#then last summer i was serving and wow | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dearmura · 9 months

Text

daydreamin'

☆ cw. reader uses she/her pronouns + is referred to as girlfriend, a teensy weensy bit of cursing, the reader is hit on by some creep at one point, not proofread

☆ pairings. non-idol! riki × fem! reader

☆ genre. fluff, strangers to lovers

☆ synopsis. summer would've proven to be monotonous, the greatest thrill being the audacity of the ice parlor's customers. that is until a new face walks in, leaving you daydreamin'

☆ a.n. enhypen exists in this au but let's pretend that riki isn't an idol for story purposes

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

"one scoop of mint chocolate ice cream, one of cookies and cream, one of rasberry, and one of chocolate in a sugar cone with rainbow sprinkles, chocolate drizzles and Oreos on top. and get it right, it's for my kid" they end with a forced smile, not even bothering to say please or thank you, not that you weren't used to it. sadly, you wish you could say that was the weirdest order you've gotten but, one thing this job has taught you is that kids, and parents alike, are weirdos. nevertheless you make the salty parent's order with a feigned smile and don't bother when they snatch it from your hands, throwing you the cash and not even bothering with the change

one would think that working in an ice cream shop in the hot summer heat would be ideal

if they didn't have the job, that is

but you were in no place to complain. while scooping questionable orders for ipad kids and karen parents all summer wasn't your passion project per se, it did help bring money in, money you desperately needed to afford tickets to enhypen's tour. with your unfortunate luck last year, you couldn't afford to not see them again this year. therefore, you were left to deal with a customer service job you hated where you feigned smile all day, motivated by the motto 'enhypen's worth it'

you wish you could say you at least made a friend in the process, though, your co-workers consisted of retired old folk who were too much of overachievers to at stay home and bask in their retirement money and kids around your age who you can only assume were too popular to be in your league

mentally cursing as the rude woman walked away, you compose yourself before serving the next customer who only makes you double take. a boy around your age with a height no one other than a k-idol could bear. he spoke in a low voice you'd be lying if you said wasn't attractive

"wow, that woman seemed really rude umm...y/n" he eyed your name tag before meeting your gaze, making you furrow your brows and shake your head on instinct

"no no no it's alright, I'm used to it" you reassure him. though, your answer doesn't seem very convincing to him. he frowns

"no, no it's not, no one should be used to that, I'm sorry" he apologizes, albeit, you don't know what for but, nevertheless, you nod

"thank you, babe. I'm sorry, what can I get for you?" you mentally curse at yourself for the term of endearment that slips past your lips. though, he doesn't seem to mind

"it's alright. actually, that woman speaking to you like that rubbed me the wrong way. what would you recommend, y/n?" he asked, looking at you with expectant eyes, which only make you blush

"um, I usually like to order a chocolate and vanilla swirl with rainbow sprinkles" you giggle a little

"it's the best of both worlds I guess, no need to choose a flavor when you have both" you reason, looking up at the boy whose eyes crinkle in joy. a warm laugh comes from the boy that only warms your heart

"valid. I'll take that then, please" he ends with a smile, which you return

"coming right up!" you say too giddily, as you turn around to make his ice cream you mentally curse at yourself for being so excited for no reason. though, you don't stop yourself from swirling the ice cream a little slower than usual to ensure his cone was perfect and a little higher than you're supposed to serve them

smuthering his cone in sprinkles, you hope he actually enjoys it considering you gave him extra of everything, not that he needed to know

"here ya go. that'll be $2.50, sir" you say, carefully handing him the cone, your fingers grazing his. your ignore the quickening of your pulse at the contact

"thank you so much" he hesitates a little before he continues

"and you can call me riki by the way, sir makes me sound way too old" he jokes, handing you a $5 bill as he laughes. nodding, you take the bill, your fingers failing to touch much to your dismay. upon handing him back his two bills and quarters, he doesn't even look before immediately placing them in the tip jar. thanking you again, he turns to leave, beginning to lick a stripe off his ice cream. though, you couldn't quite catch his reaction

as the door closed behind him, you catch your smile lingering a little too long for your liking. clearing your throat, you attempt to compose yourself, eying the clock until the very last minute. wiping down the tables and cleaning the ice cream machine kept you busy until closing. you wish you could say the thought of the sweet boy didn't entertain you through those last few hours but you'd be lying. in the back of your mind, you secretly hoped he would return soon

to let you know if he liked your recommendation of course...

✧

the next sale will begin in:

34 days 9 hours 0 minutes and 5 seconds

as if checking every hour would suddenly make them appear, you couldn't help but stalk the ticketmaster page, desperately waiting for seating charts, vip packages, or just prices in general to drop. with your entire happiness this summer being determined by whether or not you were going to enhypen's concert, you couldn't help but be utterly paranoid

with a heavy sigh, you peel your eyes away from your phone, dragging your feet slightly as you add the ingredients into the ice cream machine. as if the stress of ticketing and insensitive customers had not been enough, you'd been assigned the opening shift, a time you thought was ungodly to buy ice cream, but, you couldn't complain. overtime did mean more money in your pocket, so you opted to keep your complaints to yourself

as the day continued, you couldn't deny that the boy was on your mind again. even amongst tamer regulars, he was the one person you genuinely wanted to see

"um excuse me. I don't know why it's so hard for you to get it through your thick skull, but I ordered my ice cream in a waffle cone, not sugar cone" a woman spat out, shoving the cone in your hands before you could begin to unpack that statement

"I'm sorry ma'am but you ordered your ice cream on a sugar cone so I made it that way" you tried to reason, knowing damn well that she specified sugar, not waffle

"well the customer is always right! so quit the sass and do your j-"

"ma'am, I know this is none of my business but this young woman said she made your order to the 't,' so would you please have some human decency, admit your sorry, and leave her alone, please" the voice you'd been waiting yearning for all day rang out, interrupting the bitter words that came from the woman's mouth. looking up, your eyes meet his, which only give you a look of reassurance. completely stunned by his actions, the woman finds herself at a loss of words, grumbling as she stormed out of the parlor like a child throwing a tantrum

giggling as the door jingled behind her, he stepped forward, now directly parallel to you across the counter

"you never seem to catch a break, now do you?" he almost laughs, still amused at the woman's childlike nature. trying to keep your composure, you only shrug with a smile

"thank you, again. for caring I mean. you didn't have to do that" you insist, unable to meet his eyes, a little nervous being around someone you deemed way too out of your league. he only frowns

"y/n, this is only my second time meeting you but I swear if someone tries to disrespect you again, I will defend you towards the ends of the earth. who else is gonna recommend me ice cream flavors?" he ends with a teasing smile, which you only scoff at, ignoring the butterflies in your stomach at the implications of the beginning of his statement

his smile grows, a contagious expression which only reflects back to you

"speaking of ice cream recommendations, that was quite possibly the best ice cream I've ever had. when I got home, I couldn't stop thinking about coming back here. please share some more of your ice cream secrets, oh wise one" he teases, making you giggle. you ignore how your heart skipped a beat at the thought of him thinking about you like you had him

it wasn't like that

right?

you tap your chin comically as you think. the whole time, he bears an expectant look on his face, giving you his full, undivided attention, making you a little nervous if you do say so yourself

"you fancy me as a cookie dough kind of guy" you joke, playing along, making him smirk

"is that so?" he gives you an amused look. you don't miss the way his eyes rake you before returning to yours

"I'll take your word. I'll have that then, please" he smiles, sitting down on a stool in front of the counter, still parallel to you, watching as you make the treat

"so, if you don't mind me asking, what brought you here? there must be a reason why you wanna stay here even after all these fussy customers" he asks curiously, eyes never leaving you. as you scoop a few spoons of the cookie dough, you smile to yourself

"just trying to save up for a concert that's all" you tell the truth, opting to not elaborate, guessing he wouldn't care to ask anyways. your answer seems to pique his interest as he rests his chin in his hand, eyeing you with a curious look

"ooo what artist?" he questions, much to your surprise. you decide to tease the boy a bit, feeling oddly comfortable with him already though you just met him the previous day

"you sure do ask a lot of questions don't you? definitely cookie dough" you don't miss how he smiles to himself at your comment. he lifts his arms in defense with a warm smile

"got me there. now who are you seeing?" he continues. at this point you hand him his ice cream, making sure to add rainbow sprinkles on top. though he didn't ask for them, you did so nonetheless considering how he seemed to enjoy them the previous day. your guess seemed to be correct as his eyes lit up immediately

"oh thank you" *gasp* "how'd you know I love sprinkles" he takes a spoonful of the treat, humming in delight as his eyes shut, his head thrown back dramatically

"you're a genius, y/n, I swear" he says through mouthfuls of ice cream, making you laugh

"thank you, and, to answer your question, I'm seeing enhypen. have you h-" he immediately lets out a gasp, almost choking on his spoonful. bracing his chest, he swallows his bite before looking at you with wide eyes

"you like enhypen?" he speaks in a hoarse voice which you only guess is from the coldness he quickly swallowed. you nod questionably, still confused as to why he had such a visceral reaction. he throws his head back in disbelief before craning his neck back to face you, leaning forward over the counter, resting his chin in his hand once more

"I literally religiously listen to their music it's not even funny" he jokes, taking another spoonful of ice cream

"what can I say? only hot people love enha" you state, not even processing your words until they come out of your mouth. eyes widening, you immediately regret it after seeing him look up from his ice cream with a teasing smile

"so are you implying I'm hot?" he teases, cocking his head to the side as he raises his eyebrows, making you freeze, scrambling to come up with some witty response to save yourself

"well I was implying I was hot actually but I guess you're included in there too" you state, masking your nervousness with feigned confidence. he bursts into a fit of laughter, throwing his head back and clapping his hands, a habit you found way too cute for your liking. calming down, he wipes away the tears that formed in his eyes, giving you an approving nod

"touche, touche"

high from your sudden boost of confidence, you continue playing along, matching his energy

"so then you're implying I'm hot. touche, am I right?" you say with a look way too innocent for your intentions. giving him your best does eyes in an attempt to amuse the boy. you could see his act falter a bit as he scoffs taken aback by your words, low-key finding it really attractive

"if the shoe fits" he states simply, as if his words weren't going to replay in your mind the rest of the day and keep you up at night pondering their intentions. taking one last spoonful of his ice cream, he walks toward the counter to pay, immediately putting his change in the tip jar just as he did the previous day. before leaving, he didn't forget to bid you a goodbye, promising to come by the next day to see you

a jake stan you presume

✧

the next sale will begin in:

12 days 6 hours 0 minutes and 2 seconds

though the shop had it's flaws, one thing about it you adored was the days off. with every employee being part time, the manager decided to just give everyone a day off every week to meet the hour requirements for part timers. having a day to yourself to escape the antarctic temperatures and even colder people was essential

normally, you would have stayed home and basked in your ability to sleep in. though, you ultimately decided against it when finding out the local pool was open. now you weren't a fan of public pools, infested with children who fail to control their bladders. but, with your oddly good luck, you arrive at a time earlier than most head for a swim, ensuring the pool all to yourself

slipping your towel off your skin, you gently make your way into the water, hissing at the cold temperature. sighing in relief as your muscles seemed to relax, you bask in the sunlight. bracing yourself with your arms off the edge of the pool, you sway your feet up and down, almost like a mermaid. you laugh to yourself. suddenly getting an idea, you slide yourself into the water fully, gripping onto the edge of the pool with just your hands. dipping your hair in the water, you wip back singing "part of your world~" as water splashes all around you dramatically

as you look up, your smile slowly drops as a heavy blush takes over your face

"hey, princess" that same voice you found yourself replaying in your mind rang out just above you. he gives you a smile but you only widen your eyes at the name, making him suddenly go into a frenzy

"no no no, I didn't mean it in like a player, f-boy way. like princess as in princess ariel. and you were just ariel so I-" you only giggle at his panicked stage, finding him increasingly adorable by the minute

"are you gonna keep rambling or are you gonna join me?" you tease, suddenly getting confidence boost. you immediately pat yourself on the back when you see a blush take over his face. you pretend not to notice. he shyly slips his way into the pool beside you, albeit a few feet adjacent to you, only amusing you more

"don't worry, riki. I don't bite on fridays" you slip your sunglasses down your nose, giving him a teasing look which he only returns with a shy smile. for a few minutes, you two sat in silence like that. it was then when it finally occurred to you that your conversations never went beyond the shop. desperately trying to think up a conversation, he thankfully starts

"I really like ariel" he finally speaks up, meeting your gaze with an unsure look. you smile warmly at his comment. he continues

"my older sister, konon, had this bright red hair when we were little. I always told her she looked like ariel" he laughs at the memory, almost making you feel like you were there too

"I guess she kind of became my favorite Disney princess 'cause she reminded me of her. you know how younger siblings kinda idolize their big sisters at that age. and my little sister, sola." he smiles to himself "gosh she's a character"

"you and your sisters must be close" you say, orienting yourself to face him, giving him your full, undivided attention. he pretends not to be flustered by the sudden attention, nodding with a smile

"what brings you here by the way? I WAS planning on having the pool all to myself so you at least owe me an explanation" you joke. he hesitates a little before responding, refusing to meet your gaze

"well, I was gonna get ice cream butsawyouweren'tthere so I decided to come here to cool off" he mutters his words in the middle but you understand nevertheless. with a smile, you lightly push his side a little. you don't miss the way he tenses at the contact

"it's not like scooping ice cream is a skill. you could've gone in even if I wasn't there" you tease, seeing him smile to himself a little at your words

"I dunno, it's not the same without you there" he finally meets your gaze as he speaks. you panic a little at his confession

"ya! you ruined ice cream for me. now I can't have it without you" he complains dramatically, making you giggle. you don't notice his smile forming at your happy state

"well I'm sorry I let you down today. how about we have some now, my treat" you offer, seeing the glimmer in his eyes at your invitation. you can practically see the cogs turning in his head as he contemplates the right response. deciding to tease him further, you gradually climb the steps to get out of the water

"I'm not getting any younger~" he is immediately snapped out of his thoughts at your words. without thinking, he gently grabs your wrist, stopping you in your tracks

"it's a date" he gives you an unsure look, biting his lip a little in anticipation. you try to keep your composure but the look on his face was too priceless. giggling like a teenage girl, you shake his hand away playfully

"don't get ahead of yourself now" you tease, flashing him a smile as you run off playfully. searching for you things, you rummage through your bag in search of your towel. mentally cursing at yourself, you realize you had forgotten it at home. pouting at the implications of you walking around town all wet, you sigh

emerging from the water himself, riki quickly takes notice of your frustrated state. searching for his towel, he wordlessly approaches your wet figure

"may I?" holding the towel just before it made contact with your back, he gives you a warm smile. giving him a shy nod, you quietly thank him, not missing the way he tries not to touch you out of respect as he helps drape it around you

"let's go, yeah?" waiting for you, you stop dead in your tracks at his actions. inhaling, you didn't miss the boy's scent hitting your nose, soothing you. in a weird way, you felt a gravitation towards the boy you couldn't quite explain. felt so safe with him though you'd only met him not long ago. shaking your thoughts, you hold the towel around yourself, nodding a shy thank you before following him

upon reaching the ice cream parlor, he insisted you choose for him, requesting you "surprise" him. with a playful roll of your eyes, you order for the both of you, reaching for your wallet to pay only for him to hand his own bill to the woman behind the counter, much to your surprise. with a smile, he insists its his treat as an apology for interrupting your pool day

making sure to hand you your ice cream first, you thank him before you begin to walk. about to leave himself, the employee stops him before you notice

"your girlfriend is beautiful by the way, you're a very lucky guy" the old woman gives him a smile as she hands over the soft serve. blushing to himself a little, he returns her smile

"I know"

"riki!" you call after him after noticing he wasn't next to you. beckoning him over, he takes one last glance at the woman before running to catch up to you. smiling as he slowly reached you, your eyes catch an arcade down the street. both giving each other a challenging look, you wordlessly agree to head there

✧

"but you already bought me ice cream. that's not fair" you complain with a pout, refusing to let riki pay for your tokens. trying to stop him from inserting his bill only proved to be fruitless, using your height against you. raising it above his head, he smirks as he sees you struggle. fingers gripping onto his shirt as leverage, you use the other to futility reach for the bill. he masks his blush with a smile, pretending as if he wasn't internally screaming at your touch

"come on! you're holding up the line! just let your boyfriend pay already" a bystander stresses, causing a blush to come over both of you. suddenly aware of your proximity, you let go of the boy, stepping away as you let him slip the money into the machine. collecting the tokens, you two walk away together, trying desperately to hold your laughter but mutually breaking after only a few steps of silence

with a gasp, he immediately pulls you to two basketball machines adjacent to each other off to the right of the arcade. giddily inserting the tokens into their respect slots, you shoot him a smirk

"watch and learn pretty boy" you tease, knowing VERY well you were all bark and no bite. you can see his tongue poking at the side of his cheek, amused

"we'll see about that, babe" he challenges, his voice dropping an octave in a tone too attractive than you'd like to admit

as if on cue, the clock starts and basketballs roll down the ramp. your eyes widen at the boys lightening reflexes, immediately grabbing a ball. taking a gulp, you swiftly pick up a ball yourself, shooting and (thankfully) succeeding much to your surprise

with new found motivation to beat the boy, you keeping shooting, glancing over at his score every so often as you waited for balls to roll down. as if feeling your eyes on him, the boy turns his head, throwing you a wink

"this one's for you, y/n" he says in a voice you assume was supposed to sound flirty. rolling your eyes, you watch as he dramatically dribbles the ball, flicking his wrist as he throws it only to completely miss the net. a wide-eyed look comes over his face, absolutely crushing his ego. you can't help but burst out laughing, doubling over as you brace yourself against the boy

soon enough, the buzzer goes off with you two only making a couple of shots, not that you cared. eyeing the scoreboards, you smirk. turning to the boy, you bat your eyelashes mockingly at him, rubbing your win in his face. with a smile, he accepts defeat, satisfied enough by seeing you have a good time. with a giggle, he watches you flaunt the tickets you won

with a gasp, you tap the boy excitedly, pointing toward a claw machine just a few games down. you (of course) take the opportunity to tease him

"if you get me something from there, maybe we can all forget about that excuse for a shot back there" you cock your head, giving him a challenging look. he hates the way your attitude worked wonders on his mind. how it makes it much harder to resist looking at your lips. how it turns his mind into putty and makes him eager enough for your attention to instantly take you up on the offer. though he would've done it anyway if it meant your happiness

