#this is about colin and his little guy little birthday

[spookythesillyfella]

happy [late] birthday to the clevery guy !!!! <33

~ after being taken out by Tracey for some fun in the city for his big day , once returned home , the birthday boy himself gets some lovely stickers made just for him by Sketch , who had to get over her disdain of the color green for the day , just for her friend's sake . of course , Tony couldn't just not give his dear pal anything , instead baking the computer his cake for the special day , alongside other smaller gifts ;3

also extra digitaltime thing thing for the occasion teehee 💌

[goldengalore]

Scandal

An anxious!reader fic.

Summary: Harry faces the biggest scandal of his career when a popular influencer claims that the singer forcefully entered his home and attacked him. Y/N sets on a mission to clear Harry’s name.

Word count: 11.4k

Warnings: anxiety, physical violence, mentions of domestic violence, nonconsensual kiss, cheating, toxic masculinity, angst, smut (a bit of domrry and subrry)

A/N: Lots of protective!harry in this one. Pay attention to the warnings. Characters make some serious (false) accusations towards H. If anything makes you uncomfortable, click away! Otherwise, enjoy this angsty fic :)

***

Y/N doesn’t like parties.

Even when she was a little girl and her parents would invite all their extended family over to celebrate her birthday, her tiny self would cry and complain until one of her parents scolded her to shut her up. As she grew older, she developed methods of alleviating the discomfort brought on by social events—the main one involving alcohol.

Calling her an alcoholic would be inaccurate because the only time she ever really drinks is during social situations. In fact, she can go for weeks and months without drinking if she doesn’t have to attend a social event. Still, she knows it’s not healthy nor very effective. All it does is reinforce her belief that she can’t socialize without using alcohol as a crutch, worsening her anxiety in the long run.

Recently, she has decided to start overcoming this habit by completely avoiding alcohol before and during social situations. At first, she wanted to limit herself to one drink, but she knows that the suppressing effect on her overactive nervous system will be enough to lure her into having another, then another… then another.

Tonight is her first chance to put her new rule into practice. It’s her best friend Rosie’s birthday. Her fiance, Colin, threw her a surprise party at his house. Now, Y/N may despise parties, especially the big, extravagant ones that Colin likes to throw, but she is willing to sacrifice a part of her sanity for the people she loves, like Rosie.

Because they’re in LA and Colin is an influencer, most of the people he invited are also influencers of some sort. Y/N warned Harry about this, but he still chose to come along, much to her relief. Surprisingly, aside from a few people asking for a picture with him, he has managed to keep a low profile. He also knows about Y/N’s new rule for herself and has agreed to help her abide by it, even going as far as not drinking himself, though she told him that wasn’t necessary.

Now, while they’re conversing with a small group of people—or at least Harry converses while Y/N mostly just listens and nods and tries not to think about how badly she wants to go home—someone offers Harry a drink and she notices him hesitate for the briefest second before saying no.

“H, you can have a drink,” she tells him in his ear a minute later. “Seriously, I don’t mind. I promise you’ll still be the best boyfriend in the world by the end of the night.”

He smirks. “I’m going to need that on a mug or a t-shirt or something, you know, just so I don’t forget.”

“Fine, you’re getting that for Christmas this year, but that’s all you’re getting.”

He places a hand on his chest. “I would gladly accept that as my only gift.”

She rolls her eyes at his dramatics, smiling all the while.

“All right, I’ll grab a drink then, if you insist,” he says.

“Good. I’m going to use the washroom. Meet you back here in five?”

“Deal.”

They both go their separate ways—Harry to the bar and Y/N to the washroom. When she finds it, she opens the door and instantly regrets not knocking first. Next to the toilet is a girl kneeling on the floor with a guy’s dick in her mouth. And not just any girl, but a well-known Instagram model whose face Y/N has seen many times before.

“Shit, sorry! Sorry!” Y/N blurts out, quickly pulling the door shut. It’s only after the door closes that her brain registers who the guy was. He had his back to her, but the dirty blonde hair messily styled around his head gave him away.

It was Colin. Rosie’s Colin.

At first, she stays frozen in place, too shocked to move, but then she sees the doorknob twisting from the other side and suddenly snaps out of it. Her legs start taking her away from the washroom.

“Y/N!” she hears Colin shout from behind her.

She walks faster, pushing through the crowds of people, with no plan for where she’s headed. Eventually, she ends up out in the backyard by Colin’s pool, thinking she must have lost him somewhere in the crowd. But then the glass door slides opens and out comes Colin. He closes the door before walking over to her. The light from the pool reflects off his pale face. His blue eyes are wide and frantic.

“Look,” he starts, “what you saw back there, it wasn’t— We weren’t— It wasn’t—” He pauses before starting again, “She’s just a friend.”

She scoffs at his lame defense. “Do all your friends give you blowjobs?”

“She wasn’t giving me a blowjob.”

“Oh, so your dick just fell into her mouth by accident, is that it? How stupid do you think I am, Colin?”

In the time she has known him—which hasn’t been for very long, since he and Rosie only started dating eight months ago and got engaged three months into their relationship—she always got the impression that he views her as a naive little girl. People often make assumptions about Y/N based on her quiet, reserved nature, like that she is uptight or that she knows nothing about sex or the world. It never fails to annoy her.

“I don’t think you’re stupid,” he says slowly, patronizingly, which only contradicts his statement. “You just… You think you saw something you didn’t see.”

Her eyes narrow. “That sentence doesn’t even make sense.”

She can see him struggling to find more ways to gaslight her. When he realizes he can’t, he just says, “You can’t tell Rosie.”

She doesn’t reply, doesn’t feel the need to. And Colin clearly doesn’t like that. He begins walking towards her, eyes darkening dangerously. She takes a few steps backward, thinking he’ll stop, but he doesn’t, not until she’s right at the edge of the pool with no more room to move back. He looms over her, all six feet of him.

“Did you hear me, Y/N?” he asks, his icy gaze boring into her.

She’s not sure where her boldness comes from in that moment, but all she says in response is, “Fuck you.”

Suddenly, he grips the back of her neck with both hands and smashes his lips against hers forcefully, shoving his tongue into her mouth. Y/N recoils so hard that she would have fallen back into the water if his hand wasn’t gripping her neck so tightly, holding her against him. She lifts her right foot off the ground and swings her leg back before driving the toe of her boot into his shin as hard as possible.

He grunts in pain and releases her, shouting, “Stupid bitch!”

She sidesteps him so that she’s no longer balancing on the edge of the pool and vigorously rubs her mouth with the back of her hand.

Clutching his shin, he pins her with a menacing glare. “You’re not going to say a word to Rosie,” he says between gritted teeth. Then he places his foot on the ground and limps back into the house.

Y/N doesn’t notice she’s shaking until he’s gone. She stays outside a little while longer to gather herself and suppress the nauseating feeling induced by having Colin’s lips on hers. Then she heads back inside to find Harry.

He has a drink in his hand now, and he’s talking to a couple of regular, non-influencer-looking people. As he lifts up his arm, she snuggles into his side, wrapping her arm around his back, resolving to stay there for the remainder of the night.

She will tell him what happened. Just not now. Not with Colin watching her from across the room with Rosie under his own arm, as if he didn’t just cheat on the poor girl and then proceed to kiss her best friend.

She will also tell Rosie what happened. Colin can try to intimidate her into silence, but it won’t work. Rosie will find out. Y/N will make sure of it. She just won’t unleash the devastating news on Rosie’s birthday with all these influencers surrounding them, eagerly awaiting some drama to go down so they can use it as “content.”

The party is nowhere close to done when Y/N and Harry decide to head home, but they’re both spent and ready to crawl into bed. They find Rosie to say their goodbyes, and Y/N tries to rush the process before Colin can show up.

“Happy birthday, girlie,” she says while giving Rosie a tight hug—tighter than usual after what she discovered tonight. “I love you.”

“Love you too. Thanks for everything.”

Unfortunately, right as the two friends are pulling out of their embrace, Colin appears at Rosie’s side.

“Colin told me that you helped plan this whole thing,” says Rosie.

“Yeah, Y/N was great. Couldn’t have pulled it off without her,” Colin tells her. Then he looks at Y/N. “Thanks for keeping it a secret from this one.” He points his thumb at Rosie, laughing easily, but the threat behind his eyes as he stares at Y/N is unmistakable.

She just gives him a tight smile, resisting the urge to slap the cocky grin right off his face. Then she says to Harry, “Let’s go.”

“Thanks for having u—” Harry begins to say to Colin and Rosie, but Y/N grabs his arm and starts dragging him away before he can finish his polite farewell.

Once they’re outside, she lets go of his arm and he gives her a puzzled look.

“What was that about?” he asks as they walk to his car.

“What?”

“Seemed like you couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there.”

“Oh, you know how I feel about parties.” She leaves it at that for now, and luckily, he doesn’t press any further.

He’s had a couple drinks, so Y/N drives them home. As soon as they enter Harry’s warm, empty house, she says, “H, I need to tell you something.”

“Hold that thought, lovie.” He holds up his index finger. “I really need a wee.”

He dashes off to the bathroom by the stairs. Meanwhile, Y/N heads to the living room and flops down on the couch, feeling exhaustion take over her after what transpired tonight. Just as she’s thinking about how she’s going to explain everything to Harry and how he’ll react, she hears the bathroom door open.

Harry joins her on the couch and says, “Right, what did you need to tell me?”

She takes a deep breath. “Something happened at the party tonight.”

“Okay…” He swipes his hair back, gazing at her intently.

“I caught Colin cheating on Rosie with another girl.”

He raises his brows, his expression growing serious.

“After I saw it happen, I walked away and Colin followed me out to the backyard. He tried denying it, but I obviously wasn’t falling for it, so then he said I can’t tell Rosie and he…” She pauses, hesitates. The memory of the repulsive kiss makes her stomach turn again. “He grabbed me by the neck and kissed me—”

“He what?” Harry’s brows climb even higher.

“—and I kicked him in the shin and then he left. I honestly think the kiss was just him trying to make me feel small and intimidate me into not telling Rosie.”

Harry’s usual easygoing demeanour has completely evaporated. His hands curl into fists on his thighs. His jaw clenches and unclenches, as his hard gaze fixates on the coffee table in front of them.

“That piece of shit,” he mutters. “That fucking piece of shit.” He closes his eyes. “Jesus Christ, Y/N, I’m going to—”

“H,” she says, placing her small hand over one of his fists, “I know you’re pissed off right now, but I need you to help me figure something out here.”

He looks at her, eyes softening. His fist opens and turns to grasp her hand. “Of course, whatever you need.”

“I need to tell Rosie what happened. I’m going to do it tomorrow. I’m going to tell her what I saw in the bathroom, but I just don’t know if I should mention the part about him kissing me. She’ll already be devastated to hear that he cheated, and I feel like I’d be adding unnecessary pain by mentioning that. What would you do if you were me?”

“I would tell her everything,” he replies. “Every detail. She deserves to know exactly how much of a prick he is.”

That’s exactly what she expected him to say. Nodding, she says, “Okay. Thank you.”

His anger seems to return after that. He rubs his free hand over his jaw, shaking his head. “It’s awful, what he did to you. And Rosie. Neither of you deserve that.”

She feels so fortunate to have him in that moment. If he wasn’t at the party tonight, she’s not sure what she would have done. Surely, she would have managed one way or another, but knowing that Harry was in the house, even when Colin was cornering her out by the pool, gave her a boost of courage—something she only realized later when she found her way back to him.

Now, she scoots closer to him and wraps her arms around his torso, squeezing him tightly. He squeezes her back.

“Can we go to bed? I’m exhausted,” she tells him.

“Yeah, absolutely.”

***

The following day, when Y/N informs Rosie of Colin’s infidelity, she breaks down into tears before Y/N has even finished explaining what she saw in the bathroom. Her best friend seems so distraught, sobbing and barely forming coherent sentences, that she decides not to follow Harry’s advice about mentioning the kiss.

Before Colin came along, Rosie was always an intelligent, rational human being, the type to think long and hard before making any major decisions. When he appeared in her life, it was like she lost all sense of logic and reason within a matter of weeks of knowing him. Things moved so rapidly between the couple. Y/N thought Rosie was joking when, three months into their relationship, she revealed that Colin had proposed to her and that she had said yes.

Y/N could never understand the hold that this guy had on her friend, but for the most part, it seemed harmless. Until now. Watching someone she cares so deeply about fall apart right before her eyes drives a sword through her heart.

She offers to spend the day with Rosie at her apartment, suggesting that they binge-watch some trashy reality show while munching on their favourite comfort foods, but Rosie says she needs some time alone to process everything. Respecting her wishes, Y/N reminds her that she can call anytime she needs to talk, then heads home.

That night, she’s sitting in bed with Harry, both of them immersed in their own books—him, a romance novel and her, a mystery novel—when her phone buzzes with an incoming call from Rosie.

“Hey, Ros—”

“What the fuck, Y/N?”

Rosie’s hostile greeting makes her pull the phone away from her ear for a second.

“You lied to me.”

“I— What?” Y/N’s uneasy tone draws Harry’s attention away from his novel.

“Colin told me you kissed him.”

Her heart sinks to the pit of her stomach. Immediate regret settles in at not telling Rosie about the kiss. She played right into Colin’s hands. “That’s not what happened, Rosie.”

“Oh, really?” She hears Rosie let out an unamused laugh. Then she hears his voice in the background, whispering something to Rosie. Y/N’s hand digs into the bedsheets, scrunching them between her fingers. Harry reaches for her hand and pulls it into his lap.

“He kissed me,” she states. “He’s just telling you it was the other way around to cover his ass after cheating on you.”

“He never denied cheating on me. He admitted to it.”

Y/N is genuinely taken aback by this, unsure how to respond.

“He said you walked in on him in the bathroom and then you walked away. When he found you later and tried to explain himself, you came onto him and told him that if he fucked you, you wouldn’t tell me that he cheated.”

She scoffs, shaking her head in disbelief. “And you believe that? C’mon, Ro, you are so much smarter than this.”

Once again, her ears pick up on Colin mumbling something to Rosie.

“What lies is he feeding you now?” she asks.

“He thinks we should talk in person,” says Rosie. “All three of us. I agree. I’m at his place right now. Come over and let’s hash this out.”

She closes her eyes. “Rosie, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“What are you so scared of, Y/N?” Colin says into the speaker now, all loud and smug and condescending.

She feels Harry’s hand squeeze hers now.

“I’m giving you a chance to explain your side of the story,” says Colin. “And maybe even apologize.”

She huffs, “Apologize?”

“For trying to get between me and Rosie. She forgave me. Maybe she’ll forgive you too. But that won’t happen if you don’t come here and talk to us.”

Y/N’s blood is boiling. How could Rosie forgive him? It makes no sense. Yet again, she finds herself baffled by Colin’s hypnotic spell on her best friend. Except this time, she is also concerned for Rosie’s safety. Because if he could persuade her to forgive him for cheating, God knows what else he can make her do with the right amount of manipulation and coercion.

“Fine,” she says. “I’ll come.”

“Good girl, Y/N,” says Colin.

She almost hurls. And she knows Harry heard that too from the way his hand tightens around hers. She hangs up.

Before she can say anything, Harry states, “I’m coming with you.”

“I don’t know if—”

“It’s not up for discussion, Y/N. I already know I can’t convince you to not go, so I’m going with you. That’s it.”

“Fine.” She’s too tired to argue, and if she’s honest with herself, she’s relieved that he’s coming. Colin is bigger than her and has proven that he has no respect for her boundaries. If she has to swallow her pride and admit that she needs her boyfriend there to protect her just in case, then so be it.

Harry softens when he realizes how overbearing his words sounded. “I won’t do anything, I swear,” he reassures her. “I’m just going to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

She nods. “Okay.”

On the drive to Colin’s house, Y/N gives Harry a rundown of the fabricated story that Colin has planted in Rosie’s head. She also mentions that she no longer feels safe leaving Rosie with Colin.

The house looks desolate tonight, a stark contrast to the previous night when it was filled to the brim with people and music and drugs and alcohol.

Rosie is the one who opens the door for them. Her puffy, bloodshot eyes convey that she hasn’t stopped crying today. Her dark brown hair falls in messy waves around her shoulders. She seems surprised to see Harry, but amidst the surprise, Y/N detects a hint of relief as well. The same relief that Y/N felt when Harry said he was coming with her.

