#like mate- this is already a 3 hour lesson because you decided last minute you wanted to move an hour from earlier in the week

[nameforthemain]

It's really hard to annoy me but my tutee is actually getting on my last nerve

[penguinkinggames]

“Cerebos: The Crystal City” Actual Play Part III: The End

This is the third and final entry in a series of posts recounting a session of actual play from Cerebos: the Crystal City, currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter. The first two parts can be found here:

https://tumblr.penguinking.com/post/646498084013195264

https://tumblr.penguinking.com/post/646788426842128384

This session was conducted on March 20th, 2021, with Matthew Dorbin as GM, and Amelia Gorman, Ashley Flanagan, Will Mendoza, and Kevin Snow playing. The events of play were recorded by Zach Welhouse.

The First Leg of the journey has ended, and the Lady in Blue is the Seeker. She remembers her past: she was a small-time crook who left the City by the Sea to kill her murderous, thieving sister. Having pieced together her past, she has until arriving at Cerebos to decide if she still wants to kill the Lady in Red.

The Unqualified Robot, Tinderling, and the Lonesome Seafarer won’t find the answers they were looking for in Cerebos. However, they’ve ridden the rails with the Lady in Blue long enough they may have learned something else. Aiding her in her journey may clarify their own futures.

Tinderling and the Unqualified Robot hope the Lady in Blue will kill her sister. Actions have consequences and violence is sometimes necessary to restore balance. The Lonesome Seafarer has had enough pain. She hopes the Lady in Blue will be able to move on – or find common ground with the woman who did her wrong. 

Sixth Round of Train Actions

Tinderling notices an enormous marble building in the distance. From its Greek pillars and statues of Justice, it’s probably a courthouse. None of the travellers are on especially great terms with the law, but the train stops anyway. This journey isn’t just about them. There are other passengers too!   A trial is in session when the passengers arrive, and it requires four jurors. As outsiders, the travelers are unbiased. Wigged functionaries encourage them to attend the day’s arguments.   It’s the trial of Hodur, Norse god of winter and accidental murderer of Baldr. Baldr is testifying when the jury enters: “My death was absolutely necessary! My death was all part of a larger plan!” He cites Romulus & Remus, Osiris & Set, and other famous examples of fratricide. Sometimes a death is necessary for the greater good.

Tinderling’s player spends 1 Momentum to create a Danger 2 Stop as a Saintly Revelation. She doesn’t want to make the journey to Cerebos more difficult for anybody, but she does present the Lady in Blue with an argument to stay the course.

As with the previous Stop, the other travelers should have received a Train Action before arriving at the courthouse. The GM had been keeping an eye on the clock and made an executive decision to ensure the trains kept running on time. The whole session, including several snack breaks, fit into a four-hour session with only fifteen minutes of overflow!

Stop Actions: The Trial of Hodur

The Unqualified Robot has decided to Seize the Opportunity to divest itself of its past wares. It is defined by actions now, not junky gadgets. It offers gadget after gadget from its backpack to passing barristers, seeking some way to communicate. It rolls a Success and scores a giant foam finger with “FRATRICIDE” written on it. The new jury is fitting in with the trial, so the Danger reduces to 1.  

The Lonesome Seafarer waits for a lull in the trial and vaults out of the jury box to cross-examine Hodur: “Did you mean to kill Baldr?” She rolls 1 + 5 = 6, but spends a rank of Tunnel Vision to really focus on the heart of the matter and eliminate all obstacles. The rerolled 1 becomes a 5, netting the Lonesome Seafarer an Inspired Success -- and one Momentum to her authoritative hat for rolling doubles!   Hodur begins to weep under the incisive questioning: “I could never have done it if I had known! Even if I had to for a better future, I couldn’t kill my brother!” The Stop Danger is reduced to 0. Had Tinderling paid an extra Momentum while setting up the Stop, the Unqualified Robot or the Lonesome Seafarer would have received a keepsake for their efforts.  

Tinderling, disgusted by Hodur’s breakdown, starts carving something rude in the juror’s box with her bird bone sewing needle. She’s learning that she’s really into this justified violence thing. How come these people don’t understand progress is impossible without sacrifice? She rolls to Release the Touchstone – a symbol of peace – and succeeds.   The needle snaps. She burns with clarity and gains one Contemplation.  

The Lady in Blue isn’t in danger. She rests, shakes hands with a few visiting gods, and loads up on jury cookies. She removes one Momentum.

The court is in an uproar over Hodur’s outburst. The travelers aren’t interested in being further embroiled in someone else’s problems, so they sneak out back and return to the train.

Sixth Round of Train Actions (Continued)

The Lonesome Seafarer triggers a Revelation to counter Tinderling’s full-throated endorsement of fratricide. Two high-pitched voices begin shouting from the next car: “I hate you! I wish you weren’t my sister anymore!” The fight spills over into the travellers’ car as two six-year-old girls shove and cry into each other. It’s a Danger 2 Event demonstrating that just because siblings fight doesn’t mean they have to be enemies.  

The Unqualified Robot triggers its Saintly Revelation. Since leaving the courtroom, it has been busy building an effigy – a new sibling – from its unsold junk and extraneous body parts. If it can’t communicate with people, maybe something closer to its temperament will do the trick.   Calamity strikes! After a disagreement, the Robot and its twin begin to fight. Encouraged by the violence they’ve recently observed, it escalates. Presumably the twin was at fault. The Robot’s player explains, “I think the moral here is the danger siblings hold and how they must be destroyed.” The Robot Battle Event is Danger 5, threatening to strip the train to its bones. Luckily, Cerebos is in sight!

Since the Saints and Demons have introduced their Revelations, it’s time for the Endgame. Cerebos arrives! Its towering spires of crystal and neon illuminate the night. Squabbling siblings, a pair of robots engaged in an all-out hurly burly, and passengers who have begun to take sides pour from the train, attracting the attention of a number of station agents armed with stern frowns and truncheons.

Normally, the gates of Cerebos are a Danger 2 Stop, but the unresolved Events from the train boost it to a worrying Danger 4. 

Stop Actions: The Gates of Cerebos

Tinderling stands on a barrel and fans the flames of animosity, pulling unrelated passers-by into the fight: “Hey! This is what happens when you have an evil twin. Monsters are monsters and they don’t change!” She Causes Trouble to boost the Stop to Danger 6 and extend the scene. Everyone receives an extra cycle of Stop Actions.  

The Lonesome Seafarer also trusts her words to address the growing riot, arguing for peace. She draws on the harsh lessons she learned from Scurvy, her missing mate: “You have to give people a chance to change!” It’s like shouting into a storm. Fists and rocks fly as she takes Damage, her words unheeded.  

The Unqualified Robot briefly breaks free from its apocalyptic struggle with its evil twin. These… emotions are just holding it back. It tries to Release its last remaining expression slide, a smiley face defaced by angry eyebrows.   An Ugly Break. Communication is easy when it involves throwing things. It gains Momentum on its whiskey flask and gains Contemplation. It thanks Tinderling for introducing the path of rage.  

The Lady in Blue lays into the fray with elbows and right hooks, clearing people away from the Unqualified Robot. They’ve shared whiskey. Everyone just needs to stand back. She takes Damage and reduces the Danger to 4.  

Tinderling is taken aback at the chaos she has unleashed. It was all going so well, but the Unqualified Robot is taking a lot of hits. It’s burning too bright! She Seizes an Opportunity and starts laying into station police and onlookers alike. Even spending Burns at Both Ends to flare up like a hero, she takes Damage to reduce the Danger to 3.  

The Lonesome Seafarer pushes through the thinning crowd of combatants to the main event: robot vs. robot. She engages the evil twin with watertight logic and the Coat of Thesus Trait: “That robot is made out of your same parts! Why would you fight yourself? That’s not fratricide. That’s suicide!” After a string of unlucky rerolls, she ekes out a Partial Success, taking Damage while wrestling the Evil Twin off the Unqualified Robot. Danger 2.  

The Unqualified Robot scrambles back, throwing everything in reach at its evil twin: unsold junk, garbage, rocks. It’s not enough. The only way to end this is to carry its actions to their logical conclusion.   The Unqualified Robot tears off its head and flings it at the effigy.   The effigy, stunned by the extreme act of violence (and the high-velocity assault) explodes. Danger 1.  

The Lady in Blue needs a moment. Watching her travel companion tear off its head to kill its sibling is a lot. Battered passengers and station police slink off. A siren wails in the distance.   The Lady in Blue turns to the squabbling children from the train, who stayed focused on one another the whole time the battle raged around them. “Kids. Let’s talk. What happened?” she asks.   The sisters explain a very long, very important story that involves teasing and boysenberry (or possibly poisonberry) tea. It is ridiculous.   The Lady in Blue sighs long and deep. “It’s not like I’m not already headed to Hell. Try this, kids. This is what real poison tastes like.” She offers them each a sip of whiskey, transferring their animosity to her as they taste the rough, foul drink. Two-vs-one isn’t fair, but the Lady in Blue weathers their coughing and shin-kicking.   Failure. The Lady in Blue takes stress Damage and the round ends: “I solved a fight between two children and I feel terrible about it.”

Epilogue

Tinderling, the Lonesome Seafarer, and the Lady in Blue walk the backstreets of Cerebos. They don’t glisten with empyrean light like the main thoroughfares, but neither are they patrolled by gendarmes searching for whoever it was who started the brawl at the train station.

The Lady in Blue takes out her revolver, spins the cylinder, and stares down the barrel. She pops out the last bullet, sheathes her gun, and leaves her fellow travelers. She has chosen the Devil’s Path, deviating from her initial goal thanks – in a strong part – to the tragic brutality of the Unqualified Robot.

Everybody looks at their goals, laughing at the fresh round of revelations. The only thing left to do now is tally up Momentum and Contemplation to make epilogue rolls.

The Unqualified Robot died doing what it loved: throwing something. The end. No moral.  

Tinderling is a member of the Walking Wounded, unable to settle down in Cerebos, which seems just as bad for workers as the City by the Sea. Nevertheless, she’s gained a newfound appreciation for robot rights.   Before leaving for Cerebos, robots were machines, jerks, and scabs to Tinderling. But the Unqualified Robot taught her that treating robots like tools would only lead to calamity. Maybe her redemption lies in solidarity with all workers...  

The Lonesome Seafarer’s epilogue roll is similar to Tinderling’s. Scurvy isn’t in Cerebos, but she’s found moderating influences elsewhere: “That robot ripping its own head off has taught me some valuable things about myself.” She still hopes to find her missing mate someday, but it isn’t quite the obsession it once was. In the meantime, she’ll keep traveling.  

The Lady in Blue rolls a 4: Self-Actualization! She acknowledges the wrong the Lady in Red did to her, but finds peace in putting aside revenge. She’ll live her own life, not one controlled by a further descent into bloodshed.   Strolling the streets of Cerebos, she sees Tinderling passing out leaflets and the Lonesome Seafarer inspecting a ship-in-a-bottle in a shop window. She feels a fondness for the Lonesome Sea Captain, perhaps from the adventures they’ve had or perhaps because it was she who first directed the Lady in Blue to Cerebos.   “Captain,” says the Lady in Blue, taking the captain’s arm. “How do you feel about having a whiskey with me?”   “I’ve only had grog before,” the Lonesome Seafarer hazards.   “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

The Lady in Blue and the Lonesome Seafarer walk through the electric streets, arm-in-arm, in search of drinks.

[cryingoverafictionalcharacter]

Red Hair Dye

Request: hello! if you’re taking prompts could you please do 1 + 10 from the angst list (with a happy ending preferably!) for fred with a slytherin!reader? thank you i love your writing even tho i just found your blog! <3  (@greyspilot​)

1. “I hate that I love you”

10.  “I can’t do this anymore”

Prompt: Fred and Y/N could not be more different. Fred loves to cause trouble, Y/N is more reserved. Fred is loud and extroverted, Y/N likes to keep to themselves. Fred is a Gryffindor, Y/N is a Slytherin.  They’re complete opposites, it would only make sense that they wouldn’t like each other, that is until a certain moment makes them question everything. 

Warnings: ANGST!!! with fluff at the end lol. Injury to reader bc we love a care taking moment, swearing, Fred being a dumbass, reader being a dumbass, Enemies to lovers type beat, gender neutral reader, Umbridge existing, I think that’s it. 

You gritted your teeth as you stared straight ahead, doing everything you could to focus on the words scribbled on the board instead of the endless chattering coming from behind you. Transfiguration was by far your least favorite class, the lessons were boring, the homework was extensive, but above all else, Fred Weasley sat directly behind you, meaning you were now on the receiving end of any jokes or pranks he may try and pull to relieve his own boredom.

You and Fred were, to put it lightly, mortal enemies. It wasn’t always like that though, from first to fourht year you were pretty close, making jokes and having fun together along with George and Ron, but then in fourth year, he had tried to pull a prank on you. He was meant to switch all your Slytherin robes for Gryffindor ones, which would have been annoying but forgivable, but he decided to take an extra step, and dye your hair a sickeningly color of red. Not maroon, not pink, no, he went with a bright, stop sign, ripe tomato red. Some of your house mates had already started making fun of you for your half blood status, but after the incident, many of them had alienated you completely, leaving you with almost no friends the entire semester. 

You decided then and there that you hated Fred Weasleys guts, even when he offered to help you in class, or notice when you were having a bad day and leave you alone, or smile in a way that gave you butterflies.

You continued to focus on the board, ignoring the red head who was currently trying to get your attention.

“Hey, Y/N.... Y/N” Fred whisper yelled, saying your name a bit louder with each attempt. You continued to ignore him, scribbling notes from time to time until you felt something hit the back of your head. 

Fred must have noticed how your body stiffened, because you heard him let out a quiet laugh along with his friends, but still, you continued to look forward. 

You felt another ball of paper hit you in the back of the head, followed by more snickering. You balled your hands into fists, hoping the professor would excuse the class before you lost your patients and gave Fred the well deserved smack you had been itching to give since third year.

“Do you have an answer for us Y/N?” The professor suddenly asked, making you snap out of your haze.

“What?” You asked, clueless of what the Professor had asked, causing a few laughs to pass through the class.

“That’s what I thought you might say, maybe if you were to pay as much attention to this class as you do your own thoughts, your grade wouldn’t be doing so poorly.” The teacher responded, making your face heat up as you slumped down in your seat.

Your mind filled with thoughts all contradicting each other. 

“Class dismissed, please read chapters-” You couldn’t hear the rest of the professors instructions, as soon as you were excused you grabbed your things and left, fumbling to put your things into your bag as you rushed out of the class.

“Y/N, wait up!” Fred called, catching up to you quite quickly. Damn those long legs.

You didn’t answer, picking up your pace to hopefully reach your last class before Fred could catch up to you, but of course, he wasn’t about to suddenly stop pestering you now.

“Y/N, I-” Fred tried to say, grabbing your arm to stop.

You ripped your arm out of his grasp, turning to face him.

“What’s your problem?” You asked bluntly, causing a few heads to turn in your direction, but next class was about to start, and the hallways were already quite empty.

“I- I don’t have a problem” Fred said, struggling to find the words as he was quite surprised by your reaction. Sure he had bugged you in the past, but you had never gotten this mad.

“Well, you obviously fucking do Fred. Ever since fourth year you’ve been doing everything you could to make my life harder. It was funny when it was a little joke here and there, but dying my hair? Making me lose friends? Embarrassing me in class? I don’t know if you know this but it’s not fucking funny Fred! What did I do to make you hate me so much? We used to be friends!” You ranted, watching as Fred’s eyes grew with both shock and fear as your voice continued to get louder.

“I don’t-” Fred tried to interject, but it only made you angrier.

“You don’t what Fred, you don’t what?!” You shouted, only coming down from your anger when you heard someone lightly clear their throat behind you.

Your eyes, which were once locked on Fred’s with anger, filled with dread as you slowly turned to see none other than the pink clad devil herself. 

“I believe you should both be in class, yes?” She asked, the fake politeness in her voice causing a sick feeling to wash over you.

“I’m sorry professor, I was just-” Fred started, but Umbridge lifted her hand to stop him.

“Weasley, please get to your next class. Y/N, follow me” She said, the smile never leaving her face as she turned to walk back to her office, you following behind, looking back to see Fred, a worried expression on his face.

By the time you had reached Umbridge's office, you were practically shaking. You had heard horror stories of people who went into her office to be punished, coming out with bloody words scribbled across their hands.

You sat in the chair across from her desk, looking around the ugly pink room for a moment before a quill and piece of paper were suddenly placed in front of you. 

“You will write, ‘I will not shout during class’ one hundred times” She said, taking a seat across from you, eyeing you like a snake about to strike at a mouse.

“Professor Umbridge, I didn’t-” You started, trying to defend yourself.

“You most certainly did, I could hear you all the way across campus, two hundred times” She said, making you clench your fists.

“What?! I just wanted to-”

“‘I will not shout during class’ two hundred times, and ‘I will not question my professors’ three hundred times” She said, her sickly sweet tone never changing. 

Your heart sank to your stomach, already feeling sick. You decided not to try and fight it anymore, knowing you would only end up more hurt, so, you picked up the quill and began writing, already beginning to feel a slight sting in your left hand.

By the time you had finished writing it was nearly dark. With any other quill the task would have taken no more than thirty minutes, but with the pain in your hand worsening as you continued to dig into your skin, it had taken hours.

You wrote the last sentence, almost throwing the pen down as you took deep breaths, trying not to let the pain get to you in front of her. You grabbed the paper with your injured hand, offering it to Umbridge who took it with a smile, looking over the small blood spot that had landed in the corner.

“You are excused” She said with a flick of her hand, allowing you to slowly stand and walk out of her office, closing the door behind you. 

You walked into the hallway in a daze, your head feeling foggy from the emotional exhaustion you were feeling. You were so distracted that you didn’t notice Fred waiting for you until he was standing directly in front of you, quickly shaking you from your sleep like state.

“What do you want?” You asked, your voice shaking a bit, trying to hide your face by staring at the floor “If you’re here to make fun of me or something...I don’t know what I did to make you hate me but I’m sorry I just can’t- I can’t do this anymore”

You felt a pair of hands gently hold the sides of your face, making you look up to meet Fred’s eyes which were now filled with sadness as he wiped a single tear rolling down your face.

“I don’t hate you. I never hated you”

He pulled you closer to him, enveloping you in a hug and the dam burst, tears freely flowing down your face as you sobbed into his chest. You were crying from the pain in your hand, but also the pain you felt in your heart. You didn’t know why he didn’t like you, why he did all those things to make your life so hard, why despite everything he did you still found yourself looking back to that boy you had been friends with for so long.

You let him lead you back to the Gryffindor common room, setting you down on one of the many couches before he ran off to grab a few things, returning with a first aid kit and some water.

He took a seat next to you, putting out his hand towards you, which you carefully put your injured hand in. He pulled back the sleeve of your robes, exposing the wound which you had yet to fully see yourself. 

“I had to use the quill too, though it wasn’t this many words” He said, breaking the long silence between you.

“Yeah, well I guess she just likes me more than you” you said with a short laugh, making Fred smile a bit as well.

“I don’t think that woman likes anything, not even Filtch” He said, the two of you laughing this time. “This might sting a little” He said, soaking a cotton ball in alcohol but not bringing it to your skin just yet, looking at you for permission.

You nodded, your breath hitching as the cotton came in contact with your hand, a stinging sensation running all the way up your arm. You screwed your eyes shut and grabbed onto the first thing your free hand found, which happened to be Fred’s knee.

“I know, I know I’m sorry” Fred apologized, quickly pulling away the alcohol.

You took a breath and opened your eyes to meet Fred’s, watching as he brought your injured hand closer to his face, lightly blowing on the skin to relive the stinging sensation, never breaking eye contact.

You felt your face heat up at you realized how close you have gotten, your hand still gripping his knee, a bit more tightly than you would have liked, and your hand gently being held by both of his, his face only inches from yours.

“Like what you see Y/N?” Fred asked with a smirk, snapping you out of your thoughts, and quickly reminding you of what got you into this situation in the first place. You pulled your hand out of his, turning away and grabbing a roll of gauze to wrap your hand yourself, not answering his question.

“I was just joking” Fred defended, trying to grab your hand back but you pulled it away.

“Yeah, sorry I didn’t realize that was all a joke to you, my bad for thinking you could actually go two seconds without making fun of me”  You tried wrapping your hand, but the movement stung and you winced, dropping the roll of gauze.

"I'm not making fun of you” Fred defended, picking the gauze off the floor and reaching to wrap it but you pulled back.

“Stop, I can do it myself” You said, grabbing for the roll but he kept it out of your grasp.

“Sure, because you did so well the first time” Fred shot back, making you narrow your eyes at him.

“Stop being a dick!” You shouted, your voices having progressively gotten louder during the argument.

“Then stop being so stubborn and listen to me!” He shouted back “God, you can be so fucking stubborn its unbearable. I hate that I love you sometimes”

His statement shocked you into stillness, trying to process his words as Fred continued his grumbling. He brought your hand closer to him and started wrapping it.

“You love me?” You asked, causing him to stop his movements entirely as he suddenly realized what he said. 

“I mean I- well yeah but I didn’t want you to - I do but” Fred rambled as he tried to find the right words to say, only stopping when you brought your uninjured hand to his face and closed the space between you, pressing your lips to his.

Fred let out a surprised sound, but was quick to respond, moving his hand to the back of your neck as he pulled you closer to him, deepening the kiss.

“Wait, what just happened?” Fred asked as he suddenly pulled away, making you laugh.

“I love you too stupid, even if you dyed my hair red” You responded, making him give you a worried grin.

“About that... I didn’t dye your hair red” He said

“What do you mean?” You asked

“Well, the switching robes part was me, but the hair dye was Lee” He said, causing your lower jaw to practically hit the floor.

“I’ve been blaming you, thinking you were out to sabotage me and ruin my social life for years, and it was Lee?”

“Yeah, he felt really bad about it, but when we went to apologize you were already pretty set on blaming me so I just never said anything”

You felt your face heat up with embarrassment as you realized how childish the situation was. You had been crushing of Fred for years, and the only thing keeping you from getting together was a prank he didn’t even do. 

“I feel so stupid” You said, covering your face with your hands, which Fred gently pulled away, making you look at him.

“Don’t, I was the one who was stupid and tried to get your attention by teasing you instead of just telling you how I felt” Fred said.

“You’re right, that was stupid” You said, laughing as an offended expression crossed Fred's face. “But that, uh... moment earlier. You weren’t making fun of me?”

“No, I wasn’t, that was real” He said sincerely, making you smile before pressing your lips back to his.

His hands moved to your waist as you climbed on top of him, straddling him as you deepened the kiss. Fred began moving his hands up your sides, and had just dipped under your shirt when you pulled away.

“Heeey” Fred complained as you broke away.

“I’ll be right back, I just need to do something before I forget” You said sweetly, pressing a quick peck to his lips before walking away.

Fred watched you, confused but content as you quietly made your way up the stairs of the boys dormitory, not knowing what you were up to until he heard the dormitory door bang open.

“LEE JORDAN, YOU FUCKER!” You yelled, causing Fred to jump up from his spot on the couch and sprint of the stairs, the sound of Lees screams echoing through the common room.

-------------------------------------------

A/N: Hey!!! I hope you liked it, I had a little trouble trying to get a good plot but I think it worked out ok. Also I was literally sweating when Fred blew on your hand SO SOFT YET ERROTIC?!?! Anyway, feel free to leave any feedback you may have, thank you for the request!

[imaginingmultifandom]

Can’t Keep Running From You (Part 3)

Summary: You went too far, and Draco has finally had enough of you. At least that's what you think. But true feelings don’t just vanish, and neither does his desire to protect you.

Words: 4303

A/N: This is the last part to this mini-series, and you can find the other parts here: Part 1 Part 2

I’d be really thankful for some feedback, so if anyone wants to tell me what they thought about this I would love that 🥰 Thank you for reading!

 You hadn't expected him to react like this. And even worse, you didn't want him to react like this. Students walked all around you, but their chatter and laughter were dulled in your ears.

You knew you needed to head to class, but your feet didn't move, no matter how hard you tried. You shook your head, trying to compose yourself.

It wasn't until another student accidentally bumped outright into you that you were brought back into reality. You mouthed a hasty sorry to the girl and quickly began walking to your class.

Over the next few days, you didn't talk to Draco at all. Whenever you sought him out, he went out of his way to get away from you. One day, when Professor Sprout wanted you to work together in Herbology class, he even went so far and requested another partner to be paired up with.

It hurt more than you had expected, though you weren't sure why. You tried to tell yourself it was just your bruised ego, now that you were the one being avoided. But if it was just that, then why did your breath stop every time you spotted Draco in your classes, the hallways, the Great Hall?

This is what you had wanted all along, wasn't it? Didn't you want it to be over? If so, why did it hurt so freaking much?

You tried your best to distract yourself from these thoughts, and throwing yourself into your schoolwork was your favoured method to do so at the moment.

