#considerate but considerate and ‘nice’ are two different words for people to see themselves in me is one thing but for ppl to see what i can | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mamamittens · 21 days

Text

A Lone Melody (Pt. 10)

Main

This chapter was sponsored by @yanderefangirl as part of the "Oh Shit Sale", thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Warnings: Implied but not seen violence against a child. Health/dental issues. Racism.

Word Count: 2,109

Melody had been crying a lot lately.

To be fair to the young girl, she had a lot of reasons to cry.

Her dah, silly, aggressive fishman that endlessly teased her only to toss her high above his head with a toothy grin, had left.

Uncle Fishy, the sad man who held her so tenderly despite the hurt in his eyes, had died.

Her face hurt from the way her teeth had broken on her pah’s necklace one night. The jagged shards cutting her skin more than her small fangs ever could before. Venom seeping into the wounds providing no relief but heat. The thick liquid thinning out in her mouth as it wept endlessly from her teeth. She kept swallowing it so she wouldn’t just be drooling onto the table but it made her feel worse. Too full to eat or drink anything considerable even if it smelled really good.

Melody felt bad too. On the inside. Where her heart softly stuttered when she sobbed, not just her stomach that wanted something filling besides her own tainted spit.

She knew everyone was worried about her. Pah. Auntie Shar. All the nice ladies at the café. Even the two weird pirates that sat across from her.

But Melody just couldn’t stop crying.

The least she could do, was try and cry quietly. Maybe if she did, it would stop hurting.

Maybe her teeth would get better.

Maybe she wouldn’t swallow so much of her own venom anymore.

Maybe dah would come back…

And then she could eat with Tha-ch and Mar-co with a smile so even they wouldn’t look so worried for her.

Everyone would be happier if she stopped crying…

But Melody just couldn’t stop.

She gave them a hug after wiping off her face—something that they seemed to appreciate given how wet her napkin was.

They smelled… different. Familiar. Like sea salt and sun. The burn of booze and aftershave. Different but familiar. Their skin soft despite the rugged nature of piracy as she rubbed her face on their throat, teeth painfully clenched shut despite the instinctive desire to bite. To see what it felt like to cut into something warm.

Dah taught her better, even if he didn’t like humans compared to fishmen. Though he did emphasize exceptions to the rule.

But Tha-ch and Mar-co weren’t exceptions.

They were friends.

Friends that pah seemed wary of when she told him. Auntie Shar whispering something in his ear too low for Melody to hear. He seemed to relax, swiping his gentle thumb under her eyes.

“I think I may have found a dentist for you, pup. We’ll go to the office tomorrow and see if he’s willing to try and help.” Pah rumbled softly, smiling as she buried her nose into his chest, rubbing her face against his skin.

The promise of relief brought with it a swift collapse into sleep.

Melody will remember this day, though hazy with pain and emotions.

The kindness of her family as they sought to comfort her until a solution could be found.

And the two strange humans that eagerly distracted her and shared a meal despite her state.

The next day, however, Melody would remember far more.

--*--

Hody Jones slinked through an alleyway, nose wrinkled at the foul stench of refuse and humans. Those damn pirates had managed to worm their way into the good graces of his king and saw fit to stick around. Polluting the very air he breathed like they had a right. It sickened him, honestly.

The way they all happily traipsed down the streets, gawking at the land and people.

Obviously, Fishman Island was a beautiful place outside of the slums. The mermaids an obvious attraction to outsiders. But that didn’t mean Hody wanted to see them drool over his people. Even the frail mermaids deserved more respect than that. Though, they at least kept their hands to themselves, unlike many other groups of humans that managed to get in.

That was about the only thing they had going for them though.

Hody wished, not for the first time, that he had the strength to beat them all away. Show them how little they were worth compared to him. But this wasn’t just any group of pirates. These were the Whitebeard Pirates. They swarmed like cockroaches under the banner of Edward Newgate. And as pissed as Hody was, even he knew his limits.

But the sound of soft sniffles over scraping refuse under his feet challenged that notion swiftly.

Enraged, Hody quickly rounded the corner and found the mutt sitting on a bench outside a dentist’s office. It was almost dizzying how rapidly his emotions swirled with the realization.

The tiny half-breed was curled in on itself. Trying to appear smaller, perhaps. Why they were there… well, Hody could guess, but not why they were alone. He’d never seem it alone before. Always being carried and doted on. Spoiled. Hody felt his lips curl into a sneer.

Well… if he can’t do anything about the worthless humans, the least he could do was solve everyone’s problem with the mutt’s teeth.

Sneer twisting into a more approachable look, Hody stepped forward and called out.

“Hey there.” It turned to look at him, bright red eyes locking with his.

…she looked so young.

His hand itched to get it over with already.

--*--

Edward huffed, a smile hidden under his moustache as his sons argued behind him. Thatch whining about his innocence as Marco mercilessly teased him for flirting with a married mermaid.

“I was just speaking facts! She is beautiful! I didn’t know it was a crime to state the obvious!” Thatch complained, to which Marco scoffed.

“Maybe not, but leaning into her space and putting your hand on her tail was probably what offended her husband more than anything else.”

“I didn’t see her tail! I SWEAR!” Thatch screeched, “I meant to rest my hand on the table—how was I supposed to know she was resting her fin there?!”

“By looking?” Marco responded dryly.

Thankfully, Edward was there to scold his son enough to get the incident blown off with no issue, though the mermaid in question seemed deeply amused.

As a favor to his silly boy, Edward was taking the long way to the ship. Allowing the two to tease each other without dragging the rest of the ship into it. The slums weren’t exactly welcoming, but between his size and reputation—as well as the show his sons were putting on without realizing—no one argued about their presence. His boots clicked against the dirty street with a familiar cadence. Slow, steady gait eating the distance just enough to let his sons keep up in their distraction.

The sound of the slums background noise in his ears. An unfortunately familiar one even after all this time.

Hushed arguments. Small, contained violence as street kids shoved each other, daring one to try and pickpocket ‘fresh meat’. Store keeps selling wares at ridiculous prices to whoever was dumb enough to wander so far from the marketplace. It all blended in behind his son’s argument.

Until a sharp sound cut through it all just as they rounded a corner.

A heavy, meaty slap.

And then a high, young wail.

Edward’s eyes snapped to the scene, his sons falling silent instantly.

A tall fishman towered over a toddler. Hand raised over his opposite shoulder. The baby collapsed on the sidewalk, small hand to their face. His eyes narrowed as his strides quickly ate the distance. Curly black hair like his son, Teach, contained under a small white cap. But the resemblance did little to soothe the instant anger Edward felt. His hand curling in the back of the man’s shirt and tossing him into the wall.

“Oh, shit, that’s Melody!” Thatch gasped, scrambling past Edward and falling to his knees to fret over the child. Edward felt pride in how quickly his son acted as he pinned down the offender with his boot. The fishman glaring at him with a sneer as the child cried great, heaving sobs. “H-Hey, baby, it’s alright. The mean, mean man can’t hurt you. Pops got him—lemme see the—oh he got you good, huh?” Thatch cooed in his softest voice.

Marco quickly joined Thatch as the two helped the child up and inspected the damage. Edward was a little surprised Marco hadn’t already tried healing the obvious bruise but trusted his son had good reason.

The door to what appeared to be a doctor’s office slammed open. A man Edward recognized as Jinbe looking around wildly with a fury he felt sharp kinship with.

Clearly, this was ‘Melody’s’ father.

Jinbe seemed to pause at the curious sight before him, glancing between his crying child, Edward’s fussing sons, and himself. Boot digging into the fishman snarling up at him.

“What is going on here?” Jinbe growled with an impressive depth. The fishman under his boot seeming to pale despite his already white skin, expression faltering.

“W-Was just trying to help the mutt!” He defended with a gasp as Edward pressed his boot down a little harder in fury. “C-Clearly someone needed to knock those teeth loose!”

Jinbe sucked in a sharp breath and spun on his heel, gently pushing aside Edward’s sons to scoop up his child, taking in the damage.

Even before the child was in Jinbe’s arms, they were small. Pale gray skin with dark fingers. White hair tipped black and red with the biggest, watery ruby eyes Edward had ever seen. A large mark on her cheek cradled by small hands rapidly growing a dark purple. Blood and some sort of bright blue liquid seeping from her lips as she whimpered. Edward’s heart went out to the poor child.

“Melody, pup, let me see.” Jinbe held his daughter close and gently opened her mouth, eyes narrowed at the jagged, bloody mess of her teeth. The man inhaled sharply with a hiss. “I do not care what your excuse is—you. Struck. My. Daughter?”

Marco, ever brave, stood up and cleared his throat. Jinbe’s eyes were sharp as he looked at Edward’s son. Not faltering in the slightest, Marco gave a thin smile.

“I’m a doctor with the phoenix fruit. If you want, I can see what I can do while you handle… that.” Marco offered, Thatch instantly standing at his side.

“I’ll hold her hand if it helps! Marco’s the best doctor.” Thatch grimaced. “We heard you were… having trouble finding someone to treat her already.”

Jinbe seemed to struggle, body tense as he looked at his crying child and the three humans. Edward felt regret settle in his chest at the obvious distrust.

Still, he understood. Even under better circumstances, Jinbe had little reason to trust human pirates.

“P-Pah-pah?” A soft, hoarse voice whimpered. “H-Hurts, pah…” she spoke with difficulty through tears and her swelling mouth. Broken teeth likely not helping matters any.

Jinbe melted, pressing a kiss to his daughter’s hair.

“Doctor…Marco?” Jinbe partially cooed at his child, glancing at Marco in question. “—He wants to help. Can you be brave for me, pup?”

Melody sniffled but nodded, burying her face into Jinbe’s yukata before turning and reaching out to Marco.

A little surprise, Marco reached out hesitantly, looking to Jinbe for permission.

It was given reverently. Exactly how Edward would if he had to hand one of his children to someone else to take care of them as he could not. Heartbreaking reluctance and resolve to have the best hands sooth his child’s need. And Marco nodded, lifting the toddler to his chest before looking to the office.

“Think they’ll let me use their space?” Marco mused mostly to himself and Thatch.

Jinbe snarled.

“They better.” Jinbe glared pointedly at the window where a fishman in a doctor’s coat flinched away. The door opening seconds later.

“O-Of course! C-Come in—oh, you poor thing I-I—come in, please.” The fishman doctor wilting at the sight of the bruised child still clutching the side of her face.

Marco and Thatch went in.

“…thank you, Captain Whitebeard.” Jinbe huffed, tears in his eyes as he reluctantly looked away from the now closed office door.

“Just Whitebeard will do… father to father.” Edward acquiesced, lifting his boot as Jinbe stalked forward towards the now thoroughly frightened fishman.

Jinbe took in a sharp, steadying breath and bared his teeth at the man who struck his child.

Edward gladly took a step back and smiled.

He couldn’t wait to call this fine young man his son… and gain a granddaughter in the same breath.

#one piece #one piece yandere #a lone melody #platonic yandere #one piece oc

32 notes · View notes

yourantag · 11 months

Text

New Beginnings (Ithaqua×Reader)

AN: Honestly not the proudest of this one, but I'm happy enough with it that I deem it as good as done. This is part of a collaboration of sorts with a few people from the Ithaqua discord server with a prompt focusing on a modern AU where Ithaqua has a healthy family relationship and takes you to prom. Hope you enjoy my take on this! On another note, I think I should probably try to make an introduction post and a masterlist. Problem is, I am simply too lazy and probably won't do it until like,,, 5 months later. Someone send help. Word count: 4.0k words Summary: Anxiety consumes him alive, to the point he's paralyzed in fear. Ithaqua doesn't want to lose you, but it seems no matter what he does, he will. Unbeknownst to him, you feel much the same. Senior year really does smack people in the face, doesn't it?

The Norwell twins are odd, though not in a way that is truly unusual for most siblings. The two are complete opposites, constantly bickering, yet also very close. Since they were separated at birth, many expected that there would be a rift between them. That didn't end up the case, for better or for worse.

Nathaniel was the heir to the notorious Norwell Conglomerate, treated like a prince since birth. Ithaqua was their long lost brother, raised by a kind woman in a rural area. No matter how anyone looked at it, Nathaniel would either have a sense of superiority or feel threatened by his brother returning. Ithaqua, in turn, would feel inferior to his brother who had been perfectly raised to be a leader.

Yet, none of those speculations and expectations became a reality.

Ithaqua quite literally denounced his right to be heir the moment he met his birth parents. He claimed he was perfectly content living life as he was, and didn't need anything the Norwell family may feel inclined to give him. While it was a bit blunt, it was honest. It put many people at ease, including his brother. Nathaniel immediately took a liking to his twin after that, which no one could really understand. When asked, he simply shrugged and said "I like straightforward people who know what they want."

Nathaniel is all sly words and cunning, charming in a way that is alluring like the gentle call of the depths of a ravine. He's used to the deceptive nature of business and people of the upper class. Honestly, he's so used to it that it sickens him. To finally meet the brother he'd always wanted to get to know, and find that he is everything that he'd ever want him to be? Well, Nathaniel couldn't be any more pleased.

Ithaqua is blunt and straightforward, but not unkind. He's someone who does what is right and is considerate of people, even if he doesn't seem like it. With a loving adoptive mother who taught him well, it was impossible for him to ever lust for more than he needed. All Ithaqua wants is a nice job and a house big enough for him, his mom, and maybe a caretaker for his mom when he isn't able to take care of her.

With how pure he is morally, it's expected that Ithaqua didn't particularly like his brother, or his whole biological family really, at first. Still, he gave them the benefit of the doubt and found that they weren't nearly as bad as he had thought they'd be. They were rather normal for a family, just... rich. He could ignore that if he squinted enough.

Not as much changed as he'd anticipated. It was merely requested that Ithaqua and his adoptive mother moved into the Norwell mansion, and that Ithaqua went to the same high school as his brother. It wasn't strictly required, and the Norwell's claimed that regardless of their choice, they'd respect it and send the two money to take care of themselves.

They agreed to live with the Norwell's in the end.

Two years had passed since then, and it was shocking to see how the twins acted now. Nathaniel would lightly poke fun at Ithaqua, and he in turn would poke back. The two had their differences, but ultimately ended up quite good friends. It was almost surreal to some students to watch the proud, arrogant heir suddenly become a teasing older brother of sorts. It made him feel less unreachable, more human.

With senior year rapidly coming to an end, many were either panicking or celebrating. Soon, they'd be going to college, trade school, or the like, becoming "real adults" and having more freedom than they'd know what to do with. It was nerve-wracking, it was exhilarating.

With the desire to have no regrets, many asked Nathaniel to prom. He rejected everyone, practically the whole school, while clinging to Ithaqua and claiming he wouldn't go with anyone in fear that his poor little brother would be lonely.

If Ithaqua's deadpan expression didn't show how much of a lie that was, Nathaniel's shit eating grin sure did.

The truth of the matter was, Nathaniel couldn't go with anyone in fear of either tainting their family reputation or giving someone false hope of a relationship he had no interest in. Even if he was sly, cunning, or as other people put it, a bastard, he still had his morals. Needlessly breaking hearts or hurting his family was not something he wanted to do. Ithaqua knew this, which was why he let his brother use him as an excuse. Not a good excuse, but an excuse nonetheless.

"Ah, I wish someone would go with my poor, unfortunate brother. So lonely, with zero friends and a personality that repels literally everyone! I sincerely wish my brother could have a partner, but alas, he has no rizz." Nathaniel dramatically proclaimed, draping himself over his twin. Ithaqua looked like he had half the mind to push him off, and after a moment of thought, he did. The older teen yelped, barely stabilizing himself before he could fall. "Hey! That was mean."

While the childish actions of his brother were mildly annoying, Ithaqua was too preoccupied to truly get mad at him. After all, he had more important matters to attend to. Specifically, thinking about how to ask you out to prom.

You were Ithaqua's first friend when he transferred into Oletus High School. With most either trying to butter him up or ignoring him, he thought he wouldn't be able to make a friend at all. Then you came, in all your fumbling glory.

You were in all of his classes, sometimes sitting right besides him. The class he first really noticed you in was drama. Ithaqua can't help but laugh remembering how you completely butchered your role as Mercutio.

Everyone was given a role from Romeo and Juliet at random, Ithaqua being Romeo and you being Mercutio. Technically, you could say anything as the whole purpose of this project was to modernize the script. It was entertaining, to say the least, to give teenagers complete free reign over a play that was pretty much made with the memes of the time in mind.

"Romeo, my guy, you were in love with Rosaline literally a day ago. Now, you're saying you love this- this Juliet you just met. I know we're hormonal teenagers but really?"

"She's attractive though."

"Yeah, well you're attractive too and you don't see me simping over you all the time."

"You simp over me half the time?"

"..."

"Mercurio?"

"Bye."

Honestly, most of the improved scenes were pure gold, but Ithaqua only remembered the ones with you. After all, to him, those were the funniest ones. It was what got him to reach out and interact with you.

