“I’ve gotta head over to Gucci on Fifth Ave after,” Y/N states with a smile as her and Sammy walk into the conference room that they used for lunch sometimes, shielding themselves away from work a bit - even if the walls were glass and they could still see everyone working around them.

“Lucky bitch,” Sammy grumbles, “Greg always hooks you up with some free pieces when you go there, I swear.”

“Hey it’s only been a few items, nothing crazy,” Y/N defends herself before taking a bite of her lunch.

“Oh I’m sorry, two rings and a pair of tights are nothing crazy? Every other influencer would kill someone for those tights. Firstly, they’re so cute. And secondly, those rings cost my monthly rent.”

“I’m not complaining about any work perks. Maybe you could come with and get to know Greg a bit and get your own ring or two?”

Sammy chews his mouth full of salad, “no thanks, it’s so freaking cold out there. I’ll stay inside where it’s warm,” he says.

“Then don’t complain when I get another pair of tights and you don’t,” Y/N scowls playfully.

“I’d look so much better in those tights, you can’t even deny it,” Sammy says and pokes his fork at Y/N. She raises her hands up in surrender.

“Oh I wouldn’t dare to deny it, ever,” she smiles. They eat a few bites in silence. Y/N starts to feel a bit more energized by the protein she’s eating, thankfully. She now had a long journey to the Gucci store and back as well as a ton of emails to filter through too - which she’s sure will follow her home till the late hours of the night.

“What are you planning to wear for the Christmas office party?” Sammy chimes in, his eyes still on his phone.

“I don’t even know,” Y/N sighs and brings up her Pinterest app on her phone. “I found this outfit and am dying over it every day but I really should just find something in my closet and restyle it, I'm getting more broke by the day.”

“Blame your excessive christmas shopping habits,” Sammy deadpans while glancing at her phone screen.

“I’m aware of why I'm broke, thank you,” she deadpans back, narrowing her eyes at him. “Maybe Greg will have it in his heart to lend me a special piece for the party,” Y/N taunts Sammy with a smile on her face.

“Shut up,” he groans. Y/N laughs and is just about to shut her phone screen off when a phone call comes through from her apartment building maintenance.

“Hello?” She answers. “Hi Phil… Oh that’s awesome news thank you so much for getting it fixed so soon… Yes, I’m glad Harry called in about it right away too…” Y/N notices how her friend's eyebrows fly up at the mention of Harry’s name. “Lovely, thanks again Phil… Have a great day… Bye,” she hangs up the phone and sets it on the table in front of her.

“What did Harry do now?” Sammy questions without a second to spare. Y/N rolls her eyes, but can’t stop herself as she smiles.

“He called in about the water in my apartment like right after I made a mad dash out of his place to go pick up Mrs Woods in time. I hadn't even thought of calling about it and then I got a call on my way to the airport from the head maintenance guy saying Harry told him about it and asked for verbal permission to enter my apartment while I was out,” Y/N explains to him. She was still shocked by Harry’s kindness. Not only did he offer his shower to her, but he then got hers check out that same day. She probably wouldn't have called about it till the next day, if she was lucky to have any free time to stop by her house between entertaining Mrs Woods.

“What a neighbourly thing to do,” Sammy says smugly.

“Shut up, he’s just a nice guy.”

“Mhmm,” Sammy hums while stabbing his salad again for another bite.

The two of them continue to enjoy their lunch break and catch up on what’s been going on in the office. Their fellow associate Kate was trying to sleep with the mail cart boy. He seems freshly twenty one, if that. Just seven years younger than Kate, but she’s a well known cougar - it’s been a thing for, like, two years now. And Julianne was sick again, for the third time in two months. That was the extent of the office drama, sadly. Y/N packs up her bag with her left over lunch, notebook, and laptop before heading back to her desk with Sammy to get her coat and bundle up to brace the cold weather.

At least it wasn’t snowing.

The snow is coming down like a blizzard, making it hard for Harry to see in front of him. It was a colder day, his weather app had called for cloudy skies and a chance of some light flurries - but that all changed in a split second and had Harry racing home from the coffee shop a few blocks away. He’s just praying his notebook full of new song ideas, based off his people watching this afternoon that’s now in his tote bag, doesn't get wet in the short trip he has to walk. Just as he’s about to turn left down the last block till his building, he sees a young woman struggling to walk along the sidewalk in her heels just in front of him. She’s carrying a large beige garment bag, having it folded over her arm as she tries to maneuver around the busy sidewalk and everyone is rushing to get out of the storm. Harry’s just behind her now, that’s when he recognizes the jacket and scarf.

“Y/N?” Harry says, trying to not startle her. But of course, as Y/N turns around to look behind her at whoever had just called out her name on the busy streets of New York, she slips.

“Oh my god!” She squeals, trying to keep the garment bag up so it doesn’t damage the dresses inside, but that means she doesn’t have any hands to throw out to catch herself. Harry sees her begin to fall and reaches out without hesitation. “The bag,” she says, trying to get Harry’s attention to saving the garment bag rather than her. But of course he manages to wrap his arms under hers and hold her upright, standing straight to get her back on her feet once more.

“Shit, I’m sorry, shouldn’t have scared you like that,” Harry says.

Y/N squints at him through the thick snowflakes, he’s standing so close though that she doesn’t have troubles staring into his enchanting eyes. She smiles, adjusting the dresses and her bag before motioning to their apartment building only a couple blocks away. “Let’s get out of this snow storm,” she suggests.

“Right,” Harry agrees and lets her start the walk - that way he can stick close behind in case those death heels of hers cause her to slip again.

Y/N regrets her decision of wearing heels so much right now. She’s sure her cheeks are still red from embarrassment of nearly falling on her ass in front of so many people. Harry’s seen in her purple bathrobe, which is already embarrassing, but falling in heels in this snow storm would’ve only added to her list of making a fool of herself in front of him.

