#this has been happening for four hours now

[intoxicated-chan]

Daryl Dixon request! You and Daryl have just recently got together a few months ago! You and Daryl wander off from the group when you're on the road too look for food water ext, you both get a bit frisky and your sexual tension builds(maybe a bit of bickering), but it’s dangerous, so Daryl takes you against the tree your legs wrapped around him your back against the tree a gun in hand just in case a walker hears, but he’s also kissing you to muffle your moans 💕💕

𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫

Summary ➳ Daryl fucks you against the tree. (Idk what else to say) 

(A/n) ➳ I am not made to write smut! Most of one-shot is just fluff and only a couple hundred words is smut... I’m sorry.   

Word Count ➳ 1.4k 

Content Warnings ➳ Female reader, sexual content, mainly fluff, little smut, typical TWD violence, swearing, pet names (Sweetheart, darlin’), getting caught but not knowing? Unprotected sex, p-in-v, outdoor sex, creampie... 

“I ain’t gonna say it again.” You pushed Daryl as the two of you walked through the empty streets. “Move your damn ass.”  

“Stop yer damn whinin’.” Daryl retorted. “And I know yer ass ain’t talkin’ crap when ya nearly lost yerself in places like this and I had to find ya.” Finally, he picked up his pace, just like you wanted him to do for the past two hours, maybe more. 

You rolled your eyes, arms crossed and scoffed but quickly shut yourself up when you tripped on your own feet.  

“I heard that.” Daryl commented.  

“Piss off.”  

“Swearin’ ain’t gonna scare me away sweetheart.” He chuckled and stopped, loading his crossbow as he caught sight of a lone walker. “Yer stuck with me.” He murmured, aiming the crossbow with a finger on the trigger.  

“Sadly.” You playfully sighed, standing back as you let Daryl deal with the simple threat.  

How long has it been? Three- no, four? Yes, four months. You both had strayed from the group, a habit you both developed over the past few months, much to the group’s dismay. 

“Top that.” Daryl said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. He walked to the dead walker, putting his foot on its head to pull the arrow out of its skull. “Now, ya sure we ain’t lost?” He asked, wiping the blood from the arrow.  

You shot him a grin, unfolding your arms and placed them on your lips. “Lost? Please, I could navigate these roads blindfolded.”  

Daryl raised an eyebrow. “Remembered that happened when I left ya with Rick.”  

“Please, don’t remind me.”  

“Then stop lyin’.” 

You shook your head. “Then do you have any idea where we’re headed, Dixon?” You asked, as you pulled at the straps of your bag, trying to relieve your shoulders.  

Daryl shot you a glance, his smirk turning into a genuine smile. “Jus’ followin’ the trail, darlin’.” He answered in his trademark gravelly voice. “Ain’t like we got a map or somethin’.”  

“Well, let’s hope your tracking skills are as good as you say they are.”  

He huffed but then laughed, his eyes moving to what’s in front of them for any sign of movement. “Trust me, (Y/n), ain’t no walker gonna sneak up on us while I’m around.”  

Your smile dropped by the sound of rusting in the bushes beside the road. Daryl aimed his crossbow while you unsheathed your knife. Slowly, they approached the source of the noise, ready to attack. 

But you gasped, a small rabbit darted out from the bush, scurrying away into the distance. Daryl lowered his crossbow.  

“Looks like dinner jus’ ran off.”  

You clicked your tongue, sheathing your knife as you reached into your bag. “Guess we’ll have to settle for canned beans again.” 

The two of you decided to make camp when you noted the sunset, and you knew it would be some time before you reached the group. Daryl gathered dry twigs and branches, making a small fire.  

Sitting side by side on makeshift logs, you both shared a meal of canned beans that were heated by the flames. The fire flickered over the silence, luckily, you both were comfortable.  

Though you side eyed Daryl when he refused the spoon, he found it easier to eat with his hands. Daryl looked at you as you ate, noticing the pistol he had given you for protection wasn’t on or near you. “Where’s the gun I gave ya?”  

You hesitated for a moment, scrapping the sides of the can with your spoon. “I... I couldn’t get it to work.” You admitted sheepishly. “It feels like it’s clogged.” 

Daryl sat his half-eaten can of beans to the side and licked his fingers clean. He reached down to your bag to retrieve the pistol, examining it near the fire. His brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to find the issue.  

As he worked, you couldn’t help but stare. The way his rugged features were softened by the firelight, the way his gruff hands moved with such precision... It made you rub your thighs together.  

He was always skilled with his fingers, making you crumble and become weak with just his hands.  

“-Good to go.” Daryl’s voice made you jump, catching the pistol in time before it hit the ground. “Test it out.”  

You looked around. “Here?”  

“There’s a silencer on it for a reason.” 

“And waste bullets?”  

“Ya gonna complain or try it?”  

Daryl pointed at a tree not far but barely visible. “Try it,” he stood, motioning for you to stand. But you just stared at him. “C’mon.”  

You stood and looked where he pointed, it was a tree with a giant rock to its left side. You gripped the pistol and aimed it.  

Daryl moved behind you. “Ya gotta straighten your posture.” He murmured, his voice low, his hot breath hitting your ear. “Like this.”  

Gently, he adjusted your stance, his hands lingering on your shoulders for a moment, longer than necessary. His hands, his voice, his breath... It all sent shivers down your spinel, a sensation that sent a rush down to your cunt.  

“Is this better?” You said, your voice barely audible. 

Daryl nodded, you couldn’t see but there was a faint smirk. “Much.”  

“Should I-” You stumbled when you felt his hands come on your hips, you felt your face starting to burn. “Daryl?’ 

He hushed you. “Don’ think.” He replied softly. “Go on, fire it.”  

“I can’t.” You retorted. “Walkers are nearby-” 

Daryl snatched the gun and pushed you against a tree, you didn’t see it coming. “Guess I gotta keep ya quiet.” He muttered, leaning in. “Think I didn’t notice ya starin’? Oglin’ me? So damn desperate.”  

“Ain’t my fault.” You said, shrugging, trying to act natural. “Looking like a goddamn meal.”  

“Wanna taste?” Again, he spoke in your ear, nearly making your knees buckle.  

“Please.”  

“Then shut up.”  

He used his free hand to pull you in a kiss, the hand that held a pistol remained by the side of your head. You immediately returned the kiss, your arms wrapped around his neck.  

God, he tasted so good. He smelled so good, some fucking how. Or maybe it was your nose playing with you, but you didn’t care. You needed more of him.  

You then jumped on him, using your own strength to keep you upright. It startled Daryl as he didn’t expect it.  

Daryl's hand squeezed your ass, gaining a moan from you.  He pulled back. “Gotta keep quiet for me.” He said. “Think ya can do that?” 

Yu didn’t understand a single word that came out of his beautiful mouth, but slammed your lips against his, becoming addicted to him.  

“Do me a favor.” Daryl hummed against your neck. “Unbuckle my pants for me.”  

Maggie froze in place, lifting his hand up to stop Carol. “Did you hear that?” She murmured, it sounded like a whimper or maybe a moan.  

“Sounds like a person.” Carol responded.  

“Might be survivors.”  

Nodding in agreement, Carol followed Maggie as she cautiously followed the source of the nose. Moving slowly and carefully, her guard was on high alert.  

But she didn’t expect to see Daryl with his pants around his knees with your legs around his waist. The strap of your tank top fell past your shoulders, exposing one of your breasts.  

It looked like his lips were glued to yours, he only took a couple of moments to catch his breath before they were back on you.  

Carol sighed and covered her eyes turning away, honestly, she wasn’t surprised. She just didn’t think you both go as far as to do it out in the open.  

“That doesn’t look comfortable.” Carol commented.  

“It isn’t.” Maggie replied. “Should we-” 

“Let them get it out of their systems.” Carol grabbed Maggie’s arm to walk away.  

Daryl had you up against the tree, your back throbbing from the uneven trunk digging into your skin. Your lips are most likely swollen by now, saliva dripping down your chin. 

There was something thrilling about being fucked out in the open with danger nearby. But there wasn’t a single ounce of fear with Daryl holding the pistol. 

He felt your fingernails digging into him as he fucked you, he was getting off on it. 

Your moans were always cut off, as well as your words. He took pleasure in seeing you getting frustrated.  

Daryl felt your walls tighten around him, desperately trying to hold him in, chasing an orgasm.  

And when Daryl comes, he does it inside. He manages to go deeper than before. You slumped against Daryl, eyes shut.  

“don’ go sleepin’ on me now.” Daryl now had you standing on your feet, his only hand keeping you up as he looked around. “We got a couple hours before day. I say we use ‘em.” 

© Intoxicated-Chan 2024, I do not allow my work to be copied, translated, modified, adapted, or put on any other platform without my permission. 

Taglist ➳ @celtic-crossbow , @mrdixon , @duffmckagansbandana , @raspberryslxt , @lor-geeked , @thegeorgiahuntsman , @snailss , @xmaeyonaiise , @suniloli , @ladylincoln , @of-storms-and-sadness , @annhells , @sexyxdylanxobrien , @TWDgal , @yoowhatthefuck , @oikawarz , @mylifeinthetardisforever , @let-love-bleeds-red , @virginsexgod69 , @scudslut , @theesexystallion , @yondus-girl , @raoudixs , @sleep-queen , @gyustarzzi2 , @stunt-lads , @Lettersfromyourlove ,  

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[pinkyqil]

Braids and shades // salma paralluelo x r

Summary : you and salma have a beach day while you also help her take out her braids in the sunny shades ⛱

Warning : slight cursing

A/n : cheers to more annoying gf salma I honestly love writing these especially when it beach theme like who doesn't love salma and beaches together so here's another one I'm also doing a 3 player prompt so feel free to send in a player, prompt and location like this one anyway hope y'all enjoy this small blurb and as always feedbacks are appreciated 💗

PART1

Today was on of those days where yours and salma off days macht.

meaning you both could spend the whole day together without one of you having a busy schedule and not begin able to make it to any of your plans or having to leave mid-date. today would be very different as you both had a three days off that ended up matching both your schedule.

Excitement filled both you and salma has you both already planned what to do together.

a divider date where one person planes the beginning while the other planes the rest. You've already done your part in planning the first half which consisted of surprising salma with breakfast in bed which was rare as she always had to be up bright and early for training making it impossible. But today she slept over her alarm making it easy for for you except the part you had to get out of her giant grip without her noticing which happened successfully.

After that you both got ready for your massage appointment that you booked knowing well she needed it having complained about random cramps that felt after heavy training or game days.

The next few hours had been filled with shopping and sneaky kisses, like helping salma look for some pants that she's been wanting to get. and some Xbox games she wanted to get so she and vicky could play with it when she comes over, getting sweet treats and some makeup and other products you both needed around your shared apartment.

that would be the your part of the divider date that you planned. now it was salma trun for the other half of the date.

"So where are we going that you got our suitcases packed with three different four different bikini placed on our bed". you asked her ?.

"You just gotta wait til we arrive there".she told you before leaving a kiss on your lips.

grabbing your hand leading you into the car before placing the location onto GPS so you know where too drive. Salma was passenger princess as she doesn't know how to drive and hasn't gotten her drivers license.this woman would rather run to her destination than drive which you found funny and would tease her about it.

You've almost arrived at the place the GPS was leading you into until you where able to see somewhat of a beachy report.

"You did not just book us to one of these beach resort did you". you asked her with a smile on your face

"I may have known that I'll days off would macht and decided to book here I know how the beach is one your favorite places and the offer was too good to miss". she told you

This would be one of salma best qualities that you loved about her when she does stuff for you without you knowing or asking.

Once you both managed to get everything done and head to the beach.salam had asked if you could help her take out her braids while you both chill out for the rest of the day which you obliged to do.

You both found a spot under the beautiful beach shades and decided to lay there and that when you started getting rid of her braids one by one which took time as you we're used to taking out yours and hers time to time. you'd finally finish taking out her braids and one thing you admire about salma was when her curly where out it made her look like some type of goddess especially with the hight and small waist she has.

you loved this woman down bad and would do anything for her.

this day had to be the best day ever enjoy half the day with the love of your life while finishing it off a the beach with a beautiful sunset.

And it couldn't have been done without a small makeout session with the sunset right behind you both.

#salma paralluelo #salma paralluelo imagines #salma x reader #salma paralluelo x reader #fc barca femeni #barcelona femeni #barcelona women #barca women #barca femeni #espwnt x reader #espwnt imagine #espwnt #woso fic #woso fanfics #woso imagine #woso x reader #woso imagines #fcb femení #fcbfemeni x reader #woso #woso community #woso fluff #woso one shot #woso blurbs #barcelona femeni x reader #barca femini x reader #barca femini #woso appreciation #woso drama

[ancientschampionau]

Double Trouble... switched?

A tiny little thing for a lovely artist who's comics and art brings me much joy and inspiration.

Inspired by the lovely: @somegrumpynerd

And specifically this post, and this comic :3

Have fun :D

Warning, Very unedited and just me having fun ;P

(also most work was actually finding the posts to make the links work now enjoy this fanfic of which I will admit it took a few hours but I will not tell you how many words as I got no idea. Because I wrote the whole thing on tumblr and got no word counter here. Enjoy :D)

.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Dream knew something was wrong the moment he woke up.

His magic... it was being prickled by something. Over and over and over. It felt a bit like the sting of negativity but different.

That can't be right.

Drema struggled to full awareness as his mind tried to think of the reason why he felt the way he did.

Normally he only felt these type of prinkles and pain when he was near a lot of negativity but it had to be a lot a lot. As in, Nightmare using his own aura to fight him a lot.

But as he used his own magic of empathy he only felt a soft contentment and easy happiness in the air.

Had... Had the fight with Nightmare have afteraffects after all?!

They last fight, the one of the day before, had left Dream drained and tired. Nightmare and him had been fighting and Dream had tried to use his aura to get Nightmare to stay still and listen to him. Dream hadn't expected Nightmare to use his own magic aura. More surprising had been the fact that Nightmare's aura didn't clash with his own but instead reached him. It had burned and as Dream had said, he felt drained afterwards.

Dream hadn't thought too much off it. Especially as Nightmare had seemed exhausted and confused by it as well and he had quickly retreated afterwards.

But maybe Dream had been wrong.

Why else would he still feel this discomfort when there was nothing but positivity around him?

Dream groans as he finally manages to sit up in the very soft bed with many many pillows. Weird, Dream didn't have this many pillows on his bed and neither does Blue. Maybe Ink painted some more for them? Thoguth Ink rarely joined in on their sleepovers and Dream can't remember seeing Ink the day before.

Worse is that he feels disbalanced. Nothing feels right at the moment and the discomfort is making him cranky. He should just find Blue. Blue always makes everything better and has great ideas on what to try.

Yes, his best friend will help.

Dream opens his sockets only to stare in shock.

This... is not his room.

It isn't any room he recognizes.

It is a large beautiful place with a large, very large, bed with way too many pillows and soft blankets. There is a large bookcase just filled with books. The curtains are dark and shut. Next to him is a tiny alarm clock which reads that it is still very early in the morning.

Something else about his vision is off but Dream can't quite place it. Something that should be obvious but he can't make sense of it. He turns to the side and reaches for the bed only to freeze.

That is corruption. On his hand. And arm.

Dream feels himself start to panic as his soul pulses fast. Oh no. Oh no. What happened?! Calm down. Calm down-

Then he sees one of those corruption tentacles nad Dream flinches away, only to completely loose his balance and fall over sideways with a quiet yelp.

He lays frozen but can't feel any curiosity or hear anyone react.

He is starting to have an idea where he is and he isn't sure how to feel about this.

He slowly crawls to the side of the bed, only to keep misjudging the distance and he thinks he lost his depth perception which isn't good news.

He manages to get out of bed and only slightly panics at the sight of his own legs covered in corruption. Are it his own legs even?!

Dream pushes himself upright only almost fall over and he has to grab one of the poles of the large four poster bed to catch himself. He looks over his shoulder and is confronted with the sight of four tentacles shifting and idling behind him, all seemingly coming from his own back.