He was pleasantly surprised to see you had no clue who the Norwell's were. Ithaqua expected you to know who he was, or who Nathaniel was at least, but you did not know and did not care. It was a miracle considering the Norwell Conglomerate was in charge of a lot of major brands, but he wasn't going to complain.

You treated him normally, making lighthearted jabs at him, casually joking with him, and offering him comfort when school and life became too much. In a new environment where most didn't want to interact with him for good reasons, you were like a shining beacon of light.

Being able to be himself without any judgment was nice. It was why he treasured your friendship more than anything else. Sure, many can claim his life is overall better than before, but you were the one who truly made it that way. Without you, Ithaqua is sure he would've grown to hate it all.

It's why he hesitated asking you to prom at all. It's not necessarily all that suggestive, perhaps, but prom is a place many go to with their romantic interests. There's an inherent sense of intimacy in asking someone to go with you. So, for Ithaqua to ask you to prom, it'd be tantamount to confessing his feelings without really doing so.

He couldn't bring himself to do that considering he didn't know if you returned his feelings. What if you didn't like him back? What if you stopped being friends with him? Would your friendship become more and more strained until your bond became nothing more than a fleeting memory?

Ithaqua, for all his honesty and straightforward nature, was truly not all that bold. But he could at least admit one thing.

He was scared.

He was scared of losing you.

Perhaps he's being a bit dramatic- asking someone to prom isn't always something romantic. But when it concerns you, Ithaqua's brain simply stops working. He can't help but fret over everything, drowning in a lake of anxiety that he created.

"Just ask them. Worst case scenario, they realize you like them, but your feelings aren't returned. After that, you'll be heartbroken, but at the very least you won't experience the awkwardness of being around your crush who doesn't reciprocate your feelings. We'll be graduating in a few weeks, so is there really anything to lose? Do you have any time for regrets?"

Sometimes, Ithaqua wanted to throw his brother out the window. He's being completely logical, yes, but matters of the heart aren't so simple. Ithaqua has been swallowing his feelings for so long because he didn't want you to leave his life. Sure, you guys may never meet again after high school, or maybe you will, but he wanted the last of his memories with you to be happy regardless. Ones he will yearn for, smile over, laugh with melancholy at, not cry and despair over.

Nathaniel shook his head as he watched his younger brother scowl at him, still deep in thought. It was painfully obvious to him that you returned Ithaqua's feelings, but neither of you were willing to try and confess. At this point, he should just do it for you guys!

...or so he feels, but he knows this is something for Ithaqua to deal with. Nathaniel wants to protect Ithaqua and make sure he's happy, but he can't do that for his whole life. A helicopter parent (brother?) is not what Ithaqua needs, so he remains silent.

Above all else, Ithaqua's feelings on this matter, along with yours, matter the most. Whether he gains the courage to ask you or not is up to him, not Nathaniel. It was honestly torturous to watch, but this is not something he should overly involve himself in. Nathaniel knew better than anyone else what it felt like to have your privacy violated, and he'd never want to subject either of you through such a thing.

Nathaniel can only pray that whatever happens, he gets a chance to shove Ithaqua into you so you'll finally kiss and stop going around each other in circles.

Days turned into weeks, each moment passing by faster and faster until finally, it was the day for prom. Ithaqua failed to muster up the courage to ask you to go with him.

It wasn't that big a deal, sure, since you were planning on going with him and his brother anyway. You three were a trio, a close-knit friend group, so it wasn't weird by any means. Still, he'd at least wanted to try. It was pathetic that he'd simply given up before he even could.

Regardless, what's done was done. Ithaqua had done nothing, so he'd face the consequences that came with that. At the least, he could be glad he'd be going with you.

...and his brother.

Pulling up to the venue, Ithaqua maintained a frosty exterior. He picked at the smooth fabric of his vest, muttering complaints as he threw his suit jacket over his shoulder. Nathaniel smiled brightly as he whistled, dragging his brother into the building.

Ithaqua was dressed in a white dress shirt, black vest, and blue trousers. Though his jacket was supposed to be worn and matching with his pants, he'd all but hissed at Nathaniel that he'd rather die than wear it properly. It wasn't like he hated the jacket, but it was too stuffy and thick considering the weather. Even with his hair pulled into a ponytail, his neck was getting sweaty just standing in the sun.

Nathaniel didn't seem to have that problem, wearing a crimson red suit in its entirety and not seeming bothered in the least. Ithaqua wondered if it was because he'd lived in the city for so long, or was just used to wearing stuffy clothes for business meetings. Probably both.

"C'mon Itha, you should wear the jacket once we get inside! They have air conditioning so it won't be that bad." Nathaniel whined, pressing the button to the 5th floor in the elevator. Ithaqua huffed, rolling his eyes as he scrolled through his phone quickly.

"I'd really rather not. Besides, you shouldn't worry about how I look considering the fact that you look like a red envelope given during Chinese New Year." Ithaqua responded, shoving his phone into his pocket as the elevator doors opened.

"Hey! I do not! I'm not wearing gold!" Nathaniel exclaimed, pouting as he followed Ithaqua. He was pretty much ignored, however, as Ithaqua was too busy checking in with the staff before entering the ballroom.

The ballroom was considerably large, enough for the hundred or so teens that were bound to show up. With the theme of "new beginnings," Ithaqua had expected weird decorations or the sort. (Seriously, why did the school choose such a vague theme?) Regardless, the venue was rather nicely decorated with butterflies and flowers.

"Well, I guess that works." Ithaqua muttered before turning around. He sighed, watching as his brother completely ditched him for his other friends. Unsurprised, yet nonetheless disappointed, he shook his head. Looking around, Ithaqua chose to sit at the table farthest from the dance floor. Being close to the overwhelming music and mass of bodies that would follow it later on would be undesirable.

In the next few minutes, the room filled quite quickly. The chatter of friends and constant movement was followed by colorful fabrics and extravagant outfits, the wearers sometimes needing assistance walking due to that. Although his eyes continuously scored over the crowd, Ithaqua couldn't find you.

Frustrated, he stood up to search for you. Pushing past people while apologizing the whole time, Ithaqua nearly tripped as he tried to step over Vera's dress. Stumbling, he bumped into someone. He quickly grasped their shoulders to prevent either of them from falling, stabilizing both of them.

"Ah! Sorry!"

He blinked in surprise as he finally saw who he bumped into. There, with the lights of the hallway framing their figure like dew hugging the petals of a flower, was you. With the dim lights of the ballroom, you seemingly glowed. His hold on your shoulders tightened as his breath hitched, face flushing as his heart beat out of his chest.

You looked like what love would be if it became a person. The incarnation of perfection, everything he could want and more, yet something he could only have in a dream. Ithaqua could only wonder if this is what Persephone felt like when she first saw pomegranates. A temptation like no other, beckoning with a siren's call to ensnare one's heart and mind. Divine, yet the sure reason for the descent of an angel into hell.

Well, he was never an angel in the first place, Ithaqua thought. But if he was, and it was for you, he'd gladly scrape his knees falling from grace.

You weren't just attractive, no, in this moment, you looked absolutely ethereal.

"Ithaqua? Are you alright?" You asked, concern clear upon your face. He cleared his throat awkwardly, removing his hands from your shoulders and stepping back. Quickly recovering, he nodded. Still, his eyes were stuck to you, completely enamored.

"Yeah, perfectly fine. Just, er, surprised. You look, you look good." He stuttered. You looked like you were going to ask questions, so Ithaqua dragged you to the table he'd claimed for the three of you. He pulled out a seat for you before sitting in his own, desperately trying to prevent himself from looking at you.

It was completely and utterly unfair that you, who already was the definition of perfection, just became even more... well, perfect. He was left to scramble for composure while you didn't even look vaguely affected by his appearance. To be fair, he was just wearing a plain old suit, but still.

Ithaqua didn't know if he'd be able to survive the night, and he couldn't decide if this was heaven or hell with how things were going.

You didn't understand why Ithaqua was avoiding looking at you, but it stung quite a bit. Admittedly, you'd hoped dressing up would, you know, do the opposite, but that didn't seem to be the case. Maybe he didn't like the colors? Or maybe he thought you looked ugly but didn't want to say it?

Regardless, your mood was worse than before, though you tried to remain cheerful. No matter what, today had to be the day. You had to confess your feelings to Ithaqua once and for all, or else you'd never do it.

Truth be told, you had originally intended to ask him to prom before, but you chickened out. You felt like you were going to die every time you tried, so you ran away each time with the excuse of doing something else.

You're positive Nathaniel laughed at you every time, that traitor.

With senior year coming to an end, you were left with a sense of dread as the future came rushing at you. Jobs, taxes, education, whatever, you were honestly terrified to face it all. Sure, you'd have people to help you when you stumble, but it's so hard to ask for it. In the first place, this fear isn't necessarily the fear of the future, but the fear of the unknown.

You didn't want to face anything, but you knew you had to. Still, you tried to ignore it.

However, one thing you had to acknowledge was that with the end of your high school year, you'd probably not be able to meet Ithaqua quite as much. You wouldn't be able to go to the arcade with him, laugh as he failed to get the plushie he wanted for the millionth time, or walk in the park while eating ice cream with him.

It left you feeling hollow and cold, the thought of losing him to time and distance devastating. He'd surely be able to make friends with his new classmates, live a good life, and even get a partner. He wouldn't need you.

The thought of him forgetting you made you want to cry.

You know he isn't the sort to abandon people, and surely he'd never do that to you, but time changes people. It brings new winds, ending things and creating new beginnings. You couldn't help but feel like you'd be left behind as his past, just that one friend he had in high school.

You didn't want this friendship of yours to end, or at the very least, for you to have never admitted you'd felt more for him than that.

He held you when you cried, laughed at you when you fell, picked you up when you needed help, and remained a constant comfort by your side. It was impossible not to fall in love with him.

You never confessed since you always felt like your love would never be returned. Like Mercutio who loved his best friend, who went as far as to die for him, yet would never be able to be with him, a tragic romance of his own.

At the least, you wanted to confess your feelings instead of leaving them unsaid forever. If fate decided to bring him to you, it'll be Ithaqua himself who will decide if he'll bend destiny to his will to stay by your side.

So, when you heard the gentle notes of a slow song start, you took Ithaqua to the dance floor. He seemed surprised, but allowed it as you held his hands. With careful steps, the two of you moved along with the crowd, swaying to the music.

He held you close so you didn't get pulled away, firm yet gentle in his touch. You wanted to tell him now, but with how quiet things were, excluding the music playing in the background, it felt awkward to do so. Another problem was that with Ithaqua so close, you could barely think straight.

By the end of the song, you hadn't accomplished your goal, though you felt considerably better than before. Nervous and shaky, yes, but happier.

You clasped your hands together to try and get them to stop shaking, though it didn't work too well. You purse your lips in displeasure, a frown quickly forming.

"Let's go out to the balcony. It's too stuffy here."

You stared at Ithaqua for a moment before immediately taking his outstretched hand. It was, as one would expect, getting quite stifling with so many people in one room. It didn't help that the floor shook whenever the DJ played a popular song as the crowd jumped up and down. Which was basically 95% of the time.

Stepping out onto the balcony, you take a deep breath. The calm evening wind cools you off considerably, bringing you back to life. Ithaqua seems more at ease, too. You can't help but smile softly as you lean on the ledge, staring at him.

Ithaqua's eyes are closed as he faces the sky, embracing the fresh air and the freedom of the outdoors. The moon seems to shine on him especially, making him look ethereal. His smile seems gentler, as though he were truly at peace now.

Your heart hammers against your chest as you take another deep breath in, closing your eyes as you try to gather all the courage you can. It all goes down the drain, however, when he opens his eyes.

With him smiling softly, his eyes half-lidded and illuminated by the moonlight, Ithaqua is unfairly attractive, stealing the breath you'd only just taken. You're sure that if anyone were to show you what you looked like right now, you'd look completely love struck.

"I love you."

You can't tell who said it first, but both of you said it for sure. It has your eyes widening in surprise, watching as he does the same. At that moment, it hits you that this whole time, the two of you have been pining for the other.

No wonder Nathaniel was laughing at you.

Regardless, as you stare at each other, finally understanding the other completely, the two of you draw closer. Softly, sweetly, your lips meet, and you know, then and there, that everything will be alright. Even if the inescapable future is marching towards you, you'll have Ithaqua by your side.

That's all you need.

So, you kiss goodbye what feels like the last of your youth, ready to greet the new beginnings of another chapter of your life. After all, it can't be that bad when it also is the start of your new relationship.

BONUS SCENE:

“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

You nearly jump out of your skin at the new voice, whipping around to see Nathaniel with a smug smile. Ithaqua glares at him, a look of pure exasperation and annoyance upon his face. However, the two of you could see the underlying notes of embarrassment as well, his ears tinged a light pink.

“Did you really come out here to tell the equivalent of “I told you so,” Nathaniel?”

“No, actually. I came here to say I am sooooo telling mom and dad.”

“...”

“...so what flowers should I bring to his grave?”

“Don’t even bother, I’m dumping his body into the river.”

“Oh come on I wasn’t being seriou- ITHA WHA- STOP- I’M SORRY! OW!”

“GET BACK HERE NATHANIEL BABEL NORWELL!”

“Ah good old brotherly love!”

“HELP ME!”

#idv #identity v #identity 5 #idv ithaqua #ithaqua x reader #idv fanfic #identity v fanfic

104 notes · View notes

microraptorreactor · 13 days

Note

parrying the fandom ask game back at you. 3 and 15 to you too, with a side of 22 for v2

wow we bounce eachothers attacks around just like ultrakill.....

3. Notp?

I have a couple, which are mostly just ships I don't see the dynamic for and think are kinda overrated. Red Velvet x Pastry from Cookie Run: Kingdom is my least favorite for sure. I love the characters separately but there's no way I could see them kissing. Something about Pastry fundamentally hating Red Velvet for being part cake and not really questioning that hatred makes me go bleh.

15. Have you noticed your style change over time?

ohmygod yes. I've been doing digital art since 2018 and uh. I sure have gotten better. Here's the earliest digital art I still have:

My word. Who let me touch an art tablet. I couldn't even color inside the lines T-T The airbrush, the misused gaussian blur, the god-awful cell shading, this is the embodiment of a beginner artist on DeviantArt.

Ironically all the techniques I used with that are ones I still use. cell-shaded characters with 'painted' backgrounds is still how I draw, I'm just considerably better at it. Here's some recent-ish art that uses the same methods! (+layer masks and filters. I didn't know what a clipping layer was in 2018 lmao) I definitely haven't posted before no sir.

and for writing? Gah. I don't even want to open my early fanfics they are SO BAD. I'll find a snippet of one of my early warframe works, but I apologize in advance for spelling/grammar I was a twelve year old with dyslexia. Here's two very similar scenes (an unconscious, dying character who isn't really aware of where they are being comforted), one is from a 2018 warframe fanfiction and the other I wrote recently. It's uh. A little bit of a difference. (other then that Solar lives and V2 doesn't)

22. Give us a headcanon for (V2)

Another? Alright then! Even in the canon events of Ultrakill I don't really think V2 is that aggressive. Look they run away crying with their head in their hands. They bow politely. That robot wants to curl up with a blanket but unfortunately hell says its time to kill 98420934 people.

I also think V2 has better hygiene then V1. Just in general. I think they try to keep themselves mostly clean and smelling nice. It didn't like greed because the sand got stuck in its armor and started getting caught in pistons and such, and there wasn't anywhere to wash it off. Plus a couple layers of blood and the poor thang just feels nasty.

5 notes · View notes

welightthefire · 2 years

Text

Table For Two ~ Part Six

In collaboration with @ageofnations

Jake Kiszka x OC x Josh Kiszka

Summary: “What started out as a new job unexpectedly became something more for Sydney Baker. There’s only room at the table for two… How will she navigate her feelings and come to a decision? How can she choose between two sides of the same coin?”

Warnings: again, just a lot of fluff (lmk if there’s something i should add!)

Word Count: ~6.1k

taglist // playlist // masterpost

A/N: thanks for all the love and feedback on this fic! <3

Part Six

Of the many years he had lived in the area and the countless times he had visited the library, Josh had never really taken the time to admire the building for what it was worth. He’d enter and exit without much thought, paying more attention to the books on the inside than the building that housed the novels. Now, it feels different.

He began to see the history underlying the brick structure, each crack and divot holding the memories of decades in the past. There was beauty in the creaking of the wooden chairs, all reminders of how many curious minds have gathered there before. The old and worn labels of the shelves showed that while the popular titles and authors may change, the categories that people know and love will never age a day. There was a sense of comfort and relaxation in the unique musk of the atmosphere. He could see why Sydney was in love with this place, and he desperately wanted to love anything that she did.

He couldn’t help but think about the things said between them that day, the last time he saw her in this place. Although things seemed to be much better between them, he still felt terrible for making her feel as if he thought of her negatively. Insulted she had said. He could admit that the things he had said and done could have been seen as an insult. However, that was far from what he wanted her to feel, and he’d spend every day making it up to her if she’d let him.

