#im not like other girls I cried for an hour and thirty minutes because of it chapter 2

[caramel-clowns]

this scene mixed with that scene where Richie’s holding onto Eddie refusing to be taken out of the Neibolt house mixed with the scene where he cries at the quarry? not ok

[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

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"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.

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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.

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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.

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

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

[ijhyo]

CHAPTER 1

what was supposed to be a fun weekend away with friends turns into a sinister game of hide and seek where their lives are on the line. trapped in a lake house cabin with only six hours on the clock, can y/n figure out who is behind the mask and manage not to get caught all before sunrise?

PAIRING. soobin x gn reader ; beomgyu x gn reader ; yeonjun x gn reader

GENRE. college au ; mystery ; thriller ; escape room ; angst ; horror ; humour

WARNINGS. swearing ; character death ; mentions of blood ; stabbing ; knives ; drinking ; joke about the devil

FEATURING. lia (itzy), sunghoon (enha), sumin + isa (stayc), jongho + yunho + wooyoung (ateez), kai + taehyun (txt)

WORD COUNT. 6.2k

A/N. it's starting yasss! laughs evilly. i want to say again that this isn't scary like i really don't think so 😭 i hope this good omg im not confident in my action writing skills (if u have read my other stuff u will see that i am a dialogue writer first and foremost). tell me what you think i am begging cries. okay bye now.

TAGLIST. @hyukaas @xysthe @tsupuffs @ren-chib @yjwfav @mykalon @junityy @iyeonjuni @fallingforhoon @fairybinie @enhacolor @cheorei @jjhmk @acciomylove @yeonjunsgf777 @soobin-chois @chosoluvr @odxrilove @soobisms @strawbrinkofdeath @etherealcherrie @maemarahuya @1-800-ryujin (send an ask to be added)

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Lia was late. You glance at the clock on your phone and see that ten minutes have passed since your agreed meeting time and your friend was nowhere to be found.

Not that this was surprising. Lia was always late. Chronically so, it seemed like sometimes.

For her birthday last year, you had thrown her a surprise party in your shared apartment and instructed her to be home by seven pm so you could “watch movies and do your nails to celebrate”. You had gathered all her friends in your small living room, hiding in plain sight waiting for her arrival. Thirty minutes turned into an hour before it was nine o’clock and half the guests had dwindled out, leaving their gifts and wishes with you.

When the birthday girl finally arrived at almost ten, she revealed that she got caught up in the dog park on her way home and kept asking what the party streamers on the ceiling were for. You ended up spending the night watching movies and doing your nails anyway.

All this to say, though, that Lia being late was not the point. Not entirely.

The two of you had started packing at the same time yesterday and yet, you were the only one ready, waiting on the sidewalk for your friend to emerge. Honestly, you didn’t know what she was packing that was taking so long but at this point you have learnt not to question it.

While mentally berating your friend, you were also compulsively checking the road for your ride. You haven’t gotten any other texts yet, and the fact that he could arrive at any moment was putting you slightly on edge.

You check your phone. Twenty minutes. God, where the hell was Lia?

Speak of the devil and she shall appear, apparently. Stumbling out of your apartment building lobby is Lia, lugging an inappropriately massive suitcase behind her. It makes you look down at the school issued duffel bag you have slung over your shoulder and wonder what she could have possibly brought.

You watch as she struggles getting through the doors with her bag, holding back a laugh because you are supposed to stern in this situation.

She makes it eventually and joins you on the sidewalk. “I’m late, I’m late, I know! You have no idea how difficult it was fitting those Stephan King novels in here on top of the hairdryer.”

You squint your eyes at her. “What do you need Stephan King novels for? And what do you need a hairdryer for? In fact, why do you have so much stuff? We are staying over for two nights, not moving in.”

Lia waves off your questions with a simple wag of her finger in your face. “Remember, I am doing you a favour by coming along to your nerd weekend, do not make me go back upstairs and unpack.”

Raising your hands in mock surrender, you drop it, even though you know that Lia wouldn’t leave you. After being assigned as roommates in your freshman year, the two of you had been inseparable. You didn’t do anything without the other; trying out clubs; pledging a sorority and subsequently not making it in; helping each other study for tests on subjects you weren’t even taking. You’re pretty sure you could ask Lia for anything and she’d agree, and vice versa.

You check the road again, as if in the few minutes you have been talking to Lia, a car has driven by and parked and you hadn’t noticed. Lia sees your looking and follows suit, eyes narrowed at the cars whizzing past.

“Where is your boyfriend anyway? Questioning me when our ride isn’t even here yet.”

“He is not my boyfriend,” you correct even though you can feel your face heat up despite the cool breeze blowing and Lia simply raises a disbelieving eyebrow that you ignore. “And I told him he could go fill his tank before he got here because somebody was taking her sweet time.”

Your mind wanders to the texts exchanged between you and Soobin just a few minutes before. He had texted you to say that he was only five minutes away and asked if it’d be okay to stop at a gas station on your way to the lake.

Thinking about your friend who was still in her room, probably running around grabbing different shirts and shoes in a haste, you instruct him to just change his direction. You didn’t know what you would do if he had arrived without Lia being there and how long you would have to talk to him alone.

You have known Soobin for two years now, meeting when you both were sophomores, now being seniors, and in all that time, you never really hung out just the two of you. You were always with other people, other friends and while the thought of finally spending some time alone with Soobin excites you, it scares you shitless, too.

Lia opens her mouth to make a retort, but is interrupted by the loud roaring of a car engine. The two of you turn your heads to the road to find a vehicle speeding its way towards the two of you. As it nears, you can make out the familiarity of the model and colour, and your heart races in expectation.

The car comes to a stop a little ways ahead of you and out steps the boy of your constant musings. “Were you guys waiting long?” Soobin looks like the lead out of a drama, leaning against the roof of the car, a perfect picture of charm and confidence.

“Nope,” you manage out, smiling up at him. “Right on time.” Lia elbows you in your side.

Soobin rounds the car and joins the two of you on the sidewalk. “Hey,” he greets looking at you and you smile in response.

“Hi.”

“Hi, Lia, nice to see you, too,” your friend mutters bitterly and Soobin has hung out with her long enough to know she’s just kidding.

He laughs and turns to her. “It is nice to see you.”

She rolls her eyes despite the smile on her face. Lia has always said that Soobin was just too hard not to like. He was polite and friendly and always brought her back pastries from his trips to the café. “Yeah, yeah, can you help me with this?”

Without a second thought, Soobin lifts up Lia’s suitcase to put it in the boot with a huff. “Jesus, what do you have in there?”

“Essentials,” is all she says before walking around the car and getting in.

“Let me get that,” he says, gesturing to your duffel bag and you shake your head.

“It’s not that heavy, honest, you don’t have to help.”

“I want to.” He smiles earnestly and it throws you off so much, he is able to take the bag from your shoulder and put it in next to Lia’s.

“Okay,” you say, half in a daze. You make your way to the passenger seat, seeing as Lia has already made herself comfortable in the backseat, laying across all three, Soobin’s smile still on your mind.

He climbs into the driver’s seat and the next thing you know, you are on your way. “You guys excited for this weekend?”

Lia scoffs lightly. “I think only one of us is excited for this weekend,” she says nodding her head in your direction and Soobin laughs.

You know she’s right but you put your face in your hands at the call-out all the same. Soobin and Lia just laugh more. It’s no secret that you are obsessed with games and riddles alike, you being able to turn almost anything into a competition and never backing down from a bet.

So when Soobin told you about the weekend trip he was planning where you would be playing games each night, you agreed to attend before he even got the chance to formally invite you. A weekend away with the boy you’ve liked for months now doing your favorite thing in the world? Of course you would be excited.

You drive for hours, the sun fully sunk behind the horizon, the stars glowing in the sky. The further you get from the city, the thicker the trees get around you.

Eventually, the smooth road you were previously driving on, turns into a bumpy gravel one, winding through trees and over rocks. You can see the lake through the gaps in the passing trees and think fleetingly about how you need to go out to see it with Lia sometime.

The car comes to a slow, pulling into a driveway, the house where you would be staying coming into view.

“Oh my god,” you mutter in disbelief, staring out your window.

Lia is just as shocked as you. “We’re staying here?”

Soobin nods once, turning the engine. “Welcome to Hotel Choi.”

The house is a massive three storey, maybe bigger than that, brown wooden building. There are four balconies that you can see, two one either side. Light shines through the two dozen or so French windows and looking through them you can see that the source is from multiple chandeliers.

Honestly, it looks more like a castle than a house. And you had it for the whole weekend.

Soobin takes both your bag and Lia’s to the door and leaves you two staring up at the house that is practically looming over you.

“Soobin is rich,” Lia says matter-of-factly.

“Yep,” you say dumbly.

“Like, Y/N, he is rich.”

“We have established.”

“Oh my god.”

“You guys coming?” Soobin calls out from the front door and snaps you out of your stupor.

Somehow, the inside is even more impressive than the outside. A staircase greets you, reaching the second floor before splitting off in two directions. The chandelier you saw from outside hangs above your head in its full glory and looks impossibly large.

To your left was the living room, large and cozy with three couches and chairs and a fireplace. The hearth is burning, warmth hitting you the further you pass into the house. A TV is mounted above it, off for now and you have a sneaking suspicion that this isn’t the only one in the house.

There are three people sitting on the couches, though you can’t make out who they are just yet.

On the right is the kitchen, separated by a wall that stops just so you can see the island and stove. Even still, you know it is just as big as everything else in the house.

You turn to Soobin. “When you said lake house, I thought you meant a little, modest cabin. Not Bill Gates’ vacation house.”

“Nah, Billy prefers Jeju Island. Seoul isn’t really his thing,” Soobin jokes and you huff indignantly.

“I’m being serious! You didn’t tell me you were, like, rich.”

He tilts his head faux innocently. “Oh, did I forget? I could have sworn I had. I usually do when I meet someone for the first time.” You cross your arms unimpressed and he sputters before defending himself. “What was I supposed to say? ‘Hi, I’m Choi Soobin, I’m a sophomore and my parents are extremely and grossly wealthy. Would you like to get coffee?’”

A pause. “I’d probably think you’re a liar or some pretentious douche.”

“See? Exactly what I was avoiding.” He cracks a cheeky smile then grows serious. “You’re not mad, though, right?”

You think about the Soobin who gave you five dollars when you were short at the café the first time you met and how he continued to be just as kind and caring as that day for the rest of the time you’ve known him and suppose that he is the same, just, now you know he has money.

You sigh, shaking your head. “No, just surprised, I guess. Like, if this is just your lake house, I’m a little scared to imagine what your actual house looks like.”

He smirks. “I’ll show you sometime.”

The way his lips curl is enough to temporarily short circuit your brain. You avert your gaze to a spot just above his shoulder, flustered. “Speaking of sometime, is this the day I finally get to meet your elusive friends?” Taehyun and Kai are two of Soobin’s closest friends and yet, for some reason, you have never met them before. They were always busy when you were free and vice versa.

He talks about them all the time and that only spurs your curiosity to actually see what they are like yourself. If Soobin gets along well with your best friend, who’s to say you won’t with his?

Soobin groans dramatically. “I wish. They were supposed to be here but Kai’s parents had a yacht party to host and Taehyun went with him. I really wanted tonight to be the day you guys met.”

“Yacht parties,” you repeat, turning the idea over in your head. “Because that is a totally normal and regular thing for the middle class person to do.” Soobin scratches the back of his neck sheepishly and you get the feeling that Kai and Taehyun are not middle class. “Are all of your friends as rich as you? Like, do they all have to show their credit scores before joining?”

“It’s more of an upfront payment thing, actually.”

You laugh at his joke and make to quip in response, but are interrupted.

“Hey, Soobin!” you turn at the sound of your friend’s voice to see her standing at the foot of the stairs. “Where are we sleeping?”

“Yeah, stop flirting and host!” one of the people from the couch, Sumin, teases. You remember from the volunteer group you and Lia had to participate in for a month after you accidentally defaced one of the school statues for a bet. Sumin was the leader, if memory serves right.

The comment has you ducking your head shyly, face heating up. Soobin, ever the charmer, just smiles good-naturedly. “The rooms are upstairs to the left, you can pick any empty one you’d like.”

At that, Sumin stands up and gives Soobin a mock salute before grabbing her things and her friends and climbing the stairs. “See you later,” Soobin says to you with a smile and you nod, returning it, before joining Lia.

It is a feat lugging Lia’s suitcase up the dozens of steps, but the two of you eventually make it. Looking down at the first floor, you feel like you’re on top of the world.

Lia leads you down the hallway to the left, passing photo frames of what you think is Soobin and his family. There are doors on either side of you and you leave it up to your friend to pick one knowing it won’t matter much, all the rooms had to be good choices regardless of where they were.

She pulls open a door on the right, picking a room near the end of the hall and stops dead in her tracks when she sees what’s inside.

Curiously, you peak over her shoulder to see what the fuss was about. “What is—Holy shit.”

The room is huge. Two queen sized beds with matching bedside tables and lamps fit comfortably with space to spare for a vanity table and chest of drawers. There is another door inside the room and you almost scream at the possibility. An attached bathroom?

“Y/N,” Lia breathes out clearly blown away by everything she has seen so far.

You release your own breath. “Yeah?”

“You have to marry him. Like propose. Tonight, preferably.”

You snort though you don’t dismiss the idea entirely. The two of you walk in finally, placing your bags on the floor and claiming the beds. Lia flops down on the one closest to the window with a sigh.

“Can’t believe this house is being wasted on a game night.”

You lay down next to her, shrugging. “I think it’s gonna be fun.”

She snorts. “Course you do, nerd. Unfortunately I find no joy in competition and am going to wither away in boredom while you have the time of your life.”

“Not with those novels you brought,” you point out.

A sigh. “You’re right. Guess this won’t be a total bust.”

Reluctant to move from the comfortable bed, you push yourself up. “Let’s go downstairs, I’m thirsty.” You hold out your hand which Lia takes, standing up as well with a grunt.

When you reach the bottom of the stairs,, Lia turns to you. “I’m gonna go talk to Sumin, can you get me something, too?”

“Sure.”

Passing by the living room, you see that more people have arrived and are milling around and talking to each other. You recognise one of the new arrivals as Wooyoung who was in your Statistics class in your first year. Lia makes her way over to where Sumin is talking to those other people, who you can now identify as Isa and Jongho.

The kitchen is just as big as you expected it to be. There are two fridges on either side of the stove, cabinets and drawers lining the walls. You could probably host a dinner party just inside her, forget the living room. And the dining room that you haven’t seen. Hidden next to the second fridge, you almost wouldn’t have noticed it if it wasn’t for the fact that you actively taking everything in, is a door. You don’t know what it is for and find that those two drinks for you and Lia is more pressing business.

Pulling open one of the fridges, you grab two cans of beer and shut the door. Turning to go back to your friend, you bump into someone who was trying to pass you.

“Oh, sorry!” you exclaim, jumping back in surprise. “I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you okay?”

The boy—cute boy, your brain supplies unwarranted—waves you off goodnaturedly. “Yeah, don’t worry about it—Y/N?” He’s staring at you like he can’t believe what he’s seeing. It makes you squirm nervously.

“Um…Yeah?”

His face lights up. “No way! It’s Beomgyu! Choi Beomgyu, from middle school.”

Your eyes widen once the recognition hits and you nearly drop the cans you were holding. “Oh my god, what the fuck? What are you doing in Seoul? How do you know Soobin?”

The last time you had seen Beomgyu, you were fourteen and moving to Seoul with your parents. You had both been distraught about having to be separated from each other but eventually, after weeks turned into months without seeing one another, it got bearable, until Beomgyu became just another face from your childhood.

Seeing him now, though, it was like you never left.

He grins that cheeky grin you remember from your time as children and it brings an odd sense of comfort. “Transferred to BigHit last year. We stay on the same floor.”

“How did I not know you moved to my school?”

“Well it’s not like I knew you were going here either, now did I?” he retorts.

You roll your eyes fondly, smiling sincerely. “It’s good to see you, Beom.” You knock his shoulder once with yours before leaving him in the kitchen.

Joining Lia on the couch, you hand her her drink which she accepts, eyeing Beomgyu curiously. “Who was that?”

“Beomgyu, we used to be friends in middle school but then I moved. I had no idea we went to the same school now.” You still can’t believe how things worked out for the two of you, to meet at a random party years after you lost contact. You had to get his number before the weekend was up.

Soobin claps loudly from on top of a coffee table in the middle of the floor, causing the chatter to quiet down. “Everybody! It’s ten o’clock, and we’ve got a round of beer pong and charades set up. Split up into teams and let the games begin!”

A round of cheers erupt around the living room, including from you. You can’t stop the excitement practically coursing through you. Aside from seeing Soobin and the knowledge that you would be sleeping in the same house as him, this was what you came here for.

You chose to start with beer pong with Lia because Y/N, if I’m getting through this night, I need alcohol. You roll your eyes at her antics and don’t hold back from saying I told you so when you see her having fun and high fiving Sumin when she gets a ball in the cup.

Playing Twister, you go against Isa and Jongho and Wooyoung. Wooyoung gets out after his third spin when he had to tuck his hand under his right leg and Isa’s and she managed to knock him over. Ten minutes later and it is just you against Jongho on the mat. It doesn’t take much to beat him, just a very strategically placed leg that has him wobbling trying to get over.

You continue to catch up with Beomgyu during the times where you weren’t playing and introduce him to Lia, too. You are introduced to the rest of the party goers. Jung Yunho came with Wooyoung and is scarily good at Uno. He also brought pizza and beer, so you think he’s pretty cool. Park Sunghoon came on his own but knows Isa from one of the classes they share together. And Soobin—

Is terrible at charades. Paired up with Yunho, the two of you absolutely wipe the floor with Soobin and Sumin. Whenever the two of you were up against each other to describe the same word or guess, you would always get it before he did.

While the two teams, Lia and Isa against Sunghoon and Wooyoung, prepares to start their round, you quietly excuse yourself to get some fresh air outside. Between the fire that was still going and all the games you’ve been playing, you could do with the cool air.

Stepping out onto the patio, you take in the view of the lake and everything surrounding it. The house was perched at the top of an incline, looking over the lake. The moon reflected across the water was such a sight to look at and you wish you hadn’t left your phone inside so you could take a picture.

Movement catches your eye from across the lake. You squint to get a better look. A figure moves in the dark. From your vantage point, you can’t tell what—or who—it is or where they’re going.

“Sick of games already?” You don’t hear Soobin walking out to join you until he is taking a spot next to you. “Didn’t think that was possible.”

“No,” you clarify. “Just need a break from kicking your ass,” you tease, shoving his shoulder lightly and he barks out a laugh. Staring ahead again, you sigh. “This view is—Wow.”

“Yeah,” Soobin agrees, leaning his arms on the railing, looking out at the lake.

“Do you have any neighbours?” You ask, thinking about what you saw earlier.

Soobin shakes his head. “Not for miles. Good for privacy. When you run out of eggs? Not so much.”

At the mention of privacy, it hits you that this is the most alone the two of you have been before. You chuckle awkwardly, trying to keep the nerves out of your voice. “Thanks for inviting me. I’m having a lot of fun.”

“Well that’s a relief. I planned this whole thing for you.”

“What?”

He looks like he regrets saying anything in the first place but only hesitates a moment before sighing. “It’s going to sound super pathetic, I know, but I know how much you love games so I kind of set this all up with you in mind.”

This stuns you into stillness. “Really?”

“There were supposed to be more people here but convincing people to spend a weekend away for Snakes and Ladders doesn’t really go over well.”

“It’s fine,” you reassure, laughing at the thought of Soobin trying to get people to come this weekend. “It’s perfect, really. Thank you.” Again, you are hit by the knowledge that you are alone. There are people just a wall away, sure, but Soobin’s sole attention is on you. He did this whole thing for you. “Can I ask why, though?”

He looks at you with a shy smile, and the sight makes your heartbeat stutter, then pick up twice as fast. Before he can say anything, though, an alarm blares through the entire house, so loud, the sound rattles around your head. Frantically you press your hands over your ears to try to lessen the noise, and it works though not by much.

“What’s going on?” you yell to Soobin over the ringing and he just shrugs, seemingly as confused as you are. Hands covering his own ears, he motions with his head to follow you back into the living room. The rest of the guests have abandoned their games and are standing in similar positions to, trying to block out the ringing.

You immediately cross over to Lia when you catch sight of her and Soobin follows behind you. Just as suddenly as it started, the alarm stops, leaving behind a faint ringing in your ears.

“What the hell, Soobin?” Sunghoon asks.

The boy in question just sighs, shaking his head. “I don’t know, man.”

Feedback whines through the surround sound system connected to the house. “I hope you have been having a good time so far,” a voice booms out from the speakers. Everyone’s head snaps up, trying to find the source to no avail. “It’s about to get better, and the stakes are about to get higher.” Whoever was talking was using a modifier, their voice coming out too gruff and tiny and to be normal.

“What’s going on?” you hear someone whisper. You were thinking the same thing, and with the quick glances you took to Soobin, it seems he was, too. Which you don’t really get, seeing as this was his party.

“Welcome, players, to the final game of the night: Hide and Seek.”

Murmurs go up around the room. You nudge the boy next to you slightly. “Are we really going to play that?”

Soobin glances down at you, and admits seriously. “I honestly have no idea what is going on.”

“Gonna beat you anyway,” you say cheekily.

“The rules are simple,” the voice says, grabbing everyone’s attention again. “Stay hidden until sunrise and you win. If you get caught, you’re out. You can hide anywhere in the house, but going outside is strictly off-limits. You will get a hundred second head start before the game starts. Good luck.” The speaker crackles with finality.

