#newsflash: teenagers are annoying

[loveinsomesacredplace]

#TeamCamCameron

[skxllz]

𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕

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pairing 〉 eddie munson x fem! harrington! reader

length 〉 7.3k

warnings 〉 cheerleader reader. being friends with chrissy. putting up a front (kind of). mentions of anxiety, fear, being a coward. a tiny mention of a gay slur somewhere in there. eddie having a bit of an insecure moment. admiration from afar (at first - from both ends). extreme hatred towards jason. hiding away true feelings and trying to fit in. a bit of angsty, personal information slid in. easily angered reader (sort of?). physical violence, punching. swearing. annoyed thoughts. reader being a bad bitch (is that even a warning?).

summery 〉 when jason calls eddie a freak in the cafeteria, you get fed up with the bullying and give him a piece of your mind. ends with eddie comforting you, after realizing what you had done.

requested here 🖤

the ending is a bit rushed so.. rip to that. but I hope it's enjoyable, otherwise? this also went in a different direction from where I originally wanted it to go lol. ps - I got lazy on proof reading, so sorry for any errors!

8.11.22

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highschool. a funny word, a funny thing, a funny setting. a strange experience in life. also a stressful thing to obtain for most - all teenagers and young adults, actually. in a typical highschool, clicks were displayed; jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, outcasts, rationalists and so on. the most notorious groups seemed to be the popular and well portrayed opposite, seeing as they were always at each others' throats like people at war. it made sense in the eyes of society, because there could be nothing cool if it didn't have a polar opposite; loser worthy. but that's what destroys the mind of young individuals, isn't it? thinking you had to act a certain way, dress a certain way, look a certain way just to be considered likeable? it was ridiculous and quite frankly, broke a person's spirit.

in the harrington household, it was well known that the family held a strong image of being perfect and porcelain. they were high on the food chain; held stealthy on the outfield. for that reason, their reputation was made to be outstanding and everyone was meant to see them as the elvis presley as high class. steve harrington, the eldest child, had a big newsflash though that even if his family had the impression they needed to be spotless, he didn't. he was his own person - and perfect didn't exist in a world full of poorly kempt stick ups. it took a little help for that mindset to blossom, but it got there and he was thankful for it... however; his sister didn't catch the drift of that quite yet.

time and time again, you were given a meaningful speech by your brother about how you looked in the eyes of others, didn't perceive who you truly were. your self image is what mattered - who you saw yourself as. who you presented yourself as. who you accepted yourself as. but the words never really... imprinted into your skull. sunk into your brain. instead, you only ever stomped your foot about it and told the older of you two to butt out of your personal life. deep down you knew steve only worried, wanting what was best for you and for you not to become like your parents.

although your mother meant well when she was present, she still wasn't the best at affection nor showing efforted support. it wasn't in her algorithm to be a... mother figure. however, you still loved her, as did steve - if was just difficult to accept the fact that you'd never really receive a loving hug when you're upset, or a look of praise when she was proud. and your father? he was a different story. your father was never upfront about things, but his words were always passively straight forward. he'd be nonchalant about things, act like some shit he said wasn't a big deal or even just.. not care, for what he'd say. but it'd hurt you. it'd hurt steve. he was easier on you given you're his daughter, but the way he treated your sibling bothered you. alas though, you couldn't say anything; your fear of being targeted and being the center of attention, negatively, impacted that. plus, steve would never let anything happen to you, even if you two weren't the closest.

in the back of your mind, despite being stubborn about everything, you knew acting preppy and perfect and pushing people who were considered below you, away, was wrong. you knew wearing pristine, perfectly stitched skirts that reached mid-thigh and pressed white socks were not you. you knew sporting a snobby, push-away, shouldered off personality wasn't the way you truly were. you weren't... you weren't fake. being apart of the cliché upper class and wine glass clinking crowd wasn't you, isn't you, and knowing that killed you because the anxiety that constantly settled in the pit of your stomach stopped you from displaying your true nature. It was tiring, frustrating... but you weren't sure what to do of it. seeing steve being swept off his throne and being tossed around like an abused volleyball battered you enough. you didn't know what'd actually happen to you if you decided to say ‘ fuck it, I'm leaving this crowd and moving onto higher aspects ’.

your emotions were easily shook, to put it into clear terms. although you were never diagnosed with high anxiety by a professional, you suspected for some time that you had it, which is why you could never speak up. always followed along with the crowd in fear. never stood your ground, truly. wore what people wanted, acted how people expected. it drained you though, mentally and physically. and.. well, seeing it done to other people just seemed to spark unknowing feelings within you.

since your sophomore year, you started watching everything around you. while you weren't really deemed as quiet, you still never spoke as much as the crowd you stuck yourself with; thus, leaving you with the inner status of the kid that observed and noted small things - attitudes, habits and so on. it only happened because of your father snapping at steve rather aggressively because of something he did, and unintentionally you had taken notice of his body language and the way he reacted. the mind can do crazy things, hm?

due to being so observant, it didn't take you long to pick up on the pattern of the basketball team and the majority of the cheer squad thinking they were better than any other click. or just person, for that matter. they picked on other individuals, whether it be by a snide comment or unnecessary shove of the shoulder, and it highly disgusted you. again though, you never said anything; never spoke up verbally, or even slid an anonymous note to the principal. getting involved in the business of others, even if it could end up helping them out, was a disaster waiting to happen in your mind. steve knew better, knowing that bullying of any sorts wasn't okay, since he himself partook in it before, but you? you were clueless. It was pathetic, really. knowing it wasn't okay for people to do that to another, but having it locked in your brain that interfering was wrong - and being so utterly, selfishly afraid you'd become the new bullseye.

but your view began changing, one day. usually, no one would catch your eye, even your brothers' past friend tommy h or that fleabag billy hargrove. they were too arrogant for you - thinking rather with their dicks and egos, rather than the brains they were given. boys, nor girls in hawkins ever peeked your interest, but one day you just so happened to let your eyes wander onto the opposite crowd a little too long.

eddie munson. you laid eyes on him his second year of being a senior, which made you a junior. you knew he was older than you, heard about him being a freak and the labels of cult leader and devil worshipper surrounding the very government name he was given. heard the rumors that he liked both boys and girls, and people found that disgusting. even eavesdropped on a conversation that the guy was a complete sadist. so much shit bled into just his last initial alone, and yet you found yourself slowly becoming infatuated with him.

although he had a rep of being rather ballsy when it came to telling people off, or being a guy that had too much attitude for one to handle, it didn't start until the end of your junior year where he began shoving insult after insult into the face of every student that didn't accept him - or the other outcasts for that matter. while everyone else hated it, found him irritating and quite frankly wanted to tear him down bit by bit, you couldn't help but look up to him. stars would fill your eyes everytime he gave one of his society ridden speeches, or everytime you'd hear him shout excitedly from his lunch table about the new campaign he was hosting. simply throwing his head back, mouth dropping open with laughter would leave you feeling dizzy. he was such a charm and you didn't understand why you didn't see him sooner.

this carried all the way to your senior year, which was currently. everyday your eyes would follow his sauntering figure as he walked past the cheersquad to slip his way into o'donnell's room. everyday you'd throw small glances at him in the cafeteria, watching him either make snarky comments on one of the other social groups or mess with his new found friend, dustin henderson. everyday you'd watch as his hair would swish off of his shoulders and sway side to side down his upper back, as he ran off to the hellfire club's room. every weekend... you'd spot eddie outside from the mayfields’ front window, gathering the fact that you took time to hang out with max, one of your brothers’ little brats, since you took a liking to her. you always saw him, always had his figure in your view, always dreamed that maybe one day you could gather up the courage to swallow down your nerves and just take that big step. say a big fuck you to the popularity, and just greet eddie with a small ‘ hi ’. that day didn't come, though... not in november. not in december. not in january.

but, it did come in february.

unknown to you, the male returned your feelings. he was never one to eye up a minor, given he was going on the age of twenty one - and he definitely wasn't one to ogle the opposite party, no matter how pretty they were. richy’s just weren't his crowd, and although he’s found quite a few of the basketball players and party-goers attractive, along with one or two of the cheerleaders, and was some-what acquaintances with chrissy cunningham, it just wasn't in his nature to drool over people that wouldn't — won't give two shits about him. they disgusted him, with how they pranced around thinking they were so perfect and above anyone else - him -, when nobody was a perfectly polished peach. since they were the type of people to be two-faced, and only like you for your looks and if you followed by the standards of the world, and put on a fake facade, he just couldn't bring himself to look at one of them more than four seconds. even that was pushing it. but, shit.. when he saw steve harrington's younger sister, freshly eighteen, at the beginning of the school year, his eyes couldn't help but pop out of his skull.

legs have never looked so good and smooth to him. a skirt, a cheer skirt, had never stuck out so boldly before - in a good way of course. plain white vans never looked so pretty before, let alone a person. hair in nothing a low ponytail never looked so interesting before. and god, your face? he swore it was sculpted by an actual array of those little pixie dust carrying creatures, it was so beautiful. the best thing is that he knew you were amongst the it crowd, too, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. you seemed so... different. although your eyes held an innocent, mocking look like every other plastic, pom-pom princess, he knew you weren't like that. your nails were manicured and painted a soft lilac, but he knew that wasn't you. even the smile you put on all the time just seemed... not you. he had never even taken time to notice you before september sixteenth, a week and a half after school started back up, yet the feeling in his hut told him everything about how your personality really was. how you really were.

now, eddie munson was not one for intuition and superstition, but the man just knew that listening to the gut feeling was his best bet. and he's glad he did. following you around with his curious orbs made him realize a lot of things about you - such as your favorite color, your nervous habits, the little lip twist you do when you don't agree with somebody. so many things that the never paid attention to in anyone else before. ridiculous, right? he's never even spoken a word to you, and when your brother still attended hawkins’ high, the two didn't even get along. so how on earth did he become infatuated with not only a cheerleader, but a harrington child as well, that he didn't even really know?

the real funny thing, though, is that you had no idea about his staring. his curiosity. his admiration. his love. but chrissy did - your best friend, and also the girl that secretly bummed a smoke off of munson once in a while. it was discovered when one day, she reached under the table for her bookbag to retrieve a tube of lip gloss, only to accidentally let it roll off upon dropping it. she had to reach behind her, underneath the bend because of it, and she just so happened to look up and catch eddie staring at her table. when following his gaze, her own eyes landed on you. it wasn't hard to put two and two together, especially because she knows the twenty-year-old wouldn't willingly look at the jocks’ unless it was for a good reason.

and you just so happened to be a very good reason.

but, chrissy could be a bit foolish sometimes when it came to secrets. In december, the last day before winter break would hit, she happened to slip up to jason about the fact that eddie had a growing crush on her best friend — the confirmation coming from eddie himself, last time they spoke. this set jason off, unfortunately. it wasn't for the fact that he secretly liked her - that wasn't a thing -, or even for the fact that she was close with his girlfriend. it was because eddie munson was a freak. a devil worshipper. a cult leader. a fag that swung more than one door - he shouldn't even swing for more than the opposite team.

point is, he didn't belong with you of all people. a cheerleader. a popular. a harrington. someone who actually mattered and could make it in this world. no — someone like eddie didn't deserve happiness. at least, not in jason's eyes; in his eyes, munson was evil.

the passing weeks that followed once everyone arrived back, after new years, were very weird and worrisome for you. you'd often catch jason staring down eddie, a harsh look in his clear blue's and threats lingering on the back of his tongue. it wasn't odd to see him like that towards any of the hellfire club members, especially eddie, but it also wasn't like jason to constantly neck at the munson boy as if he committed murder. it bothered you to no end - but, once again, you couldn't say something. couldn't do anything... you could only sit there and watch, with a stomach full of raging moths.

but, everything began to get tiring. frustrating. began burning you out, because the same chit chat was constant and the glaring was simply annoying. you wanted to do nothing more than scare carver shitless by holding your little spork to his throat — maybe then, he'd fucking quit the shit. ‘s not like you'd actually do that, though, because the thought of being in a rusty jail cell was not appealing. all for a boy that probably despised your existence? no.

though.. then again.. that same boy made your insides flutter like a freshly born butterfly. that same boy made your brain melt with his pretty smile alone. that same boy left you to feel as if you were floating, just because he was himself... and you were not. that's why, a month later when eddie took it upon himself to toe across his lunch table in one of his world improving speeches, only for jason to target him with the same degrading insult, the empty milk carton in your hand was crushed absentmindedly.

the few cheerleaders that saw fell silent from their conversation they had. the others’, that appeared oblivious, only took notice when the awkward atmosphere drifted their way. then, new eyes were on you after that. very little were concerned, while others were creeper out and one or two were disturbed — because they knew why you were suddenly mad. the fact that you were too in your own head to even notice your heated glare portrayed on the basketball captain, or that you caused a small scene of disruption, was kind of scary to chrissy. you looked so out raged, just over a name that everyone heard again and again. while she knew it was much more than that, she still failed to comprehend why exactly you got so pissed. just moments ago you were picking at your food, then finishing off your drink, and now you look like as if you want to rip her boyfriend's head off.

scary. but not as scary as you standing up and stalking over to the blonde.

“ hey, carver! ” you shouted, stealthy legs carrying you over to the male that was obnoxiously eyeing up the brunette you came to adore. your posture was confident, as was the look in your eyes - pure fire. so when jason turned around, confusion evident on his facial features, you didn't miss the look of shock you received right before your balled fist made harsh contact with the curve of his jaw.

stumbling back, sharp intake of breath being taken as both hands flew up to press over the ache that now split over the left aide of his face. jason hunched over, knees semi bent while his small tuff of blonde hair shadowed over his eyes; shielding his clenched lids from being displayed. that didn't matter, however - by his body language alone, you could tell you did a number on him. and, although your hand was now throbbing, knuckles slightly cut and hand reddened, you couldn't being yourself to care that you just made everyone in the cafeteria fall to quiet. your reputation was now ruined, and you most likely just made an ass of yourself in front of the man you really liked, but it didn't kick in until after the sourness of your flexing finger became aware.

specs dropped down to look at your digits, briefly examining, before widened eyes of realization darted up to drift around the student body. some people looked at jason, who was now slowly straightening himself, but a majority of the people were looking at you - including eddie. his wide, alarmed brown eyes and open mouth of shock immediately made you think you fucked up. you couldn't stop the negative whirlwind of possibilities that circles your chambers, which is why it was an instinct to turn on your heel and flea to the outside world.

as soon as you slammed the back door to the school, shut behind you, your back pressed to the sleek metal hard. muscles tense, mind running around fifty miles a second. your breathing was slightly ragged from straight bolting, and your hands shook from the anxiety clouding your senses. calming yourself down when panicked was always hard, but now all of your emotions were hitting you at once - the loss of your popularity. your friends. your good reputation. your perfect image. possibly your cheer position. the fact that everyone will be disappointed in you. the plummeting in take of the fact that you just humiliated not only yourself, but eddie too... it was all too much.

you didn't physically comprehend the hot, slow tears rolling down your cheeks, but you knew mentally that wetness was gathering under your eyes. your mind was zoned out, as was your vision, but you were also painfully aware that your back was sliding down against the closed door - stiff body following along, until your bent legs were being pulled to your chest out of habit. pressing your forehead to your flushed kneecaps, a shaky inhale was taken as you attempted to stop your racing heart. it didn't help, however; all you could think about was the fact that you finally screwed yourself over.

too busy with clogged ears, you didn't take notice of the male clad in black clothing rounding the corner of the school and rushing to your fallen figure. your body trembled, arms wracked with bouncing shakes as silent sobs left your curled lips. fat, pain filled droplets of water dropping from your face to the squish of your dimpled thighs, exposed from the fallen fabric of the balled cheer skirt. Inward creases of the arms folded, while elbows angled to press into the sides of your legs. it was sad to look the way you did, all because of the fear that nobody would like you anymore because of you being your true self.

but eddie was there. he was hesitant, not wanting to invade your personal space and upset you even more, but eventually his leather covered arms made their way around your shoulders; palms crossing over your upper back to pull you closer. due to being out of it, you don't comprehend who he is or that he's even there, at least he thinks that, since you immediately lean into him and bury your head to the hellfire shirt he sported. the heavy material of vest brushed against the sides of your face, which he winced at since he rather you not be uncomfortable, but you didn't mind - your absent state refused you to be bothered by the scratchy fabric. in fact, it smelled like him - the scent was nice. that, combined with the sturdy, safe hold the person placed on you, helped with you to focus on your wrecked state.

while eddie was not good with comforting, since he was never really around anyone like that, he still tried his best efforts. the tips of his fingers circled light shapes into the lining of your shoulder blades. his nose buried into your hair, pressing into your scalp to let you know he was present. small, barely audible gestures of kindness left his lips. and best of all, he informed you of where you were, and the sounds around you, and coaxed you into opening your eyes so that you could see that everything was real.

the low rumble of his vocals and his burnings touch kept you afloat, leaving you to come to your senses in a small amount of time. with his persuading for you to open your eyes, you did... lids slowly lifting, only to be met by dark shades - black, red, grey. the littlest bit of white. your hues dragged upwards, cascading over light blue, washed denim, before traveling further up. black leather; strong neck muscles and pale skin; full lips; caring brown eyes.

it was no lie that seeing the person you clung onto, relied on to help you unknowingly, was the very guy you stuck up for. punched jason carver in the jaw, for. was very much startling. body instantly froze up, lids lifting fully to mirror a child that got caught stealing a lollipop. it was bad to be in munson’s arms, but also.. good. that's why you couldn't move, but could still very much feel the rush of heat spreading over you.

“ hey, hey... ” eddie silently panicked, but tried to keep himself chill. moving to sit you up, and to separate your bodies, but still choosing to stay close enough where his hand rested on the junction that displayed between your shoulder and neck. “ it's alright - I won't hurt you. ” he paused for a few seconds, to look over your reaction. when no difference was shown, his words contained to roll out slowly. “ you're okay... just had a little bit of’a panic, kay? ‘t hurt t’see you like that, i couldn't just let you... ” his sentence came to a wavering halt, brows pushed together. eddie wasn't sure how to speak.. his next set of words.. without sounding weird. but he couldn't just suddenly go silent, so he opened his mouth once more, “ cry like that. ‘specially over some shit that was helpful towards someone else. ”

twitch of his lips, before a small, sideways grin grew onto his mouth openly. “ for me. ” his eyes flickered over her eyes, slightly scaling downwards... before he looked away, a nervous chuckle leaving him. the slightest tinge of pink on his cheeks. “ thank you for that, by the way... never pegged you as the type to go around slugging assholes, but I appreciate it. ” his orbs met your own, after he managed to calm his inner anxieties. “ it was very metal of you. ”

beings as though you didn't have the most expanded music taste, confusion rattled your brain from the lack of acknowledgment on the term he tossed out - but you shook it off. instead, letting a small smile of your own graze your lips; a tiny sniffle sounding from your now clogged, nose. “ thanks, eddie.. ” you rasped, raw throat making the tone very evident. you didn't care, though, head too caught up in other things. “ I'm- ” you lowered your head, only to wipe off one of your mascara stained cheeks on the shoulder of your white and green cheer top. “ I'm sorry you had to see me like that... have to see me like this. ” a shaky sigh left your lips, once your chin lifted upwards again. “ this is really... humiliating. ‘n probably bothersome for you.. so I get if you wanna- ”

“ no- ” legs shift, so that knees can lower in a bend. one of his jean-clad legs lower to the ground, so that he's balancing his forearm on his angled down thigh. “ no no no. don't say that shit. you're not bothersome.. ” his chin dipped down, while his other hand reached to slide one digit under your own chin; giving a light push to to the underside, so that you're looking at him. face serious, lips lightly parted and brows raised, eddie continued, “ nor am I troubled with the fact that you punched, ” brunette emphasized the word, leaning forward dramatically to show you he means it. “ lord jackass of the ignoramus lineup. ” a bite of a giggle left you from the specially worded insult, making eddie grin widely in return. “ so... we alright? y'doing okay, now? everything's clear? ”

“ yes. ” you teasingly threw back, voice unusually quiet and gentle. “ everything is clear... thank you. ” it takes you a single beat longer, before you intake that the atmosphere turns slightly awkward - at least on your end. due to this, your head turns and your eyes settle of your van clad foot, which is now stretched outwards; dumbly rocking side to side. “ I'm... y/n, by the way. ” nervous irises shoot over to connect with munson's own. you spotted that his cheek lifted, just a twitch, while his lips rolled inwards, as if he was suppressing a smile. though, you said nothing about it; choosing to blink innocently. “ y/n harrington. ”

a canine-baring grin finally split across the male's face in crystal amusement. “ I know who you are. ” he spoke, a teasing amusement in his tone; the underline of joyfulness lying beneath, which made you know that eddie wasn't mocking you in anyway. “ the word of the harrington family spreads like wildfire, sweetheart. it was no secret that your presence lingers in the building, trust me. ”

tilting your head to the side, a slight narrow of your eyes took place - suspicion. yet playfulness. “ if that's the case, then why are you helping- ” she uses her hand to gesture between the two hurriedly. “ me, of all people? surely you know who my brother is. ” it wasn't that you wanted to drive the metalhead away, but beings as though your reputation perceives you, just as it does wonders for you, it seemed pretty odd that an outsider from society wanted to be nice to a girl that was spotlighted as a snobby princess. there's no way he just helped you out of the kindness of his heart.