But sooner than you liked, it was Friday, and the weekend was getting closer. You had never thought of yourself to be in the position to dread the free time that came with it, but for the first time in your life, you did.

You had finished all your homework already, and as you left your last lesson for to the day, you knew there were no more distractions from Draco. At least not until Monday.

You couldn't even hang out with your usual friends, since the Golden Trio had some project due together that Hermione would make sure to force them to work for all weekend.

"Y/N, wait up," Pansy's voice called out behind you, just as you were walking away from your last class.

"Yeah?" You stopped in your tracks, curious as to why she wanted to talk to you.

"We're having another party at the Slytherin Dungeon tonight, you want to come?" She asked, before putting on a sceptical face, "Just don't leave as early as last time. You still didn't tell me why, by the way."

"I- I'll think about it," You tried to sound at least somewhat up to it, even though this was practically the last thing you wanted to do right now, "I still have some homework.. I'll try to come," You lied.

The Slytherin common room meant seeing Draco, and you had had enough of that in the past week during school.

"Just come, it'll be fun," Pansy remarked, "Starts around 9, I'll see you there." With that, she simply turned around and walked back to her other friends.

You wanted to decline again, but she was already too far away by now.

 A few hours later, after you were back in your dorm room after dinner, you had already forgotten about the invitation. Well, nearly forgotten.

Because as you laid there on top of your bed, all your dormmates out with their friends or stuck studying in the library, you realized there was honestly nothing for you to do. And this meant that all you could think about was him.

You reminisced about your first kiss, the memory feeling all fuzzy and warm. Then you thought about the day after, how Draco had pinned you against that wall, leaving you dizzy. And then, well, the memories went to a bad place.

You had left Draco standing there, just another back and forth between you, but that time it had been too much. You thought about the harshness in his voice when he had told you off after lunch, how his eyes had been so cold it scared you.

Something clicked in you now, and you realized that Draco was going to be occupying your thoughts either way. Whether you stayed here, all alone and miserable in your room, or there at the party, where you had at least some other people (and booze) to distract yourself with.

And maybe, you were tired of not seeing him, too. It would hurt, sure, but you needed to see Draco. Even if only from a distance.

You looked at the floor clock in your dorm and realised that was just a few minutes after nine o'clock. If you got ready now, you would still be there early enough before everyone was too drunk for you to catch up. So, you decided to just do it.

About half an hour later, you arrived at the Slytherin Dungeon and were let in by Pansy.

"There you are!" She exclaimed a bit more cheerful than usual, "We've already started with some shots, come and join in," Well, that at least explained her cheerfulness.

"Hey," You smiled back at her awkwardly, your eyes looking over her shoulder and scanning the room for Draco almost immediately, "All the usual people at the party tonight?" You tried to ask without raising too much suspicion.

"Yeah," She nodded but corrected herself a second later, "Well, most people. Draco's hasn't shown up yet, still bloody moping in his room for some reason. But who cares, let's have some fun,"

You weren't sure if you felt relieved or disappointed, knowing that Draco wasn't around yet.

You didn't have much time to think about that anyway, because Pansy pulled you over to some other Slytherin students who were filling up shot glasses with a weirdly shimmering, lilac liquid. When they passed you a glass, you didn't dare to question what kind of drink this was. And frankly, you didn't care. After these last days, you were glad about anything that could take your mind of Draco.

You interlocked your arm with Pansy's, and you both threw your head back into your neck and downed the shot.

"Oh Merlin, this is strong," You shook your head slightly in disgust and a few of the others drinking with you did too.

Laughter erupted between you all, and for the first time this week, you were starting to have fun. And when the next round of shots came around, you let your glass be filled up again. And after that, another time. It didn’t take long for you to stop counting your drinks.

The music was blasting away all around you, and you weren't sure how much time had passed by now. It didn't matter though. You were wandering around the room rather aimlessly, chatting with people one minute, and the next having another drink with someone else.

You were having more fun than expected and had almost forgotten about the reason why you initially didn't want to come here.

"There he is!" You suddenly heard Goyle's voice shouting across the room, and watched as he lifted his arm to point to the corner of the room that was out of your sight, "You're missing all the action, mate,"

You turned, wanting to know what he was referring to. It took you a moment to register who had just entered to room, your mind already way too hazy to process things quickly.

"What exactly am I missing out on? Your silly little drinking games?" Draco sneered at Goyle, and your heart dropped to your feet.

Sooner than you liked, Draco spotted you too. There was no way to tell whether he was shocked to see you, his face gave away nothing. His expression was empty when he looked at you, and the blond quickly tore his gaze away from you.

„Just get me some whiskey," He ordered to Goyle, and you couldn't help but roll your eyes. He could have just as easily gotten it himself, you mused.

Goyle obeyed though, and Draco sat down on one of the large black leather couches in the common room with the filled up glass in his hands. He didn't deign to look at you.

A part of you wished for him to show any kind of reaction to you being here, but Draco simply ignored your presence. How the tables had turned.

Well, if this was how he wanted to do this, you would match him. Two could play at this game, after all. Everyone seemed to have slowed down a bit as soon as Draco had entered the room, but you decided to change that, maybe purely out of spite.

"Come on, let's get this party going again!" You drunkenly shouted, and Pansy joined you with a loud whoop.

The music was turned up some more, and you made a point to dance to it especially cheerfully. If this thing between you didn't affect Draco, you would make sure to show him how much of a good time you were having, as well.

Some time passed, and Draco still hadn't moved from the leather couch. But after laughing a bit too hard at one of Blaise's jokes one time too many, you noticed you were being watched. You peered along Blaise's side and realised that Draco's eyes were fixed on your every move.

Draco was still nursing the whiskey Goyle had brought him earlier, and he didn't shy away from keeping a watchful eye on you even once you spotted him.

You weren't sure what he was trying to accomplish with this, and it just made you want to show him even more how much of a good time you were having. Even though you weren't quite sure whether you were feeling good about this, after all.

By now, the room around you was spinning and you lost your balance more than once. Still, that didn't make you slow down even the slightest bit. It was getting hard to form thoughts that made sense, and even harder to get words out of your mouth that weren't slurred.

You sat down on the couch that was opposite the one that Draco was sitting on, telling yourself that you just needed a moment to rest. Or maybe because you just wanted to be a bit closer to Draco, even though that was a thought you wanted to push out of your mind as soon as possible. Another drink would help with that maybe, you foolishly considered.

So when Blaise handed you one after you had barely sat down for a minute, you took it. This time it was green and maybe a tad too slimy, and reeked of hard liquor before you had even lifted it to your mouth.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Y/N." Draco spoke up suddenly, looking up and down between your face and the drink in your hand, "You're already wasted. This won't end well,"

His voice was raspy as if he hadn't spoken to anyone since he had sat down at that couch more than an hour ago. Or two. You had no feeling for how much time had passed since Draco had arrived, the alcohol tainting your judgement.

"I think I know how much I can handle," You replied more snappily than you wanted, inwardly hating yourself for pushing him away like that. But you couldn't think clearly anymore, the conflicting feelings inside of you not mixing well with the number of drinks you had had.

What followed now, was more than childish, even your drunken self could recognize that. Purely out of spite, you raised the glass to your lips and downed it with one gulp while looking Draco directly in his eyes.

He didn't break away from your gaze, and instead simply shook his head at you in disappointment as he watched you.

"Just don't say I didn't warn you," Draco remarked.

Those were the last words you heard before everything around you went black.

The feeling of strong arms picking you up and carrying you somewhere was the next thing you could feel.

You slipped in and out of consciousness, feeling cold air around you one second and the warmth of a wool blanket engulfing you the next.

But throughout all these short passages of consciousness, there was a common theme. A familiar perfume in your nose, and the faintest words being spoken to you by a gentle voice that you couldn't quite place.

Everything you had consumed in the past hours seemed to catch up with you at once, knocking you out completely.

 "Get out of here," Those were the first words you could hear clearly again, and you recognized that it seemed to be Draco hissing at someone, "Y/N needs some rest, Crabbe. Go sleep somewhere else or go back to the party, I don't bloody care,"

You opened your eyes slowly, the room that you were in only barely lit by a candle somewhere on a nightstand. You weren't sure where you were, or how you had gotten there in the first place.

"Y/N?" Draco's voice piped up as soon as you opened your eyes, and you turned to see him perched on a chair next to the bed you were currently laying on, close to your head. When you moved your face to look at him properly, everything in the room seemed to move as well. It left you feeling sick to your stomach.

"At least you're opening your eyes again," Draco let out a relieved breath, forehead furrowed in concern, "You were completely blanked out,"

It took you long to process the words he said, still feeling as drunk as before and now sick on top of it. Draco noticed that, and slowly lifted his hand to your face. He softly pushed a few stray strands of hair away from your forehead back to where they belonged.

Your head was pounding in pain, but his gesture calmed it down a bit.

"Just rest, Y/N. You need it," Draco whispered, pulling his hand away again but still keeping a watchful eye on you.

"I'm fine," You insisted, feeling everything but fine. You closed your eyes again and drifted back into a deep slumber.

The next time you woke up, the candle in the room was extinguished. Daylight was already falling in through the window and allowed you to see that Draco was still sitting on the chair next to your bed, though his figure was more slumped than before. He looked like he hadn't moved or slept at all.

"Hey there," He mumbled, giving you a sleepy smile as he noticed you were awake again. It was the first smile you had seen from him since your falling out, and despite what felt like your worst hangover ever, it made your heart skip a beat.

"Where am I?" You asked, your voice scratchy and your head throbbing. You were still wrapped up in a wool blanket that was nearly pulled up until your ears. You noticed it smelled just like Draco.

"My dorm." Draco answered quietly, "But don't worry, we're all alone. The others have slept somewhere else last night,"

"Just because of me?" You asked, feeling guilty about basically having robbed them of their sleeping place.

"It's fine," Draco remarked, "You weren't feeling well, and needed rest. Everything else doesn't matter."

"What happened exactly, anyway?" You questioned and finally registered that it was indeed Draco's  bed you were laying in, "And how did I get here in the first place?"

"Well, after having that last shot it didn't take long for you to pass out on the couch," Draco said, "I tried to wake you up again, but you hardly reacted. I was seriously considering calling Mrs Pomfrey because you were so out of it,"

It was hard for you to listen to him, you felt way too embarrassed.

"When you finally talked again, you insisted that you wanted to stay at the party," Draco further explained, "But you kept on drifting back to sleep and couldn't even stand up, even less walk.  So I ended up carrying you here before things could get even worse,"

"Oh," That was all you said at first. You felt guilty, even more so because you had already put him through so much lately, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to ruin your party night,"

"It's fine, really. I wasn't in the mood for that party anyway," Draco insisted, a deep sigh escaping his mouth before he continued, "If I'm being honest I only came over to the common room because I thought I had heard your voice. Turns out I was right,"

"So you came because of me?" You questioned and slowly sat up, leaning your upper body against his bed frame. You were honestly surprised by his unexpected confession, maybe he wasn't as fed up with you as you had assumed.

"I guess I wanted to make sure you were okay, and keep an eye on you," Draco confessed, his voice low as he gestured over to you in the bed, "I wanted to be there for you in case something like this happened."

"Thank you, Draco. I mean it," You expressed truthfully, "I know we haven't been on the best terms lately-"

"Y/N," Draco interjected, "I'll always be there for you when you need me. No matter how angry I am at you, or for how long we haven't spoken to each other."

The Slytherin boy's words were gentle, but they also reminded you of the elephant in the room that had been avoided up until now. You hadn't talked this much to each other in over a week, not since Draco had made it clear that your back and forth had gone too far.

You thought back to how much you had doubted Draco lately, how scared you were of him hurting you and how you had pushed him away over and over again.

It finally dawned on you that you had painted a bad picture of Draco that only existed in your mind, and when you compared it to the boy in front of you now, it rightfully fell apart.

Maybe you had gotten it all wrong, maybe trying so hard not to get hurt was the worst way to go about love.

"I'm sorry I ever doubted that," You whispered, finally able to be more honest about your feelings, "Actually, there's something I've been meaning to say-"

"Oi, Malfoy," Someone pounded their fist against the closed door of Draco's dorm, "Can we finally get back into our own beds? Or are you still using this as a honeymoon suite?"

"Shut up, Goyle," Draco shouted back and furrowed his forehead in anger.

"I should probably get going," You said hastily, not wanting to be any more of a burden than you had already been, "I don't want to keep them out of their room."

"I'll head back to my dorm," You added and got up a bit too quickly, the room swirling around you. The alcohol had left your body by now, but the hangover was still in full effect. You gave Draco a small smile before heading over to the door, "Thank you again for this, Draco. I owe you one."

"You're welcome," Draco smiled back hesitantly, and you couldn't help the feeling that something went unspoken between you two. And for the first time, you didn't want to run away from these things that were left unsaid.

"Hey, Draco?" You asked, the door handle already in your hand, "Will you meet me in the Astronomy Tower later?"

Draco let out a deep breath as if he had been waiting for you to say exactly this, but Goyle pounded against the door again before he could answer.

"I'm coming in now, whether you like it or not," Goyle's voice was rumbling through the door, and you couldn't help but roll your eyes. That boy had the worst timing. But you didn't want to keep him waiting any longer, scared that he would kick in the door and you with it if you did.

So, you opened the door and stepped out of it without another word.

Only after you had already left Draco's room you realised that he hadn't exactly had a chance to answer your question about meeting up yet. It looked like you would have to just hope for him to show up.

 By the time it was afternoon, you had refreshed yourself and were already feeling way better than you did in the morning. Still, you felt nervous as you walked up to the Astronomy Tower.

You didn't know for sure whether Draco would actually show up, though you desperately wished he would.

But he was nowhere to be found as you reached the top of the stairs leading to the tower, and you felt your heart sink to your feet in disappointment. You walked up to one of the big windows, letting your gaze wander over the spectacular view and your thoughts run back to Draco.

The Slytherin was used to getting what he wanted, and perhaps it had been foolish of you to think that he would give you another chance after the things you had put him through.

Maybe you had made up your mind just a little too late.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs echoed through the tower. They sounded familiar, and when you turned around you were relieved to see Draco walking towards you.

"Did I keep you waiting?" He smirked at you, taking note of how much nervous tension seemed to leave your body when you spotted him.

"Maybe," You admitted, "If I'm being honest, I wasn't sure if you would show up."

"And I wasn't sure if you would be here waiting for me when I did show up," Draco remarked.

"I suppose you have a point, there," Your shoulders slumped a bit, "I know I haven't been.. reliable, lately."

"Not exactly, no," He agreed,  nevertheless stepping towards you.

You matched him, also taking a step forward. You gathered your thoughts, trying to find the best way to ask him for another chance.

Draco spoke up before you had the chance to.

"Look, Y/N- There's something I need to say," His voice was low, and your heart stopped at the thought of him now rejecting you for good.

You lifted your head to gaze at him, wanting to at least look him in the eyes if he did.

"I thought I wouldn't mind doing this, this whole chasing after you," Draco mused, "I thought it could be fun, maybe. And it was, at first. I can't deny that," His thoughts raced back to your first kiss, your lips tasting of firewhiskey and your arms wrapped so tightly around him, "But I can't do it anymore, not like this."

 "I know." You whispered, "I shouldn't have put what my ex has done on you. I know what we have is different-" You hesitated for a moment, and quietly added, "If we even still have that.."

Draco didn't say anything, instead, he just took your hand in his. He interlocked your fingers, letting his thumb softly run over the back of your hand.

You looked down to your intertwined hands and then back to his face, finding the courage to keep on speaking.

"You told me that I have to stop running from you one day," You said, and Draco gave a small nod to indicate that he remembered those words, "And I'm stopping. Today, right now, whenever you want me to. If you still want me to,"

Draco let go of your hand, and for a second, it felt as if you had lost him. But then, ever so slowly, he lifted both of his hands and cupped your face gently.

"So, you're saying, darling.." Draco questioned in a mumble, his eyes still serious but the softest smile beginning to play around his lips, "If I kissed you now, you would accept?"

"Yes, Draco," You breathed out shakily, eyes wide as you looked at him.

"And if I wanted to make you mine, you would let me?" He leaned down and gently guided your face towards his, his lips now just merely an inch away from brushing against yours.  

"I want nothing more than to be yours," You whispered, longing for his lips to finally touch yours again. He kept you on edge, made your stomach flutter.

"I'm in love with you, darling. You know that, right?" Draco murmured, still not quite closing the gap between your lips.

"I do," You admitted, "I do now, more than ever," You thought it would be hard to say those words again after your ex, but suddenly, it was so easy, because Draco was the one you said them to, "I'm in love with you, too. I promise I will never run from us again,"

"And I promise I won't give you a reason to, Y/N."

Then, Draco finally closed the distance between your lips and kissed you. He took it slow, allowing himself to fully sink into this moment with you.

It wasn't the first kiss you shared, but it still felt all new and different. There was no rush between you now. This wasn't a sloppy kiss when you both had had too much firewhiskey, and it wasn't a hasty kiss hidden away in an empty hallway either.

No, this kiss was more than that.

It was a promise for more to come, a promise that you both would finally let the love between you bloom.

"You're mine now, darling," Draco whispered when you pulled away from each other, "Don't ever forget that,"

And you never did.

@justmesadgirl​ @youknowiloveyou-so

TAG LIST UNDER CUT

[harrysgoldenshe]

That Bloody Damn Pasta Bridge

Harry hates disciplining his children. He hates it so much that there's an unspoken rule in your marriage where you always have to be the bad cop and he gets to play the very loved role of the good cop. However, he has his moments where he has to raise his voice and though he always feels guilty afterwards, he knows his kid won't make the same mistake twice.

On this particular night, your eldest son, James, was testing his limits with Harry. You're away on a business trip and you won't be back until 3 more days. Harry, of course, does not mind having some alone time with your two kids. In fact, he was over the moon happy when you announced you had to leave for an entire week. In Harry’s mind, you being away meant he got to do things with the kids that you wouldn't normally allow. Him and James had already spent an evening binging out on some snacks until it was nearing 3 am. Harry even went a step further and decided that your daughter, Evelyn, should skip her usual nap time to go to the park one afternoon. Even though he immediately regretted that decision, Harry lived for moments like these with his kids because he knows its times that they’ll remember forever. In Harry’s mind, you leaving meant that he and his two kids were going to have a blast.

Harry did not plan for your son to come to him on a Thursday night after he had just put his younger sister down for bedtime, telling him that he needed his help with a school project. Harry, also, did not plan on working on this project the night before it was due.

“I cannot believe you let yourself not do a single thing until this last minute,” Harry scowled at his 13 year old son who stood beside him, reading out loud the criteria for the project. “You’ve really gone and screwed yourself over,” He went on. “I shouldn’t even be helping you with this bloody damn thing! You have no idea what you’re doing and I sure as hell don’t! Have fun explaining to your mum why you’ve failed this,” His accent getting thicker as he grew angrier.

“Dad, please. I didn't know it was due tomorrow, I thought I had another week!” James tried to reason with his father

“Another week,” Harry scoffed. “Says it right here when it’s due!” He grabbed the page out of his son’s hand and waved it around. “Due date, June 4th! Make a bridge that will support as many textbooks as possible! Use time in class to prepare! James’ a pillock! A goddamn twit!” Harry went on reading from the page, making the two last statements up

Your son, hating the fact that his dad was not only angry with him but furious enough to start calling him names, grew more annoyed and frustrated.

“You’re not helping!” James told Harry

“Course not, this isn’t my problem,” Harry reminded his son. “Now tell me how you’re going to make this bridge mate? I’d really love to know,” He asked him

“I-I don't know,” His son answered

“You know what? I was considering helping you but not anymore. I want you upstairs in your room and I better not see your face until tomorrow morning when you leave for school empty handed,” Harry raised his voice as he pointed to the staircase.

“Can I work on the bridge in my room?” James questioned

“The hell you can!” Harry exclaimed. “There are consequences to your actions, James, and you are going to learn just how much you're going to have to work to obtain a proper grade once you've had a zero. I have never been so disappointed in my entire life, I cannot believe you,” He shook his head.

Now this is what caused James’ breaking point. Having his father be angry with him and call him names barely hurt him but hearing that Harry was disappointed in him cut sharply. James works hard to make both of his parents proud and he knows he’s in the wrong about this project but his father’s words rang in the back of his mind.

The 14 year old inhaled sharply as he felt his eyes tear up.

“You can’t do this to me!” He replied to his father. “I’m calling mum,” He quickly added before stomping up the stairs.

Harry let out a sigh as he walked to the staircase.

“Go ahead and call her! I would love to see how she reacts to you not doing a project! Please be my guest and tattle on me,” He called after his son

The only response he got was a door slamming that quickly followed with Evelyn calling out for her father.

“Now he’s gone and woke his sister up,” Harry huffed as he marched up the stairs.

He debated going into his son’s room and arguing with him some more but he decided that they both had enough. Harry went into Evelyn’s room and stayed with her until she fell back asleep which luckily didn't take too long.

Harry let out a sigh as he gently closed the door to his daughter’s room as he noticed that the light was off in James’. Harry went into his own bedroom where he took a quick shower and got ready for bed. He climbed into his bed, phone in hand. The only text from you was one he saw a few hours ago when you wished your family a goodnight before you headed to bed yourself.

Content that James didn’t actually tattle on him, Harry laid back and closed his eyes, getting ready for sleep to overtake him. However he found himself tossing and turning.

The next thing he knew, he was downstairs leaning against the kitchen counter with his eyes glued on his computer screen as he searched up the best methods to build a bridge.

“Linguini noodles, really?” He questioned himself.

After reading different articles, he found that the pasta was a frequent method used.

Harry got up from his seat and went into the kitchen to retrieve a few boxes of the noodles before going into the laundry room to find your hot glue gun.

“Okay, let’s do this,” He said as he sat back down.

Taking a few noodles out of a box, Harry glanced back to his computer screen to make sure he was about to do the right thing.

“I guess… I just… A triangle… Right right… Makes sense…” He mumbled to himself as he started to break the pasta in pieces.

Harry started to glue the pasta together to form a triangle, since his source said that triangular trusses would work better than rectangular ones.

He kept building from there, only stopping to check his source to make sure he was doing it correctly. He gave himself one break where he chugged down two cups of coffee in order to help him stay up.

Harry glued the last piece of pasta onto the bridge, his eyes feeling heavy. He let out a content sigh as he laid his head on the table, telling himself he’ll rest his eyes for a moment before cleaning up and heading upstairs.

“S’not even that late,” He argued with himself as he closed his eyes.

The clock on the stove flashing 3:43am would argue otherwise.

***

Harry abruptly woke up to someone shaking his shoulder. He rubbed his eyes and looked at his surroundings, completely confused as to why he was being woken up in his kitchen to James holding Evelyn in his arms.

“Wha’s going on?” He asked his oldest

“I, uh, woke up and found you snoring at the table so I go Eve ready and make us breakfast but now I need to get ready for school,” James told his father

Suddenly the memories of arguing with his son over a school project became clear in Harry’s mind. He glanced at the bridge he built which still stood where he had left it. Clearly James had seen it.

“Right right, go on then. Thank you for taking care of yer sister, I couldn't sleep last night. Didn't mean to fall asleep here,” Harry said.

James handed his sister to his father and raced up the stairs without saying another word. Harry glanced at the clock and saw that there was 20 minutes left before James had to leave for school.

“How’re you this morning princess?” Harry asked his daughter who made herself comfortable on his lap.

“Perfect! James made me cereal while he cleaned up noodles from the table,” His daughter answered. “Why were you playing with noodles at night, daddy?” She questioned him.

Harry let out a laugh.

“I wasn't playing with them baby, was helping your brother with something and fell asleep before I could clean up,” He told her. “Don't you go telling mommy that, y’know how much she hates it when I leave the kitchen dirty,” He quickly added, knowing that his youngest would tell you everything that happened once you came back home.

He learned that he had to ask his daughter not to tell you certain things or else his secrets would be out.

“Pinky promise,” Evelyn agreed, locking her finger to Harry’s

“Thank you baby,” Harry kissed her cheek. “Now go on and play in the kitchen while I talk to your brother,” He said as he let her down from his lap once he noticed his son walking down the stairs.

Evelyn listened and skipped her way into the living room.

“Sit down,” Harry told his son.

James wasted no time to take a seat next to his father.

“I want to apologize for what I said to you last night, wasn't nice of me to call you names even if you were driving me bloody mad. I'm sure you’ve noticed the bridge I built last for ya last night and I want you to know that just because I've helped you out this one, I won't always be bailing you out like this. You’re about to start high school, James, and you need to learn responsibility. I’ll always want to help you with projects or help you figure school work out but I can’t be putting in more effort than you mate. This is the one and only time I will ever do one of your assignments by myself and the only reason I did build this damn bridge was because I couldn’t bear the thought of you failing a project. That and your mom would absolutely murder the both of us for letting that happen,” Harry said, earning a laugh from James during the last part of his lecture.

