#i’ll make a masterpost for it eventually I guess

[inkblot-skyz]

Yeagh

[phenphoenix]

Husk and nifty up next! They are a bit harder since their personalities aren't explored as much. However I still had fun thinking about what to do with them!

In this AU I’d say that husk never was an overlord. Since we don’t know much about nifty and Al’s relationship, which I’m going off of for the sake of this AU, I’m just gonna say that Charolette helped husk in a time he needed it and thus made a deal with him. His personality is also a bit of a shot in the dark as well because that too doesn’t have lots to go off of. But if I had to guess I’d say that husk at his core is a caring person, and can see through any facade. So in this AU *Husker* has those same traits, but with that more silly and slightly sadistic tone that Nifty has.

Nifty or rather Niff. Is basically just Nifty with that grumpy old drunk vibe husk has. And as for backstory I’d say that she was an overlord. And made a deal with charlotte to save her power. But instead of a gambling issue, maybe it was more of an obsessive behavior. Which is something shown in the show. Anyways this obviously backfired and she now works as the bar tender of the hotel. I’ll draw it eventually but the actual bar doesn’t change in size. Instead she just has this goofy stool she uses.

Now since this isn’t a like total swap and Al was still the radio demon at one point that made me wonder if I wanted it to still be his deals the two are under. But I’m on then fence about that because he would likely free their souls. Not wanting to force them to help like how he does in the show. So I figured why not have it be Charolette? It would make sense for the AU being a swap and all, and also give more depth to her overall. I have some more ideas regarding her and Al but I’ll do it in a separate post.

Full image

MASTERPOST

[notjustjavierpena]

Mouthful

Series Masterpost | Main Masterpost | Support a disabled creator

A/N: Made with the help from my loveliest @strang3lov3 with a talk about men conking out after cumming and how Hubby Javier still hasn’t gotten his dick sucked. So to all the girlies who want to give your fictional husband a blowjob, this one is for you.

Summary: Javier is starting to come down with the flu but he just simply won’t lie down to have some rest. You have a trick that never fails.

Pairing: Javier Peña x f!reader (no y/n)

Tags: +18 smut, husband!javier, domestic life, sickfic, Inés is a menace, Javier is a stubborn man, ❤️ JAVIER HAS A DAD BOD!!!!!!! ❤️, blowjob, deep-throating, mouth-fucking, praise, dirty talk, cum-swallowing,

Word count: 2.8k

Link to this work on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52856839

Mouthful

You hear the clink of plates being lifted out of the dishwasher, the sound of Sebastian crying, stuttering sobs as he is bounced, and Inés going on about something that happened in preschool. Javier is barely listening, replying with half-sentences that seem to make his daughter more frustrated with her father not paying attention and eventually leading to her talking louder. 

The idea of what will meet you in the kitchen is enough to make you want to flee to the bedroom, enough to make you want to pretend that you haven’t heard them during an extended nap. However, you could never bring yourself to let Javier go through the hell of late afternoons with children alone.

“Look who’s up,” he says with a desperate smile as you enter the room, twisting his whole body to make his crying son spot his mother. As soon as Sebastian’s eyes gaze upon you, his wails die down and they stop completely the moment you take him from Javier’s arms. 

“Mom! Guess what happened today at school,” Inés interrupts just as you are about to say something. She speaks loudly, and you automatically reach up to cover Sebastian’s ear that isn’t pressed into your shoulder. 

“Inés, indoor voices,” Javier finally manages to say, reaching up to rub his temples, “Shhh…”

“Sorry,” she makes a face, not completely convinced. 

“What happened at school?” You ask but instead of looking at her, you find yourself staring at your husband who looks like absolute hell, glassy eyes and exhaustion radiating from him. Inés giggles as she tells a joke that isn’t really a joke, too lost in her story to notice that you aren’t really listening. 

Javier places a hand on the kitchen table, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. His shirt is crumpled, his eyes have dark circles and you don’t actually think that he has even noticed that he is sniffling every other moment. He sighs deeply, breathing mostly through his mouth as he does it, and then goes back to emptying the dishwasher.

“Are you okay, honey?” You ask him, stopping midway to shush Inés who doesn’t look pleased, “You look under the weather. Are you feeling okay?” 

There’s an almost offended nature in Javier’s reply. He doesn’t stop what he is doing, sorting through the cutlery, “What? No, yeah. Estoy bien, mi amor (I’m fine, my love). Just need to get this done.”

“And then what?” You ask with a raised eyebrow. 

“And then I’ll get started on dinner,” he tells you with a tired smile that isn’t very convincing. 

“You look like… m i e r d a (shit), and you probably feel it too. I was sick last week,” you spell out the dirty word, using the Spanish word because the English is short enough to make Inés guess what you are saying. 

“Mom,” Inés predictably complains. 

“I’m fine. I just need 20 minutes where no one comes near me,” he says with exasperation. He finishes up the bottom drawer of the dishwasher and goes to pull out the top one. You find yourself laying a hand on top of his, stopping him in his tracks.

“Javi,” you say softly. 

“What?” He grumbles.

“I can finish up here. I’ll cook dinner,” you tread lightly, knowing that he hates being babied by you. Him not pulling his weight is a common fight that the two of you have had, and he probably feels on edge when you ask him not to help out with the kids. 

“I can do it,” he snaps but suddenly sneezes, and it ends up making his nose prickle enough to cause his eyes to water. 

“Go do something else, laundry maybe. I’ll do this,” you say a little more firmly, strategically sending him to your bedroom to make him spot your bed and have some well-earned rest, “It’s really not a problem, and you know I hate doing laundry anyway.”

“Fine,” he holds his hands up in surrender. 

“I love you,” you say in a sing-song voice as he leaves the kitchen, “Go have your 20 minutes.”

Inés looks longingly after her father but you manage to distract her with a snack before she runs after him. You run your free hand over her hair as she eats a peanut butter sandwich, Sebastian cooing happily on your hip as he has been allowed to chew on a banana.

“Do you want to watch cartoons before dinner?” You ask, “Give Mommy some time to get things done in the kitchen, and then I can hear all about school while we eat?”

“Fine,” she parrots her dad, holding up her hands as well and running off to the living room. You follow her, setting Sebastian down in his playpen and turning on the baby monitor. Then you turn on the TV, adjust the volume, and let Inés busy herself by singing along to her favorite theme song. 

You finish emptying the dishwasher, cut vegetables, and throw them into the slow cooker with other ingredients, and after you check on both of your kids, you realize there’s some spare time before you have to pick Lucas up from his play date. 

You decide to go upstairs to do another round of laundry, but when you cannot find the laundry basket, you go to your bedroom. Javier must have taken it when folding clothes. 

“Jesus, why are you not resting? I sent you here so you’d eventually nap,” you groan as you enter the bedroom and see Javier putting his shirts on hangers. 

“I told you I’m fine,” he seems even more sick at this point, nose slightly congested and causing him to speak nasally, “I can do this.”

You walk up to him to yank a clothing hanger out of his hands and throw it onto the floor, receiving a glare in response. Javier doesn’t look pleased with your behavior, but you don’t find his stubborn attitude charming either. 

“Javier F. Peña,” you tut, “Just go lie down and trust that your wife has everything under control. It’s what a lot of husbands do, you know.”

“Well, wife, I don’t need your permission to do housework,” he tries to push past you but you catch him in a disarming embrace, giggling as he tries bending down to pick you up so he can move you out of his way. You avoid his efforts, catching him by the wrists when he straightens once more, and push him back towards the bed. 

“You need rest, husband,” you shove him when the back of his knees hit the edge of the bed, and he lets himself fall down into the mattress, bouncing slightly as it connects with his back. 

“I don’t need a nap, I’m not a child,” he groans dramatically. 

“Then stop acting like one,” you pull the baby monitor out of your pocket and place it on the nightstand. When Javier tries to sit up again, you snap your fingers and point at him, “Nuh-uh, lie down.” 

It makes you realize that you need to use alternative methods to get him to obey; he simply won’t do as he has been told, and if anyone is ever in doubt about where Inés gets her stubbornness from, you’ll simply glance over at her father to answer the question. 

“What if I treat you to something special?” You ask with a little smirk, moving to the end of the bed so you can proceed to crawl onto him. You sit on his legs, “Think that’ll make you relax?”

You already know the answer to that question. He looks ready to conk out. 

“I’m actually fine, I don’t need—“

“I know, Javi,” you reply. Your fingers find his crumpled shirt and you pull it out of his jeans, shoving it up over his stomach so you can access his belt, watching your husband twitch underneath you at the sound of the buckle clinking as you undo it. 

He lifts his head to watch as you tug down his jeans and underwear, “Just so you know, I’m not sleeping after this. I have to—“

“I know, Javi,” you repeat, bending down to nuzzle your nose against his soft stomach. His cock lays flaccid against his thigh, but you pull it out from underneath the waistband of his briefs to lay it against his tummy so you can skim your palm up and down the shaft. His soft cock slowly comes alive underneath your touch, and soon you can wrap your fist around him to stroke him till he stands completely erect. 

Below you, Javier groans when you press a kiss to his belly, “And I have to get the laundry done.” 

“Whatever you say, baby, let me take care of you and I’ll let you do as much laundry as you want,” you hum against his skin, relishing in his warmth and his so-called dad-body - the last year has blessed you with Javier getting a little softer to the touch - that you nuzzle up to at every opportunity you get. 

Javier isn’t a fan of himself growing soft around the middle but you savor it every time you get to see that bit of pudge strain against his usual jeans (which he refuses to buy in a bigger size). If you thought he was gorgeous when his muscles were toned and his body looked younger, you had not been prepared for how good he looks now that he is older, rounder, and getting comfortable. His arms are still deliciously strong; an overwhelmingly sexy result of still carrying Inés around everywhere, picking her up from the ground if she has a tantrum at the grocery store. 

“God, you’re so sexy,” you pinch his stomach to earn a little noise. Javier says your name in disapproval but you just look up at him with a smile, grabbing more of his pudge before biting into it and kissing it afterward, “Let your wife have her fun.”

Javier is just about to say something - you don’t know whether it is about his body, the lack of a blowjob, or laundry once more - but you know it’s more complaining and so you cut him off by running the flat of your tongue from base to tip of his cock. He tastes like salt. If you had the time, you would not finish until his scent and taste were everywhere on you. In your clothes, etched into your skin, and on your tongue. 

“Oh shi—“ he gasps, resting the back of his head on the mattress once more. He breathes deeply in through his mouth, nose still stuffed, and stares at the ceiling as you work your tongue up and down his shaft only to follow the wet trail with your nose.

When you reach his cockhead a third time, you suckle on the very tip to rid him of the pearl of precome that has accumulated at the slit and is threatening to slide down (you want to treat yourself to it before it does). Above you, Javier moans at feeling your mouth, not your tongue, properly for the first time. 

“Fucking hell, baby, gotta admit that I didn’t see this coming,” he half-chuckles, half-groans.

“Maybe I just wanted to shut you up for a moment. You are stubborn, you know,” you pull back to talk, look up at him, and nuzzle needily at his cock. He looks down at you but you simply smile, “I looove you for that though, not annoying at all.”

You follow your little snarky remark up with a press of your lips to the underside of his shaft, using a hot open-mouthed kiss to cut off whatever offense he might take from your teasing. He doesn’t even seem to register it after feeling your mouth on himself again. 

Then you let saliva gather in your mouth before spitting directly onto the head, using your hand to smear it down his length by stroking him a few times. You lean over him and bring your mouth down over his girth, no teasing or anything, until the thick head hits the back of your mouth. 

“Fuuuck, and then up again,” he groans, a strong hand reaching for whatever he can grab of you. His fingers curl around your shoulder, moving inwards until they dig into the back of your neck. Slowly, you drag your lips all the way off of him again. 

Javier makes a sound when you pull off but it quickly turns into a whimper as you let more saliva drip down. You smear this too, swirling your sinful tongue around the tip and occasionally licking like were you eating a popsicle on a summer’s day. 

You can feel him pulse against your lips, so you show mercy and let him into your mouth again. He is hot and heavy on your tongue and a moaning mess above you, nails starting to dig into your skin. 

You start bobbing your head, hand on the base of Javier’s cock to hold his generous size in place. When he bumps against your throat for the first time and thus makes you gag the first time, he lets out a sound that you can never get enough of and it causes your cunt to throb between your legs. 

“Who would think that a pretty girl sucks cock like that? Oh, fuck… I love you, just like that—” he talks in a way that makes you think he might not even be aware of what he is saying but is simply letting his mouth run, “Suck that cock, baby. Good fucking girl, married the right one, didn’t I?”

You hum in reply and he growls at the vibrations of your voice. The pride you feel is indescribable, and so you seek out his approval once again by moaning as you taste him. Even if it results in your eyelashes dampening from Javier pushing his hips upwards, you lean further down and force yourself to relax your throat. 

He slides into the tight space at the back of your throat and his hand flies to the top of your head. He fists your hair desperately when you gulp around him and make your throat spasm, tugging at your follicles to the point where tears slide down your face. Soon, they also mix with the spit coating his cock.

You swallow around him again. Javier holds your head with both hands now, “Can I - Christ - can I fuck this gorgeous mouth? Por favor (please), baby.”

Even if it is hurting a little, you nod the best you can because Javier’s groan as he starts thrusting his hips upward is worth any ache in your body. Your thighs flutter, your clit pulses. 

Both his hands gather your hair in a makeshift ponytail. He uses it to move your head as he pleases, makes you bob on his dick until you gag wetly with every other thrust of his hips. Every time he bucks his hips, his thigh muscles flex and your nose buries itself in his happy trail. 

“You gonna take it?” He rasps, chest heaving. He is nearly there, muscles in his whole body twitching as he slowly loses control over himself when pleasure is so close. The next thrusts are maddening and you can’t blink any tears away even if you tried, “Fuck, swallow, baby. Take my come.”

You look up at him through your wet lashes and hum a mhm, confirming. Yes, yes, yes, give it to me.

You know he is peaking when his breath stops. He holds it during the last thrusts, finally letting out a loud moan as he finishes and sucks in a deep breath afterward. 

His cock spurts in the next moment. You can feel it hit the back of your sore throat, warm and salty, in several pulses and automatically, you swallow hungrily around his girth. The action makes him groan weakly and his hips stutter until he finally needs to let go of you. His arms lie flat along his side.

“Holy fuck, baby,” he sighs contentedly when you pull off, “Fuck, I don’t even know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything, Daddy,” you tease, and then you treat the sensitive head of his cock to a few innocent kitten-licks, essentially cleaning him up until he softens. 

He whimpers when it becomes too much, and so you pull off to kiss him along his stomach. You can hear his breathing changing, turning into something less erratic. 

“You okay?” You eventually ask but receive no reply. You look up. 

As predicted, Javier snores. You smile to yourself as you push yourself away from him, careful not to wake him up as you pull his briefs and jeans up again, leaving the latter unbuttoned. 

“Javier Peña, the most stubborn man on the planet has a weakness,” you whisper and shake your head with a fond smile. 

You grab the baby monitor from the nightstand and leave him to sleep, knowing he’ll wake up feeling a lot more sick and, hopefully, a lot more cooperative. You bring him a glass of water and some Tylenol to wake up to, write a note for him about how much you adore him, and that you’ll take care of everything. He needs it. 

.

.

If you would like to follow my writing then go follow @notjustjavierpena-fics and turn on notifications 💖❤️

[the-winter-spider]

The View Between Villages | Part Nine

Word Count: 2.1k

Parings: Bucky x reader, TASM!Peter x Reader

A/N: I will eventually make a masterpost lol this chatoer is kinda meh…

Masterlist

—-

The Jet

“Can this thing fly any faster?” Bucky’s voice was tense, almost frantic.

Sam rolled his eyes, trying to keep calm despite Bucky’s agitation. “It’s going as fast as it can”

“It’s not fast enough!” Bucky snapped, slamming his fist against the plane’s wall in frustration.

“And it won’t go any faster if you punch holes in it,” Sam shot back, trying to keep his voice steady, though he couldn’t help the edge of irritation that slipped through.

Bucky let out a heavy sigh, collapsing back into his seat. He dragged his hands over his face, his groan muffled by his palms. “I’m so stupid, Sam. So stupid.”

“Well, that I already knew,” Sam quipped, forcing a small laugh to lighten the mood. But when Bucky didn’t respond, he grew serious. “What happened, man? I’m in the dark here.”

Bucky stared blankly at the floor, lost in thought. “We went to this diner, the one that’s still around from before… the one they kept as a monument for Steve, it used to be our hangout spot, the three of us.” A faint, bittersweet smile crossed his lips as he remembered. “I didn’t go there planning to do what I did, Sam….you gotta know that. But when she looked at me, she had so much joy and love in her eyes. She was talking about one of the times we went there, and I just… panicked. I can’t be him anymore, the guy I was before. That’s not me…I couldn’t sit there and pretend, so I asked for space… she gave me the ring back. The one I proposed to her with before I got shipped out, and that’s that.”

“Wow,” Sam muttered, trying to process everything.

“I know I’m an idiot,” Bucky sighed, the weight of his actions pressing down on him.

Sam took a deep breath, piecing it together. “This all makes sense now… and yeah, you messed up. But Bucky, she knows you’re not the same as you were then—because she isn’t either. She knew when Steve, her, and I were trying to find you, that there was a good chance you wouldn’t even recognize her, or even yourself. But she still fought for you, because guess what, Bucky? People do love you. She and Steve loved you unconditionally. You’ve gotta fix this before it’s—what the hell?”

Sam’s words were cut off as both men’s eyes were drawn to the side of the plane, where a glowing, sparking gold circle appeared out of thin air. Through the portal stepped Doctor Strange, looking battle-worn and weary.

“We have a problem,” Strange announced, his voice grim.

—

1940s

The sky above you was a soft shade of twilight, stars just beginning to flicker to life, but the weight of the world was closing in. The future felt too fragile, too uncertain, and the warmth of Bucky’s embrace, though comforting, couldn’t shake the feeling gnawing at the edges of your thoughts.

Bucky pressed a kiss to the top of your head, his lips lingering there for a moment longer than usual, as if he, too, was trying to anchor himself to the present. “You know I’d never let anything happen to you, right?” His voice was quiet, almost pleading.

You nodded, but the fear was still there, gnawing at you. “I just can’t stop thinking… What if everything changes? What if something happens that we can’t control?”

Bucky’s grip around you tightened, his chest rising and falling steadily beneath your cheek. “Things might change, doll, but us? We don’t change. You’re my forever, remember?”

You swallowed hard, the weight of the moment pressing down on you both. “And what about the war?” you whispered, the question hanging heavy in the air. “What if it takes you away from me?”

Bucky’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t answer right away. You felt him shift slightly, his fingers lacing with yours, holding on as if the force of his grip alone could stop the world from pulling him away. “I can’t pretend I’m not scared,” he admitted softly, “but I’m coming back to you. No matter what. I’ll find my way back.”

You looked up at him, your eyes meeting his. “You promise?”

He leaned down, his forehead resting against yours. “With everything I’ve got, doll... You and me, we’re forever.”

The chill in the air seemed sharper now, and you shivered, not just from the cold, but from the creeping sense that forever was a promise neither of you could keep. The world was shifting, and though you held on to each other tightly, you couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was about to change.

“I just wish I could freeze time,” you whispered, tears threatening to fall again“Stay here like this, with you.”

Bucky smiled softly, the kind of smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Me too…” He paused, his hand brushing through your hair. “But we’ve got this moment, and no matter what happens, no one can take this from us…No one will ever take you from me, your my forever darling”

You closed your eyes, letting the rhythm of his heartbeat soothe you, willing yourself to believe that he was right—that love alone could defy the odds, even with the looming shadow of war.

The stars above twinkled, indifferent to the fears swirling beneath them, and as the night deepened, you held on tighter to Bucky, praying with every part of you that this wouldn’t be the last night you’d ever feel his arms around you.

But that small voice in the back of your mind whispered again, reminding you that promises, no matter how heartfelt, couldn’t always stand against the tide of fate

—

The Switch

“Do I need to do anything?” Peter’s voice trembled with panic. The whole situation was too surreal to grasp—how could it be real? The fact that you were willing to leave your entire world behind for him was something he couldn’t wrap his mind around. But he knew better than to argue. You were a grown woman—a hundred-year-old with superpowers, no less—and he was more than ready to go wherever this ride took him.

“Just give me your hand, okay?”

Peter gave you the sweetest, most genuine smile “That, I can do.”

Your sweaty, trembling hand gripped tightly onto his. As you watched the eldest Peter completely disappear into the rift, you could hear Doctor Strange shouting at you, trying to hold you back. You felt something pulling, trying to keep you anchored to your reality, but the pull towards Peter was stronger, more intense, more powerful. As he began to be pulled back into his universe, you closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. You focused on matching your cells with his, synchronizing your energy to merge with his reality, making it easier for you to follow him.

You concentrated on the connection you shared with Peter 3, using it as an anchor to tie you to his universe. You poured every ounce of hope, every fiber of your being, into making this work.