Rosie leads them into the kitchen where Colin is slouched in a chair at the end of the dining table, his hand wrapped around an open bottle of whiskey on the table. A sickening smirk begins to form on his face when he sees Y/N, but it falters when his gaze falls on Harry.

“Why’s he here?” he says, turning his chin up at Harry.

“It’s fine. He can stay,” says Rosie. She sits on a chair that’s already pulled out from under the table, angled towards Colin.

Y/N grabs another chair and drags it far away from the table to maintain a fair distance from Colin. Meanwhile, Harry just leans against a wall off to the side, crossing his arms loosely over his chest. He’s dressed in a blue Adidas jacket and black gym shorts that he threw on before coming here. A hair clip keeps his curls up and away from his face.

“Harry, you wanna sit?” asks Rosie.

“I’m good, thanks.”

The group stares at each other. Y/N at Rosie. Colin at Y/N. Harry at Colin.

After a prolonged silence, Rosie finally says, “Okay, who wants to start?”

“Y/N can start,” Colin answers immediately.

There’s no doubt in her mind that this is merely a tactic to convince Rosie that he has nothing to hide and that Y/N is the one who should be explaining herself.

She clears her throat and shifts in her seat, trying not to let Colin’s annoyingly persistent gaze get to her. “Okay… Well, Rosie, like I said on the phone, I never kissed Colin. He kissed me and I pushed him away and he—”

“Why didn’t you mention any of this earlier?” Rosie interjects. “When you were at my apartment this morning and you told me that he cheated, why didn’t you mention the kiss?”

“You were so upset. I didn’t want to make it worse. I should’ve told you and I regret that I didn’t, but honestly, I just didn’t want to hurt you even more.”

“How am I supposed to believe anything you say now?”

Y/N frowns at her. “Because we’re best friends? And we have been for years? Way longer than you’ve known him.” She glances at Colin.

“He told me the truth. The whole truth. Something I would’ve expected my so-called best friend to do.”

Y/N just sighs and leans back in her chair, silent now as her mind grasps for some way, any way to convince her friend that Colin is the liar here.

Rosie turns to Harry now. “Did you know about this?”

He nods. “Y/N told me everything when we got home last night.” He pauses before adding sincerely, “She’s telling the truth, Rosie.”

“You weren’t even there when it happened. How can you be so sure?”

“Because I know her. And you know her. And we both know she’s not like that. You can call me biased, but it’s very clear to me which of these stories is the more plausible one.”

Y/N notices a subtle shift in Rosie’s expression, as if Harry’s words have actually made her see things from a different perspective. While she’s glad that at least Harry can get through to her friend, the fact that Rosie is quicker to trust Colin or Harry over her is maddening. She and Rosie have had several conversations over the years about people not believing women unless a man backs them up. It’s rather hypocritical of her to be doing the very thing she claims to be against.

Colin, who was previously slumped in his chair with a look of indifference, sits up when he realizes that he might be losing Rosie.

“What are you even doing here, man?” he asks Harry. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“I disagree.” Harry’s relaxed disposition seems to irk Colin even more. “Oh, and you should know,” continues Harry, “that neither of these women feel safe being alone around you, which says a lot about the piece of shit you are.”

“I never said I don’t feel safe around him,” Rosie argues unconvincingly.

“You don’t need to. It’s pretty obvious. And Y/N said—”

“You should really stop believing everything your whore of a girlfriend tells you,” Colin interjects.

A tense moment of silence hangs in the air before Harry pushes himself off the wall and strides over to Colin.

“Harry,” says Y/N in a warning tone, her heart speeding up as she watches Colin rise to his feet. The two men are face-to-face with only a few inches of space between them. Colin is as tall as Harry but with considerably less muscle on his body. However, that doesn’t eliminate Y/N’s concerns about her boyfriend getting hurt. “Harry,” she says again, pleadingly this time.

“Don’t worry, love. I’m not going to do anything,” he tells her, still sounding calm as ever. The only indication that Colin’s words have gotten to him is in his fists, which are clenched so tightly at his sides that his knuckles have lost colour.

“Yeah, he’s not,” says Colin, the smugness returning. “He doesn’t want to ruin his nice guy image. Isn’t that right, Styles?”

Harry lets out a brief, unamused laugh through his nose, then steps back, turning around to go back over to the wall. As he’s walking away, Colin says, “You know, now that I think about it, I should’ve just fucked your girlfriend when I had the chance. Show her what it’s like to be fucked by a real man.”

Now that Harry is turned away from Colin, Y/N can see his entire facial expression, including the rage that swims beneath the tranquil surface. His chest rises and falls with deep, controlled breaths. His eyes find Y/N’s.

“We’re leaving,” he states firmly. “Now.”

“What are you so scared of, Styles?” Colin goads him, the same way he did to Y/N over the phone. “Worried you’re gonna end up in the news for socking me? ‘Mr. Treat People With Kindness loses it on innocent civilian.’” He cackles at his own dumb joke.

Harry pinches the bridge of his nose, his patience visibly diminishing.

Y/N stands and turns to Rosie. “You’re coming with us.”

“What? No, I’m not.”

Losing her composure, Y/N presses her hands against the sides of her head, which is pounding at this point. “Oh my God, Rosie! What kind of hold does this guy have on you?!”

“I just want to talk to him.” She rises to her feet too.

“Why? So he can tell you more lies and manipulate you—”

“Oh, don’t act so fucking righteous, Y/N! Let’s not forget that you lied too!”

“I was trying to protect you! I’m not going to apologize for—”

“Colin, stop!” Rosie’s attention has shifted to the guys, who are now going at each other. Or at least, Colin is going at Harry with his fists, but Harry blocks each and every blow either with his arms or by ducking out of the way completely.

“C’mon, hit me!” Colin shouts desperately, swinging and missing, then swinging and missing again. “Don’t be a fucking pussy! Hit me! What are you waiting for?!”

At the next swing, Harry grabs Colin’s arm and twists it behind his back, spinning him around, then kicking the backs of his knees to make them buckle. Colin collapses face-first onto the hardwood floor. Harry falls on top of him, still twisting Colin’s arm behind his back at a painful angle while pressing his head down into the floor with his other hand.

Colin cries out in agony, struggling underneath Harry’s weight. “Get off me, asshole!”

“Are you gonna stop?” asks Harry.

“You’re breaking my fucking arm!”

“Are you gonna stop?”

“Get off—”

“Are you gonna stop?”

Colin, finally realizing that he’s no match for the man holding him down, surrenders. “Yes! Yes! Fucking yes!”

But Harry doesn’t let go immediately. Instead, he leans down to Colin’s ear and says in a low, chilling tone, “Good boy, Colin.” Then he lets go.

He stands up, fixes his jacket around his torso, and turns around to face the women as if nothing just happened. “Y/N and I are leaving,” he tells Rosie. “You can come with us if you want. It’s your call.”

“I’m staying,” she replies, wincing a bit as she stares at Colin writhing on the floor.

“Okay.” Harry walks over to Y/N, grabs her hand, and starts pulling her towards the door, much like how she dragged him out of the party last night but with more urgency.

“I think he broke my arm,” they hear Colin whine pitifully as they leave.

Harry doesn’t release Y/N’s hand until they reach the car. Once they’re seated inside, she instantly starts assessing his appearance to check if he’s hurt anywhere, but he seems entirely unscathed. You wouldn’t even be able to tell that he’s just been in a fight.

“Are you okay?” she asks just to be sure.

“I’m fine,” he answers, securing his seatbelt before starting the car.

“That got way out of hand.”

“I wish you’d just left with me when I said so,” he mutters, eyes focused on the road ahead.

“Harry, I didn’t want to leave her with him. I still feel awful about leaving her there.”

He takes a right, exiting Colin’s street. “What else were we meant to do, Y/N? Drag her out against her will? You think she’d still talk to you after that?” He scoffs.

His unusual harshness is making her feel even worse about a situation that is already difficult to grapple with. “No, of course not,” she says, a lump forming in her throat. “I understand why we had to leave her. I’m just saying that it fucking sucks, okay? The whole thing fucking sucks and I hate that my best friend is in the middle of it all and I can’t do anything to help her. I’m probably going to lose the only real friend I’ve made in my adult life all because of some fucking douchebag and I hate it, I hate him, I—I—” She breaks down then, her face falling into her hands as she sobs.

Anger is a strange emotion. When it’s there in full force, consuming you from head to toe, it leaves little room for anything else—anxiety, grief, and despair included. Then once it disappears, all those other emotions come hurtling in from all sides, crushing you beneath their weight.

Harry pulls over to the side of the road. “Y/N.” He turns to face her and carefully pries her hands away from her face.

She tilts her head back against the headrest, squeezing her eyes shut, tears falling unhindered.

“Hey, I get it,” he speaks gently. “I know it’s a shitty situation. I know you want to protect her, the same way I want to protect you, but you can’t save someone who’s constantly refusing your help. It’s not your fault, my love. You’ve done everything you can.” He holds both of her hands in one of his while using the other to wipe her cheeks. “I’m sorry for being harsh with you. I just hate the idea of you getting hurt. I’m sorry.” He kisses her hands several times.

“It’s okay,” she whispers, opening her eyes to look at him. She grabs a wad of tissues from the box on the dash and clears her throat before saying, “Thank you for being there tonight and handling everything so well… And not killing Colin, even though I wouldn’t have blamed you if you did.”

“Trust me, I wanted to. The prick needs someone to teach him a lesson. Unfortunately, that can’t be me.”

“I don’t know. I think you taught him pretty well that he’s not as man as he thinks he is.”

He smirks, and it’s the first sign of any pride he feels about overpowering Colin. He looks back at the road and says, “Let’s go home.”

***

It’s been a couple days since the incident at Colin’s house. Y/N hasn’t heard from Rosie again, nor does she expect to. Now, it’s the middle of the afternoon and she’s working on a new commissioned drawing when she receives a call from Jeff.

“Hey, Y/N, I’ve been trying to reach Harry all day,” he says when she picks up. “Is he with you?”

The urgency in Jeff’s voice makes her stop what she’s doing. “Uh, no, he’s out golfing with some friends. Why? Is everything okay?”

“Have you been online at all today?” She barely has a chance to answer before he says, “Sorry, dumb question. Of course you haven’t. That’s why you’re so calm. Anyway, there’s this guy, some TikToker, making some serious allegations against Harry. His name is Colin Rogers. Does that ring a bell?”

She sighs and closes her eyes. “Yeah. That’s Rosie’s fiance. What’s he saying about Harry?”

“To give you the CliffsNotes version, he’s saying that you cheated on Harry with him a few nights ago, and when Harry found out, he forced his way into Colin’s house and beat him badly enough to cause bruises and bleeding that landed him in the hospital.”

“Oh my God.”

“Like I said, that’s the CliffsNotes version. I skipped out a lot of details. It’s… bad. And he has a witness corroborating his statements.”

She frowns. “What witness?”

“Your friend Rosie.”

Y/N facepalms and groans in frustration.

“Now, we know all of this is bullshit, right?”

“Yeah, that’s not what happened,” she confirms.

“Which explains why he didn’t say a word to the police and went straight to his little Internet followers. Now it’s all anyone is talking about.”

“Are people believing it?”

“Some are. Some aren’t. That’s usually how it goes.” He sounds tired. “Look, I need to run, but I’ll send you an article detailing everything Colin said. I hate to give these tabloids any clicks, but this article is pretty thorough. Please tell H to call me when you hear from him.”

“Will do.”

Jeff sends her the article a few seconds later. She takes a deep breath before opening the link, a sick feeling settling in her stomach.

The clickbait headline reads: Harry Styles’ first big SCANDAL! Read more to find out how the “As It Was” singer ASSAULTED TikTok influencer Colin Rogers in his home.

As Y/N scrolls through the article, she finds that Jeff was right. It’s bad. Very bad. There are clips from Colin’s TikTok where he describes in exaggerated detail his manufactured version of events from that night. In the clips, you can clearly see dark purple bruises on either side of his head and around his eyes as well as his neck. His lip is badly cut, the surrounding region swollen and puffy. Even his nose is bent at an odd shape, signalling a possible fracture.

Y/N recalls how desperately Colin was trying to provoke Harry that night, saying degrading things about her to get under his skin. He even alluded to Harry ending up in the news for hitting him. Colin may be an arrogant dickhead, but apparently he’s not stupid. He was planning this out in his head even then—how he would use that situation to publicly smear Harry’s reputation along with Y/N’s.

As another one of Colin’s TikToks plays, she sees him hold up a small object. Harry’s lion ring. Colin says he found it after Harry left his house, claiming that it must have fallen off during their altercation. But Y/N knows that’s a lie because Harry wasn’t even wearing any rings that night. He was, however, wearing rings the previous night at Rosie’s birthday party. It had to have slipped off his finger at the party without him knowing.

The ring is the only “proof” Colin has of Harry being at his house at one point. Other than that, he presents no solid evidence to back up his claims, but of course, anyone who has spent even a week on social media knows that it does not operate on facts and evidence. People’s insatiable hunger for drama trumps the truth in most online spaces.

Harry gets home from golfing a couple hours later, and Y/N sits him down to explain everything. By the end of it, he is befuddled and speechless. It takes a while for him to gather his thoughts, at which point he says he’s going to make some calls to Jeff, his publicist, and a few others on his team to get their input.

He disappears into the study for the next few hours, his deep voice occasionally carrying over to Y/N, who is working at the dining table. The sun has gone down. She contemplates getting started on dinner when Harry emerges from the study.

“Hi, baby,” she says.

He walks over to her and kisses the top of her head before taking a seat next to her. She notices the fatigue on his face.

“How did the calls go?”

“We’re releasing a statement tomorrow,” he says. “It’s been drafted up already. Just explaining what actually happened that night and making it very clear that I was invited into the house and the only time I touched Colin was to defend myself, but his injuries were not my doing.”

“Can’t you also sue him for defamation? Is that what it’s called?” Suddenly feeling self-conscious about her lack of knowledge on the law, she adds, “Sorry, I don’t know much about this stuff.”

He smiles sweetly. “It’s a bit early to take that step. Jeff thinks the statement might be enough to make Colin retract his story. I’m not so sure.” He shrugs. “I guess we’ll see.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Nope, you just keep being your lovely self.” He pokes her cheek.

“Well, Rosie’s over on her Instagram, trying to convince everyone that Colin’s telling the truth. I feel like I should say something too, like maybe—”

“Darling, trust me,” he interrupts. “There’s no need. My team will handle it. They know what they’re doing.”

She bites her lip and lets out a soft sigh. “Okay.”

“And let’s stay off social media for a while, yeah? Just to keep our sanity intact.” She knows he’s mostly saying this for her. He hardly uses social media unless it’s to catch up with his loved ones, and while she also isn’t on there that much, she struggles more than him when it comes to ignoring people’s opinions online.

“Yeah, definitely,” she agrees.

But later that night, while she’s lying in bed and Harry is finishing up his nighttime routine in the bathroom, the urge to look online strikes and she can’t resist. She opens up the hellsite known as Twitter and doomscrolls through the shitty takes of people who clearly don’t know a thing about Harry but have been desperately waiting for something like this to come out about him just so they can jump on the bandwagon and “cancel” him and pile on the hate like their life depends on it, despite the fact that none of them know what they’re talking about and—

“What are you doing?” Harry’s voice startles her. She quickly turns off her phone and looks at him standing next to the bed in just his Calvin Klein underwear, which does nothing to hide his prominent bulge.

“Nothing,” she replies.

He gives her a skeptical look.

She sighs. “I’m sorry! It’s like a car crash that I can’t look away from… Except I’m involved in the car crash and I didn’t even get the worst of it.”

He climbs onto the bed, gingerly plucking the phone out of her hands and placing it on the bedside table. Then he lies on his side next to her, propped up on one elbow. Y/N gazes up at him and shakes her head in awe at how laid-back he seems.

“I don’t understand how you’re able to stay so calm in just about every situation,” she says. “It’s infuriating and hot at the same time.”

He chuckles. “I just try to remind myself that these people don’t actually know me, so there’s no point in letting their opinions get to me.”

“You say that like it’s the easiest thing in the world.” Thanks to her social anxiety, Y/N has spent the better part of her life obsessing over what other people think of her, whether it be her loved ones or the random stranger that cashed her out at the grocery store. She has always yearned for the kind of cool indifference that people like Harry exude even in the face of immense scrutiny.

“I’ve had practice,” he says. “You’ll learn as well.”

“Yeah? Will you teach me?”

“Happily.”