“Thank you dad and I’ve learned my lesson. Assignments are important and waiting until the last minute won’t do anything but bring you anxiety,” James replied.

“You're telling me,” Harry mumbled. “You should head to your bus stop, bus will be here any minute,” He said.

James nodded and leaned over slightly to grab the bridge. He gave his dad a hug and thanked him again before making his way to the front entrance to grab his backpack and put on his shoes.

“Oh and James?” Harry called out as his son paused in the doorway. “That bridge should be able to hold at least 22 books, better come back home with a perfect grade,” He said

“Only 22? I feel like you built it to be stronger than that, how about 27?” James suggested, earning a cheeky smile from his father.

They exchanged goodbyes one last time before James left.

“That bloody damn pasta bridge,” Harry shook his head once the door closed behind his son.

[hstyleshoney]

Stay With Me - part two

AU friends with benefits but things get complicated, like they always do

word count: around 8.5 K // angst, alcohol consumption, language, hints of sexual content

A/N: Wooow, I’m honestly soooo overwhelmed from the response on part one!! like thank you all so much!!!! I’m very nervous to post part 2 because I struggled with this part a lot more and I’ve edited over and over and I just don’t know.. I’m terrible at endings so I hope no one gets disappointed!! You’ve all been so nice so I really hope and want you enjoy part two as well! Happy reading! And pls do let me know what you thought about it bc I’m even more nervous this time around. Please be nice hehe 

Enjoy! <3 

PART 1 ♡

She never replied to Harry’s messages and nothing else really happened after that. The next few weeks went by in a bit of a haze and she didn’t see Harry except for one time when she stopped by Tom’s place with Louisa to pick up Lou’s purse that she had accidentally left there. They didn’t speak. She could barely look at him where he sat in the red armchair but when their eyes met for just a split second the evening of him kissing Cleo came flashing back to her. It was uncomfortable for everyone there and they didn't stay longer than necessary.

Then they were all just busy with exams and final projects and before anyone knew it was Christmas. She was going back home to Norwich and Harry was heading back home to Manchester. It was a nice pause from all the drama. Most of her Christmas break was spent playing cluedo with her brothers, helping her mother out in the kitchen and running away from her younger cousins. It was nice. It was fun. It was relaxing.

She didn’t think about Harry.

Not until she was on the coach back to London and she realized how badly she wanted to tell him about her neighbour's new puppy and how badly she wanted to tell him about the shitty movie she had watched with her dad because she knew he’d probably enjoy it.

And she realized that she did in fact miss him.

Then she got annoyed again. Because everything was fine between them and he just had to go on a date. A date with stupid Cleo who was so stupidly perfect and nice it was impossible to hate her.

Louisa kept trying to persuade her to talk to him because; “he’ll never know how you feel unless you say anything.”

But what was the point of telling him about her feelings when he had Cleo? If everyone else could see she was head over heels in love with him then why couldn't he see it himself? Why couldn’t he see the mess she turned into any time he was around? She refused to talk to him. She had made a mess of herself enough as it was already.

Besides, she hadn’t heard from him either so he had clearly made his choice and she wasn’t it.

Once back in London and back in her house with Lou, Beth and Aliyah she kind of forgot about him again. The girls all told her about their breaks and it was familiar and so calming. She felt just as much at home with them as she did going home to her actual family.

And no one asked about Harry so that was just a bonus.

On Friday the whole gang decided to meet up down at their favorite pub and once again she spent hours in front of her mirror preparing to see Harry again and trying to think of what to say if he was to come up to her. She was nervous. Almost as nervous as she was on her first day of uni and Louisa spent 30 minutes trying to calm her down.

It didn’t work.

The pub was packed when they arrived and they all ran into people they knew from their courses and caught up swiftly with everyone as they made their way through, trying to find the boys. Jax was the first one to spot them and leapt up to give them all a hug, spilling beer all over the floor as he moved.

Harry wasn’t with them though.

Not yet.

Him and Isaac were on their way Tom told them and her stomach was in knots as she sat there. She was waiting for him and she hated it. It frustrated her that he still had that effect on her despite everything that had happened the past few weeks. She knew the rest of them could see how much she was fidgeting in her seat but no one mentioned anything or asked her about it and for that she was thankful. It was embarrassing how everyone else seemed to know how she felt; everyone except Harry that is.

After a while the nerves got the better of her and she excused herself from the table. She wasn’t sure where she was going or what she was going to do; she just knew she couldn’t sit around waiting for Harry to show up.

So she walked over to the bar and sat down on her own for a while to collect her thoughts.

Around her the pub was loud. Everyone was laughing and having a good time catching up with their friends, sharing stories from their time off. The spirits were high but she was as low as ever. Having learned her lesson from the last time she drank while upset she decided to just order a coke and sipped at it slowly as she watched the people around the bar.

Time passed and slowly she felt a little bit better; almost ready to face the boy with curly hair who made her heart beat twice as fast. But someone approached her at the bar before she had the chance to move.

“What’s a pretty little lady like you doing all alone on a night like this?”

It was a guy. He winked at her as looked up at him and she had to stop herself from wrinkling her nose in disgust.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re way too gorgeous to be sitting all alone,” he said and leant against the countertop with a small smirk. “Someone ought to keep you company.”  

“I’m good thanks,” she replied and gave him a sarcastic smile.

“Aw, c’mon,” the guy continued. He was dressed in a white t-shirt that was way too tight for him and some gray jeans equally as tight; not a look she’d rate very high. He also smelled too much of what she guessed was his aftershave and he obviously had a few too many beers because even though he was standing a few feet away from her she could tell his breath stank from it. “I promise I’m great company. Let me buy you a drink.”

“I’m sure you are,” she told him and rolled her eyes at him. “But I’m fine on my own.”

“Sassy, I like it,” he said as he took a step closer to her. She frowned at him as he did. “If you let me buy you a drink I can assure you you’re gonna have the night of your life.”

“Like I said, I’m not interested.”

“C’mooon, it’ll be fun! Just one drink and I can show you-”

“She’s not interested.”

A warm, strong hand was suddenly on her waist and her whole body froze at his familiar touch.

The guy took a slight step back as he saw Harry behind her. He was standing close to her. His chest pressed into her side. It was almost too close and she was too scared to turn around and look at him. But she knew it was him. She’d never mistake that voice or that touch.

“And who are you?” the guy asked and crossed his arms across his chest and she was sure his t-shirt was about to burst at the seams from how tight it looked.

“Doesn’t matter,” Harry replied firmly, his fingers digging into her waist slightly as he spoke. “She’s not interested, so back off.”

“Look, I dunno who you think you are-”

“Mate, just fuck off,” Harry interrupted him, already fed up. His voice was loud across the bar and it captured the interest of a few bystanders who turned their heads to look at the three of them. She blushed as they did but Harry didn't move. He stayed close to her, hand firm on her waist. The guy in front of her muttered something under his breath before finally leaving.

Then it was just the two of them. “You okay?”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“It looked like he was bothering you so... “ Harry said awkwardly and moved so he was standing in the same spot the guy was in just moments ago. She still couldn’t find it in her to look at him and kept her gaze on the drink in front of her. For some reason she was annoyed and it was hard to pinpoint exactly what was triggering her but one thing was certain; her emotions were running wild. She hadn’t seen him for weeks and then there he was. Just like that.

“Yeah, well, I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can,” he replied quickly and tilted his head to get a better look of her. “I just wanted to help. I care about you.”

“You care about me?” she scoffed. “Sure.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

“Hey,” he said and reached out to touch her arm. “Can you look at me?”

And she couldn’t. She really couldn’t. It was just too much. It felt like her head was about to explode from everything she was feeling. She was happy to be near him again. She was upset. She was angry. She was nervous.

And mostly she was so aware of his hand on her arm. It was burning almost.

“Why?” was all she managed to say.

“Because I’d quite like to look at you when I’m talking to you” he revealed and gently squeezed her arm. “You’ve been avoiding me. Why?”

It was at that moment something inside her shifted. She turned to look at him and pushed his hand off her simultaneously. Harry frowned.

“Are you being serious?” she hissed. She felt dizzy for a moment and all she wanted to do was to scream out in frustration. How could he be so dumb? How did everyone else figure out why she was upset besides him?

“I- yeah. Are you mad at me?”

She had to close her eyes for a second and took a deep breath to stop herself from losing it completely. All she wanted to do was to tell him that she was in fact mad. Fuming even. But there were people around the bar, around them, still watching and she did not want to give them more of a show than they already had. Harry kept his eyes on her though and didn't seem to care that they were in the middle of a full packed pub and she couldn't help but notice how tired he looked. He had dark circles under his eyes and his curls were dull and fell flat around his face and he also had a stubble longer than she had ever seen him with before.

And if she hadn't been so annoyed with him she would’ve worried something had happened and she certainly never would’ve said what she said next.

“Fuck you Harry.”

She didn’t stay around long enough though to find out how he reacted. Instead she turned her back to him and jumped off the barstol and marched right out of the pub without looking back. It was unclear exactly what had made her speak to him like that. It wasn’t like her to tell people to fuck themselves. Especially Harry.

It was far from what she had rehearsed in her mirror before they went out.  

And it wasn’t until a strong hand grabbed her and she was face to face with him again that she realized he had followed her.

“What the fuck was that?”

She pulled her hand out of his grip and crossed her arms over her chest. It was colder outside than she remembered and in her hurry to leave the pub her coat and scarf was left behind. She felt stupid standing there infront of him only in her blouse and ripped jeans, but she couldn’t really think straight and all she wanted to do was to get away from him; which was a first.

Harry on the other hand didn’t look like he was freezing one bit in his much thicker jumper. Instead he looked quite irritated with her as well; which was also a first.

“What?” she snapped and Harry exhaled deeply.

“What’s going on with you?” He asked and she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. The logical part of her knew she was being dramatic but something inside her had sparked. Something she wasn’t used to feeling when it came to Harry but it was too late to stop it all from coming out now. The way he was acting so inconsiderate about everything that was going on, like he had no idea as to why she could possibly be upset with him, stirred an anger in her that she had held back for too long now. How could he not know by now?  

“What’s wrong with me?” she snickered. “No Harry, what’s wrong with you?”

Harry’s eyes widened and he faltered slightly as he stood before her. It just made her blood boil even more; because he really had no idea why she was upset with him. A part of her wanted to march off again but another part of her remembered Louisa's words to just tell him how she felt.

So she stayed.

“Are you mad at me?” Harry asked again. This time he was more hesitant as he spoke, almost as if he didn't want to find out the answer. And now she didn't even try to stop herself and rolled her eyes at him. What a stupid question. He looked at her with careful eyes and had this been any other time she would’ve swooned over how perfectly the green in his eyes matched his lilac jumper. But now she was just too worked up to care. She didn’t even pay attention to the people going in and out of the pub who looked over at the two of them with curious eyes.

“Yes!” She practically screamed at him.

It wasn’t like her to behave like this; to argue and shout at someone. She felt stupid almost for how good it felt to finally say it outloud and to admit it not only to herself but to Harry as well. She was in fact, underneath all of the sadness, actually angry and it was nice to finally have an outlet for all her feelings. It had all been locked up inside her for too long now. Harry looked at her with narrowed eyes.

Perhaps she was being unreasonable; having an argument with him in the middle of the street, in front of a pub of all places, but she couldn’t help it. She’d most likely regret it in the morning, because she was usually avoided conflicts as much as she could since it gave her a lot of anxiety just thinking about it, but at that moment it felt too good to stop. It was liberating.

“Is this about Cleo?”

Her heart almost stopped beating then; hearing the name leave his lips made her completely lose her train of thought and suddenly, in just seconds, the sadness in her chest was so present again and the anger faltered for just a moment. It hurt to hear her name. Cleo. The girl who was everything she wasn’t. It took everything in her to stop herself from falling apart right there and then. Especially with the way he looked at her. His eyes pierced right through her soul.

But she couldn’t turn back now, so she took a breath to gather herself again.

“Yeah, it is,” she admitted.

Harry breathed in deeply and his jaw tightened as he looked up at the dark sky, collecting his own thoughts.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

She laughed and dragged a hand through her hair in frustration.

“What was I supposed to say Harry? Tell you to not go on a date!?”

“If that’s how you felt, then yeah, you should’ve,” he responded and his voice matched hers. Harsh and taut. It was obvious her attitude had sparked something in him as well now. “Instead of biting my head off.”

“Oh, well at least I’m not the one who literally jumped from one girl’s bed to another!” It was a low shot and she knew it. A small part of her regretted it straight away but an even bigger part of her felt relieved. Relieved to finally be able to put into words everything she had felt for weeks.

“Wow, really?” Harry replied and scowled. She nodded. “You told me it was okay.”

“Yeah well,” she started and had to take her eyes off him for a second. It was overwhelming confessing to him how she actually felt about him dating someone else. Overwhelming to see him so tense and worked up. Overwhelming having an actual argument with him. Everything she felt was overwhelming; but there really was no going back now. “I guess I lied.”

“You lied?”

“Yeah.”

“You should’ve told me that and I wouldn’t ha-”

“You wouldn’t what?” she cut him off. “You left me behind like I meant nothing Harry! How do you think that makes me feel? You obviously didn’t feel the same way about it so what was I supposed to do? You wanted to go on a date and I had no right to stop you, that’s fine, whatever, it is what it is. But you didn’t have to be a dick about it.”

“When was I a fucking dick about it?”

“You literally forgot I existed after you met her.”

“I never forgot about you. I’ve tried to talk you. You’re the one who didn’t want to see me when I came over!”

She raised her hand and pointed directly at him, ready to give him another piece of her mind. Her body was shaking with emotions while her chest tightened and cheeks flushed red in anger. Her tears were dangerously close to falling at any second and she opened her mouth to speak.

Only to have nothing come out; because he was right.

He had tried.

And she didn’t know how to respond to that.

She was at a loss for words and slowly the feeling of shame and regret washed over her. She felt stupid and the way Harry looked at her now made her want to disappear. Harry dating Cleo had affected her in more ways than she ever thought it would. It hurt. It hurt so much.

It did however not give her the right to behave like this and tell him to go fuck himself. They were always just friends.They were never even close to being exclusive. She had no excuses. He didn’t owe her anything. She was never his type. She always knew that. Harry was never truly hers.

And she was lucky, because in the very same moment her tears rolled down her cheeks the door to the pub opened.

It was Louisa; who very hesitantly stepped outside to join them, and as Harry looked over at their new company she used those few seconds to quickly wipe away the small tears before he could see she was crying.

“Is everything alright out here?” Louisa wondered and looked between the two of them slowly; as if she knew exactly what was happening.

“Actually-”

“Yeah, everything is fine!” She interrupted him quickly once more before he got the chance to say anything about it and flashed Louisa a fake smile which she knew Louisa saw right through. Harry turned his attention back to her, jaw clenched shut with a look in his eyes she couldn’t really figure out. “I’m just heading home. I don’t feel too well.”

“You left your coat,” Louisa said and gestured to the beige coat in her arms.  

“Oh, did I? Silly me.” She tried to laugh it off but more tears were dangerously close to falling and all she wanted to do was to get away from Harry before they did.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Louisa asked and looked at her knowingly. All she could do was nod because she didn’t trust her own voice to carry her anymore. She was too close to breaking.

And just like that Louisa linked her arms beneath hers, whispered a soft goodbye to Harry and they were on their way back home. She on the other hand didn’t say a single thing as they left and kept her eyes on the ground. She didn’t dare to look at him and her tears spilled over the second her back was turned to him and she leaned into Louisa. Her body felt so heavy and with every step she took she worried she might just fall over from how much her heart ached.

-

It took them a little awhile to get home but once they did Louisa made her a cup of tea and they sat down together in the living room. She felt empty. Everything she had felt earlier; the nervousness, the anger, the frustration, the sadness... it was all gone now. There was just nothing.

Louisa tried to talk to her a few times, but quickly figured that it was better to just leave her be for the time being. They sat together though and watched whatever random show it was that was on the television in stillness. She couldn’t take anything in. Nothing was registering in her head.  Her mind was blank, with one exception. Harry.

She had never intended to get in a fight with him. She couldn’t stop replaying the fight in her head. Everything she had told him was how she felt, there was no denying that, but she wished she could’ve said it a bit nicer and not been so hostile towards him. Because it didn’t help the situation. Nothing was going to get better by shouting at each other. It was just so pointless the whole thing. She had exploded and she wasn’t proud of it. It was far from how she had imagined seeing Harry again would go.

Sure there wasn’t a version in her head that ended up with him wanting her again but never did she think she’d end up storming off the way she had. She had at least hoped that she would be able to be in the same room as him again after tonight but now she wasn’t so sure she ever would be.

She was incredibly grateful Louisa had come out when she did and stopped the argument before it turned uglier. She never would’ve made it home without her help.

But there was one thing that did in fact alarm her about Louisa's disruption and that was the fact that Louisa was ready to leave the second she stepped outside.

Which could only mean one thing - they had all witnessed the fight from the inside.

The fact that all their friends had seen and knew that something had happened between the two of them was more embarrassing to her than all the strangers that had seen and passed them on the street. Their friends had all seen her lose control over her emotions and it made her incredibly uncomfortable knowing they had. She didn’t know how she would ever be able to face them all again without wanting to sink through the floor.  

It didn’t take very long until she had to see two of them though. Beth and Aliyah came home barely an hour after her and Louisa. They didn’t say anything about the argument at first. They just got themselves a cup of tea and joined them on the sofa.

It was Beth who eventually broke the silence when the end credits of the show they were watching came on.  

“How are you?” she asked.

She didn’t reply at first. There were no words good enough to describe how she was feeling and she wasn’t even sure exactly what she was feeling; so she stayed silent and kept her eyes on the television.

“You can talk to us, you know that right?” Louisa said softly. “We’re here for you.”

“Yeah, Harry is the one being a twat,” Aliyah chimed in.

“Aliyah” Beth groaned.

“What? It’s true!”  

It was exactly at that moment she broke her silence and let out a laugh. A laugh that little by little turned into a sob. Her three friends were all quick to her side and embraced her in the best way they could.

And then she told them everything.

About how Harry had first ended up in her bed, how she first thought she had her feelings under control, how he always left jumpers out for her to wear in the morning, how much it hurt her when he told her about the date with Cleo, how much she had missed him during Christmas, how he had stepped in during her encounter with the guy at the bar, how she had told him to go fuck himself and everything else that was said between them before Louisa exited the pub.

“One thing I don’t understand is how Harry missed all of this,” Beth said when she was finished and handed her a new fresh tissue to wipe her tears away. “He’s always so observant about everything that's going on around him and considerate, like I just don’t get it. We all thought he liked you.”

“He’s a fuckboy in disguise, that’s why,” Aliyah fumed and got another dirty look from Beth. “Ugh, c’mon, he is. It’s a shitty thing to do to.”

“He did look quite miserable when he came back inside.”

“Has he even apologized?”

“I don’t blame him,” she spoke quietly and interrupted her two friends. “Cleo is gorgeous.”

“So are you.”

“Not like her,” she sighed and looked down at her hands.

After Harry had stayed over at her place for the first time she couldn’t believe a guy like him even wanted to be with a girl like her. She thought he was just being friendly before that because they were in the same group of friends. But every time she woke up next to him it became more and more real to her. Every time they went home together kept her daydreaming about a future she knew would never exist. She got addicted to his touch and a losing game of love.

Now she couldn’t help but feel like a fool for ever thinking he could be hers. She hurt herself more than anything for putting herself in that situation to begin with. Maybe if she had just stopped thinking about what it would’ve been like to introduce Harry to her mother she could’ve saved herself from this heartbreak.

Or maybe if she had listened to Louisa in the first place none of this would’ve happened and Harry would’ve just been a simple one-night stand. But she got lost in him as soon as she saw him even though she was nothing more than a friend to him.

She was simply put defenceless against him.

“Stop it. Anyone would be lucky to be with you. You’re amazing.”

“Yeah, there’s plenty of fish in the sea.”

Aliyah gasped.

“You should get back on Tinder!” she exclaimed excitedly with wide eyes. “Go on a date with some hottie and forget all about stupid Harold.”

“I don’t know if I’m really ready for that yet,” she replied sadly.

“That’s okay,” Louisa smiled. “There's no rush. You’ve got all the time in the world to meet someone.”

She tried to give her a weak smile in return but it was near impossible. She felt completely drained after the evening she’d had.

And yet when she crawled into bed later on she was wide awake. With every breath she took she felt her anxiety grow. She couldn’t relax. It was impossible to think about something else. Her mind kept wandering to Harry no matter how much she tried to stop it. Did he ever think of her? Had he ever imagined it was her when he was laying next to Cleo? Did he miss her? Or was she just someone to keep him company during the cold dark nights?

The girls had all told her the aching in her chest would get better but she didn’t want to wait for things to change. She wanted things to be like how they used to. She wanted her sheets to smell like him again. She wanted to feel him run his fingers down her back and have him curled up next to her. If anyone told her she could get anything she wanted in the world; her only answer would be him.

And then there was a soft gentle knock on her door that brought her back from the dark hole she was making for herself. Aliyah peaked in carefully.

“You asleep?”

“No. ”

“Can I come in?”

“Mhm” She nodded and Aliyah stepped in and closed the door behind her before coming over to her bed and sat down.

“Look, I kinda just wanted to apologize if I sounded harsh earlier. I didn’t mean to. It’s just…” Aliyah fidgeted with the ends of her sleeves and sighed. “I hate seeing my friends upset, you know? Especially over some stupid boy. I just want you to be happy because you deserve it more than most people I know and I’m sorry if I pushed the Tinder thing. I know I can come off as quite unsympathetic sometimes but I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything. I understand that it might be a bit too early. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t think you’re unsympathetic Aliyah,” she told her and for the first time that evening she managed to crack a small genuine smile. “I’m really glad I have you in my life. I don’t know what I’d do without you and I wish I could just put myself out there... I just don’t know how to.”

“You’ll figure it out eventually.”

“What if I don’t want to figure it out?”

“Well,” Aliyah started and scooted over to lay next to her. “No matter what happens or what you decide, you’ll always have us.”

Aliyah stayed in her room for the rest of the night and they talked about everything that didn’t involve Harry.

And with the help of her friend her mind got a small distraction and she eventually dozed off into a dreamworld where Harry had never gone on a date and still made her breakfast in the morning.

-

A week later she got tired of being so exhausted from going to sleep with such a heavy heart and decided it was time to stop feeling so sorry for herself. She had spent most of her week at home studying, throwing herself into her books more than ever before. She only left her house to go to her lectures and decided to not join the others down at the pub for quiz night. 

She didn’t want to risk running into Harry.

However when her roommates came back home they told her Harry hadn’t showed up either and she could only think of one reason he hadn’t; he was with Cleo.

So with the help from her friends she set up a new profile on Tinder and started swiping. If he could move on then so could she. They spent the whole night reading and going through different guys profiles, swiping left and right. When her phone notified her later that she had a new message she threw her phone at Aliyah in panic who took over and stepped in without hesitation.

And that was how she ended up on a date.

His name was James.

She nearly had a nervous breakdown while she waited for him to show up; only for him to walk in looking like a model fresh off the runway. Her jaw almost dropped and she was a sweaty mess when he approached her and kissed her on her cheek. He was handsome. Almost too handsome; and he knew it.

But he was nice.

He was actually very nice, and polite. They had lots of things in common and there was never an awkward moment of silence between them. They talked all night about everything from what their favorite film was to silly stories about their childhood. She told him about how her brothers used to cover her in bubble wrap and use her as a human punch bag and how they were always punished for the mischief she got up to because their parents thought she was just too innocent and pure. Perks of being the youngest child and only girl she used to call it. She made him laugh and she felt proud. Confident even. He also made her laugh. He made her blush and he made her feel comfortable. The date was nice and it was exactly what she needed after everything that had happened.  

There was absolutely nothing wrong with James. He didn’t have a single flaw.

... he just wasn’t Harry.

No matter how badly she wanted to like James her heart wouldn’t let her.

On the bus back home she felt guilty because James was such a nice guy and she had spent their whole date thinking about someone else. Harry was still so present in her heart and mind. She had compared the two of them all night. She couldn’t help herself. James didn’t have a single tattoo. He had shorter hair. It wasn’t curly. Not even wavy. He had a beard. Bright blue eyes. A different parfyme. A different accent. He didn’t wear any rings.

And all of it just made her realize how badly she wished it had been Harry. It was frustrating how easy he had just replaced her with Cleo while she couldn’t even go on one date with a perfectly good boy like James without thinking about his pretty curls and beautiful green eyes.

She was completely head over heels for Harry.

She sighed and leaned her head against the window of the bus and watched the small drops of water run down the glass. There was a light drizzle outside and it matched her mood quite nicely she thought and chuckled. Her life was just a big stupid cliche. If only she hadn’t been so scared from the start. If only she hadn’t suppressed her feelings for him for so long. If only she could’ve admitted how she felt earlier. Then maybe none of this would've happened. Maybe she would’ve had a chance.