Josh had returned to the library a few times since he and Sydney had made amends in the building. He had come back to find a new book, realizing the first one wasn’t exactly something he was interested in. Then, he needed a change of scenery while he read. And now, he was coming back to return the second book that he happened to finish much earlier than he anticipated. He didn’t necessarily need an excuse to visit the library, but he enjoyed glancing at the same table they had sat at almost two weeks ago. The turn of their friendship created fond memories for Josh, and the table itself had sparked potential between the pair. It was nice to admire the blossoming potential each time he entered the building or passed the section.

Today was a new day, and upon entering, he did as he always had. This time, though, there was someone who had already made themselves comfortable at the table of interest. Josh was pleased to find that it was just who he was wishing for.

Her outfit was something similar to the one she had on the last time they both were in the library. She was wearing an olive green shirt under the same cream cardigan, including another pair of denim shorts. And while they had certainly been stained from the previous rain, she was wearing those same white Vans as before. It appeared as if the array consisted of her comfort clothing, much how Josh felt about his usual white crew neck and khakis.

He had never taken the time to admire her so intently before, but with the considerable distance between them, he allowed his gaze to linger. She looked at peace, yet he could see her eyebrows furrowing while she focused on the book in front of her. The novel was flat on the table, and he paid considerable attention to her hands. There was a ring on each of her pointer fingers, making the digits look more delicate and slender. They looked extremely soft, as if they had never seen the hardships of a blister or callus.

Since she had one elbow propped on the table, her hand was holding her head up, fingers absentmindedly tapping at her chin and jaw. He watched as her other hand lightly traced its fingers along the edges of the pages while she read. One might think she was doing so to follow the words in her line of focus, but it looked as if she was just moving her hand for the sake of motion. Although she was in a state of relaxation, it was obvious that she couldn’t restrain her hands from moving for too long.

Although he saw her most days of the week, Josh always seemed to feel giddy upon seeing her outside of a work setting. One could say he felt butterflies when he saw her, but talking to her felt more like a flock of hummingbirds fluttering about. These feelings only intensified when he saw her in situations such as these, situations that were natural, calm, and undisturbed. He hadn’t entertained the thoughts and feelings much, instead putting it off as a blossoming bond with a friend. The friend just so happened to be sweeter than saccharin and more beautiful than earth itself.

He didn’t want to interrupt her reading just yet, so he entered and proceeded with his original task of returning his book and attempting to find another. Throughout the process, he was much too preoccupied with Sydney. His back was to her while he carried on small talk with the librarian, but his mind never strayed from the image of her sitting at the table, lost in her own world of fiction. He tried to be attentive to the conversation at hand, but once his card was returned to him, he was quick to turn back around to see her.

She hadn’t moved much since he had seen her, only bringing her legs to sit crossed under her in the chair. She was still focused completely on the ink scrawled on the pages before her, and Josh smiled at her concentration. He hurried to the section of books he knew he’d be interested in, careful to avoid Sydney’s line of sight.

Josh thumbed through the spines of the novels, not really paying attention to what exactly he was looking at. He was much too aware of her alluring presence just across the room. Without looking at the title, he grabbed a random book and promptly made his way to the table.

There were those butterflies again. He did his best to shoo them away.

They persisted, especially as she looked up once he got closer to her. She smiled, and Josh thought he saw her eyes glimmer at the sight of him. He played it off as just a figment of his imagination.

“Funny seeing you here again, hmm?” He quipped with a smile of his own. He grasped the back of the empty chair across from her with his spare hand.

“Funny indeed,” she responded. There was a brief hint of pink painted across her plump cheeks that were shining with enthusiasm. They let themselves stare at one another before Sydney shook her head and gestured to the seat Josh was standing behind. “Care to join me?”

“I thought you’d never ask!” He added a dramatic flair to his words as he moved the chair back enough to sit in. He set the book down on the table in front of him so he could get seated and situated in the chair.

“New book?” Sydney asked.

“Yeah, I finished the other one pretty early,” he answered as he scooted his seat closer to the table, careful to not make any unnecessary noise.

She giggled to herself before she responded, seemingly already pleased with a joke before she made it. “Me too.”

The reply made Josh laugh as well, but it was the sound that left her lips that really caused a reaction from him. He prayed she didn’t notice the way his breath hitched upon hearing it. He tried to form a quick jest back while he busied himself with flipping to the introduction page of his novel. “Didn’t you check out like three books the last time we were here?”

“And weren’t you the one who called me a bookworm?” She was quick with her witticism, something that had shifted just slightly in their friendship. In the beginning, frustration was the only emotion that appeared when the banter would start between them. Of course, she had never thought he was just joking with her, but she always was the one who went quiet and ended the conversation, much too annoyed to keep up with his teasing. Now, she had almost trained herself to be prepared for his wisecracks, ready to shoot a comeback at any moment. Josh admired the change of understanding in their relationship.

“That’s what I thought,” she continued upon deciding that he was taking too long to respond. There was a prideful smirk dancing on her lips as she looked back down at her book and turned the page. She wasn’t making eye contact with him, but Josh could still see a glint in her eyes that paired with the smile she wore. He tried to hide it by angling his head downward, but he hoped she wouldn’t notice, or mind, that he let his gaze last longer than intended.

Being this close to her with absolutely no one else around- or at least no one of importance - allowed him to finally take in the minuscule details that made her the Sydney he had come to adore more and more with each passing day. There were so many features of hers that he could appreciate, but in this moment, it was her eyes that captivated him the most.

The green fabric under her cardigan brought attention to her evergreen irises. They reminded him of a forest, infinitely enthralling yet endlessly beautiful. The longer he looked, the more he uncovered, as if they held all of the universe’s secrets and hidden treasures. It felt as if he was taking an enlightening trek in the lushest areas of the Amazon and he never wanted to return home.

“Are you actually gonna read something today or are you just gonna stare at me?” She delayed looking up at him after she spoke, but it was obvious she took pleasure in shaking him out of whatever trance her appearance had caused him to fall under.

His eyes broke away from her as he stammered over his words, silently cursing himself for getting caught. “Sorry, it’s just,” he paused in an attempt to gather his thoughts to form a cohesive sentence. She grinned at his flustered state, obviously proud of the reaction she caused. “Your eyes,” he finally finished. “They're really pretty.”

“Is that a compliment I’m hearing from you, Joshua?” She was teasing him, but he could hear a touch of genuineness under her jesting. It was enough to assure him that he wasn’t the only one experiencing a flustering feeling from the situation. It eased his nerves and carried him back into a lighthearted manner.

“Yeah, you’d like that wouldn’t you?” He was able to crack another joke with her, or at least disguise his curiosities under a joking persona.

He was rewarded with another giggle, and as a bonus, she blushed at his charm. It was the prettiest sight he had seen in ages and the most beautiful melody he’d ever heard. He decided he’d stop at nothing to experience it as much as possible, and he already yearned to elicit the same response again.

“You know,” he whispered and leaned in closer to her. “Last time we sat across from each other, you kicked the shit out of me.”

This time, she let out a boisterous laugh, one that earned her various glares and shushes from the people, including the library workers, around them. Unfortunately for Josh, she covered her mouth with her hands, hiding that stellar smile in order to muffle her laughter. However, picking her hand up caused the book in front of her to snap shut, and the abrupt noise made her laugh even louder. The look he gave her was one of admiration of her mannerisms. The way her shoulders shook with her giggling. How her eyes crinkled and eventually closed the harder she laughed.

Josh joined her in her fit of laughter, more so because of her reaction to the situation rather than actually finding amusement in his own joke. However, the library’s population didn’t find any hilarity in the affair. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an older lady approaching their table. The nametag on her shirt indicated that she was an employee, and Sydney tried to quell her snickering the closer the woman got to them.

“Excuse me,” she said. There was a thick Southern accent that stuck out in her voice. “I’m gonna have to ask you both to turn your volumes down to keep from disturbin’ other readers.”

Once she was able to compose herself, Sydney cleared her throat and fixed a few of the strands of hair that had fallen in front of her face. She put on a smile to match her cordial nature. “I am so sorry, ma’am. We both are. It won’t happen again.”

“I’d hope not. We work on a warnin’ system, and I really don’t wanna make y’all leave for just a bit of gigglin’.” The lady was nice enough to keep her chastising in a light and fun manner.

“Yes ma’am,” Josh chimed in with a smile. “Won’t happen again.”

The employee thanked them both for their cooperation and turned around to walk back to her desk. Josh and Syd locked gazes after she had left, but she hadn’t gotten far before the duo burst into a simultaneous fit of hysterics. She paused her movements and turned to face them with a disapproving frown.

“We should probably just get out of here,” Sydney said to Josh. She was already gathering her belongings before Josh could respond. “Sorry I ruined your precious time at the library on this fine Saturday morning.” Her continuous chuckling showed that she wasn’t sorry at all, but he still felt the need to dismiss her apology.

“I don’t think I’m the one whose reading time was ‘ruined’ today,” he joked under his breath, gesturing to the other individuals in the building, only making her giggle more.

The carefree attitude was dampened once she noticed the persisting glares of the other patrons. What had started as glances of curiosity turned into looks of disdain, and suddenly the room started to feel much too small. She hurried to stand and meander around the table, leaving behind her book of choice to scramble to Josh’s side.

“Woah,” Josh steadied her as she essentially tripped into him. He noticed her change in demeanor, realizing her behavior began to resemble that which occurred during busy nights at the diner. He did what he knew best, cracking another joke. “Do I need to carry you out of here or something?”

She huffed a laugh and looked down at her feet, choosing against a verbal response. It was enough for Josh.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing her hand and tugging it. He lowered his voice to a whisper, smiling into the end of his statement. “Let’s go before we get banned from this place.”

As they rushed out the library’s doors, Sydney’s laughter kicked back up, more confidently than it had ever been while Josh was around. He wanted to believe that it was due to the newfound physical contact, but he also didn’t want to give himself the credit. The way she sounded, her sweet laughter filling the typically quiet room, seemed too perfect to be a result of Josh’s doing. Even how she looked, hair flowing behind her while they ran out of the establishment, made him want to do nothing but sit with her forever in her blissful state.

They both were slightly out of breath once they pushed the heavy doors open, gasping at the fresh air around them. Josh had luckily scored a parking spot at the front, only a few meters from the front and adjacent to the sidewalk. He led her to his car to prop up against while they finished their heaving and giggling.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to step foot into that place again,” she sputtered through laughter, letting go of Josh’s hand to lean against the hood of his Jeep.

He rolled his eyes at her. “You and I both know that’s a lie. You’ll be back within a week to check out that book you were reading.”

“Shit,” Sydney said once she realized that she was empty-handed. “Well, there goes my weekend plans,” she finished with a laugh.

“What? Is a night at work not enough to bring excitement to your weekend?” Josh added sarcasm to his rhetoric, earning a huff from his company. “I’ve still got daylight left, so my plans are still on if you want to tag along.”

“And what are your big plans?”

Josh tried to rack his brain of a lie that would be believable. He had full intentions of just getting another book and going back home, spending the day in the comfort of his own home before he had to clock in at the diner. Sydney’s invitation to join him was a pleasant interruption in these plans, but now with that idea out of the question, he didn’t have anything else to do. But now that he had gotten another taste of her company, he became selfish. He didn’t want to be away from her for longer than he had to be, and he certainly didn’t want to wait until they had to be at work to see her again.

“Um, what about a hike?” He turned to look at her, hoping the eye contact would hide the fact that he was coming up with something on the spot.

She dropped her jaw in disbelief, but there was a hint of amusement in her voice. “You want me to go on a hike… before work?”

He tried to carry on in confidence, but her question made him unsure of himself. “No! I mean, yes, kind of.” He paused and laughed at himself. “There’s a gorgeous patch of land a few miles from my house. I walk there occasionally to read or just… sit. But it’s a bit into the woods, so in a way, it would be a small hike.”

She scoffed at him and crossed her arms, trying to feign annoyance with his suggestion, but her glowing cheeks gave her facade away. The fact that Josh did something so sentimental in his free time - and loved every second of it - made her respect him even more. Her blush was entirely due to the fact that he offered to include her in the pastime.

Josh nudged her side. “So? You coming or not?” He pushed off of the car and began to walk around to the driver’s seat, giving her little time to react.

Sydney didn’t stand up straight until he had started the engine, and he was already putting the car into gear before she could put her seatbelt on.

“You better be glad that I don’t hate you anymore,” she stated once she successfully fastened the strap in place.

And he was. In fact, he was more than glad. The idea of her disliking him for even a second made his stomach twist into a knot of guilt and regret. Now, it was obvious he was doing well at gaining her trust and companionship, especially since she had agreed to be around him for extended periods now. Josh could only hope that things would continue to go well, and he would do everything in his power to keep her in his life in any way possible.

“You hated me? Hate is a strong word,” he joked, shooting a glance at her before returning his attention to the road.

“Not my fault that you didn’t know how to initiate a healthy conversation to start a healthy friendship,” she said with a content shrug. She knew she was right, and her smug grin showed that she also knew she had the upper hand in the situation.

“I’m getting better!” Josh feigned his defensiveness. All he received was a soft hum from the pretty girl in his passenger seat. Before the conversation could continue, he was prompted with a reminder. “Oh yeah, I found this book that reminded me of you. I picked it up the last time I went shopping, and I’ve been meaning to give it to you at work.”

Sydney’s tone dropped to one of sheepishness, and Josh could see her fingers begin to work on rotating her rings again. “Oh, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I got it and I don’t have the receipt. So it’s yours now. It’s in the backseat somewhere.” He flailed his hand to gesture to the seats behind them. Once she twisted around and began to rummage through the mess in the back, Josh continued talking to fill the silence.

“It somehow manages to connect human nature to the love of film, all while explaining how film and media can aid in self-actualization. You’re more knowledgeable in the spirituality stuff than I am, but based on the information I saw on film, it seemed interesting!”

The book was hidden under a yellow jacket in one of the seats, and she found it before he could finish his summary. She giggled at the last statement while she admired the beautiful details on the dust cover. There were gold letters etched into the paper, and it was obvious why Josh had been drawn to the cover in the first place. “Thanks, Josh. I really appreciate it.”

He beamed at her while she softly traced her fingers across the cover and opened to the first page. He was pleased that he had chosen something that seemed to fit her interests, something she couldn’t wait to read.

In a sequence, she would shift her attention from the words on the pages in front of her to the landscapes they were passing as they traveled. The words had already encapsulated her curiosities, so she found it hard to not focus on them, but the fields and buildings that moved around them were just as beautiful. She’d read a paragraph, take a break to look around at her surroundings, all to continue reading again.

She recognized the roads Josh was choosing to take, but it wasn’t long before he turned onto a less familiar pathway. It was more of a trail than an actual road, and he pulled off to the side of the worn-down tracks in the dirt before putting the car in park and taking the keys out of the ignition.

“And from here, we walk!” He announced while opening his door, practically jumping out of his seat and onto the dirt beneath them.

Sydney let out a groan at the implications in his statement, but she was still mostly kidding with him. She followed his lead in exiting the car, leaving her belongings in his floorboard to keep them out of sight of any curious hikers.

“Oh, stop the complaining, Sydney,” he cooed as he walked. “I actually brought us closer than my usual starting point.”

“So I should be thanking you?”

He turned around donning a smirk, winking at her as she walked behind him. “Precisely.”

Again, she rolled her eyes. However, she was unsure if she was doing so regarding his arrogance, or if she was doing so because of the festering emotions that his actions had conjured. If he was to pull such an act before all of this, she would’ve been upset with him, furious at his teasing. But now, the only thing she was even remotely upset about is how often she blushed at his jokes and jabs, especially how noticeable it probably was with her lighter complexion. Instead of letting herself think too much about it, she dismissed each of the options, choosing to unpack those emotions at a later time. She jogged to catch up to Josh as he continued trekking through the winding trail.

They traveled side-by-side for the duration of the hike. Syd tried to admire the beauty that surrounded her, from the diversity in the plant life to the variations of songbirds harmonizing around them. Due to the unfamiliarity of the trail, though, putting one foot in front of the other was the spotlight of her focus. It was obvious that Josh had been here countless times and knew the path like the back of his hand. He was an expert at dodging any outstretching and low-hanging tree limbs without looking up at them, and seemed to be even better at putting his foot in just the right spot to avoid any stray twigs and mud holes. His skill was completely opposite of Sydney’s.

The trail seemed to go on for ages, and her body was already showing signs of exhaustion. Her legs were feeling sore and her breath was becoming ragged already, and she cursed herself for not stretching or bringing her water bottle. She was becoming frustrated with how often she seemed to trip or get smacked in the face with an array of wet leaves. Josh, however, found amusement in her clumsiness, chuckling each time he heard a grunt of annoyance from her.

“Almost there,” he reminded her.

She stopped in her tracks to catch her breath. He paused his movements and watched as she put her hands on her hips. “You’ve said that about four times already, Josh.”

“Yeah, but this time I mean it.” He turned back to face the direction of their destination, pointing at what seemed to be an abnormally large rock. “See that? Once we get up there, we’ve just got a couple of feet to go. Then we’ll be at the most beautiful stretch of nature you’ve ever seen!”

“I hope you’re right,” she whined.

