#this isn't specific to olives by the way

[slytherinsnekxvii]

is there a name for that feeling where you want to eat an olive but you know you don't like olives but you still want to eat one anyway

#this isn't specific to olives by the way

[mairaiscarrierofthepaperclips]

I don't think I can say this too often, so I'm saying it again.

Treat. Actors. As. Fucking. People.

Are you mad at something the character did? Cool. Be mad at that character. Be mad at the writers. But do not. DO NOT. Come after that actor in their real life.

(Or the writers, really, but that's a whole other thing).

It is their JOB. They are NOT THEIR CHARACTERS. Could they share traits? Sure. But it is THEIR JOB, it is not WHO THEY ARE.

I say this as someone who has lived through many a brutal fandom rager, and I am begging y'all to be better.

#911 #911 abc #This isn't completely about Buddie #And the shitty way Oliver specifically has been treated over the years #But it's not NOT about it #You feel? #Please be kind #I remember the absolute trash that was thrown at Lena Headey #She is NOT Cersei #Fucking hell #Actors #Acting

[irregularjohnnywiggins]

Look, I don't want to be mean and message the person directly, but someone commented on the Bruce-Oliver twitter post that it was OOC for Oliver because 'Oliver Queen would be happy to be a billionaire because he's everything Bruce haters think Bruce is' and, like, tell me you've never read a Green Arrow comic without telling me you've never read a Green Arrow comic.

#green arrow #oliver queen #fair warning: if you track down and harass this person over their incorrect Green Arrow opinions I will fight you #but seriously though #the only way you can interact with Green Arrow and assume he'd be down with billionaires is either only watching Arrow #or having fallen into a coma circa 1970 something and only just waking up #like Oliver Queen has gone through multiple storylines where he loses all of his money #and all of them end with the conclusion that he is a better person when he isn't a billionaire or anything close to it #hell the first if these? #Dennis O'Neil rewrote the inciting incident a few years later to make it so that Oliver *willingly donates* all of his money #because he thought the original plotline was too weak and wishy-washy and wanted to make it clear that the money itself was the problem #look. Is Oliver Queen an asshole a lot of the time? Yes. #Can you make an entirely legitimate argument that Green Arrow weakens a lot of other characters (especially Black Canary) by association? #Yes #Is it entirely legitimate to dislike Oliver Queen? I have several mutuals who loathe him so I'd say yes #but to cast Oliver in a specific light that has practically no basis in the actual canon? That blows. #again I cannot stress enough: don't harass the person who made that comment

[surprisearson]

The main critique I've seen leveraged at Saltburn is that is falls short of its message of "eat the rich". But like...I never saw it as as that. Saltburn (to me) is steeped in a specifically English class context of nobility. There is this gap that cannot be bridged. Oliver throughout the movie has this deep frustration that he does not permanently belong in the sphere of Saltburn. Multiple people specifically goad him with this fact. Oliver is privileged by most people's standards, but it isn't enough. It's not eat the rich as they're all terrible its eat the rich as consuming them, absorbing them, licking the plate clean. The film came across as less a class critique and a hornier knives out but rather a psychological horror story about desire and not being able to have what you want the most. Oliver will never belong truly at Saltburn. Oliver despite worming his way into the family never has physical intimacy with Felix. It's not skewering the rich, it's commenting on the deep desire to inhabit their skin.

#the critique that the cattons arent unlikable drives me insane #they arent bad because theyre individually bad people. thats the point. if you couldnt critique the rich because theyre nice and charming #well we wouldnt get very far #anyway the movie is less fuck the rich and more what about the deep desire to fuck the rich #saltburn

[wonryllis]

AGENT HEESEUNG ★ LITTLE BIT DANGEROUS BABY, THAT'S HOW I WANT IT.

惹き付ける 𓈃 ﹙where,﹚ agent red gets distracted on a mission.

001 ꗃ. agent heeseung headcanons 640 words! warning MDNI NSFW; mentions of fingering crdt! of edit @hypenwons on tiktok LIB?

"stop staring at her," jay's voice rings in heeseung's earpiece.

"what?" he's too lost in thoughts like? dude you got a national level mission to do where's your mind at?

less than two hours ago he was in prehaps THE MOST secret facility in the country going over plans of an undercover search that he was SPECIFICALLY CHOSEN for

and here he is now leaning against the countertop of the bar with a fancy drink in hand

surely it wasn't alcoholic, he can't afford to be intoxicated in the slightest bit, right?

"olive green knit crop and black pants, you're staring," the venom and warning in jay's voice bites back from the control room

heeseung takes a sip of his mocktail and sighs there's no way literally no way, jay's gotta be kidding

"i'm not staring," this has to be a joke because why is jay not kidding, it's been fifteen minutes and his eyes just keep following you and your every move

from the way your mouth shapes as you laugh amidst the crowd of your friends(he assumes) to the way your lips touch the glass of vodka to the way your hips sway as you scurry to the dance floor

"you are, agent red," how your body moves to the music and the little peaks of skin that show and how it just seems to glisten under the disco lights.

"shut it, you have a mission to focus on," with the high tech glasses on, he can see the remnants of the liquid shining on your lips each time you drink a glass.

he can not help but be drawn to those beautiful colored lips

in fact your whole existence is quite literally making him go crazy, his thoughts running to such places that he absolutely should not be thinking about on a mission for fucks sake

if he were to just walk over and kiss you right now he wonders what you'd taste like, vodka? tequila? flavored cocktails? sweet and addicting? BINGO!

"yeah whatever," heeseung chugs in his drink and puts the glass back on the counter, zeroing in on you one last time.

"what? what did you just say heeseung-" rip jay. we'll miss you dearly

BEFORE HE TAKES OUT HIS EARPIECE AND GLASSES TURNING THEM OFF AND SHOVING INTO HIS SUIT POCKETS KSJHKKS

in the blink of an eye he's right behind you, slyly putting his hands on your waist as he joins you on the crowded dance floor standing impossibly close kshjsjd

and like an incubus bends to whisper in your ear, voice husky and tempting. he knows how to charm his way * - *

"you wanna dance together, pretty?" (died.)

the entire time his hands roam everywhere and anywhere caressing your curves shamelessly (if that's not heeseung)

it doesn't take long though for him to initiate a kiss, isn't that what he dropped his mission for?

but god forbid how wrecked he was about to be,, for the moment his lips touched yours, lee heeseung knew

HE WAS DAMN SURE INTOXICATED (can you hear me screaming?)

sucking and biting on your lips wasn't enough for him he just wanted more, so much more 👀

"does it feel good baby?" he can not stop staring at your face as his hand moves between your legs. fingers inside you with the thumb circling against your clit and the other hand around your neck holding you in a light choke

the way you suck in a breath, bite on your lips whinning to hold in a loud moan, the sounds going straight down against his tight pants and how your hooded eyes keep looking at him in a sultry daze.

WAY TOO INTOXICATED to realize you're the one he was supposed to find info on, and you have him exactly how you planned to, wrapped around your finger.

so, enemies to ?

TAGLIST. ( open ) @s00buwu @luvyev @pockyyasii @nctislifue

#enhypen imagines #k-labels #enhypen smut #enhypen hard hours #enhypen hard thoughts #enhypen heeseung imagines #enhypen headcanons #enhypen hyung line #enhypen heeseung smut #heeseung smut #enhypen scenarios

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

My dear lgbt+ kids,

I have been openly living as a trans man for some years now. And I'm at a point where it doesn't take up so much mental space anymore.

Don't get me wrong: I certainly do not mean "it doesn't matter anymore" here. I am not a "just call me whatever pronouns, I do not care" person and I don't think I ever will be. Nothing wrong with feeling that way, it's just not how I feel. Being adressed with my name and my pronouns is still important for my mental well-being, and it still triggers feelings of dysphoria when people misgender me.

Even apart from misgendering: My identity is still important, and it always will be! Being trans is not some small thing that loses its importance over time. It's who I am. Being a man - and having grown up in a society that told me I wasn't - influences the way I experience everything in my life (from my self-image to my relationships with others to... well, everything).

What I do mean here is: Before coming out to others, and also before coming out to myself and accepting myself as a man, there were naturally a lot of questions running circles in my brain. Why do I feel so sad when adults tells me I'll grow into a woman? Why does it cause me so much stress when mom tells me to put on a dress? Why does it make me so euphoric to use masculine scents? When I try to picture myself kissing a boy, why do I see two boys? Ah, I just learned trans people exist, why does this fascinate me so much that I can't stop thinking about it? Am I creepy for being so fascinated by them? I'm older now, why is that sad feeling not going away? Why is it only getting worse now that I have "grown into a woman"? Why do I keep getting this horrified feeling that I took a wrong route somewhere and was never meant to arrive at "woman"? Wait... could this mean I am trans? Is it too late to realize I am trans at my age? Can I really be trans when the whole thought of even just considering surgery feels overwhelming and scary? Will I ever be ready to actually come out as trans? I really want to get married some day, could I even find love as a trans person? Can I ever be happy in a relationship if I hide who I am? Can I go on living in the closet? Okay, I am trans and want to come out, is it safe to do that? Will my family still love me? Will I ever be brave enough to come out to people outside of my immediate circle? Will people take me seriously? Will people hate me? Will I regret coming out? What if I fuck up my life?

Well, I came out and the world didn't end. All these questions, I either found answers to them or they just dissolved over time - and that frees up a lot of energy and mental space. The space that was occupied by these questions and concerns is now available to me again.

I do not wonder if I am a man anymore. I just am one. It has become something that is just self-evident to me. It goes without saying - or without conciously spending time thinking about it. Of course I am a man, of course I am Oliver. Who else would I be?

We all have a limited amount of things we can focus on, and many trans people share this experience that over time they do not need to focus so much on it anymnore. But this is not unique to the process of figuring out you are trans - in the sense that a cis gay, bi, ace etc. person could also relate to this, but also in entirely non-lgbt-specific ways. Think about a person prepping for an important exam for example. A lot of their energy and mental space will be tied up in exam related questions... which obviously will not be a permanent state. After the exam, they will naturally no longer by preoccupied by wondering how the exam will go!

I'm telling you all this because one of you asked me if I struggled with coming to terms with being a trans man - and this is my very long way of saying: Yes, I did (and it's pretty normal to do! It's a really big realization about yourself!) but struggling isn't a permanent state.

You'll find answers to some questions, some questions will just fade away. You'll figure things out.

With all my love,

Your Tumblr Dad

#lgbt

[azulock]

NSFW headcannos of kaiser, aiku and shidou with a shy reader!fem with sensitive body?👀 - I requested this while almost dying of sleep, so I apologize if you didn't understand (English isn't my first language and I'm not fluent either, sorry about that (￣▽￣))

It's cool nonnie, and your English is pretty fine so it's all good. Was I supposed to be on a holiday? Yes, but I'm taking a break from my holiday, mostly cause I'm way too tired to even go out. Anyway, hope this is good nonnie

Ryusei Shidou

- A major tease, will openly tease you in public even, he doest care about PDA so he just will, cause it's fun for him, your shyness only make sit more interesting

- Tho, in private it only gets worse, Shidou waits specifically for the moments you are engrossed in something to let his hands find your body

- Will come up from behind you while you are doing chores and straight up pinch your nipples through your shirt, he's kind of mean

- Doesn't have the patience to overstimulate you for long periods of time in bed, but that doesn't mean he won't do it, just means he's gonna be hitting all of your sweet spots fast and intense

- Likes to do that before burying his cock I to you, cause when he gets to that point he already wants you dumb and completely mindless on him

Michael Kaiser

- Teases you but only in private, your reactions are something for his eyes only, he really isn't willing to share, which in a way is good since you are timid

- He can be really mean in private tho, gonna sit you down on his lap naked in front of a mirror, and he's gonna proceed to touch the most sensitive parts of your body while he makes you watch

- He's gonna overstimulate and edge you for a while as he makes you watch, you gonna need to pull out the safe word cause he won't stop even if you cry

- Once he gets tired of toying with you he's gonna fuck your pussy while still making you watch yourself getting fucked in the mirror

Oliver Aiku

- Teases you in private but also in public, tho he is very good at making it inconspicuous, he doesn't want things to be obvious cause of how you are shy but he finds the game fun

- Will tease you a lot at home, and not just in sexual ways, he really does like your reactions and finds a lot of amusement in how sensitive your body is, thinks it's cute if you get flustered from that

- Likes sliding his fingers over any exposed skin when you aren't looking just to watch you squirm, will tease you relentlessly about just how sensitive you are, you'll never hear the end of it

- Will promise that if you cuddle up to watch a movie or something he'll keep his hands to himself, or at least his touches will just be soft and won't grow sexual, but he just can't keep that promise if his life depended on it

- when you two fuck he loves overstimulating you and he has the patience to drag that for a loooong time, will have you babbling and drooling before you even get to touch his cock

- If you let him, he'd really love to film you while he overstimulates your body, he wanna have your reactions recorded so he can watch it whenever he has to be away for a match

#bllk x reader #blue lock x reader #oliver aiku x reader #michael kaiser x reader #ryusei shidou x reader

[relaxxattack]

you are so very homestuck knowledgeable. when you have the time and should inspiration strike, please tell all your headcanons about oliveblood trolls.

ooo what a great question! for this one i think first we'd need to break down current stereotypes about olivebloods. there's actually not much that we're given about them tbh

according to the homestuck wiki, which is based on info from both the comic and more dubiously canon things like friendsim and hiveswap, the olive caste's two singular traits seem to be "wild animal" and "romance liker". both of these, obviously, are traits pulled from our wonderful main girl nepeta, who was the singular representation of the olive caste for a long time; alongside her dancestors. which is quite cute, who doesn't love nepeta?

the thing is though that i am one of those nitpicky people who likes to say, "well, hey now, nepeta isn't actually representative of her caste at ALL." in fact, none of the beta trolls are. i honestly feel like it should be assumed that just like the beta kids, the beta trolls are weirdos, and not really the 'norm' in their society.

nepeta lives out in the wilderness very specifically away from society in a way that is remarked on as being unusual even for someone of her color; and she does not even understand what role her caste would have given her in normal society. and i mean... considering aradia tavros and sollux are LOWER than nepeta, it doesn't really make sense for them all to have nicer houses than her unless she's unusual in her situation.

