#i’ve covered two stores this week and now i’m covering another one next week

[placeinthisworld]

okay i’m making some tea and plugging in my heating pad and then answering my dms and inbox im sorry ive been so busy the last two weeks starbucks is falling apart and apparently im the only person who can work 🥴

[jenosbliss]

pairing. fem!reader x jisung | genre. fluff | wc. 0.6k | warnings. the reader is short, few cuss words

[8:36 pm]

Late evening supermarket runs weren’t a usual practice for you and your roommate. While showering, she suddenly realized that she had run out of pads and it was that time of the month. After a thorough search, a lone pad miraculously appeared.

Exiting the sanitary aisle, you mused about snacks. “I’ve been craving Cheetos,” you said languidly. “You’ve mentioned that five times this week,” your roommate retorted with an eye roll. “No one knows me better than you, my love,” you teased, blowing her a kiss as you dashed to the snacks.

The excitement was short-lived. Not because they were out of Cheetos stocks but because they had decided to place them on the top most shelf, which was far out of reach.

“Are they for real” with hands on your hips you scoffed. Despite several leaps toward the tantalizing orange bag, it remained just out of grasp. “Y/n, I’ll order them online, or we can check another store. Or let’s get Doritos!” your roommate suggested picking up the said snack which was kept on a lower shelf.

“I will get this Cheetos only.” Settle for less? No way! You weren’t a quitter, no matter how bad a situation was or how tough a challenge was, you won’t give up. People may think of this as stubbornness but you weren’t raised a quitter. If you want something you will get it.

“You can’t get-” before she can complete you cut her off mid sentence, “No. Please find a staff member who can probably help us.” Maybe they have a ladder or something as there’s no way an average height human could reach that!

When she went to find help, not being able to wait for someone you contemplated more creative solutions to get the Cheetos. One idea that came to mind was to throw a shoe at it and knock it down, which was stupid, but desperate times call for drastic measures.

Hence, the left shoe was removed, target was set, and shoe-missile was launched at the enemy territory –the Cheetos packet laughing at you– after careful calculations. There was just a minor setback… the shoe missed the target and went all the way to the next aisle.

“Oww! What the fuck” was followed by quick shuffling and footsteps leading to you. The flight and fight mode kicked in an instant, flight was the best option but you needed your shoe back, therefore you settled for the latter… fight.

A young man, wearing a grey hoodie which covered his forehead along with black hair falling in front of his eyes, looking absolutely breath taking without any effort appeared in your aisle holding your shoe.

“This belongs to you?” He asked swinging the shoe on two of his fingers and was that a smirk?God he was hot. “I’m really sorry… I was trying to get that packet,” you explained, pointing to the Cheetos.

He seemed tall enough to easily retrieve the bag, just a stretched hand and there he is giving you the packet without any issues! Well you hoped he would voluntarily help you but maybe that wasn’t what he had in mind.

With a perfect aim unlike yours he tossed the shoe back at your head making you yelp. “Hope your brain starts working now.” Men open their mouth and ruin everything, he along with his actions ruined it. “Hey! Are you out of your mind?” He let out a dry chuckle at your words.

“You think so ‘Miss who goes throwing shoes at random people’ huh?” He taunted, leaning against one of racks looking at you unamused. “I said it wasn’t intentional, but what you did is dumb!” Huffing loudly at his casual attitude, you crossed your arms over your chest.

His icy voice filled the area as he spoke “Watch that pretty mouth of yours. Throwing stuff around like a careless idiot doesn't make you look smart.”

“Ugh! What’s your problem dude? I apologised already and if you can’t help me then please leave for god’s sake.” Not expecting his help, you returned your attention to the Cheetos packet.

He smirked at your stubbornness. “I’d rather watch you struggle.” he said, amused, his eyes following your movements. Choosing to ignore his presence, which was anything but easy, you focused on your target.

Again an idea struck you: the racks seemed sturdy, so if you stepped on the bottom shelf, you might reach the goddamn packet. Without hesitation, you climbed onto the bottom shelf. Still, you were unable to reach the top one, hence, you decided to step on the next one, gripping the upper shelves for support, both feet off the ground.

Jisung watched the whole scene unfold in front of his eyes. Not budging at all to help eben though he knew how dangerous this could be, finding this entertaining or so he thought until he saw one of your foot slip, causing you to lose balance.

As if on cue he rushed to you, wrapping his arms around your waist to support you. He didn’t expect you to fall completely, landing on top of him. The chaos ended with him on his back, you in his arms.”

“What an idiot” he groaned in pain. “Do you think you’re Spiderman, climbing the racks, thinking you won’t hurt?” Wincing, he spat out his words. Maybe it was the closeness that made you not argue back, but all you could manage was a timid “sorry.”

A red hue crept up your face realizing how close you were to his face, his arms still wrapped around you securely, this was both embarrassing and exciting. "Y/N! Oh my god, what happened?" A concerned voice of your roommate pulled you out of your thoughts.

Stumbling, you stood up and pointed accusingly at the boy still on the ground. “I fell while getting the Cheetos, and he,” you cleared your throat, cheeks still flushed, “he saved me.” Jisung, hissing from the pain in his back, stood up too.

"Jisung?" She asked recognising him. "Oh hey neighbour." He said surprised. Neighbour? Whose neighbour? Her parent’s? “Is she your friend?” He looked you up and down with a disdainful look. Your roommate nodded her head in slight surprise. “She’s such a pain in the ass, how do you even put up with her?”

“What the-” The audacity of this Jisung boy. You were about to defend yourself when your roommate put a hand over your mouth and pulled you out of the aisle and the store. “See you later, Jisung.”

“What was that?” you huffed angrily once you got home. “God, Y/N, Jisung is our new neighbor! You met Chenle and Jaemin, right? Well, Jisung just moved in yesterday. I didn’t want you to start a fight with him,” she explained.

Chenle and Jaemin were so sweet and humble, they even help you carry stuff whenever you ran into them at the parking lot, always had the warmest smiles while greeting you and this Jisung guy on the other hand… let’s not get into it. You practically hate him already.

Jisung wasn’t like his friends, and knowing he was your neighbor, he’d make sure your life wasn’t easy. But still the next morning you found a packet of Cheetos on your door with a note reading “For the Feisty and Stubborn one. Nice to meet you neighbour ;)”

mastaerlist. nct dream | nct 127 | wayv

navigation.

[j-nipper-95]

Fic Rec (plus late Six Sentence Sunday) Monday!

Ok, so I’m late posting this, but oh well. It’s being posted!

I’m not sure if my tumblr notifications are working properly at the moment (I know I missed at least one tag last week, so if I’ve missed your tags the last couple of weeks I’m sorry, I’m not ignoring you, tumblr is acting up!) but I’m still alive. I’m back, and I have words to share!

July’s Camp NaNoWriMo has been amazing for getting words down for COTTA, and I am finally back on track with following the El Dorado plot line again! I managed to double the word count goal I had by 1am this morning, so all in all, a very productive month. So without further ado, here’s six(teen) sentences from that! Thanks for the tags @artsyunderstudy @theearlgreymage and @hushed-chorus (and anyone else if I’ve missed your posts!!)

Baz POV

“Get in the back,” he grunts, nodding at the truck. “I’ll cover you.”

“With what, Snow?”

“Just do it.”

No. I won’t leave him.

“They’ll shoot you on sight,” I say (I plead, I almost beg. Don’t make me face the thought of losing you, Simon). “I can’t get over there without your help,” I add. If there’s one thing I can count on right now, it’ll be Simon’s inner heroism.

“Bet you can,” he says, without thinking.

“Two shillings say I can’t.”

The challenge in my voice is enough to make him turn to glare at me. And knowing how much it irritates him, I cock an eyebrow and tilt my chin up to look down my nose at him.

Snow opens his mouth to argue but snaps it shut when we hear the Now Next almost at the corner we’ve just run around.

“You’re on.”

And then Jas also tagged me in a fic rec post, so here’s a few I’ve been enjoying recently!

Someone Wicked by @artsyunderstudy ([E, 53.9k, Carry On, complete]

I had the chance to beta read this fic with @cutestkilla and oh my God it was a rollercoaster of emotions and tender smut and I loved every single second of it!

Normal AU, complicated family relationships, religious guilt, chronic pain rep, escort Simon, this fic had me hooked from the second Ashton pitched it to me! It’s angsty and soft and emotional in all of the ways we’ve come to expect from her fics, and it ticks all of the boxes.

Ashton managed to tackle some really tough emotions and relationship dynamics in this one, and I don’t really want to say any more and risk spoiling any of it.

Check it out if you haven’t yet, but just remember it is explicit with plenty of on page smut/sex scenes!

More Than Friends by @fatalfangirl [E, 19.9k, Carry On, incomplete]

This fic updated today. It was a good day!

Simon and Baz are roommates, and having survived lockdown together their feelings are becoming much more than platonic. Both of them like the other, but neither is willing to compromise their friendship.

Another Normal AU, this time ‘friends with benefits’, featuring lots of unhealthy coping mechanisms, a sexually promiscuous Simon (which I for one am loving!), Baz as a writer, and some new tags that were added today (trigger warnings for mentions of past ab*se and panic attacks).

This fic is updating currently, and I cannot wait to see what Stacy has in store for the boys! (Again, it’s explicit, so minors begone!)

What Remains After the Storm by @hushed-chorus [M, 86.3k, Carry On, complete]

When I tell you this fic had (and still has) me in a fricken chokehold, that’s an understatement! I still think about this fic on a daily basis, and Demi’s writing is simply stunning.

A fantasy/historical fiction(ish) AU, with fae, curses, much pining, and plenty of cute goats.

Simon is a goatherd on the edge of a fishing town, and while he’s not entirely trusted by the townsfolk, he’s not outright despised either. He works the land, and always pays his tithe to the fae. Until he pulls something from the ocean. Or rather, someone. When Baz flees his fae captors and returns home, he and Simon have to work together to help him remember his humanity.

This fic. Oh. My. GOD! Every update had me on the edge of my seat. Do yourself a favour, and go and read this fic. Especially as Demi is considering writing more in the same AU!

Strictly Professional by @palimpsessed [E, 38.5k, Carry On, complete]

This fic completed a couple of days ago, and I didn’t have time to finish reading it until this morning, and my god was it worth the wait!

Simon is a new recruit at Baz’s firm, and he’s joined the company just in time for the professional conference. But not in time to get his own hotel room. Cue only one bed forced proximity fast burn get together!

This fic pays off so quickly in the best way possible! The emotions Pal has managed to get into such a short space of time for the boys is incredible, and had me so invested in this relationship! Baz trying to remain professional, Simon’s unabashed flirting, neither of them managing to keep their hands off each other. Again, every single box ticked!

The Selkie and his Boy by @hushed-chorus [T, 21.8k, Carry On, complete]

It’s very rare that I pick up a T or G rated SnowBaz fic. I usually go for M and above, but once again, Demi had me hook line and sinker with this one.

Every year, Baz and his family holiday in Cornwall (can I just say how much I love Demi’s writing about Cornwall? It’s so nice to see the South West represented in fic!! As a Dorset girl who holidayed a lot in Cornwall as a kid, I love this so much!). Everything goes to plan … most of the time. One year, he meets a boy with bronze hair and blue eyes that utterly captivates him, and who he expects to spend the whole summer getting to know.

But the boy never shows up the next day. Or the next. Or indeed for the next several years.

Flash forward seven years, and an embittered Baz finally meets Simon again, and finds out why Simon never came back all those years ago.

An AU where Simon is a selkie, Baz is still a vampire, and Mordelia is unabashedly sassy!

Tagging (for both SSS and fic recs): @artsyunderstudy @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @aristocratic-otter @palimpsessed @larkral @orange-peony @dragoneggos @prettylightsbigcity @stardustasincocaine @fatalfangirl @cutestkilla @ileadacharmedlife @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @ebbpettier @martsonmars @erzbethluna @hushed-chorus

[adminbryantsaki]

Ill- Fitting clothes

Luna! Naga! Hizashi Yamada x  Alpha! Werewolf! Shouta Aizawa.

(I do not own Hizashi Yamada/Present Mic or Shouta Aizawa/ Eraserhead. Horikoshi Kohei does. If this isn’t your cup of tea, blend of spices or brew of coffee, move on. Reader discretion is advised.)

Tw: Pregnancy, outgrowing clothes, clothes shopping, morning sickness

Wc: 651

Over the next few weeks, Hizashi began to change. There was an overall glow about him and he seemed happy. Except for when the morning sickness set in and he couldn’t stay out of the bathroom for the first few day after the sickness set in and he would emerge for a couple minutes to receive the box of saltine crackers and ginger ale that Shouta would bring him. “Can I help you with anything?” Shouta asked from the other side of the bathroom door as he was concerned for his mate. “Find a cure for this fucking morning sickness. It is absolute hell.” Hizashi groaned from the bathroom. “I wish I could take it from you but I can’t. The best I can do is provide you with saltines and ginger ale.” Shouta responded. “Then bring more when you come home from patrol. I don’t think I’m going to leave for a while.” He spoke. “Babe, you forgot that I have today off, I can stay here and stay with you all day if you’d like.” He told him. There was one last heave before the bathroom door opened and one exhausted Naga came out and into the arms of his husband. “Lets get you cleaned up and changed into something soft and comfy, alright?” Shouta suggested and looked at him. He nodded and kissed his cheek before slithering off into their bedroom where he pulled a shirt out and pulled it on over his head, only to have the lower hem of the shirt ride up over his stomach. He looked to their full length mirror and saw that his lower stomach had grown out again. He rubbed it gently and smiled. “Shouta! We might need to go clothes shopping, I’ve outgrown my clothes.” He called from the bedroom.

Shouta came into the room and saw his bump sticking out from under the hem of his shirt. “We can do that. But for the time being, try another shirt on and make sure your hero costume will fit for now.” He spoke

and leaned against the doorframe and watched his mate change shirts. This went on for a while until all of the shirts in Hizashi’s dresser had been tried on, all of them riding up past his bump except for one button-down dress shirt that clung to his bump and could be covered up with his leather jacket or one of Shouta’s baggy hoodies. “That shirt will have to do. We will go clothes shopping for you today. How does that sound?” Shouta spoke. “It sounds good. Should I transform or stay like this?” Hizashi asked. “I think you look fine in your naga form. It depends on how comfortable you are.” Shouta responded. “I’m more comfortable like this. Let’s go.” He spoke and followed Shouta out to the car.

They went to a maternity clothes store and picked out a few outfits to wear for the first trimester of his pregnancy. They found some long and loose shirts for him that worked for all stages of the pregnancy and some sweatpants for each month too in case he grew out of a pair or wanted a looser pair too. Hizashi was thankful the staff wasn’t rude to him or even afraid of him in his Naga form. Some of the staff was helping him even pick out some clothes as he was browsing. When the two were ready to check out, they grabbed all the clothes they wanted and paid for them. They then went home and relaxed with a movie. The end.

[it-is-i-that-witch]

Velseb Family Values

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

The hustle and bustle of the restaurant was comforting to Bob, somewhat similar to how some people use white noise to sleep better. The day was an endless slog of cooking meat and serving sides, but it was work that he was glad to do. He had always had a special passion for cooking.

“We’ve got another Slider Special on the ticket!” He heard a call from the serving window. Marsha was the restaurant’s veteran waitress, having been there for almost four years. All of the patrons and staff loved Marsha.

“Comin’ right up!” Bob shouted back. He set to work filling the order. Slider Specials were the most popular item, and they’d only been on the menu for three days. This had caused some issues at first since there weren’t a lot of workers in the kitchen, which meant, more often than not, Bob had to work extra shifts. He didn’t really mind, though. The workload kept him busy and his mind occupied, and it wasn’t like he had anything better to do.

The added benefit to being the restaurant’s only cook was his increased efficiency. He could blast through a number of complex orders with no trouble, that was how good he was. Once there had been a crazy lunch rush that there was a line outside that stretched all the way around the area. He’d filled a hundred and twelve orders that day, and he could have done even more.

He slid the tray to the window and rang the bell, signaling Marsha to pick it up. It was going to be rinse and repeat for the next few hours until closing time. There was only one busboy, and he was still fairly new to this, so the waitstaff and Bob would always stay late to help him out. They all had to take shifts washing the dishes too, since there wasn’t a designated dishwasher on staff.

At the end of the day, all of the staff, excluding the manager, gathered in the dining room. There was Marsha, the two male waitstaff, the busboy, and Bob. Everyone got to work clearing the tables and clearing the floors, and got it all done within twenty minutes working as a cohesive unit. The busboy was the last to do the dishes, so Bob was hanging up his apron and preparing to leave.

As he pulled his coat from where he’d hung it up, something caught the corner of his eye. Turning his head ever so slightly, he saw Marsha talking to a striking woman with blonde hair. She was tall and shapely, and looked like she belonged on the cover of a magazine, not talking to the waitress at a burger joint. Once she’d gotten his attention, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

Clearly he wasn’t being as subtle as he’d thought, because next thing he knew, Marsha was calling his name and beckoning him over. The woman was also looking in his direction, and Bob knew he had to approach her now. He shuffled over to the women, trying to appear casual and like he hadn’t just been undressing Marsha’s friend with his eyes.

“Bob, this is Teresa. We went to college together. We just reconnected recently and she’s expressed interest in meeting you.”

“To be perfectly honest, I thought she was making you up,” the blonde woman admitted. “I mean, she certainly didn’t do you justice. She never really explained how… handsome you are.”

Bob looked away, already feeling the heat rush to his face. He didn’t even know this woman, and yet she was already making him feel some sort of way. “It’s, uh… it’s a pleasure to meet ya, Teresa…”

He briefly glanced at her, and their eyes locked. She was so pretty, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her a second time. Marsha was saying something, but he was oblivious to everything but Teresa. What was this feeling…?

“You know,” Teresa spoke, breaking the silence. “You have to close up the store, so I’ll let you get to it. But afterwards, there’s a great place that opened up a few weeks ago, and they make the best Shirley Temple I’ve ever had. I’m sure you’d love it.”

Bob felt his eyes widen automatically. “Are ya… did ya just ask me out?”

Teresa answered him with a dazzling smile, before turning and walking away, leaving Bob red-faced and possibly in love.

[imashoe69420]

Those Eyes: Rise! Leo X OC

Chapter 9

The next few weeks go smoothly. Leo and I have hung out almost every day doing whatever we could. We decided on making Mondays and Thursdays movie nights since nothing else productive happens on those days. Every other day, activities vary from trying different pizza restaurants, basketball (which I still kick his ass at), him teaching me how to skate at the skatepark, and so many other things. We’ve also been doing this truth or dare—minus the truth—type thing where we dare each other to do something stupid or risky. If Leo turns his dare down, any food I desire is on him for the next day. If I turn a dare down, Leo gets 20 minutes to go through my room and ask me an unlimited amount of questions that I have to answer.

So far, I’ve only lost once while he’s lost about three (3) times. It’s not his fault, though. His dares are often things he would never do but I have no problem doing. Last week, he dared me to pretend to steal something from the store and act dumb when confronted by an employee. Unbeknownst to him, I do that literally all the time. But I actually steal something and I actually had stolen from that store that night. He pretended to be impressed, but I don’t think he liked that that much. I keep forgetting he’s a hero.

The following night, I dared him to go into an expensive clothing store and try on an outrageously expensive suit to then take a selfie in. To my surprise, he actually did it. Without thinking, I asked why he didn’t walk out with it on—like just take it. His face contorted into a half smile and said a quick “what?”. I just laughed it off once I realized my mistake.

So what if I’m a little bit of a kleptomaniac? It’s not like I’ve ever stolen anything super expensive. Well, besides that one white snake ring but it was staring me in my eye begging for me to take it. And it was only a couple hundred when I looked it up, so who cares?

Anyways, I also noticed that the Lieutenant still hasn’t said anything to me. Not an alert or meeting or anything. It worries me a little bit and maybe it’s a little less freeing than I thought. Whenever Leo isn’t around, I feel like I’m being watched. I have to turn my phone all the way up with my earbuds in to forget the icky feeling. For whatever reason, I feel The Foot has something big planned and it’s going to play out soon.

* * *

On this chilly night, Leo purposes me another dare. He points to the very top of a skyscraper with a sly smile on his face.

“I dare you to climb up there. To the very top. And then take a selfie when you’re all the way on top.”

I scoff. “Are you kidding me? I’ve never gone up that high. And what if I fall?”

“Relax, the great and powerful Leonardo will catch you.” He winks at me.

“More like the smug and arrogant Leonardo.” I whisper under my breath before returning to my normal speaking voice. “Alright, alright. I’ll do it.”

We rush over to the tall glass-covered building. I take in it’s size, which was much taller than I initially thought it was.

Why did I agree to this?

Leo notices my hesitance and lays a hand on my shoulder. “Now, it’s okay if you’re too scared to do it. That pink journal was looking pretty interesting if I do say so myself.”

I shoo his hand away and pull a pair of Shuko from my jacket pocket. “I’ll show you ‘too scared’.” I jump onto the building after adjusting the Shuko straps around my wrists and begin to climb. It’s easy for a minute or two (2), but the top seems to be getting farther and farther away from me. After several minutes, I make the stupidest choice possible and glance back down at the blue clad turtle. He’s so far away now; only a blue and green blur from my perspective.

The cars below look like big balls of light. My vision soon becomes distorted as I get the notorious falling sensation.

“What’re you waiting for?!” Leo yells up at me. “Keep going!”

I slowly turn back towards the top of the skyscraper and try resuming my climb, but my arms and legs can’t stop shaking. I’ve never been this high up before. My fear isn’t exactly being this high, but falling from a height like this. It reminds me of my dreams were I fall into the black void and wake up before I fall to my death. I don’t want Leo to go through my shit, but I feel frozen by fear and the decrease in temperature.

“Okay, you win!” I shout at him. “Help me down!”

He groans loudly. “C’mon, you’re almost there!”

“No, Leo, I’m serious! I wanna get down!”

“Lala, you got this!”

“Leo, help me down now!”

The turtle’s shoulders bounce up and down. He’s laughing? He thinks this shit is funny?

“Leo, if you don’t help me down now, I’m gonna jump!” I threaten.

His shoulders stop moving and he stares at me for a couple of seconds. “You wouldn’t.” He calls my bluff.

“You promised you’d catch me, right?”

From what I can tell, he nods his head up and down.

With a few deep breaths, I close my eyes and push myself backwards into the open air. You better catch me you idiot, I think, if I die, you’ll never hear the end of it from my ghost.

A familiar warping sound below and land in muscular arms. I open my eyes to see Leo staring down at me with a subtle smirk across his lips. “I knew you’d fall for me eventually.”

My heart quickens in pace at his pick-up, but I punch him in the chest and force myself out of his hold. “Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”

Leo chortles as he opens another portal into my apartment. Like the genius he is, he forms the portal on the ceiling, causing us to fall onto the carpeted floor. He laughs awkwardly with a “whoops” and gets up to turn on the light.

“Now… which one should I pick?” The turtle says slowly as he scratches his chin. His eyes soon land on the drawers inside my bookshelf.

Oh, no: part two (2).

That’s where all my stolen stuff is. He’s gonna ask where I got something in here and I’m not sure if I’ll tell him the truth.

He opens the drawer and digs around for a bit. When his hand comes back up, he has the bracelet from the street vendor I helped a month or so ago. Thank god.

“What’s this?” Leo asks.

“A bracelet.”

“No shit. Where’s it from?” He jingles the charms.

“That street vendor that got robbed. He gave it to me as thanks.”

With a hum, he puts the bracelet back and closes the drawer. Leo turns his attention towards my books and then to the pink journal he was boasting about earlier.

My palms become sweaty as me pulls it out of its place. “Wait, maybe not that one. Please.”

The three-fingered mutant laughs at my pleads. “C’mon, it can’t be that bad.”

“Leo, it’s literally so embarrassing. Please don’t open it.”

Ignoring me, he opens the journal and leafs through the pages. He soon enough sees what I’m so embarrassed about as he stifles another laugh.

“Aw, c’mon, these are cute. You used to like ponies?”

“Well, yeah but they’re old and I haven’t touched it in years so it doesn’t even matter.” I say quickly, crossing my arms against my chest. “Can you put it back now?”

“Glitter-Foot… Sprinkles… Twilight—”

“Okay, okay, that’s enough. Pick something else.” Sure, it’s cliché to be embarrassed by your “pony phase”, but to have Leo know about it is a whole different ball game. He’ll never let me live it down.

The turtle snickers a bit before returning the journal to its original spot. “Relaaax, I thought the drawings were adorable. But now I know you’re cringe so let’s call it even.”

“I’m not cringe anymore. You’re still cringe.” I point my finger at him with a smirk of my own on my face.

It makes me feel somewhat better that he didn’t make fun of me as much as I thought he would.

“You’re still cringe.” He says quietly, mocking my tone. “How much longer?”

I check my phone. “Fifteen (15) minutes.”

“Ohhohoho yeah.”

Leo ventures around my room for about a minute and a half before looking at my klepto-drawer again. He glances at me, then the drawer, then me again.

“Did that street vendor really give you that bracelet?”

I nod. “Yeah, I mean, look at it. It’s expensive as fuck compared to the bracelets he was selling.”

“Hm… okay, then how much stuff in that drawer did you steal? I saw that thing you stole last week in there.”

Fuck. He knows.

“Uhm… I guess, like… most of it.” I end the sentence in more of a question form than a statement.

Like I’d feared, his expression becomes more serious. “Why do you even steal? You have a whole apartment by yourself. You gotta be loaded.”

If only you knew.

“I dunno, it can be fun… sometimes, I guess.”

Leo raises an eyebrow at me. “What’s fun about it?”

I check my phone again, trying to distract myself from the situation. “You have ten (10) minutes.”

“Lala, you shouldn’t steal things from people. What if it was you being stolen from?”

I roll my eyes and fall back into my bed. “Listen, mom, I don’t need your input on my habits. I steal because I steal, no rhyme or reason why.”