The energy around you intensified, the power almost overwhelming as you held on to Peter 3’s presence. Slowly, you felt the shift, the sensation of being drawn through the cracks of reality. The world around you began to blur, the familiar sights and sounds fading into the background as you were pulled into a new reality—one where you and Peter 3 might finally have a chance.

When the particles around you finally settled, the breeze that brushed against your skin felt different. You opened your eyes and met Peter’s warm brown gaze, so different from the blue you were used to.

“Holy shit, you’re actually here.” Peter took a step back, his hands on his head in disbelief. “I didn’t think it would work—not that I doubted you or anything, I just—” He gestured wildly, mimicking the sound of an explosion.

You giggled, the sound bubbling up unexpectedly. “I didn’t think I could either. I just… I don’t even know.” You paused, spinning around to take in your surroundings. The sky was darker here, the sun setting in this universe while it was just rising in yours. “It feels different here.”

Peter nodded, his smile softening as he watched you. “Yeah, it does. But… it’s good, right?”

You took a deep breath, feeling the cool evening air fill your lungs. “Yeah, it’s good. Really good.”

He stepped closer, his hand finding yours once more, his grip firm and reassuring. “So… what now?”

You looked up at him, the man you’d crossed realities to be with, and smiled. “Now… we figure this out together. One step at a time.”

Peter’s eyes sparkled with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. “Together?”

“Together,” you confirmed, squeezing his hand

And as the stars began to twinkle in the sky of this new universe, you couldn’t help but feel that, for the first time in a long time, you were exactly where you were meant to be.

—

The Portal

“What do you mean a different universe?” Bucky was pacing, his confusion and frustration evident. He barely understood how to work his flip phone, but this? This was way out of his league.

“I mean exactly what it sounds like,” Strange replied, glancing between the two of them. “Y/N crossed over to another universe—the one where the other Spider-Man is from.”

“How the hell did she even do that?” Sam stepped forward, placing a calming hand on Bucky’s shoulder to stop his relentless pacing. “I thought her powers were limited to controlling the elements—y’know, wind, water, earth, the whole shebang.”

“It’s more complicated than that.”

“What do you mean?” Bucky snapped, his voice tinged with anger. “You’re being real vague, Doc, and I’m not liking it!”

“It’s Doctor—” Strange corrected, but quickly moved on. “Her powers are complex. They evolve over time, They can become whatever she needs them to be. But being in another universe? That’s a whole different story. How do I put this lightly…”

“Don’t,” Sam interjected, his voice firm. “Just tell us straight.”

Strange nodded solemnly. “She could, no she will die. Slowly perish without even realizing it. What’s kept her alive all this time is tied to our universe. Without it, the death that should’ve claimed her 80 years ago might catch up to her.”

Sam shot a questioning look at Bucky before turning back to Strange. “How did you even know about her death? Steve said only Stark and he knew.”

“To become Sorcerer Supreme, certain timelines had to be reviewed—hers was one of them.”

“Why hers?” Sam pressed.

Strange’s expression was grave. “Because she has the potential to end our entire existence—or help save it. We can’t afford to lose her.”

He turned, creating another portal with a flick of his wrist. “You both need to come with me.”

“Can’t you wait until we land? We’re almost there,” Sam pointed out.

“No,” Strange’s voice was resolute. “This is vital. Now. And I’m not asking.”

Sam grabbed Bucky’s arm, pulling him through the portal. “You’ve been quiet—oddly quiet,” Sam observed as they entered the Sanctum.

“I just don’t understand how he could let her go,” Bucky muttered, bitterness seeping into his voice. “Did you even try to stop her?”

Strange turned to face them, his gaze steely. “I was busy saving the rest of the universe. Look, I get it—she’s your friend. But she’s more than that to this universe. It will collapse if we don’t get her back, so the less you waste time with this crap, the better.”

“How do we do that? How do we help?” Sam asked, stepping slightly in front of Bucky, ready to take action.

“We’re going to need more help,” Strange replied, eyeing them both seriously. “Give me about a minute.” He opened up another portal and was about to step through it when he turned back around. “And don’t touch anything.”

“This is crazy,” Sam sighed, sitting down on the stairs in the Sanctum. “Why would she just leave her universe for a guy she barely knows? It doesn’t sound like her.”

“I don’t know,” Bucky gritted his teeth, frustration boiling over. “I don’t know why I broke up with her. I don’t know why Steve left. I don’t know why she left! Everyone just leaves! Maybe you should go too, Sam—that’s all anyone does, isn’t it? Leave.”

“Buck, come on,” Sam started, his voice gentle, trying to reach him.

But Bucky scoffed, his voice tinged with bitterness. “What if they both fought so hard to save me, and then just left? She left willingly. Why should I go and save her, huh?”

Sam opened his mouth to respond when a voice, one they hadn’t heard in months, answered for him.

“Because you love her.”

Bucky froze, his eyes wide with shock. “Steve?”

And there he was—Steve Rogers, standing in the shadows, looking every bit as strong and resolute as Bucky remembered. The weight of the world seemed to lift off Bucky’s shoulders, if only for a moment, as he stared at the man who had been his friend for nearly a century.

[crown-of-roses-thsc]

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THE BIG STICKIN’ MASTERPOST

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Chances are if you ask me for permission to do whatever with my characters / AU / etc etc the answer will be an emphatic YES

FAQ:

Q. What is Crown of Roses?

A. Crown of Roses is my Henry Stickmin AU- its story is told through comics that I post on different social media platforms! As for the synopsis…

The Aquatic Division of the Toppat Clan and most of its inhabitants have blown up in a sudden and unexplained "accident", leaving Ellie Rose- one of the few survivors- to be transferred to the airship division, home of Chief Terrence Suave himself. But Suave isn't all he seems to be, and Ellie has taken it upon herself to overthrow him- accompanied by her two new friends, Reginald and "Lefty". But Suave has eyes everywhere... and everyone has a secret to hide.

This prequel-fic comic is named an AU mostly for minor inconsistencies (The way Sven talks about the airship implies that he was part of a different division, whereas in this he's part of the airship, for example), but I hope you can enjoy it nonetheless! It is heavily inspired by a side game that never saw the light of day (though funnily enough I came up with the basic idea before hearing about this!)

Q. May I make fanart of your AU?

A. Fanart / fan content for this AU is always allowed! And you can of course ship whoever you want (within reason, which should go without saying :P), and if you draw it I’d love to see the fanart ;) even if it isn’t a canon ship! And as long as it’s sfw I’ll reblog any fanart I get! My only request is that you tag me in it ^v^

Q. How old are the characters? / It’s weird to ship Reginald and Ellie.

A. Some character ages are changed in this AU! Not to an insane degree- no child-to-adults or adult-to-minors….and most of the ages aren’t confirmed in-game anyways, so I guess it’s not definitely changing? But still, there have been some changes! For now, here’s what I’ll say for ages (they are subject to change, and are mostly to show the basic differences between character ages!)

Carol is 22. Ellie and Sven are 23. Reginald and Burt are 24. Lefty is 30. Terrence Suave is in his 50s.

And yes, Copperrose is a weird ship :) the weirdness of it was actually what inspired me to make an overly-angsty-crack AU….which eventually turned into a story that I’m proud to say seems to be beloved by quite a few people!

Q. Any disclaimers I should know for this blog / AU?

A. This blog DOES contain fictional gore, violence, suicide, alcoholism, references abuse, manipulation….etc. Viewer discretion advised! However, it does NOT contain swearing (only slightly coarse language) or sexual topics (at most there are references to an affair and a joke or two at Reginald’s expense regarding his nonexistent love life)

Q. Do you accept asks?

A. Yes! Send me asks about the story (I may give spoilers ;)), characters, headcanons, etc…) or if you send an ask aimed at any of the AU’s characters, I may respond with a drawing! In fact, PLEASE SEND ME ASKS. PLEASE. I HAVE NO LIFE. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT BEING CRINGE I SHIP COPPERROSE WHICH IS MEGA CRINGE WE DON’T JUDGE HERE.

Q. Will you feature my OC?

A. I have hosted contests in the past where the reward is to have an OC featured in either the background or as a minor character in the project! You’re always free to ask, but unless you win a contest offering it there are no guarantees! At the moment, the main people who have gotten featured characters are contest winners, friends, and my mega-supporters <3

Q. Do you accept art requests / trades?

A. I accept art requests that are specific to my AU, but otherwise I usually won’t. HOWEVER, I’ll art trade with almost anyone as long as I’m not busy! I only have a few no-nos, which are that I won’t draw any shipping (characters you ship are fine, but the art I make wouldn’t be shipping!) and I won’t draw anything political. (I try to avoid flags as well, but if your character has like…a pin with a flag on it that’s fine)

Q. What are the characters’ sexualities?

A. The short answer is that I don’t confirm those sorts of things in my fiction- ship who you want- but for more info / the exceptions please read this post!

Q. Where can I read this story?

A. See below!

WHERE CAN I READ THIS STORY?

YouTube Dub (Discontinued)

WEBTOON

Ao3

Tumblr

BIOS

Set 1

CHARACTER INFO / REFS (WIP):

LIVING (as of Chapter 1):

Terrence Suave

Sven Svensson

Carol Cross

Reginald Copperbottom

Dr. Vinschpinsilstien

Burt Curtis

Calvin Carter / “Lefty” / John Doe / “Right Hand Man”

Ellie Suave-Rose

??? & ??? Randrolf

Bach

Minty (belongs to @stan-the-man-in-simp-land )

Wilting and Ed

Wolf (belongs to @oreothefox715)

Brutus (belongs to @smoresthehalloweenqueen)

Gabriel (belongs to @icilarastudios)

DEAD

Randy Radman

T.R.N.K.

Jessica Rose-Suave

Chloe Cross

Valentine Galeforce Copperbottom & Gold Copperbottom

Sir Wilford IV

[feralcorpses]

Féachann Siad Au Design - ZombieCleo.

Tw: Snakes, Slight Body Horror, and Slight Blood.

(Aus Masterpost - Explains the au.)

(Click for better quality!)

If Tumblr keeps making my drawings look crunchy I’m gonna cry-

Cleo’s Dynamic:

29 - 30 years old.

Zombie Hybrid.

Has 5 main snakes that are always visible.

More snakes can appear these 5 are just always there unless very certain conditions.

You may be thinking I can’t count cause obviously that’s 4 snakes and you’d be right in both statements but one of the snakes got sliced off by someone. (I’ll be so happy if someone guesses who based off that colour lol)

Cleo is an amputee!

They’re planning on getting a prosthetic eventually but for now she’s sticking with mobility aids like crutches until they run into Doc or Ren again.

Cleo is currently not in any specific group but mainly sticks with Etho’s or Ren’s group.

Cleo feels little too no psychical pain but it does not mean it doesn’t affect them. (I’ll explain this point better a diff time.)

Her organs stay in (mostly) cause uhmm YEAH! 👍

I ran out of things I can share rn uhm another hint to who cut her fifth snake off is on the top of one of the snakes with their mouths open, above the snakes head there’s a ring as another little hint. Also if you know your flowers Lillies and Trefoil are also a little hint too how it is. (the meaning of the flowers is what I mean btw.)

(Btw I might make a angst/fluff comic thing or just normal word story(I don’t know the word for it-) over easter break, no promises tho!

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Main Story: Part 4 - Act 14: DREAM CATCHER - Episode 13: Because We're With Our Friends

Ibuki: << The hamburg steak, pancakes and fries are for over here. Thank youuu. >>

Ibuki: Woah~ I’m seriously grateful you’re getting me dinner just ‘cause I fought off that pickpocket.

Izumi: (They’re wolfing the food down at an amazingly fast pace…)

Ibuki: << Oh, I’d like another 5 servings of fries. >>

Ibuki: You guys want any?

Kumon: Oh, sure~

Misumi: I’ll eat the triangle fries~!

Ibuki: << Make that 7. >>

Izumi: 5 of those are for themself…

Yuki:  They ordered the same amount a while ago and ate it all.

Kazunari: You really do eat well, Ibukichi~

Muku: “Really”?

Kumon: Ibukichi’s known for their big appetite. They also upload food challenge videos, and they all blow up.

Ibuki: Potatoes are seriously so good! Potatoes FTW!

Tenma: So, what are you doing in the US?

Ibuki: I came to see my Nee-chan who’s studying here. I learned English while at it, too.

Muku: So that’s why you can speak English so well.

Ibuki: If you wanna be world-famous, you gotta have a global reach, and knowing English is a must!

Yuki: Heeh… You thought this through.

Ibuki: Duh! Can’t go around wasting even a second of my life.

Ibuki: You only live once, and you’re the protag of your own life. That’s why I focus on making myself shine most.

Ibuki: I gotta go all out if I wanna make my dreams come true.

Kumon: How nice~ I’d be able to enjoy musicals even more if I knew English.

Kazunari: Have you seen any musicals or plays while staying here, Ibukichi?

Ibuki: Liike I saaiid, I’ve got no interest in acting.

Ibuki: Time is money nowadays, and you want me to pay real money just to sit there? No thanks.

Ibuki: You can 2x a movie or a drama, but you can’t do that with live theater~

Izumi: (I see, so that’s how the youth nowadays thinks.)

Tenma: Then how come you know MANKAI Company?

Ibuki: I know someone who’s obsessed with you.

Ibuki: I watched a performance that was being streamed for free a while back cause he rec'd it like crazy, but all the actors were unknown hags.

Ibuki: And I’m not really into historical stuff. 

Yuki: Could’ve been the performance with first gen.

Izumi: I guess those performances were a bit more adult oriented.

Muku: But there are all sorts of plays, so you might eventually find something to your liking.

Kumon:  You might also change your mind completely if you watch it in the theater instead of streaming it!

Ibuki: Hm~ Then, let’s turn the question around, what’s so good about theater?

Muku: Eh?

Kumon: When you ask it like that, it’s hard to sum it up in a few words…

Ibuki: When you work independently, you get to decide what to do and when you want to do it, and you can change your mind on the fly.

Ibuki: But you’ve got a script when acting, so you can’t change anything up, right? Ain’t that boring?

Ibuki: And having to get along with the others in the company sounds like a real hassle.

Tenma: It’s exactly because you’re not alone that you can create things you wouldn’t be able to create by yourself.

Kumon: Right, right! It’s like it takes you to places you’d never imagine!

Kazunari: It's super hype when you get into it~! I think that's a feeling you can't experience when you're by yourself.

Yuki: When I look back to when I was the only one who wore my self-designed outfits, I think my world was much smaller than it is now.

Misumi: Acting with everyone is the most fun!

Muku: Anything we can’t overcome by ourselves, we can overcome together, and then we can move on to the next challenges.

Tenma: Most importantly, I love the plays I put on together with these guys.

Kazunari: TenTen…!

Misumi: Me too~!

Kumon: I feel that way too!

Ibuki: Huuuh…?

Tenma: You’ll probably get what I mean when you make friends like this, too.

Ibuki: …

previous episode | masterpost | next episode

[kaiowut99]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX Episode 84 Subbed (Finalized)

(Previously: Episodes 82-83 Subbed [Finalized])

(Check out my Subbed!GX Stream Masterpost!)

TURN-84: The Curtain Rises on GeneX! Aim for Number One!

Principal Samejima declares the start of a Dueling World Cup*, a large dueling tournament in which Academia Island serves as the stage for the students and Pro Duelists participating.  Saiou duels a celebrity from a powerful country in Europe, Prince Ojin, who boasts of victory through a One-Turn Kill, and Saiou himself predicts that the duel will end before his turn arrives.  The ATK of the Prince's Satellite Cannon becomes 4000, and it begins an attack aimed at Saiou...

*"Dueling World Cup" is how the GeneX Tournament seems to have been described in the pre-airing episode summary for this episode.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, then...

After a few unintended hiccups and the resulting recovery--as previously mentioned--episode 84 has finally been finalized! I guess if there's ever a better time for one to experience hard drive issues, it'd be right as we kick off an obligatory tournament arc, haha.  Principal Samejima, after his duel with Ryou last time, returns to the Duel Academia to announce the start of the GeneX Tournament--one which he's spent months traveling abroad to organize and bring in some heavy-hitting talent for.  As things kick off, Saiou engages one of those heavy hitters, a prince from a small European country, for a duel to win control of the SOLA laser satellite they've launched--one with the power to brainwash wipe out all life on Earth.  It's a good transition episode, setting up GeneX's rules and also a key factor in Season 2's endgame through the introduction of Ojin and SOLA, while giving Shou, Kenzan, and newly-White Misawa some dueling time.  We'll see that, at some points, it kinda feels like GeneX is on the backburner, but it's a good backdrop for a few things that'll happen in this part of the season.

Part of the delay with this one, the aforementioned hiccups aside (which mostly covered October), was handling a few animation and card fixes for this episode; one in particular was a pretty complex one to work on but still came out well.  Details below the cut, as usual, for the curious!

Enjoy, and hope those celebrating enjoyed their time with friends/family this Thanksgiving! Next up, I think I'll be going back to double releases to make up for some lost time, so 85 and 86'll be on the way after a short little break the next couple days, though I did begin some work on them already over the last few weeks. (Doing just 84 and then more doubles works nicely, since there are a few two-parters coming up that I'll be able to get out this way.) Stay tuned!

Fixes/Edits!

For the hardsub: as Napoleon runs to warn Chronos of Samejima's arrival, we see the "Interim Principal" placard on his desk that we see in the 99% OP; I had wanted to translate it by first blanking the placard in Photoshop and then copying the text layer from my edit in the OP, but due to those drive issues, I lost my original PSD files for those edits.  As a result, I translated it here by first blanking the placard, then copy/pasting the text from the finished edit and editing it to be transparent by removing the lighter-gray coloring behind it so that I could slap it onto this placard, and then adjusting for perspective.  Think it came out well given the circumstances!

One fix I did want to do but was unable to happens near the end of Samejima's GeneX announcement.  After he tells the students to work hard so that the eventual winner is one of them, he adjusts his head as he mentions that there's a very special prize that isn't a Mrs. Tome kiss for the winner, but for two of the first three frames as he does so, the front of his face doesn't move with the rest of his head, causing it to jut out a little (you can tell this where there's a duplication of his goatee's beard and a slight gap in the face outline on his left).  The third frame has his face set properly, but because there isn't a subsequent frame of his head in that correct position with the same lip/beard-flap before his head moves again, I wouldn't have been able to correctly reposition his face (usually in these cases, there'd be the initial glitched frame or two before things are then normal which I can work with, but his head movement here continues the frame after it fixes), so I scrapped this one.

As we see Prince Ojin in conversation with his assistant Lind, upon being told that GeneX's competitors likely won't pose a threat to him, Ojin says he'll bury them with his One-Turn Kill.  He then turns to face a suitcase on a desk nearby, but as he moves his head to face it, the collar of his jacket is effectively duplicated--one is the collar in its initial position earlier in the shot, which is stuck there as the other moves along with Ojin's head.  As mentioned here, I removed the initial collar using Photoshop for the four frames involved, then mixed the fixes into the video in Sony Vegas, applying a light feathered mask on the fixes to blend it in consistently.

After seeing Shou and Kenzan win their first GeneX duels, we turn to see newly-White Misawa facing a Blue named Takeda (as JP Wikipedia helpfully noted), but as we do, the Little Chimera that Takeda has out in Defense Mode has the card under it reversed (with the effect box facing us/Takeda's right when it should be the name box facing that way, as we see in the very next shot).  This was the more complex fix to make, as I also had the Burning Blood/Molten Destruction card sliding in over it; as this error happens again in a bit, I used that instance of it to help here since it was recycled footage (just positioned slightly differently vertically).  I first worked to "blank" the footage in Sony Vegas, using both instances of this error to redo the fade from the sunny White dorm scenery to the Burning Blood-affected field, as then I could redo the Burning Blood card’s semi-opaque slide-in over my eventual fix to Little Chimera, and I masked in parts of the original footage (Takeda and Misawa himself and his field) over the later footage (which had Takeda collapsing as he lost and Eitom on Misawa's field).  Once that was done, I threw it into AfterEffects and applied my Little Chimera proxy facing correctly first (while masking in Chimera's little feets), onto one frame which I then repanned in Vegas for the beginning bit of the shot then held in place for the rest of it--once this was done, I went into AE again and this time applied the Burning Blood proxy slide-in, adjusting the opacity to match the original and keyframing its positioning along to the original.  All told, came out nicely, but especially the "blanking" part took a bit, lol.

Immediately after #4, we see the Familiar Possessed -- Hiita on Takeda’s field, with an ATK of... 1840? It’s actually supposed to be 1850 (the dub kept this error, too).  Fixed it in Sony Vegas by using the later DEF/ 550 counter for Little Chimera; I repositioned it over Hiita’s ATK counter and just masked out the second 5 over the 4 in “1840.″ I did cut away from that just as that “4″ started moving in the counter--the “1840″ digits were increasing while the “550″ ones were going to decrease--so there’s a quick frame or two where that third digit goes 5->4->5, but it’s not too noticeable in motion. (While covering this, Yugipedia also mentions that Hiita’s ATK should only rise by 500 due to Little Chimera’s effect, but when accounting for Burning Blood’s effect, that’s how it gets to 2850.)

