#in weasel heart I think they have to pretty much be hugging to be more specific and possibly may only notice

[elodieunderglass]

This is funnier without context so: to Chilchuck, what does Laios Touden smell like, you think?

I think probably just Bloke! man! Varying levels of unwashed! Coworker-coded

[i-write-boop-spoops]

N Harmonia Fluff Alphabet

One anon asked for an N fluff alphabet and another asked for just any N content, so I hope this sates you both!

Not proof read so rip me

Enjoy!

A = Activities (what do they like to do with their s/o? how do they spend their free time?)

Rather expectantly, N loves looking after Pokemon with you! Whether you’re playing with, feeding or tending to them, he really enjoys seeing you being so sweet and kind to cute little mons and giant scary monsters alike.

He also loves just snuggling up with you and playing with each other’s’ hair. He really cherishes that kind of gentle, intimate affection.

Other than that, he really enjoys doing mundane things with you, stuff like going grocery shopping, cleaning the house, gardening etc, even before you live together. There’s something very comforting about it.

Oh, and he loves dancing with you!

B = Beauty (what do they admire about their s/o? what do they think is beautiful about them?)

He admires your kindness obviously, but also your determination and resilience! He thinks you’re so strong, and in turn, it emboldens him too!

As for physical beauty? He loves your smile, even just a little quirk of your lips makes him so happy. It’s just so precious!

C = Comfort (how do they help their s/o when they feel down? what makes them feel better?)

N isn’t the best at this kind of stuff, but he definitely tries his best to offer you support. Usually he just sits with you and lets you vent, or cry into his shoulder, often bringing a cute pokemon with him to cheer you up. He also likes bringing you on walks, hoping it might clear your head.

His words of affirmation, though few, are quite powerful, so you know he means them.

When he’s sad, he’d like to be treated in a similar fashion, just quiet support and cute Pokemon

D = Dreams (how do they picture their future with their s/o and in general?)

N doesn’t really know how he wants his life to go, the only thing he’s certain of is that he wants to continue improving the relationships between humans and Pokemon, and that he wants to be with you for the rest of time.

E = Equal (are they the dominant one in the relationship or are they rather passive?)

Due to his lack of experience, he’s definitely more on the passive side, preferring to let you take the lead when it comes to dates and stuff. Though he has no problem asserting himself (gently) if he wants to do something else instead.

F = Fight (how quick are they to forgive their s/o? what are they like in an argument? who says sorry first?)

N hates fighting with you, absolutely despises it, so he tends to avoid it when he can. Inevitably, like in all relationships, you end up in a few spats. He’s never mean to you, but he does try talk over you and has a habit of just walking out instead of working out the issue right away. Really he just goes for a walk to calm him down, and he’s usually back in an hour or two, but you probably don’t solve your disagreement until the next day.

He finds it quite easy to admit fault and apologise, so you don’t have to weasel a ‘sorry’ out of him. And due to his earnest nature, you know he means it.

G = Gifts (what kind of things do they gift to their s/o? are they spontaneous or do they stick to special events like anniversaries?)

When N gives a gift, most of the time, he doesn’t even realise it. He just sees something he thinks you’d like and just gives it to you without a second thought. Usually it’s pretty flora or candy, occasionally it’s a plush. Sometimes you get gifts very often, sometimes it’s weeks, maybe months, between each present.

H = Heart Eyes (what are they like in love? is it obvious to others? how do they express their love? do they brag about their s/o to others?)

N can be described as blissfully confused when in love. So soft and blushy and not totally sure what he’s feeling, but he sure does love it, and you. His Pokemon friends pick up on it immediately and root for the two of you.

Unintentionally brags. He just thinks you’re swell and tends to bring that up often, but he’s not trying to gloat.

I = Impression (what first attracted them to their s/o? how accurate was their first impression to how their s/o actually is?)

You seemed to handle that little joltik so carefully as you returned it to its mother galvantula, without an ounce of fear or malice in your eyes, and truly only kindness in your heart. It made him feel so at ease, like he had found a kindred spirit.

Not only was he right, he also found his soulmate too,

J = Jealousy (do they get jealous easily? how do they deal with it?)

N doesn’t quite understand jealousy. Like, you love each other, what does he have to worry about? He likes your friends a lot, and he finds anybody who tries to flirt with you more annoying than anything else

K = Kiss (are they a good kisser? what was their first kiss like? where do they kiss the most?)

At the beginning, N’s kisses are sweet but awkward, he’s so new to it, so he’s a bit afraid he might make a mistake. As your relationships progresses though, he becomes more comfortable and confident with it, and kisses reflect that, so soft and caring and full of meaning

I did a whole thing about N and kissing here

L = Little Things (what are the little things they love about their s/o? are they attentive?)

Really what doesn’t he love? It’s not that he puts you on a pedestal, he just genuinely finds you amazing and he loves you so much

M = Marriage (do they want to get married? how do they propose? what would the wedding be like?)

N doesn’t feel the need to marry you, as long as you’re in love, that’s what matters to him, a piece of paper doesn’t make it any more valid than it is in his eyes.

That being said, if you want to get married, he’s down for it, but don’t expect anything sappy or traditional. No proposal, no huge event, just the two of you exchanging heartfelt vows at the courthouse, with matching rings.

N = Nicknames (what do they call their s/o? what do they get called?)

He doesn’t really use nicknames, just the occasionally “Love” or “Dear”

On the flipside, he loves your nicknames for him. Some of his favourites are “Cutie”, “Sweetie”, “Greenie” and “Nat”

O = Open (do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? is it easy for them to share?)

While I wouldn’t say N is an open book, he doesn’t really hide things from you. He tells you how he feels without much fanfare, and you’re made aware of his past quite early on, even before you started dating.

P = Pancakes (are they a good cook? how often do they cook for their s/o? breakfast in bed or fancy dinner dates?)

N’s actually pretty good at cooking, and tends to cook pretty often, especially when you’re on the road together. His meals are simple and comforting, sometimes spicy, lots of soups and curries and rice.

Since he’s vegetarian, he prefers to cook for the two of you instead of going out, since most restaurants don’t have great options for him. That being said, if you find a place with a good menu, he’s totally down to take you there.

Q = Quirk (a random quality/ability that is beneficial to their relationship.)

N does not understand the concept of BS, so you don’t have to worry about playing weird mind games to find out what he really wants. As a result, your relationship is quite chill

R = Romance (how romantic are they? are they cliché or creative?)

Again, he’s not traditionally romantic, but he does care about you quite a lot and loves making you smile. And while it doesn’t say “I love you” very often, he means it, and that is a lot more valuable than any serenade or flower bouquet

S = Sleep (who falls asleep first? do they need their s/o close to them? do they have any bad habits?)

If you play with his hair, he’s out like a light. While he’s cuddles are lax and loose when he’s awake, he hugs you like a teddy when he’s fast asleep.

His sleep routine is shit though.

T = Thrill (do they need to spice up their relationship with new things or do they stick to a routine? how often do they do new things?)

N loves the cosiness of domestic mundanity, so it’s safe to say he likes to play it, well, safe. It gives him a sense of comfort and stability that he really appreciates.

U = Unity (did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? what traits do they share?)

Through being with you, N learns to be more attentive and emotional (in a healthy way), and to appreciate humans even more. He also feels more human too.

While you already loved Pokemon, he makes you see how truly amazing and special they are, and treat them even better than you did before.

V = Value (how important is their relationship to them? what is it worth compared to other things in their life?)

Your relationship is very important to him, but deep down, you know his love for Pokemon trumps his love for you. Though it never causes an issue with you

W = Wild Card (a random fluff headcanon.)

Likes to make matching flower crowns for the two of you and whatever Pokemon you’’re with at the time!

X = XOXO (do they like to kiss and cuddle? are they upfront about their relationship or rather shy when in public?)

N loves fluttery kisses and really tender hugs and cuddles, ones when you’re loosely tanged together and gently stroking each other’s skin.

He is not a PDA person at all, besides holding your hand and the occasional kiss. Some of it is shyness, but it’s mostly because he doesn’t feel the need to prove your relationship to anyone. He doesn’t use affection lightly.

Y = Yearning (how do they cope when they spend time away from their s/o? do they miss their s/o?)

He’s pretty okay on his own, since he’s quite used to it, but he does still miss you a lot. He finds comfort in things that remind you of him, a certain scent, a flower, a sound, even a Pokemon, it makes him feel like you’re with him

Z = Zoo (do they have pets? do they want some in the future?)

N doesn’t have any pets, mainly because he thinks Pokemon are friends. How many Poke-friends does he have? Too many for even him to count. My man radiates serious Disney Princess energy with the way Pokemon seem to flock to him.

That being said, he’s not against good people having Pokemon as pets, so if you have pokemon, you know he’ll be the best dad to them ever.

[verascrow]

BNA: Brand New Animal Relationship Headcanons!

bna masterlist

‼ General Dating Headcanons ‼

Featuring: Shirou Ogami, Michiru Kagemori, Nazuna Hiwatashi, Marie Itami, Pinga

Warnings: spoilers for BNA!, some angst amongst all of them, but mainly tooth-rotting fluff :,)

a/n - thank you for reading!!! BNA doesn’t have enough fanfiction content, so here you go!! i actually adore doing headcanons, so this was nice to be able to write!!! BNA is also my favorite/comfort anime soooooo I couldn't NOT write something for it!!! if you want to see more BNA related works, i’m definitely going to be open to writing them in the future!!! my requests open up next week, so drop one then if you’d like!!! thank you for reading <3

content below the cut!

shirou ogami

» wolf husband!!

» oh we all know he’s gonna be nervous when it comes to love

» he’s scared he can’t trust you at first

» it’s probably gonna stay that way until he gets comfortable with you

» which, albeit, takes quite a while

» but when he does?

» he’s all over you!!

» i like to think he’s a very cuddly person

» he doesn’t show it a lot though, but for you?

» he’ll let it slide

» he’s not one for extravagant gestures though

» so if you’re going on dates

» expect it to being either at his place, or something extremely simple

» i don’t think he’d be particularly for PDA

» but if someone were to flirt with you?

» he won’t be afraid to show them that you’re with him

» again, very cuddly

» he likes to be big spoon cause he wants to make you feel safe

» but he also likes to be held

» the memories of his comrades dying is a memory that’s painfully engraved into the very fibers of his being

» so please show him some love

» kisses!!!!

» oh he LOVES to smother you with kisses

» he’s very affectionate in private

» he just loves you so much!!!

» i like to think that michiru got the two of you together

» just like

» michiru: hey look at that beastman over there! they’re super pretty!!!!

» shirou: yeah, sure

» michiru: i’m going to go say hi

» shirou: w h a t

» also, going back to trauma-

» he doesn’t like to talk about it much

» it brings up bad memories

» so he won’t outwardly talk to you about it

» but if you want to console him?

» you’re one of the few people he can really trust and get vulnerable with

» VERYYYY LOYAL PARTNER

» he loves you, and is so scared of you leaving him

» he would never think about cheating on you (the best boy)

» maybe it ties in with him being a wolf beastman-

» shhhhhhhhhhhh

» very very very nervous to tell you that he’s the silver wolf

» he’s so scared you’re going to leave him or hate him or look at him different

» but the sweet kiss you give him when he tells you melts all of his worries away

» GIVE HIM PETS!!!!!!!!!!

» he’s embarrassed but he loves it!!!!!!!!

» his love language is quality time!!!!!!

» he just wants to spend time with you

» he’ll go out of his way to blow off unimportant things (like michiru-) just to be with you

» softie-

» but we love him <3

michiru kagemori

» AHHH MY SWEET GIRL!!!!

» i love her oh so much

» if she likes you, it’s obvious

» painfully so-

» she gets all flustered before you start dating whenever she talks with you

» tripping over her words

» making a fool of herself

» (somehow more than usual-)

» but when you express you like her back?

» you’re stuck with her

» loves cutesy dates!!

» you wanna just watch a movie???

» she’s got a pillow fort and a ton of snacks at the ready

» you wanna go for a walk?

» you’re dancing with her under the stars in the park

» she’s a sucker for that kind of stuff

» she loves showing you off too

» michiru: everyone, this is my partner, y/n, and they are the best person in the world

» y/n: michiru i-

» she absolutely introduces you to everyone like that

» she loves you too much not to express it!!!

» that leads me to her love language…

» words of affirmation!!!

» she’s going to tell you she loves you at any chance she gets

» and if you’re ever insecure?

» she’s your girl

» she’s also big on physical touch

» loves holding your hand out in public

» hugging you and peppering your face with kisses

» the whole lot!

» she’s such a goofball-

» she’d do something stupid just to make you laugh

» michiru: Y/N! I GREW WINGS! AM I GOING TO LAY AN EGG OR SOMETHING???

» when she first told you she wasn’t a real beastman, she was nervous

» but it all washes away when you hold her and tell her you love her no matter what

» she’d definitely cry at that

» she’s so grateful to have you

» and she would go to any extent just to make you happy

nazuna hiwatashi

» GOD SHE’S SO PRETTY I’M NOT EVEN GONNA LIE

» she’s a very caring partner

» when you first start dating though, she’s very nervous

» will you hate her for faking the silver wolf?

» or maybe because of her slightly dismissive behavior?

» but when you decide to stay? she know’s shes in love

» her love language is touch!

» she always wants to be touching you

» she’s not the best at expressing her love or gratitude through words

» so she lets the soft caresses, forehead kisses, and cuddles do it for her!

» oh i can imagine her being a cuddle bug

» just holding you while the two of you fall asleep

» or you holding her!

» she adores just being able to be near you

» when she introduces you to michiru

» it’s chaos

» y/n: in my defense, I was left unsupervised

» nazuna: wasn't michiru with you?

» michiru: in my defense, I was also left unsupervised

» just being absolute idiots together

» back to nazuna though…

» she gets jealous easily!!!

» you can’t change my mind

» if she thinks you’re giving someone too much attention

» she won’t be afraid to just come in and hug you until you pay attention to her

» it’s adorable

» with the church of the silver wolf tho…

» you probably met AFTER that was all said and done

» she doesn’t really have followers anymore

» and a few beastman still hold a grudge against her

» she gets insecure because of it

» make sure to tell her that you love her for her

» she really needs to hear it

» oh! she loves any romantic gestures

» fancy dates? walks in the park? sign her up!

» she loves too much not to show it

marie itami

» crime weasel

» cbhmasbbchasb okay but seriously i love her

» i like to think that she’s sly with her flirting

» but if you flirt back?

» she’s a flustered mess

» she lovesssss pet names

» she particularly likes using “baby”, “love”, “sweetheart”, and “hun”

» loves if you use some back

» her love language? acts of service

» she loves to help you with small tasks

» opening the door for you? absolutely. grabbing the remote for you? of course!

» she wants you to know she loves you, but mainly in smaller gestures

» not as much of a cuddle bug as the rest, but definitely appreciates it

» she’d never turn you down for hugs or pecks

» any time she has by herself, she wants to spend it with you

» her dates aren’t extravagant though

» cuddling on the couch and watching a movie are her specialty

» i like to think that she usually falls asleep after you

» she’ll talk with you until you eventually fall asleep

» it’s more of a protective thing if anything

» she wants to make sure that you’re okay before she rests

» she loves you so so so much

» you’re the only person she’s allowed herself to be vulnerable with

» she has her own insecurities yes, but she tends to bottle them up

» she doesn’t want to bother you

» she’s better at listening and giving advice than venting it out

» it’s not your fault, she’s just not very keen to it

» she likes to keep your relationship more private than anything

» her job is… not normal, and she doesn’t want to eventually end up making the wrong people mad and get you hurt

» so PDA is kept to a minimum

» but she’ll always make up for that in private

» telling you how much she loves and appreciates you being with her

» she doubts your relationship sometimes, thinking that you deserve better

» tell her you love her

» that you really love her

» and her heart is yours

pingua

» your honor

» i love him

» oh my goodness his love language is totally gift giving

» 100%

» you cannot change my mind

» if you look at something in a store for more than 3 seconds

» expect it to be in your possession by the next day

» he won’t say he did it

» but he totally did it

» taking you on flights???

» yes pLEASE!!!!

» he loves showing you the world from his eyes

» and adores it if you love it as much as he does

» wing hugssssss

» imagine him just draping his wings around you while you guys cuddle

» my heart-

» wait, here me out-

» y/n: mcdonalds! mcdonalds! mcdonalds!

» pingua: mcdonalds! mcdonalds! mcdonalds!

» HE WOULD THOUGH AND YOU CAN’T CHANGE MY MIND

» not afraid to get vulnerable with you

» he’ll talk about his comrades and the stupid regulations with ease

» yes, it’s a tough subject

» but you have to talk about difficult things to get through them

» he has nightmares because of it

» he wakes up in cold sweats sometimes, those images ingrained into his head

» hold him

» please

» tell him that you’re here and you’re not going anywhere

» give him kisses and help him ride it out

» aside for that, another goofball

» loves, and i mean LOVES making you smile

» also a HUGE flirt

» he’s cocky about it too

» pingua: aside from being adorable, what do you do for a living?

» y/n, dying: cjsdbivcbhshdkcjbakjcbhsadbmc

» another one who loves romantic gestures

» i like to think that he’s quite the gentleman

» restaurant dates and dancing are right up his alley

» but dear god he loves you so much

» he has no clue where he’d be without you in his life

[smutty-ki113r]

🎠Laughing Jack🎠|| Carousel

Fluff one-shot x gn!reader— only warning is angst (2.6k)

Inspired by: Melanie Martinez

After months of endless nagging you finally convinced Laughing Jack to let you visit his amusement park. He had claimed it was too scary and you would get creeped out but you weren’t one to take no for an answer.

Giving you a piece of candy so the trans-dementional trip wouldn’t be too hard on you. Tasting the sour lemon taffy he gave you and making a tense face as the flavor pulled at your taste buds and stuck to your teeth.

Your head getting dizzy as your surroundings warped and his room became red and white vertical stripes. Blinking a couple times as he leaned into your face, “are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” You told him, almost falling back at how close he was. As soon as your perception adjusted you looked for the exit to the tent you were inside. “Onward!” You said excited, marching comedically to the entrance flap.

“This isn’t exactly the safest place”, he called from behind, catching up with ease because his legs were so long. “You need to stay close to me at all times” you smiled at him, it’s not like you were complaining, “got that?”

Giving him a keen nod you stepped out of the grand tent. Squinting at the sky, which was tainted a dusty gray, swirly clouds amber of scattered around in the background. The carnival was beautifully revolting, with littered attractions as far as the eye could see.

The place looked somewhat abandoned, if you get past the faint cries of children, from their souls stored in toys. Rides that once colored a vibrant red had paint chipped, specks of dull metal flaked over the bars.

Game stands broken down and leaning unsteadily, disturbing toys with eyes and limbs missing hanging from the top. It looked like it might fall down at any minute, but you couldn’t help but notice the newer looking boxes of supplies lying around next to the stands.

Fairy lights hung from the tilted signs, decorating the food court. A fresh trail had been made between the rides.

It warmed your heart that he had made subtle efforts to fix the place up, he certainly didn’t think you would notice.

Looking back at his nervous smile, Jack was terrified you would hate the place. You thought all but the opposite, giving him a big grin. Your expression relaxed him, assuring him that you wouldn’t think he was a freak and leave. His whole demeanor shifting, making him more comfortable and even enthusiastic.

Straightening out and giving you jazz hands, “what are you waiting for?” putting one hand on his hip to motion you to the park with the other “lets go have fun!”

Following behind you with a giggle as you approached the carnival games. The ring toss looking somewhat appealing in between the other activities, so you told him you wanted to play.

“Basically you get 5 rings, if you get at least 3 in the pins you win a prize” he explained.

“Alright alright lemme try” you waved him off, snatching the rings and giving one a toss. It missed, you brushed it off. The second one made it in and Jack gave a little cheer, it still wasn’t enough.

Hyperfocusing on the pin in the middle make a soft throw upward, the edge hitting the top of the pin and falling to the side. You gave a groan, calculating your last two throws.

Your forth throw made the pin to the side, and you only had one more try left. Aiming for another pin at the side to release, the ring clanging against it and falling to the floor.

You went to look at Jack with a frown but he wore a happy expression, “you won!” He exclaimed. Confused you turned back, finding the ring you had just tossed around the last pin. You were completely certain you had missed it, racking your mind for an explanation as jack handed you a small purple bunny that was missing an arm.

Realizing that Jack had manipulating the game so you could win, throwing him a knowing glance. He just happened to be looking away, whistling guiltily.

Squeezing the bunny you moved onto the next game, it was ballon dart toss. The stand had pale red and black balloons scattered across a board. Excitement was written all over his face, you cocked an eyebrow in question.

“It’s a two person game!” He said, “whoever pops more balloons wins!”

He handed you four darts and kept four for himself, “you can go first” he motioned with a grin. Pacing the dart in two fingers a couple times before throwing at a balloon. Giving a groan when you missed and waiting for him to go.

