#paps are only stalking you when shes there

[taasgirl]

espresso - lando norris

summary: y/n is a famous singer who also happens to be a massive f1 fan. when she mentions a liking for a certain driver, it's only fate that he tries everything in his power to get her attention.

a/n: no face claim! the outcomes/order of races are altered to fit the story, it's just a fun time!!

liked by oliviarodrigo, oneruel, pedri, and 1, 376, 227 others ynusername my new interview with wired is out now!

user64973 Stop you're gorgeous

user89322 do i wanna be her or be with her??

user09384 so who r u crushing on huh

ynusername it's a seeeecret 🤫

user44172 This entire vid is so chaotic omfg

user03638 Please let y/n enter her wag era

liked by user55736, user89842, user73903, and 10, 652 others user33973 HELLO???? LANDO LITERALLY LIKED THIS TWEET I'M CRYING

user98301 brother personally knows who y/n's next bf should be

user40440 HAHA NO LITERALLY

user34593 God please let this be lando shooting his shot after watching y/n's recent interview

user43982 NO WAIT UR SO FR BECAUSE SHE LITERALLY MENTIONED LIKING AN F1 DRIVER WHAT IF IT'S HIM??

user12871 lando and y/n 🙏🙏

view ynusername's story...

liked by oscarpiastri, lorde, gavi, and 782, 774 others ynusername what a race! lovely to see you again @ oscarpiastri, maybe aim for a podium next time though?

oscarpiastri I'd like to see you try in a f1 car

user49949 Wait is oscar the guy y/n was talking abt in that vid? user53004 i hope not, i love him and lily

user20833 Okay so did y/n and lando interract or not? 😭

user61221 hot girls support mclaren (confirmed!) liked by ynusername

user89483 y/n slowly integrating herself in the f1 scene, we see u girl

liked by danielricciardo, logansargeant, ynusername, and 2, 459, 383 others landonorris A lot to learn from this weekend, but we keep pushing. Also great to meet a lot of new faces and the incredible fans🧡

user58273 SORRY WHAT THAT SECOND PHOTO...

user89894 is the new face y/n perhaps??

mclaren Great weekend Lando! liked by landonorris

user92702 I genuinely tweak whenever u post bc u look so fine

user53982 not y/n liking this post 😭

user66359 AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN FOLLOW HIM user98123 miss girl is stalking her crush i bet

user17263 please let this year be your year

user52209 Did anyone see his response to that post race interview?

user28732 YES AND HOW HE HAS HIS EYE ON SUM1

user87229 oh he trynna thirst trap (y/n) liked by landonorris

liked by lilyzneimer, oliviarodrigo, pedri, and 334, 938 others ynusername remember that one bitch ass ex I had? yeah well I wrote another song about him! 'feather' is yours now, but best enjoyed when you have an ugly, cheating, lying dick of an ex to think about. have fun with this one!! 😘

lilyzneimer STOP I'M ACTUALLY DYING I WAS NOT EXPECTING OSCAR OMG I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING liked by ynusername

user82983 i was like wow normal post! and then boom. oscar.

oscarpiastri Okay that seems a little mean

lilyzneimer already on repeat

oscarpiastri Um excuse me???? Did you read the caption...

user68297 NEW Y/N MUSIC YESYESYES

user26321 omfg i've been waiting for an angry y/n song

user72639 this sounds really familiar?? song of the summer maybe?

ynusername ahhhh thank you bb

view landonorris's story...

liked by user58273, user98004, user63874, and 10, 376 others user44938 Y/N papped in Monte Carlo today! Rumours are circulating that she was visiting F1's starboy Lando Norris, however there is no official confirmation.

user99812 ohhh y/n we see you

user89283 Okay everyone shut up abt lando, let's take a moment to appreciate y/n's beauty omf she's gorg

user23294 I SECOND THIS !!

user12834 hmm i wonder why she's in monaco...

user48463 Y/N u ain't slick 😭

user35273 she saw lando's story and ran straight to him

user16282 "how far u go for a sneaky link? I'd fly"

user52883 I know damn well she ain't in monaco for a holiday

liked by landonorris, gracieabrams, laufey, and 483, 995 others ynusername it's exactly like selena gomez's 2011 film

user73948 I KNOW LANDO'S HOODIE WHEN I SEE IT

user63762 ur the genuine it girl

lilyzneimer Monte Carlo reference, I love it liked by ynusername

user11928 landoooo

landonorris oooooo

user40948 oh hey lando user29830 Fancy seeing you here user73984 He wants her so bad

oscarpiastri I think I've seen that hoodie before

ynusername hmm i wonder where 🤷‍♀️

user49283 girl saw his story and flew out IMMEDIATELY

user53984 y/n l/n wag era loading 😏😏

user92874 So pretty

liked by oscarpiastri, ynusername, mclaren, and 3, 469, 848 others landonorris Calm before the storm #raceweek

charlesleclerc Good to see you with some company

user76483 CHARLES HASFGUEH

ynusername omg invite me next time

user42761 Girl bfr we know where u were at

user52739 THIS IS SO FUCKING CUTE

user19820 y/n and lando are a match made in heaven

user82637 I wonder who you were hanging out with 🤔

oscarpiastri Wow I feel like I've seen that girl before

ynusername me too

user61542 not lando soft launching y/n as if we don't know it's her

user82736 I mean technically we don't

user19823 @ user82736 No I think it is confirmed, she was heard on his twitch stream the other day

liked by landonorris, lilyzneimer, danielricciardo, and 1, 254, 982 others mclaren Our drivers and their partners after qualifying! Lando and Oscar will begin P4 and P5 respectively in Monte Carlo 🧡🤍

user82638 AND THEIR PARTNERS??? Y/N AND LANDO?

user52761 admin really said if they won't confirm it, I will liked by mclaren

user52839 Please lando and y/n are adorable

user82636 lily & oscar >>>

user48273 Sooooo they official...?

user27163 guys stop with this y/n x lando madness, i need a double mclaren podium

user82638 y/n really manifested her wag era huh

liked by ynusername, logansargeant, lilymunhe, and 3, 716, 372 others landonorris Monaco '24. Thank you to everyone who came out, and showed me support this weekend. I promise to be better next race. tagged: oscarpiastri & ynusername

ynusername my racer 🧡🏎️

user62538 HELLO? user82776 i'm gonna be sick

mclaren Papaya boys! liked by landonorris

user72538 Y/N is so beautiful I can't even

user16529 HIS EYES

user52863 him hard launching y/n >>>>

user98276 This is MY victoria and david

ynusername omg we're definitely not as cool as them

user41752 i won't get over this ever

liked by landonorris, phoebebridgers, mclaren, and 967, 837 others ynusername i think i need to buy more orange clothes

landonorris I've already offered up half my closet to her...

landonorris nice shirt though 😏

user62538 oh i'm living for their hard launch

lilyzneimer Welcome to the team!!

user22817 STOP THIS IS ADORABLE PLS WE NEED Y/N AND LILY CONTENT IMMEDIATELY

mclaren Our favourite pop star liked by ynusername 🌟

user52763 Y/N THE WAG YESSSSSS

oscarpiastri It's actually papaya

ynusername okay sassy man apocalypse lilyzneimer @ ynusername feed him to the zombies

liked by oliviarodrigo, landonorris, lilyzneimer, and 583, 872 others ynusername oh and btw, my new song espresso is out and it's a @ landonorris certified 'banger'. his words not mine. listen on all platforms now!!

landonorris She's working late cause she's a singerrr

ynusername haiii

user72637 y/n really walked in and said that she's the best lando ever had and ever will have

landonorris I mean it's true sooo

user62537 Okay lando I didn't know u had game like dat

lilyzneimer oh I love you

ynusername LILYYYYYYY i love u so much oscarpiastri I think our gfs are gfs... @ landonorris

view landonorris's story...

please let me know if you guys liked this! i love doing lando fics so much. as always, my reqs are open so feel free to drop suggestions!!

here’s a cute oscar smau i just wrote

[stars-and-the-min]

☆ the wrong way to hard launch (2) | OP81

summary : oscar's girlfriend is a walking pr problem for literally everyone (including herself) social media au

pairing : oscar piastri x zhou!fem!singer!oc

a/n more unserious behaviour

masterlist | last part | part 2 | next part

TWITTER

kayla @luna_apocolyse · 42m oomf... i fear you have girlbossed too close to the sun with this one

↳ MANIFESTED OSCALINA | LONDON N3 @12m0red4ys · 31m nothing comedic about it i was PRAYING actually

lila💚 @kasdanrights · 23m OOMF YOU SHOULD CHECK LINA'S STORY 😭😭😭 ↳ li(n)a @meliabelrose · 19m I ACTUALLY CAN'T WITH THIS UNSERIOUS WOMAN

INSTAGRAM

selinabui just posted to their story

TWITTER

MANIFESTED OSCALINA | LONDON N3 @12m0red4ys · 3m THAT'S SUCH A DEEPCUT TWEET ADFJSDF is she stalking me or smth AND THAT FUCKASS FONT PLS LINA I BEG YOU TO USE ANOTHER FONT and she tagged his ass as well ↳ abby <3 @devilvows · 3m thanks bestie we finally got the rest of the bday shoot bc of u 🫶

pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 12m ok i see the vision, she is the vision, wtf is in the zhou genes? modelling? ↳ pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 11m oscar, pookie, i think she's a bit out of ur league but good luck? ↳ pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 7m i heard her sing, she's definitely out of ur league, i'm rebranding

liv is SEEING EB LIVE!! @olivielina · 1h do you think lina saw the comments under that tweet bc if so 😭 ↳ liv is SEEING EB LIVE!! @olivielina · 1h this four-reply run SENDS me every time

↳ june @linafesting · 54m what was the context of this time period why are the comments so scattered? (new linami here) ↳ liv is SEEING EB LIVE!! @olivielina · 49m i think this was around the time t*mmy got engaged and the paps were hounding lina and everyone was telling her to fight back (get a bf)

INSTAGRAM

emptybottlos

liked by zhouguanyu24 and 9,421 others

emptybottlos THE only cousins to ever cousin tagged: selinabui and zhouguanyu24

selinabui DELETE PLS I DIDN'T NEED TO SEE THIS ↳ selinabui @ selinabui I PROMISE I'LL BE GOOD JUST PLS DELETE THIS I HATE THIS SO MUCH

zhouguanyu24 😂😂😂

selinabui

liked by lukaszhang, oscarpiastri and 118,023 others

selinabui the desperate image reversal post

stakef1team Kick Sauber green 💚 ↳ selinabui @stakef1team absolutely not but ok bestie stay delulu

pi4str1 oscar in the likes 😭 buddy ur supposed to be getting ready for qualifying???

pastry81 is lina gonna be at the race??? ↳ mickeyko @ pastry81 no :( the whole band flew out to jakarta this morning for the asian leg of the tour

TWITTER

↳ kay ♡ @ blackcatluna · 4h ok guys this has exited my little circle - just to clarify THIS IS A JOKE I'M NOT A KASLINA TRUTHER !!!

↳ kaslina on my mind ☁️ @kaslinatruther · 5h look at my babies 🥹

↳ oscalina real ?! @emptyginbottles · 4h IJBOL ARIANA (kaslina) WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE???

↳ liv is SEEING EB LIVE!! @olivielina · 4h certainties of the world: sun rising from east, kaslina resurgence every time one of them has a dating rumour ↳ liv is SEEING EB LIVE!! @olivielina · 4h LEAVE MY TWIN GUITARS ALONE ↳ liv is SEEING EB LIVE!! @olivielina · 4h and it's always when it's a DATING rumour, never when they break up

↳ emme @flowersforcami · 4h every baby empty bottles fan goes thru a massive kaslina phase after seeing them live i can't even blame anyone 🥸 ↳ piaa⁸¹ @papayaeightyone · 3h hi there, oscar fan, so what exactly is going on with lukas (?) and lina? ↳ emme @flowersforcami · 3h absolutely nothing, they grew up as neighbours who just have pretty spectacular tension on stage but this is them irl: youtube.com/watch?v=....

INSTAGRAM

oscarpiastri

liked by selinabui and 76,295 others

oscarpiastri Post qualifying, pretty happy with the effort 💪

emptybottlesbar 🔥🔥🔥 ↳ oliviafufu @emptybottlesbar admin are you doing ok there?

landonorris P6 verrrry nice ↳ oscarpiastri @ landonorris P4 verrrrrrry nice :)

izzy.piastri LET'S GAURRRRRR

amelia_belrose he's on the exact opposite side of the spectrum dfjnskjd i can't believe we're getting calm bf x hyper gf

amelia_belrose mr piastri, just curiously, what exactly do you see in our lina?

pastry81 oscar went ok hard launch over, back to regularly scheduled content (papaya)

selinabui

liked by zhouguanyu24 and 98,834 others

selinabui *sigh* kick sauber green 💚

pi4str1 SHE'S SO DEEPLY UNSERIOUS THE PAPAYA #1 VAN 😭😭😭 ↳ pastry81 @pi4str1 i love her so much she's just soooooo

zhouguanyu24 🤨 ↳ selinabui @ zhouguanyu24 爱你爱你 🫂🫂

landonorris Love where your loyalties lie #teampapaya

stakef1team We'll take it 💚💚💚

lukaszhang YO WHO'S DOG IS THAT???

courtneysong16 convinced she saw a random orange van and said “wait let me serve first”

emptybottlesbar

liked by cameliazzz and 108,274 others

emptybottlesbar The two people currently breaking the internet (who look pretty proud of themselves) tagged: selinabui, oscarpiastri, emptybottles_official and mclaren

eb_jonno WHICH ADMIN IS THIS, LET ME SEND YOU FLOWERS OR SMTH

lukaszhang not the 'held at gunpoint' reaction pic AHAHA

cameliazzz admin... sara is that you???

aidan_ebass 👍 ↳ selinabui @aidan_ebass you remembered your login??? ↳ lottie2418 @aidan_ebass omg grandpa hi hi

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

taglist @ririyulife @ashy-kit

[gurugirl]

A Balancing Act | Ch. 4*

Series Summary: Harry is a famous, rich, handsome, pop star and he’s been in therapy since his boy band days. When he meets Y/n, a beautiful and successful artist, he cannot take no for an answer when it comes to her. He’s determined to make her his even if he has to bend the rules a little at first.

Chapter Summary: Harry brings Y/n with him on his European tour but when Y/n decides she needs a break to figure things out Harry is beside himself. He's sure she's going to break up with him but she's sure he doesn't want the same things she does. When they finally talk will they both be on the same page?

Warning: 18+ only, NSFW, smut, dom/sub dynamic, angst, DDlg kink,

Word Count: 12.5k

Commissioned by @cinnamonone (thank you!! xoxo)

A Balancing Act Masterlist

A balancing act requires soft poise and harmonious alignment. The joining of differing needs and wants to acquiesce for a perfect, or nearly perfect outcome. One can’t have more than the other. All sides must be used to make a point. The leveling of opinion and decision coupled with the desire to satisfy the ideal effect.

“Put that down. It doesn’t do any good.”

Y/n looked up at Harry who’d placed his palm over her phone to cover her screen. She was trying not to obsess about the pictures of herself. There were so many. And now that she’d been seeing Harry for a few months and was on tour with him in Europe, the gossip abounded. It was wild how quickly everyone learned her name, her age, the fact that she had been married, where her art pieces were showing, and even what kind of car she drove. It was… a lot.

“I know but they’ve caught me in the worst outfit and angle and these comments-“

“Please don’t do that,” Harry spoke as he sat down next to her and slid the phone from her hands, “You’re a knockout. I’ve never once looked at you and thought otherwise. None of that matters. Okay? It’s us. You and me.”

She nodded as he pulled her into his side and kissed the top of her head, “I know. But still. I’m just not used to any attention. Not like this.”

“The best thing you can do is to ignore it and don’t look at the articles.”

But of course, that was easier said than done. Going to Europe with him had been a whirlwind. So many fans and friends and his family, day trips, flights, drivers, shopping, studio sessions, meetings, rushing, concerts, flowers, kissing, late-night talking, falling deeper for the man, and sex. There was a lot of sex.

It was stressful. It was fun, though, too. And she enjoyed spending time with Harry in his world but there was very little time for herself in her own world. She didn’t put paint, or ink on canvas the entire time she was with Harry in Europe. She never found the time, even though she had downtime, her inspiration waned. When Harry was in the studio writing, jamming, and making music she didn’t normally go. In fact, after going with him only twice she realized how awkward it was for her to be there. He was working with his band and his team. She was of no use there with him. She felt like she was just in the way. And she didn’t want to be the kind of girlfriend that followed him around like a puppy everywhere.

So she stayed in the hotel or in the villa or wherever they were staying depending on the leg of the trip. She’d venture out to go to cafes by herself, do some shopping, or just to walk around but it became a game of dodging people on the street who started to recognize her. Pictures and videos were taken without her consent. Later she’d see some of the photos in gossip articles and comments saying how she called the paps on herself because why on earth would anyone want a photo of her?

The hate came quickly. The vitriol for a woman that no one knew. Her social media accounts were stalked, screenshots taken and posted on other social media accounts about her and her art and what kind of person she might be based on old posts she’d long forgotten.

One old post on Instagram was of her out on her bachelorette party before she was married. It was a series of six photos. She was wearing something a little bit skimpy, but nothing too crazy. Most of the pictures showed her with a drink in hand, one of her dancing with some man she didn’t know, and the last one was of her the next morning with mangled hair and smeared makeup, a mimosa raised upward, and the words printed over the photo ‘hair of the dog’.

That one got a lot of attention. She was an alcoholic party girl, too fat to be wearing something so revealing, ugly, a slut (for dancing with a man), and the worst insult was “no wonder her ex divorced her”.

Yes, Harry’s fans learned that she had been married. Some knew that her husband had died (she wasn’t sure how they knew). But most assumed she was divorced because she didn’t post publicly about the tragic loss she endured. It was no one’s business, but for people who didn’t know her to make wild assumptions about what had occurred in her marriage was the most hurtful.

But on the other side of that were the fans that simply refused to believe he could be dating Y/n. Many were convinced Harry was either already in a relationship with an ex-band member from his boyband days or it was all for public relations. That her “team” and his “team” were in on something together for publicity. Because that would be the only explanation. Harry would never stoop so low as to date someone like Y/n. Someone who looked like Y/n. Couldn’t be. The Harry “they knew” would never.

Then of course there were those that thought she was simply using Harry’s fame to boost her own popularity in the art world. She was a leech, a sneak, conniving… It all hurt. She wasn’t sure she could stomach much more. And yes, it was true that interest in her art was boosted. Which she really didn’t like because it was more to the fact that “this is a piece of art painted by Harry Style’s girlfriend” rather than a painting that was pleasing to the eye and worth the price tag.

And Harry’s late nights at the studio and after a concert were tiresome. She had been catapulted into this strange reality with a famous man that she felt herself falling for. But how did she fit in with it all? She couldn’t see herself finding her place with him. It all felt very temporary. And the fact that she’d lost the inspiration to create herself was troublesome. The plan was that she could still paint and travel with him and they’d get to be together. She didn’t have to stay home to paint. It was supposed to be easy. But it wasn’t.

But as awful as all that was, she and Harry got closer. He’d arrive late to their bed, crawling over her and wrapping her up in his arms. Normally she’d wake up and nuzzle into him and sigh as they both fell asleep. Sometimes Harry wasn’t ready to go to sleep and he was very persuasive. If he wanted her, well, he had her. She looked forward to, with impatience, having sex with Harry.

Harry had changed her entire view on sex. It was nothing like she’d ever experienced before. Prior to Harry, sex was just sex. It was usually good. Sometimes she’d orgasm. But with Harry, it wasn’t just sex. It was the joining of two separate beings in an act that was vulnerable, exciting, novel, and made Y/n’s heart thrash about in her chest from nerves and thrill. She hadn’t realized how addicted she’d become to what he did. How he handled her body and her mind.