When she arrived at Gucci it was just cloudy, but then after nearly two hours inside the store - mostly chatting with Greg and his associates, she walked outside into the blizzard. Her office was too far of a walk, she knew getting a cab or an Uber during the storm would just be a nightmare and she didn’t want to wait around. There was no way she was going to risk taking the subway while carrying the garment bag that said Gucci right on it and have some lowlife steal thousands of dollars of designer clothes from her. So, she went with the most obvious option of getting these pieces out of the snow storm and headed to her apartment building that was only a few blocks away, thankfully.

“Thanks for saving me back there,” Y/N says with a sigh as Harry uses his key to let them into the building. They both brush the snow off themselves as they walk across the lobby and to the elevator. “I would've been dead if this fell into a puddle or something,” she states while lifting the garment bag.

“Does that say Gucci?” Harry asks, eyebrows raised as he looks at the label on the bag.

“Yeah, I just had to pick up a few things for work,” Y/N explains vaguely. Harry has followed Gucci on Instagram for years, he loves their pieces and finds what they make to be so wonderful. He wishes he had the money to spend on a shopping trip there and yet here is his neighbour - who he may or may not be crushing on - with a large garment bag with Gucci items inside. “I can’t even imagine what Mrs Archibald would've done if I messed these up, god she'd have a fit,” Y/N says with a chuckle, looking at the floors lighting up as the elevator moved.

“Your boss?” Harry questions.

“No, a client, super rich and super bitchy,” Y/N answers, emphasizing both times she says super to really get her point across. She moves the garment bag from one arm to the other, leaning back against the elevator wall.

“Client? What kind of work do you do?” Harry tries to ask casually, not trying to seem creepy or invading in any way.

Y/N smiles, “I’m a part of the, oh so lovely, fashion industry.”

“You don’t like it?” Harry questions, eyebrows furrowed together.

“No, I do,” she corrects him.

The elevator opens then, Harry motions for Y/N to exit first as he had before. She smiles and walks down the hall to her apartment. Just as she fishes her keys from her coat pocket she turns back and looks at Harry when he walks past her. “I owe you, again, for saving my ass, literally from falling,” she says. Harry stops walking and looks at her, she smiles and tilts her head to the side. “And for calling the maintenance guy for the issues with my water,” she adds. Seems Phil spilled the beans, Harry thinks.

“I um, I wasn’t sure how long your trip was, and I just thought it’d be the nice thing to do by making sure they could get it fixed as soon as they could,” Harry explains.

“I actually didn’t go on a trip, I just had to pick someone up from the airport. But regardless it was very nice to know you thought of it for me. So thank you, I owe you, Harry,” she says again, giving him yet another one of her dreamy smiles. Harry’s heart did a little pitter patter in his chest as he looked over her face, taking in how her wispy hairs were wet from the snow that had melted on her head and how her eyes seemed to sparkle under the dim lighting of the hallway. But her lips, he’s been imagining those lips for two days now. Along with that purple bathrobe being on his floor again - his bedroom instead of the bathroom though.

“How about dinner?” Harry blurts out. Y/N had turned back to her door, having it unlocked and open as he had fallen into one of his daydreams about her. She pauses mid step and looks back at where he had stood still, her eyebrows are furrowed together as she thinks he misheard him. Oh shit, abort! Abort! Backtrack and say nevermind before she flat out rejects you, Harry thinks while he waits for her response.

“I, uh, I,” Y/N stops her stuttering and closing her eyes for a moment. She lets out a sigh and opens her eyes again to meet his nervous stare. “I have to hang this up, and change these shoes first,” she says.

“Of course,” Harry nods.

Y/N ponders over it for a moment before coming to the realization that the weather outside was truly frightful and they shouldn’t go out anywhere. “Honestly we shouldn’t go back out there. What if I just ordered something in and you came over? You like pizza?”

“Love it,” Harry smiles. Y/N nods and opens her door further, stepping in to survey the state of her apartment. It’s not messy, thank God. She had time this morning to put away her clean laundry that had taken up her couch over the past few days. There’s a couple hoodies draped over the back of the couch though, a half full glass of water on the coffee table and her kitchen has a pile of dirty dishes beside the sink that she hadn’t gotten to putting in the dishwasher yet. She quickly bends down to put away the few pairs of shoes that were kicked off in whatever direction they went, and turns on the two light switches by the door to light up her living room and hallway.

“Well, come on in,” she says as she turns back to Harry. He smiles as she lets out a deep breath and opens her front door for him.

He should’ve guessed that it would look like Santa had thrown up in her apartment. It was traditional, which Harry loved opposed to the new all white or all gold themes some people went with, but there was a lot of it. A red and green checkered throw blanket over the back of her grey couch, a decent sized tree filled with lights and tinsel and ornaments that all matched, a family of snowmen in one corner of her living room, and many little vintage looking nicknacks along her tv stand, and few shelves around the space. Not to mention the priceless looking tiny christmas village that was set up on top of the desk by her front door, fake snow laid on top to really pull it all together. So much Christmas, and he was only looking in one room. He imagined this festive feeling went throughout her entire home.

“It kind of seems like a lot whenever someone new sees all of my Christmas crap,” Y/N says, breaking Harry’s stare away from her living room and back to her now. She had hung up the Gucci bag on the closet door to her left, and had slipped out of her shoes and was now undoing the buttons of her coat. Her eyes are on the decorations around them though, looking unsure as she takes it all in.

“It’s lovely, honestly, not crap at all,” Harry assures her. Y/N turns back to look at him and mirrors his smile.

“I just have a big soft spot for the holidays, I can’t help myself from buying four Christmas themed throw pillows if they make me feel all warm inside,” she explains, motioning to the couch that did in fact have four pillows on it.

“If it makes you happy, you don’t have to have any reason for buying ‘em.”

“I suppose so,” Y/N hums, finally taking off her coat and hanging it up.