Silence. Then, “You can’t be serious.” You turn to Lia who looks like she would rather be anywhere else. “Who plays hide and seek for six hours?”

“She’s got a point.” This time it’s Beomgyu who speaks up. “Soobin, we don’t actually have to do this, right?”

“Guys, this isn’t my game,” Soobin announces which raises some eyebrows. “Somebody must have gotten into the media room and said all that.”

You try to think of a reason why anyone would want to do that and come up blank. You should probably be more concerned about somebody potentially breaking in and forcing you into a game but you have never played hide and seek on this scale before and besides, Soobin doesn’t seem all that concerned himself. So— “A game’s a game, right?” you say, addressing everyone. They all look at you, unreadable expressions on their faces. “It could be fun. And we could always end it early if it gets too boring.”

You don’t know how much time has passed but, looking at the clock, you see that there are a few seconds until midnight. The game was going to start soon.

Nobody makes a move to do anything and you almost resign to the fact that you won’t get to play when Lia sighs heavily. “You owe me so bad.” You grin wildly at your friend and throw your arms around her neck, pulling her into a hug.

At that, everyone seems to decide to give the game a chance and play. Wooyoung and Yunho run off somewhere upstairs. Sumin leaves by herself and Isa and Jongho take off in the direction of one of the guest bathrooms. You don’t see Beomgyu anywhere.

“Y/N,” you look down to see Soobin holding your wrist. “Hide with me?”

You almost do. His pleading eyes boring into yours, and you hate to turn him down. “I’m hiding with Lia. And besides, I can’t beat you if we’re together,” you add the last bit teasing and he cracks a wry grin before reluctantly releasing your hand.

The warmth of his hand doesn’t leave your wrist.

You turn back to Lia and run off together in the direction of the kitchen. You remember the door you saw in there and hope that whatever it is, it’s going to be big enough to fit the both of you.

The last thing you hear before you shut the door behind you both, is the voice from earlier coming from the speakers. “Ready or not…here I come.” The microphone clicks.

6 HOURS LEFT

The room you end up in is shrouded in darkness, you can’t even tell what it is. Lia pats the walls on either side of you until she finds what she is looking for and flips a switch. The room erupts in light.

The first thing you notice is that this is not a normal room. It’s a cellar. The second, you are standing at the top of a staircase.

Lia whistles. “How big is this place?”

The two of you descend the stairs and find yourselves in where the Choi family stores their wine. Two wine racks are in the middle of the floor, full of different bottles.

“Do you think Soobin will mind if we open one?” Lia muses inspecting each bottle carefully.

“You don’t like wine,” you point out and Lia flips you off.

“This is crazy, right?” she asks while looking around the room. “Like how big this house is. How rich Soobin is?”

“I’m trying not to think about it.”

“Do you think his great grandfather did something weird a hundred years ago? Secured all this money by making a deal with the devil or something?”

You blink slowly. “I think somebody has read one too many Stephen King books.”

“Maybe so. Lots of stories about crazy rich people, though.”

“Like Crazy Rich Asians?”

Lia goes quiet. “Fair enough,” she concedes and you snort. Lia exhales heavily. “Now what?”

“Now…” you start, sitting down against the winerack, making sure you are hidden from view from the stairs, “we wait.”

Your friend groans.

The clock ticks and minutes pass. You wonder if anyone else has been caught yet. It’s a big house and there’s only one seeker. You don’t think they could have found anyone so soon.

“I can’t do this,” Lia announces suddenly. She pushes herself off the ground and paces the room. “Like, if we’re going to be down here the whole time, I need my book before I descend into insanity.”

She walks along the walls, hands pressing against the brick, it almost looks like she’s hugging it. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to see if there’s another door here. Rich people’s houses always have secret doors.”

The accuracy of her statement seems a bit off and you say so. “Yeah, but not in the cellar—” A click. A narrow door opens slightly, triggered by the pressure Lia applied to it. It leads to a hallway that splits two ways, the right side should take you back to the main house. Huh. “I stand corrected.”

Lia nods determinedly. “Okay, I’ll be back.”

“Wait, Lia—”

“Relax, Y/N, I promise I’m not going to try and get caught on purpose. I’m just going to go grab my book and come back. In and out. Like a spy.”

You are apprehensive but give in eventually with a sigh. “Fine. I’ll be waiting.”

To her credit, Lia does peak her head out and look both ways before she slips out the room and to the right. You sigh. You don’t know how long you sit there by yourself before you start to get antsy. Lia should be back by now.

The door creaks open from above the stairs.

Your head snaps up, trying to see who it is from behind your hiding place. You peak your head around the wooden wine rack and make out a pair of legs from the top of the stairs. The person descends slowly.

You are going to be so pissed if you should have followed Lia outside.

It’s one of the boys from the party. Sunghoon.

Emerging from your hiding spot, you make your presence known. “Are you the seeker?” you ask suspiciously.

Sunghoon startles but regains his composure quickly. He shakes his head. “No, but they’re right outside so we should probably go.”

“What?”

“I saw them snooping around the living room and kitchen then saw this door and came to hide. Won’t be long before they get the same idea, so depending on how seriously you are taking this game, we should go.”

You hesitate, shaking your head. “I can’t, I’m waiting for—”

“Suit yourself.” Sunghoon has already pushed past you to the wall. “Is there another way out of here?”

You watch as he goes through the same process Lia did and think about how you can’t just leave your agreed meeting spot. But, if the seeker is right outside, you can’t just stay here to potentially be caught without her.

Getting rid of any doubt, you press against the same spot Lia did and watch as the secret door clicks open. Sunghoon merely raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything.

The two of you slip through the door, and shut it quickly behind you. Thinking of Lia, your initial plan is to walk towards where the rooms should be so you can meet up with her halfway, but Sunghoon points out that that’s probably where the seeker will be looking next and leads the two of you to the left, deeper into the house.

You hope Lia doesn’t come this way.

“Where were you hiding before this?” you whisper, the eerie silence of the house putting you on edge. The seeker could be anywhere.

“Behind the curtains in the living room.” You raise your eyebrows at that and Sunghoon sighs exasperated. “Don’t judge me, I wasn’t really trying.”

Out of everyone this evening, he did seem to be the least interested in playing the games. “What did the seeker look like?”

“All black cloak. Like, some Dungeons & Dragons shit. Didn’t see their face though.”

A cloak? Was their identity a secret, or something? Did it matter? “Who do you think it is?”

“Honestly, thought it was you for a while,” he admits and that gives you pause. “You were, like, way too oddly excited to play so I just figured.”

“That’s…actually pretty fair.”

Sunghoon chuckles mirthlessly. You reach the end of the hallway where it turns to the left abruptly. You both come to a stop. You don’t know what part of the house you are in, don’t know where turning the corner will lead, how far away it will take you from Lia.

The boy you’re with whispers, “I’ll check if the coast is clear,” and you nod. He inches closer to the corner, head sticking to inspect what is there. You watch with bated breath as he disappears from view.

There is a sharp intake of breath.

“Sunghoon?” you whisper, concerned. He doesn’t respond. You wonder what he sees, if it’s a dead end. Or the seeker.

Suddenly, he staggers back, hitting the wall behind him.

“Sunghoon, what…” your words die on your lips when your eyes trail down his body and find his hand gripping his side.

Shakily, he pulls his hand away. Your breath hitches.

Blood.

Sunghoon’s eyes meet yours, scared and blown wide. You try to move. To run or to help, you can’t tell, but your feet are frozen.

A shadow is cast over Sunghoon’s body. It grows larger. You don’t know how long you have been holding your breath. Something metallic glints in the light.

A knife. In blood.

The sickening realisation hits you like a punch in the gut. Sunghoon had been stabbed.

A cloaked figure emerges from around the corner. Head to toe shrouded in black fabric, Sunghoon’s assailant is, you realise with sinking feeling in your gut, the seeker.

They raise the knife again. You should look away. You don’t want to see this. Your eyes are locked onto Sunghoon’s. He’s crying.

At the sound of the weapon piercing the boy’s flesh, bile creeps up your throat. You will your body to move, your mouth to scream, but it feels like you aren’t in control anymore. Like you are floating above somewhere, staring at yourself, but can’t do anything.

They pull the knife out. “Gotcha.” That distorted voice, sinister in its inflection, turns your stomach over.

You turn on your heel. And run.

Sunghoon was out.

Sunghoon was dead.

[atlabeth]

transferred part 17 - atla smau

part 16 | masterlist | part 18 

summary: trying to run from your past is hard, but falling for your brother’s roommate is even harder. little do you know he’s falling for you as well. 

a/n: ahahah a ??? im sorry?? that this took so long?? as you know ive been dying of school and exams and even though ive gotten a couple oneshots out and did my celebration i just have not had the energy to write a whole mf chapter. but it’s here ! after a month of waiting

wc: 4.8k she is a LONG ONE FOLKS prepare yourselves

warning(s): cursing, alcohol and getting drunk, toxic relationships, mentions of cheating, implied emotional abuse, y/n having a breakdown, just an overall mess 

-

“Katara, don’t pull so hard!” You exclaimed, reaching a hand up to touch your scalp. You had entrusted your sister with styling your hair for the party tonight, but only after insistent nagging on her part. She had invited — or forced, as you liked to call it — you over to their dorm to get ready for the party that night together and do all kinds of girl talk. You figured this was a trap to get you to talk about you and Zuko, but it’s not like you would deny an opportunity to hang out with some of your favorite girls. 

“Sorry,” she chuckled. “Just think of it as retribution for all the times that you pulled my hair like this when you did my braids.” 

You rolled your eyes good-naturedly and glanced over at Toph and Suki who had already gotten ready but still lounging around the dorm to hang out. “So.” 

“So?” Suki repeated. 

“So when are the questions going to start?” You asked with a small laugh. “I appreciate the invite over here to get ready, but I know you all just wanted to ask me about what’s going with Zuko. So ask away.”

“What happened during that car ride—”

“Has he said anything to you since the kiss—”

“What’s going on at the tea shop—”

“Woah, woah! One question at a time!” you interrupted as they all started going on at the same time. “First off, nothing happened during the car ride. We worked out some miscommunications, and we’re all good. Second — yes, we’ve talked since the kiss, but there’s been nothing groundbreaking. And third, the only thing going on at the tea shop is the tea that we’re serving.”

Toph groaned and shook her head. “Are you serious? That’s so boring!”

“You’re telling me that nothing has happened in the couple of weeks since the kiss? Like, are you sure you’re not in a secret relationship with him and just neglecting to tell us?” Katara asked.

“There’s nothing going on,” you insisted. “As much as I want something to go on, I… haven't’ really said anything either.”

“What?” Suki cried. “You are crazy for him, how have you not tried to make something out of this yet?!”

“I don’t know!” you shot back defensively. “I guess I’m just scared that everything will go wrong.”

“Look,” Suki began as she took a seat on the floor in front of you. “You are kind, funny, gorgeous as hell, and an all around amazing person — and Zuko has it just as bad for you as you do for him! So embrace all of that, get out there tonight, and make a move!”

It had been too long since you had gotten a pep talk from Suki, and it was strangely refreshing. You nodded and sat up. “You know, you’re right! I have just… I’ve been sitting around, waiting for him to make a move because I’m too scared of getting rejected. But I am a delight! I am a lovely person, and I am a delight. Besides, we’re both adults! Even if he doesn’t like me the same way I do—”

“Which he does,” Toph interrupted, which earned her a joking glare.

“Even if he doesn’t like me the same way I do,” you repeated. “We’re still going to be friends. It’ll just be a couple awkward weeks, and then we’ll be back to normal.”

“That’s as close to the spirit as we’re gonna get!” Katara exclaimed as she gave you a high-five.

“It’s about time,” Toph joked as she hit you on the shoulder. “Now, are you gonna get ready or what?”

“Right,” you chuckled. “I did get this super cute dress a while ago that I haven’t gotten a chance to wear. I think it’ll be perfect for tonight.”

“What are you waiting for, girl?” Suki asked. “Show us!”

After showing off your dress, you had finished up the final touches of your makeup and gotten one last pep talk from all of your girls — you were feeling more confident than ever, and you were sure that tonight was the night you would tell Zuko how you felt.

-

Back at the apartment, the boys were going through a similar dilemma.

“Zuko, what are you so scared about?” Sokka was hanging upside down off of the couch, a move he must’ve picked up from his sister, as he questioned his friend.

“I don’t know, everything? She could reject me, she could start to hate me, I could ruin everything that we’ve built over the past few months— you know, it’s not even that bad, what we have right now! What’s the harm in just staying like this?”

“Zuko,” Aang groaned. “I get being cautious, but this is just too much! You’re letting your fears get in the way of you and Y/N being happy. You kissed her, right? And she kissed you back! I’m telling you, if you let her know how you feel tonight then everything will work out. Trust me!”

“Seriously, buddy — it’s just painful at this point. It’ll be kinda weird having one of my friends date my sister again, but somehow, you two being apart is worse. Just tell her already!”

“Okay!” Zuko exclaimed defensively. He finished doing his hair then ran his fingers through it, ruining his work completely. When Sokka gave him a weird look, he shrugged and smiled to himself a bit. “Y/N likes it this way.”

Sokka gestured at him in disbelief and shook his head. “This is exactly what I mean!”

“Okay!” he repeated. Zuko leaned against the kitchen island and nodded. “Okay, I’ll tell her how I feel tonight. After she’s gotten into the party a little, I’ll take her outside and I’ll tell her how I feel.”

“And then you’ll kiss and it’ll be happily ever after!” Aang crooned.

Sokka rolled off of the sofa and stood up, then picked up the car keys from the table. “Someone text the girls, because we’re leaving. I can’t deal with this anymore.”

“You’re gonna do great tonight, Zuko,” Aang reassured as he gave Zuko a pat on the back. “Just remember why you like her in the first place, and speak from the heart. She likes you, so as long as you’re you, things will go great.”

Zuko nodded and gave Aang a small smile. “Thanks. I hope you’re right.”

As the two of them followed Sokka out of the apartment, he took another deep breath and tried to psych himself up. He was sure that tonight was the night he would tell you how he felt.

-

The seven of you regrouped with each other where you would be spending the rest of the night — because a ton of students were expected to celebrate the end of the first semester, the party was being hosted in a warehouse that a couple of kids had rented out for the night. It was more extravagant than the first party you went to in every way — you could hear the music thumping from all the way down the street as you got out of the car.

“Do you think we beat them here?” Suki asked as she helped Toph out. Katara locked the car and looked around, shaking her head as she pointed down the street. Sokka, Aang, and Zuko were all walking up together, having parked a couple cars down.

“They beat us by a minute. Probably broke a hundred different traffic laws in the process.”

“You guys made it!” Aang exclaimed as he gave Katara a kiss on the cheek. “Sokka forced Zuko to let him drive here, said he’s too slow and that he wanted to beat you all.”

“Sounds like him,” Suki joked as she took Sokka’s hand. “You ready, Big Shot?”

“I’m always ready,” he grinned, earning a laugh from you and Katara. Your eyes fell on Zuko as he walked up and you smiled, already starting to feel your cheeks heating up.

“Wow, Y/N, you look…”

“Amazing?” you guessed coyly.

“Breathtaking,” he clarified, the beginnings of a smirk playing on his lips. You laughed and looped your arm through his, and the two of you began making your way towards the party.

The rest of the group shot each other looks that ranged from overjoyed to bewildered to confused. As they started to follow you, they realized that getting the two of you together might be easier than they thought.

-

It wasn’t hard to get into the spirit of the night once you got into the party. There had to be at least a couple hundred people there, but it didn’t take long for everyone to start breaking off into groups. Suki had roped you in karaoke while Aang had taken Zuko to meet some of his friends, giving Sokka, Katara, and Toph time to strategize before setting the plan in motion.

“Okay!” Katara shouted so she could be heard over all the noise. “I don’t think we’re actually gonna have to do that much tonight! Just.. keep him busy for a while and then give him an out, and we’ll do the same with Y/N!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know the whole plan. I made it up, remember?” Sokka wasn’t completely focused on the conversation at hand as his eyes darted around the scene, seemingly searching for something. His eyes suddenly lit up and he started to back away from their small group. “There he is! Sorry Katara, gotta go prove to a bunch of freshmen that they don’t know anything and I’m better than them. Aang can handle Zuko!” He grinned at her then ran off into the crowd before Katara could protest.

She sighed and turned to Toph. “Suki’s got Y/N occupied and Aang’s got Zuko, so it looks like it’s just you and me, Beifong. Whaddya wanna do?”

“You’re telling me you don’t want to see your sister embarrass herself with karaoke?” Toph asked.

Katara laughed and grabbed Toph’s hand as she started to lead them through the crowd. “You know what? That sounds perfect. After all the work we’ve done for her and Zuko, I think I deserve to laugh at her for a while.”

-

The first two hours of the party passed by quickly. You spent the first thirty minutes making a fool of yourself with Suki as you sang a couple classics on karaoke — though it was a bit humiliating, you had an amazing time. The second half of the hour went to the beer pong competition that Sokka’s friend Zhen had organized (they did end up winning, so you supposed his pride was well earned), and the next hour was dedicated to dancing, drinking, and letting loose. You had finished the first semester of your masters program, so you felt like you deserved it.

You had stolen away to an emptier corner to give yourself a breather as well as some alone time — you were enjoying yourself, but it was close to claustrophobic in the heat of it all. You were passing the time on your phone when you heard a familiar voice call your name. Your eyes immediately shot up as you tucked your phone into your purse, and you were met with your favorite pair of golden eyes.

“Hey,” Zuko breathed, taking a second to straighten his ruffled clothes. You couldn’t help the smile that played on your lips as you ran a hand through his hair to muss it up even further.

“Hey yourself,” you laughed. “What’s so important that you had to run all the way over here?”

“I have something I need to tell you. It actually is really important, but I think it’d go over better if we weren’t in the middle of all this chaos.”

You would be lying if you said that didn’t make your heart beat a little faster, and as you felt your cheeks heat up you realized that this was your chance. “Uh, yeah. Sure, totally— I actually have something I need to tell you, so that’s perfect!”

“Really?”

“Guess we’re just in tune.”

Zuko smiled as he took your hand and started to lead you through the crowd, but when you heard someone calling your name you froze. The blood in your veins turned to ice, and your grip on Zuko’s hand tightened. He shot you a questioning look but you didn’t even see it.

“No,” you muttered, barely legible. “No, not here.”

You almost didn’t want to turn around to confirm your suspicions. You could’ve ignored it, pretended like you didn’t hear it over the sounds of the party, but there was a voice nagging in your head that you couldn’t just ignore it, you had to find out if he was really, truly here — so you did.

You wanted nothing more to be wrong in that moment — honestly, you thought that you were hallucinating at first. You hadn’t had that much to drink, but maybe the alcohol combined with the sleep deprivation was making you see things. Unfortunately, it was real. You could never forget those eyes.

“Hahn,” you mumbled, the sight taking a moment to register. “Hahn, what the hell are you doing here?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m here to party, and I’m here to see you.” The grin on his face didn’t waver as he looked you up and down, choosing to ignore the blatant shock on your face.

“You are not here to see me,” you clarified coolly. “We’re not together anymore, and ex-boyfriends don’t make hour-long drives to see their ex-girlfriends, especially ex-girlfriends that they treated like trash.”

“I figured you’d be more happy to see me than this,” he huffed. “Ungrateful as usual.” Hahn seemed to finally notice Zuko and scoffed as he looked at him. “What, is he your new boyfriend? You really downgraded.”

“You have no right to talk to her like that—” Zuko stepped forward to say more but you held out your hand to stop him. You gave him a short nod and stepped forward yourself.

“Hahn, I’m going to ask you one more time.” You could feel your hands shaking, whether it was from rage or fear you didn’t know. Your voice was deadly calm, but it was taking all of your energy to stay that way. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Hahn laughed and crossed his arms. “You’re joking right?” His amusement was a notion that you didn’t share, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably before he continued. “You wouldn’t answer my texts, and you obviously still want me after the things you sent me. My brother had a game here and I came along to see him, so I figured I would pay you a visit as well. You never really officially broke up with me, y’know. Are you really going to let three years go down the drain because of one little incident?”

Now it was your turn to laugh — it was from pure disbelief rather than amusement, though. “Are you serious? Hahn, I left you! I walked out, I moved out, I transferred universities to get away from you! Are you really so dense that you still think you stand a chance based off of some drunk texts?”

“Woah, you think you’re giving me a chance? Y/N/N, this is my olive branch to you — I messed up, I know I did, but that doesn’t mean we can’t fix things up! I could have any girl I wanted back at Kyoshi, but I’m here because I want you — I love you, babe. You know I do.”

“You don’t get to call her ‘babe’,” Zuko snapped. “She doesn’t want you here, so why don’t you just save yourself some trouble and get out of here?”

Hahn snorted and shook his head. “Stay out of this, fireboy. Y/N’s a big girl, she can speak for herself.”

You looked around and saw that a modest crowd was forming around the three of you, and more than a few people were filming. If you didn’t want your relationship problems to become BSSU news, you had to defuse this as soon as possible.

“Listen,” you interrupted. “Zuko’s right, Hahn. It was a mistake to come here — if you’re as smart as you always say, then you would know that. Just.. go home.”

Hahn scoffed as if he couldn’t believe what you were saying. “No, you listen. I’m trying to do you a favor here, Y/N! I made one mistake, and apparently that was enough to ruin everything we had.”