^ nepeta is in fact NOT a good representation of olivebloods.

which means... no, i don't think all olive trolls are romance obsessed wilderness girls, actually, sorry, hiveswap friendsim, i have to shelve you from my alternia analysis for now.

luckily, there ARE other olivebloods in the series!

first of all, the other leijons. unfortunately, none of them are really "good" examples either. meulin is from an entirely different planet, and disciple is from an ancient history perhaps even less representative of "normal" life than nepeta is. all we really get from them is stuff we already knew from nepeta-- the wildness, the relationship interest. with an added fact that both meulins seem to be somewhat bookish.

and so who does that bring us to? the final canonical oliveblood.

that's right.

troll will smith.

troll will smith is canonically an oliveblood. not only that, but he's a famous actor, which means he is basically a "model" for society- for what it looks like once you "have it all made". i would imagine this goes even more for alternia, supposedly a very movie-geared society.

the two troll will smith features that canonically exist on alternia are Fresh Prince and Hitch. in both of these films, will smith plays a character that is self-made and clever, a regular guy who is just skilled. it should also be noted that while a "threshecutioner" is a job with a heavy blueblood populous, greenbloods can also be one, and it's common enough that a show about it wasn't cut by the alternian dictatorship.

so therefore, what traits can we pull that all of these olivebloods (and equius lol) display to us?

olive trolls are lower class, but they're capable of working up through their connections

likely due to this, olive trolls are often clever and self made. they're likely quick-witted and sharp

they're good at their jobs! most olive trolls that are seen in the comic are very good with their respective practices (be it drawing, writing, bookkeeping, or melee fighting)

it's possible that olive trolls have a good intuition, and are fairly in touch with their own instincts. this would explain why some of them seem to fare better in the wild or in fights, and also why they are stereotyped as having a natural inclination for relationships. i think this is also a good transition ground between the impressive physical psionics of the castes lower than olive, and the emotional/mental psionics of the highbloods above them.

so, there we go. these are my olive headcanons! they're not comfortably well off or anything, but they're not wild animals either-- they're hard workers and skilled at what they put their minds to. probably usually working a nine to five and doing their best in life hoping to move up with a good quadrant or promotion. at least, in my headcanon anyway- no need to take this as fact!

#homestuck #alternia #nepeta leijon #olive caste #olivebloods #hemospectrum #hsmeta #op #my meta

[heartateasee]

“The Gallery”

Word count: 15.1k

Warnings: Unprotected sex

You can check out more of my work here: https://www.wattpad.com/user/heartatease (but I plan on uploading tumblr specific writing to this blog as well)

⚘⚘⚘

⚘⚘⚘

Darcie stood in front of the three black and white canvases that were hanging on one of the walls of the art gallery she was currently employed at. Her head was tilted to the side as she hugged a glass of champagne against her chest. She was dressed in a pale pink jumpsuit with a corset-like top that complimented her olive colored skin, and accentuated her curves perfectly, but it wasn't all that revealing. Nude strappy heels were on her feet, and her hair was straightened, but still a bit big given how thick it was.

She wasn't working tonight, her boss giving her the night off to truly enjoy the showing that was happening. This gallery was a dream of hers, and she knew that she was on her way to being part owner of it. Art had always spoken to her. Whether it be paintings, photography or just drawings - it moved her all the same.

Taking a small sip from her glass, she walked a bit closer to the canvases, fingertips drifting along the bottom of one of them.

"Don't think you're supposed to touch those, you know?"

Darcie jumped slightly, quickly turning to see a man leaning against the pillar close to her. Shaggy chestnut curls were pushed back by a pair of sunglasses, but piercing green eyes were staring back at her. He was adorned in a pair of khaki trousers and a rust orange sweater - black and white old skool Vans on his feet.

"Oh, I just-"

"Those portraits are of you, aren't they?" He asked, raising his hand that held his glass of caramel colored liquor so he could point a finger at the wall.

The mystery man pushed himself off the pillar, beginning to walk in her direction. She nibbled on her bottom lip as he stood beside her, shoulder to shoulder, and he continued to admire the work in front of him.

"Why do you think these are me?" She asked, finally speaking to him after a moment or two.

Smirking softly, he looked over at Darcie - taking a sip of his drink as he looked back to the art. "The lighting may be completely different in this room right now, but I know how shadows would hit your curves. The way that I see it in my head is the exact way it's portrayed in these photos right in front of us - it has to be you. The curvature of your body is beautiful, and there's absolutely no way you can tell me that what I'm envisioning in my mind isn't what I'm seeing on this wall right now."

Darcie felt a warmth covering over the apples of her cheeks, and she quickly looked away from the man standing next to her as she stifled a giggle. He looked away from the wall to watch her, and a smile of his own took over his lips as he saw just how flushed he had caused her to be.

"So, do I get to know if I'm right?" He questioned, pursing his lip slightly to the side.

Darcie slowly looked back over at him, tapping her fingertips against the champagne flute in her hand. "You're right."

The man smirked softly, and she watched as the tip of his tongue ran along the inside of his cheek. "Well, it would be hard to get it wrong when it comes to someone as gorgeous as yourself."

Silence took over the both of them, but neither of them felt uncomfortable. They walked along the wall together a bit further, and Darcie could feel her face redden even more as they got to canvases that were so obviously her. These were more casual - her laying on a blanket in the middle of a park on an autumn day.

"Now these - there's no denying that these are you," he joked, glancing over to her, and she noticed the dimple denting his cheek as she looked back at him. "You must be quite the muse."

Darcie swallowed harshly as her brown eyes held his moss ones, and she quickly looked to her feet as she started to feel a bit overwhelmed. She was confident in herself, but there was something about this stranger that caused nerves to tingle in the depths of her stomach. It was a sensation she hadn't experienced in some time.

"Uhm, I guess so?"

"I'm Harry, by the way," the man spoke, holding his free hand out to her. He bit down on his bottom lip to conceal how much he was enjoying the pink tint covering her skin. It contrasted against her tanned complexion in such a way that drew him in.

"Nice to meet you, Harry, I'm-"

"Darcie," a voice came from behind the pair, and she looked over her shoulder to see her boyfriend, Joel, approaching them - causing Harry to quickly drop his hand.

"Hi darling," she cooed softly as he wrapped his arm around her waist, leaning down to plant a kiss against her cheek. "Did you make that sale?

Joel had left Darcie to speak to a potential buyer who was interested in the canvases of snapshots he had taken during a small trip to Portugal last year.

"I did, he was very happy to take them off my hands," Joel responded.

Harry immediately realized how much he had overstepped, and he grew a bit uncomfortable. Darcie turned to look back in his direction, placing her freehand against Joel's chest.

"This gentleman was actually just admiring your work as well," Darcie stated, noticing how uneasy Harry had started to look, and she felt a bit guilty.

"Oh, thanks man," Joel said, reaching a hand out. "I'm Joel."

"Harry."

They shook hands, and Darcie quickly downed the rest of their champagne as she wasn't sure how this could go. It was apparent that Joel was completely oblivious to the flirting that Harry had been doing previously though.

"Do you shoot as well?" Joel asked curiously.

Harry cleared his throat, taking another sip of his drink before answering. "I do, actually. What are you shooting on? These are magnificent. Both sets."

Harry's hand gestured to both the black and white photos that he had first noticed, as well as the ones of Darcie in the park.

"Well, it comes a little easy when I have someone as beautiful as her in front of the lens," Joel chuckled, squeezing Darcie's hip before focusing back on Harry. "I'm currently shooting on a Fujifilm GFX 100S, how about you?"

Lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck, Harry suddenly felt a bit awkward about the information he was about to share. "Oh, I've been shooting on a Leica S3 for the past year or so."

Darcie watched as Joel's eyes widened, and his jaw slightly dropped. "Holy shit, that's an almost twenty grand camera."

"It was a gift from a teacher," Harry said, really hoping that he didn't come across as some pretentious prick. "Not a college professor or anything like that, just someone who helped me learn a lot of things, and he thought of me like a son so..."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Darcie spoke up, immediately catching onto the fact that Harry was speaking about this particular person in the past tense.

Harry's eyes flickered over to hers, holding them. "Thank you."

"Joel!"

The three of them looked in the direction of where Joel's name was called from, and he quickly leaned down to press another kiss to the corner of Darcie's lips. "I'll be right back."

Darcie kept her eyes trained on her boyfriend as he walked away before turning back to Harry.

"I feel like I need to apologize," Harry rushed out, walking just a bit closer to her. "I'm sorry, if I had known that you were seeing someone I would've never flirted with you the way I was."

"Harry, really, it's okay," Darcie said, shaking her head softly at him. "And to be fair, yes, you were flirting, but you were extremely respectful. I also didn't necessarily stop you so..."

Harry let out a soft sigh, pressing his hand against his chest. "Okay, good, I just...I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. That's the last thing I would ever want."

"You didn't," Darcie giggled, finding this all a bit amusing. "I promise."

"Do you frequent this gallery often?" Harry asked, trying to steer their conversation in a more friendly, not flirty, direction.

"I actually work here," Darcie told him, giving him a large smile. "Hopefully working up to part owner soon."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Wow, that's impressive. Good for you."

The two of them continued to walk along the gallery, exchanging simple conversation, and having a drink refill along the way. As they approached the end of the photos, Harry placed his now empty glass on a table and turned to Darcie.

"I just want to say, you were exceptional company tonight," he confessed, tucking his hands into the front pockets of his pants. "And I have to tell you this because I can't leave without doing so, but you're a very stunning woman, and if you didn't have a boyfriend, I would absolutely be asking you to get a drink with me once you were finished here."

Darcie knew that Harry didn't mean any harm by what he was saying, and she actually appreciated his honesty. She couldn't blame Joel for being away all night, but she would admit that Harry's company was nice. They didn't know each other at all, but something about his presence helped her get through it all.

"Babe," she heard Joel's voice calling out to her, and he quickly rushed over. "I just made another five grand."

Darcie's eyes widened, shaking her head. "Oh my god, what did they buy?

"Your black and white portraits."

A frown quickly took over her features, and she took a step back from her boyfriend. "You told me that you weren't going to sell those. You said that those were only for you or me - other than displaying them to showcase your work."

Harry suddenly felt a bit of disgust brew in his chest from what he was hearing.

"I know, Cece, but it's a lot of money," Joel tried to reason, and Harry watched as Darcie took a deep breath.

Darcie actually hated the nickname 'Cece', but she never tried to correct Joel. She didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"I understand that, Joel, I really do," Darcie said, nodding her head. "I know we had them here tonight, but those are personal photos, and it's one thing for people to see them - it's another for someone other than me and you to have them in their possession. That's...that's my body. That's me."

"Oh come on, you let me take them, didn't you? You knew they were going to be shared around."

"Hey man," Harry didn't think twice about stepping in. "It is her body at the end of the day. From photographer to photographer, if she didn't consent to you selling, that's a bit fucked up."

Joel cut his eyes at Harry, quickly pulling Darcie behind his body to shield her from him. "Yeah, well I think it's a bit fucked up that I've looked over several times tonight, and I've seen you lingering around my girlfriend. What do you have to say about that?"

"Oh my god, Joel!" Darcie exclaimed, gripping his arm. "Please, he wasn't doing anything. We were just talking about your work, really."

"Look, I don't mean any harm, but-" Harry started, but before he could get another word in, he felt a shove to his shoulder.

"I advise that you leave - right now."

Darcie looked between the two of them with wide eyes, her full lips parted as she tried to make sense of what was happening in front of her. Part of her wanted to defend Joel, her boyfriend, because he had been her partner for the past eight months, but there was another part of her that wanted to defend Harry, the man she had just met.

"Okay," Harry nodded, eyes flashing to Darcie for a moment before looking back to Joel. "I'll go."

Joel and Darcie watched as Harry exited the main gallery and started towards the lobby, and it caused that feeling of guilt to creep into Darcie's stomach once more.

⚘⚘⚘

It was a week or so later that Darcie was working at the gallery, and she was still extremely irritated with Joel for selling off those pictures of her. The ones of her in the park returned to his apartment as planned, but the black and white ones had been sold, and they ended up being sold to someone for twice the amount that Joel initially planned to sell them for.

It caused a big rift between the two of them, and she questioned their entire relationship at the fact that he would do something like this for money. Regardless of her pleading with him not to let those pictures go anywhere but his or her place, he still did it. That sour taste in her mouth at the whole thing was growing hard to get rid of.

"Darcie," Fiona, one of the interns, spoke up as she knocked on the doorway of her office. "There's a package for you at the front desk."

"Thanks," Darcie said, hardly looking up from her computer as she was finishing up an email to a potential client.

She was expecting a few shipments of art to display as a lot of recent pieces had ended up selling, so she wasn't the least bit surprised to hear that there was a delivery for her. Darcie pushed herself up from her desk and walked towards the front.

"These mine?" She asked Angie behind the desk who was currently on the phone. Angie gave Darcie a nod, and she collected the wrapped pieces before heading back to her office.

She placed them on her desk, undoing the tie that was holding them together. As she began to unwrap the first canvas, her jaw dropped slightly. It took her a moment to process, and her eyes wandered over the picture.

It was her.

Darcie quickly worked to unwrap the other two pieces, realizing they were also her. All three of the black and white portraits from Joel's show. As she unwrapped the last one, a piece of folded paper fell out of the wrapping and she immediately grabbed it. She unfolded it, and allowed her eyes to bounce along the handwriting covering the page.

"I know you didn't want these pictures going anywhere but the two of you. Before I left, I offered to pay double of what Joel previously accepted, and I was met with an immediate 'yes'. I only did that so I could get these back to you - just as you wanted. I hope this can bring you some relief in knowing they aren't just hanging up in some random person's home.