Dream takes a few unsteady steps and softly curses the way this feels. How does Nightmare DEAL with his tentacles?! How does he deal with the extra weight of it on his spine?! Dream already feels uncomfortable.

Dream manages to get to one of the two doors and opens it. He lets out a sigh of relieve when sees the bathroom. He flicks on the ligth in the room and manages to get to the mirror.

There in the mirror stands Nightmare. Staring at him in absolute shock.

Dream... Is in Nightmare's body.

Which means.

He is not at home.

Dream is in Nightmare's home.

-------

Nightmare tries to walk wiht confidence but it still takes effort to not overbalance for his lacking extra limbs.

When he woke up feeling comfortable and energised he had immediantly panic. He normally only felt that after they managed to make an universe fall fully into negativity and shift the balance.

Feeling that at home meant his boys felt unhappy and miserable and he would not have that.

Imagion his surprise when he sat up only to be in a completely different room and after a glance outside to realise he was in the Omega Timeline.

The one place he never had managed to get somekind of access too.

Nightmare wanted out right now because it didn't take a genius to figure out what happened.

Dream's and his magic had interacted strangly and connected with each other. Both had felt drained. Now Nightmare was in Dream's body.

Meaning, Dream was most likely in Nightmare's body. Meaning Dream was in Nightmare's hideout with his boys.

Nightmare didn't have time to panic or to have a crisis. He needed to somehow get to his own body and make them switch back. His minions needed constant supervision and management. Nightmare only just got Dust to agree to set an alarm clock and Horror had been improving with overeating.

He needed to get to them.

Which meant.

Be the perfect Dream so no one would think something was wrong and enable him to sneak out and search for himself.

This is starting to get annoying.

Nightmare had gotten dressed in Dream's clothes and got ready to leave.

Only for Blue to have shown up.

Which is what brought Nightmare to were he was now. Trying and struggling to maintain a facade he hadn't had time to prepare.

"You sure you are okay Dream?" Blue keeps staring at him as if he expects Nightmare to just spill the beans.

Wait. Does Dream do that? Does Dream just tell Blue everything? Probably right? But what do they normally talk about?

Nightmare is honestly unsure what it is that is between his brother and Blue. Nightmare knows that Blue and Dream are always together and Dream seems rather protective about Blue.

Nightmare realises he is taking too long to answer and puffs up his chest and speaks, being thankful for the small amount of luck there is for him in this multiverse that the voice he speaks with still sounds like Dream "Of course I am alright! It is a wonderful day and I want to spend it heloing others!" Dream and his ever need to please people and be liked.

Blue continues to grin at him, one brow slightly raised "Wowie! you are in a good mood today! Happy to hear you seem alright after the fight from yesterday."

Nightmare nods "But of course! Now! Lets get to work." and he starts walking. Only slightly falling fore over as he tries to balance for soemthign that isn't there.

"Dream!" Blue is by his side and tries to help him upright. The worry around him is slightly surprising.

Nightmare holds up a hand as he tries, and succeeds to steady himself. Old memories return of how to walk without his tendrils. He got this. "I am fine. Just a slight misstep... shall we?" Wait, how does Dream speak anyone? All the interactions Nightmare can remember were from them in battle. Which Ngihtmare knows is not a good reference for when you speak casually with others. The last interactions that Nightmare had with Dream wihtout fighting were... were from back at the tree... when both had been 6 and before their magical growth.

...

Ngihtmare doubts Dream still acts as his six year old self, even if he sometimes seems just as naiev to the world.

Blue frowns at him "If you are sure. You sure you want to go out already?"

Nightmare nods "But of course!"

Blue gives him another grin "Well. If you are sure. Let's go!"

----------------

Dream doesn't know what to do or say.

What do you say to your enemies when you are suddenly in their boss's body, who happens to be your twin. like. How do you decide what to say?

Dream tries to remain quiet and just watch. That is probabyl what Ngihtmare does right? Just watch and glare and tell them to not bother him?

Their happiness is burning him. That he has realised.

Dream had wanted to tell them he is going to take a moment for himself but then second guessed himself. How much would Nightmare tell them? Would he tell them that their happiness burns him? Would he be honest? Would he even tell them? Or would he just stand up and leave? Were those four expecting him to give them orders? To tell them what to do? Or would a simple 'go do your work' do?

Drema had never realised that positivity burned his brother this badly.

Did... did that mean that being around Dream burned him as well? That going near him at all in battle was as if he was being burned?

Dream knows his aura can get... a lot. but... He never considered... He never thought...

Only extreme negativity hurt Dream and all positivity energised and powered him...

If low levels of positivity already hurt his brother... would only extreme levels of negativity energise him? Would only extreme levels feed him?

Was... was Nightmare attacking AUs not as much an attack on the multiverse but more of a way to feed himself? To keep himself alive?

Dream just... didn't know.

"Boss! boss! what do you think? Awesome right!"

Dream eneds a moment to realise Killer is talking to him. Dream looks over and freezes at the knife Killer is tapping between his phalanges with a concerning speed.

Dream sits there frozen before panic overtakes his soul "What do you think you are doing?! Stop that right now before you hurt yourself!" only to realise that he spoke form panic and worry. Oh no he totally messed up! Dream wasn't thinking and-

Killer pouts but lays the knife down. Horror snorts "Told you boss would be unimpressed and mad at you for practising that."

Killer mutters something about it being cool and Nightmare just being a worrywart.

Dream blinks. Excuse but Nightmare is a what now?

Cross looks at him "What is the schedule for today boss?"

Killer snorts and copies the sentence at a softer volume but in a sillier voice.

Dream can't imagine that would be allowed but before he can even think of a fitting reaction or answer one of Nightmare's tentacles moves over to Killer's skull and gives him a soft tap.

Dream feels mortified. What do you mean those tendrils just... do that?! Dream hadn't even thought or considered that! Wait... Was... Was the corruption still negativity and so technically Nightmare... Was it like a muscle memory and so instinct for his body to do that? That implies that Nightmare has done that a lot.

Killer pouts more and crosses his arms befroe he mumbles "Fine fine. I get it. I get it. Sorry Crossy."

Crossy beams and the happiness stings Dream as Cross answers "Apology accepted!" then Cross looks at him with bright sockets "But what will we do today boss?"

Dream glances around the room as he tries to think of something that would fit. He has no idea what Nightmare does when he isn't out fighting him. Dream remembers the books in Ngihtmare's bedroom but Dream doesn't want to lock himself in there. He will go insane and just not know what to do. He needs an excuse to search around the castle. Something that will fit with their vision of Nightmare.

"I... need to... research a few things for our next... raid." Dream tries to desperately remember what Nightmare sounded like and which words he used. Dream thinks his lucky stars that Nightmare's body still sounds like Nightmare.

Cross nods "okay! Need our help with anything?"

Dream slowly shakes his skull as he tries to follow their emotions to see if he is managing to sell this. "No. I should have what I need." Okay, good so far, now how to say he will get them if he needs help. euh... "If I have need... of you. I know where to find you." That should work... right?

Killer nods as he is already out of the room and gone with a shout "Going to the cats!"

What does he mean CATS?!

Cross nods "Okay! in your office?"

office? office! An office will no doubt have information that will hopefully help Dream. Dream nods as anwer and Cross seems to accept it before he goes around grabbing the plates.

Horror asks him if he wants lunch together or brought up and Dream can feel the stress rise. damnit why are these four so focussed on Nightmare? They turn to him for everything! It makes Dream miss Blue. Blue knows what to do when and helps him more than anything.

Dream ends up saying together. Seeing as they straight up called and pulled him over for breakfast that is probably the go to. Horror seems pleased by this and nods as he starts cleaning the food in a careful manner.

Dust has just been staring at him with a frown on his face.

Dream stares back and feels the need to look away but Nightmare wouldn't look away. Dream waits and waits.

Dust huffs before leaving wihtout much of a word. Dream will take that as a win.

Dream leaves the kitchen and sees Dust disappear into another room, Dream can hear the sounds of a tv coming from there and will assume Killer is in there.

Okay... Now...

Where the hell is everything? He has no idea what the layout is of this place and it was pure luck he even found the staircase that morning to begin with.

He makes his way back to the staircase and follows it up. He makes sure he isn't watched or followed before starting to silently open doors to check what is behind each one.

Why did his brother have to be dramatic and get a castle?!

--------------

Nightmare hates this.

His cheeks are starting to hurt from the constant smiling. It is emotionally and mentally exhausting to be happy all the time. No one leaves him alone and everyone seems to have something they very pressingly need Dream's help for.

Which. Meant you. Are not important things!!

Dream needs a better work/home balance and learn to say no.

Nightmare can't even just return to the house that is, probably, Dream's and just hide for a moment because Blue has been by his side the whole time.

Nightmare will admit he is starting to get why Dream likes Blue so much adn seems so protective of him. Blue is a beacon of positive energy and motivation. Blue also seems happy to help Dream with anything and everything.

Honestly at this point Blue is the only reason why Ngihtmare hasn't started losing his mind at Dream just yet.

Everyone around him. the whole time. noise or people and their emotions. the pressure of everyone looking at him and trying to get his help. The amount of people trying to just stand next to him and soak up some of that positive aura is disgusting.

Nightmare has half the mind to kidnape his twin just to make sure that he knows he can actually say 'No' and tell people to piss off because it is starting to get concerning.

Nightmare hasn't had the impulse to throw this many people through windows in a while.

One more person from somekind of universe runs up to him "Dream Dream! I need your help!"

Nightmare has to take a very deep breath as he tries to control his temper. easy and calm. easy and calm. He manages to pull the smile back full force and turns to them "But of course! Happy to help. What do you need help with?"

The person smiles "Well! I wanted to do my grocerries but I ended up not going because I was watching this movie and it was jsut so good! Anyway. Would you mind doing my grocerries for me?"

Deep breaths Nightmare. Deep breaths.

The person continues on "The next part just started and I also really want to see that but by the time that one finishes the store will be closed!"

Deep. Breaths.

They continue the smile "And obviously I will pay you back later but-"

"No."

they blink. Nightmare stares back.

They frown "Waht? Why not?"

Nightmare honestly tries to keep it in but why would he? This is an idiot and they deserve to know "Because this is a result of your own neglect of your responsibilities and I don't see why it would then be up to me to fix this. Especially as you yourself still have the chance to do it yourself. But instead you are trying to use me and get an easy out. Not only that but you are also asking me to pay for this?"

The slowly cross their arms "You enver minded before..."

Anger. Rage. Nightmare manages to just stare "Well I mind now. Do it yourself. If you are adult enough to live on your own wihtout supervision you should be able to take care of yourself." Nightmare turns and walks away.

The person is enraged at him and Nightmare feels very smug about it. The person shouts after him "You are being a real asshole there Dream! And very selfish!"

Ngihtmare just keeps walking. don't commit murder in Dream's body. that is a very sure way to get others to notice you are not him.

Blue still walks with him and Nightmare glares "What?"

Blue blinks and tilts his skull "I am just happy you are finally starting to take my advice to not help everyone with everything. You gotta limit yourself or get burned out." Blue stops him and stares at him worried "Are you finally ready to tell me what is wrong Dream? I am worried about you..."

Nightmare considers what to say before sighing "I need a break." weak. Nightmare just, can't handle this. The constant demands and people asking him to do things. It is different with his boys. the real happiness they feel for him may sting slightly but it is real. The happiness of these people. It just isn't truly on that same level. There is no actual affection or care or even understanding behind it. It is about possession and demand and feeling like they earned it.

While they earned nothing.

How does Dream deal with them?

Blue nods "Yeah. Lets go to my place. People are less likely to bother you there. and If anyone asks I will just tell them you are sick."

Nightmare stares at Blue "I don't get sick. I can't get sick."

Blue snorts "Dream. The only three people in the whole multiverse that know that are, you, your twin, and me. If anyone asks we tell them you are sick." and he grins.

Ngihtmare stares at Blue for a moment "You are the only being in the multiverse with a functioning brain."

Blue snorts and laughs "Nightmare will be happy to hear you say that Dream." and he grins widely.

Nightmare snorts himself, a little inside joke just for him, "I know what I said."

They manage to find Core for a ride. Ngihtmare is relieved by that as he hasn't quite figured out how Dream makes portals just yet. Luckily Blue had decided for him that they would catch a ride instead of trying one themselves.

-----------

Dream reads through another report on the changes and shifts in the balance between positivity and negativity. another one that Dream had thought had been an attack agaisnt the multiverse but instead this report spoke about the high positivity levels making the universe unstable and them having to shift it.

The report speaks of a mild success and mentions a message to Error that this universe could be skipped for destruction for a while as they had managed to make it stable enough to last it a bit longer.

So many reports. So many universe which had been unbalanced.

Compared to all the reports Drema had read until now only about 10% spoke about getting higher negativity levels for Nightmare or getting supplies in a raid.

Everything else? All about universes that needed rebalancing and a shift in the right direction to keep them stable.

Dream leans back in the chair and yelps as the tendrils ache. He looks up adn groans as he sees the tentacles once again completely braided together. He doesn't want to have to try to undo it again and-

"Sup Boss!"

Oh are you kidding him?!

Dream had thought the people in the Omega timeline could be pushy or clingy. But it is nothing on these four. They just. Keep showing up!

It is like they are taking shifts! Dream manages to get one out and a new one will show up within 15 minutes.

Dream sighs and looks up "Waht do you want this time you. you..." you... you... Dream doesn't want to be mean. But Ngihtmare probably insults them... right? "Worms."

Cross's whole face turns sad and worried "Worms?" Oh Dream feels so bad about this. Oh no he looks so sad and hurt and why did Dream say that?

Killer however grins widely "worms! new nickname lets go!" he grins widely

Horror just looks at him with a raised brow "You okay boss?"

Dream feels himself get anxious as he tries to channel some stern face but he is unsure how well he is managing "what is it?"

Cross just keeps looking down at the floor with a sad expression as he mutters the word 'worms' to himself.

Horror looks back "Oh Killer pushed Dust down the stairs."

Drema blinks before looking at Killer "You did what?!"

Killer grins widely as he throws out his arms "I would never!"

A second later a very angry Dust shows up "He so did! The asshole pushed me!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not times infinity! Hah! I win!"

Dust glares and tries to tackle Killer but Dream, or lets be real Nightmare's tentacles, stop him and catch Dust mid air.

Dream takes a few breaths but he gives up "No pushing each other down the stairs! I can't even believe i need to say this!"

Horror speaks up "Again."

Dream feels himself stand up straighter "Again?!" luckily all of them seem to not hear the question in his outraged cry as Killer nods with a pout and Dust just huffs.

It is slightly concerning how unbother Dust looks by being up in onf of those tentacles.

Dream rubs his face as he tries to keep his spinning thoughts calm "I am going to be quick about it. I want all four of you to behave for ten minutes so I can look through my reports and figure out where to go to next!"

His brother had so many reports. If Dream could find some positive universe and spread a tiny bit of negativity then Nightmare, in Dream's own body, would feel that and come to Dream and then Dream can try to get them to switch back.

Silence answers him and he looks up to see all four of the gang look at him and nod. Dream waits for a moment before nodding himself "Good!" He has to focus on the tentacle and imagines it putting Dust down before it actually listens. The tendril seems unwilling to let Dust go.

Dream takes a deep sigh and sits back at Nightmare's desk as he starts reading through reports. He looks back up only to see all four of the gang relaxing around him and Nightmare's desk.

Dream rubs his face. considers going against it before just going wiht the flow. Fine! if they want to watch him read reports so be it! Dream turns back to the many reports as he tries to figure out which place would be best. By the stars Nightmare has so much information and he straight up has a whole catagory on different universes and what key differences are and how to spot these when first entering an universe.

There is just so much knowledge and understanding about all of these universe. Nightmare even took time ot learn which universes are most likely to interact. to cross over. or to even be able to hold a stable connection to serve as trading route.

Dream looks up and spots that those stupid tentacles had moves again! Each of them holds one of the four gang members and Dream is trying to think on how to put them back down.

Then he sees all four of them... asleep. peacefully asleep as they lay either rolled up in the tentacle or seem to hug them in their sleep.