“You know just as well as I do that it wasn’t one mistake!” you cried. “If you can really get any other girl you want, then do it! I mean, that wasn’t a problem for you during our relationship, so I don’t see why it’s a problem now. We’re not getting back together, so just stop!”

“It’s him, isn’t it?” he sneered as he gave Zuko another onceover. “He’s the reason you’re acting like this. I never thought that you would sink so low, but you’ve clearly gone soft. Come on, stop acting like a baby and we can talk this out alone.”

He started to reach for your hand but you pulled it back, and before you knew what you were doing, you had handed your drink to Zuko and your fist was flying right at Hahn’s face. It hurt like hell, but the pure satisfaction from seeing his shock as he recoiled was a painkiller on its own.

“How’s that for soft?” you spat as you rubbed your injured knuckles.

“You.. you bitch!” he yelled, staggering back a few feet as he put his hand over his nose in an attempt to stop the bleeding. “This is how you repay me after everything? You should be thankful I’m giving you another chance—” he started to reach for you again, but you slapped his hand away. You cast a glance back at Zuko and saw that he had been joined by Sokka and Katara, and knowing that they were with you made all the difference.

“I don’t want another chance!” you shouted. “You are the one that fucked up, you are the one that made my life hell, and you are not the one that gets to give out second chances! I gave you so many chances, and you messed up every single one! Hahn, I never want to see you again. And if you ever try something like this again, if you ever even try and talk to me again, I will do something so much worse. Now do the smart thing and get out!”

You gave him one hard shove to the chest then turned on your heel and ran. It was the coward’s move, you knew it was, but you couldn’t be there anymore. Tears blurred your vision as you pushed through the crowd to get to the back door, heaving shaky breaths once you finally made it outside. You could hear familiar voices yelling and felt the slightest tinge of joy knowing that your younger siblings were giving Hahn hell.

You leaned against the side of the building, pressing the heels of your hands against your forehead to try and stop yourself from having a full on breakdown. You started to count backwards from twenty in your head as your eyes scanned the area for something, anything, to ground you. It helped in the sense that you weren’t about to lose it right then and there, but you were still on the brink. You slid down the wall into a sitting position and hugged your knees to your chest, the tears finally falling.

This was your university, this was your night, this was for you to make new memories and end your first semester, but like everything else he had come in and ruined it. You had no idea how he even found you, how he knew you would even be here, but it scared you.

“Should’ve blocked you as soon as you… fucking asshole… can’t believe..” you mumbled incoherently as you pulled your phone out with shaky hands, blocking and deleting his number. You dropped your phone in your lap and then put your head in your hands, still trying to process everything that happened. You didn’t even look up when you heard someone coming outside, but somehow you immediately knew who it was.

“Hey, Y/N.. Are you.. okay?” Zuko’s voice was full of sympathy but also caution, as if you were a delicate flower you didn’t want to tear.

“Do I look okay, Zuko?” Your words came out much more aggressive than you wanted them to, and you bit your lip. You had always expected his kindness to be a double-edged sword, something he used just to get something from you, but it never was. Not even once. It made sense after what he told you, and it just made him an even better person in your eyes.

“I’m sorry,” you sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that, I’m just.. not. Not in the slightest. Hahn was the last person I expected to see tonight.”

Zuko moved over and sat down against the wall with you then hovered his hand above yours, giving you a chance to pull away. When you didn’t move, he set his hand on yours, filling you with the comforting warmth that you missed.

“You don’t need to apologize. What he did was fucked up.” He cracked a small smile. “Punching him was pretty badass though.”

You wiped a tear away and let out a soft laugh. “It was about time I stood up for myself. Our whole relationship was built off of this sick power dynamic that he loved to wield over me. Things were fine for the first few months, of course. He had this douchebag reputation on campus, but I believed that I could change him, that I could be the one to make him settle down, and— and it felt like I had at first! He was the sweetest guy, and he always brought me things and took me out on dates and it was just- it was just a dream. But I should’ve known he was using me. He had never changed, he had just gotten better at hiding those parts of himself.”

“I had zero sense of self worth and he used that. Told me that if I broke up with him I would never find anyone better, always convincing me that I was the one in the wrong, that if I wasn’t so dramatic then we wouldn’t have all these arguments. And the worst thing about it? I believed him. I believed him every time.” Your voice cracked on your last sentence and you could feel yourself getting choked up again. You swallowed hard and tried your best to push your emotions back down. “I was so terrified that he was right, that I would end up alone if I broke up with him, that I stayed. And that was our relationship for the past three years — built off of fear and manipulation.”

“A lot of people wonder why I transferred here. Sure, I did it for my masters, but Kyoshi has a perfectly fine program. I had already established my life there, I had an apartment, lots of friends, and yeah, I was going to go through with it. I was going to get my masters back there, but I… I did it because of him. I left because of Hahn.”

“Y/N. What did he do?” There was a dangerous undertone to his words, and you placed your intertwined hands on his knee. You didn’t want him to do something he would regret, and more selfishly, you needed him here right now.

You closed your eyes and let the question hang in the air for a moment. You hadn’t told anyone the truth of how your relationship ended with Hahn, and this wasn’t how you had pictured telling Zuko. If you were being honest, you didn’t think you would ever tell him — but he deserved to know.

“He cheated.” You said the words so easily, so simply that you almost shocked yourself. It shocked Zuko too; you could see his eyes widen slightly from your peripherals.

“Yeah. He cheated on me. That’s how things ended. After everything I put into that relationship, everything I did for him, everything he took from me… I still wasn’t enough for him. I got home from class one day to find him in bed with another girl, and… that was it. Something inside me just snapped. That was my moment of clarity — no yelling, no crying, no… anything. I just left. A friend let me crash at her place, and that night I started the process of transferring here. I made a promise to myself that I would never let someone like Hahn in again, and… well, now we’re here.” You laughed humorlessly and wiped a tear from your eye.

It was like the breath had been stolen from Zuko’s chest. He had never fully understood why you were so reluctant to open up to people, but this explained it. You weren’t someone who gave out love freely, but you had to Hahn — and the way he had treated that love made him sick. He had ingrained in you the ideal that you couldn’t be loved, only tolerated, and that was why you had such a hard time accepting help from anyone. The thought alone made him want to find Hahn and get him back for everything he had done to you. The only thing stopping him was that he didn’t want to leave you alone.

“Y/N,” he muttered. “I had no idea. Katara and Sokka didn’t even know.. Why did you hold all of this in?”

“Because I was scared, Zuko! I got myself into this mess with a stupid boy that everyone had warned me about, so I felt like I had to get myself out. Even when things took a turn for the worse, I felt like I couldn’t involve anyone else because it was my fault. It was my fault for trusting someone like him, it was my fault for believing all of his lies, it was my fault for not being good enough. And even after everything he did to me, a part of me still missed him.” You let out a laugh that was a touch unhinged. “There’s something seriously wrong with me.”

“Y/N, look at me.” You tore your eyes up from the ground and at Zuko — his golden irises looked the same as the first time you met him and it was oddly comforting.

“There is nothing wrong with you. Okay? And I know it’s easier said than done, believe me, I know, but you don’t need to be scared. I understand why you were so hesitant to share what happened with Hahn, but you don’t need to be. I don’t know how much weight my words have, but I want you to know that you can always tell me what is happening with you. Whether it’s a life changing event or just what you did that morning, I’ll listen to you. You aren’t alone, Y/N, because I’m here for you. I always will be.”

Your eyes widened with surprise as you stared into his own. This was the most sincere you had ever seen Zuko, even more than the night he told you about his life. There was a nagging voice in the back of your head telling you to kiss him, feel that warmth again, forget about what had happened for just a moment.

But as the familiar prick of incoming tears returned, you knew you couldn’t. You were drunk, on the verge of a complete breakdown, and anything that happened between you tonight would be tainted with the memory of Hahn. So with a concentrated effort, you tore your eyes away from his and swallowed, your throat dry and scratchy from the screaming match you had gotten yourself into.

“I don’t think I can spend another minute here. I hate to ask, but.. can you take me home?” you asked quietly. “You might not be able to tell, but I’m not in a state to do anything right now.”

“Of course.” You gave his hand another squeeze to let him know that he hadn’t overstepped, and stood up. The two of you began the walk back to the car and Zuko let go of your hand, shifting so that he could instead wrap his arm around your back. You smiled softly and leaned your head against his shoulder, the gesture a welcome comfort.

“Thank you,” you whispered. He squeezed your shoulder softly in response, a silent notion that said everything he couldn’t.

Tonight had been a wreck, that much was certain. Your past had resurged in the most painful way possible, and you knew you wouldn’t be able to get through it alone.

But you weren’t alone this time. You had Zuko.

And with Zuko by your side… you knew you would be okay.

-

perm taglist: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin

transferred: @ourbestfriend-mishacollins @lil-lex1 @xxshad0wxb1rdxx @zuko-is-the-sun @akiris @irohs-teapot @thatarthistorynerd @charlenasaxen @minninugget @marvel-ousnesss @count-thotticus @what-ye-egg @furblrwurblr @thesstuff @mariachiii @ietss @dizzy-miss-lizzieeeeee @xbarrjallenx @tommy-braccoli @dreamsluvrr @floofybread @thelovelylolly @lin-biefong-is-my-life @tiffanyy-21 @sistheselenophile @theincredibledeadlyviper @bakugouswh0r3 @loganrwebb @mikaslilworld @matsunshine @iris-suoh @aizameow @h3llbun 

atla: @marianne1806

[princessjungeun]

Forgetting Date Night: Lia x Reader

Request: hello🤗 i was wanting to request a really angsty scenario where you and lia have a date night somewhere away from home and you forget about it causing lia to come home to see you just on the couch and she tells you how shes the busier one so she should be the one "forgetting" about planned dates

You had just worked one of the most intense weeks of your entire life. As a software engineer of one of the biggest technology companies in Korea, your job was demanding. Recently the competing company came out with a piece of technology very close to that of your companies. Since then, you’ve been working least 12 hours a day, getting home late and leaving the house early.

Your girlfriend Jisu also had a high demand job, however you knew no matter how much you worked, her job trumped yours. However, right now your job was definitely more work than hers. This week she wasn’t working, as she and her members were on a three week break from promotions. Her group had a total of 15 stages and countless interviews, variety show appearances, and photo shoots. Finally she was able to get a break.

When you got home you noticed Jisu wasn’t home. She’d been catching up with her friends quite a bit recently so you wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what she was doing.

All you wanted was to go to sleep, usually you would wait for Jisu to come home but you couldn’t stay awake any longer. You changed into more comfortable clothes before flopping onto your bed.

Just as you started to fall asleep you heard the front door fly open, hitting the door stop loudly. You froze not knowing if it was Jisu or an intruder. Not knowing what to do you closed your eyes slowly and turned your face into a pillow.

“Are you kidding me?” Was all you heard when the person came into your room. You recognized the voice, Jisu, and she wasn’t happy. Slowly you opened your eyes and turned to her “hi baby.” She responded harshly “dont hi baby me! Do you know what today is?”

You didn’t know, to be quite honest the days have all jumbled together in your mind due to the stress of your job. All you knew was that it wasn’t the weekend because you just got off of work, and you don’t work on weekends.

She took the blank look on your face as an answer. “Wow ok then.” She rolled her eyes and walked out, slamming the door loudly behind her. You rubbed your temples trying to remember what today was. Why could she possibly be so upset? It’s not her birthday. It’s not your birthday. Your anniversary is in three months. So what could it be?

You replayed the interaction in your head. She was wearing clothes that weren’t her usual style. She looked almost dressed up? The buzz of your phone snapped you out of your trance. A calendar reminder appeared on your lock screen:

Date with Jisu @ 7

Your eyes widened as you frantically got up calling out her name. “Jisu-ah!” You saw her sitting alone looking out the window, deep in thought.

You tapped her shoulder knowing that pulling her into your arms wasn’t the best idea right now. “Jisu I’m so sorry. Really I forgot about tonight, work has been so much recently I lost track of the days. I will make it up to you I swear. It’s all my fault... and- I’m just really sorry.”

Judging by the look on her face, she definitely wasn’t having it. She responded “really? You forgot about our date that I planned two months in advance. Mind you this was while I was preparing for a huge comeback!” Her voice rose steadily as she continued “I DANCED EIGHT HOURS A DAY! I SANG SO MUCH I COULD BAREY TALK. I SLEPT LESS THAN FOUR HOURS FOR THREE MONTHS STRAIGHT AND I STILL MADE EVERY DATE WE HAD. AND YOU ARE HERE ASLEEP?! YOU HAVE THE DAMN NERVE TO TELL ME YOU CANT REMEMBER ONE SIMPLE FRICKING DAY?!” Her voice jumping at least six octaves on the last word, making it sound more like a squeak.

You were not one to yell and neither was Jisu, but you snapped. “EXCUSE ME? I JUST APOLOGIZED AND ADMITTED IT WAS MY FAULT! I SAID I WOULD MAKE UP FOR IT! I HAVE BEEN WORKING A LOT RECENTLY TOO! I KNOW YOUR JOB IS A LOT MORE DEMANDING THAN MINE, BUT YOU WILL NOT SIT HERE AND MAKE ME FEEL BAD AS IF I WASNT WORKING AT ALL. I HAVE BEEN BOSSED AROUND BY EVERY IMPORTANT PERSON IN THAT BUILDING EVERY DAY FOR HOURS WITHOUT BREAKS. DO YOU KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE HAVING TO GO INTO WORK CONSTANTLY TRYING TO PROVE THAT YOU CAN DO JUST AS WELL AS YOUR MALE COWORKERS WHILE YOU ARE THE ONLY FEMALE IN YOUR WHOLE DEPARTMENT? NO YOU DONT JULIA. SO IF I TELL YOU IM SORRY AND THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING SO HARD I LOST TRACK OF THE DAYS. TRUST AND BELIEVE I AM SERIOUS. BECAUSE I AM NO SLACKER. You and I both know that.”

You got up and walked back to your room, slamming the door behind you. The two of you had never really gotten in a fight like this. Typically one of you would have cracked and cried, prompting the both of you to forgive each other quickly.

You didn’t know what to do or who to call so you decided on the first person in your contact list.

They asked Hello?

You responded “Hey can you come over, I need you” They hung up without saying another word.

You knew Jisu probably ran to Yeji or Ryujin’s, but judging by the fact that Ryujin hasn’t sent you a form of “what the hell did you do to my best friend” text. She was probably with Yeji.

After ten minutes your heard the door open followed by “Y/N?! HELLOOOOO?!” She walked you your room and immediately hugged you. “What happened? Where’s Jisu?” You sat up and responded “we got into a fight.”

You spent the next thirty minutes explaining to Jungeun what happened. When you were finished she told you “well you have to understand why she’s upset. You know how much we work as idols, how hard it can be. But she still made time to plan and go out on dates with you. But she also has to realize she’s not the only one with a hard job. You have been working really hard recently. You two need to get together and talk about how you both feel about this. Then apologize to each other for yelling at each other. Call me and tell me how it goes later ok?”

She hugged you then slipped out of your apartment quickly. Hours passed and Jisu still hadn’t returned home. As much as you wanted to fall asleep, you couldn’t knowing that she was still upset.

•

•

•

“Y/N?” Jisu softly whispered, you could tell she’d been crying for some time. “Yeah?” You sat up and turned on the lamp next to your bed. She sat down next to you and said “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. I know you’ve been working a lot more than usual recently. And I should have been more understanding but I wasn’t. You didn’t deserve that, I’m sorry.”

You told her “I’m sorry too. I should have been more attentive. I should have looked at my calendar and saw that you made a date for us. And I shouldn’t have yelled at you, it wasn’t right.”

You opened your arms for her to crawl into them. She smirked and straddled your waist. Forcefully she kissed your lips. Your hands found your way to her waist, holding her closer. Her hands laced in your hair as she started kissing down your jawline to your neck. You whimpered softly “L-Lia-yah...” which just made her want to continue. You finally were able to gain control of yourself and pull away. She pouted and you kissed her lips softly “I can’t tonight...i’m too tired.”

She rolled off of you and curled into your arms. Her duality in this context truly baffled you, even after being with her for two years. You stared at the ceiling, mind empty, zero thoughts running through your head.

“Baby girl.” Jisu poked your cheek. You turned and looked at her, your eyes half open “hmmm?” She laughed softly and said “go to sleep my love.” You kissed her softly again before closing your eyes and drifting off to sleep.

[freddiesaysalright]

Soft in Love Part 7

A Gwilym Lee x Student!Reader Fic

Summary: Y/N is an acting student in her last semester of college. When a professor unexpectedly can’t make it for the senior capstone class, a very famous (and handsome) substitute is called in. When they connect, they face a few challenges.

Word Count: 3.5k

Tag List:  @psychosupernatural​, @someone-get-a-medic​, @bensrhapsody​, @deakyclicks​, @crazylittlethingcalledobsession​, @minigranger​, @crazyweirdocalledfriday​, @benders-diamond-earring​, @im-an-adult-ish​, @anincurablefangirl​, @kiainspace​, @lookuptotheskiesandsee​, @god-save-the-deaks​, @assembledherethevolunteers​, @misslolasworld​, @not-john-watsons-blog​, @spacedustmazzello​, @theindiealto​, @riddikuluslypotter​, @depressedbitchxox​, @tenement-funstah​, @7-seas-of-fat-bottomed-girls​, @sarablog10​, @johndeaconshands​, @coincidence-ithinknots-blog​, @simonedk​, @queenlover05​, @goodoldfashionedloverboyy​ If you’d like to be added, let me know!

A/N: ;)

Warning(s): Smut in this chapter! Oral sex (M and F receiving) and unprotected sex!

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6

Part 7 here we go!!!

On Thursday, Gwilym didn’t come to class. He had Dr. Curtis direct in his absence.

You had been reeling since your almost kiss. What was Gwilym talking about when he said he “couldn’t do this to you”? Do what, exactly? Did that mean his feelings weren’t there and he was only attracted to you? That was disappointing to think about. Or was he talking about the risks of such a relationship? Obviously, he wouldn’t want to get you into trouble, and you didn’t want that for him, either. But why couldn’t he just say so?

The most frustrating part of your hurt feelings was that you could express them to no one. You didn’t want to tell Sloan because you thought she might judge you a bit. And you sure as shit couldn’t talk to Andrew. He was barely talking to you at all, except for in class when he had to. You considered calling your mother, but you knew she would probably faint at hearing your interest in a man in his thirties. So there you were, heartbroken and isolated.

It was difficult to go through each day like it was normal. You smiled when Sloan told stories and forced laughter here and there. But your heart wasn’t in it. You needed to understand why Gwilym had done what he did. Only, you were sure he wouldn’t come early to class any more to give you an opportunity to ask.

On Friday, you sat in the library, pondering when you could confront him. The idea of it made you queasy with nerves, but it had to be done. That way, you could move on. If moving on was what you both wanted to do.

You opened your notebook and double checked the syllabus. Gwilym said when he first arrived that he would be maintaining Dr. Bennett’s office hours. Those were on Mondays and Fridays between two and four in the afternoon. You checked your watch. It was one-thirty. Stuffing your notebook back in your bag, you left, heading across campus to get your closure.

Gwilym sat at his desk, staring at the email from his agent, heart completely torn. There was a part he was up for, only filming would begin before the semester was over, and they were shooting in London. While that once would have thrilled him, things were different. He had made a commitment to this, and he would feel terrible if he left the class. On the other hand, it was the perfect excuse to get away from you. Not that getting away from you was what he wanted. He just thought it would be easier to deal with his feelings if he wasn’t seeing you so often.

He checked the clock. He had about half an hour before office hours started, so he picked up his phone and called the one person he had talked to about this. Joe.

“Hello?” Joe said when he picked up.

“Joe, I need some advice,” Gwilym said. 

He explained the whole scenario. And what he considered were the pros and cons of each. Joe listened carefully and took a few moments to answer.

“Well, I don’t think you should bail on the class,” Joe said. “As convenient a solution to the whole Y/N problem as that would be, it’s not fair to the rest of them. They already lost one teacher, it’ll suck if you backed out too.”

“I know,” Gwilym replied. “I shouldn’t even consider it, I just…”

“You want what’s best for her, I get it,” he said. “But it’s not like anything has happened. Why the sudden urge to run away?”

Gwilym told him what took place in the auditorium.

“Damn, Gwil!” Joe laughed. “That’s the opposite of what we talked about!”

“I know!” Gwilym cried. “I just - fuck - she’s irresistable. Every time I try to close myself off she looks at me and I just melt. I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, taking the part isn’t the solution,” Joe said. “And she’s probably really confused right now. My advice at this point is to get everything out in the open and clear the air.”

“You’re right,” Gwilym agreed. “It’s not going to be an easy conversation.”

“No, it isn’t, but you can do it,” Joe said. “I believe in you.”

“Your faith is inspiring,” Gwilym teased. “But I’ve gotta go, office hours are about to start.”

“Good luck, Gwil,” Joe said before hanging up.

Gwilym set his phone down, looked at the email again and sighed.

You walked to Gwilym’s office slowly, your heart racing. It was terrifying to think he might reject you, but you needed answers. You had  to get this sorted out or you’d go crazy. You took a deep breath and then knocked on the door.

“Come in!” Gwilym called from the other side.

With a shaking hand, you turned the knob and opened the door. He was staring hard at his computer screen and had not seen you yet.

“Gosh, Gwilym, don’t think so hard,” you joked. “I think I can smell your hair burning.”

You forced an awkward laugh as he turned eyes on you and stiffened.

“Hi,” you said.