Leo leans over me, his hands on either side of my head. “Look, I’m not trying to be your mom but come on. You probably have thousands of dollars worth of stuff in there. Don’t you think you should stop?”

“No, not really.” I avoid his gaze, but he follows my movement.

“Well you should. It makes you un-fun. Especially when you asked me why I didn’t steal that suit.”

His words make me feel itchy. “Okay, fine. I won’t steal anymore. Back off.”

The bed bounces back in place after he sits up. “You better, or else I might have to treat you like a mediocre super villain.”

“You would never.”

His frustrated look softens and morphs into a grin. “Maybe.”

Leo continues to rip apart my room, leaving me to think about what he had said. Don’t get me wrong, I know what I do sucks for other people. But I don’t really care, which also sucks. And it also sucks that I can’t help it. Like I said before, I don’t usually steal big or expensive things. It’s almost always shit I never use: travel sized toothpaste, toys, parts to things I don’t have, fake or low quality jewelry, etcetera.

When I walk into my store of choice, I get instant anxiety mixed with excitement—sometimes arousal. Then when I find the random item, I make brief eye contact with it before walking past it as if I didn’t even acknowledge it. I pretend to look at other things and return to the isle and snatch it. If I’m not approached by any employees, I pick up something else cheap and pay for that (or I just snatch it as well). If I am approached, I cope well when I’m under pressure from people I don’t know. I just lie my ass off—maybe accuse them of racism—until they let me go.

Leaving the store is the best feeling of my life. All my anxiety melts away like a thousand pounds was lifted off my shoulders. Now I could put it in my drawer and leave it there for all eternity, never to be used or thought of again.

“What’s this?” Leo wakes me from my thoughts. He’s holding the white snake ring. When my eyes don’t meet his, he sighs. “Okay, maybe I was being too pushy. I don’t think you’re a bad person for stealing things and I don’t think you’re un-fun. I just think you’d be more fun if you didn’t do it.”

“I know. I just… I can’t help it. You’re right, I don’t need any of the stuff in that drawer and I don’t steal with intent. It just happens and it’s the worst feeling sometimes because I don’t even feel bad about it.” I try to hide my shaky voice, but Leo picks up on it.

He pulls me into a hug and lifts me into the air. “Aw, don’t be sad! I shouldn’t have brought it up again. Hey,” he drops me onto the bed and grabs the pink journal again, flipping it to a random page, “look, a pony! He’s got a top hat and everything. You could say he’s financially stable.”

I giggle at the stupid pun. “You don’t have to do that—”

“Or this guy!” He interrupts me, pointing at a badly drawn edgy pony. “He’s a badass; my mane man. My ride-or-die.” Leo frantically flips through a couple more pages and stops on a pony in armor. “Woahhoho, look. At. Him. ‘To be or not to be, that is the equestrian’.” He says in a terrible British accent.

“Okay, okay!” I laugh at his barrage of puns. “That’s enough. I’m not upset.”

Leo smiles at my reaction and places his hands on his hips. “Good. It’s hard coming up with horse puns.”

“You should try different types of jokes. You’re becoming a one-trick pony.” I quip.

“Ooh, my own tricks being used against me. Clever.” The blue clad turtle lightly teases me.

My cheeks flush at his comment. I lift my phone to my face. “Time’s up.”

He grumbles. “Ughh. I didn’t even get to the good stuff.”

“Oh well, sucks to suck.”

The turtle yawns obnoxiously. “I guess you’re about to kick me out to go to sleep, so I’ll get going.” Leo unsheathes his sword and readies himself to open a portal.

“Uh, actually,” I start, my mouth moving on its own. Don’t you fucking dare, Lala, I think. He stops his movements and turns to my direction. “You don’t, uh, have to leave. You can… stay over… only if you want.”

Leo’s amused face practically melts my heart. “You serious?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” I shrug.

“Like a hund-o?”

“Yes, Leo.”

“You’re sure you’re sure?”

My eyebrows furrow. “Stop before I change my mind.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” He says ironically. “So, where do I sleep?”

I suddenly break out in a nervous sweat. Don’t. You. Dare., I think, but my thoughts have no control over my lips. “Uhm, in my bed is… fine.”

Idiot!

Now Leo gets nervous. “Uh—I mean, only if you’re okay with it.”

“No, I totally am! I just…” exhale through my nose. “I don’t want you to go yet. I like having you around.”

Leo’s face becomes distorted as he’s trying to return to his nonchalant and carefree attitude, but can’t help but be—or at least what I think—flattered. He eventually turns his lips up into a somehow cocky simper. “I would say I’m surprised, but I knew you couldn’t resist the ‘Leon charm’.”

With that, the turtle removes his sheathed sword and sets in against the wall next to my Yari. He then flicks off the light switch and finally lays down next to me. Butterflies crawl from my stomach and up to my throat and out my mouth, practically choking me. I clear my throat as I turn away from him. He takes the incentive to wrap his arms around my torso and pull me into his plastron.

I’m gonna explode. I’m simply gonna explode.

“Your heart’s racing,” Leo teases me, his breath hot against my neck.

“Your hands are cold.” I retort.

“Do you want me to move—”

“No.” I answer a little too quickly. “I mean, no, it’s fine.”

I try to take a few subtle deep breaths, but it’s in vain. It’s just occurring to me that Leo likes to annoy me and tease me. I thought it was just his personality, but he goes out of his way to be especially irritating until I get genuinely upset. Then he reveals he’s joking and does everything possible to stop me from being mad at him. But he also pushes my nerves as far as he can go, like it’s a game to him. I don’t think Leo enjoys the “making me upset” part, but he for sure has a thing for my exasperated glares, threatening “Leo”s, and playful punches to the chest.

But strangely, I like the teasing to a certain degree. His playful smirks and half assed—maybe sometimes ok—puns make my heart skip a beat every time. Leo is probably the most aggravating person I’ve talked to, but his charm overtakes that part of him, and he also never goes too far.

Suddenly, I’m brought back to reality when a loud snore sounds from behind me. Leo’s grip had loosened around me, sound asleep.

And he gets on me for falling asleep so soon.

There’s no way I’m getting any sleep tonight.

[smileygoth]

Til I Hear It From You - Part Three (Stranger Things / Empire Records)

Read Part One here! Read Part Two here!

'Wayne' fesses up and lets himself get a bit more comfortable. While hanging out with Debra he opens up a little more, and then events force him to reveal more than he wants to.

CW: A little angst, a lot of fluff.

Word Count: 2,666 words.

Image courtesy of Netflix.

Week 3

The following Saturday, when nearly everyone was there, Eddie asked for a word with everyone in the staff room. Joe, either knowing or suspecting what it was about, covered the floor while they all crammed in, on and around the sofa.

“My name isn’t Wayne,” he told them. “It’s Eddie. There’s reasons why I gave you a fake name that I really don’t want to get into right now, but I’ve been reliably informed that I’m not very good at using a fake name.” He shot a glance at Debra, who sniggered. “And it feels weird anyway, so … Yeah.”

There was silence for a moment. Then Warren spoke up. “That’s cool,”he said. “My name isn’t Warren. It’s Robert. But I’m cool with Warren now.”

Berko snorted. “Your name’s Robert?”

Mark looked confused. “Okay, but … now we have two Eddies. How are we gonna tell them apart?”

Debra glared at him. “You mean apart from the fact that they’re completely different people?”

“No, I mean, like, if they’re both working and Joe says ‘I need Eddie’, how do we know which one he means?”

There was another silence. They all looked around at each other (except for the other Eddie, who was ironically the only one not there). Then Lucas spoke up. “Well, we have Pizza Eddie … and Metal Eddie.” He gestured with his hands.

Eddie laughed. “Oh man, I am so okay with being called Metal Eddie!”

Mark looked relieved. Gina hugged him. “There you go, Marko. Crisis averted.”

Pizza Eddie, it turned out, was less happy with being called ‘Pizza Eddie’, but by that point it was already decided.

The week passed with no more dramatic incidents, and Eddie noticeably relaxed around the other staff, the simple fact of being honest about his name seemingly knocking down some kind of wall he had placed up. He joked around with Debra, flirted back a little with Gina, started having long conversations with Berko about guitars, and even moshed around the store a little when Mark played his metal music on the stereo. Once or twice he disappeared into the office with Joe and they had long talks. He came out of those looking like a weight had been lifted from him. He even started staying late at the store after his shifts ended. When Joe yelled at him about not going home, he just responded with “Everyone I know is here, where else am I gonna go?” Joe grumbled something about not expecting to get paid for the extra time, and Eddie laughed and agreed. But somehow his paycheck still got bigger at the end of the week.

Sunday rolled around, and after their shift ended at six Eddie and Debra were hanging out on the sofa in the staff room, as Debra often did and Eddie seemed to be getting into the habit of. Debra was finishing off some paperwork and Eddie was scuffing his boot over one of the coins glued to the floor. Eventually he got tired of it and got up, wandering around the room aimlessly. He peeked out at the store, but it was mostly empty, so he went back to pacing.

Debra glanced up at him. “That it extremely annoying.”

Eddie shrugged. “I’m bored.”

“So go home.”

“So I can be bored there? No thanks.” He paused, looking thoughtful, then sat down next to Debra with a mischievous look on his face. “You know, we could go out.”

“Out where?” Debra asked without looking up.

“I don’t know, I don’t know the area. Like … to a bar or something? Or to a movie?”

Abandoning the paperwork, Debra leaned back with a teasing smile. “Eddie Cunningham, are you asking me out on a date?”

Eddie flushed red. “Um … no … I mean …” He stopped and cleared his throat. “Okay, so first, that’s not my surname.”

“Big surprise,” Debra replied, rolling her eyes.

“And second, I’m asking you to hang out with me, not on a date. Not that I wouldn’t want to date you, but …” He faltered a little, rubbing his hand through his hair, and recovered. “That’s not really something I’m looking for right now.”

Debra nodded. “That’s okay. I don’t want to date you anyway.”

Eddie frowned. “Why not?” he asked, sounding a little affronted.

“I don’t date guys with more hair than me.”

Eddie eyed her grown-out buzz cut and snorted. “But that’s like … everyone.”

Debra smiled. “Exactly.” She sighed and got to her feet. “Okay, fine. Just let me put this paperwork away and grab my jacket.”

Eddie jumped excitedly to his feet. “Awesome! Where are we going?”

Debra laughed at him. With his big eyes, unruly hair and the way he bounced around, he was like a puppy when he was happy. “Well, there’s like one half-decent bar near here,” she said.

“Sounds enchanting,” Eddie quipped, already pulling his jacket on.

As they walked down the centre aisle of the store, Gina looked up from the counter and smiled. “You’re actually leaving?” she said with mock surprise. “Did somebody die?”

“No,” Eddie replied. “I actually managed to convince Deb to hang out with me somewhere other than work.”

“He twisted my arm,” Debra added. “It was brutal.”

Gina gaped. “Oh my God, are you guys going on a date?”

“No,” they both replied in unison. Debra added, “It is possible for a girl to be friends with a guy without wanting to screw him, you know.”

Gina pulled a face. “Sounds boring,” she said. “Well, you kids have fun! Play safe!” As Debra rolled her eyes and dragged Eddie past the counter to the doors, Gina called after them: “I want to hear all the hot gossip tomorrow!”

The sun was already low on the horizon outside, casting long shadows in the pale light. Debra zipped up her jacket and nodded down the street. “This way.”

Eddie followed her without questioning to a small bar on a corner a few minutes’ walk away. It was dimly lit and furnished with wooden walls plastered with band posters. A small stage stood empty art the far end of the room, and a handful of patrons were littered around the circular tables. An old-fashioned jukebox was playing soft rock. Eddie gave an approving nod. “Not bad,” he said.

“It’s this or sports bars or Hooters knockoffs,” Debra remarked.

Eddie’s eyebrows rose. “Hooters?” Debra glared at him, and he laughed, holding his hands up. “Joking. Here’s fine.”

They grabbed beers at the bar, served by a sour-faced guy with long blonde hair who looked like he’d rather be surfing, and sat down at one of the empty tables. ‘Epic’ by Faith No More came on and Eddie tapped his fingers on his beer bottle, nodding appreciatively.

“Alright, Eddie Whoever-You-Are,” Debra said, taking a swig from her beer. “We’re out. What do we do now?”

Eddie shrugged. “I don’t know. Talk? Load up the jukebox?” He pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket and popped one between his lips. “Smoke?”

Debra shook her head at the offered packet. “What do you want to talk about?”

Eddie pulled out a lighter and lit up his cigarette. “How about the obvious: music. What sort of stuff do you listen to?” He hooked the ashtray with the tip of one finger and dragged it closer.

Debra shrugged. “As long as it’s not teenybopper shit or dance crap, I listen to pretty much anything. Nirvana, Green Day, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Pixies, Alice in Chains, Garbage. You know. Good stuff.” She looked at him. “I know what kind of bands you’re into. Iron Maiden and Metallica and … Guns N Roses.”

“Guilty as charged,” Eddie replied with a smirk. He looked down at his faded white Guns N Roses t shirt.

“Do you play guitar?”

Eddie’s smirk faded. “Used to.”

“Why’d you stop?”

He fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably. “I don’t know … bad memories.”

Debra frowned. “Okay.”

An awkward silence fell between them for a moment. Debra drank a little more beer, watching Eddie. He had lapsed into a moody reverie, fingers picking at the label on his beer bottle. After a few minutes of silence she spoke up. “You know, it’s real hard to have conversation with you when you keep clamming up like this. I get you have stuff you don’t want to talk about, and after what you have told me I don’t want to push you, but I really think you might feel better if you do talk about it.”

Eddie sighed. “I really don’t get why you care so much. You hardly know me.”

“Despite my best efforts.” Debra smiled, then grew serious again. “I don’t know, maybe I have a soft spot for people who don’t have anyone. Because I don’t have anyone. Or didn’t. It took me a while to realise it, but one I started working at Empire, I had someone. I had Joe. And I had everyone else, though it took me even longer to realise that.” She jabbed his shoulder with her finger. “And now you work at Empire, you have people too. You don’t have to go through whatever you’re going through alone.”

Eddie’s face crumpled for a moment, and Debra felt a stab of alarm as she thought he was actually going to break down and cry. Then his face cleared and he took a deep breath.

“The last time I played guitar,” he said, “Was just before I … got hurt.”

“The scars?”

Eddie nodded. “I still have my guitar – it was one of the few things I brought with me from home – but every time I try to play it, I … I sort of go back there. It freaks me out. So I stop. I’ve hardly touched it for like ten years.” He gave a weak chuckle. “I probably suck now. I used to practice every single day. Had a band and everything. Played gigs.” His expression looked wistful. “It was great.”

Debra smiled. “What was your band called?”

“Corroded Coffin.”

“Corroded Coffin?” Debra made a face. “Oh God.”

“What?” Eddie laughed. “It’s a great name!”

“You come up with it all by yourself?”

“Yes, actually.”

“Would never have guessed.”

Eddie’s smile faded. “Yeah, well, it doesn’t matter now.”

“What else did you use to do?” Debra asked. “You know, when you weren’t playing guitar in Corroded Coffin.”

Eddie shrugged. “Played D&D.”

“Dungeons and Dragons?” Debra leaned back in her chair and laughed. “Oh my God! You are a massive, massive nerd!”

“Hey, don’t knock it til you’ve tried it, babe.” Eddie pointed his beer bottle at her.

“No way. Never.” Debra shook her head. “Anyway, isn’t that game supposed to, like, rot your brain or something?”

Eddie gave a bitter smile. “Ah, you mean the stories about it being demonic and shit. Nah, that’s all bullshit. It’s just make-believe. Storytelling, really.” His smile disappeared. “Doesn’t stop the rumours, though.”

“Oh, were you the big scary satanist in your home town?”

“Something like that.”

“Wait.” Debra held up her hand. Eddie’s face was completely serious. “That’s … that’s now why they accused you of …”

Eddie shrugged. “No, not exactly. But it didn’t help.”

“Oh my God.” Debra shook her head. “That’s insane. I’m so sorry, Eddie.”

Eddie frowned and started picking at his bottle again. The song changed to ‘Creep’ by Radiohead. On impulse, Debra knocked back the rest of her beer and grabbed Eddie’s hand. “Let’s dance,” she said, pulling him to his feet.

“What? No!” Eddie protested, laughing. Nonetheless, he let Debra pull him into an open space between the tables and put her arms around his neck. He heaved a heavy sigh, but rested his hands lightly on her hips. “God. Fine.”

They swayed slowly to the song, looking into each others’ eyes. Eddie’s eyes kept darting away, but Debra kept hers steady. “See?” she said. “This is fun, right?”

“You’re trying to distract me,” Eddie said.

“Yep. Is it working?”

He laughed. “Yeah. I guess it is.”

“Good.”

They relaxed a little, listening to the music. “This is the sort of stuff you listen to?” Eddie asked.

“I like this song, yeah.”

“Kinda depressing, isn’t it?”

“Well, that’s me.”

Eddie chuckled. “I don’t think so. Also, you have really pretty eyes.”

“Thanks. So do you.”

He blinked. “Thanks. I’d say something nice about your hair too, but …”

Debra stuck her tongue out at him. “I rock this look.”

“No, you do. You totally do.”

They fell silent for a moment, moving gently to the music. A few people were watching them, but they ignored them. Eddie gave a deep sigh and dipped his head, resting his forehead against Debra’s. She stiffened a little, not sure what he was going to do. Then he spoke.

“Thanks for this, Deb. All of this. You’re a good friend.”

Debra smiled. “Aww, you called me your friend.”

“Oh, well, if you hate me, just let me know …” He tried to pull away.

Debra laughed and pulled him in close again. “Shut up and dance, friend.”

He grinned and relaxed back into her grip, swaying with the music again. She looked up into his face, into those big brown eyes, shaded by all that hair, and felt a warm glow of affection start in her chest. She really liked this guy. She really wanted him to be okay.

She opened her mouth to say something to that effect, then froze. Eddie’s relaxed expression had abruptly changed into one of alarm. He winced, and Debra felt a strong convulsion rip through him. His hands flew up to grasp the back of his neck, and he bent almost double, twisting away from Debra as he stumbled and let out a cry of pain. She grabbed his arm to steady him and could feel he was shaking.

“Eddie!” she exclaimed. “Jesus, what’s wrong?”

He shook his head, grimacing in pain, and groped behind him for a chair. She guided him into it and knelt down in front of him as he hung his head, groaning. “What’s happening?” she asked. Then she saw the blooms of red starting to soak through his white shirt. “Oh God, Eddie, your scars!”

He looked down and pulled his jacket closed, then struggled to his fee. “I gotta go,” he said. “ I – I gotta get out of here.” Then he bolted for the door.

Shocked and afraid, Debra just stood there for a moment, watching him leave. Then she shook herself out of it and raced after him. She caught up to him in the street as he half-ran in the direction of the store. “Where are you going?” she cried.

He shook off her hand on his arm. “I have to go,” he said again. “I just … I gotta go.”

Debra grabbed his arm again. “Eddie, you’re bleeding! Let me help you!”

He pulled free from her again. “No!” he cried. “No, I – I gotta get out of here.”

“Wait, are you talking about leaving?” Debra exclaimed. “Like, the city, the state? Eddie, come on! Whatever this is, I told you, you don’t have to do it alone! You have friends here!”

Eddie kept going, rushing straight past the store and further down the street, toward where his motel was. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said with a bitter laugh.

“No, I don’t, because you won’t fucking tell me!” Debra snapped. “Eddie – Eddie, are you really just gonna run away?”

He stopped abruptly. “You won’t believe me,” he said, sounding about as miserable as anyone Debra had ever heard.

“Why don’t you let me decide that?” she said gently. “Come on, Eddie. Just talk to me. Then after you can leave, if you still want to.” He looked at her doubtfully, and she added: “All I want to do is help, if I can.”

“You can’t,” Eddie replied. “But … okay. Fine. But not out here. Come back to my place.”

[eglectic]

December 26 — Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Current weight: ?

Why? Because it has been way tooo dang cold here in the keys for me not to sleep in hoodies and pants! Yeah, it’s only like 50F/15C, but we live in a humid place with no heating! So I’ve been bundling up and hibernating while this cold front passes. And I want my weight to be taken with minimal clothing. I’m not afraid of the number at all, truly.

Saturday, December 24:

Cold brew x2

Dinner — chicken, pork, 2 shrimp skewers, coconut rice, Caesar salad no croutons, 4 chocolate covered pretzels, 1 cupcake, 1 sugar cookie, 1 espresso martini

Late night snacks when I got home — this popcorn I bought myself recently, the rest of my divine brussel sprouts, celery and hummus, 1 Rice Krispie bar, the rest of my pistachios

I allowed myself to enjoy the holiday party at my work. It was a planned exception. I overate after the party with the food at home, which I think mostly happened because I had smoked weed. A big reason I quit smoking frequently back in October is because it increases my chances of overeating and decreases my chances of following through in my promises to myself in any area of life. This was the third and final time this month that I smoked. I’m undecided if I want to smoke next month at all. I find that if I do do it, I generally prefer to be in a chill/intimate setting or even alone and listen to music, maybe meditate or make art or journal. I don’t see myself smoking on my birthday though.

Sunday, December 25:

Cold brew

Lunch — 15 (yes!) Rice Krispie bars, caramel pecan protein bar, caramel Frappuccino bottle, a pint of caramel cookie crunch gelato

Dinner — bag of white fudge covered pretzels

Yeah I planned to eat all this the night before! I loved it. Stayed on the couch all day and watched the new season of Emily in Paris. I was actually going to cook dinner for myself on top of the pretzels, but I was too full from all the food earlier in the day and it was too cold for me to want to move. I haven’t planned my week this week yet either because of the temperature. I’m just planning day by day right now until it’s warm enough again. 🥶

Monday, December 26:

Brunch — iced coffee, blackened chicken with sweet potato fries, fruit punch

Dinner — big ass pan filled with: literally an entire sweet potato, an entire onion, half a clove of garlic, 1/3 of a can of chickpeas, carrots, a bit of ginger, 2 pieces of celery, about 5 large shrimp, later added that same buffalo sauce from before

Also planned except for the fruit punch! I was going to have salad instead of the chicken and yam fries, but it was too fucking cold at work today. I had to get something warm, my soul needed it. And chicken & sweet potato fries is an acceptable alternative in my book.

Anyway, most of what I ate over Christmas was planned, with the consequences of the foods I eat in mind. I’m ok with my weight being in the mid to high 190s again. 🤷🏼‍♀️ However, one result of all this that I didn’t anticipate is that I’ve had many strong urges to eat even more! When I got home from work today, I had the urge to go to the store and get pistachios or chocolate or whatever. I’m glad I simply allowed it and continued with my plan.

It might be fun this week to allow myself more sweets, just relax and enjoy food for a week, but my birthday is coming up. I don’t want to have acne in all my birthday photos. I might still have a pimple or two pop up tomorrow from all the sugar I ate yesterday, which I knew might happen when I chose to put those foods in my meal plan. But that’s ok. I’m gonna keep chugging water, practicing my skin care, and hope for the best.

Otherwise, it’s back to business as usual. I’m glad that through the experiences this week, I have rediscovered the worksheets available to me. Another one I want to check out and fill out is the upsetting event worksheet. I think the challenges I’ve been dealing with in my living situation have helped me grow a lot. I usually get along with people pretty easily, so learning how to be stressed at home is good training for me to release any lingering attachments to food. And also it’s a great growth opportunity for me in relationships and how I want to show up.

It’s been two weeks since I last evaluated my protocol. Here’s what I’m thinking for the next two — macadamia nuts & pistachios are off my allowed food list for now. I use them to buffer, so they can only be eaten as part of my joy eats. I’m not going to buy any more fruit for the next two weeks. I have some dried goji berries, which I might toss into my veggie dishes or on a salad from work, but the fruit & nut bowls aren’t going to be part of my cuisine. I only really started eating them because I want to eat chia seeds, which are so healthy and good for digestion. Instead I think I’ll just have them with my water. Those are the parameters for now. I still want to get better at portions, too, and ceasing eating when I’m satiated instead of stuffed.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Order #1: Open for Business!

Hey, Kuripa. Can I borrow you for a second?

Sure. What’s up Boss?

This may seem a little sudden but...I have a job for you. Kind of an important one. You know how it’s Christmas?

...

*Kuripa sarcastically checks his watch.

Is it? I had no clue.

I could do with a little less of that attitude you know? I’m already busy enough this time of year as is.

Sorry Boss, I just don’t like it when you state the obvious.

Ok, well, I’ll make this brief then. Turns out that the Freedom Foundation decided to come and visit for the holidays.

And...God knows where she got this idea, but Maya decided that in order to “spread the festive cheer” or something, she’s asked permission to set up a mini coffee house in the main building cafeteria.

Kyoko thought that would be a nice idea, so she approved.

Ah, so THAT’S what all those transported resources were going for. I was wondering if the 77th Class were throwing another Christmas Party.

They’ve decided to take their celebration somewhere else this year. They don’t want to get in everyone else’s way.

Right, well...Sounds like she’s doing something good, and it’s bliss that everyone at Future Foundation will get to try Maya’s coffee. So, what’s the problem?

*sigh* The problem is that she CLEARLY underestimated the sheer scale of people who work for the Foundation. She’s got far more customers than she’s ever had at Freedom Café back in the states, and she’s feeling overrun.

Ok, well...Why don’t you provide her some staff?

We don’t have staff to spare with running a café, and those who have been chosen have pulled out. Apparently they find Maya...“difficult to work with”

Well...I guess that’s fair. Maya’s got an energy and creativeness level that’s difficult to match.

But YOU CAN match it Kuripa. Which is why I’m here.

Maya and her friends are here for 12 days, so the café is going to remain standing for that time. Do you think you could help Maya run her establishment for that time? I know how well you work as a team.

Plus, if the customers are satisfied with their orders, I’ll make sure you’re rewarded.