Dream stares for a moment and wonders just how often this happens for that to be the natural reaction before he turns back to the reports. the answer has to be in these.

----------

Nightmare feels the spike of negativity as soon as it happens. It si fear from somewhere in the multiverse and he sits up straight.

Blue looks over worried "Dream?"

Nightmare knows it within a second with absolute certainty "My brother." it is dream. Dream has entered an universe and is... causing fear?

Maybe a trap. Or... a beacon.

Blue frowns at him "Are you sure you are ready for this Dream? I don't think you are... fully rested yet."

Nightmare is already up and nods "I am sure." Now the hard part. He focusses on the magic so much like his own but different. the only thing that is avaiable to him is Dream's magic and it will have to do. He focusses on the positivity and wills it to open a connection to where he feels the spike of negativity.

A portal opens before them.

Blue nods as he grabs his hammer "Let's go."

They step through together and Nightmare looks around. He is quick to spot himself.

Nightmare glares as he crouches low before he is off like a bullet right at his own body. The shock on his own face is satisfying.

More satisfying is tackling himself as he and Dream tumble down the sloop into the overgrowth behind it.

Dream yelps and tries to retaliate but Nightmare knows his own body and his own limits. Nightmare is quick to get Dream in a headlock and hisses "Give me back my body."

Dream groans "I am trying! Let go so we can figure this out before they find us!"

Nightmare frowns and waits for just a moment to see if they are followed. He feels some slight confusion and worry from everyone else but there seems to be a bit of a standoff.

Nightmare sighs and lets go of Dream "Quickly then."

Dream huffs as he gets up only to stagger as Ngihtmare sees his tendrils flex. Nightmare snorts "Haven't figured out how to keep them still yet?"

Dream glares at Ngihtmare wiht his own face "Shut up. Just tell me you have na idea how to switch us back."

Nightmare sighs "Obviously we tried to recreate what happened in our last fight." Nightmare focusses and calls forth his, Dream's? this is getting confusing, aura.

Dream hisses slightly, no doubt feeling the burn, before nodding and quickly doing the same.

Both hold out a hand and inch their aura's around each's other's aura and towards the other twin.

Nightmare feels his own magic reach him and it feels like a blast of cool air on a summer day. He lets himself follow it and-

His body burns by the positivity right before him and he jumps back. His tendrils helping Ngihtmare move back and away from Dream.

Dream lets out a loud sigh of relieve as he lets himself sink to his knees "Oh that feels so much better..."

Nightmare nods as he flexes a tendril "I agree."

A moment of silence and peace between the two as neither makes the move to attack first.

Dream speaks up first "I... I never realised how... how much just tiny bits of positivity hurt..."

Nightmare shurgs "You get used to it. and sometimes it is better to feel the sting than the alternative."

Dream nods as he shoots Nightmare a smile.

Nightmare frowns "You can say no."

Dream blinks "Excuse me?"

Nightmare sighs "You should say no sometimes. It is unhealthy to keep giving everything you have to everyone. especially if they don't actually need help or are even thankful or grateful for it." Nightmare shoots his brother an unimpressed look "Learn to manage your work/home life."

Dream blinks before laughing and shooting him a grin "You sound like Blue."

Nightmare nods "You should listen to him more then."

Another moment of peace before both their groups get to them. Neither feel much for fighting and both call for a retreat very quickly.

Both have a lot to think about anyways.

---------

"Wait?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU AND YOUR TWIN HAD BEEN SWITCHED?! THAT EXPLAINS SO MUCH!"

#writing #utmv #fanfic #fanfiction #Nightmare did in matter of fact reassure Cross that he does not think he is a worm #Cross is very relieved #The one who said the last sentence us up to you #as for where Error and Ink where? #They were doing their own B-plot where they got stuck somewhere and had to work together to get out #They did not work together #which is why they were away for so long #Anyway #Hope you like your little pressie ;) #Just a little something inspired by your comics #No i am not going to proofread #Nor Am i going to edit. #Am tired. #Nightmare Sans #Dream Sans

[c00kieguy]

hai :3c (regarding your long distance argenti post; i got lazy at the end sorry huhu)

imagine, one day, he doesn't reply all of a sudden.

imagine one day, late in the evening, you're waiting for argenti's usual goodnight message—either in the form of honeyed, poetic words that could be translated into ballad or the sound of his smooth-as-velvet voice that you could listen to for hours on end.

imagine, falling into uneasy sleep as you can no longer force your eyes open trying to stay awake awaiting your lover's fleeting words reserved for you and only you.

imagine waking up in the morning, immediately turning on your phone in hopes that argenti was perhaps too occupied to send you a message (or, messages) last night—in the past, he has, so hopefully this was one of those cases.

imagine, after a very long day with zero replies from your one and only, there was still radio silence on his end, your messages growing ever more frantic.

a day grows into two, then three, then four, then five.

and then five days becomes two weeks.

at this point, you may as well be growing grey hairs from all the stress you've accumulated worrying about what the hell happened to your boyfriend. he's warned you about the possibility of not being able to contact you for periods at a time due to "certain circumstances"... whatever they were.

but there was also a slim chance of the other possibility of him embarking danger on his journeys out across the stars. you know him—he can be overdramatic, corny.

and reckless.

you perish the mere thought as the doorbell rings; once, then twice.

you slowly cross your abode to the entrance, confused. you aren't expecting anybody today, nor did you order anything. thinking none of it, hoping for a well-rounded distraction you twist the knob open only to be met with a bushel of familiar bright red hair and the scent of roses.

motionless you stare, slack-jawed and silent as you take him in.

you now see that his red hair is ever so unkempt, mussy and tangled; his fragrance of roses shrouded by the odour of blood that stains some of his and dirty scuffed armour. a million questions race through your head among the lines of 'what was so urgent to warrant him not cleaning up when he arrived at your doorstep', or 'where the fuck has he been'.

you almost don't notice him take your hand in his—so gentle, so unlike a knight who has faced countless battles—as he bows down to give yours a tender kiss, you almost wish it was on your lips instead. almost.

it's unfair, really, even with his unkempt appearance you rarely see if ever—he still looks so handsome. he glances up at you with his sparkling eyes, still bowing, answering your unsaid question with an apologetic look.

"my sincerest apologies. my phone had been swallowed by a sting."

("where's my jumping hug you usually bestow me whenever i visit, my dear?" he almost pouts, as if unaware of his uncouth appearance.

"you have bug guts and blood on you."

"but i missed you. :("

"go take a shower, argenti."

you gave him plenty of cuddles and kisses once he and his armour were all cleaned up, and even considered purchasing a backup phone for him in case his new one got swallowed. again.)

ANON THIS WAS SO???!?! I LOVE YOU

ofc his phone got swallowed by a sting. I'd like to imagine he doesn't actually have any important things on his device for this very reason. Every single picture he takes, every important document or any other kind of information he wants saved, he just sends it to you lol. You have a separate folder called 'Argenti's Stuff' (right next to the folder with all the selfies he sends you) (there're like 500+ pictures in it at this point)

"Next time you lose it I'll cuff the damn thing to your wrist."

Ohh and taking care of him afterwards too. I bet he's exhausted from his….endeavors. Imagine running him a bath and helping him wash off all the gunk from his hair >> I got a little carried away hehe, holding him 🤲

Taking in a deep breath you steel yourself against the gruesome state of his hair. Beautiful red locks, once so soft and lush, now matted and sticking to his neck in wet patches. As if that wasn't foul enough, you were sure the tiny clumps of flesh scattered on his hair were just that, flesh. Not to mention the small remnants of the sting's carapace sprinkled on top of everything.

You shake your head and continue, undeterred by the sight in front of you.

Argenti sighs as soon as the warm water hits his head. The heat from the water running down his back like a cozy stream envelops him and alleviates his fatigue as he sinks further into the tub. Holding the shower head with one hand you use the other to carefully work on cleaning up the mess in his hair.

The knight melts into your soft touch, your fingers feel like magic the way they easily untangle his messy hair. The grime and gunk that covered his hair form a bloody river that runs into the drain as they slowly get washed away.

Once you were certain that everything from his hair was cleared out, you move onto the shampoo. Argenti grumbles as you apply a generous amount of the cold gel to his head, clearly disgruntled at the stark contrast in temperate. You disregard his silent complains and start massaging his scalp with both hands, rubbing the foam around his head and adding more shampoo when needed. You swore your bottle felt half as empty by the time you were done.

Rinsing out his hair was a harder task that you thought. Just the sheer volume of it was enough to hold so much soap, you had to spend a considerable amount of time just to wash it all off.

You repeat the whole process just in case, after all, it's hard to tell if there's any blood left when the hair in question is also red…

By the time you're done he's fast asleep and he looks so impossibly cute that way. Just seeing Argenti so visibly relaxed and dozing off made you feel sleepy as well. So you carry him back to the bed and fall asleep next to him <3

(yea I also got lazy at the end lol. it just be like that..)

#honkai star rail #hsr argenti #argenti x reader #x reader #hsr x reader #I've read this like THREE TIMES #genuinely anon wtf #just coming in here and dropping a banger and leaving?!?!! #blood and guts covered Argenti.... #consider me a dead man #ask #anon #I'm gonna be thinking about this for the next few weeks.... #c00kie.writes #hsr

[rubyroboticalt]

QBLR QUARTERLY WEEK 2!

Minecrafters grab your pickaxes, and catch up on the QBLR QUATERLY! What's up guys, update just dropped! It sure is something to try and decipher, huh. We've got pages of new stuff to go over, so let's catch up on all the events and mishaps that happened on the server this week!

Desnay finishes his base, and Perrito has a concert!

A new emote touches the server, it's the purple guy stand emote. Surely, nothing can go wrong with that emote and so many creatures around.

Smashing last week's record, Cheez logs a total of just under four full 24-hour days on the server. It has been up for 9 days. Does this man sleep? Eat? Stretch maybe?

All this just in time for a special server event! The dark magician who clears dropped items every 15 minutes gathers up all the creatures running around the island, and distributes them to groups of carers! This goes about as well as you'd think for a server of people in the prime age to develop baby fever over a voxel egg.

And for folks who would rather remain childfree, no need for concern! Planned Parenthood opens a clinic on the server where both reproductive health and world hunger concerns can be addressed. Any unwilling parents can pick up an Abortion In A Bottle free of charge!

Of course, there are plenty of folks who have other ventures going on, including the theatre kids' first outpost on the server, and some autistic minecraft behaviors. No, I mean some really autistic minecraft behaviors. This is impressive.

The theme of this week's builds is farms! A lovely community farm where everyone on the server is coming together to create a seed vault and garden that anyone can take a seed from if they're missing a plant.

And of course, there are plenty of new seeds and plants found and collected by the several intrepid world border expeditions! All four borders were reached this week. The border is 30k x 30k in length and width.

If you thought there was only one server event this week, you'd be wrong! Due to timezones and lag reasons, a second creature event was planned and held a day after the original! This event came with complementary drugs!

With two creature events down, the creatures start settling into their new homes and bonding with their new carers. Some creatures are kept in utmost safety, and others partake in activities that perhaps a creature should not be partaking in. As of yet, there are no family vloggers on the server, so that's a win.

While Nightmare Stalkers are nightmarish as the name suggests for the first few nights of having such vulnerable creaturess around, they quickly become nothing more than a regular nuisance. As such, traps and poisons to dispatch them swiftly are set up around the server.

But wait, there's more! That's right it's a third creature event batch! The final group of creatures are assigned carers and begin to settle in.

With all these creatures now assigned, a creature task system begins to be implemented, and carers take photos of the tasks with their creatures to earn tokens. These tokens ARE valuable.

Otherwise, all the creatures begin to make their mark on the world, with players also building many important venues and farms for the server. This includes the server's XP farm, a mob farm designed for lag easing while still providing XP.

And, of course, there are shenanigans aplenty with creatures and residents alike, including picnics, pole dance classes, abyss exploration, and the birth of G-dzilla.

And the second week of the server is aborted peacefully.

#qblrsmp #qblr quarterly #ruby tv #we also had our first discourse but it was handled peacefully and maturely because reading comprehension is a rule on the server.

[lxnlxnranch]

kisses in public

>> includes: sky and four a/n: sorry for being gone for like, a year, but I'm back!

Sky

As affectionate as the Hero of the Sky is, there is almost nothing that will stop him from showing his love and adoration to his beloved. There is no particular reason as to why he kisses his significant other in public, he just does. He’s a romantic at heart, and if he wants to show you how much you mean to him and you both happen to be in public- well, that is no issue to him! Because of this though, his kisses tend to be incredibly impulsive and rather out of nowhere. He feels like the sharp sting of wind on early spring mornings, the warmth of downy soft feathers leaving you gasping for air. 

It was such a gorgeous day on Skyloft. Hylia had finally graced your group with a world that was fairly calm in comparison with all the others, and there was something simply whimsical and fairytale-like about being so high up in the sky. This wasn’t your first time on the floating island- you sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be your last- and the layout of the sanctuary was easy for you to remember. While the Chain were busy recounting Sun of their tales, you’d decided to peruse the Bazaar and restock on much needed supplies. 

“Y/N!” Your name rang through the thin air, and you looked much more ahead of you to the source of the voice. The potions seller waved her hand through the air, a wide smile on her face as she beckoned you over. 

“And good afternoon to you too, Luv,” you stopped just short of the counter, gazing at all the brightly-colored liquids scattered over the table. You swung your bag to the front of your body, prying out empty bottles as Luv continued to talk. 

“My my, you’re almost here as often as poor Link! Now tell me dear, what would you like this time? I have a flash sale for the weekend, and everything is twenty percent off.” She gladly reached forward and took the glass bottles off of your hands, setting them on her workbench as she started to make preparations.

“Just some health potions this time, I’m afraid.” 

“Oh not to worry my dear, anything for one of my favorite customers.” And that out of the way, your conversation immediately turned to the local gossip of the town. You couldn’t say you weren’t interested, and before you knew it you’d spent nearly an hour just at her stall. But what could you say? Learning that the people before you still had squabbles, embarrassing moments, and more, was grounding in a way. Hylians were always Hylians, with their problems and virtues and vices, you were all still the same, no matter how many centuries had passed. 

Unbeknownst to you however, was the fact the Chain was already done with their debrief. Sky knew where you’d be, and he’d started looking around the Bazaar already, and there was just something different this time around when he did so. When his eyes fell upon your form, he swore he could feel his heart melting inside his chest. There was something he couldn’t quite describe, seeing you talk with his people. The way you leaned forward to listen to Luv’s conversation better, the way she genuinely seemed to enjoy your presence and dropped all pretense of wanting to sell. Fi hummed gently against his back, and he snapped out of his reverie. He wanted to see this more. He wanted to see you feel at home with the rest of his people, and maybe he should start looking for a ring? A brilliant smile made its way on his face, and he weaved through the crowd to make his way over. It was Luv to notice him first. 

“Ah, Link!” She looked over your shoulder and waved, one bottle of half-filled potion in her other hand. You whirled around only to be met with lips pressed up against yours, the faint taste of pumpkin and wind reassuring you everything was alright. Before you could reciprocate, Sky had already pulled away, a scarred hand resting on the small of your back. “Hi Luv, how have you been? I feel like it has been ages since we last spoke!” 

And as much as surprise kisses were common, you were still annoyed with the fact you were never ever able to kiss back. Sensing your distress, your hero turned and gave you a small peck on the corner of your lips and- “Goddesses Sky, that’s almost worse, you little rat!” 

Both their laughter echoed throughout the market, and as annoyed as you were, you couldn’t help but join in.

Four

Four was never truly the type to enjoy public displays of affection; he always found them cheesy and embarrassing. Well, that was until he met you, of course. Now he could understand. As something as simple as holding hands and/or as exuberant as kissing in the busiest hours of the market, he now understood that love had no qualms about time nor place. This isn’t to say he didn’t like privacy. He was much more partial to subtlety: a kiss to your knuckles here, a peck to your temple there. His kisses were gentle, but they never betrayed how much love he held just for you. 

