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#i’m just tagging them all since this is undoubtedly going to make people angry
acotars · 3 years
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there is really compelling, really strong textual evidence for elriel, gwynriel, and elucien. there is foreshadowing for each of them. can y’all stop bullying each other about who’s most correct for one second? you’re all right. it’s all there. that’s kind of the point, since sjm is writing a series and has to build suspense to keep sales up. no one is more right. it’s all there. stop fighting and go touch some grass.
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luisjuanmilton · 3 years
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Hello, Ana, I hope you're doing okay. I saw your latest posts and you got some pretty rude anons in your ask box. I'm just writing this to add my 2 cents to what's happening since Silverstone because, as much as I don't agree with a couple of things you say, I think people are completely missing the point about some of your statements and are sending unjustifiable hate towards you (as I recall, an anon was sending asks about you to another blog asking if they were on your side and that's just peak stupidity). So, I'm watching F1 since the 2001 season (yes, I'm above 40) and when Alonso became the WDC in 2005 it was the best season ever for me. Men are not my thing, so I've never felt particularly fond of any of them on a personal level, social media wasn't a thing, I'm also working on STEM, so the technical aspect of the sport always fascinated me. I'm saying all of this because when Alonso won he broke a streak of victories held by Michael from and from a sports perspective, that was awesome. Dominance in the sport is boring. I never had anything against Lewis, he's undoubtedly the GOAT and I actively supported him in 2014 (Vettel's dominance had to end) and even 2015. But since Nico retired and Lewis' dominance became unparalleled (because as much as he has the same 7 WDCs as Michael, Lewis is a much better driver, and Michael played dirty, so Lewis had way more to achieve), and I was wondering when someone would come to stop that (maybe Vettel again?) (+)
Guys this is the first part of a very long three part ask I received which continues in full after the read more, and I want to ask everyone to read it because it’s incredibly well put and well written and it’s so important. I really think it perfectly explains the situation at hand and that’s why I’m going as far as to use Max’s tag, but if you’re a Max fan who doesn’t want to read it this is your cue to not click on the read more - even if I would advise for you to read the whole thing.
(+) The thing is, with the events that happened off track I can no longer wish for such a fiercely fought championship, and the reason why is that I don't trust RedBull and Max's work ethics anymore.
A championship should be decided ON TRACK, not with lawsuits and discourses full of vitriolic racist-toned hatred. It's a fact: RedBull as a scuderia did an amazing job this year, that car is insanely fast, Max himself is absurdly talented, but at this point can we really separate things to the point of sweeping racism under the rug and focus on the championship as if nothing is happening?
I always listen to the mantra "you can't separate the artist from their work" so how can we do it? How can we look at RedBull objectively and still feel happy for their results at the cost of Lewis Hamilton's wellbeing?
I see lots of people messaging you saying you're equating cheering for Max with being racist and no, not everyone cheering for Max is racist, but AT THIS POINT, could you guys cheering for Max ignore how permissive he is?
He has so much power inside that team, he could make Horner and Marko stop their nonsense, he could've issued a statement condemning the racism thrown at the fan, he could, as a public person, take responsibility in his hands and stop that shit. But he's silent. His IG post? Adrenaline.
But now, 48hs later there's really an excuse for his silence? Guys, as much as he's angry, it's not like people are calling Lewis only a bad driver, they are offending his race, their posting monkey emojis to his social media.
In Max's shoes, would you see your rival going through that and remain silent as if your pain due to your crash and missing the race could somehow be equivalent to RACISM? I'm not demanding you all to stop liking Max per se or trying to say he's a bad driver, this is not the point AT ALL.
I was there during the Schumacher era and, believe me, Michael wasn't an angel on track. Formula One always sparkled heated debate, but I've never seen anything like this before. Lewis is silent since Sunday, a couple of drivers are either issuing personal statements or a standardized GPDA text, and Max is still silent.
And in my view, regardless of how I feel about him as a driver, as a human being, he's failing miserably. This championship shouldn't be more important than standing for Lewis against the racists coming for him.
So instead of complaining people are calling you racist for supporting Max, ask yourself for how long you can put his behavior off track behind in a serious matter like this. Instead of asking Ana or any other fan to be better in their statements, go to Max's page and demand him to say something.
You're all aiming at the wrong target. RedBull has black employees, could any of you imagine how they must feel as well? How do black fans feel?  As for the championship, I hope Lewis gains a huge advantage soon as Horner and Marko will clearly try everything to have him banned until Abu Dhabi.
Let's move our desire to have a competitive championship to 2022 when, hopefully, Ferrari will give Charles a decent car. Nothing, guys, nothing can be more important right now than a black man - black fans, black employees - wellbeing and mental health. We're crossing a line we shouldn't have and people need to be accountable for their actions.
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GN!MC forcing conquering the demons into Pacts
Quick tags for those some people who reblogged my other post pt 1, I know I have a lot more but these are the only ones with comments on the post. @chalcedear @undertaker-02 @the-mexican-writer @mammonkinnie
Lucifer
You had spent countless hours against Lucifer, trying to fight him and force him into a pact. No matter what you did, it seemed like you failed.
It took you a long time to realize, but you had to train to beat Lucifer. And that you did. You knew how terrifying his power was as all the demons told you, so for a week straight you intensely trained until you were ready.
Lucifer was already on edge noticing you didn’t try anything, but he knew you wouldn’t give up, which was when you decided to strike.
He easily dodged your initial flying kick when he entered the room, but you grabbed onto the door and swung back around, kicking the tip of his head before he backed off.
He was now ready to dodge, believing that tour strategy was only to catch him off guard, but he was wrong.
When you landed, you dug your foot into the ground and threw yourself at him, but as he moved to the right, you used the shelf behind him to catch yourself and kick off it and nailed a kick straight to his head.
It was now or never as you began throwing heavy punches, trying to get him into a chokehold while he was prying you off, struggling a little as you bit onto his fingers or wings. You even bit onto his horn to stabilize yourself and kept punching.
By the end of it, you had quite a few bruises from his harsh grip, but he had a black eye and his feathers were all over the floor, you’ve won.
He probably could of killed you, but he didn’t want that, so he accepted his loss, glaring at you when you dug your heel into his stomach as Satan clapped and Belphie got out a trophy to hand you.
His pact was now your’s and you were going to flaunt it. He’s alright with the fact it was you who forced him into a pact, but it majorly hurt his ego that you were superior to him.
Mammon
You had recently arrived in the devildom half an hour ago and did not feel welcomed, in the slightest.
You tried to be nice to your guide, but he brushed you off and left you with Levi, or he intended to.
Levi gasped as he watched you tackle Mammon who tried to run off, and elbow him in the jaw. When he fell to the ground you kicked the life out of him muttering out “I tried to be nice to you fucker, if one of us is killed today it’s you.”
Levi was obviously bewildered, but took the chance to tell you to make a pact with him, his biggest mistake in his lifetime, all the poor demons in the future.
Mammon was crying a little as you forced him into a pact, and pulled him up with one hand, making him face Levi himself.
Mammon is 100% nicer to you because you’re scarier than Lucifer, and also because you genuinely treat him with respect now that he’s nice to you, something he’s not used to. Super happy to be the first ever demon you’ve conquered.
Leviathan
You had decided to do things the non violent way and participate in the TSL quiz, until Levi turned into his demon form and tried to kill you.
Taking up his challenge, you fearlessly walked towards him as Mammon was trying to tell you no, and you caught his punch.
It pushed you back a little bit, but you caught it and twisted his arm, and proceeded to beat him up in a one sided battle.
It’s not that he was weak, or others were helping you, but you genuinely managed to fight back and beat him so hard that it looked like his entire left arm was broken.
Lucifer was kinda pissed you broke his brother ngl;; but Diavolo is like it’s self defense?? And Lucifer is just like what human fights a demon across the room in self defense.
When Levi is begging for mercy he is reminded of what happened to Mammon and the rumors, accepting defeat, you make a pact mark with him, he’s kinda pissed though, like highkey.
He thinks that you probably think of him as a trophy or something to collect, based off the rumors. You probably don’t want to have a pact mark with an otaku, you just want to show off your strength.
He soon changes his attitude towards you when you show interest in him. You’re just genuinely a nice person and a caring older sibling figure, but will fight for the sake of peace and safety.
Now he’s just jealous that you spend more time with Luke than anyone else.
Satan
He offered you a pact mark easily because he wanted to piss off Lucifer, especially when you tried to give him a black eye from the pillow fight.
Very angry and disappointed when you said no, but then surprised when you said you’d beat the shit out of him instead, fair and square.
He knew you fought well, but are you sure you want to fight the embodiment of wrath himself? And you’re just like yep, the small tiny you, so confident.
He didn’t take it too seriously despite seeing the actual proof multiple times, and he watched you used his messy room to your advantage, even using the bookshelves to help you get air.
His ass was easily kicked even when he was serious. “You know, after facing both Levi and Beel, you aren’t much of a challenge.” You casually said as you formed a pact mark with him.
Slightly irked by the comment but delighted to be apart of your fan club, probably yells “BEAT THEIR ASS!” On the sidelines.
Pisses Lucifer off whenever you two fight and Lucifer gets an injury from you, and asks if Lucifer ever wants ice, just to be a dick.
Diavolo and Satan are in the fan club which PISSES Lucifer off when the two are in front of him discussing how you will one day (undoubtedly) beat Diavolo.
Asmodeous
You made a pact with Asmo after accidentally beating him up, he was begging for mercy and you kind of felt bad.
You insisted it wasn’t on purpose and he kind of avoids you for awhile after the pact mark. He’s glad Solomon isn’t like you, otherwise the devildom would cease to exist.
He’s eventually fine with you, and loves to take photos of you and Luke together acting like siblings because it’s the cutest thing. Although demons are scared of you they do kinda admire you, and seeing you soft with Luke is good for his devilgram.
Soon treats you like a friend instead of a monster that just so happened to kick his ass and make him beg.
You’re so tiny that it’s kinda cute and he nearly forgets someone like you is violent and scary so when he took you shopping and someone shoplifted, he was concerned for your nails after you disfigured them.
Will 10/10 treat your tense muscles and let you soak in his tub.
Beelzebub
He’s seen you fight before but damn he couldn’t believe it. You’re just so smol?? Couldn’t he crush you?
Lesson learned as he was knocked out after he broke your room. You didn’t want to hurt Besl since he was always courteous with you, so you knocked him out quickly.
He doesn’t remember more than you launching at him and the feel of his wings being tugged and his neck suddenly throbbing.
Mammon who watched beg for Beel’s life on his knees, asking you to spare him. You just nodded and waited for Beel to wake up before making a pact.
When he makes one, you give him some custard you asked Mammon to go out and buy really quick, you said please, and Beel is just so happy!!
He tried to kill you and he feels so bad but you’re just so kind!! Wants to protect you so bad but knows you’re just so badass so he instead helps you care for Luke.
Belphegor
You’d definitely be lying if you said you didn’t see it coming. His brothers had already tried to kill you, he was locked in an attic, and not to mention he gave you a weird vibe, you would of left him alone if you weren’t a nice person.
He tells you thank you for freedom and transforms, ready to kill you. No one got in his way and instead said “good luck Belphie” or “Nice knowing you” so he thought they wanted you dead.
Then he hears Beel say “I don’t want you to die, Belphie” and he is so confused? As he aimed his attack and you just end up punching him square in the face.
Afterwards, you kicked him in the stomach and grabbed his tail, swinging him into a wall, and knocking him over and over and over.
He is out cold, so when he wakes up and sees everyone congratulating him on surviving, he puts two and two together.
You were sitting on top of him and demanding a pact mark, and he unwillingly gives it to you after you nearly rip out his horn.
Pissed off and scared of you, slightly, but more impressed by the fact that even Lucifer struggles with you. When he finds out about the sheer amount of pact marks you have he’s starting to wonder when humans got so strong? And it became an endless spiral of him being pissed off.
Don’t worry though!! He eventually gets used to you.
Diavolo
Super happy it was finally his turn!! Like you did it, congrats, wants it you’d like some tea and what kind of attire to wear for his asskicking.
Is absolutely not looking down on you, he genuinely believes you’re strong. Because of that, he’s just so excited to face you. You beat both Lucifer and Barbatos, the majority of RAD, and you’re such a cool person!!
When you approach him you looked so badass. “Aye, prince of kiss my ass, I’m here to claim you once and for all and become the new ruler of this place.” You yelled out as you kicked down the door to his office.
The first time you two fought, he won. You had a lot of bruises, but managed to rip out some of his hair, at least. He finds it admirable how you still kept going despite him clearly hearing a rib break.
SUPER excited to tell Satan about it!! Hopes Barbatos recorded the fight so he could broadcast it at RAD during an announcement or something, but Barbatos rejected that idea.
Poor Diavolo only wanted to be included in this ass beating trend, but super happy when you return three days later and try to beat him up again, you even changed up the way you fight!!
You won’t ever know this, but one day he purposely changed his office’s layout to benefit your fighting style more, so when you finally beat him he was so ecstatic, his lips were bleeding but he was laughing, congratulating you and couldn’t wait to give you a pact.
Oh boy was he SO happy when you flaunted it, and sat in his desk chair with a hand on your chin, giving an order to Barbatos who recorded it, acting as if you really were the ruler of the devildom.
“Could you get some bandages for your former ruler, please?” You asked, feeling accomplished that Luke was officially safe during his stay in the devildom, and Diavolo was just swooning.
The public is 10/10 avoiding you because they are SCARED for their life. The people are convinced you’re like a nuclear weapon against demons.
Barbatos
He knew one day you’d defeat Lucifer, but it was so quick. You only needed a week of prep time?
Steps up his game a bit, because after two weeks of training you approach him ready to fight, and he can sense you’re not the same.
As he uses his tail to put you out of the room, he automatically feels your sharp teeth digging into his tail. He can withstand it no problem, until you literally rip a bit of his tail chunk out.
You didn’t let go even as he flung you off his tail, and you even dug your nails in. He showed no expression, but it was genuinely painful as you climbed his tail onto him, his tail no longer as useful because he was very sure you would rip through it.
His fighting against you one on one went well for him, he could see and easily predict your moves easily, until you head butted him and began every trick in the book.
From kicking, punching, biting, scratching, you name it, you did it. He was finally at your mercy when you were cover in both your own and his blood, while he was sure his tail was missing some pieces, and you were absolutely not letting go.
He’s 100% convinced you’ve gone feral in a span of three weeks, but that’s okay. The only thing stopping you from fighting the prince was now defeated, and he apologised to Diavolo frequently, who was only super excited in return.
Don’t worry you apologised for his tail and helped him with his job for awhile, totally not to also study Diavolo in his natural habitat.
First time you’ve ever seen him smile so soft was when he got his ass kicked so hard by you that his tail went chomp chomp.
Luke
Surprised pikachu face.
He understands you beating up Mammon,, and maybe some lesser demons,, but did you REALLY defeat Lucifer, Barbatos, and Diavolo.
Surprised pikachu face as you shrug and say “yeah I guess. I’m the ruler now, do you feel safe yet?”
Lucifer yells out you’re not the ruler just because you formed a pact with Diavolo, but you ignored him and smile at Luke, patting his head.
Luke is just nodding like “I’m safe!!!” While in his head he’s like WOW whaT PLEASE EXPLAIN.
Luke constantly calls you his older sibling now, tells daddy Simeon ALL about it, and brags about you to the demons who even look at him.
Praise this precious baby as he makes you all the sweets in the world. You’ve literally defeated demons of all sorts, even the most powerful, and all you want is to see him smile.
Will probably cry.
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astranva · 4 years
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Not One of Them.
// masterlist //
Word Count: 9.9k
Category: Fluff, single mom!Y/N
Warning: Some strong language. Slight mention of abortion. Not proof-read.
Note: time-skip to when covid-19 is dead ok
Summary: Harry is lyrically stuck, Y/N is the new big songwriter. She’s also a single mom to a 4-year-old girl.
Early italics are flashbacks.
..
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When you’re a young mother, the world isn’t always the kindest, especially when no partner is in the picture.
While you were young, having had baby Faith when you were only 21, you applauded yourself for years for the effort you poured into raising a child alone – with the help of family and friends, and too many books and videos, but you get the point.
Faith wasn’t a mistake, you hate it when anyone even dares to imply so, but she was unplanned. You were in a toxic on-and-off relationship for 3 years, at some point believing that it might have been an open relationship because of the amount of times you caught your ex-boyfriend flirting with women and men right in front of you.
You had done your part after knowing that you were pregnant after one drunken night that led to a rough make-up session. You approached your ex, sat him down and broke the news;
“I’m pregnant.”
“Whose is it?” He had asked, face falling.
Yours scrunched up in anger, almost disgust at the implication. “Yours, you dumb-fuck! I don’t sleep around while I’m in a relationship like some people.” You had emphasized.
He ignored your comment, releasing a sigh. “You aren’t keeping it, are you?”
You were never against abortion. You were never against planned pregnancy. You had freaked out alright on your own when you were confirmed pregnant, but something inside you told you to hold on to the human inside of you, to that little bundle of oblivion – a little bundle of faith.
It was when he asked you that one question, his tone almost sure that you would abort the child, that you felt angry tears pool your eyes. “I am.”
He wasn’t ready to hear it and his wide eyes showed that, “Wh-What do you mean you are? I can’t have a fucking baby! This wasn’t supposed to get this real!”
“This real?” You had chuckled bitterly, “You stay with me for 3 years, fuck me over more than I can count then you always come crying for me, then tell me it wasn’t supposed to get this real?” You stood up, draping your bag over your shoulder, “I’m having the kid, Will. It’s over between us and-“ you gulped, swallowing back the tears as you pointed at him, “I never want to see you again.”
“You bet your fucking ass you won’t.” He had grumbled, tearing eye contact to look somewhere else but your death glare before you left.
 Besides the university halls, Will had managed to stay out of your sight and you were grateful for that. Pregnancy was a roller-coaster, one you definitely screamed during all ride of, but nothing and nobody prepared you for the moment when you gave birth to your little love.
Your roommate and best friend, Cece, had driven you to the hospital and notified the rest of your family and friends, and you were glad that during that very period of time, you had someone beside you.
It was when you held your little love that it all faded away; the pain, the loss, the confusion, the fright – everything faded away the moment your skin made contact with your daughter’s, watching her with pure love and admiration.
You hadn’t picked a name before that moment, only nodding and smiling to the showering of recommendation from people, but one name wasn’t recommended, not even mentioned.
“Faith. You’re my little Faith.”
“You’re looking a little sick, honey. Have you been eating well? You overwork yourself-”
“Mom, mom,” you laughed quietly, tearing your eyes from watching your daughter play with her cousins before looking at your mom beside you, “I’m alright. Last project was challenging, that’s all.”
“Who were you writing for this time?” your mom asked with pride and excitement, curious to know the name of yet another big celebrity her daughter had been working with.
“Adele.” You smirked as you sipped your juice, hearing your mom gasp with a hand to her heart before letting out a small squeal.
In her dungarees and sandals, Faith ran towards you, making you set your juice aside to welcome your daughter in your arms. “Mommy, did you see me win Tag?”
