Chapter 15: Fright-day Night
(Halloween Special - from the Flatmate Trilogy: Two Hearts, One Home)
…in which they play treasure hunt on Halloween again.
Word count: 7.1k
Chapter 14: For Better Or Worse - Harry and Niall have a guys night, Y/N starts showing, and Layla loves her wedding dress.
What to expect in this chapter: Baby’s gender (finally) AND the biggest crossover since The Avengers!!! (Jk)
For this chapter, the Flatmate characters will meet Eddie from My Girl (Bambi’s boss). If you want to read the alternative version in which they meet Thea (Bambi in the Wattpad version), CLICK HERE
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Harry used to hate the smell of the hospital.
It reminded him of germs and sickness, and that one time he nearly died in a jet ski accident. But now that he was there so often, he'd gotten used to it. He thought he might even like it, because every time he and his wife were there, they would walk out with good news.
"I think it's a girl," Harry blurted while anxiously picking lint from his sleeve, his other hand was squeezing Y/N's. They were in the hospital's waiting room, but he already had a feeling that this might be the best day of his life.
"Why do you think so, baby?" she asked with a smile.
"Mum said if you were more into salty food, you were having a boy, and if it was a girl, then you ate lots of sweet things." He chuckled and nudged her nose with his own. "I just filled your snack drawer with sweets a few days ago, and this morning when I looked at it, it was almost empty!"
"The snack drawer was your idea!"
"Yeah, because you either woke me up at 3 AM asking me to fuck you, or to go out and buy you some sweets. Now that you have your snack drawer, I will only lose sleep for sex."
"God, you're such a teenager." Laughing and shaking her head, Y/N threaded a hand through his hair and said, "guess we'll find out if you're right in half an hour."
Half an hour felt like half a century to Harry. But once it was finally their turn, he thought he might just pass out. He didn't know it was possible to get more agitated than the last time they'd been there, but when he took the same seat and watched his wife lie down on the same examining table, his insides were on fire. It didn't matter what his baby's gender was, because he loved them and his wife, anyway. Still, he was holding his breath and couldn't ignore the shakiness in his limbs.
"Congratulations," said the woman who was rolling the scanning device on Y/N's tummy. "It's a girl."
Those three words coursed through Harry's ears like Adrenaline through his veins. He tingled from his head to his toes, wanting to jump, but he was glued to the chair and his feet were as stiff as a rock.
It's a girl, said the voice in his head. I'm having a baby girl.
Y/N was saying something to him, but all he heard was white noise, while the name was bouncing inside his head. It felt as if there was an explosion in his brain, the good sort, and it took him a few seconds to come back to reality.
"That's Asteria, baby," Y/N said, tears streaming from her eyes though she was laughing.
Harry sniffled as he brought her hand to his mouth to kiss her knuckles a few times. "Hi, Ria," he said to her baby bump. "Your dad is here."
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"Congratulations! You are the lucky ones who got invited to our joint bachelor/bachelorette/Halloween party!" Layla raised her glass as if she was making a toast at her wedding, when in reality, she and her friends were sitting in a small cafe. "Thank you, my dear future husband, for coming up with this brilliant idea."
"I came up with it, actually—"
"Shut up, Harry," she snapped at the poor guy and shushed everyone who dared to snicker. "Anyway, where was I? Ahhh, the party. So this year, I'm—"
"We."
"We're bringing back our favorite tradition—"
As Layla immediately corrected herself after Niall had corrected her, the Irish man smugly wiggled his eyebrows at Harry, who looked slightly offended for the opposite reaction he'd received. Meanwhile, everyone else was already yawning.
"If she wrote a whole speech about the Halloween game one month prior, imagine how long her wedding vow would be," Louis whispered and fist-bumped Liam while Trix and Y/N were trying not to laugh.
Layla, however, was so passionate about her special party that she just kept going, "our annual Halloween game is back!" she exclaimed and clasped both hands in front of her chest. "It's called 'Fright-day Night'. And Louis will be the host!"
As everyone turned to Louis, who did a tiny bow as if he'd just won an Oscar, Layla added, "in case anyone else's wondering why I didn’t pick one of you, well, y'all fucking sucked."
"I guess I'll...take that as a compliment!" Louis uttered as the corners of his mouth turned up. "We'll have a Halloween party after the game, so make sure you have your costumes ready."
"Yes!" Layla chimed in before Louis could steal her spotlight. "Niall and I will also participate in the game, so we know nothing about the clues or the prizes or where the party will take place. Louis will take care of that. Our only job is to follow his rules and have fun!" She tapped her finger on her lips as the chatter began. "I guess I'm done. Anyone wanna add something?"
Harry raised his hand. "I have something important to announce."
"Put your hand down, Harold. Nothing is more important than my—"
"We've just found out the baby gender."
"Oh my God, what?!" Layla shouted and everyone in the cafe snapped their heads to look at her. She appeared as if she'd seen gold when she turned to Y/N. "Bitch, you should've told me first!"
"Sorry, I was afraid you'd tell everyone else." Y/N smiled. "We wanted to tell you guys ourselves."
"Just tell me now, am I an uncle or an aunt?!" Niall blurted and quickly shook his head when everyone gave him questioning looks. "No, I mean—God! You know what I mean!"
Harry puffed out his chest and cleared his throat. "It's Asteria!"
"Yes!" Layla jumped out of her seat and smacked Liam on the back. "You owed me twenty."
"You made a bet on our baby girl?!"
"Yes!" She giggled despite the look on Harry's face and took the money from Liam, who seemed pretty bitter about losing. "I'm not surprised that I won though. I knew it all along that it was Asteria. I'm her Godmother after all."