Being as skilled as he was he managed to land one in a bullseye. “Oh it’s on” you dared, getting one point yourself. LJ got the second one too, staring at you intensely as you evened out the score.

Giving him a small smile as the dart broke the surface of the balloon with a sharp noise “pop goes the weasel right?” You laughed, referring to his famous song.

He looked at you almost in shock, taken aback by your joke. Shaking himself into reality he broke out in a light blush, a part of him touched, as if you were accepting him for who he was.

Too distracted by your eyes on him to play the game with concentration. Missing the third one with a growl he waited for you to take your turn, which you lost. It was the last point and Jack was a shoe in, so obviously he took the victory.

You were happy for him, passing along a “good job!” as he retrieved the big brown teddy bear that was half his size, and all of yours. It was missing an eye, thin stands of makeshift fur pulled out and a silky red bow around it’s neck.

“Here” he said, dangling it in front of you.

“For me?” You asked, “but you won”, trying to look up at him but the bear blocked most of your view, only letting you see above his nose.

“Just take it” he practically pushed it into you, making you blow out an oof.

Holding it to the side at the torso with one hand you broke out in a grin “thank you for the plushie” you said, hugging him from the side and squeezing his torso “but I want you to be my teddy” you laughed. He looked incredibly flustered, frozen as you broke away.

“You’re big and tall” you tippy toed up to give his shoulder pad feathers a ruffle “and fluffy”

The man looked like he was about to faint so you decided to knock it off, laughing and telling him you wanted to go on the carousel next. Quickly, LJ happily led you too it, skipping in front of you (mostly to hide his blush).

Standing at the controls to cue a round, watching you walk around to find a pretty horse. Given, all of them had dark spots and chipped paint, but they worked all the same. Leaving the bear on another horse and climbing onto a white one that had a yellow saddle, intricate lacy designs patterned on the sides. Royal blue reigns across it’s chest and a lion on a crest.

It was beautiful, and you traced your fingers on the drawing. It must have been stunning, but the weathering of time and agony had gotten to it. A painful reminder of what was, a mere reflection of the chipping away of a joyful being.

Prying away from your thoughts as you felt the vibrations of Jack stepping onto the walkway- with one of his big smiles. Even after everything, he still wore a smile. It made you want to tear up, he really needed all the love he could get.

He was too tall to get on a horse, so he just stood by you. His big hand gracing the golden pole and holding on, watching as you peeked up at him. Even though his eyes were constantly bright he displayed something…deeper. It was a sort of shine, a sparkle if you will, luminosity glazed over in such a way that one can only get lost in its vastness.

The looped music in the background was secondary as you rose up and down with the horse, giving Jack a little smile and thanking him for bringing you here. “I’m having a lot of fun with you” you noted.

“Well of course you are! It’s a carnival” he said with joy.

“No I mean with you” you clarified “you’re pretty great Jack”. This time he didn’t avoid your gaze, his mouth open slightly, not knowing how to react to the sincerity of the compliment.

The ride slowly came to a stop, and you were feeling slightly tingly. Maybe it was the air, or the loss of focus. “How about a roller coaster?” You dared, to which he gave a tense face.

“Those are pretty broken, you’ll probably die riding one and that’s not what we want” he said, stepping off the carousel. “How about some cotton candy instead?”

You nodded your head vigorously, following him in the pursuit for the fairy floss, the bear falling behind forgotten. Passing by more unused rides that had long past rusted and a house of mirrors to get to the food court.

Jack humming happily as he dipped a paper cone into the bowl of revolving fibers of sugar. Whipping up a swirly pink and blue cotton candy and handing it to you with a proud smile.

He went to make another treat until you spoke, “I’m not that hungry so we can share” you proposed. “If you want”

“Are you sure?” He asked, concerned that you didn’t have much appetite. “Do you want some candy or maybe a funnel cake?”

You shook him off, taking a bite out of the cloud-like dessert. It was absolutely delicious, honeyed and saccharine on your tongue in a blend of flavor you had never tasted had before.

Soft as it disintegrated onto your mouth, leaving behind a remanence of something too sweet. Bringing it up to Jack, who was so tall you had to extend your arm fully to get it to his mouth.

He simply laughed at your struggle, taking a bite before giving you a thin smile and taking it from your hand. Sitting down at a bench so that you could both share comfortably.

By the time the candy had finished you noticed little bits of the silky texture stuck on his nose. Painfully stifling a laugh you turned away.

“What’s so funny?” He asked with a genuine smile.

When you didn’t answer his tone changed, “what’s so funny huh?” he sounded a bit angered.

Hiccuping through your laughter you faced him, leaning in real close to his face, enough so that you could feel the heat emanating from it; taking a bite of the pink woven candy on his nose and holding it in your teeth.

His face went red at the sight, embarrassed that he had cotton candy on his nose. Well, that and for a moment he thought you were going to kiss him.

Noticing your hands were all sticky you asked him if there was a sink somewhere. After both of you washed your hands you sat back down at the bench.

The sky was going dark, the poofs of dusty cloud fading in with the night but still managing to remain visible. You heard a whirr as Jack turned on all the rides at the carnival, lighting the whole thing up.

You sat in awe, a mere spectator in the empty yet live amusement park. Admiring the music that added to the ambiance, watching Jack approach you.

“Wanna take a walk?” He asked, but there was something…off. LJ seemed nervous as you got up and walked next to him.

He had been thinking about it for a while now, probably even before he brought you to the carnival. Even though he had washed the gooey candy from his hands they were still sticky, but it was from sweat. Giving you side glances as you paced the trail with him.

Debating to himself whether or not he should do it, if you would hate him for it. Telling himself that he would regret it if he didn’t, but thinking about the potential negative reactions you could give.

Passing the carousel once again as you noticed the usually loud and happy clown was silent, lost in thought as he stared into the distance, his lips forming a tensing line.

Wondering if he was ok, but brining up the topic might make him uneasy. Perhaps you being there at his haunted amusement park was ticking him off, or if you taking that cotton floss off his nose was too much, or if you were pushing your luck, or worse what if you triggered hi-

All thoughts faded from your mind the moment you felt a slow, shaky hand grasp onto yours. You had to look to where he held you because he was so gentile you thought it was the wind. Holding onto you softly enough that it felt like a feather, somehow still creating a little pocket of warmth between you.

A glowing thump of heat pulsing inside your chest, happiness digging into your cells and giving you the confidence to squeeze his hand.

He let out a sharp inhale at the feel, still avoiding your gaze as he relaxed into your touch. Not daring to move his hand too much or he might risk ruining the moment, afraid of hurting you with his claws.

Approaching the Ferris wheel he finally spoke, “this is probably the one ride that won’t break”, not a peep about holding you. “Do you want to go on?”

You finally caught his gaze, absolutely melting at the smile in his eyes. Responding with a ‘yes’ and letting him open the door for you. Sustaining his grip with you as he helped you on, not letting go even after you sat.

The cart wasn’t exactly small, but with a guy the size of Jack it was pretty compacted. It’s not like you minded, the lack of space gave you an excuse to bunch up alongside him. The feathers from his pads tickling your face as you rested on him.

Watching the view as the cart took you higher and higher, it was perfect. The evening set in the rich obscurity of the night, lights of the festival blinking as if they had a life of their own. The bulbs on the stands making z’s as they illuminated the red and white drapes of the far off tents.

Jack held your hand with such care and caress, you gave him a reassuring press to let him know it was ok. He was so enveloped with the passionate act that he squeezed as well. Letting you feel all the dips and curves of his hand. Clutching onto you, as if you might disappear too.

Facing him to cup his cheek with your free hand, caressing him and tucking a stand of hair behind his ear. Trailing your thumb across his skin and feeling him lean into your touch, swearing that between the lines on the pad of your finger there was a tear that you had wiped away.

Getting lost in the breaths you shared as you inched closer to his lips, giving him a second of warmth longer to prove that you weren’t going anywhere.

[booksarelife-stuff]

our secret moments in a crowded room

Jily (James Potter/Lily Evans), minor Wolfstar (Remus Lupin/Sirius Black)

My entry for the September Jily Challenge! @jilychallenge

Prompt: I tripped on the red carpet and you caught me

Partner was the amazing @kates836! Thank you for being an amazing partner!

In a fake PR relationship with Severus Snape, Lily can’t help be distracted by the real person who has her heart. 

Word Count: 4,077

Read of Ao3     Masterlist

The car took a sharp left and Lily tried to stabilize herself so she didn’t touch Severus, who was sitting beside her. She made eye contact with Mary, who was sitting in the passenger seat. Mary shot her the millionth apologetic look.

Lily glanced back down at her phone, just in time to see a reply to the picture that she had sent of her in her dress.

Ahdjsfhkjdsf I can’t breathe. How dare you send this to me right before I walk out on the red carpet.

She smiled widely down at her phone.

I don’t know how I’m going to function with you that close and can’t do anything about it.

She smiled faltered for a second, because yeah, that was truly going to be torture for her too.

I’m about to go out. I can’t wait to see you.

Lily bit her lip before typing a reply.

If you think this dress looks good on me now, wait until you take it off.

The message bubbles appeared instantly and Lily’s smile turned smug.

You shouldn’t have said that. I’m going to think about it all night now. Love you

Love you too

She locked her phone and handed it to Mary, who would be holding all of her personal items for the rest of the night. Severus sighed deeply beside her and Lily tried not to roll her eyes.

If Lily had it her way, she’d be arriving with a very different date. But Lily didn’t have a choice. What the studio wanted, the studio got. Including a semi-fake relationship with her co-star, Severus Snape.

They had just finished filming the final season of their wildly popular show, The Hollow Hour. The show definitely didn’t need this kind of press to be successful, but Lily still didn’t have a choice in the matter, considering she had already booked a leading role in another one of their shows.

On-screen, Lily and Snape played Tara and Gideon, characters who had been in love since they were children and fighting in a war where they possibly wouldn’t make it out. Off-screen, Lily could hardly stand the presence of Snape.

It didn’t start out that way. When they’d first met, Lily had thought he was pretty cool. The show had been her first big break, as she had only done television guest appearances before then. Snape had a few movies under his belt, one of which was super popular. Their friendship had started out as his kind of giving her direction when it came to the whole fame thing.

Then, it got a little invasive. He would just be in her trailer, coming in without knocking. He started asking for more date-like hangouts. His disgusting political beliefs started coming out through their conversations and his apparent hatred for their co-star, Remus Lupin because he was openly gay. And he started acting as she owed him something, especially since the show took off.

The rumors had started before Lily realized that Snape was the creep that he was. People saw them pining on screen and going out for the occasional drink after a long day when Lily could still stand him and suddenly, people thought they were in love.

It had been a real nuisance in Lily’s life. Every interview, she tried to squash the rumors, whereas Snape would encourage them. It didn’t help that the show got popular, like really insane amounts of popularity. The character shipping took a sharp left turn into people shipping them.

Snily, they called them. From fanfiction to edits and art to covers of glossy magazines. It was everywhere. No matter if Lily was doing interviews from one of her movies, they would ask about Snape.

And since Lily was some sort of a masochist, she knew exactly what the fans thought of their relationship. They thought Lily denied the relationship because she was very private about her life, and Snape would never say it outright because he wanted to respect her but also wanted the world to know that she is his.

It didn’t help that Snape had accumulated a very dedicated fanbase. Like worship-the-ground-he-walked-on kind of dedication. To the point where Lily would get occasional death threats because she was “hurting him by denying their relationship.”

They never seemed to believe Lily when she said no, much like Snape and their studio. Lily couldn’t flat out deny the relationship in interviews anymore until after the final episode. It made her want to dry heave.

The car was slowing, and Lily could hear the buzz of fans and reporters. They were in the queue now for the red carpet. Mary unbuckled and twisted around in the seat, doing a final check of Lily’s hair and make-up.

Lily smoothed down her green satin dress, her legs bent awkwardly to not crease the dress and also not puncture the fabric with her stiletto pumps. Lily’s after-party dress was hanging up in the back, but Lily didn’t know if she was actually going to attend.

It had taken her a long time to feel beautiful at these types of events. Being considered plus size in this industry felt like a death sentence, especially since Lily refused to play the “funny fat friend” or anything like that. But she felt good tonight, especially with the way it hugged her curves and the bit of cleavage showed.

Severus looked like himself, just in a suit. His greasy hair was covered in dry shampoo and tucked behind his ears. He turned towards Lily and smiled like a cat who got the cream.

“We could make this real, you know?” he said, for probably the millionth time. “You and I would work.”

Lily tried not to crinkle her nose in disgust. “Severus,” she said. “You know I have no interest in that.”

There had been many times where Lily wished she could speak her mind and rip him a new one, but she could not get branded as a diva. So, she played off these uncomfortable moments with a laugh and polite words, even when she was telling him no for the millionth time.

She saw the corner of his lips turn down in a slight frown and averted her eyes to stare straight ahead.

The voices outside got louder and suddenly the car was stopping. Mary jumped out of the car quickly as Lily unbuckled. Moody, Lily’s driver, and bodyguard, also got out quickly to open Lily’s door.

She had to take Moody’s hand to step out. She wobbled when she shifted her weight to her high heels but quickly corrected herself. She was going to have blisters for weeks after tonight. Mary appeared from the other side of the car, hands already straightening Lily’s dress.

They were covered from the cameras here, so no one saw Mary make sure Lily’s breasts were firmly taped into the dress. The low cut of the dress required her boobs to be placed perfectly and one slip would probably cost Lily her career. That’s why Lily had Mary, her best friend since they were children and who now worked as her PA. The back of the dress was practically nonexistent and her long auburn waves tickled her with every movement.

Mary quickly batted away one of her dark coily curls that snuck out of its bun before giving Lily a once over.

“You look gorgeous,” she said, smiling. “He’s not going to want to take his eyes off of you.”

Lily gave her a real smile and a quick hug before stepping away to get around the car where Severus was surely waiting. She already had her red carpet smile on and tried not to pay attention to the up and down look Severus was giving her.

Severus reached out his arm to escort Lily, but Lily walked past it. They said they had to arrive together, not actually walk together. Mary let out a snort of laughter as she followed Lily out to the carpet—to walk with Lily but hidden away.

The lights were blinding as Lily walked out on the carpet. Cameras flashing every second, people yelling questions at her. Lily was now a pro at this, after so many years of practice. The screams intensified, signaling Snape was now making his appearance.

Lily moved slowly down the carpet, making sure her smile stayed in place. Towards the end of her walk, Snape did sneak up on her, wrapping an arm around her waist taking extra care to let his fingers drag against her bare skin. She fought to not recoil away from him.

She smiled and laughed though she wanted to push him away.

The entrance to Royal Albert Hall was full of reporters and cameras. Lily never really minded this part of the red carpet because most of the time it was just questions like “who are you wearing?” or the occasional fun game with whatever fledgling media company had weaseled reporters in.

Lily was heading towards the first available reporter, a young woman who was smiling widely as Lily approached. But a familiar head of dark curls caught her eye, and she couldn’t help the way her attention turned immediately that way.

It had been six weeks since her boyfriend of three years had touched her. Six weeks since she had felt the indentation of him next to her in bed, felt his warmth, had him within her fingertips.

And James looked so good, it made Lily want to pull him away and find the nearest secluded spot. The way his tailored suit hugged the angles of his body, the body that she knew like it her own.

She could feel her heart start pounding in her chest, and she hoped the cameras weren’t picking up the way her hands were shaking.

“Lily Evans!” the young reporter cheered. “How are you on this fine evening?”

“I’m doing great,” Lily said, smiling and resisting the urge to look at James.

“So, you arrived with rumored beau and co-star, Severus Snape,” the reporter cheered. “Care to confirm anything?”

Lily fake laughed. “We just carpooled. Better for the environment.”

The girl’s face tightened a bit, but the reporter knew better than to press.

Lily answered her questions with ease. Who was she wearing? Did she feel good about her role as a presenter? What was she going to do after the final season of The Hollow Hour?

Once the interview concluded, she turned to go to the next reporter.

But there was James, looking at her with a slight smile on his lips. His dark brown eyes did a quick once over of her, appraising her every curve quickly. And goddamn, he wore his glasses instead of his contacts, reminding Lily of the quiet moments in her flat where they were tangled together, his glasses pushing into her face. His normal frizzy curls were more defined thanks to whatever hair product his stylist made him use. His brown skin was as flawless as ever, glowing in the camera flashes in the fading day.

It couldn’t have been more than a moment where their eyes met, but it was enough to thoroughly distract Lily to the point of missing the small bump in the carpet. Her shoe caught and the sensation of falling happened before she felt strong arms catch her.

“Are you okay?” James asked as Lily’s world steadied in his arms, the concern in his eyes.

Lily felt her cheeks redden, both from the embarrassment of tripping on the red carpet and the fact that she was in James’s arms. She nodded but when she stepped back, her right shoe gave out.

She moved away from James’s arms, but took his hand, their fingers clasping each other, to keep her balance as she lifted her dress up to see the heel completely snapped off.

“Well, that’s great,” she said with a laugh. James laughed with her. She wobbled for a second and James’s hand grabbed her side to steady her, his fingers making her burn.

Lily couldn’t help but smile softly at him as Mary appeared, getting on her knees in front of Lily, urging her to turn slightly. She let go of James’s hand and used his shoulder to keep her balance as Mary undid the straps on Lily’s shoes. Mary, who was definitely getting a raise after this, took off her own black kitten heels and gave them to Lily.

She was now several inches shorter and her dress dragged a bit on the ground, but it was better than no shoes at all.

“I owe you my life,” Lily told Mary, who smiled in response. Lily didn’t miss the way she gave James a glance and then a teasing smile back to her. She turned back to James. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem,” he replied. “I’ll see you around?”

She wanted to say that she would see him tonight, preferably with no clothes, but she just smiled and nodded in response.

As she let go and James stepped away, the last thing on her mind was the cameras catching every moment.

~~~

To Lily’s detriment, her manager had called Mary to tell Lily that she had to be seen at the after-party with Snape.

Lily tried not to recoil at Severus’s hand on her lower back as he led her to the after-party. The cameras were blinding against the darkness of the night, but Lily let herself be led into the venue, Moody doing his best to push back against the raging crowd.

The venue only had a few selective members of the press inside, but it was little enough that it put all the celebrities at ease. There was no real food, just snacks because seeing your favorite movie star get sloshed would sell magazines and get them trending on Twitter.

Lily’s stomach growled. She couldn’t remember the last full meal she had.

Severus kept a firm hand on her back. She smiled and laughed at the right times as they talked with winners from the night. A live band started and Lily’s ears rang with the loud music. She kept knocking back glasses of champagne because at least the buzz would take the edge off the hungry looks in Severus’s eyes and make her not recoil when he tried to whisper in her ear.

Her saving grace came in the form of Remus Lupin somewhere south of midnight.

She came back from the loo and purposefully walked away from where she knew Severus was waiting. The alcohol was thrumming through her veins, and she felt light. Her shoes—or Mary’s shoes—had been kicked off long ago, and she was stumbling through the crowds of famous people.

Remus stood at the picked-over snack table, probably looking for any scraps of leftover chocolate. He had been Lily’s co-star since day one and her favorite to boot. Severus hated him, mostly because Lily liked him more, but also because he was openly gay and in a long-term relationship with the model, Sirius Black, who Snape also hated.

Remus had been the reason she and James met. She also knew that where Remus was, Sirius wasn’t far, and if Sirius wasn’t far, neither was James.

And she wanted to see James more than anything.

“Boo,” she said, poking Remus’s side. The man jumped, almost dropping his chocolate-covered strawberry.

“Bloody hell, Evans,” he said. Lily laughed, already feeling better. She clumsily picked up a biscuit and took a bite.

“How’s your night been going?” she asked. Remus let out an amused huff.

“Same old, same old,” he said. “You?”

Lily didn’t respond and Remus laughed, knowing exactly how her night had been going. They grabbed a few more snacks and Lily proceeded to follow him, hoping that he would lead her to the person she needed to see.

James was sitting at a table across from Sirius, and Lily’s heart immediately started beating rapidly. His suit jacket and tie were gone, just leaving him in his tight white button-up. The top buttons were undone, hinting at his chest that Lily knew better than the back of her own hand.

The sluggish haze of the alcohol in her system reminded her of when they first met. It had been at The Hollow Hour season one wrap party, and Remus had invited James and Sirius. He had caught her eye from across the room, the curly black hair and glasses were a dangerous combination for Lily, especially with the dark jeans that had hugged his very nice arse. She was so nervous that she had had to take a shot before she walked over to have Remus introduce her.

She had taken him home and when she woke up in the morning, recovering from the best sex she had ever had in her life, she found him making breakfast for her.

He stayed the whole weekend.

Then they texted non-stop and started having dates, sitting in Lily’s apartment with take-away and cheesy movies.

And here they were, three years later, hopelessly in love, and pretending that they weren’t because her stupid television show needed promoting.

It hadn’t been meant to be a secret for so long. In the beginning, they just wanted to figure each other out without all the press breathing down their necks. It’s just how it all happened.

It wasn’t like the important people in their lives didn’t know. Their parents and most trusted friends did. And they already decided that once the whole thing with Snape stopped, they were going to go public because they wanted to move in together and finally go on real dates.

Lily saw the way he perked up when he saw her. A small smile on his lips, his shoulders moving back. There was a moment when Lily could have sworn that there were no other people in the room until someone bumped into her.

She slid into the booth beside him, not caring about how dangerous that was, especially when their legs touched.

“Hey,” he said, his deep voice tugging at her in a way she missed while he was gone.

“Hey,” she replied. She could tear her eyes away from him and she didn’t know if she wanted to, either.

“Bloody hell,” Sirius said, not even jarring the couple. “Get out of here before you start shagging on the table.”

James raised his eyebrows in question, which Lily answered with a smile. He reached down for his pockets.

“I’m texting Moody,” he said.

Anticipation pooled in her stomach and as she grabbed another biscuit to eat because it was something to do, her hands shook. James placed his hands on Lily’s thigh and she couldn’t think of anything else until he leaned over and told her that Moody said it was all clear.

Even in her drunk state, she located her shoes and practically sprinted to the back door where Moody was waiting.

There were a few paparazzi pictures taken as Lily quickly hopped into the back of the SUV and Moody got into the driver’s seat. He handed her her small bag that had her phone in it that Mary had been carrying. She was too excited to even get her phone out as Moody did two laps around the block before pulling right back into the same spot.

The second James jumped in and the door was closed, Lily was on him. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to her, meeting their lips in a deep, but sloppy kiss. Lily kicked her legs up onto his lap and pulled him down as laid down the best she could in the back seat. James laughed a little against her lips, causing Lily to pull away and laugh too.

“Next year, we’re going to this together,” she said, opening her eyes to see him in whatever light that shone in from the windows. She got flashes of his eyes and his wide smile as she sat up, still keeping her legs on her.

“Absolutely,” he replied, pressing a light kiss to her lips. “And we’re going to still traumatize Moody on the way home.”

Said man let out a snort. “No, I’m getting a divider.”

Lily barely remembers the rest of the car ride and getting to her flat. All she remembers is the taste of James’s lips and the feeling of his hands on her.