“Yes! You were amazing!” You hyped your daughter up, pressing a sloppy kiss on her cheek, making Faith giggle.
With Faith standing between your legs, talking to her grandma, you checked your watch. “Ah, shoot. I better get going.”
“Will you be here for bedtime story?” Faith asked, looking up at you as you slung on your tote bag and held your car key in one hand before kneeling in front of your daughter.
“I will be, baby. Don’t give Nana a hard time, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy.”
“I love you.” With one last hug and a kiss on her cheek, you smiled at your daughter who clung to your neck, pressing a sweet kiss on her cheek.
“I love you.” Faith replied, moving to stand with her nephew after waving at you as you left.
“Call me at any time if anything happens or if you need anything, Mom, yeah?” You said as you walked towards the door, your mother following behind.
“Wouldn’t want to disturb your wo-”
“Mom.” You stressed, turning to look at your mom, “Nothing like that. I’ll get going. Thank you for watching her.”
“Oh, don’t thank me. You know I love spending time with little Faith more than anything. Drive safely, honey.”
//
“Hey, Andrew, got you a donut.” You beamed as you approached the studio’s receptionist, a 19-year-old intern.
“You’re an angel.” Andrew sighed in contentment as he opened the box containing his donut before looking at you, “Just adopt me. I guarantee I’ll be the best brother to Faith.”
You laughed, “Think having a 19-year-old son will make me feel old. I’ll pass.”
“Dammit.” Andrew shook his head jokingly. “Meeting with Jeffery Azoff, huh?”
“Yeah, do you know if he got here yet?”
“Like 3 minutes ago.”
You checked your watch again, finding that it was just on time for your scheduled meeting, feeling glad that you weren’t late.
“Alright, I’ll see you on the way out.” You waved at Andrew who nodded at you while raising his donut before you set off down the hall and into the elevator.
Walking out and down the hallway, you approached the room you had agreed to meet Jeffrey in before knocking softly, hearing a distant “come in!”
Gently opening the door and sticking your head inside, your eyes moved to the couch where 2 men looked up at you; one was Jeffrey – you had seen pictures of him from when you worked once with his father – and the other was, undoubtedly in your mind, none other than Harry Styles.
“Y/N?” Jeff asked, him and Harry standing as you walked in and closed the door behind you, approaching them.
“Yes,” you smiled, reaching for a handshake which he had happily accepted, “It’s great meeting you.”
Harry’s eyes were set on you, a small smile on his face that did everything but mirror the surprise he felt. He wasn’t sure why; he didn’t have any expectations but he certainly didn’t expect to see someone as radiant as you were.
You looked at him next with a polite smile as you reached for a handshake, “Pleasure meeting you. I’m a huge fan of your work.”
And God, his stomach flipped and his face flushed at the comment, feeling shy under your gaze as he shook your hand, “Thank you so much. Can say the same about your work, you’re very talented.”
“Thanks!” You beamed before motioning towards the couch, the 3 of you sitting down; Harry and Jeff on the couch, you on a chair across from them. “Do you want anything to drink?”
“No, thanks. Had the biggest cup of coffee just before coming here.” Jeff replied.
You turned to look at Harry, smiling and nodding when he raised his bottle of water.
“Alright, let’s get into it,” you leaned forward, “How can I help you?”
Jeff looked at Harry, signaling for him to talk.
“I know it hasn’t been a year since I released Fine Line,” Harry moved his hands as he talked, looking at the carpeted floor underneath him before looking up at you, “But I’ve been writing ever since but- something is missing. Something is wrong. I wrote 9 tracks so far, all of them are unfinished because I just feel like they’re missing something. I have the idea, have the concepts, sometimes I have the tunes,” he counted on his fingers, “But I can’t finish one song. It’s like I’m, like,” he shrugged, trying to find the right word.
“Stuck?” You suggested, staring at him with an assuring expression which he found soothing.
Harry’s body slumped, tilting his head slightly as he looked back at you and a soft, small smile made its way to his face at how you understood. “Yeah,” he nodded, “Yeah, stuck. That’s the word.”
“I get you,” you assured him, “Do you guys have any sort of deadline?”
“No, not really, no. Not yet.” Jeff shook his head.
“Great,” you clapped, your eyebrows going up, “Do you have any of these tracks’ lyrics now?”
“Yeah, lemme just-“ Harry reached beside him, holding his tote bag to take out his journal.
“Hey!” You grinned, grabbing his attention and making him look at you, seeing you holding out your tote bag to him.
You matched; right on the fabric in the middle was an illustrated design of a small cactus plant pot.
“I have the same one!” You looked down at yours before looking at him, Harry mirroring your actions before a grin broke out on his face.
“Well then, Y/N, it’s set. These will be the best songwriting sessions of the century. It’s fate.” He said dramatically in a joking manner, making you laugh quietly as you set your bag aside and he fished out his journal.
Flipping through the pages, he handed you his journal so you can see one of the songs he had half-written, watching as leaned back on the comfy chair, holding the journal in your hands and reading.
It was excruciating. Harry grew nervous, feeling funny in his stomach and he tried to convince himself that it might be the salad he had eaten prior to that meeting, and not that he was nervous you’d think he was the worst songwriter to-date.
He watched your eyes, taking notice of how you didn’t skim through the words, but read them carefully and taking your time to do so.
“This is really beautiful, Harry.” You said softly, eyes still on the page before looking up at him, oblivious to the breath Harry let out, “Really beautiful.”
“Thank you.” He smiled, discreetly wiping his sweaty hands on his pants.
“Not much damage really. The concept is clear. Post-breakup song.” You said, handing him his journal.
Harry nodded, confirming.
“Are the rest like that, too?”
“Not really,” Harry shook his head, “Figured that the last album had too many of that.”
You nodded, “Yeah, I understand. Just- I say take your time, honestly. I’ll help you with the songs you have, maybe we’d get inspired along the way to write new stuff, too, but you don’t want to force anything, you know? Sometimes some lyrics just aren’t meant to be, you know?”
“Yeah, you’re right.” He nodded.
“Don’t you worry,” you gave him a smile, “It’ll all work out.”
“Well, so do we have a deal?” Jeff asked with a smile, opening his arms.
“I’m in.”
Maybe it was because you said that as you looked at him, or maybe it was because he knew of how crazy talented you were – he had spoken to his good friend Ed Sheeran a week prior and Ed had sworn up and down on your talent and how “bloody lovely! Like a little bird” you were – or maybe it your smile – hell, it might be a combination of all that, but Harry was ecstatic to work with you.
“I’m very excited to work with you, Y/N.” Harry had said with a smile of his own.
“Likewise, Harry. It isn’t that common to find artists as real as you are.”
God, what was with your compliments that had him blushing?
“It’s a pleasure, Y/N,” Jeff, too, had said. “Let’s talk busi-”
“Let’s do that over lunch.” You pointed at him, standing up, “My treat.”
“You always this friendly with clients?” Harry joked with an amused smile, staring up at you.
But your smile dropped and instead, your face twisted to worry. “Oh God, I hope I’m not stepping boundaries. It’s just always a good idea to warm up to each other and- I’m sorry, you probably think this is unpro-”
“Hey, hey, no,” Harry was quick to stand, holding his hands out, “I didn’t mean it like that. I genuinely think you’re friendly. Half of the songwriters I worked with were strict and- Shit, no. Lunch sounds wonderful. Really wonderful.”
He felt like an ass. A proper one. He hadn’t meant to make you feel like you were too friendly but that didn’t turn out as well as he had thought.
“We’d love to, really. Besides, it’s probably a great idea that you and Harry know each other so the sessions can go smooth.” Jeff added, standing up.
At this, Harry found himself smiling when the smile returned to your face. “In that case, there’s a place nearby that makes amazing sandwiches and desserts.”
Jeff’s mind was squeaking from its gears working. There weren’t many people on this planet who were purely kind, and it was something he admired in Harry. But at that moment, Jeff knew he had met one more person who was genuinely kind, just like his best friend and “client” – he hated calling Harry that – and it was proof when you insisted that you could give them a ride to and from the place instead of them following behind you or using the GPS, Jeff sitting in the passenger seat during the ride to the place while Harry sat at the back.
The place was a 5-tabeled one, nothing big. One wall was decorated with polaroids of customers, the waiters and waitresses, the chefs, and another with colorful stick-notes with messages from customers. It was a lowkey place, one that Harry hadn’t visited during all his trips to the studio until that moment.
“Hey, Y/N!” The woman behind the counter beamed as she waved.
“Hi, Soph! How are you?”
Soph stood from the chair she was sitting on, taking a few steps back to show her pregnant bump, putting one hand to it, “Ready to pop!”
You had motioned towards a table to Harry and Jeff who were quietly watching the interaction.
You gasped, “Look at you! And you’re still coming to work? What a queen.”
Soph shrugged, sitting back down, “Got mouths to feed and a self to pamper.” She said before waving at Harry and Jeff, “Hello, gentlemen.”
Jeff waved with a smile while Harry added, “Hello! Congratulations on your pregnancy.”
“Why thank you, Mr. Styles.” Soph replied.
Harry liked it. The no-freaking-out. How homey it all felt.
“Rick will be with you in a sec.” Soph said.
You, Harry, and Jeff sat on the circular table, both Harry and you hanging your tote bags on their chairs.
“You come here often, huh?” Harry started the conversation, crossing his arms on the table and leaning forward.
“You have no idea. You’d think I don’t know anywhere else.” You chuckled, “Been coming here ever since I was in college.”
Harry’s eyebrows went up in surprise, “Really? How long ago was that?”
“Graduated 3 years ago, first came when I was 19 so that’s about 6 years.”
“True loyal customer you are.” Harry said.
“What did you study, Y/N?” Jeff asked.
“Music composition. Was the disgrace of the family.” You joked, “Definitely had no idea the entire time if I would actually work or not.”
“But look at you now, one of the best.” Harry motioned towards you.
You waved him off with a bashful smile, “None of that. I still have no idea what I’m doing most of the time, I just get paid now.”
“Who even knows what they’re doing now?” Harry rhetorically asked, “We’re just, going with the flow.”
“Word, sir. Word.” They heard, the 3 of them turning to see the waiter – Rick – by their table.
Harry laughed, “Right?”
“Absolutely. I don’t remember the last time my plans didn’t get fucked. Just riding now.” Rick shrugged.
Harry raised his fist up for a bump, Rick bumping his fist into Harry’s.
Time seemed to pass as Harry and Jeff let you order for them, talking about the music industry and sharing funny stories while at it, as well as you had discussed your own business as you ate the club sandwiches and sipped on the iced tea.
“What are you doing?” You asked with a funny face as Harry took out his wallet after you had asked for the check.
“Paying?”
“Yeah, no. Said it’d be my treat.” You pointed at him, raising one eyebrow with a smile.
“Come on, I can’t just let you pay for us on the first day we meet.”
“Let’s at least split the bill.” Jeff suggested, watching as you shook your head.
“Absolutely not.” And with that, you stood up and walked towards Soph, paying for the food.
“How much do you want to bet that something will happen between the both of you?” Jeff asked quickly with a smirk, looking at Harry with a knowing look.
Harry’s eyes widened, tearing his gaze from being on you to his friend and manager, “What?”
“How much?”
“I just met her.” Harry tried to reason with him, finding Jeff to be bizarre and irrational. Hopeful, but irrational.
Jeff only gave him a shrug, “That’s a first.”
“That’s enough rom-coms at night for you, Jeffrey.”
At the sight of you walking back towards them, they both stopped talking and instead, smiled. “All sorted.”
“Thank you so much, Y/N. You really didn’t have to.” Harry stood, slinging his tote bag on his shoulder.
“I wanted to. Please don’t mention it.” You had smiled as you replied, the 3 of you putting back your chairs. “Bye, Soph!”
“Bye, sweetie!”
“Congratulations again on your pregnancy and good luck.” Harry put both hands together, pursing his lips into a polite smile at the woman behind the counter.
“You’re a sweetheart. Thank you, kind sir.” Soph joked, tipping an imaginary hat at him to which Harry responded to by holding up the tips of his imaginary skirt, putting one foot behind the other in a curtsy making you giggle.
With no spoken words, Jeff was quick to get into the backseat, pursing his lips to stifle his laughter at Harry’s face, who looked at him with wide eyes and an expression that screamed “What the fuck are you doing?” but he got into the passenger seat nonetheless, oblivious to the light shade of red that visited his cheeks but aware of the heat his face seemed to radiate.
The ride back to the studio wasn’t quiet. The radio was on for some background music but you and Harry were too engaged in a conversation to take notice of the songs playing. Anyone could have asked you what even started the conversation of French toast and you wouldn’t know how to reply because none of you knew how you suddenly began talking about French toast.
“Have you tried soaking the toast in lemon?” You asked, tone excited and face breaking into an eager smile.
Harry’s eyebrows furrowed, “Haven’t, no. How good is it?”
“God, it’s,” you shook your head, almost closing your eyes in delight as if you tasted the toast that moment but refrained because you were driving, “It’s so good.”
So what Harry secretly wished the ride was longer? He wanted to talk about French toast. That was definitely why.
“Y/N, it’s a pleasure working with you.” Jeff said, “Thank you for the food.”
“It’s no problem.” You smiled at him, turning around to look at him once you were parked.
“I’ll wait for you in the car.” Jeff said, patting Harry’s shoulder before getting out of the car.
Harry took a breath, slapping his hands against his thighs, “Well, that was fun.”
You nodded, looking back at him with a bashful smile that you mentally scolded yourself for; why were you getting bashful?
“Is it alright if I take your number from Jeff?” Harry asked quickly, “Uh, so we can schedule meeting up for the sessions.” He quickly added, “The writing sessions.” He nearly cringed at his addition and he guessed you caught on because you giggled quietly before straightening your posture.
“Actually, Jeff has my business number. Maybe you can just, take my personal one so I can reply faster. You know, the sooner the better.” You cleared your throat, nodding to yourself.
Harry’s lips stretched into a side smile as he looked at you before he coughed and nodded, “Definitely. The sooner you reply, the sooner we meet. For the writing sessions.”
“Yeah and I can give you the lemon toast recipe.” You said before your eyebrows rose up, “For business purposes, of course.”
Harry’s smile widened at that, holding out his phone for you to take after he unlocked it. “I’d love that.”
You typed in your number before handing his phone back to him, watching as Harry glanced down at it before your phone began ringing, “And that’s mine.” He said, watching you unlock you phone and type before you locked it back.
“Then it’s settled.”
“I’ll text you.” He smiled before opening the door and standing out, ducking to look at you, “Next time, lunch is on me.” And with that, Harry gave you a wave before closing the door and walking away, only giving you a smile over your shoulder and another wave before getting into the car with Jeff.
After getting some snacks from the grocery’s with a shit-eating grin on your face, you drove back to your mom’s to pick Faith up.
You stood on the other side of your car, watching the door open before you saw Faith, her backpack on her back with her grandma standing behind her.
At the sight of her Mommy, Faith was quick to grin before running to you and into you arms as if she hadn’t seen you 4 hours ago.
You hugged your daughter, pressing a kiss to her hair as you did. “Did you have fun?”
Faith nodded before she pulled away from the hug, still keeping her arms around you, “What about you? Did you have fun, Mommy?”
You almost blushed as you remembered, opting to reply a simple reply instead of getting into details. “I did. Ready to go?”
//
After giving Faith a shower and giving yourself one, too, you and Faith were sat in the comfort of your cozy apartment, sitting on the couch and watching The Greatest Showman for the umpteenth time seen as it was Faith’s favorite. With her cheddar cheese and lettuce sandwich in her right hand and favorite dinosaur toy in the other – a “Megalosaurus not a T-Rex, Mommy” – Faith was cuddling into your side while one hand of yours played with her wild hair as the other tapped absentmindedly on your phone’s screen, eyes set on the television.
“And if it’s crazy, live a little crazy.” Faith sang along with Hugh Jackman, eyes wide as if she was seeing the movie for the first time.
“You can play it sensible, a king of conventional.” You joined her, peppering kisses on her cheek causing her to squeal and giggle.
As Faith sang along with the song, you opened your phone’s camera before switching it to video, flipping the camera so that it was the front one. You started recording, the screen showing you your face as you smiled with pride, tilting it so Faith was shown as she sang, unaware of you recording.
Only 12 seconds into the video, a message pop-up had your eyes traveling to it, falling on a text preview from none other than the young man you were with that day – Harry.
‘Hey, Y/N. Sorry to bother but would you be able to send me that lemon toast recipe? Might treat myself to it tomorrow morning. Sorry for the bother. :) Harry’
After stopping the video and opening the text and reading it, if it weren’t for Faith, you wouldn’t have known that you had a grin on your face.
“Why are you smiling so big? Did Auntie Cece send a picture of her cat?” She had asked, looking up at you with curiosity.
Looking down at her, you laughed slightly at yourself. “No, she didn’t.”
“You look happy.”
There were many things you loved about your daughter, many things you were in awe at. As only a kid, Faith was one of the most empathetic people in your life and that moment as you both cuddled on the couch was proof.
With a matching grin, Faith’s eyes twinkled with glee at the sight of her smiling mom, curious to know the reason.
“They aren’t singing This Is Me yet!” Faith added, knowing that the both of you usually laughed and giggled while singing that song, only because you always sang it so dramatically and at the top of your lungs.
“Just happy you’re finally done with the sandwich because now I can do this!” And with that, you tickled her, Faith breaking into laughter and giggles as she tried to stop you.
5 minutes later, Faith was back to watching the movie while you typed a reply.
‘hey, harry! it isn’t a bother 😊 i’ll write it down and send it in a moment :))’
‘Thank you! x’
And you wrote it down and sent it to him, adding little notes, too just to make sure that he perfected the toast.
‘let me know how that goes for you :) x’
‘Will do, love. Talk to you soon. Goodnight :) x’
‘goodnight, harry x’
As if your little love took that as a sign, you looked down at her as you felt her body grow heavier against you and noticed her breath get steady, seeing her eyes closed as she snoozed.
Carefully, you turned off the television before holding her with your arm so she didn’t fall down as you stood, bending to carry her before kneeling a little to grab her fallen dinosaur, letting out a tiny groan as your back ached.
Tucking her in her bed, you sat beside her for a moment, brushing her hair back softly before bending to kiss her forehead.
“Story?” She sleepily asked, struggling to open her eyes.
You chuckled, “You’re already asleep, nugget.”
She hummed, still struggling to open her eyes, “Okay. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” You smiled before standing up, walking towards her small vanity and turning on her star light lamp.
Just as you were out of the door, you lingered, turning to look back at your daughter, “Was I really smiling big?”
In her sleepy state, Faith managed to reply. “Very big, Mommy.”
You chuckled to yourself and shook your head before walking out and towards your own room.
//
Harry felt like a kid. He was too excited that morning to get up and get on with his breakfast, wanting to deny that it wasn’t because he wanted a reason to text you, but who was he trying to lie to? No one, he was alone.
He followed the recipe, chuckling and laughing to himself during some moments when he was about to fall for some mistakes before reading your notes and saving his toasts, as if you were sitting right there and monitoring him.
His playlist was playing from his phone that he held in his hand, and he was humming along as he placed the two toasts on a plate before adding some powdered sugar to them and grabbing his juice.