"which one do you want?" he asks, scanning the plushies for himself, mentally playing a guessing game of which you would choose. as soon as you laid eyes on the machine, you knew exactly which one you wanted. with a smile, you happily pointed to a little duck plushie. he gives you a questioning look but inserts the tokens nonetheless

being places in be middle of two games, the claw machine had only the facet facing you visible. combined with his tall frame, you found it hard to watch. with a pout, you searched for a way to observe him play, eyes lighting up when you see an opening just in front of the boy

slipping just under the boy's arms, you feel him freeze a little before resting his chin on your forehead, continuing to jut the switch "strategically." the same feeling took over yourself. you were nothing to him but why did it feel right to be this close to him? why did you feel so safe at this proximity and crave more than just the contact of his chin on your head?

your thoughts are interrupted by him pulling away, much to your dismay, shouting in celebration at his win as he happily danced around like a child. swiftly grabbing the duck plushie from the slot, he handed it to you with a smile, which you only returned

"okay, okay, I'll forget about that lame shot. thank you riki" you smile, eyes lingering a little too long as they meet his. giving you a playful nudge, you giggle as you watch him feign annoyance. hugging your duck plushie, you hold it up next to his face, using your other hand to caress your chin in a pondering manner

"hmm there's definitely a resemblance" you tease, looking up at the boy who only gives you an unamused look. you giggle as he pouts a bit, further proving your point

"you're too cute" you say with a laugh, only further annoying him

"not cute" he mumbles under his breath, crossing his arms like a child, earning a chuckle from you

"if you insist my little duckie" your voice raises in a teasing manner toward the end, already sensing his annoyance growing

he was too easy

"oh you're gonna get it" he threatens with a scoff too attractive for the situation

"not if you can't catch me~" you tease, running off before he could realize it, searching for a hiding spot amongst the neon lights and laughing crowds, face lighting up at a perfect spot just behind the basketball machines. being on a slant, you'd be under the upper portion of the game, giving you enough space to hide without being too claustrophobic

you almost laugh at how childish you were being but he didn't seem to care, eagerly searching for you through the crowds. with the spot in sight, you try to slip your way through the many people huddled around the arcade machines, running as fast as you could. your tunnel vision didn't seem to take notice of a quite everything in front of you, though. you immediately stop in your tracks at a figure in front of you just before you ram into them

"hey hey what's the rush pretty girl?" a boy around your age stood before you, a smug look on his face. your breath quickened a bit. for some odd reason, you couldn't help but feel disgusted at his words. like they were wrong to hear. like you were betraying riki in a way but letting the boy very obviously flirt with you. flashing him a fake smile, you try to slip through the crowds to lose him but he persists, taking hold of your arm with a vice grip

"let me go!" tears start to well in your eyes in fear, no one seeming to notice. scanning the crowds of people for the boy seemed futile

"relax, babe. we can talk this over somewhere else, yeah?" he smirks, starting to drag you toward the door. hot tears roll down your eyes as you try shaking his grip away

"hey! she told you to let her go" a familiar voice appears. with a hopeful look, you lock eyes with riki whose face bares a petrified expression. you can see the pain in his eyes as he feigns a confident look

"and who are you?" the stranger asks bitterly. you see him hesitate before he speaks, giving you a look beforehand, almost an 'im sorry'

"she's my girlfriend, so if she told you to let her go, then let her the fuck go" his voice shakes, his anger not masking his fear entirely, but you suppose the boy doesn't notice, immediately letting go of your arm, lifting his arms defensively before walking out the door

as your eyes finally meets riki's, his gaze softens, enveloping you into a tight hug. hit with the gravity of the situation if he weren't there, you cling to him, letting your tears dampen his shirt as he holds your head, massaging your scalp

"I'm so sorry I let you out of my sight, angel. I promise it'll never happen again" his voice was soft, his breath tickling the shell of your ear as his arms never left your side. you ignore the butterflies in your stomach at the name, too focused on his warm hold seemingly washing your worries away. cupping your cheek, he looks into your eyes with a soft smile as he rubs soothing circles onto your skin as he gently wipes a tear away

"how about I take you home" he whispers, looking down into your eyes as he towered over your figure. nodding wordlessly, you let him lead you towards the door, hand still around your waist, too afraid to let you go. you knew by now he was a man of boundaries, one of respect. but he couldn't bring himself to leave your side. placing a hand over his on your waist gave him the reassurance he needed that he had your consent

in that moment, you realize he never corrected himself when he addressed you as his girlfriend

you didn't seem to mind

walking through the streets as he led you home, you couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. the fact that a bystander would probably mistaken you two for a couple and you wouldn't correct them. you couldn't help but shake the thought that you could get used to it

upon reaching your door, you could see the hesitation in his movements, slowly dropping his hand from your waist. he scans you before speaking, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear

"are you sure you're okay, y/n" his voice softens as he searches into your eyes for any sign of discomfort

"never been better" you smile, slipping your hands around his neck, embracing him as an expression of your gratitude "thank you." you close your eyes as you squeeze him tighter, knowing he would never truly know how grateful you were for him through words alone

"my pleasure" he watches intently as you pull away, pulling your keys out to unlock your door. as your back faces him, he can't shake the one thought he had on his mind, couldn't let you slip away from him once more. with a gentle grip on your wrist, he pulls you back into his arms. hands coming up to cup your cheeks, he tilts his head, lips colliding with yours

for a second, the world stopped, the only thing running through your mind being the sweet taste of vanilla on the boy's lips. as the reality hits you, you follow his movements, tangling your fingers through the boy's soft locks. you feel a hot tear roll down your cheek, feeling utterly complete at the contact you've been craving for too long. as if this very moment answered all of the burdening questions and doubts that previously ran through your mind

and just like that, it got stripped away from you

he pulls away abruptly, eyes shifting frantically as his hands came up to his hair, pulling at the strands you once touched. you can hear his breath quicken as he speaks

"fuck, fuck, fuck, I didn't mean to do that. I didn't even ask for your consent. you were just hit on by some creep and this is what I do. God, I'm such a horrible person" you hear his voice shake as he paces back and forth

"please don't hate me" he locks eyes with you. only then do you see the streaks of tears rolling down his cheeks and the bloodshot nature of his eyes

"oh, ki, I could never hate you" tears begin to well in your own eyes. you attempt to approach the boy, cupping his cheeks in reassurance. he only feels disgusted with himself at your actions, feeling as if he manipulated you to feel that way. knowing you would never feel the same as he did you, he mutters an 'im sorry' before leaving

in that moment, it was as if every foot away from the boy was another one you'd never get back. you wish you could blame someone, something, but you couldn't shake the feeling that you were part to blame. like sand, you let the boy slip right through your hold. only the remnants of what used to be remained, leaving you completely empty

✧

the next sale will begin in:

8 days 18 hours 9 minutes and 26 seconds

"one scoop of mint chocolate ice cream, one of cookies and cream, one of rasberry, and one of chocolate in a sugar cone with rainbow sprinkles, chocolate drizzles and Oreos on top. and get it right, it's for my kid" they end with a forced smile, not even bothering to say please or thank you, not that you cared. every day felt like an endless loop, a time without meaning ever since the boy left you that day. how much you wished to see his puma eyes and tall figure walk through those glass doors. how you wish you could've hugged him tighter that day, then maybe he would still be here with you

forcing a smile became increasingly difficult. anybody could see you were at your breaking point. as the days passed and the voicemails accumulated, it felt as if you deserved to be ghosted, deserved the rude treatment, only pulling yourself through the day by pure muscle memory

eyes flickering to the clock, you began to lose hope that the boy would ever walk through those doors again. taking your last order, you greet the family goodbye with a feigned smile before you heave the heavy mop onto the tile floor emotionlessly. hearing the bell at the door ringing, you take in a sharp breath

"sorry we're closed" you force out, not even feeling like feigning a peppy voice. hearing a pair of shoes shuffling closer, you clench your jaw, ready to break at any point. looking up, your eyes meet the ones that have kept you up on sleepless nights, haunted your thoughts

wordlessly, you run to the boy, not even bothering to stop the tears from streaming down your cheeks. immediately doing what you dreamt of doing these past nights, you tiptoe to reach the boy, cupping his cheeks softly and letting his lips meet yours. your breath hitches and you taste the saltiness of your tears as you feel the boy's soft lips you missed dangerously. letting his forehead meet yours, you whisper painfully

"please don't leave again. please, ki" you breath out, interlocking your fingers in his hair as you did that day

"I promise, angel. I promise. I'm so sorry for being such a coward" you only shush the boy, relishing in the warmth you missed oh so much. you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding when his hands find purchase on your waist. you can't help but think the fit was too perfect for it not mean to be

"angel" he whispers sweetly into your ear, making your breath hitch. you only hum in response, not wanting release your hold on him just yet

"will you be mine?" he caressed your cheek softly as he whispers. you only giggle through tears

"only if you come see enha with me" you smile, leaning into the touch. wiping the tears from his cheeks, he chuckles

"you got yourself a deal"

fin

author's note: I hope you can tell I love angst but only to a certain extent cuz this one lasted a grand total of 5 seconds😍

also this is my first longer fic so pls let me know what you think!!! I would really appreciate it<3

@hachimarii 🤭🤭

#enhypen #enhypen fluff #ni ki enhypen #niki fluff #niki x reader #niki x you #nishimura niki #enha x reader #enha imagines #ni ki #ni ki imagines #niki soft hours #enhypen niki #enha #enha fluff #niki enhypen

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strawheart-pirate · 10 months

Text

Drunken Lullabies

Zoro x gn!Reader

Words: 891 CW: SFW / Fluff / Party on the Sunny / Drinking alcohol / Just talks and stargazing

You join Zoro at the back of the Thousand Sunny. While sharing a bottle of sake you make yourself comfortable and wait for shooting stars.

A harmonic tune wavered across the Thousand Sunny, accompanied by Luffy’s laughter. It was a party aboard the ship. Drinks were passed around, snacks were served and everyone enjoyed a cheerful evening without worry.

Your chat with Chopper has come to an end recently, as he now headed inside the Sunny to catch some sleep. You observe the deck in search of your next activity. Would you join Luffy and Usopp, both pretending to be dinosaurs and fighting for meat? Or would you join Jinbe, Nami and Robin as they relax by the swing, talking about some random stuff? Brook and Franky were both busy, since Brook was playing the piano and Franky was adding a hook on his guitar to the tune. Sanji was also occupied, but he was constantly swooning over the girls, offering snacks and special beverages to them. Wait, someone’s missing.

You got up and grabbed a bottle of sake on your way towards the back of the ship. Your balance was a little off due to the alcohol and you had to steady yourself one time, but you made it without crashing into anything. Zoro sat with his back against the railing, his arms folded behind his head and his eyes closed. You admired his features as the moon illuminated them just perfectly before you let yourself fall beside him. He didn’t even bat an eye. Closing your eyes, you enjoyed the silence and the safety Zoro’s presence provided before opening the bottle of sake.

“Wanna share?” You took a small sip and offered the bottle to the greenette.

“Sure. Have you had enough of the party or were you just escaping some weird games?” He finally opened his eye and took the bottle from your hands, shifting on his spot a little.

“Haha, no. Chopper left and I searched for some good company to end the night with.”

He smirked and took another sip before he passed you the bottle. After a few moments, you broke the silence again.

“The night is truly beautiful. You think we’re going to see some shooting stars?” you asked.

“Don’t know. Want to make a wish?”

“Maybe. Even I have a goal I want to reach.”

“Then let’s get comfortable; maybe we’ll catch one or two.” Zoro said and repositioned himself so that he can see the sky better. He motioned for you to come closer, so you sat shoulder to shoulder beside each other, just the bottle of sake separating your hips.

As you scan the sky for shooting stars, you passed the bottle to each other silently. You enjoyed him being so near and the warmth that radiated off his body. There were no words needed and a calmness has wrapped around both of you quite comfortable. It was a few minutes later, that this blissful arrangement was broken.

“On my side, just above the horizon!” He nearly shouted and pointed his finger in that direction.

“Wow!” you gasped at the sight, but quickly closed your eyes to make a wish. As you opened them again there was a smile on your face.

“What did you wish for?” Zoro was curious.

“Can’t say. You know, if you wish on a shooting star, you can’t say your wish to anyone or it won’t come true.” You told him and smiled to yourself.

“Too bad.” Zoro took the last sip from the bottle before he placed it aside. “Got night watch later?”

“No, do you?” you asked, yawning a little.

“No.” Zoro answered and rested his head on your shoulder. “Do you mind?”

“No.” You said and rested your head on his. “You know, my grandfather used to sleep outside in the warm summer nights. If I were to wake up in the middle of the night and he was outside, I would always go over to him with my blanket and pillow and settle beside him. He would always tell me tales about the stars until I was asleep again.”

“You miss them dearly.” Zoro stated.

“Yes, there is not a day without.”

“Tell me more. If I remember correctly, your grandma used to bake these crazy good cookies that you try to recreate with the ero cook.”

“Oh yes! They were to die for!” you said enthusiastically.

You told him about the cookies and more stories from your childhood until you felt his head getting heavier and a soft snore could be heard. You smiled as you looked down on Zoro. This man was truly a mystery. You didn’t know that he had noticed you baking with Sanji and it amazed you that he remembered the fact that your grandmother baked cookies.

“Why… stop?” Zoro whispered half asleep and ripped you out of your trance.

“Huh?” was the only sound that came out of your mouth. You were flustered.

“Like your voice… Please… More lullaby…”

You were amazed at how Zoro could ask for something in his sleep, but who were you to deny his wish? “Alright, more you’ll get. But only until I’m asleep myself.”

You made yourself comfortable enough to stay the night on deck. A sweet hum was heard from the green-haired swordsman when you laid your head atop of him again. You closed your eyes and started your story.

“Once upon a time, there was a small twinkling star in the night sky…”

All content unless otherwise stated belongs to: ©Strawheart-pirate. Please do not copy / modify / translate / repost my writing, banners or art on other platforms. Comments, reblogs or likes are highly appreciated!

#one piece #roronoa zoro #zoro roronoa x you #zoro roronoa x reader #zoro x y/n #zoro x reader #gn reader #oneshot #fan fiction #sfw #strawheart-pirate.writing

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mortemappetens · 2 months

Text

The official fanbook states that Toge’s biggest source of stress is morning assembly and I find funny (although, considering his manner of speaking, I can’t blame him):

——————————

It’s Monday, 8.30am, and because it’s summer the students are gathered outside. Jujutsu High is so far from a normal high school; but for some reason Principal Yaga insists on subscribing to some of the more typical and, frankly, mundane high school experiences.

Morning assembly, being one.

The schedule looks a little bit like this:

All students (wow, six of them, what a crowd) are to be gathered and organised by year at the bottom of the steps of the main campus building.

By 8.30am, all school faculty (all four of them, the fifth being on unpaid sabbatical while the third years are suspended) and the principal should also be present.

On confirming all attendees, they proceed with singing/mumbling the national anthem, voices drowned out by the inappropriately loud speakers blaring out an instrumental accompaniment.

Principal Yaga then takes centre stage to remind everybody of the school rules (perhaps because at least one is broken on a daily basis), before then moving on to students accolades.

General announcements follow, and if there are any, teachers step up to share their own announcements.

Before they end at 9am, Principal Yaga leads a very embarrassing stretching exercise to the beat of some 80s electropop music, then closes with a five minutes’ silence for “quiet reflection”.

And even if it is only once a week, Toge still sweats. Every single Monday at 8.30am, he sweats. It is particularly terrible during the summer, because it feels like he is trapping steam under his uniform. This Monday isn’t any different.

The moment the familiar trumpet instrumentals crackle out of the speakers, Toge feels the eyes on him, the grinning, even hears a giggle, and he is ready to put everyone to sleep just so he leg it the fuck out of there. Because-

Because he’s fucking singing out the list of ingredients for one of Musubiya’s more popular rice balls to the tune of Japan’s national anthem.

Like every Monday, he almost dies on his feet when he hears Panda “discreetly” transition from appropriately singing the anthem to singing rice balls ingredients. Why is Panda even here? The fuck does Panda have to be patriotic about anyway? Aren’t pandas from China? And Toge is pretty sure the materials he is constructed from is made in China, too. Fuck off, Panda.

Like every Monday, Maki sings a very unpatriotic bastardised version, a game of rice balls Mad Libs. This morning, she decided that the opening verse should be, “May the nori of the onigiri last for ten thousand servings […]”. The fuck is that supposed to even mean, Maki?!

Like every Monday, Nobara tries her best at channeling her inner pop idol and belts out the lyrics, each week louder than the last. But of course, with the antics of her upperclassmen, she punctuates each verse with a cackle - each week louder than the last. Come on, Nobara, pop idols never break character.

Yuji is a relatively new addition. He doesn’t know the drill very well. Toge is grateful for it. It is a refreshing change to have someone sing the lyrics of the anthem without inserting any laughter or culinary flairs. He does stare a lot, though. Toge can feel his comically large eyes burn his ears red.

And Megumi- Well, like every Monday, Megumi stands perfectly still, lips slightly parted though no sound is uttered, his eyes resolutely shut. Toge wonders how long it took him to perfect his talent for sleeping anywhere, on his back or standing upright.

And it’s not like any of them can be ignored. There’s just the six of them. There’s no cacophony of voices to drown out Toge’s, no sea of bodies to duck behind. There isn’t the anonymity that comes from being just another student, another face. And surely, most definitely, none of the teachers miss what each of them is doing.

But Jujutsu High is no ordinary high school staffed with ordinary teachers, run by an ordinary principal. And Toge’s no ordinary student. So Principal Yaga doesn’t say a word, Gojo sensei sways to the morose beat of the anthem, Dr. Ieri takes a leaf out of Megumi’s book, and Kusakabe sensei scrolls through his phone. And Toge (and Panda, and Maki) ends the anthem with a mumbled “pickled plum”, wiping the cortisol saturated sweat from his forehead.

At least the worst of it is over. Now he just has to mentally prepare for Principal Yaga’s fucking morning aerobics.

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk crack #jjk fanfic #inumaki toge #maki zenin #jjk panda #nobara kugisaki #yuji itadori #megumi fushiguro #yaga masamichi #gojo satoru #shoko ieiri #kusakabe atsuya

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idjitlili · 2 years

Text

Billy hargrove x female reader.

Bulltrue.

Summary: working at the video store along side Steve and Robin had its 'disadvantages'.

Word count: 3677

Warnings: Billy lives au and I cannot remember if the video store was next to the arcade, anyways. Language, undressing. Sex references.

A/n: Please, I am having intense feelings about Billy, and I have not wrote fanfiction in months, I apologise. I ended a bad relationship a couple of weeks ago, which distracted me from writing. ( Why ikr reading fanfiction is so much better.) BUT IM HERE and I love men with long hair. Pls michael and billy are the same.