Take care, Darcie. Maybe at some point we'll meet again. xx

-H"

Darcie let out a small laugh of disbelief, her hands tracing over the canvases in front of her once she set the letter down. She knew it was Harry - it had to be. No other person heard the fight between her and Joel, and the fact that the letter was signed 'H' just solidified that it was him. The way that he would go to these lengths just to protect these pictures of her after hearing her plead with her boyfriend not to sell them was unfathomable.

She sat down quickly at her computer and went into their customer database. It was a bit risky to do this, as she was breaking a few rules by searching for a customer's personal information for something other than a sale, but she needed to find him. Her eyebrows narrowed as she typed 'Harry' into the search engine under the first name, and an immediate groan left her as over fifteen thousand matches popped up. It's what she should have expected, but all she wanted to do was thank him for what he had done for her.

⚘⚘⚘

It was the following June, a little over a year since Joel's showing at the art gallery, and Darcie was preparing for another showing tonight. This one she would be working, seeing as she did get the position of part opener at the end of last year. This particular showing also was not one of Joel's, but a gentleman who was new to the area. His name was Ethan, and this was his first showing in the city.

The showing was already in full force come eight o'clock, and Darcie hadn't stopped moving around since it started. She thought that by now she would be able to leave things in the hands of others so that she could have a cocktail while viewing the pieces, but that looked almost impossible at the moment.

"Darcie, please go and enjoy the showing," Angie, who was now her personal assistant instead of just working the front desk at the gallery, pleaded as she followed behind her boss. "I promise that we can take care of everything else."

Darcie let out a sigh, standing with her hands on her hips as she looked along the crowd around them. "Are you absolutely positive, Angie?"

Angie nodded eagerly, placing a hand on Darcie's back as she guided her to the bar. "Have a drink, and go."

There wasn't another second to spare an argument from Darcie as Angie had quickly turned on her heels and started back towards the main area of the showing. Turning her attention back to the bartender, Darcie ordered herself a dirty martini with extra olives and the bartender obliged. With her drink in her hand, she walked to the beginning of the gallery - starting from 'the beginning' as Ethan had labeled it.

Her feet carried her into the next room a few minutes later, quite bigger than the first room, and there were benches in the middle that you could sit on and admire the work if you chose to do so. As she stared at one particular piece, one that displayed a woman laying in a field of flowers, she suddenly felt a presence behind her.

"I much preferred the showing from last May, if I'm going to be completely honest."

The rich accent that Darcie figured she would never hear again flooded into her ears, and she slowly looked over her shoulder to see Harry with a small smirk on his lips.

"Is that so?" Darcie asked playfully, watching as Harry's dimples appeared as his smirk morphed into a wide smile.

"Absolutely, bought three pieces myself, didn't you know?

Looking down at her drink, Darcie laughed at Harry's statement - knowing that he was referring to her pieces that he had sent her. She lifted a hand to twirl the small skewer with her remaining olives, watching as she moved it around her drink. By the time she looked back up, Harry was directly at her side.

They took a moment and allowed their eyes to drag over one another, and Darcie noted at how much more formal he looked tonight than the last time he was here. Harry made note that Darcie looked a bit more carefree, and the dress she had on tonight was way more revealing than the jumpsuit she wore last year.

"Another showing of your boyfriend's?" Harry quipped, and Darcie just about choked on the sip she had just taken of her martini. He chuckled softly, muttering a quick 'sorry' as he watched her wipe her fingertips over her lips.

"Well," Darcie started once she had gathered herself. "Would be difficult for this to be a boyfriend's showing considering I don't have one of those."

Harry raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of his own drink as he hummed in response.

"What?" Darcie questioned, biting one of the olives off the skewer.

He tried so hard not to, but Harry couldn't help that he directed his eyeline to her lips as she pulled the garnish into her mouth. Darcie noticed immediately, and as much as she wanted to tease him for it, she decided not to.

"Nothing," Harry cleared his throat, and Darcie disguised her crooked grin as she saw a soft blush on his cheekbones.

They both looked back to the canvas in front of them, taking it in together, and they each felt as if they were experiencing deja vu. Darcie's heels lightly clicked against the floor as they continued to make their way around the showing, and eventually Harry turned to look at her again.

"So, did you get your part owner position?" He asked, finishing off his drink as he could see they were nearing the end of the pictures.

Darcie's eyes widened, shocked that Harry had remembered that detail from their conversation. "Uhm...yes, actually," she said with a soft nod. "I was in charge of planning this whole showing tonight. It was so busy I didn't think that I'd be able to enjoy it myself, but my assistant made it a point to tell me that she could handle it."

"Well, I'm glad she did that. I caught a glimpse of you when I first walked in, but you looked like you were extremely busy. I didn't want to bother you."

"Looking for me, were you?" Darcie teased, finishing off the rest of her martini - popping the last olive into her mouth once she swallowed.

Harry pulled his bottom lip through his teeth, but his boyish smile still made its way through. "Can you blame me? I meant what I said last time we saw each other, Darcie. You're stunning, and I enjoyed your company that night. I hoped that this time I would actually be able to do what I wanted to do last time."

"And what would that be?"

Harry walked a bit closer, still leaving the slightest gap between the two of them. "Me asking you to have a drink with me once you're finished here. We can go wherever you want - I'm just not ready to say goodnight to you yet."

Darcie's stomach flipped with excitement at Harry's request. She hadn't been on any dates since her and Joel broke up not too long after his showing. She saw his true colors that night, and she didn't like them. Since then, she really hadn't had any time to focus on dating. All of her time was invested in the gallery these days, and she enjoyed it that way.

But she had hoped that one day she would get the opportunity to thank Harry for his kind gesture, and the fact that he was opening that door for her, she wasn't going to pass it up.

Not to mention he was also extremely attractive, and his raspy accent made her want to melt into the floor.

"I think I can manage that," Darcie responded, trying not to seem too eager when really she was ecstatic to be going out with him. She felt like it was fate that he ended up back here tonight, and that maybe this was going to lead to something more.

Harry and Darcie placed their empty glasses back on the bar, and Harry's hand found the small of her back as they began to walk through the crowd of people.

"I just need to find my assistant and make sure that everything's good before we go. This is going to be ending here soon anyway," Darcie told Harry over her shoulder as they walked, given he was walking at an angle behind her, but he still made sure he kept his hand securely on her back.

Darcie quickly located Angie, and she told Harry to excuse her for just a moment. He nodded, eyes staying trained on her as she made her way over to a blonde in the corner of the room. He watched as the blonde's eyes flickered over to him, and Darcie quickly turned so that their backs were facing him. Harry laughed to himself, as the blonde was clearly told not to look over at him, but she did it anyway.

It was only a few seconds later that Darcie made her way back over to Harry with a small black handbag over her shoulder. "Angie actually has it all covered, so I'm ready to go whenever you are."

"I think I'm all set," Harry told her, his hand finding its home on her back once again.

They made their way out of the gallery and onto the street, the newly summer breeze fanning over their bodies. "There's a nice tapas bar a block or so down that has really good tequila if you're interested in something like that," Darcie suggested with a small shrug.

"Lead the way," Harry encouraged her, making sure to walk close to her on the sidewalk.

Darcie decided to be a bit brave, and she curled into Harry's side slightly as they walked. Harry noticed, and his stomach knotted just a bit. As confident as he tried to come off to her, Darcie did make him nervous. She was easily the most gorgeous woman he ever had the chance of being in the presence of, and the fact that she was reciprocating his advances had him both excited and anxious.

"Do you go to this bar often?" He asked, trying to start up another conversation with her. The silence wasn't awkward, but he wanted to be able to talk to her as much as possible before the night was through.

"I do," Darcie said with a soft nod. "It's a regular after work spot for a lot of us. We're missing it tonight, obviously, but they have a really great happy hour. Are you hungry at all? The food is fantastic and authentic."

"I could eat."

Darcie pointed at an upcoming building, and once they reached it, Harry held the door open for her. They stepped inside, and Darcie immediately walked up to the hostess stand.

"Hi there, is the rooftop bar open tonight?" She asked, and the hostess gave her a nod. "Would it be possible for my friend and I to be seated up there, please?"

"Absolutely - just the two of you, Miss Crane?"

"Yes, just the two of us. Thank you so much."

Darcie walked back to Harry and locked her arm around his, her hand cupping to his bicep, as they began to follow the hostess up the staircase that was right near the entrance. The building wasn't too tall, so they only had to walk up two flights of steps before they were exiting out a side door that brought them out onto the roof.

The hostess walked them over to a small two top table that had an incredible view of the city before placing their menus down. "Your server will be right with you guys. Good to see you again, Miss Crane."

Harry quickly pulled out Darcie's seat for her, earning him a 'thank you' before he assisted her with scooting it in a bit. He sat in his own chair, shrugging off his suit jacket - draping the garment over the back of it. His eyes wandered over the drink menu as he undid the buttons of his sleeves around his wrist, beginning to roll them up to his elbows.

Although Harry's eyes were on the menu, Darcie's eyes were glued to Harry's actions. She watched as his fingers gracefully tucked and rolled the shirt, and her eyebrows raised as ink became visible on both of his arms. Harry could feel her eyes after a moment, and he eventually looked up to see her staring at him with slightly wide eyes.

"What? Are tattoos a deal breaker?" He joked, causing Darcie to come back into the present moment. They both laughed softly at his remark before she shook her head.

"I mean, if they are a deal breaker it's because I tend to be attracted to those with tattoos, not the other way around. How long have you been getting tattooed for? You seem to have quite a few."

"Since I was eighteen, and I have plenty more. My torso, hips, thighs and a few here and there along the rest of my legs," Harry said with a shrug.

Darcie's mouth began to run dry, and she quickly grabbed the complimentary water the hostess had poured for them before she left, taking a few big sips to try to get herself together. Thinking about the tattoos on his hips and his thighs caused her mind to slightly spiral, and she knew if she allowed herself to linger on it too much that she could become a babbling mess.

"Seems like you do come here quite often since you're on a name basis with the staff," Harry smirked as he took a sip of water himself.

"I insist that they call me Darcie, but the owner is adamant that they don't," Darcie cringed slightly. "Miss Crane just sounds so formal."

"Darcie Crane," Harry mused, letting out a bit of a hum afterwards. "That's definitely a beautiful name."

"Darcie Lennox Crane, if you want to get official."

Harry's eyebrows raised, slightly surprised that she would reveal her full name to him so suddenly. "Well, Darcie Lennox Crane, I'm Harry Edward Styles," he stated, holding his hand out to her. "It's nice to officially meet you...again."

Darcie's stomach somersaulted at Harry's gesture, and she let out a small laugh as she placed her hand in his. They shook them a couple times before they both busted out into a fit of laughter, dropping their hands back onto the top of the table.

A server ended up coming over to the table, and Darcie ordered herself an Añejo old fashioned. Harry was surprised by her drink of choice, and decided on ordering one of those for himself as well. The server walked away to ring in their drinks, and Darcie turned back to Harry.

"Any dietary restrictions?" she asked. "I have a few go to tapas that I could order for us, but I want to make sure I get what you like or what you can have."

"I'm a vegetarian, but other than that, no allergies or anything," Harry responded, tapping his fingertips against his glass of water.

"I can work with that," Darcie teased playfully.

"So, tell me a little bit more about yourself," Harry said, leaning forward to cross his arms on the top of the table.

Darcie pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, looking out at the city for a moment - tucking a strand of hair that was blowing in the breeze behind her ear. It had been a while since she had to do this. New people didn't come into her life very often these days, at least not on this level, and she wasn't really sure if she found herself all that exciting.

"Well," she started, after clearing her throat, looking back over to Harry to see him still looking at her so intently. "As you know, I'm now part owner of the gallery, and I'm really enjoying that. I have a master's degree in art history, so if that doesn't tell you where my heart lies."

Darcie chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying to think of anything else that would still have her come off as interesting to the appealing gentleman in front of her. "I speak fluent Spanish. I have my whole life practically because my grandmother speaks very little English and, if I'm not at the art gallery, I enjoy readings...like poetry readings."

Harry had moved to cup his chin in his palm as Darcie spoke, his focus completely on her. He couldn't remember the last time he was so intrigued with someone. He'd be lying if he said her beautiful face, and her stunning figure, hadn't popped up into his mind more times than he could count over the past year or so, but now it was nice to match her inviting personality with that as well.

When he witnessed how much of an ass her boyfriend was at that showing last year, and the fact that he would let some random person buy pictures of his girlfriend without her consent, he knew he needed to do something about it. He didn't even think twice about stopping by the table that was set up for those who were interested in buying on the way out. Although Joel had threatened him to leave, there was no way he was going to do that without ensuring those pictures were his. The intention was always to get them back to Darcie, and with him knowing that she worked at the gallery, it made it all so easy.

"A master's degree...speaking fluent spanish?" Harry quirked a brow with a small nod. "Intelligent and beautiful. Consider me one of the luckiest men in the world to be here at this table with you tonight."

Darcie shook her head at Harry, shielding her face slightly for a moment with her hand. "You're ridiculous," she laughed, feeling the heat on her cheeks.

"I'm just telling the truth, Miss Crane."

The server came back over with their drinks, placing them down on the table before asking if they were ready to order.

"Yes, we're going to order a few things, actually. We'll take one order of the patatas bravas, pimientos de Padrón..." Darcie quickly turned her attention over to Harry. "Pesecetarian?"

Harry gave her a quick nod before she turned back to their server. "An order of gambas al ajillo, and pulpo a la Gallega."

Harry was more than impressed at the fluidity of how Darcie ordered, knowing exactly what she could and couldn't order for Harry due to his restriction. Once the server walked away, Darcie focused back in on him, seeing the slight smile tugging on his lips.

"What?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

Harry took the moment to really admire her. The shape of her sculpted nose with the freckles that were scattered across it. Her lips with the defined cupid's bow, and the way her hair framed perfectly around her face. He was so drawn in already, hell, he was already drawn in last year, but now seeing how she truly carried herself - it just made her that much more appealing to him.

"That was..." Harry started but cleared his throat, licking over his bottom lip. "I'm sorry, but for lack of a better term, that was sexy. You're a woman who's very sure of what she wants, and you deliver that with such confidence."