His gaze shifts down to her lips, and he leans down to kiss them, soft and slow. Meanwhile, his finger traces along her jaw and down her neck until his hand comes to rest on one of her breasts. She’s not wearing a bra, and her thin shirt hardly acts as a barrier between his large hand and her supple skin. He squeezes her lightly in his palm, keeping his kisses and touches gentle, like he’s handling an expensive piece of porcelain.

For a moment, her mind drifts off to the comments she read online. She cannot fathom how anyone could believe that this man—this gentle, patient, loving man—would ever do the things that Colin accused him of.

It turns out that her mind isn’t the only one wandering off to other places because Harry suddenly pulls away and says, “Sorry to bring this up, but I…” His jaw clenches. “I just hate that he put his filthy hands on you.”

“I know,” she whispers, reaching up to weave her fingers through his curls in a soothing gesture. She had no idea that Colin’s actions towards her at the party were still bothering Harry.

“And with the press being all over it now, I almost wish I’d just beaten the living shit out of him. I mean, everyone thinks I did anyway.”

“Yeah, but that’s not you, H.”

He just shrugs.

Y/N sits up and tugs at his briefs. “Take these off.”

His brows perk up at her demand.

“I’m tired of thinking and talking about Colin,” she says. “So, let me give us both something else to think about.”

A smirk forms on his lips as he hooks his thumbs into the waistband of his briefs and pulls them down his legs.

Before he entered her life, Y/N would never take the lead during sex. She always felt like she lacked the self-confidence required for that, but then again, none of the men she’d previously slept with were ever willing to let her take the lead anyway. They were the type of guys to feel emasculated by relinquishing control to a woman, though they would never admit this.

Harry was different. He was equally happy to lead and be led, to give and to receive. That alone made sex with him an ethereal experience.

Now, once Y/N also strips naked, they rest on the bed with their positions reversed—him on his back and her propped up next to him. Her hand cradles his jaw before she leans down to kiss him. Then she brings her hand to his semi-erect cock, wrapping it around the base and stroking softly until he grows stiffer in her palm and starts leaking precum. She strokes his balls as well, drawing more fluid from his tip that she then uses to get his dick nice and wet.

Harry is ogling her exposed breasts now in that way he does when he really wants to suck on them, so she slides up the bed, allowing him to take them into his mouth. When she gives his cock a firm tug, he moans around her nipple. The sensation causes her own wetness to pool between her legs.

He continues licking and sucking on her tits, grazing his teeth over them ever so slightly. The pleasurable feeling momentarily distracts her from her task, but then she returns her attention to his needy cock twitching in her palm. She jerks him faster, moving her hand up and down his pinkish flesh with just enough pressure to turn him into a moaning mess under her. Her nipple falls from his mouth as his lips part.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he pants. “I— Wait, stop. Stop.”

She immediately stills her movements and starts to ask what’s wrong when he flips them over so that he’s on top of her.

“As much as I was enjoying that,” he says, “I want to feel your pussy on me when I cum.”

His erection prods her thigh as he hovers over her, his legs wedged between hers. He reaches down to her cunt, feeling the wetness that has accumulated there. She can see it in his eyes, in his blown out pupils, that he really wants to put his cock in her right then, but he takes a minute to toy with her clit and heighten the anticipation for both of them. At last, he grabs his cock and starts guiding it into her sopping pussy.

He pauses once he’s inside her and brings the hand that was playing with her clit up to her mouth, pressing his damp fingers against her lips until she opens up and takes them into her mouth.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he says.

Still sucking his fingers clean, she wraps her legs around his hips.

He grins at her quick compliance. “Such a good girl.” Then he emphasizes, “My good girl. Isn’t that right?”

She nods, closing her eyes as he grinds his hips down into her.

“Mhm. All mine.”

Her pussy contracts around him. Keeping his fingers in her mouth, he retracts his hips and thrusts back into her. She whimpers and wraps her arms around him, nails digging into his back muscles as the rhythm of his thrusts increases in speed and urgency.

He pulls his fingers from his mouth to place that hand on the bed for extra leverage. With her mouth free, all she can do is moan his name and cry out from the intoxicating feeling of his cock ramming deep into her cunt with every thrust.

“Look at you,” he coos. “Taking my cock so well. My perfect girl. My dream girl.”

His voice and his cock are the centre of Y/N’s universe right now; nothing else matters. Her orgasm is just around the corner, building rapidly in her core.

“Ready to cum all over my cock, Y/N?”

“Oh yes, please, yes—” She gasps as his hips rock into hers at just the right angle to push her over the edge. Her whole body locks around him—legs around his hips and arms around his back.

Harry grunts with one final thrust before letting himself go, filling her up with his seed. His body relaxes on top of her. She eases her grip on him as well. Their breathing slowly returns to normal, the rising and falling of their chests syncing up.

It’s hard to think about anything else after that. She wants to stay like that forever, with him covering her like a weighted blanket, his length gradually softening inside her. She even starts to drift off after a few minutes until Harry lifts his head to look at her.

“Hey, don’t fall asleep on me yet,” he says. “Let’s get cleaned up.”

She groans as he rolls off of her. He chuckles at her reluctance and drags her out of bed with him.

***

The viral storm rages on for days, even after Harry’s team releases the statement. Contrary to Jeff’s predictions, Colin doesn’t retract any of his claims and instead doubles down on them even harder, emboldened by the blind support of his followers.

Y/N and Harry block it all out. While she found it difficult at first to look away from the trainwreck, she was eventually able to redirect her attention to her art instead. For several days, the couple remains in their happy little bubble, unbothered by the incessant buzz of the online world.

That bubble pops on one sunny Friday afternoon.

Y/N is in need of some new art supplies, and Harry is in the mood to add to his vinyl collection. They decide to make a whole day out of it, visiting the art supply store and the record store before wandering around a few other places. One shop specifically dedicated to vintage home decor catches their attention, and they end up spending over an hour in there, walking through each aisle like kids in a candy store.

Harry is usually the first one to notice when they’re being watched or followed; they often joke that he has a third eye on the back of his head. Today, however, Y/N is the first to notice the two girls who keep showing up in or around the same aisle that they’re in.

Harry’s eyeing an antique candle holder set when she leans over to him and says quietly, “I think you have a shadow… Two, actually.”

He follows her gaze to the two girls idling at the end of the aisle. When he lifts his hand to wave at them, they seem to freeze in place like a couple of deer in headlights.

He turns back to Y/N. “I’m going to go say hi.”

She nods. “Okay, I’ll wait outside. Take your time.”

It’s a beautiful day out. Not too hot, not too cold. The cusp of spring. Perfect for a light sweater, but even in her long-sleeved shirt, Y/N feels nice and snug. She stands in front of the shop, the bags containing their new purchases hanging from her arm. She tilts her head up towards the sun and closes her eyes for a minute.

“Y/N Y/L/N?”

Her eyes snap open at the sound of her name. A short, balding man dressed in all black stands before her.

“Uh, y—yes? Do I know you?” she asks, giving him a once-over.

He smiles. “No, but I know you.” Suddenly, he pulls a big professional camera out from behind his back and brings it up to his face with the lens directed at Y/N to capture her reaction as he says, “Ms. Y/L/N, how do you feel about the allegations made by Colin Rogers towards your boyfriend Harry Styles?”

She tenses.

Y/N has always hated being the centre of attention. Of course, when you’re dating a global superstar, it’s inevitable. However, over the course of their relationship, they haven’t had too many run-ins with the paparazzi; Harry has become rather skilled at avoiding the pests.

She wonders how this guy figured out their whereabouts, but considering how much time they spent inside the shop, it wouldn’t be surprising if an employee, or even the two fans Harry is currently talking to, tipped him off.

When she doesn’t respond to his question, he says, “Colin claims that Harry has a short temper and is a lot more aggressive than he lets on. Is this true, Ms. Y/L/N?”

She looks over her shoulder at the shop windows to see if Harry is on his way out. Whenever she tries to step back or turn away from the annoying pap, he finds his way right back in front of her with his camera shoved in her face. Flashbacks of how Colin cornered her by the pool at Rosie’s birthday party flicker in the back of her mind.

She continues ignoring the intrusive questions until he asks her, “Has Harry ever hit you, Ms. Y/L/N?“

The question is so jarring that it almost feels like someone knocked the air out of her lungs. “Excuse me?”

The man seems pleased to finally get a reaction out of her. With a casual shrug, he replies, “Just felt the need to ask since the new claims came out.”

Her heart pounds in her chest. “What new claims?”

“A source close to you and Harry says that she’s seen him lose his temper with you on more than one occasion and—”

Her face contorts in disgust. “God, you people will believe anything! No, he hasn’t hit me. He would never. And the fact that you would ask any woman a sensitive question like that while filming her without consent is disgusting.”

“So… Are you denying the claims, Ms. Y/L/N?”

What do you think, dumbass? she wants to say, but she refuses to give him any more content. Of course, that only makes him more persistent, and yet again, the camera is far too close to her face.

“C—can you get that out of my face please?” she says, less assertively than she would have liked, but her anxiety is rising with every passing moment and the only thing on her mind at this point is how to slow down her heartrate before she passes out.

Suddenly, a ringed hand appears from the left side of her vision and shoves the camera down and out of her face.

“Whoa, don’t touch the equipment, man!” the pap shouts angrily, clutching his precious camera to his chest.

Harry steps in front of him, towering over his short figure. “When someone asks you nicely to get the camera out of their face, you get the camera out of their face. It’s not that complicated.”

The pap takes a step back, raising his hands by his sides. “Calm down, pal. What, you gonna hit me too?”

Harry just scowls at him, then turns to Y/N with concerned eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, let’s just go.” She reaches for his arm.

Not wasting another second, they start walking towards Harry’s car parked down the street. The pap is relentless, following them all the way there.

Right as Harry presses the button to unlock the car, he says, “Harry, any comments on the new claims about you hitting your girlfriend?”

Harry freezes in his tracks and turns around. “What did you just say?”

“H, let’s just get in the car,” Y/N pleads.

“Not my words, man,” says the pap. “Just saw it in the news today. A source close to you said—”

“A source close to me.” Harry scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“You can look it up if you don’t believe me. I’m trying to help you, man. Colin Rogers is dominating the narrative. This is your chance to say your piece—”

“Right, well, here’s my piece then.” The pap raises the camera to his face again as Harry says, “Colin Rogers is a narcissistic, misogynistic, abusive pile of shit.” Leaning towards the man, he adds, “And so are you.”

And with that, he gets into the car and so does Y/N. She’s still shocked about what he said to the pap, not that it wasn’t deserved. He’s just always so stoic in these situations, and it’s the first time she has witnessed him break.

They ride silently for a while until Harry says, “People are saying I hit you? What the fuck? What the actual—”

“Okay, wait,” she says, placing a hand on his arm. “We don’t even know if he was telling the truth. He could’ve been making it up to get a reaction out of us. Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

This is new to Y/N, being the calm one in a crisis. More often than not, Harry is the one talking her anxious self down from the proverbial ledge instead of the other way around.

He doesn’t speak for the rest of the ride, but she can tell his mind is spinning. Once they reach home, she heads upstairs to change and put their shopping away. When she comes back down, Harry is sitting on the couch, leaning forward on his thighs with his phone in his hands. His face is set in a deep frown.

“He was right,” he says without looking up from his phone as she approaches him. “People really are saying that.”

She sits down next to him and gently pulls his shoulder to make him rest back against the couch. He sets his phone aside and rubs his hands over his face.

“Y/N, they think I’m some kind of monster. They think they need to, like… save you from me, as if I would ever hurt you…” Finally, he looks at her. “You know I would never hurt you, right?”

Her eyes widen. “Yes. Oh my God. You don’t need to tell me that, Harry.”

He sighs and tilts his head against the back of the couch. “Out of all the things people have said about me over the years, this has got to be the worst.”

She brings her hand to his jaw, his stubble scraping against her fingers. “Baby, look at me.”

He tilts his head down again to meet her gaze.

“These people don’t know you,” she says, using his own wording. “They’re just a bunch of trolls that feed off drama. They don’t care about the truth. They don’t care about ‘saving’ me. It’s all just an act. And in a few days, they’re going to move on to some other celebrity gossip that catches their attention. Meanwhile, the people who do know you are still going to see you as the big softie you are.”

The look in his eyes is still one of utter defeat and hopelessness, which makes her worry that her words have had no impact on him.

“Do you want to talk to someone else about it? Like Jeff?” she asks.

He shakes his head. “Don’t wanna talk to anyone. Just wanna lay here with you if that’s okay.”

“Of course.”

She lies on the couch and lets him rest his head on her chest, his arm wrapped around her middle. She tries to think of some other comforting words she can say to him but then realizes that she doesn’t have to fill the silence. Sometimes, the act of just being there for someone is far more comforting than any words can be.

***

Y/N is getting worried about Harry. A week has gone by and he has hardly left the house. Between the two of them, he is by far the more outdoorsy one, but even she has been outside more times than him this past week. He hasn’t been eating much, claiming that he’s “just not very hungry.” She often wakes in the night to find him lying there, just staring up at the ceiling, and has to coax him to sleep. She doesn’t even hear him singing in the shower like he normally does.

It crushes her to see him so low. She wants to single-handedly take down every person who has made him feel this way.

The day after the incident with the pap, she made the dangerous decision to see for herself what people were saying online. Most people seemed to recognize that these new rumours about Harry hitting Y/N were completely out of character. Despite how private they are about their relationship, people know that he practically worships Y/N from the way he talks about her in his music.

The ones who believed the rumours were a small, but vocal, minority. Harry’s fans were trying their best to drown them out, like it was their full-time job, and while Y/N feels grateful for them, she wishes there was more that she could do to help.

Today, she somehow convinces Harry to go on a walk with her around the neighbourhood. Intent on not being recognized, he opts for the most indistinguishable clothing that covers him from head to toe, combined with a hat and sunglasses. He even keeps the hood of his sweater pulled up over his hat.

“It’s so warm out,” she says as they stroll down the sidewalk. “How are you not dying in that?”

He shrugs and kicks a rock in his path. “Dunno.”

Most of his responses have been like that lately. Short, indifferent. She doesn’t take it personally. After all, she behaves in a similar way when her anxiety has her in its grips. And anyway, even though he doesn’t talk much these days, he hasn’t stopped being affectionate or reminding her that he loves her.

When they return home from their walk, Harry immediately removes his hat and sweater, confirming that he was indeed too warm in that. She makes a comment about craving a cold smoothie, and he offers to make one for her as well as one for himself.

“I can make them,” she says. “It was my idea anyway.”

He shakes his head. “No, I was a dick on our walk. Need to make up for that.”

She gives him a look. “H, you don’t need to make up for anything.”

“I do though,” he insists, walking off to the kitchen before she can protest any further.

Suddenly, her phone goes off in her back pocket. She pulls it out. It’s Rosie. For a few seconds, she vacillates between picking up and ignoring it. In the end, she picks up.

“Hello?”

“He broke up with me,” says Rosie.

Surprise, surprise, thinks Y/N. “Did you call to tell me that?”

“No, I… I need to confess something.” Her voice trembles as she states, “I—I’m the one who told the press that Harry hit you.”

Y/N lets out a sigh and leans against the small table in the entryway of the house. “I already knew that, Rosie.”

“You did?”

“‘A source close to me’? Not a lot of people can say they’re close to me, so it was kind of a no-brainer.”

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I’m going to tell everyone that it was all a story, that none of it is true.”

“It’s a bit late for that.”

“You have no idea how sorry I am. Colin got in my head and he—”

“Did he tell you to say that Harry hit me?”

“W—well, no…”

“So that was your own genius idea?”

She says nothing.

Y/N closes her eyes, trying to sound as firm as possible as she says the next few words, “Okay, Rosie, I need you to listen to me closely… I don’t ever want to see you again. I don’t ever want to hear from you again. And don’t ever come near me or Harry ever again. Do you understand?”

Rosie’s answer arrives in an ashamed whisper, “Yeah.”

She’s about to hang up, her finger hovering over the little red icon, then she lifts the phone back up to her ear. “One more thing. How did Colin get those injuries?”

“Um, he went to that bar on Jacob Street that night after you and Harry left. He got wasted and got into a fight with a guy almost twice his size.”

Y/N knows exactly which bar she’s referring to. Now that she has the information she needs, she bids her now ex-best friend a final goodbye and hangs up. Tears prick the backs of her eyes as she realizes that the longest friendship of her life has just come to a calamitous end.

She places her phone on the table and looks up at the ceiling to keep the tears in. Then a pair of arms wraps around her waist from behind. She looks over her shoulder at Harry.