NOT MY IMAGE

Deciding to work in the video store for the summer seemed like a good idea at the time, and maybe it was, except cleaning up the vomit and other human discharge. Judging random peoples movie taste? Who wouldn't want to do that?

You had moved to Hawkins that year from a long way away, you knew no one. Well, until you had met Robin and with meeting her you met Steve, then after meeting Steve the rest came along. You had met Robin when your mum had sent you to mall to pick up some things with the promise that you could get food. And you had chosen to get Ice-cream, and with that Robin had served you and questioned you as you did stick like a sore thumb.

Everyday you had to work, you'd walk, the same route, the same routine ( depending on your schedule but it was most the same). Everyday you did the same loud blue camaro would drive past, each time almost making your ears explode. At first you did not trust the speed at which the driver was going at, but as time went on the car had slowed down. You never got a good look at the driver but he did get one each day he saw you.

Billy would not admit to himself he had taken a liking to you ( even with never interacting with you), no, he was simply checking you out.

"Hey, Y/n." Steve had greeted you with the most monotone voice, a gust of air reaching you from where he had walked past you as you restocked the horror section. Putting down the VHs your legs had cracked from where you had been kneeling for so long.

"Oh, hi. You okay?" His eyes turning back to you after he'd put his bag in the staffroom he had huffed resting his hands on his hips his eyebrows scrunched.

" Absolutely brilliant, sweets."

"Right, well, you've got bird poop in your hair." Eyes widening Steves hands immediately reached his hair with panic he had began to yell a large range of curses, until he saw the smirk plastered upon your face.

" Wow, not funny." With that he walked off still messing with his hair. Reaching ovver to pick up the last VHS, Lost boys. The sound of a pair of feet had reaching your ears just as you saw the two legs behind you through legs. Legs in tight blue jeans. You hadn't heard the bell ring. Quickly standing to full height, spinning on the balls of feet to face the customer.

Ghosting over your body with his bright eyes,long dark lashes, smirk building. He wanted you to see him checking you out. His lips twisted, soft lips, like perfect lips, kissable like River phoenix's. Golden curls of hair sitting on his shoulders, tank cling to him and jeans tighter than david bowies leggings.

" ooh,hi , s-sorry. Is there anything I can do for you?" Cheeks hot, as you stubbled over your words, being jumped out of your skin by a random hot individual was understandble reason to get flustered. Especially when he had just laughed. Reaching up to hold your rname tag inching closer as he lent over to read it.

"Don't apologise...Y/n. Ah. Yes, actually you can." Losing eye contact his eyes scanned the room,like to see what actually this store was, to make up an excuse to talk longer. Though you didn't think that. His eye locking back onto you.

"I'd like to rent a movie, do you have any suggestions for me, Gorgeous." Cheeks heating up again at the strangers playful tone, you looked down at the video in your hands.

" Well, without knowing amything about you just going off your fashion sense, I feel like Lost boys would be a good choice for you." His lips dropping from his charming smile into a o shape, as he became flustered by your comment. No one, no one, speaks to Billy Hargrove like that. But Billy for once was not angered, instead he saw the smirk plastered on the face he had been thinking about for weeks and laughed.

" Oh, do tell me what's that's supposed to mean." His rough hands brushed against yours as he took the video tape from your hands to inspect the video.

" I mean, firstly you have a mullet so, and UI was deciding is he going for Rob Lowe in st Elms fire or Michael Emerson from Lost boys. And from your charming behaviour yes you act more like Rob but Lost boys is Such a better movie. And I mean no offence both are very handsome." He raised an eyebrow at you looking away from the video.

"Are you calling me handsome, Y/n?" Billy wasn't the type to tease with no intention of getting laid, since the accident at starcourt, he has changed. Not that he would admit that either. Almost dying changes your perspective on things, how you feel about people, how you feel about yourself, what you haven't achieved, and things you're not proud of. For Billy he wanted someone to love, yes he knows he cares for Max now but that isn't the same as romantic love. Since he saw you he wanted you, he didn't know why, so here he was.

"Uhhhh...yeah. You do look like you're dressed up as Michael."

"Bullshit."

"Bulltrue."

The teasing between the pair of you had caught the attention of your coworker, Steve had not heard you act this way with anyone previously and recognised the voice of the guy you were speaking to. He dreaded the outcome of his walk toward you.

"Y/n, there you are- oh." Steve had walked towards you, quite loudly, locking eyes with Billy . Taking in his posture, Billy's arm rested on the shelf next to you, the gap between you very small for strangers, the suggestive eyebrow raise from Billy angered Steve for your sake. He didn't want you to get used by some man whore.

"Harrington."

"Billy."

The tension in the air between the two, was obvious to you, and probably literally anyone, they were death staring each other. Sure Billy had changed, and Steve did know Billie saved Eleven but still he did not trust him. Plus, how many times has he been beaten up by him. Too many. There wqs silence between the three of you for a good minute before Steve patted his hand on your shoulder. It was clear Steve would be talking to you after Billy had left.

"So, it seems you and Steve have a great relationship... " Billy had chuckled lightly.

" You could say that."

" Well, Billy what do you think about renting Lost boys?"

"I'll rent it, just so I can come back and speak to you." You simply smiled at Billy, knowing that he was the type of guy to flirt with anything or anyone. ( Poor coconut. Yes, that one story about guy fucking cocunut, Billy probably did something like that.)

Ringing him up at the counter, he sent you one last wink, before turning to slowly walk towards the door giving youa great view of his ass in his tight jeans.

" Bye, sweetheart, see you soon. " watching him as he eent through the glass doors turn his face to the right for a second , as to get another look at you. Smirking himself that you were still fixated on him. Opening the drivers door of his camaro, he had sped off in seconds. Blue camaro, the car, that you saw everyday. Deducing thst it was the same one as how many people drive a car like that in Hawkins? Not many.

Steve stood at the counter resting his back on it with his arms crossed, his lips turned downwards and slowly shaking his head. Within the next hour ( broken up due to customers), he had explained everything there was to know about Billy Hargrove.

The things Stevehad told you about the 'Keg king' made you rethink your meeting of Billy. Had he just been sweet and flirty because you were 'fresh meat' another bitch to conquer. The way he apparently treated people like Steve presented insecurity in himself, like Billy was trying to tame a bull, the bull being the world. Maybe there was someone deeper going on in his head. Maybe, he had built this walls to protect himself from further hurt.

Though, what would you know you just convinced him to rent a movie.

The next time you had seen Billy was lesss than a week later, well, one working day for you. Didn't want to be charged a late fee, clearly. Steve was not working at that time, Robin was tasked with reshelving and you were stuck behind the counter. Which you didn't mind because you got to sit and read (or doodle) other than the socal interaction you had to deal with it is great.

Placing your slushie back onto the counter , the water droplets falling to the surface, as you sneezed into your elbow for what felt like trillion sneezes. The patter of trainers walked towards you unknowingly, those feet which were normally booted.

"Bless you." With your eyes closed still you figured that was not Robins voice. Opening them you were faced with Billy leaning his forearm on counter , his lips twisted in a smile as he chewed quietly on the gum inbetween his lips. Sunglasses rested on the centre of his tank top, he was dressed in his lifeguard uniform, with his tight bright shorts highlighting his mighty sword. Maybe, you should stop checking him out wuen he watching? Would that be impossible?

"Thank you." Sipping at your slushie again, the straw between your plump lips , Billy watching intently.

" You're so welcome, babe." As you pulled away from the straw, Billy held his hand out for your drink. He looked like he needed it, his exposed body was glistening in the light that travelled through the windows, what moisturiser and oils did he use to look that good. Maybe, it was just sweat. Before you could let go of the slushie his hand had latched onro the cup whilst you still held it and had taken a long sip from it. Before slowly releasing his grip from you to fiddle with the Lost boys vhs tape on the counter.

Okay, admittedly you wouldn't allow some random person to drink your drink but his smile and his 'kurt cobain' ( great description you know) eyes with his long lashes fluttering at you made your heart beat unbearably fast.

"W-what did you think of the movie?" Spluttering over you words to cover up your nerves due to the man in front of you piercing you with his eyes.

"Well, I can definitely understand how I look like Michael just ten times more attractive. Other than that, I loved it. You are very good at your job." He paused for a moment to caught his breathe before reaching up to push a strand of hair from your face.

" Though, Y/n, that does make me wonder about what else you can do." If your face was not on fire already it was now, the words dripped out of his soft lips like syrup.

"Uh.. , well, I can consume the rest of this slushie." And before you could grab the slushie , Billy had it holding it away from you, urging you to reach and grab it.

" Can you?" Huffing you sunk back into your chair , Billy just smirked from above you.

" I'm only teasing." Handing you back the slushie , and pushing the Vhs towards you.

"I need you to recommend me another movie, if you would."

You didn't see the Billy that Steve had described, other than the flirting but that was just in Billy's nature. He seemed sweet, and he seemed to take a liking to you. Sometimes multiple times a week Billy would come in ask yoj to recommend him a movie qnd then talk to you qbout it when he returned. Never, did he speak to any of your coworkers only to asl for you.

Robin and Steve and sometimes the little ones would discuss Billy and you. Sometimes being everytime they saw you two interact. For four weeks , four weeks Billy had to entered the video store with the sole purpose of talking to you with the cover of renting of videos.

On one particular day you had been walking home with rain chucking down, hail stones , lightning, the works. Your clothing stuck to your body like sap, hair stuck to your face , not one inch of you was dry. You wished you had left your walkman at home, no doubt it was ruined.

Normally you loved the rain, the smell, the droplets hitting your face , but today hadn't been the best day. Both of your coworkers that were meant to work that evening after your shift had called in sick and no one could cover, so, you were stuck alone for over three hours. Not exactly great since it is a lot to run a wh9le store by yourself. Especially when a lot of weirdos love to come in before closing. You hoped Billy may of came in today, but he didn't oddly.

It had started to rain just as you got there for your shift and hadn't stopped, and even better no one could pick you up. To say the least you figured 'oh today the day either I get hit by lightning or get murdered' .

Walking along the path holding up your hood speed walking as quick as you possibly could. The thunder so loud you didn't hear the purr of the camaro that pulled up beside you. Rolling down his window, slowly following you as you walked away from the car Billy called for you.

"Y/n/n, Y/n. Y/n! " He had to shout loud, very loud like his father, loud like when he would threaten others, he hated that he to shout like that especially at you. You thought you had been imagining hearing your name, but when you did look around you saw Billy in his car smiling at you sympathetically. Turning on your feet you had walked over to his door , your hands leaning on thedoor as you bent down to talk to him. Already dripping into his car.

"Hey, Bil-"

"Get in the car." Interrupting you , Billy gestured for you to get in, his tone warm not like he some maniac telling to get the fuck in the car or he'd skin your toes for hotdogs. You didn't argue even though you didn't want to get his car to get soaked. Sitting on the leather shutting the door of the car , pealing of your hoodie from your skin whilst Billy watched you do so.

" You shouldn't be walking in this weather." That is all he said before he began to drive.

" I didn't have any other choice, Billy." Staring at the windscreen, the window wipers clearing it for barely a microsecond, barely could you see the road a head , it was almost dark. Turning to look at you briefly, Billy tclenched his hand on the steering wheel slightly, he felt bad, it was dark and he knew you hve walked back in conditions like this previously. He wanted to offer to drive you home but he felt like that was coming on too strong and kind of creepy.

"I can't see shit, is it alright if I pull over and see if this dies down a bit?"

Thus, leaving you trapped in a car with Billy Hargroves his camaro, the car you had heard so much about. In the dark in the rain, with his cassette playing lightly in the background of the rain smacking against the car. Drenched and freezing, even with the heat on. Billy had turned to his body to face you, eyeing over your trembling body.

"We've got to warm you up." Eyes widening snapping your face to look up to Billy, you realised this was a bad idea.

"Sorry, I meant I've got a blanket and dry clothes. I'm not trying to make a move." Guessing he didn't want to get his hair wet he climbing over the console and sat in the back of the car.

"Thank you." Ushering you to come sit in the back, he held out his hand to help you across. Not before you took your shoes off to not get dirt all over his car. Smiling at you gently as you gripped his hand. Though he raised an eyebrow about your prvious actions. You managed to carefully get over the console into the seat next to Billy.

Pulling the duffle bag from the floor,Billy pulled out a shirt and a clean pair of socks before grabbing the plaid blanket which wad thrown over the back of the seat. Passing you the clean clothes, he turned away from you.

" I'll leave more spare clothes in here for next time." Next time. Next time. What did that mean. He's just being nice surely. Pulling off your trousers and socks, replacing them with the tube socks the material trapoing the little warmth in.

" Really, Billy, thank you. You didn't have to offer me a ride home or do any of this. I really appreciate it, thank you." Billy watched the droplets of rain travel down the steamed up window, smiling to himself, not just because he has time alone with you.

"Sweetheart, there's no need to thank me, just didn't want some other guy picking up my girl." Pealing off your shirt about to put Billy's shirt on.

"My girl? Wow, where is she?" You should've put the shirt on before talking, especially teasing because clearly he thought you was dressed and turned to look at you only to see you shirtless. Eyes widening, his face flushed pink, Billy had turned away ( not quickly, he got a good look).

"Hm, in my trunk." Snorting at his comment you pulled the shirt over your head and wrapped the blanket around you shuffling over closer to Billy. Your thigh pressed against his, side by side , his warmth radiating from his body. Your hair dripping still, onto the blanket and Billys shirt. Legs bare riddled with goosebumps.

The rain still hitting the car with no sign of stopping. The windows all fully steamed up with the rainning hutting , nothing could be seen. For a few minutes silence remained between the two of you.

Fiddling with the hem of Billy's old PE shirt, your mind drifted to how you were half dressed in the back seat of a car with Billy Hargrove. If Steve could see you now, can't say youd think he'd be impressed. Compared to what Steve had suggested Billy had not been anything like what you would've thought if you just went on with Steves opinion. Maybe it was a red flag if a lot of people thought that way. He was sweet to you, stopped in the rain with you, gave you clothes, came to see you at work just to talk to you ( with the excuse that he was just renting movies) and well stole your slushie. You had grown fond of Billy, you hadn't realised until today when you didn't see him.

The presence of a rough hand being placed gently on your bare cold thigh had caused you to look up from the shirt to the hand on your thigh up to the blue eyes looking at you. Both of you knew that you would no doubt be suck here for a while.

"You know, this isn't a ploy to get in you pants. I know you've no doubt heard a lot about me." Shuffling closer to Billy you waited watching him bite his lip slightly contemplating whether to say more.

"What I'm getting at is we don't know much about each other but I'd like to get know you." Removing his hand from your thigh, gently brushed your hair out of your face Billys arm wrapped around your shoulder.

"I'd like that too." Sitting in the company of Billy Hargrove until the rain settled, just talking about nothing and everything. Time passing quickly , four hours had past before Billy had been able to drive you home.

Sitting in front of your house still in Billys clothes shoes back on, your wet clothes sat on your lap. Tying your hoodie around your waist as to cover yourself for when you'd have to walk to your house.

The thunder and lightning had stopped but the rain was still pouring. The street lights projecting orange light into the pathment , the droplets of rain illuminated by the light. Tapping his fingers against the steering wheel briefly in thought, Billy turned to looked at you once with a small smile before jumping out the car , rushing to the passenger door. Pulling his leather jacket from his shoulders , his curls begining to be weighed by the rain, opening the car door for you. Leaning over placing a foot on the drenched road before getting out of the car, closing the door behind you.

Billy held his jackekt over your head, both of you rushing to get to your house, pulling your keys out of your bag at the same time. Pushing the door open, pulling Billy into your house by his waist.

"So, want to stay over? I have Lost boys on tape."

#billy hargove x reader #billy hargrove x you #billy hargrove x y/n #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove imagines #stranger things x y/n #stranger things x reader #stranger things x you #stranger things imagine #stranger things imagines #lost boys #michael emerson #dacre montgomery imagine #dacre montgomery x reader #dacre x reader #dacre montgomery

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whentherewerebicycles · 2 months

Note

hello dear Jes, I am all out of good meal ideas!! I’m always in awe of your drive to cook and the great-looking meals you create. Any good recs for yummy and relatively easy / quick recipes? thank u 🙏

hello!! yes here are some very easy, low effort low prep recipes i love. the bolded ones are the ones i find myself making most often when i am like wow i do NOT want to cook but if i must do so, i wish to make the easiest thing ever.

shakshuka (all recipes are basically the same! i make it with canned tomatoes to cut down on prep, add a sliced jalapeno to make it spicier, and top it with feta and cilantro. if you are not crazy about eggs my sister often makes it with chickpeas and no eggs!)

thai peanut noodles (you can make as-is but i often add roasted broccoli and air fryer tofu if i have time!)

ricotta pasta with roasted broccoli and chickpeas (i roast the broccoli rather than broiling it as i am afraid of broiling lol but it's very easy and delish)

creamy corn pasta (my beloved)

spaghetti with onion-"bacon", corn, and basil

roasted sweet potato tacos (roast sweet potatoes, warm black beans on the stove with spices, and make easy quick-pickled onions if i have time - then you can add avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and any other toppings you like!)

potato egg and cheese breakfast tacos (i roast or air-fry small-cubed potatoes, scramble eggs, melt cheese into the eggs, and top with the salsa of your choice!)

migas breakfast tacos

tortellini with pesto and roasted veggies

caprese toasts (toast bread of your choice, then add pesto, sliced mozzarella, sliced cherry tomatoes, basil if you have it, and balsamic glaze... my all-time fave easy/no-cook meal)

pesto pasta with frozen peas (another super easy one i make when i want to barely cook at all - you boil the frozen peas in the pasta pot for the last three minutes of the pasta's cook time. then add pesto, grated parmesan, a squeeze of lemon, and halved cherry tomatoes if you have them)

easy asparagus soup (thinly slice a leek and cut 1-2 bunches of asparagus into half inch pieces. melt 3 TBS of butter in your pot, then saute the leek plus 5-6 cloves of garlic for 8 min. add asparagus pieces and 4-6 cups of veggie stock, bring to a boil, salt and pepper, and simmer for 30 min. transfer it all to a blender and blend, then add 1/4th cup grated parmesan and the juice of half a lemon. serve with crusty croutons and sliced chives)

roasted sweet potato & figs dish (you can also make with dried dates if you can't find figs!)

easy chana masala

nectarine, arugula, and feta salad (best in the summer when it's nectarine season but delish all year round... you can also use peaches. i usually serve it on a bed of quinoa so it's more filling/more of a main dish. the basil dressing is to die for i could eat it with a spoon)

avocado & egg sandwich (you can make this on a bagel, english muffin, or bread... just toast your bread, mash avocado onto the bread & sprinkle with red pepper flakes, and then scramble or fry eggs to your liking and put on top)

#jes cooks

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marivenah · 4 months

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WIP Wednesday (+ Music Monday)

hello everyone, I was tagged by @socially-awkward-skeleton, @direwombat and @cloudofbutterflies92 to post a wip + some tunes, also by @inafieldofdaisies for music monday, thank you all 🧡

sending no pressure tags to: @risingsh0t @bbrocklesnar @carlosoliveiraa @captmactavish @alexxmason @onehornedbeast @nightbloodbix @finding-comfort-in-rain @confidentandgood @josephslittledeputy @aceghosts @voidika @thedeadthree @shadowglens @corvosattano @jackiesarch @fourlittleseedlings @strangefable @kyber-infinitygems @leviiackrman @captastra @macs-babies @gwynbleidd @dickytwister

it's the first wip post of 2024 (AND on the first wednesday of 2024 too! wow!) and it has been going well so far! everything I'm sharing now was also written in 2024 I know yall keep saying I shouldn't apologize for sharing too much writing but I do feel bad when the snippets are really long. with that being said, apologies for these snippets.. they are really long :')

The first one is a song only. I'm writing for Zoiya again! After I reworked her playlist a little, inspiration came back. Now I want to finally write out all of the notes I have for her. And this song is just peak her:

The second one is for Bonnie, my new Coral Island girl. Just a silly little idea I had + the song that served as my biggest inspiration for her character in general:

Everything hurts. There are muscles hurting — aching — Bonnie didn’t even know could hurt like that. What an utmost wonderful time it was to live without pain. How she took it for granted. Now it’s just a memory. A blurry memory.