"Oh but if he only knew," Darcie thought to herself.

The only thing that she was sure she wanted was Harry's attention, and maybe more than that, but her confidence that she had in almost every other aspect was not coming to her tonight. He intimidated her in the best way possible. He was so sure of himself, and she hadn't really met anyone who exuded that as much as he did before.

"I told you, I just come here a lot," Darcie said, trying not to have him read too much into her.

"It's not just that," Harry responded with a shake of his head. He ran the tip of his finger around the rim of his glass, waiting to cheers her properly before taking the first sip. "It's everything about you as a whole. I hope I don't overstep by saying that you intrigue me, Darcie. You did a year ago, and even further now that I'm seeing more of you."

Darcie honed in on his finger dancing around the rim, and that's when she noticed just how many rings he had adorning both of his hands.

If Darcie had been standing, she surely would have been weak at the knees. Her body was turning into complete jello the more he spoke about her. Sure, others had talked about her in the past in ways that complimented her, but never like Harry was tonight.

"Well, you intrigue me too," Darcie admitted, lifting her drink out to him. "To an unexpected reunion."

"To an unexpected reunion."

They allowed their glasses to clink together before they each took a sip from their drink. Darcie's eyes peered at him over the bottom of the glass - waiting for his reaction. Harry's brows launched into his forehead for a moment before they settled, and they both lowered their drinks.

"Oh wow," he said, patting his lips together for a moment before licking over them. "That's really good. I've never had one of these before."

"It's my tried and true," Darcie said with a shrug. "I'm glad that you enjoy it."

Darcie now took the time to study Harry. His curls were a bit shorter than the last time she had seen him, and he was obviously dressed up a bit more than he was the first time. She had to wonder if he did that consciously, or if he switched his style up on a whim.

"So I have to ask," she spoke up again after taking another sip of her drink. "You spoke about a mentor of sorts that helped you learn what you know as far as photography goes. How long did he teach you?"

"A few years," Harry responded, swirling the liquid around in his glass a bit. "He was older, and he knew he wasn't in the best of health. There wasn't anything in particular that was wrong, no disease or anything - it was just his time. He left a lot to me, and he actually just passed away before I went to the showing last year. He was my biggest supporter."

Darcie nodded, and she could see a glaze of sorrow coat over Harry's emerald eyes. Slowly, she reached a hand out to run her fingertips over the back of his hand that was still casually resting on the table. "I'm sure he taught you so well, Harry, and I'm certain that teaching you was probably one of his greatest joys. From the little bit you've told me, I think he cherished you dearly."

To try to get his mind off of the sensitive subject she had brought up, she gave his hand a small squeeze before pulling it away. "So what is your typical thing to shoot? Do you shoot people, animals, objects..."

"People mostly," Harry said as he looked down at his drink in his glass. "I shot a few models here and there throughout photography school, but after that I really only shot people that I was...involved with. Men and women."

Hesitantly, Harry brought his eyes up to look at Darcie who remained sitting there with an unchanged expression on her face. Usually when Harry had brought up that he had been with men in the past, most women he was interested in would quickly end the encounter and leave. He wasn't getting that type of vibe from Darcie, but he couldn't quite make out the look she was giving him.

"Well, I think sometimes it's better for the artist to work with someone they feel close to," Darcie began to explain. "You can read them better, and you can sometimes pose them in a way that feels more comfortable - not to mention the model feels safe and relaxed when they know who's behind the camera."

Harry's eyebrows narrowed slightly. "You...you don't care that I've been involved with men?"

"What?" Darcie asked, her brows now mimicking Harry's. "No, absolutely not, Harry. I've been with both men and women myself. Were you worried about sharing that part of yourself with me?"

For the first time tonight, Darcie was seeing a bit of Harry's vulnerability.

"It's not so much that it was about you. I've just had bad experiences with revealing that part of myself. Both men and women, actually, have issues sometimes. It's mostly women though that aren't the biggest fans of me involving myself with both genders. I've even been with those who choose not to label themselves at all. I'm just attracted to people in general, I think. I don't really label myself."

"Trust me, if anyone gets that, it's me. I feel the same way. I'm just attracted to people. Joel actually hated that about me," Darcie confessed. "Was always worried that his beloved Cece was going to leave him for a woman...insecure bastard."

Darcie took a large sip of her drink, and Harry couldn't help but slightly snort at the name she had given her ex, and the fact she had brought up his nickname for her. "Yeah, he wasn't the kindest human around was he? And I could tell you hated that nickname, by the way.”

"Not at all a nice guy, and fuck, that nickname was so cringy. I was way too nice, and I didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him that I absolutely hated it."

They took in the sound of the city for a few moments before the server came over with a large tray, setting down all the different tapas that Darcie had ordered onto the table. Darcie and Harry both thanked them as they placed their napkins in their laps.

"Okay, let me give you the run down before we start," Darcie said, a smile creeping onto her lips. She was a true foodie, especially when it came to authentic foods, and she enjoyed introducing people to new things. "So this here is fried potatoes mixed with spices and sauces, these are just blistered Padron peppers..."

Darcie's dainty finger pointed to each dish as she explained it to Harry, and it honestly warmed his heart that she was taking the time to explain what he would be eating. "These are shrimp in a Spanish style garlic sauce, and lastly this is octopus."

Harry made a slight face and Darcie quickly raised her finger. "Hear me out for a second," she giggled. "It's boiled in a copper cauldron so that the consistency is just right, and it's seasoned with paprika, salt and olive oil. They say it's best if you drink it with red wine, but we'll stick with what we have because I think it's still just as good. And that's just bread on the side that pairs well with it."

The thought of different food didn't disgust Harry really, he had just never tried it before, but he was the type of person who was open to trying any food at least once. "Well, I guess starting here is as good as anywhere, hm?" He asked, pointing to the plate stacked with the octopus pieces.

"I would say so, yes."

Darcie and Harry each grabbed a piece of bread before grabbing a chunk of octopus to place on top. "Cheers," they said in unison, tapping their pieces of food together. They plopped them into their mouths and chewed, a large smile overtaking Darcie's lips as they did so.

Harry licked over his lips once finished, and gave her a nod. "Okay, that's extremely delicious."

"I told you!" Darcie exclaimed, grabbing her drink to take a sip. "See, you got through the hard one, now everything else you don't have to be scared of."

Darcie and Harry made their way through the food, Harry actually liking the octopus dish so much that he ordered a second serving when they ordered another round of drinks. By the end of the night, they were slouched in their seats with full bellies and a nice buzz from the alcohol.

"I'm taking you didn't drive this evening?" Harry asked Darcie after requesting the bill from their server.

Shaking her head, Darcie finished off her drink - ice clinking around the glass as she did so. "Nope, I knew I'd probably have a few drinks once the showing was over, so I grabbed an Uber."

"Thankfully I can walk to both here and the gallery from my place. How far out is it for you?"

"Walking wise? Probably a twenty minute walk," Darcie shrugged, snagging a large claw clip from her bag to pin her hair up loosely. "I've done it before, but I'm too full tonight to do so."

The bill came and both Darcie and Harry reached for it at the same time. Darcie shook her head, hand clasping around the book. "Harry, please, let me," she insisted. "I ordered all that food with the intention of paying."

"There's no way I'm letting you pay for this, Darcie," Harry argued, his hand closing down around part of the book as well. "Especially considering it was a big night for you with your showing and all. Let me help you celebrate."

Darcie shook her head again, beginning to tug the check in her direction. "C'mon, I really don't mind."

Harry pursed his lips to the side, studying Darcie for what felt like the millionth time tonight. Now that her hair was up in the claw clip, he could see the long line of her neck, and his mind was already picturing the way he could pose her to where the light would hit it beautifully.

"Okay, fine," Harry agreed with a soft nod, but he didn't release the check yet. "I'll let you pay if you model for me. I need a few more pictures for a portfolio I'm sending in for a showing a few states over. You'd be perfect."

He hoped he didn't run her off with his offer. He wasn't sure if she had even posed for anyone since Joel, or if she'd be interested in doing so again. Part of him felt a bit foolish now because he wasn't sure if there was hesitancy there.

Darcie smirked softly at Harry, tilting her chin up a bit. "Is that what all of tonight was for? Just to get me to pose for you? You did say I was quite the muse - I haven't forgotten."

Harry's eyes widened a bit, and he moved his head in disagreement. "No, no absolutely not," he stated, beginning to fumble over his words a bit.

Holding it in for as long as she could, Darcie busted out laughing after a moment, falling back in her seat a bit. "Harry, I'm just joking. I'd love to pose for you."

Harry let out a loud sigh, dropping the check onto the table as he was still holding it. "Goodness gracious, Darcie," he chuckled. "About to make me start sweating over here."

Darcie quickly took care of the check and they stood from the table. Harry slung his suit jacket over his shoulder, not bothering to put it back on as Darcie grabbed her purse. They walked back down the stairs and towards the front of the restaurant, Harry making sure to keep a firm arm around Darcie's waist considering they both had alcohol flowing in their system and she was in heels.

They walked outside, and Darcie pulled her phone out. "So where will I be meeting you for this said photoshoot?" She asked, pulling up her Uber app.

"My studio, if that's okay," Harry said, leaning against the brick wall on the side of the restaurant, watching Darcie as she concentrated on the screen in her hand. "Just got it all set up actually - you'd be the first to help me try it out."

Darcie's eyes lifted at that sentence, and she tucked her bottom lip through her teeth. "Well in that case, I'm excited."

Harry's eyes were glued to the way Darcie's teeth sank into her plush lip, and he held his hand out for her. He sent her a crooked smile, and she quickly tucked her phone away. She had ordered her Uber, but it was going to be another few minutes before it arrived. Her hand slid easily in his and he pulled her close.

Slowly, he moved their conjoined hands up to his shoulder, letting his slip away so just hers rested there, and his hand dropped to her hip. "I really enjoyed tonight."

"Me too," Darcie breathed, eyes dancing all over Harry's face.

They were both a bit flushed from the tequila, their heads fuzzy, but they were still very much aware of their proximity. Darcie moved a bit closer, her other hand coming down against Harry's chest. Sucking in a deep breath, Harry's free hand cupped the nape of her neck, his thumb raising up to run the pad of it against her jawline.

"And I've been meaning to tell you all night, but thank you so much, Harry," she said sincerely, her hand smoothing up and down one of his pecs. "For the portraits you bought. I don't think there's anything I could ever really do to truly thank you for that, but just know that meant so much to me. Such a selfless act for someone that you didn't even know."

Harry shook his head. "I wasn't about to let him get away with doing that to you. From a photographer standpoint, it was wrong. You weren't consenting, and that's enough to get him blacklisted from ever having another showing - he's lucky I didn't take it that far. But from a human to human standpoint, especially when that other human was you, I couldn't let it happen. That look on your face when you realized he was talking about your portraits...it bothered me so much."

"God, you're so..." Darcie trailed off, not even knowing what she wanted to say with a shake of her head. She could still feel Harry's thumb against her jawline, caressing the area so gently.

"I really want to kiss you," Harry admitted, swallowing harshly as he waited for her reaction.

Darcie held Harry's eyes, heart thumping against her chest. "Entonces bésame, chico bonito."

Harry groaned, eyes slipping shut for a second at the sound of Darcie speaking Spanish to him. His eyes fluttered back open, and he shook his head. "As fucking sexy as that is, I can't understand what you're-"

Taking the initiative, Darcie leaned forward and pressed her lips against Harry's. His lips were soft and plush against hers, and she found that hers were immediately parting to prod her tongue against his bottom lip. Harry obliged without hesitation, and they both snuck their tongues out at the same time to roll against one another. They could taste the alcohol on each other, both of them tasting the same but different all at once. His hand moved up the nape of her neck to cup the bottom of her chin, thumb pressing into one cheek with the tips of his fingers digging into the other. His rings were slightly indenting her skin, but she didn't care - not in the slightest.

Darcie moaned softly into his mouth, her chest now flush against his. They could each feel their hearts pounding, but if anything, it gave them a sense of security to know they were both just as nervous and worked up as the other.

The kiss was having Darcie weak at the knees, and if Harry didn't have such a strong grip on her face and her hip, she was sure that she'd be falling against the concrete beneath them. She knew that he was probably a good kisser, but this was exceeding her expectations completely. There was never a time where she had an initial kiss with someone that was as good as this.

They each pulled away with a soft 'smack', and their eyes opened back up at the same time - both remembering that they were still very much in public. Darcie gave Harry a lazy smile, sliding her hand up his chest a bit to run the tips of her fingers along what she could see of his collarbone. She opened her mouth to speak, but she felt her phone vibrating in her purse, indicating that her Uber was soon approaching.

She quickly pulled it out of her purse and handed it over to Harry. "Put your number in and I'll text you," she said with a nod. "We can set up a time for me to come over."

Harry was still out of it from the kiss, but when Darcie raised her eyebrows, urging him to hurry since they didn't have much time, he took the phone from her and put his number in. He handed it back to her as a car pulled up on the curb and Darcie held up a finger to them.

"Goodnight, Darcie," Harry said once she turned back to him.

Humming, she pushed onto her tiptoes to press her lips against his once more. "Goodnight, Harry," she spoke, pulling back. She cupped his cheek in one of her hands, and she dragged the pad of her thumb down the middle of his heart shaped lips. "Voy a soñar con estos labios."

She pulled away from him completely, sending him another quick wave before slipping into the Uber. They waved at each other through the window, and Darcie immediately lifted her phone up in her hand - sending Harry a quick text. She was already excited and comfortable with him taking photos of her, but now she really couldn't wait to see him again.

⚘⚘⚘

Darcie found herself outside of the door of Harry's studio the following weekend. His studio was actually in an apartment building, and she wondered what it was going to look like inside. It was a bit aways from where she suspected his place and the gallery to be since he said he could walk to the tapas restaurant and the gallery from where he lived. This was actually a bit closer to her place - about a ten minute walk. She was a bit nervous, but she had to remind herself that Harry had taken pictures of probably hundreds of people, and that he knew what would and wouldn't work for her.

