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#don’t live in the city proper yet but maybe we’ll get there some day
erithacusrou · 1 year
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Whew... I was incredibly groggy when I wrote this but I promised myself I would jot down some goals for the new year. I honestly didn’t prepare much for the end of the year, and I’m making this list last minute without any forethought or planning, so I’m not really cutting anything cold turkey or “starting fresh,” but more trying to build into healthy habits as the year goes on. I tried to list concrete goals too so I have something tangible to aim for, but I know I won’t be hitting those right off the bat.
• For starters, I want to eat better. Start out by limiting sweets to once a day because I have a terrible addiction to them, and add in more whole fruits and vegetables and varied starches. Less fast food especially. I enjoy healthy foods, I just have a problem about forgetting about them and letting them go bad... Or going for the easy/quick food option instead of opting for the physical act of making something.
• Leading in from the last one, I need to start cooking. I don’t particularly enjoy it because, like the dishes, it involves standing over the counters in the kitchen, which is painful if done for more than a few minutes unless I’m binding and wearing shoes (which I have obstinate objections to doing in my own home even if it eases my pain). But I haven’t cooked anything in over a year and I’m feelin’ kind of guilty and useless about it. Maybe I’ll start out doing it infrequently and ease into it with box meals like hamburger helper, and maybe by the end of the year I’ll be cooking weekly meals with everyone else? Doing basic meal prep instead of buying freezer meals? My cooking skills are currently limited to following instructions on Kraft mac and cheese boxes so we’ll see how this one turns out. I’m anxious to learn how to cook. Not that I don’t have good teachers and the internet to help me, I just know I’m gonna forget something on the burner or forget to add something or otherwise be hindered by my impaired memory, and the fear of failure is strong.
• I need to drink more water, and less...everything else. I’m constantly drinking something but it’s never water. I think it’s my need for a constant steady stream of stimulation, and sweet flavored drinks satiate that need, but I really do need more water. Less soda and more tea at least (dear god we have so much tea in this house). Current goal is to manage chugging water at least once daily, and keep my water bottle on me when I’m at my desk so I can sip on it as a stim.
• I want to keep up with my daily routine and healthy habits better. Taking my medicine, brushing my teeth, skincare, etc. I’ve got an app that I’ve been using to help me, but as someone with literally no willpower and an inability to manufacture my own motivation for things that are not novel or don’t have a deadline rapidly approaching, I’m going to have trouble with this one.
• Exercising... I want to get started here but there’s just so much information out there on this subject. I think I want to do cardio, strength training, and flexibility exercises. I live in an apartment complex with a Planet Fitness on the first floor, but my budget’s kinda tight, and I don’t really feel safe or confident walking city streets since people drive stupid around here and I don’t trust them. But coming up with varied exercise routines so I don’t stagnate and remembering names (and proper form) of different exercises will be my downfall. I don’t really have goals other than “be healthier than I currently am,” but losing fat and gaining muscle would be great. I hope I can figure out working out 3x weekly by the end of the year because I dunno how much cardio/lifting/stretching I need to do and in what amounts or on which days yet.
• Journaling. I’ve been doing it consistently since mid-December, writing down how I’m feeling and what I’m doing throughout the day, what I’ve eaten and who I’m with. My goal is to continue doing this. I’ve felt very compelled to write entries since I started, and the app I use has a tagging system to keep things organized. It’s becoming more natural to open my journal app when I’m idly thinking to myself and write it down, and I feel like having my thoughts to look back on will help with my memory maybe?
• In that vein, I want to plan better. I want to chart out periods of time to work on art and chores, setting achievable goals for me to complete daily/weekly/monthly. This requires me getting better at estimating how long it will take to do tasks, and improving my focus and willpower to get them done with minimal breaks and distractions (I may not see a lot of improvement in this area because of my brain funk, but I do want to try).
• I also want to share more of myself and not be such a recluse. Right now, I have personal accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr. I’m not an exceptionally talkative person, and I’m working on posting to those sites as a way to open up to others. I’m also hoping to make more of an effort this year to talk to people personally, like and comment on their work or photos or statuses, just socialize in general. I used to be much better about commenting and striking up conversation, but as my art kinda fell to the wayside because of my brain, so did my social life. Sometimes talking for me is like pulling teeth, and sometimes it’s enjoyable for me. Depends on the day really. But I’m trying to reach out and do more “unnecessary” things that I haven’t been doing because my brain holed itself up into only thinking about survival.
Art goals!
• This is the year I work through my owed art. I’m almost done with the project that has taken the longest.. Not that it’s given me problems per se, I just psyched myself out of working on it before I even started and developed a social media addiction fueled by my neurodivergency and just proceeded to do nothing of relevance for a few years because of it... I am recovering! I am working on it! Im hoping to finish the current project this month, and then finish my other two projects before summer starts. For 2014 me, this wouldn’t even be an ambitious goal, but 2022 me really struggled... it’s a soft deadline that I’m hoping will instill some urgency in me since I can’t find urgency in anything else.
• I’m also hoping to jump into giving Rou a real reference this year. I don’t expect to “finish” it because I’m a terrible monster and his ref is going to be several different parts (markings, hair, outfits, accessories, everyday items, palettes, etc), but I want to at least get a simple and complex markings reference down at least.
• I’m going to start making and sharing bad art. My instinct when I have a bad sketch is to erase it and draw a better one in its place. I want to work on sketching more, and keeping the sketches I don’t like instead of erasing and drawing over them. I’m going to work on allowing myself to create imperfect art, art that doesn’t have to be finished. Art that isn’t created for the end goal of a finished piece of work, but for the purpose of creation itself.
• Another goal is to learn more. Do more studies, watch more videos, learn how to use the tools at my disposal more efficiently. I don’t know how much new information I’ll retain, due to my aforementioned impaired memory, but art-related new information imprints on my brain more easily than most other new material so I’m going to be working on it this year. I’d like to work up to a small photo or reference study most days, but a more realistic goal looks closer to 2 days a week.
• For general art goals, I’m looking to start drawing once a week (since I’ve currently been managing like...once a month), with the goal of at least 3 days a week, working upward to 5 days a week when I’m feeling really ambitious. Nothing necessarily major, just at least a little warmup even if I’m not feeling up to intense work, to keep my mind active and flexible. This is going to be a lot easier now that I’ve got an iPad, but I’d like to to plenty of doodles and style experiments in my sketchbooks as well.
• I’m also going to work on looking at my own art in a different light. Right now, I feel like all my art is cringy and embarrassing, like people see it and they think I’m pretentious because I hold myself a certain way and my art doesn’t measure up. Or I feel like my art is just awkward-looking, like the poses are not quite natural, the variations in line thickness are not in aesthetically pleasing places, like I don’t use negative space and proportion well... I want to find a new perspective and try to see my art the way others see it, so I can gain awareness of the way I present myself as well.
2022 wasn’t really an awful year, looking back. I was the most financially stable I’ve ever been, and I felt like I didn’t have to panic about money for the first time in a while (I’ve got new car payments in 2023 so money will be a little tighter now...). Covid was the source of a lot of stress for me personally, but that wasn’t new of course; it just got worse because people stopped masking and started pretending the pandemic was over. And even though we lost our car, we were in good fortune enough to get another one in quick order (I’m very thankful for that). It could have been a lot worse. My family is all safe and doing well, I wake up under the same roof with some of the most important people in my life, my pets are all happy and healthy, and I have space to create and enjoy the things that make me happy. I hope the new year delivers the same to everyone else.
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glapplebloom · 1 year
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Two of the Four Grandfathers of the Beat ‘em Up Genre, and a complete mess.
((Yeah, I put up the wrong logo))
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Both Double Dragon and River City Ransom share a lot of things. They’re both Beat ‘em Up Games where you play one of two males to beat up an army of punks and thugs to save one of the guy’s girlfriends. Both owned by Technos originally but now owned by Arc System Works. Both have a ton of sequels that continue to live on today, including River City Girls 2 where the Girlfriends of the River City Boys as well as Double Dragon Billy Lee’s Girlfriend are playable. Seems like a slam dunk of a match. So why hasn’t it happened yet?
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For starters, let’s face it, both of them aren’t as mainstream as, let’s say, Mario, Sonic Doomguy, even Sans. Big in the 80s, but their star dwindled as their franchises still kept going. Maybe one day we’ll see it but if that were to ever happen, I am going to avoid trying to research this fight despite being the one to suggest it. Why is that? Well, they’re both a mess to research on. Let’s look at Double Dragon first. 
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Double Dragon
The first game of the series has you play as Billy or Jimmy Lee to beat up an army of gang members. You already know that. And at the end of the game, after you beat the final boss, Billy gets to reunite with his girlfriend… After you fight your brother to the death. Yeah, only one of you can actually win the game. So it is implied at best as she’s seeing the both of them. I don’t even want to mention the worst of it. No wonder she decided to train herself to not get in a situation like that again.
Then we get the sequel where despite fighting each other they’re both alive and on a quest to get revenge for Marian being placed in a refrigerator. Part 3, they’re looking for stones. And then there’s Super Double Dragon where Marian is alive and a police woman while the two brothers have a dojo to run. And then Part 5 is based on the cartoon. Yeah, the 5th Double Dragon Game is based on the cartoon. And that has its own continuity and mythology including magic swords and the like. And the 6th game is based on the movie!!!!
Then there’s Double Dragon Neon. You think this could possibly be a remake of the original only to make it look more 80s but then you got Skullmageddon, aliens, robot bodysuits and a whole bunch of wacky stuff. And 25 years later after releasing Double Dragon 5, they would release Double Dragon 4. So Double Dragon 4 is the 9th game not including Ports, their crossover with Battletoads or their appearance in an NES Volleyball game. 
So that’s 9 games with varying stories, plus an Animated series and movie because they got game releases by the original people involved. And probably the ports and crossovers too since apparently they probably have major changes enough to warrant their own Wikipedia entries.
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River City Ransom
Now you probably think there’s not a lot of River City games out there. But boy, you better sit down because the Kunio-kun series is LARGE and VASS! Starting all the way in 1986 in Renegade where Kunio (Alex for us Westerners) beats up rival School Gangs. After beating up everyone he joined his school’s Volleyball Team to keep his body in shape. Then in River City Ransom proper, he teams up with Riki (Ryan), an old rival of his, to beat up people to save Riki’s girlfriend. And unlike the Lees, do not fight over her.
After some more sports stuff and a game based on the Edo period, Kunio and Riki get arrested for a crime they didn’t commit. So it's up to them and their girlfriends to beat up people and prove their innocence. Then there’s a whole bunch of other games which you would think lead up to River City Ransom: Underground where they’re adults helping the next generation of gang beaters but then River City: Tokyo Rumble came out and he’s back to a high school age.
Having more than 30 games out there which is surprising that they keep track of it all. But with Underground and Tokyo Rumble you got differentiating timelines. Not to mention River City Girls 1 and 2 bringing in Skullmageddon from Double Dragon Neon and Provie from River City Ransom: Underground into the senior students Kunio timeline. And of course he scales to his ancestor since they’re basically the same guy so there’s that…
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With Double Dragon’s mess of a timeline and Kunio-Kun’s gigantic series of games, not to mention the Gameboy Double Dragon 2 being a Kunio-Kun game originally, this is a tangled web wrapped in an enigma. Godspeed to whoever had to go through either series.
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delu-jean · 3 years
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𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞? (𝐏𝐭 𝟐)
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(Akaashi x fem!/reader) -> Angst/Fluff? -> 3.2k 
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Synopsis: Akaashi is strolling through Tokyo, and on that day, meets a boy who looks all too familiar. One whose eyes remind him of you. 
Part One: Is He Mine? 
Part Three: Is Her Mine? (Part. 3) 
Notes: Part two as promised! Maybe I’ll make a part three (haha >:)). Be sure to comment if you would liked to be tagged for the next part, and reblogs are always appreciated. 
-> Also, for those tagged in this post, I’ll tag you in the next as well ^^ 
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“Y/n...please tell me.” 
“T-tell you what?” you asked nervously, as he felt just the same. Inhaling his breath, hoping he could keep calm. 
“Is...is he mine?” 
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“Is he who’s?” 
“Mine Y/n...is he mine?” 
You stared at the gentleman. Though his question was reasonable (?), that was the first thing he was going to ask you?...after all of those years?...years of torment, resentment, and whatever else. Maybe you were overreacting, but yet again, you were a woman who stood by her morals. And that being the case, your instincts had said your reaction was as reasonable as his question. 
Some part of you wanted to snap. To holler at Akaashi for asking such a ridiculous question, yet the other part...was scared. You felt anxious when thinking of a proper answer. Was Ryu his?.... If taken out of context, he could’ve been asking if Ryu belonged to him, and of course he didn’t. Ryu wasn’t an object that could be owned by merely anyone. He was his own person, and that being the case, wasn’t something that could’ve been held down. Yet even though you could’ve interpreted it that way, you knew what Akaashi really meant. Yet you didn’t exactly have an answer. 
“Ryu?” 
“Yeah...” 
Akaashi seemed suspicious. He could tell you were hiding something, and even though very obvious, he didn’t want to assume. Hoping that you would confirm things so that you both could talk it out. Yet here you were, not giving him a response. He was confused to say the least, shouldn’t the answer have been easy? Ryu looked exactly like him, and plus, him not having a father was another takeaway. Using those facts should’ve given him enough confirmation. 
But then again, maybe the answer wasn’t as easy as it should’ve been. What if Ryu wasn’t his?...what if Akaashi had made an assumption out of impulse, because of a lingering feeling he had. One of which you sparked for him to feel. 
Maybe he was being delusional, and instead, was trying to make an excuse. An excuse to spend another minute, even a second with you there. Ryu was important to him as well. His or not, he respected that you had started a family, and was glad Ryu was a part of it. He adored Ryu, but he also admired you. Speaking of Ryu, the boy then clung onto you. He seemed confused about the interaction, and tried asking for clarification. 
“His? *GASP* Am I Akaashi’s brother!? Momma, you never told me!” he smiled happily, ecstatic at the news. 
“Eh-no dear, he’s not your brother,” you chuckled, for him to ask: 
“Then what did he mean? What did you mean, Akaashi?” you then stared at Akaashi. You knew he was smart enough to play things through, and even so, you still panicked the slightest bit. 
“I was wondering if you would be mine for the night, along with your mother. We could go grab dinner, or ice cream even,” you looked at him in shock as his eyes seemed determined. Needing an answer, and willing to get it in whatever scenario possible. 
“But what about Kuroo?” 
“Oh my, I forgot about that,” you then glanced at your watch. 
“Kuroo?...but how-oh….” Akaashi then thought about how you and Kuroo were very close friends. So close that sometimes, he would even find you hanging out with Kuroo, over himself. Though it wasn’t because you liked him (in that way), rather, you were both very good friends. Akaashi let it be since you both had mutual trust, and Kuroo was someone he was also friends with. Besides, Akaashi also respected your personal life with others, and so did you for him. 
They still talked till this day, and not once had Kuroo mentioned you having a child. But to be fair, Kuroo never mentioned you. That being because both you and Akaashi had broken up, and it would’ve been an uncomfortable topic. Still, Akaashi found it strange. If Kuroo knew, wouldn’t Bokuto have as well?...meaning that Akaashi would’ve known by now? His thoughts continued to trail as you looked at him in disbelief. 
You did have plans with Kuroo, but then, you also had a couple hours until he’d come around. Even so, you didn’t want to spend that time with Akaashi. He was one of the last people you needed to talk to. The grudge which still stood in your heart, clenched with each second he stood there. The anger which he had gifted you, was something that was eager to return. As you had thought this, you then stared at your son. He seemed thrilled to be with such a man, as he gripped onto Akaashi’s hand in excitement, saying: 
“Yay! We get to eat together!” 
“We’re going to have so much fun!” 
“Let’s try some bubble waffles!” 
You then remembered that even if you had felt that, your son instead felt joy being with Akaashi. And that being the case, you didn’t have the right to take that happiness away. After all, Ryu was not yours either. He wasn’t someone you could drag away from events, just because you had conflicts with a person. Though there were times where doing so was appropriate, was now really such an event?...not even you could answer that. But even though you couldn’t, his smile which brightened the mood, had answered for you. 
“Okay buddy, slow down. Fine, we can go with brother...Akaashi. We’ll meet Kuroo sometime later, just let me text him.” 
“Okay mom! Akaashi, Up!” you then eyed the boy, for him to insist regardless. 
“Please mom! He’s so tall, and I can see everything-” 
“Ryu no-”
“Sure, what not?” Akaashi then grabbed the boy, placed him on his shoulders, and secured his legs with his hands. You then sighed. If Akaashi had agreed, what could you do? You then texted Kuroo, grabbing your bag firmly as Akaashi spoke: 
“I know a place where we could grab ramen. If not, we could instead-”
“No, ramen is fine,” you said in a stoic tone. 
“Okay...then let’s get going.” 
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The walk to the outdoor stand was awkward. Well...for you and Akaashi at least. The last time you two spoke, was the day he broke things off. He never reached out to you during that time, and now...here you both were. Expected to have a lengthy conversation, and to enjoy yourselves. Key word, “expected.” Though it would’ve been nice if you both could have talked care free, it wasn’t going to happen. That event occurred when both parties have mutually moved on. From Akaashi’s perspective, he still had lingering thoughts, yet kept them to the side. Going on with his life as he expected you did yours. Though he thought you had moved on, you had thought differently for different reasons. 
Even though you both had your differences, Ryu was there. Entertaining the both of you separately. He complimented you one second, and played with Akaashi the next. You had never seen Akaashi so enthusiastic with a child before. Though he wasn’t going all crazy, and acting like a kid himself, he was being a lot more open. Talking back and forth with Ryu, giving nice remarks, and also rewarding him...with that beautiful smile he bestowed. 
Even so, you tried to ignore it. Remembering that this entire ordeal was for Ryu, and not for your observations. 
“We’re here. What do you want Ryu?” 
“Hm, could I get the one with Tonkatsu? I’ve been craving it all day!” 
“Haha, sure buddy. And...you, Y/n?” 
“I’m not hungry, you guys go ahead,” Akaashi then sighed, obviously not believing you. 
“We’ll get two Tonkatsu ramens, along with Fukuoka ramen.” 
“Sure, that’ll be $18.35 please.” 
“Debit-”
“Um...I can pay for both Ryu and I,” you said, as you tried scrambling for your wallet. Akaashi then tapped the machine, placing his hand on your own (the hand in your purse). 
“It’s fine. Afterall, I already paid,” you shook your head, but let it go as Ryu pointed to a table. 
“Come on! Let’s sit!” 
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“Akaashiii~!”
“What is Ryu?”
“How do you know mommy? Mommy would never talk to a stranger, so that means you both know each other.” 
“Oh...well, um,” Ryu was truly a bright child. One who caught on a little too quickly. He really did remind you of his father. Quick witted, yet wise with his tongue. Being certain to use specific words or sentences, to ensure/secure his curiosities. 
“Well...mommy and Akaashi were very good friends,” you replied. 
“Ahhh. So if that’s the case, why have I never met him before?” 
“Well you see-” 
“It’s because I live further away from you guys,” Akaashi answered. 
“But so does Kuroo,” Akaashi then pondered, and placed his hands together. 
“Hm, I guess you’re right. Well, maybe your mother has an answer,” the two black haired boys, then stared at you. Both were awaiting for an answer, and yet both had different intentions. One wondering out of pure curiosity, while the other...was waiting for an explanation. One which could clear up any, if not every misconception. 
“Well sweetie, sometimes good friends have to part ways. Everyone has their reasons, but most of the time…” you then looked at Akaashi. 
“It’s because it’s for the better,” his gaze was locked onto yours. The stare was unreadable. It didn’t feel tense, yet it was. Was it cold, hurtful?...you wouldn’t have known. But what you did know was that Akaashi was good, too good at hiding his thoughts. So good that when together, he would let things slip without reaction. Sometimes that was a great thing...and others...not so much. 
“Why would it be a good thing? You both were best friends!” you then placed a hand on his head, patting it gently. 
“Well...friends have to grow up. That doesn’t mean you can’t see them again, but, what it does mean is that you’ll have some time...alone. And that time...is used for you to grow.” 
“Ahh, I see mom! Is that why we don’t see Kuroo often?”
“Haha, no sweetie. That’s actually because we live further away. If Kuroo lived in our city-” 
“He would be living with us, right?” 
“Hm...I guess so,” Akaashi then looked in the other direction. There was no tint of emotion, just...silence. 
“Akaashiiii, the ramen is here!” 
“Oh, is it Ryu?” 
“Yeah, it is!” your bowls were then slid over. Ryu stared at Akaashi’s hands, and at first, Akaashi wasn’t sure as to why. Ryu didn’t touch his food, and at first, he was worried that the boy didn’t like it, but then noticed he was holding a pair of scissors. Pointing them towards the gentleman. Though confused, he then caught onto Ryu’s gesture. 
“Dear I can-” before you could finish your sentence, Akaashi started to cut his noodles. Making them bit size for the boy. It seemed like second hand nature, yet something new to him. Though, you would’ve felt more comfortable doing it yourself, you weren’t complaining as the job was now done. 
“Thanks Akaashi!” 
“No problem Ryu. Now, let’s eat.” 
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You all then finished your ramen. Though you had said you weren’t hungry, you couldn’t help but eat it. After all of those years, Tonkatsu ramen was still your favourite, and Akaashi still knew. He was glad that he remembered the littlest of details. Ones which may have been overlooked. Ones he made sure to be attentive to. Not only that, but he was glad Ryu had enjoyed the meal as well. He truly was your son as he had the same tastes as you. Akaashi found it quite cute, and found it even more adorable as he ran out of the restaurant, shouting: 
“Mom, Akaashi! I want to play at the park!” 
“Hm...it’s a little late buddy,” Akaashi said, for you to respond: 
“It should be fine. We’ll be over here watching Ryu. No funny business young man!” 
“Okay mommy!” the young boy then climbed the slide, as Akaashi sat on the bench. Patting on it, indicating that you sat beside him. And so...you did. Your legs together, hands as well, as your head looked down. He then sighed, asking: 
“Do you feel uncomfortable? I can move if-” 
“No...it’s fine. We’ll be leaving soon, so no need to worry.” 
“Is Kuroo picking you up?” you then nod as he did the same. 
“I see...so...how have you been?” 
“Oh...um...I’ve been okay. I’ve done better, but...yeah.” 
“Hm, I see,” you really didn’t want to be in this situation. Maybe for him, it seemed civil, but to you...it was awkward. Neither of you knew what to say, and neither did you try to hide it (successfully at least). Akaashi then twitteled with his thumbs. A rare sight you would see every once in a while. Akaashi was a well spoken person, and usually had something to say in a well mannered way. But when he didn’t, or didn’t know what to say, he would play with his thumbs. Hoping that something would spring to mind. 
“You must be having fun.” 
“Fun doing what?” he looked at you. 
“Playing with your thumbs,” you smirked, for him to put his hands away. 
“Not really.” 
“Hm...so...what have you been up to?” you asked, curious and yet not wanting to know. 
“Nothing much...just work and well, Bokuto and I still hang out from time to time.” 
“Ahh, really? I’m glad. You both were the bestest of friends.” 
“And still are,” he smiled, while watching Ryu climb the monkey bars. 
“Hm, you have a girlfriend yet?” he then paused for a moment, for him to answer:
“No...not yet. I haven’t found anyone interesting.” 
“Ah, that’s unfortunate.” 
Was it really?...you wouldn’t know how to think after today. If you hadn’t met Akaashi here...you would’ve thought otherwise. Glad that he hadn't found someone else, for his actions sickened you. Such a gentleman, yet someone so cruel. You would feel awful if he had grasped someone, just as tightly as he did to you. Sprinkling you with such intoxicating, yet graceful pleas, and yet he left you there to rot in such doing. Such a passionate man, yet that same person could find passion in such coldness. 
For the past years, you had found him to be utterly despicable. After that one event...you couldn’t help but think that. But even so, after seeing him with Ryu today...you couldn’t help but melt. The two were so sweet together, and even though you hated to admit, had a spectacular relationship within just hours. They really acted as the best of friends, and Akaashi seemed to enjoy it. Not only that...but his smile...it was one which was truly admirable. 
You then stared at Akaashi, while he watched Ryu. He really hadn’t changed. He was calm, quiet, and reserved. His posture was on parr with the rest of his body. His hair was styled more neatly, and actually, it had grown a bit, along with his height. His figure, a lot larger than what it was in university, and his cologne smelled of lavender, along with a hint of pepper. It was a strange combination, but it worked. He really had grown up to be even more attractive. And that being the case, it surprised you that he didn’t have a partner. Said attractiveness, along with the kindness of his nature...had drawn you in, and yet dragged you out. Leaving you in a confused, and undecided state of mind. 
He then took note of your stare, and grinned. Secretly glad that your attention had averted towards him, yet, he was trying to be subtle. You truly looked astonishing tonight. Even after a couple of years, you still looked the same. That same highschooler who he had fallen in love with, the one who had constantly supported both him, and Fukurodani. The only person who truly understood such a stoic man. That same girl he would forever hold a place in his heart for. Although, now you weren’t just a sweet girl, but now, a beautiful lady instead. 
Deep down, he would’ve wished for a space to open. Allowing such a lady to make way into his heart. Hoping said lady, would do the same. And maybe, just maybe...a prince could join you both as well. Making his thoughts come true in the utmost blessed way. 
He made sure you didn’t catch onto his stare, the one which he had latched onto you. His attempts were taken very seriously, as he didn’t want to make things too obvious. Unfortunately, you did catch him in the act, and turned away, embarrassed. 
“Hm,” he smirked, as you fished for your phone. 
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Kuroo ᕙ(`▿´)ᕗ
-> ‘Are you still coming?’ 
-> ‘Of course. Sorry, traffic delays. I should be there in ten.’ 
-> ‘Okay...see you soon’ 
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You were about to turn of your phone, to then see Kuroo text:
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-> ‘Also...don’t worry too much. You can do this Y/n, good luck, and I’ll be there soon.’ 
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You then smiled, and Akaashi took note, thinking: 
‘She’s probably talking to her…ah...’ he sighed at the thought, to then ask: 
“Are you talking to your husband?...you seem happy,” he smiled. Even though smiling was a happy gesture, he couldn’t help but make it the opposite. Making his grin, feel ever so agonizing. 
“Ah...well...that was Kuroo,” Akaashi then batted a brow, surprised to say the least. He’d only seen that look on you when you were vulnerable. Whether you were scared, or secretly happy. Regardless, that was only around him...not even Kuroo had seen such a stare. But now that he saw you in such a state, it made him question if you, and Kuroo were in a relationship. That being the reason why he never brought it up, and vice versa. 
“Oh...I see. So that means,” Akaashi then started to think. Yes, the younger child looked like him, but then, there was also resemblance between both Ryu, and Kuroo. They both had black hair, Ryu had a peckish, yet sweet smile (like Kuroo...minus the sweet-), and the bits of information fit logically. If you and Kuroo had Ryu, it would’ve made sense. 
Both childhood friends who had grown together, to then realize what they wanted after he...had left you. Starting a family, and being with each other?.... Ryu looked like he could’ve been Kuroo's, or anyone for that matter. But even if Akaashi would have liked to think that way, the connection was too uncanny to deny.
Even so, Akaashi was still suspicious. Wondering as to why Ryu would be so reluctant towards his father. Why he would call “Kuroo,” well…”Kuroo,” and just as to why you both lived so far away. Maybe you both had a situation?...but then again, wasn’t Kuroo on his way to pick you up? Akaashi was confused, and felt like he was over-thinking things. Maybe Ryu wasn’t his...and Akaashi was instead looking for something...that wasn’t there...nor his to compensate. 
“That means what?...” he then locked his eyes, with yours. Though he was someone who was hard to read, you could tell how desperate he was. His stare, piercing right at you, hoping he could get an answer. 
“Y/n...could you please tell me...if he’s...mine?” you then saw the sorrowful expression, which struck him. The guilt which seeped in, had dug even further. Not sure how to tell him, nor how to phrase things. Your hands clenched, inhaling slowed, as your body trembled. He seemed just as scared for your response, to then hear: 
“He’s-”
“He’s mine, Akaashi...Ryu is mine,” Kuroo said, for silence to then fill. 
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For Those Who Wanted To Be Tagged/Reblogged/Wanted A Part Two! ^^ :
@bokutojuicyass; @realbugmom; @exactlygreatlove; @instantdinosaurhottub; @suchagoodgirlxoxo; @nomadicadventures; @greenhoodie-mark; @n5koma; @animclarinerd; @personalficarchive; @sabrinakishi; @amecchii; @daffodilpetals; @lerougestvelvet; @notamazinglizzy; @akaashimarryme5; @m00ndust2​
->Sorry to those who tags aren’t working qwq 
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akaashisupremacy · 3 years
Text
Moments of Courage
Summary: Osamu Miya is a difficult ex to have. When your paths cross endlessly, you try to rebuild your relationship. Will there be second chances? Or just more broken hearts?
HQ Masterlist || Multi-fandom Masterlist || Read it on A03
Osamu Miya  x reader  
“Are you leaving this party because of me?”
Osamu calls you out from the tiny hallway of your friend’s get together. After locking eyes with him, you did your best to subtly scamper towards the door.
“You don’t have to go. I can leave if it’s making you uncomfortable.” he assures.
You shake your head, “You can stay. I’m not having that much fun.”
You begin shuffling through the coat rack to look for yours. You’re desperate for anything to cut the time talking to him, talking about him. The only guaranteed way for this to stop is to leave.
“Are you hiding from me?” he asks almost rhetorically. His brows are gently raised.
“Yeah, obviously,” you retort, “I don’t want to be seen by you or with you.”
Osamu Miya is your ex. After over a year of dating, he decided to end things with you in a small cafe far off his onigiri stall.
“I’m too busy,” he claimed, “You deserve someone who could give you more time.”
You reasoned out that you didn’t mind not spending so much time together. His job was time-consuming. You understood that.
But Osamu was unsettled. You didn’t mind cheering him on from the benches waiting for him to finish up work. You liked seeing Osamu do things he was passionate about. And yet he felt unsettled, because he knew this was the type of work you would not engage in.
Osamu pressed on, “I’m sure you’ll find yourself someone more worldly, more sophisticated in the city. I don’t want to prevent you from meeting someone like that.”
Something dropped at the pit of your stomach. Your mouth was ajar. He’s really trying to break up with you. It’s no secret that you preferred the city and Osamu the countryside, but neither of you seemed to mind. You’d both make the time to visit each other. You made it work.
You remember barely touching your drink. Listening to him talk was like having a ton of bricks dropped on your back. The sunlight pouring in from the glass window suddenly felt prickly.
“I just don’t think we’re a good fit.” he swallowed, unable to look you in the eye, “I think someone from the country, someone simpler and more traditional would be better for me.”
You don’t miss the yearning in his voice, the dreaminess for someone who was clearly not you. He’d always tease that you were a true blue big city girl. You liked the tall buildings, the noise and the fancy department stores. You thought it was a point of endearment, but apparently not.
It’s been almost a year since you last saw him. He looks so unaffected it irks you.
“I broke up with you respectfully. Why are you mad?” he scratches his head.
It takes all your self-control to not slap him across the face.
“Because you hurt me! You’ve hurt me so…so…much.” your voice hitches before you can catch it. This is so humiliating. He’s clearly moved on from you.
Tears start pouring down your face. You quickly hide your eyes behind your coat.
“You’d eventually realize that I’m not right for you.” he murmurs, “We’re too different.”
“You don’t get to decide that for me.” you snap, clenching your fists, “So is this is it? To make you feel better you’re going to date a small town girl to solve all your problems.”
“Well, Kita did introduce me to someone lately.” he unironically replies, “She works in her family ryokan (inn) and we work similar hours. I think we’ll understand each other more than we did.”
Your eyes narrow.
“There’s no point staying in a relationship that I can’t make time for. Why can’t you understand that?” he snaps back.
It is one thing to be left for someone else and another for him to dump you just because. Somehow you feel like you lost even if you didn’t even have competition. He simply didn’t want you.
Your face contorts into an angry frown.
You slip on your coat and grab the door. “Man, you are a terrible ex. Do you know how it hurts when you tell me how wrong I was for you?”
When Osamu regains his cool, he tries to reach out to you, “I didn’t mean it that way…I didn’t feel good that I could make time for ‘ya and so I let the relationship go. Because i don’t know…—“
“Well, this is all just theory anyways.” he says, “I haven’t met Kita’s friend yet. We haven’t gone out yet, just the two of us.”
You do a double turn. “What?!?”
“Yeah, we’re working all the time but we haven’t made the time to meet.”
You break into a laugh. He stands stunned and confused.
“You know what? You stay behind. You left the last time. I want to be the one to leave this time.” you sigh, closing the door behind you.
You don’t turn back to see the look on his face.
————————————— Osamu mostly works in the countryside which means that you’d be less likely to run into each other in the city. It’s easier for you to keep your mind off him and focus on your current life.
So when you see him in the corner store in place of a small fried chicken stall you used to frequent, you’re visibly shocked, appalled even.
“What are you doing here?!” you jump back, “What happened to the fried chicken stall that was here?”
Osamu looks left and right, making sure no approaching customers can hear your dialogue.
“I run this stall now. Kawaneshi-san retired. It’s a great location. I’m literally in a crossroad between a shopping district and some schools. The rent isn’t too bad and it’s a very busy location.” he answers in his usual no nonsense tone.
You make a mental list not to pass by here again.
He recognizes the look on your face, “Have I just ruined your usual route for you?”
“I thought you were a country boy.” you avoid answering him.