After Misawa summons Litmus Death Swordsman, Takeda notes that, though he has more ATK than his Hiita, he still can't defeat her--but as he does, we see that there's a yellow rectangle where Little Chimera would be on his Disk.  Fixed in AfterEffects by applying my Little Chimera proxy again; I first put it on one of the later frames in the shot where it's mostly visible as it fades into the zoomed-out shot, then worked backwards to reposition it as the shot pans down the card.

After Misawa's Eitom attacks Takeda directly for game, he collapses as the Solid Vision from their duel fades out--but as mentioned with #4, that error with Little Chimera's Defense-Mode card being reversed also occurs here.  It was a sorta similar process to fix: first, I applied the Little Chimera proxy in AfterEffects, then in Sony Vegas, I redid the Solid Vision fade-out so that the proxy faded out properly along with Little Chimera.

Later, as Saiou and Ojin are about to begin their duel, Saiou says on a split-screen that he'd like to assess the Prince's power; one affirmative nod from Ojin later, the split-screen splits as they shout, "Duel!" But in a quick frame during that split-screen's slide-out, Ojin's side is missing a border along its edge.  I fixed this in Vegas by just masking out a border from their split-screen and positioning it along the edge.

After Saiou thwarts Ojin's One-Turn Kill, he summons Satellite Base in Defense Mode, but the card on his Disk is laid reversed (as the next shot would show it correctly placed with the name box on his right).  I fixed this by first applying a proxy to his Disk in AfterEffects, while also masking his hand in on top as he swings it over the card, then threw that into Vegas, where I redid the zoom-out that happens as Satellite Base is summoned to keep the card looking consistent during it.

[littleperilstories]

The Prince of Thieves: Take a Breath Before You Leap

You can also read on Ao3!

Let's learn a little about our heroine, Bree Cooper, in this brand-new chapter!

Warnings: implied past violence/abuse, poverty, starvation, getting jumped (kind of? I don't know what to call it), lady whump I guess?

Previous | Masterpost | Next

Word count: 2505 || Approx reading time: 10 mins

Take a Breath Before You Leap

Teaser: Up here, no one else can see me. Up here, no one can say a damn thing when I pull up my sleeves. There’s no one to gasp or gawk as I reveal the soft, scandalous flesh of my arms, trace my fingers along forbidden flesh, throw into sharp relief what must remain invisible at all other times: black-as-night ink painted on the canvas of my skin.

Bree Cooper

There’s no feeling like the one I get the night before a new run: the buzzing excitement, the impatience for the eventual payoff, and the dizzy, fluttery what-ifs—What if something goes wrong? What if I mess up somehow? What if this is the one where I get caught? Anticipation and nervousness churn in my belly, but I can’t deny it—I’m looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.

Of course, I’m not thrilled about the “new job” I was hired for today. Working in the Smith household as a maidservant is undoubtedly going to be a nightmare. Something far better is what will come out of it—or rather, what’s going to come out of the family’s lock-box. Right out of their household. Carried in my pocket. Into the hands of someone who needs it. That’s going to be the good part.

I’m under no illusions that the job will be easy. A few days ago, when she picked me for this run, Spider warned me it wouldn’t be a walk in the park. I’ll need to be swift in earning the Smiths’ trust… become an exemplary maid so I don’t get sacked and thrown out before I can make my move… memorize the layout of their home and learn the location of their family jewels. (The way Spider told it, the patriarch might as well be a dragon, the way he hoards his riches.) All the while, I’ll have to hide my identity, tattoo, and true purpose from the family and the other staff.

It’s cold up here on the roof of the boarding house—that’s why no one else is up here, probably—but there’s something delightfully bracing about the wind scrubbing the day’s dust from my skin while the stars gaze down. It’s delicious, almost wicked, to peer into the city streets from so high.

Up here, no one else can see me. Up here, no one can say a damn thing when I pull up my sleeves. There’s no one to gasp or gawk as I reveal the soft, scandalous flesh of my arms, trace my fingers along forbidden flesh, throw into sharp relief what must remain invisible at all other times: black-as-night ink painted on the canvas of my skin.

It’s a shame the tattoo would send me to prison if the constables saw it, because it’s beautiful. Sometimes I just stare down at the details—the leaves bursting from a tree in full bloom, the ring around its swirling, entwined roots. Would anyone else, other than my fellow runners or the constabulary, know what it means if they caught a glimpse? I’m not so sure, but they’d certainly be confused if they saw it on my arm. Silas Cooper’s daughter, tattooed like a common criminal? A gentlewoman like her? How? Why? What happened to her?

I scowl into the night. Breanna Cooper died with Silas, or at least I like to think she did. When I think back on the girl who stumbled, dry-eyed, away from her father’s deathbed and then ran from the man she was supposed to marry, out into a chilly autumn night much like the one I’m gazing out into now, I don’t recognize myself. That girl ran into a life of nothing, yes. But isn’t that also what she ran away from?

I hug my knees to my chest and close my eyes. If my father could see me now, wearing the sigil of the county’s most notorious gang of thieves on my body, he’d be spitting furious. Cherry-faced furious. Raise-his-arm-and-swing furious.

If the man who would’ve been my husband could see me now… I think he’d be much the same.

The roof and its bird’s-eye view of the city always make me pensive. Not sad, per se, but certainly reflective. I can’t help but wonder who I’d have been if little pieces of my life had been different. If Father hadn’t lost our fortune, if Mother hadn’t died, if Father hadn’t sold me off to the highest bidder and then kicked the bucket himself. If I’d sentenced myself to stay with a man who was exactly like my father. If I hadn’t run away.

If I, cold and desperate and hungrier than I’d ever been, hadn’t chosen that girl’s pocket to pick that day.

My limbs had shrunken to ragged skin and bone; I’d taken some clothes in a bag when I slipped away in the middle of the night only a week after Father’s wake, but they didn’t fit anymore. That day, my last clean dress—if “clean” was even the right word for it—hung off my body in rippling folds like a shroud. Any longer, I think now, and it might have indeed become my death-sheet. I caught my reflection in the glass of a storefront on the high street—a place I couldn’t enter, for I had not a penny to spare—and what I saw was horrifying. Pale, sallow skin streaked with grime. Rags for clothes. Limp, tangled hair, greasy to its ends.

I remember thinking, I should just lie down here in the street and let the cold take me.

That is not what I did.

It took a few days for me to find what I needed: a long, loose-fitting shirt to disguise my figure, some trousers whose hems I hacked into with a pair of scissors so they wouldn’t be too long, and a cap I stole right off a boy’s head to hide my hair. I hovered the scissors’ blades over the ends of my filthy tresses, willing myself to just snip it short and be done with it… but I couldn’t bring myself to make the cut. I simply bound it as best I could with twine and tucked the ends into my stolen cap.

Suddenly, I was invisible on the city streets. Everyone looked askance at an unaccompanied girl loitering on street corners and winding through alleys, but no one batted an eye if it was a boy doing the same.

For the first time in my life… I had freedom. Real freedom.

At first, I was too frightened to take much. An apple here, a few crumbs of bread there. Each day, though, brought with it more bravery. The first time I ever stole an entire loaf of bread, I felt as accomplished as if I had swum across an entire ocean.

I suppose that courage and the false sense of security led me to become bold enough to start picking pockets. The problem was, I was good at it, and that made me cocky.

I was good at picking pockets until the day I wasn’t.

The girl seemed like an easy target: she wore two fluffy, mismatched petticoats with an exposed pocket peeking out from beneath her woollen apron. She dressed like a poor girl, but there was a drawstring pouch dangling from her waist, clinking with coins. She was asking for me to steal her purse. I was drawn to it like a moth to a candle—and it wasn’t long before my wings were engulfed in flame.

Instead of being wise, I neatly liberated the pouch and slipped my way through the crowd, moving fast, the cotton bag soft against my fingers. The coins sang as I emptied them into my pocket. I didn’t even take a second glance at the girl’s now-empty purse as I tossed it into the street, delighted to leave my incriminating evidence behind.

If I had been smart enough to look over my shoulder, I might have been a little less haughty about my successful pocket heist.

I made it two blocks and around a corner before they caught up.

A hand clapped over my mouth, sealing in the shriek that tried to claw its way out as my attacker’s other arm wrapped around me and pinched my wrists together. They yanked me backwards, pressing my back against the solid, unyielding body behind me.

“Who the fuck,” said a voice, cool and filled with sharp, prickling amusement, “picks my pocket and thinks they’re getting away with it?”

I jerked against the hands holding me, a muffled whine escaping my lips, but whoever it was only held on tighter. In front of me, the girl with the wool apron and coloured petticoats sauntered into view. What I could see of her face was beautiful—she’d hidden the lower half behind a black scarf. But there was a glittering in her eyes I could not interpret.

“Let’s see who, then,” she said, leaning down, and I realized far too late that she was holding a knife—slim and short, but sharp. Silver and glittering in the fading autumn light.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck—

Time seemed to slow to a trickle, and my scream died in my throat. I remember thinking, Fine, then. If this girl was going to kill me, so be it. Let her. What did I care? What did I have to lose? 

Fucking nothing, that’s what.

As the girl ran the blunt side of her blade along my jaw, I heard a sigh and a mutter somewhere above my head. The blood was rushing in my ears so loudly, however, that I couldn’t comprehend a single word.

I won’t scream. I won’t cry.

Sticking out my chin—as best as I could with a hand still pressed against my mouth—I met the girl’s eye. I could have sworn I saw her expression change, but it was difficult to tell with her face covered. A smirk? It couldn’t be.

Her eyes flicked up to meet the gaze of the person behind me, and then she leaned in close. She tugged away my grey cap, and it fell to the ground, soaking up the muck from the autumn rain that had drenched the streets earlier that day.

“Ooh,” she said, looking me over, one hand fishing in my pocket, “our quick-fingered thief is a little girl.”

Little? Hardly. I jerked against the arm holding me still. Unsuccessful again.

“Come on, Spider.” It was a boy behind me. When he spoke, his voice was light and quick. Impatient. He didn’t let go, but his grip loosened slightly. “I can’t kick the shit out of a girl.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. I don’t want to kick the shit out of her,” the girl said, pulling her hand back and grinning. “I just want my money back.” She dropped a handful of coins into the pocket tied beneath her apron. “We’re good now.”

“Was the knife really necessary?” the boy muttered.

I winced as she dug the point of the blade into my skin. “Yes.” She winked. “Just teaching her a little lesson. An important lesson.”

In my ear, there was the faintest breath of a whisper. “Sorry. You'll be okay. She’s laying it on a bit thick... I think she’s having fun.”

What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

“Okay, Muscles. You can let her go now.” She stepped back, and the boy’s arms dropped.

“See?” I heard him say.

“What the fuck?” I yelped, jumping away from him and sucking air into my lungs even though he hadn’t been cutting off my breath. “What is your problem?”

I pressed a hand to my chin, where the knifepoint had bit into my skin, but my fingers came away clean. No blood.

The girl tucked a stray curl of dark brown hair behind her ear. Beneath her sleeve, the ghost of a dark-lined tattoo peeked out. “That was quite a bold move you made there, little bird.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t wear your purse hanging off your ass if you don’t fucking want people reaching in,” I shot at her. I remember faintly wondering how horrified my parents would be if they could hear me cursing like a sailor.

The girl tossed her knife in the air, watching it spin gracefully, then tucked it away and winked. “If you wanted to cop a feel, kid, all you had to do was ask.”

My cheeks flooded with heat. “I didn’t mean—”

I realized then that she was shaking with laughter. When I looked over at the boy, he was, too.

“Not just anyone could walk off with my bag and make it this far,” the girl said. “Maybe we’ll cross paths again.”

This far? I made it two blocks.

She smirked and walked away, the coins I’d stolen—and immediately been forced to surrender—jangling in her pocket. The boy paused before he followed her. He wore a hood, his face half-obscured like hers, but I could see his: hazel, deep and bright at once, and twinkling with amusement.

He touched two fingers to his temple in a lazy, mocking salute, then followed the girl and disappeared into the night.

When I dipped my hand to mourn the emptiness of my pocket, my fingers bumped into something round at its bottom. Had she missed one of her coins? Left one for me out of pure pity?

When I pulled it out under the light of the gas lamps that lined the high street, I frowned. It wasn’t a coin, at least not one I could fucking spend on food. It was made of… wood? Whittled to a smooth surface, with a design carved into one side and letters into the other: a tree with twisted roots and the letters I.A.

I wear the wooden coin around my neck these days, upon a cord that’s long enough to tuck into my clothes and hide beneath the neckerchief when I choose to wear skirts. Now, with the gas lamps twinkling far below, the moon shining down on me instead, I pull my necklace out and inspect the design. The one that matches the tattoo on my arm.

I’ve seen that girl—we runners only know her as Spider—more than once since I joined. In fact, I saw her earlier today. Just for a few minutes, a quick passing conversation with our backs turned to one another as I gave her the confirmation that I won the position in the Smith household and I start work tomorrow. Just once, I glimpsed her face. Beneath the hood, it was drawn and pale, and I got the sense that something was wrong, but she didn’t say why.

“Remember to take it slow,” was all she said. “Don’t do anything foolish. Don’t get caught.”

The boy from that day, I’ve seen twice. They never send him to meet runners like me. I think of that day we first met, though. His whisper in my ear, the laugh lines around his eyes, the green tint to his gaze, the little upturn of his mouth as he gave me that salute and then vanished.

I tuck the necklace back inside my short gown. The chill is sinking deep into my bones; it’s time to go inside.

Tomorrow, a new day. A new job, a new name, a new purpose. Until the next one, anyway. One of these days, dawn will bring a new day and, finally, a new life.

Previous | Masterpost | Next

[Banner ID: A narrow, rectangular banner featuring a barred archway. The bars and the stone walls evoke the feeling of a dungeon or prison. There are burning candles on either side of the archway. The title of the story, The Prince of Thieves, appears in white text in the centre of the image. The author's username, abbreviated to LPS from littleperilstories, appears in the bottom right corner in partially transparent text. End ID.]

[thomas-and-the-chocolate-factory]

Thomas and the Chocolate Factory - Chapter 6

A Sanders Sides / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Fanfiction

Summary: Remus Duke is the greatest chocolatier of all time, and after living the past few years a recluse, he decides to finally open his factory once again. And it's young orphan Thomas Sanders' dream to win a ticket and get to go! Will he win a ticket? And if he does, will he make it out alive?

Masterpost

----------

Thomas… to put it simply, wasn’t doing too great.

He felt bad for feeling this way. He knew he wasn’t entitled to win a ticket. There were billions of children who were just as desperate as he was - many in even worse positions than him. And yet he just couldn’t move on from the disappointment.

He sighed, kicking his feet as he fiddled with his fork, poking at the small slice of leftover birthday cake on his plate. That was what he and most of the children had been eating recently, trying to make it last as long as possible.

By this point, everyone in the orphanage knew it wouldn’t be long. Whether it would be the town council ruling the orphanage as unfit to stay open, or Dot and Larry throwing in the towel when funds start to get too low, the children knew it wouldn’t be long until they’d be rehomed. Moved away to another city that put more funding into their local orphanages. While it sounded nice to live in better conditions, the idea of leaving the town they’d grown up in and losing the two closest people they had to parental figures was daunting for the children.

It was daunting also for Dot and Larry, who sighed as they sat in their therapist’s office, waiting patiently for her to arrive. Usually they’d be talking to each other as they waited. But today, instead, an uncomfortable silence hung over them.

“Da! Da da dadada! Da de da de de da- Oh, it’s you two!” Dr Emily Picani chuckled to herself as she stepped into the office, cutting off their own dramatic entrance. “Sorry, my brain’s a bit frazzled recently, got my schedule mixed up in my head. I guess that’s what good news does to you, huh?” They sat in their chair, sighing… before her face fell a bit as she registered the quiet and morose atmosphere. “Though I sense that I’m about to get some bad news to balance that out…”

“We do have bad news, I'm afraid, Doctor…” Dot sighed. “This is going to be our last session.”

Emily blinked. “Huh? But we’ve still got so much more ground we haven’t covered! So many cartoons that could be useful to discuss and-”

“We just can’t afford it anymore,” Larry shrugged. “Therapy sessions aren’t cheap, and we really need to put the money towards the kids. They have to be our priority.”

Emily sighed. “I understand… but hey, if circumstances ever change, know my door is always open. And if there are any emergencies, I’m willing to hold some free one-off sessions for you.”

“Thank you, Dr Picani, thank you so much,” Dot smiled. “You really have done so much for us. I don’t think we could have kept getting through all this stress without your help.”

“Oh, it’s been no trouble,” Emily shrugged, smiling. “Just doing my job! Now, if this is going to be our last session together, let’s make the most of it!” She flipped open her notepad and clicked her pen.

The session went by mostly as usual, though Emily did seem to be rushing a little more, cutting their cartoon rambles short when they veered into irrelevant territory. However, eventually, she sighed, looking up at the clock. “Well, that’s our time up… You’re both sure you want to stop renewing your sessions now?”

Dot and Larry both nodded, starting to gather their things. “Again, thank you for everything, Doctor. I’m sure we’ll be back when we’re in a more financially stable position.”

“More like if.”

“Larry!”

“I’ll be looking forward to then.” Emily stood up, going to step over to the door to open it for their clients.

“Can I ask, what was the good news you mentioned earlier?” Dot asked. “I know as your clients we probably aren’t allowed to inquire about your personal life, but I’d be nice to hear something positive. It seems like we only ever get bad news these days…”

“Oh, um… Well, you’re right I’m generally not allowed to. But I guess you two aren’t my clients anymore, and it’s not exactly sensitive information. So, what the hell! I’ll tell you. I found out last night on the news that my nephew won a golden ticket!”

“That was your nephew? Oh, that’s wonderful!” Dot smiled. “It must be exciting to know you’ll get to hear all about the factory from him.”

Emily’s face fell a little. “Yeah… Anyway, um, I should be going. Gotta get my coffee break in before my next client arrives. See you both around, fingers crossed you’ll be able to book another session soon!” With that, they hurried from the room.

Dot blinked a little, before looking up at Larry. “Was it something I said?”

“Probably not, the thought of having to talk to her nephew probably just freaked her out. You saw the news last night, that kid seemed like a big-headed jerk-”

“Larry!!!”

-

Thomas felt his eyelids drooping as he sat in class. He didn’t have the energy to stay awake and focus on what his teacher was saying about whatever they were learning in Math. He didn’t even know what they were studying right now. Calculus? Algebra? Statistics? Trigonometry? The numbers written on the board just blended together into a fuzzy mess…

“Hey.”

He felt a poke against his shoulder. He blinked tiredly, trying to refocus his eyes as he turned to face the student sitting at the desk beside his. It was a boy, and he was holding something out to Thomas. “I heard your stomach growling pretty loudly, and figured you could use this. Quick, before Mr Barnes turns around and sees.”

Thomas hesitantly took the item from the boy’s hand, looking down at it. It was a chocolate flavoured energy bar - Duke brand, of course. He looked back up at the boy, smiling a little. “Thanks.”

“No problem!” the boy smiled, before turning back to face the front of the class, continuing to write notes.

Thomas opened up the energy bar, and didn’t waste any time in digging into it. Right now, it felt like the most satisfying thing he’d ever eaten. After finishing it, the math on the board didn’t seem quite as difficult to understand.

When the lesson finished, and the bell rang signalling the end of the school day, everyone began to pack up all their things. Thomas looked back to the boy that had given him the food. “Thanks again. I really needed that.”

“It’s nothing, really. My mom always makes me bring them just in case I need more energy, but I never really do,” the boy shrugged. “I may as well give them to people who do. I’m Nico, by the way.”

“I’m Thomas.”

“Well, it was nice to meet you, Thomas. Guess I’ll see you tomo-”

Nico was interrupted by a loud yell out in the corridor. “The fourth golden ticket’s been found! There’s only one left!”

Chatter immediately filled the classroom, students pulling out their phones to check if it was true. Thomas felt a bit awkward as he saw everyone else reading about the ticket winner, but was unable to do so himself. He tried to catch a few of the words they were saying, but it was hard to pay attention through all the conversations, and noise out in the hall.

“Here.” Nico was holding out one of his earbuds to Thomas. “You can watch the report on my phone.”

“Thanks,” Thomas smiled softly, shuffling closer to Nico so the cord of the earbuds would actually reach his ears, looking down at the phone screen. Nico then pressed play on the video.

Remy Sleep was sitting in a living room. It was very homely, filled with bright and colourful furniture and decor. They were sitting on the couch with two people. First was a woman, wearing a white and yellow floral dress with long black hair. Sat between her and Remy was a boy who seemed to contrast the rest of the atmosphere in the room. He had black hair dyed purple, bangs hanging and covering one of his eyes. He was wearing black ripped jeans, a long sleeved purple shirt, and a black t-shirt over the top of it. He had black eyeshadow under his eyes, which were glued to the screen of the Nintendo Switch in his hands.

“I’m here with the fourth ticket winner of Remus Duke’s competition: Virgil Teevee! Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself, Virgil?”

The boy refused to look up from his video game, and he didn’t say a word. The woman beside him, presumably his mother, sighed a little, before speaking for him. “Well, as you can probably tell, he’s very passionate about his games. He spends almost all day on some kind of device, to be honest.” She chuckled a bit. “He’s a very good kid, though, he never really gets into trouble at home. He’s able to keep himself busy, and I honestly thank his games for that.” She ruffled Virgil’s hair, finally getting him to look up from his game.

