#plus I get to see my friend from uni and more coworkers

[spacebell]

I’ve been at this job for 3 months now and I have barely interacted with coworkers outside my area bc I got the office once a week but I am picking up on some stuff I don’t know how to feel

[stars-of-kyber]

Kanthony + 38?

38- “You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

Ok, Anon, you inspired me.

Let's see Anthony and Kate and their completely crazy first date.

PS: I am a teacher. I am most certainly NOT a doctor nor do I claim to be. Most of the medical advice in this story came from @mimix007 who was a queen and helped me with the basic of humans.

Also, I NEED to thank all my girlies who read this but specially @waterlilyrose who embarked on this journey with me when I got the little lightbulb moment and sprinted and cheered me on me as I went through this whole mess today. Thank u <3

Enjoy!

If 24 hours earlier, someone told Kate Sharma she'd be sitting in a hospital room in the early hours of the morning, still in her nice green dress, heels and fancy lacy lingerie, her hair and make-up done, she would have called the person crazy. Maybe laughed to their face. 

And yet, there she was.

She’s been set up on a blind date by Ben, her coworker from the gallery. Apparently, she reminded him so much of his brother and he imagined they’d get along famously. 

Kate did not have the best track record with men, especially posh guys with more money than they knew what to do with, which was Ben’s family’s case, but her friend had shown her a photo and, well… the man was hot. Not just handsome. It was almost unfair how one man could be so sinfully attractive. 

Even if the date didn’t go anywhere, at least they could have a bit of fun. He looked like a guy who knew how to pleasure a woman in bed and Kate most certainly could use a guy like this in her life right now. Plus, Ben wouldn't set her up with someone who was a complete arse, would he? They were friends and he was a nice person, he wouldn't do something like that. 

Or maybe he would. Because Anthony Bridgerton seemed like a huge jerk. 

Anthony, that was Ben's brother's name, showed up to their date late, looking a bit worse to wear. Don't mistake her meaning, he was still one of the hottest men Kate'd ever lay her eyes on, but there were dark bags under his eyes and he looked pale and sweaty as if he was fighting off a nasty hangover. The first few buttons of his dress shirt were undone and his hair sticking up a bit as if he had run his hands through it a few times. She wouldn't judge him if he did though, his hair seemed perfect to run your hands through.

He didn't seem to be drunk. There was no telling alcohol smell and his speech was clear. But he wasn't really alright either. He pushed his food around on his plate without really eating and he barely touched a drop of the wine he had asked for. Hungover for sure. Kate tried interacting with him, asking questions and offering information about herself but Anthony looked distracted, taking a long time to answer her, if he listened to her at all.

By the time Anthony started excusing himself to go to the toilet,  Kate stood up as well. She was ready to tell him she was leaving and that if he hadn't wanted to have a date with her, he could have told her so and she wouldn't have wasted her time and energy trying to look her best. She really would have been less offended if he had just told her to her face he didn't want to meet her than whatever was going on that night. 

But before she could get more than two words out, Anthony's face went ghostly pale, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed against her. They both went down, his skin clammy and feverish under her fingertips, his breaths heavy and raggedy. 

Kate was doing her best to remember the few first-aid lessons she'd taken in uni, but she wasn't sure how good that would be. The first step was always don't panic and she was already failing in that quite spectacularly. 

Perhaps he wasn't just being a rude arse, after all. 

Kate had yelled for someone to get an ambulance, they had patched him up in a gurney and Kate hadn't even thought twice before accepting the paramedic's help to climb in after him. 

Anthony had been rolled straight to surgery as soon as they rolled into the A&E and Kate was shown to a waiting room, a kind nurse telling her someone would give her an update soon. She tried calling Ben, to let him know what was going on, but somewhere during the chaos, her battery had died. She had Anthony's phone in her purse, but he had a password and all Kate managed to do was to block his phone for a full hour trying to guess it. 

It had been a couple of hours of waiting nervously when a doctor told her he had a problem with his appendix, but the surgery had been successful and her boyfriend would be up to a room soon and she could wait for him there. 

Kate only thanked the man and followed the nurse towards the lift without another word. What was she supposed to say? That they were on a sort-of-blind date, meeting for the first time and she had been sure he was a huge jerk until he passed out in her arms? 

No. That wouldn't do at all. Kate was just going to go along with it, wait for him to wake up and managed to call on a family member and when he was properly accompanied, she'd go home. That sounded like a reasonable plan.

And that's how Kate found herself half-dozing off on a not-very-comfortable hospital sofa on the sickbed of her sort-of-date as the first strakes of daylight started to colour the sky. 

That would most certainly be the craziest date Kate had ever been to. She doubted anything could ever come close to that. 

From the bed, Anthony groaned, squirming on the mattress before his eyes slowly started blinking awake. 

"What..." His voice was husky as he looked around, completely confused. "What happened?"

"You fainted…straight into my arms." Kate was up in a flash, reaching for the cup of water the nurse had instructed to give to him slowly. "You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

 He started to chuckle, which quickly turned into a pained whine, as he clutched his stomach. "Oh, ouch." 

"Oh God, I'm so sorry." Kate looked around desperately for something she could do to help, but of course, there was none. Damn her and her smart mouth. "I was trying to lighten up the mood."

"S'alright." Anthony waved her apology away. "Water?"

"Oh, yes! Here." Kate reached the side of the bed, helping him gently plop up enough to be able to sip on the cup. "Just go slow, the nurse said drinking too fast might make you sick.

"Too late for that, I guess." Kate looked up at him desperately, ready to bolt out to the corridor and find a nurse if he was feeling unwell, but instead, Anthony was smiling humorously at her. "Since I fainted and all." 

"That's not funny." She huffed, pushing the hair away from her face. 

"It is a little bit." 

"You had to have surgery!" She stared at him with narrow eyes. "Your appendix was inflamed. Or burst. Or something." 

"Which one was it?" Anthony groaned in pain as he let himself fall back against the soft hospital bed. "I think one of those things is considerably more severe than the other." 

"I don't know. I went to art school, not med school. " She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively. "The doctor didn't tell me much and I was kinda nervous at the time to pay too close attention."

Kate thought he'd call her out on her stupid comment, or say anything about the situation he was in, but instead, he just turned his eyes on her and asked: "Can I have more water please?" 

"Right. Sure." Kate took the plastic cup back to the jar in the corner of the room, clearing her throat nervously. "I"m sorry I didn't call your family, by the way. My battery died and I couldn't unblock your phone."

"Thank God," Anthony whispered with a sigh as she stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Please don't call them." 

"What do you mean?!" She squeaked. "You had surgery!" 

“Do you have any idea how much I'd hear for this?" Anthony looked at her face and then at the cup clutched to her hand. 

"Right, the water, sorry." Kate was back by the side of the bed. "What do you mean how much you'd hear?"

"I have a large family." He gulped the fresh water, sighing appreciatively. "My mother is... She's great but she's been telling me I need to slow down for a while now. If she learns I was sick and didn't get checked out, I wouldn't have a moment alone in the next two months."

"Trust me, I get the feeling. My stepmother is just the same." Mary Sharma was a force to be reckoned with when she wanted to be. She'd probably place Kate under house arrest and she didn't live in her family home anymore. "She'd probably force feed and not allow me out of the bed." 

"I have seven siblings." He chuckled and groaned again at her surprised face. 

"Seven!" 

"Yup." 

"I have one and she drives me insane." 

"My mum could have someone on every hour of the day sitting with me. I'd never be alone again." He told her dramatically. "I'd not put past her grounding me and taking away all my electronics." 

"I understand your suffering." Kate nodded sympathetically. "But I'm not letting you check out without anyone to watch over you. Is there a friend you can call?" 

"This would be Simon." Anthony shifted in bed with a whimper, trying to find a more comfortable position. "But he's gone and got engaged to my oldest baby sister, so I can't really trust him with it." He sighed. "He'd tell on me the moment the phone was off and Daph's almost as bad as my mother."

"Well, that would be less than ideal, I guess."  

"The only person I could trust to keep this quiet is Hyacinth, but somehow I don't see a 10-year-old being much help in this situation." He gave a half-shrug, clearly trying to keep his abdomen from jostling too much. "Well, her and Fran, but she's in Scotland and I won't have her miss classes to come watch over me." 

"Can't you talk to Ben?" Kate rested her elbow on the mattress next to his arm and her chin on her palm as she watched him gingerly reach up to muss his hair. 

"Ben's a tattletale and momma's boy. Mum can break him in less than a minute." 

"What's the least worse option, then?" 

"You really won't let me go on my own, will you?"

"Absolutely not." Anthony seemed to consider that for a moment before sighing defeatedly. 

"I'll end up calling Ben." He sighed dejectedly. "He'll probably be able to hold Mum back the longest. At least he's got a flat I can hide on for a bit."

"Sounds like a plan." They sat in companionable silence for a moment, Anthony's face twitching with discomfort as Kate chewed on her bottom lip, unsure of what to say or if she even should say anything at all. "I'm sorry for the date thing." He told her, the tip of his ears turning pink. "I promise I usually behave much better."

"Well, it is a bit funny... After all the panic passes, anyway." Kate chuckled awkwardly. 

"At least it's a story for the ages." His smile really was quite dashing, she had to admit. 

"That it is."  The silence that settled on them for a moment was a bit more light-hearted than the one before as Kate tried to gather the courage to speak. "Sorry, I really have to ask..." 

"Hum?"

"People say... Well, my sister had an inflamed appendix and that's a really painful thing." Anthony raised his eyebrow at her but did not speak. "And for you to faint, you were probably feeling pretty shity..." She trailed off, unsure of how to continue. "Why didn't... You could have just rescheduled the date, you know?" 

"I mean... yeah, I guess." His shrug was a bit self-conscious. "But I'm kinda used to some pain in my daily life. Like migraines from lack of sleep or gastritis from spending way too much time without eating or whatever stupid thing doctors like to go on about." Kate had to press her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing at the dismissive roll of his eyes. "And... I don't know... I really wanted to meet you. Ben talked a lot about you and, I'm not trying to be disrespectful or crude in any way but you're really beautiful." Kate felt a blush rise to her cheeks, unable to keep the tiny smile from creeping into her lips. "I wouldn't let a bit of normal pain get in the way of that." 

"I'd say you underestimated the levels of what's normal pain a bit there, didn't you?"

"I'll admit I didn't imagine it would get so much worse so fast." He admitted with a grim nod before his eyes softened as he turned them to her face, making heat pool even hotter in her cheeks. "Please tell me I didn't ruin things and I'll get another chance?"

"Well, that depends." Kate grinned, her eyes alight with mirth. "Will you faint on me again?" 

"Nop, never again." He shook his head, wincing as the movement sent a flare of pain up his side. 

"I suppose we can work something out then." His smile was so bright Kate desperately wished to feel it against her mouth. To feel if those lips were as soft and plump as they looked. And so, to hell with it, she did. 

Kate blamed the lack of sleep and the adrenaline and nerves from the night before for her poor impulse control. She leaned forwards, careful not to jostle the mattress too much and risk hurting him, and she pressed their lips together in the gentlest of kisses, just a brush followed by a little pressure before she pulled away. Anthony tried to chase her mouth, leaning forwards before grunting in pain. 

"Down boy." She laughed, something stirring at the pit of her stomach by the way his eyes darkened. 

"Come back here." His words were half a command, half a desperate plea. "Please." 

"You just had surgery." She reminded him with a gentle pat on his hand as she settled back on the seat, trying to ignore the spark of electricity that went through her arm at the touch. 

"One more." He pleaded, lacing their fingers together. "To help me heal faster." 

"Na-hum. You'll have to wait." She tutted at him. "I'm not having a doctor call me out for opening your stitches or something.”  

Anthony let his body rest in the bed, sighing in defeat, but he did not let go of her hand. Outside the window, the sun was slowly starting to show its bright face, making the sky turn a hundred different hues of blues, oranges and pinks. 

"Will you at least tell me how much the dinner was so I can refund you?" He asked and Kate froze in the spot, her eyes growing triple the size of her face. 

"Oh God..." She choked between a laugh and a desperate sob. Anthony's head snapped to look at her.  

"What?!" 

"You fainted and the ambulance came and they were taking you to the restaurant and I..." She covered her mouth with her hand, her face flooding with colour. "I didn't pay the bill." 

They stared at each other for a few silent moments before they burst out in laughter, Anthony clutching his side with a grimace. 

"Oh God, I can't believe I dined and dashed." Kate wanted to shove her head under a pillow, her face flooding with colour and her chest heaving from giggles she couldn't quite control. 

"Please stop making me laugh," Anthony begged, although it didn't seem he was having any success in stopping it either. "I just had surgery and laughing hurts."

"Hell! Sorry, oh my..." She snorted, burying her face in her palms, trying to control her breathing. "That's so embarrassing, oh lord..." 

And although it had been most certainly the weirdest date Kate had ever been to, she was quite certain it was one of the best ones, in the end. Well, after the panic passed, of course. 

Ben arrived a little more than two hours later and the moment he crossed through the room's large door, Kate was sure Anthony had made a mistake calling his brother and not his best friend because Ben looked livid. 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" The tallest man cried in a harsh tone, sending the two other people in the room, who had been talking since Anthony had woken up jumping in surprise. "Hey, Kate." He looked at her, his entire posture shifting for a moment. "Thanks for sitting with him." 

"S'all good, mate." She replied, blinking at the sudden change, and then Benedict's attention was back on his older brother, the sweet, funny man absolutely fuming. 

"I cannot believe you, Anthony Bridgerton! I don't even...." The painter breathed in deeply, making a visible attempt to calm down. "You had surgery...."

"Emergency surgery." Anthony corrected, which did not help at all in his brother's attempt at remaining calm. 

"You had SURGERY to remove your goddamn appendix and you didn't..." 

"It was my fault, Ben. My phone was down and..." Her friend stopped her words with a raised finger. 

"You did nothing wrong Kate, I'm actually really grateful for you sitting with him all night." His narrowed eyes didn't leave his brother's face. "You, on the other hand..."

"I am sick," Anthony warned. 

"How long have you been sick, you stubborn idiot?!" The youngest of the brothers roared. "That's why you looked like shit in Greg's competition last night!"

"I..." 

"And on Hyacinth's match!"  He looked accusingly at Anthony, who had the decency to look ashamed. "How much did you eat in the past two days?" 

"I don’t really see how..." The words were so low and jumbled Kate couldn't understand any of them. 

"Anthony!"

"Alright, you're annoying, Christ!" The eldest sibling finally spoke up. "I didn't eat anything, alright? I was feeling nauseous, couldn't keep anything down anyway." 

"You were drinking black coffee!" Benedict threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "Why didn't you go to the goddamn doctor?! Are you trying to die?"

"You're being dramatic." 

"I'm so mad at you right now, I could punch you." 

"I didn't go to the doctor because I had a lot of shit to do, Benedict," Anthony spoke slowly. Apparently, his patience had run out. "I had a pile of documents waiting for me at work. There was Hy's game and Greg's swimming and Daphne's wedding planning. I sometimes have a stomachache, because according to that doctor you forced me to go, I have gastritis."

"You have gastritis because you spend days without any proper food, running on coffee and self-sacrifice, you pompous arse!" Ben retorted with a huff. "Hy and Greg would have understood if you missed ONE game or swimming competition. Daphne's wedding is more planned and organized than my life has been in the past, I don't know, ten years! And you haven't had a day off in three years, Anthony. The last time you did was because Hyacinth got a broken arm when she was seven." Ben clapped his hands in front of his face as if praying for something, although Kate wasn't exactly sure what. 

She couldn't judge Anthony too much. She worked two jobs and used to work three until she had a burnout crisis the year previous and Mary forced her to quit one, kept track of Edwina's grades, helped Mary with the house and the bills and still walked Newton every day. Her sleep schedule was erratic at best and she ate only because her stepmother called her periodically at meal times. 

Maybe Ben did have a point when he said she reminded him of his older brother. 

"I don't know why you're so mad at me." Anthony insisted. 

"You don't... You know what Ant, I'll tell you." The tallest brother lowered his hand with a strange fire in his eyes. "I'm mad because you think you are indestructible and you don't give a shit about your own health although you can spend literal hours lecturing us about ours. I'm mad because it didn't occur to you, at any point in the past week, to turn to me and say 'Ben, I'm feeling overwhelmed.' and..."

"I wasn't overwhelmed," Anthony scoffed in annoyance. "I had appendicitis." 

"It didn't occur to you, at any point, to turn to me, or to Simon, or to Daphne, or to anyone, to say 'I'm having a very strong pain in my abdomen and I can’t keep food down' and any of us would have gladly stepped up to help you with all the shit you needed to get done while you went to a goddamn doctor instead of having to get an emergency surgery in the middle of your date!" 

"Alright Benedict," Anthony mumbled with a mocking roll of his eyes. "next time I sneeze, I'll let..." 

Kate understood the reluctant feeling in Anthony's tone. It was hard to ask for help, especially when you had people depending on you for a long time. How did you turn to someone that came to you for absolutely everything for years and years and said 'I have too much on my shoulders, I need help.' without feeling like an absolute failure? And at the same time, without making them feel like failures because you never told them you were overwhelmed. 

Kate was also very, very bad at asking for help. 

"You know what, Anthony? I'm not going to try to reason with you. There is no point, you won't listen." Benedict sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose wearily. "I'm taking you to Mum's." 

"You're absolutely not." Anthony scoffed, trying to cross his arms stubbornly in front of his chest, but failing miserably when his entire face convulsed in pain. 

"I can't see how your sorry arse is going to stop me." Ben looked triumphantly at this older brother. "You are going to mum's and you are staying there until you are 100% recovered from your surgery and maybe  an extra week to be safe and you are going to eat three proper meals a day and work regular hours if mum allows you to work." 

"You're going to have to kill me," Anthony told his brother completely determined. 

"I am considering it." 

"I'm not going." 

"Oh, you are." Ben nodded his head and his grin was absolutely diabolical. If Edwina was looking at Kate like this, she'd probably have run for cover and it was clear in Anthony's face he would agree. "Please ask me how." 

"I'm not giving you the pleasure." Benedict just waved his grumpy brother's words away completely at ease. 

"It's not a problem, I'm telling you anyway." He rubbed his hands together and in Anthony's eyes, Kate could see he was considering just jumping out of the window not to suffer whatever fate his brother had planned for him. "Because I’ve already called mum," Ben lifted a finger, as if counting. "and Daph," One more finger up. "and I called your work and told them you're taking the next week as sick leave and are not to be disturbed." A third finger was lifted but he was clearly not done. "I have also already bribed Eloise with something she wants quite a whole lot so I think you'll be hard-pressed to get her to cooperate with you." With each finger that went up, Anthony's eyes went wider. "And to finish it off, I've spoken to Hyacinth and Greg." Benedict looked triumphant with his entire palm open in front of him. 

"What did you say to them?!" 

"I might or might not have implied that you are really sick and that if you don't rest, you might have a big health problem that will be a risk to your life." The taller man seemed to be feeling pleased to see Anthony so shocked in a way only a younger sibling could. "They're really scared, you know?" 

"So, you lied!" Anthony accused.

"No, I didn't, you lout! If you don't fucking rest you're going to rip a stitch and bleed inside out or something!" Benedict stormed. He had also been to Art school and was certainly not a doctor. "And honestly the worst they'll do is spend a shitton of time around you and you'd never complain about that." Anthony did not seem to have an answer for that. "What you really should be worried about is Daphne. She was talking about taking a few days from work to look after you." 

Honestly, if Anthony made an attempt to jump out of the window, Kate would probably help.

Anthony had been released from the hospital and into Benedict's clutches in the afternoon, with a list of medicine and doctors' orders to follow and several overprotective siblings to look after him at home. Kate did not envy him at all. 

She had awkwardly stood there as Anthony signed a pile of forms under his younger brother's watchful eye and asked them if anyone could call her an Uber, since her phone was dead, which immediately prompted Ben to offer to just drop her home. And that was how she found herself sitting in the back of a car with Anthony Bridgerton as his brother drove. 

He was sitting half-bent in what looked like an uncomfortable position, his mop of brown hair falling to his forehead, dark circles under his eyes. Kate just felt the desperate need to curl around him, have his arms around her, holding her tight. He had quite spectacular arms, really. 

She managed to fight back that one impulse, too afraid to hurt him if she tried. It didn't keep her from reaching out to his hand, lacing their fingers together. Anthony looked from her face to their joint hands back to her face, a tired but bright smile blooming on his lips. 

From the rear-view mirror, Kate could see Benedict's smirk, but she ignored it. She'd let him groat, at least for a little bit. He deserved it. 

The car pulled at the curb in front of her small block of flats and before she could think twice about it, Kate leaned forwards, kissing Anthony with another of those ridiculously soft kisses, their lips brushing together gently for a moment before she pulled away. 

"I thought you said I'd have to wait?" He asked, a satisfied smile gracing his lips as he looked at her. 

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure you'll need something to help you keep sane in the next week." Kate giggled as he groaned. "And something for you to think of, you know? Until our next date. Once you're better." 

"I can't wait." 

And really neither could she.

Anthony was a model patient. An annoying one, the biggest pain in his siblings arse he could manage to be, but a good patient none the less. He took his meds, ate his food and rested. He complained and bitched and moaned every second of it, but he was doing it. He and Kate texted everyday and seeing a message from him light up her phone make a silly smile take over her face like a stupid teen with a crush. 

And finally, three weeks after their disastrous first day, Anthony got the all clear from the doctor and he was waiting for her at the door of a fancy restaurant, looking exactly like that hot, hot man Ben had shown her in a photo that had convinced her to accept the date. 

"You're not going to faint on me, are you, Mr Bridgerton?" Kate asked, with mirth on her smile as she approached him, enjoying the way his eyes raked darkly over her purple dress. 

"Not a chance, Miss Sharma." He barely got the words out before pulling her into his chest and finally, finally, kissing her properly. 

It was a kiss worth waiting for.

And a year and a half later, Anthony's eyes were still raking over her, this time with tears pooling on them as her mother walked her down the isle, the flowy white dress contrasting quite beautifully with her raven dark hair and the henna tattoos on her skin. 

"You're not gonna faint on me now, are you, Mr Bridgerton?" Kate asked for the thousenth time, smiling up at him as she let go of Mary's hand and took his. The smile he offered back was as bright as the sun. 

"Not a change, Mrs Bridgerton." 

Truly, that first date had been one of the best things in her life, after all. 

[neonstatic]

i'm struggling, like, a lot. i mean, i've always struggled. one thing abt me: i be strugglin' 😎 it feels like every time someone of trust asks me how i'm doing, i'm either saying i'm fine (in the most plain sense of the term) or say i'm tired. i'm always tired. i get my 8 hrs and i'm tired. i get 5 hrs and i'm tired. i sleep 12 hrs straight and i'm still tired. idek if it's physical or mental. i'm just. tired. my mom's noticed and said i should see our doc. i think it's more than just physical tho.

should i go to therapy? i've tried six yrs ago at uni. hated that bald bitch. it has more to do w me than him, probably. i didn't know what i wanted out of it and i refused to go to the queer support group he suggested to me (my brain was deeply rotten from online discourse at the time) and i was just angry and stressed abt school and we only had 3 sessions together. i remember talking abt being gay and mentioning my older sister being a total bitch to me... (we're good now) i can't tell you more than that. oh and i was getting headaches from trying to maintain eye contact. it's all v blurry. these sessions felt like a test more than anything and i was just not ready. you have to be receptive to therapy or it just won't work.

idk that i'll ever feel ready tho. it's not just that i can't open up for shit. it's also an ego thing. i've studied psychology then dropped out and it'd sting to sit across from someone who succeeded to do what i couldn't. cus they're intelligent and driven, and i am a fkg dumbass or wtv. i think i'll just sit here and be on the defensive half of the time. and i'd have to unpack some ableism i got in me brains (like, two yrs ago in winter i was having some very...interesting cognitive processes, and when a friend/coworker asked me if i was fine cus i literally had a dark cloud of energy hanging around me, i just snapped, "yeah i'm fine. what, do i look crazy? you think i'm crazy or smth? i'm not fkg crazy." which was a crazy response fr.)

anyway i'm thinking abt therapy. bc i've been feeling this miserable for a decade and there's an employee program i could benefit from if i wished to. and i think that if i quit my job in the current state i'm in, i won't be able to find another job. short-term therapy might help a lil the second time around. plus it'd be free. but idk that i should/can/deserve it. ahhhh i annoy myself

[anotherdayforchaosfay]

Last night, I had a bit of an enlightening moment.

The question that set it off: why tf is it so damn hard for me to see social cues? Why is it so fucking difficult for me to figure out what an acceptable topic of discussion is? Or how to just interact with people? Why am I an extreme homebody. Have a difficult time outside my home, and rarely feel the need to go anywhere?

It's not just autism or adhd.

Nope. It's a spending the first 18 years of my life grounded for one reason or another. I was diagnosed with adhd and autism at age 36. Imagine an undiagnosed and unmedicated adhd child. Imagine them wanting to just go outside and do things. I would ask permission, was told no at least half the time, and did the thing anyway.

I asked to go to specific places, like the park, a festival a few blocks away, the nearby creek (if we had one, usually did), a friend's house. Went anyway because it nice outside, and I'm bored af. Rather than just going to the place I said I would be, they called the fucking police. If we were living on a military base, it was the MP.

At least, if I was gone more than a couple hours.

The last time they called the police, I was grounded the entire summer. Three months at home. I wasn't permitted to leave the front porch (which was a single step) or the 10×10 foot backyard (fence taller than me).

Usually, I was grounded for a week or two, may go a couple weeks free, then grounded again. I had very infrequent social experiences from age 4 to 18, and then I got most of experiences at uni, and after I moved out when I was 19/20, it was uni and work, and occasionally hung out with friends.

Social anxiety is a gods damn understatement.

Then my disabilities got worse, which then resulted in filing for SSDI at age 24, two years of paperwork, waiting, Dr appointments, and court. I was 26 when I was approved. During that time, I couldn't work. I still can't work, and never will, because of my disabilities (and may be adding POTS to the team).

What means did/do I have for regular physical social experiences? None! I might meet some of my husband's coworkers, but it's rare. He plans on taking me to where he works in a week or two. He works in an assisted living facility and has been talking all about me and my quilts, and many of the residents are quilters, so now they wanna meet me.

I see his D&D players once every two weeks, but I don't play, which means a few minutes of chatting before they play, a few minutes during a break, and sometimes after. I had hoped to meet up with local pagans once a month, but they meet on Sundays, and he works Saturday-Wednesday. I flatout refuse to join any of the local quilting guilds. They meet in churches, and I can't. Nope nope nope. Plus, most meet on weekends, which makes attending impossible. Plus, I won't go without the means of an escape plan, which usually consists of my husband being present and the car immediately available.

I don't have agoraphobia. I just have really bad social anxiety. I can go outside, to the coast, the backyard, whatever. No issues. I just don't feel any particular need to go outside.

Don't ground your kids. That shit doesn't work. All it does is teach them more and clever ways to get out and do what you told them not to. There's no benefit. They will resent you, will stop talking to you beyond absolute necessity, and feel more and more isolated.

So, hey, maybe one of the primary reasons for my social fuckery and being a complete comebody is due to being grounded for most of my childhood. It made adapting to my disabilities forcing me to remain home significantly easier.

Stop fucking grounding your kids.

[absolutebl]

I got tagged y @liyazaki (thanks sweetheart!) 

Reveal Your Watch & Rewatch Drama List

Currently Watching BL 

La Cuisine (GaGa Sat) - LOVE IT 

My Ride (GaGa) - LOVE IT EVEN MORE 

Cutie Pie (YouTube Sat) - wasn’t into it, decided it was Thailand goes super-yaoi and now totally am all over it. Plus, thank you for the chemistry, I almost forgot was that was like. 