“ well... ” eddie diverted his gaze elsewhere, preferably the pavement, clearing his throat that started to get clogged by unspoken words. “ I.. don't think you're too bad.. for a harrington. ” orbs switch back to you, momentarily. “ and a cheerleader. ” teetering, until his other knee finally falls into the hard ground, he leans forward; both palms now pressing to his jeans. “ and a spoiled brat. ” though his voice held a child-like, trading tone, along with the smile on his face, you couldn't help but gasp in offense.

“ I'm not a spoiled brat! ” you hiss quietly, cheeks puffing up in a pout; eyes slightly pudging out from forming into slits. “ if anything, you're a disastrous outlaw, munson. ” while you were somewhat serious, the smallest pinch of your own playfulness seeped through. leaving eddie not to take the words to heart, but instead, to pat a single thump of his hand to the left side of his chest. “ you wound me. ” eyebrows fall into sarcastic hurt. “ truly do, dollface. truly do. ”

a small snicker leaving your now upturned lips, you guide forward to give the male a light shove. but, that leaves him to fall off of his unbalanced knees, and onto his ass - which dampens due to the rain slick ground. “ hey! ” eddie scoffs, looking down to his behind, which he can't even actually see. “ thanks a lot, ms popular, now ‘m gonna have ta’ lay out a towel on my seat. ”

“ in that rickety van you drive? ” you choked out, attempting not to laugh. “ pretty sure a little rain water is the least of your worries. that thing is centuries old, it's bound to break down soon! ”

eyes widen in actual astonishment. “ a harrington? judging me? and my van? ” the stare between you two is held, before his face falls into a neutral expression. “ not really surprised - but I'm aware, that I need to get a new ride. just, ya’ know- ” a balled hand lifts to shield his mouth. “ don't really... have the cash right now. ”

a pin dropping could be heard through the silence that fell.

“ if you need help with.. ya’ know.. ” your head tilted and hues drifted away, as you spoke. “ I don't mind. I do.. like you.. after all. ”

was that a confession? was he hearing you right? because, absolutely no way in hell, in god's graciousness, did he just hear the words ‘ I do like you after all ’ bounce off of your tongue towards him. the cheerleader, liking the outcasted cult leader? very unheard of. that shit only is made to happen in fairy tales.

“ sorry, uh.. ” he let out a dry laugh, uneasy smile tipping while his gaze failed to meet yours; eyes, instead, settling on his dirty sneakers. “ could you-could you repeat that? don't think I heard you right.. ”

“ Ilikeyou. ” you quickly blurted, so fast that it was impossible to catch if one weren't actually listening. how eddie managed to snag up what you said, you'd never know. but... by the way his brows shot up, nearly blending into his hairline, and his cheeks bruised over with red, you could only assume that... it was a good thing you finally said that. what you've been dying to say for a while.

“ ... you're- ” his eyes bounced between.. whatever he was looking at. the ground, his shoes, the pebbles littering the ground. it was just difficult to know what he was thinking, with the uncertain but flattered but perplexed but honored look, painted on his visage. “ you're not pulling my leg? ” the quiet question finally met open air, and instantly you melted. not from the words, even.. but the way his puppy dog, glossy eyes met yours. “ you're not joking around about this? ”

jesus, you felt horrible suddenly. In no way were you lying or trying to toy with him, but it was clear it's happened to him in the past. when? you were unsure, but from what you knew, eddie started gaining his reputation as a freak sometime in seventh grade. so, from then to now, a whole whirlwind of shit could've happened. you just hoped, with the way you're perceived and all, that... well— that you don't give him the interpretation that you'll use him or humiliate him. you could be a bit of a bitch, be a brat in public - but behind closed doors you were nothing like that. hopefully, hopefully eddie could see that, if socking jason in his face wasn't enough.

“ eddie... ” angel mirrored eyes stare at the metalhead in solicitude; wobbly irises, oppositely slanted brows pushing up in deep worry. a hand reached forward, just enough for the tips of your fingers to brush over the skin of his wrist where his chain bracelet sat. gently dragging down, slowly, before they were moved to delicately curl around the side of his hand. “ I promise you, I'm not kidding around here. ” swallowing quietly, you tucked in your still-slightly-sticky-from-lip-gloss lips while pondering over how to go about your second confession within just twenty minutes. “ I.. ”

although munson looked slightly frustrated, just wanting the truth out, he didn't say anything, for he knew what it was like to have difficulty collecting your thoughts and speaking them. clearly he had faith in you, despite your social image. like before, he just had a feeling, that you're different. listening to his gut has got him this far, so depending on it one more time wouldn't hurt.

“ —it's just.. it's hard having rich parents. ” you shakily breathed, voice beginning to shake - though, you tried incredibly hard to keep your nerves at bay. “ it's hard being a harrington. my parents have such a big reputation here in hawkins; in Indiana, in general. steve has already... ” testing your lips to gulp down building tears. “ he's already disappointed our father. our mother isn't as bad, but she's been more distant towards him... and I just — I don't want to be in that same position. and I know! I know.. It's cowardly of me, but I hear the way my brother sometimes cries in his room at night, when he thinks I'm not awake.. ” taring your eyes from eddie's, who's face was now slack in slight disbelief, you turned your chin to the concrete ground. “ — it breaks my heart.. I don't know how to help, because I'm so obsessed with being someone perfect, when clearly I'm not. and I'm obsessed with it, because I don't want to end up like steve. I'm already... ”

as soon as your hands started to shake, eddie knew your walls were falling again. pushing off of his backside, he rolled onto his knees, only to shuffle closer to you. pressing a splayed hand to the ground, he maneuvered himself to sit beside you — ‘ stupid damn rain.. ’ was muttered under his breath when almost slipping, but he disregarded it a second later. wiping the same hand on the thigh of his pants, before slowly slipping that arm around your shoulder. your form was now raked with harsh, bouncing shakes as you attempted to swallow your cries. It was pathetic, you thought, how you fell apart in less than an hour in front of you crush - twice. but eddie didn't care, he understood... you just needed comfort. that's why his fingers gently rubbed up and down your shoulder, while he leaned your figure against him; his head tilting to touch against yours in minimal affection.

“ it's alright, sweet thing, ” the munson boy whispered in a light tone, coaxing you into finishing at your own pace. “ take your time - ‘m not going anywhere. ”

although your lips were being bitten into, pain filled noises threatening to spill, you inhaled deeply through your nose the best you could because you wanted to finish your explanation; let eddie know you truly weren't... this. some fake. you needed at least someone to know, and beings as though eddie was the one to come see if you were alright, it just happened to be him. no complaints from your end, though.

“ I'm.. ” another shaky take of breath. “ — already sad, and - and feel horrible because I can't be myself. at least, not without a hassle.. ” your teeth grabbed the inside of your cheek, pinching it in anxious habit. “ the idea of everyone hating me, even my parents, is just unbearable. I've always been used to having friends... ” twisting your head so that your face gently, comfortably nuzzled into eddie's jawline. his face was beginning to heat. “ or.. at least attention, and people all over me. meaning I'm not used to being alone. I guess you could say, being abandoned and not having anyone terrifies me.. ” your voice managed to crack at the end, while your brows drew close together. eddie felt the tickle of movement, making him slide his hand to the back of your neck; thumb circling to brush into the crook, drawing shapes. “ it's scary, eddie.. not knowing what can happen. I don't like it, and I - I don't like not knowing! ”

the small raise of your voice, coated in frustration, had the male's heart aching in every corner. someone sounding so in need of security made his stomach drop — and since it was you, of all people, to feel this way, he definitely didn't know what to make of thr negative emotions dishing around inside him. he wished he could just help, somehow.

“ I understand you. ” when eddie finally spoke after a beat of silence, your head rolled so that you could look up to him. tired, puffy eyes staring up at him in question. “ I have very few friends, even my uncle.. ” a bitter smile crossed his lips while an unhumored chuckle left him. “ but I still feel alone, always. ” eddie tried his best not to look at you, because... he just knew he'd be the one crying next. “ ‘s not a nice feeling, knowing if you're going to wake up one day and you have absolutely nobody. ” tongue swiping over his lips nervously, his brown hues finally flickered to meet yours. “ but I always remind myself that, that can't be the case. there's over seven billion humans in the world.. at least one of them is bound to care. ” the corner of his mouth quirked; rough smirk forming. “ just have to find ‘em.. ”

you didn't even take notice of the fact that you had calmed. body nervous system calming down mere minutes ago, while your mind, surfing my, was at ease for the first time in a while. you didn't feel the need to hide behind your hair, and look away out of fear that you were being strange. no, no.. you felt warm. mellow. content. safe. just eddie's presence draped a blanket of solitude over your shoulders — and, it wasn't until you caught yourself staring at him as if he owned the universe, that you took note of it. the blossoming buds of sparks spreading in your chest were now much more noticeable, leaving your cheeks to boil. even though you wanted to look away, since you were now embarrassed internally, you just... couldn't bring yourself to.

his eyes were so pretty...

but so were yours. the munson boy was at a loss for words; any thoughts that perked up, quickly dying to a simmer in the back of his head. his lips slowly parted, as his orbs flickered down to your own lips, watching as you absentminded rolled the bottom between pretty canines. the breath in the base of his throat hitched at that. while thw moment was supposed to be comforting and relieving... eddie just couldn't help but to think, god, I want to kiss her.

and it's as if you suddenly grew a rush of confidence and read his mind, because your shoulder was sweeping his; the fabric of your cheer uniform pressing into the leather of his jacket, while your cushioned lips pressed to his own. it was a peck of three seconds, barely even counted as a kiss. you were pulling away way sooner than eddie wanted.. desired.. but he could understand - he himself was shocked, so the man could only imagine how you felt upon realization.

only, you already knew what you were doing. you only lived once, and eddie's past speeches of equality and being yourself were just suddenly kicking in. why not make the first move? this was you guys’ last year of high school, after all... might as well make the best of it, since you never know what could happen.

“ shit.. ” the mop of curls adoring his forehead were pushed aside by a movement of his hand, breathless words fallen from tingling lips held in the air. “ that — you can't just take a guy off guard like that, princess. y’know how greedy we can get. ” his orbs, which has switched off of you, looked back - only to see you looking up at him in panic. obviously it was fear of rejection, bit he quickly soothed your worries with a teasing grin. “ ‘specially me... ” it was quick — him turning, only slide a hand over the wall of your jaw. hand spreading, so that his middle finger slotted under your ear lobe; rest of his finger tips gripping into the skin behind in a feathered manner. pulling your face closer to his, eddie's head tilting to a side angle, he let lips capture yours again. the tip of his tongue toppled to your upper lip, his need for your clouding the fact that he'd normally ask for permission for such intensity - but you didn't mind, instead inhaling through your mouth. thus, inviting him to slip his bottom lip down yours sloppily, while his tongue slithered to knocked against the roof of your mouth.

the kiss was no where near uncomfortable. not light and airy, nor soft and sweet, but it wasn't awful - more sexily laughable.. free. you loved it. your fingers, shyly raising to press into his jean vest, guided upwards to hesitantly curl around the coolness of the chain of his guitar-pick necklace. you felt his fingers twinge, before his hand was sliding to fully cup the back of your head; fingers avoiding any visible tangles to bury into your scalp. such raw dominance, that was still very much available to pull away from had you whimpering.

eddie heard the sound, clear as day, making his other hand that had slid to grip the bottom spread of your skirt, curl around the fabric temptingly. fuck, we're your sounds already addicting... and he hasn't even really heard anything.

you made the move to withdrawal from his oral hold. licking your, now wet, lips and humming. fluttering eyes open, just enough to meet the dilated pupils of eddie's own. his beautifully filled lashes dipped in a half loaded gaze, while his irises dotted across your face; simply taking in, admiring how your facial expression was gleaming. your lips now puffy, practically covered in his trail of ownership. it made the slightest of grins, tug at his mouth.

“ guess it's safe t’say I like you, too.. ” eddie finally mumbled, his eyes of plush rose pedals never seizing to break away from your own; so full of positive emotions. it didn't take a genius to see it was much more than liking you. eddie munson was in love with the cheerleader. but, alas, those words would be spoken too soon; it's better to wait.

“ yeah.. ” you let a small giggle spill, your sparkling orbs bouncing between his. “ guess it is, munson. ” but, as quick as your smile was to form, it fell. this made eddie frown too. “ unless my reputation is still a problem? ”

he scoffed. “ are you kidding me? of course it— ” his eyes fell deadpan, when coming to realization. “ you're messing with me, aren't you? ”

you grinned widely; the smallest indent of an almost dimple, forming. “ of course. I know you're not like that. you're different. ”

a scowl forms on his face. “ fucking brat, don't scare me like that! ”

“ you know I can't do that, eds! It's in my job description to give the old man a heart attack. ”

“ sweetheart, trust me, you'll be eating those words. ”

[hoes4dylanobrien]

Mitch *again cuz I'm in love w him*, bodyguard, angst + fluff, New York, female in early twenties

OKK more than 500 but it is what it is

Love the bodyguard!mitch idea, ty so much anon!! hopefully u like

You tried not to look at him, but at some point during the gentle and at times violent rocking motions of the subway ride from uptown to lower Manhattan your gaze drifted over to his hulking figure. He stood a few seats down from you, leaned against the interior wall somewhat obscured by a group of teenagers laughing amongst themselves and trading phones. He pretended to find great interest in one of the ads printed across the opposite wall, giving you the perfect angle of his strong facial features, only softened by his sloping, slightly upturned nose, and wispy dark locks. His almond-shaped brown eyes shifted to you just as you turned away, but you knew he had caught you staring.

"You don't have to follow me every step of the way, you know," you said after you two had gotten off at Canal street, headed to Chinatown. He'd been a few steps behind you, but you halted suddenly, letting him catch up. His jaw tensed. "You think I enjoy being a glorified babysitter? Newsflash, I don't. But the pay is good. If I knew I'd be dealing with such a spoiled princess I would've thought twice."

"Then go," you blurted angrily, mostly out of hurt. "Give me a few hours to myself, I promise not to tell Daddy. You'll still earn your money and we'll both get a much needed break. How about that?"

He opened and shut his mouth, swallowing any initial objection. He looked to be considering your offer. "Fine," he muttered. "I'll be waiting back at Spring stre-"

"No need. I can find my way back home, thanks," you snapped. And with that, you turned on your heel, focusing more on getting away than on where you were going; all the while, feeling a burning gaze on your retreating back.

Not even fifteen minutes later you were starting to regret your decision. You'd planned to go to a restaurant recommended to you by a friend, and after that, your favorite hidden gem of a bookstore. Unfortunately, your phone had died, and you didn't remember the way. It also didnt help that you were, admittedly, directionally challenged. And usually, Mitch remembered where to go for the two of you, so you hadn't ever bothered to memorize the directions (you would never admit he was right, though.) After getting turned around enough times, you realized you were far beyond the main road and didn't recognize where you were in the slightest, or how to get back. It had also, in great cosmic justice, began to rain hard.

“Great, just great!”

As you began to give up hope, a car idled at a slow pace behind you. At first you ignored it, but when it became clear it was following you, you started to get nervous and walk at a faster pace. 

The driver’s window lowered. “Y/n, get in the car,” a familiar low tone ordered. You stilled, but continued walking. 

“Come on, y/n, don’t be stupid,” Mitch growled, impatient. “It’s freezing and I know you dont know where the hell you’re going. Just do us both a favor and get in the damn car!” 

“No!” You yelled, feeling a sudden burst of anger returning even as a slight chill wracked your body. 

“Why the hell not?” 

“Because. I’m a spoiled princess, remember? I don’t listen.” 

“Y/n,” he paused, and you knew without looking back that he was gazing upward as if channeling patience from a higher power, as he often did around you. “I’m sorry OK? I shouldn’t have said those things to you. You don’t deserve it.” 

You slowed your pace, eventually stopping. “Then why’d you say it?”

“You know why, y/n. I get in moods and sometimes... sometimes take it out on other people.” 

“So I’m not spoiled and annoying?” 

He let out a dry laugh. “No, you’re not. Well, not most of the time, anyway,” he teased, making you turn to him with a raised brow. 

“Everyone’s a little annoying, including me. I’m usually worse.” 

“No, you’re not. You’re fun to be around, most of the time,” you teased back. “You make me laugh and you’re actually honest with me,” you said seriously, “I’ve never had that in a friend before.” It was true. Most of your friends were either superficial or after your parents money. 

Mitch watched you with an undecipherable expression on his face. “Get in the car, y/n,” he repeated, still in an authoritative tone but softer. “Please?” 

You did as he asked this time, sitting up front instead of in the backseat as you normally would have. He pulled onto the road. “Where are we going?” You asked as you saw the sign and its accompanying exit for ‘uptown’ pass by. “Thought we’d try that new place,” Mitch replied, citing the one you endeavored to go to earlier. “And then to the bookstore,” you added in question. 

He answered with a rare smile.  

[garrettwrites]

People who don't know you yet try to psychoanalyse you are so annoying. "Oh you're doing it like X but that's because you're afraid, it's okay to Y instead" maybe I either prefer X or actually have it as the only viable option. Or "Oh you like A? Is it because BCD and E?" No, but how would you even know?

You fucking idiot. You know a picture on a wall version of me and assume to have been present when it was taken. Newsflash: everyone is their own individual person with a life, background, personality, troubles and likes. We are not characters for you to figure out. Especially when you barely know us.

If you're so stuck on fictional la la land that you can't understand the people you meet are real, and that analysing and talking to them like a weird anime guy from a questionable slash fanfic written by a teenager is offputting... Don't be shocked when people start getting wildly uncomfortable, irritated or even bored around you.

[dreamings-free]

louis said he hates going in those events and he doesn’t go since 2016 idk why u would think he would even consider to go 😭 he only wants to make music and tour

one of the absolute most annoying things about this fandom is so many people’s inability to see things not only in black and white. that and teenagers with no life- or professional experience trying to tell me how the world works.

newsflash sweetheart.. in order to do things like make music and tour.. networking, making and maintaining industry connections is a necessity. if you ever had a job you’d know that. and yes most people find networking dreadful (I know I do) but that doesn’t mean they don’t do it. because it’s what get you opportunities. and louis knows that he’s not an idiot (as that quote I linked said in fact quite the opposite - he’s smart about it) he’s started his own festival he’s talking about starting a management company you think things like that can happen in a vacuum? you think all the people he’s worked with on FITF just.. appeared out of the blue?). you make him sound like some petulant child. stop seeing him as a one-dimensional caricature.

[peppertaemint]

I'm just really annoyed and need to bitch lol If I hear one more person say how young New Jeans are, I am gonna lose my shit. I usually don't listen to gg but New Jeans caught my attention and I think they have a bright future. I just hope their parents stay close by and they have people around them that will look out for them and protect them from predators but I would feel that way with any young group. I felt that way when Enhypen debuted but that's my problem. Aside from that Cookie debacle and the woman who founded them, they're not the first young group to debut. Hell Taemin was 14 when he debuted. JK was 15. Ni-Ki from Enhypen was 14. I never ever hear how young they were being brought up over and over and over again. Is 14 ideal? No, imo no I think they could wait until 16 or 17... ideally 17 lol but there are so many talented teens in the lower bracket, and as long as they dress and sing songs that are age appropriate, it's somewhat acceptable. They need a strong support system to help them with the pressures of fame, money and I hope with all my heart that they will be taken care of but the amount of "This song is great but they're just so young that's the thing" that I have seen is mind boggling. It has to be because they're girls. That's the only thing that sets them apart from other boy groups who had young members as well. Not saying that people didn't comment on how young Taemin was or Jungkook etc etc but the big deal being made that I personally have seen is bordering on absurd. A 14 yr old, a 16 yr old, a 17 yr old, one soon to be 18 yr old and an 18 yr old is hardly ground breaking in the young department for a group. Look at New Edition, New Kids on the Block, N'Sync, BSB.... I don't think people were harping on how young all of New Edition were or Justin Timberlake, or Joey McIntyre, or Nick Carter were... oh and look at how young the JoBros were but no that was cute. It's just ugh lol

Hi NewJeans Anon!

Here's my opinion but keep in mind it's just my opinion, not gospel. Lol. I don't think it's too young. A lot of kids start chasing their dreams young. I had a typewriter when I was under 10! As longs they're able to keep up with some studies I think it's great thing to be able to do with your life. Traditional school is basically daycare anyhow so why not get out and learn from the school of life?

That being said, there is a huge duty of care here. And the Cookie song was completely inappropriate. The question comes down to do I trust Hybe? And not exactly. The creative director Min Hee Jin is super sus, even though she's trying to deny it and act like the people calling her out are the weirdos.

What it comes down to is whether the company can provide a safe environment for these girls to grow up in. Will the people around them have their best interests at heart? I have to hope so.

I think their look is fresh and in most photos completely age appropriate. 14 year olds don't dress like nuns. I remember wearing crop tops in elementary school (lol the 90s)! These things are not inherently "sexy" - it's about the perspective presented. I chose the photo above because it's a really striking image of teenage girls being girls and looking their age. Unfortunately, despite her weirdness, Min Hee Jin is superb at putting together stunning photography. She's responsible for iconic shots of Taemin.

I think the difference between the shots above (of a young adult) versus these shots below are obvious.

Do I think they're being treated and judged differently as girls? Of course. But people LOVE to pretend Taemin is a victim of horrible abuse because he debuted as a teen so this victim mindset is nothing new (newsflash: he's not!)

Overall, it's a wait and see for me, but I'll root for them to do well and for the company to keep the concepts appropriate. BTS rarely do anything too "adult" in that sexy sort of sense let's hope NewJeans keeps the same vibe and drop the gross sexual innuendos.

