#GRATEFUL again to louis for this!!!!!! like i spent so much time today doing something that i love so so dearly to do and barely do anymore

[egcdeath]

birthdays with the boys

in honor of my own birthday, today i’ll be sharing with you what i think your birthday with many cevans characters would be like. enjoy! <3

steve rogers

he leaves his mission early and unannounced so when you wake up to the smell of pancakes in your house, and a man with breakfast in bed you almost jump out of your skin buuut you couldn’t be happier to see him

breakfast in bed is just the start of your bday because he goes ALL. OUT. 

as you finish up eating, he grabs a folded piece of paper with a wax seal on it and hands it to you

he tells you to open it once he leaves, gives you a wink, then goes

he planed a birthday scavenger hunt for you!!!

for the rest of the day, you travel around the city to a bunch of important places in your relationship, like your fav dates n stuff

at the midway point of the hunt, he meets you for a coffee and makes sure you’re still enjoying everything before he sends you off with the avenger’s company card and basically tells you to get something nice before finishing the hunt hehe

you do in fact get yourself something nice

at the end of the hunt, you end up at the compound where all of your friends and teammates are and you have a very nice birthday party

by the time that you and steve go home, you’re exhausted but wanna spend a lil more time savoring your birthday so steve suggests that the two of you watch that one cheesy rom com that you love (and he hates)

as you cuddle on the couch, popping the occasionaly popcorn kernel in your mouth, you cant help but to feel grateful that you have such an amazing boyfriend

ransom drysdale

his birthdays were always disregarded when he grew up, so he has a very extravagant celebration planned for you

we all know that he can make a pretty airtight and elaborate plan so you literally have zero idea of what he’s got up his sleeve

enter: a whole birthday week

(he sweet talked your boss into some time off  so thats one whole thing you don’t have to worry about)

day one is a whole spa and a shopping day

he can’t stand some of your friends but he invites them anyway bc he knows it’ll make you happy

he’s glaring at your friends while they giggle about some new louis vuitton purse and you’re thoroughly amused by it

you give him extra kisses that night as a reward for not instigating any fights that day (awww bf of the year am i right ladies?)

day two you guys do a museum hop and look at lots of art

ransom rolls his eyes at canvases that have a few drops of paint on them and are called modern art, you think this is hilarious

day three you have a picnic together in a park

ransom knows you have an affinity for charcuterie boards and attempts to make you one himself (and it’s not all that bad), along with a bunch of dainty little sandwiches

later that day, you go to a planetarium together

on your drive back home you have an interesting convo on the meaning of life

day 4 you take a pottery class together

ransom makes the most deformed bowl you’ve ever seen in your life

so naturally you put it up for display in your bedroom (so whenever you see it you can think of him)

day five is a first class flight to some luxurious villa in europe. most of day five is taken up on a plane

ransom lets you lay your head on him while you sleep, even though the position you’re in is making it astonishingly uncomfortable for him

day six you guys explore the city all day together

ransom makes sure not to complain about his aching legs (even though yours are getting sore too, and if he said something you would’ve done something about it!)

on your real birthday (day seven), ransom takes you out to a very nice dinner, and gives you a hand written letter detailing how much he loves and cares about you (because sometimes it’s hard for him to say his feelings)

you’re extremely flattered but have no idea how you’ll top this for his own birthday

andy barber

you and andy aren’t really huge on big gestures, so he does little things throughout the day

while you’re at work, he makes a surprise stop by and brings you your favorite drink & lunch from your favorite food place

he sends a bouquet of flowers to your job as well

after work, he cooks for you then showers you in gifts

your favorite thing that he gets you is a little engraved necklace with yours and his initials on it

at the end of the day, he gives you a nice full body massage and somehow that was exactly what you needed.

maybe not the most extravagant birthday, but a good one nonetheless.

frank adler

you have a pretty chill birthday with him and mary

he brings you a cake that him and mary made/decorated together

it’s kind of hideous but you love it

you guys let mary skip class for just 1 (one) day but tell her to keep it a secret

you call the school and let her fake being sick in the background. it is a hoot

you all go to the zoo together 

you take tons of pictures

your personal favorite is one where mary and frank are posing with a giraffe

after the zoo, you go bowling

when you win, the sore losers that came with you claim they were letting you win since it was your birthday

you end your day at the beach, watching mary and her cat play in the sand in your peripheral vision while you and frank admire the sunset

ah, sweet, sweet domesticity

ari levinson

you go to an escape room to celebrate your birthday

it’s just you and ari, but you’re smart so you don’t expect it to be too difficult

🚨wrong🚨

you’re both so hard headed and stubborn that doing any of the tasks is like pulling teeth

eventually the building had to close, and you’ve only finished like... a few tasks in the hours you’ve been there

this was certainly not a bad birthday though, arguing with ari is one of your favorite pastimes

and this birthday certainly did not disappoint

jake jensen

you and the rest of your team decided to go to a little retro arcade for the first half of the night

you spent way more time than necessary watching jake attempt to beat the high score of some random game

after giving up on beating the highest score on a pac-man machine, jake decided to attempt to win you a prize on the claw machine

like, $20 and a few annoyed humans in line behind him later, it was still nothing

when jake finally gave up, the next person in line won the soft and plushy elephant you had your eye on

and while your back was turned, he may or may not have paid off its rightful owner in order to get it with you

it was too sweet of a gesture for you to even try to be annoyed with jake

a bit later, you decided to partake in a game of laser tag which was going on in the same building

this was fine and dandy buuuut

everyone on your team treated every mission (real or fictional) like the end of the world

this made for a few very interesting matches

jake nearly trampled a child more than one time

good thing everyone was required to sign a waiver before playing

a custody battle over which team got to have cougar seemed to be a consistent theme during the night

when you were on different teams, you couldn’t help but notice that jake was getting a little too much pleasure out of shooting you

it was fine because you were equally enthusiastic about shooting him

you were eventually booted from the game when an employee claimed you were all being too rough

at some point you lost the elephant

but luckily for you, you found it before you went home

you were going to keep that elephant forever

johnny storm

you were genuinely convinced that johnny forgot your birthday

he did not bring it up ONCE the whole day

you’re actually kind of hurt for a while and get all in your head

johnny gets the silent treatment 🙄 (but he deserves it)

you decide to stop moping and go out, since it issss your birthday

you do your makeup and put on a skimpy little dress

as you leave your room and start enter the communal portion of the baxter building, johnny stops you and checks you out

he’s like “where are you going????”

and you’re like “out 😐”

and he’s like “are you sure? 🤨”

and you’re like yes duh

then he gestures to the side really quickly and you’re kinda confused then a whole bunch of people pop out and start cheering for your birthday

you’re kinda embarrassed that you spent so much of the day moping but you quickly get over it because you love a good party

by the time that most of your guests are gone, you force johnny to take you out to the club

and of course you warn him not to ever pull a stunt like that again

lucas lee

he forgot it was your birthday

#steve rogers x reader #ransom drysdale x reader #andy barber x reader #frank adler x reader #jake jensen x reader #johnny storm x reader #lucas lee x reader #ari levinson x reader #headcanon #chris evans x reader

[fivecatsinatrench-coat]

A Second Date

Clementine and Louis have a second date to continue getting to know each other better.

“I hate you,” she jested. “I love you too.” He smirked. “Even if you do have a weird thing for cowboys.” “Damn it, I do not! You’re never gonna let this go, are you?” “Absolutely not.” 

~  AO3  ~  FF  ~

Clementine grit her teeth and dug her nails into her bed sheet as a sharp pain shot up her leg. She  raised her head slightly and looked to the foot of her bed where Ruby was busy dabbing the limb with a wet cloth to clean it. The redhead insisted on cleaning it every day until it scarred over. It was already a miracle that Clementine had survived the amputation; Ruby didn’t want to test their luck with an infection. She gave the other girl a sympathetic look.

“I’m sorry, hon. I know it sucks, but it’s gotta be done,” Ruby said, rubbing the injured girl’s other leg in a futile attempt to soothe her. 

“I know,” Clementine grumbled, squeezing her eyes shut and resting her head back against her pillow. Of course she was grateful to Ruby for looking out for her, but God, did this suck.

It had been a little over a week since she returned home, and her recovery was going a lot more smoothly than anyone expected it would. The color had returned to her skin, and she was able to stay awake for the better part of most days. The pain was still overwhelming at times, but with the help of painkillers and emotional support from the other kids, she was able to push through it. 

AJ had been particularly attentive-- not that that was at all surprising. He spent most of his time by her bedside when she was awake, keeping her spirits up and making sure that she had everything she needed. He wasn’t beside her today, however. This was the first day he had left the walls of the school since they came home. He had initially been reluctant to go too far away from her, as even though she was improving, he was still terrified that something would go wrong. He was still terrified that he’d lose her. But that morning, Clementine was finally able to convince him not to worry-- that she wasn’t going anywhere, so he hesitantly agreed to go hunting with Aasim and Louis. 

When he headed out, leaving her alone in her room, part of her regretted telling him to go. Having him around kept her from thinking too hard about her condition. She tried her best to suppress it, but she couldn’t help the grief she felt over the loss of her leg. She knew that her disability would make life a lot harder from here on out; there were so many things she’d probably never be able to do again….

A light knocking at the door brought Clementine out of her thoughts. She propped herself up on an elbow and called out, “Come in.” 

The door opened and Louis stepped in. 

“Hey,” he greeted her with a grin and shut the door behind him.

“Hey, you.” She smiled affectionately at him then raised an eyebrow when she noticed that AJ wasn’t with him. “Where’s AJ?” 

“He wanted to help Aasim get a rabbit ready for dinner,” he told her then glanced at Ruby, who was still busy tending to Clementine’s leg. “Uh, I can come back later if you want.”

“No, it’s ok.” She stared down at her leg and frowned before meeting his eyes again. “Honestly, I could use a little moral support.”

Louis mirrored her dejected expression and walked the short distance to her bed. He crouched down beside her and took her hand in his.

“I’m so sorry, Clem. I--”

“Hey, I said I need support, not a pity party,” she interrupted.

He dropped the rest of his sentence with an amused exhale and squeezed her hand. “Right. Sorry.”

“So… how was hunting?” Clementine asked, wanting to shift the conversation away from her plight.

“Pretty good. We caught a couple rabbits, and I showed AJ how to reset the traps.”

“That’s good.” She chuckled before adding, “Guess you’ve replaced me as his sidekick, huh?”

“Hey, he’s the sidekick,” Louis joked, earning another light laugh from the girl. Of course, the sight of her laughing brought a grin to his face, as it never failed to do. 

Clementine looked lovingly at him for a moment before extending her arms to him for a hug, which he happily gave. 

“Thanks,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

“For?”

“Just, y’know... being here. It helps.”

He pulled slightly out of her embrace and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll always be here.”

A soft giggle from the end of the bed caused the pair to separate. Ruby had finally finished cleaning the girl’s wound and was looking fondly at them. They both blushed and lowered their eyes; they had almost forgotten she was there….

“Y’all are too cute,” Ruby remarked, shaking her head. She noticed the redness on their faces and gave them a small reassuring smile. “You don’t have t’ be embarrassed. It’s real sweet how close you two have gotten.”

Ruby picked up a roll of bandages and turned her attention back to Clementine’s leg. 

“I’m a lil’ jealous,” the redhead admitted, still looking down as she began to wrap the fresh gauze around the limb. “Not, y’know, of either of you specifically,” she quickly clarified. “Just of what y’all have, I guess.”

Ruby paused and looked back up to them. They were staring at her expectantly, apparently waiting for further explanation, so she continued:

“I used t’ read those sappy romance books the old English teacher kept in her desk and wish I could experience somethin’ like that,” she continued and smiled sadly at her hands. “I stopped a while ago, though, when I realized it wouldn’t ever happen.”

“Well, how do you know it won’t?” Clementine cut in gently. 

“I dunno… Not a lotta people left... And I doubt any of ‘em would like me.”

Clementine was surprised to hear that she felt that way. Did she really not realize that Aasim had a massive crush on her? He wasn’t exactly very subtle about it….

“You don’t know that. Maybe somebody does,” the brunette hinted.

She looked to Louis, who had his hand over his mouth in an attempt to hide the huge knowing grin that spread across his face. He dropped his hand and opened his mouth to speak but was stopped short by a light tugging on his wrist. He glanced down to find Clementine gripping it then shifted his gaze to her face and gave her a questioning look. ‘Don’t,’ she mouthed, knowing exactly what he was planning to say. As much as she herself wanted to just tell Ruby about Aasim’s crush too, she knew that they shouldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them. Louis pouted but obeyed and stayed silent.

Ruby raised an eyebrow at their behavior but chose not to question it.

“I don’t think so,” she sighed as she tied off the fresh bandage on Clementine’s leg. “Well, think I’m all done here.” Ruby stood and wiped her hands on her pants. “Anything else I can get’cha?”

Clementine shook her head. “I’m ok. Thanks, Ruby.”

She gave a little nod in response and turned to leave the bedroom. Clementine and Louis watched as she exited the room and gently closed the door behind her. They stayed quiet for a moment, listening to the sound of her footsteps down the hall fade away.

“I can’t believe this,” Louis quickly broke the silence, shaking his head in incredulity.

“I know, right?” Clementine agreed. “She really has no idea.”

 “I gotta tell her.” He turned to Clementine. “Come on, you shoulda let me tell her. This is too perfect.”

“No, he needs to tell her.”

“But he won’t, Clem. It’s been, like, a year.”

“Just... give it a little more time. He’s not very good at hiding it; she’s gonna find out eventually.” 

Louis crossed his arms and quirked his brow at her, clearly unconvinced. Noticing his skepticism, the girl continued:

“What if someone else told you that I like you?” she asked. “Wouldn’t that have kinda ruined it?”

“Honestly, I would’ve just thought they were fucking with me.” He stared at the door and frowned, pausing to consider her point for a minute before sighing in defeat. “...I guess you’re right.”

“Of course. I’m always right.”

He smirked at her. “I’m still gonna keep harassing Aasim about it, though.”

Clementine snickered. “That’s fine; you should. Just don’t tell Ruby anything.”

“Deal.”

Louis looked down in thought for a second. He sat down on the bed beside her and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “So, um...anyways... I actually came in here for a reason,” he said.

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Well, y’know, I figured you must be bored laying in here all day, so I thought, ‘Hey, what better time for our second official date?’” He pulled his deck of cards out of his coat pocket, set it on the bed between them, and looked to her with a hint of anxiety on his face as he waited for a response. 

She gave him a soft smile. “That’s a good idea. I am pretty bored.” 

Louis smiled and let out a breath of relief, which Clementine took notice of.  

“What? You thought I was gonna say no?” she asked as she sat up and rested her back against the wall.

“I mean, not really, but”-- he shrugged-- “you never know. Maybe, in the last thirty seconds, you realized you actually hate me.”

Clementine rolled her eyes. “No such luck,” she joked before focusing on the deck of cards sitting on the bed. “So, did you have a game in mind?” she asked the boy.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Y’know, I still don’t really know a lot about you, so I thought we could play the game we did the night you first got here. Remember? Highest card asks a question?”

“Yeah, I remember,” she confirmed. “Is War the only card game you know?”

“Of course not; it’s just the easiest. I know Golf, Spades, Cribbage, some that I made up...” As he listed off card games, Louis split the deck in half and handed half of the cards to Clementine. “I also know how to play Poker, but I hate it.”

“Why?”

“It’s boring.” He paused before mumbling, “And Violet always beats me.”

The girl chuckled. “Really?”

“Yeah. She’s impossible to read. I think she’s secretly a lizard-person,” he said, somehow keeping a completely straight face.

Clementine burst out laughing. 

“Don’t tell her I said that,” Louis added, as he laughed along with her. 

“Don’t worry; I won’t.” The girl’s smile faltered. “She… doesn’t really talk to me anyway.”

Not wanting to ruin the mood, Clementine quickly changed the subject. “So”-- she held up the stack of cards Louis had given her-- “are we gonna play?”

Louis nodded and gave the cards in his hand a quick shuffle. They each drew a card from their respective stacks and flipped it over; Clementine won with an eight of diamonds. 

“You win,” Louis said. “What do you wanna know?”

Clementine looked up and thought for a second. She couldn’t think of anything particularly creative to ask, so she just asked the first question that came to her mind:

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Damn, we’re already starting with the real hard-hitting questions, huh?”

The girl smiled and rolled her eyes in response before looking back at him expectantly. 

“It’s green,” he told her. “What’s yours?”

Clementine raised an eyebrow and smirked at him. “Hey, I thought only winners got to ask questions,” she teased.

“Ok, new rule then: losers can ask follow-up questions.” 

“Fine,” she chuckled before answering, “Mine is pink.”

“No way. You’re lying.” 

“What? What’s wrong with pink?”

“Nothing!” he laughed. “I just wasn’t expecting that. I thought you were gonna say something hardcore like black or blood red or something.” His expression softened. “That’s kinda cute-- that it’s just pink.”

The girl snorted, trying to hide the slight blush that crept onto her cheeks at his words. “If you say so.”

“Wait, what kind of pink, though? Hot pink?” Louis suddenly asked. 

“Ew, no.” Clementine wrinkled her nose at the thought of that obnoxious color. “Just regular pink,” she specified.

“Ok, good,” he chuckled and took the card she had drawn out of her hand, stacking it with his and setting it to the side. He motioned for her to draw again for the second round. “After you.”

Clementine drew another card from her stack and flipped it over: six of spades. Louis followed and produced a three of hearts.

“I win again.” The girl smirked at him. 

Louis shook his head and said flatly, “You’re cheating.”

She scoffed. “What? How do you even cheat at this game?”

“You stacked the deck.”

“It’s your deck!” she laughed.

“Alright, fair point… I got my eye on you, though.” He winked at her. “What’s your question?”

This time, she already had a question in mind. “Where are you from?” she asked. “Before you came here, I mean.” 

Louis smiled and answered, “Baltimore.”  

“That’s cool; that baseball guy I met was from there,” Clementine shared.

He raised his eyebrows. “No shit? What was his name?”

“Javier Garcia.”

“Wait, seriously? I’ve met him.”

Clementine’s eyes widened. “Really? When?”

“Yeah. Well, kinda. My grandparents used to take me to the baseball games in the city sometimes. He signed a ball for me. I think I still have it somewhere...” He shook his head and chuckled to himself. “I can’t believe you met Javier Garcia and didn’t tell me.”

She giggled at his enthusiasm then shrugged. “You never asked.”

“Alright, you gotta tell me everything now. How’d you meet him?”

“Well… I, uh…” Clementine sighed, slightly embarrassed of how she had acted back then. “I almost shot him; then, I tried to rob him.” 

Louis snorted. “Really, Clem? I mean, I knew you were edgy, but damn.”

She rubbed the back of her neck and said sheepishly, “Yeah… I was going through some shit at the time… He was pretty cool about it, though.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. He was a pretty cool guy in general,” she said and placed her card atop the other discarded ones. “He’s kinda like you-- little less dorky though.”

“Dorky!?” Louis clutched his chest and feigned offense.

“In a good way!” she quickly added with a laugh before switching focus to her stack of cards. She held them up and asked, “Round three?”

“‘Round three?’ You’re really gonna act like you didn’t just insult me like that?” He continued pretending to be offended as he drew another card. Before Clementine could respond or even draw a card herself, he blurted out, “I win.” and revealed that he had drawn an ace. 

“Not necessarily,” she protested. “What if I get an ace too?”

“I’d be very shocked.”

Clementine picked the top card off her stack and lifted it up in front of her face so that he couldn’t see it. She smirked. “It’s an ace,” she told him.

Louis looked at her skeptically and peeked over the top of the card to see what it really was. “That’s a four, darling.” 

The girl sighed and dropped the card. “Fine... I guess losers do deserve to win at least once.”

“Exactly,” he agreed before asking his question: “What’s your favorite kind of music?”

Clementine smiled; that was such a him thing to ask. She pursed her lips as she considered the question. Music hadn’t really been a part of her life like it had Louis’. When she and AJ were living on the road, they avoided it for the most part; it was unnecessary noise. She had probably heard more music in the past month at the school than in all her years on the road. 

“Honestly, I don’t know. I never really had the chance to listen to much music before I came here,” she admitted. “Sometimes me and AJ would listen to some rock CD in the car; I guess that was pretty cool.”

“Rock? That makes sense.”

Clementine shrugged and moved to draw another card, but Louis interrupted her:

“Wait, you’re not gonna ask what mine is?”

“I already know what yours is.” She smirked at him. “It’s obviously super girly pop music.”

“Ah, shit! How’d you know!?” he joked. 

“Gut feeling,” she joked back as she grabbed the next card off her stack.

She drew a Jack, beating Louis’ draw of a nine.

“Yes!” Clementine pumped her fist in celebration of her victory. “I have a good one this time.”

“Oh boy,” Louis said, slightly worried. “What is it?”

“What’s your biggest irrational fear?” she asked.

He eyed her suspiciously. “Um, you’re not trying to get ammunition to use against me are you?”

“No!” she laughed. “I’m just curious.”

“Ok...” Louis sighed before answering, “I’m terrified of wasps.”

“Wasps?”

“Yeah. I hate them. A couple years back we found a wasps’ nest under the lookout tower. I wouldn’t go outside for a week.”

“Are you allergic to them or something?” the girl asked.

“No, they’re just… fucking demonic, y’know?” he replied as an involuntary shiver ran down his spine at the thought of the wretched insects.

Clementine giggled. “Yeah, I guess they kinda are.”

“I’m glad you understand,” he chuckled then raised an eyebrow at her. “So, what’s your irrational fear, then?”

 “Oh, I’m not scared of anything,” she responded matter-of-factly.

“Everyone’s scared of something.”

“Not me.”

 Louis pouted. “Come on, I told you mine.”

She stared into his pleading eyes for a moment before groaning and giving in. “I guess I’m kinda creeped out by mirrors,” she confessed.

“What? Mirrors? How could someone as pretty as you hate mirrors?”

“Ha ha,” she replied sarcastically before explaining, “They give me a weird feeling... like they’re watching me or something.” She shuddered. “I don’t know how to explain it; they’re just creepy.”

The boy gave her an amused look. “Not gonna lie, that’s… a pretty weird fear. Was not expecting that,” he said.

“Hey, don’t judge me.” 

“I wasn’t.” He held up his hands. “There’s nothing wrong with you being scared of mirrors. In fact, if you want, I’ll go smash every mirror in the school for you right now.”

Clementine snickered. “I think I’ll be alright.”

“Ok, if you say so.” Louis picked up his stack of cards, preparing to draw for the next round, but before he did, he added, “If you ever change your mind, though, lemme know. I will do it.”

“I’ll let you know,” she promised. 

The pair each drew another card, and this time, Louis won with a seven of clubs. He held his card up to his lips as he considered whether or not he really wanted to ask the question he had in mind. Clementine cleared her throat and raised her wrist as if she were checking an imaginary watch, teasing the boy for taking so long to ask his question. So he decided to just go for it: 

“Alright, I gotta ask… And I’m not judging, ok? But...” Louis reached over her and picked up a book that had been laying on the opposite side of her bed. He held it up in front of her and asked,“What the fuck is this?”

