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#i want to wear a sweatshirt to the tea party :
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googling 'where to order semi-formal clothes online that also won't make me do gender and don't cost a million dollars and will also fit my extremely difficult body type' and what do you know. zero results
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klbwriting · 8 months
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Surface Tension
Chapter 3: Jackie and Wilson
Fandom: Aquaman
Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader
Warnings: none, this is just fluff and relationship building
Summary: Orm and Y/N have been keeping each other at arm's length, but through talking and her meeting his family, maybe its time they get closer
Notes: I love the slow burn (and yes, 3 chapters is slow burn for me >.<) and them just learning and feeling each other out. Comments/critiques appreciated. Also, song is 'Jackie and Wilson' by Hozier
Taglist: @gabrieleskywalker @philiasoul
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The whole idea of Halloween confused Orm to no end, but it was giving him the opportunity to see his mother and his nephew so he would go along with it anyway. They were going to come into town with Tom and Mera for a children's costume party at the local library so he figured he would join them, spend some time with people he cared about. However, he wanted to not be completely in the dark and being that he lived next to a surface dweller that seemed very willing to teach him about this world and didn't treat him like an idiot, he would ask Y/N about it. He stood in his bedroom, looking in his closet, debating what to wear to go knock on her door. Why was he doing this? He had no idea, but here he was debating between a black shirt and a blue one before finally settling for black. He headed down the stairs and knocked on the wall a couple times, their new way of announcing that they were going to come visit. He got a knock back and headed to her door. She was already there, wrapping herself in a sweatshirt.
"What's got you visiting me this early?" she asked. He frowned, looking at the sky and seeing that the sun was just starting to rise. "You're lucky I'm up early to check on the morning work at the cafe." He rubbed the back of his neck, blushing a little. She smiled at him. "Ok, out with it, what's going on?"
"Um, my family is bringing my nephew into town for the costume party at the library and well, being honest, my side of the family didn't do Halloween so I'm not sure what its all about," he said. Y/N nodded, once again being understanding about Orm's seeming lack of normal surface dweller knowledge.
"Come on in, I'll make some tea and give you a crash course," she said. Orm was nervous for a moment, having not been in her home yet. They mostly just sat on the back porch, or he would visit her cafe, never in each other's houses. He stepped in and looked around. It was a mirror of his place, entering the living room, open to the dining room and kitchen in the back, then stairs to the bedrooms. Where he had nothing really in his house, preferring to pretend that he was only there temporarily, she had decorated. It was sparse, but homey, with a few photos on the wall, a television (at least he assumed that's what it was called), furniture that looked lived in and comfy. She led him towards the kitchen where she had a mug out and water heating. She grabbed another with Justice League symbol on it and got some loose leaf tea ready. "Ok, so hit me with the questions."
"What is the point of this holiday?" he asked, taking the seat she offered him at the round table.
"Well back before there was candy involved it was believed that October 31st was the day the veil between the living and the dead was thinnest, so ghosts and spirits could freely walk among the living," she said. His eyes widened a little and she smiled, setting the mugs on the table and setting a timer for the tea to steep. "And some cultures still believe that. For some people the spirits of their family returning is a reason to celebrate, they make food, have parties and make offerings to their ancestors and its beautiful. Other people are frightened and wear masks to hide from the spirits. That's where the whole idea of trick or treating came from. People dress in costumes, go to houses and get candy." The timer went off and she poured them each a mug. "Anything else?"
"Why would the dead want to come back?" he asked. She laughed, but not in a mean way.
"Good question, the living world is a mess, why come back?" she said. "I guess if they felt something was unfinished, or maybe they miss their living family. I know I miss my father and wish his spirit could visit me sometimes." Orm looked at her, never hearing her talk about her father before.
"What happened to him?" he asked. She sipped her drink for a second, took a deep breath and he was worried he had stepped too far into her world with this. They kept each other at arm's length and he hated it, but he had been following her lead, maybe he had finally pushed her too hard.
"He died, when I was a child, sickness," she said finally. He felt a pang in his heart for her. Despite the fact that his father was a step down from a monster he still missed him sometimes, and he knew how it felt to watch someone you thought was immortal die slowly.
"I'm sorry," he said. She nodded, not looking at him. "I'm sure if his spirit could visit you he would." It felt lame, but it was all he had to offer in comfort.
"Thank you Orm," she said, smiling. He noticed that she again looked surprised by him. He wasn't sure of her experience with men before but it couldn't have been good with how shocked she was by him being the bare minimum of kind.
Y/N was constantly surprised by Orm's kindness. What she remembered of him was a narcissistic, nearly genocidal prick, not this kind, funny, almost humble person. Sure he still carried himself like a royal, but it was like he had been knocked around some too, the crown had a few scratches in it and it made it more interesting, more beautiful. She cleared up the mugs and looked at the clock.
"I have to get going, bring your family by the cafe later, I'll give your nephew a treat," she offered. It wasn't until she was at the cafe and starting to make something nice for the boy that she realized how dumb she was. Orm may not recognize her, but his mother might. She did mildly resemble her mother and she had met the queen a few times as a teenager. She could only pray that he chose not to bring them around.
Tom, Atlanna, and Junior arrived at Orm's home after lunch. The baby was nearly 2 now and he remembered Orm from the last visit, reaching out to his uncle excited when he saw him. He hated to admit it, but Orm adored the boy, despite him being the son of his idiot brother. He took the boy, noticing the costume.
"What is he?" Orm asked, the little regal costume confusing him. "And where is Mera?"
"He's prince charming," Atlanna said, "and Mera was called back to Atlantis, the council is trying to wrestle more power away from Arthur. They want to put forward demands of the surface and threaten war if they don't comply." That was concerning, the council still seemed to be annoyed that their king had revealed Atlantis to the world and wanted to get some vengeance against him.
"I hope they can squash that, although I don't hate the idea of forcing the surface to make some changes," Orm said, letting AJ down to walk around his place. "I know the party is soon, but could we stop by the cafe beforehand? My friend said she would have a treat for AJ." Atlanna perked up at the mention of a friend. Orm hadn't ever talked about anyone before, and never with that tone of voice.
"Friend?" she asked. Orm realized the can of worms he had opened with that statement and sighed.
"Yes, Y/N, she lives in the other side of the duplex," he said, trying to sound nonchalant, but the look in his mother's eyes told him he failed.
"Then let's go and meet this Y/N," she said, gathering up her grandson and husband.
The cafe was empty when they arrived, close to closing time and just passed a lunch rush. Y/N was behind the counter, looking like she had been busy that day. Orm smiled at her, liking when her hair was slightly messy and she smiled back. Atlanna frowned for a moment, trying to place the girl's face. Y/N looked worried for a split second before masking the face and going to the counter, pulling out a small box.
"Hey, you must be Orm's family, I'm Y/N, his neighbor," she said, coming around to the front. She saw AJ in Tom's arms and smiled big at him. "Aww, he's precious." She opened the box for him, showing a vanilla cupcake with a jack o'lanturn design on it. Tom thanked her and took the treat for AJ, getting him set up to eat at a table. Atlanna came up and greeted her, shaking her hand.
"You look familiar," she said. Y/N felt panic rising in her chest.
"Honestly, people tell me that a lot, I have one of those faces," she said, trying to sound relaxed. She hoped it worked. The queen seemed to buy it, just smiling and going to see AJ, making a mess of the table with the icing, Tom trying to clean up. "Don't worry about that, let him play, I have wipes for that."
"You look nervous," Orm said, standing next to her now. He could smell coffee and vanilla on her and it was intoxicating if he was honest.
"Well, they're your family, I want them to like me," she said. He looked at her, eyebrows raised a little. "What? I like to be liked." He chuckled, noticing her blush. He was watching Y/N and she was watching Atlanna, noticing her probing looks, still trying to figure out why she knew her. "I'm going to get those wipes, get ready for closing, just leave the mess when he's finished." She headed to the back, through a door to the back area. Orm frowned and looked at his mother, who shrugged and went back to AJ.
The party was fine, AJ got lots of candy and had fun with the other children. On the way home Orm sat in the back with the baby and heard a song play on the radio that he recognized from Y/N's concerts on the back porch.
"She's gonna save me, call me "baby" Run her hands through my hair She'll know me crazy, soothe me daily Better yet, she wouldn't care"
he sang to his nephew, who giggled at his uncle dancing and singing the backseat. Atlanna was watching through the rear view mirror the whole time and when she walked him to the door she smiled.
"You like her don't you?" she asked, nodding towards Y/N's door. Orm felt the red rush to his cheeks, but shrugged. "O, you really like her."
"Fine, yes, I do, I like her more than any other person I've ever met," he admitted. He had missed so much time with his mother it felt nice for her to needle him into admitting something like this. "But she seems to want to keep us as friends, which is fine, I'm happy if she's happy."
"Orm, she made a special cupcake for your nephew and the smile on her face when she saw you today? That is not the kind of smile a friend gives someone," she said. "Give her time and I think she'll see that she feels the same for you that you feel for her." She kissed his cheek and hugged him tight and he relished in the feeling. They parted and she left with Tom and AJ and he went inside, rolling her words over in his mind.
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wanderingblindly · 10 months
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PLEASE give me rules of engagement director’s cut. i need it biblically
AAAAAH thank you!!!! I haven't gotten to talk about this fic before, I think, so let us commence the info dump <33333
The Origins
I've always been a fake dating trope fan, but I've never had an idea that made it feel like my story, you know? But I've always wanted to try!
While I was procrastinating on cleaning my apartment, I randomly thought of this dialogue, directly copied from my planning document:
“If we do this, we need to make some rules” “Max we live together, I’m sure it’ll be fine” “WE NEED RULES CHARLES”
My brain immediately latched on to it, and the fic was born like... two hours later hahah
My Favorite Bits
Ok so this is one of my favorite lines for the DUMBEST reason:
“Are women not…? Is it these women, or?” His voice sounded tight. They hadn’t discussed Max’s sexuality before. Actually, if Max thought about it, they never really discussed Charles’s, either. He was pretty sure Charles stayed the night at a few different women's’ flats during uni, but that was little more than speculation.  ... “That’s fine, of course. Anything is. Fine, I mean.” Charles stuttered, his cheeks still slightly pink.  “Doesn’t solve the problem though, does it?”
Was it vaguely inspired by BBC's Sherlock? Yes it was. Would anyone have noticed if I didn't confess to my sins? No.
More seriously, I also really enjoyed this little scene:
They always ate breakfast together.  Max always woke up first to get started on washing the fruit, and Charles always stumbled out of his bedroom in a state of total disarray about fifteen minutes later – hair sticking up, sweatshirt off one shoulder, pajama pants low across his hips, glasses nearly askew. They would eat breakfast together, Max happily talking about his to-dos and Charles diligently humming and nodding along as necessary. They’d get dressed, they’d walk out the door together. Max always locked it, Charles always lost his keys in the depths of his bag before he left the house.   It was easy and understandable. It was theirs. 
While the rest of the story, up until this point, has hinted at the routines baked into this domesticity, I loved how this scene used that to highlight why Max found the situation so alarming. They have a distinct rhythm -- an easy cadence that I tried to mimic in the very basic structure of the paragraph -- that's so noticeable when it's disturbed.
It also shows how much Max notices about Charles, even before he realizes why. To know someone well enough that even the slightest change in timing throws a red flag is just hmmmm I love it lol
And finally, one of my last favorite scenes:
“You’re still wearing your ring,” Max pointed out rather unhelpfully. Charles let out a bleak laugh, devoid of his usual eye-crinkling warmth.  “You picked it out for me,” He shrugged, leaving something unspoken in the air. Max didn’t do well with unspoken, with reading between the lines. He tried to breathe it into his lungs, find the meaning Charles left out. Speak it. 
The confession was just so full of "Max is trying his best and he doesn't entirely understand what he's done wrong but he'll do absolutely anything for him and Charles to just go back to the way it was before please please please". This line in particular highlights how much of this is Max desperately trying to understand what Charles really needs from him -- even though the answer ends up being nothing he expected.
Random Fun Lore
As always, this fic is full of random things from my actual life (for no real reason other than I'm unoriginal and boring). Some examples are:
Max's MD's summer party in the countryside: YES I have to go to this every year, YES I do get splashed by my coworkers, and YES there is far too much alcohol lol (although I do not partake like Max did but hey)
Full Recovery Mode: the very specific mug and the very specific tea that Max puts together for Charles is absolutely based on my real life (liter sized Japanese mug my beloved)
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Winter in Hawkins has been brutal this year, snow was falling heavy, there was not a single soul who should be out in these conditions, which is why when Steve hears a knock  on his front door he’s confused and also a tad panicked. A number of horrible thoughts plague his head as he rushes to open the door.
Swinging the door open the young man takes a shocked step back, “Erica??” 
“Yeah it’s me dipshit, now can I come in or what? People are going to be pretty upset to find an incredibly wholesome child frozen on the Harrington front steps.”
Gathering his senses after a moment, Steve quickly ushers one of his adopted kids into the house. Taking her jacket and stowing her boots with the other shoes, he also grabs a blanket from the storage bench, and leads Erica to the living room. “You know we have to talk about this Sinclair right? What the hell were you doing out in a storm like this? Do your folks know where you are? Also why the hell are you here?” The questions just kept coming pouring out of a very protective and concerned Steve.
Erica avoids eye contact with him and stares out the floor, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. It is a look that makes Steve’s stomach twist. Baby Sinclair was always so confident and sure of herself, there was something clearly bothering her. He finally stops verbally vomiting questions and just waits for her to start talking.
“My parents got stuck in the city due to the weather, and Lucas is bunking with the other dorks who are doing a new campaign that Dustin came up with, they didn’t even invite me to play which is bullshit by the way, I’m the most  strategic player they know. And and I didn’t want to be alone Steve, this was the only place I could think of going to.” She finished her story  going quiet and her eyes started glistening with unshed tears.
“Hey hey it’s okay. Listen Erica first off those little shits suck for not including you and they should know better, secondly I hate being alone too, stresses me the hell out and if you hadn’t shown up tonight I definitely would be hating life right now.” Erica nods slowly, grateful she made the decision to bike here. 
Steve gets a little more information about the situation and decides to make a couple of calls as Erica gets changed into warmer clothes. He’s steeping two mugs of tea while talking to Mrs. Sinclair after he got the number to their hotel room. Steve assures the mom that Erica is safe and very welcome to spend the night. Even fibs saying he picked Erica up so the kid didn’t get an earful when she got home. The next call he makes is to Karen Wheeler’s house. Once he’s on the phone with Mike he makes the kid gather the rest of the party up to the phone, and gives a very intense lecture on including the younger girl, and the responsibility of taking care of our own. Steve takes pleasure in Max yelling at Lucas in the background. He knew there was a reason she was one of his favorites. 
Erica was on the couch now wearing older sweatpants from Steve’s freshman year probably, they were still big on her but a way better option than her half solid jeans she biked in. Also wearing Steve’s swim team sweatshirt. Steve’s eyes crinkled in a smile, it was always nice to be able to spend one on one time with any of the kids, he likes that he gets to see more of their genuine personalities.
Spending time with Erica was easy and funny, she actually reminded Steve a lot of Robin. The way Erica was able to completely dunk on Steve and have it mean she loves him was verrry Robin. They talked about school, her friends, and a long list of embarrassing secrets about Lucas that Steve mentally stores to use next time Erica gets ditched. 
Even though it’s easy to talk to Erica, Steve can see how tired she looks. It’s the same tired he sees in all of them, the same tired he gets after a few nights of nightmare fueled insomnia. Luckily he knows how to help, if it was anyone other than Erica he’d have to think harder, not for her though.
After a long while of talking they decide to put a movie in and just relax while staying as warm as possible. Halfway through The Princess Bride Steve offers her a huge bowl of Rocky Road. “I know it’s stupidly cold out, but if I recall correctly I have a pretty huge ice cream debt that I haven’t able to make a payment on in a long time.” He hands her the bowl and a spoon.
Erica takes the offering, a sad smile creeping on her face. “Y’know ever since Starcourt I thought that was as bad as it was ever going to get for us. Not many 10 year olds get to say they saved their friends, the world, from Russian scientists. And then spring break happened Steve, Max and Eddie almost didn’t make it out, you and Hopper have irreparable brain injuries, and Lucas and I were almost got by racist townies. I’m just so tired, and yet I haven’t been able to really sleep in months. None of us have.” Tears flowing steady now as she lets a heavy weight off her chest.
Steve grabs her small shoulders, “No one should have ever gone what we have all gone through. But here we are still standing, still breathing against every damn odd. All of us nerds, freaks, fallen cool kids, we saved the fucking world. A couple of times actually. But we did it. And honestly Erica I’d go through it another hundred times if it meant I get to have this weird little family. I love you Rick, and I promise one  day we won’t be plagued by shadows, monsters, and alternate dimensions.”
Erica smiled at the nickname solely reserved for Steve. If Erica could pin point the night where sleeping came a tiny bit easier it would surely be this sleepover. In her heart Erica knew that she’d brave any winter storm for her favorite adopted brother.
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softsnzstuff · 2 years
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Be Careful What You Wish For
Fandom: Stranger Things, (Streamer AU)
Summary: Steve and Eddie get invited to a corporate Christmas party. When Eddie complains because steve got sick and gets out of it, steve offers to give Eddie his cold. (Both have the kink)
CW: mess, contagion
Word Count: 2.3k
*****
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“Noooooo! No no no no!” Eddie yelled dramatically as he ran down the apartment hallway with the mail.
“What?? What happened?!” Steve asked, panicked.
“Murray’s Christmas Party invite came in.”
“Jesus Christ Eddie, you made it sound like something was on fire! What’s so bad about Murray and a Christmas party?”
Eddie shot Steve a look, “It’s the corporate Christmas party. The one where we’re supposed to mingle with executives and other ‘influencers’?? I don’t want to go to that.”
Steve sighed, coughing into his shoulder, “Ugh, I don’t either. When is it?”
“Friday night.” Eddie rolled his eyes.
“That’s like… days away?! Thanks for the short notice Murray.”
“Did you really expect anything different?”
“No.”
Murray, their talent manager, was great! He always hooked them up with the best gigs, promotional events, and knew how to interact with fans. His methods, on the other hand, we’re sporadic in nature and very spontaneous usually.
“Does it say anything about a dress code?” Steve asked. “I don’t want to show up under or overdressed.”
Eddie flicked the card, smiling annoyedly, “Not a damn thing, sweetheart. We can call him tomorrow I guess.”
---
Steve woke up to a persistent tickle in his nose and a sore throat. He sniffled to try and relieve the itch, but ended up having the opposite effect.
“HAESSHIEW!” Shit he didn’t want to wake up Eddie. He clamped a hand over his nose, “HNGSSHUU!”
Eddie’s eyes shot open and he immediately rolled over to face Steve, his interest piqued. He tried to hold back a lustful smirk as he asked, “You getting sick Stevie? Those didn’t sound like your regular sneezes.”
Steve sniffled thickly, “I feel a bit sick, yeah.”
“Aww. Poor baby.” Eddie dramatically pouted, poking Steve’s nose. “I’ll make you some tea!”
The older man got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth and pee before putting on some water to boil.
Steve took it upon himself to call Murray and ask about the dress code while Eddie was putting around in the kitchen.
Eddie wasn’t a huge tea person himself, but he knew what kind Steve liked when he wasn’t feeling well. He smiled to himself as he leaned against the counter, waiting for the water to boil. He could hear Steve’s muffled coughs and sniffles from the other room.
A few minutes had passed, the water boiled and the tea was steeped. Eddie carried the mug back towards the bedroom. Steve was propped up in bed now, on his phone.
“Thanks Eddie.” He said as he took the mug from his partner. “Murray says you should wear nice pants, a sports coat and preferably some kind of nice shirt.”
“Ughhh gross- wait. What about you? What are you wearing?”
Steve hesitated for a second, “I’m not going. Murray said he doesn’t want me there if I’m sick because it’s gross.”
He waited for his boyfriend to pick his jaw up off the floor. “Are you serious?? I certainly don’t want to go alone!”
“Chrissy and the girls will be there too!” Steve tried to offer.
“No it’s not the same.” Eddie mumbled, swinging open their shared closet to browse. as he rifled through the clothes he complained, “You’re so lucky you don’t have to go Steve. You always get sick. Just this once I wish it was me…”
“I mean…” Steve started.
Eddie turned around, “What?”
Steve blushed a little, “I could give you my cold…if that’s what you want. I feel pretty sneezy today anyways…”
A huge grin plastered itself to Eddie’s face. “Aww does your nose tickle?”
“Mmhmm. Can you hehh hand me your hih sweatshirt?”
Eddie grabbed the hoodie that was hanging on the back of a chair and passed it to Steve. The younger man grabbed it just in time to hold it in front of his face.
“H’iTZsssiew! … isssHIEW! TSHuhEW!”
As the sneezes tumbled out of him, he rotated the sweatshirt so that he made sure he got most of it.
“Bless you!” Steve handed the hoodie back to Eddie who graciously accepted, putting it on immediately.
Steve closed his eyes, hand fanning his face, “Wait come here!”
Eddie jumped onto the bed next to Steve, who grabbed Eddie by the collar as he pitched forward aiming at Eddie’s stomach.
“iiSSSSHew! TisssHUU!”
He froze, a few droplets of mess dripping from his nose into Eddie’s lap. The long haired man gently used his left hand to lift Steve’s chin, using the sleeve of his right hand to wipe away additional mess from his nose.
“You’re so hot Steve.” He said, pulling him in for a kiss. Eddie could feel Steve’s damp nostrils rubbing against his cheek as they made out.
After 30 seconds or so, Steve had to pull back, nostrils flaring. Without even trying to cover, he turned his head slightly to the side.
“H’eTSHuhew!” Eddie twitched as he felt the mist land on the side of his neck.
“Don’t turn away Steve. I’m trying to catch this, remember?”
Steve, who was pretty sure this was all just a wet dream, closed his eyes as Eddie leaned in close using his pointer finger to gently tap at Steve’s nose.
“Sneeze on me Steve.” He whispered.
Steve moaned, half out of pleasure and half from the buildup to the impending sneeze. Eddie positioned himself right in front of Steve, watching the man’s red and glistening nostrils flare with irritation.
“Eddie I Hihh I’m gonna H’ESSSSHiew! Hi-KSHTew! iiSSSHuhew!”
Eddie leaned back, moaning with desire as Steve misted his face and neck. He licked his lips and kissed Steve again.
Steve pulled a handful of tissues from the table on his side of the bed and gave a crackling nose blow. Eddie smiled, staring at Steve as he cleaned himself up, his face suddenly going slack.
“You okay there Stevie?”
As if suddenly realizing, Steve grabbed Eddie’s pillow from behind him and pressed it to his face. “HEH-IKSHEW! … h’MPTCHiew!!”
Sniffling soupily, he held the pillow out to Eddie, damp spots covering it. Eddie grinned and put the pillow down, laying his face on it.
“C’mere Steve.”
The younger man lay down as well, snuggling up close to Eddie. He rested his head on Eddie’s arm. The sneezing fit had loosened some congestion and made his nose run. Every few minutes, Eddie would reach down with his bare hands and wipe away the mess gathering at the corner of Steve’s nose.
When the sniffling became more persistent, the younger man would nuzzle into Eddie’s chest, wiping his nose on his shirt.
They lay together, sharing Steve’s tea and watching tv until Eddie had to get up to make them lunch.
---
Eddie was feeling pretty good that evening. He was almost certain to catch Steves cold, which is exactly what he wanted until Steve trudged into the kitchen that evening while Eddie was making soup.
“Eds?” He rasped, “I don’t think this is just a cold. I feel like shit.”
Eddie turned around. Steve was in pajama pants and a white tee. It was the flushed cheeks that caught Eddie’s attention. the older man touched his forehead and then moved his hand down to Steve’s cheek. They did feel a little warmer than usual.
“Shit. I think you’re right.” Eddie frowned, pulling Steve into a hug.
“I’m sorry Eddie.” Steve mumbled into Eddie’s shoulder.
“Don’t be sorry. Why are you sorry?”
“Because I already probably gave you whatever I have.”
Aw fuck. That’s right.
Not wanting Steve to feel bad, he put on a smile. “It’s okay Steve. That’s what I wanted. Maybe I’ll get lucky and avoid it after all.”
Eddie wasn’t stupid. He knew that was a blatant lie. He was bound to get this bug eventually. While it seemed like a bad cold for Steve, Eddie also knew that he didn’t get sick nearly as often as his partner. If he ended up getting it, he was sure it would knock him on his ass.
---
Come Friday, Eddie had his answer. It was 4am when he woke up, throat aching, head pounding, and stuffed up. He passed to the bathroom, turning the light on only after the door was closed so he wouldn’t wake Steve.
A shiver ran down his spine making him run at his arms. He took a moment to look at his reflection in the mirror, a pale and tired version of himself staring back.
“IxxCHU! NxxxT! NG’xxTCH! guh…”he blew his nose into some toilet paper and washed his hands before heading back to bed, waiting for sleep or illness to overtake him.
Steve was up and about by 9am. He made himself some toast and eggs while he checked emails on his phone. By the time ten o’clock rolled around, he realized it was odd for Eddie to not be up yet.
Some muffled but harsh sounding coughs coming from the bedroom had Steve on his feet in no time.
Eddie was still laying on his side, eyes closed. He looked paler than normal. Steve knelt down next to the bed and ran a gentle hand through his boyfriends hair, pausing and frowning at the heat radiating off him.
“Eds? You feel really warm. Are you okay?”
The older man didn’t open his eyes - only shook his head no.
“What’s wrong?”
Eddie opened his mouth to answer but instead barked a cough that he tried to cover. “Throat hurts. Achy. Cold. SNF sneezy.”
“I’m sorry baby. I’m going to grab the thermometer really quick.”
Eddie nodded. Steve got up and rummaged through the bathroom cabinet. He took the cap off the plastic instrument and rinsed it off before bringing it back into the bedroom.
When he got back, Eddie’s nostrils were flaring.
“H’iKSHT! Heh-itSCHU! ehhTSCH! Snff iiKSHuh’ue!”
Too tired to move or cover, he sneezed openly across his pillow case. He lifted the collar of his shirt up and used it to pinch away the tendrils of mess that were previously there. Steve grimaced, “Eddie… there’s tissues right there.”
“Too far…” he groaned. Steve’s frown deepened. He hadn’t ever seen Eddie this out of it.
He passed the box to his boyfriend, who cradled it like a teddy bear while steve slipped the thermometer in his mouth. The younger man dialed a number on his phone.
“Hey Murray. Yeah sorry, Eddie’s not going to make it either. He woke up sicker than me…… Mmhmm fever and everything.”
The device beeped and Steve took it out. “101.5°. Yeah he’s down for the count…”
It was at this moment, Eddie let out a particularly wet and sick sounding sneeze. “H’iiKSHuhew! snlorff.”
There was a pause while Steve listened to Murray on the other end of the line.
“Yeah that was him; bless you Eddie.” He said, covering the phone to bless his boyfriend. Eddie just nodded, wiping his nose along the back of his hand.
“So sorry! We’ll be at the next one. Okay bye.”
Steve hung up the phone. “So good news is we don’t have to go to that corporate party tonight!” Steve tried to seem cheery. “Do you want anything to eat?”
Eddie shook his head, “N’do. Just wadda lay here forever. Can we just cuddle?”
Steve softened. “Yeah baby, we can cuddle.”
He crawled under the sheets, sitting up while Eddie rested against his chest. His soft congested snores punctuating the cooking show Steve had put on for himself.
---
After three episodes of Master Chef Jr, Steve must have dozed off because next thing he knows, it’s 4:30pm. He blinks away the sleep and looks around.
The tv is on the “are you still there?” screen and Eddie is still sleeping, cheeks flushed and a sheen of sweat on his forehead. There’s a small damp spot on the pillow where his nose is undoubtedly leaking without his knowing.
Another buzz reminds him why he woke up in the first place. His phone is ringing. He picks it up and sees Chrissy’s picture illuminating the screen. FaceTime.
He clicks the green answer button and suddenly the screen fills with his face and hers.
“Hey Chrissy.” He says in a hushed voice, looking over at Eddie who started to stir.
“Hey, Robin told me you guys aren’t coming to the event tonight? I was just going to ask what you were wearing so I could color coordinate.”
Steve coughed to the side, “Yeah sorry, we’re both sick - Eddie more so than me at this point.”
Chrissy frowned as the brunette turned the phone around to show Eddie. Suddenly, his face scrunched up as he pulled the blankets up to cover his nose.
“iiTCHuhew! H’eKSHTiew! snlrff H’MPTscht!”
“Bless you bub.” Chrissy said sympathetically.
The older man looked up from behind the (now slightly damp) blankets, “Hi Chris. Sorry about m’bissi’g tonight.”
“It’s okay! You sound awful. Probably for the best you two stay home and rest. Have you been like that all day?”
“Pretty m’buch.” Eddie coughed into his sleeve before rolling over to blow his nose.
Steve turned the phone back towards himself while Chrissy virtually took him to the closet. “So I’m wearing this red dress. Do you think white fluffy sweater or black overcoat?”
“Fluffy sweater definitely.” Steve nodded, giving her a thumbs up. “Eds?”
Eddie turned to look, tissues still pressed against his nose. “SNF I agree. Fluffy sweater- ih’GTCHuu! snorff Christ!”
“Okay, thanks boys. I’ll let you guys rest now.”
“Bye Chrissy!”
The rest of the evening would be filled with texts from Robin, Nancy and Chrissy about how Murray got a little drunk and started dancing the Macarena to Last Christmas as well as tipsy photos from them as they made their way through the night talking to other businesspeople.
“Maybe next year we should just go.” Steve mentioned to Eddie as they looked at the pictures together.
“Couldn’t agree more.” Eddie said, “This bug sucks. Guess I’ll have to be more careful what I wish for.”
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voylitscope · 3 months
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Just a couple memes I was recently tagged to do:
Bold what's true about yourself:
Tagged by @ohhsodebonair and @thisonesatellite! thank you both!! 💞💖
i’m over 5'5 / i wear glasses or contacts / i have blonde hair / i often wear sweatshirts / i prefer loose clothing over tight clothes / i have one or two piercings / i have at least one tattoo / i have blue eyes / i have dyed or highlighted my hair / i have or have had braces / i have freckles / i paint my nails / i typically wear makeup / i don’t often smile / resting bitch face / i play sports / i play an instrument / i know more than one language / i can cook or bake / i like writing / i like to read / i can multitask / i’ve never dated anyone / i have a best friend i’ve known for over five years / i am an only child
2. This or That:
tagged by @somanywords. Thank you for the tag! 💞
coffee or tea | early bird or night owl | chocolate or vanilla | spring or fall | silver or gold | pop or alternative | freckles or dimples | snakes or sharks | mountains or fields | thunder or lightning | egyptian mythology or greek mythology | ivory or scarlet | flute or lyre | opal or diamond | butterflies or honeybees | macarons or eclairs | typewritten or handwritten | secret garden or secret library | rooftop or balcony | spicy or mild | opera or ballet | london or paris | Vincent Van Gogh or Claude Monet | denim or leather | potions or spells | ocean or desert | mermaids or sirens | masquerade ball or cocktail party
These were fun! Open tags back out for anyone who wants to do them. 💫
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thefabulousfab-3 · 2 years
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2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 27, 28, 31, 33, 36, 44, 45, 48, 49, 51, 57, 60? For Benvi? And you obviously don't have to do all of these!😅
Oh I’m answering all of them 😘
2. What would they do if the other woke up in a manic state after a nightmare?
This happens a lot to Devi and Ben always pulls her into a bear hug and reassures her that everything is all right. Then he makes her a cup of tea, which she drinks while he strokes her hair and they listen to classical music (with harp) or watch a home video of her dad. The few times this happened to Ben (stress of college and starting his internship). She calms him down with soft words and playing nature sounds. Then she makes him a cup of tea and rubs his back while he drinks it.
3. Do they wear each other’s clothes? (Sweatshirt, bandanna, necklace, ect)
Devi steals Ben’s sweatshirts constantly, she also wears his t-shirts all the time. Ben likes to wear one of her scrunchies around his wrist.
4. Which one is more protective? Who needs to be protected?
Devi is definitely more protective, she has angrily yelled at Ben’s parents more than once. Devi however needs to be protected from smaller things, Ben has to keep a tight grip on her hand so she doesn’t walk into traffic accidentally.
5. Describe their cozy night in?
They order take out, wear pajamas, and cuddle under a fluffy blanket; In their fort they built. They either play games or watch a movie.
8. What happens if one of them gets sick?
They take time off to help take care of each other. Devi gets really worried when Ben gets sick so she forces him to go to the doctor (even if it’s just a cold)
9. What are their thoughts on having children?
I think they want them, Ben definitely wants them a little bit more than Devi but both of them are on the same page about having them. They want 2!
15. Do they always say I love you before leaving?
Yes! Always!
16. Can they stay up all night just talking?
Yes! They do this constantly, so they’ve had to implement a rule of only doing this on weekends.
18. How likely are they to have fur babies? How many and what kind?
Very likely!! They would have 2 cats!
19. How do they feel about PDA?
They are the absolute worst when it comes to PDA, they are always touching each other and kissing.
22. What reminds each of their partner?
This is going to be corny, just a warning.
What reminds Devi of Ben:
The blue of the sky
The smell of new books
Coffee
Anyone wearing a bright/ obnoxious colored shirt.
What reminds Ben of Devi:
The smell of the earth after it rains
People playing music
Sun rays breaking through clouds
Wildflowers
27. Who is the light weight that needs to be taken care of after a party?
Devi, she thinks she can drink a lot and always tries to participate in drinking games but ends up losing due to how quickly she gets drunk. It doesn’t help that her favorite drinks are sugary cocktails with a very high alcohol content.