Harry quickly takes his off too as she reaches for it, to hang it beside hers. He gives her a small thanks and then takes his shoes off, setting them beside hers . Y/N has walked into the threshold to the left that led to her kitchen. He notices the tinsel hanging from the beam and smiles before taking a quick peek into her kitchen. As he guessed, it’s all decked out in Christmas stuff too. Towels and nicknacks that seem to replace everyday things like salt and pepper shakers and her soap dispenser that was spaced like a snowman.

“I’ll order a pizza right away. Hopefully this weather won’t slow them down. Have you ever eaten at Sal’s down the street?” Y/N questions.

“Tons,” Harry says. He leans against the threshold to the kitchen and watches as Y/N sets her purse on her small kitchen table and fishes through it for her cell phone. She’s got this crease between her brows as she can’t seem to find it, but it instantly goes away and is replaced with a smile as the iPhone is in her hands.

“Do you like anything on your pizza?” She asks, eyes on her phone screen and she brings up the menu. She typically just gets a cheese, sometimes spices it up with a vegetarian pizza cause she likes the green peppers and red onions.

“I’m actually a vegetarian,” Harry states. “Well, I eat fish on occasion so I guess I’m a pescetarian.”

“Oh cool,” Y/N says, looking up to see Harry’s watching her from the space between her kitchen and living room. The way he’s leaning against the small space of wall, arms crossed at his chest and head tilted to the side - he looks good. He’s dressed in a pair of beige trousers, straight and baggy as his last ones were too, and has a white tank top tucked into the waistband while he layered with a fun patterned button up shirt. She can’t quite make out what is printed on the shirt, but the little squares seem to each have a picture in them.

“Where did you get that shirt?” Y/N can’t stop herself from asking, the fashion lover in her wanting to know.

Harry glances down at the short sleeved shirt on his body, then shrugs, “I think I thrifted it back home in England a few years back,” he says.

“I like it,” she says, then brings up one shoulder in a shrug to make it seem more casual. It’s not weird to compliment your neighbours clothing, Y/N thinks as she glances back down at her phone. “I’m going to order a cheese and they have a great vegetarian pizza too that I like,” she tells Harry while punching in her order on her delivery app.

“Yeah, I’ve had it before, it’s pretty great,” Harry agrees. Y/N can’t help as her body reacts to how low and slow Harry’s voice is. How she gets small chills throughout her body, as if threatening to pebble goosebumps along her arms, and how her mind feels foggy almost as she listens to him speak. She rolls her lips into her mouth and stuffs her phone into the pocket of her fitted black pants. He could tell her the most pointless story and she would let him, just to hear his voice and that accent that went with it. Moving to her fridge, she finds the bottle of red she had opened last night. It’s such a normal thing for her to have a glass or two after work that she doesn’t even think of her guest. He might not even like wine.

“Do you drink?” Y/N asks, looking over her shoulder to see Harry still in the same spot but his hands now in the front pocket of his trousers.

“What are we drinking?” He asks with a smile.

Y/N smiles back, as she always does, and reaches for the wine she had her eye on. “I opened this bottle of wine last night, it’s red. Would you be interested in a glass?” She asks, holding the bottle up for Harry to see.

“I’d love a glass, thanks.”

“Perfect,” Y/N nods and sets the bottle down on the counter beside her fridge. “You can get comfortable on the couch, I’ll bring our drinks in a moment.”

“Sounds good,” Harry nods. With one final glance up her body as she reaches high in her cupboard for two wine glasses for them, he shakes his head and turns around. He has to stop checking her out, he has no idea if she’s into him or not. She’s simply being a nice neighbour, and here he was, fancying her so much he’s checking her out like some horny teenager.

Harry runs a hand through his hair, walking around the back of the couch to take a seat on the corner furthest from where the Christmas tree lit up Y/N’s living room. He really did like all of her joy that she’s put into decorating her home. There’s no doubting her love for the holiday, not a single space feels like it was forgotten as she must have spent all day setting it up. He especially liked the framed photo on the side table to his right, where there was also a rather plain lamp and a Santa spaced coaster too. Inside the frame was a small child who he knew immediately was Y/N. There was no mistaking that smile of hers even at such a young age. She’s sitting on a man’s lap, a man dressed as Santa, but it’s truly the most realistic mall Santa he’s even seen. Harry thinks back to his home in that moment, imagining the many photos of him and his older sister with many variations of mall Santas that must be littering his mum’s house by now. Truthfully, many of them didn’t leave the shelves during the year.

“Here you go,” Y/N says as she holds out a wine glass nearly half full of red wine to Harry. He takes it from her, his fingers brushing hers for a moment and sending those childish tingles through his body.

“Thanks,” he nods and brings the glass to his lips to have a taste. If he wouldn’t be so infatuated by Y/N, he would have told her that he typically didn’t drink red wine. He typically doesn’t drink at all, except for the occasional night out with his mates. But he saw that look on her face that said ‘I need a glass or two’ and he couldn’t say no, knowing it’d make her feel awkward and end up not having a glass herself.

Y/N lets out a long sigh as she takes a seat on the other side of the couch, relaxing alongside Harry as if they aren’t complete strangers. He liked that she felt comfortable around him. She did in fact enter his apartment the other day in a bathrobe and use his shower after all. After she takes another long sip of wine, she sets it down on a matching Santa coaster that sits on the coffee table - Harry notices now that she had brought the bottle of wine with her too.

“Long day?” He questions. Y/N nods, tucking her legs under her as she gets comfortable on the couch beside him. She clears her throat softly before answering him.

“Uh, yeah, work’s just been a lot lately and I’m actually looking forward to some time off,” Y/N says, running a hand through her hair, and then leans her arm on the back of the couch. Harry watches her movements, bringing his glass of wine to his lips to have a small sip, which he notices she watches him do. He likes her eyes on his lips, he thinks before turning his body slightly and setting his wine on the side table. When he turns back and looks her way he notices the slightly tint of pink flushing over her cheeks. Harry fights the tug at his lips to smile at how she seemed to catch on that he caught her staring at his lips.