“I’m sorry, my love,” he says. “I know she meant a lot to you.”

She smiles sadly, a tear escaping the corner of her eye.

“Look at us. We’re just a couple of sad people, aren’t we?”

She laughs. “No! I refuse to label us as sad people. We’re just going through a tough time and we’re going to get through this.”

“Yes, we are.” He gives her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m actually thinking of going back to therapy. It’s been a while.”

“That’s a great idea. I should probably do that too.”

Later that afternoon, Harry falls asleep while reading a book on the couch. Y/N takes this as her chance to chat with Jeff about something that’s been on her mind since her conversation with Rosie.

When Jeff picks up her call, she doesn’t even wait for him to speak before she says, “I know how we can prove that Colin’s lying.”

“Uh… Okay, elaborate.”

“I spoke to Rosie today and she told me Colin went to a bar that night where he got into a fight with someone and ended up with those injuries. I know which bar it is. If we can go there and get security camera footage from that night, we can prove that Colin was lying all along.”

“I see what you’re saying, but we can’t just walk into a bar and ask for their security footage. We’re not investigators.”

“Okay, but don’t you know someone who can do that? You’re an Azoff. You have connections, don’t you?”

“Yeah, in the entertainment industry, Y/N. Not in law enforcement.”

She releases a heavy sigh. “C’mon, Jeff, there has to be something we can do with this information… If you’re not going to help, I will go to that bar and steal that footage myself.”

“Don’t do that,” he says quickly. “Look, I’ll see what I can do, okay?”

“Thank you.”

There’s a pause before he asks, “How’s H doing?”

“Not great. He’s really torn up about what people are saying, especially the rumours about him… hurting me. Which is exactly why I need to clear his name. I know some people will still say nasty things about him—that’s never going to stop—but…” She bites her lip to keep herself from getting emotional, which seems to be happening a lot lately. “Harry has been there for me through so much. I need to do this for him.”

“He’s lucky to have you.”

She smiles. She didn’t know she needed to hear that until now. Ever since this mess began, a part of her has been blaming herself for putting Harry through this hell because Rosie and Colin never would’ve entered his life if it wasn’t for her. While she knows that it’s not her fault, sometimes her insecurities get the best of her.

“Thanks, Jeff,” she replies.

***

Not even twenty-four hours later, the bar footage is released online. It spreads like wildfire, turning all of Harry’s critics to ashes and causing irreparable damage to Colin’s credibility.

Y/N messages Jeff to commend him for retrieving the footage so fast.

Y/N: YOU’RE AMAZING I OWE YOU

Jeff: You can repay me by drawing 100 portraits of me that I can hang around my house

Y/N: On it 🫡

Even Rosie sticks to her word by announcing on her social media that everything she said was a lie, which adds another nail in Colin’s coffin.

Over the next few days, the ominous cloud that has been hanging over Harry and Y/N’s heads finally clears. Harry is back to being his bubbly, radiant self, lighting up every room he walks into. Life feels like it’s returning to normal, at last.

Tonight, they’re at dinner with Jeff and Harry’s two other managers, Tom and Tommy. It’s not a business meeting; Harry was just in the mood to treat the people who continue to support him both professionally and personally. Lately, Y/N has been feeling motivated to overcome her discomfort around eating in public, so she agreed to tag along as well. Towards the end of their meal, Jeff raises his glass and clears his throat to get everyone’s attention.

“Okay, we need to make a toast to someone at this table,” he states. “Not you, Harry. Don’t get too excited.”

Harry’s in the middle of sipping his drink, so he just flips his friend the middle finger, which Jeff graciously returns.

“This is a toast to Y/N and her investigative skills,” Jeff continues, now looking at Y/N, who is completely caught off-guard by this gesture. “She was the one who figured out how He Who Shall Not Be Named got his injuries. And she came up with the idea of getting the security footage from that bar.”

Everyone is staring at her now, including Harry. His eyebrows are raised in surprise as he asks, “That was your idea?”

“Oh, I— It was nothing,” she says modestly. “I didn’t even do much.”

Then Jeff reveals, “She even threatened to go to the bar and steal that footage herself if I didn’t help her.” He points a finger at her. “The lady knows how to get what she wants.”

Her cheeks flush red. “Okay, that might have been a bit dramatic, but I just couldn’t let Col—” She suddenly remembers their unspoken rule of not referring to Colin by name and corrects herself, “Sorry, I couldn’t let He Who Shall Not Be Named get away with smearing Harry’s reputation, so...” She shrugs, taking a sip of her water in a futile attempt to hide the blush on her face.

Harry smiles and squeezes her knee under the table. “Thank you, lovie.”

“Maybe we need to get Y/N on the team,” says Tommy.

“Oh yeah, she’s basically my guardian angel,” says Harry, winking at her. “Might as well.”

Y/N just laughs and accepts the praise, not bothering to hide her reddened cheeks anymore. She might hate being the centre of attention, but at least this is a good kind of attention.

“To Y/N, everyone!” says Jeff, lifting his glass up in the air.

“To Y/N!”

***

Thank you for reading! For more anxious!reader and other fics, check out my MASTERLIST

[bronx-bomber87]

Hello all we’ve had an amazing string of Chenford and Tim/Lucy backstory goodness. S2 is very kind to us. This ep it tapers off a bit still have some Chenford but Rachel is re-introduced back into this and is the driving force of it. I mean with all the eps we just had you forget he’s even dating her tbh haha as I’ve said all season Rachel’s moments with Tim all have their purpose. Including this one. I would apologize for the lack of content but its not my fault LOL This will be much shorter than the last 4-5 have been ha but let’s get started :)

2x15 Hand-Off

Their scenes start off with the war bag room. Lucy is asking if Tim is nervous to meet Rachel’s dad? Tim doesn’t seem in the least phased by it. Lucy tells him it’s ok if he is just a hair scared. That Rachel adores her dad so much would make sense. Tim shrugs it off, thinks he has an in with him being a cop for 30 years. Lucy scoffs and says yeah but it was in a place that had 2 stoplights haha Tim doesn’t let her deter him and says a cop is a cop. LA or Mayberry.

This where it gets really adorable. First off I love his cute little smile when he says Mayberry. I think that show must be a good memory for him. One of his few in his childhood. He also seems so proud of himself for the reference. It goes way over her head sadly. Lucy is beyond confused and not getting his reference in the slightest. Cracks me up she gets him in so many ways but not this one LMAO. Tim gives up and says never mind…

They’re in the shop starting their day when Lucy asks where he’s taking her dad? Says it can’t be too fancy or he's gonna look like he is showing off. But he is visiting so a possible celebrity sighting wouldn't hurt. Tim delivers his answer proudly. Lucy approves (you know he secretly wanted that approval) He’s learned a thing or two since her birthday. Tim’s smiles when Lucy says she likes it. I love that its too cute. He seems pretty proud of his choice and the fact that she likes it. You know he's happy she isn't giving him any crap for his plans. He is a little more confident in his choice this time around than he was with her birthday gifts.

Rachel ends up calling Lucy interrupting their little moment. Tim is all cute and smiles until the phone call ends. Lucy has decided to recruit them to find her dad’s missing suitcase. Naturally they both see this situation differently. Lucy sees it as an opportunity to bond for Tim, to get off on the right foot with her dad etc. All Tim can see is the low solve rate and her father being disappointed in him cause of it.

Clearly impressing her dad is more important than he lead on…because well Tim. Lucy god love her thought she was doing it to help him. Always has his best interests at heart. Even when he so vehemently disagrees. All he can think about now is how they're not going to find it. That he will let her dad down before he can make a good impression. It’s awkward after that and Lucy goes on about their bread LMAO Her nervous rambles as Tim shakes his head. I love our girl so much.

Tim could not be cuter walking up to meet Rachel. Also his smile as Lucy and Rachel's dad get reacquainted. Then the awkwardness kicks in when they shake hands. Tim is doing his best to be respectful but is already striking out with him. The inner T.O. coming out in him. He tells Colin the chances of finding his suitcase is low. Crashing and burning fairly early into this intro.

Her dad bites back that a cop should have beat integrity and such. Tim says it’s easy to when you have 9 criminals LOL Oh Tim. Her dad says he’ll crack the case for him then by driving around. Tim's need to prove himself kicks in. He tries to fix it by inviting him into the shop. Says they can cruise around since he saw the guys face. Not doing so hot my love….

Lucy jumps in to help Tim. Invites Colin into the front seat says she can sit in the back while they drive around. Lucy makes sure to check back with Tim. She knows he isn’t happy about any of this. From being roped into it and now having to ride around with him. The need to prove himself is very real. Their body language in this scene cracks me up. Complete antithesis. She is taping her hands against her belt happily. She see's this as positive thing where all Tim is feeling is dread. You can sense his discontent.

What also cracks me up about this scene is it’s them in a moment. Lucy his sunshine human personified telling him to be positive, when literally that’s the last thing he wants to be LOL. Grumpy and Sunshine at their finest in this moment. His face in the last gif I’m dying. He’s so moody atm and her sunshine attitude about the whole thing is too funny. You can also see the panic on his face. We all know his deep rooted issues with his own father. To have to try and prove his worth on the spot to someone else’s not his idea of a good time…

The silent communication continues between these two. Just look at them above. They’re out looking with Colin and Tim says his spiel about LA. Her dad puts him in his place a little and Tim knows it. I love him checking in with her in the mirror. Lucy acknowledging him before he returns to the convo. It’s the little things I love so much with them. She does side with Tim in the fact this guy could be long gone.

Colin is strong in his resolve this guy is still around. He is so sure they're going to find him. They roll up on a taco spot where he spots the guy. Tim looks impressed. They confront the man and his partner jumps Lucy. She handles herself like a BAMF while Tim chases after the first guy. Colin clothes lines the guy fleeing impressing Tim further. It's a pretty good action sequence.

My fav kind of shot tall and smol in this scene. Why do I love their height difference so much? haha Whenever I see it just makes me smile. Colin is letting them know about how back in his town they didn't have partners. If you couldn't do the job alone you shouldn't be doing it. He forgets LA is crazy populated no way people could do this job solo. He really should be impressed by their dynamic together. They are alway so amazing to watch in the field together.

They look beyond adorable as they smile and look at each other after he says his partner bit. Lucy is happy she’s being called his partner and not just his rookie. (We all know she is more than just his rookie hehe) Tim is just looking proud she is his partner. God they cute.. They handled that whole takedown perfect together. They are so in sync with everything they do. From this arrest to this moment. I love them sfm. They are simpatico in the field it's a thing of beauty to behold really.

Colin finally gives Tim some praise. Something I think he wasn't expecting to get at all. He lets him know what a good cop he is. Starts listing off all the reasons why as well. Tim is all happy until he says ‘Just not for my daughter.’ Poor Tim looks crushed. I know he feels like he did all the right things and is still in the wrong with Colin. Seems like a backhanded compliment at this point. Praising him but also saying it's why he isn't right for her. What a gut punch to him. To praise him then use that as the very reason why he shouldn't be with her.

Tim defends himself and what he does passionately. Which I find very attractive. Something about the way Tim says ‘Sir, It’s every cops duty to’ *fans self* sexy af the way he wears his pride on his sleeve about his job. Yum Tum for me. Colin doesn’t chide Tim for wanting to go out into the darkness. That he was just like him. Putting the job first. Above his wife and above his daughter. The toll it took. He doesn’t want his daughter left alone in the dark. I get it but damn way to crush Tim.

This moment shows why Lucy is meant to be his person. She’ll join him in that fight in the dark. They’ll be together battling the crazy side by side. I.e. the s5 finale and the way they were a power couple in battle. Also why Rachel would not have worked out for him in that regard. The biggest take away from this scene is she’s not Lucy. Tim lays aside his career and job for her. He doesn't blink. You see in his defense he doesn’t say he would stay for Rachel instead of going out into the night. Only that it’s a a cops duty to....

I said earlier his scenes with or about Rachel has purpose. This is one of those moments. In this instance it’s to show why Lucy is his end all. The things he would be willing to do for her vs what he would do for Rachel. I mean hell look at this season. What he’s already done for Lucy while dating Rachel. Gave up a promotion to stay with her and the influence she has on his life. One of many things he does and will continue to do for her. Because when it’s the right one all the stuff Rachel's dad is posing at Tim right now doesn’t matter.

Tim tries one more shot at changing Colin’s mind. It’s then one of the main reasons her father doesn’t want her with Tim gets revealed. She might have Huntington’s disease. It’s hit his whole family. Rachel refuses to get tested to see if it’s hit her too. You can see Tim struggling really hard with this information. Clinging to the possibility it might not happen to her.

Colin then says once again that if she gets it she’ll need someone who will stay. Someone who will will give up everything to take care of her. That Tim isn’t that person. Not for Rachel he isn’t. We all know if it was Lucy he wouldn’t hesitate. There is hesitation in him during this. Can't blame him in the least. It's a lot of intense information to take in at once. This is once again the difference between Rachel and Lucy.

Tim of course goes to his safe space about this immediately. They’re talking about it at the station together. Lucy has looked up the disease and all its symptoms. I love him going right to her with this. Needing her perspective and take on this whole thing. Lucy had no idea Rachel might even have this. So she’s playing emotional catch up herself. Which unfortunately doesn't give Lucy enough time to advise him like she normally would since she is reeling herself.

Rachel meets up with them and blows up cause she finds out they both know. That her father has let them both know her secret. Lucy says how sorry she is. Tim tries to be sweet and have them talk about it. She refuses says it’s her life not his or her dads. Then takes off. Tim looking at Lucy like a wounded puppy. Hurts my heart to see him brushed off like that.

Rachel comes to find him afterwards. He drops everything to talk with her. He is incredibly sweet and understanding about why she hasn’t taken the test. Says he knows his job is unknown as well. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to do it every day. Tells her he’s not going anywhere when she gives him an out if he wants it. Such an honorable and good man. Ugh my heart. I adore this man so much. I loved getting this insight into him by watching how he is with her. How he is in a relationship. Pre-Lucy. When he loves he loves VERY hard. I truly love Rachel for what she did for Tim post-Isabel.

We get to see how loyal, loving and tender he is when he’s with someone. He always makes that person #1 Makes my heart happy to see him happy. It’s not with Lucy right now but it’s what he needs to get there. They both are so not ready for what is to come with them yet. So for now him being with her is tolerable haha Honestly more so than Ashley but I have my thoughts behind her as well but we will dig into that when we hit s4. The difference between Lucy and all the other women he dates is Lucy putting him first we see that in S5 and honestly in general before they're together.

It's why he continually gravitates back towards her. She gives him what he's been denied his entire life. Being put first. Her thinking of him before herself. She did that in this episode. Tim didn't see helping Rachel's dad the way Lucy did. Her saying they'd help out was her way of helping him out. To get Tim off on the right foot. Was her way of taking care of him. It's why their pre-couple time is so important before they dive into what we have in s5. Beautiful trust and love is built there long before they're a couple. Anyways before I ramble on anymore about them I'll stop haha That’s all she wrote for them in this one not a lot but enough to build a review out of it. Ha

Side notes-Non Chenford

Lopez and Grey’s SL was deep and emotional. Poor Angela her first day on the job someone dying in her arms. Grey having it be his partner. Going to a parole hearing to deny this man further freedom for what he did. Rough.

Nolan’s SL was amusing with Seth green and all.

Jackson catching a killer by accident with Smitty too funny.

Thank you all for your continue likes/comments/reblogs. Never stop thanking you all for it. Means the world to me. Shall see you all in 2x16

[allycat75]

Happy April Fool's Day, Boston Dumb Fuck! But then it is no longer just a day for you anymore, is it?

You really gave it the office over the past few years, haven't you? Made a joke of your life, your family, friends and fans and look at where it has gotten you.

In honor of this most sacred of days, let's take a quick look back down Untrustworthy Lane, shall we?

You saying you loved love in your SMA article, then taking this massive dump on it. That was awesome!

Also saying you hated yourself in the same SMA article. Too bad no one close to you believed you or intervened. Maybe this mess could have been avoided

Your then fake girlfriend, now fake wifey, crashing the Thanksgiving family celebration at Disney World, where you pretended to be creepy niece-creepy uncle. I am sure your family laughed and laughed at that one

Tried to convince us jump scares were cute beyond brothers and could be easily staged

Also thought it would be fun to hide a misogynistic snuff film behind a dumb chin puppet video

Tried to trick us into thinking being good at Mario Cart was a noteworthy feat, and being bad at it was worthy of derision

Proved Valentine's Day is a joke by releasing a few handfuls of unflattering photos, plus some obvious photshop fails and even 2 or 3 photos that had absolutely nothing to do with the day of forced love. The joke was on you, however, since all that accomplished was to murder so many lady-boners it doomed you to only finding pleasure in your own hands, or perhaps a realistic fleshlight, for the foreseeable future. But you are a big "alone guy" so that should suit you well!