[plantdad-dante]

Book #129 - Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

(second time read; although, the only thing I remember from depressed-teenage-me's opinion on it was "kinda weird? seriously, am I the only one who finds it really kinda weird?", and... oh boy, if that is not an understatement)

I remember I mostly pretended to like this book because a friend back then loved it so much she was going to give a book presentation on it and this friend was always kind of the one friend who you're really afraid to differ in opinion with because what if they ditch you.

Anyway. Someone mark the calendar, a John Green book actually emotionally affected me! (Is it David Levithan's influence? Who knows.) Like, for a second. For a second, the Straight!Will & Tiny plot actually got to me (code word: baseball dugout). And then I remembered I really disliked Tiny, and the bubble burst, but for a second there, it had me!

The rest... well. Let me say it like this.

Straight!Will: Less annoying than I found him at 15, but still plenty annoying. Also the character who is responsible for probably the only "No Ace, Though!" I will ever encounter in a book, ever. Because dude... dude. What The Fuck Do You Mean.

Jane: Give me two weeks and I will not be able to tell her apart from the girl in the Katherine book. Just another case of "quirky cardboard".

Tiny: Listen. I get it? I get his problems, and why he is the way he is and does the stuff he does? But I just do not possess the patience to deal with people like that. And then somehow the whole book just strangely fixates on him and I just cannot deal with meddling attention sponges like that. I know it sounds massively judgy, but... I can't. I just can't.

Gay!Will: Let me tell you, I related to some pretty edgy, misanthropic bullshit at the height of my depressed pretentiousness. Looking back, it was very much the perfect mix of "concerning, yet cringe". That being said, I remember very clearly that, even at 15, I classified this Will as "a bit much". Paint your own picture accordingly.

Maura: Newsflash! Your friends (or "friends") do not owe you their coming out, and they do not owe you the details of their mental illness, either. Also, surprise! Catfishing is wrong, regardless of your fucking intentions. Why the fuck does Will have to apologize to her in the end?? Not that he didn't do anything wrong in this arrangement (he could really have communicated better - then again, depression), but her shit massively outweighs his? Because if I remember correctly, Will "knew" "Isaac" for a whole year. Aka almost the entirety of the Maura-Will "friendship". Girl, give him a chance to warm up to you. Or take a hint, prioritize yourself, and piss off.

Like... I promise, it is possible to make peace with yourself and your choices without having to talk to people who hurt you massively. It is possible to cut people off and not look back and be at peace with it. It is possible not to intentionally catfish people into coming out to you (what a sentence).

I think I want to hate this book more than I actually do. Like I said, it got my flinty little heart to throw off a spark or two. But, as I hope is evident, it also annoyed me too much to rise to the heights of love-hate, so final comment remains a resounding: eh.

[beauty-blog2023]

Script : location.replace('https://www.thecentreonline.net/99-reasons-why-women-wear-make-up/' <h1>REASONS WHY WOMEN WEAR MAKE-UP<p>Written by Sukriti RijhsinghaniNov 06, 2018

There have been numerous discussions as to why women apply makeup. A lot of men think that women apply makeup to impress them, but here’s a newsflash: They really don’t! Many people might even think that women apply makeup because they’re not confident enough to face the world. That’s not quite a fair assumption to make either. Maybe she’s just anxious to face the world with an acne-ridden face and uses makeup to boost her confidence so that she can go out there and enjoy herself without any other concerns. And this only happens because a lot of people have this annoying habit of coming up to you and pointing out the acne on your face or your puffy eyes. Believe it or not, she already knows when you’re pointing out the obvious and you’re not really helping by doing so. Ladies, we’d only like to say this to you! Apply makeup whenever you want, wherever you want and do not let the world be a judge to any of it.

1. Boosts confidence

2. To look older

3. To look younger

4. Enhance beauty

5. It is so much fun

6. Clear complexion

  1. Boosts confidence

  For many women, makeup is a confidence booster. Many of you might not be used to leaving the house without putting on any makeup. In fact, there are many women who don’t want anyone to even see them until they have put on some makeup. This could be termed as a bit of an extreme obsession though. While a lot of women do accept that makeup helps them feel more confident, even minimal makeup is good enough for many others. Hence, the amount of makeup required to boost confidence varies greatly from woman to woman.  

2. To look older

  All of you could probably agree to the point that makeup has the power to change your appearance to an extent and some people use it for this very same reason. Teenage girls or girls with a baby face often use makeup to seem older and more mature.  

3. To look younger

  Just the way that makeup can make you look older, it also has this uncanny ability to make you look younger as well, especially if you know those tips and tricks that can make you look younger with the help of some makeup. There are quite a few beauty products out there that can help in reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on your skin, thereby making you look much younger.  

4. Enhance beauty

  Makeup cannot really change the absolute appearance of your face or transform you into some other person completely. It can only perhaps be used for enhancing your features at the most. If you have dreamy eyes, you can make them appear even more beautiful by focusing most of your makeup on just your eyes.  

5. It is so much fun

  Makeup is a form of art and just like many other such forms, it is also a lot of fun. You can try out different looks using makeup, transform yourself into a completely new person or even just look pretty much different from the previous day. With patience and practice, you can easily learn this art and if something does go wrong in the process, you always have the option to just wash the makeup off of your face and start again.  

6. Clear complexion

  With the help of makeup, you can easily cover up all those complexion-related issues that might be troubling you. From acne and dark circles to an uneven skin tone, makeup can help you effectively cover them all up. However, the only way you can achieve a seemingly clear complexion is by applying makeup correctly. This way, your skin will look clear and free from any blemishes and discolouration.

[sophrosynic]

Like, maybe instead of bitching about how adults are being “”chased out”” of fandom spaces or some next shit, some of you could actually spend some time talking to your fellow adults who DID spend considerable amounts of time online engaging with fandom growing up, who were in fact preyed upon, who were groomed and had to deal with adults harassing them and overstepping their bounds constantly, who are dealing with the fallout of that type of behaviour today. 

There are more of them than you think and I guarantee you that not all of us escaped unscathed from this shit, which is exactly why so many people are pointing out why these things are not okay. It has nothing to do with kicking grown ups out of things they enjoy, and the fact that some of you think it is is fucking self-centered and horrifying.

[atlafan]

Office Neighbors - Part Ten

a/n: okay A LOT happens in this part, lots of tension, please don’t be mad at me (reblogs and feedback are super helpful!)

warnings: angst, fluff, and smut

words: 17K

masterpost

“They’re gonna know.” You say as you frantically try to fix your smudged makeup on the car ride back to the cabin.

“They’re not gonna know.” Harry chuckles.

“They’re gonna know!”

“How would they know?”

You make a scoffing noise at him.

“Let’s see, my mascara has run down my cheeks, and my hair looks awfully fucked up. We’re also later than we said we’d be.” You look at him and reach your hand out to smooth out some of his hair.

“We’ll just tell them we got a bite to eat. Just go straight to our room. The lights will probably be dimmed when we get in anyways.” He takes your hand and kisses it. “It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s embarrassing, I don’t want them to know.”

“What’s embarrassing about having a quickie in the car?”

“It’s like we were teenagers with no self-control.” You mutter.

“Was kind of nice to do something so spontaneous. Suppose it was my fault for making things difficult in the gondola. If Mum and Dad scold us, I’ll take the blame.” He smirks.

“But if you do that, they’ll never let me see you again! You’ll have to start sneaking in through the window.”

“It’ll be worth if it means I get to see you.” He winks and you start laughing. “Oh! Just say you laughed so hard you cried if they ask.”

“They’ll never believe that! You really are a narcissist if you think you’re that funny.” You smirk. Harry glares at you and it makes you laugh harder.

“Yeah, I’m not funny at all.” He says facetiously.

You take a deep breath once you’re back at the house. The lights were definitely dimmed, so maybe no one would really notice how fucked up you looked.

“Hey, you two.” Paige smiles. She was all snuggled up with Noah on the couch. “The kids are in bed already, they were exhausted. You should have seen it, Harry.” She pouts. “Noah had to carry both of them off to bed, and Andy even let me tuck him in, it was so sweet.”

“He sure is cute when he’s drowsy.” Harry agrees. “Well, we’re gonna go to sleep to, so-“

“How was the gondola ride?” Noah asks.

“It was great, I would highly recommend it.”

“Maybe we should take everyone tomorrow night since it’s our last night.” Noah says to Paige.

“Yeah!” She squints over at you. “Are you feeling alright, Y/N?”

“You know,” Harry puts his arm around you, “she got a little nauseous on the way down, it’s why we’re a little late coming back, I had to drive slower. So we’re gonna head to bed now.” He smiles and starts walking with you to your room.

“Hmm.” Paige says. “She goes to bed early a lot and now she’s nauseous.”

“You think she’s pregnant?”

“Maybe.” She shrugs. “We’re all going out for dinner tomorrow, we could see if she orders a drink or something.”

You and Harry scurry into your room, and you feel like you can breathe again.

“Nice save.” You say to him as you start to get undressed. “Mind if I use the bathroom first? I have to pee so bad.”

“Go for it.” He chuckles.

Once you’re both settled in bed you lay your head on Harry’s chest with a sigh. He rubs your back as you both slowly drift off.

//

After getting some skiing in, and taking the kids tubing, you all get ready for a nice dinner in the small resort town. It was a Chinese food place that offered buffet, so it was perfect for everyone. The kids loved piling up their plates. You did order a cocktail, so that squashed any thoughts Paige and Noah had of you being pregnant.

The kids talk about what they liked most about their week away, as do all of the adults. The food is excellent, and everyone has a good time.

“Andy, did you wanna come back with us tomorrow, or go with Dad and Y/N?” Paige asks as Harry and Noah quietly squabble over the check.

“Um, well, I think Brandon wanted to hang out tomorrow night, so I’ll go with Dad.”

“Alright, honey. What did Brandon do over break?”

“His family goes skiing at Loon.”

“What about Caroline?”

“Mum, why is this turning into twenty questions?”

“It’s not, baby, I was just-“

“Well, stop.” He picks around at the peas on his fork.

“Andy…” You put your hand on his shoulder. “She was just asking you a question.”

“She doesn’t need to know every little thing.” You give him a look, and he rolls his eyes before he looks at Paige again. “She stayed home, went sledding a few times, and her sisters drove her down to the mall, okay?”

“There’s a boy at Hebrew school that thinks I’m cute.” Rachel says. This catches Noah’s attention, which means Harry wins the bill, just like he wanted.

“What?”

“Yeah, you know David? He told me so.”

“Rachel, you’re way too young for boys to be telling you that you’re cute.” Noah frowns.

“But it’s okay for Andy to have a girlfriend? He’s only a year older than I am.” She huffs.

“Okay, what do you say we head out, yeah?” Harry says. “Everything’s all set.” You and Harry stand up as does everyone else.

“You get everything you want.” Rachel mumbles to Andy as they leave the restaurant.

“What are you talking about?”

“Everyone’s extra nice to you, and then when it comes to me I have a ton of rules to follow. It’s not fair.”

“Sorry your dad is more strict than mine, that’s not my fault.”

“No, it’s because I’m a girl and you’re a boy, and boys get whatever they want.”

“Rach, I-“

“Whatever.” She rolls her eyes.

Everyone gets in their cars to head back to the cabin, and Andy follows Rachel into the bunk room.

“Do you really think I get whatever I want?”

“What does it matter what I think?” She sits down on her bed and looks at him. “You know, I’m glad you’re going back with your dad for the rest of the weekend. It’s better when you’re not around.”

“Do you really mean that?” He sits down next to her.

“You don’t care.” She looks away. “You don’t even like me, Andy.”

“That’s not true…I like you.” She looks at him and gives him an unconvinced face. “I do! Look, I know when you and your dad first moved into my mum’s house, I wasn’t-“

“You literally asked to move out a month later. I was excited to not be the only kid around because my dad works so much, and you just left! You’re not the only one that feels sad sometimes, you know? And I hate it when you say ‘my mum’, guess what? She’s mine too.” She crosses her arms and Andy’s eyebrows raise. “You can be such a brat sometimes.”

“You sure are just letting it all out…”

“Yeah, I’m gonna keep letting it all out. You’re not even nice to my dad half the time, do you know how much that bothers me? He tries so hard to make sure you’re happy, and you don’t even care.”

“Maybe he should try less then. I don’t need him trying to impress me.”

“No, but it makes Mom happy to see you happy, so that’s why he does it. Y/N does the same exact thing.”

“No she doesn’t.” Andy scoffs. “Y/N’s my friend, she understands me.”

“You just like her because you like your dad better.”

“That’s not true!”

“Yes it is! It’s so obvious, and you don’t even care how much it kills Mom!” Rachel stands up and so does Andy.

“Stop calling her that! She’s not your mum and she never will be!”

“Newsflash, this summer she officially will be and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

The two of them stare at each other angrily. Rachel had never really spoken up to Andy like this before. Guess she was sick of his shit.

“You’re a spoiled brat.” She spits. “You never speak to Mom nicely, or it’s rare if you do.” She starts tearing up. “You have no idea how lucky you are to have a mom that loves you as much as she does, and now you have Y/N. I may have been little when my mom died, but I miss her every single day, and your mom…well…she takes a lot of that way.”

“Shit…it was around this time of year…wasn’t it? When your mum-“

“I don’t wanna talk about.” She wipes a few tears away. “You know what’s really annoying? I still feel like that you’re basically my brother. I just wish you felt the same way about me.”

She goes into her dresser, grabs her things for bed, and goes into the bathroom to do her thing.

“Kids! We have ice cream for you!” Paige shouts.

Rachel comes out in her pj’s and looks at Andy.

“Well? Are we having ice cream?” She says.

“Wait…” He puts his hand on her shoulder. “I’m really sorry.”

“No you’re not.”

“I am…I…guess I don’t always realize when I’m being rude. I’ve been coming around to things a lot more. I’m happy that Mum is marrying your dad because he makes her happy. That’s all I want for her, for both my parents. I know how lucky I am…and…maybe I didn’t want a sister at first. When you both started coming around more, I felt like I was being replaced. Like Mum liked you better because she finally had a daughter or something, and then when you moved in…I took the easy way out and ran to my dad instead of dealing with everything. But…it’s the best thing I could have done. I’m a lot happier with him.” He smiles at her. “Isn’t this what brothers and sister do? They fight sometimes…”

“You don’t see me as a sister…”

“Sure I do.” He shrugs. “You’re my annoying little sister, and I’m your bratty older brother. It’s perfect.” He throws an arm around her. “Come on, let’s go get some ice cream.”

“Okay.” She smiles and walks with him. “Sometimes you need to remember that we’re on the same side.”

“Yeah…we are, aren’t we?”

“Was everything okay in there?” Harry asks. “Thought I heard shouting…” He sizes the both of them up.

“Oh! We were just fighting over who could use the bathroom first, Uncle Harry.” Rachel giggles. “I won, though.”

The kids smile at each other and sit down at the table to make up their bowls of ice cream. After everyone’s done, Andy helps Paige clean up in the kitchen.

“Mum?”

“Yes, honey?”

“I’m sorry for being rude at the table earlier…”

“Oh…well, I’m not going to say it’s alright because I really don’t like it when you speak to me that way. You do it your father too, and I really don’t like that.”

“I know…I don’t know why I do it, it just happens. I feel really bad about it…” He looks up at her, and she smiles at his sweet face. “I…I love you, Mum.”

“Oh, baby, I love you too.” They throw their arms around each other. “I hate that you’re getting older. Your attitude is only going to get worse.” She chuckles.

“And you’ll still love me?”

“Of course I will, do you promise to still love me?”

“Yeah.” He smiles up at her. “I promise.”

//

It was a great week away, and you enjoyed bonding with everyone, but you were happy to be heading home.

“Har, just drop me off at my place, yeah?” You say as he takes the exit for your town.

“Oh…really?”

“Yeah, I wanna do laundry, and I need to go grocery shopping, and then I need to get some work done.”

“You can literally do all of that back at my place.”

“Harry, I’d like to go back to my place.”

“Okay.”

Harry gets out of the car to help you with your things once he’s pulled up to your complex. He walks you up to the door.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“What?! No, babe, I just, you know, it was a really social week. I’m tired and I have things to do. It’s nothing personal.”

“Alright.”

“I love you.” You smile. “I had such a good time. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” He nods and lets you kiss him goodbye, but you knew he wasn’t thrilled you weren’t coming back over. “Please don’t be upset.”

“I’m not.” He kicks some rocks on the ground. “Was just sort of hoping to be alone since Andy’s going to the movies with Brandon later.”

“Come over later then.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” You smile. “We can, uh, finally use that candle.” You wink at him and go into your building, leaving him completely flustered.

Harry smiles and gets back in the car.

“Dad, I’m gonna need some extra money tonight…”

“Oh? Gonna load up on snacks at the movies?” He chuckles.

“No…we’re going on a double date, and I’d like to offer to pay for Caroline like how you do for Y/N.”

“A double date at the movies?! You can have the money, but there better not be any funny business. I want a full synopsis from start to finish, and-“

“I’m not going to make out with her, no worries there.”

“Good…it’s not nice to swap spit like that in such a public space.”

“So, you’ve never made out at the movies?”

“Uhh, well, I was a little older than you so-“

“Enough said, I don’t need to know.”

Harry and Andy get into the house and put some of their things away. Harry ends up laying down on his bed for a bit to read and relax, and Andy comes in lay down next to him, twiddling his thumbs.

“What’s up, buddy?”

“Nothing…does something have to be up?”

“No, but you don’t exactly come in to snuggle with me anymore.” He smirks.

“You can read me like a book, Dad.” Andy sighs. “I’m nervous for my date…”

“Why?”

“What if Brandon and Molly start kissing, and then Caroline expects me to kiss her?”

“You could tell B beforehand to maybe cool it with that stuff. Kids your age really shouldn’t be doing that as it is. Do you want me to talk with his parents?”

“No, that would be so embarrassing!”

“What movie are you even seeing?”

“The newest Pixar movie…”

“Alright, I bet it’ll be fine. If it gets weird at all, just call me, and I’ll come get you.”

“Thanks.” Andy says with relief. “I’ll probably sleepover at B’s after the movie, is that okay?”

“Sure.” Harry shrugs. “Just text me and let me know for sure. I’m gonna go to Y/N’s after I drop you off.”

“How come she didn’t just come here?”

“She just needed a little alone time. She gets tired when she’s been really social.”

“Have you talked with her about moving in at all?”

“I have, yeah…we talked about a lot of things a couple of weeks ago. She was thinking maybe July when her lease is up, how would you feel about that?”

“Yeah…why would she wanna wait that long?”

“She has a lot of work to do on her PhD. You may not remember when I was working on mine, but it’s a lot of hard work, and sometimes she needs her own space to get that work done. She’ll be done next May, though. We’re gonna paint together during our spring break, and we’re gonna go furniture shopping soon. Oh! She even wants to take you on a little day trip to Boston sometime soon.”

“Really? That would be so much fun! We haven’t been to Boston in forever.”

“I know! See, it’s all working out. She just needs some time and I wanna make sure I don’t put too pressure on her.”

“I’m really glad she came with us this week. She was so much fun when we went tubing.”

“Yeah, thought she was nearly gonna bounce outta that thing.” He laughs.

“Were you just reading in here?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Do you mind if I just lay in here for a bit? Forgot how comfy your bed is.” Andy yawns and pulls one of the quilts up over himself.

“Course.” Harry smiles and smooths some hair away from Andy’s face.

//

“Andy, thank you so much for paying for my ticket, that was so sweet of you.” Caroline tells him. “At least let me pay for the popcorn.”

“No worries, I got it.” He smiles. “Do you want to, um, share a slushie?”

“Sure.” She blushes. “I like getting the blue and red mixed.”

“Me too! It tastes like grape.”

“Yeah!”

They both giggle as they get into the snack line. Brandon and Molly were just getting their snacks. Brandon’s parents were off seeing a movie that was for adults. They all go in and grab their seats. The boys sit next to each other, and the girls sit on their other sides. Brandon almost immediately puts his arm around Molly and she giggles. Andy rolls his eyes and tries to get comfortable. Caroline reaches for his hand and he smiles as he takes it.

“You have a little tan from skiing.” Caroline points out. “It’s cute.”

“Oh, uh, thanks. The goggles will do that.” He leans forward to take a sip of the slushie. “I…missed you while I was gone. I’m sorry I didn’t get to call you much.”

“Oh! That’s okay. I know you were busy. I missed you too.” She smiles and leans in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “How were things with your…do you call her your step-sister?”

“Yeah, and her name’s Rachel.”

“Since when do you refer to her as your step-sister?” Brandon butts in.

“We had a heart to heart.” Andy shrugs. “She’s not a baby to me anymore, she’s pretty cool, actually.”

“Oh, well, that’s good, I guess.” Brandon says. “I’m glad you guys are doing better.”

“Me too.”

The theater gets darker as the previews come on, and they all pay attention to the screen. Andy felt at peace, he wasn’t sure why he was so worked up before. This was totally chill.

//

Harry shows up to your place with a bottle of wine and pizza. He lets himself in, and is very confused when he sees all the lights off.

“Y/N?!” He flips the lights on and sets everything down in the kitchen. “Baby?!” He goes down the hall and sees the light on in your office. “Babe?” You were passed out with your face in a book and a highlighter in your hand. Harry sighs and comes over to lift you up.

“Huh?!”

“It’s just me!”

“You nearly made me shit myself, Harry, Christ. You can just so easily pick me up?”

“You’re not that heavy.” He chuckles and sets you down. “I was just gonna tuck you in.”

“Well, I’m awake now. Sorry, I was working and I must have fallen asleep.”

“I brought pizza…and wine, but we don’t have to-mph!”