Well...I can make tea with my eyes closed, but Maya will need to walk be through some basic coffee making techniques first.

Still, I’m definitely on board. 

Thanks. You’re doing us all a great favor.

Also...I know how chaotic you can be, but I’m giving you this task with the intention of making sure you reign both yourself and Maya in. I really don’t want you two causing us trouble over the holidays, so please, try not to go crazy.

Wouldn’t dream of it Boss. I’ll go see her now. Happy Christmas!

‘Sup Asshole!

Kuripa!

*Kuripa strides confidently into the cafeteria towards Maya’s new stand.

Woah. The Future Foundation really went all out for you, huh?

I’m an esteemed guest. Course I deserve the finest hospitality.

That buff guy with the mohawk really did me a service. He helped me put all this shit up.

You’re probably talking about Mondo, right? That’s a pompadour, not a mohawk.

Unless...he had a weird haircut since the last time I saw him, but I doubt it.

How have you been?

Eh...Stressed. I’ve only had the store up for a couple hours and I’ve lost a crapton of orders. Four and the gang offered to help, but I want them to enjoy their Christmas, you know?

I heard you chased the staff away too.

...I guess I was a bit much for them.

Nah. Future Foundation are just wet blankets. The regular employee’s don’t have what it takes to put up with most people’s creativity and extremism. It’s not you.

But, you’re in luck. It just so happens that I’m here to apply for the job. Or I guess take it.

Huh?

Boss sent me here and asked me to help you bartend. We’re gonna be partners for the next two weeks.

Oh, fottutamente dolce! 

Ahem...I mean...Thanks. But...are you sure?

Why not? We make a great team.

No, no, we do! It’s just...Do you know how to mix?

Well...not really. I don’t make coffee often, but I make a mean cup of tea.

Right, that helps. I don’t really like making tea, so I can have you cover me for that.

But this place doesn’t just sell tea and coffee you know? We also sell beverages and cocktails. I know you can handle difficult tasks with ease Kuripa, but mixing cocktails is a whole different genre. It’s delicate work and requires a certain amount of...finesse.

It may have something to do with my ADHD, but even I struggle with it. Everything from ingredient ratio to your mixing technique could affect the final product.

First time I ever tried making a cocktail, I ended up mixing three kinds of hard liquor into one drink. My Grandad tried it and he passed out on the floor for 4 hours after a single sip.

Yikes...

Well, don’t you worry about that. I have pretty good uh...precision perceptiveness...If that’s a term.

Oh yeah? How good?

Hm...Well...

I know exactly where the average persons vital organs are in the body?

...Right...I’m not gonna question that.

Look, just don’t bite the hand that feeds, alright? If the staff have ran away and you don’t want your friends to help, I may very well be the only person you’ve got left.

Yeah, good point. Alright, fine. I appreciate the help, but let’s maybe divvy the tasks up.

I’ll handle the coffee making and the cocktail brewing.

Then I will handle the tea and other beverages.

Great! 

Just remember one last thing. Customer orders can be very specific. Some might enjoy a stiffer drink while another might want the same thing but a little more sour. Make sure you keep this in mind.

Got it.

And Kuripa...Truth be told, there’s another thing that I may really need your help with.

What’s up?

One very important part of bartending is communication. At my establishment, alongside making drinks, I also converse with my regulars. It lets me get a read on the personalities of those who come in, and oftentimes it means I’ve already made the drink before they’ve even sat down.

But...everything is NEW here. I don’t know a vast majority of these faces. But you DO, so...

Ah, say no more. I know exactly how to handle most of the stiff personalities we’ve got at this place. And I DO love a good conversation.

I can introduce you, and we can have a good ol’ chin wag.

...?

...

A chat. I mean we can have a chat.

Oh! Gotcha!

So...Shall we get this place open?

Took the words right outta my mouth ma’am!

[umichenginabroad]

WEEK 6: BRATISLAVA & MORE PRAGUE

Hi, it’s Jules with another update on my study abroad experience! The travel adventures that I had last week with Frankie in Barcelona continue with me showing her around my host country of Prague and then us heading to Bratislava. 

Being able to share my life in Prague and the rich culture of the city with one of my closest friends was so exciting. I showed her all the big sites, including Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral, and took her along my day in a life in Prague. It was nice being able to think back on the history I learned in the Art & Architecture class a few weeks ago. We also got to do things that I haven’t had the chance to do, like walking across Charles Bridge, pedal boating on the river, and going to Anonymous Shrinks Bar (a speakeasy with a unique concept). Together, we explored more of Prague’s food scene by trying diverse food vendors at Manifesto Market and finding so many delicious vegetarian and vegan restaurants. The night before we headed to Bratislava, Slovakia, I took her to Dog Bar where it’s so easy to meet other travelers in this really cool atmosphere. 

On Thursday, we successfully made it to Bratislava and immediately covered all the big historical buildings. The popular Blue Church was conveniently located right behind our hotel, and then we trekked on over to Old Town, Michael’s Gate, St. Martin’s Cathedral, and Bratislava Castle. In comparison to Prague, I felt that the architecture and vibes of this city were very similar. However, Bratislava presented less Gothic and Renaissance architecture and not as much tourism or bustle. One thing that really surprised me about this city was the delectable food. At such good prices, Frankie and I had banger meal after banger meal. 

The next day, we visited a five-story art museum and explored the local areas of Bratislava. We also returned to an underground tea room we had visited on Thursday, called Cajovna v podzemi, that we thoroughly immersed ourselves in. This was the first tea house I’ve ever been to, and I was blown away at the quality and wide selection of teas from all over the world. (I want to become a tea connoisseur now.) 

One of the rooms in the tea house. && Two of many teas we tried.

After traveling to such busy and touristy cities, Bratislava was like a breath of fresh air for me. It was a perfect relaxing weekend with such great company. Since it was a quieter city, I was able to appreciate more details, like the unexpected plethora of honey stores and the stark borderline between the urban area and untouched forest. I’m so glad I was able to visit Bratislava as I probably won’t have such an easy opportunity to in the future. 

A brief traveling nightmare and a not-so-short train delay of 200 minutes led us to get back to Prague over five hours after our original planned time on Saturday. Nevertheless, the two of us powered through, fueled ourselves with a top-notch Vietnamese restaurant in Prague 1, and then headed to the famous Karlovy Lazne club. I couldn’t let Frankie leave Prague without experiencing its epic clubbing scene. The biggest advice I will pass on after traveling with a close friend is: if you’re studying abroad and the opportunity for a friend to come visit you arises, snatch that chance (especially if you’re both huge travel junkies and foodies)!! Bye for now, and check out my blog next week for a debrief on my lonnngggg trip to Amsterdam!

Jules Hwang

Industrial and Operations Engineering

Engineering in Prague

[chilopodacrudus]

Who do you Want to Be? Chapter 21: Louder than Words

Previous CW no longer apply for these last two chapters. These are the Nice and Kind chapters; enjoy. CW for deer hunting tho.

The next week was filled with preparation and a nervous gathering of supplies. Casey had a hefty chunk of money in his bank left from doing Johnny’s errands; enough to last them a few years if they were frugal. They had no idea if it was tracked by someone else; no idea if there were eyes on them. They chose to not be ignorant; yet they all pushed it in the background of their minds.

Casey and Allison knew Piers was dangerous; they knew he was no where near tame, yet they stayed with him. At least if they were to come across one of the other cult members; they had a chance if he were there. So they spent this week getting ready and all three of them spent this week lowering boundaries and accepting fate.

A new vehicle and RV were the main new buys; Piers, muzzle covered by a new neck gaiter, opted to visit a hunting supply store and buy a bow and arrows. He wanted them to live off of the land as much as they could and this meant a lesson for his new companions. He taught them the intricacies of taking a life.

Allison: All three were dressed in camo; Allison happily humming to herself, shedding the makeup and frilly skirts that were forced on her, she felt in control for once in her memory. They stalked through the woods near a campsite; Piers taking the lead, bow and arrow strapped to his back. “Arkansas then…” She spoke suddenly making Piers chest flutter; he was in hunting mode, his instincts primed and ready. “First Arkansas and then further West?”

Piers: “That’s the plan for now. Fast and loose though; we’ll have to keep moving…” He pulled the neck gaiter down from his mouth and looked at her with a smile. “Getting a job will be hard for both of you and I’m not in the running for that at all...not until we can get this thing off.” He rolled his tongue over the predatory fangs in his mouth. “Can’t really smile too wide at people anymore either...heh..”

Casey: “We’ll be alright; we’ll find a way, even if we have to pry it off.” Casey was euphoric; his guard was fully down around Piers and Allison both, he had never felt like this before, at least he didn’t think so. “I want to learn by the way Piers...I want to learn how to hunt too. I’m tired of being worthless…”

Piers: “No one is worthless.” He spoke confidently.

Casey: “What about Johnny.” A statement more than a question; he felt bad afterwards and quickly followed up with a laugh. “You don’t have to answer that…”

Piers: “Thank you for sparing me the thought exercise.” Eyes wide with fearful amusement he turned to Allison then half eyed the deer tracks they’d been following. “What about you Allison? You want to learn too?”

Allison: She blurted out something that was on her mind for awhile. “Chickens. We can get chickens. I’ve always wanted to raise them…” Then followed up on Piers question. “Maybe...fishing? For me instead.”

Piers: “Ha ha ha chickens?...Eeeeeh we’ll see…”

Allison: She found Piers amusement comforting; grabbing his arm and tugging it slightly. “Ducks? Ducks too.”

Piers: “Now that’s just redundant!” He chuckled to himself. Casey: “Maybe another dog? A sheepdog...Doc would probably like someone to play with.”

Piers: “Sheepdog? How about something...a bit smaller for a second dog…” The conversation; though so mundane, stirred a sense of comfort in his mind. He learned to treasure small moments like this; ‘push the hunger down’ he thought until the hunger barely registered.

Allison: “Doc would probably eat a smaller dog wouldn’t he?” She teased.

Piers: His attention sprang back. “Nooooo no Doc is a good boy; Doc even likes cats!”

Casey: “We could get a cat then.” A laugh on his breath as they all continue deeper into the woods.

Piers: “Not until we get a house…”

Allison: “We’re getting a house?” Allison piped up with a twinge of excitement.

Piers: He stopped himself for a moment and shook his head; they could likely never settle down completely but he could dream. “We’ll see…”

They walked for several more moments until Piers suddenly put his arm up and ushered his companions to crouch down. A doe in the distance; Piers pupils grew large as he grabbed for his bow.

Piers: A whisper to his voice. “Don’t ever take a shot unless you know it’ll kill; no animal deserves unneeded pain. We’ll wait for her to turn and I’ll take the shot.”

Casey sat with eyes wide seemingly engaged; Allison’s heart was pounding as they lay in wait, she took a look into Piers eye and tried to read him, what was he feeling. She felt she’d never know.

Doe: She was alone; away from her herd, nothing but the gentle heat of Autumn sun fell kindly along her back. She had no idea of her fate; much like the others before her, only the scent of food, only the urge to fill her belly. She made the last choice she ever would and turned broadside for the hunter before her.

Piers: In an instant his bow drew taut; as it had hundreds of times before, he took a breath and on exhale, the snap of his bowstring and the sting of the arrow deep into the Doe’s chest.

Doe: Blinding heat in her heart then the fading of vision as flight took her; she ran, ran as fast as she could from the jaws of whatever she imagined had taken her. She didn’t go far; dizziness overcame her senses until there was nothing and she fall to her belly in a heap.

Allison: Gripping her chest instinctively as she watched the scene before her; Piers was good at this, she remarked. Gazing up at the man and getting another read ‘what are you thinking what is on your mind.’

Casey: He watched the hunter’s work in awe; swallowing deep as he watched the quarry drop, he stood up and patted Piers on the back who flinched but then looked at Casey with a smile. “Good shot…” He felt he was in his element; he felt he may have done this before? Some lifetime ago.

Piers: His mind raced then quieted; tongue clicking in the back of his throat as he made his way to the doe’s body, urging Casey and Allison to follow. “You’ll get just as good some day Casey; I’m sure of it. I’ve got a lot of time under my belt.” ‘And time is all we have now’ he thought; walking up to the doe and running his gloved hands along her fur. “Beautiful doe; she’ll feed us for a good while.” Dragging her out of a patch of vines she landed in; he field dressed her, giving a lesson on how such things worked as Casey looked on in awe, Allison was impressed but a hint of nervousness hit her as she watched Piers work. ‘He’s a predator all the way through.’ She rolled her eyes and smiled ‘but it’s a predator we need protecting us.’

Back at the campsite; Piers had butchered the doe and packed her meat away carefully in a freezer. He sat out in a chair looking up at the newly lit stars as it was just now getting dark. He saw someone approach; Allison, a smile on his face to greet her.

Allison: She looked nervous but excited; strangely enough, holding a pair of scissors, she crouched down in front of Piers and before he could question her handed them to him and turned around, the back of her head facing him. “I want my hair cut…” She shook her head. “However much you think would look good just...short...please.” She had been wanting to ask him for this for awhile now; ever since their escape, a few cans of beer had loosened her mind enough to allow her to voice this question and she was ecstatic.

Piers: He blinked a few times; taking the scissors and looming over her, he ran his fingers through her hair and nodded, smiling to himself. He understood why; he felt blessed that she would ask something this important of him. “Of course…” He measured out her length and made the first cut; Allison started to tear up but these weren’t tears of pain, for once. As Piers kept cutting she began to laugh; stirring a new feeling inside of Piers, one that he couldn’t quite name yet and when he was done, he sat the scissors down and ran his fingers through Allison’s new hair. “Turn around and let me see you.”

Allison swung around giggling; placing her hands on his knee a shy look on her face. Piers was pleased with his work and nodded; ruffling his hands along the top of her head. “It looks good on you Allison.” She swallowed hearing her name; she had something else of importance to ask but she clicked her tongue a few times before blurting out. “I want a new name.”

Piers: His eyes grew wider but only briefly; he of course could understand her reasoning but he had yet understood what she was asking, before he could say any words of encouragement she added:

???: “I want you to be the one to give it to me...Piers.” She sat up confidently watching as Piers grew nervous; she squeezed his hand tightly to reassure him. “I’ve been thinking about it for awhile...don’t worry...it’s something I really want.”

Piers: He was speechless; albeit briefly, ‘a new name…’ he rolled some names over his tongue testing their sweetness before uttering unsure. “Laine.”

???: She looked away from him then added yet again. “Something less…feminine.” She caught his gaze again shyly.

Piers: He got it now; nodding to her he closed his eyes, names came to him, names from underneath the latch, he pushed them back, plucking something new, a name that tasted just as sweet. He opened his eyes and spoke with confidence. “Alex.” The name danced on his tongue he leaned forward with a smile and kissed her forehead. “I think Alex suits you well.”

Alex’s eyes lit up and she nodded; the name echoing in her mind. ‘Alex’ she thought to herself ‘A new me a new start. Alex.’ Grabbing Piers’ face she drew him in and kissed his lips; no longer caring about the sting of his metal fangs as they bit at her. Piers met her in turn; getting down onto his knees and pushing her into the grass, his tongue slipped into her mouth as he pinned her down, breathless after a moment of connection he finally pulled his head back and rested his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes as Casey ticked his head up from beside of Doc, a smile on his lips. He decided not to tease, instead he was gripped by wonder and kept a thought in his mind for later.

Piers: “I have something for you Alex…” Piers whispered as he pulled the control box to the muzzle out of his pocket and pushed it into her hands. “I want you to be the one to hold onto this…” His expression drew dark but his voice stayed calm; loving. “Just in case…”

Alex: She took the remote but shook her head a moment only to be met by Piers nodding in turn.“That’s a lot Piers...you sure? I won’t misuse it...I’d never lock your mouth unless I...felt like I had to.”

Piers: He spoke in a tone soaked with sweetness. “It’s not just my mouth you have to worry about...I have...two strong arms…” Wrapping his arms around her in a firm embrace he laid on his side and tucked his body around her; then noted the third button on the controls. “There’s another button there; why don’t you press it, see what it does.”

Alex: “No not until you tell me what it does; I don’t want to..”

Piers: “Go ahead and press it; I’ll be fine.”

Alex hesitated; pressing the bottom button and in turn, a blinding shock hit Piers mouth causing him to snarl and curl tighter around her. Alex panicked and held her hands along his face. “I’m so sorry…” “No...that’ll come in handy for you sweetheart…” He coo’d. “I need to be retrained.” A soft; pained laugh on his lips as Alex trailed her fingers in worry down his chest. “I love you.” She uttered; the words even caught her off guard.

Piers: He fell silent ‘I love you’ the words danced in his mind; he shook his head ‘this is danger’ ‘this is where it all begins’. Though those thoughts were quickly subdued as he gripped her hands ‘my love isn’t a lie’. “I’ll only accept that if you know me.” He spoke firmly.

Alex: She had a moment to think about it; her eyes not moving from his, she nodded then said again. “I love you Piers.”

Piers: His chest shivered as he kissed her wrist with his eyes closed; arms enveloping around her like shadow. “I love you too Alex. I love you too.” Gripping Alex’s hands over the muzzle remote he nodded in assurance ‘I’ve handed off my reigns’ he thought to himself. ‘The mad dog is under your control now...don’t let him bite his new master.’

[crazyblondelife]

As I’m writing this post, it’s early on Saturday morning and I’m sitting at my desk anticipating a very busy weekend and also week ahead! We’re going to a UNC football game tonight and it doesn’t start until 8:00 pm so it will be a late night!

Our daughter Rebecca is coming for a short visit tomorrow and also my grandson’s 4th birthday is tomorrow! We’re celebrating with a party for him tomorrow evening…including strawberry cake (he doesn’t understand that it’s fall haha) and hamburgers! I can hardly believe he’s turning four and I’m so very grateful that he and Hudson live down the street so that I can be involved in their lives and see them often!

Then…as you all know, Monday is Halloween and we’ll all go trick-or-treating! I love Halloween and always look forward to taking a walk around the neighborhood with the boys and I do also like the chocolate (especially those Reece’s cups)!

Yesterday, I spent the day in Charlotte with my friend Lisa from Manners to Go and we had the best time! We went to Capitol Boutique (my favorite in Charlotte), had lunch at Restoration Hardware and then did a little high end looking at Southpark Mall! It was just what I needed…a day to spend time with a friend and have some fun! This was my first time eating at the restaurant in Restoration Hardware and now I want to go back once a week! It was a feast for the eyes and the food was delicious! I ordered a broccoli dish to go with my salmon and absolutely loved it! It was roasted with a Calabrian pepper oil combined with garlic and I seriously think it was the best broccoli I’ve ever eaten! I just ordered some Calabrian peppers so I can try to recreate it at home!

I don’t actually go shopping as much since Covid and it was so good to actually go into stores and try on…it’s such a better experience than shopping online! Do you agree?

I also don’t seem to purchase as many items when I’m physically shopping…I always prefer to try on and then think. If something is still on my mind the next day (like the boots), then I know it might be an item that I should buy. It’s so easy to add to cart when you’re sitting in front of your computer or shopping on your phone. The only thing I bought yesterday was a bottle of Jo Malone Amber & Lavender cologne!

Another thing that happened was I finally got my four chairs back for our parlor that were being recovered! I decided a while back to change up or get rid of anything I (we) owned that had any unpleasant memories attached. That includes furniture, clothing…absolutely anything! I won’t get into the details, but those chairs held some memories that were unpleasant and I was also tired of the room feeling so dark!

I think we’re always growing and evolving and I strive everyday to consciously learn something that helps me to get to the essence of the real me. I love bright color…pink and orange is one of my favorite combinations and now…the chairs are covered in two different pink and orange fabrics and they are FABULOUS! I’ve been waiting on them to arrive so that I can do a house tour and I’m excited to share really soon! But…as you probably know, when you change one thing in your home, you usually have to change several other things as a result! I need to tweak just a few little details before the tour, but I’m on it!

When I was i Paris earlier this month, I bought the pair of Gucci pumps I’m wearing in these pictures! They are admittedly a little out of my box, but I’m trying to change up my style a bit and these shoes go with so many things I already own! They add a touch of sophistication to jeans and a sweater and go perfectly with a pair of trousers. They are so comfortable and the color will work all year long!

My bag is from Lancel Paris and one I pull out often. It’s a great color and just large enough to hold my phone, a small wallet and a tube of lipstick. It’s several years old and no longer available, but I’ve linked several bags from Lancel that are similar. These luxury bags are beautifully made and I think reasonably priced!

I spoke above about continuing to grow and embody the true essence of who I am and that includes knowing what I’m here on this earth to do. The things I’ve been through in my life have taught me many lessons and helped me to grow into someone I feel proud to be. I believe I’m supposed to share my story and the things I’ve learned because, otherwise, the lessons don’t benefit anyone but me. After I told my story in a recent YouTube video, I had so many women reach out to say they had been through or were currently going through similar things. Because of that, I feel even more strongly that others will benefit from the things I’ve learned from my experiences. That is the reason I wrote my program Infuse - A Midlife Edit. Whether you’re recovering from a difficult situation in your life, going through something painful, or just want to learn more about spirituality and how to love who you are, exactly as you are…Infuse is for you! Infuse is a live training which includes 4 Zoom calls…3 modules and a Q&A! It starts at 1 pm EST on November 1st!

Since I wrote Journey of Becoming, I’ve completed a coaching program from my mentor, Melanie Layer of Alpha Femme. I’ve also continued to purchase programs from different mentors and learn more about embodying the Divine Feminine in my life! I’m excited to be able to share all of this with you! Click this link to learn more and to register.

***I’m including a boutique below with shopping options for similar pieces that you’ll love! Have the best weekend and as always…thank you so much for reading!

[gucciwins]

Golden Sparks 

Harry is new to town and signs up his eight-year-old daughter, Josie to the soccer team where he takes an interest in the well-respected Coach Y/N.

Word count: 25,027 

A/N: Hello friends! I hope you’ve been well, honestly I had this idea for a while and it wasn’t until I stepped back from another piece and came back this one that it began to flow. im proud of what I wrote and I hope you enjoy. my longest piece to date :) I do hope you all love it. 

Warnings: sweet dad harry, slight angst, slight smut

please do let me know what you thought of the story and please reblog! <333

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

"You're going to do great."

"I know, dad." Harry's eight-year-old daughter responds.

"Hey, I'm being supportive." Harry shakes Josie's foot, causing her to laugh.

"Thank you, I'm excited. Honest." Josie puts her hand over her heart, making Harry's heart melt.

He hadn't seen his daughter smile this much since they found out about the tryout that was soon to start in fifteen minutes. He felt awful making her move from their home in Georgia, but it was time, and this new opportunity would be good for them. Josie hated to leave her friends but mostly her soccer team with whom she had been with since she started playing at the age of five, but Harry promised he would find her a team, and he did.

The team was different from back home, seeing as it was an all-girl team instead of a mixed team of boys and girls. Not that he minds; he feels this will hopefully allow Josie to branch out and make friends that would not pick on her for playing what they said was "a boy's game." Those parents pissed him off back in Georgia, but he's gone, and he prays this goes well.

"Do you think mom will visit my games more now that we're closer?" Josie's green eyes peer up at him, reminding him that she looks nothing like her mother and is his little clone.

"I hope so. She was excited to hear about the move, remember." Josie nods before glancing at the field where other girls were chatting as they laced up their cleats.

Harry despised his ex-girlfriend, the mother of his child. At the age of nineteen, he became a father, and his ex, three years older than him, didn't want to raise a child to a man who wouldn't marry her. They were together for two months when he called it quits until she came back a month later, calling him an asshole for getting her pregnant. After giving birth to his beautiful girl, she gave him full custody, not wanting to worry about diapers and night cries.

All she worried about was getting her figure back. It wasn't until Josie turned one that she came back and demanded to be part of her life, leading to them going to court and getting to see Josie on the weekends, and it went well because his daughter always came back happy after a visit. When Josie turned five, Claudia moved to California because she fell in love and was going to get married. Claudia didn't care that she was leaving Josie behind. A heartbroken girl not knowing why she couldn't be part of her mother's wedding and why she moved across the country so far from her.

Josie cried for a whole week straight until the ice skates showed up on the front door with a note from Claudia for Josie to chase her dreams. Thus, having Harry sign her up for ice skating classes came to an end in two short weeks when she learned how awful the leotards looked on her.

Josie was then determined to find a sport liking the idea of being active and having the chance to make friends, which led to her seeing soccer on the TV when a commercial of Alex Morgan for Nike came on. She asked question after question until Harry told her okay, and went to call a friend to see where he could find a team for her.

The first team they found was only boys, not wanting to mix, causing both of them to get upset, but a mom took pity on them and told them of the Sunnyville team looking for players. It was perfect; seven girls and eight boys were on the team, and Josie fit in perfectly until she didn't.

At first, Josie wasn't very good; no kid is, but Harry every night took her to their large backyard and practiced with her, and within a few months, she was able to dribble a ball at her feet without looking down constantly. She wasn't the best, but she was improving.

Harry enjoyed every minute he got to help her improve because within the next few years, he saw her go from being timid to push someone away from the ball to beating someone in a sprint.

California was a significant change for Harry and Josie, but this was a big deal for the company, and Josie understood. He was happy he could do something for her now it was her turn to shine and prove why she deserved a spot on the team.

"Now go prove why you're the best, petal." Harry kisses his daughter's forehead, taking her bag over his shoulder.

She takes a step forward before stopping. "Walk with me there, daddy."

Harry's smile softens, "Of course, honey."

They march forward, their steps in sync; Harry can feel eyes on both of them as they pass parents in their chairs, some sitting on blankets spread out on the grass.

There's a woman, dressed in black Nike sweats, some fancy Nike cleats on her feet and a plain maroon tank top and over to cover from the breeze is a windbreaker; the team logo on the left side over her heart and right under is a name he can't quite make out. If Harry's being honest, she took his breath away, she's gorgeous, and she's smiling at him. Harry's sure if he kept looking into her eyes, he would fall in love.