“That’s always the worst, feeling as if you’re counting down till the days off,” Harry exclaims.

“I typically don’t, to be honest. I love my job,” Y/N states. “It’s my career so I better,” she adds with a chuckle.

“So you’ve already found your career at such a young age then, that’s awesome. Have you always known you wanted to be involved in the fashion industry?” Harry asks, his eyebrows pulled together as he does find himself very curious of how she herself a career so young.

“First off, twenty four is really starting to not feel young anymore so let's not label me as a youngster or anything alright-“

“Um, twenty four is young but okay,” Harry cuts her off with a playful look on his face. Y/N rolls her eyes and chooses to ignore his teasing. He’s always hung out around people older than him and typically dated women older too. But Y/N doesn't seem young. From what he’s seen from her, she doesn’t fit the mold of any twenty four year olds he’s known before - most being rather rude and partying their youth away while it’s obvious that Y/N worked hard during those years. Y/N looks as though she's got the whole world figured out already, and he admires that a lot.

“And secondly, yeah, I guess I sort of did know, not at first, of course, but it was always an interest of mine,” Y/N states, bringing Harry back to their conversation.

“What did you want to be when you were a youngster then?” He questions, using her choice of words back at her which makes Y/N chuckle. She shakes her head and looks up at the ceiling for a moment as she falls back into memories of her childhood. She remembers being emotionally attached to a pair of plastic pink princess slippers and how she slept in her matching tiara for nearly a year before her mom put a stop to her fantasy.

“I wanted to be a princess-“

“Me too,” Harry says.

“Stop interrupting me,” Y/N laughs and reaches across the couch to smack his arm. Harry's head feels light, his cheeks hurt from grinning at Y/N so much. He hasn’t felt like this in quite a while. Being able to have a light conversion with a pretty girl. How she makes him smile and laugh so easily too, it’s a really nice feeling. “But you’d make a much prettier princess for sure-“

“Not at all,'' Harry disagrees, managing to cut her off yet again. She glares at him but can’t help the smile that's still on her face.

“Anyways, I wanted to be a princess and then I wanted to be one of Santa’s elves-”

Harry chuckles, “of course,” he says as he’s not so surprised to hear her say so - seeing as it looked like Santa’s village inside her apartment.

Y/N chooses to ignore his short interruption this time and continues on. “But then as I got older and got ahold of the internet, I wanted to be a model cause I thought it was the most glamorous thing, but I wasn't as beautiful or skinny as Candice Swanepoel so that was out of the question-“

“This is the last time I'll interrupt you I promise,” Harry says, Y/N presses her lips tight together and gives Harry another look as if to say yeah right. “But I cannot let you sit here and say you aren't pretty or skinny enough to be a model, Y/N, because you are one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen and your weight is nothing to ever question,” Harry pauses as he looks down at the sofa between them, realizing that he had said all that out loud. He was slightly embarrassed as he’s not sure how she’d take her neighbour saying all that to her.

My heart needs to calm down like now, Y/N thinks as she wets her lips and fidgets with her own hands as she watches Harry. “Y/N, don’t ever think less of yourself,” he adds in a gentle voice that sends chills down her spine.

Y/N doesn't respond right away, because honestly she's speechless. No one has ever said something so kind and so genuine to her. Sure, she’s gotten compliments from people, but the way Harry immediately stopped her from talking poorly of herself had made her stomach stir and her heart race. They had only just met, only had a few interactions - they were all good, great even - but Harry wasn’t like most people she’s met before and she’s beginning to realize that. She looks up to see Harry's watching her, his green eyes staring back at hers. Something switches in the air between them as Harry feels like he should lean in. Should he lean in? Would she want that? Does she want him?

“Thanks,” she smiles, bringing Harry back to their conversation. She clears her throat and sits up straight again, flipping her hair over her shoulders and snuggling into the couch some more. “If I ever feel down about myself again, I’ll be sure to knock on your door and demand you shower me in compliments,” Y/N teases.

“I’d be honoured to,” Harry says. There's another beat of silence, but it's not quiet inside his head. All he’s thinking about is how he should've made a move. She felt it too, right? Harry stops himself before he can go too far inside his head again while thinking about Y/N. “I won’t cut in again. Continue from the dreams of being a model - which you’d be a great model, by the way, don't count that one out just yet.”

Y/N smiles again, not even sure if she’s stopped smiling honestly. “Right, well, modeling led me into the world of fashion. Not that I hadn't known about Vogue or any of the high fashion houses since I did grow up in New York; fashion week had always been a highlight for me. But I actually started to look into the other sides of it. Designing wasn't an option, I just didn't feel original enough. So I did some personal assistant stuff during my high school years at fashion week, working behind the scenes at shows.”

Y/N pauses to lean forward and grabs her glass of wine again, needing liquid to coax her throat before she continued. Harry noticed that she was talking so passionately, probably not even realizing how much she was using her hands while speaking or how her eyes lit up at the world she painted for him. “And then I got a scholarship into FIT, the Fashion Institute of Technology. I was lucky enough to get an internship at my current workplace but quickly got offered a position on my graduation day, and now I'm one of our senior associates.”

“And what does your job really entitled to exactly?”

“We do a lot of things, but we’re really a personal shopper and stylist company. Working with many of New York's elite, even some of the east coast’s elite really, as well as celebrities too, which is always fun to see the dress you styled at the Met Gala or the Grammys. I just do a lot of running around, it feels like,” Y/N explains, “like how I had to rush to the Gucci store on Fifth Ave in order to get some pieces for Mrs. Achibald for tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds like a real tough job,” Harry taunts. Y/N returns his smug look and narrows her eyes at him playfully.