Dear Doctor, I'm Coming for Soul (iQIYI Weds) - I like it more than I thought, but I’m a big cool premise person 

Cupid's Last Wish (YouTube Sun) - also like it more than I thought I would, since one of the premise I do NOT like is body swap 

Enchante (YouTube Fri) - Live blogging ep-by-ep here. I’m all over the place and now mostly disappointed. 

Love Stage!! (AISplay or grey Sat) Ep 8 - it’s very good, I want to see Thailand adapt more Japanese stuff now (can I get a redo on Silhouette of Your Voice too? While we are at it, could Taiwan do Same Difference and Korea do Given? Please & thank you. 

The Tuxedo (GaGa Sat) - might be dropping this one.

Cherry Blossoms After Winter (Korea Viki Fri) Ep 6 - FUCKING LOVE IT. Wasn’t wowed at first but it is SO classic yaoi and that’s so different from what Korea usual does and I happen to like the stepbrothers trope a whole lot (yes I know, not actually stepbrothers) but still! Yay! 

Blue of Winter AKA Judo Boys (Korea Weds YouTube) - Korea does a pulp, it’s not good but also, can’t stop watching 

Starting Soon BL

KinnPorsche (iQIYI Sat) - Eh, I’m kinda over it because of all the pre-production drama. Also I really don’t trust Thailand to go dark. If this were coming from Taiwan or Korea or even Japan I’d be excited. But now I’m just a little scared and going in exhausted. That said, I’ll probubly live blog it. 

My Secret Love (??? Mon) - another Thai Uni pulp so it better be good or I just got too many going right now and I’ll drop it and maybe binge it during the late summer slump. 

Miracle of the Teddy Bear (??? Sun) - i had a bit of a hunt and didn’t find it but also I’m not fussed this is NOT a premise that interests me.

Blueming (Korea IQIYI Weds or Thurs) - Korea bringing us another uni set BL? That I AM into though. We haven’t gotten many of these and they really hit it out of the parks with Semantic Error. I’m certainly watching this. 

PlusMinus (Taiwan April 15) - FINALLY a new BL from Taiwan that I am really excited to see. Childhood friends and coworkers who suddenly become more. 

Mr Unlucky Can Only Kiss! AKA Fukou-kun wa Kiss Suru Shikanai! (April 21) Plot: Kota is perennially unlucky. Naoya (Yusuke Sato of Jpop LOL) is always lucky. They meet by chance at their university's freshman orientation. Kota's misfortune is alleviated when he's with Naoya and due to a misunderstanding, they end up dating. This seems like the college version of My Love Mix Up and I AM HERE FOR IT.  

There are more that I am excited about but I only picked ones that have announced drop dates. But GAP, Oh! My Sunshine Night, and Between Us are up there. 

Rewatching

Semantic Error 

Light On Me 

Plus the most recent episodes of Cherry Blossoms and Cutie Pie. 

[gxdsfavgal]

ANON

Pairing: Tom Holland x Designer!reader

Warnings: first person pov, both of them are a tad bit cocky! but FLUFFFF

Summary: you’re an anonymous clothing designer who has partnered with the biggest luxury brands. You decide to visit your parents and in the moment you also see your best friend and childhood crush who you lost contact with.

A/N: this was better in my head & it’s shit writing

-

-

It’s been a while since I visited my parents and my old neighborhood, living between New York and Paris was stressful but it was the dream.

Right now is the calm before the storm, the storm being fashion week, New York, Paris, Milan, you name it. As a stress reliever, I decided to just book a flight back home and surprise my parents.

It’s been only three years since I up and left my town, leaving everything behind. I lost contact with everyone except my parents. It was a healthy fresh start.

Once I arrived at the beautiful and old Kingston and surprised my parents, they decided to throw a small Welcome Home party later tonight. They invited their close friends and our neighbors.

I settled into my childhood room that didn’t change one bit, and I started getting ready for the little get-together.

Little by little groups of people started crowding the lawn and the house. I made my way down and got hugs and kisses on the cheeks from people who watched me grow up.

“Y/n!” I heard a familiar voice say.

“Harry!” I pulled Harry into a hug and moved to hug Sam and Paddy.

“Where have you been? It’s been so boring here especially with Tom always gone, plus you don’t post on social media!” Paddy groaned with an eye roll.

“Traveling, and I like to keep my little side hustles private. Where’s Tom?” I asked the brothers.

“Interview for Uncharted in London, don’t know if he’ll be able to make it.” Sam shrugged his shoulders.

“Bummer” I frowned a little as I remember how I used to be obsessed with Tom when I was younger, but chose not tell him because I didn’t want to lose my best friend.

I continued to greet and drink wine with my old neighbors and my parents friends. They asked me all sorts of questions, especially why I didn’t go to Uni, a question I try my best to avoid.

Many of the people in my hometown don’t know that I am a clothing designer and have worked with many big luxury brands. I’ve kept my work life off of social media, and luckily it has been going well.

As I was talking to one of my father’s coworkers, I hear a bunch of cheers coming from the backyard. I excuse myself from the conversation to check out what was happening.

When I found an opening, I saw him. Tom fucking Holland, my childhood crush and best friend. Right at that moment, I realized that I don’t think that crush ever faded away.

“Y/n” he held his hand hand out.

“Tom.” we stared at each other, a smile creeping up on each other’s lips. “Come in here!”

We grabbed each other and gave a tight, comfy hug. He smelled good, looked good too. He was still in his clothes from the interview that looked way too familiar.

I got him a beer and we sat on the swing bench out in the garden, the brothers following along with us to get space from the others.

We all laughed and caught up.

“So you live in New York and Paris, and havent visited in four years?” Tom said with wide eyes as he took a swig of his beer.

“Yup, I travel a lot for my job.” I had a big smile on my face, proud of what I do instead of still being in Uni.

“You lost your accent.” he shook his head in disbelief.

“No I didn’t, I have my English accent still intact.”

“Wait what’s your job again?” he raised his brow at me.

“Didnt I just say I travel a lot for it?” I playfully rolled my eyes.

Tom giggles from beside me.

“And what’s funny to you Mister Holland?”

“I-It’s just” he’s trying his hardest to not laugh. “It’s just— I definitely travel way more than your job, no offense.”

The three brothers who were our audience then sent us some ooo’s.

“Oh hush you three.” I playfully slapped Sam’s shoulder. “Anyways, no offense taken.”

“What do you do anyways? Do you have sugar daddies to tend to?” Tom’s words kind of hurt, especially since he thought you were getting money from a job like that.

“Ouch Thomas!” I playfully gripped at my heart. “It’s a fun and stressful job, I get to travel for others.”

“Photographer?” Harry said as he pretended to take a photo of Paddy striking multiple poses.

“Nope, try again.” I took a sip out of my wine glass, a proud smile on my face as we swung slightly on the bench.

I shook my head side to side.

After they all guessed multiple careers, they began asking follow up questions.

“So New York and Paris, it’s a good paying job for sure.” Tom said as he rubbed his chin.

“It pays way too good.” Paddy stretched out the words.

I giggle at all of their confused faces.

“Okay okay, do you guys want me to tell you?”

They all nodded and leaned forward.

“Promise you won’t tell anyone, my job is kind of anonymous.” i held out my pinky and they all brought theirs out to interlock with mine.

I took a deep breath in and out, keeping up with the suspense.

“Tom, you are wearing me.” I learned back in my seat to observe all of their faces.

“Give us more” Sam said as he looked like his mind was spiraling.

“I designed what Tom is wearing, head to toe. That is my collab with Prada.” I took a big gulp of my wine as their minds finally understood.

“No way!” Harry stood up, his hands grabbing at his hair. “You’re ANON”

I felt the heat reach my cheeks as I heard my designer name, ANON.

“You are literally making history with all of the collaborations you’ve done. Do you understand the impact you’ve had?” Harry was so excited while Paddy and Sam were just shocked to see him know this much.

Tom was just staring at me in surprise, he hasn’t even said a single word.

“Oh stop it! You’re making me blush!” I fanned my neck with my hand.

“I can’t believe I’m wearing your creation! You talented piece of shit!” Tom’s hands cradled my jaw, the both of us smiling so hard our cheeks hurt.

He pulled my head towards him, kissing the top of my head as we all laugh.

“Why’d you keep this from us?” Sam asked as he drank out of his beer.

“Well you know, Spidey here is very hard to get in contact with.” I patted Tom’s thigh.

“Me? You could’ve easily emailed my manager for me to wear your art!”

“Well, now that you know I guess i’ll have to dress you for this years MET if you haven’t partnered with a designer yet.” I nudged him with my elbow.

His mouth wide open and his eyebrows lifted.

“Done! I’m telling my team that you’re dressing me!”

Tom took out his phone and immediately messaged his team about finding the designer he’s wearing for the MET.

We all laughed and talked more as the boys asked me more questions about my life being an anonymous clothing designer.

Once the sun set and the spring breeze kicked in, the brothers decided to go back to their house a few houses down; except Tom.

We went to my room and talked about the MET, taking it serious with the theme and how dramatic.

As it started to get late, the both of us were on our stomachs on my bed, computer and sketch book splayed out.

I sketched many designers and Tom told me what he wanted.

“I’m proud of you.” Tom said randomly, his eyes twinkling.

“I’m proud of you too. I mean, c’mon Spiderman!” I twisted to lay on my back. “You got to work with Andrew and Tobey! That’s crazy!”

Tom laughed and laid on his back with me. “Yeah yeah, it is crazy.”

“Geez, look at us. We grew up together and now we are making history.” I rested my head on his chest, patting his hands to a rhythm in my head.

“We did it.” he said as he leaned to place a kiss on the crown of my head.

[cafedanslanuit]

♡   f l u f f v e m b e r   2 0 2 0   ♡ 

♡  week one  —  kageyama tobio   |   long-distance relationship

♡  summary  —   getting into a relationship with kageyama was close to impossible, that you knew. nevertheless, that didn’t stop you from developing feelings for him and eventually becoming more than friends. he was constantly training and didn’t have a lot of time to spend by your side, but once kageyama found himself remembering your laugh on his way home, he decided to do whatever it took to make the relationship work.

♡  playlist

the moon song   -   beabadoobee & oscar lang home   -   bruno major blueberry eyes   -   max & suga

♡  masterlist  ♡

Every morning, Kageyama wakes up at the same hour. He puts on his running shoes, grabs his phone, keys and earphones and hits the streets. It’s been his routine since he started playing volleyball. While he ran, Kageyama preferred to keep his mind focused in his steps, the weight he was putting on his heels and toes, his heart rhythm and his mind replaying the sets he had done the day before. He didn’t see running as something he did before he trained, but as part of the training itself. Kageyama was very adamant against listening to music or a podcast during his morning runs. 

Everything changed after he met you.

Kageyama puts on his earphones and goes through his mail inbox. Like most days, he sees your name on his most recent unopened email. He downloads the audio attachment and presses play before shoving his phone back to his pocket.

“Good morning Tobio!”

His lip twitches upward.

“So, you must be sleeping right now. Which sucks! Because I just got home from work. Yes, I got safe, don’t worry. Mika and her boyfriend dropped me at my place right now. Remember Mika, my coworker? Yeah. Hey boyfriend always picks her up when we have shifts until one in the morning and they drive me home. I’m kind of tired right now.”

Kageyama hears a long yawn on your side, followed by a thud that he imagines it’s you laying on your bed.

“Let me put on some music,” you say, and a few seconds later he listens to a tune he thinks he’s heard before. “Today’s classes were just okay. I got a grade back but it wasn’t what I expected.”

“But, what can you do?” Kageyama mouths along with your voice.

“Work was also okay. Mika and I spent most of the night talking, she had had a small fight with her boyfriend and asked me for advice. It wasn’t really a big thing, you see…”

The next few minutes, Kageyama listens to you ramble about your friend and her boyfriend, but he has to admit he is paying more attention to your voice than what you were saying. He imagines himself watching you talk and the expressions he had seen you make the first time he had seen you. The tip of your tongue sticking out between your teeth after you laughed at something you shouldn’t have laughed about, the slight pout on your lips as you talked about something you didn’t like or the attentive way your eyes fixated on him while he talked about volleyball.

“Anyway, I know you don’t really care about this,” you say. “But it’s really nice to imagine you listening to me talk during your morning runs. Is it already cold there? I hope you put something on if it is. Not trying to tell you what to do. I know you, more than anyone, take your health very seriously, but I guess I can’t help but worry,” you chuckle. You stay quiet for a moment, and Kageyama basks in the comfort your silence provides.

His mind goes back to those Sunday nights when he’s watching past games on his laptop while he’s face timing with you. You are usually taking a cup of coffee, trying to forget you’ve only slept five hours after getting home from your shift at the bar. You know he has to get to bed in a couple of hours so he can get enough rest for this Monday practice, so you treasure those small moments when the time difference and both your busy schedules let you share a moment. Kageyama’s eyes are fixated on his laptop and you take the opportunity to revise some of your lessons, most of the time finding out there was a paper due next week you had forgotten about.

Every once in a while you take a look at your phone and see Kageyama’s dark eyes glued to his laptop. You bury your nose on the Schweiden Adlers hoodie he sent you last month and even if your boyfriend’s smell has almost completely worn off, you still find comfort in wearing his clothes.

When Kageyama comes back to his house to get ready for training, your voice is no longer in his ears. You always made sure not to surpass the usual time he spends running. He takes a look at the dual clock on his phone and realizes you must be still in class, so he refrains from sending a text and hops on the shower.

The fourteen hour difference between the both of you had seemed like a wall impossible to climb. Not only that but his intense training schedule plus your uni classes and your part time job also took most of your energy and it was a rare occurrence that you could sit in front of a computer at the same time.

But the connection was something he had never experienced before. He had been invited to a foreign university overseas for a tournament. The day before it started, the team had gone to the campus to get to know the facilities, and after they were done, Kageyama had left them to buy something to drink from a vending machine. Not being able to find any, he asked for directions and took the elevator to the cafeteria, not noticing someone carrying a couple of books under their arms standing next to him.

Now it seemed almost fate to remember how the elevator malfunctioned and he had to spend the next two hours with you. After pressing the Emergency button and being told it would be a while, you introduced yourself with a smile. He wasn’t really enthusiastic about getting to know each other but it all changed after he mentioned he was there because of a volleyball tournament. Kageyama can still remember your eyes widening and the questions that followed, all centered about his true passion. A few minutes later, you were sitting on the floor of the elevator, while he explained in broken English every position in volleyball and what they were supposed to do. Even though you hadn’t played any sports seriously outside of school, the fact this guy was talented enough to get invited overseas to play had spiked your attention, and you asked question after question so you could understand more about volleyball.

“So the setter is basically the key player, right?” you had asked, while he scribbled on the notebook you had lent him so he could explain.

Kageyama tried not to smile. He really did.

After you asked him about the tournament schedule and wrote down the name of his team, you promised you would do your best to make it to the game. Kageyama had never really cared about people coming to his games to watch but, once he had won the first game as was leaving the court, his eyes unexpectedly met yours and he saw you waving at him for the bleachers with a smile. He nodded at you and as he disappeared through the gym door he thought maybe someone going to see his games wasn’t so bad.

One week later, Kageyama’s team had won the tournament, and since you had asked for his number while waiting inside the elevator, you offered to buy him something from the cafeteria after the final match. This time, he took the time to listen to you ramble about your career, and how enthusiastic you were about it. He didn’t understand most of the things you talked about, most of your words sounding foreign and new to him. But the one detail he did recognize at first glance was the way your pupils dilated while you spoke. Your hands moved faster than usual as you tried to explain, and you even used the salt shaker on the table as a prop to help you out. The glimmer in your eyes was the same nature as the burn he used to feel in his chest whenever he talked about volleyball. You promised to stay in contact and gave him a small but tight hug when it was his time to leave. He hoped you didn’t notice the pink tint on his cheeks before you went away.

Your love confession came two months after he was back in Japan, followed by the longest and hardest conversation the two of you had ever had. He explained his strict training schedule and you talked about your university increasing the hardness of the classes you took and how little time you had left. A long silence filled the room, and you realized maybe you should have kept the confession to yourself. It was never going to work. There were too many impediments so maybe it would have been better to push down whatever you felt. In the end, you two weren’t supposed to meet and--

“I’d like to try it.”

You can still remember the blush on his cheeks and furrowed eyebrows after blurting out those words. You smiled brightly at him and nodded, enthusiastically.

“I’d like to try too.”

It had been one year and six months since then. To find someone who not only understood his crazy schedule but was passionate about their own work felt surreal to Kageyama. Your plan was to finish your career in your home country and then move to Japan. You had been auditing the Japanese classes at your uni and taking a part time job to be able to support yourself as you settled in a new country. All of those changes meant less time to be able to talk with Kageyama as much as you did before. He assured you he understood, even if he would never admit out loud he missed you as well.

The situation prompted you to find other ways to feel close to him, hence why Kageyama woke up almost every day with a new audio file from you. You went from talking about your day to making him listen to music and even took the chance to practice your japanese. His English listening skills had also gotten better in the past year, all thanks to talking with you and how you would slow down your pace and repeat yourself if he ever needed to. While you recorded your audios after work, he usually recorded his after practice while he walked home from practice. Even if he was always a little worried about the length, you always made sure to send him messages about how happy you were to hear his voice while you ate your lunch or walked to your job after your classes.

Kageyama finishes his shower and comes back to his room. He gets ready in less than ten minutes in silence, knowing he doesn’t have any time to spare if he wants to get to the practice in time. Winter break is a month away, and he wants to give his best before he’s forced to step away for a couple of weeks. He has never liked holidays stepping in his routine, but he knows there was nothing he could do but endure and wait for his training to resume.

Before he leaves, Kageyama checks his phone again and opens the newest email.

Congratulations! Your flight booking is confirmed.

Okay, maybe he is looking forward to winter break after all.

[drabbles-mc]

My Plus-One (Part 1)

EZ Reyes x Reader

Request by the lovely @ly--canthrope​:  The reader has a large ball/award ceremony/something fancy to attend. Her and Ez have been in each other's lives for years and they make a promise that each year, if there is an event to go to, they would go together. Its been a few years since this tradition has played out, and it is brought up in conversation (maybe talking about their plans for that week, what they are doing and busy with etc) and Ez goes, “I am busy, I am going with you to your event” and he is a pure gentlemen (You can decide thing like; are they bordering that blurred line where they are really affectionate with one another and time frame like, he could be at uni still and travels to go see her just for this event because its special to her)

Warnings: none. just some good old pining 🥺🥺

Word Count: 3.4k 

A/N: I loved writing this so much wtf. I switched up the timing of it a little bit but I think it worked out well! I got a little carried away with it (hence the 3.4k lmao) but I just love EZ and I’m a sucker for friendships with feelings. Please enjoy! (requests are always open)

EZ Tag: @noz4a2​ (if you wanna be added just shoot me a message!)

(Part 2)

You wandered around your small studio apartment, phone held loosely in your hand while you video-chatted with EZ. Both of you had long since given up on making sure that you held the camera at flattering angles. Besides, you were trying to make dinner and not even EZ could stop you from getting food.

“So glad I get to have this conversation with half of your face,” he laughed, shaking his head.

You held the phone up so you could get a better look at him—he was sitting at the table in his trailer, phone propped up as he typed away on his laptop. “This better?” you laughed as you tried to set it up on your counter so he could see more of your face.

“Much,” he smiled, “I miss you.”

You glanced over at him as you turned the stove on, “Miss you too, EZ.”

“So,” you could hear the clicking of his keyboard in the background, “what’re your plans for the week?”

“Meh, not a whole lot going on. I do, though, have a gala for work this Saturday.”

“Oh?” he raised his eyebrows, “Sounds fancy.”

You chuckled, nodding as you waited for your water to boil, “Yea, kinda. I was thinking,” you looked at him through the lens of your phone, “If you aren’t busy, and if you really miss me, you could maybe come and be my date. It’s all paid for and everything already. All you’d have to do is show up and be my arm-candy,” you batted your eyelashes.

“Ah, like the good old days.”

“C’mon, it’s been a while since one of us had to drag the other to an event that was way above our paygrade.”

“What’re you talking about? You just drove out to visit me last year for an event.”

You rolled your eyes, “Your patch-in party is not the same as a fundraising gala, Ezekiel. Although,” you laughed, “it was undoubtedly more fun than this is going to be.”

“Giving me the hard sell, Y/N,” he laughed and shook his head.

“If you’re too busy with club shit, I get it. I know I didn’t really give you much of a heads-up.”

“Well…” he dragged out the word, milking every letter for all it was worth, “I am gonna be busy.”

“Fuck,” you sighed, “I get it, I do. Sorry I always protcrastin—”

“Let me finish,” he smiled, “I’m gonna be busy with you, so I’ll let the guys know that my weekend is booked.”

You laughed, clapping your hands excitedly, “Yay! Oh, I can’t wait to see you. I feel like it’s been forever.”

“Because it has,” he waited for you to look back to your phone, “When was the last time you came back home to SanPa?”

You sighed, shaking your head, “God, like, six months maybe? Maybe a little more? Work has just been nuts, you know?”

“You think they’re gonna relocate you back closer to home any time soon?”

You shrugged, “Not sure. I hope so, though. I miss bugging you all the time in person not just by blowing up your phone.”

“Well, you’ll get to bug me in person all weekend. Text me your address and anything else I should know. I can probably come out Friday night if that works for you?”

You nodded, “Yea, that’s fine by me. You can crash here if you want but I gotta warn you, my place is wicked small.”

“I’m currently living in a trailer, Y/N,” he chuckled, “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“Alright,” your heart felt so much lighter knowing that he was going to be able to go with you—you hated going to these kinds of things by yourself, “I’ll text you all the details and stuff later this week.”

“Sounds good. Go back to making your gourmet ramen over there,” he chuckled, “I’ll see you soon. Love you.”

“Love you too, EZ,” you waved goodbye before hanging up the call. You let out a sigh of relief as you tucked your phone back into your pocket.

The week seemed to fly by. Any time that you felt yourself getting stressed, or overwhelmed, or homesick, you remembered that you were going to be able to spend the whole weekend with your best friend. It made the rest of your problems seem so insignificant. Every night you’d come home and you’d see your dress hanging against the door of your closet, begging to be worn. You’d smile and run your fingers along the fabric whenever you’d walk by it. Back when you were in high school and college, the two of you went to everything together. Each prom, award ceremony, induction ceremony, friends’ weddings, you name it, it was the two of you showing up together no matter what. You had your own unspoken language, knowing when the other was ready to tap out and call it a night. Sometimes to keep things interesting you’d try to sneak out unseen, other times one of you would come up with any excuse you could so that you could leave early without anyone giving you a hard time about it. It’d been a few years since either of you had an excuse to get dressed up together.

You were finishing cleaning up your apartment when you felt your phone going off in your pocket. You glanced down and smiled at the sigh of EZ’s name on the screen, “Hey, what’s up? Everything okay?”

“Yea. I think,” he chuckled, “I think I’m outside the right building? Everything looks the same here.”

You laughed as you walked over and peeked out your window. Sure enough, you saw him sitting, leaning against his bike, “I see you. I’ll be right down,” you hung up and made sure to close your closet door before heading downstairs to greet him.

You came barreling out the front door of your apartment building, tackling him in a hug. He laughed, sweeping you up off of your feet and swinging you around as he held you tight to him. You wrapped your legs around his waist, forcing him to hold you for a few moments. It had been way too long since you last saw him in person.

“I’ve missed you,” you mumbled against his neck.

“I’ve missed you too.”

You finally let go, dropping your feet back to the ground. You helped EZ get his two bags and had him follow you up the stairs to your apartment. You kept apologizing in advance for the fact that all you had was a studio, so there wasn’t going to be a lot of room, and there was no grand tour to give him. He smiled and shook his head, constantly telling you that he didn’t care.

You opened the door, dropping one of his bags next to the couch, “This is,” you chuckled, “my beautiful kingdom.”

EZ smiled as he looked around your apartment. It was a studio, so there wasn’t a whole lot of space, but it was all modern and renovated. He was impressed by how much you had managed to utilize the space. He also liked being able to see how you chose to decorate a space that was completely your own. The last time he got to visit you, you had been sharing an apartment with a roommate and the two of you had completely opposite tastes in décor. He liked the vibe you had created—a lot of bright, happy colors. He recognized some of the art on the walls as things you had commissioned your friends to make for you because you liked having things that were one-of-a-kind.

“This is a pretty great spot, Y/N.”

You smiled, “Thanks. It’s home for now,” you sighed, “I have no guest room to offer you, but the couch does pull out so you won’t be too crammed for the next couple nights.”

He chuckled, nodding, “I appreciate it.”

“You eat before you left?”

He nodded, “Yea I’m all set. Didn’t want to be taking any of your ramen from you.”

You gave him a playful slap to the arm, “So considerate.”

The two of you spent the night sitting on the couch together catching up, a show on the television just for background noise. It crept late into the night before the exhaustion started to show on EZ’s face. He had had a long day but he was enjoying the fact that he was actually face-to-face with you for the first time in months.

“I’ll let you get some sleep,” you smiled as you stood up off the couch, “If you’re up for it in the morning there’s a really good coffee spot a few blocks from here.”

He smiled, nodding, “Sounds good.”

“Bathroom is right through there if you wanna change. I’ll see you in the morning,” you leaned in and gave him a hug that you dragged out to last a little longer than you usually would, “Goodnight.”

The morning and afternoon flew right by, and before you knew it the two of you were getting ready for the gala. You chastised EZ for leaving his dress clothes in his bags for so long. All these years and he still hadn’t figured out that they needed to hang to cut down on wrinkles. You ironed out his slacks and shirt, impressed by the fact that he had also brought a suit jacket. It was an all-black ensemble that you knew would make your coworkers drool over him, and you were going to soak up every second of that.

You left the bathroom open for him to get changed as you retreated to the semi-privacy of the space that passed for your bedroom. You shimmied into your dress, pulling the straps up onto your shoulders. You zipped it up as much as you could without risking ripping any of the stitching, thankful that you had EZ to help you with it the rest of the way. You looked at yourself in the mirror and smiled, still loving the dress as much as you had the day you tried it on in the store.

You had settled on a deep burgundy dress. It was a little low-cut, but not so much that you felt overly exposed. It was floor length, and had a slit up to just below your hip that you could only see once you started walking. You had picked up some simple jewelry—a few gold bangles and a long necklace that draped down your chest. Deciding to pull the whole look together with your favorite pair of black heels. A little height boost when you were walking with EZ never hurt.

“Hey, EZ? Can you come finish zipping me up?”

You heard the sounds of his dress shoes on the hardwood. He poked his head around the half-wall that separated your bed from the rest of your apartment. His eyes grew wide as he took in the sight of you. He cleared his throat, trying to get his thoughts in order as he remembered the actual reason you had called him over.

You pulled your hair off to the side and turned so your back was to him, thankful that it gave the added benefit of hiding the giant grin on your face. He tried to be as gentle as possible, the rough pads of his fingers grazing lightly against your back as he pulled the zipper up the last of the way.

“You look amazing, Y/N,” he smiled at you.

“Yea, we clean up alright, don’t we?” you patted his chest, practically salivating over the sight of him in dress clothes for the first time in years. You reached and undid the top button of his shirt, allowing a little bit of his collarbone to be exposed.

“Feeling a little risqué tonight?” he chuckled.

“Who knows when we’re going to get to do this again?” you smiled, “Might as well make the most of it.”

“I was gonna offer to take you on the bike,” he laughed as he looked you up and down for the hundredth time in two minutes, “But I don’t think that dress would make it.”

