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#'five minutes in and im bored again‚ ten years of this im not sure of anybody understands' Petra being stuck in Fódlan as a hostage
sluts4matt · 2 months
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SECRET (part two)
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pairing: nate doe x sls!erika sturniolo
summary: she had hidden her feelings away for years, but with growing up and toxic relationships it was all starting to resurface.
warnings: making out(sorta), use of weed and alcohol, slight swearing
word count: 1388
authors note: it’s a slow build up y’all but i swear it’ll be good 🙈 read part one here
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the bell rang signaling the end of class, everyone got up from their seats ready to leave the library.
"how long do we have to work on this?" nate asked, looking down at me slightly as he stood from the chair. "a week or two i think," i respond, shrugging my shoulders standing up to be eye level with him.
"can i come over tonight and we can start?" he asked, his blue eyes staring into mine. "of course," i responded, and his lips tugged into a grin.
"bye eri," he smiled, his hand resting on my shoulder before he walked away. the nickname was new, but still, pink flew to my cheeks.
"bye bye," i mumble, watching him walk towards the guys locker rooms. i met nick at his locker, "is mom here yet?" i ask, watching him look down at his phone.
"she texted saying five minutes ten minutes ago, so not yet," he stated, closing his locker. mom was picking us up since matt and chris had lacrosse practice today.
"nate's coming over tonight, by the way" i say, giving him a headsup as we walked towards the double doors that led outside. "why?" he asks, though he didn't mind since nate was his best friend.
"class project," i responded, and he nodded.
mom picked us up a minute or two later, pulling up to the curb. i sat in the front while nick sat in the back.
"how was school?" she asked, looking at us before looking back forward and pulling out of the school.
"fine," the two of us answered, and we both went silent. she smiled, continuing the drive.
as soon as we got home, the two of us were in our own worlds, not bothering to pay attention to anyone. i was sat on my bed, blackbear playing softly while i worked on homework for what seemed like forever.
there was a knock at my door, and i looked up. "come in," i stated, watching the door open and chris peak his head in.
"hey," he smiled, walking into the room, nate trailing behind him. "how was practice?" i ask, turning back to the math homework currently sprawled out on my desk.
"it was good," he smiled, his eyes drifting over to the tv that sat in the corner of my room, my spotify app currently displayed on it. "exhausting though," chris added.
"i bet," i replied, nodding my head. "how was school?" he asked, and i turned to look at him. "boring," i replied, and a laugh escaped his lips. "nates spending the night by the way," chris stated, making my head shoot up.
it wasn't like it wasn't normal for him too, it was just normally it was talked about with me too, to make sure it was okay. "that's fine, we have a project to work on anyways." i smile.
nate nods his head, humming in agreement. the two leave after that, closing the door behind them. i let out a sigh, the butterflies erupting once again.
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an hour later nate was back in my bedroom, the two of us working on the project finishing the introduction in a little under an hour. we were sitting on the floor, papers scattered around. nate leaned against my bed, while i sat on my knees opposite of him.
"im bored," nate whined, dropping the pen he was holding onto the floor. "poor baby," i pout, a joking tone in my voice.
"do you have any alcohol?" he asked, his voice teasing. my eyes widened slightly, faking hurt as i put my hand over my heart. "what do i look like to you, an alcoholic?" i state, though i'm already standing.
he laughs, shrugging his shoulders. "sometimes," he says, watching me manuver around my bed, sliding it off the box spring slightly to reveal my stash.
i had cut a hole big enough to hide my things, knowing it was a decent hiding spot for my alcohol and weed. the raspberry smirnoff laid neatly on its back, while a black box with hello kitty and anime stickers covering it held my weed.
"alcohol or weed?" i ask, turning around. "both," he stated, and i laughed, grabbing the two bending over to set them on the floor before locking my door.
"you're a bad influence," nate teased, a smile gracing his face as he sat up. "you asked for it," i shrug, opening the bottle. i tilted my head back, drinking from it before setting it down with a grimace.
"my turn," nate mumbled, picking up the bottle and drinking it, he to made a face causing me to giggle. i opened the box, grabbing a pre-roll and a blue lighter.
i put the joint to my lips, lighting the end before inhaling the smoke. i passed him the joint, standing back up. the way his eyes followed me made me feel like folding but i held it together walking over to my window to crack it.
the smoke was filling the room quickly, the two of us being light smokers. we were already feeling it, our vision hazy and our minds a little foggy. the music playing from the tv was loud, not to loud though, the bass making the room vibrate lightly. or maybe it was the mixture of alcohol and weed.
we were laughing, the room filled with the smell of smoke and the strong scent of alcohol.
