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the-huldras-back · 4 months

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The Contest

Something I did to get this itch for fairy competitions out! Warning for a bit of body horror.

"And to what do I owe the unexpected pleasure, John?" Asked the Faerie Queen, resting on her throne of living apple boughs. The apple tree bowed from her lazing and dripped fragrant blossoms through her silk-smooth hair. The man scratched his stubbly chin, one hand in his pocket, and peered about at the gathered fey folk with a nervous shake to his knees. Her Majesty had her retinue of knights in shimmering silver-steel, and dozens of courtiers who tittered or murmured behind their masks and fans.

He nodded respectfully to the Queen, before demanding, "Our son, Arialliendel. I've had such terrible dreams, the kind my grandmother warned me to heed, and I want to bring him home." A hush fell over the court as he addressed her by her first name, a simple farmer before the majesty of an ageless fey. The queen's face darkened with the deliberate humiliation, but she stood nonetheless, the heavy weight of her full belly obvious under her dress when she wasn't lounging. It brightened him to see. But now he had to play the games of Fairies, and his grandmother's advice burned in his chest. No way to win but to cheat. Do the unexpected, put them on their back foot. Never let them know they've lost before they ever played.

The shimmering knights put hands to hilts, but she calmed them with a glance, one hand gently holding the weight of their unborn child. "I told you truly beneath the withering apple tree, dear John. The child will be fey, not a thing likely to be understood by your kind." She had the beginnings of a smile on her face, and John could only stand stock-still, like a man confronted with a panther who was equal parts sleepy and hungry.

"And human. Even less likely understood by yours, or else we wouldn't fascinate you so," he challenged, to cooing and murmurs from those beady fairie eyes in the court. "You'd only ever see him as an object, just as you saw me. I want my son, She of the Apple Blossom, and I will have him. I'll settle this in your way, if I must." He was firm, challenging her directly. Courage, cleverness, a willingness to cheat. He hoped he wasn't wrong.

"A competition?" She gasped, face darkening like a thundercloud. Blossoms rained down from the woven ceiling of the Court, and the courtiers cringed as a circle of petals cleared around her. The air got heavy, and he felt the rotted molar in his mouth begin aching at the smell of petrichor.

"A contest," He agreed, willing himself not to smile. He had something in mind.

"Will it be a battle of brawn, you hay-strewn oaf?" She asked dangerously, waving to her knights. "Anyone may be your challenger, and with that iron dagger on your belt, it's more than fair."

"No, your majesty," He rebutted, taking out his dagger. Revealing it's blade in her presence, he showed off that the belt knife was snapped off halfway down it's length. He dropped the piece, at her feet, even the knights cringing at the sight of soft grey iron. "I'd make poor sport against ageless warriors, I'm so clumsy I seem to have broken my knife."

"WIts, then." She offered, taken aback. He could see she wasn't expecting that. She turned and waved to her courtiers. "All of them are more than a match for you, as hollow as your head is." The courtiers started to straighten up at her words, fluffing up with pride in their delicate silks and brocades.

"No, your majesty," He shook his head, for all the world like a helpless peasant. "I'm afraid I never learned my letters till I met you, and the only genteel poems or riddles I know are ones you taught me 'neath the apple tree." He smiled at her, and was so pleased to see he could still pink her cheeks, even in the face of this terrible battle. It brought him solace, if only for a moment. He had loved her. Truly. "My Grandmother's old riddles and stories would be far beneath the refined tastes of your fine gentlefolk. She taught me every one she knew, and not one would stump your clever kin."

He could see her getting angry, furious at being so politely denied twice her assured victory, but if there were a third denial, things would get ugly. He had learned well from her and from the old stories. The fey didn’t change, didn’t have to, and their ways would win him his son. “Name the contest. I would never break the trinity with a third suggestion,” She demanded, clearly exasperated. John nodded, waiting for his chance. He had one shot to do this right, and the yeoman knew if he phrased anything poorly, he’d be a head on an apple bough.

“Sacrifice. The prize is our son, and I would know your mettle if I were to lose to you,” John challenged. “None but you may participate, because the child is yours. This is one challenge I know you cannot refuse. What queen can’t make sacrifices?” He taunted her a bit, knowing that she’d rise to take the bait. For all her wisdom, the Queen was prideful. “I can withstand a hundred of these pitiful human 'sacrifices'. How is the game to be played?” She asked testily. He could see the inhuman quality now. Her teeth lengthened in a wolven rictus, and he could see that despite the haunting beauty he’d once fallen under the spell of, this was no place for his son.

“I will go first, and if you cannot, in all your grace and strength follow my lead, I will be the winner.” John lectured. He watched her worry over his words, the phrasing, the exact way he’d decided to say it. That was alright. He’d crafted his words with care, but she’d never see how till it was too late. “Agreed,” She spoke regally, so all could hear her. Everyone moved back so that the bright sunlight could envelop the two in competition, none able to interrupt a tradition older than human writing and human pain.

“I’ll start then. I would sacrifice the hands that might hold my son. I’d bleed with them, and pull the nails off to win him." John showed the queen his hand, the hand he’d been keeping in his pocket. All five nails were completely black, like paint, but as John gripped one of the nails with his other hand, it was clear he’d done something, damaged them and let the nail bed fill with blood, as he painlessly peeled the dead nails off, one by one. It hurt, but it didn't pain him as much as it would the queen.

Each one of his disgusting, battered farmer’s nails dropped to the ground like trash, and John nodded to her. Eyes clear and hand dripping fresh red onto the petals of her tree, he could tell she understood. She watched in horror, realizing she’d been tricked. Despite that, she swallowed, and almost dismissively, held out a hand, letting a knight come forward and produce calipers of wood and stone. One by one, the queen writhed soundlessly as her nails were torn free, leaving her beautiful hands bloody and dripping. Beautiful, lacquered nails joined the blackened ones on the floor, and she rolled her shoulders to shake off the pain. “Bravely done, Your Majesty,” he praised, but continued, “But I’ve so much more I’d give. The teeth in my mouth. Food is a joy, but it turns to ash in my mouth thinking of the cruelty you'd inflict on my own flesh and blood.” he reached into his mouth, to the horror of the crowd, and his fingers found the rotted, painful molar in the back of his mouth. He’d been meaning to get rid of it at the barber's anyway, it was loose and hurt him when it rained. It had been the basis of his plan.

The farmer pulled the tooth loose with an agonized yell, and it joined the pile of detritus on the floor, the cracked, rotted tooth providing John relief when it came loose, rather than pain. He smiled to her, then opened his mouth to show it was gone. The crowd got bolder, booing at his clear cheating. But it was within the rules of the game. He watched her consider him with something like shock, then shudder and take the pliers from the knight. With shaking hands, she followed suit, and there was a sickening crack, then a crunch, as she grabbed the same tooth he’d pulled, and yanked it free.

A beautiful, pearlescent tooth was held up to the crowd, who oo’d and aaah’d appreciatively. She tossed it to the ground with the pliers in disgust, nursing her bleeding mouth, and stared hateful daggers into his soul. “You cheat,” She hissed, face curled in pain and humiliation. “Sometimes getting older, getting hurt… it has its advantages. Suffering can teach you bravery and humility, Your Majesty.” He answered, voice no longer quavering.

He reached down and picked up the broken blade from his belt knife. It was dull and old, but the tip was sharp, and it was well-wrought iron. It had served him many years, and would perform one more task for its master.

“I would give up anything for my son, Arialliendel. If he’s only half so strange and wondrous as you have been, then I will have no trouble raising him into a fine young man.” He said it solemnly, seriously. He didn’t hate this fairy, only what she’d done, loving him for a time and then stealing away his child to her terrible world of monsters. It was no place for his son.

“I would give up half the light of this world, Your Majesty.” He took a deep breath, then stood up straight and put some steel into his spine, bracing himself for what was to come. The farmer held the blade so tight it cut his hand, and with a roar that startled the court, plunged the tip into his eye. He stabbed fast, then twisted, blotting out one-half of his vision for good. He’d always had good eyes, and it was one of the first things the queen had ever complimented. He knew she couldn’t copy his feat. It was the only thing that comforted him as he annihilated one of them.

Tears leaked down his good eye to match the blood from his now-ruined one. He could have a doctor fix him up later, but there would be no repairing his vision. He was in agony, shaking from the pain, but kept his wits. He held out the cold iron knife and smiled even more coldly. “Yield, your Majesty.” He told her simply.

She was pale as a ghost, holding out her hand to the gory iron blade like it was a snake. She had to do it like he did. She reached out for the blade once, twice, then pulled her hand away, turned, and vomited loudly behind her throne, shocking the crowd. John, dizzy and recognizing he’d won, dropped the knife into the pile, shaking with the pain and trying to blink away the blood, only to keep gunking his socket up further with strings of gore.

The Queen finished retching, and wiped her mouth with a silk cloth, before nodding to him, hardly able to look upon his red-soaked face. “I y-yield, John Katarinason. He will be delivered to you on the day of his birth, without so much as a cup of his mother’s milk.” The accord was struck, and everyone in the room shivered at the feeling of magic crawling about beneath their feet.

“Never return here,” She told him firmly. “My love cannot blunt this humiliation, John. If I see you again, I will collect the other eye.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” He said gratefully, bowing to her.

#creative writing #writeblr #fairies #fairy queen #monster

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absolutebl · 2 years

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This Week In BL - The Dog Days of BL

June 2022 Wk 4

As @heretherebedork puts it, “Messy BL summer is a GO.”

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Unforgotten Nights (Weds on GaGa) Ep 1 - why yes I do like it better than KP, expectations are a bitch, aren’t they? TRASH WATCH REBORN!

KinnPorsche (Sat iQIYI) Ep 12 - This ep featuring dum arguments, bad pottery and questionable hair. Why is Chay suddenly in an awful wig? Did he have ror dor? VegasPete are saving this show but still a dead hedgehog does not a cactus make. (Well THERE’S a sentence.)

Sky in Your Heart (Fri YouTube) Ep 4 - It’s cute I guess.

Love Mechanics (Sat WeTV) Ep 1 - oh it’s great, also very very messy, but in my part of the world you need a sub to watch it and I am just not going to. I love YinWar, but not enough.

Check Out (Sat IQIYI) Ep 3 - Getting back together with your ex is a bitch especially when she is? I guess we know why Daonuea was ghosted. This is definitely a messy cheating story, although actually nothing happened.

My Secret Love (Sat YouTube Sat) Ep 5 - no ep this week, resumes next week

Triage (Mon AISplay) Ep 9 - I’m still waiting on this ep.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Old Fashion Cupcake (Japan Mon Viki) Ep 3 - OMG this show is wonderful, glorious, life affirming, charming. Just leaves me with the biggest grin on my face. Frankly it’s the only BL I am genuinely enjoying right now.

To My Star 2 (Korea Viki) Ep 5-6 - oh it is extremely painful and I just can’t. Pass me another tissue and more ttopokki. (I may be disassociating with BL because of this show.)

Senpai, Danjite Koidewa! AKA Senpai, This Can’t be Love! (Japan Fri Viki) Ep 2 - I don’t love this one, but I love the flipped POVs. It’s taking me a while to warm to Kaneda, but I finally found him cute when I realized how painfully subby he is. Also a TOTAL praise slut. I’m not there yet but I think I’m getting there. No ep next week, resumes week after.

Plus & Minus (Taiwan Viki *rec* & GaGa Fri) Ep 12fin - Why the baseball field? That bit I don’t get. This is probably the most cheek-kissy couple ever – kings of the trope! Both couples are cute and kiss pretty in this one. All in all, I’m satisfied. It’s not groundbreaking, I liked all the cameos. I don’t know why Vicky says that there are 15 episodes on this one. Obviously this is the end. In conclusion, solid sweet unassuming little show. Full review here. 8/10 RECOMMENDED

Want to See You (Vietnam YT) Ep 3-4 - The faen fatale character is just so asinine in this one. The brother is truly adorable though.

Love in Spring (Korea grey) Ep 9-10 . . .

Frankly, I picked up Alchemy of Souls which is the Kdrama take on a wuxia dumpster fire I have been waiting for. It’s het, but I do not care because it’s like CW level craptostic and apparently that was all I wanted in life. What I’m saying is: I have a limited capacity for flowing robes, scenery chewing villains, wooden female leads, and slightly terrible fight sequences. So I am less enamored of Love in Spring, and I already wasn’t much enamored of it. I’m not saying I’m DNFing, just that my judgement is off.

Gossip

W-Story, the Korean production house behind Where Your Eyes Linger, Sherry Blossoms, You Make Me Dance, and Mr. Heart is doing a new project: Jun and Jun. No further info.

In Case You Missed It

Is 2022 Thailand’s year of the 2 Moons resurgence? KimCop had multiple dramas, Bas did Gen Y 2 and cameos, TaeTee are in Triage, Earth is back (My Secret Love), Joong is back (Star in My Heart), and my one true love Pavel is finally returning to me (Coffee Melody - July 18th on Viki). Even Domw was rumored to have a show. Pretty much we are getting a BL from every case member who could give us one. Even Green was in Tuxedo.

Taiwanese Actor Wayne Song (HS:MODC) is officially the king of cameos:

Next Week Looks Like This:

Even Sun starring BounPrem premieres on June 29th on iQIYI. Depicts the story of a creditor (Prem) tasked with collecting a debt (from Boun) and looks like a beach tourism promo thingy. (Trailer)

(last week)

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gaoau · 6 months

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nyanza

it's the color of leaves.

is there color in your world? warnings — none. word count — 1.2k

prev. — next.

the last day before summer break let out early. club activities were off, since probably most clubs would spend their free time—which was a lot of it—working on them. for suna and the rest of his teammates, that meant they had no practice.

suna took the opportunity to head home as soon as the bell sounded. he scrolled lazily through his phone, trying to pretend the walk from the school building to the exit wasn't as endless as he was making it out to be. his eyes flew towards the empty benches and back to his screen.

the weather called for rolled-up sleeves and no blazer. the sun shining down on the cherry blossoms threatened a heatstroke for anyone that stayed under its rays. it made sense that [surname] wasn't waiting to give him a color. she had sent him one a few days prior, anyway.

as he walked through the gates, a sneeze managed to pull him away from his social media feed. suna spared a measly glance to the side before continuing the journey to his bed.

[surname]'s voice tangled around his feet to trip him on the sidewalk. "damn…" it sounded nasal and muffled, and a few sniffles followed her curses.

suna blinked. was [surname] really crouching over some bushes or was the heat playing tricks on his exhausted brain? there was no way he was actually bumping into her outside the school, a day before summer started and they stayed away from each other for more than a month. what were the odds?

she hadn't taken notice of him, too busy mumbling intelligible nonsense to herself. suna could take his leave and pretend she hadn't made him stop in his tracks again. "[surname]?" but he went and called to her.

her mouth clamped shut at the familiar sound of his voice. she craned her neck, looking over her shoulder while brushing her hair out of the way. "ah, suna-kun," she spoke as if she didn't know, "headin' home?"

suna nodded. "what are you doing?" he realized the muffling of her words came from the facemask she wore. it accentuated her intense staring; it was all he could see.

"oh, come meet 'er." her fingers beckoned him to walk closer, like a fish being pulled in after it foolishly bit down on the bait.

"her?"

her, indeed. he stepped next to [surname], finding a cat eating hastily from between the grass blades. its fur boasted all colors; grey and orange and white and brown and black and suna understood why she liked this cat.

her long nails scratched the animal behind her ears. she didn't react as she kept munching her food. "meet nyanza-chan, she's a stray." her mask covered her lips, but he could hear the smile in her words.

"nyanza?"

"yeah, y'know." her eyes found his. they were crinkled as she raised her fist to imitate a cat paw. "nya."

suna cringed and didn't bother to hide his disgust. "don't do that ever again."

her cackles got lost when they bounced against her mask. she raised both hands in mock-surrender. "have fun on yer break, suna-kun." she forgot he couldn't see her smile as she offered him a grin.

nyanza couldn't possibly care less about the attention she was receiving. suna stood by with a confused frown. that was all, [surname] dismissed him like she hadn't been the one to pester him first.

"we have the inter-high preliminaries coming up," he blurted before he could stop himself.

"ah, i'm sure yer trainin' hard. have fun with that. yer strong so you'll manage."

"you'll be there to cheer, right?"

"maybe." she shrugged. "not like i've much of a choice."

"you don't like cheering for us?"

"ain't that. i think you guys could win without cheatin'."

that was a first. [surname] always taught him new firsts. "cheating?"

"when we start booin' and messin' up the other team's serves. it ain't like you lot dunno what yer doing, so i don't get why we do it. not my business, anyway. foxes're sly like that, i guess."

she seemed to have put a lot of thought into that answer. nyanza finished her food, prompting [surname] to stand up and make him bite his tongue. she pulled sanitizer from her satchel, rubbed her hands clean, and tore the mask off her face. her knuckles dug into her eyes.

suna realized the reddish hue glowing around her sclera.

"are you okay?"

"'m allergic to cats," she chortled, "but i figured nyanza-chan could use my help. she was injured when i found 'er."

"sounds like something you'd do."

the beam that crept onto her lips nearly melted his eyes. "ya think?" suna only shrugged. [surname] laughed, and now he could hear it loud and clear. "see ya after break, suna-kun, don't miss me too much."

"friendly reminder i have your number." yet he never messaged her.