Usually, though, she and Harry had sex during the day. With the sun in the sky, curtains open, and people milling about. She had always been used to nighttime, lights out, on her marital bed sex. Harry liked to have sex anywhere. And he liked to see it all. All of her bits. He’d kiss and praise and then spank her if she tried to hide herself. They had fun together. Sex hadn’t ever been so fun. And she slowly started to see her body in a different light.

After his last show in Paris, she went to his dressing room, like she always did after a show, and he scooped her into his arms and kissed her broadly on the lips in front of everyone. He was hard.

A small gasp fell from her lips as she craned her neck back to look up at him in surprise. He only winked down at her, swiftly turned her around, and placed his hands on her shoulders. He was literally using her body to block his erection from view of his bandmates and the event staff.

When Mitch and Sarah finally made their way to their shared dressing room Harry told his assistant he didn’t need help and dragged her to his big couch after locking the door.

“Need you to take your panties off right now,” Harry spoke as he unbuttoned his pants and kept his eyes on her.

Y/n was wearing a cute maxi dress that was comfy and easy to dance in. She learned that she needed to wear clothes that were comfortable at Harry’s concerts because there was lots of dancing. But she also wanted to look cute because there was never a shortage of photos of her, no matter how much she hated that part. And if she wasn’t dancing she was a fake, a bad girlfriend, a fat blob. Oh, but of course, even if she did dance then that meant she was trying too hard, making herself look ridiculous, and then there was the odd comment about how she was too large to be attempting to dance at all.

She pushed those thoughts down as she lifted the bottom of her dress upward and slid her panties down her legs as Harry pulled a small belt with a ball at the center out of his bag. His pants were undone but his underwear was bulging at the crotch, his cock pressing outward with strain. He stood over her where she was sat on the couch and took her panties from her hands and then motioned for her to turn around, “Face the wall, get on your knees.”

“Harry what are you-“ her words turned into a yelp as he smacked her bottom.

“Do you fucking never learn?” He leaned in and spoke quietly, his voice deep and dark, “You’ll be getting paddled tonight for that mistake. Address me properly.”

Cursing under her breath she squeezed her eyes closed. She didn’t know what it was that didn’t allow her to so easily fall into just calling him Daddy like he wanted. She needed lots of reminders and her bruised bottom was proof of all of her forgetful little moments.

Part of her secretly loved it. Enjoyed the thrill of needing to be corrected and not simply giving in to him all the time.

“Sorry. Daddy. What are you doing?” Her tone clearly sardonic. 

Harry raised his brows and shook his head, ignoring her mouthiness, “I’m going to fuck you against the couch and gag you so no one hears you. Now, turn around pretty girl.”

She pulled herself to her knees and turned so her palms were clutching the leather at the top of the couch and immediately felt Harry’s hands pulling her dress up so her bum was fully exposed and issued another sharp swat to her left side. She jolted in shock before turning to watch Harry behind her.

Harry brought his hands up, her panties in hand, and swiftly pulled the material over her eyes, tying the sides to the back of her head to keep it in place.

“Uh, those are expensive! You’ll stretch them!” She countered as the material hung over her sight.

Harry chuckled darkly and she felt his lips at her ear, “Who bought them for you, baby? I’ll buy you more. Don’t worry about it. Now, keep that mouth open.”

She opened her mouth quickly and felt the silicon ball take its place in her mouth, as he adjusted the buckle to the back of her head. She was unable to see or speak as she was pushed forward, her chest being pressed into the couch. Her bottom was still uncovered and she felt the cool air of the dressing room on her skin as Harry gently caressed her flesh down to where her legs were bent at her knees and over the backs of her calves and ankles before spreading her legs further apart.

“Keep your hands on the wall behind the couch, like this,” Harry moved his palms over her arms until he reached her wrists and pulled her arms out so she kept her hands flat on the wall, causing her back to arch the slightest.

“Good girl. So hot. Unbelievable baby. Daddy’s gonna have a taste now.”

She couldn’t see much or speak at all but she could certainly hear and feel. And the moment Harry’s tongue licked up through her crease her mind shifted into another gear. Harry had eaten her out in this position before. Behind her, his nose at her bum. At first, it gave her a lot of hesitancy, worried she smelled or tasted odd. But he always insisted she was delicious and he could eat her for dinner every night for the rest of his life. His reassurances had her at ease, but it still always gave her pause.

Harry moaned into her pussy as he licked and kissed. His hands were on her ass, spreading her apart as he softly licked, licked, licked… wet and hot from clit to ass, from clit to ass, clit to ass… He spat over her and stuffed two fingers into her cunt and she squealed into the gag, the sound hardly heard in the room. Harry chuffed a laugh at her muffled noises.

Soon she was soppy and achy. Harry noticed how she was pushing herself back into him. That’s where he liked to get her. To the point she was seeking her own pleasure. Where she was so worked up she wanted more.

Harry sat back and stood from the couch and pulled his cock out from his underwear. He pressed his hips into her bottom and brushed his hands over her waist, pushing her dress higher, “Daddy needs his cock milked now. So fucking horny for you, sweet girl.”

She grunted in relief when he pushed into her. It was always a welcome moment. To have his dick inside of her, parting her insides and nudging into her cervix. He was curved in such a way that his wide cock pushed into her front wall on each stroke anytime she was in this position while he was fucking into her.

She kept her hands on the wall as he pounded into her and she steadied herself the best she could but Harry was strong and he always went in with such force that it caused her a good jolt forward on each snap of his hips. Delicious.

When his long fingers wrapped around the front of her neck he squeezed the sides and slowed his plunges, “Wish everyone could hear us. Could hear how filthy your pussy gets when I fuck it. How creamy you are. Wish they could hear how it sounds to have my cock slipping deep into your wet hole.”

Y/n felt her cheeks burn and her head get foggy under the pressure of his fingers on her throat. His thrusts increased again and the couch rocked under them into the paper-thin wall Y/n used to keep herself held up.

A knock at the door and a muffled voice from behind had Harry slowing down but never stopping, “M’busy! Be out in a bit!”

She couldn’t hear whatever was said from behind the door because her ears were ringing. Harry’s cock inside of her gave her tunnel vision. She almost didn’t care if anyone heard at that point. Her body felt so good, her pussy being worked open and split down the middle, her guts rearranged, her ass smacked, throat choked.

“Fans want me out there, but I needed you first didn’t I baby?” Harry’s thrusts were sloppy and harsh as he panted his words, “Daddy wants to fuck his come into you so you’ll be out there with everyone while my sperm drips out of your pussy and down your legs. My dirty little come hole. But that’s what Daddy’s little girl likes, isn’t it? Fuck…” Harry looked down at where he was being gripped by Y/n. Her tight little pussy working its magic on him.

Y/n’s telltale signs were beginning to show. Her thighs were shaking and her back was arching and she was grinding herself onto him each time he’d pull back. She was going to come.

Harry choked out a loud groan into the room, “Fuck! I’m gonna come!”

He reached down to rub her clit just as he began to pour into her pussy. He clenched his teeth and moaned into her ear. With the angle he needed to reach her clit his chest was pressed into her back, his stiff and sharp movements were forceful into her and she felt her own orgasm follow moments later. Thanks to his long fingers that knew just what to do and where to press to get her off.

Drool slid down her chin and to her clavicle as she came. The noise of the couch still creaking under her knees as Harry continued pushing into her increased in sound.

Harry hissed and moaned and kissed the back of her neck as he kept himself stuffed inside of her as she spasmed around him, squeezing his cock of all he had and letting it drain into her. A beautiful symphony of sex in the dressing room.

Harry laughed as he removed the gag and the panties from her face. She had small marks that dug into her skin from the fabric of the panties and the leather of the belt.

“God you’re gorgeous. Gonna go out there with me to meet the fans with my come slipping out of your cunt all night? Hmm?” Harry teased as she straightened her dress out and caught her breath.

And of course, that’s exactly what happened. She walked around and met some fans. Most didn’t know who she was. Some knew her as the girl that had been spending time with Harry. Others joked that she was following him around and that he didn’t want her there.

One pretty young thing, probably still in college, went from having her picture taken with Harry to making a snide remark to Y/n, “I love how you don’t care how you look when you dance.”

To which Y/n replied, “I’m just having fun out there like everyone else,” as she shook her hand (which she hadn’t yet washed after being fucked into oblivion) and felt Harry’s orgasm dripping down her thigh.

There was something so poetic about that moment. The secret that she and Harry shared. The reason why he was 20 minutes late to greeting his fans backstage. And Y/n was the bearer of said secret. Literally, since his come was still inside of her.

And that was just one of many times Harry fucked her in his dressing room. It became a regular thing. He’d gag her to keep her quiet but anyone who stood close enough to the door could hear him moaning and the sounds of skin smacking together and couches rocking. But no one ever said anything. It was Harry’s show after all.

There was one time when they went to an event. The lovely space was packed with people and the table they sat at was mostly Harry’s crew. Jeff and Tom were there and some others. All were people Y/n had gotten to know on some level.

And as per usual, Harry was horny. Y/n had gotten used to his extremely high libido and surprised herself even when she matched him in it. She hadn’t realized she was this way until Harry came along.

She was wearing a custom dress. Nothing like she’d ever had the chance to wear before. She’d worn lovely dresses and her wedding dress, she thought, would have been the nicest article of clothing she’d ever wear. But this dress… this dress was absolutely superior to anything she’d ever laid on her body. She loved it. It fit her so well and flattered her curves and made her feel pretty.

“Want to bend you over this table and spank you so hard right now. Tear this dress off you and make you ride my cock right here at the table,” Harry spoke into her ear as their plates of food were being placed in front of them.

Y/n just smiled and nodded as she listened to him tell her what he wanted to do. That was something she also had started to get used to. He’d do things like this in public and it startled her at first, but after some time she started to enjoy it.

When everyone began eating Harry lowered his hand to her thigh and pulled her dress up. No one could see what he was doing from under the table but Y/n felt it. The material of the dress was slowly lifted until he’d pushed the fabric up enough that he could smooth his palm up between her plush thighs and tickle her pussy with the tips of his fingers.

Y/n let out a gasped laugh and leaned forward before turning to look at Harry in surprise. He only smirked back at her and lifted his brows, “You okay, my dear?”

And Harry usually got his way. If he wanted something he could pretty much always get it. Just like how he wanted her to spread her legs wider so he could have access, she gave it to him. Just like how he wanted to slide two fingers into her cunt, she let him.

To everyone at the table, Harry was holding her thigh. Nothing more. He continued to chat and make jokes as he softly fucked his fingers into Y/n’s pussy.

And the thing about this was that he couldn’t apply much pressure, if any, to her clit, so he fingered her for nearly the entire duration of their dinner. His hand was wet between her legs as he continued slow, meaningful thrusts of his fingers into her.

She was on edge. So absolutely wrecked and worked up that Sarah interrupted the conversation at the table, “Y/n. Are you okay?”

Her chest was rising and falling fast. Harry paused his movements and looked over at his lover and realized, she was indeed a mess. Had barely touched her food when everyone else had just about finished and was panting and sweating. He smiled.

“Oh! Yeah. I… probably should,” she paused to hold back her gasp as Harry pushed his thumb over her clit, “go to the bathroom. Real quick! I’ll be right back!”

Harry was forced to remove his hand from between her thighs and she pushed her skirt down and quickly walked to the hallway where she knew the restrooms were.

Harry excused himself from the table with the excuse to check on her.

Y/n was already rubbing at her clit to make herself come in the stall when Harry barged into the bathroom, “Y/n. Come out, baby. Let me take care of you.”

Her eyes widened and she was quick to walk out of the stall. She needed him badly, “Please, your cock, Daddy,” she said as she lifted her dress and Harry pushed her to lean over the sink and pulled his cock out on her request. He was already hard. Fingering her and feeling her clench around him as she grew wetter and wetter each minute had done him in.

Her panties were ruined. He pushed the drenched material to the side and plunged into her softly as they both moaned, “Rub that pretty little clit for Daddy, baby. Get yourself off.”

It was probably the quickest fuck they’d ever had. Four minutes tops. Y/n was already on fire as her orgasm burst from her core and Harry held her cheeks apart so he could watch his cock, covered in her arousal, slip in and out, in and out until she was coming and shaking and gasping.

White gobs of her come stuck at his base as he continued fucking into her deep and he finally came, filling her to the brim with his come. He pulled out to watch himself drip from her pussy and then pushed himself back in to keep his sperm inside of her where it belonged, “Holy fuck, baby. Your pussy is incredible. Just taking my come like it’s nourishment. Fucking Jesus Christ.”

It felt so good to have Harry inside of her after nearly a half hour of slow, sensual torture with his fingers.

And as they both enjoyed, Y/n dripped of him when they went back to the table to join their friends. No one knew but Harry and Y/n and that was half the fun.

So, yeah, sex with Harry was incredible. Exciting. He never let her feel like she was lacking. He loved using tools on her. Tying her up, clamping her tits and her skin, toys, spanking, spreader bars, cuffs… She’d gotten a taste of what he liked and she loved it all.

And she was pretty sure she loved Harry too. He was the sweetest man. Very attentive and gentle, thoughtful, funny, and honest. But of course, when they were in bed he was dominant and loved to put her in her place but that only added to how much she really liked him. The duality of his nature was exciting to her. And she began to feel more comfortable with her body around him. He never once made her feel bad about her size. He clearly loved every bit of her chub.

So after their whirlwind European trip she was back in Illinois at home and trying to paint while Harry was in LA in the studio working on music and other business endeavors he’d started. They talked every night. She thought the distance would be good for her to focus on her work again but it was like she was blank. Her thoughts were only filled with Harry and what he was doing and the articles with her pictures and comments…

One evening, though, she did have a spark of inspiration. She began sketching out her canvas and mixing colors and finally, after nearly a two-month dry spell, put her brush against the canvas and began to paint. It felt good. She was suddenly struck with the need to create. Hours of building a piece with color and space and lines felt like things had felt before she met Harry.

Her fingers were green and her overalls were splattered and soiled from linseed oil and various hues she’d used on her work when her phone rang. Looking up at the clock she realized it was already 9 pm. Which was the time Harry normally called her every night before he went to the studio (it was 7 pm in LA).

She wiped her hands down her clothes and cursed as she rushed to grab the phone before the call went to voicemail.

It was a Facetime call because of course it was.

“Hello?” She rang out and adjusted the screen so she could see Harry and he could see her. She tried smoothing out her hair and wiping the smudges from her face but there was little she could do to repair her current appearance.

“Hi, baby. I miss you! How are you today?” Harry spoke, his face very close to the phone, and then as he stilled himself and the screen became clear she realized he wasn’t at home. A club perhaps. Maybe someone’s house. Definitely not the studio.

“I’m good. Was just painting a bit. Finally got a spark of creativity tonight. How are you? What are you up to right now?”

Harry sighed and grinned widely, she could tell he seemed a tiny bit tipsy, “I’m at a party and I’ve been telling everyone about you. Wish you were here so you could meet everyone. We’re just chilling, had a couple drinks, then I’m going into the studio in about an hour. Gonna be an all-nighter.”

Y/n nodded and smiled. She wasn’t surprised by any of this. He normally got into the studio late and stayed until 3 or 4 am. He was most creative at that time he told her once.

“Sounds fun. Wish I was there too.”

Just then a young woman nudged into Harry’s shoulder and came in to view on the screen, “Y/n!! It’s you! I’ve heard so much about you!”

She was clearly also tipsy. And just as she was about to respond to the mystery woman she watched as the girl threw her arm over Harry’s shoulder and licked her pink tongue up his neck before kissing it. And it wasn’t just a peck of a kiss. It was quite sensual in fact. As if she were trying to give him a hickey.

Harry laughed and pushed at the girl, prying her arm from him and the girl waved her hand at the video just before moving elsewhere.

“Sorry, Jess is clingy tonight,” Harry smiled and licked his lips.

“Oh is she? Has she been trying to give you a hickey all night then?” Y/n couldn’t help the bit of jealousy that coursed through her. She figured at that point she could trust him. He was a big flirt and she knew this about him. He gave off the wrong impression to people all the time. She’d seen women trying to shoot their shot and he would eventually have them back off but many of them never assumed he was in a relationship. She’d even overhead some women (when she was backstage after concerts) bragging about how they kissed Harry or how they thought they had a shot because he'd been staring at them, which turned out to not be true of course. But it didn’t make the sting feel better.

“No. No, of course not, baby. I wouldn’t let her do that. Only you’re allowed to mark me up.”

“But she’s allowed to lick you and kiss you?”

Harry paused and suddenly the screen was blurry as he appeared to moving through the space to somewhere different.

“Wait, hold on, Y/n.” The screen went dark but she could hear shuffling and some voices until the video showed his handsome face again but now he was outside.

“Please, baby. That was not… she’s been flirting with me a little but it’s all in fun. She’s just a friend. I would never do anything to ruin what you and I have. You know that. God, I wish you were closer so I could tell you in person and see you after the studio. Wake up to you, make love to you…” he trailed off as he spoke but kept his eyes on the screen, his face set in defeat.

“I know how you are, Harry. So I get it. But doing that right in front of me? Kind of tacky. Was she trying to make me jealous? If so, I’d say she’s not a friend.”

Harry groaned and leaned his back to a bench and nodded, “I’ll stay away from Jess. She’s just been finding me all night. I mean, I’ve known her for years so… but you’re right. Sorry.”

Y/n nodded and flattened her lips together. She really hated this. Hated feeling jealous when she figured it wasn’t necessary, hated not being with him, hated how famous he was and how everyone wanted him…

After his call with Y/n, he was careful to dodge Jess. And he hadn’t really been paying much mind to her to be quite honest. Yes, she’d been kind of all over him but he was used to that. Except now he needed to think about his girlfriend and what she might think and how it could be perceived in public. Not that any of the photos from this particular party would come out to the public – it was exclusive and contracts were signed promising privacy and respect of others.

Jess was a friend of Tommy’s and she was often invited to the parties like this and so Harry had gotten to know her over the years. She was always flirty but the question that Y/n brought up was valid. Was Jess trying to make Y/n jealous? It was inappropriate for her to kiss his neck like that when he thought about it with a clear head. Even if he wasn’t on the phone with his girlfriend, that was too intimate of a gesture to be innocent. He couldn’t allow things like that anymore. Not if he wanted to keep Y/n happy. And he didn’t want those kinds of intimate touches from anyone else these days. He missed his girlfriend.

His studio session was productive. He got a lot of writing done and set some vocals down for recording too. But he was still thinking about Y/n. Thinking about how they got off the phone and he’d apologized and she said she was fine but he knew she might not really be. They were too far apart and the distance was a problem. Harry was used to some distance in relationships. It was part of the package that he came with. But he hated it with Y/n more than ever.

He was in love with her. Deeply and madly. In fact many of the songs he started to write after meeting her had something to do with her in one way or another. He couldn’t get her off his mind. He’d dated around and had a couple of serious relationships in the past, but no one left a mark on his heart like Y/n had.

.           .           .

“I’m feeling like I need her with me all the time. But when I offered to fly her out and have her stay here with me in LA she said she thought the distance would be good. I’m going crazy, Pat. I don’t know if she is starting to think about breaking up with me or what. I don’t want her to leave me. But she’s been so aloof lately.”

Pat shifted her leg to cross over her opposite and listened. The man wouldn’t stop talking about Y/n. Every one of their sessions had been dominated by discussions about his new relationship. Harry was sensitive deep down. He had his shit together and he was many times nonchalant about dating and matters of the heart in public, but Pat knew the truth. He was sweet and his heart was delicate.

“Just let her sus everything, Harry. You can’t push her and you know that. She’s probably going through some growing pains with you. You’re uber-famous and everyone loves you and to her, it probably feels like she’s just your girlfriend who gets a lot of mean things printed about her. It’s very likely overwhelming. Maybe she’s trying to get her head on straight and figure out what’s best for her.”

“But what if she learns that she’s better off without me?”

Pat chuckled, “What if she does? Would you still want to force her to be with you?”