“Hey,” he returned. “Um, close the door.”

You did. It clicked softly shut and you took a seat on the other side of the desk.

“So, what are you thinking so hard about?” you asked.

“I’ve got an offer for a part,” he said. 

“That’s great!” you said excitedly.

He shook his head. “Not really. It’s sort of last minute and the schedule interferes with the semester.”

“Oh,” you said. “Well, are you going to take it?”

“I was considering it,” he said.

Silence hung between you for a moment. It had never been so awkward, and you hated this feeling.

“I’m turning it down,” he finally said, breaking some of the tension.

You looked at him and held his gaze.

“There are things…” he began. “People….that compel me to stay where I am.”

Your breath seemed to leave you in that moment.

“I’m glad to hear it,” you said quietly.

He heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Look, Y/N, I know you’re to talk about what happened, and I should start by saying I’m sorry if you’ve been hurt by my actions,” he said, looking at you again. “I only ever want what’s best for you.”

“I understand,” you said. “But I like you, Gwilym. I really like you and I can’t pretend that I don’t anymore.”

Gwilym’s heart was being stretched so far in two directions he was surprised it hadn’t split. One side was urging him to kiss you now and the other was telling him to keep his distance. Both parts were due to how much he liked you.

“My feelings are the same,” he said. “But we must go on pretending. It’s too big a risk.”

You stood up. You felt unusually bold now that you knew your feelings were reciprocated. You walked around the desk and took his hand.

“I’m not scared,” you said. “I just want you.”

Gwilym also got to his feet. He looked down at you as you stepped closer. You looked so beautiful in that dress and cardigan. He swallowed. He was quickly losing his resolve.

“Y/N,” he said. “This is already difficult. Please…”

He stopped when you closed the distance between you, pressing your body into his. He nearly winced as he felt your breasts against his chest.

“Gwilym,” you said, looking up at him with desperate eyes. “Kiss me. Please. Just once.”

Any walls he had put up between you were blasted away. His hands came up to cradle your face and he lowered his lips to yours. Softly, tenderly, they moved together. You deepened  the kiss when you stood on your toes to wrap your arms around his neck and pull him closer. You let out a soft whine into his mouth and he stepped back.

You stood before him, chest heaving and cheeks flushed, waiting for him to say something. Anything.

“We shouldn’t,” he said. “We can’t, it’s not allowed.”

“I already told you, I’m not afraid!” you said.

“Well, you should be!” he returned. “Think of what could happen. You’ve worked so hard for your scholarship. For everything. You can’t waste it on me!”

“It’s not wasting it!” you shot back. “I’m not afraid of losing any of that. The only thing I am afraid of is leaving here and never again feeling this! What I feel for you!”

“Y/N, please, you deserve -”

“Don’t presume to tell me what do or don’t deserve, Gwilym!” you cut across him. “It’s not about deserving. I want what I want, and that’s you.”

He sighed, looking at your determined face. 

“No one can know,” he said.

You beamed as you nodded. He stepped toward you again, wrapping his arms around your waist.

“I mean it, Y/N,” he said, trying not to smile back. “Not Sloan, not Andrew, no one.”

You nodded again, smile widening. “Yes, yes, I understand.”

He got stern, grabbing your chin in his thumb and forefinger, forcing you to focus.

“If you lose all that this close to graduating, I’ll never forgive myself,” he said. “We must be absolutely discreet if we’re going to do this.”

You placed a hand on his chest.

“I know,” you said. “I understand, I really do, but aren’t you a little bit happy?”

He smiled at last.

“Oh, darling,” he said. “I’m thrilled.”

He leaned in and kissed you again. You smiled into this kiss before it quickly became more heated. He lifted you onto his desk and stood between your legs as his mouth devoured yours. His lips trailed across your jaw and then down your neck and you moaned.

You took his hand and placed it on your breast. He squeezed it and you sighed with some relief. The pressure was building between your legs, where you could feel him getting hard against you.

“Fuck,” you sighed, pushing your cardigan off and throwing it into the chair you had occupied just minutes before.

His hands roamed your body, from your breasts, down your sides, to your thighs. You spread them a little wider for him, but he either didn’t get the hint or he wanted to tease you. He just ran his hands up and down, pushing the skirt of your dress up a little more each time. His lips remained on yours. You reached out and started on the buttons of his shirt. He shivered when you pushed it off his shoulders.

“Nice,” you teased as you ran a hand over his body.

He chuckled and kissed you lightly. 

“How do I -” he began.

“Zipper’s at the back,” you cut him off. 

He smiled and wrapped his arms around you once more and found the zipper of your dress. He slowly pushed it down and you let the sleeves fall from your shoulders. You were so happy you’d chosen not to wear a bra, especially when Gwilym gasped at your appearance. 

He wasted no time in bending down and taking a nipple into his mouth. You moaned and arched into him, the sensation driving you crazy. With his hand, he toyed with the other one, and your head fell back as you groaned.

“You’re beautiful,” he breathed. “God, you’re so beautiful.”

The low tone of his voice sent a shiver up your spine and heat to your core. You pushed your hips towards him some more while he continued on your tits. You felt him smirk. So, he was teasing you.

“Gwilym,” you whined. “Please.”

“Lie back for me,” he instructed with that stunning smirk still on his lips.

The desk was large enough for you to recline as he said, especially once he pulled your bum right to the edge. You spread your legs wide for him and he pushed your skirt up to your waist. You were wearing plain pink underwear, and on it he saw how wet you were already. He choked back a groan.

He hooked a finger into the waistband of your panties and dragged them down your legs. Then he stuffed them in his pocket. His kissed you all the way up your thighs until you were squirming.

“I want to taste you,” he said as he reached your aching heat. “Is that alright?”

“Be my guest,” you returned.

You had never really had a great experience with guys going down on you. Previous boyfriends had just struggled to get the job done. But you wanted Gwilym more than you had ever wanted anyone else. You hoped that would help.

As Gwilym brought his lips to your slit, you realized it wasn’t you at all. The way he moved his mouth against you made you gasp. It was slow, careful, and deliberate. Each stroke of his tongue was an exploration of you until he finally landed right on your clit.

“Oh!” you cried. “There!”

“Here?” Gwilym teased, flicking it lightly with his tongue. 

“Mmm!” you whined and nodded.

He took it between his lips and sucked gently. Your back came off the desk and you cried out so loud, he stopped.

“Shh!” he warned, hovering over you and putting his hand over your mouth. “You want the whole hall to hear?”

You shook your head.

“It just feels so good,” you sighed. “Please don’t stop.”

He pressed his lips to your stomach and trailed back down to your center. Keeping his hand over your mouth, he dove into you. Your muffled cries egged him on. You were writhing on the desk, sending papers to the floor and your knee knocked his cup of pencils over.

You hardly registered any of that. All you could think about was Gwilym’s mouth on you. Every action created a white hot pleasure which only tightened that coil inside you. You had never felt something this good. You were hurtling toward the edge.

Gwilym’s pants felt tighter and tighter as he watched you react to his work with his tongue. He felt you getting wetter, as well. So he brought his free hand to your entrance. With his pointer finger, he began to tease you. He heard you whine again as you bucked toward him. He sank it inside you and your legs stiffened for a moment before relaxing again. You rocked into his hand and he thought he might cum in his pants just from watching you get so aroused by him.

Your walls clamped down around Gwilym’s finger as he pumped it in and out of you. He added a second, to stretch you more, which felt so good you thought you might scream. It was a miracle you hadn’t already. Then he crooked his fingers toward himself, right into your g-spot, and your hand slammed onto the desk as you jolted with need.

The coil was tightening faster and faster as Gwilym worked you up with his mouth and fingers. Your legs began to shake as you reached your peak.

“Oooohhhh, fuck, Gwilym,” you moaned since his hand had lowered to play with your nipples again. “I’m close!”

He could by the way your walls were clenching around his fingers. He didn’t stop. He maintained his steady pace until finally, your orgasm washed over you. You released a choked cry of his name. You shuddered as it hit you in waves and you rode it out against Gwilym’s face.

He climbed his way back up your body with his mouth. When he reached your lips, he kissed you deeply and you tasted yourself on him. Holy fuck, it was hot. Your hips rutted up against him for more friction.

“Relax, love,” he said gently. “You’re still sensitive.”

“Want me to return the favor?” you asked.

“Later,” he answered. “Catch your breath.”

You inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.

“That was amazing,” you hummed.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he replied, kissing your cheek.

You felt his cock straining against his pants, so you pushed him up. He stood upright and you sat up, immediately going for his belt. One hand cupped him through his trousers while the other worked his belt and button free. 

“Y/N, you don’t have to -”

“I want to,” you cut him off.

You tugged the zipper down and together, you pushed his trousers and boxers down his thighs. His cock sprung free. It was hard, long, and already leaking precum. You swiped it away with your thumb and began stroking him, tight and fast.

“Ah, Y/N,” he groaned. “Fuck.”

You pressed your lips to his chest.

“Want my mouth?”

He shook his head. 

“No - fuck - I need to be inside you,” he sputtered.

You released him. He sounded so lovely and looked stunning with his eyes blown with lust. You smirked, hopped off the desk, turned around, and bent over it. He groaned at the sight.

“God, you’re filthy,” he sighed.

You giggled and wiggled your ass at him.

“Come on, then,” you said. “Come and take it.”

He pressed up against you, and you felt his cock at your entrance. You were aching for him, so you pressed back with your hips demandingly. Then, to your great relief, he pushed inside. He was thicker than you thought, stretching you deliciously. But the best part was how perfectly his tip hit your g-spot. You groaned and gripped the desk as he bottomed out inside you.

“Jesus, you’re tight,” he hissed.

“Mmm, fuck, please move,” you whined, pushing further into him.

He pulled back out about halfway before slamming into you again. He curved over you, reaching around your hips with his hand until his finger found your clit. You clapped your own hand over your mouth this time. You knew you were about to get loud.

He set a quick, steady pace, chasing release. You were right there with him. Your second orgasm was about to hit you already, sensitive as you were from the first. He kissed you wherever his lips could reach - your back, shoulders, arms, neck. He fucked you strong and deep. 

As you reached your peak, he sped up. Your walls fluttered around him at that spring inside you approached release. His cock inside you and his finger on your clit were driving you absolutely wild. You let go of your mouth and held onto the desk again - so hard your knuckles turned white - as Gwilym drove it home.

“Ah - oh God - oh fuck - Gwil - SHIT!” you sobbed as it hit you.

Your eyes rolled back as you began coming down, Gwilym still thrusting. His strokes slowed down as you started to recover, but you felt that he needed more.

“You want my -”

“Mouth?” he finished. “God, yes.”

He pulled out and you winced at the lost contact, but quickly turned around and sank to your knees. You looked up at him and smiled.

“You can cum in my mouth,” you said. “I’ll swallow and everything.”

“Oooohh, God,” he groaned.

You didn’t give him time to say anything else before you opened your mouth wide and took him down. You didn’t want to tease him now, or might have started with just the tip. As it was, he needed his release. You hollowed out your cheeks and began the same rhythm he had given you. You took him as deep as you could, with your hand making up for the difference. His fingers laced through your hair. He didn’t force you faster though. He just held you there.

“Shit, Y/N,” he whined. “I’m gonna - hhhnnngg, fuck!”

His cock twitched in your mouth so you sped up. He gasped and threw his head back in pleasure. Short, breathy moans fell from his lips that were so hot, you rubbed your thighs together. You reached up to massage his balls. He let out a filthy groan and grabbed your head, jutting his hips into you.

“Oh, fuck!” he cried. 

He held your held still against him as he finished, painting your throat with his cum. You hummed around him, bobbing your head a couple times to finish him off. As promised, you swallowed it all down. Then you came off him with a grin.

He sank into his chair, panting. Tired as he was, he still pulled you up into his lap. You straddled him, burying your face in his neck. You were both spent now.

“You’re incredible,” he said, kissing your cheek.

“So are you,” you returned. “No one’s ever made me cum like that.”

He chuckled. “I’m honored. You sure you’re alright?”

You nodded. “Better than alright. I could sleep for weeks.”

He laughed again. “I should hope not. I’m not done with you yet.”

“Oh?” you returned, cocking an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”

“I’ll pick you up from your dorm tonight at nine,” he said. “We’ll go back to mine and make love properly. Then you can stay the night with me, yeah?”

“Yeah,” you said.

You relaxed against his chest again. You had a few more minutes before you would have to leave, but your heart leapt at the thought of the night. As you toyed with the hair at the nape of Gwilym’s neck, you felt so content. Still, you were not afraid. But he was.

[kizykinz]

“The Reunion Chat :)” Pt 5

Pt1 Pt2 Pt3 Pt4 Pt5

Zayn- Hey are any of you going to protests?

Liam- Me and Maya are going tomorrow, why? What’s up? What do you need?

Zayn- nothing, I was just wondering. 

Harry- I’m out right now. 

Louis- same. London is crazy right now. 

Harry- La is insane, too. 

Niall- I don’t know when I’m going out but I know I am. 

Zayn- I’m not gonna go out, but I donated some money and signed petitions until my fingers hurt, same with Gi. 

Louis- Eleanor and I did too. My laptop was glitching from the amount of tabs open. 

Niall- I’ve been sharing them on my story all morning. 

Harry- It doesn’t matter if you can’t protest or donate, just sign petitions and share stories, y’know?

Niall- Yeah, I  get you. I sent links to my family for a good hour last night.  

Zayn- Black

Liam- Lives

Harry- Matter

Louis- Stay

Niall- Safe. 

~

Harry- I’m going home today!! 

Louis- You’re coming home today!!

Niall- and that’s on the two week rule.

Zayn- I’m going to London in a day or two for some meetings and to see my family. 

Louis- hm. I don’t remember asking, Zayn. 

Zayn- okay well- 

Liam- be nice oh my god.

Louis- bE nIcE oH mY goD

Liam- STOP

Louis- sToP

Niall- hehe

Liam- You’re so annoying.

Louis- yOuRe sO aNnOyIng

Liam- I hate harry styles

Louis- I’m not saying that. 

Harry- oh my god, I forgot I had a house in California. 

Zayn- you forgot? 

Niall- What? 

Harry- I JUST STAYED AT A HOTEL

Liam- jesus. 

Louis- I don’t even know what to say. YOU HAVE LIKE A MILLION HOUSES

Harry- WE HAVE A LOT OF MONEY. WE ARE FAMOUS LOUIS

Louis- YEAH BUT I’VE NEVER FORGOTTEN ABOUT A HOUSE

Niall- yikers. 

Zayn- did you just say yikers. 

Niall- yikers. 

Harry- I’m boarding the plane now, 7.4, 7, 7.8, and 10.2. I’ll talk to you when I land. 

Liam- sTop please I am begging.

Zayn- TEN POINT TWO????

Niall- expose me like that? Jesus. 

Louis- why is it so specific? Like. ??

Zayn- TEN POINT TWO?

Niall- why, do you think it’s off?

Louis- well yeah, harry is definitely not 8.8

Liam- i fucking hate it here. I’m leaving. 

Niall- oh so he’s just gonna ZAYN like that? K. 

Zayn- TEN POINT TWO. ~

Harry- I landed. 

Niall- ONTO LOUIS’ LIPS

Niall- WITH YOUR LIPS

Liam- How was the flight? 

Harry- it was nice, I slept the whole time. 

Zayn- Ni...no. Hey! That rhymes!

Niall- no, no. It doesn’t. 

Liam- you slept through a ten hour flight?

Harry- well, on and off. It was a VERY awkward flight.

Niall- Where is Louis?

Harry- He’s driving, but he says hi!

Niall- fucking knew it. 

Liam- how?

Harry- by pushing on the gas pedal?

Liam- no, how was the flight awkward?

Harry- ohhhhhh

Niall- HIT THE PEDAL HEAVY METAL SHOW ME YOU CARE

Zayn- i have a breaking point . 

Harry- there was a girl next to me that was sleeping and just BLASTING Taylor’s songs. Which, like, cool. Vibes. Good music. But, she like fucking specifically chose “Songs about Harry Styles.” I swear. so there’s that. 

Niall- HAHHA Zayn- I laughed.

Liam- And i oop-

Niall- no. 

Harry- yeah, and then there was a stewardess that kept flirting with me. 

Niall- tHeRe WaS a StEwArdEsS tHaT kEpT flIrtInG wItH mE!

Liam- ?

Zayn- what is happening. 

Niall- what? Louis can’t do it so someone had to. 

Harry- facts. 

Liam- facts. Harry just said facts. 

Harry- I’m on twitter too much i stg. 

Niall- and you never post. Me, Liam, and gigi are the only people CARRYING this fandom. 

Zayn- he didn’t technically lie. 

Liam- zayn, when do you get in?

Zayn- 2 pm, your time, tomorrow. 

Liam- yay! We’ll have to meet and catch up. 

Niall- they’re going to fuck. I bet five dollars harry. 

Harry- Ni, they’re not gay. They both have kids with women. 

Niall- so does Louis. 

Harry- Touche. 

Harry- make it ten dollars. 

~

Niall- IM SCREAMING 

Liam- what

Louis- here we go. 

Niall- SOMEONEMADE LIKE A THING WHERE ITS HARRY ADN THen ONE IS LOUIS HELP I CANTBEHDErhE

Harry- what

Zayn- you haven’t seen it? 

Harry- no? I’m so confused. 

Niall- https://vm.tiktok.com/JJnSfh7/ 

Liam- HAHAHA OH MY GOD! LOUIS!

Louis- oh my god. This is why i don’t have tiktok.

Niall- https://vm.tiktok.com/JJnjWYA/

Harry- ew. Go back. Delete. 

Zayn- that genuinely scares me so much. 

Harry- if i start crying now, i don't think i will ever stop. 

Zayn- why? Is it March 25th?

Louis- y'know what? Fuck off. 

~

Liam- ME AND ZAYN HAVE AN IDEA

Zayn- Liam has an idea. 

Liam- I HAVE AN IDEA.

Harry- deja vu 

Niall- doja cat

Louis- I can’t. 

Liam- WERE ALL IN LONDON!

Louis- we’re all in London?

Liam- YEAH! ZAYN SAID HE WAS COMING LIKE A DAY AGO IN THIS GC

Louis- I don’t pay attention to what he says. 

Zayn- sometimes you have to pretend that you’re fine and you’re really not but you couldn’t get into it because they would never understand. 

Liam- I’m just saying that it would be good to meet up somewhere and talk about the reunion. 

Zayn- I’m not in the band again, I’m just coming for emotional support from modest. 

Harry- we’re not signed with them anymore…

Zayn- Oh. 

Zayn- then im just going to bully lewis. 

Louis- lEwiS

Niall- LEWIS CAPALDI

Liam- Okay here, I’ll see you all at the Shangri-La Hotel in London at 3 am.

Niall- sir, what?

Liam- do we want people to see us and make it into a big deal…? Louis, Harry, do you want that.

Harry- i mean, I wouldn’t mind it…

Louis- no. 

Zayn- I’m still on America time so okay. 

Liam- okay. I’ll see you there. 

~

Louis- Niall?? Where are you?? You’re thirty minutes late!

Niall- sorry, sorry. I was protecting our ASSES.

Liam- please don’t touch my ass. 

Niall- someone saw you and harry go into the hotel together and then saw maya outside the doors you little shits. AND THEn, zayn’s sister said that Zayn was in London. I was doing damage control. 

Harry- that’s it?

Niall- No, I picked up food. Come get it, I’m in the lobby. 

Zayn- now this is the kind of stuff to make me stay. 

~

Harry- Happy Father’s day, boys!

Louis- Thank you, Hazza. 

Liam- THANKS!

Harry- Happy first Father’s day Zayn.

Zayn- aw, thank you H. 

Niall- Happy father’s day Liam!

Liam- ?

Louis- just liam?

Zayn- yeah um?

Niall- yeah, because he’s MY daddy. 

Zayn- that breaking point has been hit. I will now zayn. 

Niall- don’t you dare leave. 

Zayn- I-

Niall- Don’t you DARE leave. 

Harry- I actually have something to tell you all, and it’s important. You might want to sit down, Louis doesn’t even know. 

Louis- what?

Niall- fuck. Iceberg ahead. 

Harry- I’m going to be a father. 

Louis- what the fuck.

Niall- iCEBERG IS GETTING CLOSER

Liam- oh my god.

Zayn- but louis? 

Harry- I am happy to announce that I am pregnant. Me and Gigi have the same due date. Louis is the other father. 

Louis- i almost cried

Liam- ANOTHER KID LOUIS? WOW. 

Niall- iceberg had been avoided. The ship almost fucking sank.

Niall- again. 

Zayn- jesus. 

[g0thb4rbie]

@princessrabies , mind u half of this was written high and i didnt edit this . also dont steal it lol

{title}

the hours of knocking finally stopped but the migraine that eliza had was still raging. her phone was thrown across the room sadly still ringing. eliza had entertained a few toxic people in her life but none of them acted like casey. casey was a 3 week old fling who became severely attached.

*27 missed calls*

“answer me”

“answer or ill kill u”

“i kno where u live”

“this is torture”

“ill kill u bitch”

“how could u do this to me”

“god i fucking hate u”

“u know how much i loved u right”

“nobody will ever treat u better”

“u dont even deserve better”

“ur such a fucking whore i hate u”

“i have pics of u”

“ill show everybody”

eliza sat sobbing in the corner opposite of the device, letting the insults sit on the home screen. she’d heard it all before. he had nothing. she barely even kissed him let alone send him photos of herself. they talked romantically and hung out 3

times in total. she used to fall for it but after the second time she gave up believing anything casey said. her head was buried in her knees and her sobs echoed through the room.