28. What are their thoughts on pet names? Do they have any for each other?
They like them even thought they (meaning Devi) like to pretend they don’t.
Of course! We all know that David is definitely a pet name for Devi at this point. Ben also calls her Babe, which she always rolls her eyes about but secretly loves. Devi calls Ben any number of ridiculous pet names she made up trying to get one to stick. She does call him, “sweetheart” a lot just because it bugs him. For awhile she tried out Benny boy, but he begged her to stop after she called him it during sex (I’m sorry for this one, jk I’m not). She mainly sticks to calling him obnoxious (which in a way is a pet name) or just simple ones like, “honey, babe, dear (she loves to say this one in a ridiculous accent).”
31. Can they sit side by side without touching? Or are they handsy?
They are very handsy, however they have to keep it in check when they are around Devi’s family, which results in them planning footsie under the table.
33. Who’s the better cook?
Ben, only because Devi has very little patience for cooking. She does however enjoy baking which Ben says takes way more patience then cooking. They argue about this constantly.
36. Who’s more likely to fire up the stove at 2 am because the other on woke up hungry?
Ben, he makes sure to keep the kitchen stocked with snack and easy late night meal ingredients.
44. Who would dance in the kitchen while making dinner? Would the other watch or join them?
Devi, which is part of what makes her a bad cook. She starts listening to music and dancing, and forgets what she is doing.
Ben watches her at first then sneaks up behind her to “waltz” through the kitchen with her. The dancing always ends with them kissing up against the counters, then dinner gets abandoned and they end up ordering take out later.
45. Can they fall asleep without each other?
Yeah, but they have a hard time. Especially Devi, she likes to know that Ben is next to her when she sleeps.
48. Who’s the better driver?
Devi, Ben drives like an old lady.
49. Does either one of them have a hard time being away from each other?
Yes, they both hate to be away from each other for more than a day and try to avoid it at all costs.
51. What’s a non verbal way they say I love you?
Ben will grab Devi’s hand and squeeze it. Devi will kiss his forehead, or lay her head on his shoulder and kiss it.
57. Whose the serious one when it comes to grocery shopping and who tosses things in the cart?
Ben is very serious and wants to stick to the list, while Devi is a major impulse buyer and convinces him to try all the weird soda flavors.
60. Who pulls the other closer when they are sleeping?
Devi is constantly pulling Ben closer to her. They start out on their sides and ends with Devi full on kola hugging Ben.
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ramshacklestar · 7 months
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@splitcards sent || “ Being overdressed is a myth made up by people who didn’t want you to have fun and be sexy. ”
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"You know Riddle would be upset to hear you say that." Yuu smiled her chipper tone in her voice indicating that she was by no means about to tell the house warden of Cater's statement. Regardless of the fact Yuu was relatively certain this was against some rule in the Queen's rule book she had to admit at the same time that there was validity in what he was saying. Being tied down in fancier wears, all skin besides the face covered so it seemed, often left the person wearing them uncomfortable and though, mostly Riddle again, didn't like it Yuu was happily comfortable attending the various tea parties she was invited to in her oversized sweatshirt and shorts.
"I do have to say though..." She begins glancing down at her comfort wears in comparison to Cater's. "I wouldn't qualify what I'm wearing as sexy either, but a little secret between you and me, I do enjoy wearing dresses or clothing that shows off a little more curvature."
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For the most part that was a secret between her, Grim and the ghosts of Ramshackle who actually saw Yuu in such clothing. "The clothes we wore at the Scalding Sands and Fluer City were really comfortable and nice too~. Seriously though, our secret...I may die if Ace or Deuce find out I like being the girl I am." Not to mention the fact that she didn't want to give those that messed with the magic less prefect anymore ammo.
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acey-wacey · 3 years
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Helloooo! Could I request a hc of reader in the boy's clothes with ace, deuce, silver and sebek, please? Thanks in advance!
Thank you for requesting! I can tell this is going to be fun to write!
...
❤️ Ace Trappola ❤️
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He absolutely adores it when you wear his clothing.
Especially if it's slightly oversized.
He just loves the way his sweatshirt hangs off your shoulders like that.
It also gives him an excuse to be a little possessive.
When you wear his shirts or jackets, it's a sign to everyone else to keep off.
He's still insufferable about you wearing his clothes though.
He'll tease you about stealing his jacket just because you like the way he smells.
Of course he wasn't expecting you to actually agree and now he's the flustered one.
You wear his clothing proudly and he thinks you look absolutely adorable.
If he wants you to wear one of his shirts, he won't say anything, he'll just give it to you and hope you get the idea.
Despite his usual confidence, he's still putty when he actually sees you wearing it later on.
Every part of him is yours and that includes the jackets. ; )
...
♠️ Deuce Spade ♠️
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Okay so I have a whole scenario for this one.
Deuce was rummaging through his drawers, desperately searching for his dorm uniform jacket.
He needed it for an unbirthday tea party and he just couldn't find it.
He rushed to your dorm to ask if you had seen it.
Lo and behold, there you were, wearing his jacket over your booty shorts.
He couldn't process that you were wearing his jacket or the shorts so his brain just malfunctioned and you had to help him sit down.
As you tried to calm Deuce down (you had put on sweatpants to ease his fluster), he couldn't stop looking at you in his jacket.
Though he knew he should be stressing about the unbirthday party, the only thought in his head was how beautiful you look.
He will definitely ask you to wear his clothes more often.
He always offers you his jackets, even when it's not cold out, in hopes that you'll forget to give it back and wear it around.
...
🐊 Sebek Zigvolt 🐊
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He sees you using one of his oversized shirts as pajamas and suddenly, there's steam coming out his ears.
He is so flustered that you have been wearing his clothing to bed.
Of course he doesn't show it to you, but he lay awake that night thinking about how you sleep in a shirt that smells like him.
He was also wondering if maybe perhaps you would like sleeping alongside the real thing as well.
After you're dating for a while, he gets more used to it and also more bold with requesting it.
He loves the idea of you wearing his clothing proudly.
It's like you're announcing to the world that you are dating Sebek Zigvolt and you aren't afraid to show it.
He wants to see you in more of his clothes, especially sleeping next to him.
🗡️ Silver 🗡️
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You stole his jacket from him while he was sleeping.
It was just sitting there next to him, what were you supposed to do, leave it there?
He's slightly concerned about the whereabouts of his jacket but once he sees you wearing it, his worries are all calmed.
You do the thing where you wear his clothes until they stop smelling like him and then he wears it until it stops smelling like you and so on and so forth.
He isn't particularly jealous or possessive because he trusts that you love only him, but it does give him a sense of satisfaction to know that no one would dare to come near you once they spot the green and black jacket wrapped around you.
If he lends you his jacket, you will insist on giving him one of yours as "collateral".
Really though, you just want to see him wearing your clothes.
He uses it as a blanket when he's napping around campus.
890 notes · View notes
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professor’s sweetheart
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pairing: professor!tom holland x student!reader
summary: professor holland teaches british literature at your university. you hadn’t expected much when you signed up for the course, but the experience is everything and more than you could have hoped for. 
word count: 15.1k
warnings: there is smut in here but it’s not the main focus (wild, i know)
notes: uh yeah i’d say just don’t fuck your professor? this is purely fictional. be safe, you know how it is <3
also she wrote a professor!harry styles fic, but if i hadn’t read that (over and over) i probably wouldn’t have been inspired to write this. so check out @songbirdstyles​ !
i listened to this playlist while writing it if ur interested :)
give me feedback please!!
“What class do you have next?” Your friend, and roommate Liz asked. You were both walking out of the cafeteria. It was 1:15, you had just finished lunch and you had fifteen minutes until your next class. You pushed the doors open together and braced yourselves as the cool late September breeze hit you, blowing your jackets open. You put both sides of the jacket together in front of you and crossed your arms to block the cold out. 
“Um,” you thought back for a moment, the cold temporarily knocking your senses right out of you. “British Literature.”
If you were being honest, you had taken this course because it fulfilled one of your requirements, but in the end it felt like one of the most rewarding parts of your college experience so far. The material was interesting, and instead of being bored out of your mind throughout the whole hour and a half of class––it was actually entertaining. You had your professor to thank for that.
“Oooh,” Liz twisted her lips to the side to suppress a knowing smile, but the look in her eyes gave it away. “With Professor Holland?” She asked, batting her eyelashes innocently. 
You rolled your eyes and bit your tongue to hide your smile. “Yes,” you shoved her playfully to the side making her step in a pile of leaves, the crunch under boots loud as ever as it carried through the crisp air. “Shut up.”
You and Liz had been roommates since your first year at university and had now spent four, coming up on five semesters rooming together. Luckily, you really hit it off, and easily fell into a routine together, forming a bond as you ate lunch and dinner together, studied in the library, had dance parties in your dorm, and more. You knew each other inside and out, often having random late night conversations while you procrastinated your work or couldn’t sleep, about literally anything and everything. Bottom line is, you trusted each other, which is why she knew about your sort-of-crush on Professor Holland. 
To be fair everyone had a thing for him, he was just that kind of guy. He was sweet and compassionate and funny. Professor Holland was one of those genuine professors who sincerely cared about their students and their well-beings. He was incredibly understanding. He’d schedule dozens of meetings with his students all in one day just because he wanted to help and make sure they were all alright. He liked to check in every now and then, not because he had to, but because he wanted to.
From what you could tell he also seemed like a people person. No matter who he was with, whether it was a student, his teaching assistant Jacob, or his fellow professors––he was always attentive, cracking jokes, enjoying the conversation. Everyone seemed to love him. But you could also tell that a part of him was just a tad bit cocky, but in a joking and love-able way. 
All this goes to show that you spent way too much time thinking about him, and observing him, which could either be seen as really endearing or really creepy. 
“Look I’m just saying,” Liz shrugged, “Enjoy the class.” She nudged you, “I know I would.”
Realizing you were approaching the writing and arts center, and Liz’s next class was in the building across the street, you sent her off. “Yeah yeah, okay. Bye.” You tightened your arms around you and scurried off, skipping a crack in the sidewalk and walking up the steps to the building. You opened the door and were immediately welcomed by a rush of warm air and let out a sigh, rubbing your hands together as you made your way to the lecture hall. 
You pulled your phone out and checked the time, 1:22. You still had 8 minutes to spare. You were still walking and only glanced up from your phone right as you were about to walk into the door and were stopped suddenly when you crashed into a hard chest. You immediately felt two warm hands grasp your arms to steady you and were suddenly enveloped by the smell of tea and mint. 
“Woah! I’m sorry, love, are you alright?”
You froze as you looked up, feeling very much like a deer in headlights as you realized you quite literally crashed into your professor. “Oh––um,” you swallowed, suddenly feeling like the air was escaping you. You cleared your throat trying to save yourself from anymore embarrassment. “I’m fine––I’m sorry, that was my fault. I wasn’t looking––” You paused when you noticed the small smile on his face, his warm eyes making you forget what you were going to say.
“It’s alright, Y/N. It was partially my fault as well, I was too focused on––” he seemed to snap out of some trance, straightening himself up as his hands dropped back down to his sides and into his pockets. “Uh, well that’s not important.” He pulled one hand out of his pocket––he was wearing those blue slacks that you thought made his thighs look great, respectfully, of course. He checked the time on his watch and you had to stop yourself from ogling the veins in his arms as he did so. 
He looked up at you, brows furrowed playfully and you actually had to remind yourself to breathe. “You’re almost ten minutes early. You that eager to see me?” He ended his question with a teasing smirk and your mouth opened and closed a few times before you managed to string together a response.
“I––um, I just really like this class and you––you’re my favorite professor.” You blurted out, your cheeks heating up as you realized what you just admitted. You had to force your eyes to go back to their normal size after they practically bulged at the realization of what you said. “And I mean, I just happened to get here early so...I thought I might as well get settled in.”
Your professor cleared his throat, trying to hide his smile as he glanced down at his shoes for a moment then back up at you. “Well then.” He extended his arm, pointing towards the open door of the hall and stepped aside. “Please, after you.” 
You gave him a small smile in return along with a quiet thank you and stepped through the door. But before you could walk over to your seat, you felt him lean over behind you to talk lowly in your ear. He was standing a respectably close distance, but his presence was so overwhelming it was as though you felt him everywhere. His breath caressed the smooth skin of your cheek as he spoke. 
“I’m technically not allowed to have favorites, but I do appreciate that you enjoy having me as your professor, darling.” It shouldn’t have had such an effect on you, really, it shouldn’t have. But something about him referring to himself by his title really did something to you. You took a sharp inhale as you stood up straight, your whole body on high alert as you turned your head towards him, your eyes refusing to look at his and instead finding solace in the fabric of his navy blue button up––which he’d rolled up to his forearms. 
“And if it means anything, I rather do enjoy having you in my class as well.” You snuck a peek at him, lifting your gaze slowly and only caught a glimpse of his soft lips as he smiled before walking over to his desk. 
You felt your heart pounding in your chest as you walked up the steps to your usual spot in the middle row, near the aisle. Your legs felt like they were going to give out any minute, and the man hadn’t even touched you––well not in the way you wanted him to, anyway. But enough of that. 
You checked your phone again, trying to calm down your heartbeat as you took in a deep breath, 1:28. People started shuffling into the class, the overlapping sounds of chatter and laughter rupturing the energy the room had when it was just the two of you. At 1:32 Professor Holland started the class, getting everyone’s attention smoother than anyone should be able to. You could almost feel everyone’s eyes focusing on him, some weren’t even listening to him, they were just so entranced by how good he looked and the way he sounded––his accent was just so endearing, you had to admit it. 
The hour and a half went by rather quickly but today you were more aware of yourself, of Professor Holland––even more than usual. It seemed as though his eyes would travel to your direction more often, after he made jokes as if to see your reaction, or while he paused in his speeches. 
At the end of the class, despite there being dozens of other students moving around you, you felt as though your professor was watching you as you made your way out of the room. But it had to be your imagination, there was just no way. 
When you got back to your dorm, Liz still wasn’t back yet so you decided to take a shower and spend some time relaxing. You had already done your work for the next day and your other work for the rest of the week––well, you decided you’d do it later. 
You changed into sweats after your shower and hopped on your bed, deciding to switch between your apps for an hour or so––honestly you’d lost track of time. Liz strolled in soon after, closing the door with a loud groan, throwing her bag on the floor.
You smiled, looking up at her from your lying position on the bed. “Hello to you too.”
She grumbled in response, finally looking at you. When she noticed you were already wearing your pajamas she pointed to you, her brows raised. “Good idea!” She immediately went to her drawers and picked out a random pair of sweats and an oversized sweatshirt, changing with lightning speed for someone who was sluggishly groaning not even a minute before. 
She grabbed her phone and sat on her bed opposite yours, cross-legged, facing you. She looked at your face for a few seconds before squinting her eyes at you. “You have something to say. Spill.”
You rolled your eyes, a smile on your face. 
She looked at you pointedly, “Well go on.” 
So you told her about your encounter with the infamous brit today, how you bumped into him, what he said to you, the glances he sent your way. When you finished recounting everything you took a deep breath, “But––this could all just be in my head you know, just me overreacting.”
She stared at you with a dead expression. “Are you fucking dumb?”
“Hey!”
She ignored you, rolling her eyes while she tried not to laugh. “Dude he totally wants to fuck you.” She said nonchalantly.
Your eyes bulged, “W–What do you––What?” 
“Oh please, it’s so obvious.”
You opened your mouth but when nothing came out, you paused and looked down at the carpet. After a few moments you looked back up at her to find her with a knowing smirk on her face. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I am, when am I not?” When you were about to speak, she interrupted you. “Don’t answer that. But look, it seems like he’s into you. I think you should hit that.”
“But we––that’s not allowed!” You paused, “Is it?”
She laughed, “A ha! So you do want to!”
“Oh shut up, you already knew that. Everyone wants to, it’s not a big deal.”
She made a face, “Yes, but you’re the only one who actually has a chance at getting it.” 
You looked at her, a skeptical look on your face. “Even if that was true––he’s still my professor…”
She sighed, rolling her eyes. “Yeah but it’s not like it’s in the handbook or anything. Plus, you’re both legal adults, so. There you have it. You’re free to bone.”
“You did not just say that.”
“But I did.” She smiled, lying down in her bed. “You really could, though. Just don’t tell anybody.” When you didn’t say anything else, she spoke up. “Okay I’m gonna take a nap now. You have a lot to think about.” 
You ignored the last part and went back to your phone, “Yeah you do that.” 
Throughout the rest of the afternoon and night you couldn’t stop thinking about this whole situation. This was bad...Or was it? It seemed all too complicated, that was for sure. You weren’t even sure he looked at you or thought of you that way. 
You fell asleep playing all the pros and cons of hypothetically getting with him, your mind an endless loop of your professor, his voice, how he sounded when he practically whispered that he liked being your teacher. This was all too much.
❊❊❊❊
All of your senses were in overdrive. All you could feel were the hands tracing every curve of your body, playing you like a toy they’d made themselves. The tongue, teeth and lips following and leaving marks everywhere the hands traced. All you could hear was that sweet, rough voice telling you praises and calling you endearing names as your whole body shivered from the pleasure. Your eyes locked in on the ones staring up at you with pure hunger and awe as you ground yourself down on his cock.
“That’s it darling, just like that. You’re doing so good for me.” His lips curved into that oh so familiar smirk. “I taught you well, didn’t I?”
You woke up sweaty, your shirt sticking to your torso, a wet patch on your panties, your nipples pebbled in the cool air of your dorm room. A sex dream. Of course you had a fucking sex dream about him. Fuck. You were just lucky that your next class with him was on Thursday so you didn’t have to see him today. Because that would not help you at all. 
You checked the time on your phone, squinting at the brightness before turning it all the way down, 10am. You got out of bed with a groan and took your toiletries bag and your towel to the bathroom, deciding to take a shower this morning, instead of later on at night. Lord knows you certainly needed one. A cold one too.
You were frustrated, frustrated with yourself for feeling this way about your professor––sure, he was only a few years older than you, but it was the principle of the matter––frustrated that you were overthinking this entire thing, and most importantly you were annoyed because you were extremely horny. 
When you got into the bathroom, you locked the door and set your stuff down. You put your hands on both sides of the sink and looked at yourself in the mirror. Who are we and what happened? You sighed and grabbed your toothbrush, brushing your teeth quickly and aggressively, since everything seemed to be a hassle this morning. You’d hoped that once you hopped in the shower, you’d calm down. 
When you made your way inside, you sighed contently at the feeling of the warm water pattering against your skin, freshening you up immediately. Your nipples were still hard, between your legs still wet. So you brought a hand down between your thighs, the other to your breast as you stood under the water––almost as though the water was washing away the sinful act and thoughts right at the source. You laughed at the thought, nope, nothing can wash this away. 
You squeezed your breast and tugged at your nipple, rubbing your sensitive bud just the way you liked. You were still sensitive from...your dream, so it didn’t take long for everything to build up. You couldn’t help yourself, your mind brought back the remnants of last night that you remembered, the way his hands gripped you when he steadied you, the way his arms looked, and you came with a whimper that was louder than you would have liked. You bit your lip, closing your eyes and resting your head back on the tiles as the water continued to fall on you. 
When you came back to your dorm, Liz was on her way out but she stopped, raising her brows at you, “So have you come to a conclusion?”
You walked past her into the dorm, “Go to class, Liz.” You heard her cackle down the hallway as you closed the door. 
You got dressed casually, not rushing since there was nowhere for you to go and decided to go to the local cafe near the school. You needed to clear your head and get some work done, and you definitely would not get any of it done in your dorm. Not today, anyway. 
You checked the weather and seeing that it was a little warmer today, you put a sweatshirt on, grabbed your bag along with your phone and your laptop and you were on your way. The breeze felt refreshing this morning as you stepped out of your dorm. Your walk to the cafe was only ten or so minutes but it felt good. 
Stepping into the little shop, you were immediately hit by the aroma of coffee and sweets, surrounded by the sound of light chatter and utensils clattering on the wooden tables. The warm light above you brought a sense of comfort as you made your way over to the counter. The line was rather short so you managed to order your usual drink and snack quickly. As you were waiting for the cashier to hand you your things, your eyes scanned the shop––the ambience was rather nice and the talking almost felt like background noises. You wouldn’t mind staying here to work.
As you gathered your things, you turned around in search of a free table––which would be the deciding factor in whether or not you would stay, you did not want to awkwardly share the small table space with some stranger. You took a few steps into the seating area and almost choked on your breath when you made eye contact with the last person you wanted to see today. 
He smiled charmingly at you, teeth and all and quickly made his way over before you even had a chance to think of escaping. “Y/N!” He stood in front of you, his eyes bright. He was actually happy to see you? He was always happy to see everyone, it didn’t mean anything. 
His voice snapped you out of your annoyingly loud thoughts.  “Fancy seeing you here.” He nudged you playfully, “How are you?” He was wearing a very tight white button up that was unbuttoned until the third, showing a generous amount of his chest, a grey suit and pants, along with a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. It took you a few more seconds than it should have to process that there were actual words coming out of his mouth.  
You forced a smile onto your face but the more you looked into his eyes, the more genuine it became, almost impossible to wipe off. “I’m good. Was just grabbing breakfast before I start my work. You?”
He raised his cup, “Same as you. Have a bit of time before my next class.” 
You noticed that you couldn’t tell what exactly was in the cup and your curiosity got the better of you. You pointed to the cup clasped in his fingers, “Is that coffee?”
He furrowed his brows in mock offense, “I only drink tea, darling.” He leaned his upper body forward to whisper to you, his cheek almost touching yours, “I’d think you would know that about your favorite professor.” He tutted playfully as he stood up straight again, watching you, a look that you couldn’t quite pinpoint in his eyes as he watched you over his cup, taking a teasingly long sip. 
You looked up at him, your mouth slightly open, not a clue what to respond. When he pulled the cup away from his mouth he looked down at you, his gaze drifting down and you’d never felt more exposed, despite the fact that you were wearing two layers of clothing. “I like your sweatshirt.” He smiled, glancing down at it before looking directly into your eyes, his head lowered slightly.
Your eyes widened in surprise and your head snapped down to see your spiderman sweatshirt looking back at you boldly. Oh––Oh. You lifted your head back up to find him still smiling at you softly, he didn’t seem to be teasing you at all. “Um thanks.” You could feel your cheeks heating up, despite the cool air that swept your legs as someone opened the door to the cafe. “Are you uh–– a marvel fan?” 
He pursed his lips playfully, “Yeah,” his hand came up to rub the back of his neck, “Yeah you could say that.” He licked his lips and took another sip of his drink.
Your eyes, with a mind of their own, trailed down the column of his throat, following the vein on the side of his neck, the way his adams apple bobbed as he swallowed the warm liquid. The action almost seemed provocative, in both meanings of the term. 
Suddenly you felt very hot and you knew that you had to get out of there before you made a fool of yourself in front of everyone, but most importantly him. You perked up, “I uh––I have to go professor, but it was nice talking with you. See you tomorrow!” With that you quite literally ran off, wincing as you turned around, having noticed the way his lips parted as if to speak, a furrow between his brows appearing out of confusion and concern. You really had to get control of yourself. 
You practically berated yourself as you speed walked away. God, that was so stupid. And not to mention, incredibly rude! He’d probably be upset with you now, or maybe even mad. It’s just––unbelievable what he did to you, without even actually doing anything. It took you the entire walk there to realize that you unconsciously made your way back to your dorm––so much for the library. But you’d had enough social interaction for today, so you decided you’d stay there.
You got in your bed and buried yourself under the covers, deciding you needed the comfort of being hidden in your mattress after the embarrassment you’d just experienced. You lied there just staring at the plain, white ceiling for way too long until you let out a loud huff and sat up, before grabbing your computer to start your work. 
Deciding to check your college email before you started, since they were incessant and it was easy to miss something, you scanned down the list of messages in your inbox. Your eyes skimmed through the boxes on the left of your screen, notifications that your professors left feedback on your assignments, the weekly newsletter, club events, a message from Holland, Tom––
You shut your computer immediately, eyes bulging as you held your breath. You swallowed thickly, as you stared into nothing in front of you, your eyes barely taking in anything, your mind a big ball of fuzz. 
After taking a few deep breaths, and telling your overdramatic brain to calm down, you opened the laptop again. Biting your lip, you hovered your mouse over the message, reading over the small bits of information you could see in the preview.
Holland, Tom
Just checking in
Hi Y/N, I just wanted to make  …
You could feel your heart beating through your chest. Oh God––Wanted to make sure what?? The sensible part of your brain said to just open it to figure it out for yourself. But the irrational, idiotic part of your brain was yelling at you to not open it under any circumstance. What if he wanted to make sure you didn’t get the wrong idea? Did he know how you felt about him? Were you that obvious? Maybe he thinks you’re clinically insane and wants to make sure you’re getting the attention you need? You did run off like a crazy person, after all. 
You shut your eyes tight and groaned loudly into your hands. Liz walked in and whistled lowly, taking in everything in front of her. You looked up, confused and looked at the time, realizing it had already been two hours since you first left the dorm, meaning she was done with her classes for the day.
“What’s up?” She took a seat at her desk, propping her legs on the table as she leaned back.
You waved her off, deciding it would be best to let this blow over and ignore it for now. You’d go back when you were in the right state of mind. 
She started telling you about her day and annoyingly, your brain decided today would be the day that it would not shut off. Your brows were furrowed as you tried your best to focus on what your friend was saying, but she wasn’t even looking in your direction, staring up into the air above her as she spoke animated, hands waving around, so she didn’t even notice you struggling to pay attention. 
Your eyes kept flitting back to the screen of your computer, your fingers swiping across the trackpad to turn it back on when the screen’s brightness lowered every now and then. 
Liz looked back at you and stopped her spiel. “Alright what’s up with you?” 
You sighed deeply and looked up at her. “Sorry, sorry. I just––I saw Professor Holland today––”
“Already?” She interrupted you, a goofy smile on her face. “Damn, you work fast.”
You threw the nearest pillow at her, “Shut up! I didn’t fuck him.”
“You should’ve.” She pointed out, holding the pillow to her chest. 
You glared at her until she raised her hands in surrender, then continued, your eyes bouncing from object to object in the room as you babbled. 
“I went to the cafe and I saw him and he came over to me and we started talking––and he whispered in my ear and he was joking around with me and he sipped his tea and he was super close to me and super hot, and I couldn’t handle it so I basically ran off without giving him a chance to say bye.” You took a deep breath, “And then he sent me an email after I saw him and I still haven’t opened it because I’m scared and I don’t know what he said…” You took another breath and looked at your friend, blinking as she just stared at you.
After a moment, she spoke up. “Dude just open the email.”
Your eyes widened almost in offense. “Did you not listen to anything I just said?”
“Yeah you practically fucked in the cafe then you got scared and ran away.” She spoke nonchalantly and you could tell she was fighting off a smile. “Look, eventually you have to open the email anyway, you can’t just ignore it. So just do it and rip the bandaid off.” You were about to speak up when she interrupted you, “I promise it won’t be half as bad as you think. We both know your mind is absolutely filled with the craziest ideas.” 
You huffed and fell back down on the bed, not bothering to argue since you both knew she was right. 
“Shit, I’m starving.” She looked at the time, “Yeah it’s about time for me to eat food.” She stood up, “Come on, let’s go.”
“Can you please get something for me?” She knew you well enough that you didn’t have to tell her what to get. You gave her your best smile and shrugged your shoulders.
“Are you serious.” She looked at you, deadpan, standing like the little emoji of the woman standing in place with her arms at her sides. 
You had to suppress your smile, “What if I see him?” You asked incredulously, lying further in the covers. “I’d rather stay in here and hide, for now.”
“You have class with him tomorrow––”
“That’s why I said for now.”
She cracked a smile, rolling her eyes as she grabbed her things, “You’re ridiculous.”
“Love you!”
“Yeah yeah,” she waved her hand and walked out the door. 
A few moments passed after Liz left and you sat up yet again, putting your computer on your lap as you swiped the trackpad, making the screen light up again. You checked the time, it had been almost an hour since he sent the email, you really shouldn’t make him wait any longer. Not that he’s waiting at all, he probably didn’t even notice that you hadn’t responded.
You inhaled and exhaled slowly, swallowed your nerves and clicked on the email. 
Holland, Tom
Just checking in
Hi Y/N, 
I just wanted to make sure everything was alright. You seemed kind of stressed when you left earlier and I’m hoping it wasn’t because of anything I did. Can we check in tomorrow in my office? Hope everything is going well. 
Warmest Regards,
Professor Holland
He wanted to meet tomorrow after class. In his office. Alone. 
Oh, fuck. You could hear Liz in your head going Yes, fuck. But you quickly shoved her aside. 
You read over the email about five times to make sure you weren’t misinterpreting anything, because that would be even more embarrassing. You clicked the reply button and slowly wrote out your response.
Hi Professor Holland,
Everything is fine, but thank you for asking, I appreciate the concern. I’m free tomorrow after class if you’re available then.
Thank you!
Y/N
You hit send and not even two minutes later, you received a response. 
Hi Y/N,
Perfect! I’ll see you then :)
Warmly,
Professor Holland
How on earth were you supposed to focus on your work now? More importantly, how were you going to focus in class tomorrow?
❊❊❊❊
The next day, the butterflies in your stomach would not calm down. When you stepped into the class, he was talking to another student and you tried to sneak past to your seat unnoticed. You thought you’d succeeded but once you sat down and looked up, you made direct eye contact with him and you swear you stopped breathing. You barely even recognized the sound of everyone moving around you, getting ready for class to start. 
He parted his lips and reluctantly turned back to the student still talking to him, snapping out of his daze, but not after glancing back at you. You swallowed and sank down in your seat. This was going to be a long class. 
At 1:35, class started. Professor Holland stood up and clasped his hands, making his way to the middle of the floor in front of everybody, his voice reverberating through the room. 
“Good afternoon everybody. Hope you’re all doing well.” His eyes found yours and you bit your lip nervously. You could see him swallow as he watched you, before moving his gaze elsewhere. Was that because of you? Surely, it had to be a coincidence. Maybe you made him uncomfortable. Oh great––
He went on, seemingly unfazed, eyes darting back to you subtly before continuing. The discussion soon turned to the book you’d just been assigned to read. The book was rather lengthy but there were always so many things to talk about within only a few pages––which you loved, so it was taking you all a while to go through everything together in class. 
The conversations often took up a lot of the class time since Professor Holland simply loved talking and he always found everyone’s interpretations interesting and worth exploring––eager to hear our classmates perspectives. He also often said that he was not good at using technology, so he preferred to just talk and show rather than use his computer. Honestly, you found it endearing.
The conversations were always interesting to listen to, people never failed to give you insight on things you hadn’t even thought of before, but sometimes––some people were just a little stupid.
Someone brought up a slightly sexist point that made absolutely no sense but since you weren’t the one to call someone out in front of a room full of people, you stuck to your facial reactions instead of audibly responding. You turned back to the front of the class to see Professor Holland’s opinion to find that he was watching you, trying and failing to suppress his smile. 
He put both hands in his pockets which you found ironic considering they would jump out any time soon––he loved to talk with his hands. His eyes got serious, the smile on his face a little less friendly as he addressed the sophomore who made the comment. “I don’t know if you’re aware of how ludicrously sexist that comment you just made was, but now you know.” He turned to the rest of the class. “Remember to think before you speak. This isn’t to necessarily call anyone out. It’s a warning. Senseless remarks will not only affect my view of you, but your grades as well.” 
He went on and tried to shape the boy’s comment into something appropriate to discuss and you honestly couldn’t focus on anything else he said, you were just looking at him in awe and in shock. Sure, this was the bare minimum, but since it was so rare to see, it was very noticeable and even impressive when you noticed it.
God, you adored this man.
Near the end of class, he announced the next assignment, a paper you’d have to write about a comparison you made between any point in the story, a character, a theme, a hidden meaning, etc. and something in our modern reality, a social norm, a popular belief, etc. Your essays were always very open ended in this class, giving you room to write about almost anything you wanted to. Your professor knew that the assignments would be more enjoyable if there was some choice involved. He truly was good at his job. 
“Look, reading’s hard sometimes, I get it. I’m dyslexic, so trust me, I understand. But I never let that stop me.” He paused to look around the room and it was so silent you could hear each other’s inhales and exhales. The power he had over a room full of around one hundred people was insane, and in a weird way, also turned you on. “I know the book is massive. Listen to the audio books if you have to, I don’t mind. But get the work done either way. It’s not for me, it’s for you. I want you to get the best grade you can in this class.”
“Bring me interesting material. I don’t want to fall asleep reading your work.” He joked and smiled proudly when laughter filled the room. “The essay is due in two weeks. Good luck.”
There were a few thank you’s and goodbyes scattered around the room as he sent everyone off, people scurrying from all sides to the exits. 
You took your time gathering all your things and took a deep breath when the last few people made their way out, silence soon surrounding the both of you. You put your bag over your shoulder and walked down the carpeted steps, suddenly finding the dark grey pattern to be the most interesting things you’ve ever seen––and also watching your steps so that you don’t fall down them in front of him. You could barely hear the soft patter of your shoes as you walked down. When you finally got the main floor you looked up and saw him waiting for you patiently, things in his hands, a smile on his face. 
“Let’s go then, shall we?” You nodded shyly and he led the way, his office only a hallway away from the lecture hall. You found it slightly odd that he didn’t try to make conversation on your way there, since he always loved to. But you tried not to think too hard about it. Maybe he was just tired. 