The Hero of the Minish, the Hero of the Four Sword, the Hero of Light. Four wasn’t one for titles, but they followed him wherever he went. His people excitedly called his name, waved as he walked past stalls, threw him thankful smiles or reverent nods his way. He’d normally be alright with this type of attention, but not when he’d lost you just ten minutes before in the hustle and bustle of town. 

“Y/N?” He called out, easily weaving in between crowds of people, his head swiveling this way and that to try and catch a glimpse of your cloak. Nothing. He pursed his lips, exhaling through his nose. You were both going to be late for dinner at this rate, and he did not want to be on the receiving end of Time’s disappointed stare. Just how in the world did you two get separated? You were looking at the same stall for the Goddess’ sake, he swore you were right behind him too. His foot tapped impatiently on the ground, nervousness starting to crawl up his spine. He doubted you were in danger, but there was still that slim chance- 

There was a small bit of pressure on his pant leg, and Four was too experienced to not know what it was. He looked down by his left foot, and leaned down as a small smile graced his features. “Hello, my friend. Is everything alright?”

The Minish waved their arms in greeting, gracefully stepping onto the hand Four offered them as they sat down in the middle of his palm. “Hello Link! Y/N asked us to find you, they seemed rather lost when they stumbled on us.” And oh, wasn’t that a relief. He felt a breath he didn’t even know he was holding escape his lungs, and he straightened back up as he cupped the Minish with both hands. “Thank you, my friend. Would you lead me to them? I’m afraid we might be late for dinner.” 

The Minish nodded, and they were on their way. 

Soon enough, he was guided to a small bundle of trees just off the main market, the sunset washing everything in a beautiful orange glow. You were sitting at the base of the tree, your knees pulled up to your chest as multiple Minish ran across the tops of your knees, crawling up your hands and arms to braid various flowers into your hair. You could almost die with how cute they were, and you didn’t have the heart to tell them no as they started building a braided flower crown atop your head. 

“There you are,” Four made his way to your side, opening his cupped hands by your knees. The Minish gently pat Four’s thumb and climbed out, joining their brethren in decorating your head. You couldn’t move much or risk throwing the cute creatures off your head, so you simply raised your hand in greeting. 

“Hey. Sorry for getting lost, I swore to myself I’d be right back. That turned out rather well, I’d like to think.” 

“It did, didn’t it?” He hummed in response, making sure the spot next to you was clear of Minish before he sat down. And here, with flowers cascading through your hair and Minish chattering away in the sunset’s dying glow, he was lucky enough to see the most beautiful sight in the world unfold right before his eyes. The hustle of the market was slowly quieting as more and more people started closing up shop, and as much as he’d love to stay here until nightfall… 

“We ought to go back,” he gently took your hand in his, rubbing his thumb over your knuckles as he brought them to his lips. He kissed each individual one, and you could feel the heat radiating off your cheeks, and it was only a little consolation that you could see his own cheeks turn red. “We’re already running late as it is.”  “Would you like to explain that to our little friends?” You tilted your head only a centimeter up, pouting your lips to motion to the frankly too adorable creatures sitting on your head.

And as much as you were both scared of Time’s signature disappointed look…

Four sighed, though there was no hiding the smile on his lips. It was in that moment you knew you’d won him over. He intertwined his hand with yours and leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to your cheek, and he felt his heart squeezing almost painfully in his chest. Goddesses, he loved you so.

“Alright, alright, but you’re going to be the one explaining this to Time.”

“Hm,” you hummed, gently squeezing his hand. “I think I’m alright with that.”

#this writing is like a year/year and a half old lol #got inspired to come back to this blog so #here we are! #lu x you #lu x reader #linked universe x reader #linked universe x you #sky linked universe #four linked universe

[talesoftheunimagined]

[Mistaken Identity] Chapter 2

Rating: General

Fandom: Good Omens (Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett)

Relationships: Aziraphale x Crowley, Aziraphale/Crowley

Tags: Angst, Fluff, Heartbreak, Love, Georgian Era

Summary: The year is 1797. King George has just gotten over a bout of illness and a member of the English royal family had just gotten married to a Duchess of Holland, so why not throw a masquerade ball to celebrate the occasion and invite all the noblemen and women of The United Kingdom and surrounding areas?

Crowley and Aziraphale meet at the ball. Crowley, though, mistakes some identities.

Chapter one can be found here

Notes: Thank you for all the love for chapter one! <3

😇😈😇😈😇😈😇😈😇😈😇😈😇😈😇😈😇😈😇😈😇😈

If you'd wondered how big the ballroom was, it could hold an entire 60-person Classical orchestra. You might not think that's a lot. But consider the musical instruments and then also consider how many hundreds of people would appear at the ball; Dukes, Duchesses, Barons and Baroness, Kings, Queens, Princes, Princesses, foreign diplomats and attachés, counts and contessas. Then a whole armoury of staff plus the dresses and clothes they were all wearing. So it was no surprise to Aziraphale when he had lost Crowley for nearly three and a half hours. In his tipsy-nearly-drunk state, he had thought that he'd seen Crowley at least four times but it was just a mask that looked similar to his.

It was nearly ten o'clock when Aziraphale had spotted Crowley by the open doors of a balcony absent of the Swan lady he had danced with earlier. He was leaned up against a doorframe idly and looked out downwards out into the sconce-lit courtyard. Crowley had found out that the name of this woman was Frederica (but he hadn't found out that he had bedded crown Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia - daughter in law to the king) and that she was rather good in the bedroom. His hair was ever so slightly out of place but this wasn't extremely noticeable unless one had paid scrupulous attention to his hair before and after he'd vanished into a guest room. The demon was enjoying the cool summer night breeze (not that he actually needed it) and was also, rather squiffy.

"Having a rather good time, aren't we?" Said Aziraphale with light amusement.

"Mmh." The demon hummed, not looking at him. Probably just too drunk to speak.

"She'll confess you realize?" It wasn't a question but more or a statement. It still came out with a wistful, dreamlike tone. "We'll get her back on our side-"

"You're gorgeous, y'know that?" The demon cut him off. Aziraphale blushed deeply. "And - And - And - I would like to, to very much dance. With you. Now." Crowley, still not paying mind to Aziraphale, took his hand awkwardly and stumbled out into the center of the room. It all happened so quickly. Aziraphale's head spun from the sudden and unwarned movement - like when you stand up too fast and become dizzy and when he came to his senses, he found himself being thrown into an underarm spin by Crowley. He winced slightly as he drew the alcohol out of his system and sobered himself. The angel's heart raced. He suddenly became very aware of the situation: Crowley's slender fingers firmly grasping his waist, his smooth palm resting against his, both their chests pressing together and the feel of other women's dresses brushing against his legs and ankles as well as his own coat tails on the backs of his calves and knees. His heart fluttered and his face and ears glowed a brilliant bright red.

"Crowley-"

"I've been admiring you all night, you know."

"Well, Crowley, I must admit that I-"

"You're- you're angelic. Positively glowing in brilli- in brilli- you're beautiful." The demon slurred.

"Oh well, thank you, my dear-"

"And-" Crowley spun Aziraphale again. He was quite a skilled dancer even if he was drunk. He placed his hand firmly on the angel's hip once more and rested his chin on top of his head as they both fell back into a simple box step.

"I'm quite sure that you want what I'm after," His voice came out low, sensual. Almost a purr that would weaken anybody's knees. Aziraphale nearly melted.

"O-Oh, Crowley, I feel the exact same way I've just been rather too shy to admit! I thought it would be far too forward of me."

"- Frederica." Frederica. Bloody Frederica.The angel's heart sank down to the depths of hell and he could now feel his face heating up for another reason. This was now humiliation. His face fell, he tensed every muscle in his body. It was clear now that the demon had confused Aziraphale with the swan woman. After all, they did have similar masks and their heights and frames were similar. Similar enough for a drunkard to draw the conclusion that they may have been the same person. He hadn't even been listening or looking at him. He was far too drunk to even realize that she was not him. Tears stung his eyes. He wished, after nearly 6000 years of being on Earth, that he had never been sent down to this infernal planet!

"Crowley." The demon continued muttering things. Aziraphale ripped his hand out of Crowley's and threw his hand from his waist. He ran as fast as his legs could carry towards an open balcony before anybody else could catch on to what had just happened. The humiliation! Oh good heavens how could he have ever believed for one second that Crowley had meant those words for him?! Of course, he didn't! Couldn't! Wouldn't. Ever. A hard lump formed in his throat and he felt his lip quiver. He collapsed behind the door and bought his hands up to his forehead, staring down at the paving stones. He had let himself be tempted by the very force he was meant to have thwarted. How dare he! The stupid, foolish, hopeful angel.

Crowley stood in a daze in the middle of the ballroom. Then he realized the full weight of what had just happened as he miracled himself sober. A handful of couples stared at him in disgust - or maybe it was annoyance that he'd upset the mood of the party. His insides churned and twisted in a way he was quite sure shouldn't have worked in this human body. He felt like a true demon for the first time in centuries.

"Aziraphale...Aziraphale!"

Aziraphale leaned his head against the stone of the balcony railing. His head was thrumming. He could quite clearly hear the calls of his name getting nearer and nearer to him. The angel slammed the balcony door with such ferocity that the pigeons on the roof scattered scared into the night and the glass pains almost shattered. The last thing he wanted was to face Crowley and cause any more humiliation on his own part - thank you very much!

"Oh! Oh!" His face scrunched up in almost pain. "OH! Will you please just fuck right off!"

#aziraphale x crowley #aziraphale/crowley #chapter 2 #mistaken identity #good omens #crowley #aziraphale #fluff #angst #aziracrow

[gallawitchxx]

29 for the kisses, please!

- - - - -

send me a number & i'll write you a smoocheroo 😚

- - - - -

#29: ...as a promise

The digital clock on the wall is a goddamn tease.

How is it only three-thirty?

It’s not the worst job in the world, working the reception desk at an auto repair shop. It’s mostly just answering phones and handing out intake forms. Running credit cards upon drop-off and pick-up, and using what little knowledge he has about cars to field basic questions. Ian’s a little surprised that his parole officer had stuck him in a place that was clearly running some kind of illegal chop shop after hours, but whatever.

Southside is as Southside does.

But today has been fucking dragging. A shipping delay had pushed a ton of work back a week or two, so there was only one pick-up on the books, and it had already happened. At nine a.m., right at the beginning of his eight-hour shift. One can only clean a desk so many times before starting to feel a little buzzed off cleaning spray fumes, so for the past couple of hours, Ian’s been supremely bored, his mind bouncing from one topic to another, trying to keep him occupied, but away from the mechanical sounds coming from the belly of the shop.

The ones coming from the only mechanic on duty today—Mickey.

Jesus, Ian’s got it bad for the guy.

Between Mickey’s filthy fucking mouth, greased-up knuckle tattoos, and the way his ass looks in a pair of coveralls, Ian never really stood a chance. But then he had to go and be funny and smart and secretly sweet with the kids who come in with their parents, and in no time at all, Ian was halfway to being fully in love.

The way Mickey looks at him doesn’t help the situation either, nor does the coffee and Kind bar combo he drops at Ian’s desk every shift, which means Mickey heard and remembered an off-the-cuff comment Ian made one morning when discussing break room snacks with the shop owner.

But what’s really making things hard—literally—is what happened the last time he saw Mickey…

A few nights back, a freak downpour had collided with a blocked drainpipe and flooded the shop’s main floor. They’d had to shut the whole place down so that the mechanics could instead work on pumping rainwater back outside where it belonged. When the worst of it was over, Mickey promised to take care of the rest, shooing the other guys out the door and home to their families. Ian, who didn’t have anywhere to be, and was a bit distracted by the way Mickey’s wet tank top was clinging to his cut chest, offered to stay and help finish the job.

Help Mickey out with another job, too...

But that was days ago, and even though Ian’s knees still ache from where he’d knelt on damp concrete, they haven’t talked since. Not even when Mickey had dropped off his breakfast! Ian had been on the phone, the timing of which felt suspect.

By the time four-o-clock crawls around, Ian’s worked up the nerve to go say something. But then the chime on the door alerts him to someone coming in, and before he can even say hello, some asshole is screaming at him about promised timelines and demanding a refund.

Ian puts on his best customer service smile and tries to smooth things out, but it doesn’t work. More yelling ensues.

“Ey, there a problem up here?” Mickey’s voice cuts through the noise.

“Yeah, there is,” spits the douchebag. “My car was supposed to be ready a fucking week ago, and this idiot here can’t seem to make that happen.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Mickey says, taking a step forward. “Imma stop you right there.” He looks at Ian for the first time (since he came down his throat). “Gallagher, can you head to the back and grab me the project file? Should be somewhere on my station.”

Ian blinks. “But the files aren’t—“

“Now, Ian,” Mickey commands, his blue eyes blazing. “Go.”

“Sure thing,” he says, rising from his chair.

The rage-red moron has the nerve to fucking smirk at him, and fuck, Ian doesn’t fight anymore—swore to his court-ordered therapist he was done with that shit—but this asshole just might get him back in the ring. His hands itch as he passes, clenching and un-clenching as his jaw clicks.

Mickey avoids his gaze, which pisses him off even further.

Ian forces himself onto the shop floor, closing the door behind him.

A few minutes later, Mickey joins him. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Ian scans him for signs of a struggle, but he looks good. Great, even, his cheeks pinked. “You?”

“Course. Forget that dick. Caved quick and left. It’s a fuckin’ shipping issue, ain’t got nothin’ to do with you.”

Ian nods, unsure what to do or how to proceed. After a beat, he mutters a weak thanks.

Fuck, it’s awkward.

Then,

“Didn’t know—”

“Listen, man, I—”

They both stop talking, laughing nervously, the tension breaking just enough for some of their natural chemistry to seep back into the situation. Ian’s hands now itch with a wholly new desire to touch and caress instead of maim.

“I coulda handled him, you know,” Ian mutters.

Mickey chuckles. “Don’t doubt that for a second. Thought you were gonna fuckin’ deck that dude.”

“I was—I would have…” Ian shrugs. “But if I went back to prison, we couldn’t finish what we started the other night.”

And well, that gets Mickey’s attention.

“Guess that makes me a hero or somethin’ then, huh?” His voice is like gravel as he steps into Ian’s space.

Ian stares at his mouth. “Or something.”

“Tell ya what…” Mickey stares back. “He comes back, we’ll kick his ass together. Can pin it on me if the pigs show up.”

“Promise?”

Mickey answers with his lips, his teeth, and his sinful fucking tongue.

By the time they leave for the night, their knees have matching bruises.

#I LOVE YOU BESTIE #i hope you like this lil ditty #i just think they should always hook-up in their place of work #no matter the universe or circumstances #also please know that this was inspired by my desire for you to be done with work as quickly as possible #& also by howl who yelled at me to just WRITE A KISS ALREADY #thanks howl love you howl #anywhooo i failed to write another full kiss but at least there was tongue this time! #LOVE YOU JUJUBEE! #shameless #shameless fanfiction #prompt fill #ian x mickey

[narryffdreaming]

A TOAST TO THE FUTURE — FOUR (I)

Summary: Aurora and Harry used to be friends, but life happened and they grew apart. Now, 6 years later, they meet again.

Rating: +18

WARNINGS: The story contains explicit language and mentions a past abusive relationship (mostly the consequences of psychological/emotional abuse). Some chapters also contain explicit sexual content.

PART FOUR: 21,8k words (I) - 11,2k words (II) - 9,8k words

PART ONE || PART TWO || PART THREE

"Oh my God! Guys!" Lucy yells from the top of the yacht. "They're here!" 

"What?!"

"Oh my God!"

"Finally!" 

Their friends cheer and whistle at their arrival, and Aurora can't get rid of the smile on her face as half of the group screams her name at the same time the other half screams Harry's. There's music playing, each one of them holds some kind of drink, and the whole thing seems like a very intimate, messy, and fun summer party. 

"Just jump in and wait for me, okay?!" Lucy adds, already stepping out of sight. "I'm coming!"

"Okay…" Aurora murmurs and chuckles, although it's mostly out of nervousness, since Lucy obviously can't hear her. 

And, to be honest, she is too hypnotized to react in any other way. She has barely recovered from Harry's interaction, and now this gigantic, massive yacht in front of her isn't actually making things any less overwhelming. 