"that won't do. i spend my summer breaks away at my grandparents' farm. not a very good signal there." her giggles flowed smoothly like crystal water in a river. "i won't bother ya for a while, so get some rest. have fun with yer volley stuff." the same fingers that had reeled him closer waved goodbye.

she fixed her grip on her satchel, cooing nyanza's name one last time before separating for the summer. the cat didn't even know she had a name as she clawed her fleas away. [surname] chuckled to herself and started her walk home down the sidewalk.

suna glared at her back while it moved far from him. "[surname]." he surprised himself sometimes.

[surname] almost tripped over her own two feet. she turned towards him, eyes soft and round. "yeah?"

"send me one more before you go."

"send…? a… color?" she mumbled. a frown wrinkled her forehead.

suna simply nodded in response. he really should learn to keep his mouth shut.

"oh. well. i guess nyanza works."

"the cat?"

"that, too," she laughed. "i named her nyanza 'cause she was covered in leaves when we met." her gaze fell onto the colorful cat.

he followed her. "so nyanza is green?"

"yeah, lemme just…" her phone popped out from the sleeve of her shirt. he watched as she tapped her thumbs on the screen to input her password; it seemed long. "wait, no." and then she locked it and hid it away.

suna's brows furrowed in a knee-jerk reaction.

[surname] pointed her finger up to the tree providing them shelter from the scorching sun. "these leaves're just right. nyanza's a light shade of green right in the middle of green and yellow. like these leaves."

"oh. thanks, i guess."

"well, my job here's done. see ya, nyanza-chan, suna-kun." she tossed a wave over her shoulder. her hair swayed as she disappeared down the street with weightless steps.

suna nodded and muttered, "see you." he wanted to stay under the rustling nyanza leaves for a second longer.

#is there color in your world?#Haikyuu #Suna Rintarou #Suna Rintarou x Reader #Suna x Reader #Haikyuu x Reader

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hes-writer · 4 years

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Halo

Summary: y/n feels guilty for missing harry

Warnings: angst, slight fluff, mentions of vomiting and nausea, mentions of implied smut

Word Count: 7648 words

A/N: @devilinbetweenthesheet-s : don’t cheat and don’t do drugs, kids.

inspired by one of my anons. some parts are real and some parts aren’t :)

Tarnish (1) . Halo (2) . Reign (3) .

Reign Taglist

___

When the relationship ended, Y/N imagined being bed-ridden. A lack of motivation to do anything casual such as standing. Watching the television seemed to be a task that required all of her energy and full-attention to be able to understand the subtitles on the screen. Her friends would knock continuously on her door to be met with no response because she was asleep or Y/N couldn’t be bothered with pitiful conversation asking her if she was okay. She would be too tempted to ask how Harry was doing when she could easily pull out her phone and search his name in a few quick taps. These used to be easy; as easy as breathing and loving Harry was easier than loving herself.

How was he doing? Y/N hoped that Harry was regretting his actions. She was yearning for the vibration of her phone to restart her heart like an AED stuck to her chest, sending her pulses to remember that they were not what they used to be. Or maybe the snippy ringtone Y/N had set specifically for him and only him would ring through the air as she wallowed in a burrito blanket. Frankly too emotionally worn out to even move an inch as she watched her phone face down on the bedside table of her new apartment.

Life doesn’t wait until Y/N is capable of being back on her feet before thundering down with the foundations of living. Five days into the breakup did she realize that the money she had saved up would be spent faster than she can replace it if she stayed any longer at the hotel near the heart of downtown. It was a spur of the moment decision to ‘treat herself’; she thought she deserved it after being called names and thrown aside like a used toy. And on the fifth day, she was on the lookout for places to live in as she adjusted to her new life without Harry.

It wasn’t like Y/N was completely dependent on him. She had a well-paying job; just not as good as his. And she could afford a nice apartment, just not as nice as his mansion. Nor did it have the same toasty feeling that enveloped her when she walked through the doors. Y/N told herself that she would give it a few months; that maybe it was just the change in setting that misplaced every bone in her body because everything she did felt off. Deep down, Y/N knew that things weren’t the same without him. She could either live a life reminiscing how she--they--used to do things or she could change and adapt to this ball thrown at her.

The decision was in her hands, yet she hesitated with every gambling thought crossing her mind. On one hand, she was used to a routine. It was a routine that never got boring to her, solely because Harry found a way to make things interesting; refreshing. On the other, Y/N would be in a never-ending comparison of how much she missed him or pat her shoulders because she was able to compromise the old parts of her that existed when Harry was around and to integrate it with a new version that was wary of anybody getting close to her.

The challenge was not easy when the media got hold of the news. It seemed as if everywhere Y/N went---mixed reactions and judgement attacked her with doe eyes offering the best of luck or disgusted snickers telling that she deserved it and that they--Camille and Harry--were perfect for each other. But when Y/N quite literally was carrying a piece of him and her inside her stomach did she step up to what she had to become to raise her baby.

It seemed like yesterday when Y/N stared at her reflection in the en-suite bathroom of Harry’s home, pinching at a subtle layer of fat that she was sure wasn’t there a few days ago. Bloated cheeks that added a fullness to her face were substituted as the result of a bright smile plastered on her face because she Harry had pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead before she left for work that day. The sudden aversion to fragrant foods she absolutely adored flew right over her head and excused as a bad batch.

And the most painful memory was the day Harry and Y/N’s relationship ended. The beginning of something new, something beautiful was right under their noses. Y/N wondered what could have happened if she didn’t find the letter. When the symptoms of pregnancy became more obvious each day; would Harry notice the change in her physique? The crinkle of her nose when met with a sandwich containing pickles that she used to love?

Y/N couldn’t help but envision holding the stick with a tiny ‘+’ pixelated by dark colours. Sitting on the closed toilet seat as she contemplated delivering the news to him in the early hours of the morning after she was awoken by a flush of morning sickness. Y/N daydreamed about watching his sleeping face smooth out of any lines as he dreamed peacefully and wondered if this was still a part of what he wanted with her. Maybe she would jostle him gently, rousing him with a poke as she kneeled on his side of the bed, flailing the pregnancy test between her fingers until he blinked the sleep out of his waterline. Harry would present her a doozy smile before realizing what she held--to which he would sit up faster than he had ever done, gazing at her with a pleading stare. For Y/N to confirm that yes, she was pregnant. Yes, they were going to have a baby and yes, Harry was going to be a father. A little family in the works.

But that daydream was reeled in like a fishing hook in grave waters as reality grounded her. She was apparently two months into her pregnancy when Y/N had mistaken the sickness as an inevitable reaction to finding out his infidelity. Hearing him say the term of endearment as if he had not used it with another person made Y/N want to grab him by the shoulders to hold a steady contact, jostling him until answers spilled out of his mouth. Answers that Y/N deemed justifiable but was there ever a good excuse for cheating? She wanted to strip him out of the apologies filling his mouth and get straight to the question of why he had done it. But even then, Y/N knew that there was no way she was going to be satisfied with his answers. It was just a matter of her accepting that the idea of ‘what could have been’ would live inside her head because she was the only one that knew about the life inside of her.

Harry had not made an effort to speak to her besides arranging the dates to pick up her things. She had to wear large clothes to hide her growing belly because Y/N wasn’t sure if she even had the right to tell him something so personal anymore. It fit well with the narrative that she was a depressed homebody that craved the touch of his fingertips on her skin, the taste of his lips on her tongue and the weight of his arms around her. Albeit that he was the father, Harry had obviously moved on way before they ended; a little over a year ago now to be precise.

Y/N was almost one-hundred percent sure that Harry had blocked her number. Scratch that, she was certain if the way her messages failed to send were anything to go by. She could handle seeing the handle of ‘read’ on the bottom of a message because at least she’d know that Harry did read it and that he was aware. But watching the encircled, crimson exclamation point appear was just another reminder that he planned to erase four years from his life to start anew.

____

So what if at four months, Y/N was attending another doctor’s appointment by herself, trying to amount to as little attention as possible? Well, today was the day that she was going to find out the baby’s gender. Her bump was definitely noticeable now and extremely uncomfortable especially sitting on a plastic, grey chair in the waiting room. The device in her hand felt like stone perceiving the icon of blaring red that indicated yet another failed message to the contact previously named ‘My Love’, now to just ‘Harry’.

Y/N: I’m finding out the gender of our baby today

Y/N: I’m hoping for a girl but either way, I just want the baby to be healthy.

“Y/N? Dr. O’Sullivan is ready to see you,” The nurse clad in scrubs walked out with a clipboard gripped in her hands.

Y/N stood up, pausing to retrieve her items. She took a breath before entering the room, catching sight of the doctor in his stereotypical white coat focused on the computer screen that showed her information.

“You know what to do. Good luck today,” The nurse mused, handing her a folded hospital gown to change into as she pointed towards the direction of the room with a little nook to change privately. After struggling a bit with pulling off her top, Y/N tied the strings of the hospital gown.

“Hi, Y/N. How are you today?” He asked, standing up to gather the items he would need. Y/N made herself comfortable on the small bed, the white paper crinkling as her weight shifted.

She sighed deeply, “I’m alright. Really excited, actually,” A grin appeared on her face with just how close she was to find out the gender of the baby, “How about you?”

“Good as always,”

Connor O’Sullivan was the name of the doctor. They met when Y/N was in search of the top-tier family doctor’s around the city and instantly had a connection. He had a trustworthy aura that Y/N deemed acceptable to guide her to a healthy pregnancy. A friendship had definitely blossomed around the doctor-patient boundary but they stayed within their limits. Inside jokes existed but it had never crossed the line. And sure, touches to the shoulder happened once in a while but nothing had escalated further.

Y/N’s baby bump was exposed to the cool room. She shivered when a gloved hand applied the gel on her taut skin. Stretch marks were littering the sides of her tummy. It was itchy and uncomfortable. However, it was tolerable especially after applying a combination of creams and oil to soothe the ache. It was also another reminder that she really was about to become a mother.

“Cold?” Connor teased with an easy smile. Y/N rolled her eyes upwards in response, “You’re the doctor here,”

He chuckled, directing her attention to the small screen beside them. The static fizz of black and white slowly morphing to a more discernible image as he attached the device to her skin, finding the perfect angle to produce a clear picture. The first time Y/N saw her little baby; it was the size of a lemon. The next couple of visits showed progression in their growth; tiny baby feet, stubby legs, and sprouting fingers could be seen on the ultrasound.

They looked more and more like a proper baby now--like the ones one would see in the clinics and Y/N really couldn’t believe that she was about to find out their gender. Y/N couldn’t tell just by inspecting the picture because of her lack of expertise.

“You’re having a. . .” Connor began, edging his voice at the last word. He wiggled his brows as Y/N’s eyes widened.

She balled her fists, “Oh, hell. Just spit it out, C,”

“A girl. You’re having a little girl,” He peered up at the patient, watching tears fill the brim of her waterline as she gasped, palming her slightly open mouth.

“A-a girl?” Y/N craned her head to look at the square image, blurrier because of the tears but beautiful nonetheless. “I can’t believe I’m having a girl,”

The doctor wiped the gel off of her tummy with a cloth, switching off the machine as he waited for another reaction out of her. Y/N tossed her legs to the side, putting on her slip-on vans to fully-comprehend the news. “I’m having a baby girl,”

Connor nodded, releasing an ‘oomph’ at a sudden pressure around his middle. Y/N wrapped her arms around him, feeling the tube of his stethoscope dangling against her cheek. Her lashes fluttered, happy tears streaming out. He returned the gesture with soft rubs on her lower back.

“I’m sorry, I’m so emotional,” Y/N pulled away with a huff, using her fingertips to rub the wetness towards her temple. “I’m so happy but I just wished that he was--,” She cut herself off, pursing her lips as an image of Harry carrying their baby appeared in her head.

“I understand, Y/N.” Connor mirrored her distraught expression as he really did feel sorry for Y/N. However, he couldn’t explain the extra twinge in his heart at seeing her frown over a lost love. “You’re doing great on your own,”

She sighed for possibly the tenth time that day, “We both wanted to name her Halo if it’s a girl or Arlo if it’s a boy. It reminds me of what an angel she will be,”

“Wait until she gets older,” Connor joked to lighten the mood, receiving a glimmer from Y/N. “What d’ya say you get changed and I’ll print out this ultrasound, sounds good? A few more months then we can meet baby Halo,”

Halo.

___

Harry’s relationship with Camille was a dream. It was everything he imagined, maybe even better. The first time they dabbled on getting together was four years ago, before Y/N was even around in his life. There could be so many things right about a relationship and it could still be wrong. Maybe it wasn’t the right place, the right time, or they simply had too many disagreements and flaws that both parties were unwilling to work it to make them--work.

Usually, the third time would be a charm but Harry felt that he and Camille didn’t need a third time. As he said, the past couple of months felt like a dream. He could close his eyes and still feel the soft skin of the woman he loves grazing his fingertips. He couldn’t help but transpire into a new chapter of their love; one where it wasn’t just them tumbling in the sheets. When the squeals in the kitchen while making breakfast were paired with pleads for whipped cream on their pancakes; a child.

Harry was old enough to know what he wanted--at least, he thought he was--and a family was in his books. He finally found a partner who had the same mindset in their future; Camille. At first, he was absolutely sure that Y/N could not be erased from; but her name wasn't set in stone and once he found someone better--no way in hell was he going to let that be a missed opportunity.

Camile sighed softly, laying on Harry's bare chest as he pulled the sheets over their clammy bodies. Their orgasms settled in their veins, the rush and panting breaths calming down with each blink of an eye.

With her finger swirling patterns on his skin, Harry stared at the ceiling in hesitant contemplation, “Babe, have you ever thought of getting off the pill?” She paused.

“Uh, sure, but then we would have to use a condom?” Her voice raised at the end in curiosity.

Harry released an awkward chuckle, gently swivelling her body off of him so he could sit up. Reaching over, his fingers found the flip of the light switch that turned the bedside lamp on. He smiled at her appearance, mirroring his stance as she sat on the bed, a sheet clung around her body.

He shook his head, “No, no. No condoms, no pills and, y’know. . .”

The confusion was evident on Camille’s features, “I don’t exactly understand what you’re trying to say, H--,’

“‘M asking if y’wanna try for a baby, love.’

Silence overtook the room. Harry held his breath in his throat, seemingly trying to swallow down the lump that had formed because of her lack of response. She cleared her throat.

“A baby?” Harry nodded with excitement despite the flat tone whipping past her lips. “I--don’t know how to say this, Harry. I’ve never wanted kids.”

His face fell, the words lingering around his head like a flock of birds. The dizzying epiphany rattled his head clear of any other thoughts besides the fact that there was a hole in his book; burnt and toasted with sparks inkling his skin.

“W-why not?” His palms fell flat on the silky sheets, fisting the fabric to keep him settled. “A mini you and a mini-me running around the house. Won’t that be fun, baby? Don’t you want that?”

It almost hurt Camille to see the grin plastered on his face, hopeful eyes practically begging her to change her mind. But she couldn’t.

“Harry, that part will be fun. What won’t be fun is getting huge, morning sickness, weird cravings, hormonal imbalance, the aftermath of labour, the sleepless nights, the puke, the changing diapers, the back pain, the headaches, the fights when they’re older and so much more” Her accent rippled with each explanation rejecting the idea.

Harry huffed, crossing his arms subconsciously to shield himself, “But it’ll be worth it,”

“It won’t be,” Camille scooted closer to him, situating herself on her knees so that she could look into his eyes clearly. “Look, I made up my mind ages ago and I thought you felt the same since you haven’t settled down yet”

“I was jus’ lookin’ for the right person,” His head dipped down, dropping his gaze their intertwined hands. “It’s gonna’ be okay, Cam. We can make it work. We’ll have our own family. We’ll be okay,”

She shook her head in refusal, “It will be okay for you, H.” Harry could feel her hands itching to slip past his. He held her tighter. He didn’t want to lose her. “You can get back to work immediately. I’m a model and it takes time to lose weight. Even when I do--I won’t look the same. It’ll take me months, if not years to even resemble my present body.

“I don’t care how your body looks. You’re still gonna’ look amazing. You think I won’t love you after birthing our little baby?” With brows pressed together, he pouted his lip in curiosity as she rolled her eyes.

Camille sighed exasperatedly, “I don’t want children, Harry. The sooner you understand that the better. It’s MY body. I’ll be carrying the kid around for 9 months. No thank you.” She stood up, stumbling slightly as the sheets tangled around her feet.

He followed suit. His height towered over her as she crouched down to collect the pieces of clothing strewn around haphazardly in a rush to have each other. “But it’ll be MY baby, Cam. OUR baby, don’t you want that?”

Fingernails dug into the skin of her palm, holding her clothes as she spoke, “I don’t, Harry. Why can’t you just accept that?”

In the heat of the moment, Harry couldn’t help but quell the ache in his chest with a memory he thought he had thrown away, “Because Y/N and I planned to have a family. A-and I thought you and I could have one too,”

Camille huffed, keeping her distance. She walked to the bathroom, “Well, maybe you shouldn’t have fucking cheated on her then,”

___

His fight with Camille left the both of them on edge, barely able to handle the thick tension surrounding the house. Even though she took refuge in the bedroom and Harry wandered to the kitchen to cool off; it was impossible for them to stay in one place without having another argument.

Harry didn’t mean to let the memory slip past his lip. He hated it when he found himself comparing his past relationships to his current one. He felt that there was no need to do so, especially when the point of all of it was to start anew. Harry guessed that his desire to have a family was too powerful to keep his thoughts in check. The ache bubbling in his chest rose to a boil with each rejection that Camille answered with.