“Oh God.” Clementine could feel her face begin to burn when she saw the cover. It was one of those cringeworthy western romance novels with a shirtless man in a cowboy hat on the front. The terrible thing was mixed in with a stack of a few books that Ruby had given her a couple days prior. The girl tried to explain herself:

“It’s a book Ruby brought me to read when I get bored. She gave me a few different books, and-- and I already read all the others. So y’know, I thought reading it would at least be better than staring at the ceiling. I--It’s super dumb. I swear I’m only reading it to laugh at it.”

Louis smirked at her babbling. “Right. Sure.” 

“I promise!” Clementine really wasn’t lying. The book was horrible-- probably the worst thing she had ever read in her life. It was almost impressive how bad it was, and that made it hilarious to her. But of course, Louis wasn’t going to let her off that easy.

“So what’s it about, then?” he asked as he scanned the pages, stopping when his eye caught a particularly cringeworthy passage. He smirked at the girl beside him and began to dramatically recite it:

Annabelle watched with wide eyes as he dismounted the horse, his bare six-pack glistening in the afternoon sun. God, he was sooo hot. He took off his cowboy hat and ran his fingers through his hair before turning to her and smiling. “Howdy, baby. I have come back for you,” he said in his deep, sultry voice.

Clementine lied back and buried her burning face into her hands. “Please stop,” she laughed. Of course, he ignored her and continued reading:

“Oh, Bill. I knew you would.” She ran into his arms and kissed him passionately. He tightened his hold on her and pulled her to the ground with him. He tenderly stroked her-- 

Louis cringed. “Oof, that’s a little inappropriate,” he mumbled to himself and quickly flipped a few pages ahead until he found a different section to read. “Here we go.”

Luckily for Clementine, before he could start reading whatever awful new passage he found, the dorm door opened and someone stepped inside. Louis lowered the book and turned around to see who it was. He smiled when he saw that it was AJ.

“Hey, little dude!”

“Hi,” AJ greeted the older boy then raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of Clementine lying back with her hands covering her beet-red face. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“I’m just reading Clem her favorite book,” Louis replied nonchalantly. 

“It’s not my favorite book! I hate it!” the girl blurted out. 

“Oh, stop lying, Clem. Your secret’s out; you might as well own it.”

“I hate you,” she jested.

“I love you too.” He smirked. “Even if you do have a weird thing for cowboys.”

“Damn it, I do not! You’re never gonna let this go, are you?”

“Absolutely not,” he laughed, planting a quick kiss on her cheek. 

“Lou, I swear to God when I get out of this bed...” Clementine playfully threatened.

“I’ll go into hiding,” he chuckled and stared down at the book in his hands. Something suddenly occurred to him. “Wait, so Ruby gave this to you?”

Clementine nodded. “She did.”

“I wonder if this is one of those sappy books she was talking about.” He mindlessly flipped through the pages then slipped the novel into an inner pocket of his coat and flashed her a sly grin. “I’m gonna show it to Aasim-- tell him to take notes and act it out for her.”

“Great idea,” she snorted. “You can torment him instead.”

“He is pretty fun to torment.” He grinned mischievously then glanced at the door. “...I’ll be back.”

Clementine watched as Louis stood and rushed out of the dorm room, his coat flapping behind him. She chuckled to herself as she heard him running down the hall. She loved that idiot.

“...I don’t get it,” AJ suddenly said. “What just happened?”

“Don’t worry about it, kiddo,” Clementine chuckled. “He's just being a dork.”

End Note: Thanks for reading! ♥

#this is pretty silly ngl haha #twdg #clouis #twdg louis #twdg clementine #twdg fanfiction #twdg fanfic #my writing

[starrybethany]

Clayton Keller: Part 7

Word count: 2077

Clayton and I spent the night catching up on all of the time we’ve been separated for the past week or so. When I wake up in the morning I’m utterly exhausted and my body is sore as hell yet I feel euphoric of a sort.

The arm wrapped around my waist feels familiar, even welcomed, and I lay with Clayton’s face buried in my neck with contempt. I’m staring up at the bare white ceiling as I feel him shift beside me, his grip tightening. He groans, the hot air touching my skin.

I don’t move my gaze from above me as he pulls back from my neck, his hand using my hip for support as he pushes himself halfway up to be able to look at me. The blanket falls down his chest a little bit, revealing his fit torso.

“Morning,” he greets me, his voice groggy from sleep.

“Good morning.”

He collapses back onto the mattress beside me, moving his head so that his head is touching mine. “What are you looking at?”

“Do you see that spider web in the corner?” I ask, lifting a hand lazily to point at it.

“Yeah.”

“I’m trying to figure out how to get it down. I bet you could get it for me,” I tease.

“So now I’m just here to do your manual labor?” He jokes.

“Come on, Clayton, just do it!” I whine. “You’re 5’10, you can reach.”

“I’m actually 5’11,” he corrects.

“That’s not what Google says.”

I turn my head at the feeling of his movements to find him glaring at me playfully, reaching over to tickle my sides. I giggle at the action, the giggles turning into screeches for him to stop because I can’t breathe.

“That should teach you to mess with me again,” he huffs, puffing out his chest proudly.

I roll my eyes. “Okay. Just as long as you pull that spiderweb down.”

We enjoy each other’s company silently, grateful for the rare morning where we just get to lie in bed beside one another. I can’t help but take this time to think about how my relationship with Clayton has evolved.

I still think that I’m too busy to be in a relationship- a relationship takes time and effort, too much time and effort for me to give right now. But there’s something interesting about Clayton.

Maybe it’s the way he makes me feel. He makes me feel giddy whenever he’s around, like I’m back in high school trying my best to act cool when my crush walks down the hallway I’m in. He makes me feel comfortable, like I can be myself when I’m around him and all he would do is cheer and support me.

Clayton makes me feel like no man has ever made me feel before.

But, at the end of the day that doesn’t matter. At the end of the day he’s the one signing my paycheck and we aren’t a couple, we’re actually in a contractually obligated agreement and life isn’t a Disney fairytale.

“Guess what?” Clayton whispers.

“What?” I whisper back. I don’t know why he or I am whispering. Maybe he’s afraid that if he speaks too loud, it’ll break whatever spell we’re both under.

“You let me stay over last night.”

“So?”

“Guess what else?” He continues.

“What?”

“That’s not allowed, according to our contract,” he points out.

I roll my eyes but my heart beats faster at his remark. I guess neither of us realized that last night after all of the strenuous activity that went down.

“Screw the contract,” I lamely respond, unsure and unconfident in other answers that I could give. I’m afraid of telling him that I liked spending the night with him, even if we’ve done it in his place it feels different doing it in mine.

It makes us feel like more of a couple, which we aren’t.

“Screw the contract?” He repeats, letting out a dramatic gasp. “But Y/N, that’s a legally binding document! I could tell my lawyer about this.”

“And your lawyer would say you’re just as much at fault, if not more,” I point out.

“Whatever,” he turns back to me, burying his face in my neck again. “He doesn’t need to know about this.”

The man begins to place light kisses up and down the column of my neck, slowly replacing them with stronger kisses, then begins to suck a hickey into the sensitive part of my neck.

I moan at the feeling, tilting my head to give him more room. My eyes flutter closed at the sensation. I know this is going to be a pain in the ass to cover up but it feels so good. Spending time with Clayton feels so good.

He moves until he’s gently straddling my body, brushing his hands up and down my sides lightly.

“Do you have anywhere to be today?” He asks quietly once he’s removed his lips from my skin.

“I have to meet my friends later, for lunch,” I breathe out.

“So we have all morning?” He inquires.

“We have all morning,” I confirm.

The grin on his face is one that I’ll never forget.

~

“Look at that smile, someone got laid,” Tyler jokes as I approach the table.

“And that new purse, holy shit,” Betsy adds, eyes widening at the sight of the Louis Vuitton bag on my arm.

“How can you afford that shit, I thought you were broke?” Tyler questions as I pull out the chair beside him, sitting down and resting my bag on the chair beside me. It’s too expensive to sit on the floor.

“You never told him, did you?” Betsy gasps.

“Oh man, I never did,” I groan, knowing that Tyler will dislike that he’s been left out of the loop.

“Never told me what? Y/N, are you withholding tea from me? You know that’s practically a crime, right?” He commands.

I roll my eyes at him. “So, I have a sugar daddy.”

“You what?” He exclaims, causing practically the whole restaurant to turn and stare at us.

“Quiet down,” I smack his arm, “Yeah, it’s been going on for like two months now. I can’t believe I forgot to tell you.”

“You forgot to tell me that you were getting laid and rich?” He raises his eyebrows, unimpressed.

The waitress drops by, an amused expression on our face, clearly overhearing our conversation. She takes our order before heading off to the back, allowing the conversation to resume.

“And look at that top, is it Gucci?” Betsy questions teasingly.

“You would know if it were Gucci, Betsy,” I respond. I’m not sure how to feel about all of the teasing. I like the nice things Clayton’s getting me, from the beautiful jewelry to the fashionable pieces of clothing, and even the money he’s giving me so that I can pay for school and rent.

But another part of me can’t help but worry about what other people are thinking. I wonder if anyone besides my friends have noticed my change from resale shop clothes to designer brands. And how they think that I got this money…

I’m not ashamed of having a sugar daddy. My body is made to make money and I’m doing just that, plus Clayton’s getting something out of this situation too, it’s not just me. But it’s definitely not something that I would tell my mom.

“So what kind of sugar daddy is he?” Tyler inquires.

“What do you mean?”

“Like does he need you to help him with his phone or change his bedpan or-”I scoff as Betsy bursts into laughter.

“He’s twenty two, Tyler.”

“Twenty two?” His eyes practically bulge out of his head. “What twenty two year old can afford to be a sugar daddy?”

“He’s an athlete,” the blonde informs him.

“An athlete? Is it a figure skater? Can you introduce me to Adam Rippon?” An excited smile shoots across his face.

“No, it’s not a figure skater, plus Adam Rippon has a boyfriend. He plays hockey for the Arizona Coyotes,” I explain.

“Arizona has a hockey team?” He sounds genuinely shocked.

“Why does everyone always ask me that?” I sigh.

“Well, that’s fun.” He gives me a supportive shove and I practically fall off of the chair. Sometimes he doesn't know his own strength.

The food arrives shortly after and we catch up with each other as we eat our meals. I find out that Betsy has a date in a couple of nights and we tease her about settling down and abandoning her wild years that she’s supposed to spend with us.

She gives us a “we’ll see how it goes” so we settle down.

“I’d love to meet your hot sugar daddy, if you’re up for showing him off,” Tyler tells me as we pay our bills and rise to leave the restaurant.

“We’ll see,” I respond vaguely. I’m not sure how I feel about Clayton meeting my friends. I’ve already met his friends and a couple of their partners, but that’s kind of bound to happen seeing as how he works with his friends.

And I go to a lot of his work events- the games- so I was going to meet his friends eventually. But to meet my friends, I’d have to plan a day where me, Clayton, and my friends will be at the same place for an extended period of time to get to know each other and chat.

He’s technically my employer, so that seems kind of inappropriate.

~

“I brought cookies, Christian.” I set the bag down on the counter, pulling out the package to proudly display the package of cookies I stopped by the store to buy.

“My trainer doesn’t allow me to eat cookies,” he states, staring longingly at the package in my hands.

“And do you listen to everything your trainer says?” I raise my eyebrows at him.

He hesitates but nods, causing Clayton to laugh. The brunette grabs my hand, tugging me towards his room. As we pass his roommate I lean closer to him and whisper, “Teacher’s pet.”

“Hey!” He shouts after me. I don’t have the chance to respond before Clayton closes his door, throwing himself onto his bed. I climb up beside him, curling up at the headboard.

“How was your day today?” He asks, voice muffled by the sheets he’s buried his head in.

“Good. How was your day?” I stare out his window at the beautiful desert sunset. Arizona really is a wonderful state.

“What did you do?”

“Um, I studied this morning after I left, then I went to lunch with Tyler and Betsy, then I studied some more and grocery shopping this afternoon,” I answer.

“You went to lunch with Tyler and Betsy?” He repeats, leaning up on his elbows.

“Yeah,” I begin to laugh, “I actually found out today that I never told Tyler about you.”

He gives me a toothy grin. “Really?”

“I guess I just never got the chance to tell him,” I confess.

“So you told him today?”

“Yep.” He moves up the bed until his head is in my lap. I absentmindedly twirl his chestnut strands through my fingers, watching as a car passes by.

“What are your friends like?” Clayton asks me.

“Didn’t you meet them at the bar the night we met?” I pause my movements, waiting for an answer.

“Maybe faintly? I barely remember that night,” he admits.

“Me neither,” I laugh. “But they’re basically just like me, except Tyler is gay and Betsy is prettier.”

“Not possible,” he mumbles.

I don’t respond, unsure of what would be an appropriate response.

“If you want to meet them, I’m having a party this weekend at my apartment. It’s a surprise birthday party for Tyler so everyone’s pretty much going to be wasted the whole night,” I say it before I realize that I’m inviting him.

It’s not that I’m worried that he won’t fit in, I know he will. He’s an attractive male in his twenties who has been to plenty of parties in his day. But I don’t know if he knows how truly wild my friends can get…

Plus, we would be crossing that boundary between sugar-daddy-and-sugar-baby and into, I don’t know, something more.

“I’d love to go to the party,” he accepts my invitation before I can overthink anything much longer.

We’ll just have to see how this goes.

#Clayton keller imagine #NHL imagines #NHL sugar baby #NHL story #NHL fanfiction

[flowers-for-nuz]

ok so i’ll never get any work done until harry follows louis back lol so i wrote a short lil drabble to soothe my heart (also because @lwtiswonderundersummersky said someone should write a fic about this haha) 

anyway, here ya go. about 1200 words of Louis nervously waiting for Harry to follow him back! 

***

‘To all the boys, I love you so much.”

Louis taps his fingers nervously against the back of his phone, resisting every urge to peek at the screen and see if there is a notification light flashing. He’d turned it on silent after he’d hit the ‘follow’ button – had kind of wished he could fling it into the sea too (or himself, he wasn’t picky). But what’s done is done.

Harry must already have gotten the notification. And the fans would’ve picked up on it immediately, Louis knew that. The video had just aired (it was the shittiest thing he’d ever seen – well, okay no, the iHeartRadio one had been the shittiest – but he’d signed off on it without complaining because of that one little scene – the way their beds had been pushed together, his phone visible on the second one while Harry’s was clearly charging next to him. Louis smiles at the memory and vaguely turns towards his laptop. Perhaps he could have another watch while he waited.)

(He still can’t believe the band’s management had approved the video…)

Louis logs back in and pulls up the tab he already has open. It’s been nearly 30 minutes since it’s aired but the views are steadily climbing, and so are the comments. His gaze falls onto his phone – he’s turned it over in a weak attempt to combat the irresistible temptation (so far it’s working – or is it?)

He swears the butterflies inside him are multiplying like rabbits. It feels like he’s a lovesick teen again, running his hands through curls and pinching cheeks he would’ve kissed more often if only he’d known how their time together had an expiration date. He shakes his head firmly and pushes down on his breastbone in an effort to calm himself. It was all over. He was free. H was free.

(Reaching out is always the hardest part…) But – I love you so much – that had really brought Louis to his knees. He knew it was for all the boys, but the ‘so much’ – it had been years since he’d said anything like this.

The ridiculous anniversary video is still playing in the background but Louis sinks his face into Clifford’s fur, breathing in slowly. He’s had the dogs back for a while now and their physical comfort is something he’d missed more than he’d thought he would. Hopefully, they’ll never have to leave his side again. He murmurs nonsense into the dog’s back as Bruce snuffles into his socked feet.

(He’d spent the entire morning in his sweats and no shirt; cuddling Clifford and Bruce in lieu of a dimple-cheeked boy, watching old fanvideos, compilations, performances and interviews on YouTube. The sofa is still littered with empty crisps wrappers and a couple of tissues because fuck it, he’d cried okay.)

The video ends and there’s silence in the room once again. Did he even watch it? He doesn’t think so.

Louis looks at the time.

Fifteen more minutes. I can do it.

He sighs heavily and raises his face. Clifford whines but doesn’t move otherwise. Louis rubs a hand over his face and through his hair. It’s gotten so long – does H know he’s growing it out too? Has he seen the photo of him? Did it make him think of that conversation they had back in 2013 when he’d shyly asked Lou Teasdale if he could grow his hair out a bit and Louis had immediately asked for the same? Did he remember how they’d grinned at each other in silly solidarity (it was just a haircut – or the lack of one – but it felt like so much more).

Twelve minutes, goddamnit.

Louis looks around his empty house. It’s a fucking mess, he’ll admit it. He’s been holed up in here for the past few weeks, only leaving once or twice. But he cant bring himself to do anything about it – there’s something in his stomach – a rock or perhaps a whole fucking island – he needs to know. He needs to know if they’re repairable. If he still has a chance.

He’s even more nervous than he was when his album was about to be released – with all of its ‘loud’ references (as fans would call it) – his heart laid bare for Harry to see.

Eight.

Fuck it. Louis reaches for his phone, only to shrink away at the last second. He doesn’t know what would be worse – checking before his self-appointed time and finding no notification from Harry, or checking it later and still seeing no notification. How long must he allow his heart to pause its hammering before settling into disappointment?

Bruce snuffles into his feet again and Louis reaches down to pet his nose, his thumb slipping over his sock because of the movement. It falls to his ankle and Louis gazes at his exposed triangle tattoo, feeling his heart burn. There’s been so much hurt. So much they’ve had to hide. He swallows back tears, willing himself to remain composed.

There’s a lyric crashing through his brain right now – it’s sad and it’s selfish but he jots it down on his open laptop anyway. Maybe it’ll make its way into his next album, maybe it won’t. Maybe Harry will hear it one day and Louis will get to tell him the story behind it and he’ll laugh and Harry will laugh because they can.

Three minutes.

Louis squeezes his eyes closed and slumps back into the couch. If he sits very quietly and very still for the next one-eighty seconds, will it be more or less likely that Harry would’ve followed him back?

More likely, Louis thinks vaguely. Patience is rewarded, right? Right.

He cracks one eye open, grateful there’s no one around to witness his pitiful actions. One minute.

He leans forward more eagerly than he meant to, his eyes zeroing in on the phone. It’s been almost a full hour. He knows Harry is in Italy. He knows there’s no time zone issues. He also knows Harry doesn’t have plans today (okay, so what if Louis did a bit of intense stalking to find out this particular information?)

Ten seconds.

His fingers hover over the sides of the phone. It’s a clear case. Really basic. He wonders what sort of phone case Harry has.

Five.

Four.

What if Harry hasn’t followed him back?

Two.

One.

Louis turns it over, just in time to catch the tail-end of the familiar notification light. His heart leaps. His hands are shaking as he unlocks it. Pulls down the notification bar. Stops breathing.

Harry Styles is now following you on Instagram.

And –

Harry Styles sent you a message.

Louis almost drops the phone. His mouth dry as fuck, he taps on the notification.

“Lou. It’s been too long.”

#larry #harry styles #louis tomlinson #10YearsOf1D #larry fanfic #nuz writes #idek #pls excuse any random errors #i legit just wrote this and posted it lol

[soldouthaz]

hi! 

this is very different from anything else i’ve ever written and i’m not completely sure that i love it but i couldn’t get this idea out of my head. i’m obsessed with the concept of louis being the sun. most of this is up for interpretation and is borderline ambiguous in it’s ending, so feel free to imagine it how you’d like. again, another huge thank you to @risthebrave​ for yelling about this idea with me / planning it in two days and for letting me know that there is actually a lunar eclipse today (june 5th!). it was fate :) enjoy! 

“Tell me the story about how the sun loved the moon so much he died every night to let him breathe.”

“Once during a time when the earth was simple, the Sun shone brighter than anything. The people were grateful and rejoiced every time the Sun shone. He brought them joy and warmth, he was even the source of their warmth.

But he was lonely, all by himself in the vast skies. He would look down at the people dancing in his radiance and wonder if he was simply destined to a life of solitarily. That was the price he paid for being the brightest, he reasoned.

Then there was the Moon.

As the Sun grew weary and began to disappear [he] would rise into the sky, flanked by millions of stars. [His] radiance was a sad kind of beauty, one that went unnoticed as the people slept.

The Stars watched [him] with woefulness, hoping that one day they could get close enough so [he] wouldn’t feel so empty. But they couldn’t. The Moon was untouchable, surrounding [himself] with a blanket of darkness through the cold nights.

Until one day when the Sun was sliding out of the heavens, he caught a glimpse of [the Moon]. [He] was peeking up, a rare side of [him] being exposed to the light. And while the Sun could shine, he knew the Moon could glow, and a faithful whisper trumped an arrogant shout any day.

So just as the Stars were wandering into the night, the Sun fell in love like a snowball hurdling down a mountain. How the Sun wished to see [the Moon] more than the fleeting moments he shared with [him] at both dawn and dusk.

But the Moon was untouchable.

Uncurable.

Unfreeable.

“Go,” [the Moon] whispered to him one of those nights, [his] voice as sweet and sorrowful as the last light of morning, “Go and let me breathe, for you and I have decided fates. You illuminate the day, and I cast a glow on the night. We will never be. Our connection would go against what all people believe, all they know.” During the summer [the Sun] would stay a little longer just in case [the Moon] would change [his] mind. It was no use.

“Don’t you dare abandon your blessing of light for my darkness.”

~ anonymous

--

Early morning is Louis’ favorite time of the day. The sky is transformed into a blank canvas of pinks and purples with a few feathery clouds, soft birdsong the only soundtrack to his endless work. Sometimes he feels trapped inside of his workspace, but he tries to make the best of his circumstance by listing all of the details that bring a smile to his face.

There are as many advantages as there are disadvantages, really. Louis enjoys his privileges, enjoys being able to shed light on the world and watch as they create new memories underneath him and bask in the glow. Sometimes it makes him so happy that his smile only adds to the illumination of the landscape below him. Other times though, his mind wanders.

Nighttime has always been somewhat of a fantasy for him. Louis catches glimpses of it as he retires for the day, light stars dotting the cobalt blue of the darkening skyline. In the light that Louis provides everything is visible - it is difficult to hide much from his rays. Oftentimes people shield their eyes from him or stay indoors as he shines over their homes. Louis finds himself envious of the thick shadow of night. Everything is more serene and silent, and there is time for rest and renewal away from any prying eyes. Still, there is another reason Louis is so keen about the night.

His name is Harry.

Louis has only seen the Moon a few times before, each one more wonderful than the last. Harry is the physical embodiment of the things of Louis’ daydreams. While Louis is freckled and radiating with light, Harry exudes a certain calmness that he’s never been able to replicate in his absence. With the softest touch Louis has ever felt, Harry is an enigma although he lays all of his deepest secrets out bare for him to see. Each crater carved in the surface of the Moon is synonymous with Harry’s own. His skin tells a story that Louis has spent years attempting to figure out without much luck.

Several times a year Louis has the pleasure of being in his arms. It isn’t ever for long, but he values every last second until they shift again, saying goodbye for another few months until they’re able to coexist once again.

Louis has learned several things in the course of his lifetime, has paid attention to the patterns and frameworks that the people below him subscribe to. In the harsh light of day, people pretend. They plaster on fake grins and pretend to be people they aren’t, trying a thousand times harder to seem alright with sunlight shed over all of their insecurities.