Extending this shameful stunt to the "Ghosted" premiere. That was a double whammy- the little racist, clout chasing twit thinking she was going to walk the red carpet and Ana and Dexter thinking they could save that festering turd of a movie from further embarrassment. Are they still talking to you after that prank?

Orchestrating two ghost kinda ceremonies using only vague descriptions of locations and pictures from family and friends in the vicinity of possible kinda locations, including a very real and special birthday party for a young lady that was probably ruined, but all in the name of a fun manipulation, right? Pepper in some online quotes about getting mentored by RDJ (he's doing a bang up job, by the way), as well as a line in the online version of the disaster of all disaster interviews in GQ, (that if people truly cared, would have put a 5150 hold on you and your dissociated life) and voila! Sham marriage complete.

Continuing with the joke-in-and-of-itself ASP. I mean, having a discussion on antisemitism where your guest chides those who normalize this behavior, just as you shove that poison ring in the camera, symbolizing the unholy union between you and the Nazi wifey. Great job, man!

Almost as good as you wearing the colors of the Nazi flag for your red carpet debut with your charming anti-semetic "bride", fake kisses and all

The best jest, however, was you not even getting to catch up with your more successful friends at the Vanity Fair party because you and that prize woman of yours were shuffled off immediately to the pick up line to be taken home, alone to your fleshlight

But you should be used to not getting into parties. There was the pathetic loitering in front of the CAA and UTA pre-Oscar bashes, but the best prank on yourself had to be the SNL Christmas party, where the wifey recreated the bratty niece look from the first pap walk and you tried to drive a wedge between one of your best friend's marriages (at least Colin has gotten in some good jabs at you on the show), all while the two of you probably were hid away in a dimly lit basement room for 20 minutes, then let out a back door to go home, alone to your fleshlight. And Alec Baldwin and his wife were actually invited. That's gotta hurt!

And just recently being called a "car enthusiast". More subtle than some of your other hoaxes, but still hilarious!

Now I don't know if you signed onto this because of duress or the promise of something great (hopefully not the Gene Kelly movie, because that was never going to fly- that was another trick on you, and even if it was miraculously offered to you, after this, it would not be a good look playing a male chauvinist who preferred young women).

I am sure you have had your fun, but let's hope this time next year you will have long hung up the jester's hat and become a real life boy!

[chibinightowl]

Happy birthday @txbookeater!!! I know how much you love Tuesday Nights, so I tried whipping up something just for you.

~~

Jason's messing with the menu again. Tim can smell it. Roy can smell it. Colin can smell it. The whole bar can smell it and everyone is drooling in anticipation of what's about to come out of that little kitchen where magic is made.

When Jason emerges, hands and arms full of paper-lined red baskets the fries and fried pickles are typically served in, there's a collective breath as everyone tries not to pounce.

Behind the bar, Roy eagerly rocks on his feet. "Whatever that is, it smells divine and I want three," he announces.

Tim concurs. There's a hamburger patty involved, that much he can tell, though he swears what he's smelling is Jason's famous sourdough grilled cheese. During the winter months, he'll whip those up along with tomato soup and it's like a little piece of heaven right there in his mouth.

"You'll have a heart attack if you eat three of these," Jason says as he sets the baskets on the counter.

Colin is closest and peers in. "Is that your grilled cheese?" He's heard about them, but has never tried one. It's only October, which means Jason is experimenting with butternut squash.

"Yep." Jason gives him a basket. "With a twist."

Tim makes grabby hands for his and nearly burns a finger when it comes in contact with the freshly melted cheese. "That's not bacon," he says after a moment of inspecting his sandwich of grilled golden goodness.

"Nope." Jason hands a basket off to Roy and gestures to a few of the bar regulars to come over. "I had those hamburger patties that needed to get used up. And for some reason, I got a shit ton of sourdough bread in the last delivery, so I just kinda put two and two together."

"A hamburger grilled cheese?" Colin asks around a mouthful. His eyes are bugging out, from the heat or the taste, Tim can't tell.

"A hamburger grilled cheese," Jason concurs. "Didn't put anything extra on it--though I did use that whipped butter/mayo spread on the outside for the grill."

Tim takes a bite and tries not to groan at the burst of flavor hitting his tongue. That's the good cheese, right there. The perfectly seasoned hamburger that only Jason seems capable of getting right. And the tang from the sourdough... "I'll take three more of these too," he pronounces before diving in for a second bite.

Roy is doing a happy dance as he eats his. "Fuck, Jaybird. This is fantastic."

The little flush to Jason's ears is the only indication he's pleased by the reception of his little creation. "Thanks, guys. Any suggestions on how to make it better?"

"Maybe a slice of tomato?" Colin offers, then takes another bite with a thoughtful look on his face.

Tim does the same, this time with his analytical hat on. He rolls the gooey deliciousness around his mouth, thinking it over. "Or maybe some grilled onions," he says after a moment.

Jason nods, clearly making a mental note. "Got it. Okay, round two will be up in a bit." He spins on his heel and heads back to the kitchen. "Bring the baskets back when you're done!" he calls over his shoulder.

"Does he do this very often?" Colin asks when the door swings shut behind his boss. "Just come up with random things out of the blue?"

"Yeah," Roy replies and Tim nods his agreement. "Not as often as he used to, but when he does, it's like everything he touches is just gold."

Tim has an idea and opens a new program on his tablet while the two redheads chat. A few taps, a couple of adjustments, and he holds up the results. Graphic design isn't his strong suit, but he knows his way around. "What do you think?"

Mad Genius At Work. Enter At Your Own Risk.

Colin laughs and Roy outright cackles. "Oh, that's perfect."

"Cool, I'll print it off. Is there tape in the office?"

"Probably."

Tim sends the file to the printer, then remembers he probably needs to go and turn it on first. His boyfriend rarely prints anything unless he has to.

A few minutes later, after he finishes taping the sign to the kitchen door, he pokes his head in. Jason is at the grill and tossing around some sliced red onions.

He looks up and smiles. "Hey."

Tim swears his knees wobble every time that smile is turned on him. What on earth did he do to deserve this man? "Hey," he returns.

"Did you think of somethin' else I should add?"

"Nah." Tim shakes his head. "Just wanted to say me and my stomach love you. My waistline, not so much."

Jason throws his head back and laughs. "Yeah, these are not waistline friendly. Still, one or two every now and again won't hurt."

"Definitely."

[thekatebridgerton]

Modern Bridgerton couples + Pets

Just thinking about which kind of domesticated menaces they would bring into their homes.

Saphne: their first pet is definitely a Basset Hound because Daphne is a dork. Name is Princess, she is super cute. Simon later decides he can't take being outnumbered and gets a Pitbull (with some manly name like Maverick) to teach Princess how to be a good guardian dog. Jokes on him the Pitbull ends up twice as spoiled as the Basset hound and follows him everywhere huffing for cuddles.

Kanthony: They have Newton the demon corgi, although they probably get a mate for Newton at some point and just enjoy life as proud corgi grandparents when Newton & wife begin making puppies. They most likely end up with a houseful of corgis because Kate is not okay with neutering Newton and Anthony can't deny her anything.

Benophie: These two are definitely bird people. All their birds are rescue and they keep them in a special open part of My Cottage greenhouse, while rehabilitating broken wings. Officially they have a chicken, two parrots, a parakeet and a Cockatoo (Pollock, Picasso, Monet, Dali and Frida) but they feed every bluejay, canary, raven or winged personality that comes to their birdhouses. So you never really know exactly how many birds they actually have at home.

Polin: I want to say they are also Dog people. But Colin just looks like the guy who has a thing for exotic reptiles whenever he travels. And Penelope would definitely appreciate the irony of owning a Chameleon. Also their pets would be the protected species kind that need their own enclosure. Colin has Popcorn, a Blue Iguana, which he rescued in the Cayman Islands and a couple of very colorful Geckos (Muffin and Nugget). while Penelope just keeps a tortoise she's had since she was little called Lola, and a blue Panther Chameleon called Ozzy, that Colin got her for her 16th birthday. (her chameleon is the boss of that house)

Philoise: Eloise has a grey Persian Cat that looks perpetually grumpy called Napoleon, Phillip has a brown Saint Bernard that he calls Noel but his kids call Noodle. El's cat did not take it well when Eloise moved in with Phillip and the twins, simply because the dog was being way too friendly with Eloise. And the cat wasn't having it. So he marked his territory in a very feline way.

Franchel: Michael was never much for pets, but Francesca has a whole aquarium of Koi fish in her apartment and loves to add pieces of decorations to it so the fishes begin growing on him. After the get married, Michael actually builds Fran a pond with it's own ecosystem so she can raise her Koi in relative freedom outside of the small aquarium they are used to.

Hyraeth: These two are not exactly pet people, but I feel like teenage Gareth owns a horse that he takes care of very well and Hyacinth is persuaded to help out with his horse and begins loving it as well so she gets Anthony to buy her a pony which she names Twilight Sparkle. they both grow up to be very responsible horse owners.

Grucy: they share ownership over the class pet in Elementary school. A spotted bunny named Waldo. And they low key treat the rabbit as their child. Since Lucy is technically not allowed to have pets by her uncle and Gregory was banned from the pet store after the last 'free the animals' incident he was involved in

[daisyapples]

Holy shit, you guys, I just passed a 100,000 hits on my A03 account. 100,000 hits on my little stories about boys in love! I’m gobsmacked! Thank you all so much. To anyone who has ever taken the time to read my stories, I appreciate you! 

All my stories are under the cut! Thank you all so much!! 

Raven Boys- Pynch

Broken Things and Homecomings

Ronan Lynch has just returned from war; hot deserts, gunfire and bad memories. He's not sleeping or eating and the only thing keeping him functioning is his army buddy Noah.

Adam Parrish got out. He got out of Henrietta, and then he got dragged back in by his dad's funeral and his mom's illness. Now he's back at Boyds trying to figure out how his electrical engineering masters ended with him becoming a mechanic.

Delivery Boy

Ronan Lynch was crying when he opened the door. He didn't look like someone who would cry; his shaved head, sharp cheekbones and violent mouth looked more attuned to anger than tears. The attitude he had in school, when he turned up, didn't exactly scream person who cried.

Except he was crying and Adam had no idea what to do so he just said, “Eh, that'll be thirty five dollars please.”

(AKA Adam is a pizza boy and Ronan is crying and they are not friends even though Gansey wants them to be.)

Where does the good go?

Ronan has no idea why Adam broke up with him. Two years have passed and he hasn't seen Adam since, but with them both being Godparents to Gansey and Blue's new baby, it's time to face the past and maybe find the answers he's been looking for.

Talk some sense to me

Adam just found out that without being married, he'll lose half his scholarship for his MBA. He's pretty sure he can blame the next words on temporary insanity, the words saying he's engaged to his best friend and they'll get married in the next five days if it means he gets to keep his scholarship.

Now he just has to convince Ronan.

That'll probably be the easy part considering he's going to have to hide the fact he's been in love with Ronan since he was eighteen.

Hear you me

Adam met Nomad on an Aglionby forum, and they've been texting ever since. He doesn't know who he is, but when they meet at a Halloween dance, and he finds out that it's Ronan Lynch, Aglionby's star striker and resident bad boy, he runs.

Only Ronan's not ready to let go of Harvardboy, the one person who seems to understand him as an artist, not a soccer player, who seems to understand his grief and make the world more bearable, whose allowed some light back into his darkened world.

Will Adam be brave enough to face down his stepfather Colin Greenmantle, and his evil stepbrothers, Kavinsky and Tad, to be with the boy he's slowly falling in love with?

The darker the night, the brighter the stars

In which Ronan is the prince, and Adam manages to save the kingdom.

Choices

Adam Parrish is rich. Ronan Lynch is poor.

When Adam's mom commissions the mysterious artist known only as The Dreamer to create a sculpture for her husband's 50th birthday, Adam and Ronan are pushed into each others orbit and they learn that their choices are the most important thing they have.

ghost of choices made

Ronan Lynch hasn't seen Adam Parrish in ten years.

Working for Greenmantle to protect his brothers, he said goodbye to Adam a long time ago, but when Adam's parents die, and Greenmantle insists Ronan protect him from the people after Adam's inheritance, they are thrown back into each others lives and have a second chance to make the choices they wanted to make years before.

(This is a continuation of my Choices fic but it focuses on what would have happened of Ronan had made a different choice in chapter 23.)

and I feel just like I'm living someone else's life

“Oh,” he says again. “You’re mine.”

Ronan smiles, and it is a smile made for war, and a smile made for love, and a smile made for holding the things you love tight and safe. “And you’re mine.”

and when the lights go dark i wanna feel you standing next to me

The world ended when the dead started to walk.

Adam has been alone for a long time, but when he finds four strangers and a broken down camaro on the side of the road, he agrees to help them reach the mysterious Barns and apparent safety from the walking dead.

Essay

The Vacuum of Silence: What happens when queer characters aren't allowed to speak

At the end of it all, this is not just a representation problem.

This is a narrative issue.

We deserved to see Bucky and Steve have a conversation on screen because the narrative demanded it. We deserved to see Dean respond to Cas because the narrative supported it. Eventually, pandering to the lowest common denominator within the audience means bad writing, means unsatisfying conclusions to stories which have been told over years, means wasting your audience's time.

Teen Wolf - Sterek

Compulsion

Wolf watched Stiles watching him. "Who are you?"

Stiles snorted. "Yeah, okay, pull up a chair and let me tell you my life story." He pointed at the mask. "This is not just to make me look badass. Although that is a handy side effect."

He shook his head. "No, I know you. Your scent." He inhaled deeply through flared nostrils.

Stiles took a step back. "Geez, man. Ever heard of manners? It's fucking rude to scent a person without permission."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Why do you keep saving us?"

"Dunno what your talking about." He rolled his bat nervously between his two hands. No one was supposed to notice. Although he knew that was a pipedream, a fairytale he clung to so he could feel safe. Being invisible to HQ was all he cared about. "I am just a helpful person who happened to be passing by."

Shaking the wings of their terrible youths

Stiles didn't expect much when he stopped a stranger being attacked in an alleyway.

He didn't expect the wolf following him around New York, didn't expect the help when he was sick, didn't expect the psycho blond attacking him, or the place to stay. He didn't expect the new family.

Oh, and he definitely didn't expect werewolves.

[bridgertonbabe]

Are birthday crown/ hats a thing in the Bridgerton Household?

If so how is Sophie’s first birthday and getting her first crown from the Bridgerton’s after ABC rescue her from the witch bitch…?

Oh yes they're still very much a birthday tradition in the Bridgerton household, carried on from Grandpa Ledger.

During Sophie's first year at Hogwarts she doesn't actually mention to her brand new friends when her birthday is, not wanting to cause any fuss and seeing no point in telling them, and besides it was going to be one the best birthdays in recent memory regardless since she wouldn't have to be spending it with Araminta or Rosamund.

Her 12th birthday was going well as it coincided with the school day which had all of her favourite lessons and during breakfast and lunch she treated herself to bigger plates of food to mark the occasion - but then suddenly a school owl unexpectedly arrived in the middle of the lunch hour presenting her with an envelope. When her friends asked her what it was she shrugged it off and went to stuff it in her bag when a second owl landed in front of them; this time with a big parcel and a letter addressed to Phillip. When Colin and Michael turned their attentions to him, Phillip equally tried to dismiss the late arrival of his post. However Colin wasn't accepting the excuse and snatched the envelope from him and upon opening it he was shocked by what he found.

"A birthday card?!" he blinked incredulously at Phillip. "It's your birthday today?!"

Sophie looked to Phillip in disbelief as she realised her fellow Ravenclaw had also never disclosed the date of his birthday.

"Well... yeah." Phillip nodded shyly.

"Merlin's Beard, Phil! Why the hell wouldn't you mention it to us before now?!" Colin cried out.

A gasp then drew the group's attention to Michael, and Sophie's eyes widened when she spotted the opened envelope in his hand - the envelope which she had only just hastily stuffed into her bag.

"Hang on - it's your birthday too?!" Michael gaped at her.

"WHAT?!" Colin spluttered.