It wasn’t like he didn’t respect her decision. He really did. But Harry didn’t know if he was going to be happy being with her without progressing into something more through the years. What he was asking from her is just as difficult as what she was asking from him. Camille didn’t want to have children and Harry didn’t want to not have kids. There was no room for compromise if they both, mutually, wanted to respect each other's' decisions’ to the absolute fullest. However, the chances of him living a content life were zero to none.

And that was how Harry ended up at a bar, alone, at nine o’clock in the evening. They were invited by his friend, Kora, to a birthday celebration. Harry was reaching the limit of his threshold having to fake a smile and a chuckle while saying, “Camille’s feelin’ a bit sick tonight. ‘S just me,”

The thing with this celebration was that Kora was initially Y/N’s friend. He and Kora had become close friends while he was with Y/N and he guessed that that was the reason why he was invited. Although, it made him wonder why one of Y/N’s best friends invited him when she was aware of what happened between them. Surely, there was no way that Kora would invite Y/N, Harry, and Camille to the same crowded space, would she?

The sudden nervousness swirling at the pit of his stomach came with a quick neck as Harry scanned each premise of the bar. It was difficult considering the dim lighting and endless amounts of heads moving against each other. He hoped to see Y/N; just to see how she was doing! But he also felt like puking the alcohol he consumed because--as much as he wanted to admit it or not--he missed her.

After a half-hour of being vigilant, Harry willed himself to relax by the counter. Leaning one elbow on the wood as he spoke to another person regarding his upcoming album.

‘Yeah, yeah. It’s goin’. ‘M really excited for it cause’ I’ve got a lot of inspiration for some reason,” Harry answered with unyielding precision.

“We both know where that came fro--Oh hi! Sorry, H. Gotta check in on, Johnny,”

He rolled his eyes under closed lids, sipping on his drink, eyeing Kora when he heard a quip of Y/N’s name. Harry inconspicuously moved closer to her, making sure that he didn’t catch her attention.

“You’re not here,” Kora yelled with a whine to her tone. Her drunk self was still coherent enough to embark on the bartender to make another drink for her. However, Harry guessed that her senses were obscured with the way she yelled through the phone despite it being held to her ear and the function tapped to ‘speaker’.

“I know. I’m sorry. I promise to make it up to you, Kora,” Y/N’s gentle chuckle rumbled through the speaker, making Harry smile. It was the first time he heard it in a while. He sometimes wondered if he had the right to feel relieved when Harry was the one that blocked her number in the first place.

“It’s my birthday! Why aren’t you here drinking with us?” Kora quietly thanked the bartender.

Harry’s curiosity spiked; why wasn’t Y/N here tonight?

“It’s because I’m pregnant, silly. Can’t really do that when I’ve got a bubba in my tummy,” Both women giggled, Kora, making a sound of acknowledgement, “Ohhh right!”

He really wished that he would have stuck by long enough to hear more of their conversation but Kora’s boyfriend was approaching her and he wasn’t in the mood to discuss anything if he was honest.

She moved on fast, Harry thought. He was definitely sounding like an entitled jerk. Hear him out though; Harry was happy with Camille. Yes, he had been cheating on Y/N for a whole year and yes, she had to find out through a letter but Y/N was pregnant.

Did she really move on that quickly?

___

Despite the guilt gnawing at her for missing her best friend Kora’s birthday, Y/N was also looking forward to getting some sleep. It was a couple of hours after their phone call together when the nauseating tightening of Y/N’s chest woke again and had been for the past three days.

It was a horrible feeling that spread from the confines of her stomach. The bile rising up from her throat that left a burning feeling from the acids that escaped her mouth as she quickly threw the covers away from her legs, running towards the direction of her bathroom where she emptied the remnants of her stomach from last night’s craving of pickles and hot Cheetos. Her chest heaved with exertion as she draped her arms over the white porcelain of the disinfected toilet, hunching over as her stomach seemingly pumped away toxins.

Y/N wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, visibly shuddering as she pointed a finger to flush the toilet. She had a feeling that she won’t be getting any more sleep despite the time being three o’clock in the morning. Halo was insistent on staying up past normal bedtime hours. Y/N sighed, walking lethargically towards the dresser to retrieve her phone before heading to the living room nearby.

Y/N: You up, doc?

The blue loading bar swooped to the right as Y/N sent a message to Connor. She was at the peak of her pregnancy and her due date was occurring within a few weeks. A lot had changed since the day she found out the gender of her baby. Between the emotional trauma of having been broken up with--the hard-hitting fact was that Y/N was pushed into a direction of pregnancy that wasn’t exactly her ideal path. She pretty much preferred the dream-like sequence of having Harry accompanying her to her ultrasounds.

Just as Y/N was about to delve into another imaginary scenario of Harry sending her cute baby onesies that he would absolutely need to purchase for their little one, the humming of her phone pulled her from drowning in pathetic wishes and desires.

Connor: What’s up, Y/N?

She jutted her lips as she typed out a response. Contemplating whether or not to send the message as Y/N’s thumb hovered over the arrow, she paused to wonder why she was feeling so guilty in texting another man months and antecedent her break up with Harry. He was happy with someone else, yet Y/N felt as if her feet were planted in a puddle of sticky glue; unable to move on from the life she built in her head. Although it hurt to admit that Harry only existed in her memories now, reminiscing the spoken words they have discussed was another stab to her already bruised heart.

Y/N: Halo’s keeping me up again..

Connor: Want me to come over?

To keep you company

The reply was instantaneous and she could not deny the flutter of her heart beating subtly despite the extremities it had endured. And Y/N couldn’t help but notice the jitter of her baby bump morphing a plump bulge where Halo had kicked it as if it was a stamp of approval of the man coming over.

It wasn’t the first time that Connor drove to her place at the brink of dawn to keep her company in case the sickness became too much for Y/N to handle. The first time was simply a desperate action because she was rattled by the sudden spike in dizziness and incoherence of her sickness that Y/N wasn’t confident in herself to handle it alone. Times after that were more for his comfort when Connor said that he would ‘rather be safe than sorry’ while he rubbed his palm up and down her back.

Minutes later, a knock on her door sounded, forcing Y/N to haul her plump body to the comfort of the sofa, pausing the rerun of a television show. She waddled towards the entrance, the fit of her pyjama waistband snuggly wrapping around her mid-belly. A stretch of skin exposed between her bottoms and her tank top.

“Hi, thank you for coming,” Y/N greeted shyly, widening the door to let Connor in as he chuckled, toeing off his shoes by the closet door.

He waved her off, “It’s no problem, really,” Connor assisted her back to her couch, aiding her by letting his hands stabilize in the air in case anything happened.

The moment their bottoms hit the cushions did Y/N realize the gravity of the guilt spiralling in her chest. Connor laughed softly, his back resting on the couch with his right arm resting on the top, fingertips barely brushing over her shoulder. He reached over the coffee table to obtain the bowl of freshly popped popcorn, picking one to munch on but not before looking over at Y/N.

“Want some?”

She snapped out of her daze, cheeks heating profusely at being caught blatantly staring at how Connor fit naturally into her home both physically and metaphorically. He couldn’t have appeared at a better time when Y/N not only needed medical assistance and a support group by her side. However, she asked herself if he could be anything more than a friend. She shook her head ‘no’.

“No thanks. I’m quite full,” Y/N pressed a palm to her belly when a kick halted her breath. ‘Okay maybe a little,” She rolled her eyes, scolding Halo. “She’s a hungry one,”

“I’m gonna pop some more popcorn, kay? Be right back,”

Y/N heaved a sigh, watching Connor’s retrieving figure. Her admiration was cut off by the ringing of her phone.

___

Harry wasn’t so sober when he opened the door to his car. He wasn’t in his right mind either when he unblocked Y/N’s number and tapped on her name, switching the screen as it rang. He threw his head back against the headrest, biting his lip when the dial tone rang and rang.

“Hello?”

Harry’s breath hitched, losing his voice momentarily before his slowed brain caught up to move his tongue.

“Y/N? It’s Harry,” He spoke quietly, “Don’t hang up. Hear me out,” His ears stretched to pick up the click of a dropped call but he didn’t hear any.

“Heard from Kora that y’were pregnant, yeah? And I was wondering, whose is it?” The venom in his voice dripped. His drunken stupor rendered him unable to grasp reality.

“I’m not answering that,” Y/N’s tone was firm and direct. Harry could imagine her pursing her lips inwards.

“Why not? Scared that y’gonna have to admit that everything you put on was an act? How can y’move on so fast and give me shit about it?” The parking lot was filled with cars yet Harry could see that he was the only one currently occupying one. If there was a better metaphor of feeling alone in a crowded place; then he would love to hear it.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Harry? You cheated on me! You slept with another woman while we were together. You loved another woman while we were together. For an entire year, you lied to me and deceived me,”

“Jus’. . .answer the question,” He pinched his nose bridge, a headache pounding from the bottom of his skull.

“How dare you speak to me this way? You have no right calling me up out of nowhere,” Y/N lowered the volume of her voice, “and asking all these ridiculous questions,”

“S’not ridiculous,”

She gave a smile to Connor who entered the room with a bowl of delicious smelling popcorn. Y/N clutched the phone to her chest. Connor situated his body beside her with a glimmering smile, his mouth twitching as he eyed her bump, “Can I talk to her?” A gentle question breezed past his lips, moving closer when Y/N gave him approval.

The man kneeled down on the floor, leaning his head downwards to speak to Halo, “Hey little one, y’gotta be nice to momma, okay?” His fingers waved when her feet kicked out. Connor looked up to Y/N with a proud smile, “Did you see that? She responded!”

___

Harry felt his heart clench as a new voice filled the speakers. His neurons were fried with each thought firing endlessly, “Who’s that?

“Don’t call me again,”

The dial tone rung in his ears, echoing in the quiet space of his Range Rover.

___

Pressing the power button for a few seconds, the device turned black and was left on the arm of the couch. The excitement in Connor’s voice brought a dreamy smile to Y/N’s face, chewing on some popcorn. The beating of her heart seemed to double at the sight of him being so thrilled with her baby.

“We can’t wait to see you. I bet you’re gorgeous,” Connor dropped his volume to a whisper to prevent Y/N from hearing, ‘’Like your mom,”

Y/N’s relaxed and comfortable state of mind mindlessly worked her hands to thread the hair on top of Connor’s head. Just like she used to do to Harry. Her expression dimmed at the thought, painting a faint simper when Connor looked at her in surprise before shrugging it off, continuing to talk to her bump. She shivered when a warm pair of lips attached to the skin of her stomach. Gentle pressure planting a kiss as Connor said his goodbyes to baby Halo.

“She’s a smart one, that much I can tell,” He confirmed, moulding his body to the lingering shape he had left behind in his previous position. And Y/N was flustered to say that she might have scooched a little closer to his body, snuggling her head at the junction of his shoulder.

“Can I?” She asked, doe eyes raising a question that would allow them to cross the boundary they had limited themselves to. He nodded reflexively as if he was awaiting this moment. Connor took the initiative to pull Y/N closer to him, subconsciously kissing the top of her head. The scent of the woman’s shampoo wafting through his nose and invading his senses in a sweet smell that he would gladly immerse himself to.

It was the most pleasant feeling for Y/N to completely let go of her former worries about starting anew when Connor was as cozy as a heater. He made Y/N feel safe and secure with his body shielding her and his actions hinting at a subdued attraction he hadn’t fully shown to her.

And Connor was proud of himself for not quite literally freaking out when Y/N smothered her face to his chest as time passed and the sun rays filtered through the blinds as she fell asleep. Her words mumbled in a jumbled mess about how she wished that morning sickness wasn’t called morning sickness.

It wasn’t totally accurate, she complained. She thought that it was a misleading name; catfishing perhaps. He had chuckled in response, tracing his fingers up and down her arm and feeling goosebumps rise on her skin.

The orange hue of the bright star painting the sky lighter and lighter until the pitch-black sight morphed into a mixture of shades that could only be described as beautifully grandiose--just like Y/N’s sleeping face when the sun casts a shadow to highlight her nose, scrunching with the slight graze of the back of Connor’s finger rubbing the tip. Or the way the luminescence caressed the apples of her cheeks where her lashes rested, mouth puffing breaths of air as she allowed herself to be vulnerable for the first time in months.

___

A heavy feeling had settled into Harry's chest after Y/N hung up the phone. The new voice he had heard had unmistakably been a man's. Who was he? Was Y/N having that man's baby?

Before he could help it, Harry was seething. He saw red, and if he were in a children's movie there would be steam coming out of his ears right about now. How dare she move on so fast? How could she have a baby with another man so soon? But when he thought about it; Harry couldn't even recall how long it had been since they'd broken up. It made him feel somewhat guilty. He hadn't meant to forget her. It had just happened.

His guilt soon manifested into frustration-- her being pregnant was a constant reminder that she had moved on with another man. Insecurity clawed at his insides- did he really mean that little to her? 'You cheated on her', his conscience pricked, but he brushed away the thought. He hated being reminded of his infidelity to his fiancée.

His defence mechanism kicked in like clockwork, using aggression to shield his insecurities. He opened his messages app and clicked her contact, typing drunkenly.

Harry: 'Your a whore'

'You're*'

'Diid yu cheat on me? I bet youu did'

'Do u sleepp arond a loot?'

'fck u'

He smiled smugly at his phone screen, satisfied with what he had sent her. He shut his phone off, and started his car, ready to drive back home. He knew he was being irresponsible, but between his current girlfriend not wanting a child and his ex being pregnant with one; he couldn't bring himself to care. He drove himself home, only to find a terribly worried Camille waiting for him to arrive.

He glanced at the huge clock on the wall behind her. 1:32 am. He shrugged his shoulders and brushed past her to their bedroom. In his drunken gait, he knocked over a metal tray. The loud 'clang' made him hiss and clutch his temples, a headache pounding in his skull.

Camille sighed and made her way over to him, wrapping her arms around his torso and muttering a "come here, H" Despite his sour mood, he found himself craving affection. What he wouldn't admit was that he didn't crave Camille's affection in particular. He just wanted to be held and feel safe in someone's arms. Anyone's arms. But despite himself, he mumbled, "m'sorry I left like tha'. Should'nt 've spoken to ya that way,"

She nodded, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "It's okay, Harry, you're back home now. C'mon, let's get you changed and then let's sleep."

He bobbed his head up and down, willingly letting her drag him up the stairs to their shared bedroom, "Love ya,” Camille helped him out of his trousers.

She smiled softly, "Love you too, mon Cheri,” He giggled drunkenly at the showcase of her accent.

___

Harry woke up with a pounding headache, whining as his alarm rang at eight am in the morning. He opened his eyes to see that Camille wasn't in bed with him. His lips fell into a pout because of waking up alone.

There was a note on the bedside table.

'got called in for an emergency meeting for the show next week. be home by 5pm. love you!'

He sighed and reached for the glass of water she had left him. His brows furrowed when he didn't see Ibuprofen next to the water. Y/N left him ibuprofen beside the glass of water. Always. Harry snapped himself out of his daze, reprimanding himself for even thinking about her. Why is he thinking about her?

After a hot shower, Harry made his way downstairs to make himself breakfast. 'Eggs and toast', he thought. Placing 2 eggs in water and setting it on the stove before loading the toaster. He looked mindlessly through the drinks in the fridge, settling on 'Organic Orange Juice'. Y/N had introduced him to this particular brand after he had complained that all the others had too much sugar to be 'healthy'.

___

"This has no added sugar, H," she mentioned, "They sweeten it with honey."

___

Harry groaned, snapping himself out of the daydream, ashamed for thinking about his ex. Again.

He placed his breakfast on a plate and poured himself a glass of juice, sitting at the dining table alone. He chewed slowly with a mouthful as he unlocked his phone, beginning to go through his notifications.

Camille sent him a text. It was a selfie of her at her meeting, smiling and holding up a peace sign. He mirrored the expression, sending a text back

Harry: "stop being so cute"

He clicked the ‘back’ icon.

The second he does, his heart positively skips a beat. Not in a good way, either. Y/N's contact was just below Camille's, suddenly remembering the nasty things he had texted her the previous night.

"Fuck," He whispered under his breath, opening her contact. 'Read' was plastered under the messages he had sent. Y/N had seen them.

Connor had left a few hours later because he had morning rounds at the clinic the next day. Y/N had bid him goodbye with a shy kiss to the corner of his mouth,

“Thanks for coming, C,"

He smiled and pulled her into an embrace "Anytime, angel," into her hair. A warmth spread through her chest--one that she hadn’t felt in a long while.

After Connor drove off (with a final wave from his car window, of course), Y/N walked back in to settle on her couch again. Halo kicked a few times as she sat down, making Y/N squirm and giggle.

"Hi, you little goose! What's got you all excited, hm?" She rubbed over the area where Y/N felt the kick. As if, in response to her mother's voice, baby Halo kicked out again, right where Y/N's palm was. "Are you trying to high-five me, precious girl?"

Y/N cooed at her swelling tummy, a huge smile plastered across her face. "Or are ya just excited about Connor coming over to spend time with us? Got a good feeling about him, have you?"

She feels a gentle kick, it was almost as if the baby in her tummy wanted to say 'yes'. Y/N hummed softly, caressing her tummy, "Me too, angel. I've got a good feeling about him, too."

A few minutes later, Y/N reboots her phone her previously switched off phone so that she could see if Connor had texted her. He had.

C: Thanks for letting me spend time with you and Halo tonight. I loved it. I have a bit of time off on Sunday, do you want to get Pizza?'