“Even I need to make a living.” he snorts, carefully arranging umeboshi-flavored onigiri in his display case.
Sure! All of a sudden working in the city becomes important after he breaks up with you!
You roll your eyes and curtly walk away. You got here first. You love this city. You refuse to let some onigiri-making man ruin your everyday route.
The days roll into weeks. You stick to your route and diligently ignore Osamu each time. After a while it stops feeling weird that he’s there. You feel like you’re slowly taking pieces of yourself that he broke.
It feels so good to start to be whole again.
———————————— Your newfound peace with Osamu is interrupted when he calls you out of the blue one evening. He calls to tell you that he’s sick and that he needs help running groceries. The nerve!
“Don’t you have anyone else?” you groan. Hasn’t he made friends with some other shopkeepers?
“I have no one else. There’s only you.” he coughs through his words. He tries to explain that one of his few friends is out on bereavement.
You let it go. He clearly doesn’t have anyone for today.
You find out that Osamu lives in the apartment above his stall. The space is rather small. He shares his home with some of the equipment and supplies from his store.
He must hate it here. Osamu always loved wide open spaces.
You open the fridge to find it totally empty. His sink has a few empty bowls from his earlier rice porridges. You understand his desperation. He had nothing to eat.
Moved by his situation and the little compassion for him that remains in you, you sigh and begin chopping up some vegetables to make a nutritious broth. You add in some mushrooms and root crops. While the soup boils, you prepare rice and some pickles.
The faster he recovers, the less you have to interact with him.
When you bring him a tray of food in his room, he is equal parts surprised and confused.
“You can cook?” he clears his throat.
“No, Osamu.” you roll your eyes, “I eat all my food raw.”
He sits up and sniffs the aroma of your food through his clogged nose. He dips a spoon into the soup to sample his first meal of the day.
“I mean you can cook well, like a proper home cook.” he says, his eyes wide with awe. He quickly takes a few more sips and starts on his rice.
“I’ve never known.” he croaks, turning to you.
“You never asked,” you shrug, “And you like to do the cooking yourself. You probably assumed I can’t cook, because I’m not as passionate about food as you are.”
He quietly eats and looks away to confirm the truth in your statement.
You sigh and take a nearby basin with some towels in it. “I’ll leave after I bring the basin back.”
——————————————- Something changes in your relationship with Osamu after that incident. He starts to greet you when you walk by and sometimes offers you onigiri from his store.
You always insist on paying. He doesn’t always take it.
“You’re here to make a living.” you say as you push money into his hands.
In between these exchanges you start to ask about each other again. How are you doing? Was today busy? Stuff like that.
Slowly and surely, you two were rebuilding your relationship ground up. But it was tough. Neither of you went beyond these interactions. Maybe things are just meant to stay that way.
One late evening, the last customer for the day disappears out of Osamu’s line of sight when he heads into the back to start cleaning up. He’s about to start pulling down the rafters when you suddenly show up at his counter.
His face expresses his surprise.
“If it’s too late, I can just go.” you gesture sheepishly.
He’s always surprised when you come here on your own volition.
“It’s not,” he denies, “I was closing up too early anyways.”
You pick out your usual onigiri flavors and quickly pay up. As soon as you turn your back, Osamu stammers at you.
“I-I’m cooking up some stuff at the back. Do you want to stay and eat? Think of it as a return favor for the other week.” he refers to the episode of his sick day.
You’re caught off guard but you slowly nod your head to agree. You hadn’t had Osamu’s cooking in a while and it was getting quite late. He opens the door for you and you follow him towards the back of his shop.
In a messy plastic table, you see an array of salads and pickles with different kinds of miso soup laid out. You feel almost intrusive, even more than last week.
You set the table. Osamu fetches hot rice.
It feels unnecessary for you to be here especially if he is with someone else. You do your best to keep your mouth shut. This is a friendly return of favor.
Osamu notices how unusually quiet you are. He chats you up about work. He tries his best to be animated and show interest in your latest project. He asks about your coworkers and your work environment. Were you having fun? Do you get to eat on time?
For dessert, he brings out mochi wrapped in leaves.
“It’s made by the girl I was telling you about.” he remarks, while clearing the dishes.
“Oh,” your heart sinks. You get up and leave, feeling humiliated by your naivety. Of course he’s with her. You feel stupid for even hoping.
You’re about to walk out when he comes back in. “Apparently, she’s been secretly in a relationship with another chef in her family inn. They recently got married and are hoping to start a family soon. She sent these down to inform me. I suppose that solves the problem of having to see someone outside of work—”
He sees you standing. Confusion runs through his expression.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“Just stretching…” you lie.
You want to shoot yourself in the foot in embarrassment.
When realization dawns on him, Osamu looks crestfallen. Any energy left in his body abandons him. He sighs, resigned.
“It’s ok if you want to go,” he nods, “Or if I’m making you uncomfortable.”
He bites his lip and looks down on his shoes. The room is still and pregnant with silence.
“I really am just stretching. My hip feels wonky from sitting all day.” you insist with some renewed energy. You grab hold of the pot on the table. “Also, can we get some more hot water? Tea would be nice with the mochi and it’s kind of gone cold.”
He offers to make another pot, relief evident on his face.
“I’ll go heat up the water.” he walks to the kettle, “Are you sure you want dessert?”
You sit back down.
“Yeah, I want to stay.” you murmur. For once you don’t go running to the door.
He glances at you, content, a small smile creeping on his face. ——————————————————
Atsumu, Osamu’s twin brother, always finds himself in his brother’s kitchen every time he visits. He doesn’t mind too much though. It gives them something to do when they catch up.
“Samu, you can’t still be moping around your ex!” Atsumu exclaims. He’s washing Osamu’s dishes as his brother prepares for their meal.
“I’m not ready to get back out there.” Osamu waves dismissively.
Atsumu flicks some water his way. “You’re just not open to seeing someone else.”
His words clearly prick Osamu who throws flour into his face. Atsumu dodges right on time and flicks some flour right back.
Some flour grazes Osamu’s sleeve. He sighs and dusts himself.
“It’s tough, because I’m working all the time. This job doesn’t pay too much and it’s not glamorous. Who’d wanna date someone like me?” he murmurs.
“That’s why you gotta date around to find out!” Atsumu emphasizes, “Maybe you’ll even find someone who might help you with your business when you get married.”
Osamu obstinately shakes his head. “It’s not as easy as you think.”
Atsumu dries his hand and carefully observes his brother. He puts his towel down onto the kitchen counter and raises his brow, “Or maybe I should just give you advice on getting back together.’
As if right on cue, Osamu slams his hand down onto the counter, “I hate that we still haven’t gotten back together. This is killing me!”
Atsumu chuckles in satisfaction. He’s hit the nail right on the head.
“Why has nothing happened yet? I’m already in the city!” Osamu continues on, “They can cook too! Did you know that?! I wish we can skip to the part where we can settle down.”
He vigorously gestures in frustration.
“I cannot! I just cannot move on until I know I’ve given everything to make this work and yet every time I see them all I do is offer them food!”
Atsumu places his hand on his brother’s shoulder, “You need to be more strategic about it. Here’s what you need to do…”
———————————————————————————
Osamu takes a deep breath before knocking at your door. He holds a bag of onigiri in one hand and whatever courage he has in another.
One knock, then another. He hasn’t been this nervous in a long while.
When you open the door, his ear picks up on a male voice inside your house. Combined with your expression, he realizes that he’s come at an inconvenient time.
“I brought you something.” he tries to smile despite the sweat pooling, “I made you lunch. I just wanted to make sure you were eating. We don’t have to talk. I just wanted to give this to you.”
He tries to look past your shoulder, attempting to glimpse at your guests.
“Are you seeing someone else by any chance?” he blurts out, “I want to clarify before I make any more free deliveries.”
You frown. “That’s none of your business, Osamu. You should leave.”
Your frankness pierces something within him. He hadn’t expected to be rejected so quickly.
Osamu’s eyes widen and his mouth drops. He quickly gathers himself before he gets disheartened.
“I want you to give me a second chance. You loved me so deeply. Maybe you can find love in me again.” he says quietly.
“I thought I was too much of a city girl for you,” you retort, despite lacking an edge in your voice. You notice his hands tightly clutching the plastic bag.
The noise at the back seems to melt away. It’s like you’re back in that party, standing too close to each other near the coat rack and the door.
“Maybe you’re not.” his shoulders gracefully go up and down.
You shook your head wryly, “Osamu, I haven’t changed. I like my job and the city. I’m not the life and business partner that you’re looking for. I’m just a customer and we should keep it that way.”
“I can stop if you like.” he offers meekly, putting his hands behind his back.
“Yeah, you should. You’ve hurt me so much.” you cover your mouth with your hands while you try not to sob, “There’s nothing to go back to.”
“I’m sorry I ended things the way I did.” he looks away, “Seeing you walk by me every day feels like penitence…“
You close the door before he says anymore.
Osamu gazes longingly at the door. It’s only now that the full weight of losing you sinks in.
—————————————— “How’d it go?” Atsumu calls to check on Osamu.
Osamu sucks in his breath, his palm pressed on his temple. Atsumu braces himself, this doesn’t sound good.
“They had someone else over.” Osamu is seething in frustration and angry tears.
“Calm down. Were they alone? Or was it a friend group?” Atsumu ’s mind races. He sifts through the situation in an attempt to placate his brother.
“Yeah? No? I don’t know.” Osamu snaps, “They told me she didn’t want to talk about it. Your advice sucks!”
Osamu walks most of the way home. When he catches sight of his store, he curses. He had left his damn bike at your apartment complex! The universe is not giving him any breaks today.
He sighs and continues towards his store. He had a friend watch it while he was away. He’ll have to come pick up after he closes the store.
Throughout the rest of the day, he tries to push you out of his mind. By the time he closes the store, he is bursting at the seams with anticipation to make his way back to your apartment.
Before he sets off, he sees your figure wheeling his bike towards him.
“You left your bike.” you breathe out. You fish something out of your pocket and toss him the key to his bike lock, “You left this in your lock too.”
“Every time you see me, I just look dumber and dumber.” he sighs in exasperation.
You can’t help but burst into laughter at his candidness. He perks up a bit. He hasn’t made you laugh in a while. Of course he’d rather have you laugh with him than at him. Still, this was a start right?
"Did Atsumu put you up to this?" you chuckle, handing the bike over.
“Yeah, how did you know?” he asks dumbfounded.
“I just do.” you scoff, “It’s not like you to show up on people’s doors.”
He sheepishly rubs the back of his neck, “Sorry about that. It won’t happen again. It was a moment of weakness.”
Your eyes lower, framing the sad expression that sets into your face, “Yeah, it better not. I’ve moved on.”
You turn around to walk away. In a brief moment of courage, he cups his hands around his mouth.
“I’m not ready to move on from you and if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.” he calls out.
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Taglist: @itstheee-ha-chan @kaizumi @holaaaf @glxar​
Comment or message to be added to the taglist! I’m definitely making a part 2!
243 notes · View notes
teddy06writes · 3 years
Text
A Thousand Little Moments (That Help Me Heal)
Requested by @alphamoonlunala9391 "Can you do more parts of What Could Have Been Was Good, But What We Have Now Is Better please and maybe make the character a god hybrid reader"
and sort of @noctis-yeye
This is the Part three of You Didn't Need Us Then, We Don't Need You Now and What Could Have Been Was Good, But What We Have Now Is Better
Quackity x reader; Past mentioned Sapnap x karl x quackity x reader
trigger warnings: some swearing, existentialism? kind of? (Charlie being like, 'everything turns to dust so whats the point')
premise: it's like i said in the part two, its just gonna be a bunch of little scenes that happen in the two year gap, plus the wedding that would then happen at the end of part two for the last scene (no I don't really know how proper weddings go, all the ones i've been too were ~weird~ soooo...)
{to the asker who actually went in my inbox to request, I can't make reader a hybrid because its too late in the series to really change it}
{snowchester las nevadas conflict- we don't know her}
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"(y/n) from Las Nevadas?"
You glanced up from your work to find Charlie at your office door, "Yeah Charlie?"
"This place 'ill be around a while right? No- no explosions like L'manburg?" He slid into the room and dropped into one of the chairs in front of your desk.
You frowned, "How do you know about L'manburg?"
"I told you- I move slow, but I've seen a lot. L'manburg was nice- but then it was gone."
You sighed, "I know... I was there- all three times. L'manburg was my home before Las Nevadas."
"If you and Quackity from Las Nevadas want me to stay here- which it sounds like you do, I want to know: Las Nevadas will be around for a while, right? I don't want it to go to dust like everything else does."
"As much as we can help it Charlie," You glanced down at your desk, "I'm not gonna let another home get destroyed."
~~
You sighed, running a hand through your hair as you made it to the top of the needle.
Purpled was still sitting near the edge of the deck where he'd stayed after you'd finished the tour. It seemed the only difference now, was that behind him the sky was dark, and speckled with stars.
"You got room for company kid?" You asked quietly.
He nodded, and you quickly moved to sit next to him, "So what do you think of the place?"
"'s alright." He mumbled.
"Charlie wasn't enough to scare you off?" You chuckled.
He shook his head, "Nah... Where did you find that guy?"
"Sneakin around one of the restaurants." You laughed.
"He's insane."
"Yeah no, probably." You sighed.
Purpled got quiet again, turning to look back out over the city, "Why'd you offer me a spot here? You said it wasn't a job, so why actually offer it to me?"
You frowned, thinking for a moment, "I guess- ever since L'manburg- I don't want to see anyone else suffering on this server, especially not any more of you kids. You deserve to have a place, and people looking out for you Purpled."
"You keep saying that- but why here? How come you two are the only ones that say that?" He snapped.
Shifting to lean against the railing, you sighed again, "Did you hear about Kinoko Kingdom, when it was founded?"
"Yeah. Karl, Sapnap and George did that, didn't they?"
You nodded, "You know we were supposed to marry Sap and Karl once, Quackity and I."
"Really?" He scoffed.
"Really. Cause we'd been dating, and they'd been dating, and then Karl started hitting on Quackity, and in retaliation Sapnap was hitting on me- anyway, it felt perfect and shit right?"
"Mhhhm."
"Well then one day, right before doomsday, Karl up and disappears, and of course we're worried, but there's a war on. So once its all over, Q was devastated, cause everything he built in El Rapids was gone. He'd always wanted to just make a place for us. He disappeared too.
"Sapnap and I split up to look for them, and planned to meet up here. But- they never turned up. One day we come to find out, they went and started there own place-" You stopped, clearing your throat, and shaking your head, "They abandoned us. I don't want anyone else getting abandoned. This server tried to abandon you Purp, but I'm not gonna let them."
When you looked back over at him, there was a small smile on his face, "...Thank you..."
~~
"(y/n)! Guess who showed up today!"
You chuckled as you looked up to find Quackity leading Fundy toward where you sat at one of the tables under the needle with Charlie, "Fundy! It's so good to see you!"
"Hey (y/n)!" He smiled.
"Hello Fundy From L'manburg!" Charlie greeted excitedly.
Fundy's smile seemed to droop, "How did you know that...?"
"He knows a lot more than most people think," You said apologetically, "Anyway, how have you been?"
"Pretty alright, pretty alright." He nodded, sitting down at one of the open seats as Quackity plopped down next to you.
"That's good. It's good to see you're doing better!"
He nodded, "How have things been going over here?"
"Pretty good," Quackity grinned, "It'll be great to have another official partner on property. So far the only big one we've got living here is Purpled."
"You got Purpled to come here? Wow." Fundy chuckled.
You smiled, "Yeah, I think he's starting construction on a new UFO soon. You got any big plans for being here?"
"I'm not sure yet- but I'll figure it out," He smiled, "I've got a feeling that this place will be better than L'manburg ever could have been."
~~ "Babe, I made breakfast!"
You yawned, slowly sitting up at Quackity's call, "What kind of breakfast?"
"Pancakes!"
"And Purpled From Las Nevadas taught me to make the orange juice!" Charlie exclaimed from the kitchen.
You chuckled, getting up and tugging down the sleeves of one of Quackity's long since stolen hoodies.
Out in the kitchen, Charlie was setting a pitcher of orange juice on the table as Purpled set out plates, and Fundy dug around in a cabinet looking for syrup.
You moved over to where Quackity was flipping the last of the pancakes, wrapping your arms around his waist, "Good morning."
"Good morning babe." He chuckled.
You pressed a kiss to his shoulder, ignoring the overly exaggerated gaging noise Purpled made, "Keep it to yourself!"
"Keep what to myself Purpled from UFO?" Charlie asked.
"Not you idiot!" You could hear the eye roll in his voice.
Fundy laughed, sitting up and banging his head on the cabinet.
You smiled into Quackity's back, listening to the half chaos behind you happily.
~~ "Hey Ranboo!" You greeted cheerfully as he entered the office, "What brings you here?"
"Hi (y/n), I just wanted to ask you something."
"Mhhm." You nodded as he sat down.
"Well it's Tubbo and Tommy, I'm trying to help them with all the L'manburg Schlatt, Wilbur, stuff-" He broke off with a sigh, "I just don't know what I'm doing. They need help but- I don't even know how to deal with my own issues."
You frowned, "Is it nightmares? About the festival?- or Tommy's exile?"
"Yeah... how did you guess that?"
"I know a thing or two about nightmares," You sighed, "they don't really go away like that. You aren't doing anything wrong by not knowing what to do."
Ranboo stared down at his hands, "I just feel like I should be helping them more."
"You know what helped everyone around here? Creating a home- having a place or people, that helped Fundy and Purpled, and kind of Charlie? I still don't know his deal- Anyway! just be there for them, hell, bring them here, we'll all be here for you guys."
He looked up suddenly, "Why would you guys be- why would you offer us that? We're not in your allegiance."
"I know. But I don't think any of you kids deserve what this server gives you. Bring them here or not, you all have a place here if you want it." You assured him.
"Really?"
"Of course."
~~ "AYYYY Big Q!"
Tommy's yell cut through the semi loud sounds of the crowded apartment.
"Tommy! You came!" Quackity exclaimed, "Hey Tubbo! Hey Ranboo! And is that Michael?"
The piglin squealed, running past him into the apartment, toward Purpled's dog.
He laughed, "Well, come in guys, Fundy's getting the movie thing ready, and Purp and Charlie are getting snacks and things."
Ranboo followed Tommy and Tubbo into the room as Charlie came from the kitchen, carrying the bowel of chips Purpled had told him to bring out, "Hey! It's Tubbo Underscore Beloved From Snowchester! And Ranboo Beloved Underscore From {redacted}! And Tomathy Careful Danger Kraken Innit from L'manburg!"
Purpled, who'd stopped in the kitchen doorway, "Did he just make a bleeped out fucking noise with his mouth?"
"Yeah- yeah no he did." Fundy confirmed.
"Your middle name is Kraken?" You asked, shuffling out with a stack of blankets.
Tommy nodded, "Yup."
You laughed, "That's- kind of ridiculous, why would Philza saddle you with that?"
"Well 'es not my dad is 'e?" Tommy scoffed.
"Wait seriously?" Quackity asked.
Tubbo laughed, "You really thought...?"
You shook your head, "Whatever... Fundy what's the status on that movie?"
"I'm almost done." He reported.
"Right, everyone get comfortable then." You said, dropping the pile of blankets you had been carrying.
Quackity plopped down onto the couch, pulling you to sit with him as Tubbo and Ranboo began to make a nest of blankets between the arm chair where Purpled sat and the couch.
Charlie passed around snacks and Fundy finished setting up the projector as the move began.
~~ You sighed, turning and pressing your face into Quackity's shoulder, "Thank you."
It had been a week since Karl and Sapnap had left Las Nevadas, and your fiancé had insisted that you take time off of managing things.
"For what baby?" He asked softly.
"Everything. I love you."
"I love you too." He murmured.
You smiled softly, looking up at him, "How long until that wedding?"
~~ "You ready?" Charlie asked.
You turned to him, looking up from the paper on which you'd written your vows, "Yeah... I think so."
He grinned, "Let's go then!"
You nodded as he looped his arm through yours and you started toward the doorway.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of Las Nevadas!" He announced, "Here we go!"
You chuckled as you started down the isle with him, grinning at Quackity, who stood, looking already close to tears.
Purpled, Fundy, Sam, Tubbo, Tommy and Michael stood in various places around the alter, Foolish glancing down at the book he held open.
As you reached the alter, he started, "Dear people, we are gathered here today to witness the sort of? holy matrimony of (y/n) (y/l/n) and Alex Quackity. If anyone here has any objections to this union speak now, or hold your peace."
There was a silence, Michaels tiny snort being the only sound before Foolish continued, "This journey, which you have started together, will continue on now, as you walk, side by side, step by step, together, now joined in such a way that you can't really get rid of each other without a divorce."
Laughs and chuckles filled the wedding hall as Quackity shook his head, "Nope, you're stuck with me babe."
You laughed, "Good."
"Now, would you recite your vows?"
You pulled the paper from your pocket, "I'm going first. So, ever since we started seeing each other, we thought it would be you and me forever. Even after everything we went through, and even after Sapnap and Karl, its still you and me. I would say that its just you and me, but," You looked around at everyone,
"It's not just you and me, it's you and me and these guys. When we started this place, I knew that it would be difficult, especially with all the hurt that the SMP caused us. But, even as I was helping everyone here heal, you were helping me. Because you helped me find this family, and you- you gave me a thousand little moments that made me feel again.
A thousand moments that helped me heal."
290 notes · View notes
cheri-translates · 3 years
Text
[CN] Gavin’s Fragrant Traces Date
🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date, 香影之约, which has not been released in EN! 🍒
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[ This date was released on 13 August 2021 ]
Outside the iron fence carved with decorative patterns, a surprise guest waves his top hat at me.
Booke: Good afternoon, Mrs Bai.
A few days ago, Gavin and I were introduced to this Westerner called Booke for the first time at a cafe, and we talked about forming a business partnership in the future.
However, his uninvited appearance today leaves me feeling surprised.
I clench my hands in secret, though I shoot Booke a natural and relaxed smile.
MC: What brings you here? Come in.
I turn around, calling out loudly into the Western-style mansion.
MC: Gavin, Mr Booke is here!
I guide Booke to the sofa. Lifting my eyes, a familiar figure stands next to the door of the living room.
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Since he’s currently resting at home, Gavin is in a simple white shirt and overalls, looking refreshing, tall, and neat.
Gavin has a hand in his pocket, an imperceptible light flitting across his amber eyes.
Gavin: We meet again, Mr Booke. I’m very pleased to see you.
Wearing the smile of a wealthy and unbridled young master, he sits down nonchalantly.
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Gavin: No need for formalities. Sit wherever you like.
While Gavin says this, he pats the back of my hand affectionately.
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Gavin: It’s rare to have a visit from Mr Booke. Prepare some fruits.
MC: Sure. The two you can chat first.
Booke: I’m truly grateful.
I turn around and head into the kitchen. In the meantime, Mr Booke’s voice can occasionally be heard while they engage in small talk.
Booke: Mr Bai, I heard that you and your wife are newlyweds. Looks like the both of you have a great relationship...
Walking to a corner, I take in a breath while biting my lip. In the blink of an eye, the scene from half a month ago surfaces before my eyes...
-
[ FLASHBACK BEGINS ]
Superior in the Organisation: MC, there’s an important undercover mission for you.
As a member of the Organisation, my back is straight while I hold my breath, accepting my superior’s commands in the safe house.
Superior in the Organisation: We’ll be assigning a fake identity to you as a cover for our colleagues to transmit intel. Given that this is your first undercover mission, you will carry out this task with an extremely outstanding and experienced partner. In name, the two of you will be a newlywed couple, and a wealthy young master and young lady specialising in the double-sided embroidery trade with foreigners. Understood?
MC: Understood. 
Superior in the Organisation: Okay. In that case, meet your partner.
Right after these words are spoken, the door to the safe house suddenly clicks open. A tall figure strides in calmly.
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Through the glass windows, the setting sun gently lands on the sides of the new arrival’s face. He lifts his head, revealing the amber eyes beneath strands of hair...
MC: ...Gavin?!
An unexpected answer silently tumbles in my heart, and I widen my eyes in astonishment.
During my schooling years, I got to know Gavin. However, social unrest from a few years ago caused us to lose contact. I never inquired into his whereabouts over the years.
I didn’t expect him to be a member of the Organisation, nor to become my partner...
The excitement of the reunion blends with a secret sense of worry. It’s as though thousands and thousands of words have surged into my heart. Yet, the sheer abruptness leaves me not knowing where to begin.
Gavin stands in front of me, and he appears much more mature and determined than in the past.
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Gavin: MC, long time no see.
Lifting my head, I meet Gavin’s composed, thousand-yard gaze.
MC: ...long time no see. 
The superior doesn’t seem unfamiliar with Gavin, and he interrupts the pleasantries.
Superior in the Organisation: I heard that you’re old friends. I trust that there wouldn’t be a problem in rapport and coordination.
After this, he lowers his voice, quickly explaining the general situation of the mission.
Superior in the Organisation: The target this time is called Booke. He’s a Westerner, and is currently residing in Loveland City. On the surface, he appears to be a respectable businessman in Loveland City. However, he has intercepted a number of intel from my side, and has been selling them to our enemies in secret. In order to divert the intel, our colleagues have gone undercover. It isn’t difficult to get into Booke’s mansion, but we have to ensure that the absolutely safety of the mission, so we require a cover.
At an appropriate juncture, Gavin adds.
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Gavin: Our mission is to keep Booke in another location while our colleagues slip into Booke’s mansion. This is to ensure that our colleagues have sufficient time to divert the intel. In the north, there’s a family with the surname Bai which specialises in doing first-class, double-sided embroidery. We’ll borrow this identity to get close to the target under the guise of doing business with him.
I listen with rapt attention, my heart involuntarily dyed with a tinge of urgency.
Gavin: Time is tight. I’ve received the tickets, and we’ll leave in two days. MC, get ready as soon as possible.
Gavin pauses slightly, a faint smile surfacing in his eyes.
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Gavin: Here’s to a pleasant partnership, “Mrs Bai”.
[ FLASHBACK ENDS ]
After a summarised and quick essential training, Gavin and I very quickly come to Loveland City. In a little more than a week, with much publicity, we move into this Western-style mansion.
When we met Booke in a cafe for the first time a few days ago, our colleagues had already slipped into the mansion and located a portion of the intel. However, the remaining half is also important.
After a discussion with our colleagues, we decided to take action once more to perfect the mission and divert all the intel.
Since intel has gone missing, Booke would have definitely conducted investigations. His sudden appearance at the Western-style mansion is unlikely for the simple reason of paying a visit.
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After composing my thoughts, I bring over a food tray filled with fruits, sitting down next to Gavin. Gavin turns his head to glance at me, taking my hand in a natural manner.
Booke’s line of sight flits past the both of us, his eyes crinkling as he smiles.
Booke: Have the both of you gotten used to living in Loveland City?
Gavin: We’re still getting used to it, but there aren’t any major problems.
Gavin reclines against the sofa, his tone composed and bringing with it the slight arrogance and wilfulness of a wealthy son.
Gavin: After all, we do business. It requires extensive travel.
Booke: As expected, Mr Bai is experienced and knowledgeable. If you're in need of anything, I’d be very willing to offer assistance.
Booke turns around, then places a large leather trunk he brought along with him on the coffee table.
Booke: Since the both of you were recently married and have moved into a new home, there’s a need for proper celebration. Here are gifts that I’ve meticulously selected.
Maybe it’s an illusion, but Booke’s tone seems to make it clear that he will not accept a refusal.
Gavin chuckles, then responds without hesitation.
Gavin: Since these are the kind regards of Mr Booke, we’ll accept them.
At this appropriate juncture, I display the bashfulness of a new bride. On the other hand, Gavin asks a question unhurriedly.
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Gavin: Oh yes. Does Mr Booke have anything on three days later?
Booke turns to look at him.
Gavin: Since we’re newcomers, we intend to hold a banquet in this mansion three days later to establish smooth business relations in Loveland City in the future. To express our sincerity, the most famous first-class double-sided embroidery of the Bai Family will be displayed at the banquet. 
Hearing the words “double-sided embroidery”, Booke’s eyes light up.
Gavin: I wonder if Mr Booke will have the time to make an appearance?
This is the final action plan that we and our colleagues decided on.
Three days is sufficient for us to prepare a set of double-sided embroidery and a grand banquet, which will make the entire situation look foolproof.
When the time comes, we’d use the banquet to keep Booke away from his mansion, and our colleagues will seize this opportunity to slip in again.
I hold my breath while waiting, and Booke responds readily.
Booke: Of course! I’ll definitely be punctual for the first banquet hosted by Mr Bai in Loveland City.
-
At the entrance of the Western-style mansion, Gavin and I have our arms linked together while sending Brooke off. Watching his gradually vanishing figure, I release a soft sigh.
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Gavin: What’s wrong?
At this moment, Gavin has already stored away the aura of a young dandy, and returns to his usual composure.
In the meantime, I quietly release my hold on his arm, the warmth on my palm dissipating along with the breeze.
Gavin: Your complexion doesn’t look too good.
My heart suddenly stirs.
After all, this is the first time I'm carrying out an undercover mission. Faced with the shrewd and sly Brooke, I can’t help but feel some palpitations and fatigue. 
However, I don’t want Gavin to get distracted because of me, and I try my best to curl the corners of my lips upwards.
MC: It’s probably because I didn’t sleep well yesterday.
Gavin makes no comment. He doesn’t probe further, and simply smoothens the wrinkles on my shoulder. 
Gavin: Don’t worry. Regardless of what happens, I’ll share it with you.
Under his fleeting gaze, a strong sense of ease suddenly enters the depths of my heart, driving away much of the nervousness and unease.
Just as I’m about to say something, the clock in the living room releases a crisp sound - it’s 3pm.
Each day, 3pm is the time when Gavin would head to the study room to send confidential telegraphs. I immediately smile while rushing him.
MC: Got it, don’t worry. Go and do your things. I’ll handle things down here.
Staring at Gavin’s retreating form, I cheer him on quietly while returning to the sofa in the living room.
Opening the leather trunk, I display the gifts on the coffee table in succession. Mr Brooke has generously given us around seven or eight items, including blue and white porcelain, gold vessels, and a Western clock.
Even though I didn’t find anything strange after giving each item a detailed check, my heart constantly senses that something isn’t right.
It’s only the second time that we’ve met. Yet, he has sent so many items, and his degree of enthusiasm leaves one suspicious. Coupled with tone from earlier...
To play it safe, I check the gifts meticulously one more time. 
Pressing the Western clock to my ear, I hold my breath and give it a listen. All of a sudden, I detect an abnormality -
The second hand of this Western clock seems to be slower by half a beat as compared to normal clocks.
Harbouring an attitude of not missing out on even the smallest detail, I quickly dismantle all the spare parts. To my astonishment, there’s a tapping device hidden in the innermost part of the clock.
My heart turns frigid. Sure enough, the sizeable number of gifts were meant to be a cover-up.
Looks like the intel which suddenly went missing a few days ago has caused him to become suspicious of us.
I quickly get up, wanting to inform Gavin, who is currently sending telegraphs in the study room. However, I pause warily once I stand up.
The Western-style mansion may not be absolutely safe. There may be other tapping devices...
After a moment of contemplation, I turn around and head into the kitchen calmly.
-
Carrying a piping cup of coffee, I knock on the door to Gavin’s study room.
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The moment I push the door open, Gavin quickly lifts his head.
Clear sunlight streams into the room through the blinds, casting a gorgeous halo around him.
Since he’s currently working, Gavin is wearing a pair of golden-rimmed glasses. The dark metal telephone receiver is pressed against his neck.
As usual, he’s listening to commands through the telephone while sending out telegraphs at a rapid pace.
Likely due to the sheer abruptness of my appearance, a twinge of surprise is in Gavin’s eyes even before the focus in them completely slips away.
He know that I wouldn’t enter the study room during this time, unless something warrants an interruption.
Gavin: What is it?
He asks, without a change in his expression. Feigning nonchalance, I speak.
MC: I was afraid you’d be tired, so I specially brewed a cup of coffee for you. Here. Be careful, it’s hot.
Placing the coffee next to Gavin’s hand, I shoot him a wink.
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Understanding this to some extent, Gavin keeps the telegraph machine. He picks up the coffee, a natural smile in his eyes.
Gavin: You’ve worked hard.
Seizing this chance, I pull on Gavin’s hand, quickly drawing the symbol of “tapping device” on his palm.
Gavin stands up, pointing at his ear and to his right. I immediately understand this.
We deliberately converse about things to hoodwink anyone potentially listening in, and quickly split up to search the study room.
Gavin uses one hand to set the cup of coffee down with a loud and clear sound. With the other, he quickly pulls a drawer open.
In the meantime, I’m on the floor, doing my best to stay quiet while sieving through all the books and publications, and the bottom of cabinets and tables.
Behind me, Gavin raises his volume, his tone bringing with it a tinge of satisfaction.
Gavin: The coffee has a very familiar taste. Are they beans from the north?
I continue searching, sharp-eyed and deft-handed. At the same time, I lift my head, responding in a somewhat pouting manner.
MC: Of course. I wouldn’t leave behind a single thing that you like. What about you? You agreed to take me to the teahouse. When will you have the time?
Gavin chuckles, responding indolently.
Gavin: ...are you angry? Don’t worry. I remember all my promises to you.
While we talk, I check half of the study room, and have yet to find anything out of the ordinary.
I twist my head, meeting Gavin’s eyes. The both of us shake our heads - the sense of alarm is gone, and the study room is completely safe.
Releasing a soft sigh of relief, I place the items back in their original places. Without turning my head, I speak. 