At night is when the illusion fades. Everything becomes more genuine underneath the hazy blanket of the stars. Harry listens attentively as people vent their troubles to the Moon, asking for guidance and comfort that is only given through the moonlit strips that peek through the curtains onto the floor. It’s easier to cry and to be upset when there is no one else around - Louis would know. He aches with it sometimes, wishing that people would look to him in the same way they do Harry.

No one ever talks to the sun. In fact, like he’s said, at times they actively hide from it. And it hurts him sometimes that he shines too brightly but he can’t do anything to dampen it, can only look down on them and hope they know that he’s only trying to provide warmth as best he can. Harry has a way of making people feel like they aren’t alone, but it seems like Louis only sheds light on the opposite.

There are times when the Moon is the only thing that keeps him going, the repetitive cycle a soothing reminder that, even if he can’t touch him right now, he’s never truly alone. He can always make out his silhouette opposite from him when he feels lonely or needs comfort. Sometimes he allows himself to be fooled into thinking that they’re closer than they are, that he could reach out and touch him if he tried hard enough, but Louis knows that isn’t the truth.

He and Harry are the exact juxtaposition of each other but he thinks that’s probably why they work so well. It’s forbidden in many ways, but the fact that the universe allows them an opening of time to themselves during the longer months must be some sort of a sign, he figures; the fact that they’re given time together even in the midst of such important obligations - bringing light and darkness to every corner of the world.

It is seldom that Louis ever gets to rest, only another reason why he longs to be in the Moon’s presence. For those few minutes Louis can forget about everything else, can be completely camouflaged by the Moon. He no longer has to worry about shining too brightly or filling up an entire sky by himself. Everyone below them gathers to watch their brief union, flashing cameras and pointing up at them, and Louis would give anything to be able to see it from their perspectives.

Tonight they’ll get to see all of it again. There is only a small portion of time before their rotations align and he’ll be able to breathe once more. There are days when Louis wouldn’t trade anything for his responsibility, but there are also times when he wishes nothing more than to give it up, if only for minutes at a time.

The Moon comes into his vision exceptionally slowly but too fast all at once. The sooner Harry arrives the sooner he leaves, and Louis thinks he should probably be at peace with that by now but he isn’t.  He longs for the day when they won’t have to part from one another, though he knows it is selfish to keep his light from the world.

That is why he’s eager to take willingly what he receives, and why he is so eager to keep going each day. It is one of the only reprieves he is allowed and Louis plans to take full advantage of it each time he is allowed.

He watches as Harry moves closer in the sky, as the horizon darkens and he begins to glow as well. Louis enjoys this part, when their colors begin to blend together in a mix of purples, blues, and pinks. Though he can’t ever see them together, he can always feel their energy. He radiates warmth every day but with Harry it’s almost as if their light is combined, his skin vibrating with it as he draws even closer.

Louis blinks over and over again, trying to convince himself he isn’t imagining it when he begins to see the features of Harry’s face come into view. It’s never exactly like he imagines it, always better than the time before. Harry ages beautifully and it never fails to amaze him. He isn’t bright like the Sun, like Louis, but he’s effortlessly radiant in his own way.

No time to prepare himself is allotted when Harry arrives though he’s been waiting weeks for this. One moment he’s out of reach and the next he’s in Louis’ space, big and bright and a thousand times more lovely than Louis remembers.

“Louis,” Harry whispers.

His voice is something Louis knows, looks forward to hearing for months at a time, but he still isn’t prepared when Harry utters his name. Immediately Louis feels as if he’s been encased in deep velvet. His body is lighter at the tone, at the feeling of the heavy weight falling off of his shoulders even if only for a few minutes.

The sky is dark when he falls into Harry’s arms, invisible under the thick haze of fog, stars, and the shape of the Moon covering his silhouette. Everything is strikingly bright and pitch black at once in his vision.

“Sleep, my Sun,” Harry whispers.

Louis allows himself to follow his suggestion, his eyes fluttering shut. When he wakes, there’s a good chance Harry will be gone again, separating further and further from him as they continue on their paths. But for now, he’ll let himself fall underneath his spell feeling comfortable and safe and warm, dreaming of the day where they won’t have to part from each other, when Louis can bask in their combined glow for the rest of eternity.

--

I see what it's like for day and night

Never together

'Cause they see things in a different light

Like us, but they never tried

Like us

#drabble #my fic #Larry fic

[ericsonclan]

Heading to Bed

Summary: Clementine and Louis get ready to sleep and talk about the adjustments they've made with the loss of Clem's leg and Louis' added responsibilities.

Notes: I love these two so much <3

Read on A03: 

“Home at last,” Clementine exclaimed as she and Louis strolled into their room as night deepened outside the window. With a deep sigh, she collapsed spread eagled on the bed. Louis laughed as he looked down at her.

“Not wasting any time, I see,”

“You know it. Now, if I could just muster the strength to get this off…” Clem lazily shifted her stump, her prosthetic dangling precariously on the edge of the bed.

“Allow me the honor,” Louis lifted both her legs to place them in his lap as he took a seat on the bed. Bending over, he began the process of undoing the leather straps that kept it in place. As he eased the limb off, Clementine let out a soft hiss of pain. Louis shot her a concerned glance.

“Is it sore?”

“Very. It’s been a while since I kept it on that long,” Usually, Clementine split up her time between the crutches and the prosthetic as she tried to build up endurance. Today had been her first attempt at hunting though, so she had needed to keep the prosthetic on for most of the day while she was outside the walls. Overall it had been a successful outing, with four rabbits and a squirrel caught between archery and the traps. 

She was glad she had chosen to go with Aasim. Though Louis had been instrumental in giving her the encouragement and support needed to get back on her feet, she was sure hunting with him would have been a complete nightmare, with him hovering behind her and cheering her on with every step when silence was needed to hunt prey. Aasim had kept a respectable, detached attitude throughout the trip, giving Clementine her space, but being close enough that on the few occasions when she stumbled he was there to break her fall.

Of course, AJ had wanted to tag along as well to protect her, but Clementine had stringently objected. She couldn’t have the stress of keeping an eye on AJ and figuring out how to hunt again for the first time, no matter how capable the 6 year old was. Neither Louis or A.J. was happy with the arrangement, but they respected her wishes. As soon as she and Aasim were in sight of the school, both boys had barreled out of the gates and literally carried her back into the front yard. She doubted they had gotten much of anything done while she was gone. They’d hovered over her incessantly throughout dinner, asking her questions on what she and Aasim had done and seen in excruciating detail.

Once dinner was over, Ruby had mercifully pulled A.J. away for a while, asking him to help her with something in the greenhouse. Clem had given her a grateful smile then headed toward the dorms with Louis, using all of her willpower to keep from limping as they made their way inside. Now that the day was done, Clementine could finally bask in the pride of a job well done. Things couldn’t have gone better. Now she was home in the comfort of her bed with her boyfriend gently massaging the blood flow back into her leg.

A sudden stabbing pain up her leg caused Clementine to gasp.

“Sorry, sorry!” Louis exclaimed, pulling his hands back. “Was that too hard? I can stop,”

“No, it’s OK. It’s just more tender than usual. It still feels good,”

Hesitantly, Louis reached for her leg again and began to gently massage around the base, thumbs rolling soft circles into her aching stump. Clem moaned appreciatively.

“Yeah, right there. That’s sooo much better,”

“Y’know, I’ve become quite good at this if I do say so myself,” Louis smirked playfully at Clementine. “It must be because I’m so talented with my fingers,” It took a second for his own words to sink in. “Oh shit, wait, not like that! I meant because of my piano playing…” He lowered his face in shame, hiding behind his dreadlocks.

Clem giggled. “Smooth, Louis. Very smooth,”

After the awkwardness had faded, they settled into a comfortable silence, Louis continuing to absentmindedly rub Clementine’s leg as she lay with eyes closed, savoring the moment. She felt like she could drift off to sleep at any second, but she didn’t want to quite yet. She wanted to spend more time with Louis. “So…” she began, “What did you do today?”

“Ah, nothing too interesting. A.J. and I did patrol together and checked the wall for any weak points. Then I spent some time with Violet tanning some of the rabbit hides. I know they’re great for keeping warm in the winter but man do those things stink!”

“Yeah, I don’t envy you that job,” Clementine had been stuck doing inside work for the last several months as her leg had healed. Though she and Violet had found ways to keep themselves entertained in spite of the mind-numbing tasks, Clementine had felt the boredom slowly eating away at her soul. Who knew that homemaking could feel worse that living on the road?

“Anyway, after that Ruby had me haul a ton of water from the creek since ever since we started doing laundry she’s convinced it must be a weekly task,”

“You have to admit, there haven’t been any more lice outbreaks since she started her cleaning regimen,”

Louis shuddered. “Don’t remind me,”

“So that was it then?”

“Well, once I finished with the water I tried to sneak off to get some music time in, but Omar cornered me by the tables and had me chopping veggies for dinner. A.J. helped out since he was waiting for you to come home. We finished prep shortly before you returned and you know the rest up until this very moment,”

“Sounds like quite the day,”

“That it was. Thank God I’m usually much better at shirking than today would suggest,” He lifted her right leg to remove her boot, then began to massage her foot, humming a little tune to himself as he continued.

Clementine watched him thoughtfully. Despite Louis’ well-known history of avoiding work, when she thought back on the last few days, he’d really been running himself ragged. Hell, she couldn’t think of a time in the past couple months when she’d seen him slacking off, except for stolen moments with her. 

When she had arrived at Ericson, Louis would spend hours at the piano every day, practicing or composing to his heart’s content. But thinking over the last week, Clementine couldn’t remember if she’d even heard the piano being played. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she reached forward to brush Louis’ dreadlocks away from his face.

“Something wrong?” 

She could see that the area under his eyes had darkened, and there were stress lines around the corners of his eyes as well. How long had those been there? “Are you eating OK? Sleeping?”

Louis chuckled. “Wow, are those maternal instincts turning on me since A.J. is out of the room? Relax, I’m fine,”

Clementine gave him her best unconvinced staredown. Louis squirmed under her eyes. “You know it’s not bad to take time for yourself. No one would fault you for setting aside some time to practice your music,”

“I know… but there’s just so much to be done around here, what with hunting for food and checking the walls and prepping for meals…”

“There is such a thing as asking for help,”

“Nah, that wouldn’t be right. Everyone’s pulling their weight around here. No reason I shouldn’t do the same,”

“Louis!” Clementine exclaimed, taking his face in her hands. “Look at you! You’re worn out! Clearly you’ve been going above and beyond lately. There’s no reason to feel guilty!”

Louis wouldn’t look at her. Instead his eyes were trained on the bed, as if afraid to meet her eyes.

“What is it?”

“I didn’t get hurt,”

“That night, when we attacked the raiders’ ship… I didn’t get hurt. Violet did. You did. And every time I think back to what happened that night…” He choked on his words, tears beginning to run down his face.

“Louis…” Clementine gently brushed the tears aside, but more came. “Louis, none of that is your fault. You couldn’t have prevented what happened. And Violet and I – we’re fine! I mean, sure, things are different, but that hasn’t stopped us from doing what needs to be done. I mean, I went hunting today. I can take outside shifts again. It doesn’t always have to be you and Aasim.

“No,” Louis shook his head firmly. “No, I don’t want you to take that on!”

“Louis, I like hunting,”

“No, I can’t take it! I couldn’t focus on anything today – not patrol or the rabbit hides or those stupid veggies! All I could think about was you outside the walls and how the last time I left you outside-”

He was breathing too hard, his breath coming out in short, tight gasps. Clementine wasn’t sure what to do. Desperately, she wrapped him in her arms, holding him tightly. Louis buried his face against her neck and Clem ran her hand up and down his back, trying to calm him down. She wasn’t sure how many minutes it took, but finally Louis’ breathing slowed and he went slack against her, body limp. Clementine ran her fingers gently through his hair.

“I won’t do anything stupid that’ll get me killed. You know me. I could never do that to A.J. or to you,”

“It doesn’t have to be stupid to get you killed,” Louis murmured. “Mitch died saving Tenn. Tenn died ‘cause he couldn’t turn his back on Minnie. Marlon died….” He sighed shakily. “Things are different than the days where I used to while away the hours in the music room. It was wrong of me to waste time back then. It’d be even worse doing it now,”

Clementine sighed in exasperation and pushed Louis back from her. She took his chin in one hand so he would look her in the eyes. “Louis, I love you, but you’re being a fool right now,”

Louis’ brow quirked in confusion.

“Listen to you! How can you talk about music this way, like it’s nothing? Music is your passion. I don’t want you to give that up for anything,” She reached down and took his hands in her own. “I hear what you’re saying. We lost so many people back then in those days and things did change. But we’re a family, Louis! We all look out for each other! Not a single one of us would want our happiness to come at the cost of yours. When Violet and I were hurt, you carried us through that time. Now it’s our turn, OK?”

Louis mutely nodded.

“OK?” “

OK, OK!” Louis looked up at her, his eyes still wet, but calm now. Warm. 

“Clem…. You’re amazing,”

Clem smiled, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on his lips. “You are too,” She wrapped her arms around him once more, pulling him toward her until they had both collapsed on the bed. She inched forward until her nose was brushing against his. “This is what we’re going to do. Tomorrow, you and I are going to the music room. And we’re going to spend the entire morning in there. We’ll lock the door so no one can bother us and then you can play me that song you wrote me. Or try to teach me how to play again – that is, if you have the patience,”

“I would love that,” Louis whispered.

Clementine reached out to grab Louis’ arm, draping it over her waist, pulling him closer. He was so warm and she was so tired. It wouldn’t be long till she was asleep. She looked into Louis’ eyes, so close to her own. “Promise me something?”

“Mm?”

“Promise me that you’ll tell me next time you’re feeling worn out. I count on you for so much. I want you to count on me too,”

Louis was quiet for a moment. Then he nodded. “I promise,”

“Good. Love you,”

“Love you too,” Louis breathed, resting his forehead against hers. 

After a few minutes in each others’ warm embrace, sleep overcame the couple and they both took their well-deserved rest.

#clouis #twdg #twdgs4 #twdg louis #twdg clementine #fanfic

[abundanceofsoph]

SkyFire 2: Chapter 16

“Darling, Just Hold On”: Nov/Dec 2016

Word count: 4.7k

SkyFire 2 MASTERLIST

I’ve been debating whether to write this chapter for weeks and I’m still not entirely sure whether I should have skipped it. While I use real people's names and real life events in this story, in my head they’re all fictional characters since I don’t really know them or how they would actually act in any of these situations. I more just use their likeness and their situations to inspire the story so this chapter was something I didn’t feel like I should include. I tried not to focus too much on Johannah but I felt the bond between Louis and Aurora was so beautiful that I decided to keep this chapter in. I hope you understand why I’ve made this decision.

This chapter's also a bit longer than usual because I wanted to soften the blow of the angst with some domestic fluff. Anyway, we all know what’s coming in this chapter so I'll stop stalling and get on with it.

>Instagram posts

After the trip away, Harry and Aurora decided to stay in London in anticipation of attending the X Factor finale where Louis was going to perform his debut single with Steve Aoki. After the show,  Anne and Robin would once again be joining them in New York for the holidays, but in the meantime, they were enjoying spending a few weeks at Harry’s Hampstead house and catching up with Rori’s friends.

One of those days they headed south to Wimbledon, walking the familiar streets of Aurora’s childhood, their winter outfits helping to hide them from prying eyes, however they were stopped a couple of times by observant fans. Aurora offered to take their photos with Harry but he asked them not to post until that evening so that they could enjoy their day without being mobbed. They headed for the Golden Stag as the sun began to set, grateful for the warmth that greeted them as they stepped through the doors. Greg was working behind the bar, his face lighting up as he watched them approach him and he walked around the end of the bar to sweep Rori into his arms. She buried her face into his shoulder as he held her tightly, feeling instantly at home in his arms.

“We missed you sweetheart,” he murmured while placing kisses to the crown of her head.

“Sorry it’s been so long,” she replied, squeezing him tightly one more time before stepping back from the hug.

“Just glad you’re here now,” he smiled. “Good to see you again Harry.”

“Good to see you too, Sir,” Harry replied, offering his hand and chuckling when Greg ignored it to hug him.

“Told you before you can just call me Greg,” he said as they stepped back. “You kids hungry? Grab a table and I’ll go let Helen know that you’re both here.”

They did as they were told, sliding into Aurora’s favourite booth that was close enough to the fireplace without being too hot.

Helen rushed out of the kitchen a few minutes later, beelining straight for their table and pulling Rori out of her seat and into a bone crushing embrace. “Oh, I missed you my darling,” she cooed, holding the younger woman tightly against her. “I swear every time I see you; you look more and more like your mother.”

“Missed you too Helen,” Rori murmured, her eyes glossy in response to Helen’s words.

“Now you’re both far too thin,” she clucked. “Let me get you some food and we’ll see if we can’t put some meet on those bones.”

Harry chuckled as she rushed back towards the kitchen and Aurora settled herself back into the booth. “I like her,” he said. “She reminds me of mum.”

“She reminds me of mine too,” Rori smiled softly, reaching across the table to take Harry’s hand in hers. “Always feel closer to her when I’m here. We should visit more.”

“Well once we buy a place of our own on this side of the river, we can visit all the time.”

“Sounds perfect.”

After dinner, Rori was eyeing the piano in the far corner, her lips twitching up in a slight grin as she remembered the hours she had spent sitting on that bench growing up. Her smile dropped as she once again berated herself for that stupid fall in the lobby a few weeks ago, knowing that she still had another week before she could wear her prosthetic and she was itching to play. “How do you feel about being my left hand?” she asked Harry.

“And what would you need my left hand for?” he asked, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips.

“When Louis was at tower over summer, he’d play the left hand for me on the piano before I got my prosthetic. Thought we could maybe try that out.”

Harry smiled widely. “Sounds fun. Lead the way.”

Aurora’s answering grin lit up her face and she jumped to her feet joyfully, grabbing Harry’s hand and tugging him across the room towards the piano. The pub wasn’t crowded, with only a few of the regulars on their stools at the bar, a few families finishing their dinner and a couple of young girls sitting by the door. Aurora had noticed the girls flicking glances towards her and Harry over the past hour, and she was pretty sure they were working up the courage to come over and say hi. She laughed as she imagined the stories they would tell their friends tomorrow about Harry Styles playing the piano in the little pub where they had dinner. Helen watched the pair take a seat on the old piano bench, smiling as they laughed, trying to find the rhythm. They stuttered over the start of a song a couple of times before they got the timing right, settling into the tune. Most of the patrons ignored the pair, a few of the regulars smiling softly at the familiar sound after so many years, and the table of girls by the door watched on with rapt attention. Both Aurora and Harry wore matching grins as they played, their arms slung around each other’s backs as together they wove the melody of familiar songs eventually beginning to sing, giving the unsuspecting patrons an exclusive performance that others would have paid hundreds of pounds to attend if given the chance.

xXx

After having dinner at the Golden Stag, Rori and Harry spent the remaining weeks of November meeting with both their wedding planner and their realtor.

The wedding planning was relatively easy going, seeing as how everything was booked in and ready to go. Aurora still had a few more dress fittings in the new year but otherwise everything was finalised for the big day in only a few months’ time.

The house hunting on the other hand was a little less under control. Harry had agreed with Aurora when she suggested that they look at apartments and penthouses as apposed to free standing houses. Her reasoning had been that she wanted to avoid the issues they’d had with fans camping outside Erskine House, and while they were hoping to avoid the publicizing of their new address, they both knew that it would only be a matter of time before Harry’s fans figured it out. Aurora loved his fans and was incredibly grateful that so many people recognised how incredibly talented he was and appreciated him, but she also got frustrated by how invasive they sometimes got about every tiny aspect of his life, and by extension hers as well. After deciding that they wanted an apartment, Aurora had stipulated that they buy south of the river so that she could be closer to Wimbledon, and Harry decreed that they needed at least 4 bedrooms in addition to the master suite. He planned on turning one into an art studio for Aurora, while another could become a simple recording studio, nothing close to the scale of her studios in Avengers Tower, but just a little something to make it feel like home. He hadn’t mentioned anything to Aurora, but the reason he wanted 2 bedrooms left over once they created the studios, was that he planned for one to be turned into a nursey while the other could remain as a traditional guest room for when their families visited. All of these aspects, as well as the need for plenty of room for Harry’s car collection had left their poor realtor, Lee, with the unenviable job of finding the perfect place for the young couple. He found them four different properties and set up private inspections for each.

The first was in Southwark and Harry was immediately impressed the moment they walked into the lobby and were greeted by the doorman. The security of the building was excellent and they both smiled softly at each other as they took the elevator to the 24th floor with Lee.

“Now this isn’t the penthouse apartment,” Lee explained as the entered the apartment. “But there’s only two apartments above you and there’s shared access between you and 3 other apartments for the rooftop garden.”

Aurora let go of Harry’s hand as they wandered into the main living area, large windows opening out to the Thames and a beautiful view of the city.

“The kitchen and entertainment area are all on this level with a bathroom off the entry hall,” Lee continued as they walked around. “There’s 4 bedrooms upstairs including the master suite with walk in robe and ensuite, with an additional bathrooms for the guest rooms.”

“Only 3 spare rooms?” Harry asked. “Not ideal.”

“I don’t really like the idea of climbing those stairs every day,” Aurora added.

“How about we head to the second property?” Lee asked, accepting immediately that this was not the right fit. “We can always come back if you change your mind.”

Harry motioned for Lee to lead the way and they headed back to the elevator. Once they reached the ground they climbed into Harry’s car.

The second property was only a few minutes away, still in Southwark, and just behind the Tate Modern. “I like the idea of just popping over to the galleries,” Aurora noted as they entered the apartment and spotted the familiar building out the window, the river and Millennium bridge also filling in the landscape sprawled out in front of them. While the building ticked off everything on their list, there was something missing that neither Harry nor Aurora could put their finger on. Whatever it was, the third apartment in Vauxhall was also missing it, leaving them with only one property left to view.

“It’s not available today but we can view it on Tuesday if you want to meet me there at 2pm,” Lee explained once they left the third apartment.

“That works for us,” Harry agreed, “we’ll see you then.”

xXx

They arrived in Battersea a few hours before they were meant to meet up with Lee to view the final property on his list, opting to grab lunch in a nearby café and then wander through Battersea Park.

“I used to come here a lot with my mum,” Rori said as they walked, arm in arm, rugged up against the cold wind blowing in off the Thames. “Used to love going to the kid’s zoo, but mum really loved all the flowers, so we’d come every weekend in spring.”

“It’s beautiful here,” Harry agreed. “We filmed a music video here.”

“I know,” Rori laughed. “As soon as the fans found out you were here, Ella actually came down after school to try and meet you all.”

“Really?” Harry asked.

“Yeah, and I would have been right next to her, but I’d already moved to New York. Still remember watching the video and just feeling so nostalgic. Think that’s why it was my favourite song for so long.”

“You never told me that was your favourite.”

“Because it’s embarrassing, Harry.”

“No, it’s not,” he argued. “I think it’s really cute they you were such a big fan. Imagine if you didn’t like our music. You probably wouldn’t have gone to that after party with me and we never would have gotten the chance to get to know each other if you hated the band.”

“It’s still embarrassing to remember I used to read fanfiction about the man who is about to be my husband,” she replied, laughing softly as they turned towards the river.

“I’m flattered,” Harry promised, kissing her cheek as she blushed. “Now let’s go see our dream home, hopefully.”