"Hello, I'm Coach Y/N." She greets them with a big smile on their face.

"Hi, I'm Josie, and this is my dad, Harry Styles." Josie steps forward, holding her hand out that the coach is quick to shake.

"Nice to meet you." Harry finally speaks.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Styles. I've got all the paperwork that you submitted, and everything looks good."

"That's great." Harry nods, keeping his eyes on her. "Just Harry is fine, please." She nods, letting him know she heard him.

"Nice accent, you English?" Y/N asks.

"I am, Josie was born there too, but she's lived in the states all her life."

Y/N nods, "No wonder I didn't spot an accent on her." She teases.

"My dad sounds funny, so one of us is okay." Josie jokes at Harry's expense.

"Hey now," Harry pouts, causing both to laugh and his heart to flutter, wanting to make Y/N do it again.

"Now, Josie, how about we introduce you to the girls before we get started."

Josie nods and steps forward to follow Y/N.

Y/N addresses him one last time, "You're welcome to sit by the parents or welcome to stand behind our bench on the sidelines."

"Thank you." Harry watches the walk away, his daughter's bright pink socks standing out around the flash of black, green, and blue. He smiles, knowing he'll have a good eye on her, as will the coach.

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

It has been a while since the team had a tryout for the Golden Sparks team. It has not been necessary because most of the young girls are already on the u-9 team.

She had heard the rumor of new people moving into town but wasn't sure, so on a whim, she added them up in places parents were bound to see them; at the grocery store, doctor's office, the school, and the local sports store.

Thanks to the flyers, they got two responses from Mr. Styles and Mrs. Clover, who wanted their girls to join. Mrs. Clover's daughter, Caitlyn, was switching over from a different team, so she knew the girls on the team well. Josie, the daughter of Mr. Styles, would be the only one who needed an introduction as she was new to the town.

After meeting Harry, she was surprised at how handsome and young he was. Most parents here are well over the age of thirty and are married or dating.

She has been coaching for four years now and only started because of her niece Juliet who is part of the team. Y/N's older sister, Clara, had Juliet at 23 a year after her wedding and when Y/N was only 18 and about to start university. It was a good thing she had decided to go to university only three hours away and not across the country as she first thought, or she would have missed so much of her niece's and goddaughter's life.

Y/N had just graduated and knew she would no longer be playing soccer and needed something to do when her sister Naomi approached her and asked her if she could watch over Juliet for the summer so they didn't need to get a babysitter. She was more than happy to accept.

At first, they would paint, color and dance, but they got bored quickly. Y/N wasn't one to spend her time inside, so instead, she decided to take her four-year-old niece to the park with a soccer ball and make the most of it.

At the local park, they both ran around each day, chasing the ball for hours. A week later, Y/N bought Juliet her first pair of cleats, letting her shoot in the nets. As the weeks went by Y/N, saw Juliet improve as well as take direction well. She was a bright young girl, and Y/N knew she was still small, and all she wanted to do was run, but Y/N knew that because Juliet had seen her play, she knew what was right and wrong. There were times when she just ran in circles picking flowers because, after all, she was a four-year-old.

A month into summer, a mom approached her, asking her if she was a coach because she saw her there every day. Y/N laughed it off and told her she was just taking care of her niece. The mom told her it was a shame because her daughter told her it looked like fun. Y/N smiled and said to her that she was welcome to join, and before she knew it, a bunch of little girls came together to kick a ball around.

Only when Y/N had over ten girls showing up every Monday and Wednesday at a designated time did she begin to look at soccer leagues for children, and to her luck, there was one in town, an all-girls league that started from age 4 to age 18. She got the paperwork required for her to be a coach and for the girl's parents to fill out. She pitched the idea, and everyone was aboard.

That is how Golden Sparks was created, and those four-year-olds are now eight. She has watched them grow in front of her eyes. She went through her master's coaching a team. It's just something she does as a hobby, and it's wonderful because she knows how vital her coaches were for her when she was growing up. Now she can do the same.

She loves these girls, which means she had to do trial runs for how well the new girls fit in with the team dynamic. That is why today is an important day for Caitlyn and Josie.

"Ladies, may I please have your attention?" Y/N calls out to all the girls trying to juggle their individual balls as they wait for her.

The girls quickly shuffle over, passing their balls to Kate, who is setting up both nets and getting out the bright pink pinnies that Emilia's parents donated to the team that the girls will be needing.

Josie is standing very close to Y/N, and Caitlyn comes to stand to her other side.

"Now, today's practice is going to be different. We have two guests today. We have Caitlyn, who comes from Ice Angels from across town, and Josie, who comes from Georgia all the way across the country. I hope you will be kind and welcoming because we would be honored to add them to the team."

Juliet raises her hand and smiles, waiting for Y/N to let her speak. "Yes, Miss Juliet," Y/N giggles.

"Can we say something interesting about ourselves when we introduce ourselves?"

"Now, that is a smart idea. I wish I would have thought about it." All the girls smile, waiting for her to share.

"I'll start, I guess." She puts her hand on her hip, exaggerating her thinking face. "My name is Y/N, and I'll be your coach, and something interesting is that I like to paint." She turns to Kate, who is standing there, arms crossed. "You're next."

"I'm Kate, the meaner coach,"

"Kate," Y/N chastise.

"Kidding," Kate laughs, capturing all of the girls' attention. "I'm the assistant coach, and I love making tamales. Next potluck, you'll know how amazing they are."

Kate volunteers Steph, standing next to her, allowing her to share, and before she knows it, all the girls have gone. It's a calm environment, and Y/N is happy she can help these girls be a part of that. There were a total of fourteen girls, sixteen now with the two new girls trying out, meaning they would have even teams of eight, just one more than in an actual game.

Y/N makes two teams by dividing her forwards, midfielders and defenders. Then the scrimmage vest were handed out to the team where the new girls were trying out.

"Four twelve-minutes quarters," Y/N shouts, and in the next second, Kate blows the whistle, and they begin.

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Harry was sweating, his focus was on Josie and how well she was playing, but he also noticed how the coach was whispering to her assistant coach. They were doing a lot of talking, and he did not like it one bit. They had finished two quarters and took a more extended break before the third, where Josie shot him a thumbs up after drinking water. She was too busy talking to a girl to come see him. Harry was happy she no longer felt nervous and was making friends.

He had heard nothing but good things about Golden Sparks and their coaches, but he was nervous about what they thought of his daughter. When they blew that final whistle, Harry let out the breath he was holding. Thankful that Josie would be told her fate on the team.

The coaches rounded them up, and Harry just wanted to rush over there and have them tell him there and then, but no, they were dragging it out for him. Then again, they had more than one player to look after for.

"Golden Sparks!"

It was shouted out by all the girls, and they rushed over to their bags. Josie walked to her bag, handing her pinnie to the assistant coach while Coach Y/N made her way over to another parent. A young girl with a long french braid made her way to the coach, most likely to talk about her fate on the team. Harry moves his gaze away from them when he spots Josie chatting away to a girl about her age, wearing a black top with the team's logo on it. Usually, after practice, she rushes over to Harry, and she slips out of her cleats in the car. It makes him emotional seeing her make friends, something she didn't have many in her previous team.

Before he knows it, the coach talks with Josie and the other young girl before she nods and gets up, swinging her bag over her shoulder. The three of them make their way over to Harry, chatting softly, not allowing him to hear a word.

"Hi, petal. Did well out there." Harry tells his daughter once she's an arm's length away. He frowns when she doesn't rush into his arms to give him a hug.

"Yeah, it was fun. Everyone is so kind." Josie smiles at her father.

"Mr. Styles," Y/N begins, but Harry has to interrupt.

"Harry, please."

"Sure, Harry," she emphasizes. "Josie is a wonderful player."

"I agree."

"But," Harry frowns, knowing this is not going where he would like it to. "Josie tends to hold the ball too much. When given the opportunity to use her left, she takes that extra pass to switch to her right where it causes her to lose momentum and the opening."

"I get it, she's not perfect, but neither are those players out there."

"Dad." Josie gives him a glare to be quiet and listen.

"As I was saying," Coach Y/N, her voice just a bit less friendly. "She has flaws, but we noticed she has lots of speed; she controls the ball really well. She's stellar in the midfield."

Harry shifts his eyes to Josie, who is holding back a smile, and that is when he knows she's in. "We'd love to have her join the team and help her become an even better player."

"That's wonderful, I accept."

"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm glad you think it's a good idea, but it's Josie's choice to make."

"You're right. I'm sorry. Josie, honey." He steps back, a tad embarrassed.

Josie lets out a nervous laugh, "I had fun."

"How long have you played?" Y/N asks Josie.

"Three years now," Josie says, looking at Harry for confirmation and nods.

"The most important question is how you felt playing with everyone?" Y/N knows how important feeling welcomed to a team can mean to someone.

Josie looks up at her, a smile on her face. "Like I belonged."

"Does that mean you're joining?" The young girl standing behind Y/N answers.

"Yes. I would love to join." Josie says, a grin taking over her face.

"Well then, welcome. Practices are 5-7pm. Sometimes we can have a scrimmage with other teams, and it will be an hour before or after just to take that into consideration. Games are on Saturday, but when we have tournaments, they are Saturday and Sunday."

"That's great. I sometimes get out of work late." Harry confesses.

"It's why practices are later because we know parents work. So just shoot us a text the day before or early morning, and either Kate or I can pick them up as well as other parents. We're great with carpooling."

Harry smiles; he likes how organized they are. He has no worries about Josie joining the team. He's happy, and if he's honest, he is kind of glad to see more of Coach Y/N.

"It was great to meet you, and I'll see you on Monday for practice," Y/N tells both Harry and Josie.

As they are going to walk away, the young girl in two dutch braids speaks, "Auntie Y/N truly is the best. She's the reason I play so well." Juliet tells Harry.

Y/N blushes, "Knock it off. Save the sweet-talk for Kate."

"She's your aunt!" Josie explains. "That's so cool."

"Harry, this is Juliet, my niece and the reason this team exists. I introduced her to the sport at age four."

Juliet nods, "Yeah, because she didn't want to rotten my head with television."

This causes all of them to laugh. Harry and Josie walk away with a smile on both their faces.

Yeah, they would fit just right in. It was beginning to feel like home.

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It's been a month since Josie joined the team, and he's never seen her shine as much as she has since she joined the group. It's like she's a whole new little girl, he hates to admit it, but his little girl is growing right in front of his eyes.

They had recently had a team bonding; they headed to Kate's house to swim and do a little bonfire. Parents were allowed to stick around, but almost none did because they want their daughters to feel comfortable hanging out with their friends and be themselves. Also, all the parents trusted Kate and Y/N with their daughters because of the years of friendship.

Harry wanted to stay the first time, a bit fearful she wouldn't like it and also because he wanted to get to know Josie's coach better. He hadn't had many chances to chat her up, always getting a formal greeting and a goodbye. Harry can proudly say he has a crush on coach Y/N, but he wants to have a chance to take her out and maybe take it further.

Josie begged and begged him not to stay, so he just did a quick hello and then left. What did he do in the four hours his daughter was gone, nothing. He was bored without her. Harry began to watch a movie he'd been dying to see, but it was boring. He went to call his best mate, but it went straight to voicemail, then remembered it was date night for Mitch.

He couldn't drink because he wanted to pick Josie up even though he knew she could carpool, but he wanted to hear all about it right away and maybe get one more glance at Y/N because she looked lovely in her pastel pink shirt, black leggings, and a matching scrunchie. His feelings only grew each time he saw her, but he wouldn't dare pursue anything because his daughter adored Y/N, and he wouldn't do anything to wreck that.

It was Monday, and he was driving his daughter to practice. She was on a high because she spent the weekend with her mom. Claudia managed to make her soccer game and then took her home for the week. Everyone got an insight of his ex and how she was not the kindest, but sure did adore her husband by the way she kissed him the majority of that game. Harry did not want to sit next to them, but she wanted to flaunt her relationship in his face to his luck. Not that he cared one bit, he just cared about his daughter's happiness. That she happened to be a part of.

After they won the game, she sprinted over to them after Y/N congratulated them on the win, and they finished shaking the other team's hands. Josie wrapped her arms around Harry, squeezing him tight before hugging her mother, who just patted her back before letting her go congratulating on her goal.

Claudia's interactions with Josie always made Harry upset, but what was he to do? She gave him full custody and only saw her on weekends. It was easy living, but that doesn't mean he had to like it. He wanted his daughter to have a mother figure to guide her and show her the right and wrong to show her what it is like to be strong and resilient, yet Claudia was none of that for his daughter. Sarah, Josie's godmother, did more of that, and Harry was thankful.

Showing up to practice, Harry was embarrassed and hoped Y/N didn't bring up meeting his ex-girlfriend. Josie was quick to introduce them, but thankfully the conversation didn't last long as she was called over by the other team's coach.

"Can you drive any slower?" Josie pouted, looking out the window as Harry entered the parking lot at a safe speed in case any person happened to cross in front of him.

"Josie, I'm not trying to run anyone over." Harry sighs as he finally eyes an open parking space and signals left, always cautious about an accident.

"Well, I want to talk with my friends before practice." Josie has unbuckled herself and is close to throwing herself out of the car.

Harry puts the car into park, unlocking the car door. "Fly, young one."

The grin that takes over Josie makes Harry happy. "Love you, dad."

"Love you too, Josie."

Harry slides his sunglasses on, hating how bright the sun was; it'd be a few hours until the sunset. He was nervous; he was dressed in black slacks that hugged him in all the right places with a mint button-down shirt that calls attention. He didn't have time to change today; everyone saw him in his casual clothes, never his work attire. Josie said she didn't mind, but he did. Honestly, he was nervous about what Y/N might say about his look. Not that he cared what she thought. Not one bit, right?

He went to his trunk, got out his purple folding chair, and left the matching one there. Harry is a sucker for deals which is why he walked out of the store with two when he only needed one.

He strolled, making sure no eyes were on him, and he was in the clear until he heard a shout, "Dad!" He looked over at the field, and it was Josie waving at him to sit closer to the parents. Harry shot her a thumbs up; he liked the parents genuinely. They have all been so kind and welcoming, telling him the best places to go for the team's discount.

He got along well with Payton's and Stephanie's parents. They had a good sense of humor and liked asking him questions about where he was from and how Josie was growing up. His daughter had become best friends with Juliet. They were two peas in a pod, talking from the beginning of practice to staying almost ten minutes after as they slowly took off their cleats.

Y/N didn't mind seeing as she had to pick up everything, and the girls were eager to help her if it meant spending more time together. Honestly, she was begging for a sleepover, but he kept telling her no because he wanted to meet at least one of her parents first. He wasn't sure what either one did, but Juliet didn't mind if they couldn't make it to a game because her biggest supporter was already there.

Harry approaches where all the parents sit under a shaded tree, waving at everyone before taking a seat next to a man reading on his kindle. He smiled, knowing he loved reading in his downtime as well. This would be an excellent spot to sit, conversation or not he'd be comfortable, but first, an introduction was needed.

"Hello, don't mean to bother you, but I don't think I've seen you before. I'm Harry Styles. My daughter Josie joined the team last month."

"Well, Harry Styles, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard wonderful things about your daughter. I'm Xavier Torres, father of Juliet." Xavier responded with a bright smile on his face.

Harry doesn't hide his surprise. "I've been dying to meet her parents. She's a wonderful girl, glad our daughters decided to get along."

"Yeah, we come as often as we can, but Juliet always assures us she's fine. That she has the best auntie watching over her."

"Coach Y/N is great with everyone. I've never seen anyone so dedicated." Harry shares.

"She's always been like that. I met Clara in my second year of university. She was only fourteen then, but she was so caring. I wasn't introduced to the family until we've been dating for six months, and she was shy but always offered me water or cookies she had baked. I loved having conversations with her; she has always been the smartest person in the room."

Harry grins; this definitely grew his crush on Y/N.

"I hear they are begging for a sleepover," Xavier comments, breaking Harry from his thoughts.

Harry nods, "Yes, I kept saying no because I wanted to meet the parents."

Xavier smiles, agreeing they were the same. "Yeah, we had to meet the dad."

He's shocked Xavier doesn't ask him about a partner, but then again, Y/N could have easily mentioned meeting Claudia and her husband. Harry's grateful if she did not like having to explain how he's a single dad and how he wishes his daughter's mother would do better.

"Well, now that this has happened, I have no problem with a sleepover happening."

"Glad we're on the same page." Harry laughs, grateful, their daughters will be happy with them.

Harry and Xavier spend the entire two hours of practice talking. Harry has close friends, but he wouldn't be opposed to adding Xavier to his guys' nights that happen less frequently now. At the end of practice, they exchange numbers and promise to coordinate a date for the girls. It may be summer, but the girls are still keeping busy during the week instead of doing nothing.

The girls rush over to them at the end of practice, giggling at the two fathers still chatting away.

"Does this mean a sleepover can happen?" Juliet asks, squeezing Josie's hand she's holding.

Harry and Xavier share a look and nod. "Yeah, it can happen."

"Amazing!" Josie cheers jumping up and down.

"We have to plan a day that works for both of us, so it may be a while." Josie frowns but nods. Juliet does not accept it.

"Auntie Y/N can host it."

"Your auntie is going to do what?" Y/N says, sneaking up behind her tickling her sides.

Juliet lets out a loud shriek, not being able to escape her grip. Harry beams at Y/N loving how playful she is with her niece.

"You can host our sleepover. You aren't busy like daddy and Mr. Styles." Juliet says in one breath after Y/N let her go.

"I do have a job, you know," Y/n says in a sing-song voice. Xavier laughs as Juliet pouts. "But I do have more availability than your parents. I'd do it if both of you were comfortable with it." Y/N looks up at Harry and Xavier, letting them have the final say.

Xavier throws an arm over Y/N's shoulder and pulls her in a hug. "Of course, it's a yes; I'm always looking forward to a kid-free house."

"Rude, daddy." Juliet frowns, crossing her arms.

"Only joking, my little flower. How about frozen yogurt on the way home?"

"You're forgiven."

Y/N waits patiently for Harry to answer as he has a staring contest with his daughter.

He sighs, "Yes," Josie cheers, hugging Juliet. "Only if we're really not imposing on Y/N."

"Please, Harry. I'd be honored to have them over. I'm an excellent host, and my movie collection is amazing."

Juliet smiles. "She does, also the biggest backyard so we can run around and do whatever. There's also a pool." She whispers the last part.

"Enough speaking about my house. She'll get the tour soon enough."

"So it's settled," Harry tells them.

"Guess it is; send me when you guys decide. I'm free after twelve on Fridays, and I'll take them to the game on Saturday, of course, or we can do it after a game. All up to you, gents." Y/N gets it all out there, allowing Harry to breathe a little easier.

"Good," Xavier shouts.

"I'm going home, coming Julie?" As Xavier swings his chair over his shoulder. "Daddy, you have to help auntie Y/N. You just sat on your butt for two hours."

"Hey now, I watched you practice."

"I'm going to tell mommy, you know how she feels about you not helping Y/N. She'll give you an earful." Juliet sasses her dad.

"I don't know where you got all that sass from, but I know I'm going to hate it when you're a teenager," Xavier mumbles as he goes to get the goal nets put away.

Y/N laughs before turning to Harry and Josie, "I'll see you both on Wednesday. Have a good night."

Harry watches her walk away as she races Juliet over to the balls scattered around. He smiles at the ground, hoping he could one day make her laugh that much. He doesn't notice Josie watching him, and she grins, happy that maybe one day her daddy will smile as bright as Xavier does when speaking about Juliet's mom.

They walk hand in hand to the car, both comfortable walking in silence for what the future might bring them.

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

Y/N enjoyed morning games as opposed to the afternoon, where the sun was blazing high. She had a hat that was helping with the heat, thankful she hadn't started sweating yet. She loves coaching, but during the summer, it isn't the most enjoyable.

"Hi, Coach Y/N."

She turns her head over her shoulder and sees Harry approaching. She checks him out, thankful for her sunglasses; he's got a black short-sleeve button-down that shines in the sunlight, letting her know it's expensive; he paired it with white linen pants and the beat-up Vans he always wore. He always looks good.

"Nice to see you, Harry."

"How are you?"

"Doing good, bracing the summer heat."

"Yeah, not so enjoyable."

"Ready for the game," Harry says, pointing to the field that will soon have fourteen girls running around.

"Yes, they have been working hard. I'm excited, and you?"

"Oh, nervous," he confesses.

"The girls are going to do great. If they start dozing off, then we can start to worry."

Harry laughs, knowing that she is right. It's about the girl's focus.

"How long did you play?"

"Too long." Y/N jokes.

"Haha," he laughs.

"I started at six and played up until I finished university."

"Wow! You must have been marvelous." Harry is amazed that someone can play a sport that long then go to teaching. He was never the most athletic, but he was a beast at ping-pong that was all hand-eye coordination.

"I would like to think I was good."

"You started coaching when?"

"The year I turned four, and soon enough I was running, and by four she bought me my cleats and bam! A team was created." Juliet answered for her.

"I'm pretty sure you told Harry this already." Y/N laughs playfully, nudging Juliet.

Juliet shrugs, "Just like reminding."

Y/N grins, "Okay, lovebug."

"Plus, you're a great coach."

Harry nods. "I can attest to that. All the girls love you, including Josie."

"And I love them," she tells him truthfully. "We don't get many new players, but we're happy to have Josie. She earned the starting spot as right-wing."

Juliet nods, jumping up and down, "Yeah, she's really good."

"Go on, start the girl with four corners." Y/N pats Juliet's back to get her to go on the field.

"Yes, ma'am." Juliet takes off running, talking to Kate, who helps her get started, and Y/N knows it's her cue to walk away from Harry.

"Good luck, coach."

"Thank you, Harry. See you after."

"Sure, of course. I'll be cheering for you. I-i-i- what-" Harry stutters while she stands there holding back a smile as she can see the heat traveling up his face. "I mean you and the girls. A-all as a team."

"Well, we appreciate it."

Harry watches her walk away, letting out a short laugh, not being able to believe he made a fool of himself.

The game was tied 1-1 with only eight minutes left. Harry could see Y/N was calm, voice firm when speaking to the girls. Lola was about to take a corner kick, he saw her take a step back, and Harry was ready for her to strike it, but instead, she shocks him as she passes to a player who ran up to her.

This startles the other team before Brenda sends it to the center midfielder, who passes it to Josie, who is screaming she's open. Brenda sends a through ball, and off his daughter runs. She gets a foot on it, looking at where the goalie stands. She makes the pass strong enough that the goalie doesn't stop it and just for Andy to tip it in, but it's too strong, causing the ball to go over the net. It's a miss but, everyone didn't mind impressed with the play.

The last few minutes were slow as both teams were tired out, and there was no chance for another goal in two minutes. When the referee blows the final whistle, all the girls bring it in, jogging over to Y/N and Kate as they all round up in a group hug. Harry can't hear what she's saying, but he knows it's reasonable considering all the girls are sporting similar smiles. He is quick to pack up his chair, ready to say goodbye to his daughter, who is about to have a sleepover with her coach and best friend.

The girls come back from clapping the other team's hand and are quick to go sit on the bench and take their shoes off. The clean-up was accomplished quickly today. Harry is waiting to talk to Y/N as she speaks with other parents. Caitlyn's dad praises her for that play, but Y/N is quick to tell him it was all the girls; they are the players. Either way, he hugs her, and Y/N pats the older man back softly. She waves goodbye to most girls when he finally gets to approach her.

"Great game today."

"Yes, they played well." Y/N agrees.

"Your coaching reflects on them."

"In a good way?"

He nods, "The best way."

She thanks him, and he knows she's not one to be boastful, so he changes the conversation.

"You are still good to take them for the sleepover."

"Of course, I'm excited."

"That's great. What time should I pick her up tomorrow?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention earlier, my sister and brother-in-law are coming to have dinner if you'd like to join us. Xavier has been dying to use the grill, and you'll get to meet my sister and my nephew."

"Juliet never talks about a brother."

Y/N chuckles, "It's because he barely started walking, so he doesn't hold much of her attention."

"Ah, that makes sense."

"She loves being a big sister, but only when he sleeps or plays blocks."

"Older siblings got to love them."

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you have a sibling?"

"I do. She's 35 and lives in London and runs a law firm. Total badass."

"I bet she is."

"If she ever stops and visits, please bring her around and would love to get all the dirt on young Harry Styles."

"Only if I get to do the same."

"Stop by Sunday, and you'll get the chance." She shrugs at him as she walks away.

"See you Sunday then." Harry shakes his head smiling as she grabs a bag of soccer balls and begins walking to the parking lot.

Josie runs over and gives him a big hug. "See you tomorrow, daddy."

"Bye honey, call me if you need anything."

"Sure, I love you." She yells as she runs to Y/N and Juliet, who are waiting for her at the end of the grass.

Harry knows she's in good hands, but his heart can't help but miss his little girl. He'll see her tomorrow and Y/N as well. He ignored how hard his heart was thumping at his interaction with Y/N instead of letting himself get lost in the idea of the beautiful afternoon that was to come tomorrow.

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Y/N had a great time with the girls. She promised she would let them do their own thing and just supervise, but both girls wanted her involved. As soon as they arrived at her house, Juliet gave Josie a tour of her home, taking her room to room before they ended up in the backyard, both dressed in their bathing suits to go swimming.

She couldn't help but laugh, knowing how eager they were to go jump in the pool despite playing an intense game for an hour in the blazing sun.

"You little ladies must eat first before you can even think of swimming," Y/N says, arms crossed over her chest, knowing Juliet was going to try to fight her on it.

"Auntie, that's not what we want to do."

"Maybe so, but your tummy's say otherwise."

Josie steps over from behind Juliet to stand next to her. "I would like to eat. Dad says we need to regain all the energy we worked off."

"Your dad is a smart man, Jo." Y/N nods to the girl. "It's a 2-1 vote, then."

"Fine," Juliet groans dramatically.