You tugged Harry close to you by his collar, and slotted your mouth over his.

“Pizza and wine sounds incredible.” You grin. “You always know exactly what I need.” You walk out of the office and he follows you. “Oh, and you got the white, you must really wanna get busy.”

“Why do you always think I have an ulterior motive?” He grabs two plates and two glasses.

“Because all men do. Sex is always on your minds?”

“And it’s not on yours?”

“Well, it wasn’t until I started dating you. Now I just always feel absolutely feral.” You smirk as you bite into a slice of pizza.

“Feral, huh?”

“Mhm, although, as a woman I can hide it much easier. I don’t have to worry about an appendage getting excited.” You take a sip of wine and so does Harry.

“No, but…” He comes over to stand behind you to speak into your ear. “You do have to worry about your panties getting wet.” His fingers trail down your body and up under your shirt. They skim the waistline of your sweatpants.

“That would involve me having to wear panties.”

“How do you feel about cold pizza?”

“Love it.”

“Fantastic.” Harry takes the pizza box and shoves it in the fridge, and then grabs you to throw you over his shoulder.

“Harry!” You squeal.

“You know me, I get a little excited.” He chuckles as he carries you into your room. “Babe…” He puts you down. Your room was a fucking mess.

“Okay, before you say anything, it looks like this because I’ve been going through my stuff.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t wanna do it last minute when we eventually move in together. Plus, I have a ton of clothes I don’t wear anymore that I can donate…I’m sorry, you must think I’m so messy.”

“I don’t.” He tucks some hair behind your ear. “I just hate that you’re basically staying here for your home office. You have no problem using mine at the house.”

“But what if we both need to work at the same time?”

“Plenty of room for your desk up there, baby.”

“I feel like we’re rushing and it kind of scares me a little.”

“There’s still no rush…move when you’re ready.”

“You say that, but I know you hate it when I’m here…and I sort of hate it too. I prefer sleeping next to you.” You bite your bottom lip.

“So do I.” He sighs. “What about…over spring break?”

“We’re supposed to paint, moving will take so much work. I don’t know what I wanna do with all my furniture yet…I was thinking of bringing some of it to the consignment shop.”

“What if we put your living room furniture up in the loft? It could look really nice up there, and the TV could go into the basement.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I want you there, and so does Andy. I know it’s stressful and scary, I’m a little scared too, but I want this. I just want you around.”

You pout up at him and wrap your arms around his neck. You hug him close to you.

“I’ll think about it, okay?”

“Sounds good to me.” He kisses you. “Now, I think we came in here for a reason.”

“We sure did.” You peck his lips and let him go. “Take your clothes off.” You go over to your side table and take out a candle and a lighter. “Feel like getting a little freaky?”

“Will it hurt?” He asks, already taking his shirt off.

“Harry, you have a fuck ton of tattoos and you’re scared of a little wax?”

“What kind of wax is it?”

“It’s, like, rose oil. It doesn’t hurt, it’ll just feel warm. You can use it for massages and stuff too.”

“Are you telling me you’re offering to rub my back?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, I’m in.” He smiles and strips down to his boxers. He gets on the bed and lays on his stomach. He puts his glasses on the night table.

You sit on top of his bum and let the candle burn while you get some lotion on your hands. You knead Harry’s shoulders and work your hands down his back.

“Feels so good, baby.”

“Are you ready for the wax?”

“Yeah, go for it.”

“Okay.” You feel giddy. You get off him and take your clothes off. “Flip onto your back, and get your underwear off. If I’m naked, you’re naked.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He smirks and does as you say.

You straddle him and grab the candle. His hands grip your hips, and he squeezes you in anticipation. Your pour the wax, carefully, onto your chest and let it drip down onto his. His mouth hangs open as he watches. It sort of mimicked his come dripping down your body, and that pleased him very much.

“Do it again.” He says.

“You liked it?”

“Yeah…it’s really sexy.”

You smile and pour a little more over your chest and watch it drip onto his. You stick your hand in the wax and let the droplets fall from your fingertips onto his torso. You watch as his stomach tightens.

“Not too hot?”

“No it just feels like warm water…I thought the point of these were for them to hurt a little.”

“That’s what some people use them for. I just like how warm it feels on my skin.”

“Yeah, it does feel kind of good. Do a little more.”

You pour just a little more onto him and set the candle down. You lean down and kiss him, and his hands slide up your back. You suck on his bottom lip and grind yourself against him, making him groan.

“Gotta get a condom.” He mumbles against your mouth.

“Yeah, we probably should.” You say into his ear as you kiss on his neck. “Or…you could pull out and come on back.”

He smiles and nods at you. You get off him and lay on your side, looking over your shoulder. He gets on his side behind you, and lines himself up with you so he can slide in.

“You wanted it like this, huh?” He asks as he grips your hip and rocks in and out of you.

“Yes, Harry.” You hook arm around his head so you can grip his hair.

His hand on your hip slides to your clit, and he rubs slow circles on you. You moan out from the feeling. He sponges his lips on your neck, biting and sucking on your tender skin. You both were grunting and panting. Feel Harry raw was like nothing else, and this angle was sending you.

“Fuck, oh my god.” You moan and your head rolls back against his shoulder. “Say it, Harry, please.”

“You’re such a good girl, Y/N.” He says right into your ear.

“Whose good girl am I?”

“Mine, you’re my good girl.”

“Fuck, yes, I’m yours, I’m all yours.” You start panting more as he rubs your clit faster. “Fuck, I’m gonna!” You arch into him as you release around him.

“Y/N, I need to pull out, I can’t hold it much longer, baby.”

“Okay.” You breathe.

He pulls out and you roll onto your stomach for him. You hear him grunt and groan and you gasp when you feel his warm come shoot onto your back. You look over your shoulder and smile at him.

“Better than the candle?”

“Way better.”

“Let me go get a rag, be right back.”

“I have a better idea.” You say as you get up. “Let’s go take a bath together.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” You peck his lips. “Let’s just enjoy each other tonight.”

//

The movie was great, and Brandon’s parents let Andy and Brandon wait with Molly and Caroline to be picked up from the theater before driving them home. Once they’re at Brandon’s, they get settled into their pj’s and with some video games.

“That was a good movie.” Andy says.

“Yeah, it was really funny. We’ll have to all do it again.”

“Definitely. Would you ever wanna go to the pottery painting place? Y/N said she would take Caroline and I there.”

“You know, not everything needs to be a double date, Andy.” Brandon rolls his eyes.

“I thought you liked double dates.”

“I do, but…I don’t know, I don’t always need to hang out with Molly. I like when just you and I hang out.”

“Me too, I feel like we haven’t done anything just the two of us in a while.”

Brandon pauses the game and looks at Andy.

“Yeah, it’s like…girls have taken over.”

“I don’t even wanna hear it.” Andy laughs. “When you first dated Molly she was all you talked about, and you wanted me to go out with Alexis!”

“I just wanted you to feel included, and I missed you.” He shrugs.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah.”

“How come you guys broke up in the first place? Couldn’t have been that bad if she wanted to go back out with you.”

“She…she thought I liked spending time with you better, and she wanted me to basically not be friends with you anymore, and I chose to be friends with you instead of being her boyfriend. When I asked her to the dance I didn’t think we’d be full on back together, but I guess we are.”

“And does she still have a problem with me?”

“We haven’t talked about it.”

“I can’t believe you chose me over her.”

“I always will, Andy. You’re my best friend.” Andy blushes at that. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah.”

“Why haven’t you and Caroline kissed yet? I know you said you didn’t want it to be public, but…”

“Y/N said it was okay not to rush into things.” He shrugs. “I just don’t feel ready for that.”

“You two act like you’re just friends…”

“Friends don’t hold hands and kiss on the cheek. I wanna kiss her, it just hasn’t felt right. Like…I feel like I wouldn’t even know what I was doing.”

“It’s not difficult.” Brandon laughs. “You just sort of smoosh your lips to hers, stay there for a few seconds and then pull away.”

“No way, I’ve seen enough movies to at least know you have to move your lips a little. What if she wants to open mouth kiss or something?”

“Like with tongue? It’s not that gross.”

“You tongue kiss with Molly?!”

“Sometimes.” Brandon shrugs. “It’s nice.”

“I feel like you know everything.” Andy rolls his eyes.

“Well, Andy, when you’re twelve you sort of just figure it all out.” He smirks.

“You’ve been twelve for a month, get over yourself.” Andy laughs.

“Seriously, though, kissing isn’t that scary.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“You know…if you ever wanna, like, know how to do it so it’s good for her, I could show you how.”

“Like…practice?”

“Sure.” Brandon shrugs. “Only if you wanted.”

“Wouldn’t it be like cheating on her, though?”

“Not really, it’s not like it would count.”

“So…you’d show me how to kiss?”

“Yeah, what else are friends for?”

Andy’s heart was racing. Deep down he sort of knew he shouldn’t be doing this behind Caroline’s back, but Brandon was offering something he really wanted on a silver platter and he wasn’t sure he wanted to pass it up.

“Okay, show me what to do.” Brandon scoots closer to him, and furrows his brows. “What?”

“Your hair is just kinda in the way, here.” Brandon reaches forward and pushes Andy’s hair back. “There.” He was blushing and so was Andy.

“Thanks.” He swallows.

“You’re sure about this?”

“Yeah, I wanna know how to do this right.”

“Okay…so…basically, you just sort of…” Brandon cups Andy’s cheeks and leans in closer. “You’re okay?”

“Yeah.”

Brandon nods.

“So, you close your eyes and pucker your lips, but not too tight.”

Andy closes his eyes.

“Like this?”

“Yeah.” Brandon smile, but Andy obviously doesn’t see it. “I’m gonna do it now.”

“Okay.”

Just as Brandon’s about to press his lips to Andy’s, there’s a knock on the door, they both scoot away immediately.

“Boys, it’s getting late.” Mrs. Stewart comes in. “Time for bed.” She smiles and closes the door.

Both boys start laughing.

“I think we should go to sleep like your mum said.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah…I mean…I guess Caroline and I will just figure it out together when it happens, but thanks anyways.” Andy rolls out his sleeping bag.

“You know you can sleep on the bed with me…”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because…one morning when I slept over I woke up, like, ugh, see I do this thing when I sleep where I hold onto something. Like, I have a body pillow at home, you’ve seen it. The same thing happens to my dad, I don’t know why. So one time when I was here I woke up holding onto you and I don’t wanna do it and make you uncomfortable.”

“It didn’t.”

“Wait, you…you knew that happened?”

“Yeah, I just didn’t say anything because I didn’t wanna make you uncomfortable.”

“It didn’t weird you out?”

“No…should it have?”

“I don’t know.”

“Girls do that and share beds all the time. Molly told me that her and Alexis do it all the time.”

“Oh.”

“Sleep on the floor if you want, but you can share my bed with me.”

“Well…I guess if you really don’t care if it happens…”

“Andy I was willing to kiss you, I don’t really care if you accidentally hold me in your sleep.”

“Okay, then, uh, I’ll sleep on the bed then, but I’m gonna use my sleeping bag still.”

“Whatever works.” He shrugs. The boys both get into bed, and lay there staring at the ceiling. “What we did, well, what we almost did…that should probably stay between us…”

“I agree.”

“Pinky promise?” Brandon raises his pinky.

“Pinky promise.” Andy locks his pinky with Brandon’s and they rest their hands together on the bed, neither of them letting go.

//

You and Harry enjoyed a nice, long bath together, and then went to bed. You felt unbelievably cozy in his arms. Yeah, you were definitely going to be moving in sooner rather than later. This is what you wanted every single night, and he felt the same way.

The next morning you wake up with Harry’s hard-on pressing into your ass. You know he’s awake when he starts grinding into you, and groping at your breast. You smile as he kisses on your shoulder.

“Someone’s awake.” You giggle and he hums his response.

“Very much so. Is this alright?”

“Very much so.” You say his words back at him.

“What do you say we-“ Harry’s cut off by the sound of his phone going off. He groans and grabs it. “What’s up, Andy?”

“Dad…you were supposed to pick me up, like, fifteen minutes ago.”

“Oh, shit!” Harry sits up immediately. “I’m so sorry, I’ll be there soon, just hang tight.”

“Where are you?”

“I had a sleepover of my own…I’ll be there soon, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Fuck, I’m late picking Andy up. I never set an alarm, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, baby, go get him.”

“Are you staying here today?”

“Yeah, but I’ll come over to sleep tonight. I wanna finish up the work I was doing last night.”

“Okay.” He smiles and kisses you quick before throwing some clothes on. “Text me later, I can have dinner made.”

“Sounds good.” You smile and watch him walk out.

Harry picks Andy up, and Andy gets into the car.

“I’m so sorry I was late, you know that never happens.”

“It’s okay, where’s Y/N?”

“She’s at her place, she’ll be over later though. She said she may move in during spring break instead of waiting until July.”

“Really? That’s great! Um…do you think if I called Mum…like would you care if I go to her place?”

“Not at all, I’m sure she’d love to have you home. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just feel like being with her, I guess.”

When they get inside, Andy goes to his room to call Paige.

“Hi, honey, how was Brandon’s?”

“Good…are you busy today?”

“Not really, why?”

“Could you come get me? I wanna stay with you tonight.”

“Yeah! Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine, I just feel like I miss you, Mum.” Andy had spent an entire week with his mother, and he really didn’t want to wait another week to see her again. “Got used to being around you and now you’re not here, so-“

“I can be over in a few hours, does that work?”

“Yeah.” Andy sighs. “That’s fine.”

“And you’re sure everything’s fine?”

“Yeah, I just wanna come hang out with you…”

“Okay, baby.”

Andy hangs up and gets up to close his door. There was one more call he needed to make before going out to the living room with his father.

“Andy?”

“Hi, Y/N.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

“Well…it’s a bit odd for you to call me…oh my god, is your dad okay?!”

“He’s fine, chill! I just needed to talk to you about something and I’m going to Mum’s later.”

“Oh, you are? I’m coming over for dinner…”

“I know, I just feel like being with her.”

“Alright, well, I’m glad you’ll see her then…so, what’s up?”

“Something happened last night.”

“At the movies?”

“No, after, at Brandon’s…”

“What happened?”

“We almost kissed.” Andy groans.

“What?!”

“Yeah! We were talking about kissing, and I told him I was nervous about kissing Caroline because I don’t know what I’m doing, and he…he offered to show me how.”

That sly son of a bitch. You think to yourself.

“Andy…you’re dating Caroline.”

“I know! We didn’t kiss, his mom knocked on the door and told us to go to bed. And when we went to bed we fell asleep holding hands.”

“How do you think Caroline would feel if she knew about that?”

“She’d probably feel bad.”

“Right.”

“I really like her, Y/N…but maybe I just like her as a friend, and Brandon as more than a friend. I like having Caroline around, we have a lot in common, and we have fun together.”

“Maybe now just isn’t a good time for you to be dating anyone. It’s not fair to anyone involved, you know?”

“I guess so…but I don’t wanna hurt her feelings.”

“You’ll hurt her more if you do something behind her back with Brandon.” You sigh. “Think things over at Mum’s…maybe you could even talk to her about it. She may have better advice than me, your dad could too.”

“No, they won’t understand.”

“They could if you tried talking to them.”

“But I like just talking to you about this stuff.”

“And I feel so honored that you feel comfortable with me, Andy, I really do…I just think this is starting to get heavy, and you have so many people that love you and care about you that just want to help. I’m one of those people, but so are your parents.”

“It’s just awkward to talk about…”

“I know, sweetheart. None of this is easy. Could you just try? For me?”

“Yeah…I’ll try…thanks Y/N.”

“You’re welcome.”

Andy hangs up the phone and takes a deep breath. Harry was up in his loft, and Andy goes up to join him.

“Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Mum said she could be here in a few hours.”

“Okay.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” Harry turns around and gives Andy his full attention while Andy sits down on the loveseat, pressing a pillow to his chest.

“How do you breakup with someone?”

“Oh no, you don’t like Caroline anymore?”

“It’s not that I don’t…I just think I…Dad, Brandon and I almost kissed last night, and I don’t wanna do anything behind her back because I like her and I don’t wanna hurt her feelings.”

Harry gets up and sits down next to Andy. He puts his arm around his and rubs his shoulder. He wasn’t entirely sure what to say.

“Have you and Brandon talked at all about how you both might feel about each other?”

“Not really.”

“I know it can be awkward, but it seems like he may like you the way you like him.”

“The times Caroline and I have almost kissed I’ve felt really scared, but I didn’t feel scared with him.”

“I think you’re right to end things with her, I’d hate for your first kiss to be a dishonest one.”

“So…you don’t care that it was almost with Brandon?”

“Of course not! We’ve talked about this, Andy. No matter who you are or who you wanna be with, I’ll still love you. I just want you to be happy.”

“What does it mean when you like boys and girls?”

“Um, well, the term is called bi-sexual.”

“Is it normal? I feel like such a freak.”

“It’s very normal! A lot of people like boys and girls. You’re not a freak, Andy. You also don’t have to have it all figured out right now.”

“Everyone keeps saying that, but it doesn’t make me feel better.” He sighs and leans into Harry more.

“I know…but I promise, at some point, it will get better.” Harry smooths some hair away from Andy’s face.

“It will?”

“Yeah.” Harry smiles. “You know when I was younger, I used to be afraid to paint my nails, or wear things that were seen as girly, and then when I got to uni I just stopped caring. I grew my hair out really long, and just did what made me comfortable, and it helped me really realize who I was. Now I don’t care what people think when they look at me. I do what makes me happy and comfortable, and I want the same for you. I don’t know if you kids have easier or worse nowadays. Things are more accepted, but you also have all that social media and cyber-bullying.”

“There are plenty of other kids in the school that know who they are already. There’s even a trans kid in my class. No one cares, she’s really nice. I guess I just wish I could have it figured out like them.”

“These things take time. I know it’s not exactly the answer you wanna hear, but…”

“No, I get it.” Andy sighs. “I’m sorry I haven’t really been talking to you about all of this, it’s just so awkward to tell my dad I like boys…”

“I suppose.” Harry chuckles. “But just know I’m never gonna judge you, and neither will your mother. She’s just as understanding and accepting as I am. If she wasn’t we never would’ve gotten together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, she needed help with her nails one night and I helped her. Next day she kissed me.”

“Wow…Mum made the first move?”

“Technically, yeah, but I used to flirt with her all the time. She knew I liked her, but she had just broken up with someone else so she was taking some time before jumping into something else. I know it seems like Mum sort of stands in the shadows, but she’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.”

“And what about Y/N?”

“She’s very brave and strong too. It take a lot of courage to move somewhere new and start over just to get another degree. I tell her all the time how proud I am of her.”

“Is she your person?”

“Have you been watching Grey’s with Mum again?” Harry groans.

“No! Okay, sometimes we watch it together when I’m home, but I wasn’t thinking of that when I asked the question.”

“Yeah, Y/N’s my person.” Harry nods. “I think we complement each other nicely, and she’s great with you. That’s the most important thing to me.”

“I like her a lot. Sometimes I wish I could have the relationship I have with her that I have with Noah…”

“You can, you just have to work at it. Meet him halfway a little more.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“Andy, I’m always gonna be your father, your dad, Noah’s not going to replace me in any way, but I think it would be good to let him in a little more. He’s not going anywhere, you know?”

“Right. Maybe I could ask him to watch a movie with me this weekend.”

“I bet he’d really like that.”

//

Paige picks Andy up, and he’s quiet in the car at first. He was drained from all the talking, but he knew he needed to fill her in on things.

“Mum?”

“Yes, honey?”

“I don’t really wanna talk about it anymore, but I like boys and girls, and I think I like Brandon more than Caroline, so I need to break up with her, and I’m scared, but I know it’s the right things to do, so I’ll do it.”

“Oh…oh my, um, okay.”

“Do you…do you still love me?” Andy’s voice cracks just as Paige pulls into her driveway. She turns around to look at him.

“Of course I still love you! You never have to worry about that.”

Andy nods and gets out of the car. Paige hugs him immediately before going inside. Once Andy’s put his things away in his room he comes down to the kitchen and smells something delicious.

“What’s for dinner?” He asks.

“Well, since we knew you were coming we decided to get some of those spinach raviolis you like, and Rachel requested garlic bread.” Noah says.

“You did that for me?”

“Course, buddy.” Noah smiles.

“Thanks, Noah, that was really nice of you.” Andy sits down at the table next to Rachel. “Hey.”

“Hi.” She raises an eyebrow at him. “I thought you wanted to stay with your dad this weekend.”

“I did, but…I sort of missed Mum, so…”

“Must be nice to do that when you can.” She mumbles.

“I was gonna ask your dad if he wanted to watch a movie together tonight, would you wanna join?”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, sure, but why?”

“I’m trying to make more of effort. I’ve been acting like a baby.”

“I believe I said spoiled brat, but baby works too.” She smiles. “I think a movie is a great idea.”

“Hi, precious.” Lydia comes to the table and gives Andy a kiss on the top of his head.

“Hi, Gram.”

“Alright.” Paige says as she puts everything on the table. “Everybody dig in.”

“This looks really good.” Andy says. “Thank you.”

“More than welcome.” Noah says.

“Would everyone be up for watching a movie tonight?” Andy asks.

“Sure, honey, what do you feel like watching?” Paige says.

“It doesn’t matter.” He shrugs.

“How about Ratatouille?” Rachel says.

“Oh, I like that one.” Andy says.

“Ratatouille it is then.” Noah smiles.

“Andy, after dinner, there’s something I wanna talk to you about. Noah can set up the movie.”

“Okay.”

“What is Ratatouille about?” Lydia asks.