Harry sighed deeply and frowned, “I guess I wouldn’t want to make her do anything she didn’t like. But that’s the thing. I know she and I have something special. When we’re together it’s like everything just makes sense. I don’t want her to let all the awful things people make up about her be how she makes her decision. Because what she and I have is incredible.”

“But you’re seeing this from your point of view. Not hers. Give her space if she needs it. Keep open communication but let her decide what she can handle.”

He didn’t like the idea that Y/n would decide he wasn’t worth it. He’d finally found the one he thought was his soulmate. The one he loved and wanted to be with for the rest of time, but now she was stepping back. Putting more space between them than he liked.

And when he offered to come to her she declined that suggestion as well. Stating it would be better to be apart for a bit. Which indicated to Harry she was done or at least considering that idea. But he couldn’t understand it! How could she be done with him? He was so far from done with her. He’d never want to be “done” with her. He wanted to marry her, have babies with her, take her with him everywhere, curl into her body, and let his skin sink into hers for all eternity.

He partly blamed the night he talked to her when Jess made her unfortunate appearance and partly the fans. Harry loved his fans. He enjoyed interacting with them most of the time. He loved the attention and the enthusiasm they gave him. He loved creating for them. But they were the ultimate cock block if there ever was one. Every relationship he’d tried to maintain while being famous had, in the end, been affected deeply by his fans. Social media was brutal as it was, but when fans got ahold of the articles and posted pictures and got “involved” it only led to awful things. Many times social media stirred the pot but the fans kept the lies and the assumptions (conspiracy theories even) flying and going on for longer than it was necessary. But it’s not like he could just drop his fans. They were what his empire was built on. He wouldn’t be doing what he was doing without them. It was all a balancing act.

“I think I’m gonna go see her. Just to talk face-to-face. I can’t go on not knowing what’s really happening and doing it over the phone is not giving me the whole picture.”

“Harry… I think it would be wise to keep her wishes in mind. You are a convincing and charismatic man and so for you to go to her in person could interrupt her rational critique. You could just be doing more harm to the relationship this way. It would be a hindrance more than anything. You might just be prolonging the inevitable and don’t you think it’s better to let things take their course naturally? You don’t always have to make all the moves and sway the outcome. This isn’t a business. This is love and relationship stuff. It doesn’t follow the same rules.”

.           .           .

Y/n had been feeling pretty good. Her mind was clear and her inspiration was at an all-time high. It had been a month since she’d seen Harry in person but they still spoke almost every night. She still loved him. She missed him, but the time apart felt necessary. Felt like she could grasp reality again.

But one thing was certain with the distance. It was that she couldn’t take not seeing him and touching him. She was thriving, but she was beginning to miss him more than she thought she would. Instead of getting easier, it got harder. Her nights would be spent thinking of him, what it would be like living with him, kissing him, marriage, babies… But she wasn’t sure if he was feeling like they were headed in that direction. Because if he didn’t feel like any of that was in their future then the relationship should be stopped. It couldn’t continue to jog along on the same path that it had been. They needed to progress and she needed to know he was committed to her and that he felt the same way. But as it was, their relationship was very good, it just wasn’t the kind of relationship that felt like it could move beyond what it was. She needed to tell him and be honest about what she wanted. Marriage, babies, 100% commitment… But what would happen once she told him all of this? Would he run for the hills? It could very well be the end of them.

.           .           .

She had insisted that he not come to the gallery where her work was displayed. It was in New York City and he begged to come. He told her he would take some time off before the next leg of his tour began. Told her that he had a beautiful spot he always stayed at and she could be with him and he’d take her out to his favorite restaurant in the city… but she said no. And Pat told him to listen to her.

Which was hard for him. Harry didn’t like being told no, and normally, no didn’t matter much (of course depending on the situation). Normally, he’d just go anyway and surprise her and dote on her, and in his mind, she’d be so happy and they’d have amazing sex and things would go back to how they were before she pushed for distance. But that’s not how it went.

Instead, she had a weekend in New York City without him. They spoke every night and she told him everything and he pleaded with her some more to let him come to her but she still said no.

On Sunday when they got off the phone Harry was beside himself. She had been too busy to really talk. She was getting on a flight to go back home so he understood why but that didn’t mean he was okay. He cried. He felt his heart drop and felt her slip away. She didn’t want to see him, she didn’t want his support, and she wouldn’t go to see him either… so what was left?

He’d been good and paying attention to, heeding Pat’s advice. He knew she was right. He knew he couldn’t force her hand in this. But God did it hurt. If only she’d let him visit her she’d see how good they were together. Nothing else mattered.

But he needed to know what she wanted. Because it didn’t feel like she wanted the same thing. They needed to talk, face-to-face, and he needed her to be direct. To rip off the band-aid once and for all. Then he could begin to heal and try to get over her.

When she called him the following day it was unexpected because it was much earlier than they usually had their calls and it was just a call, not a Facetime chat.

“Hi. How are you?”

Harry had had a lump in his throat for the last few days with his thoughts about her. About how she was going to end it. About how she didn’t really want to put in the effort to be with him. That he wasn’t worth it. That his fame and his fans were too much.

“I’m good. You’re calling a bit early. What’s going on?”

“I just had some really good news! A curator bought ten of my paintings and will be hosting an exhibit at David Kordansky and I’ve been invited to go as a guest of honor of sorts, amongst the other artists! It’s going to be all these big names. Oh my god, I’m so excited!”

Harry smiled widely, “Baby, I’m so proud of you. When is the exhibit?”

“It’s next weekend! And you know David Kordansky, right?”

“Uh… no. Sorry. Should I?”

Y/n giggled into the phone, “Oh… it’s just one of the biggest and most popular galleries in Los Angeles.”

Harry’s eyes went wide, “Here? You’re coming here?”

“Yes! God, I’m so excited! You’re the first person I’ve told and I just got the news right before calling you. So, I’m still processing it all. But yeah! And a bonus is that maybe you can come! If you want. If you can!”

“Absolutely. I’ll tell everyone I’m booked next weekend. Spending it with my girl.”

She sighed into the receiver with a big grin on her face, “I can’t wait to see you, Harry.”

.           .           .

Y/n was properly nervous. She had been trying to keep her distance from Harry but it had sort of backfired. She wanted to feel out the situation without his influencing nature and his hot body, and those pink lips pecking at her, his deep voice luring her to see it his way. The longer she was away the more she realized that she could barely breathe without him. She was so far gone for the guy that the distance only made her ache. Yes, she got a bit of her creative spark back, but she felt like that was more of an internal issue than it was to do with Harry.

But her nerves weren’t because she was going to see him after over a month. The nerves were because she needed to confront him with her real feelings and find out if he was on the same page. She had to know once and for all what he wanted. And if any of her ideas of where the relationship should head weren’t on Harry’s radar, well, it had to be over. They couldn’t continue like they were. It was perpetual limbo. Purgatory. She loved him and if she were younger with more time to spare she’d enjoy traveling with Harry and just having fun without expectation of where their final destination would land them. But as it was, she wanted to start having babies in the next few years. And if Harry didn’t then she’d need to start over and begin dating around. And that takes time. So she needed to get a move on. Find someone that wanted the same things she did. If that wasn’t Harry.

She had planned for the worst. All the scenarios in her mind led to them breaking up. She couldn’t imagine that Harry would be willing to settle down with her. He had the whole world at his fingertips. And she was just a girl from the Midwest. She really didn’t imagine that they had much more left to pick at. The pages stopped turning. The well had run dry. It was fun while it lasted.

Harry had his driver take him to the airport to pick her up. She told Harry she could just take a taxi but he didn’t want to miss a single moment with her. Wanted to see her the second she arrived in LA. And he was there. Waiting for her just as he said he would.

He scooped her into his arms and felt tears prick at his eyes, “Oh my god. Y/n… I missed you so much.”

She felt her heart swell and lurch with his arms around her and his lips on her forehead. Right in front of everyone in the airport. Photos were snapped and Harry didn’t care. He looked down at her and she noticed his eyes were glossy, “Harry…” she thumbed at his cheek, “Are you okay?”

Harry sniffed and the tip of his nose was red as he nodded, “I am now.”

She’d been to his house before they went away to Europe. They spent two days having sex and just staying in enjoying one another. Those two days were her favorite memories with Harry. Not that she hadn’t absolutely enjoyed everything else they’d done together and where they spent their time but there was something really special about being in his lovely home doing nothing with him and eating some of the best food she’d ever had (a combination of Harry’s cooking, delivery from some of the best restaurants in LA, and leftovers from a fancy catered party that Harry skipped but had requested two large bags full of yummies dropped off for them).

And the moment Harry had her in his house this time around, they were tearing clothes off and making love on his big bed. Harry didn’t bother with the clamps or ties or the belt this time. He just wanted her. Wanted to show her himself and how much he loved her. In fact, he planned on telling her he loved her soon. He needed her to know how he felt.

And the irony of it all was that Y/n was thinking the same thing. She wanted to tell him how she felt. He needed to know the truth and she needed to know where he stood. But they were both hesitating and it didn’t come out quite the way they intended.

“I think we should talk a little, Harry. I’ve had something on my mind for a bit. It’s… kind of important.”

They were both still naked lying on his bed when she blurted it out. Harry felt his stomach drop. He’d been constantly on edge that she was going to break up with him and he didn’t know if his heart could handle it.

So instead of talking he sat up quickly and got off the bed, “Yeah. Yeah. Let’s talk. Um, I need to take a shower first… and then uh… we can talk. Yeah.”

Harry cried in the shower. Preparing himself for the worst. Trying to get his emotions out and let his body soak in the warm water and calming scent of his shampoo. He was a mess. And he assumed it was over.

And to Y/n, him hopping out of bed like that and running off when she said they should talk, that move was his answer. He didn’t want to talk. He didn’t want to hear her truth. He had no intention of being committed or serious with her. He only wanted sex and fun. And that was great, but she was closing in on 30 and it was time to settle down and find love. And it was clear to her now, that Harry didn’t want that. Or at least not in the way she did.

She paced in his bedroom for a bit after dressing herself but when he was still showering, twenty minutes later she went downstairs and paced in his living room. She saw a bouquet of flowers near the front door at the table with a card in it and she automatically plucked the card out to read. It hadn’t occurred to her that she would be reading anything that could upset her. But she was caught off guard by the message.

“Let’s get dinner tonight, H. I miss you endlessly. Love – O”

She flipped the card over and there was nothing on the back except the name of the florist. No date anywhere. She didn’t know when these were delivered or if he’d had dinner with his ex. Her heart sank and her stomach felt heavy.

She slowly made her way back up the stairs and realized the shower was off. Harry was done. She found him standing on his balcony looking out over his garden. He hadn’t even bothered to find her. To see what she wanted to talk about that she said was important. He clearly didn’t care.

He took a 35-minute shower and then went out to chill on his balcony.

She considered just leaving without a word. Just calling an Uber and leaving for good. Getting a hotel room and forgetting about it all.

But now she was pissed.

She opened the balcony door and Harry was startled when he heard her approaching.

She laughed as she shook her head, “Forget I was even here huh?”

Harry scrunched his brows and shook his head but before he could respond she continued, “That’s okay. I get it. You and I aren’t on the same page. You’re having fun and you’re free and getting invited out to dinner with your ex, and-“

“Wait! What? I don’t-“

Y/n put her hand up, “You heard me. It’s okay. We never made any sort of promises or real commitments. Never said we’d wind up married or together in the end. You’re at your best and you deserve fame and fun and freedom. I’m only holding you back.”

Harry put his hands on her shoulders and shook his head, “No. Y/n… this was what I was worried about that you were-”

“That I want a real relationship? I’m almost 30. I can’t be playing around and traveling the world when I don’t know what you even want. And you just made it clear how disinterested in my concerns you really are-“

“Y/n. Please. What are you-“

“Stop. All you do is tell me what I should think and what I should do. You’re too… you pressure me to see things your way and you never listen. So now you listen to me.” She swallowed to gain her composure and looked up at him squarely so he understood how serious she was, “I can see now clearly, you have no interest in making a family with me. In being with me. You’re just having some fun. And that’s okay. But our fun has come to an end. I can’t go on like this anymore. I need to find someone who wants what I want. Someone who isn’t stuck on their ex and someone who will tell the whole world about me and not pretend that I’m just someone you hang out with.”

Harry shifted on his feet. He hadn’t expected this. In all the scenarios he ran in his mind she was breaking up with him and she didn’t want to be with him and he wasn’t worth it. But she was saying she wanted commitment. He smiled and opened his mouth but Y/n scoffed.

“See? You’re not even taking this seriously! Here I am telling you I’m breaking up with you and you’re smiling! You couldn’t give a shit!”

Harry’s smile fell from his face, “No I was… You’re breaking up with me? Y/n please-“

She pushed him off of her and backed away, “Go and enjoy dinner with Olivia or whoever. I’m out of here.”

Harry ran after her, “No! You can’t leave me! Please that’s not what happened. I didn’t even see her. And if you’d just listen-“

Y/n stomped her foot and turned to face the tall man. She pointed her finger at this chest, “I’m done listening. We’re done. You broke my heart.”

Harry shook his head and followed behind Y/n the whole way to the front door, pleading with her to stop so they could talk but she continued to cut him off.

“Stop! You don’t get to push me into making a decision anymore. It’s over.”

She gathered up her bags and shakily pulled her phone out to bring up her Uber app to call for a car. She was thankful all of her bags were still near the front door.

She rushed out of the house and Harry felt like he was going mad. She wouldn’t let him talk and explain and tell her that he wanted what she wanted. Every time his mouth opened she yelled for him to stop. Screamed even. Had he been so insufferable that this was how she reacted to him?

So he watched with tears in his eyes and his heart in his hands as she loaded her things into the Uber and left him standing at his gate.

He didn’t know what he would do. What could he do? He needed to let her cool off and then he’d go to her and have a conversation. He’d make her see that they’d been on the same page all along.

He called Mitch to get advice.

Mitch asked him why he hadn’t called Pat instead but Harry insisted his best friend would give him the best and most brutal advice, while also supporting him and wishing him luck. Which is actually what happened.

“Go and surprise her at the gallery. Do something ridiculously dramatic and then declare your love for her to everyone in the room. Something like that. I don’t know man. I think you two will work it out. You’re so good together. I think she just needed some time, ya know.”

Harry sighed, “Pat’s going to hate that. But I’ve got to do it, though, right? Do something absolutely nuts to get her to listen to me.”

.           .           .

Y/n had the worst, absolutely the most horrible, awful evening. She bawled her eyes out and barely slept. Harry hadn’t even tried reaching out to her. Not that she really wanted that. She half expected it. But it only solidified everything to her. She imagined he probably slept like a baby.

The following day was the exhibit. She was not prepared. Not mentally anyway. Her tears had barely dried by the time she was entering the gallery. She put on a happy face and forced herself to talk and smile. But she only felt the dread of what had happened the day before.

The curator greeted her, bringing a glass of champagne for her to sip, “I’m amazed by your work. I think your collection fits in so nicely here. But you know I’m holding on to all your pieces until one day someone offers me a million each for them,” he laughed and Y/n smiled. She doubted that would ever happen.

The evening should have been amazing. She was meant to have Harry with her and it was supposed to be a big night for her. Something that could potentially change the trajectory of her career. But Y/n wasn’t happy. Her exciting moment was clouded by thoughts of Harry and how she loved him but now it was over.

Through the doorway opposite the entrance was a small bar area. Guests could go get their drinks and then head back into the gallery. But there were a few bar tables and some stools. Y/n had been eyeing it all night. A moment to get away and sit by herself for a while.

The room was darker and quieter, even though it was open to the main gallery. The small high-top tables had four tall, cushioned stools around each. The only person in the bar was the bartender.

“Hi. Can I have a glass of chardonnay?” Y/n leaned into the bar and her eyes settled over the array of colorful bottles lined up behind the young lady who stood at the bar.

The young woman smiled, “Sure. Anything in particular? Would you like to see what I’ve got?”

“Not really. This is going to sound so bad, but just the cheapest one.”

Y/n dug into her small clutch to pull out her phone card and then waited as the young lady poured a glass of Y/n’s cheap glass of wine.

“Your art is excellent. I’m a big fan.” The woman looked over her shoulder as she plumbed the top of the bottle with the cork and placed it back into the small fridge below the counter.

“You know my work?” It was not expected. She didn’t think the bartender would know the artists by their faces alone.

“Yes! Of course. I usually get to know who the artists are that have their pieces here. Yours is outstanding.”

She felt her face get warm from the odd feeling she always got when someone loved her work and recognized her. She still hadn’t gotten used to that feeling yet but she enjoyed it nonetheless.

When she took the glass she thanked the lady for the wine, “And, thank you for the kind words too. That means a lot to me.”

She took a deep breath and sipped her wine in the empty space as she attempted to let her bad mood dissolve. She knew it was impossible to let it go completely. Her wound was so fresh. She’d just gotten her heart broken and that would take some time to grapple with. But she knew she could be okay because she’d dealt with and come through the worst kind of tragic loss anyone can imagine. Losing Robert devastated her. For a very long time. She’d only gotten to a place where she felt she was ready to find love again. And her short time with Harry was nothing in comparison to what she’d suffered. So yeah, she’d been through far worse. She’d be okay.

The music that played in the small space was slow and the tune sounded a lot like an old Foo Fighters song. But it was all instrumental and she couldn’t be sure. She pulled out her cell phone and decided to text her sister. Catch up a bit. Feel something sweet and nostalgic to get her mind off of her sorrows.

She smiled when her sister texted back with a picture of the kids.

She looked up and paused to listen closely to the music playing again. Yeah. It was an instrumental version - definitely Foo Fighters. Everlong. That was the song! She snapped her fingers and smiled again as he looked back at the picture of her nieces.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Y/n. This is for you.” The bartender laid an envelope down on the table. It had her name written on it.

This felt very reminiscent of-

She looked around the room and out into the gallery, where people fitted in lovely outfits and amazing hairstyles milled about, in search of the one person that might have had something to do with this.

She looked back down at the envelope and toward the young lady who had already gone back behind the bar, “Who gave this to you?” She was hesitant to open it.

“Ms. Adams. The gallery’s director. She said it was from a very special guest.”

A very special guest.

She wasted no more time in ripping the top of the envelope open knowing already who it was from.

She braced herself for what she might read on the folded paper inside. Her heart walloped in her chest and she felt her throat go dry as she carefully pulled the paper out and unfolded it.

I’m sorry for the way things happened yesterday. I wanted to tell you so much more. I need you in my life, Y/n. Take a drink in the director’s office with me? Please? - H

She swallowed thickly and placed the paper down on the lacquered wood. The words stared up at her. Very reminiscent of that night. Their first night together.

She decided to take a moment. Finish her glass of wine and find her resolve. She’d see him. Because of course, she would. She’d fallen for the guy and perhaps closure would be good. For both of them. She tried not to get her hopes up.

But even with the idea that she wouldn’t get her hopes up, from the very base of her spine, small bursts of hope began spreading over her back, warming her up and causing the edge of her lip to flick upward the tiniest bit.

She had to stop. She couldn’t allow the butterflies and the warmth to cover her chest. This wasn’t an olive branch. This wasn’t hope. But that was what her body was feeling, the way it reacted after reading his words.

Stop.

She read the note again and the right side of her mouth quirked but she stifled the smile that tried breaking out over her features.

“Uh, hi!” She scooted off her stool and waved at the bartender, “Do you know where the director’s office is by chance?” The young woman smiled, “Follow me, Ms. Y/n.”

Y/n followed behind the young woman to a doorway at the far end of the room and into a hallway. Framed prints were hung along the wall and the floor was dark wood while the walls were a light cream. A few doors were passed, the bathrooms, a numbered room, until finally, they reached the director’s office.

The woman knocked before turning the knob to open the door and stood back, “Here you are.” She gestured at the open door.

“Thank you.” Y/n wavered in her movements wondering if this was the right thing. Should she entertain this idea? Of course, she was going to entertain this idea, but part of her wanted to keep her tough exterior and remain firm in her decision.