"your hair is so fucking soft," nate said, running his fingers through my hair. "it's the product i use," i giggle, taking another sip of the raspberry alcohol.
nate was sitting on the ground, his back pressed up against my bed frame while i was sitting in between his legs. i was facing him, my hands playing with the fabric of his sweater.
"what is this? cashmere?" i tease, tugging on the black fabric. "polyester i think," he said, slightly joking. i giggled, the room spinning a bit. his blue eyes stared into mine, his fingers brushing through my hair. i couldn't stop staring at his lips, wanting to kiss him.
"can i tell you a secret?" nate asked, his fingers now moving from my hair to rest on my cheek. "yeah," i responded, my eyes locked on his. "i want to kiss you so bad right now," nate mumbled, his face close to mine. "so do it," i whisper, my gaze shifting from his eyes to his lips.
i leaned in, pressing my lips against his softly, his hand resting on my jaw and tilting his head slightly. the kiss was slow, the two of us savoring it. nates hand drifted to the back of my neck, pulling me closer.
"open the door erika," i heard my moms voice, causing us to pull apart. she didn't sound angry but she definitely didn't sound pleased which caused my eyes to widen. we had been caught. "fuck, fuck, fuck," i mumble, getting up, "one minute," i call out, looking at nate who had gotten up from the floor.
he was smiling, his hair a mess and his lips slightly red. i walked over to the window, sliding it closed before locking it. i opened the closet, quickly grabbing the contents on my floor and stashing them there for the time being.
"fuck, get in my bed and lay down," i whispered, pushing nate over to the bed, causing him to giggle.
i opened the door, looking at my mom who stood in the doorway with a frown on her face. "mom," i smiled, the alcohol and weed having a stronger effect on me then i thought.
"it smells like pot in here," she immediately stated, crossing her arms. one thing about my mom was she was very laid back, it took quite a bit to actually upset her.
therefore seeing the frown, the displeased look in her eyes, and her arms crossed, i knew i had messed up. "nathan, you need to either go home or go hang out with the boys, that's why you're here." she said, her tone firm.
"im sorry," nate apologized, looking down at his feet. "i'm glad, i'm gonna go call your mom." she sighed, turning away. nate grabbed his things, mumbling a 'bye' before joining chris in his room, the affects of the alcohol and weed still having an effect, just not as much now.
i decided it would be best if i went to sleep, so that's precisely what i did. or what i tried to do. my mind was plagued with nate and the way his lips felt against mine. how his fingers brushed through my hair, the way his eyes looked into mine.
i didn't sleep until 2am, the thoughts of him running through my mind, keeping me awake.
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tag list:
@hysteria-things @tillies33ssss @soimightlikeoldmen69 @sturniolossss @freshsturns @etvar12 @sstvrnioloo @junnniiieee07 @sturnioloa @chrryclouds @sturniolho @sturniolowhore @imwetforyourmom @novasturniolo03 @spencerstits @junovrsmp4 @breeloveschris @skyslondon @stars4chratt @monkeyscientist22 @sophssturn @hearts4chris @l5ka
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seongminiz · 8 months
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hotdemonsummoner . com - kang minhee
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minors dni ; demon dom!minhee x human sub!reader ; 2.4k words
warnings : fem reader , dubcon , not rlly proof read (thats my trademark atp) , reader is an idiot and a monsterfucker (just like me fr)(very mild monsterfucking btw bc he literally looks human with horns like ..) , crack-ish in the first half but i swear it gets smutty quick , minhee is kinda mean , spit (minhees spit works as an aphrodisiac ehegegheh), its just messy overall , unprotected sex , breeding but its not rlly breeding but ,, whatever , possessive minhee [pretends to be surprised] , manhandling , size kink , strength kink (reader is referred to fragile/small but its just in proportion to a literal demon n has nothing to do with how she looks !), oral (f receiving) , biting , marking , dumbification ? , praise , dacryphilia , minhee calls reader 'little human' (giggling kicking my feet) . hopefully i didnt forget anything
tagging my lovely @ajaxsbeloved hope u like this 🫶🏻
the warning list is ,,, long . it might be a little cringe but i literally give zero fucks‼️⁉️ but i do feel like the smut part kinda sucks but also it might be that im just sad while posting this n its affecting how i view my work idk ANYWAYS wrote this while i had a cold n then a mosquito bit me on the eye so any and all mistakes r bc of that real no clickbait . had so much fun writing this uhhh happy spooky season idk i want demon!minhee in a way that is concerning to feminism lesbianism and my gender identity amen
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demon!minhee whom you not so accidentally summoned in your room one uneventful night.