"Aunt."
"Godmother. Deal with it." She gave Harry the finger and went on, "by the way, I'm calling her Teri. It's gonna be a special thing between Godmother Layla and baby Asteria, so none of you bitches is allowed to call her that."
"Did she just call dibs on our daughter?" Harry whispered to Y/N, who simply laughed and told him Layla was just kidding.
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Fall went as quickly as it had arrived. There was only one more day until Halloween.
Layla had gathered the whole group at the same cafe, "so Louis could briefly give us instructions about the game," she had said. But everyone knew it was only an excuse for her to open a discussion about what everyone was going to wear so no two of them would show up in the same costume, "for the group aesthetics," she reasoned.
"Niall and I will be Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday," she cheerfully said, sitting with her back straight and arms crossed on the table, as if she was really princess Ann in the movie. "That means none of you losers can be Audrey Hepburn or a princess. Except for Y/N."
"Why?" Trix pouted.
"Because she's pregnant with my Goddaughter."
"Harry and I will be Flynn Rider and Rapunzel," Y/N said and Trix was smiling again.
"Ooh! The other day I was just telling Liam that you two reminded me of Flynn Rider and Rapunzel because—"
"Um, I have a question," Harry cut her off, raising his hand. "What are Jack and Gemma doing here?"
"Harry!"
"What?" He flinched as his wife swatted at his chest and everyone was laughing.
"I'm one of the bridesmaids. Why can't I be here?" Gemma gave him a shrug, arching an eyebrow.
Jack, who was sitting next to her, spoke fast, "Layla told me to come. I have no idea what's going on."
"Well, young Johnny Depp, you are invited to my bachelorette/bachelor/Halloween party because we need an even number of players to play the Halloween game."
"Or we can just not include Gemma." Harry lifted his shoulders in a half shrug and this time it was Gemma who swatted him.
Niall suddenly leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Layla is obsessed with Gemma, so if I were you, I'd shut up before I got uninvited to the wedding."
"I can't get uninvited, I'm the best man."
"Maybe we don't need a best man," Layla said, and Harry gasped, turning to Niall.
"Sorry, mate." Niall pursed his lips unapologetically. "You've chosen Y/N over me many times before."
"You're kidding."
Y/N shushed the boys and started stroking Harry's hair, knowing it'd turn him to a quiet little puppy.
Now that peace had been restored, Louis turned to Jack and Gemma. "Okay, I'm just going to explain again. Every year back in college, we would get together on Halloween for a game of treasure hunt. Each year, we took turns being the host who would come up with clues, the prizes, and the rules of the game. This time, I will be the host. The game is pretty simple. I'll divide you into two teams, and—"
"Wait, we don't get to randomly draw out our team?"
"No, Liam. Harry would cheat again so he could be with Y/N."
"I didn't cheat!"
"Yes, you did," Layla chimed in. "Liam saw you!"
"I did." Liam confirmed. "But I shipped you two so I didn't say anything."
"See? Cheater!" Layla grumbled as Harry flashed a peace sign at her, unapologetically.
"Okay guys, let me finish and you can roast Harry later," said Louis who rolled his eyes in frustration. "So where was I? Aaaah, the teams. Yes, there will be two teams, four persons each. You will find out which team you're in tomorrow night. And I will give each team different clues, the treasure this year is the Halloween party. You find the party, you win."
"Sounds simple." Y/N leaned back in her chair, hands on her belly. "Where are we going to play the game this year?"
"I don't wanna spoil the surprise," Louis told them with a mischievous smile.
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"The cemetery?!"
Folding his arms, Louis chuckled at the way Layla's jaw fell open as she looked around the spooky graveyard. Rows of tombstones stood erect in silence, and in this starless misty night, the place looked like a sea of the dead. This could be the opening scene of a classic horror movie, in which a group of stupid people got murdered in a graveyard for playing a stupid Halloween game.
"If I'd known we would play in a cemetery, I would have dressed up as something else to match the aesthetic!" Layla huffed as she smoothed down her skirt.
"What's the point? You're gonna lose, anyway."
"Shut up, you stupid alien!" she glowered at Liam, who couldn't look more offended by the name.
"I am not an alien!" he objected, pointing to his hat. "I'm a space cowboy!"
"Guys, don't yell. Ria has ears now," Harry said as he hugged his wife from behind, hands on her tummy.
Appalled, Trix pointed to Y/N. "If you're Rapunzel then where's your wig?"
"It was itchy, so I took it off," Y/N explained as she tucked her hair behind her ear and looked down at her pink dress. "But you could still tell that I'm Rapunzel, right?"
"You look just like her," Jack said with a smile, and instinctively, Harry held his wife closer, not even giving her boss the second glance.
Jack was dressed as Jack Dawson, but Harry knew it was him who was the original Jack Dawson. In fact, he was Jack Dawson when he won the game with his wife. This wasn't a competition but Harry thought he'd already won.
"I'm Red Riding Hood," Trix said. "In case anyone's wondering."
"No, we're not wondering. You're literally wearing a red cloak, Trix."
"Layla, don't be mean to Trix," Louis spoke, turning all heads back to him.
"What are you supposed to be?" Liam asked.
"Alastor Mad-Eye Moody from Harry Potter," he said proudly and adjusted his fake eye. "Probably the coolest costume here."
"You wish," Layla spat, rolling her eyes. "No one could beat Audrey."
The group chatted for a bit while waiting for Gemma, who showed up last. She apologized for being late because she'd had to clean pumpkin guts from her car window. "Typical Halloween prank by the kids in the neighborhood," she said.