“can you shut that fucking thing off?”

her roommate cherry was sitting in the living room watching tv. footsteps followed the path from the couch to eliza’s room. eliza looked teary eyed fearful of what was to happen. she couldn’t handle that much more emotional distress. if cherry yelled at her she didnt know what she would do. the door flung open and cherry stood calmly with a tub of ice cream held between her arm and side and a lighter in her other hand.

“is that casey” she slurred, her mouth filled with melting ice cream. cherry never had a good feeling about casey. she’s right about most people eliza talks to, saying they give her “bad vibes” or that they “seem weird and off. “ she claimed she was psychic but maybe its because most of the people eliza dates say weird or off shit within the first few minutes of meeting cherry. cherry always brought out the weird in people. she was the weird in people. she constantly spoke about the devil and cults; sometimes spoke about how cool it would be to have one of her own.

“follower or leader” she said, “im there for the ride. “

“yes...” eliza spoke between breaths.

“oh lord” cherry walked toward eliza and handed the tub with a spoon stuck in the ice cream down to her. “i’ll handle it”

cherry found her way over to the phone. buzzing less often with the same threats of exposing eliza. cherry picked it up and pushed her thumb on the home button. eliza and cherry decided that in case of emergency they should have each other’s passcodes.

“cherry don’t... please. you’ll make things worse”

cherry raised a joint to her mouth and lit it.

“shut up. everything will be fine. he needs to know his fuckin’ place” she spoke through clenched lips. cherry waited for the line to pick up while pulling smoke tricks. the smoke rose to the ceiling and the call ended. “oh so now you don’t have anything to say” she called again this time the rings ending after thirty seconds. “pussy...” she chuckled and padded towards eliza, still teary eyed but distracting herself with the ice cream rather than focusing of the situation at hand.

“did you seriously buy the neapolitan kind again?” eliza stabbed the spoon into the strawberry section and dug out a small piece.

“yes its good, suck my dick.” she retorted. sitting down next to eliza and taking another hit. “what’s he even doing? he was begging like a minute ago”

“let’s pray he gave up.”

“he shouldn’t get off the hook that easily!”

“no, but i should.” eliza reached over cherry for her phone and turned it off.

“he has to pay... somehow.”

“he is. he’s a lonely scumbag who jerks off to Instagram models. he’s not worth my time.”

cherry sighed, “i just think that we both deserve better. i’ve had to deal with that prick for far too long.” she pulled up Twitter and began scrolling.

“i don’t even know what i could do to him. he shouldn’t even matter. it was three weeks.”

“yea and the terrorist activity has been going on for what. a month? i’ve lost sleep over this fucking guy. im pissed.”

silence fell over the two as cherry finished smoking.

“im serious. you always leave me with the strawberry, i dont fucking like it. just buy-“

“shhhhhhh, this might make you feel more empowered. check out eileen wuornos here. “

“who?” eliza turned her head.

“shut up, look.” cherry turned her screen to show a news headline that read: LOCAL WOMAN USES “DEVIL MAGIC” TO PUT HITS OUT ON ABUSIVE EX-LOVERS.

“Ha, that’s what they get.” Eliza scoffed and looked back at her lap.

“Wouldn’t that be so cool?”

“What, giving our souls to the literal Devil himself?”

“Well no, not the part,” Cherry looked off to the side in annoyance, “but the idea of getting anything you wanted, if you just chanted a few words and drew a little blood.”

“I would love to be invisible and never ever have to deal with being weak again.”

“Weak? You’re not weak.” Cherry’s brow furrowed.

“Yes, I am. I can’t even deal with this stupid guy.” Eliza dropped the spoon and put her hands on her face muffle her cries.

“I’ve dealt with guys like this before. I’ve done the same shit you do. You’re not weak.” Cherry sat on her knees and rubbed a comforting hand on Eliza’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s watch this video of that lady. I bet she sounds crazy! Crazy like ‘Oh fuck, you aren’t going to prison but you’re going somewhere for a long time.’ Cherry played the video as Eliza sat the tub next to her and rested her chin on her knees.

“So... May I ask? Why did you do this?” A T.V doctor spoke through a grey mustache. He wasn’t required to do anything but make her a laughing stock. She sat in front of him with long stringy hair, sunken eyes, and pale skin. She looked crazy but refer to his job description to figure out why.

“I felt compelled to the dark side of magic. Someone through the mirror called to me, asked me what my desires were. I told them simply and they said that for a price. I could be an elite. “ Her voiced was calm and pitched down. Her dark eyes stared at the camera as the last words trickled out of her mouth.

“What did you pay?” He watched her intently; waiting for her to jump at him or exorcise herself *LIVE ON CAMERA!!!!*

“The only money that matters... My soul...” She leaned forward, now glaring at the doctor.

“Right... So what did these men do?” He looked away.

“Well, they cheated, lied, stalked, beat and revealed pictures of me nehkid. “ Her southern accent poked through.

“You mean, naked?” The doctor dismissed it as soon as her asked, “And how do you contact those in the mirror, as you said?”

“I lit a few candles, said a few words, drew a little blood and asked for what I wanted.”

“Did you want them dead, initially?”

“No, I wanted them to feel as hurt as I felt when they did all that stuff.”

“And where did you find this... this chant?”

“Well the internet, obviously.” She rolled her eyes as the clip came to an end.

Cherry pulled her phone back closer to her and began looking for “Satanic rituals” as Eliza stared in thought of what she just viewed.

A small gasp left Cherry, “Eliza.”

“What?”

Cherry clicked a link and showed Eliza a website filled with gothic and bloody font and pictures of goth girls in corsets. “I know exactly what we’re doing tonight.”

[prettywordsyouleft]

Through His Eyes - Part 5

Summary: Losing your sight after your accident was traumatic, and Jaebum’s guilt of knowing it should have been him instead creates an intricate bond between you both, as you overcome adversity and try to find your way in life again.

Genre: angst / romance

Characters: Im Jaebum x female reader

A/N: This story is emotional and raw compared to some of the content on my blog. It is in no way an attempt to glamourise or undervalue the lives of those who suffer from something similar. This story is purely fictional.

Through His Eyes will be posted every Tuesday at 10am NZST.

Index: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 [M] | 13 - FINAL

Clicking the door to his personal studio shut later that day, Jaebum approached you as you were slowly feeling your way around the room. “I’m not going to break anything, am I?”

“Here, let me help you to a chair.” He guided you to the seat beside him and then turned on his computer. As he logged in, Jaebum glanced over at you again. Your face was glowing with excitement. It made him smile further and he focused back on his computer, going into the files and pulling up the software he used to record.

“What are we going to do now?”

“I thought we could record a song together.”

“What?” You shook your head. “No way.”

“Why not?” Jaebum watched as you retreated further into your seat. Reaching for your hands, he shifted them forward. “The keyboard is right in front of you.”

“I can’t play music.”

“Can’t, or never learned?”

You sheepishly glanced away. “Both.”

“Today you learn then. What good is it having you here if you cannot help me with my job?”

“Funny, I only remember your name as being the talented producer, not mine.”

Jaebum laughed and shifted your chair closer. Turning on the keyboard, he then lifted your hands right onto it. “Just try. We can do this together.”

“Well, I do know some basic children’s songs from years ago on the piano.” You mentioned anxiously and then started to fumble around on the keys until you found a C. Your hands seemed to move more easily as you tested the keys and their sounds. Soon you were playing, albeit a little rusty, but Twinkle Twinkle Little Star sounded around the room. Jaebum turned to his computer and clicked on a couple of synthesisers, before moving closer to you.

“Let’s build on this. You keep playing that, and I’ll add to it.”

“How?” you asked but continued to play your segment, Jaebum’s own hands reaching around yours and adding to the sounds. It was impromptu yet fun and soon you had played for ten minutes together. Jaebum stopped playing and then reached for the mouse to replay the creation. You listened quietly as the music filled the room again.

“What do you think?” he asked and noticed your eyes were closed. Jaebum gazed at you, trying to understand all your emotions across your face. Suddenly your eyes fluttered open and he blinked a few times, surprised by how rich the colour your eyes now were.

“How did we manage to turn my basic music into something so intricate?”

“That’s what I do every day. Play with sounds, and build on them. Shall we try again?”

“Something more than a nursery rhyme though?” You looked at him hesitantly and Jaebum tilted his head, waiting for you to speak again. “Can you teach me something better?”

“Can I be honest?” You nodded. “I need you to move.”

“Where to?” You stood up immediately, and Jaebum pushed your chair out of the way. Without any thought to it, he sat you down on his lap, pushing you both closer to the keyboard. He could feel how stiff you had gotten and swallowed himself, shaking his head from all thoughts and focusing on the task. Jaebum moved your hands back to the keys and placed his over yours.

“Relax, we’re playing music, we need to be fluid.”

“You were pretty fluid in getting me to this position. Should I remind you of your skin-ship issues?”

“How else was I meant to teach you if you cannot feel it properly? I’m not going to break my back leaning over your chair.”

You nodded softly and relaxed. “Point taken. Okay, teacher, let’s start.”

The music you began to produce had no particular style to it and was simply played in repetition until it was your hands doing all the work. You played through the sequence once more before clapping your hands together with joy.

Jaebum grinned. “I take that you are happy?”

“I never thought I could do something this cool! I always have listened to music, but now that I can only rely on listening, it seems more, I don’t know how to put it.”

“Soul reaching?” Jaebum suggested and you nodded happily. “I’m glad. Should we listen back to it?”

“Definitely! Oh, wait. I just need to check something.” You pressed a button on your watch and the time sounded out around the room. “It’s seven-thirty! How long will it take to get me back home?”

“Half an hour? We’ve got all-”

“Mum gave me a curfew of eight!” You jumped up and smacked into the edge of the desk, a yelp emitting from your mouth immediately. Falling back into his lap, Jaebum quickly grabbed you, making sure to not let you fall.

“Are you okay?” he asked, seeing tears spring up in your eyes. “I can drive you home now.”

“I’m so clumsy, did I break anything?” You moved your head around as if to survey for any damage. “Ugh, I can’t see if I did!”

“Nothing’s broken, except you. Adding another bump to your collection,” Jaebum teased and you began to cry. He softened his approach and held onto you, wondering why you were crying so much. As if you read his mind, you tried to stem the flow of your tears.

“I want to be able to see again. I want to see this room; I want to see everyone I met today. I want to read the words to the new song instead of trying to memorise it. I want to understand where I am, and not worry about how much time it takes to get from places as my only way to measure what I’m doing. I just, I want to see again, Jaebum. I want… I want to see you.”

Jaebum didn’t know what to say, his throat drying up at your emotional confession. He had no idea what to address first from your words and blinked back his own threatening tears. He held onto you, letting you cry, and feeling incapable to grant anything you asked for. Today had been his plan, his hope to bring happiness into your world. To make you feel normal again. Instead, it had highlighted so many things Jaebum took for granted. He kicked himself for not thinking to get a Braille translation of their song before the day started out.

“I’m sorry Y/N,” was all he could say, holding you until your tears stopped falling.

The car ride back to your home was silent until your phone went off. Tiredly, you reached to answer it and Jaebum heard your mother’s voice connect on the other end. “Sorry Mum, we’re in the car coming back now… I’m not far I’m sure… No, I’m fine. I’ll be there soon.”

“Was she worried you went past your curfew?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll apologise when we get there.” You made no effort to reply, your head falling back down and the silence enveloped you both again. Apart from telling you to look out for things as you headed into your apartment complex, Jaebum felt defeated to improve your mood. You made it to the front door and your mother opened it, and you took off your shoes and put on your slippers. Wordlessly, you turned to bow at Jaebum and then walked off into the house, your mother looking between you and him, trying to decide on whom to talk to first.

She climbed out onto the first step and closed the front door, facing Jaebum worriedly. “What happened?”

“I’m sorry we’re late. We lost track of time.”

She waved him off and searched his eyes for her answer. “She cried?”

“She broke down completely and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t realise I would upset her this much.”

“What happened?” The older woman asked and Jaebum sighed before explaining what you had said. She had tears in her eyes as he finished and reached out to pat his shoulder maternally. “Jaebum, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I should have been more aware of what I take for granted though.”

“Y/N will learn that some things are going to be hard. I think she had a wonderful day with your band members. She clearly had a great time with you in the studio too. But Y/N got overwhelmed and drained from the day out. It was a big outing for someone who has been stuck at home so much so don’t feel disheartened. You gave her hope. You should have seen her this morning. I haven’t seen her so animated since the accident. She was having a meltdown over what to wear to impress you all. She didn’t care about being blind. She simply acted like any other girl getting ready to meet some special people.”

“Really?” Jaebum smiled lightly, remembering back to his first reaction of seeing you earlier in the day in your dress.

“I know in the past, I told you to return to your place. You never listened, and I knew you wouldn’t. She never wanted to let you go, even though she would say it to you and me all the time. That was her insecurities of looking silly in front of you.” Your mother smiled warmly and glanced at the door as if it would let her see her daughter. She then looked back at him with a firm but warm expression. “Now, I see you as one of her healing paths. Because you can push her in ways I cannot. She’s returning to her studies earlier than I thought. She’s growing more optimistic by the day. Sure, Y/N will struggle; she will take falls and feel hopeless at times. But she has you to help her back up each time. I don’t know what your relationship is with my daughter, but your presence in her world is helping her live again.”

Jaebum nodded softly, not knowing what to reply back with.

“You’re a busy idol though. Tell Y/N when you can’t be around her. Let her know the schedule is too tight. But don’t abandon her. Jaebum, you’re her hope.”

“I… I uh-”

“I’m going to go inside now and try and comfort her. Goodnight. And thank you for bringing her home safely to me. The hardest thing for me is letting her out the door.”

Jaebum remained on the steps even after the mother had disappeared inside the apartment. After a while, he managed to pull himself together and walk back to his car in a daze, hopping into it and then staring into nothingness through the windscreen. Slowly, Jaebum began to feel his emotions fall, unsure of why he was crying. He had felt so numb just a moment before that the tears now seemed to surprise him.

I don’t know what your relationship is with my daughter.

The sentence repeated over in his head, confusing him. He didn’t know what it was either. Jaebum had felt friendship and selfishness all in one when it came to you. Some days, he needed to hear your voice just to concentrate, like a coping mechanism and a way to relieve his guilt of knowing you could be struggling somewhere. Other days, he just felt true friendship, as if he had known you his whole life. You had become so close in such a short space of time, that he had never questioned or defined what your relationship was.

“Do I need to?” he asked himself, wondering why the words had affected him so much. Jaebum tried to guess if you had any validated definition of what you both were. His mind shifted to BamBam’s bias question earlier in the day, something Jaebum had never put emphasis into before. Had BamBam been standing in his spot on that day, would you have done the same thing as you had for him? Jaebum didn’t hesitate to conclude you would have. This made him feel bitter, and yet he couldn’t fathom why. Jaebum would have pushed BamBam, or anyone, out of harm’s way as well.

“Let it go for now,” he ordered his brain, shaking his head and starting up the ignition to the car. Pulling out of the car park and out onto the road, Jaebum headed back to the studio, his mind reeling over the songs you created together. He knew there was one thing he needed to do first before I saw you next, and that was to produce them.

_________________

[Part 6]

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[momentofmemory]

fictober - day seven

Prompt #7: “No, and that’s final.”

Fandom: Spider-Man (All Media Types/Tom Holland Films)

Warnings: Canonical Character Death

Rating: PG

Characters: Peter Parker & May Parker, Ben Parker (mention)

Words: 2461

Author’s Note: part v of a may & peter series, but can be read as a stand alone. we all knew this was coming but that doesn’t really make it any easier, im so sorry. i wound up cutting out a lot for time’s sake, so i’ll probs buff it up a bit when i clean it up later. but for now, enjoy :)

>>No Strings Attached

Peter is four. No, Peter is fourteen—but Peter is four.

Peter is four, because it’s just not possible that May would have to drive through the dead of night to a police station, fear lancing through her heart, twice in one lifetime.

May fights back tears and races into the one hundred and seventh precinct, and it’s just as frantic and overwhelming as it was ten years ago—except Peter is fourteen, and Ben isn’t here to fight off the officers that intercept her this time.

They tell her she doesn’t need to ID the body, and her stomach churns when she realizes that it’s because Peter already has.

Still, they ask her if she wants to see him anyway, and she does, she does, because she saw Ben just barely under an hour ago and it already feels like an eternity.

(Mary is thirty-six and thirty-six and thirty-six, and Richard is thirty-eight and thirty-eight and thirty-eight, but Ben is fifty-one and god, how can there not be a fifty-two?)

What she says is: “Where’s Peter?”

They tell her he’s been taken to one of the back rooms to get cleaned up and get a change of clothes, and that it could be a little while before he’s ready for her.

One of the officers asks her if they’d like her to dispose of his old clothes, and May’s brain refuses to compute why that would be necessary. The officer glances at his partner, and then explains that the stains will probably never come out.

May clutches at the desk to keep from dropping to the floor, and manages to stammer out permission to do whatever they want to with them.

Peter is fourteen.

(But Ben is fifty-one.)

She wavers, torn between her grief for Ben and her desperation to see Peter.

“Take me to him, please,” May says, because it doesn’t feel real yet. “I want to see my husband.”

She does, and it feels real.

She locks herself in one of the bathroom stalls and cries and cries and cries, because Ben is gone and she doesn’t know how to live in a world without him in it, and she doesn’t know how to take care of a teenager by herself, and this wasn’t supposed to happen.

But it has, so at the fifteen minute mark May scrubs away her ruined mascara, splashes the coldest water she can stand across her face, and asks the officer outside the door if Peter is ready yet.

When she walks into the room Peter’s been told to wait in, it feels so much like that night she can almost hear Ben arguing on their behalf in the background, because Peter’s sitting on the floor, back squashed against the wall, orange shock blanket draped haphazardly across his shoulders.

It steals May’s breath away, because for a moment, all she can see is a Peter who is four.

A piece of paper is clenched in his fist, and his hands are raw and red-looking, like he’d been scrubbing at them for hours. Peter looks up, and when his red-rimmed eyes meet hers, her soul cracks in half because he is, inarguably, a Peter who is fourteen.

May stumbles across the room and frantically checks him over. The officers told her he was unharmed so she’s not really looking for anything, but she needs this to feel real, too. Finally satisfied, she takes his hand into hers and asks him if he’s okay.

He stares at the desk in front of him and shakes his head. No.

May wraps a hand around the back of his head and pulls him to her. She plants a kiss in his hair and strokes his back, because he may be fourteen, but she’s only fifty-three.

(And Richard is thirty-eight—and Mary is thirty-six—and Ben is fifty-one.)

______________________

When the day of the funeral comes, Peter is almost late, and May would have been furious at him if she’d had any energy to spare. He’d been acting weird ever since the science trip to Oscorp three weeks ago, and apparently even a funeral is not enough to change that. They stand in the receiving line next to each other, and pretend to smile and tell the well-wishers that no really, they’re okay.

Halfway through, one of Peter’s classmates—Michelle, May’s brain supplies—pushes to the front of the line and says, “Some new vigilante dropped off the mugger at the precinct forty-minutes ago.”

May stares at the girl, uncomprehending.

“He still had the gun on him, so as long as the prints match there shouldn’t be any trouble getting a conviction.” She shrugs. “Thought you’d want to know.”

Several of the people in hearing distance nod approvingly, but their next-door neighbor, Mrs. Dara, just scoffs. “Typical vigilantes. Only show up in time to clean up the mess, not stop it.”

Michelle glares at the woman, and then gives May a salute that’s awkward, but not mocking. She slips off to wherever she came from, and May realizes that she does feel a bit lighter knowing that Ben’s killer can’t hurt anyone else.

May keeps smiling and shaking hands, and it takes four people passing by before she realizes Peter is no longer by her side.

______________________

May guilts her supervisor into letting her off early her first day back to work, because the pitying stares and I’m so sorrys are enough to make her want to drive her headset through a wall. Money is already too tight for her to have to pay for damages, so instead, she signs out of work at 1:30, and takes the train the long way home because the normal route reminds her too much of Ben. She gets off two stops early, buys a coffee she can’t afford, and avoids the eyes of every couple she passes.

Peter had texted that he’d be spending the night at Ned’s, so May fully intends to go through an entire case of beer the second she gets home. She also intends to pull up every single home video they have, which is a decent amount thanks to Peter, and bawl her eyes out while curled up in one of Ben’s old sweaters.

This plan is completely derailed when May goes to unlock the apartment door and it nearly slams open in her face.

Peter is standing on the other side, hoodie pulled up around his face and bags under his eyes. He clearly wasn’t expecting her arrival, just like he clearly isn’t happy about it.

“May!” he says, scrambling back as May pushes her way into the apartment. “How’re you—what’re you—what’re you doing here?”

“What am I—what are you doing here?” May notes the way Peter is edging  towards the door, and so she clicks it shut with her foot.

“I just needed to get some stuff for tonight and now I have it, so, bye?”

“Whoa, buddy,” she says, placing a hand on his shoulder to lead him away from the door. “Try again.”

Peter shimmies out of her grasp, and the movement dislodges a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. It falls to the floor and his eyes widen, coloured with an emotion May can’t place, and he scrambles after it. He’s faster than May’s ever seen him, but not fast enough to reach it before she’s placed her foot firmly on top, pinning it to the ground.

He looks up and she jerks her head in its direction. “What’s this?”

“Nothing,” he says, definitely too quickly for it to be true.

May slides her foot across the floor, and the paper with it, until it’s directly under her.