MC: Although the danger has been removed for now, it looks like Booke’s on high alert.
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Gavin: We have to be even more careful three days later.
I nod in affirmation. Just as I'm about to straighten up...
MC: Oof!
Without realising it, Gavin has walked up behind me. Turning around suddenly causes me to bump straight into him.
My forehead presses against his chest, and the sudden proximity leaves my mind in a fluster. Just as I’m about to take a few steps back, I feel something odd at my waist.
Because of the accidental collision, an exquisite bracelet was caught on my clothes, and the other end is still stuck to Gavin’s pocket.
The bracelet which links us together further closes the distance between us.
I feel breaths on my ear. The warmth and scent belonging to him envelops me within.
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My cheeks grow hot. The more I try to untangle it, the more flustered I feel. At this point, Gavin reaches out, his slender fingers brushing my waist nonchalantly.
Gavin: I’ll do it.
Very soon, the bracelet falls into Gavin’s palm. Looking at it curiously, I realise that there’s a small and delicate pendant on the bracelet, which appears to be...
MC: Is that a rouge box?
Gavin: Mm.
Faced with my slightly shocked gaze, an imperceptible emotion seems to flit past Gavin’s eyes. The words I hadn’t heard in a long time suddenly resound in my ears.
Gavin (in a flashback): You like rouge boxes? I’ll give one to you.
Reminiscent of a small pebble, they course through the depths of my memories gently, stirring up ripples that only I know about.
The corners of my lips curl upwards involuntarily.
MC: I remember how I couldn’t keep my eyes off all the various beautiful rouge boxes along every street. Back then, I don’t think there were any girls who didn’t like them.
Gavin: Do you still like them?
[Note] In Chinese, Gavin’s question leaves the subject of what MC likes ambiguous. This means his question could possibly be interpreted as “Do you still like rouge boxes?” or “Do you like me now?”
Gavin looks at me seriously, his gaze clear. It leaves me unable to distinguish if he’s referring to what I liked in the past or something else.
MC: O-of course I do...
Gavin: MC, the things you’re talking about - I remember them all. Since I promised to give it to you, I’d definitely do it.
Even though he says this very lightly, I suddenly feel the air in the surroundings rising for some reason.
In an attempt to dispel the heat, I quickly take two steps back, face flushed as I turn away.
MC: Could you give this to me as a “memento of our partnership” after we complete this mission successfully? I think it’d be more meaningful that way.
Gavin arches his brows and chuckles softly.
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Gavin: Sure. I’ll listen to my “wife”.
-
Three days pass by quickly.
It’s the 6th day of the 7th month - the night of the banquet. Along with soft music drifting from the phonograph, guests gradually arrive.
In the large parlour paved with velvet, a rhinestone chandelier sparkles with a dazzling lustre, illuminating the guests.
Some guests are drinking and chatting merrily, while some are dancing gently to the melody.
Guest A: Mr Bai, I’ve heard about you for a long time. Sure enough, you’re dignified and impressive.
Guest B: Mrs Bai is also radiating with brilliance. The two of you are truly a match made in heaven!
Tonight, Gavin is wearing a well-ironed suit vest. A unique armband reflects a smooth arc beneath the light.
He raises and sways a glass of red wine leisurely. When he speaks, he brings with him the uninhibited and unconstrained aura of someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
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Gavin: I’m just a newcomer. You flatter me. I wish to offer a toast to everyone with this glass.
Everything appears resplendent and peaceful. Gavin and I have our arms linked together, our generous smiles laden with a deep undercurrent.
With an affectionate smile on my face, I press myself close to Gavin’s ear. However, my tone is frantic.
MC: It’s been 20 minutes. Why isn’t Brooke here yet?
Gavin lowers his head, pretending to brush the pearl ornament on my hair.
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Gavin: Don’t worry. Wait for a while longer. Booke has been inquiring about the double-sided embroidery for a very long time. He’ll definitely be here.
Right after he finishes speaking, a dull creaking sound can be heard from the entrance. The person we’ve been anticipating finally walks in - Booke is here.
Booke: Good evening, Mr and Mrs Bai. It’s the fault of my subordinate’s horrendous driving that I only managed to make it at this time. I haven’t missed out on anything interesting, have I?
Brooke walks over with his pot belly, several subordinates trailing behind him.
Gavin walks over to Booke with unhurried steps, a smile hooked onto his face.
Gavin: The banquet has just started. However...
Gavin pauses. With a wave of his hand, he calls over a wine server. He hands Booke a glass of red wine, allowing no explanation to be offered.
 Gavin: Latecomers are punished with three glasses of wine.
Booke narrows his eyes slightly. In the next second, however, he accepts the glass of wine and laughs in a clear, loud voice.
Booke: I’ve heard of the saying, “punished with three glasses of wine” a number of times since I came to this country. To express my sincerity, of course it isn’t a problem.
-
With three glasses of wine in his belly, Booke’s fingers subconsciously rub the cup when the wine server fills the fourth. He pauses.
Booke: Isn’t Mr Bai drinking too?
Gavin clinks his glass against Booke’s, and the both of them empty their glasses in one gulp.
Booke: The banquet appears to be going pretty well. The double-sided embroidery should be the finale, isn’t it?
Gavin sways the newly poured wine. The wine in the glass seems to tinge his face with crimson.
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Gavin: Good things are naturally left to the end. I heard that Mr Brooke has a set of furniture which was imported recently. Why don’t we talk about that first?
While Gavin engages Brooke in a conversation, he subtly urges Brooke to drink glass after glass, and the decanter is gradually emptied.
I quickly take the decanter from the wine server.
MC: There’s a bottle of red wine which was just shipped from Europe. I’ll let Mr Brooke try it. Give me a moment.
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Gavin: Sure.
Gavin turns his head, seeming to respond casually.
However, in the moment our eyes meet, the light in his eyes dim, and we converse without words: It’s time to take the next step.
-
Brisk walking to the empty kitchen, I fill the decanter with red wine, then carefully pour a packet of knockout drugs into it.
The powder melts into the wine in mere seconds, akin to how we’re in a race against time to carry out this plan.
The moment Brooke left his mansion, our colleagues slipped in.
In order to keep him in our Western-style mansion, the so-called “double-sided embroidery worthy of a finale” is merely a ruse. What we’ve prepared is simply a set of second-rate goods which have turned mouldy.
If our colleagues manage to obtain the intel quickly, they would send us a secret signal. When the time comes, we just have to find an excuse to stall Brooke, such as improper storage such that we’re unable to perform the transaction.
But if our colleagues fail to send us a signal even after a long time, we’d proceed to the next step - the knockout drugs will be used.
-
Returning to the main hall, I see that Gavin is currently chatting merrily with Brooke.
He gives me a signal with his gaze, and I grin while handing a cup of drugged red wine to Brooke.
Shortly after, as he downs cups of red wine, Booke gradually gets into an inebriated and drowsy state. I quickly call Booke’s subordinates over.
MC: Mr Booke is probably drunk. There is a guest room at the end of the long hallway. I’ll bring all of you there to get some rest.
After positioning Booke and his subordinates, I leave the hallway in large strides. Gavin is currently waiting for me at the end of the hallway.
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Gavin: Our colleagues have sent an interim signal. 
He leans close to my ear and speaks softly.
Gavin: I’ll take a look. Stay here. If anything happens, remember to protect yourself, and act accordingly.
I nod, and Gavin heads off immediately.
I’m standing in the junction between the hallway and the main hall. Although I appear to be observing the dancing crowd, I’m actually entirely focused on waiting for the signal that the diversion of intel has been successful. 
The minutes and seconds tick by. While I’m feeling frantic with my brows furrowed slightly, heavy and muddled footsteps suddenly resound from behind me in the hallway.
Brooke, who should be in a heavy sleep, is walking towards me with steady steps. His eyes are clear, and he doesn’t appear to have been knocked out at all!
My fingers tremble, and I can feel my heart in my throat. However, I immediately pretend to appear glad.
MC: Have you sobered up? Would you like me to brew sobering tea?
Brooke: No need.
Brooke speaks gloomily.
Brooke: Why is Mrs Bai alone in the main hall? Where’s Mr Bai?
Following his words, I scan the surroundings.
MC: I’ve been greeting the guests and didn’t take notice. He might have gone to the washroom.
When Brooke sees the Western clock not too far off, his eyes narrow.
Brooke: It’s getting late. I’ve been waiting far too long for the double-sided embroidery. Will I get to see it today?
Sensing the inquisitiveness in his tone, my heart leaps heavily.
MC: Just wait for a while longer. We’re planning to display it at 12am. It’d be the Qixi Festival then, making it even more auspicious. 
Brooke releases an icy hum.
Brooke: This might sound strange, but a couple of “rats” suddenly appeared in my house a few days ago. Earlier, those “rats” wanted to steal my things again, but my men managed to catch them!
What?!
My eyes widen slightly. Composing my emotions, I caution myself that this might very well be a bluff crafted by Brooke. 
MC: That’s wonderful! Rats are pretty rampant during this season, so it’s a good thing they were caught. It’d be troublesome if they were to bite and damage your goods.
Booke: Mrs Bai, you’re very humourous. 
He purses his lips in disdain, giving me a sharp stare, as though wanting to uncover something from my expression.
Booke: Let’s not waste more time. Those “rats” are waiting for me to deal with them when I return. Mrs Bai, you might as well bring me to see the double-sided embroidery right now!
With a fierce wave of his hand, a few tall subordinates immediately gather. Clearly, he has started to double our true reason for hosting this banquet.
Pretending to be shocked and maligned, I widen my eyes in disbelief.
MC: What are you doing... Although we’ve already decided to do business with you, there are many distinguished guests here today. The double-sided embroidery has to be displayed in front of everyone. Otherwise, how could we conduct business with them in the future!
Seeing that Booke is about to lose his patience, I step forward and pull on his hand, turning my head to the side and shooting him a grin.
MC: There’s still half an hour. Why don’t I invite you to dance?
Brooke is stunned for a moment, likely not expecting me to react in this manner. Seizing this chance, I successfully pull him onto the dance floor. 
-
As midnight approaches, the atmosphere in the main hall is reaching the peak of liveliness. Everyone is gathered together and doing various forms of social dances. Seeing that I’ve joined them, a number of guests come over.
On their accounts, Booke doesn’t take action despite the doubt on his face.
After a moment, along with the rousing melody, everyone collectively turns in a circle and swaps partners. Taking advantage of this, I put distance between myself and Brooke.
Just as I plan to find an opportune moment to leave the dance floor and inform Gavin about the situation, a familiar scent suddenly envelops me from behind.
Gavin: You’ve waited long, my wife.
A strong arm stops me from behind. Gavin retracts his arm, causing me to lean my face against his shoulder.
I can distinctly feel warmth emanating from Gavin’s chest on my back. The pit of my stomach relaxes instantly. 
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The fragrance of red wine continues to permeate the air. Western-style music plays mellifluously.
Moving along to the rhythm of the melody and after a couple of spins, Gavin brings me to a quiet and concealed corner.
Gavin: Don’t worry. The intel has been successfully transferred.
I heave a huge sigh of relief. But the moment I think about the current situation, I immediately turn my head towards Gavin.
MC: Booke has already discovered the gathering of intel and has grown suspicious. He’s now a ticking time bomb. To be safe, should we deal with him here?
While saying this, I draw a gun from underneath my cheongsam.
In the next second, Gavin’s hand slides to my waist. He presses down on the gun in my hand, and continues to hold me as we slow dance to the music.
Gavin: I know. But nothing can happen to him while everyone’s watching.
MC: But...
As we sway gently and slowly, Gavin leans in close to my ear, strands of hair brushing my cheek gently. Although his voice is soft, it’s very clear.
Gavin: Our colleagues who slipped into Booke’s mansion discovered important leads. The Organisation has decided to bring him back for a confidential interrogation. Right now, they should have already slipped into the crowd.
MC: So the reason why you left earlier...?
Gavin: Mm. Everyone has been deployed.
MC: What do we do now?
While dancing, the crowd gathers near the entrance. The rhinestone chandelier hanging several metres above them glistens with light.
The corners of Gavin’s lips hook upwards confidently. Light falls into his eyes, reflecting a vigour even brighter than the colour of amber.
Gavin: Very simple - create disorder. Like this.
Gavin takes the gun from my hand. Accompanying the high-spirited music, he unfolds his arm. Following the movements of the dance, he naturally and quickly twirls me around and pulls me to him.
Using the curtain at this corner as a cover, Gavin lifts the gun. In a swift movement, he fires at the rhinestone chandelier!
“CRASH!”
A loud shattering sound can be heard. In an instant, the main hall descends into shock and darkness. Even though nobody is hurt, everyone frantically surge towards the entrance.
Booke is clearly taken by surprise too, and is protected by his subordinates as they run to the entrance.
Sharp-eyed and deft-handed, Gavin rushes over to Brooke, pulling on his arm and speaking softly.
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Gavin: This place isn’t safe. Let’s leave.
Booke follows along for a few steps. However, when the crowd in the surroundings turn sparse, he halts in doubt, attempting to break free from Gavin’s grasp.
Without waiting for him to make a further move, Gavin has already clamped down on him, then engages in a bare fist fight with his subordinates!
Although the other parties are swift and violent, Gavin is faster, and he nimbly evades them before swinging his leg, causing the subordinates to fall to the ground one by one.
In one smooth sweep, Booke is brought under control.
Our reinforcements arrive on time. Pretending to be here to provide support, they take advantage of the chaos and carry Booke away.
-
When Gavin and I are the only ones left in the Western-style mansion, I release a huge sigh of relief.
MC: The mission is finally over...
Gavin lifts his head to smoothen my scattered hair.
Gavin: Mm, it’s over. You did really well in this mission. 
I smile lightly.
MC: After all, this was my first time doing undercover work. I’ve actually been cheering myself on every day. Fortunately, we managed to get through this daunting experience without any mishaps.
Gavin lowers his head, meeting my gaze.
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Gavin: Remaining this calm during your first undercover mission - as expected, I didn’t pick the wrong partner.
MC: ...?!
These sudden yet unexpected words render me unable to respond even after a few seconds. My heart thumps rapidly.
Crystal clear moonlight pours through the colourful glass window at the side, casting a colourful shadow on Gavin’s face.
Beneath the enchanting light, Gavin’s eyes seem to grow deep and serene.
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Gavin: I’ve been looking for you these few years. But the social unrest made it difficult to find you. It was only until I happened to see the name list of this operation that I knew you were in the organisation too, so...
Every word from Gavin drums against my heart.
Whether it’s because of this enchanting moment or the darkness, I’m suddenly filled with courage and blurt out the question in my heart.
MC: Why?
Why did you keep looking for me? And why did you pick me to be your partner?
Despite the abruptness and briefness of my question, Gavin understands what I meant.
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Gavin: What do you think?
Reflecting the tender moonlight, Gavin speaks in a slower tone, and faint anticipation starts to rise in my heart.
Gavin: Come to think of it, do you still remember the rouge box bracelet from that day?
Amid the mottled light, Gavin retrieves the bracelet from his pocket. The metal pendant emits a beautiful light beneath the moonlight. 
Gavin: Now, the mission has been resolved successfully. It’s time for this bracelet to be given to its owner.
At this moment, the Western clock suddenly chimes, interrupting Gavin’s words. The clock strikes exactly at midnight.
Light stirs in his amber eyes. When he sees my high spirits, Gavin chuckles.
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He lifts my wrist, the warmth of his finger pads brushing my skin as he carefully puts on the bracelet for me.
Holding my hand, Gavin looks up, his eyes reflecting a composed smile within.
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Gavin: I’ve put it on for you. 
In the tranquility of midnight, the phonograph plays a romantic tune.
Gavin pauses for a moment, then leans in close.
My heart thumps, and it feels as though it’s about to leap out. My eyes are wide open, absorbed in that pair of eyes which reflect the moonlight. 
Gavin: Although it came a little late, it isn’t too late. Happy Qixi Festival.
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👓 Calls and Moments: here
👓 Translated comics based on this date:
✧ by norelle-n
✧ by 喵哦哦哦哦哦
👓 Support the cafe by dropping by the tip jar!
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mikauzoran · 2 years
Text
Updated January/February 2022 Release Schedule
Hi, guys! I hope you’re doing well. I just wanted to give you an update on my release schedule for January/February 2022.
Now through Monday, 01/10/2022: Quick Kisses: A Short Story Collection -  A collection of unrelated short stories featuring the Love Square, other pairings, and some platonic interactions. Each chapter stands alone as its own story. Read them all or just your favourite pairings.
Tuesday, 01/11/2022: Mikau’s Three-Year Anniversary in the Fandom Surprise Event (Tentative based on how exhausted I am at the time.)
Sunday, 01/16/2022: Up in the Air (Adrienette) - Marinette never stopped looking for her partner who disappeared after the final battle. One day, on an airplane back from New York, she’s reunited with the “two” boys she’s never been able to forget.
Sunday, 01/23/2022: In Another Life (Marichat/Mariblanc) - When Chat Blanc escapes into Marinette’s timeline, she does everything she can to keep him happy until reinforcements arrive. Meanwhile, Chat Noir watches his akumatized self act all lovey-dovey with his friend, and it makes him feel things. Namely, jealousy. Maybe he does think of Marinette as more than a friend after all.
Sunday, 01/30/2022: “Office” (Lukadrigaminette) - I don’t have a title or summary for this one yet, but it’s a Lukadrigaminette story where the four of them plus baby live in a tiny Paris apartment and need to work together to figure out a way to make things work better until they can afford a bigger living space. It’s very cute and affirming, if I do say so myself. ^.^
Sunday, 02/06/2022: Selfless to a Fault (Lukadrien) - Selfless as ever, Luka attempts to set up Adrien and Marinette despite his feelings for both of them. His plan backfires, and Luka ends up making Adrien fall for him instead.
Sunday, 02/13/2022: “02/14 Marichat Passionfruit Chocolate” (Marichat) - This one is tentative. I haven’t written it yet, and I only have a vague mental outline, but I was thinking of writing a story where Marinette makes chocolates for Adrien for Valentine’s Day but doesn’t end up giving them to him. Chat knows that she made them for her crush, but they end up sharing them. Cue accidental confession/identity reveal/happily ever after. We’ll see if I actually write this.
Sunday, 02/20/2022: “Minnows DAdrien” (Adrienette) - I don’t have a proper title or summary for this one either, but Adrien is a foster dad to these three kids, and one of them gets sick, so instead of them going out on a date, Marinette comes over to help with the kids. Fluff, fluff, and happy ending.
Sunday, 02/27/2022: “His Theme” (Lukadrienette) - I haven’t written this one yet, but it’s next on my list. After I did the Lukanette story Clarity in the Harmony (which someone asked me to do based on my Adrienette story Piano for Four Hands), someone said I should do a Lukadrienette story similar to those two to complete the circle. XD I think I said that I would think about it. I haven’t stopped thinking about it, so I guess I’m doing it. XD It’s a story where Luka and Marinette learn a song to play together with Adrien.
Thursday, 03/10/2022: Mikau’s Birthday (You know. In case you want to prepare a nice gift fic or art or song and dance number or something. XD Reblogs of my work are good too. If you’re on AO3, comments/kudos/bookmarks also make nice gifts. XD)
What Happened to This City Needs You But Not as Much as I Do?
So, I began writing an Adrienette novella in October that I was going to start releasing in December, and then I pushed back the date until January. I have the first twelve chapters written, but I kind of burnt myself out and haven’t started working on it again yet. :/ I don’t want to start publishing it until I’m actively working on it again, so the release date is to be determined for now.
In the meantime, I’ve got a bunch of one-shots that I’m working on, so there will be plenty of content. Thanks for your patience! ^.^
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inkmemes · 3 years
Text
ryan  ross  lyric sentence  starters ↪  taken  from  various  songs  he’s  written,  lyrics  he’s  sung,  &  poetry  he’s  penned.  trigger  warnings  for  mentions  of  sex,  cheating,  drugs.  alter  as  you  see  fit  ♡
“so close …”
“i am composing a burlesque.”
“i'm all alone in an afterglow.”
“but we haven’t even met yet.”
“this war ain't gonna fix itself.”
“you can’t be lonely.”
“you're gonna have to dig your way out.”
“she was nowhere to be seen.”
“some people never change.”
“i know i broke your heart. mine is broken too.”
“i'm carving pumpkins.”
“i'm afraid that i may have faked it.”
“though you tried to cut me down it wasn’t deep enough.”
“this may call for a proper introduction.”
“i know it’s mad.”
“all the lights are on, but no one's home.”
“a year ago, i was dreaming of where i am now.”
“charm your way out.”
“we're all too small to talk to god.”
“you’re invited.”
“it's not so pleasant.”
“if you're going, then go.”
“i was suspicious and naive.”
“we're still so young, desperate for attention.”
“things have changed for me, and that's okay.”
“that's the spirit.”
“watch your mouth.”
“it started with a simple kiss.”
“don't you move.”
“what a wonderful caricature of intimacy.”
“we'll never go hungry.”
“praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety.”
“i lie in silence and feel like a fool.”
“grab your hat and fetch a camera.”
“your eyes are the size of the moon.”
“it's time for us to take a chance.”
“you should take this heart of mine.”
“how did i get here in the right from wrong?”
“i know it just doesn't feel like a night out.”
“it just made her more interesting.”
“she didn't even see me.”
“do you know what i mean?”
“i'm wrecking this evening already, and loving every minute of it.”
“i sure do make an easy target.”
“someone i love loves someone else.”
“don't bother waiting up.”
“don’t you go down.”
“you vanished when you'd gotten what you came here for.”
“would it be alright if we just sat and talked for a little while?”
"when did he get all confident?"
“you know it will always just be me.”
“i feel the same.”
“all my forgotten poems are a joke.”
“she'd wanna kiss you all the time.”
“i want a big celebration.”
“i'll ignore my heart and lie to the truth.”
“film the world before it happens.”
“that's just ridiculously odd.”
“it grows like fancy flowers.”
“he tried to save the calendar business.”
“i wonder if this was physical or if it could have been in my head.”
“i wouldn't be caught dead in this place.”
“you're pulling the trigger all wrong.”
“i saw you, i met you, i loved you.”
“so let me set you free.”
“i'm aware that you're scared of my heart, but it's here.”
“northern downpour sends its love.”
“you better put that pen to paper.”
“if you're gonna preach, for god sakes, preach with conviction.”
“haven't you heard that i'm the new cancer?”
“i know i broke your heart.”
“i am something velveteen.”
“we're locked inside.”
“just don't put your teeth on me.”
“when i’m good, i’m the baddest.”
“i’m up, looking for you now.”
“you can call me tonight.”
“it sure as hell ain't normal.”
“haven't you people ever heard of closing the goddamn door?!”
“we sure are in for a show tonight.”
“can't take the kid from the fight.”
“she's got me twisted in love.”
“i could've waited for the train to come.”
“you could love me if i knew how to lie.”
“if it were me, i'd write another song.”
“i fell from the heavens as a fetish.”
“i am renewed.”
“i hope that i've still got your help.”
“take a look at what you got me into.”
“we should feed our jewelry to the sea.”
“who could ask for any more?”
“i'm pouring out my heart for paper.”
“i need to leave you but i never will.”
“i forgot how to call you.”
“just stay where i can see you.”
“it's the greatest thing that's yet to have happened.”
“i’m doing my best.”
“she didn't choose this role.”
“life is not a fairytale.”
“our loneliness will keep us warm.”
“i don't mind taking a photograph.”
“you're gonna bend until it breaks.”
“maybe something in my blood could lift my spirits up.”
“i am out of my mind.”
“imagine knowing me.”
“i hope it's where i belong.”
“is it still me that makes you sweat?”
“your speech is slurred enough that you just might swallow your tongue.”
“i must be lucky to have you be the one who loves me.”
“but who could love me?”
“you clicked your heels and wished for me.”
“give me your attention.”
“you set the house on fire.”
"man, it feels good to feel this way."
“i've got more wit, a better kiss, a hotter touch, a better fuck then any boy you'll ever meet.”
“if the clouds were singing a song, i'd sing along. wouldn't you, too?”
“i know i've been wrong.”
“kissed a girl in the lobby ‘cause she asked so politely.”
“i can't get out by myself.”
“true love like ours is worth so much more than a diamond ring.”
“it never made her happy, 'cause she couldn't ever have me.”
“i do drunk dialing minus the alcohol.”
“i hope to god he was worth it.”
“he looked like he was barely hanging on.”
“why do i find myself outside at your window in the night?”
“i'd put a statue of myself upon the shelf.”
“they spill unfound from a pretty mouth.”
“ i'm going to need you to keep time.”
“you better back your shit up.”
“i think i owe it to you to try to be every hallucination you see in me.”
“you do this all the time."
“you're not what he's thinking of when he's with the other girl.”
things have changed for me.”
“this was no accident.”
“it's much better to face these kinds of things with a sense of poise and rationality.”
“just sit back and relax.”
“i, for one, won't stand for this.”
“we play by donner party rules at all times.”
“the glitter is gone.”
“boys will be boys.”
“you're all that's left for me.”
“my mind is all mixed up.”
“who knew that love was a dangerous drug?”
“'she couldn't ever have me.”
“isn't this exactly where you'd like me?”
“we can play normal for a few days.”
“i ground my teeth and you bite your tongue.”
“in case i lost my train of thought where was it that we last left off?”
“it seems i’m someone i've never met.”
“i think i made you up.”
“it never gave a damn about me.”
“perhaps, i was born with curiosity, the likes of those of old crows.”
“i'm cold, i'm hungry, but i'm bored.”
“i don't want no gifts.”
“the monster mash is playing.”
“do you really even live here?”
“this kind of thing always happens.”
“you were right. i was wrong, like i always am.”
“i missed your skin when you were east.”
“i feel as if i’m a figurine.”
“every night is the same.”
“ i'm sure i didn't ruin her.”
“i could have sworn we danced slow before.”
“i'm seated and sweating to a dance song on the club's pa.”
“it's nice to think that you are always wanted.”
“am i who you think about in bed?”
“you'll never know until you're there.”
“come on, this is screaming ‘photo op’.”
“you and i will always be ‘the dream’.”
“any practiced catholic would cross themselves upon entering.”
“it was a scream when we were young and dumb.”
“i know i should've never left.”
“who can i believe?”
“she always had her fangs at my jugular vein.”
“and a few more of your least favorite things.”
“in matters of opinion, love has gone insane.”
“if i go to hell will you come with me or just leave?”
“in the house of mirrors, ain't nothing keep you safe.”
“you know that you feel it too.”
“now we're making some progress.”
“god damn, i’d hate to see what i’d do under the influence.”
“i’m only reflecting your perfections.”
“just a first kiss to face the new year.”
“we’ll sit in silence.”
“you're a regular decorated emergency.”
“euphoria is a risk on the floor.”
“she could never win me.”
“love is all i'm really after.”
“have some composure,.”
“this was a therapeutic chain of events.”
“on the hotel floor, drinking warm champagne.”
“we need to talk.”
“every word gets you a step closer to hell.”
“let me help you please.”
“i never said i missed her when everybody kissed her.”
“now i know it's just a matter of time until i make her come.”
“if the world were ending, would you kiss me or just leave me?”
“forgive me if i’m not quite ready to give them to you.”
“i want to know what everyone knows.”
“you told me not to fear the dark.”
“the weather is impeccable.”
“i don't love you, i'm just passing the time.”
“i can't help but to hear an exchanging of words.”
“love is established philosophy.”
“but it might’ve been the calm that comes before the storm.”
“let's sing it like you mean it.”
“there's a devil in the corner.”
“there’s never anything good on tv.”
“everything goes according to plan.”
“i ran from love like it was laced.”
“i guess we're back to us.”
“we can't help ourselves.”
“i remember fuckin' in the falling rain.”
“i wasn't born to be a skeleton.”
“i couldn't quit her.”
“everything's gone missing.”
“we must reinvent love.”
“i know it's sad that i never gave a damn about the weather.”
“what do i know?”
"the best part about you was me."
“check the pocket of my leather jacket.”
“i am truly made of one million glowing constellations.”
“i mean, technically our marriage is saved.”
“she's a dangerous place.”
“even the truth is wrong sometimes.”
“was it god who chokes in these situations?”
“i feel like something on strings.”
“she couldn't ever catch me.”
“i try not to think about it and you.”
“i know it's just a matter of time.”
“i can't prove this makes any sense, but i sure hope that it does.”
“you know you should take it a day at a time.”
“i never said i’d leave the city.”
“it's the greatest thing you'd ever imagine.”
“i might have lost control.”
“i'm in a rut but still adored.”
“i'll keep my distance.”
“i need to take a vacation.”
“it's almost halloween.”
“is it a fairy tale?”
“well, this calls for a toast, so pour the champagne.”
“you can't stand it.”
“i'm exactly where you'd like me, you know.”
“we were always thick as thieves, you and me.”
“maybe i will, maybe i won’t.”
“all i want to do is dig a hole with you.”
“stop stalling.”
“it truly is enough to be alive and be in love.”
“i can't believe my eyes.”
“if i were to die tonight, would you cry, or deny my place in your life?”
“you are at the top of my lungs.”
“things do like to build up and fall apart at the same time for me.”
“why can't we just be friends?"
“i never know where the evening goes.”
“i want to go where everyone feels the same.”
“i fell in love again.”
“all i do is lie.”
“they asked for it.”
“was it all a dream?”
“all your wishes, they will sink like stones.”
“i wandered through the sunshine.”
“living even one minute without you is a moment i'd rather not have to live to see.”
“i want to go where everyone goes.”
“i think that i have had enough.”
“asked to be her husband; she already had one in prison.”
“true love is scarce.”
“somehow it still came undone.”
“things are shaping up to be pretty odd.”
“is ‘young’ a word for ‘dumb’; a word for ‘fun’?”
“said i'd let you keep it forever.”
“i never said i’d leave this town.”
“guess i'm going to a party.”
“damn, this is rough.”
“someone should have told her that pretty ain't a job.”
“something changed along the way.”
“i can't convince myself that you were good for more than cheap thrills.”
“now i’m the only one to blame.”
“let's not get selfish.”
“i hardly knew a thing about you.”
“give your feet a chance, they'll do all the thinking.”
“make a name for yourself.”
“it's useless searching in the cupboards.”
“i won't cut my beard and i won't change my hair.”
“it’s just the end of the world.”
“back to the room where it all began.”
“what was it that you put into my guts?”
“what a shame.”
“we'll leave the past out to pasture.”
“i know the world’s a broken bone, but melt your headaches, call it home.”
“everybody knows it but you.”
“it looks like the end of history as we know.”
162 notes · View notes
Text
A Not So Happy Anniversary
Title: A Not So Happy Anniversary
Pairing: Reader/Harry
Word Count: 3,151
Warning: SMUT SMUT SMUT
Summary: You and Harry have a long distance relationship. When Harry messes up and misses your three year anniversary, you confront him face to face.
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Author’s Note: Ladies and gents, it feels good to be back. My inbox is open to requests. Let me know what you think!
You were furious with him. 
Completely and utterly furious with him. 
He had done this to you a million times, you always had forgiven him and moved on. But this? This was definitely something you couldn’t let go.
Both you and Harry had been dating for three years now, not a moment did you regret the decision to date the famous "wroetoshaw" on YouTube. You would be the first one to admit that his fanbase and everything that came with being labeled as his girlfriend terrified you but Harry made it worth it. Thankfully, the both of you had managed to keep your relationship away from the public. Fans not in your personal lives eliminated any unnecessary stress you both didn’t need. You were happy, he was happy. You guys barely fought. But that was about to change tonight.
Harry lived in two places: Guernsey and London. He traveled back between the two constantly which always made you a little bit upset. You understood why he'd want to live in London, of course you did. When you had gone out there with him, even you struggled to leave London once your time was up. A mix of the city life and the fact most of Harry’s friends lived there - it was a no brainer. 
But being stranded in Guernsey while Harry was away in London had been the first major roadblock in your relationship. There would be long amounts of time that Harry would be in London, leaving you by yourself at home and missing your boyfriend. He'd always come back eventually and apologize in a shower of kisses. You couldn't help yourself but forgive him but this was too far now. 
You stormed off back inside your small little flat, flipping off any guys that whistled at you in your short, black mini-dress while doing so. You had decided to get dressed up since tonight was a pretty big deal - the three year milestone with Harry. Your anniversary was today, something that you had reminded Harry about for two weeks. He promised over and over again that he would be home on time for your anniversary and that he'd meet you at your favorite restaurant for a romantic meal. Long story short, you had been sitting at the table for two hours with no sign of Harry. He'd let you down. 
You burst through the front door of your flat, throwing your heels off to the floor and locking the door with both locks. At least that way, Harry couldn't get in if he got there in the morning. You sniffled, feeling yourself now start to get upset more than angry. How could he do this? He promised. You’d always forgiven him for being late to come home before but this just felt like a slap in the face. 
A second later, you were at the fridge - taking out a bottle of wine and taking a swig from it. You knew it was stupid to try and numb the pain with alcohol, it would only leave you feeling like shit in the morning. You shook your head and put the bottle away, deciding to just go to bed and forget about Harry until the morning. 
It was about half an hour later when you had finally gone to bed, wearing one of Harry’s t-shirts and sweats. You were scrolling through Twitter to see if Harry had written anything yet no tweets came up for today. You were a little concerned at that but once you remembered just why you were angry with them, any feelings of being concerned were out the window. You turned off your phone and placed it on your side table - not being able to avoid the framed photo of you and Harry sitting there. At the sight of it, you quickly turned off your lamp and went to sleep. 