She missed him.

That was the worst part. She missed being close to him; missed feeling his skin on hers.

But most of all she missed just talking to him.

Now they hadn’t spoken in months, except for the fight and she didn’t want to count that because it made her sick just thinking about it. The fight had made things worse and it was so stupid. If it wasn’t for the fight and the fact that she had a habit of avoiding her problems when it became too much they could’ve talked things through and at least had a chance to keep their original friendship. It would’ve hurt seeing him with Cleo but she was starting to feel like it was a lot worse not having him in her life at all.

And maybe it was the three pints of beer she had consumed during her date or the fact that James had made her feel a bit confident or maybe it was just the simple fact that she missed Harry that made her decide to go face her problems.

So instead of getting off the bus at her usual stop she waited three more before getting off.

And she ended up outside Harry’s building.

It wasn’t until after she had knocked on his door that she realized what a terrible idea this probably was. She didn’t even know if he was home. What if Cleo was there? What was she even supposed to say? She had no idea. Harry might not even want to see her.

Her head was spinning but it was nothing compared to how she felt when the door opened and Harry was standing in front of her.  

“Hi” she breathed out. Harry’s eyes widened in surprise as he saw her.

“Hey?” he replied and she felt a little bit awkward standing there as he stared at her with a puzzled look across his face. 

“Um, is this a bad time?” She felt light-headed and her heart was beating so hard inside her chest it almost hurt. She was scared; because if he shut her out now she might just pass out on the floor right in front of him.

“No, no of course not,” he answered quickly and ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to flatten the wild curls on his head. He stepped a little to the side. “Do you wanna come inside?”

“Sure,” she nodded in relief. A tiny bit of hope sparked in her as he invited her inside; hope of what exactly she didn’t know but at least he hadn’t slammed the door in her face and that was always something. She followed him and felt her knees weaken as his familiar scent washed over her.

Isaac sat on the sofa and looked over at her in surprise as they passed. She nodded a shy ‘hello’ towards him and he greeted her back with a small wave. It wasn’t as hard as she had imagined it to be to see Isaac again after everything and it made her somewhat relaxed for what was to come. 

Harry led her to his bedroom to get some privacy and she just couldn’t stop looking at him. She had spent all night wishing James was Harry and now here she was; standing right infront of him. He looked just as perfect as he always did. It took all of her willpower to stop herself from throwing herself over him. She wanted to feel his arms around her more than anything but she couldn’t and she had to stop imaging it because she was only making it harder for herself.

“What are you doing here?” He was the first one to break the silence. Her first instinct was to make up some story about how she was just randomly in the neighbourhood and lie about her reasons for knocking on his door so late. But lying wouldn’t make anything better and she had, for probably the first time ever, pushed herself to go face her troubles instead of going the other way. 

She had simply come too far to lie now.

“I eh... ” she swallowed the big lump in her throat and took another deep breath, trying to calm herself down. “I came to apologize for how I behaved the other weekend.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Harry said softly.

“I want to,” she insisted. They were both still standing, neither of them taking their eyes off the other. It was awkward and she had no idea what to say next. She hadn’t really thought it through. All she knew was that she didn’t want this to end in tears. She didn’t want to shout and storm off. She wanted closure.

Harry nodded slowly and waited for her to continue. He had the yellow jumper on. The one she had borrowed so many times before. It made her heart skip a beat. “It was unnecessary of me. It was just hard to come to terms with everything I suppose. I don’t know...  It felt like you kinda just forgot about me.”

“I didn’t,” Harry assured her and took a step forward to come closer to her but stopped himself before he could reach her, uncertainty written all across his face. “I could never forget about you. I’m really sorry I made you feel like I did.”

“Do you like her?”

“What?”

“Cleo. Do you like her?”

Harry didn’t say anything. He just looked at her, taking in every inch of her and she felt her blood rush to her cheeks. Time was frozen and it was so quiet between the two of them. She could hear cars passing by on the street below them and how the light drizzle had shifted and was now pouring down. It was hard to breathe with him right there because she couldn't figure out whether he was happy to see her again or not.

And when Harry still didn’t say anything the panic inside her started rising and she felt like the biggest idiot in London for even asking such a thing. “I mean,” she started and had to clear her throat before continuing. Her voice was shaky as she spoke and she didn’t know where to look; because looking at Harry just wasn’t an option anymore. He made her too anxious. What a stupid idea. “I totally understand if you do. She’s obviously so beautiful and you two look really good together and like I always knew you didn’t like me in that way and that’s okay, because I’m not like Cleo. I know that she’s prettier than me. I just miss you, and us. I don’t know. This is weird I shouldn’t have come I’m sorry I should g-”

She never got the chance to finish her nervous rambling.

Because within a matter of seconds Harry had moved from where he was standing, cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers. It all happened so fast her mind didn’t get the chance to understand what had happened at first. She just stood there in shock.

But as she realized Harry was indeed kissing her she melted right into him. His lips were warm and rough against hers. Everything else faded away the second their lips met. She didn’t have time to think about whether she should even be kissing him or not. It just felt so familiar she could cry. Her hands quickly found his hips and pulled him even closer, wanting him as close to her as physically possible. Kissing Harry again was so arousing and she needed it. She needed all of it.

It started out as a small and innocent kiss but when neither of them made an attempt to pull away from each other it deepened. His lips moved with hers with eagerness and she couldn’t get enough. She wanted all of him and despite having kissed him many times before it was like nothing she had ever experienced. She had spent weeks dreaming about kissing him again but it was nothing compared to the real thing; to actually be kissing him again.

Harry pulled back for a second to breath but she pulled him back in just as fast. He laughed lightly as she did but she didn’t care if she came off as desperate. She was. She couldn’t get enough of him. Lust had taken over her completely.

Harry’s fingers slipped through her hair and he deepened the kiss further, and her stomach fluttered when he swiped his tongue across her lower lip. She inhaled sharply as their tongues met. Her whole body was on fire. Harry groaned into her mouth and moved his hand down to her hips. He had a tight grip on her as he pushed her backwards towards his bed.

She fell back and landed on the bed with a gasp. Harry stood before her breathing heavily. His lips damp and begging to be kissed again. She reached out to pull him down to join her, already missing his touch, but he stopped her.

“Are you okay with this?” he panted and looked down at her with concerned eyes. The tension around the room was high and hot. She couldn’t really think. She could hardly breathe. Everything felt like a dream. It was hard to grasp what was actually going on and how they had gotten to this point, but she was okay.

“Yeah,” she whispered and extended her hand towards him. Both of them were breathing heavily while staring at each other. Nothing else mattered in that moment. She forgot about everything that had happened as she tugged at his arm, wanting him to join her. “I just want you to stay with me” she whispered and it was the most vulnerable she had ever felt.

His body was warm on top of hers as he joined her on the bed. He gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face and leaned down and placed a light kiss on her cheek. Then her other cheek. A kiss on her forehead. On her nose. Her jaw. Her neck.

Before he reached her lips he pushed himself up and looked down at her.

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed.

Then he reconnected their lips.

She sighed happily into him and let her hands explore his body. He kissed her gently and slowly, but she didn’t want him to be gentle, not now; not after missing his touch for so long. She rolled her hips against his and he groaned again. She felt high. Every touch from him gave her goosebumps. It had been too long.

Her fingers finally found their way in under his jumper and Harry’s kisses became more urgent and hot. His skin was so smooth under her fingertips and it was almost intimidating touching him again, yet it felt so right.

It was Harry’s top that came off first.

Then hers.

And then they were naked; moving together like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Skin to skin. Pressed tightly together. His hair tickled the side of her face as he moved over her and she left kisses anywhere she could reach. Desperate to feel all of him. A low moan came from him as she raised her hips to meet his.

And when her body later exploded in pleasure he held her close while she buried her face into his neck to muffle her cries.

They laid in silence after that. She rested her head on his bare chest as he stroked her back lightly. He pressed a lingering kiss on the top of her head and she didn’t really know what to say next. She had gone there hoping that they could move past everything and at least be friends. She never expected them to sleep together and now she didn't really know what to think of it.

Regret was slowly building up inside her because what if it didn’t mean anything to him? What if he still wanted Cleo? Maybe he still just saw her as a friend and just slept with her because he felt sorry for her. 

But laying in Harry’s arms again felt like a dream and if it was the last time she got to do so she didn’t want to ruin it. She didn’t want to risk them arguing again; didn’t want him to tell her it was all a mistake. Not yet. 

Instead she kept quiet, despite being even more confused about their situation than before. She was just too scared of what his answer to everything might be.

So she laid awake all night trying to come up with what to say to him once they woke up the next day and had yet another sleepless night, even with Harry right next to her.

-

Harry was gone when she woke up and her heart sunk a little when she noticed. She had managed to eventually get a few hours of sleep but she felt far from well rested, and it was disheartening to wake up and not find Harry next to her. She’s not sure what she expected. She had woken up alone in his bed many times before. Harry was an early riser and she just wasn’t. But now it just made the regret in her grow. She should’ve just gone home. It felt more and more like a mistake for every minute she stayed in his bed, and it was hard to find the motivation to get up and face reality.

His yellow jumper was folded and sat neatly at the end of the bed, almost like it was waiting for her. She couldn’t stop staring at it. She wanted to put it on more than anything and feel the soft fabric on her skin again; relish in his scent. It was so tempting, but she couldn’t. It didn’t feel appropriate. 

She forced herself out of his bed and took a deep breath, trying to remember what her mom had taught her about mindfulness. She really should’ve read more of the books she had been given. 

Her own clothes felt cold and stiff when she put them on. The warmth of the yellow jumper taunted her from it was sat and she tried to ignore the thought of just putting it on for a second. 

Just breathe. 

Harry was sat on the sofa when she found the courage to leave the safety of his bedroom. The flat was quiet and if she hadn’t seen him as soon as she stepped out she would’ve worried she was all alone. She tried to see if Isaac was anywhere near but couldn’t see him. It was just Harry, and he was too invested in the book he had in his lap to notice that she was approaching him. 

It wasn’t until she sat down in the armchair opposite him that he realized she had actually gotten up and joined him.

“Oh, good morning,” Harry said and sat up a little straighter as soon as he saw her. He brushed off a few crumbs that was stuck on the front of his hoodie from breakfast in an attempt to look more presentable and put his book away.

A heavy silence settled over them almost straight away.

“Morning,” she replied quietly; wanting the awkwardness between the two of them to fade away. She nervously tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and tried to ignore the nausea that clawed at her throat.

“Did you sleep well?” Harry asked and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He couldn’t really look at her as he spoke and it didn’t help her feel better about the situation.

“Not really,” she admitted. Harry frowned a little and her stomach was in knots as they just sat there. It was their first morning together that was so awkward, not even their first morning together had been this uncomfortable. It didn’t feel right.

“Can I get you anything? Tea?”

“No, thank you.”

They both knew they needed to talk. The tension in the room said it all. It was obvious. She just didn’t know where to start and she was still too afraid to learn about the reasons he kissed her. He could’ve just kissed her because he wanted their old arrangement again. Friends with benefits. Maybe that was all she was to him. 

Her heart wouldn’t be able to take it.

Then out of nowhere she remembered Cleo. Harry was with Cleo. She had forgotten all about the stunning girl with perfekt skin as Harry kissed her last night. It made her feel sick now, sick and dirty. She also felt a little angry again because it wasn’t fair of Harry to kiss her and sleep with her when he had Cleo. “You never answered my question last night,” she said flatly.

“Huh?”

“You never answered my question,” she said again and this time she looked right into his eyes as she spoke. The confident that made her come over in first place sparked a little inside her again. She didn’t want Harry to be with her if he had someone else. It wasn’t the type of relationship she wanted with him.“Do you like Cleo?”

Harry looked up and met her eyes after that and she held her breath waiting for his answer. She didn’t know what she would to do if he said yes. 

Harry took a deep breath and licked his lips. 

“No. I don’t.” His eyes never left hers. “I haven’t seen her since before Christmas.”

“Oh.”

She could feel her heart in her throat. He hadn’t seen Cleo since before Christmas. That meant he wasn’t seeing her when they fought which also meant this mess could’ve been sorted weeks ago if she hadn’t lost her control. How fucking stupid. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“I didn’t think you wanted to talk to me. You seemed like you wanted some space, wasn't gonna force you to.” Harry was calm as he explained. His voice was still a little raspy from sleep and he looked so warm and soft were he sat opposite her in his hoodie and matching sweatpants. Her head was spinning. 

There were so many things she wanted to bring up and now when she kew that he wasn’t with Cleo anymore everything changed. Harry didn’t have anyone and he had kissed her last night; he had done more things than just kiss her and it was scary to think that maybe he had just done it because he was lonely and wanted some company. Maybe he had just been with her because he wanted to continue their friends with benefits thing until he found a new Cleo. 

Maybe he would leave her again. 

And it was scary to think about losing him to someone else. She couldn’t go through that again.“I heard you went on a date yesterday,” Harry acknowledged and cleared his throat to get her attention. It snapped her out of her thoughts. “How was it?”

“It was good,” she confessed. 

Harry’s jaw tightened and he nodded slowly, a sour expression on his face, and she was a little taken aback by it. Was he jealous? It was something she had never thought about before; Harry being jealous about her dating someone else. 

She couldn’t help but feel a little pleased at how he reacted hearing about her date as he took a deep long breath through his nose. It was about time he got to hear about her dates rather than the other way around. But she also decided to not leave out the most important thing. “He wasn’t for me though.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she confirmed and watched as Harry struggled to hold back a smile. It made her heart flutter and for once she didn’t feel so insecure about the situation she was in. “So, how come you broke things off with Cleo?”

She was still nervous though. The knots in her stomach were still there, along with a bunch of butterflies, and her fingers ached to reach out and touch him. It was close to impossible to not think ahead at this point but she tried her best, because she didn’t want to be left disappointed. 

“She wasn’t for me,” he said. His eyes twinkled as he spoke and she noticed him shift in his seat again. This time she was the one who could’t hold back her smile.

Silence fell between them again but it was nowhere near as tense and uncomfortable as before. She knew her cheeks were flushed; she felt hot and light-headed. All she really wanted to do was scream out that she wanted him to be hers. She was tired of dancing around the subject and she wanted, needed, to know if he wanted her too. “I never should’ve dated Cleo,” Harry said and swallowed hard. She sat on the edge of her seat. “It was stupid, and the fact that you thought I forgot about you kills me. I could never forget about you. You’re too special to be forgotten"

“Why?” 

“Why what?”

“Why was it stupid to date Cleo?”

“Doesn’t really seem fair to her when I’m in love with someone else.”

“Who?” 

She had to ask. Her whole body trembled in anticipation and she was terrified despite having no real reason to be anymore. At least she hoped she didn’t. She didn’t want to be wrong. 

“It’s you.”

And that was all it took for her to literally jump to her feet and throw herself over him. She accidentally knocked her nose into his going in for a kiss and it was sloppy and it was clumsy but she didn’t care. Not even a little. Neither did Harry. 

Because at that moment nothing else mattered. Harry was in love with her. He wasn’t with Cleo; she wasn’t for him. He had told her so himself. 

He was hers. 

[anything4our-moony]

By the Water Fountain

Pairing: Draco x Harry

Word count: 4.6k

Rating: T, mild language

Warnings: mention of excess drinking

Prompt/Summary: from @lxncelot‘s 100 dialogue prompts:

8- “Keep talking, I want to fall asleep to your voice.”

43- “Why didn’t you tell me?”

68- “But I’ve never told you that before.”

This is my first time posting a oneshot on this blog; I hope you all enjoy! <3

•••

Harry honestly didn’t drink very often. 

He would occasionally have a beer with friends at dinner or a glass of firewhisky on special occasions. He was typically the designated sober friend when Seamus and Ron wanted to get drunk and sing karaoke in muggle bars, ensuring that they made it safely to their homes at the end of the night. He didn’t mind; he loved seeing his friends happy. 

But after the day Harry had, he welcomed the blurred around the edges effect that crept into his vision as he downed his 4th drink at a local pub, and it was all because of Draco Bloody Malfoy. 

Harry and Draco’s paths began to cross quite frequently, Harry working in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Draco being the healer to patch up his wounds when his Gryffindor heart outweighed his rational brain and got him into dangerous situations. The fifth time Harry ended up at St. Mungo’s, Draco simply shook his head and muttered, “We have got to stop meeting like this, Potter.” 

After getting over the initial awkwardness of ‘used to be enemies but are now grown adults with bigger issues’, they started to form an almost friendship. They both frequented a small, family owned Middle Eastern restaurant on their lunch breaks that was nearby the hospital, and after running into each other one two many times, decided to start sitting and eating together. “Because there’s no need to give the staff double the work, Potter.” Draco had scoffed when Harry had raised an eyebrow at his suggested arrangement. But he never complained. 

Harry sat on the stiff, wooden barstool, stirring his drink mindlessly and staring at the glistening ice cubes, possibly hoping they had advice for him, when he heard a familiar voice behind him. 

“This seat taken?” Ron Weasley sat down next to Harry and gestured to the bartender. “Can I get a pint of whatever you have on draft?” He turned to look Harry up and down. “You look like hell.” 

Harry raised his glass a bit and mutter “Cheers, mate.” 

Ron snorted. “Who is he and what’s he done to make the great Harry Potter run away to a bar to get plastered alone?” 

When Harry first “came out” to his friends, Ron was the first to accept it. He had a conversation with all of their male friends and told them if they ever said anything cross to Harry about it, he’d hex their bollocks off. He was so grateful for Ron’s unwavering loyalty. 

“How do you know it’s a bloke that’s got me gutted?” Harry replied, still staring down at his drink. 

“Please.” Ron scoffed. “You’ve been staring at that drink like it might lay you on a couch and start giving you relationship advice.” He took a swig of his drink and added “Plus I’ve known you since you were eleven, mate. You’re not as mysterious and hard to read as you think.”

That made Harry laugh and then groan. He put his head in his hands. “Ron. I think that I might fancy someone.” 

Ron looked startled, but replied, “Harry that’s great! Anyone I know?” 

Harry moaned into his hands and hesitated but finally answered. “I think...I think I fancy Draco Malfoy.” 

Harry hadn’t come to this realization quickly. Obviously he knew he was into blokes, but he never really considered anyone he was already acquainted with as an option. His small dating pool consisted of first dates with internet matches and set ups with friends of friends whose only similarity to Harry was their mutual queerness. 

But Draco was...well, Draco. He would insult and tease you to your wits end, but was fiercely protective of the people he loved being their backs. He was outwardly cocky and arrogant, but when Draco sat next to Harry’s bed at St. Mungo’s chatting with him hours after his shift ended, he would confide in Harry all the ways he was immensely unsure of himself. He confessed how frightened he was that someday he wouldn’t be allowed to continue his work because the wrong person wouldn’t want an “Ex Death Eater” saving their life. He admitted that he had been utterly terrified during the war; that he wandered out early on, but had no idea how to get out without risking his and his parents’ lives. He even thanked Harry for the time he saved him in the room of requirement. 

“I never showed you even an ounce of kindness, yet you risked your life just to save me. I didn’t know anyone could be that selfless.” 

Even after all that, Harry still hadn’t put a name to what he was feeling for Draco. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was until that morning; the morning that caused him to end up in the pub in the first place. 

Harry met Draco for lunch at their usual spot. They were talking about the recent Quidditch match that they had both read about in the Daily Prophet. 

“I don’t know why the Harpies don’t just go ahead and make Ginevra the starting seeker. She’s not doing any good on the bench, and she can fly circles around that Malcolm chap.” He sipped his coffee and continued, “I bet she could even give you a run for your money.” 

Harry laughed and took a bite of his falafel. “She could definitely kick my arse at this stage in my life. I haven’t been on a broomstick since the last time I tried to give Rose Weasley a flying lesson, and I think even she was better than me by the end of the day.” Draco flashed an easy smile at him.

They paid for their food and began to walk towards the hospital. There had been a misfired jinx at Harry’s work, resulting in all of the plumbing pouring out fruit pastilles instead of water. It didn’t seem like that big of a deal to him, but he was glad to have the rest of the day off regardless. 

They walked in comfortable silence for a bit. The restaurant hadn’t been busy, so Draco had a few minutes to spare before he needed to return to his shift. They decided to take a seat on the edge of an old fountain in the middle of the square. 

Draco looked at the water and laughed light heartedly. “Muggles are so odd. Why would anyone throw money into the water just to watch it sink? Do they know that it’s useless down there?” 

Harry couldn’t help but smile. “It’s a superstitious tradition. You throw the money in and make a wish, and it’s supposed to come true. I’m not really sure why, though. Maybe because you made some odd kind of offering to the god of water fountains.” Draco pursed his lips and considered this. 

“Here.” Harry said and reached into his pocket and pulled out two sickles. He handed one to Draco and closed his eyes. “I wish that the pipes get filled with candy at work more often so I can spend more time with my dear friend Draco.” He threw the coin over his shoulder, and it 

splashed into the water. Draco smiled. He stared at the coin in his hand for a long moment, and just as Harry was about to open his mouth and say something, he closed his eyes and closed his hand around the coin. 

“I wish that the world will someday see me for the good things I do in the present and will do in the future rather than the bad things I did in my past.” He tossed the coin over his shoulder and opened his eyes. 

Harry stared into the grey eyes he had lately been becoming more and more familiar with. There was a hint of sadness there, but also a look of steadfast finality. He knew that Draco would continue to try and pay for his mistakes time and time again, whether through healing those who needed him or reinventing himself into the kindhearted, compassionate individual he was today. A gust of wind suddenly blew his platinum blonde hair into his face, and without thinking, Harry reached up and gently pushed it out of the way, revealing his grey eyes once again. Draco stiffened, and Harry dropped his hand and looked away. After a too long pause, Draco cleared his throat. 

“I’ll- I better go inside, then.” He stood and brushed off the back of his trousers. Harry, carefully avoiding his eyes, nodded and stood as well. They both murmured awkward goodbyes and went their separate ways. 

•••

Harry rested his elbows on the sticky bar top and groaned again. He fancied Draco Malfoy, and now he wasn’t sure if he’d ever recover. 

Ron spluttered a bit, then finally said, “Well, it could be worse. At least he’s pretty attractive.” 

Harry shifted his gaze towards his friend, frowning. “Yes I’m quite aware of that, thanks.” He sighed. “I think I just need to have a few more drinks about it.” 

Ron smiled and patted Harry on the shoulder. Suddenly, his phone chimed, causing Ron to jump. He was still having trouble getting used to muggle technology. 

He frowned. “Uh oh. ‘Mione says baby Hugo’s got a stomach bug. I better get home and relieve her for a bit.” He stood up and said pointedly to Harry, “It’s not the end of the world, mate. If you think it’ll work, ask him out. If you don’t-“ he shrugged “I guess you’re on the right track.” He gestured towards Harry’s empty glass. “Listen, don’t try and apparate in your condition. Get a cab or something, and call me if you need anything.” Harry grunted a response, not knowing if he could say anything coherent in his state. Ron patted his shoulder again, then turned and headed out the door. 

Harry sighed, then asked the bartender for another drink. 

After a while, the crowd in the pub began to dwindle down, and Harry realized he should probably make the trek home. He stood up and saw stars and knew Ron was right; he definitely could not apparate like this, unless he wanted half of him to end up in the Pacific Ocean. But there was one problem- Harry didn’t have any muggle money for a cab, and he was too drunk to remember what to do in this situation. He remembered Ron’s offer and picked up his phone and went to his recent calls. He was about to choose Ron’s contact when he saw another name. 

‘Malfoy’ with a green snake emoji. 

Harry giggled and grinned, and thought ‘what the hell?’ He stepped outside and clicked the call button. 

It rang one and a half times, and a gravelly voice grumbled, “Potter? What the hell are you doing, do you know what time it is?” 

Harry snorted and replied, “Yes Draco, I do know how to read.” He giggled. “Just because I’m not in Ravenclaw doesn’t mean I’m stupid.” 

There was a short pause, and Draco remarked, “Are you drunk?” 

“Hmm”, Harry mused happily, and said, “Extremely.”

Draco let out an exasperated sigh, and there was a shuffle of movement on the other line. “Where are you?” He demanded. 

Harry looked and his vision swam. “Um. London?” He heard Draco inhale and start to say something, but quickly continued. “I’m just kidding, hah. There’s a street sign, but I don’t know what it says. Maybe I can’t read...” he trailed off. Then he spotted a familiar sculpture in front of a small park, and he perked up. “Oh! I see my statue!” He narrowed his eyes at the golden replica of him that had been placed there not too long ago. “It’s really embarrassing that they put that here. And I don’t think I’m actually that tall.” 

Draco sighed again, and said, “Potter. I’ll be there in approximately 4 seconds. Please try not to die.” The line went dead, and Harry heard the *crack* of someone apparating next to him. 