Slowly pushing the door further open, she stepped into the threshold and was met with a quaint office-sized room. The same dark wood floors sprawled below her feet, but the very first thing her eyes landed on was that of Harry holding a bouquet of flowers and wearing a soft smile.  

She closed the door behind her and stepped in a couple of feet. He was in a well-fitted navy suit and he looked tired. But he was handsome.

The thought quickly hit her. How did he get in here? Who let him use the director’s office? But then, as he ran his ringed fingers through his hair and she saw remnants of chipped nail polish she was reminded of who he was. Not just her lover or her ex. But he was Harry. Everyone knew him or knew of him. Of course, he was allowed in the director’s office.

“Hi, Y/n,” Harry spoke reticently as he held out the bouquet to her.

He wasn’t sure she’d come to him or that she’d want to even talk to him. And he thought about making a grand gesture. Take over the audio system and declare his love publicly before everyone as he walked out into the crowd toward her. Make a scene. Make her listen. Have everyone rooting for them. Rooting for him.

But that wasn’t right. That would have been too pushy. Not fair. This night was about her. If he’d gone about it the way he wanted it would have had all eyes on him.

He knew, though, that he needed to be here with her. To tell her how he really felt and what he wanted and then if she still wanted that with him, still wanted to be with him, they could end the night the way it was meant to be ended. Together.

“Hi, Harry,” Y/n spoke softly, keeping her eyes on his eyes as she took the lovely bouquet full of pink peonies and soft cream roses.

Harry gestured toward the brown Midcentury style couch, “Will you sit with me? I won’t take up much of your time if you don’t want. I just wanted to say some things.”

The couch was large enough for just two people. Harry was glad she had to sit so close to him. He wanted to eat her up she looked so pretty and so sweet. And just the fact that she’d come to him to entertain a conversation had him soaring.

Placing the bouquet down on the glass coffee table, Y/n noticed the bottle of wine and two glasses as he pointed, “Would you like a glass?”

Nodding her head, Harry pulled the cork out and poured her a bit of the red wine. She felt like she should say no just for the fact that she’d only just finished a glass of white wine and surely it would make the red wine taste odd. But ultimately she figured she could use another glass of wine.

“Yesterday I was working up the courage to tell you how I want to be with you for good,” Harry said as he leaned his back into the cushion behind him with his own glass of wine, “Wanted to tell you how serious I am about you. But I thought you were planning on breaking up with me so I needed a minute to figure out how I was going to convince you to stay.”

Y/n’s eyes bounced over his features as she cinched her brows inward. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Had he wanted the same thing she did the whole time?

“And I’m so sorry that it seemed to you like I was putting off a serious conversation with you. That’s my fault. I should have stayed there with you in bed and listened to you right off. Even if it meant potentially having you break up with me,” he licked his lips and sighed, “Instead, I did what I normally do and tried and figure out a way to make something work in my favor. So I paused that moment hoping you’d change your mind, or that I could come up with something. Prolonging it for the sake of just holding on to you a little longer.

“It’s because I’m selfish and I like to control the narrative. But that’s never been fair to you. So, I understand if my apology is no good anymore. I just felt like maybe I can tell you what was really happening in my head yesterday. Because that part, you did have wrong.”

Y/n blinked her eyes and nodded, “Well, then… I guess I’m sorry too. Because it sounds like I might have jumped to conclusions. I just didn’t think you’d want something serious. Long term. But there’s more to it than just that you know?”

Harry frowned and shook his head, “What do you mean?”

Y/n could see how timid Harry had been since the moment she walked into the room with him. She felt the need to help assuage him so she turned her body toward his and pulled his hands into hers before speaking, “I mean that I’m getting older and I think it’s time for me to really settle down. For good. I mean…” she breathed out a nervous laugh, “like, babies, marriage… death. All that. That’s what I mean.”

Harry nodded and raised his brows, “Yeah?”

Y/n grinned as Harry’s thumbs ran along the sides of her hands. The corner of his mouth pulled upward. She could see his swagger return in almost an instant. His eye contact was solid and his dimples carved into his cheeks.

“Well, yeah,” she started to feel flustered by his proximity, the way she could see his pupils roaming over her face and watching her mouth, “I’m not saying we need to get married but like,” she swallowed, “I’d like for us to be serious enough to know that we’d be headed that direction if things are good. And I know you’re super famous and that’s why yesterday I just…”

“I want to be with you. I want it all with you.” Harry bowed his head, finally breaking eye contact and his hands tightened around hers, “I thought you were done with me. I thought you were going to break up with me and that I wasn’t going to be worth all the trouble for you. Because I know this is a lot.”

“No. I just thought you wouldn’t want what I wanted and the way you reacted to me telling you I wanted to talk and how you didn’t come to find me after you were done showering… I felt like you were trying to figure out the best way to break it to me- either that or you were trying to avoid me. I just… Thought the worst.”

She couldn’t have described the way her insides were pulsing and expanding and churning. She’d spent the better half of the day reeling over losing him. Over knowing she might not get to look into his eyes in this way again. Might not see the small freckles on his face again and the way he blushed despite being so sure of himself. But here she was sitting with Harry and in under three minutes everything had changed. If she had just listened yesterday. If he had just listened.

“But so did I. That’s why we’re in this mess. I thought you were breaking up with me and so my behavior made you think the worst.”

Y/n smiled and allowed herself to indulge in his eyes and in the grin he was holding back and the way his fingers felt on hers… Was she just dreaming? Was she just about to wake up and realize it had all been a dream?

“Is it okay if I… ?” He pulled at her gently and slowly wrapped his arms around her and she smelled his familiar cologne. She loved how this felt. Hugging him. Feeling his solid body against hers. She eased into his hold and wrapped her own arms around him.

Harry whispered into her ear, “I should have told you everything yesterday. Let you talk and then we wouldn’t have gotten in this mess. It’s me and you, Y/n. Okay? Me and you. That’s what I want.”

Tears of relief and elated joy broke from her waterline and Harry pulled her in tighter, kissing her temple, “I thought you were done with me. I thought you wanted to break up with me,” the anguish in his voice was not missed. He’d been hurting too.

Harry brushed his palm up and down on her back slowly and pressed his lips to the top of her head, “God I was so worried this was it for us. Fuck. I’m not letting you leave me again like you did. I can’t be away from you like that, Y/n.”

Pulling her head back to look up at him she did see the glisten in his eyes from the start of tears. She knew hers matched. It all felt like a dream. But just in case it was real she needed to speak the words. Sliding her hands upward and cupping his face she was nearly trembling from relief and excitement, “I love you, Harry.”

Harry closed his eyes and pressed his forehead into hers, clutching her lovely dress tightly, “God, I love you, Y/n.”

.           .           .

Stepping into the gallery with all the other people in the room and having Harry by her side felt surreal. Everyone was watching them. She was okay to share this night with him. There was no way around it that people wouldn’t be interested in her because of her boyfriend. She figured that would be something she’d just have to get used to.

Harry squeezed her hand tight and she looked up at him. He looked proud. So important with a big, pleased smile on his lips as he looked down at her.

“You realize you’re coming back home with me after this. Right? And I’m never letting you leave me again.”

Harry had grown a lot as an individual. He still had moments where he could be pushy and use his charm to get the things he wanted, but he figured some things just couldn’t be totally trained out of him. He allowed Y/n to make her own choices. He gave her space when she needed but she came back to him in the end. He wanted her to be his and everything they’d done that had gotten them to where they were currently had worked out. So Harry had no regrets about coming to her on this night.

“Of course, I’m coming home with you. I’d be offended if you assumed otherwise,” she smirked happily. “And I wouldn’t dream of leaving you again.”

Harry couldn’t wait to get her home and make love to her. Seal it all together in finality. He knew that tonight was just the beginning for them.

And as if they could both read one another’s minds they smiled and paused together in time. Everything had finally come together for them. At last.

A/N: This is the last part of this series! Would love your feedback!

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[canirove]

Friends, lovers… and an orange | Chapter 4

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Masterlist

"It was so weird, mum... Like, the moment I mentioned his agency, he went all serious and then avoided my question. And before that, he didn't smile like he usually does."

"Since when do you pay attention to the way Mason smiles?" Elizabeth chuckled.

"That's a really good question" Adele thought. "Anyway, do you think... Could an agency do that? Call the paps on one of their clients as some kind of revenge?"

After the chaos at the airport, she and Mason had talked about who could have tipped off the photographers. The only people who knew they were flying that day were their brothers, Jourdan and his agency, and the first three would never say anything. The others... 

"That's too twisted" Elizabeth said. "But I know they've called them without letting their client know because it made the photos look more natural, like actual candids."

"Did that ever happen to you and dad?"

"Never. We were stalked, followed everywhere, harassed... But my agency always protected me."

Adele's parents hadn't had it easy. Her father was the heir of a very important family in the US and was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the country, and when the press had found out that they were dating, they had gone crazy. Both had been followed everywhere they went, their faces being on all the magazines. The supermodel and the heir, most headlines would say. And his family didn't like it. 

They considered Elizabeth not enough for their son, and had done everything in their power to make them break up. When they got engaged after years of dating, his family hadn't met her yet, and when Adele's dad took Elizabeth's last name instead of being the other way around, they even threatened him with disinheriting him. But they fought for their love despite everything and everyone, and they still were together, happier than ever.   

"So you don't think Mason's agency could have done it?" 

"I don't, no" Elizabeth said. "But less talking about pretty boys and annoying paparazzis, and more about this!" she said, gesturing towards their car's window.

Between Jourdan, Mason and her mum constantly sending her photos of their old trips together, Adele had finally said yes to going to Paris. She would be joining her backstage at the couple of shows she was walking, attending one as a guest with her, and a couple of parties too. Would she end up regretting it? Probably. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I am so glad you accepted our invitation, Adele" said Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior's creative director, when she met them for their fitting. 

"Thank you for inviting me" she smiled.

"I myself have picked some looks for you that I think will be perfect."

"Oh, wow. That's so kind."

"Anything for you, girls."

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Red or black?" Elizabeth asked while looking at herself in the mirror.

"Black" Adele and Maria Grazia said at the same time. 

"Black it is."

"Adele, now that I have you here, I have to ask again. Are you sure you wouldn't like to join your mum for our mother's day campaign? It would be just a one time thing."

"I'm sorry, Maria Grazia. But being in front of the camera isn't my thing."

"Then what about behind the camera?"

"What?" Adele said.

"Oh, that's an amazing idea! You could take my photos!" Elizabeth said while getting changed.

"Mum, I'm not a professional photographer. There are better people for that than me."

"It wouldn't be as special, tho. And a daughter taking photos of her mother would also work for our campaign" Maria Grazia said.

"I don't think it is a good idea. What would the photographer you hired say?"

"If I explain it to him, he'll understand. Why don't I ask someone from my team to send you the mood board for the campaign so you can get an idea of what we want?"

"And Addie could send your photographer some of her photos so you know what she can do" Elizabeth added.

"Perfect!" Maria Grazia said, not allowing Adele to protest.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I think someone fancies you."

"What?" Adele said. She and Elizabeth had been in Paris for a few days already, everything going pretty well keeping in mind what had been going on back home and in New York. Paparazzis bothered them the usual during fashion week, and all the headlines were about her and her mum, their outfits, and how much they were loving that they were finally doing fashion stuff together.

That night, they were attending a Vogue party where they were joined by people she only saw on Instagram. Models, musicians, actors... Even a couple of football players too. 

"That cute guy over there" Elizabeth said, nodding towards her left. "He can't stop looking at you."

"Who... What..." she said, slowly turning around to look at him. When they eyes met, he smiled at her, and Adele heard herself giggling. He had a dimple on his left cheek, just like Mason did. Mason...

"Go talk to him."

"What?"

"C'mon" her mum said, pushing her towards him.

"But I don't know who he is.”

"An actor from one of those superhero movies. Now go."

"But..."

"Hello there" the cute guy said, his dimple showing in all its glory once again.

"Hi."

"You are Adele Turlington, right?"

"Yep. And you are... Sorry, I'm really bad with names" she smiled, hoping her lie would work.

"Nico Evans."

"Nico, yes, of course! I was thinking about your character's name and I didn't want to say something stupid."

"Nah, it's ok. I'm used to it" he smiled again. God, he was cute. "Would you like to grab a drink?"

"I would love that." 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"What time is it?" Adele yawned.

"Too early. Go back to sleep" Nico whispered.

"Then why are you leaving?"

"Because I am attending a show in an hour, and I haven't showered or got changed" he chuckled.

"Oh..."

"Would you like to meet again?" Nico said after finishing tying up his shoes. "Maybe for lunch? I'm leaving tonight."

"I... I can't. My mum and I are meeting some friends of hers that we haven't seen in ages and..."

"Oh, it's ok. Don't worry" Nico smiled, that dimple he shared with Mason showing up again. Why was she thinking about him again? "Maybe another time."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Thank you for last night, Adele. That was... That was amazing. Definitely a highlight of my fashion week" he smirked.

"You're welcome" she giggled, feeling her cheeks get warm.

"Good bye, Miss Turlington. See you soon" he said, giving her a peck.

"Good bye, Mr. Evans" she replied.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Timeline Part 3: May 2017 - June 2017

Previously: 2015 - April 2017 | Update to April 2015 - April 2017

As I mentioned before, I'll be doing these in smaller chunks because Tumblr keeps crashing when I do longer posts. In this edition, we'll look at Sussex PR from May 2017 to June 2017.

A quick note first. There isn't as many pieces from Meghan's mouthpieces during this window as there were earlier in the year. I suspect either a) Harry caught on to how much Meghan talked to the press so she scaled back to keep working him or b) the articles were handled when Meghan's team was scrubbing the internet.

This is also when we start seeing the Daily Mail start dripping hints about Meghan's dossier.

Here we go!

And as always, if you have updates, corrections, additions, please share!

5/2/2017: Meghan gives an interview to Good Housekeeping. This is the first known "roast chicken" reference.

5/3/2017: Meghan teases that Harry uses caviar pills to cure his male pattern baldness. "He" credits Meghan's holistic wellness.

5/4/2017: Buckingham Palace announces that Prince Philip is retiring after the summer and will stand down from royal duties. Anna Wintour is made a Dame by The Queen.

5/6/2017: The BBC claims that Harry's father is actually James Hewitt.

5/6/2017 - 5/7/2017: Audi Polo Challenge 2017 at Coworth Park. Meghan attends to watch Harry play polo and she is photographed with Mark Dyer. On Day 1 (May 6th), paparazzi catch Harry and Meghan kissing in the car park. On Day 2 (May 7th), William also plays polo and allegedly has Meghan thrown out of Coworth Park for stalking. Also on May 7th, Meghan leaks that she will be attending Pippa's wedding.

5/8/2017: Meghan wears a wedding dress for a movie.

5/9/2017: It's revealed that Meghan ditched Serena William's baby shower to go to London to see Harry.

5/10/2017: Mark Dyer sells his pubs to move out of London. The article is the first confirmation that he/his pubs had hosted Harry and Meghan for dates in the early days of their relationship. Speculation begins that Dyer doesn't like Meghan at all.

5/12/2017: Risque photos from a production Meghan did in 2011 resurface.

5/16/2017: Meghan flies into London for Pippa's wedding, although it isn't reported until May 17th and it isn't confirmed until May 18th.

5/18/2017: Meghan confirms she is in London to attend Pippa's wedding.

5/19/2017: Meghan does a pap walk in leggings and shows off her bum. The photos lead to the headline "Wedding of the Rears" and a front page photo by The Sun. Eugenie gives a tone-deaf interview about her "career" and mentions that she loves "The Crown."

5/20/2017: Pippa's Wedding. Meghan is not invited to the ceremony but is allowed at the after-party. Harry leaves the wedding midday to drive 3 hours round-trip to pick Meghan up from Nottingham Cottage. Rumors begin that Meghan wasn't allowed at all to Pippa's wedding, making Meghan angry, so to keep the peace, Harry left the wedding early and picked Meghan up so they could drive past local press to pretend they were going to the wedding.

5/21/2017: Meghan is papped leaving Kensington Palace early in the morning to fly back to Toronto.

5/22/2017:

Meghan gives an interview to Glamour UK about her fashion sense and style. She gives an infamous quote about how she likes to wear monochromatic neutrals (which later bites her in the butt when she says the royals made her wear only neutrals).

The Daily Mail reveals that Meghan's legal first name is actually Rachel.

Risque photos from Meghan's 2013 film resurface.

Meghan claims she was given rooms at the hotel where Pippa's wedding breakfast was being held and that she stayed away from the service out of respect to the bride. This completely contradicts her earlier story that she had stayed at Kensington Palace and that Harry left the wedding early to collect her for the after-party.

5/24/2017:

Priyanka Chopra gives an interview in which she speaks about Meghan and hints that she and Harry are engaged, saying she hopes for an invite to the wedding.

Meghan leaks that Harry plans to take her to Lesotho.

Sentebale's financial report is published.

5/28/2017: Meghan teases that she and Harry are house-hunting in Norfolk to be near William, Kate, and the children.

5/29/2017: William's GQ issue is published, in which he gives an intervew speaking about Diana's death and new photographs of the Cambridge family (in black and white!) are released.

5/31/2017: Camilla Thurlow (of Love Island) gives an interview about having dated Harry back in 2014 when they were photographed at a nightclub together.

6/4/2017: Harry travels to Singapore for four days to play polo in a fundraiser for Sentebale. He also does AIDS awareness work. The polo game is where he meets and befriends Nacho Figueroa.

6/7/2017: Harry travels to Sydney to promote the 2018 Invictus Games, merching his Meghan bracelet. Also, Pippa and James Matthews are in Perth for their honeymoon at the same time.

6/8/2017: Andrew applies to the UK Intellectual Property Office to trademark his Pitch@Palace initiative.

6/9/2017: Meghan is just like Queen Letizia!

6/10/2017: Meghan the yoga influencer. Meghan gives an airport papwalk in Texas ahead of the ATX Festival, merching her Panama hat, The Economist, and Chanel. Patrick Adams gives an interview to ATX about Meghan's relationship and speculates Harry ought to make a cameo on Suits.

6/11/2017: US Weekly speculates that Harry and Meghan could be getting married soon.

6/14/2017: The Sun recaps Harry's past relationships. They also reveal that Meghan had been invited to the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando. The Sun claims that Meghan accepted the invitation and attended the games, but she and Harry didn't meet.

(June 14, 2017, is also the Grenfell Tower fire.)

6/16/2017: The Daily Express speculate on what Harry and Meghan's children could like.

6/17/2017:

The royal family celebrates The Queen's Birthday Parade, Trooping the Colour. (Kate and Charlotte wear pink.)

Meghan merches a gold and diamond thumb ring that she claims is from Harry. She also claims that Harry gave her a Cartier Love Bracelet (which we know now is actually from Trevor).

E News reports that Harry flies to Toronto after Trooping festivities to visit Meghan. E News also claims that Harry will propose by the end of the year and that Meghan is preparing to move to London. They later update the article to say Harry's camp denied that he went to Toronto and instead went directly to Malawi/Africa.

6/20/2017:

William and Kate make their first Royal Ascot appearance.

Meghan puts Beatrice and Eugenie on notice that she knows they're trying to take her down.

Rumors of Meghan's attitude/behavior causing problems on the Suits set begin. She brushes it off in an interview saying the cast is upset she keeps ditching them to spend time with Harry and that it'll blow over when she introduces Harry to them.

According to unverified claims by E News, Harry leaves Toronto and flies to Malawi for conservation charity work.

Meghan's character arrives on "The Windsors."

6/21/2017: Harry's Newsweek interview to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Diana's passing, and is part of his Hero Harry PR drive. Infamous snippets:

He's in no rush to get married or propose (clapback to all of Meghan's PR trying to hustle him down the aisle).

No one wants to be king or queen.

He wanted to quit the royal family at one point.

Meghan "communed with the dinosaurs" date night at the Natural History Museum.

"Small window of when people are interested in me before George and Charlotte take over."