“Moooom…” he grumbled quietly.

“Ah, so he does talk!” Remy joked, though Virgil clearly didn’t appreciate the comment, huffing and turning back to his game. “So, Virgil, you mind telling us all how you won your ticket.”

Virgil blinked, seeming almost frightened for a second, fingers pausing their tapping. It was only for a moment, though, before he turned back to his game, concentrating on it. “Fine… I, um… I’d decided to look for a ticket because my friends suggested it. I don’t even like chocolate that much…”

-

Virgil held his headphones against his ears tightly, I’m Not Okay (I Promise) by My Chemical Romance blasting into his ears. Maybe if he played it loud enough, it’d be enough to drown out the terrible thoughts.

Another test back from school. Another F.

Having the most awkward interaction of his life with the cashier at the store when buying Duke bars. And on the way out, he’d tripped and dropped all the candy bars all over the floor. Everyone around was staring at him, people had laughed…

And now he’d come home only to be told by his mom that, once again, his dad had cancelled. He still wasn’t good enough, wasn’t worth anything to his dad. No, movie festivals were more important than Virgil was…

He needed more of a distraction, the music wasn’t enough. He opened up discord on his phone.

Verge: @everyone you guys able to vc?

Andy: yea sure

Missy: i’ll be on in just a minute ^^

Virgil sighed in relief as he hopped onto the voice channel. Soon he’d have chat with his friends and a video game to keep him distracted…

There were two pings as Andy and Missy both joined the call.

“So, doing our chocolate opening a little early today, I guess?”

And Virgil’s stomach immediately dropped at Andy’s words. He’d forgotten about this stupid contest…

Honestly, with every ticket found, he’d become more and more nervous, wanting to win less and less. Before he’d only been worried about his friends meeting him in real life, but now it was impossible for all three of them to go on this tour, and extremely unlikely even two of them would. If Virgil did win a ticket, he’d be stuck on a tour all day with strangers. People he’d never met meeting him, judging him. Not to mention, all the media attention. What if he was edited to look bad? Heck, what if he didn’t need to be edited, and he just came across really badly? The whole world would be judging him, including Andy and Missy. He’d lose their friendship, and never be able to make any new friends because everyone in the world would hate him-

“Verge? Hello? You got a bar ready to open?”

Virgil was startled back to reality. “I-I, uh… J-just a second…” He leaned over the side of his bed, dragging out the bag of unopened chocolate bars from beneath it. He picked up a bar, taking a deep breath. Come on, Virgil, billions of people in the world, and only five tickets. No way you’ll win one. “O-okay, um, I’m ready…”

“Okay! Open on three. One… two… three!”

Virgil ripped open the chocolate bar as he heard the other two doing the same, rips echoing through their microphones. 

“Darn, nothing…” Andy huffed.

“Me neither…” Missy sighed. “How’d you do, Verge?”

Virgil felt like his heart had stopped. His hands were shaking so badly he was close to dropping the chocolate bar in his hands.

The chocolate bar and the golden ticket on top of it.

“Virgil?”

His heart started going again, now at a rapid pace, the noise banging in his head. He felt like he could barely breathe, gasping for air which refused to stay in his lungs. Tears pricked in the corner of his eyes.

“Virgil, are you okay? What happen-”

Virgil practically slammed the off button of his laptop, cutting off Missy’s question. He couldn’t let them hear him like this.

He pulled his sheets over his head, and he held his fist over his mouth, biting down on his knuckles, to muffle his gasps and sobs. He didn’t want his mother to hear. He’d gone so long without an ‘episode’, she thought he was getting better, he didn’t want to disappoint her.

Later he’d throw the golden ticket in the bin.

Unfortunately, Linda would find it, assume he’d thrown it away by accident, and rescue it.

-

“Wow, you definitely got lucky!” Remy whistled. “To think you were so close to accidentally throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime. You’re lucky your mom noticed. So, anything you’re particularly looking forward to about the tour?”

Virgil shrugged. “I mean, not really… As I said, I don’t even really like chocolate…”

“Okay… What about the other tour members? You looking forward to making new friends?”

Virgil just shrugged again.

“... Alright, well, that was the interview with the fourth Duke ticket winner, Virgil Teevee! Only one ticket remains, so good luck!”

The video ended, and Thomas took out the earbud, looking up at Nico. “Thanks for letting me borrow that.”

“It’s nothing,” Nico shrugged, before sighing a bit. “Well, one ticket left… I guess I’ll have to start buying a lot more chocolate if I want to get one.”

“Good luck,” Thomas replied, picking up his school bag. “I hope you find it.”

Nico smiled. “Good luck to you too.”

“Oh, ah… not much point in that, I can’t buy any more bars…”

Nico shrugged again. “So? I’m still gonna wish you good luck. Who knows what could happen? Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow, Thomas!” He waved, before leaving the room.

Thomas smiled a little as he watched him go. Even if he knew it was basically impossible, Nico’s words inspired a little bit of hope in him that he hadn’t felt since his birthday.

Who knows? Maybe fate would lead him down a path that ended with a ticket in his hands? If anything, it was at least a pleasant thought.

[realpapaemeritusiv]

🔫 Tell everyone about gianni rn or I’ll shoot (it’s full of water) (just regular water but it’s like just slightly cold)

damn guess i gotta tell the world about my main boy gianni. it'll be under a cut bc its long as shit

okay so this right here

is gianni (technically gianni copia emeritus if we're going by full legal names here). we've made our own lore and i hope eventually you'll make a masterpost of it so if i write stuff later on i can include the link as a reference for anyone that might choose to read it bc honestly i think the lore that we've altered and made up is really interesting and i think people might enjoy reading it one day. anyway, onto the meat and potatoes of this.

so, with the lore that we've created, gianni is the twin brother of copia (named giorgio/gio in our lore bc honestly he needed a name and that name slaps) born to nihil and lucifer (i am 100% down to answer more questions on this bc this slaps also ik owen will def be down to answer questions about that little tidbit or it might be in the headcanon tag on their blog).

there's a bit of a branching path with him because i go back and forth between having them be raised together until they're both 10 or until they're both 5, but the constant is nihil having to send away one son to keep them safe from imperator (named cirice in our lore and will be called that for the duration of this post just to keep things streamlined). from 5/10 until his mid to late 30s, gianni worked his way up in the ranks of an abbey in italy that i think i made up. honestly, he was completely taken advantage of in that abbey, being worked to near death by the cardinals and siblings of sin (fun fact this man is a people pleaser to the max and also physically cannot take a single day off and has actually almost died from it). while literally being overworked by pure luck he managed to meet a special someone (you'll shit when you find out who it is) and starts a little sneaky relationship with them.

the person? temptesa, aka our own rain ghoul. (i'm sure owen's posted lore about it so go check it for more deets). they probably get a good year or two together and exchange rings before his beloved is sent away without his knowledge (to Linköping by pure luck where they're later reunited and i'll def expand on that if anyone wants to know more)

so he's eventually asked to return to the abbey as a cardinal (that we placed in Linköping just for simplicities sake and to have one cohesive area anytime the abbey's mentioned) and arrives back home after 25-30 years to one of 2 things

the previous papas already having been executed by cirice and prepared for the veneration of relics and everyone in the abbey absolutely depressed

or

during anti christmas :)

i haven't really taken the time to build the lore on everything that happens immediately after he's returned home, but he does continue his work as a cardinal and watching as his twin becomes papa and tours the world spreading the word of the church

UNTIL

he gets to play papa one time because his brother's way too sick to perform the ritual/show and he's the only one available who can fill the role. he literally crams learning all the songs in like 11 hours and is such a nervous wreck before that first show and he def barfs at least once before he goes on stage for the first time.

this man is a whole ass natural at being on that stage. talks to the crowd, puts his whole self into every song, and literally stays a few hours after that first show just to talk to anyone who stays after bc this man loves the fans, adores them tbh.

he finally gets his chance to be papa when gio wants to step down and focus on starting a family with his wife (who i am also 100% down to talk about later, not rn tho this is gianni time) and this man puts his entire being into being a good papa. he doesn't take a salary, pushes for the ghouls to be equal to him, defends the ghouls (and there's a ton of stuff i could talk about when it comes to him with the ghouls bc this man is lowkey a whore), and just pretty much revamps the church from the ground up and has the ghouls finally be equals to everyone else.

that's just a lil taste of gianni tbh bc there's so much more i could talk about but i gotta workshop some of it still

[solarium-town]

Blog intro/link masterpost

Intro

Hello! My name is Ethan and I am a weird little writer guy! I am 20 years old, and I guess this is my way of being creative without writing a whole story! (Though those may come in the future)

Basically, I have a heck of a lot of OCs. They have come to me at various times in my life, and I love them all. So many in fact, that it would take me a lifetime to write all their stories!

That’s where this blog comes in! In my head I imagine them all to live in the same “world” and interact with each other while simultaneously having their own stories, hardships, relationships etc.

This blog will have short stories of interactions between characters, updates on the world etc. I will start with an introduction post on the world itself, and then introduce each character or group of characters.

Eventually I hope to write the full backstory of at least my oldest characters and do them justice, but this is a way to let them be known and show them to the world!

Some stories will be sad, some happy, some funny, some just a lone random quote from a character! I will make a tagging system to help identify and pick which stories you’d like to read!

That’s all for now, I don’t really expect anyone to get invested in this, it’s just a space for me to be creative! Thank you if you got this far!

Character intros

Character intros will all (hopefully) follow one layout, as shown below. They will all also be linked in this post, so if you see a character you haven't come across feel free to stalk them from here!

｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆ [NAME] ｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆

[Favourite song]

◁◁ ▐ ▌ ▷▷

1:07 ━━━──●───── 2:28

【 name:

【 nickname(s):

【 age:

【 pronouns:

【 birthday:

【 gender:

【 sexuality:

【 roles:

【 species:

✩ likes ✩

➊

➋

➌

✩ dislikes ✩

➊

➋

➌

ღ relationship status:

ღ mental health challenges:

ღ other:

ღ OOC other:

｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆-------------------｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆

Links:

World intro:

Groups explained:

Character intros:

Ethan

Mateo

Ryan

[listentothelittlebird]

I posted 2,668 times in 2022

That's 2,541 more posts than 2021!

55 posts created (2%)

2,613 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@bubblegum-gf

@theawkwardvirgin

@sohotthateveryonedied

@todaysbird

@fanfictiongreenirises

I tagged 1,030 of my posts in 2022

#bird - 229 posts

#cat - 85 posts

#i really need a tagging system - 27 posts

#pokemon - 25 posts

#chibird - 21 posts

#hello tofu mutual - 16 posts

#atla - 15 posts

#fanfic writer problems - 14 posts

#i love em - 14 posts

#rtgame - 14 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#recently watched something that made me think along a similar vein to op because they didn’t show why exactly super couldn’t tell their fam

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Writing Masterpost

I guess I should make this before it gets out of hand

Most of my stories are on ao3! Things I post on tumblr are typically the draft versions of my ao3 stories

From Code Bat:

- Jason Dissociating  - Alternate Super Sons Meeting - Protect Our Own Jason POV - Hot Potato with a Bookmark - Sleepy Jason (Alternate How Are You?)  - Damian and Tim - Cass and Jason - The Original Draft - Superman Meets Bizarro - Alternate Out of the Shadows - Alternate Snapshots of Gotham - Alternate Collecting the Hints

From Gotham’s White Lotus:

- Dick and Airbending - Alternate Making A Splash - Alternate Burning Iceberg

Fairness Federation gets a special shoutout

Extra Scene from It’s a Small World universe

Tumblr Drabbles:

- It starts with Jason. - Rogues know who Batman is - “I’m sorry.”

27 notes - Posted January 6, 2022

#4

I found this youtube channel called Curious Archive and I’ve been going insane because like- speculative biology? Did you mean extensive worldbuilding that takes into account scientific reasoning like an overcomprehensive sci-fi book setting? Boi I wish I were as cool as the worlds being featured

28 notes - Posted January 29, 2022

#3

Sometimes you procrastinate life things by writing a fanfic series, and sometimes you procrastinate life things by procrastinating the fanfic series by opening up a new doc and writing an entirely separate fanfic idea

143 notes - Posted January 21, 2022

#2

It starts with Jason.

Jason, the original bookworm of the family, up late at night and reading on his bed. Or, well, trying to read.

Eventually, he growls and - carefully - slams the book shut, lifting it up but just stopping short of actually throwing it. He sighs.

“Can’t sleep?”

It’s Dick that finds him, leaning against his doorway with tired eyes that still burn with too much energy to truly go to bed.

“You know that moment,” Jason complains, squinting, “When you’ve been staring at words for so long, then you blink, and suddenly everything’s blurry?”

“Are you getting myopia?” Dick laughs as Jason’s expression, “It’s a real concern! But I get it. You have to rest your eyes when that happens.”

“But I can’t sleep,” Jason whines.

“Me neither,” Dick sighs, and smiles, “Hey, I have an idea.”

Dick plonks himself onto Jason’s bed, ignoring his vocal protests, and plucks the book out of his hand. “Where did you stop reading?” he asks, “I’ll read it to you.”

“Oh,” Jason blinks - Dick notes amusedly that he was still squinting and unsquinting his eyes, trying to pull blurry blobs back into focus, “Uh, the page on the left of the bookmark.”

Dick reads.

-

“You’re gonna spoil your eyes like that, Timmy.”

“I live on spite,” Tim deadpans, “If my eyes want to fail me too then so be it.”

Jason laughs as he collapses onto the couch beside him. Tim ignores him until he lifts the laptop up and out of his lap, into his own.

“What’re you even working on?” he asks, and huffs. “Hang on, wait, are you reading?”

“Why do you sound so surprised? Just because I don’t like the classics doesn’t mean I’ve given up on words.”

“Holy shit,” Jason continues, ignoring Tim as a grin spreads across his face, “Is this anime fanfic? Are you reading anime fanfic?”

Tim groans, and slumps against Jason’s shoulder. Jason tries to shove the bony part of his shoulder into Tim’s cheek, but Tim just bounces harmlessly, only leaning more weight on him when he was done moving. Jason huffs.

“I was trying to finish reading,” Tim muttered, “But my eyes refuse to work. So maybe I did already spoil my eyes. Maybe I didn’t. I’m in denial.”

“It’s probably just from staring at a screen for too long,” Jason muses. Then he shifts, getting more comfortable. Tim’s head is now firmly on Jason’s arm.

“C’mon, I’ll read it for you. Where’d you stop?”

214 notes - Posted January 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

good day to everyone who has three separate drafts for the same story plot concept idea thing, doing great besties

577 notes - Posted June 28, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[daechwitatamic]

Chapter 3: That's Life || KTH

(banner by @itaeewon)

Title: What Was Hidden (Masterpost)

Rating: explicit, minors DNI pls

Genre: college!au, angst, eventual smut, strangers -> friends -> lovers -> idiots -> lovers

Pairings: Taehyung x female reader, MYG x OC

Summary:  This is how it all starts: Taehyung is flunking Western Lit. You’re assigned to tutor him. His paper on Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata could pass or fail him for the semester. As you and Taehyung slowly become friends, then more, you learn that there’s a lot more to him than you originally assumed. Together, you navigate your own experiences with the play’s themes: one’s “true self” versus one’s “shown self”, darkness behind the facade, and how people can be quite literally haunted - and it has nothing to do with ghosts.

//

In which Taehyung really struggles with Strindberg's themes.

Chapter Warnings: cursing, drinking

Word Count: 5k

I saw the sun and thought I saw what was hidden The Ghost Sonata | Scene III August Strindberg

Chapter 3: That’s Life

Thursday, November 8th

By the time Taehyung’s next tutoring appointment comes - at six o’clock the next evening - you’ve had such a day that you’re about ready to throw in the towel.

For starters, your schedule on Thursdays is so weird - you have a 10 am class and then nothing until 2:30; it’s this odd chunk of time where you’re never really fully able to get much done and you also can’t enjoy yourself because your brain knows your next class is looming. 

Then, your tutoring hour with Rebecca is utterly exhausting. Lord, but that girl can talk. You spend the entire hour trying to get her to focus on her history homework and instead listening to her rant about her roommate drama - lights being left on, loud partying late at night, music without headphones, even some food-stealing. 

(“Sounds egregious,” you murmur. “Speaking of egregious, let’s turn our attention to the start of World War II…”)

When you get to tell her that time is up and you have another appointment waiting, you’re relieved. So when Taehyung approaches your table, pulling his laptop out of a crossbody bag, you’re almost happy to see him. Because at least he’s not Becky.

“Hey,” he says, placing his laptop on the table and moving to hang his back from the back of the chair. 

“Hi,” you say easily, giving a little wave before pulling up his files on your laptop. You’re obligated to provide documentation after each session, you guess to prove that you’re earning what they pay you, and maybe also to prove that the academic probation students are actually making an effort. 

“I recorded Western Lit today,” he tells you, saving you from having to ask. 

“Great!” you tell him. “Have you looked at the homework assignment yet?”

He logs in and pulls up the assignment, and you spend the first half hour going through each question together. You give pointers on where to start for each one, and Taehyung writes down your tips, intending to work on them later. 

“I can work on these with you, if you want,” you offer. “Just in case you get stuck, especially since you didn’t do the reading yet?”

“I think I’ll be okay,” he says. “I really need your help with the paper. It counts as an exam grade.”

“That’s fine,” you say. “What’s the topic?”

He turns to rummage in his bag, coming back up with a tattered blue book, definitely bought second-hand at the school’s bookstore.

You feel your eyebrows skyrocket. “Strindberg? Shit.”

He sighs. “Was that a bad choice? The title looked cool… I started reading it last night… there’s a ghost and a mummy. I like spooky stuff.”

You smile, reaching over to pull the small text closer. The Ghost Sonata. You’d done your paper on it the previous winter, before all the stuff with Davis went down.

“Alright,” you say, looking back up at Taehyung. He’s looking down at your hand on his book, his black hair falling over his eyes, face serious. “So from what you read, did you notice any themes? Symbols? Any kind of pattern?”

He frowns, chewing on his bottom lip as he thinks. “I thought there was an interesting thing where the house looked really fancy from the outside but inside everything was decaying…”

“So that’s a good theme,” you say, pointing at him. “The facade and the reality behind it - that things aren’t as they seem, that they’re darker and grittier underneath it.”

His eyes flick up to yours and then back to the table, lightning quick.

“If you wanted to pick that for your paper,” you tell him, staunchly ignoring the flutter in your stomach, “you totally could.”

“Doesn’t it apply to the characters too?” he asks, frowning. “Like… if the theme is ‘how things are versus how they seem’...” He trails off, having had half the thought but struggling to complete it.

“Well, yeah,” you say, helping him out. “Many of the characters have that going on - what they seem at first, and then what you find out about them as the story continues. Plus, add in there many of them have the ghost or vampire or mummy thing - that’s another level of symbolism.”

“I never see symbolism on my own,” Taehyung admits with a sigh. “Once someone points them out to me, I get it. But I never read something and think ‘Oh, that’s a symbol for something’.”

“That’s fine,” you assure him. “That’s why my researching trick works. Look up what symbols other people found, and then look for the evidence yourself.”

You glance at the time and notice that your hour is almost up. “When’s the due date for this?” you ask.

“Two weeks,” he tells you.

“Okay,” you say, starting to pack up your loose papers. “Go through and highlight every time you see the facade theme, and then take notes about each part you highlighted. We’ll go through the notes on Wednesday when we meet. And feel free to email me if you get stuck on the Ibsen homework.”

He flips his notebook to an empty page and starts to write - your directions, probably. You watch as the glare from the overhead lights moves along the thick, shiny scar on his hand as he moves the pencil across the page. 

“Don’t stare at it,” he murmurs, not taking his eyes off of his paper.

You straighten up, caught. “Sorry - I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to, I was just zoning out-.”

“It’s okay,” he says quietly, looking up at you now. “Just… it makes me feel weird. Don’t worry about it.”

He closes his notebook and his laptop, putting both carefully back in his bag. “You headed up to the caf for dinner?” he asks, eyeing the clock. 

“Yeah,” you say, glancing at your phone to confirm. “My roommate is waiting for me, actually.”

“I’ll walk you,” he says easily, the seriousness that had hung over him for the last hour slipping away with ease as soon as he latches his bag.

“You don’t have to do that,” you say. “It’s a three-minute walk.”

He shrugs. “I have to eat, too,” he says.

So, for the second time, you leave the library together and head towards the concrete steps that lead to the cafeteria. It’s dark this time, and clouds cover what stars you should be able to see. A thin mist hangs around, illuminated by the orange glow of the streetlights that line the paved paths around campus.

You wave goodbye once you’re inside the cafeteria, and you scan for Kiko, who texted you that she was waiting. When you spot her at a two-person table near the back, you give her a little wave before going to get your food.

When you place your plate on the table and sit, she slides her phone into the pocket of her hoodie. She looks exhausted, deep bags under her eyes. You wonder if she’s been letting her courseload get the better of her.