You nodded, “You’re right. We’ll take my car,” you walked over and grabbed the small clutch that you had picked up just for this occasion, pulling your keys out of it, “You ready?”

“I think so,” he patted his pockets down to make sure that he still had his phone and wallet, “You gonna give me the dirt on all your coworkers on the ride over?”

“Of course,” you smiled as you ushered him out the door, locking it behind the two of you.

You parked the car at the venue and EZ all but leapt out of the car to come and open your door for you. You chuckled as he held his hand out to help you step out onto the pavement. He hadn’t even wanted you to be the one to drive there, but you insisted since he knew nothing about the area.

He gently wrapped his arm around your waist as the two of you walked into the venue. You knew that your coworkers weren’t expecting you to show up with a plus-one. You had been quite clear about the fact that you weren’t dating anyone, and that no one at your job interested you enough to break your, “I don’t date coworkers” rule. There were quite a few lax jaws as the two of you strolled into the event room. Anyone else might have been nervous, but EZ saw how much you loved it and he was eating up every second of it.

You brought him around and introduced him to everyone, reveling in the fact that his arm never left your waist. After a handful of introductions, you dragged him across the room to introduce you to your boss.

“Cynthia,” you smiled wide, “This is my friend Ezekiel. Ezekiel, this is my boss Cynthia.”

“Please, call me Cindy,” she held out her hand, eyes slowly raking over the man you had put in front of her, not that you could blame her, “It’s nice to meet you, Ezekiel. I have to admit, Y/N here is a bit of an enigma around the office,” she turned her attention to you, “You look amazing, by the way.”

You smiled, “Thank you, so do you. A little more than business casual, huh?”

She laughed, nodding, “That’s for sure,” she paused, “Also, don’t forget, it’s open bar. So help yourselves.”

You tapped your fingers together mischievously, “Ah, don’t mind if I do.”

“I’ll make sure to catch up with you two later,” she smiled at EZ, “It was nice to meet you, Ezekiel.”

“Nice to meet you too,” he nodded politely before she walked away, swept up in a sea of other conversations.

“Remind me to keep a close eye on you around her,” you laughed, “Don’t want her snatching you up.”

The night wore on, and you were impressed with how easily EZ blended into the crowd with everyone from work. He made his way through a lot of small talk, a lot of, “So how do you know Y/N?” and other questions of the sort. The whole night he couldn’t help but to keep looking over at you, making sure that he had physical contact with you in one way or another. You couldn’t pretend that you minded it.

By your fourth glass of wine EZ had managed to get your keys from you, promising that he would drive the both of you back to your apartment safely and responsibly. His largest obstacle of the evening was hiding your bidding number sign from you so you didn’t spend money that you didn’t have.

“You’re the one who told me,” he said quietly in your ear, trying to suppress a laugh, “that your financial contribution was the, and I quote, buttload of money you paid for our tickets here.”

You huffed, trying and failing to give him a displeased expression, “But I wanna feel like a fancy rich person, EZ.”

He smiled at you, resting his hand on your thigh, “You’re certainly dressed like one, Y/N, so for tonight that’ll have to be enough. And besides, I’m your personal chauffer, so it doesn’t get more fancy rich person than that.”

You smirked over at him, placing your hand on top of his and interlocking your fingers, “I’m really glad that you’re here.”

He squeezed your fingers lightly, “Yea, me too.”

The evening was beginning to wind down, and EZ could see it on your face that if he didn’t get you out soon, you were going to start causing trouble. It was fine when the two of you were out among people you didn’t know, but he didn’t think that he’d be a very good friend if he let you start drunkenly stirring the pot with your coworkers. He convinced you to start saying your goodbyes, his hand placed on the small of your back as the two of you maneuvered through the small crowds of people in the event space.

You were walking through the parking garage, your hand entwined with his as you swung your arms back and forth, “What a night!”

EZ chuckled, spinning you carefully so you didn’t fall over, but still got to enjoy the flow of your dress when you spun and moved, “I’m honored I got the invite.”

“You sure you’re good to drive?”

He laughed, nodding, “I’m sure. Not like you could take over for me anyway.”

He helped you into the passenger seat before going around and getting in, sliding the seat back so he could actually fit. He chuckled as he saw you out of the corner of his eye, peeling your shoes off before you even left the parking garage. The whole drive home you went on and on about how much your coworkers loved him, you could just tell. He smiled and nodded, letting one hand stray and come to rest on your thigh.

He parked outside your apartment building and you looked over at him with your biggest puppy-dog eyes, “Ezekiel, I don’t wanna put my shoes back on. Will you carry me upstairs?”

He laughed and nodded, “Yes, but only because tonight you’re a fancy rich lady.”

“You’re so good to me. I love you,” you smiled over at him.

He felt his heart beating harder inside his chest, “I love you too.”

He carried you bridal style up the stairs with such ease. You loved every moment of it. He held onto you as you unlocked the door, still wrapped up in his arms. You giggled into his neck as he kicked the door shut behind you and turned the deadbolt. He carried you to your bed, setting you down gently. You smiled up at him from your mattress, reaching out and taking his hand in your own.

“I’ve missed you so much, EZ.”

He traced his thumb over your knuckles, “Yea, I’ve missed you too.”

Before he could walk out to collapse on the couch you asked him, “Can you help me with my dress?”

He swallowed hard, nodding, “Yea, of course, whatever you need.”

You pulled your hair off to the side again so he could pull the zipper down. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say that there was a slight trembling to his hands as he fumbled with the zipper, pulling it down slowly. He took a deep breath as he gently pushed the straps down off your shoulders. You hummed in approval as you leaned back against him, melting into him as he wrapped his arms around your waist. There were a few beats of silence before you felt him lightly press his lips against the bare skin of your shoulder, gently kissing the soft skin there.

Your breath caught in your throat and it took you a second to get the words out, “You could, um,” you were thankful that you weren’t facing him so he couldn’t see the nervousness on your face, “you could stay in my bed tonight…if you wanted. It’s probably…you know…more comfortable than the couch.”

His lips were still pressed against your shoulder and you could feel his laughter vibrate against your skin, “Yea? You sure?”

You turned around so you were facing him. He leaned in, resting his forehead against yours. He was holding you close enough that you were certain that he could feel your heart palpitating, “Yea. I’m not ready to give up your company yet.”

He kissed your forehead, “Let’s get to bed then.”

[atlafan]

Take it Slow - Part Sixty-Eight

a/n: okay this is my first shot at a harry:y/n fic, and it will be multiple parts. y/n had a bad experience with an ex over a year ago, and finally accepts her coworker and good friend Niall’s invitation to go on a blind date with his friend Harry.

Warnings: FLUFF SO MUCH FLUFF, and a wee bit of smut. 

Masterpost (all previous parts can be found in the masterpost)

The next day you and Harry drive out to a Lowe’s to check out their outdoor section. Your balcony wasn’t huge, but it was large enough to fit a small table a few chairs, with room to fit a grill.

“These chairs are comfy.” You say sitting down on one of them. “Come sit, tell me what you think.” Harry shrugs and takes a seat in your lap, and you start laughing.

“Rather comfortable I’d say.” He moves his butt from side to side. “Could really see myself sittin’ on this outside.”

“Harry!” You squeal. “Get your big butt off of me, we’re in public!” You giggle. He turns to look at you.

“Oh, so when we’re in public you don’t want this ass, but at home-“

“Harry!” Your face goes beat red, and he stands up. You stand up and shake your head at him. “Please, just sit in the chair.”

“Geeze, didn’t think you’d get all flustered.” He sits down. “This genuinely is a nice chair, I think we should get a few.” He stands up and takes your hand. “What do you think of a glass table, this round one looks nice?”

“Good eye, I agree.” He kisses your temple, and then you go to look at the grills.

“We don’t need a huge one right now, just somethin’ to get the job done.”

“I don’t even know how often we’d use it, we don’t eat meat.”

“Yeah, but we could throw veggie burgers on it, or just regular veggies. Corn, god, I love corn on the cob in the summer.”

“Me too, actually.”

You both pick one out that you like, and find an associate to order everything up. The gift card your dad gave you was a big help. They said they’d be able to deliver everything by the middle of the week. Harry walks over to the paint section to show you some of the colors he’s thinking for his office.

“Lou called me yesterday, forgot to tell you.” Harry says on your drive home.

“Oh? Everything okay?”

“Oh yeah, everything’s fine. They’ve just pushed the date off a little later. El wants to wait until the baby’s born. Said she didn’t want to be pregnant in all of her photos.”

“Don’t blame her for that.”

“Neither does he. Plus it just gives them more time to save up for everything.”

“How’s she doing?”

“Oh, she’s good, about to start her second trimester. Lou said you can actually see her bump. He’s been enjoying actually gettin’ to be a part of things this time. He didn’t get to do any of the pre-baby stuff with his ex, other than a few doctor’s appointments. He said every night he rests his head her stomach and like talks to the baby.”

“That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I’d do the same thing, you know?”

“I’m sure you would. You’d have a stack of bedtime stories ready to go too.”

“Mhm, and I’d sing to it.”

“Harry…you don’t sing now.”

“I do sometimes.”

“Only if the volume’s turned all the way up.”

“Maybe I get a little self-conscious because you’re such a good singer.”

“I am not, stop it.”

“You’re more confident.”

“Doesn’t mean I sound good. Although, when I can actually hear you, I have to say, you have a lovely voice.” He blushes and takes your hand to kiss it.

You get home and start up a few chores. Your sheets were in desperate need of a wash. Harry scrubs down the kitchen while you take care of the living room.

“We can go to the grocery store tomorrow right? I don’t really feel like goin’ back out.” He says.

“Of course, no rush with that. Just wanted to get some of the cleaning done today.” Harry’s phone goes off, and he answers it.

“Hello?” He furrows his brows and then his face softens. “Oh hey! Yeah, no, just took me a second, how are you?” He walks away from you. You shrug and sit on the sofa, turning the TV on. About twenty minutes later he comes over to sit down next to you.

“Who was that?”

“Old friend from uni who lives up in Vermont.”

“Oh?”

“He, uh, breeds labradoodles. Two of ‘em just had a fresh littler.”

“How often do you talk to this friend?” You raise an eyebrow at him.

“Once in a while. Anyways, I know your allergies get bad, but labradoodles-“

“Are you asking me if I want a dog?”

“A puppy.” He corrects you. “And for free at that.”

“Dogs are like three thousand dollars, he’s just going to give you one for free?”

“He owes me a favor.”

“For what?”

“None of your business.”

“Harry Edward Styles.” You gasp.

“Y/F/N Y/M/N Y/L/N.” He crosses his arms. “Do you want have a dog with me or not?”

“Do you think now’s the right time? We’re both always so busy.”

“I could bring it to the studio with me, it’ll be like havin’ a shop dog.”

“That’s true.”

“And I know a dog is a lot different than havin’ a kid, but I think it would help with the baby fever.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“I mean it! Please, please can we get the puppy? He sent me some pictures, this one would be ours.” He shoves his phone in your face, and you see the cutest little brown haired puppy you’ve ever seen.

“Harry, can we even afford a dog with everything going on right now?”

“Think we could manage it. Buy the food in bulk. It’s the vet visits at the beginning, and then it shouldn’t be too bad.”

“Is this a boy or a girl? Not that it really matters…”

“Think it’s a boy.”

“What would we name him?” Harry’s grin grows.

“Are you saying we can get the dog?”

“Obviously! Look at how cute he is!” Harry takes you in his arms and practically squeals.

“We can name him, uh, whatever you want, lemme call my friend back.” He gets up and makes the call. He comes back a few minutes later, very excited. “Said the pup’ll be at eight weeks this week, so we can pick him up next weekend if we want.”

“Next weekend?! We have to get so much stuff. Food, bowls, a collar, a tag. We’ll have to register him at town hall.” Harry grabs your face and kisses you.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” You sigh. “Now, what should we name him, let me see the picture again.” He hands you his phone. ‘What names do you like?”

“Max?” You look at him and scrunch your face.

“That’s so generic. What about Peter?”

“Peter?!”

“Yeah, we could call him Pete.”

“We are not namin’ our dog Peter.” Harry gasps and snaps his fingers. “I’ve got it.”

“What?”

“Winston.”

“Winston?”

“How fuckin’ cute would that be?”

“Winston Styles?”

“Oh, so the dog would have my last name?”

“Duh, he’s going to be our baby isn’t he?” You think for a second. “What about Buster?”

“Buster Styles…that could work.” You both look at the picture again. “He looks like a Buster.” He throws his arm around you.

“Yeah, he does.”

//

“You’re gettin’ a dog?!” Niall says in the car Monday morning.

“Yup, his name is going to be Buster. He’s so cute Niall.”

“That’s a huge step.”

“Oh, and being on the same lease together isn’t?” You joke.

“No, it’s just…like if something happened…now a dog is in the middle of it.”

“Something as in us breaking up? Are you stupid?” He makes a face at you. “Niall, Harry and I are happier than we’ve ever been, why would you even say something like that?”

“I don’t know…just gotta think about those things sometimes. So, like, hypothetically speaking, you truly plan to marry Harry some day?”

“It’s not even a hypothetical, Niall. That’s the plan.” He smiles at you.

“Can’t wait for you two to fight over which weddin’ party I’ll be in.”

“Mine of course.” You scoff. “Fuck him.” You both laugh.  

//

Harry and your dad finish all of the major renovations by Wednesday, which leaves him to start painting on Thursday. He told Rachel he’d prime everything. She came in after her school day was over to help him finish it up.

“I’ll be able to come after work tomorrow to start Mariah’s office. It looks so great in here.”

“Yeah, we did pretty good right?”

“Harry, can I ask you something?” He puts the paint roller down and looks at her. Rachel looked cute today, she had these white painters’ overalls on with splashes of old paint all over them. Harry just had old jeans he didn’t care about on and a t-shirt.

“Course.”

“We never really get alone time to talk. I guess, I just wanna know…um, I really care about Y/N, she’s one of my best friends…and I know you both love each other, but you’d never do anything to hurt her right?”

“Oh my god, no, of course not.”

“I care about her a lot, and I’ve never really liked any of the guys she’s dated. I like you, obviously, but I’ll be honest, it took me some time to warm up to you.”

“Really? Why didn’t you ever say anything to me?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “I was honestly shocked when she told me you wanted to set me up with someone, I didn’t know you cared that much. Mariah makes me really happy, so I’m sort of grateful for you.” She laughs.

“I felt terrible when all that stuff with Lora happened.” He sighs. “I’m really happy things are working out so well with you and Mariah.” You both grab the paint rollers and continue to prime the walls. “I want you to know…I’m in it for the long haul with Y/N.” She looks at you.

“What does that mean exactly? I know you two are getting a dog soon…”

“Yup, his name is gonna be Buster.” He smiles. “We’re drivin’ up to Vermont early Saturday morning. We’re gonna spend the night in the Burlington area, and then get the puppy Sunday.”

“That’ll be nice…what comes after the dog though?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, okay, you’re living together, and now you’re getting this dog with her…it’s all so…grown up.” Harry starts laughing.

“You make it sound like I’m this thirty-year-old dude sweepin’ her off from her life.”

“It’s just…last time a friend settled down we never saw her anymore, and you know how the rest of it went. Getting a dog with someone is like the test to see how you’d be as a parent. I feel like all of a sudden you two are gonna be in the suburbs with two kids and we’ll never see her anymore. Practically lost her once after the whole thing with Jake, I can’t lose her again.” Rachel feels tears prick at her eyes.

“Hey, woah, I’m not takin’ her away from anyone. And she’s told me she doesn’t exactly want to move out of the city yet either. There’s no rush for anything.”

“But you two talk about having babies all the time.”

“Not all the time.”

“Harry.”

“Well, it’s important to talk about don’t you think? Be on the same page with your partner.”

“You wanna marry her?”

“At some point, yeah.” She smiles and nods.

“You know, I had a huge crush on her when we first met.” She chuckles. “When we became really good friends, I eventually told her. I think we both cried. She told me she felt terrible that she couldn’t return my feelings. Like she was genuinely torn about it. I think it made us closer. I got over it of course, but that feeling of just wanting what’s best for her will always linger. When we got to spend that semester in California together it made me realize that she’s so special, you know? She deserves the world.”

“And I wanna give it to her.” He puts everything down. “Would it be alright if we hugged?” He had tears in his eyes too. She puts everything down and opens her arms up. They share a nice embrace. You and Mariah walk in with dinner. Mariah coughs loudly to get their attention.

“We just had to go and date the two biggest blubber bags out there, didn’t we?” She says to you and you start laughing.

“What the hell are we gonna do with you two, what happened?”

“We were having a nice moment until you two ruined it.” Rachel says sticking her tongue out at you. You stick yours out back. “What you bring for dinner?” She asks excitedly, walking over to Mariah to give her a kiss.

“Sushi.” She smiles.

“Got some foldin’ chairs in the back, hold on.” Harry says and goes to get them. He stops short, turns around to kiss you, and then goes to get them.

“He’s cute.” Rachel says.

“Yeah, he is.” You smile.

Harry comes back with four folding chairs so you all can sit and eat.

“Harry, if you leave me the keys I can come in this weekend to paint while you’re gone.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I don’t mind. I can get Mariah’s office and the kitchen done easily. Then when you get back we can do the rest.”

“Then it’s just the furniture right?” Mariah asks.

“Yeah, we’re going to have a waiting area over there.” Harry points. “Two small love seats, and then Isaac’s desk should be here any day. Got him one that he can stand up at too like he’s been wantin’. And then our desks will be here in a couple of weeks along with our chairs. We can start bringing the equipment in once the painting is done.”

“I’m so excited, I can’t wait to put my two weeks in. It’s been insufferable without you there.”

“Right, because my attitude just brightened the whole place up.” He says sarcastically, making you all laugh.

“I swear I thought Julia was going to kill herself when she saw your office all cleared out after you left. Luckily, her and Dana are done in two weeks. We might actually hire Dana for the summer. Paige really enjoyed her help.” Harry nods. The mention of Julia’s name makes you cringe.

“You didn’t tell any of them where I went did you?”

“No, but everyone hounded me. I just told them you wanted to focus on your freelance work. Not like it was a lie.” She shrugs.

“I just don’t want any of them findin’ me. Isaac’s kept quiet?”

“Mhm, he’s just excited to get out of there too.”

The four of you finish eating, and you tell Harry you’ll see him at home while him and Rachel finish up. You’re in your pj’s, cuddled up on the sofa watching TV when he gets in. He strips all of his clothes off, besides his boxers, and plops down next to you.

“Harry…”

“Didn’t wanna get paint anywhere.” He yawns. “How’s my baby?” He kisses your cheek.

“Good.” You giggle.

“Just imagine, you’ll have a little pup all cuddled up with you on these later nights.”

“Mhm, it’ll be nice.” You yawn. “I need to set up the little bed inside the crate for him. I mean it, he’s not sleeping in the bed with us.”

“I never disagreed with you, but if he starts cryin’ you can be the one to comfort him.”

“He won’t cry because he won’t know any different. We just need to make the crate a safe space, not a punishment, then he’ll have no problem sleeping in it. Then when he gets a little older we can take the bed out of the crate and he’ll know that’s his bed.”

“You know I’m kind of looking forward to being away for the night.”

“Me too, I’m glad we’re making a weekend of it. I’ve never been to the Ben and Jerry’s factory, I’m so excited.”

“There’s a cider mill right down the road from there too that we should check out.”

“I’ve never been to Burlington either. I think I’ve been to Vermont like once in my life.” You laugh. “We never really had a reason to go.”

“The lads and I would head up there to buy weed on the cheap.” He says nonchalantly. “You know, before it was legal here.”

“Hm, interesting.”

“Alright, miss straight edge.”

“I’m not judging.”

“Mhm, yeah. There’s worse drugs out there, you know?”

“Yeah, like mushrooms.”

“Should’ve never told you that.” He shakes his head.

“Well, you did.” You crawl into his lap and he lays back so you can lay on him. “Hi.” You nuzzle into his chest.

“Hi baby.”

“What were you and Rachel doing earlier, when we walked in?”

“We just had a moment is all.” He strokes your hair and rubs your scalp. “She…really cares about you.”

“Yeah.” You look up at him. “She’s the best.” You smile and lean in to kiss him. “So are you.” You nuzzle your nose to his. “I love you so much, I’m really happy.”

“I love you too, darlin’. I’m happy too.” You kiss for a while on the couch before you both start to feel sleepy. Then it’s off to bed.

//

You both get up early Saturday to get to Vermont. It would be along, and annoying drive. You took some pills to help you not get carsick. Harry was an excellent driver, but you knew there would be a lot of back roads involved at some point.

You put on some cuffed jeans and a white short sleeve crop top. You pair it with a blue cardigan and your white tennis shoes. Harry has a loose pair of jeans on and a band t-shirt.

“I’m so happy it’s gettin’ warmer out.”

“Me too.” You look around. “Everything’s all set up for him.”

“Yup.” He kisses you and grabs the overnight bags. “Let’s go.”

Harry lets you put a playlist on. A mix of old and new songs. You gasp when a particular song comes on. You’ve Made Me So Very Happy by Blood Sweat & Tears.

“Oh my god I love this song!” You turn the volume up and sing along. “Have you heard this before?”

“Yeah, I thought a woman sang it.”

“There are a ton of covers. I think I like this one the best.”

You continue to sing while Harry listens to the lyrics. Every word perfectly describes how he feels about you.

I chose you for the one. Now I'm having so much fun… You treated me so kind, I'm about to lose my mind…You made me so very happy. I'm so glad you came into my life…

Harry makes a mental note of the song for future use, especially when he sees how much you love it. You hold his hand while you sing. You must resonate with the lyrics too.

You eventually make to the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream factory. You couldn’t wait to stretch your legs. You practically run inside.

“I need to pee so bad!” Harry laughs at you while you find a bathroom.

“Tour’s only five bucks a person, I got us two tickets.” He says when you come back. You thank him and wait to be called in with the rest of the group.

A short movie is shown, and then you all are brought in to see how the ice cream is packaged and produced. Next you’re brought downstairs where they give you a sample to try.

“Mm, oh my fucking god.” You can help but moan when you lick at the chocolate malt ice cream. Harry looks at you. “You have to at least try it.”

“I don’t like chocolate ice cream. And you better be careful that’s gonna upset your stomach.”

“No it won’t it’s only a little, and it’s soooo good.” You lick at it again and smile. “That’s some good shit, wow.”

When you’re done you take a picture together outside in front of the sign. You drive down the street to the cider mill. You go inside and see all of the things that can be made with cider and or syrup.

“Look Harry, a maple syrup hot sauce, this could be fun to try.”

“Sure.” He smiles.

“Are you feeling tired? I could drive the rest of the way to the hotel.”

“Would you mind? It would be nice to close my eyes for a bit.”

“Of course.” You kiss him on the cheek, pay for your things and head to the car.

You kept the music volume low while he slept. You pulled into the parking lot of the small hotel. It was really more like an inn.

“Baby, we’re here.”

“Hm? Oh, okay.” He stretches and gets out of the car. He grabs your bags and you both go in to check in.

You get into the room and put everything down. You both wash up and head back down to the car. You drive into Burlington and pay to park near Church Street.

“Look at all the shopping! And the lake! Who knew there was such a populated area?” You laugh.

“Well, UVM is like right over there.” He nudges you.

“Shut up.” You nudge him back.

You both do a little shopping before finding a nice vegetarian place to eat at. After dinner you head down to walk along the peer near the lake.

“I can’t wait to see Buster tomorrow, Harry.”

“Me too, baby.” He holds your hand as you walk.

“Do you think he’ll like us?”

“Of course!” He laughs. “We’ll be the best parents ever.”

You drive back to the hotel and you both get settled in for the night. You both do your nightly routines and get into bed. You face each other, limbs getting tangled in each other. Harry’s leg slides between yours, and he cups your cheeks in his hand. He pulls your face closer to his and your lips connect. You grind slightly against his lig, and he pushes it against you harder. A small moan leaves your lips. You tug at his shoulder to pull him on top of you.

He runs his fingers over your folds and fingers you for a bit to get you ready for him. You wrap your legs around him as he enters you and he kisses you. He buries his head in your neck while he rocks in and out of you. You grab one of his hands you lace your fingers together.

“Harry.” You moan. “Feels so good.” You look up at him and he’s already looking down at you. You kiss each other, and you pull him closer with your legs.

“Y/N.” He moans into your ear. “Love you so much.”

“I, ngh, love you too.”

He rocks in and out of your faster, and then with a sharp thrust, he gets in really deep and stays there. You grind against him as your tongue finds his.

“Oh my god, shit, shit, shit, Harry!” You release around his cock. You squeeze his hand tightly.

He picks up the pace again, chasing his own high. He pants and groans, and with another moan of your name he comes inside of you. He collapses next to you. You both kiss again, not leaving anytime to your breaths. He bites your bottom lip and sucks it into his mouth.

“I’m getting hard again.” He says against your lips.

“Want me to suck on it?”

“Please.”

He lays on his back and you get between his legs. Sure enough he was hard again. You don’t waste anytime getting your mouth on him.

“Fuck.” He groans. He thrusts up and you take him deeper down your throat. You swallow against him and cradle his balls. He grips at your hair and you start bobbing up and down him. “Shit, I’m gonna come.”

You give him a thumbs up as you keep your mouth on him. His come shoots into your mouth, and you take all of it. You come off him and swallow.

“Thank you.” He says, out of breath.

“Mm, my pleasure.”

You get up, use the toilet, and rinse your mouth out. You crawl back into bed, and he wraps himself around you. He kisses the back of your neck a few times before completely settling in.

//

The next morning you both get everything together, and head out to where Harry’s friend lives. It was only about thirty minutes later.

“Adam!” Harry says when he sees his friend coming out to greet him. “Hey, mate!”

“Harry!” The hug each other. “It’s been ages!” Another Brit, how interesting.

“Adam, this is my girlfriend, Y/N.”

“Hey, greet to meet yeh!”

“Same to you.” You shake his hand.

“Pup’s in the barn, follow me.”

You take Harry’s hand and follow Adam around to the barn. You hang back while he goes over to the pen they’re in.

“What’s wrong?” Harry asks.

“I don’t want to watch him take him away from his mumma.”

“Oh, sweetie…”

Adam comes over cradling the puppy, and you burst into tears when he hands Buster to you. Harry and Adam look at each other and then look at you.

“He’s so beautiful, thank you.” The puppy yips, gives you a lick on the chin, and nestles into your arms. “Harry, he’s so cute.” You say through tears and a high pitched voice. “Here, you take him.”

He smiles and takes him from you. He holds him up in the air at first and then cradles him.

“He’s perfect.”

After chatting with Adam a bit longer, you take Buster out to the car. You had a car-seat for him, but you decide to hold him instead. You just didn’t wanna let him go. Harry would occasionally reach over and scratch his little head. He slept for most of the ride. You stopped a couple of times to give him some water and let him pee.

When you finally get home you let him scamper and sniff around. When it looks like he’s about to pee you pick him up and put him on a piddle pad.

“It’ll be easy enough to let him out for a wee, can just bring him to the balcony.”

“What and have our plants and new furniture smell like piss? No, no, we’ll be taking him out. The piddle pads will work for now. We’ll have to take him out every hour so he gets used to it. C’mon baby, are you hungry?”

“Actually, yeah, I a-“

“Harry, I was talking to Buster.” You shake your head at him and laugh. You whistle to Buster and he follows you. You scoop out some dog food and put it into his bowl. You stick your fingers into the dry food while he eats.

“What are you doin’?”