Put together, ready for the day Draco was already a sight to see; his pure blood upbringing instilled a need to constantly look flawless, no wrinkles or hairs out of place. He had immaculate posture, and one could tell by merely looking at him that he was someone important. But rumpled, hair perfectly messy, fresh out of bed blinking sleep from his eyes Draco? Well. 

He was so beautiful Harry could cry. 

“Hi.” Harry grinned drunkenly at him. Draco pursed his lips, looking equally amused and annoyed at the same time. 

He murmured a simple, “Hello.” 

Harry stared at his face, so gorgeously illuminated in the moonlight, sharp edges softened by the glow. Even in his drunken state, he wondered how he missed this; how he hadn’t recognized the burning need to stroke his ivory skin, run his fingers over his sharp nose, his lips... 

Harry shook his head and sighed. “I’m drunk.” 

Draco’s mouth turned up slightly at the corner, and he simply replied, “Quite.” He turned to look around. “We can side along apparate as long as you don’t try to do it yourself. Otherwise we’ll both end up splinched between here and Merlin knows where.” Draco put one arm around Harry’s waist and the other firmly on his bicep so they were chest to chest, while Harry tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. 

Draco looked at him softly, expression unreadable, and asked, “Are you ready?” Harry swallowed and nodded, trying to ignore how close their faces were. Harry closed his eyes and hoped he didn’t vomit as the familiar feeling pulled at his stomach and the air swirled around him.

Just as quickly as it had started, everything suddenly stilled. “Harry.” Draco whispered. Harry opened his eyes to see Draco staring at him intently, with the same soft and confusing look as earlier. “Come on, I’ll help you up the stairs.” 

Harry vaguely noticed that he didn’t quite recognize where they were, but he was focusing most of his attention on breathing steadily. He was extremely aware that Draco kept a firm hand on Harry’s waist as they walked up the stairs to a quaint little townhouse. Draco unlocked the door with the key and quietly let Harry inside. 

At this point, Harry could feel his eyes starting to close on their own and his legs start to grow weak from exhaustion. Luckily, Draco led Harry to a bedroom with a beautiful wooden four poster bed. He sat down on the edge and rubbed his temples while Draco rummaged through a dresser. He pulled out a shirt and a pair of sleep pants and handed them to Harry. 

“I’ll run and get you a glass of water.” He patted the top of Harry’s head before exiting the room and closing the door behind him. Harry quickly changed out of his stiff work clothes into the more comfortable ones Draco had leant him. He ran a hand through his unruly curls and moved to lay down. Draco came back with a glass of water and a small vial. 

“Take this in the morning. It’ll help a bit.” Draco smiled as he sat on the edge of the bed and shook his head. “I never thought I’d have to be the one to rescue Harry Potter from a drunken escapade.” 

Harry snorted sleepily. “I’m usually not one to drown my sorrows, but there’s a first time for everything.” 

Draco pressed his mouth into a hard line and retorted, “Who’s the lucky girl that got to break The Chosen One’s heart?” 

Harry just stared at him confused for a moment, before blurting out, “I’m gay.” Draco raised an eyebrow, and he continued, “Like, really really gay.” 

Draco once again got that unreadable expression on his face, but his shoulders relaxed a little bit. “Well, I hope whoever had you ‘drowning your sorrows’, as you so eloquently put it, is worth it.” He started to stand up, but Harry clumsily grabbed for his hand. 

“Wait no.” He frowned. “Keep talking, I want to fall asleep to the sound of your voice.” Draco’s face reddened (and Harry was way too drunk to consider what that meant), but nodded and sat back down. 

“What would you like me to talk about, then?” Harry closed his eyes and relaxed. “Tell me more about your wish. At the fountain.”

He heard Draco’s breathing, not slow and even, but not panting either. Harry was vaguely aware that he was still clutching Draco’s hand. “I know that there’s no excuse for my actions. I’m well aware that I hurt more people than I can even begin to understand,” he hesitated, “but I hope someday I’ll be remembered as someone who eventually started to help rather than hurt.” 

Harry wanted to keep listening, wanted Draco to talk to him until his voice gave out, but exhaustion was slowly taking over. He softly squeezed Draco’s hand and murmured, “I’ll always know that. I’ll remember.” 

As Harry drifted off to sleep, Draco whispered, “Thank you, Harry.” 

••• 

Harry woke up the next morning feeling as though he had been repeatedly run over by the knight bus. He groaned and sat up. With a start, he realized he was not in his bedroom. He looked around the light grey room as the events of the night before came flooding back to him. “Oh Merlin.” He moaned and put his head in his hands. 

“No, sorry, just me.” Draco smiled as he walked through the door. He set a mug of steaming tea next to Harry and said, “Three sugars and a pinch of cinnamon.” Harry looked up at him, squinting a bit as his eyes adjusted to the light. 

“You know how I like my tea.” He stated blatantly. “But I’ve never told you that before.” Draco looked away, embarrassed. 

“I’ve eaten lunch with you almost every day for the past four months, Potter. It’s an insult to my intelligence that you think I’m that unobservant.” There was no malice in his voice, only light hearted teasing. He looked at the bedside table and handed Harry his glasses and the vial he placed there the night before. “This won’t cure a hangover, but it’ll make it a hell of a lot more bearable.” 

Harry mumbled a thanks and slid his glasses onto his face. He downed the potion in one gulp and grimaced. Draco laughed at whatever face Harry was making. He grumbled, “Remind me never to go near alcohol again.” 

“Duly noted.” Draco said with another grin. “Come one them, I’ll make breakfast.” 

Harry walked into the living room and noticed the blanket and pillow laid on the couch. “You slept on the sofa?” Harry asked. 

Draco shrugged. “My bed was a bit occupied for the night.” 

“I would have shared.” Harry replied without thinking. Draco looked away and busied himself in the kitchen.

What on Earth was wrong with him, Harry wondered idly. Draco apparently had the uncanny ability to make Harry say whatever was on his mind, both drunk and hungover it seemed. Draco started to hum to himself while he buttered bread, and Harry walked over and sat himself on the counter and allowed himself to really stare. 

Draco was in the same rumpled shirt and sleep pants he had been wearing when he rescued Harry from the streets of London the night before. His hair was a bit flattened in the back from his pillow, and he had his sleeves pushed up to his elbows. Harry let himself daydream about 

getting to witness this every morning; waking up to Draco, looking like a slightly disheveled Adonis, making Harry breakfast. His heart yearned for the domesticity of it all. 

He didn’t realize he’d been caught staring until he looked up and his eyes met Draco’s. His cheeks warmed and he but his lip, embarrassed, but didn’t look away. He tapped his fingers on the counter anxiously. Draco stared at him for a moment longer then looked away, continuing his cooking. “Are cheese toasties alright? I always like a bit of comfort food when I’m hungover.” Draco smiled at him, a small but still dazzling smile. 

“You don’t have to do that for me, I’m fine with anything, really.” He looked down at his fingers still tapping the counter. 

Suddenly Draco’s hand covered his, halting his anxious tapping. “A bit restless, are we?” he teased softly. Harry looked up, about to respond, and realized Draco’s face was mere inches away from his own. He wasn’t sure if it was the leftover alcohol in his system or if it was his stupid, reckless Gryffindor heart, but something in him made him suddenly close the distance between them to kiss him. 

As soon as he did it, he regretted it and pulled away. He leaped down from the counter and stumbled away towards the living room. 

“I’m- er, sorry, I’ll just...” he stuttered. “I’m going to go.” 

Draco reached an arm out to him. “Harry, wait-“ 

“Thank you for, um, all this. I-“, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “See you later.” 

He quickly disapparated, leaving Draco standing in the kitchen looking confused, his arm still extended towards Harry. 

••• 

Harry hadn’t moved from his spot on the couch since he had arrived in his flat 3 hours earlier. He laid on his back with his arm flung over his eyes, his head still pounding from the hangover and his mortifying actions in Draco’s kitchen. His heart sank every time he thought about it. The

truth was, even before Harry’s discovery of his more than friendly feelings towards Draco, he’d cherished their relationship. Ron and Hermione were great friends, but they were everything to each other and often were lost in their own bubble, which was something Harry couldn’t and didn’t want to compete with. His relationship with Draco was something Harry had all to himself. It was effortless and easy, and he found himself looking forward to any time they spent together. He knew he’d ruined everything, and he was already grieving the loss of their friendship. 

There was a soft knock on his door. He groaned. A local football team had been going door to door selling magazines to raise money for some kind of tournament for the past week. He got up and slowly walked to the door. As he opened it he said, “Look guys, I already bought a subscription last week, I’m really not interested in-“. He looked up. 

Draco stood in the doorway with a tentative smile plastered on his face. He held up a brown paper sack and said, “You left without your breakfast.” Harry blinked at him, not processing what was going on. “Er-“, Draco rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, “can I come in?” 

Harry blinked and nodded, stepping out of the way. Draco walked to the sofa and sat down. He looked back at Harry, who was still standing by the doorway looking flabbergasted, and gestured towards the empty seat next to him. Harry swallowed and slowly walked to the couch, sitting as far away from Draco as the tiny love seat allowed. 

They were both silent for a moment. Harry started to tap his fingers anxiously on the cushions, but he remembered what had happened the last time he had done that near Draco and decided to put his hands in his lap instead. 

Draco finally broke the silence by saying, “Do you remember Blaise Zabini?” 

Harry pursed his lips at the odd question but answered, “Of course. He works over at Gringotts now, right?” 

Draco nodded and continued, “He and I had a sort of fling in our fifth year. Very casual, very secret, but still very real.” 

Harry stared at him blankly until realization dawned on him. “So...you’re saying that you’re-“. 

“‘Like, really really gay’ as you so eloquently put it last night.” Draco smirked at him, and Harry gave him a tentative smile in return. Draco nonchalantly slid his knee closer to Harry’s and looked at him until he finally met his eyes. 

“And”, he began, ”I think that I’d like to give you a proper kiss, if that’s alright with you.” 

Harry swallowed loudly but managed to say, “I’d like that very much.” Draco smiled and slowly raised his hand to stroke Harry’s cheek. He moved towards him painfully slow, and Harry closed

his eyes and exhaled, parting his lips in a slight ‘o’ shape. Draco closed the last few inches between them and pressed their lips together. 

Draco’s lips were soft and warm as they moved slowly against his own. Harry slid a bit closer and placed one hand on Draco’s knee and the other at the nape of his neck, twisting his fingers in his hair and deepening their kiss. Draco slowly slid his tongue along Harry’s bottom lip and let out a soft moan. Harry, in a moment of blind confidence moved his hands to Draco’s thighs and pulled him onto his lap, never breaking their kiss. He felt Draco skim his teeth along Harry’s lip as Harry slid his hands underneath Draco’s shirt, resting on his hips and gently tracing circles on his bare skin. Draco moved his hands into Harry’s hair and tugged gently, making him gasp and accidentally breaking their lips’ embrace. Draco pressed their foreheads together, eyes still closed and trying to catch their breath. Harry opened his eyes and silently traced his fingers across Draco’s facial features like he had longed to do last night. Draco leaned into Harry’s palm, still straddling him with his hands tangled in Harry’s ebony hair. 

Harry was the one to eventually break their silence. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Draco quirked up an eyebrow. “You mean why didn’t I tell you that I’m gay, or why didn’t I tell you that I’ve wanted to snog the hell out of you since I was fifteen? Either way, it’s not something that just easily comes up in conversation, Potter.” He rolled his eyes but stroked his thumb against Harry’s face. 

“Well you could’ve told me either way. I-“, Harry stopped. “Wait. Did you say fifteen?” 

Draco but his lip. “I was a prat, I know. But I didn’t know how else to cope with falling for my sworn enemy. Very un-Slytherin of me.” Draco shifted so he was now sitting next to Harry with his legs stretched out across his lap. He held Harry’s hand in both of his and gently stroked his long fingers. “How long have-“, Draco stumbled, “Er-, when did you, um, realize?” 

Harry laughed quietly. “Well I’ve known I was gay since I was 17. But I only discovered my feelings for you-“, Harry put his hand under Draco’s chin and pulled his face up to look at him, “less than 24 hours ago.” Draco’s face was so comical he couldn’t help but laugh. “I knew I felt something for you; a tug in my stomach perhaps. But I only put a name to it yesterday. You know, drowning my sorrows and that whole bit.” Harry paused, watching Draco’s face, then continued, “And I think you are, by the way.” 

Draco looked at him questioningly. “Are what?” 

Harry smiled a crooked smile at him and replied, “You said you hoped whoever I was drinking about was worth it.” He pushed Draco’s hair out of his eyes like he had only yesterday at the fountain. “And I definitely think you are.”

Draco sighed. “Bloody Gryffindor’s. Ridiculous romantics, the lot of you.” But he beamed at him and pulled Harry in to kiss him again before saying, “Harry Potter, you have the most brilliant soul I have ever had the privilege of encountering.” 

Harry grinned and pushed him down on his back into the sofa and moved to hover over him. “Now who’s the romantic?” Harry stared into those granite grey eyes and smiled before kissing him once again.

•••

If you made it this far, thank you so so much for reading my fic! Please feel free to reply or message me with what you thought, any comments of suggestions for my writing, etc.! <3

[let-it-raines]

your wonder under summer skies (6/?)

Summer in Storybrooke, Maine means one thing for its residents: tourist season. This year, for Emma Swan and Killian Jones, it means relationships ending and friendships changing all the while they attempt to figure out just what their relationship is. It’s somewhere straddling the line between friends and lovers, and there’s no guarantee of a soft landing if they fall into new territory.

rating: mature

a/n: I’m sorry for the delay. I’d hoped to have finished writing this story and then post pretty quickly, but personal life things have kept my mind other places. But hopefully you guys keep enjoying this story 💙

ao3: beginning | current

tumblr:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

-/-

Sand shifts beneath Killian’s feet as he runs along the shoreline. The tide hasn’t quite come in yet, the water just missing him as it wades onto the shore, but Skipper is getting soaked with salt water as he runs on his leash in front of Killian. He used to not have to put Skipper on a leash for their morning runs since no one else is on the beach at this time of the morning, but then the damn dog went and swam in the ocean only to get caught up in a rip tide.

So, leash it is even if it makes Killian run faster and harder than he ever intends to.

Bloody hell, his calves are absolutely on fire. He should have run along the boardwalk to save himself from this kind of pain.

“Skip,” Killian whistles. “Slow down, mate.”

The dog obviously doesn’t listen and keeps running, but Killian tugs on his leash until he pulls back, stopping and sitting down in the sand. He’s definitely going to have to be shaved later.

“Good boy,” Killian sighs as he finally catches up to him. “You want to head back home? Are you tired yet? I’m exhausted.”

Skipper barks and sticks out his tongue. Killian takes it as sign enough that it’s time to go home.

The sun begins to rise over the horizon on Killian’s walk home, and he slows his pace to watch the world be coated in shades of orange and pink that are like nothing he’s ever seen replicated. Milah used to try with her paintings. She was always so obsessed with the sun and the way it shaded things differently, and he’d catch her painting the same building over and over again with only the most minute differences. She was a bloody brilliant painter, too, and the more time that goes by, the more he wishes he’d been able to keep just one of her paintings.

He’d given them to her son.

Her son who deserved them much more that Killian ever did. His only hope is that they’re displayed instead of shoved in a supply closet or decaying in a landfill somewhere. Her family had been furious when they found out about him, and he doesn’t blame them.

He felt the same way.

Except Killian was the hidden boyfriend who was driving the car that killed Milah, and he wasn’t exactly welcomed by her family at the funeral. He’d always thought that she didn’t have family, that she had few people just like him, but she apparently had hordes of people in her life.

How can he still harbor love for her when she betrayed him?

When she’s the reason he hasn’t been able to commit himself to anyone since.

Well, there was Tink, but she was exactly the same as Milah in so many ways.

At least she didn’t help in giving him the scars that run up and down his arm and wrap around his hand so that there was a permanent physical reminder of her. She simply, well, sunrises don’t remind him of her in the way they remind him of Milah.

Skipper barks again, and Killian shakes himself out of it before continuing to walk up to the beach. Some of the cabana boys are already dragging out the lounge chair cushions to the beach, and Killian nods at them before turning at the boardwalk and making his way to the shop. He goes through the back door so that obnoxious bell won’t go off, and as soon as they get inside, Killian slips out of his shoes and takes Skipper’s leash off before quietly walking up the stairs.

The lights in the apartment are all still turned off, and Killian uses the dim light of the rising sun to find his way back to his bedroom. The only light in there is the brightness of Emma’s phone shining on her face.

“Why did you get up so early to run this morning?”

He pulls off his sweaty shirt and tosses it in his laundry bin. “I’ve got a full day. I’m down at the marina all day. Why? Did you want to come with?”

“I’m doing a spin class with Ruby tonight, but I do need to start running on the beach again. That is a hell of a workout.”

“You’re telling me. My calves are still on fire.”

Emma hums and keeps typing on her phone. What the hell is she writing this early in the morning? He didn’t even think she’d be awake, but he probably woke her up when he left. Damn. He thought he was being quiet.

“I’m going to take a shower. Do you need to take one?”

“I’m not showering with you, Jones.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

She drops her phone and raises her brow. “I’m sorry. You’re a man who doesn’t want to have shower sex? I think you may actually be a unicorn.”

“It’s a very small shower, love, and I don’t think my knees can take being on the tile. My legs are definitely too tired to have to hold you up.”

“I’m not complaining,” she laughs. “I’ve just never had this happen before. I feel like I need to document it. You can leave the shower on for me. I’ll hop in after.”

Killian raises his hand and salutes at Emma before stripping out of the rest of his clothes and walking into his bathroom. He closes the door behind him and turns on the shower, allowing it to heat up for a minute or two before stepping inside and letting the water pound against his back. It feels better than he imagined it could, and even with this, he knows he’s going to be beyond sore by this evening.

He easily could have stayed in bed with Emma this morning. He could have slept in, had some kind of drowsy, lazy morning sex, and then been on with his day without being sore.

Now that he thinks about it, that would have been the better option.

Then again, the two of them aren’t really wake up in the morning and have sex kind of people. It’s happened, but it almost feels outside of their deal. He’d like to stay inside the deal and within the guidelines of their rules as much as he possibly can.

It’s funny how easy it’s been to fall into this thing with her. It’s usually not like this when he starts sleeping with someone new. There’s a game to be played, no matter how much he’d sometimes rather not play it, but with Emma, it’s not like that. There’s no tip-toeing around each other or questioning motives, not anymore. It is what it is, and they’re both okay with that.

No games may be the most refreshing thing in the world.

Killian quickly scrubs himself down with soap and washes some shampoo in his hair before rinsing it all off. His bathroom door opens, and Emma walks through without a stitch of clothing on.

Bloody hell.

“You almost finished?” she asks, apparently without a care in the world that she’s nearly rendered him speechless.

And possibly changed his thoughts on shower sex, even if that would absolutely be the most uncomfortable thing in the world right now.

“It’s all yours, milady.” He slides open the glass door and grabs a towel while Emma slides by him and steps into the shower. “It may be a little hot.”

“It’s scorching. What is wrong with you?”

“Trying to relieve my sore muscles, love.”

“By burning your skin off?”

“It is not that hot.”

She rolls her eyes and grabs his shampoo bottle. He’s got to stop looking at her if he wants any hope of being able to get dressed comfortably.

“Do you have conditioner?”

Killian bends down and pulls out an old bottle that was left here. “This work?”

She reaches out and grabs it. “Do you have more of this?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Because whichever girl left this is my new favorite. This stuff is expensive, and I think I’ll be able to actually brush through my hair now.”

Killian scoffs and adjusts the towel around his waist. “What’s wrong with the stuff in the shower?”

“It’s awful. The fact that you have such good hair is amazing.”

Oh, well, if she’s going to compliment him, he can’t pass that opportunity up. He twists his head and gets in her eyeline, ignoring the way water is dripping off her breasts, and moves his brows up and down.

“Why, darling, who knew you had such a thing for my hair?”

Emma’s nose scrunches up. “Shut up.”

“No, no, I can’t let this go. Tell me, what else do you find attractive about me? I know there must be quite a list since you’ve decided to sleep with me on a regular basis.”

“Again, shut up.”

“Nope. I’m not letting this go now. You find me attractive, Swan, and believe it or not, I actually quite fancy you from time to time when you’re not yelling at me.”

“Don’t you have something to be doing?”

“I have nothing to do but stare at you.”

Emma’s laugh is louder than the spray of water, and he sees her shake her head before she goes back to washing her hair. Killian should shave this morning, but he can put that off until tomorrow when he’s not incredibly distracted by the naked woman showering next to him.

Killian brushes his teeth and dries his hair before walking out of the bathroom, leaving the door open for the steam to waft out, and he gets dressed for work. He’s still got hours until then, but if he puts joggers back on, he’ll not want to go. He knows the families who are coming in today for sailing lessons, and as much as he loves that part of the job, he does not want to deal with a group of twelve-year-old kids today.

The shower water keeps running, and Killian sees Emma out of the corner of his eyes before he opens his bedroom door and softly closes it behind him. The lights in the kitchen are on, and when he gets close enough, he sees Elsa standing over the stove with eggs in the pan. He didn’t even know she’d stayed over last night. He should be paying more attention to that. Then again, he doesn’t want Liam to know who he has staying over, so maybe it’s a good thing that they can quietly go about their business.

When Liam and Elsa get married, though, Killian hopes they either kick him out of here or move into Elsa’s place. He doesn’t know how much longer he can take living with Liam because of situations like this morning, but that’s not exactly an easy conversation to have.

“You making enough for everyone?” Killian asks.

Elsa twists around and smiles. “I’m making enough for me, but if you want some, that’s not a problem. Did you go running this morning?”

“Aye, and yes to the eggs, too.”

“That’s really early for you to go running. I didn’t even know you got up at that time.”

“Love, I almost never sleep in. The Navy will kill that habit before they do anything else.”

“Liam has managed to curb that, I think. That or he fakes sleeping in so I don’t feel lazy when I wake up later than him.”

“I think you may be onto his evil plans.”

She laughs again before plating the eggs in the pan and opening the carton next to her to crack open two more. “Oh, by the way, Emma is coming over this morning to help me with some wedding stuff. Anna is going to call in since that’s all really her cup of tea, but Emma is going to help get me a lower rate on one of the club venues. So, if you could go downstairs and unlock the door for her, that would be great.”

Killian swallows and grabs the plate of eggs from Elsa’s side, seasoning them and adding some cheese. “Isn’t that really more Mary Margaret’s department? The weddings, I mean.”

“Mary Margaret is more passionate about it, but they technically have the same job. Plus, Emma was free to meet me this early so we could talk to Anna at the same time.”

Killian accidentally shakes a little too much salt into his eggs. “When is Emma supposed to be here?”

“In about thirty minutes. Did I say you could have those eggs?”

Killian stuffs some overly salted eggs in his mouth. “I figured you’d want them while they were still hot, so I’d take the old ones.”

Elsa hums and nods. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“Don’t I know it?”

Killian stuffs the eggs into his mouth, eating far more quickly than any normal human should, and he’s going to regret it later. But he needs to finish and run back into his room because Emma cannot come out this way if Elsa is in the kitchen.

“Did the water just turn off?”

“Hmm?”

“I thought I heard the water turning off, but I must be hearing things.”

Shit.

“I didn’t hear anything.” Killian puts his half-empty plate down. “These are really good, Els. I’ll be right back, yeah? I need to check my phone.”

She doesn’t say anything, and Killian quickly leaves before she can. He doesn’t know what they’re going to do. Elsa is in the kitchen cooking, and she always likes to eat on the sofa. He can’t exactly tell Elsa to go back to Liam’s bedroom so he can sneak Emma out of the house only to sneak her back in.

What the hell, Emma? Why did she even come over last night? Did she not think this through? They’re going to have to start thinking things through if they don’t want to get everyone else involved. That would be a disaster that neither of them know how to get out of with how nosy their friends are.

When he gets back to his room, Emma is still in the bathroom with her hair wrapped up in a towel as she brushes her teeth. At least he thought to buy her a toothbrush to keep here after last week when she tried to use his.

“Do you want to tell me why you thought it was a good idea to meet Elsa here this early in the morning?”

“Huh?” Emma spits into the sink. “What? Why do you – oh you have egg on your shirt, KJ.”

He looks down and flicks it off. How did that happen? “Swan, why did you stay here last night if you knew you were meeting Elsa this morning?”

“Because then I wouldn’t have to drive from my place?”

“What was your plan? Get up and leave only to come back in two seconds later?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“And what do you plan on doing now since Elsa is awake and sitting in the living room eating her breakfast? She’s not going to leave, and I don’t really see how you plan on getting out.”

Emma’s toothbrush drops to the sink. “Fuck.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“You have to get her out of there. Get her to take Skipper on a walk or something.”

“She has plans to meet you. she won’t have time. Plus, she knows I already went on a run with him.”

