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#ive had this absolutely ridiculous idea in my head since i heard all eyes me lmao
querenciasturniolo · 8 months
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hello oml ! ive been so scared to ask for something but hey ! here we are ;) i absolutely adore your writing and was wondering if you could write one for chris where the reader, the triplets, and madi go for dinner (all as just friends) and the reader and chris confess they like each other afterwards since they were all really tired :) i think it'd be cute hehehe
late nights ⮕ c.s.
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word count: 916
warnings: swearing, accidental confession
summary: the five of you go get food late at night, and your exhaustion has you admitting something you weren’t meaning to say
a/n: oh my god, don’t be scared to request anything ever !!! thank you so much, love !!! i hope i did your request justice 🤞🏻💓
everything written is completely fictional. the people i write for are written with characteristics and mannerisms that i made for them, this is in no way depicting what would actually happen in real life.
“So, where are we going?” You asked, leaning towards the front of the car.
Matt glanced up at you in the mirror just as Chris turned around to face you.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Chris asked. You blinked, fighting the smile growing on your face.
“Uh, yeah. That’s kind of why I asked.” You said, Nick scoffing next to you.
“Definitely not your finest moment, Chris.” Madi said, your eyes meeting hers as you laughed.
The five of you were going to dinner, but you were picked up last minute and had no idea what was going on. You were just sitting in your living room in your pajamas, scrolling on your phone when the text from Chris saying ‘come outside’ popped up on your screen. It took them five minutes to convince you to get into the car, and then you were off.
“You do realize if I don’t know where we’re going, this is considered kidnapping, right?” You said, Matt scoffing from the front seat.
“You’re not being kidnapped, you’re so dramatic.” He said, your eyebrows raising.
“Well, that didn’t make me feel better.” You mumbled, leaning back in your seat.
Matt pulled into a parking lot, and you scoffed when you saw the sign.
“You guys kidnapped me at midnight to go to Denny’s?” You asked incredulously. Chris turned and looked at you.
“Uh, yeah. Who doesn’t want breakfast at midnight?” He asked, mocking you from before. You rolled your eyes and stepped out of the car, lightly shoving him when he stepped out.
“Are you gonna branch out, or stick with the french toast slam?” You asked, Chris shaking his head and bumping your shoulder with his.
“Why change perfection?” You rolled your eyes and smiled.
“Jesus, you’re ridiculous.” You said, the five of you walking into Denny’s.
The dinner went by slowly, you growing increasingly more exhausted as time went on. You barely touched your food, going back and forth bickering with Chris for the entirety of the meal. You couldn’t help but tease him, it was your way of flirting. It was ridiculous, the fact that you couldn’t just say how you were feeling. You felt the need to pester, and poke, and bother the person, which was perfect in this situation.
Chris came back at you full force, and you thrived every time. The banter was such a huge part of your friendship and you were so grateful for it. Chris more than likely had absolutely no idea the reasoning for your teasing, which saddened you and relieved you at the same time. As much as you wanted to tell him your feelings, you also didn’t want to make things awkward in the very possible circumstance that he doesn’t feel the same way.
When the five of you got back to the car, Chris somehow ended up in the backseat with you and Madi. Nick was playing music in the front seat, his and Matt’s conversation barely being heard by you. Chris was wedged in the middle seat, leaning the majority of his body weight onto you.
“Chris, get off.” You said through a laugh, nudging him lightly. He whined and went limp, his head landing in your lap. “What are you doing?” You asked, looking over at Madi with amusement etched into your face. She snorted and shook her head.
“I’m tired.” He whined. Out of instinct, you started carding your fingers through his hair. He hummed and relaxed, almost pushing against your hand. “I like that.” He mumbled. You could feel how heavy your eyes were, your exhaustion making you delirious as you hummed.
“I like you.” You said, leaning your head back against the headrest. It took Chris lifting his head up from your lap and looking at you with fond eyes for you to realize what you’d just said. You meant it as one of those middle school-esque comebacks, but you’d definitely just admitted how you felt. Chris didn’t look upset, he looked…content more than anything. It could have been the exhaustion making your eyes bleary, but you could have sworn he was blushing.
“You mean it?” He asked, his voice quiet. You nodded, Chris smiling and lying in your lap again. “Glad we’re on the same page, then.”
You relaxed completely then, your hand resuming its movements through the loose curls.
“Well, that was sweet.”
You looked up, realizing that you were back at their place, Nick had already turned off the music, and the three of them were looking at you and Chris.
“Yeah.” Matt began, turning the car off before turning to face you two again. “It’s about fucking time.”
You scoffed and shook your head. “Has anyone ever told you your Mattitude is worse when you’re tired?” You asked, Chris sitting up so you could get out of the car.
“All the time, and I’m actually kind of glad I’m not getting the brunt of it for once.” Nick said, all five of you piling into the house and climbing the stairs. You didn’t say anything to anyone as you dropped yourself face down on the couch, pulling a blanket from the back of the couch and covering yourself.
You could barely hear the four of them mumbling sleepily to each other, the only things you could process were the lights being turned off and the soft kiss being pressed to your temple.
“Goodnight.” Chris’ voice pierced through the heavy cloud of exhaustion, sleep consuming you before you could respond.
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haredjarris · 3 years
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serowotonin · 3 years
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falling ; bakugou k.
pairing ( bakugou katsuki x fem!reader ) wordcount ( 2.4k ) genre ( fluff & basically pining )
↷ a hc-styled narrative describing the four stages bakugou katsuki goes through as he finds himself falling for you . . .
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STAGE I ( impression ) ;
the first time bakugou laid eyes on you was during the entrance exam at UA. 
back then, you were just another face in the crowd of faces he was going to have to beat to earn his spot in UA
the first time bakugou spoke to you wasn’t memorable to him either
like with everyone else, he was loud and rude and made it very clear he wasn’t interested in playing friends
after that you became a part of the class, just another extra, someone who’d just get in the way
that was all he thought you were… 
until you kicked todoroki’s ass one day during training
the teachers had paired everyone in the class and told you to practice your 1-on-1 combat skills using your quirk 
bakugou, who was paired with kirishima went first
you and todoroki were to be the last pair
despite a good effort put up by kirishima, bakugou still ended up winning that round
when it was finally yours and todoroki’s turn, bakugou paid extra attention
in his mind, he knew todoroki was powerful and someone to watch out for
but what happened was quite unexpected
you maneuvered easily through todoroki’s attacks with a combination of physical prowess and creative usage of your quirk
let’s just say his ice didn’t work on you and he was caught off guard, allowing you to snatch a win 
needless to say, most of your classmates were a bit surprised at first
bakugou included
they knew you were strong but they didn’t know you were that skilled
whatever the rest of the class thought didn’t matter to bakugou though
all he knew was that now he had to keep an eye on you
STAGE II ( perspective ) ;
after that event, bakugou did indeed keep his eye on you
it started off with him observing your moves whenever the class had to do any training exercises 
he saw you fight with todoroki a couple more times after that
those didn’t end in easy victory for you as it did before because todoroki was now more wary of you
however, the way you evaded and countered his attacks was something to be praised
in bakugou’s subconscious opinion at least
your moves were carefully thought out and bakugou could see that
he could see the effort and practice you had put into perfecting them
not only that, he could also see the natural talent that you had to be able to become this strong
and it wasn’t only your fighting capabilities
you were also smart
maybe he hadn’t noticed it before but he did now
you seemed to always know the answer when a teacher called on you and your grades were great
slowly, but surely, you gained respect in his eyes 
if he knew one thing about you, it was that you were maybe the tiniest bit better than the other extras 
for a while it stayed like this, him acknowledging you but never making it obvious and you just doing your thing
that was of course until one day in the morning before class started
mina, kirishima, and sero were talking about things as they usually were and somehow the conversation led to you
they were talking about how strong and smart you were and going on about stuff
bakugou must’ve turned his head in their direction or something but mina noticed him listening so asked him cheekily what he thought of you
“y/n? of course they’re strong. anyone could see that.”
he said that pretty loudly and didn’t seem to notice you walking into the classroom
and of course you heard
“did my ears deceive or did the bakugou katsuki just praise me?” you teased
he was pretty embarrassed, blushing and sweating a bit but trying to hide it
soon after though, class started and the ordeal was forgotten
but something about that interaction led to you and bakugou becoming closer
closer in that instead of passing the other off as another strong classmate as you usually would, you’d actually greet each other and talk 
you’d say hello to him in the mornings and goodbye after school and he’d just grunt or nod your way
but this was what it meant to be close to bakugou anyway
during the weeks that passed, bakugou found himself noticing you even more
before he only paid attention to your skills and thought about you as an enemy or rival of sorts
now it seems as if he’s just noticing the little things about you and your personality that make you who you were
he wasn’t doing it on purpose god forbid
no no it was just him being unknowingly observant
weeks turned into months and months turned into years
in a blink of an eye, you were all well in your second year
with everything that happened, you and bakugou became close
close enough for you to tease him at random times and close enough for him to ask you to fight him as training
by then it was safe to say bakugou knew you
he knew the little quirks you had 
he knew your different smiles, your different laughs
he knew your favorite foods and your not so favorite ones
he knew the many different little things that made you you
STAGE III ( contradiction ) ;
before the start of the third year, the class decided to have a little get-together party of sorts
to celebrate the start of their last year in high school and to catch up as everyone’s been busy with internships and whatnot
you spent the break away from tokyo so it’s been a while since you saw the rest of the class
naturally you were excited to be able to meet them all casually again before the intense studying and training that awaited you all 
bakugou, on the other hand, wasn’t too excited
frankly, he could do without seeing the class before school
but when he heard you were going to be there, he also agreed to go
so there you two were with the rest of the class at a cinema buying drinks and popcorn before your movie started
the neon lights and the prospect of popcorn lit up your face and bakugou couldn’t help but stare
there was just something, something he couldn’t quite figure out
it’s not that you were beautiful, it’s not that you looked cute in that outfit, it’s not that your smile was making his heart flutter
no it wasnt any of that true though they may be
you just.. you looked nice
thats why he was staring
yeah he hasn’t seen you in a while and you come back looking *nice* 
of course he would stare
anyone would
apparently you had noticed him staring though, so you sent a wink and a grin his way before turning back to the popcorn and drinks
in other words, you killed him
with ridiculously high levels of cute and nice
kirishima and sero were just watching the whole thing happen and hell was it obvious to them
their boi was falling hard
now they knew he’d never admit it and they knew you weren’t likely to do anything about his “crush” even if it was obvious to you too
so…
while bakugou was busy helping you carry your popcorn, they devised a rather devious plan
operation: jelly burst
objective? none other than to make explody boiy jealous
for what reason? no reason really it’s just fun to mess with him and this is probably the first time he’s had this big a crush
once everyone finished buying popcorn and was walking into the cinema, operation: jelly burst was put into action
“hey y/n ! come sit next to me” — sero
so you did, nothing strange bout that, sero was a good of yours anyway, nothing strange at all
bakugou moved to come sit next to you too but kiri hurried past him and sat down on your other side before he could
“oh hey bakubro didn’t see ya there sorry”
the seat kirishima stole was the last seat on the aisle
and bakugou was forced to go sit somewhere else
alone
poor guy</3
the seat he found was a few rows above yours though and all went according to the jelly burst plan
by the end of the movie, bakugou was in the foulest mood and no one, except for the 2 lads sitting on either side of y/n, knew why
operation: jelly burst didnt end there though
see they got him jelly but they haven’t gotten him to burst
the next week at school, kirishima and sero both acted really nice to you
it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary but they did talk to you just a tad bit more than usual
either way bakugou noticed big time and he did not like it
he did not like it one bit
the jelly was there alright
it was just boiling to unprecedented levels
pretty soon, the boys dumped the idea of operation: jelly burst 
mainly cos it was taking too long 
but also because bakugou had become at least 10x more hostile
except to you of course
for some reason, a reason absolutely no one could figure out(sarcasm intended), he was just
quiet around you
didnt yell but didnt really talk to you either
whenever anyone else, kiri and sero especially, tried to talk to him though, he’d shout louder and be a lot ruder to them 
he’s just agitated
and he knew why he was that way
he’s just in denial about it
he’s also in denial about the reason why
why couldn’t he just accept his feelings and act on it already?
kirishima asked him that one day in the dorms
he saw bakugou staring very intensely straight at you without blinking for a full minute
“look man, don’t even try to tell me you don’t like y/n. it’s obvious and i’m not an idiot. you aren’t either.”
“i know shitty hair. it’s just… i’m me. and she’s y/n. nothing’s ever gonna happen.”
“you don’t know that”
“but i do. cmon, she’s just so fucking perfect even with all her flaws. and i’m just the loud guy with exploding hands and no emotions.”
kiri was surprised honestly
this wouldn’t be the first time bakugou was insecure around him but the way bakugou talked about you and how he implied he wasn’t worthy
damn that hit kirishima 
“bakubro, i’m gonna help you”
STAGE IV ( intimacy ) ;
ever since he told kirishima abt what’s been bothering him about you and ever since kirishima declared he’d help, bakugou became more…
quiet
he was still loud, but he just became a soft kind of loud now(?)
it was like he got calmer and he was assured that things would be okay
of course things were not okay
why? because ever since bakugou fully accepted his feelings for you, he doesnt know how to act around you
the other day you asked him what he wanted to eat for dinner cause you were cooking tonight
his answer:
“you”
“umm..”
“-you can make anything you want. i’ll eat whatever.”
that and a lot of other little awkward incidents started occurring
also maybe it was just the weather but he always seemed red whenever you saw him
it wasn’t the weather though
it was him being shy and nervous and flustered
which made bakusquad extremely weirded out cause seeing him like that is like seeing aizawa cheerfully smiling and wearing bright color clothes
it was weird af and was just not right
anyway, mina’s advice to him was to try to get closer to you
“but we’re already close”
“no i mean closer on a personal level. ask her how her day was or ask her random stuff about her likes and dislikes or her hobbies or literally anything”
“oh… ok then”
and so he tried that
he tried getting closer to you by greeting you every morning and sometimes asking you if you slept well
you found it odd
it certainly was odd, but you didn’t mind
if you ask him why he asks about your sleep he just goes red and says he needs to make sure his opponent for his afternoon sparring session is well-rested and healthy
speaking of the sparring sessions…
he asks you to spar more often than usual and actually makes small talk during your breaks
he was also a lot nicer to you, offering to help carry stuff for you and assisting you in the little things
like getting a mug from the kitchen’s high shelves or picking up the pencil you accidentally dropped
what he did worked though and within a few weeks, the two of you got a lot closer
the next step, as mina put it, was “making sure she knew you weren’t interested in her as a friend”
now that was hard for bakugou to do
“it’s not that hard. you could just tell her.”
bakugou: ..??
“basically confess”
bakugou: wha- *shortcircuits*
CONFESSING
he never thought about that
he actually has
he knew in his mind he’d have to do it eventually if he wanted to have you
but he didn’t think it would be *this soon*
“dont think that much and just tell her you like her”
“you’re making it sound easy”
“because it is!”
he groaned internally
he’s faced tons of villains and been in quite the number of fearful situations but the fear he felt now was completely different 
“look if you’re afraid of rejection just confess like this”
*sero clears throat*
“*y/n i like you and i would like to be something more than friends. i’m not going to pressure you into anything so if yoh don’t want to we can just pretend this never happened>:)”
“...”
bakugou ended up confessing the next day though
just not like that
it was a spur of a moment thing and he wasn’t really aware he said it until you responded
the two of you were sparring as usual and you had just gotten close enough to knock him down and pin him to the ground
in that moment you were just so beautiful and amazing and everything and he just couldn’t keep it in apparently 
“i like you”
“w-what?”
“what?”
“did you just say you liked me?”
“like not liked dumbass”
“:o present tense o:”
well long story short, you like him too and you tell him that and you two just sit there grinning like idiots 
from then on things didn’t change much
you and bakugou still talked, although maybe more than usual
and still sparred with each other, although maybe less seriously and more playfully
some were surprised when it became known you were together
some weren’t 
whatever other people thought though, they couldn’t deny one thing:
bakugou looked at you as if you were the world
STAGE ∞︎ ( fallen ) .
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note ; i started writing this soo long ago but then abandoned it cuz thats just me:”] bUT i decided that since its his birthday i might as well finish it up and finally post it u.u,,, also TYSM @animebsposts for helping me with this ily and ur amazing<3
taglist ; ( send ask to be added ! ) @lilikags​
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bubsdolan · 3 years
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hi bubba!! i have this really unusual tattoo (at least i think so, ive never see anyone do it), basically, i have stretchmarks that stretch on my hips and love handles so tatted on some of them are little flowers and the marks are basically the stems...if you get what i mean idk if i explained it really well lol....would u mind writing a blurb ab reader w this tattoo having a beach day w gray and he’s never seen her tattoos before and is basically really impressed and fascinated w it?? none of my past bfs liked it so :(
{ok firstly let me start by staying that is the most beautiful tattoo idea i think ive ever heard of. it’s so unique & i just know you look absolutely stunning.}
“baby, you coming in the ocean?”
grayson’s mesmerising hazel eyes bore into you as he watches you get your little station of sun lotion, a book, snacks and all your other beach essentials set up for your day of relaxation ahead. you could never say no to grayson, his face was one of those you became so desperate to hold, to kiss, to touch whenever he looked at you the way he was right now- love. he was so beautiful you often wondered what he saw in you. 
you giggle as a puppy like grayson bounces on his feet before you. with ethan and kristina long gone, chasing and splashing in each in the cooling water under the 80 degree heat of la, grayson was just as eagar to follow behind, but he wouldn't go anywhere without you right by his side.
“s’give me a minute, i’ll meet you there.” you lean over to place a quick peck on his lips, feeling him smile in the kiss as he thrived in the affection you gave him and in nature. he loved being outside that was a given, in the fresh air and beautiful scenery with the woman he planned on one day marrying. you, his twin and nature was all grayson needed to survive and right now, he couldn’t be happier.
accepting your kiss, grayson soon turns contently to meet his brother and his girlfriend in the water he was so desparte to indulge himself in. however he stopped short of hitting it, when he saw you hesitantly strip your body from the cover up you insisted on wearing in the heat and leaving you in nothing but your tiny bikini that made his mouth water. he couldn't take his eyes off you. 
raking in the breathtaking site of your body, the one he worshiped every night but never fully got to idolise as you always made a conscious habit of wearing his t-shirt in the bedroom. his breathing hitches and eyes falling when he noticed the art that adorned your hips. 
there, in plain sight were tiny little flowers, all shapes and sizes, grazing your stretch marks. scars grayson could only consider as beautiful as they acted as the strems of your creation.
it suited you perfectly, it made you stand out even more in his eyes and only confirmed the fact that you were damn near perfect for him. your body a priceless canvas as he fell in love with you even more at the sight of the new found discover. he fell harder, his soul already married to you. his future standing in front of him.
a niggle of doubt crossed his mind as to why he was only just seeing your masterpiece now. did you not feel comfortable around him? were you ashamed? grayson never failed to make you feel worthy, loved and worshipped, that he hated himself for not noticing sooner. how could miss something so vibrant and alluring. 
“ready to go bear?” you place your hands on grayson’s pecks after jogging slightly to catch up with him, your fingers dancing over the skin of his heart as he didn't even realise he was lost in a trance of you, until your angelic voice brought him out of it. 
his hands automatically find their home on your hips, his fingers trancing every elegantly precise line that helped shape your body. his fingers soothing, loving and warm. his eyes watched the gentle movements as he traced and memorised each petal, each leaf and each stretch mark. he had to pinch himself that you were real. 
“s’come you never showed me this before?” 
you heart drops, completely forgetting about the art you permanently drew on your body when you were just 18, after suffering with the insecurity of your scars most of your teenage years. ever since the day you ‘friends’ ridiculed you and doubted your life choice, you vowed to keep the tattoo in your own possession. not wanting to deal with the heartbreak of more judgement, especially from the only person who mattered the most. 
you feared your stretch marks would put him off you, make you less attractive in his eyes and made you not fit in with the beauty standards that surrounded grayson daily due to his status. you feared he would find your stretch marks disgusting, off putting, not wanting to be with you any longer as you were scared. permanently damaged. you weren't like other girls grayson had been associate with in the past, and that in turn forced you to keep this secret from him for many months.
you avoided his strong gaze and instead focused on the way his hands praised your body by continuously following where the tattoo leads. there was nothing but love in his eyes, he was truly fascinated by the way you turned such an already beautiful part of you, into something more breathtaking.
you gulp, your own thoughts running away with you as you thought back to the moment your friends and family laughed at you. claiming you made a mistake and ruined your body forever.
“i- erm,- i wasn’t sure what you would think about it. didn't want you to be turned off or laugh at me, m’sorry.”
grayson whips his head up to look at you so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. he was completely taken aback by your comments, as he never once gave you the impression he wasn’t utterly obsessed with you. the odds of existed are slim, so the odds of you and grayson existing at the same time is next to impossible. but that was the beauty of your relationship and grayson vowed to never take it for granted.
bringing one hand up from your waist, he lifts your chin delicately between his fingers and forces you to look at him. his touch electrifying, causing goosebumps to rise on your skin due to the outpouring of love being shown to you.
“fuck baby, i couldn't be more in love with you if i tired. this-” he refers, point down to your tattoo that has taken his breath away, “only makes you more beautiful.” 
“plus i think it’s super badass my girl is tatted.”
you search his eyes for any sign of dishonesty, but when you are met with nothing of the sort, you break down. tears free falling as you crash into grayson’s chest and let yourself be held by him in a way that made you feel safe. all your pent up fears, doubts and insecurity’s washing away in a matter of seconds by thr kindness and love grayson showed you thoughout your entire relationship. you felt silly for ever thinking different. a tattoo doesn't change you a person, it doesn't define you and it cetinaly doesn't make you incapable of love. 
grayson listened to your soft sobs, a mix or both happy and sad tears as he wished he could capture all your sadness in the grasp of his palm, clutching it tighly and ensuring it could never find it’s way back to you. he wished to vanish all the negative opinions of people in your past who made you feel any less than perfect. any less than beautiful and any less worthy of being loved the way he loved you.
as graysn held you, shushing your whimpers and kissing your forehead repeatedly, his hand presume their precision back on your hips. unable to draw himself away from the art that in his mind has him already planning a similar tattoo. maybe he’ll even get you to design and hand draw it. a sign of his love for you that was permanently and going to stay with him till the day he parts the earth. with you by his side.
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Pretty Please
a/n: HOOOOOLLLYYY SHIT. This has to be the dirtiest smut ive ever written. and it’s my first for endeavor so bare with me. this was written on a whim so like i have no idea what i was thinking. i totally didn’t stay up all night writing this that’s crazy overall I really hope you guys enjoy it!
warnings: again bare with me. overstimulation, finger fucking, age kink, size kink, daddy kink, brief anal play, face fucking, face sitting, dry humping, light choking, gagging, brief shower sex, dom!endeavor, jealous!endeavor, oral (m to f and f to m), tiddy fucking. brief masturbation. i briefly mention A/O/B stuff as i’m barely starting on wanting to write it so please don’t attack on that i’m learning. 
7,100+ words
EndeavorxFem!xreader EnjiTodorokixFem!reader
(artist : eyemask_u_u @danbuuro) [x]  
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 It was annoyingly intoxicating to be around him, everything from his lingering stares to his ill-suited touches as a CEO or more specifically as your best friends’ father. Yes. Your best friend, Fuyumi Todoroki’s asshole father is fucking hot. You’ve known her since the last year in high school but after graduation you went to an out of country college and kept in touch with her. Now you’re back in Japan and can’t wait to see her again. 
Excitement isn’t suitable enough word to describe your feelings, is it more arousal? Surely since the last time you saw her you guys were barely entering into adulthood and your own omega purred at the sight of Enji every time you saw him. And it took a lot of distraction to not think about those trunks that are his thighs and his bulging muscles every time he walked out of his workout room. And it’s not like you purposely knew his schedule so you could catch him every time you had to pass by the room to get a drink of water.    
Your favorite days was when he would leave the door open during the hotter days of the year to let the air circulate. Slowly you would walk by giving a quick glance by pretending to drop something right after the doorway to peek inside or when you were feeling yourself, on the other side of the hallway across to bend over slowly, and every time you would see him sneak a glance at you with those blazing turquoise eyes that captivate you. Hoping to one day pull you into his massive thick arms and have his way with you on the weight mats while his body was stil pumped from his vigorous workouts. Thus that day never came but doesn’t mean he never pressed himself to your backside if you were alone in the kitchen, or grazed his hand across the small of your back when you two would pass each other in the hallway.
The farthest it’s gone was during your last night over to spend with Fuyumi before shipping yourself off to the states. She was asleep and you were restless, knowing he was just down the hall, so close but you were leaving early in the morning. You made way to the kitchen to get yourself a cup of water and soon those warm hands were at your side, knowing who it was you looked over to see his towering figure. You didn’t say anything and neither did he just letting his hands do the talking. He stepped forward pressing you against the counter, large hands hiking up your ridiculously thin pajama dress that hugged all the right places. Mouth on your shoulders, leaving wet sloppy spots all over occasionally leaving bite marks. You hiss at the pain and pleasure would make him smirk against your skin, palming up at your breasts. You bit back a moan letting your head fall back against him, your body slouched, and he held you against him. Naturally you lifted one of your legs and rested your knee against the counter while pushing your ass against his growing erection. He muffled both your moans with a deep lewd kiss, swallowing up every noise that escaped. Though it was dark those damn eyes were still clear to see, he was looking right into yours. Brows knitted together as he thrusted forward rubbing the head of his cock against your ass. He bent you over the island, his hands caressing down your back then over the globes of your ass giving them a firm squeeze admiring this view one last time. Then he turned you over onto your back and knelt down breathing in your arousal, the fact that you weren’t wearing any undergarments brought a smile to his face. His hot tongue licked up your slit, already you were soaking. He growled finally getting a taste of you, without hesitation he delved back in, encasing your pussy with his large mouth. Tongue flicking up at your swollen nub, you arch up off the marble, one hand in his hair while the other covered your mouth. You wanted to moan and scream his name but knew he would shut you up and frankly you wanted him to try. Whether it was with his hand or his cock, either one worked for you. With his tongue still doing work on your clit he slipped two fingers in, the sudden intrusion making you whimper, pumping in and out with no sign of stopping. He pulled his mouth away to kiss your thighs and bite them then leaving licks where red marks started to form. Pulling your dress further up, kissing every new piece of exposed skin he saw till he stopped at your breasts. Kneading one while he sucked on the other both getting the same amount of attention at once, your body like a toy to him, sprawled out, withering pathetically and he’s barely started. With his face hovering over yours, leaned over, his strained cock pressed against the outer side of your thigh while he pumps knuckle deep into your tight hole. He watches how your eyes never look away from his, glossy with tears, your cheeks tinted red in ecstasy, knowing you’re on the brink of orgasm. Fuck I’ve never seen her this hot before.                                                
He bared his teeth and bit down hard on your shoulder just missing your scent gland, the build up deep in your belly exploding making you see stars. Your walls tighten around his thick digits, drenching them, he didn’t lend up, still pumping them deeper and faster than before. You bite your hand to suppress your moan, your eyes shut tight. He slips in a third finger, while his thumb rubs against your already sensitive nub. Your vision was going blurry at this point, overwhelmed, you could feel another orgasm coming on. You propped yourself up back on your hands, your knees up to your chest giving him a full view of your aching core and ass, through your tears you could see him stroking himself at the same pace he’s finger fucking you.
That sight you’ll never get tired of seeing.
Beads of precum rolled down his shaft, his grunts becoming more apparent that he was close. He wanted you to finish first and so you did, wave after wave made you come undone in front of him, a burst coming from between your legs and absolutely soaking his sleeve. He stepped between your legs and ripped the front of your dress off pumping himself faster, sucking in sharp breaths. He brought his fingers up to his mouth and sucked off your own fluids, not breaking eye contact with you. If you weren’t so dizzy and overstimulated, you would drop down to the floor on your knees and stuff his cock down your throat. But you could only enjoy the sight of him, licking yourself off his fingers. With furrowed brows he pulled his fingers out and wrap them around your throat, squeezing gently leaning forward and emptying his balls onto your bare stomach. Hot spurts of cum coating your lower abdomen.
His strokes slowed down, making sure that every drop was on you, he wiped the last bead on your inner thigh then stepped away tucking himself back in.
Still hazy, with your legs wide open he grabbed a warm cloth and cleaned you up then helped you down and made sure you made it to Fuyumi’s room.
The next day you said your goodbyes to your friends, stealing a quick glance at Enji who was watching through the window of his room and left.
That was some years ago.
Having lunch in her kitchen, not trying to stare too long at the kitchen island you smiled and laughed with her. Reminiscing about high school and the fond memories that came with it, you realized how much you miss her, the video calls and texts just weren’t enough. The sounds of the front door opened and in walked the youngest Todoroki. He stopped recognizing you. “Shouto!” you squeal excited to see him. You jumped up off the chair and hugged him almost throwing him back. He wrapped an arm around you loosely as he’s not a touchy person. He greeted you with a small smile, “What are you doing here?”
“I graduated! So, I’m back home.” You cheerfully answer pulling away, He nodded, “Well it’s nice to see you again.” With that he walked out and up the stairs. You shake your head playfully that he hasn’t changed much since you’ve been gone.
Not long after that while the sun was still out Natsuo showed up, excited to see you again. He was more than happy to catch you when you ran at him. “What is up!” He laughs out while he spun you two around, he let you down and gave one more tight hug before letting go completely. “You’re staying for good right?” He asks hopefully.
You nod enthusiastically, “As long as I find a job here you guys are stuck with me.”
“Oh, well Yumi used to work for a really good company I’m sure she can get you a job there. Or if not, dad knows a lot of people, maybe he can help.”
“And what is that exactly?” His deep voice said. All three heads turn to see Enji at the doorway of the kitchen, he looked between his kids in curiosity then they faltered a bit when he saw you. “I didn’t know you were back.” He says, keeping a stoic expression.
“Just got here.” You shrug with a smile. Your heart pumping a million miles an hour.
He nodded and turned to step out, “Welcome back.” Then walked away, you three stayed silent till you heard the door to his workout room close. Natsuo relaxed then turn to you with a bright smile, “So what do you want to do first now that you’re back?”
Today was hotter than usual, you and Fuyumi lounged on the floor of her bedroom, hair sticking to your temples from sweating so much. “Yumi,” you turn your head to face her. She hums acknowledging you with her eyes still closed. “It’s hot.” You groan turning away from her.
“No shit,” Natsuo said from her doorway, leaning against the wood.
You squint your eyes at him then looked back at your friend. “Can we swim in the pool?”
Your question made her open her eyes and Natsuo perk up, never crossing their minds that they have a swimming pool in their backyard. Enji had it installed for Shouto when he started his first year at UA.
Excitedly you three raced out to the backyard in your swimsuits startling poor Shouto in the kitchen. He looked at you three like a bunch of hooligans as you passed and disappeared behind the back sliding door.
The pool was a sight for sore eyes on a hot day like this, Natsuo didn’t hesitate to jump in splashing you and Fuyumi, you didn’t mind but Yumi glared down at him. “You asshole!”
He shrugged, “You’re going to get wet anyways!”
“Yeah but you got water on the speaker!”
“It’s waterproof!”
“Not the point!”
You snickered at the two while they argued as you set up a towel on the beach chair next to Fuyumi’s. As you rubbed sunscreen on your arms you felt someone watching you. Peering up you saw Enji watching from upstairs away from the window as to not be noticed right away. Butterflies filled your stomach, but you turned away focusing on your friends’ funny argument.
While the sun beat down you enjoyed the water, splashing and playing games with Natsuo and Fuyumi, she didn’t stay long in the water and opted out to read silently to herself on her chair leaving you and Natsuo in the water.
“So how does it feel to be back after being away for so long?” He asked swimming around. Swimming parallel to him you respond, “It feels good. I’ve missed the stores here. I can’t get cute shit over in the states without having to pay a heavy shipping price for simple things.”
He nods in understanding, “Want to play a game? One of my American friends taught me it.”
“Sure.”
You stood there in the middle of the green field that was the back part of the huge backyard, nodding as Natsuo explained the game to you. “So, do you get it?” He asks after he was finished. You nod scratching your head, “I think so. I’ll have to play to understand it.”
He let you go first handing you the bean bags, “Okay so just try to make it into the holes, each one worth a different amount of points.”
You nod and started tossing them, all of them landing on the wood instead, you sigh when he chuckles. “Not a good start.”
“Shut it Todoroki” You mutter.
He pretends to zip his mouth shut and brings back the bean bags. After another fail attempt, he speaks, “My turn.” He says confidently walking past you. You roll your eyes and step away from the wooden plank. He throws the first one and it shoots through the farthest hole. He smirks proudly, mockingly wiggling his head at you. You glare at him with your arms crossed. “Lucky shot.”
He raises a brow. After scoring another point he gives you a knowing look of arrogance.
This back and forth of him scoring and you not getting anything went on for a couple of games, he was easily getting the bags into the holes. You turned away, stomach growling, “Hey Yumi!” You shout to her over the music, without looking up she responds. “You think we can order some pizza? I’m starving.”
“That sounds really good!” Natsuo happily agreed to the idea of food after a day of swimming and playing games.
Yumi nodded and pulled out her phone to order, you sighed with content knowing you’ll be getting food in your stomach.
A bean bag hit your ankle making you yelp. “Ouch!”
You hiss rubbing it for comfort, “Sorry!” Natsuo exclaimed running to your side. You shoved him back playfully, “You dick.”
“And you’re a bitch.” He retorts matter of fact. You quirk up a brow, then glanced down at the bags in his hand and slapped them down. He gave a confused look before yanking your sunglasses off your head. “Hey!” You attempt to grab them, but he reaches back keeping them out of your grasp, in the spur of the moment you twisted one of his nipples making him howl. He faltered giving you the chance to get your glasses back. When you put them back on and looked at him, he had a appalled expression that was soon replaced with a dark look. “Oh shit.” You mutter then took off, him hot on your tail.
He snagged you by the waist and yanked you back, “Gotcha!” he threw both of you down to the floor, rolling over each other on the soft grass. Both of you laughed, you to stopped with him snugged between your legs. “How dare you twist my nipple.”
You stuck your tongue out at him and he growled, “You’re lucky you’re Yumi’s friend or else this would have ended differently.”
“Oh yeah? Bite me Todoroki.” You dared and he shook his head sitting back on his knees. Yumi popped up from the top of the small hill, “Pizza will be here soon guys.”
“Okay!” You both shout in unison.
Natsuo stood and held a handout to you, after picking up your glasses you took it and wiped off the grass on your elbows.
“Ouch.” Natsuo said softly grabbing your arm to look at the gash on your elbow. “Does it hurt?”
His voice light and caring again, you shake your head looking it over.
 All three of you laid on your chairs, soaking up the sunlight, letting it warm up your bodies from your recent dip in the pool. “This is nice.” You say breathing soundly, your chin up a little to feel the warmth of the sun on your neck, reminding you of a certain someone’s hot palm. Natsuo hummed in agreement, “I haven’t felt this relaxed at dad’s house in a while.”
More time passed, the sun still high up in the sky. Shouto slid the back door open, “There’s a pizza guy here.” Fuyumi stood to her feet, “I’ll be back.” She says walking past Shouto who closed the door behind her. You glance up at the window, faintly seeing a shadow again of him, a idea popped into your head and to turn to Natsuo.
“Natsuo?”
With closed eyes he turns his attention to you. “Can you rub some sunblock on my shoulders? I don’t think I got enough on earlier.” You ask innocently with the bottle held up; you saw how his cheeks tinted a slight pink. “Sure.” He mutters sitting up slowly and scooting his chair closer to yours.
A cheeky smile formed on your lips as you face your back to him to face the house. He squeezed the bottle and white goo splurged out on his hand. lightly he patted your shoulders. “Harder.” You whine glancing over your shoulder to see him flustered. He did so and you hummed, though his being isn’t anywhere close to the size of that his father’s his hands still covered your shoulders.
“Deeper.” You tilt your head to the side exposing your neck to him. He gulped letting his hands rub down from your shoulders to between your shoulder blades. “Like that?” He asks.
You nod letting out a breathy sigh, your eyes glancing up to the window to no longer see him but knew he was still watching. To Natsuo’s surprise you lay down on your stomach and undid the string to your top, and pointed to your back. “You think you can get the rest of my back? I can never reach.”
He nods squeezing more sunblock on his hand and started rubbing down your back, his hands massaging up your back muscles, thumbs digging into the area above your ass. You arch up just a tiny bit drawing more heat up to his face.
No longer caring if he was watching you were enjoying the soft hands giving you a good massage. Natsuo’s hands wandered past your ass and to your thighs, giving them a good coat of sunblock, squeezing them, his thumbs caressing your inner thighs.
“Shit.” He muttered pulling away and sitting back. “I shouldn’t have done that I’m sorry.” You turn to face him. “It’s okay. We’re both adults now.”
“Yeah but you’re my older sister’s friend.” He sighs turning away from you. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” You say lowly tying the straps to your top back on.
On que Fuyumi walked out with Shouto alongside her, helping with the food. You clap your hands together as Natsuo tried to hide the tent in his pants by draping a towel over his lap. Shouto sat on Fuyumi’s chair with her by his side, yours in the middle used as the table so you sat next to Natsuo.
As you ate your arm started to bug you, you looked at the gash you got earlier, rubbing around it. “I’ll be back.” You say standing up and walking off to the house.
You looked through the kitchen then in the upstairs washroom, successfully you found the first aid kit you remembered the Todoroki’s household always had. Sitting on the long counter, using the mirror to treat your wound, you didn’t notice someone standing in the doorway. Your eyes peered up at Enji through the mirror, “I’ll clean up the mess in here Mr. Todoroki.” You say looking back down, dabbing rubbing alcohol on the open wound. “You won’t get it clean like that,” he says pushing himself off the wall and walking over to your sitting frame. Gently he grabbed your arm with one hand and used the other to take the alcohol swab away and you let him. Firmly but considerately he dabbed the wound, you winced, and he stopped briefly, “What happen?” He asks swapping the cotton ball for a tube of cream. “Hurt myself rolling down the hill.” You answer looking up at him through your lashes. He was focused on your arm, squeezing a dab of the ointment and softly tapped around your wound. “With my son?” He looks at you when he asks that.
You nod staying silent as you watched him bandage and dress your arm. When he was done his fingers lingered down your arm to your hand and held in his. “I’m glad you’re back.” He says settling between your legs. Tingles going down to your womanhood and up your back. “I’m glad to be back,” you breathed out reacting to his touch on your thigh.
His hands hot like you remember, you didn’t fight as he pulled you forward to him. “Have you missed me?” he whispers against your ear. You nod without hesitation; he chuckles lowly as he palms up your thighs. “You were a bad girl today. Using my son to make me jealous.”
Feeling embarrassed heat rose to your cheeks, daring to glance up at him. He was already staring down at you. “You’re mine.” He growled pushing you lightly by your neck against the mirror. He tilted your head up exposing your neck to him and sucked on your pulse, his tongue swirling around the forming red mark. “This body of yours,” he states flicking a nipple making you yelp then grabbed a handful of your breast squeezing hard. “This is mine. Got it?” You nod again, biting your lip as you look up at him. “Yours. Only Yours.” He let’s out a humph sound in satisfaction, not letting go of your breast but weakens his grip. “How much do you miss daddy?”
“A lot. I miss daddy a lot.” You said eagerly.
Without breaking contact from you he pulled his cock out letting it rest heavy on the counter. “Show daddy how much you miss him.” You gawked at the size of him, gulping at the sheer thought of him stuffing it into you. “It’s not going to suck itself.” He says tapping it against your thigh.
He let’s you scoot off the counter and down on your knees, leaning against the he tangles his hand in your hair guiding you to it. “Spit.” He orders. You do, and rub it onto the head, beads of precum oozing out as you pumped just the tip of it. “Open that pretty mouth of yours.”
Again, you oblige letting your tongue hang out, he pushes your head closer and rubs the tip over your lips and up and down your tongue, lubricating it with your saliva. “Wider sweetheart.” He pats it against your tongue. You glance down at the veiny monster, heart pumping blood through your head so loud. He grips your hair and pulls you towards him, the head already a mouthful but he didn’t stop. He hissed out letting his head fall back as your tiny mouth took him in, you wanted to gag but couldn’t. Only halfway and you felt like you were going to suffocate.
You hummed feeling his member slide in and out of your mouth, saliva and precum dripping down your chin and neck. You griped his thighs to hold yourself up, he pulled his cock out your mouth with a pop, a string of saliva connecting you two. He let you take a breather for a moment before pushing his cock back into your deeper than before. Your eyes went wide as it reached past the back of your mouth and down your throat. He groans out having himself fully inside your small mouth, your stretched-out lips will sure be swollen after this. He set a pace pulling all the way out and back in till you were nose deep in his well-groomed pubes.
Tears pooled watering your vision, your hands holding onto his thighs, achy core dripping wet from this sudden change od authority. He grunts and groans watching his cock fill your mouth up your teary eyes looking up at him. Oh, he was loving it.
“Touch yourself princess, Daddy wants to see you touch yourself.” He mutters fucking into your mouth.
You nod best you can and reach down between your legs and moan at the contact of your sensitive slit, with no problem lathering up your fingers you slipped them into your aching core, keeping up with his pace. He pulled away pumping himself and you almost stopped until he spoke, “I didn’t say to stop. Keep going.”
You did rubbing circles biting back moans, he leans his head to the side watching as you fucked yourself on your hand, seeing you arousal pooling under you. “Look at you making a mess on my floor,”  he tisked at you shaking his head. “I’m sorry daddy,” you cooed reaching forward with your mouth to his cock, but he tugged you back harshly. “Daddy didn’t say to suck it did he?’
You shake your head continuing your antics, he watched dick twitching in his hand then he pulled forward without warning plunging his girth back into your mouth. The sudden warmth made him groan out in pleasure, “Stop touching yourself.” You did and placed your hands back on his thighs. He holds your head in place and smirks down at you, “Don’t pass out on me.”