But she was mostly nervous because she was unsure if anything further was going to happen after their kiss.

Sucking in a deep breath, she lifted her fist and knocked on the door, her other hand wringing the strap of her duffel bag that was on her shoulder. He had asked her to bring a few things to change into as he expected to shoot her in a few different outfits. She wasn't too sure what all he was looking for, so she packed about six or seven options to choose from.

The door flew open, and Harry's lips immediately curled up into a smile as he took in Darcie standing in front of him.

"Good afternoon, Darcie Lennox Crane," he said playfully, stepping out of the doorway and gesturing his hand inside. "Nice to see you again."

Just like the other two times she had been in his presence, Darcie found herself blushing furiously due to his charm as she stepped into the apartment. "Nice to see you again as well, Harry Edward Styles."

Her eyes took in the apartment, and she was impressed to see that he had a few different set ups throughout the rooms. The kitchen and bathrooms were the only rooms that seemed untouched and just decorated like they normally would be.

Harry watched as Darcie walked around, her expression showing just how intrigued she was with everything. She finally turned to look at him again, a smile washing over her.

"This is incredible, Harry," she complimented him, dropping her bag near the bathroom as she figured that's probably where she would do most of her changing.

"Thanks," Harry's cheeks flushed a soft pink, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck.

After a second or two, he cleared his throat and pointed towards the bathroom. "If you want to get dressed in the first outfit that you chose, you can go ahead. Meet me in this room over here," he instructed, pointing to one of the bedrooms that had darker hues on the walls, and less lighting than the other bedroom.

Darcie nodded and walked into the bathroom, deciding she'd settle on the darker outfit she had brought with her. She stripped out of the leggings and hoodie she had on, pulling on a pair of black leather trousers, a pair of black ankle boots and a deep red corset type body suit. Tilting her head to the side, she shrugged on a black blazer as well, lifting her hands to get her hair out from under the collar.

Her makeup and hair were done as she usually did them, and it was the natural look she always went for. A lot of makeup had never really been her thing as it covered her freckles, and they were honestly one of her favorite things about herself.

She stepped out the bathroom, the clicking of her boots making her presence known as she rounded the corner into the room Harry was occupying.

Looking him over, Darcie could see that his brows were furrowed in concentration as he stared at the screen on his camera. He had a pair of glasses resting towards the end of his nose, and she took the moment to take in his apparel. He had on a pair of black slacks with a white tank top tucked in, a red short sleeve button up that was open rested on his shoulders. A pair of beat up white Vans authentics were on his feet, pink laces on one with just the plain white ones on the other.

Harry looked up after a moment as he could see Darcie in the door frame out of the corner of his eye, and he felt speechless as he saw her outfit choice.

"Oh wow," he breathed, licking over his bottom lip. "Darcie, you look...you look amazing."

Darcie sent him a soft smile as she walked further into the room. "Thank you, I hope that it's appropriate for what you're going for."

Harry nodded adamantly, having this outfit blow his vision right out of the water at this point. "Better than what I had in mind, actually. You've given me a whole new array of ideas to work with," he said honestly. He walked over to the dark curtains that were covering up the window, separating them just enough to let a little bit of light shine through.

He walked back over to Darcie, gently slipping his hand in hers, still holding the camera in the other, as he walked her over to stand against one of the walls that was adorned in a dark floral type wallpaper. She made notes that the outfit she had chosen matched the colors perfectly, and she could early see the vision that Harry was going for.

Darcie easily posed for him, Harry having to hardly guide her at all. He shot her at different angles, perching down on one knee, standing on top of a chair or just capturing her straight on. It was all he could do to not drool while looking back at the pictures on the small screen of his camera. He was right in what he said the first time they met - she truly was the perfect muse.

"Okay, I think we can do an outfit change if you're comfortable with that," Harry stated as he walked closer to Darcie, showing her some of the pictures he had taken. "These are great, Darcie. You're so beautiful."

He peeked up from the screen, and he saw that her eyes were already on him - her hand lightly on his shoulder as she was peering over it. His eyes dropped to her lips for a moment before he cleared his throat while stepping away from her. Harry wanted to kiss her again so badly, but he also didn't want Darcie to think the only reason he was doing so was to use her as a model.

"Alright, Mr. Styles," Darcie joked with a soft smirk as she started to walk out of the room. She saw a white button up draped across one of the arm chairs. Her fingertips trailed over it, and she looked over her shoulder to see Harry pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose as he was switching out the memory cards in his camera. Licking over her bottom lip, she snatched up the white button up as a new idea for her next outfit popped into her mind.

She could tell the button up was his as it had little splotches of paint on the back, and they matched the walls of the room he had just been shooting her in. It was obvious that for some reason he had either worn that shirt while painting, or nudged against something while the paint was still drying, but as long as she faced forward those spots wouldn't be in the picture.

Darcie stared at herself in the mirror as she stripped out of the clothes she was currently wearing. She switched out her undergarments for a matching set - a white bra and a pair of white underwear. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she pulled Harry's button up over her shoulders. She went back and forth on whether or not to walk out just like this, but she decided she'd go for a big reveal during the middle of him taking her picture.

After doing up the buttons of the shirt, only leaving the top three unbuttoned to reveal a bit of her sternum, Darcie exited the bathroom. Her feet were bare, not having her make any noise like she did previously when she walked out in her ankle boots. She noticed that Harry was no longer in the previous room, and she began to wander around the apartment. Eventually she found him in the other bedroom that had pale pink walls except for one white accent wall. She couldn't help but smile softly to herself when she realized she had made another right choice - what she had on was perfect for the feel of this room.

Harry's back was to her as he was fiddling with a white sheet he had over the window, and she could tell he was trying to figure out how to get the natural lighting to hit the way he wanted. Doing her best not to startle him, Darcie grazed her fingertips over his back as a surge of nervousness flowed through her.

"Can I help get anything squared away for you?" she offered, and Harry groaned slightly out of frustration - causing Darcie to bite down on her bottom lip to stifle a laugh.

"No, it's okay," he sighed, shaking his head. "I think I'm going to have to change this sheet out for this sheer curtain I have instead. This is blocking too much of the light and I-"

Harry suddenly lost his words as he turned and looked over his shoulder at Darcie. His eyes traveled over her lean, but curvy, body in nothing but his white button up. "Where...how did you-"

"Saw it laying over the armchair in the other room," Darcie said, lifting her hand to run the tip of her index finger down her sternum - stopping right where the first button she had done up on the shirt was. "Is it okay? I can go get changed into something else, if you'd like."

"No!" Harry exclaimed, almost instantly blushing when he realized just how fast he had answered her. His hands were free as he had set his camera down on one of the small tables when he was trying to figure out the window situation, and he walked forward - grasping to Darcie's hips. "No, please, I'm...this is perfect."

Darcie moved a bit closer, still leaving a decent amount of space between them, before she raised a hand to play with the curls that draped over the back of his neck. Her other hand rested on his shoulder as she stared into his eyes. "Then tell me where you want me, Harry," she whispered, tilting her head to the side.

Sucking in a deep breath, Harry leaned down to run the tip of his nose along her cheekbone, and one of his hands slowly trailed down from her hip to cup her ass. "Up against the white wall, please," he instructed her, giving her ass cheek a small squeeze, causing her to gasp out.

The action had Darcie squeezing her thighs together. It had been a while since someone had their hands on her body in that way, or since she had someone speak to her in such a manner. She only had a couple of hook-ups after Joel, and they were pretty unsatisfactory, which led her to just give up for the time being. She was extremely busy with the gallery anyway, so it really wasn't a priority for her.

"Okay," she responded breathlessly as they broke their hold, and she started towards the white wall he had been referring to.

Harry quickly changed out the curtain for the sheer sheet, and he smiled once he saw it gave the perfect light - shining on Darcie so beautifully.

Darcie returned his smile once he stood in front of her, camera back in hand, and he began to snap pictures of her. They were coming out just as he imagined, and he reached behind him to grab the wooden chair he had in here. He sat down and continued to shoot her, giving her small directions here and there, but she was truly a natural.

He thought that he was imagining things when he saw her start to undo the buttons of the white shirt, and he hadn't even noticed he stopped shooting - pulling the camera down and away from his face. His jaw went slack once the shirt was completely open, and he was looking at the matching white set that looked so stunning against her olive skin.

"Hold on," he said, setting his camera down and exiting the room for a moment. When he came back, he held a instafilm camera in his hands, and he tilted his head to the side. "Do you mind if I take a picture of you with this too?"

"Not at all," Darcie swallowed harshly, her nerves slightly getting the best of her, but she did her best to disguise it.

Sucking in a deep breath, she pulled both arms over her head, letting one of them extend up the wall above her, and the other moved down to drape over the top of her head. She bent her leg closest to the camera slightly, and tilted her body just a bit.

"Perfect," Harry whispered, looking at her through the viewfinder. "So fucking beautiful, Darcie."

He snapped the picture, and pulled the print-out out of the slot once it was finished. He set the camera down to the side, and dropped the picture onto a white blanket he had on the floor nearby before grabbing his regular camera again.

"Hold that position for a little bit," he told her, beginning to shoot rapidly again.

After a while, Darcie switched it up a little bit, and eventually, she let her shirt fall off her shoulders. This time, Harry remained behind the camera, but his mouth began to run dry as he watched her reach behind her back. "Is this okay?"

Harry peeked around the camera to look at her. "I'm comfortable with whatever you're comfortable with."

To be honest, Darcie had never felt so confident in her life, and she knew it was because of the praises coming from Harry behind the camera. "Have you done nude portraits before?"

"Once. A man."

Darcie couldn't help but smirk to herself to know she was the first woman that he would be shooting nude. Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she unclasped her bra and let it fall to the ground. She ran her hands over her breasts for a moment, before moving down to her underwear, pulling them down to the tops of her knees until she could let them just fall. Stepping out of them, she kicked them over to the side

Turning her back to Harry, she began to pose, and he soon realized that she was posing in the same way she did in those black and white portraits from last year. He wanted to curse himself at the way he felt his cock throb against his thigh, but he couldn't help it. Here Darcie stood in front of him, with her full ass, and he was taking in the length of her beautiful back.

She was a fucking dream.

It was only a few moments later that Darcie looked over her shoulder at Harry, fingers still in the sides of her hair. "Now you have some portraits of your own."

Harry quickly set his camera down on the floor beside him, and he surged forward to press Darcie up against the wall after turning her around. She moaned out already, his only contact with her being his hands on her hips as she stared into his moss-colored eyes.

"I need to know, Darcie, did you think about me as much as I thought about you over this past year?" Harry asked, hands massaging against the flesh of her hips.

"Yes, I did. I tried to find your information so I could thank you for the portraits, and I was hoping you'd somehow just pop back up. I thought about you so much, Harry."

Walking backwards, Harry sat down in the chair he had in the room, and he pulled Darcie over his lap - her plush thighs straddling over his own.

"I need your words. I'm not touching you any further until you tell me," Harry's fingertips indented into the small of her back as their eyes remained connected, both their hearts pounding just like they did the night they kissed.

"I need it, Harry," Darcie reached down to wrap her hands around Harry's wrists, guiding his hands over the plush skin of her stomach before moving them to rest on her breasts. She leaned down, ghosting her lips over his. "Touch me."

Harry tilted his head up to fully connect his lips with hers as his large hands kneaded the soft tissue of Darcie's breasts. She moaned against his mouth, her own hands dropping from his wrists to reach forward to push the opened button up off his shoulders. Her fingertips trailed down his arms, dipping into the creases of his muscles as she felt the pads of Harry's thumbs circling over her hardening nipples.

"You like that?" Harry asked when he heard Darcie whimpering against his lips, and she nodded. "Perky little things. Just want to..."

Moving one hand away to rest back on one of Darcie's hips, Harry disconnected his lips with hers to drop his head down - closing his lips around her now fully pebbled nipple. She threw her head back with a whine, feeling herself clench down around nothing since she currently had no stimulation between her legs.

"You have such a gorgeous body, baby. God, I can't believe you're real."

She reached forward to rid Harry of his glasses, seeing that they kept sliding down his nose, and she lifted both of her hands to run through the back of his curls as he latched onto her other nipple. The tip of his tongue moved round and round before he began to lightly suck.

"Oh, fuck me," Darcie's breath hitched in the back of her throat, and as Harry kept his mouth on her breast, his hand dropped from her other one to dance his fingertips down her stomach. He trailed them over the junction between her thigh and her pelvis before moving over her mound.

Darcie was fully squirming in his lap, having him so close to where she truly needed him to be. He couldn't help but smirk against her skin when he felt how worked up she had gotten, and it wasn't until the pads of his middle and ring fingers began to rub against her clit that he heard the first true noise of pleasure leave her.

"Such beautiful noises you make. Need more of them, Darcie," he groaned as he began to kiss over her chest.

Skillfully, Harry lifted the pad of his index finger to pull up the hood of her clit, giving him more access as his fingers worked her.

"Holy shit, you're good at this," she inhaled sharply as Harry's lips sucked at the hollow of her throat, tilting her head back to give him more access. "More, please - I need more."

Humming, Harry ventured his fingers away from her clit to circle them around her dripping entrance. His prick was now throbbing inside his trousers, especially when he felt just how wet she was, and he slowly entered his middle finger inside of her. He couldn't help but groan at the slight resistance he felt as he started to kiss over Darcie's jawline.

"Oh, you're so tight," he cooed as he sucked on the hinge of her jaw. "I'm gonna need to properly work you up."

"Cocky are we?" Darcie laughed before moaning when she felt the tip of Harry's finger tapping against her g-spot inside of her.

"I feel like you'll be appreciative once you're feeling me inside your tummy, Darcie."

She choked on another noise of pleasure once Harry sunk an additional finger inside of her, feeling the pads of them running along her front wall. Her hips were bucking against his palm - stimulating her clit as his fingers massaged the sweetest spot.