Her eyes gleamed, but she hesitated for just a second. Connor had texted her. But so had Harry. He had sent her five messages, and Y/N wasn't sure if she wanted to see what he had to say.

She wanted to make sure before texting Connor back. Y/N was not sure what she was expecting or hoping for, but what she saw was certainly not it.

Harry: 'Your a whore'

'You're*',

'Diid yu cheat on me? I bet you did

'Do u sleepp arond a loot?'

'fck you'

She felt tears stinging her eyes, cursing at the pregnancy hormones that have gotten her feeling this emotional about drunk texts from her ex. Her body ignited with fury quicker than she realized she could. Y/N doesn't hesitate to click the 'block' button to his contact.

She didn't need a man like him around her or her baby. Or her potential boyfriend.

Y/N: 'Hiya!,'

'it was great having you over, and I'd love to hang out! Down for pizza anytime. Halo loves it too :P'

The reply was instantaneous

C: 'Great!'

'See you Sunday, then! What are your favourite toppings?"

Y/N smiled brightly, finding his curiosity incredibly endearing. She typed back a response, gleaming with joy at the fact that she finally had someone she could rely on.

___

"Fuck. fuck fuck fuck," Harry repeated, clicking the call button to Y/N's contact. He needed to apologize. Desperately. He needed her to know that he didn't mean any of those things; he was just drunk. Not that that was an excuse.

'The number you are trying to reach is not in service', an automated voice said.

Harry groaned in frustration, opening her message contact, typing out;

Harry: "I'm so sorry, I don't know what had gotten into me. I was drunk. I'm very sorry, Y/N xx H."

He took a bite out of his toast before looking back at his screen to see if she had read the message yet. He almost wished he hadn't. Harry’s heart plummeted. His chest constricted as tears stung at the back of his eyes. Throwing up the meal he just scarfed sounded like an option right now.

A flaming red exclamation mark met his startled glance, and his chest heaved as he read,

'Not delivered,'

___

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#harry styles #harry styles one shot #harry styles x reader #harry styles imagine #harry styles blurb #harry styles drabble #harry styles x you #harry styles x y/n #harry styles imagines #harry styles blurbs #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction

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amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines · 4 years

Text

Jason//don’t blame me for falling

Request: Can I request a jason/reader where Polly is jealous of the reader because she's dating Jason and she tries to break up both of them up but the bulldogs and the vixens confront Polly and tells her to back off because the reader and jason are end game and can the reader also be co-captain and Jason Captain of the bulldogs and can the reader being bestfriends with Cheryl! And thank you btw I love your writing!!!!

hey! i hope everyone is having a good day!! i don’t really get/have a lot of jason imagines so this was super fun to write. title is from harry styles’ ‘to be so lonely’. i hope you like this!! k, byeeee

Polly Cooper has done some things in her time. She’s lied, stole and caused more drama than you can wave a commentary youtube channel at.

But this time, she’s gone too far.

You knew she was jealous when you and Jason started dating. It was understandable, they’d dated and he’d essentially broken up with her for you. But thats as far as it went. There was never any cheating or lying involved, and Polly was your friend...sort of.

But everyone could see that Jason was miserable with Polly, whether that was her fault or not, nobody knew. But when your friends saw you and Jason talking to each in the corridor. When Cheryl would invite you over to hang out after school and she’d find you with Jason instead of getting a snack like you’d told her, everyone knew it was inevitable.

The captain of the football team and the co-captian of the cheerleaders...it’s just destiny. Especially if they’d grown up together. Especially if your best friend was his sister. It was bound to happen eventually, it was just a matter of waiting for the timing to be right.

And eventually, after years of waiting and pining and staring longingly at each other...it happened.

You went to a party together like you always did on a Friday night. You snuck both Cheryl and Jason out of their house with a little help from the Vixens and Bulldogs and then you were off to Hayley Grey’s party!

There, the two of you drank a little too much (it was for a good reason, Jason was upset about his very messy breakup and the fact that Polly now hated him and you, even though you weren’t even together then) and by the end of the night you’d played a very drunk game of truth or dare, made out in the bath tub, confessed your undying love for each other and then fell asleep in the back garden.

You were woken up the next day by Hayley’s dad shouting at the two of you to get off the freshly mowed lawn otherwise he’d call the police and the neighbourhood watch. You’d grabbed Cheryl, ran past Hayley being scolded by her mom and went back to the Blossom’s.

Once you got there, Mr and Mrs Blossom were stood outside the gate with their arms crossed and scowls on their faces, and stood next to them was your parents, also looking more than annoyed.

The three of you had been grounded for three weeks, but it was worth it.

Without that party you and Jason would still just be friends, so you silently thanked Hayley Thomson and her parents, while you and Jason stood beside each other, your fingers still intertwined as your parents shouted at the three of you.

And the rest as they say, is history...

Or at least thats what you thought they’d say.

But this is real life and nothing is ever that easy.

Because yes, for the rest of the weekend you were happy. Texting each other in secret with hidden phones the two of you had gotten ages ago so you could continue to talk to each other.

You told your friends, he told his and they were so happy.

Cheryl the most because it meant she didn’t have to listen to you mope about Jason whenever he was with someone that wasn’t you, or listen to Jason try to subtly mention you in conversations that related to you in no way, and failing.

Everyone was happy.

But by Monday morning, word had gotten around and one person wasn’t happy.

Polly Cooper. The older and arguably more annoying sister of the Cooper children. She’s always been a little wary of you, you did hang around with her boyfriend a lot and she’d heard the bets about how long it would take for you to get together.

But when Jason broke up with her, that was it.

Even though you two didn’t get together until like three weeks after they broke up so you don’t really know what she was complaining about.

She had a list on enemies and you were number one, Jason followed closely at two and then Cheryl was three, just because.

Her hatred started off slow. She would glare at the two of you whenever you walked past her. Then there were the whispers, laughter and of course the name calling, which then bizarrely evolved to middle school-esque notes passed during class that made you roll your eyes and Jason laugh at the crude drawings.

“Do I really look like this?” He asks, holding up the latest note that has been shoved through his locker.

“Hmm.” You think for a few seconds, glancing between him and the paper. The hair’s the same colour, but apart from that, “nah.” You shrug and he nods, looking at the drawing one last time before throwing it in the bin. “You’re much more attractive.” You say, a smile tugging at your lips as you lean over the lunch table to kiss him.

“Slut!” Polly shouts from across the cafeteria and you pull away reluctantly, both you and Jason sharing a look of annoyance.

“Do you want me to talk to her?” Cheryl asks from beside you, too busy staring at her phone to actually pay attention to anything around her.

“Its fine.” You say. “I’ve got it.” You turn in the direction of Polly and flip her off, a sweet smile adorning your lips and your friends laugh loudly. “This is the 21st century, there’s no such things as sluts Polly.”

“You’re the exception to that.” She replies.

“Well done Polly. That was actually really good for you.” You compliment. “You keep working on your insults and come back to me when you have something better than slut. Oh and how did you get in my boyfriends house to put your bra in his bed? We’ve spent hours trying to figure it out and nothing.” The room goes quiet at your revelation and Polly glances at the table, trying to regain her composure.

She looks back up a few seconds later and the usual smug grin settles on her face.

“I must have forgot it the last time I was there, which was what Jason? Last night?”

“I don’t think so Polly because I think I would have noticed you there.” You reply and hushed gasps and giggles echo around the room.

She shuts up after that, thankfully letting you eat the rest of your lunch in peace.

You know it won’t last, but you’ll take the small victory.

----

“Did she seriously put a bra in his room?” Cheryl asks as the two of you walk out of the changing rooms and towards the front doors.

Vixen and Bulldog practice both finish at the same time so the two of you wait by the doors for Jason and the rest of your friends.

“Yep.” You reply, popping the p and she looks at your amused. “I genuinely don’t know how she’s getting in there. Jason thinks she never left, she’d living in the walls.” You giggle.

“But why though? I would never leave any of my bras in anybody’s room. They’re all too pretty.”

“I agree.” You nod. “I dunno. She’s been trying to break up us since we got together. She’s spread rumors about both of us, left bras in his bed and faked texts between the two of them.”

“Well thats annoying.”

“If anything it’s just sad.” You sigh. “I kind of feel sorry for her.”

“What? Why?”

“I dunno. I mean, her boyfriend did break up with her and then start dating his best friend three weeks later. He was miserable but it still doesn’t make it any less upsetting for her.” You frown as you speak.

Despite being together for over 5 months now, you still can’t help shake the feeling that maybe you’re in the wrong. You don’t want to upset anyone, it just so happens that you’ve been in love with Jason Blossom for as long as you can remember.

“Well, you’re a bigger person than me.” Cheryl shrugs, looking around the empty corridor. “Where the hell is he, this bag is heavy.” She complains and unlocks her phone, sending another text to Jason and huffing loudly when she doesn’t get an answer immediately.

You laugh and go to rearrange your bag on your shoulder when your realize that you’ve forgotten it.

“Shit, Cheryl. I left my bag.” You say and she rolls her eyes.

“How do you forget a bag that big?” She asks and you shrug. “Go on, I’ll wait.”

“Thank you Cheryl, you’re the best.” You smile sweetly before rushing back towards the gym and changing rooms.

All the way back you feel like you’re being watched.

It’s not an intense feeling, its just makes you a little bit more aware of your surroundings, a little bit more jumpy when one of the janitors drops a mop on the floor. You look over your shoulder a little more often when you searching for your bag, and when you finally find it you walk a little quicker out of the room and into the corridor.

You start the slow walk back to the front of the school, deciding to keep Cheryl waiting for a bit longer. And it’ll be even better if Jason is stood with her, both of the Blossom’s annoyed.

But just when you think you’re safe, Polly appears and you can already feel the headache starting. You force a smile and stare straight at her, trying to feign niceness.

“Hi Polly. Great practice wasn’t it?” Thats right, she follows you literally everywhere, even to practice, despite not listening to anything you or Cheryl says.

“Stay away from my boyfriend.” She replies and your eyes widen, now fully invested in wherever this conversation is going.

“Excuse me?” You blink.

“You heard me. Stay away from my boyfriend.” She moves closer to you, effectively backing you into a corner and the only things thats keeping space between the two of you is your gym bag...of course it is.

“Polly, he isn’t your boyfriend anymore. He broke up with you, remember?”

“Remember?” She laughs bitterly. “How could I forget. You stole the love of my life away from me.”

“I di-”

“You’ve been planning this haven’t you. I mean I get it. Your friends with him for ages and then it slowly develops into something more. I understand that. You know, he always told me I had nothing to be worried about whenever I asked about you. That was a lie wasn’t it? Because here you are, happy and in love while I’m alone. But remember this. He chose me first. He was your friend for years and he never wanted you until now.”

“Look Polly, I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“I don’t want you to say anything. I want you to shut up, and listen.” She says, backing you further and further into the corner.

“Okay.”

“I will get Jason back. Slowly but surely, he’ll realize he made a mistake and that he’s supposed to be with me. You’re only supposed to be his friend, nothing mor-”

“Is everything okay?” A voice asks.

Polly pauses and both of you move to look who the voice belongs to. A small smile twitches at your lips when you see your friends from both the Vixen’s and the Bulldogs.

“Yeah.” Polly says through gritted teeth. “Everything’s fine, isn’t it Y/n?”

“Are you sure? Because from where we’re standing, it looks like you were threatening Y/n. Doesn’t it?” Juliet continues and looks around at the rest of the group. They all nod, glaring at Polly.

“Jason’s chosen who he wants. Do everyone a favour and back off.” Cheryl says in a cold tone.

The group of Vixen’s and Bulldogs part to let her through, and as soon as she’s at the front, she’s backing Polly into the wall. You quickly side-step to avoid being squashed and watch as Cheryl continues to subtly threaten Polly.

Its not how you would prefer to tackle the issue, but she ignores everything else, so maybe Cheryl will do the trick. You don’t know for sure, what you do know is you’re very thankful to have friends that find you when your in trouble, even if they do want to go home.

Cheryl finishes her threats with a very sweet ‘got that?’, and even you’re a little scared as to how she can change her tone and entire demeanor so quickly. She then grabs your hands and pulls, the two of you walking towards the front doors, your friends following all talking loudly.

You see Jason stood by the door, pacing up and down while he frantically texts. Once he hears noise he looks up and the worried expression disappears as soon as he sees you.

“You okay?” Jason asks, his eyebrows kitting together as he takes in your shaken appearance.

“I am now.” You reply, sending him a small, but relieved smile. He nods, but you can tell he doesn’t believe you.

He knows when you’re lying, he knows everything about you, but he also knows you’ll tell him later if you want to. He knows right now he just needs to see you smile properly.

“Pops?” He suggests and slings an arm over your shoulder, the two of you set off in a slow walk out of the doors and towards his car. “We can split a milkshake.”

“Why can’t I get my own?” You ask, feigning annoyance.

“Because in all our years of friendship, when have you ever gotten your own milkshake?” He replies.

“Never.” You sigh.

“Exactly.” He nods. “Just because we’re together doesn’t change anything.”

“Thats fine by me.” You grin.

#jason blossom #jason blossom imagine #jason blossom x reader #jason blossom x you #jason blossom x y/n #riverdale #riverdale imagine

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anothersadsimp · 3 years

Note

Congrats on 400 followers!! 🤗💙 Could you do a Dan Torrance sfw ABC?

Thank you so much!!!! Of course you can have ABC of Danny boy! This was fun to do and I want to cuddle him now.

A - Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

It takes a while for Danny to open up. He’s had a rough past, and closes himself off to protect himself and others. He always tensed up when you showed any type of physical contact, but slowly started to melt into them. After things became official between the two of you he slowly started reciprocating, but is still nervous about it.

B - Best Friend (What would they be like as a best friend? Where does the friendship start?)

You guys met through Billy. Most people in town know Billy, he is the quiet sweetheart that does what he can to help out. So he introduces the two of you, the two closest people to him. From there your friendship blossomed and he’d start seeking you out to be around you.

C - Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Danny boy just needs to be held ok? Sweet boy just has so much going on and cuddling with you helps ground him. His favorite cuddle position is where you're on your back, and his head is resting on your chest, your arms cradling his head brushing through his hair. His arms will be around your waist trying to get impossibly closer to you and you tangle your legs with his, which makes him oh so soft.

D - Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking, cleaning, ect?)

He loves the idea of getting a small apartment with you, just something small and quaint. A proper home for once in his life with the one person he feels safe with.

He likes to keep a tidy place, if there is too much of a mess it starts to overwhelm him. He likes cooking, but most of the things he knows how to cook are simple dishes. He likes when you cook food you’ve had when you were a kid, a smile always adorning his face as you cook.

E - Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

This man would have tears in his eyes, but refuses to let them fall. But he would make sure he is respectful and make you realize that it really is him. He doesn’t want you to feel worse than you already do.

F - Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? Do they wanna get married?)

He is very hesitant about wanting to fully commit to you. He loves you, but he has so many demons. He thinks you deserve better than an ex-alcoholic that has mountains of trauma and this weird shining thing that haunts him most nights.

I feel like he wouldn’t feel the need to make it “official” anyways. Just being with you in general is enough for him. He doesn’t need this grand gesture or a piece of paper to show that he loves you. But he will do whatever makes you happy.

G - Gentle (How gentle are they both physically and emotionally?)

Dan emotionally is very rough around the edges, he really does need a bit of TLC. He himself tries to be soft towards you, and give you everything he thinks you deserve in a s/o. He wishes so much he could do more.

Physically he melts in your arms. The moment you hold him in any way he can’t help but smile for a moment and hold on to you tighter, or nuzzle into you. He’s been through shit and somehow his demons keep finding him, but when he is in your arms he feels safe. He’s not necessarily clingy, but he loves being held and holding you.

H - Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it, and what are they like?)

Like I said this man loves to hold you and he loves to be held. His hugs at first are timid, but you always squeeze him as hard as you can in the biggest bear hug you can muster. After you reciprocate his hug he grows more confident in it.

I - I Love You (How fast do they say the “love” word?)

As said before Danny is hesitant about most things because of his past, so it takes a while for him to even think “wow I love this person”. He knows he cares for you and does love you but the thought of really being “in love” scares him a bit. But nevertheless he does admit it out loud when you're holding him one night after a particularly nasty nightmare, or day just needing comfort.

J - Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What are they like when jealous?)

So I feel like during his time he got clean he’s learned to control his emotions more, so it’s hard for him to get jealous. He also trusts you 100% in that area, he knows you and knows you wouldn’t cheat on him. But when he does I feel like he gets a little pouty, and quiet. Once you realize you’ll grab his hand and squeeze it reassuring him that everythings ok.

K - Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

He’s usually into the soft kisses, the ones where you both end up melting into each other. Your bodies start to relax with the feel of each other and you can feel the care in the kiss. IMAGINE AS HE LINKS HIS FINGERS WITH YOURS AS YOU KISS SOFTLY

But don’t let the man fool you, when the time is right he will kiss you with a fiery passion. It's incredibly sexy when he kisses you as if he owns you, but this is reserved for behind closed doors.

L - Little Ones (How are they around kids?)

He wasn’t good with kids before, but after working at Teeny Town and Abra he got better. It’s funny because he doesn’t do a high pitched voice like others usually would, but he would talk with interest and curiosity in his voice.

M - Morning (What are mornings like with them?)

So mornings happen differently. There are the mornings he gets up somewhat early to go conduct the train in Teeny Towns, and there are the mornings where he sleeps in a little later after a night working at the hospice center. Either way when one of you gets up you're always pressing a kiss to the top of the others head when they wake, and before they leave for work.