"Auri?" Harry calls.

She blinks and looks at him, then at his waiting hand. He's already inside the yacht, carrying their bags while he stretches out his arm to offer his help. 

Reality barely sinks in, but she shakes her head and walks forward, anyway. 

"Right, sorry."

She holds his palm and takes a leap, squeezing him as her feet touch the lowest deck of the yacht and her legs tremble onto the new ground.

And just like that, she goes back to staring at what will practically be her house — their house — for the next two days.

She counts three floors, and whilst she still can't see the ones from above, the one they just jumped into is enough to speak for the entire yacht. There is a pool with an infinity edge right by her feet, and on each side of it two steps that lead into a huge outdoor lounge area. Between a couple of sun loungers there's a massive white couch, and behind said couch more steps, leading to the insides of the yacht. 

"Fuck me," she murmurs, then bites her lip and shakes her head. She admires some more and, after a moment, she adds, "I need someone to pinch me right now." 

Next to her, Harry snorts, and Aurora turns her head to face him. 

He's already watching her, attentively and keenly. His stare never hesitating, never faltering. 

"It's not a dream," he murmurs back. "Trust me, I've been pinching myself for hours now." 

There's definitely something about the way he looks at her. Something that causes a little bit of everything to run through her body. 

It is good. Kind of exciting. But also overwhelming, and certainly unexpected. It makes her stomach flutter, but it also squeezes her chest. Almost as if suffocating her. 

So Aurora looks down, and tries to make sense of her thoughts. 

Although only then she notices she's still holding his hand, just like Harry's still holding hers. And then the feeling inside her only grows. The rush, the tingling, the trembling. The burning, the pounding, and the quivering. And she doesn't know what to do about it. She doesn't know how to make it stop. And she most certainly doesn't know what it means. 

Is she even supposed to do something about it? Is it even supposed to mean anything? Does she really need to make it stop? 

"Roryyy!" 

Aurora jolts, and she drops Harry's hand. 

"Hii!" 

Lucy's high-pitched voice echoes from her ear to her brain just as a body crashes against hers, two arms circling her neck. Aurora stumbles and laughs, and Harry's hand quickly lands on her lower back, keeping her in place. She glances at him over her friend's shoulder, finding him by their side with a genuine smile and affectionate gaze. 

"Hi, Lu…" She smiles, straight into his eyes.

"You're here!" Lucy says, pulling back and putting her hands on Aurora's shoulders. Forcing Aurora to look at her and finally getting full attention. Lucy's grin is contagious and sincere, and happiness seems to exhale through every cell of her skin. "I was panicking when Niall said your flight got delayed, but now you're here. You're actually here."

Aurora chuckles, grateful for such a heartfelt reaction, but also aware of the turmoil that's still happening inside her. "I am, yes. Well… We are."

She glances at Harry, and Lucy widens her eyes. 

"Oh my God, yes! Harry!" She turns to him, and a soft giggle falls through her lips. "Hiii! I'm sorry, I just got too excited seeing Rory." 

Harry laughs and embraces Lucy into a hug, holding the bags in place with one hand while circling her shoulders with the other. "It's okay. I know the feeling." 

The short interaction plus the hot weather are enough to burst Aurora's body into flames. She feels the sweat in the back of her neck, but mostly the warmth spreading through her cheeks, so she tilts her chin up and searches for their friends, desperate to find a distraction. 

Thankfully, Niall and Theo are leaning over the glass railing. Despite being up high and distant, their smiles are easy to see. Just like the sunglasses on their faces and the bottles in their hands. 

"Moonshine!" Niall shouts, waving towards himself. "Get your arse up here, c'mon!"

Aurora smiles. She raises her arm to wave at them, then uses her hand to block the sun from her eyes. "Hey guys! You look fancy up there." 

"I know!" Niall laughs. "And we'd look even fancier if we left the port, so c'mon!" 

Before she can come up with something to say, Lucy comes to a stop next to her, sighing before murmuring, "Oh my God he's insufferable." 

They both chuckle, and then Lucy places one hand by her mouth and shouts, "My engagement, my rules, Horan! So no leaving the port 'till I say so!" 

Niall gives her a thumbs up, then leans to say something to Theo — which none of them can hear, of course. Aurora shakes her head and lowers her eyes, glancing at Harry one more time. 

Unlike Lucy and Aurora, he isn't watching the boys, too focused on the view around them instead. With his head tilted up, he unintentionally gives her access to see his perfect jawline, the facial hair under his chin, and the way his muscles tense when he gulps down. A stunning sight, if one would ask her.

"Okay, so…" Lucy sighs and steps forward, and both Harry and Aurora look at her. She turns to them, she grinning from ear to ear and placing her hands on her hips. "Are you guys hungry? Did you get to eat something?"

"Oh my God, no," Aurora breathes out. "Please. I'm starving." 

"Good, 'cause so are we." Lucy giggles. "Is it okay if we grab something to eat before I show you around, then?"

"Of course." Harry nods.

"Yay!" She claps and twirls on her feet, leading the way as her hair moves along with the wind and her one shoulder floral dress. "To be honest, I really wanted to wait for you guys and do a tour for everyone at the same time, but, y'know, I couldn't hold myself… So we already did that… But we have plenty of time so it's okay… Also, apparently there are fancy names for every place, but I can't be bothered with any of that, so I'm in charge of the informal tour. If you want, Theo can take over and tell you a kitchen it's actually called a galley, or gallery, or whatever…"

Aurora blinks, processing her friends' rambling, and Harry chuckles. 

"You look really happy, Lu," he points out, beaming at their friend as they go up the steps. "More than usual, I mean."

"You think?" Lucy asks, looking over her shoulder and flickering her eyes between them two. 

Aurora smiles, and nods.

Harry's right. She's noticed that about Lucy, too. She can see the way her friend smiles, the way her eyes shine and her entire body trembles with joy. 

It isn't something rare to see, because Lucy has always naturally been a very bubbly, cheerful and energetic person. Always the mother of the group, and at the same time the little sister they all want to protect. Her movements always carried a sense of tenderness, of home and family, and at the same time her personality always exhaled sunshine, expensive champagne, and tight-dresses with high-heels. 

So, yes, Lucy's always been exactly like that. 

And yet, there's something different about her this time. 

If Aurora had to guess, she'd probably say it has something to do with the fact that she's about to spend the entire weekend with her friends, celebrating her own engagement to the love of her life.

"Thank you," Lucy says. "I think this is the happiest I've ever been, yeah."

Aurora follows them around the couch and up the steps, trying to remember if her own engagement ever made her feel this happy. Or if getting married to Zack ever made her shine like Lucy's shining right now. 

Did loving Zack ever made her feel the happiest she's ever been? 

And did Zack's love for her ever made her feel the happiest she could ever be?

She shakes her head, slightly fearing the answers to those questions. 

Besides, it doesn't matter, anyway. Not anymore. 

Lucy takes them through what she says it's the main living room, where Harry drops their bags on another fancy, white couch, and then through a dining room. All the furniture they walk past looks expensive and extravagant, yet minimalistic and simple at the same time. Once they get through a hallway, Lucy points to a staircase to her side and explains that all bedrooms are downstairs, except for hers and Theo's — of course, since they're taking the biggest suite. Then she points to the bathroom right across from the stairs, and finally takes them through a glass door that leads to the side of the boat. 

That's when Harry steps aside, raising one arm and encouraging Aurora to go first. She smiles and thanks him, following Lucy through the first flight of stairs, and through the second one. Watching and listening as her friend looks over her shoulder every two steps just to chat and giggle about the multiple areas of the yacht and how they could all hide from each other in different rooms if they wanted to. Or how they don't need to worry about anything the entire weekend because there's a crew ready to make them food and drinks, and also to help them with whatever they need.

Once they reach the highest part of the yacht, Lucy steps aside and demands everyone's attention, then everyone just focuses on them. 

Aurora's still overwhelmed by all the information, but Theo is already there, by the last step, ready to greet her and looking just as excited as Lucy. He pulls her into a hug and thanks her presence, then asks about the flight, and about Noah. She smiles and answers all of his questions, albeit shortly, and then he hugs her again and steps aside, quickly moving on. He turns to Harry, then, excessively shouting about how long it's been since they last saw each other and what the fuck happened to your head.

She laughs, because she figures it's the same kind of excitement she feels with the girls, and then she walks forward, finding Maddie and Ava next to a jacuzzi. 

"Oh my God?" she whispers, widening her eyes at Maddie and pointing to the bubbling water.

"I know!" Maddie mouths, chuckling and opening her arms to welcome her. "Welcome to heaven!" 

Aurora laughs, and hugs her. "I don't think I'll get used to this place."

"Me neither. I'm so happy you're here tho!"

Maddie squeezes her, and then they spend at least five minutes like that, just hugging and squealing about being together again. Which, considering she was at Aurora's place just days ago, quickly turns into jokes about how dramatic they are and oh my God get away from me now.

Next, her embrace with Ava also lasts another five minutes. However, they truly haven't been in the same room for a long time now, so it's also filled with remarks about how good it is to meet again and how excited they are for that weekend. Also, how they should do more things together and see each other more often.  

Jayden steps in next, and as he pulls her into a hug, he also jokes about how they need to think about some new reason to meet, because so far they've been only meeting at wedding ceremonies — first at her and Zack's wedding, then his and Ava's, and now Lucy and Theo's. 

That's when he puts Niall and Megan on the spot, throwing at them the responsibility to organize the next meeting — or, in Jayden's own words, the next wedding. 

Niall laughs and flips him off, pointing out that as far as he knows that's only Lucy and Theo's engagement party, so they still have the actual wedding to look forward to. 

They bicker for a while, and Aurora takes the opportunity to greet Daniel — Jayden's cousin and Niall's old roommate. He's standing by a large table (that is apparently being set up with food) along with Niall and Megan, and he smiles as soon as she gets closer. 

"Hey there," he says, placing one arm over her shoulders and giving her a polite, short squeeze into his side. 

She's a little bit more awkward with him, and even a little shy. Not really knowing what to say after hello and how are you and nice to see you. They aren't really close, and they probably wouldn't even see each other again if it weren't for the others, but she appreciates him deeply for being the string that tied all of them together in the first place. After all, if it weren't for Daniel, Aurora wouldn't have met Niall. And if she had never met Niall, she also wouldn't have met Harry. 

So, in the end, it would've really sucked.

"Ok c'mon," Niall says, tapping his hand on the side of his own leg. "'S my turn. C'mon. C'mon." 

She steps away from Daniel's polite half-hug and rolls her eyes, but her mouth is already curving into this excited and big grin. 

"Would you calm down for a minute?" she jokes.

"'Course not! Look who's here, huh?" Niall cheers, throwing one arm around her shoulders and pulling her to his side. "Ma moonshine!"

She chuckles, turning towards him and circling her arms around his waist. It's been a while since she's been longing for a proper Niall-bear-hug, so she makes sure to enjoy it the most she possibly can. 

"Hi Ni," she whispers, resting her chin on his shoulder and letting a long exhale out of her nose. It's like her entire body loosens up, and she doesn't make any effort to hide it. "I've missed you." 

His childish playfulness fades away, and he passes his cold beer to someone behind her before crossing both of his arms around her shoulders and locking her in.

Finally hugging her properly. 

Finally hugging her tightly. 

"I missed ya too, moonshine," he replies just as softly, rubbing one hand up and down her shoulder blades. "It's been a while, huh?"

She closes her eyes, and nods. "Mhmm." 

It's not like they haven't seen each other at all, but they definitely haven't seen each other as much as they could. Or as much as she would've liked to. And she knows she is the only one to blame for that. She knows that Niall tried his best along the years, but she also knows that, unfortunately, Zack didn't seem to understand why she needed to maintain friendships with the opposite sex, so unless Maddie and Lucy were involved, she ended up not meeting with him that much anymore. 

Things changed after the break up, though. Niall was one of the only five people — outside from her family — she reached out to. They started meeting up for coffees, and sometimes he and Megan would tag along with her and Noah to the park. So it got better, for sure. Still, it hurts to know she had put so much distance between them, just like it hurts she still struggles so much to let him back into her life.

"Sorry for not answering your calls the past few weeks," she says.

"'S okay… At least you texted, yeah? Would've knocked on your door if not."

She chuckles and pulls away, blinking to look at him. 

The knot she improvised earlier on the back of her head doesn't exist anymore, and the light breeze seems to take advantage of that. 

"Noah's been asking about you," she says, putting her hair behind her ear.

"Really?!"

The way he beams at the mention of her son's name warms Aurora's heart, and she nods, smiling even wider at him. "Yeah… He says uncle Ni promised to teach him how to play guitar, so… When is he going to come over?"

"Ha!" Niall laughs, dropping his head back for a moment before looking into Aurora's eyes again. His cheeks are pink, and his eyes are glowing. "I did say that, yeah! Said I was gonna buy one for him. We'll arrange one afternoon for me to take him, yeah?" 

"Really? You'd do that?"

"Course! Are you kidding? Me and Harry will take him, make it a lads afternoon."

"Oh." Aurora nods, and swallows. "Right."

She looks around, then. Only half aware that the mere mention of his name has her already searching for him. 

Harry is by the jacuzzi, chatting with Theo, Ava, and Jayden, moving his hands while sharing some story with them. He looks excited, and happy. He also looks like someone who's been sitting on a plane and inside of a car for too long. Someone who hasn't tamed his hair in a while. Someone who hasn't shaved in three or four days. And someone who clearly doesn't depend on any of that to still look freaking good. 

Daniel approaches them and interrupts him, and whatever he says it's enough to completely crack Harry up, because he bends his knees and drops his head back, laughing loudly while raking his fingers through his curls. And the sound coming out of him is so enthusiastic and charged that it almost makes Aurora laugh, too. 

Almost, though. 

Because, looking at him, she actually doesn't feel like laughing. 

She actually doesn't feel like laughing at all.

Can it be possible for her to already miss those moments between them two? Just by themselves? Or is she so needy and lonely that she has irresponsibly already gotten too attached to him? 

Harry stretches his body and shakes his head, the smile still huge on his face, then turns his head to where she is.

His eyes meet hers, and Aurora looks away.

Shit.

She blinks and focuses on Niall — again. 

"So…" Niall says, putting his hands inside the pockets of his shorts. There is a new look on his face. A look she can't understand, but also a look she doesn't have time to question, because he quickly speaks again. "Talked to him this morning." 

"Yeah." Aurora nods. "I know." 

She doesn't have to ask who he's talking about, because she already knows. For some very weird and strange reason, she knows. Not because Harry mentioned something about it earlier, but because she just… Knows. 

Harry's never been that person she doesn't have to name in a conversation. He's never been the implied subject, he's never even been someone she had something to discuss about. And yet there she is right now, after one failed marriage and a four-year-old waiting for her at home, trying to figure out how the hell Harry suddenly became all she can think about. 

"'S it ok that I told him about… Y'know."

"Yes. Don't worry about it."

"'Kay. Did you two have a good flight, then?"

"Mhm. I slept most of the time so… Yes." She nods and peeks over Niall's shoulder, then waves at the girl quietly standing behind him. Almost hiding. "Heyy Megan!"

"Oh, hi." She smiles and gets closer, then embraces her into a quick hug. When they're facing each other again, she asks, "How are you?"

"I'm good, tha—"

"Did Aurora tell you she goes by Mrs. Styles now?"

Aurora widens her eyes, and then turns around.

"Harry!"

He's standing next to Niall now, smirking while holding a bottle of beer. And then their eyes meet and he shrugs. As nonchalant and unworried as he could be. 

"What? They're our friends, they deserve to know."

"Know what?" Ava asks, approaching the table along with Jayden and Maddie.

"Nothing," Aurora says. 

Harry gasps, and places his hand on his chest. "Ouch. So our marriage means nothing to you?" 

Aurora rolls her eyes. 

So freaking dramatic.

"Wait, what?" Ava looks at her, then at Harry, then at her again. 

Maddie chuckles. "I'm confused."

"I'd say that was fast, but… Y'know," Jayden mumbles. 