Before eating, Harry had taken his time in taking a picture of his breakfast, thankful for the natural light his kitchen window was giving for his little photoshoot.
He was just as much nervous as excited as he sliced up a piece before taking a bite, taking his time to taste his work and his eyebrows shot up and he blinked twice in surprise.
It was so good.
While eating another slice, Harry held his phone and opened his messages app, going to your contact.
Attaching the best picture from his breakfast photoshoot, he added a text with it,
‘Tastes incredible! Would have burned it to coal if it weren’t for your notes hahah x’
And he put his phone back on the table, open at your messages as he continued eating while listening to music.
He was mid-sip of his juice when you replied and Harry hated how excited he got because the next thing he knew, he was having a coughing fit that had him go tearful before finally calming down.
‘looks incredible, too! oh trust me, i know. burned a fair amount of toasts on my own so i decided to spare you the damage. you’re a quick learner :)) x’
That morning, you and Harry exchanged multiple texts, drifting from his breakfast to how you both wished to have dogs.
It was around 4 when you were driving back with Faith from her gymnastics practice when Harry called, thankfully just as you were unlocking the door to your apartment.
“Hey.” You smiled to yourself as you answered, taking off your shoes by the door beside Faith’s before closing the door behind you, watching as Faith went to the bathroom to wash her hands.
“Hi,” Harry, too, was smiling to himself as he held the phone close to his ear, “I was walking around and I found this tiny restaurant that reminded me of where you took us yesterday and, apparently they make the best Italian pizza. Was wondering if you wanted to grab pizza with me and we can talk about, you know,” he chuckled, “The sessions.”
You thought, mind instantly going to who would watch Faith as you went before your eyes fell on your daughter who came back, whispering to you if she should wait for you in the bathroom seen as you were on the phone.
“One second,” you said to Harry before moving the phone from your ear and muting the sound, “Yeah, baby, do that. I’ll be with you in a minute.”
You unmuted, “Hey, sorry about that.”
“No worries.”
He was growing nervous at how you were yet to reply to his suggestion, having already had been nervous enough to suggest and call in the first place.
“Pizza and talking sound lovely.”
He released a breath, smiling to himself. “Great, great! Pick you up at 6?”
“Sure, yeah. 6 is great. I’ll go now. See you soon, Harry.”
“See you soon, Y/N.”
You didn’t trust strangers to watch your daughter, didn’t exactly trust strangers in your house unattended, too. It’s why at times when you couldn’t drive the 40-minute drive to your mom’s, your best friend, Cece, was always your go-to and that was especially nice because she also lived two buildings away.
Cece’s job was one from her home, making food and delivering it to people while she managed her business on her own through social media and it was why most of the time, she was home and always happy to have her goddaughter keep her company.
After calling Cece to make sure she was okay with babysitting Faith for some time and her assuring you that she was, you prepared dinner for your daughter after giving her a shower.
“Are you sure you’re okay with me leaving, baby?” You asked as you sat with Faith while she ate the pasta you made her.
It wasn’t frequent of you to leave Faith for anything but work. Maybe for a night out with some friends every now and then but you always went out with them for 3 hours tops before you began feeling guilty for leaving your daughter and going back to get her so you can spend time together instead.
And it wasn’t like you were frequently going on dates either. Cece had pushed you into it when Faith was 2, and you did go out a few times with different people, all whom you never heard of whenever they knew that you had a daughter and then you decided that maybe the single mom life was just too welcoming of you.
Hell, you didn’t know whether you should call having pizza with Harry a date. It wasn’t, was it? Not that you’d mind but it was for business, wasn’t it? Strictly business. Or maybe it wasn’t and that was fine by you- and now you were beginning to feel like a teenager again. Great.
“Mommy,” Your 4-year-old huffed, rolling her eyes, “I’m a big girl. You should have more fun.”
You couldn’t believe that you were getting advice from a 4-year-old, especially your daughter, but you deserved that.
“When did you get so big?” You rhetorically asked, “Thank you for being understanding, Nugget.”
Faith smiled at you, kicking her legs as she ate. “Where are you going?”
Now that question you weren’t prepared for, as much as you thought about it.
You couldn’t risk telling too much to Faith, knowing that she got excited over new people and couldn’t risk disappointing her if Harry ended up being, well, not one to stick or friendly to kids of single moms.
But at the same time, your daughter was your best friend. It was because of your honesty with her and how you acknowledge her and treat her that she was an understanding and empathetic person who could hold a conversation.
“Well, you know Harry Styles? The man who sings Canyon Moon?” You asked, knowing that that song was on her top favorite songs list after she had heard it once on the radio as you were driving her to her practice.
She nodded, “The pretty man with drawings?”
She had been curious to see the face behind her favorite song and once you showed her a picture, her smile got big and she had said that he was “very pretty” and had “nice drawings that she wanted to color in” meaning his tattoos.
You chuckled, “Yes, that one.” Again, Faith nodded. “Well, I’m helping him with his songs and I’m going to have dinner with him tonight.” You said, crossing your arms on the table.
Faith dropped her fork, looking at you with wide eyes and an open mouth, causing you to laugh heartfully at your daughter. “Mommy, really?!”
You nodded, opening your phone’s camera to record her, Faith not caring.
“Mommy you’re meeting Harry Styles!”
“I am,” you laughed, “Are you happy?”
“Very happy I’m going to cry!” She gasped, “Can I see him? Please, Mommy, please!”
“I don’t know, Nugget. I might have to ask him.”
“Do you think he’ll say no?” She frowned, “I can wear my Harry dress!”
And by her Harry dress, she meant the Fine Line black tee you had bought her, and even though it was sized small, she was only a toddler so you had resulted for her to wear it as a dress after you had trimmed it and its sleeves and had your mom fit it as tight as she could without damaging it. Needless to say, whenever your daughter wore the oversized tee dress, you had to snap multiple pictures of her because she always looked too adorable and fashionable in it.
“I don’t know what he’ll say but I’ll ask him. And yes, you can. You always look adorable in it.” You smiled, still recording her.
“Can you tell him I love his songs? I love Canyon Moon so much an-Oh! And Sunflower, too!” She grinned, “Are you going to show him this video?” Faith asked as she looked at you.
You shrugged, “You want me to?”
She nodded excitedly before looking at the camera, “Mr. Harry, I love you very much, sir. I hope I can see you but Mommy said she’ll ask you so please say yes. Make Mommy happy, not sad. Goodnight, sir.”
Your heart might have as well exploded that moment as she waved before you ended the video.
As if he was waiting for you to finish, your phone began ringing the moment you stopped recording, finding Harry calling you which made you instantly pick up the moment Faith began eating again.
“Hey, do you like strawberries?” He asked, the moment you picked up.
Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion but a silly smile took over your face nonetheless, “Uh, yes?”
“Alright, great. I’ll see you soon. Bye!”
//
To make matters easier, once Harry had texted you that he was 2 minutes away, you grabbed your bag and left your apartment and into the elevator before walking outside your building, just in time to see a yellow Ferrari Dino pull up.
You smiled at him, watching as he parked before getting out, “Did I keep you waiting for long?” He asked as he approached you.
“No, just came down.” You answered, watching as he reluctantly slightly opened his arms. He was a hugger.
You wrapped your arms around him in a greeting hug, taking notice of how good he smelled. Just as good as he looked; he was in off-white textured knit Wales Bonner polo, paired with his Gucci flared denim pants and off-white Converse. Nobody should be allowed to look that good in casual clothes.
It wasn’t like Harry’s mind wasn’t doing flips at that moment, too. Instead of smelling like overpriced perfume, you smelled like coconut and roses; a refreshing smell that made Harry’s smile deepen enough for his dimple to make appearance. You, too, were in casual clothes; violet colored cropped culottes, a white tee tucked inside, white sneakers on, a black and white cross-bag and your hair was up in a messy ponytail that was kept by a hairband but you wrapped a black and white head bandana around the band just for the looks.
You looked effortlessly beautiful.
You both walked to his car, Harry opening the door for you before grabbing something from the passenger seat before you sat – a bouquet of strawberries.
“Didn’t know what type of flowers you like so,” he said before extending the bouquet towards you with sweetest and giddiest smile, “Hope that’s okay.”
You almost melted, your face changing to a pout as your head tilted to look at him while you accepted the bouquet, “This is so nice of you. Thank you, I love it.”
Alright so you don’t get strawberry bouquets to people you aren’t going on dates with, right?
The ride to the little pizzeria was nice – comfortably nice. You had shared the strawberries there and your stomach did a thousand flips when you offered Harry one only to have him open his mouth,
“I’m driving.”
And then he opened his mouth again, biting the strawberry you offered with your hand, laughing when it was about to drip on him if it weren’t for your fast reflexes – thank motherhood for that – as you held out your other hand beneath his chin.
By sharing strawberries, you mean you ate some as well as fed Harry some.
You both mentally took notice of how conversations flowed so effortlessly between you, as if you had met years ago and not just a day. Hell, even the texts were random and messy as well as entertaining and fun.
The drive wasn’t a long one, only about 20 minutes before Harry was parking in front of a place called ‘La Pizza’.
You both went outside the car, you waiting for Harry by your side as he walked towards you.
You might as well have melted right there and then when you felt Harry’s hand, very gently, on your back. It was very gentle, you almost didn’t notice and you felt that he was just making sure that he wasn’t making you uncomfortable but it was a reflex action of his. Nonetheless, you appreciated the concern and decided to show him that it was okay to touch you when you touched his arm as you both walked through the door.
Harry gulped, feeling hot as you touched him and he almost scolded himself because it only lasted for a second, yet there he was, getting flustered already. What the fuck was going on with him?
A waitress greeted the both of you, smiling widely as she motioned for you to follow her inside the place.
“There are more tables on the roof, would you want to check that?”
Harry looked at you the same moment you did at him, both of you nodding to each other to say that you wouldn’t mind.
“That would be great, thank you.” Harry said, smiling politely at the waitress who nodded and walked in front of you with the both of you following her up the stairs, Harry’s hand now more comfortably on your back as he walked behind you.
The roof was beautiful; cliché but beautiful fairy lights of small globe bulbs hung above the place, only 3 tables there, each at a good amount of distance from each other.
“Would you want to sit here or downstairs?”
Harry looked at you, you giving him a nod. “Here would be fine.”
The waitress nodded before guiding you towards a 2-chaired table. Harry had sat you down first before moving to his chair.
“Thank you.” You both said in unison as the waiter placed 2 menus in front of the both of you.
“I’ll be back to take your orders.” She smiled before leaving.
“Looks good.” You smiled at him before looking down at the menu.
“Didn’t know they had a roof.” Harry said, “This saved me.” He chuckled.
You looked up with confusion, “Saved you from what?”
Harry shrugged, now growing nervous. “Uh, wasn’t sure if taking you out for the first time here was chivalrous enough because it felt too casual, like a friends thing and not a date but now here seems right.”
He wished the ground he was on would split and swallow him whole. Wished to crawl up a hole and cry.
There were things he was practicing on on the way to you; like how he would hide that he was a nervous wreck, how he was excited to spend time with you, how he knew almost every single song you worked on, and finally, how he wouldn’t spill that he thought that was a date, no matter how much he wanted it to be.
You were amused. Contrary to how Harry truly felt, you thought it was nice that he was straightforward.
“Figured this wasn’t too casual the moment you gave me the strawberry bouquet, Harry.” You smiled, assuring him that you were okay with this being a date.
Looks like it wasn’t business after all.
Harry chuckled, raising an eyebrow, “That was nice, wasn’t it?”
You laughed, “Yes. Don’t think I was ever given a bouquet of fruit so yeah. Really nice.”
You both went through the menu, commenting on some plates and ingredients as you did and contemplating together.
“Maybe we should just get two pizzas and share, so we can try more than one option.” You suggested.
“Good idea.” He agreed, “What do you think of Quattro Formaggi?”
“Ooo, yes.” You then pointed on another topping, “Pizza Melanzane?”
“Yes.” Harry closed his menu with a nod.
Shortly after, your waitress came back and took your order before leaving.
“Finished a song yesterday.”
Your eyes widened as you took a sip of water before putting the glass back down, “Really?”
Harry nodded, “Yeah. A new one.”
“You mean you wrote a new one? Not finished writing one you already had?”
Again, he nodded, putting his arms on the table. “New. Very much new.”
You grinned at him, “That’s amazing. What is it about?”
Alright maybe he didn’t think that one through. He did write a song the previous night and he was proud of it and his gut did tell him that it would make it to the list of his next album, but telling you about it on your first – and he hoped it wasn’t the last – date? Well, not so ideal.
“It’s about opening up to someone new. Trying love again and unraveling yourself to the other person.”
Maybe it was because of your situation, but your breath hitched in your throat.
“You know when you get fucked from an ex and love as whole and you think that you don’t want to go through that again and you, like, close off,” Harry explained, “And it’s like you’re immune to feeling any sort of love or interest in anyone after that. Sure, maybe some sexual attraction here and there, but never something wholesome, you know?” He motioned with one of his rings clad hands as he talked, “But then you meet someone and you feel like a teenager or something,” he chuckled, “And it’s a nice feeling, it’s wonderful, that you start thinking that, hey,” he tilted his head, “Maybe I can do this again.”
You were speechless.
You were a woman of words, hell, you worked with words, but right then, you barely remembered the alphabets.
“You- You get me, right?” Harry asked.
You broke out of your trance, nodding absentmindedly, “Yeah, yeah, I,” you paused, an airy chuckle leaving your throat, “Man do I get you.”
He smiled in amusement, “Relatable?”
“Too much, you had me by surprise.” You answered honestly, releasing a breath.
It wasn’t a surprise to Harry that somebody broke your heart; it was always the good ones who got their hearts broken and got fucked over, always the givers.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling of shock at who would possibly have you at arm’s length, with the ability to kiss and cuddle you, and decide to break your heart?
See, maybe Harry had just met you but you know when you meet someone good. Someone kind. Especially when you’re in an industry that is full of shitty people and too many cold snobs.
“When was it?”
You understood his question, understanding that he meant to ask you about when your heart got broken – when somebody fucked you over.
“5 years ago.” You answered, “You?”
“2.”
“Cheers.” You joked, raising your glass of water to clink it to his, chuckling when he did clink them.
“5 years is a long time.” He commented, gentle with his tone as were his eyes.
“It is,” you agreed, “Got over him, really.”
“You met someone after?”
His question made you think again of your answer, causing you to giggle before correcting yourself, “Got over him as a person but not over the whole thing.”
Harry chuckled, “So no.”
You shook your head, “No. Didn’t have the heart to.” And even though your sentence carried double meanings, you took a mental note of that same sentence just for future songwriting sessions. “What about you? Met anyone after it?”
“Not really,” he shook his head, “Friends set me up with some people but it never went further than a day.”
“You don’t click?”
“No,” Harry answered before a small smile made its way to his face, “I didn’t.”
Your face grew hot, breaking eye contact to glance beside you for a moment.
“How long did it take to write that song yesterday?” You asked, turning back to look at him, growing more flustered to see that he was already looking at you with the same smile.
“Think 25 minutes.”
Your eyes widened, “Inspiration really did hit you, Harry, huh?”
“Grabbed the journal and guitar and I just ran to the studio at home, and it just,” he shrugged, “Happened.”
“Let it keep hitting you like that and we won’t be working together.” You said with a smirk.
“Then I’ll purposely distract myself whenever it hits me so I can see you.” Harry was quick to reply, a smug smile of his own on his face.
“Oh my God.” You whispered under your breath, shaking your head as you covered your face, hearing Harry laugh before feeling his hands on yours, guiding them down.
Shortly after, your waitress was back with your orders; both pizzas looking mouthwatering.
You and Harry decided against utensils, exchanging slices with your hands and granted, as Harry had said, they did make the best Italian pizza.
//
After the pizza and paying, you and Harry had grabbed ice cream from the parlor right next to the pizzeria before sitting in the car, remaining parked as you laughed about everything and anything.
“And I had no idea that Paul McCartney was right behind me the entire time. It was awful!” You finished, laughing more at how hard Harry was laughing at your story.
“Would’ve changed my name and moved out of this planet if I were you.” He teased you as he regained his breath.
“Oh, shut up!” You laughed, rolling your eyes at him.
Harry laughed, reaching out to place a hand on yours, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Embarrassing shit happens to me everyday, too. On stage is the worst.”
You tried to ignore the tingly feeling that rushed within you at his hand over yours, but good heavens, you were a goner. “The falls?”
“At some point I thought it was good my tour got postponed because I see myself falling during most of the songs. Imagine Watermelon Sugar, I’d be a clown.”
You laughed, “Probably so,” you teased him, batting your eyelashes jokingly when he feigned shock, “But really, you’re an amazing performer. I actually have been to one of your shows once.”
Harry’s eyes widened and as did his smile, “No way.”
You nodded, “The one in Glasgow in November.”  
“You’re telling me that we were in the same room and-“ Harry paused, shaking his heads as he let out a chuckle of disbelief, “Wow. Alright. Did you have anyone with you?”
“Was just me and Faith.” You answered nonchalantly, only realizing once you did before your looked intently at Harry.
“Is that a best friend?” He asked, “Did they enjoy the show?”
“She did, yeah. Very actually,” You chuckled, remember how surprised you were at how 2-year-old Faith at the time was actually very interested and was dancing in your arms the entire time. “And she is my best friend at some point but she’s my daughter.”
You didn’t know what you were expecting but you definitely weren’t expecting Harry to grin excitedly.
“You have a daughter?”
“Uh, yeah,” you nodded, a small smile on your face as you inspected him, “I do. She turns 5 in December.”
Harry only seemed to get more excited at the news, which made your heart flutter at the sight of.
“Do you have a picture?”
“Yeah, of course,” you smiled more then, eager to show him your beautiful girl before unlocking your phone and opening your photos album, only to find the most recent addition to it – the video. “Hey, actually, she wanted me to show you something.”
You gave Harry the phone to watch better, most of the time keeping your eyes on him. Harry’s cheeks sported a shade of red at how highly your daughter spoke of him, laughing and giggling to himself as he watched.
“Nooo, I won’t say no. I’d love to meet her.” He cooed, continuing to watch.
As the video ended, Harry handed you back the phone, “Please let me meet her. And what’s that Harry dress?”
And so you told him about your adventure with the tee, to which his heart seemed to grow a thousand times more at.
“I wasn’t aware kids loved me, I’m sorry you couldn’t find her size.” Harry frowned, feeling genuinely bad.
“Hey, no,” you assured him, putting your other hand on his – that was still resting on yours – “Don’t worry about it. You don’t exactly sing the alphabetics, Mr. sex-inspired-my-last-album-and-I-made-it-on-shrooms.”
Harry giggled, shrugging at you.
You both talked some more, only about Faith. Harry’s eyes were wide with admiration when you told him about how you raised her alone – also assured when he realized that the father wasn’t exactly in the picture even though his heart broke at that – and he showered you with compliments of how brave you were to raise a kid alone.
“Think I should head back now. I still need to pick Faye up from my best friend’s.” You said, leaning your head on the headrest as your body was turned towards Harry, his hand sandwiched between yours on your thigh.