N - Nights (How are nights spent with them?)

Nights are the same as the mornings. The nights where he’s home are spent with the two of you dancing around each other as you cook, clean, or do whatever it is you do in the afternoons. But when he goes in to work, you always pack him some food to munch on later in the night and he can’t help but smile at the thoughtfulness. When he comes home he loves seeing you curled up in your shared bed, more often than not you’re in one of his shirts.

O - Open (When do they open up about themselves?)

It takes a while for him to open up to you. I mean most people think he’s crazy when he talks about the things he sees, or looks at him with pity because of his past. You never pushed him to talk about anything, which is how you gained his trust. Before you guys became an item he told you everything, and you sat there with sad, but understanding eyes. You grabbed his hand and told him that you believed him, and how that it doesn't change how you feel about him. Safe to say he was fighting tears after that and internally SWOONED.

P - Patience (How easily angered are they?)

He gets frustrated but not that angry anymore. But he is also pretty patient, especially with other people. The hardest part is being patient with himself.

Q - Quizzes (How much do they remember about you?)

Dan remembers most things about you, but there are a few things that might slip his mind.

R - Remember (Favorite memory with you?)

His favorite moments with you are when you're cuddling, but one of his all time favorite moments was when you had just got off of work and Teeny Town was full of families. On your way home you walked right up to Billy and asked how you could help. At some point you ended up running around chasing the kids, while giving one a piggyback ride. You looked so happy, as you helped entertain the kids waiting for a ride on the train. He knew you were tired after work, but yet you still came over to help plant some flowers and help the tired parents with their kids.

S - Security (How protective are they?)

Dan is pretty protective, that’s why it took so long to let you into his life. He doesn’t want anything happening to you, and if something happened to you because of him? He’d never forgive himself. He still hasn’t forgiven himself for past slip ups.

T - Try (How much effort do they put in?)

Sweet boy tries. He tries his best everyday with what seems to be the weight of the world on his shoulders. You see that and are incredibly proud of him either way. But when he goes out of his way to do something for you? You feel special. Life is hard already, and extra hard when you have shit to work through. So you always make sure he knows that you appreciate everything he does, even if it's only for himself.

U - Ugly (What are their bad habits?)

Danny boy worked real hard to stop his drinking, but of course because of that he acts a little different when he’s overwhelmed and doesn’t have alcohol to help. The main thing is he really wants to just be alone, and is used to being alone. Learning to trust and have a friend in Billy is one thing, but having a significant other? There’s gonna be a little more work needed.

V - Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He’s pretty lax about his appearance. After he got clean he manages himself a little more than he used too, and after he got with you he tries a littlemore. He takes care of himself more and when you go out with each other he makes sure to look a little nicer for you.

W - Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

I wouldn't necessarily say “incomplete” but more of a loss. Being incomplete is like saying you will be okay again. He’s lost people before and worked through it, but he still feels it like the day he found out.

X - Xtra (Random HC)

After you move in together you realize there’s a cat that roams around, so you guys “adopt” it. You always leave food out and even bought a little bed and put it outside for it. It’s a little white and grey cat with light blue eyes. You named it Spoon, not knowing what else to call it while you washed some dishes. Danny chuckled at the name and somehow found himself calling the cat Spoon as well.

Y - Yuck (Things they don’t like either in general or a partner?)

Danny doesn’t like people who are impatient, or super closed minded. With the things he’s seen and dealt with he needs someone who won’t judge, someone who can believe what he’s been through.

Z - Zzz (Sleep habits)

Dan has insomnia. How can he not with everything in his head? So he doesn’t look forward to sleeping. He has medicine for if it gets too bad, or if he can’t go back to sleep. If you happen to wake up with him you make some tea to help relax the both of you back into sleep. You’ll curl up into each other and pass out watching an old show or movie you both like.

#dan torrance fic #dan torrance fluff #danny torrance imagines #dan torrance x reader #danny torrance x reader #doctor sleep imagine #dan torrance imagine #dan torrance #ewan mcgregor #ewan mcgregor x reader #sfw abc

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boop-le-snoot · 4 years

Text

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 22

First time reader click here

TWs/Summary: FLUFF! Inappropriate jokes! The team being a family of mother hens. Steve + WAP! Reader's old man fetish is ✨blossoming✨. Stephen is finally evolving from Grinch into a human being.

a/n: How do we feel about Wanda/Loki pairing? Loki is comparatively around Wanda's/Reader's/Pietro's age, e.g. he's a young adult. Also, new divider.

All three of us spilled out of the elevator in a flurry of wet hair, outrageously large shopping bags and the smell of autumn leaves and cinnamon-infused chocolate. Picture perfect friends - our arms were linked, we stood side to side, our bags mixed up. Loki's silky black hair was dripping cold water onto my face and my own clothes sticking to me in uncomfortable places.

It started pouring buckets when we got into my car to go back to the tower. Wanda complained about being hungry and after a brief detour in one of the hole-in-the-wall, hidden gem, French boulangeries, all three of us were pleasantly relaxed and companionable under the influence of hot chocolate and fresh, warm croissants (Loki ate, like, ten, royal manners be damned). The five minute run from the parking lot to the main entrance resulted in us being way too soaked to be comfortable - thankfully, the shopping bags seemed to be waterproof. Or, perhaps, Loki enchanted them somehow.

"Stop fucking cheating, Rogers..." Tony was grumbling in frustration, looking at an array of cards in his hands, squinting suspiciously at a smug Steve.

Noticing us, the room perked up immediately. Thor lifted his head and we saw him and Pietro splayed out on the couch, each male holding a play station controller. Stephen Strange was sat cross-legged on the floor, reading a book, while Natasha filed her nails next to him, a face of tranquility and indifference.

We almost backpedaled from the amount of puppy eyes suddenly gazing at us.

"Sup?" I decided to go first, seeing as both of my companions were still mostly confused. What the hell, I was equally perplexed.

"How was your day, brother?" and "Got yourself a nice dress?" and "Marchesa? Not bad." Were the most intelligible words I could make out of the cacophony that descended upon us.

And it suddenly downed on me. Neither Wanda nor Loki had previously left for the city on their own. Their siblings were worried. I sighed, concealing my happiness behind a quiet complaint of being cold and wet. My bags were picked up by Thor who abandoned his game in favour of greeting his brother with a hug. Surprisingly, Loki didn't refuse and let Thor embrace him and relieve us of our items to deposit them out of the way.

"Cold," Wanda whined, stripping off her damp sweater to reveal simple black leggings and tee underneath.

"Wet," Loki mumbled, gathering a ball of green magic to dry out his dripping hair.

"Gross," I said, walking straight into Tony's open arms. He didn't say anything, just indicated my place was in his lap, squeaking and shivering as soon as I reached my destination.

"Baby girl, you're gonna get sick. Let's go take a bath," He unsuccessfully attempted to lift my limp body. I groaned in protest, dead on my feet. It felt like I had walked a thousand miles. Wasn't gonna remove myself from a warm, soft Tony.

"I'm dead, like, I'm a zombie. If you move me, I'll eat that sexy brain of yours," I threatened fitfully.

"Well, at least change out of these clothes. You're dripping me in gross, polluted rain water," The engineer laughed.

"Lazy," I replied, nestling myself closer to his warmth. He tugged on my clothes, wrestling me out of the top layers, leaving me shivering like a newborn kitten across his lap. His eyes darted across the room - evidently, he was looking for some sort of a hoodie as he wasn't wearing one at the time. Tony knew how much I loved those and always kept one in his vicinity. Thoughtful, lovely Tony.

"Have you seen my MIT sweatshirt?" He asked and everyone replied negative. Tony frowned.

"Here, have mine," Strange stood up, unzipping and handing me his own plain grey one. "I'll make some herbal tea for the girls least they actually get sick." With that, the grumpy doctor walked off into the kitchen. I watched his broad back retreat with renewed interest. Hate to see you go but love to watch you leave...

One warm hoodie and hot tea later, I was feeling less like a drowned cat and more like the fabulous human being that I was. Wanda had told everyone about her two cute new dresses without actually revealing the idea behind her costume. Somehow all of us silently agreed to surprise each other after I pulled my stunt on Stephen.

Strange didn't seem to be mad at me; his presence was amiable and delightful. He made usual small talk and we engaged in a brief, friendly battle of the wits and he and Tony managed to not piss off each other too much. Loki and Wanda hung nearby, and we chatted, too, mostly about less popular but very cool movies the three of us could watch... Yeah, so we were arranging a sleepover. Bite me.

"So, everyone ready for the party?" Clint was all but bouncing in his seat. "Me and Sammy-boy, we'll have the coolest costumes!" He exclaimed, smirking in Tony and Bruce's direction. Something was coming, something great, from my two boys. I could sense it. Natasha probably knew and tattled to Clint already. The bird bros fist-bumped with an obnoxious cheer.

I was feeling drowsy. The tea Strange made had something calming in it. My usual energetic spirit was gone, replaced by a mellow sort of mood. Plus, my feet hurt from all the walking. I moaned in distaste, flexing my toes.

"I disagree," Wanda shared a secretive smile with Loki and me.

Apparently, my discomfort was quite obvious. It took only another quiet, pitiful groan from me for Bruce to scoot closer, remove my socks and tenderly knead the arch of my foot. He smiled at me, soft and gentle, pressing the pads of his fingers into the soft, painful spots.

"Yeah, Pigeon, no amount of make-up will help that ugly mug," Tony declared with a wave of his hand.

"Tony!" Sam defended his bird bro, tossing a pillow at the engineer and missing me by barely an inch.

"You don't need any make-up, bird. You need plastic surgery." I jumped on the bully Clint bandwagon for the lolz. He was actually quite handsome, but his reactions always were fucking priceless. All of us occasionally ruffled his feathers but never to an actually hurtful extent.

"Not gonna lie, that one hurt." Barton huffed, crossing his arms.

Meanwhile, Bruce had moved onto my other foot. I had to hold in a bunch of very lewd, inappropriate noises. Tony was grinning above me, not at all affected by me squirming around. Banner grinned back at the engineer. They were definitely plotting something.

That just wouldn't do, I decided. Time to throw Rick and Morty off their course a little. I stretched leisurely, allowing the hem of my borrowed hoodie to lift, exposing an inch too much of skin than strictly appropriate.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Steve's arched eyebrow and the small secretive smirk he hid behind a cup of tea. The Captain wasn't as virtuous as the others thought and he definitely was onto me.

Bruce still wreaked havoc on my vestibular system by doing some magical voodoo shit to my toes and traded suspicious grins with Tony who radiated an unfair amount of smugness.

"Oh my God," I stretched with a moan of contentment. "Fucking rail me." I might have used this particular choice of words on purpose. The Avengers that memed with me knew the actual meaning but they were in the minority. Most, including Tony and Bruce, gasped in shock at my choice of words. I grinned innocently. "What?"

"We don't use that kind of language around here!" Steve exclaimed, barely hiding a full-fledged laugh behind his cup.

"Cap, a lot has changed in the past seventy years, if you didn't notice," Barton rolled his eyes. "Women are allowed to express themselves now."

"Men think it's pretty hot, actually," Tony remarked, giving me one of his positively mischievous smiles, gently stroking my cheek and dipping his index finger under the hem of my top, following the lines of my collarbone. "It's just that Cap got left out in the cold."

"Very funny, Tony," Steve groaned as the rest of the group laughed. "We don't need a repeat of the WAP incident."

I choked on my breath. "The WHAT incident?!"

Laughter drowned out Steve's stuttering explanation as the supersoldier blushed, possibly, the most saturated shade of scarlet I'd ever seen on a human's face. I had to stop Bruce from continuing to make my limbs into Jell-O, wanting to hear the full story clearly. Anything that warranted such a strong reaction from Steve was bound to be, like, equal parts extremely embarrassing and hilarious. Bucky was laughing up a storm, a tell-tale sign of him having taken direct actions to ensure Steve would be as confused and ashamed as possible.

"Steve caught Peter listening to the song and asked him about it. Peter refused to answer at first, so Bucky decided to mess with Steve a bit," Pietro began explaining. "So Bucky goes: WAP stands for wasted academic potential. Steve sits on it a couple of days, believing his boyfriend like the naïve old man he is," Pietro was gesturing vividly, arms flailing, as the Captain buried his face in his hands. "Lo and behold, Steve had to give a Captain America speech at some sort of school for delinquent children. And at the end of it all - Natasha has that bit on video, by the way - he gives his stern Captain look and goes "WAP is no joke!"!" The speedster laughed out loud along with everybody.

I was howling at that point, staring at Steve. Did the old man realize all the answers to his questions were a simple Google search away? "NO, he didn't, oh my God," I wheezed, suddenly having realized where it was going.

"He totally did!" Clint continued, giving Pietro a fond look and a chance to catch his breath. "The whole student population was laughing, tears rolling down their faces, as the principal started angrily ranting right in Steve's face. And he was just so, so-o confused. Man, his face..." Clint shook his head. "He left so freaking red in the face I thought he was going to have a heart attack. The students had started singing the song, the uncensored version - mind you - at some point and Steve just progressively got redder and redder."

"I'm seventy percent Irish, I can't help it!" Steve cried in his own defense, the famous blush on full display, but laughing nonetheless as he clutched onto his left boob for dear life.

"And one hundred percent dumbass!" Bucky clapped his boyfriend on the shoulder.

I nodded along, me and Tony a howling pile of limbs. The engineer himself was holding onto me for dear life, too winded to make any of his usual snarky commentary regarding Steve's epic failure. "Pure of heart, dumb of ass," I wheezed out my sudden realization.

"Shit, I'm getting that on a t-shirt," Tony sent himself into another cackle fest. "That's brilliant, Princess."

Bucky nodded along, "I'm buying one for this punk." He pointed at Steve, poking him in the right pec.

"Jerk," Steve's gaze was annoyed but fond as he gently shoved his boyfriend before placing a gentle kiss atop his head. Old people in love, so adorable.

"May I request one for my brother as well?" Loki interjected, eyebrow raised, eyeing Thor trying to pry open a carton of ice cream and failing to notice the little plastic lid covering the top part of it. The blonde was utterly oblivious both to his brother and to the chaos around him, set on his quest for salted caramel pecan creamy goodness. I couldn't say I didn't see the appeal...

"What did you call - himbos?" Stephen eyed me curiously, pointing to Thor and Steve with a shaky hand.

I nodded in response. "Harmless, loveable, kind, beefy and utter dumbasses," I pointed out the main characteristics. "I love himbos."

"You said my brain was sexy," Tony pouted, pressing me closer to him and in turn, making my legs wrap around Bruce in a funny way that brought all three of us in a weird sandwich hug. I must've died and gone to heaven once again. "This is bullshit," And Tony fuckin' bit me. The bastard sunk his teeth into my shoulder strong enough to leave a mark.

"I love big, fat brains. Unf," My attempt at a salacious voice only made people laugh. "No PhD, no pussy. I don't make the rules," I snorted loudly.

"You and your old man kink," Wanda chuckled good-naturedly, casting me a knowing glance over the tops of her friends' heads.

"Yes," I agreed solemnly, pulling Tony in for a kiss without an ounce of shame or reservation, catching Stephen's amused face meeting my eyes for a brief second, his eyebrow raised meaningfully. Looked like someone took my comment a little close to heart. Nobody really batted an eye at Bruce being in the middle of our cuddle puddle so if I had to guess, Stephen Strange was at least interested... Or was he silently judging me?

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub @mostly-marvel-musings @vozit @littlegasps @pilloclock @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads @hermione-grangers-wife @individualistfem @sleep-i-ness @capbrie @lillsxd @agustdowney @dee-vn @justanotherblonde23 @fanngirl19 @persephonehemingway @softie-socks @schemefrenzy @letsby @cutenessloading @romeo-the-cactus @jelly-fishy-babie

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lov3nerdstuff · 4 years

Text

Voluptas Noctis Aeternae {Part 3.5}

*Severus Snape x OC*

Summary: It is the year 1983 when the ordinary life of Robin Mitchell takes a drastic turn: she is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite the struggles of being a muggle-born in Slytherin, she soon discovers her passion for Potions, and even manages the impossible: gaining the favor of Severus Snape. Throughout the years, Robin finds that the not quite so ordinary Potions Professor goes from being a brooding stranger to being more than she had ever deemed possible. An ally, a mentor, a friend... and eventually, the person she loves the most. Through adventure, prophecies and the little struggles of daily life in a castle full of mysteries, Robin chooses a path for herself, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more, and two people abandoned by the world can finally find a home.

General warnings: professor x student (however no underage romance), blood, violence, trauma, neglectful families, bullying, cursing

Words: 3.4k

Read Part 1.1 here! All Parts can be found on the Masterlist!

______________________________

Previously:

The walk was luckily short and dark, and Robin found that she could enter the lab with the same spell as the classrooms indeed, but this time she made the effort to lock the door behind herself with the corresponding spell for once. Only then she felt like she could finally loosen the grasp on her bag, could finally allow herself to hurt, could take a true breath at last. The small space really had a calming effect on her, even now. She didn't bother lighting up the candles before she dropped her bag in a corner and sat down on the floor with her back against the side of one of the shelves. Having the wood pressing her jumper against her sore skin wasn't the most pleasant feeling, but sitting at last was enough of a relief to still allow a deep relaxation to wash over her nonetheless. Now that the adrenaline was slowly wearing off and the necessity to protect herself was withdrawing in her head, she felt surprisingly dizzy as she stared out of the window into the last bits of dark grey sky that were slowly taken over by blackness. Before she knew it, the blackness had swallowed her as well.