"Princess Leia!" Liam exclaimed, pointing to Gemma's space buns.
"Um, yeah." The older Styles chuckled. "Sorry, Layla. I got this costume before you said—"
"No, no, it's totally fine!" Layla shook her head quickly. "That iconic hairstyle totally suits you!"
"Wait, why do all the girls get to be princesses except for me?!"
"Don't worry, Trix," Harry said, pointing to her heart. "Every woman is a princess in here."
"Okay, can Princess Leia or the space cowboy shoot Flynn Rider right now?"
Harry extended his middle finger toward Layla and everyone dissolved in laughter.
Clearing his throat loudly, Louis got all eyes back on him and pulled out a little box from his leather satchel. The box contained eight pieces of paper, each folded in half, on which a player's name was written. "Take the one with your name," he said. "Okay, now open it. Those who see the word 'red' go to my left. Those with 'blue' go to my right."
Harry, Layla, Gemma, and Liam went to the left. Y/N, Niall, Jack, and Trix went to the right.
"Yay! We're on the same team!" Layla squealed as she saw Gemma, who gave the girl an awkward grin, not knowing why Layla was so obsessed with her.
"Harold!" Louis shouted, making Harry and Niall flinch. "Do not switch with Niall this time! I know what color you are!"
"What?! I wasn't gonna do anything!"
"Then step away from the Irish boy!"
Groaning, Harry shoved both hands in his pockets and took a few steps back, frowning at Y/N and Jack on the opposite side. Louis then handed each team another piece of paper. "This is your first clue. It will take you to the next place where the second clue is hidden. Get your cars ready and I'll see you at the party."
As soon as Louis wished them good luck and walked away, Y/N opened her team's first clue and read the riddle aloud to the other members. "There's a man with a crooked smile, his round face is scarred with a knife."
It only took her two seconds to snap her head up to look at Jack. "Jack-o'-lantern!" they said at the same time.
"That one's easy! Let's go find one."
Niall grabbed the hood of Trix's cloak before she could run off without them. "Hold your horses, Red. Every house has one of those, it's Halloween."
Jack nodded to agree. "Maybe it's not an actual Jack-o'-lantern. Louis did say'a place', didn't he?"
"Right!" Y/N exclaimed as she tugged at his sleeve. "There's a small Halloween night market for tourists called Spooky Pumpkins. It's only a five-minute drive from here."
"Great! Let's go!" Trix said as she skipped ahead, and the others quickly followed.
"They're leaving!" Layla whined, stomping her feet like an angry little girl, but nobody on her team paid attention to her.
"Help us think and we'll be able to catch up with them!" said Liam while Harry and Gemma were still analyzing the riddle.
"It's Halloween, we're all afraid. Take your time, but don't be late," Gemma read it aloud once again as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"What the hell does it mean?"
Harry shushed Liam immediately and turned to his sister. "Gem?"
"Take your time," Gemma mumbled as she scrunched up her face. "Take your time, but don't be late. Take your time...don't be—"
"A clock!" Harry snapped his fingers. "This must refer to a clock."
"How are we gonna find a clock in a cemetery, genius?"
"Not here, genius." He glowered at Liam. "Louis said this clue would take us to another place."
"So...clock...Big Ben?" Layla asked.
"No, too far from here." Gemma shook her head. "It has to be somewhere near because it's only the first clue. We have to think smaller."
"There's a vintage clock shop near here. It only takes five minutes to drive there," Liam said and the others all agreed with him.
"Come on, let's go!"
As Harry motioned everyone to follow him and walked ahead of the group, Gemma gave Layla a nudge. "This is about Jack, right?"
"Yup." Layla nodded. "He becomes a dictator when he's jealous. But hey, we can always kill him after we've won."
"I heard that!"
Laughing, she shouted back at Harry, "I wanted you to!"
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Y/N hated night markets.
She hated being surrounded by too many strangers. She hated it when someone bumped into her or stepped on her feet and didn't apologize. She hated the distinct voices and laughter as they gave her anxiety and a headache. Being at a night market on its busiest night was a Halloween nightmare coming true. It wasn't really a phobia for Y/N, but it was close, and so she didn't want to be obvious about how uncomfortable she was. She had scared Jack enough when they were stuck in a lift last year. Unfortunately, it wasn't hard to tell that something was bothering her as she was walking so close to his side, basically attached to him.
"You alright?"
"Yeah." She looked up to give him a reassuring grin and changed the subject, "don't you have other plans on Halloween night?"
"I don't even have plans on regular nights."
His answer made her snort. "I mean, working plans. I know you don't hang like the rest of us."
"You said it like it's a bad thing." He chuckled, shaking his head. "But I'm hanging with the rest of you now, aren't I?"
"Yeah, why is that, I wonder?"
"I have a soft spot for you, not gonna lie," Jack answered without thinking, and when he noticed the look on her face, he laughed it off and added, "you're like a little sister to me. That's what I meant."
"Oh? Should I take that as a compliment?" She smiled, and he gave her a shrug.
"Many people would kill to be considered my sister. You're lucky."
Y/N let out a slight laugh as she playfully pushed his shoulder. Before either of them could say anything else, Niall jumped out from nowhere and walked right in the middle. "So..." He threw an arm over Y/N's shoulders, grinning. "What were you talking about?"
Y/N was trying her best not to laugh. "Harry tell you to—"
"Guys?" Trix's voice cut her off. All three of them paused and turned around to find Trix panting as she finally kept up with them. "Shouldn't we stop and look for clues? Why do we keep on walking?"