“Can I help?” He asked, “Only if that’s okay. I don’t want to be crossing my limits.”
Your eyes searched his, growing emotional at the man in front of you. “Are you sure?”
Again with the double meanings.
That time, Harry noticed, his face softening as he looked back at you. Softly and ever-so-gently, he leaned to press a soft kiss on your cheek, “I’m sure.”
As he drove, you and Harry held hands on your thigh, the both of you singing along to Fleetwood Mac on your way.
As you gave Harry directions, he was absentmindedly rubbing your hand with his thumb. If you would have told him that he was doing that, he would have denied it; not because he wanted to deny it, but because it felt too natural that he didn’t realize he was doing it.
“Right here.” You pointed at a building, “She’s two buildings away. You can go, it’s a short walk.”
“I’ll wait for you here.” Harry said, parking before turning to look at you.
“Harry, seriously, you can leave if you want. I’m right there.” You pointed at your building.
“Nonsense, love. I’ll wait here.”
You sighed in contentment, giving his hand a squeeze before getting out of the car and into the building.
“Why did you not tell me that you were on a date with Harry fucking Styles?” Cece whisper shouted as soon as she opened the door, “Knew from Faith, you shit.”
“Because you’d overr-“
“He could be the one!”
“-react. You’d overreact and plan our wedding.” You teased your best friend, “Where’s Faye?”
“Won’t you come in for a drink?” She asked before turning, “Faith, it’s your mom!”
“Can’t. Uh,” you cleared your throat, “Someone’s waiting for me.”
“Some- No fucking way!” She exclaimed, muttering a “sorry” when you hushed her, “He-Harry is downstairs? Are you shitting me?” Cece excitedly asked.
You couldn’t stifle the smile on your face as you nodded.
Cece was about to talk some more before Faith appeared beside her, her backpack hung on one shoulder as she rubbed her eyes.
You knelt down, hugging her. “Hey, Nugget. You sleepy?”
Faith only nodded, wrapping her arms around you as you carried her, feeling her rest her head on your shoulder and you instantly knew that she slept.
“I’ll text you, alright?” You whispered to Cece.
“You better.”
Carrying Faith as well as having her backpack in one hand, once Harry saw you, he was out of the car and rushing towards you, taking the bag from your hand.
“Thank you.” You smiled thankfully, noticing how he walked beside you and guided you to the car, opening the door for you and sleeping Faith before closing it as gently as he could.
The lack of backseats made Harry place the purple backpack on his lap as he drove towards your building, a seconds drive.
He stopped the car and was out of his seat the moment he parked, slinging the bag on his shoulder before helping you out, taking your bag for you, to which you quietly thanked him for.
“Um, you can place the bags on my shoulders or something.”
“I can help you upstairs, come on. It’s no problem.”
You knew he was set on it and you let him, mostly because of how surprised you were that there were people who didn’t cringe and run the moment they knew the other person had a kid.
Harry did all the work; opened the building’s door for you, pressed for the elevator, pressed your floor number and had even taken out your keys once you told him to to unlock the door.
“Come in, come in.” You whispered.
Unsure of what to do, Harry walked inside and mirrored your actions by taking off his shoes before lingering.
“You can follow me.” You whispered again, turning around for a moment to look at him with a smile.
A quick take of the apartment was what Harry could do as he followed you, feeling an emotion of comfort and coziness engulf him as he did.
You were never less thankful for yourself for every time you changed Faith into pajamas before taking her to Cece’s, because it only made the process of tucking her in easier.
Harry had helped you by moving the covers so you could place Faith in bed before he stepped back, letting you tuck her in.
He smiled, watching how you seemed to shift around her or even when you just talked about her, like she was the most important person in your life and he knew that she was exactly that.
Faith was beautiful, and more often than not, you were glad that she got most of your looks and not her biological father’s because it only meant that he really was out of your life.
Harry noticed it, too. She had your nose, your lips, your facial outline, and your hair color. And from what he had seen in the video from when Faith was awake, she had your eye color.
You placed a kiss to her forehead before turning around, your eyes falling on Harry whose eyes were set on Faith with a ghost of a smile on his face.
His eyes came up to you and you noticed that he was still holding on to Faith’s backpack and was wearing your crossbag across his own chest.
You smiled as you grabbed the backpack from him and putting it aside on the floor before looking at him.
The only light in the room was from the hallway, making the room dimmed and making the both of you in a much more sentimental moment.
“They usually run away when they find about Faith.” You whispered, stepping closer to him, “Now is your cue.”
Harry’s eyes were on yours until they glanced at your lips, and butterflies erupted in your stomach at that.
“Thank God I’m not one of them, then.” He replied gently in a low whisper before he leaned closer, shamelessly looking at your lips.
It was you who took the final step, closing the minimal space between you by placing your lips on his.
His hands went to your waist as yours went to his neck, feeling him kiss you back softly but eagerly before pulling away from less than a second to tilt his head, getting a better angle before his lips were back on yours.
“Mommy?”
Pt. 2 
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youbloodymadgenius · 3 years
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Home (Modern!Ivar x reader)
A/N: This is my entry for @maggiescarborough​‘s 400 Followers Challenge. Congrats again, love 🌺
This is another silly, fluffy thing. It’s probably boring, sorry 😔
Since Ivar is undoubtedly a Scorpio, this story takes place in November 😉
The prompt: surprising the character on their birthday.
@geekandbooknerd​, thanks for beta reading this for me ♥️ And @inforapound​, thanks for helping me out ♥️
Thanks to google translate too 😉 jeg er allerede begyndt at lære dansk: I've already started to learn Danish.
Let me know if you want to be tagged 😊
Divider by @firefly-graphics​
Summary: On his birthday, Ivar is in a very bad mood. The only present he wants is you, but there is an ocean between you two.
Warnings: Ivar’s bad temper (is that ever a warning??); soft, soft Ivar; fluff+++.
Words: 3209
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When his phone rings, Ivar's first thought is to throw it across the room. Looking down, he then sees the name on the screen and closes his eyes. Snippets of his days run through his mind: how he had snapped at Ubbe – I don't give a shit about what you're saying, brother; how his outburst had brought to tears his new personal assistant – if you don't even know how to make a fucking coffee, I should probably fire you; how Harald, his longtime business partner, had hung up on him, angering him even more – you may be smart, Ivar, but when you're such in a bad mood, you're worthless. I'll call you tomorrow.
 Ivar knows he needs to calm down. He's so pissed off – at everything – that his right quadriceps is constantly spasming, his thigh as hard as rock. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he sighs loudly, pinches the bridge of his nose and eventually grabs his phone.
 "Mor?" He's sure his mother won't fail to notice the hint of sharpness in his voice. She won't acknowledge it, though, used to his temper.
 "Hello Darling." There's a tremendous amount of love packed in those two little words, yet it doesn't bring a smile on his stern face. "I just wanted to let you know that Sven is on his way. He left Kattegat forty minutes ago. He is going to take you home."
 Clenching his jaw, Ivar stops himself from telling his mother that Kattegat, for him, is no longer home. Not anymore. The truth is, he doesn't know where home is. Home isn't his luxurious loft in in the very center of Copenhagen either. Home should be where you are. But you're so far away…
Ivar clears his throat. "I still don't get it, Mor. Why should I go with your chauffeur? You do know I can drive, don't you?"
 "Oh, honey, of course I do. But we've been over this, remember? You had to work the whole day, on your birthday, and I just want you to relax. Traffic can be brutal this time of day. Just let Sven bring you home. Maybe take a nap in the backseat, or just allow your thoughts to wander. I want you to be rested tonight, sweetheart." His mother pauses for a few seconds, and when she speaks again, her words are careful, her tone almost hesitant – so unlike her, his heart softens a little. "You did pack a bag, didn't you?"
 Ivar can't help but roll his eyes and then settles his gaze on a brown leather duffel bag right next to his mahogany desk. He knows that whatever his mother might expect, he won't stay the night. And if she doesn't allow Sven
to drive him back to Copenhagen, he will just call a cab. He won't argue about it right now, though – everything in its own time.
 Letting out a small sigh, Ivar nods uselessly, a hand running through his hair. "Yes Mor, I did."
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  Sven knows better than to talk to him and, in the backseat, as the car speeds down the highway, Ivar closes his eyes and tries to relax. Anger still coursing through his veins, it turns out it's a nearly impossible task. It seems as if everything has gone wrong since he woke up and he's therefore mad at the whole world. He's mad at all those stupid, infuriating people he had to interact with. He's mad at Sven for taking him to Kattegat. He's mad at his mother for inviting him for his birthday. He's mad at himself for accepting. He's even mad at you, for not being here; for not making the impossible possible. For leaving him alone. And no matter if deep down he knows how unfair it is to you; because of course, you'd be here if you could. But he can't help it. He's mad at you because he misses you, every day a little more, to the point where the ache in his heart is far worse than the pain in his legs.
 And today, he misses you like crazy. To the point where sadness floods his mind. To the point where anger takes control. Because today may be his birthday, but it's also the anniversary of your first kiss, first and foremost. And he wants you here, right next to him, for now and forever.
  Fourteen months ago, after yet another surgery, and because even if he knew all too well that he couldn't stay by himself while recovering, the mere thought of his mother's overprotective presence made him nauseous, he had flown – fled – to Canada, to Floki's. The old fool had welcomed him with open arms, turning one of the many guest rooms of his house into a high-tech physiotherapy space. That's where he met you. At first, you had been just his physical therapist, then his date, his girlfriend, and now you are his lover. And if he's back in Denmark for nine months now, you're still in Canada. He had thought he could handle a long-distance relationship. He couldn't have been more wrong. Your absence just kills him.
 As a boat whistle can be heard, Ivar slowly opens his eye and then looks around. Frowning, he scratches his head, confused and annoyed. Since the Lothbrok mansion is located on a hill overlooking Kattegat, there's never any reason to go by the seaside to get there. Never ever. "We're on the wrong road, Sven. Why are you going to the shore?" Ivar speaks in a demanding tone of voice that doesn't impress Sven one bit.
 The obedient chauffeur barely shrugs. "I'm just following orders, Sir. Your mother's orders."
 Now riled up, irked, Ivar snorts, his nostrils flaring. "My mother asked you to drive me here?" Without waiting for an answer, he takes his phone out of his back pocket, gasping as Sven comes to a halt in front of The Nimb Hotel, the hotel palace of Kattegat.
 When his mother doesn't pick up the phone, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, he tries to get ahold of Hvitserk, Ubbe, and even Sigurd, but to no avail. Fuming, his hands curling into fists, Ivar clenches his teeth. Did his mother organize a fucking birthday party even though she knows he hates that? She wouldn't dare. No, she wouldn't.
 Oh, fuck. Sure, she would. She totally would. And it'd explain why she had been so adamant about having Sven drive him. She wanted him here, in this fucking hotel, and not at the mansion. It explains why his brothers don’t answer the phone. Because they know that if they did, he would yell at them to fuck off. He can’t believe it!! What’s got into his mother?? What the fucking hell??!!!!
 For a split second, he hovers a trembling pointer finger over the screen of his phone. Calling an Uber and going back to Copenhagen would be so easy. But as tempting as it may be to just run away, he knows he won't do it. He can't. Because it'd hurt his beloved mother, and the thought is unbearable, even though he's angry with her right now. That's why, whatever she may have planned, he'll deal with it, putting on a brave face for her sake.
 And that's why he doesn't object when Sven opens his door, "This way, Sir," his hand gesturing toward the hotel entrance, flanked by two ostentatious marble columns. Ivar uses his hands to place his right leg out of the car and he then slowly stands up, one hand on his crutch and the other on the car door, before following the gray-haired chauffeur, a permanent scowl on his face.
As they walk through the lobby, he is surprised when Sven leads him onto an elevator, pressing the twelfth-floor button. He would have thought that his mother would have privatized the hotel restaurant. But the restaurant is on the main floor. What's on the upper floors other than rooms? A roof terrace, probably. His mother would never throw an outdoor party in the middle of November though. Nothing makes sense.
 Confused, Ivar tilts his head while the lift is going up. "Where are we going?" Sven doesn't react to his harsh tone, just repeating his reply from earlier. "I'm following orders, Sir. I am walking you to where your mother ordered me to walk you." He doesn't utter another word, getting out of the elevator as soon as the door opens.
 Ivar tightens his grip on his crutch and follows him to what seems to be a hotel room. Or more specifically, and as it's written on the door, the executive suite. More and more bewildered, he watches Sven swiftly knocking on the door before using a card key to unlock it. Holding it open, the chauffeur steps aside, "I've been asked to tell you that the sunroom is over there," waving his hand slightly to the left, Sven then gives a slight nod to an astounded Ivar, "I now take my leave, Sir. I wish you a delightful evening."
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  As Ivar slowly crosses the living room, the slight thud of his crutch on the hardwood floor alerts you of his presence. Shivering with excitement and your heart pounding in your chest, you struggle but don't move, don't say a word; not yet.
 Taking a tentative step into the sunroom, which, he's sure of it, offers during daytime a breathtaking view on the bay of Kattegat, a dumbfounded Ivar notices the candles first – there are candles everywhere, their soft glow creating an intimate ambience – and then the table for two elegantly set in the middle of the room.
 "What the fuck is going on?" Ivar grumbles, irritation obvious in his voice, and you know it's time for you to show up, or he may leave. Stepping toward him and into the light, you absently rub your sweaty palms up and down your black dress, your heart now beating so hard and so fast you wonder if he can hear it. This is it. The moment you were waiting for, for weeks now. You couldn't be happier, and yet you can't help but be nervous. Could he reject you? You don't think so but with Ivar, you never know… Swallowing the lump in your throat, and even if you can barely breathe, you manage to crack a smile at the exact moment he sets his eyes on you. "Happy birthday, my love, and happy anniversary too."
 Ivar's jaw drops, his eyes widen, and a soft gasp escapes his plump lips. He wobbles for an instant and you quickly close the gap between you and him, steadying him by placing both your hands on his hips. Your touch shaking him out of his stupor, he blinks a few times, his piercing blue eyes never leaving your face. "Y/N, is it… is it really you?" With a trembling voice and tears in his eyes, he stutters, dazed and surprised. "By the gods, what… what are you doing here?" His arm finding your waist, Ivar pulls you closer. There's a whirlwind of emotions on his face, but there's mostly love. You're sure he won't reject you.
 "Did you really think I was going to miss your birthday?" Standing on tiptoes, you give him a long kiss before whispering in his ear, "And I missed you so much, my love."
 Rough fingers caress your face as Ivar looks down at you incredulously. "But… I… I don't understand… I… I thought you were busy with work. But you're here… How?"
 "By plane, obviously," you quip playfully, and your lover rolls his eyes and shakes his head, before suddenly frowning. "That's really a wonderful surprise, Y/N, and I'd love to stay here with you but we… we should go… My mother… I think she's waiting for me, for us… You know, since it's my birthday, she wanted to throw…" Ivar stops talking when it dawns on him that he has been – to his delight – tricked, and you just smile. "Mother never planned a party, did she?"
 It's your turn to shake your head. "No, she never did, you're right. She knew I was coming and since I needed a little help, she agreed to play along. Tonight, it's just you and me, my love." Ivar's eyes sparkling with joy, your smile grows wider. "She's expecting us for lunch tomorrow, though."
 Nodding, Ivar flashes you a beaming smile that falters almost immediately as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other. As he stifles a hiss of pain, you wrap his right arm around your shoulder and your left around his waist. Without a word, you lead him to a corner of the sunroom, help him to sit down on a huge nest chair and finally breathe a sigh of satisfaction as you snuggle into his side.
 His hand running up your arm, Ivar cups your face and looks at you fondly. "You being here with me is the best birthday gift ever." He then kisses you passionately, his hands roaming your back and your fingers threading through his long hair. When he breaks the kiss, he still holds you close and you lean into his warmth, your head resting on his chest.
 "When are you flying back?" Tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, Ivar clenches his jaw as you pull away just enough to look at him. You know he hates the idea of you leaving him once again. You don't have time to answer him as he keeps going. "Guess you'll stay through the weekend, but when is your flight? On Monday morning?"
 A mischievous smile playing on your lips, you wrap your fingers around his hand. "There's no flight, Ivar, not anymore. I'm not going anywhere. I'm afraid you're stuck with me, my love."
 Swallowing, Ivar just stares at you for long seconds, a frown on his confused face. "What… What are you talking about? If this is a joke, it's a very bad one." He eventually manages to say, his bottom lip trembling.
 "I swear it's not a joke." You reassure him as you readjust your position, straddling him carefully. Your thumb stroking his cheek, you give him a quick peck before explaining yourself. " I hate our current situation, and I know you do too. I don't want to live like this anymore, between two flights, between two countries. I don't want to miss you anymore. My life is with you, my love. And since you can't exactly relocate the Lothbrok Company, it's up to me to move, which I'm happy to do."  
 Dumbstruck, Ivar remains speechless for a long time, but you can tell by the smile on his lips that he's thrilled by the news. Tilting his head, he finds his voice again. "You are serious? Wow! You do realize you'll have to find a new job, learn another language? That's not nothing."
 "Actually," you place your hands flat on his chest, "I've already found a job. Floki still has strong connections here, did you know that? On the same day I made up my mind, he was already making calls. He has been amazing, truly! I start working in a rehab clinic within a fortnight. As for the language…", you stop and inhale deeply before saying hesitantly, "jeg er allerede begyndt at lære dansk." Ivar's wry smile tells you that your pronunciation could have been better, but you don't mind. It's a first step. "Anyway," you exclaim, beaming, "You know me, I love a challenge!"
 "I just can't fucking believe it!" Ivar shines with happiness and it melts your heart. His next question, though, makes you wince internally. Because on that particular point, you're suddenly afraid you've put the cart before the horse.
 "Where are you going to live?"
 Lowering your gaze, you begin to fidget nervously. "I…", you clear your throat, closing your eyes, "I was thinking… well… Maybe I could… I don't know if…" As soon as you realize you're getting nowhere, you stop; you know you have to muster up the courage to be straightforward. Releasing a short sigh, you tilt your head up. "I was hoping we could live together. I mean if you want to. It's fine if you don't, I'll rent an apartment."
 Literally thunderstruck, his eyes fixed on you, Ivar swallows loudly. "You… You…" He stammers, an incredulous expression on his face. "You want to live with… with me?"
 As you nod while muttering under your breath "Only if you want to," a broad smile spreads over his lips and he blinks a few times. "Of course, I do. But you do know that", his sheepish look is unmistakable, "I'm not exactly easy to live with, right?"
 Relief floods through you and you burst out laughing as you remember what he put you through when you were his physical therapist. "I do know you, my stubborn, grumpy, short-tempered and moody lover! And guess what, my love? I wouldn't want you any other way. Plus, as I said, I love a good challenge!"
 Without even trying to hide his elation, Ivar throws his arms around your waist, giggling, "It's a deal, then," before peppering light kisses all over your face. His mouth barely an inch from yours, he's about to kiss you as your stomach rumbles. Embarrassed, you want to hide your face but Ivar, all smiles and laughing eyes, grasps your hands, squeezing them. "Guess we should feed you."