“May, please—”

She ignores him and bends over to pick it up, unfolding it and smoothing out the wrinkles.

It’s a piece of printer paper, and the watermark on the top is from the NYPD—May suddenly remembers seeing him with it in the back room. There’s one line drawn in black ink down the middle, dividing it in half, and red, blue, and purple tally marks fill it nearly two-thirds of the way down on the left side. The right, however, is completely empty.

May lingers on the different colours, knowing Peter’s too disorganized to have more than one colour of pen on him at one time. She frowns. Peter must have been keeping track of something over multiple days, or at least multiple sittings.

Her eyes flick up and meet his. He looks at the floor.

She takes a sip of her coffee and wishes it were something stronger, and then places the cup on the counter. “What’s going on, Peter?”

“I—” Peter’s eyes dart back and forth between her and the door. “It’s nothing.”

“I majored in bullshit, Peter. Try again.” The dividing line stands out starkly on the page and suddenly, it clicks. She lowers the paper and stares over the top of her frames. “You wanna tell me what was so important you had to make a pros and cons list in a police department?”

Peter loops his thumbs under the straps of his backpack and mumbles something May can’t pick out.

She places a finger behind her ear. “Excuse me?”

“It was—nevermind.” Peter pauses, and kicks his foot at nothing. “It’s nothing, and I’m going out now.”

“You got somewhere you need to be, Parker?”

Peter groans, the hood of his sweater falling off as he cards anxiously through his hair. “This is exactly why you weren’t supposed to be here.”

“I can’t be in my own apartment now?” May can’t believe what she’s hearing. “Who do you think pays—”

“That’s the problem!” Peter shouts, and he whirls around, and May’s startled by the unshed tears in his eyes. Then he deflates. “Or at least... one of them.”

"Then what’s the problem?”

Peter starts to just shake his head, and then his back straightens. He sets his jaw. “...I’m leaving.”

“Yes, you’ve said that.”

“No, like.” Peter bites his lip. “Leaving.”

May stares at him.

“Forever.”

The world drops out from underneath May, because out of all the things she’s expected to come out of Peter’s mouth during her long, sleepless nights, this has never been one of them. May’s eyes jerk back and forth between Peter, who’s inching towards the door, and Ben’s empty chair.

“Peter Benjamin Parker, if you so much as step one foot out that door you are grounded for life.”

Peter shakes his head, a hysterical determination in his countenance. “No. No, I thought this through.”

“Clearly not enough,” May snaps, grabbing his wrist.

Peter breaks her hold easily, and May’s taken aback because when has Peter gotten strong?

“I’m not—I can’t—” Peter chokes, his throat tightening. “I can’t be around you. Or anyone.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I—he—” Tears start running down Peter’s face. “Look at the tally marks.”

May does, and for the first time, notices that the very first lines are not red at all, but only reddish: rust-like in colour, unusually thick and too inconsistent to be from a pen.

Almost like blood.

Oh god.

“Peter,” May says, wanting to hold him but scared he’ll bolt if she does, “Peter, it isn’t your fault.”

Peter shakes his head. “I could have stopped him. I could have, May, and I just—I let it happen all over again. I killed my parents and I killed Ben and I can’t stop thinking about how I’m going to get you killed, too, and I could have stopped it this time—”

“Peter, look at me.” May throws caution to the wind and grabs him by the shoulders. “He had a gun. Okay? I don’t care if you’re four or fourteen, there was nothing you could have done to—”

“You don’t know that!”

The apartment echoes with the sound of his shout, but the empty space between them echoes louder. May drops her hands from his shoulders and Peter’s fists quake at his sides.

“Okay. You know what? You’re right.” May says, taking a step back. “I don’t.”

Peter sucks in a strangled breath, but May ignores him. Instead, she rifles through the apartment, tossing pillows off couches and overturning magazines, until she finds what’s she’s looking for: a green ink pen. She snatches it up and walks over to the dining room table, and slams the paper down.

“All right, let’s try this shall we?” She uncaps the pen and starts to draw. “First off, we’ve got the lying. Constantly. And for god knows why. You’re late for everything, no matter how important and how many times I remind you. You space out in the middle of conversations. You’re unnecessarily snappish, you’re irresponsible with your things, you have an annoying tendency to vanish on the rare occasion you actually do show up. You’re a teenage boy so you break shit all the time, which I then have to pay to replace. Your uncle—”

May cuts off, her throat having closed up. Hot, salty tears land on the page, blurring the ink. May doesn’t know if they’re hers or Peter’s.

“—your uncle died in front of you. So did your parents.”

She finishes writing with an aggressive swipe, green tally marks littering the paper for every damning thing she’s said. Peter’s jaw is clenched so tightly May can hear his teeth grinding together, but it can’t stop his tears from spilling out.

“And you know what?”

Peter jerks his head, no, not trusting his voice. May abruptly rips the paper clean in two.

“I don’t care.”  She crumples up the side holding the tally marks, leaving only the blank piece intact.

“You could have pulled the trigger yourself and I still wouldn’t let you go.”

A sob rips out of Peter’s chest, and he shakes his head. “I can’t, I can’t. I–I messed up so bad, May.”

“No. You listen to me, remember? Me.” She holds up the blank sheet of paper. “You see this? There are zero reasons written here, Peter. Zero. You could have a million reasons on the other side, and it still wouldn’t matter because I don’t need a reason to know you’re mine.”

Peter’s lip trembles. “But I—”

“No. And that’s final.” May reaches out and wipes the tears off Peter’s cheek with her thumb. “I’ve already lost Ben. I’m not losing you too.”

Something snaps. Peter’s backpack drops to the floor and he crashes into her, hugging her like he hasn’t in years and sobbing I’m sorry, I’m sorry into her shoulder.

May hugs him back and they rock back and forth in the kitchen, and when Ben doesn’t come up to join them, she sobs, too. But she doesn’t let go.

“I promised you forever Peter. No strings attached,” May whispers, tears running down and merging with his. “Just me.”

[ohlovelywar]

Leaves, Camera, Distraction! I p.p.

a/n: for cori cause SHE HIT 5K GO HER @starksmile LOVE YOU CONGRATS AGAIN also this is so late and shitty lmfao IM SO SORRY I TRIED OKAY

summary: distraction: noun a diversion or recreation    

paring: peter parker x fem!reader

warnings: cursing (MBLEH ITS ME!!), shitty writing cause i’m so tired cori sweetie i’m so sorry, unedited cause last point, iw spoilers, if you tilt your head and squint you’ll find some angst, mentions of anxiety, fluff

word count: 1,739 words | flash backs are italics and prompt is in bold

Something felt off. It wasn't the fact that Tony was stabbed. Or that Stephan had given up the time stone. Or even that Thanos got away. No, it was something different. Something...wrong. Peter felt it, deep within him. It felt as if he was fading, fading into the air, into the unknown. His breathing picked up ever so slightly as he rubbed his hands, arms, neck. I'm still here. I'm still here. Everything's going to be okay. Mr. Stark is here. He'll know what to do. Everything's o-

"Something's happening." Each head turned to Mantis, hoping to get an explanation when she turned to ash. Quill and Drax's eyes widened as what was left of their team mate floated away into the air in the deserted planet.

"Quill?" Drax called out, turning to ash before Quill could even turn to him. The feeling in Peter became more intense as the seconds passed by.

"Steady Quill," Stark called out, already making his way over to the man left behind.

"Oh man-" Nebula looked down as the last Guardian of the Galaxy on Titian vanished.

"Tony," Strange caught the remainder of the group's attention, "there was no other way." And he joined the others, leaving no trace behind. The feeling took over Peter's body and he suddenly knew what was happening.

"Mr. Stark? I don't feel so good." He was dying.

"You're alright-"

"Save me!" Peter cried, collapsing into his mentor's arms. "I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go." He couldn't die. There were people that needed him, people that he needed. May, Ned, Mj-no matter how many times she pretended not to care-, y/n. He couldn't leave them behind. Not without saying goodbye. And Tony. Oh god, Tony. Tony would blame himself, just like he told Peter a year ago.

"I'm sorry." Peter wanted to say more. He wanted to apologize for not listening to Tony. For getting on the ship. For getting off the bus. For not getting the gauntlet off sooner. He wanted to thank him for the suits. For K.A.R.E.N. For being the father figure he needed. But most importantly, he wanted to tell Tony that he did have a heart, and he wanted to make sure that he wouldn't lose it. But he didn't get to. He turned to ash and was enveloped in darkness.

Peter woke up in a cold sweat, panting as he tried to ground himself. He was alive. he was safe. The snap was reversed. Everything is fine now. He let out a long sigh before checking the time on his phone. 7:05 am. She was going to kill him for calling at such an early hour, but he really needed to hear her voice.

"Hello?" an muffled groan responded after a few rings.

"Get changed."

"What?"

"Get changed! We're going somewhere today."

"Peter, it's like *yawn* five in the morning." Peter grinned as he imagined her y/h/c hair sprawled out over her pillow, eyes closed as she laid content in her bed on this cool, autumn morning.

"That's where you're wrong my sweet girlfriend. It's actually 7:08."

"Shut up jerk." He laughed, not even phased by her sleepy insults.

"Come on! A little early morning adventure never hurt anyone."

"Just because it doesn't actually hurt anyone doesn't mean that we should do it."

"Jake would be so disappointed in you."

"Jake would agree with me!"

"Ya boring!" The sound of his girlfriend's giggles filled his ears, making his anxious heart flutter.

"Come on, please?" he whined. But not his sweet little "I want and need your affection right now" whine. This one was needy. Like a scared child woken up by a nightmare in the middle of the night who's parents won't let him find solace in their bed. She recognized this whine, and it killed her to hear it again.

"Okay," she whispered, upset that she didn't catch on sooner. "Meet you in fifteen." The soothing voice of Peter's girlfriend replaced by the electronic beeps, signaling that she had hung up. Peter let out a sigh, his facade dropping. He slowly tried to get out of bed, afraid his shaky limbs would give away.

Calm down Peter. You're fine now. Just fine.

Time moved slowly to him as he got changed into his Mid-Town sweatshirt and blue jeans.

Everything's fine. Just fine.

He walked out to the kitchen, relieved to not find his aunt there. Deciding against eating, he grabbed a cup of water, hoping the cool liquid would help him snap out of his anxiety.

I'm fine. I'm fine.

He didn't know how long he was in the kitchen for before he heard the faint knock that his girlfriend always makes. He opened up the apartment door and was instantly greeted with her warm smile.

"Hey you. Ready to go?" he simply nodded his head, leading her out of the apartment and locking the door behind him.

The two walked in silence; Peter's anxiety radiating off of him as his girlfriend struggled with what to say. He's been different for a couple months now. She didn't know what it was, he never wanted to talk about it. It was as if something happened to him that day he disappeared from the school bus.

"You know," she broke the silence, gaining the brunette's  attention, "you can always talk to me Peter. Doesn't matter what's bothering you, I'm always here for you. And I would never judge you."

"Thanks y/n, but I'm fine, really." He sent her an unconvincing smile. He wanted to tell her, he really did. He wanted to tell her how he can't sleep without thinking he's back on Titian. How he can't close his eyes without feeling like he was back in the soul stone, separated from his loved ones. How Mr. Stark wouldn't let him go on patrol for the past two months because every time Peter would put on his suit, he'd have a panic attack and wouldn't calm down till hours later. How he's falling behind in school because though the world hasn't felt any time pass from the day Peter went missing on the bus, he did. How the only thing that feels even remotely normal to him was his relationship with her. Bu he couldn't. Not yet at least.

"Are you sure?" y/n asked, worried about her boyfriend.

"Yeah. I just...I need a distraction."

"A distraction, huh?" It wasn't long before a small smile found her face, "Do you have your camera with you?"

"Of course. I never leave home without it."

"Perfect!" She grabbed his hand, leading him to a small, fairly deserted park.

"Y/N/N, where are we going?"

"You said you needed a distraction so," she paused, stopping in the center of the park, "we're having a mini photo shoot!" Peter rose his eyebrows.

"But you hate getting your picture taken."

"One: that's cause either your grade rides on it or you're taking it from an unflattering angle or time...or both. And two: yeah I do, but you said you needed a distraction soo.."

"You sure?" he double checked, getting excited as this was a rarity.

"I'm sure," she smiled at him, a little nervous. But hey. It's Peter. You trust him.

The next thirty minutes flew by as Peter directed her on where to go and what to do, utilizing the numerous amounts of fallen leaves in their photos. The couple shared many laughs as they threw leaves at each other in between shots.

"Just one more!" Peter exclaimed, wanting to capture as many photos of the amazing girl in front of him as possible.

"We've already done everything we can!" y/n laughed, glad that her boyfriend was feeling better. Peter looked around, determined to get one last photo.

"How do you feel about being one of those insta-famous people for five minutes?"

"What are you planning Parker?"

"Follow me." He led her to the vacant street beside the park.

"Peter?"

"Sit right here."

"Are you crazy!"

"What?" Y/N's eyes widened as she gestured to their surroundings. "Oh! My bad. May we please sit out in the middle of the street for a picture, my lady?"

"No we cannot sit out in the middle of the street for a picture!!"

"Come on! No one's driving here right not. Besides, I wouldn't let anyone run you over." She pondered over it for a moment before ultimately deciding fuck it.

"You're lucky I love and trust you," she grumbled. She positioned herself on the pavement, looking over her shoulder anxiously for any incoming cars.

"Relax y/n/n," Peter told her. She took a deep breath.

It's fine. I'll be fine. Peter's got this.

"Take the damn picture Peter."

"Smile then!"

"I am!"

"You look like you're being held hostage." She rolled her eyes then gave a small, closed mouth smile. "Now you look like you're being forced to be here."

"I am being forced to be here. Quite literally."

"The longer you take to actually smile, the longer we're gonna be here and the more chances you have of being run over."

"I thought you said you weren't going to let me get run over!"

"I won't! But I'm also not going to lie to you."

"Okay fair."

"Just smile y/n. It's really not that hard. You've been doing it this whole time."

"But could I have almost died taking any of those photos?"

"Okay fair point." Peter looked around again, thinking of things that would make her laugh. "Remember how, on our first date, this old lady tried to hit on me?"

"Oh my god, yeah!" She started giggling. "She was like eighty and trying to get you to take her to brunch the week after and her husband wasn't having it!!" He captured as many photos as he could, making sure to do her genuine smile justice.

"Anddd done!" Y/N stopped howling and went over to Peter to look at the finished products. Suddenly, Peter's spider-senses kicked in, alarming him that something was coming.

"Watch out!" he pulled his girlfriend a side before the racing car could hit the two of them. Y/N gave Peter a look, "See, I told you I wouldn't let you get hit by a car."

"Yeah yeah whatever Parker. Come on, our early morning adventure's not over yet," she said, skipping away as Peter laughed, his anxiety long forgotten about.

Everybody needs a distraction, and Peter was lucky enough to have her be his.

[yenni19]

Chapter 20

This scene contains sexual language

The next few months pass by and its a week before Sarutobi leaves back home, Jerico decides to take everyone camping on the country side of town a few miles out of the city, they arrive within two hours of drive time

Omari(geting out of the car): finally we are here....man it was the longest ride ever....

Izuke(annoyed): it would of been shorter if you didn't ask for a lunch break at the gas station a mile back

Omari: what...I was hungry...

Sarutobi: we ate before we got here....your mom made us a big meal before you left

Omari(irritated): so what....I'm hungry often....

Akamari(teasing): your a fat kid in a toned body I swear....and yet you dont gain a pound on you

Mariana: dont tease him guys....he's sensitive about his looks....the last thing I need is me complementing him every time he asks a insecure question

Omari: I do not...

All: you do...everytime your insecure

Jerico(placing the bags on the floor): ok guys there three large tents. One for me and my wife, one for the girls, and one for the boys wich has three bed areas. So split up and start setting up the tents guys

The girls including Jerico and his wife put up thier tents, the boys struggle with puting up thiers

Akamari(to Sarutobi): here let me help you...

Sarutobi: no its fine I'll do it

Akamari: no its ok...I want to...

Sarutobi(angry): I said I don't need your help!

Akamari(upset): fine...I was just helping you...but I guess I irritate you by helping too

She goes in her tent for the rest of the afternoon

Jerico: is everything ok Sarutobi...you look irritated at Akamari

Sarutobi: I'm sorry Jerico I didn't...

Jerico: its not me you apologize to its the person you just yelled at you need forgiveness from

Jerico points at the red tent where Akamari went into, he goes inside

Sarutobi(gently wispering): Akamari...

He hears Akamari crying

Sarutobi(wispering): I'm sorry Akamari

He leaves the tent and finishes setting up the boys tent, they set up the camp site, Mianari is making smores as the boys are roasting marshmallows, and Jerico is making funny jokes

Jerico: so the drunk walks in the bar and asks the bartender.....hey where are the pretty girls...then the bartender says what pretty girls....this a nursing home...they're seinors

The boys laugh as Jerico tells another joke, Sarutobi goes and checks on Akamari, he goes in and Mariana comes out

Sarutobi(to Mariana): is Akamari here?

Mariana: no she said she told me she's going for a night swim...and to tell everyone to not disturb her....she wanted to be alone

Sarutobi: can you at least tell me what direction she took?

Mariana: west...if you go straight from here you'll find a pathway down the lake thats where she'll be

He listens to her instructions and heads down the lake....he searches for her but no luck he sees a large moss hill on the other side of the lake and notices theres an opening. He goes to check it out and goes inside

Sarutobi(as he gets close): hello...anybody here?

He walks out of the other side of the cave and finds a medow with a big oak tree. He sees Akamari but is confused as what she is doing. He walks closer and freezes in his traks as he hears moaning and his name come out of her mouth

Akamari(pleasuring herself as she moans): Sarutobi....ohhh...Sarutobi....eversince that day you made me do lewd stuff as this....ohhhh....I cant stop thinking of you....ohhhhh....Sarutobi I can't stop thinking of you...(moaning louder as she touches her clitoris) Sarutobi if you were in front of me right now I'll let you have your way with me....because I love you... ohhhh Sarutobi your more than enough for me!

Sarutobi(thinking as he watches from the side): how long....how long has she been doing this....why Akamari.....why say this as I watch you pleasuring yourself

Akamari(moaning as she climaxes): Sarutobi...I love you....take me as a woman.....Sarutobiiiii.....ohhhhhoooo!!

She climaxes as Sarutobi watches her climax

Akamari(putting on her clothes): I know its wrong of me to do this....but its the only way I can restrain mysef from...

As she turns around she sees Sarutobi standing right there in front of her. She realizes he watched her the whole time as she pleasured herself

Akamari(running from him as she cries): I'm sorry...it was not suppose to happen this way .....I just needed to relieve stress.....

Sarutobi(catching up to her as they tumble on the ground, he faces her): is it true....you still love me after I repeatedly ingnored you these past few months....and yet I witnessed you pleasuring yourself and calling out to me as you finished yourself off.....

Akamari(crying): yes I think of you that way, even as you ignored me I wanted you, I spent the last few months relieving myself from time to time just so I wouldn't barge into your room and force myself on....

Sarutobi(intensely kissing her): I too been thinking of you, I'm sorry for ingoring you, making you feel lonely (taking off her clothes as he kisses every inch of her) I've always seen you as a woman Akamari.....and you are more than enough for me....

Akamari(intensely kissing him back): make love to me Sarutobi....right here and now...take me as I am

He removes her bra and underwear and plays with her cliotris, she moans as he gently pinches her clit

Akamari(gasping): I'm sensitive there...

Sarutobi(removing his clothes): sorry I cant hold back anymore Akamari....I need to enter you now...I was already hard watching you

Akamari(opening her legs and spreading the lips of her vulva): here let me help you (he enters his shaft and picks her up in a sitting position) its ok im not sore....I'll move now

Sarutobi(grunting): your tightening me...and my shaft is pulsating as you tighten my dick

Akamari(kissing him): your hitting my G spot Sarutobi (moaning loud) ohhhh...I....c-c-c-cant hold out much longer.....ohhhhh Sarutobi....finish inside me...ohhhhh!

Sarutobi: it feels good...being like this...im alomst at my limit!

Akamari: Sarutobiii!!

Sarutobi: Akamariii!!

They both climax, Akamari notices Sarutobi shaking, she puts a hand on his cheek

Akamari(sad): look if you feel guilty....

Sarutobi(grabbing her hand): I don't...im happy... (facing her) this was the best night of my life...I'm in love with you Akamari I really am...I want to cherish this moment always

Akamari(crying): I'm hopelessly in love with you too Sarutobi....even if this looks wrong...

Sarutobi(reassuring her): it's not....don't feel like it was...we love eachother and thats enough...for both of us....

They both get dressed and go to the lake they undress in thier undergarments and dive into the lake

Sarutobi: the water feels amazing

Akamari: its the best time of year to come up there and camp....this is my fourth time coming back here

Sarutobi: it must feel nice to be back home

Akamari: to be honest...I've felt more at home the two years I've spent with you and my family at Konoha than in the city or my childhood home

Sarutobi: really....but you never mentioned it?

Akamari: I didn't want to be home sick...so for the last four years I just kept busy not trying to remember how wonderful it felt being there...training hard and working part time helped alot though

Sarutobi(smiling): I'm glad you admitted to missing us....and confessing your love...

Mariana(poping out of the blue): there you two are....we been looking everywhere for you...

Akamari and Sarutobi(startled): you have...we only been gone thirty minutes

Mariana(realizing): oh are you guys...