-
"Y/N, Y/N. Baby, wake up." You felt yourself being shaken out of your dream, your name being repeated over and over again. Eventually, your dream of a happy anniversary slipped away and your eyes fluttered open. 
You saw a dark figure over you in the bed, causing you to scream out. The figure put his hand over your mouth, trying to reach over to turn on the light as you struggled against his hand. "Babe! Stop! It's me! Harry!" He exclaimed in a loud whisper, turning on the dim lamp light to reveal himself. 
You calmed down as soon as you realized it was him, shoving him off you and sitting up in the bed. "For fuck sake Harry, you can't just hover over me in pitch darkness at-" You looked over at the time. "2:30 in the fucking morning!" 
"How the hell did you get in here anyway? I locked the front door with both locks." You grumbled, crossing as arms as Harry raised an eyebrow
"Yeah, I noticed that. I had to climb up a floor outside and get in through your window." He motioned the open window before shooting you an amused look. "I told you that you needed to lock your windows." 
"And you need to take the hint when I don’t want you in the flat." You grumbled, before grabbing one of your pillows and throwing it at him. "Harold, leave. I don't want to fucking talk to you or even look at you right now." 
"C’mon babe, don’t be like that. I know you missed me." He joked, only making the situation worse in pure Harry style. How the hell could he be making jokes and not even acknowledge how badly he had messed up? You just glared at him, shoving him off the edge of your bed and laying back down. "Go to the couch - we’ll talk in the morning when you’re actually ready to have a serious conversation.”
"Baby, come on. I'm joking." He cooed as you just ignored him and tried to go back to sleep. Harry bit his lip and sat back on the bed again next to you, watching your body turn away from him. He took the peaceful moment to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear before running a finger down your arm softly. 
"Harry, I’ll seriously do something I’ll regret if you don’t get out and give me some space." You seethed, though Harry didn't budge. 
"Your threats don't make you scary, babe. You're like a hamster." He teased before he decided to get serious - he knew you'd really kick him out of the flat if he kept pulling jokes as such. "Look I'm sorry, okay?" 
"Sorry for what, Harry? Missing our anniversary, maybe? Maybe promising you'd be home yet you didn't come back on time. Really? I always let it go but you crossed a fucking line this time." You shot back at him. 
"My flight got delayed, okay?" Harry admitted in defeat. "The plane was having engine failure so we couldn't take off in time. I had to sit on that plane for ages, I only just landed an hour ago." He said, leaning down to kiss your shoulder. "I'm really sorry that I missed our dinner. I'll make it up to you, okay? Please don't be angry with me. It’s not my fault that Gatwick is proper shit." 
"No Harry, I will be angry at you." You said annoyed, still refusing to turn your body towards him. "Okay fair enough, your flight got pushed back far. But you could've come back to Guernsey days ago so you wouldn't miss our anniversary or maybe actually spend some time with me - but no. You're too busy partying it up in London with all your friends and all the girls that probably want to sleep with you the first chance they get. I know there’s gonna be one day where you just don’t come back to Guernsey for me and that’ll be the end of us." 
"Babe, where is all this coming from? You know when we started dating that I said I’d be travelling back and forth." Harry frowned, knowing your anger was coming from something more than him missing dinner tonight. He hated to see you aggravated over this topic. Especially when all his friends knew just how much he loved you and how loyal he was. He knew that you weren’t exactly the biggest fan of the amount of female attention he received online. He understood that. But it did bother him seeing you truly believe that he’d never come back home to you one day. “What makes you think I’d ever do anything like that to you?”
"I’m just scared, Harry." You whispered back at him. "I'm very scared of what could happen while you're in London while I'm stuck here." You closed your eyes and tried to block everything out. Until you felt him turn you on your back. You opened your eyes slowly to look up at Harry hovering over you. You felt your heart skip a beat looking up at him in the dim light. Even when you were upset and mad with him, he still had the power to take your breath away. 
"You're mad, you know that? Absolutely crazy." Harry stated, leaning down to place a kiss on your forehead. "You think I'd get bored of you? Seriously? Take a look in the fucking mirror, Y/N." He teased you before he returned to neutral. “Whatever I’ve done to make you believe any of what you just said? I’m so sorry, babe. The last three years I’ve had with you have been the best of my life. I would never violate you like that.”
“You know I also work in London too - doing all the Sidemen shoots and videos. I’m building that brand more and more to make sure that I can always come home whenever I want. I’m doing it so that we can live comfortably, that I can take you on holidays and help you pay for this place while I’m away. Never once have I been in London and not missed you, Y/N. I know I’m definitely far from perfect but I won’t let you think that I don’t love you. Cause I do, so fucking much.”
He leaned down and placed kisses down the side of your face - pressing a quick peck on your lips before moving down to your neck. 
"I fucking hate you sometimes." You insulted, gasping when you felt him leave love bites on the certain spot on your neck that drove you crazy. You snaked a hand into his hair when he did so, feeling yourself wanting him more rather than wanting to punch him back to London. 
"I sincerely doubt that you hate me right now." He said in a cocky tone, pulling his head back to admire the hickies he had left on your neck and smirking down at you. 
"Shut the fuck up." You growled, grabbing his fistful of his jumper and pulling his face back down to yours. You slammed your lips back against his, the whole action coming from both anger at him missing your anniversary dinner and lust at the same time. You knew there was love in your actions as well but you were more focused on other things at hand. 
Harry did a pretty good job at keeping up with the pace of your lips against his, deepening it and taking the moment to nip at your bottom lip. You moaned softly at that before your hands were underneath his clothes, practically ripping them off him and throwing them off to the side. He did the same with you, the both of you continuing to keep your lips together almost like it was a form of life source. 
It wasn't long before the couple were now fully naked, Harry's body pressing against yours as you made out. Something about his skin pressed against yours always gave you a funny feeling in your stomach - such a warm and safe feeling. You knew that you loved this boy after three years of dating, you only hoped you'd be able to communicate that through this.
Harry pulled back after a while, leaning over to the bedside table to retrieve a condom while you placed kisses along his neck. You made sure to leave your own marks on his skin. He grabbed one quickly enough and groaned at your hickies, pulling himself off to you long enough to roll the condom onto himself. You felt your eyes gleam at the sight of your fit boyfriend in his most vulnerable state. You completely understood why she got so jealous of him being away from you - he was such a gorgeous boy. 
Your boyfriend was back on you a second later, continuing to make-out with you again as he settled himself between your legs. You wrapped your legs around his waist to keep him close, eventually both of you pulling away for air. There were no words uttered between the two, speaking with your eyes and facial expressions. The rough lust and anger had faded away now to a soft kindness and love that you felt whenever you were near Harry. You smiled at him as he returned the favor before pushing into you without another second wasted. 
"Oh!" You moaned, leaning your head back against the pillows as he did so. It had been awhile for you both, having been ages since he was last home. You had definitely missed this. "Harry," You breathed out as he let out a long sigh, getting used to the feeling of being back inside you before he started to set a pace. “Feel so good around me, baby. Fuck I missed you.”
"Harry," You moaned louder this time, going up in volume the faster he went. "Harder, baby." You urged him on, hearing a type of groan and growl leave from his lips. He buried his face into your neck as he continued to thrust faster, leaving more hickies on the other side of your neck. 
"Oh fuck yes." He grunted against your skin, his words only bringing back that fluttery feeling in your stomach. "My gorgeous girlfriend. Even when you’re angry at me, you’re still so fucking hot.” He whispered, lifting his head up from your neck to look at you in the eyes while he fucked you. “No-one can have you, you hear me? You're mine." He whispered, taking one of his hands to wrap around your neck. Not too tight but enough to send your mind spiraling.
"Oh fuck Harry!" You cried out at this, your hands going straight to his shoulders. You dug your fingernails into his skin, dragging them down his pale back as you struggled to get your words out. "You're mine, Lewis. You're mine and I'm yours." You choked out, gasping and moaning out a version of his name at every thrust.
"Damn right." He growled, eventually turning you both over so you were on top of him. He kept control despite the change in position, angling his hips up and holding your hips to keep you steady. He kept doing that for a while, just smirking at hearing the porn-worthy noises that came past your lips. That smirk wiped away however when he felt his thrusts starting to falter, Harry coming closer and closer to his orgasm just like you.
"Oh baby, I'm so close." You whispered, clutching onto him as she felt her high nearing. Harry only smirked at this, trying to go as fast as he could in that moment. He sat up from the mattress, keeping a hold on your hips. He kissed you, "Go on baby, come for me. I wanna hear you." He growled against your lips. That was your breaking point.
"Harry!" You practically screamed, reaching orgasm. It was incredible the types of orgasms Harry gave to you, they always left you speechless and shaking. You heard strangled groans of your name come from Harry, feeling him reach his orgasm too. You kept rocking your hips against his as you both worked each other through your orgasms - eventually stopping when Harry pulled out. He collapsed down onto the mattress, bringing you down with him and holding you against him.
You were left a panting mess, resting against Harry’s body and your head on his chest. All that could be heard was your and Harry's panting, both of your eyes closed to take in what just happened before Harry motioned you to look at him.
"You still mad at me?" Harry asked sweetly after a while, “I don’t know how you could be after that.”
"Oh shut up." You rolled your eyes playfully, enjoying his laughter before you pecked his lips.
"Still - I still think something needs to change, Harry." You admitted, gaining Harold's attention. "I mean... I... I love you, I do. And I want to be with you. But you’re in London constantly. I can’t even travel to see you that often because of university. If I’m just barely going to see you, I can't deal with that. I need a compromise." 
Harry thought about what you said for a moment, placing a small kiss to your forehead. "You're right. I will admit that I love London more than Guernsey but I love you more than anything." He admitted to you, nothing left but love filling his beautifully colored eyes of his. "So let's fix the problem. When you graduate from uni, come back to London with me."
"What?" You asked, confused. 
"Come back with me to London, move in with me and Cal. We never have to be apart that way." He cooed. "I can talk to the guys about letting me come back to Guernsey every couple weeks or so to see you more rather than what I have been doing until you finish school. But when you finish, I want you to move out to London to stay with me permanently. I want to have you there for everything. None of this long distance bullshit. Especially if it’s making you doubt me. I want you with me. To prove to you that you never had anything to be scared about.”
It was definitely a lot for you to take in, moving from your small little town to the big city of the UK. You were nervous about thinking of starting a life there but as you looked at Harry and saw that future involved him - it became a no brainer. 
"We'll talk about it properly in the morning, okay? For now, let’s get some sleep. Especially since you gotta make up for missing today." You said softly with a smile, pecking his lips before laying your head back on his chest. 
"So after the morning sex?" Harry teased, making you roll your eyes and hitting him with the nearest pillow as his laughter vibrated throughout the whole flat. 
Yep. London sounded pretty good.
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1ddiscourseoftheday · 3 years
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Thurs 15 April ‘21
A proper OT5 day today, how are we doing? Well, #stressed, apparently, LOL! Oh darlings, don’t worry...
First up, Liam finished his Prince Phillip drawing and captioned it “rest in peace… small tribute to you and your service,” sighhh. As Louis put it “boss drawing and that but get your priorities straight”, I truly couldn’t have put it better! I mean Louis may not have been referring to his politics, he was following up a tweet demanding Liam’s attention (“I see you on Instagram lad, answer your phone!!!!!”), but still he hit the nail on the head. Anyway, maybe Louis wanted to chat to weigh in on Liam’s haircut! (‘WTF mate I thought we were growing it out YOU LOSE’, perhaps?) Yes, Liam’s lion mane got a shearing; he posted a picture looking handsome showing the change, and #jesusLiam trended in memory of the lost hair as fans mourned dramatically. Also there’s a little behind the scenes video of Liam making his BAFTAs performance avatar (last glimpse of the long hair, RIP)-- no footage of him making funny faces but it does feature the very tight suit and the even tighter mo-cap outfit.
And what else is Louis up to? Well he came back to say that yes, he did talk to Liam, and to ask, “how’s everyone doing?” Just saying it wasn’t enough, fans trended the answer for him; STRESSED. We’ll be all right, said Louis, “Faith in the future. Keep your head up.” Faith in the future again!! Nice. We hear you sir and are looking forward to knowing what this is the title of… Also, a geotagged photo of him that wasn’t meant to be shared, was; it shows that Louis flew into LA the other day after leaving Mexico (it’s him at LAX in the outfit he left Mexico in-- look at that hair!! FLIP FLIP FLIP.) Is he still in LA, no way of knowing, so even if the pic wasn’t supposed to go out at least there was a delay and his location remains unknown, as he likes it, though he doesn’t seem to be home to London yet. For some reason people are really stuck on the idea that Sergio (his new footie bestie) said he was going back to London but even aside from the fact that I doubt they got that deep into itineraries, I’m pretty sure he actually just said that when Louis was back in London they’d meet up; not the same thing.
Assuming Louis is still in LA that’ll be convenient for him to go punch Nick Kroll if he wants! Nick said that during DWD filming Harry fell in love with him and they ‘made an omlette’ together... oh wait, no need, he just said they literally made some eggs and fake meat and ate it one night (and obvs that he was joking about their love, but it can for sure be hard to tell Harry’s supposed love affairs from jokes, I get it if you were confused.) He also said Harry is “very good at making everyone around him feel very comfortable. He's just very grounded.” Gucci is having some kind of online fashion opening today and there was a rumor Harry would attend which, yeah, sounds legit, and there’s a Harry puzzle in a Gucci puzzle book. First clue to the Harry Styles Puzzle, “a fictitious narrative.” Timely! Yes indeed, he and Olivia “were spotted together” in London last night, oooh my the scrambling to try and come back from those legal documents is really ON! Really though, WERE THEY? The tabs claim to have interviewed multiple people who were dining there and saw them. Reaaally, okay tell me- how did this come about? Were these people so excited to see a celeb that they called the papers… but none of them took a single picture or posted to their social media about seeing them?! Pics or it didn’t happen guys, COME ON: this is very much in keeping with how unbelievably half-assed they’ve been from day one but still, pretty pathetic attempt. Then rumors went around that Harry was actually out with GEMMA which would be hilarious, but seems more likely to me that no one was actually out anywhere at all.
The To Begin Again video is out! It’s pretty and tearjerk-y and it’s got sweet laughing Zayn content, good times!! It’s mostly sweeping shots of New York City and people there, living and laughing and being quirky and stuff, big humans of NY vibe, and Ingrid and Zayn in their studios happily making music. Zayn’s studio of choice (in Pennsylvania) celebrated their star turn by posting a pic of a signed guitar Zayn gave them back when he recorded Icarus Falls there. The TBA video director says, “we filmed this video in one day- sunrise to sunset.” TBA merch is on sale today in Ingrid’s store.
And there were lots of pap pics of Niall and Anne Marie filming their video (which is not out yet) in Essex. Seems they were FILMING it on the 8th, the day of Niall’s “it’s happening” post. So what’s HAPPENING is not the actual release of it, just yet, okay then. When will it come out? Who knows! We’ll be able to tell though, Niall will come back online for non-golf posting when the time is nigh, you’ll see. Meanwhile, pics of Niall out at a pub with his friends (outdoors) last night were posted, because that’s a thing that happens when celebs go out for public outings and lots of people see them.
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Bunnies
Some Victor fluff that was requested to me ages ago on bird app. I hope you enjoy this and sorry for taking so long. :’)
Word Count - 1335
Warnings - Fluff
You were sorting your documents for a report. The sky is dark and all of your workers have gone home already. 
You sigh and plop all the papers on the table, closing your eyes and rolling your head. Everything these days has been a bit more stressful, but you can’t put your finger on it. You fail to notice the tall man leaning at your doorway.
“Dummy, haven’t you seen your phone lately? I’ve been waiting for ten minutes.” The sound of the baritone voice makes you jump out of your skin. Victor makes a noise that’s in between a chuckle and a scoff.
“God, Victor! You could’ve knocked or something!” You yell. 
“Well, maybe if a dummy had checked her phone, you wouldn’t have been scared.” He retorts. You roll your eyes with a groan. Victor moves to stand behind you, softly massaging your shoulders. “I missed you today.” You mumble.
“I missed you too.” He murmurs into your hair. It’s odd to hear it from Victor, but you know he means it when he says it. “I can tell you’re stressed. What’s wrong?” He always reads you like a book. It’s tender moments like this that makes you feel special. Victor’s office persona is dropped when you’re alone with him. Well, most of it. But you love him no matter what.
“I don’t really know why. Perhaps my boss is too harsh on me. I work so hard, yet he sends my work back…” You grin mischievously at him. Victor has his brows furrowed, looking adorable as ever. “He’s lucky I love him. He treats me well. It’d be better if he made me some pudding tonight.” You say with puppy eyes.
Victor sighs. “There’s caramel pudding waiting for you at home. I’ll be in the car.” You freeze as you watch him leave your office then scramble to the elevators after him. He huffs and calls you a dummy, but you giggle softly.
The next morning you read an email from a bunny farm. They want your company to do an episode of ‘Places To Adopt A Pet’. The moment you consider doing it, your phone starts buzzing. “Hey, what’s up?” You say as you accept some papers from Anna. 
“I saw your amended report. Good job.” He says while rustling some papers on his end. “What would you like for your reward?”
You’re half tempted to ask for pudding, but the bunny farm looked interesting. “Hey Victor, can you take me to the Bunny’s Hill? It’s a bunny center that wants us to do a show for them. It says here that there’s a cafe nearby, so we can have lunch after.” You explain. Victor makes a noise in agreement.
“Alright, I’ll take you. Does Saturday sound good?” He asks. You look at your calendar, “Yes! I can’t wait to see the place!” He chuckles. “Dummy. I’ll see you home tonight. Love you.” Victor hangs up before you can stammer out an ‘I love you’ back.
On Saturday, you wake up and eat breakfast with Victor. The drive to Bunny’s Hill is around an hour away from Victor’s house, so you head out around 11am. 
The farm is in a suburban area. A lot more calm and peaceful than most places in the city. Both of you exit the car and make way to the owners who are waiting for you outside.
He greets you with a smile, guiding you into the building. The decor of the place is rustic and cozy, a perfect setting for the show. The tour of the entire place is amazing, the other workers are friendly and the bunnies are adorable. “Since bunnies breed a lot and quickly, most of them are sterile or barren. We keep bunnies who can still breed in separate areas and take care of them from there.” The owner explains. “We have a fenced area where the bunnies can freely rome, sectioned off depending on if they can breed or not.” He says while pointing out the window.
“This is like a dream come true for me! I’ve always wanted a bunny since I was little.” You look at Victor, looking at his crossed arms on his chest. He glances at you then back at the owner. “And that concludes our tour. I hope you can do a show at our place here, we want to give these bunnies a home.” You nod vigorously, “Of course! This place is amazing and everyone has been nothing but kind!”
Victor speaks up. “Thank you for the tour, sir. If we may, can we eat lunch within the fenced area?” The owner gives us the okay, so we take a blanket up near the hill and lay it on the grass. You open the basket, feeling peckish now. “Dummy.” Victor mumbles.
After lunch, a floppy-eared bunny comes up to us. You gasp, slowly inching your hand closer for it to sniff. It comes up to you cautiously, sniffly and licking your hand. Victor, who is laying on the blanket and looking at the sky, peeks at the bunny. 
The little bunny sniffs Victor curiously, then hops onto his stomach. You chuckle at Victor's gasp from the sudden weight. He sighs and makes a face as if he sucked on a lemon.
You lay down next to them, gently patting their head. "I think they like you," you coo. "It's okay." He says while observing the bunny. You know that he loves them, he's just hiding his soft side.
"There is Pomelia!" The owner says as he jogged up to you. "She left the pen and went straight to you as soon as I let go of her. I guess she likes you." He chuckles. You look at Pomelia, who is now off Victor and trying to climb up on you. 'Here you go sir," you say as you gently hand the bunny over.
He graciously accepts and takes her back to the indoor enclosure. You unconsciously sigh in admiration, which Victor notices.
Around two weeks later, your company finished filming and releasing their show segment. The Bunny’s Hill emailed you saying that they were happy with the show and adoption rates went up. Thankfully, you shot a proper care episode. 
You get home around dinner time, seeing dim lights and candles in the dining room. The steak dinners beg you to come over to eat them. "You're home. Sit down." Victor says, taking his spot across from you.
You do as You're told, staring at the dinner in front of you. "Thank yoy for dinner, Vic!" You cheer. He mumbles something along the lines of 'idiot' under his breath with a chuckle.
During dinner, you swore you could hear thumping from another room. Every time you asked Victor about it, he said it was just you.
After the two of you finish eating and cleaning up, Victor takes you to the living room. You gasp, seeing a bunny in a large cage. You rush over immediately, recognizing that Pomelia is looking back at you. Seemingly happy to see you as well, she hops around, making a squeak or two.
"I remember you saying you wanted a bunny. This is your reward for working so hard lately. I'll have a large pen area for her to roam around in soon." He says. You leap into his arms, eyes filled with tears of happiness. "Thank you so much, Victor… I'm so happy to see her!" You say with a muffled voice. "Can we take her out and cuddle her? Pleasssee?" You beg.
"Fine. But I don't want her to make a big mess in the house. We'll sit on the couch with her." He warns. You quickly and gently take her out of the cage, moving to snuggle next to Victor on the couch. Pomelia settles quickly on your lap, her nose twitching. "Victor, thank you so much.. I love you!" You say nuzzling your nose into his neck. "I love you too, my dummy bunny."
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mizugiyuu · 3 years
Text
clair de lune (ll)
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part one
pairings: suna rintarou x fem!reader genre: angst, fluff warning: swearing word count: 5k
even after seven years later, his heart would still beat so fast from seeing your smile.
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“as of tonight, ms himari will end the show with one last song but before that, tell me, do you have any particular reason why you chose to play this song?”
“oh, it’s nothing special. every time i play this song it’ll remind me of the most romantic confession. ‘the moon is beautiful, isn’t it?’” she chuckled.
“huh? we can’t see well from the studio but i think the moon is indeed beautiful.” the host commented as the pianist chuckled. “while most people wouldn’t get it, the phrase directly translates as ‘i love you’. don’t you think it’s romantic?” she asked in a dreamy voice.
the host chuckled agreeing how indeed that could be one of the best ways to mask a confession if someone was too nervous to say those three words out loud.
“—thus we’ll end this live podcast with one of the most beautiful pieces gifted from the moon. ‘til next time, thank you for listening.”
the low octaves started to play, softly forming a tune of familiarity. clair de lune played for the first time this year that was coming to an end. the melody that some people deemed romantic started to slowly made its way, dancing through the listener’s hearing senses.
suna looked up from his phone, contemplating if he should just stop the podcast. his airpods continued to pour his ears with the nostalgic yet bittersweet tune. a sigh heaved its way from his lips, coming out as frost smoke due to the cold weather indicating that winter is here.
eventually, before the melody got to the wistful part, he instantly stopped the podcast and removed his airpods. it had always been like this, he could never listen to that song no matter how he silently loved it. that was the only way, the only rule he created for himself in order for him to stop thinking about you.
regretfully, it had been seven years since that sombre day you left him. yet sadly, there was not one day that he failed to remember you. he wasn’t sure why he was doing so when he was over you, or at least he believed so.
it brought him to the point that he started to listen to classical music podcasts. a part of him was trying to find solace even after all those years. maybe he hoped to hear your voice as one of the guests in the show, and maybe he really wanted to see you one last time for a proper goodbye.
“yo, suna!”
the named boy hadn’t realise that he was already in front of their practice stadium. washio waved at him as he approached the younger, suna gave him a small smile before the two proceeded into the much warmer place.
he pursued professional volleyball as you predicted, he wasn’t entirely sure with his decision at first but he came to realise that he really enjoyed playing on court. his new teammates was a bunch of fun people too, overall he was doing fine.
suna went on with his day of a normal practice, going through his serves, practice matches and polishing his overall skills as a professional player. when it was finally time for a break, he started to do some cool down stretches and reached for his phone to order some delivery.
washio was next to him while they both casually conversed until komori came. the three was talking about how the city was about to be packed as christmas was approaching and that people were coming back to town. soon enough the streets and the shops would be filled with people going out for christmas shopping or simply just having a stroll together.
“oh by the way, are you free this weekend?” komori queried in which washio replied he had a family dinner. suna simply shook his head as he hadn’t make any plans for this weekend yet.
komori’s eyes seemed to lighten up at the reply, “nice. i caught you listening to classical music once, so i think you might like this.” he said as he handed suna a pair of tickets to a symphony concert. he wasn’t really a fan of an orchestra but it didn’t hurt to attend one as he only had plans of sleeping in for the weekend anyway.
“by the way, if you have the chance to meet their pianist, tell her i’m sorry i couldn’t make it.” komori added which surprised the latter. “you know one of the performers?” washio questioned. komori nodded rather casually, “not really, she’s friends with my cousin but i got the invitation from her though.” he jested.
suna thanked komori as he kept the tickets in his bag, making sure to consider it properly later.
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suna contacted osamu, wondering if he wasn’t busy this weekend in which he got a reply that he and atsumu had to return to hyogo for a family dinner. contacting kita was just out of his list, suna knows that the guy wasn’t into classical music.
he asked ginjima and the guy told him that he couldn’t make it as well as he and his wife, kiko were out on a holiday. no one was really available as it was a holiday, so suna thought that maybe there wasn’t a need for him to go to the concert. he could always come home early to celebrate with his family instead.
eventually after much contemplation, he decided he would attend. he had been listening to way too many podcasts anyway, might as well watch a real life performance for once. it was a shame that no one could accompany him, but he didn’t mind attending alone.
it was a black tie occasion, much to his nerves. luckily he had a suit that was required to wear whenever his team had a conference. suna put them on, fixing the black bow tie he bought yesterday just to complete the look.
once he was satisfied, he left his apartment and headed to the venue with his black maserati. he listened to the radio, finding any sort of distraction to ease his heart out. he wasn’t so sure why he was so nervous to attend a formal event, maybe because he was attending alone?
nonetheless, when he pulled over and walked down the red carpet to the entrance, he caught a lot of the paparazzi’s attention. none of them expected him to be there but they would dig any stories they could. luckily, he managed to dodge their questions and peacefully made it to the hall where the concert was about to start.
he sat a little bit further from the stage, taking the one next to the stairs as all the other seats were occupied with couples attending together. clutching the pamphlet in his hands, he was about to read it out of boredom when the lights were switched off and the host appeared on stage.
the man welcomed all of the guests and did a brief introduction of the performers, having everyone bore in mind that the concert will end with a solo performance from a pianist that was specially invited to perform. suna’s ears perked up, this must be the one komori mentioned.
sadly, he couldn’t see her face as his seat was way too further and only her side was seen towards the crowd. the orchestra continued with a series of classical music, most that he could recognise so easily due to his little hobby.
mozart, beethoven, franz liszt. all the familiar melody was languishing him over the thought of you playing in the music room while he drown himself in deep slumber.
just why was it so hard for him to forget about you? he tried dating a few people but none of it ever worked as he constantly found himself comparing them to you.
you, you, you.
it was always you in his mind no matter how he hated to admit it. yet sadly, he never had the courage to look for you or even call you. truth be told, suna was afraid that it might be one sided, he feared that you might’ve forgotten about him. and that fear led him to years of awaiting.
and still as he watched the performance, his mind was only filled with you. he wondered if you were in vienna performing like this as well? he conjectured that you were probably a star performer by now, making your name known in a foreign country like you said you would.
if only he could listen to you play just one more time.
without he realised, the play came to an end and he heard the audience applauding. suna looked around, wondering if he was allowed to leave until the host appeared on the stage again.
a spotlight shone upon him, showing off his shimmering smile to the crowd as he continued to explain the little background about the symphony just now.
“and now, for the grand finale.” he exclaimed ever so dramatically. “we’ll have our guest of honour who flew all the way from vienna to enchant us with her special performance.”
“ladies and gentlemen, let’s welcome l/n y/n to the stage.”
suna’s attention was instantly fixed on the stage, the familiar city name caught his attention. he told himself that it was too much of a miracle for it to be you, but his breath hitched when he saw the lady walked into the spotlight.
you wore a type of ball gown that was coloured in grey and it glowed resembling the moonlight. the off shoulder neckline was showing your beautiful skin, and the waistband would sparkle whenever light bounced off the beads. the floral patterned skirt was adding the right touch of a sophisticated whimsy, perfect for a star.
suna was completely frozen in his seat, his eyes glued to you on stage. it was really you. you were smiling as the host talked a little about your background, and you kept on smiling as you looked at the crowd. for a moment, you were looking in his direction, but can you see him? do you see him?
you thanked the host, as he gave way for you to talk about the performance. “it’s been seven years since i returned, it feels so good to come home.” you started, your voice was resonating in the hall. as you were about to explain the song you would be playing for the closing, you felt a lump in your throat.
even after all those years, you could never forget about the boy you met in the music room. you never admitted your true feelings for him because to you, you were out of his league. you knew that he would never look at you in that way, you even feared that he might laugh if you ever say how you feel for him.
so you kept it to yourself, hid it in the small space of your heart as you pursued your dreams.
“the song i’ll be playing next is a popular one, it’s called clair de lune.” you looked at the crowd, the audience that used to be just one sleepy boy had turned into thousands of elites paying to listen. “frankly speaking, the last time i played this song was seven years ago.” you chuckled nervously.
“i never had a favourite song ever since i started taking piano lessons, i thought that all pieces were special in their own way. but thanks to this special person, i grew to love clair de lune more than the rest. he told me it was his favourite song, i guess i stole it from him.” your joke made the audience chuckle.
suna’s heart was hammering against his ribcage as he watched you. he thought that his ears and eyes were deceiving him, but as you explained about clair de lune, he couldn’t help but to fall for you all over again. maybe the reason why he kept listening to those podcasts was because he hoped to hear the same song again. none of his dates worked out because in his heart there was only ever you.
as the host playfully asked “so, where is this special person now?” there was a solemn look in your expression that you hid with a dazzling smile. “i’m not sure, i wish i could see him again. we lost contact when i moved to vienna.” the tone of your voice was evident that you missed him.
“i just hope that whenever he hears this song, he’ll look at the moon and see how beautiful it shines and i hope he’ll be reminded that i once played it for him.”
and thus the audience clapped for you as the spotlight finally shifted to the grand piano in the middle of the stage. you took a seat there, making yourself comfortable before you took a deep breath.
seven years, that was awfully an old time. you didn’t even practice the song beforehand and now you deemed to regret it. you weren’t really afraid of making a mistake and embarrass yourself in front of a huge audience, you were rather scared that you had forgotten how to play it.
every time you were told to choose a song, your first thought would be clair de lune, but in the end you never performed it. however this time, now that you have returned to the same country where love first bloomed in your heart, you decided that you had to stop running away.
as you pressed the first few chords, you can tell that your fingers were stiff, your shoulders were aching from the stillness of your body. you took a few deep breaths, trying to calm yourself, remembering what all the lessons you had in order to become an enchanting performer. however, none of it helped.
to you suna was indelible, and you dreaded that you missed him so much. thus, you changed your whole perception, just so you could finish this song.
your mind drifted to the music room in your temporary high school, the old room that no one barely remembered except for you and hopefully him too. you imagined the out of tune piano as this grand one you’re playing. and slowly, as if you were shifted back in time, you could see a glimpse of him seated next to you.
the little teasing he would do whenever he felt like disrupting your concentration, the squint of his beautiful eyes as he listened to you explain about his homework. suna was always beautiful in your memory, all those stolen glances down the hallway, and the little touches you shared from a particular song.
creases that formed on his forehead as he kept messing up the keys, the smile that unknowingly made its way to his face as he got them right in one try and lastly, that final beautiful tune that formed when he played the song without knowing you were watching. that one last day you two ever saw each other.
the song came to an end as you opened your eyes, there were tears at the corner of your eyes as you recalled the memory. quickly, you masked it with a smile as the audience clapped loudly for you. thanking them, the drop curtains closed as you catch a pair of eyes looking right at you with the same longing expression you had.
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your feet was starting to sore from the heels and the long standing of greeting the vips. you were getting a little irritated with the same questions they would ask you at every event, it was like a mantra. this time around, they were curious of the man you mentioned.
you had to politely repeat your answer that he was just a figment of your memory and that you haven’t seen him since.
after some time, you managed to escape and hid in the quiet hallways. you were hoping to see your friend, but sadly she couldn’t make it. you tried to make your presence as unnoticed as possible as you walked past the few people chatting along the corridor.
in the end, you settled to an unoccupied balcony that gave away the most breathtaking view of the city. certainly it wasn’t the brightest idea to stand and gaze outside when your dress was exposing your skin to the freezing weather.
without notice, your numbing shoulder was draped with a jacket. your eyes rounded from the contact as you turned around to thank the person when you finally realise who it was.
those familiar eyes that once gave you so much encouragement and joy was looking back at you, a lopsided grin on his face as his face heated up upon seeing you for the first time.
“s-suna?” your voice unintentionally quivered from the cold and from the surprise. you took a step towards him as he did the same. “hey.” hearing his voice again reminded you of high school, and how much you truly missed him.
suna considered approaching you as soon as the concert ended but he couldn’t find the exact moment. you were surrounded by so many people, greeting them with the sweetest smile as he watched from afar, feeling immensely proud of where you are now. and when he saw you walking to the balcony, he wrapped his jacket on the spur of moment as a friendly gesture.
“it’s really you.” this time you bravely took a step towards him as you held both of his arms. he had his palm rested on your elbows as the two of you were caught in a silence while just staring at each other. there were too many unspoken words from both of you, no one knew where to start.