He pulled you back making you kiss the tip then back in and started a brutal pace on your mouth, you couldn’t moan or make any noise only the slurping and wet noises of his cock delving into your mouth. He started thrusting forward going deeper than before feeling his cock reach deeper in your throat. “Shit,” he growls shutting his eyes as he relentlessly beat the back of your throat with his tip.
Suddenly you felt hot cum spurt out to the back of your throat, his cock twitching in your mouth. You drank him up as he slowed his thrusts then released you, strings of cum coming out. He used his thumb to wipe it off the corner of your mouth and stuck it in your mouth, “Clean it.” You did swirling your tongue around it and he pulled you up by your chin and kissed you deeply. “It’s time for your punishment.”
He throws you over his shoulder and walks out the bathroom not minding if any of his kids see, still flustered and dazed you took the time to admire the view of  his back side as he did the same. You yelped feeling his finger slip past your swimsuit bottoms and toy with your aching pussy as he walked up the stairs. A single digit slipped with ease, you mewled out squeezing your thighs together. “You made a mess, we have to clean up.” He says setting you down on the counter of his washroom sink and turned to the shower.
The water started and he turn back to you, you shifted under his gaze as he stepped forward and gave your nipple a pinch. “This makes your tits look great. Did you wear it for me?” He looks over your skimpy white bikini little to nothing to hide your full body. Shyly you nod spreading your legs out to him as an invitation. “You’re such a slut. My slut.” He dips head to your chest and bites your nipple through the fabric, he pulls the fabric to the side and sucks on it. Your hands went up to the back of his head, arching up to him. He pulls away and tugs down your bottoms along with your top. “Get in that shower.”
You do and closed the glass door behind. The hot water doing nothing to calm your nerves, you’re in his bathroom naked while he’s just out there—your friends outside the house! You two can get caught anytime now as I’m sure they noticed your overdue departure. but how can you say no? He’s just so….sexy and you just want to drink him up. Explore every inch of him, you’ve longed for this since you first met him. The way his eyes lingered over you when you walked over to Fuyumi and hugged her, how his touch lasted just seconds too long, his fingertips sending electricity down your body. The way steamed rose from his body when he walked in drenched from the rain and heated his body up. His muscles rippling beneath that ridiculously tight hero suit. Oh, everything about him screamed sex appeal without him trying.    
Pussy aching for more thanks to those intrusive thoughts, you reached down and started rubbing your clit. The familiar building was coming, and you throw your head back, but your hand was pulled away right before climaxing. You turn to see Enji within the steam, his body naked and you couldn’t help to admire what you always ogled at from the hallway. “You really want to be punished don’t you?” he said pushing you away from the water so he could step into it. You watched as he tilted his head back, letting the water run over his face and down his body. Wandering up and down you didn’t hide the fact that you were immensely turned by the sight of him alone, your eyes stopped at his hand stroking himself then noticed he was eyeing you while he did so. “Come wash me.”
You nod and he hands you his body wash and loofa, you squirt some and lather it up then start circular motions across his wide chest, you watched as he calmly breathed and he watched you, loving how much smaller he is to you. You moved onto his abs occasionally using your other hand to graze over just for a feel. He didn’t mind. After washing his back all that was left was his bottom half, you started on the left leg, and worked you way down, kissing his skin on the way down, then moved onto the other leg.
“Don’t use the loofa this time,” he says gesturing to his twitching cock. You nod and drop it to the floor, your hand started stroking him, he hummed laying a hand on your hip, subconsciously he moved your body as you pumped him, “Get my balls too.” He grabs your hand and makes you cradle them. You gave a gentle squeeze as if weighing them, your thumb skimmed over, his only kept hair at the top.
Once you cleaned and rinsed him he ordered you to face the wall and have you hands on it, softly he lathered his hands up and started working his hands up and down your body. Though he was just washing you it was enticing to feel his hands all over your completely naked body, the suds and water just adding more to the mix. He brought himself up from a squatting position, his hands skimming over your torso and cupping your breasts in his hands. “I can’t wait to fuck these.” He murmurs into your ear before gently biting down on your earlobe. Despite his warm body and the hot water cascading over the two of you shivers ran down your spine.
He shut the water off and stepped out, helping you so you don’t slip. Once you were he threw you over his shoulder again and gave a nice slap to your rear earning him a whimper. He grabbed handful of fat and squeezed, “This is mine.”
He threw you onto the bed, loving the way your breasts bounced on impact. He crawled over straddling your body careful not to put his weight on you. He stroked himself getting himself hard again, he tapped your cheek a few times, “Lather up daddy.”
You stick your tongue out and his runs the underside along, feeling every vein he has, your mouth watering seeing him using your mouth so foul, never have you been like this with anyone else. He brought your head up a little sticking just the tip in then back out, you turn your head a little to get the sides of him making sure to get every inch. He leaned back, “Push them together.”
You do and he sticks the tip slowly between the fat of your breasts, “Fuck they’re so soft.” He sighs starting with small thrusts. You can see his raging tip popping in and out, his precum leaving a trail as his member kept curving upwards. The sight in front of you made you ache even more for this man, here he is using you like a sex toy and you happily wanted to be. He sped up a little, now his hands pushing them together. With an exhale ropes of cum spur from between splitting a trail on either side of your neck and over your clavicles. He reached down and scooped up his mess and stuffed his fingers into your mouth, you sucked happily being able to taste him again. He smiles, “You like Daddy’s cum?” You nod still sucking on his digits.
With ease he flipped both you over and held you above him, one hand gripping the back of your knee and the other supporting your back. He looked over your pulsing clit, smirking up he lowered you over his head, just stopping to be close enough to feel him gently blowing on your wanting bundle of nerves. He gave one swift lick and you squirmed above him, but he didn’t let you move. Already raging for release after being denied several times you whimpered out, “Daddy please.”
He chuckles under you as he gives brief licks that only teased you doing nothing to ease the almost painful ache between your legs. You wanted to shut your legs to feel friction but kept you wide open for him to ogle at. This game he was playing is really starting to take a toll on you.
Then like a switch he lowered you completely on his face, his tongue plunged into your soaking hole, you moaned out loud thankful to finally feel what you’ve been wanting. He held you down firmly, watching as you panted with brows knit together. He wanted nothing more then to see that orgasming face again. He licked and sucked till a coil started tightening at the pit of your stomach. You wanted ride to his face but he had other plans, he kept a hold on your not letting up on your sensitive clit, from all the build and tease you came all over his face screaming out his name. But he wasn’t done, he kept going, licking up your arousal like a starving man. “Daddy please.” You pant leaning forward and resting a hand on bed. “Please.” You say again whimpering and mewling. Another orgasming coming on, it hit harder than last time, your body trembled as he let you ride it out. He removed his mouth and kissed your inner thigh. “That’s a good girl.”
“Now suck on Daddy’s cock.” You nod and he flipped you over so you two were in a 69 position. A little dizzy but not enough you licked up his member, feeling every little vein along your tongue. He thrusted up a little and you grabbed the hilt and pulled up, he’s so thick you couldn’t wrap your fingers around it. The sight made you more nervous and excited wondering how it’ll feel. As you busied yourself savoring him like he was your last meal you felt his hand palm your ass, you gave it a little wiggle and he smacked it making you yelp. “Don’t tease Daddy with this ass, I’ll fuck this pretty hole.” Your cheeks heated up at the thought. He noticed and chuckled, “You want that? Cause I will.” You entertained the idea in your head for a moment then continued sucking him off. The idea didn’t leave his mind though, eyed your puckered hole, he licked he thumb and skimmed it over making you twitch. “Next time,” he ponders moving away and squeezing your ass with both hands.
Sloppily you slurped up his third orgasm, his dick still raging even after all that foreplay and teasing. “I can keep going sweetheart,” he says already reading your mind. You look back at him, he was already looking at you with a hand behind his head. With the other he uses a finger in a come-hither motion. You turn straddling his lower abdomen. He eyes over your form, looking so soft and innocent even after watching you suck him off over and over today. Gently he caresses up your body, it reacted with enthusiasm to his simple touch, oh did that make his cock bump up. One hand was around your neck, his thumb trailing along your jawline as the other hand went between your legs and started rubbing against your clit.
You let out a cry, you were so sensitive, and he knew it, “Daddy,” you open your eyes hazily at him. He lifts his chin showing he was listening. “Please fuck me.”
It was a simple plead and man did it take a lot of restraint not follow through. He gave an almost apologetic look. “Not yet princess. Daddy has to make sure you’re ready to take him. You sucked on his thumb as your hips moved against his abs. Your swollen over stimulated clit rubbing against him, he watched as you got off on drying humping, helping by stimulating your body with touches over your breasts and praise. “That’s it, drench yourself all over Daddy.”
He wanted to orgasm with you but this time in you, faster your hips moved, getting louder as you threw yourself forward squirting all over his lower stomach. You twitched I his arms, his hand going up and down your back smoothly, “You did so good.” He whispered into your hair and kissed it.
He let you down onto your back next to him, you lolled your head to the side watching as he settled himself between your legs. “You ready princess?” Lazily you nodded and you felt him rub his tip against the throbbing bundle of nerves. The anticipation was painful as he continued to use your juices as lubricant, “Tell me if it hurts.” He said simply then pushed in, he stopped waiting for a response, but you only moaned, your lips forming an ‘o’ shape. He continued, your walls deliciously stretching for him. “Fuck,” he mutters letting go of his member and grabbing your waist to push himself to the hilt. Once he was in he looked over at your face for any discomfort but only saw bliss in your features.
He started moving watching how you swallowed him up completely. Never would he had imagined you would feel this amazing and tight even after all the teasing and foreplay, but it was paying off cause he was able to go at a steady pace.
Skin smacking skin filled the room, huffing as he held you by the waist pounding into you like there was no tomorrow. He held you up, your legs draped around his waist, one hand holding onto him by the back of his neck. His cock filling you fully every time, everything you imagined how it would feel, thick, veiny and anything beyond your imagination. “Daddy,” your voice weak as he thrusted up. He pulled out abruptly and threw you onto your stomach, he was over you kissing and nipping at your neck, he grabbed the back of your neck and plunged himself back into your waiting cunt, setting a more vigorous pace, You moaned at the different angle of his head abusing your cervix into submission. He reached around and up your torso holding you back the throat and deepening himself, “You’re doing so good. Taking Daddy’s cock like the good little girl that you are.” You nod keeping your eyes shut.
“Whose cunt is this?” He demands pushing you down to the mattress and hiking your ass up higher. He continued his relenting thrusts, pulling you back his he thrusted forward. When you didn’t answer his question, he slowed down. “I’m not going to ask again.” The lost of build up made you whimper, “Yours.” You say barely above a whisper.
He titled his head to the side as he teased your entrance with his tip. “I can’t hear you.”
“Yours daddy!” You yell wiggling your ass up, begging him to fill you up again. He chuckles behind and pulls you back, his cock once again stretching you out. “That’s right. It’s mine.”
The squelching was so vulgar to hear but damn in the moment was it one of the hottest things to hear knowing you and him were causing it. HE flipped you over and kissed you deeply, tongues tangling around each other while he fucked up into your welcoming cunt. “Daddy, you feel so good.” You moan, he chuckles into the kiss and brings hand to your throat. “I better not see you trying to make me jealous again. Especially using one of my sons.” He looks over at your dazed expression. “I shouldn’t let you cum this time. Not give you the privilege of milking this cock.”
You shake your head, “No Daddy please. I’m sorry.”
“You are? Beg for it. Beg me to make you cum. Go on.” He Pivoted his hips at an angle knowing the head was hitting a sweet spot. You breathe in, the familiar build up coming back. “Beg.” He repeats staying at pace as to not make you orgasm but keep the build up there.
A whine escapes your lips, your mind so hazy and fucked, you licked your lips and breathed out. “Please.”
He shakes his head and starts rubbing slow circles on your clit, tears were brimming your eyes. Not able to form a complete sentence, the words bubbling out. “Pretty please Daddy. Pretty Please.” That was way better and he kissed you softly on the lips. “Let go it baby. Cum all over Daddy’s cock.”
Stars and white spots clouded your vision as your walls tightly hugged around his length, his thrust becoming way more apparent that he was coming to his undoing as well. Milking every last drop into your pussy, he pulled out slowly hissing at the sensitivity.
He collapsed at your side, both of you breathing out deeply. You onto your side and hugged him, he let you and draped a heavy arm around you to pull you closer.
Realization dawned on you that your friends/his kids were still outside by the pool possibly wondering where you were at. When you attempted to move he pulled you back down to his side, “If they ask I’ll tell them you left.”   
Tags: @de-gabyconamor​   
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theasstour · 3 years
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𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐄 | 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 𝟐𝟔.𝟑𝐤 𝐍𝐁: 𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐥, 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭
A/N: As you’re all aware, the Philippines was hit by a category 5-equivalent super typhoon two weeks ago. The typhoon is the world’s strongest storm this year and has brought with it unimaginable destruction. Here’s a link to #RescuePH where you can read more about what’s happening in the Philippines right now. There are also donation links there! If you don’t have the means to donate – which is very understandable - here’s a link to a video to watch on YouTube where all ad revenue goes to those affected by the typhoon! I have learned so much about Filipino culture these last few months writing ST as well as gotten to know some incredible Filipinos along the way, and the news of the typhoon has rocked me to my core. If you feel like, you can play the video in the background while you’re reading this massive chapter! Enjoy the final chapter 🧡💛 I love you all so much!
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Sunday, 9 August
“It’s a beautiful day out,” Y/N’s mother said as she looked out over Porthminster Beach, leaning her head back a little and letting a salty breeze rustle up her grey hair. “Shame we’re spending it in the shade.”
Y/N glanced up at the roof overhead that offered rescue in the sweltering summer sun. Though she loved the sun as well and wanted to spend as much time in it as possible before summer ended soon, she knew that this chat would have her sweating enough without them sitting out of the shade the Porthminster Beach Café provided. Y/N looked down at her iced lemon tea, inhaling slowly as to calm herself. All day yesterday, Y/N had been too anxious to do anything but stay in her room and think about today. While in the lighthouse the day before yesterday, Y/N had sent her mother a text message asking if the two of them could talk without her father or Dominic being present. She knew her mother would’ve told them by now where she was and what she was doing, but she appreciated the fact that she had listened to Y/N’s request and not brought them.
“Didn’t get to go to a proper beach this summer,” Mrs McKay went on, eyes on the sea and where the waves crashed softly against shore. “The family could’ve gone someplace nice, would’ve been good for us.”
Y/N didn’t say anything.
“Think we all just need a break. Go somewhere to forget about everything and reflect on our lives.”
Y/N still kept her mouth shut, knowing that she had to choose her words carefully so that her mother would fully understand.
“Do you remember when we went to that beach in Florida and you saw that sting ray?” Mrs McKay chuckled a little to herself.
“And I screamed for help ‘cause it scared me.”
Mrs McKay laughed some more at the memory, studying the beach some more. “That was truly something else. Not something you’d normally do.”
Y/N didn’t know what to say to that.
“Don’t you miss those days? When everything was simple?” Mrs McKay seemed to be completely lost in her own head and memories, thinking back to a time she had clearly glorified.
“I don’t…” Y/N trailed off, furrowing her brows. “I don’t think everything was that simple back then, or now, for that matter.”
“What do you mean?” Mrs McKay asked. “Don’t you think the family would benefit from taking some time off and just relax like we did back then?”
“It’s…” Y/N glanced at her iced tea. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know if it would’ve been a good idea for the family to reconnect again?”
“I don’t know.”
“How can you not? We need to talk about everything that’s happened these past few months. And especially what happened two days ago, because your father and I agree, Y/N, that was very irresponsible of you, throwing yourself out of a moving vehicle like that.”
“I know it was, I’m aware,” she said. “But in that moment, and I think you know this deep down, that was the only solution. You wouldn’t have stopped to let me out.”
Mrs McKay sighed. “We should definitely think about that holiday I just suggested, it’d be nice.”
Y/N bit her bottom lip, studying her mother for a moment before she spoke for the first time in a few minutes. “I don’t… I don’t think it would be, Mum.”
“What do you mean?”
“It wouldn be nice to go on that holiday.”
Mrs McKay finally looked at her daughter, eyes following her outline slowly with a slight tilt to her head as if she was trying to assess what was best to say in this sort of situation. “The beach is always nice.”
“I wasn’t referring to the beach. I was referring to family time.”
Mrs McKay nodded her head slowly, bringing her glass of water up to her lips to take a slow sip.
“I think… I’ve wanted to talk to you about this for a while now. I think you’ve known it would happen as well.”
Her mother didn’t answer.
“I just… I just want to talk about everything and what’s gonna happen going forward. I don’t want there to be anything left unsaid after this.”
Mrs McKay kept her eyes on the table and nodded again. “Alright. What did you want to talk about?”
“Well… a lot, really.”
“Better start then.”
Y/N swallowed thickly, taking a quick sip of her iced tea before she turned her attention back on her mother, reaching for the ball of courage she had gathered from thinking about and getting ready for this the past two days. “I think ever since I was born, you’ve put pressure on me to live the kind of life you couldn’t when you were younger. When you got me, you saw possibility to make something right that you yourself hadn’t been able to.-”
“-That’s not true.”
“Let me finish. I think, until you got me, you were lonely. Dad wasn’t exactly a fucking dream-“
“-Watch your language.-“
“-And you didn’t really have any friends, so the second I was born, you finally had someone. You could do whatever you wanted with me. Or at least, that’s what you thought,” Y/N said. “You projected this image onto me of what you thought the perfect daughter, the perfect woman, would be, and ‘cause I was terrified of letting you and Dad down, I went along.”
“You’d never do that.”
“But I have. And I will.”
Mrs McKay furrowed her brows, but before she was able to say anything else – though she’d talk over people if she so had to, Y/N knew.
“I’ve been so conflicted, mum.” Y/N heard her own voice break, and it wasn’t till then that she realised that she was close to tears. The lines between Mrs McKay’s brows deepened at the sound. “Part of me hates you.”
Mrs McKay’s face fell at that.
“It hates you so much. It hates you for the days you told me you noticed I’d lost weight and how beautiful I now looked, it hates you for never being interested to listen to me talk about what I’m passionate about, it hates you for belittling said passions and making me feel stupid for having ambitions.”
“Y/N-“
“-It hates you for making me feel conflicted when I first followed my dreams, ‘cause I didn’t know if I was supposed to follow my own or the ones you’d laid out for me just to please you momentarily. Hates you for the trauma you caused me. For the countless hours spent in front of a mirror pointing out my flaws, and taking a really long time to realise that said flaws aren’t that. For hearing your voice in my head when I make a mistake, telling me how I should’ve known better.”
Now it was Mrs McKay’s turn to be stunned to silence, just watching Y/N with a steel face, refusing to show any sign of emotion.
“But…” Y/N dug her nails into her palms, telling herself that she could cry when she got back to the Inn, but not now. “But the other part of me, one that I hate most of all, still loves you.”
Mrs McKay’s lip was a thin line and Y/N recognised that face. That face appeared when her mother was unsure of how to feel about something, but by the looks of the slight tremor in her cheeks, Y/N knew her words had gotten through.
Y/N sobbed, hoping no one around them could hear and that no one she knew were around to witness this. “It loves you ‘cause you’re my mum. You brought me into this world, and you’ve stuck by me. You made me feel loved when I was younger, and I used to look up to you. You used to be my role model.”
Mrs McKay looked away.
“That part makes me feel so horrible, ‘cause how can you love someone who brought you so much self-loathing and misery? How is that possible?” Y/N was quick to wipe away the tear on her cheek. “But I do. I can’t erase that or you from my memory. Part of me is going to miss you after this.”
Mrs McKay met Y/N’s eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t want you to contact me again. None of you. Not you, not Dad, not Dominic.”
Mrs McKay looked absolutely dumbfounded. “I beg your pardon?”
“You three brought me so much torment I don’t want you in my life anymore.”
“Y/N, you’re being ridiculous-“
“-If you want to contact me or meet me, you have to ask me via text message if I am okay with that. If I say yes, that only makes it a one-time thing, we are not going to stay in contact after it. If I say no, don’t try to persuade me, manipulate me, or make me feel bad about it. I’m pushing you out of my life for a reason.”
“Try to think rationally for once-“
“-If you do not respect this and come after me again, I’ll file a restraining order against you, Dad, and Dominic. Won’t look too good on Dad’s record now, will it?”
Mrs McKay just sat there staring again.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Mrs McKay didn’t react.
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
Y/N nodded then, picking up her iced tea and hoping her mum didn’t see how her hand was trembling slightly.
“You don’t want any contact with your family? The people who are supposed to love you unconditionally-“
“-You might love me, but it’s not in a way that’ll help me grow. Which is what love is all about. St Ives and the people I’ve met here, those are my family. This is home now.”
Mrs McKay took a few moments to think before she said, with a voice so ice cold it made Y/N’s hair stand on end, “You can’t choose your family. You’re put into this world- you’re placed somewhere, where you belong.”
“No. Family and belonging are not synonymous. You are my birth family, but I can choose who I consider to be in my closest circle, the people that mean the most to me,” Y/N said. “You are not that.”
A short silence stretched out between them before Mrs McKay said, “What about your father’s business? The one he inherited from his father, your grandfather.”
“What about it?” Y/N asked. “You never even bothered to tell me what it is.”
“Oh, it’s got something to do with electronic pins. You know those you have in your phone?”
Y/N just looked at her mother.
“I’ve never bothered to ask much, Y/N, it hasn’t ever been very interesting to me.”
“Maybe it would’ve been to me if you’d just let me in on it from the start instead of assuming I was too dim to take on the role as CEO.”
Mrs McKay’s eyes narrowed as if she was about to protest, but she must’ve realised her daughter was speaking the truth because she did not object.
“Can’t Dad just let someone else be CEO? Someone who is actually good at their job instead of giving the job away to Dominic?”
“Dom is qualified for the role.”
“Sure, but he’s also a fucking arsehole.”
Mrs McKay winced at Y/N’s words.
“Mum, you never even wanted me to know what Dad was doing. Let alone want me to take over for him. It’s never been a problem before that I won’t take over after him, dunno why it would be now.”
Mrs McKay just looked at Y/N, their conversation on replay in her head it seemed because she was conflicted. For the longest time, they just stared at one another and realised what this meant. Y/N had been ready for this conversation for a while now, even though she hadn’t realised how badly it needed to be had till this very second. Mrs McKay, nor the other two that had come here, had truly known how Y/N felt before last night. What Y/N had said along with her actions must have spoken volumes. But this, Y/N was aware, took the cake. She was telling her mother, a person who had given up next to everything for Y/N in a sense, to never contact her again unless she had to. It had to sting, and Y/N knew that she would miss her mother sometimes. Those moments when they’d laugh at something together or those early years where Y/N remembered idolising her mum. She’d miss that. But she would also be so much happier without her in her life.
“Well,” Mrs McKay said, voice trembling. “I should be heading back to your dad. He won’t be too happy about the news.”
“Mum, you can leave him.”
The pitiful smile that graced Mrs McKay’s face after that made Y/N cringe. “I won’t.”
Y/N nodded, watching as her mother got up from her seat. She did as well, giving her mother a small smile to offer some peace, to tell her that it would all be okay. At least in Y/N’s world. Y/N could tell that her mother hesitated at first, but once she stepped forward with her arms spread wide, Y/N walked straight into her embrace. They hugged each other tighter than they had ever hugged before, savouring this last, this peaceful moment that they had together.
“Goodbye, Y/N,” her mum said, rubbing her daughter’s back.
“Bye, Mum.”
They stepped away from one another and her mother smiled at her again. Y/N swore she could see tears welling up in her mother’s eyes, but she chose not to point it out, fully aware that she was about to cry herself. Mrs McKay drank the rest of her water, looked one last time into Y/N’s eyes, and then walked past her, down the stairs, and out of sight.
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Monday, 10 August
The teapot was empty and all the biscuits were gone, meaning that Florence, Camila, and Barb were leaving The Roaming Crab Inn. The five of them had been knitting for hours now, and though Y/N had finished her project a while ago, she wanted to spend some more time with the knitting ladies before doing what she had to do. Florence folded the jumper she was working on and Barb hummed some sort of melody while Camila talked everyone’s ears off.
“I’m telling you,” Camila said, putting away her glasses. “The sleeves on this dress are way too big.”
“No, they’re not.” Bessie got up from her seat and walked over to Camila, taking the baby doll lemon dress out of Camila’s hands. Lowering her glasses onto the tip of her nose, she took a closer look. “How many were you supposed to cast off?”
“Three.”
“But then this is correct, isn’t it?”
“I suppose,” Camila sighed, taking hold of the dress when Bessie gave it back to her.
“Besides, your granddaughter won’t notice if you did the sleeves wrong.”
Camila looked right up at Bessie with narrowed eyes. “So, you admit I made a mistake?”
“No, I just pointed out that if you did, your granddaughter would hardly see it.” Bessie turned back around to go sit down in her chair, meeting Y/N’s eyes and making a grimace as to say that whatever Camila had just knitted, couldn’t have been correct. She sat back down again as Y/N gathered all the cups and the biscuit tray, carrying it all back inside to the kitchen where she put it in the dishwasher.
“Bye, darling,” Barb smiled as she walked past the kitchen. “Your cardigan’s looking wonderful.”
“Thank you, Barbara. See ya,” Y/N smiled, walking upstairs to put on her green woollen jumper. It was getting rather cold out as evening approached, and though Y/N had just finished knitting her summer project, it wasn’t hers to wear. Looking out the window, she saw the glass with a bouquet of dead flowers still standing in her windowsill. She didn’t have the heart to throw it away since doing so would be like binning the last piece of this summer she still had left. Forcing herself to look away, Y/N blinked away the stinging in her eyes as she started walking back down the stairs and the back garden.
All the other ladies had gone, meaning that it was just Y/N and Bessie left. Bessie still sat knitting, smiling at Y/N as she stepped outside.
“Want me to make another brew?” Y/N asked, adjusting her white summer dress under her oversized jumper.
“No, me lover, that’s quite alright. Thank you, though.”
Y/N smiled, sitting back down in her seat and picking up the cardigan. She was picking at some threads that were poking out, some of the many flaws in her first ever knitting project, when Bessie put her vest down and glanced over at her. Y/N looked back at her, raising her eyebrows ever so slightly.
“Is something the matter?” Y/N asked.
“You tell me.”
Y/N huffed, looking back down at her cardigan. “Depends what you’re referring to, I guess.”
Bessie sighed a bit, putting the vest on the table before them. “You haven’t spoken about that chat you had with your mum yesterday.”
Y/N inhaled slowly. “It was a lot to process.”
“We got time.”
Looking up at the older woman again, Y/N was greeted with one of Bessie’s signature warm smiles.
“I told her that I don’t want her, Dad, or Dominic to ever contact me again. She got a bit defensive, but she agreed not to contact me unless necessary.”
Bessie nodded her head slowly. “Do you think she’ll keep that promise?”
“She will, I’m less certain about Dad and Dom.”
Bessie huffed, leaning back against the back of her chair. “That’s men for you, never listen to what a woman has to say.”
“The right ones do.”
Bessie laughed, making Y/N smile a little. “Talking from experience, are you?”
Y/N hoped Bessie couldn’t see her cheeks heat up, but she was sure she noticed, hearing the older woman chuckle heartily before silence settled over them once again.
“You know,” Bessie started, knitting her vest again. “When I was younger, I drew the conclusion that family isn’t always blood and who you’ve spent the most time with. No, family is who makes you feel at home, who makes you feel safe, and loved.”
Y/N looked over at Bessie, biting her bottom lip as it threatened to wobble again.
“Family is who you make it. You don’t owe your parents anything. They might’ve brought you into this world, but they didn’t give you life, you did that yourself. When you decided to leave them, when you came here, when you applied for your UCAT, when you met Harry and everyone else. That’s life. You chose life.”
Y/N couldn’t help her smile, her sight getting blurrier with each passing second, but she didn’t really care just then.
“I’m so proud of you for doing that. It takes a lot of courage to follow your dreams, especially when the environment around you tells you that said dreams aren’t worth it,” Bessie said. “But, you have to remember this, they always are. Every dream is worth it. It’s okay to feel sad after making the right decision.”
A sob escaped Y/N’s lips and Bessie looked up at once, putting the vest away to focus her attention on Y/N who was now full on crying. She hadn’t known how much she needed to hear those words till Bessie finally said them. Holding onto Bessie’s hand for dear life, Y/N looked into the innkeeper’s eyes, trying to smile again, but she couldn’t.
“Bessie, thank you,” Y/N said between sobs. “Truly, thank you so much.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Y/N. I love you; I love how far you’ve come.”
Y/N brought a hand up to her mouth, stopping a loud sob from coming out from between her lips. “I don’t know what to do now,” she said once she had calmed down a little. “I don’t know where to go, what to do, how I’m gonna handle University when the time comes. Like, I’ll be 26 by that time and everyone who’s starting will be almost ten years younger than me. It feels like everyone’s sprinted this marathon since forever, and I’ve fallen over and struggled to get up so many times that I’ve fallen behind. I don’t know how I’m gonna get back into the race, you know? I can’t win.”
Bessie pondered over Y/N’s words, watching her intently as she wiped more tears away from her face. “You can still win, Y/N. And even if you don’t win, you still did everything you could, and that’s just as good as winning, is it not?”
Y/N shrugged her shoulders, looking down at her and Bessie’s joined hands.
“Life doesn’t wait for you. It doesn’t force you to do anything, it just drags you along on a journey and it’s your responsibility to do what you want with your time on earth. You are still so young, you have so much time to do whatever you wanna do. If you lost your youth to controlling parents, abuse, a partner you thought truly loved you but didn’t, if you lost your youth to mental illness, your life isn’t over. There’s no deadline for anything like that in life. If you wanna go to uni now, five-none years after everyone else you know went to uni, then that’s what you’re gonna do. Who says you have to be a certain age, or at a certain stage in your life, or be satisfied with how you look, act, feel, before doing something that ultimately will make you happy? That will make your life worth living? No, life isn’t gonna wait for you to catch up, no one will, but it’s gonna give you opportunities to right your wrongs, to do what will bring you happiness. There’s no deadline, you still have time.”
Y/N met Bessie’s eyes again and the older woman smiled at her, squeezing her hand reassuringly.
“All the time in the world,” Bessie said.
“I just don’t know what to do. I just… this feels like home, but after everything that happened last Friday, I’m not sure people want me here.”
“Oh, we do,” Bessie said firmly. “People might not have been happy with you, but they won’t love you any less. This is still your home, Y/N.”
Y/N smiled.
“We are your family now, Y/N. If you need a mum, I’ll be your bloody mum.”
Y/N laughed, leaning forward and bringing Bessie into a hug. Out of everything she had done in the last few days, this was definitely a moment Y/N thought she would cherish forever. This entire summer, Bessie had stood by her. No matter what, Bessie had been beside Y/N, ready to help whenever she needed guidance, and Y/N was unsure if she had ever met someone so willing to love as Bessie. She clung a little tighter onto Bessie, feeling another tear roll down her cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, darling,” Bessie said, a smile in her voice. “Now, all you need to do is revise for the UCAT and give that cardigan to its rightful owner, eh?”
Y/N therefore took the cardigan with her up to her room and sat down by her desk. Though she was sure Harry was home, she was unsure if she’d have the courage to actually knock on the door and give it to him. It’d be better if she just left it there for him, though she knew that would also just look very weird. After everything, she had to face Harry, she was just unsure of how it was all going to play out. It took her a while to find the right words, and once she was done with her final draft letter, she put it on the desk beside the pile of disqualified letters, getting up to find her things and get ready for the trip to the lighthouse. With her stomach hurting from nerves, she put the cardigan in the tote bag, struggling to fit it as she reached for the desk, picking up the letter and shoving it into the tote bag.
With her tote bag on her shoulder, she started on her walk to the lighthouse. She had no idea what Harry would say when she showed up, if he would even allow her to enter his cottage at all. The three days that had passed since the end of summer party felt like ten years each, time had never moved slower. Y/N had waited for this moment for a while now. She had tried to gather the courage she would need for this. But, she kept telling herself this, if she managed to meet her mum and confront her about everything and told her, her dad, and Dominic to stay away from her, then she could walk to Clodgy Point and hand Harry a bloody cardigan. How hard could it be?
However, with each step she took that led her closer to the lighthouse, Y/N felt almost just as anxious, if not worse, than when she walked to meet her mother. There was something about facing Harry after everything that made her mouth dry up. She had absolutely no idea if he would want to see her again after everything, if he could even bear the sight of her after all she put his family and loved ones through. Not only had her father showed up to Jessa’s farm, but Harry had also been violently slammed against his own car and gone into hypo not long after. The mess that had been last Friday had made them both go through emotions neither thought would be possible to endure at once and during one single evening. She wondered if Harry knew she had been to the lighthouse and done the weather reports that night and the following morning.
Walking along Fore Street, Y/N gazed into the shops on either side of the pedestrian street, taking in life in St Ives as she didn’t know what would happen after today. She was originally set to check out of the Inn that morning, August 10th, but Bessie told her it would be alright if she wanted to leave by train later that day. Y/N didn’t know yet where she wanted to go or how far that would be, but all she knew was that she had to be in Plymouth on September 10th to take the UCAT. Besides that, her future looked to be very blurry. It all depended on what happened when she arrived at the lighthouse.
But as she strolled up the hill to Clodgy Point, she didn’t see Harry’s yellow van. Though this was weird at first, she tried to tell herself that he was still home. There hadn’t been a single time that summer when she’d shown up to Harry’s cottage and he hadn’t been there. He was always there.
Knocking on the door though, left Y/N standing there in silence for a single minute, the wild wind, seagulls, and sun overhead the only things keeping her company. She knew it was none of her business looking through the windows into his cottage, but she had to know if he was just ignoring her or if he really wasn’t there. She walked to the side of the house, looking in through the window just beside his bed, the one placed right beside the dining table. The place was empty. Sighing, she walked back over to the door and took her tote bag off her shoulder. She placed it in front of the door, hoping the wind wouldn’t blow it away, and then she got up and walked back the way she came.
It had been stupid to go there in the first place. Of course he wouldn’t be completely by himself after the hypo he had just a few days ago. His family and loved ones would most likely not allow him to be anywhere out of sight till they knew he was alright. Y/N refused to let her eyes start to sting again even though she could feel it coming on. The last few days she had been crying more than she ever had before. She never used to be a big crier, but something about being in St Ives and something about everything, the atmosphere and everyone in this town made her feel much more than before. It made her feel. It made her want.
Returning to the Inn, it was getting much darker out and Cornwall would soon be embraced once again by night. Y/N tried to look for Bessie inside, but the older woman must’ve gone home for a bit because she was nowhere to be seen. Y/N walked back up the steps and to her room, rummaging through her purse for her keys for what could be the last time. It seemed to take more time than usual and she groaned at herself, finding it harder to look for anything when it was so dark everywhere. The dim lighting of the stairs made her stop for a second. Taking a second to just narrow her eyes and get a closer look, Y/N was suddenly able to make out what it was she was seeing.
Bluebells, sea pinks, and hedgerow cranesbills laid neatly right before the door to her room. And though it looked almost just like the bouquets he had made her earlier, this one was almost entirely purple and made out of bellflowers. Y/N reached for it, picking it up and bringing it closer to her face, running her fingers over the soft petals gently as she felt her heart begin to pick up speed. It was as she smelled the flowers that she realised what this meant. Her eyes shot up and she just stared straight ahead at her door as she started breathing fast. He had been here. Harry had stopped by while she was walking to the lighthouse, dropping off the bouquet.
There was no time for hesitation as Y/N shot up into a standing position, running downstairs just as Bessie came back to the Inn.
“Oh! Hello, dear-“
“-Harry’s been here?” Y/N panted, standing in the doorway with the bouquet still in her hand.
Bessie’s eyes fell to the colourful flowers before she met Y/N’s eyes again. “He has.”
“When? Was it long ago?”
“Can’t remember, my darling, I just remember seeing his yellow car outside and there he was.” Bessie tutted softly. “It’s about to fall to pieces, that car of his.”
“You didn’t talk to him?”
A small smile spread out over Bessie’s lips as if she understood exactly what was going on. “I did.”
Y/N raised her eyebrows impatiently. “And?!”
“He asked where you were.”
Y/N waved her hands frantically to get Bessie to tell her what she’d told him in return.
“Told him you’d gone to the lighthouse to find him.”
Y/N ran a hand over her face, inhaling hugely. “Alright. Okay. Deep breaths.”
Bessie watched the younger woman with amusement, cocking her head a little to the side as a knowing smile spread out over her face.
“I… I need to leave. I need to go,” Y/N said. “If he shows up again, tell him I’ll wait.” She ran over to the other side of the street as the sky overhead was a slight darkening blue, tinges of purple and pink along the horizon. She stopped as she got a glimpse of the lighthouse, finally seeing the light. A light that would guide her where she needed to be. And with that, Y/N set off. By Porthminster beach, through Fore Street, flying past slow walkers, running straight for Clodgy lighthouse. She felt the bouquet fall apart, leaving flowers along her path through St Ives in a desperate attempt to get to Harry. To get where she needed and where she was supposed to be.
Though it had been a trek walking up the stone path before, Y/N ran up it with ease this time around. She could see the lighthouse blinking its distinct pattern, could make out some light within the cottage along with the yellow van. A breath left her and her heart began to soar, that shred of hope that had been born from seeing the bouquet in the hotel blossomed. Out of breath and probably very sweaty, Y/N knocked on the door of the cottage. However, like last time, no one opened. So, Y/N tried again, but same luck this time around. She walked out onto the moors and squinted her eyes, trying to look about to see if she could make out Harry’s figure.
“Harry!” she shouted, whipping her head around in different directions to see where he was. “Harry!” She ran beyond the cottage, trying to make out anything, anything at all, against the flat moors. “Where are you?!”
“Y/N!”
It came from overhead. As if an angel was flying just high enough for the wind to carry some of his voice, but low enough so that Y/N could hear him clearly. Turning around, Y/N was sure she was seeing just that, an angel. Harry was standing on the gallery deck of the lighthouse, looking down at her. At the sight of him, Y/N felt an intense tingle go through her entire body. It was an overwhelming sort of happiness, unlike anything she’d ever felt before, and it surrounded her, made the air around her static with anticipation and adoration. The sky behind him was darkening so she couldn’t make out his face, but she would be able to do just that soon enough.
Smiling to herself, she ran for the door. She pulled it open and let it slam behind her as she ran up the steps. Past the office, past the bedroom, past everything, till she made it to the very top. Panting and thighs burning, she opened the door on the topmost floor. The ladder to the bell room stood to her right, but she turned left and walked out onto the gallery deck where she’d seen Harry.
There he stood, right under the blinking light. He was looking at her with his lips slightly parted, hair as unkempt as usual, and a look of relief and shock on his face. They were left there just staring at each other for a little while, neither of them able to voice what they had been thinking about for the last three days. Everything from her jumping out of the car to get him, to helping him with his hypo, to doing the weather report, to talking to her mum, and the cardigan. The cardigan. Y/N was ashamed of how long it had taken her to notice it, she blamed the darkening sky above them.
Harry was wearing the colourful square cardigan she had knitted him and placed in front of his door. The one she had put there not even an hour earlier along with her note. Biting her lips together, she let her eyes wander his body. She took in the Elton John tee shirt he was wearing and the loose light washed denim jeans along with his black Vans. But her eyes lingered on what he was holding in his hand. Her heart skipped a beat and her breath halted. Their eyes met again, and Harry’s jaw was now working, trying to find the right words as he so rarely did.
“What’s that?” she asked him in a small voice, gesturing at his hand.
He looked down at it before looking up at her again, holding it up for her to see. A book. And not just any book. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Her favourite book by her favourite author. The one she had been reading to him in the field beside the lighthouse all summer. Her eyes began to sting again and she wondered once again how many times she would find herself crying in the span of just a couple of days.
“I, uhm…” He looked at it, opening it on the page where he rested his finger. “I just got to this bit right here- I mean, the whole book is rather confusing ‘cause of the whole stream of consciousness thing going on, but…” He pointed a finger at the line he’d been reading. “This right here made sense. Very much.”
The light from the lighthouse continued to shine its pattern across the coast before and around them, making some of Harry temporarily light up. It just strengthened her argument from before, that he was an angel.
“’Nothing is so strange when one is in love,’” Harry said.
“’As the complete indifference of other people,’” Y/N finished and Harry looked up at once, taken aback by her interruption but not at all offended.
He nodded his head slowly. “Yeah.” A few moments passed before he said, with such a soft voice it felt like a caress against Y/N’s skin, “I dunno what’s really going on in that book, to be fair, but… but I understood that. That line made sense.”
“It’s not the best book to start off on if you’re getting into Woolf’s work.”
“Yeah, alright, but I had to, didn’t I?”
“Did you?”
“Yeah, ‘cause it’s your favourite. It-“ He stopped himself, swallowing thickly as he shut the book again and kept eye contact with her. “It was a piece of you. I…” He inhaled slowly. “I didn’t know when I’d see you next- if I ever would again, and… Mrs Dalloway and Woolf just… It reminded me of you. It was a piece of you.”
Y/N wanted to walk closer to him.
“It was all those moments spent out in the field listening to you read it out loud, or just watching you while you did so. I…” He shrugged. “I might not know what’s going on in the book, but I don’t really give a fuck ‘cause if reading it will somehow bring me back to that and back to you, then I’ll bloody well do it.”
Her eyes fell to the book, biting her lips together before glancing up into his eyes again.
“I just wanted a moment. Whatever moment. A single moment with you. I’ve been so… so desperate these last few days,” he said, letting go of a small, but shaky breath. “I just wanted to be. Wanted to be with you. In whatever form, whatever I could get. Just be. Just exist in a place, in a memory, where I was in your presence.”
“Harry-“
“-And if you’re here to say goodbye… I just need this one. This moment. I just need to take it in. I just need to live with you for some seconds.”
Her lips fell apart even more and she furrowed her brow slightly. “Did you not read the letter I left with the cardigan?”
Harry pulled the book up again, tapping his finger against something resting between the cover and the first page. Was he using it as a bookmark?
“So, you read it?”
“’I’ve been knitting this all summer, it looked more like something that would fit you than me. The colours reminded me of you and how you made me feel. Love, Y/N.’”
Ignoring the fact that he had memorised the letter, she groaned slightly, scratching at her neck as she kept her eyes on the letter.