6/22/2017: Fleet Street criticism of Harry's Newsweek interview begins. It lasts for about a week.

6/25/2017: Sexy photos from Meghan's 2014 model shoot resurface. Meghan leaks that Harry is making her engagement ring with diamonds and emeralds from Diana's collection and that he is collaborating with the royal jeweller, Harry Collins. She also says that Harry wants to marry sooner rather than later while Philip is still around to attend. (This comes after news that Philip was hospitalized for an infection and immediately causes speculation that Philip is seriously unwell/knocking at death's door.)

6/26/2017: E News claims that Harry's discussion about modernizing the monarchy and his role in the modernized monarchy is him preparing for marriage. This immediately causes speculation amongst royal watchers that he and Meghan had fought about the monarchy's way of charitywork (versus her issues-based campaigning) and Harry's sudden discussions about how the monarchy was modernizing was his attempts to fix it.

Also on 6/26/2017, the Court Circular confirms Harry is in Malawai. It is his only Court Circular appearance between 6/17/2017 (Trooping) and 7/6/2017.

6/27/2017: Meghan flies to London. Harry merches Sandals' Grande St. Lucian resort in a promo article. He stayed at the resort during his Caribbean tour in November 2016.

6/28/2017: Meghan merches her clothes and Channel 4 announces a "Meet the Markles" reality show/docuseries about Meghan's family.

6/29/2017: Meghan merches her clothes again and again tries to be a fashion influencer by plugging the "Meghan Effect." The trailer for Suits Season 7 drops and Charles and Camilla travel to Canada for a 3-day tour.

6/30/2017: Meghan leaks that she and Harry are very private homebodies and prefer to stay at home.

7/1/2017: The Cambridges, Harry, and the Spencers attend a private memorial service at the Althorp estate for Diana. (Meghan is in Toronto filming the 100th episode of Suits, courtesy of Patrick Adams' instagram.) Meghan's relationship history is published. Charles announces plans to throw an enormous 70th birthday party for Camilla.

[llamagoddessofficial]

Thank you @cams4 for an adorable Sans x OC commission 🥺 I love plant mages, if I could pick any magic power it would probably be something plant related <3

---

Calypso came in from the rain, closing the backdoor behind her, cutting off the sound of the downpour that had quickly descended over the skeleton household. She pulled off her coat and hung it up beside the door, moving into the kitchen with a collection of cut plant stalks in one hand. The stems were long but not that thick, the ends dotted with what looked like hundreds of clusters of tiny balls.

When she arrived in the kitchen, Sans was already there. He was leaning on the countertop, casually, a cup of coffee in hand and an easy smile on his face.

(She hadn’t seen the way he jumped at the sound of her coming in. Though it wasn't unusual for her to come over, he hadn't been expecting to see her. She hadn’t seen how he pulled at his dirty shirt, counting the stains and wishing he’d worn something less gross. She hadn’t seen how he scrabbled at some dirty plates he’d bought down from his room and teleported them into the sink- and she hadn’t seen the three poses he’d attempted, before settling on the most casual-seeming one.)

“hey caly.” He said, smooth and warm.

... Calypso’s fern-green eyes only needed to land on him for a few moments, before he already felt himself slightly losing his cool, cheekbones prickling and threatening to flush blue. He swallowed, shifting his weight a little more onto one foot.

She visibly brightened. Raindrops hung suspended in her golden hair, like dozens of little pearls. “Sans! You’re up early!”

Sans was up early. 11am- early for him. He winked. “yup, i can’t be-leaf it either. whatcha doin’ out in the rain?”

His joke earned a modest snort, despite the innumerable amount of times he’d said that same joke to her. “Just some gardening for Papyrus. Is he home yet?” 

“not yet. still working out, probably.”

He didn’t really understand why Calypso bothered with gardening. She was a mage- capable of making plant life grow on command. And yet she often still insisted on taking the long route.

“... I just think it’s much more rewarding to let the plants grow themselves, and help them along a bit. Listen to them, rather than forcing them to make the journey faster. They’re just as pretty when they’re growing as they are when they’re grown.”

... He didn’t get it. The only plant he’d managed to keep alive was a little potted cactus she’d given him a few months ago, a creature who sat happily on his windowsill and seemed to thrive on his neglect. If he had plant powers he’d use them all the time.

... But maybe there was an element of comfort, to him, about the fact that the girl he was so hopelessly head-over-heels for preferred a fixer-upper to something already perfect.

“what’s pap growin’ now, then?” He asked.

“He likes dahlias, so I’ve just planted some. He described them as ‘POSITIVELY MATHEMATICAL’.” She drew a vase out of the cupboard, filling it with water and dropping the large trimmings in. “They might take a while to grow, but that’s alright.”

Sans couldn’t help but chuckle. Of course his brother was obsessed with such a symmetrical flower.

“gotta admit, i’m comin’ up short on dahlia puns.” He supported his chin on his elbow, swirling the remaining dredges of coffee in his cup. Talking to her... it just made him feel so... relaxed. So okay. “what’re the ones in the vase, then?”

“Just some of the hydrangea. It’s getting huge, now. It’s good to garden them when it’s raining.” She gently rearranged them. “I thought they’d look nice inside, when they bloomed.”

He grinned. “bet they’ll be bloomin’ unbelievable.”

...

Calypso suddenly shifted. She looked... nervous? She bit her lip.

... Sans immediately felt himself shift too, instinctively, smile losing a few millimetres. He lowered his mug.

“... something... wrong?” He asked, carefully, after a few moments of silence.

She had no idea how much that single sentence meant, coming from him. Sans, famously terrified of any emotional subject, had a tendency to evacuate the room even when his closest friends got too upset. But with her, he felt a degree of comfort he’d only felt before around family. 

... He wanted to make sure she was okay.

“N-no, not at all.” She needlessly adjusted the flower in the vase again. “I’m fine. Uhm... It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

The thought of her not being able to tell him something made him feel itchy. 

“... you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. but, uh... you can tell me anything, heh.” He was wearing his most disarming smile. “‘sides, if it’s botherin’ you, it’s usually better to get it out.”

If Papyrus had been in the room he would’ve fainted at the sight of Sans not only avoiding the easy way out of the conversation (just accepting her 'I'm fine'), but actively pushing for greater emotional honesty.

As a monster, he had exceptional hearing. He didn’t want to tell her that he could hear her heartbeat getting faster.

“I’m...” Her eyes darted around, focusing on anything that wasn’t him. Were her cheeks getting red? Shit, had one of his jokes landed badly? He racked his mind for anything he could've said to make her upset. “Y-you’re right. It’s... it’ll be better to get it out.”

He was getting nervous now. Was it bad? Should he be concerned? “mhm.”

She stared at the hydrangea. She fidgeted with the side of the countertop, took a breath in...

“I... I really like you.”

...

...

“.......... huh?”

“... Like... erm...” She tucked some hair behind her ear, still not looking at him. “... Romantically.”

...

Not what he was expecting to hear.

...

The sound of the rain outside filled the room. Sans stood there, staring at her blankly, waiting for the punchline. Waiting for her to start laughing, grin and say it was a prank. Waiting for the gotcha!

There was no way she liked him. It was too good to be true.

... Not when he liked her so much, too. 

Calypso glanced at him- his expression must’ve been something else, because she immediately looked away again. He could smell regret starting to seep out of her.

“I-I mean... it doesn’t matter. You don’t have to do anything. It’s no big deal.” She laced her fingers together, then unlaced them, tapping them on the countertop, as unsure of how to stand as he had been minutes earlier. “I just, uhm... figured you should know... nothing has to change though. A-and it’s fine, I’ll probably-” 

Her cheeks were getting progressively redder and redder, and her voice progressively smaller and smaller. She was being honest. 

“i-i like you too,” he blurted. 

...

She finally looked at him. She stared at him as blankly as he’d stared at her. 

... He had to let go of his mug, for fear of cracking the handle. 

“... romantically.”

Calypso's face flushed. As it did, her eyes glimmered green for a split second- and every bud on hydrangeas in the vase instantly opened, a vivid bunch of bubblegum pink.

It kinda matched the shade on her cheeks.

...

“Y-you... do?” Her voice cracked.

His Soul was in his mouth. If it turned out she was pranking him, he’d never forgive her. don’t laugh at me. 

“... you sound like you don’t believe me.” He said, as playfully as he could, in the state he was in. He could feel his eyelights all but twinkling in his sockets, they were probably embarrassingly big and fuzzy.

“I... w-well. You’re just... you’re so cool, and I...”

... Sans laughed. He couldn’t help it. It was a short sound, he covered his mouth- she quickly gave him a quizzical look. Though she seemed comforted by the sound. 

i feel like my bones are gonna fall apart.

“i-i’m sorry. i just...” He dragged his hand down his face, his grin was so big it was starting to ache. “i can’t believe you said that. that’s exactly how i feel about you.”

The hydrangeas went from pink to red. Again, just like her face. “... You think I’m... cool?”

He had word vomit. “who wouldn’t?”

He was so... excited? Happy? He couldn’t put his finger on it. He wasn’t used to not knowing exactly how he felt.

...

“... I didn’t know you could go that colour.” Calypso giggled, gently.

Sans quickly became self-conscious of the amount of magic he could feel prickling in his cheekbones. His face must’ve been absolutely cerulean; he itched his cheekbone, letting out a weak chuckle of his own and glancing away. 

“guess, uh... my crush confessing to me blue me away, heheh...”

...

She reached across, and took one of his skeletal hands in hers.

He stared at the two limbs, entwined. Warmth spread through his chest. Whatever he was feeling, he really liked it.

...

“pap is gonna lose his shit when he finds out.”

“I know, right?”

[exhaustedcatte]

Grimmauld Place

“Yes, yes,” Draco huffed. “Tell Kathleen to ask Robbards instead, I’m only a mere banker, he’s the auror!”

Draco put the receiver down with force, fuming at the audacity of some clients. Even after cleaning up his act, absolutely spotless might he add, some people still found ways to poke through his defences.

Their newest target was Harry Potter, or also known as Draco’s fiancé.

Gringgotts had kindly offered him a spot fresh out of school, after Draco had submitted a letter of referral from both the Headmistress and Arithmancy professor of Hogwarts. It helped that he had vast knowledge about the kind of money that was sent here for safekeeping.

It was only a couple months in that Harry had turned up at his office, with a huge sum left behind by a certain Sirius Black. One thing led to another and Draco promised him a coffee. Now, almost eight years later, Draco was going to be promising him the rest of his life.

“Alright Malfoy,” Pillai strode into his cabin, closing the door behind her with her pencil heel. “What’s wrong?”

“I want to run away,” Draco dropped his head on the table, groaning.

“I bet. Well, your little hunk is out there being sniffed by Skeeter’s rats.”

When Draco lifted his forehead to see Malavika tuck her saree pallu into her skirt, she smiled sinisterly. “Go get your man.”

Draco pulled on his coat and let his glasses drop by the chain around his neck. A quick swipe of his wand and his messenger bag was packed up and ready to go.

“Be a dear for once and tell Cecily I’m clocking out early?” He kissed Malavika’s cheek, in an attempt to disarm her while being sincere with his love.

“I’m always a dear,” she said heatedly to his retreating back, obviously flustered, still unused to being subjected to physical affection.

Harry Potter, as it turned out, had a few tricks up his sleeve. He’d finally learnt to sneak out of the paws of those terrible paps, who still to this day stalked him. It obviously didn’t help that Draco was involved. It made Harry Potter more of a spectacle than ever.

When Draco walked past the camera flashlights unnoticed, he heard a whisper behind his ear-shell telling him to keep going and to take the fire escape out the building. Draco heeded the advice obediently, thrilled at the turn of events.

He felt around him for a solid body after they’d safely exited the lobby and stumbled into the stairwell. Harry pulled the invisibility cloak off to wrap Draco in a hug.

“They were about to raise hell out here and I knew you’d get nasty if they did,” he explained cheekily, mouthing at Draco’s earlobe.

“Damn right,” he murmured, hands settling on the Professor’s waist.

It was still a little disorienting how well they knew each other – Draco was self-aware, it was obvious they’d kept some rather strong tabs on each other but he’d never imagined a reality where’s they’d use the information they’d gleaned for loveable motives.

It made his heart beat loud in his temple, as if a prayer he had memorised.

“So,” Harry continued, “I snuck into the washroom and hid in my cloak. Then stood behind those godawful gnome statues till I heard Pillai shove you out.”

“Good job, Potter, colour me impressed,” Draco nodded, feeling delighted at the steady rise of red up Harry’s throat at the compliment.

“Why did you come anyway?”

“Oh, right! Hermione mentioned there’s a nice thrift store a few blocks from here so I thought we could go look at furniture.”

Harry had disposed most of Grimmauld Place’s rotten furniture. The wood had begun to splinter off, nails popping into the cushions of the chairs, wallpaper peeling away. The whole scene.

Draco, when he had come around, had donated (given as a placeholder in place of– well, himself) his own things from the Manor. Beautiful pieces he couldn’t part with. He never imagined Harry would want to do away with those as well.

“Furniture?”

“Ah, well,” Harry cleared his throat. He sounded much more nervous now.

Draco squeezed his hand, a silent hey, it’s okay.

“Right, um. Since we’re getting married and all,” Harry said quickly, “I thought we could get some new things for around the house. Like a new chapter? Something to start afresh? Just a few things here and there to add on to your collection…”

Harry Potter was a child who was always given hand-me-downs. Very rarely did he use his money to get something for himself either. Draco wanted to smack himself in the head. To think he wanted to build something with Draco? Of course he would agree.

“Lead the way, Potter,” Draco smiled, sweet, all teeth showing.

Obviously relieved, his fiancé whisked him away in a blur of magic to the furniture store.

An adequately well-curated collection stood pristine in the small building. Draco let go of Harry to let him shop while he did some browsing.

Draco, who had been an absolute wizard at Charms (hah! wizard), had picked up a few fun tricks while squatting around in the library, the one place Harry Potter hated entering, searching for ways to one-up the Gryffindor.

In his search, he found a rather curious spell – one that allowed him to see whose belongings were what, to see who last used it and such.

Draco cast the spell on a hat-pin first.

Owner – Candace Higgins. Last Used – Jemma Jones.

Maybe they were mother and daughter or sisters or best friends. Or maybe they were unrelated.

He looked behind, but Harry was in the other end of the room, near the beds, talking to a salesman about prices and such.

Draco picked up a hand-mirror.

Owner – Lucia Phyllis. Last Used – Felipa Phyllis.

It was definitely a collectible, maybe an heirloom. Gold gilded and shiny. He put it back down reverently. Lucia had good taste, whoever she was.

Feeling a bit bold, Draco spelled a bookcase.

Owner – Gideon Bones. Last Used – Susan Bones.

Draco jumped back at the familiar name.

“Excuse me, sir? How far back do these pieces date?”

The salesman looked around the room. “Well, we have some pretty vintage things here – some that we don’t use anymore. We have stuff from the 80s and then more recent things from few years to a few months ago.”

“I see,” Draco said. Harry furrowed his brow in question but Draco smiled to reassure him.

He then began spelling away. Flatware, silk bedclothes (which okay, kind of ew), tables, stools, hats and scarves. All the sort.

Harry Potter was still shuffling around looking at stuff like vases and ink pots. Poor thing had no idea where to begin. But Draco wanted Harry to pick something out for himself by himself, like a present.

But then.

He saw a pair of identical slipper-chairs, a velveteen red, and decided that would go well with the green rug in the salon.

Spell.

Owner – James Potter and Lily Potter. Last Used – Harry Potter.

Draco stopped in his tracks suddenly like he was hit by a Colloshoo.

There was no way. Absolutely one in a million chance.

He spelled it again. Once, twice, thrice, four tim–

“Malfoy,” Harry hissed. “Don’t be spelling things in front of muggles!”

“Harry,” he said, dazed. “Tell me what you see, okay?”

He cast the charm again.

Once again, gooey letters formed over the two soft chairs.

“What the fuck?” Harry muttered. “What?”

“It’s a spell that tells you the owner and the person who had it last. Um.” Draco’s throat felt sticky.

Harry reached over to smooth the fabric. “This is? Mine? My parents’?”

Draco nodded dumbly. “Seems so. Isn’t that lovely?”

“I… yeah. Yeah. But how?”

“I’m guessing someone donated it after…”

Harry ducked his head mutely, overcome by emotion. Draco pet his hair, trying to offer comfort.

“Hello? Good sir, we’d like to buy these here, please!”

The salesman, or owner, by the looks of it, he was the only one in here anyway, ambled to where they were stood. “The chairs? I’m afraid it’s been booked.”

Harry wilted under Draco’s palm. Like flowers drooping under the harsh sun.

“I can pay you double. Please. This belongs to him.” And as a last ditch attempt, “It’s a family heirloom.”

The man raised his eyebrows below his thick hair, finding the heirloom thing ridiculous. But he only replied with, “How can you prove it?”

Harry stood up and put a restraining hand on Draco’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s alright.”

“No no,” Draco frowned. “Listen, sir? Douglas?” he read the name-tag. “We can pay full amount right now. Please?” Draco wasn’t one to beg or plead, but he would grovel for Harry Potter if he had to.

The man shrugged. “Sorry, can’t do nothin’, well, unless the other guys don’t turn up for payment.”

Draco stood away, eyeing the chairs while Harry booked something for the house. He’d already known what he’d wanted apparently.

“Home?”

“Yeah,” Harry said quietly. “Home.”

Draco remained patient till dinner, trying not to pry, but then again, he couldn’t let Harry drown in his head. When they sat down on their leather chesterfield with a glass of red, Draco decided to open the can of worms.

“Potter? Are you alright?”

Harry looked at him for a minute over the rim of his glass while downing his wine. Draco sat nervously still, not backing down.

“Thank you,” he said finally, after polishing it off, shy.

Draco felt his heart melt. “Oh, Harry. Oh, sweetheart.” He set his glass down, and tugged Harry closer.

“No, really, thank you so much.”

Draco blushed. “I didn’t even do anything. We didn’t get the chairs,” he pointed out uselessly.

Harry shook his head, wayward curls flying with his movements. “You tried.”

Then, reminded by the failure of the chair situation he sighed, dejected. Draco hated seeing Harry like that, like an abandoned pup on the curb-side on a rainy day inside a soggy cardboard box.

“Hey, I’m sure if I dig around I’ll find a charm that can play memories from objects, you do own some old things of theirs, right?”

Harry, who was absolute pants at Charms, perked up at that. “You’d do that for me?”

“I would burn the world to keep you warm, Harry Potter,” Draco said seriously, but still laughingly.

He finally cracked a smile.

“Thanks Malfoy.”

“Stop thanking me, I’m not God –although I could be.”

“No,” Harry agreed, smile lines crinkling the skin around his eyes. “You’re too disgusting, too potty-mouthed for that.”

“Pot calling kettle,” Draco sniffed. “I might even venture to say you seem to quite enjoy it.”

“You might have to remind me,” Harry blinked slowly, eyes turning into liquid fire. Draco loved when Harry got like this – all coy and blithe.

“Oh?”

“Mhm,” he inched closer. “Bought us a new bedframe.”

“Oh.”

“Want to test its quality?”

“You’re so on.”

Three weeks later, on Christmas day, after Draco kissed Harry pink for the novelty glass chess-kit, Harry opened Draco’s present. His very enormous and neatly wrapped gift.

Two red slipper chairs which read James, Lily and Harry Potter when spelled.

Draco saw Harry’s lashes lower over his eyes, in an attempt to blink his tears away. Draco let him.

“How?” his voice was tight, strained with emotion.

“Went back to the store,” Draco grinned proudly. “They put it on sale again because it wasn’t paid for, only marked by a couple who never turned up even after a month. So I snatched it up. Scourgified it and well, here it is!”

Harry fisted Draco’s emerald green Weasley sweater in his hands and kissed him roughly, but still sweet, still kind, still grateful.

“Thank you, Draco.”

“Think it’ll read Last Used by Harry and Draco Potter someday?” He asked with a smile, looking at the red chairs.