“i watched you play, you were astonishing.” a smile made its way to his lips as he gaze at you intently. he couldn’t believe you were here in front of him. your face heated up from the compliment, a little embarrassed from him being so blunt.
before, suna was always one to beat around the bush. often teasing than complimenting. “you enjoy symphony concerts now?” you asked, dodging the topic that was making your heart beat erratically. “i got tickets from a friend, he couldn’t attend.” he chuckled. “he said he got the them from you.”
“komori?” you wondered, he was the only guy that you gave a personal invitation. suna nodded his head, surprised that komori wasn’t actually lying. “oh that’s sad, he’s been wanting to watch me play.” you uttered and the latter wondered how you two knew each other.
“i’m friends with his cousin, kaori. she was my senior during my studies in vienna. she’s an awfully gorgeous and talented student, literally everyone’s favourite.” you told him as you two leaned against the balcony, back facing the view as you chatted.
you adjusted his jacket around your shoulders, having your stomach doing somersaults as you thought of it romantically. “i take it that you’re a professional player now?” you queried, stealing glances at him. suna, who was gazing at the moon from above looked down towards you before nodding.
“i had nothing else to do anyway, volleyball is the only thing i enjoy.” he said before gulping, and finally he looked at you. “other than sleeping in the drum room while you lull me with music” he added. it caused the two of you to laugh at the memory.
“the moon, huh?” he thought aloud out of the blue, remembering clearly what you said earlier on stage. you looked at him with surprise as suna pushed himself from the railing and turned to look at you.
he moved before he could think, but he didn’t exactly regret his actions. he doesn’t know when you might leave again, and so he thought this might be the only chance he has.
“you know, i couldn’t bring myself to listen to clair de lune ever since you left.” he said, he was looking behind you, at the city lights. “i hated that all that song ever reminded me was of you. i couldn’t stop thinking about you even after all those years.”
“suna, i’m sorr—”
“don’t say that.” he stopped you as he finally locked eyes with you. “don’t apologise for making me fall for you.” he offered you a smile, but he looked uncertain, afraid even.
you had never seen him so vulnerable. he was demonstrating his emotions so clearly for you to see, hoping that it would reach you.
“no.” you said and his smile fell, suna’s heart was ripping out, and it felt like it was about to tear apart again after seven years of restoring them. “i have to apologise first. i was wrong for leaving you like that.”
even if you wanted nothing more than to be in his arms at the moment, you can never forgive yourself for what you did to him. it was wrong for you to leave him hanging, even as a friend. you could never live up to your true feelings for him unless he forgive you.
“i was afraid.” you looked at your shoes, embarrassed of the childish act you did during your first year of high school. “i found myself developing a crush on you, i didn’t even realise it until i got the offer to vienna.” you admitted, your heart was in your throat but you had to continue.
“it was such a stupid thing to do, i thought there was no way you’d like me back. so i decided that the best way to get rid of the growing feeling was to leave immediately. im truly sorry, you didn’t deserve to be left hanging even as a friend.” you sighed, finally relief of the years of guilt.
however, when his hand held your face, directing your gaze towards him as he looked at you with eyes full of yearning, you couldn’t help but to melt. “i never hated you, i even tried to but i just couldn’t. i would never.” he said as his thumb softly caressed your cheek.
you were brought to the day you met him, a tired expression basked on his face as he opened his eyes to see who was peeping at him through the door. if you had thought that he was stunning then, he was even more ravishing now. unknowingly, a tear escaped from your eyes as you looked at him.
“now why would you cry?” he mused, his expression was lovesick.
you laughed at his question, rolling your eyes slightly as you heart settled down now that you know that your feelings reciprocated. “what took you so long?” the tears were flowing again when you look at him.
it felt as if time was frozen by the cold winter and there was only the two of you. the moonlight allowed both of you to see each other in the shadows clearly, to comprehend that it was no longer a dream but a reality: you were in each other’s arms.
the cold that was biting you before was replaced with a warm feeling that spread from your chest. all those seven years weren’t just plain vain and full of waiting, a beautiful bloom was there between you two.
he loves you, just as long and as much as you had loved him.
suna leaned forward, unsure of your response but he was willing to take the risk. when he was an inch away from capturing your lips, his heart skipped a beat as he caught you closing your eyes. with a smile, he did what should’ve been done years ago. he finally kissed you.
in the kiss was the sweetness of passion, a million loving thoughts condensed in a single moment. all the years of longing vanished in a single heated touch. your arms wrapped around his neck, pressing him closer just so you could kiss him better.
his lips felt so warm against your trembling ones. his hand held your face firmly as the other one wrapped around your middle to lever your body towards his. all the other sounds of the world went silent as you focus on your entangled lips, memorising the sweet taste of it under the twinkling sky.
suna kept his eyes half opened, sneaking a guilty peek at you every time he came back for air, just to make sure this wasn’t a product of his imagination. you felt so delicate in arms, he was afraid to lose you again. he had been waiting for so long for this to happen and he was to make sure that he’ll cherish it forever.
he rested his forehead against yours as the two of you tried to catch your breaths. a smile on his lips as he realised that this was really happening. he pulled you in his embrace as he looked at the moon above the two of you.
the heat from the kiss spread warmth to your cheeks as you buried your face at the crook of his neck,bhis cologne carving its way to your mind. you noticed he was gazing at the sky and so you did the same, your eyes meeting his for a brief second before you caught his smile.
“the moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”
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suna opened his eyes, the pillows beneath him were too fluffy to keep him awake. he buried his face until he heard footsteps running down the hallway before it dissipated. he reached out an arm next to him only to find it empty.
he hummed, waves of fatigue washing through him as he pushed himself off the bed. he looked around in his room, and surprisingly he was alone. walking into the bathroom, he brushed his teeth, slowly eyeing his surroundings. he found no trace of another person, where had you gone to?
he threw a shirt on as he made his way out of the room to look for you. somehow, as he opened the door to his bedroom, he found a little girl dressed in a pastel blue dress. her hair was let loose with two identical clips on each side of her head, but she looked slightly annoyed and finally her lips formed into a smile when she saw him.
“you’re awake!” she exclaimed, small hands grabbed on his trousers. “i want mummy to teach me how to play the piano, tell her to teach me.” she gleefully explained and she looked at him with hopeful eyes, the same golden green eyes staring back at his. suna gave her a smile as he crouched down and grabbed her hands.
“where’s mummy?” he asked, his fingers gently brushing her hair back from covering her pouting face. the girl looked at him. “outside with katsuki, he wouldn’t stop crying.” hearing so, suna took the girl’s hand as they descended down the stairs.
as he stepped into the small garden outside, he found you still dressed in your nightgown with a little boy in your arms. his small arm wrapped around your neck as the other one stretched to point at something he saw on the tree.
his heart swelled at the scene before him. it was an adorable sight to see you talked to the boy while he absentmindedly wonder off to the squirrel on the tree. you barely noticed his presence until the little girl pulled her hand away from him and ran towards you.
“mummy! teach me piano, please.” she pleaded as she tugged on your skirt. “mizuki, i would but i can’t leave your brother alone. have you woken up your father?” you asked as you apologetically looked at the child.
“i’m awake.” suna casually announced causing you to look at him. he walked over to you as he caressed the boy’s cheek with his forefinger. the baby’s attention shifted from the squirrel on the tree and to his father, as his arm left your neck and extended them both towards him.
suna picked him from you as the baby giggled. “finally,” you sighed. “you sleep for too long.” you playfully crossed your arms as he shifted his gaze from his son to you. “i’m sorry, why was he crying?” he asked, often glancing at the boy as he moved.
“a squirrel jumped into his room and he got scared. he wouldn’t go back to bed, i had to carry him around from dawn.” you pouted as you pinched katsuki’s cheeks. “aw, there’s nothing to be afraid of. they won’t hurt you buddy.” suna said as he angled the child’s body towards the tree.
“sorry, i know it’s supposed to be my turn.” suna apologised as he leaned in and gave you a kiss on the lips, earning a yuck from mizuki. you chuckled at your eldest daughter, ruffling her hair. “come on, i’ll teach you daddy’s favourite song.” you said as you took her hand and guided her back into the house.
soon enough, suna joined the two of you as the lovely melody poured throughout the room. he watched you from aside, his son in his arms and his little girl sitting next to you by the piano. he watched you play as he remembered the first time he did so.
the day he fell in love just by watching you from the side: your eyes closed, your emotions pouring out through your play, the smile that never fades from your beautiful face. he fell for you even harder when you considered him a friend and even taught him how to play. from that day onward, suna knew that whenever he hears clair de lune playing, he’ll think of the moon and how it blessed the two of you together.
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note: katsuki and mizuki are japanese names that have relation to the meaning moonlight and i just find them appropriate for this story 🥺
also,, dad suna is just so cute im gonna go and cry now :”))) thank you for all the love and support <33
merry christmas!!
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luvnami · 3 years
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𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 | 𝐖𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 (here) | 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 | 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 - Second part to ‘Ocean’! Hope you enjoy it :> Reblogs, comments, shares and likes are really appreciated!!
𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 - @getousuguruwife​ @amjustagirl​ @aliteama​
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 - Amnesia, Memory loss, Blood, Mild gore, Death, Blood loss, Corpses, Food, Manga spoilers, Pre-canon and canon compliant to a certain extent, Nightmares, Relationship Issues (lack of communication), Overthinking/Anxious Thoughts, I criticise Nanami’s choice of clothing
𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 -  Nanami Kento's life has been... Good, bad, and everything in between. He  (and many others) thinks he's mature, independent, the definition of  what a proper adult should be like. But really, the only way he's made  it this far is because you've been holding his hand the entire time. 
𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 - 5k
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Nanami decides to enter university and get a degree. He casts a life of sorcery behind and turns a blind eye to curses that peer at him curiously on the street. When you text him and ask about how life is in the city of Tokyo, he replies that it would be much better if you were here with him. You choose to ignore the meaning between the lines and tell him that he’ll do great in university; you’re sure of it!
Truth be told, his parents are more than glad to fund Nanami’s ventures and encourage him to do so. As a result, he finds himself engulfed by the world of rigorous studying. Lectures and tutorials drain his time from morning to evening, not to forget project meetings and whatever the hell ‘socialising’ means.
But campus life is invigorating. He wakes up to the smell of coffee and his roommate singing a foreign song with a catchy tune and has time to enjoy a lovely breakfast before he heads off for morning classes. Everything is done in his own time. No one rushes him to save the lives of innocent civilians, nor does the weariness of a day’s fight linger in his bones.
Quietly, gently. That is how Nanami’s time in university goes by. Writing essays on analysing market trends or a project on that sociology elective module he chose is nothing too tricky, especially when one compares it to sorcery. 
He learns to relax, unwinding in the golden hours of the evening with a Murakami paperback and a steaming cup of coffee by his side. Nanami meets new people — people who have never heard what a curse is (though he does find his witchy neighbour intriguing), people who have families at the furthest ends of the earth. Their companionship is refreshing.
You, meanwhile, earn a nice sum from working at Jujutsu Tech. You don’t work directly with curses (something which Nanami is thankful for) and enjoy your time surrounded by nature, treating the younger students with a smile and warm cup of tea. 
You and Nanami decide to move into an apartment where the commute is halfway between both schools. It’s a nice change of pace, really. You wake up next to each other in the blinding morning light, still entangled in the cheap (and slightly scratchy) duvet you got on sale. Nanami presses a kiss between your brows. You smile, your hand warm on his skin. 
“Good morning, Ken,” you croak as the sunlight frames your face.
You lean forward and place your head against his chest. Nanami’s hand strokes your shoulder lovingly as the both of you make small talk on the day’s events, then laughing when he makes a cheesy (and slightly indecent) joke about what he enjoys eating for breakfast. Your heart soars in your chest, catching the upwind and slicing through the clouds. It feels like heaven.
But the sea does not always remain calm and peaceful. Its tides rise and fall with the waxing and waning of the moon, and waves can come crashing down on boats that dare sail through its treacherous waters. 
Nanami buries the constant nightmares of Haibara under his pillow, waking up in the middle of the night with your arms around his waist. He pretends he does not see the curses that linger in the corner of his lecture theatre, nor the ones that stare back in the bathrooms. Nanami slips a pair of spectacles onto the bridge of his nose. His fellow classmates call him intelligent, quiet, but kind. 
He wants to believe that, too.
☆*: .。.
Nanami joins a hedge fund company after graduation. 
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do, Ken?” you ask over the table.
The restaurant you had booked for dinner boasts of its month-long waitlists and seasonal menus. You poke at the raw fish that sits on your plate, Nanami holding a glass of amber liquid. He watches its colour swirl under the dim light.
“The pay is good. We’ll be comfortable.”
“I don’t care about money, Ken. I’d rather you do something less stressful and be happier.”
“Let me try it out for a year or so. That can’t hurt, right?”
He smiles, you smile. 
Your hand slips into his comfortably over the table, and your eyes meet in silent understanding. You squeeze his hand.
The company changes Nanami. Some things are obvious — the way he now parts and combs his hair back with wax, the pressed suits that line your shared wardrobe, the work phone that buzzes with notifications every minute of the day. Others are more… subtle. He comes home later and later each night, occasionally staying over in the office. His alcohol consumption increases. You spend the weekends alone. 
It’s gotten to the point where you’re lucky if you eat dinner with him once a week. You’re busy with your own work, too, but you assume that Nanami would be able to come home on at least the weekends. Your mind begins to drift.
Is there a colleague who wears a skirt too short, a manager who touches his shoulder a second too long? It’s been at least four years since you and Nanami had gotten together, and you still don’t know his stance on marriage or children yet. Does he love you, or does he love his job more? 
You fall into a pit of doubt and despair. Perhaps you should have been a lesser burden on Nanami. He spent so many hours taking care of you back then, wearing himself thin between missions, that the idea of him getting tired of being a caregiver to someone who didn’t remember him at all was… possible; reality, even?
There’s nothing original about you, either. Your handwriting is the same as a girl you’ll never remember from middle school, the way you text influenced by the students you work with. Maybe you laugh too loud. Or you’re too fat, too skinny, too quiet, too noisy, too blunt, too shy, too clumsy. So what made him love you? Or was he just in love with a previous version of you that you weren’t now?
It feels like you’re staring into a mirror when you try to remember who you used to be with childhood journals and photographs. The same face, the same body, memories that don’t make sense and a head that has become a blank canvas. A parent’s child, a teacher’s student. Unable to reach past the glass.
You don’t know who you are anymore with how you’ve changed to please Nanami — a person of personalities that switches in the blink of an eye. So why does he still keep you in his rented heart that’s full of other tenants, and under the contact name ‘Dear ♡’? You place the button in a drawer amongst a mess of spare keys, bits of tissue paper and promotional pamphlets. 
It’s tiring. Nanami’s head is in the clouds as you share a parfait, and you ask him, “Kento, do you really love me?”.
“What?” he asks incredulously. “Of course I do.”
The eyebags that are on his face have been there since two weeks ago. Nanami can’t remember when the last time was when he got a proper night of sleep, and currently, he’s thinking about the new client that-
“Kento,” you interrupt. “You’re exhausted.”
You point your spoon at him for extra emphasis, the tip of it having a dollop of whipped cream. 
“Pointing your utensils around is bad manners.”
“Never knew you cared about table manners.”
“Well, now I do.”
You lick the spoon clean and eye Nanami. He returns a tired stare before his gaze falls to the side and he lets out a sigh. He almost wishes that you would stop bothering him about this and let him go back home. There are so many emails he needs to send, and he can’t sit still without checking the stock market every hour or so. 
“Do you want to break up?”
The words come easier than expected.
“Huh?! What makes you say that?”
“You seem like you want to.”
“You can’t just assume things like-”
The girls sitting by the next table fall quiet. Nanami thinks that they’re eavesdropping on your conversation; you think so too. You glance quickly at them and they pretend nothing had ever happened, hiding their looks of surprise as they shove spoonfuls of dessert into their mouths.
“Let’s go somewhere else.”
You sound irritated. Nanami pays with his card, grabbing his things as you step outside of the cafe first. 
“Slow down,” he mumbles and pockets his wallet. 
You whip around.
“You can’t just assume things like that, Kento.”
“Fine, I’m sorry.”
Staring at him, your eyes seem glazed over. Tired, maybe. Tearing up, maybe. Maybe, maybe. Many maybes. Nanami doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know what’s been going on with you, actually. You seem distant, out of reach when you’re lying in the same bed as him. Is it the money; is he making enough to make you happy?
Nanami reaches out and tries to hold your hand (when was the last time he had done that?) when his phone buzzes. He retracts his hand and reaches for his back pocket, but you grab his wrist. He looks at you.
“What are you doing? Let go.”
Irritation laces his voice. 
“Don’t answer that.”
“Are you crazy? It’s from work. I have to.”
“Work this, work that! You spent the last year basically married to your office and the one time we get to go out together, you want to work?”
Your voice is sharp, slicing Nanami’s hazy conscience. He watches as it pools at his feet, a gust of fresh air tickling his skin. He relaxes his wrist and you pull your hand away. Passersby glance at you briefly before continuing their daily commute, not bothering to give you a second glance.
“Sorry,” you mumble.
“It’s okay,” Nanami replies. 
The both of you stand in the street, suddenly feeling as if you’ve drifted away from one other unknowingly. Like a boat in the ocean, Nanami rocks with the waves that splash gently on his hull. Everything is blue and vast around him. He can’t see the land. 
Nanami thinks about that girl at the bakery. The way she always cried out ‘Come back soon!’ every time he left as if he wouldn’t return a second time. And then he thinks about the clients he serves, all outfits and jewellery that easily cost half his salary. They shove money into his hands, expecting even more in return without a word of thanks. 
“Hey,” Nanami says. 
He reaches out across the waters and grasps your hand in his. You look up, eyes brimming with tears. He swipes at the corner of your eye with his thumb. Understanding washes over him and he takes a deep breath. 
“I’m sorry,” Nanami whispers sincerely.
That night, he calls Gojo when you’re safely tucked into bed. Nanami tries to ignore how the older sorcerer cackles at him and hangs up once the call is presumably over on his end. He slips under the covers as you turn over in your sleep, resting against his chest. Nanami kisses your brow. 
He gets his first night of good sleep in a long, long time. 
☆*: .。.
Nanami falls back into the rhythm of sorcery. He trains for a good month until he gets his stamina and strength back, obtaining a new weapon from the school for his missions. Gojo seems oddly delighted to see him return, laughing when Nanami’s out of breath from a workout.
“Ken,” you say, wrinkling your nose when he steps out of your shared bedroom. “You’re going to work in that?” 
Nanami adjusts the cuffs of his sleeves, staring at you. 
“Is this not appropriate?”
You observe him from head to toe. The leopard print tie, blue shirt and tan suit — you resist the urge to tell him he’s so close to looking like a pimp. Out of all the lovely suits that Nanami has, he chooses to wear this one?
“It’s a bit bright, that’s all,” you laugh. 
“I thought I would go with something eccentric. You don’t get to wear this at the office,” he remarks, striding over to the kitchen to grab your packed lunches. 
You remain quiet and fiddle with a loose thread on your own suit jacket. 
“Something the matter?”
“Oh! Nothing at all. Let’s go.”
It’s more convenient now since the both of you work at the same place. Nanami drives to Jujutsu Tech every morning and picks you up in the evenings as well. He detests how Gojo makes fun of him for it, calling him a ‘lovely husband’. It makes your cheeks warm, and you duck your head before Nanami can ask you anything about it.
Peace reigns true for a few months. The morning routine is a nice change of pace compared to Nanami’s previous job. You’re able to spend more time together, even to the point of going grocery shopping or watching a movie with takeout on Friday nights.
Nanami relaxes only a little. Compared to office work, this is probably just as bad. First of all, he has to see Gojo almost every day and have him talk his ear off. Secondly, he returns to being the balance between life and death for civilians once more. It’s not a task he enjoys. However, he harbours that the thanks he receives and the lives he saves are a good enough exchange. 
Years come and go, as do students of Jujutsu Tech. Nanami sees more dead sorcerers and exorcises more curses. You quietly type away at a laptop, filing their deaths and completing any tasks you’re given from the higher-ups. It seems that life has slowed down once more and you return to a monotonous pace. 
You wonder if your relationship with Nanami will progress any further. It’s been close to nine years and yet… nothing has developed beyond living together or the odd weekend date. That’s not to say that you don’t love Nanami. You do, honestly. He treats you well and listens to your occasional nagging to put his stacks of books away, but you want something more. You crave the thought of getting married, to be lawfully his and maybe start a family. But, contrary to belief, Nanami isn’t opposed to it when you bring the topic up over dinner one night.
“Marriage?” 
His chopsticks pick off a portion of grilled salmon and he brings it to his mouth with some rice. He chews, swallowing.
“Yeah. I mean, we’ve been together for so long, you know? So it kind of seems natural for us to do so.”
Your gut twists nervously. The steam from your miso soup rises silently in the air, wisps of white smeared out at the edges. 
“Sure.”
“Huh?”
“Sure, let’s get married.” Nanami says.
You have to physically close your mouth and your eyes are widened in shock. Your heartbeat accelerates that much faster.
“Are you serious?”
“Well, were you serious when you asked me that question?”
Heat rises to your face. 
“As you said, we’ve been together and living under the same roof for quite some time. Marriage seems like a plausible idea.”
“Then let’s-!”
“But I have one condition.”
Momentarily, your heart wavers. Nanami finishes the last drop of miso soup in his bowl and balances his chopsticks on top of the porcelain. As usual, his plate and bowls are scraped clean. 
“I’ll only get married after I stop being a sorcerer.”
Your face twists in confusion as you try to understand where Nanami is coming from. You don’t get it — didn’t being a sorcerer mean that Nanami faced death everyday and that he should be taking advantage of what time he has left? But, of course, you don’t mean to curse him into an early grave like that. Except… Except that your face visibly falls and Nanami takes notice of it.
“I’d rather not have my life entangled with curses more than it should be. Once we both earn enough money and have a nice savings account, we can retire and go do whatever we want. Besides, I’ll invest. It’ll be more than enough.”
You remain silent and stare at your half-finished dinner. Nanami reaches over the table and takes your hand in his. 
“Can you give me some more time, please?”
You don’t reply. 
☆*: .。.
“Did you hear about the new first years?”
“Mm. The one who died, right?”
“Gojo wants me to mentor him for a while.”
Nanami’s hands are positioned on the steering perfectly. His palms guide the car carefully through the steep roads that climb up to Jujutsu Tech. You flip through a checklist of things you need to do for the day.
“Will you be heading out of school?”
“Probably. There’s a scene I need to check out.”
“Stay safe, alright?”
“Of course. You too, don’t forget to have your lunch again.”
Nanami pulls into the parking lot of the school. Leaning over the clutch, he presses a kiss to your hairline. You gently peck his jaw.
“See you tonight. I might not be able to pick you up, so get Nitta to drive you.”
“See you, Ken.”
Nanami watches as you open the car door and step out. You turn back, giving him a wave and smile through the window. He returns the gesture. Once you’re out of sight, Nanami pulls out his phone as he sits in the car. He thumbs through his emails and his Adam’s apple bobs as soon as he sees the confirmation sent to him. A loose sigh worms its way out of his chest. He pushes the door open and steps out. 
The rest of the day is spent teaching Itadori Yuuji about the sanctity of being young and simpleminded. Sorcery isn’t child’s play — especially when there are lives involved. He watches as Itadori’s face crumbles at the mention of the transfigured humans. He wants to comfort him, place a hand on his shoulder and tell him that it isn’t his fault.  
They have a quick debrief of the situation with Ijichi before parting ways. Nanami shoulders his burden once more, watching as the car pulls away in the direction of Yoshino’s home. 
As night falls, Nitta drives you home. She’s chatty, serious about her job and does it well. You smile when she gushes about how lovely Nanami must be at home, and, oh! Do tell him to lighten up at work. 
You thank her when she drops you off. As you walk through the lobby of your apartment complex, you make a routine stop by the mailboxes. Junk, bills and… a box? You flip it over to see who it’s addressed to; perhaps Nanami had ordered something online. However, your name is printed neatly across the label.
The first thing you do when you get home is to open the box. It’s small, probably not more than a hand’s breadth in length. Your pen knife slices through the tape cleanly and when you push aside the flaps, you spot two velvet boxes sitting in a mess of paper filler. Your fingers tremble when you pull one of them out and open it. 
A silver ring sits in the furrow of a cushion with Nanami’s name on the inside. Your heart skips a beat and you reach into the cardboard to pull out the second ring box. This one is a little larger, with your name engraved on the interior side of the band. It must be Nanami’s, then.
It’s already well past 6p.m. as you dial his number with your lower lip between your teeth. You pace around the house, bouncing on the balls of your feet. What were these meant to be? Promise rings? Engagement rings? You hadn’t dared to slip the one with Nanami’s name engraved onto your finger just yet.
“Hello?” 
Nanami’s breathing is laboured. Your heart falls and you stop in the middle of your living room, staring ahead at nothing.
“Ken? Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Just… just a little hurt. It’s nothing serious.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve called Ijichi to pick me up, don’t-”
“So it is serious, then!” you cry out in horror. 
“No, no. I said I’m fine. Look, did you receive the rings yet?”
“I did, but that’s not the point now. Are you safe?”
“I-”
You hear Nanami’s phone clatter to the ground and the thump of his body on the floor. 
“Kento?” you whisper.
He doesn’t reply. 
☆*: .。.
You’re seated on the floor of your shared home, an oversized pajama shirt stolen from Nanami’s closet swallowing you. Sunlight pours in through an open window at two in the afternoon and the quiet hum of vehicles outside can be vaguely heard.
Clip, clip, clip.
One hand holds a nail clipper, while the other cradles Nanami’s fingers gently. The blond watches you absentmindedly while you trim his nails. He had insisted he was perfectly capable of doing them on his own, but the glare you gave him made Nanami sink back into the sofa. 
He was hurt after a fight with Mahito — the wound on his side made him grimace whenever he stood up, and Nanami found himself relying on you more than he wished to. Thankfully, he had passed out from blood loss and pain but nothing too devastating had happened. That didn’t change how concerned you were about him, though. You try to forget how you had hailed a taxi just to rush back to Jujutsu Tech to see Nanami lying in the sickbay with a blood drenched shirt. 
Nanami thinks it’s childish. When was the last time someone had clipped his nails for him? Was it his mother? A warm breeze wrings itself through the window. You run the pad of your finger over the cut edge, feeling for any sharp portions. 
Nanami stares at the top of your head. Your fingers feel uncharacteristically soft against his own calloused ones — wielding a weapon in battle wore his palms down at the end of the day. He doesn’t particularly want to admit he likes it.
Nanami is a man of truth. He hates lying, and definitely doesn’t tolerate beating around the bush. But if he spoke as he thought, told you everything he felt about you as often as it came like the wind, how would you react? He clutches his heart in the aching hand of a budding teenager, the fears of facing a cruel world fresh in his mind. 
Being a sorcerer means facing death on a daily basis, especially with the increase in curses with modern times. It doesn’t help that with both of you on the field, it means double the chances. Sorcerers never die without regrets.
Nanami wishes he could love you more, let you explore each crevice of his heart without fear of leaving you; being left behind one day. He doesn’t want to curse you if he dies. He doesn’t want to become a burden to you any more than he should be. 
Clip, clip, clip.
“Is it too short?” 
You glance up briefly at Nanami and brush the hair out of your eyes. He stares down at his fingers and feels them over with his thumb. He shakes his head.
“No, it’s fine.”
You nod and move on to his next hand. You’re systematical about it — trimming off most of the grown parts in three portions, then a couple tinier clips to finish the job off. A nail file sits on the ground beside you, the tiles of the floor cool against your bare legs.
“Hey, Ken?”
“Hmm?”
“I heard that there’s a new bakery opposite that popular department store. I was thinking of going to take a look later. Do you want me to get anything for you?”
“Nothing too sweet would be nice.”
“Okay.”
The living room falls back into a comfortable silence.
Clip, clip, clip.
☆*: .。.
It takes a few more weeks before Nanami is cleared by Ieri to return to regular sorcery work. He tries to rest in the downtime he has, he really does — but the itch to get up and finish Mahito off has him restless. 
At this, Gojo sends Nanami and you off to Hamamatsu on another curse investigation for a change of scenery. Gojo doesn’t want to admit it, but he had mumbled to you something about taking care of Nanami’s mental health. Maybe the beach would help? You told him he sounded like a doctor from the 20th century. You’re not one to refuse a free trip outside of Tokyo, though, so you and Nanami pack your luggage and troop off to Hamamatsu on the Shinkansen. 
“Thank you.”
Nanami’s fingers curl around the ice cream cone handed to him, the sun scorching his back. It’s too hot for this; for anything, really. He makes a mental note to give Gojo a good stare of disapproval once he returns to school. 
Why did the mission have to be on the warmest day of the year? With how the heatwave makes perspiration trickle down your back, though, the dangers of facing a possible special grade curse is the least of your worries right now.
“It’s so hot!” 
You eagerly lap at the soft serve, savouring the cold, sweet treat. Nanami wanted to take a photo of the ice cream, but- oh well, you’ve begun eating, and the horrendous heat would have probably melted it before he found a good angle, anyways. 
Protected by the shade of a shopping district, Nanami and you had agreed to find refuge for a few hours — the curse could wait till the sun began to set. Besides, it would be more likely to turn up after dark. 
“How does yours taste, Ken?” you ask and peer over at his cone.
He had gotten a cookies and cream flavoured one, despite how you egged him on to try out the local eel flavour. Nanami was not going to ruin his taste buds just like that, thank you very much.
“It’s alright,” he says, licking traces of ice cream off of his lips. “Could do with a little more cookie.”
“Wanna try mine?” 
You stick your cone into Nanami’s face. He’s greeted with your half-eaten soft serve, where your tongue has made a path of its own against the original swirl. He eyes you carefully and you offer the cone to him once more.
“That’s unhygienic.”
“Oh, come on, Ken! We’ve kissed before, sharing saliva on ice cream is nothing compared to that.”
Heat rushes to his face, though Nanami assumes a composed facade. He blames it on the weather without hesitation. Not wanting you to tease him anymore, he leans forward and nips a tiny portion of your ice cream off of the tip. 
“Yummy, isn’t it?”
“Mmm.”
“Want to try mine too?” 
The words leave his lips on reflex. Nanami wonders when he’s begun letting you try his food — when he used to be so adamant that no one could even touch its container or look in its direction (thanks to Gojo’s greedy fingers). You nod excitedly and lick off of a portion. 
“It’s good!” 
What was the first time he had said it to you? Over oden in the winter; over those disgustingly sweet slurpees you insisted on from 7 11? All those small moments that had built up culminated in Nanami’s affection and understanding towards you. The way in which you offer him a bite of your food without expecting anything in return; is that what love is like? 
“You’ve got some ice cream on your face,” Nanami says.
You instinctively use your tongue and try to clean it off. “Did I get it?”
Nanami shakes his head. “It’s on this side,” he replies, pointing a spot on his own face.
You try again, to no avail. Nanami sighs.
“What would you do without me?” he asks monotonously, using the pad of his thumb to wipe it off.
You stand there, frozen for a second when he leans in. His promise ring is cold against your cheek.
“Kento?” you whisper. 
Under the light of the shining sun, he presses his lips to yours, shielding you from warm rays and the glances of passersby with his back. You let out a muffled sound of surprise as you taste cookies and cream, your eyes fluttering shut instinctively. 
Nanami isn’t a fan of public affection. God forbid Gojo see him kissing you, really. But as he leans back and watches your half-lidded eyes stare up at him, he asks himself if you’ve ever received his own sort of love in return. 
A relationship’s all about give and take; but has he given as much as he should have? Has Nanami loved you in a way that matters? Life is a fleeting concept to all sorcerers. Should he die and leave you behind, Nanami wonders if he would pass without any regrets. Did he do enough when he tugged the covers over your shoulders when you fell asleep on the sofa, was there more he could have done even after buying you that watch you had eyeballed for the past few months?
There’s that sort of incompetence that curls up in his chest on sleepless nights, even with you tucked into his side. It makes his head spin and his heart fall into a bottomless pit. With all the eyes of juniors and students that look up to him, Nanami can’t help but wonder if he’s truly as good as everyone thinks he is. Being a sorcerer holds little problem. But what about a lover, a husband?
He couldn’t save Haibara, so how dare he think about…
“Kento,” you swallow. “Ken?”
Nanami snaps out of his daze. “Huh?”
“I dropped my ice cream,” you whisper. 
He swivels his head and spots your cone face down on the sidewalk. His own cone drips down his hand, the melting liquid staining the sleeve of his suit. For once, Nanami’s mind runs blank. 
“Kento? Are you okay?” you ask gently.
“Hey,” he murmurs. 
“Mm?”
Nanami’s careful to avoid the pool of melting ice cream as he steps closer to you, lips brushing the shell of your ear. Your breath hitches as his cologne invade your senses.
“I love you. Let’s get married.”
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atlafan · 4 years
Text
Office Neighbors - Part Thirteen
a/n: WEDDING!!! (reblogs and feedback are super helpful!) not proofread, sorry!
warnings: FLUFF! Smut (a little bit of bum stuff, but don’t get too excited, it’s not what you think...yet)
words: 16K
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You and Harry needed to go down to Boston a few days before the wedding. You needed to go over things with Julian, and he needed to be there for when his family and friends flew in. Andy was extremely excited. Brandon’s parents would be sending him down on the bus the day before the wedding, so Andy would have a buddy during the rehearsal dinner.
It was nice to have a few days off from school, but Andy was sad to be away from Brandon. They hadn’t been able to really discuss everything that happened at the Halloween party like he had hoped. Every time he saw him he just blushed and smiled. They’d hold hands a little underneath the desks in class, and that was about it.