"We are looking for clues," Y/N said. "We need to find a pumpkin-carving knife."
"Oh, that's very specific."
She immediately shot Niall a glare. "If I want sarcasm, I would rather have Harry on this team."
"Yeah. I miss that sarcastic asshole." Niall sighed.
"Hey, where is Trix?"
Jack's question got both of them to turn their heads, but Trix wasn't there anymore. It was like she had vanished into thin air.
"Trix? Where are you?!"
"Calm down, Y/N. She's probably—"
"Trix?!" Y/N ignored Jack and called louder.
"I'm here, Y/N!"
"Trix!" Y/N let go of a harsh breath and dashed toward the girl. "Where were you going?! Stay close to us, okay?"
"Look what I've found!"
Everyone jumped back when Trix pointed a knife at them.
"Woah! Be careful with that!" Niall hissed, making the girl giggle.
"Chill. I'm not gonna stab you! I'm not Layla! Look!"
Y/N was the one who stepped forward and took the knife from Trix. She peered at the shiny blade to read the tiny words written in permanent ink.
"The paper monsters under your bed, come from the lands inside your head."
Niall's eyes brightened as Y/N handed him the knife. "Our second clue!"
"Well done, Trix!" Jack said, giving Trix the thumbs up. The girl was so proud of her achievement that she couldn't stop bouncing up and down.
"I was just following the guy in the pumpkin mask with the Harry Potter scar and I asked him about the second clue."
"Okay, that was smart. Louis was dressed up as a character from Harry Potter, so it must've been a hint. But it was also dangerous to follow a guy in a mask," Y/N said as she held onto Trix's shoulder. "Do not follow guys in masks, okay? Not when it's night and you're alone. And definitely not on Halloween."
"Oh, okay." Trix batted her eyelashes and gave her an innocent smile.
"Guys, our second clue?" Niall spoke as he waved the knife to get the others' attention. "Any idea what it's trying to say?"
"Should we look under a bed?"
"I don't think 'bed' is our keyword, Trix," said Jack as he took the knife from Niall and reread the riddle a few more times. "Hmm, paper monsters from the lands inside your head..."
"How did Lou come up with these clues!" Y/N cried out, making Niall cackle.
"The dude literally makes a living from designing computer games so..."
"I used to have monsters under my bed," Trix suddenly spoke. "My mother had to read me Alice in Wonderland every night to chase the monsters away."
"Wait, that's it!" Jack's whole face lit up. "Books! We need to find the closest bookstore."
"Paper monsters from the lands inside your head!" Y/N gasped. "Why didn't I think of that? This must refer to horror fiction."
"Yup, horror or fantasy," Jack said with a small smile. "What's the closest bookstore here?"
"I know one! Let's go!" Y/N gestured with a thumb, and the rest hurriedly followed her.
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Harry blew out his cheeks as he read the text from Niall and put his phone away. "They've solved their second clue," he told the others.
"Have you been texting with the enemy?" Layla, who was in the backseat with Liam, grumbled at him.
"It's just Niall."
"My husband and your wife are our enemies now. Stop communicating with them."
"Guys, we're here," Gemma announced as she parked the car on the side of the road, in front of their first stop.
The clock shop was so small it blended right in with the rest of the street, probably the reason Harry had driven by it plenty of times yet he had never once noticed it before. He was the first to enter, and the rest followed him in a line because the door wasn't big enough for them to walk through at once.
The place had that spooky charm, it was dull and quiet, no other sound but the chaotic ticking of the clocks. It was exactly how Harry imagined inside a madhouse would sound like.
"Hi, may I help you?" an old lady greeted them at the entrance. In this terrible lightning of the place, her teeth looked yellow and crooked and her face was as pale as a corpse. Layla and Liam were quick to hide behind the Styles and let them do all the talking.
"Hi ma'am..." Harry stepped up to shake her hand. "This may sound stupid but...we're playing this game and we have to solve riddles to—"
"Are you friends with the short skinny boy Lewis?"
"Louis."
"Yes." The lady smiled and adjusted her small glasses. "I love that boy, he comes over to keep me company whenever he's free. Who knew his friends were also such beautiful people. You, young man, look just like a prince."
"Thanks, ma'am." Harry chuckled nervously as she pinched his cheeks. "D-do you mind if we...um...look around?"
"Not at all, dear. Go ahead," said the old lady.
The four of them split to search for their next clues. They checked every corner of the store, and the lady let them do whatever they wanted and take as much time as they needed. When Layla found the piece of paper attached to one of the clocks, the old woman had already fallen asleep in her rocking chair.
"The witch has got a brand new nose, look where she would keep her clothes."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "A witch? Does any of you happen to know a witch?"
"Or someone with a brand new nose," Liam chuckled.
"And a lot of clothes..." Gemma said.
And all three of them turned to look at Layla, whose mouth fell open. "What?! I'm not the witch!"
Liam immediately took a step back to keep a safe distance from Layla before he said, "you got a nose job last year and you'd rather die than be seen wearing the same dress twice. So, yeah..."
"Do you guys call me a witch when I'm not around?"
"Yes."
Layla shot Harry a death glare and his mouth immediately snapped shut.
"Do you live near here?" Gemma asked, and Layla shook her head. "Then it can't be Layla. We don't have much time until midnight so these places must be close to each other."
"Layla's shop is just two blocks away," Harry said as he rolled up his sleeves. "I don't think the clue refers to her closet, because Louis couldn't have broken into her house and hidden stuff in her closet, right? It must be her clothing shop."