The girls sit at the table as Y/n begins to boil pasta. She decides on pesto as she has had a craving, and both girls happily agree. In just thirty minutes, she serves the girls two even plates, and they have a flowing conversation. Mainly, Josie and Juliet do the talking, occasionally asking YN her opinion or a question they want her to answer.

After the late lunch, she sends the girls to wash up and meet her outside to lather them in sunscreen. She puts most of her dishes in the dishwasher and soaks her pans in water, wanting it to be easier to wash later when the girls give her a free moment.

"Thirty minutes we are waiting," Y/N tells them, the sun lotion bottle in hand.

"Come on, you believe in that?" Juliet asks.

"Okay, little miss rebel, since when do you always question everything I say." Juliet's eyes go wide, and she shrugs.

"Alright, listen. I adore you, Juliet, but it's not nice trying to take advantage of me because you have a friend over."

Y/N waits for her to say something, but she nods her head and moves to hug her around her waist. She hears her mutter a sorry, and when Y/N brushes her hair back, she sees Juliet move back to look up at her. "I'm sorry."

Y/N gives her a small smile. "It's alright. Now sit down so I can get your back."

Josie patiently waits her turn, and just as Y/N finishes Juliet, she speedwalks to the edge of the steps and sits on them, letting her feet get soaked. Josie sits patiently as Y/N spreads the sunscreen to her shoulders, then turns her to get her face and neck, allowing Josie to rub it into her legs.

"All done, Josie." She stays seated on Y/N's patio chairs under the shade. Y/N doesn't question her not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Is it okay if I go join Juliet?" Josie asks in a soft voice.

Y/N almost awes out loud at how polite Juliet is, "Of course, go on. I'll let you know when it's okay to go in."

Looking out at the spacious yard, Y/N frowns, getting lost in thought about how she has the perfect home, but it gets lonely. It might be time she looks into getting a pet. She'll have to go check the local shelter soon but knows she should think about it for a while longer.

The ringer of her phone tears her out of her head when she hears the splashing, "Is it, time auntie?"

"Yeah, sweetie, it is."

Quickly she swipes three pairs of goggles from the table just as she begins to hear their splashing paired with laughter.

"Are we playing mermaids, auntie?" Josie asks as Y/N steps into the water, relaxing in the cool water, not suffering from the heat.

"We sure are," Y/N raises the three goggles and hands over one to each of them.  

It's after two hours that they all emerge from the pool, deciding to head into the shower seeing as the sun has begun to set. She ushers them carefully to the shower letting Josie use the guest room and Juliet her room seeing as they are the only two rooms fully equipped with towels and shampoo.

After the three of them are clean and changed in the pj's, Y/N makes popcorn to snack on while they play a few board games. They switch from Uno to Candyland to Mancala. It goes on for a while until they decide to put on a movie deciding on Tangled.

It wasn't until a quarter to ten that Moana watched Maui sing "Your Welcome," they began to yawn and started trying to fight back to sleep. Y/N thought they would never go down to sleep because two eight-year-olds have too much energy. Y/N paused the movie and told them it was time to sleep. Neither girl put up an argument.

She guided them to the guest room that had become Juliet's over the years. The girls get tucked into bed after brushing their teeth.

"Thank you for a great day, Y/N," Josie whispers, grabbing her wrist, halting her, tucking their blanket.

Y/N smiles at the kind girl. "Of course, sweetie. It's been a joy having you here."

Y/N goes to Juliet, gives her a kiss on the forehead, whispering a quiet goodnight who already has her eyes closed, her breathing slow and steady. She goes to Josie, who's looking at her with wide eyes. "Would you be okay with a forehead kiss goodnight? I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Y/N addresses the young girl.

Little does Y/N know that small comment was enough for Josie to seal Y/N in her heart forever for her kindness. "Yes, please." Bright green eyes look up at her with a small smile as she gives her a soft kiss.

"Goodnight, Y/N."

"Night, Jo."

Y/N goes to her room and does her night routine taking extra steps due to getting more sun exposure today. She loves how she feels putting on moisturizer at the end of the night. She lays in bed under her soft white covers. Her eyes shut, and she begins to count backward. She reaches all the way to one and tries again but stops halfway, sighing, knowing there's no chance she'll sleep; she heads to the kitchen to make herself a tea.

With her chamomile tea in hand, she sets it on the chrysanthemum coaster on the side table, picks up the book she left there, and sets it in her lap as she turns on her television to Netflix, deciding on The Great British Baking Show to use as white noise. She presses play on where she last left off, forgetting the book in her lap as the bakers had to make a raised game pie for their signature.

Y/N had already watched collection three, but it was one of her favorites. She loved the bakers and liked watching Nadiya improve each episode. The technical challenge was getting started, the bakers reading their vague instructions to make the tennis fruit cake when she heard small steps down the stairs.

She turns around, spotting Josie making her way down, "Hi there, you alright?"

Josie just nods but continues towards her, joining her to sit on the couch. "Can't sleep?" Y/N asks to share her lavender throw blanket with Josie.

"Not really."

"Yeah, I get restless sometimes as well."

Josie stares, tilting her head as if trying to figure out why she can't sleep, "What do you do to try to sleep?"

"Well, I usually try to read a book in bed, but I decided tea and a bit of tv would help."

Josie nods, and Y/N can tell she's working up the courage to ask her something. "Can I please try with you?"

"Of course, would you like tea as well?"

"Chamomile?"

"Sure, that's what I was drinking."

"Daddy adds a bit of honey."

Y/N smiles, "Honey, I can do that."

She goes to the kitchen alone, getting Josie her favorite mug with bees scattered all around. As soon as she's done making her tea and checking it is at a suitable temperature, she brings it out to her. Y/N sees Josie has put play on the show.

Y/N just grins, happy the girl likes the show as well. "Have you seen this season?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, me too."

"Nadiya is excellent," Josie comments as Nadiya wins first in the technical challenge.

"She is! I'm glad they picked her as the winner though she had strong competition against Ian and Tamal."

Both Y/N and Josie sit there in silence, sipping their teas, watching the bakers now try to make Charlotte Russe cakes for the showstopper. It's not until the presentation begins that Josie breaks their comfortable silence.

"Why can't you sleep?"

"Well, uhh, sometimes I can't get my brain to shut down and have lots of thoughts swirling around."

"Oh," Josie responds. "Do they ever stop?"

"Yeah, usually when I count backward or tell myself a story."

Josie looks delighted at hearing Y/N sharing this with her. "What kind of story?"

"A sweet one, one my grandparents used to tell me, or I make one up."

"And it works?"

"Almost always."

Josie continues with her questions, but Y/N doesn't mind. "Do you get bad dreams?"

"Not always, but sometimes, do you, Jo?"

Josie smiles, "I like that."

"What?" Y/N says, puzzled, aware she avoided the question.

"Jo, dad calls me honey, darling, Josie and Josephine when I do something I'm not supposed to, but no one ever has said, Jo. I like it."

"Oh, I'm glad. It's alright that I keep calling you that then."

Josie repeatedly nods, "Of course."

Y/N looks back at the TV focusing on the new episode that started during the talk.

"Sometimes I dream I'm back in Georgia with daddy." Josie is looking down at her lap, where she draws a circle on the palm of her left hand with her right index finger.

"Yeah, how does that make you feel?"

"Sad sometimes and sometimes happy."

"Why is that?" Y/N asks in a soft voice.

"Well, mommy called me more when I lived farther away. Now I don't get to see her every weekend even though that's the deal. She doesn't even like watching me play."

"That must be tough, Jo. Have you shared this with your dad?"

Josie shakes her head no. "He'd get mad at mom, and I don't want anyone fighting."

"Don't think it's fighting. Your dad just wants the best for you and wants your mom to see that as well."

"I guess."

"Did you know I've visited Georgia?"

"You have?" Josie sits up, crawling closer to her, excited at the change in conversation.

Y/N nods, "My grandparents had family there, so every summer, we'd make our way there. Spent all our time at the lake or just walking through the woods. They lived in a secluded area, so lots to roam."

"We lived in the city."

"I bet you still went to neat places."

Josie thinks about it for a minute, "We did, the weekends were for the lake, and it was easy to drive to another state for a week."

Y/N laughs, knowing how exciting it was visiting a new state in a matter of hours compared to how hard it is in California. "Yeah, I liked that as well."

"What's your favorite memory?"

Y/N stops to think about it; it has been a while since she thought back to her times there. She hasn't had the chance to go back since her grandparents passed away.

"The fireflies. I remember we were in one of my uncle's backyard, and he was showing us his peaches. When I saw a buzz of light followed by another, and soon enough, they were all around us. My uncle tells me he'll never forget the look on my face because it was true happiness and disbelief."

Y/N's smile is nostalgic. If she closes her eyes tight enough, she can picture the fireflies surrounding her. She's brought back to the present when she feels a small hand placed over her own.

"Thank you for sharing that with me," Josie says before she leans over, giving Y/N a hug.

Y/N laughs and hugs her back, happy she got to know this sweet girl better.

"I think it's time for bed."

"Okay."

As they begin walking up the stairs after making a stop in the kitchen to put their mugs in the dishwasher, Y/N stops outside the guest room.

"You're really wise for your age."

Josie nods, "My dad tells me that all the time."

Y/N can't help the smile that Josie draws out of her, "Goodnight."

"Night."

Y/N goes to bed with lots more on her mind. Her thoughts on the young girl who is caring more on her shoulder than she lets on. Josie has grown us quicker and doesn't realize it due to her experiences. Y/N goes wondering what tomorrow will bring.

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

A lot was running through Harry's mind after the dinner he had on Sunday with Y/N and her family. Trust him; he enjoyed it. He adored seeing her in a different environment, but she seemed distant, and so did Josie. It's as if the two gravitated towards each other more. Always whispering to each other.

He enjoyed seeing them get along; he just didn't like not being included. This also made him second guess in pursuing Y/N. He wasn't willing to risk it not working out. Harry also knows he's not sure if he'd survive the heartbreak.

It's been a while since he's put himself out there, but as a single dad, he feared that no woman he had met was good enough to meet Josie, not after learning that he had full custody.

Y/N's sister was kind, always teasing Y/N but Y/N gave it right back. He could tell the love they had for each other was the kind he shared with Gem. They might not have been that close in age, but they appreciate each other better as adults. Harry loved Y/N's nephew, who stumbled every few steps he took, which is why Y/N took it upon herself to have him attached to her the whole night.

It warmed Harry's heart and gave him all kinds of crazy ideas, for example like a baby that was half him and half her that he'd love just as much as Josie.

Fuck, he had it bad.

Harry's thankful it's Wednesday, and he gets to see Y/N again. He didn't make practice on Monday having Sarah bring her, and today Y/n picked her up from his house where Mitch was watching her because he had a meeting that would be running long. Luckily, he made it just in time before the practice started.

He knew he was going to stand out, showing up wearing creamed flared trousers and a black silk button-down. Harry had taken off his cropped, lapel grey plaid jacket knowing the heat would eat him alive if he left it on.

Harry chuckled to himself as he walked from the parking lot; his folding hair swung on his shoulder. He waved to the parents before setting up alone under a tree, wanting to enjoy the shade today and no conversations unless it was from one specific person.

He sees her pocketing her phone in her bag and knows this is his chance to talk to her. He makes his way discreetly as possible, going behind the parents, who are all currently staring down at their phones.

"Y/N,"

She turns, she scans him head to toe quickly, not wanting Harry to catch her, but he does. He lets it boost his ego a little.

"Harry, a bit dressed up, no?"

He chuckles, doing a little spin for her. "Not at all, haven't you heard business casual is the new uniform."

She shakes her head at him, "We'll take it into consideration."

"That's all I ask."

Y/N looks over to Kate and motions for her to get the girls' warm-up started.

"Dinner was nice."

Y/N nods, "It was. My sister really likes you."

"That's good. She's really funny."

"She knows it." Y/N rolls her eyes playfully.

Harry knocks his hips into her, "Don't worry, you're still my favorite."

"Gee, I was so worried." Y/N fakes dramatically but isn't able to hide how her cheeks heat up at his compliment. "Now, you need to go sit. I have to coach. Parents are going to think I'm flirting."

Harry smirks, "I don't mind the flirting."

"Styles, you'd know if I was flirting."

"I'm just going to say that I very much am."

"Hmm, I'll take that into consideration. For our future conversations."

Y/N joins the girls as they are about to start their second lap; Harry slowly makes his way to his waiting chair, happy that Y/N might like him just as much as he likes her.

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

Y/N pulled Josie aside before the scrimmage wanting to speak with her noticing she wasn't connecting with the team as she had on Monday.

"Doing okay?" Y/N asks as Josie gets a drink of water.

Josie nods, "Of course."

"Well, Juliet told me you didn't want to hang out. She said you had wanted to try that donut place with us on Friday."

"Because I had plans with my mom."

"Oh, that's fun."

"No."

"Why not?"

"She said she was busy," Josie murmurs.

"Well, you're still welcome to join us on Friday. I'm going to take Juliet to get ice cream at my favorite shop after practice. You're welcome to join." Y/N offers, knowing the little girl needs something to cheer her up.

"Does my dad have to come?"

"Not if you don't want him to."

Josie shakes her head no.

"Okay then."

"I'll go ask permission now."

"You can wait," Y/N laughs at her eagerness.

"No. I tell him now, and he can think it over while I play."

"Okay, sure. Don't take long."

Josie nods about to take off, but Y/n stops her. "Josie, I'm sorry your plans changed."

"She's been doing that more." She shrugs as if she's not bothered.

"Just because she is doing that doesn't mean you aren't loved. Your dad loves you and your godparents; the team does as well. I do, also. You're amazing, Josie." Y/N tells her, knowing Josie needed to hear it from somebody other than her father.

Josie's eyes shine, but she blinks the tears away. She gives her a quick hug before turning around and running towards Harry. From the corner of her eye, she sees Josie dramatically asking for permission as she lets her father retie the laces of her boots. Y/N smiles because she loves Josie, and if given a chance, she might also get an opportunity to love Harry. Y/N looks forward to watching what the future may bring.

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

Kate had organized a pizza party for the girls because they had been doing so well and thought they deserved a reward. Y/N and Kate always talked about motivating and encouraging the girls for their hard work and dedication. They would do small gatherings or bring them a treat to enjoy after practice, and the occasional Monday off that happened on significant dates or when they as a coach needed a break which wasn’t often because they loved this and the girls.

A pizza party was fun, it allowed parents to interact somewhere that wasn’t crazy hot, and the girls got to eat their weight in pizza. Y/N personally loved it because she got to eat crazy good buffalo wings. Kate and Y/N always shared a basket.

Y/N had sat in a booth with Kate across from her knowing the girls would take up two of the long tables. They rather not squeeze in between when they have a good view of them here.

“Anyone I should be aware of, Thomas, was it?”

“Uhh, no. He turned out to be a jerk who couldn’t get me off.”

“Gee any louder, Katie, would you.” Y/N smiles at Cynthia’s parents, who are in line waiting to order themselves around some beers. Y/N was never one who got into drinking, but it doesn’t bother her those who do.

“Anyways, the one who is coming is Tiffany, and we have been talking for a week, and I think I may be in love.” Kate sighs, a faraway look in her eye as the waiter drops by her beer. Y/N eyes it, not liking how much foam was in the cup.

“You say you’re in love each time.”

Kate rolls her eyes at Y/N, “Well, I mean it this time.”

“Sure.”

“No, you’ll see. Tiff should be here soon. She got the most gorgeous curls and the most perfect brown eyes. Then when she talks Spanish to me, I have an idea what she’s saying, but it turns me on like crazy.”

“I can translate for you.” Kate rolls her eyes, knowing Y/N’s Spanish was perfect due to her high school and college years, not to mention she took YMCA classes at seven. “Anyways, let us move on from the conversation.”

“Okay, let’s talk about your sex life.”

Y/N chucks a piece of lettuce at Kate hitting her square on her chin. Before Kate can retaliate, Harry steps towards them, “Hello, ladies.”

“Hi, Harry,” Kate responds by making crazy eyes at Y/N.

“Mind if I join you, don’t think Josie would like me sitting with her or alone.”

Y/N nods, “Of course, but only if you don’t mind sliding in. I like the edge seats, or you can sit with Kate.”

Kate shakes her head no, “No, he cannot. My date should be here soon.”

Y/N gets up to let Harry slide in, he does a little wiggle to get to the other side, and Y/N does her best to hide her laugh. It seems to work, as he didn’t mention it. Y/N feels her body heat up because their thighs are touching. She feels ridiculous getting worked up over a simple touch.

The next hour flies by, and Tiffany arrives during that time, and Y/N loves her. She is as gorgeous as Kate described, her hair long falling down her back in thick ringlets, her brown eyes captivating, and her golden skin shines with just a hint of sunlight. She can see why Kate was smitten, but getting to know her and Y/N can happily say she’s a perfect fit for her best friend. She hopes it works out for Kate because this will be a heavy heartbreak if it doesn’t.

Y/N excuses herself, wanting to check with the girls. She approaches the table sitting by the pinball machines. The girls have question after question for her that she happily answers. She looks to see Juliet, happily leading a conversation with a quiet Jo sitting next to her staring out the window.

She excuses herself from the girls and places a hand on Juliet’s shoulder, who stops her chatter to grin up at Y/N before continuing like she never stopped. Jo just smiles at her before looking at the other girls acting as she was involved in the conversation, but Y/n knows better.

“You alright, Jo?”

“Of course, a bit full, that is all.” Y/N stares at those green eyes long and hard before nodding.

“I’m just over there if any of you need anything.”

“Yes, thank you, coach.” Most girls answer in unison.

Y/N goes back to their table, and Harry smiles, scooting over, “Saved your spot. Susan tried to nab it.”

“My hero.” She giggles.

The conversation around Y/N flows easily; she laughs and comments. There is a moment where Harry squeezes her thigh affectionately when she makes a witty comment defending him and his style. She wishes he’d rest his hand there, but he moves it back on top, also not wanting anyone to be suspicious.

As much as Y/N is having a lovely evening, her gaze drifts over to Josie, who hasn’t uttered a word since she was with her.

Harry is too busy chatting and having a nice time to notice how quiet Josie has gotten, not that she blames him; the place is loud and complete because it’s a Saturday afternoon. This worries Y/n as she has seen Josie withdrawing more and more but didn’t want to believe it. Josie hides it reasonably well.

Y/N hopes she’s wrong and that sweet Josie is only having an off day.

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

Harry was happy to see Josie loving California. He knew it was a risk moving across the country when the East coast is all she had ever known. Josie has shown him nothing but happiness; he can't wait to see how she does in the Fall when she goes back to school. The great thing is she will have friends due to the girls on the team. Also, he hates to admit it, but it has been good for Josie to see more of her mom. Allowing them to build a better relationship. Harry only wishes the best for his daughter and hopes he has been doing that so far in her life.

It's Wednesday, and Harry feels his weeks go by faster now that they have a structured routine. He always gets excited because he knows that he'll have a chance to chat with Y/N no matter what.

They arrive five minutes before practice starts, making Harry rush out of the car, holding Josie's hand as she pulls him along, wanting to apologize to Y/N.

Y/N approaches them as they reach the area where all the girls have just started their warm-up lap.

"We're so sorry. We got stuck in a traffic jam." Harry rushes out, hating to get his daughter punished for his tardiness.

She shakes her head at him, not bothered. "Go on join the others, Josie," she gently touched her shoulder. "I've got to chat with your dad."

Josie gives her an uncertain look, but she assures her with a smile. She runs off, joining the second lap at the back of the two lines.

Harry stands there, uncertain, not sure what she needs to tell him. By the solemn look she has, it might not be good.

She walks off to the side a distance from the parents and has an eye on the girls finishing up their warm-up laps before going into a stretch.

"Josie brought up something I think you need to know."

Harry waits, allowing her to go on, knowing he shouldn't interrupt.

Y/N takes a deep breath before looking him in his eyes, "Josie says her mom told her she needs to stop calling her and to stop with the visits. That she's pregnant, and that's her priority, not her."

Harry's jaw drops. He didn't know Claudia could be so cruel to their daughter. He wasn't even aware she was pregnant or that she wanted more children. Mostly he hates that he does not hear this from his daughter.

"She told me she was afraid of how'd you react to the news, but I told her she needed to address it, and by your reaction, I assume she didn't."

Harry shakes his head. "No, we celebrated the win and had a good weekend. Seemed happier than normal honesty."

"It's common for kids to try to block it out. As someone who had to go through her fair share of child therapy, I feel like it would be good for her to see a therapist." Y/N tells him, voice gentle, knowing this is a lot for Harry.

"Why" Harry bites back, defensive. "She's fine, happy, and laughing."

"Harry, I'm not saying she's not, but she needs to talk about it. Jo won't be with you, and it's because she trusts and loves you and doesn't want to hurt you. She thinks she is protecting you; an eight-year-old shouldn't be trying to protect her father."

Harry feels himself boiling, no longer wanting to hear any more of what she has to say.  

"The signs are there."

The signs," he scoffs.

"Quietness, sadness, isolation, anxiety." She points to the field, and he turns to see Josie stretching alone, lost in her own head. No longer sitting between Juliet like she always had the last few weeks. A frown on her face seems to be permanently placed.  

"You've got no right to say this." Harry wishes she never brought this up.

"I'm doing this for her, not for you."

Harry has had enough; he wants her to hurt her like he is right now, which is why he lets his mouth speak before he can think over what he has said, "Who do you think you are? Honestly, you're a lousy soccer coach who has nothing better to do but judge kids and their parents."

"Harry," she whispers, trying to mask her hurt.

"No, you've said enough. I think you can forget about Josie playing for this team." His voice dripping with venom. "Seems all you wanted was extra cash in your pocket with the addition of a player ."

He walks towards the field. "Josie, we're leaving," Harry doesn't care that the other parents are watching now. He throws Josie's bag over his shoulder as he watches her jog over to him,

"We just got here. I was warming up."

"Josie, we're leaving." No room for argument in his voice, but Josie stands her ground.

"I don't want to leave." Her voice falters as she stares up at him.

"Josie, don't."

"Dad, I like it here, Coach is-"

Harry cuts her off, "Enough, Josephine, you're not coming back here ever."

Those words bring tears to her eyes; she drops her head, defeated. She follows behind Harry and turns to look at Y/N one last time, shooting her an "I warned you look."

Y/N watches them walk away, and she can only hope this is the last she sees of them. She shakes all her feelings out, knowing she has all eyes on her right now. She's got a team to coach, and just like that, she brushes away Harry and his cruel words, knowing they'll resurface later in the appropriate environment.

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

After leaving the practice field, Harry And Josie did not speak a word to each other or the next day. They continued in silence, not for Harry's lack of trying to get a word out of Josie; she was just that upset with him.

All he received were head shakes, and Harry was worried. He cooled down after and let everything sink in, but the damage was done; it was too late.

That same night Harry called Claudia to confront her to tell her he would be taking her to court to forget seeing Josephine. All she responded was that it was quite alright. She was giving him full custody and would be sending him the paperwork she had already signed. Then hung up the phone on him.

Harry was appalled that a mother could do this to their child, to abandon them with no care. He always knew Claudia wasn't a good person, but he wished better for his daughter, and right now, even he didn't feel good enough for his angel girl.

On the fifth day of silence between his daughter and him, he received an email he was tempted not to open due to who it read the sender was. He did so anyway; it was the name, phone number, and location of a therapist nearby. The email read professional, not a hint of the last few months of knowing each other. There was an endnote that said to give her as a reference. He knew he would think it over for now.

On the seventh day of his daughter ignoring him, he called the number that he marked down on his phone. He called and set up an appointment for the following day; he knows it could have been longer if he didn't name drop Y/N. Harry knows he needs to apologize, but he's not sure where to begin or if it would be appropriate to show up at her house, but he decided to focus on one thing at a time, and that would be Josie.

Harry would have liked to walk hand in hand into the big building with big windows overlooking a secluded private park, but Josie walked ahead and sat herself on the rainbow-colored couches for kids and picked up a Judy Blume book to read.

Harry walks to the front desk and admires all the photos pinned up behind the receptionist. He knows they must be patients with only their first name signed. His favorite is a dinosaur swimming on a floaty holding a milkshake; there was some natural talent hanging on the wall as well as a lot of imagination.

"Sir, here for?" The receptionist called him for his turn, not noticing the person in front of him was now seated.

"Styles, Harry. Well, Josephine," he corrects. "Sorry."

"No worries, all parents do that their first time."

He awkwardly laughs.

"Dr. Sylvia Hernandedz will be with you shortly." He thanks her, going to sit on the black couch. He sinks right in full of comfort.

Five minutes later, they are called to go. He reaches for Josie's hand, and she lets him take it but doesn't make any move to hold him; it's as if he's carrying dead weight. Harry sighs but follows behind the receptionist.

"Hello, Styles family, lovely to meet you." A woman in her mid-forties greets them, a nice styled bun not a hair out of sight. Glasses on the bridge of her nose. She has a dark blue pencil skirt and a white buttoned shirt tucked in. He feels not as uncomfortable as he thought he would.

"I'm Syliva Hernandez, and you must be Josephine Styles." She leans down to be eye level with Josie and sticks out for her to shake.

"Yes, Dr. Hernandez. A pleasure to meet you." Josie responds politely.

Dr. Hernandez smiles. "Now, how'd you know I was a doctor?"

"The frame behind your desk shows your credentials." She points to the USC doctorate hanging behind a desk full of framed photos.

"Well, aren't you an observant girl?"

"Thank you."

"Would you like to accompany me to this playroom while I chat with your father? I can have my friend Alycia join you if you don't want to be alone."

Josie shakes her head no, "I'll be fine. I like being alone sometimes. I had a very wise person tell me it's okay to want to be alone sometimes, but it doesn't mean you're alone."  

"Did your dad tell you that?" Dr. Hernandez asks.

"No."

"Very, well off you go. We'll have an eye on you but feel free to use all the items in there."