You were off with Julian, Phil, and your parents while Harry and Andy went to the airport to pick everyone up. Harry was somehow able to get everyone on the same flight.
“Six hours with these two buggers behind me. They were worse than the kids!” Gemma says as she hugs Harry, and then Andy. “I needed to take something to fall asleep.”
“Oi, we weren’t that bad.” Niall says.
“Yeah, it’s not our fault there was a football match on the tele.” Louis says. “You should be paying us babysitting fees for keeping those two entertained.”
Gemma glares at the guys before they rush to hug Harry and Andy. Anne hugs everyone as well. She looked pooped.
“I know, long flight and all that, but you’re here now.” Harry says.
Lizzie and Ritchie chat with Andy as they all wait for their luggage to come through baggage claim.
“How are we all going to fit in the same car?” Gemma asks.
“Oh, we rented a van for the weekend. Make things easier to get to and from the commons, so I just drove that here. You’re gonna love the hotel suite Julian’s put you lot in.”
“And you’re staying with us?” Niall says.
“Yeah, about that…” Harry rubs the back of his neck. “Nothing we’re doing is traditional, so I was sort of thinking I’d just stay with Y/N.”
“Nope, no way. Can’t have a proper bachelors night out if we send you back drunk to your fiancé.” Louis says. “You will stay with us.”
“You’re gonna sloshed the night before your wedding?” Anne asks.
“No…we’re all going out tonight. Tomorrow’s the rehearsal, and then the wedding.” He looks at his friends. “M’not spending two nights away from her.”
“You will, and you’ll like it.” Niall says.
Everyone grabs their luggage and heads out to the van, and climbs in. Harry drives back to the hotel. He helps everyone get checked in, and shows them to their suites.
“Oh, this is perfect!” Gemma says. “Look, Mum, two queens in a room for us, and two queens for all the kids, this’ll be great.”
“Andy, your friend Brandon’s coming tomorrow, right?” Anne asks him.
“Mhm.” He smiles.
“Good, it’ll be nice to see him again. He’s such a sweet boy.” She pats his head and puts hers things down. “Well, I need to take a bit of a nap. Are we all going to have a meal together later?”
“Yeah, we’ll all get together for an early dinner. Take some time to rest. Kids, there’s a pool if you feel up to it.”
“Uncle Harry, I’m pooped.” Lizzie whines. “Need a nap too.”
“Alright, darling.” Harry chuckles.
“I’ll take ‘em down later.” Gemma says. “Andy you’re staying with us?”
“Yeah!”
“Fantastic. Do you wanna stay here with us or go with Dad?”
“I’ll hang out here.” He shrugs. “Everyone they’re all doing is boring.”
“Where is Y/N, anyways?” Anne asks.
“She’s getting some last minute stuff together. Her bridal party will be here tomorrow, so you’ll meet just her immediate family tonight, and then everyone else later.”
“Sounds good.” She yawns. “Okay, off to bed for me.”
Harry heads down the hall to Louis and Niall’s room. Harry met his two best friends his first year of uni. They all played football (soccer) together on the school’s team. Harry obviously didn’t continue on with the sport once he came to the states. Louis had a serious girlfriend of his own, but she stayed home to give the boys their fun, and Niall was in-between relationships at the moment.
“So, how’s Holly.” Harry asks Louis.
“Ah, she’s fantastic. Just FaceTimed her quick. She sends all her love.”
“Tell her I send mine right back. And what about you, Casanova?” Harry smirks. “No ladies awaiting your return?”
“Nope.” Niall grins. “I’m a free man once again. I swear I have all the luck. The women I keep dating are absolutely batty. Wouldn’t mind finding a woman of my own to settle down with.”
“Y/N’s friend Nora is single, and she’s awfully sweet.” Harry says.
“Mm, a long distance relationship isn’t in the cards for me right now, but I’ll keep that in mind if I feel like getting laid this weekend.” He winks at his friend.
“Holly and I did the long distance thing in the beginning, remember? Wasn’t all bad. I had a cool place to visit, we never fought, and it was always hot.” Louis smirks. “It’s still hot, but I certainly don’t like it when she gets mad at me for not getting me knickers in the hamper.”
“Maybe get your knickers in the hamper, and she wouldn’t get mad at you. Just a thought.” Harry says.
“No shit?!” Louis says with a laugh. “Fuckin’ genius over here, it’s almost like you’re a doctor or something.”
“Come on, let’s go get your shit from your room and bring it here.” Niall says.
“Fine.” Harry sighs. “But I’ll need to hog the pillows.”
“Are you still a clingy sleeper?” Louis asks. “You’ve got psychological damage, I swear to god.”
//
After everyone had time to get situation, and rested, Harry eventually caught up with you. He explained that his friends are basically forcing him to stay with them.
“You’ll have more fun, Har.” You chuckle. “It’ll give me more time to be with your mom and sister.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“What are you guys even doing tonight?”
“Think they just wanna take me out to get drunk.” He shrugs. “Wanna come meet them?”
“Yeah!”
You hold hands as you make your way to their room. Harry knocks, and Niall opens the door.
“Hey!” He beams and hugs you immediately. “So this is the lovely lady our Harry’s just been tickled pink about.” You giggle at that and step into the room. “He hasn’t give you enough credit, you’re gorgeous, you know?” Niall keeps his arm around your shoulders and you blush.
“Oi, stop flirting with my fiancé.”
“Why? Not like you’re married yet. Still plenty of time to back out, love.”
“There she is.” Louis says with a smile and hugs you. “It’s so great to meet you. Don’t pay any attention to Nialler here, only rubbish ever comes out of his mouth.” You blink at Louis. “What?”
“You’re…you’re gonna have to speak a little slower.” You chuckle. “Your accent is a little…thick.”
“Maybe yours is thick! Didja ever think o’that?” He looks at you seriously and then laughs. “Only teasing, love, only teasing.”
“How long have you all known each other again?”
“Since we were eighteen.” Harry says as he sits down on the couch in the living area of the suite. “We were all on the soccer team together, and we lived in a triple. It was great.”
“I’m sorry, did you say you were on a sports team?” You were shocked.
“I only played my first year. I’m a better coach than a player.”
“Yeah, the lad here told us there were better opportunities here and left us.” Louis says. “But we all stayed close.”
“We usually get together whenever Harry comes back to London.” Niall explains.
“And where do you both live?”
“I live in London, not too far from Harry’s family, actually.” Louis says.
“Same here, actually. The city was calling my name.” Niall says. “You’re from this area, right?”
“Yeah.” You smile. “Born and raised. It’s the perfect sized city, in my opinion. I never felt overwhelmed or small. I like going to New York once in a wall, but I always get so anxious.”
“London should be fun for you then. You’re coming for the holidays, yeah?” Louis says.
“She sure is.” Harry says as he puts his arm around you, kissing your cheek.
“So, what are we doing for dinner tonight?” Niall asks. “M’getting hungry.”
“We’re all going to this amazing Chinese buffet. You’ll love it.” You say and look down at your watch. “Should probably head down to the lobby soon to meet everyone.”
“Good thinking.” Harry says. “You both ready? We’ll probably leave for our night out from the restaurant.”
“Yup, got everything we need.” Louis says. “Don’t worry, Y/N, we won’t get him too loaded.”
“I’m sure you’ll take very good care of him.” You say with a smirk.
//
You were a bit nervous as you approached the lobby. You had been on a number of FaceTime calls with Gemma and Anne at this point, but it was still wild to be seeing them in person.
“Oh!” Anne exclaims when she spots you, and you smile. “My god, it’s so nice to finally meet in person.” She says as she hugs you.
“Same to you.”
You hug Gemma next, and introduce yourself to Lizzie and Ritchie. Your parents, Julian, and Phil come strolling into the lobby, and everyone else gets acquainted. You all make your way to the restaurant, and are brought to the private room in the back for large parties. A buffet was set up, and the kids sit together while all of the adults co-mingle. You take in everything. Your parents were chatting up Anne as Phil and Julian were talking with Gemma. Louis and Niall were keeping Harry pretty preoccupied. It was nice to see him interacting with them. He had this boyish smile on his face, and it filled you with so much joy.
“Y/N, who’s officiating for you two?” Gemma asks
“My old rabbi is coming.” You smile. “He’s going to do a few prayers for us since that was important to me, and Harry didn’t seem to mind.” He places his hand over yours. “And then our friend Janette is going to step in and do the rest. She was over the moon when we asked her. She works with us as well.”
“That’s great! Harry’s always told nice stories about Janette over the years. Will everyone else from your department be coming?”
“Yeah.” Harry answers his sister. “They’ll be coming to the reception. The ceremony is going to be everyone in this room, plus Y/N’s bridal party. Very small.”
“I like it.” Anne says. “I mean, having a big wedding is great and all, but I like that this will be much more intimate. It makes it more special, in a way.”
“I still can’t believe how quickly you were able to pull this all together.” Your mom says. “I’m happy, don’t get me wrong, but I was shocked when you said it would be happening so soon.”
“We just figured what was the use in waiting a year when we knew it was going to be small. It’s not like we needed to book a large venue, and thanks to Julian, we were able to squeeze into that smaller ballroom for the reception.” You say.
“How will everything work out at the commons?” Niall asks.
“We’re having two small tents set up, one for me and one for Harry, and both parties to hang out in. I’ll be brought over in the van beforehand to take pictures and all that, and then we’re going to do a first look.” You explain.
“We really wanted that moment to be private between us. Andy’s gonna be involved in it too, it’s gonna be great.” Harry says.
“Our admin, Lucas, is taking all of the photos, he’s so talented.” You say. “We’re paying him, of course, but he’s not charging as much as a full-time professional would.”
“It’s nice you two have so many people in your corner to help out.” You dad says. “Makes me feel better about you living so far away, honey.” He gives your hand a squeeze and you smile at him.
You had never felt more blessed in your life. You were with a man your family approved of, and they were happy for you, genuinely! Your parents had been not so great to your past boyfriends, but they took a liking to Harry right away. You wondered if Andy had anything to do with it. They were skeptical, you noticed, at Thanksgiving, but it was like once they met Andy they knew you’d be alright with Harry. It must have something to do with the fact that he’s been able to keep a kid alive and safe. They knew they could trust him with you.
Dinner was great, and everyone felt plenty full. Harry tells Andy to be good and to listen to the adults taking care of him since he’d be mostly likely going to the pool at the hotel with his cousins.
“Have fun you three.” You say to the boys before you all head your separate ways. “Bring him back in one piece.”
“We’ll do our best.” Niall winks.
Harry rolls his eyes at his friends and gives you a hug and a kiss before he leaves with them. You head back to the hotel with Harry’s family after saying goodbye to your own. You meet them all down at the pool to hang out while the kids swam around.
“Have you two been to Boston often?” You ask Anne and Gemma.
“A few times, yeah. We usually fly in here, but we’ve only explored a couple of times.” Gemma explains. “We usually have to hop on the bus up to New Hampshire to get to Harry’s.”
“I think we’re planning our next visit for Andy’s fourteenth birthday since he’ll be done with middle school.”
“And that’ll be when his next birthday party will be at Harry’s house.” Gemma says. “No offense, but I have zero desire to party it up at Paige’s.”
“Oh, please.” You laugh. “I don’t blame you at all.”
“She’s a lovely woman and all, great mum to my grandson, but I’ll never forgive her for hurting my son.” Anne says as she crosses her arms and leans back in her chair, glancing over at the kids in the pool. “I was so shocked the day he called me and told me she was pregnant. He wasn’t done with school yet, and I could tell he was panicked.”
“I had to talk him off the ledge. He was so close to dropping out to find a job. Thankfully Paige had the good sense to remind him he was just about done with school and she was already working full time. I already had the twins, so I was able to give him some pointers.”
“Ah, so they’re about a year older than Andy, then?” You say.
“About, yeah, like a year and half. They all get along great, thank god. At the age they are now, it can feel like such a big gap, you know?”
“Y/N, are you and Harry hoping to have a kid, or are you leaving it with Andy?” Anne asks. “I know it’s not really any of my business, but I had always hoped he’d have more.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine.” You smile. “Yeah, we plan to have a baby at some point. I’m hoping to finish up my doctoral program before we start trying. It’s a lot of stress, and I’d be scared of something happening.”
“Perfectly understandable.” Gemma says. “I was happy with my two for one special.” She laughs. “Got one of each in one go, and that was plenty for me.”
“Have you two talked to Andy about him potentially being a big brother? I know he has Rachel, but that’s a little different. Feel like they’re more like buddies.” Anne says.
“We haven’t talked to him about it, no.” You sigh. “I feel like he’ll be okay with it, but sometimes we don’t really know how he’ll take things. He was awfully upset last year when Paige got engaged. He took ours much better, for whatever reason.”
“He’s a mumma’s boy, just like his father, that’s why.” Gemma smirks. “Harry used to throw a fit anytime Mum went out on a date.”
“Only when Dad and I first divorced, he got over it eventually.” Anne shrugs.
“Yeah, he started dating and said, ‘hm, maybe Mum was valid for wanting to go out’.” Gemma laughs.
“I’m glad Harry having such an older kid didn’t scare you off.” Anne says to you. “It’s one thing when you meet someone and their child is young, basically still a baby, but Andy was, like, ten when you met him, right?”
“Yeah, I think so.” You smile and think back on his chubby cheeks. He’d grown so much in just a couple of years. “I actually think it made things easier. He was able to warm up to me as a friend first, you know? Plus, I think Harry would talk about me to him.”
“He talked about you to everyone.” Anne laughs. “He was smitten before he even knew he was smitten.”
“And there I was totally oblivious to the whole thing.” You shake your head. “Well, not totally, I think I was pretending not to notice. I wasn’t totally into the idea of dating a colleague. I was so new, I didn’t want to seem unprofessional.”
“I get that.” Gemma says. “I met my late husband at work, and we definitely discussed the implications of dating before we actually went out. It can make things really complicated if it doesn’t work out.”
“That’s why I’m kinda glad we started dating in the summer time so we could ease into it a bit.” You say as your phone buzzes. You take it out of your pocket and see a message from Harry. It was a picture of him, clearly one of the boys took, drinking through a funnel. “Oh, god.” You laugh and show them. “They do this often?”
“They’re bad influences.” Gemma says. “They act like little boys when they all get together.”
“They better not make him sick, Harry promised to take us out for some fun during the day tomorrow before the rehearsal.”
//
“Why’d you send her that?!” Harry slurs as he grabs his phone from Niall.
“Thought she’d appreciate you checking in.” Niall smirks.
“Not funny.” Harry says as he tries to text you.
Harry: sooo sorry about that, I’m being good, promise
Y/N: don’t worry about it, I’m glad you’re having fun
“You’re lucky she’s easy going.” Harry says to the two of them. “No more funnels, m’too old for funnels. I’m almost thirty-four for fuck’s sake!”
“You’re, like, three months away from that, chill out.” Louis says and Harry pouts at him. “Fine, no more funnels, let’s do shots instead.”
“Good thinking, Lou, tequila sounds excellent.” Niall says and asks the bartender for three shots.
“Can we sit down? There’s a booth right over there.” Harry points to it and the boys nod. They do their shots at the bar, and Louis orders three more so they can have them at the booth. Harry sighs as he sits. “Much better.”
“Alright, so, you’re really ready to get married? Make that big leap?” Niall asks.
“Yup.” Harry smiles. “I like her a lot.” He takes his phone out. “I mean, look at how cute she is, she’s perfect.” He shows them a picture of you out in the garden, wearing one of Harry’s bucket hats and some dirt on your cheeks. “That’s my baby right there.”
“You did well, Har.” Louis chuckles and pushes Harry’s phone back to him.
“She’s amazing with Andy too, like, she always knows what to say to him. I didn’t realize how much I was doing on my own until she started coming over more and helping out. I feel like I really have someone I can lean on now.” He sniffles and Niall starts laughing.
“Please, don’t get all emotional on us, mate.” Louis says.
“I just can’t believe out of all the people in the world she’s choosing me.”  
“Why wouldn’t she?” Niall says. “I’ve never seen a guy treat a woman as well as you do. Not to mention you’re one of the funniest fuckers I’ve ever met. The key to a woman’s heart is laughter, I swear.”
“it’s true, we laugh a lot.” Harry smiles. “Although, sometimes she tells me I’m not funny even while she’s laughing.”
“That’s because you make really stupid jokes.” Louis says. “They’re so bad they’re funny.”
“Oi, I’m a dad, I get to make dad jokes.” The three do the round of shots Louis had gotten.
“Alright, I’m done with this place.” Niall says. “Onto the next one.”
“And what’s the next one?” Harry raises an eyebrow as the boys grin. “No.”
“C’mon, H.” Niall says.
“Nope, not doin’ in.”
“We have to.” Louis says. “It’s an upscale place, we checked.”
“I don’t wanna watch a bunch of women I don’t know take their clothes off and shake it all around.”
“We’re not goin’ to a strip club, we’re going to a club where there will be some bottle girls and some exotic dancers.” Niall explains. “Nothing overly risqué.”
“Ugh, fine, but let’s do another shot before we go.”
The boys do another shot, and then head to the other club. Harry was feeling loose, so he wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but he knew he’d feel guilty tomorrow when he was sober. There was loud music playing, and girls in booty shorts and crop tops walking around with drinks. Louis and Niall speak to the bouncer, and they’re brought over to an area that was roped off for them. Harry just felt thankful he could sit for a bit.
“Alright, who’s the bachelor over here?” A girl comes over with a cart.
“That would be this lad here, miss.” Louis says.
“Great! You get a rum bucket.” She grins at Harry as she starts putting the drink together, and Louis and Niall put some bills down on the cart as a tip for her.
“A rum bucket?!” Harry grows wide eyed. “That may be a bit much, I’ve been drinking tequila all night, and-“
“So you’ll nurse it, sweetie.” The girl finishes mixing the drink and hands it to him. “Whoever’s marrying you is a very lucky lady.” She smirks as she looks him up and down. “My name’s Lucy if you need anything, just holler. I’ll be covering your party tonight.”
“Thanks, Lucy.” Niall says. “This cart staying with us?”
“It sure is.” She smiles and walks away. Niall and Louis make their own drinks.
“How’s it taste, Har?” Louis asks.
“Mm, really good, actually.” Harry smiles. “Like…tastes like I’m at the beach.” He takes another decent gulp. “Refreshing.”
The rest of the night is…fuzzy for Harry. Lucy had come over a few times, she tried to flirt with him a little, but he explained not only was he probably way too old for her, but he explained, through slurred words, that he was marrying you, and even showed her some pictures. Louis and Niall got him plenty drunk at the club. Niall offered to buy him a lap dance, but Harry refused profusely. He drank two of the rum buckets, so needless to say he had no idea how he made it back to the hotel in one piece.
//
The next morning Harry wakes up with his head swimming. He almost felt drunk still. He wanted to take a long hot bath, or something. He knuckles at his eyes and sits up. He blinks a few times and jumps when he sees you sitting next to him with a book in your hand.
“Morning sleepy head.” You smile at him. “The boys let me in, wanted to check on you.”
“What is it?”
“Around 9:30. You gotta get up soon, your mom is adamant about spending the day with you before the rehearsal.”
“I know.” He yawns. “She wants to see some of the freedom trail.” He pushes you down onto your back and lays his head on your chest. You giggle as you card your fingers through his tangled hair. “I drank too much.”
“Get sick?”
“Don’t think so. Feel gross now, though.”
“You’ll feel better after some coffee and shower. I got you a small black.”
“You’re an angel, thank you.” He nuzzles further into your chest and then he looks up at you. “I have to confess something.”
“What’s that?”
“The last place we went to was, like, basically an upscale strip club, I’m sorry. I told them I didn’t want to, but they made me. I didn’t do anything though, I even showed the bottle girl pictures of you, and I refused a lap dance.”
“Harry.” You suck your bottom lip into your mouth. “I have to confess something too.”
“You were the bottle girl in disguise!” He gasps and you laugh, petting his head.
“No, baby. My friends took me to see male exotic dancers. It was a show, really, and they all stayed on the stage so it wasn’t like there was any touching or dollar bills flying around, but I did see some skin.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I didn’t want you getting jealous.” You say softly. “It was good, clean fun, just like I’m sure last night was.”
“There was a lot of skin showing last night.” He sighs. “Wish it was yours.” He tugs at the hem of your shirt and slides his hand up underneath.
“Oh! Cold hand!” You swat it away and pull it out from under your shirt. “None of that now, we have a lot to do today.”
“Shower with me?” He pouts.
“Can’t, I already did, but I’ll wait in here while you do if you want.”
“Sit in the bathroom with me so we can still chat?”
“Okay.” You chuckle.
Harry takes a few sips of coffee, and you let him use the toiler before hanging out in the bathroom with him as he showers. He tries to recall more events from last night, but he explains a lot of it still feels fuzzy.
“Didn’t take you for someone who would chug from a funnel.” You say to him, and he rips the curtain back to show his face.
“What?”
“One of the guys sent me a picture from your phone. It’s okay, it was funny.”
“Buggers.” He mutters as he gets back to washing up. He gets out and you hand him a towel.
“Better?”
“Much. I don’t know what I’d do if Andy ever saw me that fucked up. I’d me mortified. Where is he, anyways?”
“Down at breakfast with your family. I picked up Brandon from south station earlier, so they’re catching up. They practically leapt into each other’s arms, it was so cute.”
“Sorry I missed that.” Harry sighs as he gets dressed. “Cold out?”
“Not too bad, might wanna wear a sweater.”
He nods and throws one on. He puts some mousse in his hair and scrunches it up so his curls will be more defined.
“Alright, I’m a person again. Breakfast sounds really good right now.” He finishes up his coffee and walks out of the room with you. Niall and Louis were waiting in the living area.
“There is he, and you don’t even look half bad.” Louis says.
“Gee, thanks.” Harry rolls his eyes. “We’re heading to breakfast, you lot joining?”
“Yeah, mate, we were waiting for you.” Niall scoffs.
You giggle as you all had down to the small restaurant the hotel had. You spot everyone right away, and tell Harry to go sit so you can make up a plate for him at the buffet table. He presses a kiss to your lips as a thank you and he goes to sit down. Gemma smirks at him.
“What?”
“Nothin’, have a nice time last night?”
“I did, thank you.” He pours himself some coffee and looks over at all the kids chatting and getting along. “I’m gonna go say hello to my son, if that’s alright with you.” He turns his nose up at Gemma, which makes her and Anne burst out laughing. “Hey, buddy.” Harry says as he sits down next to Andy.
“Hey.” He smiles.
“Hi, Mr. Styles.”
“Hey, B, how was the trip down?”
“Good, I slept for most of it.” He shrugs.
“Pretty brave to go on a bus like that by yourself.”
“I was nervous at first, but Andy told me all about his first time flying alone and it made me feel better.”
Harry smiles at that and looks at his niece and nephew.
“You two behaving and all that?”
“When do we not?” Lizzie scoffs.
“Yeah, Uncle H, give us some credit.” Ritchie says.
“How was the pool?”
“So much fun!” Lizzie says. “And Mum let us use the hot tub, it was so cool.”
“That was nice of her.” Harry smiles, and then feels a hand on his shoulder.
“Sitting with the kids, huh?” You chuckle and place his plate in front of him. “Got you fruit and potatoes.” You kiss the top of his head.
“Thank you, darling.”
“Dad, what time is the rehearsal going to start?”
“Around three this afternoon, gotta do it while it’s still light enough out.” He pops a grape into his mouth and looks at his watch. “Plenty of time to go out and enjoy the city. Got walking sneakers on, B?”
“Mhm.” He nods. “Where are we going?”
“Well, my mum loves history, so we’re gonna walk along the freedom trail for a bit, stop at some of the different landmarks, and then we’ll grab a quick bite to eat somewhere inside Quincy Market.”
“But don’t fill up.” You warn them. “Phil’s preparing an incredible dinner for all of us tonight.”
“You’re not coming?” Andy asks you.
“No, I have to stay here to make sure the room is put together, and be here for when my friends check in. A lot of our friends are going to be coming tonight, so I wanna be a good hostess when they check in.”
“Can’t believe you trust Dad to get us around with you.”
“Oi.” Harry says with a mouth full of potatoes. “I’ve got my wits about me, I know what I’m doing. I’ve gotten you around London in piece, haven’t I?”
“Yeah, but you grew up there.” Andy remarks.
“I’ll tell you what.” You say. “If you feel like you’re lost, just call me, yeah?” You wrap your arms around Harry and rest your head on the top of his chest.
“I’m not a buffoon, we’re not gonna get lost.” He sips his coffee. “Why don’t you lot go to the bathroom before we get going?”
The kids all giggle and stand up to do as he says. You take the opportunity to sit down next him. He rests his head on your shoulder as he continues to eat, and you giggle.
“What?”
“Nothing, you’re just so fucking cute.” You kiss his cheek. “We’re getting married tomorrow.” You nuzzle your nose to his cheek and he turns to look at you.
“Oh, is that why we’re here? Thought we were just having a little family time.” He shrugs and you nudge his shoulder as smile pulls at his lips.
“They’re really cute together.” Louis says to Niall and Gemma. Anne had gotten up to go to the bathroom as well.
“I’ve never seen him like this.” Gemma says quietly. “Even when he was with Paige, like, yeah he babbled about her, but with Y/N you can really see the adoration he has for her.”
“I was gonna say the same thing!” Niall says. “He really truly adores her.”
“Paige was a first love for him, I think.” Louis says. “Which can be nice and meaningful, but that’s true love right there if I’ve ever seen it.”
“I agree completely.” Gemma says. They all smile as they see you scratch at Harry’s head and kiss his cheek. “I like her a lot, so does our mum. Harry’s chill, but he can get worked up easily, you know? Paige can be so high strung, I feel like Y/N brings a nice balance to his life because she’s also equally as chill.”
“Yeah, he said she only really stresses about her doctoral work. He never sees her fret about her classes or grading.” Louis says. “She’s just a genuinely nice person.”
“Seem like a great fit, honestly. Couldn’t want more for him.” Niall says.
Anne comes back with all the kids.
“Alright, I’m itching to get outside. It’s such a beautiful day.” Anne says.
“Tell your son.” Gemma says. “We’re waiting on him to wake up a bit more.”
You and Harry walk over to the table where everyone was waiting for him.
“Okay, let’s hit it. Everyone all set?” He asks. He gets a collective yes and he nods, then looks at you. “Call me if you need me for anything.”
“Won’t be necessary, got everything under control. I’ll meet you at the common at three.” You peck each other’s lips and off they go.
//
You get to the common with your friends and parents around 2:30 just to help them all visualize everything. You point out where the tents are going to be set up, and where the shuttle vans will be dropping everyone off when the time comes. The rabbi arrives you give him a hug. Harry and everyone else come strolling over to the spot.
“Harry! You remember the rabbi.” You say.
“Hi, yeah, nice to meet you in person.” He shakes his hand. “Thanks again for marrying us…I know it’s a little nontraditional.”
“Please, I love, love.” He scoffs. “And I’ve known this woman since she was a little girl, I’m honored to do it.”
“This is my son, Andy.” Harry grabs Andy’s elbow and has him stand in front of him. “Andy this is the rabbi that’s going to be blessing us tomorrow before Auntie Janette does the rest.”
“Hello.” Andy shakes the rabbi’s hand and he smiles at him.
“What a polite young man. You’re very lucky, getting such a lovely step-mom.”
“Yeah.” Andy smiles. “She’s pretty cool.”
“Is everyone here? Shall we get started?” The rabbi asks.
“Yeah.” You say.
You all block out how things will go tomorrow. You and your dad chuckle as you he quickly walks you up to where the alter will be. You and Harry hold hands as the rabbi explains the prayers he’ll administer and then Janette stands in his place and pretends to give her little speech. Once it’s all done you all make your way back to the hotel for dinner. You were ravenous from all the running around you did.
“How was it today?” You ask Harry as you sit down next to him.
“A lot of fun, actually. All the kids behaved, my mum was in heaven with the history, and my friends annoyed Gem, it was fantastic.” He chuckles. “Also…”, he leans in a little closer to your ear, “think something’s going on with Andy and Brandon, like, think I saw them holding hands a couple of times.”
“Oh my goodness, really?” You jaw drops as you smile.
“I think more happened at that Halloween party than he led on, but I’m choosing not to ask about it for now.”
“Probably for the best. He’ll tell us when he’s ready. They both seem to be in pretty high spirits.”
“Yup, they’ve been their usual hyena selves.”
Phil comes in dressed in his chef outfit, and few waiters follow him in with the food. He wanted to give you a plated meal since it was a smaller group tonight. Tomorrow would be the buffet.
“This looks amazing, Phil!” You beam at him. “Thank you so much.”
“Of course.” He smiles. “I hope you all enjoy.” He sits down at a seat Julian left open for him near the door so he could scoot if needed to.
Everyone mingles as they eat. You loved getting to see everyone getting to know each other better. You look at Harry and smile as he speaks with your mother. Then you look over at the kids, the four of them were enjoying mac n’cheese. You notice how Andy and Brandon keep stealing glances of each other. All around, it was a pleasant evening.
“Okay.” Nora says to you. “We’re taking you out of the hotel tonight for drinks. Don’t worry, we’re not going crazy. We don’t want you looking all tired tomorrow.”
“No ma’am.” You say. “The hair stylist should be at our suite around ten in the morning to do everyone’s hair.”
“Perfect.” She smiles. “It’s gonna be amazing. You’re gonna so fucking cool in your ensemble.”
“I’m very excited to strut my stuff.”
After going out for a few hours, you and your friends go back to your hotel suite to get some sleep. Harry had stayed in, well, he went to the hotel bar with Niall, Louis, and Gemma, but he hadn’t drank to excess like he did the night prior.
“I just wanna say goodnight to him.” You tell your friends as you put your robe on. “Be back in five minutes.”
“Mhm, right.” Mark rolls his eyes. “You’ll be back in thirty minutes, freshly fucked.”
“Well…obviously.” You scoff. “It’s the last time I get to call him my fiancé.” You wink and slip out the door and down a few hallways to his room. You knock on the door, and Louis opens it. “Hi.” You smile.
“Hello, love, what can I do for you?”
“Came to tell my fiancé goodnight.”
He grins at you and turns into the room.
“Oi! Harry, Y/N says goodnight!” He turns back to you. “Anything else?”
“Would you get out of the fucking way?” Harry yanks Louis away. “Both of you should go into the other room.” He runs a hand through his hair and tugs you inside. “Hey.” He smiles.
“Hi.” You giggle and quickly go into his room with him. “Thought it might be fun to have one last go as two people who aren’t married.”
“Always thinking, aren’t you.” He pulls the tie on your robe and lets it fall open. You had a simple silk pajama set on, nothing overly special. “Cute.” He smiles and cups your jaw.
He pulls you towards him gently and kisses you. You wrap your arms around him and drag your tongue along his bottom lip, and he opens up for you. He walks you back to the bed, and you both fall on top of it. He tugs your pants down your legs, and you shiver when you feel his hand caress your thigh.
“Don’t leave any marks tonight, I don’t want them showing up in the pictures.” You say as he mouths at your neck.
“What about between your legs?”
“Don’t think a camera will be going there.” You chuckle.
He kisses down your body and parts your legs open. He kisses from your knee all the way to the sensitive skin of your inner thigh. You gasp when you feel his teeth nip at you.
“Harry, don’t tease, it’s not like we have all night…”
“Teasing’s the best, though.”
“For you, maybe.” You pout. “Please, just want you to fuck me.”
“Did you bring any condoms?”
“No…I thought you’d have some with you.”
“You packed them in your bag, remember?”
“Jesus Christ, okay, so just pull out I guess?”
“Can I fuck you from behind?”
“Yes.”
He grins and gets all of his clothes off and so do you. You get on all fours in front of him, and he runs his hands down your back soothingly before giving you bum a smack.
“Oof!” You look behind you, started, as his second smack was against your cunt. “Harry.” You say sternly. “I can’t stay quiet if you do that, and I’d rather not put on a show for your friends.”
“Okay, okay, m’sorry.” He leans forward and pecks your lips.
He pushes his length between your folds to coat himself before he pushes inside you. You groan softly as he bottoms out. He pulls out almost all the way, and thrusts back in. He does this a few times before getting a rhythm going. He reaches forward, and pulls you back to him so you’re flush with his chest. He licks into your mouth as he rubs your clit. You were falling to pieces in front of him. You wanted it quick and fast, and that’s exactly how he’d give it to you. You were his angel, his princess, no, his queen. He’d make you happy no matter what. You were moaning into his mouth and panting all at the same time. You could feel your orgasm approaching. You tug at his hair in he moans right back into your mouth. You bite his bottom lip harshly as you come around his cock. He pushes you off him and onto the mattress. You barely had time to catch your breath before he was coming onto your back.
“Sorry, that was a close one.” He breathes. “One second, baby.”
He hops off the bed and grabs a towel to clean you up with. You use the toilet and then get dressed. He throw his sweatpants back on and pulls you into his lap as he sits on the edge of the bed. You hug him, and he cradles your head to his shoulder. You nibble on his earlobe and smirk to yourself.
“I can’t wait to feel you come inside me when we’re ready to start trying.” You say into his ear and goosebumps raise on his skin. “Bet it’ll feel so good and warm.”
“Y/N, I will fuck you again.” He says almost warning you to behave. “Be good for me, yeah? It’s hard enough I can’t sleep next to you.”
“Sorry.” You peck his lips a few times. “I’ll behave.”
“Thank you.” He kisses you again. “I can’t wait for that too, just so you know.”
“Good.” You smile and get off of him.
“Want me to walk you back to your room?”
“No, just to the door is fine, I can make it.”