Sophie's mouth hovered open as she looked from the aghast expressions of Colin and Michael, and then glanced to the surprised look on Phillip's face before she gave a little nod.

"What the hell?!" Colin exclaimed. "You guys do know you're meant to share stuff like this with us, right? Birthdays are meant to be a celebration; why would you hide it away?!"

"It's no big deal." Phillip shrugged at the same time Sophie uttered; "I didn't want to cause a fuss."

Colin and Michael shared incredulous looks with one another, stunned with their best friends self-effacing answers.

"Well it is a big deal and we will cause a fuss!" Colin declared as he got to his feet.

"Yeah!" Michael cheered before the pair ran off.

Sophie then had the chance to read her card, genuinely curious to know who it was from seeing as she hadn't expected anyone to acknowledge it. Much to her surprise she discovered it was from Posy and she wondered how her muggle stepsister had managed to get the card delivered via owl. It only took a glance towards the head table where the teachers sat, where she caught the eye of Professor Danbury who raised a goblet with a knowing smile on her face to provide Sophie with enough of an idea of how the delivery came to be.

"Who's your card from?" Phillip asked, drawing her attention away from the head table of the Great Hall.

"My stepsister, Posy."

"What about your stepmother?"

Sophie quickly shook her head. "It's not really her thing." she replied in a quiet tone. "What about you? Who's your card from?"

"My mum." Phillip replied with a soft smile. "She always gets me magnolia-scented cards." he said and gave the card a gentle flap and a second later Sophie got a waft of the sweet floral fragrance. "We always have picnics, just me and her, under the magnolia trees back home."

"That sounds really lovely." Sophie smiled sweetly.

He nodded with a fond faraway look in his eyes before he turned to her. "Happy birthday, by the way."

"Happy birthday to you too." she smirked

"So, I guess that makes us birthday twins?"

The smile on her face stretched even bigger at the recognition that her and Phillip's connection now had another layer to it, her heart warming at the thought that their shared birthday meant that they were always destined to be best friends.

"I can't think of anybody else I'd rather share my birthday with than you." Sophie said, affectionately bumping shoulders with him before the pair of them burst into giggles.

Meanwhile with Michael following after him, Colin had hurtled out into the courtyard where he found his elder brothers hanging out and he breathlessly tried telling them about an emergency. When Anthony and Benedict got him to calm down and explain things in less of a rush, they were both taken aback to hear that not one but two of Colin's best friends had failed to mention it was their birthday.

"Why didn't they say?" Anthony frowned.

"Dunno! They said they didn't want to cause a fuss or anything!" Colin threw his hands up in disbelief.

Benedict's heart panged with sympathy, feeling bad that neither Phillip nor Sophie seemed accustomed to celebrating their birthdays with any fanfare whatsoever.

"What are we meant to do? Even if I wrote to mum and dad and asked them to send something it wouldn't get here until tomorrow!" Colin huffed.

"I could write to mine since they're closer by." Michael put forward. "I'm sure mum would be able to get her hands on some tins of shortbread to send by this evening at the very least?"

"Yes! Do that!" Colin nodded agreeably and immediately Michael began rummaging through his bag to grab a quill and parchment. "And we can make cards during History of Magic - but what else are we going to do?" he whined.

"You could go to the kitchens and ask the house elves if they could make a cake for them?" Anthony suggested. "Offer them an old T-shirt or something you're happy to part ways with and they'd definitely be happy to do it for you."

"That's good, that's good." Colin nodded along. "Gah, I just wish I could give them birthday crowns like Grandpa makes us."

"Well why don't you make some yourself?" Benedict pointed out.

Colin pulled a face back at him. "I don't know how to make birthday crowns!"

"What's with the confused look?" Benedict laughed. "They're easy enough to make."

"But I've never made one before!" Colin continued. "And besides I won't have time considering I've got to find a house elf to barter with and make cards as well!"

Anthony and Benedict exchanged a look and rolled their eyes at Colin's ridiculousness. However, they both knew Colin just wanted to do his best to celebrate his best friends' birthday as best as he could and they supposed it was a lot to put together in such a short space of time.

"Alright, how about this; I'll find something else for you to give them as presents and Ben will make the birthday crowns for you." Anthony offered.

"Really?" Colin's eyes lit up. "You'd do that for us?"

"Of course." Benedict nodded. "Sophie and Phil deserve to have a good birthday."

And so while Michael scampered off to the Owlery, Colin sped away to the kitchens, and Anthony made a start on figuring out what else to give the birthday boy and girl, Benedict began making the beloved Bridgerton birthday crowns for the pair.

Benedict's efforts continued into his lessons though fortunately Divination was a doss that he could carry on making the crowns in without interruption. Finally he was able to finish them up in Charms class, and he even got advice from Professor Danbury about a charm he could implement that would change the colour of the crowns depending on the moods of their wearers.

At dinner Sophie and Phillip were just about to dig into their meal when they were startled by Michael and the Bridgerton brothers singing them happy birthday. Cards were then distributed to both of them (with Anthony and Benedict managing to make their own cards as well to give to the birthday pair), the deliciously appetizing chocolate cake was presented to them by Colin, and Michael gave them tins of shortbread and also gifted them a knitted scarf each which he said was from his mum (Helen Stirling had knitted them for her son ahead of the cold Scottish winter but upon his panicked letter to her at lunch she sent the two she had already made knowing she could easily whip up another one for her son). Anthony then gave them a bouquet of flowers each (which he had managed to nick from the greenhouse behind the Herbology professor's back) and then he and Benedict proceeded to adorn the pair with the birthday crowns. The crowns both turned light pink to match the identical blush on the Sophie and Phillip's faces, both of them in shock at the lengths their new friends had gone to in celebrating their birthdays.

They thanked them all profusely and when Sophie received a hug from Benedict, it went completely unnoticed by the Bridgertons how her mood-influenced crown turned a deep pink to reflect the newly turned 12 year old's blossoming crush.

[my-soupy-brain]

When Worlds Collide (Part 7)

Description: You and Ted enjoy the early bubble of your relationship, except outside forces try to disrupt the calm.

Relationship: Ted Lasso x reader (f)

Smut: Light smut, heavy lust and making out, angst

---

Since you and Ted started officially dating, you’ve been on the hush-hush. 

No one at work knew, though you suspected  Keeley had an idea. With an away game coming up, there was a chance for some one on one time.

You boarded the bus with a smile. As you walked by Ted you caressed his shoulder and he smiled. No one noticed.

The game was a draw but that night was celebration for Colin’s birthday. After a couple of drinks and socializing, you ended up in Ted’s booth, his hand on your thigh under your dress, long, deft fingers squeezing and caressing. God, how you loved his hands. You both laughed and chatted with your friends who were none the wiser that you had you hand gently placed on Ted’s lap, palming the bulge under his khakis.

“If ya keep that up, sugar, I’m gonna need to take care of that here,” Ted leaned into your ear to say, making you blush. In fear of being caught, you laughed at something Keeley said.

You even managed a friendly dance together, turning a few heads — maybe heightening suspicious but given that you were all dancing in a group, you felt safe.

But as you approach the bar, you heard a familiar voice. “Aye, there,” Ryan says, sliding up to your side. “Haven’t seen you in a while, didn’t think I’d see you again,” he slurs. He’s clearly a little drunk. “Yeah, uh, hi…Ryan. How are you? What are you doing here?” You ask, trying to be cordial.

“I’m good, I’m good… yeah. Here on business, y’know. I’m dating around, had a couple of really hot dates,” he brags, taking a swig of beer. You nod. “Good to hear.”

“Yeah, but it still chaps my arse that you turned me down, love,” he says lowly, turning his body on the stool to you. “You’re looking good…” he says, sliding a hand over your back, which you try to shrug off. “Listen, Ryan. I know things didn’t work out, and I’m sorry, but I’m still not interested…” you start. Ryan just laughs, his other hand joining him, trying to hold your waist and bring you closer. “No, no thank you, please don’t touch me,” you tell him, trying to avoid making a scene. Ryan just looks at you, his eyes droopy and inebriated. He grabs harder, his hand trying to skate up your thighs under your dress. “No!” you yell louder, slapping his hands away. Before you can turn to leave, Ted is approaching you. 

—

Ted’s POV

Oh no, that’s not OK. This guy is all about crossing lines. “You OK over here, darlin’?” I ask, not letting my tone be mistaken as anything but concern. “Aye, there’s the bloke you left me for. Not drunk tonight, eh gaffer?” he asks me with a smirk, taking another sip of beer. “I’m just tryin’ to convince your girl what she’s missing’ out on. Isn’t that right, lovey?”

Nope, I won’t put up with that. She tries to pull away from his hands, and I grab his forearm. “Now, I wouldn’t do that, partner. Pretty sure no means no,” I grumble, my posture straighter to show him I’m not here to mess around. He shakes his arm from my grip.

“She was with me first, y’know,” Ryan slurs. “She’s just a little mixed up, is all.”

“Excuse me, I’m right here. And you weren’t first, I’ll have you know,” she retorts. Ryan just laughs, taking another swig of beer. 

“Yeah, but I woulda been better,” he adds, laughing. “Whatever, love. Like I said, your loss.” 

She turns to leave and he grabs her wrist again. “Then again, maybe you’re the mountain I want to conquer,” he chides, and I’ve had enough. Limit reached.

“Listen, fella. I really don’t think you wanna tangle tonight with a sober, protective Midwesterner, so I suggest you take a kind hike out the exit,” I remind him, my eyes on fire with rage. 

He stands and sways for a moment, taking a swing I easily duck. “Oy! You’re outta here, mate! Leave or I’m callin' the coppers,” the bartender shouts. Ryan puts his hands up in surrender, smirking at me. He’s lucky he’s too drunk, because while it’s been years, I’m not afraid to take him down.

—

Your POV

You watch Ryan stumble out the exit, and turn to Ted. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” you murmur, not trying to give away your relationship just yet. Ted’s eyes look at you with concern and love. “No, don’t you go apologizin’. That wasn’t your fault he’s a lousy sport,” he says, his mustache quirking up with a smile he can somehow muster. 

“You wanna get outta here? You look a little shook up,” he offers, and you nod. He texts Beard that he’s heading back to the hotel.

The temperature is just right, cool but not cold, but as you walk further away from the bar, you grab his hand in yours. “Thank you, Teddy,” you say earnestly, looking into his eyes, stopping near and alleyway. “I can’t thank you enough. Thank you for coming to my rescue, as always.”

—

Ted’s POV

Her hand in my hand felt like heaven. Being close to her all night and not able to show my affection, however, was a tough nut to crack for me.

But now I have her all to myself again.

I can’t believe we’re really doing this. I can’t believe she’s mine.  Finally. I just wanna do this right. 

But before I can let my thoughts get ahead of me, she pulls me to the alley and kisses me. 

Not just kisses me, no sir. She devours me. And I am more than happy to oblige and taste all of her. Her tongue across my lips, the scent of her perfume, her soft hair in my hands. Every kiss is like the first time with her. My whole body lights like a damn match.

I turn us slightly so I can push against her, bringing her against the brick wall, holding her thigh in my hand. If you give me a minute, I’ll either take her right here, or I’ll realize we’re in public and whisk us off to the hotel. But she’s like the first sip of whiskey: Warm and inviting and oh so good.

—

Your POV

You can’t stand having not touched him all night. You let him hold you against the wall, your leg hiked to his side, held in those big, sexy hands.

You lick his jaw, kiss his ear, suck his neck and can’t help murmuring everything you’re thinking…

“God, I want you so bad…”

“You’re so sexy, baby…”

“Touch me.”

He groans against you and you can feel his thick cock behind his pants, charging against your body while you kiss. He could take you right here, right now, and you wouldn’t think twice.

He interrupts you before you lead to an indecency charge. 

“Sweetheart…uh…let’s…let’s get back to the hotel…” he murmurs in your ear, nibbling it just so.

You take a breath and hold hands, practically running for the hotel, now only a few blocks away. You take a quick look around the lobby, trying to avoid any Richmond team or staff who may be lingering as you press the elevator button. Now standing apart, you can feel the electricity between you. 

Once in the lift, he’s got you against the wall, your hands tangled in his hair, his mustache dragging roughly along your neck. His heavy breathing in your ear makes you unravel. 

The door chimes, and not for your floor. He steps back as the elevator bounces and stops. 

“Hey coach,” Will says as he waltzes through the door. “Oh, and hey y/n!” 

Ted smoothes his hair down a bit and stands with his hands over his pants, hiding the lust throbbing underneath them.

“Forgot to give Jamie his socks back at Richmond, just dropping them off.”

The door chimes and Will steps out, you both wave goodnight and then Ted rapid-pushes the button to his floor, only two more up.

No more interruptions this time as he whisks you out of the lift and to his door.

—-

Ted’s POV

I could’ve melted into a puddle with that. Good thing we have quick reflexes! That was a close call, Leslie Stahl!

But I wish I could tell the world I’m with her. 

Her. My girl. Gosh, how I adore her. But I can’t wait to get her into my room.

She’s giggling behind me as I charge us down the hall to my doorway, getting frustrated when the key card errors. It finally  blinks green and I pull her into my room.

“Who’s next door, do we need to be worried,” she asks with a glint in her big, wide eyes.

Golly, I could get lost in them.

I don’t even answer, I just pull her to me and hold her face in my hands so I can kiss her. 

And keep kissing her.

Never stop kissing her.

As I pull away to remove my jacket she’s already unzipping her dress and, as God is my witness, I’ve never been attracted to anything in my life.

No time to waste now. I pull her to me by those gorgeous hips and kiss her again.

—-

Your POV

It’s like sharing oxygen with Ted. You can’t separate. How you’ve managed to keep your hands off each other this whole trip. It must be a super power.

His hands grasp the flesh of your hips and he moans into your open kiss. Lustful. Passionate. You could burst like a balloon at how you feel right now.

“Pretty sure we deserve an award for not touchin’ this whole trip,” he jokes, making you laugh and nod.

“I was thinking the same thing, Teddy…”

He giggles at that. 

He removes his pants and sweater and is left in boxer briefs and a tshirt, his hair mussed from your needy hands. He sits on the edge of the bed and holds your hand as he brings you in front of him, and you straddle his thighs.

“Oh, darlin’ I wish I could explain what you do to me,” he murmurs, kissing your chest and shoulder with gentle lips.

You grind against him, making him groan and grab your ass.

“Yeah? What’s that?” you ask, teasing his ear with your teeth, his hands stroking your body as you move. 

“Turn me into a puddle of hormones, like I’m fifteen again, for starters,” he chides, his breath caught in his throat. “You get me all sorts of riled up.”

And with that he pulls you both down to the bed on your sides, hiking your leg over his hip as his hands continue their journey around your body. 

—

Ted’s POV

Listening to hear is like music. Her little moans, little sounds. She’s trying to be quiet just in case, but she doesn’t realize that even quiet, she makes me insane with lust. 

My hands touch every curve of her body, and like her kisses, it’s like the first time. When I kiss her neck and whisper in her ear the things I want to do to her, well, this is a side of me I didn’t know I had.

“I wanna take you apart, sugar,” I whisper to her. “Make you come for me all night.”

She cries out my name, and I hush her with a smile, still letting my hands do the work. But I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t about to make a mess in my pants from just her voice. 

“Is that what you want, darlin’? Want me to show you how bad I need you,” I whisper again, her fingertips pressing into my back, running through my hair. “Oh my God, Teddy, fuck! I want you so bad,” she cries out, louder than her little whimpers before. Just as I go to unhook her bra and show her what I’ve got, there’s a knock at the door. ---

Your POV

“Ted! Ted! Are you in there?” Beard shouts, his fist banging on the door. “I hear voices so I hope you’re in there.” 

You freeze. Ted freezes, his hand gripping your ass. You look at each other in astonishment. 

“Ted? I hope you’re there, I really could use your help,” Beard says, sounding defeated. “He needs you, babe,” you murmur, and Ted nods in agreement, shuffling his clothes, smoothing his hair while you scurry into the bathroom to put your dress and shoes back on. 

You hear Ted open the door and Beard enter.

“Oh, man. I think I really screwed things up with Jane,” Beard says, sounding anxious and panicked. Truth be told, you were never a big fan of Jane. Her on-and-off again personality with Beard always felt like she was putting him through the wringer. But tonight he’s worried, and Ted is there to help. 

“Sit down, buddy. Let’s talk this whole thing out,” Ted offers. When you flush the toilet, you hear voices stop. “Someone in your bathroom?” Beard asks?