“Right, well what do you do then? You always seem to be home, I’m starting to think you don’t even have a job. Maybe you’ve just got a sugar daddy, hmm?” Y/N jokes. Harry lets out a loud laugh, throwing his head back. Y/N laughs with him before taking a sip of her wine that she had almost forgotten about.

“Definitely not a sugar baby, although that would be the dream, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh, totally,” Y/N nods in agreement. They both chuckle again. Harry reaches for his wine to take a sip before answering her question for real this time. Blame the wine, he thinks, for any longing looks or laughing too much at her jokes just blame the red wine in his glass.

“I’m actually in the music industry, kind of,” Harry states.

“How are you kind of in the music industry?” Y/N questions curiously, her brows pulled together as she takes another sip of wine.

“I am a studio rat, as people in the industry would call it,” Harry says, Y/N’s face scrunches up at his words utterly confused at the term. “I pretty much live in music studios most of the year. Most of my time is taken up by writing. So I guess I’m a songwriter, but I also make demos for my songs with a few people I’ve grown close with in my studio, so I end up doing some instruments for artists' studio versions of songs. I do a bit of producing too, but I mostly leave that to my buddy, Tom.”

“Wow, that sounds like a really cool job. And here I was jabbering on about my job when you’re a songwriter? That’s so cool,” Y/N repeats, another sip of wine going down her throat as she stares at Harry. His cheeks are starting to turn red, eyes avoiding hers as he fidgets with his rings. “Have you written any songs I’d know?” She asks, trying to get more information out of him.

“Maybe,” Harry shrugs.

“You’re not going to tell me?” Y/N asks, brows pulled together.

“Nope,” Harry shakes his head.

“Shouldn’t you be proud of your work?”

“Of course I am,” Harry says, bringing a crooked finger up to his nose before rubbing it twice. “I just know that my music might not be everyone's favourite.”

Since the beginning of his freelance songwriting career, Harry's always been nervous to show people what he’s poured his heart and soul into, especially to people he’s friends with, or people he likes. What if they hated it? He couldn’t bear listening to the fake “it's great” with an even faker smile. Although he knows people do like his songs, those people were mainly artists that bought his songs and their fans, of course, along with his fellow colleagues. He just doesn't want Y/N to hate his work.

“Well, I'm sure it's brilliant,” Y/N says. “And maybe one day you’ll show me.” She adds with a smile, not wanting to force the subject, over the rim of her wine glass before taking another sip and finishing off the red liquid in one small gulp. She frowns at the empty glass and sets it down on the Santa coaster on the coffee table. “Do you write all the time then?” Y/N asks, bringing her gaze back to Harry’s.

“Pretty much, although I’m in the studio less in December due to it being so close to the holidays. I’ve actually got my last session with my mates just in a few days.”

“Counting down the days till you have some time off?” She asks, referring to what he had said earlier to her.

“Not particularly,” Harry says.

Y/N is about to ask why, but then her phone bings from her pocket. It’s then that she realizes she hadn’t thought of looking at her phone once since sitting down with Harry. She had been so engrossed with their conversation, and feeling a light buzz that she managed to forget about the pizza she ordered. The notification on her screen read that her pizza had arrived at the building, and the delivery person would be here any second. Then her phone starts ringing.

“Hello,” Y/N answers the phone in a sweet voice. Harry has to stop himself from staring, instead finding himself grabbing the red wine that he wasn’t too fond of, and has a few sips as he listens to Y/N talk to, what he assumes, is the pizza delivery. She buzzes them up with one tap on her phone before the call ends. “Our dinner is finally here,” she tells Harry, even though he had gathered as much, but he still smiles in response. She stands from the couch and adjusts her pants by pulling them up slightly. They fit her so bloody well, Harry thinks. “And we are both nearly done with a glass of wine each before we’ve even eaten,” Y/N chuckles as she walks past Harry and to the kitchen to her purse.

While Y/N pays for their food, Harry takes it upon himself to top off her glass of wine. He was content with his last few sips between bites. Y/N sets the two pizza boxes on the coffee table before rushing into the kitchen to grab two plates and some napkins for them. They work together in a comfortable silence to get things set up; both boxes open and Y/N settles back onto the couch before they dig into the large New York slices.

Y/N brings a piece straight from the box to her mouth, once she bites into the greasy food she moans around her mouthful of cheesy pizza. Harry is just about to take his first bite as well but stops just short at the sounds that come from Y/N. He dares to glance her way, throat bobbing as he takes her in. Both eyes closed, her head hanging back and lips turned up into a smile as she chews her food. He watches her swallow, utterly mesmerized by her soft skin moving just slightly. Dear god, Styles, get it together, he thinks as he imagines her swallowing something else.

Y/N opens her eyes at the sound of Harry clearing his throat, turning her gaze to him and seeing him lift his piece of pizza to her in a ‘cheers’ manner. “Thanks again for the meal,” Harry says. There his voice does it again, sounding all low and throaty as it makes chills go down her spine.

“No problem,” Y/N nods. She tries to focus back on eating her food, willing the thoughts in her head to go away. But she can’t stop them from entering her dreams later that night after Harry and her had said their goodbye - Harry noticed her yawn a few times and began to clean up their plates and empty wine glasses while he continued to tell Y/N about his time in school before he was writing songs full time on his way to the kitchen. Y/N watched him from her spot on the couch, smiling at how he didn’t think twice on cleaning up after them. She was pretty sure that’s how her dream started too, but then it led to Harry’s voice whispering in her ear, asking if she’s been naughty or nice this year while they laid in bed. Y/N blames the large glass of wine. One hundred percent she blames the wine.

There wasn’t a more perfect day in the year, Y/N was sure of it, as she sat on a bench in Central Park. It was t-minus three weeks before Christmas Day and she had just gotten off work. The sun was slowly setting in the horizon as she stared at the sparkling snow that covered the ground and trees around her.

“Y/N?”