"Fuck!" Layla suddenly raised her voice and had to double-check if she'd woken up the lady. Turning back to them, she whispered, "yesterday he told me he was there to buy clothes for his sisters! That sneaky son of a bitch!"
"Okay, that's it! That's our next clue!" Harry said as he checked the time on one of the clocks. "Let's go! If we don't hurry up, Jack will win!"
"Did he say 'Jack' instead of 'they'?" Liam asked, watching Harry bolt to the entrance without waiting for anyone.
"Yup, get used to it," Gemma and Layla said at the same time.
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Y/N had been to this bookstore twice with Harry. It wasn't so far from where they used to live back in college. Coming here tonight, she was expecting to see the old lady who always gave her discounts because she adored Y/N and Harry's relationship, but sadly, the lady wasn't there anymore. Instead, they met a young man who looked like he could still be a student.
"Sorry, we're closed," he said, about to turn off the last light when Jack stepped in anyway.
"It says 'open until midnight'." Jack pointed to the chalkboard by the entrance, but the employee gave him a shrug.
"Well, I've got only two employees, very lazy ones, and they didn't even bother to show up tonight."
"Wait, you're the owner of the store?" Trix asked.
"Why's it a surprise?"
"You look like a teenager..."
"Trix," Y/N warned her friend before turning back to the angry man, looking at his name tag. "Eddie, can we just look around for a minute? Um...it's kind of important. Please?"
Eddie seemed reluctant as he eyed them up and eventually drew in a long breath. "Fine. Only because you're polite."
Y/N happily thanked Eddie and followed him into the store. As he turned all the lights back on, Jack and Y/N hurried to the fantasy section while Niall and Trix went to the horror section. Dust collected everywhere as far as they could see. Jack and Y/N had to cover their noses and mouths as they looked through the dirtied shelves and stands.
"How can you work in a place like this?" Y/N asked, glancing at Eddie, who was watching them with his arms dangling at his sides.
"Well, I don't have a choice. It's family business." He hung his head and mumbled, "if only I'd stayed in college..."
"There's a book called 'I have sex with an alien'?" Jack said, making Y/N laugh as she took it and checked the front and back cover.
"I think one of my two employees hid it at the back so no one could see and buy it," Eddie said as he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, do whatever you want, I need to make a phone call."
When he was gone, Jack immediately turned to Y/N. "I would really love to meet those girls," he whispered, and Y/N nodded.
"Me too."
"Hey, guys!"
"Jesus, Niall!" Y/N smacked Niall with the book, causing him to jump away. "Stop doing that!"
"Sorry!" Niall rubbed the sore spot on his arms, his face contorted. "I just wanted to say Trix and I found the clue."
"Where?!"
Trix showed up, holding a book and an iPhone 5. "We found these on the top shelf."
"The Haunting Of Hill House," Y/N read the title before looking up and beaming at her friends. "Good job, guys! We're so gonna win!"
"Well, what's on the phone?" Jack asked, and Niall gave him a half shrug.
"Don't know. It requires a passcode to unlock."
"Wait, there's a bookmark." Y/N ranked her fingers through her hair, tucked it behind her ear and then opened the book to where it was marked. On the page was a highlighted sentence that said, 'Journey ends in lovers meeting.'
"That's Shakespeare," Jack pointed out.
"Maybe Shakespeare is the passcode."
"No, it's numbers, Trix." Niall exhaled as he rubbed his chin. "Try Shakespeare's birthday or death day."
Y/N was about to pull out her phone to go on Google, but Jack already entered those numbers.
"No, it's not it," he said, shaking his head and looked up to find the other three gawking at him.
"You know Shakespeare's birthday and death day?" Y/N questioned with her eyes wide.
With a cheeky grin, he smirked. "Well, don't you?"
"Please marry me," Trix blurted, and Jack's startled reaction to her 'proposal' sent both Y/N and Niall into hysterics.
Meanwhile, the other team had just found their third clue in one of the coats in Layla's store.
"Well done, Liam!" Gemma said as she unfolded the piece of paper and read the riddle aloud, "There's a princess in disguise. To find your next clue, just follow the light."
"A princess in disguise?" Gemma raised an eyebrow at Layla. "That's you, right? Princess Anne was in disguise so she could walk around Rome freely."
"It can't be Layla twice. The host is Louis, not Niall," Harry commented, making Layla roll her eyes.
"If Niall was the host, I'd be the princess and Louis would be the witch," she grumbled with her arms crossed over her chest. "Well? If the princess in disguise isn't me then who?"
"Who else could be the princess?"
"Gemma."
"A princess but not in disguise," Gemma corrected Liam.
"Princess Leia was disguised as Boush once."
"I'm not wearing a Boush costume, aren't I?"
As the two continued to argue over Star Wars facts, Harry was still mumbling to riddle and trying to solve it on his own. "Follow the light..." He pinched his bottom lip, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "The light...I see the light...and at last, I see the light! Yes!"
Everyone looked at him as he punched the air. "Tangled! It's Tangled! The princess is Rapunzel!"
"Y/N?!" Gemma smacked her forehead.
"Yes!" Harry exclaimed, his eyes sparkled with joy. "My wife is the motherfucking princess in disguise. She is our clue!"
"But she's on the other team," Liam said, shaking his head.
Layla thought for a moment before she raised a finger. "Maybe Louis wants us to meet."
"Yes! We have to go now! Let's go!" Harry was about to run toward the entrance when Gemma grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back to them. "Not so fast, Eugene. We don't know where she is."