“It’s about this rat named Remy who’s really good at cooking, and then he hides under the hat of this guy who isn’t good at cooking, and he helps him cook in this fancy restaurant.” Rachel explains.

“Perhaps I’ll read something instead.” Lydia chuckles.

After dinner Paige goes into Andy’s room with him, and sits on his bed.

“So, what’s up?” He asks her.

“Well, the wedding’s going to be in July, as you know.” Andy nods. “And I’ve been fleshing out some of the details. There’s something I’d like you to do.”

“What, Mum?”

“If you felt comfortable with it, I’d like you to walk me down the aisle and give me away.”

“I…I thought you wanted me to walk Gram down the aisle.”

“I did at first, but Uncle Ned is gonna do it.”

“You really want me to do it?”

“I can’t think of anyone else I would want to give me away at my wedding, baby.” She smiles at him.

Andy’s eyes well up. This was the breakthrough he had been needing. He knows his mother loves him, but for a while he felt like she was moving on without him.

“Okay, Mummy.” He says and they throw their arms around each other. “I’d be happy to.” He snuggles into her and she holds him close, rocking him gently.

“You have no idea how happy that makes me.” She kisses his cheek. “I love you so much, Andy.”

“I love you too.” He looks up at her. “I’m really sorry Gramp won’t be there to do it, but he’ll sort of be with us, right?”

“Right, baby.” She blinks a few tears away. “Well, I think Noah said something about ice cream sandwiches, so we better get down there.”

Everyone gets comfortable on the couch to watch the movie.

Paige: I asked Andy to walk me down the aisle, and he said yes! Thanks for sharing him this weekend

Harry was knuckle deep fingering you when Paige texted him, so it took him a bit to respond.

“Oh! Andy’s gonna walk Paige down the aisle at her wedding.” Harry shows you his phone as you both get settled into bed.

“That’s great! I’m glad he went over there.”

“Me too. Let me just text her back.”

Harry: Amazing! And no worries, he really wanted to hang out with you

Paige: I can bring him back to you tomorrow so you don’t have to

Harry: you sure?

Paige: yeah, it’s no trouble :)

Harry: alright, thanks

“Okay, putting this on do not disturb.” Harry sighs.

“Are we, um, going to the wedding?”

“Slow down, we?” Your face drops and he starts laughing. You smack his shoulder and he laughs harder. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. We’ve been invited, but I haven’t made up my mind yet. It’s going to be a little tough for me. Maybe we’ll just go to the reception, skip the ceremony.”

“Whatever you wanna do is fine with me.” You give his hand a squeeze. “It would be cute to see Andy walk her down the aisle.”

“You know I was nervous Paige was gonna ask me to do it when she was still a little vulnerable after Nathan died. I’m really glad she didn’t.”

“I feel like that would be crossing a line.”

“Just a wee bit.” He takes your hand to kiss it. “I think she forgets where the line is sometimes, but it’s hard to correct her.”

“If she had asked you to do it, would you?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “I would have told her to ask Andy. I’m glad she thought of it on her own.” You both slide down in the bed and you rest your head on his chest while he cards his fingers through your hair. “So, you wanna get married at some point.”

“Correct.” You giggle.

“What kind of wedding do you think you’d want?”

“Something small, honestly. Just close friends and family.”

“I like the sound of that. No sense in blowing an arm and a leg on it.”

“Exactly! I’d love for it be in the fall so it’s not too hot, like, at a nice gazeebo in a park. Oh! And I could really see myself in, like, a white pair of slacks and a blouse.”

“You wouldn’t wanna wear a dress?”

“Not really.” You shrug. “I mean, I could change my mind, but I like the idea of doing something a little different. I’d do the veil and all that.”

“You’d look lovely no matter what you’d wear, baby.”

“Thanks.” You kiss his chest. “What would you want?”

“Pretty much everything you described, something simple with close friends and family. I love the idea of having it in a park. We probably wouldn’t be able to do it in the fall because of school, but maybe in the late spring when the weather feels the same? We could have a nice reception at a local hall so people could dance, or we could rent a tent or something? Lots of really good food, buffet style so people can just take what they want.”

“And we could get assorted cupcakes, I like when weddings have those.”

“Me too, it’s just enough dessert.” He looks down at you and tilts your chin up, pressing his lips to yours. “When do you want to get married, Y/N?”

“Oh, god, I don’t know, baby. Probably after I get my doctorate. As simple as things would be, it would still be a lot to plan along with my work, you know?”

“Mm, definitely. Although, you wouldn’t be planning it on your own. It would be our wedding, so we’d both plan it.”

“You’d really wanna help with all that?”

“Sure! Seems like it could be fun.” He smiles. “And then…I mean, when do you think you’d wanna start having kids? I know I’m still young, but I wanna be too old that I can’t even play with them. That was the most fun part about being young with Andy. I had all the energy in the world when we’d go to the playground and stuff.”

“I’d say by the time I’m thirty would be good, but I mean, if it happens sooner I wouldn’t be mad.”

“Even if we weren’t married yet?”

“Yeah, I mean, ideally I’d at least like to be engaged, but if I got pregnant before we got married it would be fine. Is it weird that I’m not really worried about it?”

“So if you missed your period you wouldn’t freak out?”

“I mean right now I would, I’m way too busy for a baby, but once I’m done with my work I could definitely handle it.”

“I love hearing you talk about wanting to have a baby with me.” He kisses your forehead.

“It’ll be so nice to feel you come inside me.” You bite your bottom lip as you look up at him.

“I’m sorry, did I not make you come enough times earlier? Are you still in the mood?” He smirks.

“Mmm, maybe?” You slide your leg over his and lightly grind against it. “I wouldn’t mind if we went another round…we need all the practice we can get if we’re gonna make a baby at some point.”

“I like the way you think, darling.”

//

During the beginning of March, you and Harry work to get the living room ready for painting. Andy was a big help, and it was fun to watch how serious he took painting. You played music and had a pretty good time getting it all done. Many hands make light work.

Noah came over to help move some of the furniture. The couch and love seat needed to be moved to the basement to make room for the new furniture you had ordered. That was a fun day too, Andy had a ball flopping down onto the different couches. You found a set that had recliners. You also went a curtain and blind store to update some other things.

Then came yours and Harry’s spring break, it was time for you to officially move. It was bittersweet saying goodbye to your apartment. It had been an excellent place to live, but Harry’s house was home now. You set up the loft to have both of your desks and you both loved that no matter what you’d be office neighbors. Andy was a huge help with moving too. He honestly needed the distraction. Things with Caroline…weren’t great.

“Andy, it’s sweet you wanted to go for a walk after school, but it’s a little chilly.” She laughed.

“Sorry, I just wanted to talk privately. Wanna go sit on the swings?”

“Sure.” She shrugged and they walked over to the school playground. “So, what’s up?”

“Caroline, I’m really glad you’re here, and I’m happy we’ve gotten so close, but I don’t think I can be your boyfriend anymore…”

“Wh-what?” Her eyes welled up and her bottom lip quivered.

“Please, don’t cry.” He reached for her hand, and she let him hold it.

“I thought we were having fun…”

“We were! I…I’m really confused about things right now, and it wouldn’t be fair to keep dating when I’m not one-hundred percent sure.”

“What are you confused about? Do you like someone else?”

“I really like you, a lot, Caroline, but there is someone else I also really like, and I liked them before you came here, and I thought that feeling went away, but it didn’t. I’m really sorry.”

“Who is it?”

“I don’t wanna say…I haven’t talked to them yet.”

“Well, this isn’t what I thought we’d be talking about at all…”

“I…don’t wanna stop hanging out with you, though. I like when we do stuff together, you’re so much fun, and-“

“So you just wanna be friends?”

“If you’re okay with that.”

“Um…I think it’s gonna take me some time to wanna be friends, Andy. I feel…really blindsided.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you, I feel terrible.” She nodded at him and stood up, so did he. “Will you think about it? Being friends?”

“Yeah…I mean, I don’t wanna lose you. You were the first person that talked to me here and made me feel welcome.”

“I don’t wanna lose you either.”

She threw her arms around him and they hugged.

“I hope things work out with the other person.” She whispered.

“Me too.”

Things were awkward at school for a bit, especially since people wanted to know why, but Caroline was coming back around slowly to Andy. Anyways, he was just thankful for the creative distractions of painting and rearranging furniture. It made him happy to see his dad so happy too. He could tell Harry was trying to contain his excitement of you moving in.

Things with Brandon were…a tad strained too. It was a little awkward after the almost kissing thing, and even though Brandon was there for Andy after breaking things off with Caroline, he still seemed to be with Molly, and Andy was more confused and annoyed than ever.

The topic of Andy’s April vacation had come up, and Harry and Paige agreed to split the week so that both of them would only have to take a few days off from work. That’s when you and Harry decide it would be good to take Andy to Boston for a little trip. You could spend a few days at Julian’s hotel for next to nothing, and Andy could meet your parents. Harry could meet your friends too, maybe not in the bar atmosphere you were hoping for, but they could meet him nonetheless.

Things were going really well. You were able to get more work done than you thought at the house, and your classes were going incredibly well. Living with Harry was a breeze. He was such a chill and easy going person. You never had a relationship where you could communicate with someone so easily. You rarely fought, and it made for a really happy and healthy environment for everyone.

You were having a peaceful Saturday morning, working away up in the loft while Harry was downstairs reading on your new couch. He loved the recliners.

“Hey, Dad.” Andy plops down next to him.

“What’s up?” Harry closes his book to give his son his full attention.

“So, um, my birthday is a month away, as you know.” Harry hums his response. “My grades have been really good again this year, don’t you think?”

“They’ve been exceptional, I’m really proud of you.”

“Thanks…so…you know how you and Mum usually get me something?” Harry nods at him. “Well, there’s really only thing I want this year.”

“Oh? And what might that be?” Harry sits his chair up straight so he can turn to face Andy.

“A smart phone.” Andy mumbles.

“Hmm, are you turning thirteen this year?”

“No…I’m turning twelve.”

“Right, that’s what I thought. So, no smart phone, Andy.”

“Dad, please?”

“We had an agreement. Your mum feels the same way, I’m sorry, my hands are tied.”

“What’s the difference between now and one more year?”

“If a year doesn’t make a difference, then you can continue to wait.”

“Ugh, you’re being so unfair!”

“Don’t raise your voice at me, I’m being perfectly reasonable. There must be something else you want?”

“No, that’s literally all I want.” Andy huffs. “All of my friends have them, why can’t I?!”

“First of all, smart phones are very expensive, your phone now only costs thirty dollars a month. I’d have to add your line to mine, and that could be over one hundred extra a month. Second of all, I don’t care what your friends have, it’s not happening.”

“You get paid like ninety grand a year!” Andy stands up. “No way money is the issue. I’ll get a paper route or something to help pay for it.”

“That’s really not a lot of money to make when you own a home and have a child. You can wait another year. What do you even need one for right now? You have your own laptop, you have all the internet you could need.”

“I wanna be able to go on Instagram like my friends can!”

“Instagram?!” Now Harry’ standing up, and you can’t concentrate on your work anymore, so you stand up and lean against the banister to see what’s going on. “Who said you’d even be allowed to download all of those apps when you get a smart phone?!”

“Are you kidding me?! That’s the whole point!”

“You won’t be allowed to have any of that until you go to high school!”

“You’re living under a rock, Dad! Everyone my age uses this stuff! I wanna be able to see what my friends are posting, I’m always left out of the loop! I can’t even group text properly!”

“Who do you need to group text with?!”

“My fucking friends!”

Harry was fuming now. You had never seen him like this. You creep down the stairs to maybe see how you could help. You had never seen them fight like this before. Usually it was playful. This was very serious.

“Give me your phone, now.”

“What, why?”

“Because I said so.” Harry holds out his hand for it, and Andy reluctantly gives it to him. “You want a phone so badly for your birthday? You can have this back next month.”

“What?!”

“You heard me.” Harry puts the phone in his pocket and crosses his arms. “You can use the landline if you need make calls.”

“What if Mum needs to text me or-“

“I’ll tell her what’s going on, and she’ll either call me or she’ll call the landline if she needs to speak with you.”

“I can’t believe you’re getting upset over a simple question! I just asked for a phone!”

“We’ve been over this a million times! You’ll get one when you’re thirteen, and that’s final.”

“And you’re really going to take my other phone away until my birthday next month.”

“That’s right.”

Andy was fuming now. He looks at you, almost pleading to say something to his father, but you bite your inner cheek and look away.

“You’re being unfair!”

“I think I’m being plenty fair! This phone isn’t even yours, it’s mine! I pay for it, don’t I?”

“Harry.” You finally step in. “That’s enough.” He turns to look at you with raised eyebrows. “Andy, you shouldn’t talk to your father like that…I don’t like hearing you use cuss words. Also, the rules have been pretty clear, you need to wait another year for a smart phone. Try to think of something else you may like for your birthday, yeah?”

“But-“

“I think you should go cool off in your room for a bit.” You nod in that direction.

“You can’t tell me to go to my room, Y/N.” He scoffs.

“Actually, she can, so go.” Harry says.

“Everyone’s against me! Jesus Christ.” He grumbles and storms off to his room, slamming the door shut.

“I wish you had stayed upstairs, I was handling it.” Harry says to you.

“Were you? Because it seemed like you were throwing daggers at him. You can’t say that to a kid.”

“What?”

“That his property isn’t really his because you pay for it. That’s like saying his room isn’t really his because this is your house. My dad used to say shit like that when he’d get really mad at Phil and I. It doesn’t exactly make for a safe environment when you don’t think anything is yours.” You bite your bottom lip. “Did you really need to take his phone away?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because he was acting like a spoiled brat, and I can’t stand it when he does that. Maybe that’s on Paige and I for rarely saying no, but I’m saying no now and he needs to respect that.”

“And you’re really not going to give it back to him until his birthday?”

“That’s right. It won’t kill him to be a little unplugged. If I need to get in touch with him at school I’ll just call the office, and he knows he can do the same. The secretary has a community phone for the kids to use.”

“You didn’t flip out until he mentioned Instagram, why?”

“Because he’s too young for all that. If he gets one then I’ll need to get one.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ll need to monitor what he’s posting.”

“Oh my god.” You shake your head. “You know what that leads to? Him just making a finsta that’s private and all his friends will follow him on there, and he’ll post whatever he wants and have the real fun, and then he’ll post what he thinks won’t get him in trouble on whatever account you follow him on. Come on, Harry, only helicopter parents do shit like that.”

“What in the fuck is a finsta…?”

“It’s a fake Instagram. Look, instead of doing that, we could just talk to him about the importance of privacy settings, and what’s appropriate to post. Instagram can be a lot of fun for kids, you can post aesthetically pleasing photos, although it’s not as fun as it used to be. I remember when I got mine, like, god almost ten years ago, people just used to post cool pictures of food, now it’s a place for influencers and models, which is really annoying, but-“

“Y/N, please, you’re giving me a headache.” Harry sighs. “I’m his dad, so what I say goes.”

“Right, and I’m just the woman who lives here that fucks you, is that it?”

“Don’t twist this into an argument between the two of us, it’s not necessary.”

“You picked a fight with him for no fucking reason, Harry.”

“He started getting-“

“I don’t care! You’re the parent, like you said, act like the adult you are. You could have handled that ten times better, but instead you chose to be petty, and for what? I know it’s scary that he’s growing up, and maybe right now you can protect him by not getting him the phone, but you can’t protect him from every little thing. What you should do is teach him how to properly use all of that stuff so he doesn’t get hurt. Don’t talk to strangers applies in the real world as it does virtually, stuff like that.”

“Wow, been living here a month and you’re an expert on parenting, that’s incredible. You should really write a book on it.”

You narrow your eyes at him. Harry had never, not once, spoke to you like that. Something had really crawled up his ass today, and you clearly hit a trigger for him. This had to be about Andy growing up, and Harry being sad about it. You look him up and down and smirk before going back upstairs to your work. If he didn’t want you to be involved, then you wouldn’t be involved.

After a couple of hours, Harry knocks on Andy’s door.

“Come in…” He mutters as Harry enters.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Can we chat?”

“Are you gonna yell at me again?”

“Are you gonna yell at me?”

“No.” He mumbles, and Harry nods. He sits down with Andy on his bed.

“I know I was harsh earlier, and I know it seems unfair that I’m being so firm about this, but I’d appreciate a little trust here. You do not need a smart phone yet, trust me. All of those apps and stuff just rot your brain. Right now you read before you go to bed, and you’re able to relax. Smart phones are really tempting and can keep you up for hours if you’re not careful. I just think you could handle it better a little later on.”

“My friends are able to take pictures and post them, and then someone always has to show them to me. It’s embarrassing.”

“I’m sure you’re not the only one in your grade that doesn’t have one.”

“You’re probably right, but it’s still annoying.”

“I know.” Harry sighs. “Here.” Harry gives Andy back his little phone. It was the kind that slides open to have a keyboard to text. “You have no reason to really be punished, you didn’t do anything that would warrant not having your phone.”

“Thanks.” Andy sets it down on his bed.

“Social media can be really scary, and I know you think it’s fun, but it can turn to not so fun fast, and my biggest fear is that something could happen to you because of it.”

“Dad, I’m not gonna talk to anyone I don’t know…”

“Well, I should hope not.”

“Is Y/N mad at me? I shouldn’t have said that to her…”

“No, she’s mad at me actually for how I handled things. I’m sorry I said that too about the phone being mine. It’s not, it’s yours…and I don’t mind footing the bill.”

“It’s okay…is she still working, can I go see her?”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind the visit from you.” Harry smiles. “Can we agree that you’ll get the phone next May? Please, I don’t want to keep having this same fight.”

“Okay.” Andy nods. “But there’s something else I want then.”

“Name it.”

“Ariana Grande is touring again soon, and I’d like to go to her concert.”

“Do you wanna bring a friend?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Harry sighs. “I’ll see what I can do, alright?”

“Really?!”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my god!” Andy squeals and lunges himself onto Harry for a hug. Harry chuckles and hugs his son back. “And don’t worry about having to chaperone, Y/N told me if Ari ever toured here again she’d take me.”

“Thank god, I really don’t think I could sit through it.”

Andy rolls his eyes to get up and go see you.

“Y/N?”

“Hey.” You smile at him.

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Oh, please.” You scoff. “It’s fine, I would have said the same thing. Did you and Dad figure things out?”

“Mhm.” Andy grins. “He’s gonna try to get tickets to see Ariana Grande for us!”

“That’s great! Better than a phone, huh?”

“Way better.” He comes over to you to hug you, and then he heads back downstairs. The Styles men, you were starting to notice, are a special breed.

You don’t’ say much to Harry for the rest of the day, although you could tell he trying to butter you up. He made lasagna for dinner, one of your favorites. You mostly spoke with Andy at the table. You wanted a formal apology for what he said to you, that was it. When you had still barely spoken to him by the time you both got into bed, he sighs heavily and looks at you. You raise an eyebrow at him.

“What do you want to hear, that you were right?”

“No, I want to hear you say you’re sorry for being a facetious little shit when I was just trying to help. I’m fully aware that I don’t have as much experience parenting as you do, but don’t discount me like that. I’ve been in that kid’s life long enough now, also I’ve read a few parenting books since we started dating so-“

“You have?”

“Of course I have! I went into this blind, I had to do some research, Harry.”

“I’m sorry I said what I said to you, I was frustrated that you…that you just read the situation to a T. I’m petrified of him growing up, it sucks. I hate it and there’s nothing I can do to stop it, and I have control of the phone thing, so I flipped out when he challenged me on it.”

“I didn’t like hearing you yell. You never get that mad.”

“I have my moments, you’re just more privy to them now.” He sighs. “It’s hard for to stay calm sometimes when he starts yelling at me. It’s only going to get worse, so I know it need work on keeping my cool.” You nod your head. “I gave him his phone back.”

“You did?” You features soften.

“Yeah, it was stupid of me to have taken it in the first place. He didn’t really do anything wrong.”

“I’ll always respect your decisions, I mean, you’ve been doing this alone, sort of. But I want you to remember I’m your partner in this, we’re a team, babe.”

“Yeah, we are.” He smiles. “I really am sorry for speaking to you like that.”

“It’s okay.” You shrug. “You backed me up while he was still in the room.”

“I’m glad you butted in, who knows what else I would have said if you hadn’t. I feel like for so long, like, because he wanted to be with me, and I got used to it, I didn’t really discipline him as much. I wanted to keep him happy so he’d want to stay. It was so hard for years only seeing him for small chunks of time. I’ve been trying to form better habits.”

“And you’re doing a great job, I think you’re doing as best as you can. I just want you to know it’s not all on your shoulders anymore.”

“Thanks, baby.” He kisses your cheek. “So…we’re good?”

“Yeah, we’re good.”

“Good, I couldn’t stand the silent treatment.”

“I just didn’t really know what to say to you, honestly. Upside is I got a fuck ton of work done.” You chuckle.

“Oh, well, thank god for that.” He laughs. “So, you’re not gonna deprive me of the booty tonight, then?”

“No, you can still have some booty.” You giggle and shift down in the bed, and turn over so he can wrap himself around you. The sound of his sigh makes me you smile. “I feel like even if I was so mad at you that I didn’t want you to hold me, you would in your sleep anyways.”

“My plan is to never make you that mad, so we don’t have to worry about that.”

“Oh good, I’m glad you have a plan.”

“Goodnight, Y/N.” He kisses your cheek again before really getting cozy with you.

“Goodnight, Harry.”