"Want you naked," Darcie whined as she reached down to tug the hem of Harry's tank top out from the waist of his pants. She pulled it over his head, tossing it to the side before looking down at this chiseled torso. "Oh...oh my god."

Her eyes were trained on the butterfly inked on his stomach that was pulsing with each heavy breath that he took - dropping to the ferns lined along his hips. Darcie couldn't help but dig her nails into Harry's skin now that she had lowered her hands to his shoulders, and he groaned at the sensation.

"Told you I had a lot more tattoos," Harry smirked as he began to pulse his fingers in and out of Darcie, causing her to collapse into his chest. "Look at you - your whole body is trembling just from my fingers. I can't imagine what you'll be like when I'm tucked up deep inside you."

"I want that," Darcie confessed, resting her forehead against Harry's. "I need to be trembling around your cock."

"Hm, you want my cock?" He watched as she nodded eagerly, and he tilted his chin down. "Be a good girl, and take my pants off, yeah?"

"Mhmm," Darcie hummed, pecking over Harry's lips as she unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers as Harry removed his fingers from her. "Want to be your good girl."

Lifting his hips, she hooked her fingers around both his pants and his boxers, tugging them down. Harry kicked them the rest of the way off after toeing off his shoes, and he situated Darcie properly back on his lap. He felt as she began to grind her folds along his hardened length, and he titled his head back with a groan.

"Darcie, I don't have condoms here."

Time seemed to stand still as they looked into each other's eyes, and she nibbled on her bottom lip.

"I'm clean, and I'm on the pill," she admitted, eyes darting over Harry's face. "But if you're not comfortable..."

"I'm clean too."

This would be the first time that either of them slept with someone and didn't use any protection initially, but both of them were too turned on to walk away from this. Even though they still hardly knew each other, they trusted each other.

Darcie's eyes held Harry's as she reached down to wrap her hand around his length. He hissed in sensitivity as she gave it a squeeze, and she looked down for the first time to truly look at it when she felt how heavy he was in the palm of her hand. Her eyebrows jumped up onto her forehead when she saw his size, mouth gaping as she looked back up to him.

"Holy fuck, Harry, you're so big," Darcie blurted out without a second thought. "You weren't joking."

Harry chuckled, but it turned into a moan as she began to give him long, and fluid strokes. "I-I meant it when I said I needed to prep you."

Wiggling a bit to get into a proper position, Darcie popped Harry's tip into her inviting entrance, and then she slowly sank herself down on top of him. Her hands gripped to his shoulders, and she threw her head back in a moan like scream when she was fully seated on top of his thighs once again.

"Tienes que estar bromeando," Darcie gasped, her neck completely exposed to Harry. "¿Esto es lo que podría haber tenido hace un año?"

Harry groaned in response to Darcie speaking Spanish once again, and his hands kneaded the plush skin of her hips. "So sexy, baby, but like I told you before - I wanna really hear you," he coerced, leaning forward to kiss over the side of her neck. "Wanna hear what you're thinking."

Breathy moans from Darcie began to fill the room as she rocked herself against Harry, not even moving up and down, but just rolling her hips against his. It felt so good. He was so deep inside of her that she didn't even feel the need to ride him yet - this was stimulating her wonderfully, and she knew she had to be dripping down his prick.

Harry ventured a hand up to cup Darcie's jaw as her head was still tilted back and away from him. He moved his hand along her jawline before hooking two of his fingers behind her bottom teeth, and he used the leverage to tilt her head back down so that she was looking at him. They held each other's eyes as she continued rocking her hips, her jaw slack, and Harry making no movements to remove his fingers from her mouth.

After a moment, her mouth closed to seal her lips against his digits, and she hollowed her cheeks out - sucking on them. It was then that she used the balls of her feet to lift herself up, still clutching to Harry's shoulders as she began to properly ride him. The position was a bit uncomfortable, and the burning in her thighs grew quickly, but it felt so good that she couldn't be bothered to stop.

"You're so tight and warm, baby," Harry crooned as she continued to suck on his fingers. His other hand assisted with the movements of her hips, but when he felt her thighs beginning to shake, and he knew it wasn't from her pending orgasm, he was aware they needed to switch it up. "Hold onto me - get a good grip."

He pulled his fingers from her mouth with a soft 'pop', and Darcie quickly wrapped her arms around Harry's neck. One of his hands pressed against her middle back, the other against her lower to keep her chest flush to his as he stood up out of the chair. He walked a few steps before lowering them to the ground, and she sighed in relief as the ache in her thighs began to dissipate - staring up at him as it did so.

"Let me know if this gets uncomfortable too, yeah? Just wanted to be on top of you, could tell you were also getting tired," Harry stated as he lifted a hand to move some of Darcie's hair out of her face. "Sorry I don't have a bed or anything in here."

"It's okay, Harry. Thank you," she breathed, hands running up and down his pecs. "You feel really good, by the way. This...this is nice. It's been a bit for me."

"Yeah?" Harry sent her a crooked grin, one of his dimples popping as he did so. "I'm glad you feel good, baby. You feel incredible, and just so you know, it's been a bit for me too."

Darcie isn't sure why, but knowing that brought her some extra comfort. Her thoughts are interrupted though as she feels Harry began to shuffle his body, which caused him to shift deeper inside of her for a moment, and she let out a strangled noise of pleasure.

Her eyes were glued to him as he propped himself up onto his knees before sitting back on his heels, pulling Darcie's thighs up so that they were flush against his hips - her torso outstretched on the floor in front of him. She was practically in his lap again, back arched as her chest heaved up and down.

"God," he groaned as he pulled out a bit just to push back in slowly, causing her mouth to gape open from how deep he was at this angle. "Such a stunning sight in front of me. I don't know how I'll ever get over this. You're so perfect."

"Harry," she mewled, stretching her arms out above her head, flipping her hands over to dig her nails into the hardwood floor underneath her. "M-more. Harder, please."

The mounds of Darcie's breasts jiggled as Harry clashed his hips against hers, finding a pattern that seemed to satiate them both quickly. Every time his pelvis would meet hers again, little 'uh's of pleasure escaped her mouth. It was music to his ears, and he wanted to know if he could get her to be even louder.

His eyes watched as she dropped her hands from beside her head to knead at her own breasts, and he growled as her eyes shot open once more to stare up into his.

"So deep," she moaned, pulling at her nipples, bottom lip tucked between her teeth.

"Yeah?" Harry smirked, knowing that he had warned her just how deep he could get. "You think I could get deeper?"

Darcie choked on her scream of pleasure as Harry threw her legs over his shoulders, nudging him even further inside. He stayed flush against her for a moment, just rubbing his pelvis against hers as she whimpered. She moved her hands down to grasp his wrists, and she used the leverage to start meeting his deep thrusts.

"Squeezing me, baby," Harry could feel the ache in his knees, but he wouldn't dare stop after seeing the look of absolute euphoria etched across Darcie's face. "Did I really get you there already? What if I..."

He trailed off as he moved one of his hands from her hips, her own hand falling to tangle itself into the side of her hair, and he rested his palm against her pelvis. Harry pushed the pad of his thumb against her clit, and it was then that her noises increased tenfold. He began to press slick circles to the swollen pearl as he continued to roll his hips.

"Harry, I'm coming, oh my god," she whined, arching her back even further off the floor to where he couldn't even see her face anymore. "Oh, it's...I'm-"

Darcie cut herself off with a large gasp, which turned into a lewd moan as she dropped her back onto the hardwood floor again, and Harry was convinced that he had never seen anything more phenomenal than her face when she came. It was something he knew he wanted to see over, and over again, and god, did he hope that she'd let him.

"Can't get over that you're letting me see you like that. The most beautiful girl I've ever fucking seen, and she's coming on my cock?" Harry's jaw dropped as he lifted his head to stare at the ceiling, feeling her walls continuing to pulse around him as she rode out her orgasm. "Never gonna see anything as stunning - never gonna be with anyone as gorgeous as you ever again."

Not knowing how she found the strength, but being completely spurred on by Harry's words, Darcie pulled her legs off his shoulders - locking them tight against his hips. Harry's movements stopped, and he looked down at her with wide eyes before he saw her lifting herself and pressing her hands against his chest. "Lay back."

Harry obeyed her command blindly, and his back clashed against the hardwood floor underneath them as Darcie snuggled her hips right against his. This whole time, since she had sunk down on him on the chair, they hadn't lost any contact, something Harry and Darcie realized at the same time - causing them to smirk at each other. "And now," she breathed, slowly starting to lift herself off of him, and then come back down. "I get to see your face when you come. You're already so pretty, Harry, know you're gonna be even prettier."

The knot in Harry's stomach began to tighten, and he knew he wasn't going to be able to last much longer. He watched as her tits bounced up and down with every hard snap of her hips back down against his, and he groaned as he lifted a hand up to cup one of them. Sneaking his other hand behind his head, he found himself trying to memorize everything about this moment - just in case it didn't happen again.

"Oh, I'm gonna come again," Darcie mewled, eyebrows narrowed as she stared down at Harry. "I want you to come with me."

"Y-you want me to come inside you?" He asked, a bit shocked that she would be okay with that.

"Yes, please, I wanna feel it," she begged, fingernails digging at his pecs as she rode him the hardest she had.

The sound of skin against skin filled the room in such an erotic fashion, and Harry knew he was reaching his climax. Darcie moved one hand from Harry's chest to begin to play with her achy clit once again, and leaned forward so she was hovering right over Harry's face. "Come with me, Harry. I need you to fill me up."

"Fuck, I-I'm coming, baby. Come on," he grunted as he felt his cock throbbing inside of her, beginning to fill her with white ropes of pleasure.

Darcie cried out in ecstasy, collapsing against Harry's chest once she saw the look on his face, having that bring her to her second orgasm. He took the initiative to grab her hips, and bend his legs to thrust up into her, helping them ride out their climaxes to full completion. Their motions began to slow, and Harry eventually dropped his legs back down to where Darcie was just laying on top of him. He continued to pulse inside of her every now again, causing small whimpers to leave her with her face tucked into the side of his neck.

"That was fucking amazing," she confessed after a moment. "The bruises tomorrow are going to be worth it."

Harry chuckled as he moved his hands to cup her full ass, giving her cheeks a nice squeeze. "I can't help but agree," he continued to try and catch his breath, and he tilted his head a bit to press a kiss against Darcie's temple. "You're so wonderful."

Darcie lifted her head to rest her hand against his chest, and then she rested her chin against the back of it. "So are you," she whispered, eyes studying his face. "I'd like to do this again with you, only if you would. Maybe a date this weekend? We can go out, and then you can come back to my place?"

Harry's heart fluttered, and he gave her a nod, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You don't know how badly I want that."

⚘⚘⚘

It had been ten months since Darcie's reunion with Harry, and tonight was another showing at the gallery. She was running around like crazy, similar to the night they had found each other again, only this time, she was ten times busier. The gallery had only continued to grow, and tonight, the showing they had was bringing in the most people they had ever seen.

She had checked with catering, as well as the bar, making sure that everyone had everything that they needed before beginning to walk around and greet guests. She was trying to seem as calm as possible, but on the inside she was freaking out, and there were multiple reasons for that.

Not hardly paying attention, Darcie had made her way out of one of the show rooms, attempting to go check on things in another when she felt hands around her wrists, pulling her into a nearby hallway. She yelped in surprise before she was pressed against a wall, and her eyes fluttered as she stared up at Harry.

"If you don't take a second to breathe, I think you'll surely pass out from lack of oxygen," he smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes, shoving playfully against his chest.

"It's your fault I'm running around like this. This is the biggest showing we've had, and it's all thanks to you."

"Now see, Darcie, that's where I disagree," he leaned down to press his lips against hers, and she sighed against them running her hands over his chest. "Walk with me."

Darcie contemplated it for a moment, there was so much she needed to check on, but just one look at the emotion swirling in his moss-colored eyes, she nodded. He smiled, and he laced their fingers as he walked her into the show room she had been heading to anyway. There weren't as many people in this room at the moment, and he paused in front of one of the portraits in particular. She recognized it as one he had taken of her during an episode of snow that happened when they were on vacation in New York this past December. She was in the middle of Time Square with a bright smile on her face.

"Look at you, and look around," he said into her ear as he stood behind her, hands smoothing up and down her sides. "Everyone is loving this, and it's all you, Darcie. You say they're here for me, but I'd be nothing without you."

Darcie turned around to wrap her arms around his neck, pushing herself onto her toes to connect their lips. She moved them fluidly for a moment before pulling back to stare up at him. "I love you so much."

"And I love you too," Harry agreed, giving her hips a squeeze. "I told you the first time I met you, and not a thing has changed it - you're quite the muse, and the best part? Now you're my muse."

#harry styles fanfiction #harry styles #harry styles au #harry styles writing #harry styles smut #harry styles fic #harry edward styles

[aromanticbuck]

The way so many people within the fandom are reacting to Buck being canonically queer (bisexual, specifically, according to Oliver) is making me so uncomfortable

I made a post about it last night, but Buck being attracted to men isn't about anyone else. This is about Buck and only Buck. And making it about another character - namely, I'm seeing people make it about Eddie and Hen - is such a disservice to Buck as a character and Oliver's clear excitement to portray this storyline.

Buck being attracted to a man other than Eddie is canon. Buck being attracted to men is canon. We have a storyline involving a man in his 30s having a self discovery arc. Whether you believe his attraction to Tommy is genuine or not, the way I've seen people talking about it is so... Not believing someone can be attracted to someone because they must actually be attracted to this other person instead is biphobic rhetoric.

Being excited for this storyline and not acknowledging all of the other representation in this show in the same breath is not "forgetting Hen" or "erasing her" or "ignoring her marriage to Karen." Yes, Hen and Karen have been there the entire time. No one is saying there wasn't any queer representation in this show before. We're simply excited to see a grown man having a bisexual awakening in real time after headcanoning it for years. Don't tell people they're ignoring or erasing another character because they're talking about an arc that doesn't have anything to do with that character. Pulling attention away from a bisexual storyline in favor of other representation is biphobic.