She turns her gaze away from the skating rink in the distance to see who had called out her name. A smile tugs at her lips as she sees Harry a few feet away. He’s dressed in a long dark coat that reaches to his knees, one which was exposed from a rip in his loose fitting jeans. With his outfit he wore a pair of chelsea boots upon his feet that trudged through the snow. Y/N noticed that he was bundled up with a grey scarf around his neck and a matching beanie upon his head too. She liked how his hair flipped up at the ends, sticking out of the beanie.

It has been almost a week since their pizza night together, and thankfully, those wine induced dreams had stopped after that one night, which to be fair were rather innocent compared to some other dreams she had thanks to too much tequila - regardless, it’s making it much less awkward to face him now.

“Hey,” she greets him as she meets his eyes once more. Harry stops by the bench, motioning at the open space to her left.

“Mind if I sit with you?” He asks. Y/N shakes her head and moves to her right just a bit to make more room for him. “Was going for a stroll, thought I was imagining you sitting here by yourself to be honest.” Harry states.

“New York City can seem rather small some days,” Y/N says with a smile.

“Some days, yeah,” Harry nods. “What brings you out to this lonesome bench in Central Park?” Harry asks, looking out at the scenery before them.

“This,” Y/N answers with a hand out to the park.

“It's rather pretty.”

“Very, and calming. And after my day at the office today, I desperately needed to just sit here by myself and disconnect from the world for a moment.”

“Oh,'' Harry says, bringing Y/N’s gaze away from the couple holding hands across the pond and to him instead. “I'm- I'm sorry if I barged in. I just thought it’d be weird if I didn’t say hi.”

“Oh no, it’s totally okay,” Y/N assures him. “I’ve been out here for a good while now.” As if her body realizes at the same time, she shivers beside Harry.

“Did you want to head home?”

“Not particularly,” Y/N hums. Her eyes falling back to the sights before her. The sky is becoming a soft hue of pinks and oranges before their eyes. It warms her heart despite her entire body is cold.

“How about a cup of hot cocoa?” Harry suggests as he sees the cart serving hot drinks just to their right. An older couple and, what seems to be, their grandchildren are being served steaming cups and candy canes too. That seems like something Y/N would like, Harry thinks as he stands from the bench. He's about to offer his hand but thinks twice about it, sticking both his hands into his coat pockets before he can make a fool of himself. “My treat,” Harry adds with a smile.

“I would love that,” Y/N beams while standing from the bench and falling into step with him.

Harry orders for the two of them as they step up to the small cart. Y/N discreetly takes out her phone and opens her Instagram app, swiping to the right to open her camera before she’s bombarded with notifications. She holds down on her screen to begin filming her pointed Versace boots that she had been gifted from work this winter; they had become a staple as the weather grew colder and the snow kept coming down since they had the thickest heel of all the shoes in her closet. Holding the phone up, she catches half of Harry’s body as she films the hot chocolate cart. His back is to the camera, his large coat and beanie covering any angle she did get of him so she’s not afraid to post the story after adding a quick filter to it and typing ‘pro tip: always get a hot chocolate when you’re feeling chilly in central park’ tagging her location as well before hitting post to her story and feeding her nearly five hundred thousand followers with some content for the first time all day.

“Thank you,” Y/N says softly as Harry hands her a to-go cup without a lid since there’s an abundance of whipped cream on top. Her smile turns into a grin as he also reveals he bought her a candy cane. She gasps and is quick to unwrap it and stick it into her mouth.

“Woah, you’re like a toddler itching for a sugar rush, huh?” Harry teases as they begin walking along the path and away from the cart.

“Candy canes are my weakness,” Y/N states as she pushes it to the left side of her mouth in order to talk more clearly.

“Good to know,” Harry smiles over the rim of his cup before opening his mouth and licking off some of the whipped cream. Y/N has to look away as she’s brought back to her dream.

Shaking her head slightly, she brings her phone back up to her face and it unlocks for her. Since it’s still open on the Instagram camera, she holds out her heaping cup of whipped cream and attempts to take a picture as they walk. The first two turn out blurry, then she stops walking, in hopes it’ll turn out nice before Harry can notice she stopped. Only it doesn’t of course, so she ends up furrowing her brows and sucks harder on the candy cane in her mouth before trying three more times to take the perfect snap.

Suddenly, Harry’s hand is in her shot, a blur over her whipped cream. She gasps and looks up to see his forefinger in his mouth, obviously licking off the bit of whipped cream he managed to steal. She’s surprised he did it, and she can tell he is a bit too, but then she huffs out a short chuckle while her mouth is still agape, which makes Harry grin. He doesn’t think twice as he reaches out to swipes his finger over the sweet cream again.

“Stop stealing my whipped cream!” Y/N glares at Harry as he licks his finger clean once more.

“It’s gonna melt anyways, you're taking so bloody long to drink any of it.”

“I'm busy enjoying my candy cane, jeez,” Y/N rolls her eyes and takes the candy out of her mouth, having forgotten about the picture, her phone screen turns blank. Harry shrugs and reaches forward again to steal more. Y/N is faster this time, and moves her cup away from him while bringing her candy cane up and pointing towards him. “Do it again and I'll stab you,” She warns. Harry throws his free hand up in surrender, but both of his cheeks have those deep dimples showing. I’m beginning to really like those dimples, Y/N thinks.

“You get rather hostile over your holiday treats, hm?” Harry questions, raising a brow before slowly retreating his hand to hold his own hot chocolate with his other. He brings the cup to his mouth with both hands and takes a sip.

“Yes, in fact, I do,” Y/N mutters, looking down at her own cup and notices that the whipped cream is nearly gone now. Suppose Harry was right, she missed her chance to enjoy the extra sweetness.