Harry squeezed his hand. “Stick around and find out for yourself.”

[squadrah]

got inspired by the awesome dilf post, so please: la squadra as milfs???

I'M SOBBING, here we go I guess!! I'm dialing this one to eleven!!

Risotto: She's giant in every way so everyone else appears quite small next to her. She's usually in the kitchen or her kitchen garden, picking fruit from her trees without needing so much as a stool to reach most of them. Rumor has it she once slapped a wild bear in the face with her chancla to defend her family, and if asked about it, she will modestly look away and murmur, "Anyone else would have done the same." (The bear never came back, by the way.)

Formaggio: You can tell she used to be a hardcore punk: she still sports a buzz cut, with red lipstick and golden hoop earrings to add some bright colors. She's top heavy and proud of it, so she makes sure to show ample cleavage and likes to wear leather jackets. She loves to go out and constantly organizes outings for her friends and family; has never missed an event, and has never left an event without drinking something. A dangerous flirt.

Prosciutto: She's extremely overcommitted, and how she hasn't gone insane yet from micromanaging everything from work to her entire family's smallest concerns is a mystery. Her children are still affected by her leaning in and papping their cheeks, and the impression is even stronger on covetous strangers. Only ever lets her curly hair down for evening parties, at which point she basically transforms into into a femme fatale. Pegs like a battering ram.

Pesci: Always overcome by severe gender dysphoria whenever she compares herself to her more feminine peers, but she makes do with cute and novel ways of styling her scant hair, nice patterned tops and trouser skirts. She's often shy, but sometimes has her bold moments that suggest she could be a real firecracker if properly encouraged. Does a lot of heavy lifting that reveals ridiculous core strength and flexibility. Loves dancing and rhythm games.

Ghiaccio: The only one in yoga class who wishes you were allowed to scream out loud, and the only parent who, if their child takes up a sport, will take up that sport herself both as a form of support and as a means of bonding with her child and people her age. Is a health freak and makes kale smoothies, but since her legs look great in tight pants and her tits are rock hard, she's clearly winning. Has probably never had an orgasm, so there's a good challenge.

Melone: How is she still alive, and why does she still look like a barely aged scene girl? Nobody knows, not even her, but she's happy to lounge on her designated bean bag chair in cute pajamas and her laptop always on. Be careful around her: her brain is oversaturated with niche Wikipedia articles and she'll tell you all about them as soon as you're near enough to hear, and you might in ten minutes find yourself painting her toenails while she's reading your horoscope.

Illuso: Oh, she is the ultimate Karen. Luscious hair styles, immaculate manicures, the latest mom fashions, and a holier-than-thou smirk that instantly makes the manager homicidal. Knows her coupons and discounts more than the Bible but she's dressed to the nines every Sunday flashing that mass stipend to let everyone know she's more generous of heart than they could ever be, then whines at the barista about her order. Teases her children mercilessly.

Sorbet: That one esoteric plant witch who loves her orchids more than her own children, and would become a certified hermit if she could. Since she's stuck with her family, however, she stalks around her home like she's embodying Morticia Addams, and talks to everyone in a dry and ominous tone. Watches too many murder mysteries and cooks mushroom stew right after. You are welcome to indulge her obscure opera obsession, but watch out.

Gelato: The whimsical happy-go lucky mom that every fanciful child dreams of, the type who builds blanket forts in the living room, thinks that everyone deserves a little treat always, and actively assists whenever anyone around her wants to try something new and possibly dangerous. Has nearly burned down her house a dozen times but she keeps toasting marshmallows in bed with a blowtorch. Hope you have insurance if you decide to engage.

[somuchyoudontknow]

Feel free to disagree, but there has to be a reason why, as your one anon put it, they continue to poke the bear when they could just not.

think about other celeb couples that were controversial or hated by fans; Harry and Olivia, Sebastian and his gf, Henry and his gf, ana and Ben affleck (not sure if hated but annoyed a lot of ppl lol during Covid).

What did all of these couples have in common? They all continued to push through even tho fans reacted so negatively (usually the fan base on the male counterpart side). Sebastian got vilified by his own fan base and it was quite similar to the CE stuff. His own fans became his worst haters and he was canceled at least a dozen times. He ended up leaving SM likely due to it and there was a ton of times you could tell he was having a meltdown due whatever what was happening. The main difference between him and CE was that Sebastian made it more obvious he was seeing all the hate (he literally captioned an IG post, thanks for the love, thanks for the hate) and then made comments on interviews that ppl were stalking him (not untrue). But he continued to show up with ale despite getting attacked everytime.

Henry put fans in their place and keeps showing up with Natalie. I think his situation is a bit different but maybe also the same.

Harry and Olivia kept showing up with each other but during don’t worry darling press it looked like they barely ever interacted (did anyone think that was odd they did a whole press tour and I don’t think they interacted once? But she kept showing up in pap pics with him later).

Ana and Ben got made fun of relentlessly due to their Covid pap walks. But they didn’t stop. The comments were relentless on every tabloid and ana clearly was scarred by it all, but she still had to push through and keep showing up with Ben.

This is my theory:

CE continues to be associated with AB despite the backlash because he, like all his predecessors, have to be.

He just doesn’t want to have to be seen with her unless he has to be.

His reserved list of friends continue to allude to spending time with her and her crew. AB also doesn’t appear to want to address CE publicly, but continues to let herself be associated with him and hide unless it’s to let people speculate she’s with him.

This is their way of pushing the narrative instead of doing pap walks.

They did do one and you could tell, I think, that AB has never done anything like this before. She looked completely out of her element and CE did not look like he wanted to be there at all. He’s hiding his face behind a mask outside. They got made fun of by fans and tabloids alike. To my knowledge, they haven’t really done one since.

I think they can’t make it believable but they need to, just like all those other couples. So this is their only route. They have to continue pushing the envelope, despite backlash and despite fans getting so upset and more and more rabid.

It’s the same formula, but you’re not seeing them “together” because either one or both sides refuses to flaunt it, so it’s causing some team real to make assumptions they’re just private.

No, real privacy - you wouldn’t know a thing. CE doesn’t live in LA. He could keep his dating life on the DL which he apparently had all these years after breaking up with Jenny S. Its only when he dates an actress or HW person that these things don’t remain on the DL.

I’ve always thought that if AB was a real thing, those ten months leading up to their public reveal would have given him/them reason to not go public. He and his family were harassed so much that they all retreated to hiding away. The comments about AB, just rumors, were abhorrent. I think they could have kept it secret and just kept on keeping it secret.

But they didn’t. Which tells me, they had to make it public and they have to use it for publicity. He had to let her show up to his movie premiere because it was big press for him, first movie of the year. If they wanted to keep it private, she could have not attended. But she showed up and pretended he didn’t exist and vice versa. By contrast, Ana was happy to be papped with her bf on the same day of the premiere, but we don’t get that with AB. Just her showing up looking like she played dress up in her mom’s closet.

This may now be a very unpopular opinion, but I think everything that’s happened this past week gives more reason for PR than not.

You can disagree, but this is what I’m seeing. They have to continue this and this is CE’s workaround. I don’t think he’s an idiot. I think he is much smarter than people give him credit for. Also, I’m thinking him having to show up with her in CP and post those IG videos probably had him cringing for weeks after. All the comments coming from haters probably has him sick to his stomach and it’s probability why he looked so solemn and nervous the first day of that comic con. I also think for the fans or I guess haters? That are sticking around, you’re going to be here for a while. He’s stuck in this and I think it’s going to continue, like you, mod, have said - until it’s run it’s course.

I agree 💯 I don't have to add anything :)

[zumpietoo]

Cracks Knuckles....

(and this is just Nose-Poopers.....)

Yes, indeed......an entire year of their "relationship" having not moved forward from "casually dating" (actually, she did moar with GymD, honestly) and only ever spotted together when it's a given there's gonna be a camera/leaks....it's funny how they're otherwise neverrrrrr seen together, isn't it?

Orrrr.....celebrate how many of these pics are from the same few staged events.....so, again, even then over the course of year? Not even a whole lot.....

Orrr.....how PP has yet to meet his 'rents and they have yet to spend an actual major holiday together. And had one, 3 second, pee arr "vacation" together....

(I think a year in Cari were making arrangements for moving in together, no? And Cole spent the biggest Catholic holiday of the year with her entire family....despite covid, less than 6 months in. To say nothing of countless vacays, routinely spotted, etc).

Yes, it takes somebody verrryyyy desperate for attention and fame whoring....

Also, if getting papped = twu wuv, whelp that WAS how Cari were outed AND later papped multiple times that same year, sooooo.....however, they were papped cuz stalked/somebody called the paps ON them....conversely CabanaPee? The most staged pap walk everrr......I mean, they made Crotchi and her mannnyyyyy pap walks look natural and real.

Oh and A) Milo doesn't seem to "adore" SweatBoi OR Peepster (actually he only "adores" SlaveTay) B) he's a DOG, so fuckin' what?

It cracks me up lol, too! Cuz, again, Happy one year anniversary of staged, desperate fame whoring.....that, ironically.....hasn't done anything for either of their careers!

TBF, turns out PP was always a smarmy, snide jackass, herself (or at least a snotty meangirl)......that said, so you're celebrating that she has no discernible personality of her own, but instead imprints herself on her S/O, because she's that vapid a loser?

One, very bad snapshot with her phone from months ago----using a hobby she cribbed from Cole? And never got better at?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Riverdale cast updates ✨ (@riverdalegh)

Well, that IS true, Peepster.....however......

A) Never, everrrrrrr wear a tube top again. You look horrifically flabby and it flattens your overrated boobies (revealing, in fact, that they aren't nearly as impressive as you try to pimp, buuuut....)

B) Milo - "please stop touching me, PP.....isn't it enough that you've broken my will on a daily basis for 4 years, now? Save me, SlaveTay!"

A) how uspeakably creepy, obsessive and revealing as to how little content they have

B) Nope

C) ironically, it's really shitty, anyway.

Pee Arr/PowerCoupling!!!

I love how they're joining CrotchGnome there to do even moar powercoupling (yet never, ever otherwise see each other, despite all living in the same city---and PP so unemployed she's now a tiktoker full time, again, excepting photo ops.....cuz, couldn't be moar obvious "not really friends")

AND

How PP looks progressively less attractive, moar bitchy and evermoar plastic every day.....

AND

How SweatBoi is now fully cosplaying/copycatting Cole from 5 years ago....in fact he's now literally cosplaying HIMSELF cosplaying Cole he's so outrageously fake in it here....

Remember my point upthread about how their Pee Arr/Power Coupling has done dick for either of their careers? Even Nose-Poopers admits it!

[starstrucktriumphprince]

I get such bad vibes from this girl and I hate it because I don't know the situation or her, but something just is off. I know it said rumor girlfriend, and everything blah blah so I'm not jumping to things. Those photos of them definitely seem staged, and my guess if they were it was by her or her team. I'm not one of those crazy fans to dive into these sort of things, but I want to get my point across. This isn't from jealous or even concern, just pointing things out. We have never had a pap pic of Joe even with his raise. We've only ever had event photos, fan photos or crazy fan photos where they take them without his knowledge. We also know Joe is a private person when it comes to his personal life, and I think we can all agree on that from stuff he has said but also how he is in general. The only personal photos I've seen via fan pages that pop up seem to all be stolen from friend pages, etc. I find it very odd how all of a sudden after not knowing anything about them even being together some how the pap just happen to show up with them being scene together and now there are articles about "Who is Alicia Davis?" not even soon afterwards. Not to mention all the other information I've been seeing from people about her trashing him, stalking him, etc. Let's hope he's happy, and if he is then good for him but I just get bad vibes.

This, 100%!!! I don't know what to add to what you said because you sum it up very well! Probably I don't agree much with the "Let's hope he's happy, and if he is then good" part because I don't think someone that acted like she did (the stalking, bodyshaming and mocking) may be a healthy relationship, but, it's not like we can do anything about it except express our concern about it and hope for the best.

[notafunkiller]

New to your blog so forgive me if you’ve already answered this but what about Seb and Annabelle’s relationship makes you believe it’s PR? I can see both sides of the coin, PR vs. real & was just curious your thoughts.

Hii, welcome here✨️

Sebastian always wanted to have more power over his projects aka to produce. The industry still sees him as a foreigner and Sebastian believes he still needs to prove himself to get awards.

PR is a common practice, especially in creative industries, including film and music.

And of course he does pr, too. Work pr (I remember Ric Flair or Tommy Lee dinners, for example. The paps were clearly called) and personal pr.

I just find it obvious it's pr and that he makes almost. no effort to participate, either. He lets her do most of it.

I always found that photo at Robert's birthday kinda weird and pr-istic.

Not because couldn't just be together... but because he just seemed so 🧍‍♀️ while she pecks/kisses his lip. And he still seems so🧍‍♀️.

I find it off he is not affectionate with her... like at all (wedding, street, after parties, birthdays). Especially since his love language is physical touch.

People say it's because NOW he wants to be private but privacy ≠ no emotions.

I find their pap walks kinda suspicious: for example, the ones in New York in December 2022 one after another... in NEW YORK!

And the random photos that appeared on Instagram (from random crew people that were in vacation with thwm that have not posted or barely posted anything) or I remember the Lily photos (after people said he saw him alone catching up with Lily and giving her love advice earlier that week) when then DM sightings/blind items dropped… too suspicious.

And since she reaches out for him most of the time, so she wants public relationship validation (which is normal)... and even during paps walks or when people take/took photos of them at events without knowing there was a camera, they seem distant.

And when she posts him it's like she is allowed only to "bait" him to... I don't know if I phrased it right, but I hope it makes sense. Because she posts his back or his side and voice (the helicopter story with her liking the comment that said it's his voice, stalking fans etc) when they are in real time together, yet she posts internet photos with him when he is at BIG events (alone). She followed his costars only when those big events happened despite knowing he filmed with them. And he never brings her with him besides after parties and hotel rooms, which is strange.

Margarita, for example, was with him at the CACW premiere, just not on the red carpet.

I also remember AW posting a shoe story, which made cringe, truth be told, because that's...

She also stalked a Dakota Johnson fan account in January 2023 when they were already together. And she is known as a beard (or fake girlfriend) in Hollywood in general from what I heard.

So yes, this is basically why I really think they're pr.

[duelistkingdom]

name: project gold rush (unofficial title)

main characters: violet foxglove & karma carter

plot: violet foxglove, age seventeen, is on the cusp of greatness. capitol records has signed her when she was only fifteen and given her complete creative freedom in her career with only one catch: they get to control her image. it is a more than fair trade in her mind and she gets to work right away on the pop album she’s always wanted to make but could never afford to make. everything is going fine until karma carter, age eighteen, crashes into her life. karma is a nepotism baby, who never wants for anything. an internationally known model with her sights are set on violet, and what karma wants, karma gets. with all the scandal and drama, it’s no wonder the two are in the tabloids all the time - but that doesn’t mean any of them know the truth.

elevator pitch: project gold rush is a romance novel set in the early 2000s and takes place over the course of decades as two rich girls learn what really matters in life.

warnings: closeting, homophobia, sexism, exploitation, manipulation, abusive parents

if you like my work, support me on kofi

She imagined what it would be like if this was real - being accepted for who she was by someone who she loved. It was enough to make her realize that yes, she could write real songs about this relationship, too. It didn't have to all be as fake as her hair and nails. "I got scared that if I told you, you'd tell everyone, and I'd lose out on what I'd been dreaming of."

Alex tilted his head. "Fame isn't what it's cracked up to be, you know. Weirdos stalking you, people thinking that they know you, having to be nice to strangers even when you're tired because god forbid you don't treat a stranger you barely know like a friend."

Violet laughed, shaking her head. Fame wasn't what she was after. She was after something much deeper than that. "Not fame, no," she said, wondering what the best way to put this would be. She tilted her head, mulling it over. "It's more like... you know when you create something, and it's nice? But you want other people to see that it's nice. You want to perform it in front of people, feel the rush of knowing other people relate to it? I want people to see me for me."

To this, Alex grinned. "That's a far better reason to dance with the devil."

KARMA CARTER STUNS IN MILAN! In between her fashion walks and Vogue covers, Karma finds time to hang out with her new budding friendships with Alex Mills of Gods and Men fame and Violet Foxglove. The trio were recently spotted at a tiny gelato shop in Milan. We can't think of a better friendship circle to be part of! Rumors are that Alex and Violet looked so in love that it left Karma wishing for a man of her own! Here's to hoping that Karma soon ceases to be a third wheel to her new friends and finds herself a man! We're rooting for you, Karma.

Pap walks were nothing new to Karma, and she wasn't surprised when Violet came forward with the fact her label expected her to do one with her boyfriend. Which left Karma feeling almost a little put out. After all, she'd been hoping when Violet had reached out for a sleepover, it'd been code for something a little more... intimate. Instead, she was out in public with cameras being shoved in her face while Violet hanged off the rocker with a smile that she wished was for her instead. But she knew better than to look upset about it. She laughed at the right moments, acted like she fit right in with them. Maybe she should talk to her mom about getting her a PR boyfriend so she didn't look like a loser next time she was out with them.

She thought about what the media would say about this. Maybe she could threaten some of the magazine with severing professional ties if they dare to make her out to seem like a desperate third wheel. Not that would stop some tabloids and the trash like TMZ from talking shit. Their whole shtick, after all, was to make people like her look bad for the cardinal sin of being too popular. Too in their face. Women like her, according to them, needed to be taken down a peg. Because how dare she know that she's stunning, she supposed. Whatever. It wasn't her problem to worry about right now.

They headed back to the hotel, and oddly enough, Violet simply hugged Alex goodnight. She wasn't an expert in relationships by any stretch of the means, but it seemed odd to her that the two didn't share a goodnight kiss. Violet turned to her, and Karma's heart leapt into her throat, wondering if she could somehow read her mind and know exactly what she was thinking. It was almost embarrassing how Violet had reduced her to a mess of a girl with her heart in her acrylic finger nailed hands - enough to signal to Karma that there was no chance of anything here. She could almost imagine the slur coming out of Violet's lips if she knew the truth of how she felt. It was better for everyone if she kept all those feelings buried deep.

Some part of her had been hoping that Alex and Violet were fake for the press. Perhaps she still was, since she was reading into the lack of the kiss between the two. Or maybe they just weren't comfortable with PDA. The low waist flare jeans gave Karma a hint of a sliver of Violet's hips, and she could imagine herself worshiping at them like an altar. But she shouldn't. She won't. The Nirvana shirt clung to Violet's breasts, with a hint of nipple poking through - she wore no bra. She swallowed hard, and reminded herself that Violet was more than definitely straight at this point. The unnamed ex-boyfriend, the chemistry between her and Alex... she'd been hopeful for nothing.

While she was a little bitter about that, she wouldn't let her feelings color what could potentially be a good friendship. After all, Violet had seemed so apologetic about the pap walk sprung on them by the record label, and insisted that she'd tried to get out of having to do the walk. It was more than any other person would have done in Violet's position. After all, being seen with a supermodel like Karma would easily raise her stock and make people want to see her perform. It seemed a lot like fame itself was a secondary thing to Violet - she truly cared more about the art. It, unfortunately, only made Karma's crush on her grow. "Shall we get out of here," Violet asked, a sparkle in those dark brown eyes. "You owe me a sleepover, after all."

Karma swore she smelled cherries from the lip gloss that Violet had slathered on and she longed for a taste. She knew better than to go for that in public, however. Last thing she needed was for people to think of her as a predator for liking girls. No, instead, she smiled and nodded. "Let's go up to my room," she said, taking Violet's hand in hers and ignoring how well it fit there. She yanked her to the elevator, grateful to have ditched Alex. "So, what do you think of Alex? He's kind of a hottie, isn't he?" Violet frowned at this, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, I'm not trying to steal your man."