“I read about this. It helps the dog know not to bite you if you feed it treats and stuff. It needs to know it shouldn’t be rough with you.” Buster eats what he wants and then laps at his water bowl. “He’s just so tiny, I can’t get over it.” You pat the top of his head. “Okay, in like fifteen minutes we should take him out. I’m working from home tomorrow so I can help house train him.”

“Sounds good.” He smiles. “So…can we eat dinner then/”

“Sure, if you feel like whipping something up. I’ll have to take him to get registered with the city tomorrow. I’ll call the vet too to set up a check up like Adam said.”

“Thank you.” He kisses you and goes into the kitchen. Buster follows him in and so do you.

You take buster out to do his business every hour like you said. You ring a little bell each time you take him out too. Eventually the three of you get snuggled up on the couch together.

“Oh, let’s take a selfie, then all our friends can help welcome him.” You take your phone out and sit between Harry’s legs, facing away from him. You hold Buster up to your chest so you can get him in the picture. Harry kisses your temple right as you snap the shot. “God, I’m gonna cry again.”

“I couldn’t believe how emotional you got, usually I’m the mess.”

“I know!” The dog huffs. “Sorry baby, mumma didn’t mean to be so loud.” You coo as you strokes his hair.

Harry was so at peace. Hearing yourself refer to yourself as mumma thrilled him. When it was time for sleep, you put Buster inside his crate with his cozy bed. You stuck the crate in the hall outside your bedroom. You didn’t want to put it in the bedroom since he would wanna get on the bed with you. You start getting teary eyed when you get into bed.

“What is it, love?”

“I just feel bad leaving him out there all alone, I don’t want him to wake up scared.”

“Do you want to bring him in here with us?”

“No, we need to be stern about this. He needs to know our bed is for us, and his bed is for him. I’ll be okay.” You wipe your eyes.

“C’mere.” You lay your head on his chest and sigh.

Luckily, Buster didn’t make much of a peep throughout the night, and you and Harry were able to sleep just fine. Your little life with Harry was growing, and you couldn’t be happier. You weren’t sure if you were ready for the responsibility of having a dog, but somehow you ended up being a natural, and Harry took note right away.

[honey-andtea1889]

The Cold Autumn Evenings (H.S.) Part One

AN: Okay so I really tired making this an MGG fic but it didn’t work out like at all. However, Harry literally fit this so well and I seriously couldn’t resist. I’m currently working on parts two and three already and I’m so excited for y’all to read this! Please don’t forget to request stuff, my asks are open and dry asf! 

Summary: Y/N works as a writing intern for a large Publishing Company in London. Harry is her boss and wants her to read a novel he had written, little does she know that the novel has a deeper meaning to Harry. 

Warnings: None 

Song: The City by Ed Sheeran 

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

It started like any other day. The November morning was frigid as Y/N had made her way into the publishing office she was interning at with four coffees for her coworkers and boss. The  heat of the building caught her as she walked into the small, busy office. Fall in London was always beautiful, but the cold could take its toll more than anything.

 Y/N had gotten this internship during Uni, she was lucky enough to be able to get it due to it’s high demand for already set writers. It was one of the more prestigious Publishing Companies to work for. She had applied for the paid internship position earlier in the semester and was very lucky to have gotten in when she did. The company was only hiring one or two interns and with how much Y/N loved writing, she knew she had to push to get the job. 

Y/N had been writing stories since she could pick up a pencil. She thoroughly enjoyed writing fantasy stories, however she’s recently grown accustomed to romances. She always knew this was a career path she wanted to take which made her job all the more worth it. She was able to lose herself in her writings, that’s what she loved most about it. 

“Thank you Y/N!” Claire, Y/N’s best friend, said as she took the warm beverage from the cup holder. 

“No problem! How’s that story going so far? Anything interesting yet?” Y/N asked as she passed out the other coffees. 

“Ugh no. Don’t get me wrong, the whole Sci-fi feel of it is cool, but there’s little to no understanding of the plot. Plus no background on the characters at all, and don’t get me started on the vague descriptions of the settings.” Claire groaned as she flopped the packet of paper down on her desk. 

“Yikes, sounds rough. What chapter are you on?” Y/N asked. 

“Chapter five.. I don’t want to toss it just yet because there’s some potential to it but seriously, this guy couldn’t have tried a little harder?” 

Y/N chuckled as she settled into her desk, getting herself ready for the day that was planned. She had a set schedule for each and every day. She would answer calls, take stories back to her boss, and so on. Y/N was happy that she landed this internship but she wanted to show off some of her writings. She knew she wasn’t terrible with her stories and there’s always room for improvement, but she wanted to show what she could do. She had actually brought it up to her boss, Harry, but he never had the chance to read it simply because he was too busy with other clients. 

Harry always took on a lot of work. He would read almost 4 stories a day! It was astonishing to see that someone who runs one of the top publishing companies still had time to make himself a meal in between all of the work he was doing. That was an admirable trait about him. Y/N knew that asking Harry to take time to read something she had written was asking a lot, to which she never really tried.

 Y/N had also tried reaching out to Claire but she felt as though reading a friend’s work was biased, like she already knew she would go through and publish it without reading it all. Y/N didn’t want to just be given that kind of credibility. She needed to work for it and the only way to even remotely come close to that was for her boss to read it or for her to go to an opposing firm which could cause her to lose the internship and everything she had worked for up to this point. So with that in mind, Y/N left it alone. 

There was a stack of papers on Y/N’s desk for Harry, contracts and other stories that needed to be read over again for editing. She sighed as she picked up the stack and walked over to his office, slightly knocking on the mahogany door. 

“Come in.” Harry said as he pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. 

“Good morning Mr. Styles! I have your coffee and here are some things that were left for you. There’s a contract or two for the last couple authors you signed and some stories that came in this morning.” She said, settling everything in its proper place. 

“Thank you, Love. Don’t know if I could do this job without ya!” Harry smiled, his thick English accent melting into the words he spoke. 

Y/N blushed and left the office with a skip in her step.

In a sense, Y/N was Harry’s assistant. Though that wasn’t necessarily her job title, it was basically the job of it. She didn’t mind it though. She actually loved the job, only because Harry made work so much better. 

There’s no denying that Harry is attractive, anyone with a pair of eyes could see that. His dark brown hair flopped on his head elegantly, a few loose curls falling down around his face sometimes. He had these bright green eyes that could captivate anyone with a single stare and these plushy, raspberry colored looking lips that looked so inviting. His dimples that appeared whenever he smiled were some of the cutest things people have seen. His stature was also something that caught the attention of people. He was tall, just the right height to show some intimidation. He had broad shoulders that had Y/N weak in her knees nearly every day and his suits always clung onto his built form, driving every woman in the office mad with how great he looked. Hell, the word attractive doesn’t do the man any justice. 

Y/N flopped on her desk and began her work. She spent most of her day answering emails and printing off agreements and such for incoming clients. It wasn’t the most fun, but she was able to stop into Harry’s office a few times so she wasn’t too bummed. 

“Well I’m sorry Mr. Thompson, but unfortunately, this was already written and made into a play on broadway. I can’t really do that considering it’s plagiarism and I can get into a lot of trouble with that.” Harry sighed as he rubbed his forehead. 

Y/N giggled as she set the last set of stories on his desk. He shook his head and hung up the phone, rubbing his eyes and groaning out of frustration. Y/N smiled and sat down on the chair in front of his desk. 

“What was that all about?” She asked. 

“Some very estranged gentleman wanted me to publish a story about two witches in a form of High school setting.” Harry said as he leaned back in his chair. 

“Wait...isn’t that Wicked?” Y/N asked as she crossed her legs. 

“Exactly my point. Do you know what he wanted to call it?” 

“Oh man, this should be interesting.” 

“He wanted to call it ‘Haunted High’. Sorry but I’m not going to be sued because of his lack of creativity and effort.” Harry chuckled. 

    Y/N giggled and ran her fingers through her hair. Harry smiled at the girl in front of him. 

    He did have a form of admiration for Y/N. He loved how hard she worked and her drive for the job. He enjoyed having her around the office as well. Her energy was something sweet to behold and he adored her personality. She was always so happy and bubbly whenever he saw her. Harry was a little nervous when she was brought in from Uni. He didn’t want to overwhelm her with everything they did but she’s been working like a champ. He was so lucky to have someone like her to help him out. 

    “I was going to head to lunch here pretty soon, did you need me for anything before I go?” Y/N asked as she stood from the chair. 

    “I think I’m all set at the moment, love. Thank you.” Harry smiled as he turned to his computer. 

Y/N smiled as she exited the small room and headed to the elevator. Claire joined her as they went down to the main floor. The pair walked to a small cafe that was down the street from the Publishing building. They found a few seats over by the big window and happily sat down for their lunch hour. 

    “So, have you tried to get Mr. Styles to read your book yet?” Claire asked as she skimmed over the menu. 

    “Not yet. He’s got a lot coming up and not to mention the I-couldn’t-tell-you how many new stories to read every day. I don’t wanna add to it, ya know? He doesn’t need the extra stress.” Y/N explained. 

    “Though I do understand it, I still think you should try. I’m sure he’ll make time for you.” Claire winked.

    Y/N chuckled as she continued looking over the menu. 

Claire had a preconceived notion that Harry had a bit of a crush on Y/N and vice versa. Anyone could see the slight attraction between the two and it was only a matter of time before either one made a move on the other. Even Y/N’s mother thought that they’d make a cute couple! 

She thought about what Claire had said. Would Harry really make time for her? And if so, why? She’s only his assistant, it’s not like they were the closest of friends or something. Y/N wanted some of her stories published, but was she ready to actually pull through with it? 

    After lunch, Claire and Y/N returned to the office to finish up their work day. Y/N sat at her desk and contemplated on talking to Harry about her stories. She built up some courage and made her way to his office. She knocked on the door and heard a faint ‘come in’ from the other side. As she entered, she could see Harry with his glasses on, indulged in one of the stories that was brought in earlier. She cleared her throat, Harry picking his head up and smiling at her. 

    “Hello, petal! To what do I owe the pleasure?” Harry asked, looking back down at the packet. 

“M-Mr.Styles....I was wondering..I-I know you’re incredibly b-busy with other stories a-and clients b-but...I was curious that...m-maybe you could look at..m-my story that I’ve wr-written?” Y/N stumbled on her words. 

    Harry looked up at the girl in front of his desk. She was playing with the buttons of her blouse, indicating that she was nervous to ask, as though her mumbling and stuttering didn’t already give that away. He smiled at her. Harry had a feeling that Y/N knew it might not happen due to how busy he always is, but she looked so sweet with asking and she’s probably worked so hard on it. She wants him to look over her work. In his heart, he’s honored. It’s not every day where one of your employees wants you to take a look into their daily lives. Y/N wanted his opinion and his judgement on something she holds near and dear to her. 

    “Alright, Y/N. Since you’re so eager for me to see it, bring it in tomorrow and I’ll take a look.” Harry said. 

    Y/N could feel the weight lift off of her shoulders. 

“You’re kidding.” She coughed. 

“Y/N, when it comes to doing my job, I don’t do anything of the sort. I will do you the favor of reading it, however this does not guarantee that it will be published. You’re still rather young so I am not having my hopes super high for it.” Harry sighed, closing the packet and setting it in his briefcase. 

Y/N felt the slight pang in her chest from his words. He didn’t think her writing would be good. She was hoping he would be a little more excited about it but it seems as though she was wrong. 

“Yes Mr. Styles, I understand. I will have it on your desk tomorrow morning.” Y/N whispered. 

She exited the office as quickly as she could and slumped over to her desk. 

How could he think her book would suffice to all of the other bullshit he was reading? It just didn’t make sense to her. She knew she had to prove him wrong. She pulled out her computer and began looking for her best story. She found the one she had written in her 3rd year of Uni and printed it out. She wrote on a sticky note for Harry to see that it was one of her best pieces. 

Harry was leaving his office when he saw her making a few notes on her calendar. She looked up and straightened up her posture, becoming a little nervous that he might ask if she was upset by his comment that was made a few minutes prior. 

“I’m heading home now, I’m going to be a bit late tomorrow morning. I have a meeting with corporate. They’ve been on my arse about how things have gone here and why we haven’t met our quota for this quarter. Whenever you get your story, please leave it on my desk and I will try to read it as soon as I get in.” Harry stated, looking down at his phone. 

“Yes sir. Is there anything you need me to do tonight?” Y/N had asked. 

“N-..actually yes. There’s an extra novel in the top drawer of my desk that needs to be looked at. I can’t get to it at all, is there any way you could look at it?” He asked. 

Y/N nodded. He bid his goodbyes and left the building. Y/N entered the office with her book in hand, placing it on the center of his desk neatly. Presentation is key. Before she left, Y/N grabbed the novel that Harry was talking about and exited his office. She looked at the title and stopped in her tracks. 

His Beloved, Her Heart by Harry Styles.

He wanted her to read his novel. Just like hers, there was a note attached to the packet of paper. 

Y/N, I know I was a bit harsh with my words earlier to which I apologize for and this is probably the last thing you want to do tonight but I need a second opinion. I trust your judgement and would appreciate any feedback you give. Xx H 

She traced over his handwriting delicately and felt a smile creep on her face. She soon packed up her things and scampered back to her small flat on the South side of  London. When she returned home, Y/N threw her shoes into the closet closest to the door and entered her kitchen. She heard the small pitter patter of her french bulldog, Sam. Petting the sweet pooch, she started up her coffee machine and went into her bedroom to change into some comfier clothes. 

Y/N snuggled into her couch with her coffee in hand and began reading Harry’s story. Within the first few chapters, she was hooked. The plot of two people meeting in Central Park and falling in love during Christmas time was enticing, not to mention the beautiful descriptions of the settings, emotions, and character development was captivating. 

She never really pegged Harry as a writer. From what she’s heard around the office, Harry was more for reading poetry and writing music rather than stories. Rumor has it that he didn’t want the job of running the company in the first place. However, from what Y/N was reading, those statements were more wrong than anything. She loved how he worded certain paragraphs and how delicate the characters were made to be. It almost felt as though she was reading the script to her favorite Hallmark Christmas movie. 

She did note a few small things like grammar/spelling mistakes (happens to the best of us, really), questioned why he wanted to end a certain chapter the way he did, and so on. It was almost one in the morning before she noticed how late it was.

With that in mind, Y/N headed to bed, preparing for more reading tomorrow. 

[matrixaffiliate]

Endeavor

Chapter Update! FFN and AO3

Next chapter goes up on August 15th! =)

Chapter 3

"I swear, Lupin, you work more now that you have this job than you did when we were taking a full semester and you were working two jobs." Kalil sat down at the kitchen table where Ted had laid out his old school notes to try and come up with a clearer direction forward for what he had spent the last week coming to think of as his company.

"It is not that bad, Ghanem," Ted laughed. "I've got a good chance here to build this into the launching pad of my career. But I've got to get Vic up to speed too, so I'm also teaching her business classes after work."

Kalil sat down at the table, "Now when you first said your coworker's name was Vic, I thought their name was Victor. But you keep referring to them in the feminine connotation."

Ted laughed, "Vic is short for the French name Victoire."

"And, she needs some personal tutoring after work because…" Kalil smirked at him.

Ted shook his head, "It's not like that, mate."

"Really? Because you haven't been this willing to work outside of your shift in the three years that we've been friends."

Ted looked back at one of his books. "Yeah, well she has a boyfriend."

"Wait, she's taken?"

"Yep." Ted huffed.

"She says she's taken or you know she's taken?"

Ted looked up to glare at his friend, "My second interaction with her was walking in on her snogging the bloke, so yes, she's taken."

Kalil raised his eyebrows. "And you're not happy about this."

Ted sighed. "Sorry, she's pretty amazing and it's just frustrating to meet a girl that I could see myself with, and for her to be in a relationship."

"Well, if she's taken, she's taken, mate," Kalil put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you should protect yourself a bit here, back off on the time you spend with her, like only being with her during office hours."

Ted nodded, "Yeah, I'll think about it."

Kalil moved his hand away and shook his head as he walked back down the hall to his room.

"Don't be that guy Ted." He called out.

Teddy didn't respond. He needed to get this business figured out and then he needed to head out to get some shopping done before he went to his parents' place. They'd been excited to have him over on a Saturday. Ted hadn't had a free Saturday evening in years.

And honestly, he had already realized he was that guy. Ted was flirting and looking for every stolen moment he could get with a girl that wasn't available. If he were in Sean's position, he'd probably want to pummel him.

But Sean wasn't treating Vic like he really cared. Vic had disclosed that Sean canceled a day trip to the White Cliffs for the chance to compete in a pub quiz league. He was so certain he and his mates would win that he decided it was worth canceling the trip, and he was vague with her when it came to rescheduling it.

Ted wanted to pummel the idiot.

That was obviously not an option, and so Ted settled for teaching her business after work a couple of nights a week as they ate dinner and goofing around during the workday. Ted lived for those stolen moments; those moments where he felt like it was them, no unnecessary significant others involved.

Maybe he'd get her to teach him to speak French. He took a few classes in before uni, maybe he could get her to spend a little longer with him in the evenings teaching him something after he taught her business.

A part of Teddy wanted to cuff himself upside the head, but the more time he spent with Vic, the easier it was to ignore that part of him. He had set some physical boundaries for himself, and that made Ted feel like he wasn't really crossing any lines. He was making friends with Vic, taking an interest in her life outside of work, and spending time with her. That's what friends did. He was her friend. That was it.

And if he took advantage of those moments to feel closer to her than he should, well, that was for him and no one else to know about.

OoOoOoOoO

"So, you're liking working with Ron?" His dad asked as he handed Ted a drink and set the pitcher down on the table in their back garden.

"I don't work much with Ron. Between me and his niece, we run this operation on our own." Ted sat back in his chair and sighed contentedly. He liked having evenings off. He'd forgotten what it was like to be able to decompress before half eleven, let alone have a Saturday to himself.

"It's just the two of you?" His mum set some cheese and crackers down on the table.

"Unless we need the big boss, yeah," Ted nodded.

"Which niece of his are you working with?" His dad pulled the cheese tray a bit closer to him.

Ted smiled, "Victoire, his oldest niece. She's Bill and Fleur's daughter if that helps you place her."

His mum laughed. "I know Bill, she must be a firecracker. He fancied himself a rebel, pierced his ear and grew his hair out long; he even bought a motorcycle. Made his mum furious as I understand it."

"How did you know Bill?" Ted tried to not look too interested.

"He and I went to A-levels together," his mum swatted a fly away and nearly upturned the cheese tray but just missed it. "It was happenstance that Harry and Ron and Ginny ended up in school together as well."

"To be fair, it was also happenstance that you and I met." His dad took her hand and kissed it.

Ted sighed. It felt like he would never get to the point his parents were at.

"Everything alright, son?" His dad turned to look at him.

"Yeah," Ted forced a smile, "It's just been a long week getting everything settled at work. And I really think Ron has a second company brewing with this, so I'm trying to get things rolling to show him that this could stand on its own feet. It doesn't need Bread & Butter to hold it up."

"Ron didn't build Bread & Butter in a day, Teddy darling. Make sure to pace yourself." His mum's timer went off and she went to retrieve dinner.

Ted stayed quiet. He knew his mum was right, Ron had built his franchise up over the course of nearly fifteen years. But this didn't need the same kind of organic growth that a bakery chain needed. This was selling kitchen equipment, kitchen equipment branded with the name of a successful franchise across the UK. It just needed the push that Ted was willing to give it.

Plus, he got more time with Vic when he pushed this forward, so it was a win in more than one way.

"Do I get you next Saturday too?" His mum asked as she set dinner on the table.

Ted laughed, "No, I promised Harry I'd take the kids for ice cream to say thank you for getting me in touch with Ron."

"Give them a hug for me. I know they're James' and Lily's grandkids, but I think we all claim them as our own."

"Mum, I'm six years older than Jamie."

"It doesn't change that your dad and I are old enough to be their grandparents."

"I am, but you, my love, are most certainly not." His dad chuckled. "But I've always liked how much those three look up to you, Teddy."

Ted shrugged, he rather liked it too if he was honest.

OoOoOoOoO

"This was a low blow, Weasley," Ted shook his head as he ate his Chinese takeaway the following Friday.

"You left me with no choice. If I hadn't ordered beforehand then you would have paid for it again. I already owe you for five dinners."

"You hide your devious side behind that pretty face, you even knew my order."

Vic kicked him under the table, "Don't announce my secrets!"

Ted laughed, "So tell me, have you ordered the next five dinners as well?"

Vic grinned, "I'll let you sit in anticipation."

"So torturous," Ted grinned back at her and had to put a great deal of self-control into not reaching out to take her hand or run his foot along her calf.

"What are you doing with your weekend?" Vic asked as she pulled a dumpling from the box with her chopsticks.

Ted smirked, "Wondering what my plans are Weasley?"

"I'll tell you mine," Vic shrugged.

"Let me guess, you're going to go home and spend the weekend wishing you didn't live with your parents?" Ted teased.

"No, I'm going to figure out what your last name is." She smirked at him.

Ted tutted, "That would be a shame, my wolf looks rather nice on your desk. I've come to enjoy seeing him there."

Vic laughed and kicked his foot under the card table. "I am going to figure it out this weekend. Come Monday, I'll know more about you than you could imagine me learning in two days."

Ted raised his eyebrows at her. "I think you're bluffing."

Vic shrugged, "Good, that will make it that much better when you walk in on Monday and I call you by your full name."

"Oh, you think you'll find my middle name too huh? Yours isn't even listed on the company roster."

"Did you go looking for it?" Vic laughed.

"Of course, I did, I had to exploit every advantage available to me." Ted shrugged as Vic laughed.

"You're ridiculous you know." Vic's smile was soft again, it was that smile that made Ted's stomach flutter.

"One of my many faults."

Vic tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before letting out a long breath and tossed her takeaway container in the bin.

"We should get started," she pulled her notepad in front of her.

"Right," Ted moved to his desk for his notebook and the notes he'd prepared yesterday after work before rejoining Vic at the card table.

"Did everything from Wednesday make sense?"

But another voice responded.

"Wednesday?"

Ted turned to the open door where Sean stood.

"Sean," Vic's voice conveyed her surprise. "You said you had plans tonight."

"They fell through," he leant against the doorframe. "I decided I'd rescue you from working late."

"Oh, er," she looked at Ted with wide eyes and Ted forced a smile for her.

"Go on, your Casanova awaits."

Vic bit her lip and looked torn for a moment longer before nodding. "We can do this on Monday, right?"

"Sure, whenever," Ted put his notebook away in his backpack.

"Alright, I'll, I'll see you Monday."

"Yeah."

Ted didn't dare look up as Vic walked out. He didn't want to see Sean kiss her.

OoOoOoOoO

"Teddy!" Lily ran into his arms.

"Hey, sweetheart," Ted hugged her. "I swear you're taller every time I see you."

"Grandad says that's what happens when you feed kids. Mum and Dad left for their show already, but come on! I want you to meet my cousin! She's so cool!" Lily pulled him down the corridor.

Ted laughed and kicked off his shoes, expecting to see another twelve-year-old girl as Lily pulled him to the back garden.

He nearly tripped over himself when he crossed the threshold.

"Vic?"

"Ted?"

"What are you doing here?" They said in unison.

"Really? You already know her? I wanted to introduce you two." Lily pouted.

"I work with Vic, Lils." Ted squeezed Lily's shoulders.

"You do?" Al frowned, "But Vic works for Uncle Ron."

Ted chuckled, "And so do I."

Vic was blushing and Ted wondered why his showing up had this effect on her. She didn't blush when he walked into work.

"Ted!" Jamie grinned as he walked out to the back garden. "Dad said you weren't going to be here till five."

Ted grinned and pulled Jamie into a hug. "I thought I'd come a bit earlier to catch up, but I see you lot already have someone around."

"Oh, yeah, Vic this is Ted, he's Mum and Dad's godson." Jamie introduced them.

"They work together, Jamie," Lily rolled her eyes. "And if they hadn't, I would have already introduced them."

Jamie's brow creased for a moment. "Oh, right you both work for Uncle Ron, I remember Dad saying he set you up with the job."

Ted nodded, "Yep. So, I guess everyone knows everyone now."

"Right," Vic stood up, "I should probably let you four go to dinner."

"Can Vicky come?" Lily took hold of Teddy's hand and he tried to keep himself from looking down at her big brown eyes.

He failed, and then he caved.

"If you're free, Vic, you're welcome to join us."

"I don't want to impose," she bit her lip but Lily went straight to her side.

"You wouldn't be imposing, Vicky! Please come! We haven't seen you much at all since you got that boyfriend last year."

Ted rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at his socks as Vic spoke.

"Alright, I can come for a little bit."

Ted looked up to see Vic smiling at him, that shy soft smile that made his stomach clench.

"Great," he smiled back at her, and suddenly the awkward way they'd left things the night before seemed to fade away.

"Grab your things, you lot," Ted turned to the Potter kids, "I'm thinking some fish and chips are in order tonight."

"Aye, aye captain!" Al saluted and the three of them went for their things.

"So…" Ted followed Vic as she went back inside the house.

"Hi," Vic moved to the front door and put her shoes back on. Ted followed suit.

"I guess maybe I should have told you my plans for the weekend, huh?" He chuckled.

"Well, this might have been less awkward that way." Vic bit her lip. "I really can just bow out if you want time with them."

Ted felt his whole body react in panic at that suggestion.

"No! I mean if this is weird for you then I get if you want to leave, but I mean, we're friends, right?"

Vic's face took on a relieved cast and she smiled again. "Yeah, yeah, we're friends."

"Alright, well, friends can grab dinner together, right?"

Vic grinned, "Definitely."

Ted took a deep breath and went to say more when the Potter kids came sliding into the front entry.

"Let's go beat the dinner rush," Jamie opened the door and ushered everyone outside.

"Jamie, you're sixteen, will you stop acting like you're the adult here. That's Ted and Vic's job." Lily rolled her eyes.

Jamie shot her a glare and Ted intervened in what was a pretty regular fight he'd seen between the two of them.

"It's normal for Jamie to care enough about you to want to help guide you Lils, and it's fine to not want him to as well, right Jamie?"

Jamie rolled his eyes, "Right."

"Is Vic riding shotgun?" Al asked. "Dad and Mum say that when there's another adult, the front seat always goes to them."

Ted unlocked his car and looked over at Vic. "That's completely up to Vic."

She bit her lip and looked down at her shoes for a moment before looking back up at him. "Sure, sure I'll sit up front."

"There you go, Al, your parents' are always right." Ted grinned, and let their little group think it was in response to Al's eye roll.

But in reality, he couldn't have stopped smiling if his life depended on it, because Vic was sitting shotgun in his car.

"So, Vic," Ted asked as he pulled out of the Potter's drive. "What brought you to my godparents' home tonight?"

Vic immediately blushed. But before Ted could ask further, Al answered.

"She said she had a question about Dad's family."

Ted felt his eyebrows shoot up. The Marauders were Harry's family, and that included him.

"Really?" Ted smirked at Vic, who turned to look out her window. "I could have answered any questions you might have had."

Vic shrugged. "I didn't have your number."

"What did you want to know?" Lily asked.

"Wait," Jamie leant forward. "I thought you wanted to know my thoughts on your rough draft of your book you sent me. That's what Mum told me when she mentioned you'd be coming over."

"Right, so it was that too, and, er…"

Vic's face was bright red now and Ted found it adorable. He also felt a bit guilty, so he gave her a way out.

"Pull out your phone, I'll tell you my number." Ted smiled over at her.

She mouthed thank you and pulled out her phone. Ted rattled off his phone number and then got Al and Jamie talking about the latest Zelda game for the rest of the car ride to the restaurant.

"I can buy my own dinner," Vic protested when they were waiting their turn to order.