She takes a few sips as they continue to walk together through Central Park. The sky is beautiful as the sunset is in its full glory with dreamy pinks and purples littering the skies. Y/N debates taking a photo but decides against it as she slips her phone into her pocket. Just as she’s about to return the candy cane back to her mouth, she glances over at Harry and notices just as he brings down his own hot chocolate from his mouth that he’s made a bit of a mess.

She chuckles before saying, “you’ve got a little,” Y/N points to her upper lip, “uh, a whipped cream moustache.” She giggles as Harry pokes the tip of his tongue out and swipes it over his top lip. Y/N chuckles some more and offers him her napkin.

“Thanks,” Harry says before wiping it across his mouth, looking back to her to ask, “did I get it all?”

Y/N finds herself staring at Harry for a few moments longer than it would take to give a simple answer if his face was clean or not. She’s never felt so comfortable around someone before, not even her childhood friends or Sammy honestly. There’s this ease around Harry the few times they’ve been around one another, and it makes her heart swell up in her chest. She rolls her lips into her mouth and inhales deeply through her nose, breaking her gaze away from his face and to the ground. In order to not seem weird or awkward, she looks back up and finds his eyes on her while she nods her head.

“Yeah, you’re good,” she tells him. They start their walk through Central Park once more, heading towards home at a slow pace. Y/N has her candy cane back in her mouth, alternating between it and her hot chocolate before it got too cold. She could live off them both one hundred percent; two of the best things ever invented.

“So, tell me about your day,” Harry says, bringing Y/N out of her own thoughts and meeting his gaze again.

“It was a pretty good day, I guess,” she sighs, “we just have a lot of clients that like to do last minute shopping during the holidays and have some pretty crazy demands, but we want to deliver for them so we bend over backwards to do so.”

“I’m sure that can cause you to be rather exhausted then, yeah?”

“Very,” Y/N nods, “but I’m sure your day was much more interesting than mine, so tell me what kind of songs you wrote today?” Y/N asks with a smile.

Harry chuckles and lets Y/N lead the way to their left on the path home, he wasn’t the most confident with getting around sometimes since he usually stuck to the few places in the city that he was familiar with. While he has learned that Y/N is a New York City Native, he trusts her way direction over his, that’s for sure. He thinks back on what he had done today, including a quick run on the treadmill in the gym in their building that ended sooner than he thought as he got a burst of lyrical inspiration out of nowhere.

“I was in my apartment for most of the morning and a bit of the afternoon, then got in a bit of a rut after writing a new song about love, of course. Then I decided I needed to get out of the house and hope for some inspiration from people watching, which I have done a lot since living here,” Harry explains. Y/N takes a big gulp of her nearly cold drink, leaning to her left to get to the garbage they are passing in order to throw out the empty cup. Harry takes the chance to throw his empty cup out too.

“Do you always write about love?” Y/N asks, not thinking twice if it may be a bit too personal of a question. Harry is taken back at first by how that’s all she got from what he had said, but he only clears his throat and shoves his hands into his pockets now that they are free.

“Mostly, yeah,” he nods, “most relatable thing in life, I suppose.”

“Sometimes, I guess it can be,” Y/N agrees and goes back to sucking on her candy cane. She wonders how many times he’s been in love? How many times has she really been in love? Y/N sighs internally and focuses on her steps, avoiding a puddle by having to step closer to Harry. She sniffles from the cold at the same time and is hit with Harry’s scent - lavender, as it always seems to be how he smells. She still thinks it’s lovely.

The two of them make more casual conversation on their fifteen minute walk home through the busy streets. Harry tells her about an elderly couple he had seen just before seeing her, maybe in their 80s, and looking more in love than he’s ever seen before. He wrote a few things about how they looked before going on his way. Y/N tells him about how her grandparents used to go on walks through the park when she was younger, which then brings them into the topic of grandparents in general. Harry tells her about how his grandpa refuses to retire and how his grandma ends up bugging his mom because of how lonely she is. Y/N is smiling the whole time, loving how he must feel comfortable around her too as he’s able to talk about his family like this. Y/N also yawns many times in their short walk. She’s tempted to invite Harry into her apartment for some wine and pizza again but decides against it and simply gives him a smile and soft goodbye at her door, deciding to get into her night routine earlier than normal due to how she can’t stop yawning.

After hanging up her coat, double checking her door was locked, and slipping out of her boots, Y/N pulled her phone out of her pocket to check out what text she missed while on her walk home. She liked how she wanted to feel so present around Harry, having no want to look at her phone but instead being more interested in his little stories about his grandparents. Her face ID unlocks as she looks at the screen. It’s still on the photo she last tried to take for her Instagram. Harry’s hand was a bit of a blur as he stole her whipped cream off the top of her hot chocolate. There was no way to not know it was Harry’s hand, though, his rings being so unique and noticeable in the photo as well - her favourite being his initials wrapped around his fingers in gold. Some would think it’s maybe a bit narcissistic, but Y/N thought it looked good and really there’s no harm in being a narcissist sometimes right?

Y/N saves the photo but doesn’t post it, deciding to simply keep it for herself instead of letting her many followers see into a small yet sweet moment between her and her newest friend. She could call him that right? They were friends? Y/N did hope that Harry thought of her as a new friend too because she was enjoying this time with him a lot, maybe even a little too much.

It had been another day spent at the cafe down the street for Harry. Marking only one last day off till his final studio time this year, he was itching to get to work in a couple days and see his mates too. Over the almost two weeks, he’s written more than he had expected himself to and he knew he could thank a certain new neighbour, or I guess, a new friend, Harry thinks to himself as he turns towards his apartment building. There was no denying the feeling he got around Y/N. He wanted to become more than friends, eventually, no rush of course - but he couldn’t ignore the feeling he got around her; the butterflies and heart racing nearly every moment together. And he couldn’t forget the constant smiling, which he was doing right now just thinking about her.