He had resumed his movements towards the rock he had pointed to, throwing a statement over his shoulder that echoed throughout the landscape. “I always am!” he exclaimed.

She heaved one last deep breath and sped her pace to catch up with him again. Syd began to examine the boulder as they approached it. It was gray, but the moisture leftover from the week’s showers had darkened the stone. There were various ridges and grooves on its cracked and mossy side, yet it still looked smooth enough to avoid being dangerous. It seemed that someone had placed various smaller-sized rocks around it, almost in an attempt to form a makeshift staircase. Considering she couldn’t see over the edge of the main stone, she knew she’d need the assistance of the added structure.

Josh, however, did not. Once he was close enough, he was able to put one foot in one of the ruts on the side and place his hands on the top of the rock to effortlessly lift himself to the surface. He stood and dusted off his shirt, surprisingly not ruining the white fabric, and his khakis. A loud and dramatic sigh was let out while he stretched, as if the feat had made him weary.

“Think you could make the jump?” He smiled down at her with his hands on his hips.

She squinted up at him. “And fall on my ass just for you to laugh at me? Absolutely not.”

He laughed and shimmied over to the edge where the ‘stairs’ led to. “Come over here and use these.” He squatted down, but upon seeing uncertainty painted on her features, he continued. “I promise they’re sturdy enough. I put it together myself.”

“That’s why I’m worried,” she joked, crossing her arms.

“Oh, come on!” Josh let out a husky chuckle and lowered his hand, offering it to her so she felt more stable climbing the rocks. “Give me a little more credit, won’t you?”

With a final laugh, she gave in and placed her hand in Josh’s palm, carefully making her way to the steps. While she ascended, she tried to focus on making clear and calculated strides but found it hard to do so. She’d rather think about how Josh’s skin felt softer than she would’ve imagined, especially considering his career. She wanted to think about how gentle his hold was, or how he brought his other hand to briefly ghost over her arm to steady her. She hadn’t been given the chance to do so in the library since anxiety was clouding her senses before their hands separated. Now, though, she was alone with him and free from malicious stares being thrown her way. Even though she didn’t quite understand the desire she was feeling, she had the time to relish in the contact between them, and this time was extended with Josh’s hold that persisted even once she regained her footing beside him.

“See! Easy enough, right?” He searched her expression to see if there were any of the previous hesitations, but he found that there were none left. He smiled at her while she used her free hand to dust herself off and straighten her clothes. He was thankful that she was in no hurry to detach from him, but even more thankful that he happened to be looking at her once she finally looked up.

A soft gasp escaped her lips, and her eyes widened in amazement as she took in the setting. From here, she could see the tops of trees, various natural water sources, and the gentle slopes and valleys of distant properties. The colors of nature had always amazed Syd, but seeing them all at once was much different. She saw the indigos and blues of the sky and water, yellow and orange hues of the sun that occasionally hid behind marshmallow clouds before announcing its blazing presence once again. There was a valley filled with red and yellow flowers speckled in the plush grass. With the variety of trees and grass types, she could’ve sworn she was seeing all possible variations of the color green. It was unreal and overwhelming, but she was grounded by the sensation of Josh rubbing his thumb over the top of her hand.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Josh whispered as if he was afraid of interrupting the flow of wildlife and scenery around them. If he wasn’t still looking at her gawking form, he would’ve missed the slow nod she gave him in response. He grinned and added, “Told you that you should be thanking me.” The statement earned him a slap on the arm, and the two laughed together.

“Come here,” he said, tugging on her hand again to lead her to the edge of the rock. “Let’s sit.”

She wasn’t necessarily afraid of heights, but the steep hill below them wasn’t exactly her favorite sight. It made her anxious to even approach the edge, much less actually sit at it.

Josh squeezed her hand and carefully sat with his feet dangling over the ledge. He noticed that familiar uncertainty of hers and ached to assuage her worries, attempting to do so by swiping his thumb over her skin again. “I won’t let you fall,” he promised.

The sincerity in his eyes and tenderness of his hold was what convinced her to join him. She carefully lowered herself to sit, and although he wished to never let go, he waited until she was completely perched beside him before releasing her hand from his. He placed his palms against the cool surface of the rock behind him, leaning back just slightly into a relaxed posture. A faint sigh was released as he looked around.

“It’s really pretty, Josh,” Syd noted as she fiddled with her now empty hands in her lap.

He chuckled in response. “Yeah, it is.” They sat in brief, comfortable silence while they basked in the beauty of Mother Nature. He wore a wide smile as he heard a bird let out a call that he seemed to recognize immediately. He lifted an arm to point across the distance, leaning closer to Syd. “There’s a family of eagles living somewhere in that area. Since I started visiting this place, I’ve watched them come and go, building their nest and bringing in food.”

She let out a pleased hum. “That must be an exciting thing to get to witness so often.”

“It’s almost like watching life itself unfold,” he gushed and leaned back on both hands. “It’s easy to feel like we are so small compared to the size of the universe. And maybe we are, but we are also an integral part of the grand scheme of things.”

He paused, looking at Sydney briefly, taking in her appearance and appreciating her presence. The sun’s rays were bouncing off of her olive skin, making her seem just as bright as her personality. Her essence was captivating, and Josh decided he was interested in exploring the bounds of their relationship. He continued, no longer sure if he was only talking about the scene in front of them.

“The birds have no idea how fascinating they are. They’re just living, doing their own thing. But in the end, there’s always someone who enjoys every bit of their existence.”

Syd broke her gaze from the view and looked at Josh while he spoke. He seemed to be glowing brighter than the natural light around him. She admired his rosy cheeks and tanned complexion, the dimples that would appear occasionally, and the passion in his eyes. He was smiling from ear to ear, and he radiated sheer curiosity.

“From here, you can see more than twenty types of tree species,” he informed pridefully.

She huffed a laugh. “Don’t you need to be like… super close to them to be able to see what kind they are? How can you tell from up here?”

“The different colors of the leaves, height and width. You know, the basics.” He glanced back over at her. “I read a couple of books about them. I’m still trying to figure out what those are-” he pointed to a group of tall and wide trees with leaves that seemed more yellow than green. “but there are some varieties of oak trees-” he motioned to another group. “-sycamores and sassafras trees, and I think-” paused to squint in the distance. “-that someone might have planted a couple of Southern Magnolias recently at the edge of them all.”

She followed each of the directions he was pointing in, smiling at his eagerness to show her how much he knew about the landscape. He continued rambling about when he first started hiking, all the different places he’s been and things he’s seen, and how much she would’ve liked it, all while Sydney was stuck in her head, listening to his words bounce around her thoughts. The rhythm of his words and the excitement in his tone made her feel warm inside, and the position they were sitting in made the feeling more intense. Their thighs were touching, shoulders occasionally bumping together, legs nudging one another as they swung over the edge. It seemed so… wholesome. It all made her feel giddy inside.

In a purely habitual gesture, based solely on their proximity, Syd rested her head against Josh’s shoulder. The movement only made him pause his conversation for a brief moment, sucking in an almost nonexistent gasp before picking up where he left off. His free arm flailed about animatedly while he talked, and she listened intently.

Josh seemed to be at home out here, completely free from all responsibilities and worries. His body language was filled with wonder and awe, something she had not seen from him yet.

He took a deep breath, an attempt to recharge after the spiel he had gone through. “I could stay out here all day…” his voice trailed off.

“I can tell,” she giggled and lifted her head off of his shoulder to look back at him. Their eyes locked before she continued. “You’re practically glowing.”

His cheeks pinkened even more and he turned his face to break eye contact. His smile seemed to become less vibrant, and Syd immediately worked to alleviate the obvious nerves that had surfaced.

“No, but it’s a good thing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy,” she noted with a smile. She nudged his shoulder and looped her arm around his. “We should come out here again someday. You know, when we don’t have work in a couple of hours.”

His face seemed to light up again. “Really?”

“Yeah, I mean it’s more like an hour and a half but-”

“No! I mean… you’d want to come back out here again?” There was a hint of bashfulness in his question, and it made Syd smile more.

“As long as you warn me to wear the right clothes next time, then I’d love to.”

“You’ve got a deal.” He grinned at her and shuffled to his feet, taking time to dust off his pants before offering his hand to her again. “Let’s get you home.”

>>>part 7

———

Table For Two Taglist: @joshkiszkas @haleylovesgvf @loofypoofy @hoeforstevienicks @gretavanfleas @myownparadise96 @satanplayshisfluteforhim @tearsofbri @lvnterninthenight @gretavansteph @angelqueen99 @sammiejane22 @doodle417 @way-to-go-lad @fan-girl-97 @weightofdreams-gvf @ashabeannn @jenna-gvf @callmebymym @sammyslappers @gretavancreep @streamingcolors-gvf @ascendingtostardust @gretavanbitches @pinkcardinalsuitsam @josiee-gvf @shesawomaninadream @niallsboxx @luverleaver @jakekiszkasbestie @dakotadovato @interstellar-shores

53 notes · View notes

uselessboss · 1 year

Text

Useless Effort(3/3)

“Again, no one came to visit her"

“At least this time they visited the first day right?”

The nurses gossiped throwing looks of pity at her.

“I hope you can get better!”

“I bet it has been super boring here right? When you get better we can go out for drinks!”

The bed next to her sure sounded lively.

How nice.

It reminded her of her time at school whenever she overhead classmates enthusiastically make plans to visit a sick friend or trying to cheer them up.

It reminded her of how unloved she was.

Because no one was there to offer such things.

A smile, a call… Her co-workers, her “partners” only deigned to visit her at most on the first day and even then their smiles were stiff and their body language made it very clear how much they didn't want to be there.

Miller didn't resent her powers. It was, after all, what allowed her to help and save so many people that couldn't be saved by normal human's limitation.

She also understood that it was why people distanced themselves from her. It made her too “different", too “inhumane”, too much of an “aberration” of nature.

She understood all that and yet it didn't stop her heart from aching as she looked at the display next to her.

People surrounded by family and friends. Laughing, having fun, sharing joyful moments together.

People that sought your company not out of obligation but because they want to spend time together with you.

She looked at the withering vase of flowers that she received on the first day of her stay by her current partner.

“Maybe they are too busy, after all they have to do my part while I am stuck here"

Those are lies she got used to tell to herself. Words whispered inward only for herself to hear.

Because she was a coward. Because she was afraid that if she spoke about them with anyone they would confirm her deepest fears.

The fear of being unwanted and lonely.

She was terrible naïve.

How could she think even for a moment that everything would be alright just because they were together again?

She thought that the “incident" was the only boogeyman in their past but by the way Andrews was acting it was clear that the scars ran far deeper than that.

It pained her to see her dear partner talk about himself like that.

Because he was such a wonderful and amazing person.

She wished she could make him see that. To make him understand how big of an impact he made in her life and how much he helped and saved her.

“Is there something wrong Miller?”

“Huh? Hunter? What are you still doing here late at night?”

“Andrews asked me to help him look over some older reports to get a better grasp at how he will direct our unit" Hunter sighs in annoyance “ I swear, that guy can be overly petty and childish at times"

“What happened?”

“He was groaning and grumbling non-stop while looking at Johannes' notes" Hunter pinches the bridge of his nose, exasperated.

“You two sure became friends in such a short time" that earned a chuckle from her “I am glad that you get along so well"

“Well… Yeah" Hunter hesitantly admits, slightly flustered. She could only smile at that.

Hunter had opened up to her and told her about his past and friendless background.

He talked about how he had a strong character and an even stronger and strict set of moral code to the point of coming of as overbearing to others,making him not be liked very much by his peers and having no one to call as a friend or be considered as one himself.

So Andrews was probably the first person Hunter regarded as such.

She knew they would get along but to have them become good friends made her beyond elated.

They were the sweetest, most considerate and reliable people she ever met so it was nice to know that they could also have each other's back if she wasn't up the task.

...Maybe there was even a chance for Andrews to have confided about this delicate topic with Hunter?

Hunter was a good listener after all.

“Hunter can I ask you something?”

“Yes, what is it?"

She talked about her concern over Andrews' well being, about how he still seems to be tormented by old wounds of the past and how she felt powerless and unsure about how to approach this situation and help her dear partner.

“… You know something Miller?” Hunter broke the silence after she finished speaking “Andrews asked me to tell him more about what happened between you and Johannes. Can you think why is that?”

“I… What?”

“He asked me because he had an inkling that you weren't being entirely honest with him” his expression turned stern “...Why were you putting the blame entirely on yourself?”

“…”

“Andrews also told me something else about his partnership with you, another side to it" Hunter continued “About his shortcomings as your partner”

Hunter sighs deeply.

“Miller… Why do you never acknowledge to being wronged or talk with us about these kind of things? Trust us with your feelings?”

He smiles sadly at her.

“Not talking about it won't bring closure to anyone you know?”

“…What do you mean by that Hunter?”

“We treated you badly Miller. We did things that we deeply regret to you so, because we are aware of the gravity of said actions, we want to take responsibility.”

Things always felt uncertain and awkward to her whenever she interacted with others. There was an unspoken rule in place to never acknowledge the elephant in the room lest the façade crumbled for good.

It was why she always felt so insecure.

Why she couldn't admit to anything.

But Andrews… Hunter… They did not avert their eyes. They didn't turn their backs.

They took a step forward, hand extended, posture firm and steady as they patiently waited for her.

It gave her courage.

Courage to get closer to them and take the hands offered to her.

“There are things that will take time for me to come to terms with" she admitted “But at the very least I can say that I… Want this.”

This something so dear and special built on genuine feelings.

“Hunter can I trouble… No, that's not right" she shook her head before correcting herself “Can I TRUST you with a favor?”

“Of course Miller"

“Miller wants to meet you for a talk"

“Sure, which meeting room?”

“None of them" Hunter smiled, giving him a neatly folded piece of paper “She wants to meet you at this place”

Andrews raised an eyebrow at the strange way his friend was acting but didn't question it, opting for carefully unfolding the paper to see what was going on.

His eyes widened in recognition.

He quickly turned to look at Hunter who smiled at him.

“Everything will be alright. Go on and meet her Andrews"

He had a lot of history with this bar.

Quiet, cozy, with a bartender of few words that minded his own business and his favorite table that sat on a corner, protected from prying eyes, giving him the privacy he needed as he ranted his misgivings away to the beer that served as his companion.

This was from a time he was always alone. Before he met “her".

“Andrews! Over here!” Miller waved.

“I never thought we would meet here ever again"

“Still as cozy as the day you showed me this place" she grinned, picking a french fry and nibbling it.

He sat on the comfy bench and without missing a beat he also picked a French Fry from the plate, shoving it inside his mouth and chewing it, the crunchy texture indicating that it was just recently ordered.

When Miller became his partner he showed this place to her after a particular exhaustive day as he was itching to blow some steam off and relax.

He was about to do as he always did and bitch to his beer when his partner asked if this time wouldn't it make it be better if he did it sober.

‘Why?’ he had asked.

‘So you know that now there is someone here to listen to you' she answered, embarrassingly honest and making his heart skip a beat.

God she flustered him to no end.

So, because beer was out of the table he decided to then settle for some appetizers instead.

It became a new tradition. To share a meal, to have someone to talk and listen to him.

It felt far nicer than talking to a can of beer.

…But it also made him feel far more emptier when she was gone.

He didn't feel like spending time here anymore and even the prospect of alcohol didn't look enticing to him.

It just made the loneliness too unbearable.

“So, what you wanted to talk about dear partner?”

“We didn’t really talk about everything that happened back then did we?”

“… Whatever do you mean?” Andrews tensed.

“The incident… My wound… All the things that keep hurting you to this day"

He felt sick. Like his insides were all being turned up, dread crawling through his skin, making him feel terribly cold.

He was so not prepared for this talk.

Miller reached for his hands and grasped them in her own, her thumb gently massaging his fists that he had unknowingly clenched until they relaxed, the tip of her fingers then sliding to touch the nail marks left on his skin, rubbing them until she smoothed them all out.

“There were things I didn't want to acknowledge that made me sad, things that hurt me"

She squeezed his hands, letting her mask fall. Finally showing this side of hers that she tried to hide for so long from everyone including herself.

“People being scared of me, plastering fake smiles to hide how much they disliked being around me. People that abandoned, rejected and isolated me. People that saw me as a freak"

It was painful to admit it. She had to put a brave front of everything being alright because she was scared to think that she might never belong, might never be accepted by others.

“And you Andrews… You never did that to me" she smiled “Or at least if you did you were willing to move past that to treat me as an equal and as a fellow human being"

“Miller that was the bare minimum required”

“And yet I was denied such treatment by most" she cocked her head to the side “I feel like there are some kind of misunderstanding going on here. Andrews… What do you think our relationship was really like?”

“…I took advantage of your kindness and unconditional forgiveness, I took your support for granted even when I did nothing to deserve it"

“I was your partner Andrews, of course I would support you"

“Yes, but I never did the same for you” he frowned, “You even had to worker harder and make up for my share many times"

“You make it sound like you were dumping work on me when you… Never did. You never ONCE asked me to help you Andrews" Miller ruffed, “I volunteered out of my own will because I actually wanted you to think of me as your partner and thus rely more on me"

“Still, I was a lazy, good for nothing, uncooperative asshole to you" he stubbornly refuted.