When you reached his office, he opened the door and let you walk in first. Your eyes immediately scanned the room out of curiosity as you stepped inside, noticing his desk, the wood a dark mahogany which was covered with stacks of papers, picture frames, pens, and a few marvel funko pops––so he really was a fan. You’d never actually been inside of his office before. It was an intimidating thought for you to be in his office with him, alone. You just didn’t want to embarrass yourself. 
You turned to him and gestured to the chair across from his desk, “Do I just––”
“Please,” he interrupted eagerly. “Make yourself comfortable.” 
You took a seat and he set his things down next to his desk before sitting as well. His hair was coiffed to perfection today, curls sculpted nicely, a dark blue suit on his body with a black shirt underneath. He took off the suit jacket and put it on the back of his chair and you could see his veins and muscles bulging and shifting in his arms as he moved. He clasped his hands in front of him on the desk and wow he had nice fingers. You really had to get a grip on yourself––
“How was class today for you? Well, besides that one disappointing comment.”
You smiled, “I always enjoy the class, but yeah that was uh, disappointing as you said.
“I think your interpretations are always very insightful and very interesting. It’s almost a shame that you don’t share them with the whole class but part of me likes it that we keep them between us.” Oh? “Plus, I know how scary it can be talking in front of all those people. I almost shit myself first time I taught that class––”
You let out a surprised laughter and he couldn’t help laugh as well. 
“Shit, sorry! I mean––” He sighed, “Language, sorry. I’m British.” He shrugged, “Can’t help it.”
You shook your head, “It’s okay. Personally I think curse words spice up conversations.” You smiled proudly when he laughed at your joke. 
His smile radiated a more nervous energy after his laughter died off. “When you ran off yesterday, that wasn’t––was that because of me? Because if I did something to make you uncomfortable I’m so sorry.”
You tilted your head, trying to think of a way to explain. “No it wasn’t, well––it kind of was?” You had no idea why you would tell him this, but apparently your mouth was moving without agreeing with your mind first. 
There was almost a pout on his face and you had the sudden urge to reach over the table and smooth it out with your lips. “It’s just, well––You make me just a little bit nervous, to be honest professor.” You looked down at your lap and back up at him timidly.
He raised his brows, “Oh––”
Your smile was strained and you wanted nothing more than to be swallowed whole by the floor. 
“Well that’s not a bad thing, is it?” He looked at you almost, hopefully?
You laughed, “No trust me, it’s not.” Your eyes widened at the realization of what you’d basically just admitted to him and you didn’t know if you should feel embarrassed or relieved when the smirk appeared on his face.
But the words that he uttered next cleared that up for you. “Well, if I’m honest, you make me nervous too, darling. And definitely not in a bad way.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, almost teasing you with how good he looked.
You licked your lips, your mouth suddenly feeling dry, crossing your legs, your thighs squeezing together, and he definitely noticed, his eyes trailing down your body as he licked his lips as well. 
The tension in the room was so thick but you found that you didn’t want to escape it, if anything you wanted to carve your way through it, stay for as long as you could until it snapped. 
Your professor spread his legs, his hands coming down to rub at his thighs as he watched you and the sound of your heartbeat pounding filled your ears. It was almost as if there was an unseen force pulling the two of you together, but before it could there was a knock at the door. 
The both of your heads snapped to the door to find it opening slowly. Jacob, Tom’s teaching assistant popped his head in. You had talked to him a few times, he was always very nice. He didn’t attend every class, but you guessed that he would be attending the next one. “Hey man.” He turned to you and smiled, “Oh hi Y/N.” You waved and let out a small hi in response. He turned back to the professor. “Your next class is starting like––” He looked at his watch. “Now.” 
“Shit, sorry man. Lost track of time.” He got up and you did too, smiling sheepishly as you grabbed your things, getting up from your seat. “I’ll be right there.” Jacob nodded and closed the door.
You both made your way over to the exit slowly, still reeling from what maybe could have happened and what you both obviously thought of. The silence was loud around you, but it wasn’t scary this time. 
“Let me know if you need any help with the upcoming assignment, alright? Don’t be afraid to stop by if you need to.” His gaze dropped down to your lips for a split second before reaching your eyes again. “For anything.” He looked at you with an expression you couldn’t describe but quickly tried to mask it with a smile as he opened the door for you, his eyes practically holding yours captive. 
“Thank you, professor. I will.” 
You stepped out and he watched you for a few moments before closing the door. You looked back, smiling as you caught his eye and as soon as he stepped back in the office, you practically ran out of the building and to your dorm, a stupid grin on your face. 
“Holy shit.”
❊❊❊❊
When you practically burst into your dorm room, scaring Liz half to death before you told her what happened, let’s just say she wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
“I fucking told you!” She flopped onto her bed, still staring at you pointedly as she did so, a smirk on her face. She pointed at you before dropping her hand down dramatically by her side. “You like, owe me a soda now or something.” 
You rolled your eyes but you were so giddy the smile still hadn’t dropped from your face. “Well I do owe you for getting me lunch yesterday, so maybe I will buy you one.”
❊❊❊❊
Over the weekend, you started working on the essay for British Literature and you were already about halfway done since the topic you chose actually interested you. But you found yourself questioning if you were writing it properly as you went on. You weren’t sure if it was because you wanted it to be near perfect since you’d found out he paid extra attention to you, or maybe you just wanted to talk to him again––you’d never know. 
After discussing with Liz, you decided you’d stop by his office on Monday afternoon once you were done with your classes. You knew he liked to stay in his office until late at night sometimes, he always said we could stop by whenever, if we needed something. So you decided to take advantage of that, shoving down your anxious thoughts and doing what you wanted. 
Liz may or may not have convinced you to wear a shirt that was––aesthetically pleasing, to put it, specifically in the chest area so you were more than eager to see your professor’s reaction. You were a little nervous, you didn’t want it to seem like you were trying too hard, but you thought you looked good in this shirt, and you had a right to feel good about yourself. Since it was a little chilly outside, you hid it under a sweatshirt for now.
You got to his office and found yourself staring at the dark wood, hesitating to knock on. After taking a deep breath you rapped your knuckles against the door. 
You heard a faint Come in! And you took a deep breath and opened the door slowly to find him sitting at his desk, “Hi Professor Holland.” He was finishing some notes on a student’s essay but his head snapped up immediately at the sound of your voice.
He dropped his pen and sat up, “Please,” he motioned to the seat across from his desk and you smiled gratefully before settling down. “What can I do for you? Everything alright?”
His eyes looked sincere and concerned and you could feel your insides melting a little bit. 
“I just––I really want to do well on this essay,” He nodded for you to continue, “But I’m just not sure if I’m going in the right direction.”
 He nodded understandingly, “Well let’s have a look, shall we?”
You reached down to grab your things when he stood up and walked past you, your eyes following him in confusion. He gestured to the couch, a somewhat impish smile on his face. “Just thought it would be more comfortable––and easier for us to look together, of course.”
You nodded, a small smile on your face as you picked up your bag and sat next to him on the couch. “Right, of course.” It was a loveseat so there wasn’t much room for either of you to distance yourselves.
You got out your computer and opened up the essay. You had already opened it before you got there, not wanting to have to awkwardly wait for it to load. Yes, you overthought things but––it helped sometimes. “I see you came prepared,” he joked and you couldn’t help but smile. He really did notice everything, didn’t he.
“Well I’m really confident about the topic of my essay, I think it’s interesting. But I feel like I may be adding too much into the paper, and I’m not sure if I’m overthinking things or if I should take some things out.” 
“I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. I meant it when I said I appreciate having you in my class, you know. I always love reading your work. You write well.” 
“Thank you, professor.” Though you saw his eyes darken at the title, he commented on it.
“You can call me Tom when we’re alone, darling. No need for formalities.”
“But I like calling you professor––” Your hand shot up to cover your mouth and you spoke before he could, ignoring his smile, “I mean um. Tom––Okay I can try that.”
His tongue passed under his teeth, a devilish smirk on his face as he watched you squirm under his gaze. “No you know, now I think professor is growing on me.”
You pursed your lips, rolling your eyes. “Prof––Tom.”
He raised his hands in surrender, “Alright alright.” 
“Why don’t you read it to me? It’s easier to see where you can improve when you hear it out loud.”
You swallowed nervously, nodding your head as you brought your laptop closer to you. “O––Okay.”
You started reading your paper out loud, voice becoming slightly steadier as you went on, two fingers scrolling up the trackpad. He made comments as you read, only praise––and with each compliment you felt yourself getting hotter. Very good. Always write so well. Nice point there. Mhm. Good girl, that’s an excellent point. He shifted his way closer to you gradually as you read on and when his thigh touched yours, you had to tell yourself not to jump from the contact.  
He placed his arm on the back of the couch, basically around your shoulder and you had to smush down the urge to throw your computer and climb into his lap. His thighs did look very inviting with the way he was sitting, though. 
He moved closer to you and you could feel his breath cascading down over your shoulder as he brought his hand to the trackpad, his arm over your thigh, fingers scrolling through to where he had a few suggestions. 
When he finished his few remarks, you could hear the proud smile in his voice. “See, I knew it wouldn’t be as bad as you thought. You’re a good writer...” He paused and you turned your head slightly to find his lips mere inches from yours, his eyes trained on your mouth. His words were barely a whisper when he spoke up again, “A good student.” You both leaned in slowly and his hand came up to hold your cheek lightly. “Bet you’d be a good girl for me too.” 
You gasped lightly and leaned forward, giving in and finally pressing your lips to his, both your hands grabbing his jaw. He moaned immediately, his body pressing into yours as you twisted to face him, his other hand coming around your waist to pull you in. You felt your laptop slipping off your thighs and squeaked, making the both of you laugh and pull away, flustered. 
“Careful, love.” Tom grabbed the computer and put it down on the floor gently, confirming that you saved your work before pushing the lid closed. 
The air in the room was hot, thanks to Tom in general, but also thanks to what you just did. So you pulled away and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Tom’s pout when he thought you were getting up to leave. Since there wasn’t much space on the couch, you stood up to take your hoodie off and you heard his breath hitch when his eyes fell upon the shirt you were wearing. “Christ-”
“Now what’s this?” Tom said almost to himself, his eyes staring at you in wonder and awe. “Never seen this little number before.” He noticed the clothes you wore? His hands were already aching to feel you again, reaching out for you subconsciously and you bit your lip to calm your smile as you sat back down, letting your sweater fall to the floor softly. 
“What, this old thing?” You joked, looking down at the shirt––yeah, you looked good. “You like it?” You looked up at him, a cheekily innocent look in your eyes.
He put his hands around your waist and pulled you into his lap, enjoying the gasp it elicited from you. You put your hands gingerly on his shoulders and the way he was looking up at you made you never want to leave this position ever again. You tilted your head and licked your lips and Tom couldn’t take it anymore, he kissed you again, hands gripping you firmly, anchoring you to him. He pulled away after a good while, wanting to look at you again, his lips parted, practically panting like an animal. You really had an effect on him, but he did the same to you. 
His eyes were taking you in, basically capturing a mental image for later. “God, you look heavenly, darling.” You squirmed in his lap and bit your lip when you felt a bulge growing underneath you. He leaned forward and left a trail of kisses on the tops of your breasts, leaving a few teasing nips and sucks here and there. You squealed, your hands coming up to run your fingers through his hair. You pulled his head up by his hair and the look in his eyes looked absolutely feral––like he wanted to eat you. 
You were about to lean in and kiss him again when a knock at the door surprised the both of you. You both jumped off of the couch as Tom threw out excuses. “Yeah just a second!” You straightened out your shirt as Tom did the same to his pants and you picked up your things. 
When he saw that you were settled, he took a deep breath and answered the door. His colleague and best friend Professor Osterfield, was standing there, a grin on his face. “You div, are you ever going to be on time for our monthly meetings?––” He stood up straight when he noticed you standing behind Tom. “Oh, I didn’t know you had company.” He looked between the two of you and it seemed as though he pieced everything together. Maybe Tom had told him about you? If he did, you wouldn’t be worried Tom didn’t seem like the type to tell unreliable people his business––and they were best friends after all.
You smiled at him in acknowledgement as moved aside to let you pass. “Sorry,” you looked between the both of them, “I’ll let you get to whatever you have to go to.” You looked at Tom once you were out of his office, “Thank you for the feedback, professor.”
You could see him fighting off his smirk before he replied, “Of course.” His stare was impenetrable as he looked at you, “Feel free to come by whenever.” You could see the hidden meaning in his words and let the hint of a smile show, before nodding and walking off.
Harrison looked at him, a pitiful smile on his face. “I hope you know what you’re doing, mate. You should be careful, for the both of you.”
Tom sighed, not wanting to have this conversation. “I know, man. Let’s go.” 
❊❊❊❊
You found yourself missing Tom as soon as you left. God, this was kind of pathetic. But at least your feelings weren’t necessarily one sided––he did say you made him nervous too after all. You doubt he’d say that if he just wanted to fuck you––he was better than most men. And sure you might be a little biased, but at the end of the day he had a good heart and he was educated. So bonus. 
When you stepped into your dorm, your roommate was sitting on her bed, snacks in hand as she looked at you expectantly. “Now these,” she gestured to the food on her bed, “are either for a story time, to rebuild your energy or both.” 
You laughed and changed into your pajamas, starting to tell your best friend about everything that just happened. She often interrupted with her reactions and comments.
Oh. My. God.
Shut. Up.
You’re fucking lying! 
“But we didn’t fuck.”
“Boo––”
“Yes, boo.” You laughed, “Professor Osterfield knocked at the door and dragged him off to a meeting so.” You shrugged.
“Professor Osterfield...is that the hot blond one?” You nodded and she continued expressing her feelings for the man. “I’d let him teach me a few things––”
“Literally bye.”
She laughed, “What? Come on have you seen him––”
“I’m a little preoccupied with another professor to be honest.”
She nodded, handing you a bag of chips as you settled in your bed. “True. And oh how lucky you are.” You smiled in agreement. 
❊❊❊❊
Today was the day the essay was due and though you normally handed it in at the beginning of class, for once, you didn’t and you could feel Tom’s gaze following you as you walked up the steps to your seat without so much as a glance in his direction. You’d stopped by his office a few times over the past two weeks since Harrison interrupted you, but you never did anything more than kissing and grinding. You were both too scared of getting caught, but that doesn’t mean you hadn’t thought about doing more in there.  
Tom liked to have physical copies of the essays, just in case technology decides it’s against him (his words), so everyone had until 8pm tonight to drop it off by his office. You were definitely going to use that to your advantage. 
You didn’t wear anything provocative to class, you didn’t really want that kind of attention today, plus you knew that Tom’s interest in you wasn’t solely based on your appearance. So you put the revealing items on under your clothing. And honestly, the thought that no one knew what you were wearing underneath it all only excited you even further. 
You crossed your legs, relieving your tension and biting your lip as class went on, enjoying how flustered Tom would be every time he looked at you. You felt so submissive when you were alone with him, but when you were in public like this? Free to tease him subtly from a distance? That’s where you had all the power. 
You had him blushing and stuttering throughout the whole class, though it wouldn’t have been easy for everyone else to notice, for you it was so obvious. He kept rubbing his hands together, pacing around as his eyes darted to you every few minutes. At one point he went over to sit down at his desk, which he rarely did while teaching––and you were fairly certain it was to hide a bulge in his pants. All thanks to you. 
In the middle of the class, you felt your phone vibrate in your bag and pulled it out just to see if it was an emergency. You were pleasantly surprised and could feel your whole body react when you noticed who the message was from.
Tom: Having fun, are you?
Your eyes shot up to the front of the room and you bit your lip to contain your smile when you noticed him glaring at you.
Y/N: I always have fun in this class, professor ;)
You put your phone away afterwards and focused on the class, knowing it was killing Tom that you weren’t giving him more attention. Your heart was racing and your panties had a wet patch by the time class was over. You had a feeling he was going to try to keep you after class, so you hurried up and gathered your things, sighing in relief when a few students went up to his desk to talk to him. 
You smirked to yourself and headed straight for the door, your head high on your shoulders. But just as you were about two feet from the exit, Tom spoke up. 
“I assume I’ll be seeing you later, Miss Y/L/N?”
You turned around, eyes slightly widening as you noticed him, the group of students near him.
He smirked slyly, “To turn in your paper, remember?” His eyes were giving you a knowing look.
You swallowed, nodding as you smiled at him innocently. “Of course, professor.” You enjoyed the way his eyes darkened only slightly, only noticeable to you. “See you then.” With that you walked out.
❊❊❊❊
You practically skipped to his office at around 7:45, before knocking at the door, four knocks in a specific pattern––the code you’d made together. 
“Come in, darling!”
You walked in and quickly shut the door, a chuckle escaping you. “You know someone could hear you from the outside one day, right?”
He shrugged, “I’ll just blame it on my accent. Could call everyone darling, they don’t know any better.”
You laughed. “Okay well––Professor Holland,” you said, loving the way he looked at you when you uttered his title. “I brought this for you.” You took out the printed essay and placed it on his desk.
He pushed his chair out, his eyes following your every move as he spread his legs. “Oh is that right?” 
You took the invitation and took your reserved seat in his lap, linking your arms around his neck as you looked down at him. “Mhm, still want a good grade in this class you know. You are my favorite professor after all.”
He smirked smugly, licking his lips. “And you,” he kissed your lips before pulling away briefly, “Are my favorite girl.” He brought his hands up your back and pulled you into him as he kissed you again. This time, longer and deeper, wanting to feel you as much as possible. “Teased me so much in class today.” You smiled into the kiss and he continued, “Almost wanted to take you over my knee right there in front of everyone.” 
You moaned audibly and he brought his hand up to your neck, gripping you softly but firmly, giving you room to pull away if you didn’t approve. When you leaned further into his grip, he grinned and pulled you closer. You started grinding down on him, basking in the desperate groans and sighs you were coaxing out of him, the way his movements became more frantic as he bucked into you. 
After debating with yourself in your head for a moment––struggling to think properly with his hands all over you, you got off of his lap and smiled at the small whines of protest he let out before reaching for his belt. You made eye contact with him and noticed how wide his eyes were, hopeful, hungry, but hesitant. 
His hands reached for yours, “You don’t have to, darling. If anything I should be doing this first. God knows I’ve thought about it.”
You pouted, trying your best to ignore his words and focus on the task at hand. “But I want to,” you kissed his cheek, “I wanna make you feel good, professor.” He nodded, barely able to speak.
“Yeah? You wanna be a good girl for me?” 
You nodded eagerly, licking your lips as he pulled himself out of his trousers. “More than anything. Wanna make up for earlier.” You got down on your knees, mouth practically salivating at the way his member stood tall against his abdomen, his tip leaking with precum. 
Your hand wrapped around him just as a knock sounded at the door. Professor?
The both of your eyes widened, the both of you looking around for some sort of answer before he ushered you under the desk, tucking himself back in hastily, pulling his chair as much as he could and sitting at the edge, hiding his unbuttoned and unbuckled pants. Luckily for the both of you, the back of the desk reached the floor, so whoever it was wouldn’t be able to see you hiding underneath. “Uh––Come in!”
The person walked in and you recognized the sound of her voice, she often spoke up in the lectures. You couldn’t remember her name, though. You do, however, remember that she often spoke up only to get Tom’s attention. You’d heard her gush about him in the halls just outside his class in the hopes of him hearing her. You couldn’t blame her, but the thought still irked you. “I just wanted to give you my paper. I hope it’s not too late.” 
Tom checked the time on his watch, 7:58. “Nope,” he laughed breathlessly, trying to compose himself, “Not too late at all, in fact just in time.” 
She handed her paper to Tom and he gave her a tight-lipped smile, trying his best not to think about the fact that your hands were trailing up his thighs and that he could feel your warm breath hitting the exposed part of his member––he really hadn’t payed attention when he tucked himself back in. 
Before he could send the girl who’s name you still hadn’t remembered off, she took a seat across from him and he swallowed nervously, a little frustrated since he was so close to getting his cock in his girl’s mouth. 
It seemed that you somehow read his thoughts because as soon as the girl kept talking for another two minutes, you pulled his member out and stroked him, licking up his shaft and he tensed, taking every ounce of self control he had not to look down at you. His hand reached down and held your cheek gently, just wanting to feel you. You nuzzled into his palm and he had to bite his lip to suppress his smile, not wanting the student across from him to think his endearing expression was meant for her. 
You honestly completely tuned out all the words she was saying, your sole focus pleasuring Tom. But you didn’t miss the flirty and falsely innocent tone in her voice. You couldn’t see her but she was no doubt batting her eyelashes at him as well. 
When she made a comment about how good his shirt looked on him, you couldn’t help yourself, you sucked his tip into your mouth with no warning, making him groan unexpectedly. You paused, eyes wide and playful as your mouth stayed around him.
“Are you okay professor?” 
He let out a strained smile, “Yes, Emma, Sorry––” So her name was Emma. “I just uh banged my knee on the desk.”
She hummed a small okay and went on.
He caught your eye, trying his best to keep his expression neutral, but boy was it hard. Especially when you were looking up at him like that, with his cock in your mouth. You licked around his tip and lowered your mouth around him and he had to force himself to focus on the girl who was still talking to him.
You were not playing fair but quite frankly you didn’t care. You were making him feel good and yourself too. Your hand was pumping him, your tongue swirling around him as quietly as you could, while your other hand found its place between your thighs. 
In the middle of Emma’s speech, Tom’s eyes drifted down and widened, his breath getting caught in his throat when he noticed your other hand, moving between your legs. He stuttered out an excuse, unable to tear his eyes away from you for a moment, “Uh, Emma I’m so sorry––I just have so much work to do, but feel free to come back––” he paused to swallow when you sucked harder around him in reaction to his invitation. “Come back next week if you have any problems or anything else you’d like to discuss.”
She hesitantly but respectfully said goodbye and was on her way, closing the door behind her.
Tom’s hands immediately shot down to hold your head, his mouth dropped open as he watched you, approaching his high. “Shit, that’s it darling that’s it. So fucking good for me.”
“I’m gonna cum––” he warned. You simply hummed around him and sped up your movements, feeling yourself clench as he panted, his hips bucking slightly as he came into your mouth. You unfortunately weren’t able to cum but you were sure there’d be other chances. You popped off of him and swallowed his load before licking up his length teasingly slow. “Fuck, such a good girl.”
He pulled his chair out and brought you up to stand between his legs, tiling his head to look up at you, his hands rubbing up and down the backs of your thighs absentmindedly. “Was someone a little jealous?”
You shrugged, trying to act nonchalant but failing to fix your annoyed facial expression. “Maybe.”
He tucked himself back into his pants and stood up, chuckling as he squeezed your cheek. “I’m yours.” He pecked your lips, before looking in your eyes, “And I’m most definitely repaying the favor when we get home. I mean––if you want to, of course.” Home. 
You couldn’t help but smile, “Yeah––Okay.” 
You’d never been to Tom’s house before so this felt like sort of a big deal to you, but you were going to try and calm your racing thoughts and heart. You and Tom agreed that you would go around the corner of the building for him to pick you up in his car, not wanting to risk anyone seeing you.
As soon as you were settled in, seatbelt on, Tom drove off and honestly the thrill of having to hide was exciting to the both of you. His hand was gripping your thigh throughout the whole drive and you could tell it was meant as a reminder that he was there for you, but also that he could barely contain himself. 
Seeing Tom drive you, the flashing street lights illuminating his face, highlighting his jawline, his hand gripping your thigh––this was a sight you knew you wanted to see more. The intimacy of it all made you warm inside and the feeling of Tom’s fingertips digging into your skin only riled you up further.
You leaned over to kiss his cheek and he smiled at the feeling of your soft lips drifting over his skin. “Darling––” His words were cut off by a harsh moan when you trailed your lips down to his sweet spot, the noise almost too loud for the quiet, tense air in the car.
You teased, licked and bit at his skin, not afraid to leave marks. It was Friday now, if anyone saw them on Monday, they would just assume he’d had an eventful weekend. Honestly, the thought that no one would know that you were the one who left those marks excited you––it would be a secret between you and Tom, a thing for the two of you to share on your own.
Tom’s hands were now gripping the wheel and your thigh with force, trying to get his bearings. “You’re being very naughty today, love. Can’t say that I don’t love it though.”
You smiled sinfully into his neck, continuing your actions. Your hand slid over his thigh teasingly slow to rest on his bulge, fingers squeezing ever so softly and he practically jolted in his seat. “Christ––love unless you want me to crash this car I suggest you stop.”
You pulled away, satisfied with how much you’d riled him up. He almost whined at the loss of contact, subconsciously upset that you’d actually stopped. But as your hand reached back down to find its place between your thighs, his tone shifted. 
“Don’t you dare touch what’s mine. That’s my job.”
You actually felt a shiver pass through your body and you squeezed your thighs together at the sound of his dominant voice, excited for what was to come.
When you made it to his apartment, you barely had time to take in the scenery and take off your shoes and jackets before he dragged you to his room. But from what you saw, the decor was simple but elegant, much like Tom. His bedroom was the same, but again, you weren’t too focused on it.
He turned on the dim light in his room, wanting to be able to see you as he pleased you. He stepped closer to you and placed his hands on your waist, looking deep into your eyes. “You still want this?” 
You nodded absolutely certain. “Want you to take me.”
His pupils dilated and he pulled your shirt up and over your head, licking his lips, eyes widening when he noticed what you were wearing and you couldn’t help but smile.
“Christ, were you wearing this all day?” 
You nodded again. “The underwear’s matching too. Wanna see?”
He got down on his knees, a teasing but desperate tone to his voice. “You’re a smart girl, don’t ask stupid questions.” He unbuttoned your pants and pulled them down along with your socks, mouth dropping open as he got to see the full set. 
You ran your hands up and down your body teasingly as he stood up. “Do you like it?”
He shook his head, smiling in disbelief, “Again with the silly questions, love.” He leaned in to kiss you, pulling away to take off his clothes. “You look like a goddess, darling.” You could feel your skin heating up from his words and his stare. He pulled you in for another kiss before bringing you onto the bed.
You lied down in the middle and spread your legs, waiting for him eagerly as he lied down between them. “Can’t fucking wait to taste you, love.” 
He pulled your panties over to the side and licked into you, his tongue softly swiping through your folds. His eyes rolled back as he moaned into you, “Taste just as perfect as you look.” He slid his hands around your thighs and pulled you in closer, smiling at the small squeak you let out.
His tongue was exploring you, finding all the spots and all the tricks that made your toes curl and your breath hitch. He was keeping this all to memory, memorizing the way you feel, the way you look. When your breaths quickened and your fingers tugged at his curls, he locked his arm around your stomach, slid one, then two fingers inside of you and sped up his movements, moving his head from side to side as he hummed onto your clit. 
Your body tensed and you held onto him for dear life as the knot in your stomach gave out, the pleasure spreading all throughout your body. Your mouth dropped open in ecstasy, your neck craning back and Tom couldn’t look away from you. You looked like a painting and he wanted to commit it to memory. 
He let go of you and kissed his way up your body, soothing you with his lips. Your legs were still twitching slightly, your stomach clenching and unclenching when his kisses reached your cheek. “Look so pretty when you come for me.” He kissed along your jaw, “Can’t believe you’ve deprived me of such a beautiful sight for so long.” He kissed your lips and tugged your bottom one between his teeth, before looking at you, eyes wide, “You gonna give me the privilege of seeing it again?” 
You smiled, your hands coming up to hold his cheeks. “You can see it whenever you want. As long as you’re the one making it happen.” You pulled him to you and kissed him, the both of you moaning into the small gaps between your mouths. 
He started to pull away but you whined and pulled him back making him smile. “I’ve gotta get a condom, love.”
He tried to get up again but you pulled him back down, “M’on the pill Tommy.” You looked up at him, pouting and he almost gasped––the effect you had on him was insane. “Just fuck me please.”
He didn’t need anymore convincing, grabbing a hold of his cock and swiping it through your folds, groaning out loud at how good your wetness felt. You bucked your hips and realizing you were getting desperate, he finally slid into you and all your senses immediately tuned into him. 
Just like your dream––All of your senses were in overdrive. All you could feel were the hands tracing every curve of your body, playing you like a toy they’d made themselves. All you could hear was that sweet, rough voice telling you praises and calling you endearing names as your whole body shivered from the pleasure. 
His eyes were watching your face, taking you in as he thrusted into you, making sure you were enjoying everything he was giving you. You felt absolutely amazing and so did he. “So perfect for me, darling. That’s it.” He bit his lip and sped up, making your jaw drop as you stared into his eyes, completely open and vulnerable to him. His touch was tantalizing, even better than your fantasies which only meant you’d become more addicted to him and what he could do to you.
He grunted, angling his hips when he found your spot, hitting it over and over, bringing his hand down to play with your clit. “Told you I wanted to see you cum again, pretty girl. So you’re gonna cum then I’m gonna fill you up. That sound okay?”
You nodded eagerly, eyes watching his every move as your hands gripped his arms, your thighs burning invitingly as they stretched around him with every thrust. Then you uttered that one word that always had him almost inappropriately weak for you. “Want to be full of you, professor.”
His jaw slacked and he paused for a slight moment before picking up his pace, faster than before, hips chasing after both your highs, fingers still rubbing you just the way he learned, just the way you liked. “Fuck-–”
A few more thrusts and flicks of his wrist and you were tensing under him, your pussy clenching around him as he let out broken curses and moans, losing his rhythm and releasing into you with a groan. 
He rested some of his weight on you for a moment, the both of you smiling and laughing breathlessly as you took in the moment. Your hands came up to play with his curls and he sighed, leaning into your touch. He lowered his head into the crook of your neck and left a few soft kisses, coaxing some sighs from you as well.  
After a moment, he rolled over and took you with him, making you nuzzle further into him, his arm wrapped around you, your leg slung over his waist. His hand was rubbing up to your ass and down to your thigh, lulling you to sleep while simultaneously riling you up again. 
He kissed your forehead and you kissed his chest in response. “That was fucking amazing, love.”
You nodded and hummed in agreement, “Even better than my dreams.”
He pulled back to look at you, you could hear his heartbeat quicken and you tried to hide your face in his chest. “You had dreams about this too?”
That made you lift your head up to look at him. You could see in his eyes that he wasn’t joking but you were still slightly shocked. “Too?”
He smiled, licking his lips, “Well maybe we should discuss them, and try them out for ourselves.” His hand found its way between your legs again, making you moan but that didn’t stop you from responding.
You nodded, “For research purposes, of course.”
“Of course.” He grinned, “See, I knew I taught you well.” He leaned in to kiss you deeply, “My girl’s the perfect student.” 
You spent hours exploring each other's bodies as you reenacted your dreams, both exceeding each other's expectations every time. By the time you fell asleep in each other's arms, it was late at night and you were sweaty, and tired, but overwhelmingly pleased.
❊❊❊❊
The next Friday, it was halloween. Liz had somehow convinced you to go to a halloween party with her. On top of that it was a frat party. And even worse, you dressed up as a school girl because it was all last minute and you didn’t have any time to get a costume. 
“Oh come on Y/N, you look hot!”
You turned in the full length mirror to look at your ass that was almost visible in this mini skirt. “You think so?”
“Duh.”
And that’s all the convincing you needed to go out. You needed a little college fun. You hadn’t been to a party in who knows how long because you were always focusing on your work. You deserved this. Also Liz said it was a celebration of your “lay”, yes, she said lay. 
“I’m just saying you cannot let me get with him again.”
“Liz it’s literally his frat house that we’re going to and we both know you have little to no self control.”
“Well damn. You couldn’t have sugar coated it?”
“What, you want me to throw a packet of splenda on you?” You joked.
She shoved you, “Dude shut up,” she laughed.
You looked down at your bare thighs that were only partly covered by your thigh high socks and rubbed your arms, regretting not bringing a jacket when Liz spoke up again. “Oh shit, is that Professor Holland?”
Your eyes shot up and made direct eye contact with him. He was wearing a hoodie and some sweats but he still looked great as usual. His eyes trailed down your body and soon your shivers were no longer because of the cold. 
“I’ll just wait here.” Liz said suggestively and you walked over to Tom. 
“H–Hi.”
He put his hands in his pockets to stop himself from reaching out to touch you, he didn’t know who was around. “Well hello to you too.” He looked into your eyes, a smirk on his face. You rubbed your arms quickly for warmth, and Tom had to control himself to not look at your chest, even though he could see your nipples hardening from the weather through your shirt. He wanted nothing more than to hold you in his arms and take you home. 
“Any plans?” You asked.
“No, I'm just about to go home. I’m uh guessing you have somewhere to be?” His eyes traced your figure again.
“Yeah um me and Liz are going to a frat party.” You pointed back to your friend and gave him a small smile and shrug. “She convinced me.”
He wanted to kiss you so bad but he had to restrain himself.
“Be safe tonight, yeah?” His eyes were comforting, as they always were, but this felt almost more personal? Almost like he didn’t want you to go. And honestly, after seeing him, you almost didn’t want to either. You never defined your relationship with him, so honestly right now he was like a friend with benefits––professor with benefits, if you will. 
You nodded, licking your lips nervously. “O––Okay. I will. You be safe too!”
His eyes followed you as you walked off, your friend pulling you along, obviously whispering to you, probably about him. You looked so fucking good and everyone else was going to see that too. It’s not like he owned you or anything, but part of him really wished he could claim you, openly care for you and be affectionate. His thoughts were a mix of wholesome and raunchy and he had no idea how to act.