Ted rolled his eyes at her, "I'm sure you can, but if Harry finds out you bought your own dinner, he'll have my head, and then he'll send the rest of our family after me, so just do me the favor and let me pay for everyone."

Vic glared at him, so Ted played dirty.

"I gave you my phone number." He ignored the way Jamie eyed him.

Vic huffed and then nodded, "Fine, you can buy my dinner."

Jamie looked back and forth between the two of them. "It's not a date, Vic. Your boyfriend can't be upset about this."

Vic turned bright red and Ted sighed. Leave it to these three to find ways to unintentionally make Vic feel called out.

"I'm sure her boyfriend is a reasonable bloke, Jamie," Ted tried to redirect the conversation with the lie. "Now, why don't you lot find us all a table?"

"Won't you need help with the food?" Al asked.

"I've got Vic to help," Ted glanced at her and she smiled at him. "You three find us a good spot."

Jamie ushered his siblings further into the restaurant and Ted leant back against the wall while they waited for their order to be ready.

"Sorry," he looked over at Vic as she leant against the wall next to him. "They can be a bit much sometimes."

"They're my family too, Ted." She smiled at him. "I'm just embarrassed. I didn't expect to see you tonight."

"Is it a bad thing to see me tonight?"

"No, I just won't be able to complete my master plan now." She bumped his shoulder.

"You had a master plan? And I wasn't included? I'm offended!" Ted bumped her shoulder back and smiled as their easiness finally returned.

"I couldn't include you! You wouldn't share the information!"

Then it clicked and Ted laughed.

"You were going to use your cousins to figure out my full name, weren't you?"

"I thought I could sweet-talk it out of Lily. She always talks about how much she likes you and I thought I could just show up and get her talking about you and then casually ask what your full name was." Vic chuckled, as her blush deepened.

Ted felt like his chest was trying to take flight.

"I have to give you full marks for creativity."

"Yeah but it won't work now," Vic bit her lip. "If I ask anything about you after tonight, she's going to think I fancy you."

Ted swallowed hard, "Well, don't lose hope yet."

Vic looked over at him, "You've had a change of heart?"

"If you send me a text, I can come up with some clues so you can guess my full name." He kept his eyes focused on the kid behind the counter calling orders.

"Alright," Vic's voice was quiet. "I'll text you after we get my cousins home."

Ted smiled.

Then the kid behind the counter called his order number.

[philip-seville-archive]

You Need To Calm Down || Phinnip

Summary: Phinnip get into a weird fight at a beach party for reasons they are too obtuse to figure out. Typical Friday!! 

@oh-phineas​

Pip Seville

Pip went to more parties than one would think, thank you very much. It was how he kept his reputation as a mid-ranked popular kid-- cool enough to hang out with Tony Rydinger without being Tony Rydinger. He was thus extremely good at mingling, and drifted from group to group effortlessly as he did his own form of networking among the secondary-uni mix that congregated on the beach's shores during the summer.

Phineas did not have such grace. He always entered a group at a party like he was the guest of honor.

And so Pip rolled his eyes. "Cool it, Flynn, it's summer! Who wants to talk about school right now?"

Phineas Flynn

Phineas shot Pip a look. Why did he always have to have a comment like that? "It's like they say about work. If it's something you like, it won't feel like work. And I know uni's gonna be epic," he argued. "Plus, I've definitely heard you talking about NYU this summer."

Pip Seville

"Um, since when? You stalking me and taking notes?" Pip said-- in a playful way though, promise. He smiled and everything. "I think the only time I've talked about NYU is when you bring up uni first."

Phineas Flynn

"More like I have ears. But sure, if you wanna believe that I don't have anything better to do with my time." Phineas smirked. Honestly, it was kind of the opposite-- Phineas was so busy with the play and his new business, he didn't actually see Pip much except at some rehearsals. "You know, come to think of it, it's been, like, forever since we hung out. What's up with that?"

Pip Seville

"Well, we don't have SSIC anymore, so..." said Pip, trailing off with a shrug. "What would we even do?"

And he'd expected this. He and Phineas were friends of convenience. Yes, Pip had grown to really like the guy (despite him annoying Pip most of the time) and he would miss him, but he had always known that as soon as Phineas graduated, it was bye-bye. That's part of the reason Pip decided to be annoyed at Phineas most of the time, honestly. Didn't want to get too attached when separation was inevitable.

Phineas Flynn

Phineas looked at Pip quizzically. It was... true. And it wasn't something Phineas would have admitted, because he just wasn't blunt like that. Phineas liked to imagine everyone he met was one of his buddies, and act like they were best friends. Even if it was basically just the equivalent of being someone's coworker.

But he also had always liked to think he and Pip were really friends-- that fight back in January wouldn't have hurt as much if they weren't, right? But... yeah, what did they even have in common?

Phineas wanted to keep the idea of it going, though. "I mean, I dunno, we went to Alton Towers that one time. It was fun." He smiled, back to his typical jovial nature. "We should do more stuff like that! Right? How about a camping trip? You, me, Tad, maybe that other guy you guys were hanging out with, Louie if it's not gonna make it weird for you, lads trip!"

Pip Seville

Pip could not help himself. He scoffed, barely bringing up his drink in front of his face in time to pass it off as kind of a half-cough situation. There was just--

"Sorry, I-- I'm processing the concept of a lads trip, give me a second--" Pip said, making a face. Ugh, he was gay and loved boys, but sometimes boys (like Phineas) were just so... boys.

"Okay, I-- actually, I'm curious why you think camping is the right activity for you and me. Genuinely, I would like for you to explain the thinking behind that specific choice considering the year you spent getting to know me."

Phineas Flynn

Phineas didn’t think it had to be all that deep. But here Pip was again, looking at Phineas like he was a bug under a microscope. It was so weird.

“I dunno, it’s just fun, right? I didn’t really think about it that much. But if you think it’s a dumb idea, like, sure, I guess. You have a better suggestion?”

Pip Seville

"I just don't think we have to do a big thing every time we want to hang out," said Pip. Also, he would loathe camping. Anyone who knew Pip knew that, but once again Phineas was displaying an unsurprising lack of awareness of people other than himself (and this was why they were friends of convenience).

"Like-- okay. If you really wanna hang out, why don't me and Tad meet up with you and that girl you're seeing for lunch," said Pip. "Oooor you could come over for a movie marathon. Or a board game tournament, so I could kick your ass in Settlers of Catan.”

Phineas Flynn

Phineas wasn’t sure how Vanellope would feel about it, but he had a feeling she would be bored, going out to lunch. Maybe it was because she was so interesting that Phineas was scared of letting her down.

How would she feel about board games? Phineas couldn’t be sure.

“Sure, yeah, we could do, like, a couples thing if you want,” Phineas said nonchalantly. “Not that I’d call me and Van a couple. We’re just, like, chillin’. But I get what you’re saying. I don’t know if she’s really into board games, though. She’s from New York, so, like...” Phineas made a face as though to say She’s really cool. “I think she’s a gamer, though. You ever play League of Legends?”

Pip Seville

Oh great. Video games.

Not that Pip didn't like them. He just liked...certain kinds. He was not the must skilled gamer in the world and he didn't have a lot of time to explore a lot of types anyway. "Uh... no," said Pip. That sounded like something Tad would like though. "I guess I could learn though, if that's like, her thing?"

Phineas Flynn

Phineas smiled proudly. He always felt cool, talking about Vanellope. “Yeah, she’s really good at that kind of stuff,” he explained. “Like, anything techy, really. Did I tell you she’s helping with the coding for my app?”

Pip Seville

No, he hadn't, but it didn't surprise Pip at all. After all, that was Phineas's new project. So he had a new partner.

Not that Pip was jealous okay-- the idea actually sucked in his opinion, and he did not think it was going to get off the ground.

"Oh? That is cool," he said. He at least sort of meant that. "Is she like, an official part of the Phineas-Louie team then? Your official developer or whatever you tech bros call it?"

Phineas Flynn

Ohhh, that was a good point. “Well, she’s definitely getting a free jacket,” Phineas said authoritatively. “Once our investor money comes in. I guess she should probably get an official title. Maybe she can be CTO. Since Louie and I are co-CEOs. I want her to feel appreciated, you know?”

Pip Seville

Pip really needed to meet this Vanellope girl. He wanted to see the type of chick that liked Phineas. Everything that Phineas said tracked, but he had to wonder how much was getting filtered through that very specific Phineas lens, you know? And there was only so much one could pick up on social (yes, he'd stalked her!!! No shame in that, everyone did it!)

Anyway, he thought Phineas sounded a little condescending right now but hey, he didn't know the girl! "Right, I mean, I hope so. If she's actually helping you code the thing. That seems pretty important for getting it off the ground," said Pip. "Have you found any investors yet?"

Phineas Flynn

Phineas was... bending the truth a little here. “Yeah, Louie’s uncle is loaded so that’s pretty much a done deal. I might hit up Mr. Simba, too, I feel like I made a good impression. But that’s just the start. I’m really trying to network, you know? Once we get to Pride U it’ll be easier.” @SWOOPING EVIL laur

Pip Seville

"Oh, like for school-funded grants and stuff like that?" Pip asked, and again, this was a genuine question, not trying to cut Phineas down. As if Pip knew how Pride U's business school worked! Maybe they had grants or scholarships for that kind of thing.

Phineas Flynn “I mean, maybe!” Phineas said, not really sure whether or not Pip was being sarcastic or trying to catch him in a lie but choosing to believe he wasn’t. “I just mean the networking will be easier— I’m sure my professors will have been through it, and there’ll be societies for that kind of thing, and I can get in touch with alumni... Know what I mean? That’s why I’m trying to meet Pride U people.”

Pip Seville

Yes, for once, Pip did know what Phineas meant. And honestly?

He was jealous.

Wanting to go to NYU meant that he couldn't do any of that before the fact. There were like, maybe some zoom meet-up things... maybe. But everyone knew that was bullshit. You had to be on the ground. Shaking hands, being charming. AKA what Phineas was trying to do right now (and Pip was sort of keeping him from doing, whoops).

"No, no, I get it," reassured Pip, since he seemed a bit flustered out of nowhere. "You're lucky that you want to go to Pride U honestly-- and your sister goes too. I'm sure you'll be fine when the fall rolls around."

Phineas Flynn

Okay, that was kind of weird. Phineas almost wanted Pip to go back to making fun of him.

“I mean, hey, it’s not like you committed to NYU. Nothing’s stopping you if you end up changing your mind,” Phineas pointed out, interpreting Pip’s statement as being jealous that Phineas was going to Pride U, not being jealous that Phineas wanted to go to Pride U. “You’d know so many people at Pride U. It’d be super easy. Just sayin’.” @SWOOPING EVIL laur

Pip Seville

AND he was right back to rolling his eyes at Phineas. Seriously?! How many times were they going to have this conversation? And like, why? What kind of weirdo measuring stick contest was this Pride U vs. NYU thing??

"Oh my god, so? I mean would I like to have a leg up before hand, absolutely, but I'm not about to make the most important decision on my life based on how easy something is! Sometimes, and I know you might find this shocking, but hard things, things that take a lot of work, are worth it!"

Phineas Flynn

Phineas made a face. That comment hit him, maybe more than it should have. “Dude, are you joking? I work so hard. Do you think this business would’ve got anywhere if I didn’t, like, grind?” Phineas threw his hands up in frustration. “Just because you’re all Type A doesn’t mean you’re better than me. I just like to do stuff my own way. And I don’t wanna, like, leave all my friends and family just to go to college in a city where I don’t know anyone. So, like, judge me, I guess!”

Pip Seville

"Oh my god, I don't want to leave my friends or family either, it's not my fault my friends and family live across the freaking ocean! But sometimes you also have to take risks and be true to your dreams and mine are in New York City!" said Pip hotly.

Suddenly he felt like he was arguing with Amy. Out of nowhere. Which was weird, because Phineas-- seriously, why did he care??

"Why do you care?" Pip finally actually asked, flinging a hand out. "No seriously, why are you always on my arse about this?"

Phineas Flynn

Why did Phineas care?

He should have been relieved Pip wanted to move across the ocean and that Phineas would never have to do another stupid group project with him again. But a part of Phineas still kind of thought Pip would stay in Swynlake. It was just... well, SSIC had been Phineas’s first big project. And Pip had been Phineas’s partner in that. And how did you go through a kind of intense experience with someone like that and just never see them again in your life?

Because Phineas was sure about that. Once Pip went off to NYU, he was never coming back, and Phineas was never going to see him again.

“I— honestly, Pip, I don’t know! ‘Cause you’re really pissing me off right now!” Phineas retorted. “You’re always, like, jumping to conclusions about me! And I really don’t appreciate it!” Especially because, a lot of the time, Pip was right. That was the worst part.

Because somehow, Phineas did care.

Pip Seville

"I have literally never jumped to conclusions about you a day in my life. I draw conclusions based on evidence and observation and experience!" Pip snapped. "Though I don't even know what you could be talking about because all I said the past five minutes was basically that I thought you were going to find the connections you wanted at Pride U. Oh, and I complimented your girlfriend, you're welcome by the way!"

Phineas Flynn

“She’s not my friggin’ girlfriend! We’re chilling!” Phineas gestured wildly, spilling his White Claw in the process. He barely noticed. He was all riled up now. Happy Leo season. “Not the point! Stop appropriating the scientific method to act like you’re being the rational one here!” @SWOOPING EVIL laur

Pip Seville

"I always am the rational one!" exclaimed Pip to that. "What are you talking about? Where have you been the past year when I've been the one turning your insane whims into actual executable decisions? That's why you freaking like me, because I'm so "rational!"" Pip said with overexaggerated quote marks (sloshing his drink too). @emma

Phineas Flynn

“There you go again!” Phineas laughed harshly, stepping back and flinging his arms wide. “You think you know everything! What are you, a friggin’ mind reader?”

He was about to contradict Pip, but the claim made him wonder: why did Phineas like Pip? Because he did like him. And he did want to stay friends. And they barely had anything in common, it was true, and Phineas did find it extremely annoying that Pip always had a smug counter argument to all of Phineas’s crazy ideas. And yet it bothered him that Pip wanted to move to New York.

“That’s— I mean, sure I guess you’re good at that, but it’s also really friggin’ annoying! You think you know everything about me, but you don’t!”

Pip Seville

Pip made an amazed face, lifting his hand again like what the fuck are you even talking about? Because Pip, genuinely, did not know what Phineas was talking about. Hadn't Phineas said they made a good team because of what Pip just described? Yes, he said it with lots of silly buzzwords about like, people's working styles and MBTI or ... whatever, Pip didn't care. But he said it! How was Pip mind reading anything, and oh, if he WAS, didn't that imply that Phineas was mad at him for obviously being right?!

Basically this conversation didn't make any sense. "What are you even talking about? What are we even arguing about right now? That I'm right, and you're mad about it? That I want to go to NYU, and you're mad about it? Literally I am grasping for straws, so puh-lease enlighten me!"

Phineas Flynn

“I don’t know!” Phineas shouted, and then thought about it, and then realized 1. that he was shouting and 2. that he really didn’t know.

He looked around. Some random girl was giving him a weird look. Phineas put his hands up in a “surrender” gesture.

“It’s chill, dude. It’s chill,” Phineas said, his face tomato-red. “Let’s just... whatever. You gotta live your truth. I gotta live mine. It’s chill.”

Phineas didn’t even know what he was saying at this point. He was still vaguely pissed, but mostly, he was tired. And a little embarrassed. Why did he always start drama like this?

“I’m gonna take a walk.”

Pip Seville

This was the weirdest fight they'd ever had. For lots of reasons. The obvious first one was that Pip could not track its beginning. Normally when they fought, it was over a detail about something, or sometimes Phineas took one of Pip's jokes the wrong way, or sometimes Pip got annoyed when Phineas joked (they never seemed to be on the same page when it came to the right time to joke). But whatever this was, it was invisible, and sticky, and full of knots. The kind of thing that built up over time.

The second weird part of it was that it lingered in the air. Normally they both could shrug off a fight or break it by changing the subject, refocusing, putting their attention to someone else around them. Phineas tried to do that. But the air hung and Phineas's face was red.

Pip wondered for the first time if maybe Phineas was drunker than Pip realized.

That thought made his stomach drop. It also made him freeze there, for one more second than usual. Enough time for Phineas to peel off and Pip to like...not say anything. Also weird.

"Okay, whatever," said Pip though Phineas was already walking away. But yeah. Okay, whatever. It was whatever. Pip shook his head and peeled off himself, looking for Tad or Josh or-- literally anyone else. Whatever whatever whatever.

[hystericalweenie]

Just Another Day at the Office - New Experiences

George MacKay x Reader Series

Part Four: Get to Know You

Masterlist

Summary: Y/f/n Y/l/n had found herself stuck in a scenario she’d never thought she’d ever have to face: she’d been catching feelings for a coworker. While she attempted to adapt to her new job and work load, she also had to get used to these new feelings and figure out what the fuck to do with them. George made her want to take risks, she didn’t care about the potentiality of a broken heart with him, because falling in love with him made it seem worth it. Is George falling for Y/n too? Will he be able to reciprocate her feelings?

a/n: I have absolutely no personal experience in magazine/journalism career, so the information in this fic will be provided with the knowledge I have conducted from research. With that being said, please don’t be mad if this is not accurate!!! Since you guys seemed to like the text messages between Y/n and George, I decided to include a chunk of them, since there weren’t any in the last part.

Warnings: This is a slow burn fic, their relationship won’t happen in one night, so if you’re not into that, check out some of the beautifully written imagines that you can most likely find under the george mackayxreader tag. I might eventually write some of my own too :P At least one person’s saying “fuck” and there’s some making out, thigh riding and dry humping. Yes, y’all read that correctly. 

George hadn’t spoken to me since the incident in his office. I figured it was because he’d been occupied with his friend, but when Saturday rolled around, he’d make up for all of the missed time between us.

Bree had informed me that she was going out with a group of our friends from college, which she’d invited me to, but I assured her that I was feeling ill and didn’t feel like leaving the house. I felt bad for lying, but I needed to see George. I missed him awfully; I missed the way his bare skin felt flush against mine, I missed seeing his smile and hearing his laughter, like music to my ears. I missed the feeling of his locks in my fingers, feeling his breath tickle my neck.

I couldn’t take it anymore; I messaged him immediately.

9:13 pm, Me: Apartment to myself... You busy?

Buzz.

9:14 pm, George: Nope. On my way.

I smirked to myself, hugging my phone to my chest before ripping my clothes off of me and replacing my casual undergarments with my best lace panties and matching black balconette bra. The thin lace and underwear revealed my nipples sexily enough through the unpadded, thin fabric of the bra. I grinned proudly at the lingerie before slipping into jeans that made my bum look extra good and a sexy tank top with lace trimming. Was it too much? Maybe. Did I care at this point? Nope.

I didn’t care to put shoes on, plopping on my stomach onto my bed, waiting for him to message me that he’d arrived. I was shocked when I heard a knock on my door, causing me to get up and open it with furrowed eyebrows. It swung open, revealing my favorite man standing with his hands in his pockets. I tilted my head.

“You remembered where my apartment was?” I asked him, putting my hands on his hips.

He nodded, leaning down to peck my forehead before entering. I blushed at his simple act of affection, shutting the door behind us and following him inside. I clapped my hands together, rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” I suggested.

He shrugged. “Sure.”

I led him to the sofa, sitting myself down as he took a seat next to me. I grabbed the remote controller, opening Netflix and scrolling through the movies. I laughed out loud as a movie I’d watched the previous night with Bree popped up.

“What?” he asked, his lips curling in a smile at my sudden laughter.

“Bree and I watched this movie last night, and it’s really funny,” I explained to him, trying to fight back the giggles that threatened to escape as my brain replayed the funny scenes in my head.

“Well, put it on,” he ordered, gesturing his hand to the television. “Let’s see if it’s as funny as you claim.” He winked.

I pressed on the movie, slouching back into the sofa as it started. I wondered if I should’ve cuddled up next to him, or if that’d be too much. I kept my posture, keeping to myself as the opening credits rolled onto the screen. 

As the movie began, I found my mind wandering immediately. My fingers began drumming onto the fabric of the couch, as I found myself staring at the screen, but my mind remained occupied with other thoughts. I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth as I began to ponder George and I’s relationship again. I had just found out his birthday, and it made me uncomfortable that he’d explored so much of my body, yet I felt like I barely knew him. 

“You alright?”

I turned my head to him. He looked concerned, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes fixated on me.

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.” I pulled my legs up, crossing them as I slouched, trying to make myself more comfortable.

I returned my eyes back to the television, trying to concentrate on the film until my eyes scanned the room in thought, as my lip was pulled in between my teeth again.

I wondered what his favorite movie was, what kind of movies he’d liked. I didn’t like that I didn’t have the answers to these basic personality questions. I pondered what his childhood was like, if he’d met Dean in the United Kingdom before prior to moving to America. 

“You’re doing it again.”

I whipped my head toward him and cocked an eyebrow.

“What?”

“You chew on your lip and stare off with your eyebrows furrowed,” he observed, moving closer to me. His blue eyes bore into mine as I guiltily stared back at him. He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear, his eyes not leaving mine. “What’s wrong, love?”

I sighed, removing my eyes from our eye contact as my head lowered in thought. His fingers went to my chin, gently lifting it to meet his eyes again.

“I want you to be able to be honest with me, Y/n,” he admitted, his thumb running over my chin. 

“I want to know more about you,” I confessed, my eyes worriedly staring back at his. “I feel like I barely know you.”

He smiled softly, bringing his hand up to my cheek, caressing my face. His hand trailed down my arm, down to my hand before bringing it up to his lips. He kissed the back of my hand softly before holding it in his own, lacing our fingers together. 

“I was born in London,” he began, his eyes never leaving mine. “March thirteenth, nineteen ninety-two. As I’ve mentioned before, my father’s Australian and my mum’s British, but they chose to raise me in the UK, obviously. I have a sister named Daisy, who lives in London with my parents. I try to visit them during the holidays, but it’s not as easy with work. Sometimes, Dean and I will fly down together to visit both of our families.

“I moved to the states after graduating from Uni when I was about twenty-four years old; my parents weren’t super keen on me leaving to a whole new country by myself, but they wanted me to be happy. Dean and I didn’t meet until my first job after moving to New York. We hit it off so well, that we ended up moving in together, and not long after that, we met Andrew at the same job and invited him to move into our flat. About a year or so after, Dean and I decided to apply to Essence, because we felt that we needed a career change. 

“Andrew ended up being promoted at our old job, so he wanted to stay there, plus, he’s happy working there whereas we weren't, really. Once we started working there, I decided to get my own flat; the pay at Essence was much better, I was almost entirely done paying off my student loans, and I felt that I was in need of a different atmosphere. Hearing your roommates play video games constantly, and being the only one who could cook in the house was not something I particularly looked forward to,” he laughed as he recollected the memories from the past. 

“But, long story short, one day I’d been looking for Dean and I saw that there was a new girl, sitting across from his desk in a chair that I’d never seen occupied before. The way you talked to me, you were so nervous and innocent; After seeing you on multiple accounts, in the cafeteria, at your desk whenever I’d come to talk to Dean, I started thinking about you a lot more,” he admitted, his thumb tracing along my knuckles. 

I noticed his cheeks tint scarlet and he wet his lips with his tongue, still maintaining eye contact with me. 

“Like, I would go to the cafeteria and hope that I'd see you? I hope that doesn’t sound creepy,” he laughed a little. “And, when you told me how you felt at the bar, I was baffled.”

My eyes widened, as I tried to recollect the nonexistent memories of being at the bar that night. My eyebrows furrowed and I could feel my cheeks heat, wondering what the absolute fuck I said to him.

“What did I say to you at the bar?” I queried, chewing on the insides of my cheek anxiously. 

He bit his lip, staring back at me for a moment, as if he was pondering how to tell me. He finally parted his lips, as he recalled our conversation at the bar that night.

Dean got up from his seat, leaving George and I to ourselves. I grabbed my glass and downed the rest of the vodka soda in the glass, slamming the empty glass down on the bar and turning my body to face him.

“Hi George,” I smiled, resting my chin on the palm of my hand, my elbow resting on the table.

He turned to me, his lips curling into a smile.

“Hi, Y/n.”

I giggled, smiling blissfully at the beautiful man next to me.

“George,” I began, batting my eyelashes as I looked up at him. “You’re so great.”

His eyebrows knitted together, an entertained smile evident on his lips as he looked down at me.

“And why is that?” He took a swig from his beer bottle as I began my slurring.

“Becaaauuuse, you’re a fucking art director, which is, like, crazy,” my bloodshot eyes bore into his bright, piercing blue ones. “And you’re, like, crazy handsome.”

He cocked an eyebrow at me, smirking as my eyelids hung heavy, my eyes barely visible as I smiled. My face was red, as my cheeks had always heated up when I was drunk.

“You think so, love?”

I nodded, attempting to take a swig out of my glass as the empty cup poured nothingness into my mouth, reminding me that I’d finished off the drink minutes ago.

“You’re obliterated,” he observed.

“Want to know a secret?” I asked him in a sing-song voice. “I smoked weed before I got here, because my roommate told me it’d make me less anxious,” I whispered, giggling between words.

He raised his eyebrows, his jaw dropping before he started laughing.

“Jesus, Y/n, I didn’t know you were so reckless,” he gasped.

“Well, I didn’t waaannnnt to do it, but if I hadn’t done it, I’d probably be standing in the corner, too nervous to talk to you,” I admitted.

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Why would you be nervous to talk to me?”

I gave out a big sigh.

“You’re sooooo hot,” I moaned. “I kind of want to fuck you, but I don’t want to lose my job,” I admitted, licking my vodka-tasting lips before continuing. “And also, I got, like, cheated on big time in my last relationship and it left me with some crazy trust issues and self esteem issues. And, I haven’t had sex since then! It’s been two years, George, can you believe that?!”

My eyes blinked a few times as I stared at him, completely and utterly dumbfounded. My eyebrows were raised and my jaw struggled to keep closed. 

“W-was this before or after I threw up?” I asked, trying to compose myself as I felt my face heating up.

“Literally right before you threw up,” he answered with a small laugh. 

I withdrew my hand from his, using my index finger and thumb to pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. 

“I can’t believe I said that shit,” I groaned, leaning back into the couch. “I can’t believe you didn’t just laugh in my face, God, that’s so embarrassing!”

He watched me with amusement, an entertained smirk making its way onto his lips. I rolled my eyes at him, shaking my head in disappointment. 

“Well,” he began, playful eyes staring at me. “If you think about it this way, love, if you’d never said anything, then we’d both probably still be too nervous to talk to each other.”

I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

“Do you think we’d still end up, you know...” I trailed off, referring to whatever label we shared.

He paused for a moment, he eyes drifting in thought before nodding. 

“I think that you were made for me, love,” he admitted, his voice softer than before. He moved his hand onto my thigh, rubbing it gently. “I’ve never been so easily infatuated and comfortable with someone before you, Y/n.”

I wanted to cry, his words painted my heart with the love and desire I had failed to receive in my previous relationship. I blushed, blushing at not only his words, but his touch. The feeling of his hand on my thigh was anything but a soothing rub to me at that point, and my brain had addressed his touch far more quickly than it should have. My eyes dropped down to his hand, watching as it caressed me, just far enough from my heat. The contact sent me into overdrive, as my eyes moved back up to his face, scanning his plump lips.

I moved myself over to him, slowly leaning in until our lips brushed softly. My hands went to his shoulders, gently massaging them as I kissed him softly. His hand moved from my thigh and to my back, his other hand joining as he pulled me closer to him, our lips beginning to move at a steady rhythm. I moved on top of him, knees on each side of his legs as I settled into his lap, our lips still connected. He brought his hands down to my ass, squeezing my bum. I moaned, and he used my parted lips as access for his tongue. Our tongues danced together as his hands snaked back up to my back. 