The heat of the sun burning on her skin was never a pleasant feeling to begin with but now with the extreme brightness on top? Torture. She was hoping her giant white summer hat could be of help. Turns out it’s a traitor. Just like her pink, heart-shaped, way too big for her face, sunglasses; the sunlight finds its way through them and stings in her eyes.

At this point she wonders why she left her house in the first place. If the farmer ever gets to have a free day, it should be today, when she’s on the brink of falling apart.

At least the morning was rather quiet. Only the soft back and forth of the ocean can be heard. Bonnie inhales the salty scent of the water. Maybe this can soothe the pain, as long as it stays quiet.

“Hungover all by yourself, gorgeous?”

Bonnie flinches slightly — as much as possible in her state — at the sudden noise.

The greeting is followed by a chaste kiss on her cheek, but she pays the man no attention and simply answers with a grumble.

“Did you sleep well?”, he asks. As if he doesn’t know.

She’s so unbelievably offended by the question, she clenches her jaw, ignores the pain and her view follows him as he sits down next to her.

The anger doesn’t last for long though. And it’s not just because he’s pretty — damn him, this would be a lot easier if he wasn’t — but because he’s actually present to check on her. One would think this is the bare minimum when you’re dating but she can’t help but appreciate it. He never leaves his home at such an early time.

And speaking of which, Bonnie has no clue how she got home safely last night. The memory of the last few hours before she found sleep are gone but she might have an idea. Another reason why she can’t be mad at him. She wants to be but can’t.

By now her glare has turned into a frown, accompanied by a barely-there pout.

It delights him.

This hurts just as much as the headache. The day is getting worse by the minute. Or maybe it’s just the hangover and Bonnie is overreacting. She hasn’t been drinking this much ever since her college days.

With a groan her head drops flat onto the coffee table. Either it didn’t hurt, or she simply can’t determine it from her already aching head.

“Do you want me to get you some coffee?”, he asks.

Bonnie answers him without lifting her head off the table. All he can hear are muffled noises.

He leans in closer to her, trying to somehow make out what she’s saying. Without much success.

“So, no coffee?”

A pause. Followed by a singular dragged out muffled noise. This one was an obvious ‘no’.

---

The last snippet is for my original story, Snowfall. I imagine everything written in italics plays as a little montage, accompanied by this song: (strangely enough, despite its setting and plot, this is the main song for the whole story)

When does one feel content? Does it come with comfort? It always did but they don't come as a package deal. Or so she heard.

Thinking about one’s feelings is strange. … But the mind travels to strange places when left unsupervised. Exploring new ones, revisiting old ones. Never does it ask, it just does at it pleases. Even when the heart begs for the trip to end as it can’t take the ache anymore. And sometimes, the mind gives in when the lamentation becomes too much to bear. Then, it tries to help — to soothe — to make up for the uncontrolled yearning and drags one’s attention elsewhere.

The only way Sól’s mind can ease the pain is to make sure she’s content. And that’s when it has to ask; when does she feel content?

When the emptiness is filled? When the loneliness vanished? To have someone with you who doesn’t just make you feel safe but who also gives you the feeling of being needed — that you make them feel safe, too. At the darkest of nights, when the room is being illuminated by the city’s neon lights. Those which, through the eyes of a child, seem fun and colourful, though as you grow, they become bleak and unbearable. But, when they’re the only source of light for you to see in that darkness, to see a face — one you have never witnessed before in a state like this; calm and relaxed — then you grow fond of them again. You thank them, silently — with a smile on your lips because it’s a rather silly thought — and hope they will stay for the countless nights to come. You would never want to miss it again. And to make sure it won’t fade you form it into a memory, by tracing your fingertips over every spot that is so dear to you. Soft skin to skin contact that fills you with warmth. You smile. You’re content.

A note written with blood.

When you’re reminded of that frightening past in the middle of the night? Though you soon realize that it’s not getting dug out to taunt you but to alleviate that sorrow. To discover that you’re not the only one, that you’re not so different and although listening almost feels like revisiting, you remain. As much as you expect it to hurt, in the end it mitigates the pain. Two halves became one and the memory doesn’t weigh as heavy when conjoint souls carry this burden together. The spark ignites into a flame. You’re content.

The glass cracked.

When you thought your whole world fell apart? You crashed and burned. But after horror faded and the screams died out, you realize your whole world is here, with you, in your arms. It all lead to this. And the bliss you thought had vanished; you’re in the middle of it. You’ll never let it go again. You’d rather tore this place asunder. This time you will make sure to keep what is dear to you safe, make sure it will always find sleep in your arms. You’re content.

The silence chokes you out.

When you’re at a place you once called home? A place you swore never to return to because it stole your joy, your peace, your childhood. But now you see that it prepared you. For the hell that never sleeps, a hell that never gave you the chance to breathe. Because it takes. It takes everything that you love and still hungers for more. Never satisfied. In here, though, you can’t hear the growling. You’re shielded, the noise gets drowned out. And only two remain beside you. A love of the past, of the present, and the future. And remnants of a love almost forgotten. Piece them together and it becomes all that you have, all that is dear to you, all that is you. You’re content.

And your mind forms these memories, engrains them into your soul, so you never lose them again. A double-edged sword. They bring bliss as much as they bring misery. But she endures it. She has to.

Her view lowers to the little boy in her arms. Sound asleep. The steady rhythm of his breathing lifting her arm ever so slightly. It’s good to see that at least one can find sleep in these times. Sól keeps watch and makes sure it stays this way. You’re content.

#wip tag #i might make one of these tag list posts for tag games soon

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0nlythrowharrybeaux · 4 months

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Wonderful World - Part 20**

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! Thank you for your patience it's been a very wild few weeks for me. But thankfully everything is back to normal:) I hope you guys enjoy this one, it's getting close to the end here!

Wonderful World masterlist

Warnings: Potentially angsty themes: racially insensitive remarks, discrimination, mentions of conflicts regarding coming out. Smutty themes: fingering, oral (male and female receiving), multiple orgasms, size kink, unprotected sex, coming inside.

WC: 15.6K

Celeste had been quite overwhelmed the last couple weeks. With the end of the semester, winter concert, and the musical all happening right after the other she was very busy. Diana also had a rather busy end of the semester. One of her fellow faculty members got COVID and was out of commission for the rest of the semester. Since Diana had the lighter class load after teaching the most over the summer, she had been contracted for extra hours to take over those classes for the last 2 weeks. This meant that Celeste and Ben were spending most of their time between Harry and Grace. Like tonight, this professor had one evening class and it was their final, so Diana had to stay until the final student turned in their exam. It had also been Celeste’s final dress rehearsal for the musical, so she wasn’t free until 6pm, which worked out great with Harry’s schedule. it was nearing 8pm when the last person was submitting their test to her.

“Here you are, professor.”

“Perfect, have a great break!” She smiled with enthusiasm and the young man smiled and returned her pleasantry before hurrying out of the class.

She quickly texted Harry that she was just going to drop the exams off in her office and head out. Harry informed her that he was cooking spinach and chicken risotto for dinner and that Celeste was almost done with her homework. With a rumble in her tummy for what Harry was cooking she was quick about her last tasks and was soon on the way to his place.

When she arrived at Harry’s and rang the doorbell, Celeste was quick to open the door up. Immediately, the delicious scent of Harry’s cooking wafted out towards her.

“Wow, smells amazing!” Diana smiled as she took another deep breath as Celeste hugged her tight.

“I know right!” She agreed and Diana kissed her cheek quickly.

“Did you finish your paper?”

“Yeah, Harry reviewed it too. Said it was really good.”

“Oh great!”

“Mhmmm.” Celeste hummed happily snd guided her over to the kitchen.

“Hey, Di!” Harry greeted with a bright smile, “Hope you brought your appetite with you.” He said happily and she smiled upon seeing the little clip holding his longer strands of hair secured and out of his face. He was wearing an apron and had a towel draped over his shoulder.

“Oh, I sure did.” She assured and he chuckled, “It smells amazing.”

“Thank you.” He hummed happily as he turned back to the stove.

“Do you need help with anything?”

“Maybe just get the parmesan out of the fridge?”

“Oh sure.”

“Can I grate it though?” Celeste asked and they both said “yes” simultaneously which caused them all to chuckle.

Diana washed her hands first and then went to grab the cheese and get it out of it’s packaging before locating the grater and getting a chunk of it in there as Harry finished up the risotto. In about ten minutes Celeste was hurriedly clearing the table of her school stuff and then feeding Misty as Diana putt down their placemats and utensils while Harry served up the food and Celeste went around and added everyone’s desired grated parmesan. Soon enough they were all sitting down with steaming hot plates of the spinach risotto and gorgeously grilled filets of chicken breast resting beside that.

“Alright, dig in!” Harry announced and with that everyone started to eat. Harry liked to do this thing where they talked about the low and high points of their days, he mentally did it on his own just to practice gratitude, but it was nice to do it with others. So when he learned that Diana and Celeste generally talked about their days over dinner anyway (Celeste said that it was mostly her talking though) it was easy to introduce that into it the first time they had a meal together. And now it had been about hours dinners together in the last two weeks and well they all liked this format most because it gave everyone a chance to share. Celeste had mentioned to Harry that she loved it because it made it feel like they were their own little family. After they had each made a good dent in their meal she was first to bring up the topic.

“Okay, so highs and lows! I can go first!” She said and both Harry and Diana nodded and gave her their attention. “Mmmm, the low was that I heard some of the background girls saying something about me before rehearsal…” she mumbled, “But the high was that dress rehearsal was perfect so it didn’t bug me anymore.” She said excitedly.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Harry asked her with concern before Diana could even jump in and Celeste nodded.

“Yeah, it was just stupid gossip…nothing like before.” She assured them both, “I swear.” She insisted and Harry and Diana glanced at each other before she smiled at them.

“Alright, but just know if you need to, you can tell us anything, yeah?” Harry asked and Celeste nodded with a smile, “Good. Di, do you wanna go next?” He asked and she nodded.

“Sure. So my low is that I didn’t finish grading my exams before having to sit through some presentations this afternoon so I’ll have double grading tomorrow.” She said and Harry grimaced a bit, “Yeah, I have a big class and so does Gladys so it’s gonna be a big task.” She sighed, “Anyway, my high is this meal. It’s literally perfect, I love risotto! Thank you so much for this Harry, I needed this tonight.” She smiled at him and he went a little pink in the cheeks.

“Of course.” He responded quietly.

“You next.” Celeste said to him and he cleared his throat.

“Yeah…ummm, the low was that apparently the insurance company I’m trying to be a provider for “lost my application” or something like that. So just another set back in that department.” He explained, “And my high is also this dinner. It’s nice to get to spend time with you guys and not be alone. Especially after having a less than ideal day.” He explained and Celeste was beaming from ear to ear.

“I really enjoy this too. It’s nice to be able to process through our days with each other.” Diana added and this made Celeste’s smile even bigger.

“Me too. We should try to do this at least once a week! A little family dinner!” She suggested and Diana smiled at her.

“I would certainly make time for that.” Harry chimed in.

“Can we, mom?” Celeste asked with puppy-dog eyes.

“Yeah, I’d like that too.” She smiled at her and then at Harry.

“Perfect, we’ll figure it out for next year, yeah?” Harry asked Celeste and she nodded eagerly. “Oh ummm, also I was thinking, maybe after the musical we can have a little wrap party for Celeste here?” Harry said and Celeste gasped.

“Yes! Yes, please!” She begged and Diana chuckled.

“Here? Are you sure?” Diana asked Harry and he nodded.

“Yeah. We can cater in from that Italian place we went to after her spring concert? Invite her friends, the hot tub is out there, it’s not going to be too cold Thursday. And ummm, we grown ups can ummm, just have some down time?” He suggested.

“Yeah, we can talk about it in a bit. See how much I can help with and contribute.” She said and Harry nodded.

“Yes!” Celeste cheered, “Can I tell my friends tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course.” Harry smiled and with that Celeste was on a high for the rest of the night. After they had a bit of ice cream for dessert Celeste moved over to the living room to study a bit for her Geometry exam the following day. Diana and Harry cleaned up a bit and it so nice to have this little taste of domesticity.

“OK, so for this wrap party…how many people should I expect?” Harry asked as Diana washed the dishes and handed them over for him to dry.

“Ummm, it’ll be five with us three, Grace and Henry. Her three main people. I would say Ruben and his girlfriend. Maybe Ben’s parents and also Vincent. I think we should invite Geri’s mom and Ozzy’s mom just in case. Also Ozzy has a little sister, so if the mom comes so will she.” Diana explained.

“OK, so we can plan for like 20/25 people.” Harrys said.

“Yeah, sounds good. Thank you for that, I hadn’t even thought of that. I’ve been a little overwhelmed the last few weeks.” Diana explained, “Let me know how much I ought to contribute so that I can get that to you right away.” She said glancing to him.

“Actually, Damian and I have it covered. He feels awful about not being able to fly back for the show so he recruited me to help him out with this.” Harry said and Diana sighed and turned to him with a knowing glance.

Damian wasn’t on vacation for Christmas until the 19th, that was when he flew back from New York and he would be staying with them until the 13th of January. He always went above and beyond when he missed things for Celeste. Usually he plotted with her, after all, she was his sister and Celeste was her kid so she was ultimately responsible for her expenses. Harry had always been very generous with them, especially over the last few weeks that she’d been caught off guard with all these new tasks. In her eyes, he had done more than enough for her and Celeste with that, so him pitching in to throw Celeste this little wrap party felt like too much.

“Harry, I have to help in some way.”

“You will, you can help me by…hmmm…” he said pensively and she chuckled.

“You guys already have everything ready don’t you?” She asked and he grinned and shrugged.

“We got excited…” he explained and she smiled, “She’s lucky to have you guys. Thank you.”

“Of course, love.” He smiled.

“Ummm, are you heading out for Christmas?”

“Actually my parents are coming out here this year.”

“Well would you guys want to have Christmas dinner with us?” She asked and his eyebrows arched up in excitement.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I mean, I think it goes without saying that…that we love having you around. Just these last few weeks have been so wonderful and like…I mean, you know I appreciate it, but Celeste does too. A lot. And ummm, I think Christmas without you wouldn’t feel right.” She smiled.

“It’s so nice to hear you say that. I was thinking the same thing.” He confessed with a smile. “Wanted to see how we could manage to do something over the holidays. I talked to them about you and Celeste quite a bit, so I know they’d be really pleased to meet you.” He said a bit bashfully and she tried to hide her excited smile, but couldn’t help it.

“Well, I’d be delighted to meet them as well. I know Celeste will too. Have your parents been to Disneyland?” She asked and he shook his head.

“Probably not since I was a child and we went to the one in Paris. As great as it sounds, it’s the worst one.” He said and she hummed.

“That’s surprising…Well, I haven’t used my tickets discount this semester so I still have it. We can go do that? Doesn’t have to be all day. Maybe in the afternoon/evening so they can see the fireworks and the parade?”

“My mum does love fireworks…” he said and she smiled.

“Great! I can buy them tomorrow if you know what dates would work? When are they flying in? Can choose a day bit further down so they’re not too exhausted. How long are they staying?”

“They’re gonna be coming from a conference in Seattle on the 21st, so right after Damian.” He shared, “I can call them tomorrow morning and figure out if they would prefer to do it before or after Christmas and let you know?”

“Yeah, perfect.” Diana agreed.

“Also, it’s not lost on me that we’re due for a date. I was hoping I could steal you away this Saturday afternoon to go see The Nutcracker?” He asked and her eyebrows arched up, “I’ve always wanted to go see it.”

“Oh my god, me too! Yes! Yes, let’s do it!” She agreed quickly.

“Do you think we should bring Celeste and Ben?” He asked her.

“As much as I love my child, I’d like to have some time with you, just us.” She said. “Yeah, alright.” He agreed with a smile.

“I’m sure they’ll have some sort of plan now that they’re on break from school.” She said and he nodded.

“I like him…Ben.” Harry said as she handed him the last plate and she smiled.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. He’s so polite and kind and thoughtful.” He said and Diana nodded, “I see how he talks to Celeste and how he treats her as well. He’s far more mature than I was at his age to be honest.” He chuckled and Diana smiled.

“So seal of approval?”

“Definitely. Ruben too, they’re great kids.”

“Yeah, their parents did an excellent job.” Diana smiled and he nodded.

“Mom!” Celeste suddenly rushed into the kitchen making them both turn to her quickly.

“What is it?” She asked her right away.

“My calculator stopped working, we need to get a new one for the test tomorrow!” Celeste said with a bit of panic.

“Bring it here, you might just need new batteries.” Harry said to her and she smiled and hurried off to get it. She was back in moments and Harry looked at the little screws on the edges and smiled. “Perfect, I knew I didn’t buy that tiny screwdriver kit for nothing.” He said with a grin and Celeste smiled as well, “I have a container of batteries in the right compartment of the sideboard with the TV on it. Hopefully I have some that fit.” He said and Diana nodded and Celeste followed her while he went off to look for the screwdriver set. She located the container quickly and brought it back to the kitchen with Celeste in tow.