~~~

The blaring noise of a phone call is what made Lily wake up. She jumped violently, kicking James in the process, who let out a pained groan as Lily disentangled herself from him to be able to reach her nightstand to turn off the god-forsaken ear-splitting sound.

Her hand smacked into the nightstand, but her phone wasn’t there. She realized it must be James’s.

She nudged him and he groaned, but she could feel him move around in the bed. Finally, it stopped and James spoke.

“Hello?” he fell silent. “What are you talking about?”

Lily, who was already falling asleep again, opened her eyes at his tone and suddenly, he was shaking her.

“I’ll call you back Sirius,” James said as Lily sat up.

He hung up the call and threw his phone down on the bed. He tugged at his hair as Lily watched him with wide eyes.

“They know about us,” he said.

“What?” Lily exclaimed, reaching for his phone.

She typed in the passcode and saw the million phone calls from his manager and publicist. She opened Twitter, and right there, trending number one, was a still of James’s arm around her when she broke her shoe.

"Lily Evans, caught in a love triangle."

"Actress Lily Evans and actor James Potter are rumored to have left the BAFTA after-party together despite Evans arriving with Severus Snape."

She clicked on the first article while her stomach soured.

"Lily Evans and Severus Snape have long been rumored to have been dating, but last night’s events have seemingly squashed the rumors for good."

The article went into detail about the rumors between Lily and Severus, before finally getting to last night.

"James Potter, actor, best known in his role on the popular historical drama "Mountainside Valley', was able to catch Evans on the red carpet when her shoe broke. The footage from the cameras that were rolling by the pair has been released.

According to sources, the two are familiar with each other. Lily’s co-star, Remus Lupin is both friends with Potter and is even dating his adoptive brother Sirius Black, so we can speculate that they have met before. Based on the videos, they do seem to be familiar with each other.

What really solidified the relationship between the two actors comes from an unknown source who attended the after-party. 'She sat next to him and then a few minutes later, they left.'

Fans seem to be having a lot of mixed reactions to Evan’s alleged actions.

@snapewife45346 wrote: 'ALL LILY HAS EVER DONE IS HURT HIM. HE NEEDS TO LEAVE HER ASS FOR GOOD!!'

@snnnily394 on Twitter wrote: 'i don’t think it’s true. She would never do that to him.'

@taraisgod wrote: 'They have never said they’re in a relationship, you all are just projecting. Let her be happy!!'

@mountainbaddie wrote: 'Evans UPGRADED'

Lily set down James’s phone, unable to do anything else. She met his eyes and took a deep breath.

Her gut reaction was that it sucked. It sucked that they didn't come out on their own terms. The studio was probably pissed, or maybe they thought the bad press was good press.

But as she looked at James, sitting beside her on his side of the bed, the bed he only rarely got to occupy these days, she realized that maybe it was a blessing.

“We could deny it,” James said, a frown tugging at his lips. “Say that we’re best friends if you think that’s what the studio would want.”

Lily shook her head. “I don’t want you like a best friend. I don’t want to deny myself of you anymore.”

He smiled, soft and sweet. Lily yanked the bedsheets off of herself and crawled over to him, straddling his legs. She was only wearing a pair of knickers and one of his t-shirts. His hands immediately snuck up the shirt and caressed her hips, his thumbs teasing her panties.

“Joint statement?” he asked, as Lily leaned in. She kissed him soundly.

“In a minute,” she said, kissing him again.

[imasimpforshanks]

Hi there!

I hope you're doing great. Ehm... May I requests Law for either the romantic or the Angst alphabet? I just can't decide that and would like you to choose from it.

I'm really looking forward to your work. Other than that have a nice day/eve. ♡

Fluff Alphabet - Trafalgar Law

a/n: hi there!!! thank you for requesting and for your kind words 💓 I chose the fluff alphabet because our man has suffered enough and I couldn’t handle writing out angst for him 🙃 ANWAYSSSS pls enjoy x

A-Activities (what do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?)

During the little free time he has, Law loves to spend it with you doing anything lowkey. He’s usually pretty exhausted from everything going on, so taking some time to wind down and read a good book with you tucked him next to him reading you’re a book of your own is his ideal way to spend time with you.

That being said, if you are a person who prefers to do something active, Law won’t say no to that (so long as it’s not Luffy level active).

B-Beauty (what do they admire about their s/o? what do they think is beautiful about them?)

Law admires your way of thinking. You always seem to bring a fresh, unique perspective and now he can’t help but ask for your input on everything. This is also what he finds the most beautiful about you. He’s never been one to care that much about what is on the outside. To Law, it’s what is on the inside that counts (who knew law was so cliché;)). Your mind and the way it works is a wonder to behold and Law counts himself very lucky that he is the one that gets to see you in action the most.

C-Comfort (how would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?)

Law takes a very pragmatic approach when it comes to comforting his s/o. He’s a doctor, so its only natural for him to think in this way. He asks you directly what’s wrong and how he could help – it’s the most logical thing to do and the quickest way to ensure you are feeling comforted.

D-Dreams (how do they picture the future with their s/o?)

In the future Law wants to live a simple, quiet life with you. Somewhere secluded and far away from all the noise and chaos of the world. You’ll live in a nice house (nothing too fancy), with a child or two running around acting out their parents’ infamous pirate adventures.

E-Equal (are they the dominant one in the relationship or rather passive?)

He tends to take the more dominant role in the relationship. For the sake of your safety and his sanity, he prefers to be the one to take charge with you following his lead. But, he does still value your input in almost all decisions.

F-Fight (would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?)

Your fights tend to be pretty short lived resulting in forgiveness and apologies from both sides relatively quickly. He really doesn’t like to stay mad at you for too long – he’d much rather have you two on the same page.

Most fights are caused by stress and concerns of health and safety, so Law does a lot of eye rolling and using his title as a ‘doctor’ as justification that he knows what he’s doing so you just need to chill – but like I said these fights are very short lived.

G-Gratitude (how grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?)

Before he met you, Law’s life was very dull. Yes, he has his fair share of adventures and fun with his crew, but there was something missing from his life. But then you came along, bringing a little more colour into his life. Instead of being exhausted and tense from dealing with everything alone, you forced your way in and pried him open, allowing him to share his burdens. For that, Law is eternally grateful.

H-Honesty (do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?)

Initially, Law tried to hide quite a lot. He was very selective about the information he shared with you. It’s not that he didn’t trust you, he just struggled to share things with others – his past has made him very closed off. But, before he knew it you managed to weasel your way in, and soon he found himself confiding in you about everything. The only time he ever keeps a secret is if knowing it will jeopardize your safety.

I-Inspiration (did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?)

I touched on this a little bit before, but you were able to teach Law the relief and comfort that comes with trusting and relying on others. Because of you, he was able to learn that its important to not deal with everything on your own.

J-Jealousy (do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?).

It’s not often that Law gets jealous. It’s an ugly emotion, plus he feels no need to be jealous since he trust you with his whole heart. However, if he was to get jealous, he is definitely the quiet jealous type. His fists clench a little tighter, his frown deepens ever so slightly, and he just doesn’t speak. He doesn’t ignore you though, rather he chooses to curt replies until he eventually gets over it or if it’s really bothering him he may bring it up with you.

K-Kisses (are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?).

He is a very inexperienced kisser, not having (or wanting) many romantic relationships in his past. Even so, he’s surprisingly not horrible (but not great either) at kissing. Maybe it has something to do with his deep knowledge and understanding of the way the human body works. Unfortunately, during your first kiss he tried to rely a little too much on his ‘knowledge’ rather than melting in to it. It wasn’t a horrible first kiss, it just felt a little stiff. The desire was there, but it was as if he were afraid to give in to the emotions he was feeling and reading your signals. However, after a little communication and guidance he’s now an expert.

L-Love confession (how would they confess to their s/o?)

It was in the heat of the moment after you had done something completely and utterly stupid, that almost cost you your life. He wasn’t intending on doing it right then and there, in fact he actually had a whole plan of how and when he was going to tell you how he felt. But seeing you lying in the infirmary after having to operate on you was more than he could handle and before he knew it the words just slipped out.

M-Marriage (do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?)

Marriage is indeed something Law wants. You wouldn’t expect it but after you two officially got together, it wasn’t more than a month before Law started thinking about marriage. He knows now isn’t the time for marriage, but it’s definitely in his plans for the next few years or so.

His proposal is going to be low key. The two of you would have to be alone with no other people around – maybe while you two are lying in bed one night, he just pops the question. And as with the proposal, your wedding would also be low key. No big party or ceremony, just you two and the people closest to you (bepo definitely officiates).

N-Nicknames (what do they call their s/o?)

‘Babe’ or your name are his usual choices for when you are around other people. But occasionally when he’s on the verge of falling asleep he’ll let out a yawn followed by a sleepy “babyyyy”.

O-On cloud nine (what are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?)

When Law is in love he tends to keep his cool and collected façade. But on the inside he’s a babbling, nervous mess. He doesn’t do anything particularly out of the ordinary other than making a bit more of an attempt at conversing with you. He loves hearing you talk and rambling on about things you’re passionate about so he does try to find any excuse to talk to you.

P-PDA (are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?)

PDA is something Law isn’t the biggest fan of. He’ll stand next to you and be in close proximity while sharing a few glances, but other than that he won’t engage in PDA. Law considers that sort of thing to be private and intimate so he likes to keep it between the two of you. Occasionally, if you are feeling a little extra needy he may give in to a quick hug or forehead kiss.

Q-Quirk (some random ability they have that is beneficial in a relationship?)

It may not come as that much of a surprise but, Law can make one hell of a cup of coffee (actually any hot drink really). His perfect brew definitely comes in handy.

R-Romance (how romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?)

Oh boy, he is way more romantic than anyone would ever realize. He loves doing little things for you just to see that sweet smile on your face. It makes his heart swell with happiness.

S-Support (are they helping their s/o achieve their goals do they believe in them?)

Rather than being the consistently positive support, Law provides you with constructive criticism and things that can actively help you achieve your goals. He’s a realist, so doesn’t think only saying “you can do it” or “it’s only a minor setback” is the way to go. He still says those things because they are true – Law honestly believes you can do whatever you set your mind to, however, constructive criticism is needed in addition to this.

The key take away here is: YES. Law believes you can achieve all your hopes and dreams.

T-Thrill (do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship or do they prefer certain routine?)

Law needs routine, especially in your relationship. You have continued doing the same things in your relationship since you first got together because it works. Why would he want to change what works? It’s safe, it’s familiar, and it’s comfortable.

That being said, he’s not opposed to the idea of spicing things up. If you ever felt like trying something new (or even if he starts to feel bored about something), he would be open to the idea. Who knows, maybe the new thing you try could even become a part of your routine.

U-Understanding (how good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?)

It’s no surprise that he is very adept at reading people, he’s on to it and has exceptional observation skills. He uses these skills with you as well.

He knows what it’s like to be consumed by emotions (in fact he knows that too well), and while with most, he’s the type to keep his emotions hidden, when it comes to you he shares his emotions to help you realize that he also knows how it feels and that you are not alone.

V-Value (how important is the relationship to them? What is its worth in comparison to other things in their life?).

Your relationship is a top priority in his life. He’s lost everyone he ever cares about (other than his crew) and there is no way he is going to lose you too. The only thing that may potentially rival your relationship is his goal of taking revenge on Doflamingo.

W-Wild card (a random fluff headcanon?)

There’s nothing he loves more than you running your hands through his hair while his head is on your chest or stomach. He automatically leans into your hand every time. He feels the safest in this position.

X-XOXO (Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?)

Like I said before, he is affectionate but it’s mainly when the two of you are alone. Those displays of affection are for the two of you and no one else. But, when the two of you are alone he absolutely loves cuddles (especially lying with his head on your lap or chest).

Y- Yearning (how will they cope when they are missing their partner?)

He gets stressed when you’re not around for more than one reason. Firstly, you can’t help to calm him down and force him to take a breather. Secondly, he’s constantly worried about your safety and wellbeing.

Honestly, the only way he copes with it is by stressing (I know it’s not coping at all but I mean that’s Law for you LMAO).

Z-Zeal (are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind?)

Law would put his life on the line for your relationship. He doesn’t want to lose someone he cares about – not again. He can’t handle that sort of pain, so if it was required of him, he would gladly give his life.

[plus-size-reader]

Allies

Matt Murdock x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 2075 words

Warnings: none 

Summary: Wilson Fisk’s daughter learns something very interesting about her past, something that leads her right to Matt Murdock’s doorstep

——————————————————————————————————

You wanted him dead.

Never in your life had you wanted your father dead, not as incredible as he’d always been to you, but that had all changed recently.

Wilson Fisk, the most wonderful father in the world, had always done everything he could for you. There was nothing you wanted that you hadn’t gotten, in all your life.

As far as the material things life had to offer, you always had everything you wanted, but there was one thing that you couldn’t forget. There was one thing that you wanted more than anything that he couldn’t give to you.

...and that same thing, was the one thing he’d taken from you, it seemed.

Your mother, an angel walking among the monsters of this planet, had died when you were fourteen years old. She was in an accident, laid up in the hospital for a week, and then died in the middle of the night.

Ever since then, all you wanted was her. You wanted to hear her voice again, to hug her again, but that wasn’t a luxury you had. No one did, no matter how much they wanted it.

That was what your dad told you, whenever you asked about her. He said that he wanted the same, that he missed her dearly, but you were beginning to think that was all a lie.

You heard him talking about her, to Wesley, the biggest weasel of all time. He talked about how the events unfolded, how he tried to fake an accident, and how she wasn’t supposed to survive.

He talked about having to find a way to ‘put her down’ from the hospital, while she slept in that bed. That was how he phrased it, like putting down a rabid dog.

It was nearly enough to make you sick.

You weren’t supposed to hear it, supposed to ever learn the truth, but that didn’t change the fact that you did. From the moment those words left his lips, you could hardly look at him.

However, there was a sort of beauty in the way you found out. You were able to find out without having to figure out the hard way, and no one knew that you knew.

It was all you’d been waiting for.

For some reason, as soon as you knew the truth, it was as if you were seeing the world with fresh eyes. Everything your father had ever told you, especially about your mother, was a lie. It forced you to call into question everything you knew about the world around you.

There was just no way around it.

Perhaps what you did next was foolish, some kind of pathetic rebellion against the only family you had left. Though, at the moment, you didn’t care about that.

All you cared about was getting back at the man you thought you loved for what he’d done. From this second on, Wilson Fisk might as well have been a complete stranger.

He certainly wasn’t the man who raised you, and he never would be again.

He was a murderer, and naturally, that led to the only man in Hell’s Kitchen who could help you figure out what your next step would be. They called him the Devil, but the way you were feeling, you may have made a deal with the actual devil.

Your mother was murdered, taken from you for no reason other than your father’s greed and selfish rage. That wasn’t enough for you, it was never going to be enough.

He could die for all you cared, it didn’t matter.

You had been loyal to your father, your only family, for far too long but without that bond, you didn’t have any reason to care what happened to him. Without that, he was just another criminal who needed to be brought down.

...And you knew just the man for the job.

The first time you saw him in person was at Vanessa’s art house, carrying a white cane that you were sure served him no purpose.

You had only ever seen pictures before, of Matt Murdock, but you’d been watching countless hours of footage of that man in the mask, of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, and you could have spotted him anywhere.

It was a shot in the dark, something you could have been wrong about, but you didn’t think so. You didn’t have much of a choice, in the state you were in, and you were desperate.

You needed to see someone, anyone, that wasn’t directly in the pocket of your father and his men. As best you could tell, this masked man was one of the only people in the world who wasn’t.

This was all you could do.

Casually, you made your way over to him, a soft smile on your face. You knew that he couldn't’ see you but this wasn’t about making a good impression on him. This was about making everyone else believe that you were what they thought. As long as you were daddy’s little girl, the apple of his eye, there would be no reason for your father to question what you were doing. For right now, that was the best you could do.

“Looking for someone?” you asked, a soft smile on his face. You weren’t entirely sure what you wanted to say, how to proceed, but you knew that you had to try.

After all, he was your only hope. It wasn’t like there were a million other people waiting around to help you find justice for your mother.  

“Oh hello, I’m Matt Murdock” he smiled, doing his best to come off as unassuming and nonthreatening. You were hanging on his every word, waiting for a chance to say what you wanted to say, but you didn’t have to.

Frankly, he knew who you were, and assumed that you had nothing of value to say to him. Though, he was only partially right.

When you opened your mouth to speak again, you said something about your favorite painting on the far side of the gallery but what he was focused more on was the piece of paper you slipped into his hand.

You gave no indication of what you wanted on your face, but your heart was hammering against your ribcage, indicating that whatever it was made you pretty nervous.

Whatever it was, it was dangerous.

“My father is here, Mr.Murdock. If you’ll excuse me” you allowed, moving slowly away from the man over to where your father and his men had just started toward the doors.

You knew that your plan was foolproof, at least for now, but that did little to ease your paranoia. Everything had to go perfectly, or you weren’t sure what would happen.

Nothing guaranteed your safety, especially not now that you knew just how far your father was willing to go to get what he wanted.

You had to be careful, more careful now than ever before.

“Of course” he hummed, sticking the tiny slip of paper in his pant pocket, hiding it away from any prying eyes. Whatever it was you needed, it would be a lie to say that he wasn’t a tad bit curious.

Having you as a contact would certainly put him a bit closer to Fisk than anything else would. If nothing else, it would be an interesting development in this whole thing.

It wasn’t like you could lie to him, after all.

~

The slip of paper you’d handed Matt was embossed with braille, something that shouldn’t have impressed him as much as he did. You had the resources to figure out something like that, and you certainly were smart enough.

More than anything though, you decided that it would be the most private option you’d have for a private conversation with Matt. Most people wouldn’t be able to understand the meaning of each tiny, punched dot.

It only enforced the idea that only the two of you could understand what it meant. He had to admit, it was a bit eccentric, but much better than if you just handed him a written note.

That would do very little for either of you.

Even more interesting than that, however, was the context of your note. What you wanted from him wasn’t even outlined, nor was any sort of contact information.

All that was there was a single thing, in the center of the sheet, a time.

It hardly meant anything to him in the moment, standing there on the corner of the street, feeling over the raised ridges of each number. It wasn’t possible he’d read it wrong, or that he’d misunderstood.

All you’d included was a time, ten o’clock, to be exact.

It didn’t make any sense, and it wouldn’t until, of course, ten o’clock that evening, when you knocked on the front door of his apartment. It was out of the blue, and more or less a total intrusion, but you didn’t care.

You didn’t have the luxury of caring.

In a perfect world, you wouldn’t have had to partake in something so strange, and so late in the evening, but this was the best you could do. With what he recently happened to Vanessa, and all the enemies your father had, he didn’t let you out of his sight.