“Hey,” she says, picking up her fork. “How was tutoring?”

You roll your eyes and tell her about Becky. She listens along and laughs at the right moments, but you can tell she’s got one eye on her phone, which lights up a few times while you’re talking.

“You can check that,” you tell her, smiling. “It’s fine. I’m not offended.”

She shoots you a grateful look and grabs the phone with both hands, typing quickly. As she finishes, she glances at you over the top of it.

“What about the second session?” she asks. “Didn’t you have two today?”

“Yeah,” you say, pushing a cherry tomato around your plate. “The second session was normal. We worked on a paper for a lit class with Watanabe. It’s actually one of the guys from Jin’s house - Taehyung? He’s here somewhere, he walked up with me.”

Kiko blinks at you, clearly trying to keep her face impassive. She’s not very good at it. “Oh yeah?” she asks. “Do you guys, like, talk a lot?”

“We talked a lot about Strindberg,” you say, smiling a little. “It’s my job, I’m not there to hang out. Besides, I’ve got him all figured out after that party last weekend. We wouldn’t have anything to talk about outside of the assignments.”

“Oh,” she says, deflating a little. “Gotcha.”

But as the two of you clear your plates and head back towards the dorm, you find yourself wanting to text Nina about tutoring with Taehyung. What for, you’re not sure. What would you even say? You enjoyed your hour of talking about 19th century plays? Of course you did, you loved lit classes. Nina would focus on the Taehyung of it all, and you don’t feel like getting all defensive right now. 

 When you let yourself into the room, Bridget is laying on the floor, watching something on the tv. “Hey babes,” she calls. “You ready for Thirsty Thursday?”

“I’ll have to pass,” you tell her. “I just spent two hours at tutoring, I have to finish a paper before class tomorrow.”

“Booooo,” she says, rolling to look at you both. “Kiko?”

“Why not?” Kiko says. “My homework is done. Unlike some people.”

“My homework isn’t not done because of poor time management,” you say darkly, shooting her a pretend scowl. “I had work. Some of us have jobs.”

She waves you off with a, “Yeah, yeah,” and sits by Bridget. They talk in low voices about the plan for the night as you sit at your desk and turn your laptop on, ready to get to work. 

You’re still typing when they leave an hour later, the door shutting behind them with finality, leaving you with nothing but the sound of your clacking keyboard.

Friday, November 9th

You bail on Kiko and Bridget on Friday night, too, feeling more behind on a bigger project than you’d like to be. Usually it’s you partying with Bridget while Kiko begs off to study, and this switch-around feels strange.

When you whined about having to miss the fun two nights in a row, Bridget promised you’d all go out on Saturday, and you’re banking on her keeping her word. 

You turn off the brighter overhead lights and turn on your twinkle lights and your small desk lamp and turn on some lo-fi music as you sit down with an open notebook. You’re about half an hour in when your phone lights up on the floor beside you, and you pick it up quickly, figuring it’s Kiko complaining.

[10:12 PM] Unknown Number: hey Y/N

[10:13 PM] Unknown Number: this is Taehyung - I got your number from Yoongi, I think he asked your roommate for it

[10:14 PM] Unknown Number: sorry if thats creepy, and also i know you’re off duty right now but I am stuck af on this paper ☹️

[10:15 PM] Unknown Number: do you mind helping me real quick? Like five minutes, i promise

You don’t answer for a minute, just staring at your screen, processing. One, Taehyung in on a Friday night to work on his essay seems very out of character. Two, Kiko and Yoongi are close enough now that Yoongi felt comfortable asking her for your number for Taehyung? It might be time to break your own rule and start asking some personal questions.

[10:19 PM] You: Hi Taehyung. What’s the problem with the paper?

Instead of a new text, your phone buzzes a long buzz, your screen coming alive with an incoming video call. What the fuck.

You swipe to accept the call, but you leave your phone on the floor so Taehyung has a nice view of your ceiling.

“Taehyung?” you inquire. “Is a video call really necessary?”

He laughs. “Sorry,” he says. “I really hate texting and calling. That was the most texts I’ve sent to anyone in weeks.” He’s clearly lounging on a couch in a grey hoodie, the hood scrunched up to cover only the back of his head. He looks… comfy. 

“What are you stuck on?” you ask, wanting to get off this call as soon as you can. 

He groans, rubbing at his face with his free hand, the one not holding the phone. “I typed up everything from my notes on the facade theme and I still need like two and a half pages.”

You nod, even though he can’t see you - he’s still only getting your ceiling. He might be comfortable being on a video call when he’s in comfy mode, but you aren’t. “Okay,” you say slowly, thinking. “I guess you need to talk about one more theme. If I give you a few ideas, can you do the same thing you did already and go back to look for the evidence yourself?”

“Yeah,” he says eagerly, obviously thrilled that you’ll do even that much for him. “That would be amazing.”

You think for a minute, trying to remember what you’d done for your own Strindberg paper, almost a whole year ago. “There are also themes of disillusionment… and also, the idea of hauntings and how we as people are haunted.”

He looks at you flatly. “It’s like you just spoke another language.”

You laugh, and he smiles in response. “Disillusionment is a big one,” you tell him. “Think about the main character from the beginning to the end - what he learns is that life sucks, right? He goes in really positive and by the ending he’s accepted that life is just darkness, there’s no one that gets out unscathed or unaffected.”

He licks his lips, looking away from you, clearly thinking about this. “Right,” he says finally. “And the hauntings?”

“Well,” you say slowly, “I thought about all the things we can be haunted by, as people. Like, in real life. I mean, what haunts you?”

When he doesn’t answer this, you explain. “Mistakes can haunt you… regrets… sometimes even your own expectations, like the future you thought you’d have, the person you thought you’d be. In that sense, you can haunt yourself.”

Taehyung doesn’t answer, just watches you evenly, so you continue. “You can even be haunted by… I don’t know, people you’ve lost? People that aren’t in your life anymore?”

Taehyung clears his throat. “That’s… wow, that’s a lot.”

You shrug, forgetting that he can’t see you. “That’s life.”

He shakes his head. “How does it connect back to the text, though? Beyond that there’s a ghost, I guess.”

You start to tell him, referring back to different characters and their own personal “hauntings”, and he shifts, clearly setting the phone against something to keep himself in the frame, but you can hear the tapping of keys as he types notes on what you’re saying. When you’re done explaining, he looks back at you, brow furrowed. You figure you’ve probably just broken his brain.

“Sorry,” you say with a small laugh. “I know that’s intense. Choose one - the disillusionment or the hauntings, and take your notes. I can look them over with you on Wednesday, that leaves you plenty of time to type it up before it’s due.”

“Yeah,” he says, and his voice sounds strange, a little distant. “Thanks for the help, Y/N. I know you really didn’t have to.”

“I’ll send you the bill,” you joke. 

He thanks you again, and you say goodbye, his face vanishing from your screen.

You lay back, heart pounding for no discernable reason. After a few minutes, you lift up your phone in the air so you can see it, and you save Taehyung’s number.

Saturday, November 10th 

The next night, Saturday night, you finally get to make up for spending Thursday and Friday doing homework. 

“We’re going into town,” Bridget tells you after dinner, her eyes on her phone, where the plans are being made. “You in?”

“Fucking yes,” you tell her. “Jin’s house?”

“No, we’re actually going to one of the bars downtown.”

Kiko is already out, so you text her as you heat up the curling iron to see if she wants to join you guys. She answers quickly, telling you she’s busy. Just you and Bridget tonight, which is fine.

You split a Lyft with two girls who room down the hall that you’re friendly with. The driver gives you girls a grin as she pulls up to the curb across the street from the bar. “Make good choices! Watch each other’s backs!” she calls to you as you all clamber out onto the street.

It’s crowded already, but not as bad as you know it will be in about two more hours. The girls you came with wave goodbye and head to the dancefloor, but you and Bridget push onwards to the bar first, ordering up a few rounds of shots. You two keep your spot at the bar for a long time, talking to groups of guys and other girls as they filter in and out to order their own drinks. You’re not a big dancer, but this feels fun - definitely better than standing around Seokjin’s smelly basement trying not to get splashed with beer.

It’s at least an hour later, your buzz strong and steady, that Bridget leans closer to you, eyes wide and she sees something behind you. 

“Isn’t that Jungkook?” she asks, and starts heading that way, reaching for your hand as she goes. You let her drag you along, not knowing who Jungkook is, but when you get close enough to see the guys you wish you’d stayed back at the bar.

It’s Taehyung’s friend with the piercings and tattoos, and of course Taehyung is with him. So is Jimin, and a fourth guy you’ve never seen before.

Jungkook greets Bridget brightly, and you wait for Taehyung to try and act super chummy with you, but he doesn’t. He lifts his glass as a hello, but says nothing. 

“Have you guys met my roommate?” Bridget asks.

“Most of us met last weekend,” you tell her. 

“Not me,” says the new guy, reaching out to shake your hand. He’s got a nice voice - deep - and a firm grip. “Namjoon.”

You introduce yourself, shaking his hand. Bridget and Jungkook have turned their backs on you guys, heads together as they carry on a conversation. Jimin excuses himself and heads towards the dancefloor, and Taehyung follows him wordlessly, leaving you standing awkwardly with Namjoon.

“Do you live at Jin’s too?” you ask, just to make conversation. You watch Taehyung separate from Jimin and lean against the bar, then you remind yourself to pay attention to the conversation you’re having.

He smiles. “No, I have my own place in town. Close to here, actually. You go to the university?”

“Yeah,” you say. “I’m in my third year. Almost done. How do you know the guys?”

“I’m friends with Yoongi,” he explains. “So I’m at the house a lot. I know your roommates, but I never met you.”

“Oh, I - wait, roommates? You know Kiko too?”

His eyes widen, as if he’s inadvertently given away a secret. “I mean - uh - yeah? She’s been at the house with Yoongi almost every day this week?”

You’re floored, fucking flabbergasted. How had you not noticed? She’d been home every night, and even met you for dinner multiple times this week! When had she had the time to be gallivanting off-campus with Yoongi? And did Bridget know? Were you the only one who didn’t?

You suddenly realize that Yoongi isn’t there with the rest of the guys either. That must be where Kiko is tonight, why she told you she couldn’t go out. 

 “I need another drink,” you tell Namjoon, and you turn to head back to the bar. He follows you, leaving Jungkook and Bridget still talking animatedly about god-knows-what. 

Taehyung is still at the bar, so you head towards his spot. He glances at you, then at Namjoon, and shifts over to make room for you. You catch the bartender’s eye and order three more shots, intending to share. 

Taehyung’s arm is suddenly over your shoulders, heavy, and you realize for the first time that he’s already super drunk.

“This girl, Joon,” he says, shaking his head conspiratorially. “Be careful. She’ll just come out of nowhere and ask you shit like ‘what haunts you’-,” he mimics you in a sultry voice, and you’re not sure how to feel about that detail, “and then carry on like nothing happened. Shit, what haunts you, what the fuck was that?” he demands.

“An essay thesis?” you say, unsure. “It was an idea for an essay thesis?”

“You’ll have to excuse Taehyung,” Namjoon says, smiling, patting his friend on the shoulder. “He’s not his best self tonight.”

“The fuck I’m not,” Taehyung replies hotly, and then his arm is gone from your shoulders. He throws back the shot you bought for him and disappears into the crowd without saying goodbye.

When you and Bridget make it home - sometime after the bar closes at two - Kiko isn’t there. 

[3:01 AM] You: are you safe?

[3:02 AM] Kiko✌️: yes, thanks for checking

[3:03 AM] Kiko✌️: see you tmrw

[3:06 AM] You: hey can you ask Yoongi to make sure Taehyung made it back okay? He was traaaaaaaaaaashed

[3:08 AM] Kiko✌️: …………….who said im w yoongi

[3:09 AM] You: 😇😇😇 ur secrets out babe

[3:12 AM] You: so???? Taehyung???? home safe???

–

[3:20 AM] Taehyung: ur worried about me? thats adorable

[3:22 AM] You: if u die i don’t get a paycheck 🤗🤗

Sunday, November 11th

When you wake up on Sunday, it’s after noon. Kiko’s still asleep (you never heard her come in, and you went to bed sometime around four in the morning) across the room. You can hear Bridget rolling over in the bunk above you, but it’s hard to tell if she’s awake or not. 

You grab your phone from the charger and make sure you haven’t missed any calls or texts (you haven’t). After a few minutes, you get up and get dressed, stopping in the bathroom to pee and brush your teeth. Then, you make your way downstairs and outside.

It’s mid-November, and the weather got the memo. The sky is grouchy grey, the clouds hanging low. The wind nips at your exposed neck, and you pull your jacket tighter around your body as you speed-walk down the steps to the student center, and the cafe inside.

You expect it to be more crowded than it is, so when the barista hands you your coffee, you take it to a small corner booth instead of back to your room. You’re sitting there, spacing out a little, hands wrapped around the hot coffee cup, when your phone lights up on the table.

[12:57 PM] Taehyung: hey

[12:58 PM] Taehyung: Joon says I was a little much last night

[1:00 PM] Taehyung: so i wanted to apologize if i said or did anything out of line

You answer quickly and hit send before really thinking it through -

[1:01 PM] You: no worries, u were cute

You look at what you sent with wide eyes. That was… probably not the best choice of words. You rush to do damage control, adding -

[1:03 PM] You: it was funny, nothing out of line. I appreciate the concern tho

[1:07 PM] Taehyung: okay good. I honestly dont remember a lot of last night 😑

[1:09 PM] Taehyung: i don’t make a habit of doing that… jsyk

[1:12 PM] You: its not really my business 🤷‍♀️ see you wednesday, ok?

[1:19 PM] Taehyung: k.

–

When you return to your room, a hot refill sloshing around your cup, you can see the light from Kiko’s phone illuminating her face. She gives you a sleepy wave. You set your coffee down on her desk and kick off your shoes. You curl yourself into an L on the end of her bed, on top of the comforter, your head resting by her stomach. 

“Hi,” she whispers. Bridget must still be asleep. “How’s the coffee?”

“Magical,” you whisper back, closing your eyes. 

You’re both quiet for a minute, and then you look up at her. “Kiko? Anything you want to talk about?”

“Not really,” she says, apologetically, and it’s this tone that tells you that there are things worth talking about, and she is apologetic for not wanting to talk about them with you. 

“You’ve been hanging at Jin’s a lot?” you ask casually, purposely leaving Yoongi’s name out of it.

“Mhm,” she says. 

You wait. 

Nothing.

“You’re okay, though?” you say finally. “Like, everything is alright?”

“Yeah,” she says softly. “Everything’s… really good.” She smiles down at her hands, and you roll over her legs to vacate her bed. You know a lost cause when you see one. She isn’t going to tell you anything she doesn’t want to, and that’s fine. You look at your side of the room; you really don’t feel like sitting over there in silence while Bridget sleeps and Kiko keeps her secrets. You don’t have homework to do, either, since you knocked it all out on Thursday and Friday night. You decide to take your refilled coffee and go to your favorite spot, cold weather be damned. 

At the end of the trail - the one you take to the train station - you can either stay on the paved trail and continue into town, or you can take a left onto a dirt path and enter a wilderness preserve with a lot of walking paths. There are quite a few of them, but they all loop around to meet in one central spot, kind of like spokes of a wheel. Your favorite spot is a bench at the end of one of these trails, overlooking the water there.

It’s a fifteen-minute walk to even get to the trailhead, and then another fifteen out to Your Bench, and by the time you get there your coffee cup is empty. You barely pass anyone the whole way there, because it’s freezing and all the smart people are inside. 

You sit. You breathe. You watch the edge of the water lap at the muddy banks, rhythmic, like the lake is breathing in and out, steady and sleepy. Branches bob gently overhead, devoid of leaves, bare little arms defenseless against the November winds. Some ducks paddle around aimlessly, waiting to see if you’ll throw bread. It’s even better when the sun is shining, the trees are green, flowers blooming - but you’ll take it this way too. You exhale, feeling at peace again.

Until your phone buzzes against your palm.

[2:06 PM] Briiiiig: kiko thinks ur upset

[2:07 PM] You: i’m not

[2:09 PM] Briiiiig: she’s just private

[2:10 PM] You: i know.

[2:15 PM] You: did u know, tho? 

[2:17 PM] Briiiiig: only bc the guys were gossiping abt it. she didnt tell me.

Well, that’s fair. A little bolstered, you decide to call and check up on Nina. Despite it being well after two o’clock, she answers sleepily.

“Hey,” you say. “What’s new?”

“Nothing,” she says through a yawn. “How about you?”

“Just at my spot by the trail,” you tell her, still watching the hopeful ducks. Nina yawns again. “Big night?” you ask.

“House party,” she tells you, still sounding mostly asleep. 

“Nice,” you saw, toeing the dirt a little. “How was it?”

“It was awesome,” she tells you. “Hey, speaking of house parties… guess who texted me?”

“Who?”

“The guy from your campus? Hoseok?”

“Wow,” you say. “I thought you didn’t get his number.”

“I didn’t, but he found my insta and messaged me.”

“So are you guys talking now?” you ask.

“I don’t know,” she tells you. “I guess a little. I don’t know how into it I am.”

That sounds like Nina.

“Well, on a related note,” you say, “I’ve been talking to his housemate a bit -.” You’re about to add the because I’m tutoring him part, but she doesn’t let you get there.

“The guy from the party?” she interrupts. “Seriously?”

You pause. There’s an edge to her seriously that you’re not sure how to take.

“Is that a problem?” you ask flatly. You and Taehyung aren’t even talking - not the way the conversation implied, anyway - but that isn’t the point. The point is that if you were, this is how’d she’d react, apparently. 

“No,” she says quickly, all innocence. “Just weird for you. You haven’t talked to a guy since Davis. And the guy from the party was so… fratty. Just doesn’t strike me as your type, that’s all.”

“I don’t think I have a type,” you say. 

“Well,” she says lightly, “it’s nice to see you finally moving on from Davis. I’m happy for you. This is a good first step.”

It’s on your walk home, twenty minutes after telling Nina goodbye and heading back towards campus, that you realize you never did explain to her that you and Taehyung weren’t talking talking in the first place.

Next

Thank you so much for being here! I appreciate every single like, reblog, comment, ask, or DM!

A thank you, as always, to my fabulous beta @kookstempo for the beta-ing and for putting up with my complaining all week as I've been sick!😘😘😘

[watchmegetobsessed]

TO LOVE AND BE LOVED - Part Six (Harry Styles)

a/n: LAST PART OMG!! im a little emotional this story has come to its end but it already ended up like twice as long as i planned it to be haha! thank you so much for reading and loving the story, it means so much to me and i loved seeing your reactions as the plot developped! i hope you guys will be happy with the ending our pair got and i can’t wait to read your thoughts about the series as a whole!!

pairing: CEO!Dad!Harry X Reader

warning: mentions of death, cheating and divorce, sexual content

word count: 14.8k

SERIES MASTERPOST masterlist

Waking up next to Harry is probably your most favorite thing in the entire world right now and you’ve been able to experience it every morning since you dropped Izzy off at Anne’s. You’re missing her like crazy and can’t wait to have her back, but part of you is desperate to stretch these days as long as possible, because you’re not sure if Harry will be comfortable with you sleeping in his room once his little one is back under the roof.

It’s always the same, yet you can’t get enough of it. Harry grumbles as he turns the alarm off, snuggles back to you for just a few minutes before he forces himself to take a shower. In the meantime you start breakfast and his coffee waits for him ready by the time he joins you in the kitchen. You eat together, sometimes talking, sometimes just silently enjoying each other’s presence and it’s the perfect way to start your days.

Then Harry is off to work and you go for whatever shooting you had planned for the day. Luckily, you’ve been keeping yourself busy. If your day ended early, you always found something else to do, you picked Trevor up another time and also managed to have lunch with Harry on Thursday which was such a nice change, even if it was just eating takeout in his office because you were in the neighborhood and he had some time to see you.

Now it’s Friday and you’re spending it with some editing and eventually packing, since you’re leaving to the countryside for Sarah and Mitch’s wedding when Harry comes home. You’ve been looking forward to this weekend all week, you had a few phone calls with Sarah and the two of you hit it off quite well, you can’t wait to finally attend the wedding. And also because Harry is coming with you, so it’ll be a kind of weekend getaway even though the two of you have been alone home all week.

Harry runs a little late from work so you leave about an hour later than you planned, but it’s all good, since nothing is planned for the evening, you just wanted to be at the location on time. It’s going to be a small wedding, nothing extra and it’s held in an inn near the beach, the perfect spot in your opinion, especially because even the weather seems to be celebration the occasion and it won’t be raining cats and dogs.

Heather: A double date? I don’t know, who’s the guy?

You’re texting Heather in the car and you finally bring up the possibility of going on a double date with Niall.

Y/N: Photo attachment

Y/N: He is a cool guy, I think you would like him!

Heather: He surely is hot! Alright, we’ll see. Anyway, have fun with your super hot and rich boyfriend this weekend! Tell me all about the wedding next week!

Y/N: Thanks!