"Oh, shit! You're right!" he said and pulled out his phone. "I'll text her."
Gemma gave him a nod to approve. "But don't tell her she's the next clue. Not until we get there."
.
.
.
"Harry just asked me where we are."
"Why are you texting with the enemy?" Niall asked when she showed them the message. Jack, on the other hand, straightened at once.
"Journey ends in lovers meeting." He stared at Y/N intensely. "That's it. You're supposed to meet Harry again and Niall is supposed to meet Layla. That's how this game ends. We're supposed to meet the other team."
"Maybe Harry got a similar clue and he knows we have to meet," Niall said.
Trix gave a slight shrug. "Or he just misses her."
"No, Harry's very competitive," Y/N said, shaking her head. "Jack's right. He wants something from us. Should I let him know we're here?"
"Do it," Jack said and stepped closer to watch her type down the message. "But don't let him know anything about our clue. Wait until they get here."
.
.
.
"When did this place become the tourist attraction?!" Eddie cried out as he watched another group barge into his bookstore.
Harry walked straight toward his wife and gave her a hug. And when Eddie saw him, his eyes went wide. "Hey, has anyone told you that you look like—"
"We don't have time for meet and greet!" Niall interrupted the man and pulled Harry and Y/N apart, pointing a finger to his best friend's face. "No touching until you tell us why you're here."
"He's right. Show us your clue."
"Wow, so this is how it's gonna be, huh?" Harry chuckled as his wife extended her hand toward him, palm up.
"We're still playing the game. Hand me your clue," she demanded.
Harry shoved his hand into his pocket, but Layla stopped him right away, pulling him to the side by his elbow. "Show me yours first," she said, her nose stuck up.
"Guys, I don't know what this is about, but you have one hour until midnight," said Eddie, who patiently checked his watch and blew out his cheeks.
Given no other choice, Y/N pulled out the phone. "We found a phone which requires a passcode. And the clue is a Shakespeare's quote: 'Journey ends in lovers meeting.'"
"Can I have it?" Harry asked and Y/N handed him the device. Everyone went silent as they waited for him to enter the passcode.
"It worked!" He cheered, raising a fist. "I'm in!"
"It worked?!" Layla slapped a hand over her mouth as Niall jumped in joy.
"Holy shit! What?! What's the passcode?"
"Y/N's birthday." Harry grinned at his wife. "Our clue was a princess in disguise and it told us to follow the light."
"Ha. I see the light. Classic." Y/N giggled and pulled Harry's head down to kiss him on the cheek. "My husband is so smart."
"Skip the sentimental bits. We don't have much time left." Layla smacked Harry on the arm, causing him to hiss and jump away. Stealing stole the phone from her brother, Gemma quickly went through the few apps on the home screen.
"Okay. The photo roll is empty. Messages. Empty. Notes. Empty."
"Try recording," Layla spoke, and Gemma tapped on the recording app.
"There's one recording!"
"Yes, wife!" Niall wrapped his arms around Layla and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "You're the best!"
"Is this the 'I love my wife' club now? Can the rest of us leave?" Liam joked, making everyone laugh as Layla shot him a death glare.
Gemma immediately shushed them all so she could play the recording. The first few seconds were nothing but silence, but then they heard Louis' voice. He said, "you're almost there, just look for white. Enter the room and claim your prize."
And it ended.
"That was it?" Layla scoffed as she exchanged looks with Y/N. "Look for white?!"
"Yes, that's the keyword," Gemma breathed. "White. What does the color white remind you of?"
"Snow?"
"It's Halloween, not Christmas, Liam!"
"You haven't watched The Nightmare Before Christmas, haven't ya?" Eddie spoke and Layla yelled at him to stay out of this.
While everyone was arguing with each other, Y/N subtly pulled Niall aside and whispered to him, "go get your car and wait for us outside."
Though confused, Niall trusted Y/N, so he didn't question her and just snuck out when nobody wasn't looking.
"White, hmm..." Layla trailed off as she shuffled her feet, one arm folded, the other rubbing her chin. "Treasure?"
"Treasure?" Harry chortled. "Our cat?"
"Yup."
Liam and Trix snickered at her answer, but Gemma and Jack were poker-faced.
"No, Layla's got a point," Jack said. "Louis did say the treasure is the party."
"Shit!" Harry cried out, holding his head. "Treasure is with Nam and Nam told me he'd taken tonight off to be with Ben. Treasure is at Ben's place! That's where the party is!"
Gemma groaned as she stomped her foot. "Why didn't I think of that? He gave us the final clue right from the beginning!"
Harry's team hadn't had time to react to the big discovery when his wife and her team shot right through the door. Niall's car was waiting outside, and they drove away in a matter of seconds. It took the others a moment to realize what was happening and all of them dashed off, not accepting defeat.
As the door fell shut in front of his eyes, Eddie was frozen, completely flabbergasted. He needed a minute to process everything and quickly pulled out his phone to make a call.
"Mum? Can you pick me up? I think I just met a cult."
.
.
.
"If we lose because we couldn't find a parking spot, I'd be so pissed," Layla panted as she chased after the others into the building right when Y/N's team was heading toward the lift. The two sides only shared one hostile look as the door opened, and the old lady in the lift was horrified when they all ran toward her. Harry was much faster. He almost got there when he heard Niall shouted, "stop! You're hurting Y/N!" which stopped him immediately.
"Which one of you fucking pushed her—"
"Sucker!" Niall pushed Harry aside, took Y/N's hand and pulled her into the lift with Jack and Trix. It took Harry nearly a second to realize he'd been fooled, but by the time he and the others got to the lift, it had gone to the next floor.