You open the door, fully dressed, face tidied, and wave. “Hi, Beard, sorry to interrupt. I can head out…” you start. But Beard’s eyes are wide.

“Are you two…. Wait. WAIT. Are you two…together?!” 

[sea-owl]

Here we go, the first part of the Peneleus Featherington AU. Feel free to send in asks or requests about this au too if you want. Reading your guy's thoughts really helps get the creativity flowing.

"Your wife has birthed a baby girl my lord," the midwife announced, letting him into the room.

Lord Archibald Featherington could only sigh. His third daughter, and if the doctors were right about Portia being unlikely to conceive again, his last child. What were they going to do? The Featherington estate could not be allowed to fall from his family's hands.

"Leave us," Archibald ordered.

Portia's grip tightened on her daughter, though her face did not show anything but a fondness for the new baby. "I was thinking we call her Penelope, after the queen of Ithaca. She was such a clever woman in that story. Maybe our little one will be just as clever."

Archibald did not say anything. Portia was always reading stories of myth, particularly of greek and roman descent.

Porita held her little Penelope closer. "Or how about the name Peneleus. He was one of the generals who fought in Troy." She's been sitting on this idea for a while, her backup should her baby be another girl.

Archibald finally speaks. "Portia we needed a son. I needed an heir, not another daughter."

"And we shall raise a son," Portia shoots back. "If the doctors are right and I cannot conceive again, then make Penelope your heir."

"A daughter cannot become a lord."

"No one knows we had a daughter."

Archibald pauses. It is not an unheard-of thing, though it has been decades since anyone attempted to do this. The last to do so though had been caught and the family forced to give up everything. For their sake Penelope better be as clever as the woman she was named after.

"If the baby makes it to her first birthday and you do not bare a son then she will be named my heir."

When Penelope turned one, she became a son named Peneleus, and her father's heir. Then when she turned eighteen, after the death of her father she became the new Lord Featherington.

Searing kisses, and hungry touches. The taste of alcohol on both of their lips, but neither of them cared. All they wanted was each other naked and by all that was holy they were going after it.

Finally, finally. Mine, mine, finally mine, he chanted in his thoughts. One hand reaching up to take her hair out of its ponytail, while the other explores between her legs.

"C-Colin," she gasped as he began to suck marks on her bosom.

"Oh Pen," he breathed out, the urge to chant her name like a prayer was ready to burst from his lips.

Colin Bridgerton shot up from his sleep on the drawing room couch. Cheeks hot from the dream he just had. That damn dream that's been plaguing him for a month. Every time he had it, he felt so guilty after. To imagine his friend in such a way. God if Pen knew Colin was transforming him into a woman in his dreams, he's sure he get his ass kicked. And Colin wouldn't even try to stop him.

He needs to take a walk, clear his thoughts of Pen-

"Colin! I see you are back from your visit to Scotland. How is Francesca?"

Speak of the devil.

Lord Peneleus Featherington, a longtime family friend, and an honorary Bridgerton, stood in the doorway. He was on the shorter end with a rounder build, but he was soft in a way that Colin associated with women. Red curls tied back into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck, and brown eyes that always seem to see everything around him. He has remained unmarried even at twenty-eight, though not for the lack of trying of most debutantes. His way with words, and kind smiles has made him quite popular among the ladies of the ton.

"Peneleus," Colin greeted. "Francesca is doing well, though don't tell Anthony but she might have a new gentleman."

Peneleus smiled. "She has found love again? How wonderful. I remember Eloise telling me how upset she had been when the Earl of Kilmartin had passed."

"Yes, it really is." Colin has to stop staring at his friend's mouth. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm actually here to discuss business with Viscount Bridgerton. I am leaving for my cousin in-law's home, Romney Hall, in a few days and there a few investments I want to be kept up to date on. Your brother has also put money into those investments and has agreed to keep me informed."

"Look at you finally traveling," Colin teased. "I'm going to have to learn your cousin in-laws secrets. Seeing as you rejected me all those years ago."

Pen shot Colin a small smile. "You know I had new responsibilities then. I could not leave my poor sisters with just my mama to help them make a match."

Colin chuckled. Even though Pen was a boy he was not spared from Portia Featherington's horrible fashion choices.

"Besides, Phillip is the only one who can help me with this predicament I have found myself in."

Colin looked at Pen, studying his face. It had gotten paler since the last time they saw one another. Peneleus also looked exhausted, and dare Colin say it, terrified.

"Pen are you okay?"

Was it Colin's imagination or did Peneleus cradle a hand to his stomach?

"I will be in a few months."

[scifrey]

NINE-TENTHS

Part Four

My heart jumps into the back of my throat, and I’m halfway off my stool before my brain catches up with what I’m actually seeing. In the light of the overhead lamps, the person’s hair only looks red.

Not him.

"Snacky," I stage-whisper all the same, committed now that I’m on my feet. Mau drops my befouled phone into my hand.

"Colin," Hadi says, grabbing my sleeve before I can head over. 

"The Rules?" I tap my temple.

"The Rules," she agrees, and lets me go.

As I work my way through the crowd, I try to shove away the weird flutter that even thinking I had spotted him caused. It's a stupid thought. There's no way someone like him—upright, posh, snobby—would sit and shoot the shit with the bartender for funsies. 

So why had I been excited when I thought it was him? 

People like him don’t date people like me. 

Do they?

It's just curiosity. It has to be. Because of the access, right?

It would have been the perfect excuse to finally bridge that customer-service gap. Sidle up to him, actually meet in a place where I didn't have other duties to attend to, where I could casually drop the fact that it was my birthday and I wouldn't say no to a celebratory drink.

Actually get a conversation out of him.

Yeah, right.

He never talks to me. I stopped trying to have a conversation with him over a year ago, because he'd always looked like I'd smacked him between the eyes with a wet fish whenever I tried. It seemed kinder to just let him hide behind his newspaper—an honest-to-god paper paper—and stare at me.

And he does stare.

Sometimes I think the staring is the kind you do when you appreciate the look of another person. Sometimes, I think it's some weird split-tongue thing. It's gotta be, ‘cause if he was into me, he would've said something by now, right?

The part of me that’s still a writer sometimes makes up stories about my fussy regular. Why he's here. What he's thinking about. Whether he really sleeps on a pile of gold (if that’s not a speciesist stereotype.) What the no-doubt beautiful maiden he goes home to every night thinks of his morning routine. Or if maybe he’s into something a little more me-shaped.

Oh my god, I am such a romance novel cliché right now. 

Also, dammit Colin. 

Maybe focus on the dude you are actually trying to get between the sheets?

"Hi." I slide onto the bar stool beside the guy.

He's arrogantly fashionable, dressed like he just got off shift at a bank or a law firm, swaggering without standing, if that makes sense. But he's not him. 

It's not this guys' fault he's not him.

"Hi. I couldn't help but overhear it's your birthday. Happy birthday."

"Gee, thanks." I flash him a smile. "Though I think half the bar heard, actually."

It's about half the wattage I can usually manage.

I'm tired. The long train ride, the unexpected surprise... and I remember doing this with Caden. Whom I'd met just like this, in the exactly the same place. Backwards from Caden, brain jumps to Rebekah, and how last year for my birthday we'd done one of those boat cruise dinners at Niagara Falls.

How I'd already had the ring in my pocket, and was worrying more if she'd appreciate the cliche than if she was going to say yes. I definitely should have been worried more about whether she was going to say yes.

And I just…

… I just don't wanna anymore.

"Sorry," I say, before he can offer to buy me a drink, or suggest another way for the two of us to celebrate. "I thought you were someone else. My bad."

"Wait, you don't have to--"

"Sorry for wasting your time."

I slink back to the table.

"Not into you?" Mauli asks.

"Not up for it." 

"Up for it," Mauli snickers, and I pinch them hard on the shoulder.

I leave at closing time, after a few beers too many, frustrated and manhandling Mauli into one of the cheap cabs that prowl St. Paul street for desperate fares. Dike had headed off with one of the ladies hours ago, and Hadi had bailed before I came back from the bar.

Happy birthday to me, I think morosely as I trudge home. 

Alone.

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[ranveer--singh]

The nights are tasteless without you: part 5 ~ Ari Levinson fic

A/N - This is my first proper multiple chapter story which came to me while watching a Bollywood movie. It is set in Mumbai India where Ari is a professor at a university meets a person of colour - Marathi girl at the train station. There will be other Chris Evans characters as professors and Henry Cavill   characters as professors  

Warning: Please read this before reading the story. 18+, smut, sex… etc

Ari was going to Andy's birthday dinner which was held at the Taj. He was nervous about meeting Andy's friends and trying to make conversation with them. He was told some of the teachers from the university would be coming. 

He quickly got ready, grabbing the gift he got Andy with Maddy's help. It was a nice fountain pen for all the documents he had to sign. Ari grabbed his phone and keys hearing the taxi horn signaling his ride is here. 

Arriving at the Taj, Ari was greeted by Andy who wanted to make him feel welcome. They hugged, Ari giving him his gift before walking inside. 

Andy introduces him to the few teachers that have already arrived, Steve Rogers the boxing coach, Frank Adler the Philosophy professor, Syverson the mechanics professor and Clark Kent the Journalism professor. They all shook his hand, Syverson went to get Ari a beer - Kingfisher. 

"Here you go Ari," Syverson said with a southern accent. 

"Thanks man, what do you teach," Ari said looking at Syverson built figure and felt a little intimidated. 

"I teach mechanics, showing people how to get their hands dirty," he says, winking at Ari. 

"Don't mind him, he is already in the party mood," Andy said, taking Ari to meet Steve. Steve was also very built but friendly to talk to. They enjoyed a good conversation about how spicy the food was in Mumbai.

After meeting half the teachers and downing 5 bottles of beer, August and Lloyd strutted inside with sunglasses on.  

"Who are they, they look like they are from the mafia," Ari said, making Steve and Andy chuckle. 

"Ari, August is the one in the brown suit, he is a motor designing professor, and Lloyd in those ever so tight pants is the head of the IT department. Colin over there in the black suit is the cyber security professor, Jenson in the loud shirt is the web design professor and Ransom in the brown jacket is a coding professor," Andy said, handing Ari and Steve another beer. 

Ari looked at them both and smiled, they looked intimidating but he focused his time on the few people he enjoyed talking to, which was Andy, Steve, Colin,  and Clark. Music came on and everyone was dancing, lifting Andy and throwing him up in the air. 

Everyone was having fun, dancing to bhangra and Bollywood music. It was 12am, Ari was drunk out of his mind and without looking drunk called Maddy. 

"Hello Ari, hello. Everything ok," she said, concerned as to why he called her at 12 in the morning.

"I really really like you Maddy," he slurred, taking a swig of his beer. 

"I like you Ari, but you're drunk. Please be careful and safe, text me when you reach home. He hummed and hung up and put the phone away grabbing some beer. 

It was 2am when Steve offered to drop him home as he only had two beers 4 hours ago. August and Jenson carried Ari into the back seat of the car. 

"Maddy," he moaned as August tried to put the seat belt on him. The three men looked at one another and then laughed. Steve got Ari's address from Andy and was able to drive him back home. 

Ari's phone kept ringing, the song mamma mia was his ringtone making Jenson sing along to it. The phone stopped ringing and then rang again making August annoyed. 

August grabbed the phone out of his jacket and moaned at the candid photo of the girl calling. He pressed the answer button and said, 

"Hello sweetheart," he said biting his lip, 

"Who you calling sweetheart, can I speak to Ari," Maddy said annoyed. 

"Sweetheart, Ari is occupied," August said, opening the camera app and taking a picture of Ari asleep. He sends it to Maddy who gasps, not liking the behavior of the guy on the phone. She hangs up and is now very worried about Ari and hopes he is safe. 

Maddy keeps calling every 15 minutes to check up on Ari. August was flirting with her, making Maddy annoyed, hoping Ari is ok. The next time she calls, Jenson takes the phone and speaks to her. 

"Hello," Jenson said softly, still singing a song while talking to Maddy. 

"Oh you're not the idiot who spoke to me last, I didn't like the way he flirted with me. Can you please make sure Ari is ok and gets home safe, I'm worried about him, he is new in Mumbai," she said, her voice dropping a notch. Her crush for Ari was growing and maybe one day she will get to ask him out for filter coffee. 

"No worries, dost, we have Mr Responsable Steve driving, and he will get Ari home safely," Jenson said, smiling at Steve.

"Yes, ma'am, I will take care of your husband," Steve says as the call is on speaker. Before answering, the call got cut, and she wondered why Ari had told them they were married.

[secretswiftymarvelfan]

Glastonbury Adventures - Colin Shea x Reader

A/N: In honour of Glastonbury weekend here’s a smutty one shot featuring our favourite musician! I totally blame this on @thefallenbibliophilequote​ for tagging me in a Colin gifset and reminding me how perfect he is!

Summary: You and Colin have some fun at Glastonbury

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Fluff! SMUT! 18+ ONLY! MINORS DNI! Public-ish sex! Unprotected Sex! Little bit of angst at the end!

Your media consumption is in your control, by pressing keep reading you have agreed to have read the warnings and heeded them!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics​

Masterlist

For as long as you’ve known Colin you’ve known how much he wants to go to Glastonbury. Every year he’d clear his schedule for that weekend so he could sit and watch all the livestreams he could.

“It’s iconic! Any musician knows if you’ve played Glastonbury you’ve made it, and god imagine playing the pyramid stage” he’d exclaim shaking his head in wonder.

So when you told him you’d gotten tickets to the festival for his birthday he could hardly contain his excitement. It was like watching a kid being told they were going to Disney World. And lets just say he showed you how grateful he was that night, multiple times.

From the moment the plane landed Colin was like a ball of energy waiting to explode. You were so happy to see him so excited.

“Holy shit I can’t actually believe we’re here” Colin exclaimed as he looked out at the fields of Worthy farm.

“C’mon we better go find a good place to set up camp” you smile wrapping your arm around his waist.

“God I can’t wait, I don’t care if it rains the entire time we’re here, because its fucking Glastonbury” Colin grins wrapping his arm around you, kissing your temple before leading you off to the camping ground.

“Just be aware we can’t really shower here so don’t do too much mud wallowing” you point out laughing.

Thankfully the weather was perfect, sunny and warm all day, everyday. You and Colin had the best time exploring the different fields, drinking more cider than you probably should and listening to some amazing music from all the different stages.

It was late in the afternoon on the Sunday and you and Colin were stood near the back of the crowd at the pyramid stage listening to the band currently performing. You were stood in front of Colin who had his arms wrapped around you as you swayed side to side to the beat of the music.

“Hey” Colin muttered as he pressed a kiss to the exposed skin on your shoulder “I’m not bothered about listening to these guys so why don’t we go find something else”

You nod your head in agreement “sure what other stage are you thinking off?”

“I wasn’t thinking of going to a stage” Colin hums pressing another kiss to your neck.

You look over your shoulder at him about to question what he meant when you saw the look on his face “you have your I wanna have sex face on, why do you have your I wanna have sex face on?”

Colin gives you a look as if to say ‘isn’t it obvious’

“Colin we can’t, there’s nowhere we could go” you point out keeping your voice low.

“There’s plenty of places, our tent being the tamest option” Colin says “think about it, everyone is out listening to music or getting drunk, the camping ground is gonna be deserted right now”

“But what if we get caught?” You say shaking your head.

“That’s all part of the fun” Colin grins with a wink.

His hands move to your hips grabbing them possessively, pulling you back so you could feel his erection pressing against your ass. You had to bite your lips to stop yourself from moaning right there and then.

“So what do you say?” Colin whispers in your ear.

You look over your shoulder at him, biting your lower lip as you nodded your head in agreement. The lopsided grin on Colin’s face grew as he leant down to kiss you deeply before quickly guiding you out of the crowds.

The two of you quickly made your way back to your tent, not caring if you looked like two horny teenagers.

Once you found and reached your tent you grabbed hold of Colin’s hand quickly stopping him and turning him around to face you. He looked back at you slightly confused for a moment but quickly recovered when you grabbed him by the nape of his neck and crashing his lips down to yours. He instantly responded grabbing your hips and pulling you closer. You ran your hand down his chest until you reached his prominent bulge, cupping and grabbing it making him groan.

You take a couple steps back smirking at him, bending over to give him the perfect view of your ass as you unzipped and stepped inside your tent. Once inside the tent you quickly pulled off the crochet crop top you wore, leaving you naked from the waist up.