A lot of people are also talking about Buck coming out as if it's going to happen in the next episode. Stop it. If Buck does not feel comfortable coming out to anyone (he looks clearly uncomfortable in the promo for next week when Eddie shows up during his first date with Tommy) then he does not have to. There is nothing that says Buck has to come out within a certain timeline. In fact, considering how short this season is, it wouldn't even be surprising or unreasonable for him to not come out until the end of the season or even in season 8. Talking about that like he's "lying to Eddie" by not coming out is queerphobic. He's allowed to not be ready for that, no matter who he's surrounded himself with.

Yeah, Buck is a fictional character, Oliver doesn't have a Tumblr and won't see any of what you're saying. But, to use a cliché, all of your bisexual friends and followers (especially those who don't watch the show and therefore have almost no context) will see it.

And yes, even if you yourself are bisexual, this is still biphobic rhetoric. These are arguments that people used against bisexuals all the time.

Insisting that he's not actually attracted to Tommy because he's secretly in love with Eddie is pick a side rhetoric.

"Reminding" people of Hen and Karen when they're celebrating furthers the idea that bisexuals aren't "queer enough" to deserve celebration.

Saying a character "gets to" be out is shaming people who are still closeted.

Buck's storyline is about Buck. It's not about Tommy. It's not about Eddie. It's not about Hen. It's. About. Buck.

#alex says things #911 #evan buckley #eddie diaz #tommy kinard #hen wilson #911 spoilers #buddie #bucktommy #stop being biphobic about the bi character istg #i've already had to mute the tag of my otp #because y'all don't know how to fucking behave

[leiflitter]

More

Hello from Blighty thoughts about Saltburn

As a continuation from my reply to @armands-eyefuckery because BRAIN

Aight gang let's have a lil sit down because there is a big ol angle to the film that I think is getting missed by a lot of folks who aren't from the UK because it's a very uh...

British Thing.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT OLIVER IS FROM THE NORTH.

Cut because Length.

Now look. I am not going to go into Thatcher and Her Crimes, but it's worth a google. I do bring it up in You're Almost Home because...

Lots of people are saying Oliver is upper middle class, and honestly? That doesn't track for me. At all. Yes, his parents have a detached house in a nice suburb and they went on holidays, but there's a lot of Very British Context to them that I really want to point out. Also remember, it's 2006/2007. That is also important.

First of all- Oliver's parents probably never went to University.

Really listen to them. How gullible they are- they believe that Oliver can study at Oxford, and be on the rowing team, and be in plays, and be top scholar. He's always been so clever. If Oliver was anything near upper middle class, his parents would be educated professionals. Oliver probably has dockworkers not even three generations back- his dad has management vibes, but he probably worked his way up in the 70s when all you needed was a good attitude and not to be an obvious murderer.

Secondly- let's talk about the house.

As someone from Down South who has also lived Up North, Oliver's Parent's house would not have been as expensive as people think. Let's assume they bought it in the 1980s- we ALL know that house prices are through the roof NOW, but even today there is a huge gap between house prices in the south and the north. 200k down South might get you a one bedroom flat, if you're lucky. 200k in Prescot can get you a 4-bed, semi-detached HOUSE. Check rightmove.

It is also important that the house is relatively new-looking, because over here Upper Middle Class people aren't really into new build houses- if Oliver was upper middle class, he'd be living in something Victorian or Edwardian. Probably somewhere with a good link to London, especially in 2007. It also means that Oliver's parents may not have even bought it outright- my parents got on the housing ladder via a shared ownership scheme. Oliver's parents aren't rich.

Now, the holidays. Mykonos. Another fun Brit thing is the package holiday. Here's a pretty interesting article about them;

Two adults and three kids could absolutely have gone to Mykonos every year in the late 80s/90s for far less than you'd expect, especially if they paid in installments each month.

I also mentioned about Ollie being from Merseyside specifically, but again. CONTEXT. Although Oliver isn't Liverpudlian (it's important, he's from NEAR Liverpool but not Liverpool itself) the North of England as a whole has routinely been fucked over by those in power. The government AND the royals and the very wealthy. It's still ongoing today- again, another fun source.

Remember when Mr Eats-Crunchies-Sideways called him a Bootlicker? That's fucking IMPORTANT. To many folks he IS a bootlicker. He is highly unlikely to have been raised to grovel at the feet of those with hereditary titles and wealth, and honestly he doesn't. I've written before about how Oliver Denies Felix Things and how that dynamic is important. Oliver likely hasn't been raised with any real deference to The Rich (except Princess Diana).

It also effects Oliver's response to Felix, because goddamn it THATCHER again- it is HIGHLY likely that Oliver has lived through a lot of homophobia. Internalised a lot of it. Felix's parents do not give a shit, but that was not the norm. Again, tried to hit on it in YAH, because times have changed since the 90s/2000s and people change with them, but no fuckin wonder Oliver never responded to Felix chirpsing him like a maniac. He's fucking REPRESSED when he's in Oxford, pals. It also makes sense with that weird Tumblr Dom shit he pulls; he's still fuckin weird about it, he's just being In Charge so he doesn't need to be vulnerable in any way. He is only vulnerable for Felix, and even then he can't SHOW felix that, that would be gay.

Leiflitter over'n'out

#leiflitter rambles #saltburn spoilers #saltburn thoughts #incoherent as usual pals #can't take the brit outta saltburn #yah!posting

[cowgurrrl]

Dear Arkansas Daughter

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader

Summary: A truce [2.8k]

Warnings: guilt, Andie being a menace, so much yearning, Ellie has an anxiety attack, comfort, June pushing her Mary Oliver agenda once again

You don't speak to Joel all throughout the winter break. You get so busy with family events, work, and painting that you don't even notice it until a song he recommended comes on while you're working, and you reach for your phone to tell him about it. You stared at his contact for a little too long, debating your options, before you finally sighed and threw your phone on your bed. 

Sarah's home for the break. He's probably busy with the girls. The last thing he needs is to hear from you after you got out of his truck without even saying a proper goodbye. The silence feels like a staring contest or a challenge of wills to see who will break no contact first. It sucks, but thankfully, Ellie is none the wiser and even texts you Merry Christmas with a picture of her and Sarah with reindeer ears on the abnormally cold December morning. You reason this is the best-case scenario for a really shitty situation. No reason for anyone to get more involved than they absolutely have to, right?

Andie's reappearance on Texas soil is a welcome reprieve from the guilt. You pick her up from the airport once she gets back from visiting her parents in Dallas and run into her arms like she's a long-lost lover. "You're here!" You yell as you squeeze her tight.

"You're here!" She mimics. Her dark curls tickle your face, and she laughs loudly in your ear, but you don't care. Just having her within the same zip code again makes you feel like a kid. On the drive to your apartment, you sing along to a playlist she curated specifically for your time together— a perfect mix of Beyonce, ABBA, and Joni Mitchell— and talk about everything from her parents to work to Vienna weather. She takes all of five steps into your apartment before she guns for your newest canvases drying against the wall. 

"Those aren't done!" You scold but you couldn't stop her from fawning over them if you tried.

"Are you kidding? These are amazing." She says, gasping when she sees the corner of another one peeking out behind the stack. "Babe!" 

"Alright, alright, calm down. They're still in the early stages. They probably won't look anything like this when they're done." 

"You're right. I'm sure they'll be even better when they're done," she calls as you walk into your bedroom and drop her suitcase at the foot of the bed. You don't have a guest room, and there's no way you're gonna make her sleep on the couch, so you get to have a good old-fashioned sleepover again. You’re secretly really excited just to sit in bed and do nothing with her. When you walk back into the living room, she's holding an old, reworked painting with a fond smile. "Are you going to submit these for exhibition?" She asks, and you shrug as you lean against the back of the couch.

"I don't know. Maybe? They just don't feel done." 

"That's because the longer you stare at something, the more things you want to change about it." 

"It's not a bad thing to want to make sure something's perfect." 

"If you wait for perfection, you'll never make anything, and you know that." She says, cocking an eyebrow at you, and you roll your eyes at how well she knows you. "Isn't that what you tell your students?"

"Oh, God, please don't pull the teacher card on me right now. I'm supposed to be on vacation." You groan, and she laughs.

"Does it count as vacation if we have to go to the student showcase tonight?" She asks.

"Yes, it does because you're here, and I don't have to lecture a group of thirty teenagers about pointillism," you say. "And you really don't have to come. All I have to do is show up to support the kids for a couple of hours and leave. I'll be home before nine, and then we can go out and actually do something fun." 

"Is Hot Single Dad gonna be there?" She asks, waggling her eyebrows at you, and you give her a look.

"You said you'd stop calling him Hot Single Dad."

"Hot Single Dad is so fun, though," she whines. "Also, you're avoiding the question. Is he gonna be there?"

"Ellie's work is being shown, so yeah, most likely, but there will be lots of people there. I doubt we'll even see him." 

"Oh, I'll see him."

"Andrea Lynn," you scold, and she throws her hands up. "We're gonna go and be professional and not cross any lines that could get us in trouble, right?" You think you're saying it more for your own benefit than hers, but she still puts up three fingers and nods.

"Scouts honor." 

The gallery's atrium is buzzing with conversation and excited kids from all across the district. The winter sun set long ago, but the warm lighting of the space makes it feel a little less oppressive. Small trays of refreshments make their rounds as you talk with other teachers and some parents you know. You introduce Andie to each of them, mostly to sing her praises about being a professional musician in Vienna, and she chatters away with anyone about anything. You easily kill half an hour just mingling with people before the exhibition officially starts.

At the hour, someone on the school board (you don't know their name or position, and honestly, you think it's too late to pretend like you care enough to find out) stands on a makeshift stage and says something about the importance of art in academia. You doubt it's a sentiment he actually shares, considering you've never seen him at any other art-related events, but you clap politely anyway. Halfway through his spiel, you just barely catch the sound of squeaky boots coming through the door and turn to see the source without fully thinking it through. 

There, through the crowd of heads, you lock eyes with Joel. Tommy and Ellie are at his side and wave politely. Sarah must've gone home before the New Year. You think you remember him saying something about her working at a clinic in Boston? You're a little disappointed you won't get to meet her, especially after hearing such amazing things, but you can't focus on that. Joel's eyes don't move from yours, even when Ellie and Tommy turn their attention to the speaker at the front. 

His hair has gotten long since the last time you saw him, the curls defiantly sweeping around his ears after an obvious attempt to tame it, and he looks well-rested. Despite the extra length of his hair, his beard has been recently trimmed and the salt-and-pepper stubble well maintained. He's wearing a nice dark green shirt (a Christmas gift?) and a well-broken-in denim jacket. He looks good. Of course, he does. Andie notices you're not paying attention and bumps your shoulder. 

"'S that Hot Single Dad?" She whispers, and you shake your head. 

"Not here." You beg. She seems to want to question you further about it, but she doesn't. You're sure she'll buy you a drink or two to loosen up after this and spill your guts. You sit through the rest of the speech without any more hiccups before you're finally allowed to view the gallery. 

Everyone is all smiles and excited chatter when you enter the colorful room. Thrilled parents take pictures of their kids next to their work, and proud art teachers point out their student's talents to others. There's a wide array of art. Anything from photography, drawings, paintings, sculptures, and even a video of a performance projected onto the wall. You catch bits of people’s conversations and hear a lot of chatter about the artist from your school. You don’t need any more context to know who they’re talking about. You and Andie walk side-by-side in silence as you look at the different works, only talking when you come across one of your kids' works. She makes you take a picture in front of each one, and you feel a little silly, but you can't fight the pride in your chest. 

Andie has always had the unique ability to celebrate you for things you wouldn't celebrate yourself for. In reality, all you did was push them to make the art and consult them through the process, but she reminds you that they might not even have made anything if it weren't for you. It makes you feel special and seen. It makes you wish she lived closer so you could do the same for her by showing up to performances and taking pictures of her in her element so she can cherish them. It makes you forget about Hot Single Dad until Tommy rushes up to you, calling your name. 

"Mr. Miller, it's good to see you." You greet politely, but he's out of breath and looks stressed as he looks at both of you. He softens when he sees Andie and takes a deep breath to pull himself together.

"I don't believe we've met," he charms and offers his hand to Andie. "I'm Tommy, Ellie's uncle." 

"I'm Andie, the forever teacher's pet," she shakes his hand and gives you a look over her shoulder. "Honey, you didn't tell me how handsome Ellie's uncle is." She says. Tommy smirks and looks flattered, but mentioning Ellie brings him back to the moment. 

"Ellie's askin' for you." He says, and you furrow your brows and look behind him.

"Where is she? Is she okay?" 

"She got real upset bout somethin' but wouldn't say. She just said she wanted to talk to you." Fuck, you think. Did she find out? If so, how? There's no way Joel would've told her, especially tonight of all nights. Is she upset about how her art is being shown? Is she mad at you? Possibilities run through your head and twist your stomach into knots, but you don't hesitate to follow Tommy. If she says she needs you, then you need to be there. 

Andie follows closely behind as you and Tommy weave through the crowd until you come to a stairwell off the side of the gallery, away from overlapping voices and bright colors. When the door creaks open and echoes through the empty space, you see Joel and Ellie sitting on a step, tears staining her face. Andie says something about hanging back, and Tommy agrees to wait with her, but all your focus is on the crying kid in front of you. You wait until the door shuts behind you to settle onto the step under theirs and pull Ellie's hand out of her balled-up fist. Joel watches you carefully but doesn't try to stop you. 

"Hey," you say gently, like she's a scared animal. "What's goin' on? I heard you wanted to talk to me." 

"I," she tries, but her voice catches in her throat, and more tears well in her eyes. You rub your thumb across her knuckles and shush her gently. 

"You're alright. Take a breath, okay?" She does, and Joel reaches out to rub her back soothingly. A few more tears fall down Ellie's face as you wait her out. You catch Joel's eyes over her shoulder, and he gives you a grateful look. All you do is nod. 

"I'm not good enough to be here," she finally gets out. "Everyone's work is so much better than mine, and I... I think they made a mistake. I can't compete." 