“Well… then I put one of the draft letters with the cardigan.”
Harry frowned.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to say to you, I wrote like 500 draft letters before I actually landed on something like ‘I’ll be at the Inn, please come see me’, but it doesn’t seem like I put that one in there.”
“No,” he said quickly. “You didn’t.”
“But then I saw the bouquet outside my door and Bessie said you’d dropped by. And since we hadn’t talked in days, I didn’t know what you thought of me and everything that had happened.”
“Grace told me. Dax, too.”
She just looked at him.
“Gracie told me you arrived with blood on your elbow and knee, that you helped wake me up, and Dax…” Harry sighed. “Well, he said he knew there was something going on, but he realised that, though we had been faking it, he knew then, just by watching you fuss over me and run for the lighthouse, that you actually cared about me. And he knows me well enough to just see it plainly on me that I have feelings for you, too.”
Y/N didn’t really know what to say. It was true. She cared about him. So very much. But she hadn’t thought about how it would look to Grace and Dax who had, mere hours before, heard that Harry and Y/N’s relationship had been a lie since the start.
“I… Y/N, I wanted to come to the Inn. I’ve wanted to see you ever since Friday, but Jessa wouldn’t let me out of sight and told me to rest for at least a day. And then, on Sunday, I went to the Inn but Bessie said you were out. So… I tried again today, but I wanted to make sure you knew I’d been by in case you were out again, so I left the bouquet.” His eyes fell to her hand, a small smile on his lips. “With bellflowers.”
When Y/N looked down onto her hand again where there had once been a beautiful bouquet. She remembered how she had felt flower upon flower split from between her fingers as she ran for the lighthouse, they were strewn along the path up to the lighthouse now. There was only a single one left in her hand. A bellflower.
“And I made you that cardigan,” Y/N said, looking up at him again. “It’s not perfect. There some faults here and there, a few holes, it’s a bit fucked-“
“-I don’t care,” Harry blurted out. “I like that it’s a bit fucked. I like when you can see the progress, when you can tell that someone’s struggled, but it’s turned out alright. I love it.”
Y/N couldn’t help her smile. She looked down at the flower in her hand, feeling herself clutch it a little tighter, not wanting to let it go.
“Do you…” Harry trailed off, watching her as she met his eyes again. “No, forget it.”
“No, what?”
“It’s stupid, really-“
“-Nothing’s ever stupid, Harry, what’s on your mind?”
“Well…” He shrugged his shoulders, looking down at the bellflower in her hands. “Do you remember when we were on the beach and we talked about your favourite books and started to discuss whether or not destiny is real?”
There was no hesitation before Y/N nodded, remembering every single moment of this past summer in vivid detail.
“You said you believe balance and energy, that you get what you deserve based on what you’ve done, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And I believe that the universe brings us someplace or something ‘cause it’s already got this perfectly sculptured plan for us, where we’re supposed to end up.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve thought about that conversation these past few days, ‘cause…” He thought for a few seconds, finding his words. “I think we got what we deserved.”
Y/N frowned. “What do you mean?”
“We lied to everyone. We lied to people we love, to ourselves, and… the universe didn’t want us to lie. It didn’t want us to fake it.”
She tightened her hold on the bellflower, more wind blowing past them where they stood at the top of the lighthouse, the lamp shining its familiar sequence above them.
“Y/N, we’ve done it all wrong. We got what we deserved ‘cause we didn’t do it right.”
“What are you saying?”
“Our theories? You with your energy and balance and me with destiny? It’s all connected, don’t you understand?”
She just looked at him, too awestruck to think clearly.
“You’re right, we did the universe wrong so it got back at us by having our worlds fall apart around us last Friday. And destiny… well, we met and we did it wrong.”
“Then what would’ve been the right way?”
“To never have initiated the fake relationship at all. We should never have done it.”
A small pang of hurt erupted in Y/N’s chest and she furrowed her brows slightly. “Then we wouldn’t have really met each other, though.”
“But we would’ve. I ran into you; I shouldn’t have asked you to be my fake girlfriend. If I had just asked you out…” Harry let out a breathy chuckle. “Who the fuck am I kidding? I wouldn’t have done that; I was way too nervous around you then.”
Y/N felt her cheeks heat up and she hoped Harry couldn’t tell how flustered she was.
“It was wrong of us to do it.”
“It wasn’t.”
“But it was, Y/N,” Harry said. “’Cause… it was never fake. Not really. We pretended to be a couple, but… it was never fake, not for me. My feelings for you, they’re not, and have never been, fake or a lie.” He took a small step forward, lips parted for a moment before he spoke again. “Every time I’ve touched you, or done something affectionate, or acted like someone who might be in love with you, it’s because I was. I am.”
A breath left her lips and her heart beat out of her chest, a rush of ecstasy flowing through her veins so quickly it made her dizzy with happiness.
“I’m in love with you. I… I’m so immeasurably in love with you, Y/N, that every moment without you, or any moment when I don’t have you close to some capacity, is insignificant. Woolf is right about that. Everything is much more important, I feel so much more than I did before you, all my senses are heightened, but I feel the most for you. It’s been like that for a while now.”
Y/N walked over to him, eyes on his before she looked down at the bellflower between them. “I didn’t…” She bit her lip for a second. “I didn’t really know what love was till I came to St Ives. I knew what it was to kind of love someone, I know that… to some degree I love my mum. I cared about Dominic, and I even loved Dad when I was little.” She glanced up again. “But I’ve never felt love like this. I’ve never been on the receiving end, never loved as much as I’ve done this summer. I feel so full of it. You know when you fill a bucket or a glass or anything with water, and the second it pours over the brim, the water envelopes it? That’s how this summer has felt.”
Harry smiled a little, his right dimple showing.
“You showed me what it means to love and be loved in return, that is what we’re put on this planet to do. What is life if you’re not loved and you don’t love?”
He just looked at her, eyes tracing her face and taking in each one of her features.
“It was never fake, Harry. Never.” The smile on his face disappeared and a shaky breath slipped from between his lips. “I’ve been falling in love with you all summer. I didn’t even realise how hard and fast it had happened till you kissed me at Porthgwidden Beach,” she said. “Even… Even if you kissed me just for show.”
Harry closed his eyes and shook his head quickly before he looked at her again, not sure if he’d heard her correctly. “What?”
“You kissed me-“ She stopped herself, tilting her head at him. “You kissed me to show off that we were a couple… right?”
“No, I didn’t,” he said. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? Everything I’ve ever done has never been for show. Nothing was a lie. I wanted to kiss you at Porthgwidden. I had wanted to kiss you for a while.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, Y/N, I always want to kiss you,” Harry admitted. “Always.”
She couldn’t help her slight smile. “Nothing was for show?”
“Nothing.”
“Everything was real?”
He looked down, finger tracing the petals of the bellflower in her hand. “We’re real, flower. Our feelings are real.”
“Then… if you always want to kiss me,” Y/N said, voice low and filled with purpose. He looked up at her quickly. “Why aren’t you kissing me right now?”
Another breath left Harry’s lips and he ended up just staring at her. The entire summer flashed before them as their eyes drifted from each other’s eyes to their lips and back up again. Them running into one another, going to Grace’s birthday, the kamayan on the beach, and everything that followed. Her reading to him in the grass, looking up every now and again to catch him watching her, a tinge of pink on his cheekbones as he looked away, doing his best to hide his smile which in turn made it impossible for Y/N to hide hers. Everything passed between them in those seconds where Y/N waited for him to kiss her. It was a whole summer of miscommunication, wrong-doings, and making up for mistakes, everything had come to this.
Harry raised his hand, slowly sliding his thumb over her cheek before he settled his fingers at the nape of her neck. They leaned into one another, resting their foreheads together and for a little moment, they just stood there. She let him hold onto her as she moved to slide her hands up his back, still holding onto the bellflower. Y/N glanced upward, the lamp of the lighthouse turning on. Seeing the light, she felt peace run through her. This was exactly where she was supposed to be.
Looking back at Harry, her eyes lingered on his lips before she met his eyes again. With that, he leaned in, and pressed his lips softly against hers. The light overhead turned on again and Y/N knew, without a shadow of a doubt, this was home. The taste of Harry’s lips, his hands on her neck and hips, his breath against her cheek; just having him in her presence, that was where she belonged.
They detached their lips for a short second, eyes meeting. “You’re staying?” he asked.
“I’m staying,” she answered. “If you want me to.”
There was a slight pause where they just looked at one another. She saw a smile form on Harry’s lips before he leaned in again, kissing her more fiercely. She felt his smile against her lips, making her smile back, unable to help herself. Harry tried to widen their lips so his tongue could trace hers, but their smiles were too wide, and their teeth ended up sliding against one another, making Y/N laugh and Harry giggle. They opened their eyes again, just looking at one another and smiling until they calmed down, kissing one another again.
This time, Harry managed to open their mouths in unison, tongues gliding against one another, and they were finally able to taste one another again. Nothing else mattered as they drew out the kiss, letting the heavenly rush that was going through their bodies in that moment take over completely. They were buzzing with electricity, shining like a star where they stood joined together. Y/N was sure that the lamp inside the lighthouse could go out, and her and Harry would light up the entire world and guide everyone who needed help, home.
She slung her arm around his neck, the hand clutching the bellflower rested on his shoulder and they deepened the kiss. It was the happiest moment of her life, standing there, at the top of the lighthouse, with Harry. There would be nothing like this ever. Everything had led to this. It was as Harry had said, everything else was so much more colourful now, but so insignificant in comparison to him, to this. How had she ever thought she’d live a life without him in it?
“You can spend the night,” Harry said once they had regained their breaths. “We don’t have to do anything; I just want you to stay here with me.”
She smiled at him, letting go of a breathy chuckle. “I’ll stay the night.”
He smiled back, kissing her temple. “I just want you as close as possible.”
She turned her face and pressed her lips against his again, closing her eyes and melting into him again. He gripped her face gently, pulling her to him and moaning softly against her, his wet lips making a hot shiver run up her spine that absolutely no one but Harry had been able to conjure. An early autumnal wind blew past them and though it was a cold breeze, Y/N felt herself radiate warmth. They giggled against one another when they realised they had completely forgotten where they were, the plans from earlier about going downstairs.
Harry took Y/N’s hand and the two walked back down the stairs, Harry carrying Mrs Dalloway and Y/N the bellflower. Once they reached the cottage, Y/N walked straight over to the kitchen and found a small glass she could put the flower in, and once it was filled with some water, she put it on the dining table, smiling a little at it. Harry walked over and sat down in the windowsill Y/N had spent countless hours studying for her UCAT, he watched her as she marvelled at the bellflower, studying it in the dim light of the cottage.
“What’ve you been up to the past few days?” Harry asked as Y/N sat down by the dining table.
“Been knitting that,” she said, nodding in the direction of the cardigan Harry was still wearing. “And I had a chat with Mum.”
Harry paused for a few seconds, letting the words Y/N had just uttered sink in. “You… You talked?”
“Yeah.”
“Did your parents and-“ Harry made a grimace as if saying the name made him ill. “Dominic show up unannounced again?”
Y/N tried not to smile. “No, I asked Mum to meet me.”
“Oh.” Harry nodded his head some, letting the words sink in. “Alright.”
“I just wanted to make it very clear that I don’t want anything to do with them again. Told her that if they came close to me or tried to meet me without letting me know and talking to me beforehand, I’ll file a restraining order or summat like that. I dunno how to do it or if the situation is, like, qualified for one-“
“-Jo will help. They work for a law firm; they’ll know what to do.”
“I’d appreciate that very much.” She sighed. “If Jo and the rest of St Ives will ever truly forgive what we did.”
Harry’s eyes fell to his hands in his lap, letting some silence settle between them before he said, “Yeah, Jessa wasn’t impressed.”
There had not been a moment prior to this when Y/N had felt angrier and more ashamed of herself. Out of everyone she had met in her life up until that point, and probably forever, Jessa was one of the most accepting and kindest people she had ever met. The fact that she had not only disappointed Jessa but also hurt her, made Y/N so thoroughly sad that it was hard not to scream out in anger.
“Did she…” Y/N trailed off, gesturing with her hands as Harry looked up at her again. “Did she talk to you about everything when you stayed at the farm with them that day after your hypo?”
Harry shook his head. “No. She barely spent any time with me, just told Grace to keep me company while she tended to the farm. She didn’t want to let me be alone, though. She can be mad at me, but she still can’t be that mad, you know what I mean?” Harry chuckled some. “Got the biggest heart out of anyone I know, Jessa does.”
Y/N smiled a little at that. “She had to know you’d be alright.”
“I heard you went up to the lighthouse to do the weather reports.”
She bit her lips together, remembering that night in vivid detail.
“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you so much for that.”
“You couldn’t do them, and someone had to.”
Harry chuckled. “You’re making it sound like it was dreadful.”
“It was!” He laughed even more at her exclamation. “I was proper freaking out!”
“But you did an amazing job! Everything you’ve written down is correct and I can guess then that your report was as well.”
She smiled. “I hope so.”
Harry smiled back, getting up to take the cardigan off and put it on a hanger by his dresser.
“Who did it after I left? I went back to the Inn after the 9am one.”
“Dax told me you were at the lighthouse and when he got your text saying you’d be leaving, he told me, I called Trinity House, and another lighthouse keeper off-duty came and stepped in for the day.”
“Okay, good,” Y/N said. “I was scared I just left it in the hands of no one, but I didn’t know what to do.”
“You did plenty. Thank you, genuinely.” Harry looked at the clock on the wall, letting go of a long sigh before he walked over to the lamp by his sofa, turning it off.
“I…” Y/N said, cracking the knuckle of her thumb as nervousness suddenly flooded her. She had thought about this a fair amount since the party last Friday and she felt like it had to be addressed. “The piano piece you played at the end of summer party,” Y/N started, making Harry look over at her. “It was beautiful.”
“You mean your song?”
Y/N felt lightheaded at him addressing it like that.
“It kinda just came to me throughout the summer. The first bit was just us laying in the grass and as it picks up you can kinda tell how much you begin to mean to me,” he explained. “It’s nostalgic, it’s what I was going for anyway. You don’t really know if you should be happy or sad, ‘cause the memories make you feel both at the same time.” He walked over to the foyer and locked the front door, turning the lights off, closing the door leading out there, separating them from the entrance. “Played it for Grace a couple of times and I was gonna play it for you, but… well, then everything went to shit, didn’t it?”
Y/N let out a small chuckle, looking down at her hands. “Yeah, everything fell apart all at once.”
“It did,” he agreed, turning a lamp on top of his dresser off. “But we made it, didn’t we?”
She smiled at that.
Harry paused for few seconds, looking out through the major window at the far-end wall where he had just been seated, furrowing his brows as he thought. It was as if he had just remembered something, biting his lips together as his eyes fell to the floor again. Not knowing what was on his mind, Y/N kept her mouth shut.
“I… I can’t remember much from last Friday,” he confessed, looking back up through the window. “It’s not even a blur, it’s just… it’s not there.”
Y/N just looked at him.
“Usually what happens when my blood sugar’s low. I get dizzy, start to sweat and I shake, and I’ll be very irritable, the slightest thing will tick me off.” Harry walked over to the dining table, sitting down next to Y/N. “And, if I go into a hypo, I won’t remember the hypo, or most of the moments leading up to it. I’ll just slowly jolt out of it and realise what’s happening.”
She nodded, eyes falling to his hands that were folded together on the table before him.
“I remember your family arriving and I remember being scared out of my bloody mind when I realised what was going on- when you and Bessie fucked out of the barn. I knew something was up. I kind of had a hunch as to what it was, but… I didn’t want to believe it. It couldn’t be happening, it just couldn’t.”
She wanted to reach for his hand.
“I didn’t even know who they were, you hadn’t shown me any pictures of them, so I couldn’t tell from just looking at them, but I knew. An old married pair and that… that ruddy tosser – don’t even wanna say his name – came out of that car, and I just knew. I couldn’t let you go with them.”
“I’m sorry-“
“-No,” Harry stopped her. “No, I get why you did. Didn’t wanna cause a scene, and all that.”
She nodded. “Thought it’d be better if I went, didn’t want to fight with them in front of everyone.”
Harry looked up at her. “You fought with them?”
“Not a physical fight.”
“A man can only dream.”
She laughed.
“You should’ve levelled He Who Must Not Be Named while you still had the chance.”
She grinned at him. “When I become a dentist and he’s my patient, I’ll pull all his teeth out without any anaesthetics. How ‘bout that?”
Harry smiled back. “That’ll be a right laugh.”
She giggled, looking down at his hands again.
“What happened in the car then? You had an argument?”
Biting at her bottom lip, Y/N thought about the entire car incident before looking up into Harry’s eyes again. “I told them I wouldn’t come back to Hampshire, that I wouldn’t move in with Dominic, that-“
“-They wanted you to move in with that grotesque git?!” Harry sounded flabbergasted.
She smiled a little again. “Yes, well, Mum and Dad don’t really care what I think as long as it looks good, you know.”
Harry nodded, motioning for her to continue on explaining.
“And then I told them I was doing a UCAT exam. None of them believed it or wanted me to take it, and that’s when Gracie called,” Y/N explained. “I asked Dad to stop the car so I could go back, but he wouldn’t let me out. I kind of realised that nothing would stop him. So, when I felt him stepping on the break before he was about to turn, I told them not to follow me, and I jumped out of the car.”
Harry stared at her, mouth hanging open, blinking multiple times as if he was picturing the entire thing unfold. “You…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “You jumped out of their car?”
“To get to you, yeah.”
A small breath left his lips and he continued to just look, a sort of appreciation on his face that made Y/N warm with pleasure. Again, she felt an urge to reach for his hand and hold onto him, to check if he was okay. Reliving those memories in her head and talking about them, made her also revisit the feelings of dread at the news of Harry’s hypo. Just wanting to get to him, just wanting to see he was alright.
“You’re bloody mad,” he said, a breathy chuckle following his utterance. “Brilliant, but out-of-your-mind mad at the same time.”
Y/N laughed again, smiling at Harry. “Did you feel the hypo coming on?”
“Yeah,” Harry answered, scratching at his jaw as his eyes fell on the dark field beyond the window beside the kitchen table. “Yeah, I usually feel them. This time around there was so much happening all at once, I didn’t really feel it till it happened. I’m usually very good at regulating my blood sugar, not had a shock like that in years.”
She leaned her elbows on the table, taking a grip of her upper arms as she watched him talk.
“I used to not want to take my insulin pens out in front of people after we had a meal out or stuff like that, it used to make me feel very vulnerable. I used to feel exposed, as if I was showing people a secret of mine that I didn’t want them in on. It was the same when I was overweight, I didn’t wear revealing or tight-fitted clothes ‘cause I didn’t want people to think I was bigger, you know what I mean? The better I could hide it from everyone else, the easier I could hide it from myself. So, I had a few hypos when I was younger.”
Two lines appeared between his brows as he thought, Y/N wanted to reach over and stroke them away.
“I think I was just so used to hiding parts of myself – big parts – that made it almost instinctive, hiding the fact that I was diabetic. I thought there was something wrong with me at first, ‘cause this would change my entire life, you know?” He let out a chuckle. “But then I went to this event thingy where I met other kids with diabetes, and I realised that it was much more common than I’d ever thought before. Not only that, but it had been stupid of me to ever hide it, to be ashamed of it. When you’re a kid, all you want is to fit in. You don’t wanna stick out or give anyone a reason to pick on you in any way. All the bullying before had really made an impact, I never wanted to experience it again, you know?” He sighed. “Some people will bully you for anything, especially those things you cannot help.”
Y/N furrowed her brows as she listened to him.
“But I was surrounded by people who made me realise that life is too short to be embarrassed, especially about things you cannot change.  People who judge others for what they choose to do with their lives, are often the ones who still struggle to know who they are themselves, constantly critiquing others for their quirks and wrong-doings as if it’ll erase their own.”
Y/N smiled a little, nodding her head. “Yeah, my thighs have always been bigger,” she said. “I used to hate them ‘cause Mum would point them out and tell me I’d be wise to lose weight, but-“ Y/N shrugged. “-I like the way they jiggle when I walk, and though thigh chafing is an absolute pain, I still find them cute. It took me some time to realise that, of course. Especially when the environment around me keeps telling me they are. But I couldn’t care less, to be fair. Though it doesn’t feel like it at times, there are far more important things in life than an insignificant opinion. Big thighs save lives, do they not?”
The frown on Harry’s face has evaporated as Y/N spoke, a soft smile left in its wake. “Too right.”
Y/N smiled back.
“I love your thighs. They just-“ Harry made to reach for them, but stopped himself. Y/N laughed at him as he blinked himself out of some sort of trance.
“They what?”
“They’re pretty.”
Y/N felt her cheeks heat up instantly. No one had ever said that. That they liked her thighs. It only made those butterflies inside Y/N’s tummy flutter their wings even more wildly, not knowing how to properly act around Harry anymore.
“I was about to say something that would be a bit inappropriate,” Harry mumbled.
“What?”
“No, I can’t say. It’ll ruin the mood.”
“Nothing will ever ruin the mood, Harry.”
“Fine,” Harry hissed, inhaling quickly. “I just wanted to say that I really like the feel of them against my cheeks. They’re so soft. So… so soft.”
Her entire body went hot at that, because not only did it take her off guard, but she instantly remembered the feeling of his slight scruff against the inside of her thighs. Just thinking about it made her all dizzy with a need to feel it again. It all came sneaking up on her so suddenly that she was left biting her bottom lip, just looking at Harry as she clambered for things to say.
“See!” Harry exclaimed, chuckling. “Ruined the mood!”
“It just took me by surprise!”
“Right,” he laughed, getting up from the chair.
“I’m sorry for turning the lights out, it’s 9pm and I usually go to bed then. Gotta be up in about five hours.”
“Of course,” Y/N said, getting up. “We’ll… I’ll let you go to bed.”
“You’re not coming to bed?”
She just stared at him for a few moments. “I didn’t want to assume.”
“Assume,” Harry said, walking towards the bathroom.
Y/N laughed, following after him.
The two brushed their teeth together, Y/N using the toothbrush she had used the times before when she’d been there. Turns out, Harry had never thrown it out in case they would find themselves in this position multiple times. They took their time as Y/N ended up laughing at Harry, toothpaste dribbling down his chin. He told her that always happened and Y/N thought this was odd as Harry had a fairly big mouth.
Once again, he lent her a tee shirt. This time around, she only slept in that and her knickers, not really caring that Harry saw her in them as he’d seen her naked before. Harry only wore his boxers, putting on his sleep mask as Y/N picked up Mrs Dalloway where Harry had put it on the bed. Getting under the covers, she opened it on the page where he’d left off, smiling a bit to herself as she read a few passages. With a window open and most of the lights turned out except for the lamp on the nightstand, Harry got into bed with a grunt, pulling the covers over him. He glanced over at her, studying her face as she read, how her eyes flickered from word to word, line to line, paragraph to paragraph.
“Creep,” she mumbled, and Harry chuckled a little, getting into a comfortable position on his side so he could watch her.
“Read to me?” he asked, voice hoarse with on-coming sleep and Y/N found it so endearing and the question so familiar that a tingling sensation ran from her toes all the way up to the hair roots at the top of her head.
And so she did as he asked. She read from Mrs Dalloway, so softly and carefully that she almost lulled herself off to sleep. However, Harry was clinging to consciousness all he could. He would almost drift off but come back with a jolt, eyes wide open as if he tried to fight sleep, watching her lazily and intently, not daring to take his eyes off of her in case she wouldn’t be there when he opened them again. But it was only so much he could do, and, in the end, soft snores emitted from her companion, and Y/N put the book away, turning off the last light before joining Harry under the sheets.
It took her a while to fall asleep as well. She was just left staring at Harry, not really believing that this was all real. After everything that had happened these last few days, this almost seemed like a “too good to be true” ending and Y/N was nervous. She was content just being close to Harry like this, this was where she’d always wanted to be, but there was still a lot that needed to be addressed. The two of them had to talk about what would happen next, she needed to talk to everyone else, and she had to continue revising for the UCAT because it was now under a month till she was supposed to take the exam. The many thoughts and uncertain future kept her up like it had the last few nights, and Y/N wondered when she’d get a good night’s sleep.
She jolted awake some hours later, blinking up at the ceiling as Harry got up on his elbow and reached for his phone, turning the alarm off. Y/N watched as he sat up, rubbing his hands over his face to wake himself up a bit. She knew he couldn’t turn the lights on as it would ruin his night vision which he needed when he was out looking at the Stevenson Screen, so her eyes followed him as he got up from the bed and walked over to put the same outfit on that he’d worn before; his denim shorts and a pink tee shirt over it. He glanced over at Y/N, part of him must’ve realised she was awake.
“Alright?” he asked, voice hoarse from sleep and it made Y/N wake up even more. The sound of it made her all hot.
She nodded her head. “Your alarm clock just woke me up.”
“Yeah, I could tell,” Harry said, smiling a bit. “You jumped a bit.”
She smiled back as Harry gave her a small nod, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb before he walked out of the cottage and toward the lighthouse.
She wasn’t able to fall back asleep, however. She laid awake, looking up at the ceiling overhead and thinking too many thoughts all at once, her head feeling heavier than it had that entire night. It felt like she hadn’t slept at all, yet also had the deepest sleep of her life. After all, she had been with Harry this entire time, the two of them had talked everything out, they were okay, she should’ve had an amazing night sleep. But there was something that nagged at the back of her mind, something she had not been able to stop thinking about since Harry had said it just before they went to sleep.
“I really like the feel of them against my cheeks. They’re so soft. So… so soft.”
Her thighs. Soft. He liked the feel of them against him, around his face, as his head was between her legs. And then Y/N realised why her night had been so confusing and why it had been hard to fall asleep in the first place. Her body hadn’t forgotten those words. It had reacted to them while her brain had been wistfully unaware, letting it create an ache along her skin that only Harry could do something about. Taking a deep breath, Y/N closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep again.
Her mind immediately travelled back to the times before when Harry had tasted her. Whenever they had the chance to get intimate, he had always insisted on going down on her, like it was a privilege to, like he needed to. Y/N supposed it made sense, as he had told her how much he enjoyed getting his partner off, that knowing he was getting them off got him off. Seeing how hungry he truly was to make someone squirm and cry out his name, Y/N was always astounded by how true he had been to his word. He loved it. And something about that made Y/N’s entire body heat up. She found it so hot that he would do just about anything for someone else if it meant he’d help them over the edge.
Y/N’s eyes opened again, and she turned so her face was hidden in the pillow, screaming into it at how pathetic she was being. A thought had struck her, because she was sure that if she didn’t get rid of this ache now, it’d be even harder for her to fall back asleep afterward. Laying back down on her back, her eyes found the ceiling again and she rested a hand at the very bottom of her tummy. Harry wouldn’t be back for some time still, if she was quick she’d be done by the time he got back. And if she wasn’t quick and didn’t finish, she’d just excuse herself to the bathroom and finish everything quietly in there. Yes, that was a good plan.
Lifting the band of her knickers, Y/N reached down, hoisting her legs up slightly so it’d be easier for her to access all of herself. She ran a finger from her clit and down to her hole, not surprised to find wetness pooling there already. She smeared it out over herself; flicking her fingers over her bud, down to her hole again, making sure each part of her was covered in it. Continuing on like this until she basically found her core aching with a need for her to finish, Y/N started focusing entirely on her bud.
She thought of Harry. Thought of how he had looked while he ate her out from behind, his green eyes peering over at her as he looked over her shoulder at him. And then next came an image of Harry laying on his back in the bed in the lighthouse bedroom, eyes shut tight and mouth in an O-shape, forehead creasing as Y/N sat down on him, taking him into her. A low and long rumble emitted from him, vibrating through her, and Y/N gasped. He was sweaty, needy, and so incredibly hot where he laid under her, completely at her disposal, that it made the room spin around her. It all happened so quickly and it was so easy for her to almost reach a peak that she found herself inhaling sharply, letting go of a moan she had not meant to let pass her lips.
And it had been the worst possible moment for her to moan as well, because the door into the cottage opened and Harry stepped inside. Y/N stopped herself immediately, laying back down as if nothing had happened. However, by the way Harry quickly closed the door and locked it, looking over at her, she was sure he must’ve either heard or seen something. None of them spoke for a moment as they just looked at one another, at a loss for words. Y/N’s entire body felt like it was burning, but this time it was from embarrassment and not from want. If someone could transport her into an alternate dimension where she had chosen not to masturbate in Harry’s cottage while he was out doing the weather report, that would’ve been nice.
Harry’s mouth opened and closed again as he took his shoes off, still not stepping further into the cottage than the foyer. The silence was deafening, and Y/N wanted to scream. Couldn’t he just say something? He already knew partly what she had been doing according to how pink and flabbergasted he was, the least he could do was say something. Y/N didn’t mind him hearing or seeing her. In fact, she quite liked the idea. But she hadn’t intended to make Harry uncomfortable or make him not want to come back to bed.
“Uhm…” Harry said, clearing his throat as he scratched at the back of his neck. “Do you… I can…” He let his arm fall to his side. “I’ll go sleep in the lighthouse if you want some-“
“-No,” Y/N interrupted him. “I’m sorry, you weren’t supposed… I didn’t mean…” But she, like Harry, didn’t really know what to say. What was the right thing to say in a situation like this?
“I’ll step outside if you want to finish.”
“No, I-“ Y/N couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. This whole thing was so awkward and could’ve been so easily prevented. “-It’s fine. You can come back here to bed if you want to sleep next to me.”
Harry chuckled. “Don’t think there’s anywhere I’d rather be, to be honest.”
Y/N bit her lips together, wiping her fingers on her thigh before she positioned herself on her side again. She watched as Harry too his tee shirt off, biting the inside of his cheek as he thought for a few seconds. He didn’t look at her as he asked, “Did you finish, then?”
Y/N felt like she was on fire again, looking away from Harry as he unbuckled his denim shorts. “No, but it’s-“
“-Would you let me give it a try?”
She blinked, meeting his eyes. “Pardon?”
“Let me try to make you finish.” He got into bed with her, not taking his eyes off of her. “Please?”
A chill went up her spine and her centre began to ache painfully again. Not knowing what she was doing till she was doing it, Y/N nodded. Harry removed the covers from over her and Y/N got cold at once, but the sight of Harry’s eyes travelling down her body made her forget about the lack of the duvet at once. He leaned in, kissing her lips softly. It was a lazy sort of kiss, their mouths opening up for one another slowly and their tongues tangling, their lips getting wet and small whimpers emitted from their mouths as the make out session was dragged out. Suddenly, Harry started kissing down her jaw and neck, over her breasts that were covered in his tee shirt and down her body.
“What were you thinking about while you were getting off?” Harry asked, crawling further down the bed until his face rested just above the place she needed him. She was still on her side, Harry resting his head on her right thigh while she was holding up her left one as not to rest it on his head, she’d suffocate him for sure.
“You,” she answered simply, and Harry groaned against her skin, vibrating through her entire body, and especially her clit that was already sensitive from Y/N’s earlier try.
Harry hooked his fingers around the hem of her underwear, moving his head as to get it off, but he didn’t move it past her knees.
“Don’t move these,” he said, gesturing at her underwear. “Want to feel your thighs tight around me.”
“When you were under me, that first time we had sex,” she continued to explain.
“Hmm,” Harry hummed, kissing her folds that were now exposed to him. Y/N bit her bottom lip, looking down at him where he was almost hidden between her legs. “Liked that?”
“Love it when you’re needy.”
Harry kissed her again, making Y/N gasp slightly. “Then you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve thought about you, too.”
She froze a bit, looking down at him.
“Gotten off to the thought of you. A bit of a sad wank after we shagged in the car. Bloody fucking hell,” Harry said, sounding breathless. “When you wrapped your hand around my throat… so fucking hot.”
Harry didn’t wait for Y/N to say anything however because he ran his tongue over her and she immediately moaned, her left leg shaking as the impact rocked through her. Harry buried himself there between her legs, drawing out his licks over her until he focused solely on her clit. He sucked and Y/N’s eyes fluttered close. It hadn’t been far from climax when she had tried to get herself off earlier, it was embarrassing how quickly she would come now. However, as Harry continued to suck on her and make noises as if he was enjoying himself immensely, having the meal of his life, Y/N didn’t quite care. She was losing her mind as it was, feeling Harry’s tongue and mouth on her again, a sensation she had missed.
She felt Harry’s scruff against her skin and though it tickled some, she welcomed this feeling. She couldn’t come up with a number high enough if she were to say how many times she had thought about being in this position with Harry again. Before Harry, Dominic hadn’t bothered going down on Y/N much, and this hunger of Harry’s, his desire to make her come and scream while she did, was in such drastic contrast that it was almost laughable. Harry would not rest till he knew she had had a mind-blowing orgasm, while Dom had never even asked her if she finished. She often had to do the job herself with him, but with Harry, he was the one doing that for her.
“Oh, God,” she moaned as Harry wrapped his lips around her bud again, sucking her deliciously.
She reached down, taking Harry’s hair in her hands, and biting her lips as she let out another moan. He was working hard on making this one an orgasm to remember, she could feel it. As an electric shock ran through her, making her gasp for breath, her left leg fell onto Harry’s face. About to lift it again, she heard a sound of contentment from down there. Harry liked it. He liked the feeling of her thighs around him, suffocating him almost. Another thrill ran through Y/N at the thought.
“Harry,” she gasped, her grip on his hair tightening, he hummed against her in response.
She clung to him, the feeling of fire hot tension in her core was starting to reach that point where it’d burst, and Y/N was making more and more noise the nearer it drew. Harry held onto her, slipping two fingers into her while he continued to eat her out, looking up every now and again to look at her. At the feeling of his fingers, Y/N gasped again, crying out his name as hot pleasure erupted from her core and all throughout her body, making every cell aware of what was soon to happen.
“Couldn’t sleep just now,” Harry admitted between licks and sucks. “After our chat, all I kept thinking about was the taste of your sweet cunt and your thighs around me as I eat you out.”
Y/N moaned in response, dizzy with approaching bliss.
The wet sucking sounds of Harry’s lips as well as his fingers now, almost echoed throughout the room. Something that before would’ve disgusted her previous partner, but something that made her current partner, and herself, highly aroused. She pulled at his hair as he sucked on her again, picking up the pace of his fingers, and making it hard for Y/N not to cry out yet again. She felt it then. Just there. A little bit out of reach.
“Come on, baby,” Harry said against her, voice husky. “Come loud and nice for me now.”
Y/N gasped again, Harry’s words taking her off guard. However, it didn’t take long after that. He wrapped his lips around her and sucked more forcefully this time around, making the world around Y/N shatter completely. She gasped and moaned and cried out Harry’s name as she came. Fires licking at each of her organs, making it hard for her to breathe as Harry got out from between her thighs. He got up instantly to get her something to clean up with, not letting her do it himself. As she calmed down, biting her lips as Harry laid down next to her, she saw the small start of a grin. Before she could ask what he was thinking about, Harry spoke.
“I’ve been running low on vitamin P these last few days.”
Y/N was silent for a moment before she understood, then she just looked at him. Of course. “Don’t say it.”
“Vitamin pussy.”
Y/N brought her hands up to her face to hide it from view as they both laughed. It had been such a stupid joke after such a serious and hot moment spent together that neither of them could help themselves. It was exactly what Y/N had expected from Harry and she loved it, even though it was the stupidest joke she had ever heard. Harry’s phone went off, and Y/N wondered if it was 6am already, though that wouldn’t make sense as it at just been 3. Harry sat up, looking at his phone and bringing it up to the sensor on his upper arm, clicking his tongue.
“Seems eating you out didn’t work to get my blood sugar up, it’s still low.”
Y/N laughed again, feeling a pain in her ribs as she looked up at Harry.
“I’ll go eat something ‘cause your cunt’s clearly not sweet enough, and I’ll be back for cuddles-“
“-Hey!”
“I can’t cuddle now, my blood sugar-“
“-Thought you said earlier that my cunt’s sweet.”
Harry grinned down at her, kissing her forehead. “Can’t imagine myself living without the taste of you.” And then he got up, walking over to his kitchen to make himself a toast.
Next time she woke was a little after nine when Harry returned to the cottage after another report, trying to be as quiet as possible as he made a quick brew of coffee. She opened her eyes slowly and just watched him, finding herself smiling at the sight of him standing there in the pale morning sun. He wandered over to the sofa once he had his cup, flicking through the newspaper before him and taking his time before he had to start on a new day around the Clodgy grounds. Y/N let him sit there by himself for a while, understanding that he just needed to properly wake up and relax after a night of reporting and working.
Once he was done with his coffee and closed the newspaper before him, Harry glanced over at Y/N, stopping a little when he saw her already looking at him.
“Morning,” he said, voice still a bit groggy with sleep as he hadn’t talked much still. He cleared his throat. “I, uhm…” He looked at the coffee cup, mouth open as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. “Sorry if I woke you.”
“You didn’t.”
“Oh.” He nodded, eyes landing on her again, giving her a small smile before he picked up the coffee mug and walked over to the dishwasher with it. “You want some coffee?”
“I’m good, thanks, though.”
“No problem.”
She continued to just watch him, the tiniest of smiles on her face. Harry walked about the kitchen, looking through his fridge before he rummaged through the bowl of fruit on the counter. It seemed he was busying himself as he tried to find the right words to say, stopping a few times when he thought he had it, but then starting up his hunt again.
“How’d you sleep then?”
Y/N’s smile widened, still feeling Harry’s stubble where it had been between her thighs only hours beforehand. “Great, and you?”
Harry glanced over at her, smiling as well now. “Been a while since I’ve slept that well, to be honest.”
She giggled, sitting up in bed. She noticed his eyes flickered to her chest where she was sure her nipples were visible through her shirt. His cheeks flared and he looked away before meeting her eyes again. “Same here.”
His cheeks got redder and he couldn’t help his little smile. “Right.”
She smiled, stretching where she sat in the bed. “I feel like I need a shower. Might pop by the Inn-“
“-No, you can-“ Harry didn’t finish that sentence, instead he gestured at the bathroom with a little nod, biting his lips together. “I’ll… I’ll go outside and do some chores.”
Y/N nodded, getting up from the bed. “If you’re sure.”
“You don’t even have to ask, Y/N.”
That sent a shiver up her spine and her smile widened. “I still want to make sure. You never know when you’re stepping over a line or summat.”
“Not here, never here.”
It was incredible how much Harry made her feel at once. His words made her warm with adoration, but they also made her want to run over to him and rip his clothes off. She just wanted to be close to him, to physically touch him all over again. It had been so long since she’d felt his skin, kissed him, even though it had only been last night, and she longed for it all again. She missed being close to him, missed feeling him take over each one of her senses. The feeling of him being all around her, paralysing her and making her feel full of nothing but peace and love. Was there anything that felt better than that? Than not being able to do anything anywhere completely with someone because you were so in love with them it consumed you? Wasn’t the feeling of someone you were utterly, truly in love with feeling the same way about you, wanting to be with you like you wanted to be with them? How lucky hadn’t they been to have found each other and fallen at the same time.
Y/N walked over to the bathroom, watching Harry where he was stood by the foyer. She hadn’t expected to blurt it out like she did. In fact, in retrospect, she wasn’t sorry she had suggested it, but she knew that it had taken both her and Harry off guard. However, it wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t opened her mouth either. Something they both would have regretted.
“Do you wanna come?”
Harry blinked a few times as if he was certain he hadn’t heard her right.
“In the shower?”
His mouth fell open slightly and he continued to just look at her, for a second looking like he thought she was taking the piss.
“If you’re busy you don’t have to, but the offers there-“
“-Y-You want me to come-“ Harry stopped himself, furrowing his brows. “You want me to come in the shower with you?”
“Yeah, unless you’re busy. I know-“
“-No, I…” Harry inhaled slowly. “No, I want to. I’ll come.”
Y/N smiled at him, opening the bathroom door as butterflies swarmed around in her stomach. It had been a while since she’d seen him naked, and even that had been in the dark of the bedroom in the lighthouse. Now, in the pale morning light, she’d get to see all of him. And he’d get to see all of her; chunky thighs, cellulite, and the mole on the inside of her right thigh. She didn’t mind him seeing her naked.
Y/N stepped inside, looking at the shower and the small window at the top of the wall, letting some natural sunlight stream into the bathroom. Harry followed after her, closing the door after him and standing there behind her, watching her as she studied the pale yellow sunbeams make it through the window. Slowly, she turned around, looking over her shoulder at Harry and keeping eye contact till they stood face to face. He was still watching her, studying her face and her body, taking his time and clearly trying not to make her feel uncomfortable at him taking her in like this. Reaching for the hem of Harry’s tee shirt, she brought it over her head and let it fall to the floor beside her, feeling an undeniable heat pull towards the bottom of her tummy as Harry’s eyes fell to her exposed breasts. He was paying so close attention to her as if just being here with her, getting a chance to look at her like this, was the greatest privilege one could ask for. Y/N’s body felt hot under his stare and she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, feeling a sort of powerful only Harry was able to make erupt inside her.
He tugged his own tee shirt over his head, letting it fall not far from where she’d placed hers, his broad and tanned chest exposed to her one more time. Like he had done to her, she took her time studying him. She took in the hair travelling from his navel to below his underwear, his outlined pecks and the soft tummy underneath them. Seeing him like that, glowing in the light of the sun, had something inside her scream with anticipation. Though nothing was set in stone to happen, she could still feel an instant intense electricity forming in the air between them.
Y/N reached for her knickers and Harry’s lips parted, inhaling sharply as if he’d just been brought back from an extraordinary trance. She pulled them down, revealing herself completely to him and the breath Harry had let enter his body just seconds before, left his lips in a shaky exhale once she stood upright again. His eyes moved over her, finally able to see all of her and in the light of day. Y/N’s heart beat hard inside her chest, looking at Harry look at her, feeling every emotion she held for him all at once. Once their eyes met, she let hers fall to his usual denim shorts, then meet his eyes again.
He understood right away, reaching for the button and the zipper, taking both his shorts and boxers off in one go. Y/N tried not to get visibly excited at the sight, but she could already see the hint of arousal on Harry, something that made the heat inside her own body intensify. Their eyes met again, and though she would’ve usually seen a slight blush across Harry’s cheeks, it wasn’t there just then. No, he seemed confident enough, ready enough, content enough not to feel embarrassed about anything.