He nods and leads you out to the main area, and to the front door of the suite. You kiss one last time, and say goodnight. This time tomorrow he’d be your husband, and you were absolutely buzzing.
//
The next morning you have room service ordered for you and your friends. You have your nails, hair, and makeup done over a couple of mimosas. Anne, Gemma, your mom, and Lizzie all join in.
“So you’re wearing slacks and a jacket, and then you’re changing into a little dress?” Your mom confirms.
“Yes, and I’m really glad I’m doing that because I won’t freeze outside.” You chuckle.
“Your hair looks gorgeous.” Janette says.
“Thanks.” You smile.
You had the hairdresser make two, really nice buns, sort of like the ones you make on your own. Your hair had gotten pretty long, so she was able to make them look full and loose. She took out some pieces in the front and curled the ends. You knew how much Harry liked your poofs, so you thought you’d have them made elegantly. It was perfect.
The time comes for you to put everything on, and your mother has to blink a few tears away. You both giggle and hug. Mark and Darcy walk in front of you out of the room, and Nora and Claudia walk behind you. This way no one would accidentally see you. You all climb into the van, your father, Phil, and Julian were all waiting for you. They tell you how beautiful you look.
Lucas was there waiting for you. Nora goes into the small tent for the bridal party and grabs your bouquet. You take pictures with Mark, Nora, Darcy, and Claudia, then just you and Nora, then you and your parents, then with you, Gemma, and Anne, and then just you and Anne. Then you take one with Phil and Julian, and then one of just your immediate family. Once all that is done you head inside the tent to keep warm until everyone else shows up.
The other van pulls up; Harry, Andy, Brandon, Ritchie, Louis, and Niall all come out. Harry’s suit was magenta, and it really brought out the green in his eyes. Andy, Ritchie, Louis, and Niall all had tan suits on, and Andy was given a special pocket square that was magenta. Louis, Niall, and Ritchie’s were blue. They all go wait inside the tent while Harry goes to the spot he was told to wait for the first look with you. Lucas takes a few pictures of him standing there with his back turned. You take a peek outside, and bite your bottom lip as you see Harry’s back turned. You take a deep breath and make your way out. Everyone was told not to watch so you two could have your moment.
Lucas takes plenty of photos of you walking up to Harry. You get about three feet away and stop. You take a moment to admire his features: his broad back, the way the material stretches over his bum and thighs. You take a deep breath before speaking.
“Hey, neighbor.” You say softly.
“Hey, neighbor, can I turn around now?”
“Yeah, I’m dying to see the front of that suit.”
Harry smiles as he turns around, and his eyes grow wide when he looks at you. His eyes rim with tears. He covers his mouth with one hand, and the other goes to his hip.
“You…you look…I mean, you’re breathtaking.” He says to you. He steps forward and wraps his arms around you. You were trying your hardest not to cry because you didn’t want your makeup to get messed up.
“So are you, you look so handsome.” You chuckle as you hold each other. You cup his cheeks and he grips your hips and squeezes you. “I have a dress for the reception too.”
“Sneaky.” He pecks your lips. Lucas captures everything, and takes a few photos of the two of you. “Alright, it’s our son’s turn, be back in a tick.” Harry goes back to the tent and grabs Andy. He has him cover his eyes as he walks him over to you. “Ready to see your mum, buddy?”
“Yeah.”
“Please, I really don’t wanna cry and you’re making it so hard.” You laugh.
Andy takes his hands away from his eyes and he gasps.
“You look so cool!” He throws his arms around you and you hug him back.
“Andy, you look so incredibly handsome.”
“My pocket square matches Dad’s suit.”
“I see that, very clever.”
Lucas takes some pictures of the three of you, and then everyone else is allowed out. Every combination of photo is taken for each wedding party, as well as every combination of family photo. Everyone goes to wait in the tents as the guests start to arrive. Lisa, Mateo, Sandra, and Andre all take their seats. Some of your other family comes, and a few old colleagues from both yours and Harry’s previous institutions show up.
Janette and the rabbi get into position. Anne walks Harry and Andy up to the alter, and Ritchie, Louis, and Niall follow behind. Brandon was sitting up front and he gives a small wave to Andy. Andy blushes and waves back.
Lizzie walks down the aisle first, putting out rose petals. She hugs Harry briefly, and then stands in her spot. Your mother walks arm and arm with Phil and Julian, and then they sit down. Next comes Mark, Claudia, Darcy, and Nora. Harry takes a deep breath when he sees you and your father. Your smile grows wider and wider, and Harry tears up again. Your father kisses your cheek, giving you away, and you stand hand in hand with Harry. He even wore a yarmulke for you. The rabbi addresses everyone, and says a few prayers before stepping aside to let Janette speak.
“Thank you, Rabbi.” She smiles. “I am so honored to be here today doing this for the two of you. I’ve known Harry for a long time, and I’ve been grateful for our friendship. Y/N, you and I became such fast friends, and I honestly don’t know what I would do without you. Please, don’t ever leave.” You and Harry chuckle at her. “I know it’s a little chilly out, so I’ll try to keep things brief, especially since these two have their own vows. Love is a really crazy thing. We love our friends, our family, and once in a great while we find someone that fall in love with. Watching Harry and Y/N fall for each other was fascinating. It was slow, oblivious, and all of a sudden. They left for summer break as a good friends, and came back a couple. None of us were surprised, of course, but sometimes you just gotta let the kids figure it out for themselves.” A few people laugh. “And I’m so happy you two figured it out. Now, I think the time has come for you to talk, Harry, I believe you’re first.”
“Right, thanks.” He clears his throat and looks at you. He squeezes your hands in his. “Y/N, the day we met I was just excited I was going to have an office neighbor again. Things had been quiet, and I felt bad for always bugging Andre and Sandra.” You laugh at that. “We bonded over not eating meat, and then we won a game of charades, and suddenly you were all I could think about. I wasn’t quite sure why because I hadn’t felt like that in a long time, and I almost forgot what it felt like to be so into someone. I liked you, and so did my son…who’s ours now. It’s not easy dating someone with a child, and you made it seem so natural. You…made me believe in love again.” He blinks away a few tears, and you smile. Janette nods towards you.
“That’s tough to beat.” You squeeze his hands. “When I first came to the university, I was pretty much focused on getting my doctorate. The last thing I expected was to fall in love with my colleague, as charming as he was. When we all went out to dinner that night, you said you had someone at home waiting for you, and I felt weird for feeling relieved when I found out were a single dad. I was so used to being independent and doing my own thing, that I didn’t realize how good it could feel to have someone want to take care of you. I also didn’t realize how good it could feel to want to take care of someone else, and their kid.” You lean and wink at Andy, who was beaming at you. “I’ve never felt like this before, and I’m so happy that I get to keep feeling this way.”
“Andy, the rings please.” Janette says, holding out her hand. Andy drops them into her palm. “Thank you.” She hands one to you, and one to Harry. You each slip a ring on each other’s finger. “By the power vested in, and the state of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife!”
Harry steps on the glass, and grabs you by the back of the neck to kiss you. He dips you slightly as everyone cheers. You and your parties make your way to the vans to head to the hotel. All of your guests enjoy a cocktail hour while you change into your dress. Lucas takes a few pictures of you and Harry.
“This is nice, baby.” Harry says to you.
“Thanks, I thought it would be fun to have an outfit change.” You peck his lips. “Hey, I’m your wife.”
“I know, I’m your husband.” He squishes his nose to yours.
“And for the first time as a married couple, Y/N and Harry!”
“Think that’s our cue.” You say to him and giggle. You hold hands and go into the small ballroom.
Everyone cheers as you both come inside. Groove is in the Heart starts playing, which you both chose as your first dance. It was an inside joke between the two of you. You didn’t have a lot of time to plan it, but you were able to choreograph a silly dance to it. Everyone was hollering and clapping as you hit every step. You mouth the words to each other. ‘I couldn’t ask for another. No, I couldn’t ask for another.’ It was a lot of fun. You both hug and kiss at the end, and then giggle. You were so happy Lucas had gotten everything on video.
The song for Harry’s mother-son dance starts to play, and he extends his hand out to her. Andy comes up to you and taps your shoulder. You gasp and smile endearingly at him. You dance with him as Harry dances with Anne. You weren’t expecting this from Andy at all. Next up is your dance with your father, and Harry takes the opportunity to dance with your mother, who was overjoyed.
Nora gives an incredible maid of honor speech, making everyone laugh hard. You almost snorted your champagne through your nose. Louis and Niall give a short little speech before turning the microphone to a nervous Andy. He didn’t love public speaking.
“Um, hi everyone. Th-that’s my dad.” He points to Harry and a few people chuckle. “He’s, like, the best dad in the world. He never really brought his dates around, I didn’t even know he dated. I remember when I first met Y/N…my new step-mom…I thought she was really nice. I asked my dad about her one night, and he pretty much didn’t shut up about her after that.” Everyone laughs. “But that was okay. My eleventh birthday was coming up, and we really wanted to invite her, but he was nervous. So we invited her on a hike to ease to into it. Dad was taking too long, so I asked Y/N to come to my party, and she said yes. After that she kept saying yes to us. I thought my favorite yes was when she agreed to move in, but I think today’s my new favorite.” He smiles and clears his throat. “I…I love you both.”
Everyone cheers for Andy as he comes over to you both to give you each a hug. You both tell him you love him too before he sits down. Brandon gives his shoulder a squeeze. After that, everyone makes their way to the buffet and bar area to enjoy everything. Phil had put an incredible menu together. You and Harry make your way around the room to say hello to the guests who weren’t at the ceremony. Mark was killing it as the DJ, and playing lots of music that everyone could enjoy. A slower song starts to play, so you and Harry make your way to the dancefloor so you can enjoy it.
“I think we really crushed it earlier.” You say. “No one was expecting a fun, choreographed dance.”
“I agree, blew everyone away.” He chuckles and kisses your cheek. “It’s been an incredible day.”
You nod and smile as he leads you around. You rest your head on his shoulder, and let your eyes flutter closed for a bit. You were married, you were actually married. You had the papers to prove it and everything. Sure, you weren’t Mrs. Styles, you’d be keeping your last name, which Harry had absolutely no problem with, hell, he had offered to change his own for you, but you said it wasn’t necessary.
“You know what’s gonna be super sexy of us?” He says and you look up at him with raised eyebrows. “Going on the same insurance plan.”
“God, love it when you talk dirty to me like that.” You giggle and so does he.
The song fades into a faster one, and Andy comes running over to the two of you. He tugs on Harry’s hand so they can dance together. You couldn’t stop smiling if you wanted to. At one point you and Phil share a dance as Harry and Gemma share one. Harry even dances with Julian. You weren’t sure if you had ever seen Harry have so much fun.
“Are you having fun?” Andy asks Brandon as they take a water break.
“Yeah, this is awesome. I had a lot of fun exploring yesterday too. Your family is really nice.”
“Thanks. I’m really glad your parents let you come for this.”
“Me too.” He rests his chin on his palm and smiles at Andy. He reaches with his other hand to fix the collar of his shirt. “Tan’s a nice color on you.”
“Thank you.” Andy blushes.
“Andy!” Lizzie says. “They’re gonna play the cha cha slide in a second, will you come do it with us?”
“Yeah!” He grabs Brandon’s hand to go back to the dancefloor. Everyone gets into position as the song starts.
The music was a lot different than the music that Paige had her wedding. She had more of a generic playlist. You had worked with Mark to play things everyone would like, but you also made sure to have songs on there you knew you’d be able to jam out to. So when Yeah! comes on, you and your friends squeal and all run to dance together. The kids knew the song too, but Andy had never really seen you dance the way you were right now.
“Y/N really knows how to have fun!” Brandon says.
“Yeah!” Andy says. “She really is the coolest!”
Andy knew this wasn’t his dad’s favorite kind of music so he laughs when he sees you drag him over to your friends to dance to the song. You dance up on him in a silly way, and it makes everyone laugh.
“Are they going on a honeymoon or anything?” Brandon asks Andy as they both go to grab cupcakes.
“Mhm, they’re going to Miami during Thanksgiving week. I get to stay at my mom’s for an extra couple of day which will be nice.”
“You won’t mind going back and forth?”
“Nah, it’s only for a couple of days.” Andy shrugs.
“How come her and your step-dad and Rachel aren’t here?”
“I don’t really know. My dad said he didn’t really want her here for this since they wanted to keep things really small. I guess he didn’t want to think about her or whatever.”
“Do you think Y/N and your dad are gonna try to have a baby?”
“I have no idea. I wouldn’t mind if they did, I know my dad’s always wanted to have more kids. He loves babies. Anytime we’re at a party and there’s a baby, he has to hold it. It would be cool to be a big brother, even if I’ll be a lot older.”
“My aunt is, like, ten years older than my dad, and they get along really well. I don’t think age gaps really matter when you’re older.” Andy nods as he finishes his cupcake. Another slow song starts. “Do you, um, wanna dance?” He rubs the back of his neck.
“Yeah.” Andy smiles and takes one of Brandon’s hands.
Andy keeps Brandon’s hand in his, and puts the other on his upper waist. Brandon puts his free hand on Andy’s shoulder. Ever since their kiss, Andy had this confidence about him, not that he wasn’t confident before, but he was certainly less shy now that he knew how Brandon felt about him. No one really pays too much attention to them as they dance. You and Harry notice it and just find it to be sweet.
As the night comes to end, you and Harry thank everyone for coming. Andy and Brandon head up to the hotel suite with Lizzie, Ritchie, Anne, and Gemma. You say goodbye to your family, and your friends go to their suite. Yours and Harry’s things were set up in the room you’d finally be spending the night together in. He laces his fingers in yours as you stand in the elevator. As soon as you get off, you squeal as he picks you up and carries you bridal style to your room. You giggle as you swipe the key card, and he carries you inside. There were rose petals on the floor and a bottle of champagne over ice.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt more special.” You say and he kisses you.
He sets you down gently, and gets his suit jacket off. Harry pops the champagne and pours some into a couple of glasses. You smile as you take the flute from him and take a sip.
“As if we needed more to drink.” He jokes as he takes a sip. “Did you have fun?”
“So much fun, it was perfect. Couldn’t have asked for a better wedding.” You set your glass down and kick your heels off before wrapping your arms around his neck. “I’m gonna be really busy before we go away.”
“I know, it’s alright. You promise to work while we’re gone, right?”
“I promise.” You nod and he pecks your lips.
“Are you tired? We can wait to consummate if you want.” You laugh at that and shake your head as he squeezes your hips.
“No, baby, I’m not tired. Are you?”
“Not at all. Caught a second wind, actually.”
“Mm, well, let’s put it to good use then.”
You slot your mouth over his, and nip at his bottom lip. His hands slide up under the skirt of your dress to squeeze at your ass, kneading your plushy skin. You start unbuttoning his shirt, and tug it out of his pants. You push it off his shoulders and run your fingers up and down his chest and torso. He grips the hem of your dress and pulls it off in one swoop. You grab at your breasts because you had to use an obscene amount of tape to keep them up.
“What’s all that for?”
“I couldn’t wear a bra with that dress because the back is open, and my boobs are too big to let them just bounce around so I had to tape them up. Give me a second to go take all this off. I honestly forgot about it.” You pout slightly. “Not very sexy.” You say as you walk towards the bathroom.
“I don’t about that, your ass looks great in that thong.” He smirks and you shake your head at him.
He takes the time to get out of his shoes and slacks, leaving himself in a pair of black boxers. He sits down on the edge of the bed as he waits for you. He hears you wince a couple of times, and then you come back out.
“They’re all red now.” You pout for real now and straddle him.
“You and your sensitive skin, poor thing.” He pouts back at you and then kisses on your chest. “Let me make it all better.”
Harry swirls his tongue around your tender nipple, and does the same to other one before gently sucking. You run your fingers through his soft hair as you whimper affectionately. Your hips jut forward against the bump that’s growing in his boxers. He kisses up your throat and to your mouth as he holds you close to him.
“Get back on the bed.” You say against his lips.
You get off of him and he shifts further back on the bed so he can sit up against the headboard. He spreads his legs for you as you tug at the band of his boxers. He lifts his hips to help you take them off. You also take a moment to get your thong off so you both could just be naked.
“I wanted to do that.” He pouts.
“Well, it’s a good thing we’re married because we have the rest of our lives for you to take my clothes off.” You smirk and open his legs back up.
You kiss on his inner thigh, a spot where he was extremely sensitive, and suck a bruise into his skin. He grunts as you do so, and he watches your mouth works up his shift, kitten licks and kisses, up to his tip. You suckle on him and his mouth falls open with a sigh. You slobber all over him so you can pump what you can’t fit into your mouth. Your other hand goes to his balls and he moans as you massage them. You could practically feel them throbbing. You pop off his tip and continue to pump him slowly. You lay flat on your stomach and lick the flat of your tongue over one of his balls, causing his hips to buck up. You carefully mouth at his balls before bringing your mouth back to his tip, swirling your tongue around him.
“Y/N.” He groans. “Let me do you now.”
You give his tip one last harsh suck before you do as he says. You lay back on the bed, but he flips you onto your stomach. He pulls your hips up and you gasp when you feel his breath on your center. He licks into you from behind, and you clench your fists around the comforter on the bed. The noises he was making as he slurped and sucked on you were obscene, but you couldn’t find it in you to care because it felt so fucking good. He briefly sucks on your clit before he drags his tongue all the way back up to your other hole. Your body shudders when you feel two of his fingers slip inside you. His thumb works your clit while his tongue swirls around your other sensitive area. Your eyes nearly pop of your head when you feel his tongue enter you.
“Jesus, fuck.” You cry out. You look over your shoulder at him and see he’s totally lost in you.
His fingers were working wonders against your g-spot, his thumb was rubbing your clit in just the right way, and his tongue…Christ. Your senses were totally overwhelmed. He was moaning and groaning against you, and that’s what makes you totally lose it. You have to grab the pillow to scream into as your orgasm washes over you in waves. He lets go of you slowly, feeling your body shake under him. You carefully roll onto your back and look up at him. Your chest was heaving.
“What?” He asks as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.
“N-nothing, that just felt really good.” You bite your bottom lip. “I think I’m warming up to the idea of doing more…down there.” You swallow as his eyebrows raise. “Not tonight, obviously, but…I still think it’s only fair it happens to you first. I’ve been looking into it.”
“You have?” He reaches to stroke your cheek and you press into his touch.
“Yeah, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious. There’s a lot of prep work that has to be done. Are you sure you’d feel comfortable with me doing it to you?”
“Mhm.”
“You wouldn’t feel emasculated?”
“I think I was, like, sixteen the last time I cared about being masculine or not.” He smirks. “I think doing something like that with each other is so intimate and special because it just proves how much we trust one another. It really excites me.” You nod at that. “We can talk more about it later…got condoms in here?”
“Yeah, I put them in the bedside table.”
Harry nods and opens the drawer to grab one. He rips the foil packet open and slides the rubber onto his length. His runs his tip through your folds and around your clit. He pushes inside you and you both sigh out in relief. He comes down to you so you’re chest to chest and you wrap your legs around him. You wanted to make love with him tonight, and he knew that. One of your hands gets lost in his hair while the other grips at his back and shoulder. He rocks in and out of you with precision and care. Soft whimpers leave your lips as he kisses on the skin just under your ear.
“I love you so much, Y/N.” He says into your ear.
“I love you too, Harry.”
He picks up the pace a little and his tip hits your g-spot over and over. You weren’t going to last much longer, and judging by how sloppy he was getting, he wouldn’t be lasting much longer either. Your nails scratch down his back as you cry out, and he spills into the condom shortly after. Once you’re both cleaned up, you flop onto his chest so he can hold you. He wraps his arms around you and kisses your forehead. He pulls the covers over the two of you, and you sigh peacefully. You felt like a big, toasty cinnamon bun, and you couldn’t have asked for anything better, honestly.
//
When you woke up the next morning, you realized you slept with your buns in. You sit up and start taking out the bobby-pins that were used to keep them together. You shake out your hair and moan with relief as you rake your nails through. Harry was sleeping soundly next to you. You reach over on the nightstand for an elastic to put your hair up in a high ponytail. You leave the same pieces out in the front. You realize you didn’t bother to take your makeup off either. How irresponsible, you think to yourself. Harry’s arm was strung across your lap, and he squeezes your thigh when you try to get up.
“Babe.” You say and he grunts. “I desperately need to wash my face, please let me get up.”
“No.”
“Harry.”
“Just a little longer.” His eyes flutter open and he looks up at you. “I don’t feel like being a dad, a brother, a son, an uncle, or a friend just yet.”
“And what would you like to be then?”
“Just your husband.”
You chuckle softly and lift his hand to your lips to kiss his knuckles.
“As sweet as that is, unfortunately, now that you’re awake you’re all of those things. You’ll love the brunch Phil’s preparing. I swear breakfast is one of his specialties.”
“Is that why you’re so good at cooking it too?” He asks as he sits up.
“Mhm, I used to practice recipes with him. It sort of helped us bond as I was getting older.” You stretch your arms out and then get out of bed. “I left all my makeup on, I feel gross.”
He lets you do your thing in the bathroom before going in himself. You throw on a sweater with some leggings, and a comfy pair of knock-off uggs. Harry puts on some joggers and a sweatshirt. You both work to pack up all your things. You sigh as you zip up your dress bag.
“You really did look stunning yesterday, in both outfits.” He says as he wraps his arms around you from behind.
“Thank you, baby.” You lean into his embrace for a moment before he lets you go. “Did you see Andy and Brandon dancing last night?”
“I did.” Harry nods with a smile. “Think they’ve got a secret little thing going on?”
“Possibly…”
“I have a feeling they’re not saying anything because they didn’t wanna have any issues with the hotel room.”
“Why would they have issues?”
“Andy’s smart, Y/N, he knows there are certain dating rules, he’s watched enough movies with me to know that two kids dating usually means they can’t sleep in the same room, let alone the same bed.”
“So if they are dating, are you going to ban sleepovers?”
“Nah, they’re only twelve.” Harry shrugs. “But…they’ll have to keep the door open. Brandon doesn’t usually sleep in Andy’s bed anyways since he only has a little twin. I’m not too worried about it.”
“You’ll have to talk with him a little, though.”
“About what?”
“The birds and the bees.” Harry grimaces at that and it makes you laugh.
“You’re his mum now, you do it.”
“Harry.” You laugh harder.
“Please, I can’t get through a conversation like that. I don’t even know what I’d say to him. He can’t really be thinking about that kind of stuff yet can he?”
“I don’t know, kids today are doing things at younger and younger ages. They could easily be kissing and making out. He should know that he really should be doing anything below the belt just yet. And like you said, he’s twelve…aren’t things a little hard to control down there at that age? He needs some guidance ahead of time in case he gets a little too excited.”
“Shit.” Harry says in agreement.
“We can wait until he tells us what’s going. It could easily be nothing still.”
“True.” He kisses your cheek and grabs a good chunk of the bags.
You both head downstairs, and into the small function room you had the rehearsal dinner in. Your nostrils are hit with coffee and waffles. Phil had set up a waffle bar, pancakes, and crepes! There was also eggs, breakfast sausage and bacon (regular and vegan), oatmeal, and yogurt. Your mouth waters from all of it, but you’re snapped out of your daze when you hear other in the room clap and holler at you and harry. You both bow and curtsey. You say your hellos and good mornings before you both pile up your plates.
“Morning.” Andy comes over to the two of you.
“Hey, buddy, how’d you sleep?” Harry says.
“Good, I conked right out, I was tired. Is everyone going back to London today?”
“M’afraid so.” Harry sighs. “We’ll see everyone again real soon though.”
“Yeah.” Andy looks over at Anne. “I’m gonna go sit with Grammy then.”
“Go ahead.” You say. “Enjoy the time with her.”
Andy nods and goes to sit with Anne. Brandon sits on his other side, although he was deep in conversation with Ritchie about the complexities of soccer versus football. Gemma was busy braiding back Lizzie’s hair.
“So, how is it?” Phil says as he plops down in the seat next to you.
“Amazing, I can’t thank you enough.”
“We’re hoping to do more catering events, so we made sure to take a lot of pictures of everything. This was like a test run.”
“Happy we could help, mate.” Harry says. Louis and Niall sit down next to him.
“Sleep well?” Louis asks Harry.
“Like a rock since I had my girl next to me.” Harry smirks.
“You two officially married now?” Niall says.
“Very much so.” Harry’s smirk grows.
“Hey!” You snap your head in their direction. “None of that at breakfast, please. My parents are right over there.” Your cheeks were beat red.
“Y/N, you and Janette have had such vulgar conversations in front of other people before-“ Harry starts, but you cut him off.
“Not in front of my fucking family.” Your gaze is warning and he nods as you turn back to speak with Phil.
The morning goes on, and everyone enjoys their breakfasts. You wait with Harry’s family and friends as their cabs to the airport would be arriving any moment. It was hugs and kisses all around. You already couldn’t wait to see them for the holidays. After wrapping things up with Julian, you, Harry, Andy, and Brandon all head to Harry’s car.
“Now, boys, this is a momentous occasion.” He turns to look at them in the backseat. “Y/N is actually letting me drive through the city.” You glare at him and he laughs.
“Keep it up and I’ll make you switch right now.”
“How come you’re not driving, Y/N?” Andy asks.
“I have a bit of a headache. The sun is a little bright for me today.” You had a pair of sunglasses on to prove it. “This is a test for your dad.”
“And I’m going to pass with flying colors.” He retorts. “Everyone buckled up?” He hears a yes from both boys and he off he goes.
Andy’s hand creeps over to Brandon’s, and they subtly latch their pinkies as they sit in the back. They look at each other briefly to smile before looking out their respective windows. Andy notices you mindlessly reach your hand out to Harry’s. Harry takes your hand in his, kisses it, and rests it in his lap as he continues to drive. It makes Andy smile softly before his eyelids become too heavy, and he drifts off.
//
“Ugh, I do not wanna go to work tomorrow.” You groan Sunday night as you go through your emails. “So many of these questions could be answered if these fucking kids just used Google, like what the actual fuck?!” Andy and Harry both blink at you. “What?”
“Maybe…close your laptop.” Harry says as he gently closes it. “You can catch up tomorrow morning like how I plan to. Just relax, yeah?”
You nod and put your laptop on the coffee table.
“What movie are we watching?” You ask the boys?
“One of my favorites.” Andy says. “Home Alone.”
“A bit early for Christmas movies, no?”
“Y/N, once it’s November, it’s Christmas.” Andy says.
“You’re just going to skip over Thanksgiving?’
“Dad doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, so it’s okay.”
“Fair enough.” You chuckle. “Throw it on.” Harry puts his arm around you as Andy queues it up.
“Before we do…can I talk to you both about something?” You and Harry share a glance with each other before looking at Andy. You both sit up straight to look at him. “Don’t freak out…but I’ve sort of been keeping something to myself…about me and Brandon?”
“Oh?” You say. “Like what?”
“Well…so…at Mum’s wedding, we almost kissed, but his dad called him so we got interrupted, and then nothing happened for a while…until Caroline’s Halloween party.” He swallows. “I mean, obviously that whole thing at school happened with Greg, and sometimes we’d sort of, like, flirt I guess in class, and so at the party we were all playing truth or dare, and we got dared to go into the closet together.”
“Oh my god.” Harry says and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“It’s not what you think! We just talked while we were in there. I didn’t wanna have my first kiss to be in a closet with a bunch of people waiting for us to come out afterwards…and I told Brandon that, and then I told him I wanted him to kiss me, and he said he wanted to kiss me too, so when we came out I asked Caroline if there was somewhere he and I could go where there wouldn’t be a ton of people around and she let us go outside.” He chews his bottom lip. “I…I asked Brandon how he felt about me and we both said that we really liked each other, and then we…well, we kissed for a little while.”
“Has…anything happened since?” Harry asks carefully.
“No, well, we hold hands a lot, but that’s been it. We didn’t wanna say anything until after your wedding.”
“Why?” You say. “You can tell us anything.”
“I was scared you wouldn’t let us stay in the same room, or something. I mean I know we were with Ritchie and Lizzie, but I didn’t know if you’d make one of us sleep on the floor.”
“Are you two planning to date? I mean…does he only like boys, or does he like boys and girls like you?” Harry asks.
“I don’t really know how he feels about people one way or the other. I think he’s still figuring it out, but he knows he like likes me, and I like like him…so yeah, I think we’re gonna date. Is that okay?”
“Of course it is.” Harry says quickly. “I mean, in the grand scheme of things I think you’re too young to be getting into a relationship, I felt the same way with Caroline, but I’m not gonna tell you no. However, some rules will have to be put into place, the same ones you had with her. Door open if you’re in your room and stuff like that. Also, if you sleep at his place, I’d prefer it if you didn’t sleep in his bed. I’m sure his parents will feel the same way.”
“Is Brandon going to tell his parents?” You ask Andy.
“Yeah, we both promised to tell tonight. He’s supposed to text me after he talks to them. His parents, luckily, are really cool about this stuff. His aunt has a wife, and she and Mr. Stewart are really close, so he doesn’t really have anything to worry about.”
Times like these you wished all kids had it as easy as Brandon and Andy.
“Alright.” Harry nods. “Then it’s all good. I’m, um, glad you two have figured things out, I know it was a little up and down for a bit.”
“Me too.” Andy smiles.
“Oh my goodness.” You sniffle and they both look at you. “You had, like, a fairytale first kiss! I’m so jealous.” You laugh and so do they.
“Why, what was yours like?” Andy asks.
“God, it was so awkward, I can’t even get into it. It wasn’t with someone special I can tell you that much. I’m really happy for you Andy.”
“Thanks.”
“You and I will need to have a little chat about…things.” Harry says to him. “But not right now, it can wait.”
“What kind of things?” Andy’s face scrunches.
“Just… things…” Harry clears his throat. “Is there anything else you wanna tell us?”
“No.” Andy shrugs and takes his phone out of his pocket to text Brandon that everything went well.
“Okay, let’s get the movie started then.” Harry grabs the remote and hits play. Andy gets up and hugs the both of you before sitting back down on the loveseat, curling up with his blanket. “Andy?”
“Yeah?”
“You plan to tell your mother right?”
“When I see her Friday I will on the car ride.”
“Good. I’m sure she’ll be just as happy for you.” Harry smiles and turns to look at the TV.
Brandon: all good over here too, my mom teared up she’s so lame lol
Andy: lol Y/N did too. Wanna meet at our lockers before homeroom tomorrow?
Brandon: definitely : )
Andy sighs happily and puts his phone down so he can pay attention to the movie. He was on cloud nine.
//
Being newlyweds was a lot of fun. As if Harry couldn’t already keep his hands off you, it was like he was jumping you every second he got. In the morning, in the shower, sometimes he’d sneak you home quick when you should be eating lunch, and if it was a weekend Andy was at Paige’s, god, he didn’t let you leave the bedroom. However, he was good about staying away from while you worked. He respected that you were in desperate need to get things done. The paper itself was just about complete, but you still needed to edit the entire thing, and work on your dissertation defense which was slated for April.
Andy sat down with Paige and Noah and told them what was going on with Brandon. He told Rachel as well. Everyone was happy for him. He said he didn’t want Lydia to know just yet. He knew she was old fashioned, and he was nervous she’d take it the wrong way. Paige completely understood, and she said she’d keep it between them.
The Ariana Grande concert was incredible, beyond incredible. You had to stay back with Caroline while Andy got to do the meet and greet, but his face said it all. He went on and on about how nice she was. Andy was so thankful you were able to take him. He made sure to wear his concert tee over a long-sleeve shirt the following Monday at school.
“Morning.” Brandon says as he meets Andy at his locker.
“Hey.” Andy smiles.
“So, how was it?”
“Amazing, like, I knew she’d sound good live, but holy shit, she was incredible.”
“What was meeting her like?”
“She was a lot shorter in person.” Andy chuckles. “But she was really nice, and she said she liked my nails, and my hair. It all happened really fast. They emailed the picture to Y/N, I’ll have to show you next time you come over.”
“I’d like that.” Brandon leans against the closed lockers as Andy gets the books he’ll need for the first half of the day. “We have that history test in a couple of days.”
“Mhm.” Andy nods, a smile creeping on his lips.
“Do you wanna come over and study together? We could order pizza and stuff.”
“Mm, so like a study date?” Andy smirks.
“If you wanna call it that, yeah.” Brandon nods.
“I’ll text my dad and see if I can come over after school.”
“Cool.”
“Cool.” Andy slots his fingers through Brandon’s so they can hold hands down the hall.
There were a few broken hearts at Thomas Hamilton Middle School. There were quite a few girls that had crushes on both Andy and Brandon. Obviously those close to the boys knew something was bound to happen between them, but anyone on the outside just thought they had a wholesome friendship.
Harry gives the okay for Andy to go over Brandon’s after school. Selfishly that meant he could fuck you when you got home from work before you needed to go up to the loft to work.
“Hi, Andy.” Mrs. Stewart says as she picks the boys up from school.
“Hello, Mrs. Stewart, how are you?”
“I’m good, honey, thank you. How are your dad and Y/N?”
“They’re good, they really like being married.”
She chuckles at that and gets the boys home. Brandon asks if they can have pizza later, and Mrs. Stewart says yes before they both go into his room.
“Uh, boys? Leave the door open, please.” She says shyly and they both nod.
“Her and my dad are still getting used to it.” Brandon explains as they both set up on his floor.
“My dad says my door has to stay open if you come over too. I had the same rules when I was with Caroline.” Andy shrugs.
“Same for when I was with Molly, now that I think about it. I don’t know what they think we’re gonna be doing in here, we’re just studying.”
“I don’t know either, parents are weird.”
After going over their notes, and quizzing each other a bit, the boys enjoy some pizza, and then decide to play some video games. It was the same as it ever was.