He almost felt wrong but he couldn’t get the thoughts out of his mind, the way you looked up at him sheepishly, the innocent look in your eyes while you were wearing that mini skirt. His cock was bulging in his boxers ever since he first laid eyes on you. When he got home, he made his way to his bed, undressing almost immediately. Lying down in the middle of the bed, just where you were days before brought a flood of memories into his mind, only making his member throb even more. He tugged at his cock, spitting in his hand to make it slick.
Images of you were flashing in his mind as he sped up his movements, desperate for a release. 
He was dying to get a taste of you again. The memory of the way you felt under his fingertips, the way your muscles clenched when he hit the right spots. The way you tasted when you were dripping onto his tongue. The way you looked at him when you came, your lips parted to release broken moans and whimpers. The way your fingers gripped his curls as your body tensed. It was all enough to make him spill over his hand, his breaths coming out in quick pants as his head dropped back onto the pillow.
“Fuck.” He really had it bad for you. 
❊❊❊❊
Tom had texted you during class on Tuesday to meet him in his office when you were done with classes for the day. When you stepped into the room, he locked the door immediately, bringing you over to his desk, his lips chasing yours. Screw worrying about people hearing you, he wanted you. Now. 
“God, just seeing you in that tight little costume––you have no idea how badly I wanted to ravish you. The thought of all those dumb frat boys seeing you in all your glory like that––I was absolutely beside myself.” So that’s what this was about. His hand came up to hold your cheek, his eyes fiercely staring into yours and you nuzzled into his touch, your hand holding his wrist softly and his eyes softened at the sight of you.
“I’m gonna absolutely devour you.” You gasped and he smiled, pulling your pants along with panties down. He sat you down on his desk and got down on his knees, licking his lips. “As soon as I got a taste of you, I knew I wouldn’t be able to go without it ever again.” He kissed your thigh, looking up at you. “You gonna let me have a taste again? Wanna make you feel good, lovie.”
You nodded, swallowing roughly, “Y––Yeah. Yes please.”
He chuckled breathlessly, “Such a polite little thing you are.” He kissed his way from your inner thigh to your center before licking a torturously slow stripe from your hole to your clit. You let out a sigh and gripped the desk, your fingertips becoming lighter at how hard you were already holding it.
His hands held your thighs open, putting them over his shoulders, holding you in place. His tongue was languidly licking you up and down, savoring your taste and your moans, coaxing them out of you one by one, nonstop. He looked up at you and your breath got caught in your throat, the look in his eyes fierce, almost as if he could see your bare soul and he clearly liked what he saw. He brought his lips to close around your heat after every other swipe of his tongue, passionately kissing your heat. 
“So fucking good, angel. Always the best for me.”
You nodded, licking your lips, one of your hands coming to grab at his curls, making him growl into you. “Only for you, Tommy.”
He didn’t stop his tongue or his lips until you came, your back arching, fingers frantically grabbing for whatever you could hold, lip trapped between your teeth to muffle the moans that so desperately wanted to escape into the quiet air of the room. He kept going until you had to pull his head away from you, overwhelmed by all the pleasure and scared that you would scream and alert everyone in the building about what you were up to.
His hands were caressing your thighs, eyes looking at you in awe, almost too innocently for what you’d just done. He stood up between your legs and leaned in to kiss you, letting you taste yourself on his tongue and his lips. 
He pulled away to look at you, hands holding your hips as your legs wrapped around his waist. You brought your arms up to link around his neck, looking up at him appreciatively and absolutely spent. “So do you think I should wear school girl outfits more often?”
He laughed, his hands holding you tighter, “If you do, my head is never leaving between your thighs.”
You smiled cheekily, batting your lashes at him. “Promise?”
He’d never gotten down on his knees quicker in his life. Let’s just say it took you another hour before you left his office.
 ❊❊❊❊
Over the past few weeks it had become a routine for you to go over to Tom’s office to seemingly “work on your assignments and review,” so it wasn’t out of the ordinary for you to show up unannounced Friday afternoon. Without meaning to, though, it seemed you showed up a little too early, and ended up overhearing part of Tom and Harrison’s conversation. 
“I can tell Y/N means a lot to you, mate. Don’t lie.” Your heart dropped to your stomach as you skidded just in front of the door, about to turn the corner inside. You backed up and stayed pressed to the wall. Luckily no one really stopped by this side of the building at this time on a Friday, so no one would find you snooping around in the middle of the hallway. 
“No I just––”
No. He said no––Okay you weren’t going to freak out. This always happens in the movies, and then the main character runs away before hearing the most important part and they overreact. So you decided to just...wait it out. 
So you waited and waited. And the more the silence overwhelmed you, the louder it got. You could feel the tears starting to form in your eyes because you really thought your feelings were mutual. But just as you inched your foot backwards to walk away, he spoke up again, his voice quiet. 
“She means everything to me, man. I––It scares me, honestly. I just don’t want to mess it up.” 
This time the tears fully formed in your eyes, but for the absolute opposite reason. You smiled and wiped at your eyes, not even bothering to hide anymore as you turned the corner, surprising Tom, his eyes widening as he took in your appearance. Harrison turned around to see you and his gaze filled with concern as well. 
“Tom––” your voice was quiet but there was a smile on your face. 
“Darling––” He rushed over to you and grabbed your hands, wiping your cheeks with his thumbs to catch the few tears that escaped. “What’s wrong, are you alright?”
Your hands came up to hold his wrists as you looked into his eyes, “I heard you talking.” 
His face dropped in realization and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. 
Harrison cleared his throat and subtly made his way out, “You guys have some things to discuss.” He put a hand on your shoulder and you both smiled at each other appreciatively before he walked out, shutting the door behind him. 
Tom took your hands and brought you over to the couch. “I hope I didn’t scare you off, love.”
You shook your head immediately, even climbing in his lap to prove him wrong and he smiled gratefully. “No! It’s just that we never really talked, you know, about us.” He nodded and you took that as a sign to continue, enjoying the way his hands subconsciously slipped under your shirt to rub at your skin soothingly. “I like you Tom, obviously. But I like you a lot.” You linked your hands behind his neck. “I think I might be falling for you.”
His eyes started tearing up as well, as he smiled, “Yeah well, I think I’ve already fallen for you, darling.” 
You looked into his eyes and your smile brightened, “Okay maybe I lied––I’ve definitely already fallen for you as well.”
You both laughed lovingly, pulling each other in for a sweet kiss.“Look,” Tom started, licking his lips. “I don’t know what this means for our future, but all I know is I don’t plan on letting you go any time soon.” 
You kissed his lips softly, “Well I don’t plan on leaving any time soon either.” 
“Good.” He looked at you and you felt as though your soul was out and open for him to hold and love. “Cause you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Y/N and I don’t ever want to lose you.” 
You could feel your eyes tearing up again. This felt good. This felt like home.
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hiding-from-hybe · 2 years
Text
How to get a man in 30 days | PJM
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✨Summary - Noelle Hartman enlists the help of a handsome, sexy, date doctor, Park Jimin..
Usually the type to help men on their romantic endeavours to get the women of their dreams and desires, he's confused but intrigued when she asks him for dating advice.
(✿ ◕ 3◕)つ・*。
Pairing: Jimin x oc
Genre: 🔞, eventual smut, dating!au,
Warnings: Swearing, smut, peer-pressure, negative self body image.
Notes: locations may vary as fictional/non-fictional as I am not native to any locations in this book but did research as much as I could to make it as authentic as possible.
Words: In progress
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Perfect.. Noelle Hartman's life was seemingly perfect, from her perfect job as a travel agent, to her perfectly handsome and loving boyfriend...if only he was real.
When out mingling at a party she had no right to be at in New York, she met three of the most stylish and fabulous people she'd ever seen.
Her English accent was what had them intrigued but when asked about her dating life, she mentioned she was single, everyone turned their noses up at her so she laughed obnoxiously and said that she was joking.
Noelle had been too busy with her head in the clouds to date so she had conjured up a fantasy boyfriend, plucked out of the deep depths of fiction.
Her Sir Lancelot. Her knight in shining armour.
Her new friends Prudence, Jaq and Toni with an 'I' always told her how jealous they were of how her boyfriend spoiled her with gifts and flowers every time they met up, yes she felt guilty every time she lied to them, but this way no one bothered her about being a quote 'single lonely saddo in her late twenties' end quoteD and the better she felt about herself as they praised her.
They didn't meet up much, just for brunches here and there but whenever they did, she would take a package or wear a new expensive necklace to show them, of course whatever lavishly expensive item she purchased would always immediately go back the next day.
Due to her job she got to travel the world with discounts and benefits. An annual familiarisation trip on the dime of the company was a great way to upkeep her image and Instagram in front of her new friends.
She knew it was ridiculous, but she couldn't stop now, not when everything in her life was 'perfect'
Before brunch she dabbed her wrists with a dior sampler that had seen better days and rolled the depths of her collarbones with a smidgen of men's cologne to keep up the pretence that her neck was his favourite place to kiss when she didn't want to ruin her lipstick, which was her staple look, Yves saint laurent 59 Melon.
Using samples was a way to cut costs on the designer clothes had to purchase to keep up the speed with her new fashionista friends, she adopted a lounged style, never the one to look bold or chic but the brand name was enough for her friends not to bat an eye and they label it her personal preference on clothes. She always kept a low profile but in the end she was running out of ways to wear them, to look different, so much so Prudence had told her that the sweatshirt she was wearing was so last season.
"You know me, I don't like to throw clothes away, even though my closet is bursting at the seams" She lied, all she had left was a white shirt, a black Dior pinafore and a black beret she was saving for the next time they went to brunch.
"I wonder what Sir Lancelot has put in the bag this time?" She eyed the parcel in your rather well made fake handbag.
"Dibs if there's chocolates" Yelled Toni.
"He doesn't gift to me everyday, this is probably the sunglasses I ordered" Noelle smiles under the facade of lies, while looking in the chic little bag not big enough for much and faux gasps at a little box containing the keys for an apartment with the words soon written on the key chain. "It's just a set of keys to his apartment"
"Ellie he's so sweet, I bet he wants you to move in" Jaq smiles weakly, lifting her tea cup to her lips.
"He'll probably pop the question when you go over there tonight" says Toni showing off her new engagement ring and Noelle throws the chocolates that she had boxed up knowingly inside at her. "Truffles.. nice"
"I still don't see why you won't tell us who he is Ellie" Prudence pouts but then a grin paints her Rococotte lips "Is he married?" She leans in further "Or is he royalty?" She whispers and Noelle shakes her head.
"No, he's just the private type" She excuses.
"Penthouse, plane chartering, private?" Prudence lifts her well defined brow and Noelle just shrugs. "Oh come on Ellie, tell us"
"You're not getting anything out of me but if you need to know something, we're off to the new Baha Mar resort next week in the Bahamas" Technically it was not a lie but she was being sent for work, testing out the place, it was the best work perk she could ask for.
"How romantic, he's totally going to ask you to marry him" Toni mumbles through a mouth full of chocolates.
"My parents haven't even met him yet" Hell, she hadn't even met him yet. "But I'm sure it won't be long until I take him back home to London"
London was once her home but the Royal borough her friends expected was not the type of home life she grew up in, she was raised in a quaint neighbourly cul-de-sac in Salt Hill drive, Slough. She could still remember the way the west runway of Heathrow airport would open, acting as her alarm clock every morning before school, airplanes coming back and forth from various destinations, it made her want to see the world.
Though it was her dream to be a flight attendant, neither her height nor weight made her application considerable but at least she was seeing some of the world, mostly through the eyes of others whilst they booked their all inclusive resorts, bachelor and bachelorette weekends and around worldwide trips through the travel agency she worked at now in Williamsburg, NY.
It was exhausting pretending to be perfect but it was her life, day to day she was cardigan wearing, glasses bridge pushing Noelle, but to her new friends she was Ellie, a designer wearing, frappé drinking bestie.
"That means you're not going to make it to my engagement party?" Toni moped, but Noelle knew it, it was all part of her plan, she couldn't afford the gift nor a dress to attend anyway so being jet set off to a romantic destination with a romantic fake hubby was a great way to bow out gracefully.
"I'm really sorry Toni" Noelle gave her a genuine pout, she wished she could go and be the person they believed she was, but at the end of the day, she wasn't.
She was a fraud.
~
Another day, another dollar... Noelle sat up from being pulled away from her blissful sleep to turn off her alarm screaming at her from the side table next to her bed and she couldn't wait for the week to be over already.
Her home was an average one bedroom apartment, the rent was as decent as you could find and what she doesn't spend on lavishness and luxury she pays in rent and utilities, skipping breakfast had become the norm, the less groceries she had to buy the more she could save for her lifestyle.
With her brown hair in a low bun, Noelle wore her drab little work cardigan and her glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose, she felt like a tiny speck in the big wide world, that she wasn't anyone special when she looked in the mirror. Everyday was the same, only when she was Ellie was she happy to be seen.
Sat in her office cubicle on the phone to a client Noelle can't help but daydream about leaving to jet off to the Bahamas, she had already packed a few things she just needed to get through this week of work and she'd be sunning herself and taking pictures for her latest Instagram posts for her friends to gush over. Everyone lies about how good their lives are online, right?
One thing she had to remember was to pack a mens sized pair of sandals, she couldn't go anywhere without her makeshift man's accessories to make it look like she was being accompanied by her knight.
She would pose for a few pictures that would apply to two people of course to keep up the illusion, but mostly her pictures were just of the room and views from the hotel and destination, and her friends would be none the wiser that she was venturing alone.
"Hello, are you still there?" A voice on the end of the line woke her from her daydreams of sun, sea and Instagram likes.
"Erm yes ma'am, that's all booked for you, I will compile all that together and you shall receive a confirmation email from us, thank you for booking with New tour travel agency and have a nice day"
Noelle hung up the phone and blew out a breath, it was her lunch hour so she decided to flip through the new Vogue issue that had just been released as she trailed from the news vendor and through the streets on her way to get a bagel from her favourite deli.
The deli was always busy at lunch so she stood waiting to be served and in front of her was a tall broad man. She daydreamed about how he would turn around and he would be a handsome Adonis that would sweep her up into his arms and kiss her deeply in front of everyone.
"NEXT!" Booms Giovanni, the owner as he works the Deli counter, fifty years in the business and still works his ass off every day with his two sons. "Noella Bella" He greets "What can I get for you today?" He smiles at her but as she goes to order she looks upon the bikini body on the front page of her magazine, Noelle felt insecure about the two piece she packed, so instead of a beautiful, tasty bagel with cream cheese, she walked out to across the street where she begrudgingly spent $15 on a sad looking desk salad and trailed back to her work office to eat alone.
Even though Noelle loved her job searching for new places for people to vacation, the rest of the day was a gruelling few hours of getting side-eyed by her work colleagues since they weren't picked to check out the new Baha Mar resort, it had been the talk of the office since the opportunity had come up, but she had proved to her boss that she deserved it with high sales and incentives.
None of her work colleagues knew about her Instagram account; it was her secret because she knew they would probably snub her more. The profile picture was of generic sunbathing legs in a hammock, a holiday snap from last year, and Noelle wore sunglasses and a hat for set up and timed selfies.
Noelle had received rude, misogynistic DMs from when she would post pictures of herself before but she wasn't going to find her knight in shining armour in her Instagram inbox asking her to show them more of her skin anyway, so she just ignored them, deleted them without reading and eventually closed them.
Going home with her earphones in, Noelle listened to a pretty song from a daily recommendations playlist as she watched the busy streets pass her by, with a soulful voice and a harmony to match she thought that the track was just simply exquisite and she would definitely add it to her favourites.
Home is where the heart is, exactly where her bed is to be precise as her keys jangle in her hand and then thump on the kitchen counter she couldn't wait to toss her ass back into bed and look for some online sales that she probably.. in reality, shouldn't.
Her pay check was going to afford her some luxury she needed for her trip since she wouldn't need money as long as she stayed within the resort and sub-renting out her apartment for the week would give her an extra bit of cash to come home to.
Expensive. Expensive. Expensive.
To shop within her means was harder than she thought it would be, clearance sales didn't accept returns either, she would have to pay retail price now to send it back later.
Sure she could stroll through the markets strewn around the city and pick up a copy or two, but the more authentic her purchases were the less she had to prove to her friends, as not all knock offs were good knock offs.
Little essentials she could get away with, a pair of earrings were easy to fake but she knew her friends would surely notice if her outfit wasn't in any recollectable collection, she had to be careful.
Early to bed, early to rise.
Noelle had woken before her alarm clock, with a thundering in her stomach, she had fallen asleep forgoing dinner being outbid by vintagewhore_98 for A pre loved black, golden shoulder buttoned Chanel sweater, the owner must not have known what they had for selling it at such a bargain price but Noelle didn't have it either after getting out bid by $50.
"Goddamit" She cusses and shuts her laptop and rolled out of bed to find sustenance for her roaring monster of a stomach.
It's exactly 11 steps and a shuffle into the fridge and it's exactly how she expected it to be. Sad and empty. Figures. She'd have to go grocery shopping after work, there was no time now so after a pathetic attempt at breakfast, a piece of toast from the end of a loaf of bread and the last scrapings from the foil of her stick of butter, she made do.
Her mood was low and shopping for food was never as exciting as shopping for clothes especially on the budget Noelle had set for herself, low priced tins and no fresh produce wasn't the best diet but her work lunch salads were at least two of her supposed five-a-day... maybe.
Thinking about her shopping list on the way to work she was going to grab a bunch of bananas to keep her sweet tooth at bay, until she suddenly remembered there was a smidgen of Nukota sticking to the side of a jar in the cupboard..
Nukota, the more affordable hazelnut flavoured chocolate spread than the overpriced original brand. Same thing, just a fraction of the price. Just a few more days and she would be eating whatever she wanted for free, sunning herself by the resort beach and sipping cocktails in the Bahamas to get away from all the pressure, all the lies. Except from a picture or two for her Instagram page.
In her cardigan and glasses she felt like everyone was staring at her as she walked to her little cubicle, a tut from Veronica Heller, (her manager) was unprovoked and Noelle knew she was just jealous like everyone else that their boss saw no potential in anyone in the office other than Noelle herself.
Daydreaming about licking the jar of chocolate edges in her sparse cupboard got Noelle through the morning of two destination wedding bookings, and a few romantic 'holiday for two' getaway packages.
Another lunch brings another miserable looking salad staring at her in the face, she hoped it would magically taste like a burger when she took a forkful and placed it into her mouth.. but no such luck and an untasteful grimace It definitely tasted exactly like a salad. The only saving grace was a coffee to wash it down with.
The afternoon was also mostly uneventful, Noelle sits in front of her computer and rubs her eyes between calls. The week was dragging, for a second she though she may not make it to the end when a migraine sets itself across her forehead, radiating between her brows.
"Got to stay alive.. for the Bahamas, for the Bahamas, for the Bahamas" she repeats to herself, clicking the shutdown button as she drags her ass off her computer chair after hours of screen time to the off-brand grocery store.
The darkness comes early in the evenings as does the bitter autumn chill as Noelle wraps her cardigan closer as she paces the store after gathering a basket. The air conditioning is on and it's absolutely glacial in the fridge section where Noelle picks up a bananas, a cucumber, some celery, peppers and a jar of hummus.
Trying to lose weight through the temptations that surrounded her was hard but a teaspoon of honey usually set her right and power through, so a jar of that was added into the basket too but she definitely had to get her pop tarts, sugary sweetness.. her cheat day dinner or generally for a rather special kind of shitty day.
Perusing the reduced items for something she could eat today Noelle felt off, the lights that dangled above her were so bright it made her eyes squint, so much so she couldn't read the yellow priced down stickers on the packets, her peripheral vision was dim and she began to see spots.
It wasn't long before her body felt fuzzy, a static buzzing all over her body and hearing a voice in her ears, a loud voice but she can't really feel much of anything until her vision dispels its grey haze to a man looking down upon her.
"Ma'am open your eyes, Can you hear me?" Noelle is kind of awestruck at the Handsome man- who she realises is on his knees and has her in his arms.
"What happened?" She mutters to him.
"My name is Dr Benson, you fainted, I'm going to ask you some questions alright?" He talks slow, hoping your brain can catch what's coming out of his mouth.
"Ok?" You say but he's not sure he's happy with your tone, so he asks you to follow his fingers with your eyes, upon completing that he starts to question you.
"Hmm.. What's your name?" The handsome guy asks and Noelle is all tongues trying to string a sentence together.
"Noelle—erm Ellie.. it's Ellie"
"You don't sound so sure of your answer Ellie, are you sure you're feeling alright, Do you know what today is?"
"A really shitty one" She blurts and the Doctor laughs heartily.
"Don't say that, it's my birthday, but do you know what the date is?"
"Why would I know when your birthday is...?" Noelle is confused why would she know the date .."Oh today's date..! Sorry it's been a very long day" She sighs.
"You still haven't answered my question..."
"My name is Noelle Hartman, today is Tuesday the 25th, I'm single and I'm a Virgo" She laughs in jest "Am I in the clear to go Doc?" Noelle bats her eyelashes and Dr Benson is a little taken aback but helps her stand up.
"Well you didn't hit your head so I think you're okay, possibly a little dehydrated, here" He passes her a bottle of water from a passing cart, which she's unsure to take considering it's classed as stealing but doctors orders she undoes the cap to take a sip. "Do you have anyone to pick you up? Boyfriend or—?" She wonders what a handsome doctor is doing in an off-brand grocery store but a passer by tells her she was lucky he was just walking nearby.
"Nope just little me" Noelle shakes her head.
"Then please let me drive you home" It doesn't take much convincing to get Noelle in the car, for all she knew he was a liar, a scoundrel but it seemed so silly in her mind for him to kidnap someone like her.
"How much do I owe you?," Noelle says as he parks within her apartment's view "I think technically this was a house call" They both get out and slowly walk to the main door.
"Technically I'm off duty but how about just a cup of coffee sometime?" Dr Benson holds out his hand for Noelle to shake and she takes it, walking up to the foyer door she turns back but almost slips "Take care of yourself now, Otherwise I might have to carry you up myself"
"Thank you Lan—?" She's stumped, on pause for second realising she can't even remember his name after staring at his handsome face for too long, almost calling him Lancelot like a weirdo was embarrassing but maybe he would be into it but now was not the time to find out.
"Derek.. Dr Derek Benson" He replies and Noelle sheepishly walks into her apartment with a nod and as she stepped inside wailed like a banshee. Was this it? Was he the one? Noelle jumped around her apartment until she realised.
"Fuck! I didn't get his number" Noelle whines, and to her dismay she also realised her day had gone from bad to worse. "No! I didn't get my fucking pop tarts"
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valenhell · 3 years
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From the studio that brought you “I can’t find good Byler fics in the ao3 tag”, comes:
"The Definitive Byler fic rec list"
Literally no one asked for this but because I spent the majority of last year (...and 2019, and 2018...) reading byler fics and coping with life, I thought I’d make a list of some of my absolute favorites. 
The other day I was basically starving for some byler fics and the angel @magicalfairy provided me with some of her faves so I thought I’d do the same, because I love reading, and I love all of these fics and I appreciate their writers💗 And fic writers in general, come on!
- This is a mix of long works and one-shots/short stories. - Everything is mostly fluff with a tad of angst and a lot of internalized homophobia conflict.  - Every fic is completed, except for the ones I mention that they are not. - I try my best to lay out the stories in a way that I won’t spoil you the plot but also warning you of some stuff you might don’t like. Either way, all of these fics are correctly tagged by their respective authors/owners, so read at your own risk. For better understanding, in between brackets I denote Rating, Words and quantity of Chapters. - I feel like I should clarify, none of these are narrated in the singular first person. None of that “And I told him...”, no. 
Long fics
a dream always the same (T, 99k, 35 chapters) What happened in those few weeks between the Battle of Starcourt and the Byers leaving Hawkins. Literally a satisfying and very needed fill in of season three, with a good dose of Mike’s thoughts and conflict. Mike’s characterization is specially amazing in this one. The writing style is amazing and I know the author put everything into making it historically accurate, and it was really sweet. You probably read it, it’s by the amazing sevensided here on Tumblr🧡
Spring Break (T, 120k, 14/15 chapters) The slowburn of my dreams. Lots of internalized conflict and conflict with each other. Conflict within the Party (uhh kind of), conflict with Mike and Will. Byers family has moved and the kids are visiting! Chaos. Characterization is on point. Yeah, I know it’s unfinished, but the fourteenth chapter actually serves as a pretty nice ending. 
This is where it starts (M, 148.8k, 24 chapters) Aged up characters. The Party is in college and Will disappears again, but now it’s different. Mike knows he didn’t vanish from thin air, and the discovery he and the Party end up making is pretty insane. Mystery solving/fantasy/third dimension, throw in a bit of D&D and Mike realizing some shit, and you get this marvelous fic. It’s a breath of fresh air. The world building is definitely one of the elements that stands out the most, because it’s very nicely described, it sounds like a dream and it’s completely immersive. Absolute gem of a fic. 
there’s a Starman waiting in the sky (M, 30.6k, 8 chapters) Do I need to say anything? Will is out there living his best life and Mike realizes that wow, umm, maybe his best friend looks a bit too nice with that costume... and wait, is he getting horny? It’s actually really fun and sexy.
The Evening Speaks (T, 23k, 7 chapters) In where Mike is a late-night college radio host and Will is the art student that stays up till late to catch up with Wheeler on the Mic. They flirt through songs y’all, this one is really sweet. 
heads or tails? (E, 24k, 3 chapters) Aged up characters. I know most people don’t enjoy sex in fics and with specific characters but this one is insanely well written. It’s a slowburn that commits to the tension and with every word you are grasping and anticipating their next move. I think you can find the author here on Tumblr as yousaidyes🧡
The Man of Average (M, 56.7k, 5/? chapters) Aged up characters. No but you don’t understand, the writing here is absolute gourmet. The story is exciting as well, it’s super interesting. Weirdly enough, for being very aged up characters, they are well characterized but they don’t feel like teenagers. They are naturally Mike and Will. The author really captured Mike and Will’s essence. I know, it’s unfinished and it’s updated very rarely, but this is the typical fic you can’t believe someone just posted on the internet for free. I will say though, I think it’s definitely not for everyone. Read at your own risk.
Heartstrings (E, 82.8k, 24/? chapters) Aged up characters. By the same author of The Man of Average. A collection of memories, the road to Mike and Will’s happy ever after. And fucking hell!!!!! You’ll cry and get angry, you’ll cheer for them, then you’ll want to crash their faces together because god dammit you love each other!!! But yeah, same thing here. The writing and the way the story is laid out as a nonlinear narrative is brilliant. And I also think this is one of the best Will versions I’ve read. The author might as well be the og creator of this two characters tbh. You can find the author here as mylesimeblr🧡
Sinners behind the walls (T, 1.5k, 1/1) And because I can’t stop recommending this author, a little thing of Mike tormenting himself but also being too deeply committed to Will. 
The Red Envelope series (T/E, 167K, two completed works) Something happens that Will thought was impossible and from there, pure drama and romance. Anything by this author has the potential to become your absolute favorite fic, but this series in particular is amazing. I doubt that any of you haven’t read this, but it doesn’t hurt to put it in this list. I’m pretty sure the author is serendipitous-magic on Tumblr🧡
A New Fight series (T, 91k, two completed works, one WIP) And finally the Star Wars AU that we all needed. But this isn’t your typical “Mike is Han”, “Will is Leia” and “El is Luke”, it’s way more interesting than that, and the author has appropriated the Star Wars world like no other. I’ll admit I’m not a 100% fluent in SW lore but this is amazing to me either way. This author is also on Tumblr, tea-for-one-please🧡
- Yes, most of these are (if not all), in a way, canon compliant/canonverse/canon continuation into fanon. (In a way)
One-shots and short stories
Sundae for Two, Please (G, 4.8k) Steve being the supportive friend and older brother these kids collectively need. (not Jonathan erasure, we love him). Steve is very sweet himself, and this little cute thing through his POV is gorgeous. Yes, it’s byler.
Backstage (T, 10k, 2/2) Jonathan, you forgot to mention to Will how hot your new band’s guitarist is, dude. Now he’s hyperventilating and weirdly flirting with him in the corner. Background Stonathan because why not.
102 Peach Street (G, 3.8k) Established relationship, but not only that, they are married :’’))) PURE fluff. Extreme fluffiness. Diabetes. 
sweatshirts and bottled up feelings (T, 3.2k) Or, Mike thinks that the sweatshirt Will wears looks insanely good on him. And kitchens are for lovers. 
kiss it better (T, 16.3k) Basically one of the best character studies of a few precise moments of Mike and Will’s relationship and feelings. 
will wonders ever cease (T, 11.3k) #i ship will and happiness. Omfg what a beautiful piece of fanfic. Will centric, this kid really deserves all the good in the world.
The Calm After the Storm (T, 1.6k) Tooth rotting fluff, boyfriends in love. Boyfriends being lazy, cuddling, love words, kisses. Boys loving each other’s company... Basically, Mike and Will in their element. What more can you ask for?
neither of us ready to let go (T, 4.8k) That scene from season three, but a bit of a fix it. 
Still in love (G, 1k) Domestic, married life au fluff. Y’all, I’m a sucker for established Byler, even if I can’t find many fics with it. But this is very sweet. It takes place in 2020, but I don’t think there are any mentions of the COVID-19 crisis that I remember.
I Nver Find Out ‘Til I’m Head Over Heels (G, 12.5K) Classic 5+1 fic. If you haven’t read it, where have you been? This is your moment. In where Mike keeps inviting Will to the school dances and Will thinks it’s just a joke until he realizes it’s not. 
Before You’re Gone (T, 5.9k) Will is leaving Hawkins and Mike thinks this is a great moment for a confession. This one I discovered last friday, thank you friend @magicalfairy 💗
You’re weird Wheeler (M, 4.5k) Mike unintentionally starts a tradition of going to each other to talk about their sexual encounters just after they finish. Will keeps getting more explicit with the details he shares, and he makes his best friend interested. This one is really fun y’all.
Out-Of-Town Friends (N/R, 4.6K) It’s not rated. I haven’t re- read it but I’d say it would probably fall in a T rating. So cute!! Will has new friends and sneaks off every friday and the Party doesn’t know where he is going, so Mike decides to follow him and is surprised. 
Snowed Under (G, 1.3k) By the same author of The New Fight series. Mike is spending christmas by himself in college because a snowstorm hits Chicago and Nancy can’t drive to see him, but then he has a surprise visitor. Ahhh just a lil sweet holiday fic. Super cute. 
you love me anyway series (T, 7.1k, three completed works) Literally just the cutest thing ever. Established Byler. Will loves to take pictures and he loves taking pictures of Mike. It’s adorable. 
you wanna be friends forever (i can think of something better) (T, 9k) This one is so amazing. So. Amazing. From Will’s POV, my kid deserves the world and he gets it. 
okay not to be okay (T, 4.9k) Mike is a bit sad but then everything is okay. 
can’t hold out forever (G, 18.4k) Y’all!!!!! 5+1 sweetness. Mike has been falling in love since kindergarten. And it’s long af, you’ll enjoy it. 
even if it takes forever (G, 1.3k) College short AU, they miss each other, they love each other, they promise all to each other. It is sappy y’all.
clear as day (N/R, 18.4K, 4 chapters) It’s not rated, but I’d say it falls in the T category. Strangers to friends to lovers. And also, everyone is pretty gay; we have our dynamic trio Mike, Max and El as disaster lesbians (and gay). Will works at the library and he is also gay. Lucas and Dustin and Will are the best friends we needed. It’s very sweet and the Party is kind of formed here!
I went overboard with the one-shots, so you must have realized how much I love long one-shots and I favor them over long works lmao but they are all amazing!!! If it’s on this list, I probably read it at 2 am, sobbing in my bed. So. Hope you enjoy it☺️🧡
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harrylilies · 4 years
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The Royal Series | Pt. VIII
The Royal Series Masterlist
"Come on, Henry!" You laughed at your brother, wrapping the scarf you got him around his neck. "It's your best picture!" The green and red scarf had a picture of him fighting a pap in 2004 all over it, ready to be worn.
"You were only 10 when this happened, how did you even remember this?" He laughed, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and squeezing you to his chest.
"Brings out the colour in your eyes." Will said, helping Charlotte off of his lap and letting her run towards you.
"Think you should wear my gift to your boyfriend's family meeting." Harry joked, letting you go.
You rolled your eyes, scooping Charlotte in your arms. "Did you see Granny's face when I opened the gift?"
Harry mimicked, making everyone in William's drawing room laugh. "Admit it, it's a nice sweatshirt."
"The best thing to wear to a first family meeting; Harry Styles have my babies. Excellent choice." You said sarcastically, swaying Charlotte gently in your place.
"Teetee, did you like my present?" Charlotte asked enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around your neck.
"I loved it! I'm putting that picture frame beside me, on my bedside table. So every morning when I wake up and every night before I sleep, I see you and your brother. It's the best to wake up and sleep to, Charlie." You smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek, "Also, our little squish here wrote me a very nice letter." You nodded towards Kate's baby bump.
Spending more time with your family doing nothing but laughing, teasing one another, and reminiscing the days when you were all younger, it wasn’t long before you were putting on your coat and ready to leave.
"Do you have to go?" Charlotte whined, frowning as she looked at you.
You cooed, "Aw, none of that now, Charlie. I'll be back before you know it."
"Yeah, Charl, Teetee will only be gone for a few days before she comes back." Kate said, standing beside you as she assured her daughter, "We don't want Y/N leaving with us crying and her getting sad, do we?"
Charlotte nodded before letting out a dramatic sigh, "Okay."
"Now, I really have to go. Want to help me get my bags?" To which Charlotte nodded eagerly to, making you grin, "Where's your brother? Where's Georgie?"
"I think he's in his room." Will said, standing up.