Your eyes scan over the word boyfriend. You didn’t want to correct her and tell her that you are not boyfriend and girlfriend, just dating, because you kind of enjoy the thought of being an official item. It’s been just a few weeks since it all started and you know that Harry needs to take things in his own pace, but that doesn’t mean you don’t like to play with the thought.

You’re aching to finally call him your boyfriend or what’s better, hear him call you his girlfriend. The thought of calling this man yours is making you go nuts but you need to be patient with him. He has gone through so much change lately, you can’t let your silliness ruin it for the both of you.

It’s late by the time you arrive to the Inn and you both feel exhausted from the ride so you want nothing else than to get a good night sleep before the wedding tomorrow.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Sarah greets the two of you when you walk into the Inn. She envelopes you in a warm hug before doing the same with Harry. IN the meanwhile, Mitch has also appeared and he greets you with a short hug as well before giving a brotherly hug to Harry. “Had a safe ride?”

“Yeah, everything went fine,” you nod smiling.

“Great. Well, here is your room key, made sure you two are getting one of the larger rooms,” Sara smiles slyly, but you’re taken aback by something else.

“We’re sharing a room?” you ask turning to Harry, who seems nervous about your question, though it wasn’t your intention to make him ashamed in any kind of way.

“Oh, yeah. I mean, Sarah asked me this week which room I want and I told her we would be sharing… Is that okay? We-we could ask for a room for you as well if y—“ “Harry,” you chuckles softly, giving his hand a squeeze. “I would love to share, I just wasn’t expecting you to want to do the same is all,” you tell him and you can see the relief in his eyes instantly.

You talk over a few things with Sarah before taking your stuff up to the room and calling it a night. Harry takes a shower first in the small bathroom that’s joined to your room and in the meantime you hang your dress up so it doesn’t get too wrinkly by the morning. Then you just get all your equipment done, making sure everything is full and loaded for the big day tomorrow. When Harry is done you take your turn and the hot shower feels nice, quite relaxing. Walking out you find Harry lying in bed, typing on his phone, he smiles up at you when you join him in bed.

“My mum sent me this. They went to the park today.” He turns the screen towards you and a photo of Izzy is shown with ice-cream all over her face, grinning happily into the camera.

“She could literally live on ice-cream,” you chuckle, making yourself comfortable under the sheets.

“And gummy bears,” Harry chuckles before locking his phone and putting it to the side table. He is quick to wrap his arms around you, pulling you against his side and you smile as you snuggle to him, enjoying the heat of his body. “Good night, love,” he murmurs, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head.

“Good night, H,” you softly reply before letting yourself drift to sleep within seconds.

You already have a lot of experience with weddings and no matter how big or small it is, the day is always a little bit chaotic, everyone is all over the place, there’s no time for just messing around, especially for you.

Following a nice breakfast with Harry on the tiny balcony that’s connected to your room, you are forced to part since Harry is supposed to be with all the other guys, getting ready in the room that’s reserved for Mitch, while you kind of need to be everywhere at the same time, but you obviously spend the most time with Sarah, wanting to capture all her best moments.

Sometime around noon you get about an hour off while everyone else is getting lunch and Harry texts you to join him on the mole down the beach that runs just below the inn. When you arrive he is already sitting on one of the old wood benches with a pizza box on his lap.

“Hey,” you smile softly and leaning down you peck his lips quickly before joining him on the bench.

“The boy ordered pizza and I got one for us too, hope it’s okay.”

“Of course, I didn’t even think about lunch until you texted,” you chuckle as he settles the box between the two of you and you both take a slice.

“So how are the photos coming up so far?”

“Good, I’ll have a ton of editing to do, but I think they will like the outcome.”

“Can I have a sneak peek of them?” he smirks playfully, but you shake your head.

“No, the first ones to see them will be Sarah and Mitch, sorry,” you chuckle as he pouts his lips at you, but goes back to his slice right after.

You both are just enjoying the quiet for a little, having had a busy day so far, exchanging very few words, but it’s still a nice time spent together. It is just the two of you until a guy approaches you on the mole.

“Hey guys! Mitch wondered where you went, H,” he smirks down at Harry before his eyes land on you. He is tall, but not as tall as Harry, rocking a noticeable beard and he is wearing the same outfit as Harry: maroon pants with a crispy white dress shirt. “Oh, you’re the photographer, right?” he smiles at you.

“Yeah, I’m Y/N,” you answer nicely, holding out a hand for him.

“I’m Landon, Mitch’s cousin,” he nods with a charming smile. “Sorry for interrupting your lunch guys. Just wanted to let you know that Mitch wants to do a round of shots when everyone’s back,” he chuckles.

“He is gonna be so hammered,” Harry chuckles shaking his head. “I’ll be back soon, thanks Landon.”

“No worries. I’ll see you around, Y/N,” he smiles at you before turning around and walking back to the inn. You catch Harry’s eyes for a moment and you have a guess what he is thinking about. Landon seemed to like you, with his flirty smiles and friendly introduction, he was surely thinking about shooting his shot, but he might not know that you’re dating Harry.

However he doesn’t say anything, just continues to eat his lunch in silence and quite frankly, you forget about Landon’s existence pretty fast.

After lunch it gets a bit hectic. The ceremony is starting at 3, so you don’t have much time left. You do the first look reveal thing and this time their son, James is included in it, which is honestly such a pure moment and capturing it feels like a privilege.

Soon enough the guests are starting to arrive and you quickly run up to the room to change into your dress. Most of the time you are not required to dress up for the job, but you like to blend into the crowd so you usually choose to wear a nice dress and you’re doing the same this time as well. You’ve brought a pastel yellow satin dress that teases a little cleavage, and you pair it with a cream colored cardigan, creating a simple but still elegant look for the rest of the day. You’re fixing your makeup in a hurry when the door opens and Harry walks in.

He immediately stops in his tracks upon seeing you in front of the mirror, his eyes traveling down the lengths of your body, a stunned expression adorning his handsome features.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were… in here,” he mumbles and you can see the blush forming on his cheeks. “You look… You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” you chuckle softly. He takes a few steps closer to you and reaching up he brushes a loose strand of hair behind your ear, his fingers leaving a trail of delicate touch on the side of your face.

Leaning down his lips hover over yours for a moment, as if he was giving you the chance to pull back, but who are you to deny anything from Harry Styles? So when you stay in place, he finally presses his lips to yours in a slow and tender kiss filled with passion. His hands cup your face in his and you bring yours up to wrap around his wrists as you kiss him back, already craving more than just a kiss.

But it feels like you are not the only one growing hungrier with the seconds, one of Harry’s hands wander down to your butt and you feel his palm’s warmth through the thin layer of your dress, though you wish there was nothing between his skin and yours. When he starts kissing down your jawline and neck, pushing you backwards you hate to break the moment, but there’s no time for any funny business. So painfully, but you pull back, already missing his lips on yours.

“I would really love to continue this, but I need to be with Sarah in about three minutes,” you chuckle softly.

“Yeah, I need to get back to Mitch too,” he sighs, pecking the corner of your mouth before his arms fall from around you.

“I’ll see you later, yeah?” you smile up at him, fixing the collar of his shirt.

“Yeah,” he smiles with a boyish smile before you part ways again.

All through the ceremony you are kind of all over the place, trying to get the best shots, you don’t have much time to spare. Sarah’s entrance with her dad and James walking down the aisle is so beautiful and you get some amazing shots of Mitch’s emotions upon seeing his future wife. They tell their vows, touching every guest with their sweet words to each other and then they finally say ‘I do’ and become husband and wife.

You snap a series of photos of that moment as well, but then you allow yourself to peek over at Harry who is already watching you with a soft smile. You can feel yourself blushing, his gaze is warm but also quite intimidating in this sentimental moment.

And then the party finally starts. You try to follow the newly weds around as much as possible, but you also get around the tent, shooting pictures of the guests as well. You only get to have a few moments with Harry, because either you need to rush off or sometimes someone finds him and wants to have a few words. He is quite popular among the guests, but it’s no surprise. You’d want to have the chance to talk to him too if you saw him.

“Have you even had a bite yet?” A male voice calls out for you when you’re trying to sneak from one point to the other. Glancing over your shoulder you see Landon with a drink in his hand.

“I’ll eat later. The dance is about to happen so I need to be ready for that,” you smile at him.

“Mitch told me they found a really good photographer, but he surely forgot to mention how devoted you are. I’m excited to see the photos.”

“Thanks, I’m trying my best,” you chuckle.

“Save me a dance later?”

“Oh, um, sure,” you nod with a nervous chuckle. “But I really gotta go now,” you excuse yourself before he could even get another word out.

As you slalom between the tables you spot Harry sitting at one of them and he is staring at Landon from across the room, a not too friendly look plastered across his face. You wonder if he has seen you talking to him and now he is feeling jealous or if you’re just seeing things. But you don’t have much time to ponder on it, work is calling you.

As the happy couple share their first dance, soon enough more and more guests join them and you’re standing at the side, snapping the cute dance partners slow dancing to the music with Sarah and Mitch in the middle. You’re adjusting the settings on your camera, when a tall figure appears in front of you.

“May I have a dance?” Harry asks, holding out a hand for you like a true gentleman.

“Oh, I should—“

“If you are about to say you should be taking pictures, the bride told me to ask you,” he tells you with a soft chuckle and as your eyes fall on Sarah, she is smiling in your way happily, nodding her approval to get off duty for just a little.

“Then, I would love to,” you smile shyly, taking Harry’s hand as he takes you to the dance floor. Placing his hands to your waist he pulls you close to him while you rest your arms around his neck, swaying to the rhythm very gently.

“I always get a little emotional at weddings,” he confesses with a small smile.

“Yeah? Why?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugs. “I just… love seeing people in love. Especially when they are my friends,” he adds chuckling.

“It really is a nice thing.”

Harry pulls you tighter against him, his cheek pressing against the side of your head and you let your eyes fall closed for a few seconds, enjoying this moment with him. He starts to softly him the song and his voice flows through your ears smoothly, you’re in awe how good his voice is. He never told you he is a good singer too above being an amazing producer.

When the song ends some couples stay, but some make their way off the dance floor and you have to get back to your job as well. Leaning back you squeeze Harry’s arm as his hands fall from your frame too.

“Save a slice from the cake for me,” you smile at him and he nods with a smirk.

“I will. I’ll have it ready for you at the table.”

You place a short kiss to his cheek before you disappear from his sight, leaving him alone again.

The night carries on as usual, sometime after dinner your phone dies so you leave it on the charger up in your room before running back down. The party starts to unfold as the time passes, more drinks are being consumed and this is kind of your secret favorite part, because the more people drink, the more they are willing to pose for funny pictures. This is the time that births the best group photos, in your opinion.

Though you are having an amazing time, you can feel yourself growing tired. When it’s finally cake time you take some time off to sit with Harry who saved you a slice, just as you asked him. It’s nice to have a breather, just enjoy the evening with him by your side again.

“Mm, didn’t know you could eat icing without getting it all over my face,” you tease him, referring back to the time you made such a mess out of the kitchen when you tried to make cupcakes for him.

“Very funny,” he narrows his eyes at you, before dipping his finger into the icing and wiping it onto your nose.

“Hey!” you pout at him, cleaning it up, but he just smirks at you playfully before pecking your lips shortly. It’s the first time he is kissing you in with so many people around and it surely makes you giddy, knowing that he is not trying to hide you in any way.

Weddings are a lot of fun, but they always stretch so long. The party can last till the morning sometimes and you can’t just decide to call it a night and stop doing your job, you need to be there until the DJ shuts the music off and all guests disappear. And it seems like this wedding won’t be any shorter either.

It’s already past midnight when you decide to sneak out for a short break. You’ve been on your feet for way too long and you stole some food too. You hesitated if you should sit back to your table, but you felt like you could use some quiet so you left the tent and found a bench nearby.

As you sit and eat the food you snatched from the buffet table, you hope the party won’t last until the Sun comes up. You get so into your own little world that you almost don’t even notice the approaching tall figure.

“Having a break, huh?” Landon calls out as the gravel crunches under his fancy dress shoes.

“Ah, yeah. I needed a few minutes away from the music,” you chuckle softly. Landon stops in front of you and hides his hands in his pockets as he blinks down at you with tired looking eyes. It might be from the long night, but you are guessing the drinks he’s been consuming don’t help his energy either.

“May I say that you look really pretty? I haven’t been to many weddings yet, but the photographers went for the more comfortable look since they are not on the photos, but you chose to glam yourself.”

“Thanks,” you chuckle softly. “I like to blend into the guests.”

“Well, you don’t blend in this way either, because you look prettier than most women in that tent,” he compliments you and you’re starting to feel awkward. It’s not that you don’t like it when someone is talking highly of you, but it’s obvious what Landon wants and you are definitely not on the same page.

“Um, thank you.”

“I’m sorry if I come off too brash or pushy, but I promised myself I would never miss a chance to compliment a pretty woman when I see one.”

“That’s nice, but I’m afraid I’m not the right person to spend your energy on,” you answer with a tight-lipped smile. Landon narrows his eyes at you, but keeps his playful manner.

“So you don’t find me good-looking, is that it?” he teases and you shake your head with a soft chuckle.

“That’s not what I was talking about.”

“Then you like to break hearts, right? You must enjoy making men fall for you,” he carries on with his little joke and just as you’re about to speak up to tell him you are seeing someone, Harry’s familiar deep voice interrupts the conversation.

“There you are, I’ve been calling you.” He is talking to you, but his eyes are clearly glued to the man standing in front of you.

“Oh, my phone is in the room, I had to charge it,” you tell him.

“What are you guys doing out here?” he asks, clearly not liking the situation, you and Landon alone outside with no one else around. Jealousy is dripping from his eyes that appear so much darker now in the dim lighting.

“I’ve been dumped by this amazing woman right here,” Landon sighs dramatically and Harry cocks an eyebrow at him before glancing over at you.

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah, she is clearly not interested in me, my charm didn’t work on her,” he laughs lightheartedly.

“I hope it didn’t because she is my girlfriend,” Harry answers simply and your lips part at what he just called you.

Landon stumbles back, his smile quickly vanishes from his face as he stares back at Harry. You feel like you’re watching some kind of documentary movie where male animals are trying to win over the female, only that Landon stands no chance in this situation, but you find it quite funny.

“Man, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t—I didn’t know!” he apologizes right away as he realizes why Harry has been kind of spicy around him. Landon then faces you. “Y/N, I didn’t mean to make it awkward and all that, I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine,” you smile at him nicely. He mumbles something about checking up on Mitch before walking away, leaving you and Harry alone. He joins you on the bench, staring after Landon for a few moments before turning to face you. A much softer expression is showing on his face this time.

“So, you just called me your girlfriend,” you point out, trying your best to hold your growing smirk back.

“I, uhh—I did, didn’t I?” he chuckles nervously. “I’m sorry, it just slipped out, because I didn’t like how Landon was trying to chat you up all night…”

“So you didn’t…. You didn’t mean it?” you ask, furrowing your eyebrows, feeling yourself growing disappointed.

“Well, I… I mean, I didn’t mean to say it like that, without discussing it with you, but… I would love to call you my girlfriend,” he admits shyly and you can’t believe that this nervous man next to you is the same man who owns a record label and manages his million dollars business every day without a problem.

“I like the sound of that,” you smirk, leaning closer to him so your noses are almost touching.

“Yeah?” he smiles, a lot more relieved and playfully than he was a moment ago.

“Mhm,” you nod, biting your lip. You blindly put your plate to the side before cupping his face in both of your hands and pulling him in for a kiss, your first one as boyfriend and girlfriend. Part of you feels silly that it makes you so ecstatic, like you’re a high school girl, but in this moment you couldn’t care less.

What starts as a sweet and innocent kiss quickly turns into something more, something heated. When Harry’s hands find your bare thighs and they slightly slide under your dress you can’t help but yearn for more, pulling him closer as your tongues meet. Your fingers lace through his curls, tugging on them gently and you’re fighting the urge to throw a leg over him and just sit on his lap straddling him. When he starts kissing down your jawline and neck, you have to stop him for the second time today, not that you wanted to do it anytime, but the time and place hasn’t been right.

“We can’t…” you sigh, pulling back even though every fiber in your body is telling you otherwise. Harry lets out a long sigh, nodding his head.

“Yeah, I know.”

“But hopefully, the party will end soon and then we will be all alone in our room,” you smirk at him slyly and it brings back the shine into his eyes.

“I can’t wait,” he mumbles before kissing you one last time.

From that moment, Harry lingers around you at all times for the rest of the night. He is always either right by your side, or within a few feet away from you, keeping an eye on you, but not in an obsessive and intrusive kind of way. His eyes are filled with lust every time you share a look at each other and you can tell he can’t wait for the party to finally be over. Whenever he is next to you, he makes sure to touch you in any kind of way. Placing his palm to the small of your back, your arm or your hips, or when you sit next to each other he rests his hand on your thigh or knee without hesitation. And you are loving all the affection you are being showered with.

By the time the wedding officially ends and you can finally call it a night, you are both touch starved and hungry for each other. Harry pulls you against him on the stairs up to your room, not even giving a damn that you are still out in the public. His mouth attacks you hungrily, kissing you anywhere he can reach as the two of you stumble up your way to the room.

Pushing the door open you basically fall inside, giggling against Harry’s lips as he shuts the door closed and presses you up against it, making you gasp at the action. He is so much more demanding and confident than the last time you shared an intimate moment and though you’re not sure how far he is planning to go, you know you are ready to give him anything he desires.

“As much as I love this dress on you, it needs to go,” he playfully smirks as his hands bunch your dress up on your thigh before grabbing it and pulling it off your body, leaving you only in your underwear so fast.

Your lips find his as your fingers work fast on the buttons of his shirt while you inch further into the room towards the bed. You both kick your shoes off on the way and when you fall to the mattress Harry’s shirt is already gone. He climbs above you as you sink into the way too many pillows and you blindly throw a few off the bed to give you more space. Harry licks into your mouth one last time before he moves down your neck and collarbones, peppering your heated skin with his kisses, his hands already sliding under your back to unclasp your bra. Arching your back you give him space to do the task on hand and a few moments later you are lying under him with your chest completely bare. His name falls from your lips as a whimper when his mouth comes in contact with your left nipple, kissing, licking and sucking on it while his hand kneads your other breast before he switches, giving both sides the same amount of attention. Your fingers lace through his unruly curls as you enjoy his touch that’s burning and soothing at the same time.

When he kisses down your stomach and hips, he hooks his fingers into your lacy underwear, but stop before doing anything, looking up at you for reassurance. You give him the green light by nodding and he carefully pulls the fabric off your body, baring you in front of his eyes completely. His kisses pepper his way up your inner thighs until he finally reaches your dripping wet core.

“Harry!” you moan when his tongue and lips press against your clit, swirling and sucking on it just right, making you shiver under his touch. He curls his arms around your legs, keeping them in place as he keeps working his magic, making you a whimpering mess with each lick.

He does the same thing as last time, teases you with his finger dancing around your entrance until you are basically ready to beg him for more. Then he finally pushes two fingers inside you and starts pumping in a slow pace that drives you nuts, leaving you ache for more of him.

You pull him up before he could get you to the top, because that’s not how you want it now and you need to know if he is ready to take this step with you. He understands what you want from just a look as he hovers above you and you cup his face in your hands tenderly.

“I want it,” he breathes out and you could come just from those three words.

“Are you sure?” you ask, though you just want to jump right at it already. Still, you want to make sure he is completely fine with everything that’s about to happen.

“Yeah. I am,” he nods before leaning down he presses his lips against yours.

Your hands reach down and undo his pants, pushing them down along with his boxers before he does the rest of the job kicking them off. His erection presses up against your thigh as his hips fall down a bit and you moan with just the feeling of him on your skin. Wrapping your hands around his shaft you start pumping him while your kiss never breaks.

“Oh fuck,” he moans in sensation and you grin against his lips, enjoying the thought that you are the one making him feel this good.

“Do you have a condom?” you breathe out.”

“Shit, I don’t…”

“It’s alright, I have one.” You sneak out from under him and rush over to your bag to look for your toiletries, you know you have one somewhere in there. When you finally find the little package you quickly get back to the bed where Harry is now lying on his back. Kneeling next to him you give him a soft, reassuring look.

“Do you want me to…?” you imply, holding up the foil.

“Oh, um, yeah, sure,” he nods and you swear you see him blushing. Ripping the package open you lean closer and roll the condom down his hard length before throwing a leg over his lap and get back to kissing him. You take your time with him, running your hands up and down his toned, inked chest as his palms warm the skin on your waist while your lips move together in sync perfectly. You could tell he needed a moment to get settled and wrap his mind around what’s really about to happen.

“Everything alright?” you ask, a little out of breath as you hold yourself up above him. He nods shortly. “Do you want me on top or you want to switch?”

“C-can you stay on top for now?”

“Yeah,” you smile at him warmly, before capturing his lips in a sweet kiss while your right hand wanders down his body until you reach his hard cock. Harry whimpers against your lips when you wrap your hand around the base, lining him up with yourself.