Both: no...not at all.....we are just taking a dip in the lake....theres nothing wrong with that

Mariana: ok then hurry back once your done

Mariana leaves them alone, Sarutobi swims close to Akamari

Sarutobi(wispering): can we keep what just happened between us a secret?

Akamari(smiling): yeah...its better that way anyway....there no point telling anyone

They give eachother a quick kiss and get out of the lake. Sarutobi uses a air tecnique to dry themselves off, they get dressed and go back to the camp

Izuke(seeing them smile): someone had a good time

Akamari(staring at Sarutobi): we just made up...I finally got an apology

Sarutobi(flustered): and I'm glad we could come to a solution to the problem

Jerico(smiling): great....now can we enjoy the rest of the few days we have here?

Sarutobi and Akamari: yeah its fine

Later that night Akamari is going to sleep thinking of Sarutobi

Akamari(thinking): I can't believe we did it....(suddenly she feels a pain on her chest) what the hell...(it gets more painful and suddenly stops hurting) what the hell...

She grabs a mirror from her bag and checks out her chest....in the left center of her chest a silver hawk tattoo is marked on her chest, she gets out of bed and Sarutobi runs into her

Akamari and Sarutobi: let me see your chest....what....let me see it!

Sarutobi(panicking): please Akamari let me see if you got a weird tattoo on your chest

Akamari: yours first....I need to confirm something

Sarutobi(taking off his shirt): fine then (shows her as he points his finger to it) its a marigold flower...

Akamari(panicking): oh no.....no,no,no....shit why....this shouldn't of happened...

Sarutobi(worried): what does it mean....why the panicking face?

Akamari(feeling guilty): Sarutobi....do you remember how I'm special...how I have special gifts....well besides the rebirth and destruction gift I have one more that I barely am starting to control....its the gift of love upon others and well....

Sarutobi: what so wrong about the love gift?

Akamari(guilty as she turns to look away from him): I just had sex with you....and the gift considered you my potential mate Sarutobi....which means you are mated to me

Sarutobi(shocked): what...did you just say this thing is a symbol of our partnership for life (excited as he turns Akamari around to face him) I don't care....I'm willing to be your mate Akam....

Akamari(irritated): you don't understand the consequences of this Sarutobi...you can't be around any other females...even if they touch you....the mark will cause unbearable pain...

Sarutobi: so what...the only person I want is right in front of me...

Akamari: yeah but....we committed incest Sarutobi....I know you know this is wrong of us to....

Sarutobi(grabbing her shoulders): I don't care....I'll take this sin to the grave and let God judge me and decide my fate....but for now all I know is I love you Akamari....I don't care about what happened to me it was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced

Akamari(crying): I don't want you to regret this....I'm scared in the long run you tell me this is a mistake and I would feel devastated because I know this love has a consequence

Sarutobi: then for now we see this as a wonderful experience....and nothing else ok

Sarutobi takes Akamari to her tent and he heads back to his and falls asleep

[ihatebeingfat123]

thursday 29 july tw

80.2kg

i moved out. im going to sue my fosterbrother for what he did to me. im at home rn but im being moved to a instutisjon soon. its like a childrens home but ages 12-20 or somthing. it might be very far away. they said most likely in innlandet, east part of norway. i live south in østfold rn. fuck me man. 

so ive upped my body count. unfortionatly before that happend. i was with my bf. but then i was with a girl friend and we went to my ex`s house. she left and he made me stay. little did i know that was thelast bus. or i would walk 2 hours home. i ended up sleeping there. and he layed on top of me grabbing me and touching even though i didntwant to. i told him many times to stop. but he didnt. at that time i was laying on the couch but i went to his bed where i could be alone. i woke up at 3 am to him cuddling me and taking his stanky boner on me. i told him to get off but he wouldnt. it went on for two hours or more. he begged for sex but i told him no at least ten times. he told me nineout of ten guys would have taken me about now. i was scared i was going to get raped again. so  i said fine. i consented. it lasted no more than thirty seconds. i instently regretted and cried. it happend again after that one more time. 

and i told my stupid boyfriend. i wold him everything but his brain capasity didnt allow him to understand i didnt want this. he kept on saying i did this to him and so on. i was heartbroken. for a long time. i did what i do best. coped with getting male validation. not to mention my ex wanted me back. but i said no. ive blocked him and by stupid ex by now.

but i slept with another guy who actually understood the situation. he was so nice to me and i wondered why i stayed with these asses before. my friend gave me an app called happn. its like a dating app. i met up with four guys since. the last one is older than me, i like it. i liked everything with him but idk he seems care. maybe its because im fat. also i went down to 78 but ive gained. 

also its tough at home. my mom is in the hospital. i got her there. my useless father thought she was fine at home but she was dying. she fine now but yeah.

i visited her and these nurses didnt care to come when we said it was an emergency. they waited 15 minutes and when i complained they said well at least now were here. i got so angry and i flipped him off and he threw me out. fucking hate kalnes sykehus. i posted about it on jodel and i sweard he or the two other nurses replied angry. but people sympathised with me.

i woke up to a girl wanting drama and a guy had saved my nude and posted it to a groupchat. now i have  to sue that too.

life just fucks me over.

[thethirdwheel404]

Med Rewatch Series (#4)

S3: Nothing to fear. See what happens.

-GUYS IT’S AVA

-yes.

-Ava: “It’s leaking.” Connor: “that’s impossible.” BITCH FUKCING BET

-Ava’s like bruh you ain’t shit

-ava undermining connor to latham. hmm...... not that good for my argument, but... it just means, greater redemption arc

-okay why does Connor gotta look at her so mean tho?? bro chill

-literally why is everyone so horny

-haha sarah yessss. the clipped ‘dr. reese’ ‘dr. charles.’

-i have no idea why but sarah and noah are just walking through the ed and I keep expecting ava to fucking pop out of nowhere and save her from the convo. oh my god.

-okay sarah’s storyline in this one is pretty good. the lady, the patient, she’s great.

-sarah is adorable right now. so professional but also chill

-’disingenious’ okay damn go off

-okay but back up to my point before, i’ve always thought of ava of being like this lowkey protector of women (ik it’s a little out of left field) so everytime I see a guy trying to talk to flirt with a girl i am always expecting ava to just swoop in and save the day. ESPECIALLY with sarah, and its gotten to the point while watching her and noah I ACTUALLY expected her to pop up. dumb monkey brain never learns --- I actually wrote this so here it is

-god sarah is the fucking best

-uh oh, the fact that there’s an ava/connor scene right after this is SENDING ME (not in the good way bc literally stop it - especially)

-this is the scene where ava brings him coffee and his hair is a mess. It shows empathy (if you take away the romantic ava subtext). Like if you look at it on the surface, it’s a great scene, she’s nice. But then she goes and starts talking about robin and how she is also kind of his patient, which could be read as undermining (listen ava stans I promise i’m not looking for negative ava points it just happens)

-BUT THE BEST THING IS IT DOESN’T GO THAT FAR. I was fully expecting him to get accusatory of her criticizing robin but he doesn’t so we’re good. This scene is completely fine without the romantic subtext, which is fantastic

-this scene is also fun if you think about those au’s where sarah or ava has really severe mental illnesses that effect her work bc then the exact things she says to connor ‘you work our schedule then you go home to your girlfriend who is basically your patient too’ and- Now that i think about it in those stories connor would just be super super supportive aw well

- i do really like that scene - one of the best points of connor/ava brotp

-Ava: “At least it hasn’t affected your sunny disposition” ma’am I love you

-Ava: “keep up the good work” she said keep making mistakes and I keep getting paid let’s go this is the team

-is this the one where the baby was fake? that was a really good episode

-aw wait there’s actually a baby nevermind

-ava’s best storylines are one’s where she’s independent of connor. we’ve established that. it’s not that I hate connor, I just get scared when they’re in the same room for a long time bc then they inevitably start talking relationships and undertones

-when we get to the actual relationship i’m gonna vomit

-why does Connor have to be right everytime? Come on, it’s annoying, and not just for me, right?

-everytime he’s right and ava is wrong, it makes ava seem impulsive. As we’ve established before, she’s not impulsive (EXCEPT WHEN CONNOR IS BOWLING OVER HER DECISIONS AND CONGRATULATED FOR IT). she’s a good doctor, she wouldn’t be at med with connor if she was not

-yeah it’s that classic thing where surgeons are always partial to surgery

-ava tends to lead to the more serious possible outcome. actually, that’s really all it is, she tends to believe the most drastic possibilities. she makes the tough decisions when no one else can/will. she’s fucking amazing, and that’s why we love her - but everytime connor bowls over her decisions, she seems impulsive, she seems incompetent, almost dramatic. med. no.

-especially on this case - remember that this is CONNOR’S mistake! ava is cleaning up after it! connor should not be congratulated when, from the way I look at it, connor’s just getting lucky.

-gosh sarah’s fantastic

- nobody:

-sarah: *rolls sleeves*

-oh yeah she steals sarah’s prescription pad. i really do hate all the people sarah treats bc they like totally take advantage of her and make her distrust them so much that she feels super unsafe. ava will protect her (in my brain ava is a instinctual protector of women)

-okay but literally in this scene sarah is like floored and she makes a deal of apologizing to charles but like,,, sarah Was right. babey no...

-ik that most medical dramas are all about doctors disagreeing over things but,, med would not be able to propel story without it. literally everything story beat is-

character A: I think this.

Char B: No! we’re going to do this.

*does the thing* *thing goes wrong*

B: See? I told you so.

-also most of the time something Else happens and A happens to be right the entire time. (and the amount of times character b happens to be female and char A is a man is astounding. literally ava in her first ep, and ethan and april now. holy shit I hate this show so much.)

-i boiled down med to its bare essentials!

-sarah: *prescription pad goes missing* *sees woman who wanted a note* *dramatic music plays*

-sarah... please no. she’s about to do a bad thing....

-sarah’s storyline makes me so fucking sad.

-the way sarah fixes her shirt/jacket when she tries to be in control

-SARAH GOING TO BE ALONE SO SHE CRIES ON THE ROOF - MY FUCKING HEART????? stop it med fucking stop it (i got so upset in my first draft i wrote stopping fuck it) - but that’s some reesker inspo right there

-med writers really try to make everything a ‘thing’

nobody: ...

april: it’s because i’m not a doctor, isn’t it.

(alt:

ethan: ...

doris: it’s bc you two are fucking, right )

-but maggie is taking none of their shit

-maggie: if you two don’t stop misbehaving i’m gonna move your desks apart

-the way all the people with common sense talk to the doctors like children is fucking hilarious (sharon: ‘I expect better from you, Dr. Manning’

-if nat pulls the ‘i know this, i’m a mother’ card i am suing.

-I’m suing.

-she pulled the ‘I’m a mother’ card AND the ‘my husband died’ card oh wow! a two for!

-okay honestly. Im gonna be real with u. If i came up with nat’s story about her fear of heights, then I wrote will helping her over her fear of heights, I would be proud of that. That being said, it feels suuuuper out of place right here. it’d be in place in like a thirty minute comedy (like the emotional development and pay off is on brand for like brooklyn nine nine) but it just feels suuuper weird.

-like having an hour per ep means it feels like they should have had enough time to better develop the story

-latham: ‘Did you go behind my back?’ YES LATHAM YES HE DID. FLAME HIS ASS

-i want to see what happens with connor’s benching storyline

-now i get anxious whenever they’re in surgery (you can use this for inspo)

-okay what. just bc connor found something wrong he gets to SCRUB IN??? BRO HE SHOULD NOT GET A SURGERY FOR NOTICING A MANUFACTURING MISTAKE??? this is so FUCKING STUPID

- i hate it here

-the way sarah folds her hands behind her back when she goes into charles’ office - adorable.

-okay what the fuck. charles asks sarah into his office and asks for her diagnosis of him, which makes it seem like he is actually trying to get better, but then when sarah answers his question (incorrectly btw, charles is not fine) he’s such a complete jerk. dude everybody needs to stop hating on sarah come on wtf. that’s literally so mean.

-god she is literally too pure she should not be a psychiatrist.

-that being said. she is beautiful.

-I FUCKING FORGOT THAT THE PATIENT SLASHED SARAH’S TIRES

-she really can’t catch a break. babey

-sarah noah brotp is probably peak

-its very rare for med to have two characters of opposite genders interact and not get together so this is a special thing

This episode wasn’t the worst. I wrote that fun little thing about Ava shutting down Noah’s advances on Sarah. The Ava/Connor cafeteria scene is fantastic for their interactions with each other, and like always, we just sit through the other storylines.

thanks for sticking through. not a lot to say, this was more me just talking about the general tropes used on med, but i did write a whole 500 words for casual reesker so its a good day

read the rest here:

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Extra

[sincerlyyme-blog]

Group Therapy (CONNOR MURPHY x READER)

AUTHORS NOTE: hello!!!!! i am back!!!!!!! i wrote this little thing, in hopes of making it a multiple part series. so this is just part one! but if you guys dont like it, let me know and ill just leave it as it is. I also want to take a moment to say that i am back to UPLOADING A FIC OR HEADCANON ONCE A DAY!! when i first started this blog, that was my uploading schedule. life got in the way, but im back baby!!!!! 

Word Count: 2.4k ish

TW: suicide, suicide descriptions, swearing, therapy groups , etc

PS: i have been to many group therapies, so this is all just based purely on personal experience. so if this is triggering to you, please dont read any further!!!!

           Connor Murphy was special. Not special in the way you would describe a rare artifact or gem. He was special like the waves in the ocean, the colours in the sky, or oil paint on a canvas. He was special because you knew what to expect. Like a wave in the ocean, you expected to crash. Like the colours in the sky, you expected to fade out after hours of daylight. Like oil paint on a canvas, you expected to dry and harden after creating something beautiful. Connor Murphy was a synonym for beautiful; only the rarest of poets could find in a dictionary. He was the sound that rolled off of the tongue of a politician. He was the feeling of warm laundry, draping around your body. Connor was all of these things—which is why his downfall was to be expected.

           You had tried numerous group therapies in the past. None of them seemed to improve your feelings or behaviors. But they stabilized your health, which is all you could really ask for. There was something equally pleasing and eerie about joining group therapy. It was oddly satisfying to hear everyone bitch and complain, but also eerie that the painted beige walls would contain a group of kids who tried to kill themselves. Talk about a Suicide Squad.

           You drove yourself to group therapy. This one was named Youth Wonders: Group Therapy and Psychiatrics. The name was slathered on the brick building in bronze lettering. It looked ancient. Maybe it looked cool back in 2002, but it made you roll your eyes just at the sight. You were 5 minutes early. Your keys were still lodged into your car ignition. This was the hardest part: getting out of the car. There was always that part of you that was tempted to ditch, go eat some McDonald’s for the hour, and go back home to tell your dad that everything went well. The feeling of guilt spread over your stomach just at the thought. You have lied to your father many times before. He didn’t deserve to be lied to again.

           Finally, you slumped out of the driver’s seat and walked into the horrid building. It smelt like old carpet and candle wax. Kind of like a church. But nothing Holy grew an abundance to you whilst walking through the halls. A white, thick door was stood open with a brick. On the inside if the door, facing you, a pink slip of paper was taped up.

“TEEN YOUTH SUICIDAL THERAPY GROUP”

           They really don’t sugar coat anything here. Your footsteps grew heavier as you walked through the door. Plastic chairs were all set up in a circle. Inside there were only four teenagers, and a woman who had a strange resemblance to Whoopi Goldberg.

           “Name, please?” her scratchy voice echoed off the walls. Her dry hands where clutching a clipboard and her pink pen was held between her fingers, like a cigarette.

           “Oh, uh, Y/N L/N,” you frowned, taking a seat across from her.

           According to the amount of chairs set up, there were only six people in the group. You, an empty chair, Whoopi-Goldberg-lady, and an empty chair. The empty chair was to your left. You stared at it, feeling cold. The awkward tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. You took this moment of silence as an opportunity to look around the room. All of the teens glared at their feet.

           The girl next to you had red hair. Her face was populated with cystic acne that looked painful to the touch. Her ginger locks were pulled into a low ponytail. She wore a large men’s sweater that hung off of her skinny body. Sitting to her left was a large Filipino boy. He wore a purple sweater and old hiking shoes. The toe of the boots were worn out and his big toe peeked out. His hair was greasy, and he looked in need of a shower. Down the line, in the circle, sat a Latina girl. Her hair was done perfectly and her ears were pierced. Big golden hoops dangled from the lobes, reaching her collarbone. She was chewing bubblegum, and wearing a croptop – even though the temperature was just above freezing. Finally, in the corner sat a very pale white boy. He was short and skinny. He looked like he was 12 years old. His minecraft shirt had large orange stains, and had blonde whiskers growing in on his upper lip.

           Whoopi-Goldberg-lady took a final sigh, clicking her pen. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, another person stomped in.

           “You finally decided to join us…” the woman looked at her clipboard before reading out loud, “Connor?”

           The boy grunted in response, throwing his body down onto the chair next to you. You winced at the sound. He had long hair. The ends curled into the collar of his denim jacket. Your eyes trailed up to his face. The muscles in his jaw flexed as he grinded his teeth together. The Whoopi-lady stood up, smoothing out the material of her chiffon blouse.

           “Welcome, everyone. My name is Liz,” she spoke above her gravely tone.

           Her name was Liz. Finally, you could stop referring to her as the Whoopi-Goldberg-lady, in your head.

           “I will be your counselor and guide for this group. Within our 9 weeks here, I expect all of you to hit a few goals. The first being: opening up. I want you to share your story, knowing that whatever is said in here, stays in here.”

           You could hear the boy next to you, practically scoff.

           “So the first thing we are going to do is; go around the room, say your name, age, and explain why you are here.”

           You could feel everyone tense up.

           “Let’s start with,” Liz glanced at her clipboard. “Jamie.”

           The red-haired girl sat up straight. She removed her fingers from her mouth, as she was just chewing on her cuticles moments ago. Her bleeding fingers dove into the sleeves of her sweater.

           “Hi, I’m Jamie,” she spoke softly, almost like a robot. “I’m 15 and I’m here because I overdosed on sleeping pills.”

           Liz nodded, “Ok. Great. Thank you, Jamie.”

           Next in line was the boy in hiking boots.

           “Hi, I’m Leroy. I’m 16 and I tried to hang myself from a tree,” his voice was a deep baritone. But was quickly cut off by the Latina girl beside him.

           “Did the tree break, fatty?”

           “Andrea,” Liz warned. “This is supposed to be a safe space.”

           “Ok, yeah, whatever. I’m Andrea. I’m 18. This is my third time here. I took too much meth and blacked the fuck out. So I’m here,” she snapped her gum, fingering the golden hoop on her ear.

           “Daniel, your turn,” Liz looked at the small pale boy.

“Hi, um, I’m Daniel. I’m 16 and I, uh,” the boy began to sob violently. Your heart broke a little bit. The boy next to you, Connor, scoffed. You were almost in disbelief at his heartless gesture.

“It’s ok, hun. Take your time,” Liz spoke softly.

Daniel continued, hiccupping and telling the group how he tried to end his life just two weeks prior. After many tissues, Liz continued down the line.

“Connor?”

The boy next to you, shifted in his seat. He was now sitting up, straight. His long legs tangled over each other. His large, black combat boots looked heavy against his skinny shins. He was wearing a lot of layers.

“Yeah, hi, I’m Connor. I’m 17. I tried killing myself 3 weeks ago.”

“How? You have to say how,” Andrea twirled her hair around her finger.

“Why? Do you get off to people’s backstories or some shit?” he hissed back.

Liz waved the two of them off, gesturing that it was okay to keep those details private. Next was you. And you could feel your breath become heavy. All eyes landed on you.

“Well, uh, my name is Y/N. I’m 17, also. I tried killing myself last year, but I’m here because my therapist told me to,” you spoke softly.

“That’s fucking boring.”

“Andrea!”

 You were pouring coffee into a Styrofoam cup, rubbing the drowsiness out of your eyes. It was the half-way mark through group therapy. The group is given a 15 minute break between the two hours, and there is a small table full of shitty snacks and coffee.

“Coffee at 1pm?” a voice spoke from behind you. You turned to see that Connor boy offering you a lazy smirk.

“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”            “Well it’s shitty filtered coffee, and no one drinks coffee in the middle of the afternoon.”

“I didn’t know you cared so much,” you spoke while moving to the side, putting creamer and 8 packets of sugar into the small cup. “I just didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Jesus Christ,” he gaped at the amount of sugar you put in.

“It’s good, you should try it some time,” you mused, taking a small sip.

Connor shook his head, pouring some of the filtered brew into a cup of his own. “No, thanks. I’d like to live well into my thirties.”

“Isn’t that the opposite of why you’re here?”

“Touché.”

 The rest of the afternoon went as expected. Red-haired girl went on a rant about her dad never loving her, Daniel cried some more, and Liz gave us homework to complete for next week. The green folder full of worksheets will be added to the pile of therapy homework that you never do. You have other things on your plate. You have a job, school, and university to think about.

While walking to your car, you see the tall boy leaning against the hood of your car.

“Uh, hi?” you spoke, raising on eyebrow.

He jumped a little bit, not seeing you at first. “Oh, hey, can you drive me home? My dad is at work and my mom…” he trailed off, looking at his feet.

You scratched the back of your head, not really knowing what to say.

“I’m sorry, I barely even know you. I should just walk home-“ he began to ramble, grabbing his messenger bag from between his feet.

“Get in,” you sighed, unlocking the car.

“Wait. Really?”

“What’s your address?”