As I straddled him, I slowly rolled my hips against his lap, needing the friction against my heat. I could feel the tent in his pants against my core, making me moan against his lips. His hands moved back down to my hips, guiding my movements as I rolled my hips against him again. He groaned, lifting his hips for more friction. My lips parted from his as I moaned again, tugging my shirt off of my body, revealing my bra to him. His eyes widened at my exposed nipples through the thin lace fabric, his hands subconsciously raising to cup my breasts. The pads of his thumbs ran over the raised buds, making me let out a blissful sigh at the intimate contact. His fingers ran around my torso, to unclip the bra. He gave me a look, wanting permission first. I nodded, looking down at his dark, blue eyes before his fingers effortlessly worked their way with the clasp, removing the bra from my body. 

He immediately attached his lips to one of my nipples, lapping at the bud and gently nibbling on it, as I tilted my head back in euphoria. 

“Can we, fuck, take this to my bedroom?” I breathed, looking down at him.

His mouth released from my nipple with a pop, as he picked me up and walked me to my bedroom. He settled me down onto my bed, not bothering to close the door as he settled himself in between my legs. The tent in his jeans rubbed against my core as he ground his hips into mine, his lips returning to my own. 

We were lost in each other, voicing soft moans into each other’s mouths while our hips moved together, too lost that we didn’t hear the front door open. 

“Y/n! I have some soup for y–HOLY SHIT!”

George peeled off of me, my hands immediately coming to cover my exposed breasts. 

I heard the sounds of her shoes against the floor as she scurried away, shutting my bedroom door. 

“I’m sorry!” she called from the living room, as George looked at me with an amused smirk.

I threw one of my throw pillows at him with a roll of my eyes.

“Shut the fuck up,” I groaned, biting back a smile of my own.

He tossed the pillow onto the floor, moving himself back on top of me.

“Make me,” he whispered, attaching his lips onto mine. 

I let our lips move together in a steady rhythm, before I pulled away, concluding our kiss with a peck on his lips.

“My bra and top are just sitting on the floor where my roommate’s probably trying to eat right now,” I groaned, embarrassed. 

As if on cue, the door opened as we heard the sound of something dropping at the entrance of my room, before the door closed again. I sat up, noticing that she had returned my missing pieces of clothing to me as they sat neatly in front of the door. I got up, arm slung over my breasts before pulling the shirt onto my torso, not bothering wearing the bra. I tossed the bra into my underwear drawer, before returning back to the bed. I watched as the man on my bed hungrily looked at my chest, not caring whether I noticed or not.

“You’re teasing me,” he moaned, his voice husky with lust. He sat with his legs criss-cross, watching me as I mimicked his seated position.

I could feel my hardened nipples against the fabric, teasing him with my now-covered breasts. 

I got on my knees and hands, prowling towards him. Smirking, I nudged my nose against his own, watching as his eyes watched me in awe.

“What are you going to do about it?” I chided with a whisper.

Without a warning, he captured my lips with his own, hands going to the back of my head to pull me closer to him. Our tongues danced together as we feverishly kissed, wanting needing the contact with each other. His lips moved to kiss the corner of my mouth, before moving down my jaw. 

“What do you want to do, love?” he asked between kisses as his lips began sucking on a spot on my neck. 

My eyes rolled back at the sensation, as I tried to control myself to answer his question. 

“I-I don’t want to, fuck, George, d-don’t want to have sex yet,” I admitted between moans as his teeth nipped at the spot, igniting more and more pleasure. 

His mouth left my neck for a moment before finding another spot on my neck, sucking sweetly at the skin just like before. 

“You want to ride my thigh, angel? Want to get yourself off on me while I watch?” he growled against my neck.

My cheeks flushed at his dirty words, but I could feel the pool of wetness growing in my panties. 

“Yes, George,” I pleaded. He pulled his lips away from me as I peeled my shirt off and went to unbutton my pants. 

He replaced his fingers with my own, fumbling with the button and zipper much more slowly, thickening the tension and teasing me. I helped him peel the fabric off of my skin, standing up from the bed and tossing them without thinking. I was left in my lacy black panties, stalking over to him nervously whilst he sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for me. I met my lips with his in attempt to calm my nerves, my fingers tugging at the hem of his shirt. He pulled away to quickly peel his shirt off of him, making his locks look more disheveled in the sexiest way possible. 

He propped my legs up so that my knees were on either side of his left thigh, our chests flush against each other. His hands went to my hips as I lowered myself onto his thigh carefully, before slowly rolling myself against him. I sighed at the contact of my clothed clit against him, feeling him flex underneath my core. One of his hands went to my knee, pushing it closer to the tent in his pants. As I rolled myself against him again, I made sure to rub friction from my knee against his boner. His lips captured mine in a sloppy kiss, as I started to gradually pick up my pace. His hands went back to my hips, guiding my movements as I humped his leg. 

I felt the pleasure building inside of me, as I quickened my pace, desperate for my release. Our lips pulled away from each other, as I leant my forehead against his own, not able to concentrate on kissing anymore. My breath quickened and I moved my fingers to his hair, chasing my release. 

“Cum for me, angel,” he ordered, his voice soft, but raspy with lust.

I couldn’t help the moan that escaped my mouth, due to his dirty words and the way this new nickname, angel, rolled off of his tongue. I hit my climax, as I continued to rub my pussy against his leg, riding out my high. As my breathing slowed, I attached my lips back to his, pushing him back onto the bed. He scooted himself up, allowing us to lay whilst our lips danced together. He rolled himself on top of me, as my legs immediately found their way around his waist. My fingers wandered down to his jeans, unbuttoning them and fumbling with the zipper while my feet helped me peel the fabric off of his legs.

I wasn’t sure where this was going, but I could feel another ache between my legs and I was desperate for another relief. He kicked off his shoes, leaving him in his boxers as the tent between his legs became much more present. He attached his lips back to mine before surprising me, grounding his hips into mine as I felt his clothed cock against my clothed core. My jaw went slack as another moan left my lips, my sensitive heat dripping from the sensation. He rolled his hips against mine again, pressing as much into me as he could. My legs pulled him into me, needing as much friction as possible.

He began picking up the pace, his face digging into the crook of my neck as his clothed dick humped my pussy. I felt his hot breath against my neck, motivating me to move my hips against him.

“Fuck, Y/n,” he moaned into my hair. “You gonna make me cum in my briefs, angel?”

With that, I released for my second time, my body stilling underneath him as the pleasure waved over me. I could feel him twitch against my heat, feeling small spurts make wet spots through his underwear. I rode my high against him, as my breathing slowly returned to its normal pace. He rolled onto his back, lying beside me as his chest rose up and down. I turned my head to face him, as I watched him do the same. He leant his head up, looking down at the wet spot displayed through his underwear. He chuckled softly.

“You made my cum in my bloody underwear, Y/n.”

[idkthisisjustforfanfic]

two years too late, chapter o n e 

You were waiting for the subway when you got the text. It was a typical Thursday evening in a wintry New York City. A brown-stained slush seemed to line the floors of the train and too many people were too close beside you when you read the message for the fourteenth time. 

I know it’s last minute and it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other but I have a show in New York tonight. Would love to see you if you’re free. Xx H

That part of your life had long been over. The last time you spoke to Harry was some time in 2015 when he showed up at a Christmas party that your school friends had thrown together. Everyone seemed to fawn all over him like he was some type of God--but not you.

It was shitty, really, the way your friendship ended. You’d been close throughout the classes you’d shared and you had plenty of laughs together at co-ed birthday parties when you were both still awkward and fourteen. 

But by the time you’d realized that he was the type of person you’d actually maybe have feelings for, he’d found his way onto the X-Factor and there were plenty of girls who he’d rather shag than the random girl in his friend group who wasn’t all that funny or all that pretty or all that anything. At least, that was the way you saw it. 

How did he even know you lived here? You tried to trace through your last conversations with him that occurred in Kenny Tilley’s mum’s house. Sure, you’d maybe mentioned that New York was a cool place to live or something--especially if Harry had mentioned all the time he was spending there for work. But you had no idea you’d end up here two whole years ago. So how--in the middle of a snow storm that was taking over the Financial District--did Harry know how to get in touch with you? 

You’d come up with three different answers by the time you walked back into your apartment, ranked from most realistic to least realistic as following:

He’d somehow followed along your life through social media and saw that you often tagged photos in New York.

He asked Bryn or Jessie or even maybe Adam or Jake and one of them had mentioned you lived in New York. 

He googled you. 

Okay, definitely not that one. 

The door to your apartment latched behind you and there was music coming from the kitchen. Alyssa, your roommate, was often home before you, her bra flung onto the couch before she opened a bottle of wine and started cooking. 

Tonight wasn’t any different. She swiveled her head around to see you when she heard you come in. “Hi,” a smile twisted her lips towards the sky as she wiped her hands on the dish towel she held. “How bad is it out there?”

“Terrible,” you said, your fingers finding the metal of your jacket zipper and pulling it towards the  floor. “The subways are crowded and everyone’s acting like it’s Armageddon.” 

She let out a laugh and turned her back to you now, minding whatever was on the stove. “‘S’gonna be bad, I guess. News-4 is saying up to eight inches locally.”

You rolled your eyes and shrugged your jacket onto the ground, letting a groan escape your lips. While the weather might not have been bad for native New Yorkers, it was more than you were used to in Cranage. And besides, when you first moved in, Alyssa told you it never even snowed in December. 

But now she turned her head to eye you suspiciously. She stirred something on the burner but then abandoned it, coming to join you in the  living room as you set your bag down on an armchair and tried to kick off your boots. 

“Okay--you seem miserable. Bad meeting about weekly topics?”

“No,” the word fell out of your mouth as you used your toes to push the leather of your shoe down your ankle. “But it was a stupid meeting.”

She laughed at this, her eyebrows raised as you let your body slump onto the couch. “So what is it?”

“You know Harry?”

She narrowed her eyes. “You mean your high school friend who’s incredibly famous?”

Another roll of your eyes as you let a sharp exhale escape your lips. Alyssa laughed at this. For whatever reason, she found your feelings towards Harry to be remarkably entertaining. She knew the history--or the lack thereof--and she still somehow managed to get a good kick out of any and every (albeit the few) conversations that had anything to do with him. 

“Yes, him.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, sneaking a peek over her shoulder to make sure whatever she was cooking didn’t need her immediate attention. You knew she was growing impatient. 

“He texted me.”

Her eyes grew wide and she moved forward to sit on the couch. “He texted you? I thought you don’t even talk!”

“We don’t,” you shrugged. “He invited me to a concert.”

“His concert?” Her face was excited and her voice was an octave higher than it usually was. 

“I dunno,” you closed your eyes and leaned your head back. If your weekly topics meeting and commute home hadn’t been bad enough, this was definitely the last straw in an already shitty day. 

You’d been writing the List category for the entirety of your 9 month employment at the online pop culture news site, The Scoop. Writing about the top ten fashion trends of the season or the 15 best self-care ideas for a snow day was way better than freelance work that a lot of your uni friends were doing, but you’d long had the itch to contribute to more compelling pieces. 

Some of your coworkers were covering real news. Campus sexual assault cases. Music industry myths. Even the long standing feud between Camila Cabello and her ex-bandmates felt more compelling than the best women’s razors. 

“You don’t know who’s concert he invited you to?”

“Here,” you shoved your phone towards her after reopening the message. “I don’t even know how he has my new number.”

“Oh my god,” she read the words over and then lifted her eyes to settle on your unimpressed glare, reigning in her emotions so as to not piss you off any more. “I mean, do you think you’ll answer?”

“What am I supposed to say? Sure? Be right there? I don’t even know where it is. Could be Long Island City, for all I know. I am not going there with this shit storm,” you pointed out the window at the snowflakes that now seemed to be more like nickels instead of pennies. 

“Okay, I doubt that Harry Styles would be performing in Long Island City, number one. Number two, when was the last time you saw him? Wouldn’t it be fun to reconnect?”

When you didn’t answer immediately, she got up to head back towards the stove, likely answering her own question with the smirk on her face. 

It’s not that seeing him would be miserable. It’s just that you were used to seeing him with other people around and the last time you saw him had been incredibly, well, awkward. 

“You weren’t at Kenny Tilley’s house two Christmases ago, clearly.”

“Clearly not,” she mocked your accent. “Because you’ve never really told me what happened.”

“It was nothing,” you said, reaching for your phone and reading over his words once more. “I was drunk and he was drunk and it was just stupid.”

“Did you hook up with him?!” She asked excitedly, holding up a wooden spoon as she waited for your response. 

“What? No! We didn’t hook up--we’ve never hooked up. But I was drunk enough that I probably would have, which is why I can’t see him!”

“Oh come on,” she chastised as you stood from the couch. You padded towards her, thankful for the warmth of the apartment and the scent of whatever meal she was prepping. “Sounds like you’re being childish.”

“M’not,” you said with a serious face. “It would be so fucking awkward.”

“Or,” she looked back down at what was in the pot--which appeared to be some sort of stew--and tilted her head. “You could totally have a killer comeback and it could be not at all awkward and you’ll undo any embarrassment that occurred that night.”

She reached for a wine glass from the cabinet for you. 

“I dunno,” you said, almost defeated. Alyssa’s words had sparked some type of naive hope in your heart that you could get things sorted. Maybe he didn’t even remember (unlikely). Maybe he didn’t care (somewhat likely). Maybe he was just being nice because you ran in the same circle back home and you were the only one living in New York (very likely).  

Or maybe it wouldn’t be that weird. You lifted your glass for her to pour some wine. When she set the bottle back on the counter, she spoke. 

“Just ask him where it is, Y/N. That’s totally reasonable! We’re not going to Brooklyn or Inwood or even the Upper East Side. But if it’s Midtown or something we could totally make it happen.”

You sighed, eyeing your phone on the counter. 

“Fine. Okay. I’ll just do some information gathering.”

She hummed to herself quietly as she tasted the stew, clearly pleased with her pushing. 

You thumbed out a response.  

Hi, thanks for the invite! Whereabouts is it?

“Whereabouts? How old are you, sixty-three?” Alyssa stifled a laugh when you read it aloud.

“Oh come on! I don’t even want to go or see him or any of it. I’m basically asking to feel like an idiot.”

“Or you--or we, if you get a plus one,” she waved a hand in the air as if she was totally feeling indifferent about going--you knew her well enough to know she was dying to tag along. “We could go and make the best of it and there’d probably be free food and alcohol. And besides, how often do you get to go to a free concert for a hugely popular music act?”

You rolled your eyes at that one. You’d been to four One Direction concerts with your friends whenever they had a show in London. You’d get to be backstage, visit with the rest of the band. It was fun and cool and only made you feel even more stupid for thinking that Harry actually ever saw something in you. 

The truth was this: the more famous he got, the less you saw him. He found new friends and had a new house in a new city and was soon too busy to even reply in the group chat. So you started one without him. 

Your phone buzzed in your hand and Alyssa nearly dropped her spoon.

It’s at Spotify, it’s a live recording thing. No worries if you’re busy, but it’s 8pm.

Another text came through immediately with a red pin on the map. 

150 Greenwich St 62nd Floor, New York, NY 10007. 

“I mean, no worries, like he said. But that’s like a ten minute Uber away. Twenty on the subway, tops.”

“Thirty in this weather,” you corrected.

“So we’re going?” She clapped her hands excitedly and grinned in your direction.

“Relax, will you?” She flinched at this, making some kind of face to let you know you’d offended her somewhat. “This isn’t some chick flick where we’re about to finish this bottle of wine and have a magical night with him.”

“Uh,” she looked around the room, finally landing her eyes on your face. “Sounds like it could be exactly that.”

When Alyssa turned her back to tend to dinner once more, you typed a response and sent it before she could get her hands on it. 

See you then!

**

The snow hadn’t let up. If anything, the wind had gotten worse and the snowflakes had graduated to quarters--wet and heavy as they fell on top of the hat you wore. 

“I thought it never snowed in December?” You questioned her--recalling the day you moved in last April. A year in to your post-grad life had left you bored in London, ready for a change of scenery and a leap of faith. An opening at The Scoop and a wine-induced confidence had you clicking the submit button on your application after Adam had given you a pep-talk via text. 

“It doesn’t usually,” she said, trailing behind you down Cortland Street. The roads were still busy, but the blanket of white on the ground seemed to quiet the ever-present noises of the city. “Global warming’s a thing, you know.”

She was right, but you didn’t reply. You reached for your phone in your pocket and verified that you were heading in the right direction. It was 7:51pm. After dinner and a quick shower, you were both out the door to trudge through the slushy sidewalks and meet up with Erica: the woman Harry said would be waiting for you upon your arrival. 

“Are you sure it’s okay that I’m with you?” Alyssa asked, snowflakes turning to water when they made contact with the hood of her jacket. 

“S’fine. I don’t think there’s like--a list or something.”

She’d been upset that you hadn’t asked if she could come. But she was clearly missing the fact that if she wasn’t going, neither were you. You weren’t about to show up to Harry’s gig flying solo and face the impending awkwardness alone. 

You crossed Church Street in the dark and headed for a set of glass doors that seemed subtle for the New York satellite of the biggest music streaming platform. Alyssa pressed the button for the elevator inside and impatiently shook her hands out of the gloves she’d worn for warmth.

She seemed to know you needed a minute, because she kept her eyes glued to her phone as the elevator rose the sixty-two floors until it let out a loud beep to signal your arrival. The doors parted. A neon green wall met--and nearly blinded--you both. 

“Jesus, bit much, don’t you think?” Alyssa complained as she stepped out, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the aggressive color. You looked both ways down the long hall. It was eerily quiet. 

Before you could process the sound of footsteps headed your way, you were greeted by a voice of an excited woman. 

“Y/N?” She called your name, prompting both of you to turn quickly. A woman in a grey cardigan smiled and offered a small wave as she headed your way. “I’m Erica.”

“Hi,” you said, pulling the hat from your head to reveal (what you were sure was) hat hair. You smoothed it quickly, offering her a hand to shake. “This is my roommate, Alyssa.”

You tried to ignore the knot in your stomach and the rise of heat to your face. You were sure you looked stupid. You were sure you sounded stupid. You were sure, suddenly, that nothing good would come of this decision. 

“Nice to meet both of you,” she motioned to follow her back in the direction from which she came. “They’re actually just about to start recording, so we’ll slip in the back and just watch for now.”

Erica was decidedly American. Decidedly a fixture of Harry’s new life. Friendly as she may seem, you couldn’t help but be bothered by her smile and her shade of lipstick and even the bracelet on her wrist. Maybe it was some kind of defense to keep you from making more of a fool out of yourself than you already had. 

“So you’re a friend from back home?” She asked over her shoulder as you slipped out of your jacket. 

“Yeah,” you folded the fabric over your arm as you followed behind her. “Went to school together and all that.”

It’d been a while since you told someone about your knowing Harry, really. Since the day you moved in with Alyssa. You weren’t keeping it a secret, but it certainly wasn’t public knowledge. No one at work knew, and honestly, you feared that it would make people take you less seriously. If anything, you were afraid that knowing him would make coworkers think you were hired for that and that alone. 

That’d be the definition of clickbait: Former pal of One Direction star writes lists about the best boyband songs to ever grace the planet, and yes, 1D is included!

All of your other friends from home knew that you knew him because they did too. Your parents always asked if he’d be joining your make-shift school reunions, but it’d been a while since he had. Which was why it was so strange in the first place that he’d shown up at Kenny Tilley’s house two years ago. 

Erica rounded a corner and then reached for a door--one that was black metal and had a red light above it. Alyssa offered you a smile as Erica pulled it open, urging both of you in before holding a finger up to her mouth to remind you of the noise requirements. 

The room was big--and while you could hear the music and hear the voice of someone you knew quite well, you couldn’t actually see him. At least, not until Erica led you a few steps to the right. 

There was a group of 75 or so people--girls, really--who watched in raised seats as Harry strummed at a guitar. Alyssa, who reached a hand down to grab yours in excitement, couldn’t keep her eyes off of him. You knew the feeling. 

But Alyssa didn’t know that you knew the feeling. She didn’t know that you’d had a massive crush on Harry up until he left for the show. She didn’t know that you stayed in contact for a while, until the travel and the distance and everything became too much. 

It was cool at first. Your friend was finding success and did his best to keep in touch with the five of you he’d left behind. Bryn and Jessie had warned you that he wasn’t coming back, and he never did. 

All Alyssa knew was that you were friends and attended his co-ed birthday parties until you were 16. She knew that you’d see him maybe once or twice a year after the band took off and she knew that you were anything but close now. She knew something ridiculous had happened the last time you saw him and she knew you swore that he’d never want to speak to you again.

You really thought that was the case. Until today. 

So while she clutched your hand and smiled excitedly at you--even jumping up and down every few minutes--you did your best to calm the thumping of your heart that felt like it was strong enough to out-do the bass that walked alongside Harry’s melodic voice. 

Five songs. Applause. You were ushered to a back room with Alyssa and that’s when Erica finally let you have a moment alone, her ponytail swaying as the door shut behind her. 

“Is this where he sat, do you think?” Alyssa spread herself out on the black plush couch that sat on top of a black plush carpet. “How cool is this? How many times have you touched him? A hundred? A thousand?”

You took a deep breath. This is exactly why you didn’t often tell people. She seemed to gather that, though, because she regained her composure and let out a breath, an embarrassed giggle escaping her lips as the door behind you pushed open. 

“Hey Smalls,” Harry’s lips pulled upward as his eyes caught yours. His arms immediately extended forward, wrapping around you before you could even process the use of your embarrassing (and non-consensual) nickname. You stood there, arms by your side as his body enveloped yours. 

“Hi,” you spit out the word, the one syllable sounding a bit short and brash as it left your lips. He was warm up against you, his hand rubbing on your arm as he pulled away. 

Upon noticing Alyssa, he smiled. “I’m Harry. You must be,” he raised his eyebrows at her, reaching forward to make contact as you stood awkwardly between them. 

“Alyssa,” she answered quickly, extending her hand and offering a smile in return. Her eyes were as wide as two moons, her grin toothy and sincere.

You were both back in your coats now--ready to face the grueling storm despite the warm temperature of the room. You’d been hoping that you’d say a quick hello, engage in the dreaded small talk for a matter of minutes, and then be on your way back to your shared apartment. After all, you had work in the morning. 

An awkward pause filled the room as Harry ran a hand through his hair. You shrugged your shoulders absentmindedly, wondering if he felt as uncomfortable as you did. 

“Good to see you,” you forced out, fingers reaching for the zipper on your jacket to occupy your empty hands. “Sounded great out there!”

He smiled at this, crossing his arms over his chest. “Oh, thank you. Yeah, m’glad you could make it, thanks for coming.”

More silence. Alyssa shifted on her feet and smoothed her hair. 

“How long are you in New York for?” You didn’t really care to know. One night was enough to last you the next four decades--or, if you were lucky, until you were dead. 

“Another week, actually. Doing some promo here and there. Heading back for the holidays soon though. Y’gonna be home?”

“Yeah--booked my flight a few days ago actually. Heading to Heathrow on the 20th.”

“Nice,” he nodded, averting his gaze for a minute over to Alyssa. You turned to look back at her, but as soon as she met your gaze, she pulled her phone from her pocket and pretended to be suddenly occupied by something much more interesting. 

“Have you both eaten dinner?” His voice was choppy but it didn’t falter.

While you opted for the truth (yes), Alyssa shook her head (no). Harry furrowed his brows and looked between you, a smirk eventually tugging at his mouth.

“She uh, she means ‘we had a snack.’ You were just saying how hungry you were, Y/N,” Alyssa prompted, her left brow twitching upwards as if to silently communicate that you were to go along with her plan. 

“Uh, we sort of ate.”

He let out a laugh, clearly unperturbed. “Well, I was gonna go to a really seedy place that has the best Pad Thai in the city--if you want to join.”

Alyssa looked to you and seemed to wait for your response. Something about Harry knowing the best Pad Thai on the island made you territorial, almost. As if he’d intruded on a place that was yours, not his.

“Oh,” you opened your mouth to make an excuse, but Alyssa cut you off. 

“You two go, I’ve actually got a lot of stuff to do tonight. I’ll just get a cab home.” She made her way towards the door and offered a smile over her shoulder. “Text me when you’re on your way home, yeah?”

While you could have cursed Alyssa out for all that is holy, you forced a wicked smile and narrowed your eyes. 

“Nice to meet you,” Harry waved over his shoulder, shoving a hand into his pocket as the door shut behind her. He turned back to you and raised his brows again. “Shall we?”

**

It wasn’t like you’d never been alone with Harry. There was the time you were dropped off at his house to catch a ride to the school dance. You ended up in the doorway to his bedroom while he decided between which over-powering teenaged boy-scent to douse himself with. 

There was also the time he got to your house first one Friday for a movie night. You probably had seventeen minutes alone before Adam and Jessie walked in at the same time. 

You’d certainly been left alone with him when you all went shopping, everyone wandering off into different shops and you and Harry often ending up together.

Then there was the conundrum at Kenny’s. 

And it wasn’t like you’d always been this nervous. Actually, you barely used to bat an eye about it. You really only started being nervous at 15 or 16 when you realized that maybe his curly hair was cute and maybe the way he always made people laugh was something you wanted to be around more often. 

But as soon as you realized it, he was gone.

So instead of focusing on the way your heart was in your throat when you rode in the backseat of a black Chevy Suburban, you focused on the fact that you’d done this before. 

You were sober. He was sober. That immediately meant it couldn’t be as tragic as the last time you saw him. 

You’d already done the necessary formalities. He’d asked about your family, you asked about his. You complimented his performance again. He asked how the end of uni was--given that last time you spoke, you were finishing up your degree. 

So you busied yourself with your phone in the car, hiding behind the Yelp app and a plethora of 5 star reviews until you were forced to brave the cold air again. 

A bowl of mints had welcomed you at the front door--the empty restaurant was quiet aside from the distant voices of a woman and a man in the back. Beige stained walls and shabby leather booths promised a good meal. 

“So how’re Jessie and Bryn?” He looked up to see you, using two chopsticks to pull a portion of noodles onto his plate after it’d been set down between you. 

You tore at the paper that shielded your own dining utensils, shrugging your shoulders nonchalantly. When was the last time he’d spoken to them? You’d been sure that he was talking to them more than you--really just based on the fact that neither of them had the same traumatic experience you had. 

“They’re good. Bryn is working in finance at some company I don’t even know the name of,” you recounted, following his move to pull a serving onto your plate. “Jessie’s looking into PhD programmes. Can’t stand the thought of being uneducated.”

He let out a laugh at your joke, carrying a bite of food towards his mouth. His eyes caught yours for a second and your stomach sank, almost sure he was about to bring it up. 

“And you’re…”

“At The Scoop, you’ve probably never heard of it, but we love to write about you.”

You rolled your eyes at the desperation displayed by your own company. The right side of his mouth pulled up as he chewed. 

You tried to backtrack somewhat. “Well, not me, but, like, my coworkers.” 

You’d made it a point to never actually write about Harry. The band was open season, but you’d made a rule on your first day that you weren’t about to blow your cover. Enough of your readers were already suspicious about the fact that he followed you on Instagram and Twitter. Writing about him would be sure to draw more attention to the fact that, buried somewhere on Adam’s instagram feed, was a picture of you and Jessie and Harry lounging on a couch in someone’s basement. 

“I know it, the website,” he nodded. Another bite, words spoken around chunks of chicken. “I’ve read some of your stuff. Didn’t know if you were still there.”