“Ummm, Harry and I were discussing some plans for Christmas. His parents are coming to town so I’ve invited them over for dinner-”

“Oh my god, yes! Yes, that’d be so cool!” She grinned excitedly and Diana chuckled.

“Great, just running it by you. Also, I think we might do a Disney trip with them, they’ve never been. Do you think Ben would want to join?”

“He can’t, they’re going up to Mammoth for Christmas and won’t be back until New Year’s eve. I was invited but I don’t know about skiing or snowboarding…I don’t know how and I heard you can get hurt really badly.”

“Yeah, that’s true-”

“How can you get hurt badly?” Harry asked as he came in with his glasses on his face and a little black pouch in his hand.

“Doing snow sports.” Diana said and he nodded.

“Oh, I knew a kid in school who went snowboarding on holiday with his family, like they always did, and in order to avoid an accident he ended up crashing into a tree trunk! He quite literally broke his entire face. Fractured skull, nose, jaw…he had to get implants because he lost basically all his front teeth and even had to have his nose rebuilt.” He said as he opened up the little pouch.

“Well good thing I declined the invite. I don’t want to break my face…” Celeste said lowly and Diana glanced to Harry as he looked up to her and then to Celeste.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, sorry. It was on a more advanced run, so for people who are doing this regularly or professionally-”

“Like Ben!” Celeste added with a tone of concern and he offered a bashful smile.

“You don’t have to worry, I’m sure he’ll be fine. That accident was a fluke.”

“All accidents are! That’s why they’re accidents.” She pointed out and he sighed.

“Sorry. But his dad is a firefighter and EMT and his mom a nurse, so I’m sure they’ll ensure he’s being as safe as possible.” He reassured her and she sighed.

“Yeah, I hope so.” She mumbled.

“We got on this topic because I was asking if I should count Ben for our family Disney trip.” Diana explained and Harry smiled a bit as he was grabbing the little screwdriver and then Diana glanced over to Celeste who was smirking. “What?” She questioned them both.

“Nothing…I’m excited to meet your parents, Harry. Are they as nice as you are?”

“Definitely.” He agreed with a smile and Celeste grinned.

“Mom, we’ll need to do some Mexican and English traditions so that we can learn about each other’s cultures!” She said as Harry screwed open the back of the calculator.

“Well, Mexicans celebrate on the 24th, that’s why we always do everything the night before. Traditionally there’s a piñata for the kids and then we open gifts at midnight. My family never really was too religious, but religious families will go to the midnight mass or to some mass the following day. And then it’s the recalentado.”

“What’s that?”, “What does that mean?” Harry and Celeste asked at the same time and she smiled.

“So literally translated it means “the reheat”. So we have the leftovers from our Christmas dinner, technically Christmas Eve dinner I guess…and uh, we’re just with the family for the day and then go home and that’s it. Each family might have their own little things, but in my family it was just that. I mean, if anything your uncle and I can make some traditional food, just a bit for everyone to try? Maybe we can get a couple little fire works, we did that too. I’m sure your uncle would love that…”

“Please! And tamales! I never get tamales!” Celeste said and Diana chuckled.

“You try making them then. Such a hassle…” Diana said to her and she and Harry chuckled.

“I can help!”

“Oh, you will. I mean, it won’t be so bad considering there won’t be many of us. But there are superstitions about it, like you can’t be angry while making them or the dough won’t fluff up right. They also say no men in the kitchen because the tamales will surely burn because the men are too distracting.”

“Because we’re too handsome?” Harry asked with a grin as he got the backing off of the calculator. Celeste chuckled.

“Actually it has more to do with men being too needy I think.” Diana grinned and Celeste chuckled again.

“Yeah, our kind does tend to excel at weaponized incompetence, doesn’t it?” He chuckled as he turned over the calculator and dumped out the batteries.

“What’s that?” Celeste asked with some confusion.

And well, Harry then launched into this entire spiel about what weaponized incompetence is and how to identify it all while he searched around for a corresponding battery for Celeste’s calculator. She was nodding along, completely captivated by what he was explaining to her, occasionally looking up from the task at hand.

Watching Harry be able to joke about but then turn it into a teaching moment really made Diana love him all the more. He was so gentle as he explained things to Celeste. He was patient and answered all of her questions, like she did. She knew it would get harder and harder to be patient and work up to telling Celeste about how she felt about him. Sure, right now she was in favor, but if she told her that they loved each other she would realize that this had started long before she instigated anything between them and that worried her just a bit.

It was around 10:30 when they’d gotten to their house and Celeste had followed Diana to the kitchen. Diana liked to have tea before bed, it helped her relax.

“Want some, mamita?”

“Please! Want to get good rest for the test tomorrow.” She said and Diana smiled and nodded.

“OK, I’ll bring it up to you, yeah?”

“Yeah, thank you. I’m going to shower quickly.” She said and hurried up the stairs. Diana looked in the fridge to see if she could pack anything for her and Celeste’s lunch tomorrow, but considering she hadn’t been cooking a lot this week there wasn’t much. With that she made their teas and was heading up to Celeste’s room. She went and set down her own mug and mag before heading back to Celeste’s room and knocking a few times.

“Come in!” Celeste called back.

Diana opened the door slowly and then made her way over to Celeste’s bed. She was getting settled in when Diana set the mug down on her bedside table.

“Feeling good about your test tomorrow?”

“Yeah, especially now that the calculator is fixed.” She said. “Ummm, mom earlier when you were telling us about Disney you referred to it as our family Disney trip. That’s why Harry and I were smiling at each other.” She explained and Diana felt her cheeks warming up with a blush.

“Oh…well, it is our family. I mean, us and uncle Damian-”

“And Harry.” Celeste added and Diana smiled.

“Yeah, he’s…basically part of the family now.” She said and Celeste’s smile widened. “Are you nervous to meet his parents?”

“Why would I be nervous?” Diana asked. She was, she was so nervous!

“Because it’s nerve-racking! I’m nervous!” She confessed and Diana smiled.

“Don’t be, mamita. They’re going to love you.” Diana assured.

“I hope so.” She said and Diana hummed.“Ummm mom, tomorrow night, can you help me straighten my hair for the musical?” She asked and Diana looked at her with confusion.

“You don’t want to wear it curly?” She asked and Celeste sighed.

“That’s what…that’s what I heard the girls gossiping about in the costume room. Obviously, the other girl that got the call back is…she’s not…she looks the part, I guess.” Celeste sighed and Diana frowned as she heard Celeste say this. “And she was telling her friends that Dorothy isn’t black so that she hoped I at least did something to flatten my ugly hair for the real performance.” She shared with a frown and hurt in her eyes. Diana felt her own eyes welling up because it hurt to hear this. But this wasn’t a time for her to break down, she needed to focus on Celeste and to be there for her as she struggled with this racially discriminatory commentary that had been intended to hurt her feelings.

“Listen mamita, first off, Dorothy Gale is a fictional character. She is however we imagine her to be. But more importantly, Dorothy is more than just a little white girl, she represents anyone who has ever felt like they’ve lost their way. She’s courageous, strong, good-hearted, compassionate, and so determined! Much like someone else I know.” Diana smiled and Celeste did as well, “And if your teacher wanted to cast based on looks then that other girl would’ve gotten the part. But she didn’t, you did. I’m sure your teacher saw a lot of Dorothy in you and that made you the best choice to portray her. It’s not about how you look, it’s about the way you connect to the role.” She explained and Celeste exhaled and nodded as she tried to just listen to what her mom was saying, “Now, if you really want me to help you straighten your hair for the show because it’ll be easier of more comforbtale for you, I will. But I think that you portraying Dorothy exactly as you are would be the best move. Dorothy wouldn’t change for anyone and she certainly wouldn’t be discouraged by a couple of jealous and gossipy girls.” Diana said and Celeste bit her lip and sighed.

“You’re right. I don’t want to, I just…thought that maybe if I did people would focus more on the acting instead of the fact that I’m not…white.” She said and Diana nodded in understanding and reached for her hand.

“I get that. I’m sorry that people think that way and that it’s made you doubt yourself. And look, I know I’m your mom and in a way I feel a lot of your pain and concern and anxieties, but I will never truly understand the things you will go through as a mixed race woman and that pains me so much. But I promise you that I will always be here to share that load with you, that I will listen to you, and remind you of just how incredibly powerful you are. And you have so many people who love you and see that and who wouldn’t have you any other way.”

“Thank you, mom.” She hummed with welled up eyes.

“Oh, come here.” Diana sighed and Celeste crawled out of her sheet to hug around Diana tightly, “You’re going to be phenomenal. I love you so much, sweetheart.”

“I love you too.” Celeste responded happily. They just hugged for a few more seconds before they both pulled back. “Thank you.”

“Of course, mamita. Now, get some rest, okay? Big day tomorrow.” She said softly and Celeste nodded.

“G’night, mom.”

“Night, cariño.” Diana responded softly.

*********

Celeste’s musical debut was tonight and it coincided with Diana’s final presentations for her class. She would be making it in time, but she did want to get showered and changed for it. So Grace had picked Celeste up from school and got her home so that she could shower quickly before heading right back to school. Her call time was 4:15pm and the musical would start at 5:30, so they needed to move quickly. Diana had even honked at grace as she waited at the light to get out of their neighborhood and called out a “break a leg!” to an excited Celeste who had basically crawled over Grace’s lap to peer out the window and greet her. Harry had offered to pick Diana up so she was just confirming that he would be arriving at 5pm like planned before she got in the shower; they wanted to get there early to get good seats.

Diana was excited and nervous for Celeste. Obviously, she’d do a great job, but she couldn’t help but be a little concerned, especially after what Celeste had mentioned to her about those girls earlier in the week. It was just a high school play, but when school is your whole life something like that feels like the end of the world and obviously, this girl was still upset at not being cast in the leading role. She hadn’t realized the time until her phone started ringing beside her and she saw Harry’s name on her screen.

“Hey!”

“Hi, I’m outside. I texted since I’m a little early so if you’re not ready-”

“Oh no, I’m ready.” She responded, “Sorry, didn’t see your messages. I’ll be out right now.” She said and hung up. She had been waiting in the kitchen so she hurried out and locked up before making it out of the gate and into the front seat of Harry’s car. “Hi.” She smiled at him and he smiled back.

“Hi, you look very pretty, as usual.” He complimented before turning back to the steering wheel.

“You too.” She responded and they both chuckled as he took off.

“Sorry.” She said and he chuckled again and he reached for her hand and she let him take it. It didn’t take long for Harry to feel her leg bouncing up and down nervously.

“Are you nervous for Celeste or are you doing a surprise performance I don’t know about?” He asked her and she chuckled.

“I’m just a bit nervous for her.”

“She’s going to be great!”

“I know she will be but…the other day after we came back from yours, you know how she mentioned that she had heard some girls talking badly about her over dinner?”

“Yeah.” He confirmed already feeling some dread for whatever would come next.

“She…she asked me to straighten her hair for tonight because the girl who didn’t get the role of Dorothy said something about her hair being ugly because she wasn’t white.” She shared and Harry frowned as he turned to her briefly.

“What the fuck?”

“Yeah, she was sad about it and felt that if she didn’t straighten it for the performance that it would take away from the play because all people would focus on was the fact that she wasn’t white like Dorothy was in the film.”

“Did she?”

“No, I talked to her about Dorothy’s character and strength and how obviously her teacher saw more of Dorothy in her than in the other girl. If it had been about looks rather than talent and ability then he would’ve just cast this other girl instead. She seemed fine about it after that, but ummm…I’m not. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but what if this other girl tries to do something t-to ruin her moment? Like in Carrie! I mean, she worked so hard!”

“I see your point, but baby, it’s going to be fine. I think if this girl wanted the role that bad she would’ve done something to sabotage Celeste a long time ago. But if it’s going to give you peace of mind I can talk to the teacher when we get there, yeah? Mention it to him and just remind him of how she had been bullied last year so that he takes it seriously, he can have a look around the stage, yeah?”

“OK, yes. Please. Thank you.” Diana smiled at him and he nodded.

“Of course.”

“Did Celeste give you your ticket?”

“Wait. I needed a ticket?” He asked her and Diana’s eyes widened and then he chuckled and she scoffed, “I have my ticket. Right in here.” He said and slipped it out of the breast pocket of his jacket while they were at a stop light.

“You’re the worst.” She mumbled and he smiled.

“You need to relax a bit, love.”

“I am trying…I really am.” She mumbled.

“We got balcony seats right?” He asked and she nodded, “Good, told Damian I’d record Over the Rainbow for him.” Harry said and she smiled.

“That’s sweet of you.”

“I know.” He smiled and she chuckled.

They arrived a little after 5pm and Harry grabbed a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the backseat before they headed inside. There were three other people in the line to buy tickets. Thankfully, they had already bought Grace and Henry’s tickets beforehand with Celeste. One of the students was designated for repurchased tickets and once he returned the stub to them assured them that the usher at the steps would guide them to their reserved seats.

“So you’re Celeste’s parents?” The girl ushering asked them when she saw their ticket stubs.

“Yeah.” Diana smiled as she guided them up the stairs. This made Harry’s heart flip a bajillion times a minute because he did feel like her parent. He had no idea if Diana just didn’t want to bore this child by explaining that he wasn’t or if she actually did feel that he was her parent in some way, but either way it made him so happy.

“She killed it in rehearsals! She’s going to be so good!” The girl said and they both smiled and thanked her quietly as they. Made their way into the auditorium, “I think you guys will be really proud of her.” She said sweetly as she guided them back down to th eedge of the balcony. “These two are you seats. You can only save one seat per person, so up to two seats for you guys if you’re expecting anyone else.” She informed.

“Perfect, thank you.” Diana smiled and then the girl headed off. “Ok, here’s my coat and my bag to save the seats for Henry and Grace.” She said handing the things over to Harry who set them down in the tow empty seats beside him.

“Do you still want me to go find the teacher?”

“If you wouldn’t mind. Just for my peace of mind. His name is Mr. Hadley.”

“Of course. I’ll be back soon.” He said as he swiped his thumb over her cheek and then hurried up the stairs and out of the auditorium before going back down to the hallway. He asked the girl ushering if he could speak to Mr. Hadley and she nodded and guided him back stage through the band room. Everything had been moved aside to allow room for little vanity areas. Just the last couple students were getting their make up done. She guided him through to this empty hallway that served as the path from the band room to backstage.

“Wait here, I’ll go find him.” She smiled and hurried off. As he waited around silently he could hear people warming up their voices further down the large hall and he tried to pick out Celeste’s voice from the group, but it wasn’t an easy task. Just moments later Mr. Hadley was walking briskly behind the girl and she offered Harry a smiled before hurrying back out to her post.

“Hello, I’m Ken Hadley, the drama teacher. Mallory said you’re Celeste’s dad?” He asked as he extended his hand.

“Yeah, sort of.” He chuckled, “Ummm, I just wanted to come talk to you because her mum mentioned something to me that Celeste shared had happened earlier in the week that’s causing her some concern.” Harry said and his brows furrowed, “I don’t know if you’re aware that Celeste was bullied very badly last year?”

“Yeah, I did hear about that. Did someone do something to her?” He asked immediately.

“It appears that one of the girls is upset that she won the role of Dorothy and Celeste heard her making some racist remarks. Things about her hair and how she’s not white so she shouldn’t have gotten that part.” Ken frowned upon hearing this, “She just shared this with her a few days ago and so now her mum is a bit worried, given her history with bullying that one of the girls might try to retaliate in some way or try and set her up. I know that it might seem like a stretch but given the way they humiliated her on social media last year-”

“No, she has every right to feel concerned. I think I know who that might be and I will certainly speak to her about what she said before we start, but we can do a walk through of the stage if that would make you feel more comfortable? Most of our backdrops are one dimensional so those are fine ummm…we can look through her props as well, just to ensure there are no prank items or anything.”

“Yeah, of course. Thank you so much for understanding.” Harry said and Ken nodded and had him follow him down the stage. The stage hands were already busy finalizing the set up for the opening scene. And he had them look through all the levers and turned on the stage lights so they could look up at the scaffolding. There was a gate to get up there to change any bulbs on the lights, but it was locked and only the head custodian had the key. They looked in her props and everything was in order. “Well thank you again so much for being willing to give me a walk through, Ken.”

“It’s not a problem. I was bullied a lot through high school for being a thespian and I don’t think my parents or teachers did nearly enough to make me feel safe. I don’t want anyone else to ever feel like I don’t take their comfort and safety seriously.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. But it’s a relief to know that there are people as caring as you in the school system. These kids need it, so thank you.” Harry said and he smiled and nodded. Just then, a few girls walked by and Ken’s eyes were averted away from Harry’s.

“Makenzie, Ella, and Trinity hold on for a sec!” He called after them and they stopped right before they made it back the stage. “I’m gonna talk to them about what it is they were saying. Do you need someone to show you out?”

“It’s alright. Just through there, right?” He pointed to the band room door and Ken nodded. “Thank you again, Ken. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.” He smiled before hurrying off and guiding the girls somewhere a bit more private from all the kids helping out with set up. Harry was just about to turn around to head out when he heard Celeste.

“Harry?” She called in question and he turned down to face the long hallway and saw her coming forward in full costume. She had her hair styled in the traditional double braids and the checkered white and blue dress as well and he smiled wide.

“Whoa! Look at you! You look great.” He smiled with pride and she chuckled a bit nervously.

“Thank you.” She hummed, “What’re you doing back here?”

“Your mom wanted me to talk to Mr. Hadley about what those girls said about you. She was worried they might try and get back at you or do something to try and embarrass you tonight.” He said and she sighed.

“Yeah, I was…a bit concerned too. Especially since I decided not to straighten my hair like they were saying.” She explained.

“Well, he looked through the entire stage with me and we checked all your props and everything is looking perfect.” He reassured her and she let out a big sigh.

“Oh, thank you. That makes me feel better.” She said with a relieved smile.

“I’m glad.” Harry hummed and then his smile dropped, “I’m so sorry you had to hear that. I will always have your back and stand up for you when you need me too. And not just for this kind of thing, for whatever you need.” He assured her.

“I know you will.” She said softly.

“Good.” He smiled, “I love you, petal.”

“I love you too.” She said and hugged him tighter and he chuckled as he hugged her back.

“You’re going to be wonderful. I know your mum is a lot less competitive than me and would never say this, but I’m not her, so I will encourage you go out there and kill it. Show ‘em why you got the part, petal. Rub it in their faces a bit, yeah?” He said and she chuckled and nodded.