"Thank you." Josie slips right in, grabbing paper and colored pencils, carefully pulling out her desired colors.

"Have a seat, please, Mr. Styles."

"Thank you."

He sits in the mahogany chair; he can't say he likes it much.

"These chairs are awful. My office is better furnished, I assure you."

Harry tears his eyes from Josie to look at the therapist.

They are silent, and Harry isn't sure what to do.

"Uhh...Y/N Y/LN recommend us to you. I'm not sure if they informed you or I had to let you know."

"Yes, I'm aware. She's a great person." Shutting down conversation.

"Your daughter's birthday."  

"December 13th, she's eight".

"How long have you been separated from her mother?"

"Since before her birth. We have a court agreement that I get weekly, and she gets her weekends, but that has recently changed. I have full custody of her.

"How does that make you feel?"

"Not okay; I grew up with divorced parents. My mother never remarried. I have an older sister, but we live in different countries."

"Do you fear the same for her?"

"Think it's worse for her. Josie's mother told her she didn't want her anymore because she would be having a baby. She didn't even tell me. She told--," he cuts himself off.

"Who did she tell?"

"Her soccer coach."

"A female?

"Yes. They are close. Have a real bond, an understanding of sorts."

"Do you think she is looking for a female to look up to?"

"It would make sense. My mother lives in London, and we only see her on holidays, same with my sister. She gets on well with my best mate's girlfriend, Sarah. She taught Josie to play the drums a bit. Also, Glenne, a dear friend."

"Male figures in life?"

"Too many. Mitch, Jeff, Adam, and his kids. Tyler, a family friend."

"It seems she has paternal figures, but she's searching for maternal figures." She states before continuing, "What's the reason you brought her in?"

"The coach addressed to me that she was worried that she was withdrawing herself, becoming anxious and lonely. Less happy. I didn't see it, but we've gone a week without speaking, and I've seen her mope and stare off a lot."

"Is she still seeing her coach?

"No, that's part of our not talking. I got upset over the suggestion of therapy and took that away from her."

"It led to a negative response."

"Yes, and I feel awful about it."

"It seems that the sport and coach are important to her and who she is. It's what you call a safe place."

"But she was beginning to withdraw from there as well," Harry states, not knowing it couldn't be so safe if she was isolating herself.  

"Well, we'll have to talk with her. Are you comfortable with me speaking with her alone? I do have to let you know what I speak with her is confidential. She can tell you about it, but you cannot ask me."

"Yes, of course. It's fine, I understand." Harry knows therapy can be scary, but it can also be the start of something better.

"Well, let me call her back."

Dr. Hernandez stands and opens the door, "Josephine, come with me, please." Josie nods her head, putting the colored pencils away and bringing her picture with her.

"I apologize if we took too long."

"Not long. Enough to finish my drawing." She shares, giving the doctor a small smile.

"Can I have a look?"

Josie hands it over, Dr. Hernandez turns it so they can both see what she drew. It's a photo of a goal net and who he assumes to be himself in the net. A little girl with two pigtails standing there, hands raised, and another female is to the side cheering with a megaphone.

"It's beautiful."

"Thank you," Josie says proudly.

"Do you think I can keep it? Have you sign your name and add it to the front desk."

"Would you?" Josie's eyes go wide at someone other than her dad hanging up her art.

"Of course."

"That'd be wonderful." And for the first time in a week, she turns looking up at Harry. "Did you hear that daddy, Dr. Hernandez wants to keep it?

"I would too; it's beautiful, darling."

"I can make another."

Harry smiles, grateful, his daughter is her vibrant self, "Thank you, honey."

"Josephine, are you okay with your dad stepping out and you talking with me privately one on one?

"Yes, I like you. Also, you can call me Josie."

Dr. Hernandez nods in acknowledgment before turning to address Harry.

"You can wait in the waiting room. Alycia will bring you back to discuss in my office when we are done."  

Harry mutters okay and walks out, closing the door behind him. He walks a few steps before laying his head to rest on the wall. This has felt like a lot, but he also feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulder.

Maybe I need to see a therapist. Harry thinks to himself, liking that he got a lot off his shoulders in just a short amount of time.

He's walking down the hallway when he hears a familiar voice, one he didn't think he'd have the pleasure of ever hearing again.

It stops him in his tracks.

He hears her voice once more and follows it out to the waiting room he's supposed to be waiting for his daughter.

Harry sees that she is talking with Alycia, and as he steps closer, he feels like it is harder to breathe.

"I have three more clients before I'm done for the day, but I have a thirty-minute gap, so maybe we can order smoothies, my treat." She tells the secretary handing her two twenty bills so that she can get everyone a drink.

"Y/N," he gasps out.

His eyes roam her body; he's never seen her dressed, so office official always used to see her in shorts, sweats, leggings, and a t-shirt. She's wearing this blue satin silk blouse tucked into high-waisted black trousers and low heels.

She is gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.

Y/N turns, not at all trying to hide the surprised look on her face.

"You're here." She nods; he's not sure why she's here.

"Here's your next client's file. They are doing an intake. You have over half an hour."

"Great."

Harry is now standing in front of her. "You work here?"

Y/N nods.

"You're a therapist." He states.

Y/N can clearly see he wants to talk and knows a better place to do it than their waiting room filled with waiting people.

"Why don't we talk in my office?" Harry nods, ready to follow her, but before he can, she turns to the desk once more, "Hold my calls, please, Alycia."

"Of course."

"Follow me, Harry."

They walk in silence as they pass Dr. Hernandez's door. She opens her door, allowing him to enter first. It feels bright and full of color; the wall's painting is pale green and hanging on the walls; she has lots of scenic photos and drawings. The chairs are nice, a red velvet couch pushed against a wall, her desk is not that big, he notices. It lacks pictures compared to Dr. Hernandez. Her degrees are placed on a bookshelf. She has it color-coded in colors of the rainbow, which is quite impressive.

"Have a seat." She offers all the open space.

Y/N takes a seat on the couch, and he follows.

Harry feels underdressed next to Y/N, and that has never happened before; he is always the one showing up in extravagant and overpriced suits.

"You work here." He waits for her to confirm.

"Yes, I'm a therapist here. Dr. Hernandez was my advisor during my undergrad. She knew what I wanted to accomplish for my career. They offered me a job, and I accepted. They have been supportive of obtaining my doctorate."

Harry is very impressed, "Congrats, that's wonderful."

"Thank you."

They both quiet down, not sure who should go first. Harry is about to start when Y/N begins to speak.

"Listen, Harry, I'm sorry. I went about addressing it wrong, and I never meant to upset you. I apologize." Y/N keeps her eyes on his wanting him to see how sincere she was.

"No need, I've taken a week to reflect on what a jerk I was. Having Josie give me the silent treatment for a week was torture." Harry confesses, scratching his neck to avoid reaching for her hand.

"Is she okay? Harry, that's a long time." Y/N's voice laced with concern.

"I'm sure she's chatting Dr. Hernandez ear off as we speak."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"I brought it on myself by taking her away from one thing she truly loves."

Y/N nods, not able to disagree with Harry. "Yeah, I understand."

"Is that how you know she needed therapy because you're a therapist?"

"Yes. I saw the signs, but I mostly observe and never address it, but from the conversations I've had with Josie and the relationship we built, I felt like I owed it to her to get her help." Y/N pauses, debating if she was ready to share more of herself with Harry. "It was also that I saw myself in her, it felt familiar, and I wanted to help."

"I'm going to tell you a story."

Harry can tell it's not going to be an easy one as she's not staring at her hand, focused on the lone ring she has on her index finger. "You don't have to."

She reaches over and squeezes his hand once to let him know it's alright. "I was nine years old when I walked in on my dad cheating on my mom with his secretary. I told her as soon as she came home and she didn't believe me. She went as far as calling me an attention seeker. By the end of the week, we were living with my grandparents. I didn't see my parents again after that day. At age ten, I started visiting the counselor because I blamed myself for my sister no longer having parents. I wouldn't even allow myself to talk to her; I was just consumed by guilt taking all the blame when I shouldn't have."

Y/N knows Harry's gaze is on her, but she doesn't dare look up, not wanting to see the pity in his eyes. "Don't think I've stopped since then. A big reason I'm doing the job I am now is for those who helped me along the way.

"Y/N,"

"Harry, no pity comments. I've made my peace, sure the trauma never truly leaves, but you overcome it."

"Thank you for sharing that with me, I know I don't deserve it, but I'm grateful."

Harry needs to apologize; he wants to leave here today knowing he didn't lose a friend.

"I'm sorry I hurt you."

"Harry, you-"

"No, I really am; I didn't mean a word I said. I know you're more than a coach, and you're not lousy; you're brilliant. You're my daughter's favorite person. I didn't mean it, and I hope you'll forgive me."

"I accept your apology, that was a bad day for all of us, but I can move past it if you can?"

"Yes, I would love that. I feel awful you're someone I trust, a friend. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.

"Thank you, Harry."

"One more thing."

"Yes, go on."

"Can you recommend a therapist for me? Talking with Dr. Hernandez was amazing, and I think I would benefit from it."

Y/N doesn't make any comment, just nods. "I'll send you a list of therapists but do know you'll always find a friend in me if you ever need a shoulder to cry on or someone to watch over you as you get drunk."

Harry chuckles; he'll keep that in mind for future references.  

"There's a knock on the door. "Yes, come in."

"Sylvia is ready for Mr. Styles."

"Thank you, Alycia. I'll walk him to her office."

Y/N stands, and Harry follows close behind as they make their way out to reunite him with his daughter.

"Y/N, can I hug you?"

She bits back the smile threatening to overtake her face at how small he looks asking. "Yes, that's fine."

Harry doesn't wait for another second; he throws his arms around her holding her tight. He hadn't been lucky enough to hug her before, but now doing it, he doesn't think he ever wants to go a day without one.

They walk out, both having heated faces due to enjoying being the embrace of one another. She walks them a few doors down and knocks, waiting for the go-ahead to go in.

"One last thing," She says, pointing a hand to his chest."

"Name it." He'd give her anything.

"Jo comes back to the team. You bring her to the game this weekend."

"Yes, of course."

She beams at his response, "Great."

Y/N peeks her head in, locking eyes with Sylvia. "Alright, to come in, Doc?"

"Of course, Josephine, this is my good friend and coworker Y/N."

Josie turns and smiles wide, jumping up when she sees her walk in with Harry right behind her.

"Hiya, champ. Seems to have found your dad lost out here."

Josie giggles and runs into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"I've missed you."

"As have I little miss sunshine. I missed my fastest midfielder at the game. All the girls missed you."

"Awe, I'll be back," she looks up at Harry with a look of worry on her face. "Right, daddy?"

"Yes, darling. Got a game at ten am on Saturday."

Josie lets out a loud shriek.

"So this is Coach." Dr. Hernandez says with a knowing smile.

"Yes, she's great," Josie responds, holding tight to Y/N's hand.  

Y/N chuckles. "How about you and I go draw a picture to add to my office while Dr. Hernandez and your dad tie up some little things."

"Okay."

They walk out hand in hand as Josie catches up with Y/N on everything she did on her week away. Not shying away from how she handled the now resolved issue with her father.

"You don't look as blue," Dr. Hernandez comments."

"Sorry," Harry blushes, having been lost in thought on the two girls who just walked out.

"Mr. Styles, your aura is soft, kinder."

"Yeah, I think she has that effect on people."

"You might be right."

Things are finally looking up, and Harry looks forward to rebuilding his relationship with Josie and hopefully creating one with Y/N besides their parent and coach relationship.

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

It's been two weeks since Josie came back to play, and thing's have been going smoothly. Harry begins helping out with cleaning up at the end of practice to talk to Y/N more. He asks more about her job and how the doctorate is going. He worries she might be juggling too much, but she assures him she has a smooth dynamic of handling everything.

It's a cold Saturday morning, it's the quarter-finals, and the nerves are high for everyone. The girls finished on top of the leaderboard, but the league likes doing a championship game to honor all the hard-working teams.

Y/N is quieter this morning, and all the parents have picked up on it. They are used to her light and kind nature, wishing everyone a good day and accepting treats. Cynthia's mom is in charge of snacks for today and offered her a muffin one she never says no to except today.

It immediately puts everyone in a skittish mood.

Truthfully, Y/N isn't here for the parents, but the girls and the team they are against is the dirtiest. Most girls are nine and will be moving up a division, but Coach Roman teaches them that dirty plays will make them win. Her girls are strong players, but she reminds them of the importance of sportsmanship and playing with heart.

Y/N even makes sure she cannot be approached by anyone, only the girls and Kate, as they start to warm up on the field. The girls do their drills as Kate stands quietly by your side.

"Someone can't take their eye off of you."

"Stop."

"It's true though, he was pouting when he saw you on the field clipboard in hand," Kate says with a giggle.

"Shush."

"Going to ask him on a date?"

"Only if we win."

That shuts Kate up, "You're joking."

Y/N slowly shakes her no, "Girls, two lines, run through side net shots."

Kate and Y/n stand back to back as the girls pass, and they kick it-bag, giving them only a second to angle themselves. This is one of their favorite warm-ups, and she's glad she can still talk with Kate during it.

"What made you finally decide?"

"I realized he's not going to make a move because one he fears I'm going to reject him and two it goes horribly wrong, then he might never show his face around here again. I'm positive he likes me."

Kate nods, "he likes you, adores you. He's got it bad." She's quiet for a moment before starting up again, "I know we're going to win, so how are you going to ask him? I'm going to need all the details."

"I'm going to go up to him and ask him out to dinner, simple as that."

Y/N changes the drill marking the end of their conversation; she leads the girl into two groups of keep away while Kate takes Dawson, their goalie, to keep warming up.

Before they know it, captains and coaches are called. Coach Roman is smug and annoying as he shakes her hand. The girls pick heads and win the coin toss. They choose to have kickoff; Roman's girls decide to stay on their side, meaning everything to their advantage as they have the slight uphill to battle through for the first half, and the second will use it to their advantage.

The starting lineup is quick to attack, and in a matter of minutes, Juliet scored a goal from a pass from Imelda. The girls' cheer, happy to be leading the game. They know better than getting cocky; if anything, this intensifies their speed at playing. The next twelve minutes of the second quarter are stressful as Josie makes it a two-zero lead from a corner kick. Just as half-time is to be called, a midfield slips through the defense from the back and gets it over Dawson's head, and just like that, the referee calls it.

Y/N can't remember the last time she was this anxious. It's foul after foul, and she's had enough of it.

Kate is quick to round up the girl, not wanting to monopolize all their time, wanting them to relax mostly to stay in a positive mindset. Kate leads the talk letting them know they are doing well and that the left-wing is getting beat, but having the downhill in favor should help her out now. Y/N went around making sure each girl was safe and had no injuries, only grass stains on their knees.

"Be aggressive, but don't stoop to their level."

"Yes, coach" is heard in unison as a response.

Each girl goes to their bags and starts to stretch, knowing they can't approach their parents because it's easy for them to influence them on how they are playing. Everyone respects it, but there are a few times a parent comes by.

She decides to take a walk, getting away from the girls. She just wants to relax and not be as tense for the end of the half.

She nearly jumps out of her skin when she hears someone call her name.

"Fuck, Harry. You scared me."

He raises his hands up in defense. "Sorry, I was just checking if you are okay?"

Y/N doesn't hesitate to rush into his arms, tucking her head into his neck. Harry, without hesitation, wraps his arms around her. He runs his hand down her back softly, hoping she finds it comforting.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." She holds him tighter, so he goes on. "You're okay, yeah, doing a good job. Girls are playing well. Taking care of each other, just like you taught them."

She slowly nods her head, she's calmed down, and Y/n thinks it might have to do with his soothing heartbeat.

"Deep breaths, love, Come on with me."

Harry breathes in and out until she does it with him. He feels her relax and tries to pull her back, but her grip is tight.

"It's okay, not going anywhere."

"Sorry," she whispers.

"No need to apologize, love."

"I just don't like when coaches teach their girls to play dirty; I hate injuries. They're just kids." She whispers, looking up at him now.

"They'll be okay."

"You don't know that. We have two quarters left."

Harry knows he won't be able to comfort her like he wants when he hears the ref blow the whistle. "Look, the girls are about to start, and they need a coach."

She nods, knowing she has to go back to her coaching mentality. The girls are her main priority; she can do this.

"Thank you, Harry."

"I'm here for you, whenever you need."

Y/N jogs over, nudging Kate playfully, who is shooting her suggestive eyes. They let the captain lead the huddle and listen intently before wishing them luck. The parents clap as the team cheer echoes out.

Only twenty-four minutes left, they can do this. She knows they can. The referees assured them he'd get a better eye on them, not wanting anyone to be carried off injured. Y/N refuses to take her eyes off of her girls. Constantly reminding them to keep communicating with each other when she hears them go quiet.

The last two quarters pass much quicker than the first; the girls play with more fleeting touches, not allowing the other team to put pressure on them.

Just when number eleven is close to getting the ball, Leslie switches the ball over to the other side; Y/N is shocked at how well Josie brings it down, she constantly struggles with this at practice, but she knows that Josie has been putting in the extra work.

She can hear Harry clapping and cheering on Josie; Y/N shouts her praise, letting her know she's doing well. Andie gets a breakaway, and it's a one-be-one versus the goalie. She fakes right as it goes left, touching it in softly, and in it goes. Y/N can't stop cheering, feeling the buzz all over her body. She's incredibly proud of the hard work they have all put in. Just as they reset and the ball is passed back, the whistle is blown and signifies they have won.

Golden Sparks are moving on to the semi-finals.

The girls are quick to jog in and tackle Y/N and Kate in a massive group hug. Y/N is going to be basking in this happiness for the entire weekend.

Y/N sends all the girls to their parents, letting them know she was okay doing the clean-up on her own. Kate stuck around, as did Juliet, because she wanted to have breakfast with Y/N telling her parents they were not welcome to come even though the invitation was extended to them. Clara and Xavier did not take any offense, happy to go back home and nap the morning away if their young toddler would let them.

Y/N approaches Harry after she gets everything settled in her trunk. He smiles at her, walking over helping her close her trunk as they wave by to Kate together. Josie and Juliet hang out in Harry's car, going through his Spotify playlist as they skip song after song, not being a fan of his taste.

Y/N lets out a deep breath, "I've been working up the courage to do this."

"Do what lovely? Harry asks curiously.

"Would you like to have dinner with me?" Y/N feels her stomach tense up as she waits for a response; by his wide eyes, she can tell he wasn't expecting her to say that, but he plays it off well.

"Asking me on a date?"

"I am."

Harry agrees, "I'd like that."

"Does Friday work for you?"

"Yes, great."

"I'll uh, pick you up."

"Proper wine and dine, love." She chuckles because, yeah, she wants to swoop Harry off his feet just like he did to her without even trying.

Y/N gives him a hug holding him tight for a few seconds, smiling up at Harry feeling giddy that they had a date planned after two months of flirting that they weren't sure would go anywhere.

"Juliet, we got to go."

"Okay, auntie." Juliet slams the door just a tad bit too hard, making Y/N mutter an apology.

"Bye, Harry."

"Bye, love."

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

Friday had arrived quicker than Harry expected. He got to see Y/N during the week because of the practices, and he was texting her every chance he got. He wanted to let her know he liked her and he was serious about pursuing her. It's been a long time since his last relationship, but call him cliche with Y/N; it all feels right. That everything is falling into place like it should.

Now here he sat on his couch waiting for Y/N to arrive; he had changed his outfit three times because she told him casually, and he couldn't settle on a look. It wasn't until he put on a plain black tee that hugged her arms just right and white linen cropped pleated trousers that he felt ready. He even broke out his new white Vans for the evening.

Harry was about to check the time when there was a knock on his door. He couldn't tame the butterflies in his stomach if he tried. As he opened the door, Harry let out a laugh because there stood the most beautiful woman holding up a bouquet of red lilies. He's falling in love, and there's no stopping him; he just hopes she's there to catch him.

"Hi Harry, these are for you."

Harry laughs, not knowing how to react to receiving flowers, "I'm speechless." He accepts them and gently cradles them in his arms. "I'll put them in water, and we can go."

"Sure, no rush." Y/N admires his living room, never having stepped foot in his house until today, and it's small but cozy. There are photos of all his family framed on the wall to her right. He has a small bookshelf that holds more vinyl than books.

Harry comes back and sees her staring at a photo of Josie on her first birthday covered in cake from head to toe. "I'd give you a tour, but I'm actually really excited to start our date."

"I'm sure they'll be another time."

She walks down his driveway to her parked car allowing Harry to have a moment to look her over. She's dressed casually; she has high-waisted jeans that show off all her beautiful assets. Her lavender cardigan looks warm; she left it open to expose a white plain top. It is genuinely a casual look, but she makes it look over the top.

"You look beautiful," Harry tells her as she stands by her car door.

Y/N does a small twirl before jokingly curtsying for him. "Glad you think so. Those trousers are doing your thighs justice if I do say so myself."

Harry giggles loving how easy she compliments him.

"Right, I wanted to take you mini golfing but considering it's a Friday and summer, it's going to be packed with teenagers."

"Oh, you definitely saved us."

"Yeah, I thought we could take Josie during the middle of the week as a date. I bet she'd enjoy it. Although, I never keep track of points because I'm too competitive."

The date has barely started, and she's left him speechless twice.

"You want Josie to join us on dates." Harry states.

She looks over at him quickly as they are stopped at a red light, "Of course, Harry. She's your daughter; I don't expect you to find a sitter every time we want to go out together. Isn't it like if you're dating me, you're dating my daughter."

He chuckles, "but not on our first date."

"Honestly, I think we were long overdue for a date."

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you out all summer long," He confesses.

Y/N gasps in shock as she signals a right turn, briefly checking her blind spot before making the turn. "Yet, it only happened with a few weeks left in summer."

"Yeah, but we got here, didn't we?"

Y/N leans over and places her hand on his thigh, squeezing him twice, "Yes, we did."

Harry sees her turn into a diner that looks a bit run down; he doesn't dare question her because she seems so excited as she gets out of the car and waits for him by the trunk. Y/N extends her hand for him to take, and he does without a hint of hesitation.

Y/n leads the way, but he hurries to open the door for her. She thanks him with a squeeze of the hand. Walking in, he was startled at how Harry felt he was transported to a seventies diner. The booths were red and looked sparklingly new. To the left was a jukebox that he was desperate to have a look at, maybe dedicate a song to Y/N. The floor's black and white pattern shined at him as the waiter wore a nice button-up with a black bow tie, a red and white striped apron thrown over, his name tag said James.

"After you," Y/N said, wanting Harry to pick a booth side; he knew better than to fight her and slid in on the left side. Harry is surprised when Y/N slides in right next to him. "This alright, Harry?"

Harry grins at her, dimples on display just for her. "Yeah, just caught me by surprise."

She opens up the menu sliding the other one away so they could share. Y/N points to some of her favorite items on the menu and cringing at ones she disliked.

"You know the menu well." Harry states before deciding on the turkey burger she had raved about.

Y/N chuckles, closing the menu. "My grandparents brought Clara and me here every other weekend, never letting us eat out. My grandmother was against the food industry, and she knew the owner here prided themselves on giving back to the community. Always holding fundraisers or donating to local teams."

"Fast food industry isn't the best, but I thank them because I can get Thai food delivered to my house."

Y/N doesn't have time to respond, as their waiter comes back with two glasses of water. "I'll have the turkey burger, no onions, and fries instead of the salad."

Harry didn't know she didn't like onions but made a mental note on it, "I'll also have the turkey burger and the side salad. Oh, and the couple milkshake, we agreed on strawberry, right?"

Y/N nods her head, "I had forgotten about that, but yeah, two straws, please."

"I'll have that out shortly," James tells them, walking away.

"The shake is too hard to die for; it has whipped cream on the top and bottom. It's freshly made, nothing like the canned kind. It's large! Made to be shared, thank goodness you remembered."

Harry shrugs, "That's what I'm here for."

Harry loves how easy conversation flows with Y/N. He doesn't have to force himself to say try to think of a topic or question to ask her. She's very open in sharing herself with him, he's never had someone drop down all his walls this quick, yet again, he might have dropped back ages ago.

Y/N talks to him about his grandparents and how adoring they were. That they supported all of her dreams, even the ones that we're crazy, like wanting to become a witch because she wanted to make flowers grow from her palm. Harry shared how the first year of Josie being born, he felt like he never slept, always nervous something would happen. He also tells her how living in Georgia is something he didn't enjoy, but he also didn't want to bounce Josie around from school to school. It was only date one, but Harry was excited for what the future had in store for them.

When James came back to drop off their burgers and shake. Y/N didn't even hear him too busy laughing at a dumb joke Harry had told her; he can't even remember the joke he made because her laugh is music to his ears.

Y/N waits for Harry to take his first bite, and he decides to tease her just a bit. He slowly raises the burgers stopping an inch from his lips; Y/N sits there, chin perched on her hand as if she has all the time in the world to wait for him.

"I'm in no rush, casanova." She smirks, not falling for his game.

Harry knows eating burgers is nothing sexual, so he decides to go all in. He moans at the first taste he gets, it's juicy, and the pepper jack cheese is perfectly melted, adding an excellent combination.

"Love, that is an amazing burger."

"I know." She's already gotten a bite in. She eyes his salad plate for a moment before looking back over to her fries.

"You want some, sweetheart?"

Y/N giggles at his comment, "God no. I eat healthy enough already, thanks to Juliet, but can I have some of your ranch?"

Harry understands eating healthy, he does it for Josie, and since Y/N is constantly around Juliet, it makes sense she would change her eating habits but does know as an aunt she's easier to give in to desserts. Not that he minds; he needs more sweetness in his life.

"Sure, you eat it with your fries. That's interesting."

She shrugs, "I don't think it is. Everyone in my family eats fries with ranch, including Josie."

"If Josie starts eating fries like that, I will know who to blame."

Y/N bumps her shoulder with Harry, "Haha."