Lee was waiting for them outside the riverside apartment building, the ever impressive Battersea Power Station looming next door. The lobby was empty when Lee led them inside Scott House, using a key card to activate the elevator. He explained on the short ride to the 8th floor that the building was nearing completion and the first round of tenants were due to start moving in at the beginning of February.

The elevator opened onto a pristine hallway; the colour scheme monochromatic which was very much to Auroras taste. Lee turned right out of the elevator, leading them to the apartment’s front door, once again using the key card to gain access.

They entered into an entry hall that led straight into what Lee called the reception room, which flowed through to a kitchen/dining area. “This was originally designed to be 3 separate units, but they altered it to create one large 5 bedroom penthouse,” he explained as they entered. “There are 4 other units on this floor, but the sound proofing is state of the art, so you won’t be able to hear them. There’s a secondary entrance from the main hall into the apartment that leads directly into the kitchen so you can bypass the entry hall.” He pointed out the specific features of the kitchen and the enclosed patio that was marketed as a winter garden that ran the length of the apartment, looking out at the power station to their right and the river on the left. “Because it was originally three units,” Lee continued as he led them down a long hallway off the kitchen, “you get three parking spots in the underground garage.”

Aurora sensed Harry brightening at this, but her attention was focused on the 4 bedrooms, office space, study and utility room that Lee pointed out as they passed. Each bedroom had its own bathroom and built in robes with an additional walk-in situated in between them all.  They returned back to the central kitchen via the winter garden, and Rori found herself falling in love with the property more and more with every step. In its unfinished state she was able to imagine the furniture she could buy to fill the space and the colours she would paint the walls, really making a home for herself and Harry.

“And now if we head back through the reception room,” Lee said as he directed them. “You have the master bedroom with the spacious walk-in and dressing room which lead through to the ensuite with a full size tub at one end and a twin shower head in the shower at the other end of the room. His and hers basins and marble tiling.”

“God damn,” Rori muttered as she looked around, picturing the décor she could add to bring out their personalities in the space. “H, I love it.”

“Me too,” Harry replied, equally impressed with the entire apartment.

“It’s not listed yet, so if you can organise the down payment, I’d say we can get it locked down within the next few weeks.”

“Let’s sit down and talk contracts,” Harry replied, watching as Aurora’s smile grew as they walked back out into the bedroom.

“How about you meet me at my office in the morning and we can go over all the specifics then?” Lee asked to which Harry agreed.

“You happy, love?” Harry asked, turning to see Rori standing out on the balcony leading off the master bedroom, looking towards the Power Station. She turned back to him, her face aglow with excitement.

“I can see us starting a family here Harry,” she replied, letting out a surprised squeal as Harry picked her up and held her tightly against him, kissing her cheek.

“Me too my love,” he replied. “Me too.”

xXx

They were lying in bed on a Tuesday evening in the beginning of December, Harry’s head resting in Rori’s lap as she sat against the headboard reading. She was finally able to start wearing her prosthetic again, so she was holding the book in her left hand, the fingers of her right tangled in Harry’s curls. His own hands traced patterns across her thighs, a comfortable silence stretching around them. That silence was shattered as Harry’s phone started ringing on the nightstand and Aurora barely looked up from her book as she passed it to him. His head was still resting in her lap as he answered the call and she felt him freeze against her, a soft gasp escaping his lips.

“We’re on our way,” he said softly, clambering off the bed before Rori could even get her bookmark in place. He started throwing on clothes as she asked him what was going on, and it was clear that he hadn’t heard her at all.

“HARRY!” she yelled, finally breaking through to him. He froze, turning to look at her, his eyes wide and haunted. “What’s happening? What’s wrong.”

“Jay,” was all he said, his voice barely more than a whisper and there was nothing else he needed to say as Rori felt her blood run cold, certain that the haunted look in Harry’s eyes was now echoed in hers. She didn’t say a word, but just as quickly got dressed and moved to pack an overnight bag for the both of them. They were out the door and in the car within minutes. They’d both known this was coming for a while, but everyone had been hoping that she’d make it past the holidays. It took them 3 hours to reach Doncaster, and neither spoke as Harry drove through the night. Aurora turned the radio off after the first pop song played, so at odds with the sombre mood inside the car that she couldn’t handle it.

It was well after midnight by the time they reached Doncaster and headed straight to the Deakin house. Harry texted Louis to let him know they were there, not expecting a reply and not receiving one, and they let themselves inside with the spare key. Despite the late hour neither Harry nor Aurora could think of sleeping and Aurora started tidying up the living room. By the time the sun rose, they’d cleaned most of the house and Harry had thrown together a casserole to put in the oven when everyone got home. They collapsed on the sofa; phones clenched in their hands as they waited to hear.

It was nearing lunchtime when they heard cars pull into the driveway and slow trudging footsteps reached the front door. Aurora was waiting with her arms open and Louis fell into them gladly, holding her tightly as he cried. Harry hugged a few of the girls before moving to Dan’s side and ushering them all into the living room. He busied himself making tea while Louis and Rori continued to cling to each other. No one spoke beyond quite murmurs of thanks and the young couple spent the day doing whatever they could to help, ensuring that the grieving family ate before turning in to bed later in the evening.

They left Doncaster Friday afternoon, driving back to London and leaving Louis  with his family to be together before heading to Wembley the next day. They had assumed that Louis would be cancelling his appearance on X Factor, but he shocked both of them that morning when he announced he was going ahead with the show. They promised to be there and hugged everyone tightly before climbing into their car. Neither spoke on the drive south, both physically and emotionally exhausted by the past two days.

“I just spent the whole time we were there wanting to say something to help Lou, but I had no idea what to say,” Harry admitted once they dropped their overnight bags inside the entry hall of the house.

“There’s nothing you can say,” Aurora said, walking to his side to wrap him in a tight hug. “Not really. At least that’s how it felt when mum died. Anytime anyone told me it was going to be ok I just wanted to scream.”

“Did anything help?” Harry asked softly, his face buried in the crook of her neck.

“Ella stayed over at the hospital that first night. She didn’t say anything, but she just held me. Looking back now, that meant more than anything else. Just knowing that she was there and that I wasn’t alone. That’s what I’ve been trying to do for Lou and the girls, just make sure they feel that they’re not alone.”

“I hate that you ever had to go through that, but I’m glad he has someone that knows what it’s like,” Harry said. “Sorry that sounded really shitty.”

“No I get it,” Rori replied, “and I’m glad I can be there for him too.”

They trudged upstairs and collapsed into bed, neither having the energy or appetite to think about dinner and instead just cuddled up next to each other under the covers. They were silent for a while, both sitting in their own grief until Harry started shaking.

“I can’t help but think we’re going to do this again with Robin,” he sobbed.

“Oh Harry,” Rori sighed, holding him tightly as he cried into her chest. “You can’t think like that. Robin’s tough. He’s going to fight, and he’ll be ok. We deserve the win.”

“We thought that about Jay,” he pointed out.

“I know,” Aurora agreed. “I’m scared too but if I let myself think about it then it’s going to crush us Harry. We have to believe he’ll be ok because we don’t have any other option.”

xXx

They were backstage at Wembley, a little under an hour before the show was set to start and there were plenty of people rushing around getting everything ready. For the most part people were leaving them alone, aware of what had happened and thankfully giving them all space. The boys were all there, as were Lottie and Flic, however Dan and the rest of the kids had stayed back in Doncaster. Occasionally someone would come over to offer their sympathy, while Steve took care of all the technical problems in preparation for the performance. Louis had already gotten through the sound check earlier, mostly holding it together and now was just sitting quietly with his sisters, trying to prepare to go out in front of the sold out crowd, and live tv audience.

“Hey Rori, can we go for a walk?” Louis asked not long before he was needed on stage. She nodded, standing up immediately and following him out of the room. They walked the hallways of the backstage area with his arm around her shoulders and hers firmly around his waist. Aurora stayed quiet, knowing that Louis would let her know what he needed from her. “The night we met,” he finally said, “It was the AMAs, remember?”

“Yeah I remember,” she replied, her voice matching his near whisper.

“That was the first time you performed after your mum?”

“It was the first time on my own,” she explained. “I’d done a couple of smaller shows with the band but that was the first time on my own.”

“How did you do it?”

“It was different. I’d had a few years of missing her, so it wasn’t as fresh, but it was still really hard, especially since the song was about her. I know you’re really asking how you’re supposed to go out there tonight and I don’t really have an answer for that.”

“Yeah, I know, sorry. You’re just the only one I know who’s been where I am right now.”

“You never have to apologise to me Lou. I’ll help however I can because I wish I’d had someone who knew how it felt. But you have something I didn’t have; you’ve got your family and you’ll all get through this together. I guess the best advice I can give is that she loved watching you on stage. She really fucking loved it and she was so proud of you. So am I.” They both started crying and stopped walking to bury their face in the curve of each other’s necks. “I love you so much big brother,” Rori whispered. “We’re all here to help you and the girls through this. You’re not alone.”

“Love you too Rors. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she whispered. “Now go out there and show the world our song.”

“Our song?” Louis scoffed, a small chuckle accompanying his words.

Aurora smiled in response and even though Louis knew exactly what she was doing, he appreciated her giving him shit like she always did. Just this little bit of normalcy helped him to believe that she was right and that it wouldn’t always hurt this much.

“Of course it’s our song,” she joked. “I helped you write the chorus when you stayed with me over summer. I expect my royalty cheques in the mail soon.”

“Not a chance love,” Louis laughed. “You can have the family discount off the merch though.”

“So kind of you.”

xXx

Harry stood behind Aurora as the song began, his arms wrapped tightly around her, his chest pressed firmly against her back and his chin resting on the crown of her head. She watched in awe as Louis jumped around the stage, tears streaming down her face as each line of the song hit like the lashes of a whip.

The sun goes down and it comes back up The world it turns no matter what Oh-oh-oh, if it all goes wrong Darling, just hold on

Even though she’d been the one to help write them, Aurora felt as though every word was slicing at her heart. Like every word was a screaming plea for things to have ended differently. For her to still be here with them. For her to still be here with him.

As the lights came up and the crowd cheered, Aurora brushed aside her tears, taking deep calming breathes so that by the time Louis reached them she was ready to be the shoulder he needed to lean on.

xXx

They’d stayed out late with Louis, eventually calling it a night when Aurora could barely keep her eyes open any longer. They’d collapsed into bed as soon as they returned home in the early hours of the morning, exhausted both physically and mentally.

Harry stirred as the sun streamed in through the bedroom window, the angle disorientating until he realised that it was afternoon and they had slept away half the day. He also realised that the sun had not been what woke him as he watched Rori slip into a pair of jeans, struggling to do up the buttons one handed.

“Need a hand?” he mumbled, voice husky with sleep.

She jumped a little, startled by his question before she turned to him with a cheeky grin. “I do need a hand actually. I seem to have misplaced one of mine.”

Harry rolled his eyes at her joke and motioned her over to the side of the bed so that he could reach out and do up the buttons for her. “Why are you getting dressed? Come back to bed.”

“Gonna go see mum,” she replied, kissing his forehead before grabbing a sweater off the end of the bed and slipping it over her head. “Be back in a few hours.”

“You want company or is this something you gotta do alone?” he asked softly, sitting up and letting the sheets pool around his hips.

“It’s ok baby, go back to sleep.”

“That’s not what I asked,” Harry replied. “I’m coming with you unless you want to be alone.”

“I wouldn’t mind the company,” she answered, smiling softly as Harry climbed out of the bed and slipped into his own clothes, taking her hand before leading her out of the bedroom.

An hour later Harry parked near the Wimbledon Cemetery, rounding the car to hold open the passenger door for Aurora before taking her hand and walking by her side through the large wrought iron gates. They walked quietly past the older headstones until they reached the newer plots, following the familiar winding paths until the reached Louise Bennett’s headstone. The grass was damp beneath Rori’s knees as she sank to the ground, Harry’s hand resting comfortingly on her shoulder as she reached out to brush away the dry autumn leaves on the ground.

“Hi Mumma,” she whispered. “Sorry I haven’t been to visit for a while, it’s been a pretty wild year.”

NEXT CHAPTER

OR CONTINUE READING ON AO3

#skyfire #skyfire fic #aurora stark #dad!tony #iron dad #step dad #stony #stony fic #boyfriend harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #superfamily #Harry Styles #tony stark #ptsd #domestic fluff #angst #best friend louis tomlinson #minor character death #grief/mourning

[captain-kingliamsqueen]

Beautiful in White - Until We Meet Again - Part 11(Liam x MC)

Pairing: Liam x MC

Summary: …DISTANCE MEANS SO LITTLE, WHEN SOMEONE MEANS SO MUCH!

When King Liam manages to break free from his Marriage to madeleine and takes a trip to new York for the biggest UN event of the century. What happens when his suitcase doesn’t make it to new York with him. when a stranger comes to his rescue to find appropriate clothing for the Event. What happens when he meets the woman of his dreams but she already has a home along with a Multi-billion dollar business in New York. 

Word Count: 2,532

Masterlist

 ASK IF YOU WANT TAGGED! SORRY IF I MISSED ANYONE!

I always notice every single spelling mistake or issue after I’ve posted…so apologies in advance! 

Tags aren’t working so I will be tagging in the comments.

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

Straight after the wedding ceremony the guests were escorted to the Gazebo where the reception was to take place whilst Liam, Kayliegh and the bridal party went off to get their formal pictures taken. After spending the next hour getting their photos taken, they all headed for the gazebo where they were to have reception drinks followed the speeches then a three-course meal.

Once everyone was seated, Drake was the first to make a toast.

“um…as most of you know, my names Drake also known as Liam's best friend and best man, I had the honour of being in the room when Liam and Kayliegh first met and I’ll be honest, I thought he was crazy, when he told us he was going to stay at her house without security or anything…I nearly dragged him out of there myself” he laughed “but the next time we seen him after it was at the UN party and let me tell you…the smirk that man had on his face!” the room laughed “I’m telling you! When we spoke to him that evening, he was smitten…I warned him, I said listen man, just be careful, this woman she’s been through a lot! And he assured me he would never do anything to hurt her, which everyone who knows Liam knows he wouldn’t! when Kayliegh left upset that night, without question without a thought he was hightailing after her. The whole plane ride home he wouldn’t take his head out of his phone, he was messaging her, video calling her. I have never seen Liam so caught up in a woman in my life. And I’m so glad that woman is Kayliegh because these two people are perfect for each other, I don’t think I’ve ever seen my best friend so happy. So…a toast to Liam and Kayliegh, may your marriage be long and happy, I wish you both all the best” everyone raised their glasses then took a sip of their drinks.

Allie was next up. she stood to her feet with her drink in her hand.

“hello everyone, I’m Allie, Kayliegh is not only my sister but my best friend.  We have spent the whole of our lives getting to know each other, we used to fight a lot…like ALOT” both Allie and Kayliegh laughed “when I was fourteen and you were seventeen and every time you left the house I would raid your things, especially your jewellery and shoes and I remember you were going out on your first date, and you had picked out your outfit like a week in advance, you were so excited to go, when it came to you getting ready for him to come and pick you up, you couldn’t find the shoes you had picked out…and that’s because little ole me got sticky fingers” everyone laughed “we were driving mom and dad crazy! You were shouting at me because you knew there was a 99% chance it was me who moved them, I was shouting at you because I had them but I had broken the strap on them so I refused to admit that I had done it…so I have something for you” Allie smirked as she lifted a box from beside her seat and passed it to Kayliegh, who opened the box then laughed as she lifted the small burnt orange coloured block heeled sandals from it, in perfect condition. “you little snake” Kayliegh laughed “thank you” she smirked “what I most remember about that night is watching you wait in the living room for over an hour when the guy didn’t show up…my point in telling this story is that you have had so many let downs in your life Kayliegh, every time you got knocked down, you fell harder, eventually you decided to focus on your work and only your work! You refused to let anyone get in your way, you stuck to it and became one of the most amazing women to walk the planet, you didn’t just achieve your dreams you built them from scratch, from the ground up and I have never been more proud of anyone in my life. It wasn’t long after you started your brand that Louis tumbled into your life…and after everything that happened with him, I wasn’t sure you were going to make it back from that one…it scared me a lot seeing you in such a bad place. When I was serving Liam and the rest of the guys that night in the restaurant, I knew something was there…as soon as I met him, you instantly popped into my head. when the opportunity arose for you two to meet, I couldn’t turn down a little matchmaking.” Everyone laughed “the second you guys met each other…oh my goodness I have never felt so much electricity between two people.” She smiled as she looked between both Liam and Kayliegh.  “over the past year and a half, you have become so much happier and that makes me so soo happy. I want to thank Liam…for being such an amazing person towards my sister, I couldn’t imagine a better partner for her to spend the rest of her life with. I love you both so much. To Liam and Kayliegh”

“To Liam and Kayliegh!” everyone raised their glasses before taking a drink. The next person to make a toast was Leo. He stood to his feet looking Liam dead in the eyes with a smirk. Liam had warned him prior to wedding not to embarrass him, but he knew his brother…he knew him too well. Leo was not going to pass the opportunity to make everyone laugh.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I stand here before you at my brother’s wedding, it’s clear that he’s come a long way. Once he could barely decide which pastry to have for breakfast…and now he’s the ruler of an entire kingdom,”

“well, it’s a lot easier to pick your breakfast when your older brother isn’t around to steal all the Danishes.” Liam laughed along with all the other guests. Leo smirked knowing Liam wouldn’t let him embarrass him.

“All jokes aside, it truly is an honour to be here tonight. When I abdicated the throne, I knew deep down that I was doing Cordonia a favour. Because I knew this man right here would be twice the king that I could ever be. But Liam, I knew it wasn’t a favour to my little brother. I knew I was putting a heavy burden on his shoulders and I hoped my little brother could find a way to wear the crown that wouldn’t crush him. From the night I told Liam that I was abdicating, I never saw him smile. But let me tell you, when Liam called me about this amazing woman he had met in America, I thought okay, cool he’s met someone, but I wasn’t too sure about it because as you all knew he’s a king…kings don’t usually get the whole love story, but then he wouldn’t shut up about her” he laughed “I could hear how happy he was in his voice! Tonight, I don’t see my little brother wracked with the weight of the world, I see Cordonia’s true king, and the man my brother was destined to become. Seeing him next to Kayliegh, any doubts I had about him being happy are gone. In the past I would have described my brother as the reserved one. the cautious one. the one who carefully kept a blank face. Kayliegh…look at the grin on his face!! look he’s even blushing because we’re all looking at him now”

Everyone laughed as Liam blushed

“honestly, I couldn’t be happier to see such a smile on his face, so thank you Kayliegh for it truly is the queen who makes the king! Cheers” he raised his glass followed by everyone else. once everyone had put their glasses back down Liam stood from his seat.

“well, I think it’s my turn” he smirked

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to thank you all for being here with us today to celebrate our wedding! I truly appreciate all of your support! I want to thank my new wife, Kayliegh. I always thought a long distance relationship wouldn’t work, especially with my status, it was out of the question, but then I met you and you changed my world, after spending those two days with you, I was smitten, there was no way I would have left without having some way of keeping in contact with you. Being so far away from you Kayliegh, made the time we actually got to spend together so much better and I am grateful for every second that we get to spend together. When you told me, you were coming to Cordonia for the first time I was elated! I was so happy I was finally getting the chance to show you where I live. You make me happier than I’d ever dare to dream possible, you make me a better king and a better man. I may be a king, but my greatest honour is to be the man you have chosen to stand by your side, for the rest of our lives. To Kayliegh…the Queen of my heart long may she reign!”

Everyone cheered as they raised their glasses then took a sip of their drinks as Liam sat down, he lifted his glass and clinked it with Kaylieghs “I love you” he smiled “I love you too” she leaned in placing the sweetest kiss on his lips.

Kayliegh then stood to her feet with a smile.

“hi everyone, most people who know me, know I don’t like speaking in front of people, I get very nervous In front of large crowds, so I’m going to keep this short and sweet” she smiled “I want to thank you all so much for coming to share this day with us, we are so happy you all could be here. I want to thank the whole bridal party; you all look AMAZING! If I do say so myself” everyone laughed knowing she was the one who made the outfits “no you do, you all look amazing! I want to say thank you to my sister, you are the most amazing person and I love you so much! And lastly I want to say thank you to my new husband, I love you so much, I couldn’t ask for a more amazing husband, you mean the world to me and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life by your side. To Liam” she raised her glass “the man who holds my heart” everyone cheered then took a sip of their drinks.

It wasn’t too long after that everyone was tucking into their meals. By the time it hit five thirty, everyone had finished eating and it was time for Liam and Kayliegh’s first dance as husband and wife. Liam offered his hand out for her to take as he stood from the table “shall we” he asked, “we shall” She nodded with a gentle smile as she placed her hand in his then stood from her seat. The two made their way to the dance floor, just as the melody started Liam gently took one of her hands in his, then he placed his other hand on the middle of her back whilst she placed her arm over his upper arm her hand on the back of his shoulder. She was practically leaning on his chest. The two swayed together as the slow song filled the room. With her head leaning on Liam’s chest, Kayliegh closed her eyes and listened to the music as they danced.

“Not sure if you know this But when we first met I got so nervous I couldn't speak In that very moment I found the one and My life had found its missing piece So as long as I live I'll love you Will have and hold you You look so beautiful in white And from now to my very last breath This day I'll cherish You look so beautiful in white Tonight”

As they swayed slowly to the music Liam leaned down and whispered in her ear “I love you so much”

“I love you too” she whispered in return.

Once the song came to an end the rest of the guests joined Liam and Kayliegh for the next song.

“do me a favour” Kayliegh whispered as she stayed leaning against his chest.

“anything”

“Don’t move away from me for a minute” Liam looked down at her with a confused smile to see a tear falling down her face.

“is everything okay?” he asked as he gently wiped her cheek.

“yeah, I’m just…really happy” she giggled.

The couple spent the rest of the night dancing and drinking, and just being with their family and friends. By the time the end of the night came Liam and Kayliegh were both well and truly ready to be alone. They both approached their group of friends from across the room.  

“Kayliegh!!!” A drunk Allie called loudly with a laugh as they got closer. She ran over wrapping her arms around her sister. “I love you Kayliegh bear”

“I love you too Allie bear” Kayliegh giggled “I have to go speak with Bastian about something I’ll be back in a minute” Kayliegh stated before heading over in Bastian's direction who was not far from them.

“Your Majesty” Bastian bowed his head.

“oh goodness, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that” she giggled

“I’m sure you’ll adjust to it” he smirked

“could you do me a huge favour Bastian?” she asked

“of course, anything”

“my sister, she’s extremely drunk, Liam and I are going to head out, but I know I’ll worry about her if I don’t ask, but could you get Mara to make sure she gets to her room okay? I would ask her, but I don’t know where she’s gone”

“of course, don’t worry about it, I’ll make sure your sister gets back safe”

“thank you so much Bastian”

“have a good evening, your Majesty” he bowed before she bid him goodnight then headed back over towards Liam and their friends.

“is everything okay?” Liam asked as he leaned down quietly asking in her ear.

“yeah, I was just asking Bastian if he could make sure Allie got to her room okay, she’s very drunk, I’ll just worry if I leave her here without someone to make sure she gets back okay.”

“Bastian will make sure she’s alright” he smiled as his hand gently landed on her lower back.

“are you ready to get going?” he asked her.