"We can just press the emergency button to stop it!" Liam said, looking frantically from left to right. "Is there one out here?!"
"Don't be fucking crazy. Y/N is afraid of small spaces!" Harry glowered at Liam as he crossed his arms and took a deep breath.
"Now what?" Gemma asked.
"Well, now we...wait for the lift."
.
.
.
"Niall James Horan!" was the first thing Layla shouted when she burst through the door into Ben's flat. She stormed right past the party guests who were clapping for her and grabbed Niall by the arm. "I'm gonna fucking kill you!"
All eyes followed Niall as he was dragged away, until Louis got up on a table and screamed, "party!" And everyone was cheering again.
"Let's hope they won't break up before the wedding," Trix said, but Liam only laughed.
"The only thing that they'll break tonight is a bed."
"Ew, gross!" Gemma cringed, pushing him away.
"Hey, there's a bar!" Jack exclaimed, making Gemma squeal in elation.
"Wanna get a drink?" she asked.
"Yes, please." He tossed his head back and sighed in relief.
The music was earsplittingly loud. Neon lights flashed everywhere like police sirens, but much more colorful. Harry guessed Ben wasn't kidding when he said he'd go all out with parties. Pushing his way through a room full of people, Harry finally got to where his wife was sitting with Ben and Nam on the couch. Treasure was lying on her lap. The cat was wearing a party hat that said 'I am the Treasure.'
"Punny." Harry chuckled, shaking his head.
When Y/N looked up and saw him, she was overjoyed. She handed the cat to Ben and got to her feet to give him a passionate kiss.
"I'm sorry you lost, baby," she said, nudging his nose with her own as she held his face.
He secured his arms around her waist, smiling against her lips. "Liar, you're not sorry."
"No, I'm so not," she admitted, kissing him. Again, and again, and again...
It was an exciting night, a great party, but it was over too soon for the married couple. They had decided to leave early because they feared loud music would affect their baby girl. The others were way too tipsy to see them sneak out, anyway. Layla and Niall were dancing on the table, apparently enjoying their last night before being married. Liam and Louis were hitting on some girls while Gemma and Jack were karaoke-ing with Nam and Ben. What a beautiful ending for the longest night ever, Harry thought.
"I can't believe the prize was 'friendship'! The only thing this game did was tear us apart!" Harry grumbled as he carried the cat to the lift and pressed the down button. "Baby?"
Turning back, he found Y/N standing still and staring at the door to their old flat. "I miss it, H," she said, smiling at him.
"Yeah, so do I..." He walked over to where she stood, sucking in a breath. "It's been so long."
"I wonder who lives here now."
"Wanna find out?"
"Wait!" She grabbed his wrist before he could ring the doorbell. "We could just ask Ben!"
"What's the fun in that?" Harry said and pressed the doorbell, anyway.
"What the hell, Harry?! We don't know them!"
"Relax, babe. We can just say we got the wrong flat number."
Harry had just finished the sentence, and the door creaked open. The first thing they saw was a face as white as a sheet. They both screamed, causing 'the face' to scream, and the two of them screamed again as they sprinted to the lift the second it arrived.
Breath busting in and out, the woman peeled off her sheet mask and cursed at the crazy couple now that they were gone.
"Aunt Lynn? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. It was just some Halloween pranksters," she said to the person on the phone. "Anyway, tell your boyfriend I said hi."
.
.
.
*Ending explanation for those who don’t read My Girl*: The woman who’s living in the flatmate babies’ old flat is also a character from My Girl - The MC’s aunt. :)
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hey there! for a matchup, i would love knb + hq! i'm a leo, isfp, 5"7, and chubby! i love reading + writing even though i get hit by artists' block often. i mostly laze about on the internet when i'm not busy. i've been told i'm really caring, considerate, charismatic, and diplomatic, even though i can be a big slacker and lack a lot self-confidence. i can be introverted among those i'm not familiar with but i'm really lively and crude with close friends. thats pretty much it! tysm in advance!!
Hello, hello!
We’ve decided that the ones at the end of your red thread are Kuroko Tetsuya from Kuroko no Baset and Nishinoya Yū from Haikyuu!!!
“Let’s work hard together.”
tl;dr supportive couple too good for this world
You met at the public library.
Both of you went to different schools; in fact, you went to Touou. However, you two both knew each other as “that other high schooler who enjoys reading as much as I do.”
Kuroko was actually the first to approach you. He wanted to check out a book, but noticed that it was in a pile of books that you were using.
He was caught off guard when you noticed him approaching you and flashed him a small smile. “Hi, do you need something?”
Kuroko was so surprised that you saw him that he only managed to mumble, “Check…out?”
You thought he was hitting on you and sort of internally freaked out. “Sorry, I’m not interested!” you stammered, averting your gaze.
Kuroko realized what you were thinking and quickly corrected, “No, your book. Once you finish with it, may I check it out? It’s the last copy.” He gestured to said book in question.
“Ah, sorry for misunderstanding. Of course! In fact, I believe I’m finished with it already…?” You awkwardly offered it to him.
He took it, blinking and tilting his head. “Thank you. If you don’t mind me asking…how did you see me?”
“I…just…saw you?”
“Most people tend to not notice me unless I address them directly,” Kuroko explained, sensing your confusion.
“Ah! Well, I guess it’s because you’re always checking out the same books as me. You’re Kuroko Tetsuya, right? I see your name often on the library card. I guess after awhile, I began keeping an eye out for you.”