“Tell me if you want to stop, alright?” you ask him and in any other situation you’d find it a little funny that it’s you asking him that, usually this request comes from the guy, but you just want to make sure he is comfortable with everything that’s happening. Harry nods again and as he gulps hard his Adam’s apple bops up and down. Leaning down you kiss him again as you slowly ease down yourself just enough so that the head of his cock slides inside you. You stop, giving both him and you the chance to get accustomed to the feeling. It’s been quite some time for you as well, and your fingers do not compare to Harry’s size, that’s for sure.

He keeps one hand on your hip while the other reaches up and cups the side of your head, panting against your lips from the feeling of finally being inside you. Once you’ve made sure you both adjusted to the feeling, you allow yourself to sink further down until his whole length disappears inside you. You stay still, shutting your eyes closed as you let your walls stretch around his erection, making that slight pain you feel go away. Adding the length and thickness of his cock to the long drought you’ve had in the field of sex is making it feel like you are having your first time again in a way. It’s not that awkward and definitely not that painful, but still, that’s what it reminds you of.

“Are you good?” he asks, squeezing your hip gently. Your eyes snap open and meet his green ones that are now clouded with a little bit of worry.

“Yeah, it’s just… You’re big, Harry,” you admit with a soft chuckle that brings a cocky grin to his lips as well. “Just give me a moment.”

He just nods again and both his hands start running up and down your sides reassuringly as you take a few seconds to yourself before you start moving your hips. You start off slowly, dragging your movements out, trying to see what feels the best and judging from Harry’s moans and grunts he is enjoying himself no matter what you do. Your hands sprawl out on his chest, fingers digging into his skin as you lean onto him while starting to move up and down his throbbing cock.

“Fuck, you feel so good!” he whimpers, almost as if he was in pain, but you can see the pleasure in his eyes.

Your thighs start to burn, but you keep moving yourself, not wanting to stop, because you’re feeling your orgasm building up inside you. When he starts thrusting up to meet your movements, you moan his name so loudly there’s a chance the people next door heard you, but you couldn’t care about that now.

Harry might have noticed that you’re starting to get tired, so pushing himself up he wraps his arms around you and turns you over until you’re the one lying on the bed and he holds himself up above you on his arms. Your legs circle around his waist as he starts moving in and out of you, the new position making you both moan and gasp at the sensation.

“Harry!” you whine as he keeps hitting that one spot inside you, pushing you closer to the edge dangerously fast.

“Am I making you feel good, baby? You like it?”

“You’re making me feel so good, please don’t stop!” you beg him as he buries his face in your neck, sucking on the soft skin, most definitely leaving a mark on you that you’ll wear proudly tomorrow. You would never want to hide the fact how good Harry fucked you, let the world know that your boyfriend made you feel so amazing!

“Oh my God, I’m getting close. Are you feeling it too? Are you gonna cum for me, baby?” he asks, his lips brushing against your earlobe. Grabbing his face you pull him into a kiss, pushing your tongue into his mouth mercilessly and the grunt he lets out is making your insides tremble. It’s animalistic, so passionate and sexual, you want to hear this every day for the rest of your life.

“I’m close, go a little harder, Harry!” you plead and he does as you asked without hesitation, his hips slamming harder against you, making you gasp for air as your head sinks into the pillow, your back arching in pleasure.

“Cum for me, Y/N. Let it go!”

“Harry!” you whine, as you can feel your orgasm threatening to burst inside you any moment.

“Say my name when you cum, I want to hear who’s making you feel so good, baby!”

Your fingers dig into his hair as you chant his name over and over again with each thrust he makes and then your release finally arrives. You moan and whimper, shaking under his naked, sweaty body, his name falling from your lips as an endless glorification. Your walls clench around his cock and it’s the last straw for him as well, his thrusts become sloppy and uncoordinated as he cries out your name, his hips slamming hard against you while he rides his orgasm out. Reaching down you drag your nails down his back until you reach his perfectly round ass, giving it a cheeky squeeze while he buries his head into the crook of your neck, thrusting into you a few more times before coming to a stop.

Turning your head you kiss his temple, running your hands up and down his back while you both try to catch your breath, coming off your high. Soon Harry pulls out and rolls off of you, his body smashing into the mattress beside you, his face glowing from that post sex euphoria. After a few moments of just panting and blinking into the void you finally feel yourself returning to reality and rolling to your side you cuddle to Harry’s body, his arm instantly coming to circle around you.

“Everything alright?” you softly ask, placing a tender kiss to his chest under one of his swallow tattoos. The last thing you want is to have him freak out now that the deed has been done, but when he gifts you with a tired but genuine smile, your worries vanish into thin air.

“Yeah. I’m all good. More than good,” he chuckles before lifting his head and placing a soft kiss to your forehead. His fingers are dancing up and down your naked back, following the line of your spine and your ribs, his smoothing touch already working as a lullaby on you, but you’re determined to stay awake just a little longer.

“Are you turned on by hearing your own name during sex?” you tease him with a sly smile as you think back to how much he enjoyed you scream his name over and over again.

“I might have a bit of a praise kink,” he admits truthfully with a smirk.

“Mm, interesting.”

“What’s yours?”

“What do you like during sex?”

“You, balls deep inside me,” you bluntly answer, making him laugh at your words. “And I like doggy,” you then add to actually answer his question.

“Yeah?”

“Mhm, and maybe some hair pulling. Not in an extreme way, but I like a little.” “Alright, noted,” he hums nodding.

You both clean yourselves up in the bathroom, moving around each other naked without any shame. Harry then puts on a pair of clean boxers and you change into your night clothes, though the moment you make yourself comfortable in Harry’s arms in bed his hand sneaks up your back under the shirt, tugging the material up. You could have just stayed shirtless, but now you’re too tired to even move. His fingers are drawing little patterns over your skin as you listen to his steady breathing before drifting off to sleep.

Sunday feels like a day after a sleepover in high school, when you’re thinking about everything that has happened the day before, and you’re so happy it happened but you’re kind of tired and just want the comfort of your home already.

Sarah and Mitch leave for their honeymoon early in the morning. You say goodbye and Sarah just keeps thanking you for your work even though she hasn’t even seen the picture yet.

“But I’m sure they are amazing! Can’t wait to see them!” she beams at you when you try to tell her to just wait for the actual outcome.

You leave the inn a little before noon heading to Anne’s to pick Izzy up. You have lunch somewhere on the road and then you sing along to the music in the car, enjoying yet another roadtrip together, making the best out of your last minutes alone. You’re happy to see that Harry hasn’t seemed to spiral after what happened last night, he seems delighted and pleased, maybe even excited. Driving down the highway he keeps a hand on your thigh whenever he doesn’t need to use it on the shifting gear and every time he reaches for you, it turns you into a giddy little girl.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Izzy chants upon running into Harry’s arms the moment you park down on Anne’s driveway. Apparently, she’s been sitting by the window for an hour, waiting for her dad to finally arrive.

“Oh, I missed you so much, baby!” Harry cheers, catching the running girl and lifting her up into his arms, hugging her close. It’s such a sweet sight, seeing the two purest people you know be so happy to see each other after a week spent apart.

“I missed you too!” Izzy sighs, wrapping her short arms around Harry’s neck, nuzzling into her daddy’s embrace and your heart is fluttering in your chest for sure.

Anne invites the two of you inside for a tea, Harry helps Izzy pack all her stuff while she is nonstop blabbering about everything she did with her grandma during the week, and Harry listens to her intently, even though she already shared everything with him on the phone when he called every night.

“How did the wedding go?” Anne asks you cheerfully as you help her in the kitchen.

“Oh, it was amazing! Sarah looked so beautiful and everything went smoothly.”

“That’s great, they are such a cute couple!”

Anne is quick to ask you about photography, how long you’ve been doing it and you even show her a few of your works seeing how enthusiastic she is about the whole thing. You were a little nervous about meeting her, but she is just as sweet and kind as her son, making it so easy to treat her just as a friend, not as the mother of your boyfriend.

Before leaving Izzy insists on showing you all the paintings she made for Anne this week, she has them on the wall in her little home office. While you’re shown around in Izzy’s personal gallery, Harry joins his mother downstairs, finishing up his tea.

“I assume the weekend went well, you two are glowing,” she smiles slyly at him and Harry can’t hide his boyish smile.

“I uhh… I asked her to be my girlfriend,” he admits and Anne gasps happily, thrilled about the news.

“I’m so happy for you, Har. I think she is a really good match for you!” she beams, pulling him into a motherly hug, kissing his cheek as if he was just a little boy, not a grown man.

“Thanks, mum. I’m happy too.” “You deserve it. It’s so good to see you living your life again.” Soon enough, Harry loads the car with Izzy’s stuff and it’s time to say goodbye.

“Bye Anne, it was so nice to see you!” you smile hugging her.

“Come back soon, Darling! Nag this old man to visit me more often!” Anne jokes giving Harry a playful look who leaves her comment unnoticed, giving his mother a tight hug.

“Thank you for everything mum, love you, I’ll call you alright?”

“Drive safe!” she calls after you all as you get into the car and wave her goodbye leaving.

The drive home tired Izzy out, or maybe it’s just the change of settings again. Whatever it is, she can barely stay awake until dinner, so once her tummy is filled Harry decides to put her to sleep early.

Izzy asks Harry to lie in bed with her as he reads her a bedtime story, she is extra clingy now that she is back with her daddy, but Harry is enjoying having his little one back so he doesn’t mind it. Izzy snuggles to his side, playing with the ears of the bunny she chose to sleep with tonight as she listens to his steady, smooth voice talk her to sleep.

“Daddy?” she asks quietly, already half asleep.

“Yes, baby?”

“Are you going to marry Y/N?”

The question catches him off-guard, he was definitely not expecting it especially since Izzy hasn’t even seen the two of you kiss yet.

“Why are you asking?”

“My new friend, Loretta from the park told me that if a boy and a girl live together they are probably in love and want to get married.”

“Loretta seems to know a lot about adult stuff,” Harry chuckles softly. “Well, it doesn’t exactly work like that, Iz. But… would you be happy if I told you Y/N is now my girlfriend?” he asks, feeling a little nervous, as if Izzy’s word on the question could destroy any possible future between the two of you. She stays silent for a few seconds and Harry starts to think she has fallen asleep, but then she finally speaks up again.

“Did you kiss her?” she asks and Harry can’t push down a soft chuckle. Izzy’s idea of relationships probably doesn’t go further than kissing and holding hands so this is how she is trying to put the picture together in her head.

“I did, yes.”

“Oh!” she exclaims. “I like Y/N.”

“Well, I like her too.”

“She can be your girlfriend,” she then replies, giving her blessing. “Are you going to get married?”

“Um, not for a while, no. But… it could happen if things go right,” he chews on his bottom lip, he is definitely not in the phase of thinking about marriage yet, not just because you barely just became an official couple, but that would be a huge step in his way of processing the end of his last one.

“Okay,” Izzy simply nods and that brings the end of the discussion. Harry has been a little nervous to have this talk with Izzy, he was afraid she might get a little confused about the idea of him having a girlfriend and the thought of her mother, but she seemingly didn’t even bring Maggie into her train of thoughts. Luckily.

When Izzy is finally asleep he closes the door and makes his way downstairs where you’re lying on the couch, watching the rerun of the news. You smile up at him upon his arrival and as he joins you on the couch, he is quick to pull you into his arms, making you snuggle into his embrace.

“I just told Izzy that you are my girlfriend,” he confesses and you lift your head up, not even trying to hide your surprised expression.

“Really? And what did she say?”

“Well, she asked if we are getting married,” he tells you chuckling shortly. “I told her that we shouldn’t get that far ahead. But she basically gave her blessing. She said she likes you.”

“Well I was hoping she doesn’t hate my guts after spending almost every day with me,” you chuckle, making him smile too. “But I’m happy she likes the idea of us.”

“Yeah, me too,” Harry nods before pulling you closer for a sweet, innocent kiss.

You finally get around to have that double date with Heather and Niall one month into your relationship. Harry’s weekends have been a little busy these past weeks, he had to go into the office on a few Saturdays, but now he has finally finished a huge project he has been working on so he can actually take some time off.

Ruth comes over to look after Izzy that evening and she keeps looking at you and Harry like a proud grandparent whenever she sees the two of you interact as a couple. Little touches and kisses have been more regular around home ever since Harry told Izzy that you are together. So far, she’s been handling it really well, she doesn’t seem to be confused about you and her mother and it might be because Harry has had a talk with her recently about her mother and where she really is now. His therapist suggested to be open about it with her as early as possible, and though she doesn’t seem to completely understand the idea of life and death just yet, she has definitely started to put the picture together in her head.

You’ve been spending all your nights at Harry’s room, so by now your bedroom is more like an office space for you and a storage for all your stuff, a place where you can be alone whenever you have some editing to do or just simply need some time on your own. Luckily, Harry totally understands the feeling of needing some space, he has his own limits as well and the two of you have been trying your best to coordinate around these lines when it comes to your relationship. After all, it’s been a pretty unusual situation, you were already living together when you became a couple, jumping a few steps in the timeline of a regular relationship.

Just as you were expecting it, Niall and Heather hit it off quite fast upon meeting at the dinner. Niall is in awe of Heather’s confidence and raw sense of humor that matches perfectly with his, while Heather finds him entertaining and somewhat like a challenge, since you honestly told her about Niall’s reputation as a womanizer, but it’s not something that could scare her away.

“He is cute, desperately wants to prove how good he is doing on his own, but I think that’s just a façade,” Heather tells you when you ask her about her date in the restroom. She fixes up her lipstick, staring at herself in the floor to ceiling mirror.

“So you think you want to see him again?”

“I’m not gonna run after him, if he asks for my number I’ll give it to him. But if he doesn’t, I won’t let him see my disappointment.”

“And what if he asks you to go home with him tonight?” you ask, feeling like teenagers gossiping in the girls restroom between classes. Heather smirks at you through the mirror before turning to face you.

“Oh, I’m not going home with him. That would bruise his ego so badly he won’t be able to think about anything else.”

You stare back at her stunned from how big of a genius she is. You would have never schemed like this when it came to men, but yet again, you never really needed to. Before Harry you were busy with Keith and that relationship came so easily to you. There were never really games, it took you about three weeks to get together. But Heather is a player and a very good one, apparently.

“You two look cute, by the way,” she smiles at you quickly washing her hands before the two of you head out, back to the table.

“Thanks,” you blush, eyes finding the guys sitting right where you left them.

After dinner you decide to stay for a few drinks at the bar a corner away and it’s been so long since the last time you were out just having fun, enjoying some time with good friends. If someone told you a few months ago that you’d be sitting here, sipping on a cocktail with Harry who is now your boyfriend, you would have laughed hysterically.

When Harry reaches for you thigh under the table, resting his palm on it, giving it a gentle squeeze just as a sweet gesture, you glance at him and he smiles at you as his eyes meet your gaze. It’s the first time you actually feel like any other couples. Having a nice evening with your friends, touching each other, holding hands, simply living in the moment knowing well that going home he will probably sneak into Izzy’s room, pressing a kiss to her forehead before joining you in bed, falling asleep with his arms curled around your figure.

It’s no surprise when Niall invited Heather over his place for another drink at the end of the night and you can barely hold your smirk back when she refuses and his face completely falls, especially because he was so confident in himself, the evening went well and he was probably sure she would say yes. Instead, she grabs herself a taxi and heads home upon parting ways. Niall is shocked, but he is quick to ask for Heather’s number from you before you say goodbye and you happily give it to him.

On the way home you think about how weird it is that you are still basically working for him. It’s not that you mind being the one who is looking after Izzy, it doesn’t even feel like a job, she has grown so close to you. It’s about getting paid for it when you’re Harry’s girlfriend and even though you know how untraditional everything has been with the two of you, now might be the time to make a change.

Harry checks up on Izzy while you get ready to bed and he joins you under the covers soon. Your thoughts about your possible quitting keep racing in your head and you decide to bring it up, just to see how he sees the situation.

“H?” you softly ask while he is checking a few things on his phone, propped up against the headboard.

“Yeah?” he glances at you, letting you know he is listening.

“Don’t you think it’s weird I’m still working for you?”

He stops and locking his phone he puts it to the nightstand to fully focus on the conversation. He just stares at you for a few seconds before knitting his eyebrows together, that crease between them making an appearance and you fight the urge to smooth it out with your finger.

“You don’t like taking care of her anymore?” Your stomach drops at the way he interpreted your question, because it’s not at all the situation.

“Harry, I love taking care of her!” you smile at him softly and can see the relief in his eyes. “It’s just a little weird that you’re paying me to be with her. I would do it for free,” you explain, hoping he now gets the whole picture.

“Oh!”

“Are you… Are you planning for the long run? With us?”

“Of course,” he nods and now you’re the one relieved at how naturally the answer came to him.

“Then maybe we should look for a solution that doesn’t make me feel like I’m a kept house woman,” you chuckle softly and a small smile tugs on his lips as well.

“What were you thinking about?” Sighing you bite into your bottom lip, not sure what he’ll think about the idea that came to you.

“I’ve been getting a lot of requests for photoshoots. I thought that maybe I could take two more days out of the week to work on them and stay home with Izzy for the rest of them. We could look for a nanny for those days. They wouldn’t have to move in, because I would be home by three probably. I think… I think it could work pretty well.”

Harry takes a few moments to think it through and you know he has to be considerate, the only reason he was so quick to hire you was because Izzy already knew and loved you. Bringing a stranger into the picture is a big change and everyone has to be fine with it to make it work.

“Would that make you happy? Staying home for half of the week with Izzy? I wouldn’t want to ask you to sacrifice your time for her… for us, if it doesn’t benefit you.”

For a few moments you’re just processing his words, but then you finally understand what he meant by that. He is thinking you might take it as if he is using you to take care of his daughter and he doesn’t want you to take responsibility for her if it’s not what you really want. But you see being in Izzy’s life as a privilege, you haven’t truly processed it yourself, but you start to look at her as your own daughter. Having spent the majority of your days with her these past months, it was inevitable to grow so fond of her.

Scooting closer to him you cup his face in your hands as you smile down at him softly, his green irises filled with worry and doubts, probably thinking that he is doing something wrong again, but he is not. He needs to have more trust in himself.

“I would love it, Harry. I love spending time with her and… with you,” you admit and there’s one thing that you’re aching to add.

And I love you.

But you keep that one back, not sure if he is ready to hear it just yet. It’s still so early in your relationship, and it might feel like a bomb if you just dropped it on him. You need to be a little more patient before taking this next step.

Bringing his arms around you he pulls you to his chest, a deep but happy sigh leaving through his nose as he kisses into your hair. Nothing else is said, but no words are needed. It’s been settled that you both are planning for the long run together and you’ll start to alter your life to make it fit into the picture.

You don’t jump into it right away, but a few weeks after the discussion you had about hiring a new nanny, you take the first step. Ruth agrees to cover one day every week, Fridays, so you can have it off for your sessions. Summer brings a lot of events and occasions and your calendar has been getting busier as your circle of customers has been growing lately. Though Ruth is more than happy to spend some more time with Izzy, you all know she won’t be able to do it too long, you need to find someone at last by the end of the summer.

Harry would never admit, but he is very anxious about bringing a new person into Izzy’s life. He is not the toxic kind of parent who wouldn’t let anyone get near his daughter, but he surely is considerate about who he lets to take care of her and it’s understandable.

On an afternoon spent at the park you are chatting with Ava, Yara’s mom when she mentions a nanny agency they’ve tried out before and had a really good experience.

“They hire people with at least three years of experience and many of their nannies have a degree in some kind of field in connection with child care. We had a nice girl from Russia watch after Yara, she is a primary school teacher but she moved here with her boyfriend for a year. She was amazing, really. Yara loved her, Saige and I loved her, it was a good match.”

She gives you a phone number and later that day you look up the agency, presenting the idea to Harry, who seems interested, but a little hesitant.

“We could still have an interview with them, right? Or I would have to just choose someone from the website like from a catalogue?” he voices his concern as the two of you lie in bed with your laptop propped against your thighs.

“I’m sure we can have an interview,” you smile at him.

Harry just nods, ergo he doesn’t reject the idea, but you can tell he has quite a few doubts about it, but there’s not much you can do.

In the course of three weeks you and Harry have five interviews with nannies that the agency sent and at the end of the day, Harry finds something wrong with all of them, even though they are only minor things.

“You rule out people for the tiniest things, Harry,” you sigh after the fifth interview with a kind middle-aged woman, Kaitlyn. “Based on these interviews you wouldn’t have hired me back in the days,” you joke.

“You know it was different with you,” he points it out and you just nod. He has told you so many times how you were just the perfect fit which is very charming, but it doesn’t help the situation on hand right now.

That evening, when you’re lying in bed, reading, while Harry checks up on Izzy one last time, you see that something is on his chest when he walks in and as soon as he is under the covers next to you, but you don’t ask him, instead just wait for him to bring it up himself.

“Y/N, I’m sorry for being such a pain in the ass about the whole nanny thing,” he sighs tiredly. Closing your book you place it on the nightstand before turning to face him fully.

“You’re not a pain in the ass, just very careful and maybe a little picky,” you add with a soft chuckle.

“Do you think I should be the one staying home with her?”

“Most kids spend the majority of their days separated from their parents in daycare, kindergarten or preschool. It’s not a crime that you are not a stay at home dad, not many like to do that or even fit for that role,” you shrug and it’s your genuine opinion. Just because parents don’t devote one hundred percent of their life to their children, it doesn’t make them bad. Parents deserve to be selfish sometimes.