===============

The next thing Robin noticed was a feeling of heat and cold at once. And a terrible throbbing in her head. A small groan escaped her lips as her body felt like lead when she shifted from one uncomfortable position to another. Then her ears picked up on a movement to her right and her eyes fluttered open at last to see the lab being dimly lit by a soft glow coming from the fireplace. Right… she still was in Professor Snape's laboratory. Another faint groan left her lips as she realized that she really shouldn't have fallen asleep in here… even if it had been more of passing out than falling asleep in the first place. Then her eyes wandered through the room until they were met by dark ones observing her in return, and Robin jumped with a sharp intake of breath.

"I-I'm so sorry, I really… I mean I didn't-..." She started, but was interrupted before she could get out a proper apology.

"Stop." Was all he said at first, before he knelt down next to her with a roll of his eyes that didn't seem to be directed at Robin though. "Drink." He ordered as he held out a vial to her, giving Robin a serious déjà vu of her first year. But she obeyed nonetheless, not even bothering to ask what it was she was trying to keep down despite its horrible taste. Her body was hurting enough to currently put a pause to her curiosity, and she found that she trusted Snape enough at this point to do as he said without second thought. Curious, really… she hadn't really thought about it before, but now she was forced to notice that she did trust him indeed. She couldn't currently think of anyone she trusted more, in fact, but maybe that was simply due to her current situation and condition.

"I'm sorry." She tried again after a few seconds, and while he remained sitting on the ground a few steps away from her, his eyes were fixed on something on the other side of the room. "I really didn't mean to… pass out like that, or to-..."

"Stop. It. Now." He interrupted her again, pointedly slowly while still refusing to look at her, and Robin's heart squeezed painfully in anticipation of a thorough scolding or simply a row of insults. "Tell me what happened."

Finally something clicked in Robin's mind, seeing as the pain in her body slowly dimmed down, and she realized what must've gotten her professor so upset. She really could've thought of that earlier…

"Nothing, actually, I was surprisingly successful!" She started, deliberately positive in her tone, while getting up onto her feet so hastily that she felt dizzy again and swayed a little as her sprained ankle still hurt more than expected when she walked. Still, she quickly reached for her backpack in the corner, then turned back towards Snape who had gotten up as well and was now looking at her with an unreadable expression at last. Robin chose to ignore that though, for the sake of her attempt to prove that he indeed didn't have a thing to be concerned about, and moved over to the closest table to unpack her assigned purchases while she spoke on. "Sorry if my… current condition is a bit, well, battered, but this only happened after I returned from Hogsmeade and I'm very certain that nobody saw me like this until I came to your classroom. So… I didn't make any bad impressions and all that. More importantly, I was able to get all of the ingredients on the list in the shop you sent me to. Admittedly, the man there tried screwing me over by selling me Granian hair instead of Abraxan, but we sorted that issue out fairly quickly and I'm rather certain that he wouldn't have dared to give me the wrong ingredients a second time. However I still would prefer for you to confirm that, sir, seeing as I don't really know what I'm doing at all and I'm babbling again, so… I'll just shut up now."

Snape's expression was very much mixed, if not entirely unreadable again, as he looked at Robin and her hopefully positive half smile for a few more seconds, before taking two long strides to stand on the other side of the table Robin had put the seven items onto and was currently using as a support to keep from falling over. With a considering, sharp look that brought a shiver to Robin's skin, he studied the ingredients one by one, and only at last looked back to her on the opposite side.

"He did give you the correct ingredients, and very likely also the best one he had of each." He finally replied to at least the most important aspect of Robin's previous stream of words, and then raised his eyebrows in question. "He tried selling you Granian, you said?"

Now it was for Robin to straight out blush, seeing as she hadn't originally meant to tell him about that, but after everything else that had happened afterwards, she had kind of… forgotten. "Well, yeah, but only because I was being a dunderhead. I… kind of didn't tell him that you had sent me, at first, and I really just wanted to see how far I could get on my own."

"That was both stupid and dangerous."

"Yeah, I know…" Actually, she did get stupid, but dangerous she didn't really see. "That's why I said I was being a dunderhead… with too much pride and too little care. It won't happen again."

"Seeing as you were successful on your own however, I would be rather curious to know the specifics."

"Well, uh… He wanted to kick me out right after I entered the shop, I returned a rather bold insult directed at said shop, then he tried selling me the wrong things, I called him out, he apologized and brought out the correct ones, I glared at him some, he called me scary and assured me that those were the real deal, then I gave him your name and left." Robin stated without much fuss. There really wasn't a reason not to tell Snape about this if he wanted to know… and there he had the short version.

"How did you know that he was trying to cheat you?"

"I honestly didn't. I made an educated guess about the hairs, seeing as they were the only thing I recognized from that book of yours I read two weeks ago, and that sufficed for him to believe I knew what I was doing. Admittedly, I would've preferred to… you know… actually know what I'm doing instead of bluffing, but for today that had to be enough."

"That is… remarkable." He stated neutrally, and Robin believed she had misunderstood him. Had he really just said that she had done something even remotely good?!

"I hope I will be better prepared next time, I…" She halted, then averted her eyes down to the table in the realization that it was very much possible, if not likely even, that there wouldn't be a next time. "Nevermind."

"You will be." He replied a few seconds later, and even though he still seemed to make more efforts than usual to stay completely neutral, his words still brought a small smile to Robin's entire face as he continued. "Now, would you please sit down before you faint again? The way you claw at the poor table is… just pathetic."

Now that sounded more irritated, if not irritable, than his previous statements and therefore Robin didn't mind being called pathetic for once. It very likely was just another occasion of Snape not knowing how to be nice without making it look like he was being nice, and she was getting used to it even though she couldn't say she deemed it an acceptable behavior. But who was Robin to openly judge a professor, or anyone but herself really… Thus she sat down on the ground once more with a quiet hiss, and leaned against the wall so she was facing the fireplace.

"Better?" She asked as she looked up at Snape, and then watched how he stepped around the table to lean against the edge of it.

"Yes." A pause, filled with the quiet crackling of the burning wood. Robin looked at Snape for a moment longer, then turned to stare into the fire. Obviously he had no intention to tell her to leave, and Robin had none to go in return. The silence was nice, but he broke it fairly quickly. "Seeing as we have made it abundantly clear now that the ingredients are complete, correct and unimpaired, I would still like to hear what happened."

"I thought you meant the errand run… when you asked what happened…" Robin returned quietly, feeling a bit uneasy to talk about the other incident.

"I want to know what happened to you, Miss Mitchell. You cannot truly expect me to refrain from asking questions when you show up in my classroom bruised and beaten, belonging into the hospital wing rather than a potions classroom, and then pass out on the floor of my laboratory."

Robin bit her bottom lip in shame, and maybe a bit of regret for burdening him with all of this. She hadn't even thought about that, actually, before heading straight to his classroom indeed. "Why did you help me instead of sending me to the infirmary, if you don't mind me asking? I mean… you could've just let them take me there while I was… out… and not be bothered anymore."

"You chose to come to me and not to Madame Pomfrey upon your return, and even if I find that choice highly debatable, I would not disrespect your decision by taking it from you." He replied as if it was the most obvious thing ever. "Besides, you did not seem too gravely injured, so I believed a healing potion would be sufficient for now."

"Thank you. For all of that." Robin replied sincerely as she looked back up to him once more. He might very well be the first person who actually seemed to consider her choices as something to be respected in the first place, and she was even more thankful for that than for the potion that had taken at least most of the pain away.

"Don't thank me, Mitchell, tell me what happened. Who did this to you?" He demanded once more, clearly uncomfortable yet again about being thanked in all honesty. But seeing as he had done her a huge favor in allowing her to come here (and thus to pass out in private instead of in the possible company of the wrong people), Robin complied to his request without further hesitation.

"Not a 'who', professor… I had a small run-in with the whomping willow." She sighed, but moved on immediately before he could cut in. "Before you think I'm ACTUALLY stupid, let me explain how it got that far. You see, yesterday night, when we were talking about the books and the ingredients… well, anyway, some kids heard that I was running an errand for you today, and they felt particularly curious to find out what it was all about. And since I obviously refused to even confirm any of their suspicions, they grouped up, snatched my backpack, and after a redundant little chase game, they got tired of me not giving up on it and hurled it into the branches of the whomping willow before running off. I'm sure you can imagine the rest, seeing as I got the bag without it taking any damage."

"As it seems, you took the damage instead." He commented in slight distaste, but then returned to inquiring. "Who were these children and how did they come to know of the fact that you are working with me?"

Working with Snape? Huh… Robin liked that he thought of it this way. It made her feel proud to have put so much effort into today's task, and guilty to give him a very unsatisfying reply now. "The first thing I don't know, and the second… I'd rather not say."

"And just why would you want to protect those imbeciles whose irresponsible and condemnable behavior has left you in such a state?" This at least got the thick layer of neutrality to wear out a little and show just a bit of incredulity and sincere curiosity.

"I'm not trying to protect anyone, sir. Truly, I thought about which method of torturing them would be the most gruesome for most of my way back to the castle. Aaand… I probably shouldn't have said that. Anyway, I really don't know the names of the boys who took my bag."

"Gryffindors?"

"Slytherins. A year above me." Robin replied with a partially apologetic but mostly sad half smile. "Funny how everyone else is bickering with the other houses and I can't even get along with my own, isn't it? But it really doesn't matter, actually. They are just…" She didn't know how to finish that sentence, and stared back into the fire with a huff. What were they, exactly? Normal?

"Not worth your efforts." Snape finished the sentence for her, and Robin's sad smile turned into more of a real one.

"Yeah. Guess that's why I don't know their names, huh?" She snorted to herself but didn't take her eyes off the flames. They were such a contrast in their relentless movement to the quiet calm of the laboratory…

"And how did they come to know that you were worth bothering?"

"Funny way to put it… I'm worth to be bothered… I don't really think I'm worth anything to them though, not even to be bothered. They were rather interested in you, sir, not me." Robin thought for a moment, but then decided to tell him anyway. "They heard from David. He told them some things he must've overheard last night, but I can assure you they know nothing of actual relevance. David was more eager to tell them that I got him into trouble with you, which of course is ridiculous, but oh well… what about people my age isn't."

"I despise that child." He grumbled in return, the same thing he had already said last night, and Robin had to chuckle again before she thought of something that wiped the smile off her face.

"Please don't punish either of them for this, professor, even if you happen to know who's to blame. I mean… if I may ask that of you without being terribly out of my place." She started in a serious tone. "Nobody but me could possibly know about what they did today, and if they get punished for it they will know I told on them… and I would only suffer more. Just like you said to me in my first year. That's why I only thought about torturing them, too. Because revenge only leads to more suffering."

"If that is your wish, nobody will ever know I'm aware of the incident." He replied, much to Robin's surprise, but also to her great relief. "However, I shall also see to it that Mister Thompson's last day of detention tomorrow will be the worst he has ever lived to experience."

"That… is entirely up to you, sir." Robin said with a humored smile, putting the statement in place of a thank you. She would have to find another way to thank him eventually, one that didn't make him uncomfortable. Maybe chocolate cake. Or Twirls. She would surely think of something.

"It is fairly late, you should return to your dorm. Certainly rest would do you well after your 'run-in' with the whomping willow." He spoke up after a while of silence, and Robin frowned to herself as she realized that she had no idea how much time had passed since she had arrived here.

"Uh, what time is it, actually?" She asked as she rose to her feet with another hiss upon putting too much weight on her ankle. Damn thing… did healing potions not work on sprained ankles?

"Half past three at night. And may I suggest you to visit the infirmary tomorrow nonetheless to let Madam Pomfrey take a look at that?"

"What?!" Robin's frown deepened even more. "I mean yes, I'll have it looked at tomorrow… but half past three?!"

He actually shrugged upon that ever so slightly with an almost humored expression. "You were unconscious for quite the while."

"You should've woken me up! I had no intention to bother you for that long…" If Robin hadn't felt embarrassed enough tonight, this gave her the rest. And still… it had been kinda nice of him to let her rest. Or maybe he simply couldn't be bothered, who knows.

"Seeing as you were sleeping in a corner most of that time, you didn't bother me at all, actually." He replied calmly as he moved to put away the newly acquired ingredients at last. "I had work to do anyway."

"Still…" Robin mumbled to herself, glad that the dim light of the room would hide most of the deeply scarlet color in her face. With as little limping as possible, she picked up her backpack from the table and shouldered it carefully to not hurt herself more, even though the potion she'd been given had taken care of most of the soreness and scratches, which merely left the bruises and her ankle to be taken care of in the morning.

"Come back here to the laboratory after dinner tomorrow." He commanded ever-neutrally as Robin made for the door.

"Sure." She replied before she thought, but once she thought, she frowned. "For what, exactly?"

Snape rolled his eyes in that exaggerated manner, but not without making sure she saw the gesture. "We will be starting on the potion, obviously. Or did you think this would start and end for you with a mere shopping trip?"

"I… was rather hoping it wouldn't, sir." Robin replied with a smile she didn't even try to hide. "But I wasn't all too sure about the extent of my involvement."

"As I said, Miss Mitchell, all or nothing."

"I'll gladly take the 'all' then. Or rather… give the 'all', if I can."

At last the not-smirk was back, but he tried to hide it by turning his back to Robin, however not nearly quick enough for her not to notice. "I expected nothing less of you. Goodnight, Miss Mitchell."

"Goodnight, professor." With that, Robin made her slow way to her dorm in the silence of the night. Half past three… bloody hell. If this was what Snape considered normal working times, she'd surely be in for something interesting over the next two months.

_______________________________

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imaginethathaikyuu · 5 years

Note

oh jeez vampire keiji coming out to his fem so??

vampire!keiji is my biggest kink ok i had way too much fun writing this... i think i got *too* into it, u know?fem reader

Something had been lingering in the back of Keiji’s mind recently. There was a feeling he had that just wouldn’t go away, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. It was strong. Stronger than his feelings for you... stronger than his blood lust.

For the two years he had known you, he’d been blatantly lying to you. Hiding his true identity from you. Just like he hides it from everyone. This is just what he had to do to stay safe, alive. And he’d never felt guilty for it - not once in the decades he’d been living this way did he feel even a shred of guilt for lying to humans.

Until now. Until you. Until a relationship with you blossomed.

He always wondered how it was possible he could create such a bright, living love. Someone who’s quite literally undead shouldn’t be able to be a part of something as alive as his love for you - but somehow, he was. And he felt privileged to love you.

That’s why this secret was eating away at him.

If he could, he’d make it go away in a heartbeat (not that he remembers what it’s like to have one.) He’d even gone through the trouble of asking all of his friends if there was some type of cure for vampirism. As far as they all knew, there wasn’t. And if there was, he’d probably die soon after taking it - his body is old, after all. The only thing keeping him young and alive is the very thing he hates the most about himself.

He was desperate to stop hiding this from you. Rather, to stop having something to hide. Because he yearned to grow old with you. To live with you. Maybe even one day, create a life with you. But he couldn’t do any of that in this… form.

He’d been close to telling you so many times. It would be on the tip of his tongue… and then you’d look up at him. Your eyes were so alive. And you’d smile at him for no reason, maybe even take his hand into your warm one. And he’d tell you never mind, each and every time.

But there was something about tonight that was making that itch feel stronger. It was a full moon on a chilly autumn night, something you had spent a few minutes mentioning. You were spending the night at his apartment after a date in the city - he treated you to dinner at a fancy restaurant, though it was really just an excuse to see you all dressed up. It’d been too long since he’s seen you in a dress and heels.

And now, he was laying in bed thinking. You were in the bathroom getting ready for bed, while he was waiting for you.

There was a lot on his mind. Specifically, his future with you. You’ve been bringing up engagement a lot - your own ‘subtle’ way of giving him a hint, throwing him a bone. And he’d even gone looking at engagement rings, just out of curiosity, though he didn’t let himself buy one.

With engagement comes moving in together. And while he could hide his secret from you now, there was no way he could live comfortably with you unless you knew about him.

Or, he could just let you walk in on him taking his daily supplements and put the pieces together yourself.

No, that was not an option. It was honesty or nothing.

Or… nothing. Did nothing mean he’d have to leave you if he never told you? On the other hand, did honesty mean you would leave him if he spilled the secret?

What really got to him, though, was when you mentioned having kids. He could only smile and nod as you talked so excitedly about having a baby with him one day, about how much you wanted him to be the father of your children. It almost killed him to hear you saying it, because the two of you can’t have kids together. The chances are slim, but if Keiji did get you pregnant, the baby wouldn’t survive longer than a few weeks in the womb. He could never knowingly put you through something like that.

He had a pretty good idea of how you would react. He expected you to be afraid of him, something he wasn’t ready for. Maybe you would run away from him, fear him, never talk to him again. Maybe you would be stuck in a state of disbelief until he proved it to you - probably by letting his fangs come free. He’d do whatever it took to have you believe him.

He had been spending a long time preparing himself for your reaction, whatever it may be. And he was going to respect whatever you did. Even if you told everyone, put him in danger, and were disgusted by him.

Tonight was the night. He had to tell you tonight.

You walked out of the bathroom talking about how tired you were feeling. He watched you take off your earrings and place them on his dresser. You’d definitely forget them in the morning - if you stayed until the morning.

You were wearing a big pair of grey sweatpants and a random t-shirt, your makeup had come off and your hair was put back. And he felt that familiar pang in his chest when he remembered how privileged he was to see you like this.