“more than ready” she smirked

“alright guys, we’re going to head out, but we’ll see you tomorrow” Liam smiled

“goodnight everyone” Kayliegh added then pointedly stared at Allie “don’t drink anymore alcohol, I’m cutting you off” she smirked

“boooo!!” Allie called

“shush, I love you, goodnight”

“ooo I love you too Kayliegh bear, now go get some ass!”

“Allie!” Kayliegh laughed as she blushed causing Liam to chuckle.

“come on, my love, let’s get some ass” Liam smirked as the two headed out.

#liam x riley #riley x liam #mc x liam #liam x mc #king Liam x mc #king liam x riley #king liam of cordonia #king liam #Liam x OC #the royal romance #choices the royal romance #choices the stories you play #the royal romance fanfic #playchoices #playchoices fanfic #playchoices fandom #play choices fanfiction #trr #trr3

[chuffyfan87]

Hiding. Part 76a

Cowritten with @disastrousintention.

-x-

It had been two weeks since Peter had confessed to his mum, he’d been struggling with his thoughts and memories of the traumatic birth of Oliver. It seemed the nearer his mum’s due date got, the more his behaviour gave cause for concern. He was sat in his bedroom, on his bed, rolling a cigarette. He had his headphones in, listening to music.

The fact that his mum had told him that the doctors had booked her in for a planned section in three weeks time didn't seem to have helped calm him.

It just made him more anxious that the baby would come before then. He finished rolling his cigarette and placed it in the packet, cleaning up after himself.

He contemplated the scrap of paper that was inside the packet. On it was written the number of a guy from college who had said he could get Peter something to "chill out" with.

He didn’t want to go down that route. He knew it wasn’t a good route to go down. But he was also exhausted from the lack of sleep and trying to study.

That is what had led to him keeping hold of the number rather than just throwing it away without a second thought. He sighed softly. He ended up ignoring the number this time, again.

He picked up his textbook. Why the hell had he decided to take chemistry alongside IT? He was really clever and academic when he didn’t have other things on his mind. He thumbed the edges of his textbook as he lay down on his bed.

The only people who hadn't seemed surprised when he picked chemistry rather than biology were his parents. They seemed to be the only ones who didn't seem to want him to follow them into a career in medicine. They wanted him to be his own person. Chase his passions rather than following his parents ambitions and passion.

His gaze was caught by a bright pink post it note stuck to the side of his desk. He hadn't left that there! Peeling it off he instantly recognised his mum's handwriting reminding him that he had a session booked with his therapist for 6.30pm.

He sighed sadly. He didn’t want to go. He glanced at the clock. Maybe it would help?

Clearly the therapist hadn't mentioned that he'd missed the last session when his mum had called to book this session, something he was grateful for.

He decided to go to the session. Peter remembered what his dad had said about asking for help sometimes.

As Peter headed down the stairs a little later he heard raised voices coming from the kitchen.

His parents were arguing. They didn’t argue often, thankfully but Peter always got scared when they did. He slowly made his way to the kitchen, listening carefully.

"I am perfectly capable of continuing to work!" He heard his mother yell.

“Not at 33 weeks you’re not. I want you to start maternity leave.” His dad replied back. Peter sighed. His mum was always so stubborn!

"What do you expect me to do for the next three weeks? Sit on my fat arse going stir crazy?"

“Your arse isn’t fat.” He replied, “It’s a sexy arse, along with that attitude of yours.”

Peter rolled his eyes. That sounded like his cue to leave! He was just grabbing his coat when the kitchen door opened and his mum walked into the hallway, looking back over her shoulder as she giggled. "You're not getting around me that way Charlie!"

Charlie groaned. Peter was putting his coat on and looked sheepishly at his parents.

"Is it that time already?" Duffy remarked, trying to change the subject, unsure as to just how much Peter had overheard.

“Yeah.”

"I hope it goes well sweetheart." She smiled softly, squeezing his shoulder gently. "If you let me know when you're on your way back I'll make some food ready for you."

Peter nodded again.

"Shall I make your favourite?" She smiled.

“I’m not really hungry.”

"Peter..." She sighed.

“Ok.” He sighed.

"You better get going. You don't want to be late!"

“Can I talk to you afterwards? In private?” He asked quietly.

"Of course." She glanced at Charlie. "Just me or both of us?"

“Just you.” He mumbled.

"OK. Do you want me to come pick you up after your session and we can go for a drive?" She suggested.

He nodded, “Yeah. Please.”

"OK. Give me a call and I'll come get you." She promised.

“Thank you.” He kissed her cheek and left.

Peter made it to the therapist's office just as his name was called. He gave a small smile at the therapist as he entered the room.

She allowed him to get settled before she spoke. "You didn't contact me to cancel our last session."

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

"Was there a reason?"

He shrugged. “Got drunk.”

"Our appointment was at four in the afternoon..." She replied, concern in her tone.

He shrugged again.

"So what led you to decide to come today instead of going out and getting drunk again?"

“Because I need to talk about a few things.”

"OK. Where would you like to start?"

“I have a friend at college...” He began, “He’s offered me something to help chill me out.”

"What would that something be?"

“I think it’s weed. Could be anything though, I don’t know.”

"He didn't specify?"

“No. Just said if I ever needed 'out', to give him a bell.”

"Why would you need out?"

“To chill out. To stop...” He stopped suddenly.

The therapist waiting silently to see if he'd continue.

“You know, things.”

"What things? What's making you feel stressed?"

“You know... things.” He didn’t say anything, instead he picked up one of the small pebbles out of the pot on the therapist's table. “My mum. The baby...”

"Are you unhappy that your mum is having another baby?"

“Yes and no.”

"Do you wish to expand on that?"

“It’s gonna kill her.”

"You know that for certain?"

“She nearly did last time. And the time before that. And the time before that. Why would this time be any different?”

"I'm sensing something of a pattern emerging..."

“Do you know what happened to my mum last time she gave birth?”

"Nothing more than the bits you've alluded to in previous sessions."

“I’ll tell you, shall I?” He was getting agitated.

"If you want to."

“Mum went into labour at home. Bled out in her bedroom on her bed and covered me. She was in surgery for hours, spent time in ICU. I overheard the doctors talking one day and they said she’d be retarded when she woke. She woke up and could barely speak. Then developed an infection and required more hospital treatment. Despite all that, she survived. But this time, she won’t be as lucky.”

"Were you the only one with her at the time?"

“Auntie Megan was there. And then my dad came soon after.”

"But you saw it all? That must have been very traumatic for you. Have you spoken to your mum about it?"

“Bits and pieces. Don’t like to worry her.” He sighed, “The baby was stuck too. At some point...”

"I would presume that the doctors looking after your mum this time would be well aware of everything that happened last time..."

“And they knew about the twins and how she was after Em and it still happened.”

"What still happened?"

“Bad things!”

"Your mum getting ill?"

He nodded.

"Maybe they don't know why it happens." She suggested.

“Dad wouldn’t cope with us all on his own. He struggles without mum. Mum struggles without dad.”

"Which makes you question why they've decided to have another baby?"

“Yes.” He sighed.

"How many siblings do you have?"

“There’s Jake, Louis, Em, Tilly, Lottie, Oliver and the baby so that’s... Seven.”

"So including you that's eight children?"

He nodded, “Yeah. Louis has a different mum and Jake a different dad but they’re still my siblings. No half about it.”

"That's a good way to look at it." She smiled. "Why do you think your parents decided to have another baby?"

“Because they don’t think with their brains but with their... you know...”

She chuckled. "Have you mentioned this to them?"

“That I think my parents need a lesson on using condoms?”

"I swear you've mentioned before that your parents work in a hospital..."

“They’re nurses, band eight and seven. Nursing manager and Sister.”

"And yet you don't think they understand the concept of safe sex?"

“They really don’t. If you understood safe sex, would you have eight kids?” Peter asked.

"Maybe they wanted a large family? Did you consider that?"

“No, but my parents don’t practice safe sex. I know that for a fact.”

"I don't understand..."

“They don’t use contraception. If they did, they’d realise there was no condoms.” Peter smirked.

"I see... Their stash has been raided I take it?"

“Every now and again, if I run out and haven’t got time to buy some.” Peter smiled, “I love Sarah but I’m not ready for a baby. Neither of us are. Not after the scare we had...”

"When was that?"

“Well... We had one quite recently but please don’t tell my mum.”

"You're over sixteen, I'm not obliged to tell your parents anything." She reminded him.

He nodded. “Last week. Sarah and I had a scare.”

"Is that why you went out and got drunk?"

“Kinda.”

"Was that before or after you found out it was a false alarm?"

“After.”

"Celebrating then?"

“Not like that.” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"So why then?"

“I don’t know. I just found things really difficult.”

"If you told your parents about it, how do you think they'd react?"

“About what? The pregnancy scare?” He laughed slightly, “Mum and dad would string me up by my balls.”

"If they're as lax as you seem to think wouldn't that be a tad hypocritical of them?"

“Yeah it is I suppose.”

"So maybe try talking to them about it?" She suggested.

“It won’t happen again. We’re looking at different means of contraception.”

"That sounds like a good idea." She paused for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. "Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

“A few things.”

"Would you like to talk about any of them?"

“Yeah.” He smiled slightly. “I’m worried about a lot of things, not just my mum.”

"What's worrying you most, other than your mum?"

#chuffy #charlie and duffy #charlie fairhead #lisa duffin

[looselucy]

Unspoken

October 7th My mind was elsewhere, so much so I was sure I’d lost us sales that day. Usually I could be relatively charming, talk to people, converse and form a decent rapport, enough to create a sale from people who hadn’t necessarily walked in planning on making a purchase. That wasn’t happening that day.

I was sat behind the counter staring off to nothing when Louis jogged over to me, clearly concerned, having to place himself right in front of my eyes for me to even notice he was there. “Hey!” He blurted quietly. “Are you alright? What is up with you?” “I’m sorry, I’m fine.” “Are you sure?” “Positive.” “Okay, well then snap out of it! We’re busy, c’mon.” The shop was heaving, as we’d expected, but I couldn’t for the life of me clear my head and just get on with work. I’d been trying to desperately all day, but without meaning my mind would wander back to the evening before, back to Sam’s face, back to that feeling. I wished I’d never opened the door. I wished I’d gotten drunk instead of taking it steady, because maybe then it would have been different, maybe I wouldn’t have been home at the hour he called, and I knew for a fact I’d be doing a much better job in the shop with a hangover than I would in my current state. It was hard to comprehend. Somehow it felt indistinct, alien, like it had simply been a nightmare and soon the fear I was feeling would fade away and the memory of it would fade with it. I found the more I thought about it, the harder it became to believe. I think that was why I was finding it so difficult to accept the truth of it all. “Alfie,” Louis called to grab my attention. “Can you nip downstairs and grab some Leflaive? A red?” It was one of our most expensive bottles, meaning that Louis had worked his magic once again. I nodded, and began to make my way downstairs, my mind still whirring. I had known Sam for a long time, and I knew he wasn’t all good, but that was in the sense that he could be arrogant, self-centred, egotistical, rude. That had never been down to violence. I had never known his father, but I knew what he’d done. His mother lived a few towns over, close enough that they’d see each other pretty often, and I’d been quite close to her over the years, so I knew what they’d been through. He was horrifically abusive, to both Sam and his mother, putting them through years and years of pain and torture until eventually things became so bad, they fled, finding themselves in Rosebury when Sam was only ten years old. His father had died a few years earlier, and neither of them had attended the funeral. It was something that he hadn’t really spoken about openly with anyone; those stories were ones I’d heard when it was just the two of us, in bed together, sharing and opening up, and even then it had taken over a year of us being together before he told me about his early childhood. I knew that he despised that man more than anything, he hated everything he represented and all the harm he had done. So I couldn’t believe that after so many years, there were finally some signs showing, some reflections of his father. I had been convinced he hadn’t inherited a shred of him, but the blood that man had spilled was the blood they shared, and that had shown the night before. I wondered how much he was aching because of it. I couldn’t help but feel badly for him, because he’d never shown that kind of behaviour before and I just knew it would have been tearing him apart. I grabbed the bottle and bolted back upstairs as quickly as I could, plastering on a smile as I approached Louis and the customers he was with, being as polite and friendly as possible as I passed the bottle over. “Great choice.” I grinned. “Worth every penny, honestly.” “We’ve had it before.” The woman replied, relatively smug over it. “It’s a rare treat, but when we can find it, we love it.” “This is an eighty-eight. One of the best.” I placed the box in her hands. “Enjoy.” As soon as I’d stepped away from them, my face dropped once again, feeling as though I was on the verge of crying, trying so hard to keep it together for a little while longer. We were nearing the end of the day, less than an hour until we would close up shop for the day. I had to hold out a little while longer. I tried to stay behind the counter as much as possible, simply taking the payments and thanking people for coming in. I’d hoped that being so busy would help to take my mind off things, but it hadn’t helped. It wasn’t something easy that I could simply dismiss or forget about, it was bigger than that, much more substantial. I kept thinking about how I’d reacted to him, how weak I’d been. My sympathy for him and how he must have been feeling afterwards was not grand enough to make me numb to how awful he had been and I was not even considering forgiving him, as much as I could empathise. I was too angry, too hurt. I didn’t think I’d ever fully forgive him, even if I tried. But I was also so bitterly disappointed that I’d seized up in the way I had, that every class I’d taken seemed almost pointless. I’d found myself in the exact sort of scenario where those techniques could come into play, but I’d been too frightened for that sort of thing to even cross my mind. There hadn’t even been a second where even one move had flickered into my mind, I had nothing. I couldn’t get the thought of my weakness out of my head. I couldn’t ease. Eventually, things in the shop began to die down, Louis being as amazing as ever and making the final few sales of the day before eventually politely ushering the last customers outdoors, turning around the sign as quickly as he could to show we were closed for the day, finally. “Holy shit.” He gasped, collapsing against the counter. “I’m exhausted.” “You’re amazing.” I told him. “I literally don’t know what I’d do without you.” “There were so many inappropriate old ladies today.” He sobbed. “One of them like… pinched my hip. But she was buying like… two-hundred quid’s worth’a wine, so I had to laugh it off.” “You’re the best. Thank you, for… being here. You’re so good at this. I swear I’d have had to shut down without you.” With some difficulty, he lifted himself a little, still balancing his elbow on the counter to support his weighed down and tired frame, but showing he was going to be giving the following conversation his full attention. “Are you alright? You’ve been weirdly quiet today.” I didn’t want to tell anyone about what had happened, what Sam had done. I knew that they’d all been worried about me since the night I’d been attacked by a stranger and I didn’t want to make that any worse by telling them I’d now been attacked by a friend. I didn’t want everyone being concerned about me and hating him and creating this complete sense of restlessness. My friends had always kept me calm and been my support, they were the ones who kept me grounded and gave my life the normality I craved. I liked things being calm and uneventful. It was easier when we could all just be happy, with no underlying issues. Telling anyone, would change everything, and I felt like things were only just getting back to normal. Sam wasn’t a stranger, Sam was someone we all knew, someone we’d trusted. Telling the gang what had happened would send everything spiralling, and I didn’t want that. I wanted to just deal with it, in my own way, without anyone intervening and giving me their opinions or trying to take the matter into their own hands. I needed it to be mine, I needed to own it, manage it, learn from it. I wanted to strengthen whilst keeping the normality, and for me, that was something I wanted to do on my own. “I’m okay, I promise.” I heaved. “I think I’m just tired. Or… I dunno, maybe I’m coming down with something.” I wasn’t too convinced he believed me, really. He had a doubtful look that weighed down his brows, gazing at me and trying to see if I faltered, which spurred me to plaster on the best smile I’d been able to conjure all day. I knew he was going to drop it soon enough; he knew I’d have shared with him if I wanted to, because I told Louis everything. We spent so much time together and got on so well, I found it near impossible to keep things from him. He could read me too well. “Shall we stay closed tomorrow then? Have a day off?” He moved on, unconvinced but kind enough to let it slide. “Definitely, I need it. I’d go as far as saying, I deserve it.” “Well, your performance today isn’t the best indication of that,” He smirked. “But I suppose you do own and run the shop, so… I’ll let you off.” “Oh, thanks.” I huffed. My train of thought kept returning to Harry’s classes, how thankful I was that the next one was only a few days away. I’d been enjoying them and learning from them, but I think there had been a part of me that hadn’t necessarily taken them too seriously because I’d been convinced that I would never find myself in that kind of situation again. I didn’t actually think I’d ever put those techniques into practice, so maybe that was why I’d subconsciously supressed those lessons the night before, why I’d gone so rigid. I was aching to get back into the gym with Harry, to really start taking things seriously and allow those methods to become a second nature to me, something I could actually use. I was wishing away the next few days, and simply wanting to be back in Harry’s presence, learning from him once again.

I’d gone to keep Libby company for a few hours whilst she was working, meaning I was back in The Railway, feeling surprisingly calm. It was quiet in there, I imagined they’d got most of their custom during the afternoon, making for a slow Sunday evening. Libby was pouring me my second pint, looking a little worse for wear. “Are you still hungover?” I laughed. “Yup. We ended up back at Chloe’s last night, carried on drinking. I feel awful. I bet you’re so glad you called it a night when you did.” “Mm.” I grumbled, looking down in an attempt to cover the fact I did not feel grateful for having an early night at all. “Did you all have fun?” “Yeah, it was good. Niall put on Cher thirteen times in a row.” “Sounds about right.” “Oh, and Chloe failed at her whole giving up on Harry thing, by the way.” I had expected as much, to be honest. I knew it would only be a matter of drinks before she, and likely Niall, would go back to flirting and swooning over Harry. I would have been more confused if she hadn’t tried anything. “Can’t say I’m surprised.” I giggled. “Did she have any luck?” “She really put herself out there. It was awful. My second-hand embarrassment is killing me, slowly and painfully.” “Oh god.” I cringed. “What happened?” “So we were all leaving, she’d been doing really well, she’d barely flirted with him, and then literally when he was walking out the door, she grabbed his arm and like pulled him and back and just went, you can stay for the night if you want.” My jaw practically hit the bar. I knew she was forward, she always had been, I’d seen her lay her cards on the table rather obviously numerous times before, but it was always something that I couldn’t fathom, and I wasn’t sure she’d ever been quite that brazen before. “How does she do that?” I gasped. “That’s an insane level of confidence. I’d kill for even one percent of that confidence.” “Tell me about it.” “What did he say? Did he stay?” “Nope. I’m starting to think there’s something wrong with him. What kinda lad turns that down? It’s weird!” “I dunno if it’s weird.” I tried to talk through my chuckles. “I think he just likes having a set of friends. Y’know if he shagged her, it’d probably get awkward and then like… maybe it’d get so bad he’d stop spending time with us, and then he’d lose the friends he’s made here. Know what I mean?” “Yeah, I guess that does make sense.” She flummoxed, leaning against the bar. “But who even thinks like that after a few drinks? Logic goes, usually.” I couldn’t disagree with that at all. I’d exampled similar behaviour when drunk, more than once. Logic often drifted down the drain when it came to alcohol, and even though I was sure I knew the reasons behind Harry turning Chloe down repetitively, I had to admit it was still somewhat strange that alcohol hadn’t played its usual role and discarded all reason. “What did he say?” I asked after a shrug. “Bless him, he said, no thank you, I’m pretty tired.” I shook my head, unsurprised by his reaction, praying that Chloe had no memory of the interaction to save her battered and bruised ego. I prayed even more that Harry didn’t remember it, but it was all wishful thinking. I knew it was more than likely they all remembered it, and that made it very likely that Chloe would be reeling at the memory. I felt for her. “I think that’ll be the final knock.” Libby continued, cleaning up a few glasses as we spoke. “Like the equivalent of Niall when he finally told her he’s gay. I can’t see her still trying now. It was really embarrassing, everyone heard.” “Also, at what point is it just weird? Like, at one point do we have to tell her to stop because it’s weird?” “I think it’s past that point, we’re too late. We may need a full-blown intervention.” “Maybe.” I giggled. Someone appeared at the bar, meaning Libby had to scuttle off to serve, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I was already feeling a little better within myself. Simply being around Louis and Libby and allowing myself to untighten felt nice. I was reminded how important it was to surround myself with good people, people who meant a lot to me, cared for me and vice-versa. Thinking of it in those terms, and knowing what I did then, I wished I had ended things with Sam a lot earlier than I did. He’d been a negative part of my life for a long time, long before the night previous. He’d been hurting me in other ways, less obvious but just as lethal. My friends were my remedy, the biggest force and form of love in my life, and I needed to make sure that it was all positive, because I’d allowed too much negativity for far too long.