You’d had to sneak out away from his men as it was, and you had no idea how long you’d be able to be out before they tracked you down and dragged you back home again.

For such a nice place, the palace your father had built was beginning to feel like a prison.

“Good afternoon, Mr.Murdock. I apologize for coming on such short notice” you tried, doing your best to keep your wits about you, in such a strange time.

You liked to think that you were the smartest person in every room, like you were three steps ahead of everyone, but that wasn’t necessarily the case in a place like this.

Matt Murdock could easily get the best of you if he tried.

“What do you want? It’s a little unusual isn’t it? You coming here, alone” he clarified, noting how in the past, you were always accompanied by at least one armed man.

It didn’t seem right to have you here, all alone, without any explanation of why you were here.

“I didn’t have a choice, did I? My father’s men would have your head on a stick if they knew I was here” you sighed, only moving again when Matt stepped back, a clear sign that he wanted you to come in.

You had a point, as strange as it was.

If anyone saw you here, there was no telling what kind of trouble it would cause. It was bad enough that men were trying to kill him constantly when he left his home, but if they knew who he was, it would be so much worse.

...And the last thing you wanted was to ruin his life. After all, you needed his help.

“I’ll make this quick Mr.Murdock, I came to propose something to you” you started, hoping to get this over with as quickly as possible. He could either help you or not, and it wouldn’t take long for him to decide.

Every minute you were here, you put both of your lives in danger, more than they already were.

“It has recently come to my attention that my father butchered my mother, something I cannot let stand. I would like to help you, in your plan to bring him down”

It was a pretty good sell, as far as you were concerned. No one in their right mind would turn it down, and unfortunately, Matt agreed.

While being allies wasn’t something he was excited about, or looking forward to, in any way, it did make sense. You would have an insight into what your father was doing that he couldn’t hope to have without cracking some skulls.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the best option he had at the moment, and there was no way he’d turn it down. Clearly, you must have been sort of desperate to come to him.

It didn’t hurt that your heartbeat had maintained its steady rhythm the entire time you’d been talking, something he took to mean you weren’t intending to lie.

Whatever your father had done, it seemed obvious that there was no going back from it.

[brittanyslibrary]

Liar ✦ Shota Aizawa

part two

Summary: she had a choice to make; allow hundreds of innocent people to die by the hands of an elite gang of powerful villains, or partake in a mission that involved faking her death and infiltrating said gang to save the lives of those innocent people.

she chose the latter; hoping that Shota Aizawa would understand.

He’d noticed her attempting to put distance between them, he should have known then what was about to transpire. Aizawa always prided himself on being a very observant man, always able to predict the actions of others.

He never could have predicted seeing her face plastered on every news outlet, newscasters calling it a “sad but honorable death”.

He didn’t care that she died with honor, he didn’t care that she would go down as one of the most selfless heroes in history.

The love of his life was gone, her soul that had once been a lingering flame in the darkness of his own now snuffed out, turning him into ash. Into nothing.

There was no sound when he fell to his knees in the faculty room during the lunch break. He couldn’t feel Hizashi’s hands gripping his shirt as his tired eyes were pried wide open and taking in the scene of steaming rubble before him.

His stomach had twisted uncomfortably as he desperately tried to regain his breath, but the way his chest burned and filled his entire being with utter agony was too much to ignore.

He’d broken bones before, gotten his skull crushed and had enemies nearly gouge out his eyes. None of that pain came close to this, it didn’t even touch this.

He fell into a hole. Hizashi might have been the only one to understand exactly what he was going through. It was a repeat of when they’d lost their close friend, years ago when they had been U.A alumni themselves.

“Why wasn’t I there to protect her?” Shota had asked him one night, after Hizashi had picked him up from the sidewalk outside of a crowded bar, wasted and tired and utterly broken.

She had meant so much to him, even though he wasn’t one to voice his emotions, his concerns. Hizashi could see how he doted on her, the little classroom aide who climbed the pro charts and stole the hearts of everyone she met.

She was kind, that’s what he remembered about her the most. Always offering a hand, and that’s how her and Shota had began to see each other more often.

She hated seeing him so exhausted, so she took on the grading while he took on his parols at night.

It was only two weeks after they’d begun that routine that Hizashi had weaseled out of him the crush he harbored on his assistant.

After a few bumps and misunderstandings due to her obliviousness and Shota’s failure to properly communicate, they had finally decided to give a relationship a try.

Hizashi had never seen Shota as happy as he was in that long year and a half that they were together.

“How could you have known? She was on her way to school and someone cried for help. She was doing her job, and she would have hated it if you were even able to step in” he attempted to reason with his friend, now sitting on the plush couch in his living room.

The water Hizashi had poured him shook in Shota’s trembling grasp. God, he just missed her.

He missed the way she would laugh at his deadpan expressions, or hug him from behind whenever he made them coffee in the morning, or how she kissed him so softly, as if she didn’t want to break him.

But in the end, she did break him.

Hizashi knew this, as he cradled his drunk friend in his arms while he openly sobbed. Never did he think he would see the ever stoic Eraserhead this way.

But grief had a funny way of twisting people until they snapped.

The funeral was almost as devastating as the incident itself. She had no family left, and whatever friends she had before she moved to Japan couldn’t make the trip.

But her fans, and all the staff and students at U.A, felt the profound impact her death had on their beloved home room teacher when he was forced to cut his speech short and escort himself to the bathroom, where he dry heaved into one of the toilets since there was nothing in his stomach for him to throw up.

The school was quiet, especially classroom 1-A. Where you would normally hear Bakugou’s screaming, Midoriya’s rambling and Iida’s attempts to calm the excited chatter of the students, now only the quiet drone of the pre-recorded training videos could be heard.

Mr. Aizawa didn’t return to class for two straight weeks. When he did, he seemed to be the same hard ass, stony expressioned teacher they’d always had.

Those close to him could see it, though. The facade crumbling slowly, slowly until whatever was left of him would crumble with it.

For three months he had been trapped in a sort of haze. He moved through the motions of life, but he was not living. He felt like he was just another corpse that he was too slow to save.

Until one afternoon, a Saturday where he’d normally spend it holed up with her until their paroles would take them out into the fresh air, that the newscaster’s uttered her name again.

But it was no memorial, no way of paying respects. They were astonished.

So was Shota, dropping his can of beer at the scene unfolding in front of the camera.

“Six of Japan’s most lethal thugs almost got away with the bombs they had set up under Mustafu’s sewer system today, which would have brought the entirety of the city down on the citizens and killed hundreds. But, but somehow...somehow our beloved hero has risen from the dead and stopped them. If you can’t recognize her under the rugged disguise she’s wearing, that’s pro hero Electra Heart!”

There were paramedics on either side of her, helping her through the crowd. She looked so different, hair cropped short and an eyepatch slung over her right eye. Her skin was ashen thanks to the debris that must have fallen on her during whatever fight broke out when she apprehended those responsible for this, and she was a lot bulkier under the layers of clothing and armor she wore.

“Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi is taking questions at this time. Let’s pan over to the press and see what they’ve got for us”

The stiff man seemed so proud of himself as he recalled the events that led to the capture of these villains. How, pro hero Electra Heart, faked her own death to go deep undercover and infiltrate this gang, how her sacrifice had saved so many lives and effectively taken down an entire gang of villains that had operated underground until now.

They screamed questions at her as she was loaded up into the ambulance, but she refused every single one, opting to stare vacantly forward.

Then, his phone rang, and he had to tear his eyes away from the screen.

“She’s at S City Hospital, let’s go see your girl. She looks pretty beat up” Hizashi’s voice sounded grave despite the giddiness he attempted to lace it with.

There were so many emotions that he had felt in those moments. Relief, sadness, joy, anger.

That anger was the easiest to handle, as it was like an anchor of safety he could latch onto.

So, he hung up the phone, and continued to stare blankly at the television screen....

[harrypotter-imaginess]

A/N: Expect a part 2 soon!

Also if you’re interested in letter commission they’re open here!

* You’re probably in his house, a few years younger than him.

* He noticed you as this painfully shy thing, and didn’t really think much about you

* Just another shy kid, you would find your friends and be on your way in no time

* Still he can’t help but notice you

* Always quietly trailing behind the others on the way to class

* Maybe you’re just nervous? He heard you were muggle born

* So imagine when Cedric see’s you cheering the loudest on the quidditch stands for your house team.

* A massive grin on your face as he catches the snitch

* “Well that’s kinda cute”

* He always see’s you with your nose in a textbook, a slight crease between your eyebrows

* He wonders if he should go over and help

* “No, best to leave them to it” he tells himself

* You don’t talk much during meals, not unless you’re spoken to first

* And yet, you’re a friend to everyone

* Need some parchment? You’re already cutting yours in half. Dropped your ink? Here, they can have one of yours. Forgot your book? Don’t worry we can share!

* You’re so...

* Kind

* Your kindness radiates off of you like the heat of a summer day

* And before he knows it, Cedric is always looking for you.

* He knows all your favorite places, your favorite nook in the library to read, your spot at the hufflepuff table, the place in the back of the stands where you cheer for him.

* He’s only just worked up the nerve to talk to you, you’re in your favorite spot in the library when George Weasley beats him to it

* “Hey (Y/N), working on Snape’s assignment?”

* “Yeah, I’m really stumped on this part of the potion though.”

* “Oh, I remember that, the trick is in how you stir it. I know because Fred and I blew the thing up.”

* He hears you laugh

* Looks like he’s not the only one who’s noticed your kindness

* His face feels hot as he takes another glance back at the table

* You’re laughing at something George is saying, and George is grinning as he watches you

* And Cedric feels his heart squeeze a bit

* He’s never seen you laugh like that before, so open and free

* Well, he won’t ruin your fun, and he spins on his heal back to his friends

* “When did they even become friends” he mumbles to himself

* “What’s wrong?” George asks, but your eyes stay fixed on the golden boy who’s laughing at something his friend had said

* For a second- when you saw him coming this way- you hoped...

* “Nothing, do you remember this potion too?”

* After a month of hanging out with Fred and George your public profile is through the roof.

* Before you were practically invisible, but now everyone knows who you are.

* “They’re pretty cute aren’t they?” One of his friends says, gesturing to where you’re sitting with George and Fred in the courtyard

* Cedric sighs, he had started to think of you as his little secret

* But now everyone knows

* “Yeah they are.”

* He wants to approach you, he really does. But he feels awkward about it now

* He doesn’t want you to think he’s only talking to you now that you’re popular

* He’s wondering what the most organic way to approach you would be when you show up on the quidditch pitch for try outs

* All in your quidditch gear, strapping in your helmet

* Now nothing would delight Cedric more than to give you a spot on the team.

* You’re a hard worker and he knows that

* But he just doesn’t think you have what it takes to play

* So imagine his surprise when you execute all the drills perfectly, and your team even wins during the try outs

* He watches your team swarm around you, burying you in head pats and hugs, the smile on your face is absolutely bewitching

* “Looks like we found our keeper, huh?” Heidi Macavoy says, and Cedric only grins

* “I think we did.”

* Cedric makes sure he’s the one who personally tells you that you made the team

* “I’ve got some bad news-“ he’s teasing, and he almost feels bad when he see’s your face fall

* “Oh my god I didn’t make it did I?” Your face falls into your hands.

* You didn’t make it and they sent the golden boy, Cedric Diggory, himself as some sort of consolation prize

* “The bad news is...you’re going to have to start waking up pretty early on Saturdays to be at practice on time”

* Wait what?

* You slowly lift your head to see a bright yellow quidditch robe in your size

* The smile you have on your face is worth it.

* He’s thinking that smile is prize enough, so when you wrap your arms around his shoulders and squeeze him into a hug he stumbles back

* His arms hover for a second, before softly eating on your back

* “Thank you for the opportunity you won’t regret it!”

* You look at him with such wide shining eyes he can’t help but chuckle

* He pats your head

* “I’ll hold you to that”

* You don’t give him a chance to regret getting you on the team, let alone any of the others

* Always early to practice, always hanging back even when everyone’s left just to get a few minutes in.

* You’re a hard worker, he already knew that, but now it looks like everyone else is starting to know too

* “That (L/N)’s a real hard worker aren’t they?” Maxine asks casually as they’re walking to class

* Malcolm nods from beside her

* “Aye, I went out a few nights ago because I couldn’t sleep, thought might as well go for a run, they were on the pitch with the Weasley boys practicing blocking”

* Cedric sighs, another thing he’s going to have to learn to share

* “Yeah, they’re a really hard worker, kind too.”

* Malcom carries on with the conversation but Maxine doesn’t miss the glint in Cedric’s eye

* Ah, so he’s fond of you is he

* That’s a little weird considering Cedric could have a Veela girl, or literally a super model

* But he’s got a crush on you

* Shy, awkward, hard working, kind - you

* Well she gets it, she’s got a soft spot for you too

* Cedric sighs frustrated as he walks to his class

* He’s been playing quidditch with you for an entire term now

* But the two of you haven’t got any closer

* Maybe this is just the best he can hope for, a casual aquantince - it’s better than what he had before

* He shouldn’t be greedy

* But then the Draco Incident happens

* He’s not exactly sure what happened- he has not a single doubt that Draco I Instigated it somehow-

* But by the time he gets to the scene, his prefect badge glimmering

* “What’s going on here?”

* “The mud blood was about to attack me!” Draco snarls

* Cedric flinches at the word, in all 15 years of life Cedric’s never actually heard someone use that word

* But you don’t move an inch, your eyes narrowing into a glare

* “That’s rich coming from the weasel faced-inbred-derelict that was just threatening me” You snarl back

* Cedric has to cover his laugh with a cough

* He manages to get you out of the situation with only ten points taken from your house

* Little enough that no one in your house would hold a grudge against you, but size able enough so that no teacher would say he was playing favorites.

* “A weasel faced derelict” he whispers to himself

* Grinning as he watches the Weasley boys pull you into their fold

* Asking you what happened only for you to shake your head-

* He wants to know what happened too but

* His grin grows even wider

* Right now he’s just happy to have seen a side of you he didn’t know about before

* “So brave and kind”

* The total package

* Looks like he finally has something to talk to you about

[youngreckless]

Drarry Eighth Year Fic Recs ✨🌈

note: all of these are hogwarts eighth year drarry fics!

The Fifth Floor at Midnight by hopelocklet

(1.8k, General)

When Harry is watching the Marauder's Map late at night, he sees Malfoy's name in a part of Hogwarts he doesn't recognize. It's on the fifth floor, the Fine Arts floor. Now Harry is practically desperate to find out what in Merlin's name Malfoy is doing on the fifth floor - alone - at midnight.

Oh You Pretty Things by JulietsEmoPhase

(1.8k, Mature)

Draco and Harry have a drunken heart to heart listening to David Bowie.

In Need of a Proper Hug by Faith Wood (faithwood)

(2k, Mature)

Draco rescues a poor, poor koala, which won't stop hugging him.

Moonlit Revelations by JulietsEmoPhase

(4.2k, Teen & up)

When Harry returns for his Eighth Year at Hogwarts, he quickly suspects Draco Malfoy is up to something again.

Operation: S.M.W.L.N.T.E.T.H.S.P by XxTheDarkLordxX

(8.1k, Teen & up)

Typically, notes from admirers would bring smiles to one's face or even lift their mood. It might make their day or even their week. It was a sign of a romantic at heart and even considered sweet.

However, Draco Malfoy doesn't do sweet. If he got one more note saying he looked radiant or beautiful, he was going to kill someone. Literally. His secret admirer better stay a secret before he cursed them into oblivion... right after he figured out how to stop blushing.

The Mysteriously Appearing Mistletoe by MystyVander

(9.6k, Explicit)

The mysteriously appearing, vindictive and mischievous mistletoe is forcing everybody in Hogwarts to kiss whomever it lands above. Nobody can figure out how to rid the school of the informally named 'M'am' but eventually the particular mistletoe falls on top of the heads of the schools old rivals, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. What happens next is anybody's guess!

In the Interest of Interhouse Cooperation by firethesound

(11k, Explicit)

Organizing a Duelling Club was supposed to be a fun extracurricular activity for Harry’s 8th year. But add in Draco Malfoy and a malfunctioning Room of Requirement, and things can’t help but get complicated.

The Difference Between a Cat and a Comma, Or, The One Where McGonagall Has Sass by shilo1364

(18k, Teen & up)

Eighth year at Hogwarts is going to be boring. That's what Draco Malfoy thinks when the Wizengamot makes attendance a condition of his pardon. After all, after letting Death Eaters into the school, failing to kill his headmaster, and being forced to serve a homicidal madman, how could finishing up his education *possibly* be interesting?

Answer: a coveted Transfigurations advanced study position, Minerva Mcgonagall's surprising fondness for him, Thestrals, tea with Hagrid, tutoring Harry Potter, Granger and Weasley's excessive PDA, and the perplexing nature of sleight-of-hand double-dates with Harry, Luna, and Ginny. And then, of course, there's righteously indignant (if misinformed) Weasley, Draco's own insecurities and flair for dramatics, and a long-suffering Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Don’t mind if I keep your tie (And your heart, babe) by Ingi

(21k, General)

The Eighth year common room has a parrot in it, courtesy of McGonagall and her mad search for interhouse bonding.

Most of the time, it's just there, until one day it repeats "Potter has a damn fine arse." And the Slytherins know exactly who the parrot's mimicking...

Draco is not amused.

An Issue of Consequence by Faith Wood (faithwood)

(21k, Explicit)

Draco has woken up in an alternate universe. Or he has woken up utterly insane. Nothing else can possibly explain why Harry Potter suddenly seems to think he's Draco's boyfriend.

Harmonised Consciousness by Talizora

(24k, Explicit)

"Potter's spell is still active, but I can shield my thoughts from him. I've been stirring him up all afternoon! It's hysterical!"

Blaise gasped, "It's still active! But it's… Dinner time!"

"Yes, so?"

"S-so? That spell is supposed to cancel itself after an hour! It's been, almost four hours!"

Draco shrugged, "I'm not worried. It's probably due to Potters magic. I'm sure it'll time-out eventually."

Blaise frowned, "Draco I don't think this is a good idea. Maybe you should end the spell?"

"No way! Blaise! I can hear everything! Before, in Runes, Potter was ranting about how he wanted to kill Weasel and Trelawney! He's all over the place! I had no idea he had such homicidal tendencies!" Draco giggled.

One of Blaise's eyebrows rose, "…Draco? Did you just giggle?"

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

A Dented Old Street Sign by orphanghost

(27k, Mature)

Draco knows they aren't the only students who will be completing their NEWTs this year, but they are the only ones whose home fireplaces were disconnected from the floo network by the ministry.

At least, Draco assumes as much until he sees the light falling out from the front door of one of the other rickety old houses in front of them and the three figures cast in its warm glow. For a moment they look like some sort of strange, many legged creature. An acromantula, or a particularly massive Blast-Ended Skrewt. Then Draco hears Pansy make a disgusted sound beside him and the light falls in a less blinding way, and Draco can see that it is actually Potter and the Weasel carrying a large couch between them, and Granger fluttering around them with her wand out, seeming concerned.

Draco Malfoy and the Year He Kept Getting Hexed by iamaghost

(43k, Explicit)

Draco is just trying to get through his eighth year at Hogwarts without getting hexed. Again.

The Standard You Walk Past by bafflinghaze

(46k, Mature)

On returning to Hogwarts for their Eighth Year, Headmistress McGonagall decided to room Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter together. She may have hoped for a leading example of house unity; the other students fully expected insults and fights. But nothing happened.

That was, until Harry sleepwalked into Draco’s bed.

Right Hand Red by lq_traintracks (lumosed_quill)

(73k, Explicit)

Harry felt Malfoy's breath on his lips as they came together over the bottle, hands firmly planted on the floor as though they each needed their familiar soil, refusing to cross into enemy territory.

Except that Malfoy no longer felt like his enemy.

Malfoy felt inevitable.

Azoth by zeitgeistic

(88k, Explicit)

Now that Harry is back at Hogwarts with Hermione for eighth year, he realises that something’s missing from his life, and it either has to do with Ron, his boggart, Snape, or Malfoy. Furthermore, what, exactly, does it mean when one’s life is defined by the desire to simultaneously impress and annoy a portrait? Harry has no idea; he’s too busy trying not to be in love with Malfoy to care.

Things Worth Knowing by Femme (femmequixotic), noeon (noe)

(164k, Explicit)

After the Battle, Harry thinks he's left Hogwarts for good, but Minerva insists that all students return for an Eighth Year if they wish to sit for NEWTs in the spring, and Harry needs those NEWTs to go into the Aurors. Draco's just grateful not to be in Azkaban. Or the Manor. He's hoping he can steer clear of Potter this year and grapple with his own problems. Unfortunately for him, Potter appears to be one of those problems. And that's not even addressing the fact that Potter's got serious issues of his own, which Draco realises as he's forced to share an Eighth Year dormitory room and several classes with the Gryffindor Git. If only they can make it through the year without killing each other, it should be all right, shouldn't it?