 Checking your watch, you stand up reluctantly. "Actually," you point at the table behind you, "we should be served a meal in less than five minutes." Reaching out, you grab Ivar's left hand as he hauls himself to his feet, handing him his crutch once you're sure he found his balance.
 Now towering over you, Ivar gives you a thank-you smile. "So, tell me Y/N, what's the plan for tonight? Besides dinner, I mean." The naughty grin adorning his features tells you the answer he's hoping for.
 "Well," you can't resist teasing him, "I was thinking maybe we could take an after-dinner walk on the shore afterwards, and later, there's this wonderful documentary about penguins I wouldn't want to miss, so yeah, that's the plan."
 "Ooooh, look at you!" You can't help but laugh your head off as Ivar's smile falters, a crease forming between his eyebrows and pouty lips shouting his displeasure. "I'm just kidding, my love," you soothe him, your thumb grazing his mouth, "there's this whirlpool-bath I'm dying to try in the bathroom if you're up for it. And after that, I'm going to make love to you, my birthday boy." Ivar's breath hitches as your hands squeeze his butt cheeks playfully. "And then we'll sleep. And tomorrow we'll go and have lunch with your mother. And when we're done there, you'll…" Overwhelmed with emotion, you stop, your eyes filling with tears.
 "I'll…?" Ivar asks as a crooked smile tugs at his lips.
 You swallow away the lump in your throat, intertwining your fingers with his. "You'll take me home, won't you?"
 There are tears in his eyes as well, but when Ivar nods, the smile that flashes over his face is a wide, shining one. "Yes, my love, I'll take you home."
 🛡⚔️🛡
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Text
truth hurts
Pairings - Ransom Drysdale x Reader
Words - 1704
Warnings - oral sex (m receiving), shitty families
A/N - My first ever Ransom fic, massive thanks to @thicccsimp​ and @mollygetssherlockcoffee​ for reading this over, helping me fix a few things and hyping me up enough to post! This is for @eurynome827​ 2K Challenge, well done on your milestone my love, it won’t be long until you’re at 3K I'm sure. Thanks as always to @buckyownsmylife​ for helping me with the idea too! As always this is not for minors so if you’re under 18 then please shoo.
I was given the lyrics to a Six The Musical song - You can build me up, you can tear me down You can try but I'm unbreakable You can do your best, but I'll stand the test You'll find that I'm unshakeable
Tagging because I think they might like this - @bestofbucky​ @mashep23​
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You handed your father the brown paper lunch bag, the one he had left sitting forgotten on the counter this morning. Quickly planting a kiss on his cheek, you turn and make your way into the grand house, leaving him to continue tending to the rose bushes.
You heard them before you saw them, arguing about whatever one of them undoubtedly saw on Fox News that morning. Grabbing a glass of red wine before you sit in the corner of the room and watch them tear into one another, you smirk at the petty insults they often hurled at each other when they didn’t have an actual counter argument.
Sipping on the wine you check your phone for the third time in five minutes, he was meant to be here before you and you need him to be the buffer between you and his family. They weren't your biggest fans and you quite enjoyed riling them up, waiting to see who'd snap at you first. You and Ransom often wagered about who would be the first to burst out into a screaming fit.
They all had such short fuses, so all you had to do was mention something ‘snowflakes’ were concerned with and they all absolutely lose it, at this point you considered it your own private theatre. Normally you like to keep a distance since they weren’t shy in reminding Ransom why you weren’t the right match for him, today however you were needed.
The family lawyer has requested that both you and your father be present for Harlan’s will reading. Both you and Ransom thought he would be getting something substantial from his grandfather and the family wouldn’t be happy, so he would need you and your father there for support.
You sit for twenty more minutes, laughing at the nonsensical crap Joni was pushing as usual, something about jade eggs and where Gwyneth Paltrow decided they should be inserted this week. You hear the front door close and jump up as he finally arrives, running and jumping into his arms, wrapping your legs around his waist, another fun way to annoy his family, kissing him deeply and moaning as he gripped you. Whispering into his ear “where the fuck have you been? I’ve had to annoy them all on my own today” he smirks and kisses the tip of your nose before putting you back down and walking hand in hand in the room greeting his family.
It was fair to say he was the black sheep of the family, he hadn’t accepted handouts as easily as the rest of them since the two of you got together, deciding instead to try and make it on his own. He moved into your apartment and gave up the house his grandad was paying for, living off his savings ever since. He had been writing his own novel for the last six months and he was getting so close to finishing, he didn’t want to tell the family and have them shit all over his idea, especially Walt who thought he was the literary one now that Harlan had passed.
You grab two glasses of whiskey and sit in Ransom's lap, kissing his cheek and handing him one of the tumblers. Asking him what kept him so long he tells you he thinks he’s finished and wanted to re-read some of it before he told you. Pride flashes over your face at how thrilled he is and you both do a mini squeal at his news. “I can think of the perfect way to celebrate” you whisper in his ear before licking the shell and telling him to come and find you in a few minutes.
You hear him looking for you a few minutes later and pull him into the cloakroom, kissing him urgently and grabbing his ass “you want to have some fun?” you say kissing down his neck and biting his shoulder. He breathes out a ‘yes’ as you get on your knees, pulling his hardening cock out and licking the tip while he leans against the wall behind you.
“We don’t have time for teasing kitten” he says gripping your hair and pushing deep into your mouth, you lightly gag on his length and hollow your cheeks, sucking and licking at what you can. It doesn’t take long for him to spill down your throat, you smile up at him licking your lips and place a gentle kiss on the tip before tucking him away. He gently pushes you against the wall, gripping your hips and whispering what he plans to do to you later when you get home.
You’re interrupted by a sharp knock on the door and someone clearing their throat, straightening yourselves out you open the door and see his father, Richard, staring down at you both. “Can I help you, Dickie” you ask, smirking at the frustrated expression on his face. He tells you there’s 20 minutes until the reading and the family wanted to discuss what they were expecting, you tell Ransom you’re going to see your father out back and blow him a kiss, sneaking away before anyone can moan at you.
You help out in the greenhouse with some of the planters he’s prepping, talking to him about work and the trip you’re planning with Ransom to New York, when you both hear it, screaming and shouting, your father goes to the house with you, always ready to protect you from those vile people.
You walk in together and Linda snarls at you but tries to hide it as a grin, instinctively you stand next to Ransom ready to jump in and defend him, your father next to you throws an arm around you and places his hand on Ransom’s shoulder in support. Ransom smiles at you both and leans down whispering in your ear “down girl” when he sees how tense you are “they aren’t worth it, I promise you” he winks at your father and turns back to them all.
They were arguing about you, apparently you weren’t worthy of a Drysdale, an argument you’ve overheard on more than one occasion, usually he shuts them down but they don’t listen and just wait until you aren’t around before picking at him again. Linda realising that her son isn’t listening decides to take a more tactful approach “look we just want what's best for you darling, we’re obviously about to come into a lot of money today and you don’t want to be tied to her, she only wants what we have”.
Your father clears his throat in warning, he hasn’t ever raised his voice to these people out of respect for Harlan but now that he’s gone and he will most likely be sacked once they inherit the home he sees no reason to stop. Ransom looks to him and pleads with him not to do this right now and your father nods his head in understanding, before pulling you into a hug and whispering in your ear that they are the problem and not Ransom, he's a good man and he always looks after you. You nod your head and turn to face Linda, about ready to give her a little reality check when the family lawyer requests you all join him in the library, your father is about to walk away when he is asked to stay and join the family also.
You take a seat next to your father, Ransom standing behind you both waiting. Both you and Ransom suspected Harlan would look after him, maybe give him some sort of payout on publication of his first novel, he was always so supportive of the idea that he could write a book too. He’d already helped you pay for college, something the rest of the family could never find out about. Harlan was always so kind to his loyal employees and your father had worked for him for more than twenty years. He was offered help with setting up his own business or even help paying his bills but your father refused, instead requesting that your college be paid for. You weren’t allowed to refuse, you were just asked that you find something that you were passionate about.
The lawyer started talking and everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath collectively, he took care of the smaller items first, most of it going to staff and friends. Then came the bigger stuff, half of his fortune was to be divided between his children equally. The family didn’t even let the lawyer finish what he was saying before they were jumping up and demanding to see the paperwork, appalled that they would only be getting half. He sat calmly and asked them to listen until he was finished, next on the list the other half of his fortune would go to you and his home would go to your father.
You stared at each other completely dumbfounded, the shouts and accusations of the family around you buzz like static in your ears. Ransom stood at full height, acting as a blockade between his family and yours as you both absorbed the news. The lawyer handed out copies of the will for their records and asked that you make appointments to see him and have the necessary arrangements tied up properly. He left swiftly after, obviously recognising that this was about to get ugly.
Ransom swept you up in an embrace telling you to ignore the family and focus on him, your father in the meantime sat reading over what he had been given, speechless for the first time in his life about what had just happened. The family were practically feral, screaming abuse and name calling at the two of you. Ransom stood at full height and told them all to “eat shit” one by one calling them out and advising them to speak to a lawyer, if they could afford one, he laughs at his own joke before pulling you both into a big hug and suggesting you all go out for drinks. “You’re paying” he winks at you and grabs your hand leading you past the angry mob waiting at the door for you.
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rosaliepostsstuff · 3 years
Text
Good for him | G.W.
Pairing: George Weasley x reader
requested, based on the song Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson
summary: Maintaining a relationship while going through grieving process becomes too exhausting for Y/N and George so they part ways. But what happens once they both take control of their lives back and meet again?
word count: 2.5k warnings: grief, mentions of death, insecurity, fluffy ending (hope i didn’t miss any warnings, in any case please let me know)
tags: @izzyyy-1 ;  @hufflepuff5972 ; @pandaxnienke​
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 You walked around the flat above the shop, and you thought about the day you helped George and Fred move in. Memories came flooding back to you, you had just graduated Hogwarts, you were all so full of life, looking bright into the future even as the war was tightening its grasp around you. But you couldn’t have expected it to take so much from you.
The door to the flat opened slowly with a creak and you saw a shell of a man walk in. You were standing in the middle of the small entry hall, clutching your bag filled with little things you had left at George’s over the years, things you would now take with you.
He came back after undoubtedly spending the whole afternoon at a pub.
You looked at him and you felt a lump in your throat as tears slowly clouded your vision. You looked at him and once again you wondered if what you were doing was right.
You loved George with all of your heart, loved him more than anything. He had changed your life in so many ways and left his mark on you. And you knew that nobody else could ever love you the same way he did. You were supposed to be each other’s forever, but grief had other plans for you.
After months, you were exhausted. You had tried and tried to help George up after he collapsed along with his brother but it got just too much. You had your own process to go through and you couldn’t do that while pouring all of yourself into a relationship that no longer physically existed. There is a boundary between trying your hardest for love to help someone get better and hitting a wall, trying to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped while losing yourself in the process. You hoped he would move on and find happiness with someone eventually. He was bound to find someone better, someone, to give him more than you could.
At first, he was angry. He felt betrayed. He resented you for leaving him when you were supposed to love him. Looking at him like that hurt you, it almost made you break and take it all back, but you couldn’t. Because love just wasn’t enough to keep you together.
So when his initial shock passed you parted your ways in mutual agreement.
 As time went on you slowly got better and better. You focused on yourself, on your career and in time you felt something that resembled happiness. You felt almost at peace, but it was a start.
Almost a year has passed since your break up, and one late afternoon you got an owl and felt a pang in your heart upon reading the name.
You tried to avoid George in fear of losing all that progress that you’ve made in moving on. But you also felt that he didn’t deserve to just get ignored by you and you were curious about his intentions.
My Y/N,
I probably don’t have the right anymore to call you mine, but it feels wrong otherwise.
I missed you. I hope time has treated you well. I know it helped me heal. I know I’m not fully there yet, I still have a long way to go, but I’ve woken up enough to see how shit life is without you. I don’t expect you to just let me back into your life, but if you would, that would make me the happiest man in the world. I just wish to see you and talk to you.
Please don’t ignore this letter, I beg you. Even if you don’t want to see me ever again, please, don’t leave me hanging, I hate uncertainty. Please, before I let you go, tell me you’re alright.
Yours,
George
And so, with a shaky hand, you wrote back:
George,
You know well what we did was for the best. You should move on and find someone who will truly make you happy and give you all that you deserve. I can’t do that for you.
Y/N
You didn’t get another letter from him.
You tried to push George out of your mind again, always trying to find something to occupy yourself with. Until months later, an owl delivered a beautiful, formal-looking envelope to your windowsill. Hermione and Ron were getting married.
You’d been successfully avoiding all Weasley’s gatherings, even though Molly never failed to invite you. Christmas, Easter, all the birthdays. You knew she saw you as one of her own regardless if you were dating one of her children or not. But until now you didn’t want to take that risk.
However, a wedding was too important, and both Ron and Hermione proved great friends to you in the past. If they invited you, that meant they wanted you there. And part of moving on meant you couldn’t just avoid George forever.
 You had apparated just outside the Burrow. You saw the wedding tent with some people already there, you scanned the crowd, subconsciously looking for him already. You fixed your dress and with your legs a bit shaky, you approached the entrance.
“Y/N! Hi- !” Ginny elongated, walking up to you with her arms spread wide and a huge smile on her face. “Hey, Gin,” you smiled dimly. “It’s so great to see you, it’s been so long..! I’m really glad you came,” she gave you a proper Weasley hug, one full of emotion, showing you how she really missed you. “I know it was probably not easy,” she added a bit quieter, giving you a knowing look. “But anyway, I’ll take that!” she gestured to the gift bag you were holding in your hand, “I’m on gift duty today, thank you-“
“Do I have a seat assigned?” you asked, looking at the rows of seats for guests. And that’s when you saw him, talking to someone by the wedding arch. His back turned to you, but you recognised him by his posture alone. He was wearing a dark navy three-piece suit. One could get really lost looking at this man.
“Yes, yes, Fleur will show you while I put this away. Fleur..!”
You avoided looking in his direction, afraid of catching eye contact. Waiting for the ceremony you thought to yourself you’ll have to meet him sooner or later, but you just didn’t want to be caught looking at him first. You have moved on. He has moved on.
 You glided through the sea of guests with a glass of champagne in hand, some of them headed to the dance floor, some to their tables, just like you. You kept your eyes trained on where you were going, careful not to bump into someone but not looking anyone in the eye.
“Y/N,” called the voice that felt like home. You froze in spot, bracing yourself, then turned in the direction it came from.
“Hi,” he said with the tiniest smile and his eyes filled with uncertainty. He looked a bit better than the last time you saw him. His face seems to have aged a bit during this short time, his cheeks a bit hollow. But he didn’t look as tired, the dark circles under his eyes lightened up a bit. His face was clean-shaven and his hair cut. He looked very handsome.
“Hi, George,” you said the name out loud after so long.
His eyes moved down over your body and back up again, “You look beautiful,” he said sincerely. You shifted on your feet and tightened the grasp on your glass a bit, “Thank you, you look really smart.” He smiled a bit wider. There were a million things he wanted to say at that moment, but he didn’t know which one to lead with. Which one would prompt you to give him your attention and listen to the rest. “May-... may I have a dance..?” he asked quietly, barely audible in all the noise, music playing and people partying. You panicked slightly. You did not feel ready for that. “I… I was just going to sit down for a bit, talk to some other guests. Maybe later,” you blurted out the last part and regretted it almost instantly. There was a bit of a pause between you, George did his best to hide his slight disappointment. “I’ll hold you to that,” he said, with a fraction of the glint in the eye that you knew well. With that, he turned around and walked away, just his head visible above the crowd.
Your heart fluttered a bit. This felt like old George.
You did your best to shake that feeling off, then noticed Molly next to one of the tables. You owed her at least a conversation.
Not for a moment has she made you feel guilty about not seeing her all this time. She engulfed you in the biggest hug, showing you just how happy she was to see you. Your spirit lifted instantly, and she hasn’t mentioned your break up and asked about your life, what you did in the meantime. Yet inevitably, the conversation somehow shifted to the topic of Fred’s passing.
“We’ve gotten better, we’re trying as best as we can. That’s what Freddie would’ve wanted,” she said with a wide smile and her eyes a bit watery. “Even Georgie’s getting better,” she nodded, looking at him in the crowd. “Sorry, dear, I promised myself I wouldn’t mention that with you…” she got a bit flustered. “It’s- it’s okay Molly,” you smiled as best as you could. “In this case, I do have to say – it is a shame, dear. You know you’re a Weasley to me but I’d always hoped I’d have you as my daughter.” She rubbed her hand on your shoulder comfortingly, “you were good for him, you know? Even Fred always said that…” You stayed silent, focusing all your might into stopping tears forming in your eyes. “My, I better leave before I make even more of a mess. Do have a nice time tonight, dear,” she gave you one last, warm smile and walked off. Leaving your mind in chaos.
“George..?” you tapped him on the shoulder gently, and even the feeling of his warmth on the tips of your fingers felt tingly. He turned to you right away with a smile that had you weak in the knees, then reached his hand out for you to take and gestured to the dance floor with his eyes.
His touch brought you comfort. He held you just like he always had, as if you picked up right where you left off, right before everything went wrong. George’s touch made you forget about everything around you, and as he led you in dance, you lost yourself. If only he’d lead you outside and into the sunset, without a word, you’d let him.
“You know, I was hoping… If you’d see me today, see how I finally got a hold of myself, pulled myself together, everything would change,” George confessed, his voice strained with emotion. The music slowed down and you were just swaying with it. You looked up at him and he continued. “I mean, why did we end things, Y/N?” he asked desperately.
You looked back down, not able to meet his eyes anymore. He went on before you could answer.
“I was a mess. I was in a dark, dark place, Y/N... I didn’t have enough grip to support you as I should’ve, so instead, I dragged you down with me.” George lifted his head high, looking up at the illuminated ceiling, trying to keep his tears from falling. He didn’t want to fall apart now. “I’m sorry. I know I told you that when we... when you left. But my perspective’s changed, I can see better now and I want to say that again – I'm really, really sorry.” “George, please...” you plead, all your thoughts and doubts from the past coming back to you. “I- I feel so bad... that I couldn’t help you,” you confessed, “it hurt me so much, but I wasn’t enough.” You tried to stifle the sobs, tears streaming down your face now.
George pulled you closer, pulling you flush against him and wrapping his arms tight around you. You tried to find comfort in him, your hands fisting his crisp, white shirt.
“It was not your fault, okay Y/N/N? There was nothing more you could’ve done for me,” he said, resting his cheek on top of your head. “...but it’s behind us now. And not for one moment have I stopped loving you,” he confessed.” “But why...?” you cried, “George, I’ve given you the chance. I let you go so you could move on,” you grasped the shirt tighter, “so you could find someone better... You deserve so much better.” “There is no one better! Give me another chance and I promise, I will spend the rest of my life proving to you how perfect you are for me if that’s what it takes..!” He exclaimed, pulling away a bit to take your face into his hands and look you in the eyes. “Just let me, please.”
All words escaped you the moment you looked into his eyes, holding such sincerity. So you just nodded and smiled weakly, feeling a huge weight lift off your shoulders.