They eat most of their meal in silence. Occasionally, Harry steals a few fries causing Y/N to chuckle before turning her plate, so Harry didn't have to reach over her. She doesn't chastise him about not ordering fries if he wanted some. Harry likes how much he enjoys spending time with Y/N.

"What's one thing you hope to accomplish within the next five years?" Harry asks as Y/N passes the shake back to him and takes a generous drink. They had finished eating, and now we're trying to finish the shake that Harry thought was smaller than what had arrived at their table.

"My usual answer is a doctor, but what's happening next year, so, give me a moment," Harry waits for her, watching as she plays with the rings on his right hand. They went front sitting thigh to thigh to Y/N, hooking her leg to Harry's, causing her to lean more on him. Harry liked it, and if he wasn't somewhere public or their first date, he would have pulled her into his lap. He took a chance and set his hand on top of her thigh; to his surprise, she placed her hand on top of his, intertwining their fingers together.

Every little thing she did made him fall deeper and deeper.

"I want to run a marathon."

"A marathon? I didn't know you were a runner."

"Oh yeah, last December I ran a half marathon, and it was hell, but once the runner high hits, it's the most wonderful thing."

"Why not do it now?"

Y/N frowns, taking off the rose ring from his finger and slipping it on one of hers. "The training is rigorous. You have to work up the miles constantly and eat better. I would rather enjoy the upcoming year."

"Well, when it happens, I can't wait to be there cheering you on." He tells her with a hopeful look.

"I'll hold you to that, Styles."

Harry smiles, hoping she does, hoping he gets to spend many more years to come with her in his life.

Y/N excuses herself to the restroom, and Harry decides it's a good time to pick a song. He approached it grateful to half a quarter hanging in his pocket. The jukebox looked old but well kept. Harry saw over 100 songs but searched for a specific one in mind; he was thrilled to see it was on there. Just as it started to play, he saw Y/N walking back towards him, so he hurried over to slide into their seat.

"You know, you're kind of clumsy."

"Am not," he denies.

"Oh, sorry, so it wasn't you who bumped into the table as you made your way to sit down."

Harry decides not to respond, knowing she saw him embarrass himself, and instead starts singing along to the song. The smile on her face widens as she hears how good he is.

"I'm not surprised you picked Fleetwood Mac, "songbird" is a sweet song."

"Am I that predictable?"

She nods, "Jo always sings one of their songs; at the sleepover, she said that's what you played most, so I taught her my favorites."

"Is it you I have to thank for the ABBA and Selena obsession?" He playfully glares.

"Guilty. She needed to brighten her horizon."

"Josie doesn't even know Spanish."

"Ah, but she will now."

"You're weird." Y/N shrugs in acceptance, knowing he meant it as a compliment.

As Harry's song comes to an end, she jumps up and rushes over to pick her song. She doesn't shy away about dancing her way back over to him. She mouths along to "The Name of the Game," moving her body to the beat.

"The name of the game?"

"You know it, darling."

Harry feels the heat in his cheek and hopes Y/N won't bring it up. She gets him flustered in just a few words.

"You know this is about falling in love with your therapist," he states

"Harry!" She exclaims. "No, the song is open to interpretation."

"What do you think?"

"I think it's about the early days of your relationship and wondering if it'll be something more or not. Also, that bridge, I mean come on."

Harry loves how passionate she is about the song. He loves that she's not afraid to share her thoughts with him, and he realizes he's doing the same. He can't help himself and leans in to press a kiss to her temple, throwing an arm over her shoulder to pull her close as they sit there listening to the song to the end.

"Ready to go, angel?" He feels her mutter a small okay, as she gets up, offering her hand to him as he's at the edge. "Let's go take care of the bill."

Y/N chuckles, "Already did, Harry."

Harry pulls her back, turning her to face him, "When?"

"The restroom, oldest trick in the book."

"Sneaky, sneaky."

Y/N, let's Harry lead the way out this time; they say goodnight to the staff and hurry over to the car. He didn't bring a coat, and he still wasn't used to how cold California got at night. He thought summer meant warm nights with a gentle breeze, not chilly air. Y/N seemed to not mind it, not hurrying after Harry as he jumped into the passenger seat.

"Afraid of the cold, H."

"Yes, why is it so bad?"

"Didn't you get snow in December up in the peach state? Also, aren't you from where the sun never shines?" Y/N teases him as she settles in her seat, turning on the heater for Harry.

"We visit occasionally; I can handle the weather with the appropriate clothing." He pouts at her, rubbing his arms.

Y/N turns around, reaching for something in the backseat before settling in again and settling it in Harry's lap. She doesn't say anything besides dazzling him with a smile and pulling out of the parking lot.

Harry slips it on over his head and finds it fits him loose, "I hope you know you might not be getting this back."

Y/N turns to look at him as he drags the collar up to his cheek to feel the softness it still holds, "That's my coach sweater. Kate got me a few, all in different sizes; I wear this one because I like baggy hoodies."

Harry smiles at her, he knows everything they have done has been in reverse, but he loves how confident she is. He knows she's been hurt before in the past from what she's shared but not once has he felt her trying to hide or push him away. He wants to tell her everything he's kept locked inside, he's never felt like this before, and he hopes the feeling never goes away.

"You know, if people see you wearing the sweater, they'll start talking."

Harry turns in his seat, facing her as the street lights shine on her face. "Let them. I've got no shame in people thinking you're my girlfriend. If I'm lucky enough, it might come true."

Y/N shakes her head, thankful for the darkness because he won't be able to see how her face heated up. The drive to his house was short, he wished for the night to never end, but even he knows he's not that lucky. Harry lets her know it's okay to pull into his driveway as he had his car parked on the curb right.

"I'll walk you to your door." Harry holds her hand the short way to where they will soon have to say goodnight.

Harry doesn't try getting his keys out; instead, he turns her to look at him, wanting to remember her in this moment forever. His last first date. Call him crazy, but there was no one else for him. It was always Y/N; he just had to find her.

"I had the best night with you," Harry whispers, pulling her close by her waist. She rests her hands on his shoulders and nods. "We're doing this again, Y/N."

"I got a second date." She cheers.

Harry leans his forehead against hers, smirking as he hears her breath hitch. "You get a second, a third, a fifth, a one hundred. You name it, you got it."

He's so close to closing the gap between them, feeling their breaths mix together.

"That means you'd be stuck with me for a long time."

"I want to say forever, but that might be too soon."

"Our secret." She whispers, her eyes dancing from his lips to his eyes. "Please kiss me, H."

Harry knows he won't ever be able to deny anything she wishes in life, mainly because he was close to losing her once before.

His lips moved slowly, savoring the feel of her against him as he pulled her close, letting himself rest against the door. He felt the butterflies in his stomach going crazy as she moved her hands to his hair, tugging on the small curls. Harry pulled back in fear of letting out a moan at the intense pleasure she made him feel.

Y/N pulls back breathless but presses her lips to his cheek, not wanting him to touch to go far. "Will you give me another, darlin'," Y/N nods a starry look in her eye as she lets Harry swoop in and take control of the kiss. This second kiss is faster and more passionate. Harry was holding back before, but now he wants her to feel everything he makes her feel. Harry wants her to know he gives her goosebumps and fireworks.

"I could kiss you all night." Harry trails kisses on her cheeks, loving how lost in his touch she is.

"Too bad, I need to rest. I've got to coach a game tomorrow."

That statement is enough to bring Harry back to reality, where he has to wake up extra earlier to pick up his daughter then drive her to the game. They have to say goodnight, even though neither one of them wants to.

Harry pulls away, dropping his hands from her waist; Y/N follows by letting her hands slide down from his hair.

"See you tomorrow?" He winks at Y/N as she walks backward, creating distance between them.

"Of course, we got a semi-final to win."

Y/N walks to her car, touches her lips feeling the lingering heat on when he kisses her breathless. She is turning on her car, making sure her headlights are on, when she sees Harry rushing down the steps toward her, the smile on his face contagious.

"What is it?" She asks as she rolls down her window, knowing she wouldn't leave soon if she got out.

"A kiss for the road."

Y/N couldn't dare deny him a kiss, especially when she was craving more already.

Harry slipped a hand the back of her neck, fearing she'd pull back sooner than he wanted. Her lips tasted like cherry; he figures she put on chapstick. This was only their third kiss, but it had only gotten better. Harry swiped his tongue against her bottom lip, begging for entrance, but she pulled back, letting out a breathless laugh at the pout he made, no longer able to feel her against him. She leans and pecks at the corner of his mouth, whispering a goodnight as he steps back, letting her drive away.

It may be too soon, but he might just love her.

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

The semi-final had to be one of the most intense games she had seen the young girls play. It was goal after goal from each team, neither one backing down on the pressure.

In the second half, she told them she was proud that if they kept playing how they were, this game was theirs. Going in a 3-2 lead, the girls stood shocked when, in a corner kick, the other team had been able to get it into the back of the net and over Dawson.

Kate thought this might knock them down, but it sparked something in all of them. All the parents stood up from their seats when they saw them dance around the opposing team switching the ball side to side. Honestly, it was something far advanced than they've ever presented.

Y/N was in awe; their communication was at a new level. There wasn't much time left, and Kate feared penalty kicks even if they were prepared for it.

Lani had control of the middle field; she just needed to get it past their defense. Juliet had defenders marking her tight, no way able to make a run towards the goal. If they played it right, Juliet would draw them out, leaving a gap allowing them to make a run for it. That's all they needed for a foot race.

Kate was sitting on the bench holding tightly onto Sarah Beth's hand, not able to take the pressure; then again, no one could take it. It all happened so fast; one moment, Juliet ran towards the midfield, two defenses following close behind when she got a touch on the ball, letting her send it back where it came from, then straight down the line. Jo and Franny ran down both sides too far ahead to be stopped; Jo was able to get a touch on it, crossing it straight to Franny, who shot at goal but was stopped by the opposing goalie. Jo was there for the rebound striking it in.

Goal!

She did it. She made the final goal.

Jo was quick to be bombarded by the rest of her teammates hugging her as they ushered back for the kick-off. Y/N wished she could run in there and hug her, telling her how proud she was, but for now, shouting 'great job' and 'stay focused' would be enough. Y/N looked over at Harry, who was wiping his tears still yelling proudly for his daughter, and like he knew she was staring, he looked over at her giving her the cheesiest grin she had ever seen on him.

The game finished, and the Golden Sparks won another game, taking them to the final the following week. Y/N congratulated the girls telling how proud she was of them and the hard work they put in each game. She told them she can't wait to see them on Monday and to have a wonderful weekend. Then told their parents to spoil them a little extra this weekend that earned a cheer from all the girls.

As Y/N was packing up her things, Kate and a few other parents already helped carry everything over to Kate's car. She felt arms around her waist.

"Hey, quickster," Y/N says, turning, allowing her niece to hug her properly.

"The girls are going to get ice cream if you want to go with them; Emilia's mom will text you the address," Juliet asks, but Y/N has spent enough time with them and wants to let them be.

"Thanks for the offer, but you have a good time. I'll let your mom know Emilia's mom is dropping you off." Juliet nods, giving her one more hug before hurrying over to Emilia's car, where Jo also happens to get in. She sends them away; she notices Harry a few vehicles over putting a bag away when she reaches her car.

Something comes over her because the next thing she knows, she's calling his name and standing next to him.

"Hiya, love. Doing alright?"

Y/N tucks her hair behind her ear and nods, "Yes, all good. That was an exciting game."

"Good to hear."

"You doing anything now?" She asks, peeking over her shoulder, seeing Kate has her eye on her, but she just rolls her eyes before looking back at Harry.

"Going home, my munchkin left me."

"Well, there's a great Mexican restaurant here if you'd like to join me for lunch."

Harry smirks, "Asking me on another date, are you?"

"I have to when I know you're still a bit nervous about making a move," she confesses bashfully.

Harry's not surprised she can so easily read him; all the walls he had left are gone.

"Then I'd be honored."

"Great, uh good. Just follow me then."

Arriving, they were seated quickly. A plate of chips and salsa were delivered shortly, Harry asked for guacamole. Y/N didn't argue, knowing for many people that was one of their favorite dips. Personally, she wasn't a fan. She didn't like the texture. Most people were shocked at the revelation, and no doubt Harry would as well.

"What's good here, love?" Harry says, leaning into her side to peek at her menu instead of opening his.

"Hmmm...honestly everything. I always get something different when I come, but you can never go wrong with tacos."

"Alright, you want to share?"

Y/N shrugs, "We can. I'm not picky, but I am starving."

"Have some guacamole; you haven't gotten any."

"No thanks, I'm not a fan."

"You serious?"

"Yes, Harry."

"That's strange."

"What is?" She sets the menu down to look over at him.

"I mean, it's fine. At least you'll never buy avocado toast for like six dollars." He chuckles, and Y/N can't help but join in.

Their waiter comes over, "Estan listos para ordenar?"

Y/N nods, "Hola, si. Dos tacos de asada, y dos de al pastor. Por favor."

Harry is staring intently at his menu, not speaking a word as they wait for his order. "You alright, darling?"

He leans close to whisper in her ear, not able to focus on the term of endearment, "Can you order for me?"

She doesn't tease him, just smiles, "Y una orden de enchiladas rojas."

Their waiter smiles and walks away, promising to be back shortly.

"Have we discussed you speaking a second language?"

"I thought we had." She brushes it off like it's no big deal.

"I don't think so."

"Okay, I took YMCA classes from age seven and did so all the way until college. Even have a minor in Spanish."

"Impressive."

"Sorry if you felt uncomfortable. They speak English as well but primarily speak Spanish."

Harry shakes his head, not wanting her to feel bad, "No, I was just caught by surprise. Hearing you speak Spanish was a turn-on."

"I'll keep that in mind." She winks at him, glad to see the blush spread on his cheeks.

Lunch went great, just as she had expected. They shared food, Y/N enjoying Harry's enchiladas much more than the tacos. Harry happily ate the three tacos she left after eating most of his plate, not that he minded. Y/N appreciated how open he was in sharing food. She had always done it growing up, so Harry allowing her to do the same made her find more profound comfort in their already growing relationship.

Harry beat her to the bill, and she let him take it not without letting him know she'd get it the next time. They stood outside together, allowing the nice breeze to brush over then neither one was eager to say goodbye. They knew they would see each other soon, but with the growing affection, they just craved more time together, more time getting to know each other.

Harry had her pressed against her car door, hidden from the view of others. "We should do this again."

"We should," she agrees.

"My house Thursday night, Josie is going out with Sarah and Mitch to watch a movie, most likely do a sleepover as well."

"I'd like that. We'll see if you can maybe have a sleepover yourself."

Harry smirks, liking the idea of her spending the night with him, not caring that they both had work the following day.

"Are you going to kiss me?"

"I want to."

"You have my full permission," she teases.

Y/N met him halfway and pressed, letting him press his lips against hers. As she kissed him back, she wanted him to feel how much she liked him, how fast she was falling for him. His hands wrapped around her waist tight; it gave her comfort. She knew he wouldn't let go until she asked.

She felt her beat just a little fast as she left out a soft moan; she shifted closer as his mouth opened over hers and his tongue slid between her lips.

He was in control of her. She did not mind one bit.

With a sigh, she tilted her so he could kiss her more deeply; he didn't need any encouragement to do as she wished. His kiss became more intense, she could feel the burn between her thighs, wanting more, needing more, and that's when she knew she had to pull back, but he beat her to it.

Harry pulls back, staying close enough that he could steal another kiss, "God, I can't get enough of you."

He surprised her, how open he became with her feelings, she hadn't asked how his therapy was going, but god, it must have been doing wonders if she could feel every emotion that was going through him as she gazed into his loving emerald eyes.

"I'll see you soon, darling." Harry took that as his cue to let his hold of her go.

"Not soon enough," he whispers.

"You'll see me Monday," she reminds him.

"Can I steal a kiss then?"

"If you're lucky."

Y/N knew it wouldn't be long until she could say she was in love with Harry.

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

Harry never thought he'd be the type of guy to be excited over a simple call or text reading: 'I'm thinking of you." She's made him feel good and confident in their relationship. He sent flowers to her work that led to her sending him a selfie with her face buried in the flowers.

At practice, he knew she couldn't pay attention to him, but that didn't mean he couldn't. He saw how fast she moved with the ball showing the girls a new drill, then doing it again slowed down, making sure they all understood. He admired how she never got frustrated. He knew how hard it was to handle one eight-year-old, but sixteen was impressive. He'd sit there for hours just admiring her if he could.

On Tuesday, he called Alycia, the receptionist at Y/N's office, asking for her lunch schedule, wanting to drop by and leave her lunch. She let him know she was taking it later that day at 2 since she was so busy. He decided that a BLT sandwich from two blocks away would do as she had once expressed to him how well done they were, promising to take him one day.

He walked in, noting how few people were in the waiting room, but eagerly stepped up to the counter. Alycia greeted him kindly, now seeing him more than once when he took Josie to her first session. Josie showed improvement, and each time he brought her, he made sure to leave a note behind for Y/N.

As he told Alycia to give you the food, there Y/N came walking down the hall. He was surprised at how casual, yet professional her look was; she had a silky oversized button shirt tucked into her linen pants, wearing her brown loafers he knew she didn't use often.

"Alycia, can you update this- Harry!" Y/N looks shocked to see him standing in front of her, not at all expecting to see him; she just planned on calling him later at night like they had been doing the past few days.

"Hi, love. Brought you lunch." He smiled sheepishly, holding up the bag.

She laughs, handing over the file to Alycia then stepping towards Harry to wrap him in a hug she has been wanting to do since she laid eyes on him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight against him, taking in her sweet honey scent. Before pulling back, remembering, after all, she was at work.

"I'm starving, thank you, darling. I was about to head out." Y/N rubs her stomach jokingly.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. See you tomorrow."

Y/N pouts, "You're not staying?"

"Well, I didn't want to assume."

"Assume, please." She laughs at the smile she gets Harry to give her.

They excuse themselves from Alycia and walk towards her office. They take a seat on her couch as Harry hands her the sandwich. They ate together, and for the forty-five minutes they had together, it was perfect; they shared stories of how their week was going at how Josie was anxious for the game and just promising to see each other soon. Harry got a kiss goodbye and was glad he would be seeing her the following day.

It's Thursday night, and Harry will finally get her for more than half an hour. Josie left a few hours ago to watch the movie with Sarah and Mitch, her sleepover bag on her shoulder not at all a surprise for Harry. He glanced around his house and knew it wasn't the cleanest. Josie always had some stuff scattered around the house, but he knew it just gave the house character.

"Hey, I'm outside," Y/N tells him on the phone before hanging up.

He rushes to the door, swinging it open to see her shut the door with her hip before making her way to him, a grin on her face as she carries a pink box in one hand and what he assumes to be food in another.

"You said you don't always like having to cook, and I know you said you love Thai." She giggles as he reaches to take the bag out of her hand, letting the smell take over.

"This is sweet, love. I appreciate it."

"Well, of course," she shrugs off his compliment. "I wanted to do something nice."

"I feel like I should be the one doing sweet things for you," he confesses as he guides her to his kitchen.

Y/N frowns, "Darling, we can move past that."

"Can we?"

"Of course, I feel like we've grown in the last few weeks. There's a different type of trust, don't you think?" She turns to face him, knowing the conversation was serious.

"Do you know how sorry I am?"

She nods, slowly stepping towards him, stopping right in front of him. She lifts her hand under his chin to have him look at her. "I do, and I forgive you. Sometimes we let our emotions win."

"I hope you know I'd never do that again." His voice is soft.

"I know."

She leans in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his lips.

"Dinner?" She beams.

"Yes, of course."

The meal is good, probably one of the best foods he's had in a long time. She didn't pick this up from his usual place but wouldn't tell him where she went. Told him she needed to keep some things to herself to keep surprising him. Harry finished most of the meal and then opened the pink box she left on the table that held a mixture of donut holes.

"You've still got room," she exclaims.

"They smell so good." He defends. Y/N laughs but rejects the offer to have one.

After cleaning up, he leads them to the living room, deciding to watch a movie. The scroll endlessly for a few minutes before settling on Life As We Know It. Harry shared that it was one he enjoyed watching back, and she agreed.

They had only gotten thirty minutes in before they began chatting. Y/N went on about how she was planning a trip to take two up north wanting to visit June Lake and hike some trails. Y/N's sister was going to see Xavier's family in San Diego, so they couldn't go up with her. Harry, without thinking, said if she'd have them, they could go. She didn't respond, making him assume she didn't want them to join, but she surprised him by hugging him.

"Best idea you've had tonight. I'll make all the reservations. Just let me know when you're free." She told him before settling back down next to him, her hand on his thigh going back to the movie. She was grinning at the montage of Holly and Eric and how they were learning how to co-parent Sophie. Harry had not taken his eyes off of her; she laughed as Sophie pooped in Eric's old hat.

"You're staring." She narrows her eyes at him, suspicious.

"It's because you're beautiful."

"Thank you," she answers timidly. "Very sweet of you."

"Of course, I'm going to spend the rest of my life telling you how beautiful you are if you let me."

"God, you're smooth."

Harry smirks, "Smooth enough for a kiss."

She didn't answer him; she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him forward so that he could meet her halfway, and pressed her lips against his. Harry was quick to take control, slipping his hands around her waist and placing her on his lap, "this okay," he asked, quickly pulling back making sure she said yes. Once he had a go-ahead, he went back to her lips; she shifted closer, now touching chest to chest, not a single space in between as his tongue slipped into her mouth, prideful of the moan she released against his mouth.

Harry smoothed his hands from down her waist to rest on her ass, then cupped her and held her to him as he thrust against her. He pulled back for a second fearful he went too far; Y/N frowned, slowly opening her eyes whispering "again" against his lips, and who was he to deny her.

She could feel his hesitation, slid her hands up, and cupped his jaw, "You're okay, we're okay. You're taking care of me. I want this."

Harry swallowed hard, noting she never stopped rocking herself on top of him. His mouth curved in a slight grin, pushing up to meet her, he felt her go soft in his arms, and that's when he really realized the effect he has on her.

He needed her lips on him, it had only been a few moments, but he was craving her. He laid a string of kisses up her neck until he reached her mouth, lips swollen, but he knew she was eager for more.

"Harry, please." She had a hand tangled in his curls, needing to close the distance.

"I got you, love."

He tilted her head, allowing him to kiss her deeply, the kiss only more intense than before. If he didn't need to breathe, he would kiss her forever, never stopping.

"So pretty, all those moans just for me,"

"All for you," she breathes out.

Harry smirked, moving her up and down over his pants at a steady rhythm, but she was fighting for control.

"Harry."

"It's alright, love, let yourself go. Show me how pretty you look when you come."

Y/N was so close, tensed her thighs around him about to reach her release when they heard a phone ringing, halting their movements. Harry groans, pressing one more lingering kiss to her puckered lips, before reaching over to the side table to his right for his phone, "not me."

She holds back a whine, getting up for her phone inside her jacket. "Whoever it is, don't answer," he half-jokes.

Y/N giggles and looks at the caller as she swipes right to answer, "it's my niece."

Harry watches as she nods, telling her to relax and that she'd be right over.

"Has our night been cut short?"

"It has. Juliet got in an argument with her dad and is now threatening to move out."

"What," he laughs, standing up as he watches her shrug her jacket on.

"Yeah, to the backyard or with me."

"She really made you a mediator."

Y/N laughs, shrugging.

As Harry is walking her to the car, he can't believe how the night turned or would have. "You know I thought it would have been my child who interrupted us."

"Well, your daughter is an angel next to Juliet."

"You really think so,"

"I know so."

"You make it so easy to fall for you," he confesses, wrapping her in a hug before she leaves him for the night.

"Harry."

"What, I mean it."

She leans up to kiss his cheek, "I'm sorry we didn't get to finish."

"Me too."

"I hope you know once I'm in bed tonight, I'll be thinking of you."

"That's not fair."

"Why not?"

"Because I want to be the one taking care of you, making a mess of you."

"We'll get there," she promises.

Harry leans in and kisses her; it's short and sweet.

"Night, Harry. See you Saturday."

"See you then. Goodnight, love."

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

It's bittersweet honestly, it's the final game of the season. The girls have worked very hard to get where they are now: at the championship game. After this game, win or lose, they'll have a month off. No one will call her asking for an extra jersey, asking her for a ride, or texting her what time the game was, even with them owning the schedule. They'd all get a break until mid-September.

Harry and Josie were the first to arrive, while Kate and Y/N were setting up the warm-up drill.

"Loverboy is here." Kate teases as they walk to the bench.

"Stop." Y/N looks over at them, seeing them heading this way. "Styles family, good to see you."

"Hiya, Coach."

"Hello, Jo. You're going to go get ready?" Y/N says, looking down at the girl's black crocs with Avengers pins.

"Yup," she skips away, sitting on the grass next to Kate, who's pumping air in a few balls.

"Harry, hi."

"No darling," he teases."

She narrows her eyes at him, "I'll have you sit with the other parents if you keep teasing."

Harry looks appalled; she'd suggest such a thing, "Now that hurts."

"You know I thought you'd be sweeter, especially about that wonderful night we had Thursday."

A smile tugs up Harry's face at the memories, "My apologies, didn't want to upset my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Y/n doesn't hide her surprise.

"Yeah, uh, we've gone out enough. I like you, and I'm going out on a limb here that you like me," she nods, allowing him to continue. "You're marvelous and love, Josie; god, you even gave her a nickname. I want this; I really want to hold your hand and keep going on dates with you and kiss you. I never want to stop.

She smiles, stepping into his embrace, "I'll be your girlfriend, boyfriend."

"Enough to risk a kiss?"

She doesn't reply; instead, she leans in, giving him a chaste kiss.

"Now go be a good parent and take a seat."

Harry does so. The smile on his face mirrors her own.

The game passed in a blur; the four quarters finished quickly. Y/N had thought they lost to the other team carrying a two-one win over them. The girls didn't look defeated, but each girl she subbed came out with a sigh but cheered as the minutes counted down.