“Shit. What am I supposed to do climb out your window?” Killian’s brow arches. Now that’s an idea. “No,” Emma starts, “no, no, no. This is the second floor. I’m not jumping down. What if I break something?”

“You’ll land on the sand, and you only have to drop about ten feet.”

It’s ridiculous, this idea, but he’s starting to think it might be the best one. Killian walks over to the set of windows in his room, opens one up, and looks down at the small ledge. His room drops directly down onto some sand with Liam’s bedroom and the living area completely out of sight, and as long as she doesn’t land terribly, she should be fine.

Yeah, just fine.

Emma’s stare switches between him and the window, but eventually she goes to grab all of her things, either putting them on or holding them in her hands, and makes her way toward the window. She tosses her shoes down first and then her purse. Finally, she climbs over the ledge of the window and looks back at him.

“Next time, we’re staying at my place or we don’t spend the night or something. I am not climbing out of a window for you again.”

“If I stay at your place, what am I going to do about Skipper?”

“Have Liam take care of him.”

“I can’t very well tell Liam I’m spending the night at your place because I’m shagging you, now can I?”

Emma’s eyes roll. “Your British is coming out. And, literally, Jones, just tell him you went home with a woman. It’s not a lie. It’s not the full truth, but it’s not a lie. Most importantly, it means I don’t have to jump from a window so I can talk to Elsa about price packages for her wedding.”

He hates to admit it, but she makes a good point.

They obviously are still working out all of the kinks in this arrangement since neither of them thought them through.

Idiots. The both of them.

“If I break something, you have to clean my apartment for me.”

“I will be happy to, love.”

“And you owe me lunch this week.”

“You can eat all of my extra crisps for the foreseeable future.”

Emma nods and hooks her leg over the window ledge. He hears her swallow, and then she’s climbing down and holding on to the window as she dangles from side of the building.

“You’re lucky that the sex is good, Jones. And that you do manage to entertain me with more than mediocre conversation.”

“There you go complimenting me again.” Killian flashes her a smile and winks. She is definitely going to try to murder him when she gets back up to this apartment. “I’m not the one who scheduled a meeting. This is technically all your fault.”

Emma doesn’t respond. Instead she looks down at the ground and then drops with a subtle thud. When Killian looks down, he sees her standing on her feet brushing the sand off her ass. That’s definitely going to be a devil tomorrow.

Killian chuckles to himself and then closes his window before heading back out of his room. He’s still got to unlock the shop for Emma. Maybe he should get her a key.

Wait, no. That would definitely be taking it too far.

“Your eggs are definitely cold now,” Elsa says as he walks through the living room where she’s now sitting with her food in front of her. His remaining eggs remain untouched next to hers. “I thought you were avoiding that.”

“No, I was avoiding that for you. I don’t actually mind because Skipper will eat leftovers anyway.”

“Where is Skipper?”

“He’s probably still wandering around downstairs. I’ll send him up when I unlock everything.”

When Killian finally gets to the front door, Emma is standing outside with her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pressed into a firm line. God, all he wants to do is laugh, but he does still want to live to see tomorrow.

“Good morning, milady,” Killian sighs. “I’m loving the look. Very natural. The use of sand is just…stunning.”

Okay, maybe he doesn’t want to live to see tomorrow.

“I hate you.”

“I know.”

“I am not doing that again.” “As long as you plan things a little better, you won’t have to.”

Emma huffs and brushes past him, but he reaches out and tugs on her wrist until she’s pulling back to him and standing with her hands pressed against his chest. He can see her freckles and the blonde of her eyelashes when she looks like this, and it reminds him of all the times they’ve gone out on the ocean or spent the day at the beach.

It reminds him of how close her lips are to his.

“You have sand in your hair, love.” He reaches up and picks a few pieces out, letting them fall to the ground before he tucks her hair back into place. “How did that happen?”

Emma’s lips part. “I don’t – I – ”

There’s a bark behind the two of them, and they quickly part as Skipper sticks his nose between the two of them.

“I need to go meet Elsa,” Emma finally says as she scratches behind Skip’s ears. “You want to come and talk weddings with us?”

“You know, love, I think I just might.”

“You sure? Anna is very into it, I’ve heard.” “Anna is very into everything. It’s part of her charm. This is also her actual job.”

“True. I’m just kind of here to help with finding them a date. They want it to be this summer.”

Killian mock gasps and walks with Emma. “So soon? Do you think my brother has been improper and gotten that nice girl pregnant?”

“I don’t know, but that’s the gossip around these parts.”

“However will they regain a good reputation? Do you think it will affect the business?”

“It might. You best prepare to be making less money.” “What the hell are the two of you talking about?” Elsa laughs as they walk into the apartment.

“Oh, just how Liam knocked you up and ruined your reputation.”

Elsa’s eyes roll. “I’m not pregnant, and we don’t live in the 1800s.”

“Still. Such a short engagement. People might get ideas.”

“You’re far too cheeky for it to be this early in the morning,” Elsa sighs. “Do you have sand on your jeans, Emma?”

Killian bites his tongue, but he still can’t hold in his chuckle. Emma reaches over to slap him, but she stops herself right before and places her hand on his shoulder before looking down at her jeans.

They are not smooth.

“Huh,” Emma sighs, “I guess that I do. It was windy this morning. It must have blown over on me. Is Liam joining us?”

“Yeah, he’s getting dressed. I honestly think he might be trying to avoid Anna.”

“Or me,” Emma mumbles so quietly Killian thinks only he hears it.

“What?” Elsa asks.

“Nothing, nothing,” Emma quickly corrects. “I’m going to fix myself some coffee and then we’ll get started. Do you have all your numbers?”

“On my phone, yeah.”

Skipper comes walking up the stairs and sniffs along Killian’s shoes before moving over to Elsa and settling down at her feet. The back bedroom door opens, and Liam walks out. Part of Killian wants to stay for this meeting, to get to know what exactly his brother and Elsa are going to plan for their wedding, but he also doesn’t want to be a witness for the cold shoulder Liam will inevitably give Emma. Killian’s never understood Liam’s problem with Emma, but hopefully the man can keep it together enough to not make some asinine remark when Emma is doing him a favor.

“Well,” Liam smiles, “are we all ready to plan a wedding?”

-/-

-/-

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[one-shot-plus-size]

Woman - v. president Sons of Anarchy. Part 4

Imagine : Club Sons of Anarchy exists really - and Mayans is still series. What will happen when the woman is v. president SAMCRO and will get to know Mayans actors? She knows Emilio Rivera. :)

Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language. They will accept any attention and criticism :).

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

Pov Olivia

I sat in the cemetery staring at my brother's tombstone.

- See Jackson's, maybe Chibs is right. Maybe it was a mistake that he chose me and trusted me. I miss you brother, you would know what to tell me. You'd scold me to get up.

💬 From Tig - Where are you? Chibs called the table.

💬 To Tig - I'm at Jackson's, 15 minutes and I'm here.

💬 From Tig - Ok.

- See you, brother, I love you. - I leaned over the tombstone and kissed it.

I returned to the club at the same time as Quenn.

- So I'm not the only one who is delayed today.

- Alice wouldn't let me out of the house - He laughed out loud.

- Give up the detail

We entered the church where the rest were already sitting. I sat on the left side of Chibs and ruffled my hair. I looked at them all, their expressions suggesting that neither of them knew what was going on. I narrowed my eyes at Tig who just shrugged.

- I enjoy watching your confused expressions - Chibs laughed -  but I don't want to shout at you.

- A miracle - Tig muttered.

- Oh shut up - the Scot laughed - my dear friend said to me. In less than a week, he has the premiere of his series about motorcyclists and he asked me to come over. They showed that SAMCRO supports such series. We are to show up at the premiere to support him. We've changed and people like us, so it can benefit him and us.

- When is this departure? - Happ muttered.

- The twentieth on Friday. But it needs the approval of everyone gathered here. We must decide unanimously.

Of course everyone voted yes, I shook my nose but it was Chibs who made the final decision. The president hit the hammer and we all got up.

- Olivia stay - he breathed.

I looked at Trager, smiled and nodded his head reassuringly. I sank back into the chair and looked down at my hands. We were both silent until the last boy closed the door behind him.

- I will not take your patch because that's not the point. But you have to learn that not everyone can be trusted. Emillio reported on us, and unfortunately you have to accept it. Just because he worked with your father doesn't mean he will do it with you too. Let this be a lesson for you.

- You don't understand Chibs - I shook my head - I've been working with him since my father died and never once failed my confidence. He bought these drugs for his son, not for trade. But I did what you wanted, I broke off the cooperation. You should be glad if you threaten the club it will be gone forever.Do you like this solution?

- Yes - he nodded.

As I was leaving, I heard him mutter under his breath, "Jackson, give it to me or I'll suffocate her one day." I smiled under my breath and shook my head. Tig walked over to me and patted me on the shoulder.

- You're alive and that's something

- Oh, shut up.

Friday the twentieth

I looked at the road ahead. We've been on the road for three days and we still have 150 miles left. I rubbed my neck and moved my head right and left. We got there around 4pm and had a quick lunch. A quick shower, clean clothes, and at 6pm we were there. We lined up the bikes in a row, each one gleaming ready for presentation.

- I feel like a star - Tig smoothed his vest.

I laughed and looked at him.

- But you don't

- You always knew how to support a man.

- I know.

I was looking at the people standing in front of the cinema. Long dresses, beautiful suits and a lot of photojournalists. I watched the guys as they drool over all these beautiful women. I glanced at Chibs, he would never see me as he sees other women. I'll always be a club mate to him. I breathed a breath and looked back at the people outside the cinema. I saw Emillio standing there talking to JD staring at us. I nodded my head slightly in his direction, and both men bowed.

 - You still have their respect - Chibs said.

- Because the fact that I break business with someone does not mean that we cease to have respect for each other.

- How long are we staying here? - Happ came over to us.

- At 20 there will be a ride with the actors. Then a bonfire organized for us by Kurt and return to the hotel. Each of us has free tomorrow and we are back the day after tomorrow. Do you like this vision?

- Yes - not much smiled.

After two hours, I lay down on the motorcycle and closed my eyes. The boys were talking about something and laughing out loud. A middle-aged man approached us and smiled slightly.

- Mr. Kurt asked me to tell you that you can start the machines because the premiere ends in 5 minutes.

Chibs looked at each of us and nodded slightly. Each of us already knew what to do, I improved on the bike and fired it. People were looking at us, I felt constantly being watched. After a few moments, the actors came out of the cinema, mounted their motorbikes and together we went to Kurt's estate.

[shessweetlikecandyx]

He puts the laughter in slaughter

Summary: y/n always thought her life was hard but she soon learns what the definition of hard really is when her school bus is hyjacked by the infamous Jerome Valeska

Fandom: Gotham

Pairings: Jerome Valeska x reader

Warnings: bullying, mild violence

Part 1 of 3

“Should you really be wearing that?”

Your brows furrowed together as you turned your gaze down to your outfit, a simple dark green jumper and ripped black jeans.

“Those jeans aren’t the right fit on you, they make you look big, only really skinny girls can wear them.” you looked back up only to be met with a smile.

Did she really think that what she just said was nice or helpful?

Inhaling sharply you gave a tight lipped smile “it’s fine, everyone wears this.”

She looked you up and down once more before pulling a face “come on, we better get going. You’re already late”

You let out a defeated sigh, pulling at your jumper making sure it would cover you completely, taking one last glance in the mirror you can’t help but suddenly feel like you would stick out like a sore thumb in the outfit.

“COME ON! We’re going to be late! Don’t forget to lock the door.”

Giving yourself one last up and down you began to make your way out of the house and into the car, where your mother sat impatiently.

You haven’t even buckled up your seat belt before she began again.

“Oo darling, you need to fix your face, your contour is choppy and your foundation looks really heavy.”

You clench your eyes shut, exhaling forcefully “it’s fine! God can’t you just leave me alone?”

She scoffs rolling her eyes “don’t start another argument, you always do this! I’m just trying to help, I don’t want you getting to school looking horrible”

God what you wouldn’t give to just str-

You felt your jaw clench as you forced yourself to turn towards the window, every time you opened your mouth another argument seemed to occur.

God, what you wouldn’t give to just runaway sometimes, to leave gotham and your entire family behind.

thankfully the car ride didn’t last much longer and before you know it the bell rings, signalling the start of your first lesson of the day.

You wasted no time I’m trying to find the face of your best friend y/f/n, sighing in relief when your eyes meet hers.

Surprisingly the lessons flew by, maybe it was your wandering mind, or maybe it was the fact that you felt like a ghost, floating down the halls. Either way you were glad the day was almost over.

By the time the second to last bell of the day rung you were already packing your things away, you craved your bed and the sweet bliss caused by sleep.

But alas, your luck seemed to run out as the cliché mean girl of your high school decided to intercept you on the way to the school bus.

She stood tall, immaculate posture as a sneer graced her features.

“Soo y/n I’ve heard that you’ve been talking behind my back . . . Is it true?”

She feigned a innocent confused look, but if you looked ever so slightly closer you would be able to notice the malicious glint in them, because underneath all that beauty and sweetness was empty calories and decay.

Letting out a beaten sight you tried my best to come up with some sort of apology knowing how much worse her rumours could make your life.

“Look Amelia, I don’t who’s said what but I honestly haven’t, I have better things to do than gossip about you.”

She narrowed her eyes while crossing her toned and tanned arms, her lips pouting ever so slightly.

“Look, I want to believe you, I really do but everyone knows how much you talk behind people’s back . . . “

You look towards y/f/n’s with wide eyes and exasperated, hoping that she would back you up, defend you. . . But you were met with silence as she stood looking at the ground.

You felt heat begin to seep up your neck and pool in your cheeks as you suddenly became very aware that more and more people began to surround you, pathetically acting as if they were talking not watching the scene unfold in front of them.

“Look Amelia, I’m sorry if you really think that low of me but I haven’t said a word about you, whoever told you that I’d said something either misheard or is trying to start shit . . . You’re a nice person I wouldn’t say anything mean about you.”

The words felt like poison on your tongue as you spat them out but you’ve learnt from past experiences to just back down, you didn’t have the energy to add ‘high school drama’ to your seemingly never ending list of troubles, instead you meekly resorted to backing down and waiting for the time when you left school knowing you wouldn’t have to shut your mouth.

You could tell she was about to burst with some mean retort but thankfully the last bell rung signalling the end of today’s school day and for all the cheerleaders and football players to make their way towards the school bus.

Today they had an away game at the school across Gotham, unfortunately however you were being made to go, it was as part of your detention.

It was completely uncalled for, all you’d done is gotten into school a few minutes late and now you werenbeing made to stay 3 or so hours after school as a freaking towel boy.

Oh joy!

Sarcasm. That was sarcasm.

Your eyes darted back up to meets Amelia’s, she looked like she had so much more to say but thankfully her friends pulled her away cheering as a way to get you all in the spirit.

Although you could tell this was far away from being over as before she disappeared into the bus with all her team mates she shot you a look that said this isn’t over, watch your back because I’m coming for you.

You side glanced towards y/f/n shaking your head in disbelief before hurrying towards the bus that was about to leave.

This day couldn’t get any worse, you never craved the comfort of your bed, surrounded in an abundance of fluffy blackets and pillows.

Getting on the bus, you wasted no time in making yourself scarce as you immediately headed for the seat furthest away from Amelia and anyone else that would try and corner you.

It took you by no surprise when no one sat next to you, everyone apart from the odd person seemed to take a deep disliking towards you without even spending the time trying to get to know you.

Shoving your headphones in you couldn’t help but survey the bus, it was safe to say you hated everyone in it.

Their actions towards you made something deep within you start to decay as you suddenly didn’t see why wanting to watch them all burn was so morally bad.

The day seemed to drag on as you begrudgingly watched the game, it was an incredibly tiresome experience, watching some sweaty guys running around a field while the girls in slutty short skirts and crop tops two sizes too small pranced around shouting out simple rhymes with the occasional pretentious high kick.

Plus it didn’t help how each time you had to hand them a towel they looked at you with such smugness I couldn’t help but imagine myself leaping over the table and tearing their throats out . . . With your teeth.

You felt as though you were incredibly close to pulling your hair out when it took about twenty minutes for everyone to pile back into the godforsaken bus.

You swore the only thing that kept you even slightly sane was the music you had been blaring since the start of this horrid journey, these days it seemed to be your only escap-

Your eyes shot open as the bus came to a holt.

It’d only been 10 minutes, there was no way you could’ve arrive back at school, could you?

Unfortunately your question was answered the minute you saw a flash of red hair outside.

Anxiety began bubbling in your stomach as you hastily look around only to be met with eyes full of the same thing that were in yours. Fear.

you felt your heart leap into your throat as you peaked out the window and saw a handful of men all holding guns, crazed looks in their eyes.

Your breathes came out in short, sharp pants as you balled your hands up, gripping your jeans.

You continued to dart your eyes around the bus helplessly, hot salty tears running down your already flushed cheeks.

This all seemed so much like some prolonged nightmare but you knew better.

Because this was Gotham and one way or another you somehow always end up dying at the hands of another.

[softspaceboibrian]

Journeys End in Lovers Meeting (Chapter 1)

Pairing: Professor!Gwilym Lee x student!reader

Summary: Reader is a new student at Harvard University and, on her first day, she does something she might regret. Or maybe not.

Warnings: swearing

Wc: 2044

A/N: hey, guys, so, I've been working on this fic for a while now and I just decided to post it. please, let me know what you think! if you have suggestions or would like to be tagged in future chapters, let me know!

Other chapters: 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

Finding the class for the first lesson of the day was definitely not easy. It was your first day there, in the new University, and you got lost at least three times. Luckily, people where kind, maybe due to you foreign accent, or maybe for other reasons, who knew.

“Professor Lee? Oh, I see, you chose your courses carefully” told you your roommate the night before. Her name was Rose, charismatic, easy-going, determined, humorous, dark skin, black eyes, a little thick, but so confident that people didn’t even notice it. On the other hand, you was clumsy, introverted, anxious, quiet, shy, always so conscious about your aspect: the exact opposite.

“What do you mean by that?” you asked, confused by your friend’s statement.

“Well, you know, I have a few friends that followed his lessons and, apparently, he’s a really charming man. Many students fall for his looks” she explained, looking at you, sitting right across from you at your kitchen’s table. “but that is not the case for you. I mean, I’ve known you for only a couple months now, but I’ve got to know you pretty well and I can tell you’re not the kind of person that falls for a man just because he’s sexy.” That last comment made you blush.

In the end, after running from one side of the campus to the other because you had definitely entered the wrong building and turned in the wrong corridor, you found the classroom. And, as Rose warned you, the first two rows where already filled with girls wearing the most scandalous tops, bright red lipsticks, big lashes. With your simple jeans and old, oversized sweater, you walked to the side of the room, sitting alone with your notebook already opened in front of you. It was only a few minutes later when a tall, really tall guy walked in, making every girl in the front rows sigh in appreciation. So, that’s the professor, you thought to yourself. Isn’t he a little too young to be teaching at Harvard? For some strange reason you were expecting an old man with grey hair, old clothes and wrinkly hands, not someone like that.

A few minutes later the lesson started and, well, it was going great, until Mister Lee, that poor man, made that little mistake. And you, obviously, being the meticulous person you were, could not manage to keep your mouth shut: you had to correct him. The professor. On your first day of University. Great. Just great.

Actually,” You said without even waiting for him to give you permission to talk. When King Henry VI succeeded his father and became King of England, he was only nine months old, not ten. It was 1422.” You kept rambling on, everyone’s eyes, professor’s included, were on you. “And it was May 22nd of 1455 the day Richard of York marched against King Henry at St. Albans.” You didn’t mean to be impolite or anything, you just wanted to be precise. But the silence that followed was embarrassing to say the least. For the both of you.

“And you are?” asked the man, crossing his arms in front of his chest, a subtle smirk forming on his lips.

“Ehm... fuck” You whispered to yourself, before tell the man your name. The man kept his gaze on you for a little longer, before going back to his lesson. Yep, that was embarrassing.

Finally, the lesson was over. Not that it wasn’t interesting. On the contrary, it was probably the most interesting lesson you had ever attended, but having the professor gazing at you constantly was, well, awkward.

As soon as you were free to go, you collected your things, stuffing them in your bag as quickly as possible, hoping the professor would leave in the meantime. Obviously, he didn’t. So you quickly checked at the back of the room for a secondary exit, a door, a safe way to get out of there. But, sadly, there was only one way out and the professor was right next to it. He was still sitting at his desk, writing something on some papers. Good, you thought, that’s my chance to run out of here. If I do it quickly enough, he won’t see me. Well, you obviously didn’t think this through well enough.

“Miss” the professor called out your name right before you could step outside of the classroom. “May I have a word with you, alone? Maybe in my office?” Failure. The plan was a failure.

“I suppose” you murmured, adjusting your sweater and lowering your eyes, still too embarrassed to look at him.

“Don’t worry, it won’t take long.” He smiled, walking out of the room, making sure she was following him. They had to walk for about five minutes before arriving at his office, which wasn’t a lot given how much she had to walk that morning to reach the classroom, but it definitely seemed a lot more since they walked side by side, in silence, with the eyes of hundreds of students on them through the entire building. “So, you’re not from around here” he said while closing the door of the office behind you.

“Well, yes” Your voice was so soft that the words almost came out as a whisper. “But neither are you” What was he? Welsh? Yes, he definitely sounded Welsh.

Professor Lee grinned, apparently ignoring your comment, and walking over to his desk to lay his books on it, before turning around to face you. You were visibly scared, you were fidgeting with your necklace, eyes low on the carpet, as if you found more interesting the pattern of it rather than everything else. “Don’t worry, you’re not going to get scold off or anything for what you did” His voice was comforting, a gentle smile formed on his lips. “I was just curious. You seem to know a lot more about English literature than most of my students, even the older ones. Why didn’t you choose an advanced course? It would have probably been more interesting or fitted for a girl like you.” A girl like you? What kind of girl did he think you were? “Please, don’t tell me you’re one of those students that follow my classes just because they think I’m somewhat handsome.”

“No! Absolutely not!” You jumped up, finally looking at him. “Wait, no, I didn’t want to say that you are not… I mean, you are… But… oh, fuck…” You ended up murmuring to yourself, sitting on a chair and putting your hands in your hair. You were messing up big time, that’s for sure.

All you could hear afterwards was the professor trying hard not to laugh. “Don’t worry, I get it. You didn’t choose this course because of me.” He giggled. “And I’m kind of relieved to hear that”

“I didn’t even know what you looked like before you walked inside the classroom.” You smiled at the man, brushing your hair out of your face, tucking the strands behind your ear.

“Well, that’s good because, otherwise, it would have been weird for us to work together if you had a crush on me, since I asked you if we could talk so that I could offer you the position of teacher assistant. My assistant.”

Those words came as a surprise to you. It was your first day there and a professor was already offering you the role of his assistant. “Wow…” That was the only thing you managed to say. What should one say?

“You obviously don’t have to answer me right away”

“I accept” you interrupted him, leaving him speechless, in a positive way. He saw something in you, something interesting. “I only have one question: precisely, what does an assistant do?”

“Don’t worry” He smiled. “It won’t be anything too hard or demanding. You will meet me here in my office every morning before the beginning of the lessons. You will have to skip some of your other classes if your assistance is required, but don’t worry, you will be excused from them. You will have like a special permit.” He winked, making you laugh. It was the kind of laugh that echoes in a room, contagious, the kind of laugh that most people would try to hide, but you didn’t. And he liked it.

“That is fine by me. My only problem is that I share my car with my flat mate. Well, actually the car’s hers and she uses it every morning to go to work, which is on the other side of town. So, hopefully, if the bus isn’t running late, I will be able to get here half an hour before the beginning of classes. If not, I will get here only ten minutes before the bell rings and I really hope that is not a problem for you, Professor Lee.” You quickly explained.

“Call me Gwilym.” He smiled” We’re going to work together, after all.” He was sitting on his desk, the blazer, being the perfect fit, was tight enough around his arms to enhance his built. “Anyway, that is definitely not a problem. I could give you my number and, if you need anything, you’re running late or something else, you could just send me a message.”

You nodded, a little smile making its way on your face, your cheeks turning slightly pinkish, given that you had found yourself staring at him for a bit too long. But he didn’t seem to notice, or at least, he didn’t seem to mind. You spent the rest of the time laughing, talking about why you chose that University and those courses and why he decided to become an English literature professor, getting to know each other. The next time you checked the time, it was time for you to go home. “If you don’t have anything for me to do today, I think I should probably get going. There’s a bus coming in 10 minutes, and if I miss it, I will have to wait at least 40 minutes before another one comes.”

“Sure, you can go.” Said the man while brushing his dark brown hair out of his face, before standing up and picking up his stuff. “I should go home myself.” He smiled, walking beside you outside the office. “I guess I’ll see you here tomorrow.”