And then Niall snorts, grabbing Megan by her waist and pulling her closer to him. "Took him fifty years, that's all."

Aurora is only half-listening to what they're saying, because, honestly? She just couldn't care less. She glares at Harry with a frown on her face, instead. Pursing her lips and biting her cheek to make sure her mouth won't turn into a grin. 

"Oops," he mouths, then tilts his head to take a sip of beer. Eyes never slipping away from hers.

She shakes her head and crosses her arms. Feeling a buzz of joy spread from her chest to all over her body. 

Harry's silly. He really is. Acting like a teenage-boy and making jokes that aren't even funny just to get a reaction out of her. Part of her doesn't understand him and doesn't see the point, but some other part — one that's deep inside and kind of forgotten — feels completely the opposite. Like she doesn't want him to stop being like that. Like she doesn't want him to stop making her happy, making her laugh. Going out of his way just to interact with her. Just to put a smile on her face. 

Even if it's just for a day. Even if it's just for this weekend. Even if it's just to make her feel the happiest she can be for the next two days. Before everything goes back to normal again. 

"I'm gonna kill you," she mouths back. 

Harry smirks, has another sip of beer, and winks. "I know you will."

And Aurora has no idea what he means by that, but she's pretty convinced it's the hottest thing she's seen so far.

It's official now: the crew is back together. 

Or that's what Daniel says, then minutes later Aurora catches herself thinking again as she looks around the table and smiles at her friends. 

Lucy, Theo, Maddie, Niall, Megan, Ava, Jayden, Daniel, and Harry. 

They're all there. 

Even she is there. 

And she's just so… Happy. 

To see everyone after so long feels amazing. It's like they have a lot to catch up on, but also like they can just pick up things exactly where they left them. No need for questions. No need for explanations. No need for apologies. Right now and right there, they all seem to have silently agreed there would be only room for excitement and celebration.

They are all eating and chatting, throwing questions around and making sure they know what's going on in everyone's lives. And they're all so mindful and careful of Aurora's feelings, leaving her out of certain topics and allowing her to stay in silence as much as she wants to. 

It's just… Perfect. It really is. She's happy, and she's carefree, and she's just so… Relaxed. 

And then Lucy, who's sitting right in front of her, gasps and calls Harry's name, as if she just remembered this huge thing she wanted to ask him about. 

Harry hums, acknowledging he's the new topic of the interrogation while chewing his food. 

"How's your dad doing?" she asks.

"Oh." He nods and gulps down, then takes a sip of water before answering her. "He's good, yeah. Not used to having the entire house to himself, but, y'know…" He shrugs. "He's alright." 

And that's when Aurora frowns, and when she finally feels the need to chime in.

"Wait, what?" She shuffles on her seat and leans in, trying to get a glimpse of Harry over Maddie, Megan and Niall's seats. "Why did your mum move out? Did your parents get divorce?" 

Now, if there's one thing that's already been established, it's that Aurora doesn't need any reminders of what a shitty friend she's been. By now, everyone already knows that it's something that constantly haunts her mind and that she's working as much as she can to fix.

Still, she doesn't think there was ever a moment when the truth hit her as loudly and painfully as right then and there. 

Because they all go silent. Awkwardly, uncomfortably, and painfully silent. It's like her questions reverberate through everyone around the table only to bounce back to her. 

Aurora falls back into her chair, hunching down as she feels her body shrink. 

"What?" she whispers, darting her eyes over the faces of those she can see. They avoid her just as much as she tries to reach them, though, and her heart speeds up. "What did I say, guys? What did I do?"

"Auri," Harry calls. 

"Babe," and Maddie whispers at the same time, placing her hand over her knee and leaning closer to her ear. "Harry's mum passed away." 

Aurora widens her eyes. "W-what? I—When? I didn't—" 

"I know." Maddie nods. "It was a few months ago."

Niall speaks next — Aurora knows because she recognizes his voice, but she doesn't catch what he says. And when everyone starts talking again, Aurora just tunes them out. 

"Oh my God," she breathes out. "Maddie… I just… I had no idea."

"I know. We all know. It's okay."

It isn't, though. 

"When was this? What… I mean… Did you all know about it?"

"I think so, yeah."

"And why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry, it's just… It was around the time you were getting your divorce, y'know? And we just… I think we figured you had a lot going on already." 

"Well, yeah… But his mum passed away, Maddie. His mum." 

Aurora rubs her forehead.

God, it just… It just breaks her heart, to be honest. She knows how close they were, how highly he always spoke of her, so she knows it must've been a really tough time for him. Especially if he was living on the other side of the world and away from everyone. Away from his family, and away from his friends. 

Did he even have anyone in the US to help him get through that?

Was his ex there for him when it happened?

Aurora hopes she wasn't.

No! Wait—What?

Shit. 

No, that's not true. 

Of course not.

Hopefully he was still dating when it happened.

Hopefully he had someone by his side.

Hopefully his break up didn't happen around that same time. 

Is that the reason why he doesn't want to talk about relationships?

Is that the reason why he said he isn't in the mood for relationships? 

Holy shit. 

Why is she even thinking about this right now?!

"A little heads up would've been nice, that's all," Aurora says, shrugging while staring at the horizon. 

It's a little after four when the girls finally get a moment just for themselves. They're still on what Theo said it's called the sun deck — although Aurora still considers it to be just the top floor of the boat — sitting around the table whilst the boys have moved their conversation somewhere downstairs. 

"God, I know!" Maddie says, now sitting across from her. "I'm sorry. I literally only remembered once it was already happening."

"I'm sorry, too," Lucy says. "I kinda went into panic mode because I'm the one who brought it up."

"It's not a big deal, tho'." Ava shrugs, and smiles softly at her. As if she's trying to reassure her and apologize at the same time. "I mean, it's not like you just decided to ignore the information or forgot about it. You genuinely didn't know."

"Yeah." Maddie nods. "And he knows that."

"Besides," Ava adds, "it's Harry, so… You two will be fine, Rory." 

Aurora nods, and grabs her necklace between her fingers. She knows they'll be fine. And she knows Harry isn't mad at her. She also knows it wasn't the girls' fault, so she isn't mad at them. She isn't even mad, to begin with. She's just… Disappointed. And sad. 

She's disappointed in herself. And she's really sad that she wasn't there for Harry. But she's mostly sad that he spent all that time at the airport listening to her while she cried over her marriage, but didn't feel comfortable enough to tell her about his own mother passing away. Not even when he brought her up in the car. 

"Rory?" Maddie calls.

Aurora blinks, and turns her head. 

The girls are all watching her. Studying her with that same worried, careful, and wary look they've been sharing around her since she made a fool of herself. 

"It's fine," she says, pulling her mouth into a smile and fidgeting with the pendant of her necklace. "Can we just, y'know, change the subject now?"

Lucy and Maddie share a look, and then they share a look with Ava. Meanwhile Megan bites her nail and shifts her eyes between everyone.

Aurora sighs, and rolls her eyes. They're all just trying to protect her. She knows that. But they're trying so hard right now that she's starting to wonder if, perhaps, it's having the opposite effect, instead. 

"Guys, c'mon," Aurora says. "Look, it was awkward, okay? And embarrassing. So of course I'm feeling weird right now. But can we please move on? Like, I just… I just need things to be normal."

"We're just worried about you," Lucy murmurs next to her. 

"I know." Aurora nods. "And I know I gave you reasons to be worried, so I really appreciate that. But I… I don't know. This is the first time I'm hanging out with everyone in years, y'know? So I'm pretty sure there'll be more awkward moments 'till Sunday and I just… I don't know. I need things to be normal."

Aurora shrugs, unable to finish the reasoning inside her mind. She wants her friends to make things less awkward, that's all. Maybe it's selfish of her to ask that of them, but… It is what she wants. 

Ava clears her throat, and shifts on her chair. "Yeah. I get it. Let's not make a big deal out of it. I'm sure you'll feel better once you talk to him."

Aurora sighs and nods, brushing her thumb over the pendant of her necklace. "Exactly." 

Something she doesn't want to do in front of everyone, but she will do. She's just waiting for the right moment to approach him. That's all. 

"Great," Ava says, facing forwards and staring at Lucy, who's right across from her. "So, I have a question, what the bloody hell are we supposed to do with this much space, huh?" 

"Oh my God, I know!" Lucy squeals and giggles, and Aurora feels herself smiling again, too. 

Changing the subject is good, and exactly what she needs. Although it doesn't erase the fact that she still needs to talk to him, of course. Because she still needs to apologize. She wants to apologize. 

At first, she thought she'd get to do it right after lunch, but then Theo announced they were about to leave the port and Aurora didn't miss a beat before running downstairs to grab her phone. 

Eight hours had gone by and she still hadn't heard a word from Zack. A tiny part of her inevitably wondered if everything was okay, but to be honest the majority of her just hated him. She ended up, then, writing another message, this time with clenched teeth and rushed fingers. Letting him know she'd be probably out of reach from then on, but that she'd still try to call and say goodnight to Noah. Adding, at the end, if i call, please pick up. 

After that, when she met everyone again, they all got together to take pictures of the moment they left the city behind. And then Lucy opened a bottle of champagne, and they all shared a toast to their soon to be married friends. 

Amidst the happy emotions, one thing led to another, and before she got the chance to reach out to Harry and ask for a private minute of his time, he was already out of her sight and gone with the rest of the boys — which she didn't think it would be fair to interrupt. 

"This is actually Theo's grandparents gift, so we're still getting used to it," Lucy says, and for some reason it just brings Aurora back to the conversation.

"What?!" She lets go of her necklace, widening her eyes and sitting upright while turning to her side. "They gave you this yacht?!"

They all look at her, and Lucy laughs. 

"Wha—No! Not the entire thing, silly! Just a week on this yacht."

"Ohhh!" Aurora exhales through her mouth, then relaxes on the chair. She chuckles lightly, waving her own question off. "Okay, yeah, that makes sense now."

"To be fair," Megan says, so timidly and softly Aurora almost doesn't hear her, "from the little I've seen, coming from those two it wouldn't actually surprise me at all."

Lucy snorts. "Right?"

They all look at Megan and nod, a clear attempt of making her feel welcome in the conversation. 

It is nice to see her spontaneously joining in. She's been dating Niall for a little less than a year now, and even though she's previously met or at least talked to everyone so far, this is the first time she's actually hanging out with all of them at once. So she's still getting comfortable around them. And Aurora relates to that, even if for different reasons. 

"You still don't get along with them?" Ava asks.

"God, no." Lucy shakes her head, then takes a sip of her margarita. "So obnoxious. Hate them."

There's a beat of silence, until Maddie stretches her arms over her head and sighs loudly. 

"Well," she says, "for what it's worth, I'm really glad they spent all this money on you guys."

"Yeah!"

"Mhmm."

"Me too!"

"Ugh, yes!" Lucy says. "I'm so happy we are all here." 

"It doesn't feel real, to be honest," Aurora says, drifting her eyes around them. 

They didn't actually leave Amalfi, but they sailed enough to anchor where they'd be fully surrounded by crystal-clear waters and have a breathtaking view of the deep blue sea meeting the bright blue sky. 

There's no music playing anymore, the boys are laughing somewhere, and the sun shines brightly and warmly above them. Sometimes, a soft breeze surprises them, but Aurora always catches herself smiling at it. And sometimes even giggling at the shivering that runs through her arms. Because it's refreshing, and reassuring. And she can't remember a single moment in her life when she's felt like that. 

Like there's nothing but peacefulness surrounding them. 

Peacefulness. 

Quietness. 

Delight.

Bliss.

Joy.

.

Happiness. 

.

Aurora throws her head back and closes her eyes, giving more room for the sun to warm up her skin. Her face, her chest, her neck. 

So,

So relaxing.

.

.

"Girls," Ava murmurs, almost whispering.

"Hm?" someone says.

Aurora blinks, looking at her friend while trying to adjust her blurry sight. Maddie, Megan and Lucy are all looking at her, too.

So Ava leans into the table, and shares with them what feels like the biggest revelation. A secret that's only for them to hear, and only for them to know. "You know I'm banging my husband here tonight, right?" 

There's only a second of dead silence, and then they all burst into laughter. 

Aurora laughs, too, but she also rolls her eyes and looks away — not surprised at all with the revelation, but also not really sharing the sentiment. Or excited about it. 

It's been too long since she's had sex for the last time, and no matter how much she misses it, it's not something that's crossing her mind right now. Not when she knows it's so out of her reach. Not when she knows it won't happen anytime soon anyway.

"C'mon," Ava says, still whispering. "I can't be the only one thinking about it… Megan?"

"I mean…" Megan murmurs, and Aurora peeks to look at her. She's sitting next to Ava, looking down at the table almost as if she doesn't want to think about it. But then she shrugs, trying her best to keep a smile out of her face, and reveals quite the opposite. "Our suite is pretty tempting, so… There might've been some talking about it already."

"Yes!" Ava cheers. "I knew it!"

"Ohh I love this." Lucy giggles, drumming her hands on the table. "And you totally should go for it. We've been doing it for days now and it's just… Ugh."  

She rolls her eyes and drops her head back, causing Aurora to shake her head and laugh again. 

That's why she's so happy, then.  

"Speaking of which…" Ava turns to her side and points at Maddie. "Are you still going out with that girl from the gym?"

Maddie shakes her head, then grabs a grape from the table and throws it into her mouth. 

Aurora already knows the story, so although she keeps paying attention to the conversation, she closes her eyes and drops her head back. Once again comfortably enjoying the sun. 

"She ghosted me like… Two weeks ago," Maddie says.

"What?" Lucy gasps. "No! C'mon, I was rooting for her!" 

"It's fine." Maddie waves her off, then grabs another grape. "I'm too old for this, anyway. If she ghosted me then she's not good enough for me."

Ava whistles, and even with her eyes closed, Aurora smiles and nods. Maddie tends to suffer more than she lets people know, but her confidence and willingness to try again, and again, is something Aurora really admires from her.

"Damn," Lucy says, standing from her chair. "If you'll excuse me, I'll toast to that. Who wants another margarita?"

"I do," Megan says. "Please."

"Ava? Maddie?"

"Nope."

"I'll have a martini," Maddie says, batting her eyelashes. "Please."

"'Kay. Rory?"

"I'm good, thanks," Aurora blindly says, aware she didn't even finish the first one yet.

"Be back in a minute, then." 

"What about you, huh?" Ava asks. "Have you met anyone?"

There's silence around them. Only the sounds coming from the water and the boys talking and laughing somehow reach Aurora's ears. She tries to make out Harry's voice, but it's too muffled for her to point it out. 

"Rory?"

Aurora opens her eyes, and blinks. 

Ava, Maddie and Megan are all looking at her. Lucy isn't there anymore. 

"Wait, you're asking me that question?"

"Well, yes."

She lifts her eyebrows, and shifts on her seat. 

"Me. You are asking me if I've met anyone?"

"Yes," Ava chuckles. "I'm asking you, Aurora Fletcher."

"Actually," Maddie says, placing a hand on Ava's shoulder. "I heard it's Mrs. Sty—"

"Don't." Aurora jolts, pointing a finger at her. "Don't even say it."

Maddie chuckles, then raises her palms and leans back against her chair. "Ooookay then."

Aurora drops her hand to the table and shakes her head, unable to hide the smile. 

She's going to kill Harry for spreading that bullshit to everyone. 

"So," Ava insists. "Did you or did you not?"

"Ava, c'mon. Of course not."

"And do you want to meet anyone?"

"Not right now, no."

"Why not?"

"Plenty of reasons."

"Name one," Maddie says, and Aurora sighs.

She's already had that exact same conversation with Maddie days ago, so she knows where she's trying to get at — she wants Aurora to admit she's ready to date people. 

Which, of course, she isn't. 

"C'mon, I just got divorced."

Ava furrows her brows, then turns to Maddie. "Didn't she divorce like… Four months ago?"

"Six, actually," Maddie says. "But they broke up months before that."

"Hmm…" She turns back to Aurora, then. "And how long are you supposed to wait 'till the memory of your shitty husband releases you from its chains?"

Aurora gasps, and so do Maddie and Megan. 