“I’m still full from dinner,” you said, “I shouldn’t have finished dessert.”

He was rubbing his hands together, bending his fingers till they popped, digging his nails into his palm; all things he tended to do when he was feeling anxious. He knew you’d notice. Surprisingly, you didn’t say anything.

You were pulling open the blanket when he said, “Y/N.”

“Hm?”

He sat up, pushed the blanket off himself, swung his feet onto the ground. He sat with his back to you.

“What’s wrong, baby?” you asked him. “You aren’t feeling sick, are you?”

Yeah, he was. He felt so anxious he wanted to throw up.

“No,” he lied. He was really living up to being a liar, wasn’t he?

You placed your hand on his back and he jumped at the gentle touch. Somehow, he hadn’t noticed how close you had gotten to him.

“Keiji…”

You had one hand on his shoulder and the other rubbing up and down his back. But he didn’t deserve your touch.

He wanted to look back at you, but he couldn’t. He knew the moment he looked in your eyes, he’d give up again.

“Can I tell you something?”

“Of course,” you replied. He knew you’d think the worst if he didn’t warn you.

“I’m not breaking up with you. And I didn’t cheat on you. It’s not bad, don’t… don’t worry, okay?”

“Okay, Keiji,” you said, and he could almost hear you smiling. “I’m not worried, don’t worry.”

He wiped his hands on his pants and stood up, still not looking back at you.

“I don’t… really know how to tell you this,” he said. “But I’ve been keeping something from you… since we met.”

He was panting, his eyes were closed tight, his nails were digging into his skin and your eyes were burning holes into the back of his head. But you weren’t interrupting him, something he appreciated.

He wanted to find a way to do this simply, but he couldn’t just say it. He had to beat around the bush a bit first.

“So, I’m… I’m kind of... older than I told you I am.”

“You aren’t 27?”

He turned to face you, deciding that you at least deserved that.

“Kind of?” He looked around his bedroom, lingering his gaze on your jewelry on his dresser. Your dress on the ground. The drawer that was filled with your things. He couldn’t imagine his room without any of this - without your small things laying around. He didn’t want to lose any of this.

But he’d never get a future with you if he didn’t tell you. He had to take the chance.

“That’s how old I was when I, uh… when I… turned.”

“When you turned what?” you asked with a quirked brow. “Keiji, you aren’t making any sense. Just tell me, babe.”

“Okay, okay.”

He forced himself to look at you. And this time, your kind face was basically pulling the truth out of him instead of making him double down on his lies.

“A few years ago… more than a few, really, uh - I - there was an… accident.”

You were nodding, seeming to be patient with his stuttering.

“And I… died. But someone brought me back… kind of.”

“Are you okay? What was the accident?”

You were so worried that he would’ve thought you were cute if this was any other situation.

“Yes, baby, that isn’t the important part… I’m trying to tell you that… the person who brought me back to life - he wasn’t a doctor.”

He’d never told a human about this. It felt like he was breaking some rule or unspoken code he’d placed on himself.

“He fed me his blood after drinking mine, and… and when I woke up I was different.”

He couldn’t look away from you. His eyes were glued to yours. He wondered if you could see how lifeless they were.

“I woke up and - and I was a vampire.”

And then you… laughed. “Keiji, you really had me for a second,” you said. “I really thought you were being serious.”

But Keiji wasn’t laughing.

“Y/N,” he said - it was barely above a whisper. “That happened… two hundred years ago.”

Still, you were laughing. You thought this was a joke. “Don’t tell me, you drink blood and have fangs, too?”

“Do you want me to show you?” he asked, desperate for you to believe him. He felt his two fangs growing bigger, sharper, and it was painful. He opened his mouth and rubbed his face as he winced.

“...Keiji?”

“Do you see them?”

All the life had drained from your face as you stared at his mouth, at the two sharp teeth - the fangs - that had never been there before.

“Keiji, this - this isn’t funny,” you said, shaking your head. “I - I don’t know why you’re doing this -”

“I’ve been alive for nearly two hundred thirty years, Y/N,” he continued, “I live off of human blood and I’m more or less immortal - I can’t hide it from you anymore.”

“Are you gonna hurt me?” you asked, scooting back away from him as fast as you could. “Please don’t -”

“I would never hurt you,” he said quickly. “I love you - I promise I’m not going to hurt you. Don’t be afraid, please.”

You were looking at him as if he was some kind of science experiment, and it hurt him. He expected this to happen, but… he still didn’t think you’d ever look at him that way.

“If I was going to hurt you, I would have by now, right? I’ve had the chance but I’ve never thought about hurting you, so please… please don’t be scared of me.”

You nodded, but that look hasn’t faded. He just hoped you were listening to him - and was glad you hadn’t ran out yet.

“I’m not the only one,” he continued. “There are more of us than you probably think.”

“One of you is more than I thought!”

“Okay, good point.”

More laughter erupted from your chest, this time nervous and obnoxiously loud.

“This can’t be real,” you said to yourself. “Why are you even telling me this, Keiji?”

“B-Because - ouch, hold on -”

He had to make those pesky fangs go away - they were too sharp to speak with.

“How do you do that?!”

“I don’t know, it’s just like moving any other body part,” he said almost too casually. “Okay - I told you because - can I sit down?”

You nodded, and Keiji sat as far away from you as he comfortably could - just to be safe. He didn’t want to get too close while you may still be afraid of him.

“I told you because… I can’t marry someone who doesn’t know about me.”

Your eyes somehow widened even more, “Are you proposing right now?!”

“No! No, Y/N, I’m not, I just… I thought I would soon, you know? And… you had to know about this before I did, before you were… stuck with me.”

You were quiet, apparently you had nothing to say. He did just drop a bomb on you, so he didn’t blame you. But your silence was deafening.

“Y/N, you can… you can leave if you don’t feel comfortable, okay? I just ask that you don’t tell anyone but… but you can do that, too, if you want - just… I’m sorry, okay?”

He could feel himself getting emotional, tears were filling his eyes. He couldn’t hold back his next words.

“I wish I was human so badly, I… I would give anything to be normal, but… If that day hadn’t have happened, I never would have lived long enough to meet you. And that has been the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me, so I’m grateful for it, too.”

He wanted to hug you, kiss your cheek, hold your hand. In that moment he wanted to be close to you more than anything - but he feared he’d never get that chance again.

“...I’m not going to leave, Keiji…”

“Thank god.” Keiji could finally breathe - just hearing you say those words made him feel a sense of relief he’d been waiting two years for.

“If you have any questions, you can ask,” he told you. “Or we can just… pretend this never happened, go to bed… act normal.”

“Are you gonna bite me?”

He chuckled - of course you had questions. “No, kitten, I won’t do that.”

“What would happen if you did?”

“It would hurt,” he replied. “But some people say it feels good… I would drink your blood, I guess.”

“Would I die?”

“Not unless I went too far.”

“Would I turn into a vampire?”

“No, babe. You’d have to drink my blood for that to happen.”

“Oh…”

He was surprised at how good it felt to talk about all of this. He’d been keeping it in for so long, it feels like a dam had broken.

“Have you ever bitten a person?”

“I have.”

“Have you ever turned someone?”

Keiji shook his head.

“Have you ever… killed anyone?”

He didn’t hesitate to say, “I have.” And when you gasped, he felt that guilt again. Guilt for being who he is. “Before, that was the only way for us to live… I didn’t have a choice. But now there are some undercover programs, blood banks that are devoted to keeping vampires and humans alive. That’s where I get my, uh… food.”

You were a good listener, but you still hadn’t ran out of questions.

“Have you ever wanted to bite me?”

He smiled, “Maybe a little. Not unless you’d want me to, though.”

And then there was a long moment of silence; you still sat against the headboard, hundreds of thoughts zipping through your head. Keiji was still lingering at the edge of the bed, trying to decide if it was okay to get closer to you.

“Is this… real?” you asked, and he could hardly hear you say it, it was so quiet.

He nodded. “Unfortunately…”

He’s sure you were wondering all sorts of things you didn’t want to ask - or maybe you didn’t feel a need to ask.

“But I - I’m still me,” he told you. “Still Keiji. Still your Keiji.”

The smile you gave him was wide and genuine - it made him grin just as wide. But he smiled even bigger when you scooted down to sit next to him.

“Why did you hide this for so long?”

“I…” He chuckled at himself. “I don’t know… I thought you’d… run, or something.”

You snorted, “I almost feel like that’s what I should do but… I’d never leave you, Keiji.”

He was so happy to hear you say that he almost cried. Your hand came up to rest on his cheek, your touch so gentle and soft. And when you looked at him with those eyes that were so alive, he really did want to cry.

This moment felt… real. It felt human. He felt alive, something he hadn’t been and definitely never felt in the two hundred years before meeting you. You made him feel alive.

But there was a question on the tip of your tongue - you were dying to ask it, he could tell. And when you did, he felt his stomach turn.

“Would you ever turn me?”

Without hesitation, “No -”

“Why not?”

“Do you want me to?” he asked in complete disbelief.

You shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just asking. I’m going to get old one day and you… won’t. Isn’t that going to be weird?”

“Let’s just…” He didn’t know what to say, because this is something he’d been thinking about since your relationship started. He didn’t have a suitable solution for the problem. “Let’s just figure that out later, okay? In a few years… you, you can’t make this decision now.”

“Okay… you’re right.”

“Let’s just act... normal for now. We can talk about everything later, alright?” He had been stifling a yawn since he sat down - despite the excitement this conversation caused, he was exhausted.

He encouraged you to lay down with him, and was more than happy when you let him hold you like always.

With a kiss goodnight he said, “I love you, kitten.” And you returned his words.

You both lied there for awhile. Keiji was pretending to sleep, though you didn’t know that. You were sitting up and watching him - he could feel your gaze on his face. Your finger traced his bottom lip for a moment before you pressed the softest kiss there, and then you cuddled up into him once again.

He pulled you closer and held you all night, grateful that feeling that’d been grating at him for years was finally gone.

#akaashi keiji #akaashi keiji x reader #akaashi x reader #haikyuu one shot #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu x reader #fluff

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jinxedcrow · 3 years

Text

@courtclover ❤️ for a short (who am i kidding) lyric starter

“... You are not the first,” Qrow said with a sigh, loose leaves slipping beneath the surface of his tea. They turned black beneath the amber. He held the plain black cup in thin fingers, sharp face reflected back in unseeing eyes. The horses snorting and snuffling couldn’t reach him, nor the clanking armour of passing soldiers and their raucous drunken blustering. His mind was swept by the wind to fields long past.

He set the unassuming black cup on the low wooden table between them with a soft clunk.

The life of an immortal stretched on-- it was very rare indeed for something new to grace his horizons. That isn’t to say that each was not unique. There was a hunter with a flaming mane and a sharp bow in his lips who held Qrow like an animal to spear. Qrow lay his body in the forest to become wildfire, burning away old growth to make way for new shoots. There was a tailor with keen tawny eyes and a tongue sharp as the pins she pressed between her lips who stitched together Qrow’s loose ends. He’d lifted her eyes to the sky above, constellations to mark the seasons passing. There was a midwife with fingers of grey reaching through her hair whose hands welcomed those others refused into her world and a baker with sturdy shoulders to carry years of hardship upon his back. He gave their bodies back to the earth to raise an aspen forest in their wake.

None lanced his heart quite like she did.

Qrow lay his hand flat on the table, his free hand dipping into his pocket and emerging with a handful of pale pink petals. They did not dry beneath his fingertips as most might, even when he let them fall into his open palm. Lifting his hand, cherry blossoms swirled to form two figures-- one short and the other tall, both veiled in cloaks.

“I once loved a gardener with her dirt-smudged face and hands. She trimmed my weeds and gave me room to grow my flowers again.” The flower figures moved in time to a song only they could hear. Together they swept from his palm to the table, their delicate limbs entwined. A mournful smile beset the old god’s face.

“Her name, was Summer Rose.”

With a soft chuckle rumbling in his chest, he cleared his throat and went on.

“She was a holy terror, tearing across the world without fear or sense, and I couldn’t get enough. Her laugh could shake mountains, and her fury could do more still. None were so fierce as she,” Qrow’s overcast gaze followed the flowers across the table as he spoke. “My sister, and her love too, knew her. We were all enchanted.”

A small blossom bloomed between the waltzing figures, held close until the shorter faltered. The dance was broken. Qrow reached back out and the shorter figure limped back to his palm. There she fell, unmoving.

"The Dread Queen takes her due, and with time all mortals become her subjects. Intertwining myself into their lives only... quickens the process," his voice cracked in his throat. The taller cloaked figure and small bundle of petals watched motionless from the table. "I’ve lost much to She of The Earth, and saved only one from her grasp-- and paid a dear price for my trouble. And yet I... I couldn’t bear it. She had so much life left, that I should shorten her life’s thread by weaving my own into it... I thought to save her. To raise her up. To make her a god.”

Regret tore at each word. Somehow if he could swallow them, hold them tight against his chest, perhaps time would unwind and he could take back his mistakes. Perhaps he might not have erred so badly.

“But the Queen always takes what she is owed. If it had been my first transgression against death she might have.... Things might have been different. But as it was...” he hesitated. The motionless petal figure in his hand shriveled and blackened and ripped apart. It was torn asunder from some invisible force. “There is old magic that lingers still, from when the world was new, a gift from my mother. I couldn't give back her life, or her soul, but I could set her free."

Qrow took a breath and blew on the remains. Dried bits of flower fluttered apart and disappeared in specks of starlight. On the table, the two blooms left behind fell to a puddle of inert, bruised petals. There was no music to set their feet dancing. No magic to bring them back to life.

"They say you can hear her voice in the west wind. That she sings like the surf in seashells. That her touch is in the first rays of sun after snow, her rage in clouds heavy with summer rain. But that is all she is. And I caused it."

Sweet smelling steam had long since cooled on his little black cup, the last of his tea leaves having darkened and settled on the bottom during his tale. Firelight flickered between them and glittered on Clover’s shield-- the blood washed painstakingly from every crevice. Noise from outside filtered back in through the rough canvas tent. Soft snoring and quiet chatter, two soldiers argued about a poker game and apparent cheating nearby. A war camp never did fall too quiet. All better for his mind to wander through than the bitter tears carving trenches in his cheeks.

#courtclover #v; its tough to be a god #long post

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alisondepartedbear · 4 years

Text

Just Breathe

Everything is not what it seems in Swellview, a kidnapper is running amok while Henry faces some challenging trials in his life. The boy most overcome what is inside to deal with major life changes.