You nodded, adjusting your messenger bag on your shoulder, smiling one last time towards the man, with a soft “Bye, Professor Lee”, before turning around and starting to walk towards your destination.

Well, as everyone surely knows, Murphy’s Law says that, in any field of endeavour, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong: that was exactly what happened that afternoon. First of all, the bus you had to take changed the route because of an accident, so it wasn’t going to stop in front of your building, meaning that, if you wanted to take that one, you had to run to the other side of the campus, which would have taken you at least twenty minutes. Secondly, that morning you must have forgotten your keys at home because you couldn’t find them anywhere inside your bag. Furthermore, you didn’t have enough money to get a cab and your flatmate was still working, so she couldn’t come and pick you up. Last but not least, it began to rain. And, guess what, you didn’t have an umbrella. Why would you? That morning the sky was so clear that you almost thought it was still the middle of summer. But no.

At that point, you decided to start walking, you would find a café or a bookshop, go inside and wait for Rose to finish working, so she could come and pick you up. That sounded like a great plan, but something happened. You had been walking for only a couple minutes, when a shiny black Audi Q5 pulled up in the side of the road, right next to you. Accustomed to hearing all these sad stories about girls being picked up on the side of the road by strangers and then their corpse being found somewhere outside town a few weeks afterwards, you immediately started walking faster, fearing that something similar might happen to you too. What surprised you was to hear a familiar voice call out for your name. You stopped and looked inside the car: Professor Gwilym Lee.

[imaginesandideas]

Too much love will kill you

(part 3 of LOVE OF MY LIFE series; check out my masterlist for previous parts)

this one’s longer because I made all of you wait way too long

I'm just the pieces of the man I used to be

Too many bitter tears are raining down on me

I'm far away from home

And I've been facing this alone

For much too long

Last week was by far the most irritated with everything he remembered being. Every rehearsal has ended up with him either smashing his drums or starting a fight over whatever bullshit that could likely piss him off.

It could be anything. From Deaky’s sassy comments, through not enough cigarettes in the pack, Freddie being late, or a broken drumstick in the middle of recording.

Everything seemed to get on his nerves, and though others wouldn’t admit it, they were slowly losing their patience too.

“Roger darling, maybe you should just go, have a shag and relax. Cooling down won’t kill you.” Freddie exclaimed from the piano as Roger kept kicking his bass drum, in an attempt to focus.

“Oh fuck cooling down! I can’t play when I’m calm!”

“I’d like to point out that we haven’t recorded anything decent in a month, so clearly your rule doesn’t apply.” Deaky spoke coming up with 2 cups of coffee, one for himself, one for Freddie, at which Roger flipped him off with a huff. He knew they were right, but was far too proud to give in.

Nothing helped him to brush away the painful feeling in his chest. Seeing you has awakened some sort of bittersweet feeling that he’s been keeping hidden for the sake of carefree life. And there you were, glowing, shining even. So unaware of the pain you’ve caused him, so sweetly naive. Though he couldn’t blame you, after all he never said he got over it, maybe he just assumed you’d notice that he’s trying to be better. Better for you.

After hours of pointless sitting without achieving neither consensus, nor a single well recorded minute, Miami; with Brian’s help, dismissed Roger home. He wasn’t so happy about it, feeling as if he’d been betrayed, but decided it’s a chance for him to possibly get some sleep without those nagging thoughts he was getting at night.

Throwing his jacket and keys onto the sofa he gazed around the living room. If you could have seen that mess, you’d probably break up with him again, he thought.

Empty glasses and bottles were covering almost every piece of furniture, some of them were even scattered on the floor. Not to mention cigarettes. Horrendous amounts of them. He didn’t even think about opening the windows to let some fresh air in until that moment.

You would do that. You would force him to leave that smoky room every once in a while. You would care about getting things cleaned up. So maybe, just maybe he could do that for himself too.

Thinking about you again made that bitterness in his stomach sink even deeper, to the point of making him feel sick. Opening the balcony, he slowly stepped outside, dusty city breeze hitting him immediately and providing some sort of severe relief.

The sky was pretty grey, clouds covered the entirety of the skyline. Some kids were shouting from afar, sounds of water splashing from the neighbours’s pool.

Not looking away from the sky, his right hand wandered to the back pocket of his corduroy burgundy trousers. You hated them. You hated when he was smoking too, but since you two weren’t together anymore, he stopped trying to quit. And stopped caring so much about his appearance too.

He lit the cigarette and placed lighter he had bought on tour in America on the parapet.

Yeah, maybe he could get better. But it seemed so impossible when you weren’t the reason to.

Torn between the lover

And the love you leave behind

You're headed for disaster

'Cause you never read the signs

Too much love will kill you - every time.

He’s given you every proof that he still loved you, that he still couldn’t stop thinking about you when all you did was try to forget.

And it felt like shit. You were feeling like a traitor for making such a selfish decision, for leaving him, for giving him back your engagement ring. For putting him in your past, when in reality all he ever wanted was to be present in yours.

It was during the nights, when your mind wandered to the day of your breakup two years ago, when you had decided to end it all. The wind was blowing outside your window, not letting your thoughts drift away with sleep.

It was almost funny, how despite having a new partner, the one you planned to marry, all you could see was the look of sorrow on Roger’s face. The glistening of his disappointed eyes, the restlessness written in his brows and clenched jaw, his hollow cheeks and plucked lips, slightly open and almost trembling from the amount of emotions he’s been dealing with.

All because of you.

The more you were recalling, the more details you noticed. The more self doubts you were having.

“Brian? Umm, it’s _____.”

“_____! Long time no hear, huh?” It was past 4pm when you decided to call the person you knew and trusted enough with your concerns. You fiddled with flowers in the flacon as you thought of words to say. Brian was Roger’s long time friend, one of the best friends even, so without a doubt your whole plan was risky. Especially with the aftermaths of yours and Roger’s last meeting.

At the same time, who else could help you if not his best mate.

“Yeah, sorry if I’m interrupting! And... for not giving a sign of life for so long.” Your nervousness was clear, Brian didn’t need to see you to realize how difficult it was for you to call him. And it kind of broke him.

“No no! I actually just got back home, so you chose the right time.” Brian’s voice was so soothingly reassuring. Unbelievable how you two haven’t seen each other in a year or so, but he still managed to keep that friendly manner of his. Almost if nothing has changed. “It’s great to hear you.” A genuine smile appeared on your face and you could only wish he was able to see that.

“You too Bri. Still building guitars and destroying schemes?”

“Trying to.” He laughed. “Umm...What about you? I heard you’re, uh, stabilising soon?”

“He told you, right?”

“Well. It was hard not to hear when he forced everyone to listen to his drunk rambling one day.”

“Oh god.” You sat heavily on the sofa and exhaled over the phone. On the other side Brian leaned himself against the counter. Some time ago he’s promised himself not to get too engaged in Roger’s life choices and decisions. But even if he acted the opposite, he was more than devastated once he had found out about your broken engagement with Roger. “What did he say?”

Brian rubbed the tip of his nose with index finger as he struggled to choose the right words.

“That, uh... apparently you’re getting married and he didn’t realize it was for real until now.” Even if Roger never said that out loud, he kept his faith that one day you’ll change your mind. That it’s just a phase of yours, and that you need time. In a way, he was right. You did need time. But you no longer needed him. Or so you thought. “And that he, uh, he still loves you, which frankly speaking actually explains a lot of his recent behaviour.”

You took a deep breath. Back then, when you had decided to pack your bags and move on, you had thought that the hardest part is already behind you. What you did not expect, was Roger’s inability to let go. And that was leading you back to something you hoped to remove from your perfect breakup scenario. Doubts.

“Brian... I’m so sorry, I-I don’t even know what to say.”

“Oh! No need to apologize me _____. I shouldn’t even get involved in all this. This is your life after all.”

The phone line went silent for a while, none of you really keen on adding anything, mainly cause there was nothing more to add.

It was inevitable - no matter how much you wanted to avoid it, you had to talk to Roger.

“Um, I mean, you’ll do whatever you decide, and I’m sure you won’t regret it, but could I give you advice?” Brian’s voice was filled with both concern and care, something so brother-like.

“Of course Bri! God knows I need it...”

Brian chuckled at your words, but continued with serious voice. It sounded almost sad.

“Let your heart decide. I know how hard it is, I know you’ve been hurting, but remember those lessons and learn from them. I’m not going to convince you to anything, just know that sometimes rationality is not the best advisor. You’re strong _____. But don’t give up your vulnerability in order to keep it.”

You quickly wiped a tear that ran down your face with the back of your hand.

“Thank you Bri. I think I needed that.”

“Take care _____. And call more often! We all miss you.”

„You too Brian. Miss you all.”

That night you didn’t sleep. Your mind wandered elsewhere, through time you’ve lost, the one you saved, the time that was gone forever and the one that was ahead of you.