"Let's go get him, Charlie. Let old Daddy sit, wouldn't want him hurting his back." You said teasingly as you walked past your brother, hearing everyone behind you snickering.
"Hey! Don't tell my daughter that!" Will joked, making you wave him off.
Reaching George's room, you let Charlotte knock before you heard him give you a "Come in!"
You opened the door gently, peaking yours and Charlotte's head inside to see George sitting on his floor, playing with the train toy set you had gotten him. His head snapped towards you, a grin instantly drawn to his face as he stood up and sped towards you, hugging your legs. "Auntie, you're still here!"
"I am, baby, but I wanted to ask you if you want to join me and Charlie and help me with my suitcases?" You stroked his scalp gently.
"Yes, of course! I'll get my train." He said before walking back to his previous spot, taking one red train before walking beside you, holding your hand.
George opened the door to your room, going inside and climbing up the bed till he sat, his feet dangling and swaying as he made train noises and flew his toy in the air. You sat Charlotte beside him, giving her the small piano toy she had left in your room the previous day, before unlocking your phone, finding 3 missed calls from Harry.
"Shit," you cursed under your breath, turning your phone slightly to find that it was silenced.
You instantly called him back, balancing the phone between your ear and shoulder blade as you opened your plain blue suitcase, double checking that nothing was missing before checking your duffel bag, too.
"I thought you got cold feet." Harry said as soon as he picked up, followed by a heartfelt laugh.
You smiled to yourself, taking your red sweater in your hand, "No, no. My phone's mute button was probably pushed by accident. Is something wrong?"
"No, love. I just wanted to make sure that you're," he cleared his throat, "You know, still coming."
"I am, H. I'm about to leave," you assured him before chuckling, "They still don't believe you?"
"They don't. Even showed them a couple of pictures but they told me that my fans make insane photoshopped pictures. I’m starting to feel very offended."
You laughed, zipping your suitcase. "Good thing I'm spending New Year's with you then, huh?"
"The best. Still sure about that? Wouldn't your family have your head?" He asked. "One, I'm sure. Two, told you it's me who decides. Now," you held your phone with your hand, "I have to go get dressed. I'll text you when I'm near, okay?"
"Yeah, okay. I'm waiting for you. Take care, yeah?"
"Always do. Bye, baby." And so, it slipped from your mouth, making your eyes widen and your other hand to cover your mouth.
The pet name didn't seem to go unnoticed by Harry as he giggled quietly into the phone, giving you an eager "bye!" and a kissy noise before hanging up.
"I'm going to go change, I'll be right back." You informed your niece and nephew who only nodded at you, too engrossed in their toys.
_
With the car door open wide for you, you bent down, hugging George and Charlotte close to your chest, kissing their temples. "Be good for Mummy and Daddy, will you?"
"Yes, Teetee." They both replied, their arms on you.
"Come on, give me a kiss." You smiled, patting your cheeks for them to which they giggled at, leaning forward and planting loving kisses on your cheeks. "I love you."
"Love you, Teetee!"
Getting into the car and blowing everyone a kiss, you nodded at your driver who stood by the driver's door side. "Don't worry, Ben. I’ll be careful." You smiled, "You spend some time with your family."
"I did actually spend a wonderful time with my wife and the kids." He smiled, closing the door after you got in and put on your seatbelt before you put down your window.
"Oh! Did they like my presents? I certainly hope they did. Although I'm not so sure about the sizes, I just picked the ones suitable for your daughters' and wife's ages." You chuckled, looking up at him.
"They loved it, Your Highness! And the sweaters fit them just right. Lilly especially wanted me to thank you and invite you for a tea party." Ben chuckled humorously as he referred to his youngest daughter, only being 5.
You grinned, perking up. "I love tea parties! I'd gladly come if you'd let me."
Ben laughed in delight, nodding eagerly. "Of course we would! You're welcomed to visit anytime, Your Highness."
You smiled, starting the car before waving at him before you drove off, already feeling the nervous butterflies in your stomach at the thought of meeting Harry's family after a 3-hour drive.
Meanwhile, Harry sat on his mother's sofa, laughing at Gemma's embarrassing stories that Anne was telling Michal, Gemma's boyfriend, laughing at his sister's sour face.
"Oh, come on. At least I'm not as delusional as Harold here, says he's with HRH Princess Y/N." Gemma snickered.
Harry groaned, dropping his head low in defeat. "She's coming in a few hours."
"Oh dear, I have to move the pebbles for when the horses arrive on our doorstep." Anne joked.
"She doesn't move in coaches, Mum." Harry laughed.
"Probably wings." Gemma joked, motioning with her arms to wings, making Harry throw a cushion on her.
"Stop it, Gemma. Stop making fun of your brother," Anne said, standing up and taking two of the many empty glasses on the table which belonged to some of Harry's family whom were in their presence but left, "I raised you both to never make fun of troubled people." She giggled, speeding off to the kitchen.
"Hey, why are you doubting him? Harry's pretty big and known." Michal defended him, looking at Gemma.
Gratefully, Harry made prayer hands as he closed his eyes, mouthing "Thank you" to him.
"I'm not belittling him but," Gemma began, "This 23-year-old woman, one of the most beautiful, whose father is Prince Charles and mother is Princess Diana and her grandmother is the fucking Queen and was raised and continues to live in the monarchy is pretty big, too."
"You always believed me when I told you about my girlfriends." Harry gave her a side eye, raising his eyebrows.
"Because you dated what we now call ordinary people, T Swift, Kendall Jenner. If a colleague of mine told me that they were dating them I'd believe them," she stood up, taking a couple of glasses before following Anne to the kitchen. "Better start cleaning before Her Highness arrives.”
Harry rolled his eyes, looking at Michal. "At least you believe me."
Michal chuckled, standing up as him and Harry started helping Anne and Gemma with the remains of the Christmas get-together they threw.
_
"It told me to make a left, so I did." You said, glancing at your phone in its holder before looking at your surroundings. "Alright wait, I'm coming outside." Harry said through the speaker, the sound of some shuffling around being heard next.
"Are you wearing a green jumper?" You asked, squinting your eyes to get a better look at the figure in front of you.
"Yes! Is that you in the black ca-Oh, hi." He giggled as you drove closer to him, finally getting a clearer view. "Bye bye." He eagerly said before hanging up, watching you park in front of him.
You grinned as you rolled your window up and took your keys and phone, Harry opening your door for you.
The moment you got out, Harry wrapped his arms around your waist, bringing you chest-to-chest closer. "You look very cuddly right now," he whispered, kissing your hair. "You always look cuddly now that I think about it."
You laughed, putting your hands on his chest and looking up at him. "I got some nice cocoa powder for hot chocolate. It's the best you'll ever have."
"I think we have marshmallows." He nodded. "Where are my manners?" Harry asked himself. Smiling as he leaned down, he pressed his lips to yours. Your leaned back on your car, smiling into the kiss as your hands moved to his jaw.
"They still don't believe you?" You asked as you took your breath, glancing back at his house before looking at him.
Harry rolled his eyes, "They teased me enough."
You tried not to laugh, though did a terrible job at it, before patting his chest, "Come on then. Let's meet them." You got out of his grasp and towards your boot. Right as you were about to take your suitcase, Harry beat you to it, taking it out, draping your duffel bag on his shoulder before closing the boot.
"I can take it." You said as he rolled your suitcase in one hand, the other holding yours.
"So can I. Come on." You both walked towards his open door, you smiling sheepishly as you tried not to look around.
"It's quiet." You whispered as Harry put your suitcase and duffel bag beside the door after kicking it close.
He chuckled, "They're in the back."
"I got presents." You whispered again, "Oh shit, I forgot to take them from the backseat." You opened the door, practically jogging towards your car before Harry followed you, grinning as he saw you take out neatly wrapped medium sized boxes in glistening and vibrant Christmas wrapping. "I trust you with the sizes you gave me."
"You got Mum that dress you showed me?" He asked, helping you and taking two boxes, leaving you with one which had a card on top of it with your neat handwriting that said “Merry Christmas, Michal!”
You nodded, humming. "And got Gemma the striped suit and the golf watch for Michal. Is that all alright?"
"Baby, I told you that you don't even have to get anything." Harry chuckled, bumping his hip with yours.
"It's Christmas, H. Everyone deserves nice presents." You smiled.
"Let's put these under the tree." Harry said, raising his eyebrows upwards as you both walked inside. Instantly smiling at the cosy aura the place had, your eyes fell on the twinkling Christmas tree by the window. You put the box under it, waiting as Harry put the other two there.
"And your gift is in my suitcase." You giggled, looking up at him.
"Yours is in my room." He replied with a dimpled grin, "Come on."
With his hand on your waist, you both walked towards the kitchen where you heard chatter and clinking, making you look at Harry, giving him a nervous smile. "Oh God." You whispered to yourself, huffing out before putting a strand of your hair behind your ear, your fingers lacing together in front of you, sheepishly.
Harry gave you a quick peck on the cheek before walking inside the kitchen, clearing his throat to catch his family's attention.
You could almost hear a pin drop. All of their jaws dropped, faces going tint red, looking intently at the new addition. You looked up at Harry for a second before looking back at the ones in front of you. "Hi, I'm Y/N."
"What the fuck?" Gemma was the first to speak, Harry cringing as he squeezed your waist slightly. Gemma's eyes caught her brother's, who widened his green eyes at her before she cleared her throat, drying her hands in the yellow towel on her shoulder before putting it on the chair. "Do I-Do I curtsy?"
"God, please don't," You laughed, moving forward and naturally wrapping your arms around her in a brief hug. "You look a lot like Harry. It's insane."
Still at a loss of words, Gemma awkwardly hugged back, looking at Harry from over your shoulder as he smirked at her, cocking an eyebrow. "You look like-" She cleared her throat, "Like how I see you on the telly."
You chuckled, pulling away, "I'm hoping that's a good thing?"
"Yeah, of course. Of course, it is."
"Excuse my daughter," Anne spoke, moving forward and approaching you with a wide, loving smile. "I'm Anne."
You and Anne hugged, her rubbing your back soothingly as she did. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Good things?" She asked jokingly as you both pulled away.
"The best." You nodded in confirmation.
"It's so nice to meet you." Michal said, leaning down and giving you a greeting hug before looking at Gemma, "Guess your brother isn't so delusional after all, huh?"
"Shut up." She said under her breath, covering her face.
"Let's take this to the living room, shall we?" Anne grinned enthusiastically.
"They're starstruck." Harry leaned down, whispering in your ear.
"I'm more of in awe that I'm meeting them." You giggled, holding his hand that was draped from your shoulder.
"Who got-Oh God, did you-" Anne gasped, looking back at you from the tree.
"It's Christmas. It's also a thank you for making me spend New Year's with you." You smiled warmly, feeling yourself get hotter, “I hope that’s okay.”
"Did I just get a present from the Princess of the United Kingdom?" Gemma asked her boyfriend quietly who tried to stifle his laughter and not burst out laughing before his face fell, looking at one box under the tree, "Yup. She got you one, too."
"I read online that's she's known in the royal family to get the funniest Christmas gifts." He whispered back.
They couple both shared a look before looking at you, laughing at something Anne said. "We did make fun of our Harry, honestly. Sorry, darling."
"I felt very offended, thank you very much." Harry put his hand on his heart dramatically before looking at you, "How was your drive here?"
"Very nice and quiet. That intersection you told me about saved me a lot of time." You pointed at Harry.
"No offense, sweetheart but what do we call you?" Anne asked warmly, “We have never really interacted with someone from the royal family this close before, excuse us.”
"Please, don’t worry. Just Y/N would be great."
"And please call me Anne," Anne pointed at herself, "Oh where are my manners? Are you hungry, sweetheart? We had nice turkey and mashed potatoes."
"Mum makes incredible turkey." Harry said from beside you on the sofa, his hand on your knee.
"Thank you so much, Anne, but I think I'm so full. I managed to get myself pizza on the way.”
“How many slices did you have? You can’t be that full, love.” Harry asked.
“Got a large and finished it all actually,” you shrugged, “But actually, I got us some fine cocoa powder if you fancy a nice hot cocoa cuppa. It's homemade." You grinned, standing up to walk towards your suitcase, "Actually if you don't mind, I can make them."
"Oh, love. You really didn't have to." Anne laughed in delight, watching as you shook your head at her with a warm smile, "Gemma can help you."
"Of course!" Gemma perked up, standing up, "I personally love eating cocoa powder."
You laughed, pointing at her, " Me too! My brothers make fun of me for it all the time."
You and Gemma walked towards your suitcase by the door before you opened it, taking the packet of cocoa from one of the pockets and closing it. Gemma hummed, closing her eyes "It already smells so good."
"Trust me, it's the best you'll ever have." You assured her as you both walked back to where everyone was. Harry leaned his head back on the sofa, looking at you upside down before giving you a childlike wide grin, almost as if he was assuring you that it was going well.
_
Standing in the kitchen with Gemma as you warmed the milk, she cleared her throat, getting you to look at her. You felt nervous, almost as if you were preparing yourself for the talk.
"So, you and little Harold? How did that even happen?" She chuckled, looking at you as she leaned on the counter.
"I've been a fan of One Direction for as long as I remember and I've always, you know, kind of had a soft spot for H. I don't get to go to concerts and shows very often but I went to his show a few months ago after getting in contact with Jeff then I met him. We met then we went to this local bar not far away with the rest of the band and we sort of," you shrugged with a smile, "Clicked."
"I bet he was shitting himself," she laughed, turning off the stove before taking out mugs for you. "From what he told us, you haven't been dating for long."
You nodded, "Almost two months."
"I'm sorry if this is too straightforward but does your family know?" Gemma asked quietly.
"My brothers and their partners know that we're together, yes. Uh, my grandparents and father know something is going on but we kind of had," you gestured with your hands, "A disagreement you can say. They'll come around."
"But you're planning on telling them, right?"
You nodded instantly, "Definitely," you paused, sighing as you looked at her, "I know what you're thinking. I really don't plan on hurting Harry."
"What about your family? Do they not?"
Deciding to not take it to heart, you simply shook your head. "My family won't get in the way of what makes me happy."
"I'm sorry if I come off as a bitch, I just," Gemma stopped, looking at you sympathetically.
"I understand," You smiled, "I'd do the same if I were in your place. You're just looking out for your brother and I truly respect that."
Gemma smiled in gratitude before shaking her head, "God, you sound so posh."
As the night went on and everyone was more comfortable, you were tucked in Harry's side, his arm wrapped tightly around you.
Empty mugs of hot cocoa were proof of the success and so were the smiling faces in the room. Gemma, Anne and Michal sat with their presents on their laps as they waited to unwrap them.
First went Anne, neatly unwrapping the present after complimenting your choice of wrapping paper. Her eyes almost widened at the Versace box, opening the lid slowly as she gasped at what's inside. She took the dress out, holding it at arm's length as she gushed over it. "Y/N! This is gorgeous, sweetheart!" She stood up, holding it over her.
"Ooooo, look at you." Gemma grinned, now feeling over the moon excited to open her present.
"This is a lot, Y/N."
"It's not, I promise. You're letting me stay here for 6 whole days, Anne. It's the least." You truthfully said, giggling when she gave you a kiss on the cheek.
Harry grinned at the interaction, rubbing your arm.
"Okay, my turn!" Gemma exclaimed, unwrapping the present before gasping at the Alexander McQueen box, "Oh God," She laughed, opening it. "Ooooo,"
"I trusted H with the sizes." You informed them, watching as Gemma took out the black and white striped jumpsuit out.
"I love you already." Gemma pretended to wipe her tears, making everyone laugh. "Thank you so much, Y/N." "You're welcome, Gemma. I bet it would look so good with red lipstick." You wiggled your eyebrows.
"You know what? We're going out tomorrow and I'm wearing that." She pointed at you. Gemma sat down, elbowing Michal, "Go on then."
Opening his box after unwrapping it, Michal let out an excited laugh as he looked at the expensive golf watch he remembers telling Gem about it a year ago. "That's massive! Thank you!"
"It's no problem. Harry told me you're really into golf. He helped me with this one." You smiled up at Harry who scrunched his nose.
"Did a great job, mate."
_
You left your hair down as you changed into your pyjamas, walking inside Harry's room. Right as you stepped inside, Harry quickly covered something with the covers, making you stand on the doorway with your hand on your hip. "Got something, Styles?"
"Don't know what you're talking about." Harry shrugged, tilting his head at you with a cheeky grin.
You sighed dramatically, "Guess I just won't give you your present then."
Harry laughed, throwing his head back, "Y/N!" He whined.
"Fine," you chuckled, "Alright I got you a bunch of stuff actually." You took the rectangular box out of your duffel bag, holding it out as you sat beside him on the bed, crossing your legs.
"Okay," Harry breathed out, copying your moves and sitting in front of you with his legs crossed, unwrapping the box. "You have really nice wrapping paper."
"Thank you, I take pride in choosing and wrapping them." You giggled, bringing your knees closer to your chest as you rested your chin on your knee.
The first thing Harry got out of the box was a book that had a cat in front books and a typewriter on cover, the title being "I Could Pee On This" along with "And Other Poems by Cats"
Harry burst out laughing; his eyes shut and his head back as his hand slapped his thigh. "Where did you even find this?!"
You only shrugged in response, grinning at his reaction. "I know you love cats and I thought it might be exactly what you need."
"I definitely needed that. Thank you, baby." He laughed, putting it beside him before taking out the next item. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the packet in his hand, reading what was written; "Animal butt magnets."
"When I first came to your house, I noticed your fridge didn't have any magnets so I thought you should add a few there."
Harry laughed, turning the packet to you, "You got me animal butts for me to stick on my fridge?"
You nodded excitedly, hugging your legs, "Precisely!"
"You're absolutely mental." Harry chuckled, leaning forward to peck your lips.
"Now for the grand, real gift!" You exclaimed in a reporter's voice, opening your arms wide.
Harry grinned, glancing at you before closing his eyes and taking the last item out of the box. His eyes fell on his hands, laughing, "Love, is that-" He glanced at you before opening the wallet in his hands, "It's a wallet! You got me a wallet that looks like burnt toast!"
"I love all of them!" Harry laughed, moving until he propped himself up on his knees, cupping your face in his hands as he pressed his lips to yours. "Has anyone ever told you how creative you are with gifts?" You hummed, smiling up at him before glancing at his lips, "Maybe one or two."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." You whispered back, pecking his lips.
"You might not know it but you've been touching your present all along." Harry chuckled, kissing your temple for a second before taking the box from under the covers.
"H, it's made a fucking lump. Of course I knew it was a present." You laughed, looking at the green wrapped box.
You unwrapped the box, Harry watching nervously and silently admiring how gentle you were while unwrapping the box. "Gucci!" You grinned, looking at him, "That's your favourite."
"I remember you telling me you like something of mine so," he shrugged.
You opened the box, "Loafers! You got me loafers!" You grinned, taking them out, "Are we going to be the cliché couple that match?"
"I think we're cliché enough to do that." Harry nodded. "There's something else in there."
You looked down, taking out the vinyl record in your hands, grinning when you read "Piano Man" and "Billy Joel".
“How on earth did you know I wanted this?"
"Might have had Farrah help me with that one." Harry smiled, shrugging sheepishly.
"You take your Christmas presents seriously, don't you?" You smiled, putting the shoes back in the box before wrapping your arms around his torso.
"Do you have any idea how hard picking a present for you is?" Harry rolled his eyes, groaning as he threw his head back.
"Hey, that goes both ways." You raised an eyebrow.
He laughed, raising his hand to push the hair that got on your face away, "You know what I got us for when we're back at my house? For our board games nights and all that?"
"And the Chinese takeaway?" You asked hopefully, making him chuckle and nod.
"And the Chinese takeaway," Harry confirmed, "I got us about 10 massive puzzle pieces."
You gasped, "You genius! I was actually thinking about getting us a new one."
"And now we have 10."
“And I have Gucci loafers.”
“And I have a wallet that looks like burnt toast.”
“Sorry about that, by the way. I didn’t know you took Christmas presents so seriously.” You sheepishly said, scrunching your nose as you looked up at him.
“Hey, none of that,” Harry frowned, “These are probably the nicest Christmas presents I have ever had. ‘sides,” he held up his wallet and new magnets, “What’s not serious about these babies?”
334 notes · View notes
masterwords · 3 years
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could I request Hotch as a single dad with a baby daughter? 🥺 I’ve just been so mad that no one in the BAU had a baby girl. (Maybe there’s some per-relationship hotchgan?)
Hey! So I have to admit, as someone who (just like the BAU) has children who are all boys, I wasn't entirely sure what to do...don't have much experience with baby girls except having been one at one time. LOL It isn't exactly what you asked for, but we all know I'm really bad at following directions. I think it turned out sweet anyway. It's super fluffy and super sweet. I hope you like it!
Summary: Hotch is a little sick, but his baby girl knows how to help.
Words: 1.7k
Pairing: Hotch/Morgan
Candy Spun From Head to Heart
He's wearing Derek's clothes, they're bulky and warm and soft, a deep blue sweatshirt faded and advertising Chicago P.D on his chest, letters so soft and barely legible. He's not sure if it was Derek's or his father's, but he steals it often and the way Derek looks at him wearing it feels heavy no matter what. He wears it when he needs comfort, when he doesn't feel well, his way of telling his family he might need a little extra care without knowing which words to use. He's never been good at words when they need to be used for his own benefit, a lifetime of forcing himself to hush, to barely be seen and definitely not heard. It's too hard to break a habit that deep but he's found little ways, and Derek knows exactly how to read it, and he's taught Lucy. It's simple, he says. You look at daddy's eyes, you watch his hands, and when in doubt, you read his wardrobe.
“Da-da,” Lucy says, nudging Derek awake. The sun has barely peeked out from behind the clouds, barely begun streaming through the filmy curtains. He rolls to the side, opens the blanket and lets her crawl inside, lavishing her with tiny kisses all over her messy sweaty morning hair. She giggles, wrinkling her little nose and her hair tickles his neck. “Daddy's sick.”
“Why d'you say that?” he asks, his eyes still closed against her warmth. She snuggles closer, she can't get enough of his warmth. It emanates from him and both she and Aaron run cold, they crowd him.
“Daddy wearing you shirt.”
He smiles and nods. She's smart, too smart. “Where is he?” He knows Aaron got up in the middle of the night, he had a feeling but he stayed put. He doesn't follow Aaron everywhere anymore, he's learned that sometimes he needs to just let him sort himself out, sometimes he doesn't want or need someone in his face trying to fix him. Still, he had a feeling when he felt the bed shift, when he heard the dresser drawer open.
“Sleeping on da couch,” she says, and that outs her. She'd been wandering around the house before anyone was awake, and he opens his eyes all the way now wondering what she's been up to. She's sneaky, she's been caught trying to cook, make toast, and they've had to redecorate the kitchen in amusing ways to mitigate the damage she'll try to cause. She's wise beyond her years, but she's still only four, she's got an abundance of confidence without wisdom to back it up. He's concerned about what she'd managed to get into before she noticed Aaron sleeping on the couch.
“Lu...” he coos, and she giggles. She knows and she rolls her eyes, like she knows exactly what he's thinking.
“I make'd a surprise!”
It's a tea party, he notices with some relief when he enters the kitchen. Her tiny jewel toned tea set decorates the kitchen table, her favorite stuffed animals propped up on pillows in the chairs surrounding. No real food that he can see yet, no real problems, just a sweet little scene with three open places for she and her daddies. It's her favorite way to start the weekend, and she knows its the weekend. Derek will make coffee while she sets it up and they give Aaron a chance to sleep in, usually, but not today. Today Derek shuffles to the couch, quiet in his bare feet and crouches before Aaron who is still sleeping but not peacefully, places his hand to his forehead. He's warm, too warm, and he looks pale. He's curled up around a heating pad, it's not an uncommon sight.
“See da-da? You shirt.”
“You're right girl wonder,” he murmurs, reaching up to push Aaron's hair away from his forehead. He'll let him stay there for a while, he looks comfortable and waking him might pose more problems than its worth. Lucy leans in and kisses his forehead, wrinkles her nose at the sweat, at the heat.
“Daddy's hot,” she says, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. “Daddy need ice?”
Aaron's eyes flutter open, he squints to focus on the two faces much too close to his own. He says nothing, waits for them, they both look like they've got more than enough words ready to fly in his direction and he tries to ready himself for the sensory overload about to happen. Lucy and Derek are a whirlwind, they move too fast, they live too wild. He runs her through empty parking lots with full carts of food, rushes fast and steps on with both feet, they fly together while Aaron follows dutifully behind them watching for cars. Aaron doesn't go fast but he lets Derek, and he never tells him no or to slow down. She loves going fast. She's all pig tails and pink converse sneakers bounding along behind Derek and Clooney, crashing through mud puddles and berry bushes while Aaron takes pictures, always just a few steps behind but watching a few paces ahead. He's comfortable there, it's happy in the quiet bringing up the back, watching this family of his soar through the world with bursting hearts.
When they narrow their attention to him, when they slow down long enough to see him, it's overwhelming in its electricity. He can feel it in his bones, the way they love him.
“Daddy sick?” she asks, her nose touching his. He smiles, it's weak and fades quickly but she takes it and mirrors it with her own. Hers is wild, beautiful, carefree. It's Haley's wide smile, the kind that lights up her whole face.
“Yeah...” he replies, voice just a whisper. He swallows thick, shifts beneath his layers of blankets to try and get more comfortable. His gaze trails to Derek, he could tell him what was wrong, that the pain in his stomach woke him up, that they don't need to worry, but he doesn't need to say it, Derek knows. Lucy scampers toward her bedroom and comes back with her doctor kit, a tiny leather bag with big metal clasps. Inside are bright plastic toys and real medical gadgets, a hodgepodge of items that she's been squirreling away. She begins digging through it until she finds what she's after, its a real thermometer they gave her because she was frustrated with the tiny brightly colored plastic one. She holds it up to Derek after it beeps, 101.1, and she tsks, her sleep matted dark hair falling into her face. She brushes it out of the way while Derek smiles.
“Daddy has a fever,” she says. She knows her numbers, she's been listening. She puts in her ear pieces, slips her hand up under Aaron's sweatshirt and listens to his heartbeat. The hair on his chest tickles her fingers and she giggles, tries to straighten up. The toy is cold, makes a funny sluggish noise when she pushes a little button and she tsks again. She grabs his wrist, holds her chubby little fingers over the whole thing and Derek repositions them until she can feel the slow throb of his pulse and they count while he watches the clock. Desiree is in med school, she's been teaching Lucy all about triage for patients, sends her all sorts of fun medical tools. Lucy has a desk in her room with tiny jars full of tongue depressors and crayons, a little unorthodox but she's certain they're the tools she needs. The last thing is her favorite part, she pulls out a little white board that Desiree made especially for her and hands Aaron a marker, asks him to circle the little sad face that matches how he feels. She doesn't know what the rest mean, not really, but when he circles the little sad face with the tear beside its eye – not he worst, but definitely not the best, she looks up at Derek ready to give him her diagnosis.
“Daddy has sore tummy,” she says, adamantly. Derek likes to use the word sore and she parrots him, it forces him to be careful with his language. “He needs water and medicine and snuggles.” Derek nods, he agrees, she's a great doctor.
“I'm gonna get daddy to bed, you get him water and medicine?”
The walk to their bed is slow, Aaron's stomach rolls with each step, he's letting Derek support him. If it was just the two of them he might put up a fight, insist he could walk on his own because he had done it earlier just fine but with Lucy hot on their tails, he behaves. Lets Derek tuck him in, he's a model patient and she sets a small cup of ginger ale and his favorite mug filled with water beside it on his night stand. Water and medicine, she knows how to help daddy with his sore tummy.
He gets sore tummies a lot.
“Anything else, baby?” Derek asks, sitting beside Aaron on the bed, hand resting against the curve of his hip. He's plugged in the heating pad, watched him curl around it, get it back to where he needs it.
“Tea party,” she says with a nod. “And then snuggles.” She doesn't give Derek a chance to argue, she starts moving the tea party into their room. Arms full of stuffed animal friends and carefully balanced tea pot and cups filled with what he hopes is water from the sink and not the toilet. If daddy is too tired or too sick, she'll bring it to him, he'll get better faster with tea. Tea always makes people who are sick feel better in movies. It doesn't take long before she's set up and Derek sits cross-legged on the floor beside her while Aaron sips his ginger ale from the bed, smiling.
“Daddy feels better?” she asks as she hands a cookie to Derek. He eyes it suspiciously, wondering where she got it, whether she's been collecting treats in her room again – she's sneaky and smart, too much like Aaron for her own good. Aaron nods.
“Feeling better,” he whispers, eyes drifting closed. His stomach still hurts, but its always better being surrounded by his favorite people than alone.
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atlafan · 4 years
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a/n: okay, here it is! a lot of you really wanted me to post this on here, SO THAT MEANS I’M GONNA SEE LOTS OF FEEDBACK AND REBLOGS, RIGHT?! Can’t wait to know what you think of this one! [Patreon] [Buy Me A Coffee] (not proofread) I was inspired by a lot of different things with this, it’s sort of like Scarlet Witch meets The Dragon Prince meets ATLA??? Also, Harry is a major himbo in this, and we love that for him.
Warnings: angst, fluff, flirting, magical fighting, smut (rim job)
Words: 22K
Pairing: Harry x OC (Amber Hale)
Song Inspo: High For This - The Weeknd
“What do you do with a BA in English?” The age-old question that was coined from the hit musical, Avenue Q. Harry thought he had the answer to that question, and it was go to graduate school to get his MEd in English. He’d get his K-12 certification, not that he wanted to work in a K-12 school system. No, he wanted to be a literary professor. He wanted to be able to have high level discussions about the classics, post-modernism, film adaptations, and more. He loved reading, ever since he was a little kid there was a book in his hands. There was just something about getting lost in a world that someone else created for a bit, and then analyzing the shit out of it.
He had already done a semester of student-teaching as a senior, he didn’t love it. He took a gap year trying to find a publishing company to work at. He thought he could maybe be an editor. Harry soon realized he didn’t like being told what to read, and the pay was pretty low. He even tried working at a bookstore for a bit. It wasn’t as much fun as he thought. So, at the age of twenty-four, he enrolled in a master’s program to get his Med in English. At least this time when he’d have to student-teach, he’d be doing it at a collegiate level. He knew he’d get stuck teaching a couple of sections of first-year composition, but he had no problem teaching students how to properly construct a paper. There were three classes he needed to take in the fall, all of them being online-asynchronous: Social Behavior in a Diverse Society, Philosophy, Ethics, & Education, and Teacher Action Research.  
Since Harry had a semester of teaching under his belt, he was able to get a better paying grant, and wouldn’t have to just TA, he could actually teach. He’d still be subject to observation, but at least he could be trusted. So, he’d be teaching two sections of Composition, and one section of Fiction Workshop, where students would read texts Harry picks out, and discuss them. Fiction was his favorite, so he was really excited to be teaching this particular course.
The university he was attending was on the east coast in the states, a very picturesque college town by the seacoast. Harry loved fall, so he was happy about getting to be immersed in the season. So, he had his courses settled that he had to take, he knew what he was teaching and set up his Canvas pages, the last thing he needed to figure out was a place to live. He had been staying at a motel in the area, but that was starting to get pricey. He looked around online, but there wasn’t much out there. He also didn’t want to get stuck living with a bunch of undergrads that were loud and partied. He asked the other faculty in the English department if they knew of anything, but they didn’t.
Harry decided to go for a walk in the downtown area, and see if there were any ads in some of the shop windows. A lot of the buildings looked to be apartments up top. On his walk, he noticed an interesting looking café. There were other coffee shops in town, and this one looked to be almost deserted. Harry shrugs his shoulders and heads inside. A chime sounds as he walks in, and he sees that it’s almost like a country store. There’re tee shirts, sweatshirts, scarves, gloves, books, knick-knacks, and treats. This seemed like a neat little place, why wouldn’t there be a lot of people here? It was still summer, maybe it was more of a college student hangout?
Even though it was still summer, the place smelled like cinnamon and apples. The fresh smell of coffee wafted through the air as well. From the back comes a woman wearing a green apron over her clothes, dusting her hands off. Harry stops in his tracks as he looks at her. She had these piercing blue eyes that resembled sapphires. Her hair was up in a loose, wavy ponytail, the color being one of those silver/lavender mixes, a contrast to her dark eyebrows. She was a short thing, couldn’t have been a little more than five feet tall. Her nails were painted black, and she had this gorgeous necklace hanging around her neck. She also had various piercings in her ears, and a silver hoop in her left nostril.
“May I help you?” She asks Harry just as a Siberian husky comes trotting out by her side.
“Hi! I’m new to the area, and I was just strolling by and saw your shop…um, do you have iced tea?”
“Yeah.” She nods slowly. “Come over to the counter.” The dog circles around Harry, sniffing at his legs. “Are you okay with dogs?”
“Love ‘em! Boy, girl?”
“She’s a girl, her name is Opal.”
“That’s a lovely name.” Harry smiles, and leans down a bit to let Opal sniff his hand. “She’s a beautiful dog.”
“Thank you. So…you said you wanted an iced tea? Here’s the list of flavors.” She taps a laminated paper that’s taped to the counter.
“Right, yeah, um…what do you recommend?”
She furrows her brows at him for a moment, studying his face.
“I just drink the plain, black tea with a dash of sugar syrup.”
“Then I’ll have that.” He smiles.
She nods, gets a cup to fill with ice, and goes into one of the small fridges where the tea was chilling. She adds the syrup and then the tea, then snaps a sippy-cup style lid on top.
“Here you go. That’ll be $3.99.”