you're bored to death. your favorite show hasn't had a new episode in weeks, all your friends are busy - studying for exams, working, on dates while you're sitting in your lonely bedroom, staring at the ceiling as if it'll solve all your problems in life.
you start considering it might be able to do that when, out of nowhere, you're reminded of the stupid website you visited a few days ago with your friend when she was sleeping over at your place. something about the occult, hot demons and summoning rituals. you grab your phone, opening an incognito tab and typing the link you somehow remember by heart (hotdemonsummoner.com? seriously?)
if this was a horror movie you'd probably be dead in the first ten minutes. you grab a pen, paper and a candle - the tutorial talked about multiple small ones, but you'll have to make do with the cinnamon scented ikea christmas candle that has been sitting on your desk for at the very least three years. and once you're done, you wait for the magic to happen.
five minutes later, there's no sign of any hot demon summoned instantly in your room. you're pretty sure- no, you're certain the problem was the candle. either that, or the site is complete bullshit, but you refuse to believe that. there's no other explanation, screw ikea and their stupid christmas candles.
you sigh, placing everything back where it belongs and letting yourself fall on the bed, picking up your phone just to be met once again by no notification, no nothing, just that stupid 'SUMMON A HOT DEMON INSTANTLY!' title in neon pink with a little devil gif floating right beside it, mockingly staring back at you.
that's when you see something from the corner of your eye, a shadow sliding across the wall. it's probably just the light outside hitting a tree weirdly and casting a creepy shadow, no big deal. but there's no trees outside your window, you're a broke college student who lives in a sad gray apartment complex in an equally sad and gray city.
you gather enough courage to look up from the screen of your phone, your eyes slowly adjusting from its blinding brightness to the darkness of your surroundings. at first you don't see anything, half tempted to turn your phone flashlight on. and then you make eye contact.
he looks just as confused as you are when he quite literally spawns in front of your bed. the normal human reaction would have probably been to scream, instead you just gasp in surprise, followed by a small 'oh.' as you look at him with wide eyes. he takes slow, calculated steps towards you and you have half a mind to hastily turn off your phone, hiding it under a pillow.
'what the fuck?' you say under your breath, studying his figure. if this isn't some extremely technologically advanced burglary and you're not having an expired candle fumes induced hallucination, then this is the demon you tried to summon. and he's actually hot, which means the website was not a scam and the candle is the problem. he seems to read your exclamation and general confusion as a question on why he's there. 'you summoned me.' he explains, taking yet another step towards you.
'no! wait! don't get close!' you order, your self defense weapon of choice being the pen you used to summon him. 'listen,' you start, raising your hands defensively 'i did not think the random summon a hot demon instantly tutorial i found on a sketchy website would actually... well, summon a hot demon instantly.' the creature - minhee, you don't know how you got his name, if he telepathically shared with you or what - raises an eyebrow, amusement clear on his face. 'so you think i'm hot?'
'no! i mean yes! but like not in a i want to fuck you way! just in a... you're an objectively beautiful man- demon, sorry, way...?' you can feel your body temperature rising, getting restless under his unwavering stare. and minhee can feel it too, he can hear the way your heartbeat hasn't calmed down for a second and he can see how your thighs have been clenched together ever since he appeared. his eyes linger for a few more seconds on them, observing the way your shorts ride up everytime you anxiously squirm under his gaze.
'so, little human, why would you want to summon a hot demon instantly? is there anything in particular you need from me?' the nickname has your stomach doing backflips, you swallow thickly before speaking 'will you steal my soul if i say yes? take it as a payment for whatever favor i may ask?' the demon laughs, leaning down so his face is just a breath away from yours. 'not really. i could make an exception for a pretty girl like you,' his eyes flicker to your lips for a split second, so fast you don't even notice it.
thing is, minhee usually does feed off of human souls, but there's something about you that's telling him to not do it just yet, wait it out and see how it goes. maybe he could feed off of something else, something he doesn't get to do that often nowadays. surprising, but the monsterfucker demographic - even the milder ones who would only ever go as far as fucking his semi-human form - is basically an endangered species nowadays.
before you can answer with what favor you actually need (not that you'd actually know what to ask.. what, were you going to offer him to play UNO or something?) minhee's hands are on top of your thighs, spreading them slightly as he presses his lips to yours. you shiver at the cold sensation of his skin, way too cold for a human, and minhee can hear your heartbeat quickening, as you weakly grab his wrists in a failed attempt to get him off of you - or at the very least slow down the process of whatever is going on.
minhee finds your fighting amusing, he knows no human could ever overpower him physically, let alone a little fragile thing like you, but he still indulges in giving you the small hope you could break free from his hold, just to take it away immediately after. one of his hands leaves your thigh to grab both of your wrists, pinning them over your head, the other one staying on your thigh, pushing it to spread even more as his thumb runs along the hem of your shorts.