//

Since you were going for a few days, you decide to drive down to Boston. You were a little worried that it might be awkward sharing a room with both Harry and Andy, but neither of them seemed all that concerned. Julian said he’d hook you up with a good size room, so that put you at ease.

“What are we doing first, Y/N?” Andy asks excitedly from the back seat.

“Well, first we’re going to check in to the hotel to drop all of our things off, and then I was thinking we could go to the aquarium, would you like that?”

“Yeah! I haven’t been there in forever. Can we do the touch tank?”

“Of course.”

Harry puts his hand on your thigh as you drive. He was over the moon about doing something just the three of you. Even though you all lived together now, a trip would be a good bonding experience.

“Holy shit.” You say to yourself when you go inside the room. “He gave us a full suite! Look, there’s two bedrooms.”

“Sick!” Andy says as he runs in, and claims one of the rooms.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise.” Harry says. “We’ll have to make sure to say thank you.”

“Definitely.” You text Julian immediately to tell him how amazing he is. “Okay, bathroom break and then we’ll head to the train?”

Andy didn’t get to go on the train very often, so hopping on and off was really exciting. He got to use the tube in London, but this was still fun for him. His eyes light up when you get the aquarium. He waits for you and Harry to get your tickets before going up to the touch tank that was on the outside of the building.

“They brought us here for a class trip when I was in the fourth grade, I think this and the penguins were my favorite part.” He tells you as he gently touches the various animals in the tanks. “It’s so cool.”

Once Andy’s had his fill, you all head inside. He nearly squeals when he sees the penguins, and Harry takes his phone out to take some pictures, chuckling to himself.

“What?” You smile at him.

“Nothing, he’s just gonna sleep so well tonight.” He kisses your cheek. “I’m really glad we’re doing this.”

“Me too. I thought this trip could be sort of educational for him, so I got us tickets for the museum of science tomorrow.”

“I thought your friends were meeting us tomorrow?”

“They are.” You grin. “It’s going to be fantastic.”

You and Harry hold hands as you walk through the aquarium with an enthralled Andy. You stop off for a quick snack in the small food court, and keep going.

“What are we doing for dinner tonight?” Andy asks.

“Bud, you just had a bag of chips and a candy bar…” Harry says. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hungry for more?”

“I’m not, it just got me thinking about food later.”

“Happens to the best of us.” You chuckle. “We’re going to have dinner at my brother’s place so you can meet my family, how does that sound?”

“Wow, really?” Andy asks with wide eyes.

“Mhm, and brother is a really good cook, so you’re gonna eat well tonight.”

“Are your parents gonna be there too?” He asks.

“Yup.” You smile and so does he.

After the aquarium, you all go back to the hotel to freshen up before hopping in the car to go to Phil and Julian’s. You were happy it was a Sunday evening so Phil didn’t have to physically be at the restaurant. Andy gets a little shy as you walk into the complex, sticking to Harry’s side.

“Hello?” You say as you key in.

“Hey!” Julian says as he greets you. “Come on in, hi, Harry.” He smiles. “And oh my goodness, you must be Andy! Hi, I’m Julian.”

“Hello.” Andy says, politely shaking Julian’s hand.

“Phil’s made so much food, you’d think it was Thanksgiving all over again. A little birdy told us you like pasta, Andy.”

Andy’s smile grows as you all come into the kitchen. Phil had made homemade raviolis and bolognaise, along with a meatless option for you and Harry.

“Hey, everyone.” Phil smiles as he strains the raviolis. “Mum and Dad should be here any minute, think they got stuck in traffic.” He looks at Andy. “Hi, I’m Phil, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Hello.” Andy shakes his hand as well. “So…you’re Y/N’s big brother.”

“That’s right.” He throws an arm around you. “She drove me nuts growing up, but now I don’t know what I would do without her.” He kisses your temple and lets you go. “You’re on April vacation, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Must be nice to just have an entire week off, enjoy it while you can.” Phil chuckles.

“Babe, do you want me to get the table set?” Julian asks.

“Please, that would be great. Garlic bread’s almost done and then we can put it in that nice basket you got.”

Julian nods and gets to work. A knock on the door signals that your parents have arrived, and you go to open it for them. It’s hugs and kisses all around, and then they say hello to Harry.

“Good to see you both again.” Harry says to them.

“Same to you.” Your dad says.

“Andy, c’mere, I want you to meet my parents.” You say to him and he stands in front of you. “Mum, Dad, this is Harry’s son, Andy.”

“Well are you’re you just the most precious thing!” Your mom says. “Y/N’s sent us some pictures of you, but they don’t do you justice. Look at those curls!”

“Oh, thanks…I use a special mousse for them.” Andy says shyly. It makes both of your parents laugh.

“Andy, we heard you enjoy painting.” Your dad says to him and Andy nods. “Well, we couldn’t help ourselves, especially since we also heard your birthday was coming up soon.” He takes a bag from behind his back and hands it to Andy. “Go ahead and open it if you like.”

Andy looks up at you and you nod. He opens the bag and gasps.

“Whoa! It’s that washable paint stuff! Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.” Your mom says. “We saw it and just had to get it.”

“Okay, dinner’s ready, let’s sit.” Phil says.

Everyone sits down at the table, and the conversation stays around Andy. He answers questions about school, friends, what his favorite subject is, what he does for fun (other than painting), and he talks about how much he likes living with Harry.

“Sometimes I miss my mum, but I like living with Dad more. It’s just calmer.” Andy shrugs. He was thoroughly enjoying the food as well.

“Can’t be much calmer with Y/N there now.” Your dad chuckles. “With the way she’s always running around like a chicken with their head cut off.”

“I do not do that…” You mumble.

“Sure you do honey, you always used to run around the house never able to find anything, and we’d tell you not to run because you always had socks on too, and one time you completely wiped out!”

“Wow, I didn’t realize we’d be telling embarrassing stories about me tonight.” You roll your eyes.

Andy thought it was interesting seeing you interact with your parents. You sort of did what Harry did, in that you acted like a kid again. He also liked observing Phil and Julian. Maybe things would get better.

//

The next day, after enjoying a nice breakfast at the hotel, you all head to the Museum of Science. Claudia, Nora, Darcy, and Mark would all be meeting you there. The three of you wait inside for them.

“Y/N!” Nora squeals and runs over to you. You open your arms and you hug each other. Everyone else comes following from behind.

“I swear she turns into a cheetah when she sees you.” Claudia says.

“Oh, shut up.” Nora says, letting go of you. She looks at Harry grins. “Well, well, well, look who have here.”

“It’s so nice to meet you all.” Harry says.

“Oo, boy, that accent.” Mark giggles to Darcy.

“This is my son, Andy. We’re both excited to spend the day with you.”

“Hello.” Andy says. He was feeling a little shy, but less so than last night.

“He’s so handsome!” Nora says to Harry. “Not surprised though.” She looks Harry up and down.

“Okay, enough flirting with my boyfriend.” You say. “Harry, Andy, this is Nora, Darcy, Claudia, and Mark, my best friends in the world.”

Everyone gets properly introduced, and you all head inside to the main area. Nora and Mark loop arms with Harry, and it makes you giggle as they walk with him, and talk his ears off. Claudia and Darcy do the same with Andy, and he loves it. Everyone helped make all of the science and exhibits extra fun for Andy. His favorite part was the lightning show.

You all were pooped by the time you got to the planetarium. Andy sits in the middle of you and Harry, and Nora sits on your other side. You two giggle and she makes you laugh so hard you cry while trying to be quiet during the show, which makes your other friends laugh too. Harry enjoys all of it.

“Okay, we were thinking Mexican for dinner, does that work for everyone?” Mark says.

“I love tacos.” Andy says. “Sounds good to me.”

“Yeah, we eat Mexican all the time.” Harry says.

“Great! You’ll love this place. They have the best margaritas.” Claudia says.

Andy was eating good this weekend. He wondered if you did this a lot when you used to live here. All of the adults order drinks, and Harry lets Andy get a virgin pina colada for his drink. Everyone got all different types of food. Luckily the restaurant had a kids menu with more traditional Tex-Mex that he was used to.

“So, Harry, talk to us about this cabin. Is it used in the summer?” Darcy asks.

“Yeah, it’s great for all seasons.” The friends all look at each other. “You all will have to come up some time this summer.”

“Oh, well, we wouldn’t want to impose.” Nora scoffs. “But I have to say, we’re incredible house guests.”

“Good to know.” Harry smiles. “So, what do you all do for work?”

“I’m a preschool teacher.” Claudia says.

“I’m an executive assistant to this CEO downtown.” Mark says. “At a marketing firm.”

“I’m an insurance agent.” Darcy says.

“And I also work in higher ed, but I work in Alumni Relations.” Nora says.

“Did you all go to school together?” Andy asks.

“Nora and I became friends in high school, and went to the same undergrad, that’s where we met Darcy and Mark, and then Claudia and I met in grad school, and she and Darcy, um, saw each other for bit…”

“But we realized friendship was the way to go.” Claudia says.

“That’s right.” Darcy says. “And we’ve all just been a little group ever since.”

“That’s kind of how my friend group is. My best friend is Brandon, and we have this other friend Tyler. And then Caroline became friends with us because she and I were boyfriend and girlfriend, but now we’re just friends.” Andy explains. “It was awkward at first, but everything’s normal again.”

“It can definitely be awkward.” Mark agrees. “You’re in sixth grade, right?”

“Mhm.”

“My god, the drama.” Claudia snickers to Darcy.

The group asks Harry questions about how he got into academia and how he ended up in New England. It was a great conversation all around. The food was excellent and everyone seemed to be meshing well. You and Nora had got up to go to the bathroom together, it was a chance to consult.

“Well?” You say to her as you both wash your hands.

“I can’t find a single flaw, Y/N.” She says. “I mean, on the outside, ten out of ten, that man is gorgeous, but he can also carry a conversation. He’s not one of those condescending know-it-alls, you can tell he’s really listening. God, and that Andy…so adorable.”

“Right? Sweetest kid ever.”

“You can tell how comfortable he is with you too by how comfortable he already is with us. He was shy at first, but he opened up. Living together has been going well so far?”

“Yeah, for the most part it was seamless. I’ve never felt this sure in a relationship before.”

“Clearly! I don’t think you’ve ever lasted this long in one.” She jokes and you roll your eyes. “I like them both a lot, well done.”

“Thanks.” You smile and walk back to the table with her.

“Well, this has been fun, but every night as to come to an end at some point.” Darcy says.

“Yeah, not all of us have a week off.” Mark says.

“Hey, I’m using vacation time same as you.” You say. “But I appreciate you all coming out today.”

“It was so nice to finally meet all of you.” Harry says.

“You both better come back down soon. We can show you a really good time nightlife wise.” Nora says.

Harry nods, and Andy says goodbye to everyone before you all go to your separate trains. Andy can barely keep his eyes open as he sits on the train between you and Harry. His head falls to Harry’s shoulder, and Harry pouts down at him.

“M’gonna have to carry him.” He says to you. “What a treat.” He puts his arm around Andy to keep him comfortable.

“I didn’t realize just how much walking we did today.” You chuckle and run your fingers through Andy’s hair.

“Think that big meal we just had did him in. It’s alright, he’s having a great time.”

“Are you going to be able to carry him?”

“Oh, sure. He’s not that heavy.”

“I know…he’s just getting lanky.”

“He’s due for a growth spurt, that’s for sure.”

Once you reach your stop, Harry’s able to pick Andy up bridal style and carry him out cuddled to his chest. It was one of the sweetest things you had ever seen. You weren’t always pricy to the more tender moments between them, and you were living for this one.

“I’m just gonna get him settled into his bed.” Harry whispers to you once you’re in the hotel room. You nod and go start your nightly routine.

Harry’s able to get Andy changed, and tucked into bed. Just as Harry kisses his forehead, Andy fidgets.

“Dad?” He mumbles.

“Shh, go back to sleep, buddy.” Harry coos.

“M’having a lot of fun with you and Mum.” He yawns and rolls over. “Goodnight.” He mumbles again before passing out.

Harry’s eyes widen and his mouth falls open. Did Andy mean to say that? Why were people always making confessions to him while they were half asleep? He slowly leaves the room and heads into yours. You were just sliding into bed.

“He all set?”

“Yeah, I’m just gonna go do my thing.” He points to the bathroom and you nod. You had gotten your period yesterday, and you were sort of thankful so that there would be minimal funny business. It wasn’t necessary on a family trip.

“Are you alright?” You ask as Harry gets into bed.

“Yeah…he just…he mumbled something in his sleep, that’s all.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he was having a lot of fun with us, um, just made me happy to hear.”

“Aw, he’s so sweet.” You peck Harry’s lips and settle down into bed. “Love you, baby.” You yawn.

“Love you too.” He says as he spoons you.

On your last day in the city, you and Harry decide it would be fun to bring Andy to the Quincy Market Place so he could do a little shopping. He nearly sprinted when he saw the Newbury Comics. You spent quite a bit of time in there, and Harry let Andy pick out a couple of things he wanted.

“Do you guys mind if I go into The Loft?”

“I thought you didn’t really shop for clothes.” Harry says to you.

“I don’t, but they’re having a sale, and I’d like to go check it out.”

“We can go with you, Y/N.” Andy says.

“So, I’m really annoying to shop with.” You laugh. “Go on to another store. I can meet you in, like, fifteen minutes?”

“Sure, let’s meet outside The Loft.” Harry says and you nod.

You really did hate to shop for clothes, especially with other people around. You were extremely picky and indecisive.

“Alright, where should we go? Need a bathroom break?” Harry asks Andy.

“No, I think we should go into one of these jewelry stores.”

“Why?”

“So you can look at rings, duh.” Andy scoffs.

“Oh, Andy…I…”

“Rip the band aid, Dad, come on, let’s just go look.” He tugs on Harry’s arms towards a jewelry store and they start looking around. “She only has, like, two rings she always wears, so this one definitely needs to be good.”

“Are you telling me you want me to propose to her already?”

“She’s living with us, why not?”

“It’s a big deal to marry someone.”

“But you both want to, right?”

“Well, yeah, we talk about it enough.”

“Okay, then. No harm in looking.” Andy shrugs. “She likes wearing silver…”

“I know.” Harry nudges him. “I have no idea what style she even would want…”

“She wears that necklace you got her every day, I don’t think she’ll care that much.”

“True, I got lucky with that one.”

Harry’s eyes scan over the various rings as the women behind the counter watch him. Nothing was really catching his eye until he saw a silver band with small diamonds studded in it, and large square diamond in the middle.

“Hey, what about this?” Harry asks Andy. “It’s…elegant, like her.” Andy tugs Harry’s shirt down so he can whisper in his ear.

“Take a sneaky picture of it so you can just order a similar one online.” Harry nods and does so swiftly before leaving the store. They both walk over to The Loft where you were standing already.

“No luck?” Harry asks when he doesn’t see any bags.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” You shake your head. “Trying clothes on while bloated was not a good idea, let’s just leave it at that.”

After a bit more walking, and a quick lunch, you all decide it’s time to hit the road. Just like last time, you drive through the city, and pull over at the rest area to let Harry drive the rest of the way. Andy was conked out in the back seat. You hold Harry’s hand as both of your arms rest on the console.

“This was a great few days.” Harry says.

“I know, I almost wish we just took the whole week off from work.” Harry chuckles at that and nods his head. “Is Paige coming to get him tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna let him sleep in, and then she’ll come grab him while we’re at school.”

“Alright, sounds good. My family loved meeting him by the way, so did my friends. I got a ton of text messages saying so.”

“Ah, so you have all the official approval you could need then?”

“I’d say so.” You nod. “I think my parents are still a little uneasy about it, but they’ll get used to it.”

“It was really nice of them to get him that paint.”

“They’ve been dying to become grand-parents, so I’m not surprised that they jumped on the schmooze train.”

“Still, they didn’t have to do that.” He squeezes your hand. “It’s not easy to just treat someone as your own right away.”

“He doesn’t make it difficult, trust me.” You bring Harry’s hand up to your lip to press a kiss to his knuckles and he sighs.

//

With Andy at Paige’s for a few days that guaranteed no one just walking in, as soon as your period was over, it was like Harry went feral. It reminded you of that first weekend you actually slept over where he just wouldn’t let you leave the bedroom. He tried to be subtle about it, but he wasn’t very good at it.

“Feel like taking a break?” He says to you one night as you’re working.

“Do to what?” You say to him without looking.

“Me.” Your hands freeze over your keyboard, and you slowly turn to look at him. “You looked so pretty today, and I barely had time to tell you with all my advisees coming in and out.” He tils your chin up so you can look at him easier. “What do you say?”

You look at your computer quickly to save whatever you’re working and then you reach for the button on his jeans, but he backs away.

“Let’s get comfortable, darling.”

“You know, a break implies that this will be quick.”

“I meant break as in you’re done for the night, was I not clear?”

“Harry…”

“You’re going to burn out if you keep coming home and working until an ungodly hour.”

“I can’t help it.” You pout up at him.

“Come on, come down to the bedroom with me. We don’t have to worry about being quiet tonight…”

“Alright.” You sigh and get up to go downstairs with him.

Once you’re in the bedroom he cups your jaw and starts kissing you. It’s slow at first; soft. Your hands splay on his chest as he licks into your mouth. Before you can meet his tongue with yours he pulls away and nuzzles his nose to yours.

“Baby.” He whispers with a smile, and that all about melts you into a puddle.

He kisses from your cheek to your jaw to your neck, feather light, causing goosebumps to grow on your covered skin. You tug at the hem of his shirt, and he steps back so he can take it off. He reaches for yours and you lift your arms up. He cups your bare breasts (who wears a bra at home?), and kneads them as his lips find yours again. He gets you on the bed, and kisses down your chest. He tugs at your leggings and wriggles them down your legs along with your panties.

“Yours too.” You toe at his jeans and he smirks at you. He does as you say and gets rid of his jeans, leaving him in his boxers.

“Happy?”

“Yes.”

He goes back to kissing on your body, nipping where he feels like before sucking a bruise into your inner thigh. You grit your teeth and try not to buck your hips towards him. You gasp when you feel his tongue on you, sucking and swirling around your folds before he makes his way to your clit. He moans into you and your hands grasp at his hair. You bite your bottom lip as two fingers slide inside you, and you grind against them.

“Feels so good, don’t stop.” You say to him as he sucks on your clit and curls his fingers inside you. Your legs were starting to shake around him. “H-Harry.” You groan as your head rolls back. He keeps his pace steady, not changing a thing so you can get there. “Oh, fuck!” Your chest heaves as you release around his fingers.

He sucks his fingers into his mouth and looks at you with a smirk.

“What?” You breathe.

“Can I put the handcuffs on your for a change?”

Your eyes widen as you look at him. You really didn’t like being the one restrained, and it just looked better on Harry the times he’d let you cuff him.

“Um…maybe use one of the scarves, I don’t like the handcuffs on me.”

“But you’re okay with the scarf, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He nods and goes into the drawer to get it.

“I’m not even gonna tie to you to bed, I’m just gonna put your wrists together.”

“Alright.”

“Sit up for me so I can tie them behind your back.”

“Oh?” Your eyebrows raise as you do as he says. He ties your wrists together and sits on the edge of the bed. “What do you want me to do, ride you?”

“Please.” He puts his arms out for you to help you. “Can I just come on your stomach?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

He helps get you lined up, and you sink down on him. You use your knees on either side of his thighs to help you move up and down. You could feel yourself trying to reach for him, but you couldn’t. He sits back with the palms of his hands flat behind him on the bed as you bounce up and down on him. He watches how the features on your face change as you basically use him.

“Harry, please put your hands on me.” You groan.

“Only because you asked so nicely.” He reaches for you but stops when you speak.

“Don’t be cute with me.” You smirk at him. “Or next time I’ll just have to tie you to each bed post again and ride you like this. Remember how much fun that was for you?” Your lean forward and ghost your lips over his, making him shudder.

“Okay, sorry, I’ll touch you.” He pouts slightly. His hands slide down to your ass and he helps you move on him.

You slot your mouth over his and lick into him. He moves you so you’re grinding back and forth on him and you moan into his mouth.

“Like that, baby?” He says to you as he sponges kisses to your collar bone.

“Yes, fuck, keep going.”

He looks up at you as you squeeze your eyes shut and bite your bottom lip. Your head rolls back, and you squeeze around him.

“That’s it, baby, be a good girl and come for me.”

Your mouth falls open, and you cry out as you reach your high. Those were the magic words, and they worked every single time. Harry pecks your lips before lifting you off of him and settling you on your back. He has you place your arms comfortably above your head, your wrists still tied together. He throws both of your legs over his shoulders, and thrusts back into you. He looks down to make sure you’re alright, and you nod at him to let him know he can keep going. Both of your moans and groans fill the room, along with the sound of his skin slapping against yours. Your clit was throbbing, and you need to give it some friction, but you knew Harry wanted your hands to stay put.

“H-Harry, please, could you, ah!” His tip your g-spot. “Fuck, please, rub my clit.” You groan.

He drops one of your legs so he can do so properly, and you moan out with relief. He thrusts were fast and deep, and it was going to send you over the edge any second with him rubbing you as well. Your eyes roll into back of your head when your orgasm reaches.

“Harry.” You whimper as you come down from your high.

He lets your other leg drop, and he comes down to you, chest to chest. He sucks on your bottom lip as he rocks in and out of you, and you wrap your legs around his waist. His hands come to yours, and he pushes down on your wrists as he continues to fuck you. You were breathing heavily underneath him, and you couldn’t help but look up at him and just watch. He looks down at you too, and it’s insanely intense, but neither of you can think to look anywhere else.