Harry sets a five-dollar-bill on the counter.
“Keep the change.”
“Thanks.” She puts the rest in the tip jar.
“What’s your name? You’re not wearing a tag or anything.” He says before taking a sip of the tea.
“It’s Amber.”
“Amber! Oh, is that why you’re wearing one?” He points to her necklace.
“Well, I was given this when I was a little girl.” She says as she looks down at it, then back up to him.
“Do you mind if I peruse around the store a bit? Although, I shouldn’t be buying any trinkets until I actually find a place to put them.”
“What do you mean?” She blinks at him. Who was this man and why was he being so friendly with her?
“I’m new to the area, and I’ve been having a tough time finding a place to live. I’m at one of the nearby hotels, but I can’t stay there much longer. You wouldn’t happen to know of any vacant apartments, would you?”
“Sure she does!” Another woman comes out from the back. “Amber owns the whole building, which means she owns the apartments upstairs.”
“Penny.” Amber seethes, and then looks at Harry. “I’m sorry, I don’t rent to college students.”
“I’m a graduate student, and I’m also going to be teaching. M’not loud, and I keep things tidy. I’d be happy to fill out an application if you like.” He smiles. “Plus, I could be a walking advertisement for the place because this tea is incredible.”
“The shop does well for itself.” Amber mutters.
“Oh, just give the boy an application.” Penny says.
“Fine.” Amber sighs, and ducks down to grab an application. She hands it to Harry reluctantly. “My email is on the bottom. Just scan it and send it to me that way, and I’ll get back to you.”
“I’ll make sure of it.” Penny smiles. “Parking’s included.” Amber glares at her. “Well, I’m just going to head back to the back, take stock of things.”
“You do that.” Amber says, shaking her head, and then looking at Harry. “She’s a good worker, but she’s nosey as shit. So, you’re a grad student?”
“Mhm, and I’m twenty-four, so I’m not fresh out of undergrad either. I’m going for my MEd in English, and I’ll be teaching a few classes as well. I’m excited to get started.”
“English, huh?”
“Mhm.” Harry smiles.
“You must really like to read.”
“I do.” He nods. “Do you?”
“No, I hate it actually.”
“But…there are so many books here.”
“Yeah, the majority of them are cook books, or informational books about the area. I’ve never really cared for reading. It’s a waste of time, if I’m being honest.”
“A…a waste of time?” He blinks at her.
“If I’m reading, it’s so I can learn something.”
“But even if it’s fiction, you can still learn so many life lessons.”
“Maybe worry about teaching that to your students instead of me. I’m a lost cause.” She smirks. “I need to finish up what I was doing in the back, so if you still want to peruse…”
“No, uh, I’ll get out of hair. I’ll email this over to you later tonight. It was nice meeting you.” He looks down at Opal who was eyeing him carefully. “And it was nice meeting you too, gorgeous girl.” He smiles, and leaves the shop.
Amber takes a deep breath and heads into the back where Penny is. She glares at her, and it makes Penny laugh.
“You could use a new tenant.” Penny says to her.
“I don’t need you finding one for me.”
“He’s cute.”
“He’s annoying.” Amber deadpans. “Practically told me his whole life story!”
“He clearly felt comfortable around you.”
“So? He’s an English professor or something, how pretentious.” She makes a disgusted noise.
“Just give his application a fair shot, would you?”
“I will, but only because if I don’t I know you’ll keep bugging me about it.”
//
Harry couldn’t believe that he just heard with his own two ears that reading was a waste of time. He knew there were people that didn’t care for it in the way that he did, but Amber said she hated it. He couldn’t fret over it too much, though, because either way he still needed an apartment, and she had a vacancy open. So, when he got back to the hotel later that day, he worked on his application, and emailed it over to Amber. The name of shop was cute: Opal’s Café & Convenience. He found it endearing that she named it after her dog. Amber seemed rough around the edges, but maybe Harry could be the one to smooth her out a bit.
//
Much to Amber’s dismay, Harry was the perfect applicant. He didn’t have any pets, he wouldn’t be throwing wild parties, his credit checked out, and his references were solid. Amber would be stupid not to let him take one of her apartments. She emailed him back and let him know it was his if he wanted it, and when he could move in. In the email, she attached a list of rules he’d need to follow when being one of her tenants. She lived in the building as well, and she valued her privacy. She explained that she would often make a lot of tea in her own apartment, so Harry might catch a whiff once in a while.
Harry was so thrilled he’d have an actual place to live just in time for school starting that he agreed to all of her conditions. So what if he’d smell tea once in a while? There were far worse smells out there. Harry packed everything into his car, and headed over to the building as soon as he could. He found his parking spot, and started moving things up. His apartment was on the floor beneath Amber’s. She had the entire top floor to herself. Harry was surprised that he’d have the whole second floor to himself. It was a spacious one bedroom that he was grateful for. He was drenched with sweat by the time he got the last of things upstairs. The first thing on his list was to install his air conditioner. He tore his shirt off, kept the front door open for some airflow, and got to work putting the air conditioner in the main window of the living room. It was the space he’d be in most, so he wanted it cooler in there. He could always leave his bedroom door open or just use a fan at night.
Amber was heading down the stairs with Opal, and noticed Harry’s door was open. She was about to get to work opening the shop. Her eyes widen when she sees that he’s shirtless, littered with tattoos. He just happens to turn and see her standing in the doorway.
“Oh, hi!” He smiles, and walks over to the door, bending a bit to pet Opal.
“Everything going okay so far?” Amber asks.
“Mhm.” Harry nods, crossing his arms. “Just got the A/C installed, so it’ll be nice and cool soon. Thanks again for letting me rent from you.”
“Yeah, well…it’s money.” She shrugs. “Look, uh, there’s a basement here too, don’t go down there. It’s locked anyways, but I keep all of the supplies for the shop in the basement, so…it’s off limits.”
“Oh, no worries. I’ve got plenty of space up here. I don’t have a bike or anything, so I don’t think I’d even need the extra storage.”
“Good.” She nods. “Well, I’m headed down to open up. See you around.” She snaps her fingers to get Opal’s attention, and they go downstairs. Once they’re down in the shop, Amber notices Opal looking at her. “Don’t even start, I already know you’re on Penny’s side.” She sighs.
“He is awful cute.” Opal says. She and Amber could communicate telepathically.
“I have more important things to focus on, we have more important things to focus on.” Amber crouches down to her dog. “You realize we can’t just chat freely with him around.”
“It’s the same with the college kids. He might think it’s cute that you talk to your dog.”
“I don’t really care what he thinks.” Amber rolls her eyes and stands up. “I have to get the coffee and tea going. Could you check the shelves and see what herbal teas we’re low on?”
Opal nods, and heads over to the aisles to take stock of everything. Amber gets the coffee and tea brewing so it’s fresh for the customers. Penny comes in an hour or so later to make some fresh biscotti while Amber was working on making more herbal tea. Amber’s herbal teas were quite popular with the college students. Were they laced with a little magic? Maybe, but it was all for a good cause. She had special anti-stress and anxiety teas, sleepy time teas, wake-up teas, and some teas that could put someone in the mood, but she didn’t advertise those often.  She didn’t want anyone taking advantage of anyone else, she only sold it to people who knew to ask for it, and they had to sign a waiver.
Certain coffees had some magic involved too. There were coffees that were ground with something to help people focus for long period of time, coffees for all-nighters, and more. She lived in a pretty liberal area where people were super into different types of “wellness”. There were so many people that would rather try drinking an herbal tea, than take a pill, so she used that to her advantage. No one ever really questioned why her products worked so well.
Amber had been living pretty peacefully the last few years, but as of late she felt this odd disturbance. Something bad happened in the spring. Something came after Opal. Amber almost lost her best friend in the world. She had been trying to track down whatever the fuck it was, but the trail had run cold. She took the time to train and work on some of her spells. Opal explained that Amber should be able to just think and cast instead of having to say the spell out loud. She had gotten a lot better at it, and she had gotten a lot better at throwing a punch. Whatever the fuck that thing was, she’d be ready for it. Amber also didn’t want anything bad happening to the college students. They were so vulnerable as it was, but a lot of them would walk around intoxicated at night, making them the perfect target. She felt protective over her college town, she wasn’t going to let anything happen to anyone.
That’s why she had a chip on her shoulder when it came to Harry. She didn’t exactly trust the new guy, especially since he came right to her shop, and asked about a place to live. It was rather peculiar, but she thought it would be better to keep a close eye on him, so she accepted his application. No one else seemed too bothered by him, and she didn’t exactly appreciate the glances Penny and Opal gave her when it came to him. Yes, he was cute, but Amber had a hardened heart that couldn’t be so easily sueded by a handsome man with a kind a smile.
//
Harry couldn’t believe how packed the shop was once the college kids were back in town. Amber did really well for herself. He liked living above the shop a lot. Sometimes he’d buy a coffee, find a place to sit, and get some grading done, or do some homework of his own. Sometimes he’d catch Amber looking at him, a deep furrow in her dark brows. He’d give her a soft smile, and she’d just look away. Opal liked sitting by his feet. Any time he’d sit down for a bit to get some work done, there she was. He loved dogs, so he was happy she seemed to take a liking to him.
“Hey, Professor Styles!” A girl in one of his composition classes, Zoey, says to him.
“Oh, uh…it’s Zoey, right?” He looks up from his laptop.
“Mhm.” She nods. “You like to hang out here?”
“I live upstairs, actually. I like to come down here for a change of scenery. Do you come here a lot?”
“Oh, definitely. My friends and I come here almost every day. Amber has some of the best tea and coffee I’ve ever had. I was just stopping in to stock up on her sleepy time tea.”
“Sleepy time tea?”
“Yeah! Puts me right to sleep after having a small cup. You should try it.”
“Zoey, come on!” One of her friends says.
“I better go, it was nice seeing you!”
Harry waves to Zoey as she leaves to go down one of the aisles. He gets back to his work. He was doing some research for his philosophy class. He had to look into the different philosophies of various educators from a list his professor gave him. Without even realizing it, he skipped dinner, and ended up being the last person in the shop.
“Glad to see you’re making the most out of having free Wi-Fi.” Amber scoffs as she crosses her arms. “We’re closed.”
“Shit, I’m so sorry.” Harry scrambles to pack up his things. “Time must have gotten away from me.” He looks down at his watch and sees that it’s nearly 9PM. “Fuck, I need to get to sleep. Hey, could I buy some of that sleepy time tea you sell? One of my students was telling me about it earlier.”
“Sure, you can buy a pound for fifteen dollars.” She grabs a bag of it and they both go up to the counter so she can ring him up.
“Must be good stuff if college kids can afford that.” He hands her exact change.
“It lasts a while.”  She purses her lips briefly. “You may have some…vivid dreams. It’s really, um, potent, especially if it’s your first time drinking it.”
“Do you make it yourself?”
“I do.” She nods. “I promise it’s all FDA approved.” She smirks.
“I trust you, no worries.” He chuckles. “Do you need any help cleaning up?”
“No, I’m all set. Penny’s in the back still, I’ve got all the help I need.”
“Alright, well, have a good night.” He smiles.
“You too.” She watches as he heads out the door in the back to go upstairs. Amber looks down at Opal. “You need to stop sitting by him so much. He’s going to think I’m staring at him every time I look over at you.”
“I can’t help it! He smells nice.” Opal says.
“I don’t care what he smells like. We need to be cautious.”
“You worry too much. Whatever that thing was caught me on a lunar eclipse, so I couldn’t transform fully. Had I been able to, I never would have gotten hurt.”
“Yeah, and it probably knew that. Probably want to make you transform into a wolf full time. You’d become rabid.”
“I’m well aware of that. I’d be able to sniff out anything demonic about him, especially by now. He seems genuine.”
“Good for him.”
“Amber.”
“Opal.”
“Would you two give it a rest?! You’re giving me a headache.” Penny says as she comes out from the back. “We have receipts to go over.”
//
Harry took a quick shower when he got up to his apartment, and then made his tea. It tasted really good, like, the best chamomile he ever had. He only drank about half of it when his eyes started to droop while watching to TV on the sofa. So, he got his butt into bed, and fell asleep almost immediately. Amber was right about him having vivid dreams.
There he was, walking through a forest at night. He had no idea where he was going, but let his legs take him there regardless. There was a glowing light that intrigued him, so he made his way over to it. As he approached, he saw a woman from behind, her hair flowing in the breeze and her hands glowing with what looked like electrical currents. He steps on a twig by accident, catching her attention. She looks over her shoulder at him, her eyes glowing a white-hot blue.
“What are you doing here?” She says, floating in the air above him. He falls to bum and looks up at her.
“I…I don’t know.” He swallows. “What are you doing here?”
“You need to get out of here it isn’t safe!” She scolds him.
“M’sorry, I don’t even know how I ended up here.” He scrambles to his feet, and she lowers herself to the ground. Her hair was still flowing, her eyes and hands still glowing. “I saw the light and just followed it I guess. Is there a way for you to turn that off? It’s pretty bright.”
The woman takes a deep breath, and closes her eyes. Her hands stop glowing, and when she opens her eyes, all Harry sees is a familiar sapphire color. He realizes who it is once her hair settles. It was that same silver/lavender color that Amber had.
“Amber?” His eyebrows shoot up as he looks at her. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing that you need to concern yourself with. Get out of here, now.” Her eyes glow again, as well as her hands, and she shoots up into the night sky without another word.
“What in the actual fuck?” Harry says to himself.
Harry woke up to his alarm the next morning not feeling groggy at all. In fact, he had never felt so refreshed after a night’s sleep! He quickly grabs his phone and opens the notes app before forgetting his dream. It was so bizarre and weird, he wasn’t quite sure what it meant, if anything at all. Why would he have a dream about Amber? And why would he dream about her glowing the way she did? He hadn’t watched Harry Potter recently, or anything of the like.
He gets dressed for the day, and decides to go into the shop for his morning coffee. The place was already bustling with early birds. Amber was behind the counter getting coffee and tea orders out. It astounded Harry that she was able to do so much by herself. He waits in line, saying hello to some of his students in the process.
“Good morning, what can I…oh, hi, Harry.” Amber sighs. “What would you like?”
“I’ll take an iced coffee, please, black.” He smiles as she nods. “That tea really put me to sleep last night. You were right, I had an odd dream.” She freezes for a moment as she scoops the ice cubes into the cup. “You were in it, actually.”
“That’ll be $3.50.” She says flatly as she sets the cup of coffee down on the counter. He hands her his card, and she runs it through the machine.
“You’re not even the least bit curious as to what I dreamed about?”
“Nope.” She smirks. “I don’t need to hear about your wet dreams.”
“It wasn’t a…I didn’t…” He shakes his head as his face flushes. “It wasn’t like that.”
“I’ve got a line of customers waiting.” She slides his card back to him.
“Can we talk later?”
“Harry, whatever it was, it was just a dream. So I was in it, so what? I’m flattered you were thinking of me, but don’t worry about it.”
“It’s just that…the strangest thing happened. Your eyes were glowing, and your hands were too, but, like, a different type of glowing, and we were in this forest. Oh! And you were, like, flying or floating, or something like that. Your hair was kind of glowing too.”
“You read too much fiction.” She rolls her eyes. “Buh-bye.”
“But-“
“Next!” She shouts, and it makes him flinch. He grabs his drink and leaves. Amber looks down at Opal, who was about to say something, but Amber shakes her head as to warn her.
“Amber, we need to talk about this.”
“Later, I have customers.” She whispers down at Opal, and looks at the next person in line. “Good morning.” She smiles.
Harry was so distracted during his classes, he ended up showing the movie version of The Grapes of Wrath to his fiction workshop class. It worked with the unit they were since they were discussing historical fiction. He wanted to know why Amber was so cold to him even though she was plenty kind to just about everyone else that stepped through her shop. He also wanted to discuss his dream with her. It felt so real, and he wanted to know why. He had a few students come see him during his office hours, and he tried to be as present as possible for those. There was one girl in his fiction class that came to just about all of his office hours, and normally he didn’t mind, but he had a lot of course work to do, and some grading to get done. He was also in a rush to get back to the shop.
“Hi, Professor Styles.” Whitney smiles.
“Hi, Whitney.” Harry sighs as she sits down.
“Are you feeling alright today?”
“Just a little stressed. I’ve got some work for the classes I’m taking to get done.”
“It’s so cool that you’re a grad student. You’re so good at teaching, I never would have guessed you weren’t a full professor.” She had a tendency to flirt with him. She was a senior, and twenty-one. In any other scenario, Harry probably would have gone for it since he was only a few years older, but he wasn’t about to start dating a student.
“Thanks, that means a lot. Listen, uh, I know we usually chat for a bit, but I really need to get some work done, so unless this is class related…”
“Oh.” She sits up a little straighter. “Um, I guess I don’t really have any questions…I will say, watching the movie helped me understand the book a little better. I was supposed to read it in high school, but I just used spark notes back in the day.”
“Good! I’m glad you have a better understanding of the themes.”
“Well, I guess I’ll see you later. Have a good weekend!”
“Thanks, Whitney, you too.”
They smile at each other before she leaves. He runs a hand through his hair, and attempts to get some of his grading done. Once he makes a decent enough dent, he packs his things and heads to the shop. He finds an open table to sit at, and gets to work on his courses. He was sitting near one of the aisles with the mood enhancing tea.
“I’m telling you, I’ve never been so wet in my life.” Normally, Harry wouldn’t eavesdrop, but a sentence like that was something he couldn’t just ignore. “This stuff really works.”
“Okay, but how was Robbie?”
“Hard as a rock, and desperate to please. He went down on me for, like, twenty minutes! He said I never tasted so good. We fucked for, like, an hour total. It was incredible. I’m definitely buying this stuff again. I couldn’t recommend it enough.”
“Does it taste good?”
“Mhm, like strawberries. I think that’s why it makes for such a good aphrodisiac. There’s a chocolate flavor too, but Amber said that one’s really strong, and it’s better to start out with the strawberry flavor.”
“Oh, damn, I’ll have to ask her about it then. Look, she restocked the anti-anxiety tea! The blueberry flavor is my absolute favorite.”
“I like the lemon, personally, but to each their own.”
Harry couldn’t believe what he heard, more so at the beginning of the girls’ conversation. How the fuck was he supposed to concentrate on his work now? He needed to wait out the customers like he did the night before. Opal comes trotting over to him like usual.
“Hey, there, pretty girl.” He pats the top of her head. “Thought about you today. You gonna curl up around my feet again?” Opal does just that and lets out a such that makes Harry chuckle. As the sun sets, and less people are in the shop, Harry finishes up his work. He notices Amber wiping down the tables. “Hey.” He says to her, standing up and walking over to her. “Could we talk?”
“Is this still about your dream? I told you might have some weird, vivid ones with it being your first time drinking the tea.”
“It’s just…I don’t know why I would have dreamt something like that. I asked you what was wrong, and you told me it was nothing I needed to worry about.”
“Hm, sounds like dream me is a lot like the actual me.” She smirks. Harry frowns slight, and she sighs. “You’re really worked up about this, huh?”
“A little, yeah.”
Amber looks down at Opal, and then back to Harry.
“I wish I could be more help, but it was just a dream, Harry. Try having some more tea tonight and see what you dream about.” She looks down at her watch. “I need to close up early, I have somewhere to be in a bit.”
“Oh, uh, do you have a date, or something?”
“What? No.” She scoffs. “I take Opal for a long walk on Friday nights. She gets antsy if we don’t leave on time.”
“Is that safe?”
“Of course it is.” She blinks at Harry. “We just go walking through some of the neighborhoods with the students live off campus.”
“Could I join you? Haven’t explored the area all that much.”
“Wouldn’t it be weird for you? In case you run into your students?”
“Nah.” He shrugs. “Doubt they’ll recognize me in the dark.”
“Let him come with us.” Opal says, and Amber glares down at her. “I know we were going for a hunt, but it might be good to get to know him better. His dream could mean something.”
“Ugh, fine!” Her voice startles Harry a bit. “Be at your door in ten minutes with some sensible shoes on.” She looks down at the loafers he’s wearing. “You’ll wanna wear sneakers, Grandpa.”
//
Ten minutes later, Harry was waiting outside his door for Amber. He decided to wear his light-wash jeans and a windbreaker, along with his glasses. Amber came down the stairs with Opal wearing a long black jacket, and black jeans tucked into a pair of combat boots. Her hair was down for a change, Harry thought it looked beautiful.
“Ready?” She asks him.
“Mhm, you’re not going to put a leash on Opal?”
“Nah, she’s not the type to run away.” They both head down the stairs and out the back door to the street. They make their way to the off-campus neighborhood.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, how long have you been dying your hair that color? It’s really pretty.”
“Huh?”
“Your roots never show either, do you touch it up at home?”
“I don’t dye my hair.”
“Amber, remember who you’re talking to.” Opal says.
“I mean, uh, I have a hairdresser do it.” She smiles weakly at Harry. “I go every six weeks like clockwork. My hair’s, uh, naturally blonde, so my roots don’t show.”
“Really? But your eyebrows are so dark?”
“Dye those too.” Amber hated lying about herself, but there was nothing she could really do about it. “I don’t really like talking about myself, um, let’s talk about you. How come you’re going to grad school here and teaching?”
“Well, I love literature, reading and whatnot. I have a degree in English Education, but I wanna teach at a collegiate level, so I got into the master’s program here, and they’re letting me teaching. I’m technically a grad assistant, but I have my own classes.” They cross the street, and head up a slight hill. “Sort of hurt a bit when you said you hated reading.” He chuckles.
“I’m not going to apologize for that. I genuinely hate it if it’s not for research.”
“Did something make you not like reading as a kid?”
“I didn’t have much of a chance to read as a kid.” She mutters. “I went to an agricultural boarding school growing up, not much time for reading fantasy books when you’re working the land.”
“Wow! Why’d you do that?”
“I didn’t really have of a choice.”
“How come?”
“I just didn’t. I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Well, is that how you got so good at making tea and coffee? I overheard some girls talking earlier, uh, you make an aphrodisiac?”
“I make a few, yeah. What did you hear?”
“That they work really well.” He smirks.
“They do. I only put out the best.”
“What would make you put out a product like that?”
“Sex sells.” She grins at him.
“Have you ever tested your product?”
“Sure, I test all of them to make sure they work properly.”
“And you found that it worked properly?” He smirks.
Amber is about to make a smart remark when she hears a blood curdling scream. She and Opal look at each other before sprinting off in the direction of the scream. Harry’s puzzled, and concerned, so he runs after them. He couldn’t believe how fast Amber could run. They all hear the scream again, and run towards the beginning of one of the walking trails. Harry loses sight of Amber and Opal as they run deeper into the woods. Harry’s stumped on where they could have gone. He uses the flashlight on his phone to help him see better.
“Help!” He hears a woman yell, and runs towards the sound.
When he gets closer, he starts getting major déjà vu. It was just like his dream. He stops short when he finds Amber and Opal. Opal’s eyes were glowing a striking blue and so were Amber’s. Amber’s necklace was glowing bright orange too. There was a woman on the ground, knocked unconscious. There was some odd shadow looming over her. All of a sudden, Amber’s hands start glowing, and what looks like electricity comes from her fingertips. It latches around the shadow like shackles, and it bellows a horrible sound.
“Who sent you?!” Amber yells to the shadow, but before she can get an answer, it vanishes. “Son of a bitch!”
“Amber.” Opal says. “Harry…”
Amber looks over at Harry, who she had completely forgotten about. Her necklace, eyes, and hands stop glowing. She looks down at the woman on the ground. She looked like a college student. Amber sighs, and raises her hands up, thus levitating the woman.
“Can you carry her? I’ll explain later.” Amber says.
Harry nods, and cautiously takes the woman in his arms, carrying her bridal style. Amber puts her hand on one of Harry’s shoulders, and blinks. Next thing Harry knows, they’re back on one of the streets in the neighborhood. Amber places her hand on the girl’s forehead, and takes a deep breath. Her eyes glow for a moment before she takes her hand away. She snaps her fingers, and the girl disappears from Harry’s arms.
“What the fu-“ Amber snaps her fingers again, and they’re in her apartment. “Fuck!” Harry pants, totally freaked out.
“Okay, calm down.”
“Calm down? Calm down?! How do you expect me to calm down?!”
“If you don’t then she won’t be able to explain.” Opal says.
“Did she just talk?” Harry points to Opal.
“Yeah…she must be allowing you to hear her.” Amber shrugs.
“Right.” Harry’s eyes roll back, and he faints, dropping to the floor.
“And here I was thinking I’d have to force him to drink some tea to make him think this was all a dream.”
“Don’t you think he deserves an explanation? He literally had a dream where something similar happened! What if he’s some sort of mage too, but just doesn’t know it?”
“How could he not know it?”
“Not everyone’s born into it like you were. Maybe something drew him here, and maybe things activated when he drank the tea.”
“What do you want me to do, wake him up and explain everything to him? No way, I’m not diving in deep with a stranger.”
“But if you just-“
“Enough!” Amber’s eye glow warningly. “What I say goes.” She snaps her fingers, sending Harry down to his own bed. “He’ll just think he had another wild dream.”
“Wouldn’t that be suspicious?”
“Not if I give him something.” She grins. “I’ll be back in a minute.” Amber snaps herself down to Harry’s bedroom. She sprinkles some dried strawberry dust over his open mouth. “Sweet dreams.” She nearly cackles, and snaps herself back upstairs. “With the dream he’s about to have, he won’t be recalling a damn thing. It’s better if he doesn’t know.”
“We’ll see about that, stubborn girl.”
//
Harry wakes up Saturday in a cold sweat. He couldn’t remember how he ended up in bed, or taking his clothes off. He rips the blankets back and winces when the cold air hits his stiffy. He was used to being hard in the morning, but not like this. His prick was swollen and throbbing, begging to be taken care of.
“Jesus fucking Christ.” He spits into his hand and grips himself.
He hisses from his own touch. He tries to remember last night. He recalls going for a walk, and then not much else. He jerks himself off until he comes. When he does, he swears a wank has never felt so good. He makes a proper mess of his tummy and heads for the shower. As he’s washing his hair, he notices he’s still hard, like, really hard. Not the post orgasm hard before he softens, it was like he hadn’t come at all. He sighs heavily, and starts pumping himself again. He grips at the tile on the walls as he whimpers and whines until he comes again.
When he gets out of the shower, and walks towards his dresser, he feels a throbbing between his legs. He looks down and sees that he’s hard again. Now he’s just annoyed. He had no idea what was going on. Unfortunately, he knew it wasn’t gonna go away on its own, so he jerks off a third time. He gets dressed, and goes upstairs to Amber’s apartment. He knocks on the door, but doesn’t hear anything.
“Amber, you home?!” He knocks again, but there’s nothing. She didn’t open until noon on Saturdays, where could she be?
He heads down the stairs, and peers into the shop, but doesn’t see anyone. He hears some noises coming from the basement door. He sighs and goes over to it. He knows he’s not supposed to go down there, but he needed answers. He knocks on the door loudly.
“Amber, you down there?!” He jiggles the door handle, and much to his surprise, it’s unlocked. “Amber?” Harry makes his way downstairs, and is stunned with what he sees. There were dozens of bookcases filled with old looking books, and bottles full of different liquids and leaves.
“Harry!” Amber shouts as she storms towards him. “You’re not supposed to be down here!”
“The door was unlocked.”
“Fucking.” She pinches the bridge of her nose. “I’ll have to talk with Penny. Go upstairs, now.”
“What is all of this stuff?”
“It doesn’t concern you.”
“Is this a weird meth lab or something? Are you a drug dealer? Is that what you’re really selling to the students?” He gasps for a moment. “Are you selling them ecstasy?”
“What?! You’re a fucking moron!”
“Then explain what’s going on because I woke up with a raging boner this morning, and it took a really long time for it to go away, and I also can’t remember a thing that happened last night, so I want some answers!”
“Wait, you woke up the boner?”
“How is that the thing you’re focusing on?”
“You were supposed to have a wet dream. Did you dream about anything?”
“No, one second I was on a walk and the next I woke up in my bed all sweaty and hard.”
“Weird.”
“You’re telling me. Now-“
“No, it’s weird because what I gave you had a delayed effect.”  She walks over to one of the shelves and pulls out a book. She flips through one of the pages. “Ohhhh.” She nods, closes the book, and puts it back. “I sprinkled some strawberry dust in your mouth from my dried stash, it’s extremely potent, that’s why I make it into a tea. Um, when it’s used the way I used it…it’s supposed to make you have a wet dream. I think it delayed because you passed out last night.”
“I did?!”
“Yes.” She sighs, and snaps her fingers, bringing them to her apartment.
“Amber, I’m about two seconds away from-“
“Have a seat.” She points to her couch, and sits down. He sits down next to her, but not too close.
“Where’s Opal?”
“Out shopping with Penny. She upset with me because of last night. She wanted me to tell you everything, but I didn’t want to. I guess I don’t really have a choice now.”
“What do you mean she wanted you to tell me?” Harry blinks.
“May I press my forehead to yours? It’ll be easier to explain that way.”
“Um, sure?”
Amber grips the back of Harry’s neck, pulling him closer. It was almost like she was about to kiss him, but she doesn’t. She presses her forehead to Harry’s, and her eyes start glowing. Harry suddenly has flashes of everything from the night before. She lets go of him, and gives him a moment to process everything.
“Holy shit.” He says, blinking a few times. “So my dream did mean something.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. You had some sort of vision, and I have no idea why.”
“What are you then?”
“I’m a mage.”
“Which is what?”
“Well, it’s sort of like a witch, but less spooky. I can cast spells, and I have other abilities. I was born into it. My hair color is naturally like this, that’s why you haven’t seen my roots grow out.”
“Your necklace was glowing last night too. Does that have anything to do with it?”
“I’ve had this since I was born. It helps enhance things.” She grips the jewel for a moment. “It also keeps me safe.”
“From who?”
“People who might want me for their own selfish needs. I’ve been trying to track this…this thing down. A demon of some kind attacked Opal last spring. I thought I was close to finding it last night, but that shadow was just a minion.”
“Do you know why something might have attacked her?”
“We’ve…wait a second, you’re taking all of this in a little too easily. You’re not freaked out?”
“Most of the fiction I read is fantasy based.” He shrugs. “Besides, it’s hard to doubt something when you see it with your own eyes. So, why do you think something attacked her?”
“We’ve been trying to figure it out for months! We were out in the woods at night collecting some leaves. I turned my back for a second and I heard her yelp out. It was terrible. Luckily, it left before it could do some real damage. I don’t want it hurting her, or any of the college students. Seems like it’s back.”
“Can I ask…why have a shop that’s so obviously full of magic?”
“A lot of people are into natural healing methods these days. And this is a pretty granola town.” She shrugs. “I’ve been here the last four years. Things took off quickly.”
“Where were you before?”
“I told, you I went to an agricultural boarding school. It was for kids like me. I…don’t really know my parents, and I don’t have any siblings. They kind of just send you off once you’re of age to go to pre-school.”
“That sounds terrible.”
“It wasn’t.” She shakes her head. “Well, it was and it wasn’t. I learned how to keep myself safe, and learn how to properly use my powers. They let you leave when you’re twenty. I had all my firsts there. My first kiss, my first love, my first heartbreak.” She sighs.
“Is Penny a mage too?”
“Sort of.” Amber smiles. “She’s more a mother to me than my own. She practically raised me. When I left the school I asked her to come with me, and she agreed.”
“When did you get Opal?”
“When you’re little, around the age of six, they take you to a farm so you can connect with an animal. She was the cutest puppy I had ever seen. I bonded with her right away. We ran around and played and laughed. Opal’s my everything.”
“And she can talk with you and others telepathically?”
“Correct. She has to feel bonded to the people she allows to hear her. She’s felt comfortable with you since you got here…I’ve also been trying to figure that out. It pisses me off to no end that she likes you.”
“Why?” He chuckles.
“Because I can’t stand you. You’re so fucking positive and bouncy. You’re always in a good mood, it’s disgusting.” She grimaces.
“Well, I know being a mage can’t mean you’re crabby because Penny’s always delighted to see me.” He smirks. “It disgusts you that I’m happy?”
“Very much so, yes.” She nods.
“I can’t help it. I’ve got a great job, I’m studying something I’m interested in, and I get to see you every day. What could be better than that?”
“You’re happy because you get to see me every day?”
“Well, sure. You’re so interesting, and…I’m very attracted to you, but I’m sure that’s been obvious to you since I walked through the door.” He rubs the back of his neck as he blushes.
“I’m flattered, but I’m not really one for dating. I don’t have the time for it. Not when there’s a fucking demon on the loose that I can’t seem to track down.”
“Maybe I could help. Two heads are better than one.” He smiles.
“No, the only thing you can help with is keeping all of this to yourself. You can’t say a thing to anyone.”
“I won’t, I promise.”
She nods and takes her necklace off. Harry watches as she moves her fingers above the stone, and crates an amber ring from it.
“Here, you like to wear rings, so put this on.” She grabs one of his hands and slides the ring onto his pinky. “This will keep you safe. It’ll keep us connected.”
“Thank you for trusting me with all of this. Um, so about this morning…did you think I was going to be distracted by a saucy dream?” He smirks.
“It was supposed to make you forget everything entirely. I’m sorry it didn’t work right, that must have been painful. How many times did you, uh, you know, before it stopped?”
“Three.”
“Poor thing.” She pouts. “You must be exhausted.”
“I’m still a little tired, yeah.” He chuckles.
“Why don’t you go to take a nap? Penny and Opal should be back soon, and I need to catch them up on everything.”
“This isn’t some trick, right? You’re not going to try to cast a spell to make me forget?”