“I will do it for you.” She assured.

“Nuh-uh. Not for me. Not for your mom. Do it for yourself. Make yourself proud of what you’ve accomplished.” He said with a final squeeze around her shoulders before pulling back from their hug, “Just know that your mum and I are proud of you regardless.”

“Thank you.” She smiled wide at him.

“Of course.” He assured her.

“Did you guys actually get the balcony seats like I requested?” She asked and Harry nodded.

“Yep, front and center. We were able to save spots for Grace and Henry as well so we’ll all be up there. Is Ben’s family coming?”

“Yeah, just his dad and Vincent though. His mom had to work, but they should all be up there too with Ruben and Heather.”

“Great. So you know where to look.” He said and she smiled and nodded, “Alright petal, let me get out of your hair.” He said and she smiled.

“Ummm, tell my mom thanks as well, please?”

“Yeah, love. Break a leg!” He exclaimed happily before he made his way back to the band room with a final wave. On his way up he heard Henry and turned to see him submitting his tickets to the student at the table outside of the theater so he went over to them and greeted them happily before taking them up and to their seats.

“Hey guys!” Diana greeted them happily when she saw them all coming in, it was starting to fill up with just 15 minutes before the start. “We saved you some seats.” She said and Grace thanked her as she sat down beside her and then Harry took a seat to Diana’s right. “Were you able to talk to her teacher?”

“Yeah, he was really sweet. He checked the stage and props she’ll be using and I even saw him pull the girls that were saying those things to the side. She’s going to be just fine, OK? I promise.”

“OK, thank you so much.” She said quietly as her hand reached for his.

“Of course, love.” He assured her.

“I even saw her in her full costume. She looks great!”

“Yeah?” Diana asked quietly and Harry nodded with a big smile. “Oh god, thank you. Really, thank you so much for checking in with her. I feel so much better.”

“Good, love. I think she needed the reassurance too.” He smiled and squeezed her hand.

“Hey guys!” They heard and turned to see Josh, Vince, Ben, Ruben and Heather all coming down to the row behind them. They also had a bouquet of flowers and a little gift bag with them which was such a sweet gesture. Diana thanked them all for coming and hugged them and properly introduced everyone to each other. They were all chatting as the auditorium filled up more and more until it was just jumbled up conversations until the house lights started to flick on and off, signaling that the show was about to start.

Diana was absolutely elated when the lights came down, she was nearly trembling in her seat when the curtain started coming up and moments later there she was, her gorgeous girl. She turned to Harry who was also smiling wide at her before they both glanced back to the stage. And boy, was Celeste killing it! She was doing a phenomenal job and had even adopted a kind of Southern accent that Diana had no idea she could even do! And when she sang! God, she was covered in goosebumps. She even heard a few people sniffling around her and the roars of applause that she received when she finished “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was beyond anything that she would have imagined. Yes, she sounded amazing and she knew she’d do well, but being on the stage just brought something else out of her. She even got a standing ovation after it.

And when the production was over and the cast did their bows she got another ovation. Diana could basically feel the joy radiating off of her from up on the balcony as Harry whistled loudly for her and she, Grace, and Henry shouted at the top of their lungs. Celeste shielded her eyes a bit from the stage light to get a glimpse of them and even waved at them all briefly before doing the final round of bows before they walked off stage. Soon after the house lights came on and Josh grabbed Y/N’s shoulders and she whipped around.

“She was unbelievable!” He praise and she smiled wide.

“Better than when we rehearsed even!” Diana chuckled.

“I cried.” Vincent said and she chuckled.

Soon after Diana introduced everyone properly and Josh even shot her a look after she introduced Harry. They’d waved at each other before when Harry had given Celeste and Ben a lift, but this was their first proper introduction. They were chatting a bit before Grace took Harry’s keys and her and Henry headed off to pick up the food and get everything set up while the rest of them waited for Celeste to come out. They were just chatting for a few minutes when Mr. Hadley came up and invited them backstage to get a few photos with Celeste before she got out of her costume.

“Hi!” Celeste gasped with joy when Mr. Hadley announced himself. She first hugged her mom and Harry, who handed over the flowers as they fawned over her. Then, Ben came over and said hello with a timid kiss to her lips, he had Ozzy and Geri on FaceTime since they had sat somewhere else. Josh, Vincent, Ruben, and Heather also greeted her with zeal.

“Alright, let’s do photos!” Harry said excitedly and soon they were heading over to the stage with the lovely Kansas inspired backdrop and they had several photos taken before they let Celeste get changed out of her costume.

Once again, both Diana and Harry thanked Mr. Hadley once again and then headed out into the hallway to wait. Josh offered to get some wine for the grown ups and so they headed off to the store and Ben hung back to ride with Diana, Harry, and Celeste. Geri and Ozzy soon joined with Geri’s mom, Carla, and she introduced Harry to her and they chatted until Celeste came out.

“Can we follow you?” Carla asked Diana who nodded.

“Yeah, of course!” We parked right by administration, so we’ll wait by the gate.

“Wonderful, thank you.” Carla smiled and guided Geri and Ozzy away to their car.

Diana turned to Harry with a smile as she saw Celeste and Ben get ahead and Ben put his arm around Celeste’s shoulders as she was carrying her bouquets of flowers. Several people stopped her to congratulate her on her way out which made her feel a bit bashful, but Diana and Harry felt nothing but pride coursing their veins at her accomplishment.

***********

Celeste was practically vibrating with excitement and adrenaline even on the car ride home. Ben was telling her that Vincent cried when she did over the rainbow and that made her giggle a bit. She was really hungry and eager to get started on her little wrap party. She had also invited Mr. Hadley, but he had some plans, but she would be sure to bring him some dessert the following day. She was really just mining her business, taking in her surroundings when they stopped at a light. That’s when she saw Harry glance to her mom, but when she looked over at her, she was already looking at him. This entire time she’d been trying to encourage his crush on her mom. She wasn’t blind, he’d seen him get flustered over her a few times, after all, her mom was gorgeous person inside and out. But now it seemed that maybe this crush was actually being reciprocated. She felt herself get even more excited and turned to Ben.

“Hey ummm, random question…” she whispered to him and he nodded, urging her to go on, “During the play, were my parents holding hands or…like looking at each other like they are now?” She asked him.

“Your parents?” He whispered back with a grin and she rolled her eyes.

“You know what I mean, my mom and Harry!” She urged his response.

“Ummm…I don’t know. Why? Are you still trying to set them up?”

“Yes, yes I am. I mean, look at the way they look at each other next time. They at the very least like each other!” She said and Ben smiled as he glanced over at them briefly.

“What if they’re already dating in secret?” He asked and she glanced over at them again.

“No, they’re both far too obvious.” She said and then started to giggle and Ben laughed along a bit.

“Hey, what’re you two gossiping about back there. Don’t think we can’t hear your little whispers!” Harry said with a grin as his eyes met Celeste’s through the rearview mirror and she went all pink in the face.

“Nothing!” She giggled and then turned to Ben who was shaking his head at her mischief.

Celeste had really just romanticized the idea of having a little family with Harry. He had really come through for them over the last several months and she knew that her mom saw this as well. She knew that it was hard for her mom to take those steps in her romantic life, she was scared, but she just hoped that she could see what she had right in front of her. Harry truly felt like the parent she’d been missing. He just got her on a level so close to her mom and he meshed so well with them together. He also got along with her uncle, who tended to be very protective over them. So if anyone could bypass him then surely they were a good fit! She just wanted so badly for her mom to come around.

When they got to Harry’s, Celeste was nearly teary-eyed over the whole scene with her friends and people she loved and cared for. She was over the moon with how proud and encouraging everyone was to her. She ate with her friends and soon they were heading off into the hot tub. Yes, it was a bit cold out, but hence the hot tub. It was roomy enough for all of them and so they spent a large part of their time out there chatting about their plans for winter break.

**********

“Harry is a hottie.” Josh said to Diana with a grin as he came into the kitchen to pour himself another glass of wine as she was. She smiled and nodded.

“That he is…”

“I really like him. I mean, not only did he look after my kid, but he very clearly cares about yours and that’s not all that easy to find.”

“I know…I think Celeste is trying to set us up.”

“Oh, is she?”

“Yeah.” Diana chuckled, “He asked me on a date on Saturday to go see the Nutcracker ballet?”

“Oh, how nice!”

“If you’re not working would you mind taking Celeste for the afternoon?”

“Of course!”

“Thank you. I believe the show starts at 3pm, so we might head out around 1:30 to have a quick bite and then go see the ballet. I’ll let you know tomorrow if we’re planning on dinner as well.”

“Sounds good. I can have her out of the house by noon.” He said and she laughed a bit. “It’s really rare to find someone who connect with you and your child the way Harry has to you guys. I mean, I’m so lucky that Vince has also connected with my sons. It took a bit for them to also see him as a father figure, but he was so consistent and patient with them.”

“I can imagine it was hard…was coming out harder for you with the kids?”

“Yes and no…” he sighed, “Yes because I never planned on actually having a relationship like the one I have with Vince. I was planning on just staying around playing pretend with Elena until she inevitably found someone else to be with or my father passed. I know that without his influence my mom would come around. I guess I just never expected to have everything I wanted.” He explained. “It wasn’t until I met Vince that I actually…regretted what Elena and I did to some extent. Like of course I love my sons and I love being a father, but at the time I thought that if I hadn’t been so desperate to keep up appearances with my family then maybe I would have the ability to just go off and have a relationship they way I wanted, you know? Like I felt if I pursued anything with Vince I would have to…abandon my family.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Almost like, you were torn; like you felt you had to choose your kids or Vince.” She said and he nodded.

“Exactly. I felt like I couldn’t be myself because Elena and I were playing house and I would disappoint them because we had committed to trying to have a family together. Elena knew I was into men but we agreed that we wouldn’t see anyone else once we had Ruben.”

“How did you meet Vince?” She asked.

“On the job.” He smiled, “It was a car accident. My crew and him and his partner were the first responders. I don’t know, when we started talking when we had gotten the parties involved on their way to the hospital there was just this…look we shared. We just started out as friends, we both recognized that we weren’t straight and bonded over the fact that we were still on career paths that could be discriminatory towards us internally. Like now the people at my station know about me. But I guess for him it wasn’t just his family that he had to hide things from, it was at work too. Only his partner knows about him and she’s a woman, LAPD is still evolving a bit.” He explained.

“That’s so tough.”

“It is, but you know, we started to fall for each other through that friendship and he made me feel so happy and I didn’t want to choose. So then I approached it from a father’s perspective. Like if one my sons were also dealing with something like this, what would be the best thing for them? So I told Elena that I had met someone and had fallen in love. And after many conversations with Elena and with her getting to know Vince for a while, I decided that I would come out to my sons. I wanted to be honest with them and built trust with them, they were like 8 and 9 at the time, so they had been used to Elena and I. Getting used to Vince was definitely a bit of an uphill battle, but here we are now. And I know it can be hard to talk about this with Celeste, but this thing with Harry, that’s your opportunity to build trust with Celeste.” He said and she nodded.

“You’re right. I mean, I invited his family over for Christmas dinner, they’re coming from England. And we’ll be going to Disneyland as well. So ummm…I don’t know, do I tell her after this date or after the holidays? That’s the bit to figure out.”

“I say talk to Harry so that you can both sit down and come up with a plan together. You deserve to be happy and I’m sure Celeste will be thrilled with this based on what Ben has told me.” He smiled and she nodded.

“Yeah, I think that’d be a great topic of discussion this Saturday.”

“Yeah, talk about your future together.” He smiled.

“Thank you. You’ve been such a wonderful friend, Josh.”

“As have you.” He smiled at her. They soon returned to the dining room and Y/N sat down between Grace and Harry.

“Alright?” Harry asked her with a hand over her knee and she smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, baby. Josh is gonna pick up Celeste around noon on Saturday, that way we can have lunch and then get to the theater.”

“Perfect.” He smiled.

The rest of the time went by quickly and soon everyone was helping clean up as the kids dried off and got changed back into their clothes. They were all saying their goodbye’s and of course, Ben’s family were last to leave as the two loved up teens said their farewell.

“Thanks so much for coming by Josh and Vince, it really means so much that you guys came by.”

“Of course, we wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Vince smiled as he hugged Diana goodbye and soon she, Harry, and Celeste were waving goodbye from his doorstep as they drove off.

“Do you need help with anything else before we head out?”

“Just take a bit of leftovers for lunch?” Harry said and Celeste smiled.

“I definitely will.” She assured and Harry chuckled and helped pack up some stuff for her before they headed off to their own place.

Celeste was pretty exhausted after the day she had and she still had the jazz combo winter concert the following evening, so Diana was really insistent upon her getting ready for bed as soon as they got in. She made her a cup of tea and took it up to her before she headed up to her own bedroom for the night.

“Can I come in?” Diana called through the door and Celeste called out her permission before Diana came in.

“Brought your tea.” She said and set it down on the coaster on her bedside table.

“Thank you.” She hummed.

“Did you have fun?”

“So much…all day was pretty great. Thank you guys for the party.”

“That was all Harry and your uncle.” Diana informed and Celeste smiled.

“That’s sweet of them…”

“Super sweet.” Diana agreed with a smile, “Ummm, I wanted to talk to you about something real quick.”

“OK.” Celeste hummed.

“So on Saturday Josh is gonna come get you to spend them day with them and Ben because I ummm, I have a-a date.” She said and Celeste’s lips turned up in a grin.

“Oh my god! Wow with who?”

“That’s private.” Diana said quickly and Celeste sighed.

“Moooom…” she whined.

“I just…it’s not what I want to keep it a secret from you. I just think I should discuss this with them first before I talk to you about it. That’s all.”

“Have you been dating this person for a while?”

“No.”

“Have you liked this person for a while?”

“Yeah, I have.”

“OK how long?” She asked and Diana just gave her a knowing look and Celeste sighed, “Mmmm…do I know them?”

“Can you stop!?” Diana laughed and Celeste rolled her eyes.

“Fine…” Celeste huffed. “So where are you going?”

“To see the Nutcracker.”

“Without me?!”

“Last time I checked you’re creeped out by the rat king.” Diana said.

“I still like the music! Tchaikovsky’s awesome.”

“OK, we can go next year then.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Diana confirmed and Celeste smiled.

“Well, have fun.” Celeste said as Diana stood from the corner of her bed, “…I guess.” She mumbled quietly after.

“You guess?” Diana questioned as she shot Celeste a glance.

“Yeah. I’m not fully approving of this until I know who it is.” Celeste decided.

Diana now knew full well that Celeste wanted her to date Harry, but she just wasn’t saying it. She appreciated that she wasn’t trying to force anything and meddle in her personal business. But in this case, Diana was like ten steps ahead and maybe she wanted to just mess with her a bit until they both told her that they wanted to be together. She knows it would make Celeste feel like they got the hint after her many subtle remarks, so she’d give her that satisfaction.

“And why is that?” Diana asked her. Wanting to know why she was withholding her approval.

“Because maybe you can do better.” Celeste reasoned.

“Mmm, I don’t think so.” Diana smiled. When she said this Celeste looked a little worried.

“Are you positive about that?”

“Definitely.” Diana smiled.

“Well what if I don’t like them?”

“I’m confident you will.”

“As much as I like Henry? Or…maybe even Harry?” She asked. And there it was…Diana chuckled. “Because you know, it’d be hard to get me to like someone as much as I like Harry. Like I’d go as far as saying it’s nearly impossible.” She said.

“I am well aware.” She smiled, “And speaking of, Harry’s going to pick us up for your concert tomorrow as well. We all agreed over dinner to go out with you kids.”

“Who’s all?”

“Josh and Vince, Elena will be joining too. Geri’s parents and Ozzy’s as well.”

“Where are we going?”

“Some BBQ place that Geri’s mom knows the owner of. They have a party room or something that we can use.”

“OK cool. Grace told me she has her holiday party so she and Henry can’t come.”

“Yeah, I know.” Diana frowned, “But I’m glad they got to see you in the play!”

“Right.” Celeste smiled.

“Alright kiddo, I’ll let you get some rest. Love you.”

“Night, mom! Love you.” Celeste said happily as Diana offered a smile before heading out of her bedroom.

************

The next few days had been pretty great. Diana really focused on grading as much as possible in order to be as stress free as possible during her winter break starting on Saturday, with her date with Harry. She had been able to complete mostly everything on her work agenda and just needed to finish grading the exams for the class she was subbing for. But grades weren’t officially due until the 19th, so she felt good about that being her only remaining task for the semester. But on Saturday she woke up feeling sick to her stomach, she was so nervous and anxious that it genuinely made her feel ill.

She wasn’t anxious for her date with Harry, she was more anxious about the conversation about when they wanted to tell Celeste that they were pursuing more? Obviously, she would have no problem with it, but she didn’t want to jump the gun. Especially with his parents coming for the holidays, she didn’t want to make it more than it was because sure, there was love between them, but there was more required to make a relationship work than just love. They were still needing to work through all the stages of a relationship, they couldn’t just jump into the deep end. All of her anxiety was building up and she felt that she might have an anxiety attack until she opened her front door for Harry and was met with his kind eyes and beautiful smile. He was holding an interesting little box and he smiled.

“I ummm, brought you some chocolates. These super fancy kinds that apparently are the best in LA.” He said and she smiled.

“Thank you.”

“Also, you look beautiful.”

“As do you.” She responded, her cheeks still warm from his compliment. “I was about to have nervous breakdown.” She confessed, “But that’s gone now.”

“Chocolate has that effect on people.” He joked and she giggled.

“Let me set this down and we can go.”

“Perfect.” He agreed and she was back in just a few moments. She locked up and their arms locked as they walked over to his car and in moments they were taking off.

“So how about I treat you to lunch since you’re treating me to everything else.” She suggested as they drove off.

“If you really want to.” He smiled as he reached for her hand and she let their fingers intertwine.

“I really do. We can get pho! It’s chilly out.”

“Yeah, perfect.” He agreed and soon she was directing him to a place near to the theater where they would see the ballet.

Soon enough they were being seated and looking over the menus, trying yo decide what kind of soups they would get. Diana was getting a bit antsy though; she just wanted to talk to Harry about their plan to share their interest in each other with Celeste. So as soon as the waiter had assured them their food would be out shortly Diana decided to bite the bullet.

“Ummm, Harry.”

“Yeah, love?”

“So as you know, Celeste is…rooting for us to be together. Which is great!” She said and he nodded, “But ummm…she’s getting really curious about who I want to date and I guess I’m just wondering when we could talk to her about us?” She said and he smiled, “I mean, I know that even though our feelings are deep we still have to learn to be a couple and make time for that, you know?”