George slowly brought his face closer to yours, leaning in he searched your eyes for any signs of uncertainty until the very last moment when your lips touched. His lips were slightly chapped but so welcoming. When you kissed him back, letting go of his shirt to slide your hands along the soft material to his chest, he brought one of his hands to your waist and used the other to deepen the kiss. The song playing was slowly coming to an end, the singer’s soft voice accompanied by delicate piano melody seemed to set a rhythm to your lips. When it ended, he held your lips together still for a moment, then pulled away.
The breath you took then was the first proper breath in years for you, you breathed George in and felt intoxicated. Your eyes darted between his loving gaze and dazzling smile.
“I love you,” he chuckled, caressing your cheeks with his thumbs. “I love you back,” you said breathily, wrapping your arms around his body and relaxing into him.
 George kept his promise and did not falter in proving to you how perfect you are.
The summer sun was slowly setting, the light wind pleasantly warm. Your eyes were set on his face, eyes closed and a relaxed smile on his lips, as his head lay in your lap. One of your hands was gently stroking his soft hair, while the other he held in his, on his chest. The sunset left a pinkish-orange hue on everything, making it seem even more magical.
You could stay like this forever, you thought, but Molly stuck her head out the window, motioning for you to come inside for dinner. Right as you were about to nudge George, his stomach grumbled, making you chuckle.
“Ugh, when’s dinner gonna be ready…” he groaned sleepily, opening one of his eyes. “Just now, actually. Come on, love, get up.”
So the two of you got up, going inside, hand in hand. And you were each other’s forever.
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interstellarflare · 4 years
Text
Bend and Break || Homelander
-PART FOUR-
Warnings: Gore, violence, course language, angst.
Summary: People can only bend their morales so far before they break. Homelander is the world’s greatest superhero, and you, a tech analyst, somehow become entangled in his world when he learns that you provide intel to The Boys. He makes it his personal mission to find out exactly what you know, but he never expected such resistance from someone as damaged as you. But broken things can be mended, sometimes in the most unexpected ways possible.
Author’s Note: As a bit of a disclaimer, I have only seen snippets of The Boys. I haven’t actually watched all of it, so forgive me if there are some details that are wrong, as well as the many spelling errors that will undoubtedly be in this series. There is a tag list open for those who wish to be added. I apologise for the long chapters. Gif by @itisa-profoundbond-sarandom
|PART ONE| |PART TWO| |PART THREE|
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“Where do you think you’re going?” You asked angrily, as you followed Homelander up the large staircase of your apartment complex and onto the roof. He hovered a few metres away from the edge, whilst you stood as close to the edge of the roof as you could. Homelander turned to face you, his hair gently rustling in the wind. “I’m going to confront Stillwell. I want answers, and she is going to give them to me”.
“We need to be smart about this...” You persisted throwing you arms out in annoyance “if you go charging in there all high and mighty and demand answers, she’s going to know that something is wrong. We need to do this discreetly, otherwise you’re going to fuck this up for everyone”.
“Excuse me?” Homelander growled, flying down so that he was hovering just away from the edge “I’m the Homelander. And I can do whatever the fuck I want. Nothing goes on at Vought without me knowing about it. You have no powers, you’re not special, no one would give a damn if something happened to you. So what makes you think you can help me?” he asked angrily, his eyes once again beginning to glow a dangerous red. You didn’t know why his words hurt so much, you didn’t understand why your chest tightened painfully. But you stood tall, clenching your hands into fists as you shouted “I don’t care who the fuck you are! What I care about is doing this right. If you go to Stillwell and demand answers, there’s a likely chance you will put The Seven in danger, and likely anyone else involved. I might not have powers, but at least one of us has to have some common fucking sense!”.
When no response came from The World’s Greatest Hero, you scoffed shrugging your shoulders as you stepped away from the edge of the roof “Then again, what do I know. I’m not special. But if I hadn’t hacked into your servers, you wouldn’t have known about this, and you would have been covering Vought’s arse for all the wrong reasons, not that you don’t do that anyway”. You turned on your heel and headed back towards the door, hugging your arms close to your body as you suddenly felt cold. You shivered, reaching out to grasp the door handle as a firm hand was placed on your shoulder. Homelander spun you around, glaring down at your form with his eyebrows furrowed as he stepped closer to you. “What makes you think I don’t have any common sense?” he asked loudly, throwing his arms out in exasperation as he waited for your response. As you forcefully pushed him away from you, you ignored how surprised you were to see him stumble. He never stumbled. Then again, he didn’t let just anyone punch him either. Rolling your eyes, you scoffed loudly and stepped toward him “Classic Homelander tactic, you always rush in first. You act without thinking it through. You think that just because you are ‘The World’s Greatest Superhero’, that everyone will automatically grovel at your feet and beg for mercy!...” you shouted, your voice breaking as your tone became angrier “well guess what, even superheroes get screwed over. That’s just how the world works. And you’re angry. You’re angry because you got played-”
“Just shut up!” Homelander cried, his eyes glowing a menacing red before firing one large beam directly beside where you were standing. You shrieked, falling over onto your backside with a fearful gasp. The gravel atop the roof smouldered, grey smoke rising into the air in a steady pillar. That was it, this was the last straw. You quickly stood to your feet, rage surging through your blood as you shouted so loud, that you were certain that the entire neighbourhood could hear you. “Fine! If you want to go and fuck things up for yourself, then by all means go ahead. I’m not going to stop you! But you don’t get to come back to me and beg for my help when things go wrong. I’ve dealt with enough of this shit to last me a lifetime, and I don’t need more of it. Especially, not from someone like you!”. With one final glare, you stormed off the roof, slamming the door to the stairwell behind you hard enough that the sound echoed throughout the entire building. The walk to your apartment became a blur, so much so that you don’t even remember walking through the door, or hearing Max’s pestering questions about where Homelander had gone.
Instead, you stormed straight to your bedroom, closing the door behind you with a harsh bang before leaning back against it. You buried your head in your hands, collapsing to the floor as you brought your knees up to your chest. And for all the wrong reasons, you cried. You cried, because the fucking bastard didn’t care about anyone else but himself. You cried, because he couldn’t see what he was doing to the people around him. What he was doing to you. A small part of you still wanted to believe that there was still some good in him, after he had saved your life from a car accident all those years ago. The accident had happened just before Max had been born. You were on your way to the hospital to meet Michael when your car collided with that of an intoxicated driver. You car flipped several times, trapping you inside the wreckage upside down as it caught fire. You still wonder what had possessed him to save your life that night, what made him decide that you were worth saving? How could someone with such extraordinary gifts, abuse them in such a way?
You sighed heavily, wiping the tears from your face as your wrapped your arms around your form, giving yourself what little comfort you could. Unknown to you, or anyone within the apartment complex, Homelander had never left. He could hear your faint sobs through the layered walls, your heartfelt cries and awkward sniffles as you tried so desperately to assure your nephew that you were fine. He could see you hiding in your bedroom, alone and hurting. And a small part of him felt guilty for causing you to feel this way. But he couldn’t talk to you, not now. He needed answers, and he would get them by whatever means necessary. But your words stuck with him the entire flight back to Vought International, ‘We need to be smart about this...at least one of us has to have some common fucking sense’.
Maybe you were right. Maybe you weren’t. But he would never know now, as he instead changed his direction and flew about the city, trying to clear his head of tonights events.
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Two weeks. It had been two weeks since your argument with Homelander, and nothing had changed.
It had been quiet for the most part, except for when Max stopped by every afternoon after school as your apartment was within walking distance. More often than not, Black Noir stopped by as well. He often sat outside on the fire escape, perched either reading a book or casually watching you as you went about your daily activities. So at some point, and you’re still unsure as to why, but you invited him inside.
You started to leave your window unlocked again for whenever he came by, and he didn’t talk much. Which surprisingly made him a very good listener. He listened to your every word with some sort of interest, and it felt good to have another adult around, one that actually listened to you and didn’t argue. In those two weeks, you managed to get a new phone, a new number, and managed to establish all your old contacts again. Butcher was the only one you couldn’t make contact with. He hadn’t stopped by your apartment either, which left you a little disheartened. You figured that the CIA considered you a loose end, and that Homelander had or would likely kill you when he was done with you. An unpleasant shiver ran down your spine at the thought.
You sat at the dining room table, trying to weave your way through Vought’s servers for a second time. But you hadn’t expected such resistance. They had definitely upgraded their technology, their firewalls were practically impenetrable. You cursed under your breath, slamming your hands against the table’s surface out of frustration. Noir looked up from the book he was reading on your couch, his head tilting to the side out of confusion and questioning. You groaned, running a stressed hand through your hair “When did Vought upgrade their servers?” You asked him, not really expecting a helpful answer from him at all. When Noir shrugged and returned his gaze back to his book, you poked your tongue out childishly in his direction. “Thanks a lot, arsehole” You grumbled, rolling your eyes as he gave you a sarcastic thumbs up. Before you could respond with a disrespectful quip, there was a loud knock at the door.
Again, you groan, muttering a few jumbled incoherent phrases under your breath as you approached. You swung the door open without thinking, and almost choked on air when you eyes landed on the person on the other side. Homelander stood with his eyes downcast, his hues a darker and sadder shade of blue than they usually were. His right arm leaned against the doorframe, his usually combed back fair hair in slight disarray. You looked him up and down, swallowing thickly as a heavy silence filled the hallway. You cleared your throat, folding your arms over your chest as you opened your mouth to speak.
“I want to try it your way...” Homelander suddenly spoke, his voice low and devoid of his usual sarcastic and pompous tone. Your eyes widened as you were taken aback by his sudden sincereness. You bit your bottom lip, raising an eyebrow in challenge “Did demanding answers not do it for you?-”
“I didn’t...ask Stillwell about Project Cerberus...” He snapped bitterly, gritting his teeth as he lifted his eyes to meet your own. You nodded slowly, hating the way you so easily gave in and stepped aside, allowing the man before you to step into your apartment. But before he could walk past you, you reach out and grabbed his upper arm with your hand, looking up at the Supe from the corner of your eye. “Yell at me like you did two weeks ago again, and I’m done. Understand?” You spoke seriously, your grip tightening around his bicep as a silent promise. Homelander nodded wordlessly, and you released him from your hold. You closed the door to your apartment and headed back towards the living room, where Homelander nodded a curt greeting to the other Supe sitting on the couch. “Just out of curiosity, is there something else I can call you other than Homelander? Otherwise I’m just going to call you prick or arsehole” you stated blatantly, smirking tauntingly as the man before you turned to face your figure with a stern and harsh expression. With his eyes narrowed and his nostrils flaring in anger, you held your hands up in defence “Okay then, baby steps...baby steps”.
Your eyes widened in shock as Noir released a huff sounding close enough to a laugh. After making eye contact with Homelander out of bewilderment, and after seeing that he wore a similar expression, you shook your head. After deciding that Noir possibly laughing wasn’t as weird as having two of The Seven currently situated in you apartment, you motioned Homelander over to your laptop, where the two of you set about breaking into Vought’s servers.
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Tag List: @tardis-23​ @freshmakertaco​
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yiqiie · 4 years
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wangxian fic rec list pt.2
you can find part one here!
as usual, this will be kept under a keep reading so it doesn’t clog up the dashboard. i actually reblogged my original post and added to it then accidentally deleted it but i have a crap ton more recommendations anyway! there’s a lot of angst in this list because apparently i love putting my heart through a meat grinder 
there are some heavy fics included this time, but i really wanted to include some that explored the issue of mental health and recovery, especially in these difficult times, so make sure you look out for the TW if those fics aren’t your cup of tea 
since tumblr’s new update prevents posts with links from appearing in the tags, i would really appreciate if people could reblog so anyone who needs a fic rec can see this! 
notion summary page: here (i only put my favourites in this tumblr list, so if you would like even more recommendations, please read the notion summary for basically all of my bookmarks on ao3) 
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something to make your heart ache
tempo rubato by @spodumene 
angst, fluff, smut, multi-chaptered, modern au 
guys when i say this fic changed my life i really mean it i think i binged it all within a single night and luckily the last chapter came out the next day and i literally was beside myself with excitement; it is heartbreaking and so beautifully written, i keep going back to read it again and again it’s just THAT good 
complementarity by @besanii​
angst, fluff, multi-chaptered, cql au
i’ve always been a fan of beth’s works (if anyone wants to screech with me about her shattered mirror’s fic I AM HERE) but this was so much angst i literally felt my heart cave in on itself like it was actually painful holy shit she is such a compelling writer and this is one of my favourites even though it HURTS ME 
and here comes the summertime by ribena 
angst, fluff, multi-chaptered, modern au 
LWJ PLS USE YOUR WORDS FOR ONCE this is peak lwj being a dumbass guys i really can’t with this boy but this is such a cute fic of wangxian falling in love and you can really see how they genuinely go from being two people who have no chance of being anything to SOULMATES 
总有一天; a place to hide (can’t find one near) by yiqie 
angst, trauma, modern au, trigger warning: suicide 
this fic rec is gonna kick off some of our heavier recs for the list; yiqie is definitely one of my favourite ao3 writers and i am really excited for the next update of this fic, it deals with some really important mental health topics and it doesn’t shy away from the reality of how scary things can be. i’ve personally been thinking a lot more about mental health in general during my time in isolation and it’s gotten me to reflect more on my own wellbeing as well. this is beautifully written, and obviously it’s not going to encapsulate everyone’s personal experience but i think it’s a great step in recognising that mental health is real and something we should be looking out for
there’s no promised goodbye here by @yuisakii​
angst, fluff, trauma, modern au, trigger warning: mental health
i saw this fic on twt and i thought it was gonna be a short cute wholesome fic about wangxian being broken up but not really bc wwx is dumb BUT this turned out to be so much more and i’m so appreciative; it portrays not a perfect relationship but one that is under the works and one that will undoubtedly require much more work in the future but it’s reality and it’s true and i think that makes it beautiful, there are discussions of mental health and how that affects relationships and how people learn to put themselves back together again with love and support and i think that’s the best part of this fic 
take yourself home by ribena 
angst, fluff, trauma, multi-chaptered, modern au, trigger warning: suicidal ideation 
this was a surprising fic i didn’t expect it to be as heavy as it was but it was beautifully handled and it’s so important to me to see mental health depicted in different ways; everyone deals with their problems in a different way and someone is struggling could seem objectively like they’re doing okay and i think it’s great that there’s a fic that recognises that, this also gives a little spotlight on the things that people use to try and cope with their wellbeing, it could be the smallest thing but a lot of the time that’s all it takes 
some things go forward by everythingispoetry 
angst, fluff, trauma, multi-chaptered, modern au, trigger warning: medical recovery 
this is a little lighter but i think this is one of the most important; the journey to recovery from any medical condition isn’t something to be taken lightly and i think this fic deals with almost everything that it will encapsulate, it’s a beautiful story that deals with the ups and downs of medical recovery and how you really need to learn to forgive yourself for maybe not being able to do everything you previously wanted to, it’s a hopeful story which is also so important because there is always hope for you no matter what 
something to soothe your heart 
you’ve ruined my life (by not being mine) by @nothing-but-color  
fluff, light angst, smut, multi-chaptered, modern au
guys this fic is so beautiful omfg it’s so CUTE and i think it really nails some of the characterisation it really sets up their relationship so well and it delves into some other issues of wangxian’s parents being uh not great parents lmfao but it’s just cute and wholesome and wangxian discovering the joy of being in a relationship 
this river runs to you by sundiscus 
fluff, light angst, yearning, modern au 
DRAGONS AND MAGIC GUYS HOLY SHIT this was a fic i just sat down and binged in like probably an hour and it’s SO GOOD, the plot, the characterisation, the amount of thought and care that went into developing this was so good and it’s beautiful guys truly a wonderful fic 
heliotrope (eternal love) by avenqelic 
fluff, light angst, modern au 
flowers and their meanings need i say more???? this was so wholesome and wwx is such a dumbass but we love him for it and there’s so much yearning and pining in this it’s almost angst but it’s not bc there’s so much SOFT content in this we love it 
lay us down (we’re in love) by mme_anxious 
fluff, modern au 
guys this is just a short wholesome cute fic to soothe your heart from all the angst i’ve put in this list IT’S PERFECT domestic wangxian will always trump everything as much as i love putting my heart through the works and this is just pEAK wangxian content 
it’s you, it was always you by myung 
fluff, light angst, cql au
guys wwx is such a dumbass but he’s a bby and we love him and this was such cute wholesome barely there angst content AND THE PINING wangxian are so dumb but we love them for it this was just something to truly soothe my heart as the heading suggests so yes pls read this after all the angst 
with absolute splendour by @veliseraptor​
fluff, light angst, yunmeng bros, cql au 
THIS IS THE FIC I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WAITING FOR guys jc being an angry grape wanting to plan shijie’s and wwx’s wedding is genuinely the content i have always wanted and i’m always so sad that there’s like barely any of it but this fic captures it PERFECTLY and it’s the yunmeng reconciliation i have been praying for 
the dragon’s bride by jaws_3 
fluff, light angst, light smut, beauty and the beast au 
lwj bby you need to learn to use your words bc then THIS HAPPENS but guys this was such a cool take on beauty and the beast au and it’s pretty spectacular wangxian are DOMESTIC HUSBANDS before they are even husbands but the writing was breathtakingly good so yes pls read this 
anyway, here’s wuji by @kakikaeru 
fluff, light angst, post-cql, focus on lan jingyi 
okay this is more background wangxian BUT THIS FIC IS SO GOOD, the next one in the series (focussing on jin ling) is also spectacular so pls read them both, but guys LAN JINGYI BEST BOY and he’s in love omfg wangxian being overprotective adorable husbands looking after all their children is just what we LIVE for 
something to make you laugh 
i get religion real quick 'cause you're looking so divine by so_shyy
fluff, humour, modern au
guys wangxian being a chaotic mess but wwx being even more of a pining dumbass bc of hospital drugs is PERFECT i have probably read every single version of the cliche ‘husband waking up stoned after surgery’ but guys it’s so much wholesome content and amazing in every single way 
life, drama and action by akai__hana
fluff, social media, modern au 
whenever i have an angsty fic that makes my heart go eek i reach for this fic bc it’s a reminder that WANGXIAN IS HAPPILY MARRIED WITH A SUN THANK YOU and they are living their best lives as husbands in every life so this is just so cute short and wholesome we LIVE for this content 
besieged by @ariaste 
fluff, light smut, humour, post-cql 
another fic for reaffirmation that wangxian are being overprotective husbands and our bby a-yuan is not really a baby anymore and it’s just so DOMESTIC and such good content and we really love every single reminder that wangxian are just happy and together and they’re SOULMATES okay 
worth the entire universe and more by @xiellian​
fluff, humour, modern au
this was fcking hilarious guys i read it right after one of my angsts and it’s just SO WHOLESOME wwx you’re so dumb we love you so much but you’re truly dumb also lwj bby pls use your words this was such a cute concept and just a pinch of domestic wangxian i needed in my day 
a quest (for kisses) by @xiellian​
fluff, humour, post-cql 
ANOTHER DOMESTIC WANGXIAN FIC guys i can literally picture this happening bc wangxian are insufferable and are hellbent on letting the whole entire world know they are IN LOVE and that they ARE SOULMATES and we forgive them bc they ARE 
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beauvibaby · 4 years
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who cares - f.andersen
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a/n: I had to repost bc the tags didn’t work 🥺
word count: 1.9k
I slipped my dress on, not being able to fully zip up the back, I sighed, gathering the last of my accessories, and carrying my heels by the straps, my feet padding down the hard floors quietly. I was about to pop my head around the corner to get Freddie’s attention, needing him to fix the back of my dress, but my ears perked up as I heard my name being mentioned between him and Auston. I leaned against the wall, “she’s so young, it’s hard.” I heard Freddie speak up, my smile faltered, I was waiting for a but and the sentence to continue but it didn’t, his words hung in the air for a while. “That’s never bothered either of you before.” Auston pointed out and I could hear some shuffling, and I panicked rushing quietly back down towards the room. I slipped my heels on before walking back towards them, making my presence known as they patiently awaited me for a fancy maple leafs press event. “Freddie, can you zip me up?” I called softly, not wanting my voice to give me away. I stood sticking my head out, holding my dress to my front as they glanced over, “yeah.” He mumbled with a smile, approaching me, and I gave him one in return, forcing the words to the back of my mind, but who was I fooling, they kept replaying in my head, over and over. She’s so young, it’s hard. He’d never said anything like that, for goodness sakes, I was supposed to be moving in with him this summer, we had planned it as I was graduating college. It was perfect to me, and I thought it was too him but now I wondered. “You alright, baby?” Freddie whispered after he zipped my dress up, his hands lingering on my shoulders as the straps fell into place. I grimaced are the pet name that he’s always used, suddenly feeling like it was an insult rather than a term of endearment. “I’m okay.”