It was dark out by the time I was walking home, yet even the nights sky couldn’t cloak the dark grey clouds above my head, all of which seemed heavy with raindrops, ready to release at any moment, pour down and wash through our village, hopefully bringing a cleanse with it, enough to grant me the only clean start I could acquire. I’d had every intention of just going straight home, locking the doors and getting an early night, one I hoped would be uninterrupted, but as I made the journey I noticed something that changed my course. It was the building Harry hired out to teach his classes. I noticed the lights were on upstairs, in the room he used, shadows jittering in the corner of the ceiling, just enough that I could see it, proof of life between those walls and I had to predict it was Harry. I stopped myself, only taking a moment of looking up before I was making my way towards the building, round to the door so I could let myself in. I made my way upstairs, feeling strange walking in there when it was so dark, so lonely and different to how it usually was when I was making my way towards that room. I could already hear loud music, blaring brashly through the building. I felt nervous, for some reason. It hadn’t been long since we’d last been in there just the two of us, but it felt entirely different this time around after what had happened, how I was feeling, why I wanted to see him. I knocked cautiously on the door, weak and well aware he wouldn’t be able to hear me over the music. Shakily, I cracked the door myself, peeping my head in for a moment before I gradually let myself into the room, not having caught his attention, watching him in silence for a few moments. He was laying in on one of the punchbags at the back of the room, producing blow after blow, grunting and groaning and growling as he went. He was drenched with sweat, which proved to me how much force he was releasing, because I’d seen him run numerous classes and take us all to the limit, but it barely touched him. He was so in shape, meaning I’d never really seen him looking so worn down, so blatantly exhausted by one of his workouts. “Harry?” I tried, anxiously edging closer to him. He still hadn’t heard, throttling the bag with so much aggression I found myself moving backwards again, sort of tempted to leave him to it. I didn’t want to interrupt his flow, but I really wanted to speak to him. I found myself back in the doorway, watching in awe at the way the bag swung backwards every time he hit it, the way his arms looked as he did it, the effort he was putting into it, like he was picturing someone he despised, unleashing a real rage. I knocked on the door again whilst it was open, much louder this time, just about enough for him to look over his shoulder and see me, breathless as he caught the bag between his hands to steady its movement. I gave him a shy wave accompanied by a minor smile. He seemed confused, how brows lowering before he turned his head back around, spinning on his heel to walk to the front of the room so he was right across from me, crouching down to turn the music off. “Hey.” I greeted once it was quiet. “Hi. Y’alright?” He just about gasped, raising back to his feet with a towel in his hands that he’d retrieved from the floor. “Yeah, m’fine.” I sounded incredibly unconvincing. His white t-shirt was clinging to his body, flattering his perfect frame, the image of him making me even more nervous than I already was. “What’s up?” He asked. He took the towel to his head, wiping away the sweat from his face rather quickly before looking back to me, waiting for me to explain why I’d appeared at his gym, why I was acting so off. My stomach was twisting as I spoke. “I was wondering if you’d give me some one on one classes.” I murmured. “What?” His brows dropped again, totally perplexed. “Uh… I-I was just wondering if you’d give me some extra classes. One on one.” “I don’t think so, Alf.” He dropped the towel back to the ground, looking over to me, possibly waiting for an explanation. I was clutching nervously at my jumper, my fingers anxiously pulling down at the material, biting my lip. I really wanted to change his mind. “I’ll pay.” I tried. “I don’t need the money and you don’t need the classes.” He told me. “You’re doing really well, Alfie. Don’t worry about it.” “But-” “You’re good.” He intervened, trying to make me feel better, but he didn’t understand why I was there. “You’re doing amazingly, in the classes. You pick up on stuff quick, you’re strong. I’ve been really impressed by you. I don’t want you to worry, and I don’t wanna charge you for classes that I don’t think you need to take. We’ll cover everything in the group stuff, I promise.” I absolutely believed that. I wasn’t requesting those extra lessons because I doubted Harry would cover everything he needed to, and I knew he was already doing everything he could to help me feel safe and strong, but it was a personal thing. I wanted to take more classes for my own peace of mind, to know I was taking every possible step I could. I wanted to know that whatever the situation, whoever the person, that I’d be able to fight back, protect myself and not recoil. I’d had a very brief idea of what it was like to have a class with Harry when it was just one on one, how intense he was, how different it felt to be his only focus. I wanted that again. I wanted to experience that feeling, to learn that little bit more, gain more from him in every way I could. Harry was removing his boxing gloves by the time I managed to speak again. “Something happened.” I choked, forcing back tears, his head automatically whipping my way. “Something happened last night where I could have… I should have used all the stuff you taught me, but I didn’t. I-I couldn’t.” I can’t explain the look that glazed over his face then. It was like he froze over, my words slowly sinking into his skin and crafting an anger I hadn’t been expecting. Immediately, his chest was heaving, puffing in and out vividly, jaw clenching, simply staring at me. I didn’t really want to say anymore than I had, and I worried that if I did his rage would detonate. “I… froze up. I didn’t do anything, and I hate it. I feel sick about it, so I need-” “What happened?” He questioned, his voice dark, dropping his gloves to the ground. “It doesn’t matter, but I want-” “Alfie, tell me what the fuck happened. Who the fuck do I need to kill?” He marched towards me, fury driving his body in my direction. He was livid, his nostrils flaring, blood boiling, temples pulsing, stopping when he was a few inches from me, gazing down to me and waiting for me to give him an answer. There were tears in my eyes, but I was trying so hard not to let them fall, looking back up to him and trying to keep my strength. I was adamant I wouldn’t share the details of exactly what had happened the night before, even telling Harry that anything had happened felt too intense for me. It was hard to overlook his fury, to not just answer him and say everything, but I knew even if I did it would only make him angrier. My throat snagged, unable to find words, then his face changed again, something clicking in his mind. His voice went quiet, but remained just as vicious. “Was it Sam?” I didn’t answer, I didn’t do anything. I simply looked at him, one tear pouring over, trying to shake my head but it just looked as though I was trembling. “Alfie, was it Sam? Has he hurt you?” “I’m fine.” “Was it him?” He snarled. “What did he do? Tell me.” “This isn’t your situation to deal with, it’s mine.” I spoke assuredly, my eyes not parting from his. “If you want to help me, you can give me the extra lessons. That’s all I’m asking for.” “If I find out he did anything to you, I swear to fucking god-” “Will you give me the lessons or not?” I didn’t want to give him a definite answer, but I wasn’t sure I even needed to. He knew. He knew. I hadn’t helped the situation, with how I’d ignored his accusations, castoff what he’d said with tears in my eyes the whole time, but he’d known anyway, he’d known before that. But I refused to say it out loud. He attempted to calm himself down, steadying his breathing as much as he could, his eyes trained to my face. I tried to show him how adamant I was by remaining strong, looking back at him with my jaw tight, hiding my bodies tremors as much as I could. He hitched his jaw from side to side a few times, before finally answering me. “If you think it’ll help, then yeah, I’ll give you extra lessons. But I don’t want your money.” “Harry-” “Come an hour early on Wednesdays, and I’ll teach you before everyone else gets here.” “I want to pay!” “I don’t give a fuck. If you want the classes, they’re on my terms. First rule is that you don’t pay, you understand?” There was no point arguing with him. I knew what he was like, how he felt about what he did, how vital his work could be for some people. I had just never thought beforehand that I would be one of those people who so desperately needed the guidance he provided. I nodded. “Good.” He backed away from me, clearly not even close to being calm but trying to pretend his enraged energy wasn’t one we could both feel. “Thank you.” I mumbled, watching as he bent down to pick up his gloves once again. “I’m sorry for interrupting.” “It’s fine.” “Were… Weren’t you leaving?” “No, I’m not done.” He was short, his voice harsh, reattaching the gloves to his hands. He’d gone from staring me down to almost like he couldn’t look at me at all, acting as though I’d already left the room. “Okay. Um-” “Unless you need me to walk you home.” He tilted his head just slightly, but still didn’t look directly at me. “No. No, I’m okay.” He went quiet again, placing the strap of his second glove between his teeth, attaching it tightly before turning back around and heading straight back over to the bags. He'd made it clear he wanted to be alone. “Thank you.” I mumbled again, taking the door handle in my hand, ready to leave. “I know you’re doing me a massive favour, so-” “Don’t thank me yet.” He simply said, and it felt like he’d finalised the conversation with that, leaving me to quietly close the door, and make my way home.

#HAPPY HBS DAY #LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO #HBS9

[sunshine--temptress]

Your Arms Feels Like Home - Ziam (4.1k)

Here's some 4k of Ziam fluff. I am sorry for torturing Liam so much. 

°•°•°•°•°

Liam met Zayn for the first time at McDonald's, he can't remember why they started talking but he remembers the feels in his stomach when they exchanged numbers. He didn't think about this too much, he was just hungry. They never used it and Liam forgot about Zayn. He thought about texting him the first few weeks but he didn't know how to start a conversation and Zayn didn't text either. Liam forgot about him until they met again when he auditioned for The X Factor a year later. Zayn was auditioning too and Liam felt the same feeling in his stomach but it was just the stress to have to perform in from of Cheryl, she was so pretty, Liam was just nervous.

Liam auditions and it goes well he thinks, he doesn't see Zayn again until they are all on stage. They don't make it and Zayn looks devastated and Liam feels like crying and for a second he wonder if he's more sad for himself or because Zayn is crying. Liam walks briskly to Zayn and takes him in his arms and hugs him tight. Zayn hugs him back and Liam feels his warm breath hitting the side of his neck and he shivers. Zayn's tears are dampening the thin material of Liam's t-shirt but Liam couldn't care less. He don't know what it is but he just want to see Zayn smile again, he can't stand to see him like this.

They are about to leave, they promised each other to use their phone number this time and to stay in contact, when they see Simon walking toward them, looking agitated. He tells them he want to put them in a band and he lead them back inside to meet three other boys. They meet Harry, Louis and Niall. They seems nice enough but Liam stays close to Zayn. He really hit it off with Harry and Niall but he isn't too sure about Louis. Louis is loud and dramatic but he puts this aside for his dream to sing and he has Zayn with him so everything's fine.

The first few weeks at The X Factor’s house are not easy, Liam is still getting used to his new friends, his bandmates. More often than not Liam finds himself in Zayn's bed, his head pillowed on his chest. He likes to listen to Zayn's heartbeat while Zayn plays with his hair. Once Louis found them like that and he spent days teasing them. Zayn just flipped him off and he doesn't seem to care about what the others think so Liam tries to do the same and not let it get to him. He misses home a lot. He miss his mom's food and his dad and his sisters even if he finds them annoying. He never spent more than a week away from home, and when it happened he was at his grandparents house. It was different, they are family. But here he's with thirty strangers, it's weird. Zayn reminds him of home, he makes him feel safe so he tries to not think too much about what Louis said and he keeps snuggling with Zayn.  

They don't win, they end up in 3rd position but Simon signs them to Syco and Liam has absolutely no idea his life is about to change forever. Their parents wait for the, to bring them back home for a few weeks. Liam hugs Zayn, his nose pressed against his neck. Liam takes a deep breath. Zayn smells very good and for a split second he is tempted to press his lips to the soft skin. He doesn't want to let go, he knows he's gonna miss Zayn. They pull apart when Liam feels his dad's hand on his shoulder. They keep their forehead pressed together for a few more second.

“I'll text you,” says Zayn and Liam smiles.

Liam feels weird, he thinks he's probably hungry and they went through a lot of emotions today. They've been driving for about thirty minutes when Liam feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. It's Zayn telling Liam he already miss him. Nicola is poking him in the ribs asking him who's making him smile like that, she keeps bothering him until Karen tells her to stop it, Liam obviously don't want to talk about it. Liam's never been more grateful for his mom than at this moment. For some reason he don't want to talk about Zayn to his family, he wants to keep him all to himself. He doesn't understand why but he pushes the thoughts away and they text until Liam goes to bed. It's like that until they are set to go back to London. Liam can't believe this, they will really record an album, people will hear them sing, they might even play show and maybe tour if people like them. It's extremely exciting and nerve wracking but Liam knows Zayn will be by his side. He can't wait to see Zayn again. He can't wait to see the other boys too but Zayn more.

Liam was right, his life change. Everything happens so fast. They release their first single and suddenly everybody knows who they are. They are invited on tv and radio shows. Their album goes number one and then next year comes and they record another album and they go on tour and suddenly two years has passed and Liam barely remembers them. He and Zayn are still as close as ever. This is probably the only thing that haven't changed since this adventure started. Zayn is always there next to him, holding his hand when he gets too nervous or cuddling with him when he misses home. Liam knows he can count on him and Zayn knows it too, this isn't one sided. Liam is always there when Zayn feels sad or if he doesn't feel like going out with the other boys. Liam will always gladly stay with him in the bus or in their hotel room.

One thing changes, one thing that still confuses Liam. He often think about kissing Zayn. When they are laying down in one of their tiny bunks, Liam's eyes are often drawn to Zayn's lips. He hopes Zayn haven't noticed but if he did he's been nice enough to not mention it. Liam isn't sure what it means. He never had these kind of thoughts about another boy. He likes girls. He's had a crush on Cheryl for the longest time but he realise this isn't her he's thinking about when he jerks off in the shower. Slowly his thoughts went from long curly hair to short black hair. Everytime, Liam shake his head to think about something else but he always come with a sigh and Zayn's name on his lips. It's nothing, they are close, they are best mates, it doesn't mean anything he tells himself.

Tonight Niall, Harry and Louis wants to go out but Liam isn't in the mood. It's a rare hotel night and Liam would like to actually have one real night of sleep in a bed that doesn't move. The boys leave him alone, wishing him goodnight. Liam wonders for a second where is Zayn. He probably went out with them. It would be selfish of him to want Zayn to be with him, thinks Liam. He spends most of his time with him but a small part of him wish he was here to play video games. Liam starts a game of Super Mario bros, he's feeling nostalgic, when he hears a soft knock on the door. Slowly he puts the controller on the floor and gets up. Liam isn't sure if he should open the door, he hasn't ordered room service and the boys all left about thirty minutes ago. No one should be knocking on his hotel room door. He's pretty sure it can't be a fan since the hotel takes their security very seriously. The person behind the door knocks again.

“Who's there?” Liam calls through the door, he feels very silly, like he's in a bad horror movie.

“Zayn, now will you open the bloody door.”

Liam let out a sigh of relief and let Zayn in.

“What took you so long? And ‘who's there?’, really?” laugh Zayn.

“Oh shut up, I thought you had left with the others.”

“Didn't felt like it, prefered to stay with you and play video games.”

“How did you know I didn't go out?”

“Louis texted me to say you stayed here too.”

Liam nods and Zayn smiles, he follows Liam further inside the hotel room and sits next to Liam as he take back his spot on the floor. Liam takes his controller and hands another one to Zayn. Their fingers brush and Liam tries to not let it show on his face how much it affects him. Zayn's side is plastered to Liam and Liam takes a deep breath to try to stay concentrated on the game in front of him. Liam feels ridiculous to be so affected by Zayn's closeness, they slept in the same bed many times, they always cuddle but somehow this feels different. After a while Liam realise Zayn scooted even closer. His heart is in his throat beating so fast he's not sure he's not having a heart attack.

They play for a while, mostly in silence. When Liam beats Zayn, finally, he can't stop laughing and chanting “I won! I won! I won!”.

Zayn laugh and  drops his controller on the floor and before Liam realise what's going on, he's laying on the carpeted floor. Zayn is straddling him and his hands are tickling his sides. Liam can't breathe and he's not sure if it's because Zayn is sitting on him or because he's being tickled. He tries to bat Zayn's hands away but Zayn doesn't stop.

“Please stop,” laughs Liam, “stop I'm gonna piss my pants.”

Zayn chuckles and finally stops but he stays on Liam, putting his hands on each sides of Liam's head. He leans down and Liam is suddenly aware of how close their faces are. His throat and lips feels dry and he nervously lick his lips, not missing the way Zayn's eyes tracks the movement. Liam doesn't understand what is happening but Zayn's face gets even closer and his warm breath his hitting Liam's lips. Or maybe he understand perfectly because he may or may not have fantasized about this happening not that he would ever admit it. They're best mates and best mates don't fantasize about each others. But this isn't a dream or something made up in his head right now. Zayn is right there on top of him, his nose is bumping against Liam's but he's frozen in place. Half of his brain is screaming at him to kiss Zayn and the other rational part of his brain is scared. Zayn is probably just taking the piss and if Liam kisses him he will probably laugh at him and tell the other boys and…

“C'mon then, c'mon,” says Zayn and Liam is pretty sure his brain just short circuited. Zayn can't be asking what Liam think he's asking. Liam licks his lips again and Zayn does the same and before Liam has time to react, Zayn is pressing his lips against his. It's soft and warm and wet and not that different from kissing a girl except girls don't have stubble that scratch you face. Zayn starts to pull away and Liam realises he didn't kissed him back. Before Zayn can go too far Liam grabs Zayn by the back of his neck and kisses him. It stays chaste for a while, Liam is happy with this, until he feels Zayn's tongue against his lips. Asking permission. Liam timidly opens his mouth and let Zayn’s tongue invade his mouth. Zayn is still sitting on him and Liam has his hands on his hips, his thumbs tracing circles on Zayn's warm skin. Zayn sigh against his mouth and everything is perfect. They kiss until their lips are numb and Liam is disappointed when Zayn breaks the kiss. He keeps his eyes closed but he feel Zayn putting his forehead against his. They stay like that, in complete silence for a while, trying to catch their breath. Liam want to say something but he doesn't want to break the silence. He doesn't even know what he would say. He doesn't know anything and he never felt more confused. He feels Zayn moving until his lips are grazing Liam's earlobe.

“I think I'm the one who won,” Zayn whispers hotly against his ear, sending a shiver down Liam's spine. Zayn takes back his spot on the floor next to Liam.

“Wanna play another game?”

Liam nods and accept the controller Zayn is offering him.

*

They don't talk about it. Liam's not mad about it, he doesn't know what he would say if Zayn brought it up. But nothing change between them and Liam is grateful, they still play video games and cuddle and stay up late at night, squished in one of their tiny bunks, talking until they can't keep their eyes open. The only difference is now Liam knows how Zayn's lips feels against his, how soft and warm they are and how he wants to kiss him again. Liam keeps telling himself it's normal, mates kiss, and him and Zayn are best mates. Liam also starts to dream about Zayn and he wakes up hard and comes with Zayn's name on his lips. It's not weird or anything he keeps telling himself but he knows it's not normal and he needs to do something about this, whatever this is.

Liam walks into the lounge at the front of the bus, Louis is sitting on the floor, his knees up to his chest and he's typing something on his phone. He's the only one in the bus and Liam sit next to him and let his head falls on Louis’ shoulder without saying a word. Him and Louis grew closer after a few years of always being in each other's pocket. Or well, Louis didn't really gave him a choice and he kept hugging him and trying to include him in all his prank. Liam is glad he gave him a chance because Louis is the best friend he could ask for. It's not like with Zayn, there is only one Zayn and Liam knows he will never have this with anyone else. Zayn is is soulmate or something. But Louis is a good friend and Liam knows he can always count on him.

“Oi,” says Louis when he finally lift his eyes from his phone, “you okay Li?”

“Have you ever kissed Harry?” Liam asks softly.

“What the fuck are you on mate?! No I never kissed Harry. You really need to logged off from Twitter,” reply Louis and Liam laugh.

“T'was just a question.”

“A weird one yes. Why d'you wanna know that?”

“Zayn, he well, I, no, no we, we kissed”

“What? When?” Louis asks excitedly.

“Last week, when you went out and we stayed at the hotel.”

“I can't believe he finally did it, but I still don't see what's the link between you and Zayn kissing and me and Harry kissing,” asks Louis at the same moment Harry walks into the bus.

“We never kissed,” says Harry looking at Louis like he lost his mind and he continue to walk towards the bunks area.

“You'd be lucky to kiss me Hazza,” shouts Louis and laugh when Harry shouts back “Yeah keep telling yourself that Tommo, keep dreaming.”

Liam laughs too, his friends are ridiculous.

“Can you tell me the link now, because I’m confused.”

Liam tells him everything, from the start, from the first time he laid his eyes on Zayn and how he felt to how he felt when they kissed and about his dreams even if it's a bit embarrassing. Louis doesn't interrupt him, he lets him talk and talk and talk. He also doesn't judge and Liam is grateful for that because it's the last thing he needs.

“I'm so confused Lou, I've never felt like that before not even for my ex girlfriends.”

“Let's start with you might not be as straight as you thought you were.”

“But I'm not gay, I still find girls pretty,” whines Liam and Louis rolled  his eyes.

“And the thought of being bisexual never crossed your mind?”

“Maybe, but it's scary Lou, what do I do with all these feels?”

“Tell Zayn how you feel could be a good start, if you are ready.”

“I can't do that, I don't even know if he likes boys.”

Louis smacks him on the back of his head.

“OUCH! What was that for?” exclaims Liam, rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

“He kissed you dumbass, what do you think? Also, you don't see the way he looks at you when you're not looking. He looks at you like you hung the moon Li.”

Liam groans and closes his eyes. Why is everything confusing. He hates feeling like this. Why can't love be easy? Wait love? Oh!

“Lou, I think I love him.”

“No shit?!”

“Oh fuck off ok! An hour ago I was thinking maybe he was just being overly friendly.”

“You’re so dense sometimes. Okay, do you trust me?”

It's a trick question and Liam knows he should say no but he nods anyway.

*

Louis’ plan is stupid, it's never going to work and sphe should never have agreed to it. It's not gonna work. Zayn doesn't have feelings for him there is no way he will be jealous. Liam will only make a fool of himself and maybe ruin his friendship with Zayn. Oh my god this is dumb, Liam needs to find Louis to tell him the plan is not working. Liam is pacing the floor of the changing room when Zayn walks in.

“Hey babe, you okay? You look stressed,” say Zayn, opening his arms to hug Liam as he gets closer. Automatically Liam wraps his arms around Zayn's smaller frame and press his nose against Zayn's neck. Immediately he feels better and forget about Louis’ dumb plan. He takes deep breath while Zayn rub circles on his back. It feels great and Liam tighten his arms around Zayn. If Louis’ plan doesn't work it could be the last time he gets to do this and he's so scared of losing Zayn, his Zayn.

“I don't wanna lose you,” Liam says, letting his lips brushing against Zayn's skin.

Zayn pulls back and takes Liam's face between his hands and looks at him in the eyes before pressing their foreheads together.

“You're never going to lose me babe, I don't know what is going on but you will never ever lose me. You understand that?”

Liam nods and Zayn smiles.

“I love you Liam, okay I love you.”

Liam's heart his in beating so fast he feels dizzy. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a second.

“I love you too,” he replies and Zayn gives him a quick peck on the lips.

“Then we are on the same page, now time to get ready. Show starts soon.” With that Zayn is out the door before Liam has time to say anything else.

Maybe Louis’ plan isn't so stupid after all or maybe he doesn't need it. He looks at his watch and he doesn't have time to fo find Louis to tell him.

*

The show is going well, the crowd is amazing but Liam is nervous. He knows Zayn said he would never lose him but he still feel anxious about Louis’ plan about making Zayn jealous. This was his genius plan, to flirt with Liam all night. To touch him more than usual to make Zayn feel jealous to get a reaction out of him. Liam still don't know why he agreed to this. Probably because he was desperate. He doesn't feel so desperate now but he let Louis do it anyway, he knows that trying to stop him wouldn't work now and no matter what Liam says, Louis would just think he’s chickening out. He lets Louis run his fingers on his forearm or brush his lips against his ear when he talks to him. According to Louis, Zayn hasn't stop looking at Louis like he wanna murder him but Liam hasn't noticed. It's not until near the end of the show that he sees what Louis meant. Louis is on his right side and Zayn on his left. Zayn is looking at Louis with dagger in his eyes, Louis has a small smirk on his face as they both circle around Liam. Liam never saw his expression on Zayn's face before and he really hope he will never be on the receiving end of it. Louis seems unfazed and he squeeze Liam's shoulder before he runs toward Niall to poke him in the ribs.

The show ends and Zayn is the first out. When Liam finally reach the changing room Liam can’t stop smiling but Zayn isn't there. He showers quickly and Zayn is still nowhere to be found. He finally ask Paul who tell him Zayn felt knackered and he's already back to the bus. Liam suddenly feels anxious, like Louis’ plan backfired on him. He grabs his stuff and runs to the bus. He needs to talk to Zayn. He drops his stuff on the table in the lounge and calls Zayn's name but he gets no response. He gets closer to the bunks and  calls Zayn's name again. Nothing. Liam feels his stomach twist in a knot and his eyes filled with tears. He wanna be mad at Louis but he knows he only have himself to be mad at. Louis only wanted to be a good mate and help.

Liam lay down in his bunk and closes his eyes. He want to sleep and forget about all of this and hopefully tomorrow morning everything will be back to normal. He hears Louis, Niall and Harry come back to the bus, trying but failing at not making too much noises. He doesn't care. He keeps his eyes closed and try to sleep. He doesn't know for how long he tries but it's not working.

“Li?” he hears Zayn whisper and a part of him wants to ignore him but he can't, “Li, are you sleeping?”

“No.”

Zayn pushes the curtain open but he stays in the aisle between the bunks, shuffling from foot to foot.

“Can I?”

It's weird, he never asked before he always just climbed in and wrapped his arms around Liam.

“Of course you can.”

Zayn climbs on the small bed but he stays on his back, his hands crossed on his abdomen.

“I'm sorry.”

“For what?”

“I acted like an ass, I uh, I heard you cry.”

Liam doesn't say anything, he just keeps looking at Zayn in the dark.

“This is all Louis’ fault,” they both say at the same time.

“What do you mean?” question Zayn.

Liam sigh. That’s it, that's the moment. He will tell Zayn how he feels and Zayn will tell him he loves him but just as a friend and he will get his heart broken but he's ready.