Everyone hated losing, including herself.

Then out of nowhere, Priscilla, a usually shy player, gets a touch on the ball and sends it towards the goal. The goalie lets it slip under her, and what do you know they scored. The cheers seem endless; Y/N isn't bothered with the time, knowing there isn't much left in the final quarter.

This gives the girls a new motivation like a spark has been lit. It's a game of keep-away, Blue Devils not giving up easily. Abby gets the ball at her feet, and she freezes; the goalie is running right towards her, the defense kept away by the others; it's not until someone shouts, "Shoot!" that the young girl lifts her left foot shooting it through the goalies' legs and hitting the back of the next. Then just like that, the referees blow the whistle and call the game.

The Golden Sparks had won the championship. Y/N felt the tears in her eyes, thankful for the sunglasses hiding her overflowing emotions.

Y/N laughs as she feels Kate hug her and begin jumping up and down.

"We did it!!"

"They did it!"

Y/N is swept through the motions as she shakes hands with the coaches and claps the opposing team's hands. It's not until Juliet runs towards her with full force, knocking her onto the grass, wrapping her arms around her waist, that she's brought back to the moment. Then before she knows it, there are fifteen more girls joining in on the group hug. She's not sure when Kate was dragged into it, but she feels their joy.

They have a lifetime of wins and losses coming ahead in their young lives, but she's happy to be part of one that brings them so much happiness.

The young girls help her get up before hurrying over to their waiting parents. Juliet is being smothered in kisses by her parents. Josie is passed around by Harry's friends and her godparents, congratulating her on the win. Each girl showing off their small first place trophies, indeed to be displayed for all to see somewhere in their home.

Y/N has waved almost everyone off, telling them she would see them for pizza and drinks at their usual location. She took one look around the emptying field and felt she did well this season, but there was also room for her to grow as a coach.

"Looks like you're a champion, love."

Y/N turns around to find Harry smiling at her, Josie a few feet behind, waving to a couple with a baby. "Think she's the champ; she played the game. You did wonderful out there, Jo." She grins as Jo looks at her proudly.

"I still think you should be congratulated; you led these girls. Taught them and helped them grow into becoming better little humans." he shares, grabbing her hand pulling her into his chest.

"Well, thank you." Y/N looks down at Josie, who's crouched down trying to pick up what's likely to be a worm, "Ready for some pizza, Jo?"

Josie nods, not looking up too entranced on the creature in her hands now.

"Can I give you a gift, you know for uh...winning?"

"Course, I like presents." She grins at him, eager for what it could be.

His fingers curled into her nape and pulled her head into his as he kissed her softly. She felt his full lips move over hers; she felt how much he felt for her. As Harry brought their kiss to an end, he pulled back and looked into Y/N's eyes. "Was it a good gift?"

"The best," she answers before they are interrupted by a giggling Josie, who is staring up at them.

"Does this mean you're together?" Jo asks.

Y/N and Harry share a look before looking back at Josie, who's patiently waiting, "yes."

"Oh my! Dreams come true!" She shouts, running circles around them.

"Isn't meeting dad's girlfriend too soon a bad thing?" Y/N asks Harry.

"Not when you know you're never letting go."

"Oh, I like the sound of that." She lets pull her towards him, his arm resting comfortably over her shoulder.

"Plus, you're meeting all my friends at the pizza place, they all came to cheer on Josie, and you did say everyone was invited."

"I might just regret saying that."

"It'll be fine. Not a chance you don't win them all over."

Y/N brings them to a halt, Harry smiling down at her. This is happiness; she never wants to forget it. Harry leans in, letting their mouths meet in a kiss, soft and passionate as they both spill their feelings for another, hoping that with each passing second, the emotions only get stronger and stronger.

Harry pulls back, resting his forehead against hers, "I don't know what the future will bring, but I'm glad we'll be able to see it together."

Josie walks a few steps in front of them, leading the conversation. Harry and Y/N listen intently, holding each other tightly because this is what their future will consist of; more soccer games, more smiles, more laughs but most importantly, more love.

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

thank you so much for reading <3333

I adore you. take care xx

[chubbology]

Getting Big

prompt: someone discovering they're a feeder as their feedee partner gets bigger

Sometimes you’re both in bed, distracted and ignoring each other on your phones or laptops, when you notice. Your eyes lift from your phone and notice your partner’s relaxed belly, rising and lowering with calm breath, stretching the fabric of their shirt. Really stretching it now, not just with every inhale, but by default. Not just pushing the seams a little with chubbier hips, but forcing the cotton to bow out close to its limit, forcing the stitching to cave into a belly button deeper and softer-looking than you remember. And your eyes inevitably take in the rest: thicker thighs, more shapely chest, less defined arms, softer jawline.  

You’re aware that your partner’s gained a little weight. More than a little, but it’s fine. Probably thirty or so pounds, not a big deal, and you absolutely don’t judge them for it. Have they mentioned it at all? No, they just keep tugging at their shirts and pants. And underwear. Their underwear is getting too small for them, with weight gain making them a bit of a pear and all, but you don’t say anything. You don’t say they need bigger underwear. You don’t tell them how much you appreciate the fact that they need it. As long as they stay mum on the subject of their weight and the fit of their clothes, so will you; that’s your rule.

Sometimes you’re both in bed, watching TV, and they’re eating their way to the bottom of a quart of appallingly flavored ice cream (super-caramel-quadruple chocolate-chunk type stuff), and you keep sneaking glances. Because you’re amazed they’re comfortable enough around you to eat freely like this—or so you tell yourself. Their eyes are so glazed with distracted pleasure that maybe it didn’t even occur to them not to gorge themselves tonight, right in front of you.

Not gorging themselves like some kind of pig—no, it’s just, you both ordered a lot of takeout just a couple hours ago, and then they snacked on chips for a while, and then there was that candy bar they ate on a whim while you took out the trash, and now it’s a whole quart of ice cream. A whole quart. The more glances you sneak at them, the more you notice how their budding second chin peeks out when they chew. The more you notice that their bites seem hasty, as if tinged by some kind of distant, unconscious desperation.

You lean against them as if too tired to stay upright, reaching over them casually, letting one arm rest against their belly. It’s soft. It’s bigger. Not a big deal at all, you tell yourself for the millionth time.

And yet, you ponder their weight more. You’ve been pondering it incessantly. You can’t stop thinking about how they went to the mall two weeks ago without telling you, bought clothes a size up, and already were uncomfortably tugging and pulling on on every tight band and seam again. You can’t stop your thoughts from wandering to the idea of them sizing up again any more than your partner can stop their hands from opening another package of cookies.

“Ugh, this stuff is so good,” they mutter, swallowing the last bite, then closing the lid on the carton and setting it aside.

“Mm. I’ll buy more then,” you say without thinking. It’s fine if they size up again, after all. You’ll love them no matter their body type. Their happiness comes first. “I’m going to the grocery store anyway.”

A couple months later, going to the grocery store is not a chore to you, but a fun outing. You never used to even go down the junk food isles if you were by yourself, but now you scour them carefully. You place things in the cart you know your partner will like, and consider new brands and products they might like to try. It’s all so colorful and thrilling to actually buy. You tell yourself you might even try some of it and ignore the intrusive thought of your partner sneaking out of bed in the middle of the night again to binge on half the goodies themselves.

What niggles at you isn’t that you’re buying way too much junk food for your partner, who’s a little overweight now. It’s not as if they’ve told you to stop, or have implied they want to lose weight, or have said anything about any of it at all. That’s the thing: you’re in uncharted waters, and they haven’t told you a word about whether they fine with the way the tide was turning or whether they were actually really concerned that they were getting heavy and a little jiggly and they didn’t know what to do about it, let alone have the wherewithal to say, Honey, stop buying junk food. I’m getting fat.

Just the thought of the word makes you blush at the box of Fudge Covered Twinkies you’re holding. You quickly set them back on the shelf. Twinkies were practically the poster food for getting fat, right? Surely, your partner would suspect something, even though there wasn’t anything to suspect. You just know that they like food, particularly food that’s soft and sugary and addictive, and what better, cheaper food to comfort them with than Twinkies? No, it wouldn’t be good for their waistline, but you can already see their eyes fluttering closed at the taste—which was probably not even good, but that was hardly the point, was it?

Compromising, you buy a limited edition blue-stuffed brand of Twinkies instead, preparing an excuse that you thought the novelty of it was amusing and wondered if it was good.

But later that night, your partner eats six of them while you play video games and doesn’t mention the novelty of it at all. Your character dies stupidly and your partner laughs at you, belly jiggling as they do. You swallow, eyes fixating on their fat thighs. There’s no other word for them—they’re fat. Their thighs have gotten fat, just like their belly got fat, just like their hips and chest and arms and even their neck and face has been rounding out with so much chub. They were fat and they did eat like a pig, and all signs pointed to more weight gain. They were going to keep gaining weight, and when was it going to stop? When you finally decided enough was enough? When their doctor told them to take control? Yeah, so, you could imagine them awkwardly saying, coming home from the doctor, I guess I gotta lose weight. Maybe they would be holding a pamphlet on obesity or something, looking ashamed.

And maybe they would try at first. You would help. They’d exercise a little here and there, maybe only eat one Twinkie instead of six, maybe not ask for takeout so often. But it wouldn’t last. The second their will broke, yours would too. And you’d both be in bed, distracted by nothing but endless waves of pleasure that your sex life hadn’t known in a while, them leaning back against the headboard, eating every fattening thing you had to offer, which would be many, many, as many fattening things as they’d agree to swallow down like they glutton they were becoming.

“Babe?”

You blink.

“You okay?” they say with that chubby face of theirs, a face that said, I’ve been gaining so much weight, and you’re really aroused.

“I’m glad you like those,” you stutter. You look at the Twinkies box, and so do they. Your mouth keeps moving without forethought. “I’ll buy you more next time. Any other flavors you like?” You set down your controller and push your hand into their hair affectionately. Since they’re slouched, they look up at you, and you lower your hand to the back of their neck, touching the bulge of the fat there. “Want me to get you your favorite ice cream? I know you had a long day at work.” You stand and head for the kitchen, ignoring your partner’s confused ums and wells.

You open the freezer and get one of many ice cream quarts. Thanks to you, the fridge and freezer have been stuffed to the gills with crap, but you can’t regret it, not when it makes your partner look perpetually stuffed to the gills too. You get a spoon and sit down next to them again, brain fuzzy with want. “You’ll feel better when you finish this. By the time you do, I’ll finally finish this damn level.”

“I’m—I’m not…” But the look in their eyes is conflicted. “I’m not that hungry, really.”

You laugh. Your body is buzzing. “Please. With you, when you eat and when you’re hungry are completely unrelated. Let’s make it a competition! Finish before I do. Go!”

“What?”

You’re already starting the level over, thinking to yourself What the hell? Don’t make them eat if they don’t want to. Even if they do want to, even when they’re full, because they’re greedy and addicted, gonna get obese soon—

A minute passes, and they’re sitting up, belly folded in rolls on their lap, looking poised to either stand up and put the ice cream away or rip the lid off and devour it all.

“Eat it,” you say innocently, or try to. It mostly comes out like a pathetic attempt at sounding not-horny.

You glance over, and they still look conflicted, so you lean over and kiss them on their tubby cheek. “Go ahead,” you say, quieter. You meet their eyes. “Don’t you want to?”

They look taken aback now, flushed. All at once, they seem aware of their blubbery, overweight body, and they shift on the couch. You forget the game and lean in again, kissing them on the lips, then deeper as they lean into you. “I know you want to,” you whisper. You cup their fattened hip, squeeze it gently. “I bet you really want to.”

They’re blushing really hard now, gone shy and speechless. So you move closer to them, and since their head is lowered to avoid your eyes, you land a sweet peck on their bulging second chin. Then you peel off the lid of the carton, tear the plastic off, and push the spoon satisfyingly into the over-processed sugar that has been fattening your partner out of their clothes so well.

Despite their air of reluctance, they eat the spoonful you offer as if on instinct. They squirm with pleasure, and your breath hitches when their plump hand twitches out to take the spoon away from you when you don’t use it quick enough. You scoop them another bite. Then another. The room is quiet except for the game in the background and your rapidly beating heart. Their eyelids lower, and you murmur encouraging words to them. That’s it. It’s good, huh? Big bite... The experience seems no less momentous to them than to you, and so you keep going. Their eyes drift shut and so you guide their mouth to open at the right times. Eventually, your cooing gets bolder.

“I know how much you like this. Like eating. Eating a little too much.”

Their mouth pauses around the spoon, but their eyes don’t open. They swallow and wait for the next bite.

“And I know you get up in the middle of the night sometimes, just to eat,” you say. “Eat and eat until your clothes feel tight and your stomach’s queasy, right? You always come back to bed so uncomfortable, tossing and turning, panting a little. Holding back little burps. I wake up and all the junk food I bought is gone.”

Your partner leans into to your next spoonful, then takes it from you. Without meeting your eyes, they start eating from the tub themselves, at twice your pace. You smooth your fingers through their hair. Then rub a hand down their arm, which was now sausage-like with so much fat clinging to it. But it’s squishy, when you pinch it. No firmness anywhere you can see.

“I’m sure you know you’re getting big, baby. You’re getting big. But that’s okay.” You rub your hands over their belly, their hips, their rolls of back fat. “You just keep eating as much as you like.”

And after another pause, they nod.

[themadlostgirl]

B&B: It’s a Lot

And another request down! Woo!

Prompt: Felix avoids Reader cause he doesn’t know how to deal with feelings

~~~

“Felix,”

“Yeah?”

“Just pick a fucking movie.”

You and Felix were in the movie rental store trying to pick a movie for your weekly movie night. This week it was Felix’s choice and as always he was taking forever. He could never just pick one from a genre he liked. It was a whole process of his and a bunch of slow elimination.

“I want to pick a good one. The movie you picked out last week sucked.”

“It sounded good from the description on the back.”

“And instead we spent two hours watching some of the dumbest shit I’ve ever seen.”

“We had fun riffing it though.”

“This is the skin of a killer, Bella.” Felix spoke in a gravelly voice that made you laugh.

“Shut up!” you smacked his arm. “Pick a movie already or I’m grabbing the sequel.”

“Fine. Fine.” he picked up a movie with a zombie looking guy in a black and white suit on the cover. “Beetlejuice. How does that sound?”

“Looks interesting.” you shrugged. You paid for the rental and walked back onto the street. “Do we want to stop by the pharmacy for snacks or do you think we have some back at the apartment?”

“I think we only have popcorn at home and I want something sweet to eat so let’s stop by the store.” One of his arms was wrapped around your waist and he started tickling your side.

“Stop!” You tried to shove him off but he held you tighter. “You are such a dick! Quit it!”

“Now why would you want me to do that?” he had fully grabbed you now and squeezed you to his chest. “I thought you liked it when I held you.”

You rolled your eyes with a laugh. “You are impossible.”

“Can you two stop blocking the sidewalk?” you looked up and saw Devin watching you with a bored expression. “I know you’re in love but geez, has some awareness of your surroundings.”

“You could have just walked around. It’s not like anyone is on the road.” you cuffed him on the arm, “What are you doing out anyway? Evil Queen got you running errands?”

“Picking up a prescription.” he held up a little paper bag, “Apparently I have allergies to pollen.”

“What?”

“I get sneezy around flowers.”

“Oh, that makes so much more sense as to why you were such a mess on Neverland.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Devin sighed, “And you two? Movie night I see.”

“Yep.” you looped your arm through Felix’s. “We were on our way to grab some snacks.”

“Well, have fun lovebirds. I am off to convince Regina to teach me how to make poisons.”

“She’s never going to teach you how to make poison, Devin.”

“She will if she wants me to stop annoying her!” Devin cackled and sauntered off.

“What does he even think he is gonna do with poison?” you muttered to yourself. You pulled on Felix’s arm to keep moving but he stood still a moment. “Something wrong?”

“Oh, nothing,” his arm fell out of your grasp and he walked on ahead of you. You grabbed your snacks and went back to the apartment.

You got comfortable on the couch and waited for Felix to sit before hitting play on the movie. He had been pretty silent the entire walk home but you didn’t think much of it. Felix wasn’t much of a talker at the best of times. Considering how playful he was being before though, it struck you as odd. Felix came back and set the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table before taking a spot at the opposite end of the couch.

Now what was this? Usually you were squashed right next to each other during movie night. Why was he so far away? Maybe he just wants to sit on that side, you reasoned. You hit play but you couldn’t keep your focus on the movie. You kept glancing at Felix. Little by little you scooted down the couch until you were next to him, cuddling into his side. He made no move to push you off but he wasn’t holding you either. It was almost like you weren’t even there.

You were reading too much into it. That had to be it.

After the movie you started getting ready for bed. You were scared that when it came time to sleep that Felix would lock you out of the bedroom but he didn’t. He wasn’t facing you though. Why did he feel so far though he was so near?

“Felix?” you poked his shoulder as you slipped into bed, “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been awfully quiet since we got back.”

“I’m fine. Just tired.”

“Okay…” you leaned over and gave his cheek a kiss. “Good night.”

One of his hands reached back and grabbed yours. One little connection. “Good night, darling.”

If you thought Felix’s attitude would change by morning it didn’t. He was still around but he only spoke when provoked and he wasn’t seeking out your company. You tired asking again if anything was wrong but he denied it. He’s in a mood. That’s all it was. It would blow over.

It did not blow over. If anything, it was getting worse. In the quiet of the apartment he was still falling asleep next to you and talking to you but outside of there he may as well have been a ghost. He disappeared the moment you were out in public. He kept a good distance between you when you walked down the street and you noticed any time you tried to get closer his hands would bury themselves in his pockets so you couldn’t hold them.

It was a change that hadn’t gone unnoticed either. You were having dinner with Snow and David one night and Felix excused himself early even though it was his favorite meal.

“Is something wrong with Felix?” David asked, “He’s usually less broody and sullen on Fried Chicken Friday.”

“I don’t know what his problem is but is pissing me off.” you crossed your arms. “He’s been like this for a week! I keep asking what is wrong but he won’t talk to me.”

“Do you think one of us should talk to him?” Snow suggested.

“No offense, but if he isn’t going to tell me then he sure as hell isn’t going to talk about it with either of you. No, this is something I’m going to have to force out of him.” you stood up and grabbed David’s sword from out of the umbrella basket. “Don’t worry, I won’t destroy any of the furniture.”

“I’m more concerned about you slicing Felix to ribbons.” David called after you as left their apartment to walk into yours.

“FELIX!” you busted down the bedroom door. Felix launched off the bed and put his hands up when he saw you with the sword. “I am sick of you avoiding me and acting all distant! I tried to let you off easy and tell me in your own time but that’s run out. Now tell me what the hell you think you are doing!”

“Darling, hows about we put down the sword and talk about this.”

“Funny how you only want to talk about it when I have a sword on you. So no, it is staying up. Think of it as incentive not to piss me off more.”

His shoulders slumped and his face crumpled. A pang of sympathy for whatever he was feeling shot through your heart. “Talk to me.” you pleaded.

He sighed deeply and sat back on the bed. “Yes, I’ve been avoiding you. I’m sorry.”

“Why though? Why are you avoiding me?”

“Because…” Felix’s hands fisted the duvet cover, “It’s all so obvious.”

“Obvious?”

“Us.” he hung his head lower so you couldn’t see his eyes. “What Devin said before, it hit me. We wanted to keep this relationship a secret. Figured it would be best if everyone thought we were just friends so we didn’t get harassed. But we are so obvious about it. I am so obvious about it. I thought putting distance between us would fix it.”

“You. Big. Idiot.” you dropped the sword and sat next to him. “Yeah, I want to keep our relationship secret but if you think we are being too obvious then tell me! Don’t just avoid me like a moron! I’ve been so confused and worried this entire week.”

“It also just feels…I don’t know, it feels so much bigger now too.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, back on Neverland this thing between us kind of felt like another game. It was fun and we never had to think much about it cause we had all of eternity. But here, we are on a timer. We are aging and I guess a part of me freaked out because I know that what we have isn’t a game. It’s real. But, since it is real that also means that you can decide to leave and you won’t be my Lost Girl anymore. You might meet someone else and like them better.”

“Felix,” you grabbed his hand, “I know that things have changed between us since we started living here. Everything feels bigger now that we know we are going to grow old and die one day. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to up and decide I don’t want to be around you anymore and run off with someone else. We have known each other for hundreds of years, we’ve been romantically and physically involved for decades and decades now. You understand me in a way no one else can even come close to. So no, I am not going to leave. Do you want to know why?”

“Why?” he said with a small crooked smile.

“Cause I love you, idiot. I always have. I always will. Don’t forget that again.”

“I love you too, darling.” he kissed your forehead. “Sorry for being an ass.”

“You’re forgiven.” you stood up, “Now, let’s go back to dinner.”

“Okay,” he took your hand. “We still good for our movie night tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

[dazenightmare]

I really just want to make a grocery store AU but all I have worked out is:

George as security cam boy that sleeps and only seems to wake up when something interesting is happening

SBI taking over the deli section, with Techno handling the meats, Phil making the food, Tommy serving people at the counter, and Wilbur who does literally nothing but just vibe and talk and nobody knows how he’s managed to keep his job

Tubbo as the roller-blade help boy who has a headset and roller skates, and does whatever task needs to be done (mainly restocking shelves). He is summoned if his name is even uttered into the walkie-talkie system

Sapnap as security near the doors who flirts with timid cashier Karl and goofball janitor Quackity, and somehow gets in a relationship with them both

Dream as the manager who’s always doing paperwork in his office, but always knows exactly what is happening in his store and takes over the store’s intercoms if need be

Eret as the receptionist at the help desk who every customer loves

Niki as head baker with the help of Ranboo and sometimes Fundy (god help them when Fundy’s in the kitchen)

Fundy and Awesamdude as the dudes in the back of the store who’s always unloading the trucks and keeping everything organized in only a way they and Tubbo can understand. Trust them, Dream and Techno tried.

Purpled as a cashier who if is encountered with something without a tag, will just silently put it in the bag depending on what it is

And Schlatt as the drunkard who buys drinks from the store and is always entertaining when he comes in

And the only scenarios in this AU I’ve worked out so far is:

1. If aggravated at someone(s) who works on staff, Tubbo will just say into the talkie system they have five minutes. When that five minutes is up, Dream goes onto the intercoms and says “Attention all customers and staff, be cautious, as rollerblade-boy Tubbo is now hunting (insert name) for sport around the store. Stay clear if you hear shouting or screaming, and cover minor’s ears in case profanities are used. I repeat, Tubbo is hunting (insert name) for sport. Teens, I suggest you get your cameras out.”

And sometimes, about ten seconds later, he comes back on with, “ATTENTION STAFF MEMBERS, TUBBO HAS THE CELERY STICK, I REPEAT, TUBBO HAS THE CELERY STICK! IF YOU WANT TO LIVE ANOTHER DAY, DO NOT HELP (insert name) IN ANY WAY!” And all staff members are just filled with fear, because only they know how painful it is to get smacked by Tubbo with The Celery Stick

2. The first time Schlatt stumbled into the store, he was high off his ass, and just looked at Quackity and Tubbo who were talking nearby and decided mine, proceeding to pick them up like sacks of potatoes and running towards the doors like a madman while the two teens screamed. This event continued as such: Schlatt being chased around the store at first by only Sapnap, but gains more chasers the more departments they stop by. This ends with him being chased by Sapnap and Karl (for their boyfriend), SBI (for their adopted brother), and Sam (for his unofficial son). It only ends when Purpled drops down from the fucking ceiling to crash Schlatt into the ground yelling “BEDWARS!!”

3. Sometimes, an absolute Karen will just be yelling at a bored looking Purpled for how “disrespectful” he was being, demanding to speak to the manager. He tells them he should be here in five minutes, but then the Karen goes “you haven’t even contacted them! Contact them right now!” After this, Purpled just smiles bitterly at them before going on to the intercom, saying in the perfect customer’s service voice, and I quote, “Attention all shoppers, there is a Karen on Aisle Five. Please stay clear if you see an angry tall man in a green hoodie walking to said aisle. Don’t want anyone unsuspecting to die. Again, if you see an angry tall man in a green hoodie walking towards Aisle Five, stay out of his path. Fellow teens, I suggest you get your cameras out.”

The Karens never come back to the store after listening to an angry Dream teach them common manners while a handful of youth were recording the interaction from a safe distance

4. “Bakery. Cashiers. Deli department. Management. My older sibling used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when Tubbo kept balance between the bakery staff, cashiers, deli department, and management staff. But that all changed when Tommy of the deli department attacked. Only Tubbo mastered all four departments. Only he could stop the ruthless staff of the deli department. But when the store needed him most, he called in sick. A hundred hours have passed and the deli department is nearing victory in the Helper War. Two minutes ago, my sister and her friend journeyed to the cash registers to help fight against the deli department, leaving me and me alone to look after the bakery. Some people believe that Tubbo may not return within the next week, and that chaos will reign until then. But I haven’t lost hope. I still believe that somehow, Tubbo will return to save the store.” -Ranboo, during the Helper War

5. For months Quackity held a grudge against George because he somehow got locked in the supplies closet and the only person that would notice was, you guessed it, the person manning the cameras. But of course, THAT MOTHERFUCKER STAYED ASLEEP, LEAVING QUACKITY STUCK IN THE GODDAMN CLOSET FOR NEARLY FIVE HOURS BEFORE ERET FOUND HIM BECAUSE THEY NEEDED A BROOM

6. One day, nobody noticed that Wilbur wasn’t in the deli department until the intercom clicked on, followed immediately by, “Hello shoppers and staff! Welcome to another episode of Why Haven’t I Been Fired Yet? I’m your host, Wilbur Soot of the deli department. Today, we’re going to fill the manager’s office with as much glitter as possible before he gets back from the local Taco Bell, when I will be inevitability killed. Teens, I suggest you get your cameras out, because today will be a fun episode.”