“Andrews I hope you don't take offense by what I will tell you now" Miller got up and leaned closer, placing a hand on his shoulder “YOU SUCKED AT PULLING THIS ACT UP"

“What.”

“How anyone was ever fooled by it is a mystery" she quirked her lips up in amusement “I don't know how it was with others but you clearly looked like you felt bad and conflicted whenever you did that with me. It was hard to take offense when you were the one most thorn up about it”

“Also, what is this nonsense about you never doing anything for me? Andrews, I think you are unaware of this but you spoiled me rotten"

“When that ever happened???”

“Offering me coffee whenever I was tired, telling people off whenever they were being inconsiderate, worrying over my well being and being mad at people that actually took advantage of me" She listed “This is a general idea but if you want me to describe specific moments I can do that too, because I remember all of them perfectly"

“Please don't, that would be too embarrassing”

Miller laughed as his ears burned.

“…Maybe it's kind sad and frustrating that you think nothing of what you did for me, treating it as if I am just settling for less when those moments were all so important and precious to me” Miller rested her head on her arms.

How could she properly convey the scope of what these treasured days meant to her? Her adoration? Her happiness? Her gratitude?

“You talked to me, listened to me, invited me to spend time with you even on our days off and shared so many wonderful experiences because you genuinely cared and appreciated my company. It made me really happy"

If there was someone in this world that she would be willing to trust wholeheartedly it would be him. Her dear partner.

“Andrews… I know it might be a painful memory for you but to me I can't help but think fondly of the day I saved you"

“I can't see how you could think anything good about what happened" he dropped his gaze, unable to see her in the eye “If I had done a proper job and checked my surroundings you wouldn't have to put yourself in harms way like that"

The color of her blood. The smell of it. He could never forget that awful and grotesque picture.

“… And afterwards wasn't any better. You were bleeding so much, your life was still at risk yet I just stood there like the useless piece of crap that I was so you had to save yourself because I was utterly unreliable. You were in so much pain and yet you were the one that had to reassure me"

There was no way he could forgive himself.

“You were in shock Andrews"

“That still doesn't excuse it!”

“I understand" she touched his face, making him lift his head “At least now I can say I understand how powerless you must have felt"

“I failed you"

“I don't think you did. At least not in the way that mattered to me"

“What do you mean?”

“I lied to you about one thing. About the origin of my other scars" she looked at her burnt arm “It wasn't an accident. I got them from trying to protect others"

So his hunch was right after all.

“I have a lot of unpleasant memories attached to most of these scars" her face hardens “Of a time when I was stuck on a hospital bed, when no one came to visit me and I had to watch in envy the bed next to mine being surrounded by people that are loved and cared for"

“Truth to be told I didn't want to do that. I didn't want to risk myself for my old partners at all"

Miller smiles at his astonished expression.

“Surprised? I am not as forgiving as you think Andrews" she jokes “Don’t get me wrong, I didn't say this out of hate or resentment, I didn't wish for harm to befall them despite everything"

“Then what would be your reason?”

“Fear. I couldn't help but feel scared whenever I had to put myself on the line for someone that didn't care at all"

He could sympathize with that. He didn't trust his old partners for the exact same reason.

“… But that day I wasn’t scared at all.” Miller's face softens “That time I didn't have to do it out of duty. For the first time I did it because it was something I actually wanted. I am proud of this scar because it's proof that I protected something important to me"

And she would never regret it.

Because he was there for her.

She no longer had to stare in jealousy the bed next to her because now she also had someone by her side.

Andrews went to see her at every opportunity he got, working hard so he could make time to visit her and making sure to text a message whenever he couldn't.

"I was lucky to have you as my partner at that time. I wouldn't even be alive after everything I went through if it wasn't for you"

"But I... Did nothing. Could do nothing. In your time of need, when you needed support and comfort the most I was unable to provide you that"

"It was hard" she conceded "The pain my body, mind and soul had to go through was unbearable and the thought that the only thing awaiting for me would be the scorn and hatred from people that would surely see me as a monster made me almost consider accepting death so the pain would stop"

But she didn't. Because of him.

"Then you came to my mind. Dying as a criminal... That wouldn't help you at all. It reminded me that even if there was a lot of bad things waiting for me I still had something good in my life to fight for"

"Andrews... You gave me a reason to live. You gave me a reason to persevere" her smile was radiant at this point, voice chocking with gratitude and tenderness "Your faith saved me. Even if the entire world was against me the fact that you believed me gave me the strength to move forward"

"..."

"For the record I also think fondly of the time we spent together. I too think of them as the happiest days in my life"

"I can't wait to spend more time with you Andrews. Just like the old days"

"Shall we brainstorm ideas about what to do on our next day off together then? Perhaps even bully Hunter to come along with us?"

“NOW that sounds like a plan!”

#My useless invincible boss #crowa miller(useless boss)#wolf hunter(useless boss)#daniel andrews(useless boss)

1 note · View note

grouptoursworld · 2 years

Text

Everything you need to know about group tours of Scandinavia

Scandinavia has become one of the most popular destinations for group tours in the world. And it's easy to see why: The Scandinavian countries are filled with stunning natural beauty, diverse architecture, and delicious food and drink.

Group tours of Scandinavia provide a great way to see all these things while traveling with other people who have a similar mindset about what they want out of their vacation experience.

However, there are some things you should consider before booking your trip—and this article will help answer those questions!

Go With A Group

Group tours are a great way to see new places. They're well-organized and usually offer the chance to meet new people from all around the world. These can be particularly beneficial if you're traveling alone, as they offer an opportunity to chat with others while you're on your trip.

Group tours also mean that you won't have to worry about getting lost or not knowing where you should go—they'll provide guidance and information along the way so that everyone gets what they need out of their time spent exploring a new place together.

Get A Good Guide

Perhaps the most important thing to know about group tours of Scandinavia is that they're better with a good guide. A good guide will keep you on schedule, make sure everyone is enjoying themselves, and provide information about the area you're visiting.

In some cases, they can even help out with translation and other unexpected situations that crop up during travel. They also provide an added layer of safety if you're travelling in unfamiliar territory; if something goes wrong, it's nice to have someone who knows the area to help get things back on track quickly.

If you're considering taking one of these tours but are worried about whether or not your experience will be enjoyable enough for it to be worth it, remember this: getting lost in a foreign country without speaking its language is always going to be scary! Having a knowledgeable guide by your side will take some of that fear away—not only because they know all kinds of useful information (like where restrooms are located) but because they'll also keep an eye out for trouble so nothing bad happens while you're having fun exploring new places. To find a trustworthy guide who speaks English well enough for most travelers’ needs: look up reviews online before trying anything else!

Look for Smaller Groups

When you're looking for a group tour, the size of your group can make a big difference. Smaller groups are often more intimate and personal, which makes them better suited to those who like to chat with their fellow travelers during downtime. They also tend to be more flexible in terms of itinerary changes and special requests.

But there's another major upside to smaller tours: they're generally much cheaper than larger ones! When you travel in a group, you'll share the cost with others so your trip will cost less overall—and that's even more true when the group is smaller.

Consider an Unusual Mode of Transportation

Skiing, snowshoeing, dogsledding and other forms of winter recreation are excellent ways for travelers to get off the beaten path. Consider the number of people in your group and their physical fitness when choosing this option.

The weather conditions in Scandinavia vary from season to season, so make sure you know what kind of trip you're signing up for. You'll also want to consider how long your tour will be: Duration is an important factor when determining whether or not it's feasible to go skiing or snowshoeing during your vacation (in other words: don't expect to do it at all if you only have two days). Finally, cost should always be a strong consideration when deciding on unusual modes of transportation; depending on where you go and how much equipment you need/want there may be additional expenses involved as well.

Book Early

To get the best deals and avoid crowds, book your trip as early as possible. You can often save hundreds of dollars by booking six months or more in advance. If you don't have time to plan an entire trip by yourself, group tours are a great way to see Scandinavia on a tight schedule. Tours aren't cheap, but if you're short on time or don't have much experience planning trips abroad, they may be worth it for their convenience alone.

Bring The Right Gear

When it comes to packing for your trip, think about what you want to do while you're there. Are there any activities that require special equipment? Do you have any medical issues or allergies? Do you need more than one change of clothes? Will you be spending a lot of time outside in the rain, so a poncho would be useful?

If you're heading off on an adventure tour with a group (such as hiking or kayaking), ask yourself if there is anything else that might come in handy. For example, if another guest has had to leave their tour because of an injury and they left behind their hiking boots, maybe someone else could use them instead; just make sure they fit well first!

Conclusion

We hope this guide has given you a good sense of what to expect from group tours of Scandinavia. Every year, thousands of people make the journey with our company, and they all have one thing in common: they’re eager to explore this beautiful part of the world. So what are you waiting for? Book your trip today!

Source : https://inspiringvacation.postach.io/post/everything-you-need-to-know-about-group-tours-of-scandinavia

#Group tours of Scandinavia

0 notes

langesylvest5 · 2 years

Text

Replica Prada Handbags Collection

Although the images don’t have the logos on them, the final product you receive will have the logos. Their hottest replica luggage are from Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Coco Chanel and Fendi replicas. The Juan Store is certainly one of the biggest luxurious bags and designer bags vendor on DHgate. phoenet.tw fake prada bag The replicas look the very same with no differences and they're a legitimate bag which can stand the check of time. If you want a product, verify for regular transactions of the product. If the transactions are frequent, because of this the product is legit and people are buying it. Most of the merchandise in this store are super extremely rated and have a median of four.eight across classes and products. The sell lots of Clutch designs of Louis Vuitton and Prada. When you see the photographs within the retailer, they won’t have the logo on it, but if you purchase the product, you'll obtain it with the brand and the branding and the packaging. The Prada bag inside features high quality cloth or top quality leather-based. The fabric will function the Prada brand sample followed by a rope chain line. The two strains alternate, with one line being the roping chain followed by a line of the Prada emblem chain. The first Prada brand chain line is printed with the words upright, but the subsequent time the emblem chain seems, it must be printed the incorrect means up and so forth. This means each different Prada emblem chain shall be the other means up. The authenticity card for an genuine Prada bag usually comes sealed inside a small envelope, which is often black in color. The best part is, they are a direct factory, which means you'll be able to attain out to them directly and ask for changes and modifications such as change of brand or some other additions. So let’s get into the most effective Dhgate replica luggage sellers. These are top notch quality replica luggage from China so to talk. Verified by us as nicely as tonnes of product critiques on DHGate. The Purse Queen was started in August of of 2010 by me, Angie , as a weblog that critiques genuine & replica purses I even have purchased throughout the years, and replica web sites as nicely. The official notice is for children aged 4-12, but a bunch of old aunts have been circled. There are daughters who purchase their daughters, no daughters to buy for themselves, who is not a fairy. It is particularly simple to notice by looking on the rectangular hole on the zipper, which is greater on the authentic. Next on our record are the keychains, that are used to connect the straps to the bag. As small and insignificant as they might seem, we advise you to pay shut consideration to them and ensure they're authentic. Also, our group of designers produces replica luggage based on the recognition of the unique accent. Therefore, you'll be able to belief us for the highest quality replica on probably the most sought-after Prada Cahier or Belle handbags. This DHGate retailer for replica luggage has a tremendous collection of luxury manufacturers replica purses like Dior, Chanel, Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vitton. wikipedia handbags While Prada handbags will never exit of favor, it never hurts to have more than one bag for various occasions. Prada fake baggage are a wonderful way to present the women in your life simply how a lot you care about them. With Christmas proper across the nook, the Prada purse will make the perfect reward. High Replica understands that you really want the best-looking accessory attainable for the most effective value and so they work diligently to offer you the best. There are luggage, wallets and purses obtainable which are replicas from the entire high design homes on the planet right now. You can get the Prada bag you've at all times needed and spend just a fraction of the value you'll pay for an original and nobody will ever know the distinction. Try to construct belief and be a regular customer to take pleasure in discount advantages. Sometimes the bag may need deformities like torn, and not utilizing a emblem or stain on the displayed image so it’s higher to ask for extra photos in a non-public message. The authentic pouch should look easy, with tight fabric, whereas the replica pouch appears quite lumpy. A potential trigger for this is that the replica was not stitched tight enough. As you'll be able to see, the form of the zipper is barely totally different. The first drop was a co-branded, Italian-made, incredibly high-quality take on the classic adidas Superstar. The metallic on the bag ought to be engraved with the word Prada. Inspect the letters and make sure the font looks just like the genuine logo fonts. They have good replicas of Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Prada, Gucci and different prime manufacturers. With a ranking of ninety three.2%, this new age retailer has a great assortment of merchandise. They take care of a broad variety of merchandise corresponding to leather handbags, designer summer time luggage, one shoulder messenger bag, sling bags, wallets and extra. The Wd2011 is a top seller and has been round since 2011. They have 97.4% optimistic ranking and have greater than 10,000+ joyful customers.

#fake prada bag #prada fake #fake prada #fake prada purse #fake prada wallet

0 notes

makeste · 3 years

Note

In relation to your post on C:320, love your point of Bakugo is actually the best person to call out Deku for the viewing everyone as Extras because he's speaking from experience, because when I first read that bit I did think 'Well that's quite hypocritical mister only uses mildly insulting (at best) nicknames or the exact term extra for everyone'. However given as of C:318 he's still using the term lowfries it feels like it undercuts how powerful that could have been a bit. What do you think?

first off, just to clarify, back in 318 he didn't actually call them "small fries" or "losers" or anything like that; he literally just used a plural form of the word "you" (i.e. "you guys"). it's just that out of the various Japanese words for you (anata, omae, etc.), the one that he used (temee) happens to be the rudest one. but everything Katsuki says is rude, because that's just how he talks. so it really didn't mean anything in this instance.

however, even if he had actually called them extras, tbh it wouldn't have undercut the moment at all in my mind. because the thing is, even if he calls them that, he's not treating them like extras at all. they're his equals. he could have left them all back at U.A. and gone after Deku himself, but he didn't. because he's learned the importance of teamwork, and he's come to trust in his classmates' strength. they've all been working together in perfect sync for the past couple of chapters. he knows when to sit back and let one of them handle something, and he knows when to step in and play his part -- as he did when Deku used Smokescreen.

and that's the thing with Kacchan -- with him, you really do have to look at his actions more than his words, because he often does say things that on the surface appear to be very hypocritical and condescending and insulting. and if his actions even remotely matched what he was saying, he would indeed be the terrible, irredeemable person that so many fans even now still see him as. fortunately, his actions usually do not match up at all, but instead reveal him as the person he actually is -- someone who cares about other people far more than he could ever comfortably acknowledge.

like, please pardon me for going off on an entirely different tangent now, but I feel like the last couple of chapters are really the perfect example of this. it's the contrast between everything he says to and about Deku --

"that damned nerd."

"he's screwed up in the head."

"wow, real inspiring! all hail the mighty inheritor of One for All!"

"do your worst, you All Might wannabe!"

"I guess once you start being able to do anything you try, everyone around you starts to look like an extra, huh?"

-- versus everything his actions tell us about what he actually feels about Deku.

Deku was literally the first person he asked about as soon as he woke up in the hospital.

he completely disregarded the fact that he had been LITERALLY IMPALED THROUGH THE CHEST and was still in a considerable amount of pain, and took off running toward Deku's bedside the second he heard that he hadn't woken up.

as soon as he found out Deku had left, he correctly predicted the exact course of action Deku would take, right down to the actual words that he used.

and upon realizing this, he described it as "the worst scenario I can think of," and immediately leapt into action, taking command of and mobilizing the rest of the class.

he wore a fucking tie for Deku's sake. like what else can you even say. that's true love right there.

he showed up fully prepared to throw down for the sake of dragging Deku back home, even though his wounds aren't fully healed yet.

he immediately saved Deku from the rampaging crowd.

and even while in full insult mode, he couldn't go more than two sentences before making a comment about Deku's wellbeing ("are you smiling now?").

and in fact, let's talk about that last part. because over the last two chapters, Kacchan has thus far made references to Deku being the heir of OFA (which he thinks of as a cursed power), Deku emulating All Might (who has the exact same "never takes himself into account" mindset, according to him), and Deku sneaking off without telling anyone. literally every one of his remarks is actually a comment about the various behaviors that we know he's actually very worried about. in other words, if you look beneath the surface at what he's actually saying, all of these supposed insults lose their bite real fast.

that damned nerd = I'm worried about Deku.

he's screwed up in the head = he never thinks about himself before recklessly leaping into danger and it scares me.

the mighty inheritor of OFA = the latest in a long line of lonely people who all lived harsh lives and ultimately sacrificed themselves for the sake of their mission.

are you smiling now? = what happened to the Deku I knew who never shut up about wanting to save people with a smile?

do your worst, you All Might wannabe = I know you're determined to follow down the same path as All Might -- even if it kills you -- but we're not backing down, and we're not going to leave you.

you didn't even tell us anything before you left = I thought you trusted me enough to know that I would have your back.