Harry keeps one hand on your wrists as the other snakes between the two of you. He rubs circles into your clit, and moves his hips in the same motion. Your mouth falls open and the whiniest moan comes out. He smirks at you.

“Harry, fuck, I’m gonna come again.” You groan.

“Yeah? Just feels that good, huh?”

“So good, baby, so good.” You start panting. “You treat me so well, Harry. I love you so much.”

“Fuck, I love you too.” He kisses you sloppily, teeth clanking and everything.

You moan into each other’s mouths as you come to your fourth release. You squeeze him a little too tightly, and he nearly loses control.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit.” He says as he pulls out, coming immediately onto your stomach. You were in such a daze you almost told him he could just come inside you, but that was the orgasm talking. “Fuck, baby.” He breathes and kisses your forehead. “Let me go get a rag.” Harry comes back with a warm washcloth to clean you up. “Feel like watching a movie, darling?”

“Sure.” You giggle as he cleans between your legs. “I can do that you know?”

“I know, I just feel like it’s the gentlemanly thing to do. I made a mess, I should clean it up.”

“Remind me to thank your mother some time for raising your right.”

Harry chuckles at that and tosses you one of his shirts before putting on a pair of boxers. He opens up his armoire and grabs the remote for the TV, and gets into bed while you go properly clean yourself up.

“What do you feel like watching?” He asks as you get back into bed.

“Something funny. Hmm, how about Step Brothers?” He scrunches his face at you. “Come on! It’s funny.”

“It’s mind numbingly stupid…”

“That’s the point.” You rolls your eyes at him. “I’m not watching another documentary, Harry, I’m just not.”

“But you learn so much from them, and they’re fascinating.”

“Maybe to you, I find them to be boring as all hell.”

“You can’t tell me the documentary we watched about prohibition was boring!”

“The only interesting part was when they got into the speak-easies.”

“You said you enjoyed the whole thing, you even laughed at certain parts.”

“Faked it.” You smirk and he gasps.

“You didn’t.”

“I did. Faked the whole thing.”

“Why would do that?”

“To keep you happy of course.” Your grin grows as he glares at you.

“Better be the only thing you’ve faked.” He says as he puts Netflix on to watch Step Brothers.

“Harry, you’re nuts if you think I would fake an orgasm with you. I’m not in the business of doing that anymore.”

“Anymore?” He raises an eyebrow at you.

“Did it a lot when I was younger, it’s the fastest way to get someone else to finish when you’re not super into it. I used to not be as vocal as I am now. Sometimes it takes a girl a while to feel comfortable enough to find her voice in the bedroom.”

“Fair enough.” He says as he puts his arm around you, pressing his lips to your hair line for a few kisses. “I love how vocal you are.”

“I know you do because you like hearing how good of a job you’re doing.” You look up at him and start laughing.

“What?”

“Do you get a stiffy when you read your good course evaluations?”

“No, I do not!” He starts laughing. “Why would you even ask me that?”

“Because it just seems like something that would happen to you. All of that praise must go right to that big head of yours.”

“Do you wanna watch this fucking movie or not?”

You burst out laughing as he holds you closer to him, pressing play on the movie. You kiss his cheek and settle down.

“And by the way”, he starts, “I enjoy American documentaries because there’s a lot I didn’t learn in school growing up, and it helps me know what some of the students are talking about. I get a few history majors now and then and I can happily say I can carry on a conversation with them.”

“Harry, it’s okay to be a nerd all on your own, you don’t to blame it on your students.” You give his chest a little pat, and gives your hip a pinch. “Aw, I’m just teasing, sweetheart.”

“Teasing is my thing, get your own.”

[dreamescapeswriting]

Making Amends ~ JJK, KSJ [Request]

WORD COUNT: 2.4K

GENRE: Fluff, established-relationship, friendship, a little bit of angst between Jungkook and Jin

PAIRING: Kim Seokjin x Reader x Jungkook

The door to the practice room opened and slammed shut as Jungkook finally entered the room for the first time that day, he was panting from running up the stairs of the BigHit building. He was late again like he had been for the last week. Jin looked up from the floor sweat dripping down his face after doing the dance routine that seemed to be making him sweat more than the other dances. He stared at Jungkook through the mirror and he was once again covered in hickeys with a giant smirk on his face. Jin glanced over at Hoseok waiting to see what would get done about this all of the boys had grouped together to talk about Jungkook being late but no one seemed to be doing anything about it now. Hoseok was supposed to be the one in charge of the dance practice, he was supposed to be harder on Jungkook but he wasn't.

Normally it wouldn't be a big deal, everyone is late every now and again but lately, with Jungkook it was weird. Every day this week he'd been late with some kind of lame excuse as to why. It seemed as though the maknae no longer cared about putting in the same effort where the practice was concerned and it was starting to piss everyone around him off. All he cared about was getting home to his beautiful girlfriend that was waiting for him. They'd barely been together a month but it seemed as though Jungkook only cared about that now and everything else was on the backburner.

"You're late," Namjoon mumbled from the other side of the dance studio, he'd been talking with Jimin about the dance steps for the number they were working on. Namjoon was struggling with one of the shuffling moves and needed a little extra help.

Jin's eyes danced from the leader to the Maknae who had an 'I don't care' attitude on already, the one he'd been wearing ever since he'd been with Sooyoung.

"Only by an hour," Jungkook grumbled to himself throwing his bag down onto the floor by the back of the room and going to join Jin at the front. Normally the two of them would be engaging in conversations talking about what was going on at home, Jin wouldn't be too harsh on him but it was starting to annoy him that Jungkook thought he could get away with being late all of the time.  

"Maybe you should start coming in earlier...I mean you are behind in practice." Jin whispered to Jungkook who seemed to take an instant punch to the gut by a seemingly innocent comment. Jin didn't mean anything by it at first, he was just trying to bring it up into the conversation.

"Behind? I'm behind? How can I be behind when I'm one of the best dancers?" Jungkook was back up on his feet as he yelled out, gaining the attention of everyone else in the room as they all turned to see what he was doing. Jungkook never acted like this before, he never said he was one of the best and never claimed to be either.

"Jungkook- I just meant-" Jin tried to speak but Jungkook was red in the face with anger. He'd had enough already and nothing had even started yet.

"No! I know what you meant. You're all just jealous because I'm in a happy relationship." Jungkook wasn't making any sense, all of the boys were in happy relationships. Jin raised up to his feet trying to calm Jungkook down since it was him that had started this mess.

"Jungkook I didn't mean that at all, we're all happy in our own relationships. You just need to manage your time better that's all," Jin's tone was calm as he tried to speak to the maknae but it seemed no matter what he was saying or going to say was going to calm Jungkook down. Everything was being blown out of proportion as Jungkook threw his hands into the air in defeat,

"So now my time management sucks?!" This time Namjoon took over for Jin, trying to explain to Jungkook that they all cared about him and that they just wanted to make sure he was doing what he was supposed to do. That was the original agreement with their management. Dating was only allowed to happen if they continued with their hard work.

"BigHit agreed to let us date if we could continue the same efforts we did before." Yoongi reminded Jungkook of the contract they'd all signed but Jungkook wasn't listening to reason. Jin shook his head at the sight of them all each of them babying him as they tried to calm him down. Jungkook didn't need to be babied anymore, he was an adult who could make adult decisions for himself.

"You know what," Jin started as he grabbed his bag from the floor, having enough of them babying him, he threw the bag over his shoulder and looked at Jungkook,

"I'm not going to pussyfoot around it like they all seem to be doing. You're acting like a total prick." Jungkook was taken back Jin was normally the levelheaded one who helped resolve issues but this time he seemed to be making it worse. Namjoon tried to say something to him but he couldn't find the right words to.

"Hyung-" Jimin whispered stepping forward, trying to stop something from being said before it was.

"No, it's time he heard what I thought." Jungkook stepped out from the rest of the guys wanting to hear what Jin had to say, hands on his hips as if he was some kind of immature teenager waiting for an answer.

"What is it that you think then Hyung?" Jin rolled his eyes at the behaviour, the attitude coming from Jungkook was that of a teenager and it was starting to annoy him.

"You're supposed to be an adult, not some stuck up kid who thinks the rest of the world is out to get him. Newsflash Jungkook! It's not. But if you wanna sit around and play house with your girlfriend then by my guest. Don't come crying to me when she leaves you or you suddenly don't know the dance routines!" Jin walked out of the practice room, slamming the door behind him as he stormed off. Jungkook stood there with his mouth hanging open like a fish, all of the boys were in total shock as Jin spoke what they had all been thinking but in a harsher manner.

"Do you all think of me like that?" He stuttered out trying not to seem as hurt by it as he was. He turned to look at Yoongi and Namjoon who were both trying to think of something to say but couldn't.

"N-No, Jungkook he's just-" Before Taehyung could even finish what he wanted to say Jungkook was storming out of the room with his bag in his hands as Jin had done before him.

"They'll calm down, they're just stressed," Namjoon whispered as Jimin and Hoseok looked at him worriedly, he knew as the leader he was supposed to go after them and make sure they made up but he also knew they needed some time and space. Clearing their heads before they tried to speak to one another.

A consistent buzzing was sounding from your drawer all afternoon but you were already in enough trouble with your boss that you didn't check it until you were leaving work that night. Your boss was an evil woman who hated all kinds of technology, which was why you still worked from paper instead of tablets like all other business.

As soon as you checked your phone there were missed calls from Jungkook were sitting on the screen, along with messages asking you to call him as soon as you could, he knew how busy you were with work.

"Hey Kookie, I'm just heading home. What's up?" You questioned into the phone as you walked over to the elevator in your office building, the doors being held open for you. Even though you and Jungkook were nowhere near one another it was like you could sense his body language over the phone. Something was wrong with him and you knew it was bothering him.

"J-Jin-Hyung, he said something today." You could hear Jungkook sniffling down the phone and you were already turning into mama bear mode. The thought of someone, even your fiancé, hurting Jungkook sent you into a rage. Jungkook was like a little brother to you, even though since you'd been with Jin you treated him more like a son than a brother.

"What did he say?!" The woman beside you in the elevator jumped as you raised your voice in such a small place without a warning. Jungkook only met your question with a sniffle and you sighed getting out on the ground floor parking level and looking for your car.

"Jungkook, tell me what he said." You whispered calmly to him but in an affirming tone, Jungkook hated the thought of telling you what Jin had said. It felt as though he was back in school and telling the teacher what someone nasty had said to him.

"H-He said I don't care about practice. All I care about is my girlfriend." You stopped at your car door as you heard the words come from him. You knew they'd been upset with him over practice but you never thought Jin would say something like that to Jungkook, Jin knew how sensitive Jungkook was to things like this.

"I'll call you when I'm home Guk, okay? Get a hot drink and calm down." You whispered, unlocking your car and throwing your bag inside as you tried to process what was going on.

"Can you come and see me? I-I sent Sooyoung home, I didn't want to be like this in front of her." You breathed out as you thought about it for a second. Jungkook and you had always been close but you had to go and see Jin first, there were always two sides to the story.

"I'll text you before I come around, okay?" Jungkook hummed in response to you before saying goodbye and hanging up. You laid your head down on the steering wheel of your car as you tried to think of something to do. Jin couldn't get away with saying something like that to Jungkook but you didn't want to seem like you were taking sides with either of them.

Jin smiled once he heard the front door to the house you shared together open, after a day like this one he needed to hold you in his arms for a while but as soon as you walked into the room he knew something was off. You were standing in the doorway of the living room and the porch, hands on your hips as you stared him down. He felt as though he was in trouble with a teacher at school or one of the managers.

"What?" He stuttered out, standing up from the sofa and looking at the calendar on the wall. He hadn't forgotten an anniversary or a birthday and he knew there wasn't a date night tonight so he had no idea what you could be mad at him for.

"A little birdy called me," You whispered to him as you began walking into the living room. As you got closer Jin sat back down, swallowing the lump in his throat as he watched you walking over to him.

"You upset Jungkook?" You questioned as you straddled his lap, it was the only way Jin wasn't just going to randomly up and leave you. If you sat on his lap you had his full, undivided attention.

"I only said what we were all thinking," He mumbled like a child, avoiding your gaze but you cupped his face in his hands and forced him to look at you,

"You said he doesn't care about practice. All he cares about is his girlfriend?" You questioned, tilting your head to the side as you waited for him to respond.

"It's true. It's like he doesn't care-"

"Kim Seokjin, do you even remember what happened when we first started dating? How you would skip practice? Even recording sessions..." Jin looked down as he realised how right you were about this. All he could think about when you first started dating was when he was going to get to see you again next.

"You're going to say sorry to him, we're going around with take-out and you will apologise to him." You weren't going to take no for an answer so he wasn't going to try and fight you back on it, he just nodded at you before kissing you softly.

"I'm sorry," He whispered as you pulled away from the kiss, leaning your foreheads together.

"It's not me you're saying it to," You whispered as you leaned forward to kiss him again before standing up and taking his car keys.

Jungkook opened the door with a smile on his face but as soon as his eyes gazed up to see Jin standing behind you the smile fell,

"He's here to make amends, right Jin?" You questioned as you looked up at your fiancé who held up the bag of take-out food. Jungkook's favourite all packed into the bag,

"Y/n's right, I'm here to say I'm sorry...I-I was being an idiot." Jungkook opened the door wider,

"You were..." You smirked to yourself as Jin bit down on his tongue, walking into the Maknae's apartment as he continued to tell him what a jerk he was being.

"Y/n made me realise that I was like this when we first started dating, I should have been more considerate to you." You took the bag of food into the kitchen, leaving the boys to figure out their problems alone.

"I'll start coming to practice on time, I just...I like Sooyoung so much it's hard to be away from her." Jungkook sighed, Jin chuckled looking over at you while you weren't paying attention.

"It doesn't get easier, but you learn to love the distance. It makes every second with them worth it." The boys exchanged pleasantries before coming to meet you in the kitchen and grab some of the food they'd been longing for.

Tagline: @lyoongx​ @mitzwinchester​ @fan-ati--c​ @kneel-begyourpardon​ @taestannie​ @rjsmochii​ @bisexualmess007​ @innersooya​ @sw33tnight​ @sweeneyblue1​

[spiritofchaoticdreams]

A Lantern’s Rage PART 3

Prev Beginning  Next

Based on @cornholio4 ‘s Red Lantern Prompt

______________________________________________________________

The view of the Earth from the watchtower was always a sight to see. Hal sighed as he looked down on the big blue planet. “You were right when you said your home planet was beautiful.”

Hal looked over at his shoulder to see his friend, Blue Lantern Razer slowly walking toward him , he chuckled, “Do I ever lie?” He turned his head to look back at Earth. “Sometimes when I’m here, I take a moment to just take it all in. To remind myself what I'm fighting for.” 

“I understand.”, Razer said coolly, as he walked over and stood next to Hal. “It’s difficult to believe you came from such a planet.” Hal snorted, and lightly punched Razer’s shoulder.

“Yeah. I guess it is hard to believe such a handsome specimen like myself came from little old Earth.”, Hal joked.

Suddenly, the sound of an alarm filled Hal’s ears, recognizing it as the alarm for the Situation Room he looked at Razer. “Follow me!”, he shouted, Razer nodded and together they flew to the Situation Room in the center of the Watchtower.  The Situation room was where the core members of the Justice League discussed threats and held meetings about plans to further ensure the safety of Earth and its citizens. 

Once the doors opened, Hal immediately got to work, “What’s going on!”he asked, plopping down into his designated seat. Razer stood behind him, silent and listening. He saw Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman sitting at the table in the middle of the room. “The scanners picked up red lantern energy on Earth.”, Bruce explained as he pressed a few buttons and a hologram appeared.  It was Earth, with a little blinking red dot covering Europe, “Computer, pinpoint location of the red lantern energy.”, The Batman said.

The hologram shifted and turned into a 3-D model of a city, the word “Paris” underneath it. “There is a red lantern in Par-isss”?, Razer asked, Diana nodded her head. “Hal, will you and your companion be able to detain the threat? Or will you need assistance?”, she asked.  

Hal waved his hand dismissively, “It won't be necessary. Razer’s blue lantern energy not only boosts mine, it neutralizes Red Lantern energy. As soon as Razer gets close enough that Red Lantern will be powerless.” He grinned at the Amazonian warrior, and looked at Razer, “Ready?”

“Ready.”, Razer replied. Together they left the situation room, to fly to Paris.

When they arrived in Paris, they were greeted by the sight of a giant cloud of smoke, he and Razer shared a look. That’s where they’ll find the red lantern, they flew closer and ended up above what may have been a school. Parts of the building were on fire, there were destroyed parts that encased a big courtyard full of trembling teens. That’s most likely where they’ll find the red lantern. They flew closer and hid behind some debris waiting for something to prove their suspicions correct. 

Hal looked over the students, all of them were terrified and there were a handful of adults trying to keep them calm. But there was a small group in the middle of the courtyard that was separated from the rest of the students with no adults watching over them. Why wasn’t anyone checking  on them, wait was that an unconscious adult in one kid's arms? A red haired woman in a white suit was asleep in a tall asian boy’s arms. He noticed that almost everyone kept away from that one group in the middle, just what was going on? In fact, it looked like everyone was scared to just look at them.

Suddenly, there was a giant gust of wind and there was a glowing red figure hovering above the middle group. There’s their red lantern. Hal gasped, it was just a kid, a teenage girl. Her most notable feature was the set of red devil horns resting on her head.  They flew closer and saw that the group  huddled together behind a girl with glasses and ombre hair and a boy with glasses and a red cap. “Marinette! Please you have to fight him.”, the girl begged. 

The red lantern, or rather Marinette laughed, not a light hearted giggle, it was a hearty laugh. Like she heard someone tell her a really funny joke. “Fight who exactly? Hawkmoth?”, she cackled, “Hawkmoth would kill for the power I have.” Her ring glowed brighter. “And I’d kill him to keep this power to myself.” A wicked smirk came over the girl’s face. 

“Is this Hawkmoth one of Earth’s villains?”, Razer asked, Hal didn’t know how to answer. This is the first time he’s even heard of Paris having a supervillain, he and the other league members prided themselves on knowing almost every bad guy, every hero, and every vigilante. How was he supposed to say, that there was something like this going on in a city on Earth that he and he’s guessing the other league members don’t know about? 

Then a giant red arm stretched out and wrapped around a girl with long brunette hair. The girl then started screaming as she was brought closer to the red lantern girl. “Well Lila, looks like you’re in trouble...Maybe you should call your best friend to come help you...Go on Lila, call Ladybug.I’ll wait.”, Marinette said in a cold menacing voice. 

‘Ladybug?’, Hal thought, ‘She’s gotta be their hero. Why did she never reach out to the League?’ He observed everyone of the kids, all of them were terrified, but they seemed almost used to it. If something like this was a regular occurrence, then he’s been doing his job wrong. He looked back at the brunette girl being held hostage, she looked annoyed?

Then she said, “Ladybug will come and save me, just wait.” Marinette laughed and flew closer to the girl, their faces centimeters apart. “Oh Lila, it’s pathetic that you think that. Because I know for a fact, Ladybug isn’t coming.” She then dropped Lila, only to catch her by the arm with her construct. Marinette’s grin turned bloodthirsty and there was a sickening snap. Lila landed on the ground, clutching her arm and sobbing. He saw at least two bends in her arm, one was definitely her elbow, the other was in her forearm. She was then pulled into the center of the group of teens, forming a shield to protect her from the red lantern. 

“What makes you so sure that Ladybug’s not coming?”, a femine voice yelled, all eyes turned to a red haired girl with big glasses. “Ladybug always comes to save us! She’ll stop you, you big bully!”, the girl shouted. Some of the teens looked emboldened by her words, others looked like they wanted her to shut her mouth. Hal watched as this red lantern girl began laughing, a long and hearty laugh. 

“Oh wow Sabrina!”, Marinette laughed. “ You’re speaking up to me! But not to Chloe? Why?” The laughter stopped. “Because you think Ladybug’s coming? Big, strong Ladybug’s coming to save the day? Newsflash! The only thing that’s being saved is me savoring the sounds of your suffering. As I get my revenge for all the suffering you and everyone else has put me through for the past few years of my life!” Marinette began to glow bright red.

“Marinette!”, a male voice yelled out, all eyes turned to see a teenage boy in a catsuit standing on the roof of the school. All the students began cheering and there were multiple yells of “It’s Chat Noir!” “Chat Noir’s come to save us!” “Go Chat Noir!” 

This Chat Noir pulled a staff from his belt and then used it to jump down to get on the ground level with the rest of the teens.

“W-what happened?”, he asked, he looked at the middle group of teens, “Why is she an akuma?” None of them looked like they could answer, most of them looked ashamed, Alya and a boy in a red cap looked angry, while the brunette just had an annoyed look in her eyes as she cried about her arm. 

“You really want to know?”, Marinette growled, she pointed a finger at the teens, “My so called friends decided that I needed to be punished!” she made air quotes, “ After I punched Lila for making fun of my parents death! Not only that she basically told me to kill myself so I could see them again!” Hal tossed a disgusted look at the brunette girl, then Marinette started to laugh, “After I gave that bitch what she deserved, my classmates threw me into a janitor’s closet and locked me in there!” Her laughter turned into cackles and Hal felt an uneasy feeling in his gut.

“Then this glorious power came to me in a blazing red ball of light”, she smiled so sweetly, as if she was talking about a happy memory. She clenched her fist and brought it close to her heart, “The power to get my revenge on everyone who’s ever wronged me.” She stopped laughing and stared into Chat Noir’s eyes, “like you.”