A pause hung in the air as the elevator door closed, and instantly Karma was certain she'd screwed up. Violet was looking away from her, staring instead at the floors passing by. It was so uncomfortable that it felt like the air itself was pressing down on her chest. Finally, Violet spoke. "Sorry, I'm not used to hanging out with other girls," she said, her voice softer and more cautious than she would expect from a girl who was filmed in a sparkling body suit in a hot tub filled with champagne and rose petals. A pink blush had smattered across Violet's cheeks - the same color as Karma's favorite lipstick. "Most people don't want to hang out with me."

Now that was something that Karma found difficult to believe. Who wouldn't be clamoring for a chance to be by her side? "Then most people are morons," Karma said, flipping her hair. She eyed them in the elevator's full length mirror and laughed. "You know, side by side like this, we kind of look like sisters."

Violet glanced over at them. The one thing that no one had bothered to mention was that Violet was tall. Karma, at six foot two, had always been considered one of the tallest girls in the room. Violet was at most two, maybe three inches shorter than her. Between the two of them, they could easily make the self-esteem of any man plummet just by stepping into the room. Both of them had hair that could only be achieved from a flat iron, with Violet's hair more towards platinum than the natural honeyed blonde Karma opted for. She was certain that hair like Violet's could only come out of a bottle, however. Not that she could say anything - her hair was usually a dirtier blonde than now. "We're just both tall and blonde," Violet finally decided. "And... maybe similar eye shapes. But my chin and lips are utterly different from yours. And my nose too."

Oh, she'd noticed Violet's lips alright. Red lip usually looked tacky on most people in Karma's opinion, but Violet wore it well. When Violet wore it, it looked classic - like she'd stepped out of an ad for victory red lipstick from the 1940s. It was clear that as much as her record label wanted to push a bit of sex appeal on Violet, they also wanted a broad appeal for her. "People like tall and blonde," Karma said, inching closer. She desperately wanted to put her arm around her. Was that something normal girls did? Maybe Violet wouldn't overthink it. A lot of nerve went into throwing her arm around her shoulders. The heat coming off Violet's body was impossible to ignore. "We'll be unstoppable."

A small smile twitched on those red lips. "So you wouldn't hate hanging out with me again?" She tucked a lock of long platinum hair behind her ear, and Karma could count every single lash on her eyelid. She could see the color in her eyes - dark brown surrounded by flecks of gold and honey. "We haven't even finished this hang out, you know."

There was a twinkle in her eye - a hope that Karma couldn't figure out. Part of her dared to dream but... she didn't even dare to wish it. Whatever hung in the air was better left unsaid. She smirked, squeezing Violet in hopes of having her just a little bit closer for even a brief moment. "Everyone knows if you wanna stay on top of everyone else, you gotta be two steps ahead," she said, stepping away as the elevator reached her floor. "I can teach you some tricks, you know."

"Then show me the way."

[littlemissidontcare]

honestly guys.. how can you say that about her especially given the last month? Now, i know you guys can’t stand her but try to be honest / this and the rest of your ask are complete bullshit. The only reason why this woman isn’t posting or doing anything publicly is because she was called out pretty badly early in the summer. She is LUCKY that she isn’t widely known because if someone like J.Lo or whomever else had had such an embarrassing series of events take place, she’d be the laughing stock of the season.

May: Very obviously forced lunch with Lily James. Came right on the tail of Seb being spotted out with only Lily a week prior. White-knuckling Sebastian’s hand. Staring at the camera. He shakes shit up by starting a fight to embarrass her (love me some Leo spite 😂).

June: Honestly nothing I can care to dig through my memory for until the end of the month. We catch her STALKING Seb on the fashion show livestream. Big yikes. People on Twitter are like “lol she’s crazy.” THEN she shows up in Malta and we get unretouched pics of her there. Her face is literally frozen and we see what she actually looks like. Embarrassing. Fire your injector.

July: She gets desperate. The first week of the month is hilariously messy. NEEDS to let us know she’s at Benz’s house for the 4th after Sebastian is spotted talking to EmRata in Paris. Pap walk on the 5th. Photos show up mysteriously on tumblr in the wee hours of the morning on the 6th and then disappear. ZERO trace of them on the internet until around 10 AM, EST. The photos are…weird. He lets her hold in pinky for about five seconds before he yanks it away and she has to make it look like she pulled away to point to something. They have a chaperone with them, yet again. Sebastian looks so angry and mean that it’s actually uncomfortable to look at. That same day she posts three photos from Malta on Insta, and is CALLED OUT in the comments when she tries to say “I’m actually quite shy.” She gets so embarrassed that she deletes the entire comment thread.

July, cont’d: LOL this is great because we’re barely two weeks into the month and sis has been served a massive helping of Get Fucked every day 😂 DM has Enty on her Podcast and he obliterates her without stuttering once. Confirms that she’s a gf for hire, extremely opportunistic, etc. Also says they’re PR. THE FOLLOWING WEEK! DM talks about them again, saying that Annabelle had mutual friends set them up and he set major boundaries from the beginning. They (probably he, let’s be real) don’t even consider each other boyfriend and girlfriend. Annabelle goes radio silent for a week. Shows up at one of Anastasia’s, like, five PR dinners the following week. It’s such an obvious attempt at damage control that nobody gives a fuck.

A cruel, cruel summer for her, indeed. It’s not that she wants to hide. She’s probably been advised to hide.

[mama-qwerty]

Darkling Wade - Instincts

Here we go!