I guess once you start being able to do anything you try, everyone around you starts to look like an extra, huh? = you're doing the same thing I used to do, looking down on everyone who you think can't keep up. but when you do that, you lose sight of your own weaknesses. I learned that the hard way and I don't want you to make that same mistake.

anyway, so that wound up being a very long tangent lol. but basically, for my money Kacchan is one of the least hypocritical characters in the series, because most hypocrites are people who say nice things, only to have their hypocrisy revealed through their actions. but Kacchan is the exact opposite. his actions are where he is the most honest. and so yeah, when he says this to Deku in 320, he means it, and he's right, and he should say it.

#bnha 320 #bakugou katsuki #midoriya izuku #bnha meta #bakugou meta #bakudeku #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #asks #anon asks #long post

528 notes · View notes

captains-simp · 3 years

Text

Wanda Maximoff ~ Fake It Till You Make It

Wanda version of this fic as requested by @yeetus-thyself

7.7k words

Warnings: shitty family and homophobia

[ masterlist ]

Buy me a coffee ☕

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Pleeaasse, Wan" You pouted once again. You had been begging Wanda for the favour for an hour now; her stubborness was proving hard to overcome.

"I'm busy." Wanda said, her accent strong as she walked around her appartment to collect things for her next mission.

"But will you be busy on the 10th?" You asked from the couch where you watched her disappear into various rooms as she talked.

"I thought you said it was a few days." Wanda quipped, seemingly only giving you half her attention.

"It is." You confirmed with some hope.

"So I'd need to clear my schedule for more than just the 10th." You huffed and rested your head on the back of couch.

"Yes you would. I'm sure Natasha can manage without you for a few days."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." She muttered.

"Please, Wan." You tried. "I need a win." Wanda stopped by the kitchen counter and gave you a long, considering look. You had long given up on your puppy dog eyes and instead copied her expression as you chewed on your bottom lip.

"I'll think about it." Wanda finally said before grabbing something from the cupboard. It was the best response you had gotten all night and you knew you wouldn't get anything more. So you accepted it and hoped for the best.

Your parents had invited you to their cabin for a few days just like they did every year. It was a beautiful place. You could spend your whole visit in the forest along the back. Or swimming in the clear lake that was a short walk away. The cabin itself was the cosiest place you had ever been and had been where some of your best memories had happened as a kid.

As you got older things changed. Being around your family, especially your parents, wasn't as enjoyable. They had high expectations for their children, expectations that your siblings had met without a problem but ones that you had struggled with. You enjoyed your life. You had the kind of relationships you had always hoped for, you loved your job and you had the perfect balance of the two. But you could never shake the feeling that you had failed.

Your brother was a surgeon who always told you all stories of the lives he saved and the close calls he had swooped in to save people from. One of your sisters was some hot shot lawyer who had done great things like help people wrongly convicted but still put dangerous people back on the street. And your other sister was the CEO of an energy company that you never quite understood. They even all had equally successful partners who loved to talk about themselves as much as your siblings did. You didn't have any of that. But you did have Wanda.

Knowing the Avengers was the only thing about you your family took interest in. They were always subtly hinting at wanting to meet your friends. But you knew the Avengers had to endure enough fan service and didn't want to push your family onto them, especially with how annoying they all were.

However as your family's unrealistic expectations reached their all time high you were sure you wouldn't be able to handle another trip with them without a win, and you were far too petty to take the moral high ground and just not go. Not to mention that was a huge part of you that was dying to see what the Wanda girlfriend experience would entail. Yep, that was what you were asking of Wanda. To pretend to be your partner for the duration of the trip.

You knew it wasn't a smart choice. That if Wanda agreed your crush on her could get out of hand. You knew you would end up getting too caught up in the act. You could have, no - should have - asked Natasha or Yelena or even Carol if she was around. But your family knew you were the closest with Wanda and she would be the one it felt the most natural with, and the most believable. At least, that was what you told Wanda.

"When are you going?" You asked, changing the subject in hopes that Wanda wouldn't suddenly conclude she didn't want to do it (then you really would have to ask one of the others).

"Tomorrow." She answered, keeping her focused tone.

"When will you be back?" You attempted to keep the concern out of your voice but the glance the redhead gave you told you you hadn't done a good job.

"The day after." She said, softer this time. You nodded as you looked down at your lap and tried not to think about everything that could possibly go wrong on her mission.

"Be safe." Wanda strolled over to you and placed her hand gently ontop of yours and gave it a quick squeeze.

"Always."

"Got any plans Saturday night?" Natasha smirked knowingly at her friend as they preped for their mission.

"No." Wanda replied as she adjusted her earpiece.

"Nothing with y/n then?" Nat asked, partly genuinely but mostly knowing Wanda would still say no.

"Nope." She said again, biting the inside of her cheek in consideration before speaking again. "Not this Saturday."

Natasha raised an eyebrow in surprise and interest. Wanda rarely made any kind of special plans with you as you would always hang out casual and it was never anything fancy or different. She had always wanted to though.

"Plans for another time?" Nat continued as she double checked her pack.

"Maybe, I'm still thinking about it." The redhead turned fully to her friend at her words, confused at why Wanda was hesitant to spend time with you. "She wants me to go to the cabin with her and her family." Nat had heard all about the infamous cabin and your family.

"That sounds fun." Nat nodded. The cabin sounded fun. Your family did not.

"As her girlfriend." Nat's eyes widened excitedly but before she could speak Wanda clarified. "Her pretend girlfriend."

Nat paused and looked as though she was going to speak for several seconds until she stuck to just giving a confused look.

"Yeah." Wanda sighed. "Thinks it would seem impressive." Wanda had tried not to be hurt over that. She knew you weren't just friends with her to show her off to people, because you never did. But it hurt her to think the only time you could see her in a romantic way was when you were pretending.

"Well," Nat muttered as she adjusted the zip along the front of her catsuit. "Fake it till you make it." It was Wanda's turn to give Nat a questioning look. "Maybe it'll be an eye opener for her."

"You think I should do it?" She asked, fully open to hearing and accepting her friend and mentor's advice in that area.

"Definelty." Nat confirmed. She wasn't sure about it for the reasons she said though. Wanda's crush on you was obvious to everyone except you, just as it was vice versa.

You had been overjoyed when Wanda told you she would come with you to the cabin and play along as your girlfriend. She had told you when she came back from her mission, in fact it was the first thing she said after she had let herself into your appartment. It was never really brought up after that, but you couldn't deny you were incredibly anxious on the week leading up to the visit.

On the drive up to the cabin you and Wanda stayed in a comfortable silence most of the time, clearly both lost in thought. You had the radio on for background noise more than anything else, but you would occasionally lightly tap the steering wheel if there was a tune you recognised, oblivious to Wanda's acknowledging smiles.

"So what's the plan?" Wanda asked as she looked at you expectantly. Right, of course the Avenger wanted a strategy.

"Keep things simple, I guess. They know how we met already so we can just say at some point we took things a step further than friendship." Wanda didn't seem convinced at the simplicity of that. "Look they're not going to want to hear about us, not much at least. They prefer the sound of their own voices, they'll be trying to impress you is all."

"Impress me?" Wanda asked.

"Yeah, hope you warm up to them so one day they can invite you to their snobby parties." Wanda chuckled her heart warming laugh as she glanced out of the window, knowing there was a lot of truth to what you said.

"And what are those like?" She enquired curiously.

"I wouldn't know, I've never been invited." You said simply. You had gotten over that a long time ago, gotten used to being forgotten. Wanda clearly hadn't though.

"It will be an honour to turn them down." Wanda said. You shook your head and smiled at her. That did sound pretty nice.

When the cabin came into sight between the trees your nerves spiked. You figited in your seat and bit your lip when you saw some of your family gathered outside, their attention instantly on you. You shot Wanda a quick smile which she returned before you got out of the car.

"Y/n! So nice of you to come." You mum said as her eyes flickered to Wanda more than you. She opened her arms for the shortiest hug in human history before turning to Wanda. "You must be Wanda, we've heard so much." You mum insisted as she brought the redhead in for a hug too. She raised her eyebrows at you over your mum's shoulder and you bite back a laugh.

The others came over to greet you and mainly Wanda in a rush, overwhelming both of you.

"You two will be in the upstairs bedroom on the left." Your mum told you as you went to grab your bags. You did a double take, convinced you had heard her wrong. That was the best room in the house. A big difference from being in the small room in the basement every other time you had been there.

"First one on the left." Your dad confirmed. There was no way your parents were going to be in the basement so you wondered who else had been moved around but didn't ask, knowing whoever it was wasn't going to be happy.

You and Wanda made your way up to the room and you couldn't help but smile at the sight of the spacious room and the door you knew led to your en suite.

"That was...a lot." Wanda summarised as she said her bag under the bed.

"I would tell you it gets better but I don't want to get your hopes up." You sighed as you got a couple of things out.

"It's just a few days." Wanda said despite the fact you should have been assuring her.

"Yeah." You nodded and stared down at the floor. "Now c'mon." You suddenly said as you took ahold of Wanda's hand and laced your fingers together. You missed the startled blush that crept onto her cheeks when you turned around.

Your family were sat outside whispering amongst themselves when you returned. Their interested gaze fell to your entwined hands in an instant.

"So you work with the Avengers?" Your brother, Dalton, said as soon as you both sat down.

"I do, I'm one myself." Wanda said as she continued to hold onto your hand.

"Must be crazy, what are they like?" He enquired.

"They're good." Wanda said simply. Everyone clearly expected something more but Wanda pretended not to notice making you smile.

"I almost did business with Stark once, decided against it in the end." Claire announced proudly. You and Wanda exchanged knowing glances. Stark had told you all about his encounter with your sister, it definetly wasn't her turning him down.

"I was invited to one of his parties." Anna said quickly. "I was busy that night unfortunately."

Bull. Shit.

"Yes I remember working with Doctor Strange when he was still in the medical profession." You gave Wanda an I-told-you-so look as your family erupted into conversation over who had the most contact with the heroes. That had to be a new record of how quickly they started talking about themselves.

They continued like that until your mum called everyone in for dinner. The food smelt undeniably amazing as you took your place at the table next to Wanda and eyed the dishes infront of you. Your parents efforts to impress the redhead weren't all that bad.

Your family continued to catch up and and you and Wanda half listened as you ate. They were all doing as well for themselves as ever and still hadn't learnt any modesty.

Although you were proud of your siblings for what they had all achieved, Wanda had contained four potentially devastating bombs from going off in the space of half an hour a week before but she wasn't going to bring that up anytime soon. Eventually though, the attention turned to you to bring you out of your silence.

"And you're still working in that little café, y/n?" Your mum asked curiously.

"I own it, mum." You corrected quietly as you stabbed some pieces on your plate.

"Ah yes, quite the contrast though, isn't it. Between you two." She said as she pointed at you and Wanda with her fork. You didn't say anything to that because you felt there really wasn't anything to say in response. It wasn't like you hadn't thought that exact thing every now and then.

"The team loves it." Wanda said suddenly making everyone, including you, look at her in slight surprise from speaking up. It hadn't taken your family long to learn Wabda wasn't much of a talker, not to them anyway. You couldn't get her to shut up half the time. "At least one of us goes everyday. If we're lucky we all can. Nothing beats it." She defended simply before turning back to her food to show she wasn't going to say anymore. You smiled down at your plate at her words and the truth of them.

No one said anything in response, clearly shocked from this new information until Dalton spoke up.

"But doesn't Stark like fancy, top of the line, restaurants? I can't imagine him in some random coffee shop, no offence sis." He nodded towards you though you knew he didn't mean it. He couldn't let you have just one win.

"That random coffee shop has catered some of Stark's parties. Not that many though." A smug smile crept onto Dalton's face as he opened his mouth to make a snarky remark but Wanda cut him down again. "Because y/n's invited to the rest as a guest and a close friend." Your family stared at you with open mouths.

"You've been invited to Stark's parties?!" Anna exclaimed. In your defence, your family never wanted to hear about your life so you never got the chance to tell them anything.

"It's not really my crowd." You shrugged. "I just go to hang out with them after." Dalton's jaw clenched in annoyance and he didn't say anything for the rest of dinner. It was only really your mum who kept talking. Telling everyone about her latest travels that fell on death ears.

It was certainly a first for your family.

When everyone had finished their food you and Wanda excused yourselves and said goodnight before retiring to your room. Wanda shut the door gently as you collapsed onto the bed on your back and glared at the ceiling. The redhead shuffled around quietly to get her toothbrush and toothpaste and some other things you weren't really paying attention to and went into the bathroom.

When she came back out she was in her bedclothes and lifted your feet off the floor to turn you so you could fully lay on the bed. You smiled at her weakly.

"You should go get changed." Wanda said as she got her laptop out her bag. "Then you can pick a movie." She announced when she had gotten under the covers and started her laptop. You smiled more and nodded.

You tried not to think about your family and everything they had said at dinner as you got changed but it proved difficult. Everything they had said echoed around in your head but most of all you couldn't shake the disregarding ways they said it. It was as though you could do no right with them. Maybe they would never be proud no matter what you did.

You placed your toothbrush back I'm the holder and rinsed your mouth before heading back into the bedroom to an awaiting Wanda.

You got under the covers next to her and rested your head on her shoulder as you glanced at the Netflix screen and pointed to one of the comedy movies.

About ten minutes into the movie Wanda spoke. "You okay?" She whispered as she continued to look at the screen although that wasn't where her focus was.

"Yeah." You whispered back.

"You can talk to me." She said after a second." You moved your head away so you could see Wanda clearly.

"I'm so glad you're here." You said honestly. She smiled and nodded as her eyes searched yours.

"I'm glad I'm here too." You knew Wanda wasn't glad she had to spend the time with your family. She was glad that she could support you despite their efforts to bring you down. You were incredibly lucky to have her.

You rested your head back on her shoulder and neither of you spoke for the rest of the movie. Or the rest of the night. You must have fallen asleep about half an hour in.

Wanda was one of the most intimate people you had ever met. It was mainly something she aimed towards you and Natasha but didn't refrain from comforting others and giving hugs to anyone who would take one. She never held back at all with you, as far as you knew. But when you woke up and couldn't tell where your limbs started and Wanda's ended, you were still surprised to find yourselves like that. Butterflies flew around in your stomach in a way you knew was dangerous but couldn't help but love.

You were resting your head on her rising chest and had your arm slung across her stomach. Your legs were tangled together and her arms were holding onto your waist. A warmth spread through you and you decided to settle back into her hold and closed your eyes with a content smile.

You had about ten minutes to enjoy that before Wanda woke up. You could feel the moment she realized you were so close, she physically froze. You waited in anticipation for something for several moments until your friend very slowly unhooked her legs and guided your body to lay against the mattress and pillows as she slipped out of bed towards the bathroom.

You sighed when you heard the door close and rubbed your eyes slowly, knowing you should get up but wishing more than anything that you could return to how you woke up.

"Morning." Wanda croaked when she left the bathroom and saw you sitting up in bed.

"Morning." You said back with a smile and tried not to focus on how ridiculously attractive her voice sounded.

You gathered some random clothes into a bundle and went into the bathroom to change again and brush your teeth. When you came out Wanda was pulling her shirt over her head and gave you a generous view of her toned stomach. That training with Natasha really was paying off. Your face heated up when you saw it and you turned away to pretend you hadn't seen when Wanda noticed you.

"Don't make a sound." Wanda warned. You glanced up at her with some confusion. "I don't think your family's awake yet, that means we get the kitchen to ourselves." She grinned and you did too.

You and Wanda had gotten so used to getting up early for your jobs you forgot other people would still be sleeping. It was hard to break out of the habit but it proved useful.

The pair of you made a quick breakfast and ate it outside thanks to the warm weather even at that time. But soon enough your parents came downstairs and ruined the peaceful atmosphere with the clanging of pots and loud convosations.

You wandered around the side of the house and saw the old table tennis table that bad been folded away years ago and hadn't been set up since. You went over and started setting it up when Wanda joined you and eyed the table with a glimmer of mischief.

The redhead wasn't all that competitive, in fact you were pretty sure she let other people win games on the regular to make them feel better about themselves. But there was an undeniable spark of mischief in her eyes when she saw the table.

"You played this before?" You asked convosationally.

"I have." She said as you both automatically took up your positions of opposite ends of the table.

"Me too." You said confidently. "A lot." Wanda hummed in acknowledgment and swivelled her bat in her hand and stood ready. You smiled at her seriousness for the game.

You served surprisingly well for someone who hadn't played in a few years and Wanda was able to hit it back with ease. Once you had developed a steady pace you started hitting the ball more daringly to Wanda who was caught off guard before she started doing the same.

The moment you missed the ball a small smile tugged at the corner of Wanda's lips, her celebration was short lived when you suddenly sent the ball back her way until it was too late.

"That wasn't fair!" She exclaimed childishly.

"That was tables tennis." You said seriously but started smiling again.

Wanda huffed dramatically and flipped you off as she trudged back to the table and served the ball with force. You managed to send it back but took a step away from the table in caution.