Harry walks up to the main doors of his apartment building and notices a man beside the main doors. Harry furrows his brows at him. He didn’t look like some strange man trying to find warmth during the beginning of the evening here in the city that had fallen to freezing temperatures as the first week of December came to an end. In fact, he had a brand new iPhone in his hand and rather expensive looking clothes keeping him warm.

“Hey, did you need inside?” Harry asks the man standing by the intercom system. The man looks up at Harry, eyes narrowing at him. He seems Harry’s age, maybe even a few years older judging by the lines around his eyes. He’s got dark eyebrows which makes Harry think he must have dark hair under the beanie he wore under the hood of his thick winter coat. Harry waits for an answer, staring back into the stranger’s brown eyes.

“Yeah, girlfriends not answering and I know she’s inside,” his voice is low and gruff, he then lifts a Starbucks hot cup up - Harry recognizes the holiday pattern anywhere now since Y/N seems to always have one on her even in quick passing in or out of the building. “Even got me to pick her up this stupid drink on my way too, her fault if it’s cold now I guess.”

“Guess so,” Harry mumbles, kind of put off by the man’s attitude. He decides to give him the benefit of the doubt and holds the door open for it. The man walks in without so much of a thank you. You’re welcome, Harry sarcastically thinks to himself.

They walk together to the elevator in an awkward silence. Once the doors open Harry steps up to the buttons and hits the sixth one, not bothering to ask the man what floor he needs as he steps away. The stranger gives the lit up button a brief look before he’s staring down at his phone. As the elevator moves Harry’s mind wanders off to how he’d assert himself into Y/N’s evening today. Maybe he could make her dinner, then ask if she’d like to walk over to Central Park after because he knows how much she enjoys it there, and when they decide to take a break from walking and find a bench he’d finally get the nerve to make a move - maybe reach for her hand during the walk even. One thing was for sure, he liked Y/N and he needed to buck up and do something about it.

He’s still deep in thought about Y/N when the elevator doors open. The man he let into the building steps out first without even glance at Harry. Typical New Yorker, he thinks. Harry finds himself looking at where Y/N’s apartment door is over the man's shoulder as they walk down the hall, he’s debating just walking right up and asking her to hang out right away. But then the man stops in front of the door that reads 602 - Y/N’s door.

Y/N hears the knock on her front door and blinks rapidly at her laptop screen, unfocusing from her long email that she was to send to her boss, Amanda, within the hour with an update on how the first week of December had gone. She glances at the time and sees it’s nearly four in the afternoon. Took him long enough, she thinks while rolling her eyes and standing from the couch. Just as she’s a few steps away there’s another knock on the door. She sighs and unlocks it, quickly throwing the door open to reveal Mark standing on the other side.

“You are home,” he says, that attitude she knows so well is thick in his voice already. Y/N opens her mouth, about to sass him back, but then she notices a certain tall figure with a mess of brown hair walking behind Mark.

“Harry,” Y/N breathes out, hoping he didn’t even hear it honestly. But he slows his steps and gives her a tight lipped smile once facing her. It’s one she was not familiar with and makes her stomach feel as though it was full of rocks.

“Hey,” he says with a small three finger wave.

“You know this guy?” Mark, her boyfriend, questions. Bringing her eyes from Harry’s green ones and to his brown ones instead. “He was nice enough to let me into this place since you were too busy,” he states.

Y/N tucks her lips into her mouth and looks away from Mark and back to Harry. She knows he’s questioning everything by the look in his eyes. She tried. Well, maybe not hard enough, but she wanted to tell him about Mark, even just casually and quickly. Y/N didn’t intend to give Harry any sort of mixed signals during their times together, she really was just being polite and ended up enjoying being around him so much that she thought there was no harm in making a new friend. But she’d be an idiot to try and deny she felt something more than friendship with Harry.

“Yeah, uh,” she clears her throat and waves a hand between the two young men, “Mark, this is Harry my uh, my neighbour. Harry this is Mark, my boyfriend.”

Well shit, that’s not ideal, Harry thinks as he looks into Y/N’s eyes and prays he heard her wrong. But he knows he didn’t. So, he just takes a deep breath and forces a smile to stay on his face while holding a hand out to Mark, even though it hurt him to be polite to the guy that was dating the girl he’s been crushing on for nearly two weeks now.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Harry says as Mark grasps his hand and shakes it lazily. Shit handshake, he thinks. “I would love to stay and chat but I’ve got some work to get to,” he says quickly after taking his hand out of Mark’s and backing away from the situation towards his own apartment.

Y/N opens her mouth, but the words don’t come out. She just watches as Harry turns on his heels and his posture hunches as he gets to his door and tries to unlock it quickly. Mark is suddenly pushing past Y/N, saying something but she’s too focused remembering the look on Harry’s face just moments ago. She steps back into her apartment and doesn’t look over to where Harry is shutting his own door before closing her own gently.

Really fucked this up didn’t you, Y/N? She thinks as she turns the lock on her door and listens to Mark complain about his day while flinging his belongings around her living room. What is she going to do? What is she going to say? If Harry ever talks to her again, that is. She sighs and closes her eyes before making her way towards where her boyfriend was lounging on her couch, giving him a small smile as he opened his arms for her to sit with him.

“I did miss you these past few weeks while I was away,” Mark says, planting a quick kiss to her hair as she leans into his body - praying he doesn’t question why her heart is beating so fast. She’s sure he wouldn’t enjoy knowing it’s because of her growing feelings for her new neighbour, and seeing the realization in Harry’s face at the fact she wasn’t single kind of hurt to see.

“Missed you too,” she mumbles, lying. Y/N hadn’t thought about her boyfriend all that much these past, almost, three weeks that he was away for a business trip.

“Do much without me?” Mark asks.

Y/N shakes her head, “no, not much at all,” her soft voice replies while she begins to zone out on the wall that was between her and Harry’s apartments, noticing how it made her feel more separated from him now more than ever.

>> part two <<

thanks for reading, please reblog/leave some feedback if you enjoyed it! until next week 😘

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