I hope this comes across like I intended, and I’m not just reading it KNOWING how it should sound. Because it seemed really good in my head.

~~~~~

It had been four months since Wade became a Dark.

Four months of adjusting to: taking care of scales, not stepping on his own tail, working with three fingers instead of five, and preventing himself from scratching anything and everything with his claws. Not to mention the whole ‘see better at night so the slightest light source could blind him’ thing.

There were advantages. His sense of smell was much better now, which brought with it a few surprising benefits.

He could detect bad food much faster. As someone who used to mostly live off whatever he felt like tossing in a saucepan, this would have come in handy on more than a few occasions. Best by dates just never occurred to him a lot of the time, meaning he spent his fair share of nights curled on the bathroom floor.

And he’d always scoffed at the whole ‘scent of danger’ thing, but now he found it somewhat accurate. Sometimes he’d get a whiff of . . . something, and his senses would go on alert until he could determine what had set him off. Sometimes it was something small, like a new cat stalking through the trees near the house, but sometimes it was much more urgent, like the frayed wires in the light fixture over the sink. That had been disaster waiting to happen.

He also noticed each member of his family had a distinctive scent, too—he couldn’t always put a specific descriptor to it, but each brought to mind a certain feeling reminiscent of his childhood.

Callie was his Pap’s workshop, where he spent summers learning carpentry at his grandfather’s knee. Silver was his treehouse, his secret oasis when his father was too drunk and too loud. And Eclipse was the creek he loved to splash in on summer afternoons.

He couldn’t pinpoint why they brought these particular images to mind. They just did. It was weird.

And this wasn’t even touching on his new instincts. He seemed to devolve into more . . . animalistic behaviors without noticing. Hissing when threatened. Growling when angry. Dropping into a crouched position when scared or curious. That one, in particular, was especially embarrassing.

But there’d been a new instinctive behavior that was particularly unnerving. At least he thought it was instincts. He’d zone out at strange times, and often awoke to find himself standing in the kitchen, staring out the side door in the middle of the night. He would have no recollection of how he got there, or what he’d been doing, but he felt . . . uneasy. Like his adrenaline—did Darks even have adrenaline??--had been pumping, preparing him for fight or flight.

Again. Unnerving.

Eclipse hadn’t been much help, when asked about it.

“I was created with all the best parts of Black Arms,” he’d said with a shrug, scrambled eggs tumbling out of his mouth. “I’m not like any of the other types. So, you’re not either. I dunno why you’re doing that. Maybe it’ll happen to me when I get older!”

Wade had sighed at that, while Callie had reminded her younger son that food works better when it’s in your mouth, not your lap.

At first these nighttime trips only happened every now and then, but lately they’ve been increasing in frequency. It bothered Wade, and he felt his chest tighten every night as the sun went down. Tonight it was especially bad, and he massaged his chest plate in a vain effort to loosen the knot. He paced the bedroom floor, claws digging into the carpeting.

“Go have a beer,” Callie suggested, brushing out her long red hair. “I know it doesn’t really hit you like it used to, but maybe it’ll help?”

Wade sighed, flopping onto his belly on the bed. “Doesn’t taste the same.”

“Warm milk?”

“Gives me gas.”

“Ugh, that’s definitely out, then.” She twisted her mouth to the side, chewing her cheek as she thought. “How about just a nice hot shower? Those always help me relax.”

He groaned in response. Hot showers were nice, but it just didn’t appeal to him tonight.

“Well then be anxious and miserable,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I don’t hear you coming up with anything.”

Wade rolled his head to the side and shot her an annoyed look, barely suppressing the urge to hiss at her. He’d done that exactly once after he’d changed. Callie didn’t take too kindly to it, and he’d been much more careful since then.

“Don’t give me that look,” she said, wrinkling her nose at him. She put her brush in the bathroom and walked back toward the bed. “I’d help you if I could, but you’re not giving me much to go on. I can’t fix ‘feeling off’. You gotta toss me a bone, Bear.”

A frustrated grunt this time, and Wade rolled over to his back. “I don’t know! I don’t know how to explain it! I just feel . . . off. Like . . . antsy. Like there’s something I’m supposed to be doing, but don’t know what. Like that.”

Callie nodded, sliding onto the bed. She tucked her legs beneath her and leaned over him, an arm extended to keep her upright. He lifted his head automatically to lay on her bent knee, gazing up at her with his gold-on-black eyes.

“Okay, let’s take this one step at a time,” she said, and his tail moved to lazily curl around her wrist. “I don’t think there’s anything on your honey-do list, right?” He shook his head. “And the boys would be talking non-stop about it if you promised them something. No one’s birthdays are coming up. I’m not aware of any get-togethers with the Wachowskis.” She furrowed her brow as she thought. “Hmmm.”

He watched as she thought, a small smile curling his lips. Her eyes were unfocused, staring at the bedspread beneath them, her mouth still twisted as she worked her cheek. He never told her, but he’d always thought it cute when she did that.

“Well,” she said, her face clearing as she looked down at him. “Barring anything I don’t know about, maybe this is some kinda sixth sense thing.”

He furrowed his brow ridge. “You mean like . . . like ghosts?”

She gave him a look. “What? No. Well. I mean, I guess that could be an explanation, but I’m thinking like how sometimes dogs and cats can sense bad weather or earthquakes or something.”

“You think we’re gonna have an earthquake. In Montana.”

“I’m spitballing here, Wade,” she said, casting him a cocked eyebrow. “Interpreting hidden Dark instincts isn’t exactly my expertise.”

She made to move, but his tail tightened around her wrist, keeping her in place. “I know, I know, I’m sorry!” he said, gripping the arm tented over him. “I just . . .” He sighed. “This feeling is getting worse and I don’t know what it is. It’s freaking me out.”

“I know, hon,” she said, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on his forehead. “I wish I could do more for you, I really do. But this may just be something you’re gonna have to figure out on your own.”

Wade blew out a long sigh. “Great.”

~X~X~X~

Later that night, the Dark that used to be human sat up in bed. Its eyes reflected green in the low light, and it looked to its left, where another form lay. It sniffed the hair, receiving a small sound in return as the being rolled over. A word formed in the Dark’s mind—MATE—and it gave a small huff through its nose before slipping out of bed.

The Dark stalked through the house, sniffing under doors, identifying two other beings with the word HATCHLINGS—although that didn’t seem quite right but it got the idea across—and uttering a small grunt in greeting at the two animals at the bottom of the stairs (the resident cats were used to these nightly journeys, and barely batted an eye), before moving toward the glass kitchen door. It stopped there, pushing itself up to stand on two feet.

And it watched.

Even through the barrier it could smell . . . something. Danger. Intruder. THREAT.

The smell had come and gone, grown in strength and then faded for weeks. Tonight it was strongest. The Dark smelled blood. Fear.

With a growl, it threw itself into the glass, shattering the door and sprinting off in pursuit of the thing that drew this instinct to the fore. To meet and destroy the THREAT.

~X~X~X~

A loud shattering sound shocked Callie out of a deep sleep, and she looked to her right to find Wade missing. She flung the covers back, slipping into her house shoes as she made for the hall.

Doors opened, and Silver and Eclipse poked their heads out of their rooms.

“Wha?” Silver said, rubbing his eyes with a fist. His current favorite plush, Applejack from My Little Pony, was tucked into his elbow.

Eclipse yawned. “Whawazzat?” The neck of his favorite plush, a googly-eyed ostrich dog toy he named Dorothy for whatever reason, hung from his fist.

“I don’t know,” Callie said, and pointed at the boys. “Stay here.”

She hurried downstairs and found her kitchen door shattered. Fear gripped her for a moment—did someone break in??--when she noticed something green shining on some of the jagged glass. A closer inspection confirmed her guess.

It was the blood of a Dark.

Wade’s nighttime ritual had just added a new complication.

“Great,” she muttered to herself.

Callie gathered up her cats and headed upstairs. Looks like they’d have to stay in the bedroom until she could cover this door.

And she had a wayward lizard boyfriend to find before he got himself into too much trouble.

~X~X~X~

“I’m so sorry to bother you this late, guys,” Callie said as she lead her sleepy boys into the Wachowski house. Silver was sleeping against her chest, while Eclipse hung off her arm. “I just didn’t know what else to do, and--”

“Cal, don’t worry about it,” Maddie said, taking Silver from the redhead and cuddling the boy to her. “I’ll keep your boys safe.”

“Thank you.” Callie tucked Eclipse onto the couch, just as Tom came downstairs, shrugging on his jacket.

“I checked with the station and they said Carl had just called in about weird noises in the woods around his house,” the sheriff said, as he headed toward the door.

Callie rolled her head back. “Ugh! Of course he’d go over to Carl’s!” She uttered an annoyed grunt. “He’s gonna get his fool head blown off.”

“I called Carl myself and told him that it may be Wade and to not shoot until we got there,” Tom said, pulling his shoes on. “Although you know Carl.”

“Yeah, I know Carl,” Callie said, heading toward the door.

A few pairs of footsteps came down the stairs, one pair heavy, the other fast. Sonic and Knuckles hurried into the room, woken by the unusual action down there.

“What’s going on?” Sonic asked with a yawn. He looked like he was still half asleep.

“Nothing, go back to bed,” Maddie said, shooing her boys back upstairs.

“Why are the MacPherson’s here?” Knuckles asked, looking much more awake than his brother. “Has something happened?”

“Boyfriend troubles,” Tom said, giving Maddie a kiss as he and Callie headed for the front door.

“Has Wade done something?” the echidna asked, his fists clenched. “Did he harm you?”

“No,” Callie said, one foot out the door. “He’s run off and I’m worried he’ll get hurt if we don’t find him.”

“Ah. Then I will come with you.”

“No, stay here,” she said, pulling the door shut. Knuckles zipped over and grabbed it before it could close completely, and Callie uttered a frustrated grunt. “Knux, we really gotta go!”

“Wade is a Black Arms now. You may need protection,” the boy said, bringing a fist to his chest. “I will come.”

“Hey, I wanna come too!” Sonic said, zipping over.

“No!” Callie snapped, just as Tom poked his head back in.

“We going or what?”

The redhead uttered another frustrated grunt before turning back to the boys. “Fine. Knuckles, you come, Sonic, you stay here and protect Silver and Eclipse. I don’t know what’s going through Wade’s mind right now, and if he comes here looking for them, I need someone to keep him busy until we get back. Got it?”

The hedgehog snapped to attention and threw her a two fingered salute. “Yes ma’am!”

“Great, let’s go!”

~X~X~X~

Callie, Tom, and Knuckles pulled onto the gravel road leading to Carl’s trailer at a little after 2am. The librarian and echidna watched out the windows, trying to catch sight of anything that may indicate Wade’s location. Only dark trees stared back at them.

As Tom pulled the pickup in near the battered trailer Carl called home, the trio found the homeowner standing right outside his door with a shotgun in his hand. Two large spotlights were hung off the front and back of the mobile home, trained into the dark woods to their right.

“Sheriff,” Carl nodded in greeting as the three approached him. “Miz Callie. Knuckles.”

“Carl, I thought I told you no shooting,” Tom said, stopping with his arms crossed.

The older man shook his head. “Ain’t let loose a single shell, Sheriff. But that don’t mean I should stand around defenseless. Somethin’s out there.” He nodded toward the trees.

“Did you see anything?” Callie asked, and she tried to keep the fear out of her voice. It kind of worked.

Carl shook his head. “No ma’am. Didn’t see any sign o’ yer man. But I been hearin’ a bunch of sounds.”

“What kind of sounds?”

Carl pursed his lips in thought. “Shufflin’, like somethin’ big lumberin’ through the trees. Growlin’. An’ heard something like a deer get taken down.”

Tom and Callie exchanged a glance, before they turned toward the trees. There were no sounds coming now, but that just added to the eerie feeling. There should have at least been normal nighttime animal sounds—owls, and crickets and the like. But there was nothing.

That was never a good sign.

“Well,” Carl said, looking between the sheriff and librarian. “You gotta plan?”

The two exchanged another glance.

“I guess I should go in and look for him,” Callie said, and Tom and Knuckles both turned to her in alarm.

“Are you nuts?” the sheriff asked.

“I will not allow it!” Knuckles added.

Callie blinked, and one eyebrow shot up. “Excuse me?” She turned to Knuckles. “Allow it? Who are you, my father?” Turned to Tom. “Wade won’t hurt me. I’m sure of it. I’ll go in, calm him down, and then we can all go back home and be a little less sleep deprived when the alarms go off in about four hours.”

“Look,” Tom said, moving closer to her. “I get the whole power of love angle, and admit I don’t really understand this Dark thing with Wade, but come on. It’s pitch black in there, and it might not be Wade anyway. Could be a bear or rabid coyote or something. You shouldn’t go in there.”

“Well, what’s your plan?” she asked, hands on hips. “Sit here and wait until morning? See if he comes to his senses and wanders out on his own? What are we doing here if we aren’t going to actually look for him?”

“We will look,” Tom said, holding his hands up slightly as a calming gesture. “But running off into the woods willy-nilly isn’t exactly a plan. Best case scenario you’ll get lost, worst case scenario you’ll get hurt. We need to be careful about this so everyone goes home in one piece.”

Callie uttered a sharp sigh and crossed her arms. She hated to admit it, but Tom had a point. “All right. So what do we--”

“Quiet,” Knuckles said, his voice low. He looked toward the trees, quills bristling in alarm. “We are being watched.”

The echidna’s stance widened, and he positioned himself between the trees and Callie. Tom also moved closer to the librarian, pulling his service pistol from his holster. Carl cocked his shotgun, pointing the business end toward the dark forest.

The silence dragged on.

“Okay, big guy,” Tom said, his voice quiet. “Can you tell what’s out there?”

Knuckles lowered his head slightly, his fists tightening. “Something big.”

Movement to the right, and a pair of eyes flashed in the darkness. Green reflective light. Like a cat.

Or a Dark.

“Wade?” Callie called, and the eyes disappeared, moving quickly, deeper into the trees. “Wade!”

She was moving before she even realized it, running after him in the dark. Voices called after her, but she ignored them. If she could get to Wade, she could talk him down, and they could go home. Bing, bang, boom.

Which would have worked, had it not been pitch black, and had she not run into a tree. With her face.

“Ow,” she whined, touching her battered nose. Her fingers came away wet and sticky and she blew a sigh through her lips. “Perfect.” At least she hadn’t shattered her glasses. Small miracles.

“Callie!” a voice called out to her immediate left and she yelped, jerking away. Recognition clicked into place and she stopped, brow furrowed. “Knuckles?”

A light clicked on and the echidna stood with a small flashlight, his face full of worry. “Are you--” He gasped. “You are injured!”

She waved a hand. “It probably looks worse than it is,” she said, pushing herself to her feet. “What are you doing here?”

“Father sent me in to bring you back,” he said, reaching out to take her hand. “Come. I will get you to safety.”

“Knux, I’m fine,” she said, pulling her hand back. Or tried to, at least. The kid was strong, and came up to nearly her shoulders. He had her hand in an iron grip. “Seriously, kiddo, it’s just a little bloody nose.”

He pulled his lips tight. “You’re coming where it is safe and I can protect you.” He narrowed his eyes. “Do not make me carry you.”

Her eyebrow shot up. “Is that a threat?”

“A promise. Now come.”

“Knuckles Echidna Wachowski, let go of my hand right now,” she said, digging her feet in to give a good tug. His grip didn’t budge. “Leggo echidna!”

“You are in danger!” he snarled back. “I just want to keep you safe!”

“The only danger here is you losing your status as ‘Favorite Wachowski Boy’! Lemme go!”

He gasped. “That is hurtful.”

“Oh, like it would ever happen, Knux,” Callie sighed. “Look, you don’t have to--”

“Quiet!”

He suddenly released her and moved closer, his eyes scanning the trees around them. His quills bristled again, and Callie could feel the hair on the nape of her neck doing the same.

Something was here. Growling at them.

Callie stood straighter, straining her eyes to see through the black trees. The only light they had to see by was the little flashlight Knuckles had dropped to the ground behind them. The echidna circled her, keeping her at his back while he tried to determine the source of the danger.

The growling grew louder, and suddenly something leapt out of the trees to their right. It hit Knuckles, knocking him aside like a ragdoll. The boy uttered a surprised grunt when he hit a tree, and growled as he regained his footing.

“Not bad,” he said, lips curled in a sneer. “But that will be the only blow you land.”

His opponent moved through the darkness, trying to circle around for another attack on the boy, but Knuckles was prepared this time and caught it with a solid punch first. The creature flew back, splintering trees as it collided with them from the force of the echidna’s blow.

Growling and hissing, the figure returned upright, and circled for another attack.

Knuckles moved back toward Callie, red sparks flashing across his quills and fists.

“Stay clear,” he told her, his now glowing eyes never leaving the moving target. “I do not wish to hurt you by accident.”

Now that there was a little more light to see by, Callie squinted at the oncoming enemy. It moved strangely, in a kind of ape-like movement, kind of on all fours, but not quite. It was coming straight for them, and there was a flash of green eye reflection. Callie gasped.

“STOP!” she yelled, moving in front of Knuckles. “It’s Wade!” The echidna looked at her in confusion, and she turned toward the still-approaching form. “Wade, stop! It’s me! It’s Callie!”

The Dark pivoted, digging its claws into the soft ground to stop its forward momentum. It stopped a few feet from Callie, breathing hard and dripping green blood from one of its slit nostrils. Its eyes flicked back and forth between her and Knuckles, and every time the Dark regarded the echidna, it bared its teeth.

“What is he doing? Why did he attack?” the boy asked, still hunched and ready for a fight.

Callie shook her head, watching Wade. “I dunno.”

When she’d shaken her head, the Dark’s eyes stared beneath her nose. She reached up and touched there, forgetting about the blood. On a hunch, she reached her bloody fingers out, and the Dark sniffed them before turning and growling at Knuckles. Understanding bloomed and Callie turned to the echidna.

“He thinks you hurt me.”

Knuckles’ eyes went wide. “I would never!”

“I know that, but Wade’s . . . not himself right now. I think he’s protecting me. He thinks you’re a threat.”

“Why would he come all the way out here if he wanted to protect you?”

Callie sighed. “I don’t know, Knux. I’m just guessing. But he only attacked when you grabbed me. It seems like a logical conclusion.”

The echidna seemed to consider this, before relaxing his stance. “Very well. What do we do?”

“I think you should head back to Carl’s. I’ll talk Wade down and we’ll be out as soon as we can.”

Knuckles raised an eyebrow. “You expect me to leave you here. Alone.”

“Knuckles. Please. I’ll be fine.”

The look on Knuckles’ face was clear as crystal. He really didn’t want to leave. But he finally gave her a little nod, before turning and walking back toward Carl’s trailer. After a few seconds, Callie turned to the Dark, who stood staring at her.

“Okay, the big, bad echidna’s gone,” she said, keeping her voice calm and soft. “It’s just you and me. Okay?” The Dark gave no sign it heard or understood. “Wade?”

Nothing. It stood still, its eyes flicking between hers and the blood drying beneath her nose. After a few seconds, it moved closer, sniffing.

“I’m okay, Wade, really. Just a side effect of my habit of running blindly into various situations, that’s all.”

The Dark didn’t respond, but continued to sniff her, rounding her to stand where Knuckles had stood a minute before. She turned to keep him facing him.

“Ookay,” she said, her eyes going to the blood on its muzzle. “That looks bad. Does it hurt?”

She reached forward, and the Dark blinked, unsure. Callie froze. After a second she crept her hand forward, delicately touching its hurt muzzle, and wiping away the blood. The Dark huffed through its nose, uttering a small grunt in the back of its throat at her touch.

“Where are you, Wade?” she said, her voice soft. “You better still be in there, or I’m gonna be pissed. Come back to me, Bear.”

The Dark suddenly curled its lip up in a snarl, a growl rumbling deep in its throat. Callie pulled her hand back.

“Bear?”

The Dark’s eyes flicked over her shoulder, and the growl grew in volume.

No. Wait.

A second growl had joined in.

Slowly, like a dream, like a nightmare, Callie turned. A massive dark shape lumbered behind her, and it hauled itself to its hind legs, uttering a deep-throated roar.

“Bear,” she whispered, all conscious thought consumed by sheer terror.

~X~X~X~

The Dark watched as the small THREAT retreated, leaving MATE behind. She turned, and sounds came from her mouth the Dark didn’t understand. The tone was familiar, though. Soothing. Safe. It moved forward to check her for additional injury. Nothing serious. That was good.

MATE shouldn’t be here. MATE should be at the dwelling, with the HATCHLINGS. It didn’t smell the HATCHLINGS here, so at least they were likely safe. But there was another THREAT nearby. A larger one. More dangerous. MATE needed to go. To be safe.

She made some more noises before reaching toward its face, and it blinked. An attack? No. She didn’t smell aggressive. It allowed her to continue, and when her hand touched its muzzle, a warmth spread where her fingers brushed. Its heart beat faster, and a contented grunt escaped its throat. MATE was gentle. Soft. The Dark was very fond of her.

A stench suddenly hit its nostrils, and it snarled. The THREAT it had been smelling for weeks was here. The THREAT that was dangerous. MATE held great fear for the THREAT. The Dark would kill the THREAT, so MATE could be safe.

The Dark moved between MATE and the THREAT, lip curled and growling the whole while. The THREAT reared up, making itself taller and more massive, but the Dark wasn’t impressed. It was about to launch itself at the THREAT, when another scent reached its sensitive nose.

Fear. MATE was afraid.

The Dark acted quickly. It turned and grabbed MATE and teleported with her back to the bright area, where the other HUMANS were. She had been there before. She wasn’t afraid then. She would be safe.

They appeared in a flash of light, and the Dark gently laid MATE on the ground. It ignored the noises from the other HUMANS, but the small THREAT was here too. No matter. There was a larger THREAT that needed tending.

The Dark sprinted back into the trees, using its nose to lead it back to the THREAT.

Without pause, the Dark launched itself, latching onto the THREAT’S back, slashing, biting, and clawing. The THREAT roared in response, twisting and slashing with its own claws to try and shake the Dark loose. It got a single slash onto the Dark’s leg, and the Dark roared in pain and anger.

The THREAT tossed the Dark aside, roaring in apparent victory.

Rage boiled inside the Dark, and it felt a surge of power flow through its body. Muscles tightened, and it felt a great swelling, stretching, growing. In a split second, it no longer had to look up at the THREAT. The Dark was an equal size.

A sneer crossed the Dark’s face that could have been mistaken for a grin. The THREAT stood no chance now.

The Monster Dark launched itself at the THREAT, roaring in its great fury.

~X~X~X~

Callie stood frozen, staring at this massive, huge, unbelievably gigantic bear. Her mouth went dry, and her heart hammered in her chest.

Everyone was afraid of something, and the librarian was no exception. She was positively, completely, and unwaveringly terrified of bears. They were big, they were strong, they were deadly. And she would have been very happy to go her entire life without seeing one face-to-face.

Looked like her “never seen a bear in real life before” streak had come to an end.

The massive thing roared, pulling itself to its hind legs and taking a step closer. Wade moved in front of her, growling in response.

She thought of her boys, and wished she’d hugged them before leaving the Wachowski’s, and told them she loved them. She was sure Tom and Maddie would take good care of them for her.

She’d just had time to wonder if the bear would start eating her with her face when Wade suddenly turned. He curled his arms tightly around her, and she felt the stomach churning sensation of teleporting. Suddenly she was out of the dark trees, and back in the brightly lit side yard of Carl’s trailer. She blinked rapidly, and found Wade beside her, giving her a concerned look before turning toward the others.

Tom, Knuckles, and Carl rushed toward her, and Wade spared another look back before sprinting back into the trees.

“No!” she cried, trying to regain her feet. “Wade, don’t!”

“What happened?” Tom asked, kneeling next to her. “Are you okay?”

“Did he harm you?” Knuckles asked, looking for all the world like he was about to rush back into the trees after Wade.

“I’m fine, there’s a bear in there!” she said, letting Tom help her back to her feet. “A big one. Huge one.”

As if to confirm, loud roaring and thrashing sounds floated out to them, and Callie plunged both hands into her hair.

“Oh my God,” she hissed. “He’s gonna get ripped to shreds.”

“Why did he come all the way out here to fight a freaking bear??” Tom cried.

“I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know! If he survives I’ll ask him.” It seemed to occur to her what she said and she grimaced. “Oh God.”

“I will assist him,” Knuckles said, and started toward the trees when both Tom and Callie grabbed an arm.

“No you won’t!” they cried in unison.

“But I--”

That’s as far as the boy got when a loud roar erupted from the dark trees, and then all went silent.

The three humans and young echidna stood in the yard, staring into the darkness. All they could do was wait.

~X~X~X~

The THREAT put up more of a fight than the Dark expected. Stronger, too. But no matter. This enhanced form would be more than enough to end things quickly.

The Monster Dark drove into the THREAT with a massive shoulder, pushing it into the nearby trees. The creature roared, swiping at the Dark with a large paw, and catching the Black Arms on its side. Green blood dripped to the forest floor.

The Dark retreated, circling around for another go. The THREAT roared, running straight for the Dark before falling on it, biting and clawing. The Dark held the massive paws away, and rolled back, lifting its legs and shoving its sharp foot claws into the creature’s belly, kicking and slashing. The THREAT gave a pained roar, pushing off to retreat and regroup.

The smell of blood was thick in the air, and the Dark huffed through its nose to clear the stench.

The THREAT growled again, but kept its distance. Its energy quickly waning, the Dark launched its final attack, and leapt at the THREAT, bringing its claws across its throat in one swift motion.

The THREAT opened its mouth, but no sound came out. Its head dropped, and the body slumped to the ground seconds later.

The Dark opened its mouth, voicing a loud roar of victory. The THREAT was gone.

Mission complete, the Dark turned and hobbled back toward the light area. It held a hand against its side, the slashes it received from the THREAT already clotting.

It moved slowly, its body shrinking, returning to normal. Its mind was beginning to cloud. All it could think was to get to MATE. MATE was safe. MATE would care for . . . him. His feet dragged through the forest floor, leg pounding with each step. Everything was sore.

Wade stepped through the trees, blinking in the bright spotlights of Carl’s yard. He just had time to register the shocked faces before him, before Callie hit him at a full run, locking her arms around him and crying his name. Then he knew nothing, as he passed out.

~X~X~X~

Wade Whipple, former human, opened his eyes. He lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling in the house he shared with Callie.

Sounds came to him, and he recognized Silver and Eclipse shouting at each other in the backyard. He heard the squeak of the swings on their playset, and made a quick mental note to oil those before too long.

Water ran in the sink, and there was soft humming. He turned his head and immediately regretted it. Pain shot up his neck and he groaned. The water turned off, and footsteps came his way.

“Well, look who’s finally awake,” Callie said with a smile. She settled herself on the edge of the couch by his hip, facing him. “Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty.”

Wade furrowed his brow ridge and opened his mouth to speak. A harsh croak came out, and he cleared his throat. His mouth felt like he’d been sucking on old socks.

“Oop, hang on a sec,” the redhead said, before rushing into the kitchen. The tap ran again, and she returned with a glass of water. “Bottom’s up.”

Wade drank it quickly, surprised at how thirsty he was. Once the glass was empty, he handed it back and wiped his muzzle with the back of a hand. “Thanks.”

“Ah, and he speaks, too. How do you feel?”

“Tired.” A pause. “Beat up. What happened?”

“You don’t remember?”

He shook his head.

“None of it?”

Another shake.

“Well, my darling, you took down the largest grizzly Montana has ever seen.”

Wade’s stomach clenched. “I did?”

“You did,” Callie said, nodding. “You had one of your . . . episodes, and crashed through the kitchen door in the middle of the night to hunt the thing down. You were in rough shape after. Tom and Knuckles helped get you back here, and you’ve been unconscious for two days.” She crossed her arms, casting him a cocked eyebrow. “Now, care to tell me why you had a sudden urge to go bear hunting at one in the morning?”

He went quiet. If he really focused, he could remember bits and pieces of what happened. Dark trees. He thinks he and Knuckles may have . . . fought? But he didn’t have any memories of the bear itself. Just Callie. And an urge to . . .

“Protect,” he muttered.

“What?”

He blinked, looking back at her. “I . . . I was protecting you. I think.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I had that theory, too. But why would you go all the way to Carl’s to fight some monster of a bear to protect me? I was only out there because I was chasing after you.”

Wade sat up a little, wincing at his sore muscles. He remembered talking about that feeling, that new instinct. He remembered, vaguely, standing at the kitchen door. He remembered smelling something, and then a flash of realization hit him.

“You’re afraid of bears. I guess . . . that one was too close for comfort, and I wanted to get rid of it, so you wouldn’t be afraid.”

She sat staring at him for a long moment, her brows furrowed. “You could have been killed.”

He didn’t respond. It wasn’t like he had full control over himself. The instincts took over. He gave a helpless shrug.

“No, don’t shrug at me,” she said, and she sounded angry. No. Scared? “Don’t you dare shrug that off, Wade Whipple. You crashed through the door in the middle of the night to run off and fight a freaking grizzly the size of a bus, all for some convoluted idea of protecting me. That’s not a shruggable thing. Don’t do that.”

Wade pulled his shoulders up, this time in shame. “Sorry.”

She closed her eyes, and dropped her forehead into a hand with a tired sigh. After a long moment, she looked back up at him, her hand flipping her braid around to tug on it.

“I know it wasn’t your choice to run off like that,” she said, her voice soft. “I know instincts can override rational thought. I’m reminded of that every time you and Eclipse get into a hissing contest with that stray cat we see every now and then. But Wade . . . this was really scary. I thought . . .” She pulled her lips tight. “I thought I was gonna lose you.”

Wade sat up straighter, ignoring his protesting muscles, and reached for her hand. “I . . . I’m sorry. I’ll try to . . . ignore it or something next time.”

“No,” she said, but squeezed his hand. “You can’t ignore instincts. I . . .” She uttered a soft laugh. “I don’t even know why I’m talking about this. I just . . .” She paused, and a look passed over her face he didn’t often see. “You really scared me.”

Fear. She was really afraid. Had he scared her? Was she worried he would hurt her while in these . . . blackouts?

“Cal,” he said, sandwiching her hand between his. “I . . . you know I’d never hurt you.”

“No, Wade,” she said, placing her other hand on top of his. “I wasn’t scared of you, I was scared for you. You were a mess when you stumbled out of those trees. I honestly don’t know how you survived.”

A memory flashed then. Rage. Power. Growing.

Then it was gone.

He gave her a crooked smile. “Maybe I’m tougher than we thought?”

A look passed over her face then, like a cloud passing in front of the sun. Then it was gone, and her usual confident, somewhat snarky look was back.

“Well, I hope so,” she said, and he thought her voice sounded a little too nonchalant. A little too light. “Because you took down a monster of a bear. Oh, and if you’re gonna be doing this kinda stuff all the time, I don’t want to chase you down in the middle of the night again. Try to schedule these little excursions between regular business hours, okay?”

She dropped a little wink and made to leave, but Wade wouldn’t let go of her hands. She dropped back down to the couch, a look of mild surprise on her face.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice soft. He gave her hands a squeeze, his tail snaking out to wrap around her ankle. “I’m really sorry I scared you. I . . . I don’t know what happened, but I don’t want to see that look on your face anymore. I’m sorry. I’ll . . . I’ll try harder to control it.”

Callie looked at him for a few seconds more, before a smile appeared. A real one this time. “No one said being in a relationship with a Dark would be easy,” she said with a shrug. “Gotta take the bad times with the good, right? The occasional instinct fueled middle-of-the-night chase just keeps things interesting, yeah?”

He searched her face for a long moment, trying to determine if she was being genuine. Sometimes it was hard to tell with her. She had gotten really good at faking ‘being fine’ over her lifetime.

“Really?” he finally asked, eyes slightly narrowed. It was always better to ask, as he hoped she wouldn’t lie to him. “This is ‘Honest Cal’, and not ‘I’m Fine Cal’?”

Another smile, and she nodded. “Honest Cal. I don’t know how many more of these instincts will crop up, but . . .” She sighed. “I’ll be here to help you through them. If I can. We’ll see if we can’t try to . . . I dunno, hone your ability to identify them before they go all sleepwalker mode on you. Or something.”

Wade’s mouth pulled into another crooked smile. “You really wanna stay with me? Really?”

She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Wade. If I can put up with those nasty sausages you love so stinkin’ much, I can deal with some random instinct that may make you go a little feral now and then.”

He smiled, and reached forward to pull her into a hug. “You’re the best, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know that,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. She heaved another sigh. “You keep things interesting Wade Whipple. I’ll give you that.”

“You love it. Because you love me. Right?”

“Some days, against my better judgment.” She pulled back, a smile on her lips. “But yes.” She cupped his muzzle and pulled him to her, planting a kiss on his forehead. “But if you ever scare me like you did the other night, I’ll skin you myself and make a couch out of you. Get it?”

“Got it.”

“Good.” Callie stood, heading toward the kitchen. “Hungry?”

“God, yes.” Wade pushed himself off the couch, hobbling after her. He was still pretty sore. “I’m so hungry, I could eat a bear.”

She had been pulling a pot of chili from the oven, and now slammed it onto the kitchen island. She looked unamused.

“I guess you could say, I have a bear of an appetite.”

A single eyebrow raised. “I’d think long and hard about the next words out of your mouth, Whipple.”

Wade pulled his lips tight. “I love you?”

She narrowed her eyes.

“A lot?”

Without breaking eye contact, she opened a nearby drawer and pulled out a serving spoon.

“You’ve narrowly avoided disaster, Dark. Grab a bowl and come fill your belly.”

Wade flashed her a fangy grin, and moved around the kitchen island to plant a kiss on her neck, before she batted him away with a little smile. He chuckled as he pulled down a bowl, and set to work on demolishing as much of that chili as she’d let him.

Being a Dark was sometimes scary. But with Callie by his side, Wade was sure he could deal with whatever this new body had in store.

~~~

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[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Why did you call last night’s pap walk at LAX desperate? It just struck me as her normal pap walk deal and only notable that now that she was out of a conservative country she was finally able to cover up.

It’s desperate because she called the paps to the airport in the first place.

Some paps at LAX is normal because LAX celeb central. It’s not unusual.

What is unusual is calling the paps at night for a nighttime flight. That’s the desperation. Because no one is stalking the celeb terminal or hanging out at the plane-spotting sites at night. Paps have better things to do and better places to be that late than sitting at the airport hoping someone shows up. It’s a waste of money and time when they could be down on Sunset Boulevard or wherever the celeb hotspots are. But if someone specifically calls them to the airport that late at night? They’ll be there.