She took a single step back before turning around, drawing the frosted shower door aside so she could step inside. Turning on the water, Y/N squealed a little as cold water came pouring down over her at first, taking a huge step to the other side of the shower so the water wouldn’t hit her. She was now standing in the open doorway into the shower, looking out at Harry who was smiling, chuckling some to herself at her instant reaction to the water. She wrinkled her nose at him before reaching her hand out, feeling at the water to see if it was a comfortable enough temperature now. When it was, she walked back over, standing under the shower head as she felt footsteps behind her on the shower floor, then the door sliding shut.
She turned around when she was fully wet, looking over at Harry as he just stood there, watching her intently. Biting her lip, she stepped aside, letting him slide past her and into the stream of the shower. She took his place, watching Harry now as he let the water run over him, a content sigh leaving his lips as if this was something he had really needed. Standing there, she wanted to reach forward and touch him. His back muscles, plump arse, and the scar on the back of his thigh. It wasn’t big, but it looked to have happened a long time ago. Maybe when he was little, having fallen off his bike or done something stupid kids often did while playing.
Harry picked up the shampoo bottle, letting her slide past him again to shampoo her hair. She waited for him to hand it over to her, but instead of putting the bottle back in her hand, Harry opened the shampoo and then put the bottle on the small sill beside the window. The small of fresh papaya wafted through the air, and a second later, she felt fingers in her hair and a hot sensation ran down her spine, resting at her core but heating up her entire body. She closed her eyes, letting the feeling of Harry take over each one of her senses. Humming contentedly, she let Harry massage her scalp, feeling herself relax completely for the first time in a long while. He pressed against her backside, not at all shy now that she felt him against her bum, harder than he had been when they undressed before one another. She felt like falling to the floor, the intensity of anything but the moment right now dissipating completely.
Something soft was pressed against her shoulder, then a bit further up towards her neck. Harry’s tender kisses sent shocks of great pleasure throughout her body, making it once again hard to remain standing. She suddenly heard some coughing and a small “ew”, and when she turned around, Harry was grimacing.
“Shampoo,” he explained, making Y/N laugh.
“You didn’t have to lick the shampoo.”
“It’s all over you now, innit?” he said, making both of them laugh again. “Was trying to be proper romantic, but fucked myself over with that one.”
“Nah, I liked it.”
“That I ate shampoo?”
She laughed. “Well, you didn’t eat it. At least not on purpose.”
He chuckled. “Real papaya tastes better than shampoo papaya. I’m a survivor of the papaya shampoo-“
“-Oh, don’t be dramatic.” She turned around, smiling over at him. “It was brave of you to go through all that for a shoulder kiss.”
“I’d go through a lot more than just eating shampoo to give you another shoulder kiss.”
Y/N laughed, getting the conditioner. She was about to put some in her hand when Harry took it from her. He shook his head, and she pretended to roll her eyes, even though she actually thoroughly enjoyed how much he wanted to take care of her. He ran his hands through her hair, making sure not to let any conditioner touch her scalp. While doing this, he planted more kisses along her jaw, even daring to kiss her neck and jawline, now not at all intimidated by the shampoo. There was simply no way not to smile and feel her entire body buzz with adoration as Harry did this.
When he stopped, he put his hands under the stream to get all the shampoo and conditioner off. Though she usually let the shampoo and conditioner stay in her hair a bit, she let it be this time around. Stepping under the stream from the shower head, she closed her eyes and rinsed her hair thoroughly. She ran her hands through her hair, closing her eyes. She knew Harry was watching her and she loved that he was. The steam from the shower along with Harry’s not-so-subtly studying every single part of her naked body, made her hotter than she’d been in a while.
It happened so suddenly it made her gasp. Once she opened her eyes to look at him again, her hair free of shampoo and conditioner, Harry took the step toward her. He grabbed the back of her neck and brought her to him, kissing her fiercely. Though it had startled her at first, she melted into the kiss right away. Though they had kissed only last night, it still felt like an eternity ago, and she had missed him like this. She missed kissing him and knowing that it would lead somewhere fantastic, just like last night’s kiss had felt. Maybe that one had been even more intense than this one because it held the promise of a future, but this kiss felt very similar. This one was purposeful. They both knew there was a future now, but they had no idea where it’d go, only that in this very moment, no matter what, they wanted to spend this one moment with each other. And they wanted to take great advantage of that.
Harry pressed her against the wall, moaning into her as she gripped his back, bringing her closer to him. She tilted his head and kissed him harder, something that had a short breath leaving his nose, a slight twitch against Y/N’s core and lower belly.
“Open up for me,” she whispered against him and he did as she said without hesitation. Their tongues found one another instantly and fantastic bliss ran through Y/N’s body to the point where she completely forgot where she was. The kisses grew more frantic, wetter, deeper. She pulled away at one point, taking a grip of his hair, tilting his head so it’d fit better against hers, before she kissed him again. Harry smiled against her lips at that, getting harder against her as she took control of him, making him listen to her and what she wanted. The mere fact that this was turning him on turned Y/N on, and she continued to take the dominant role. Something both of them loved.
She lifted her leg and Harry took a grip of her knee, bringing it up to his hip. He instantly leaned more into her, his erection against her centre, making her grip on his hair tighten. Slowly, making a tingle of excitement run through her veins, Harry grinded against her. She couldn’t help her moan, begging him to do it again as she squeezed his shoulder. He did, letting a small whimper pass from his lips and into her mouth, desperate for an actual feel of her. Y/N adjusted her hips some, making it so that when Harry grinded against her hungrily the third time, a shot of pleasure erupted from her clit.
“Oh, my God,” she said, having missed the effect Harry had on her body like this.
He kissed along her neck, sucking lightly at the tip of her jaw. “You’re so hot.”
She smiled, closing her eyes as Harry kissed her collarbone. “It’s all you, you make me act like this.”
Harry stopped right above her heart, kissing her breast. “Don’t give me that sort of credit.”
She giggled. “Then what should I say?”
Harry kissed along her neck again, a thrill of ecstasy shooting straight for the spot between Y/N’s legs. “I’m not one to tell you, am I?”
Y/N bit her bottom lip, looking down at Harry and waiting for him to reach her shoulder before she uttered, “No, you’re not.”
She could tell Harry loved that, gripping her knee harder as he rested his forehead against hers. “Are you wet for me like I’m hard for you?”
She cocked her head to the side. “Why don’t you find out?”
Harry bit his bottom lip at that, she could feel his heart beating hard against his chest and against hers. She swore they beat to the same rhythm. He reached down between them, making sure to hold their eye contact as he reached for her centre, eyes hooded with lust. Once his middle and ring finger came into contact with her wetness, he let out a strangled moan. He slid his fingers over her, pushing them slowly into her and out again, making the ache of her core hurt with need. The teasing would surely kill her at one point.
“Fucking hell, Y/N,” he mumbled. “You feel so good. So fucking good.”
“Taste me.”
Harry’s eyebrows raised ever so slightly, her commands making every single hair on his body stand on end in excitement. Running his fingers over her again, he pushed them into her once more, pulling them out to circle her clit. She moaned, not able to help herself, and the sound of her pleasure brought Harry his, moaning along with her. He brought his fingers up, placing them inside his mouth and keeping eye contact with Y/N as he wrapped his lips around his fingers, sucking off her juices. Finding this so hot her entire body began to ache for him, Y/N brought him to her again, kissing him hard. Once again, they lost themselves in each other’s lips, tongues, and the taste. Y/N assumed she was tasting herself on him, but it soon disappeared as the kiss deepened, becoming hungrier than any of the other kisses.
“Get a condom,” she said at last, and in his haste to do just that, Harry almost slipped on the slippery shower floor. Y/N laughed, holding onto her stomach as Harry’s life flashed before his eyes, getting out of the shower to rummage through his bathroom drawer for his condoms. He was back not long after, shielding his covered-up cock from the water as he made his way over to her, putting the lube on the windowsill.
“Think my near death is funny, do you?”
“Hilarious.”
Harry laughed at that, pressing his forehead against hers again as he got a hold of her leg, bringing it up to his hip again.
Harry’s other hand ran from her collarbone, over her chest, and down to her centre, looking into her eyes the entire time. He helped angle her right, licking his lips before meeting her eyes again, resting his forehead once again against hers. They looked down as Harry positioned himself at her opening, Y/N averting her eyes after a little while just so she could look at him when they joined together again. He glanced up at her again as well, holding onto his shaft till most of him was inside her, then gripping her hips hard. They both moaned, unable to say another word as a heavenly feeling swept over them.
A gentleness, vulnerability, warmth lingered there between them as Harry moved in and out of her at a slow pace, it was a sort of feeling that one couldn’t properly speak of, it was too powerful for that. What transpired between them as Harry pounded into her, made her arch her back, was so much more than anything that had ever existed before this. There was an emotion yet to be described, yet to be given a word, that they created as they stood there in that shower, the lazy sunbeams shining in on them and the hot shower pouring down Harry’s back. Y/N hummed in contentment as Harry’s hips met hers, loving the feeling of him there, colliding with her once again.
“Fuck,” Harry mumbled, keeping his eyes on Y/N at all times. He brought her knee further up his hips, making it easier for him to fuck her right, and while doing that, spreading her wider for him as well. At this, she moaned loudly, digging her nails into the skin of his back. With that, Harry picked up the pace a little more, their wet bodies colliding in a rough yet delicious rhythm that had the both of them gasping for breath.
Y/N felt something inside her core, something that was tensing up and making it harder for her to concentrate on much else besides the heat of it and Harry in front of her. Harry continued to rock into her, their bodies crashing hard and loud. The sound of flesh against flesh, their rapid breathing, and the occasional moan was their entire universe in those blissful minutes.
His grip on her tightened, and Y/N couldn’t help herself, letting go of a loud cry of Harry’s name, the quick strokes bringing her closer to her orgasm dangerously fast. She gripped the hair at the nape of his neck, making Harry moan loudly against her, the sort that had him gasping afterwards.
Y/N wondered how she had ever thought that Harry’s feelings for her hadn’t been genuine. She wondered how she had not seen it sooner. Not only how Harry felt for her, but how she felt for him as well. It had taken her so long just to realise that the reason why she was so protective of him, why she wanted to be near him, and why she always felt like her breath got clogged somewhere in her throat when she saw him, was because she was falling in love with him. It had crept up on her so slowly, so powerfully, that she hadn’t realised it till it was too late. But regardless, Y/N was sure that even if she had recognised that she was falling in love with Harry while it was actually happening versus how she realised after it had all happened, she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. She was where she was supposed to be. Where the kindness she had sent out into the universe had brought her; where destiny had always envisioned her. With Harry. In St Ives.
She leaned forward, softly biting onto his bottom lip and it was like seeing his pupils dilate.
“Fuck me,” he mumbled, making Y/N grin.
She arched her back, the tenseness in her core tightening. The edges of her vision blurred as she watched Harry. As they came together, as they looked into each other’s eyes, Y/N knew that nothing would be better than this. She felt Harry everywhere. Felt him, smelled him, tasted him, heard him. He was everywhere all at once, and it was exactly as Y/N wanted it. She wanted him to leave more pieces of himself inside her, feel him shape her into a better version of herself, help her along the path to becoming the person she was supposed to be. There was a piece of him in each one of her molecules, and though she was sure this was an aspect of her life that would never truly dissipate, she knew Harry would always be with her. Wherever she went, whoever she was with, he had helped her on her way to discover herself, and for that she would always be grateful.
They kissed one another one more time, Y/N moaning against him as he thrust into her, this one rougher than all the ones before. Breaking away, they looked into each other’s eyes as she dug her nails into his scalp and shoulder. She came. The tenseness in her core erupted and she felt the effect like an earthquake all over her body. She was gasping, moaning, and looking into his eyes as pure bliss washed over her. The leg Harry was holding shook and it was a wonder the other one hadn’t given out from under her. She held onto him as she came down, smiling at him as if she couldn’t believe they’d just done that.
Y/N wrapped an arm around Harry’s shoulders, holding onto him as he pounded into her, the veins in his neck popping out. She knew he was close, saw it and felt it. As his pace picked up some more, though she was still incredibly sensitive, Y/N felt a familiar burn herself. This had never happened before, she usually needed some time to gather herself and to not be as sensitive down there before she could go for a round two, but something about today was different. She gasped as Harry hit a particular spot and he looked into her eyes, refusing to keep them close as he had that last minute.
“Harry,” she moaned, making him grab her boob, squeezing it seductively.
Suddenly, there was a sound coming from outside. The two of them had been too caught up in one another and their little moment that they hadn’t heard the approaching car. Though Y/N quickly realised what was happening, Harry continued to fuck her, oblivious until a car door closed with a bang outside in the courtyard. He removed his face from where he had rested his forehead against hers, trying to peek out of the foggy window.
“Dax,” Harry said. “Think the rest as well.”
“Everyone’s here?!” Y/N hissed. “Everyone’s outside?!”
“Looks like it,” Harry said, turning back to her. “Just-“ He put one hand over her mouth. “Be quiet.”
“I’m not the one that needs to be quiet,” she said against his palm, but her voice was muffled by him covering her mouth. “You’re loud.”
“I’m not bloody loud, what’re you talking about?” Harry furrowed his brows.
Y/N chuckled. “Who cares? Just get a move on so we can go out there.”
Harry smiled and pressed his forehead against hers again, gripping her thigh harder as he began to make as small and quick movements as possible, trying not to make any noise. His pace, his flow, felt heavenly. Her eyes fluttered shut, digging her nails into Harry’s back. By the looks of it, this exact angle and tempo was doing it for Harry as well. He looked at her as he neared his climax, doing as Y/N said and trying to keep his mouth shut and moans to a minimum. She could tell he was struggling, and she squeezed his shoulder in encouragement as he continued to barely make any noise.
“Harry?!” Dax called from the front door, walking into the cottage. More footsteps sounded behind him and Harry stopped abruptly, looking over at the door through the blurry glass of the shower door. “Mate, where are you?”
Harry and Y/N looked at one another, eyes wide as they listened for more movement outside.
“Found him, Dax, Jo?” Fatima called from outside, her footsteps along with, what Y/N could only assume, Amir and Ellie nearing the cottage.
“No, he’s not here,” Jo answered.
“Where the fuck could he have gone? Not like he’s supposed to be anywhere else, is it?” Dax asked no one in particular. “He wasn’t in the lighthouse either?”
“No, but he just did his 9am,” Amir answered.
“What the fuck, then,” Dax said. The door into the bathroom burst open and Y/N tried not to scream. Harry pressed his body against Y/N’s so Dax wouldn’t see any of her. “Haz-“ Everything was disturbingly silent for a single second before Dax realised what he must be looking at. “OH!”
“A bit preoccupied at the moment, Dax!” Harry shouted out at his best mate where he still stood in the bathroom doorway.
“Right! Sorry!” Dax slammed the bathroom door shut. Harry and Y/N looked at one another, both giggling and doing their best not to be heard by the others outside. “We’ll just fuck off outside then!”
There was a slight silence outside in the cottage till Ellie finally asked, “What’s going on?”
“Harry and Y/N,” Dax explained. “They’re in the shower.”
“What?!” exclaimed Fatima.
“In the shower, or in the shower shower?” Amir asked, it sounded like he was wiggling his eyebrows along with his question.
“Mate. No,” Jo said.
“Would you lot mind buggering off for a bit?!” Harry shouted, making a flurry of footsteps move hastily towards the front door. They could all be heard outside, chatting excitedly and fast. Harry rolled his eyes and sighed, making Y/N laugh.
“Right,” Harry said, bringing her leg higher up as to get better access. She gasped. “Where were we?”
She bit her lips, grinning at him. Harry started at the same pace as before, fucking her quickly and with small movements as not to be heard, not sure how well the sound of their wet bodies slamming together would carry. Y/N reached for the lube, making Harry let out a small breath as if he had completely forgotten about it, but appreciated that Y/N had. Once again, she had to angle herself so best to access his bum, and when she did, she slid her fingers slowly into him.
“Fuck,” Harry hissed.
He continued with his small and quick movements as to make it easier for Y/N to keep her fingers in. She curled them slightly upward, watching as Harry’s eyes fluttered shut.
“Y/N,” he moaned, voice trembling slightly. She kept her fingers like that, feeling that, with each of Harry’s movements, he ignited the fire inside, making her heat up all over again. Harry’s whimpers got more frequent and desperate, not fully knowing what to do with himself as his orgasm got closer and closer.
“Come on, baby,” she mumbled, and that was all it took. Her calling him that. Finally, Harry was brought towards climax. He came looking into Y/N’s eyes, everyone and everything else completely forgotten as he filled the condom, moaning her name and gripping her body harder. She had felt the oncoming second orgasm herself, and though she hadn’t thought Harry would’ve noticed her like that, he had.
“I can go down on you,” he offered, pulling himself out of her. “We can-“
“-No,” Y/N laughed. “They’re waiting for you.”
“For us,” Harry corrected her, getting up as he had hunched down, ready to make her come a second time. “They’re waiting for us.”
Y/N smiled at him, stroking his cheek as he stood before her. He leaned in, kissing her softly on the lips as they relished in the last of their moment together.
“I’ll make it up to you later,” he said against her lips, making Y/N’s tummy, which was already filled with butterflies, tickle with anticipation.
“I’ll just wash up.”
“Alright, I’ll wait.”
Harry dried himself off as quickly as possible, running out into the living room to get a new pair of boxers and jeans along with Y/N’s dress and jumper. He put on his underwear and jeans, then picked up the tee shirt Y/N had been wearing the bed the night before, making a note to sniff it in front of Y/N just so he could watch her laugh at him. She got dressed as well, suddenly filled with dread for what was waiting for them outside. Once in the foyer, Harry pulled her closer, kissing her one more time, smiling against her. She giggled, kissing him again before they both turned to the door and walked outside.
Everyone was sat on the grass beside the lighthouse, not too close to the cliff, but close enough so that the wind was rather harsh. As Harry and Y/N approached, Fatima looked over her shoulder, smiling at them before she alerted the others, making them all stand up. Y/N felt a tenseness in her chest, terrified of what would happen the second they started chatting. She hadn’t forgotten the look of hurt on Dax’s face, or how hurt Fatima had been, or how Jo looked between Harry and Y/N, refusing to believe what they were saying was true.
“To what do we owe the pleasure?” Harry asked once they were close enough to talk.
Amir’s eyes fell on Y/N, giving her a smile before he looked at Harry. Jo opened their mouth, crossing their arms over their chest. “Think you got some explaining to do. Both of you.”
Harry looked at Y/N who glanced back at him, but she quickly stared at the others, feeling her hands go all clammy.
“Well,” Harry started, scratching at the back of his neck. “It’s… it’s probably what you think.”
“What’s that?” asked Dax.
“I’m in love with Y/N,” Harry said, as if it was the simplest and most profound fact of the world. “And she’s in love with me.”
Dax looked between them, studying each of their faces. “Alright,” he said, pausing for two seconds. “Why bother lying, then?”
“That’s… That’s not a lie.”
“I didn’t mean lie about that, why did you have to lie about being a couple when you were on your way to become one in the first place?”
Harry furrowed his brows. “It’s not that simple, though. We didn’t know we’d end up caring for one another like that when we first met.”
“Dax,” Fatima said, raising her eyebrows at him. “I know you’re hurt Harry lied to you-“
“-Nah, I’m not hurt. I’m fuming.”
Harry let out a huff. “Thought you were over it, mate.”
“But I’m not.” Dax looked Harry dead in the eyes. “Look, I’m happy for you. Genuinely, I am. You more than anyone else deserve to find love, especially when that someone you fall in love with is Y/N, yeah? But…” Dax trailed off, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m still hurt that my best friend lied to me. I tell you everything, Haz.”
“I wanted to tell you, Dax. Really.”
“But?”
“But you love to gossip, mate! You’re just like your mum!”
“I wouldn’t have told people about this, Harry.”
Harry sighed. “Listen, be mad, yeah? Take your time to be mad. I’m sorry.” He looked at all his other friends as well. Amir, Fatima, Jo, Ellie. “I’m sorry for lying about this. It was a stupid thing to lie about, but I was desperate and before either of us really knew what was going on, we were just fake dating.”
Ellie nodded along, smiling a little at both Y/N and Harry’s wet hairs. “But you’re not fake dating anymore… right?”
Harry smiled as well, looking at Y/N. “No.”
“Aww, you two!” Fatima exclaimed.
“We haven’t discussed it yet, she told me yesterday that she won’t leave St Ives, so…” Harry shrugged, holding up his hand to stop Fatima, Amir, Ellie and Jo from celebrating. “It’s not official.”
“But you fancy each other, yeah?” Amir grinned. “That’s enough, innit?”
“So it’s really not fake this time?” Dax asked, looking at Harry as he spoke. “You’re genuinely in love?”
“Mate,” Harry said, a red colour crossing his cheekbones. “You just saw us shagging in the shower.”
Jo howled with laughter and Ellie giggled, looking over at Fatima who was having trouble holding Amir up as he was pretending to faint from shock. Even Dax had trouble not laughing at that, a single chuckle escaping his lips as he studied Y/N and Harry who were both flustered, hair still a mess from just having gotten out of the shower. Harry took a step closer to Y/N, nudging her with his hips. Once their eyes met, Y/N was taken back to their shared moment in the shower, blushing furiously again.
“Alright,” Dax said, smiling at them. “I guess I was just offended.”
“Don’t make this about yourself, bruv,” Amir said, walking over to stand between Y/N and Harry, flinging his arms over their shoulders. “Everything’s back to normal, innit?”
“Well, a new normal,” Harry pointed out. “We still have to figure out a lot of things.”
“Ah, well, that’ll come easy,” Amir smiled. “Bottom line, for us, nothing’s really gonna change. We always thought you were together, and now you’re actually together.”
Y/N looked over at Fatima who shrugged, clearly agreeing with her cousin.
Amir patted them each on the shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. “We came here to check if Harry was alright. Haven’t heard from you in a couple of days, mate.”
“No, I’ve…” Harry’s eyes flickered over to Y/N before he met Amir’s eyes again. “Been a bit… well, sad.”
“That’s okay,” Amir said. “You feeling better now?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Harry smiled, looking at Y/N again. “Loads.”
“Wicked.” Amir gave Harry a pat on the back. “Pub, anyone?”
“It’s not even noon,” Fatima said, raising her eyebrows at Amir.
“Who cares? Everyone’s about to go back to their everyday lives, think we should just spend a day doing nothing in particular, don’t you?” Amir looked around the ground with his mouth agape in anticipation.
“Actually,” Harry said, looking apologetically at Amir. “Y/N and I gotta go to the farm real quick.”
Amir’s face fell. “Why?”
“We just need to talk to Jessa, Gracie, lolo, and uncle Timmy. You know…” Harry motioned with his arms before him. “About what Y/N and I did.”
“Ahh!” Amir gave Harry’s back a pat, nodding his head. “Yeah, alright.”
Y/N’s heart fell again. She hadn’t even thought of that. They would have to face Jessa and Grace as well, and apologise for what they had done. Y/N wouldn’t be mad at Jessa if she didn’t forgive her or Harry for this. After all, they had lied to her all summer, not thinking that they’d end up actually falling in love with one another in the end.
“You’ll pop by later, then? Balcony?” Dax asked, Harry nodding as an answer that they would. “Wicked! See you in an hour or summat then.”
Y/N and Harry watched as the others made their way over to Dax’s car, Amir jumping onto Jo’s back and Ellie laughing her ass off when Jo almost face-planted from the unexpected impact. Harry walked over to Y/N, raising his eyebrows slowly as if to ask
Hadn’t been there since everything had happened. This was where her family had shown up and where Dominic had dragged Harry to the ground. The thought made her sick. Her family had all been here and she had let them treat Harry like that. Taking a deep breath, Y/N just looked at the farm, feeling as if she should just turn back around and walk away from it all. She didn’t deserve to be close to Jessa, or Grace, or lolo-
“Flower?”
She looked at Harry who was watching her with big eyes.
“You alright?”
“No. Not really, no.”
Harry nodded slightly. “Yeah, it’s… I mean, it’s gonna be alright. I know it is. But Jessa… Blimey, I hate disappointing Jessa.”
“Has she given you a hard time before for disappointing her?”
“Yeah, and it was just as you can expected it to,” Harry chuckled. “She would give me the cold shoulder and make me feel bad till I finally gave in and apologised.”
“Oh, my word, Harry, we should’ve done this sooner-“
“-We weren’t on speaking terms then, were we?” Harry reasoned. “We have spent days trying to talk, and now we have. We’ve always needed to do this together. Don’t think it would’ve been completely alright till you came with to apologise as well, Jessa wouldn’t think so.”
Y/N nodded. “Yeah, I-“
“-Harry?”
They both turned to look at Jessa as she walked out of the hen house, lolo’s straw hat on her head and walking slowly, as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.
“Y/N?”
Hearing Jessa say her name was surreal, especially after everything. She didn’t sound mad; she didn’t sound disappointed. In fact, she just sounded confused, as if the sight before her was the most peculiar yet familiar thing in the world. Not wanting to postpone this any longer, Y/N started walking towards the farm, Harry following close behind her. As they walked through the gate, Jessa stopped walking, holding onto her basket filled with eggs as she watched them move to her. The door to the main house opened, Grace and lolo along with Tim stood there, eyes on Harry and Y/N as they stopped in front of Jessa. They were sure the others could hear them, Grace even walked a little closer as if she wanted to run to Harry and Y/N, but stopped herself as she noticed they were directing all their attention at Jessa.
“How are you feeling?” Jessa asked Harry, eyes scanning him from head to toe. “Not had any other hypo situations?”
“No,” Harry answered quickly. “No, I’ve been alright.”
Jessa nodded, eyes falling on Y/N. “They’ve gone back to Hampshire?”
Jessa didn’t have to say who she was talking about for Y/N to understand completely. The chat she had with Jessa Tuesday the week before still fresh in her mind. Y/N nodded as an answer to Jessa’s question. “They left a few days ago.”
“Good,” Jessa answered curtly. “Didn’t like them. Quite rude of them to just show up to a party like that unannounced.”
“Yeah, they’ve never much considered other people’s feelings.”
A small smile flickered over Jessa’s lips. “No, I could tell.”
Y/N smiled back a little, looking up to meet Harry’s eyes. She could tell he was about to speak, but she beat him to it, whipping her head in Jessa’s direction again. “We’re so sorry.” She glanced at Grace, lolo, and Tim as well. “So sorry.”
Harry looked away from Y/N at the others. “It’s all my fault.”
“Harry-“
“-No, Y/N, it is.” Harry let out a huge sigh, meeting Jessa’s eyes. “I’m sorry, nanay. I’ve always told you everything. Always. But you were fussing so much about how I was lonely at Clodgy, something I wasn’t. I was perfectly okay up there by myself, I like my own company. Ever since Emilia… well, I like being alone. But… But…” Harry stopped, growing red in the cheeks. “You know… I thought if I pretended to have a girlfriend, you’d get off my back a bit.” He let out a chuckle. “I should’ve known better, though. You just want what’s best for me, so you want to know every detail of everything.”
Jessa was eerily silent, not moving an inch.
“And I know it was a fucking daft move, alright? Well out of line for me to lie about something like that, a-and… and…” Harry looked down at Y/N. “And especially stupid of me to drag Y/N into it. She had no idea what she did when she went along to pretend to be my girlfriend on Fore Street that day.”
“Hang on,” Grace said, frowning. “We met Y/N on Fore Street.”
“Yeah, that was the first time I met Y/N myself.”
“That same day?” Tim asked.
“Yes.”
“And you just asked someone to me your fake girlfriend to further your lie?” Tim still sounded confused. Y/N’s palms were getting clammy.
“Y-Yes.” Harry nodded his head. “It’s entirely my fault.”
“Harry, no.” Y/N looked up at him. “I helped.”
“It wasn’t your idea, was it?”
Y/N was about to protest, said that it didn’t matter, but Harry went on.
“I went to the Inn to tell Y/N not to worry about this fake relationship of ours, ‘cause… I couldn’t keep it from you, Jessa. I couldn’t lie to you like that.” Harry sighed again. “But you had already told everyone, so we would’ve looked well stupid to just tell everyone that we lied, it wasn’t true, we weren’t a couple.”
“As opposed to everyone finding out at the party last Friday that it had been fake all this time?” Jessa asked, making both Harry and Y/N shut up.
A small silence stretched out then, when the only sound they heard was the wind blowing through the trees around them and the hens in the hen house. Y/N looked around at everyone before her, trying to see all of their reactions. No one spoke for what felt like a century, and it was hard to see what any of them thoughts because panic was starting to rise within Y/N. Did they all hate her? No one was saying anything, did they really detest her? What her and Harry had done, they’d never forgive them, would they? Y/N felt lightheaded, sure that she had never been anticipating an answer from someone as much as she was anticipating these people before her.
Suddenly, Jessa took a small step forward, her head cocked and eyes flicking between Y/N and Harry. She looked thoughtful, though no anger could be detected on her face.
“You know,” Jessa started, clutching the egg basket a little closer to her. “I never once doubted you two weren’t an item. Not once.”
Harry’s cheeks got redder, eyes falling to the ground.
“But I don’t think that’s something to be embarrassed about, Harry,” Jessa said, voice very soft all of a sudden and Y/N felt like crying. “I could tell there was something between you two that I hadn’t seen between you and Emilia, Harry. After Emilia left,” Jessa said, looking at Y/N now. “Harry was very sad at first, but I had never seen him as happy as that time after all that mourning. He was so, so happy. Just as he deserved. Wasn’t easy, losing his father… or my husband, like that.”
Y/N nodded, understanding that it must’ve been a grief unlike anything anyone would ever have the capability to explain.
“But the second you came into his life - when you arrived in St Ives, to be more specific, ‘cause you were kind of there while Harry lied about having a girlfriend – but when you came into his life… something in him shifted. He was still happy, still himself, but it comes easier to him now to articulate himself. To find his words. He had huge trouble with that before. Always had. Words, new beginnings, new opportunities, it’s all come easier to him since you came into his life. And that-“ Jessa pointed her finger at Harry’s chest as she met his eyes again. “-That is why I’m not mad now.”
Harry blinked.
“Whatever is going on between you two, it’s not fake. If you’re saying that, if you’ve ever said that or believed that, you’ve lied to yourselves, not to anyone else,” Jessa said. “Yes, you’ve lied to us about being in a relationship. Yes, it was a tragic thing to do.”
Harry winced at her words, nodding his head. Y/N knew she must’ve had the same reaction, but she didn’t know or care what she looked like just then. All she cared about was Jessa, Grace, lolo, and Tim.
“But,” Jessa continued. “I would’ve been mad if you two weren’t in love at all. I’m disappointed it took you two this long to admit it, but I guess that’s what happens when you’re both as oblivious as each other.” She let out a sigh. “You’re forgiven.” She met Y/N’s eyes, smiling. “Both of you.”
Y/N bit her lip as it started to tremble, everything she had felt these last few minutes finally leaving her. Relief and peace finally flooded through her veins.
“I meant what I said that day, Y/N,” Jessa said, taking Y/N’s hand with her free one. “You are loved unconditionally here, with us.”
Y/N nodded her head, squeezing Jessa’s hand.
“Right,” Jessa grinned, looking up at Harry. “Free for a cuppa, my lovelies?”
“No, uhm…” Harry ran a hand through his hair, smiling down at Jessa. “We’re going to the pub with the gang. Getting a quick pint in before summer ends.”
“How nice,” Jessa said. “You two will pop by tomorrow then?”
“Yes,” Y/N answered, and Jessa’s smile widened. The older woman took a few steps toward Y/N, wrapping her arm around her in a hug. Y/N hugged her back, forcing back the tears she felt pressing on.
“We’ll see you then,” Jessa said, going in to hug Harry next.
“See you!” Grace grinned as she ran over, arms outstretched for Y/N. Y/N giggled, hoping no one heard her strangled sob. She bent down, hugging Grace to her, closing her eyes as Grace’s hold on Y/N tightened. Lolo and Tim came over as well, both smiling at Y/N and giving her hugs, patting and stroking her back, as if they both knew how much she needed it. Harry and Y/N said the last few goodbyes to their family before they walked over to Harry’s van, sitting back there in silence.
Harry suddenly turned to look at Y/N, leaning over to take her face in his hands so roughly and unexpectedly that Y/N squealed. He kissed her firmly on the lips, leaving small pecks all over her face as a grin erupted across his lips. Y/N laughed, holding onto his wrists and closing her eyes until he stopped. All the way to The Balcony Bar and Kitchen, Harry held onto Y/N’s hand, clutching onto it between changing gears, never once letting go voluntarily. Y/N thought this was quite funny, but she didn’t say this. She appreciated how he wanted to stay close to her all he could, whenever he could, just as he had said last night at 3am.
The Balcony Bar and Kitchen was an old pub, but at the far end of the pub, the entire wall facing the beach was made out of tall windows. Y/N could make out their little gang sitting at one of the tables, talking merrily amongst themselves as her and Harry strolled up to the bar.
“What do you fancy?” Harry asked her, standing so close that their sides were flush against one another. Y/N suddenly wanted to be back in the Clodgy cottage again so Harry could make up for before, as he had promised her he would once they were back there later. A chill went up her spine and she smiled, loving the fact that she could stand there and imagine a future, no matter how near or far away it was, where Harry was present.
“Whatever you’re having,” Y/N said simply.
“Sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Really sure?”
“Really, really sure, in fact.”
Harry chuckled, ordering two pints from the bartender who had come up to them just then.
“Y/N.”
Once again, Y/N felt like she could’ve done without hearing that voice again. She thought she would’ve heard it for the last time at the end of summer party, but she guessed she hadn’t been that lucky. Looking to her right, she saw Emilia standing there. Harry tensed to her left, watching as the bartender made them their pints.
“Could we have a chat?” Emilia asked, taking Y/N completely off guard. It took her a few tries to get the correct words out, but Y/N managed to utter a quick, “Yeah,” to which Emilia smiled gratefully.
“I’ll take these to our table,” Harry said to Y/N, giving Emilia a smile before he walked back over to their little group by the window.
Emilia inhaled slowly, looking down at the bar counter before she met Y/N’s eyes again. “It’s been a weird summer, hasn’t it?”
Y/N was still not sure what was going on or why Emilia was trying to make small talk. If she wanted to say something to Y/N, then she should just say it right away. Y/N had people she’d rather be with.
Emilia must’ve sensed Y/N’s confusion at what was going on, so she sighed and turned to look at Y/N fully. “I just wanna talk about everything. I could tell there was a bit of tension between us at the end of summer party.”
Y/N rested her elbow on the counter beside her. “Yeah, there was.”
“I just wanted to talk that out, ‘cause I don’t know what you think, but it’s a bit stupid to have gotten off on the wrong foot like this when we barely know each other, isn’t it?”
Y/N took a moment to study Emilia, trying to decipher if the words she had just spoken were genuine. “Yeah.”
“I came back from Munich and found out that Harry had a girlfriend, and I was delighted. He-“
“-You were?” Y/N asked.
“Yes, of course,” Emilia answered. “Harry deserves to be happy.”
Y/N tried not to let it show on her face that she was shocked by this news. “He does.”
“I was told he had a girlfriend, and the second we met, I just felt like you didn’t like me.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Was a bit hard to when you used the power you know you have over Harry to show me that you still have the ability to make him do anything you want. And I think you got the idea that I ‘didn’t like you’ when I told Harry I felt uncomfortable with this, and he stopped giving you attention.”
Emilia fell quiet.
“Am I right?”
“You don’t know what happened between us, Harry and I.”
“I do, in fact. Harry’s told me.”
Emilia’s mouth was a thin line now. “Alright. My boyfriend of one year back in Munich broke up with me and I was sad about it. It was wrong of me to seek comfort in Harry, I’m sorry.”
Y/N raised her eyebrows some. “So… my theory’s correct? You wanted to know that you still exerted some dominance over Harry, even after all those years, and have him crawl back to you so you’d feel… what, better about yourself after being broken up with? Did you want someone to make you feel better?”
“I’m aware it was wrong of me, okay-“
“-No, I don’t think you get how fucking disgusting that is.”
Emilia turned silent again, blinking at Y/N.
“You didn’t even talk to him after you left. His dad died and his girlfriend broke up with him, he was left completely broken ‘cause of you, but he’s too good to say any of this to your face,” Y/N said, taking a small step forward.
“I left because of my mental health.”
“And that’s valid, but you should also know that by doing that, you left a hole in Harry that it took a while for him to fill up himself. You don’t get to walk in and out of someone’s life whenever it suits you, especially when they’re doing so much better now than they ever did with you there.”
Emilia looked away.
“It might feel like it, but you’re not the only person in the world that possesses feelings. We all do. The way you keep treating others and neglecting the fact that your actions will stay with them forever, is a dangerous sort of ignorance that I suggest you do something about.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“I don’t want to. I’ve heard enough from everyone else.” Y/N shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not my decision to make, but in my opinion, you should think twice before you try and make a place for yourself in Harry’s life again. His friends and family don’t really have a great picture of you any longer.”
Emilia sighed, meeting Y/N’s eyes again. “You know, I get where you’re coming from.”
It was Y/N’s turn to be silent now.
“You want to protect Harry, make sure nothing happens to him, and I know I hurt him bad, so naturally you don’t want me in his life. But, as you said, that’s his call,” Emilia said. “I shouldn’t have gone after Harry when I came back from Munich, it was stupid of me, especially considering how happy he looked with you. Granted, it was all fake, but I know Harry and I could tell he fancied the pants off you.”
Y/N gave Emilia a small smile, trying to make some sort of peace.
“I won’t stand in the way of you two.”
“I appreciate that. I’m sure Harry does as well.”
Emilia nodded, giving Y/N a smile.
“Y/N!” Fatima called from where she sat with all the others. When Y/N looked in their direction, she simply could not help her smile. They were all chatting amongst themselves, laughing at something, and Fatima and Harry were looking her way, beckoning her over.
“Hope you have a good day, Emilia,” Y/N said-
“You too, Y/N.”
And with that, Y/N walked back over to her friends. Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her to him where he stood at the edge of the table, everyone else perched on bar stools around the tall table. Fatima clinked her glass against Y/N’s, Jo grinned in Y/N’s direction, while Ellie, Amir and Dax were in an animated discussion about something Y/N didn’t catch. Harry leaned down, pressing a small peck to Y/N’s temple, and the grin that spread out across Y/N’s smile almost hurt. A sort of restless anticipation mingled with such utter contentment that it was hard for her to think she’d ever lived, breathed, loved, anywhere but right there in St Ives.
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Thursday, 10 September
The universe would always balance itself out, Y/N McKay was aware of this. She was aware that if she had faith and believed everything happens for a reason, it would make the tough times of her life easier to mentally handle. If she did good, the universe would work to give back to her in some other form. And now, after a summer randomly spent in Cornwall, she had found it in herself to believe in destiny as well.
She believed that there was a place where she belonged. People she was supposed to meet, and places she was supposed to see. These people, places, and feelings would help you along the road to self-realisation. They would shape her and make everything make sense, would make all the suffering and the struggles she had faced up until then worth it in a way. Each one of the people Y/N had met in St Ives had had that effect on her. They had made her realise things about herself and her life that she would never have figured out without them. She took that summer with her for the rest of her life; letting the sun beams of St Ives shine through in her smile, the goodness of the locals reflect in her own acts of kindness, the calming feeling of walking along the sand of Porthminster Beach show in her warmness and relaxing effect on the people around her.
Y/N had no idea when she walked out of the door of the building in Bethnal Green, London that September 10th that the summer she had just experienced would play that big of a role in shaping the continuation of her entire life. She had no idea that she would receive top marks on her UCAT she took in Bethnal Green, the following day. Nor that she would attend University of Plymouth for the next six years, graduating with a degree in Dentistry. And she had no idea that, even after all those years, she’d still be with the lighthouse keeper of St Ives. Only now that she was done with University, she moved back to her hometown, to her family, friends, and boyfriend, and would live there for the rest of her life.
No, Y/N didn’t know any of that as she walked out after her UCAT on the second Thursday of September that year. She chose not to think too much about her future at that time, realising that whatever would be, would be, and there was nothing she could change about that now.
Harry, who had driven her to London that day, was stood by his car not too far away, looking down at his phone as he replied to a text. She was sure no one had ever stood by their car like this, with no other agenda than to wait for her before this. Then again, Harry would always do stuff like this as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him, expecting nothing in return. Which had come as a shock to Y/N at first, but once she realised she was doing the same thing for the people she loved as well, she understood.
The UCAT had been awful, at least at first. The questions were difficult, she had to rack her brain properly for most of them, and she could swear she had heard someone crying at one point. She had to put a hand on her own cheek to check for tears, scared that it had been her. But then, during the chaos of everything, she remembered what Harry had said to her when they woke up in the Clodgy cottage that same morning, “It’s a beautiful day to do beautiful things,” and her nerves calmed themselves considerably. Because he was right. It was a beautiful day and she would do beautiful things. The thought of getting out of there and to Harry again was enough motivation to get her through the rest of the UCAT.
Upon hearing some footsteps, Harry looked in the direction of where they were coming. He instantly shoved his phone back down into the pockets of his denim jeans, smiling at Y/N as she approached him.
“How’d it go?” he asked.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve got a good feeling,” she admitted, walking over to where he was standing. “But I don’t want to get my hopes up. I get the results back in 24 hours.”
Harry huffed, sliding his thumb reassuringly over her cheek. “You know what I think?”
“Think I already do.”
“You’ll do amazing, the results will be exactly as you dreamed they’d be, and life will be ama-“
“-Amazing,” Y/N finished, making Harry chuckle. “You’ve said that word a lot this last month.”
“Can you blame me?” Harry asked, resting his hand at the back of her neck, bringing her to him so he could plant a kiss to her forehead. “Everything’s been amazing this last month. So I therefore believe that the UCAT results will reflect that.”
Y/N giggled again, walking over to the other side of Harry’s van and getting in. The two of them got comfortable and Harry started driving back to St Ives. Y/N knew how much Harry hated London, and especially the traffic there. He had made it very clear when they had entered the capital that he couldn’t stand Londoners, something that made Y/N giggle. She never saw him have proper road rage, this was the first time she’d ever truly seen it, and it has been more entertaining than she had thought.