You continued like that for a while. The competition tension rising as you picked up the pace, one of you occasionally getting a point before the other evened it out.

At one point you were vaguely aware of Dalton sauntering over to see what you were doing and arched his brow at the sight of the table.

"We still have this thing?" He questioned and you hummed quietly in response, too focused on the game.

"Hey Claire! Get over here, we're playing table tennis." You rolled your eyes at the intrusive and could sense Wanda refraining from doing the same until an idea popped into your head.

You caught the ball in your hand and smiled at Wanda's protests as you moved round to her side of the table just as your sister came out.

"I didn't even know we still had this." Claire laughed as she picked up another bat from the box.

"Maybe we should take it back with us." Wanda whispered to you and you bit your lip to contain your smile because yes, yes you should.

Inevitably, your siblings sucked at table tennis. You had suspected as much you just never thought they would be as bad as they were. They missed almost every hit and everytime they did they got increasingly angry, which meant they ended up flaring their arms around like idiots. It was a memory you would be sure to treasure.

"Stupid game" and "probably broken" kept echoing across the table until your siblings finally stormed off to throw a tantrum.

The rest of the day went by quietly. You and Wanda sat by the lake for most of the afternoon to enjoy the sun and heat. You reveled in the most recent memories of your siblings embarrassment and had to keep hushing down to childish whispered whenever one of them was nearby.

Surprisingly, dinner went by peacefully too.

You weren't asked anymore questions at the table. Instead, your family were content with talking about their upcoming plans between stealing glances at you and Wanda that the redhead never failed to notice.

The pair of you slipped off to your room the first moment you got and easily fell into bed besides one another. Wanda picked out a DVD from her bag of an old Sokovian show she used to watch as a child and had you hooked on as well as teaching you the language.

She settled down beside you and within the first few scenes she wrapped an arm around your shoulder so you could sink into her further like she did sometimes when you watched things together. You were barely paying attention to the series after that.

Despite trying to keep your focus on understanding what was happening in scenes of the show, you couldn't help but want to melt under the warmth of your best friend. You hoped it was something you got to experience more, you felt safer than you ever had in Wanda's arms.

Little did you know that having you in her arms was the most comforting feeling Wanda ever experienced and she always tried to do it as little as possible to refrain from falling for you more. It never worked.

You had thought waking up in Wanda's arms the morning before had been the best thing to awake to. But that day when you woke up not only were your legs tangled together again but the redhead was slowly stroking your hair while your head rested on her chest.

It was a gradual gesture that maintained a perfect rhythm and made you want to fall back asleep. But you were afraid you would mistake it for a dream later on. No, it was definitely real.

Luckily, your head was already tilted upwards slightly so when you secretly opened your eyes to risk a peek at your friend you saw her staring out the window as though she was in a trance. She was clearly so deep in thought she hadn't noticed you wake up, you had never seen her like it. But the feeling was too good to ignore, too compelling.

Soon enough, you found yourself drifting off back to sleep.

When you woke up again Wanda was gone. Her absence left an emptiness you knew wasn't good for you. As the days of your visit went on your fake relationship with Wanda was going to effect you even more when it was over.

Over...you couldn't think about that.

Once you got up and got changed you found Wanda in the kitchen looking at the news on her phone as she sipped her coffee.

"Morning, honey." You grinned. Wanda blushed slightly into her coffee, something you thought was undeniably adorable.

"Morning yourself." She tried to play off smoothly making you grin more.

You made breakfast for you both just as your mum came into the kitchen and greeted you both with an overplayed smile, already talking to Wanda about an upcoming party that she should go to. Wanda mumbled something about a busy schedule as you managed to whisp her away outside with your food.

Eventually, you and Wanda became bored with sitting around in the house when you had such amazing surroundings on your doorstep. You declared that you were going on a walk with the redhead and left before any of your family could invite themselves to go with you. Especially as you had told your friend to wear her swimwear underneath her clothing as you had a surprise for her.

You made a point of holding Wanda's hand as you left and once you were far away from the house went to take it back only for her to hold on tighter.

"You never know where they could be lurking." She joked as an excuse, so you starting swinging your arms playfully as to assure her you wanted your hands to stay linked together too.

You spent hours in those woods and was thankful for having a spy best friend who of course knew to pack the essentials like food and drinks so you could stay away from the house as long as you wanted.

The redhead brought so much you were able to have a small picnic on top of a hill that overlooked the large lake that stretched out all the way back to the house. You remembered thinking up stories as to explain the strange shape and curves to it as a child.

"It's beautiful here." Wanda said as she picked some grapes from the bunch between you.

"It is." You agreed with a fond smile.

"I used to want to live in a place like this." She muttered, sparking your interest.

"In the woods?" You asked curiously and she nodded.

"I thought I could retire to the woods and get a small cabin and I could grow my own food and that was all I needed." You hummed with a smile as you studied Wanda's features.

"Sounds lonely." You thought aloud.

"I'd have a cat." She said simply making you laugh. "I never used to think that but now when it crosses my mind and I picture that life... I picture someone else there with me." You knew she was imagining it as she spoke and you wished you could see exactly what it was she wanted.

"We could always downgrade the holiday house." You half joked as you nodded in the vague direction of the house. "Make it a simple cabin."

"We?" Wanda asked hopefully, the emotion clear before she had a chance to conceal it.

"There's no one I'd rather run away and live in the forest with." You joked although there was a lot of truth to your words. The redhead considered you for a while before smiling and nodded as though she had reached her own internal conclusion.

"Come on." You said suddenly as you stood up and dusted yourself off.

"You want to go back?" Wanda asked and you grinned.

"I'm going to show you that surprise." You declared and packed the remaining food away. Wanda did the same, eager to see the surprise you kept secret the whole way.

It was quite a way back to the house. The whole time Wanda kept asking more questions about it but you wouldn't say. She could only make guesses based on the swim wear which should have left only a few options, non of which she got right.

Finally, you arrived where you wanted to and grinned at Wabda before starting towards the edge. The redhead frowned as she watched you approach the ledge and became worried when she invisioned the steep slope that didn't always lead to water straight down. If you were to fall... your friend didn't have to wait long to see that. You slipped along the edge and disappeared from her view as she gave a startled cry and sprinted towards the edge and knelt over with wide eyes, expecting to see something that could haunt her forever but instead she saw you on a wide ledge but seven feet below her.

To your left was part of the ledge that had been dug into randomly and acted as perfect aid to get back into the woods above.

"Come down here." You beckoned as you starter to take your top off. Wanda's eyes widened more and quickly turned around and dropped down next to you steadily.

She glanced over the side of the small ledge to glance at the fifty foot drop into the water. There was nothing in the way to fall onto but there was no telling how deep that water was.

"You can't go in like that." You laughed as you kicked off your shorts and pushed them to the side.

Wanda's face heated up at the sight of you in your y/f/c bikini as you assessed the view. But even in her flustered state she was able to put it all together.

"You want to jump down there?" She exclaimed making you laugh.

"I've done it tones of times." You assured. "It's fun."

"It's a death wish! What if the waters not deep enough?" She questioned making you laugh more.

"Are you scared, Wan?" You teased as you took a step towards her making her avert her eyes from your form. She scoffed to play it off.

"Of course not." You hummed in faux belief.

"Well then I'll see you down there." You grinned and took a couple of steps back until your feet were no longer on the platform and you were plummeting down towards the water where you landed with a splash.

Wanda held her breath as she waited for you to resurface for a few agonising seconds. When you did with a gasp and started kicking around frantically to keep yourself afloat with your built up adrenaline the redhead sighed in relief and started taking off her own shorts and shirt and placed them next to your things.

You've jumped from higher. She told herself as she rocked on her feet. And you have powers! She argued back before she shoved those thoughts aside and threw herself off the ledge and into the water below. You laughed as she came back up and pushed her hair away from her way. You swam closer to her and saw her wide smile.

"Fuck." Wanda whispered with a laugh as she looked back up from where you had both come.

"Told you it was fun." You teased as you tried not to focus on the low cut on her bikini bra.

"Yeah yeah." She laughed and paused when she looked past you and saw you were surprisingly close to the house. She could see the outline of your family sat outside.

"They're looking." Wanda muttered. You could tell by the look on her face who she was talking about. It wasn't like there was anyone else around either.

"Do you think they've caught on?" You asked nervously as you stared at Wanda's brown eyes to stop you looking at your family.

"Maybe..." She considered and glanced around. "It's not like we've been acting like that much of a couple." You scoffed at that.

"At home everyone assumes we're dating and the one time we need it be believable it isn't." You rolled your eyes but couldn't help the smile.

"I know." Wanda laughed for a second but then paused. "Then let's give them something believable." She gently placed both her hands on your waist and pulled you slowly towards her. You let her guide you and took extra notice of the water droplets across her face. You almost trembled when your bare stomachs pressed together in the water lightly.

Wanda's soft hands left your waist and gripped your thighs to pull you up to wrap your legs around her own waist. You couldn't help but giggle at the gesture as you wrapped your arms around the redhead's neck and held onto her waist with your legs in a lock.

"Can I?" Wanda whispered when she lifted your chin with her finger and her other hand came round the back of your neck.

"Just shut up and kiss me." You demanded with a playful smile and leaned in to do it yourself.

You smiled into the kiss and felt Wanda do the same. It was everything you had ever imagined it to be. Her lips were soft and fell into place perfectly against your own as they moved together. Your mind was hazey and your stomach was doing flips at the realisation that you were actually kissing your long time crush. You forced yourself to remember that it was all a show. That Wanda didn't mean it. But she put on a believable act and kissed passionately, even slipping her tongue through your parter lips to explore your mouth further.

When she eventually pulled away you rested your foreheads together to catch your breath and grinned as you closed your eyes.

"You're a really good kisser." You blurted out making Wanda chuckle.

"Not too bad yourself." She teased.

"I hope not, we're gonna have to do that again." You smiled and instantly realized that sounded like a confession you desperetly wished you could claim. "You know because...Once probably wasn't enough to make it entirely believable." You rambled and Wanda nodded somewhat stiffly and let your legs drop back down. You wanted to say something to her, anything but it was all stuck on the tip of your tongue.

Just as you opened your mouth to speak, a small murmurarion of starlings flew across the lake, some of them skimming the water then gaining height again as they got closer to you and Wanda. You both ducked instinctively as they flew over your heads and off towards the forest again as you watched them in awe until they disappeared. You glanced up at the sky and noticed the sun had gone behind a cloud, ableing you to continue looking up at the other birds higher up.

You kicked your legs up slightly so you could lay on your back and outstretch your arms to keep you afloat in the water so you could stare up at the sky without hurting your neck.

You didn't realise Wanda mimicked you until her hands brushed against yours. She withdrew it as soon as you touched and went to murmmer an apology but you smiled and held onto her hand as you both lay watching the birds.

Neither of you had to say anything. It was a comfortable and peaceful silence that was occasionally filled with birds chirping or the sound of a calm breeze. Of all the things you expected to feel on that trip, relaxed was not one of them.

You stayed like that for a while until you were both snapped out of your daydreams by the distant yell that declared dinner. Well, you had to go back to them eventually.

Both of you took your time swimming back to dry land and only felt a shiver when you left the water and the breeze hit you. Wanda spotted and reached the towels before you and wrapped yours around you tightly. You thanked her with a small blush as you both sauntered up to the house where the mouthwatering smell of a barbecue greeted you. Your dad was leaning over it while shooing your brother away as he tried to offer his 'help'.

You and Wanda went inside to change swiftly and came back outside as the food was being placed on plates and your mum finished setting up the buffet. Everyone starter helping themselves and you piled as much food as you could onto the plate. You parents had asked what food Wanda liked and when you gave them a brief list you added in a few things you knew you both loved.

"You gonna eat all that?" Anna asked as she eyed all the food on your plate. Guilt and insecurities washed over you until Wanda purposefully grabbed a large handful of small sausage rolls and put them on her plate that was piled with a considerable amount more food than your own. You smiled at the reassuring gesture as she sat down with a satisfied grin on her face when she saw Anna close her mouth to stay quiet.

"Thanks." You whispered to her as you sat down.

"If you don't eat all that I will." She declared. You were pretty sure she went back for seconds.

Instead of disappearing back to your room like you did the previous nights, you and Wanda stayed with your family for a while after dinner. It wasn't to do with their company, more the mesmerising fire in the firepit you all sat around. You were cuddled up into Wanda's side with a blanket over both of you as you stared at the flames, smiling at their small flickers and dances.

"So Wanda," one of your sisters began, "are any of the other Avengers...you know." She nodded her head in the direction of you both.

Oh boy you though.

"I don't think it's my place to say." Wanda said because yes, a lot of the Avengers were queer.

"Oh come on, you can tell us." Anna encouraged as she sat forward eagerly.

"I could, but I'm not going to." Wanda continued to defy.

"Lay off it guys." You mumbled but was ignored. Your family took it in turns saying her teammates names in hopes of sparking a reaction, clearly forgetting they were facing someone who had been trained by Natasha Romanoff.

"Stark!" Claire said but was instantly shut down by the others.

"He's married!" Dalton objected.

"Could still be bi though." Claire tried but Dalton just scoffed.

"I suppose there's going to be more surprises."

"What does that mean?" Wanda asked with narrowed eyes, feeling protective of her teammates. Dalton met her gaze with his own challenging one.

"I just never thought one of the Avengers would be a dyke." You felt Wanda stiffen as you all held your breath. There was no way to tell what was going through the redhead's mind, especially as after all those years of friendship you still didn't even know what team she batted for. She was an ally at least, but would she see this as her battle to fight?

Upon getting no reaction, Dalton continued. "It makes sense why you'd hang out with y/n though, we always knew something was wrong with her but-"

"That's enough." Your mum snapped with a guilty expression she failed to mask. You swallowed hard and moved to get up, deciding you had heard enough.

"Then you're idiots." Wanda stated as she glared daggers at your brother while you sunk down.

"I'll have you know I have a doctorate-"

"Your idiots." She repeated. "There's nothing wrong with y/n, which is impressive considering she's grown up around you lot." You looked at your friend in awe as she continued.

"She's the most amazing person I've ever known, including any of the Avengers. She's everything that you're not and I'm lucky to call her my girlfriend. It doesn't matter what any of you think of her, I love her and I always will." She declared as shot daggers at each individual family member who had fallen silent. She took your hand and pulled you up from your seat to take you inside.

You couldn't get her saying she loved you out of your head. You reminded yourself over and over again on the way to your room that it was just an act. That the redhead was making her point. But God, how you wished it was real.

She was so gentle with you as she guided you through the house. When you got to your room and broke down sobbing she held you on the bed for a long time until your cries turned to sniffles. The thing was, you weren't sure what you were crying over. Sure, what Dalton had said had hurt. As did the confirmation that your whole family had always looked down on you. But you had known that was the case for a long time, you had moved on from it.

Instead, you may have being crying over what you didn't know and didn't have. How much of what Wanda said was true? It was all based off of something that wasn't real. What if she saw you the same way your family did?

When you stopped crying you became aware of Wanda gently stroking your hair as she rested her head on yours and held you close to her. You remembered the memories you had accumulated over the past few days with her. The kisses, the hand holding, the nights together, how she stood up for you like no one ever had. You loved her so much.

"I think we should go tomorrow." Wanda mumbled and you nodded into her shoulder.

"I'm not going to leave you though, you know that right? You can stay at mine and we'll watch more of those crappy American movies you like." She mocked lightly making you chuckle against her. "Whatever you want."

"I just want you." You said honestly. You knew you shouldn't have said that, but you were too emotionally drained to care.

"I just want you too, y/n." You pulled away from the redhead to look at her clearly.

"I don't think you know what I mean." You sniffed and she smiled at you fondly.

"I mean what I said earlier, around the fire." Your eyes widened slightly and you held your breath.

"It was all an act though." You whispered and Wanda chuckled as she exhaled sharply.

"No y/n." "I think I am inlove with you." She said as she took ahold of your hand and searched your face for any signs of a reaction to her confession.

"Me?" You questioned, not quite believing it.

"Yes you, idiot." You smiled and sighed in relief, not being able to find the words to express your overflowing happiness and numerous other emotions you couldn't quite pinpoint. You let go of Wanda's hand and brought them both up to cup her cheeks. You had done a lot more handholding than kissing in the previous few days. It needed to be evened out.

You closed the gap between you and kissed Wanda with just as much passion as you had in the lake, except all hesitation and questions were gone. Because you knew she loved you. Oh God she loved you. You grinned into the kiss at the thought and felt her hand fall to your hip while the other caressed the side of your neck in the most gentle manner you had ever seen from her.

When you eventually pulled away you rested your forehead against hers, a smile still playing on both your lips.

"Told you we'd have to do that again." You said and and laughed. "I love you too."

"Well I hoped that wasn't a pity kiss." She joked and you smacked her arm playfully.

"It definetly was not and I'll prove it to you by taking you on a date when we get back." You promised as you sat back to look at her clearly.

"Oh yeah?" She asked with a playful smirk and leaned over so her face was inches away from yours.

"Yeah." You said back.