The car ride was pretty silent. It contained the sound of your humming motor, and the small murmurs of directions from Connor. You had asked him what street he lived on, but he just told you that he would direct you there. He lived on the outskirts of the city. By following his directions, you drove into the suburbs. The houses were all parallel to each other. Each of them very large, big two-car garages, and nicely trimmed lawns. It was the type of neighborhood that would give out the good candy on Halloween.

“It’s the house on left, here,” he mumbled once again. Your eyes practically bugged out of your head.

“This one?” you took one hand off the steering-wheel to point to the house in front of you. It was gigantic. It was painted yellow with a dark blue door. It must have been at least 4 stories high. The backyard, from what you could see, was massive. Two large pillars on other side of the front door, reminding you of pictures in textbooks about ancient Rome.

As you pulled into his driveway, Connor picked at his nail polish. “What? Are you surprised?”

“A little,” you laughed, looking over at him.

He began to pick up his bag, looking over at you. The sunset in the sky casted a pink shadow in your car, making everything a rose colour.

“Well, uh, thanks. I’ll see you next week,” he spoke, stepping out of your car.

You watched as the goth boy walked into the giant, yellow house. It was a sight to see.

 Next week rolled around, and you were five minutes early. You sat in your car, rubbing your temples. Another night without sleep. It was beginning to take a toll. Sitting in your car became a ritual you had. It gave you time to mope, before having to put on a brave face for wherever you were going. You let out a large sigh. Your head was pounding. Placing your forehead in the palms of your hands, you laid them down on the steering wheel. Closing your eyes, you were grateful to have a second to decompose.

It was quiet until you heard your passenger door open and slam shut. You let out a scream, sitting back, looking at the man who just entered. It was Connor.

“WHAT THE HELL?”

“Chill the fuck out.”

“CONNOR, YOU CAN’T JUST DO THAT.”

“What? Get in someone’s car? I know. I’m not an idiot.”

You began to go on a slight rampage, telling him about how many girls get abducted by leaving their cars unlocked. He responded by telling you to ‘lock your fucking car, then’. Before you could shout another witty response, he shoved a cup of hot coffee into your hand.

“Here.”            “What… What is this?”

“Coffee, you dumbass.”

“Yeah, I know. But why?”

He just shrugged, taking a sip out of his own cup, leaning back in the passenger seat.

“So, why do you sit in here?” he mumbled against the warm lid of his beverage.

“It’s just nice, I guess?” you spoke out softly, rubbing your eyes.

Connor nodded, drinking his coffee quietly. You did the same.

  Lunch time came around. Therapy had been going well. But you couldn’t help but find yourself staring into space every other minute. It was no group participation. It consisted of Liz telling everyone that how they were feeling is “okay”. It wasn’t anything that you hadn’t heard before.

You stood up the moment Liz said that your 15 minute break began. You walked over to the snack table, pouring another cup of coffee. Connor watched you from his seat, chewing on his bottom lip.

No one else had picked up on your caffeine habits. Rather, the rest of the teenagers fought over the sugar cookies that were lined up on the table. You walked back to your seat, sighing loudly as your butt hit the chair. You took a large gulp of the cheap caffeine, letting your eyes settle close for a moment.

“You know, I never got to hear your story last week,” you spoke softly with your eyes still closed.

“Well, same goes to you, I guess,” he mumbled back, slouching into his chair.

You cracked an eye open, looking at him. “Mine isn’t as recent.”

He shrugged back, watching you as your eyes flutter shut once more.

“My family is shit. My parents hate me. Some kid wrote a weird letter about my sister. I freaked the fuck out. It was just kind of the last straw, I guess?”

 It was quiet for a few more moments. You opened your mouth to speak, then Liz clapped loudly, asking everyone to return to their seats. Group began again, and Connor avoided your eyes at all costs.

[askmisakokaagandcaim]

Misakos backstory part 2

After working for a few hours with Carrick, they headed off to their tents for the night. Carrick followed Misako, making her look over her shoulder and raising her eyebrow. “You following me, Carrick?” He chuckled. “No, I sleep in the same tent as you.” She nodded. “Alright then.” She went to the tent, holding it open. “After you.” He nodded to her and went in, going to the bed beside Misakos. She looked in seeing two others in the tent. One was a human, medium in stature with a shaved head. He looked up at Misako, with forest green eyes. He smiled. “Hello, who are you?” Misako glared at him. “Misako. Who are you?” He shivered at her stare. “I..Im Evan.” She bowed quickly. “I’d say it's nice to meet you. But it's not.” He looked away from her. The other looked at her in an odd manner. Another elf, with black hair and snow white skin, yellow eyes looking at her intently. “Hi. Im Neri. Please forgive Evans extreme rudeness.” He gave her a small smile. “Nice to meet you.” She nodded. “To you as well.” She went to her cot and pulled the blanket over her head, going to sleep nearly instantly.

After a few days of working, Misako easily began to pick up how to take care of weapons, nearly passing Carricks skill. He watched her intently, with surprise, as she quickly and easily cleaned and cared for weapon after weapon. Carrick took an almost immediate interest in Misako, asking her questions about tieflings, samurai and her personal history, occasionally striking a sore spot, making her get upset with him. She always forgave him quickly, he’d flash a silly smile, making her smile slightly. They became close friends in the time they had together, as she taught her.

Inevitably, the day came when Carrick had to leave. As he packed his things from the tent, Misako sitting on the bed beside him, looking rather dreary, Arjhan came in. His face looked rough, and upset. Carrick looked up with a smile, but it dissipated quickly. “Arjhan, what's wrong?” He sighed heavily, running a hand over his head. “I’m… I’m so sorry Carrick. I tried to convince them otherwise.” Carricks face turned into a look of fear. “What are you talking about?” Arjhan sat down beside Misako, putting his face in his hands, looking like he was about to cry. Misakos head tilted in confusion. “Whats going on?” She looked back and forth between Carrick and Arjhan. They both welled up, Arjhan sniffling. “I'm so sorry. I tried..” Carrick sat between Misako and him, gently rubbing his back, as he wept as well. “It's okay. You tried.” Arjhan quickly turned and hugged Carrick, as he hugged back. “You were always like a son to me, Carrick. When I found you as a little boy, wandering the streets, I couldn't just leave you. You were so helpless..” Misako looked at them confused. Carrick pulled Misako into the hug. “Misako, I’m being put into the Division, to be a soldier.” Her eyes widened as she stood. “I thought you were done your service.” Carrick shrugged, as Arjhan continued to cry. “I guess the higher ups changed their minds.” Misako made her hands to fists, and bit her lip, holding back tears. “They can't just do this to you! It's not right! It's not fair!” She stomped her foot on the ground, making Arjhan look up, sniffling. “Misako, just because I’m sad, doesn't mean I won't punish you for improper behaviour.” Misakos second set of eyes opened, both sets giving off a red glow. “I’ll kill them! I’ll kill them all!” Arjhan stood. “Misako, that's enough. Settle down this instant.” She screamed at him. “How are you so calm!? They're sending a fifteen year old into the line of duty! This is ridiculous!” Tears started streaming from her top eyes, as drops of blood came from the bottom ones.. “I won't let them do this to you Carrick!” She looked at him, who was sobbing gently into his hands. Arjhan grabbed her arm, and pulled her back. “You need to stop this, now, or I’ll have no choice but to punish you for insubordination.” She ripped her arm away and growled. “You think I give a shit?” Arjhans jaw dropped, then closed, as he straightened himself out. “Fine. You don’t give a shit now, but you will.” Misako turned her back on him, and started walking away. He growled and grabbed all three of her tails, and lifted her off the ground. She screamed. “LET ME DOWN YOU GIANT SCALY BASTARD!” His eyes widened as he gripped her tails tighter. “I was just going to put you in, well, pretty much a time out, but now, you’re getting flogged.” She screeched even more, flailing violently, making Arjhan hold his arm out farther, carrying her out of the tent.

Carrick followed them, panicking slightly, seeing Misako in such a fit of rage. Misako had told him about her father, making him worried about her reaction to her punishment. “Arjhan! Don’t you think flogging is a little severe for a first time offence!?” Arjhan turned, giving Carrick a look of anger. “Would you like to join her?” Carrick stopped and shook his head, hanging it. “No Sir.” Misako continued to flail as Arjhan to the camps public flogging post. He put her down, grabbing her wrists, tying them together, then tying them to the pole. Misako was in tears, sobbing violently, begging to be let go. Arjhan shook his head. “If I go easy on you, I'm showing you favor because you have an in with our Prince, and I’m not going to be that kiss ass Captain.” She lowered her head, and sobbed, as Arjhan tore the top half of her uniform off, leaving her top bare. She cried harder, as her already scarred back was exposed to multiple men, gawking at her. Arjhan froze for a minute, looking at her back. “Oh Gods.” He mumbled under his breath. He kneeled beside her, whispering at her. “Sorry ‘bout this kid.” He stood, standing tall as other soldiers watched as he demanding a flogger. A smaller soldier ran up and handed it to him, backing away quickly. Misako looked back, seeing Arjhan with the flogger, making her turn away and sob harder. He cleared his throat and spoke loudly. “Misako Akiyama, you are being punished for Insubordination. You will receive 5 lashes from a flogger, and then will sit at the post, hands bond for thirty minutes. Do you understand?” Misako nodded lightly. “Say it outloud.” “Yes. I understand.” Her voice had become quiet and sullen. Arjhan nodded. “Good then.” He gripped the flogger and raised it, bringing it down on Misakos back, bringing back a painful, familiar pain, as she sat, quietly, accepting the punishment.

After Arjhan had finished, he walked away, leaving Misako to sit for thirty minutes. Carrick came up to her when everyone had left, and covered her with the thin blanket from his cot. “Jeez, he didn’t go easy on you, Misako.” She sat in silence. She didn’t look at him. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and as she went to swat him away, she just pulled on the rope which restricted her hands. She sighed. “Carrick... “ He sat beside her. “I’ll say here until you get untied.’ He rubbed her back gently as she sobbed onto the ground.

After thirty minutes had passed, Arjhan came by, seeing Carrick comforting Misako as she sat there, back covered in dry blood. He went over and untied her wrists. “Misako. Someone's here to see you.” She wrapped the blanket around herself, and rubbed her raw wrist. “Who’d come to visit me? My family doesn’t know where I am, Carricks my only friend.” She looked at the ground, as she heard a familiar chuckling behind her. “Forget me already, my dear?” She sat up slightly and looked over her shoulder. “Sensei…” Vandiss walked over and kneeled beside Misako. “I heard about what happened, Misako, and I have to say, I’m disappointed. I thought you can handle your anger better than that.” She sniffled and nodded. “I’m sorry Sensei. I should’ve done better.” She gripped onto the blanket and looked at Vandiss, a small whip mark across her cheek where a piece of the flogger had wandered off too. He sighed and wiped the blood of her face. “Come on, let's get you up and bandaged.” Arjhan cleared his throat gently. “Prince?” Vandiss looked over, still helping Misako stand. “Yes?” “Don’t you think you’re going easy on the girl?” Vandiss shook his head. “She’s a young girl, Arjhan. She's going to have her moments. Besides, you’ve probably done some mental damage.” He looked at Misako, who was almost in a Catatonic state. “Please don't tell me you grabbed her tails.” He cleared his throat. “I carried her here by the tails.” Vandiss sighed again. “Oh goodness.”

Carrick picked Misako up, carrying her back to the tent, laying her on her cot. “Arjhan is important to me, but he went too far.” He crossed his arms tightly, sitting on the edge of the bed. Misako, facing away from him. Carrick looked at her back. “We should wrap that up, you know.” She sighed. “No. Leave it.” He looked at her. “What?” “Let it get infected. I deserve it.” I disobeyed an order. He should’ve put me to death.” Carrick furrowed his brow. “No, Misako. He shouldnt have. Maybe he shouldve put you in solitude for half an hour but he shouldnt have flogged you.” She curled up slightly, her tails tucking between her legs. “My sensei is disappointed in me, that deserves death too.” Carrick frowned. “Misako.. No. No it doesn't. You’re amazing.” She shook her head. “I should’ve stayed at my family home and let my father kill me.” Carrick sighed, climbing onto the cot, pulling Misakos head to his chest, letting her head rest on him. She winced at first, then hugged him lightly. “Carrick…” He looked down. “Misako?” She began to sob into his side, as he continued to comfort her. “I’m here for you, Misako.”

Carrick continued to hold Misako as she cried, as Arjhan and Vandiss entered the tent. Vandiss stayed by the door, as Arjhan put his hands behind his back and stood up straight. “Akiyama, please get up.” Carrick looked at him, as Misako continued to lie down on him. “Come one, Captain. She's in pain.” Arjhan briefly glanced at him. “I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to Misako.” She slowly stood up, and walked to stand in front of Arjhan, “Yes, Sir?” He put a hand on her shoulder. “I did push the punishment too far, mostly from personal anger.” Vandiss walked forward. “We need to chat as well, Misako. While the Captains punishment was a bit far, your attitude, from what I was told, was not acceptable whatsoever.” She nodded. “Yes, Sensei.” Carrick watched as a whole new side of Misako came out. Arjhan nodded at her. “Go get your back patched up before you talk with Vandiss. Don’t need our Quartermaster getting a nasty infection.” She nodded again. “Yes sir.” Arjhan left the tent, making Misako relax slightly. Carrick sat up, looking at her. “I’ll take you to the medical tent.” She nodded, as he walked over, and walked out with her.

After getting her back cleaned and bandaged by a another tall elven man, with dark skin and white hair, Misako walked back to her tent, to see Vandiss, standing and waiting for her. “Let’s go for a bit of a walk, Misako.” She nodded, following him. “Misako, you need to control your anger. I know how angry you get when people grab your tails, but you need to get over it, especially if you’re going to be in the army. You need to learn how to keep it inside a little more, instead of threatening to kill your commanding officers, which by the way-” He smacked her upside the head. “Are you trying to get a death sentence?” Misako rubbed her head. “Ow! No, I’m not Sensei I just… got protective.” Vandiss scoffed. “Of the Elf boy who's joining the ranks? Misako, I’m glad you’re making friends, but you don't need THOSE kind of friends.” Misako raised her eyes. “You mean an Elf friend, Sensei? Isn’t that kinda racist?” Vandiss pinched the bridge of his nose and chuckled. “You don't need a boyfriend, Misako.” Misako flushed a bright red. “W..what?” Vandiss looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “I saw how you were… interacting with him.” She flushed deeper. “Sensei, I don't think this is an appropriate conversation for me to have with you.” Misako held herself back from laughing. Vandiss let out a small chuckle. “Perhaps you're right-” his face went stern. “But so am I Misako.” She nodded. “I know.” Vandiss shook his head in a mix of enjoyment and frustration. “What am I going to do with you.” She laughed out loud. “Let me do my job, I’ll get through the next few years, then we’ll figure it out.” She smiled at him, and he smiled back, patting her shoulder. “Sounds like a plan. Go get back to work then.” She smiled, bowing to him. “‘Till I see you again, I suppose, Sensei.” As she ran off, back to the camp.

The day came where Carrick first went into battle, thankfully coming back safely, automatically coming to see Misakos progress in being a Quartermaster. He heard various soldiers talking about how nice their weapons were, and several had their weapons out, showing them off to other soldiers. He chuckled and smiled, looking around his camp which he had been away from for a few days, seeing various posters littered around the camp. They seemed to be motivational posters with a huge lion on them. He chuckled at them, and continued on his way, finally getting to the quartermaster tent, which was nearly empty. His eyes widened, looking at Misako, who sat there, in the pants of her training uniform, her torso wrapped in bandages, long black hair tied up, all four eyes opened and concentrated on sharpening a very large axe. He chuckled. “Been keeping up, have ya?” She looked up, eyes having heavy bags under them, but a large grin spreading across her face. “Carrick!” She put the axe down, and ran over, hugging him. He chuckled, hugging her back, lifting her slightly and spinning. It had been over three weeks since they had seen each other. Misako hopped back on the ground, and looked at Carrick. “I’m glad you’re safe.” He nodded. “Other than a few bruises, I’m okay.” They sat down beside each other, and talked as Misako finished up with the huge axe, putting back on a wall hanger. She dusted her hands off. “Wanna go get a drink? I’m thirteen now, so it's less looked down upon then a twelve year old drinking.” Carricks eyes lit up, as she reached in his bag, pulling out a book and opening it. “I didn't forget about your birthday.” He pulled out a larger red flower he had found, and pressed for her. “Happy birthday.” She smiled, taking it. “Thank you Carrick!” She placed it on her desk, and took his hand. “Let's go get a drink.” She pulled him along to a large bonfire that was in the middle of camp, where many soldiers sat and told war stories. She went up to Arjhan and tapped his shoulder. “Can Carrick and I split a bottle? We’ll go somewhere else and be good, I promise, sir.” He chuckled, and nodded, handing them a bottle of red wine. “Have fun you kids.” His voice was slurred and sloppy, as he was obviously drunk. Carrick and Misako snuck off, going to the top of a small hill nearby, and sitting beside each other.

They began to drink, Misako, getting drunk much faster than Carrick, as she became giggly and clingy to him. As Carrick began to get more drunk, he held Misako closer and closer. She didn't fight him, although she wasn’t necessarily comfortable. They talked about the war going on, Carrick told Misako about rumors spreading around. Misako told him about the people she had met, and that she was apparently getting a reputation of being one of the best, if not, the best, Quartermaster in the army. Carrick smiled as she talked, pulling her closer. Misako pushed him away a little bit. “Carrick, no.” He frowned. “Misako..” His face flushed. She couldn't tell if it was the alcohol or him getting embarrassed. “I have.. Feelings for you, I’m sorry” Misako stood up, looking down at him .”What?” He stood up, taking her hands. “I have feelings for you. You’re my best friend. The only real friend I’ve had.” She pulled her hands away. “But Carrick. I can’t. My Sensei. “ Carrick drunkenly scoffed. “Who cares about your Sensei!” Misako took a step back. “I do, Carrick.” Carricks face got angry. “Ooooh I see how it is. You have feelings for your sensei!” Misakos face turned angry. “I do not! That's so wrong!” Her hands went into fists. “Carrick. I have feelings for you too! But my Sensei ordered me to not go that way. So I can't. I can't disobey him.” Carrick took a step closer. “I know you think that. But you can.” He pulled her face to his and kissed her, drunkenly. She pushed away. “I really can't.” He frowned. “Try. For me. Please,” She looked at him, as he was nearly crying. She sighed. “Fine. Only this once though.” She went up to him, as he took her hands, and put them on his chest, as she felt his heart pounding, as he put his hands on her waist, and pulling her in again, kissing her, this time, she kissed back.

They carried on for a minutes, before pulling away from each other, Carrick, bright red and frazzled, Misako straight faced and clear headed. “That wasn’t too bad.” She licked her lips. Carrick smiled. “Really? I thought it was great.” She nodded, quickly kissing him on the cheek. “I’m going to my tent now.” She handed him the rest of the bottle. “Have fun.” She walked down the hill, Carrick standing there, still frazzled.

The next morning Misako woke up early and walked to the Quartermaster tent. She began working right away, only to get a visit from Carrick. He walked in quietly, sitting beside her. “I’m sorry about last night.” She nodded, working on a shield. He hung his head. “I have to leave again today.” She stopped and looked up, looking over at him. “Already?” He nodded. “It’s apparently going to be dangerous, even Arjhans coming.” She nodded. “I see.” He rubbed his arm. “Thought I’d come say goodbye for a while.” She put the shield down. “Okay.” He cleared his throat. “I meant what I said last night.” “So did I Carrick.” He blushed. “Can I please kiss you again before I leave?” She looked at him, and nodded, as he quickly moved his head down, kissing her deeply, before pulling away. Someone cleared their throat behind them, making Misako look over, then at the ground. It was Vandiss, standing there, arms crossed and an unimpressed look on his face. “Arjhan asked me to tell you to get ready to go, Carrick. And I suggest you go now, and get ready.” Misako gripped the bench slightly as Carrick got up, and said goodbye to her. They hugged quickly, and Carrick left even faster. Vandiss glared over at Misako, as she went back to polishing the shield. “Misako.” She ignored him. “Look at me, Misako.” She stopped and looked over at him slightly. “Bad decision, Misako.” He walked over and sat beside her, as she continued to clean. “This mission he's going on, is dangerous.” She nodded. “I know.” He sighed “Just. Lay low, okay?” She nodded as Vandiss got up and just walked out.

For the next few weeks, Misako did as told, laying low, doing her job, until one day, she heard the loud hoofbeats of horses racing back. She got up, and walked out to see a squadron returning. They were alot fewer of them then before. She scanned them, recognizing it as The squad Carrick was in, but saw no sign of him. She did see Arjhan, with a solemn look on his face. She raced up to him. “Captain?” He looked down to see Misako, frowning slightly, and shaking his head. She gasped, and covered her mouth. Arjhan started to cry slightly. “He fought well, but in the end, he dropped, we didn't have anyone left who could help him.” Her eyes welled up, as she looked at him again. “Did you bring him back at least?” He nodded, pointing at a horse carrying a body. He ordered two men to take him off the horse, and place him in the grass. She went over, and looked at his cold face. She started crying over him. “Oh… Carrick.” She gently brushed his face with her finger. “Rest peacefully.” She sniffled, and started bawling, kneeling at his side.She wasn't given details of what happened to him, just that he fought well.

After that day, Misako went back to being an obedient child. Did anything she was asked, and did her job with no issue. Vandiss occasionally visited, but she usually zoned out when he did. The rest of her thirteenth year was spent in solitude. She just did what she needed to do to survive. Occasionally she would get in trouble for her lack of talking. She never had severe punishment. She was just, left alone.