[semisgroupie]

Blame It On the Rain

Pairing: Dabi X F! Reader (mentions of Hawks X F!Reader)

Genre: Angst

Warnings: mainly just language

Word Count: 1.8k

A/N: This fic is based on the song Blame It On the Rain by Milli Vanilli I recommend listening to it to get a general feel of what I’ve written for this and yeah. The flashback parts are bolded and italicized. Enjoy!

“Why are you so upset? I’ve never seen you like this over a girl before” Dabi looks up to the voice and sees Shigaraki looking down at him. “What the fuck are you talking about? I’m not upset” he looks back down at his glass swishing around the liquid inside refusing to continue to make eye contact with Shigaraki.

“Look if you’re still upset over Y/N you should just go and apologize to her. I mean what you did was pretty fucked” Dabi feels the flames going through his veins and that absurd comment. “Apologize to her? Fuck that” he clenches the glass hard but not hard enough to break it.

“Yeah you should. You were with her for a year then one day out of the blue you dropped her like a hot plate and ditched her like she was some type of clingy hookup” that was the final straw and all anyone could hear was glass breaking. “Look Tomura, if I wanted your fucking opinion I would’ve asked you. I don’t give a shit how I seemed, I did what was best”

“Best for who? For you and your shit pride? So what if she made you a little soft but whatever it’s over so I’m done with giving my opinion” Dabi gets up from his seat and walks to his room with a low grunt and slams the door. He grabs his phone from his pocket and sees a notification from some social media wannabe news source.

He opens it up and his blood seethes at the picture he sees, it’s you and Hawks. He has his arm wrapped around you and you’re both laughing, as much as he wants to throw the phone he can’t take his eyes off of you. You look so happy, so beautiful. The memories of the times he made you laugh and smile like that flood his mind quickly. He sighs and puts his phone away and lays down on his bed.

“I’m such a fucking idiot” is all he says to himself before thinking about the events that led you two to where you both are now.

Six months ago you two were sitting on your couch. Your boyfriend seemed different, like something was on his mind and no matter what you tried to do he wouldn’t say anything. “Touya, honey, what’s wrong?” You reach for his hand but he pulls away leaving a confused look on your face.

“Y/N, we need to talk” your heartbeat quickens because he never calls you by your first name alone unless he’s angry. You start thinking about what, if anything, you could’ve done to make him angry and before you could even try to pinpoint something he speaks.

“We should end things” your confusion is even more evident on your face, “Touya, what are you talking about?” He sighs, “look, I’m breaking up with you.” “What happened? I know those stupid hate accounts calling you soft and weak because of me have been getting to you but I thought we were happy.”

“I don’t need you to make me happy, Y/N. Are you that dense to think I’m breaking up with you over fucking hate accounts? I know you’ve done stupid things before but thinking that is really at the top of the list” now he’s just starting to piss you off. “Okay Touya, then get the fuck off of my couch and walk out the door. Don’t forget to leave your key asshole”

He doesn’t move, he’s still sitting on the couch. “Hey, I didn’t fucking stutter. Get off my fucking couch and leave” to emphasize the point you get up and open the door. “You’re really kicking me out?” “No I’m just standing here for my health, of course I’m kicking you out because one you’re not my boyfriend anymore and two instead of talking it out like ADULTS you want to diss me like a fucking child, so leave.”

He gets up and slowly walks to the door, you stick your hand out and he reaches in his pocket and places the spare key you gave him a few months ago in your hand. “I’ll call Tomura tomorrow so he can pick your stuff up.” He walks out the door with a low “goodbye” and you shut the door. A few minutes when you’re sure he’s gone you break down.

Leaning on the wall and falling to a seated position you just start bawling, it already hurt that he broke up with you but all the venom he spewed at you was adding salt to the wound. After a few minutes of crying you hear a knock on your window. You wipe your eyes and head to your window and see it’s Hawks. You open the window and he lets himself in, you don’t even say anything and he pulls you in a hug and just holds you while you go back to crying.

Keigo is one of your closest friends, he knew all your moods, what to do to cheer you up but most of all he knew how to comfort you best when some idiot broke your heart. “I’m here for you and whenever you’re ready you can tell me what happened” you nod into his chest and cry even harder. You two have never been anything more than friends, yes there were a few drunken kisses and a few drunken hookups but nothing more was explored in fear of ruining the friendship.

Now here you are six months later at some nightclub Keigo dragged you to, to help you “clear your mind and let loose”. You pull down your dress because you already feel some drunk sleezeballs staring at your curves, Keigo senses how uncomfortable you’re feeling and blocks you from their view with one of his wings until you two get to a booth.

“You look really stunning tonight dove” Keigo compliments while waving down the bouncer to find a bartender so he can order some drinks. A blush rushes to your cheeks and you softly thank him. Over the past few months Keigo helped clear your mind of Dabi and you two have gotten even closer. Now even more blushes and lingering touches are shared between the two of you.

Keigo finally finds a bartender and goes to the bar and orders the two of you drinks. After two Raspberry Cosmopolitans and a few shots you have all the liquid courage you need to go dance. “Keigo, come dance with me” you get up and start pulling his arm to the dance floor. You two weasel your way through the crowd of sweaty bodies and once you find a slightly less crowded area you two start dancing, Keigo keeping some space behind you not wanting to do anything you’re not comfortable with.

Slow Motion by Trey Songz starts playing and a huge smile grows on your face. “Hey it’s your favorite song dove” Keigo whispers into your ear and you nod at him. You grab his hands and put them on your waist he lightly squeezes your waist and pulls you closer to him and starts moving the two of you. As the song continues you take more of a lead by grinding on him more and more.

While you two are basically in your own world you don’t notice the set of eyes on you. Dabi walked into the club mainly to get shitfaced and forget about the photo he saw earlier. After a few drinks in he was sitting at the bar and saw familiar red wings through the crowd. He follows the wings and once they stop moving he sees you, you look absolutely breathtaking. Once he sees you dancing with Keigo his body starts to heat up and rage runs through his veins.

He gets up and starts making his way towards the two of you, shoving people out of the way and just flipping them off when they try to confront him. He’s close to the two of you but it’s like the two of you are the only people in the room.

As the song gets closer to ending Keigo leans his head lower and closer to your face and you get the hint of what he’s trying to do as you wrap your arm around his neck and pull him close. Right as your lips are about to touch you feel a burning grip on your free wrist.

“Hey, what the—Touya? What the fuck is the matter with you?” You pull your arm back and Dabi just yells over the music “I need to talk to you. Now.” You raise an eyebrow and turn to Keigo. He shrugs and let’s go of your waist. “I’ll be here if you need me dove and once you come back we could pick up where we left off” Keigo throws you a wink and you blush and turn to follow Dabi out the club.

Once you two are out you lean against the side of the club. “Speak Touya” you deadpan and it strikes a nerve deep within him. “That was pretty quick of you Y/N. Only six months and you’re out here with Keigo like a cute little couple—”

“If you’re here to talk shit I’m just going to head back inside. What I do is absolutely none of your business” you quickly interrupt him the fire in your chest is starting to build up. “You know you should head back inside then. Go run from me and turn away because that’s something you do best.”

“Run? Are you kidding me Touya? I’m not going to continue a bullshit conversation. I actually thought you were going to apologize for how you abruptly ended things between us to uphold this tough macho reputation, but stupid me. Or knowing you, you’d probably blame something else, maybe the fact that it was raining a few days before you ended things or because it was a half moon and not a full moon.”

“Yeah, it is real stupid of you to think I’d apologize when you’re out here acting like a whore grind—” a hard slap to the side of his face cuts him off mid sentence and you turn away with a quick “fuck you” Dabi just stands there in awe, cupping the side of his face. You turn around one last time “go ahead Touya blame it on something, you know you have to, to justify it to your ego. I’ll even help you. I had a few drinks so the alcohol could be one”

You look up to the sky and see some stars “Ah, blame it on the stars that are shining right now. You’ll find something you’re not that dumb Touya. You’ll find anything, something to blame it on except for the real reason why everything has happened the way it has. You. You’ll never blame yourself” and with that you head back into the club to find Keigo leaving Dabi standing there with not only a stinging pain on his face but also in his heart.

He knows what you said was true, deep deep down inside.

A/N pt2: hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed this! Dabi was really the only character I could think about fitting this fic along with the song choice. I hope it’s angsty and I wasn’t gonna make Y/N no whiney bitch 😂. She’s definitely standing her ground in my fics. Anyways thank you for reading and remember my requests and messages are always open! —Dee :)

[allsassnoclass]

for the fic prompt: 47 for mashton? (or cashton if you want someone else) -megs 💕

alrighty megs here you go @igarbagecannoteven

mashton: “Did you get my letter?”

Michael doesn’t think he’s very eloquent. He definitely is more of an actions than a words guy, and it’s a lot easier to slam doors or hug someone than to actually try to verbalize how he’s feeling. When someone makes dinner, he'll clear the table without a second thought, but he'll forget to say "thank you." When he's upset, he's leagues more likely to retreat to his room to stew or immediately try to fix it by himself rather than find the words to say what's wrong to anyone else. He has to actively remind himself that people need explanations sometime and that no one else is in his head and can derive meaning from just his actions alone, but most of the time Michael feels like he communicates just fine while keeping silent.

Ashton is not like that.

Ashton talks all the time. The constant noise is something Michael loves about him, but it also means that he’s never quite sure if they’re on the same page. Ashton has to explain his thoughts in three different ways before Michael can comprehend, while Calum will understand his words immediately. Michael and Luke have a system of touches and body language that allows them to communicate seamlessly, but Ashton often stands at a loss for what Michael needs until he forcibly invades his space and shows him. It can be frustrating, but Michael loves Ashton, and Ashton loves him, so they deal with it.

(They've said that in words and in actions. Michael knows that they're on the same page there.)

Michael does sometimes wonder if Ashton knows how much he loves him. Does Ashton understand that when Michael pictures their future, it's always them together? Does he realize that Michael's heartbeat still quickens around him, even though no one can calm his nerves like Ashton does? Does Ashton know that when Michael kisses him, he's saying those three words over and over and over again in his mind?

Michael knows that they love each other, but Ashton says it all the time and Michael... doesn't. Not verbally. He'll kiss his cheek every time he passes, or come out of the bedroom to mess around on his computer on the couch while Ashton works nearby, or massage the knots out of his shoulders and back when he's had a bad day, but the words get lodged in his throat, and although Ashton can read Michael much better now than when they initially started things, he's still not sure if he gets it. The last thing he wants to do is let Ashton go through this life without realizing that Michael is just as head-over-heels for him as he is for Michael.

That's how he finds himself in his current position: sitting at the kitchen table, pen in hand and blank paper in front of him, suddenly forgetting every word he ever learned. He googled how to write a love letter earlier, but all of the suggestions looked more daunting than anything. Michael doesn't know how to be poetic. He doesn't know how to describe what Ashton makes it feel, because it's indescribable. It's like...

Yeah, he doesn't know how to do this. He has never written anyone a love letter before in his life, and choosing to start now seems like a bad idea.

It'll make Ashton happy, though. He'll probably smile that big, wonderful grin he has, like he does whenever Michael verbally says "I love you."

He likes Ashton's smile. He can put that down, although that feels kind of stupid. "I think your smile is pretty" isn't exactly "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day."

Ashton isn't really summer, though. Like, yeah, he's sunny and he's like a personal space heater whenever they cuddle, but he's more of a spring. Vibrant. Full of life. Like a promise of a better future. Comforting after a cold winter. Something more like that.

Fuck, this is hard.

Michael sighs. It's probably going to be shit anyway, but he should just start. He can get something really bad down, then adjust it and make it a little less bad. Besides, the most important part is the sincerity. Ashton will appreciate it if Michael just writes "I love you" over and over to fill space, because it's true, and it gets the point across well enough. Even if he uses shitty adjectives and he doesn't even know what a metaphor is anymore, it'll be better than staying silent. If Ashton needs him to elaborate, Michael can, like, give him a blowjob or something. But a sweet blowjob. A loving one.

Maybe a bubble bath instead. That feels more romantic.

Michael sighs again, then puts his pen against the paper and writes Dear Ashton.

It's not much, but at least it's a start.

-/-

Ashton comes home with a lot of noise, as always.

"Michael?" he calls in a voice too loud to be used indoors. "I'm home!"

"In the bedroom!" Michael calls back at a much more acceptable volume, not because he never shouts, but because he's mindful of their neighbors. He can hear the murmur of Ashton talking to himself as he goes about kicking off his shoes and putting his stuff away, mindless thoughts verbalized to help get himself in order rather than for anyone else to listen to. The noise stops and Michael's heartbeat quickens.

Ashton always goes to the kitchen to grab a snack before dinner when he gets home, which means he probably just found the envelope with his name on it housing Michael's letter.

Fuck, Michael's heart isn't just beating quickly, it's racing. He's going to have a heart attack if Ashton doesn't get in here soon.

He puts his laptop away and picks up his phone instead, pulling up a game to distract himself. He doesn't need to wait long before Ashton appears in the doorway, beelining to the bed and immediately weaseling his way into Michael's arms.

"Oh," Michael says, because Ashton is rarely the one to initiate full-body cuddles like this, with them completely pressed together and tangled up. Michael puts down his phone and shifts to make it easier, hooking a leg over his, twining them together. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Ashton says into his chest. "I love you."

"Oh," Michael repeats. "I love you, too?"

"I know," Ashton says. Michael holds him tighter.

"Did you get my letter?" he asks. Ashton nods.

"I love you," Ashton repeats. "So fucking much, Michael. That was the most loving thing anyone has ever done for me. You make my heart sing. I want to live every moment of my life making you happy."

Michael rests his cheek against the Ashton's head. He feels like he should say something here, but his well of words dried up earlier with the letter. At least Ashton gave him something to go off of.

"You make my heart sing, too," he says. "Sorry I don't know how to say it better."

"You say it all the time," Ashton says, shifting so he can look at Michael. His eyes are a little glassy, and Michael doesn't know what to do with the emotion brimming there.

"You say it every time you listen to me talk about stupid things for an hour, or when you order my favorite food when I'm in a bad mood. You say it when you take my hand when we're on a walk or when you cuddle up to me as soon as you get in bed and hold on so tightly in the morning it makes me not want to leave. You say it with a hand on my shoulder or a kiss on my lips. You say it, Michael. I hear it every time."

Michael swallows. He doesn't have the words like Ashton does, but they're on the same page. They have been this whole time.

He kisses Ashton, and all he hears is I love you, I love you, I love you.

[patagucci34]

I hate you I love you ~ Matthew Tkachuk

A/N: threw this together pretty quickly 

Warnings: mentions of sex, swearing, drinking

Word count: 9k

You and Matthew had a complicated relationship. It’s the classic story of enemies to lovers. You wanted nothing more than to remain enemies...but you couldn’t. The little rat, weaseled his way into your heart.

Thankfully for you, you spent most of the year apart- him in Calgary for hockey, you in Boston for school. But you had grown up together in St. Louis. You lived down the street from him, your parents were good friends, and you shared the same friends in school. But that certainly didn’t make you like him. For as long as you could remember, you guys never got along. Constantly arguing and bickering about everything under the sun. Your parents, siblings, and friends all tried to play peacekeeper, but it never worked. His cocky attitude and your quiet demeanor never mixed well with each other.

It still doesn’t--at least that is what you tell yourself to try and stop the strong feelings from consuming you.

Things had started to change when Brady played for BU. You were a junior, had tried your best to stay away from the hockey team during your time there, and were pretty successful until Brady joined the team. He had convinced you to come out with them a few times, attend a few parties, and before you knew it, you were hooking up with one of his teammates. You knew what you were getting into, that’s why you had tried to avoid it for so long, but he was so hot and not a complete douche so you let it happen.

The guys had just won an important game and you were going out and celebrating with them. You walked into the bar with a few of your friends and were already pretty buzzed. Once you grabbed some drinks, you made your way over to everyone and your face fell when you saw the one person who would turn this night sour for you, Matthew Tkachuk. Of course, the Flames had been in town playing the Bruins but that had completely slipped your mind. You were hoping to avoid him the whole night, but as soon as Brady saw you he called your name and pulled you in for a hug. Once he let go, Matthew stepped up to you, put his arm around your neck and gave you a noogie. You rolled your eyes at his childish antics and pushed him off of you. “God, Matt. Will you ever grow up?” You sneered at him. “Not when it comes to you, grace.” You rolled your eyes at his nickname for you, he had coined that term for you after you fell down the stairs at school and broke your leg. That was back in 6th grade and he had been calling you that ever since. “Whatever.” You said waving him off and turning back to Brady. “Brady, have you seen Ry?” 

“He’s around here somewhere…” Brady told you looking around trying to locate him. 

“It’s alright, just wondering if you had seen him yet.” 

“Ryan?” Matthew asked with a quirked eyebrow. 

“What about him?” You asked incredulously. 

“Just surprised is all...I thought ‘you would never get involved with a hockey player because we’re all just big, dumb, assholes’.” 

You scoffed at his imitation of you, “yeah, well I was wrong to base my opinion of all hockey players on you. The biggest, dumbest, douchiest of them all.”

Before he could get a retort in, Brady cut you guys off. “Alright, you two. Can you please be civil for just one night?” 

“She started it.” 

“I did?! You gave me a noogie!” 

“Enough!” Brady yelled. The two of you backed off each other and you went off to try and find Ryan.

You spotted him coming out of the bathroom and started to make your way over to him but then you saw another girl approach him. You stopped short when she wrapped her hand around his bicep and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. He leaned into her words and a little smirk came across his face. Your heart sank at the action, you had no idea what she said but the moment looked very intimate. You quickly back tracked and went to find your friends. It's not like you and Ryan were dating or anything, he wasn't 'yours', but he had texted you making sure you were coming out with him tonight so you weren't impressed about this other girl.

You hadn't been with your friends for more than a few minutes before you felt familiar arms wrap around your shoulders. "Hey, babe!" Ryan greeted as he kissed the side of your head. You just smiled up at him in return, still being a little upset about what you saw earlier.

"Want another?" He asked, pointing to the empty glass in your hand.

"Oh, um, sure." He gave you an unsure look but that didn't stop him from heading off to the bar to grab some more drinks.

Your friends tried to boost your mood by dragging you onto the dance floor. It worked for a while, Ryan had brought you your drink and danced with you for a bit before meeting back up with the guys. And after a few more drinks, thoughts of that girl with Ryan had completely left your mind.

Until of course, you were in line for the bathroom. You were checking your phone, but looked up when you heard the door open and you were in shock. Ryan and that same girl were the people holding up the line. Ryan's eyes widened when he saw you standing there. He called your  name but you had bolted to get out of the club. You checked behind you and you didn't see him following you. You shook your head, of course he wouldn't follow you. Once you reached the cold, brisk air, you exhaled. You looked around and took a seat on the curb. You wrapped your arms around yourself in an attempt to keep yourself warm and you tried not to cry. You didn't want to. You shouldn't. You knew something like this was going to happen and you were cursing yourself for not being prepared for it.

After a few minutes, someone sat down next to you. You looked over and rolled your eyes. "Now is really not the time, Matt. Please just leave me alone."

He put his jacket around your shoulders and rolled his eyes right back. "Relax. I'm not here to give you a hard time. I saw what happened in there and I figured you'd be freezing out here."

"Oh, well, thank you." You said quietly and looked back at the ground.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He chuckled at your tone, "look, as much as we bicker and fight, I do still care about you." You raised your eyebrows at his admission and he rolled his eyes. 

"Remember in middle school when that little punk kept putting trash in your locker? I was the reason he stopped. I threatened to punch him and he got all scared and promised not to do it again."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, and that time in 10th grade when that guy was making fun of you for not having a date to homecoming? I was the one who told everyone that he had lice so that his date would ditch him."

"Oh my god, Matt, seriously?!" You asked with a smile creeping on your face. "And that time that you had a--"

You laughed and cut him off. "Okay, Matt. I get it. But how come I never knew you did those things?"

"Well, I couldn't have people thinking I actually liked you…" He teased with a smirk and you gave him a small push. "But seriously, you alright?"

You sighed and sat up a little straighter. "I guess. We weren't dating or anything…he's free to do whatever he wants. It was just shitty because I'm pretty sure I was going home with him tonight and I just can't believe he'd fuck a girl in the bathroom and then take me home like nothing happened."

"That would have been very shitty of him, y/n/n. I'm really sorry. No one should make you feel this way."

"Yeah, well, it's not the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last." Matt let out a soft sigh, "unfortunately, you're probably right."

You sat in silence for a few moments before you stood up. "I think I'm just gonna head home. Thank you for sitting with me, Matt."

"I'll take you home. It's late and you shouldn't be walking alone."

You thought about protesting but figured you wouldn't win that fight so you nodded and led the way.