“Louis convinced me to let him flirt with menso you would get jealous because he got this idea that you have feelings for me, I mean like the one I have for you and that it would make you confess them. Sorry is this is weird and I knew this was a bad idea. Louis's an idiot and I should never have agreed to this.”

“Wait what? No, Louis told me he would flirt with you and to act overly jealous so you would confess your feelings for me. But I ended up hurting you and I am sorry. It's the last thing I wanted.”

“How did Louis...I'm confused.”

“I went to him for advices about my feelings for you after we kissed.”

Liam couldn't believe this and started to laugh. He would need to find a way to get back at Louis and he was sure Zayn would gladly help him.

“I did the same. God, we should just have talked together.”

“Yeah but in the end it worked.”

Zayn turns on his side to look at Liam and Liam immediately wrapped his arms around Zayn.

“Can I kiss you? Been dying to do it again for two weeks now,” admits Liam.

“You never have to ask, I love you Liam.”

“I love you too, Zayn,” Liam says before closing the gap between their mouths.

#ziam #ziam mayne #ziam fic #zayn malik #liam payne #my writing #claudia shut up

[butterygalaxies]

bubble gum and broken hearts

Word Count: 1269 

Ship: Clem x Louis

Notes: repost from earlier today because tumblr ate the original for whatever reason. enjoy!

“Clem, come on, just try listen to me!”

Clementine grits her teeth so hard they squeak. “There’s not much to explain, Marlon.  You cheated on me.”

“Look-” Marlon  hits the brakes and the car skids to a halt in the middle of the road. “I don’t know how to say this, Clem, but this relationship’s boring. Ashley’s way more fun to be around.”

Clem sucks in a breath and tries to keep her thoughts together and stay calm. Was she really, honestly, truly being compared to Ashley Perkins the sluttiest girl in their grade, the common whore who had slept with the whole football team? Ashley was fun? Was that what it was called now?

She will not slap him. She will not.

“Three years, Marlon. I gave you three years of my life, and this is what you do to me?”

He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “Clem, I had a great time  with you back in middle school. But we’re older now, you know? And you’re so afraid of a serious relationship.”

“I just think that you need to grow up a little more.”

Clem’s hand flies up in an abrupt movement, meeting his face with a resounding slap.

“Douchebag,” she declares, popping out of the car like a champagne cork. “And your haircut looks like shit.”

---

Clem sprints through the trees and bushes until she sees the highway. It’s deserted. There isn’t a single car on the pathway. She sits down on the crash barrier, legs tucked up to her chest.

She tries to come up with as many insults as she can think of. Idiot she shelves right away. Idiot doesn’t even describe Marlon  at this moment. Then again, there’s asshole, dick, wanker, scumbag, prick and of course douchebag. She doesn’t even know how long she sits there thinking of ways to murder Marlon, fighting the tears in her eyes.

She takes out her phone. It’s one in the morning.  She contemplates calling Violet, but decides against it. She loves her friend to death, but sitting in a car for the better part of an hour with a grumpy, sleep-deprived Vi sounds like a shitty way to end an even shittier day.

She takes off her pinchy high-heeled shoes and starts walking in what she thinks is the direction of her neighborhood. Of course Marlon had to leave her in the middle of nowhere. He always had to play the gentleman.

Clem walks until she hears the sound of a car. She turns and squints at the car. The gray pickup truck with the busted hood  is all too familiar. Not him. She has no strength to deal with his crap right now.

“Enjoying the fresh air, Clem?” Louis says, rolling his window down and adjusting his speed so he matches her walking pace. He’s wearing a Thrasher shirt. It’s hard to tell if he’s being ironic. It’s always hard to tell with Louis.

“I am, actually.” She doesn’t stop walking. He doesn’t stop following her. “How’d you find me, anyways?”

Louis’ mouth twists unpleasantly. “Marlon texted me. He said you bolted and ran this way. He, uh, didn’t say why though.” He leans forward, looking at with intent concern. “Have you been crying?”

Her cheeks burn. She bets he just thinks she’s the needy girlfriend. Of course Marlon didn’t explain why she’d cut out from their date. “Look, Louis, I’m not up for this shit tonight. Just let me feel like crap by myself for a while, okay?”

The engine idles. “Just get in the car, Clem.” He adds, softer, “Please?”

She shrugs and waits for him to unlock the passenger door, sliding in next to him after a moment’s pause. She pulls the seatbelt tight across her chest and crosses her arms, grateful for the long silence between them. She doesn’t feel like talking tonight.  She stares at herself in the rearview mirror. Her mascara’s all smudged and her lip gloss has rubbed off. When she left the house three hours ago she’d thought she’d looked beautiful. She thinks she’s anything but that now.

“Drive, please.”

He just studies her thoughtfully . She realizes she hasn’t spoken to Louis outside of a social setting for years.  When they were younger they’d spent more hours than they could count playing in Clem’s treehouse or loafing around on Louis’ couch, watching reruns of Golden Girls. Then they’d gotten older, and she’d started hanging around with Marlon instead of him,  and those kind of things had stopped. You didn’t just spend time at a guy’s house for the sake of being friends, right?

So now she feels even shittier, acknowledging the fact that she’d neglected a childhood friendship for some dumbass, mullet-wearing football player. He looks sleepy too. He probably woke up just to drive her home.

Finally he turns on the ignition and hits the gas. They’re moving at an irritatingly slow pace but she doesn’t even bother telling him to speed up. Louis is the most stubborn person she knows.

“So what did he do?” he asks tentatively. “You seem pissed.”

“He cheated on me.” She stares straight ahead, refusing to meet his gaze. She can imagine what he’s thinking. That it would make sense that Marlon wouldn’t want a girl like her, that he’d want someone more fun.

The car jolts to a stop, bumping both of them out of their seats for a moment. “You’re kidding me.” There’s actual disbelief in his voice. She shakes her head. “I’m not.”

“Fuck, Marlon…” Louis says under his breath. “Are you serious? With who?”

“Ashley Perkins.” The tears start swimming in her eyes again; this time from embarrassment. She hates having to lay this all out in front of Louis.

“That streetwalker?” He sounds so scandalized that Clem actually smiles. “Yeah, the streetwalker. He said he wanted someone more fun. He said I wasn’t mature enough for him.”

“Well, then he’s a fucking idiot. What a prick.” Louis shakes his head. “Goddamn. That’s harsh.”

“Yeah.” She swallows and picks at her lacquered nails. “Anyways, that’s what happened. And I can’t believe you’re driving me home after all that.”

“You’re serious? Marlon kicked you to a curb like that; ‘course I’m going to drive you home.” She smiles. It’s nice, being with him like this and seeing him get all pissed over her maiden’s honor. It’s like when they were little.

The silence stretches out again except this time it’s comfortable. She hugs herself and doesn’t realize he’s holding something out until he nudges her gently.

Bubble gum. Strawberry flavored; the same brand she’d liked when she was a  kid. She hasn’t had it since the fifth grade. Louis liked it too. He’d never have any spare change on hand when they’d go down to the drugstore so she’d share a six-pack with him.

“What are we, ten?” She can’t help saying it. Louis grins. “Come on, it’ll make you feel better.” He wiggles it in his hand and makes the pack jump up and down. “We can share.”

She shakes her head and takes the pack, popping out a pink stick of gum and shoving it into her mouth. It tastes like spring and good memories. Louis grabs it from her and stuffs two pieces into his mouth, chewing noisily.

“Hey, that’s gross.”

He shrugs and revs the engine twice like he’s  an old action-movie star instead of a kid with an busted-up truck.  “You ready to go?”

Clementine nods.

When he drops her off at her house - thank God that the lights are off and her parents are asleep - she almost forgets to wave goodbye.

When she turns around, he’s already gone. 

#louisentine #louisentine fanfic #louisentine fanfiction #clouis #clouis fanfic #clouis fanfiction #twdg #twd #twdg fanfic #louis twd #louis twdg #clem twd #clem twdg #clementine twd #clementine twdg #clementine fanfic #louis fanfic #eeek #high school au #fluff #repost #i hate tumblr why do they eat my posts

[rainbows-fanfics]

My New Reason (Chapter 4)

Chapter 1 |   Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 |  Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8

Summary: Louis is falling for someone he really shouldn’t be, and the same is happening to Clementine. Loustine/Clouis

Clementine's P.O.V. I was having a lot of confusing thoughts lately. I wasn't ill or anything. I was fine, healthy even. Until we came to Ericson's Boarding School, A.J. and I hadn't been eating or drinking regularly for weeks. We finally had people taking care of us; new friends, new family. So I wasn't bothered physically. Nothing really should be troubling me - I was just unsettled by the thoughts I've been having and everything that's come from it. They were about Louis. I used to not think about him. The first day I met him, he felt like a stranger to me. But he was the first one I grew comfortable with, and he was the first to fully gain A.J.'s trust. I somehow felt like it was destined for us to meet him. In some weird way, we were kind of missing something before he came along. Or, at least something had existed but wasn't very strong before. My thoughts all started back when we had our very first dinner at the boarding school. We sat down to eat, and A.J. practically inhaled his serving before everyone else finished theirs. Before I could insist to him that he could have no more, because we really didn't want to take advantage of these people sharing their food, Louis had given him his own serving without hesitation. The look on my face was one I will never forget wearing. I was so thankful. So appreciative. So...touched by the kindness someone I just met could have. That someone I barely knew gave up their food for my boy. He insisted he'd have it, and that was the moment I felt a warm swelling in my chest. Something...that hasn't warmed for a long time.

It didn't end there, either. Louis kept humoring the both of us, and I later remembered how he treated A.J. He let him press the keys of the piano and kept him engaged while I was gone. And, I hadn't known at the time,(A.J. later confessed to me), but Louis had gone down and helped him back up when Marlon shoved him to the ground. He approached him from behind, and as my boy recalled, it was the first time he hadn't responded to out of fear. He felt safe, and trusted him. I did, too. That...was actually where these thoughts came from. I was first bewildered at the realization that someone could do all of this for two strangers. Someone in the midst of the apocalypse willingly sharing kindness and rations to someone who they didn't even know very well. I could firmly say that I would not have done the things Louis has done for us, but that doesn't mean I'm not appreciative of it. I'm...more than that. I'm grateful. But not just that, either. My thoughts turned from admiration to something else real quickly. The more I spent time with him, the more I realized I was thinking about Louis. I used to constantly think long-term for A.J. and I, making plans for the future and how we'll search for food and water. The longer I stuck around, the less I worried about those things. I was thinking more of today now, relishing the present more than the future. Exactly what Louis enlightened me of not too long ago. I found that enjoying my moment meant spending more time with him. I found more excuses to go with him to scavenge or set up traps(I've had more experience than ever with these things), and whenever I had the free time, he and I just talked. A.J. didn't mind having the time alone for himself. Sometimes he just stuck around with Louis and me, and every time he did, Lou would find a new way to make him laugh. I mused a lot about their interactions at night. In a way, it felt like he was a father figure to A.J. More than his actual one had been...he had never really grown up with one besides Kenny, but I got the impression he didn't remember a lot about him. He'd been with me his whole life, and even I came to terms with being his maternal figure. He had yet to find a guy to relate to - and now I think his search had finally ended. "I think I'm going nuts." I mutter to myself, shaking my head as I shield myself under a tree. I watch as A.J. plays a game of tag with Tenn and Willy. I find my eyes searching around for him before I can stop myself - and I find Louis standing off to the side with Violet, chatting about who-knows-what. Judging by the look on her face, she seems to be annoyed with their conversation. I look away from both of them before that feeling could surface in my chest again. I really was going nuts. The last time I've had butterflies in my stomach looking at a guy was back when Gabe was around. And even then it was just a crush more than anything - I hadn't thought of him as much as I thought about Louis. And I certainly didn't spend as much time with him. I didn't know a lot about Gabe...whereas I was starting to know more about Lou. Sure, one looked better than the other, and one had one hell of a voice too, but the other had better hair. And he was a lot taller than Gabe ever was. Why are you comparing them so much? That was a good question - why WAS I doing this? I knew I liked Gabe, but I was unsure of my feelings for Louis. He was starting to become a good friend...maybe even.... I stop my thoughts before they go any further. It was enough that they bothered me so much at night. He actually appeared in one of my dreams because of how much I'd been thinking of him. I furrow my eyes and clench my fists, coming to my feet and approaching the two figures before I could even think about what I'm doing. "Louis," My voice comes out more demanding than I intended. "I need to talk to you." He notices my stern look and jumps, but the next moment he regains his composure and dramatically leans down in front of Violet. "It seems my princess desires my presence! I'll have to continue this talk later, Vi." "Thank God." She rolls her eyes and gives me a thankful look. "You take him. He won't shut up about cantaloupes." He turns to point at her back. "-I would rather DIE to a bunch of walkers than eat another one of those god-damned-OOF!" I drag him by the arm back to the tree I was resting under. He allows me to guide him before finally getting his balance back, all before I roughly take him to the side. I make sure we're far away from the others so no one can eavesdrop, but not out of A.J.'s sight. I mentally try to piece together how this conversation is going to go. "Princess?" Is the first thing I say, raising an eyebrow and crossing my arms. "Well, you call me your 'Prince Charming', so that should make you my princess, right?" He waits for my response but he doesn't get one. "Should I call you 'Cinderella', then?" I'm tempted to flirt back, but I have to resist the urge. That was weird enough. I decide to be direct and learn forward. "Why are you so nice to A.J.?" He's taken back by the question(he was probably expecting something else. Doofus), but answers it regardless. "Oh, uh, he's a nice kid." "There's got to be more than that." "He reminds me of me when I was his age." Louis grinned. "A troublemaker, but at heart, a good kid." "I can't argue with that." I relax myself. My eyes come across him and I forget about my surroundings. I start to count the freckles on his face and admire his jawline...something I normally didn't care about in people. My eyes just started to come to his collarbone when I notice he's looking at me, then I briefly look away. My cheeks warm and I start to feel goosebumps crawl up my arms. Here comes that tingly, warm sensation again.... "You seem surprised," He brings up after a moment. "You act like no one else has been good with A.J. before." "That's because they haven't." I pause. "Or, at least he doesn't let them be...his father wasn't around and he hasn't had anyone besides me to look up to." "What exactly happened to his dad?" He notices me tense. "If you want to tell me, that is..." I go silent wondering if I should. It really wasn't any of his business; it wasn't anybody's. I swore not to tell anyone on Rebecca's behalf, but it's been so wrong keeping it from A.J. as it is...maybe someone else should know. Just to ease it from my mind. As big-mouthed as Lou was, I trusted him keeping these things to himself. "We're not exactly sure who his father is." I admitted. "He's named after Alvin because that's who his mother was with. But this man named Carver..." I shudder mentioning his name. "Let's just say he was NOT a good person. He, uh, had an...'encounter' with A.J.'s mom, and she got pregnant shortly after-" "-So they assumed it was his, but because she was with Alvin, they named the baby after him and it's been known as theirs since?" He noticed my surprised look and shakes his head. "It's easy to piece together. I, uh... I can't imagine how that must be. A.J. must not know, huh?" "No. I was thinking of telling him when he got older, but I don't know if I should mention it at all." I glance over to his figure playing with the others. "Alvin was a better man than Carver could ever be. I think it's better off having it this way." He looks me over with a frown. "A lot of fucked up things has happened to you both, huh?" I weakly nod. "Makes sense he wouldn't let anyone in after all that time. Well, anyone besides you." "And that's what makes me really confused." I confess. "He let you in so easily compared to others who have tried to get close to him. He likes you. And we haven't known you as long." "What can I say? I've got natural charm. The kids love me." I can tell Louis is just being Louis, but he isn't wrong. I don't know a single kid here that doesn't like him. It's almost as if he's had experience with children...he knew the right things to say and do around them. I've known people who didn't know how to do that. It was hard getting A.J. to actually act like a kid for me, sometimes - yet he did it without thinking. "....Either I have something on my face or you're staring at me a lot, Clem." I didn't realize I'd been giving him a fond look, and blink repeatedly to snap myself back into reality. "What?" "I wish you'd just tell me because, y'know, Vi could've seen it and not say anything. Last thing she'd want to do is save me from embarrassment. I thought you cared more about me than that." He started messing with his hair and I shake my head, chuckling to myself. Okay, that was kind of cute. "You have nothing on your face." I pause before glance him over. "You look fine." He gives a sigh of relief, but I don't want him to be too comfortable yet. I go on my tiptoes and lean upwards to poke at the side of his cheek. "You are missing a tooth, though." He swats my hand away. "Tell me something I don't know, Princess." "If you call me princess again, I'm going to kick you." "If you're going to kick your Prince Charming, at least do it with your glass slipper, sweetheart." Ignoring how my heart leapt for that last nickname(why the hell was he so good at them?), I lightly tap the side of my boot on his leg. He pretends as if it hurt him, clutching at his knee and giving me an obviously-fake pained look. "Ouch! If you'd have kicked me any harder, Clem, I would've fallen for you!" "Oh you would've, now?" I raise my eyebrow. He comes back up and winks at me, giving me a coy smile. "Nah, I already have. I probably would've just landed in that patch of dirt behind you." As I felt my chest tighten at those first few words, he leans closer to me and starts to come down. I widen my eyes and hold my breath - wondering if he was going to do what I thought he was going to do. Instead of reaching my lips, he brought up a hand and rubbed something off the side of my forehead. "Oh, by the way, you had something here." I can feel the blush growing on my face as I watch him leave with my mouth agape. I gather enough courage to give him one last remark. "Idiot!" "Still your Prince Charming!" He called back. I could still see the wink he gave me from so far away, and he strutted off. He must feel so cocky finally catching me off guard. Swearing him off in my head, I turn on my heel and approach A.J. He must be done playing, because he now he was resting on one of the benches and looking at something. I turn and notice he was watching Louis leave through the front gates. I try to hide the blush again and I place my hands on my hips. "Done playing tag, kiddo?" A.J. notices me and nods his head. "Yeah. It was fun." "Did anyone win?" "Well, Willy did, but I'll do better next time." "Let's get you into a new set of clothes. You dirtied yourself up." He looks down and notices all the mud and grass stains,and doesn't hesitate to follow me into the building. When we enter out room, I start to go through A.J.'s clothes and picked out something new for him to wear. I'm going to have to clean these again sometime soon... I listen as A.J. sits on the bed and watches me. I give him his clothes and he looks at it funny. I tilt my head to the side. "What's wrong? You like your Disco Broccoli shirt still, right?" "Yeah, I do." He took the pile from me slowly. "It's just...well..." His eyes made contact with mine. "Do you love Louis?" The breath left my throat and I looked at him in surprise. I tried to regain my composure, wondering how A.J. could've asked a question like that at a time like this. I attempt to laugh it off. "What makes you say that?" "You smile around him a lot. I haven't seen you do that around anyone else besides me before." He fidgets with his shirt. "And you two act more like a couple than friends...Tenn told me the difference." "What did Tenn tell you?" "He told me how Violet and Minnie would have nicknames for each other and they'd sometimes touch their faces or hold each other really close. They laughed and smiled all the time. And, well, you do that a lot with Louis." "He's a funny guy," I defend. "No, it's different. I know you. You love him - but you just won't admit it." I roll my eyes. "Change into your clothes already." He hops off the bed and goes towards the closet. He turns around to close the door and change real quick, but before he does, it holds it open and looks at me. I go to tell him to hurry up already, but he speaks before I could. "Because if you do...I'm okay with that. He makes me smile, too." He closes the closet door after that, and I find myself staring at the floor thinking about what he's just said. I look outside the boarded-up window and listen to the voices in the courtyard. The moment I hear Louis', I feel my heart beat faster again and bite my lip. That kid may know more about me than I do...

#Long #Long post #TWDG #The Walking Dead Game #the walking dead game done running #Louistine #Clouis #Clementine X Louis #A.J. #Alvin Jr #fanfiction #fan fiction

[niall-is-my-dream]

Light of my Life - Part Nine

2500 words

On Friday morning you headed to the supermarket to stock up on groceries. WIth Harry being back late the next night you knew he's be jetlagged and tired on Sunday. You picked up all his favourite things and had planned a few meals for the week ahead. It was when you were in the fruit aisle selecting some apples that you heard the whispers.

"That's definitely her."

"You think?"

"Yeah and she's got a baby boy in the carrier. See his blue hat."

You had been spotted.

After laying low for so long, the pictures had reignited your presence in Harry's life. You had always pretty much kept yourself to yourself, never going on the red carpet together. With such a big fan base, you didn't feel it was appropriate to flaunt the fact that you and Harry were in a relationship. Harry also liked to keep his professional and private life separate.

The plan in a situation like this was to pretend you didn't hear them, however if they approached you then you would always make time for them.

"Excuse me?" One of the girls asked. She looked to be maybe a few years younger than you, but not by much. "Are you Fliss Matthews?"

"Um, yeah that's me." You replied, trying to determine if they were nice fans or weird larries, who for the last almost four years had said your relationship was a cover for his and Louis'.

You saw them exchange glances with one another.

"You look amazing after just having had a baby!"

"Ha! Thanks! It's important to keep fit and active in pregnancy and eat right, so that's helped. Plus a good bit on concealer for the dark circles under my eyes from getting up in the night to feed him."

They laughed and then looked down at Jacob in his carrier attached to your front.

"He's a beautiful baby."

"Thankyou."

"No, thank you for talking to us and letting us see him. You've always been so nice to fans and stuff and are so supportive of Harry. He's lucky to have you. "

"Well, he thinks he's lucky to have such nice supportive fans like you, I'll let him know later that I met you guys and the kind things you have said."

"Really?! " they squealed, and you nodded.

"What are your names?"

"I'm Jessica and this is Lucy."

"I'll let him know, and Thank you for being so nice. Would you mind not letting your social media know I was here until later. I need to get back home safely with this little one once I've finished shopping."

"Oh god of course! And thanks again for talking to us."

"No problem girls." You replied, as you moved along the aisle towards the bananas.

You spent the rest of the day doing jobs at home, sorting out some washing and packing away Jacobs newborn clothes. At 7 weeks old, the smallest size things were definitely too small. You'd been to Ikea and picked up some storage boxes on your way back this morning. With Jacob sleeping, you started to fold the tiny vests and babygros and pack them away before labelling the box. You never know, you might need them again one day.

Harry facetimed you just after 3pm that afternoon, his heavy hooded eyes showing he had clearly just woken up.

"Morning Love."

"Afternoon Babe" you replied smiling.

"You ok? How's my boy?"

"We are fine, been busy today. Food shopping, got some storage boxes for some of Jacobs smaller clothes so have packed them away. Jacob has fed and slept. It's been an exciting one!" You joked.

"I wish I was with you."

"I know you do. Not long now babe."

"I'll be back about midnight tomorrow, maybe early hours of Sunday depending on the flight."

"I can't wait."

"Me neither. I knew this would be hard being away from you both, but I didn't realise it would be this hard."

 You could see him run his hand down his face and then up through his hair. His eyes showed you how sad he was. It made your heart break at how much he was missing you both. It wasn't like you weren't missing him, it's just being in your now shared home, keeping busy with jobs and Jacob had kept your mind off of it. However when night time came you had felt lonely knowing he was so far away. The second night he was away you'd moved Jacob's moses basket and stand into Harrys room and slept in there. Cuddling yourself up to his pillow, inhaling his scent.

"Its been hard for us to."

"I know love, I know. Has he been smiling a lot?" He asked, clearly worried he was missing out on things.

"Yeah he has, been doing a little smirk to, he looks just like you with your dimples."