“You’ve read it?” Your eyes must have gone wide because he laughed at that, rolling up the sleeves of his brown sweater so as to not make contact with the broken pieces of noodles on the table. 

“I have. Pretty good, really. People seem to love you.”

You let your head roll to the side, a nonverbal sign that it wasn’t a big deal. You’d amassed a fair about of followers on twitter--but not quite as many on instagram. People seemed to find your dry humor and self-deprecating ways to be entertaining enough to want to see it regularly. It helped gain you some street cred at work and in the journalism field altogether. Apparently people really _were _interested in the best women’s razors. 

“And you like New York,” he nodded, waiting for an answer despite the fact that he’d already made a statement. 

“Love New York,” you nodded. “Excited to go back to London though for the holidays.”

“We’ll have to get everyone together. I know I’ve been,” a lift of his right shoulder out of guilt, “pretty shit at keeping in touch.”

“You’re busy,” you said. 

“Still.”

“S’fine.”

“S’not, but,” he didn’t finish.

You couldn’t take the seriousness or the truth or the authenticity. So you derailed it before it could start. You asked about his album and his tour and tried your best to keep the conversation as far as possible from the night of December 29th, 2015. 

And you’d really thought you’d managed it all beautifully when he paid for the meal and you were, once again, pulling on your jacket to brave the snow that fell from the night sky. 

“Want to walk?”

“Huh?” You looked up at him as he pulled a flat cap over his hair. 

“Walk, Smalls, just for fun. I don’t always see too much of the city.”

You didn’t really know how to reply. Was he trying to guilt you? He had to have known it wouldn’t work, but maybe two years was enough time for him to forget that you’d never been one to fawn all over him. 

“I mean, I have to work in the morning, so.”

“Oh,” his face fell, almost as sad as you’d ever seen it. “Yeah, no, s’fine.”

“I guess, we can walk to my apartment, if you really want. It’s not--it’s like fourteen blocks from here.”

Another sheepish smile from him as he pushed on the door and waited for you to walk under his arm. The snowflakes were smaller when you looked up to see them dance in the flood of street lights. Harry went up to the passenger side window of the car that waited for him, knocked twice before the driver rolled it down. 

He said something about walking you home. You decided that the snowflakes were now more like dimes. 

You fell into step beside him quite seamlessly. Something that you hated and loved all at once, feeling oddly soothed by his presence but still completely unsure of why he’d texted and what he wanted and how on earth he could tolerate you after that night. 

“This is where I get my hair cut, actually,” you pointed to a window with empty barber chairs inside and a barber pole out front. 

“Really?” His head dipped to the side as he slowed down, stealing a glance inside. You caught your reflection in the window, his coat was long and down to his knees, formal and grandpa-like and exactly what you’d expect him to wear. 

“No--that’s like--it’s a place for men,” you laughed, feeling more comfortable once your lungs took in more cold air.

He laughed and turned back to look at you. 

“Don’t say it,” you shook your head quickly, the words tumbling out of your mouth at the same exact moment as he did just that: he said it.

“You’re killing me, Smalls.”

You rolled your eyes. “I hate that nickname.” 

He laughed again, catching up after you’d left him behind--picking up your pace in an attempt to let him know he’d pissed you off. He smirked at you now, though, an undeniable and unmistakable twitch of his lips that soon became a full-face grin. 

“Oh come on, Y/N, s’not that bad,” he reached over to poke you in the shoulder. You shivered at the touch, hoping he didn’t notice. Or, if he did, hoping he’d chalk it up to just the cold air. 

“Is too,” you nodded, serious eyes on his face. “You lot are the only ones who ever use that and I’ve never given my actual consent!”

He was quiet, a smile on his face as he shoved his hands back into his pockets, his boots brushing against the powder on the concrete.

You walked in silence for a few blocks. The wind blew every once in a while, and when it did, you shrunk into your coat, your lips grazing the zipper as you attempted to shield yourself. Harry’s eyes traced the skyline overhead, taking in the height of the buildings and the snowflakes that seemed to be downgrading to specks of dust in the wind. 

You hated the fact that you liked him. You hated the fact that he gave you butterflies like you were back in Year 9 and you hated the fact that he never hesitated to pull out his signature raised-brow smirk. 

You bit your tongue when you stopped in front of your door, nervous that if you opened your mouth, the truth would spill out, completely uncontrollable. You’d already made that mistake once.

“Thanks for,” he paused, his lips twitching as he searched for the right label. “Hanging out.”

“Yeah, s’good to see you. I’d uh, invite you up--s’pretty messy, though.”

“I don’t mind,” he said quickly, shaking his head as his eyes trailed up the side of the building. It was shorter than some others, only eight stories on the skinny residential street. 

You hadn’t actually meant it as in invite--it was more just a polite way of saying you’re not invited up. 

You shrugged your shoulders, hoping you didn’t have to be more straightforward. “S’late, I know you’re probably busy tomorrow.”

“I have a place a few blocks away. I’ll probably walk home myself, s’a short walk,” he shrugged, looking around to highlight the fact that his car hadn’t followed you. 

“You have an apartment here?” you asked, your voice smaller than it’d been all night. 

He’d lived a few blocks away from you and hadn’t bothered to reach out? Sure, he might not have known just how close he was--but something still triggered a sinking feeling in your stomach.

“M’not here often, really,” he told you, an excuse flying out from between his lips. His eyes dropped to the snowy sidewalk beneath your feet as if he knew just how bad he sounded. “A week or two at a time, few times a year.” He looked up, his voice more cheery and hopeful. “But, I’d love to see your place.”

When his eyes met yours, you couldn’t help it. You were putty in his hand and the world at his feet. “Uh, yeah, okay.”

You fished for your keys in your pocket, wishing you weren’t so childish or spineless or intrigued by the boy who’d outgrown his hometown and left you in the dust. 

He followed you to the lift, climbing in beside you as you told him about your dreadful move in day. Too many boxes, not enough hands. Alyssa was helpful but you barely knew her--you didn’t want to earn the title of bad roommate too soon into your relationship. 

The hallway on your floor was dark, small lamps lined the wall as he followed behind you. It was late and Alyssa was likely asleep. You’d forgotten to text her like she’d requested, so you keyed in as quietly as possible, hopeful that she wasn’t waiting up. 

You pushed the door open and let him walk in first, wondering if you should give him the grand tour--shoebox bedroom and all. 

“S’not much, but it’s home,” you looked around, taking in the sight through the eyes of a stranger. A small couch and armchair in the center of the living room. A modest-sized TV that was the home of Friends reruns and Netflix marathons. Framed posters on the wall of old Parisian magazines. A small kitchen table and two teal chairs by the kitchen in the corner. 

You couldn’t help but wonder what his apartment looked like. Was it an apartment or was it a four story penthouse? Was it professionally decorated by someone from Vogue? Did he have marble counters and marble floors and marble furniture? 

“S’nice,” he smiled, bringing his eyes back to yours. “Feels homey.”

That was his nice way of saying it was messy and small and a place he could _never _spend any time. He was likely used to lounging on sofas that cost more than your yearly salary.

The door to Alyssa’s bedroom creaked, her figure emerging from the light that seeped through the crack. “How’d it--oh, hi!” Her eyes widened when she learned I wasn’t alone. “How was dinner?”

We spoke at the same time. 

“Good,” he said. 

“Fine,” was my response. 

Alyssa crossed her arms over her chest to cover the fact that wasn’t wearing a bra--she never was. That’s apparently what it took for Harry to realize it was time for him to head out. He looked between you both and offered another smile. Smacking his lips together, his eyes scanned the room once more, finally landing on you.

“I’ll see you--yeah? I’m here for another week, we could do dinner or something?”

You hadn’t expected him to initiate something again. You’d actually expected that you wouldn’t hear from him at all--maybe a text to the group chat on Christmas Day saying he missed the lot of you.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” you watched as he headed for the door he’d just entered through. 

“Nice to meet you again, Alyssa.”

“You too,” a dazed look still on her face as she watched him reach for the handle. 

“You can find your way down? And your way home?”

He crossed the threshold back into the hallway, his lip curling up. “I’m good, Smalls.” 

“Okay.”

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll see you soon?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. See you later.”

“Bye,” you shut the door, soothed by the sound of the latch as you turned your back to the wood, a long sigh escaping your lips as Alyssa raised her brows for the umpteenth time. 

“Care to explain?”

You bit at your lip. It was late, you were tired. You were emotionally drained. But you knew she wasn’t going to let you get away with it. 

So you sat on the couch and had a cup of tea and told her about the last time you saw Harry. You also told her that despite all of it--the embarrassment, the resentment, the anger, and the jealousy--you hoped he meant it when he said he’d you’d see him again.

read the other parts here

AN: want to be on the tag list or have thoughts, questions, or just want to be friends?! Let me know here! 

taglist: @thurhomish​ @castawaycths​ @harryspirate​

[sofhyuck]

Teach or Be Taught

Genre: elementary school teacher!Jaehyun, elementary school teacher!reader, fluff, gender neutral

Word Count: 7.2k

Excerpt: “Here, you can lean on my shoulder. You have like forty-five minutes to take a nap.” He scoots a little closer, supplying you with the maximum amount of comfort he can. You thank him quietly, nuzzling into his side while leaning your head on his shoulder. Jaehyun looks down at you, admiring every eyelash, every freckle, every part of you his eyes can reach. He’s never been in love before, but he swears this is what it feels like.

Masterlist

A/N: I tried a different writing style (which is heavily inspired by @dreaminghaos hi i love your writing style sm I aspire to be like you) bc why not???

Day 1 [8:00 am]

First days are the epitome of all things anxiety inducing. Meeting new people, trying to make said new people like you, all while in a new environment: any anti-social person’s worst nightmare. Every first day of school nerves never failed to bubble up in your throat, palms growing sweaty from mild fear. And, right at this moment, you feel as though your heart is going to fall out of your ass. You know this is what you’ve been waiting for, spending years at uni to work yourself up to that coveted teaching certificate. Now, you have that certificate as well as a job to go with it. Speaking of which…

You’re stood in front of the entryway, wringing your hands together, unable to shake yourself free of your anxieties. The door opened, revealing a tall middle aged woman who beckons you over. Slowly you make your way over, wiping your dampened hands on the front of your pants.

“Are you the new second grade teacher?” She inquires, looking you over.

“Ah, yes. My name is Y/n, it’s nice to meet you.” You give her a small bow.

“You’re here bright and early, aren’t you? Come on, I’ll show you to your classroom!” She smiles brightly, holding the door open wider to usher you inside. “I’m Han Ana, Mrs. Han to the kids. I’ve been teaching the fourth grade here for about twenty years now.”

You balk at her revelation, feeling like a child next to her. She leads you through the halls, chatting happily about the school before stopping in front of a room.

“Here, room 202 is all yours. You can situate yourself for now, but there’s an all staff meeting in twenty before the kids get here. It’ll be in the staff lounge downstairs. If you need any help I’m right down the hall in 204!” She leaves you at your classroom and you make your way inside. It’s your typical classroom, small desks in rows with one larger sat in the front. You place your bag and laptop on the front desk and open the shades covering the windows. Sunlight bursts throughout the room as you make your way around, inspecting every inch while rearranging desks where needed.

[8:18 am]

You glance up at the clock, only to find that you have less than two minutes to make it to the staff meeting. You race out the door, nearly falling down the stairs before you finally make it to the lounge. Every pair of eyes is on you as soon as you enter and you flush, ducking your head and sitting down next to Ana at one of the many round tables placed precariously around the room.

The staff meeting doesn’t last very long and you’re left with a good half hour before you need to get back to your classroom. Unsure as to what you should do next, you glance nervously around the table you’re sat at. All the unfamiliar faces make your head spin, each of them in their own conversations. Just as you’re about to get up and leave, Ana perks up.

“Oh, right! This is our new teacher, Y/n! They’re taking over for Mr. Park.”

“Thank god, that old man was really getting on my nerves.” A voice pipes up from across the table, pulling laughter from your coworkers.

“You look rather young, Y/n, how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-four. Just graduated a few months ago.” You flush as everyone gawks at you.

“Looks like you’re no longer our youngest teacher, Jaehyun. Think you’re ok with that?”

“I can live with it.” A deep voice chuckles a few seats away from you, and you turn to find the source. His eyes are already on yours and he greets you with a kind smile. “I’m Jung Jaehyun, previous youngest staff in the school. I’m also teaching the second grade.” You give him a soft smile in return, cheeks flushed slightly at his attention.

“It must be nice to finally have someone around your age, Jaehyun. I bet it can be tiring to hang around us old geezers all the time.” Ana pipes up.

“Ahhh, you guys aren’t so bad.” He teased, dimples poking at his cheeks. “But I’m excited to get to know our new addition.”

“We should probably head back to our classrooms. The kids should be arriving in about ten minutes now.” You stand up with everyone else, following them out the door. You feel a light nudge to your left, and turn to find Jaehyun walking beside you.

“What room are you in, newbie?”

“202. What about you?”

“Ah, damn I’m down here in 110. I was hoping we’d be on the same floor. Oh well, guess I’ll see you at lunch.” He grins before turning the corner, leaving you with a parting wave.

[11:50 am]

You’re exhausted yet probably the happiest you’ve ever been. Your students are absolutely adorable and seem to get along as well. The morning was filled with name games and little get-to-know-yous. Now, as you walk your students in a single file line to the cafeteria, you’re sure that you know all of their names by heart. They wave goodbye once they’re settled in the cafeteria and you make your way towards the staff lounge. Upon entering, you scan the room to find Jaehyun sat at a table in the center of the room. His gaze lifts from his lunchbox to rest on you and a smile tugs at the corner of his lips. You give him a short wave, going to grab your lunch from the refrigerator before sitting beside him.

“How are your kids? Any trouble makers?” He probes once you’re comfortably seated.

“Oh, they’re all so wonderful! I can already tell this year is going to be amazing!”

“That’s great! I knew as soon as I saw you that your students would love you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” You flush, feeling small under his gaze.

“I mean, you just have this air of comfort about you? Plus, the kids always take better to a pretty face.” Your blush only deepens and you laugh nervously, gaze shifting to your lunch.

“What about you, Jaehyun? How long have you been working here?”

“This is my fourth year.” He hums happily, leaning back in his chair. “I’ve never had any issues with my students, although I do get a few proposals every year.”

“I’m not surprised.” You laugh, shovelling rice into your mouth. Jaehyun quirks an eyebrow at you, a smirk playing at his lips.

“I think you might give me some competition for most marriage proposals.”

“Hmmm, we’ll see. Although i’m not sure that’s a title we should fight for.”

“It’s nothing but a friendly competition, Y/n.”  You shake your head, smiling slightly while packing up your lunch.

“I’ll see you later Jaehyun.”

“See ya!” He gives you a small nod, turning back to his lunch.

Day 6 [7:00 pm]

Jaehyun oftentimes wonders how and why he’s friends with the idiotic group of children he considers his closest friends. But now, sat on the floor of Doyoung’s nearly empty apartment with cookie crumbs covering the front of his shirt, he understands that he himself is one of those children.

“Hyung, I thought you were supposed to be mildly more responsible than the rest of us. It’s been like, what, a week since you moved in and you’re still not done unpacking?” Mark snickers from beside Jaehyun.

“Some of us have actual jobs that require them to be available most of the time, Mark.” Doyoung quips back, shoving the younger at the back of his head.

“Dude you can literally ask any of us for help, you know that right?” Johnny chimes in.

“Like I’d let any of you touch my belongings. Besides, you guys won’t know where to put anything.”

“Oh ye of little faith. Come on, why don’t we help right now!”

“Hold up.” Jaehyun sits straight up, brushing the crumbs from his shirt. “This is not what I agreed to! I’m exhausted from dealing with the kids all week, I don’t need any more exertion.”

Mumbles of agreement chime from around the room, Doyoung physically relaxing knowing that his belongings are no longer at risk of being tampered with; at least for now, that is. Jaehyun reaches for the pack of chocolate chip cookies in Sicheng’s grasp, nearly having to wrestle it out of his greedy hands. Sicheng finally releases the pack, causing Jaehyun to fall back on his ass earning a chorus of laughter from his friends.

“How are the kids this year anyways, Jae? Any wedding bells ringing?”

“Not yet, Tae.” He chuckles.

“Didn’t you mention that you were getting a new teacher?”

“Yea replacing that old asshole, right?”

“Ah, yea, they’re our new youngest staff member.” Jaehyun revealed.

“Ooooh are they cute?”

“They must be. Look! His ears are turning red!” The room once again erupts into laughter at the expense of Jaehyun. He looks around, gaze settling on a paper book that he then throws at whoever’s closest.

“Ow, c’mon man.” Yuta mumbles, rubbing his stomach.

“We’re just teasing you dude. I mean, it’s been like four years since you last dated someone, it’s about time you got back into the game.”

Jaehyun rolls his eyes in response, digging through the nearly empty pack of cookies in hopes of distracting himself. So what if he had been single for awhile? What was it that people said, married to your job? In fact, his last relationship ended right after he got his current job, something about him constantly smelling like baby powder now. Since then, he hasn’t really bothered to start a new relationship. Out of the odd single mother or father, Jaehyun doesn’t really come across people his age. He traded that part of his life to be surrounded by seven to eight year old children instead.

“Do you have a picture of them?”

“Uh, maybe, hold on a sec.” Jaehyun opens his photo app only to be faced with the picture of you that he most definitely had not been smiling at on his way over to Doyoung’s apartment. It’s a picture of you when you were on recess duty together. The two of you had been stood talking to one another, both keeping an eye on the children, when one of your students had ran over and tugged lightly on the side of your pants. You had immediately knelt down to be eye level with the child, asking her what was wrong. Blushing, the girl brought out a flower from behind her back, holding it out to you. You smiled gratefully and reached out to take the gift from her small hands. Jaehyun couldn’t help himself and immediately pulled out his phone, snapping a quick picture before turning away, feigning innocence. You had caught him, of course, and immediately demanded he send the picture to you.

“Hmmm, yea they’re cute.” Mark’s voice sounds directly next to Jaehyun’s ear. The boy cranes his neck to look over the elder’s shoulder for a peak at his phone screen.

“Oi, back off.” Jaehyun nudges Mark, turning his phone to show the rest of the group the photo. They hum in approval, a few exchanging nods and giving Jaehyun a sly thumbs up. Jaehyun feels his ears burn and he quickly snatches his phone back.

“Have you made a move yet?”

“Knowing our Jaehyun he probably already has.”

“Leave me aloooone.” Jaehyun whines, fully prepared to throw another book at the group.

“Sorry Jae, it’s just so fun to see you ears turn red. It’s so rare that we get to see you all flustered.”

“You’re not helping Johnny.”

“I know.”

Jaehyun decides that he really needs new friends who aren’t mentally, or physically, seven years old.

Day 33 [10:00 am]

A knock sounds at your classroom door, causing you to halt your current lesson. Your students immediately begin tittering amongst each other as you walk over to open the door, revealing a bashful Jaehyun stood in your doorway. You can hear your students shuffling in their seats, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever is at the door.

“Hey Y/n, I was wondering if you had any extra white board markers? My last one just ran out in the middle of class and I’ve been meaning to buy new ones but I keep forgetting.”

“Sure, Jaehyun, give me a second.” Jaehyun follows you into your classroom, a chorus of “ooooh’s” from your students echoing around the room. You immediately shush them, flushing at their teasing. You reach into your desk drawer, pulling out a new marker and handing it to him.

“Thanks, Y/n.” He smiles, the classroom again bursting with teasing sounds and you usher Jaehyun out the door. It takes you almost five minutes to calm down the kids, although they continue to bring up Mr. Jung until the lunch bell rings. Once you drop the class off at the cafeteria, you heave a sigh of relief, happy to be free of their taunting. Jaehyun greets you in the staff’s lounge, sliding a rice cake over to you.

“What’s this for?”

“A little thank you for the new marker.”

“Ah really, it was no problem. But why didn’t you just go to someone on your floor.”

“Why, I wanted to visit you, of course! You’re worth the perilous trek.”

You roll your eyes. “Ah yes, the treacherous single flight of stairs, how brave of you.”

Jaehyun points his chopsticks at you, dropping a piece of chicken in the process. “Hey, you never know when you could trip and injure yourself. People fall and break their necks on those death traps all the time.”

“Lovely, Jaehyun. As if I wasn’t already afraid of falling down stairs.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll catch you if you fall.” He grins, reaching over to pat you on the head. You swat away his hand, ready to reprimand him for messing up your hair when Ana pulls out the chair next to you, calling for both of your attention.

“What are you two lovebirds up to?”

“L-lovebirds?” You choke out, eyes widening at her question.

“Haven’t you heard, you two are the new hot couple of the school.” She giggles, taking a bite out of her egg sandwich. “Even the students are gossiping! My, it’s so exciting, we haven’t had a school couple since Suzy and Haseul left.”

“We - I mean we’re not a couple…”

“Oh but you will be soon, I call it.”

Jaehyun, noticing your discomfort, cuts her off. “C’mon Ana, give it a rest for now. We’re just trying to eat our lunch in peace.”

She raises her arms in surrender, returning her focus back to her sandwich, voicing her complaints to the room. “I swear, the school lunches just seem to be worsening every year, more and more parents are making lunches for their kids.”

“It’s not that bad, they’re still better than anything my school provided when I was a kid.”

“Hm, little baby Jaehyunie must’ve been so cute.” You tease, pinching his cheeks.

“Ay, come on now.” He whines, ears turning red at your ministrations.

“Well, I better head out now, you kids have fun.” Ana stands up, wiping the crumbs from her hands.

You both bid her farewell, Jaehyun’s fingers tapping a soft beat onto your wrist.

“I’m sorry if all that coupley stuff made you uncomfortable. We’re all kind of like a big family here so most of us are used to that kind of teasing. You’ll probably get used to it, but if you ever feel uncomfortable again just let me know, ok?” He gives you a warm smile, his hand now settled over top your own. You smile, thanking him in return.

[3:50 pm]

You’re sat in the entryway to the school, one of your students sat beside you. You’re attempting to distract her, but it’s been twenty minutes since her mother was meant to pick her up and you can tell that she’s growing nervous.

“Mommy’s running a little late, Bora, don’t worry.” You attempt to soothe her, patting her lightly on the head. “Here, I have some markers and paper, why don’t you draw me a picture of your family?” She smiles at your suggestion, nodding happily while reaching for the supplies. You ask her about each figure drawn, attempting to engage her and keep her attention off of her absent mother.

“What are you two still doing out here?” You look up to see Jaehyun stood over you, smiling down at the two of you.

“I’m drawing, Mr. Jung! Look, there’s me and my little brother and my mommy!”

“Wow, you’re quite the artist!” He crouches down in front of you, leaning on your knees to get a better view of her drawings.

“Thank you!” She giggles. “Teacher’s keeping me company while I wait for my mommy to come pick me up.”

“Oh, well that’s very kind of teacher!”

“Yea! Teacher’s the best!” Bora leans over to hug you tightly and you laugh, wrapping your arms around her.

“Yea, they really are.” Jaehyun gazes up at the two of you, completely enamored. Your eyes sparkle in the sunlight, happiness radiating off of you.

“Mr. Jung!” Bora cries, poking him in the cheek. Leaning in closer to Jaehyun, she beckons him in closer. He leans in and she cups her hands around her mouth. “Are you and teacher dating?” She questions in a poor attempt at a whisper.

“No, Bora, at least not yet.” He whispers.

“But I want to marry you Mr. Jung.” She pouts.

“Maybe in a few years, ok?’ He chuckles. He grins up at you slyly, holding up two fingers. His second confession.

“Bora, baby I am so sorry, traffic was terrible!” A young woman comes rushing over to you, immediately sweeping her child into her arms.

“That’s ok mommy! Teacher and Mr. Jung kept me company.”

Her mother turns to face you, relief evident on her face. “Thank you so much for taking care of Bora, and I’m sorry for being so late.”

“That’s ok!” You smiled. “Just give me a call next time, you should have my number.”

“Right, of course, again I’m so sorry. I’ll be on time from now on.”

“Have nice night, ma’am! Bora, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye teacher! Bye Mr. Jung!”

Jaehyun gets up from his spot on the ground to stand beside you, both of you waving goodbye to the little girl. He can’t help but to gaze at you, heart practically on his sleeve. The way you treat your students so kindly, always sure to show them affection all while keeping an appropriately firm hand.

“Looks like we can go home—”

“Do you want to get something for dinner—” You both speak at the same time, laughing following shortly after.

“Isn’t it too early for dinner?” You question, checking the time on your phone.

“Factor in travel time plus walking around a little, we’ll find a restaurant right before the dinner rush.” Figuring why not? you nod in agreement, heading back inside to gather your belongings.

[4:45 pm]

So, maybe it is still a little too early to have dinner. And by a little too early you mean almost a full hour before you normally would eat. Jaehyun doesn’t seem to mind, however, happily pulling you along the fairly empty streets. You look upon him fondly, following him wherever he goes. Not that you had much choice considering how firmly his hand grasps yours.

It’s inevitable, the way your heart flutters whenever his gaze locks with yours. Sure, the boys you had met in the past were attractive, but Jaehyun’s pure beauty is utterly incomparable. Not to mention his affinity with children and all around gentille manner. If you were being completely honest, Jaehyun is your ideal man, and he’s practically fallen right into your lap. Now if only you could act upon your feelings…

“How about chicken and beer?” Jaehyun suggests, stopping in front of a restaurant.

“Jae, it’s still so early, I’m barely hungry!”

“Fine, why don’t we get takeout instead and then head back to my apartment?”

“Hmmm, trying to get me all to yourself Mr. Jung?”

“Oh god Y/n, please don’t call me that.” He laughs, pulling you inside the restaurant. “Now come on, what do you want to order?”

[5:30 pm]

Jaehyun’s apartment is almost excruciatingly neat, something you honestly didn’t expect from the boy. His classroom is almost always in a state of disarray, a trait you had assumed translated over into his home life. Instead, you’re faced with pristine white walls, not a single book out of place, all stacked neatly on the shelves lining the walls. Your shoes are lined up in the entryway, inked drawings hanging around the apartment. You’re stood gazing at one of said drawings when Jaehyun comes to stand behind you after placing your food on the counter.

“These are all done by my friend Taeyong.” He hums, placing his hands on your shoulders.

“He’s quite talented, does he do commissions?”

“Oh definitely, I bet I could even get you a discount!”

You laugh, pulling him back over to the counter. He grabs some plates from his cabinets as you unload the chicken. Each plate is decorated with a floral design around the brim, a fact you’re sure to take note of. You take a bite of chicken, humming at the savory taste. Meanwhile, Jaehyun’s hands are getting sweaty. It has been so long since Jaehyun dated someone, let alone invited someone over to his apartment who wasn’t a part of his friend group. Especially someone he held such a strong attraction to. He found himself unable to meet your gaze, quite the 180 from his usually confident demeanor.

“Jaehyun, did you know that your ears turn red fairly easily?”

Jaehyun immediately drops his chopsticks, bringing his hands to cover his ears. Of course his ears are red, they always are around you. You laugh at his reaction, muttering a soft cute  as you turn back to your chicken.

“I’m not cute,” he pouts, “I’m extremely handsome.”

“You can be both, Jae. In fact, you are.” Jaehyun’s hands are still over his ears, fully aware that they’ve only grown redder. “Eat your chicken, it’s gonna grow cold.”

Day 76 [8:30 am]

“Oh, Jaehyun! Just the teacher I’ve been looking for!” Jaehyun abruptly stops his conversation with one of the third grade teachers. He smiles, turning to face you.

“What’s up?”