You caught up on each other's lives on the walk home and as soon as you walked through the door you grabbed his hand and led him to your bedroom. You were making out on the bed and he stopped for a second.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, just kiss me, please."

With that, he pushed you back on the bed and crawled on top of you.

You woke up the next morning and saw Matt snoring softly next to you. Although you had had quite a bit to drink, the whole incident with Ryan had sobered you up and you remembered every part of it with Matt. You weren't feeling regret necessarily, but you did wonder what this was going to mean. He was leaving to go back to Calgary so you didn't have to worry about it happening again soon, and you were fine with just going back to how things were. This was just a one night stand.

He had agreed, you had a brief talk about it before he left and that was that.

~~~~~~

You hadn't seen or talked to each other until you both were back in St. Louis for the summer. You had reverted back to your bickering, but you were glad that hooking up hadn't made things weird.

It didn't take long for the two of you to hook up again though. You were at a party with some of your friends, and because you lived on the same street, you walked back home together and ended up hooking up in your pool house in the backyard.

After that you had started hooking up more frequently. It wasn't that you were trying to keep it a secret on purpose, but no one really knew and you both decided it was probably for the best. You still argued in front of everyone so no one expected that anything had changed between you two.

For the 4th of July, both of your families went to the Tkachuk’s place on the Cape. With it being just your families, it was going to be hard to try and sneak off to have sex. It was a big place, but with an extra family, neither of you had your own room for the week. You kind of felt like teenagers again, sneaking around, jumping on the opportunity when you had a few minutes alone. It was fun, and although there were still so many things you disliked about Matthew, you were slowly starting to find things you liked.

On the night of the 4th, after a long, fun, alcohol filled day, everyone retired to bed after watching the fireworks. You and Matt had snuck onto the roof and were sitting side by side watching the stars. You identified as many constellations as you could. That not actually being many as the two of you really knew nothing about space. You argued about the big dipper and the little dipper for a little but the argument ended when Matthew kissed you to shut you up. You made out for a few minutes before Matt's hands started to go down south.

"Matt, I'm not having sex with you on a roof."

"Why not?"

"What if we fall?!"

"You think I'd let you fall?"

"No, but I don't think you’d have complete control over it…"

"Okay, fair. Where are we going to do it then?"

You thought for a minute, then an idea popped into your head. "What if we go down to the beach…"

"It's midnight, y/n/n."

"Exactly, no one will be there…"

"I don't know…"

"Please?! I've never had sex on a beach before."

"It's gonna be sandy…"

"Fine, then I guess we won't have sex tonight…"

Matt groaned at your comment, "okay, fine." He stood up and reached a hand out for you to take.

"We'll bring a bunch of blankets, it will be fine." You said as you took his hand and followed him back inside.

You quietly gathered up some blankets while Matt grabbed some wine and cups and to bring.

"We're going to be drinking?" You whispered.

"You don't want to?"

"I just thought you wanted to have sex."

"We don't have to, I just thought it would be nice."

"No we can, it's just up on the roof you seemed pretty eager…" You teased.

"Well the moment has passed…come on, let's go."

You made the short walk down to the beach and set up all of the blankets before sitting down and pouring some wine. You had put on leggings and a sweatshirt, it was a little chilly despite it being July, but when Matt pulled you close to him it wasn't too bad.

You talked for a bit while you drank your wine. He was telling you stories about his teammates that had you laughing so hard you were afraid you were going to pee your pants. Once you had finished the bottle, the kissing resumed and the sex had begun.

You hadn't even realized you fell asleep until you were waking up to the sounds of waves crashing and seagulls gawking. You opened your eyes and looked around you, the sun was just coming up so it was still pretty early, but regardless, you shouldn't have fallen asleep out here.

"Matt…" you shook him gently. "Matt, wake up."

"Mmm, what?" He asked sleepily, not even opening his eyes.

"Matt we fell asleep on the beach. We need to get back to the house before everyone wakes up."

"What time is it?"

"6:00."

"No one will be up until like 8, we have plenty of time, go back to sleep."

"But what if someone does?"

"Y/N, go to sleep. It'll be fine."

You sighed, but complied. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into his chest and you were back asleep in a few minutes.

This time, it was Matt waking you up in a panic. "Don't be mad, but it's a little past 9…"

You shot right up and started gathering your things. "Are you kidding me, Matt? 'It'll be fine, y/n.' 'Go to back to sleep, y/n/n.'" You imitated in his voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think we’d sleep that long!"

"Well if we had just gone back up when I woke you up earlier we wouldn't have this problem. What are we going to say?!"

"I don't think it's as big of a deal as you're making it."

"Matt, we're walking in together with a bundle of blankets and an empty wine bottle looking like we just woke up."

"Well, we did just wake up…"

"Matthew!"

"We just say that we fell asleep on the beach!"

"Doing what?! Matt, everyone thinks we can't stand each other."

"We'll hide the bottle of wine outside, you go in and say you wanted to see the sunrise on the beach and I'll sneak in the back and go upstairs."

"Do you really think that will work?"

"I don't see why not, you'd do something weird like that."

You narrowed your eyes at him, "asshole."

He smirked and kissed you before leading the way back to the house.

When you walked through the door you were greeted by yours and Matt's parents along with your brother, Brady, and Taryn.

"There you are, sweetie! Where have you been?" Your mom asked you.

"Oh, I went down to the beach to see the sunrise."

Your brother, Brady, and Taryn all looked at each other but before you could go over and talk to them Keith spoke up.

"Well, we found one, now we need to find Matthew."

"I'm right here!" He said jogging into the kitchen from the stairs.

"Where have you been?" Chantal asked.

"I went for a run."

Your brother, Brady, and Taryn all looked at each other again and then looked at the both of you.

"We'll have breakfast ready in a few minutes. Why don't you kids set the table." Chantal said.

You went and put all of the blankets away and then helped everyone finish setting the table. Neither you or Matt said anything but you both could feel 3 sets of eyes staring at you.

"So, where were you actually, Matt?" Brady asked.

"What do you mean, I went for a run."

"Please, you never came to bed last night." Your brother replied.

"Neither did you, y/n…" Taryn added.

"You both were passed out when I went to bed last night, you just didn't hear me." Matt lied.

Brady scoffed but didn't say anything more.

"So then where were you, y/n/n?" Your brother asked.

"I, um, fell asleep in the hammock." You stammered out, never having been very good at lying.

"Why were you in the hammock?"

"I don't know, I just wasn't ready to go to bed yet."

"You both are so full of shit. We know you were together last night." Brady stated. Matt looked over at you but you kept your focus on putting the plates down.

"You both have been acting weird this week. Just say it." Your brother added.

"Say what?" Matt asked.

"Just say that you two are hooking up!" Taryn said. Everyone stopped and stared at Taryn, not really thinking she would ever say something like that. "What? I'm 15, not 5. I know what hooking up is."

"Well, we're not hooking up. Y/n slept in the hammock and I slept in my bed. You guys are crazy." Matt forced out, glaring at everyone in the room.

You were thankful he squashed the rumor but a part of you was a little upset that it was so easy for him to say that you weren't hooking up. But as soon as that feeling came over you, you forced it out because you didn't want to be catching any feelings.

Thankfully, your parents all came in the room with breakfast so the discussion was put to rest.

Just to be safe, you and Matt didn't do anything for the rest of the week. But he made sure to text you how much he wished you could. So much to the point where you had to remind him that it would be weird if anyone found out that you two were texting so much.

Once you were back in St. Louis things went back to normal. You were currently lying in bed with Matt in your pool house.

"I'm so glad to be back. It was torture not being able to touch you in the Cape."

"Jeez, Matt. That was 3 days. What are you going to do when you go back to Calgary?" As soon as you said it, you regretted it. You hadn't talked about the end of summer and you didn't really want to. If it really was just sex then there shouldn't need to be a conversation. But you just opened that door.

"I haven't really thought about it to be honest. Just trying to enjoy it while I can. So please, don't remind me."

You were surprised at his response. It was definitely Matt's weird way of saying he'll miss you without actually having to say it. But you were glad it didn't turn into a long conversation.

The rest of summer went quickly, you were getting ready to go back to Boston and Matt was getting ready to go back to Calgary. You spent the night before he left together, not really doing a lot of talking… ;). But neither of you wanted to talk. And you didn't. When you woke up the next day, you wished him luck in the season and he wished you a good semester and you said goodbye like it was another day.

~~~~~~~~

You had texted a little bit here and there throughout your time apart, but the first time you saw him was Christmas. He miraculously was able to go home for a few days and you saw him at your parents Christmas Eve party. He hadn't told you that he was going to be home, not that he had to or anything but you were surprised when you saw him walk in with the rest of his family.

He smirked at you when you made eye contact and sent you a quick wink. You blushed a bit before taking another sip of your drink and bringing your attention back to your friends.

It was a little bit before you found each other again. You had gone upstairs to use the bathroom and he had slipped behind you and was waiting outside the door.

"Jesus, Matt. You scared me."

"Sorry, babe." He said as he kissed you. "God, I've missed those lips."

"Matt, we need to be careful, someone could come up here."

"Should we move to your room then?"

You gave him a pointed look, "Matt, there are tons of people here…our families included."

"Didn't stop us before…"

"Yeah and we almost got caught."

"Fine, later?"

"Yeah, we can use the pool house after everyone has gone to bed."

"Good. I've missed you."

"You said that already."

"I said I've missed your lips…but I also miss you."

You smiled at him, "you're weird."

"I believe that would be you."

"Whatever, Matty," you said, patting his shoulder, "I'll see you later."

The rest of the night flew by and as soon as your parents had said goodnight you were texting Matt. You met him in the pool house 20 minutes later and you barely said hello before his lips crashed into yours and the fun began.

A few rounds later you were lying next to each other under the covers. You caught up on what you missed in each other's lives and you didn't realize how long you'd been talking until you looked at your phone and it was 4am.

"Holy shit, Matt. It's really late."

"Jesus," he murmured looking at his phone. "I have to be up in a few hours…" he groaned.

"You're not going to walk home now, are you?"

"No way, I want as much time with you as possible. But we should probably go to sleep."

He pulled you close and within a few minutes you both were out.

You learned from your past mistakes and you had set an alarm this time. Your phone started going off at 7:45 as Matt wanted to be back a little before 8. He groaned and mumbled for you to turn it off but you weren't going down that road again.

"Matt, you need to get going."

He sat up slowly and groaned. "I know…will I be seeing you later?"

"If you want…"

"I do. I'll text you later." You nodded as he headed out the door. "Wait…" he said, turning back around. "Merry Christmas." He gave you a kiss and walked out the door for real.

You smiled as you made your way back in the house. Thankfully, your family didn't have stuff to do too early today so everyone was still asleep. You creeped back into your room and went back to sleep for a bit.

Meanwhile, at Matthew's, he was met by his siblings at the door. He rolled his eyes at the sight of them standing there with their arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

"Oh, Jesus Christ," he mumbled, "move out of my way please."

"Not until you tell us where you were last night." Brady said.

"And don't even think about saying you were out for a run." Taryn added.

"It's none of your business, I'm 21 years old. Now get out of my way."

"Seems like someone didn't get much sleep last night…" Brady teased.

"Shut up, Brady." Matt said as he pushed past his siblings and went to his room.

You woke up surprised to see a few texts from Matt. You didn't expect to hear from him until much later.

Matt: Brady and Taryn are onto us again

Matt: I barely stepped into the house and they were on me about where I was

Matt: Maybe we shouldn't be so secretive?

Matt: Unless of course you're embarrassed of me ;)

You: Hmmm…I don't know if my reputation would uphold if people knew.

Matt: What about my reputation?

You: You're the one that suggested it…

Matt: We don't have to…

You: Calm down, I'm just messing with you. But everyone might go crazy when we tell them…are you ready for that?

Matt: Baby, I was born ready…are you?

You: I don't know…are we talking about our parents knowing???

Matt: Well, they don't need to know that we're fucking…but they'll know that we're hanging out more. I'm sure they'll figure it out.

You: Yeah I guess you're right. I just don't want people to have expectations once they know we can actually tolerate each other.

Matt: What kind of expectations?

You:  I don't know…do you think our parents will want us to fall in love?

Matt: Our moms have always wanted that…

You: Exactly. Are they going to be disappointed when that doesn’t happen?

Matt: Who says it's not going to?

You: Matt…

Matt: We'll talk tonight, babe.

You sighed and flopped back onto your bed. What the hell does he mean, 'who says it's not going to?'

You heard some movement downstairs so you pulled yourself out of bed and went down there. Hopefully your day will be busy enough to take your mind off of things. You were greeted with the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls. A Christmas tradition that you really don't know what you would do without. Your brother had the same idea as you and walked into the kitchen just moments after you. He reached for one but your mom swatted his hand away.

"Not yet, we're going to eat at the table." She scolded. He whined in response but walked away.

After a delicious breakfast, you opened presents and then headed over to your grandparents. Your family was huge. You had so many cousins, a lot of being young so you had lots to do to keep your mind off of things with Matt.

Once you had eaten dinner, everyone opened gifts and you were roped into playing one of the games your little cousins had received. Before you knew it, everyone was getting ready to leave and you had a text from Matt.

Matt: Hey, text me when you're home. We're all done for the day.

You: Leaving my grandparents now. Meet in the park in 30?

Matt: Sounds good

Once you got home, you quickly changed into something more comfy and told your parents you were going for a walk. As you approached the little park in your neighborhood you saw Matt sitting on the bench. He stood up to greet you and then you both sat down.

"I guess we have some stuff to talk about, huh…" He started.

"What did you mean by 'who says it's not going to happen?' do you want it to happen?"

"I don't know y/n/n. I didn't mean to make things weird, I guess I just meant to say would it really be that bad if it did?"

"I mean, no, I guess not. But Matt, we barely spoke for the past few months. Which is fine, we have fun having sex when we're together, but that's all it is. If there was something more here I feel like we would have kept more in touch while we were apart."

"But we don't have to not talk…"

"Did you want to? Because I'm pretty sure you could have reached out to me too."

"No, I know. I'm not saying anyone is to blame, I'm just saying that in the future, we don't have to go radio silent when we're not in the same place. I really did miss you…no matter how much you annoy me…"

You smirked at his teasing, "I missed you too, Matty. But we still haven't solved the problem."

"I think the biggest thing is we're going to get shit for actually wanting to spend time together. And we don't have to say that we're fucking. I'm sure our friends and siblings will figure it out and maybe our parents too, but I'm sure they're just going to be happy we're getting along."

You sighed, "yeah, I guess you're right. I already get shit from my mom about how she wants us to get along because we 'would be sooo good together'."

"She says that, eh?"

"Listen to you, mister Canadian…"

"Oh shut up.…" He said with a smile and light nudge to your arm. "Do you think it's safe to take things back to the pool house???"

"I thought we were going to tell people we were friends now…"

"Oh, well yeah, is it going to be weird if we go into your room? Your parents aren't stupid…"

"Oh my god, Matt, well which is it?!"

Matt chuckled at your annoyance. "Relax, we can go and hang out for a bit then take things to the pool house."

"Okay, fine."

"Come on, let's go." He said standing up and grabbing your hands to pull you up.

You made the short walk back to your house and you were getting pretty nervous. Your parents obviously already knew Matt, and they liked Matt, and you were going to do your best to keep them from knowing of your actual relationship, but you were still nervous to show up with Matt.

You heard voices in the living room when you walked inside but there were definitely more than just your parents and brother. You and Matt both stopped when you saw his family in addition to yours.

"Well, two birds one stone I guess…" You shrugged as you walked into the living.

"Oh, Y/N, Matthew…what are you two doing?" Your mom asked.

"We, um, just got back from the park." You answered softly.

"The park? What were you doing there?" Chantal asked.

"We were just hanging out." Matt answered.

"Hanging out? Since when do you two 'hang out'?" Keith asked.

"We've called a truce. We're friends now." Matt defended.

"Oh, I'm so glad! We've been wondering when you two would quit bickering!" Your mom gushed.

"Well, come sit down! We're watching It's A Wonderful Life." Chantal said.

You and Matt sat down. There weren't two open seats next to each other so you sat next to your dad and he sat next to Brady. Your brother, Brady, and Taryn all had smug looks on their face, finally finding out that they were right all along.

After the movie was done, everyone sat in the living room drinking and talking. Matthew kept stealing glances your way but there was no way you two could sneak off. They would know exactly what you were doing. So you just avoided his gaze until his family decided to leave. After that of course, he snuck back out and met you at the pool house.