He was no better on their way out of the city, hissing curse words under his breath as he honked at reckless drivers or pedestrians that crossed the street without any regard for oncoming traffic. Y/N knew that no matter what, she could not end up attending a University in London, because Harry would not survive the trips to and from the capital.
It was a long drive back to St Ives and she fell asleep once they were out of London and Harry didn’t wake her. He knew she had been stressing the last few weeks to revise and get everything ready for the UCAT, and now that everything was over, he must’ve thought she deserved a small break from it all, some time to relax. When Y/N woke up in St Ives a few hours later, she smiled a little to herself, looking down at the tote bag by her feet that she had filled with books. She had been ready to read out loud to Harry, but she had simply not had the energy this time around.
“Alright?” Harry asked, smiling over at Y/N as he drove up the hill to Clodgy Lighthouse. He took her hand, kissing her palm softly.
“Just dead tired,” Y/N answered, yawning slightly. “I might take a nap once we’re back.”
“Or you can wake up.”
She blinked, looking over at Harry who was smiling a little to himself. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll show you,” Harry said, grinning now as he killed the engine.
Not really knowing what he had planned, Y/N was apprehensive at first. She saw Harry walk over to the field beside the cottage, not really caring to know what he was doing. She was too tired for that. Next, she rubbed her eyes and took her seatbelt off, climbing out of the van to join him. Harry ran for the lighthouse and Y/N followed, smiling at his eagerness to wake her up. The sun was shining brightly above them, not a single cloud in sight, and even though it was September, it was fairly warm out despite the wind.
Harry showed the way up the lighthouse, grinning back at her every once in a while. And though Y/N wanted to ask him what he was up to this time around, she didn’t bother. She knew he’d be cryptic or leave her hanging, neither option seemed very appealing now that she was slightly irritable because of her lack of sleep. Harry opened the door out onto the gallery deck, letting Y/N wander out first. She raised her eyebrows some but did as she supposed he wanted her to. Walking out onto the deck, the wind hit her hard across the face. If you stood directly facing it, it was impossible to open your eyes completely. She could see what Harry meant by this being a method to wake up some.
“Please,” Harry said. “Go along.”
Y/N furrowed her brows, but walked further onto the deck, even though she was sure Harry would’ve fit perfectly fine next to where she had originally standing.
“I’ll owe you my life if you just go along for a minute or two, yeah?”
Y/N’s frown deepened as she looked at him. “What?”
“I don’t usually do this,” Harry grinned. “I mean, I never do this. I’ve never done this before. But, you see…” He walked closer to her, taking her face in his hands. “My mum and my sister think I’ve got a girlfriend and I don’t.”
Y/N’s heart instantly melted, and she felt herself grinning right back at him.
“I was wondering, if it’s not too much to ask, of course, if you’d like to be my girlfriend? My real, proper girlfriend.”
She laughed, shaking her head at him before taking a grip of his shirt and bringing him closer. Though she didn’t know why Harry needed to do this at the top of the lighthouse, right under the light that guided sailors home, she didn’t mind. This felt right. This felt like them. This was them. It was real, it felt silly, unexpected, and a little odd, but that was what it felt like being with Harry.
She looked up into his eyes, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ll be your real, proper girlfriend.”
Harry let out a breath of relief and grinned down at her, bringing her closer to him and planting a misplaced kiss onto her lips. They both giggled against one another. It hadn’t struck Y/N until now that they hadn’t made it official like this. Too much had been on her mind, she hadn’t allowed much else besides the UCAT to take up her time prior to this moment, but how that it had finally happened, Y/N felt just as relieved as Harry looked to be. She was glad that Harry had waited until now, after the UCAT, to ask, and she was also very glad to see how eager he had been to ask her.
Harry pulled away, detaching a hand from where it had rested at her neck, and held out a bellflower that he had picked outside the cottage. Reaching forward, he placed the bellflower behind Y/N’s ear, smiling to himself as he looked at it, the smile widening as he met her eyes. Y/N felt like she could burst with happiness in that very moment, probably lighting up all the oceans of the world with how much she was radiating.
“My bell room,” Harry said, touching the bellflower resting by her ear before he brought her in for another kiss.
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A HUGE thank you to my amazing and beautiful beta readers! Couldn’t have written ST without them! 🌊 @aileenacoustic​​​​ 🌊 @bopbopstyles​​​​ 🌊 @fromyourstrulyh​​​​ 🌊 @harrys-shrooms 🌊 @honeydearly​​ 🌊 @sunflowers-styles​ 🌊 @watermelonsuger​​​​​ 🌊  @withallthelove-a​​​​​ 🌊
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And so it’s over 😭 Thank you thank you thank you! From the bottom of my heart, thank you to each one of you who have been reading, reblogging, come to chat, or sent any sort of love ST’s way the last few months! There is something so liberating and beautiful about creating a world in which you feel peace, and then find that others find that same peace, that same sense of belonging, within the same world as you 💖 Each one of you remind me of why I continue to share my writing on here! Thank you for making writing, Tumblr, and fic fun! You all have my heart 💘 I LOVE YOU 💞💞
As for next fic project, as I’ve gotten quite a few questions about that already !! I’m gonna take a break from writing! Maybe a month, maybe two, dunno! I’ll still be writing some deleted scenes from ST and posting onto my Patreon, but as for a full 10+ chaptered fic, which is what I want to write next, I don’t know! But, as always, I’ll be tagging my posts with new fic tags and planning whenever I get an idea !!!! So keep an eye out lmao !!!!
Besides that, here are two songs I imagine would be playing if the end credits to ST was rolling right now 🐚 You can find the rest of the ST playlist here!
As ST!Harry said, I love you immeasurably, and as Jessa said, you’ll always have a home and a place you belong, here, in the ST universe 🌊
Your bestie, Nora ✨✨
FIC PAGE | COME TALK !!!
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vanserraseris · 3 years
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END OF PART IX - I refuse to believe that there is no Autumn Court equivalent for Calanmai, so they celebrate Samhain. Just a warning that Eris is high and drunk for quite a bit of this part and there are a bunch of other people there that are high and drunk as well. Thanks for reading!
lol yeah ive always wondered about calanmai in other courts!!! i love this idea sm
Prince of Ashes. Part IX.
masterlist.
*changed Samhain to Autumn Equinox
Eris felt long fingers drag through his hair, felt nails scrape down his chest, felt lips trace the curve of his throat. Eris leaned his head back on the shoulder of the male behind him, not bothering to stop his moan. The female between his legs licked his neck, the other one at his side, fingers still tangled in his hair, pulled his head towards her. Eris smiled against her lips.
He briefly thought of everything he had to do, a million things he’d been ordered to do, but as soon as the thought entered his mind the sound of someone speaking wrenched his thoughts from it all. “Tell us, my prince, what you want,” the male’s voice was low, silken, as he murmured the words, his lips pressed to the arch of Eris’s ear.
Eris laughed, a snorting funny thing, eyes crinkled with joy and cheeks flushed, “I’m not sure.” Eris wanted many things. His eyes fluttered shut as one of the females placed her hand above the waistband of his pants, the other female pulling his shirt open with curious fingers, the male kissing the sensitive spot behind his ear.
“Eris?”
Eris’s eyes snapped open at the sound of Lucien’s voice, he grinned up at his youngest brother, “My greatest burden,” he beamed, but his words sounded funny, as if they were being dragged out of his mouth. Eris breathed a small giggle, his head feeling heavy as he leaned it back again with a sigh. Eris purred as someone’s hands traced the sharp lines of his collarbones. He should have been embarrassed that such a sound had escaped him, but he actually found it quite funny.
“Stop that,” Lucien growled.
Everyone around him froze, and Eris cackled, “Don’t listen to him,” he managed between his laughter, “No one listens to him.”
“Cauldron boil me,” Lucien mumbled to no one in particular.
“Well, that doesn’t sound very pleasant,” Eris felt Lucien grab his arm.
“Get up,” Lucien said, voice serious. Eris didn’t understand why his brother was in such a foul mood.
“Must you ruin our fun,” said the male behind Eris, his hands still on Eris’s chest.
“Yes I must,” Lucien said matter of factly. Lucien hauled Eris onto his feet, one of Eris’s arms around his shoulders as he kept his older brother upright.
“Awwwww, don’t go, prince,” one of the females pouted.
Eris flashed her a grin, “Later.” A promise he didn’t necessarily intend to keep, but he liked the way she giggled at his conspiratory wink in her direction.
“What the actual fuck,” Lucien was glowering, “Are you doing?”
Lucien had gotten very tall, Eris noticed, “Having fun.”
“Looks like you’ve succumbed to madness.” Eris had never felt so happy, he didn’t mind that Lucien had just insulted him. “You know you shouldn’t be doing things like that in the middle of the fucking courtyard,” Lucien sounded much too serious, “Father might see you.”
“I was off to the side,” Eris corrected, a stupid smile still on his face.
“And what of everyone else in the courtyard?” Lucien hissed.
“It doesn’t matter on this day,” Eris nodded, speaking to Lucien as if he should have known. “That’s sort of the point of it, wouldn’t you agree?”
Lucien ignored his brother’s question and asked him another one. “Have you forgotten that we need to be ready in less than a couple hours for the most important holiday of the Autumn Court?”
“No,” Eris pushed himself off of Lucien, “I have not.” Eris had loved the Autumn Equinox in his youth, he’d been able to try new things - do whatever he wanted to do - all with the excuse that the day’s magic was the cause, but things had changed once he’d gotten a little older. And while he had been feeling very happy a moment before, he was feeling troubled now. He shook his head, shaking away those negative emotions and trying to stay balanced and upright on his own.
“Eris—”
“I’m fine,” Eris smiled again, but Lucien did not return his grin. Eris wasn’t shocked, Lucien was being very boring. Eris only managed to walk a couple steps beside Lucien before he fell to the ground, laughing the whole time. He curled the fingers of one hand into the grass, nails digging into soft earth, the other hand went to his stomach. Sprawled on his back and staring up at the sky, Eris was shaking with silent laughter, he couldn’t help it.
Lucien’s concerned face appeared in his line of sight. Eris stopped laughing rather abruptly. Lucien, the rays of the sun shining behind his head, made it look as though he had a halo of light surrounding him. Eris couldn’t shake the feeling that Lucien looked very familiar, the person Lucien looked like right at the front of Eris’s mind… Lucien knelt down next to his oldest brother, “Eris, you alright?”
Eris grinned, “I’ve never been better, fox.” Eris was still half on the ground, but he sat up, Lucien and him nearly at eye level.
Lucien placed a hand on Eris’s shoulder, biting the inside of his cheek, before he spoke. “You’re really out of it, aren’t you? Just absolutely wasted?”
“I am not,” Eris assured him.
“If I ask you something, you’ll answer honestly?”
“You know what they say,” Eris thought Lucien’s hair looked very bright, and he raised a hand to touch it. “Only madmen and drunkards tell the truth.”
“I think Rufus is the only one who says that.” Lucien’s brows furrowed, his young face troubled as he almost pleaded with Eris. “Why do you push me away? Maybe you’ll give me an honest answer like this.”
Eris smiled a crooked grin, hand on the back of Lucien's head. “I’m protecting you,” Eris whispered, just in case anyone was listening.
Lucien didn’t look like he believed his older brother. He frowned, “You have pixie dust on your face.”
Eris shook his head, hoping that if he looked like he didn’t know what his youngest brother was talking about, maybe Lucien would believe him. “Never touched the stuff,” Eris said, pressing his lips together and furrowing his brows. Eris hoped he looked serious.
“Evidently,” Lucien gently wiped at Eris’s nose and cheek with the sleeve of his dark red jacket.
Brilliant, Eris thought, glad Lucien had believed him. He’d have been a real hypocrite considering how Eris had always told Lucien, and Rufus too, never to take faerie powders.
“Thank the Mother we have fire in our blood, should burn it out of your system before the ceremony.” Lucien helped Eris to his feet once more, “You’re not wearing shoes.”
Eris looked down at his bare feet, wiggling his toes, “You’re very observant,” Eris frowned.
He wasn’t as happy as he’d been a few moments ago. He could have sworn he’d been wearing boots when he’d first gone to the courtyard.
Lucien dragged Eris through the halls of The Forest House, not even stopping when their mother worriedly asked them what had happened. Eris had flashed his mother a sleepy smile as Lucien waved off her concerns. Stumbling into Lucien’s room, Lucien gently sat his brother atop the heavy comforter of his bed.
Eris was leaning on his side, bare feet dangling off the side of the bed as he propped himself up on an elbow. He heard Lucien shuffling around the room, but he didn’t know what his younger brother was doing. Eris was starting to feel a constant, pounding pain in the back of his head. He groaned as he raised a hand to his forehead, eyes clenched shut.
“Drink,” Lucien ordered, shoving something right up to Eris’s face.
Some of Eris’s senses were starting to return and he nodded, knowing that water usually flushed pixie dust out of someone’s system. Eris hadn’t realized how thirsty he was. He grabbed the pitcher out of Lucien’s hands greedily, chugging the water. Some of it spilled, dripping down his chin, his neck, his chest. Eris could barely breathe, his focus solely on drinking as much water as he could and as fast as possible.
Once he’d finished with the water, Lucien took the pitcher from him and went back into the bathroom. Eris heard him turn the faucet on.
Eris’s head was still swimming, but the world was starting to get back into focus. Eris pressed his face into one of Lucien’s many pillows, groaning into the fabric. He was starting to feel a bit like a fool, especially since he had never wanted Lucien to see him like this.
“You sober?”
Eris mumbled his response, the sound muffled by the pillows.
“More water?”
Eris shook his head, afraid he’d hurl on all the revellers later if he drank anymore. Eris felt the bed dip as Lucien sat down. Lucien placed a hand on Eris’s shoulder. “Fucking hells, fox, remind me to never do that again.”
Lucien chuckled, sounding relieved, “You should take more of your own advice, Eris.”
Eris, in his youth, had found himself experimenting with pixie dust. There was a certain appeal to being stupidly happy and ridiculously unbothered all the time. He breathed a laugh, “Good that you came looking for me, but I’d be lying if I said it wouldn’t have been a little funny if I wasn’t there for the ceremony.”
“It would have been a disaster,” Lucien said, and Eris could hear the smile in his voice. “Let me get ready, you wait here.”
Eris was starting to feel like he was in control again. He breathed in through his nose, out through his mouth, trying to gather his thoughts. Copper pixie dust and golden faerie wine were staple products for a good Autumn Equinox celebration. Eris hadn’t had so much pixie dust since before Rufus had been born, running a hand through his hair, Eris couldn’t help thinking that he was definitely going a bit mad.
Eris wasn't entirely sure what had possessed him to go out and celebrate the Autumn Equinox early, but it might have just been to give him some semblance of control on a night where such ancient magic made all the revellers at the event wild - beastly. Even if Eris didn’t necessarily want to participate in the celebration, it was expected of him, expected of all his brothers.
Eris moved up off the pillows, his face still feeling hot from the effects of the pixie dust, only for Lucien to throw a black, sleeveless shirt at him. “You have something all over yours,” Lucien grinned, having changed into Autumn Equinox black, “Something that is decidedly not pixie dust, correct?”
Eris frowned looking at the glittering copper powder on his fingers and where his black shirt was supposed to lace, “Correct.” Eris knew his cheeks were still red from everything he’d taken, but he was also aware of the fact that he’d become even more red in embarrassment. He was glad Lucien hadn’t thought to mention the other revellers Eris had been with. He didn’t necessarily want to explain himself to his youngest brother.
His head was still pounding, but Eris managed to tug his shirt over his head, fingers shaking slightly as he tied the laces. Just as Eris pushed himself up to sit on the edge of the bed, the door to Lucien’s room swung open.
Rufus grinned, “Found him, fox?” Three shimmering golden lines were painted on the right side of his face, starting above his brow and ending at his jaw, as was tradition on the Autumn Equinox for all of the unmarried fae.
Lucien looked at Rufus through the mirror on his dresser, humming in response as he dipped three fingers into a small pot of that golden paint, slowly dragging them onto his face as well. The paint shined bright against his light brown skin. “Completely wasted and nearly incoherent.”
“That’s greatly exaggerated,” Eris grumbled, running a hand through his hair.
Rufus shook his head, Lucien’s bed making a funny creaking noise as he threw himself onto it. He mumbled something that sounded a lot like “doubtful,” flashing Eris a smile as he said more clearly, “I would pay a whole lot of money to have been alive in your youth.” Russett eyes flaring with amusement, he added, “I have a feeling Micah, Lagos, and Widge have understated your affinity for getting into trouble.”
Eris briefly wondered what the fuck they’d told Rufus, knowing very well that he’d done many questionable and embarrassing things. He shook his head, “I feel like shit.”
“Of course you do,” Lucien shot his eldest brother an amused look, “Think you’ll be able to walk on your own later?”
“Very funny,” Eris said, pulling on a pair of Lucien’s black boots. They were a little tight, but he guessed they’d probably be lost at some point that night anyway.
Lucien sat on the bed again, the pot of paint in his hands. “Here, hold still.”
Eris watched as Lucien dipped his fingers into the golden paint, grabbing hold of Eris’s chin and gently painting the three straight lines on his face. “Cauldron, you’ve gotten big,” Eris muttered.
“Don’t move,” Lucien snapped, “I’ll mess up.”
Eris rolled his eyes, staying quiet, but he continued to watch Lucien. Lucien’s hair had gotten very long, his jaw very square, his face very sculpted. He was as tall as Eris, but much broader. He looked all grown up, having none of the softness in his features that Eris could remember or any of the sharp angles that the rest of his brothers had.
Lucien finally moved back, flashing Eris a smile. A smile Eris recognized.
Eris blinked a couple times, wondering if perhaps he was hallucinating. Or if he was going completely mad. Or if perhaps he wasn’t as intelligent as he liked to think. All three were perfectly good explanations for why Lucien looked almost exactly like Helion Spellcleaver when he smiled. Eris had never asked his mother who Lucien’s father was - he’d never really cared. Eris had always assumed it had been a random courtier, or one of the High Lord’s guards.
He definitely hadn’t thought his mother had been having an affair with the heir of the Day Court. But even Eris’s still-foggy mind thought that it made a whole lot of sense. It would explain Lucien’s magical abilities appearing at such a young age, and why Helion preferred to ignore them all, and why his mother tried to avoid the Day Court.
Eris made a strange sounding choked noise. If he hadn’t spent nearly half the day drinking, he might have been able to control the shock from showing on his face. His jaw went slack as he stared at Lucien in abject, dumbfounded horror.
Lucien looked slightly troubled as he asked, “Are you sure you’re alright, Eris?”
“Maybe he’s about to throw up,” Rufus offered. “I’m fine,” Eris lied. His mother and Helion Spellcleaver had gone off and had a love child, and he most definitely was not fine.
Eris was finding it very hard to believe that no one else had noticed. Someone was bound to find out. Eris wondered if Helion knew, or if he’d guessed. If he’d known and hadn’t come for Lucien, hadn’t come for their mother, Eris didn’t know what he’d do. Eris didn’t like killing people, but he decided he’d make an exception for Helion if he’d known that his son was stuck in the most savage of courts with Beron acting as his father, and had sat back and done absolutely nothing.
Or he wouldn’t kill him. Lucien might not be too pleased with him if he ever found out. And Eris didn’t actually believe Helion was horrible enough to completely abandon his own son. Eris decided that all he needed to do was make sure Lucien didn’t smile anymore in public. With a sigh, Eris flopped back onto the bed, eyes staring at the ceiling, not really wanting to think anymore. He’d thought enough for the day.
He was going to have great fun at a giant orgy later that night and drink himself stupid after the ceremony. If he snorted enough pixie dust, maybe he could convince himself that he’d dreamed the whole thing up.
“Eris,” Lucien started, “Do you need some more water?”
Cauldron boil me, Eris thought, they even sounded the same. “My life is a joke.”
Eris could hear the grin in Rufus’s voice, “The Mother looks down at you and laughs.”
Eris honestly believed that was the case.
46 notes · View notes
onlydreamofmysoul · 3 years
Text
Let Them Eat Cake (Part iv)
Tonight, on The Great British Bake Off;
“This is thick as hell.”
Will our bakers melt, or melt down? Only time will tell - it’s chocolate week in the tent!
“I quite like your mouth.”
Remus stared at himself in the mirror. His mouth wasn’t that bad to be fair, but it was nothing next to Sirius’ own. I quite like your mouth, I quite like your mouth, I quite like -
“Remus? You ready?”
Remus shook himself. It was time to put all of this out of his head. “Yeah,” He called to Lily. “I’m coming.”
He left thoughts of Sirius in the hotel.
“This week,” Sirius announced, (looking ridiculously good in those skinny jeans Remus noticed), “Is possibly the best week.”
“Not being in any way subjective now, are you?” James quipped.
“Oi, you can’t say anything, last night you sang me a ballad about this week just last night.”
“Ah yes you’re right, I’ll sing it for everyone, shall I?” James took a deep breath, but before he could get the first note out, Sirius had covered his mouth.
“It’s chocolate week!” Sirius interrupted quickly, succeeding in making everyone laugh as usual. For our lovely first challenge, our judges would like you to make brownies.”
Remus already knew this of course, but he couldn’t help but sneak a little smile to Lily. They were practising all week, Lily even surprised Remus with a batch of gluten free when she had still been experimenting with her flavours. Salted caramel was sacred to Remus now.
Remus heard Sirius and James say the rules in the background, but he had tuned out a little. It was hard to stop his mind from wandering to Sirius when the man in question was standing right in front of him. His hair was in a top knot today. Fuck if Remus didn’t love his hair like that, Throughout the day, it would loosen a little and strands would fall in front of Sirius’ face and Remus would imagine what they would look like wrapped around his fingers-
Remus blinked. Not here. Now it was time to focus. Chocolate week would be his week.
“Ready?”
“Set.”
“Bake!”
Remus grabbed his ingredients and set to work.
Chocolate week was not his week.
Nothing was going quite to plan. He had burned the chocolate after leaving it in the bain marie a little too long - not so much that it required to be redone, but enough that Remus was annoyed at himself. He had misread his scales and added a little too much four and to top it off, he was pretty sure he had over-baked them.
“What are you making for us today?” The judges had asked when they had made their usual rounds at the start of the day. Remus had been calm and confident then. 
“Classic chocolate, just with walnuts added in.”
“Chopped, I assume?” Dumbledore said and Remus forced a smile on his face instead of rolling his eyes. 
“Of course.”
“I look forward to trying them.” McGonagall had said and then they had whisked themselves away, vanishing behind Remus to ask Lily some inane questions.
(Remus really didn’t mind the questions. He actually loved them - he had looked up to both judges all his life. Today was just, not his day).
Sirius turned up at his side, nabbing a spare square of chocolate and popping it into his mouth. Remus certainly didn’t think about chasing it with his lips. Nope, not at all.
“Hey Re.” Sirius greeted, as if the casual nickname didn’t just make Remus’ heart stutter. As if he hadn’t been flirting with Remus in this very spot not a week ago.
Remus hadn’t seen Sirius much since then which was pretty odd. The entire cast and crew mingled together on the non filming days and Sirius and James were infamous for showing up in the practice tent to try the bakers latest experiments. Only James had shown his face this week though. Remus hadn’t missed the way he always seemed to know when Lily was practicing, but that was another thing altogether.
He glanced up from where he was carefully piping chocolate designs on parchment paper to decorate the cakes when they were cool. “Hi.”
Sirius pulled out two mugs, ignoring Remus’ raised eyebrow and clicked the kettle. “Tea?”
“You’re taking over my work bench, are you?”
Sirius took his usual perch up on the counter as the tea brewed. “And what of it?”
Remus looked back down at what he was doing. He didn’t answer for a moment or two as he focused on a particularly intricate design, very aware of the way he stuck out his tongue when he was concentrating. “Haven’t seen much of you this week.”
Sirius hopped down to put milk and sugar in Remus’ mug, looking at Remus like he was a little mad. “I looked for you, but you’re a difficult man to pin down Remus Lupin.”
Remus felt his face flush as his mind flicked to how exactly he’s like to be pinned down by Sirius Black, but he swallowed weakly instead. “I was practicing mostly.”
Sirius nodded. “I know. I was there a few times but you were always absorbed in work for the showstopper so I didn’t want to bother you.”
Remus was relieved when his oven timer went off and he had an excuse to move away from Sirius for a moment. 
“You wouldn’t have bothered me.” He said as soon as he had transferred the contents of his tin onto a wire rack.”
Sirius opened his mouth to respond, but just then a microphone appeared over their heads, a cameraman right behind it.
“Feeling good about today?” Sirius asked pleasantly as if their previous conversation had never even existed. Remus’ smile felt tight. 
“I have absolutely no idea.” He breathed. He wasn’t just talking about the cakes.
Remus pursed his lips when he realised he was being judged last today. It wasn’t so bad, Remus just liked to get it over with as soon as possible. He was only partially satisfied with his brownies, but there was a lot more that could have gone wrong so Remus chose to try to maintain a slightly positive attitude. 
Peter’s brownies were a smash hit, Tonks’ didn’t look the neatest but apparently tasted fantastic. Lily’s blew them away. Remus didn’t hide his grin - he was just glad he had technically been the first to taste her recipe.
“They’re quite cake-like.” McGonagall commented, coming to a stop in front of Remus’ bench. Remus didn’t say anything, just pursed his lips.
“Flavours are good, the walnuts add a nice crunch.” Dumbledore said, munching away. “But one of the main features of brownies is that they’re soft, fudgey, even a little gooey.”
Dumbledore met Remus’ eyes. “These are good cakes, but the key word is they’re cakes, not brownies.”
Remus nodded, his jaw clenching. He closed his eyes in annoyance when they finally turned away. He knew he had over baked them. Fucking Sirius Black.
(Okay so Sirius wasn’t actually the cause of this particular problem but… Remus was a sucker for consistency).
He collapsed in a chair for lunch feeling the tension bleeding out of his muscles.
“Hey Re.” Tonks chuckled and Remus just cracked one eye open to peek at her.
For once, he was the last to the table, even James and Sirius seated before him. He sat up and dug into his pasta, unable to stop himself from actually groaning when he ate it.
“Sorry but, it’s so good. Also I’m really hungry so that helps, but wow I’m going to need this recipe.”
He didn’t miss the way Sirius eyed him the rest of the way through lunch, or the smug little looks coming from Lily either. So maybe Remus had been a little blind to how Sirius had been looking at him before, but this week he was finally wide awake.
He took a moment to pop onto Bake Off Twitter to see what they were saying this week. There were even more gifs of him blushing, Sirius looking at him and one really great picture of the two of them laughing. There were other things too of course, the other contestants' opinions on last week's episode but Remus couldn’t help but notice he was one of the most popular topics.
His mindless scrolling was interrupted by his phone buzzing.
“Ooh, someone’s popular!” James teased and Remus rolled his eyes.
“Hi Ma,” He greeted, looking pointedly at James and sticking out his tongue.
“Hi sweetheart, how’s it going.?”
Remus began to move away so everyone else could continue their conversation but Lily swatted his wrist.
“I wanna say hi to Hope!”
“Yeah Remus! Don’t be rude!” Tonks chimed in and Remus rolled his eyes. 
“Mam, I’m gonna put you on speaker, the lads want to say hi.” He said, pulling the phone away from his ear.
“Hi Hope!” Lily said, everyone else joining in, a clamour of voices drowning out Remus’ laugh.
“Hi loves!” Hope said, Remus knowing she was having the time of her life. These people were like celebrities to her. “How’re you all doing?”
“Much better now that we get to chat to you.” Sirius charmed and Remus could practically see his mother blushing back in their kitchen at home. They all chatted for a little while longer before they had to get back to work.
“Hey mam, we’ve gotta go, but I’ll call you later, yeah?”
“Alright darling, I’ll chat to you soon. Good luck.”
“Bye mam, love you.”
Remus hung up biting his lip. “So that was my mom.”
“Really, you don’t say.” Tonks quipped.
“She’s my new best friend.” Lily sighed wistfully, sinking back into her chair.
“What does that make me?2 Remus asked. “A brick wall?”
Lily quirked an eyebrow. “I thought we were meant to be friends Re, but now I see we were just introduced so that I could get to know your mother. She was my destiny all along.”
“That’s not at all dramatic.” Remus deadpanned and they all started to move, getting up and ready for the next round of filming.
Sirius had been giving him a strange look towards the end of the phone call but when Remus met his eyes, he blinked once and it was gone. Remus wandered back into the tent with Lily and Tonks, debating if Tonks should dye her hair again (Pink: outdated or iconic?) but the only colour Remus could think about was grey.
“For this challenge,” James said as soon as the cameras had recommenced recording, “Our judges have asked you to make a white chocolate and raspberry tart.”
“Everything you need is under the cloth in front of you,” Sirius continued. “Judges, do you have anything you’d like to say?”
“Read the instructions carefully.” McGonagall said, her face blank. Remus blinked.
“Well, they never would have guessed that!” Sirius said cheekily and Remus had to bite down his laugh.
“On your marks,”
“Get set,”
“Bake!”
Remus pulled back the gingham cloth, eyeing the fewer-than-usual set of ingredients. He picked up the sheet with instructions, found it vague as usual but it didn’t seem overly complicated.
“Am I allowed to say white chocolate isn’t real chocolate?” Sirius asked, gliding up to Remus’ bench, cameras in tow.
“I was wondering how long it would be before someone started that debate!” Lily chimed in. “We had a bet going, I won so thanks for that.”
Remus looked at Sirius accusingly. “You couldn't have waited ten more minutes?”
Sirius laughed to himself as he wandered away to talk to everyone and Remus set to work. They wanted a digestive base, so after weighing out the right amount, Remus grabbed a rolling pin and set to work smashing the biscuits.
“You know, you could just use a blender.” Lily called over the thrum of her own machine. Remus made a face at her.
“Yeah, but this is way more cathartic.” He countered.
“Got some tension you need to relieve?” Tonks teased and Remus was suddenly really glad Sirius was on the other side of the tent.
He put his most innocent smile on his face, looked her right in the eyes and flipped her off. Lily and Tonks burst into a laughing fit. Marlene just sighed and looked at Remus a little hopelessly.
“One of these days Remus, I won’t have to edit every shot you’re in.”
Remus just shot her a cheeky wink. “Keep dreaming Marlene.”
Remus scrunched up his nose as he tried to pour the chocolate into the tin. He had placed the raspberries so that they covered the base of the pastry and now all he had to do was add the chocolate and pop it all in the fridge to set. But the chocolate mixture was a lot thicker than he had anticipated. 
“Fuck…” He breathed, drawing out the word as he tried to even it out with a spatula, only succeeding in moving the berries around and messing up the distribution.
“You alright?” Lily asked.
Remus glanced back, shooting her a smile. “Yeah, I’m okay. This is just thick as hell.”
“White chocolate’s a bitch like that.” Lily agreed.
“Seriously?” Marlene exclaimed. “Now you too Lily? I’m firing both of you.”
Remus laughed and handed her a spare piece of chocolate. “Sorry Marlene.”
Marlene rolled her eyes but smiled. “I hate you.”
Remus blew her a kiss. “Love you too!”
He bit his lip and evened out the top of his tart before putting it into the fridge so it had as long as possible to set.
“And now we wait.”
They set their tarts behind their pictures, Peter being ridiculously cautious, looking around himself before he made any movements. Remus appreciated it, but found it hilarious all the same.
 He sat on the stool as the judges came out with a familiarity that was new. He liked it. He had watched the show for as long as it had been on air, watching it gave him the same feeling you might get when curling up under a blanket and a good book when it’s pouring rain outside. He liked being comfortable on the show now too.
The judges came out, Remus’ tart right in the centre of the table. 
“This one looks quite good,” McGonagall said as she cut a slice, “But there doesn’t seem to be as many raspberries as I would have hoped.”
Remus bit his lip. She had snagged a slice from a section all the berries had been disrupted. Fucking white chocolate.
“Everything else however, is lovely.” Dumbledore said and Remus breathed easy, it wasn’t the worst one, not by far. A tart belonging to a woman named Susan hadn’t even set properly. Remus wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up going home tomorrow, she had certainly lost the technical and from what Remus remembered, she hadn’t done too well in the first challenge either.
Kingsley won the technical, smiling at everyone congratulating him. Remus liked Kingsley a lot, the other man was quiet, so he didn’t know him too well but any interaction they’d had was always pleasant.
The camera’s stopped rolling and everyone filed over to the table to grab themselves a slice of the best tarts. Remus noticed Sirius hanging back for once, so he sidled up next to him.
“Not a fan?” He asked. Sirius shook his head.
“Nah, white chocolate is much too sweet for me.”
“Right,” Remus said, tilting his head. “You don’t even take sugar in your tea.”
Sirius bit his lip and took his time replying. “There’s only so many sweet things I can handle,” He said, leaning in closer to Remus, who mirrored his movements on instinct. “And you fill that quota completely.”
Remus stood there frozen as Sirius smiled at him before leaving the tent. Lily came up next to him, a plate in hand.
“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
“Oh it’s so much worse than that.”
“What happened?” She asked, concerned. 
“Sirius Black is flirting with me.” He half whispered. “And I’m so completely and utterly fucked.”
Lily smirked and bumped her hip against Remus’. “More like you will be completely and utterly fucked.”
“Lily!”
The noise escaping Lily in response could only be described as a cackle. Remus lay awake half the night replaying Sirius’ words over and over in his head. He was so screwed.
“Welcome back!” James began, “It’s time for our showstopper challenge!”
“This week,” Sirius said, “Our judges want you to create a 3D chocolate structure.”
Remus bit his lip. He had practiced. A lot. But this would still be a challenge.
“Your creation should be entirely edible and entirely chocolate. As usual, you have four and a half hours. Ready?”
“Set.”
“Bake!”
Remus set off, faster than he had for the last few challenges. He could do this, but he needed time. He immediately set out breaking up chocolate to melt, two rectangular silicone moulds ready to go. He poured an equal amount of milk chocolate into each and made sure they were spread evenly before putting them in the fridge.
“Damn Re, that was fast.” Lily commented, still filling her mould.
“That’s not what he said.” Remus retorted with a wink and Lily snorted behind him.
Remus kept melting chocolate, white was next on his agenda. When it was melted, he added a couple of drops of orange essence and mixed it in. He spread it quite thinly over two large trays, wishing it had been this co-operative in the previous challenge, and put them in the fridge too.
“Hey,” Sirius said softly, arriving at his station. Remus broke off a piece of dark chocolate and offered it out to him.
“This is your favourite type I’m guessing?”
Sirius blushed. It was fun to see Remus wasn’t the only one who could do that. 
“Yeah,” He said, his voice low. “Yeah it is, thanks.”
Remus took out a clean bowl and started breaking pieces of dark chocolate into it. “Everything okay?”
Sirius frowned. “Does something have to be wrong for me to be here?”
Remus shook his head quickly. “No! I mean, no. I just meant…” He glanced around the room and saw no microphone close enough to capture their conversation but cameras were panning the room. He kept his eyes on his work and his voice hushed. “Well, you know what I meant.”
“Yeah,” Sirius fiddled with a tea towel he found on Remus’ counter. “Can we talk? Later?”
Remus nodded. “I’d like that.”
Sirius smiled at him and moved away, walking around to the rest of the room. Remus took a shaky breath. He would talk to Sirius later. He straightened his shoulders and set his jaw, he would be calm about this. He could obsess about it later. Right now? He had a big ass chocolate sculpture to make.
“Bakers, you have thirty minutes left!” James announced a while later and Remus shared a mildly panicked look with Lily. He took his many many trays of chocolate out of the fridge and set to work assembling his piece. He measured the white chocolate and cut precise, identical rectangles, biting his lip as he prayed the chocolate wouldn’t snap. It would appear luck was on his side today because it all cut cleanly. He sighed in relief and set up the flat stand it would be displayed on. He filled his piping bag with dark chocolate and unfolded the page of notes he had brought in with him that day and began writing on the white chocolate slabs.
“Bakers! Please step away from your benches!”
Remus fiddled with his hands as he stepped away, looking at his creation. It was… It was fucking perfect is what it was.
Lily presented first, a gorgeous goldfish made of chocolate and sprayed with edible paint. Lily had even carved the scales into the surface, Remus was blown away by the amount of detail in it.
Tonks had made a little castle - two towers and a main building, it was ridiculously charming, Remus wished he could live there. 
Remus walked up with his and stood back so he could look at it too. It was a book - Pride and Prejudice to be exact, standing up and cracked a little open so some pages were on display. Pages on which Remus had written the exact text from the book, the cover based off the hardback edition Remus had at home.
“I must say Mr Lupin,” McGonagall said, “As a big Jane Austen fan, I’m quite charmed by this.”
She broke away a ‘page’ and popped a piece in her mouth. “The orange flavouring is a lovely touch.”
Dumbledore broke off a piece from the back cover and nodded in agreement. “Very good, I’m quite impressed.”
Remus beamed at them and returned to his bench. He was so unbelievably glad they liked it, if they hadn’t well, he might have actually cried.
Sirius caught his eye and smiled at him. Remus smiled back.
They sat in a row once more a little while later, but Remus wasn’t afraid. He hadn’t done as well as he might have liked yesterday, but he still wasn’t bad. And he had done quite well today. He was pretty sure he was safe for today. 
As he suspected, Susan went home. Tonks won star baker and Remus had the rare opportunity of getting to try the other baker’s work since it was all made purely of chocolate.
“Take a walk with me?” Sirius asked after a little while, the euphoria of another week done fading and the remaining contestants beginning to trickle back to the hotel. Remus nodded and sent Lily a quick text and then he followed Sirius out of the tent and away from the cameras and microphones and contestants.
And then it was just the two of them.
81 notes · View notes
ofclaires · 3 years
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IV. CLAIRE WALSH
PAST SELF PARAS: april 2020 / september 2020 / march 2021. 
hi, before the read more i just wanted to say THANK YOU. getting to play claire has been absolutely a treat, a challenge, and genuinely, a huge part of my life for the past year and a half or so. it occurred to me when writing this and looking back at other things i’ve written for claire that i didn’t just feel like i was writing this for myself or for claire ; but i was writing it for you guys, too ! that has been one of the most special things about gallagher for me is the writing community that i feel like we built, taking such a huge investment in our characters and everyone else’s writing. i feel like i’m writing with and for some of my best friends. i also feel like i’ve grown so much ( ok, i actually don’t just feel like it, i can look back at those three paras and SEE how my writing has improved. ) i am so blessed to have gotten to write claire with all of you and to share her story, i feel like she has been so fucking beloved & it’s given her so much life. i am so proud of her and it’s really bittersweet that i’m finally saying goodbye to her as well. so, thank you all so, so much, gallagher has been a writing experience like no other for me & i love you all ! 
trigger warnings : domestic violence & abuse, death
PART ONE: CHILDHOOD.
The trailer that Claire spent the back half of her childhood in never felt like home. Maybe because trailers are made to be temporary, or the fact that if she accepted that this was where she belonged, she’d have to give up hope.
It’s normal Maggie Walsh to be out late, Claire’s usually cleaned up the kitchen and tucked herself into bed by the time her mother comes in the door – but she’s not sleeping. She’s always had trouble with that, brain bouncing around from one thought to the next until eventually she hears the creak of the door.
Her mom’s home.
She hears the usual stumbling, the clatter of dishes falling from where she’d neatly placed them on the drying rack. Maggie’s drunk, Claire’s sure of that. Ten years old and she knows what it means to be so drunk that you can hardly see straight, that the words you say under the influence are a different reflection from the person that you really are. She inhales deeply and crawls out from under the covers to check on her. Ten years old and she knows the steps: Help her take her makeup off, make sure she sleeps on her side, glass of water on the bedside table, trash can on the floor. Maggie is only twenty-six years old herself now, not done with her childhood by the time that Claire was born, not ready to be a mother. Claire’s had to figure it out most of it herself.
“Mom?” Claire knocks on the door lightly, plastic cup full of water already in hand.
“Don’t – don’t come in!” Maggie sputters, and Claire’s confused. She defies her request and opens the bedroom door the rest of the way. When she sees her mom, she drops the cup on the floor, small hands curling into fists.
“What happened? Who did that to you?”
“I told you not to come in here, Claire,” Maggie repeats, but Claire has always been on to disregard commands. She learns at a young age that authority only means older than you or some assigned title, not that they know best.
“Who did that? Why?” She repeats her questions. Despite being mature for her age, it’s hard for Claire to wrap her head around the black eye obscuring Maggie’s face, and the swelling on her cheek.
“It doesn’t matter,” Maggie sighs, dejected as she flops down on the bed. Even in her state, she knows that there’s not much use telling Claire to back off or go away once she’s decided that she’s not going to. Her little girl is a spitfire, strangely enough reminds Maggie a lot of her own mom, like living with a miniature version of her. Maybe that’s why Claire wins most arguments. “Come here.”
Claire walks closer to the bed, kicking the cup aside on her way for no reason other than to kick something. She crawls into bed next to her mom and looks up at her, waiting for more of an explanation or literally anything but silence. 
“I don’t know why I keep looking for a happy ending. I leave you home alone, I come home like this...not helping either of us,” Maggie presses a kiss to the top of Claire’s head, runs her fingers through her daughter’s hair. It’s so soft and Claire is so little, she can’t help but look at the spilled cup on the floor with a pang of guilt. “I’m sorry,” she adds, voice choked up and words a little slurred. Tears squeeze out of the corners of her eyes when she closes them, hugging her daughter closer, “I’ve blamed you for my fucked up life for so long...that’s not fair.”
Now, Claire is only ten, but those are the kind of words that you remember forever. Still, she smiles. “It doesn’t have to stay fucked up. It can get better,” a childish spark of optimism in her heart that hasn’t yet been put out. It makes Maggie smile back though, kissing her daughter on the top of her head yet again.
“I like that,” she says, and they fall asleep curled up beside each other. Claire sleeps soundly, thinking that it’s possible. Things really could get better, and for a while, it seems like there really is a sort of shift. Maggie starts cooking, cleaning again, and she doesn’t even stay out so late. That’s when she meets Martin.
He seems better than the rest. Until he isn’t.
But Claire does her job as her mother’s protector, just as she’s been doing all of her life, and it’s that event that jumpstarts the rest of everything that happens next.