"Is he asleep?"

"No, he's in his little baby chair, watching me bake." You replied, and turned the phone around to show him Jacob, who was happily watching your every move.

"There's my boy. Are you missing Daddy?" You heard him ask, as you knelt down and got closer to Jacob.

Jacob's beautiful green eyes focussed on the phone, recognising Harry's face and voice.

"Jacob, Daddy loooovvveessss yoooooouuuu."

A big smile spread across his face at Harry's words.

"You being a good boy for Mummy? Daddy will be back soon. Hopefully Mummy is making Daddy something nice."

You laughed and turned the phone back to face you. "Well I'm trying out a new recipe, these chocolate brownies have grated courgette in them. Suppose to nice, Lisa gave me the recipe."

"Sounds interesting!" He replied smiling.

You joked a bit more with each other before Harry asked you to get your iPad and open up your email.

"I've sent you some links of houses that I want you to look at."

"Houses?"

"Well, you know my house here was up for sale, well that's sold and all finalised now, so I want to get us another one for when we are here. I've done a short list of three that are a good buy, but I want you to tell me which one you like."

"Um........ok. " You replied getting all flustered.

"Fliss......."

"Yeah?"

"I want to buy us a proper family home ok? I want us all to be comfortable when we are here, especially for long periods of time."

"Holy shit!" You said, thankful that Jacob was a baby and didn't understand your bad language. "Ten million dollars." You said as you opened up one of the links he'd sent you.

"That's L.A. prices love. Look, don't worry about what it costs, just look at the information and pictures."

"I can't be given the responsibility of picking one at that price. Harry it's your money just choose which one you like."

"Fliss, it's our money and I want us to pick one together."

You stared at him on the small iPhone screen, unsure of what to say next.

"You're it for me Fliss, I don't want to be here again without you both.......I...... I miss you both so much, it hurts. I want you to help me pick our new home together, please?"

"I hate when you spend money on me." You said scowling like a child.

"Speaking of that, your car is arriving next Thursday."

You shook your head and smiled at him.

Almost an hour later and you both finally decided on a house. It was a four bed, five bath property tucked away in the Hollywood hills in a gated community. It was all on one one level with a beautiful garden and pool, perfect for Jacob to play in.

With a quick good bye and lots of I love you's, you both reluctantly ended the call.

*******

You heard him come in about 12:30am, dumping his bag in the corner of the room and quietly heading to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, Harry climbed into bed and instantly moved to wrap his arms around you.

"Hey." He whispered, as he stroked your hair. "You're suppose to be asleep."

His body was still warm from the shower, his scent overwhelming your senses.

"I fed Jacob about an hour ago and couldn't get back to sleep." You whispered back.

He smiled as he snuggled closer to you, moving your hair from your face and kissing you gently on the lips.

"I love that you've moved into our bed." He mumbled against your lips. "I missed you both so much."

"We missed you to, and your bed smells like you, been helping us sleep."

You gently stroked your hand up and down his back, pulling him closer, desperate to feel his skin against yours. You kissed him again, this time your lips moved frantically against each other, your tongue dipping into his mouth to reach his.

He effortlessly rolled you onto your back, parting your thighs so his body could nestle between them. Your bodies flush against each other, the kiss becoming heated. With one hand in his hair you moved the other one down between your bodies, finding him incredibly hard already. He gasped against your lips as you stroked him over his boxers, pulling away from you breathless. Both of you panting, his beautiful green eyes, scanning yours.

"You don't.....um.....we..........don't.........I can't control it......sorry." He mumbled quietly to you, leaning his forehead against yours and closing his eyes, you slowly moved your hand away.

"I need you Harry.......I'm ready if ......... you're ready?" You replied wrapping your arms around him.

He opened his eyes as you spoke. "Are you sure?" He whispered. "I wasn't expecting anything........I just wanted to kiss you.......don't feel you have to......"

"I want to.  Make love to me Harry."

He paused for a moment, your words sinking in, before nudging his nose with yours and kissing you softly.

"I love you so much Fliss, I'll go gentle ok?"

You nodded as you gently stroked your fingers through his damp hair.

He hesitated before leaning down and kissing you again, his lips moving to kiss your jaw, your neck and then that sweet spot behind your ear that he knew would drive you crazy.

Your body came alive at his touch, it had been too long since you'd been together, neither had been with anyone else inbetween either.  His lips paused at the top of your v neck t-shirt, the realisation that you had your very unattractive nursing bra on underneath made you cringe. Harry seemed to realised that your breasts were out of bounds, as he peppered kisses down as far as the v neck before bringing his lips up to yours.

His hand moved down and across your centre, rubbing you gently over your knickers. They were already damp, your body confirming how turned on you were already and how badly you needed him.

"Mmmm love, you're soaked." He mumbled against your lips.

He dipped his fingers into your knickers, running them gently across your clit. You sighed against his lips at the relief you felt as he began to rub you just the right way. 

Underwear was quickly discarded but you kept on your bra, with breasts full of milk they were definitely out of bounds. Laying beneath him again felt so good. Your body loving the feel of his weight on top of you. His mouth roamed across your neck and chest, nipping and sucking at your skin.

"Fuck." You whispered. "Do you have any condoms? My birth control won't have kicked in yet?"

"Yeah, I brought some the other day." He confessed. "Just in case."

You both hadn't used any other form of protection other than your birth control pill since you'd been together. That had only failed due to some antibiotics you had taken for a chest infection, the result has been Jacob. However you'd agreed that Jacob had been the best thing that has ever happened to you both.

Reaching over to his bedside cabinet, he quietly opened the box and pulled out the foil packet. Rolling it on, he winced at the coldness of the rubber against his length, before moving back to hover above you.

"Just tell me to stop, if it hurts. Ok?"

You nodded. Both of you were aware that it can feel uncomfortable when you first have sex after a baby, the last thing he wanted was for you to be in pain.

Rubbing his tip through your folds, gathering up the sleek wetness of your arousal he pushed himself slowly into you. The discomfort you expected didn't come and the moans you found yourself omitting were that of pleasure. With his length completely inside, he leant down to kiss you, allowing you to adjust.

"Are you ok?" He mumbled against your lips.

"Yes......... God I've missed you so much."

The relief was evident on his face as he looked down at you and kissed you again. Wrapping your legs around his waist, you pulled him in closer and he growled against your neck.

"Love......I need to take it slow." His voice sounded pained slightly. "Feels so good."

He began rocking his hips back and forth at a slow pace, filling you completely. With one arm bent supporting his weight, he moved his other arm to your hip and hitched it up towards his, pushing himself in deeper. Your back arched involuntary at how good it felt, and he buried his face in your neck.

His low whispers in your ear about how good you felt, how much he needed you and loved you, made you tremble with pleasure. He pulled your hip up tighter against his body, burying himself deeper and harder with each thrust as he made love to you. A slight tip of your hips and he began hitting that spot that made the heat rise up from deep inside you.

His thrusts were getting determined and you knew he was close, holding back until you reached your high. Moving his head from the crook of your neck, he rested his forehead against yours. The lust in his eyes was evident, the want and desire that you'd always seen in them still there.

Your orgasm took you by surprise, and you gasped as your body began to shudder, total euphoria taking over. Harry's lips came crashing into yours,  and he moaned against your mouth as he spilled his seed into the condom.

The only noise in the room was the racing of your hearts and your low pants as you both tried to catch your breath. Moving your fingers up to brush his damp brown locks from his face, his eyes once again searched yours for any sign of discomfort.

"Are you ok?" He whispered.

"More than ok."

He pulled out slowly, before getting out of bed and discarding the condom in the bathroom.

Climbing back into bed, you both snuggled down under the covers together, holding each other close. His fingers trailing up and down your back.

"Hated being away from you both. Don't want to do it again." He whispered softly.

"We will always be with you, if it's possible. We can show Jacob the world together." You whispered back, stroking his face.

"You know I realised when I was away, that I was nothing without you. You're the light of my life. I love you Fliss."

"Love you to H."

#Harry #Harry styles #Harry smut #Harry fan fic #Harry fan fiction #dad Harry #solo harry #Harry angst #Harry fluff #1dff #one direction

[ericsonclan]

Beware the Mitchotaur

Summary: Brody enjoys swimming with her friend Willy after school. When she leaves to go home she meets a new monster that she's never seen before.

Read on A03:

Brody could feel her anxiety bubbling inside of her as she strolled down the hallway to reach the school pool. There wasn’t swim practice today but still it always helped her to spend some time at the pool after school. Especially when her anxiety was overwhelming her. It was the first few weeks of classes so it wasn’t hard to pinpoint what was making her anxious. A new school year always freaked her out.

Still, there were some really nice new monsters in her sophomore class. Louis seemed to stick out promptly in her mind. He was a frankenstein which was extremely rare and he’d only been created a week or so before school had even started. He had a lot to learn but he was definitely the warmest and kindest of the new students. There was also a vampire that had joined in this year that shared a few classes with the selkie. So far Prisha seemed like an interesting person. If Brody could summon up some more courage, she was sure she’d be able to see how nice of a vampire Prisha was. Although she did have an intimidating presence... but so did Violet when Brody first talked to her and now the two of them were good friends. Perhaps the most unusual of the new students that joined her class was Clementine, a human. Why a human would decide to go to a school full of monsters Brody had no idea. Clementine seemed to be overwhelmed by all the different types of monsters but Brody could tell that she was a good person who wanted to see the best in all of her classmates. It would just take some time.

Brody slipped into the door to the pool. The comforting smell of chlorine filled her nose, causing a happy smile to appear on the selkie’s lips. She pulled the sides of her sealskin closer before walking to one of the benches on the side and placing her bag down. When she looked up she noticed that Willy had already made it to the pool and was doing his unusual tradition of pouring salt inside. When he had first done it in front of Brody, he explained that while chlorine had a faint saltiness to it it was nowhere near as salty as the waters where he originated from. So he had come up with the brilliant idea to add salt to the pool to make it feel more like home. The crazy part of it all was that it worked. He only did it on Fridays though so that when the pool got cleaned over the weekend the water would be back to its usual state for the other monsters who swam in it.

Brody kicked off her shoes and walked over to the sea creature who gave a happy grin when he noticed her. “Hey, Brody,” His grin faded slightly when he picked up the fact that she was really anxious today. “Rough day?”

“You could say that,” Brody mumbled and sat down at the side of the pool, putting her feet in and slowly kicking the water back and forth.

“Well, then I know what we’re doing today.” Willy jumped up to his feet, causing a slapping sound to emit throughout the room when his webbed feet hit the tiles. “Let’s see who can hold their breath the longest.”

Brody’s eyes danced at those words. There was something very calming about being at the bottom of the pool and even though it was a competition it was always in good fun so it didn’t stress her out. Wordlessly Brody got up, threw the doppled grey seal skin over her head and dived into the waters which bubbled until she emerged in her seal form.

“Yeah!” Willy pumped a fist in the air while he jumped. He quickly took off the container attached to his wrists and jumped in, causing a large wave to wash over Brody. “Okay, you know the rules. Swim down to the bottom and hold your breath. The longest one wins.”

Brody nodded, giving an excited bark before diving down further. Willy joined her in an instant and the pair hovered down at the bottom of the pool. It was only eight feet down but it felt like home to Brody. The calming waters around her, the light that danced off the edges of the pool and reached to the bottom. The company. It was perfect. Brody looked over at the sea creature whose gills were shut closed. An excited determination filled his eyes while he looked at Brody with a smile. Brody looked at him with a similar determination. As time passed Brody’s anxiety started to fizzle out and was replaced with warm, serene feelings. She looked over at Willy; she was really lucky to have a friend like him. The two spent many afternoons after class at the pool, whether it was races, showing off tricks, tag or simply sitting down at the bottom of the pool to do a breath-holding competition. Willy was always there. He really had become one of Brody’s closest friends. A constant happy light in her life here in the human world. She was grateful for him.

Willy started to squirm around and kick his webbed feet wildly; he was reaching his limits. Brody was starting to feel the pressure too. It was going to be down to the wire to see who would last longer. Willy bounced off the pool’s corners, trying to distract himself by making funny faces. Brody barked from laughter, releasing all of her air and causing her to shoot up. She took a few deep breaths before Willy appeared beside her. He shook his hair wildly, making droplets of water hit against the selkie.

“Down for a race?” Willy kicked his legs playfully.

Brody gave a happy bark before doing a backflip in the water. With that the race was on. Now that Brody had been on the swim team for a while it had become harder and harder for Willy to keep up. But he was no slouch: out of the newest tally they kept in the first few weeks Brody was only up by one win. Willy was determined for that to change.

“Ready, set, go!” Willy swam with all of his might, kicking his legs with such great force that it kept up with the selkie’s smooth swimming and against all odds Willy’s webbed hand was the first to reach the other end of the pool. Brody was only seconds behind, booping her nose against the pool. Brody transformed back into her human form and offered a hand out to the sea creature who took it immediately with a grin.

“Well, it looks like we’re tied again. But not for long.” Willy declared proudly.

“Yep, because I’m going to win next time.” Brody readjusted her sealskin on her back before flashing a confident grin over at Willy who was busying clicking the containers back onto his arms.

“Nope, because I still have some tricks up my scales so you better watch out,”

“Oh yeah? Well, don’t count this selkie out.” Brody’s eyes wandered over to the clock, her face falling when she saw the time. “I should probably head out.”

“Oh, okay,” Willy held his arm behind his back shyly. “Can you swim again after school on Monday?”

“Of course!” Brody gave a warm smile to her friend which caused him to beam.

“Yes! I can’t wait!” Willy exclaimed, his gills puffing out excitedly. He was shocked when Brody suddenly moved forward and wrapped him a hug.

“Thanks, Willy, for being my friend and spending time with me.” Brody whispered, tightening her hug. Willy’s arms wrapped around Brody as he swayed back and forth.

“Thanks for being my friend too! I can’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun and such a cool friend.”

The two stayed there for a moment, each of them swaying with the hug until Brody pulled away, ruffling Willy’s hair before grabbing her bag and exiting the pool. She walked down the corridor with a happy smile. Even though the day had started out rough, it had ended great as it always did when she got to go to the pool. She turned the corner, ready to head home when she heard a fellow monster’s voice call out in the hall.

“Hey, watch out for the Mitchotuar!” The student’s voice had a teasing edge to it. But the sentence was what really threw Brody. She didn’t have much time to think, however, when rushing down the hall came a tall, horned boy. His hooves clacked loudly against the hallway floor while he ran forward only to be stopped when he rammed into a wall, his horns getting stuck in the plaster. His legs pushed back roughly as he shook his head and gave angry snorts when his efforts to release himself failed.

Mitch couldn’t believe it. He had been so caught up in his own emotions and thoughts because of that argument he had with another monster that he ended up getting stuck. I look like such a fucking idiot. Mitch yanked back to try and break free but it didn’t work. His tail whacked harshly against his legs while he pulled and pulled but to no avail. He was really stuck.

“Do you need a hand?” A gentle voice appeared beside him.

“Of course I need a hand!” Mitch snapped, his eyes shooting over to look at who had spoken to him. His eyes immediately softened when he saw the girl who was standing beside him. Her auburn hair was slicked back with what he figured was pool water considering the level of chlorine that was covering her scent. She looked like a normal human; the only odd thing about her was a sealskin that she was pulling closer to herself. What kind of monster was she? Whatever kind she was, she had got to be one of the prettiest he’d ever seen. Her pale blue eyes were beautiful. Mitch snapped himself out of his thoughts. That didn't matter right now. Right now he had something he needed to do: apologize.

“Sorry,” the minotaur mumbled. “I didn’t mean to… I just want to get my horns unstuck.”

“Don’t worry about it,” The girl moved forward and took a closer look at the situation that Mitch had gotten himself stuck in. “I think I can loosen it if I can just reach…” The girl went on her tiptoes to reach her hands around Mitch’s right horn and with a gentle grip she shifted it back and forth, loosening it. Doing a light jog over to the other horn, she did the same. After a few seconds she stepped back with a deep breath. “Okay, now try moving back a bit.”

Mitch moved his hooves back and with a firm tug pulled himself out of the wall. A huge grin appeared on his face, glad to be free from the wall. When he looked over he noticed the girl was still there. She seemed happy as well.

“Whew, I’m glad that worked out. I’m Brody by the way,” The girl extended her hand which Mitch accepted right away, giving a firm handshake.

“Mitch.”

“That’s a nice name. I haven’t seen you in the halls of Ericson before. Are you new?”

“Yep, just started this year. I’m a sophomore.”

“Oh, the same as me,” The girl played with her sealskin. Mitch felt the warmth in his heart grow. She was the same year as him. “Sorry, guess I just didn’t notice you in class.”

“Eh, it’s fine,” Mitch waved dismissively. “Although it's crazy that you didn’t considering how big I am.”

The girl gave a light-hearted chuckle. “Yeah, I’ve never met a minotaur before.”

“Makes sense. Most are still on the island of Crete. Those who aren’t, well...” Mitch scratched the back of his head. “Let’s just say we aren’t a favorite amongst humans or monsters.”

He looked over at Brody who seemed saddened by his statement.

“Well, I won’t pay them any mind if you don’t.” Brody’s words came as a surprise to the minotaur. She definitely wasn’t reacting like he thought she would after he snapped at her.

“Umm, well, thanks,” Mitch was starting to feel overwhelmed. “This is probably a stupid question, but what kind of creature are you?”

“Oh, I’m a selkie.” Brody smiled up at Mitch.

“Selkie...selkie,” Mitch scratched his horn as his face scrunched in concentration. “I’ve heard that before.”

“Yeah, probably in one of the classes. We’re sealfolk. This sealskin helps me be able to change into a seal."

Mitch’s eyes widened at that. “That’s badass.”

Brody looked shocked for a moment, looking away with a shy smile. “Thanks.”

“So, does that mean you’re in your seal form at school?”

“No, only when I visit the pool or during swim practice.”

“You’re on the swim team?” Mitch’s ears perked up; this girl was getting cooler by the second.

“Yeah, for almost a whole year now.” Brody smiled up proudly at the minotaur.

“So, were you coming from practice today?” Mitch started to walk down the hall, hoping that if they found a spot outside they could talk some more. Brody jogged for a few seconds to catch up then kept pace with the minotaur.

“No, there wasn’t practice today. I was just swimming with my friend Willy. He goes to the junior high next door. He's a real sweet fella. A sea creature just like me. But he’s more scaly and fishlike. Has large eyes and webbed feet and hands. A real good swimmer too. We usually swim together after school.”

Mitch could tell from the way that Brody described him that he was a good friend and a pretty cool one too by the sounds of it. “He sounds awesome.”

“Well, if you’re free after school on Monday you can drop by the pool to meet him with me.”

Mitch’s eyes danced with excitement. “I’d like that.”

Brody seemed happy with Mitch’s enthusiasm and was about to ask him a question when the bell rang, signaling that another hour had passed.

“Oh, is it five already?” Brody’s face fell. “I’m really sorry to cut our talk short but I should get home.”

“Oh, okay,” Mitch’s tail fell flat at that news. He was really enjoying the conversation with Brody.

“We can talk more on Monday if you’d like.”

Brody’s words made Mitch’s heart beat excitedly, his tail curling around his leg. “Yeah, sounds good.”

“Great,” Brody’s hands wrapped her sealskin closer to her. “Then I guess I’ll see you Monday.”

“See you then.” Mitch gave a friendly wave goodbye to the selkie who returned it in kind with a warm smile before turning to walk home. Mitch felt an odd excitement course through him as he strolled towards the exit. For the first time in his life he couldn’t wait for the weekend to be over. His hooves clicked against the pavement when he stopped in his tracks, a realization washing over him. He had to let the school know about the mess he made in the hallway. It would becoming pretty fucking clear that it was him with one look so he might as well fess up and tell the principal.

“Fucking shit,” Mitch mumbled to himself and turned sharply on his heel. He stormed back into the school with an annoyed groan. Sometimes he really hated being a minotaur.

#twdg #twdg brody #twdg mitch #twdg moody #twdg willy #Brody Willy Brotp #fanfic #we are monsters we are proud au

[lifewithoutmeds]

April 23, 2022

Things are moving along. I had my eyebrow tattoo done yesterday so I’m having to kind of having to force myself into more laziness than I’m accustomed. I’ve gotten into jogging a mile in the mornings, and aiming for at least 20 minutes at a time of sunbathing to up my Vitamin D, as well as my 10-minute yoga stretches with Kassandra on youtube, but i am not to allow direct sunlight onto my face nor exert with exercise as it releases oil/sebum/sweat, which interferes with the healing process, so i’m a bit of a loss as to how i’ll still be able to get in some exercise. maybe i’ll just do yoga-light.

i’ve done a lot of fishing in the last week. i went last friday to rincon, then again last wednesday, and because these places are so darn far away, i went to el pescador on thursday which was almost a bust, as i spent just over four hours fishing and only caught one fish, but it was my first walleye perch which was cool. i posted a video last week which has almost 100 views and the one i posted two months ago just got up to 800, so i’m glad that there seems to be some momentum on that front.

at lorena’s suggestion, i started watching this new youtuber named “lefie”, and i’m really glad i did. she’s younger, maybe like 30, queer, and into productivity and minimalism, so, all the things. and she was talking a lot about consumption vs production and how we’d probably feel better if we consumed less and produced more, like creatively, etc., and it does make me want to invest a bit more into this creative outlet, like maybe i could spend more time in the editing of my videos, and then explore, as needed, more sophisticated editing software. as i barely use the software now in its most limited form, it seems silly to upgrade so suddenly, but i’m sure there’s more in iMovie that i’m not utilizing.

i was on a good run with counting calories and eating healthily but about a week ago i hit a wall and ate massive amounts of mandoo, dduk, and did a big uber eats order of Brick And Flour’s carne asada fries and chicken quesadilla which lasted me a few days, and then just yesterday i folded again and got a meat lover’s pizza and a bunch of buffalo wings, so there goes the hard work. but, that’s ok. once my eyebrows heal, i will go back to exercising with a vengeance. though i know i should probably be watching what i eat even more now, whatever.

i’ve been reading this Louis L’Amour book forever, and i think it’s because i don’t really care for it. i’m like 3/4 finished though so i want to complete it, but i’m looking forward to reading something i actually enjoy and want to read. i think i might go for another reading of Ask the Dust, because I feel very LA-ish and that Lorena is very much the love interest in that novel, so parallels. then maybe a self-help or finance book. i feel like i have a lot of time on my hands and it feels luxurious. i’ve had a few days off and though my night sleeps aren’t so great, i relish in the ability to nap when i want to, as needed. i really should eat healthier though, i’m realizing. i can’t just eat pizza and sleep all day. i’m not Garfield. 

but semi-proud of myself for keeping the place fairly neat, for writing regularly, for doing what i like more regularly, and just keeping my head above water and possibly even inching towards some undefined-as-of-yet goal. i’m wondering if i should do more youtube or incorporate more of my daily life onto it ... something. but i’ve always enjoyed having mediums of self expression, and youtube is able to capture some of the things and ways in which i express. not sure what next steps would be, but curious as to even the thought of having/taking next steps. i should probably journal more.

today’s things to do: wash dishes, maybe handwash some items of smelly fishing clothing watch Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, with my momma apply my foams and balms to my eyebrows religiously every two hours and that’s about it! feeling very grateful. signing off,

KG