You could hear Colin muttering to himself outside the tent as you lay down, propping yourself up on your elbows. As he stepped inside the tent he froze slightly when he saw you.

“Fuck” he repeated under his breath, quickly zipping the tent shut.

Once closed off from the world he quickly whipped off his top before pouncing on you. He cupped your cheek as he kissed you deeply, hips settling between your legs as his tongue delved inside your mouth.

You tilted your head back as his lips travelled from yours, nipping and sucking at your skin as he moved over your jawline and neck. Your fingers weaved through his hair, tugging at the short strands as he attacked your collarbone down to your clavicle. Your back arching when he finally reached the spot you wanted him the most. His lips wrapping around your erect nipple, flicking it with his tongue, forcing you to bite back a loud moan. His dexterous fingers giving your other breast equal attention, pinching and massaging.

His attentions move further south down your body, your breath hitching when he reached the waistband of your shorts. Glancing up at you through his lashes, which you were always so jealous of because they were so thick and long, he undid the button of your denim shorts, hooking his fingers over the waistband and your panties before pulling them down teasingly slowly.

You watch as he sits back on his ankles, licking his lips as he looked down at you “fuck so wet already?” he mutters shaking his head.

“I’m always wet for you” you say biting your lower lip as you grin down at him.

A smirk grows on his face as he crawls back up you “well in that case…” he mutters before pressing a kiss to your lips “I’m never letting you leave this tent ever again” he practically growls.

As he kisses you, his hand dips between your bodies, cupping your core. He slowly drags two fingers up your slit, collecting your juices, swiping across your clit in a teasing manner. You roll your hips in a desperate attempt to get him to touch you where you needed it most but he just removes his hand completely. You watch as he brings his fingers to his lips, licking them clean of your essence.

“My favourite taste in the world” he hums before shifting back down your body “but I’m gonna need more than just a taste” he says eyes almost completely black with lust.

You were going to say a snarky remark along the lines of having a three course meal but the words die in your throat as he licks a long stipe up your slit before diving in with no hesitation. Your hand flew to his hair, gripping the short strands as he eats you out like a man starved. His tongue delving deep inside you, leaving you desperately struggling to hold back your moans.

“let it all out baby girl, I wanna hear everything” Colin says, his voice reverberating against your clit.

“but-“ you gasp struggling to your brain to communicate with your mouth.

“no one’s around, I wanna hear you scream” Colin smirks before he attacks once more, not giving you the chance to stop yourself, a loud moan falling from your lips.

“fuck colin- I’m- I’m close” you gasp throwing your head back, your back arching.

“I know baby girl, let go” Colin groans, sliding two fingers into you as he sucked on your clit.

At that you felt your orgasm crash over you in a tsunami like wave. Your body spasaming as you came with a large cry, your arousal flooding Colins mouth. He however lapped up everything he gave him.

“fuck” you mutter as you came down from your high.

Colin grinned as he moved back up you “too tired to carry on?” he smirks.

“never in a million years” you pant, wrapping your arm around his shoulders, pulling his lips down to yours, moaning as you tasted yourself on his lips.

As he kisses you, your hands trail down his chest until your reach the waistband on his shorts. Your nimble fingers quickly unbuttoning them, his hands joining yours as you pushed his shorts down.

Once his shorts were discarded you push against his shoulders, moving so he was now below you as you straddled his skinny hips. He looked up at you in surprise for a moment before a smirk grew on his face.

“take what you need baby girl” he smirks.

You grin down at him, wrapping your fingers around his erection giving him a few gently pumps “that’s exactly what I plan on doing” you wink.

You line him up at your entrance before slowly sinking down on to him, the both of you groaning at the sensation of him filling you up. No matter how many times you’ll have sex with Colin you’ll never get used to his size, and you didn’t want to either. Once you were fully seated you began slowly rolling your hips, causing the both of you to moan loudly.

As you picked up the pace, Colin’s hands moved to your hips to guide you and encourage you to move faster and harder. Your hands resting against his chest, feeling his pecs tense as you rode his cock.

“fuck baby girl you feel so good” Colin groaned as he started to rut up into you “shit please tell me you’re close”

You could only nod, your ability to speak completely gone in your sex driven haze.

“let go baby girl, come all over my cock” Colin encourages, his hand slipping between your bodies to run circles around your clit.

With that added sensation you came with a loud cry, throwing your head back, trying desperately to keep moving until Colin found his high. Thankfully he continued to guide your hips, rutting up into you, doing all of the work as your body turned to jello. You walls pulsated around him as he hit his high, painting your walls with his spend.

You finally collapsed on top of him, the tent silent with the exception of your pants as you both fought to catch your breath. As Colin wrapped his arms around you, you lifted your head to smile blissfully up at him, he smiled back at you, brushing some hair from your face before kissing you sweetly.

The two of you remained like this in silence just enjoying each other’s company, for an unknown amount of time. The sound of the festival in the background as you just relaxed in each other’s embrace.

“I wish we could come here every year” Colin sighed quietly, his fingers running absentmindedly up and down your back.

“hey you never know, in a few years you could be performing here and we could be having green room sex” you smirk.

Colin lets out a snort of laughter “yeah right”

“hey don’t sell yourself short, you guys are amazing, easily the best band in Boston, you sell out every gig you do” you tell him lifting your head so you could look at him properly “I’m already having to beat wannabe groupies back with a stick”

Colin lets out a small chuckle at that “I dunno, its just- I just think sometimes if it was gonna happen it would have happened already, and I should just cut my losses and get a real job”

You sit up properly hearing this, your hands resting on his chest making sure he was looking up at you “hey no stop talking like that” you tell him harshly.

“I mean it Y/N, it would mean we could afford more trips like this, I don’t like that the only reason we were able to go was because you paid for it” Colin sighs his hand moving up and down your side.

“I don’t care, this was your birthday present!” you state shaking your head down at him “Colin you can’t give up your dream, you’ve worked so hard and you’re so good and your big break is coming soon I can feel it”

“but what if it doesn’t?” he sighs still unconvinced.

“then make it, send your demo to every record label out there until one responds and keep going” you tell him gently “and honestly Colin I don’t care how much you earn, which is actually pretty good, I’d rather watch my boyfriend rock out on stage than live in a fancy apartment or go on loads of different holidays”

“really?” Colin asks arching a brow, uncertain.

“100%, because I love you” you smile wiping away some glitter that had fallen from your face onto his nose.

“I love you too, so, so much” he smiles cupping your cheek and kissing you deeply.

“now do you wanna go watch the headliner, or have round 2 before everyone gets back?” you ask with a smirk.

A grin grows on Colin’s face as he flips the both of your over so he was above you “round two every time” he grins.

SHARING IS CARING SO REBLOG IF YOU ENJOYED IT!

Masterlist

I don’t have a tag list so follow @secretswiftymarvelfanlibrary​ and turn on post notifications to stay up to date!

[killian-whump]

Some Work-from-Home Ideas for Cute Peanuts:

Make Your Own Patreon A lot of us bristled at paying Josh for Game Night. That was because the price was for access to ALL of Josh’s content - a bargain if you’re interested in all of it, but a major rip-off if you’re only interested in one or two things. We also bristle at paying Allen for interviews/podcasts, because it’s a nepotistic cash grab. He’s not a journalist. He’s not a fellow celebrity. His only “claim to fame” is being someone’s brother, and I’m not willing to financially support him for that feat. I think there would be very little bristling (and likely a lot of interest) in paying Colin for Colin content. He could share just about anything on there - drawings, podcasts, video tours of his silly sock collection (please?), storytime videos of him reading children’s books... Hell, literally anything. I’d gladly pay a subscription fee for any/all of it - and I say that as someone who doesn’t even have expendable income to spend on such things. To support Colin during a rough spot in his life and get new Colin content? I’ll get someone to buy me a year’s subscription for Christmas or something. I’ll find a way.

Join Cameo Likewise, Cameo allows actors to do commissioned videos for fans. The fan pays a set fee (determined by the actor themselves) and requests a video - say, “Could you say Happy Birthday to my friend Olivia?” The celebrity then records said video in the comfort of their own home, when/where/how they see fit, and uploads it to the site. Not only do they make the paying fan happy - but if the fan decides to be magnanimous, they can choose to let the video be public on the Cameo site - providing some content for all the star’s fans to enjoy at no cost at all :)

Be Someone Else He always says he’s more comfortable in front of an audience being someone else rather than being himself. Well.. Why not do that? Do either of the above... as Captain Hook! He’s got the outfit and he looks just like the guy! Captain Hook’s storytime? Birthday messages from Killian Jones? I mean, people would definitely pay for that stuff. Heck, some of us would even pay for content from other characters, too XD

Make a Go Fund Me Look, I don’t know exactly what’s going on or anything, but if it’s something serious that is causing financial strain (medical bills, legal issues, whatever), or something that prevents him from doing any of the above due to time/health constraints, then Go Fund Me is an excellent way to let one’s past work and the fandom that work acquired assist with present hardships. It also allows a way for his colleagues and friends to financially support him, as well. The major downside, of course, is that it requires putting one’s problems out there for public consumption - something we know Colin won’t want to do. Still, it IS an option available to him, should anything come to that.

At any rate... Colin’s got a loving and supportive fandom that desperately wants to share their love and appreciation with him and support him through whatever it is that’s going on in his neck of the woods. We just need a way to do so that lets us feel secure in the fact that we’re supporting HIM and not someone looking to profit off of him. All he has to do is give us some way to do that ❤️

[themarinadiaries]

There is something peaceful yet eerie about the woods that I’m just so addicted to. I feel at home there yet completely terrified. I’ve always been drawn to nature and would call myself outdoorsy but I’m adventurous. Growing up in the woods meant a leisurely walk through a town or state forest in the middle of neighborhoods. There weren’t too many get lost in the woods, woods. Growing up I had dense trees between my house and the next with some railroad tracks thrown in there, or just a yard. When I moved to Maine I was amazed by the countless amounts of forests all around me. I made friends who loved being outside and who took me hiking for the first time. I loved it. I love the different trees, rocks, and terrain, but most of all I loved all the different smells. 

Last weekend I went on a mini getaway with a boy who I’m very fond of. It was the first time we went away just the two of us. We stayed in a small cabin in the middle of the woods in Millinocket, Maine. This cabin had no electricity or running water and was heated by a wood stove. There was barely any service, no distractions just me and him. I loved every I was with him. It was perfect.

A little back story about me and this boy. We met during my sophomore year of college through my friend Colin, his brother. I saw him occasionally throughout the rest of college on the few weekends he would come up and visit. I could tell he had a crush on me, but eww that’s colin’s little brother, it’s weird. I also had a boyfriend during the last two years of college. Then New Years 2020 happen. All our friends rented a house in Greenville, Maine it snowed most of the time so we were all stuck inside. This between my boyfriend and I were not good and I could tell things were going to end. At this point, I hadn’t seen my Boyfriend for three weeks and we barely talked. The whole time we were at this house me and the boy were innocently flirting. A week later my boyfriend and I broke up.

Then the pandemic happens, my lease is up and I have no one in Maine to live with, so I move back home to Mass. Flash forward to the day before my birthday Colin and his fiance Rachel invite me over to Colin’s parents for a little joint party for me and the boy because his birthday is the day before mine, I’m older though. The night ended with me really drunk and upset crying in the boy's arms. Since then we’ve had this thing, a situationship we’ll call it. He’s the emotionally unavailable guy who has never been in a relationship and I’m the always in a relationship girl. Drastically different experiences with love yet we’re drawn to each other. Over the course of two years now we go through this cycle of talking all the time and seeing each other then things get too real and, in my opinion, he gets scared, does something stupid, and we stop talking. However this time he says he feels ready and he’s putting in a lot more effort. We’ll see what happens but I’m hoping for the best and expecting the worse.

He arrived late Thursday night driving straight from getting out of work in Mass. My new friends, that he hasn’t met we giddy and excited to see him, as much as I was. We were all drinking and when my friends drink they can be crazy so I was nervous about how he would react. He handled it well and he sat and drank with us and talked all night long. I finally felt completely comfortable with him. The next morning we got up I took him to a cute little coffee shop, my specialties, and did some grocery shopping for the weekend ahead. The first stop was the ice caves off of golden road. Now this time of year there is no ice yet but it is still a nice easy hike. He was so excited acting like a little kid, now he is the crazy adventurous up-for-anything type. Halfway through our hike, we come across a guy and his grandson in bright fluorescent orange. I felt my stomach drop, how could I forget it’s hunting season and they allow hunting in these woods. The man warned us and advised us that we should really be wearing orange. We thanked him and continued with our hike, we hadn’t seen anyone else but I was on edge and I could tell he was too. He picked up the pace and I tried to keep up. We made it to the cave I watched as his face lit up I couldn’t help but smile. I went down the first ladder and was shaking, there was no way I was making it into the cave. I watched from above as he climbed all around talking about how amazing and incredible it was. As we were heading back to the car we heard one single gunshot I jumped and he started picking up speed big time talking the whole time. We made it back to the car safe where the man and his grandson were eating their lunch. 

We started heading to the cabin following the directions provided to us by the owners since there was no reception. We turned onto a dirt road which turned into a series of dirt roads that looked like old logging roads. If we were going to see a moose this is where it would be. As we pulled into the driveway we were greeted by a big black fluffy dog who we soon found out was named Andy. We were shown to our cabin and settled in. He started the wood stove for me as I was already freezing and he talked about how excited he was to go canoeing, I was not sharing his excitement. To my luck, it rained the rest of the weekend so that meant no canoeing. We spent the weekend playing games, talking, drinking wine, and enjoying each other's company. 

It was something out of a movie and it was weird. I guess with him I just expect something bad to happen and him to leave but that didn’t happen. He held me and I held him until he had to leave and go back to Mass. Now I don't know when I’ll see him again or what we even are. Are we still in this situationship? It doesn’t feel like it but we aren’t in an actual relationship. It’s like we're stuck in this purgatory unsure of what will happen next and that scares me. 

[cookinguptales]

i know we all have conflicting theories abt what kind of person freddie will end up being but tbh with this ep im leaning more and more towards “jilted rom-com bride” lmao? like guillermo rushing him off the phone with the timeless classic excuse “it’s just a work thing” freddie babygirl he is CHEATING ON YOU WITH HIS DERANGED BOSS GET OUT. also guillermo pls get a better lie than “im staying late at the office” ??? how has he been fooling his poor mother for 13 years

*long sigh* You know, I don't even know what I think about Freddie anymore. I wrote up some meta about Freddie (or rather, how Freddie's been written into the narrative thus far) last night, but I'm still going back and forth on whether to post it. It's... a divisive topic.

It's been such a weird way to introduce a love interest for one of the main characters, hasn't it? It's starting to get almost a weird foreshadowing vibe. Like more a way to tease the audience than actually introduce a character, which is... definitely an odd way to approach writing romance.

At this point, is the point of Freddie's character to exist on its own as a legit love interest for Guillermo? Or just to fuck with the audience? I don't know anymore. I keep waiting for them to give us a little more to go on, but they keep teasing it like hints in a mystery or something. It's hard to get a handle on Freddie's character or the dynamic he has with Guillermo because they're purposefully making it hard, and that's just uhhh. Really weird.

Usually you try and show a clear and logical progression when it comes to introducing a new character/relationship into a show in a later season... Like the character gets introduced, they build up the relationship, fans see it developing, they get invested in that relationship. But all of that has been purposefully kept from us, which feels more like a way to build anticipation for a late-season Big Event than a legit romance. It's definitely weird.

Like if I had to compare it to anything... maybe the way they kept hinting at Colin's 100th birthday last season? The whole thing is putting me on edge. lmao

As for Guillermo's lies, I suspect that's actually going to become a big issue with Freddie. It's why my biggest suspicion now is that the Freddie arc is actually going to be about how Guillermo is physically incapable of being normal. (I also suspect his meeting with his "real" (???) family will go the same way.) He can't really let normal people in, emotionally speaking, without actually drawing them into the horrible world he lives in, and I think the whole appeal of someone like Freddie to Guillermo is that he isn't part of that world. I guess we'll find out whether it's only Guillermo who isn't being quite truthful and what choices he'll end up making. Because I think a difficult choice is definitely what's being set up here.

But who knows? Freddie might end up being a liar, too. As much as I think thematically it would make a lot of sense for him to be a normal guy who loves the version of Guillermo he's been shown, I find it hard to believe that this show would ever actually have a "normal" character. There's gotta be something wrong with him, there's something wrong with everyone here. lmao