PART TWO: GRADUATION.
Claire’s come to the formal conclusion that graduation ceremonies are a waste of time. There’s all this build up, everyone’s so excited, and then you have to sit around and wait for your name to be called so you can spend two seconds walking across a stage while everyone claps. She would have skipped it entirely if her mother hadn’t already come up, and if she knew that people were going to insist. The small talk afterward is even more agonizing than the ceremony itself. It is sort of painful saying goodbye to everyone, and it occurs to Claire that there’s more people that she’s going to miss than she ever expected.
“Callum and his mother are here,” Maggie points out.
“And?” Claire rolls her eyes. Seeing Callum again to begin with had brought up a lot of old feelings, and generally, even though they’d resolved things, she tries to avoid him whenever possible.
“Well, it’s probably weird if we don’t say hello, at least, right? I’m going to say hello,” Maggie interjects, “he’s such a sweet boy.”
Claire’s eyebrows rise on her forehead as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Go ahead then,” she sighs, “I’ll wait right here.”
“Claire,” Maggie draws out her name with a withering stare, but Maggie has never been able to establish that sort of authority with Claire that would prompt any inclination of obedience, so Claire just shrugs her shoulders, unimpressed. She’s not going to budge. “Fine, I’ll be right back.”
Claire’s done her best to put the chapter of their life that includes Martin out of her mind when rekindling things with her mother, and she certainly doesn’t want to stand around making small talk with his other ex-wife, trying not to look at Callum with his matching jawline, trying not to remember everything she hates. It all comes back in a flash. The horrible cracking sound that her mother’s head had made when it connected with the wall, the blood on the marble floor. They say you don’t remember trauma properly, that your memory doesn’t work quite right, but she will never forget the way her fist connected with Martin’s face : like a puzzle piece, like it BELONGED there, and she’d done it over and over again until she heard sirens.
And yet, Claire can’t deny that it’s a part of her life that got her here, where she is today. She thinks life is shitty and random, and that not everything has to happen ‘for a reason.’ Still, she’ll catch Kass’s eye across the room and see her smiling so brightly that it seems impossible not to believe in something. Claire can’t help herself anyway – she smiles back. No one has ever been able to produce Claire’s smile in its truest form the way Kass has, unashamed of being so happy to look at someone. She once thought the idea of looking at a person and seeing your whole future was ridiculous, that you’d have to be stupid to put that much of yourself into someone, but it isn’t like that at all. All of it was unintentional, like by the time she realized it, Kass was already everything. And she feels so safe with that thought that she doesn’t mind at all.
“Am I interrupting something?” A figure steps in front of her, cutting off her line of sight. She’s not really fond of being snuck up on, so she opens her mouth to say something snarky when she’s met with the gaze of Lisanna Harlin, one of last year’s mentors. Her daughter, Elisa, is there, but she’s not graduating, so Claire’s confused by Lisanna’s presence.
“No, Ms. Harlin,” Claire says, though there’s a spark of indignation in her words that practically goes hand in hand whenever an adult commands authority.
“Lisanna is fine,” she says with a light laugh, like she’s amused Claire’s greeted her this way.
“Can I...help you with something?” Claire asks, mostly curious about how long this interaction has gone on. While she’s friendly with Elisa, she was Kass’s roommate last year, they’re not exceedingly close, so she’s not sure what else Lisanna would have to say to her other than maybe a polite hello.
It’s more than a polite hello. Lisanna Harlin works for Lexon Corp in Durham, North Carolina, a private military company that provides armed guards, bodyguards, and guns for hire. They’re the sort of place that would be looking for the best of the best in combat, and they have a bit of a reputation for hiring Gallagher girls. Claire had given up on the job search months ago since the video went out, in fact, she’s had a job lined up for graduation already : at a boxing gym in D.C., where the scene isn’t too bad. It was suited to her, but not exactly the sort of thing that her Gallagher education had prepared her for. Lexon Corp? Everything her rigorous love of January boot camps were tailored to. And they want to interview her.
A month later, Claire’s sitting on the cusp of a completely fresh start. It wasn’t easy to backtrack on the plans that she and Kass had made together, knowing how much was changing for the both of them, it had been nice to have the stable idea of an apartment together on the horizon. Now, she’s a four hour drive away, and she goes home to her one-bedroom studio in Durham after rigorous training throughout the day. But she’s grateful for the chance to work her way back into the field, and she can remember what Lisanna said to her when they gave her the offer.
“We’re aware that with your history that we’re taking a chance on you, Claire,” Lisanna said. “But we think the reasons that made other agencies look past you are exactly what makes you an asset. You care about your jobs, the people that you’re involved in, and you’d have a partner’s back until the bitter end. You listen to your intuition, trust your gut...and above all else, you have follow-through. I’m excited to be able to offer this position. Don’t prove me wrong.”
Claire swears that she won’t.  
PART THREE: KIPTYN.
Kiptyn isn’t supposed to be in the left hall closet. 
In fact, he’s not supposed to be awake at all. But who can sleep the night before their birthday anyway? Sure, he’ll be thirteen, and that’s probably old enough to have gotten over the magic of it all, but...he’d still been lying awake with excitement, the anticipation keeping his eyes open for hours on end. Well, that and the video game he’d been playing under the covers, but he’d obviously only been playing it because he couldn’t sleep in the first place.
Then he started thinking about the left hall closet and the conversation that they had at dinner the other night. In Kiptyn’s defense, Dahvia – his younger sister – had totally started it and he was an innocent bystander. After all, Kiptyn’s old enough to know that they don’t bring up Claire to mom, because it just puts her in a mood and then you can forget about doing anything else for the rest of the evening. But Dahvia’s ten, practically a baby, and she doesn’t know any better.
“Hey, mom? What sort of accident did Claire die in? Nina asked me at recess and I didn’t know,” Dahvia pipes up, before she’s even properly sat down. Kip visibly cringes. He’s older, wiser, knows this won’t go well. Still, he dares to look at his mom’s face and he notes the faraway look in her eye, like she seems to experience a bunch of things at once. Kip notices how even though her eyes are glassy, she doesn’t cry. Though sometimes, their mom will just cry randomly, like two weeks ago when he asked for help with his Spanish homework and she couldn’t even help him finish the first worksheet.
“It was a car accident,” she says stiffly, “eat your dinner.”
Kiptyn kicks his sister under the table and flashes her a look that says : Great. Look what you did, ruined dinner. Dahvia sticks her tongue out at him.
So, he knows that he’s not supposed to be in the left hall closet because he could ruin many more dinners, but he’s here anyway. He’s been thinking about it ever since they sat in silence for the rest of that half hour, and he’s come to the conclusion – his mother was lying. Because all sorts of things make their mother cry, like a bowl of mac and cheese or Spanish class, or motorcycles, and she won’t let Kiptyn take boxing lessons though his friend Robert is and he thought it sounded really cool, but she doesn’t have any problem with cars or driving, and also, she’s never told them a single thing about Claire except that. They aren’t allowed to know anything about her, especially not anything true, so Kiptyn is pretty sure that’s a lie. There’s just something just weird about it.
So, in the middle of the night before his thirteenth birthday, he looks up a video on how you pick locks and then he figures it out on the door of the left hall closet. He’s there for at least forty-five minutes, practically ready to give it all up when he hears the clicking sound, and then it opens. His first thought is : Woah. This is a load of junk.
And he’s right. There’s boxes upon boxes of paperwork, old clothes. Some things start to click, like when he finds a pair of worn boxing gloves with Claire’s initials embroidered on them. His favorite thing that he finds is the fattest scrapbook he’s ever seen – his mom always makes them, there’s one for every year of his life. Dahvia’s too, they love looking at them. The cover of this one, though, says Italy 2021. It’s all pictures of his mom and Claire, probably in their early twenties. Kiptyn mostly notices his mother’s smile, how he’s only seen her look like that a couple times in his life and yet it looks so EASY here, like she wears it all the time. It’s so strange to him. He sets the scrapbook down and crawls toward the back of the closet. His eyes land on two leather folders with gold embroidery, and he opens up the first one. In big letters at the top : GALLAGHER ACADEMY.
It’s a diploma.
This certifies that Kassandra Sutton has satisfactorily completed the…
“What are you doing?”
Kiptyn yells out like a child, not having heard anyone creeping up on him. He claps his hand over his mouth as if to shush himself. “The door was open! I don’t know how, but I just...noticed it was open and wanted to make sure that...no one was stealing your stuff!” he grins sheepishly, hoping that he can ride on the high of his birthday week to get him out of this one.
“It was just...open?” his mother looks down at him with raised eyebrows before brandishing a twisted paper clip between two fingers. The one that had formerly been stuck in the door. His guilty expression widens, he can’t help it.
“Okay, I might know how it opened,” Kiptyn admits. He hesitates for a moment, before he realizes that he’s ALREADY in trouble, he might as well just come out with it and pray to the birthday gods. He holds up the diploma with her name on it : “What’s Gallagher Academy?”
Kass’s sigh is heavy and deep, accompanied by the amount of exhaustion that comes with raising two curious kids by herself. After Claire died, she moved her family to London to be closer to their aunt and away from everything that reminded her of Claire. She never told her children why. From hiding that world from them, the world that took so many people from her : her father, her ex-girlfriend, and the love of her life. She swore that she would never lose her children to it, too. But Kiptyn looks up at her with wide eyes, desperate to know about his mother and his past, and Kass also knows what it’s like to have part of yourself missing due to family secrets that are being kept from you. He is practically a teenager now. So, she relents.
Kass doesn’t go into all of the details, of course. Just that Gallagher Academy was a school for spies, and that’s where it all started. Kiptyn already knew that his moms met in college, so it’s the spy part that’s most interesting to him. She talks about Claire with a light in her eyes he’s unfamiliar with, how she was one of the best fighters in their year, that she grew up with such a talent in the ring that she probably could’ve gone pro if her life had gone in a different direction. She talks about how they had to part ways after graduation, because Claire got a job in North Carolina and she got a job in Washington, DC, but they made it work, and both got very accustomed to the four hour drive – though it was sometimes closer to three for Claire, because she always drove too fast, even on this big, black motorcycle which Kass swears that she hated. She tells Kiptyn about how they got married, the way she’d almost moved to England for a dream job and that long distance threatened to drive them apart again – until Claire chased her down in the airport with a ring and proposal.  
She also talks about how Claire really died : the abridged version. It was an overseas mission where they’d been cornered, and Claire risked her life to save the rest of their team. There were no other casualties, and the information they were able to bring back helped stop the terrorist organization they’d been chasing to end them for good. Kass tells the abridged version for her son, gives Claire a hero’s death. In some ways, it was. She doesn’t mention the ways that Claire was consumed by the case, it was an organization hellbent on killing spies and it likely reminded her of the brotherhood. Kass had been worried about the case the whole time, because it felt like Claire was taking it too personally. In the end, she may have been right : because Claire had let it take her life in order to close it. She also doesn’t mention that such a sacrificial death means that her wife died fighting alone, swinging her fists until her very last breath. But still, she was all alone.
She had no choice but to take her kids as far away from that life as possible.
Kiptyn tries, but he doesn’t really remember Claire. He’d only been three years old when she passed away, and before then, she’d been so consumed by her last case that she was barely present. Still, he thinks she sounds badass.
He falls asleep on his mother’s shoulder that night, looking through the scrapbook of pictures from their trip to Italy in 2021. He’s animated for the first part, pointing out buildings and asking questions, wonders if Claire was sweating in all that leather, but he slowly starts to drift off. He wakes up on the couch the next morning, no trace of the book or any of the other papers he’d hauled out of the closet the night before. He looks at the closet and there’s an extra padlock. Figures.
It comes up in little ways, like a private joke that he has with his mother, like she’ll say something and flash him a secretive smile. He likes that, and he understands that this is a big secret that he has to keep. It doesn’t come up again until his fourteenth birthday the next year, the summer before high school. It’s a strange letter in a manila envelope, sealed with some expensive red wax, his name written in fancy calligraphy. The most attention-grabbing part, however, is not Kiptyn Sutton-Walsh in big cursive letters. It’s the return address :
GALLAGHER ACADEMY.
learn her skills, honor her sword. keep her secrets.
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bizlawgal · 3 years
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I wanted to share a prompt! Hope is ok ❤️: Emma is norman's bodyguard. And he's so cute 😳. But she has to focus because she's a professional 😎. But he's so sweet and treats her like she was a princess! But he's also super important and she needs to give the 100% to protect him. But the way he calls her, it's just... Would be people surprised if she falls for him? What would people think if she tries to take him for her 🤭😏.
This took a while. 
Here’s Lyn’s first contribution to the N/E tag for 2021 on Tumblr.
I personally enjoyed writing this because it’s so angsty, but it’s a dessert with a cherry on top for an ending. 
I. There was no fitting person for the job other than her.
With a slender built, an agile reflex, and a taste for anything below the surface of safety, she was more than willing to accept the terms and conditions that came with the job.
"Oliver tells me you're experienced in this line of work," said Ray, the person-in-charge with most of the personal bodyguards assigned to the Minerva Family. "You do know that individuals who prefer this line of work are the ones who have —"
"— nothing left to lose, I know," she continued. This line was something she had memorized long ago. "No one will be looking for me if I do lose my life somewhere along the line. I have no more family to go back to."
Her father had died a couple of years back. Incarcerated for a murder she knew he did not commit, and died a sorrowful death behind bars because of an undetected disease.
Since then, she had taken a liking to the profession of looking after people; being a bodyguard gave her a purpose to live, and another way to make amends with her helplessness.
Ray's face echoed skepticism. "As long as you won't die before the person you're in charge of, then there won't be any problems. At least during this coming election period. Your service is of utmost importance."
Emma released a deep sigh upon learning that she had finally landed this job. "Who am I in-charge of protecting?"
"The heir of the Minerva Family," he answered as he flipped through her folder full of credentials one last time. "Consider this as your first day on the job. Here's the itinerary for today. He's a very busy person but make sure you leave a good impression."
He? She had never worked as a bodyguard for any man before, but being ever-so devoted to what she did for a living, she shoved the underlying curiosity in her mind.
Emma nodded submissively as she extended her hand to claim the supposed itinerary and immediately implanted the details inside her head. The idea to process everything in an instant was something she was good at.
"Memorized it?" Ray quipped, a challenging smirk making its way to his lips.
"Yes," she beamed, "I’ve memorized it by heart."
"Do you still have any inquiries about what your job will be? About the person you're in charge of?"
She shook her head in an absolute stance. "I think I'm well-informed."
"Good, because here comes the Minerva you're in-charge of."
She heard the simultaneous clicking of heels against the marbled floors, and when the door to the room opened, she swang her head to officially meet him with a smile.
Instead of a smile on her lips, she only registered an expression of awe; lips parted in wordless wonder and eyes widened with a different kind of expectation.
He was the first to move on, reflecting the same enchantment on his face, and spoke, "You must be —"
"Emma," she supplied. "I'm Emma Mikhaylov, and starting today, I'll be your personal bodyguard, Sir Minerva."
He smiled, and she was sure that it might've made her heart twitch a bit. "It's nice to meet you, Emma. Are you aware of our itinerary for today?"
She looked over at Ray, and back at the heir. Her breath hitched upon answering. "Yes, sir."
There was one thing that Ray failed to mention.
Norman Minerva, the heir to the family of politicians, was a damn well-proportioned, good-looking man.
II.
"How are you supposed to protect me if you're the one behind the wheels?"
It was another one of his comments that initially swayed her to think that he wasn't just one of those old money brats from a political dynasty.
It had been three months of being his bodyguard, and she couldn't deny that he was suspiciously treating her better than how he did with others.
Without taking her eyes off the road, she answered, "It's my job to chaperone you, too."
He subtly scratched his head. "Do I have to spell it out for you that I want you next to me? We could've asked Ray to chaperone us, could we not?"
"Ah, but Ray is out doing his own chaperoning for your sister."
He snorted. "There is no winning that. He fancies my sister, after all."
Emma chuckled lightly. "Miss Anna is really lovely. I doubt anyone would second-guess their attraction towards her, sir."
"Emma." There was a sternness to the way he said her name that made her slightly jolt in her seat. "I've told you a thousand times to simply call me by  my name."
"It's inappro—"
"It is not," Norman sighed heavily, thinking how many times they've had this conversation. "I already told you that I do not think of you merely as my bodyguard. I simply enjoy your company and I think you know by now that I fancy you. We should try to be more casual."
This brought out another laughter from her, yet it was laced with awe and disbelief. She hoped that he couldn't see how hard she was trying to gulp down her nerves.
"That isn't part of my job description, si— Norman. What you're suggesting is highly inappropriate."
Norman raised a skeptical brow from the rearview mirror, and she tensed in her seat when his eyes bore into hers. "But you find Anna and Ray's illicit affair romantic? What makes my attraction for you different from theirs?"
Emma took a deep breath and internally reminded herself that she was a professional. This was not something she should be entangled in, especially since her sole purpose was to keep him safe until the elections were over.
She was simply thankful that they had arrived at the first one on his itinerary. "Would you look at that? We're here! Wait for me to open your door, okay?"
"Emma, you don't have to —"
She whipped her head and raised a finger. "No buts. This is my job."
It was when she got out of the car and paused for a second did she let the facade fade from her face.
Just being in the same space with him was getting harder and harder each day.
III.
It was rare for her to curse, but given the scenario they were in, it was hard not to.
"Damn election period," Emma hissed at the side, aiming the gun towards the door.  
The Minerva Estate was breached and unidentified men were detected rummaging within the massive palazzo. Ruckus could be heard from the outside of the walls, and the more it came, the more fear resonated between her fingertips.
"Emma!" Norman cried out from within the confines of his walk-in closet, drenched in his own fear and misgivings. "Let me out this instant!"
It was rare of him to question his lack of strength or physical means to pry a door open; this was one of those rare occurrences.
"No can do, Norman," she vocalized it with depth, making it known to him that there was no way she was letting him out for the sake of his safety. "Stay right there. It's for your own good."
In a hysterical voice, he rebutted, "And what about you? Why can you not hide here with me?"
She found the whole thing utterly ridiculous. "Are you insane? I'm your bodyguard, remember? It's my job to keep you safe!"
"And what will I do if you die trying to protect me?" His words were more of a plea than a question, knotting within the hollows of his stomach.
"I cannot lose you, Emma."
She hissed at the words, and begrudgingly closed her eyes before snapping her view at the walk-in closet.
"And I cannot lose you!" She almost screeched it — everything that she had been bottling inside for the sake of her sanity, eating away every bit of suppressed emotions that she carefully placed at the back of her heart. "I will not allow anything or anyone to bring you harm. I can’t let another person I care for die! This is my job —"
"Who cares about this job —"
"— and this is what I feel for you! Do I have to make it more obvious?" She gritted her teeth and sucked in what was left of her confidence and her time.
He couldn't see her face, but as she spoke, he could imagine her smiling, the one that was ever-so bright in his eyes and never wavered.
"I'm keeping you safe not only because it's my job, but also because... I love you."
The sounds of constricted breathing inside the closet kept crushing her from the inside.
"Emma, I —!"
It left him no room to speak when he heard the door to his room opened, and the succession of gunshots took place.
Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours.
Silence consumed him, yet successions of calling out her name proved no merit.
She never answered.
IV. 
"You are an idiot! An idiot, I tell you!"
Emma winced, not only for the pain inflicted on her by the graze of a bullet but also for the commotion caused by the man that had just barged through the door.
One look at him was enough of sedation for her; he was unscathed and safe.
She was about to lift herself up, gradually moving to position herself to sit on the bed, when his pair of arms reached out and enclasped her in an embrace.
His smelt of honeydew mixed with smoke, and she could feel the debris of wherever he had gotten himself into while she was asleep, against her cheek. Hearing his raspy shivered breathing against her ear struck every nerve on her body and the amount of tension on the tips of his fingers indicated that he was beyond worried for her dear life instead of his.
If they weren't surrounded by a mountain of eyes that would dare scrutinize this shared moment between then, she would've tackled him to the ground herself.
"I'm glad you're ok—"
"You idiot! Don't ever do that again!" His voice was demanding — pleading even, and seething through her skin. "I thought... I thought I lost you!"
His arms remained tightened around her, and she could only eye Ray with green eyes full of hesitancy. He only shrugged, but the way he cradled the smirk on his lips wasn't enough to deceive her.
She was merely her bodyguard.
She had no rights to him.
"Earlier," he voiced out, trembling, "You told me what you felt. What was I supposed to do inside that closet you locked me in, Emma?!"
The way he held her instigated that he no longer held any plans of letting her go.
"I wanted to keep you safe, si—"
"Do not call me 'sir'. I am simply Norman to you, and you're simply Emma to me."
His eyes are stained with unshed tears; only remorse for moments that he thought he'd never have with her again. "Will you let me hear it again?"
Emma seemed lost. "Hear what?"
His face softened with the memory. "What you told me earlier. Let me hear it once again. Let me know that it wasn't just a hallucination on my end."
That unexpected confession of hers from earlier earned her a bright, rosy blush all over her face.
"I-I have feelings for you."
Norman gave a low chuckle. "I guess that's another way of saying it. But I'm in love with you, Emma. From now on, stop being my bodyguard and simply be with me instead. Please, consider it." His smile came off sheepish. "I can't handle your constant disregard for your own safety for the sake of mine."
"B-but who's going to guard you?"
"I'll take over," Ray interjected, arms crossed over his chest. "It’s not as if I haven’t noticed the way you two have been acting for the last couple of months. Also, it's high time you stop being so reckless, Emma! You shouldn't have handled that situation all on your own. You could've called for back-up in his room!”
Emma nearly winced at Ray's reprimanding; he was right on the dot. She placed her sights on Norman and said, "But I'd still like to look after you. I've... grown to like it."
"Emma," he said her name a soft and gentle as he always had, and she knew that what would come next after her name were words meant to last a lifetime.
"I might not be as strong as you are with a gun, or as fast as you are when you run, but I'll look after you all my life, just as you'll look after mine. I’ll be your family. We’ll be a family."
Emma tried to suppress the grin on her face, but it failed spectacularly, and now she was facing him with immense joy, intertwining her fingers within his. His touch his warm and inviting, and it allowed her to further lament why she never allowed the idea of ever becoming his and him ever becoming hers.
"And we'll be equals?"
She searched his sights and he responded with the same amount of affection in his eyes; in his hold, she’d always be home.
"We were always equals."
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free-pool-trash · 4 years
Text
dangerous game - iv
here’s part 4 :)))))
word count: 3.2K
warning(s): swearing, bad writing not even gonna lie, not proof read :) addressing reader’s mutation because my dumbass didn’t do it
masterlist
tag list:  @badluckposting​ - @c0-77​ - @my-remical-chomance​ - @h-holland​ - @prettyinblack231​ - @perkypenguinperks​
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If someone pressed a gun to your head and forced you to describe how you felt right now in only one word, you'd have to say: awkward.
Peter was sat on your right, his leg pressed against yours and Warren was sat on your left, his arm casually around your shoulders. The reason as to why this was awkward was that the two boys were in some kind of silent competition over who could be closer to you. Each of them scooted closer to you every two seconds and you were starting to feel suffocated. 
Since finding out about your kiss with Warren, Peter hadn’t given you a second to yourself, nor did he give you a second alone with Warren, he was gate-keeping but Warren wasn’t acting much better. The second it looked like Peter was about to regain his previous position with you, Warren would swoop in and make sure the topic changed completely.
For a while you hadn’t noticed but as you were being crushed by the guys on either side of you on the couch, that had plenty of room, you started to put two and two together. 
“If either one of you moves any closer to me I’m going to lose my shit.” You told them through gritted teeth, your body radiating annoyance while you shoved them away slightly.
Neither of the boys made any attempt to move away any further than you’d pushed them, which was not very far at all.
"Seriously you two? What the fuck is going on lately?" You asked, finally completely fed up with whatever the hell was going on.
Peter only shrugged, pouting at you "I don't know what you're talking about, sweetheart."
"All good here babe." Warren started simultaneously.
And that was another thing, the pet names. The constant trying to one up each other. Doing things that they know you couldn't possibly enjoy just to spite each other. It was getting ridiculous and as well as that, it was driving you up the fucking wall.
Letting out a heavy breath you brought your hand up and covered your eyes.
You had a reputation in the school. You were always calm, tranquil even, it's why people loved you and why opponents feared you during missions. You had a reputation, one that you valued and needed to keep. With that in mind, you detangled from the green eyed monsters you were stuck between and stood in front of them.
Holding both of your hands out in a stop motion as Peter and Warren, like puppies, tried to jump and follow your motion.
"Whatever is going on here…" You motioned between them, swallowing thickly, lips pursed and trying to keep your composure.
"Leave me out of it." Giving them a false smile you walked away. More like stomped, really.
Warren's lip was pulled between his teeth as he watched you leave, "Fuck…"
Peter sighed, turning to face Warren, eyes tired and looking defeated.
"Look man, I know you kissed her." The silver haired boy confessed with a flat voice.
Warren kept his mouth shut as Peter carried on. 
"I'm not trying to sabotage you, okay? I just want my best friend back." He finished with his voice becoming weaker with each word he spoke towards the end.
Warren chewed at the inside of his cheek before letting out a heavy breath, "If she comes to me crying later because of something you said I'll break both of your legs."
Nodding in understanding, Peter left the common room and sped towards your dorm, intent on not making you cry. He knew when Warren made threats there was always follow through, especially when it came to you.
When he reached your room he let himself in, as he always did, despite all the bad blood between you and him, you never seemed to mind too much.
You were laying on your bed, facing the ceiling when you heard the door open, not bothering to look, you only gave a small "hi.".
Peter cleared his throat nervously, "Hey… can I?" He asked motioning to the empty space beside you on the bed when you turned your head to face him.
"Yeah." You answered simply, watching as he jumped up onto your mattress and made himself comfortable laying beside you.
It warmed your chest for a moment, the normalcy of the position you were now in together, it reminded you of how things had been only months ago. You hadn't realized before, but you'd really missed it.
"Sorry about how I've been acting." He started, staring at the ceiling just like you were.
"Sorry I snapped." You offered in return.
Peter shook his head, turning it to look at you, "We deserved it, we were being immature."
Nodding your head in agreement but not meeting his eyes you asked, "Did you guys work things out?"
You didn't bother asking what the issue was, you had a fairly good idea and to be perfectly honest you could live without the drama of it.
"Not really but at least only one of us is here right now." He joked, nudging you with his elbow lightly causing a small smile to grow on your face.
Finally you moved your eyes to meet his, "Careful, you might jinx it."
Peter laughed nervously at the thought of Warren coming through the door.
Both of you returned your gazes to the ceiling and a few minutes passed in comfortable silence before Peter spoke up.
"Can I be really honest about something?" His voice was quiet as he turned to face you again.
Meeting his eyes you only nodded, curious as to what he needed to be honest about.
"I've been missing you like crazy. It's weird because we're friends again- but it's like we just met or something, yanno? And I totally understand that that's my fault but I just-" He slowed his ramble, closed his eyes and sighed before finishing, "I miss what we had."
His hand was so close to yours, you almost wanted to grab it. To interlace your fingers with his and reassure him that you were still here, the way you used to. But you didn't.
"I get what you mean. I miss you too." You confessed, voice quiet.
"I don't want to force things back to the way they were if you're not ready." He told you, brown eyes locked on yours as he paused to chew on his lower lip anxiously.
"And I know there's something going on between you and Warren." He added and you tensed at his words, averting your gaze.
"I just want you to know that no matter what happens I still love you." He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, before doing what you couldn't and gently lacing his hand with yours.
When you didn't say anything, only looked at him with the most conflicted expression he'd ever seen he continued.
"I know that you probably don't feel the same anymore, which is absolutely fine I don't blame you, but on the off chance that you do… I want you to know that I'm not going to be moving on anytime soon." At his statement you rolled onto your side to face him, keeping your fingers locked with his as he copied your movements.
"I still love you, Pete." You told him, voice almost a whisper.
"But things are complicated now, it's not just you and me anymore." You tried to explain as softly as you could, god you really didn't want to break his heart.
"I know…" he nodded sadly, yet still scooted closer to you. 
Feeling overwhelmed by everything you'd just been told you let your head rest against the speedsters forehead.
The familiarity of the action calming you down.
Peter's free arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you in and holding you closely against him, your intertwined hands squished between your bodies but neither of you minded.
"I don't know what to do, Pete." Your whimpered, eyes closing to try and keep your tears from rushing down your face.
"You don't have to do anything." He assured you, despite knowing that soon enough you would have to decide who you liked the most.
"I really don't want to hurt you. Or Warren." You told him, as you opened your eyes, revealing the wall of unshed tears that had built up behind your eyelids.
Sighing, Peter tightened his grip around your waist and disconnected his forehead from yours so he could connect his lips to it instead.
"I know… just do what feels right, don't worry about us. We're big boys. We can handle it." Peter said, puffing his chest out with a faux macho attitude causing you to giggle.
Letting out an exaggerated sigh you let go of Peter's hand and used both of your arms to pull him into a proper hug. He reciprocated your movements, holding you tightly against him, squeezing you and placing a peck on the top of your head.
"Here's what's gonna happen," you started, head nuzzled against Peter's chest, "We are going to lie here and forget that the last six months ever happened." 
You felt Peter nod his head against yours, "Right."
"And then, when we have to, we're going to get up and go to Jubilee's room and get wasted with our friends and have a drama free night." You told him, trying to convince yourself that tonight's drinking wouldn't lead to you crying your eyes out over either Peter or Warren. 
The sinking feeling in your stomach didn't do much to help you convince yourself, though. 
Being wrapped up with Peter was nice, you had truly missed him, but there was something so off about this time in particular. This time you felt guilty. Being so intimate with Peter felt, to you, like a betrayal to Warren.
You hadn't lied when you told Peter that you still loved him, because you did, you do. But it's not the same love as you felt only a few months ago, no, it was more refined.
Whenever you used to lay together like this, snuggled up to each other and giggling about nothing in particular, you used to pray that the silver haired boy would find the courage to finally kiss you. This time though, you were praying that he wouldn't.
Luckily, it seemed that Peter hadn't gained the courage to place his lips on yours this time, not that he hadn't been thinking of it, you could feel his uncertainty. 
You'd become good at focusing what you did and did not feel of other people's emotions, you worked really hard on perfecting that skill, you did it to respect the privacy of the people around you but also to avoid absorbing more negative energy than you could handle, but Peter basically had "debating kissing you really hard" written on his forehead.
Most of your struggles with Peter were rooted in the fact that he confused his own feelings, and they changed almost as fast as he moved.
He never stayed on the same one for any extended period of time, one second it was radiating "I love her." And the very next it would be countered with "As a friend."
After a while you decided Peter would be one of the people you put on mute, only feeling what he was okay with offering to you. Which in hindsight wasn't one of your best ideas but all of his conflicting emotions didn't help either of you.
You had to make sure that you weren't subconsciously passing negative emotions around, because as well as absorbing the feelings around you, you could also transfer them to others.
It made sense that when Peter had left you that the rest of your friends stood with you, it was so easy for them to stick with you because they were feeling it all along with you. To be honest you'd almost lost control during those few weeks. You really didn't want that to happen again.
And while Peter's emotions were screaming to kiss you, you almost popped a blood vessel trying to keep yours completely silent.
Once Peter left your room, you heaved out an exhausted sigh, allowing relief to flood your body and help you compose yourself before you had to put yourself back in the frey. 
When you arrived at Jubilee's dorm, most of your group was already there and some of them had already started drinking.
It was supposed to be a quiet, chilled out get together with only your friend group but you could already tell that it was not going to be chill, and once you noticed Warren holding a bottle of cheap bottle of vodka you knew with absolute certainty that tonight was going to be messy.
You found yourself sitting on the floor across from Jean as you both drunkenly tested each other's mutation, all the others watching intently.
"Okok right now what am I feeling?" She asked you, trying to keep her face neutral.
"Awh Jean! You're too easy! Right now you feel so happy because you're drunk and you fucking love me." You told her surely and she gasped, slapping your arm with an open mouth.
"That's right!" She exclaimed and all of your friends cheered as you tackled the red head into a hug, "I love you too!"
A dopey smile covered her face as she wrapped an arm tightly around your shoulders and pointed to Warren and Peter, who were drinking together, and shouted, "You hear that you two! You both lose! (Y/n) loves me!"
You kissed her cheek, making a huge "mwah" sound before pulling away and stumbling back toward the two boys who were by some miracle getting along incredibly, you guessed it was the alcohol.
Smiling brightly you plopped yourself down on Warren's lap, throwing you legs across Peter's lap and looking between them with a toothy grin, "Hi."
"Hey." They both said simultaneously, Warren's arm was around your waist and Peter offered you the bottle of vodka they'd both been sharing which you gladly accepted. 
"Someone's happy." Warren stated, cheeky smile on his lips as he watched you take a swig of the vodka.
Nodding enthusiastically you kissed his cheek with the same over exaggerated "mwah" as you had given Jean and he laughed.
"I am!" 
"You're also drunk." Peter chimed in and you nodded, again, enthusiastically.
"Dizzy?" Warren asked when you rested your head on his shoulder.
Again you nodded, the room had been spinning for about twenty minutes and that last swig of vodka had kicked up a fuss in your stomach.
"Take this away maybe." You slurred, still smiling but allowing your body to sink against Warren's while holding the glass bottle limply towards Peter who gratefully took it from you.
"Alright I think it's time to get you to bed." Warren stated with a laugh when you began pecking his neck, again shouting, "mwah!" Each time your lips connected to the skin of his neck.
Peter nodded in agreement, chuckling as you began blowing him mwahs from your place in Warren's lap.
"Need any help?" Peter asked as Warren swooped you up into his arms and stood up.
Before Warren could reply you looked at Peter from over Warren's shoulder, "Night, Pete! Don't throw up in Jubilee's room or she'll electrocute you…" You spoke the last part in a whisper, knowing from experience that jubilee had no sympathy for people who got a little too carried away and stained her carpet.
As Warren began to walk you towards the door Jubilee's voice made him stop in his tracks.
"Hey! Where are you taking my (Y/n)?" She questioned while stumbling up to you.
Giggling uncontrollably you motioned for her to move closer and whispered in her ear, "He's taking me to bed."
Jubilee let out a gasp, clapping her hands in excitement, "Then what are you waiting for? Go!" She exclaimed with a shit eating grin on her face as she pushed Warren out of the room, "Everyone say bye to (Y/n) and Warren!" 
"No! She's so happy if she leaves the moods gonna die!" Scott yelled from his spot on the floor and Jean whined in agreement.
Pouting you looked at them in confusion, "oh no, are my emotions leaking?" 
"Don't worry (Y/n), they're all good feelings." Kurt reassured you with a soft smile which you returned.
"Guys! Stop bugging them! They're on their way to have a moment!" Jubilee groaned pointing towards you and Warren.
Letting out a chuckle Warren adjusted you in his arms, you wrapped your arms around his neck and smiled up at him lovingly. In your drunken state there was only one thing running through your mind, "He's so pretty."
You weren't sure at what point you'd gotten from Jubilee's room to your own but you were too dizzy to question it.
The blond angel placed you down on your bed and gently tucked you under the covers as you watched him with a smile.
"Get in." You told him, reaching your arms out to him and making grabby hands.
"You need to get some rest." He laughed at you but still offered you his hands to hold to stop your grabby motions.
"So do you so get in with me…" You pleaded, jutting your lower lip out and tugging his hands towards you.
Letting out a defeated sigh, Warren lifted up your covers and scooted in beside you while you let out a triumphant "yay!".
A few minutes of silence passed by and your head stopped spinning ever so slightly, as it rested against Warren's chest, his hands running through your hair.
"Hey, birdy?" You broke the silence, looking up at him.
"Mhm" He hummed in response, pushing a strand of hair behind your ear, looking at you intently.
"Do you remember when we walked to that diner?" You asked with a smile.
Warren nodded his head, his smile matching yours as you shifted in his grasp to be face to face with him, arms moving around his shoulders and his finding a place around your torso. 
"I remember." He confirmed, pulling you impossibly closer.
"And do you remember how you kissed me?" You pressed, your smile turning cheeky when you noticed his cheeks flushing pink.
"How could I forget?" He asked rhetorically, his eyes locking on yours.
Biting your lip, you allowed your fingers to tangle in his hair while your faces moved closer to each other.
"So… how would you feel about maybe if we did that again?" You inquired, looking at him hopefully through your lashes.
Within a second Warren's lips were on yours and you couldn't stop the smile that had spread across your lips while you kissed him back.
Upon disconnecting his lips from yours, he pressed his forehead against your own.
"So I'm guessing you're on board with kissing more often?" You said, smiling and pecking his lips once more.
"Only if I can call you mine." Warren whispered back, his eyes hopeful now as he studied your face.
You could feel his nerves radiating off him and decided, still admittedly buzzed, that you'd quell them.
As you pressed your lips to his again, he hummed against them when he felt a wave of calm wash over him.
"I wanna be yours." 
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The Couple Next Door IV (Roger Taylor x Female!Reader)
Find Part III Here
A/N: Happy Early Valentine’s Day, Y’all! I wrote a lot for the next part of this series, so I decided to split them up in two chapters. I’m posting this one tonight, and the other will be up at some point tomorrow afternoon.
This chapter is in 3rd Person Omniscient for Rogie like the previous one, and the reader will not be in this chapter but the next one, so I apologize if it’s not that good.
Don’t forget to show your support and enjoyment for the fic by leaving likes, comments, and reblogging!
Summary: Roger has a chat with the band, and does some more thinking.
(Roger can be Ben Hardy!Rog or Real!Rog. Whatever stirs your soup.)
WARNINGS: Swearing, s l o w  b u r n, Mentions of sex (BuT nO sMuT [yet(?)]), no revision and editing bc I’m lazy, I think that’s it.
This one is leaning more towards an M rating than a T, so read at your own risk.
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“Eh… no no no. Take it from the top. Roger?”
 The blond looked through the window to Freddie, who just made it to the practice. 
 He was wearing some ridiculous flashy outfit as usual, a pair of massive white sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose while an equally distracting burgundy coat made its presence known on the singer’s shoulders. Whether he wore a shirt underneath is still a mystery.
 In his right hand, Freddie held a steaming hot cup of tea, gripped tight by his long fingers, each nail painted black. From the waist down, although he couldn’t see, Roger wouldn’t be surprised if Freddie was wearing booty shorts.
 "You okay, Love?“ 
 He only responded with a simple thumbs up, and an unenthusiastic look on his face; and although Fred didn’t seem too convinced, the music started playing, and Roger tried his part again.
 "Been out of the flow all morning,” Brian informed the frontman, biting his thumbnail and crossing his legs from the wall he leaned against. “He got here, and didn’t count us in the first few times we played. Figured he needed some time to play for himself.”
 "Hm,“ Freddie acknowledged, taking a peek at some loose papers scattered around the control desk and taking a sip of his tea.
 "And how long ago did you two decide this?“ 
 "Forty five minutes ago,” John grumbled at his spot at the control desk, legs crossed, and head propped up with his hand in bore. 
 "We tried confronting him and he’s not speaking,“ Brian explained. “Gave you a call and no one answered the phone. We assumed you were on your way.”
 Freddie looked around the room, and he pointed at the second, empty seat at the control desk. “Where’s–”
 After another timing mistake, Roger flung his drumstick towards the window, shouting profanities when the stick just riccoched and hit him right back, and startling the other three men in the process. 
 "… Y/n,“ Freddie finished carefully, eyes wide and focused on Roger’s movements. 
 "We both assume she’s got somethin’ to do with it. He won’t say anything.” John mumbled with a shrug. 
 Freddie pursed his lips, and sighed, scanning the control desk for the PA system’s button. 
 "Rog, my Love. Just… put the drumsticks down.“
 Roger, who was about to send his second drumstick against the wall to meet the fate his first one did, lowered his arm slowly to his side, eyeing his band’s frontman in the window, who was twiddling his fingers at him. 
 "Good. Now, come on in here. We’re all gonna sit down. Have a chat.“ 
 Roger’s shoulders slumped, and he left the recording room so he could regroup with his three other bandmates. Roger just frowned. Just as he suspected, Freddie was sporting a pair of body shorts. 
 Freddie moved his eyes from Roger to the empty seat next to John. 
 The drummer dropped into the chair, letting it roll him a little bit away from the staring eyes of the others. 
 "The others here tell me you’ve been a little… upset, since you’ve been here this morning." 
 Roger scoffed, and tried to stand from his chair, but Freddie dropped a comforting hand on his shoulder. 
 "I know there’s something wrong,” Freddie quietly mumbled. “We just wanna help you. Tell us what’s wrong, and you’re helping us, too.”
 Roger chewed the inside of his cheek, looking guiltily towards John and Brian. “… Hope you know I didn’t mean to shout earlier, yeah?" 
 "Kind of assumed so, yeah,” John offered a kind smile, to which Roger tried to return, but he just looked uncomfortable. 
 "It’s uh… it’s just, um…“
 "Is… y'know… is y/n okay?”
 Roger’s smile fell. “Wait, why? Why would she not be okay? Did you get a phone call from her?!” Roger stood up, “oh my God, is she okay?!”
 "Hey, hey, hey, calm down, calm down!“ Brian intervened, hands up. "She’s fine. We’ve heard nothing from her. We were just asking you.”
 Roger sat back down, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand and sighing deeply. “Look, I’m sorry. Yes. Yeah, it is her. She’s… Driving me nuts right now.”
 "Why now? You two were perfectly fine last week.“
 "It’s been the interactions with the neighbours,” Roger complained. “do you know how hard it is not to start sweating every time we hold hands in public now?”
 John frowned. “But… You hold other girls’ hands all the time. Why would y/n be different?”
 "I don’t know! I don’t know and that’s why I’m like this!“
 Freddie smirked, and Roger could sense the glint in his eyes despite them still being covered by his sunglasses.
 "Seems to me,” Freddie popped his lips. “Roger’s in love with y/n.”
 John smirked at the thought, and Brian had this wide grin on his face Roger really wanted to slap off.