Stephanie and I were huddled up together watching as the guys lined up to do interviews, I was anxiously shifting on my feet, “I’ve tried to bite my tongue, but, there’s something clearly bothering you.” She sighed, I was undoubtedly the closest with her out of everyone’s girlfriends. I glanced over at her, “what did he do? Do I have to hurt him? I can make Mitch stay quiet.” She rushed her words, instantly picking up that I was angry at Freddie. “He didn’t do anything, actually that’s kind of the problem.” I admitted and she furrowed her brows, shooting Mitch a smile when he met her eyes, she looked back towards me. “I overheard him and Auston talking, Freddie said something about me being so young, and how it’s hard. Then I heard them moving and panicked.” I explained, fiddling with my freshly manicured nails. “Oh girl, I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that. He’s all about you, every time I see him and you’re not there it’s always ‘y/n did this’ or ‘I wish y/n was here’. He’s pathetically in love with you.” She assured me, but of course her words couldn’t fully sink in as I told myself even she had to have her doubts. “I’m 22, he’s 30, it’s never bothered me or really anyone that knows us, but suddenly he’s telling Auston how hard it is?” I sighed, glancing up as I felt his eyes on me, he was looking at me, to anyone else he would’ve looked blank, or tired. But to me, I could tell he was trying to figure out what was going through my mind, his eyes darted between mine, trying to see if I was upset over something. I forced a smile onto my face which eased him up a little bit as he continued down the parade of reporters. “You should talk to him, you guys have never let this stop you before. Why start now.” Steph gave me her last words of assurance as Mitch started approaching, she met him halfway, placing a kiss to his cheek as she walked off with him. I took the few short steps to the waiter who had a tray of champagne, “thank you.” I mumbled taking the glass, and pressing it to my lips nearly instantly. “Yes ma’am.” He responded, I could feel him give me a once over. I turned away from his gaze feeling uncomfortable, I smiled as I saw Freddie approaching me. “Hi.” I sighed in relief, even though those thoughts still danced around my mind. I laughed as Freddie out a hand slightly lower on my back than he normally did in public, I could tell he was shooting the waiter a look. “Don’t be so jealous.” I teased, lacing our fingers together.
He let a soft chuckle past his lips, “says the one who gets pouty when someone else wears an Andersen jersey.” He tsked, I rolled my eyes softly. “Hey, I used to be one of those girls, I know what they’re saying about you.” I reminded him and a pink tint crept up his neck as he ordered a drink from the bar. “Y/N?” Freddie asked after a short silence, I looked up from my flute glass, “yeah?” I replied, glancing at his hand that subconsciously started squeezing mine tighter. “You’re awfully quiet tonight, is everything alright?” He murmured, giving the bartender a silent thank you with the nod of his head as his drink appeared in front of him. “I’m fine, let’s just enjoy the night.” I assured him, adjusting the tie around his neck for a moment. He gave me a hesitant look but knew I wouldn’t budge so he dropped it and we started mingling the night away.
***
The elevator ride up to Freddie’s apartment was quiet, dare I say awkward, something I had never felt around him. Neither of us were tipsy, both barely finishing our one alcoholic drinks of the night, not feeling like being inhibited tonight. He held the door open for me and I walked in, sighing in relief when I could finally remove these heels. “Baby-“ I cut him off with an unintentionally loud sigh and he raised his eyebrows at me. “Yes, Freddie?” I bit back my tone, my voice coming out soft and tired instead. “I was just going to say that you looked beautiful tonight, and thank you for coming with me.” He explained, watching me cautiously. I looked him over, feeling guilty as I never complimented him on his look tonight either. “Of course, you know I’ll always go with you to these things. You looked very handsome tonight.” I responded, walking over to give him a quick peck. He cupped my face, gently keeping me in place longer than I had planned but I began to melt into him. “My love,” I gave in at his words, he knew that was the way to get me to open up, he had stumbled across it on accident one time, trying to get me to calm down when I was panicking over a finals exam. Ever since then he’s reserved it for moments like this, where he was genuinely worried for my wellbeing, knowing something was clearly bothering me. “Did someone say something tonight?” He questioned when I silently looked up at him, my eyes a little shiny with tears. I nodded my head, pulling my bottom lip into my mouth, he raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to tell him what happened. “I heard you and Auston talking while I was getting ready.” I admitted and he furrowed his eyebrows.
“Why would that upset you? What did you hear?” He looked genuinely confused, I stepped out of his gentle hold giving him a soft glare. “She’s so young, it’s hard.” I repeated his words and his face fell, “is that all you heard?” He questioned. I nodded, looking to my feet, “I didn’t want to say anything because I thought it would only make you realize again how much younger than you I am.” I admitted, hating myself for saying it as I looked up and saw his face, I assumed what I had said was true when he broke into a small smile. “It’s not funny, I can’t believe you’re laughing!” I gasped, turning away to walk towards the bedroom, needing to be away from him. I heard him following me, “y/n, I’m laughing because you didn’t hear everything I told Auston.” Freddie explained, grabbing my hand and I spun towards him with a few silent tears on my face. “Hey,” he murmured, frowning when he saw how genuinely distraught I was, “baby,” I flinched at the name once more and his face went completely blank, “don’t cry, please don’t cry.” He sighed, wiping my tears with the pads of his thumbs. “Why not? I just told you my biggest fear and you laughed.” I knew I was guilt tripping him but I didn’t care. “Wait, that’s your biggest fear?” He looked taken back by my words. I nodded softly, “losing you is my biggest fear.” I muttered, inhaling sharply when he tackled me to the bed in a hug.
“After Auston said it never bothered either of us before,” he paused making sure I was fully listening to him. “I told him it would never bother me, but I was worried about people making you feel bad, I was worried you’d think I’m holding you back.” He told me and this time I was the one who was confused. “Freddie, why would I think you’re holding me back?” I slowly sat up, forcing him to sit beside me. “Because you’re 22, you should be out going to parties, and doing what normal college students do, but instead you’re going to my hockey games every weekend, and staying in because I don’t want to go out to every bar in town.” I let a laugh fall from my lips at his words, much like he had done to me. He gave me a look and I stopped, “honey,” he rolled his eyes at my choice of name, I always did it to poke fun at him, but it never failed to get a smile out of him. I moved to be straddling him, as best as I could in my dress, “I fell in love with you because of all those things, I don’t like getting drunk every weekend, I don’t like being surrounded by all those perverted men in bars,” I paused letting a chuckle fall from his mouth, I rested my forehead against his. “I wouldn’t change a thing about you, about us, who cares what people think? I love you and I love staying in every weekend with you, and I love going to your hockey games, and wearing your jersey. I love everything about us.” I sealed my statement with a kiss, and he circled his arms around my waist, pulling me as close as he possibly could. “I love you.” He muttered against my lips, I smiled moving to hide my face in his neck, he did the same to me. “So does this mean I still get to move in?” I teased, pressing a chaste kiss to his neck. “You didn’t think you’d get rid of me that easy did you?” He responded, I laughed against him, “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you earlier, we could’ve had much more fun at the event if I had.” I sighed leaning back in his grip, he shook his head, “I should’ve talked to you too.” He shrugged it off, not wanting to ruin this moment. “But I can think of a few ways to liven up the night a bit.”
Taglist: @literarycharleton​ @thathockeygirl​
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megastarstriker · 3 years
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✰ᴛʀɪᴄᴋ ᴏʀ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛ✰ -----------------------------
★{𝑀𝒾𝒸𝓀 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓈 𝓍 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇} ★ ---------------------------------------------------
Requested: 
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Contains: FLUFF AND ANGST
𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜: Mick Mars x Female Reader
𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩:
𝙏𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩: @metalheartofgold, @ginny-rose-sixx, @xxqueencolourxx​, @littlemisscare-all​,
💕 LOVE YOU GUYS AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANNA GET TAGGED TOO 💕
Keys:
(Y/N) - Your Name
(L/N) - Last Name
(S/N) - Son’s Name
{Photos and gifs aren’t mine they belong to their owners. I only own the editing} 💕
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───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────  ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────  
[1990′s ]
The sound of footsteps along with the crunching of the leaves beneath our feet reached our ears as we walked hand in hand towards Nikki’s house. Mick, (S/N), and I, along with Vince, Tommy and their wives and kids were coming to Nik’s house for Halloween. (S/N) of course was excited and happy too to see his aunts, uncles as well as his friends too, so we could all head out to trick or treat with the kids outside. It was quite adorable really and happily surprising to see. It was one of the first times he has ever smiled too. Mick thought so too....
=======================================================
Before Mick and I even met, I was already married and had (S/N). We were all a happy family and had so many cherished memories.  Until the day of that horrible car accident....
(S/N) was still a small child around that time probably around 4 or 5. It was saddening for me and especially since I hadn’t told him yet at that time. It was hard to even bring it up, but I did. He cried of course and I heartbreakingly did as well, comforting him. As the year pass he wasn’t as cheery or happy as he was before, probably missing his father. He was always overprotective of his stuff and sometimes me. He thought I was going to disappear like he did and become a ghost too. Sometimes he would have these nightmares of his father that were horrifying to say the least. He became more quiet too and distant towards other people, having this sad look in his face sometimes, when Father’s day came up on the calendar in school. Kids would ask him if he had dad or where was he, he would end up having this look of trauma on his face, his hands shaking a bit. Running away, as he had a sudden panic attack towards the bathroom away from his classroom, crying silently. The teacher would call about it, and I hurriedly would drive there to soothe him, often reassuring him that everything was okay and that I will never leave him like that. 
2 years have passed and everything was a bit more better than last time. Sure the atmosphere was gloomy and (S/N) was still quiet instead of his happier and excited self when he was much younger. In that time I had met Mick surprisingly through a friend of mine who was a roadie working for the band, “Motley Crue”. I was there to help her on something quick that she needed, but it ended up being quite an unexpected event. Our meeting wasn’t normal or easy to say, but in the end we became an item through the months that follow.  
Mick was such a strong and humble man. He wasn’t a guy of many words but he sure spoke a lot through his actions when it came to me, mostly a huge sweetheart. He was indeed quite but when it came to me he wasn’t afraid to talk, the same went for me when he wanted to listen to my feelings or what my mind was thinking. He was undoubtedly nice and very kind, he doesn’t show it that much around other people( including the Crue ) but nonetheless he sure was a precious thing. I was glad to have met him and he was too. I obviously told him and opened about my son and everything that happened, he of course was shocked to hear this, but he comforted me when I started to talk about my deceased husband. After hearing this he hugged me and even opened up to me a lot about himself too. Very personal things, I of course listened with sympathy for this man. Honestly, it made me love him more than ever for him to open up like that  especially with such trustworthiness. Mick did meet my son and of course it wasn’t easy as he grew pretty shy around people, having lost his confidence years ago. Plus he was a bit suspicious of Mick, mainly the reason because he didn’t want me being with him at all. My son started to reject Mick in everything, he eventually told me about it, feeling a bit angry and sadly frustrated and I reassured him to give him some time to adjust and get to know him better. It did took quite a looong while for them to really get along but when it did it was a bit minor. But the son and father loving relationship between Mick and (S/N) grew more than ever. He started talking a bit more and even shyly asking Mick if he could play his guitar when he would go to sleep just to ease the nightmares he would have. Those nights that he did play ended up with Mick laying sleeping soundly with him cuddled up cutely next to each other. In the end I couldn’t help but take pictures of the two looking so cute.....
 I couldn’t help but cry tears of joy when he proposed to me one day, I didn’t really expect him to do this especially in front of a crowd. I would’ve had no problem to be honest if he would wanted to do it alone with me in a room. I guess he felt brave and confident to do so because the second I said yes with tears in my shocked eyes he kissed me, with nothing but true love and passion.....He and I hugged and eventually our son soon joined, forming a group hug. The rest of the bandmates congratulated us in our soon to be marriage and all ended well. My son of course was quite happy and felt extremely comfortable with calling Mick his father now. After that long comforting talk with Mick telling him that his father will never be replaced and that he loves him, same with his father, and that he would never hurt me or him in any way. It made me feel wholesome and emotional but those words were everything for me too hear.....
========================================================= 
Mick, (S/N), and I were all outside along with Vince, Tommy, Nikki their wives and kids too. We were all talking about how everything has been going on, while Tommy and the kids were fooling around playing pranks or doing the most funniest things you could imagine. Nikki would eventually join in on the pranking along with the kids to fool around too on scaring people or each other, when they suddenly called Nikki “too old to play”. Nikki and Tommy were called,” The Terror Twins” for a reason. Then Vince would come in to the group too..... Mick of course would sit down and just shake his head with a small laugh, and smile at their randomness, bringing back so many memories of their younger years together as the crazy- rock hard- loving family they were know. Mick joined a bit but only because his son begged him too. Me and the girls eventually gave in and the whole family was having a prank war inside the house....
Tommy had a bunch of gummy bears in his mouth as he was competing with the kids along with Nikki, While Vince was with his daughter comforting her small little cries when she got scared, holding her hand in his tightly along with his beautiful and kind wife at his side as they walked on the streets along with us. We were all at the moment trick or treating, dressed up in Halloween costumes. Mick, (S/N), and I were dressed up as the three blind mice. Mainly because our son asked if we could, since he had a great soft spot for animals, even if it were mice. The others were dressed too and happy as they walked with their kids who were busy talking with each other. We were all giggling and happy as me, Mick, and our adorable son dressed as cute mice in the street, along with the others.... It was all pretty calm as (S/N) carried his bag filled with sweet-looking candy... until he spoke
“Hey Dad.”, (S/N) said to Mick, making him look towards him with soft eyes, his heart warming at the thought that his son was calling him “Dad” instead of just “Mick”.
He grunted softly as to let him know to keep talking as he held his small hand in his. “Can we play your guitar with uncle Nikki, after we trick or treat?”, He asked silently with beaming eyes, hoping he wouldn’t say no.
“Of course Kiddo.”, He said as he ruffled his head softly, a noticeable smile on his face.
“Can we smash it?”, (S/N) said this time with a huge grin and stars forming in his eyes. 
“Now you’re definitely pushing it, Kiddo.”, He said his face going neutral and serious when he said about smashing his guitar. 
The boy frowned a bit as he held his hand still looking at the ground with disappointed look in his face. Tommy hearing this from Mick and looking at the kid’s sadden face joined in the conversation. 
“Aww, c’mon old man Mick.”, He told Mick as he patted his back, “You used to do it a bunch at the concerts, Heck even that one time when you got super pissed, when it wouldn’t play and “you called it a piece of shi- junk”....”
Tommy’s wife glared at him for a bit when he almost said the “s” but then softened when he corrected himself before he could, as he looked at her slightly afraid to say the wrong thing in front of the kids. 
“Sooo, Let the kid give it a try.”, Tommy said trying to change his mind, “Who knows maybe your son will kick your old butt at being a riff guitar player.” He whispered in his ear with a playful smirk, obviously wanting to piss Mick off in a high-spirited kind of way. 
“Maybe as great as his Dad too!”, He shouted with a smile as he looked at his son and (S/N) with a wink.
“Like hell he would!”, He whispered shouted at him as he gave him a look that read ‘I know what you’re doing and its not gonna happen.’, “I’m not risking him getting hurt!”
“That does that mean we can!”, (S/N) said with a huge smile, his hopes up at the thought of him and his father playing and smashing the guitar together.
“N-no, we’re not!”, Mick said sternly with seriousness as he looked at his kid with obvious concern. 
“Oh c’mon, Dad pretty please. I promise I won’t break anything.”, 
‘Damnit Kid, is not the guitar I’m worried about!’ He thought in his out loud as he struggled to say anything as his kid, the kids ,and Tommy begged him with puppy eyes. Mick looked at me nervously for help, and I could only laugh at him and whispered, “It’s okay” at him. He eventually slumped his shoulders and gave in crossing his arms and muttering a small “fine”.
Tommy and the kids cheered along with (S/N). Only then did he embrace Mick in a strong hug and said the most loving words a father could ever give to have his son say.
“I love you, Dad!”, He told him with the most loving gaze and  the most happiest smile at his father, just like he would to his own father.
“I love you too.”, He whispered and said to him with the warmest gaze and the most honest smile just like a father would do to his amazing son, just exactly like ‘his father’ would. 
I had joyful brimming tears in my eyes as I went and hugged them, forming a group hug as we all giggled a bit and showered our son in kisses.
All three of them knew that were ever that man was in a ghostly spirit he was smiling at them, with love and happiness. 
Just like someone who loved them deeply would.
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{AUTHORS NOTE}
This was supposed to be posted around October for Halloween but I ended postponing it due to a couple of reasons, because of work that I had to do unfortunately. I apologize if anyone was waiting on this and I deeply wish for the person that requested it liked it and could forgive my tardiness on it. I’m thankful and Happy for anyone who enjoyed and liked reading this as much as I did while writing it. 😓😓💗💗
🖤I HOPE ANYONE THAT’S READING LIKED IT AS WEll AND LOVE YOU.🖤
IF ANY ONE WANTS TO ASK ME FOR SOMETHING TO WRITE WITH THE MEMBERS OF  MOTLEY CRUE OR THE DIRT VERSION OF IT.  HERE’S THE LIST FOR ANYONE THAT WANTS TO REQUEST SOMETHING FROM ME.
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tarithenurse · 3 years
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Nightingale - 19
Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Hatake Kakashi &/x Fem!OC Contents: Yeah...this gets darker with some violence, a torture-ish situation, angst, sadness. A/N: Gotten to 347 of Shippuuden, btw. What a ride! As usual, ASK or REBLOG for tag!