Thankfully, he didn't have to jet off super early in the morning, so this goodbye was a little more meaningful. You both promised each other you'd talk more, he wished you the best for your last semester of college and he was off.

~~~~~~~

You both had kept your promises, you talked once or twice a week. One of them being for some FaceTime sex…but it still counted.

It did feel so much better now that people knew that you two got along. It made your whole relationship feel less scandalous. Although you were still worried about the feelings part. After Christmas, you were having a much harder time stowing them away, even being over 2,000 miles away. You were finding yourself liking Matthew as a person more and more, but there was a part of you that still felt like you could never be with him.

Things really had started to change at your graduation. You hadn't seen your family before the ceremony, so when you spotted them in the crowd, you were surprised to see Matthew sitting with them. You started to panic a bit, having been caught off guard and not understanding why he was there. Sure, you had been talking more but you were still just friends with benefits. This certainly wasn't something Matthew Tkachuk would have done a few months ago, and now you were unsure about everything.

After the ceremony you found your family and gave them all hugs. And then you turned to Matthew.

"Matthew Tkachuk, what are you doing here?!" You asked, giving him a hug.

"I just thought I'd surprise you. I know how hard you worked this semester…"

"Thank you, Matty, it means a lot that you came." You whispered in his ear before letting go.

You went back to your apartment with your family and your roommate’s family to pop some champagne and celebrate before going out to dinner. You waited for a free moment to sneak Matt away to your room.

"Sooo, where are you staying this weekend?" You asked sneakily.

"Well, I'm rooming with your brother this weekend. We're gonna have so many babes over it's gonna be awesome." You pouted at him, knowing he was messing with you. "Do you want in? I've always wanted to be part of an orgy."

"Ew, Matt! Not with my brother you, pig!"

Matt laughed at your disgust and raised his arms in surrender. "I'm just kidding, relax. I will be here tonight."

"Okay, good. I'm excited for some celebratory head."

Matthew hummed at that comment, "oh you have no idea what you're in for tonight, princess."

"Ooo, princess?"

"Or should I say Y/N Y/L/N, RN, BSN…" You smiled at his use of your newly acquired title.

"That does sound pretty good…but not yet. I still have to pass my NCLEX."

"Oh please, you'll pass with no problem. Easy peasy."

You rolled your eyes, "yeah, we'll see. I really do appreciate you coming, Matthew. I really didn't expect it."

"Good, then my surprise was a success. I'm just glad to be here to celebrate with you."

You smiled and gave him a kiss, which he returned, but you pulled away after a few minutes needing to get back to everyone else.

You were starting to feel pretty buzzed from all of the champagne you were drinking so you forced yourself to stop knowing that you needed to make it to dinner. Which you did, and dinner was very nice. But your brother was feeding you drinks so by the end of dinner, you were pretty drunk. Your parents went back to the hotel, and your brother and Matt came back to your apartment to party some more.

Later on in the night, your brother was occupied talking to a few girls on the couch so you took that as your opportunity to go to bed with Matt. He kept his word from earlier and you had some of the best sex you'd ever had. That mixed with all of the alcohol you had drank had you falling asleep as soon as you guys laid down.

You woke up the next morning and immediately felt the effects of the alcohol you had consumed. You reluctantly moved to get up to grab some water and Advil but were met with some resistance.

"Please. This is the one morning we actually get to just lay here and cuddle. Don't leave me."

"Relax, I'll be right back. I need to pee and I need water and drugs."

"Ugh, fine." He said and let go of you so you could get up.

"Do you want anything?" You asked.

"I'll take some water, please."

You walked down the hallway and saw your brother passed out on the couch with some girl on top of him. You shook your head at the sight but kept going to the kitchen. By the time you walked back into your room, Matthew had fallen back asleep. You carefully climbed back in bed and as soon as you laid down his arms wrapped around you and tugged you to his side. You fell back asleep for a little bit but woke up to Matt getting up this time.

"Please. This is the one morning we get to cuddle…" You imitated him.

He made a face at you and chugged some water. "relax, I need to pee, I'll be right back." he imitated right back.

True to his word, he came right back but this time you didn't go back to sleep.

"How ya feeling this morning?" He asked you.

"Not great…"

Matt chuckled at the grimace on your face. "Well, I'm sure breakfast will cure that."

"Mmm, yeah I can't wait actually."

You sat in silence for a few moments before Matt spoke back up.

"So, don't kill me for asking you this question but, what are your plans now?"

"Well, I'm not really sure…I'm going back to St. Louis, studying for the NCLEX and then I guess I'll go from there…"

"So I get you for the summer…?"

"Yes, Matthew…"

"Good. I think this is going to be a fun summer."

"Why?"

"Well, we’re not in hiding anymore so we don't have to sneak around."

"That's true. I am really glad we don't have to do that anymore."

"Although the Cape might still be tricky…"

You laughed at the memory of last summer. "Yeah, but at least it won't be weird for everyone to see us hanging out."

"What time are we doing brunch again?"

"11 I think…what time is it now?"

Matt checked his phone, "it's 9:30."

You sighed, "okay, we have a little time. Jamie is passed out on the couch with some girl…did my parents know that he was staying here?"

Matt laughed at your brother's state, "I think he told them that we might crash here, so I'm sure they assumed we wouldn't be back."

"Yeah you're probably right. Do you guys need to go back to the hotel before brunch?"

"Yeah, all of our stuff is there. I'll get up in a few minutes and we can wake him up."

"Sounds good." You said and you cuddled up next to him.

By the end of the weekend you had all of your stuff packed up and you were headed back to St. Louis. There was no goodbye with Matthew this time because when you were packing up your apartment you figured out that there was no way you could fit it all, so your parents rented a car and you, your brother, and Matthew drove it back to Missouri.

Matthew was right when he said that this summer would be really fun. It was a blast. Although you were studying hard for your NCLEX, you and all of your friends were celebrating all of your graduations…all summer. You were going hard for your last summer before you all got "real jobs".

You still had to sneak around when you went to the Cape for the 4th of July, but it was a little easier now that your siblings knew so it was easier to sneak around at night. You were also much more relaxed, having just taken the NCLEX the week before, which Matthew was glad about because you had become pretty grumpy from all of the studying you were doing.

The month of July went by pretty fast, which you were glad for because you were getting anxious for your results. You had begun to look for some jobs, but you were still unsure about what you wanted to do. Part of you wanted to stay St. Louis, but another part of you wanted to move away to a new place. Your parents encouraged you to do whatever you wanted, though of course they would prefer for you to stick around. A few of your friends were moving to New York City and wanted to go with them. A few of your friends from BU were moving to Denver and wanted you to go with them. But what you didn't expect was for Matt to ask you to go to Calgary.

"What?!" You choked on the water you had been drinking.

"I mean, you don't have any plans so why not?"

"Why not? Wouldn't that be a little weird?"

"What do you mean? We've known each other forever, you could easily get a job there, I'll be there…"

"Yeah but, it's not like we're dating, won't people talk?"

"What does that matter? You can have your own room. You're thinking about moving with other friends of yours so how is it different?"

"Well, I'm not having sex with them for starters…"

"Another great bonus of moving in with me-sex all the time."

You gave him a pointed look, "I don't know, Matty…it's just a lot. What about all of your other girls? I'm not gonna sit around in my room on nights you want to be with other women."

"Why would I want to be with other women when I have you?"

"We're not dating, Matthew."

"I know, but I wouldn’t need to sleep with other girls while you're living with me."

"That sounds like it could get complicated."

"How?"

"We'd be friends with benefits but just with each other…"

"So?"

"Sooo, that never ends well!"

"How is it different from what we're doing now?"

"We're not living together!"

"We basically do during the summer. I haven't been sleeping with anyone else but you…"

"Well neither have I but--"

"Look, you don't have to come to Calgary if you don't want to. I just thought it would be fun. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"It's not that I don't want to, I'm just nervous…"

"About what? Y/n/n, nothing needs to change about our relationship. It'll be like an endless summer."

"That's what they all say…before things go south."

"Why would they go south?"

"What if you meet someone you fall in love with? Or what if I do?"

"We'll deal with that when it happens. We're young, we can do whatever we want, so why not just try this out? If things aren't working you can move. We've hated each other most of our lives, so what's the worst that could happen?" He asked with a smirk.

You rolled your eyes playfully and sighed. "Alright…"

"Alright?"

"Alright, I'll come to Calgary."

Matt beamed at your decision and gave you a kiss. "It's gonna be good, y/n/n. I promise."

A few days later you were chilling on the couch watching TV when your brother came into the room and had his hands behind his back.

"Guess what caaaame?!"

"Oh my god, give me!!!" You demanded, knowing exactly what it was. You ripped it open and screamed when you saw that you passed. "Oh my god, oh my god, I passed!!!!"

Your brother gave you a hug and congratulated you before you started texting all of your friends.

You had sent Matt a text and a few minutes later you received a call from him.

"Hey!"

"Congrats, babe!! I knew you could do it!"

"Thanks, Matty!"

"What are you doing tonight?"

"I don't know, I don't have any plans."

"Let me take you to dinner, to celebrate."

"Dinner?"

Matt chuckled, "yes, dinner."

"Just the two of us?"

"I mean, we can invite other people if you want, but I thought it would be nice for it to be just the two of us…"

"No, yeah. That sounds like fun."

"Alright, I'll pick you up around 7."

"Okay, bye Matty."

You hung up and sank back on the couch. You hated that you were constantly overthinking everything with Matthew. Sure, you had been to dinner with your family and friends, but you had never been out with just Matt. First, he asks you to move to Calgary, now he wants to take you to dinner? You've been trying so hard to not catch feelings but he's making it very difficult. But maybe this is also a good thing. Things will definitely change when you get to Calgary whether he knows it or not, and you're bound to do more things just the two of you.

That didn't stop your nerves from settling in when you started getting ready. It's not like you barely knew each other and this was a first date, you didn't even know if he thought of this as a date or just two friends celebrating an accomplishment. That's how you were trying to see it as but you just couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking.

Thankfully, your worries washed away when you saw Matthew. He came to the door and for the first time, you found comfort in that cocky little smirk.

"You look good." He complimented.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."

"I aim to please…you ready?"

"Yeah, let's go."

You had just adjusted the radio and sat back and looked over at him.

"So, where are we going?"

"That is for me to know, and you to find out."

You rolled your eyes, "I really don't like surprises."

"Sucks for you, then, doesn't it?"

"You're an ass…"

"Relax, I think you'll like this place."

A few minutes later you pulled up to one of your favorite restaurants.

"How did you know?!"

"I have my ways…we do have the same friends you know…" he teased, squeezing your thigh.

"Ugh, I'm so excited, I haven't been here in forever!"

"Good, let's go in."

Dinner had been really nice. It felt normal. You weren't sure if it was date-like or just two friends having dinner but whatever it was you liked it. After dinner you went back to your house and talked with your parents for a bit. They had bought some champagne to celebrate. After that you and Matt finished the night in the pool house. You were going to miss nights in the pool house. At first, you hated it. It made you feel like you were in high school again, but it quickly became yours and Matt's "spot".

~~~~~~

The move to Calgary had gone very well. And despite your reservations, things had been going really well. As much as you hated to admit it, Matt had been right and it really did feel like an endless summer. You had been getting along really well, things weren't weird, it was actually kind of nice when he would leave for a road trip because it gave you some space. You had been worried about making friends, but you were friends with a few of the WAGs and once you started a job at the hospital you had made some friends through there.

The only thing was your feelings for Matt were becoming stronger and stronger. He was FaceTiming you almost every day he was gone. He would send flowers when he was on a longer road trip. He'd have dinner waiting for you when you had a particularly rough day at work. You knew that you were the only girl he was sleeping with in Calgary…at least you hoped that was the case. But you were unsure about what he was doing on road trips. Athletes are notorious for having girls in every city and you couldn't help but feel a little jealous. But you also didn't want to bring it up because you didn't want to cause any unnecessary tension.

You decided to put some feelers out, and you asked Brittany, Sean’s girlfriend when you were out to dinner one night.

"So, how crazy am I to think that Matt isn't sleeping with other girls when they're on the road?"

"Not that crazy, babe. Sean said he hasn't been hooking up with anyone since you moved here…"

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, the whole team is convinced you guys are dating and just not telling anyone. No one believes you guys when you say you're just friends."

"Oh.…"

"I tried telling him you really are just friends, but no one buys it…have you slept with anyone else?"

"No, it just feels weird. Even though we're not together, I live with him, and I'm here because of him…"

"Well, I think he feels the same way. Do you want to be more than friends?"

"I don't know…I mean I like where we're at. I've been feeling more insecure about him going on the road lately, I don't really want him to sleep with other people but I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship with him."

"Why not?"

"This is going to sound really immature…but we hated each other for so long, I never saw myself liking Matt, let alone loving him…"

"Do you? Love him?"

"I don't know, maybe not yet, but I'm definitely falling…"

"I think you should just let it happen. You guys are really good for each other. I know I haven't known you for that long, but I've seen a big change in Matt since you moved here. Everyone has. He seems happier, more focused, more mature… Don't force things if you're not feeling it, but I think you are. And he is too."

You took Brittany's advice. You didn't just come out and talk to Matt about your feelings but you stopped suppressing them and you were just letting whatever happened happen.

Things really started to pick up after Christmas. You had gone home to St. Louis, but Matthew hadn't been able to so you were apart for the holidays. Although it really wasn't much different than him leaving for a road trip, you were only gone for a week, it had a different feeling to it. When you got back, Matt was extra clingy and kept commenting on how he didn't want you to leave again.

"Matt, you leave all the time…"

"I know, I'm sorry. It's not fair of me to say that, but I can't help it. It was just weird not having you around. You're used to me leaving, but I'm not used to you leaving. I missed you."

"Well, I'll do my best to stick around. Can't have you upset…" you teased.

"Good." He said with a small pout and he gave you a kiss.

A week later, Matt had come from practice and you were in the kitchen making dinner. He was acting a little funny, and you got nervous when he sat at the island across from you and asked if you could talk.

"Um, yeah, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just think we've needed to have this conversation for a while."

You gave him a sideways look, "you're making me kind of nervous, Matt…"

"It's nothing bad. We can talk after we eat."

"Seriously."

"What?"

"You drop that bomb on me and then make me wait?!"

"Well, I want your full attention." He said walking around to stand next to you.

"Matthew…."

"Don't stress, babe." He said as he kissed your forehead and walked down the hall.

You shook your head, he is going to be the death of me.

You hurried to finish dinner because you were really curious what Matt wanted to talk about. It certainly didn't sound bad, but you didn't understand why he was being so weird about it.

Finally, you had finished up dinner and you and Matt were sitting at the table. You were looking at him expectantly but he was more occupied with taking a bite of the lasagna you made. You cleared your throat and he chuckled.

"Matt, this isn't funny. Please, just tell me what you want to talk about."

"Okay, I think we should talk about what we're doing."

"Okay…" you said slowly, now unsure of where this was going.

"Relax, y/n/n. It's not a bad thing. I really like you. A lot. Our relationship has grown so much in the past few years and I've never been more thankful for anything in my life. I love that you're here for me after a bad game, I love being able to celebrate with you after a good game… I just love coming home to you. I want us to be together. Not just friends, or friends with benefits or whatever the hell we're doing. I want you to be mine and I want to be yours."

"I want that too, Matty. I've wanted it for a while, I just didn't know how you felt and I didn't want to mess things up."

"Well, that's exactly why we're talking about it, babe. I'm really glad you feel the same way. I was nervous you wouldn't be able to get over your hatred of me." he said with a smirk.

"I do hate you…"

"No, you love me."

"I hate that I love you."

"But you love me…"

"Unfortunately, yes." You teased.

"I'll take it. Now let me enjoy this wonderful creation of yours."

You laughed at his description of your dinner, "okay, well don't get your hopes up."

He took a bite and moaned, "it's perfect. Just like you," and squeezed your cheeks.

"You're so weird…"

"Please, just let me have my moment."

You threw hands up in defense, "alright, sorry. You do you."

"I will be doing you later."

You rolled your eyes and shook your head but cracked a smile at his antics.

You both cleaned up after dinner and then cuddled on the couch to watch a movie. Your head rested on his shoulder and he was tracing patterns on your side with his fingers. You looked up at him and in turn he looked back at you.

"What?"

"Nothing, I'm just really happy."

[the-queer-fox]

Mutuals as the mighty nein....?

OKAY SO:

Fjord - @just-another-thespian What a lad. He's just trying to live his life and has to put up with all our bullshit (affectionate). He's probably the most responsible person here, but suffers from Zero Impulse Control, and I also vote him the Most Likely To Unintentionally Make A Pact With A Giant Eldritch Abomination. Plus, he's British so they're basically the same person- (For legal reasons, this is a joke... mostly)

Jester - @one-time-i-jumped-off-a-cliff What a sweetheart. I love them so much. Chaotic as shit. Like, literally the most chaotic person I know. I fucking love them. Would draw dicks in library books. Gives good hugs. Is lowkey Strong. As. Fuck. Just the most lively and fun person I know. Would absolutely buy a weasel and a dog without hesitation if given the option because Zero Impulse Control. In love with her best friend-

Beau - @i-want-anne-hathaway You have a brain cell and still give off dumbass energy. It's called being Talented <3. Also, you deserve to punch shit. Let Bree Punch A Demon 2021. This association will undoubtedly make me begin to hc Beau as being a Swiftie and I hate it already!

Yasha - @musical-stan-first-human-later Emo on the outside, soft flower lesbian on the inside. I rest my case. Also! You can finally live out your fantasy of being tall. You're welcome :)

Mollymauk - @seaurchns Colorful circus man. What a beautiful circus freak you would be. Also, look up Molly's coat! You'd wear it. You give basically no shits and are just here to vibe, good for you. You deserve to have an douchey villainous counterpart. As a treat. Just a sarcastic and fabulous bastard. We stan <3

Veth - @billiam-i-am You are not technically my mutual. Fitting. Just an absolute bastard. A gremlin. Your job is to be a pain in our collective ass. Unlike Veth, I am not sure you have a heart, my most gracious enemy.

Caduceus - Shamelessly casting myself as my boy. I'm pretty chill... I hope. Unironically said 'This is nice' and 'This is great' so many fucking times and now I can't stop thinking about it. I just want to be a tall hippie cow man with pink hair, is that too much to ask? A combination of making every conversation a philosophical discussion and also forgetting what I'm supposed to be doing.

Caleb - @sapphic-theatre-fan You're officially the Smart One. Congrats. Caleb is a Certified Pretty Boy and so are you! Your personality traits include: being the common sense of the group, judging us, and also Social Anxiety Babey B) (also, he's a cat person but that's eh). You didn't get the chance to grow up like the people around you but you still have time to make the world a better place.

(Not technically part of the main cast but I have more thoughts I've thunk)

Reani - @thebeautifulmushroom An angel. A literal Disney princess. Tell me you would not want to be able to talk to animals, and also become an animal, and also, she's just the cutest. She makes cookies and tea and I can't help but think you would totally do that. You would also be a superhero too. It's called having Range <3. Also, if one of us were to have a strict moral code, it'd definitely be you-

Keg - @lesducks Unwarranted confidence meets being a Coward and the result is You (affectionate). I'm kidding! Mostly! You have made mistakes and spent years around people who led you to your darkest days but you also realized that finding good friends can make up for those days and make you better <3. Your character arc ends with kissing the other sarcastic mean girl in the group.

[bqstqnbruin]

Give your heart a break

I did in fact scream about how much I hate and love the Bruins while in the middle of Kohl’s today, so there’s that. I also wore my Harvard hockey shirt again and another person asked me if I played for the team so next time someone asks I’m just saying yes.

This was requested ages ago (because y’all know I’m the worst when it comes to doing things in a timely manner), so I hope the anon who requested this likes it!

This was also inspired by Give Your Heart A Break by Demi Lovato!

----------------

You were on stage, loving the rush that every performance came with despite how tired you were. Now almost done with your second tour, you couldn’t believe this was your life. Your favorite song that you sang during this tour wasn’t even one of your own; Give Your Heart a Break was the only cover you performed. Every lyric seemed to mirror your relationship, despite being released before you were a teenager.

“Alright, we’re going to change things up a bit, and switch over to a song written by one of my favorite artists: Miss Demi Lovato. I hope you guys like it,” you say as the violin melody that provided the beat started to play, drawing out the sound of the crowd as you got lost in the song.

The day I first met you, you told me you’ll never fall in love. 

Singing the song takes you back to that night at the bar, out with your friends in your hometown. Your friend, Rebecca insisted you go out to this particular bar when she found out the Vancouver Canucks were going to be there seeing as she was slightly too obsessed with the group of men. You weren’t too invested the reason why you were going there, you just wanted to go out with your friends before leaving for what was going to be a way too long, three month tour around North America, your first one ever. 

“To Y/N and her tour!” Bex leads your friends toasting the first round, “let’s hope it’s successful so that when she comes back she can pay for our drinks!”

You roll your eyes, everyone agreeing as you sarcastically say, “Very funny.” They continue to banter, Bex with her eye on the hockey players sitting at the table across from yours. She was purposefully being loud enough for them to hear her say she knew someone going on tour, but that could mean a lot of things when you think about it. It was enough to catch the attention of some of them, causing them to look over and see what the commotion was about. But you weren’t too interested in anything. Leaving within the next week meant you had to focus on nothing besides your career. 

Your friends kept talking about how excited they were for you, but you weren’t paying attention. Only one of the guys at the other table had caught your eye: you weren’t sure if it was because he looked tired and like he didn’t really want to be there, sort of like you, or because of something else, but there was something that drew you to him. Apparently you caught his eye, too, since the two of you spent about five minutes doing what your friend would probably refer to as ‘eye fucking,’ even though you really hated that term. She would think that you were both mentally undressing each other, both of you fully aware of what was going on. 

You get up to get yourself another drink, praying that he would follow you to the bar. If he did, you would talk to him. But, no, you couldn’t start anything. Who the hell starts something and then leaves for three months? It’s not like you were the type of person who did a hookup, either, but who knows? No, wait. You were overthinking things, like normal. How the hell do you even know what he wants? You don’t unless he tells you. He had to follow you to the bar first. 

You order your drink, your back turned towards your friends and the Canucks. “Put it on my tab,” you hear from behind you as you’re about to hand the bartender your card. You turn around, seeing the tired boy standing behind you, trying to weasel his way next to you. “Quinn,” he introduces himself, “I hope you don’t mind. If you don’t want it I’ll just drink it and have you pay for another one.” 

You laugh at how nervous he sounds, introducing yourself and telling him it was fine that he was buying the drink for you. ���My friends said next time I’m home, drinks are on me, so might as well save up while I can.” 

“You have that tour coming up, right?” he asks, you shocked that he would even know that before remembering how loud Bex was. Hockey players didn’t strike you as the type of guys to listen to your music, but then again, you remember Rebecca saying this team was watching Gossip Girl together, so anything was possible. “Sorry, I kinda listen to your music. What’s it called, the By the Book Tour?” 

You groan at hearing someone say the name out loud. “I really actually love that you listen to my music but it is so important to me that you know I did not come up with that name.” 

He laughs, starting a conversation about your music, his hockey, everything else in between. The conversation somehow managed to get really deep really fast. “Wait, but you have all those songs about being in love and the perfect guy and all that stuff.”

“Well, yeah, since I’m still new in the industry I have to write what sells and ‘build a fan base’ as my manager says before I can start writing what I really feel,” you say, rolling your eyes, “And I think I was in love and falling out of love when I wrote those songs, but I don’t know what real love is. You don’t know what it is until you actually experience it.” 

“So you don’t think you’ve been in love before?” he asks.

“No. Have you?”

He stops for a minute, trying to think before shaking his head, “Nope. I don’t think I ever will be.”

You look at him, shocked that he would even admit something like that to someone he just met. “Really? Never? You don’t think there’s someone out there for you that you could fall in love with?”

“Nah. Who’s got the time? I mean, traveling for most of the year for hockey? How can I? You’ve got to understand: you’re about to be traveling for three straight months and then who knows what comes next. How can you even find time for love?” 

“I don’t know,” you shrug, thinking about it seriously for the first time, “I think that,” you pause, trying to find the words, “I think that everyone is destined for love, regardless of how they get there. People who don’t want it might just be afraid of the pain that would come with losing it.” 

He looks at you, eyebrows raised, not like he’s shocked but impressed, instead. “I can tell you write your own songs,” he takes a long sip of his drink, finishing off the glass, “That was pretty poetic.” 

----------

You look out at the crowd, knowing exactly where they were sitting. He had the biggest smile on his face, the other guys, surprisingly, looking like they were enjoying themselves, too. 

Now here we are, so close, yet so far. Haven’t I passed the test? When will you realize: baby, I’m not like the rest?

After a month on tour, one of your shows happened to be in the same town that the Canucks were playing that night, so Quinn had suggested you meet up after your show and his game for drinks. It seemed that a lot of your upcoming tour dates and his away games matched up, some sort of weird but welcome coincidence. 

“Hey, Quinn!” you say as soon as you see him, practically jumping up from the table where you were waiting for him. You two had been talking nonstop since the night you met, but his words always haunted you, changing the flutter in your heart when his name popped up to absolute heartbreak: he doesn’t think he’ll ever be in love. Especially when you were sure you were falling in love with him. 

“Hey, how was the show?” he says, wrapping you in a tight hug. Even after just playing a game, he smelt so good.