“Right.” He agreed.

“So I just don’t know if it’s a good idea to share it with her immediately or if we should wait a bit more? What do you think?”

“I mean, she is quite obnoxious with knowing isn’t she?” Harry smiled and Diana giggled and nodded.

“So annoying, you have no idea…” she rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Like obviously, I want her to know so that she stops insinuating things and throwing hints, you know?” Diana nodded in agreement, “But I mean, if she knows, do you think she’ll just back off a bit and let us figure it out? Or will she be too excited and try to push things to move along.”

“Definitely the second…I’m surprised she hasn’t been as meddlesome as she typically is.” Diana smiled, “But ummm…like with your family coming over and stuff, I also don’t want to pretend that I don’t love and care for you in the way that I do.” She explained.

“Yeah, I was thinking about that too…maybe we just need to be really firm with Celeste and set some boundaries while we figure out our relationship.”

“Mmm yeah. Just let her know that as much as she might happy about it, it’s our relationship and we need space to figure that out.” Diana said and he nodded, “Like for example, PDA-”

“I don’t know that I’m comfortable with PDA.” He said and she nodded quickly.

“Yeah. Like how we are now is fine. A hug, a kiss on the cheek to say hello and goodbye.”

“Yeah, exactly.” He concurred.

“OK good…I know this will sound awfully judgy but I’ve seen how…like Kourtney Kardashian and Travis like…fully make out and grope in front of their kids with reckless abandon and its’ just so…disgusting?” She said and he laughed, “Like, love that people find their person and whatnot but there are social boundaries to respect for other people’s comfort as well and maybe that’s just me being a prude? But in my mind it’s like, how could I tell my child anything about their behavior when I’m behaving like that in front of everyone?”

“Oh, I fully agree. Lead by example! And well, it can also be traumatizing to kids if they’re exposed to too much. I know she’s older and knows more things, but also she’s seen you being single for most of her life, so I’m sure even just the bare minimum will be something for her to get used to. So please don’t feel the need to up the ante on my account. I won’t be offended if we just stick to how things are for now.” He assured her and she nodded.

“OK, thank you.” She said with relief.

“So you…watch the Kardashian show?” He asked with a grin and she shrugged.

“Why deny it?” She smiled and he chuckled.

“Hey, s’nothing to be ashamed of. I use Henry’s Hulu account just for that! I’m watching it religiously on Sundays.” He confessed and she giggled.

“Seriously?”

“Oh yeah! We can do it together if you want so that I’m not shouting at my TV all alone when things get heated.” He smiled and she giggled.

“OK, yeah we can plan a little watching party sometime.” She agreed and he nodded. “Another minor concern I have is that Celeste may already views us as a family unit and would expect a fast transition into more.”

“Mmm, yeah.” Harry said, “I can see that happening if she gets overexcited about it.”

“Yeah, like I don’t want major changes or living arrangements to change unless we get married, you know? Like…what if things don’t work out like we want, it would be so weird for all of us if we made a move like that too fast.” She explained and he nodded.

“I couldn’t agree more. I also wouldn’t feel comfortable staying at yours overnight and stuff if we share our relationship with her. I would want complete privacy until we reach a point like marriage where we are ready to have a shared space.”

“Yes. I fully agree.” She smiled and he did as well.

“So basically, we want a very normal escalation in our relationship and we want it as private as possible.”

“Correct.” Diana confirmed.

“I’m so glad we’re on the same page.” He sighed in relief and she smiled.

“Seems like we always kind of are.” She said and he nodded.

“Ummm, also just to revisit an old topic…If we end up getting married, kids…” he said and she sighed.

“I still don’t want another.” She said and he sighed in relief again.

“Okay, great.” He chuckled, “I mean, I have given it some thought because of us and Celeste but I just think their age gap would be way too big and like honestly, I don’t think I’d ever want to deal with a baby.” He said sincerely and Diana laughed.

“Yeah, you really don’t…babies are…too much in every sense of the word. Thankfully, Celeste developed skills very rapidly because she was mostly around adults growing up, but as soon as she started getting out of the baby phase I was so excited.”

“You didn’t get even a little sad?”

“Definitely not. It was a lot easier when I knew what she needed from me instead of just guessing which cry meant what.” She explained with a smile, “Obviously she was far more active as a toddler, but not in a way that was draining like when she was a baby. I think the sadness and nostalgia has been hitting a lot more now as she grows into her own, independent person. It's a bit sad because she’s not my little girl any more, but it’s also really nice to see how far she’s come.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.” Harry smiled. “I don’t think I’m missing out if I don’t have my own biological child. I like your child as my own, so we’re good in that capacity. Just ummm, just letting you know in case my parents bring it up or something. I know they’re a bit keen on me having a change of heart, but it’s not going to happen.”

“Well we’re definitely on the same page with that.” She assured him. “I know that hiding things is never a good thing, but I am a bit worried that things might go wrong if we…share this. I don’t want anything to go wrong. I love you and I…want you in my life for as long as possible.” She shared and Harry’s hand reached out for hers and took it.

“I love you too and I’m scared too. I’m not even going to lie about that.” He said with a nervous smile, “But I trust you with my heart and with my feelings and I know that we’ll do right by each other all the time. I know it’s going to be a bit tricky at first, but we’ll get through it together, yeah?”

“Yeah.” She smiled.

***********

The ballet had been absolutely breathtaking. Both of them had been on the edge of their seats as they watched the dancers the whole time. They were still quite full from their big bowls of pho, so as they strolled to Harry’s car, hand in hand.

“That was so worth it.”

“I agree! Thank you so much for inviting me to this Harry.”

“Course, love.” He smiled. He opened up her door and let her get settled in before he got in as well.

“I should’ve put Celeste in ballet…so cool.” She said and he smiled.

“I mean her musicianship is also so cool.”

“That’s true, she’s really good at that as well.” Diana said and Harry nodded.

“Honestly, she should consider taking private lessons when she goes to college. Could do session work for record labels and stuff.”

“Ooh, you’re right…she has mentioned it with college before. One of the counselors at her summer camp is a music major.” Diana recalled.

“I know that I’m not technically her father, but when we get to that stage of things I would love to come with you guys on like tours and things like that.”

“Oh of course! You and Damian.” Diana smiled.

“OK, so what’s our next move?” He asked her, “I was planning for dinner, but are you hungry at all yet?”

“Not at all.” She giggled and he chuckled.

“OK, same. I don’t know why the pho bowls are so big even when we got the smalls.” He said and she sighed.

“Yeah, it’s always like that though. Ummm, we could go back home to mine or yours? Grace was gonna pick up Celeste from Josh’s. I may have…packed her an overnight bag just in case.” Diana said and Harry glanced at her with a suggestive look.

“Professor Beltran…” he teased her and she felt her face going all hot as she giggled and shook her head bashfully.

“Oh hush…s’not like you weren’t hoping for it.” She said and he chuckled and leaned over the console and grabbed her jaw with one hand as he guided his lips over her own.

Their kiss started out slow, lethargic almost, drenched with the longing for each other they’d been repressing. Soon that energy of affection and relief turned completely salacious. Their mouths moved together with urgency, their teeth collided occasionally while they’d go in to bite and suck at each other’s lips.

“Mmm… I’ve…missed you…so much.” She hummed and he smiled into their kiss.

“Me too, baby.”

“Should we go to yours?” She asked and he nodded. “Let’s go then.” She said and they pulled apart to get home.

Diana had been thinking about the physical aspect of her relationship with Harry for a while now. He had absolutely blown her mind before and she needed that again. She needed him in ways she hadn’t needed someone in a long time. She was itching to feel him, skin to skin. The drive to his place couldn’t go by any faster, even if they’d been going 100 miles an hour. She felt hot all over and so impatient. Her hand tightening around his made him smiled.

“S’alright baby, we’ll be there soon.”

“Not soon enough.” She mumbled and he smiled.

Harry felt the same way. He obviously loved and cared for her very much, but he was a man with needs. Just as she was a woman with needs. And while Harry had recently indulged in hookups within the last year, she really hadn’t apart from the fooling around they had done. He wanted to exceed her expectations like he had the last time she was in his bed. He was fully committed to her and he wanted to show that to her physically as well.

They soon made it to his house and the moment the front door closed behind her he was pushing her up against it by her hips as they kissed hungrily. He was helping her slip her coat off while she got out of her heels. He chuckled as suddenly the height difference between them suddenly became too great.

“Sorry.” She giggled as she tiptoed to reach his lips better once again, but he was instead scooping her under the bum with his big, strong arms and holding her up level to his face again.

“Better?” He asked and she nodded.

Diana gently wrapped her legs around his hips to hold on better. One of her arms was looped around his neck and the other she held his jaw with before leaning into another kiss. This one was slower and deeper, shifting the mood from urgent to indulgent. There was still urgency but they weren’t going to just jump into it. There was still a sense of urgency, but it was being channeled very differently. They wanted to cherish the time they had right now, to draw it out and take advantage of it. So when Harry was dropping them both into his bed he kissed her as he blindly helped her undress. His kisses started to migrate down her body, giving attention to all of her sensitive spots, making her wriggle and gasp and giggle from the feeling his mouth imparted on the way until he was at the seam of her underwear.

“Can I get these off?” He asked.

“Yes, please.” She consented without hesitation and he was quick to remove the thin fabric from her body and shoved it into his pocket before dragging his fingers down her thighs and splaying them open for him to get between her legs. Diana was nearly trembling with anticipation, “Please, Har- mmm, fuck!” She gasped as his mouth latched over her center in a sloppy kiss and then he got to work. His tongue was working tirelessly on her clit, making her orgasm build steadily as his fingers worked their way into her tight little hole. She was moaning and doing her best to hold still as the combination of the two made her brain start to go all fuzzy and he vision to blur.

Harry’s moan of delight and his whispered words of appreciation and encouragement gave her all the more pleasure. It was allowing her to just feel everything he was doing to her all the better. He started pushing in a bit deeper until she gasped as his finger tips opened her up enough to get right against her spot. Her skin had broken out in goosebumps and her breath had hitched. Harry stopped for a second and she assumed he was going to check on her, but truly, he was just giving her a moment before he started rubbing and swirling his fingers into it. She moaned out a joyous sound and couldn’t even help it as she writhed beneath him an dug her fingers into his curls. Harry groaned against her as he started to gently suck at her clit until she was tense and trembling beneath him.

“I’m- oh baby, m’gonna come!” She mewled right before she started to fall apart. Diana’s vision went white and her back arched at this perfectly glorious feelings of warmth that was rippling through her body. She was moaning out with each wave that would form at the depths of her core and travel down to the tips of her toes, causing them to curl as she tried to not wriggle too much beneath him.

But that first orgasm was the hurdle to get over, after that it was easy for Harry to give her a few more orgasms this way. She was trembling and overstimulated, practically incoherent as he coaxed another orgasm out of her with his fingers up against her g-spot. She was panting shakily. She was an absolute sticky mess; her arousal and cum had completely drenched his fingers and the sounds were so sinful every time he’d plunge his fingers inside. Harry was obsessed with swallowing down her greedy pleads for him to keep going.

“Yeah, baby? Gonna give me another one?” He asked her and she nodded and whined pitifully before her eyes fluttered shut and he felt her walls contracting around his fingers. “There you go…Fuck, you’re making such a big mess.” He hummed as she started to twitch from the oversensitivity. Her hand flew down to his and wrapped around his wrist and he grinned at the feeling of her nails digging into his skin. It was too much for her now. He took the hint and stopped rubbing into her spot and moved his thumb off of her clit. He just left his fingers lodged up inside though, he didn’t want her to feel empty yet.

“Are you alright?” He sniggered and she sighed.

“I think so…still- ummm, I’m still seeing spots.” She confessed quietly.

“Five orgasms’ll do that to you.” He chuckled and she groaned.

“Five?” She sighed and he chuckled and leaned down to kiss her lips.

“Mhmm.” He confirmed, “I may have gotten a little carried away.” He admitted a bit bashfully.

“I think I can forgive you for this one.” Diana said tiredly and he chuckled. “But now s’your turn so-”

“If I wore you out too much we don’t have to.” He assured her and she smiled.

“You did wear me out, but that’ll just make me last a bit longer so…you’re in for a ride.” She whispered and he chuckled.

“Figuratively or literally?” He asked her and Diana bit her lip.

“Ummm, whichever you prefer.” She responded timidly. “I could get on top. I’m…way out of practice but ummm, if we start out like that I can…learn how you like it.” She reasoned and he swore his entire stomach flipped with excitement. She wanted to learn how he liked it because they were on their way to being a couple. For real this time.

“Yeah, but only if you’re not too tired for it.” He assured her once more and she smiled.

“M’not. Let’s just ummm, get you undressed.” She said timidly and he nodded and gave her one more peck to her lips before he knelt up to get started. “I’ll do it.” She said and he smiled as she rolled out of his bed to get this task underway.

Diana had him stand as she reached up and undid the buttons of his shirt. His hands were on her hips, fingers sinking into her suppled skin as her lips trailed down his jaw and neck…then his chest and tummy… then she was kissing down his abs as her fingers reached his belt. She knelt and glanced up at him and he nodded his approval for her to continue. And with his consent she was quick to unfasten it before sliding her hands up his thighs, palming over his erection that tucked against his left thigh. She kissed down his happy trail and reared back to put her focus on his button and zipper. Her fingers were quick in their task and soon enough, Harry’s eager hands were helping her get his pants down along with his briefs. And sure, she was overcome with this wave of anxiety once more, but she pushed it aside and grabbed his erection in the palm of her soft, warm hand.

She glanced up at him and Harry’s eyebrows were knitted together as he watched her stroking his cock at a leisurely pace. He was quite big and he watched her considering getting him in her mouth.

“You can get me in your mouth, love.”

“Yeah?” She asked and he nodded eagerly. With that she had him sit on the bed and she walked the short distance over on her knees before getting him back in her hand. She gave a few strokes before dipping down and then she pulled back up. “Ummm, I’m very…out of practice in this s-so if you want to guide me how y-you prefer it then-”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll tell you, yeah?” She nodded, “Sure you want to do this?”

“So badly.” She smiled and he chuckled and thumbed over her cheek before she dipped down.

She gave the length of him one full lick from base to tip before licking around his tip. And after a moment of that she just placed his tip into her mouth and sucked. The tension in his thighs and the soft groan that left his mouth were enough to tell her she was doing something he liked. She sunk down, feeling confident to take more and that’s when Harry grabbed her hair and it made her mind go fuzzy so she sunk down further and gagged when he hit the back of her mouth.

“Fuck…” he sighed and pulled her up a bit, “Baby, you might get greedy and want to take more and more, but you don’t have t’take it all, love.” He said and she glanced up at him and he just about melted to see her tearful eyes, “I’m quite big, yeah?” He asked and she hummed in agreement, and her walls fluttered around absolutely nothing just from hearing him say how big he was. “So I know s’gonna take some getting used to.” He assured her, “Only go as far as is comfortable for you right now, s’still feels so good for me. Love that hot little mouth so much already and how you rub your tongue under the tip…fuck, just like that.” He smiled before biting on his lip, “That’s good, baby.” He encouraged her.

He loved the feeling of pleasure bubbling up inside of his tummy and spreading through his body. He could’t believe how quickly he was getting ready to burst. Sure this wasn’t extraordinarily super human head, but it was from the person he loved, and not only that, but her first in a while and he loved knowing that she wanted this with him, that’s what got him off.

“You can stroke what doesn’t fit with your hand…yeah, like that. Fuck, that’s-that’s absolutely perfect, baby. You can even suck a little harder if you want m’not made of glass.” He assured her and she gave a harder suck and the moan that left his throat had her covered in goosebumps, “Oh shit…shit that’s so fucking good, Di.” He whined as he pulled her up and down by her hair, setting a pace that would have him on the edge in no time. He had been quite dry over the last several months, so he knew that if he came it’d be a big one that just proved hard to recover from and he didn’t want to stop her, but he just needed to let her know.

“Baby, m’so close…i-if you want to have sex I shouldn’t come yet, s’ been a while and I don’t think I’ll-oh fuck, wanna last for you f’you want to tonight.” He said and she gently pulled off. Her eyes met his and she smiled.

“I still want to.” She assured him and he smiled.

“Sure?”

“Very sure.” She assured him and he helped her up.

“Let me get a condom-”

“Did you reverse your vasectomy?” She asked with a giggle and he shook his head.

“No, but ummm, just in case y’don’t want me to like…actually finish inside.”

“Is it crazy if I want you to?” She asked and he bit his lip and shook his head.

“I don’t think so.” He said, “But then again, I’m a little biased.” He chuckled and she smiled.

“Well if you want to and I want to then…s’fine I suppose.” She shrugged and he smiled.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She confirmed.

With that he scooped her up from the edge of the bed and dropped her at the top half of it before he straddled her lap and kissed her deeply. His hands felt at the curves of her body, groping at her breasts, tweaking her nipples, feeling her build…Harry was obsessed with every inch of her.

Diana felt the same about him. She loved the feel of his muscular and lean body up against her own. His skin was so warm and soft to the touch. His back muscles were so pronounced, she couldn’t stop feeling them under her fingers as his cock slipped between her folds, getting drenched up in her arousal for him. She did want to be on top, so when she pushed against his shoulder he got the hint and wrapped his arm around her waist before turning them over without a hitch. Her hands smoothed down from his shoulders to his pecs, they were big and sturdy, she loved the tickles from the smattering of hair he had against them. She had a weakness for body hair. She ground into him and gasped when his tip nudged against her clit, still so sensitive from before. But she was aching for it, she was hurting to feel all full of him.

“Can I?” She asked and he nodded.

“Yeah, whenever you’re ready.” He said and she bit her lip as she pressed herself to sit up.

She asked Harry to sit up as well and soon he was propped up against his headboard stroking himself a couple times as Diana just made the decision to bite the bullet. She wanted this with him. In the depths of her heart she knew that he was the person she’d been waiting for all along. There was no need to be scared of what this meant for them, she wasn’t just giving her body to some random. This was Harry, the man she loved, the man who loved her back and who had waited for her. Who had been so patient and understanding. The person who hurt for her the way she’d been hurting for him. Fate had allowed everything to fall into a perfect place where they could finally be what they were meant to be. With that in mind she guided her body over his own perfectly and started to lower herself over him. She could feel his thick tip crowning into her entrance and she just wanted it to give way so badly. So she directed more of her weight downwards until the tight ring of muscles gave way and stretched around his girth. They both moaned in unison at the feeling of their bodies connecting in that way. They’d both been craving it for so long and it was finally happening.