 "Fred, I really don’t think that’s the problem here–“ 
 ”‘Ts weird. I’ve always had a thing for y/n, maybe I’m in love with her.“ 
 "Seeing a girl naked by accident doesn’t mean you’re in love with her, John.” Roger snapped back nearly immediately, to which Brian chimed in: 
 "Funny how you’re the one telling John that when I had to say the same thing to you in high school.“
 Roger was mad, but he was even more embarrassed. His face was a deep scarlet, and Freddie wasn’t sure if the colour of Roger’s cheeks were because of his fury, or because he knew Brian was right. 
 "Come talk to me, Roger. Talk to the King of Love,” Freddie coaxed Roger with his index finger as he fell back dramatically on the sofa against the wall opposite the control table. 
 Roger simply rolled his eyes and relocated to the empty seat on the sofa by Freddie’s feet. The frontman kicked his bare legs out and crossed them over Roger’s lap while stretching this thin arms and placing them behind his head.
 "When’d this all start happening, Rog? I mean the weird feelings.“ 
 To this, the drummer simply shrugged. "Last week we had dinner at the neighbours’. The husband was talking about children, and marriage, and it was like…" 
 Brian and John raised their eyebrows expectantly. 
 "It was like I wasn’t acting anymore.”
 Freddie gave a knowing smile, and hummed gently. “Did you feel comfortable? Being domestic and romantic with her?" 
 "Fred, I’ve lived with those two for three years, and they have zero personal space.” Brian’s eyes moved from his reflection in Freddie’s sunglasses to the stressful gaze in Roger’s. “… is it different?”
 "Bri, I had women over all the time when we lived with you. I had no reason to have a girlfriend. I slept around, got the physical affection I needed, and she was just a friend…“
 John pursed his lips. ”Was,“
 Roger nodded a little, his eyes casting downward and burning holes into his already torn jeans. "Yeah. Was." 
 The blond suddenly looked up at his other bandmates. "We’re pretending to be a couple in a conservative, strict neighbourhood. It’s not like y/n would allow me to invite groupies home with us while catty neighbours spy on us from across the way. I’m not getting the physical attention I used to have, especially since sleeping around is impossible now." 
 The room then fell silent, and no one exactly made an immediate effort to say anything. 
 And then John gave a half-shrug. 
 "Why don’t you ask y/n?" 
 "Ask her what?”
 "Ask her to give you that attention,“ Freddie finished John’s point in a matter-of-fact tone. 
 ”No,“ Roger gasped. "No. No no no!" 
 "What? It’s a great idea,” Brian tried to reason. 
 "It’s bloody suicide! What would she think of me?! A sex-addict? A creep? A waste of time?“
 ”Roger,“ Brian stopped Roger’s listing. "She’s a single, gorgeous woman who loves you with all her heart, romantically-speaking, or not. You two already have this sort of secret commitment thing happening anyways but with housing rather than physical affection.”
 "And your point is…?“ 
 Freddie took over for Brian then with a sigh. "She has nothing to lose. You have nothing to lose. Why would adding onto your deal be a bad thing?" 
 To this, Roger didn’t respond. He didn’t have an answer. Freddie continued. "You sleep with women with no strings attached all the time. Living with your best friend while also bedding her doesn’t seem like a bad idea. What are you gonna do, catch feelings for her? You’re just horny.”
 "… Do you really think that’s all that’s wrong?“ 
 "That you’re stressed and just need a good lay?” John clarified.
 "Absolutely.“
 It was almost as if a weight had been lifted off Roger’s shoulders. All of his past issues were gone, out of his mind. 
He had nothing to worry about. 
 "There’s that smile we all needed,” Freddie gushed at Roger, who lowered his head in mild embarrassment. 
 "C'mon Rog. Let’s get to work.“ Freddie jumped up to stand before the control table, and Brian took a seat next to John. Roger returned to his drum kit inside the recording room, and after a count-in, Roger started drumming. 
 Needless to say, practice was flawless for the rest of the day.
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A/A/N: I hope y’all enjoyed! Remember, new chapter up tomorrow!
@culturefiendtrashqueen @luvborhap @amy-brooklyn99 @scarsout @kimmietea @ohtheseboysilove @demo-wise @suavishowell @bohemianahoy @pippin248
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andrea-lyn · 4 years
Note
While You Were Sleeping is my favorite holiday movie! I'd love this AU with Malex for the holiday prompt thing!!
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deck the hallsmichael/alex, presumed kyle/michael, pg-13
The corridor of a hospitalis the last place in the world that Michael wants to be, but here he is.It’s been a hell of a day and he’d snuck off to talk to Isobel, curled up in awaiting chair, wondering how the hell he’s going to break the news of whathappened to her. “You sound like shit,” is the first thing she says whenMichael says hello. “And I thought that I was the miserable one.’
“What happened?” Michael asks, more than happy to let Isobel talk his ear offabout her unfortunate life.The dismissive noise Isobel makes doesn’t bode well for her going on about it.“Nothing serious, just the guy I was seeing ghosted me.”“Asshole.”“Tell me about it,” Isobel harrumphs. “Why do you sound like shit?”“There was…an incident.”The reason why Isobel is his favorite sibling is because she lets him rantabout what happened on the subway late last night on his way home from a ridiculousshift. Around that time, there’s only ever him and another guy (who’s kindahot, admittedly), but happens to sound like a self-important asshole on thephone. He’s a doctor or something, but clearly he’d been out of it because he’dfumbled near the edge of the platform just as the subway had been coming.Michael had been too far away to grab him back.That didn’t mean he didn’t use his powers. He’d hauled hard and pulledthe man back until he’d smacked his head on the subway platform. Cut to a fewhours later and here he is at the hospital where someone’s at least identifiedthe guy as Dr. Valenti, who happens to work here. They’ve also called hisfamily. As of this morning, Michael happens to be part of it because he’s lied and saidthat he’s the boyfriend.
“Michael…” Isobel chides.“I know! I know, I fucked up. So now I gotta wait and see if this guy remembersme using my powers to save his life,” he complains sharply, glancing around tosee if anyone is close enough to eavesdrop. The early hour of the morning meansthat he’s safe, but he still hates that he’s in this situation. “I don’t knowhow long I’m gonna be here, but I’ll try and swing by at some point. We candrink to the shitty boyfriend you’ve got.”“I really thought this time was the one,” Isobel says quietly, and Michaelhates that even in this stressful hour, his first thought is to go comfort her.“Whatever. I’ll drink my feelings away. You go make sure our secret isn’t aboutto get blown to pieces.”“Can do,” Michael vows and tucks the phone back into his pocket before he getsback to his feet, trying to ignore the clinical and overwhelmingly sanitizedenvironment around him. When you’re an alien, you have a lot of nightmares about getting dissected in aplace like this, but it’s worth it to endure to guarantee that doesn’thappen. Michael trudges back into the hospital room and stares down at KyleValenti’s comatose body in the bed. The doctors keep saying that his brainswelling has been going down and he could wake up any minute with allthese hints of promise in their voice like they want to cheer him up. Then,Michael’s the one who lied about being his boyfriend, which means they want tokeep his spirits lifted. It’s a necessary lie, because if Kyle Valenti wakes up and finds out that theguy who saved his life used alien powers to do it, Michael might be under amicroscope real fast. He settles in beside the bed, digging out his book so he can pass the time. ItMichael’s lucky, then he’ll wake up and he’ll figure out if he knows anything(and if he does, then Isobel’s down here instantly to wipe it away).If he’s lucky, this will all be over soon. Of course, since when has Michael ever been lucky?“My baby,” a mother’s lament is the first thing Michael hears when a womanbursts into the room to make a bee-line to Kyle’s side, collecting his hand inhers. Behind her is a man her age and a young woman who’s trying to keep herdistance. Michael knows that they’d alerted the family, but he’d been hoping they’dshow up a little later, that maybe Kyle would wake up before then. The mother kisses Kyle’s hand rapidly, fretfully, and then looks up at Michaelwith a suspicious eye. “Who are you?”Michael stands slowly, rubbing his palms anxiously over his thighs. “I’mMichael,” he introduces himself, knowing that this isn’t going to go over well,but it’s lie or die (maybe literally if his secret gets out). “Kyle’s myboyfriend,” he says, because he needs to be here, and it’s not like ‘goodfriend’ is going to do the trick. “I was with him when he went into the comaand I’m so worried, I…”The parents eye each other, then glance back to Michael, before their gazesland on Kyle.“Rosa,” they say to the young woman. “Did you know…?”Whatever reaction Michael’s anticipating, he doesn’t get a chance for it,because the chaos only grows when Kyle gets yet another visitor. “I heard the news, is Kyle…” The man skids to a stop inside the hospital room,gaping at Michael holding Kyle’s hand. “…okay? Is he brain damaged?” he demandsinstantly to Rosa.“Easy,” Rosa mutters under her breath.“Who the hell are you?”“I’m Michael, Kyle’s boyfriend. Who are you?” he retorts, his hackles up.“Alex Manes, his best friend, who he tormented in high school for beinggay.”Fuck.“What can I say, Kyle’s grown recently,” Michael lies (badly). He awkwardlypats Kyle’s hand a few times as if that’s going to help him out while he staresat Alex warily. “We’ve been keeping things quiet,” he says, hoping that maybethat’ll go over better.“He did say he was seeing someone,” Kyle’s mother says in the corner. “Wedidn’t think it was a…”The awkwardness practically bleeds in the room, which makes this Alex guy rollhis eyes and look like he wants to take Kyle’s IV bag and hook it into his ownveins, if only to escape the idiocy. Michael thinks that this is a tense familysituation that he absolutely doesn’t belong in. Still, it’s not like he can getout of there without completely blowing his cover, so Michael awkwardly takesKyle’s hand even tighter into his own and threads their fingers together,trying to ignore the way Alex is staring at him.Luckily, Rosa and Kyle’s parents descend on the situation and ignore Michaeleven though he’s right there. He probably should be more irritated about thefact that they’re ignoring him like this, but it’s a relief. Besides, not everyone is ignoring him. Michael’s pretty sure Alex hasn’t takenhis eyes off him since he showed up in the room. He’s also the most stubbornwhen it comes to leaving, as Michael soon finds out.Even though Michelle and Jim head home for new clothes and Rosa heads out whenshe starts falling asleep, Alex stays. Alex always stays, and for the firstnight, Michael sits awkwardly with him in silence, but the second night, hedecides the lack of conversation is ridiculous.“Why are you so pissed at the idea that Kyle might be bi?” Michael questionshim. It's probably not smart to poke the bear (so to speak), but Michael’s genuinelycurious why it’s such a big deal. Alex has been scribbling in a notebook andlooks up, alarmed and somewhat surprised that he’s being addressed, but thepart Michael doesn’t understand is why the tips of his ears go a little red. This is gonna be good, he realizes. “He bullied me endlessly in high school because I was gay,” Alex protests. “Heshouldn’t get to just suddenly have a surprise hot boyfriend like you.”Yup, definitely good.Michael hides his smile behind his hand, shifting in his chair to give Alex afond look. “Hot boyfriend, huh?” There’s something about Alex that Michael’sreally enjoying. For one, that sassy and sharp in-your-face opinionatedpersonality reminds him of Isobel, but god, he’s so much hotter. The eyelinerhe’s wearing makes his eyes look soft and big, and Michael keeps glancing downto his fingers, imagining those varnish-coated nails and how they’d look whilehe gave Michael a handjob.Meeting someone when you’re posing as someone else’s boyfriend is absolutely ashitty way to connect, but Michael feels like somehow, he can make this work.“I’m not exactly a catch. I don’t even rank high enough at the school I teachto get lab time other than the late shift. That’s how Kyle and I…” He clearshis throat and shrugs. “It’s how I met him.” His gaze slides over Alex and hegestures to the notebook. “You a writer?”“Singer,” Alex admits. “I’m not famous or anything, but I was hoping that oneday maybe I’d have at least one good song.”Michael can only imagine the songs Alex might play and he lets out a soft catchof breath to think of Alex singing to him, his voice soft in his ear, hisbreath warm on his neck. “Maybe you can sing some to me,” he offers, swallowingpast his dry throat.Alex is staring at Michael’s lips, Michael swears he is, as he says,“Maybe I will.”From there on out, Michael makes sure that he’s always in the room at nightwhen Alex is visiting so they can spend time together. Alex brings his guitar,and they end up talking about the songs Alex writes and how they remind him ofhis terrible childhood before the Valentis adopted him. They talk aboutMichael’s career and how he’s feeling like he’s swimming upstream because hedoesn’t like the networking aspect it takes to get tenure. Their conversationsonly get deeper and eventually, they end up curled up together under one of thebigger couches, Michael’s jacket draped over them like a blanket.Nearby, Kyle lies in a coma, and Michael’s supposed to be his boyfriend. He really needs to wake up soon, because Michael feels weird dumping a guy whenhe’s unconscious.Luckily (or unluckily, given how there’s no knowing how it’s going to go) forMichael, he gets his wish. Michael’s in the middle of getting coffee for himself and Alex when he hears ahuge commotion nearby and sees nurses rushing into Kyle’s room. Given the chaosof beeping noises nearby, along with a man’s voice he vaguely recognizes, itcan only mean one thing. “He’s awake!” Rosa says gleefully, passing Michael in the hall as she bolts forKyle’s room from the waiting lounge. Michael swears under his breath and checksthe time. It’s late, which means his parents aren’t there, but Alex and Rosaare. He’d really been hoping to be there alone when Kyle woke up, but it’s notlike he’s getting lucky today, is he? Trudging along, Michael marches towards his fate, hoping that he can somehowconvince a complete stranger to play along. He plasters a smile on his face andstands in the doorway as the nurses go through the routines, checking vitalsand coping with Kyle’s stubborn demand that he can help, since he's a doctor.He can feel Alex’s hand at the small of his back, which makes him startleslightly as Michael looks at him, wishing that Alex didn’t look so worried andupset. “This is good,” Alex says quietly, even though he sounds miserable aboutit. “He’s awake.”“Yeah,” Michael agrees, feeling the lump in his throat grow. He's glad he has the excuse to stay out of the way while the nurses check hisvitals, but eventually they leave and the doctor’s given Kyle the all-clear tosee his family and friends, which means that Michael now has to approach theterrifying reality of figuring out what Kyle knows, while Rosa and Alex linger(and Kyle’s parents arrive soon, given that they were called the moment Kyleawoke). Michael stands frozen at the side of his bed, forcing a smile on his face,trying to communicate his best, ‘play along with me’ look using only hiseyes.“Hey,” he says with a softness in his tone, watching as Kyle swivels his gazeto make eye contact with him. Lucky for him, annoying sisters (even half ones) are always going to demand attention,which means that before Kyle can blow his cover, she intervenes. “Yourboyfriend was worried,” Rosa teases, poking him in the shoulder. “Also, fuckyou for not telling me that you got cool!” she accuses, as she shoves Michaelinto the visitor’s chair so he can be close to Kyle. Michael goes, even if he looks up at Alex with a guilty expression, thinking ofall the hot chocolates they shared together, all the times they slept curled upunder Michael’s jacket, and all the secrets they’ve confessed to one another inthe early hours of the hospital’s garish lights. There’s only one man in thisroom that Michael wants to date and it’s not the one in the hospital bed.Plus, he’s been lying his ass off and Michael closes his eyes tightly, fistingthe bedsheets, waiting for the impact of his lies to come home to roost.“Hey, baby,” says Kyle, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “I’m glad you came tostay with me, even with things the way they’ve been.”Wait.Hold on.What the fuck? Did Michael have a stroke? Did Kyle? Out of the corner ofhis eye, he sees Alex’s face fall. Michael gets it, because right now, he’sstruggling to understand what’s happening. Does Kyle have some weird amnesia?Did Michael gain a new alien power or is he learning from Isobel? Finding his voice, Michael hears himself croak, “Could I have a minute alonewith Kyle, please?”Rosa and Alex glance at one another, then to Kyle. “Dad and your Mom are goingto be here soon,” she warns.“One minute,” Kyle insists. “We’ll be quick.”They both look wary about leaving, but there’s no argument from them as they go,with Michael watching Alex the whole time, forlorn and freaking out about howhe’s going to explain this, and wanting so badly to go after him instead ofstaying here, but he’s taking advantage of this chance to find out what Kyleknows. The moment they’re alone, Michael turns towards Kyle instantly. “So,” Michael says, when he’s pretty sure no one is eavesdropping. “You’re a handsomeguy, don’t get me wrong, but what the fuck?”Kyle struggles to sit up in bed and on impulse, Michael bolts forward to helphim with the pillows. Kyle really is handsome, but he’s a stranger to Michaeland everything that he’s learned about him means that he seems great, but healso seems completely not Michael’s type. He’s way too responsible and puttogether and he doesn’t feel that spark the way he does with Alex.“You saved me on that platform.”“Yeah, I grabbed you back with my hand…”“No.” Kyle says it firmly. “You saved me with your powers. I’m guessing that’swhy you’re still hanging around my hospital room weeks later and lying toeveryone,” Kyle says, narrowing his eyes. “You were worried that I was gonnatell someone that an alien saved my life?”What the actual fuck?“What the hell is going on?”“Can you hand me my phone?” Kyle requests, groaning as he reaches out.“Isobel’s gonna have my head if I don’t text her soon. I’ve been in the comafor what, thirteen days? Fuck,” he says, shaking his head. “If she hasn’tbroken up with me already, she’s going to now.”Kyle is the guy. No, not just the guy, he’s The Guy. He’s Isobel’ssteady boyfriend who she’d told their secret to (something Max had hated, butIsobel felt strongly that she had to do it, because she’d told Michael that shecould see herself marrying him someday).“What the fuck?” Michael says out loud this time.“Isobel showed me some pictures of her brothers,” Kyle says, as he texts,staring down at his phone. “I kept staring at you on the platform while wecommuted, trying to figure out how to broach the ‘hey, I’m dating your sisterand thinking about proposing’, but it never felt like the right time. I guessit serves me right nearly dying and you having to save me.”There are so many things happening that Michael needs to process. “So, you met my family, huh? I mean, it was gonna happen eventually, but alittle ahead of schedule,” Kyle jokes, his voice rough. He stares at his phoneand sighs with relief, not paying Michael any attention. “Well, I’m definitelyin trouble, but she’s not dumping me. She says you’re in a shitload of trouble,and…” Kyle trails off, glancing up at Michael. “And that you’ve got a stupidbig crush on Alex?”Michael swears under his breath, regretting all those texts to Isobel askingfor advice about his problem. “Look, just tell me you’re not about to go shouting about my secret to anyone,”Michael insists. “And I’ll get out of your hair, okay? I mean, I’ll do thefamily dinner thing when you propose to Iz, but I think maybe this is all gonnabe awkward when suddenly you dump me and hook up with my sister,” he scoffs.“Maybe.”“Oh, right, maybe,” Michael mocks.Kyle gives Michael a challenging lift of his brow. “Hey everyone,” he calls, alittle louder, like he knows that they’re all lingering outside the room likethe nosy assholes they are. “You can come in now.”It’s a flurry of activity when they rush in. Jim and Michelle rush Kyle andpress kisses to his forehead and hair, the three of them exchanging whispersabout how much they love each other. Michael clears his throat to look away,not wanting to feel jealous about the supportive parents Kyle has. The onlyother place to look is at Rosa, who’s beaming at Kyle and looking like she’sirritated to feel that way about him, or Alex, who’s still looking crushed.Better to focus on Rosa, then. Kyle reaches out for Michael’s hand in the midst of this sweet reunion,forcibly yanking on him to get him back by his side (his elbow actually popsout, so what the fuck Valenti). “I wanted you guys to be the first to know thatMichael and I have decided to call it quits,” he says, acting chagrined andsorrowed. It’s not a half-bad performance, especially when you consider thatthey’re both getting something out of this.“Oh, honey, why?” Michelle asks. “You only just woke up again and Michael’sbeen here every day waiting for you.”“Things have been tense between us for a while, seeing as I’m in love withanother woman and I’m pretty sure Michael’s got feelings for someone else,” hesays.Michael glares at him, ready to have his head for selling him out like that.“Kyle,” he hisses.“Alex, he’s got a crush on you,” Kyle says bluntly. “The girl I’ve been seeingfor a while behind Michael’s back, she’s his sister and she spilled the beans.”“Kyle Manuel Valenti!” his mother snaps.“No, it’s okay,” Michael ekes out. “It’s true. Things were tense, like we neverspoke. It was like we didn’t even know one another,” he says, staring at Kyle.“If Isobel is the one who makes him happy, then I want him to be with her,because I…” He turns to stare at Alex, knowing that he hadn’t planned to dothis with an audience, but it could be worse. “I really like you,” he admits.“While Kyle was asleep, I learned all about you and you’re this wickedly funnyand sharp and sweet guy, and you’re super hot, and I love that the first timeyou met me, you thought I was out of Kyle’s league.”“Hey!”“Oh, please, he is,” Alex snorts, but he’s clearly enraptured by Michael’swords. “Go on,” he says teasingly. “Now you’re just fishing,” Michael gets out with a strangled laugh, finding hisway to his feet so he can cross the room to stand in front of Alex. “Look, Iknow we only met because of this insane circumstance, but I think maybe I’dlike to go out to dinner with you. I feel like I already know you, like weconnected, like something…”“Cosmic,” Alex fills in the blank for him, his voice soft. “I know. I felt ittoo and I was so jealous that you were here for Kyle, but if what you’re sayingis true…”“It is,” Michael hurries to cut him off. “I was here out of obligation, but Istayed for you.” He reaches out for Alex’s hand, tugging him in towardsMichael’s personal space. “Come have dinner with me? Please?” he asks quietly. “Alex!” Rosa interrupts, when a second passes with an answer. “Don’tleave us hanging!”“Meddling family,” Alex says fondly, shaking his head. “Yes,” he says, andgrins at Michael. “Yes, I’ll go out with you.”It’s probably not the right place for it, but Michael grabs Alex’s face so hecan kiss him, leaning forward on his tiptoes to trip right into it, desperateto have the kiss that he’s been thinking about since the day he met Alex inthis hospital. Alex grabs at the collar of Michael’s jacket and hauls him infor a deeper kiss. Kyle says nothing, but Michael swears he can feel the smug satisfactionradiating behind him. In response to that, he does the only thing he thinks is right in this particularsituation. He kisses Alex even harder. *The next time that Michael sees Kyle at the subway station, he heads over toknock into him with his elbow. “Hey, future brother-in-law,” he greets, seeingas the proposal had clearly gone well, from the way that Isobel had screamedover the phone at him. “How about you stay off the tracks this time?” he jokes,even though it’s not the first time he’s seen him here since the incident, butMichael never lets a day go by without making the joke.Kyle raises his brow in that infuriating know-it-all way.“Did my coma not get you a boyfriend out of my adopted brother?”God, he’s annoying and he’s marrying into Michael’s family, which means he’snever going to escape him. “Gonna hang that one over me the rest of my life,huh? It couldn’t be that I was a super devoted fake-boyfriend through yourcoma, or maybe I was worried about the stranger I saved?”“You wanted to make sure I’d keep my mouth shut and then stayed for the hotguy, so uh, yeah. Nope. I’m definitely hanging this over you for the rest ofyour life.”He’s got him there, but then, Michael thinks he’s probably allowed to feelsuperior and smug about the fact that he helped to get Michael and Alextogether, because without Kyle’s coma, then Michael never would have met him,never would have learned about him, and never would have loved him. For that, Kyle can have bragging rights for centuries.“I’ll see you at the rehearsal dinner,” Kyle says, when he gets onto his trainand they part ways. “Don’t propose to Alex there, please?” he begs. “I want oneday for me and Isobel, not for you to marry into my family because you missRosa so much.”Michael shrugs, waiting until the doors are closing and will separate them.“No promises!” he shouts, and indulges in the frustrated look on Kyle’s face asthe subway carries him off to a day of worrying that he’s going to get upstagedat his own rehearsal dinner. Perfect. It’s going to be a great day and this is just the start. Even if he doesn’thave any intention of proposing to Alex at the dinner (he has the ring pickedout, but he intends to do it way more romantically, with a self-penned song andeverything), there’s only one thing he loves almost as much as he loves Alexand it’s winding Kyle up.Given the annoyed text he gets from Isobel pleading with him to stop annoyingKyle, Michael gets on the train heading uptown with a smirk on his face,thinking that it’s definitely working out, for all of them. 
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olivia-moussot · 3 years
Text
Love, Sarah
(This is an original work of fiction)
Katie’s POV
Katie sat in a circle of teens. After a party invitation and some apparently spiked punch, her sense of reason and caution, which she normally wore a thick layer of, was gone. So, when someone she didn’t know asked her to play 7 minutes in heaven, she was more than happy to oblige.
Katie sat in a circle with four other girls, and six other guys that she either didn’t know or had just seen passing around campus, but one person that sat across from her stood out from the rest. Sarah Guido.
Everything about her was perfect from her tall figure, to her bright blue eyes, shoulder length blond hair, and smile that could light up any room. She was perfect except for one thing. Sarah Guido was straight. Katie’s best-friend that she had told everything since second grade, had been her crush since fourth grade, and the person who Katie had realized she was absolutely head-over-heels, in love with, since eighth, was straighter than an arrow, and sitting in a circle of 7 minutes in heaven participants.
Katie got thrown back into reality as the last person sat down and asked for a volunteer to spin the bottle.
“I’ll go,” Katie turned her head to the voice and wasn’t surprised who it was. Anna Covington, a nice girl and a good student, but also someone who was notorious for their goal of trying to sleep with everyone on their dorm room floor.
Anna leaned forward and spun the bottle. Anyone, Katie thought to herself, Anyone but Sarah.Katie didn’t know why she still had hope of being with Sarah in the almost 0% chance circumstances, but she held on to it as she watched the bottle slow down and finally stop. Katie breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t Sarah, or her for that matter.
The bottle stopped at a member of the football team that she didn’t know the name of, and Anna pulled him to the nearby storage closet. A girl went over and locked the door behind them, and started the timer for seven minutes.
She sat in the circle with the other people, using small talk as a way to pass the time. Katie’s phone buzzed and looked down.
It was a text from Sarah “Hey, is everything ok, you looked stressed”
“Yea I’m fine” She wrote back “Just a little tired”
Katie looked up and saw Sarah smile at her. A smile that was so bright it could practically glow in the dark. Katie wondered if that smile could ever be caused because of something she said. It couldn’t possibly be, but it would be cool if it was.
Katie was again jogged out of her thoughts as the timer rang. Someone went over and unlocked the door. The boy walked out first hair disheveled and dark red spots following his jawline and down one side of his neck. Anna walked out behind him not a single hair out of place. She walked up behind the boy and whispered something in his ear. Anna sauntered out of the room followed by the boy right on her heels.
People kept spinning the bottle going clockwise around the circle. Katie was relatively calm, until the bottle got to her. Having downed a few more shots during previous rounds, her mind was a little looser and more prepared for what was to come.
Katie leaned forward and Spun the bottle, time seemed to slow down as her panic heightened. Around, and around, and around it went. Until it stopped. At Sarah. Sarah smiled at Katie before standing up and holding out her hand. Katie couldn’t believe it was happening. She took Sarah’s hand and they walked together into the closet.
The closet turned out to be fairly large, easily enough room for two or three people to sit down comfortably. They heard the lock click behind them and both sat down in awkward silence before they burst out laughing.
Sarah spoke “Ya know, this docent have to be weird. We can just talk”
“Yea, I know” Katie said “But that not really the point of the game, is it”
“Point of the game or not, they can’t make us do anything” Sarah responded
Katie spent the next few minutes in bliss talking to Sarah till her tone suddenly turned serious. Sarah placed her hand on Katie’s and Katie swore her heart was beating so loud that Sarah could hear it. They had never been overly physical when it came to their friendship, so Katie knew she was serious about what Sarah was about to say.
“Katie there’s something I need to tell you, I….”
Sarah was cut off by the door being opened.
“Hope you enjoyed your seven minutes ladies, but your time is up.” Said the girl at the door.
Sarah’s face was full of disappointment and she walked out of the closet with Katie behind her.
They did a couple more rounds of 7 minutes in heaven before the game rapped up. The group broke apart to mingle in the party and as the hours went on, Katie’s curiosity was getting the best of her.
She walked through the party scanning for Sarah and found her talking with a group of friends by the entrance.
“You gonna head out too,” she said in a slightly slurred voice.
“Yea” Katie said
“I’ll see you tomorrow I guess then” Sarah responded
“I guess so,” Katie was panicking and her chance of making a move was slowly dwindling.
Katie went up and hugged Sarah behind, before placing a slight peck on her cheek.
Sarah turned around in a flash with her eyes huge “What are you doing Katie.”
Katie was at a loss for words, she had never seen the anger she saw in Sarah’s eyes
“What are you doing, why did you think that that was ok!”
Sarah’s voice slowly escalated into a yell. Everyone gradually turned silent and focused on them.
“ANSWER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING KATIE!!!”
Katie’s fear grew, she didn’t think about the repercussions of what she had done. She had never seen anger like this in Sarah before.
“FOR ALL THE YEARS WE’VE BEEN FRIENDS, I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU!!” Sarah was screaming now.
“I’m sorry, it didn’t mean anything...” Katie said before she was interrupted by Sarah
“NOTHING! THAT DIDN’T MEAN NOTHING! IVE SEEN THE WAY YOU LOOK AT ME. WHY ARE YOU LYING.” Sarah turned on her heel and stormed off.
Katie stood there in silence looking at the crowed staring around her. She ran through the house and out into the cold air. She was in a daze as she walked through the dorm parking lot and found her car.
As soon as she sat in it, tears started running down her face. Katie was panicking, she didn’t know what to do. She was going to lose her only friend, and the person she’d loved for years, over one stupid idea.
Maybe she was just drunk. Maybe she was just surprised, and she’ll come around tomorrow. Maybe I can work this out with her. Thought after thought came out of her head trying to replace the last with a more ridiculous one that could lead for a hopeful outcome.
Katie picked up her phone trying to execute the most rational idea she had to come up with and texted Sarah “I'm sorry. Do you think we can talk through this and work this out? You've been my best friend ever since I can remember, and I don't wanna lose you over one stupid little thing.”
Katie hoped but never heard her phone buzz and lost faith as she sat there in her car tears falling thicker and thicker down her face as her breath became more uneven and overwhelmed.
She picked up her phone and saw the text had been marked as read for 10 minutes. She sat there as time went by 15 minutes, then 20, 30, then 45. Steadily losing hope that Sarah would never see her the same way again and she would never be able to see Sarah again.
She kept watching the door to the house hoping that she could see Sarah walk out and catch her before it was too late and she left, but Katie never did.
Katie finally left the parking lot after two hours of waiting for Sarah to answer her text or come out of the party. Finally, she gave up shutting off her phone and starting her car. Tears still silently streaming down her face, she drove away. Away from the party. Onto the silent street, and into the night.
Sarah’s POV
Sarah stood by the door to the party, the effects of the alcohol had finally worn off and she realized when she done to Katie and regretted every bit of it. Sarah put her head in her hands contemplating on what she could do. She had seen Katie’s text but didn’t have the heart to respond and tell her the truth. So, Sarah did what she thought was her only option. She finally texted Katie.
I have so many things to say to you but there’s one that I want to get across. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say what I did. you’re my best friend and I could never live without you. I don’t know why I acted how I did I regret every word that came out of my mouth, But Katie. I love you. I always have I thought of us having a future together and every bit of it excites me. I wanna be with you and no one else for forever. I’m sorry, love Sarah
Katie’s POV
Everything seemed like a blur as rain started coming down in sheets as thick as her tears. Part of her didn't know what she was doing but part of her knew that it was exactly what she wanted. Fear of seeing Sarah in class the next day slowly dissipating. Katie turned down to the highway away from the campus following it until it got to the bridge, she pressed down on the gas faster and faster thinking only about one thing. She moved all the way into the right Lane of the and jerked the steering wheel to the right as peace finally flooded her mind. she heard a crash and a scream, and then nothing. She felt cold icy water running against her skin numbing the feeling of her broken bones. Katie faintly heard her phone buzz through its waterproof case and saw four words I love you, Sarah. She laid there gripping her phone as her vision got fuzzy blocking out the lights above, and those four precious words, until she only saw black. But she knew that whatever she was going to face next that it would be ok. Because she was going to go away again. Away from the party. Away from people. Away from Sarah.
Epilogue
Dear Katie,
It’s been exactly five years since the night of the party. I have so much to say and have so little time to say it. After the bridge, I lost the will to get out of bed, as well as the will to live. I became suicidal the three following years after your death, thinking of only one thing. You. You had been my first love ever since I can remember, and I didn’t know how to deal with your passing. I tried to end my life twice during that period. Once standing in the middle of traffic, praying a car would collide with my body so I could see you again. And a second time, trying to overdose on the same medication that could have saved me. After years of depression and wanting to end my own life because you ended yours, I was told something. The best way to honor you is not to end myself, but to keep living for you. I have loved you for so long and I doubt I will love anyone the same again. But I will try. For you. I was told that I wasn’t honoring your life, by trying to end mine. But didn’t listen for a while. I have been doing better. Some days I can't get out of bed, thinking only about you, concluding the day with crying myself to sleep. Some days I can wake up, like things are back to normal. But my eyes carry to your empty seat in the class, and the thought of you weighs heavy in the back of my mind no matter what.  I've been through into fits of hysteria with no one to blame but myself. Now I know exactly what I want, just like you did that night. I’m standing on the same edge of the bridge you were phone in hand sending this last text to you saying the same thing I did that night. I'm Sorry. I Love You.
Love, Sarah
Sarah set her phone down as she saw the last text, she would even send to Katie go through. She brushed away her tears as the brisk wind softly touched her skin. Sarah closed her eyes for the last time, leaning forward ever so slightly until she felt the wind rushing by her as she fell, and the same cold water soothe her broken bones just like it has done to Katie five years ago.
Her vision lightened until she only saw white. She was transported to a large room that looked like a cathedral and she saw someone in the distance dressed in white, who spoke the same words she had previously just written. The person came into view as she continued to walk toward her a smile on her familiar face, wet with tears. She heard her recite words that she knew too well. Sarah ran to her as the same voice she had loved forever, met her ears.
The girl embraced her still reciting her message. Her voice had quieted to a whisper until only Sarah could hear her as the figure said the last words she wrote.”
“I’m Sorry. I Love You.”
“Love, Sarah.”
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diningpageantry · 5 years
Text
Scales, Fins, and other Fishy Daydreams
Archive Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18215168/chapters/43151156
Chapter 3/10 of It’s A Handheld Disaster
Word Count: 1553
Chapter Summary: Baz takes Simon's shitpost text a step further, and the outcome ends up spreading a few rumors.
SIMON
bi-sammy: sammy would still fuck huxley if he looked like the fish from shape of water
I grin smugly at my screen, sitting in a dark room with nothing shining but my mobile. The shutters stay shut, and the light from the bottom of the doorway barely filters into the room. It’s just me, this scratchy blanket, and Baz, somewhere else in England on another screen. I absolutely adore that.
gaystrell: why would you say something so controversial yet so brave.jpg
Sometimes, I catch myself smiling. Other times, I elect to ignore how real it feels. It’s weird, given that it feels like I’m just chatting with someone who I see everyday. The casualness of this reminds me of texting Penny in the afternoon on a Thursday.
Except, given the current time, it could be interpreted as more intimate than that of a friend’s text.
8am on a Saturday is usually a time reserved for comfort. For staying warm with someone you care about. Instead, I’m just messaging Baz.
bi-sammy: because im right
bi-sammy: hear me out here ive got a brilliant idea
gaystrell: whoever taught you the definition of a brilliant idea was clearly misleading you
bi-sammy: dont be an arse until youve heard it
bi-sammy: wanker
gaystrell: you’re truly proving your point
bi-sammy: ANYWAY
bi-sammy: shape of water au
bi-sammy: thats all
gaystrell: i’m appalled.
gaystrell: hold on.
I don’t think much of it. Occasionally, he disappears for an hour to two. I don’t bother asking, assuming it’s none of my business, but I do tend to worry a bit. I hope he’s alright.
After clicking off my phone, my head settles against my pillow as my eyes fall shut.
There’s something about this. There’s something about him. It’s a bit hard to pinpoint what it is, but the overwhelming feeling of comfort I have in the notifications I get from him just answering my bullshit is incredibly welcomed. He’s semisweet. I don’t know why I didn’t see it earlier, but he’s a fantastically bitter person.
My head slowly turns over, eyes opening and straining in the darkness.
I hate my empty room.
I hate the absence of comfort--I hate the plainness of these walls.
I want to say I hate my foster dad, but I also feel like I’m not allowed to say that. Not because the system will take me again and throw me back (even though I could have left a year back, if I was still in it). Instead, I feel like I shouldn’t hate him. Theoretically, I should be thankful for what I have. I’m not in a boy’s home, and I haven’t been since I was 11, but the remnants remain. The fights don’t go away, and neither do the weeks of starvation.
Still, I sort of despise living here under Davy.
That’s what he makes me call him. His name. His nickname. Not dad; of course not dad. He’s had me in his care for roughly six years, but he’s still Davy to me.
Shitty fucking Davy, with his strict curfews and practically using me as a housemaid because he’s too cheap to care for himself.
Shitty fucking Davy, not letting me add anything to my room because the day I turn 18, I’m out of here until his next kid (and cheque, apparently) come in. Told me I’d wreck the walls and ruin his furniture if I did put anything on it, too.
So that’s what I’ve got. Blank walls, blank furniture, blank everything. It’s like a jail cell for a bedroom, and everything I’ve got to show for myself is in a backpack and two dresser drawers/
But, at least, I own my mobile.
Every summer job, mixed with odds and ends shit and whatever I can do for my bill. It’s all mine, and Davy can’t fucking touch it.
Maybe that’s why, when I feel it buzz against my chest, it makes me feel more alive. It’s a reminder of all that work just to be able to talk to someone freely.
Arguably, the best feeling in the goddamn world.
I grab it and flip it over. It’s just an email about uni.
Fuck.
I end up scrolling through tumblr for a little while, doing nothing but liking and reblogging a thing here or there. It takes a little while before a little drop down falls from the top of my screen.
gaystrell: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r7Wkwj7MSFk0--DgquHGhYVBbqneEYq0J01t0uMRmxA/edit?usp=sharing
gaystrell: feel the need to apologize before you click the link, but then again, you asked for this hell
When I click on it, it pulls up a doc titled just “crackfic”, and I’m floored with the first sentence alone.
“Fuck my fish ass harder, daddy.”
My hand flies up, covering my mouth as I practically wheeze as quietly as possible. A few paragraphs in and I’m nearly crying into my palm, muffling my laughter as I read through pages upon pages of the most ridiculous fic I’ve ever laid my eyes upon.
I check the word count out of pure curiosity, and it somehow makes me laugh harder.
bi-sammy: holy fucking shit
bi-sammy: i swear to god if you don’t post that i will
gaystrell: already in the process of making the archive post
gaystrell: i seriously believe you underestimate my sincere ability to be the biggest dick on the street
bi-sammy: i dont know whether or not u meant that as ur literal dick or the big dick energy in making that a post but id probably agree with you in both
bi-sammy: tag me in the post pls i want to be the first to reblog it
gaystrell: you’re a ridiculous, sad, little man
gaystrell: of course i’ll tag you
Within minutes, it’s uploaded with the absolute worst slew of Archive tags attached to it, and as soon as he tags me in his post, I tap the notification.
Scales, Fins, and other Fishy Daydreams
Word Count: 3,192
Summary: Fish!Huxley and Sam get it on Shape of Water style
@bi-sammy this is your fault (you're welcome)
I immediately slam like and pull up reblog, rapidly typing out my response before posting.
absolute madman. cant believe youve done this. i trust you with my entire life.
As usual, he's quick to reblog back.
anything for the absolute pain in my life x
Smiling shamelessly, I ride on the moment's high as our conversation stays out in the world. I quite enjoy this version of his softness. The public, taunting replies to mine. In all this time of following him, I can't really recall him ever being this friendly with anyone but me.
Makes me feel special. Maybe too much so.
BAZ
The jarring shock of the seemingly endless notifications rattles me momentarily speechless.
It isn't even 15 minutes after I'd replied to Snow and there's already a few people reblogging it with comments about him and I. A quick “i ship y'all’ to “powermove of the century”. Each make me flush deeper as the replies flood in.
If I were to be practical, I'm aware that I shouldn't be so flustered over the concept of us being a couple. It's most likely my overactive, sad, lonely imagination, but the idea of being loved just makes me blush. Especially since it's someone who doesn't seem to absolutely loathe me.
gaystrell: are you reading these?
bi-sammy: the what?
bi-sammy: i have. nothing to read. i cant read.
gaystrell: use your two remaining brain cells look at the notes for the crackfic
bi-sammy: holy shit
bi-sammy: im cackling
A notification pops up, making me snort this time. I pull up the post and send it off to him without a second thought.
gaystrell: sent a post
gaystrell: “sounds like something huxley would do for sam”
bi-sammy: stop im gonna piss myself shits too fucking funny
I pull it back up, scrolling down to reblog and adding a quick reply that, in all honesty, I should have thought out more. Secretly, part of me is glad that I sent it.
huxley wishes he was this smooth ;)
Within seconds, replies flood in from everywhere. From jokes about Snow and I possibly dating to the concept of Huxley writing (purposefully) shitty homoerotica about himself as a fishman. I quite like the conversation about the latter, while the former makes my chest knot in ways inexplicable.
Going through the notes makes me smile, even if it's mildly embarrassing. The amount of times I've seen the eyes emoji used is definitely excessive, but still somewhat welcomed.
Even my archive has a few comments already, although more based around the fic itself. More ironically, though, is the one person who probably took it seriously and just commented, “Nice fic!” I love the abundance of shameless appreciation for obscure fanfiction in the depths of this community.
Snow's messages roll down my mobile screen as I'm checking the comments, continuously replacing the previous message for the top slot.
bi-sammy: mate
bi-sammy: i love you
bi-sammy: also every time you reblog something of mine i get like 5 followers
bi-sammy: if you mention me i get 10
bi-sammy: youre???????????? a god????????
bi-sammy: can i marry you????????????
I slowly close my laptop, eyes on my phone with an absolutely gleeful grin.
gaystrell: when and where?