“No.” She chuckles. “I don’t see much use in it. Your body was clearly trying to fight off what I gave you.”
“Does, um, does it always last like that?”
“Oh, you mean staying hard after you come?”
“Yeah.” He blushes.
“Not if you fuck someone. If you’re alone and have to take care of it yourself it takes longer for it to wear off since you’re not exerting as much energy.” They both stand up and she walks him to her door. “Should have come knocking sooner, I could have helped you out.” She winks at him.
“That’s not funny.” He deadpans.
She laughs anyways, and sends him out. She snaps herself back to the basement where Opal and Penny are already waiting for her.
“Before so a word, I told him what he needed to know.” Amber tells them.
“The powder didn’t work?” Penny asks.
“No, apparently it didn’t kick in until just before he woke up. Poor thing had to jerk it three times.” Amber shrugs.
“See! This is why I think something is dormant within him. First, your tea causes him to have a vision. Second, the powder didn’t work. What did he say when you told him what was going on?” Opal says.
“He took it really well. The questions he asked were more for his understanding, to piece things together. He wasn’t freaked out at all.”
“Then that’s a third thing. We need to figure out what he is.”
“I know, but how? It’s not like I can experiment on him.” Amber sighs.
“I’ve heard of this before.” Penny says, padding over to one of the book shelves. She makes a motion with her hands to get one of the books on the top shelf down. She brings the book over to the lectern so she and Amber could look at it together. Penny flips through the pages, and finds what she’s looking for. “Ah-ha! Here it is. Long ago, there were families that left the coven, wanting to leave the magic behind. It was when a lot of those awful witch hunts became popular. After a few generations, the families became unaware of their abilities, thus the magic lying dormant within. Apparently, all it takes to ignite the magic is meeting another witch, and drinking something magical they made for them. You’ve been making him tea and coffee for almost two months! Then you gave him that tea sleepy-time tea that’s laced with magic. No wonder he had a vision.” Penny shakes her head.
“I wonder if deep down he felt a pull here…to Amber.”
“Could be.” Penny ponders. “I’ve seen that happening too. Certain covens did have truces back in the day. You two could have been from two separate covens, but bonded nonetheless.”
“If you’re getting into some weird soulmate shit, I’m gonna have to head out.” Amber says.
“That’s not what I’m saying.” Penny shakes her head. “When’s his birthday?”
“Um, February, I think.” Amber says.
“Then is birthstone would be an amethyst.” Opal says.
“If you look at any color wheel you’ll see that purple and yellow are polar opposites.” Penny says.
“But they’re also complimentary colors.”
“Can one of you just get to the point?!” Amber huffs.
“You’re not soulmates, but you are connected. In our various covens, those with citrine birthstones, like yours, and those with amethyst birthstones tended to make great pairs. They’re good at problem solving together.”
“I made him a ring from my stone…should I add an amethyst to it?”
“No.” Opal says. “No, he’ll need that ring to stay as it is for safety. We need to get him his own necklace with the stone. Then we can see if it glows.”
“If it glows…he’s a mage.” Penny states.
“Great, where the fuck am I supposed to get a pure amethyst on such short notice?” Amber pinches the bridge of her nose. “Not to mention getting it welded into a necklace.”
“You’ll have to take him out to the Four Peaks Mine in Arizona. I can run the shop while you’re gone. You’ll take Opal with you, simple as that.”
“It’s not simple. He has classes to teach, and there’s a demon on the loose!”
“Yes, but you might be able to ward it off together. It’s Saturday, we could get there quick, and be back by tomorrow night. Plenty of time.” Opal says.
“That’s a long way to snap us there. We’ll need to sleep there tonight so I get gain my strength back.” Amber says.
“Then so be it.” Penny says. “I can handle things here. We’re only open a half day tomorrow as is. Where is he now?”
“Napping.” Amber sighs. “I’ll go wake him up. Opal, be ready in five?”
Opal nods, and Amber snaps herself into Harry’s apartment. She walks into his bedroom where he’s sleeping soundly. Poor thing was knackered. She sits on the edge of his bed, and gently pulls him out of sleep. His eyes flutter open slowly.
“Amber?”
“Hi.” She smiles softly. “We have to go to Arizona for the night to get you an amethyst stone.”
“Um, okay…why?” He sits up a bit.
“It’s your birthstone, just as this is mine.” She points to her necklace. “We need to test something, and we need the pure substance to do so. We may be connected somehow, yellow and purple are complimentary colors.”
“Can I ask you something? If the birth stone is so important, why don’t you glow yellow instead of blue?”
“Blue and yellow are also complimentary colors, just as green and purple are. I was born in November, so it was already obvious what my stone would be, but when my parents saw my eyes for the first time…they knew I’d be powerful. Not all citrines are born with such blue eyes, only the most powerful. Your eyes are very green, so you may be quite powerful yourself, but we won’t know anything until we get to the mine. Pack an overnight bag, and be downstairs in five minutes.”
Without another word, she snaps herself out of his room, leaving him speechless.
“I’m really starting to hate it when she does that.” He says to himself before getting out of bed.
//
It was dusk by the time Amber was able to snap herself, Harry, and Opal to Arizona. Their first task was to find a motel to stay at for the night before heading to the mine. The biggest challenge was finding one that was pet friendly.
“The mines will be too dangerous for you two. I’ll go and bring back what we need by morning.”
“I can’t let you go alone.”
“Amber, you’ll know if something’s wrong. I’ll check in with you. Just get a room and rest up.”
Opal sprinted off into the night while Amber and Harry went to the check in area of the closest motel. They go inside to see what the vacancy situation is. An older gentleman was behind the desk.
“Good evening, folks.” He smiles warmly.
“Hi, we’d like a room with two queens please.” Amber says.
“Let me just double check if we have that available.” The man goes onto the computer on his desk. “Unfortunately, our last available room with two queens has already been reserved by a family of four coming in. I do, however, one room with a full left. Would that work?”
“A full is so tiny.” Amber frowns. “Is there at least a couch in the room?”
“A small loveseat.”
“Ugh, alright, we’ll take it.” She sighs, and gives him her credit card. Harry can’t hide the smirk on his face as the man types away at his computer. Amber glares at him briefly before taking her card back, and getting the room key.
“Enjoy your stay.” The man smiles at both of them.
“Can’t you just cast some sort of spell to make the bed bigger?” Harry asks once they’re in the room.
“No, that’s not how that works. I can’t change the molecular composition of a mattress like that. I’m also too weak to perform that kind of magic even if I wanted to. Snapping us across the country took a lot out of me, and I need to rest so I can get us home tomorrow.” She closes and locks the door behind them.
“What exactly will finding this amethyst do?”
“Well, I’ll turn it into a necklace, put it on you, and we’ll see if it glows.”
“And if it does?”
“Then you’re a mage, and we’ll have some bigger fish to fry.” She sits down on the edge of the bed and takes her boots off. “I’m gonna go wash up, and then I’m turning in. I brought some tea so we can get to sleep.” She makes her way into the bathroom. Harry goes in after her. When he’s done, she hands him a cup of tea.
“Thanks…do you think I’ll have a weird vision again?”
“You could.” Amber shrugs. “I have no idea.” She goes through her bag and pulls out a night shirt and pajama bottoms. “Turn around.”
Harry does so quickly while she changes. He grabs his own pajama pants to throw on, and stays in his tee shirt. Once they’re done with their tea, they both climb into bed. It wouldn’t be a big deal, but there was little wiggle room, and Harry was a broad, tall guy. They were shoulder to shoulder, squished in the small bed.
“Could be worse, could have been a room with just a twin.” Harry says to break the tension.
“Why in the fuck would there be a motel room with just a twin bed in it?”
“I don’t know, I was just saying.” He shrugs, and turns his head to look at her. “Clearly, there are stranger things out there than that.” He smirks.
“Go to sleep, Harry.” She rolls away from him onto her side.
“You’re making a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be. You’ve never shared a bed with someone before?”
Amber sighs heavily and rolls back onto her back to look at him better.
“I have, but these are tight quarters if you haven’t noticed, and you told me you were attracted to me-“
“So? You think I’m going to disrespect you and take advantage of the situation? I’m not that kind of guy.”
“I didn’t say you were. I just feel…nervous. It’s been a while since I shared a bed with a man, that’s all. You’re pretty, um, attractive yourself, so…there’s that.” Her face had to be beat red right now, she could feel it.
“Well, look who’s expressing their feelings!” Harry gasps. “Who knew this side to you even existed?”
“Don’t be sarcastic with me, Harry. You don’t know what it was like growing up the way I did. It was really hard at times. We were basically like grounded nomads.”
“M’sorry.” He turns on his side to face her easier. “Would you, uh, would you want to have a cuddle while we drift off? Doesn’t have to mean anything, but I know you’re worried about Opal, could help you calm down some.”
Amber nods and turns back over so Harry can spoon her. He doesn’t fully press his pelvis to her bum, he didn’t want to push it and make her uncomfortable. She did feel better having his arm wrapped around her. They both drift off easily after settling, the tea kicking in.
In his dream, Harry’s brought to a large estate, like a mansion from 1800’s London. There was a large field as well, a gentle breeze flowing. It looked like it was a beautiful day. He goes walking for a bit and finds this gorgeous tree that had a few tire swings attached to it. He stops short when he sees Amber. She looked a little younger, her hair was much longer, tied back in a flowing braid, and she was wearing a black, off the shoulder maxi dress with buttons running down the front. She had her arms crossed over chest, and she didn’t look happy with the young man she was speaking with. Harry creeps a little closer to hear what they’re talking about.
“Is what Opal told me true, yes or no?” Amber says to him.
“Amber-“
“Yes, or no, Max.” She scowls at him.
“What exactly did she tell you?”
“That you’ve been practicing dark magic in the woods at night.”
“She’s never liked me.” He scoffs. “I can’t believe you’re going to believe that mat over me.”
“Be very careful with how you speak about her.” Amber’s eyes start glowing.
“Settle down.”
“Answer the question.”
“Yes, okay, yes…I’ve been practicing dark magic.”
“Why?! You know it’s against the rules.”
“Well, it shouldn’t be. It does more good than harm, everyone is just too scared because it’s powerful.”
“You’re going to get expelled if one of the elders catches you. Do you want to be thrown out into the world before you’re ready?”
“We’re eighteen, Amber, we can do whatever we want. We could leave here together, and never come back. This place is a prison.”
“This place keeps us safe. You know as well as I do we can’t leave until we’re at least twenty.”
“Since when do you follow every single rule, huh? Where’s the girl that sneaks off into my room at night?” He steps closer to her, caressing one of her cheeks.
“That’s totally different.” She swats his hand away. “You shouldn’t be messing with that shit. If Opal saw you, others could too.”
“So I’ll be more careful.”
“Or you could stop. If you don’t…if you don’t then it’s over between us.”
Max’s dark brown eyes start to glow, along with the jewel hanging from the chain around his neck. It looked like aquamarine. Brown and blue were opposites as well. Maybe those gems had a connection too? He couldn’t be sure, a lot of this was confusing. Amber’s eyes were glowing again to match Max’s energy. Both sets of their hands started glowing as well.
“You’d throw away everything between us over something so small?!” He yells at her.
“This isn’t small, this is serious! Don’t make me strike you, Max.” There were tears streaming down her cheeks.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
With a flick of her wrist, she blasts him, knocking him down to the ground. She hovers over him, ready to serve another blow.
“I’m so disappointed in you.” She says to him.
“You don’t know what you’ve just started.” He grits his teeth.
“Actually, pretty sure I just finished it. Goodbye, Max.”
Harry blinks, and all of a sudden he’s in a forest at night. He could hear growling. He runs in the direction of the noise and sees Opal growling towards a man. It was Max. Harry’s eyes widen as he watches Max chant something, striking a blow towards Opal. Harry tries to save her, but he’s frozen in his place.
“Opal?!” He hears Amber yell, and Max disappears. “Opal! Oh my god!” She drops to the ground, her body going over Opal’s and snapping them away from the scene.
Harry’s eyes burst open, and he sits up right away. Amber’s not in the bed anymore. Before he has a heart attack, he hears her coming out of the bathroom.
“Morning.” She yawns. “Opal’s about five minutes away. How’d you sleep?”
“Amber, uh, when Opal got attacked, did she ever say what it was, or who it was that attacked her?”
“No.” Amber shakes her head. “She couldn’t remember a thing. I think whatever it was put a hex on her memory of the event. Why?”
“I had a really unsettling dream.” He blinks a few times and looks at her. Before he can say anything else, Opal appears in the room, letting a large amethyst fall from her mouth.
“You wouldn’t believe the digging I had to do to get this, but it’s a good one.” She says. “You both slept in that tiny bed?”
“Not the time. Go drink some water.” Amber snatches the amethyst. It hovers above her palm. Her eyes glow, and in seconds it’s transformed into a slide on a necklace. “Let’s do this first, and then we can talk about your dream, okay?” She says to Harry as she comes over to him. Opal hops up on the bed, and Amber sits beside Harry. “Close your eyes.” She says softly, and he does so. She places the necklace over his head, and the gem rests on his chest.
The amethyst starts to hover and glow. Amber and Opal look at each other.
“Is anything happening?” Harry asks.
“Open your eyes.” Amber says.
Harry opens his eyes, and they’re glowing a bright green. He gasps when his looks down at the floating amethyst. He looks down at his hands and sees that they’re glowing too.
“How do I turn it off?!” Harry yelps in fear.
“Don’t panic! Give it a moment, the gem is bonding with you, just breathe.” Amber says.
A few moments pass before the gem rests on Harry’s chest once more. He eyes and hands stop glowing as well, and he takes a deep breath.
“What does all of this mean?” He asks them.
“You’re a mage, your abilities have been dormant for quite some time. You’re definitely more powerful than most, you’ll have to learn how to hone in on it.” Opal explains.
“I guess that would explain the vision-type dreams. I…Amber, I saw your break up with someone named Max. You got into a fight because he was performing dark magic. Then I was in the woods where Opal was attacked. It was him who attacked her, not some random demon.”
“What?!” Amber’s eyes flash for a moment. “I’ll kill him, I’ll-“
“No, Amber, that’s the exact rage he wants you to feel.” Opal says. “But we do need to track him down before he does more damage around town. Those college kids don’t deserve his wrath.”
//
When they all got back Sunday evening, Amber explained everything to Penny. She was beyond infuriated, and reached out to the other elders back at the boarding school to let them know what was going on. Harry was taking in a lot of information in, but he was doing well at not freaking out. Penny took him aside to calmly explain to him was his powers meant, and that there was a code of ethics he’d need to read up on and follow. Now that Amber knew Max was involved, she needed to figure out a way to track him down, and fast.
//
The weeks go on, no shadows lurking, no demons, and no Max. Amber, Penny, and Opal take advantage of the quiet to train Harry in their spare time. Lucky for them, he was a fast reader, and a quick learner. He was picking up certain spells naturally. He knew it would take a while to get as good as Amber at all of this, but he was happy with the progress he was making. He had never felt more like himself in his life. Penny had them working on combination spells, and boy were they powerful. The blue and green glows mixed beautifully.
“I have a feeling he may strike on Halloween.” Opal says to them one evening.
“Wouldn’t that be sort of cliché?” Harry asks.
“Please, Max lives for shit like that. He probably thinks it’ll be the perfect cover since we usually go out on Halloween.” Amber says.
“What do you do?”
“Penny stays back to hand out candy to the little kids, and Opal and I usually go around making sure there aren’t any creatures looking for trouble.”
“If Opal thinks he may strike on Halloween, then I think I know where we could wait for him. If I draw out where I had that original vision, do you think you’d know where in the woods it is?”
“It’s worth a try.” Opal says.
Opal knew exactly where Harry was talking about after looking over the picture he drew. Halloween was only a few days away, they needed to prepare. Harry was about to get ready for bed when there was a knock on his door. He looks through the peephole to see Amber, and he smiles.
“Hi, there.” He says as he opens the door.
“Hi, may I come in?”
“Of course.” She nods and comes inside. She had on an oversized shirt and pajama pants. Harry smirks to himself as he closes the door. “So, what’s up?”
“Nothing, I just…well, I just wanted to say that I’m really proud of you.”
“For what?”
“Taking all of this so well, for jumping in without a second thought. You’re doing really well with the lessons, and I know it’s got to be stressful because you’re trying to balance this whole mess along with getting your master’s and teaching.” She chews on her bottom lip. “I know Penny is really good at giving praise, but I’m not always so good at it…that’s what the kids at the boarding school used to tell me when I’d work with them anyways, so I just wanted to make sure I told you how proud I am. I really couldn’t stand you when we first met, but I like you a lot more now.”
He knew the last part was a joke, so he laughs before responding.
“Thanks, that means a lot. When I’m passionate about something, I tend to just dive right in, and I usually aim to please.” He steps a little closer to her. “Is that all you came down here for? To praise me?”
She narrows her eyes at him while her cheeks turn a bright red. He was making her nervous, and she hated feeling that way.
“What else would I have come down here for?” She puts her hands on her hips.
“I don’t know, you tell me. Typically, when a girl comes knocking at my door after midnight, she’s looking for something very particular.”
Amber scoffs and shakes her head. She crosses her arms as she smirks at him.
“Mm, I bet you’d love it if I came down here to seduce you. You strike me as the type that likes to hear a woman beg for your cock. Am I right about that, Harry? You’re so nice and sweet all day long, do you like to get a little mean in the bedroom?” She raises her eye brows playfully. “No, maybe you like it when your woman gets a little mean, or maybe it’s a mix of both.”
“You know what I think?”
“Tell me.”
“I think that whoever you’ve slept with in the past never pleased you in the way that you need to be pleased.”
“And how do I need to be pleased?”
“Probably with a lot of tongue, I’m guessing.” He watches as Amber’s pupils dilate just the smallest amount. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? To feel all warm and wet between your thighs.”
“I’ve got a toy that does that for me. Perfectly mimics the feeling of someone sucking on my clit.”
“Can’t beat the real thing.”
“Sure it can.” She shrugs. “It gets me panting, mining, screaming. And it gets me absolutely soaked. Probably squirted for all I know.” She pushes past him to walk towards his door. “Sleep well, Harry.”
“How am I supposed to sleep knowing that right above me you’re soaking your own sheets?” He pouts at her.
“Drink some tea, you’ll sleep just fine.” She winks, and out the door she goes.
Harry groans to himself, and heads to the kitchen to make himself some tea. There’s no way he’d sleep on his own tonight.
//
“I should be going with you two.”
“No, you’ll stay here with Penny where it’s safe. Dark magic can’t infiltrate the shop. You’re his target, so we’ll have a fake you set up.” Amber says. Both her and Harry were dressed in all black. She takes his hand in hers, and she snaps them out to the forest. “We’ll have to travel the rest of the way on foot.” She tells Harry.
“When we get there, and we catch him…what exactly are you going to do.”
“I’m going to take his powers away. I should have done it a long time ago.”
“You know how to do that?”
“Yes, Penny taught me how. It’s only for extreme circumstances, but I know how to sort of, like, bend the energy from him. His stone will go black, and that’ll be it.”
“So…all of this is because he thinks you broke up with him because of something Opal saw him do?”
“It’s more than that.” Amber sighs. “He was always jealous…I put Opal first a lot. He didn’t have the same relationship with his animal guide, and eventually he parted from it. That can break something within you. It’s probably why he turned to the dark magic in the first place. I tried to be there for him, but we started fighting a lot more, and when Opal told me what she saw, that was the last straw for me.”
“How long were you together for?”
“Well, I’d known him my whole life, but we got together when we were sixteen, so two years. He was my first everything. I’ve had other relationships, but it’s tough dating a non-mage. Everything has to be a secret; it’s exhausting.”
“Hearing you say that helps me make sense of my own dating life. I never felt fully connected to any of my girlfriends, even when we were having sex. I felt like I was trying to force the passion or something.”
“God, you’re such a romantic.” She says in a disgusted tone. “It’s all that damn fiction you read.”
“Are you telling me you don’t want to have passionate sex?”
“No, but sometimes sex is just sex. You get your rocks off, zip back up, and get on with your day.”
“That doesn’t sound like much fun.”
“Have you ever fucked someone you hated?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever hated anyone to be honest with you. I’ve not liked people before.”
“Okay, have you ever fucked someone you didn’t like?”
“Why would I do that?”
“You can be attracted to someone and hate their guts. It’s hot and lustful.” She smirks.
“Too bad we didn’t fuck when you hated me then. Could have been pretty steamy.”
“You’re an idiot.” She laughs. “Wait, I think we’re here. Get into positron.”
The two of them huddle behind a large tree. Amber’s eyes glow, and with a few twists of her fingers, a fake Opal is created. Amber acts as if the dog is a puppet, making her sniff around and dig. Harry quietly watches in amazement. Before long, a shadow appears, then a few more. Max appears with the shadows, his eyes glowing a reddish brown.
“You must think I’m a real idiot.” Max chuckles lowly, snapping his fingers and making the fake Opal vanish. “Come on out Amber.” Amber and Harry stand up, coming out from behind the tree. “Oh, look! You’ve brought a friend. Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between your mutt and an illusion?” He smirks.
“No, we knew you’d figure it out.” Amber says. “You’re such a sick fuck trying to hurt her when really it’s me you’re mad at. I broke your heart, and you blame her, but you did it to yourself. You knew I wouldn’t tolerate all of this.”
“You broke just about every rule you could at that boarding school!”
“Yeah, like sneaking into your room after hours, and breaking curfew, not messing with dark magic! It’s possessed you, your eyes aren’t supposed to glow red. I’ve grown fond of this town, and I won’t have you terrorizing defenseless kids because of me. This ends now.”
“Well, you’re about that, but I don’t think you’ll be satisfied with the outcome. See, I’m going to find Opal, and I’m going to make sure she learns that eavesdropping isn’t okay. I know she’s gotten older, but even old dogs can learn new tricks.”
Max’s hands and eyes start glowing, and he charges towards Amber.
“Harry, handle the shadows, I’ll take care of Max!” She yells just as she jumps into the air to avoid Max’s blow.
While Amber and Max cast spells at each other, Harry springs into action. He couldn’t fly or float, or whatever the fuck Amber’s able to do just yet, but he had gotten pretty good at casting key defense and offense spells. Max’s shadows were strong, getting the better of Harry a few times, but Harry’s eyes start glowing along with his gem, and then all bets are off for the shadows. He’s impressed with himself when he’s able to make them vanish. He looks over and sees Amber and Max rushing towards each other with an immense amount of rage. The blow they strike at the same time explodes, causing them both to be flung backwards. Amber’s back slams into a tree, making her fall to the ground.
“Amber!” Harry sprints over to her, cradling her face in his hands. “Come on, Love, wakeup.” He’s panicking now.
“I should have known.” Max says as he scrambles to his feet. Harry looks over at him. “An amethyst and a citrine, how cliché.” He scoffs. “You’re new to all of this, I can feel it. Why she’d spend her time with a mongrel like you is beyond me.” His hands start glowing again as he walks over to Harry. “Not to worry, once you and Opal are out of the picture, she’ll be all mine once more.”
“I’m sorry, but you’re mistaken.”
Harry lunges forward, tackling Max by the legs. He pins him down, and punches Max in the face. Max telepathically throws Harry off him. Harry casts spell after spell towards Max, but they’re all blocked.
“You’re weak, what could she possibly want with you?” Max laughs as he blocks another strike.
Amber’s eyes flutter open, and she sees the two men fighting. She rises off the ground, and gets high enough to have an arial view of them. She watches as Max throws Harry into a tree. That was the last straw. She takes a deep breath, and nose dives towards Max. He doesn’t see it coming as he’s forced into the ground. She pins him down and snatches the gem around his neck, and breaks the chain.
“What are you doing?!” He shouts.
“Something I should have done a long time ago. You’re too dangerous.” Amber shoots back up into the air, and Max follows her.
“Give it back!”
“No!”
She wraps the chain around her fist, and points her other arm out at him. The blue glow leaves her palm and goes right to Max’s heart. First, a red glow starts to leave his body, and soon it turns into Max’s original brown glow. They both start lowering to the ground. He’s screaming at the top of his lungs, and she has tears streaming down her cheeks. There’s a large flash of light, and then nothing.
“You have no idea what you’ve done.” He says weakly on his knees looking up at her.
“I know exactly what I’ve done.” She throws Max’s gem on the ground and steps on it, breaking it into tiny pieces. “I can’t believe I thought this would actually be a challenge.” She pushes him all the way down to the ground with her boot, and steps on his chest. “Only the weak turn to dark magic.”
“What am I supposed to do without my powers?” He asks weakly.
“I don’t know, why don’t you ask your friends?” The shadows come to surround Max. Amber steps back from him and watches as they circle around him. They look to her. “Unless you want to end up just like that, I strongly suggest you take him far away from here.” They all vanish. Amber had a feeling this fight was long from over, but for now Max wouldn’t be able to do any more damage. She rushes over to Harry who was still laying on the ground. “Harry!” She cradles his head into her lap and places her hand on his forehead.
“Amber?”
“Hey.” She smiles down at him.
“Did we win?”
“We did.” She nods. “You were so brave trying to battle him. I took his powers away, we should be safe for a while.”
“I bet Opal will be relieved.”
“Yeah, she will be. Let’s get back to the shop, yeah?”
Harry hums his response just as Amber snaps them to the shop. Penny and Opal were cleaning up from the trick or treating.
“You’re back!” Opal exclaims, running over to the two of them. Amber drops to her knees to hug her friend.
“I took his powers away. We could easily see him again, but not for a long time.” Amber says.
“I’m so proud of you.” Opal nuzzles her forehead to Amber’s. “I’m proud of you too, Harry.”
“I’m glad you’ll be safe now.” Harry scratches at Opal’s head.
“You two look knackered.” Penny says. “Here, I made some tea for you both, go upstairs and unwind for a bit. We can talk about everything in the morning.”
“Good idea, thank you. Where’s the tea?” Amber asks.
“I snapped it up to Harry’s apartment.” Penny smiles. “Go on, Opal and I can finish locking up.”
//
Harry and Amber make their way into his apartment. They see the tea on his coffee table, and sit down on his sofa. They’re quiet for a moment as they take a sip. It had the faintest hint of a coffee smell, which was peculiar. It should either taste like chamomile or vanilla. Amber was too tired to question it.
“I’m going to head up.” She says after finishing her tea. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Alright.” He smiles at her. “We can keep training together, right? I’d like to keep learning.”
“Of course.” She smiles. “You still have a lot to learn. Goodnight, Harry.”
“Night, sleep well.” He walks her to the door and watches as she heads upstairs.
Amber takes a quick shower, and changes into a tee shirt and bed shorts. Opal was already asleep on the daybed in the living room. Amber crawls into bed and sighs with relief. She tosses and turns for a bit. She felt wide awake now, like she had just been given a burst of energy. She huffs and puffs, getting more and more uncomfortable. She feels hot all over, and kicks her blankets back. Her thighs felt sweaty, so she dips her fingers inside her shorts and gasps. She was wet, incredibly wet. She sits up and remembers the tea.
“Fucking, Penny.” She groans. Coffee had a way of masking other smells. Amber gets out of bed, getting more and more frustrated with each step. Opal pops an eye open.
“Can’t sleep?”
“Why’d you let Penny give me the mood tea?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Seems like your problem will go away faster if you see Harry, though.”
“You’ll face my wrath in the morning.”
“Mhm, go have some fun.”
Amber makes her way down the stairs to Harry’s apartment. She bangs on his door, preying he wasn’t asleep already. After a few moments, he opens the door only wearing a pair of boxer briefs. He was holding a pillow over his crotch. Amber places her hands on either side of the doorframe.
“We have a problem.” She huffs. “Penny slipped us the wrong tea.”
“Was wondering why I got so hard once I got into bed.” He looks her up and down. “Why’d you come all the way down here?”
“Because if we don’t take care of it properly then we’ll be up all night, and I don’t feel like masturbating for hours on end until it stops.”
“Here I was thinking I’d have to wank off to just the thought of you.” He steps closer to her, dropping the pillow to the floor. Her eyes flicker down to his strained prick.
“I wanted us to go out on a proper date before we did anything like this.” Amber mutters. “Penny’s so pushy whenever she wants me to be with someone.”
“Do you ever listen to her?”
“No.”
“Seems like she took the necessary steps.” He hooks an arm around her waist, pulling her into him. “I’ll take you out to breakfast tomorrow morning, how’s that sound?”
“I’ve always wanted to go on a breakfast date.”
“You wanna do this? I can kiss you, touch you?” His lips ghost over hers.
“Please, take care of me. M’dripping.”
“For me?”
“For you.” She confirms. “This stuff is potent, but it works better when you have someone in mind that you really want to fuck.”
Harry groans and slots his mouth over hers. He brings her further into the apartment, and kicks the door closed. His hands cup her cheeks as they bump into various walls. She bites down on his bottom lip and he moans into her. He licks into her mouth and starts sucking on her tongue. She tugs on his hair and jumps up so he can carry her into his room. Her legs wrap securely around his waist, moaning into his mouth as he sucks on her bottom lip. He drops her onto his bed, a whine escaping her from the loss of his body. He smirks as he moves to hover over her, attaching his lips to her neck. He sponges wet kisses along her skin, and nibbles on her earlobe.
“What do you like, Amber?” He says into her ear, and her hips buck up into his.
“Anything right now would be good, I’m soaked.” She whimpers, and he moves to look at her.
“Because of the tea, or because you really want me, because I can’t fuck you if it’s just from the tea.”
“It’s a mix of both. The tea can bring out things you’re already feeling for someone else. I want you, I mean it, I’m not just saying it so you’ll fuck me. I…I like you, alright? I really do like you. I think about you when you’re not around, and the best part of my day is when you come into the shop after you’ve finished working for the day. You set up your stupid laptop and work on your stupid assignments, all while looking unapologetically handsome.”
“Why would you keep all of that to yourself for so long, hm?” He coos, brushing some hair away from her face.
“Because romance makes me sick, and so does being vulnerable.” She pouts at him.
“Well, lucky for you, I’m pretty good at both.” He presses his lips to her once more before shifting down her body. He tugs on her shorts, and she lifts her hips to help him take them off. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath, which made things much easier. His eyes widen when he sees how slick she is between her legs. “Christ, you weren’t kidding.”
“It hurts, please, just do something.” She whines again.
Harry smirks before licking over one of her inner thighs, and then the other. He licks over her slit, and she moans out in relief. He licks up to her clit and sucks harshly on it. He moans into her and presses down on her lower stomach. He slides two fingers inside her, and her head rolls back into his pillows. Harry thought she tasted amazing, and she was so wet and warm around his fingers. He was leaking into his boxers, he could feel it. He knew part of it was from the tea, but he also knew how he felt about her. He had been dreaming of this moment since the day he met her, and he couldn’t believe it was finally happening. The tips of his fingers pet against her g-spot, and her hands fly to his hair to grip onto. He continues to suck on her clit, trying not to bust in his boxers too soon. She cries out as she comes around his fingers. She gets her shirt off while he rids himself of his boxers. He comes back down to hover over her. He licks into her mouth as her arms wrap around her his neck. He ruts his hard cock against her folds.
“Do you want me to wear a condom?” He asks her as he starts to knead her breasts.
“N-no.” She shakes her head. “Are you okay with that? I…I’m clean.”
“So am I. Are you on the pill, or something?”
“I have an IUD, so you can come inside me if you want.”
“Is that what you want?”
“We’re going to be able to go for multiple rounds, and I want you to fill me up each time.”
“Fuck.” He groans, and spreads her legs farther apart.
He rubs his tip along her clit before pushing inside. Her nails dig into his shoulders, her mouth falling open from the stretch he was giving her. Her heels dig into the backs of his thighs, pulling him closer to her. Her hands trail down his back until they reach his bum, sinking her nails into the plushy skin.
“You feel so fucking good.” She gasps as he thrusts in and out of her.
“So do you.” He groans. “You’re so fucking tight, don’t know how long I’ll last.”
“It doesn’t matter, you’ll get hard again.”
“Thought you said since we were taking care of it properly it won’t last quite as long?”
“It won’t last as long, but it’ll still last for bit.” She pulls his face down to hers to kiss him. “Let me get on top, yeah?”
He nods, and rolls them both over. She readjusts, and starts bouncing up and down on him. She throws her head back and scratches down his stomach. His hands find her hips, thrusting up into her to match her pace. He watches as her tits bounce up and down. He sits up a bit so he can suck on one of her nipples. Her clit rubs against him perfectly, and she’s coming again in no time. With another thrust, he come inside her, biting down on her shoulder in the process.
“You’re amazing.” He mutters into her neck. “I can feel how hard I still I am.” He groans as he looks up at her. “It’s like I’ve got a cock ring on or something.”
“I know, don’t worry, we’ll make it go away together.” She smiles and lifts herself off of him. “Um…there’s something I’m sort of into, and I was wondering if you might be too?”
“Well, what is it?”
“Could I…would you be comfortable if, I, uh, got behind you and lick you? Maybe use my fingers? I can conjure up some lube.”
Harry’s eyes visibly dilate, making Amber smirk.
“You have no idea how okay with that I am.”
“Yeah? Have you done it before?”
“No, but I’ve always wanted to. I think I actually have some lube here. Let me just double check my side table.” Harry eagerly leans over and reaches into his side table drawer. He finds a bottle of lube and tosses it to her. He gets onto his stomach for her, and she giggles as he wiggles his bum at her.
“M’gonna make you feel so good.” She says lowly, giving his bum a little smack before leaning down to spread him apart.