“Fuck baby, you feel so good!” She gasped as he thrusted up against her and she started to grind down into his lap.

“You too, love. Fuck, feels. So. good…” He grunted as he kissed at her neck. She hugged around his head, letting him nestle his face against her neck as he tightened his hold around her waist, keeping her body flush to his. “Fuck, you’re doing everything right, keep grinding like that, feels so fucking nice.” He praised, his toes already starting to curl.

Diana was reeling from the pressure inside of her, he was up against that spot he’d completely ravaged earlier and it was making her skin covered in goosebumps. Over and over, with each grind she was feeling his tip kissing that deep part of her that was making her tummy swell with flutters and for her breathing to quicken. She couldn’t even speak, just moan his name and slur curses when he’d drive up into her hard. She was trying to last for him, but when he snuck a hand between them to rub at her clit, her unraveling began. Her moves over him were getting erratic, but he corrected and guided her pace as they continued building their orgasms together.

“Getting close, yeah?” He panted and she nodded and gasped as he stilled deep inside, “Can feel it…fuck, I feel you squeezing so hard. You’re gonna make me come…fuck, gonna get such a big fucking load, baby.” He huffed and she moaned in anticipation.

“Please Harry, please. I want it so bad!” She pleaded, adding a slight bounce to her movements. Her ears were starting to ring and her vision going blurry as she knocked her head back, gasping for air.

“Fuck baby, just-just a few more seconds…m’right there…” he gritted out and finally he was right up at the edge with her, “Oh fuck, I’m gonna come. Come with me, Di. Please baby, come with me.” He panted desperately.

She just gasped and her breathing hitched as she reached the peak and then suddenly the most salacious moan left her mouth as she started to come undone. It was an explosion of tingles and euphoria that was making her brain malfunction. She was trembling as he held her down against him, she could feel his cock throbbing, spilling his seed into her, making a mess of them both. He was moaning against her throat, panting against her sweaty skin, holding her as if she was his only tether to reality. It was perfect. They went through their highs together, speechless and completely satisfied. And moments later they were coming down through it together. Their bodies were trembling, their emotions were heightened, their minds a puddle of mush. But despite all of those things, the one thing that they could fully trust was their gut. And Diana’s gut told her that this was it.

“I love you so much.” She whispered as she kissed the side of Harry’s head.

“I love you, Di.” Harry mumbled against the column of her throat at the exact same time. They were quiet for a beat before they both giggled and pulled back to look at each other. When Harry looked into her tearful eyes he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. He hadn’t ever loved like this before.

“I promise you, we’re going to have a long and wonderful life together, Diana.” He said and she smiled. “I know it’s hard for you to let people in, so thank you for letting me in. I complete you and you complete me, love.” He said and she nodded and sniffled. “Couldn’t possibly go on without my other half, could I?” He asked and she sputtered on a cry and kissed his lips.

“S’gonna be so good.” She mumbled against his lips and he smiled and kissed her once more.

“It is.” He said with conviction.

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5h-epilogue · 22 days

Text

“ . . . and as you’ve grown up, I continued with running my companies, starring in movies, making music, and I produced my play. Everyone else eventually found happiness in one way or another, thank goodness.”

Nia had wondered how her parents were so rich, how she was able to enjoy such comfortable seating out on the patio she glanced around at now that overlooked an enormous pool — the big, outdoor flower and vegetable garden to the right of it — and the patio also had two flat-screen televisions, a gourmet outdoor cooking area with a grill, and, appropriately, ceiling fans and a fire pit.

“Wow, mom. That’s . . . wow.” The young girl was in a bit of shock. She understood why a filmmaker wanted to make a movie about you. A countless amount of questions ran through her mind about you, her mother, who was considered to be a living legend.

Your beloved chef came outdoors and served you and your daughter a bowl of strawberry chicken salad, your favorite summer meal, which she now knew reminded you of your old, deceased lover, Armin Arlert.

“Thank you,” you said to the chef. “Would you mind bringing me my photo album?”

The photo album.

You mentioned it in your story.

Several minutes later, your chef returned with a brown, hardcover book that Nia had seen a countless amount of times in a reserved spot in the library, but never had she touched it. She couldn’t anyway, as it was on a pedestal display underneath protective glass.

Opening the pages, you showed her several photographs of your younger self.

“These were taken by Levi Ackerman,” you said softly.

“You look really pretty,” Nia mumbled, taking the photo album from you, as you were flipping through it too fast for her liking.

She glanced down at a selfie of you and a dark-haired man at the beach, the decades-old date catching her attention.

“Is that Levi?” She asked.

“Yes,” you replied.

Then, she saw the letter Levi had written to you. She only skimmed across it, having already known its contents from your story, and then, she explored the other pages: where Levi told you to continue filling the photo album with pictures from your past, present, and future.

There was a picture of you with a kind-looking, blonde-haired man, standing side by side in a bakery, hands covered in flour.

There was another picture of that same man in a selfie with her father, who seemed so young.

It was clearly Armin. Not only could she gather that from the details your story provided, but he was one of three people in every photo she stared at who she hadn’t seen in her entire life.

There was a photo of you and Jean in a studio together, you writing something down on a notepad as he studiously adjusted something on the soundboard mixer.

“Wait, was this CS Records or Arlert Records?”

You leaned over, looking at the photo.

“CS Records. See the date? Jean and I were more than likely working on my first few songs during the Eldian Devils tour. I can’t remember who took the picture, though.”

Nia hummed in response.

Next, there was a picture of you and Eren getting married for the first time as young artists in Las Vegas. Underneath it, there was a picture of you and Eren getting remarried in Europe.

The other photos consisted of you, Reiner, and his family the night he proposed, you and Mikasa having lunch near a bridge, a group of friends playing cards around a table, a few pictures of you on stage, on film sets, and at awards shows, Eren’s family, and other pictures of you and your friends who she lovingly recognized.

It was odd to know that, as she looked at all of the photographs of people who she had just seen last week, there were two people in some pictures who would never, ever age. The photos of Levi and Armin existed as a permanent reminder of how they will always be known.

Towards the back of the photo album, there was a picture of you with another man she didn’t recognize, but it wasn’t Levi. It wasn’t Armin.

“Is that Connie Springer?” Your daughter leaned over to show you a photograph of you and Connie dressed in suits and gowns for some sort of event.

“Yes,” you said. “That was my album release party. It was the first night Connie let me out of my bedroom after locking me away.”

“Uh,” Nia frowned. “That’s really-”

Nia interrupted her own sentence, distracted by the very last photo in the photo album.

It was a picture that was much older than the other ones. Not only did the date give it away, but the horrible camera quality as well.

It was a photo that couldn’t be found online. A photograph that was worth more than diamonds and gold.

Four young teenagers, standing in front of beautiful trees and bushes, smiling brightly, were photographed by her grandmother, Carla Yeager.

Nia read the little description below the childhood photo of Eren, Jean, Connie, and Marco: The original Eldian Devils. So long & farewell.

Below that, there was a photo of two young children trying to catch fireflies in a patch of high grass underneath a streetlight, photographed by her other grandmother, whom she had never known.

The little description below that childhood photo read: First loves. So long & farewell.

Nia closed the photo album.

“I think I’m gonna cry, Mom,” Nia started to bury her head in her hands. But then, she suddenly perked up and pushed herself out of her seat. “I gotta go see Dad!”

The young girl speed-walked through the enormous home. At this hour, she was certain where to find him.

Opening the door to the family room, there he was, strumming his guitar.

“Hi angel,” Eren smiled, soft wrinkles by his emerald eyes appeared as he greeted his beloved daughter with her favorite nickname, but upon seeing her eyes glistening with sadness, he immediately put down his guitar. “What’s wrong?”

He motioned the girl over, who quickly ran to him and sat down, wrapping her arms around him.

While he didn’t know why she was so upset, he had years of experience soothing her cries.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m here,” he repeated.

Nia was a touch more sensitive and incredibly empathetic compared to the average person, that much was true, and right now, she could only think about all the pain her father experienced. The abuse. Almost dying. Losing friends.

And it hurt terribly, especially because she had only known him as the kind-hearted man who was a phenomenal father.

“I’m glad mom picked you,” Nia mumbled. “Thank you for always watching The Parent Trap with me . . . showing up to all of my shows and stuff . . . reading my papers . . . and just . . . you’re a great dad. I love you.”

“Aw, I love you too.” Eren hugged his girl even tighter. “Of course, sweetheart. Always.”

When you stepped into the room, smiling softly, Eren gave you a confused look that silently asked: What’s going on?

You held up the photo album, and he immediately understood.

Eren then motioned you over. Once you sat beside him, he kissed your forehead and wrapped his arm around you as well, holding on to the two people he cherished more than anyone or anything else in the world.

“I love you, mom. You’re so strong, and pretty amazing, too.” Nia reached out, touching your arm. “I hope I can be like you when I’m your age. Older you. Not younger you. You used to be a mess.”

For a while, the three of you sat there, hugging one another, experiencing nothing but pure love and joy.

—

A few months later, it was Thanksgiving.

The heartwarming event was hosted at your house, as it was every year, and familiar faces were gathered around the enormous dining room table covered with warm plates of food.

This year, Nia approached everyone and asked them more specific questions about their lives, wanting more details about the story she heard.

Aunt Hange was more than happy to answer just about everything after having too much wine.

Everyone was lovingly questioned by the teenager, and she shared what you had told her with their children as well.

After having dinner, Jean and his wife were sitting in the living room, playing cards with Erwin and Hange.

Reiner and his wife, who had flown in from Tennessee, were socializing with Annie, her girlfriend, and Sasha — who brought her husband, Niccolo, and their son.

Nia hung out in the recreation room with Reiner’s three children, who both had hair as blonde as his and were slightly younger than she was.

Mikasa, who had settled down in Washington after seeing the world, wanting to be closer to her friends and family, was telling you and Eren about one Thanksgiving year that she had spent lost in the middle of a forest.

A little while afterward, once dinner, laughter, and board games came to an end, Eren found you outside on the patio, staring at the glowing fireplace.

“Hi, baby. Everyone’s gone,” Eren sat down beside you. “Nia’s asleep, or she’s pretending to be, I’m not sure.”

“She’s probably tired, so I’m guessing she's actually asleep,” you said with a grin. “Today was fun. I miss everyone already.”

“Me too,” Eren smiled softly. “I’m glad everyone’s doing well. I hope it stays that way.”

“It will,” you suddenly yawned.

“Come on,” Eren stood up and reached his hand out, and you took it. “Let’s get ready for bed.”

“Someone’s excited to cuddle, huh?” You teased, expecting him to deny it, but proudly, he grinned wider and said, “Of course I am, so hurry up.”

After having a shower together, you and Eren both cuddled up in bed, falling asleep in each other’s arms.

That night, you dreamt of your past — making cinnamon rolls in a bakery and staring at stars from a rooftop.

It was a dream that you often had, but not out of regret. Not out of pain. But out of reflection of just how much you healed. How much your life had changed.

There were some people you wished you could bring back — Armin and Levi.

Some questions went unanswered — who your stalker was all those years ago, and whether it was a stranger or a lover.

But, even so, after having five husbands, and after every beautiful experience and painful memory, you could finally say that you had found contentment, and your one true love was the happiness you experienced as you grew old with your friends and family by your side.

— ONE MONTH LATER —

Five years.

That’s how long Eren had been trying his hardest to visit Connie in prison.

And a month after having Thanksgiving dinner with his family and friends, Connie allowed him to come.

What a stubborn man Connie was, but Eren’s persistence had won.

Eren couldn’t lie. He was nervous. The last time he laid eyes on the CS Records owner, he was testifying against him in court, both of them as young men. Both of them wishing that the other person would simply fall over and die.

But now, as the man in his forties sat in an uncomfortable chair in a private room, waiting for Connie to arrive on the other side of the thick glass, he couldn’t help but wonder what made Connie finally allow him to visit.

But he wouldn’t have to wonder much longer.

His leg, which shook with anticipation, halted its movement when a door opened and a prisoner was escorted out in chains, two correctional officers standing at his side.

It was him. Connie Springer.

Eren’s brows unintentionally furrowed, his face twitching as he fought the urge to both smile and frown.

It was Connie — the same man that tried to take his life. A murderer. Torturer. And yet, it was Connie, his old childhood friend who had aged just as he did, and despite being behind bars, he looked rather well.

If Connie was as shocked to see Eren after years upon years, Eren couldn’t tell, as the prisoner simply blinked at him as he was escorted to his seat on the other side of the glass, his face expressionless. Intimidating.

And he just stared at Eren.

The former musician was the first one to pick up the phone hanging on the wall to communicate. Connie did so as well a few moments later.

Pressing the phone to his ear, Eren’s emotional, shiny eyes darted away from Connie’s, down at the new tattoo on Connie’s left arm, and back up at him.

“Hey,” Eren spoke first.

Connie didn’t respond.

He just stared at Eren.

“I’m here because I wanted to see how you were doing,” Eren spoke yet again.

Connie’s chains rattled as he shifted in his seat.

He just stared at Eren.

With a frown, Eren questioned, “Why did you let me come visit you if you weren’t going to talk to me?”

“You didn’t give me a choice. I thought you’d give up . . . after five fucking years.”

Finally.

Eren couldn’t help but smile a bit. Hearing his voice again after forgetting what it sounded like was rather startling.

“You only said yes so I’d leave you alone?” Eren asked.

“Yeah.”

“Alright. I’ll take what I can get,” Eren softly sighed. “I never thought that I’d ever want to see you again, but here I am.”

“You really did all this to check on me?” Connie’s question was fired rather abruptly, nearly cutting off Eren’s sentence. “I put a bullet through your chest. I’m the reason you only have eight fingers left. I killed your friends, and I could keep naming shit I’ve done. Why are you here?”

Eren glanced away, adjusting the dark green phone in his hand.

“Time heals all wounds.”

“That something your therapist came up with?”

“Yeah.”

The corner of Connie’s mouth twitched as, this time, he was the one fighting the urge to smile.

“What I’m trying to say is that I can’t forgive you for what you did to Armin and Levi, and it’s not my place to or not to. But I forgive you for what you did to me.” Eren’s eyes glistened with subtle sadness. “I guess I’m just hoping that after all this time . . . after all we’ve been through . . . I can talk to my friend again. Not CS Records owner, Connie Springer, but my friend. I haven’t spoken to him since I was fifteen, and I woke up with two new gray hairs today.”

It was a soft noise, one that was very brief and vanished as soon as it had arrived, but Connie chuckled.

“You’re saying some corny stuff, man.”

Eren’s smile brightened. “That’s what happens when you have a kid. All I do now is think of dad jokes, and try to-”

“You have a kid?”

Eren’s face faltered in utter confusion, but as he stared at Connie’s slightly shocked face, he could tell that the man wasn’t messing around.

Nia’s birth was worldwide news. It was a steady hot topic for an entire year — one would have thought that a new member of the royal family had been born.

But then, Eren realized that for the most part, behind bars, the outside world ceased to exist. Especially in maximum security facilities.

“Yeah,” Eren said. “I have a daughter. She turned fourteen a month ago.”

“Is her mom around? Who’s she?”

“Her mom is Y/N. And, yeah, she’s around. We’ve been married for years.”

“Seriously?” Connie couldn’t hide the shock and surprise. A look of amusement appeared upon his face as he raised his eyebrows. “Well, uh . . . congratulations. How’s Y/N?”

Eren couldn’t help but smile as he thought about you, his beautiful wife. “She’s good. She’s great. Her companies are still going strong, and she’s finally happy.”

“Didn’t wanna come see me?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Connie nodded.

Then, his face fell into a small frown, hazel eyes darting down to the corner of the glass, staring at nothing in particular.

“How’s Jean doing?”

“Jean’s fine. He’s retired from music. He married a pianist.” Eren paused. “Everyone else is doing fine too. Reiner has kids and a wife, and they all have Southern accents — it’s funny to hear. Mikasa finally . . .”

For a while, Connie listened to Eren ramble on about the progressive lives of the people he once knew.

As his old friend spoke, he couldn’t help but wonder how his life would have turned out if he had made different choices.

Sadness pricked at his heart, sending a small ache throughout his body.

If only he wasn’t such an idiot back then.

No. He was worse than an idiot.

He was a monster.

“What about you, Connie? I know you’re locked up, but how are they treating you here? Knowing you, you probably run this place, huh?”

Truth be told, Connie was rather surprised to know Eren cared. It was just as touching as it was shocking.

“Damn right,” Connie said.

And it was true, but not in the way one would imagine.

He intimated who he needed to. Ruined lives when he needed to. But, over the nearly two decades he had been behind bars, he had done it solely to stick up for the defenseless prisoners, both young and old, who didn’t deserve to be treated as he once was when he was locked up the first time.

It wasn’t some change of heart that had occurred over the last several years, either.

From the very first day he entered as a younger man, he was both starting fights and finishing them to protect others.

He couldn’t explain why he did such things. It was no secret that he didn’t mind letting other people get hurt, considering he excelled at harming others, but this was different.

Somehow, it just was.

“Can I ask you something? And be honest with me,” Eren paused, carefully thinking over his words before he dared to utter them. “Do you regret it? Any of it?”

Connie ran his hand down his lower face.

It was a difficult question, and not because he didn’t know the answer, because he did, but rather, he wasn’t sure if the truth was an acceptable response.

Telling the truth meant showing weakness. Losing power.

Letting go of that mentality was rather difficult, especially behind bars where weakness was preyed on.

But he didn’t care about those former beliefs anymore. He was getting too old for such stupidity.

“Telling you I regret it will give you closure, right?”

“Surely you want closure too.”

“I regret everything.” The prisoner looked into his old friend’s eyes as he spoke. “I wish I . . .” He clenched his jaw. He couldn’t speak anymore — but there were, perhaps, no words in the English language that could properly express what he felt in his heart.

“Well, uh, how about this,” The other man sniffled softly as spoke. “You’ll have to be under constant supervision, but, in a few years, how about we work on getting you out of here . . . letting you see the sun again? What do you say?”

Fighting the urge to cry was an incredibly difficult battle. The prisoner nodded, his teary eyes shining with guilt and hope, and the other man nodded along with him.

“Okay, well,” the former musician smiled sadly, “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Okay.”

The visit ended with goodbyes and promises that they both intended to keep. Your dear husband couldn’t be certain what the future held, but as he did the day he first met you all those years ago, approaching you backstage with great curiosity, he’d trust his gut.

For it had led him to his one true love, and he’d listen to it — always.

Thanks for reading! What did you think? Please let me know by like, reblogging, and/or commenting on the last chapter, or in my inbox!

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