"Well until then, my real girlfriend should definetly just keep kissing me." She said as she pushed you down gently and kissed you again. You smiled against her gleefully.

"Your girlfriend would love to."

#wanda maximoff imagines #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff imagine #wanda maximoff #scarlett witch #fake dating au

689 notes · View notes

harry-writings · 3 years

Text

Bothered

- A blurb in which somebody flirts with Y/n for the first time, and Harry lets jealousy get the best of him

This is a little Drive Me Wild extra for all your valentine’s day needs!!! I hope you enjoy :)

Masterlist

“Tequila, please. The best one you’ve got!”

Open bars at work parties are an absolute lifesaver.

Harry and Y/n have been nonstop on their feet since three, wearing their sunday best, talking to all the higher ups and other officials at the firm with as much professionalism as possible. And though it was certainly a nice break from the work setting, it was still a lot for the both of them to keep up with.

It’s nearly eleven now, the party near its end and the exhaustion finally settling in. But Y/n wouldn’t ever dream of passing up unlimited free drinks whenever offered (neither would Harry, but getting her home safe is his biggest priority). Besides, she needed to take the edge off, somehow.

The bartender smiles at her, his eyes looking at her up and down very briefly before making her drink.

She’s humming softly to herself, her fingers tapping against the bar, the palm of her other hand resting on the back of her neck and she looks around the venue, admiring the architecture and the chandeliers that hang from above her.

“How long have you been working for them?” The bartender asks as he slides the shotglass to her, to which Y/n smiles.

“Almost three years! It’s been really good to me so far. I must say, though, it gets a bit stressful and there are a handful of times we end up having to take our work home. But I’ve met some of the best people through the company, so I can’t complain much! Especially when this is the only job I’ve ever considered staying at for so long.”

When the bartender doesn’t answer, yet rather just stares at her with amusement and endearment in his eye, Y/n starts to get nervous.

She considers diverting her attention back to Harry and moving on with her night as if she hadn’t spoken a word at all, but she’s never been the kind of person to walk away from an uncomfortable silence. And most certainly, she has never found it in her will to escape somebody’s pressing and persistent stares.

All of it just makes her so anxious.

So, as an attempt to calm her nerves, Y/n throws her head back as she takes her shot of tequila, her nose scrunching and eyes squinting as it burns down her throat and settles in her chest.

“What about you? How long have you been working as a bartender? I’ve heard it’s a lot of work, remembering all the recipes and stuff. Whenever I went to university, I would go to bars and get drunk by myself and watch how fast all the bartenders made drinks. I found it mesmerising, really. Like an art, almost. A sport, too, I suppose, given how much you all have to think and act quickly yet unmistakably.”

Harry smiles softly to himself, a bittersweet feeling bubbling in his chest as he listens to her get caught up in her rambles.

She doesn’t do that much with him anymore, not in the way she used to. And it isn’t because she’s lost any trust in him, or because she loves him any less — rather, it’s because she trusts and loves him so much more that she doesn’t feel the need to fill any gaps or spaces between them anymore.

He doesn’t make her nervous.

She doesn’t need reassurance with him because she already knows how madly in love they are with one another and how they are undeniably bound to spend the rest of their lives together. The silences they share are comfortable for her, his simple presence enough to make her feel at ease and loved and respected without him having to constantly remind her.

And surely, Y/n still chews his ear off here and there, but he only ever wants more of her.

It’s a disease, his greed and longing for her. She is so enough yet so not enough at the same time, it kills him to think about it, but only in the best way possible.

But the smile and the admiration die down nearly instantly when Harry’s eyes catch the way the bartender looks at Y/n, and the way he straightens himself before her, and the way his bottom lip tucks between his teeth ever so slightly.

Harry crosses his arms at this, watching the way another man is drooling and fonding over his Y/n and not at all trying to hide it. And the sad part is that he can’t even blame him for it — how could he? He had done the very same thing for nearly two years straight.

So he suffers with it in silence.

“My goodness, I do love me a woman who can carry a conversation.”

Harry’s eyes squint over at him, his arms still crossed over his chest, his fingers twisting as he watches him blink flirtatiously at Y/n and the upward twitch of his lip whenever she flips her hair over her shoulder.

She only ever does that when she’s sweating, he knows this because she’s his girlfriend and he knows her more than he’s ever known himself. He also knows that Y/n thinks too lowly of herself to ever consider one’s kindness as flirting.

And though Harry wouldn’t dare to dream of changing anything about her, he does wish, just this once, that she’d see it.

Y/n blushes at his comment, but only because she doesn’t know what to say.

“Can I have another shot, please?” She asks as a form of distraction, but in such a sweet manner the bartender barely seems to notice. “I never get to go out to drink much nowadays, with work and all. So, I’m sorry if I order too much. Large groups of people aren’t really my thing. Not that I hate people, or anything. I guess they just make me nervous.”

And as the bartender pours her shot glass full of tequila, his eyes don’t make the slightest move to leave her. He’s gawking, looking smug as if he could ever stand a chance.

Y/n pretends not to notice.

“Look, I close down the bar in an hour. And since large groups of people aren’t really your thing, why don’t I take you somewhere nice —”

“Oh...”

“— just you and me, so I can have the chance to get to know you more? Maybe in more ways than one, if I’m lucky?”

Oh, fuck no.

Flirting is one thing, but listening as some stranger talks about wanting to have sex with his girlfriend is something entirely different. Especially when she hasn’t done anything other than be nice and considerate towards him.

He’s taking advantage of her kindness.

Harry can’t hold himself back anymore.

“Excuse me?”

And curse his fucking natural lack of emotion because it was supposed to sound threatening and protective, but rather, it must have come off the way any other customer were to grab a bartender’s attention because he looks over at him with a tight and strained smile, clearly laced with annoyance, with not a hint of suspicion.

“Yes, sir, what can I help you with?”

Harry clenches his jaw and nods his head, his gaze falling to the top of the bar as he tries — really, really tries — to keep himself together instead of knocking this poor bloke’s teeth in.

The urge is there, but he could never scare Y/n like that, or sacrifice his job for satisfaction’s sake — he was lucky he didn’t jeopardize it when he landed a solid right hook on his coworker a few months back. But to make such a rude, blunt, disrespectful comment to his girlfriend is too much for him to process.

But it’s not all anger. There’s something else there — something else brewing and swelling inside of him that’s never been there before. He can’t identify it no matter how hard he tries.

“It would help me tremendously, actually, if you were to stop asking to sleep with my girlfriend right in front of me.”

It’s silent for a moment, the air thick with tension as the bartender looks both between Harry and Y/n, Y/n and Harry. He looks weary of it, as if it were so impossible for her to ever be seen with somebody like him.

“You’re with him?” He asks Y/n, as if Harry’s word wasn’t enough and it nearly throws him off the deep end.

Y/n’s eyes blink with confusion and shock as she tries to adjust herself to her surroundings. Everything happened so quickly to her, she feels like she can’t keep up.

Harry senses this — he senses her uncertainty and uneasiness and takes notice in the way her fingers begin to grip at her shot glass a bit tighter. Confrontation and arguments are not Y/n’s strong suit and in the hands of either one, she is defenseless.

“Is my word not enough for you?”

The bartender lifts his hands up in defense, his eyebrows raised as if somehow proving a point he’s clearly been missing. “Can’t blame me for assuming she’s single, you’re sitting next to the prettiest girl on earth and you look like you couldn’t even be bothered.”

Harry’s hands turn to fists, his jaw clenching and eyebrows twitching as he hears him speak all the words he’d rather die than hear spoken again.

How a complete stranger can cut a wound so deep within him is unfathomable, but here he is, bleeding out with all his insecurities and flaws and weaknesses along with it. And it pains him. It hurts and if one more wrong word is spoken, he’ll fall victim to all the darkest parts of himself.

He can’t risk that, not around Y/n.

“I would highly suggest you stop talking now —”

“You aren’t even interested in her! I gave her more attention in the last ten minutes than you’ve given her all night!”

“Hey.” Y/n cuts in with pouted lips, her face fallen as her voice quivers at the argument brewing in front of her. “That’s not true. He — he’s been beside me all night. I thought it was — I thought it was obvious.”

“Doesn’t matter anymore. We’re going home.”

Harry’s tone is unlike anything she’s ever heard. It’s stern, harsh, laced with impatience as he stands from his barstool and scrambles to gather her belongings.

And Y/n’s at a loss, just standing against the bar helplessly, looking at Harry with tearful eyes and shaking lips. He has never been this angry at her before and she doesn’t know how to fix it. Talking was what got them into this mess, she’s sure talking won’t get themselves out of it.

But it doesn’t hurt to try.

“Wait, H. I’m sorry, I —”

“That’s enough, now. We’re making our last rounds and then we’re going straight home.”

That was the first time he’s ever interrupted her.

It isn’t until Harry starts the car that Y/n breaks the silence.

“H, I didn’t know he was going to ask me out on a date.” She speaks with a voice small and shoulders slumped as she tries desperately to fix all the trust she has broken. “I was just trying to be nice and —”

“Not now, Y/n, please.”

She realizes the severity of the situation when he doesn’t call her a pet name.

Her eyes fill with tears, fully aware that even when he was most upset with her, he never interrupted her while talking or avoided her gaze like it was the last thing he ever wanted to see. He’s doing both right now and to say that it hurt her is an understatement.

He’s sick of hearing me speak. He’s angry at me for talking too much to everybody and not noticing the consequences. He’s tired of listening to me make excuses for myself when I’m never going to change. He doesn’t want this anymore.

Her mind can’t help but to think such things, and though deep down in her heart she knows he’d never feel that way towards her, words of her past can’t help but torment her in the heat of this moment. Because this is so different than how it usually is with him, and it all started with her.

Harry can feel how much of a toll his words took on her, but he doesn’t know what to say. He is feeling so many things, and processing so much, he feels like he’s lost himself. All sense of everything else had left him the second the bartender spoke the words he always feared to hear.

You’re sitting next to the prettiest girl on earth and you look like you couldn’t even be bothered.

He knows it isn’t true, and he also knows she knows it isn’t true, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less.

To know other people see it that way devastates him. He doesn’t date Y/n to look uninterested in her, or bored of her, or tired to be with her — he dates Y/n because he wants to show her off, desires to make her and everybody else see how in love with her he is, to make it known she never has to walk this world alone.

To know he has failed to do that simply by being himself is a lot for him to take in.

He sighs, ripping off his glasses so his other hand can rub at his burning eyes before settling the both of them back on the steering wheel, his gaze still set on the windshield.

“I’m sorry for not letting you finish talking, twice now. It wasn’t right and I know what that does to you. And I’m not angry or upset with you, either. I’m just — I’m just not in the mood right now, alright? I need some time to think.”

Y/n nods, fearing that whatever words she chooses to speak will only make it worse.

Neither of them talk the rest of the way home, but that doesn’t mean Harry doesn’t reach his hand over to her thigh to squeeze at it three times, as if to tell her he loves her.

It isn’t until they make it into their bedroom that Harry starts to let it all out.

He’s pacing, his hands fidgeting with his clothes and running through his hair, his eyes wild but still refusing to look at her, muttering curses under his breath but nothing directly towards her just yet.

Y/n’s standing by the dresser, taking off her remaining jewelry and allowing him his time to dwell on his feelings. He needs this. She knows she’s the only person that he’ll ever show this kind of emotion to — he couldn't even show it to himself — so she listens, smiles sympathetically at him here and there, refusing to leave his side until this is all figured out.

He huffs before letting out a sickened laugh.

“Who the hell does he think he is? Telling me I’m not interested in you. I can’t be walking around kissing and hovering and touching all over you at a work party, I respect you too much. But he wouldn’t know a damn thing about that, would he?”

He throws his suit jacket down on the bed, only allowing himself one beat of a moment to shake his head before his hands start to fidget again, pacing around the foot of the bed to try and understand his primary emotion.

He feels a million and ten different emotions scrambling within him at once, he can’t make sense of them. Whether he’s angry, or sad, or hurt, or insecure, or humiliated… he doesn’t know. It all feels the same yet all feels so different. He is utterly lost in all of them.

“Then proceeds to have the nerve to say he’s given you more attention than I have. What the fuck does that even mean? All he does is serve you two drinks and speak one sentence. I give you all my time, all my company, all my attention, and somehow he thinks he’s better for you than me?”

And it hits her.

No wonder he’s been acting so different towards her and so quiet despite him not blaming her for what happened — he’s jealous, which is the exact reason he doesn’t have an understanding with it.

She’s his first girlfriend, and until now, there had never been any reason for him to feel this way.

But as sick and twisted as it sounds, Y/n’s heart warms at the thought of it. Because never once has someone ever had a problem with letting her go. Her loss never affected anybody around her, and so nobody had ever feared it.

To know that out of all people, it’s him who does, means everything to her.

She hums at him, an all too knowing smile on her face as she makes her way to her frantic lover, who stills when he notices her closeness.

Her hands rest at his chest, rubbing at it over his dress shirt, just the way he likes. It reminds him of the night of their first date — when she gave into her cravings and put her hands nearly everywhere they could touch — and so she always goes back to that very first moment.

It never fails him.

“It’s okay, lovebug.” Y/n smiles softly at him, her voice even more soft and tender than usual as she tries to get him to relax.

Her hands slither down the hem of his trousers, her fingers resting just above the swell of his bum and pulling him in closer to her. And he wraps his arms around her shoulders, a heavy sigh leaving his lips before bringing his chest toward her cheek for it to nest in.

“Don’t let somebody get the best of you. Especially when they don’t know anything about you or me or our relationship. We know what we are and what we have, it doesn’t matter what he thinks is better for me. I have what’s best. Forever.”

He sighs, the weight of the night lifting from him slightly, but not enough.

He rests his chin on the top of her head, his eyes on the verge of being soaked with tears. Because though he knows her words to be true, he just can’t seem to shake what’s rattling in his bones and picking at his skin.

He wants it all to be okay, and it almost is, just not fully. And it’s killing him from the inside out.

“It’s a new feeling for me.” Harry confesses sadly, trying to think of the right words to say to explain what’s burning in his chest. “It hurts me to feel it. I’m so comfortable and confident in you and yet somehow I can’t — I can’t stop thinking about you and that fucking bartender and him touching you and making you laugh and —”

“You’re jealous.”

She pulls away from him slightly, her eyes looking up at him softly and sympathetically. He gives into her gaze for only a beat longer before looking away from her again, unable to take it.

It all makes sense — the unfamiliar feelings, the scrambling of emotions, the sensitivity to the words that had been spoken about him. His relationship had been threatened for the first time since it started, how could he not be?

“Of course I’m jealous. Which is absolutely horrible because you look so pretty yet it hurts too much to look at you.”

She chuckles, a playful smirk on her face as she reaches her hands up to his cheeks. And she turns his head to the side, forcing his eyes to look into hers as she rubs her thumb along his cheekbones.

Even like this, he is the most perfect man she’s ever seen. She has loved this person longer than she has loved anything else, how he could ever feel jealous of anybody is absolutely beyond her. He is all she will ever need, and everything she will ever want.

He is the only person that has ever deserved her.

“Baby, you have nothing to be jealous of. I don’t think, since the moment I’ve laid eyes on you, I’ve ever bothered to look for anybody else.” His breath faults, then, his heart dropping as if it were falling in love all over again.

And just like that, the hurt is gone.

“I’m yours, H. I have always been yours.”

He wants her to keep going, so instead of answering, he taps the back of her thigh twice. He’s never done so outside of sex, but he needs her all over him, holding him, hanging onto him. He needs it now more than ever.

She giggles, understanding exactly what he wants before jumping up until her legs are wrapped around his waist and her arms are looped around his neck. He catches her instantly, snuggling his face into the crook of her neck and kissing at the exposed skin.

She loves how much her words have an affect on him.

“I love you so much. I always will. No matter how many sleazy men ask me to sleep with them.”

He whines, lifting his head from her shoulder before looking at her with sad eyes and pouted lips at the subtle reminder that somebody else thought of her that way. Only he has, only he can, it doesn’t matter the circumstance.

She’s his.

She smiles down at him with a small blush on her cheeks, her arms unwrapping from his neck so her hands can grip his face again.

“I sleep with you. Every night. In more ways than one.” She kisses at his lips. “Cause I’m lucky.”

And for the first time tonight, he smiles. And as if that wasn’t enough for her, he laughs too — quietly, breathlessly — his hands rubbing all along her lower back and her thighs.

“Hmm... I am lucky, aren’t I?” Harry hums in bliss, his eyes looking at her fondly as she hangs on his neck in their home and it doesn’t get better than this. She had a man practically drooling on her lap and yet she’s here, with him, loving him, choosing him, just like she always has. “I do have the prettiest girl in the world. And the sweetest. And the strongest.”

“Too bad you couldn’t be bothered.” She teases, a smirk on her lips before her tongue pokes out to run quickly against his closed lips.

He lets out an almost sinister laugh, rumbling so deep in his chest she somehow manages to feel it in her legs.

“Why don’t I show you how bothered I am?”

#harry styles fanfiction #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagines #harry styles imagine #harry styles preference

1K notes · View notes