“I just… I can get so into my head about everything I do wrong,” he sighs, closing his eyes and he seem so tired all of a sudden, like he has been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Brushing his hair out of his forehead you kiss him gently before his eyes open again.

“You’re not doing anything wrong, Harry. Believe me, Izzy is having the best childhood she could ever wish for. She is secure, loved and taken care of. Everything is going well.” He doesn’t answer, just nods as his arms wrap around you, pulling you to his chest and you gladly snuggle into his embrace.

That evening it felt like Harry was shifting in the right direction, but you can never know what really goes on in someone’s head and you couldn’t see what was coming.

A few days later another candidate comes for an interview, you, Harry and the young girl called Rachel sit outside at the terrace as Harry goes through the same questions he asked every other applicant while Izzy is playing around the swing set.

Rachel just finished her bachelor’s and is now taking a gap year before moving back to her hometown to work at her father’s law firm. She grew up with three younger sisters and took care of them most of the time to help her parents out who worked a lot. She is nice, very well educated and it’s clear she is great with children. Yet again, when you glance at Harry you don’t see him as satisfied as you are and you already know he is going to find something against her.

“Alright, so what is it this time?” you sigh once Rachel is gone and you can finally talk openly about her.

“She basically doesn’t have any official knowledge about kids, she just grew up with kids, that doesn’t qualify her as a professional.”

“Raising children is the best knowledge you can get, Harry,” you argue, feeling a little impatient this time. Rachel is perfect for the job, but any other applicants would have been fine too. You’re running out of time and Ruth won’t be able to help much longer.

“I would just be a lot more comfortable if it was a professional staying home with my daughter,” he answers, marching into the kitchen and you follow him.

“There were plenty of professionals between the previous ones as well. You are ruling everyone out!”

“I’m not ruling them out, I’m just trying to make the best decision for my child!”

“By being absolutely insatiable?!”

“Why is it so bad that I want the best choice?” he growls throwing his hands into the air.

“It’s not, but the best choice is not always one without any flaws, Harry,” you point it out, hoping he gets what you’re talking about.

“But I want this to be flawless!” he snaps and you can see that he has lost his patience at this point, but so did you. “I’m not settling for less than what I want, Y/N!”

“So then what? You lied when we talked about all of this? Because without a replacement, I can’t start working more!”

“I didn’t fucking lie, I’m just asking for more time!”

“Well it seems like you just want to push me into changing my mind about switching jobs and eventually say that I’m staying home, taking the blame off of you!”

“I’m not pushing you into anything, Y/N. We still have time until the end of summer, I just want to find the perfect person, give me some time!”

“Harry, there won’t be a perfect person!” you raise your voice, done with running the same circles at this point. “Any of the previous applicants would have taken good care of Izzy, why are you ignoring it?!”

“Stop telling me what to do when it comes to Izzy!” he then snaps, his voice beaming through the room, taking you by surprise. But what he says after this is what really hits you hard in the chest. “She is my daughter, not yours!”

Part of you knows he didn’t mean it the way it came out. Like you had absolutely no relations to Izzy, like you weren’t partially raising her way before you got together with Harry. You can see that it just slipped out in the heat of the moment, but your anger is making you selfish and not care about that anymore. His words hurt and you’ve stopped making excuses for him.

“Yeah, you’re right. Why am I still even here?” you calmly ask before simply turning around and heading out.

The calm but warning tone snaps him out and he is quick to realize he has crossed a line. He launches after you and almost catches you in the hallway when Izzy runs inside, calling out for him.

“Daddy! Daddy!”

Harry stops and turns around to see if she is alright and it gives you just enough time to escape. You rush out of the house and throw yourself into your car, igniting it and driving away as Harry shows up at the front door, calling after you, but you ignore it, making your way to your mom’s. You need a familiar place to calm yourself down at.

Harry tries to call you several times, and though the first few times it rings out, you send his calls to voicemail almost immediately after a while.

“Damn it,” he growls after another failed attempt to reach you. It’s been almost an hour since you stormed out and he is losing his mind, not knowing where you are, especially after what he said.

He regretted it the moment the words fell from his lips, but he knew it was too late. He let his anger bring the worst out of him and it all crashed down on you when you didn’t deserve any of it. Harry knows you’re right, he’s been trying to find something bad about every applicant because… part of him thinks that he is a bad father for not being the one taking care of Izzy all the time. If it wasn’t enough already, he’s been feeling like a failure for years… ever since he lost his wife because he wasn’t ready to commit more time for his family. He’s been dealing with the thought of being the worst father for so long, sometimes he convinces himself it’s the truth.

If I was ready for another baby, Maggie wouldn’t have had to die. If I put my family first, she would still be alive, he tells himself often when he is feeling the darkness clouding over his mind. Little does he know that it’s all just in his head. It doesn’t make him a bad father that he wanted to wait a little longer before having another baby. He never put his work above his family, he was always there when he was needed and made sure his loved ones are safe and taken care of. Never in his life did he ever put his work before Izzy or Maggie or anyone in his life he cared about.

But sometimes, your mind can play dirty tricks on you. And Harry fell for them.

As time is passing by he is growing more and more anxious when he doesn’t hear from you. No calls, no texts, he has no idea where you went or when you’re coming back. Sitting on the edge of the bed he stares out the window blankly before his eyes wander to the side where you usually sleep and it hits him hard when he realizes how eerily similar the situation is.

Following a fight his lover runs away, doesn’t answer his calls and he can’t get a hold of her. It’s like history is repeating itself all over again and as realization creeps up his spine, his throat tightens and he gasps, tears flooding into his eyes. With shaky hands he grabs his phone and dials Niall’s number, hoping he is not out somewhere at a bar, ignoring his phone.

“What’s up?” he answers the phone delightfully.

“Call Heather now and ask if she knows Y/N’s mom’s address,” he snaps immediately frantically.

“Woah, what happened?”

“Niall! Just do what I asked!” he barks and ends the call, giving his friend the chance to obey. Luckily, Niall feels the seriousness of the situation and does as Harry asked. A few minutes later a text arrives to Harry’s phone with the address.

Putting Izzy into the car he speeds down the streets to Gemma’s house who is shocked to see her brother in this state, but she doesn’t have the chance to ask anything as Harry drops Izzy off and asks her to watch her for the night.

“Okay, yeah, but—“

“Not now, Gemma!” he calls back, already running back to his car, heading to your mother’s house where you sought comfort following the fight.

“Not that I don’t like having you here, but you really should go home and talk it out.” Trevor joins you outside where you’ve been sitting on the steps of the terrace, staring out into the darkening sky. It’s been a few hours since you basically ran away from home and Harry has been blowing your phone up so you put it into airplane mode, sending all his calls to voicemail until you feel like dealing with him.

Trevor sits beside you, his long legs coming up closer to his chest as he sits the same way as you, his arms hug his knees.

“I know, I just… I’m a little tired,” you mumble.

“You don’t have to discuss it, but Harry would want you home for the night, don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” you nod breathing out. “Do you think I overreacted?” you ask him, feeling unsure about the way you acted. Was it too much? Did you have the right to do it? You’re not so sure about it anymore.

“Well, he didn’t lie about Izzy not being your daughter,” Trevor huffs. “Though he could have handled the situation better. I get it that he just wants what’s best for her, but you were right too.”

Sitting in silence Trevor doesn’t try to convince you to apologize or keep holding a grudge. He just lets you figure it out all by yourself.

Not long later you go back inside and grabbing your phone from the dining table you decide to turn it back on, missed calls and texts flooding the device, but for your biggest surprise, not just from Harry.

Heather: Niall just called me to get your mom’s address urgently, everything alright?!

“Oh shit,” you gasp, typing a quick reply to assure her that you’re fine and then you open Harry’s text seeing how frantic he grew over time and you realize what it must feel like to him. The situation is way too similar to the way he lost Maggie and though you didn’t mean to hurt him by putting him through it again, it’s already too late.

Just as you are about to call him to let him know you’re fine a car pulls up on the drive way and you know it’s him. You rush out the front door the moment he jumps out of the car, eyes wide, chest heaving as he finally lays his eyes on you.

“Oh my God!” he breaks down in tears as you smash against him, wrapping him in your arms, he does the same, his strong arms circling around your waist tightly as he sobs into your chest painfully.

“I’m fine, everything is alright. I’m fine. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for running away like that,” you mumble, kissing the side of his head, holding him for dear life.

“I was so scared it happened again!” he whimpers, his whole body shaking. You slowly start pulling him until you reach the little front porch where there is a small bench kept next to the front door. You sit and pull him with yourself, he doesn’t even loosens his hold around you, as if you would turn to dust if he lets go of you.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think it through,” you hum, fingers combing through his hair as you try to calm him down. He is still shaking, but his sobs are starting to die down finally, his hands still fisting your shirt at your waist.

“No, I’m sorry for being such a dick. I didn’t mean it. You are doing so much for Izzy and I, I don’t know what I would do without you!” he whimpers and when he finally lifts his head up, your heart breaks at the painful look in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Y/N. You were right about everything! Please forgive me!”

“Oh Harry,” you breathe out, the tears already welling in your eyes as you brush his messy curls out of his forehead.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to hurt you, what I said was bullshit! Please forgive me, I can’t… I don’t want to lose you, Y/N,” he stutters with one breath and then he adds: “I love you.”

Your lips part as you stare back at him in total awe at his sudden confession. Though it’s been an emotional ride, you weren’t expecting him to drop this bomb on you. A smile cracks on lips as you cup his face in your hands, feeling a hot tear rolling down your cheek.

“I love you too, Harry,” you answer, both of you letting out a relieved chuckle as he finally presses his lips to yours. His kiss tastes salty from both your tears, it’s needy and a little uncoordinated, but it means the world to you at this moment.

Sitting on the little bench you finally talk everything out once you both calm down enough to speak. Harry admits that he’s been so picky about the nannies because he is still struggling to be the best father he can and is reminded of being alone in this every time he faces a struggle. It constantly reminds him that he is supposed to have his partner with him, solving everything together, but now he is on his own and has to provide the best possible life for Izzy.

“Harry… you’re not alone,” you breathe out, heart aching for the man you love with everything in you. “And I’m not only talking about myself. Your mom, Gemma, Niall, even Saige, Ava and Linda are always happy to help you out with everything. If Maggie was still here, it wouldn’t be just the two of you. Raising a child needs a whole village,” you chuckle softly. “But if you want a partner in it… I’m here. And I really mean it. I see a future with you, I want to be part of your family, of course, only if you let me.” Reaching over your hand finds his on his lap and you squeeze it gently as he looks at you, his expression still a little torn, but it’s not as painful as it was when he arrived.

“I would love to have you be part of my family, Y/N.”

It’s like a rock is lifted off your chest upon hearing his reassuring words. This is all you ever wanted, have a partner in life who is willing to build a future together with you and Harry is offering you just that.

You stay on that old little bench for so long, you don’t even realize how late it has gotten, only when your mom shows up at the door, wearing her nightgown and a fluffy robe.

“Don’t want to bother, but do you want to spend the night? Just asking if I should get you some extra pillows and blankets…”

“Oh! Um, no. We are going home, but thank you mom,” you smile tiredly, noticing it’s nearing midnight now.

Harry stands from next to you and as he steps to your mother you realize they haven’t even met. Harry stands tall in front of your mom, but you notice the nervous flash in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even have the time to introduce myself,” he mumbles with a nervous chuckle. Your mom blushes, most likely finding your boyfriend quite handsome though you already showed pictures of him to her. “I’m Harry,” he says, holding out a hand.

“Oh, no worries! I’m Tina!” she smiles charmingly as they shake hands.

“Nice to meet you, Tina.”

“I know we should have probably had a better introduction, but we’ll come around some other time under better circumstances,” you chuckle softly as you stand up from the bench too.

You say goodbye to Trevor and your mom and finally head home. Harry tries to convince you to ride back in his car, but you don’t want to leave yours here, so you tell him it’s going to be fine. Both of you arrive in one piece and you only realize that Izzy is nowhere to be found when you walk into the house.

“Dropped her off at Gemma’s. I’ll have to explain a lot of things to my sister tomorrow, but it can wait,” he chuckles softly before his hands reach out to you, grabbing your waist gently as he pulls you closer to him. “I’m so sorry for tonight, Y/N.”

“Hey, we agreed that no more apologizing,” you remind him of the deal you made earlier. “It’s all in the past.”

Harry nods, huffing through his nose before leaning down he kisses you softly, as if you were some kind of fragile artwork that needs to be handled with so much care.

“I love you,” he whispers against your lips, his eyes barely open under his thick lashes.

“I love you too,” you smile back, your hands coming to rest at the base of his neck.

“I will never get tired of hearing that,” he chuckles lowly, making you laugh too.

“Good, because I’ll be saying it a lot.”

“Perfect.”

“Stop picking on your lip!” you warn Harry when you catch him fidgeting with his bottom lip. He wouldn’t admit, but he is surely nervous as the two of you are waiting for Izzy to join you downstairs. She just got home from the zoo with Gemma, they had an amazing day together, but it had a purpose. You needed her to be looked after while you went to the doctor. It was your first ultrasound since the time you went to see if you’re really pregnant or the tests just fooled you, but it was one hundred percent legit. You were indeed pregnant.

You and Harry got married a few weeks before Izzy turned six. She was the cutest little flower girl in the small ceremony held at the backyard of your own home. Both of you agreed that you don’t want anything big and flashy, just an intimate little wedding with your close family and friends. It’s been two months of being husband and wife and it’s almost completely sure the little baby growing now in your tummy was conceived on your wedding night…

You’ve been keeping it a secret, wanting to tell Izzy first before sharing the news with your friends and family.

“Do you want to talk first or do I do it?” Harry asks in a whisper, as if Izzy could hear anything from upstairs.

“I have a feeling you wouldn’t be able to get a word out so I’ll take the lead, if you don’t mind,” you chuckle softly and Harry doesn’t argue.

He has been such a nerve wreck thinking about telling Izzy that she is going to be a big sister. These past years she has dealt so well with processing everything about the situation with her mom, you and the idea of her dad having a new wife. You felt like she was a little confused at the beginning, but once you had an actual, mature talk with her, answered all her questions, you could see things shift to place in that cute little head of hers. Now she knows what it means that her mom passed and how you came into the picture. This is why you have no doubt she’ll take the news well, but Harry is still afraid she might flip.

Little feet tap against the floor somewhere upstairs and then Izzy runs down the stairs, joining you at the dining table.

“What’s the surprise?” she asks in excitement. You told her you have a surprise for her when she arrived and now she is pumped for whatever is coming.

“Izzy, you know how Zac has a little brother, right?” you ask, smoothly starting the discussion.

“Yes! His name is Jeremy!”

“Yeah. So Jeremy is a little younger than Zac, they are siblings. Zac’s parents wanted to have more than just one kids and so they decided to have Jeremy.”

“Mrs. Rumbald had him in her belly!” she explains cleverly. The topic of babies has already came up earlier, so now she has an idea of what really happens when a couple decides to have a baby.

“Exactly,” you nod smiling. “You know how your daddy and I are now married, right? We talked about what it meant.” Izzy nods, glancing at her father who is sitting beside you, sweating his balls off even though it’s going smoothly. “Married couples often decide to have babies. This is what your dad and I did too and now there is a baby in my belly too. That means that you’re going to have a little brother or sister soon.”

Izzy blinks a few times, processing your words before her face lights up with excitement as she gasps.

“Can I play with her?” she asks, making you and Harry laugh.

“Might be a boy, baby,” Harry chimes in.

“Okay, then can I play with him or her?” she corrects herself.

“Well, you have to be careful with newborn babies, but I’m sure she or he will love to play with you!”

“What’s it gonna be called?” she asks her next question.

“We don’t know that yet. But you can suggest names if you want to,” Harry offers.

“Can it be Elsa if it’s a girl?” she immediately suggests and you smile at her first thought. Of course she says Elsa, she is going through her mandatory Frozen obsession like every other kid at her age.

“We’ll put it on the list,” you tell her. “Do you want to see a picture of the baby?”

“You can take pictures of the inside of your belly?” she asks with a confused look.

“Well, not with a camera like the ones I use,” you explain as you place the black and white, messy picture of the tiny baby in front of her. She grabs it and starts inspecting it as if it was some kind of puzzle and you can tell she is having a hard time making out where the actual baby is. “That’s right there. It’s still tiny and has to grow a lot,” you tell her, pointing at the right splotch in the picture.

“Can I keep this picture?” she asks smiling up at you sweetly. “I want to put it to my wall!”

A while ago Harry has gotten her a huge frame right above her bed that has wires running across it with tiny clips attached. You’ve gifted her her favorite polaroids from your stack you’ve collected through the years, most of them featuring the three of you. It’s touching to know that she wants her little sibling there already.

“Of course!” you breathe out, touched by the idea.

You follow her up into her room and while she stands on the bed, you put the sonogram next to a photo that was taken of her and Harry on her sixth birthday.

“Can I tell my friends at school that I’m going to have a brother or sister?” she asks, still standing on the bed so now she is almost as tall as you are.

“Um…” glancing over at the door your eyes meet Harry’s who just shrugs, letting you know it’s up to you. “I guess you can, yes.”

“Thank you!” she beams, throwing her little arms around your neck as she hugs you tight and you return it gladly. “Can I watch some TV, please?” she asks with an angelic look she knows you can never resist.

“Yeah, but only for an hour,” you tell her as she jumps in victory before climbing off the bed. Running to the door she gives Harry a hug before disappearing down the hallway. Harry walks in, a proud and soft smile tugging on his lips as he steps to you, his hands finding your waist. He pulls you against his hard chest, pressing a chaste kiss to your forehead.

“This went well, right?” he asks.

“Yeah, you were such a big help, sitting there in silence,” you chuckle teasing him.

“But you handled it so good, baby. I didn’t want to interrupt,” he smirks and you just roll your eyes at him before circling your arms around his neck.

“Uh-huh, sure,” you smirk. “So… are you ready to be a daddy again?” you ask him with a shy smile.

“Technically, I never stopped being a daddy,” he points out. “The real question is, are you ready to become a mommy?” he asks turning it back to you.

“I’m… a little nervous, but very excited. I think I’m ready,” you nod smiling.

“Don’t worry, it’s gonna be alright,” he hums, kissing into your hair.

“Wow, when did you become the emotional support in this relationship?” you tease him and he just rolls his eyes.

“Learned from the best,” he nudges his nose against yours before kissing you softly. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” you smile against his lips, thinking about how long the two of you have become since you first met and you are happy you got to be the person who taught Harry how to love and be loved again.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

-

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[suituuup]

day fourteen - kisses

same universe as snowfall and chocolates. masterpost here

*

“Why he looks like old man?”

Beca stifled a chuckle at Logan’s comment as she peered over the bassinet where her brand new baby brother was sleeping. “He’s a bit wrinkly, but it’ll go away in a few days.”

Chloe had dozed off, having still managed to stay awake long enough to witness Logan meeting her brother. Her labor had lasted twenty-eight hours, and she was exhausted.

“Mama?”

“Mm?”

“How we make babies?”

Beca gulped, feeling her face pale. Of course Chloe was asleep when that question popped up. Oh god, oh god, oh god. “Uuuh…” she stalled for a few seconds as she weighed her options. 

The birds and the bees? Ridiculous. The seed? Gross. The stork? No thank you.

Also, why did her three year old think about this stuff?? She thought she still had a few good years to mentally prepare, at least.

“It’s through a… special hug,” she eventually said, berating herself at her own words as soon as they came out.

Logan frowned. “No kisses?”

“Yes. There’s some kissing involved, too.”

“Yuck. Kissing is gross.”

Beca sure hoped she still felt the same way during her teenage years. “It is, huh?” She said with a nose wrinkle. “And special hugs are only for adults.” She didn’t want her daughter going around daycare trying to special hug her friends to test it out, or something.

Thankfully, Logan soon moved on from the conversation, asking more random questions about her brother. Chloe’s mother came back to pick her up a few minutes later, as Beca was spending the night at the clinic.

Chloe stirred to give Logan a kiss goodbye, smirking at Beca as soon as the door clicked shut. “A special hug, huh?”

Beca’s jaw dropped. “You were awake??” She threw her wife a heatless glare. “Not cool, Beale. Not cool.”

“Hey, I just delivered our son,” Chloe said, chuckling. Beca sat down next to her. “It was also too adorable for me to cut in.”

Beca groaned, tilting her head back. “The longest two minutes of my life. I was sweating.”

Chloe giggled. “At least it’s done. We should have a few years in front of us before she asks us what sex is.”

Beca blanched once more. “Nope. No way. I’ll be kicking that can of worms over to you.” She sighed. “I’m not ready for her to grow up.”

“She’s three,” Chloe reminded her with a pointed look.

“Feels like she was born yesterday,” Beca mumbled.

“Good thing we’ve got a fresh new one,” Chloe said, smiling as she nodded towards their sleeping son.

Beca’s lips curved into a smile, her gaze following Chloe’s.

“Yeah, I guess he’s alright. We can keep him.”