“Do you feel like watching TV until your parents come to get you?” Brandon asks him.
“Sure.” Andy shrugs.
Brandon switches the TV to Nickelodeon. Some reruns of Full House was on. Brandon had beanbag chairs in his room, so that was what he and Andy were sitting on. They start holding hands, and slouch into the chairs. They look at each other. Brandon’s eyes glace to the door to make sure his parents weren’t creeping around. He nods, and Andy leans in to press his lips to Brandon’s. They slouch a little further down, and Brandon cups Andy’s cheek. Andy tugs on the collar of Brandon’s shirt to pull him a little closer.
“Andy!” Mr. Stewart yells from the kitchen. The boys jump off each other. “Your dad’s here!”
“Jesus.” Andy catches his breath. “Scared the shit out of me.”
“Thought you’d be used to him yelling by now. He’s just as loud on the court.” Brandon smirks and stands up. He puts his hand out for Andy and helps him up. “I’m glad you came over today.”
“Me too, thanks for having me.” Andy cleans up his things and gets his backpack together. He leans in and kisses Brandon’s cheek before they walk out of his room. “Thanks again for dinner Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, goodnight.”
“You’re more than welcome, tell your folks we say hi.” Mr. Stewart says as Andy leaves.
He gets into the backseat of Harry’s car.
“Hey, Dad.”
“How’d the studying go?”
“Good, I’m feeling really prepared for Wednesday. Where’s Y/N?”
“Oh, she, uh, she’s a little tired so she’s in bed reading.”
“Why’s she so tired? It’s only 7:30.”
“She…” You convinced Harry to let you work uninterrupted until dinner time. He agreed, and then he fucked you on the kitchen counter while dinner was in the over. Then he fucked you again. Bent you over the bed. So, yeah, you were a little too tired to go out with him and pick Andy up. “She worked a lot today, so she just felt like staying in, that’s all.” He clears his throat.
“Can I ask you something sort of personal?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“What do you do…like…I don’t even know how to explain this, um, you know when your pants get tight?”
“When your pants get tight?”
“Yeah, like, in the front?” Andy twiddles his thumbs.
“In the…oh…oh! Yeah, is that, uh, starting to happen to you a little more often?”
“Yeah, usually if it happens in class or something, I just put my book over my lap, but I’m afraid it might happen when I’m hanging out with Brandon. It would be so embarrassing if we were kissing, you know?”
Harry takes a deep as he tries not to crash his car. These were the conversation he was dreading, but he supposed he was happy Andy felt comfortable enough to bring it up on his own.
“Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s pretty tough to control at your age, but something you can do to help yourself out is to think of something gross or sad.”
“Like what?”
“Um…I don’t know, what grosses you out?”
“When people sneeze into their hands.”
“Alright, so think of that.”
“It works?”
“For the most part. Your head gets distracted so other parts of you don’t get as excited.”
“Alright, I’ll give it a try I guess.”
“Do you two, uh, kiss a lot?”
“Well, not really since we feel like we’re being watched every two seconds. Can’t do it at school because of the teachers, and we have to keep our doors open so…” He rolls his eyes.
“That’s so you two stay respectful.”
“You know what’s interesting? Never, not once, have you and Y/N kept your bedroom door open when you both go in there.”
“We’re adults.”
“So that means you deserve privacy more than me?”
“Not necessarily, but there’s an emotional maturity that she and I have that you don’t yet. If your door’s open, you’re not gonna get any funny ideas.”
“Like what? It’s just kissing.”
Harry pulls into the garage and turns the car off. He sighs and turns to look at Andy.
“Kissing can lead to other things sometimes.”
“Like…making out?”
“Yeah.” Harry nods. “And then that leads to more serious things that you’re really not old enough for, but sometimes things happen when you’re not properly supervised, and I wanna keep you safe, as I’m sure Brandon’s parents wanna keep him safe too. Someday, when you’re older, I probably won’t make you keep your door wide open, maybe just open a crack, because you do deserve privacy, but right now you’re twelve, so.”
“Okay.” Andy sits there for a moment. “So, adults get to do whatever they want with each other whenever they want?”
“No, not at all. Self-control is a thing, asking for permission is a thing. You should always ask before you touch, and if someone says no you have to listen and respect that. You can’t take it personally.”
“Do you and Y/N ever say no to each other?”
“Sure! More often than you think, actually. I know she and I can be pretty touchy, but there are times either of us aren’t in the mood to cuddle or whatever. Communication is really important in any relationship. She and I do a pretty good job of communicating our feelings, I think.”
“Well, I would hope so, you both teach classes about it.” Andy laughs.
“You’d be surprised how dense people can be, even when they study something for years. Just make sure you and Brandon continue to communicate. You should be doing things you both feel comfortable with. There’s no need for you two to rush anything either.”
“Alright, thanks, Dad.”
“Any time.”
They both get out of the car and head inside. Andy says he’s going to take a quick shower and then get ready for bed. Harry goes into your shared room to see you still reading.
“Did he have a good time?”
“Yeah.” Harry says as he sits gets changed into his pj’s. “We had an interesting chat in the car.”
“About what?”
“Guy stuff.” You scoff at him. “What?”
“What does guy stuff entail?”
“He asked me what he should do if he accidentally gets a stiffy while kissing.” Your eyes widen and your jaw drops. “He didn’t word it like that, obviously.”
“Did that happen to him tonight?”
“No, but he’s scared that it could.”
“What did you tell him to do?”
“I told him to think of something that grosses him out.” He shrugs, and sits next to you on the bed with his own book.
“Gotta be so tough being a boy.” You pout sarcastically. “Having to hide your boners all the time.” Harry side eyes you. “It’s what you get for having everything else in your lives be so easy. You’re sitting there dealing with that while us girls are sitting there hoping we haven’t randomly started bleeding.”
“Yeah, I remember Gem coming home from school a few times to change her clothes.”
“It’s literally the worst! You can’t tell if it feels like discharge or if you’re just randomly a little wet, so you panic and run to the bathroom, and then you’re relieved when it’s nothing. Plus, you’re crazy irregular at that age, so even if you’re tracking it, it can still be random.”
“That really does suck.” You hum your response. “Am I good to you when you have your period? Is there anything you’d like me to do?”
“Oh, Harry, don’t be silly.”
“M’serious! Should we keep more dark chocolate in the house? Oh! I could get one of those hot water presses to put on your back, or-“
“Babe.” You put your hand on his shoulder. “You do plenty, thank you very much.” You lean over and kiss his cheek.
“I’m kinda glad you got it tonight so you won’t have it on our trip.”
“Me too. Would have been a pain in the ass for sure.” You bite your bottom lip. “I’m very excited for Miami.”
“Same here, the weather’s looking good. We’ll be able to go to the beach, and go to bars, all that fun stuff.”
“Mhm.” You smile and get back to your book.
You had a few things up your sleeve for your week away, but you wanted it to be a pleasant surprise for your husband, so you were doing your absolute best to keep it to yourself.
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berriusagi · 3 years
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Stomach Bug Ch2
Dinner Announcement
Should I be writing my geology essay? Yes. Am I going to write it right now? No. Am I instead going to write a new chapter to this fic? Absolutely. Thank you everyone who showed interest in this story it means a lot that people actually like this and to everyone asking to be tagged I’d take a bullet for you. You are all the best.
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The calm collected tone Bruce had during his call did well to hide the absolute madhouse that was Wayne Manor. While he was trying to subtly interrogate his youngest son over the phone his other three were playing the world's worst game of charades. Dick’s arms were flailing around as he made exaggerated motions trying to get a read on what Damian was saying through Bruce’s stony features. Jason was seemed to be working his eyebrows as much as humanly possible seeing if he could get even a hint of a reaction from Bruce. Tim, however, was just patiently waiting too tired to do any of the over the top actions of his brothers.
“Okay son, if you’re sure I’ll speak with Alfred.” Bruce nodded before hanging up and took a moment to compose himself before his sons launched into their own interrogation.
“What’s going on?” Dick asked, “Is little D okay?”
“What’s up with Demon Spawn I’ve never heard him have an emotion other than anger before,” Jason asked leaning forward.
“Why was he at Ivy and Harley’s?” Tim asked sipping his coffee.
“He didn’t say much.” Bruce sighed rubbing his eyes, “he told me he’ll be out for the rest of the day but that he’ll be here at dinner to explain what happened. He’s also bringing a few guests though he wouldn’t give any names.”
The three boys all shared looks before flying out of the room and scrambling through the halls towards the Batcave. Alfred stepping out of the way as they flew past him all shoving each other away or jumping over the other to try and be in the lead.
“They are quite lively this morning.” Alfred hummed walking over to Bruce with a raised eyebrow, “What did I miss?”
“Damian ran out during breakfast after a phone call and won’t be back until dinner he’s bringing three guests. He didn’t tell me more than that.” Bruce sighed leaning back in his seat, “How am I not grey yet Alfred?” he asked
“Must be favorable genetics as it can’t be from your tranquil life.” Alfred mused as he cleaned up the table and headed off to wash the dishes leaving Bruce alone to listen to the distant shouts of his sons fight their way into the Batcave.
~.~.~.~
“Angel, you need to eat something.” Damian said rubbing Marinette's back as she covered her nose turning away from the food set out in front of her, “I know it makes you nauseous but at least eat some toast.” he coaxed grabbing some dry toast and held it up to her.
“Eating is the last thing I want to do right now.” Marinette groaned still a little green from her last round of sickness.
“I know but the baby needs you to eat.” he soothed looking in her eyes, “you need to eat so the baby can be fed.”
Marinette groaned and pushed the plate stacked meats and eggs away from her and leaned back further to get away from the smell. Once her stomach seemed to settle she gingerly took the toast Damian kept insisting upon her eating and took small bites slowly working through it. Her stomach settled further the more she ate allowing her to relax a bit more and a healthier color to finally come to her face.
“Think she’ll be a vegetarian during this pregnancy,” Harley chuckled taking the plate away and deposited the food in the doggy bowls by the door for the two hyenas to come rip through later, “probably for the best for her to not have any meats though might really mess with her stomach.”
Ivy hummed looking through the pamphlets reading up on the different options, “Marigold we should set up an appointment with the OB-GYN Dr. Beau recommended. We should also grab some prenatal vitamins too since you’re not going to be getting enough nutrients from eating like a little bird.”
“I’ll go buy some,” Damian said standing quickly only to get shoved down in his seat a second later by Harley.
“Yeah no,” Harley said grabbing her brag, “That’s just what we need you on the front page, ‘ Wayne Heir spotted buying prenatal vitamins ’ this whole city would be in an uproar trying to figure out who you knocked up. You stay here and keep our little bug comfy we’ll go do the shopping.”
“You’re just going to leave your daughter alone with her boyfriend unsupervised?” Damian asked raising an eyebrow.
“What are ya goin to do? Knock her up?” Harley chuckled raising an eyebrow at the two blushing teens at the dining table. “You two talk, cuddle, be teens and red and I will do the shopping then later we’ll all go to Wayne Manor and act as buffers for marigold here so she doesn’t go catatonic.”
“Thank you,” Marinette mumbled looking up at the two women who so kindly took her into their home and wanted nothing more than for her to grow and be happy, “for everything I can’t thank you enough.” she sniffled scrubbing at her face.
Ivy and Harley both smiled and wrapped her up in another tight hug showering her in love and affection until her sniffles died down once more. The two women pulled back giving Mari kisses all over her face until she was giggling and pushing them away her face flushed with laughter instead of tears. Only once she was smiling brightly again did they finally pull away and leave the two teens alone.
“She’s going to be okay.” Harley smiled slinging her arm around Ivy’s shoulder, “our little marigold is gonna be just fine.” she sighed as they made their way out of the apartment building.
Marinette finished her dry toast sipping on some warm tea to soothe her throat from the torture it had gone through that morning with her stomach issues. Damian cleaned up the discarded dishes and helped Marinette up walking her over to the couch keeping a firm hold on her so she wouldn’t trip over the stray toys littering the floor. “Dami I can walk just fine.” she giggled softly as Damian helped her to sit.
“You’re pregnant I don’t want you to fall.” He said sitting down beside her, “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” 
“Walking around the apartment isn’t going to hurt me or the baby.” She sighed leaning on his side, “I might be a klutz but I’m not going to fall that easily. I was Ladybug for three years have some faith in me.” she mumbled closing her eyes all the stress and tension from the morning finally easing off now that she had Damian by her side.
Damian sighed wrapping an arm around her hugging her gently, “I have so much faith in you,” he whispered leaning down to kiss the crown of her head, “I’m just worried about what could all go wrong.”
Marinette sighed sitting up and turned to face him looking up into his emerald eyes, “I don’t want you to worry, I’m already scared I just want you to be the one to tell me everything is going to be okay. That we’re going to be okay.” she said moving forward to bury her face in his chest, “I want to act like this wasn’t an accident and that we’re not two stupid teens.”
Damian wrapped her up in a tight hug pressing a gentle kiss to her temple, “Okay angel,” he mumbled, “I’ll be your rock, we’ll get through this and we’ll be the best parents we can be.”
“That’s all I want.” she sniffled nuzzling closer using Damian's relaxed state to shove him back to lay on the couch quickly climbing up to cuddle up onto his chest burying her face into his neck, “I love you Dami,” she mumbled.
“I love you to angel.” he smiled softly gently running his fingers through her hair to help her relax as she began to slip away into a quiet sleep. He waited until she was fully asleep to allow himself to fully relax and take his time to process just what was happening. “I’m going to be a father.” he mumbled rubbing a hand down his face a soft laugh bubbling up from his chest as he smiled at the ceiling, “Todd’s going to have a stoke.”
~.~.~.~
“How is there nothing?” Dick asked staring at the screen of the bat computer, “That’s impossible there isn’t anything you can’t find.” he said turning to look down at Tim as he tapped away at the keyboard staring intently at the screen.
All three of the eldest Wayne boys had been down in the Batcave for hours scrubbing through phone logs, security feeds, anything and everything to get even a hint of what was to come for dinner. The longer they searched the more interested they got at the sheer lack of anything involving Damian and anyone else that would prompt him to act how he did.
“Doesn’t make sense Demon Spawn doesn’t just change overnight so either he’s just really good at covering his tracks or he’s a clone,” Jason said stretching out in his chair propping his feet up on the desk.
The other two made a humming noise as they continued to search through the documents for what felt like the hundredth time. “Wait!” Dick shouted jolting Tim and Jason nearly out of their seats as he pulled the keyboard from Tim’s grasp and started typing away, “We’re going about this all wrong.”
“And how, pray tell, should we be doing this?” Jason deadpanned looking over at Dick with a raised brow, “We should just go ask Demon Spawn and let him feed us a load of bullshit?”
“I mean clearly he doesn’t want us knowing anything because he buried it so deep but maybe asking him will give us some answers?” Dick said smiling in the face of his two brothers thoroughly unimpressed looks. “Oh come on it’s worth a shot.”
“Master Dick,” Alfred hummed walking down into the Batcave, “Master Timothy and Master Jason.” he nodded looking at the three men, “Our guests will be arriving for dinner soon please head up to the main house to clean up and get ready.”
“It’s time for dinner already?” Tim muttered turning to look at the clock noticing just how long they had been down there looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack.
“Yes so if you three will make your way to the manor proper.” Alfred nodded turning on his heels and headed back up the stairs so that he could continue with the dinner preparations.
The three men sat in silence for a moment longer before slowly making their way up the stairs. “Well, maybe we’ll get some answers during this dinner?” Dick asked looking at the other two only to receive shrugs in response.
Reaching the top landing they all split and went their separate ways to get ready for dinner taking their time to do their own thing. Soon enough a hard knock was heard through the manor signaling their mystery guests arrival. The three ran down once again shoving and tripping up each other to try and be the first in to see who would come through just narrowly avoiding crashing into Bruce’s back as they slid to a stop behind him.
Alfred calmly walked past them and opened the door, “Good evening Miss. Quinn, Miss. Ivy.” he said stepping aside allowing the two women to enter, “Welcome home Master Damian.” he said bowing his head to him, “and good evening miss?”
“You can call me Marinette.” she smiled softly up at the older gentleman, “I brought dessert,” she added holding out the large pastry box to Alfred trying to hide her nerves.
“Thank you, Miss. Marinette I’ll go put this away now. Dinner will be served shortly I hope you enjoy your stay.” he smiled softly nodding to the three women as he made his way to the kitchen.
“Damian you had us all quite worried when you ran out of here this morning.” Bruce said looking at his youngest and taking a moment to look over the three women before him, “Would you care to explain what happened?”
Marinette started to fidget keeping her eyes on anything but the Wayne’s before her, the soft pressure from Tikki in her purse doing little to keep her heart from beating out of her chest as her mind filled with everything that could go wrong. She managed to relax just a little as she felt the calm warm pressure of Damian's arm settling around her waist gently squeezing her hip to help ground her.
“Father, this is Marinette Isley-Quinzel,” Damian started his features cold and unreadable as he stared his family down, “she is my girlfriend.”
A pin could drop and sound like a gunshot in the silence that followed, the Wayne patriarch did well to hide his shock keeping a blank face as the three sons behind him ticked down to their own detonation.
“How much is he paying you?” Tim shot out.
“Where did you meet?” Dick grinned leaning forward.
“Blink twice if he’s holding you hostage.” Jason cut in.
Ivy and Harley stifled their laughs as they watched the three Wayne boys continue to throw outlandish theories and questions at poor Marinette. She seemed to calm down a small smile beginning to show on her face as she giggled at the two thinking she’d been coerced and the one trying to find out her life story. “He isn’t paying me or forcing me to be his girlfriend.” she smiled as Tim and Jason looked completely unconvinced, “and we met through a penpal assignment when I was thirteen but we didn’t start dating until I was fifteen,” she added on to answer Dick’s question.
“Well it is a pleasure to meet you Marinette it’s not often my youngest shows interest in anyone.” Bruce smiled stepping forward to take her hand, “shall we move to the living room while we wait for dinner?”
“That sounds just lovely Brucie.” Harley smiled stepping through them grabbing Marinette's arm and dragging her along out of Damian’s hold depositing her on a large armchair. Ivy shook her head smiling and followed her as she shrugged at Bruce taking a seat beside Harley on the loveseat as the Wayne’s made their way in. Once everyone was settled in and Damian got Marinette resettled on another loveseat so he could be beside her Harley decided it was a great time to drop the bomb, “So who’s gonna tell him?”
“Harls,” Ivy warned giving her a stern look.
“What? They need to know,” she said looking far too innocent for the chaos she was about to start.
“Tell me what?” Bruce asked looking at the two women carefully.
“Father,” Damian said drawing the attention of his family, “I know you just met Marinette but we feel you should know.” he said wrapping an arm around her to help keep her grounded, “Marinette’s pregnant.”
Silence doesn’t even begin to describe the absence of noise that followed, it was like a cold void swallowed the room as the Wayne’s collectively shut down at the news. Bruce’s face was unreadable as he took in the latest bit of news. Dick was practically vibrating out of his seat his eyes filled with glee. Tim looked as if his own brain was blue screening like a cheap laptop. Jason was the one to break the silence.
“Demon Spawn fucks.” Jason deadpanned
“JASON!” the room erupted from there Harley and Ivy cackling, Dick asking a million and one questions, Tim trying and failing to keep a straight face, and Jason roaring with laughter.
“What?! You’re going to look at me and tell me that I’m wrong?” Jason laughed, “the only thing I’m wrong about is that Demon Spawn would lighten up if he got laid.” he pointed at Marinette grinning wide, “She’s proof that he can fuck and still have a stick up his ass!”
“How long have you known?” Bruce asked his voice calm and collected effectively shutting down all conversation.
“I...” Marinette started her face a little pale from fear as she looked at Bruce’s emotionless face, “I found out this morning. I’ve had morning sickness for the past week.”
“You’re positive it’s Damian's?” he asked
“Father!” Damian glared moving to stand only to be held down by Marinette's small hand on his shoulder.
“I expected this,” she whispered urging him to remain seated before taking a deep breath and looked at Bruce, “I’ve only been with Damian since we began dating. If it’s not him then it’s Jesus coming back.”
Jason snorted getting a wide grin at the joke as he eyed Bruce trying to gauge his reaction.
Bruce seemed to take in everything he’d learned before a small spark lit up his eyes, “I’m going to be a grandfather.” he whispered tension starting to leave the room as he looked at Damian and Marinette pride and joy filling his eyes as he smiled wide, “I’m going to be a grandfather.”
“I call dibs on best uncle!” Dick shouted hopping up racing over to Marinette only to be tripped up by Jason.
“Like hell!” Jason shouted jumping over Dick, “I’m the best uncle for Pixie Pops kid.”
“Pixie pop?” Marinette asked letting out a yelp as Jason got right up to her practically throwing her up in the air as he lifted her from Damian's grasp.
“Hell yeah you’re small like a little fairy.” he grinned holding her as he jumped away from Damian's reach and Dick’s attempts to grab her, “so you’re Pixie Pop.” he chuckled.
The chaos began to unfold as Marinette finally relaxed all the stress bleeding away as she was welcomed into the crazy Wayne household. Ivy and Harley chuckled watching the two eldest and the youngest Wayne’s fight to grab hold of Marinette while Tim and Bruce seemed to quietly come to terms with all that was happening.
“So when’s the baby shower?” Ivy asked grinning wide.
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@myazael @beautiful-disasters-sunshine @moonlightstar64 @moonlitceleste @stainedglassm @casual-darkness @mochegato @ultimatetornshipper @heemsanddamemes @nathleigh @qualitypeacepainter
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Text
Delicate. — Part 1.
word count: 2.6k
a/n: Here we are fam, i gotta be honest with y’all, this is heavily inspired in the fact that i watched Miss Americana twice this month, what resulted in me going through my taylor swfit phase again. Pls bare with me, i haven’t written anything like this before.
catch up here!
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They said artists become what they are because deep down they are as insecure if not more than normal people. Because they craved constant validation in what they do. 
At least it was the case for Y/n. 
A girl who has built an entire system around being accepted by the public, someone who their major source of happiness is provided by strangers all around the world. When you are living from the approval of strangers and that is where you drive all your joy and fulfillment, one bad thing can cause everything to go down. Y/n has spent her whole life trying to please the world so they would like her, so what she has achieved over the years would last. 
When the world turned their back on her, Y/n had no choice but to disappear, because she thought that was what everyone wanted. Even then, she made her choices around what she thought would make them happy.
Y/n knew she could not hide forever, but for now, it was a necessary evil she had to take. Deciding to take a break from everything was the healthiest decision she has ever made, shutting down her social media, getting out of the city and going back home with her family was exactly what she needed. 
"Mom was sad she couldn't pick you up from the airport."
Seventeen-year-old Jensen, whose driving license was still new and fresh, was the one who picked Y/n up when her flight landed. In complete honesty, she did not like using a private plane, but she could not risk someone seeing where she was going. Jensen was good at driving, well, he has not crashed into a tree yet, so they were safe. 
"She would've brought Chase and scare Pandora and Lizzie." 
Jensen chuckled. "She's obsessed with him. I haven't started college yet and she's already thinking about turning my room into Chase's." 
Her parents’ house was a gated property away from others since it was safer that way. Y/n would not stay there the whole time since she had her own apartment a little closer to town. Her luggage, as well as her cats, were picked up separately and taken to her home, she would go there after lunch with her family. Jensen parked next to a black range rover that belonged to their dad, meaning both of their parents were home. 
Y/n threw her backpack over her shoulder as she stepped out of the car, eager to finally reunite with her family, especially her mother. She is in desperate need of a tight hug, a mug of hot chocolate and a shoulder to cry on. Y/n did not realize how mentally drained she was until she saw her mother open the front door. 
"My baby!" Louise exclaimed, embracing her daughter in a tight hug. "How was the flight?" 
"It was fine. I'm starving though." 
They walked into the living room and Louise closed the door behind them. Y/n dropped her backpack on one of the couches and sighed in relief. “Where’s dad?” Jensen went straight to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
“Get the white wine.” Y/n told him.
“It’s too early to drink that.” Louise took the bottle from Jensen’s hands and put it back in the fridge. “Dad’s outside. We bought some roses that will look beautiful by the pool.”
“You’re buying a lot of plants lately.” Y/n pointed a big vase full of daisies, her mom’s favorites, on the kitchen’s island. 
“I like supporting local business.” She shrugged.
“That and she’s obsessed with the owner of the flower shop.” Jensen chuckled, cracking open a water bottle. 
“Hey! That’s not true.” 
“Mom, you there like… every day. Who needs new flowers every day?”
“Shush.” The elder woman faked offense then gigged. “Handsome young man, he is. I’ll take you tomorrow.” She turned to Y/n. 
“Oh, no, mom. I’m going to lock myself in my apartment and try to write.” She said, making Louise scoff. “I’m serious!”
“I know you are. But living like a hermit is not going to do you any good.”
“I agree, sis.” 
Y/n rolled her eyes, knowing they were right as always but did not want to admit it. The truth was, she wanted to write some songs, so badly, but could not find the right words. She was hoping to get some peace and quiet to get her ideas and emotions in order again. Before any of them could say anything else, David entered the kitchen while taking off his gardening gloves and smiled widely when he spotted Y/n.
“And who do we have here?”
“Hi, dad.” Y/n smiled at him brightly before wrapping her arms around her dad, who hugged her back just as tight. 
“Good to have you home, darling.” 
The family of four sat on the kitchen island and started to catch up. Jensen talked about his different college options and how he was considering getting a summer job this year. Louise kept talking about how nice the owner of this flower shop was, making emphasis on how he was also single. Y/n didn’t know what she was trying to do, but she didn’t pay much attention either. 
Overall it was nice for Y/n to get out of her head for a little bit, and her family was always a great help for that. She knew she still had a lot to deal with, and she would probably get a call from her publicist and a lot of other people soon, but for now, she just wanted to think about anything else that wasn't the whole world hating on her. 
"How are you doing, Y/n? Be honest." Her mom asked after they stayed alone in the kitchen.
"Been better." She sighed. "I don't want to think about it, mom."
"You have to talk to someone, sweetie. I know your team cares for you and is trying to handle the situation, but you can still talk to me."
"I know, thank you. I'm just trying to figure it what I'm going to do."
Louise sighed. "You sure you don't want to stay here? You have your room and everything."
"Thanks for the offer, mom. But I sort of want to be on my own." She said. "But I'll come for lunch every day, I promise."
Although Louise wasn't convinced by her daughter's words, she chose to not push it. She knew Y/n had her own ways to express her feelings, and she'd talk whenever she felt like it. So she let her go, making her promise she'd come to visit soon.
"Do you need a ride? I'm going to town anyway." Jensen offered, taking the keys of his car from the little plate they kept on the table beside the front door. 
"Yes, please."
The drive to her apartment wasn't a long one, and in less than ten minutes she was opening her front door and being greeted by her two beautiful cats rubbing themselves on her legs. Y/n sighed, thinking about how much she needed to unpack now that she was here. The truth was, she didn't know for how long she'd be staying here, but she figured it'd be a long time so she packed a lot. Now she kind of regretted it because she would probably be in her pajamas all day anyway. 
After cleaning Pandora and Lizzie's sandbox, Y/n decided to grab an acoustic guitar and try to come up with some melodies. She wasn't quite sure about any lyrics yet, but it was always good to have a little something to start a song. 
She went from playing the guitar to play the piano, hoping she'd get more inspirations somewhere. But she had nothing. Not even one decent note. She was empty. 
"Don't pretend is... mhmm. Think about the... No." She groaned and slammed the palm of her hands on the keyboard, growing frustrated. Why all of a sudden she couldn't even rhyme? Maybe she needed a break, or perhaps she was tired from her flight and tomorrow she'd be able to write something.
//
Turns out her writer's block was here to stay. A week has passed since her arrival and Y/n hasn't been able to finish one single song. Everything she started ended up being erased or in the middle of her living room after the ripped the page off her journal. 
"I told you, you shouldn't hurry. Inspiration will come eventually, it always does."
"I guess. I just have nothing else to do other than play scrabble with you and write songs, or at least try to."
"Let me take out then." Louise started and Y/n shakes her head. "C'mon, let's eat somewhere or buy groceries and I'll cock at your place." Y/n looked at her mom and realized she wouldn't stop until she accepted, so Y/n offered Louise a nod. "Marvelous. There's this little café that I absolutely love. You'll love the owner."
"What is it with you and the owners of local shops?"
"They're my friends. Oh! We could drop by Blossom House. You could use some flowers around your house so it would look like somebody actually lives there."
"Stop dragging me, woman."
Louise drove them to this café called Furry Cakes, which turned out to be a cat café. Y/n obviously lost it as soon as they walked in, and nearly cried when she saw all the kittens, and absolutely shed a tear when the girl behind the register said every kitty except for one named Chaster was up for adoption. She felt like a little girl all over again when her mom told her she couldn't take every single kitty home. 
Y/n was wearing a hoodie that was twice her size, plus some big sunglasses she refused to take off, even inside of the café. She was praying she wouldn't get recognized as she knew people were dying for a picture of her, see how she was after the entire world canceled her. 
"We'll leave the car parked here, the flower shop is just around the corner." Louise pulled from Y/n's hand to make her walk faster. There weren't a lot of people on the streets and she was grateful for that, she hasn't gotten a proper walk in what felt like ages. 
They stopped outside a modern-looking building with a big, bright sign that read 'The Blossom House'. It was simple yet cute. The pair stepped in and a little bell ringed. Y/n looked around, admiring how everything looked like it was straight out of a fairytale. There were little pots hanging from the ceiling and she looked up, she saw the ceiling was pure glass, which made the whole place brighter. Flowers weren't really her thing as she could barely keep them alive, but seeing this amount of flowers all in the same place... made her somewhat happy and warm inside. 
She was so deep in thought she didn't even realize her mom left her and was nowhere to be found. It doesn't look like it from outside, but the shop was actually big and very spacious. It was also empty right now, not even an employee was around, so she decided to have a look on her own. It looked like they had all kinds of flowers in here, which made her even more excited because that meant they had-
"Azaleas? They're also my favorites." A deep voice interrupted her thoughts. She jumped on her place as she wasn't expecting it, which made the person behind her chuckle. "I didn't mean to scare you, sorry."
"It's okay..." She turned around and it was fair to say that was she saw stunned her right away.
In front of her, a gorgeous looking man was standing there with a bright smile on his face. She noticed the two dimples poking at each side of his face, making his smile even more beautiful. His emerald green eyes were the greenest eyes she has ever seen in her life, she believed. He had crinkles by his eyes due to his smile being wide. But to her, the icing of the cake was the beautiful mop of chocolate curls he had on the top of his head. She suddenly felt the insane urge to run her hands through it just to see if they were as soft as they looked. 
"Harry, darling!" Louise appeared out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around the man, who only chuckled while reciprocating the greeting.
"Hello, Louise. What's it gonna be today? Tulips? More daisies?" Oh God, he's British. Y/n thought to herself. 
"Gosh, you know me so well. I'm actually here just to look around, I see you found my daughter though." She smirked.
"I surely did. I'm Harry, nice to meet you, love." He offered her a hand for her to shake.
Y/n was a little surprised by the pet name but took his hand nonetheless. "I'm Y/n, nice to meet you too."
"I want her to get some plants for her house." Louise spoke again.
"Well, you're in the right place then." He said. "Do you want them for your garden?"
"No, uhm... I don't have one. I live in an apartment."
"Personally, my favorite to keep indoors are Begonias." Harry guided the two women to a different section of the flower shop and pointed to some pretty ones in pink color. "But I also enjoy Daylilies, although they're a little harder to maintain."
"Yeah, maybe not those then. I'm not very good at keeping plants alive."
"She killed a cactus once." Louise mentioned. 
"No way." 
"I didn't know they'd drown if I watered them more than once a week!" Y/n defended herself. 
"Amateur mistake." He joked. 
The truth was Y/n was too busy to have a garden, she was always traveling and didn't stay too long in one place so even if she tries to have one, it'd be dead by the end of the month. 
"What plants are cat friendly? I have two at home."
"Bromeliads are cat friendly, they're easy to maintain too."
They looked around for a little bit. Harry said a fun fact about every type of flower Y/n pointed out, never failing to make her laugh. The funny thing was, it didn't look like Harry knew who she was. Either he hasn't recognized her, or he didn't know about her. Which by the way, not to be a narcissist, would be highly unlikely.
She ended up taking a couple of new plants home, starting to grow excited about them. It was true, her apartment could use a little more life to it, and now she was sure her new plants would do that for her. Harry was wrapping everything for them while he stood behind the counter.
"Oh, here. This one's on the house." Harry handed her a pot with some beautiful blue Azaleas. She took them with a growing blush on her face, a blush that went deeper when their hands brushed with each other. "Try to not kill them though." He teased.
Y/n rolled her eyes as her mom chuckled behind her. "I'll report their aliveness back to you, you'll see."
"You better. Have a nice day, ladies. I'm guessing I'll see you around, Y/n?"
"Sure, I'm uh... I'm living here right now."
Harry smiled at them one last time before they exited the shop. After the door closed behind them, Louise turned to Y/n. "He likes you."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"What do you say if we invite him for dinner sometime?"
"Like, at your house?" She asked surprised.
"Yeah, why not?"
"I have to keep a low profile, mother. For all I know he could be tweeting about I just exited his shop."
"Don't let the paranoia ruin the possibility of forming new friendships... or more." Louise sent her a wink.
"Okay, that's enough."
Y/n brushed her off, trying not to think much about it. A new friendship sounded impossible at this point of her life, let alone pursuing a new relationship with someone. She had made up her mind, she was better off being alone.
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