And then they all laugh. 

"Oh I love you, Av," Maddie murmurs, grabbing another grape and shaking her head.

Ava shrugs. "I mean, I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna pretend I don't want you to put that asshole behind you, y'know."

Aurora rolls her eyes, then looks away. "Still, It's not just that." 

"What is it, then?"

"I have to focus on Noah right now."

"You can focus on Noah and still meet someone, tho," Megan says. 

Aurora turns to look at her, and so do Ava and Maddie.

"Oh my God." Megan widens her eyes, clearly speaking her mind when she didn't intend to. "Rory, I'm so sorry. I—"

"Don't apologize," Maddie says. "I told her the exact same thing the other day."

"Yeah, and it's exactly what I was thinking," Ava backs her up, too. 

Aurora laughs, and groans. "Girls, c'mon. Where am I even supposed to meet people? I don't… I never even leave the house."

"You left the house this weekend, didn't you?" Ava shrugs. 

"Well, yeah, but…" Aurora rolls her eyes. "Y'know." 

"But what?"

"But we are on a yacht?"

"And…?" 

"Oh c'mon!" She laughs. "I'm here with you guys. Unless you want me to, I don't know, meet the captain or something, I don't know who I'm supposed to meet this weekend."

"Mhmm… Ok then." Ava nods, and purses her lips. "So there's absolutely no-one, I mean no-one on this boat, that you could see yourself with?"

"What?" Aurora chuckles, drifting her eyes between her friends. "Of course not!"

Ava raises her eyebrows. "You sure?"

"Ava! Yes, I'm sure! What are you even—" 

"I'm back!" Lucy shouts, and Aurora shuts her mouth. 

All four of them turn to look at the stairs, waiting for their friend to come into sight. 

It takes Lucy a few seconds, but eventually she reaches the last step. Grinning, beaming, while holding a new glass in her hand. 

"Well, actually we are back." She giggles, walking past the jacuzzi and towards the table. "'Cause, y'know, I couldn't bring everything by myself so…"

And then, Harry comes into view, too.

He's holding a tray with four other glasses, biting his bottom lip while focusing on not spilling or dropping anything. Everything about him looks casual, and distracted. But apparently it is more than enough for Aurora's heart to stop for a second, and then speed up.

"Some might say it's a coincidence," Maddie whispers, and although she's looking at Ava, she's loud enough for Aurora to listen as well. "Others might say it's fate." 

"I know!" Ava gasps and chuckles, then shifts on her chair and straightens her back. She looks at Maddie over her shoulder, then at Aurora, then back at Maddie. "I say it's fate, by the way."

Aurora narrows her eyes. "What are you to—" 

"Harry, hi!" Ava says with a smile, intentionally cutting Aurora off while she faces him. The tone of her voice already suggests she's up to something (and that she isn't being subtle about it), but then she also crosses her arms on the table and leans into them, which seems to make it even worse. "How are you?"

Harry peeks at her, then furrows his brows. "Uhm… Good?"

Lucy takes her seat once again, then leans closer to Aurora and whispers, "I know you said no, but there's one for you anyway."

Aurora licks her lips. "Oh, okay. Thank—" 

"You're single, aren't you?"

Aurora shuts her mouth and looks at Ava, a slight sense of panic invading her soul. 

What is she doing?

Ava is still looking at Harry, though, so Aurora looks at him, too.

"What?" he asks, placing the tray on the table and narrowing his eyes. He shifts his gaze to Ava, then to Megan, and then across from them, to Lucy.

"Oh don't look at me," she says with a shrug. "I have no idea."

"It's just a question," Ava says, and shrugs. "Are you single or not?"

Harry looks back to Ava, then. 

"Yes. Why?"

"Mhmm…" Ava nods. "Interesting. And are you looking to meet anyone, or…?" 

Aurora's belly swirls. 

Fucking hell. She's going to kill Ava. 

Harry shifts on his feet, watching Ava with a look that's hard to understand, and then he darts his eyes straight into Aurora's gaze. 

And Aurora holds her breath. 

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Holy shit.

It's been only an hour or so since she got to stare into the green of his eyes, but it's like she's been missing it, because she doesn't want to let go of it. And she should let go of it. 

Right?

A moment of silence goes by, and Aurora's heart thumps loudly inside her chest. 

"Why?" he asks, right into her eyes. "Do you know someone?" 

Oh God. Why can't she let go of it?!

"Maybe…" Ava says, the hint of a hidden message loud and clear in her voice. 

And Aurora feels the shift in the air. How everything gets heavier somehow. How her ribcage gets smaller and her heart doesn't have enough space to beat as widely as it needs. 

So she looks down to her hands, not really wanting to be a part of that conversation anymore. Or not really knowing how to be a part of that conversation anymore. Because, honestly, what is going on?! 

Are her friends trying to set her up with Harry?

"Right." Harry clears his throat, then chuckles. "Well, let me know if that ever changes to a yes, then."

There's a beat of silence, but Aurora is too stunned to check what's happening.

"Oh we will," Maddie eventually says. "Don't worry."

Ava clears her throat. "Yes. But I think you'll know, tho."

Oh God…

Aurora's nauseous. And overheated. And breathless. Plus, she's pretty sure her heart is having an arrhythmia right now. 

She can't take her eyes off her hands, but she absorbs the seconds of silence as he seems to walk away, and also drinks in from his voice when he speaks again. 

"Oh, by the way, you're being summoned downstairs for a jump in the water." 

"Oh, yes! That's right!" Lucy says. "We'll be there in a minute."

"Ok." 

That's the last thing she hears from him, and then all the girls just stay in silence. As if watching him walk away. 

A few painful moments go by, until they all erupt into giggles and squeals — all but Aurora, of course. 

"Oh my God!" Ava breathes out. "What was that? The tension? You guys left me speechless! Me!"

"Rory, I'm begging you, please," Lucy says, grabbing her arm. "Please tell me you saw the way he looked at you." 

"I—What—" Aurora blinks. And shakes her head. And laughs. And mumbles. All at once. All at the same time. Confused. Dazzled. Puzzled. "Who—I mean, what?!"

"Oh my God!" Lucy squeals, and giggles. "Look at you! You're blushing!"

Aurora shakes her head, then covers her cheeks with her hands. "No I'm not!" 

"Girls," Maddie chuckles. "

She was looking right back at him

"And of course she saw the way he looked at her," Megan chuckles. "C'mon, she was looking right back at him!"

"What? No I wasn't." 

"Yes, oh my God! You totally were!" 

"What happened in that plane, huh?"

"Did you join the mile high club?"

"What?!" 

"Oh my goodness, did you really?"

"No!"

"Did your flight really get delayed?" 

"Because it's totally okay if it didn't!" 

"Totally, yes!"

"Oh my God! Girls!" 

"It's that why he's been calling you Mrs. Styles?"

Aurora laughs, rubs her forehead, and stands from her seat. "I—I can't… I need to—"

"This's so cute!"

Aurora shakes her head, walking towards the stairs. "I'm not doing this."

"Roryyy, come here!"

"Nope," she says, reaching the stairs. 

"Oh, c'mon!"

"I just… I need to use the bathroom."

"Bathroom. Mhmm…" Maddie shouts, her voice filled with teasingness and playfulness. "You go, babes. And say hello to Harry from me!" 

Aurora rolls her eyes and flips them off, then follows the same path Harry went through just minutes ago. And although she tries to keep a serious expression on her face, the truth is that she can't — she just can't — get rid of that foolish, silly, and incredibly stupidly huge smile that's creeping on her mouth. She just can't. 

So she doesn't.

The moment Aurora leaves the bathroom is the exact same moment Harry reaches the last step of the stairs, and they both bump into each other.

He places his hands on her shoulders, as if keeping her in place, but also maybe just holding himself. 

"Ops."

"Sorry."

Aurora chuckles, and Harry chuckles. 

He slides his hands off her shoulders, and she takes a step back, looking him up and down. And she doesn't mean to do that — she swears she doesn't mean to do it — but Harry changed his clothes and she just can't help herself. Because instead of being black with flamingos on it, his shirt is beige now. And instead of pants, now he's wearing black swimming shorts. And instead of those cute yellow shoes, now he's wearing white flip flops. And there's just so… 

Shit. 

Aurora swallows.

There's just so much new skin suddenly exposed. So much tanned skin. Inked skin. And also perfectly carved abs. And manly, dark body hair.

Shit.

She licks her lips. 

He's just so… 

You know…

So…

She closes her eyes. 

Fucking shit, he is just so fucking hot.

Harry clears his throat, and Aurora blinks.

The smirk is blatantly obvious on his face, and a wave of heat spreads from Aurora's chest to the back of her neck, and all over her cheeks. 

Thankfully, he doesn't say anything about the fact that she's been openly staring at his body. And that he clearly noticed it. Instead, he tilts his head towards the stairs, motioning to the floor — deck — where he was coming from when they bumped into each other.

"I left your bag in your bedroom," he says. "I hope that's okay."

"Oh, mhm, of course." She nods. "Thank you."

"Of course." 

He nods, too, then settles comfortably inside her eyes. 

Green irises holding her captive yet all over again. 

There's a beat of silence, and the distant voices of their friends are the only reminder she has that they aren't alone anymore. 

"I don't really know where my bedroom is, tho."

Harry chuckles. 

A beautiful sight that has her smiling, too.

"It's right next to mine," he says. "Theo said you're sharing with Maddie?"

"Oh." She nods. "Right."

She didn't know that, but it makes sense. Since they're the only two girls who don't have a boyfriend or husband to share a bed with. And all that. 

"Want me to take you there?"

"To my bedroom?"

"I mean, yes. To show you where it is."

"Oh…" Aurora bites the insides of her bottom lip, and nods. 

Does she want Harry to take her downstairs and show her the bedroom while all of their friends are upstairs? Ye— No!

Shit.

Aurora shakes her head. Vehemently. "I mean, no. Thanks. It's fine. I mean, I'm sure Lucy wants to show me around. Stuff like that. Y'know." 

"Right, yeah. That's true."

Another beat of silence. 

And another one.

"Are you girls coming outside with us?"

"Mhm…" Aurora nods. "We'll… Y'know… We'll probably have to change first, but… Yeah. Mhm. Change our clothes. Then we'll go."

Oh my God? Why the fuck is she suddenly acting like this? What's wrong with her?

"Oh, of course." 

Harry clears his throat and looks down at his feet, then another beat of silence echoes between them. 

A long one, by the way. 

"So…" He speaks again, and moves back into her eyes. "How are you doing? Everything good so far?"

"Mhm, thanks!" Aurora smiles, trying her best to keep herself together. "I'm having a really good time. Yeah."

Harry smiles, too. "Good. Glad to hear that."

Another beat of silence.

And another one.

And another one.

Harry lifts his arm, and points behind him. 

"Well, I should probably—"

"Wait!" 

Harry drops his arm back to his side, and tilts his head. "Yeah?" 

"I'm just…" Aurora closes her hands into fists, and presses her lips together for a moment. Making sure her voice is softer and calmer when she speaks next. And that her words will, at least, make sense. "I'm sorry… About your mum."

Harry blinks, then curves his mouth into a gentle and caring smile. "I know. Thank you, Auri."

Auri. 

Her heart skips a beat. She'd no idea she would suddenly miss a nickname that no-one but him ever used. A nickname that up until that morning she didn't even remember existed in the first place. 

"I'm also really sorry for not knowing, and for not being there for you when it happened."

Harry sighs. "I don't want you to apologize for that. I mean, I realized you didn't know when you asked about her in the car, so… It's fine. Really. I don't want you to stress over this."

"Okay… But I just…" She shakes her head. "Look, I just want to make sure you know I'm sorry, okay? Because I care about you and I don't want you to think I don't. So, I don't know, can you please just… Maybe just say okay? And thank you? And then we leave it at that?" 

The look on his face and the soft, timid smile reveal more than she needs to know, but it gets even better when he chuckles, and then when he still reassures her with his words. "Thank you Auri." 

"Good. Thank you." She smiles, too. "Now, can I just… I mean… Can I at least give you a hug? I know it's a late hug but, y'know…" 

She shrugs, and Harry grins at her. 

"You really think you need my permission to hug me?"

"I don't—I don't know!" Aurora chuckles. "What if I just go for it and you don't… Y'know. Don't want to, or… I don't know."

He rolls his eyes and steps closer, already reaching for her waist. 

"Just shut up and c'mere," he says, sliding his hands and arms around her back, then pulling her into his chest. 

Aurora smiles and stands on her tiptoes, circling his neck with both arms while resting her chin on his shoulder. 

And then, she sighs. Because that feels really nice. And really good. 

Harry squeezes her, gently but tightly, then pulls his head back slightly, just to be able to press a kiss to her cheek.

It's wet, and it's loud. And her skin tickles. 

She bites her lip, and he moves his mouth closer to her ear. Curls and stubble brushing over her.

"Thank you," he murmurs, slightly digging his fingertips into her back — almost, almost, pushing her closer to him. "Just so y'know tho, you should always go for it. And I always want to."

Her belly flutters, and she closes her eyes. 

He just keeps doing those things… Saying those things… You know? And it's just… It's just so… Confusing? Because, honestly, 'I always want to'? What does he even mean by that? Who says something like that? 

"Yesss!" Ava shouts, and it doesn't take a second for Aurora to pull away from their embrace. 

Blinking. Suddenly flushed. Suddenly dizzy. Suddenly out of breath. Suddenly feeling her heart thump so loudly inside her that she's convinced it'll burst out of her chest. 

"She's here!"

Harry's eyes are soft on her, though. Calm. As if he's completely unaware of what he's doing to her. Or maybe as if he's aware of it, but completely satisfied with her reaction. 

Either way, it's like he is… Reassuring her. Like he's trying to let her know that it's not a big deal. And that it's okay. Because it's him, y'know? And it's always been okay with him. So why wouldn't it also be okay now? Confusing, but still okay.

Or… 

Maybe it's none of that. Maybe she is just projecting, because maybe she is the one trying to reassure herself. 

Who knows. 

Either way, it somehow works. Because she takes a deep breath in, and her heartbeat slows down. 

"Yes, he's here too!" Ava shouts again. "You owe me five bucks!"

Aurora and Maddie's room it's simple, minimalistic and fancy — pretty much like the entire yacht. 

Her duffel bag is on top of the queen size bed she'll be sharing with Maddie, and there's a window allowing the daylight to brighten up the space. There are also two bedside tables, a wardrobe, and a tv. Plus enough room for all of them to comfortably hang out together while she rummages through her things to find a change of clothes. 

Ava, Lucy and Megan are comfortable on the bed, Maddie stands around the wardrobe while she puts her own stuff away, and Aurora sits on the floor, right by her bedside table. 

"Can you hand me my bag, please?" she asks.

"Sure." Megan grabs it from her feet and brings it closer to her reach.

"Thanks."

"I'll just ask one last question," Lucy says, sitting against the headboard and next to Megan. "And then I promise we won't touch the subject again, ok?"

Aurora drops her bag by her side, between her thigh and the bedside table, then nods. 

"'Kay," she says, bending her legs by the knees and looking at her. "One last question, then."

"How are things with Zack? Is he treating you better?"

She purses her lips and scratches her nose, mulling over the words to make sure she gives them the most honest answer she's able to. 

After Ava found her and Harry sharing a hug, the girls spent as much time as they could teasing the hell out of her — no matter how many times she told them it wasn't like that and it didn't mean anything more than a hug between two friends. 

The jokes only stopped when each moved to their own bedroom to change into swimsuits. Minutes later, when they met again in Aurora and Maddie's room, they kept laughing about the most random and insignificant things, not really putting her on the spot anymore. 

So it kind of felt natural that the conversation eventually ended up shifting back to Aurora's life, mostly because it was clear her friends still had questions to discuss. 

Which doesn't surprise her, but it also doesn't thrill her. 

"Sometimes, yes," Aurora says. "We still fight a lot over Noah, tho. Like, he doesn't like the fact that I signed him up for preschool, so he keeps messing up his routine, and then I'm the one who has to deal with Noah's tantrums. So, y'know, sometimes it's just really exhausting, but—" 

"Wait," Ava says, laying on her stomach and resting her chin on the palm of her hand. "He doesn't want Noah to go to preschool? Why?" 