Also can be found on Wattpad and Fanfiction.net

Part One

Part Two

~~~

Chapter Three

I run around the side of Junk'n'Stuff to the sidewalk. With just the help of street lamps, I can see someone small walking a few feet away. My heart thumps hard against my chest. Is she even willing to talk to me?

"Charlotte," My voice cracks, and I see tears spring into my eyes. "Charlotte, please, wait."

She stops walking and turns around. Her arms are crossed, and I can see fresh tears on her face. I dig my fingernails in my palm deep. Ashamed I made her cry, I let my head drop.

"I'm sorry, Charlotte. I...I didn't want to hurt you. My..." There's no real excuse for putting my hands on her. "There's stuff inside that I..." I shake my head and run a hand over my face, that when I realize it's wet. Great, Henry, you emotional loser. "I don't want you to be afraid of me, Char. I'm sorry I pushed you."

I look up and watch her take a couple steps to me. Her eyes shine like pretty lights under the lamps.

"You didn't scare me, Henry." Her hands wring together for a moment before she lets them fall by her side. "I'm just worried about you."

"I know," I whisper, falling to the sidewalk. I scoot to sit on the edge.

"And I wish you'd let me help," She joins me on the curb.

I glance at her. She's close, so close her orange blossom shampoo finds it's way up my nose. You'd never know this without being up in her business, but Charlotte's eyes hold the most precious shade of amber in them. Flecks of the colors shoot from the iris, falling into a dark brown that reminds me of old movies and rainy Sundays. Suddenly I feel dizzy. A shaking breath escapes me, "I don't understand how you can help, Char. It's too much for me. So why wouldn't it be too much for you? Does that make me stupid-"

"Stop," She reaches her hand out to put on my shoulder but stops.

My stomach drops knowing she'll never touch me again without wondering if I'll push her away. Without a second thought, I grab her hand with both of mine. "Please, you don't have to second guess yourself around me. I don't want this to change us."

Charlotte's hand tightens around mine. "Henry," She says in the softest tone I've heard from her, almost like pretty bells. Wait-

"What are you guys doing?" Jasper asks.

Whipping my head back, I see him standing in the doorway of Junk'n'Stuf. He has a goofy smile on his face. I think he knows.

"We were just talking." Charlotte stands, pulling me with her. "Has Ray gotten back yet?" She asks walking past him into the store.

I dust my pants off, trying to ignore Jasper's questioning eyes. When I look up I see his eyes haven't left me.

"No, but he left a message downstairs."

"I'll go see what he wants then." Charlotte moves and dodges her way through to the back.

Jasper watches her leave as he makes his way back to the register. When we hear the elevator 'ding', his eyebrows raise into his hair and his mouth forms an 'o'.

"No," I point a finger at him, running to the counter. "Shut your mouth!"

"You were kissing her!" His goofy smile hasn't left his face.

"No!" My god, I'm dealing with a child. "We were legit talking."

"While sitting all cutesy on the sidewalk, oh, please!" He smacks his hand down on the counter. "You have all the material, and you do nothing!"

He wasn't wrong. My cheeks heat up. "She's not going to like me like that." I say poking the lucky cat on display

A hint of a voice tells me "Of course, she likes you, look at you!" while a monster yells "Why would she like a stupid, ugly boy?" See why would she be with me if I can't even decide what I think of myself. People always talk about how you have to love yourself before someone else can. Or maybe its love yourself so no one has to?

"Is this what its like for the side character in the movies?" Jasper gives an exaggerated sigh and lays over the counter top. "Just watching two lovers not love each other,"

"You're making me uncomfortable, man." I let out a nervous laugh. The heat from my cheeks moves to the back of neck, I reach up and scratch the area.

Jasper rolls his eyes, pushing himself to his feet. Before he can speak and embarrass me again, the store's door opens bringing in a girl and what seemed to be her parents. I recognize the girl as being Elena Gilbert, an eighth grader from school. Maybe one of Piper's friends. Elena and her family didn't have much time to themselves before Jasper pounced, talking about all the deals Ray had recently added and the new shipment of crazy, cool items. With the wild man distracted, I duck away to the elevator.

Piper and I sit in our living room quietly. When school let out today, I called Ray and said I'd be in late due to a family emergency. Of course, he asked about my mother in a suggestive way which made me cringe and honestly angry. Maybe if he knew what kind of person she is, he'd stop. We've been sitting here in silence due to Piper's inability to keep a conversation. Not to say she wasn't thinking. I could practically hear the gears grinding in her brain. Like me, she's probably worrying about how to tell Dad. In honesty, I'm not sure if I want him to come home. We'll just ruin his day.

From the corner of my eye, I see Piper's leg bouncing up and down. No doubt she's scared too.

"We don't have to do this today." I nudge Piper's shaking leg with mine.

She looks up from a place on the floor she'd been staring at to meet my gaze. Her smile doesn't reach her eyes but there's a clear effort. "Dad deserves to know. It's just weird..." Piper's eyes drift off again. Her fingers tap along on her knee caps. "I can't believe Mom would do that to him. I just...love Dad and would never want to hurt him and to think-" A squeak cuts off her voice and she covers her mouth. She looks at me with watery eyes.

"Piper, I-" But what do I say? "Come here,"

I open my arms and she falls on to me. Piper emits cries I've never heard from her before. Her small hands curl around the front of my shirt pulling me closer to her. Protectively, I tighten my arms. Closing my eyes, I sit my head on top of her's and I'm hit with the realization that my little sister is just fourteen years old. Her worries should consist of cute boys or girls, silly TV shows, and late nights with friends. She shouldn't be worried about our mother's infidelities. I don't want her to worry about this. Red, fury boils in the pit of my stomach. Mom shouldn't be making us worry like this. She's the adult.

The knob on the front door begins to jiggle before swinging open. "Oh, hey, Hen, didn't know you'd be home today," Dad walks in past us to the kitchen, setting his lunch box on the counter. He turns around with a smile that falls when he see his daughter. "Piper, what's wrong?" He asks like a father should. He strides to the couch and sits with us.

Piper pushes off me and sniffles. I hand her a few tissues from the coffee table. "Dad, we gotta talk." She says in a raspy voice.

Dad pulls a confused, pinched face. "Henry,"

Piper looks to me too. All wet, big puppy eyes from both of them. Why do I need to be the one to say something? Why is it me? Suddenly it feels as if there's a full staff working their way through my chest and stomach. My heartbeat thuds in my ears, and I almost believe I can see my eyes beating as well. I grab the couch cushion for comfort and support.

"Dad, we...we wanted to wait until we were sure. But now there's a lot of evidence. And..." Why didn't the words come out?

You're. Wife. Is. Cheating. On. You.

The words don't come out because I don't want it to be true.

"She's cheating on you." Piper blurts.

"Piper," I hiss.

"You weren't doing anything!" Her red face yells at me. Angry tears slide down her cheeks.

"What?" Dad's face was emotionless.

I close my eyes and flex my fingers on the cushion. "Mom's cheating on you. We've heard phone calls where she's talking to unknown men in really gross ways. She's always out drinking. She comes home drunk! She's never here!" I bit my lip before I say something I regret. When I look at Dad though, I wish I hadn't said anything.

Dad sits back from us and falls against the couch. His hand runs through his thinning hair and red starts to creep onto his cheeks. He takes a few meditative breaths before speaking. "Kids, I..." He wipes his hands on his pants and I can see dark spots from where he's sweating. Closing his eyes, he begins nodding his head. "I've had a feeling she was doing this."

Piper moves to be beside him and lays her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"No, Piper, I'm sorry." He puts his arm around her. His eyes turn to me. "I'm sorry for not doing something sooner. I knew what was going on but...I didn't want to see it. Believe it."

I watch as the storm builds behind his grey eyes and a few tears slip out. Before I know it my vision is blurry. Dad holds out his hand and I grab on to it. Before I can really think, I realize I don't remember the last time I held my Dad's hand and I break. Fat tears fall down my face as I heave out breaths that won't come fast enough.

"Henry,"

I crawl across the couch and cuddle up to my Dad. Something I haven't done since I was twelve. My eyes close and I let myself cry. Soon I feel wet dripping on my hair. I hear my Dad sniffle and I feel more tears drop.

"I'm sorry I haven't done anything about her drinking." He says. "I foolishly thought it was going to go away."

A while later I'm laying in bed with dried tears all over my face. My head hurts and my eyes are swollen. Blinking hurts. I think about my Mom, Dad, Piper, Charlotte and Jasper. I think about the Kid Danger job. I've always said 'the Kid Danger' because sometimes he really doesn't feel like me. But that's the point. Its not me but someone better. Someone that wouldn't push his friends.

Charlotte's shocked, betrayed face rumbles in my brain. I roll over and press my face into the pillow to will the image away. But it stays. Her falling, her walking away. Her tears when I found her. I pinch my eyes shut, forcing tears out. A gasp mixed with a sob escapes me. My body begins to shake and sweat beads up on my neck and forehead. I don't want to be my mother. I don't want to be my mother.

I. Don't. Want. To. Be. My. Mother.

Part Four

~~~

Please comment if you’d like to be apart of a taglist. I want those interested to be notified :)

#chenry #henrydanger #charlottebolton #charlottepage #raymanchester #jasper dunlop #henry hart #henryhart #henry danger #ray manchester #charlotte page

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musedblues · 4 years

Text

Always Something There To Remind Me [Part: 1]

summary: Home is where the heart is. You're working on finding yours. After a handful of misfortunes, your old friend Joe helps to unravel life's greatest mystery while adding a bit of extra grief to the mix.

warning: Major character death, mentions of car crash, angst, and general sadness

w/c: 2k

a/n: Proceed with caution this fic will probably break your heart. This first part deals with a lot of backstory. It's been really cathartic for me to start writing this. It will be my first full-blown chapter fic, so stay tuned for more sorrow! (but it gets sweeter, I swear!)

Part 2

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

"I'll just miss you." Joe cast his sad eyes to the airport gates. You would miss him too, but you knew you'd end up back together. You always seemed too.

"Just try and remember what it was like before we met. But don't forget to call me!" You teased, full of adrenalin that surged through your feet and charged you away from your home, family, and very best friend.

///

For a little while, you measured time before and after moving to New York. Your father split before New York. Your mother had a break down before New York. Then you moved. Your mother became a sought after wedding photographer in New York. You started and finished high school in New York. You made a very best friend in New York.

As hard as it was to leave Joe behind, that timeline was eventually skewed after you moved to Wales. You met Kris in Wales. Then, every single thing before Kris faded into relative obscurity. Even the dream you had in every place you lived before.

You wanted to play the piano. You played every dance recital, choir practice, and bar mitzvah that came across your highschool bulletin board. Through a series of whims after graduating, you decided to move to London to play the piano in shopping malls and hotel lobbies while waiting for better gigs.

Kris singled you out during a show one of those late-night low down venues and demanded you play some Eton John number. He utterly charmed you and raved about your talent, and showed up every night you were on the bill with another outlandish request. His request eventually blossomed outside of the musical universe. He asked you to come up to his hotel. He asked you to go to dinner. He asked you to move back to his home town, Wales.

You were hot on his trail, blinded by his pretty blue eyes and the fun you'd been having together. Kris played the guitar. He drove you deep into the lush green fields where sheep roamed between castles and posh shops popped up across the road from his tiny brick one-bedroom flat, where you moved in no questions asked. Kris took you to all of his gigs, which mostly consisted of county festivals and birthday parties. Kris eventually stopped opening party invitations to strictly play bar gigs. They would barely bring in enough money to pay rent, but Kris gained more of a following and he swore that was more important.

You picked up a job tending one of the more hip pubs trafficked by college kids and hardly any creeps. That's where you met Tegan. She had long dark hair, and you'd never seen her without a smear of dark eye shadow surrounding her big green eyes. She trained you on the drink specials and Welsh slang, and in turn, you told her all of your secrets.

Kris started traveling to bars in the surrounding cities, drinking more than he played the guitar but somehow scraping up enough money to go out and do it again the next night. You stayed behind your bar top and bonded with Tegan like a long lost twin. She understood you, and you respected her. Not only for her values and opinions but for the way she let you take extra long breaks to call your best friend, Joe. The one from New York, before Wales.

"When are you gonna come home?" Joe whined like a little boy through the cell phone static that represented the time and space between you.

"Why? You're never there. You're in L.A. and Australia and everywhere but New York." You laughed bitterly into the phone. You weren't upset with Joe at all. You just missed him. You missed walking across the street from your porch to his, to wait for the school bus. You missed ditching school dances to drive to Coney Island without telling your parents. You missed movie nights, and cheating on homework, and spying on each others dates from across your favorite diner.

Life was easier back then, and no not just because you were young and dumb. There was plenty of sadness. Like on your senior trip to Canada, when your drink got spiked. Or when Joe nearly died of pneumonia. The time you got kicked off the volleyball team for covering up one of your teammate's terrible pranks. And the time Joe got punched in the face and needed stitches, when some new bully moved into town and found out your best friend was the "whiny prick" from Jurassic Park. But you were together for it all, and that's what you missed. It was the way you could tell Joe anything and the way you made him laugh that coated your memory in a golden sheen. He visited you in London once. And you flew home one Christmas not so long ago, and celebrated with his family across the street, like always. But you hadn't seen Joe since you moved to Wales, and your vision was going grey around the edges.

But Kris was all you could see, anyway. He was outlandishly handsome. He read all your favorite books. He held your hand on rollercoasters and taught you how to cook traditional Welsh food. He listened to you play the piano and encouraged you to go out and perform. That was the whole reason you traveled overseas. He would ask you to play your keyboard when he practiced his guitar and you spent the majority of your time in that corner of the room where you kept your instruments. But Kris wasn't getting enough gigs, so your night shift was becoming more demanding, and you stopped practicing. He started to drink. He said it was because he felt bad for the way you'd had to pick up shifts to support the pair of you. So he decided to prove his musical worth by going out every night, booking gigs far and wide. Kris played new bars every night, one's you'd never heard of till he told you on his way out of the door.

Then he stopped telling you when he'd be home. Tegan would come over to keep you company on weekends. Kris would miss birthdays and holidays. Tegan was always sleeping on your sofa via your invitation. You traded stories about your favorite things and your childhoods. You talked a lot about Joe, because he used to always be around. Tegan listened, and eventually started joining you on weekly facetime calls with Joe. He was glad to see you'd made such a valuable friend and to talk to Tegan like he knew her just as well. He was still the best friend you ever had thousands of miles away.

Tegan took you on a trip, one odd summer day, calling it a distraction. When you ended up in Dan yr Ogof, you knew you'd made a life long friend in Tegan. The lush green park was decorated with life-sized dinosaur statues and the cafe on grounds served dino shaped nuggets. When you sat down to eat you facetimed Joe, and took him on a digital tour of the dinosaurs scattered around the entrance. He was thrilled that you thought to call and show off the wonder you were surrounded by, and seemed so sad to hang up. You wished he could be there to spew made up dinosaur facts and pose for pictures. But you had Tegan. She was all smiles, holding your hand while you toured the caves and admired the nature all around you.

In the years you'd lived in Wales, you'd never heard of Dan yr Ogof, but were glad to have wound up there with your Tegan. It was like the best of both of your worlds. When strolled around the park and found a couple fake velociraptor bursting from falsely hatching eggs, you just stopped and stared for a moment. Tegan came around to look at her paper map of where to go next, and you wished for an option to go all the way back to freshman year. When Joe was embarrassed to tell you about the movies he'd been in, and how normal every day felt doing homework at his dinner table. You missed that normality. You wished it was normal to see him... to see anyone each and every day.

You tried to fix that by calling your mom every morning. You rambled for hours and even kept your phone turned on behind the bar during shifts. Tegan worked with you most days, but she had her own life. You even stopped hearing so much from your best friend, Joe. Texts would be responded to too late and voicemails only reminded you how far away you were. Messages from Joe were peppered between a few from Kris, who would call you drunk with promises he'd be home soon.

The day's your boyfriend did make it to your shared bed, you would just be getting home at sunrise from a shift. He would be gone when you woke up, out to another gig.

Then Kris skipped out for a whole month, and wouldn't answer any of your calls. You tearfully sold your keyboard for cash to keep groceries in your cabinet but practically lived behind the pub counter to make sure you'd never run out of money again. Tegan took you out to dinner and to films, but movies made you sad. They reminded you of Joe, who you'd see pop up on the television screen more than you heard from him directly, by then. Tegan would ask about him, knowing your old stories were like stars in the black ink darkness, but she learned to stop asking. Why wasn't anyone around anymore? Your family and friends remained frozen in photographs on social media, and you spent Christmas alone in your boyfriend's house.

When he came back home all you did was fight. He refused to tell you where he'd been, and you snapped his vintage mandolin in pieces in a brokenhearted rage. You slept in the same bed but stopped speaking to each other, just floating through the motions like ghosts- for weeks. And then he was gone again. I could just leave too, ya know? You realized. I could get up and be gone the next day. But where to?

You spent one long day on the phone with your mother, talking over what to do and how you felt and how much you missed Joe.

"He's in London now. Didn't you know that? Has been for a while." Your mother gently revealed. She would have known because his family lived right across the street. Because his parents loved your mother, and she still attended every cookout and birthday party even after you moved away. The Mazzello's were more than just your neighbors. Your mother was privy to everything Mrs. Mazzello told her on their weekend shopping trips and scheduled brunches.

"I didn't." You breathed heavily. Maybe you should have known. Maybe Joe had warned you in one of his voice mails you'd let pile up.

"He's filming there. You should call him, Y/N." Filming meant staying. Joe was five hours away from you, but you'd never felt further apart.

"Well, I might not be here much longer anyway." You reminded your mother.

Something in your gut was telling you to get out of Wales, that there was no point in your sticking around. But what about Tegan? You would wither into a humorless husk without her banter from the other end of the bar top. What about those dog-rose flowers you planted outside of your tiny little home? What if Kris stopped drinking and you could start listening to records together again? You built a life here. You made friends with the women at the market and the men at the bank. You didn't even care if Kris's mother hated you, because he hated her, and you each got a kick out of every passive-aggressive Christmas gift exchange. But you'd barely spoken to Kris since the last time he left, and the days before then, you'd only swapped venom.

You mopped around the flat, wondering if you should dust the shelves, and considered how to salvage your situation. Soon, you dozed off on the sofa as the sunset and wished you didn't have to make up your mind.

You were awoken to a house without any lights on, and a pounding at your door. There was a muffled voice crying outside and your heart speed to a million miles a minute as you hurried to your feet and rubbed your tired eyes. You flipped on a light and opened the front door to find Tegan in tears, black makeup streaking down her cheeks. She threw her arms around you and mumbled cries into your neck. You managed to pull her inside and shut the door for a bit of privacy amidst her break down.

"What is going on?" You demanded calmly, holding your friend by her shoulders and looking at her face.

"You wouldn't answer your phone, I've been trying the whole way here." She explained in a rush, sucking in a shaky breath. "The car... your car. I passed it on my way home. I only knew it was yours because the guitar-shaped the air freshener was still on the mirror."

"What?"

"I know it was your car. It's wrecked. It's..." Tegan stopped speaking to search your face. There was no time to wipe her black tears away before another one fell, she looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

"It's wrecked? You saw the guitar-shaped air freshener?" You confirmed.

"You weren't answering your phone," Tegan whispered gravely, as her lip quivered once more. Whatever she saw on the way to your place mustn't have been good at all. As you stood there watching Tegan's tears fall in silence, sirens started to whir in the distance.

Time froze to a halt as the noise grew louder and louder, piercing through your ears from just outside your window. Your heart was beating so fast you couldn't feel it until a few sharp knocks came at the door you stood next to. You didn't want to answer it. You didn't want to hear another word. But your instincts took over and you released your grip on Tegan, and opened the door.

A couple of stone-faced officers stood on your steps with no good news.

You came to find out that Kris played a gig that night, and the bar paid him in Guinness. Kris was well beyond the legal limit when he stumbled behind the wheel. Officials decided he must have swerved to avoid colliding with another vehicle and crashed through the rails of a bridge and onto the roadside below. Your boyfriend had been found without a beating heart, and yours nearly stopped at the news.

His mother blamed you for treating him so poorly, for running him off. Tegan only left your side for a couple of hours, while she went to collect a few things so she could stay over at your place. You planned a funeral and moved through the motions. But before you called your mother to tell her you were coming home, you called Joe. He didn't answer.

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