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Ch. 19
Her restraints haven't been altered, so Uguisu sits straight in the chair – the only display of freedom being a leg daintily slung over the other, allowing a foot to tap along in the air to an unheard melody as if she's bored. There is no fear in her face, just mild curiosity as she regards the towering man who has turned to her now. Gloved fingers move nimbly to release the gag.
"How are you feeling, Minami-kun?"
If she's surprised at the question and the (relatively) kind voice, she doesn't show it. "Much better, thank you. I don't believe I've slept this well since I was a teen."
"I suppose not..." Ibiki concedes, "but how come you managed to tonight? I would expect someone with your claimed experiences would have nightmares."
"Normally, yes. I guess I was too exhausted even to dream." The interrogator has begun circling the chair where she sits so her gaze lands on Kakashi instead.
"It can be a relief to finally tell the truth."
She nods. "Might also have helped that establishing the seal burned through all my chakra."
"The seal...yes." Pausing, he lets a hand brush against her shoulder, and while Kakashi holds his breath in anticipation, the woman merely tenses. "Do you feel...different with the seal?"
Uguisu purses her lips slightly as if in deep thought. "Well, apart from the physical effect...I'm not sure. It might be psychological that I feel free...like a looming shadow has been chased away...it probably is...but it's the best metaphor."
"You mentioned a physical effect?"
"It throbs, hurts. Not the worst I've ever felt but enough to be annoying." It’s impossible to tell she’s experiencing any discomfort when looking at her.
"Last night, you told us how the Curse Mark would be triggered if you used too much of your chakra or kekkei genkai." She nods at his words. "Is that the same now?"
"I wouldn't know."
"Why not?"
The little bit Kakashi knows about the woman, he can easily imagine that she's biting a sarcastic comment back rather than the calm reply she gives: "It seemed unwise to do anything without proper approval first...and I'm afraid to try."
"Explain."
"...which part?"
"The latter," Ibiki prompts less patiently but adds, "if you'd be so kind."
"When the mark activates, it's as if Orochimaru takes over mind and body and I...don't...want that."
Kakashi fears for one short moment that the woman will be asked to continue explaining, to retell in gruelling details what exactly she has suffered through at the hands of Konoha's enemy, and maybe that was Ibiki's plan as he bends over her to scrutinize her eyes and face because to the careful observer there's a subtle change in his stance.
He signals Inoichi who brings out a backpack together with a bundle containing the gear she’d carried last night.
“Is this yours?” The man with the long ponytail lifts the backpack.
“It is.”
“What is in it?” He places it on the end of the table that’s free.
A shrug. “I suppose that depends if anything has been added or removed since last I packed it.” Undoubtedly, Uguisu doesn’t trust the men very much. “There should be some tools, weapons, and clothing of mine. You’d also find a book from the Academy’s Library, a necklace, an alarm clock, someone’s favourite cup...washed, I might add...ehm, an also-washed sock, a photograph, and a pretty stone.”
Every item mentioned is procured from the depths of the luggage and lined up on the table.
Morino takes over again: “You have stolen these things, true?”
“Is it still considered stealing if the intention from the beginning is to return them?”
“Then why take them at all?”
A grim smile dances across the woman’s face. “The note explained why I borrowed the book. The rest? Proof that I could’ve killed but chose not to. I’m not the enemy.”
A smile is tugging at Kakashi’s lips behind the black fabric of the collar as he sees the interrogator momentarily at a loss for words – the skills he has honed over the years are telling him the explanation is true or at least not detectable as a lie.
"Then tell me," he recovers, "what you can do with your skill. Why was it so important to Orochimaru?"
"Because it can force people to go against their very nature." Only silence answers her. "One order from me, worded carefully, and the person will have no choice but to follow it to their best of their abilities. They will want to. Like an obsession or addiction nagging their mind until they give in to it because it's the only thing that matters to them. Orochimaru sought to use it to gain access to restricted places or during interrogations if a prisoner refused to tell him what he wanted. At the time, it wasn't necessary for the sake of carrying out murders but I'm certain he considered that as an option too," she sighs, "and probably more."
"Show us."
The onlookers were already silent but the hush that falls in the room makes it feel as though all air has been sucked away – a feeling that's intensified when Uguisu stares at the man with open mouth.
"Show? Are you...you don't mean that," she gasps, "or are...you volunteering?"
"Hm," Kakashi knows something's brewing when the interrogator begins to smile, "not me, no. However I'd recommend you demonstrate your skill on someone who has stated their devotion to you." Yeah, that makes sense. "Kakashi."
Even before Ibiki has finished saying his name, the jōnin in question has pushed to his feet. If Asuma had been there, he’d probably look at the white-haired friend in a way which would mean something along the lines of "told you so". The only Sarutobi, the old Hokage, shifts in his seat but doesn't object, allowing the addition to the people in the arena.
"Order him to follow the first order I give him."
Just do it. Kakashi nods to the woman, hoping to banish the fear from the doe-like eyes as she shifts her attention between the two men. I got nothing to hide.
“I must be able to sign,” she protests.
Without hesitation, the tall man in charge cuts her bonds and even allows her time to rub some life into hands and fingers before he motions towards the test-bunny. Is she hesitating? Just as Kakashi begins to wonder, Uguisu’s hands flies through a series of signs.
"Kakashi..."
Everything changes. The surroundings seem to fade away along with the people in it – even the shadow that once was Ibiki is unable to take form or speak audibly as it leans closer to Uguisu. Uguisu. She's washed out too, but her voice rings clear, somehow guiding him as she speaks again and he just knows that anything she says is important. Follow the order Ibiki gives me. It's a strange thing to say, but if that's what she wants then he'll happily do it and as he nods, the man in question begins to stand out clearer in the blurred world.
"Strangle her until she passes out."
A part of Kakashi tries to object, but his body moves on its own accord until he's leaning over her because this is what she wanted. She told him to follow the order. So he does.
The skin is soft and smooth under his fingers, the little hairs in the neck obediently bend under the pressure and it tickles a memory of having touched the blue strands before but in a different way. Above his hands the usually pretty face is distorted: mouth open, eyes watering and huge. She's afraid? But she wanted me to do this. It doesn't make sense, really, but he clings on to the one thing he knows for sure. Do as told. Her eyes roll backwards and the whites contrast the flushed skin. Almost there. Almost done as you wanted. Something wet lands on her face. Drops of something unimportant. She's resisting a bit now, but it's easy to avoid the instinctual flailing. Almost. And then she stops. The haze of the world lifts as Kakashi's hands fall to his sides and he realizes what he has done.
It takes four seconds to lower her onto the floor.
It takes five before he can hear the heartbeat, sluggish and faint.
It feels like an infinity before she gasps and coughs, each intake of breath shuddering through her body. It nearly breaks his heart to feel Uguisu stiffen as he pulls her into his lap.
"Truth..." Ibiki’s standing with his arms crossed, glaring down at the woman and smiling lazily as he takes in how she reacts even in her ally's arms. "Gotta admit I'm impressed it actually worked...maybe you're not completely useless after all."
"You wanna...see...usefulness?" she wheezes, pushing off of Kakashi and onto her feet. She's shaking, whether from the underlying trauma or the near death experience itself is unclear.
The man who ordered the attack strolls around the arena. "You didn't even try to fight him."
"Why should I...an order cannot be annulled..." Slender fingers tentatively stroke the angry marks left behind on her throat, making Kakashi’s gut tighten.
"Aï...The only thing I've seen so far is a scared woman crying and snivelling."
Something ignites within Kakashi almost as if he had been the target of the insult. But if I butt in...no...He knows the senior well enough to understand that this is part of the tactic, one move of many in an elaborate game of chess between him and the blue-haired girl.
Maybe she knows it too, at least she doesn't hide a tiny smile. "Fight back." Now her smile has grown into a full grin. "Perhaps a duel? Unless it's beneath you to fight a snivelling, scared girl like me? Hmm?"
"No involvement of others."
"Hm," she agrees.
Getting the hint, her white-haired friend retreats to his seat from before, only now realizing that his mask is wet.
Below, Uguisu is equipping the gear she normally wears and meticulously checks the contents of each pouch and sheath. Her hands are shaking. The sound of her breathing still has a slight creaking to it. Maybe for that reason, the scarred man is allowing her to take her time. He wants to see how capable she is.
Ibiki squares off at one side of the sandy floor. "The opponent must yield."
Again, she hums in agreement, taking her own place opposite of him. "Before we start...you might want to have a look in the book," she sweetly offers, "first page."
"Hah! Such a low trick won't work."
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snusbandxknifewife · 4 years
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Photo Fic 2: Electric Boogaloo
Ok so this is the sequel to the first fic I ever posted on this account. (If you wanna read that one first, click on the photo fic tag at the bottom.) I think it’s cute as hell and I’m soft about it so 🥺 Jude and Cardan wanting to take pictures together makes me 🥺🥺🥺
~~~~~~~~~
In the year after Cardan and Jude took their very first photos in a photobooth, photography became a bit of a fascination in Faerie. Jude didn’t intend for it to happen, but what royalty does tends to become the fad in the kingdom.
It started when they’d bought a Polaroid and began to take pictures of one another, eventually amassing so many that they’d dedicated an entire hall to photos of them. It was both of their favorite place in the entire palace, where they both went to see the other smile and drown in happy memories.
Then a servant had left a door open and a visiting dignitary had seen inside. After that, word quickly spread around the kingdom of the King and Queen’s portrait hall: the place where they’d managed to capture pieces of real life. Jude and Cardan had sighed and agreed to throw the doors open, allowing people to tour the wonder.
(Of course they’d continued to take dumb photos and risqué ones too, but they were much better at hiding those. Jude was insistent that only the dramatic or kickass photos get sent to the hall.)
They’d graduated to a better camera and they’d started to send requests for Vivi to print them. As the photos got bigger and more detailed, the people of Elfhame grew more impressed. All over the kingdom, tinkerers and witches and everyone in between began trying to craft devices that would capture photos in ways the mortal devices couldn’t. It had become a fierce competition, one that amused both Jude and Cardan.
Now, on Cardan’s birthday, the entire kingdom was watching with bated breath. The Living Council had announced a competition to find the best camera creation and, in addition to all the gifts people were bringing for the king, the great hall was full of photographs. The king would be choosing the most realistic picture, and he’d also be awarding the most beautiful one.
Jude sat on her throne, her red empire waist dress floating down to her feet and glittering in the light. She’d worn it at Cardan’s insistence; since he’d announced that their subjects would undoubtedly be taking pictures of them and he wanted his wife to shine just as much as her.
Beside her, Cardan smiled and greeted the family of a soldier from the Court of Termites. Bomb took their gift and stacked it on a table to the side of the royal dais. The picture they brought with them is a gorgeous rendering of a hill overlooking a lake at sunset. It appears to be painted, the work of an extremely diligent artist who had undoubtedly spent days getting everything right.
The photos people came with weren’t all actual photographs, most were art pieces, but it made Jude smile. She couldn’t help but feel proud at the fact that she’d inspired her kingdom to try something they’d never really focused on before. At least she knew she wouldn’t have to keep going to the mortal world to get pictures with her husband. She’d be able to stay in Faerie, safe in what she was familiar with, and she’d still be able to capture important moments in her life.
Still, she’d had to go to the mortal world to get the gift she wanted for Cardan. She’d done that a few times in the past year—her husband’s favorite had been the pinup shoot she’d done about five months prior—and he had a habit of rotating the framed pictures of her he kept on his desk.
She knew she’d have to stop eventually, so she took all her chances while she still had them. She was glad that the timing of this one has worked out.
Time passed and she played the dutiful queen and adoring wife, dancing with Cardan and eating to her heart’s content, greeting her subjects and accepting gifts that didn’t come with any strings attached.
Cardan watched her over the top of his chalice, grinning at how effortlessly she swayed across the floor. With her head held high and her shoulders back, she commanded the whole room without a word. His wife was gorgeous, she was his everything.
Eventually their people became antsy, looking around at the pictures hanging all around the hall and wondering who would be announced the winner. Members of the Living Council were interviewing everyone who’d put in an entry to find out how they made their picture as Cardan led Jude to look at each piece. They’d make the decision on the most beautiful picture alone, and they’d take the Living Council’s input on the best camera entry.
Jude’s favorite was definitely the picture someone had turned in of a revel from a few weeks back. It had been outside, everyone barefoot and dancing until the sun had long come up. The picture showed a dance floor lined with faeries in all manner of dress, watching on as she and Cardan danced. Her dress that night had been a spring green piece with a dangerously low back and skirts that danced around her ankles. Her husband, shown smiling as he swung her around, had a ruffled shirt open low on his pale stomach and breeches of forest green.
Cardan’s favorite was a picture put in by a guard, one that showed his wife dressed in fighting gear as she practiced out in the gardens; her hair sticking to her skin and her face fierce as she lunged towards her sparring partner. He always adored little reminders of how deadly his wife was, loved to see glimpses of the creature that he’d managed to tame, the one who’d tamed him in turn.
They retreated to their thrones to deliberate as Cardan opened gifts. The whole hall went silent, watching the king’s reaction to each parcel. While gifts had to be freely given, everyone knew that those who gave the best gifts would be looked upon favorably.
Jude watched the room for threats as her heart began to race. She knew that the last gift Cardan would open would be the one from her. She’d made sure that Bomb arranged everything that way.
She’d worked her ass off to keep her gift a secret from him. Cardan had been a pain in the neck for WEEKS, trying to catch her in a slip up. She had to engineer a diplomatic mission for him to go on just so she could sneak away to the mortal world and she’d threatened a few lives to keep it from him. Thankfully, it would all be over in a few hours.
Cardan opened all manner of magical gifts: cloaks meant to make the wearer invisible, doublets of impenetrable spider silk, jewelry that helped you understand and speak other languages. Everything he was given was gorgeous and unbelievably expensive.
Everything except for one thing.
Cardan was just about to grab the parchment from Randalin that announced the best camera so they could make their announcements when Jude stopped him.
“Cardan, you’ve got one more gift,” she gently announced and his brows furrowed. One, Jude was hardly ever gentle and two, he had opened everything he’d been given.
Bomb walked up and handed Jude a box, one made of lush purple velvet and wrapped up in a bow of the cleanest white satin.
“What on Earth?” Cardan tilted his head to the side as he accepted the gift, his long fingers wrapping all the way around it as he tried to weigh it to guess what was inside.
“Consider it my entry into the photo contest,” she grinned, only confusing him more.
He pulled the bow off and the entire crowd watched closely. Some were intrigued, others were angry—nobody had been told the queen would be submitting a photo—and others were just being quiet to avoid the ire of the royal family.
When Cardan took the top off the box, he found a picture frame upside down and he snorted. It was just like Jude to prolong the drama.
Jude grabbed fistfuls of her fluffy tulle skirt and bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to make it bleed. She knew that she’d have to explain what it was and that was making her nervous enough to shake.
She’d debated for hours if she should give him his birthday gift in private or if she should do it at his party. Eventually, at the insistence of Vivi and Heather, she’d taken the plunge and decided on a public announcement. She knew everyone would find out eventually.
“It’s.....a photo?”
Jude snorted at Cardan’s evident confusion as he looked at the black and white fuzzy picture, no larger than his hand. She’d put it in a pretty white frame, one that she would eventually write a name on.
“You’re right, my love,” she agreed. “It’s a photo from the mortal world. You see, mortals have figured out how to take pictures for medical purposes. They can use special devices to see inside the body.”
He looked to her, delicately clutching the frame in one hand. She fought the urge to laugh at how he still hadn’t put two and two together. Out in the crowd, faeries were tittering amongst themselves, trying to figure out what their queen has given their king.
“Is this a photograph of you?” He turned back to the picture, gripping it in both hands again and turning it like a different angle would make it make more sense.
“Sort of,” she shook her hand in a so-so gesture. “I’d say I’m the background of the photo. You should be focusing here.”
She walked over and pointed, her nail with its unchipped purple paint tapping against the glass over a strangely shaped white blob. Cardan naturally leaned closer to her, as he always did when she got near, one of his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her close as he tilted his head and squinted his eyes.
Silence stretched out for a few more seconds before Jude, near giddy with mirth, stepped away from her husband.
“Maybe it’ll help if you know where the photo was taken,” she offers as she grabs the frame from his hands. Cardan, his mind still swimming with possibilities, allowed her.
Then, as his wife turned the photo to face him and drew it back so the frame was flush against her lower abdomen, his jaw dropped.
If she was the background, and the photo was taken inside the body—
“Jude, gods above, how long have you known?” Cardan’s eyes welled up with tears and he fell to his knees, his hands coming up to cup his wife’s hips and his thumbs running over where the frame covered her stomach.
Just that quickly, her throat closed up from emotion and all she could do was nod. Cardan grabbed the frame from her and tucked it against his heart as he pressed his face into her skirts, trying to kiss her stomach and hide his crying all at the same time.
Some faeries had put the clues together and were watching with gaping mouths, unsure of what to do as their king hugged their queen.
Then, Jude pulled Cardan to his feet and she turned to the crowd. “The gift I present to my king and husband is the first photograph of our child, which grows inside me as we speak.”
And, just like that, the entire hall erupted with celebration. Most of their subjects had grown to love their new king and queen and, even if that weren’t the case, a pregnancy was always cause for celebration among the fertility-challenged fae. A royal baby, especially so early on in both the king and queen’s rule and their marriage, was unheard of.
Randalin—who looked a bit annoyed at not being informed of the royal pregnancy before the court was—led the partygoers in a toast, one that Cardan happily joined in. Beside the beaming king, Jude raised her glass of water in solidarity; no wine for her for a few more months.
“How long?” Cardan asked her, near giddy with excitement.
“The doctor said twelve weeks,” she whispered back, wrapping her arm around her husband’s hips as they raised their glasses again. “I’ve suspected for a month or so. I should’ve known sooner, but my first missed period was during that last uprising attempt, so I was a bit distracted.”
Cardan held out the photo and Jude pointed out the body parts that were already forming. When she told him that she’d be going back, that he’d be able to come with her and hear their baby’s heartbeat while it was still inside her, he nearly began to bawl again.
“When do we announce the winners?” Jude asked, thinking back to that gorgeous picture of them dancing.
“I can’t think of anything more beautiful than this.” He held up the photo of their baby and Jude blushed, elbowing his side and telling him to be serious.
Cardan told her that he was being serious and she bit her lip, looking down at the photo she’d already stared at so much.
The party would grow into a week-long celebration of the new heir; a practice run for the celebrations that would rock Elfhame when the child was born. Eventually, both the faeries who made the two pictures Jude and Cardan had enjoyed the most were made aware that their works were hanging in the royal picture hall and another faerie who’d made the best camera was given a job by the Living Council and they became the first official royal photographer.
Elfhame would grow to love photography, all because of a mortal queen who wanted a picture with her husband.
~~~~~~~~~~
Hnnnnng pregnancy announcements are so cute lol
Tag list: @cardan-greenbriar-tcp @hizqueen4life @slightlyrebelliouswriter23 @thewickedkings @aelin-queen-of-terrasen @cheekycheekycheeks @queen-of-glass @b00kworm @doingmyrainbow @andromeddea @jurdanhell @thesirenwashere @sweetlyvillainous @clouds-and-peonies @clockworkgraystairs
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