Like a twist of fate, your fiance was away so you’ve spent the night alone. Figuring out what to do with your indecisive heart.

~~~~~

next chapter in the works, so hopefully I won’t make you all wait as much next time!

(Comments, ideas and words of notice are always appreciated 💜)

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[amnachil]

The College Society Chapter 1 Part 4

And... the next part ! Enjoy :)

Liam Saturday September 16

As his job at Pasta's Place only started at 3 pm, the young lad decided to go for a swim before. During the weekend, the pool was open to all the students, but thanks to the induction seminar of several fraternities and sororities, there were only a few people. Liam put his swimming trunks, his swimming cap (he hated this thing) (seriously, it was like having a jellyfish on the head) (yeah, he already had a died jellyfish on the head, long story), and went to the pool. Once ready, he dived and started a serie of lengths. He let time pass, focused on his performance. He wasn't as good as Rebecca (she was like a sport warrior, and he suspected her to be an alien hiden in this body in order to win the Olympics in two year), but eventually, he felt satisfied (and exhausted) enough to stop. However, at this exact moment, he noticed a small blonde girl reading a book in the tiers. Barbara. Liam stared at her discreetly (at least the most discreetly he can). She wasn't really different since 11th grade. Short (like 151 cm, or 4'11"), thin, wearing casual clothes, and reading. Yeah, I guess it's the same Barbara... Next to her, a brown girl was looking to her phone, seemingly bored. Shall I go talk to her ? After all, she had been his friend back in highschool, and he had been sad when she had left them. Going out of the pool, he headed towards the rows of seats, indecisive. C'mon Liam, you know her, and she'll just ask you some usual news, like what are you doing, how are you, how old are you, or not, and how are you relatives... No way, I can't answer this last question. He stopped next to the tiers, and looked at her. She was so quiet, so... unchanged. Why did she left their highschool ? Maybe she doesn't want me to know... Yeah, so I shloudn't talk to her. (Did Liam already tell how bad he was to find pretext ?)

"Dude." spoke someone to him. "Are you coveting my girlfriend or my sister ?"

Almost stunned, the young lad turned towards the boy who talked to him. In swimming trunks too, he was wet and sported a curious face, a mix between anger and entertainement. Liam blinked for at least two minutes, and then point Barbara and the other girl out.

"You're speaking about them ?"

The boy nodded slowly. He wasn't really tall, but well-built, with an hard six pack and a strong chest. Besides, his face was quite delicate, with black short hair and oceanic blue eyes.

"The blonde one is my girl, the brown one my sister." he explained with patience, like if Liam was dull-witted. "And you were looking at them."

His voice was... unctuous. Liam blushed. (Blushed a lot).

"I was not... Hum, I'm not... just... forget me."

Without waiting for an answer, he left the pool almost running. What an awkward situation... Now he'll think I'm stalker. He didn't find the courage to tell him the truth. In fact, this boy reminded him someone. Well, anyway, I have to go to work, I couldn't have lose time to talk with him. (Did Liam tell how bad he was to invent pretext ?)

"You're missing something man ! It's like heaven, less the rules about pudeur."

The young freshman smiled. Nick told him something similar earlier this day concerning their own induction seminar for the fraternity Theta Omicron. But sadly, he had to work. Not everyone could have a scolarship, and not everyone had parents wealthy enough to cover the costs.

"Anyway." began again his bestfriend trought the phone. "Regarding lessons, let me tell you journalism is as good as I expected."

"Nice. It's nice."

Nate hesitated lengthily before leaving to join the best university for his studies. Liam always encouraged him to move, despite the fact they would not see each other for several month by doing so. He have a great career waiting for him. That's part of my job to help him succeed.

"What about ya Liam ? You're not speaking much."

"Sorry... I'm preparing for work right now, and I think you already know everything."

"Seriously ? Nothing new ? What about this girl... Rebecca, is she like Shirley ?"

"Not that much... Imagine Shirley was like a lamb, well Rebbie's a wolf."

His best friend laughed, and Liam felt a warmth fill his heart. He missed this laugh.

"Did you have any news from your sis' ?" asked suddenly his friend. "How's she doing ?"

"I'm sorry mate but I have to hung up." answered quickly Liam. "Judy is waiting for me, and you know how mean she is when I'm late. See you soon buddy."

He closed his phone without listenning to the reply. What am I doing... He just lied. But he couldn't say to his bestfriend the truth. He didn't want Nate to know that he hadn't contacted his sister yet. And after all, Judy was angry when he was late. (Angry meaning she would laugh and told him to stop watching the clouds while walking). (A lot of people thought he was watching the clouds while walking, but it wasn't true). (Not totally true).

Around 11:30 pm, Liam could at last make a break from the dishes. He went to the staff room, took a plate of pasta and sat next to Judy, who was finishing her diner. I wonder... How did she managed to do this ungrateful job for several months ? The young lad was worn out. He was hot, his hands and legs were shivering, and he hated the noise in the kitchen which he called Hell Kitchen. Furthermore, he had smell the flavor of pasta the whole evening, and he started to be quite repulsed (but paradoxically, when it come to eat, his stomach really enjoyed these evil pasta).

"He's so cute, I would love to meet him in real life." stated Judy.

Surprised, Liam watched around him before realizing she was speaking about the TV. Most of the worker were men, and they liked sport. Consequently, the telly released all the sporting events. Right now, two interviewers were questionning a soccer player and... Liam opened his eyes wide. Ginger, with a strangely cold blue look, and simply handsome, the player was Raphaël. I can't believe it ! Judy stared at him, curious, and asked :

"Liam ? What's wrong ?"

"I... I know him. He was in my highschool in 11th grade." he explained. "He's my friend. I didn't expect him to become so popular."

"Are you joking ?" Judy exclaimed. "Raphaël Muller is like THE man all the girl are dreaming about. He's so cute, so clever... so... Are you really his friend ?"

"Of course I am. Why would I lie ?"

"Liam, you have to help me. I want to meet him. I know he's not interested in girl but... I really want."

She was overexcited. The young freshman didn't know what to say. She looked so happy, so excited by the idea. But could he just call Raphaël and ask him to come ? Plus, he probably hates me now... After what I did...

"Calm down Judy." he eventually said carefully. "Listen, I'll see what I can do but... he's quite famous and busy I guess, so I can't promise anything."

She nodded restlessly and Liam realized he may have done a mistake... But I'm always heading for a disaster anyway... As mom would say : My lord, what went wrong with me ?

Rebecca Monday September 18

This morning, during the tutorial in mathematic, the professor announced they will have to make a projet by group of four, graded and quite important for their ranks. Hearing that, Rebecca looked to Liam and Nick and gulped. If I'm working with them, I can consider I'm alone on this... I need to find another group quickly.

"Hey Rebbie, I guess you're working with us ?" asked suddenly Nick. "We just have to find a fourth member, that's it ?"

Damnit. (Just, she fully appreciated these two boys, but... They definitely weren't hard-worker.) (A geek and a... simple-minded, they couldn't be hard-worker). But she was too polite to decline. To be honest, I don't have any pretext to decline...

"You'll see, it will be fun." added Nick. "We just have to wake up Liam, and to find someone, and we can start."

While speaking, he nudged his friend, and looked around. Rebecca sighed, and did the same. (Yeah, she nudged Liam too). We need someone who'll help me efficiently. A girl would be perfect. Nonetheless, the only person she noticed was a hunky brown boy writing something on his book. She decided to try her luck, and came closer.

"Hi mate. I'm Rebecca, and here are Liam and Nick. We're looking for a fourth member. Are you interested ?"

The freshman raised his head towards her, and she gladly noted he was handsome. Not really her kind of guy (because he wasn't taller than her), but handsome anyway.

"My name is Colton." he whispered with a sweet tone. "And yes, it would be cool to work with you."

He hardly finished his sentence that Liam, perfectly awoken, stood up and said :

"I gotta go to eat."

"What are ya talking about dude ?" asked Nick, surprised. "This tutorial ends in half an hour."

"Yeah, cool, whatever, I'm hungry. See you this afternoon."

He left them with agitation, nearly running to go outside. What the fuck was that ? He's even weirder than I thought. (She liked Liam, but this boy was so... special).

"I hope I didn't make him flee." smiled Colton.

Nick looked at him, and shrugged.

"Don't worry. It's normal with him. Every time you think you understood how he works, he does something new. Let's start this tutorial."

As he swallowed the last bite of his third burger, Rebecca looked at him with disgust, and then pushed her plate away. Jeezus, he makes me sick. Once the tutorial finished, Colton had left them to join his girlfriend, and she ended eating alone with Nick before her training. This one stuffed his face with so much gusto that she felt disgusted. How could he gobble this amount of junkfood without feeling sick ? Noticing she pushed her food back, he asked :

"Are you gonna eat this, or can I ?"

Rebecca stared at him for a minutes, and nodded slowly. He's not kidding... He will eat my leftovers too. She already had visited the boy's appartment, and she had saw the excessive presence of beers and greasy foods, but right now, she was astounded anyway. Nick raised an eye towards her and asked between two mouthfuls :

"What's wrong ?"

Rebecca hesistated. She was no one to judge. But Bob always told her alimentation was the key to an healthy life. He would have disapprove Nick's attitude, for sure.

"Are you not scared to gain weight by eating like this ?" she eventually questionned.

Nick polished the pasta she had took, and then belched with satisfaction.

"Do I look fat to you ?"

"I don't know, you're wearing baggy pants and a sweater."

The boy inclined onto the table, and whispered :

"I'll tell you a secret Rebbie. I'm not fat."

He then stood up straight and patted his belly with enjoyment.

"Besides, I don't care gaining a bit of weight." he continued. "Everyone is putting on pounds at the university, at least some. That's not a problem, and as far as I know, you're not fat for all that."

"Well, personally, I'll not gain weight. And I think people are gaining weight because the have less time for exercising, not because they stuff themselves like you."

"Are you disturbed when I'm eating ?" he asked with an ironic tone.

"Now you're asking it, yes I am."

"Good."

With a big smile, he stood up, and she lost him in the crowd. What the fuck is he planning exactly ? Jeezus, this boy drives me mad. She waited a moment before he came back with a new plate full of greasy food. Dumbstuck, she looked at him eyes wide open.

"What the fuck is that ?"

"I was still hungry, at least a bit, well, you know." he retorted mockingly.

"Will you seriously eat this ?"

"Why not heh ?"

He took a large mouthful of burger and moaned heavily intentionally. My god, this childish boy. Why am I still here ? Furious, she stood up and left after one last dirty look,.

Pete Thursday September 21 – Friday September 22

When he finished his length, the young lad looked towards Theo, expecting a congratulation, or whatever, but the swimteam captain was busy speaking to Liam. Again. This is the fifth time they are just alone together talking about god knows what. What the fuck the freshman have to say which was so interesting ? (Pete wasn't jealous, he just wondered). He dragged himself out of the water, and headed towards them slowly. I can't interrupt just like this... I must have something to say... but what ? He glanced at the duo, thinking. Liam was so close to the captain. Like if he wanted to touch his ass. Pete felt his anger grow. He already was annoyed by the relationship between his lover and Laura, he didn't need the handsome-but-stupid Liam as a bonus. Eventually, they ended their talk, and Theo went towards the pool to give advice, while the freshman looked thoughtfully at him. Why are you coveting him like this asshole ? Suddenly getting angry, Pete rushed Liam, and looked draggers at him.

"Dude, what were you asking to Theo ? Why are you hitting on him like this ?"

Crap ! What did I just said ?! He blushed, annoyed, but waited for an answer anyway. Nevertheless, the brown lad just glanced at him with a blank stare. Did he at least understood ? Eventually, after a moment which seemed an eternity, Liam blinked.

"Did you ask me something Pete ?" he questionned, totally spaced out.

Is he just dumb ? Well, at least he didn't remember the awkward sentence. The blond boy could start again in a more diplomatic way.

"I just wanted to know if you're coming to the tournament this weekend ?"

"No, I can't." answered Liam. "Theo already insisted way too much, so... are you gonna try your luck too ?"

"Well, if our captain bothered you I'll not dare to do the same..."

Pete didn't know if he needed to felt reassured or worried. Why Theo wanted so badly Liam, although he wasn't that good at swimming ? Maybe he dislikes me... I'm maybe not fulfilling his desire anymore. But he wasn't ready to gave up. He wanted so much the captain favors. How could he arouse his interest ?

"Dude, you look preoccupied." whispered Liam. "Are you sure everything's fine ?"

"Yeah, yeah. I was just thinking."

The next day, in the afternoon, Pete was now absolutely sure Theo lost interest in him. He didn't sneaked in his appartment during the night, and even didn't came in the morning after his private law lesson. He's ignoring me... The freshman didn't really know why, but he was determined to recover his lover. (He knew all this story was bad, because Theo was Laura's boyfriend, but he became addicted to the swimteam leader, and he wanted him). That was why he decided to talk with Theo closest relative, his bestfriend Bradley Chichao, an asian musician. He found him in the campus, near to the amphiteater C, and manifestly high. Pete already met him during the induction seminar of their fraternity, and he understood he was rarely clean. For all that, he had met Theo three year ago for the beginning of their studies. They had become roommate, and right now, Bradley was clearly the person knowing the most of swimteam captain. (Well, maybe except Laura, his girlfriend for two years, but Pete couldn't ask her how to please her boyfriend without being a bit freaky). Once close to Bradley, the freshman smiled.

"Hi dude. Can I ask you something ?"

The asian guy raised slowly his head and glanced at the newcomer. Once he realized who was talking to him, he blinked and answered with an apathetic tone :

"Sure. What do you want to know ?"

Pete hesitated for a moment. How could he said that without being creepy ? Hey Bradley, I want a piece of advice about how to fuck your roommate, can you help me ? He had to be more diplomatic. Maybe he could use Theo's relation with Laura to his advantage...

"Tell me, why Theo is loving that much his girlfriend ?"

Bradley looked at him, completly wide of the mark. He was definitely high.

"Theo's loving the fat side..." he whispered absent-mindedly. "The fatter, the better."

Pete looked at him, quite surprised. Did he just tell me exactly what I needed to hear ? Theo wanted him fatter. That was why he ignored him. I'm not sexy enough. But become fatter ? He didn't know what to think about it... And he decided to wait a bit before trying anything... After all, maybe he would be able to convince Theo without any changement... I have to give it a try.

To be continued

Well, I hope you liked it ! A bunch of new character in this part, and some of them are kinda important for the story ;)

Btw, if you want to know more about Barbara, Raphaël, Shirley or even Liam and Nate, you have to read my previous story The High School Game ! Most of them are main characters in it ! :)

[fanficshiddles]

The last one blooming, Chapter 13

‘Settle down, class.’ The teacher scolded all of the excited omegas.

They were all of age now and it was time for them to learn about their bodies more and about sex. But they all couldn’t stop giggling.

The teacher went on to explain the differences between omegas and Alphas, in personality and their bodies. The class continued giggling and whispering when she said words such as penis and vagina, acting younger than their age.

‘The Alphas penis swells at the base, which is called a knot. That’s so that there’s a higher chance for the sperm to remain inside the omega and for reproduction to occur. Sometimes the knot can remain swollen for a matter of minutes, or even up to half an hour in some cases.’

‘Can’t they just, like, pull it out?’ An omega asked the teacher.

‘No. That would be painful for the omega. It essentially locks the pair together.’

‘Can it only happen during the omegas heat?’ Someone asked.

‘No. The knot happens every time the Alpha is preparing to orgasm. Speaking of heats, that is the next topic. A heat occurs in every omega. It can vary from only lasting for a few days, up to a week. If the omega has a mate, then it is much easier to cope with. And if the omega is already claimed by an Alpha, no other Alphas will be effected by the omegas heat. But it can be very dangerous for an unmated omega to be in public during their heat.’

‘When will we go into heat?’ Freya asked.

‘Well, that varies. It is usually between the age of 19 and 24. But sometimes if the omega is with their Alpha, it can start as early as 16 or 17. Sometimes an Alphas scent can kick it off. Or more so if they are already sexually active.’  

‘Will we get pregnant the first time we have sex? With the whole knot thing.’ Another asked.

‘No. The fertility of an omega is at its strongest during a heat. There has been very rare occasions where an omega has fallen pregnant out with this time. But that is very, very, rare. Usually intercourse during the heat has around a 95% chance of pregnancy. So it is highly likely that omegas will fall pregnant during their first heat. There are injections that can prevent unwanted pregnancies. But this also stops the heat from happening. Some say that it’s not natural, so tend to just hope for the best.’ The teacher explained.

‘Have you had sex with Baldur yet?’ Rose asked Freya when school ended.

Their minds were reeling after their lessons at school that day.

‘Not yet. He wants to wait until my first heat.’ Freya sighed.

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know. That’s just what he says would be best.’ Freya shrugged.

‘I hope Loki doesn’t make me wait that long.’

‘When does he return home?’

‘In a few weeks. I can’t wait to see him again.’ Rose said excitedly.

‘You’ve got boobs now! He is going to be so surprised when he sees you.’ Freya laughed.

‘Shut up!’ Rose laughed and playfully hit her friend.

‘I’m just saying… Though I bet you will both do it on your wedding night. That’s in what, 5 months?’ Freya giggled.

‘Yeah. I can’t believe I’m getting married. I will be Princess of Asgard!’ Rose smiled.

‘That’s so cool. You can have people do whatever you want.’

‘I know, right? I can’t wait.’ Rose laughed.

‘You could order Baldur to just have sex with me now. Instead of waiting.’ Freya grumbled.

‘I don’t think it quite works that way.’ Rose laughed and patted Freya on the shoulder.

‘I wish it did.’

‘Are you really that desperate?’ Rose asked.

‘Oh yeah. Just wait till your Alpha gets back. You will be begging for him to take you.’

Rose wasn’t sure why she would be. She never really felt any of the urges that Freya or the teacher told her about. Then she thought perhaps it was just because she was a Midgardian. Perhaps things were slightly different for her.

It was finally the day that Loki and Thor were due to return. Rose was so excited she could hardly stand still as she waited at the palace gates with Odin and Frigga.

The 3 years had passed reasonably quick. But it still hadn’t been quick enough for Rose’s liking. She couldn’t wait to see her Alpha again.

There was a hustle about the city as a horse drawn carriage came up the main street towards the palace. Rose’s heart was racing and her entire body was shaking with anticipation.

The carriage stopped at the palace gates and Thor came bundling out first, greeting his parents with hugs. Loki was right behind him and he went straight to Rose as he locked his gaze onto her.

Rose felt like the wind had been knocked from her as she gazed upon him. He looked slightly more mature than he did before and his hair was a little longer. But apart from that, he hadn’t aged at all.

She felt a weird tugging sensation inside of her stomach. A flutter that she hadn’t felt before as she watched him stalk straight over towards her. His green cape fluttered out behind him beautifully. It was the first time that she had really taken in his appearance and realised how incredibly handsome he actually was.

‘Hello, little one.’ He purred when he reached her.

She couldn’t help herself. She rushed into him and hugged him tightly. His arms instantly wrapped around her and he held her close. She could feel him bury his face into her hair as he took in a big deep breath.

His scent surrounded her and she felt a warmth inside of her that she hadn’t felt since he left. She felt completely safe and at ease again now he was back.

Loki couldn’t believe how grown up she was in just 3 years. He knew that she would have developed more, but he couldn’t quite believe how much. He didn’t think it would be that difficult waiting until their wedding night, but now he wasn’t so sure. Now he had her back in his arms, where she belonged.

‘I missed you so much.’ She said quietly into his chest.

‘I missed you much more.’ Loki whispered as he kissed the top of her head.

‘Not possible.’ Rose giggled.

‘Look at you. You’ve grown so much, into such a beautiful young woman.’ Loki said as he leaned back to get a good look at her, smiling as she blushed from his words.

Frigga and Odin ruined their moment as they wanted to give Loki a hug. Thor gave Rose a hug as he greeted her.

‘I hope you both behaved while you were away.’ Frigga said to her sons as they all headed inside the palace.

Loki took Rose’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

‘Of course we did, mother. We are always good.’ Loki said slyly as he looked to Rose and winked at her, making her giggle.

‘I hope you were.’ Frigga frowned.

Loki decided not to tell anyone about what he did on Midgard to Rose’s mother. He didn’t even tell Thor. But he and Thor both talked about whether to tell Rose that they saw her parents, they decided against it. Thor promised he wouldn’t say a word to her.

Rose went to Loki’s chambers with him so he could unpack his trunk that the servants brought up for him.

‘Have you been behaving while I’ve been away?’ Loki asked with a knowing smirk.

‘Of course. I’m an angel.’ Rose grinned.

‘Hmm. Why do I not believe that?’ Loki laughed.

‘Well, I have been influenced by the god of mischief as I was growing up. So you can’t blame me if I haven’t been good.’ Rose shrugged as she walked over to his trunk and spotted one of his tunics.

Loki watched as she picked it up and wandered over to his bed. She lay down and wrapped herself up in it, covering her face apart from her eyes so she could watch Loki. She was glad it was covering her cheeks because she blushed from the way Loki was looking at her.

She never really noticed before, but all the leather and metal he was wearing really suited him. She felt a weird rush through her body as she took in his appearance more.

‘Would you like my cape?’ He asked as he took it off and walked over to her.

‘Please.’ She nodded.

Loki walked over and draped the cape over her. She loved how it was fresh off him so it was covered in his scent. She didn’t realise how much she had missed it until that moment.

Loki sat on the edge of the bed and reached up to cup her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

‘I missed you so much. My little Rose.’ Loki said softly.

‘Not so little anymore.’ Rose smiled and opened her eyes to look at him.

‘You will always be my little one.’ Loki grinned.

The two talked for a little while. Then Loki left Rose on his bed so he could have a quick wash.

‘Enjoy your bath.’ Rose said with a smirk.

‘I will.’ Loki chuckled.

But he could tell by the look on her face that she had done something. So he checked his shampoo first and as he suspected, it was filled with glitter again.

‘Little madam.’ He murmured to himself.

When he was finished in the bathroom and put on some loose clothing, he went into the chambers and found Rose hiding under his cape on the bed.

‘Rosemary… Is there something you want to tell me?’ He growled lowly as he stalked towards her.

He reached the bed and lifted up the cape, but it was just pillows there. He was confused, until he heard giggling from behind him. He turned on his heels to see Rose hiding behind the door, her hand over her mouth as she tried not to laugh.

‘Aww, it didn’t work!’ She said disappointingly as she looked at his hair.

‘No, I had a feeling you were up to something. It took days to get rid of all the glitter that last time.’ He said as he walked over towards her, grinning wickedly at her.

‘Damn. I’ll need to think of another way to make you all sparkly.’ She said cheekily.

‘You are not too old for the tickle monster to pay you a visit you know.’ Loki said in warning as he wiggled his fingers and moved them towards her.

She let out a screech and bolted away from him to run around the room. Loki chased after her and managed to get her when she tried to crawl over the bed. He pounced on top of her and tickled her.

Rose couldn’t stop laughing as she tried to bat his hands away. He stopped eventually to let her catch her breath. He rolled to the side with a chuckle as he put the cape over the top of her.

‘Meanie!’ She said as she sat up and tugged the cape down from her face.

‘Always.’ Loki said playfully as he stuck his tongue out at her.

That night, Rose was still with Loki in his chambers as it got late. They were lying on his bed, talking. She had her head resting on his chest as he had an arm around her. They were both so happy to be back in each others company.

‘What have you been learning at school lately?’ Loki asked.

‘Uhh… Just… Stuff.’ Rose said shyly.

‘Stuff? What kind of stuff?’ Loki asked, oblivious.

‘You know. Just… Stuff.’ Rose shrugged.

‘Rose?’

‘Ugh. Like… Sex stuff.’

‘You know it’s nothing to be shy about. Sex is natural. Especially with our kind.’

‘I guess.’ Rose shrugged.

‘You know you can speak to me about it too.’ Loki said as he stroked her hair soothingly.

‘I know…’

Rose had asked him if she could sleep with him for the night. Loki of course said yes. So they both got comfortable under the blanket and Loki wrapped his arms around her as he kissed the top of her head.

‘Goodnight, little one. I love you.’ He whispered.

‘Night, Loki. I love you too.’ Rose whispered back.

[imagine-loki]

The last one blooming, Chapter 13

TITLE: The last one blooming

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 13

AUTHOR: fanficshiddles

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine that there is an omegaverse where Alphas and omegas can only bond with their true mate. Loki is an Alpha and he one day meets his omega. But she is a young Midgardian child, who is terrified of Alphas. So he has to work hard to gain her trust, to allow the bond to grow between the two.

RATING: M

‘Settle down, class.’ The teacher scolded all of the excited omegas.

They were all of age now and it was time for them to learn about their bodies more and about sex. But they all couldn’t stop giggling.

The teacher went on to explain the differences between omegas and Alphas, in personality and their bodies. The class continued giggling and whispering when she said words such as penis and vagina, acting younger than their age.

‘The Alphas penis swells at the base, which is called a knot. That’s so that there’s a higher chance for the sperm to remain inside the omega and for reproduction to occur. Sometimes the knot can remain swollen for a matter of minutes, or even up to half an hour in some cases.’

‘Can’t they just, like, pull it out?’ An omega asked the teacher.

‘No. That would be painful for the omega. It essentially locks the pair together.’

‘Can it only happen during the omegas heat?’ Someone asked.

‘No. The knot happens every time the Alpha is preparing to orgasm. Speaking of heats, that is the next topic. A heat occurs in every omega. It can vary from only lasting for a few days, up to a week. If the omega has a mate, then it is much easier to cope with. And if the omega is already claimed by an Alpha, no other Alphas will be effected by the omegas heat. But it can be very dangerous for an unmated omega to be in public during their heat.’

‘When will we go into heat?’ Freya asked.

‘Well, that varies. It is usually between the age of 19 and 24. But sometimes if the omega is with their Alpha, it can start as early as 16 or 17. Sometimes an Alphas scent can kick it off. Or more so if they are already sexually active.’  

‘Will we get pregnant the first time we have sex? With the whole knot thing.’ Another asked.

‘No. The fertility of an omega is at its strongest during a heat. There have been very rare occasions where an omega has fallen pregnant out of this time. But that is very, very, rare. Usually, intercourse during the heat has around a 95% chance of pregnancy. So it is highly likely that omegas will fall pregnant during their first heat. There are injections that can prevent unwanted pregnancies. But this also stops the heat from happening. Some say that it’s not natural, so tend to just hope for the best.’ The teacher explained.

‘Have you had sex with Baldur yet?’ Rose asked Freya when school ended.

Their minds were reeling after their lessons at school that day.

‘Not yet. He wants to wait until my first heat.’ Freya sighed.

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know. That’s just what he says would be best.’ Freya shrugged.

‘I hope Loki doesn’t make me wait that long.’

‘When does he return home?’

‘In a few weeks. I can’t wait to see him again.’ Rose said excitedly.

‘You’ve got boobs now! He is going to be so surprised when he sees you.’ Freya laughed.

‘Shut up!’ Rose laughed and playfully hit her friend.

‘I’m just saying… Though I bet you will both do it on your wedding night. That’s in what, 5 months?’ Freya giggled.

‘Yeah. I can’t believe I’m getting married. I will be Princess of Asgard!’ Rose smiled.

‘That’s so cool. You can have people do whatever you want.’

‘I know, right? I can’t wait.’ Rose laughed.

‘You could order Baldur to just have sex with me now. Instead of waiting.’ Freya grumbled.

‘I don’t think it quite works that way.’ Rose laughed and patted Freya on the shoulder.

‘I wish it did.’

‘Are you really that desperate?’ Rose asked.

‘Oh yeah. Just wait till your Alpha gets back. You will be begging for him to take you.’

Rose wasn’t sure why she would be. She never really felt any of the urges that Freya or the teacher told her about. Then she thought perhaps it was just because she was a Midgardian. Perhaps things were slightly different for her.

It was finally the day that Loki and Thor were due to return. Rose was so excited she could hardly stand still as she waited at the palace gates with Odin and Frigga.

The 3 years had passed reasonably quick. But it still hadn’t been quick enough for Rose’s liking. She couldn’t wait to see her Alpha again.

There was a hustle about the city as a horse-drawn carriage came up the main street towards the palace. Rose’s heart was racing and her entire body was shaking with anticipation.

The carriage stopped at the palace gates and Thor came bundling out first, greeting his parents with hugs. Loki was right behind him and he went straight to Rose as he locked his gaze onto her.

Rose felt like the wind had been knocked from her as she gazed upon him. He looked slightly more mature than he did before and his hair was a little longer. But apart from that, he hadn’t aged at all.

She felt a weird tugging sensation inside of her stomach. A flutter that she hadn’t felt before as she watched him stalk straight over towards her. His green cape fluttered out behind him beautifully. It was the first time that she had really taken in his appearance and realised how incredibly handsome he actually was.

‘Hello, little one.’ He purred when he reached her.

She couldn’t help herself. She rushed to him and hugged him tightly. His arms instantly wrapped around her and he held her close. She could feel him bury his face in her hair as he took in a big deep breath.

His scent surrounded her and she felt a warmth inside of her that she hadn’t felt since he left. She felt completely safe and at ease again now he was back.

Loki couldn’t believe how grown up she was in just 3 years. He knew that she would have developed more, but he couldn’t quite believe how much. He didn’t think it would be that difficult waiting until their wedding night, but now he wasn’t so sure. Now he had her back in his arms, where she belonged.

‘I missed you so much.’ She said quietly into his chest.

‘I missed you much more.’ Loki whispered as he kissed the top of her head.

‘Not possible.’ Rose giggled.

‘Look at you. You’ve grown so much, into such a beautiful young woman.’ Loki said as he leaned back to get a good look at her, smiling as she blushed from his words.

Frigga and Odin ruined their moment as they wanted to give Loki a hug. Thor gave Rose a hug as he greeted her.

‘I hope you both behaved while you were away.’ Frigga said to her sons as they all headed inside the palace.

Loki took Rose’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

‘Of course, we did, mother. We are always good.’ Loki said slyly as he looked at Rose and winked at her, making her giggle.

‘I hope you were.’ Frigga frowned.

Loki decided not to tell anyone about what he did on Midgard to Rose’s mother. He didn’t even tell Thor. But he and Thor both talked about whether to tell Rose that they saw her parents, they decided against it. Thor promised he wouldn’t say a word to her.

Rose went to Loki’s chambers with him so he could unpack his trunk that the servants brought up for him.

‘Have you been behaving while I’ve been away?’ Loki asked with a knowing smirk.

‘Of course. I’m an angel.’ Rose grinned.

‘Hmm. Why do I not believe that?’ Loki laughed.

‘Well, I have been influenced by the god of mischief as I was growing up. So you can’t blame me if I haven’t been good.’ Rose shrugged as she walked over to his trunk and spotted one of his tunics.

Loki watched as she picked it up and wandered over to his bed. She lay down and wrapped herself up in it, covering her face apart from her eyes so she could watch Loki. She was glad it was covering her cheeks because she blushed from the way Loki was looking at her.

She never really noticed before, but all the leather and metal he was wearing really suited him. She felt a weird rush through her body as she took in his appearance more.

‘Would you like my cape?’ He asked as he took it off and walked over to her.

‘Please.’ She nodded.

Loki walked over and draped the cape over her. She loved how it was fresh off him so it was covered in his scent. She didn’t realise how much she had missed it until that moment.

Loki sat on the edge of the bed and reached up to cup her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

‘I missed you so much. My little Rose.’ Loki said softly.

‘Not so little anymore.’ Rose smiled and opened her eyes to look at him.

‘You will always be my little one.’ Loki grinned.

The two talked for a little while. Then Loki left Rose on his bed so he could have a quick wash.

‘Enjoy your bath.’ Rose said with a smirk.

‘I will.’ Loki chuckled.

But he could tell by the look on her face that she had done something. So he checked his shampoo first and as he suspected, it was filled with glitter again.

‘Little madam.’ He murmured to himself.

When he was finished in the bathroom and put on some loose clothing, he went into the chambers and found Rose hiding under his cape on the bed.

‘Rosemary… Is there something you want to tell me?’ He growled lowly as he stalked towards her.

He reached the bed and lifted up the cape, but it was just pillows there. He was confused until he heard giggling from behind him. He turned on his heels to see Rose hiding behind the door, her hand over her mouth as she tried not to laugh.

‘Aww, it didn’t work!’ She said disappointingly as she looked at his hair.

‘No, I had a feeling you were up to something. It took days to get rid of all the glitter that last time.’ He said as he walked over towards her, grinning wickedly at her.

‘Damn. I’ll need to think of another way to make you all sparkly.’ She said cheekily.

‘You are not too old for the tickle monster to pay you a visit you know.’ Loki said in warning as he wiggled his fingers and moved them towards her.

She let out a screech and bolted away from him to run around the room. Loki chased after her and managed to get her when she tried to crawl over the bed. He pounced on top of her and tickled her.

Rose couldn’t stop laughing as she tried to bat his hands away. He stopped eventually to let her catch her breath. He rolled to the side with a chuckle as he put the cape over the top of her.

‘Meanie!’ She said as she sat up and tugged the cape down from her face.

‘Always.’ Loki said playfully as he stuck his tongue out at her.

That night, Rose was still with Loki in his chambers as it got late. They were lying on his bed, talking. She had her head resting on his chest as he had an arm around her. They were both so happy to be back in each others company.

‘What have you been learning at school lately?’ Loki asked.

‘Uhh… Just… Stuff.’ Rose said shyly.

‘Stuff? What kind of stuff?’ Loki asked, oblivious.

‘You know. Just… Stuff.’ Rose shrugged.

‘Rose?’

‘Ugh. Like… Sex stuff.’

‘You know it’s nothing to be shy about. Sex is natural. Especially with our kind.’

‘I guess.’ Rose shrugged.

‘You know you can speak to me about it too.’ Loki said as he stroked her hair soothingly.

‘I know…’

Rose had asked him if she could sleep with him for the night. Loki, of course, said yes. So they both got comfortable under the blanket and Loki wrapped his arms around her as he kissed the top of her head.

‘Goodnight, little one. I love you.’ He whispered.

‘Night, Loki. I love you too.’ Rose whispered back.

[notjustsomeofit]

Cycling my way to Paris for Charity!

So you may or may not be aware that myself and two other colleagues are cycling from London to Paris (300kms) in 24hours in early June this year. At first I thought it was just a joke when my boss came into the office 3 months ago explaining that he’d signed us up for the ride, but when the registration email found its way into my inbox I knew he wasn’t kidding. A 300km, 24hr cycle ride isn’t just something one ‘signs up for’ on whim. You see, for one I’m not quite the right ‘build’ to be a cyclist and two, I think the furtherest I have ever cycled in one hit was the 10km ride in the Weetbix Kids Triathlon when I was a wee tacker. But hey, I wasn’t going to back down from a challenge, especially when it is supporting a great cause I can really get behind. 

So what is this amazing cause you ask? Well, great question! The ride is itself is actually part of an event called the Duchenne Dash and is run by the Duchenne UK charity whom like many other charities around the world are trying to raise funds and awareness to help find a cure for the horrible degenerative disease called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). For those unaware, DMD is one of the most common fatal genetic diseases diagnosed in children and almost always affect boys, and they tend to be diagnosed before the age of 5. The disease itself is classified as a rare disease, it affects approximately 1 in every 3,500 boys that are born but only around 1 in 50 million girls. In the UK there are around 2,500 patients and an estimated 300,000 sufferers worldwide.

Essentially, the children born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy have a fault, known as a mutation, on their dystrophin gene, the longest gene in the body. The fault means that they cannot produce dystrophin, a protein that is vital for muscle strength and function. This lack of dystrophin results in a progressive deterioration of muscle strength between the ages of 6 and 11 and by 12 years many children are confined to a wheelchair. By their late teens most young people with Duchenne lose the ability to move their arms and experience more problems with breathing and with the heart. Heartbreakingly, those with Duchenne do have shortened lives, it is unusual for someone with Duchenne to live beyond their 30s. 

BUT, advances in the management of the condition are increasing life expectancy and enabling more young adults with Duchenne to lead independent lives, and researchers and medical professionals are confident they can find a cure within ten years! 

So it’s an absolute honour to ride for the Worlds Strongest Boys and help End Duchenne in Ten [years].

However, this isn’t just any old ride you can just go out and do. The last few weeks I have spent a good few hours sweating it out on the watt bikes at the gym, but it’s not the same as the real deal and I’ve know realised that people get really grumpy when you hog the bike for over an hour! So, the time has come and I have gone out and brought a bike (2017 Giant Contend), some sexy looking lycra (ladies settle down!) and all the other bits and pieces I should need to get some quality and much needed training in. Now all that I have to do is actually get on me bike, hit the tarmac and cloak up those kilometres. 

So, week one with the new bike has wrapped up. How have I feared? Well for one I am still breathing, which is a great start, because riding on London roads is a lot different to the rural roads of New Zealand, that’s for sure. But, before I hit the road I had to have a wee practice run in the lounge with the clip in pedals as I have never cycled with cleats before so was slightly nervous about being ‘locked’ onto a bike. But much to the amusement of my flat mate Adam, whom watched me struggle, whilst I practiced ‘clipping in’ and ‘clipping off’ I eventually felt confident enough to go out for the maiden voyage the following morning around the nearby Victoria park. 

However, the ‘big’ training ride kicked off on Saturday and as some of you may have seen on my Instagram, it wasn’t without it’s dramas. The day was a cracker, a nice [rare] blue sky spring day, a slight breeze and a barmy 12 degrees - ideal novice cycling conditions.

Things, started off well I found myself the east London ‘super cycle highway’ which sounds a lot more exciting than it actually is, and followed that out of the city for several miles. But, eventually I lost track of the signs and ended up on the A13 (a dual carriageway) which I thought was alright, the classic ‘she’ll be right kiwi attitude’ and to be fair I wasn’t too bothered by the cars buzzing past me. But when I got to the M25 junction (the large circular motorways that stretches the whole way round London) I found myself in the middle of the round-a-bout Googling “Can you cycle on ‘A’ roads?” I knew that motorways where a no go but I had an strong feeling ‘A’ roads were also a no go, bearing in mind I had already been cycling on the A13 for some 5 miles now. So I came to the conclusion, with the help of some off stares from drivers, that I shouldn’t be there and quickly weaved my way through the traffic off the nearest side road. lesson one learnt. 

So I kept going, on the roads I was allowed to cycle on, and went for about another hour, until I got hungry and decided to turn. Lesson two - takes some form of snack with me next time. However, to be fair by this time I had been riding for almost an hour and 45 minutes so it probably was a good time to head back. Everything was going smoothly, I didn’t get lost, I stayed away from the motorways had a relatively smooth cycle back into London, until I made it to the nearby suburbs to my house and managed to score myself a flat tyre. At which point I thought I would make an Instagram video explaining my bad luck on the first long distance ride. Now videoing yourself, you would think is a harmless task right? But, I suddenly found myself surrounded by 6 younger guys whom were trying to be intimidating asking “why the f**k I was videoing them” clearly they had something to hide. But I talked myself out of the potentially hostile situation and explained “No, I am simply videoing myself, it’s all good”....”I have better things to do than play Cops and Robbers and dob you guys in” (not that I actually said this) but you get the idea. So lesson three, don’t take selfies in the park when there are troublesome ‘youths’ in the vicinity.

So a potentially hostile situation resolved, I found a motorbike shop and asked if I could pump up my tyre. Only to realise that it wasn’t just a flat tyre but indeed a puncture, damnit! So I began the remaining 3 mile walk home in my socks as I didn’t want to ruin my knew cycling shoes. But lucky for me, my two Knights in shining armour (or lycra should I say) rode past and offered me a replacement tube and whether I needed any help, I said I wasn’t too far off home and I will be okay but they insisted and welcomed me into the ‘cycling community’ - that’s right, I am now a member of the prestigious ‘cycling community’ and we have each others backs! So lucky for me I got to finish the last leg of the cycle on my bike instead of walking my bike in central London in bare feet. So, lesson four, I need to invest in a puncture kit and pump to take with me on rides from now on. 

But, dramas aside, the 3.5 hour, 55km ‘adventure’ came to and end. I got home had some food and soaked in the bath to recover! A solid first up effort I think, and already I am looking forward to week two! But seriously, who knew cycling could be so fun and eventful? 

But, it’s not all about the fun! I do need to raise some decent money too! My colleagues and I have set a hefty goal of £12,000! So we (Team Oritain) would be very very grateful if you could spare any pound or dollar and support our amazing cause! I have already made a public pledge that for the first, single £1000 donation, in preparation for the ride, I will get an aerodynamic full body wax. I will also be coming up with other quirky ways to raise money so stay tuned, or if you have any suggestions on how I or Team Oritain can raise the much needed funds please do get in touch. 

Until then, here is the link to our Virgin Money Giving page - every little bit helps!  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=OritainUK&pageUrl=2

For more info on the cause we are support check out their page: https://www.duchenneuk.org/