You’d meet every week or so at the library, and slowly began learning more about each other. At first, it was sort of awkward, but discussing books with him was a nice way for both of you to open up.
Kuroko is the best supportive friend ever. Seriously. Whenever you feel down, or have some kind of writer’s/artist’s block, he’ll encourage you both verbally and through small little gifts.
For example, once he learned you were stressing out about a particular exam, he consulted Midorima and bought you some generally lucky items (including one of those “good grades” charms from a nearby shrine).
He basically gave you the confidence boosts you needed.
But at the same time, you’d encourage him whenever he felt down (particularly because of basketball).
There wasn’t any kind of dramatic confession. One day, while discussing one of your story ideas in the library, Kuroko tilts his head and asks, “Would you like to grab something to eat with me after this?”
When the rest of the basketball community found out about your relationship, you were…uh, accosted by several very tall people. After all, only Midorima and Kagami really knew about you before this (Kuroko never really was one to talk about others when they weren’t around).
Seirin accepted you as part of the family. Yep. Aomine and Momoi, who went to your school, soon began approaching you more often to bond over your mutual admiration for Kuroko.
The GoM in particular wanted to interrogate you, but Kuroko reassured them that you were a kind person. (And, well, if you could make Kuroko Tetsuya smile like that, they wouldn’t interfere.)
“You’re a nice person, you know that?”
tl;dr so awkward and cute it hurts
Noya’s your senpai; his classroom is in the same hallway as yours, so you often see each other during class periods.
You couldn’t help but notice how lively he was. No matter the time of day, he’d always stick out to you – despite his short stature.
You began drawing him. Well, not him: that would be awkward. Instead, you drew his eyes: sincere, straightforward, and beautiful.
He noticed you walking with your sketchbook open one day.
“Woah, those eyes look so cool! Can I see?”
You realized that he didn’t notice that those eyes were his, and resolved to not tell him lest you die of embarrassment. “Of course, Nishinoya-senpai.”
He freaked out since 1) you called him senpai and 2) your sketches.
“You’re really skilled at this!” he gushed. Then, he promptly realized that he was talking to a girl and turned into a stuttering mess. “A-ah, um…senpai!”
“I’m afraid I’m your kouhai, Nishinoya-senpai.”
“N-n-no, that’s not it.” He pointed your sketchbook at you, hand trembling but eyes narrowed in determination. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
And that was your first meeting.
You and Noya would occasionally walk together and chat as he headed to the gym. It took a very, very long time for him to acclimate himself to you, but he eventually got (somewhat) used to your presence.
He’d always throw around compliments and smooth one liners without realizing he was being smooth. (Whenever he’d actually, consciously try to act smooth, he’d fail epically.)
You’d always stick to calling him “senpai” – although he did manage to convince you to call him “Noya-senpai” instead of “Nishinoya-senpai.”
He’d nosebleed/sparkle/cry tears of joy whenever you called him senpai.
Occasionally, you dropped by volleyball practice to wave and watch him for a bit. You didn’t want to overstep your boundaries, but at the very least you could act like a good friend™
(Tanaka freaked out the first couple of times you came in to cheer him on.)
(Asahi, who was a witness to your and Noya’s easy banter, silently predicted to himself that you’d be dating by New Year’s.)
(You got along well with all of Karasuno once you got used to them: they considered you a Cool Bro™ who they could joke around with.)
There wasn’t any singular moment that made you fall for Noya.
You just realized one day that you genuinely enjoyed the sound of his laughter. Noya was always sincere and kind. He never lied to you, and even when he’d offer bits of constructive criticism, he always made sure he gave you bits of encouragement, too.
Noya’s revelation was a whole lot more dramatic.
He had been talking with Asahi during practice on one of the days when you didn’t come and just–
“–cheeks and my heart seems to thump faster when I’m around her. Do you think I’m getting sick?” Noya paused, then reviewed the symptoms in his head. “Wait…”
Asahi gave him a consoling pat on the back.
“OH MY GOD, I LIKE HER, ASAHI!”
“Yes. Yes, you do.”
“WHAT DO I DO? DOES SHE LIKE ME? SHOULD I CONFESS? ASAAAAHIII, HELP ME!”
He began pestering Asahi everyday for advice on how to confess.
Eventually, Asahi gave in and began helping him meticulously plan his confession.
It was going to be perfect! After a glorious victory at a match he would invite you to, he would bound towards you with a bouquet in hand and the team cheering.
Instead, though, on the day that he was going to invite you to their game, he found you sketching.
He was supposed to say, “Hey, [Y/N], wanna come to our game tomorrow?”
Instead, he blurted out, “I like you!”
You stopped drawing, turned to gape at him, and Noya promptly facepalmed.
“Oh shit, wait a minute…” he cursed, muttering to himself. “Wait, no! I was supposed to do it AFTER the match!”
“Noya…senpai?” Your voice was strangled, hopeful.
“Aaaah, [Y/N]! Forget about it, okay? I’ll tell you tomorrow after the match!” he declared.
(This dork, you thought to yourself, fighting to keep the grin off your face.)
“I’ll be waiting,” you settled on, flashing him a smile that left him blushing madly.
The volleyball community as a whole were stupefied by the fact that Nishinoya got a girlfriend before any of them did, but accepted you (if the Karasuno players approved of your relationship, they would too). Tanaka sobbed manly tears of joy. Asahi rejoiced, crying, “Finally, no more being a wingman!”
Mod Rose and I had a lot of fun discussing this and coming up with ideas, lol. Hope you enjoyed it, anon!
- Mod Camellia ( + Mod Rose’s fluffy ideas huehuehue)
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