“I’m trying to take the kids on a field trip to the science museum but the principal told me I need another teacher to come with me since I’m new. I was hoping you’d be ok with coming along. Our classes get along well too.”

Jaehyun thinks it’s rather odd that the principal is requiring you to bring another teacher along. He didn’t have to do that during his first year. He chooses to shrug it off for now, exchanging his confusion for relief. Thank god you were comfortable enough around him to ask for his help.

“I’d be glad to! I take my classes there every year anyways.”

“Oh, thank you so much, you’re a real lifesaver!”

“Of course, we can discuss the details later at lunch today, yea?

You give him a quick hug before dashing off to your classroom.

“Aren’t you guys dating yet?”

“Not yet.” Jaehyun smiles softly, gazing at your retreating figure.

Day 82 [8:30 am]

The students arrive half an hour earlier than usual so that they have enough time to explore the museum. You and Jaehyun are ushering your students onto the bus, chaperones already assigned and sat with their groups. The final student gets on the bus and you and Jaehyun follow. Considering that there are two classrooms plus chaperones on the bus, there are only two seats left, sat next to one another. Jaehyun allows you to sit first, giving you the window seat, and promptly plops himself down next to you.

He leans down to whisper in your ear. “I heard you got another confession yesterday. What does that make, five?”

“Are you still keeping track of that?” You snort. “I’m not even counting anymore.”

“Of course, I need to keep my status as most popular teacher!”

“Well if you must know, I’ve actually gotten six confessions.”

“I thought you stopped keeping track?” He pokes your side, teasing.

“You’re just jealous I have more confessions than you.” You huff.

“…maybe so.” Jaehyun sits back with a pout. “Just wait a few weeks, I’ll take you over.” He gazes over at you out of the corner of his eye, hoping to have pulled a reaction out of you. You’re already looking at him, smiling stupidly at his sulking figure. Jaehyun’s heart flutters, an almost foreign feeling after going so long without a relationship. If there’s one thing his friends are actually right about, it’s that he doesn’t get out enough. Whenever they ask him to hang out to drink, he opts to stay in, worried that one of his student’s parents might see him. Not an ideal situation, seeing your child’s teacher stumbling around in a drunken stupor. It had happened once during his first year of teaching, and Jaehyun is not about to let that happen again. Thus, he rarely has the ability to meet new people, let alone a potential lover. Then here comes you, the cute new teacher who steals his heart in less than five minutes. Damn his vulnerability.

[12:00 pm]

The students have congregated at the museum cafeteria, slightly exhausted from their morning spent running around the museum but still excited nonetheless. Jaehyun is sat next to you, both of your groups situated around the table. Happy chatter flits around the room, making it hard to hold a proper conversation. Jaehyun is forced to lean into your side so that you are able to hear one another, not that either of you mind. A light tug at the back of his shirt calls for Jaehyun to turn around, one of his students stood behind him.

“What’s up buddy?” He laughs lightly tickling the boy’s stomach. The boy giggles, breaking off into a long winded spiel about how exciting his day has been so far. Jaehyun diligently listens to every word, reacting when necessary and answering all of the boys questions to the best of his ability. You can’t help to gaze fondly at the two of them, heart fluttering at the sight (but then again, when doesn’t your heart flutter when Jaehyun is around).

“You’re my favorite teacher!” The boy finally states, hugging Jaehyun before skipping away. Jaehyun turns to you giving you a pointed look and a smirk.

“That does not count.” You state, rolling your eyes.

“Oh it totally does, this competition is for who’s the favorite teacher and he said I’m his favorite.”

“Yes but we’re only counting confessions.”

“Hey, we never made a rule like that.”

“Fine, I’ll count it. But only because you’ll still be behind me.”

“Only by one.” He teases, leaning over to snatch a piece of meat from your plate. You swat away his hand, Jaehyun laughing jovially in response.

[1:00 pm]

“All right kids, get back with your chaperones, we only have a few more hours left at the museum!” A chorus of groans sound throughout the museum cafeteria, your students not quite yet ready to leave. You round up your own group of kids, counting meticulously to make sure they’re all still present. The students are all fluttering about, fully energized from their lunch. A few have taken to hanging off your legs, giggling madly.

“How much sugar did you monkeys eat?” You laugh, leaning down to gently pry them off. “Come on, don’t you want to go back into the museum? We still haven’t gone to the weather room, I heard there’s a cool lightning exhibit.” Your students immediately let go of your legs, now wanting to explore the museum as soon as possible.

“Y/n!” You look up to see Jaehyun and his group of students coming towards you. “Heard you’re going to the weather room, we haven’t gone either and were hoping we could tag along.”

“I don’t know kids, do we want Mr. Jung to join us, I heard he’s a little smelly.”

“Hey! I am not smelly!”

Your students all giggle, taking great amusement in your back and forth.

“I think we should let them join, teacher! Mr. Jung is really handsome.” Bora sounds, a few of the other students in your group agreeing.

“Alright Mr. Jung, you can join our group but only because you’re so handsome.” You laugh, his ears reddening in embarrassment.

“Wow thank you guys so much.” He grins shyly. “Shall we go?”

You nod, gesturing for your students to follow close behind. Jaehyun sidles up to you, bumping your arm with his.

“Do you really think I’m smelly?” He whispers, half joking but also half worried you’ll say yes.

“Only a little,” you tease, “but, like, not in a bad way.”

“Ayyy, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, like, I guess…”

“I guess…” He repeats, egging you on.  

“You smell nice.” You mumble, face flushed at your confession.

“Cute.” Jaehyun grins. “You smell nice too, in case you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t, but thanks for the affirmation.”

You turn into the weather room, giving your students free reign to walk around while you keep a close eye on them. Jaehyun stations himself across the room so that you have the whole area covered, but that doesn’t keep him from shooting dumb faces at you from time to time.

“Teacher!” One of your students bounds up to you, beckoning for you to crouch down to his height.

“What’s up Taegeun?”

“Is Mr. Jung your boyfriend?” He asks shyly, fiddling with his hands.

“No, why do you ask?”

He perks up at your answer. “Good, because I want to be your boyfriend.” He states proudly, puffing out his chest.

“Hmmm, I’m not really looking for a relationship right now.”

“That’s ok, I can wait.” He says, running back to his group of friends.

You stand back up and make eye contact with Jaehyun. You give him a smirk, holding up seven fingers. He glares back, shaking his head in mock anger at your popularity. You’ve stolen half the school’s hearts, including his own.

[2:35 pm]

The bus is waiting in front of the museum, a few students already sat on the vehicle. You’re standing by the doors, keeping count of the students entering the bus. Ticking off each student as they pass, you finally mark off the last one and make your way onto the bus. Jaehyun gestures for you to sit beside him, scooting over slightly to give you a little more room. You drop down into the seat, exhaustion radiating off of your slumped body.

“The kids tuckered you out, huh?”

“Mmm, just a little.” You hum, eyelids growing heavy.

“Here, you can lean on my shoulder. You have like forty-five minutes to take a nap.” He scoots a little closer, supplying you with the maximum amount of comfort he can. You thank him quietly, nuzzling into his side while leaning your head on his shoulder. Jaehyun looks down at you, admiring every eyelash, every freckle, every part of you his eyes can reach. He’s never been in love before, but he swears this is what it feels like.

Day 97 [9:00 pm]

Another Friday, and Jaehyun once again finds himself sat on Doyoung’s, now fully furnished, apartment. Even though there is a couch, Jaehyun arrived later than everyone else, thus he was left with the floor. His back is flush against the couch and Sicheng’s foot is currently kicking his head.

“Sicheng I’m going to kill you.” He snaps, reaching up to grab the boy’s foot.

“Only if you say you’ll go out with us tonight!”

“You know why I don’t want to!”

“Oh come on, Jae. It happened once years ago, what are the chances it’ll happen again?”

“Well that’s what I thought but look what happened.”

“Dude come on it’s been so long since you went out with us.” Johnny calls out, joining Sicheng in kicking the boy’s side. “Literally just come out with us this one night, we’ll never ask you again.”

Jaehyun hesitates.

“Look, if one of your parent’s sees you we’ll, I don’t know, we’ll pay for your dinner for a month.”

“Wait hold on we’re not agree—”

“Deal.” The thought of being seen by one of his student’s parents is terrifying, yes, but the thought of free dinner for a whole month far outways that potential embarrassment.

[10:00 pm]

Thankfully, his friends choose a more bar-like atmosphere instead of a full fledged club, knowing he probably wouldn’t be up for the high speed environment. There’s loud music playing, various games strewn around the building.

“We’re gonna head over to the pool table, you up for it?”

“I think I’m just gonna hang here for awhile, I’ll catch up with you later.”

A few of his friends head over to the pool table, leaving him at the bar. Jaehyun takes a sip of his drink, eyes scanning the room. He’s not really sure what he’s looking for; there’s not really much to find in the mass of sweaty bodies. His gaze travels to his friends making a bit of a scene by the pool table and he chuckles lowly, amused by their idiocy. He quickly looks away, however, because Ten is about to climb over the table, ready to grab Doyoung by the collar. Not a sight he wants to see. Scanning the room, he looks past the seating area, only to do a double take. There, sat on top of one of the many square tables, is a completely inebriated you, head thrown back in laughter at something your friend just said. The ends of his lips curl up in a smile and he observes your figure for a moment. Downing the rest of his drink, he places the empty glass on the bartop and stands to make his way over to you. Your friends must take notice of his towering figure because they all start frantically waving their arms at you, gesturing towards his approaching figure. You look up with a start and, upon seeing him, abruptly climb off the table. He rushes over to you, stabilizing your shaky figure.

“Mr. Jung, I did not expect to see you here. Like, never.” You giggled happily, poking his cheeks.

“Ah, Y/n, how much have you had to drink?”

“You know how many of the kids have confessed to me?” “Yea?”

“That many.”

“Holy shit.” He mumbled, studying your face. He turns to look at your friends who are all not so subtly checking him out. They turn away at his gaze, tittering amongst themselves before he calls for their attention. “Can I steal Y/n away from you guys?”

“Of course!” One of them giggles. “In fact you can steal me away too if you’d like.”

“Sorry, I only need Y/n.” He smiles kindly, already wrapping an arm around your waist to pull you away..

“Keep our baby safe!” They call after your retreating figures.

“Where are we going?” You mutter, clutching onto his bicep.

“We’re going to get some water into your system and then I’m taking you home.”

“Aw c’mon, you should have some fun! I know you haven’t been out since your first year. Have you even had something to drink yet?”

“I have and right now your safety is more important than me having fun.”

“Ayyy, I’m not gonna let you not have fun because of me. Are your friends here? Can I meet them?”

“Y/n I should really be getting you—”

“Ayo Jae, who’s the cutie?”

“Johnny you dumbass that’s that new teacher he’s been pining after.”

Before Jaehyun could steer you away from his rowdy group of friends you break out of his grasp, heading over to the pool table.

“Shit.” He mumbles under his breath, jogging over to you. Yuta’s already got his arm around you, engaging you in an animate conversation about god knows what. He sighs heavily, pulling you from his friend’s grasp, much to Yuta’s protests.

“Come on let’s get you some water.”

“Jae you can leave ‘em with us while you get the water. We want to get to know your new coworker anyways.” Yuta says with a wink, pulling you back into his side. Knowing he’s fighting a losing battle, Jaehyun hurries to get you a glass of water so that he could rescue you from his friends as soon as possible.

Through your haze you barely register the men surrounding you. They chat happily, asking you about work and, most importantly, your relationship with Jaehyun. You don’t take the questions particularly seriously, too drunk to actually pay attention to what they’re saying. An arm wraps around your waist and you turn your head slightly to find Jaehyun holding a glass of water out to you.

“Here, drink.” He commands softly, raising his eyebrows. You part your lips, too hazy to reach out and take the glass. Jaehyun rolls his eyes but brings the glass to your lips nonetheless. Slowly, he tilts it back, examining how your lips close around the rim as your eyes close. Your cheeks are rosy, this time not out of embarrassment, and your hair’s a bit of a mess. Still beautiful, though.

After a few sips your eyelids flutter open, signalling that you’ve had your fill. He lowers the glass, eyes locked, time at a standstill. Slowly, he raises his hand to run a thumb over your bottom lip, teasing at the plump flesh. Before either of you can make a move, Mark stumbles into Jaehyun, pushing him into you in the process. You giggle as Jaehyun attempts to steady you, glaring at the younger.

“Ok, time to get you home.” He says sternly, pulling you away from his friends.

“Ok.” You giggle, waving goodbye cutely. His friends all coo over you and Jaehyun has to keep himself from doing the same. Happy to have finally gotten you out of the vicinity of the bar, Jaehyun quickly hails a cab and pulls you in after him. You situate yourself as close to him as possible, snuggling into his warmth. You’re slightly more sober now although still a little hazy, and Jaehyun is like a walking space heater. A heavy sigh falls past his lips but he still wraps his arm around you, basking in the comfort you provide.

“You gotta wake up now Y/n. We’re at your place.”

You hum sleepily in response, clambering out of the car. Jaehyun practically has to carry you up to your apartment, making sure you drink more water and wash up before you flop onto your bed. Smiling fondly, he pats your head and leaves your apartment. He wonders if you’ll remember anything tomorrow morning.

Day 100 [3:20 pm]

“Ok kids, we’ll have reading time for the last ten minutes.” Your students all rush to pull out their books and you give out a small sigh of relief, happy that you’ll be able to relax. Before you can get too comfortable, however, a knock sounds at the door. Groaning under your breath you stand up to open it. You’re immediately faced with Jaehyun and his entire class.

“What’s this for?” You gasp, stepping back to let them in.

“Do you know how many days it’s been since you started working here?”

“No?”

“100!” He claps excitedly, grabbing a cake from one of his students, a big 100 written in frosting on top. Both your students and his cheer happily, mostly at the sight of the cake but also because of you, and you gladly take the cake, cheeks turning red.

“You have pretty poor timing, Jaehyun,” you whisper into his ear. “The kids have to leave soon and they’re not going to be happy once they find out they won’t get any cake.”

“I know, I was hoping it’d be a boost in my popularity.” He said with a wink.

“You’re the one who brought the cake, we’re both going down with this one.” You say pointedly, poking him in the chest.

Your students intermingle amongst themselves, books long forgotten in all the excitement. After a little chatting the bell rings and your students race out the door. Thankful that they weren’t too upset by the lack of cake, you make your way back to your room only to find Jaehyun already there, cake cut into slices. He holds a plate out to you, gesturing for you to sit on the desk beside him. Gratefully, you take the plate and sit down, digging into the cake.

“Oh my god this is delicious.” You moan, savoring in the taste of the fluffy dessert.

“Mmm, I know right? Paris Baguette really knows what they’re doing.” He hums happily in agreement. “You know, two of my students have confessed to me since the museum.”

“Damn, so we’re tied now huh.” You pout jokingly.

“You’re about to be winning again.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” You question, turning to face him.

“I know this is supposed to be a competition and everything, but you’re probably going to win anyways—”

“Hey we’re tied right now—”

“Let me finish ok?” You shut up, letting him finish his mini speech. “As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted,” you roll your eyes at that, “We’re not going to be tied anymore because I’m going to confess to you. Or, well, I am confessing to you.”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Oh come on Y/n, it’s obvious we like each other, the whole school has been waiting practically with baited breath for us to get together!”

“No I know all that. I’m just surprised that you’re confessing so early into the year! You were taking this competition so seriously I thought you’d make me be the one to do it.”

“I can’t believe you Y/n.” He scoffs, leaning back on his hands.

“What? A competition’s a competition. Oh well, looks like I’m winning again.” You shrug, turning back to your cake, a teasing grin stuck on your face. Jaehyun sits there for a minute, shocked at your confession. Once you finish your cake, however, Jaehyun gets a brilliant idea. A mischievous smile creeps across his face and you stare at him in mild fear.

“What exactly are you thinking of doi—” You get cut off by Jaehyun shoving the rest of the cake in your face.

“You’re dead Mr. Jung.” Wiping the cake off of your face, you move to wipe it all over his face. But, before you get the chance, Jaehyun places his lips over yours in a deep kiss. Your lips move together in harmony, the kiss slightly sticky from all the cake residue. Eventually, he pulls away, grinning at you with cake crumbs and frosting covering his lips.

“Sweet.” He chuckles, licking his lips. You grab his cheeks with your cake covered hands and smoosh them together.

“Yes,” you laugh, “very.”

[blueboxesandtrafficcones]

The French Connection - Chapter 1

A HardyxMiller AU

Ellie Miller is left to go on her honeymoon alone after a devastating secret about her fiance comes to light - halfway through the wedding ceremony.  Sitting in St Pancras International in London waiting for her train, she runs into none other than her uni rival/best friend Alec Hardy, on the run from his own recent heartbreak.

They decide to make use of Ellie’s pre-paid trip, rekindling their friendship and escaping real life; yet, it turns out their years at uni are the hardest to outrun. Based on this prompt from @timepetalscollective  

Chapters will be posted every Wednesday and Sunday.  Beta’d by the wonderful @stupidsatsuma

Masterlist  |  AO3

---

Ellie Miller sat slumped over a table for two, picking at her unappetizing, healthy breakfast wrap as she waited for her train.  She still had twenty minutes before she could begin boarding, and despite having already made the effort of getting into London, wasn’t even certain she would be on the train when it pulled out.

In fact, she might be quite happy to remain at this table forever.  No one who knew her, no one to bother her, offer advice or sympathy, scold or belittle her.  She might, if she was lucky, never have to hear her own name ever again.

“Millah?”

Spoke too soon, she thought bitterly, eyes slipping closed and turning her head away from the direction of the voice, hoping whoever it was would believe they were mistaken and continue on.

“The hell are you doing?”

Her eyes snapped open as her table jostled, and sure enough, it was exactly who she’d suspected (feared) now in front of her.

“Fuck off.”

While most men would cower at her vitriolic tone and icy stare, Alec Hardy had been her rival for top of the class at uni, and was therefore all but immune to her intimidation tactics.  Being a Scot, he probably considers that a friendly greeting, she rolled her eyes.

He’d helped himself to the chair opposite her, folding his arms on the table and leaning towards her, that curious look in his eye that said he thought he was on the scent of something.  “Well aren’t you a ray of fucking sunshine?  I thought I was the grumpy one.  I distinctly remember you ordering it to be so.”  The corner of his mouth twitched, and despite her irritation, hers quirked in response.

“What’re you doing here?”

“Running away.  You?”

“The same.”

Staring down at her sad breakfast, she could no longer stomach the thought, and pushed it across the table at her one-time schoolmate.  “Here, it’s rabbit food, you’ll like it.”

Hardy made a face, poking at it, before shrugging.  “Thanks.”  He took a bite, grimacing as he chewed, and gingerly set it back down.  “You know attempted murder’s a crime, don’t you?”

“You should arrest the bloke in the shop then, ‘cause he promised me it was good.”

That got her a soft laugh, and they sat in silence for a minute, not quite meeting each other’s eye.

“So, how long has it been?” he eventually asked, brow furrowing as if trying to do the math himself and getting nowhere.

“Eight years?”  She hadn’t seen him since graduation – or more specifically, the morning after graduation.  Involuntarily, her cheeks flushed at the memory.

Hardy froze for just a moment.  “Right,” he said, perfectly neutrally, the moment growing more awkward by the second as they both tried to pretend everything was normal.

“What’re you running from?” Ellie asked, just to change the subject, before wincing.

“My girlfriend was having an affair with one of our coworkers, I decked him in the middle of the bullpen, and am now on forced vacation.”  He rolled his eyes, slumping down in his chair.  “I’d been working thirty-six hours straight so they let me off with just a warning, but strongly suggested I take the next two weeks off.”

Ellie hummed in sympathy, cuddling her coffee cup to her chest to resist the temptation to reach out to him.  “I’m sorry.”

He nodded.  “Me too.”  He paused a moment, before glancing up with a wry grin.  “It was a shitty punch, didn’t even break his nose.”

She laughed, some of her tension easing, though it reappeared instantly when he continued speaking.

“What about you?  What’re you running from?”

“Eurostar, London to Paris, now boarding.  This is the first call for Eurostar to Paris.”

That was her, but she ignored the announcement to confess, “Yesterday was my wedding day.  Halfway through the ceremony, my husband-to-be was arrested on child porn charges.”

“Shit.”  Hardy’s eyes went wide, and let off a low whistle.  “Shit.  Sorry, yeah, that’s worse.”

“It’s not a competition,” she tried to laugh, lower lip wobbling.  Don’t cry.  Whatever you do, do not cry in front of Hardy.  “But, thanks.  Anyway, I’m off on our honeymoon alone.  Maybe.  Where are you headed, though?  Where’re you spending your time off?”

He shook his head, shrugging.  “I was just going to buy the cheapest ticket and see where it took me.  Anywhere but here, you know?”

“You could come with me,” slipped out before she even thought about it, cheeks flaming as she realized what she’d said.

“What?”

“I have two tickets,” she explained, ignoring the little voice saying what’re you doing?  Wouldn’t you rather be alone?  “Everything’s paid for, and I promise not to ask about your ex if you don’t ask about mine.”

“Second call for Eurostar to Paris.  All passengers please make their way to Track Two for boarding.”

Hardy stared at her, a slightly incredulous expression on his face, but after a moment, he shrugged.  “What the hell.  If you’re sure, why not?”

“Excellent!” Ellie chirped, jumping up and grabbing her luggage.  “Shall we go, then?”

-

As soon as they found seats and settled in, Ellie fell asleep against the window, leaving Alec alone with his thoughts as he watched the countryside fly past.

Eight years, he wondered, slightly amazed.  Has it really been that long?  In some ways, it did feel that way – it felt like ages since she’d been a part of his life, and it had been jarring, going from seeing her near every day to never again.  They’d had a complicated friendship while in school to say the least, one that barely even qualified for the word ‘friendship’, but it was the best description he had.

In other ways, it felt like only yesterday they were antagonizing each other, fighting for top of the class and trying to out-perform each other.  In the moment, he hadn’t realized how much fun it was to have her for a sparring partner.  For as much as they would argue, it never felt like fighting.

Focusing on her reflection in the window, he considered the utter coincidence that they had both ended up at St Pancras’ on the same morning wanting to run away from their relationship problems.  He wouldn’t go so far as to say it was fate, given he didn’t really believe in the concept, but he also didn’t believe in coincidences after so long as a detective, and yet running into her had to be one.

If nothing else, this will be a memorable trip.

-

Doubts plagued Ellie as soon as the train began to move, and she quickly feigned sleep to avoid any conversation.

Apparently she feigned a bit too well, because the next thing she knew Hardy was gently shaking her shoulder.

“We’re here,” he said quietly, and she sat up, yawning and brushing the hair from her face, horrified to find a bit of crusted drool on the side of her mouth, which she tried to frantically swipe away as they shuffled off the train into Paris’ famed Gare du Nord dragging their luggage behind them.

“Now what?” Hardy asked when they came to a stop in a relatively quiet, out of the way corner, and Ellie let go of her suitcase to dig through her purse for the folder she’d made with all the arrangements.

Yawning again, she re-committed the hotel address to memory before safely storing the documents.  “Taxi to the hotel.”  She reached for her suitcase again, only to find his hand already there.

“I got this,” he shook his head, “you just lead the way.”

Feeling disoriented for so many reasons that had nothing to do with the foreign country or language, she led him through the train station and out onto the street, joining the queue for a taxi.  Thankfully it moved quickly, and soon enough, they were settled in a cab and winding their way through Paris.

“Look at this,” she murmured, staring out the window at the architecture flying by.  “Isn’t it gorgeous?”  They didn’t pass any famous sites on the way, but Ellie wasn’t bothered; she’d be seeing them soon enough.

On the plus side, I’ll actually get to accomplish my itinerary instead of staying in bed all day, she thought wryly, focusing on Hardy’s reflection in the glass.  He was looking out the other window, which was probably for the best.  She was still more than a bit stunned at his presence, but after the chaos of the previous twenty-four hours, it was low on the ‘shock’ factor.  And he’s certainly not going to ask me about Joe.

The thought of her former fiancé hurt, but she couldn’t quite muster the energy to cry – she’d spent the entire night doing that, curled up alone in her bed, sobbing why? over and over.

She’d hadn’t gotten an answer.

The driver cleared his throat, and she realized they had arrived at their hotel.  Situated on the north side of the Seine directly across from the Île de la Cité, it offered an amazing view of the city, and was conveniently located for walking to all the top sights.

“Merci,” Ellie said, but before she could pull out her money, a few notes crossed in front of her nose, and she turned to find Hardy with his arm outstretched.

“I got it,” he shrugged, gesturing his head for her to climb out.  He followed quickly, unloading their suitcases from the back, and with a final check, they sent the cab off and headed into the hotel.  Again, he grabbed her suitcase before she could, sending her ahead.

I don’t remember him being such a gentleman, she thought, before pasting on a bright smile and checking them in with her admittedly rusty French.

Within moments she was handed two plastic room keys with a cheery Felicitations!, and with a nod, she led him back towards the lifts.

They rode in silence, smiling awkwardly at each other, but thankfully it was a short trip and they quickly spilled out into the hallway.  It wasn’t until she opened the door that Ellie remembered she had booked the premiere honeymoon package.

“Shit,” she muttered, holding open the door as she stared inside, Hardy looking over her shoulder.  It was a romantic’s dream, but at the moment, the vision just made Ellie want to throw up.  “Oh, fuck.”

It was a fairly decent sized room for Paris, a small bathroom immediately on the right before opening up into the main area.  A desk and chair sat under the window, offering a view of Paris and in the distance, the towers of Notre-Dame rose above the rooftops.

The main feature, of course, given that it was the honeymoon suite, was the bed.

“Am I losing my mind,” Hardy asked from behind her, “or is that bed really heart-shaped?”

It was, with a delicate canopy to boot.  Loose rose petals covered scarlet sheets, while battery-operated white candles were arranged on every flat surface, giving the room a romantic glow despite the lack of real flame.  A bottle of champagne sat nestled in an ice bucket next to the desk, two flutes ready nearby.

“Uh huh,” she said faintly, finally moving forward enough to enter the room and letting him in behind her, neither paying any mind to the door slamming shut behind them.

He coughed, shifting his weight.  “This is cozy.”

“This was a terrible idea.”  Tears welled in Ellie’s eyes, and she had to viciously bite her lower lip to keep it from trembling.  “This whole thing.  I never should’ve come – what was I thinking?  Oh, fuck.”

“Hey, Miller, it’s okay,” Hardy fumbled, patting her back, only pushing her closer to tears.

“Just give me a minute,” she sniffled, turning into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind her before letting her emotions go.

-

Left alone in the entryway, Alec looked around the room with a frown.  Doing his best to ignore the sobbing from the bathroom he stepped further into the main area, crossing his arms as he took it in.

Deciding to try damage control, he cleaned up the rose petals and shut off the candles, doing his best to remove the more romantic overtones.  Not that he could do anything about the shape of the bed.

Glancing towards the bathroom door he saw no indication she would soon be emerging and investigated the room a little, pulling open drawers and closet doors to see what they were working with.

No evidence of a sleep sofa meant they would have to share the bed, and he grimaced at the thought.  Not that he didn’t think they could do so without incident, but more because he feared it would absolutely send her over the edge.

Eyeing the champagne, he decided to open it – it came with the room, and maybe a little alcohol would ease the tension.

Not too much, the little voice in the back of his mind warned as he popped open the bottle, the last thing either of us needs is a repeat of graduation night.

He kindly told the voice to get stuffed.  Just as he finished pouring the second glass the bathroom door opened, and he held out one of the flutes towards Ellie, hoping she wouldn’t take it the wrong way.

“Champagne?”