48 notes · View notes
xxbyimm · 5 years
Text
Enya’s Unexpected Journey - Chapter 22
For other chapters or this journey, click here: Enya’s story or Masterlist
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So there it is, finally. The next chapter to this journey. Kudos to @deepestfirefun, @pixiedurango and @thestorybookmistress for listen to me whine and giving me tips on how to make this right. Also lots of love to my wonderful D&D dungeons master B. for proofreading this and helping me with the plot! You’re awesome. Also my bestie D., I love you for being the best critic in the world. 
Enjoy.
Chapter 22
Summary: Enya takes on the dragon Smaug.
Taglist: Since my taglist is old and doesn’t work anymore, I try to remember people as best as I can. I’m sorry If you’re being tagged unwillingly, or if you wish to be tagged, let me know. @deepestfirefun, @oakenshieldsmizimel @nelswp @bellastellaluna @leah-halliwell92 @jotink78 @evyiione @fergrigori @jessieray98
Warnings: As always, Enya’s swearing.
‘Oakenshield! LET ME OUT!’
Seriously. If Smaug hadn’t killed that stubborn dwarf king already, she definitely wanted the honor. Enya groaned and shoved herself against the marble door. All that talk about accepting her and her powers, allowing her to do her thing and then instead of trusting her on this… LOCK HER UP?!
Enya gritted her teeth. Although she couldn’t see a damn thing in here, she felt her cheeks burning hot with shame. What could have been a faulty door, the lack of Thorin’s presence, his voice promising her to get her out as fast as possible made it all too clear. She felt stupid for walking into his trap, for thinking he would finally stop overprotecting her. She should have known better, but there she was, in the narrow corridor that Thorin earlier had described as the fastest path down into Erebor. And the worst was that this was all due to the fact that her brain had been too infatuated by their earlier lovemaking to pay attention…..
‘Oh girl, but it WAS something…’ her mind mused.
Enya heaved a sigh. Yes it was. She really didn’t need her stupid brain to remind her how fantastic sex with Thorin was, she remembered quite well on her own. But right now, the dim and airless void made her nervous. She never really enjoyed being in the dark, especially not in a hallway that made her claustrophobic. In other words, she had to find a way out. She quickly filled her palms with fire and warm orange light filled the small passage, allowing herself to explore her surroundings. She paced into the direction from whence they came and cursed under her breath when she met a dead end. Great! Thorin must have closed the entrance after her. Enya pushed against the flat marble surface and growled when it didn’t give in. She studied the exterior by tracing her fingers over the stone, in an effort to discover a crack. This was absolutely ridiculous. She came through a door in this specific spot just five minutes ago. There had to be an opening somewhere!
But there was nothing.
‘Strange…’ she whispered and turned around. Since one access point was Thrain’s royal study, she suspected this passage was made for the Durin family only. And since one Durin locked her up in the first place and the remaining two weren’t around to save her ass, she could conclude that no living soul was going to find her here.
‘Except if Dís shows up in Erebor…’ her mind chatted. ‘But that seems highly unlikely, don’t you think?’
Yep, so just one stubborn dwarven king knew she was here and he wasn’t going to retrieve her anytime soon. Ugh. Those were definitely not encouraging thoughts when you needed your mind to come up with smart suggestions…
Enya looked around. With her flames lighting up the way, Enya discovered the corridor was small, but not as claustrophobic as it had felt a few moments ago. She heaved a sigh. The walls consisted of plain marble stone, but above her head there was a row of richly decorated ones, displaying the royal bloodline and scenes from their everyday life. The ceiling was made out of plain marble again, the surface so smooth one would think it actually was one piece. Enya arched an eyebrow, not daring to think about how it got up there without the techniques of the modern world. Even this little passages like this showed her the mighty skills of the dwarven race.
The floor consisted of a beautiful mosaic image, the bluish colors shining bright in the light of Enya’s flames. She followed its trail towards the other end while revering in its beauty. The image depicted the Durin’s folks’ royal bloodline. Under her feet she discovered Durin I, also called ‘the deathless’, and he was followed by his successors Durin II, III, IV, V and VI. Then there came a Náin I and Thráin I, and after them Thorin I, who (if she remembered this right) decided to leave the lonely mountain to find more fortune in the Grey Mountains. Enya walked along the blue line and admired the craftmanship. Ah, there was Dáin I, Thorin’s great grandfather, the one who got slain by a cold-drake. She glanced over to the other forefathers and shivered. Too many lives of the line of Durin were taken by dragons. She had to prevent Smaug from putting yet another name on that list…
Finally she reached Thorin’s grandfather Thrór and stood still for a moment. Thrór was the last one on the family tree… This couldn’t be right?! Enya knitted her brows together. ‘Oh! Right, kings.’ She then muttered to herself. ‘Thorin and Thráin weren’t kings at the time the lonely mountain…’
The words lingered on her lips, but she didn’t dare to finish her sentence, suddenly feeling wary it could bring bad luck to speak of those bad events. She bit her lip and got on her knees. She carefully let her flame floating in the air before she started exploring the patterns of stones under her. There had to be a button, a handle, or at least a hint in here. Because, after all, she found it highly unlikely that Erebor consisted solely of hidden doors. She refused to believe that there wasn’t a way out. Her heart stopped a few times when her fingers found a few rough edges, but other than that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She glanced over the next few meters of floor and established that the change a clue was hidden in the floor, was pretty slim. Maybe the carvings on the walls contained a sign. She got up and began her search.
After what felt like hours of concentrated work she crashed down against the wall and rested the back of her head on the cool marble. This was ridiculous! There had to be a way out, and she currently was too blind to see the obvious. Or… the other possibility made her a bit apprehensive. What if there wasn’t one and she was going to perish in here? Enya quickly dismissed the thought again and rolled her eyes. Although Thorin was a selfish stubborn bastard, he wouldn’t let her die in here. At least, that was if he hadn’t lost his sanity today. Absentmindedly she stared at her fire crawling back into her hand again, the flames calmly licking her palm. Then her gaze shifted at the image that was carved into the stone above her.
Could that be…?
Balin had told her all about the history of Durin’s folk, and especially the magnificence of Thrór’s throne. The throne which contained the Arkenstone. She shot up, a hesitant smile displayed on her lips. Oh, she should have seen this one earlier. She had been a fool after all, and a blind one too. Enya stood on her toes and her fingers found the small oval-shaped carving, gently giving it a push. The stone protested, the tiny mechanism behind it was probably rigid after not being used for a few decades. Enya heard a soft click and prayed that the clever dwarven engineering had passed the test of time. With a squeaking sound the piece of marble before her made way for a moderately sized opening. She took a deep breath and stepped through it.
At that exact moment, the mountain under her came to life. The majestic structure shook in its foundations, almost causing Enya to lose her balance. Her flames shot from her palms into the dark void as she steadied herself against the wall. She frowned when her surroundings lit up. She had expected another (rather endless) corridor, but she actually had stepped onto an old spiral staircase, that stretched down as far as she could see. The stairs were, just like the passage, made from plain marble. Beautiful marble branches that were carved into the railing stretched out before her, inviting her to come along. Enya took a few steps down, enjoying the stone patterns gliding smoothly under her hands. She smiled when her fingers discovered a tiny marble rose, sticking out from one of the branches. To be honest, one wouldn’t expect that dwarves were so fond of nature to take time to create a masterpiece like this. Of course, they were capable of making the most exquisite and delicate things, but more often the inspiration did not lie in the wonders of the wild. She took another step down and peered into the darkness beneath her. The staircase went further down. She heaved a sigh. Well, she probably should-
Another violent roar rumbled through the stone and she clenched onto the railing. The mountain seemed to groan in protest of the events that took place down below her. Enya took a deep breath, a shiver passing through her spine. She knew all too well what was causing this sound, and it certainly was no earthquake. There was no time left to spare, she had to move. She had to be there before all hell was going to break loose.
Dragon.
Enya descended the stairs as fast as she possibly could go, consequently tripping over her own feet. The mountain started to growl around her again and she groaned in response. If she kept going in this fast but yet too slow pace, the whole company would be nothing more than a pile of ash once she finally arrived. ‘Brilliant idea, Thorin…’ she murmured while she regained her balance and proceeded her way down again. ‘Depriving your followers of the one thing that can save their and your rather perfectly tight ass! Splendid notion! If you won’t get scorched by that damned fire drake, then I will-’
A surprised shriek left her mouth as she missed a step and collapsed down the stairs. Her body froze and her hands automatically shot forward, in an attempt to protect herself and break the fall. She closed her eyes and readied herself for the inevitable smack. A crackling sound reached her ears and the air got pushed out of her lungs as she crashed down on the stone steps. A sharp pain shot through her body as it received the blow and Enya hissed. Her muscles relaxed and for a moment she laid there, her eyes closed and her body still.
‘Babe, instead of getting all worked up, you should probably watch where you are going…’ her mind told her. ‘Or did you intend to study the marble of this specific step?’ ‘Oh, shut up.’ she grumbled. ‘I’m so done right now.’
Well, fuck. That hurt.
But not as bad as she had thought it would. The surface under her was hard and cold as hell, but not quite as uneven as she expected. Enya finally peered through her lashes and heaved a sigh. Her instinct had, once again, saved her from disaster. She was laying, face down, on a whimsical ice sculpture. The ice was dramatically draped across the stairs, a sturdy edge preventing her from sliding any further. She scrambled herself together and got on her knees as she studied her own piece of art. ‘Well, if anyone asks what I was up to today…’ she murmured. ‘I was producing art that would make any sculptor proud.’ She shook her head and heaved a sigh. Alright, she could cross “making a life sized sculpture” off her bucket list, but the real question here was how on earth she could get down without tripping over another thousand times…
A devious smile appeared on her lips when she watched some water trickle down onto the next step. Of course. When life gives you lemons…
You’d better make one hell of a lemonade.
She crawled towards the edge of her sculpture and reached out. Water dripped from her hands, first slowly but then accelerating into a waterfall. Enya turned her hands a little, guiding the water into a stream and freezing the fluid into an icy slope. She waited until she believed her water had moved down enough.
Enya took a deep breath, ignoring the nervous pit that grew in her stomach. It had been at least one (and probably a hell of a lot more) decade since she had gone down a slide, and those structures back home were a hundred percent safe. She peered down her self-made version and made a face. She had no idea where she was going, or if the staircase further down was destroyed. She had to be totally bonkers to do this.
Well. Yeah. Was there really a choice? It couldn’t be worse than going through portals, could it? She just was going to slide down and in the process making around a hundred loops or so. Her icy slide should be safe enough, she had to trust her own engineering on this one. Enya nodded slowly and took another deep breath before lowering herself down on the slope.
Alright. Now all she needed was a gush of wind to keep her going. She closed her eyes, focusing on the air around her. She exhaled slowly and a soft breeze pushed her forward. Her nails dragged halfheartedly over the slope, a part of her being not willing to let go yet. An unspoken question burned on her lips.
‘What if I will fall?’ ‘But oh, darling…’ her mind purred in response. ‘What if you fly…’
After the mountain would be reclaimed and Fíli and Kíli had rejoined them, she would definitely ask them to do this again. She knew those devious bastards would enjoy this at least as much. The wind blew through her hair and Enya threw her hands up, a light-hearted giggle escaping her lips. This was awesome. The slide took her round and round, swiftly taking her down to her destination. Enya watched the scenery on the railing gradually change. The flowers disappeared and the branches came together into one thick stem, which had a fantastically pattern carves into it. She went too fast to distinguish every little detail of the trunk, but she got the overall idea. The railing seemed to be, in her mind anyway, a tree. And since she only passed the tree trunk anyway, she guessed it was a long way down. She could only hope her handiwork reached that far too.
By the time the railing had shifted into tree roots (that were holding marble rocks and even tiny bones) Enya had stopped already once to peer down the staircase. Her head was spinning from the last 500 loops she just made (alright, it probably weren’t that many, but sure as hell felt like it) and a little break was much needed. ‘So far for my hurry…’ she murmured to herself. Getting there in time was one thing, but if it meant her dazed brain would see three dragons instead of one, she doubted she would be of any aid. She raised a hand and released a large flame into the void. She watched it floating down and tried to establish the number of loops she had to endure. ‘Okay.’ She muttered. ‘At least five. We should be fine.’ She sat down on the slope again and a short blow from behind set her off again. She took a deep breath and counted as she tried to not give attention to this weak feeling in her stomach. The tree roots on the railing seemed to change, they grew thinner and thinner until most lines disappeared, only to be replaced by rocks and stones. Enya grinned. This meant she was getting closer towards her destination, whatever that may be. Probably not the dungeons, but another place the royal family needed quick access to. The heart of the mountain, the most important place in dwarven society…
Her heart made a leap when her flame, floating just a few loops before her, seemed to stop. At last, her sliding journey was coming to an end! She slowed down and then got up to descend the last few steps on foot. Her legs felt a little wobbly, but other than that, she could conclude this new manner of transportation had more or less passed the test. She motioned her fire to follow her and gazed around the room. The staircase leaded into a round space, again closed off. Enya heaved a sigh and studied the walls, in search for another hidden doorway. But, luckily for her, this side of the passage wasn’t so secret. A massive door, seemingly consisting of the stone from this very mountain, stood before her. Enya gripped the sturdy ring that was hammered into the stone and pulled. When the door didn’t oblige, she threw herself against it and pushed.
Nothing!
She rolled her eyes, wondering if these “not knowing to push or pull” problems were strictly reserved for the beings from her world, or if the women in middle earth came across likewise situations.
‘Probably not.’ Her mind mused. ‘But they encounter other problems like-’ Enya shook her head and focused on the door instead. Maybe with the right amount of force… She inhaled slowly, her senses extremely aware of the movement in the air around her. The hairs on her arms stood up, the atmosphere grew heavy, prickling with anticipation like a silence before the storm. Then she released her power and with a violent roar the door blew open, the hinges squealing. With a deafening smack stone crashed into stone and Enya stepped over the threshold.
Indeed, she had winded up somewhere down in the forges. Four enormous round furnaces stood in a row at the right side of the room. On the left, the space was closed off by a latticework of iron pillars. In the middle of the room stood four dwarves and one hobbit. Enya heaved a relieved sigh. She hadn’t expected to find the company so quickly again, but there they were: looking frightened, but yet unharmed and-
Wait a minute.
Where was their charming leader? And Dwalin? Or Nori? And what about Bifur and Gloin? Where was everybody? Enya took a sprint towards the company. The area behind the iron latticework seemed to be a large hallway and in the distance she heard Dwalin shouting Thorin’s name, accompanied by the smashing sound of an axe into something metal. Her heart skipped a bit. ‘Thank mahal!’ Balin exclaimed. ‘I thought we had to stand up against that vile thing without our fire witch!’ ‘Not a chance in hell. ’Enya huffed. ‘I just took a detour. Where is everyone?!’ ‘We don’t know.’ Dori said softly. ‘We came here separately. I haven’t seen Gloin and Bifur yet, and Thorin got into trouble with Smaug. I believe Nori and Dwalin are trying to save him.’ ‘WHAT?!’ she shrieked. ‘Enya!’ Bilbo said, sounding as relieved as scared. ‘Thank goodness you’re alright. We need your help!’ he fretted. ‘Bilbo, what is he doing?!’ Enya interrupted while grasping the halfling by his shoulders. She knew it was rather rude of her, but right now was not the time to exchange niceties. Balin merely sadly shook his head, and even sassy Bilbo couldn’t provide her with a sensible answer. They all looked very shaken.
‘Damnit!’ Enya pushed Bilbo aside and ran towards the other side of the room. ‘What the hell did he-’ The ground under her shook and from the pit emerged a deep growl. When she passed the iron pillars into the hallway, she saw -thank mahal- Thorin climbing over the edge of a shaft, aided by Nori. They ducked when a great fire blazed from the pit just behind them. ‘Go! Go!’ Thorin shouted at his comrades and the trio ran as fast as they could towards the forges, visibly terrified by the clamor that was coming from the depths. Enya stopped in her tracks, waiting for them.
Because when the most hardened warriors in middle earth make a run for it, you know its fucking serious.
‘Enya!’ Thorin growled, grabbing her as he passed by. ‘Get out of here! NOW!’ Oh yeah, let’s pretend she was the vulnerable component of the group. Enya just narrowed her eyes and folded her arms, grateful that her king was alive, but fuming over the fact he no doubt did some really stupid and/or risky things without her. Thorin caught her gaze and glared at her, but she didn’t give in. His emerald orbs, usually full of emotion and giving her a glimpse of his thoughts, seemed more cold and distant. In fact, there was a dullness in them that she hadn’t seen earlier and it made her feel quite uncomfortable. She shook off the shiver that shot through her spine and finally blinked. When she caught his gaze again, Thorin slowly exhaled and it almost looked as he came back to himself. ‘The plan is not going to work.’ Dwalin said, turning to the both of them. ‘These furnaces are stone cold.’ ‘He’s right.’ Balin agreed as he stepped forward. ‘There’s no fire hot enough to set them ablaze.’
A low groan escaped her lips and Enya sighed. What? Had these stupid dwarves learn nothing during this trip?! What was the whole point of her tagging along on the journey if they weren’t going to profit from her powers? ‘Have we not?’ she quipped and paced towards the nearest furnace. ‘Let’s see what I can do for you, gentlemen.’ She ignored the echoes in the distance getting louder and stretched out her hands. If they wanted a great fire, they could get it. An explosion of flames shot from her palms, the heat radiating against her face. The fire engulfed the first furnace and she smiled when it brought to life with a loud rumble.
One down. Only three to go.
But there was no time. The sound of stone crumbling into dust made all of them look between the pillars and they saw Smaug climbing from the pit, his claws crushing the walls. The fire drake crawled over the edge and halted before the pillars. The latticework was huge, but far too narrow to fit a dragon. Enya turned on her heels, locking eyes with the fire drake. Smaug opened his mouth, ready to pour his flames over them. In the depths of his throat she could see the fire boiling, fuming, ready to be unleashed. But she was ready for it too. Enya shifted her legs further apart to steady her position as her hands reached out to block every single flame that would come from those enormous jaws. She refused to break eye contact and watched as the dragon inhaled. ‘TAKE COVER, GO!’ Thorin shouted to the rest of the company and they made their way towards the pillars to protect themselves from a fiery death. Enya controlled her breathing, braced herself and-
Next thing she knew, she was knocked off her feet by something sturdy and heavy. ‘I tried to keep you safe!’ Thorin hissed, pushing her against the floor as the flames blazed just above them. ‘Please just for one time LISTEN to me!’ ‘No, YOU LISTEN!’ she bit back as she forcefully rolled on top of him and kept him pinned down. ‘He can’t beat me at my own game, Thorin. His flames won’t hurt me.’ ‘I won’t take that risk!’ Thorin raged. ‘Stick to the plan.’ ‘Oh, you mean the plan you forgot to mention to me?!’ She spat. ‘The plan you were going to execute without me? Or do you mean your plan to have me fucking WAIT in an abandoned and not to mention SECRET corridor and pray someone will stay alive to GET me OUT?!’ Thorin closed his eyes and she knew she really was trying his patience. Enya heaved a sigh. Maybe this exact moment wasn’t the best place for a hot-headed fight.
Besides, with a dragon and fire witch in the same area, there was already enough heat present to blow up the entire mountain.
‘What do you want me to do?’ she inquired softly. ‘Distract him.’ Thorin murmured in her ear. ‘And don’t-’ They both gasped as another wave of heat (or in Enya’s case, a lukewarm breeze) blazed right over them, the pressure coming of it pushing her firmly against him. She heard everyone in the company yell from the heat and pain that was poured over them. Thorin’s hand traveled up to caress her cheek, his roughened thumb trailing over her jawline. His eyes glistened with deep passion. How could he have looked so empty to her just moments before? Her own mind must have deceived her, because right now the dwarf that lay beneath her, loved her more than he loved life itself. ‘Don’t get roasted.’ He ordered gently. Enya shrugged and a small smile appeared on her lips. ‘Not happening, and I expect the same from you. If you let him get you, I’ll kill you.’ Thorin shook his head. ‘I think you’ll find that very difficult, uzfakuh’ ‘I mean it.’ She told him. ‘Now go.’
They parted ways rather quickly to prevent another attack. Thorin started shouting orders and Enya she stepped through the iron latticework. Smaug had his eyes on her and his foul breath hissed in her ears, but she didn’t bother to directly look at him she strutted towards the middle of the passage. If the fire drake could smell her fear, any of it, she would end up as dinner. The ground shook as the dragon followed her on foot, his claws destroying the surface. Enya made her way to the other half of the hallway. She exhaled slowly and tried to control her trembling body. Then she finally turned on her heels and faced her opponent.
He was a lot closer to her than she would like him to be, his school bus sized head was scarcely ten meters away from the spot where she stood. Smaug had a long snout, pointed nostrils and his jaws consisted of rows of deadly, sharp teeth. The gleaming golden eyes that she had faced just minutes ago, were curiously watching her every move. The rest of his body was huge and she suspected he measured at least sixty meters from head to tail. This fire-drake was clearly designed for destruction, his hide consisting of vibrant reddish golden scales that seemed impregnable and pointed spikes running along his head down to his spine. The pointed and sharp claws were enormous, ready to slice any creature that was stupid enough to cross its path open. The wings did remind Enya a bit of batwings, but then far more deadly of course.
But although Smaug was indeed huge and terrifying, he was definitely nothing compared to Shissa the powerful, the great fire-drake that her grandfather had faced. Shissa certainly had been ten times bigger than the dragon that now stood before her. Also Smaug didn’t possess the sass and badass attitude of his ancestor. Oh yes, he was evil and angry, but that was just that. No more layers.
‘Oh. Didn’t see you there.’ She said, making sure she sounded bored as hell. ‘So you’re the one they call Smaug the… terrible, is it?’ ‘Who is asking?’ the fire-drake rumbled while sitting up straight to show her himself in all his grand mightiness. His voice was low and the purring undertone he used was clearly designed to feign kindness. Nevertheless the hairs in Enya’s neck prickled, her whole body was on edge. She couldn’t help but feel like a deer being pounced by a great tiger. One wrong move and she was done for it.
But whatever she did, she couldn’t let him show her fear.
‘An equal.’ She spoke curtly. ‘Equal?!’ Smaug snorted, visibly amused by her arrogance. ‘That surely sounds interesting. Tell me, who is so bold to assume she can exceed the might of me?!’ ‘Enya Blueheart.’ She replied. The dragon’s face twisted in a revolting grin. ‘Well, my my. One of the Blueheart family. I’ve thought you all were extinct, but yet here you are. I’ve eaten a lot of species, but I’ve never had the chance to taste a princess.’ He stretched his neck, smelling her from close by. ‘Yes, a dwarvenprincess... But what’s that other rather strange odor you seem to emit?’ Enya wrinkled her nose when the foul smell of at least a thousand years of bacteria buildup burned through her nostrils. She waved her hand in disgust. ‘I might tell you, but only if you close that foul muzzle of yours.’ ‘For a so-called princess you’re not very polite, are you?’ he hissed. Enya grinned and curtseyed quickly . ‘What can I say, I wasn’t brought up to be one. Excuse me for my manners, oh Smaug the stupendous.’ The fire-drake narrowed his eyes, not believing her shallow civility. ‘Flattery won’t save your life.’ He told her. ‘But I must say I’m rather curious about your origins, so speak.’ ‘I come from a land without magic, or dragons.’ She gave in. ‘A place where the race of humans exclusively survives.’ ‘The human race?’ Smaug said. ‘But how does a princess of the fire beards end up there?’
‘Because your ancestors drove us to earth, you hateful piece of filth!’ she thought. But instead, she feigned a smile and shrugged, not willing to provide him with the answer he undoubtingly wanted to hear. ‘Recently I came back to middle earth.’ ‘So you claim to have come from a land without magic.’ The fire-drake summarized, his eyes fixating on her neck. ‘But yet you carry something so valuable. Something that comes from the deepest pits of Nogrod.’ Enya’s hand closed around her locket. ‘What about it?’ ‘You don’t know?’ Smaug taunted her. ‘Your family never told you of the locket of the equitem?’ She straightened her back. There was no way in hell Smaug would just casually provide her with valuable information. She knew he was just messing with her, trying to catch her off guard and hurt her, but somewhere in her brain the name sounded awfully familiar. ‘Equitem.’ she repeated carefully. ‘Of course I know of it.’ ‘Oh yes.’ The fire-drake mocked, closing his eyes and his snout curved into a mean smirk. Enya gritted her teeth, not liking the way this conversation was going. That monster was enjoying this far too much. ‘So what does it do, Enya Blueheart? Did they tell you that?’ ‘What of it? Why should I enlighten you, of all creatures, on this subject?’ she bit back. ‘Do you want it for yourself? Is that it?’ ‘Let me give you an hint. It’s much more useful once it’s opened up.’ Smaug nagged, ignoring all her questions. ‘Inside is something far more preciousss…’ ‘It can’t be opened.’ She hissed. ‘And even if it could, I would rather die than let you have it.’ ‘Oh see, but that’s where you are wrong…’ Smaug told her while creeping closer to her and Enya involuntarily took a step back. ‘All you need, Enya Blueheart, is a little… fire.’
Everything happened so fast. Smaug lunged at her, opening his big mouth and unleashing his fiery breath on her. She held out her hands to protect herself and the raging fire came to an halt just inches before her. Like she was holding up this invisible wall.
All that energy had to go somewhere. The fire seemed to bounce back to its creator, raging against Smaug. The pressure of the flames must have been huge, since Enya saw the dragon being pushed a few feet backwards. The great fire-drake growled angrily. ‘You can’t beat me at my own game, honey.’ She scoffed. ‘So it seems.’ Smaug replied, his eyes still fixed on her locket. ‘But so can’t you…’
‘ENYA!’ Thorin yelled at her from the forges. ‘NOW!’
That was her sign. Enya ducked out of the way as Smaug lunged at her and she jumped between his front paws, ran under him and exited at his hind legs, nearly escaping a smack from his tail. She blindly shot a stream of water backwards and a enraged growl told her she had hit her mark. Once she passed the latticework again and made it into the forges, she took one moment to catch her breath. Thorin, Dwalin and Nori were on the opposite of the room, beneath the stone dwarven warriors that kept an eye over the furnaces. Thorin was instructing Bilbo to pull a lever on a mount several meters away. She saw Bombur hanging from a chain, working the bellows that were heating the lit furnaces. Balin, Dori and Ori were on her left, busying themselves with stacking pottery carefully into a pile.
‘He’s coming!’ she warned, but her yell was being cut off by a loud thump behind her. Smaug was battering his head against the latticework. Although it was a strong structure, it hadn’t been made to hold against a dragon. The iron pillars already started to bend inwards. They all watched in horror as the pillars gave in to Smaug’s magnificent strength, the latticework finally splitting open. With his claws the fire-drake pushed the battered ironwork out of his way and barged inside. For a fleeting moment, the monster stopped in his tracks to analyze his surroundings, but then his eyes fell on Bilbo. The dragon hissed and moved forward, fixed on the poor halfling that stood trembling on the mount, his hands reaching for the lever. But then from the corner of his eyes, Smaug detected Thorin. With a loud growl he went for the dwarf king instead.
‘NOW!’ Thorin shouted and Bilbo jumped to pull the said lever. The stone dwarven warriors above them opened their mouths and a tsunami of water poured over the dragon, taking him by surprise. He gurgled and spluttered as he was consumed by the vast amount of water, trying to hold his ground but then crawling slowly backwards. The room was covered in steam as the cold water reacted to the boiling heat in Smaug’s stomach.
Enya shot a glance at Thorin, who was anxiously checking the furnaces. He was trying to melt something, but for what? She looked up when jets of water set the watermill into motion, which allowed the two rope conveyer belts to start operating. Some of the buckets hanging above them were still full of ores and precious stones.
Smaug hissed and charged Thorin again, but stopped when a bomb (and another) was smashed against his snout. Dori cheered when he hit the intended mark again, but although the effort was valiant, it didn’t really seem to damage their opponent. Smaug merely flapped his wings angrily and shot a wave of fire towards them. Enya jumped in the way and with a mere flick from her hands, the fire lashed backwards. She then blew a storm of snow and ice into the dragon’s direction, containing sharp icicles that almost hit him in the eyes. The fire-drake snarled and used his wings to cover himself. Above them, Gloin emerged from one of the buckets on the conveyer belt (so that’s where he had been!) and cut the cord of the belt under him. Various buckets loaded with heavy stones came crashing down on Smaug’s neck. The creature cried out, now more angry than ever, and he started bustling around to free himself.
Thorin suddenly moved quickly towards one of the furnaces and pulled on a chain. Melted gold dripped from the furnaces into the troughs in the ground. ‘Lead him into the gallery of the kings!’ Thorin bellowed while grabbing a wheelbarrow and running towards a main trough. He then jumped into the gold, using the wheelbarrow as a raft. Smaug managed to free himself and went into a frenzy. He tried to follow Thorin and stomped over a small entrance at the base of the mount where all the troughs of gold joined and were lead from the room. But Thorin had already disappeared. Smaug roared after missing his mark and went after the poor halfling who was still standing on the very same mount. ‘Bilbo!’ Enya yelled while running towards him. ‘JUMP! NOW!’ But the halfling was trembling as a leaf and hesitated for far too long. Enya felt obliged to help him out. A sudden blow tripped him over the edge, but luckily he was caught midair by an icy slope that brought him towards the end of the forges. Enya ran after him and grabbed him by his coat. Together they fled through the exit, not even caring if it lead to where they should be.
Turned out it did. They ran straight into another hallway, this one even more massive than the last. It was adorned with banners, each single one hundreds of meters tall. ‘Is this-’ Bilbo panted, but he was cut off by an explosion on the wall above them, accompanied by the very fire-drake they tried to outrun. Enya pushed the hobbit forward and redirected the flying rocks as best as she could. Once she discovered that a banner was knocked off the wall, she couldn’t prevent Bilbo being caught under it.
Luckily it was just some heavy cloth.
Smaug leapt onto the floor at a crossroad in the middle of the hallway, the true entrance of the lonely mountain to his right. He roared angrily. ‘You think you can deceive me, barrel-rider?’ he snapped. ‘Or you, nasty little Blueheart princess?!’ Enya stilled and saw the cloth near the dragon move, but the latter was too engrossed in his own thoughts to notice. ‘You two have come from Laketown!’ Smaug established. ‘This is some wicked scheme between those filthy dwarves and miserable fishermen! Those fools with their longbows and… black arrows!’ He turned to the entrance of the hall. ‘Maybe I should pay them a visit.’ Enya shot forward and Bilbo crawled from his hiding place, simultaneously screaming: ‘NO!’ ‘It isn’t their fault!’ the hobbit pleaded. ‘You cannot go to Laketown!’ ‘Ah.’ The dragon grinned and turned around. ‘So you care for them? Good! Then you can watch them die.’ He spread his wings and-
Everything happened so fast that Enya couldn’t recall why she came up with this, but there she was, strangling an immense dragon, with a whip. It was made out of soil, which made it soft and unyielding at the same time. It was a bold move, mad even, but to her astonishment the earth withheld the powerful creature from taking off. Her fingers dug into the handle, the lash bending and stretching easily as she brought the great serpent down. Enya’s heart was pounding in her chest and she was high from all the adrenaline, but she never felt so much more alive.
Ha, who would ever have thought that soil was actually an asset during combat?!
‘I don’t think so.’ She hissed while giving the lash a sharp jerk. ‘We have some unfinished business.’ The fire-drake’s eyes were glittering with anger as he neared the place where she stood. The whip was still wrung tightly around his neck and although Enya couldn’t see any markings yet, she knew even a dragon would have to feel very uncomfortable. ‘Very well then.’ Smaug spoke. ‘You can die first.’ ‘Another empty threat?’ Enya inquired as she saw Bilbo fleeing from the hall towards the balcony on her right. The fire-drake had seen it too and opened his mouth, flames already sweltering inside his throat. ‘Really?’ Enya snapped. ‘Pick someone your own size, you bloody coward!’ The dragon snarled.
A wave of fire met a storm of snow and ice, both elements roaring violently as they clashed. Icicles flew through the air but failed to reach their mark as the fire-drake crushed them with his claws. He then lunged forward. His mouth was wide open, ready to devour anything in his path. Enya snapped her fingers and a gush of wind whirled around the room, flying straight into the dragon’s jaws. Her hands flicked gracefully and with a soft thump, what previously been air changed into its true form.
The eyes of the dragon almost jumped from their caskets once he realized what she had done. He roared aggressively and with a deafening cough he spat a pile of dirt into the hall. Enya quickly jumped behind a row of pillars on her left to evade the tornado of wind and soil. She crept along the balcony towards the junction and bit her lip in an attempt not to laugh. Once she got there, she glanced over the room and weighed her chances. Smaug was on her right, still spitting out dirt while the smoke was fuming from his nostrils. The passage on her left was, compared to the gallery, not very long and far from finished. An enormous statue of what looked like a warrior stood at the end, the vast stone masonry still evidently under construction as it was held together by wooden scaffolding.
Her heart skipped a beat. On the shoulder of the figure stood a dwarf, holding himself upright with a chain.
Thorin.
But what on earth was he doing there? Where was the rest of the company? Enya quickly crossed the passage to get to the other side of the gallery. She felt Thorin’s eyes prickling on her back, but she refused to make eye contact. This was her fight and she wanted him to wait with whatever his plan was until the last minute. She held out her hand and blew a gush of wind his way. The whisper floated through the void, delivering her message to her One.
‘Stay put. I got this.’
‘You dirty little witch!’ Smaug boomed, but the frog in his throat made his voice go up and down in an unbelievable funny manner. Enya giggled and the dragon growled furiously. ‘Where are you?! You have no honor.’ He hissed. ‘I’ll make you suffer.’ ‘And you, my lad, just ate dirt.’ Enya told him, reappearing behind him. She smirked when the dragon turned, but then barked again. ‘Need cough syrup?’ she asked.
Fire met fire. An explosion thundered through the room, the blazing heat scorched past her body and the pressure of the two forces coming together almost swept her off her feet. Enya gritted her teeth and she pushed the flames forward, entrapping the dragon in a fiery pit. But the fire-drake merely laughed devilishly, the flames not hurting him. ‘You can fight me all you want, little witch.’ He belittled her. ‘But you’ll never kill me. You don’t have the strength.’
Enya exhaled slowly and the flames around the dragon disappeared. Her hands arched a little and with that, a violent wind howled through the hall. The wind grew louder, stronger and the fire-drake spread his claws to steady his position, but he couldn’t help but slip away.
‘Oh honey, but that’s where you’re wrong.’ Enya bellowed above the sound. ‘See, my ancestors fought off far greater fire drakes than you.’ She took a step towards him. ‘And you, my friend, you have a serious superiority complex.’
Maybe Smaug didn’t really know what that meant or maybe he did, because he flapped his wings aggressively, the movement messing up Enya’s hurricane. Enya clenched her jaw and eyed the dragon while calculating her next move. Her palms filled with flames.
Smaug snorted. ‘So tell me, Enya Blueheart.’ He rumbled. ‘The longer I am in your presence, the more intrigued I become. You possess a bit of power, but yet you’re here, biting off more than you can chew.’
The only sound in the hall was the crackling of fire.
‘What’s in it for you?’ Smaug taunted, spurred on by her silence. ‘What did Oakenshield promise you?’ Enya gritted her teeth. It was obvious the dragon tried to provoke her again and whatever she would say, it wasn’t worth it. ‘Did he offer you a share of the treasure?’ the fire-drake needled. Ugh, she couldn’t help herself. ‘I’m not as superficial as you, thank you very much.’ she finally snapped. ‘Oh… then it must be love that has driven you on this foolish quest!’ the dragon nagged while moving closer to her again. ‘You think he loves you.’ Enya scoffed. ‘Oh and I suppose you’re the one who can tell me everything there’s to know about love, you despicable serpent?’ ‘Love is for the weak, my dear princess.’ Smaug purred, lowering his head to meet her face to face. ‘And the only thing Oakenshield’s in love with, is the King’s jewel.’
Her hands acted out before she registered the meaning of the vile words spoken to her. A flood of water flew into the dragon’s snout and he shot up with a disgusted growl. Enya’s fingers twirled and a solid rope wound itself several times along the fire-drake’s legs and claws. Smaug hissed and tried to break free, but every time he managed to cut one cord, another one grew back. ‘Maybe you should stop talking and start paying attention.’ Enya told the dragon. He was sitting up straight, like a circus lion, and glaring at her.
Pff. If looks could kill…
She crouched down and touched the floor with her hands. Little frost flowers appeared and Enya watched as they formed a trail towards her opponent. The ice got thicker as it proceeded. Cracking sounds filled the air as the snow crystals grew over the dragon’s front claws. ‘Beautiful. But worthless.’ Smaug scolded with a revolting grin, while watching the ice. ‘Your efforts are fruitless, little princess.’ ‘Oh honey, everyone has got a weak spot.’ Enya retorted. ‘And I’ll find yours in no time, no worries.’ ‘Do you really think you can stand a chance against the lure of the Arkenstone?’ the fire-drake continued, ignoring her remarks. ‘Trust me, you’re nothing compared to the King’s Jewel…’
‘NO! ENYA!’
Thorin’s call made the grip of the rope falter and the ice retreat an inch. And in that fleeting moment, that second she lost her focus, the dragon ripped himself free and lunged at her.
‘Eat shit, you fucking narcissist!’ Enya yelled while jumping aside to evade his mouth. Smaug roared in anger and another wave of fire blasted through the room. Enya braced herself, her fingers bending into claws as she blocked the fire with an icy wall. The two elements sizzled as they met and blazing steam filled up the gallery, masking the fire-drake from her view. Enya waved her hands and the fog floated another way, but it already was too late.
She didn’t see the tail coming.
‘My dear Enya, please wake up.’ A soft voice spoke. Her eyelids fluttered, the voice slowly pulling her from her slumber. A dark blue sky filled with greyish clouds came into vision. There was roaring in the distance. Humans were screaming, followed by the deafening sound of wood, bones and stone being crushed into nothing. A thick smell of smoke and fire penetrated her nostrils. For a moment Enya felt like she was floating in the air and although she was acknowledging the incentives that were invading her senses, she didn’t really feel a part of her surroundings.
Then a kind and familiar face came into view. Chestnut brown locks. Piercing blue eyes, just like hers. A hand held out in front of her.
‘Oh my god! Grandpa!’ she cried out while scrambling herself together. ‘How is this possible…?’ she looked around, eyeing the fire and devastation that was going on down below. She blinked. She appeared to be outside the mountain at the old overlook, looking down at the chaos. She hesitated before speaking the words she dreaded to ask.
‘Am I dead?’
Emrak gently pulled her up on her feet. ‘No, you’re not. You’re just unconscious. Bilbo will be able to wake your body up in a few minutes.’ ‘Again?!’ Enya grumbled while massaging her temples. ‘That happens a lot to me lately.’ Her grandfather shrugged. ‘Well, it’s the hazard that comes with the job. Things will try to hurt you and if you’re not careful enough, bad things will follow.’ He heaved a sigh and glanced down below, where the dragon Smaug was wreaking havoc to Laketown and its poor inhabitants. ‘Oh, fuck me!’ Enya cursed. ‘I’m so stupid! I didn’t see his tail coming at me!’ ‘Fighting a dragon is no easy task, even a tiny exemplar like him.’ Emrak mused. ‘I personally had a hard time keeping track of the whereabouts of all those limbs.’ ‘Oh my god, I failed!’ She fretted. ‘I let him get to me and now I failed all of you. People will die because of my stupidity!’ ‘They would have died already if it wasn’t for you, little one.’ Her grandfather replied while putting an arm around his granddaughter. ‘We’re no gods. All we can do is our best to protect our people.’ Enya didn’t reply, but just stood there, momentarily enjoying the presence of her long gone grandfather.
‘Thorin saved you by distracting the fire-drake.’ Emrak filled her in. ‘Then Bilbo ran from his hiding place to heave you up to the balcony and keep you hidden.’ Her heart swelled for her One and her favorite hobbit. ‘They’re both alive and well.’ Her grandfather continued. ‘But now it’s your turn to finish what you started.’ ‘How?’ Enya exasperated. ‘I tried fire, but he’s immune to that. My water and ice are definitely annoying the life out of him, but not enough to kill him instantly. What am I supposed to do? Blow him into a ravine? He was wings! Throw dirt at him? Strangle him again? He doesn’t care!’ Emrak smirked. ‘Then it’s rather obvious, isn’t it?’ ‘We’ll go for the dirt then.’ Enya sighed and bit her lip. ‘I feel like I’m short-sighted, that I’m not doing enough to-’
She froze in her tracks when she heard a mighty rumbling in the distance.
‘No, I can’t.’ she mumbled. ‘You were so fucking powerful and even you died, how could I possibly survive?’ ‘Yes, I was powerful.’ Emrak agreed. But so are you, and you’re nothing like me. You’re strong, kindhearted, witty and gentle. You know your weaknesses and you’re not afraid to speak about the things that haunt you. You’re finally able to see how it feels to be loved, truly and wholly.’ ‘But how does that make me-’ ‘You’re getting in sync with who you are, my granddaughter.’ Emrak said, beaming. ‘And we’re so proud of you. Your grandmother and I are delighted that we’re able to guide you on your path. We’re so honored to see you grow into the fire witch you’re meant to be.’ ‘But…’ Enya whispered. ‘I’m…’ Emrak smiled, tears welling in his eyes. ‘You’re doing perfectly fine, Enya. You’ve always done what’s right. You won’t make the same mistake as I did. Now, MY only regret is that I wasn’t alive long enough to see your mother Ailva and after her, you, growing up.’ The tears were rolling down her cheeks and Enya pulled her grandfather in a hug. ‘I’m so sorry you couldn’t save Nogrod.’ She whispered. ‘Nogrod was beyond repair.’ Emrak replied. ‘But Erebor isn’t. Destroy the dragon and protect your destiny. Then head for Nogrod and take the locket of Equitem with you.’ ‘It’s always with me.’ Enya said. Emrak grinned. ‘Good. And so are we. If you ever doubt yourself again, look inside.’ He pointed at the locket on her chest.
Enya had hundreds of questions, no a thousand even, but before she could open her mouth her grandfather was gone.
And she knew what to do…
Thank you so much for reading my humble story. Feedback is always welcome. Did you love Enya? Go to Enya’s story or check out my Masterlist.
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