"That's not true. That's what your anxiety is telling you. That's not even close to the truth." You say firmly. She shakes her head as she looks at her dad.

"We shouldn't have even come." She says, and he pulls her under his arm, kissing her temple.

"Honey, they took your art for a reason. We're not here by accident. We're here because you worked hard and made somethin' so beautiful that they had to show it." 

"He's right," you say. "Hundreds of students apply for this exhibition every year, and every year, hundreds of students get rejected. But not you. You worked and earned your spot here. How many days did you show up early to my classroom to work on it, huh?" You ask, and she wipes her eyes. She seems to calm down a little at your words but still shrugs like she’s unsure of herself. 

"I don't know."

"Ellie, you were in my room for at least a month straight working on this. Somedays, you were painting before I even had a chance to turn on the lights. You got up early and stayed late, and it shows. You made something so wonderful the district couldn't keep it a secret. Do you know how many people are talking about your yellow painting?" 

"People were talking about it?" She asks, and you nod, squeezing her hand.

"They kept saying they'd be surprised if you didn't win, and I'm not just saying that because I'm your art teacher. I'm saying that because it's true." You say. She chews at her bottom lip and stares at her shoes as she thinks. 

You knew about Ellie's anxiety long before this moment. She's spent many planning periods in your classroom venting or crying about it, and you pointed her to the correct resources. She's in therapy and on medication to help her control it, but it still rears its ugly head every once in a while. With all the teenage emotions and daily battles, you're not surprised that it does. But it does surprise you that she can't see how special she is. She works so fucking hard— sometimes too much— and she gives her all in everything she does. Of course, people are going to recognize that greatness. Of course, she deserves to be here. Of course, she's going to be amazing.

"Every time I look at it, I just see all the bad things about it." She admits, and you sigh. Of course, she treats her work the exact same way you do.

"I do the same thing," you say, and she looks at you with wide eyes like she wasn't expecting you to actually cop to it. "It doesn't matter how much time I spend on it or if I like the concept; I will find a million things wrong with a piece before I can admit that it's a semi-okay piece of work. I have a canvas sitting in my apartment right now that makes me want to throw up every time I look at it." 

"How do you get over it?" 

"I'll let you know the second I figure it out," you say, and she smiles a little now that she knows she's not alone in her internal fight. "You deserve to be here, kid. You are hard-working, creative, and smart. You are going to make so much beautiful art in your life, you won't believe it. And it's true that it won't always be the best, and you won't always love it, but the thing all great artists have, regardless of medium, isn't talent. It's resilience. If you wait for perfection, you'll never make anything, so you have to keep going and making things even when you feel like it's bad because the world needs your art. The world needs you, Ellie." You say, echoing Andie's words from earlier. She takes a deep breath, and the weight on her shoulders seems lighter. Her anxiety rolls away like a wave from the shore. It will be back again and again, but she knows people are going to grab her before she can drown. She knows she's got lighthouses. She knows she's okay. 

"Thank you," she mumbles, and you nod as you squeeze her hand. She relaxes into Joel and looks up at him. "'M sorry."

"You've got nothin' to be sorry for, baby girl. I'm on your team," he says. He looks at you and chews the inside of his cheek. "We're both on your team." It's a peace offering. An end to the challenge. An acknowledgment that you can't ignore each other forever. You take a deep breath and let your free hand squeeze his calf where Ellie can't see, letting him know you know. 

You read a poem once in college about not being afraid of joy and taking advantage of the happiness while it's there. You remember reading the words "Joy is not made to be a crumb" and feeling your chest crack open in that funny way that only art can cause. It couldn't have been longer than two hundred words, and you read it so long ago you're surprised you even remember it, but you're glad you do. You're glad Joel and Ellie came into your life. You're glad you made so many memories with him, and you hope he'll let you in enough to make more as friends. You're glad you called the parent-teacher meeting when you did. 

You decide joy is not made to be a crumb, but neither is affection. In that cold, dingy stairwell in downtown Austin, you think you could paint something about this feeling. You think you could be okay with its imperfections. You think you could even submit it. You think you could win the bet.

TAGLISR: @abbyhaslongshorts @kiwiharrykiwi @sumsworldz @myloveistoolittle @anavatazes @marantha @cosmoscoffeee @shyminnie07 @beezusvreeland @eddiemunsonsbedroom @harriedandharassed @doodlebob-mp3 @ignorethisplz2004 @buckyispunk @d1lf-loverrr @vee-bees-blog @moel-jiller @anoverwhelmingdin @casssiopeia

#hippies and cowboys #joel miller tlou #joel miller #joel miller au #the last of us au #tlou au #joel miller fluff #joel miller hurt/comfort #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x fem!reader #tlou fluff #tlou fic #the last of us fluff #the last of us fic #joel miller fic

[iamfitzwilliamdarcy]

As a coda to my post from last night, this goes both ways for Zuko and Katara. We see Katara tell different boys about what happened to her mom - Haru is sympathetic and he gets it, but his dad is alive and he is, frankly, a pretty undeveloped background character, Jet is sympathetic too-- "Katara I'm so sorry"-- but then uses that to manipulate her into hurting innocent people, Aang is very dismissive (I'm sorry! he is! it's not his fault he had bad writers) and Zuko-- is the one to say exactly what she needed to hear.

In the Southern Air Temple:

Katara [Close-up of Katara.] Well, I just want you to be prepared for what you might see. The Fire Nation is ruthless. [Sadly.] They killed my mother, and they could have done the same to your people. Aang [Ponders over her words for a bit. Hopefully.] Just because no one has seen an airbender, doesn't mean the Fire Nation killed them all. They probably escaped!

This is the first time Katara has mentioned her mother to Aang, and he just completely skips over that comment. Obviously Katara's intent is to try to warn him, and Aang is optimistic because that is a pretty big horror, to think of your entire nation wiped out -- but he doesn't even offer a word of acknowledgment to her before skipping to his optimism.

The other time this is brought up with Aang specifically is the Southern Raiders. I'm linking to @catie-does-things 's excellent analysis here of how Aang's moralizing is both dismissive and immature.

Meanwhile, the first time Katara tells Zuko about her mother, they are still enemies, and he offers an olive branch -- "I'm sorry, that's something we have in common" -- and they're able to tentatively build up a trust around each other. That's of course betrayed, and leads to him trying to make amends in the Southern Raiders episode. This is when she tells him about how her mother dies (something, notably, she never tells anyone else in detail in the series), and he, very intuitively, says the exact thing she needs to hear:

Katara: But we were too late. When we got there, the man was gone. [Voice begins breaking.] And so was she. Zuko Your mother was a brave woman. Katara [Clutches her necklace.] I know.

Katara doesn't get this level of consolation from literally anyone else in the entire series. Her grief and anger isn't taken seriously by anyone else, not in this way.

So it's not only Katara doing the work in her relationship with Zuko-- Zuko is also very supportive of her, in a way that she needs and her canonical love interests are not

#zutara #atla #this isn't anti anything really but if you want to read it that way sorry

[yesimwriting]

i get this vibe that best friend reader was a cheerleader in high school … https://pin.it/1OAic25B1 😋

was she popular in high school or not really?

omg!! love this and the jennifer inspo pic,, very bestfriend!reader with the uniform and the fun vibes lo

ik this is kind of a straightforward question but you've given me such a perfect opportunity to dip into character analysis/evaluation

but bc i have a long reply, i'll give a short answer here and my thought process (and some character discussion on saltburn in general,, more specifically on oliver and felix) below the cut;

short answer: reader was popular enough in a private school full of rich/extremely privileged kids, she wasn't running her high school, but she got invited to the fun activities bc she made friends with the students that were older than her, i kind of picture her like a smart karen if you've seen mean girls, kind of along for the ride with the popular kids but not actively working at it/being mean about it

but!! she's not fully aware of her popularity/influence on others,, which i think is her "major flaw",, which is something i think all (main) saltburn characters have (which is why they feel so real),, i'll discuss that below the cut :)

so something i love about saltburn is all of the (main) characters have a relatively clear flaw(s) that still leave some room for interpretation,, for example ollie and over indulging/consuming (he's "too much of a good thing" personified to me, i think the reveal that he comes from a pretty well off/financially comfortable family proves that taking too much is more of his issue than jealousy),

and felix is flawed in that typical rich kid way (he's a llittle weird in the way that influencer nepo babies are weird 😭 i'm sorry, i promise i still love him), he's so removed from poverty/struggle in a way that gives him a subconsciously self righteous ego, he's not naive but his perception of reality is warped, and in the end it's this belief that he's removed from real world dangers paired with his ego that catches up with him

so i wanted to do something similar with bestfriend!reader and in my head her "fatal flaw" is that she views herself as an underdog even though if you think about it,, she's not really

i want to make it clear it isn't a pick me thing!! at all! i see best friend! reader as not having the easiest childhood bc of some family things and it's not easy being openly smart in late elementary/middle school (especially in the 90s/2000s which is when she would have been that age...i think?)

so her insecurities are real,, but a part of her kind of embraces the "outsider" label bc it's familiar, she doesn't see herself as this polished, socialite despite being familiar with them and their world,, and even though she means it, to people that don't know her, it can be a little annoying to people more on the outskirts than her (cough, cough,, this is lowkey why oliver doesn't like her at first)

bc even though she's not as wealthy as felix and co,, and she's not fully embraced by his friends, she isn't this outsider that has no chance at getting in, people like her enough,,

it isn't perfect, but it's enough to get by, for example, people laugh at her jokes/comments, but usually, it's when she didn't mean to be funny; she always knows what to wear, but she doesn't always know what to say; she knows how to act at parties/knows how to be a fun "drunk", but feels awkward/under a microscope when at smaller things like dinners and group study sessions

also!! a little side note that i just think is fun, i think farleigh and reader's relationship is the marker of how well she's fitting in,, as soon as farleigh starts getting along with her, it's hard to deny that she's fitting in bc he's not easy to win over

i think all of this works as a point of contention between reader and oliver,, bc at first it's okay to hear "oh i get it,, it's hard to fit in with felix's friends" but that can only sound so genuine when farleigh starts calling reader over to hang out at parties and then later starts hanging out with them just bc

can also see reader having an identity crisis the day it's pointed out that she's friends with farleigh 😭 like one day another one of her friends asks her to do something and she's like "can't, i'm getting coffee and studying with farleigh later" and then it hits her like 😟

#bestfriend!felix verse #bestfriend!felix x reader #saltburn x reader #felix catton x reader #sorry for character analyzing a little hard here

[bijoumikhawal]

I've gotten tired of making a post like this every few months so let's just fire a few of these off, and feel free to add on! Tropes you should at minimum reconsider using when you write or talk about Julian Bashir:

Mentions of "harem" pants, "Arabian nights" aesthetics, etc. These are improper terminology (that feeds into racist ideas) for real things, and when using that terminology those things are often being misrepresented. For my part, if you would actually like to know about the material culture of the Middle East and North Africa, I'm a "hobby" researcher of that very topic and will readily answer asks about it- with the caveat that I mostly know about Egypt, and I'm not the best person to ask about Sudanese specific culture even though I know a little, and I don't know much about Indian or Pakistani fashion (mentioning because these seem to be the most common cultures brought up around Julian).

comparisons to monkeys, apes, the word "simian". This should be obvious but it happens a fair amount, and it's almost comedic given a common trope is to comment on how much Garak hates being compared to a lizard.

This is separate but the way some people use mammalian tips from writing xenofic and trying to understand how an alien would think and categorize things into something that feels very exoticifying. It's not a "full stop, do not do this" but it is something I've noticed

Jokes about how undesirable Julian is. He's the exception that proves the rule about fandom's obsession with white twinks and a rare example of a brown nerd who isn't pinned into the "Couldn't sleep with a woman if they were the last two people on earth" box. I'm not saying we can't make fun of how he flirts just- Stay clear of Raj BBT territory

Conversely: my most hated garashir trope is when the author makes Julian's libido a problem by making him inconsiderate, cruel, and outright manipulative in service of his dick, and the writing often makes it clear they're connecting this to his masculinity. Julian does do some really stupid shit when it comes to his relationships, but this particular way of trying to incorporate this into writing him is just OOC, and you need to not confuse writing Julian's canonical robust and healthy sex life with negative stereotypes about lecherous Black and brown men. There's fics that pull off Julian being a bit of a dick or manipulative well- such as Salt the Earth or the ageswap series (at least where I last left off on it).

making his eyes green or blue. I have the same eye color as Siddig, more or less, and while it's technically hazel (or olive, as some people call it) most people think it's brown and most lighting makes it look brown. If you look at screencaps of Julian, you'll notice it also most of the time, looks brown. This sounds minor if you haven't experienced it, but it has a real and very negative impact on people's self image.

Older one but to be clear: if you're writing Julian as explicitly Muslim, find and replacing "god" with "allah" in English text is not how Muslims (or Arabic speakers in general) use the word? It is really funny to read, but please...

Over focusing on Julian as British. There's a long, LONG conversation that could be had about the dynamics of assimilation and how European racism (ime) very specifically views it as progressive to strip people of their culture and thinks they're causing the problem if they don't go along with it that would need its own post and which I've had with white fans before and feel exhausted thinking about- but to put it simply, there is no such thing as "just British", even for white Englishmen.

Yes the inverse is also wrong but I really haven't read a fic newer than 2014 guilty of that lmao and I think some of the more recent complaints about it are overblown, given I've read only a few fics recently published that delve into Julian as a Brown/African Person and I enjoyed them

I would personally appreciate it if fic writers were a little more balanced about cultural discussions honestly. If you write a lot about Cardassian culture, it'd be nice if Julian’s background was discussed. I won't say that kind of research is easy (again, I do this as a "hobby" that's very important to me, it's actually really annoying and difficult sometimes), but it is possible. I recently talked about how not doing this kind of mentally slots Julian into a "white guy" role.

This is not a matter of me policing your "artistic expression". I have no control over what you do. I would just like for fandom, a hobby I do for fun, to be a place where people stop being racist in a way that directly impacts me.

#cipher talk #ds9 #julian bashir