“It was fine, not one of my best, but hey, the fans seemed to love it. As long as they’re happy, I’m happy,” you say. The trust was, you were already exhausted. Before every show, it seemed like, you were doing nonstop conferences, photoshoots, other promos like meet and greets, having your manager talk to you about your set list as if it weren’t the same each night, rehearsal, sound checks, costume, wardrobe, and so much more. You weren’t sure you had more than five hours of sleep in the last three days. You weren’t exactly sure how you were going to keep up. 

“You’re exhausted already?” he asks, as if he were reading your mind. You look at him, confused how he could have known that. “Even under the makeup you’re still wearing from tonight, I can see the bags under your eyes. Look, they’re the same as mine,” he says, laughing, pointing to his eyes. 

“I just, I knew it was going to be hard, but wow, I never thought it would be like this,” you admit, laughing at how that sounds. Something worth it is never easy, so why should this be any different. 

“But you love it, so who cares?” he asks.

“Very true.” The two of you sit there in silence for a moment, surprised it wasn’t as awkward as you expected it to be. “Can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

“Are you afraid of love?” you ask, bluntly. But after that night you met, you had to know. It had been swirling around in your head the time. The more you talked to him, the more you swear you could see yourself falling in love with him if you could spend time with him, like you were right now, but was it worth falling in love with someone who didn’t love you back? 

He looks slightly shocked at the question, but you could tell it was something he had thought about before. “Well, I wouldn’t say afraid. I just don’t think right now it’s worth it. I mean, before I moved to Vancouver, girls would say they liked me because they thought I was going to be a professional athlete. So I would end up falling for them, then when I wasn’t in the NHL fast enough for their liking, they would dump me, and I’d be left just, standing there,” he says, not making eye contact with you. You can see his face getting red, obviously getting a little upset but trying to hold it in. “I mean, I don’t have time, you’re the only girl I talk to at this point who isn’t dating one of the other guys and isn’t my mom.” 

You don’t know why, but hearing that from him made you want to cry. Unable to look at him, you bite the inside of your cheek to keep yourself from doing that, pushing the food on your plate around with your fork. You were right there, constantly flirting with each other while you were on the phone, anytime Quinn was with the guys you could hear them teasing him about how excited he got when your name popped up on his phone, or when your songs came on the radio. Your band knew that when you were alone, you were probably talking to Quinn, getting to the point where they had some sort of code word to talk about you and him. 

You thought he liked you. You were so close to getting him, and you thought that’s what he wanted. If he asked you out on a real date right then, not just two friends getting together, you would say yes with no hesitation. When is he going to understand that you aren’t those girls from his home who would dump him when he wasn’t doing what you wanted him to with hockey? Who does something like that anyway? 

-------

You felt like you were staring at him the entire time you were singing, knowing that he couldn’t take his eyes off you either. 

On Sunday you went home alone, there were tears in your eyes. I call your cell phone, my love, but you did not reply.

Another night on tour, another night where your schedule lined up with the Canucks away games. You had no idea where you were at this point, you just knew you were exhausted, leaving in the morning for the next city and planning on sleeping on the bus the entire time, praying there was no reason for anyone to bother you when you arrived in the next city Sunday night. After the show, Quinn had invited you out again, the guys celebrating some big win that you didn’t know the significance of. You really didn’t care that much, especially since it was something that made him happy, so you went along and met him anyway, despite the fact that your veins had more coffee and energy drinks coursing through them than they did actual blood. You were getting there after the guys were, trying to find their table. The bar was crowded enough as it was, trying to find them taking way too long.

“Where’s that singer girl?” one of them asked. You still didn’t know his teammates well enough by name to know who said it, all you could tell was that he was blonde.

“She should be on here by now,” Quinn says, checking his phone to see if you had sent him anything. He had no idea you were a few feet away.

“Look at Huggy bear, already whipped by a girl he won’t close on,” another one teases.

“Ok, first of all, I am not whipped. She’s my friend. Second off, we will not talk about her like that, regardless of if she’s coming here right now or not,” you hear Quinn trying to defend you, even though the boys kept teasing him about you. Whatever, part of your career was criticism, this was just part of it.

You finally make your way through the people to get to the table, Quinn’s eyes lighting up when he sees you. You had to admit, you melted a little seeing him, despite him just putting you in the friendzone, him not knowing that you heard that. But were you really ready to sit with his friends knowing that they were teasing him about you? 

“I thought you weren’t coming,” Quinn whispers into your ear, pulling you in for a hug and sending chills down your spine. 

“And miss seeing you again? Please, I’m always up for seeing a friend,” you say. You swear he flinched when you said friend, but he said it first in your defense. You could already tell this night was going to end badly somehow, and none of you wanted to find out how.

He leads you over to the table of guys, none of them seeming to notice that you and Quinn had returned. The entire night was pretty much spent with Quinn pretty much ignoring you and only paying attention to the guys. They acted like you weren’t even there.

“I’m going to go get another drink,” you say, annoyed at Quinn, motioning to the empty bottle sitting in front of you.

Quinn nods, getting up with you “I’ll come with you.” You feel his hand on the small of your back, leading you from behind through the crowd to the bar. You couldn’t help your heart beating faster at this touch, something so intimate even though it probably meant nothing to him. The two of you sit down, you obviously bothered by the way the night was going. “Hey, I’m sorry for the guys,” Quinn apologizes, studying your face, “Are you ok?”

“No,” you admit. “You’ve been ignoring me the entire night. What’s the matter with you?” 

He bites his lip, looking back and forth between you and the guys while he tries to figure out what to say. “The guys think I’m falling in love with you so they tease me about it.”

You stare at him for a moment. Could the guys be right? Could Quinn actually have the same feelings about you that you did for him? “Well are you?” you ask, knowing that it was the alcohol in your system.

“Am I what?”

“Are you falling in love with me?”

“No.”

“Oh,” is all you can let out, looking down at the drink the bartender had given you. You didn’t want to drink it. Honestly, you just wanted to throw it in his face and storm out. You couldn’t believe he was doing this to you. You look up at him, his face red, him not able to make eye contact with you. He was lying. You know he was.

“I can’t,” he says, his voice small and wavering like he was about to cry.

“That’s bullshit and you know it. You can, too, fall in love, because you know what? I’m falling in love with you, and my schedule is just as busy as yours. So stop being afraid of letting people in because you don’t want to get hurt. All that does is hurt the people around you who are trying to care for you.” You sit there for a second, waiting for his response. When he doesn’t say anything, you get up and leave, before he can see you crying.

You take out your phone, trying to dial Bex as you make your way back to the hotel you were staying in. “Hey, babe, what’s up? It’s late.”

“I hate him,” you sob into your phone, knowing it wasn’t true. “He was so close to telling me he loved me, and he just looked at me and said he won’t.”

“Whoa, whoa, back up. What do you mean?” she says. You recount the night to her, Quinn not paying attention to you and then pretty much breaking your heart right there. “Ugh. what a bitch. He should be lucky to love you.”

You can’t help but smile, even though you were still upset about what had happened. You hear your phone beeping. Taking a look at the incoming call, you decline it, “He’s trying to call me.”

“Nope. Don’t answer.”

“Not gonna. Not for a while.” 

-------

You open your eyes, not even realizing that you had them closed. For a moment, it seemed like you were just singing to him, no one else around you even though you knew the venue was full.

When your lips are on my lips, and our hearts beat as one, but you slip out of my fingertips every time you run.

“So how does it feel knowing that this is the last night of your first full tour,” Bex says on the other end of the phone. The last night was in Vancouver, meaning that all of your friends who said goodbye to you three months ago finally got to see you again, and go out and celebrate with you again. 

“I’m so ready to sleep in my own bed, I’m fucking exhausted,” you tell her, sitting in the dressing room and looking at yourself in the mirror. You still had three more hours before you were supposed to take the stage, but you could already hear the audience going crazy. It felt so surreal, traveling around America and performing in front of thousands of people every night. You had never in your wildest dreams thought you would actually be doing this.

Your thoughts and reminiscing are interrupted by a knock on your door. “Hey, Bex. I gotta go, I’ll see you tonight? You have the passes ready to see me right after the show?”

“Yep, love ya, you’re gonna kill it. See ya,” she says, hanging up.

“Come in!” you call, not getting up from your seat. You were sure it was your manager, who always insisted that you stay in your seat instead of ‘tiring yourself and using energy to get the door.’ The door opens, seeing him in the reflection of your mirror. Practically jumping out of your chair, you run over to him, having not seen him since that night you left crying. “What are you doing here?”

The two of you had been talking again, but it took a while for you to be able to get comfortable with him again. Being told that someone refuses to fall in love with you is heartbreaking, especially when you were in love with them. But at this point, all you had to do was focus on the tour and repress your feelings, and you were doing pretty well until you saw him in your doorway.

“Something I should have done a long time ago,” Quinn says, his hands snaking their way around your waist. His lips crash to yours, you stunned by what was going on before relaxing into it. Your fingers tangle in his hair, tugging the soft strands when his grip tightens around your waist, pulling you closer to him. Your mind went blank, still unable to process that he was actually here.

He finally pulls away, your foreheads resting against each other, both of you with smiles on your face. “I don’t understand?” you say. He said he couldn’t love you. You talked all the time about how you weren’t really the ‘hook-up types.’ So why did he just kiss you? Why was he here before your show?

“I’m sorry,” he says, squeezing his eyes shut, “I don’t want the pain of losing someone, so I close myself off. You are everything to me. I don’t think I let myself fall in love because I never found someone who I could see myself being with until I met you.”

“You’re not going to run away this time, are you?”

“No.”

Another knock at your door startles you before you can say or do anything else. Your manager pokes their head in, “We need you for the pre-show warm-ups?” they ask, as if you were able to say no. “Are you staying here or finding a seat?” they motion to Quinn.

“Finding a seat,” he says, running his hand through his hair. 

“I’ll see you after?” you say to him, giving him another quick kiss before running out to get ready for the final show of the tour.

-----

You finish the song, the crowd cheering. You find Quinn and the boys sitting in their seats. You go through the rest of the show, still not able to pry your eyes away from Quinn. The second you saw him sitting the crowd, you nearly started crying; he had said he wasn’t going to be able to see you on this tour because of his hockey season. So not only did he technically lie, he surprised you and took all the guys to see you perform, too. 

After the show, you can hear the guys coming back to see you through the closed door of your dressing room. Opening it before they can knock, you nearly knock Quinn over, jumping into his arms and kissing him right in front of the guys.

“Who woulda thought that Q here would have actually landed a girl?” Brock asks.

“Hey, it was bound to happen at some point, look at the child,” Jake adds, “Even if it was with someone who sings about love all the time,” he teases you.

“I make just as much money as you do and all you do is chase a small rubber thing over a slippery surface. At least I create music people listen to while most of your fans just yell at you to shoot the puck,” you shoot back, the guys laughing.

“Come on, give her a break,” Quinn finally adds, “I mean look at her, how could I not love her?” he asks, the guys groaning at how mushy he was as as you plant a kiss on his cheek. 

[nonie-star]

6 or 10 enemies to lovers prompt!

Thank you so much for the ask! You gave me two of my favourite prompts, so it was pretty hard to choose, but I settled on 6.

6. "I saw you with them and I couldn't keep lying to myself. When a person is your enemy, you doing get jealous that someone else has their affection."

It was the morning of Nonie and Merula's two year anniversary. Or well... something like that. Counting their time at Hogwarts, they had been a couple for much longer. But seeing as they had broken up shortly after leaving Hogwarts, they weren't sure how to count it. So eventually, they had simply settled on celebrating today.

"Wake up Star... Staaaar..." Merula softly shook Nonie's arm. But Nonie shook her head and turned on her other side. "No... sleep..." Merula rolled her eyes and shook her harder. “Come on, I made you breakfast, you idiot! I even made you coffee... but too bad, if you don’t want it...” With a little smile Nonie sat up. “Fine... Happy anniversary Mer.”

Merula sat down on her own side of the bed and put a tray with breakfast between them. “Chocolate pancakes?” Nonie asked. “You sure know the way to my heart.” Merula shook her head, exclaiming that it wasn’t hard to tell how much of a chocoholic Nonie really was. But then she smiled. “Happy anniversary, Star.”

Nonie laughed. “You could really start calling me Nonie, you know? But I guess old habits die hard.“ “As long as you keep wearing that dirty old hair clip, I will continue to call you Star.” Merula argued.

After breakfast, Nonie offered to do the dishes. Usually she would attempt to weasel her way out of doing them, by reminding Merula of the “devil’s snare incident” as she called it, telling her that she owed her for life, so she had to do the dishes. But not today, after Merula had already made her breakfast.

“Why don’t you stay home today..?” Merula asked, lovingly wrapping her arms around Nonie. “It’s our anniversary after all... you can miss one day of work...” Nonie laughed, reminding her that her work was important. She had some really big missions coming up that she needed to prepare for. “Also, I’m always worried that if I’m not there, Tonks and Talbott will kill each other.”

Merula hugged her even tighter. “Are you certain you have to go? Your idiot friends will be fine without you for a day.” But Nonie wasn’t persuaded. She turned around and gave her girlfriend a kiss, promising her that they would celebrate in the evening. After all, Merula had work to do as well. “But I need to go now. If I’m late again, Talbott will get annoyed. I barely made it on time yesterday...”

“Why are you so smiley today?” Tonks asked Nonie, seeming very curious. Her friend had not stopped smiling since she had come into work this morning.

Continue to smile, Nonie explained that today was Merula and her anniversary, and that she had a surprise planned for her girlfriend. She had been planning this for a little while, yet Merula still had no clue.

“You know how much I suck at keeping secrets, so that makes it even more exciting...” Tonks laughed. “Well, good for you. And yes, you do indeed suck at keeping secrets.”

It was in the late afternoon that Nonie returned home. She knew that Merula wouldn’t be home for a little while, so she had some time to set up.

It was nothing extravagant, just a small dinner on their balcony. Nonie thought that it was pretty funny that Merula had a similar idea, since she had made her breakfast this morning. And well.. Nonie also had a little gift for her that she would surely like. 

Neither of them had wanted something major for their anniversary. They were used to keeping their relationship on the down low, at first because Merula, the “most powerful witch at Hogwarts” (that self-appointed nickname still made Nonie chuckle sometimes, and she used every opportunity she could to tease her girlfriend with it) had wanted to keep it secret while they were still attending school, as not to ruin her image. And now that they were adults... well, Merula was still an Ex-death eater... even if joining had not been her choice.

Even though she wasn’t well known, and her escape had been three years ago... she still preferred to keep a low profile. Nonie understood. They finally got to be happy now, if Merula was found out...  Joining the death eaters had never been her choice. She had been forced to join by some of her parents old friends... 

After her parents had been pretty good at what they were doing, Merula had been seen as a valuable recruit. Valuable enough to warrant taking desperate measures to get her to join. These desperate measures included hurting everyone she loved and cared about.  And... not seeing another way out, Merula had accepted, hating herself for being a death eater, having ended up like her parents, more and more every day. 

But eventually, she had seen her chance to run...

Nonie and Merula had been through quite a lot over the last few years.  Since that day Merula showed up at Nonie’s doorstep, over three years ago, bloody and panting, having deserted the death eaters... so much had happened... 

“Star, where are you?” Merula asked when she returned home. There was no sign of her girlfriend anywhere. “Helloooooo...”  She walked through their small flat, peeking into every room. There really wasn’t that many possibilities where she could be hiding.  “Gismo, have you seen Star?” she asked Nonie’s cat, that was sleeping on their bed. He just looked up, made a faint meowing sound, and went back to sleeping.  Merula shook her head. “Useless animal...” 

“What are you doing out here?” Merula asked, as she found Nonie on the balcony.  It was decorated quite beautiful, it somehow reminded her of the celestial ball...  Nonie had set up a small table and two chairs as well.  They rarely ever used their balcony. Nonie was afraid of heights, and Merula just didn’t care for the view. 

Nonie smirked. “You know, you laugh at me for talking to Gismo, but ever so often I hear you do it too.”  Then she told her to sit down, since she had already prepared dinner.  “How burned is it..?” Merula asked, cautious. Then she sat down on one of the chairs Nonie had set up.

Dinner was nice. While eating and having some wine, they reminisced about how they first got together.  “I was so stunned when you asked me to dance with you at the celestial ball.” Nonie said. “If I recall right, you rejected me rather harshly when I asked you to be my date to the ball.” Merula blushed and frowned, saying that of course she did. After all, she had asked her in front of her friends, like it was nothing.  “And to be honest... I told myself that I despised you, that you were my enemy. That I found you idiotic. For searching for the vaults, for mixing up words, for being so nice to me, for always being so... revoltingly happy. Hey, don’t laugh-” 

Nonie couldn’t hold back her laughter. “I never knew happiness could be revolting. Mer...”  Merula shook her head. “I saw you dancing with Khanna, at the celestial ball... and I tried to keep pretending, but...  I saw you with her and I couldn't keep lying to myself. When a person is your enemy, you doing get jealous that someone else has their affection. I know you never dated, but when I saw the two of you, I assumed that you were. That you asked her to the ball instead of me, since I said no.”  She was still quite embarrassed to admit things like this, even though it was so many years ago. 

Nonie shook her head, explaining that back then, Rowan had just wanted to cheer her up. “I was quite upset that you didn’t want to attend the ball with me, since even back then I liked you at lot. I’m still not sure why... but I did. Ever since that day in dark arts class, where you accidentally slammed me into a shelf with a spell, and afterwards actually came to see me in the hospital wing, because you were worried.” 

Now Merula was the one laughing. “Seriously?! That’s when you fell for me? Star, you’re so strange.” But then she smiled. “I think I started to like you very early, I just didn’t want to believe it. Remember when you found me crying, because of that letter I received from my parents..? After all I had done to you, I expected you to make fun of me, to tell everyone that the supposed most powerful witch at Hogwarts was bawling her eyes out, but you didn’t. Instead you comforted me, and never told a soul about what happened. I wasn’t used to that sort of kindness.” 

With a smile, Nonie said that she knew that. “I decided to be extra nice to you from then on. My friends thought I was nuts.”  Merula nodded. “I thought you were mad too. I still think that you are, for being with me. But I’m so glad you are, you weirdo.”  Nonie laughed, and lent over the table to give her a kiss.  “Wait, that reminds me!” she then said, and got up. “I still have a gift for you, wait here!”

Merula watched with an amused smile as her girlfriend dashed inside. She used to think that Nonie being disorganised was just her, but after meeting her family, she had realised that most of the Scheinert’s seemed to be that way.   With a smirk on her face, she waited for her to come back. 

“Close your eyes.” Nonie said, as she walked back onto the balcony.  Merula rolled her eyes, but did as she said. Suddenly, she felt something very small and fluffy in her hands.  “Okay, you can open your eyes now.” Merula looked at her hands. A small orange Puffskein stared back at her.  “It’s so tiny...” Merula said, carefully caressing it’s fur with one of her fingers.  Nonie explained that Barnaby and Rowan’s Puffskein had a litter, and they had offered that she could have one. “I thought you’d like it. After all, you’ve been wanting one ever since we’ve met.” Merula carefully put the Puffskein down, and went to hug Nonie. This was truly a great gift... 

It was much later in the evening that Nonie stood at the banister of the balcony, watching the stars through the small telescope she had owned since Hogwarts. Or... trying to. She couldn’t see very many of them, since they weren’t that visible in the city.  “I should come out here more.” she said. “The view is so incredible that I can look past how high up it is.” 

After not receiving an answer, Nonie turned around. Merula had been awfully quiet for a while now. She was standing a few steps behind her, the small Puffskein they had named Ernie sitting on her shoulder.  “What’s wrong?”  Merula just shrugged, so Nonie turned back to watching the stars. 

“Eleonore?” Merula suddenly asked.  Nonie lowered the telescope. “... Yes?” she asked, slightly confused and maybe even a little freaked out. Merula had never called her by her actual first name before. On occasion she would call her Nonie, but never Eleonore. 

“I love you.” Merula said. “I really do.”  Nonie smiled. “Well, I love you too. It’s always nice to hear you say that.”  Merula rarely ever did. She preferred to convey her affection through gestures rather than words. Just like she was doing now, walking over to Nonie and pulling her into a hug. 

“I still think you’re an idiot... for always sticking with me. After all that I’ve done..”  Nonie shook her head. “Believe me, sometimes I feel like an idiot too. But I’m glad to have you. You’re not a bad person, Merula. Your alliance with the death eaters, it was... unfortunate, but not your choice. I know that you had no other choice, everyone does. And you gave us so much information to track down death eaters and their hideouts after you escaped. I know you’re not on their side.”

Suddenly, Merula let go of her and cleared her throat. “You are getting to emotional, Star. Let’s go inside, I’m cold.”  And with that, she walked back inside.  Nonie grinned, and followed her. Merula would be Merula. That was one thing that would never change.  Emotions would never really be her thing, but Nonie could live with that. 

She knew that Merula loved her, even if she didn’t always show it.