Hal heard a couple of gasps, the blonde boy took a step back, “Me? How have I ever wronged you?”, he yelled. Marinette scoffed, her ring began glowing and she glared at him, “How you ask? Every time you goof off on the job. Everytime you flirt with Ladybug, instead of focusing on the battle. Everytime you do anything else other than your fucking job!” 

She flew closer and closer to him, then started poking him in the chest, “because of you, I’ve had to watch my family and friends die over and over again! And now, my parents are dead and they’re never coming back! And you weren’t there! You want to say you’re a hero but you’re never there!”, she was yelling in his face now. 

“You want the fame and glory that comes with being a hero without doing any of the damn work! People die, and you don’t even care!”,she pulled her fist back and Chat Noir couldn’t block her punch in time. He was sent flying backwards, then he flipped his body around and landed on his feet. 

“You can’t blame me for your parents death! If I was there I would’ve helped save them!”, he ran over to where some rubble was, grabbing a few decent sized pieces he threw them up in the air and hit them with his staff like a baseball. The pieces flew at her, she crossed her arms over her chest and made a shield. 

Behind her shield she yelled back, “You’re not listening to me!” He kept hitting pieces of rubble and launching them at her, not leaving her a chance to attack. Hal then noticed that he was using the rubble as a distraction, she was too busy using her shield to protect herself to realize that Chat was getting closer.

By the time she noticed, Chat Noir was right in front of her with his staff, he jumped into the air, staff raised and slammed it down on her head. Her shield broke and she fell to the ground clenching her head with both hands. She yelled in pain and took in a deep breath of air, she let her head go and cracked her neck. She smirked at Chat Noir, “Is that all you got?” 

Chat Noir glared and then charged at her with his staff, “Hal, shouldn’t we be doing something?”, Razer’s voice snapped Hal back to reality. “You’re right.” Hal looked at the numerous teenagers watching the fight, “We have to get the kids out of there, we’ll have to get the middle group after everyone else, it’s too risky to the rest of the kids.” He said, Razer nodded his head, “You’re right. You get one group while I get another?” The green lantern gave his friend a thumbs up and then they split up.

Hal flew close to a small group of kids, a blonde pigtailed girl noticed them, and let out a sigh of relief. “Thank god, the Justice League is here.”, she whispered loud enough for Hal and her friends to hear. Hal nodded at them and put a finger to his lips, they got the memo and were silent. “I’m going to get you all out of here while she’s distracted, in order for me to do that I need you all to be very quiet. Give me a thumbs up if you understand.”, he said. They all gave him a thumbs up. He looked back over at the red lantern, she was still fighting Chat Noir, looks like he was trying to lure her out of the school, but she wasn’t taking the bait.

Looking back at the teens, he gave them the follow me gesture and led them to the entrance he came through. “Ok, all of you are going to run home to safety.”, he said, they all nodded and began rushing through the entrance, Hal turned around and was about to go back into the school when he felt a hand grab his wrist. He looked over his shoulder and saw the blonde girl was grabbing him, “Please...Please help Marinette! I think her akuma is in her ring, or her earrings! She never takes those off!, she pleaded. 

“I-I will do my best to help your friend.”, he said. ‘What’s an akuma?’, he thought. She nodded and walked out the school, giving him one last look before she was gone. Hal turned around, “Razer, if we’re gonna take her down we gotta do it now.”, he said into his ring. 

Razer’s voice came through, “I agree, I managed to sneak a lot of the children to safety.” Hal looked up, he was right, it looked like there were only a handful of students that weren’t in the middle group left. “Ok, what do we do when we get all of them out? Like how do we take her out?”, Hal said aloud, he thought back to his adventures when he first met Razer.

Razer had been a formidable opponent, strong, cunning, and he had been able to break through his constructs easily. But he was still vulnerable to physical attacks! But it still took him a while to get the best of the then red lantern. Hal groaned, he really didn’t want to fight a little girl. “Ok, we’ll focus on the rest of the kids, then we get the middle group of kids. After that...I’ll draw her fire and serve as a distraction helping Chat Noir, then you get her in a bubble!” 

Razer nodded his head and was about to say something, when Hal felt two hands push him away from where he was hidden. After landing on his behind, he looked up to see a bright red car where he once was. The car disappeared into thin air and he heard a demented laugh. He looked over at the red lantern, her eyes glowing bright red as she smirked and constructed a crown of crimson light, hovering above her head. 

“Well looky here.”, she grinned, “another fake hero’s come to play!” Her crown dissipated, a manic gleam shown in her eyes. “I’ll play with you later, right now I have a cat to skin.” 

She looked over her shoulder, Hal followed her gaze. Cat boy wasn’t doing so well, he was heaving and looked like he was going to fall over at any minute. Using his baton to support him, a brave look on his face, he stared his opponent down. “Come and get me….Purrincess.”, he breathed out. 

“Aww, look at that! Kitty thinks he has claws!”, Marinette cooed. She summoned a morning star with a giant head of spikes. Then she said with an expressionless look on her face. “How cute.” Her entire body started to glow like a light bulb. 

“Marinette! What the class did was horrible, but this isn’t you ”, The ombre haired girl with glasses spoke up. Marinette’s glow seemed to flicker, but only slightly. This time coming back brighter. “Alya, you and Nino are free to leave and I won’t hunt you down. But if you try and stop me, you’ll burn where you stand.” 

The girl, Alya, didn’t move, she stood her ground and stared Marinette down. “Fine then.”, Marinette growled. Her eyes glow so bright that Hal could barely make out her face, he narrowed his eyes and formed a barrier around the teens. 

Hal looked at Razer, “New plan, I’ll get her attention and you rescue the kids.  Razer nodded, and flew away from Hal. The green lantern turned his head to look back at the teens, Marinette was still glowing red and was now swinging the Morningstar up and around her head. He flew over immediately, yelling “Hey little red!” 

Marinette whipped her head around and Hal was stunned. Her eyes...they were pitch black with glowing red irises. He’s only seen that look on a red lantern once before. Back when Aya had been attacked by a manhunter. Razer’s rage had become so strong that he was able to use his powers in front of two blue lanterns and then went on to destroy the manhunter. Almost nothing had been left of that robot. Hal made a shield and whispered into his ring.  “Razer, you ready?”

“I am ready, just tell me when.”, Razer’s voice said coolly. Then Marinette stopped moving, her morning star vanished, her ring began to glow ominously. The glow engulfed her hand and she made another  a construct. 

“Wait, what is th-”, Hal’s question was cut off by a yo-yo construct hitting him in his face. He groaned and held his poor aching forehead, then shouted, “Who uses a yo-yo in a fight!” 

His only response was a death glare from the little lantern, ‘Why does it feel like Diana is glaring at me.’, was all he had time to think before Marinette began spinning the yo-yo until it became nothing but a whirring blur at her side. Hal turned his shield into a bubble surrounding himself in the green construct. Marinette then threw the yo-yo at him and it immediately wrapped itself around the bubble. The bubble started to crack only to disappear and the yo-yo had him. He winced as his arms were tucked tightly against his sides. “Aw come on!”, he groaned. Then she smirked at him, a sinister evil smirk...Who taught this kid how to be scary?!

 She then pulled the yo-yo’s string, pulling him along with it. Then she began spinning as she pulled him. Suddenly he was being spun around like a toy, then she finally let the yo-yo go. Why was he still tied up and flying through the air? How did she have this much control over her constructs? And why did he feel proud? Oh god was he turning into Batman? 

He struggled to free himself from the yo-yo, but it wouldn’t budge. Then he landed in a building. He felt his body crash through a window and heard screams, after a rough landing into an office cubicle  he felt the tightness of his binding disappear. He was free. He sat up and groaned, “That’s going to leave a mark.”

He felt a giant tremor rip through the building he was in and instinctively made a bubble to surround him. Just in time to see Marinette glaring at him, a big red automatic gun resting on her shoulder. She had a wicked look on her face as she aimed the gun at him and began letting out a barrage of red bullets.

“Look, you’re hurting I get it, but this is not the way to deal with that pain.”, Hal said calmly, staring at the small lantern girl in the eye. He saw the pure rage falter and a scared child was looking at him.  

“Princess please listen to him!”, Cat Boy pleaded as he limped over to them, the scared child looked so horrified at the sight of the boy...she was going to run. Hal immediately dropped his bubble and summoned a lasso, he threw it and caught her. She yelled and began thrashing around, trying to get the rope off of her. Then she broke free in a bright flash of crimson light. Only for her red glow to disappear completely and she began to fall to the ground.

Hal immediately summoned a platform to try and catch her, but he was too late. A blue bubble surrounded her and stopped her from falling.

Hal’s eyes trailed upward, an apologetic Razer was descending down to the floor he was on. “Took you long enough.”, Hal laughed, only to wince as his lungs stretched against his ribs. Razer landed on the ground next to him and helped him up.

“My apologies, there were innocents in need.” Razer wrapped Hal’s arm around his shoulder and the green lantern winced. Hal looked to a few feet in front of him and saw the tiny red lantern kicking and pounding against the sides of the blue bubble holding her. “Let me out!”, she screamed. “Let me out!” She slumped down to her knees and leaned against the bubble, she  punched it once more. Her shoulders started to shake and he heard soft sniffles and whimpers. “Let me out.”, she cried softly as  she banged on the bubble. 

______________________________________________________________

(Author’s note) Hey guys, Spirit here! Thanks for reading part 3 of A Lantern’s Rage. I hope you all enjoyed it! If you have questions feel free to ask in my ask box!

TAGLIST: @our-preciousss @ @misslenamooney @maskedpainter @silversaphire12 @lassiedanter @vinces-cove @vixen-uchiha

[wenellyb]

Marvel needs to give Sam a gf/wife, his own family and his own space, not have him cling to his sister and her teenage kids like a weirdo. He’s in his 40s.

We’ve barely been shown some other superheroes’ families. We haven’t ever seen Steve’s nor Bucky’s. I understand showing Sam’s in TFATWS in order to flesh out his character, his background and his journey to accept the Captain America mantle but there’s no reason for them to reappear in say Cap 4. They’re basically plot devices and they served their purpose in the show. What purpose would they have in Cap 4? To be threatened by the bad guys like in the show? That’s repetitive.

As for Bucky. The whole dating your friend’s sister concept, especially in a buddy cop type story, is a tired trope.

Oh hi Anon!!!

This is a lot to take in and first of all, I need to ask you... Where are you from? Because this ask is all over the place and I do agree that they should give Sam a boyfriend or a girlfriend, but that's about it. Other than that, I disagree with literally everything you wrote. Literally eveything.

May I suggest you to travel a little bit and if that's not possible meet people from other cultures, or read some books, or watch movies or shows from other parts of the world, because that way of thinking in very Western of you.... and even in a lot of Western cultures like in South Europe, it's not uncommon to stay with your parents or your siblings in adult life.

You lost me at "not have him cling to his sister and her teenage kids like a weirdo. He’s in his 40s."

You do realize that being in your 40s and living with your family is not weird at all right? I beg you to please read books about other cultures than your own or just meet other people??

Besides, Sam was all but dead for 5 years and you expect him to stay away from his sister because he is in his 40s. Have you ever been through a life changing event? A war? Anything? When you realize how fragile life is, you spend any moment you can with your loved ones... Sam is supposed to leave the house because he's in his 40s and that makes him a "weirdo"?

I also want Sam to be paired up with someone, a man or a woman. And that's because it is unfair for Sam to be the only MCU main supehero who doesn't have an official love interest. Why not treat him like any other superhero?

But I feel like you want him to be paired up for all the wrong reasons...

And I personally find your ask very disturbing.

I don't understand where the annoyance at Sam's family being shown comes from?

You say we've barely seen the fanilies of other superheroes?

Gamora==> Father and Sister

Peter Quill ==> Father

Peter ==> Aunt, and she doesn't even have super powers

Wanda ==> brother and kids

Clint ==> Wife and kids, and he wasn't even a main character

Tony ==> Wife and daughter

Natasha ==> Sister

Thor & Loki ==> Mother and Father

Why is it suddenly annoying when they show Sam's family?

If you're thinking about Steve and Bucky's families not being shown. Well maybe, maybe, the reason why we haven't seen any of their family members is because they are more than a 100 years old and their families are no longer there...Don't you think?

So could you please elaborate on why you think we haven't any of the other's superheroes families?

And why do you seem to imply that the bond between siblings is less important than the bond between spouses?

Why do you have to insist that Sam needs "HIS OWN" family? Even if Sam gets kids, his nephews will still be his own family, and so will his sister.

Also, Sam could have a wife or a husband and still live with Sarah and the kids... That could be his choice. I don't know what to tell you anon, but most families in the world don't look like the ones you see in American sitcoms.

Newsflash... people without spouses or without kids have families too...

Last point, we've already established that TFATWS isn't a buddy cop show, and I don't see how Bucky dating Sam's sister would be repetitive.

[the-hellsing-organisation]

I wonder if Integra had a rebellious teen phase. I want to say that's doubtful because she's very responsible and mature, but it's still fun to imagine in a very crack!canon way.

Integra, trying to sneak out of the mansion late one night, recruits Alucard to help her make a stealthy escape.

Alucard: I'm coming with you.

Integra: What? No you're not. I just want one night to be a normal teenager, and newsflash... normal teenagers don't have annoying vampire bodyguards.

Alucard: I'll tell Walter. I'll wake him up this instant.

Integra: No! Absolutely not. I order you not to!

Alucard: That order is null because I am acting in your best interest. I have to keep little master safe. 😌

Integra: 😩 ugh, FINE. But you can't look like that. You're going to scare my friends.

Alucard *turns into Girlycard, obviously stoked that Integra has agreed*: Done. Now then, let's go kick up some trouble. 😈

Integra: I already deeply regret this.

Lovely! 🤣

I mean... Hey maybe she had one briefly before Arthur died? Who knows?

A rebellious child phase.

[nightcoremoon]

why am I a jerkass who rains on everyone else's parade when I say I don't like gory horror films because I find movies whose plot consists of some dude stabbing a bunch of people to be fucking stupid pointless boring schlock that only exists to stroke the boners of people who enjoy watching other people die vicariously from a good safe distance, especially when their sequels just cheaply kill off all of the survivors from the earlier films thus rendering the plot of the earlier ones L I T E R A L L Y COMPLETELY FUCKING POINTLESS

but when someone says they don't like seeing sexual assault portrayed in movies (valid) and that people who put them in are evil and bad and dumb and bad tasteless artists, everyone is like yes yes good perfect okay you have the correct opinion here have a good star

hey newsflash assholes, if you're watching a fictional movie about a clinical sociopath who butchers animals, beats the absolute shit out of people they don't like until they're crying and shitting their pants and bleeding out the eyes and pleading for mercy, tying a dude to a chair and then slicing his jugular and glaring in his eyes until he bleeds out, bludgeons some guy for no fucking reason until his blood and brain spatters the kitchen floor, stabs his (naked) sister 17 times (after slowly tracing his fingers on her leg no less, ew), stabs a nurse in the neck with a fork and killing her for literally no reason, then a decade and a half later going back to his hometown just to stab a dozen people with ice skates and pitchforks and good old fashioned kitchen knives, and having the film depict this all in graphic bloody detail

and your ONLY problem is that somewhere along the way two disgusting scum workers at an asylum took a brand new catatonic female patient into his room and fucked her until they messed with his masks so he just breaks their fucking skulls open (which define his character as someone who clearly has no compassion for others but will shatter your bones and strangle you just for touching his stuff), and it's that a girl was raped and not that you watched a guy pulverize two men into bloody giblets...

idk man something about that feels wrong. you're okay with watching fictional murder but not fictional rape even though neither are glorified or justified and it exists purely to cause discomfort and distress in the viewer because it's a fucking horror film and horror is supposed to expose you to depravity and as art it serves to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.

don't get me wrong rape is bad but like

so is fucking murder.

why can't I express my discomfort in society's gratuitous endorsement and desensitization to killing in fictional media without people taking it as a personal attack and then turn around and do the exact same thing to rape

it's a double standard and it's so stupid

you can eat popcorn and watch jason voorhees rip teenagers in half and then berate me for not having a good time bathing in someone else's blood and then in the same breath #cancel rob zombie's director's cut of his halloween reboot because there's a rape scene in it. the violence is okay; you like the violence, no, you love the violence. that's perfectly fine? violence is good. freddy can force a recovering addict to OD on heroin, that's fine. john doe can force a fat guy to eat spaghetti at gunpoint until his fucking intestines burst, that's okay. mark hoffman can lock an innocent woman in a brazen bull and cook her alive just to fridge her and punish her husband for a lie that he made, that's awesome and wonderful and /super cool/. it's bullshit.

I'm not here to say YOU CAN'T like nightmare in elm street. you can like the texas chainsaw massacre. you can like my bloody valentine. you can like the thing. you can like wrong turn. you can like saw. you can DISlike rob zombie's movies. you can fast forward through the rape scenes in halloween, house of 1000 corpses, and the devil's rejects if the scenes make you uncomfortable (as they are intended to do so because it's a fucking grimdark edgy music video inspired horror movie). I'm not here to tell you that YOU CAN'T have an opinion on things.

but it's a special kind of entitled to insinuate that not only is your opinion the divine right of kings and anyone who disagrees with you is wrong and dumb and evil, but that a squicky scene you don't like actively makes the entire film Objectively Bad™.

maybe I don't like the fact that tatum gets crushed in a garage door. maybe it squicks me. maybe it unsettles me. maybe I think that it detracts from the film when all billy had to do was just stab her one and done without making a huge ordeal out of it. maybe I think it only exists to make a spectacle out of death and gorify- sorry, I mean glorify, murder, because it's exciting and intriguing to some who take solace in the macabre. "the effects are cool". maybe I don't like it. but you can like it.

I can dislike it. you can like it. we're both valid. that's how opinions work.

"but people get triggered by rape"

people get triggered by drugs. people get triggered by food. people get triggered by religion. people get triggered by a lot of things. people get triggered by slit throats, strangling, and hanging. you're valid for your triggers and you can avoid whatever fucking content you wish but if you think only your very particular specific trigger is the one that's valid, screw everyone else? go fuck yourself. you selfish piece of shit. you're not the only person in the world. it isn't hard to respect that you're not the only worldview in the world.

but then again, maybe it is hard, considering nobody fucking does it. everyone's trapped in their own little world where they're the only one who matters. they don't give a single shit about anyone else but themselves and others they can project onto because they're similar. they don't care if you can't match them in any way. you're a freak if you're different and you don't matter.

never mind the fact that 90% of slasher horror is misogynist, ephebophilic, racist, exploitative of the mentally ill and physically deformed, in some cases appropriations of the non-christian religions, and in the other 10% it's actually a horror comedy.

but if a white girl is sexually assaulted that's the only time anyone bothers being compassionate

now a disclaimer because I know for a fact that people are gonna put words in my mouth and take shit out of context and point out things I didn't explicitly state outright and try to make me out to be some fucking evil boogeyman

not saying you SHOULDN'T be compassionate to rape victims and I'm not saying I personally enjoy rape scenes in movies and I'm not saying that I particularly like the inclusion of those scenes in those movies and there is certainly a conversation to be had on the very misogynist nature of hollywood cinema as a whole in the horror genre especially and we should keep in mind the thermian argument and it's a complex issue, I know I know I know so shut the fuck up I don't owe you a passing grade on clout or the semantics of discourse or virtue signaling.

it's just stupid that people only get upset if a fictional white girl gets raped in a gore porn movie when it ~doesn't suit the narrative~. ok, this is the narrative: scary man stabs, the end.

scary men stab all the time. scary men shoot. scary men suicide bomb. scary men patent insulin and sell it at an upcharge poor diabetics can't afford. scary men drop bombs on kids in syria. scary men put mexicans in concentration camps. scary men slaughter thousands of men and women for their religion or their sexuality or their skin color. scary men do a lot of bad shit. your silence on these issues does much more harm to society than *checks notes* a scary movie about bad people doing bad things and facing karmic retribution for it.

TL;DR rape is bad, and murder is also bad, and american horror films have 100s of problems, and people need to start voicing their opinions as opinions and not pretending they're facts because it's super fucking annoying

[lizardl0ver43]

just saw someone say that taylor swift’s new album is “queerbaiting” and 2 instead support out queer artists like. ok if writing a song called “betty” about being in love with and wanting 2 kiss ur high school best friend who you have a falling out with isnt in itself a coming out song.... ok. u can wait 4 taylor to make an official statement of her sexuality. but i dont know how 2 say that a real life person cant queerbait u? like she is not a fictional character? hypothetically she can use gay rights 4 clout (which u need to calm down did feel a bit like), but newsflash! u cannot tell the difference between that and someone peeking a toe out of the closet! it’s insensitive to imply that artists have 2 b out and proud or they cant engage with the lgbt community or have implied queer subtext in their work! like go ahead and cancel sufjan stevens too while ur at it? sings 2 much about being gay 4 god but has never said hes gay and idk. sounds a bit queerbaity 2 me? not 2 mention taylor swift specifically can not be compared to out artists like king princess or hayley kiyoko or halsey because id say there’s a big difference between establishing yourself as a queer artist in the past few years and having started your career as a teenage country artist over a decade ago. taylor swift has been in a position where she absolutely wouldn’t have been able to b out if she were gay lmaoo. like im not even a taylor swift fan. i followed the kaylor and gaylor swift tags partially 4 the lols but also bc i liked the idea of america’s country music sweetheart being a lesbian lmao who can blame me. but im not personally invested in this, i dont stan taylor swift. but i m so annoyed with the takes that shes queerbaiting bc like. how do u not get that that term is meaningless in this context? go listen 2 betty