Aurora shrugs — although she knows the answer pretty well. 

"Because I did it so I could go back to work, and Zack doesn't want me to."

"Sorry," Megan says. "He doesn't want you to work?"

Aurora shakes her head. "Nope. I mean, it's not going to stop me from doing it" — not anymore, at least — "but he definitely never planned for me to go back."

Ava shakes her head. "That's really fucked up."

"God I hate him so much," Maddie mumbles, her face hidden inside the wardrobe. 

"I know…" Aurora sighs, and shrugs. "And guys, I love Noah, ok? I really love him. It's not like I want to work because I don't want to take care of him. I swear. I just—"

"Rory, stop," Lucy says, pulling her hair into a bun on the top of her head. "We all know that." 

"Yeah," Ava says, sitting up in bed. "That's not something you need to clarify. Nobody would ever doubt how much you love Noah."

"You're such a great mum," Megan says. 

"Damn you are," Maddie says. She takes a step back from the wardrobe and turns around, holding a pair of earrings and white sunglasses. "Zack never did half of what you do, he never stopped one minute of his day to take care of Noah, or to be a decent husband to you, but he still expects your entire life to stop? C'mon!" 

The girls agree, murmuring yeah, and exactly, or nodding along. 

"The only reason why he thinks he's allowed to be a dick to you," Maddie adds, "it's 'cause he has one." 

"Totally, yeah," Ava says. "He doesn't even deserve to have a dick, in the first place." 

"Who's got a dick?" Niall asks, popping his head into the room and smirking at them. 

"Maddie," Ava jokes, sitting on the mattress and crossing her legs. 

Niall walks in and hums, tapping Aurora's head before sitting on the bed, next to his girlfriend. He kisses Megan's cheek and smiles, then turns to look at the girls and places his hand on Megan's thigh. Just like Zack used to do. 

Aurora looks away, then turns and kneels in front of her bag, facing all the clothes she doesn't feel comfortable enough to wear.

It's hard to stop the memories from taking over her mind, though. 

And she knows it's a really small gesture, but it's also one that Zack used to do to her a lot — albeit in a different way, or for different reasons. It happened usually at Zack's business dinners and under the tables, but sometimes he would do it when they were around family and friends, too. He never explained the code to her, but somehow Aurora still learned it — Zack would put his hand on her thigh and squeeze twice, and she would know it was time for her to shut up and stop embarrassing him. 

"Sometimes I wish I had," Maddie says, and Aurora scratches her nose. Then her temple. Then her forehead. Almost as if pushing her thoughts away. Pushing her memories away. "But right now we're actually talking about Zack's dick."

"Oh…" Niall clears out his throat, then chuckles. Sounding as awkward and uncomfortable as Aurora feels. "Right… Maybe we should keep his name out of this trip, yeah? Or at least his dick."

Aurora twists her fingers around the fabric of her swimsuit, listening to the conversation but not really engaging with it. 

She's the only one who isn't ready yet. The only one who still hasn't changed her clothes. The only one who still isn't comfortable enough to show off her body to all of her friends. 

"We were just saying having a dick doesn't allow him to question Aurora's decisions, babe," Megan says. 

"Ohhh," Niall said. 

"Especially as a mother," Ava added.

"Moonshine," Niall calls. He touches her shoulder, and Aurora peeks at him through the corner of her eyes. "Y'know I'll gladly cut his dick off, right? Anytime. Just gotta say the word."

Aurora laughs and shifts around, sitting on her heels as she looks at her friends taking over her bed — plus Maddie, now standing by the window on the opposite side. 

"Thanks guys. But I think—" She shakes her head. "No, I know I'm gonna be okay. So I agree with Ni, I think we should keep his name out of the conversation." 

"And his dick," Niall points out, raising a finger. 

Aurora chuckles. 

"Especially his dick. I mean, it wasn't even a good dick anyway."

She shrugs, but the loud laughter that erupts from everyone ends up making her grin, too. 

And just like that, as everyone tries to catch their breaths again and engage into different conversations, Aurora feels light and breeze again. So she pulls her swimsuit from her bag and gets up, finally getting enough courage to take the next step.

She turns around, then, and falls straight into Harry's eyes. 

Shit.

He's standing by the door, leaning on his shoulder and smirking at her. Watching her. Holding an expression she hasn't seen so far. It isn't an affectionate smile, it also isn't a sweet or careful smirk. And his gaze is so intense that she feels her body warming up — that she feels herself blushing. 

It seems as if he is holding himself from saying something cheeky. Or as if he's keeping a secret. As if he knows something that she doesn't, and as if he's enjoying it.

She breathes in, then holds the fabric tightly with both hands and steps forward.

"What?" she murmurs, getting closer to him and trying to keep their friends out of the conversation.

"Nothing." He shrugs, stepping aside to let her get through the door. "Just listening, that's all." 

Aurora nods. "Mhm. Okay, then."

When she walks past him, she notices how he follows the movement of her body and turns around. And also how he crosses his arms on his chest and leans his back against the narrow wall that separates their bedroom doors. 

Once again, a fluttery feeling settles in her belly. And as she moves towards the bathroom, she does her best to avoid it. And also to ignore the way his eyes keep burning into her. 

She can't, though. So when she grabs the doorknob of the bathroom door, she holds herself tightly, and turns her head as much as she can, watching him over her shoulder. 

He's still watching her, carefully, although now his sight seems to be too low to meet her eyes. 

"Harry?"

Harry drifts his eyes up, meeting her stare. 

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing." He shrugs. "Just… Watching. That's all."

She lifts her eyebrows. "Mhm. What were you just watching, then?"

He shrugs again, but he also smirks — and he smirks in such a way that, even before he opens his mouth, she knows he's about to lie.

"The back of your head?"

Aurora stares at him blankly for a second, and then she snorts. And laughs. She doesn't know what to say, though, so she faces forward and opens the door. As if she doesn't know Harry was just checking her out. And as if he didn't just playfully admit he was. Or as if she doesn't care about any of that.

And yet, as she steps forward and feels he's still watching, she maybe slows down a little. And maybe she makes sure to sway her hips. Maybe, though. And also just a little. Just in case. 

Because maybe, maybe, if Harry's watching, Aurora wants to make sure he's taking a good look. And maybe, she wants him to enjoy the view. And maybe she wants him to like what he sees when he looks at her.

Maybe, though.

Of course.

Hi! If you've made it here, thank you for reading. You have absolutely no idea how much it means to me.

PART 4 (II)

#harry styles fanfic #harry styles au

[adanaac]

love to do wiki work. hate doing it. love hating it. hate loving it.

(my fun little js project that im way too proud of. i love to click buttons)

#i have to keep stopping myself from going on 2 hour research tangents on what exactly byakkos fit is #and when exactly china invented the four gods (somewhere between 2000BC and 1 kajillion BC) #“why do u do this stuff if ur always bitching about it” well u see i love loving it. #also “well someone else will probably do it” was also the attitude i had in 2018 about both translation and the wiki #and then fuck all happened in the next 3 years which is why im here now #and also bitching about it is my love language <3 would never bitch about something i dont love #anyway my life has just been working on the wiki for the past month i think im a husk of a human being

[moregraceful]

i was gonna watch the vgk-dal game to bandwagon the stars but then i realized that if i have to see hertl in that jersey even once it's literally my last day, and also mike grier's last day, on planet earth, so.

#KELLY MCCRIMMON I HOPE THE CEILING FAN FALLS ON U #pulling a dq and telling people to just throw me off a bridge honestly #i usually try to have a value-neutral position on teams idc abt but the hertl trade made me blacklist every possible variation of the #team's name and lb and every associated tag so. sorry. lol coming out of my cage and i'm not doing fine #i wrote robo/nick s instead #2.3k and nothing happens in it #they literally go drink boba and yearn for manju but the manju shop is closed #also have been given some valuable feedback. there are cities in which people recognize hockey players in the wild?? that happens in #quebec??? god imagine seeing and recognizing nick suzuki in the grocery store i would just leave #imagine seeing a shark in the grocery store i would not even notice i'd just be like get out of my way you're blocking the kombucha #so i have to do some rewriting anyway bc a chunk of the fic is like has nick suzuki ever been recognized in his life. answer: yes!!! #i assume robo is not being recognized by non-hockey fans anyway lol dallas has american football baseball and basketball #the city got other concerns #i always laugh when canadians are like isn't hockey one of your big four sports 🤨 #i'm like. tiers of american sports: 1: college basketball and college football. 2: football basketball and baseball. 2.5: hockey #u could put connor mcdavid in a grocery store and people would be like get this guy's ass out of the fruit section he's killing the vibe #i spent 20 hours at church over the weekend guys and i refused to read or answer a single email from anyone associated with church #all day bc i was like i need a break from you people. but people started texting me instead i was like .... #didn't read or answer those either lol #i was gonna refill a queue tonight but a i just spent 45 minutes on these tags b i saw a picture of trea turner that got me in my 🥺 #c was writing a touching tribute to manju and hot guys of which there are none in san jose (hot guys. there's plenty of manju #in san jose) #and now i am like. am i crazed enough to have an opinion on 150 posts in one hour?? #let's find out lmao #fresno oilers.txt

[bumblingbabooshka]

Tuvok’s Father, Sunak, telling his favorite story

#Tuvok is killing him with his mind v_v #Sunak dyes the grays in his hair #Sunak & Tuvok are close...Sunak basically raised him on his own until he was a teen bc T'Meni was traveling and working #they had a BIIIIG rough patch from teens tooo basically until Tuvok got married #then they started talking again and now they're fine <3 That's what happens when you have 200 years to hash things out #Anyway. Sunak looks very severe and regal but he's actually pretty extroverted and outgoing #The type of person who knows EEEVERYONE in town and takes four hours to go shopping (nightmare) bc he talks to literally every other person #(hell. Tuvok hates this) #He wishes Tuvok were more outgoing and comfortable with people but has long given up on that dream...siiiigh. At least he gave him plenty of #grandchildren to spoil v_v #Sunak is also the type of person who's rude without trying to be...old man + has been popular all his life. 'fuck you my child is COMPLETELY #fine.' type of dad until things got extreme...doted on Tuvok a bit too much when he was a little kid...'depressed? have you tried taking a #walk?' oh Sunak...we've all tried taking a walk. #bea art tag #[REDACTED] family shenanigans #Voyager crew SCREAMING with laughter...Tuvok found dead in a ditch #Sunak #Tuvok #Tuvok art #st voyager #st voyager art

[icewindandboringhorror]

Misc daily life images

#image commentary in tags once again since they don't allow captions anymore and I feel weird using the alt text for that -- #1. COLUMBINEEEE... (I think..???) one of my favorite flowers... I managed to grow a small one in a pot last year. huzzah #2. spicy soup for lunch (another very rare lunch since I usually eat literally the same exact thing every day for my stomach #issues and stuff lol).. also made a fruit smoothie but put tapioca boba in it out of curiosity.. which was weird #3. woven cucumber shavings.. one of the many little meticulous tasks that I find oddly fun and could probably do for hours #4. A RED FOUR LEAF CLOVER!!!! There are some patches of clover in the yard that have weird red coloring and red spots on them #almost like it's some sort of damage or something but it seems natural (and I wonder if it has to do with plants that grow around them at #all since these 'green clovers but where some of them are variously spotted in red' patches happen to be next to patches of weeds/ #grouncover that also have red stems and stuff.) but so in the yard it is rare to find a red clover #and also rare to find a four leaf clover. so a RED four leaf clover is the most rare... special child.. #5. bapy son on the heating pad (featuring my stinky little toast shaped 2ds lol... i wonder if theyve been obsolete so long that maybe #3ds are actually affordable now (under $100).. hrmm...) #6. Another wii fit mingame score. I'm not sure if this is even lower than the other ones or anything. I never go back to compare them lol #if a score seems good enough to possibly be my best I just take apicture of it anyway. I should probably at some point check what #the 'best' even actually is. I wish the wii always told you ur Best score instead of just your Last score on those games. It does on every #other game but seemingly not the daily fitness check in minigame ones. hrmm.. #7. little clovery things covered in beautiful water droplets #8. sky again. of course #photo diary

[freebooter4ever]

.

#OH BOY #so i finally called grandma and told her i lost my job #i have been putting this off bc of the shame and once you tell one member of my italian side the entIRE FAMILY knows #But she managed to hit me back with even worse news #A family member has bone cancer and it sounds bad #Like my grandma callyerdogs off started refusing food at the very end of the cancer #And it sounds like he's starting to do that #Everybody is spending entire days in the hospital it sounds very much like with what was happening with grandpa #i dont want to go into details #Anyway on top of this my childhood bff is getting married in atlanta at the end of august #So i was going to visit grandma at the same time #And now she's being like no no no theres no need to come and im like GRANDMA PLEASE lol ;_; #And by lol i mean just for once could my family not be so fucking stubbornly self reliant im crying and begging over here #The tentative plan is to fly to pittsburgh after atlanta instead and stay with my dance buddy #and then i can be like look grandma im already here its a four hour drive i will see you in four hours #and stay for as long as they let me and then fly back from the burgh #But needless to say this is all a mess and i need to make actual plans SOON #:( #Im looking up flights the cheapest way would be to book a round trip ticket LA to atlanta and then a round trip atlanta to the burgh #Is this a bad idea? Does anyone else have experience doing this? Like for an extra 500$ i could do a three city ticket but that seems silly #I guess the problem would be if a flight got canceled or delayed but if i get travelers insurance for the flights #thats probably still less than the 500+ extra it would cost to do a three city trip #The other option is driving from georgia to the burgh which ive done once when going to florida with chezzy and family #So i know its a 13ish? Hour drive but i also know i can do it lol #I think the gas + car rental would cost more than the flight tbh #But i also love road trips

[nerdie-faerie]

Why is it when I have a big task to complete that should take days to do, I procrastinate the hell out of it when I have plenty of time but when it comes down to the absolute last minute, I can do a couple of days work in a couple of hours? What the fuck is wrong with me? Why couldn't I do it casually over a couple of days but can do it in matter of hours?

#ace is a mess #Tag talk #personal #i started to organising/clearing out my room at my parent's four days ago did half of one aspect of it did the other half of it two days #later then did nothing else and yet today ive done pretty much everything else that shouldve taken days in 3 hours? wtf #im losing my room when i go back to uni its being repurposed for someone else and so i needed to actually all of the sht i havent organised #since we moved in in 2018 then made even more disorganised when i moved to uni in 2020 i havent organised ANYTHING the entire time weve bee #here because i was supposed to be getting different furniture and then that just never happened and then im rarely here and just end up l #living out of my suitcase and between switching out cold weather and hot weather clothing over breaks its just become more chaotic and has #been too big of a job for me to even contemplate tackling and now im leaving tomorrow and i have literally choice and have done 5 years wor #in a couple of hours like why? why do i intentionally stress myself out like this? why cant i make decisions if im not at peak stress level #why dont i have any motivation unless im literally feeling ill with stress? why do i work like this? #also yes i know its ridiculous ive been living like this sincee sept 2018 but consider most of the problem was closed inside drawers and #therefore i couldnt see it so it didnt exist. that and im not here much i guess

[the-kipsabian]

i thinkkkkkk ive done everything??

just took out the trash about to have a lil snack and chill until sleep consumes me for like. six hours lol

#everything on my to do list has been crossed off minus some last minute packings that i still need overnight like my charger #but apart from that? i think thats everything?? #i did the dishes i threw everything away from the fridge that isnt freezable and cant survive #i washed the bathroom floor. took out the trash. packed my things. checked in for my flight and confirmed hotel directions #alllllll should be good? and i have breakfast for the train trip so #now i really just need to sleep and drag my ass out of the bed in the morning #holy shit its happening #..more importantly. i think. i made it. i dont think i have to say how much that alone means to think about right now #but before i cry im gonna go i have to repaint my nails a little after i eat #i'll see you in the morning. if you have asks you wanna drop me for while i wait at the airport for four hours the inbox is open lol #night is an absolute mess on main