She licks a strip around his hole, swirling around his him. He grips the blankets on the bed, moaning and whimpering into his pillow as she suckled and slurped around his hole. She sits up for a moment to get some lube on her fingers. She starts with her middle finger, rubbing it around his rim, and then slowly slipping it inside him.
“Fuck.” He groans.
“Does it hurt?”
“No, feels good, don’t stop.”
Amber bites her bottom lip as she slips another finger inside him. She pumps them carefully, she didn’t want him to be in any sort of pain, this was supposed to be pleasurable. Her fingers get deep enough to reach a particular part inside of him. She reaches a hand around front to grip his throbbing cock.
“Doing so well, Harry.”
“Think you found my prostate, shit, feels so fucking good.” He grits his teeth as her thumb rubs over his tip. “M’gonnna come again, fuck!”
Amber presses his prick as close to his stomach as possible to make less of a mess as he comes. She slowly retracts her fingers from him, and lets him roll onto his back. He was sweaty and panting. She licks the palm of her hand that was full of his come, and then leans down to lick his stomach clean. His prick hardens back up instantly.
“Harry, I’m so wet, I almost came watching you enjoy yourself.” She says after licking her lips. “And your come tastes so good.” She pouts.
“I eat a lot of fruit.” He breathes. “Lay on your side for me.” He pats the spot next to him, and she does what he says. They get into a spooning position. She raises her leg a bit, and he slips inside.
“Oh, wow, you’re in so deep.” She arches into him. He grips her hip and starts moving in and out of her.
“Yeah? Like feeling me like this?”
“Yes.” She gasps when his fingers slip to her clit.
“You like it dirty, huh? You don’t like have vanilla sex.” He says into her ear, nipping at her lobe.
She moans out, unable to form an actual response. Once he gains a little more energy, he has her turn onto her stomach so he can fuck her properly from behind. He sits up on his knees, and starts pounding into her relentlessly.
“Oh my god!” She gasps. “Keep going, just like that!”
He grips the back of her neck with hand, and reaches around front to rub her clit with the other. He strokes are fast and deep, beating up her g-spot. She was chanting his name, and it was just egging him on more. He needed her to come again, and he needed her to come hard. As good as she felt, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to do it again after this.
“Want you to soak my sheets.” He growls. “Come all over my cock, Amber.”
“M’close, m’close!” She cries out.
Everything feels overwhelming all at once, and she finally lets go. He comes inside her at the same time, and does soak his sheets. His cock is absolutely drenched. He collapses next to her on the bed. He sighs with relief when he feels his cock actually start to soften.
“I have a spare set in the linen closet.” He says to her, and she giggles.
“Don’t bother, that was just the first session.”
“Um…what?”
“That was just the first session. You’ll probably come two more times.”
“But, that other time I only came three times.”
“Yeah, and it hurt, right? Did these last few hurt?”
“Not at all. Felt amazing.”
“We could 69 for the next one. You’re really good at going down.” She bites her bottom lip.
“Wouldn’t mind feeling your mouth around my cock either.”
“Seems like you’re almost ready again.” She looks down at his hardening cock.
“Fuck, please, come sit on my face.”
“You don’t want me to clean up first?”
“You just licked my asshole, I’m not too concerned about tasting my own come while it drips out of you.”
Amber whimpers and scrambles her way to hover over his face, leaning down over his cock so she can lick over his tip. Harry immediately starts sucking on her swollen clit, making her gasp before she’s able to wrap her lips around him. They went at for hours, switching between a number of positions, making an absolute mess of Harry’s sheets. Amber realizes that Penny must have given them a combination of the strawberry tea and the chocolate tea; that’s a strong combination. They couldn’t get enough of each other, and instead of being upset with Penny’s antics, they decided to just roll with it. Harry ate out Amber’s ass, she rode him reverse, he hit it from the side, they were like animals. He had scratch marks all over his chest and back, she was littered in bite marks, by the time the tea wore off, they were exhausted. Neither had the energy to magically make the sheets clean, so Harry stripped the bed while Amber helped make it back up. They fell asleep curled up with another completely naked.
//
Opal woke up to an empty apartment, to which she laughed. She headed down the stairs to go see Penny, and let her know their sneakiness paid off. The only thing was, there was no sign of Penny. Opal couldn’t get a scent on her.
“Oh, no.” Opal says to herself, and goes upstairs to Harry’s apartment. She scratches at his door. “Amber!”
Amber sits up quickly in bed. She wraps herself in one of Harry’s blankets and sprints to the door, rattling Harry awake.
“Come back to bed.” He groans, but she doesn’t hear him.
Amber opens the door, and Opal rushes in.
“What’s going on?” Amber asks her frantically.
“I’m sure you’re tired, and rightfully pissed off, but Penny didn’t show up this morning. I don’t even have a scent on her.”
“Shit.” Amber groans. “This has Max written all over it. He probably bagged her on her walk here this morning. Why she doesn’t just live here, I’ll never know.”
“What’s going on?” Harry asks them.
“Penny’s missing, get dressed.” Amber says firmly before snapping herself and Opal upstairs.
Harry wanted to talk to Amber about everything they did last night, take her to breakfast like he said he would. But Penny was missing, so that meant their nightmare from the night prior wasn’t over. He gets himself dressed and down to the shop. Amber was already waiting downstairs with Opal.
“Where do you think they took her?” Harry asks.
“I have an idea.” Amber sighs. “He probably sent those damn shadows after her.”
“Penny’s so experienced, I don’t understand.” Harry shakes his head.
“She’s old, Harry.” Opal says. “She wouldn’t stand a chance alone.”
Amber’s eyes start glowing out of nowhere, and she starts hovering in the air. Just as soon as it happens, she’s back on the floor.
“I know where she is, she just sent me a signal.” Amber says.
“I know where she is, she just sent me a signal.” Amber says. “It’s essentially a trap, they know we’re coming for her.” She looks down at Opal. “Are you strong enough for this?”
“I’ll have to be. Let’s go get her.”
//
Amber snaps them to where they need to be. Mac had the shadows take her to an old, abandoned building on the outskirts of town. Amber brought them just down the hall from where Penny was being kept. Harry had so many questions, but he knew now wasn’t the time. He stays close to Amber and Opal, walking down a dark corridor.
“Harry, stay with Opal. I’m going on the room.”
“I can’t let you go in there alone.” He tells her.
“I wasn’t asking.” She says before snapping herself into the room. Penny was chained up to a wall. “For the love of god.” Amber sighs before snapping her free.
“Behind you!” Penny shouts, and Amber gets zapped by what looks like red electricity. She gets knocked to the ground, but picks herself back up. Max’s eyes were glowing red.
“I told you that you had no idea what you did.” He grins evilly at her. “Give me the dog, now.”
“It’s me you want, not her. You have me, okay? Just take me.”
“The thing is…” He walks towards her. “I don’t have you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can’t be serious.” He scoffs. “You wreak of that dolt’s scent, Amber. What did you do, go home and fuck him to celebrate? I found this one because she was wearing one of your sweaters, thought it was you.”
Amber looks back at Penny with wide eyes. She had to have known that Max was going to come for her. Penny set the tea up so Harry’s scent would mix with Amber’s, and make her hard to find. Penny essentially sacrificed herself.
“And to think I was mad at you.” Amber smiles softly at Penny.
“I’d never trick you on purpose.” Penny says.
“Blah, blah, blah.” Max rolls his eyes. “Either way, I’ve lured you here.”
“What do you even want from me? Do you think forcing me into a relationship is going to be much fun?”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” Max chuckles. “You think you’re such a prize, but you’re not. I’ve had women far better than you. This really is about Opal, so hand her over.”
“No.”
Amber’s hands glow, and she strikes a blow at Max. He blocks it and sends it back to her.
“Like the new powers? My friends gifted them to me.” He grins.
“Red’s never been your color, sorry to say.”
They both run towards each other to duke it out. Shadows start to crowd around Penny, and she tries to deflect them, but she needs help. Harry and Opal storm in to help her. Harry’s able to zap them away. He looks over at Max, and runs towards him, striking him with a powerful blow. Amber’s eyes widen as she watches Harry try to face off with Max.
“Amber, get Opal and Penny home, now!”
“Harry, I’m not leaving you!”
“Go!”
“Listen to your foolish boy, Amber, you won’t want to see this.” Max says as he strikes Harry.
Amber fights back tears as she snaps herself, Penny, and Opal out of there. She starts crying because she knows she doesn’t have the strength to snap back right away.
“If I lose him, I…I don’t know what I’ll do.” She cries. “I finally opened up to him, and I-“
“Don’t waste your energy on panicking.” Penny says. “I tried to stop him so you wouldn’t have to worry. I wanted to ward him off, I’m sorry.”
“This isn’t your fault, it’s mine.” Opal says. “I was in the woods that night because I was following him. I had caught wind of dark magic usage, and my suspicions of it being him were true. I had no choice but to tell you.” She says to Amber.
Amber drops to her knees, and wraps her arms around Opal. Amber didn’t blame Opal for anything. This was all Max’s fault. She could feel herself getting angrier. She needed to know if Harry was alright.
“I have to get back to him. He can’t face Max on his own.” Amber looks up at Penny. “Do you think I’ll be able to do it?”
“You are the strongest girl I know. If anyone could muster up the energy to do this, it’s you. Don’t rely on the anger, rely on the love that feel for that boy.”
Amber wants to protest, but she couldn’t deny it. She loved Harry, a lot. She’d fallen for him, and she needed him to be okay. She takes a deep breath, and snaps herself back to where Harry is. She gasps once she’s back in that room. Harry was levitating Max in the air with his powerful green glow. He was holding Max in some sort of bubble.
“Harry!” Amber shouts.
“I’m okay! I don’t know how I’m doing this, but I’m okay!”
“Let me help!”
She blasts her blue glow up at Max, mixing with Harry’s. Max shouts this goulash sound, and a bright red light shines, filling the room. A loud explosion occurs, blasting Harry and Amber back. Max falls to the ground with a loud thud. Amber scrambles to her feet, and dusts herself off. Harry was totally knocked out. She wants to tend to him, but she has to make sure Max can’t do any more damage. She rushes over to him, and stands over him, nudging his body with her boot. His eyes flutter open, and he looks up at her.
“You’re so far gone.” She shakes her head. “You could have been such a wonderful mage, now look at you.”
“I’ve always envied you.” He says weakly. “You were given the best companion, one that could actually help you and bond with you. You’re one of the most powerful citrines out there. We could have been something together.”
“You ruined it. I feel nothing for you, absolutely nothing.”
“I can tell. Your heart belongs to that one.”
Amber steps on his chest, making him wince.
“And don’t you forget it. I showed mercy by taking your powers away. Walk away while you still can, or I won’t show you such kindness again. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand.”
She rushes back over to Harry, and immediately snaps them back to the shop. He was still unconscious. Penny and Opal crowd around the two of them.
“Harry, please wake up.” Amber whispers to him. “I need you to be okay, please, I need you.” She cries into his chest.
“Amber.” Penny puts her hand on Amber’s shoulder. “Let’s get him up into your bed. You have some things in your kitchen we can whip up to help him.”
Amber nods, and Penny snaps them all upstairs. Amber gets Harry tucked into her bed. His breathing was steadily, and his blood pressure was normal. He used so much energy to keep Max at bay, he must be so drained, especially after the night they had. All he wanted to do was take her to breakfast, Amber hoped they’d get the chance. She goes into her kitchen with Penny while Opal stays curled up next to Harry.
“So, what are we making?” Amber sighs.
“Here, crush these mint leaves up, I’m making a watermelon tea, so I’m reducing some watermelon over the stove to make a syrup. We’ll use the mint leaves for the tea itself.”
“What will this do? He can’t drink this if he’s not awake.”
“He’ll need it for when he wakes up. It’ll be like an energy boost.”
“How do we wake him up?”
“We don’t. He needs to sleep whatever this is off. You’ll be there when he wakes. I’m sorry again about last night. When you told me what Max did, I knew he’d try to find you today. I just wanted to help, and-“
“I understand why you did it. It’s okay.” Amber smiles softly. “It could have been worse. Please, sleep here tonight in my guest room.”
“Alright.” Penny nods. “I think that’s a good idea.”
Once the tea is done, Amber brings it into her room, sets it down on the side table closest to Harry, and crawls into bed. It was only the early afternoon, but she felt sleep pulling her in. She succumbs to it, letting her eyes droop as she rests her head on Harry’s chest.
Hours later, she stirs awake when she feels the weight shift in the bed a bit. She looks over to see Harry knuckling at his eyes, and sitting up. He looks at her and smiles softly.
“Hey.” He says.
“How are you feeling?” She asks, reaching to caress his cheek.
“M’alright. I woke up a little while ago, Opal had me drink the tea you made. She’s downstairs with Penny running the shop. I fell back asleep after I drank some of the tea.” He presses a kiss to her palm, and she smiles. “How are you?”
“Better now.” She sighs. “I’m glad you’re awake, I was worried. We got blasted backwards after our magic combined. I don’t know how you were able to hold him off for as long as you did.”
“He…he was trying to egg me on. He was saying all of these awful things about you, but I remember reading it wasn’t good to harness anger to make yourself more powerful, so I just sort of thought about how I wanted to keep you safe, how I wanted Opal to stay safe because I knew that if anything happened to her you’d be devastated.”
“I was really worried about you.” Her voice cracks, and her eyes widen. “I thought he was going to try to kill you. I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t make it out of there.”
“Amber.” Harry cups her cheeks, using his thumbs to wipe her tears away. “I…I didn’t know you felt so strongly about me. We haven’t had a chance to talk about last night. I know we did a lot last night, and we had a bit more, um, gusto thanks to that tea, but everything I said to you last night I meant. I want to be with you.”
“I want to be with you too. I…I don’t want to know what it’s like to be without you. I was scared that I would. I know I pushed you away in the beginning, but I was fighting off something bigger than the two of us. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about someone before.” She looks down for a moment, and then back up at him. “I think…I think we were supposed to find each other, like, there was some sort of pull between us. I mean, there were plenty of other stores on this strip with vacant apartments, but you came into mine.”
“I always thought this stuff only happened in the books I’ve read, but it all sort of makes sense. I mean, I had no idea I was a mage, or whatever. Clearly, whatever this is inside of me was trying to bust out. And…amethysts are drawn to citrines, right?”
“Yeah, sometimes.” Amber smiles. “Usually, um, it’s a male citrine that goes for a female amethyst, not the other way around.”
“What about same sex couples?” He smirks.
“Same sex couples usually share the same gem, it’s rare if they don’t. I’m not sure what the science behind it is, you’d have to ask Penny.”
“Oh, is Penny…?”
“Mhm, she’s a widow, but her wife was the kindest woman. The two of them basically raised me.”
“What was her name?”
“Luna.” Amber smiles fondly. “They’re both garnets.”
“That’s really cool. I want to keep learning more about all of this; it’s so fascinating.”
“You’ll definitely learn more. I’ve got shelves upon shelves of books downstairs that you haven’t even touched yet.”
“Do you think I should tell my family about any of this?”
“God, no. Sometimes these things skip generations, they’d probably think you were nuts.” She chews on her bottom lip for a moment. “We’ve digressed a bit, um, I feel really strongly about you.”
“I feel strongly about you too.”
“Like…I…I’m in love with you, Harry.”
“Oh, thank god.” He sighs with relief. “Feel like I fell in love with you from the second we met, but I’ve been trying really hard not to come on too strong. You’re not the biggest fan of romance.” He smirks.
“No, I’m not.” She leans in to peck his lips. “I’m the stoic one, and you’re the cinnamon roll.” She grins.
“Mm, your dirty talk is impeccable.” He rolls his eyes, and it makes her laugh.
“Let me continue. You’re the only one this stoic girl becomes soft for. You turn me into a little cinnamon roll, one of those really sweet ones with a ton of icing.”
Harry chuckles and leans in to kiss her. He sucks on her bottom lip, smiling into the kiss.
“Definitely sweet.” He mutters against her lips.
“We should probably get out of bed before we completely throw off our sleep schedules.”
“You’re right.” He sighs. “M’also starving. I don’t think I’ve eaten all day.”
“Same here.”
“I owe you a breakfast date.”
“It’s already past five, no restaurant would serve us breakfast right now.”
“Maybe not, but I’m sure I could whip something up. You got groceries?”
“Yeah, plenty of food in the kitchen.” She blinks. “You want to make us breakfast for dinner?”
“Mhm.” He kisses her again. “Do you like pancakes?”
“Love ‘em.” She nods.
“What about chocolate chip pancakes?”
“Those are my favorite.”
“Mine too.”
//
Turns out Harry made some of the best pancakes Amber ever had. After they ate, they went down to the shop to see how Opal and Penny were doing. Amber decided to close down early. Harry needed to finish up some homework, and make sure he had his lesson plans ready to go for tomorrow morning. It was weird getting back to reality, but it was a routine Amber was sort of craving. For so long their main focus was training to prepare for Max’s eventual strike. Amber couldn’t be certain that he wouldn’t try something again, but she looked him dead in the eyes when she threatened him. She saw fear, she could feel his fear. She wasn’t worried about him anymore, nor was she as worried about Opal. She could exhale for the first time in a while.
She had a new concern: Harry. Over the next couple of weeks, she wouldn’t let him sleep alone, which he didn’t mind one bit. Harry liked that Amber was being so affectionate towards him, he reveled in the attention. The kisses, the soft touches, the hugs, the smiles, everything Amber did, Harry loved. He couldn’t wait to finish up his office hours most days so he could get to the shop. Even though Amber had to work, Opal would still curl up at his feet, and Penny would drop off an extra biscotti at his table. Harry felt like he had formed this new little family. It made the little town he decided to call home actually start to feel like home. He even got to see how Amber made her many teas.
The only thing that wasn’t so great was that Harry’s student Whitney tended to keep him late, and Amber didn’t like it. She trusted Harry with her whole heart, but she didn’t quite like the idea of someone else thinking they could try to flirt with him. Whitney came into the shop all the time, Amber knew exactly who Whitney was. She was a senior, so not much younger than herself or Harry, but still, it wasn’t appropriate for a student to be so forward with her professor. So, much like with everything else, Amber took matters into her own hands.
One evening, Harry had made Amber a late dinner after she closed up the shop. After they ate, they made their way to his sofa. Harry thought they were going to just cuddle for a bit, but Amber had made her way into his lap, straddling him and running her fingers through his hair while she sucked on his neck. Normally, Harry would be more cautious about having a mark in such a public spot, but it was getting colder out, so he could wear a turtleneck or scarf to cover it up. He was also just enjoying her body on his too much to care. She was rolling her hips into his, and his hands were kneading her ass.
“What’s gotten into you tonight, huh?” He pants as her teeth really start to sink into his skin. “Not that I’m complaining.”
She pops off him with loud, wet noise, catching her breath as she looks at the red mark forming on his neck. She runs her thumb over it in hopes that it’ll turn a delightful dark purple.
“You just smell so good, you know your cologne drives me wild.” She says as she latches back onto his neck. He moans out as she nips at his skin. She rolls her hips down in a way that grins her center right over his bulge.
“Fuck, Amber, can we move this to the bedroom? M’about ready to explode here.” He groans, squeezing harder at the skin on her hips. She tugs his head more to the side to make the mark even bigger. “Can mark me up all over, yeah?”
“Mm, that sounds nice.” She mumbles into his neck, and kisses her way over to his lips. “Maybe we could take a quick shower, and I could lick you all over too.” She wiggles her eyebrows at him, and his eyes visibly darken.
“Should make you dinner more often.”
//
Harry was on cloud nine the next day at school. He couldn’t stop smiling even if he tried. Amber made good on her promise to lick him all over, especially where he liked it most. He liked that they both enjoyed a good tonguing, and he liked that they were so good at taking turns. He wasn’t even mad about how fucked up his neck looked. Harry knew what Amber was doing, she was clearly marking her territory, and he didn’t mind one bit. If he wasn’t into her dominant personality, he wouldn’t be with her. The sweater he was wearing covered up most of it anyways, and his students never seemed to hide the marks on their necks, so what was the big deal, really?
After he finishes his classes for the day, he heads to his office for his office hours. He dives into the papers he needed to grade. He assigned a ten-page paper for his fiction workshop, and now he was regretting it. He got about a third of the way through his stack when Whitney came to his office.
“Hi, Professor Styles.” She smiles.
“Hey, Whit.” He smiles back. “I’m actually glad you’re here, could use your help.”
“With what?”
“I have a ton of grades to put into a spreadsheet from my physical gradebook. Think you could do that for me?”
“Sure!”
Harry unhooks his laptop from the docking station so she could dive into the spreadsheet he started. Things were quiet for a bit, but she was having trouble reading his writing. Harry had horrible penmanship.
“Professor Styles, I can’t read this.” She says, getting up from her seat and walking over to him. She leans over him slightly, and points to some of his scribbles. “See, I can’t tell if that’s an 87 or an 81.” Her cleavage was practically spilling into his face. He was about to say something, but someone else beat him to it.
“Maybe you should get your eyes checked.” They both look up to see Amber leaning against the door frame.
“Hey!” Harry smiles brightly, and Whitney stands up straight. “Amber, this is Whitney, one of my students. Whitney, this is my girlfriend, Amber.”
“Girlfriend, oh…um…I didn’t realize you were seeing someone, Professor Styles.”
“Course you did, how else would he have gotten that mark on his neck.” Amber smirks. “Now, why don’t you do everyone a favor and put your tits away because he’s not going to suck on them, alright?”
“Amber.” Harry looked mortified.
Whitney looked frightened, and she was speechless. She quickly gathers her things and walks out of Harry’s office. Harry stands up and goes to close his door. He was upset, Amber could tell.
“What?” Amber asks.
“You can’t talk to one of my students like that!”
“Why not? She was practically shoving her tits in your face, and you were letting it happen.”
“I was about to tell her to back off, but then you showed up. Why are you even here?”
“I came to surprise you, but I can see I’m unwanted. Why was she even here?”
“She comes to help me most days after class. She was working on a spreadsheet for me. And you’re not unwanted, you just don’t come to see me here often. It would have been a nice surprise if you hadn’t come in guns hot.” He puts his hands on his hips and looks at her. “Are you seriously jealous?”
“I can’t help that I feel protective over you. I don’t like that other people think you could be theirs when you’re mine.”
“And to think you didn’t want anything to do with me just a few months ago.” He smirks.
“That joke stopped being funny after the first time you made it.” She rolls her eyes, and stops towards him. Harry was just under a foot taller than Amber, and yet she commanded every room she walked into. She grips the collar of his sweater and tugs him down to her face, her eyes glowing.
“You’re so sexy when you’re like this.” He wraps his arms around her, lifting her up and sitting her down on his desk. “But don’t think it gives you a pass for acting like that. You need to be nice. She’s one of your customers, remember? You’re nice all the time at the shop, why can’t be nice where I work?” He pouts.
“Because no one flirts with me at my place of business.”
“Oh, please.” He scoffs. “I’d be a very rich man if I had a dollar for every time I’ve caught someone checking you out.”
“That’s totally different. No one’s shoving a part of their body in my face.” She pouts back at him. “Why does someone so pretty have to be one of your frequent flyers?”
“Okay, let’s get something straight. The only tits I want shoved in my face are yours.” He plants his hands on either side of her thighs, getting nice and close to her face. “And even though Whitney might be pretty, no one could ever compare to how incredibly beautiful you are.”
He always knew exactly how to melt her heart. He leans in to kiss her, sucking on her bottom lip, and licking into her mouth. Her hands move up to his chest, tugging on his sweater to pull him closer. She wraps her legs around his waist, and slowly lowers herself back onto his desk. He follows her, helping her keep her legs around him.
“Wait.” She pants as he kisses down her neck. “Go lock your door.”
“Shit, you’re right.” He says, quickly going over to the door to lock it, and then going back to her. “This is going to hurt your back, do you wanna do it on my chair, on the loveseat?”
“I really want you on top.” She whines.
“Yeah? Want me to be in control right now?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s sit on the loveseat, even if you’re on top, I’ll thrust up into you.” He kisses her. “I’ll rub your clit.” He kisses her again. “Suck on your glorious tits.”
“Fuck, okay, just get my clothes off.” She huffs.
He picks her up, and undoes her jeans quickly. He tugs them down, along with her underwear. Harry drops his own pants and rips his sweater off. Amber gets her jacket off and wraps her arms around his neck. Harry tugs her back to the loveseat, turning her around so she’ll sit on him reverse. He pumps his cock a few times before lining himself up with her. Her jeans were around her ankles since she didn’t bother to take her boots off, so things felt a little tighter than usual; neither of them were complaining.
He bites down on her shoulder, and her head rolls back into his chest. His hands grip Amber’s hips, and he starts thrusting up into her. They needed to be quick and quiet, so he takes one of his hands and it brings it up to her mouth so she could suck on his fingers. Her eyes roll back as she sucks on his digits. His other hand slips between her thighs so his fingers could work her clit. She moans around his fingers from the sheer pleasure. His tip was pummeling her g-spot, and his fingers were working magic – excuse the pun. His palm was pressing into her bladder, and she was starting to panic. She didn’t want to make a mess of his loveseat.
“Can feel you squeezing around me.” He says into her hear, nipping at her lobe.
“H-Harry, I-“ She mumbles around his fingers.
“Hm? What’s the matter, gonna make a mess?”
“Mhm.” She whines.
“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” He stops all motions immediately, and lifts her off of him.
“What the hell are you doing?!” She asks as he grabs a tissue to come into.
“You said you wanted me in control.” He says as he pulls his pants back up. “Can’t have you squirting all over my office. I’ll take care of you when I finish work for the day.” He smiles and kisses her forehead.
“Harry, this isn’t funny.”
“M’not trying to be, Babe.” He helps her pull her own pants back up. “I have a lot to do, and since you sent my little worker bee away, I may be here a little later than usual. I’ll come to your place when I’m done.”
“You’re sure you wanna play this game with me?” She asks as she puts her jacket back on. “I don’t think you’re prepared for what you’re coming home to by denying me of an orgasm.”
“I’ll take my chances.” He smirks. “I can’t have you thinking you deserve a reward for acting up in my office.” He pecks her lips and opens his door. “I’ll see you in a little while.”
She narrows her eyes at him, looks him up and down, and nods.
“Okay.”
Harry felt a chill run through him as she left. Maybe he should have let her come.
//
Harry wasn’t kidding when he said he had a lot of work to do. He didn’t get home until after the shop closed. He drops his things off in his apartment before going up to Amber’s. She was sitting on her couch watching TV when he came in.
“Hey, Baby, sorry I’m back so late. Where’s Opal?”
“Staying with Penny tonight.”
“Oh?”
“Told her we needed some alone time.” She stands up and walks over to him, giving him a slow kiss on the cheek.
“Huh.” He swallows. “Well, we’re alone now.” He puts his hands on her hips. “Did you, uh, take care of yourself at all?”
“I’ll admit, I almost did just to spite you, but I thought it would ruin the fun.” She slides her hands up his chest. “That being said, I’m not quite in the mood for you to be so in control anymore.”
“What a relief.” He sighs. “M’exhausted, I don’t think I could keep up the façade of being so in charge right now.” He pouts at her and she giggles.
“You made a very good point earlier. I shouldn’t have spoken to your student like that. Bring some coupons with you tomorrow to give her as an apology, but make no mistake, if she keeps hitting on you I will not hesitate to fuck her up.”
“I can live with that. She’ll only be my student for another month or so.” He presses his forehead to hers. “So, what would like to do instead of playing games tonight?”
“I’d very much appreciate it if you ate me out for a bit. You denied me of what would have been a rather powerful orgasm and I think you should make up for it.”
“Fair enough. Then will you go back to bouncing on my cock the way you were? Felt so nice.”
She nods, and takes his hand to lead him to the bedroom. She takes her night shirt off, revealing her naked body to him.
“You’re wicked.” He grins. “Lounging around with that glorious bum of yours out for anyone to see.”
“Good thing I was home alone.” She grins, and gets onto the bed, spreading her legs open for him. She snaps her fingers to light the candles in the room.
Harry rids himself of his clothes, and knees onto the bed. He kisses on her belly, leaving a trail of wet kisses behind as he makes his way between her thighs. He hooks his arms around her thighs and dives in. He sucks on her clit immediately, making her moan out. She cards her fingers through his hair as he eats her like he hasn’t eaten in days. The noises he makes as he sucks and licks on her are filthy, and they only spur Amber on more with her moans and whimpers.
“Oh my god, Harry.” She whimpers. “You’re so fucking good, Baby, so fucking good.” She was near tears. His tongue was so wet and warm, fucking in and out of her. “Fuck, I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come, Harry!” She comes hard on his tongue, and he laps it up, moaning at how good she tastes.
“Fucking hell.” He breathes when he sits up. “Do you want me to give you another this way?”
“God, you’re insatiable.” She groans. “Please, I need you inside me now.”
Harry sits up against the headboard, and Amber sits on him reverse she like had earlier in the day. This time they could both be as loud as they wanted, and this time Harry could grope freely at her breasts. She uses her knees to move up and down on him. She was moving fast, wanting him to fill her up. He uses one of his hands to rub circles into her clit.
“Amber.” He moans into her ear, thrusting up into her. “You’re so fucking wet for me, feels amazing.”
“Only ever want your cock, no one else’s.” She had never said anything like that to him before. “Don’t want anyone else ever again.”
“Fuck, I don’t want anyone else either. M’all yours.”
“Yes!” She gasps as she comes around him. He follows right after, filling her up. “Yes.” She whispers.
“Are you all mine?” He whispers into her ear before kissing on her cheek and shoulder.
“Mhm.” She relaxes into him, and looks up his face, admiring his features. “You’re all I want.”
“You’re all I want too. I’m so glad we found one another.” He wraps his arms tightly around her.
“So am I.” She sighs happily.
Eventually, she gets off of him, and they both clean themselves up before getting into bed. Harry tells Amber about his classes and coursework, and she tells him about some of the funny customers that came in that day. They lay there giggling and chatting, just enjoying each other’s company.
“Harry?” She asks as she traces over his tattoos with her finger tips.
“Hm? What is it, my love?”
“You mean the world to me, I hope you know that.” She snuggles into his chest. “Jealousy is quite ugly, but when I love, I love hard. It’s just who I am.”
“I’m so honored that you’ve welcomed me into your small circle. I see the way you are with Opal and Penny, the love you have for them radiates off you. I can feel what you feel for me.”
“And I can feel what you feel for me.”
“We’re connected.” He says, and kisses the top of her head.
“We are.” She nods. “And it feels wonderful.”
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Fluff Dialogue Prompt List
Holy shit.
Thank you so much for 300 followers!! I honestly am so grateful for all you who decided to follow me on my little corner of the internet.
As a huge ass thank you, I made a prompt list! Feel free to choose any of these for any of the Characters and ships that I write for! You can request as many as you’d like, pair whichever ones you desire, you can give certain scenarios with them, whatever your heart pleases :)
Here’s my Masterlist and you can be added to my taglist here! <3
List is below the cut!
“Can I kiss you?” “Yes, hurry up.”
“You’re an ass!” “You love me.”
“Let’s just lay here all day.”
“I need a hug.”
“I look awful” “Yeah, awfully beautiful.”
“Dance in the rain with me.”
“What are you doing here?” “Seeing my favorite person.”
“Wanna stay up all night?” “Is that even a question?”
“Good morning buttface” “Good morning to you too, dickhead”
“Can you spend the night with me?”
“Would you just kiss me already? You’re taking too long.”
“It feels like I’ve waited twenty years for that.”
“You make me happy.”
“Words can’t even describe how I’m feeling right now.”
“Do you have to go?”
“You’re stuck with me”
“I can’t believe you just did that!” “Are you really surprised though?”
“Do you want food?” “It’s 3 am.”
“Come to the party with me”
“If you let me finish this, I’ll give you a kiss.”
“Where is my sweatshirt?” “I’m definitely not wearing it right now.”
“Tea or hot chocolate?” “Why not both?”
“It’s freezing.” “Come here.”
“I need a kiss.”
“If I don’t get a kiss in the next ten seconds, I think I might explode.”
“What is all this for?”
“I thought we agreed on no gifts this year!”
“You are my everything.”
“Everything that has led up to this moment was all worth it.”
“I’m right here.”
“How did I get so lucky?”
“We did it.”
“We’ve been dating for how long and you still manage to make me blush? Unbelievable.”
“My love isn’t refundable, sorry.”
“Can you play with my hair?”
“I accept apologies in kisses and hugs”
“Are you blushing right now?”
“You may be an idiot, but you’re my idiot.”
“Can you read to me?”
“Will you lay with me for a little longer?”
“You didn’t tell me you know how to play piano!”
“Does this look okay?” “You look good in everything.”
“Is everything okay?”
“You can’t be comfortable sitting like that.”
“Please don’t hate me” “I’m way too in love with for that to even be a thought”
“It’s okay to cry.”
“Let’s watch the sunset.”
“Why did you wake me this early?” “To watch the sunrise, duh.”
“If you hug me any tighter, I think I might suffocate.”
“I miss you.”
“Because I love you.”
“What are these flowers for?”
“You can come to me anytime, I’m always here for you.”
“You’re safe with me.”
“Nobody can hurt you.”
“I’ve got you.”
“You’re my favorite.”
“If you want to cuddle you’re going to have to catch me.”
“I- I might’ve burnt the cake.”
“How many love letters have you written for me and kept to yourself?”
“I’m obviously in love with you.”
“Do you like it?” “I love it.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
“You are my home.”
“You are my forever.”
“Stop stealing the blanket.”
“Will you just hold still for the picture?”
“Slow dance in the kitchen with me.”
“Are you paying attention to me?” “Sorry I was too busy being lost in your eyes.”
“Can we paint our nails?”
98 notes · View notes