his mouth is on you once again, and this time minhee forces his tongue past your lips - the tip of it is slightly pointed, not enough to actually hurt you in any way but enough to make you wonder what exactly it could do. you panic for a second, just for everything to slow down, your body relaxing under minhee as the arousal between your legs grows tenfold, you can feel your panties sticking to you and minhee doesn't give you an answer once you look up at him in confusion, your eyes welling up with tears. you can barely come up with a coherent sentence, 'wha- what did you do?' you manage to stutter out, every word getting harder to say as your mind slips, you don't even know where.
minhee's hand leaves your thigh, going to gently wipe the tears that started running down your cheeks. 'mh, that's interesting,' he says, more to himself than to you, fingers sliding down your face to lightly brush against your lips. 'i've used this on other humans before, but their reaction was never this strong.' you don't have time to ask what exactly 'this' is - you don't even know if you have the brain power to do it, really - as minhee forces your mouth open and spits in it. you gasp at his action, but still end up swallowing, your body shuddering with another wave of what could only be described as raw pleasure.
you don't know how he's doing that, but you feel pathetic, getting this horny over someone who hasn't even touched you yet shouldn't be normal. but, honestly, what exactly is normal about a demon appearing in your room and trying to fuck you?
your shorts have been discarded somewhere in your room, and your panties are quick to encounter the same fate - not before getting ripped off of you, to which you whine in disappointment, but minhee cuts you off saying something about you 'not needing them when you're with him' you don't really pay any mind to.
he takes his time with you, biting your thighs to the point you're sure you're bleeding, and then running his tongue along the small cuts he caused, letting whatever the obscure substance mixed with his spit is enter your bloodstream in a matter of seconds, reducing you to even more of an incoherent mess.
when minhee finally gets to eating you out, it all escalates far too quickly for your slowed down brain. for a second he's sucking on your clit, and then he's fucking you with his tongue, reaching spots a human could never dream to reach with their mouth alone. the stimulation is too much, your hands search for any kind of support, something you can grab onto, your fingers running through his hair and pulling slightly before minhee grabs your wrists, moving your hands to hold onto his horns instead and letting out a groan when you do so.
he works on you until you're on the brink of consciousness, until you've lost count of how many times you already came - around three, probably, but they feel like ten times that when each orgasm is more intense than the other and your perception of reality is fading with it. minhee notices it, ignoring your pleas about it being 'too much' and how u 'cant take more' and slipping two of his pretty slender fingers in your sopping cunt. you sob, shaking your head as you uselessly try to squirm away from his touch, subsiding to the unbearable pleasure just a few seconds later.
'already tired, little human? how are you going to take my cock if you can't last a few rounds with my tongue and fingers? maybe you don't want it that bad, then,' he's just fucking with you, deep down you know it, but the thought of minhee just leaving you like this after everything he's done is enough for you to desperately shake your head as you grab his free hand - a far too intimate gesture for this whole 'fucking a random demon you just summoned out of boredom' situation you've found yourself in - pulling him into yet another kiss that leaves the both of you breathless. you never knew it would happen in your lifetime, but you managed to make a demon, a being who doesn't need to breathe, breathless.
'is that convincing enough?' you whisper in a split second of lucidity, your mind and body already subsiding to the effects of his spit you might as well have grown addicted to, half tempted to kiss him again and only interrupted by minhee slowly slipping his fingers out of you. your complaints about it are short lived, so focused on the emptiness between your legs you don't realize minhee has pulled out his cock until his tip is pressing past your entrance.
the stretch is almost unbearable, despite all the time minhee spent overstimulating you he's still too big, and you tell him exactly that in an attempt to slow him down. it only feeds minhee's ego more, though, he chuckles as he pins your hips to the bed, telling you to 'stay fucking still and just take it,' forcing his whole size inside of u until he bottoms out. you've never felt this full, struggling to even breathe as the feeling of minhee inside of you overcomes all your senses.
minhee gives you no time to adjust to the way his cock is stretching you out, immediately thrusting into you and reaching even deeper. all your pleas for him to go slower fall to deaf years, quickly being replaced by the moans you're struggling to quiet down. it's not long before you're getting close again, still sensitive from all your previous orgasms.
'need to cum' you whine, your hips buck up to meet minhee's, feeling his tip hit spots you never knew existed. he chuckles, slowing his thrusts until a fresh wave of tears is filling your eyes at the idea of being denied of your release. 'you need to?' his tone is mocking, but you're so fucked out you can't notice it, quickly nodding 'yeah, need to cum all over your cock.' that's all it takes for minhee to pick up his pace again, aim even deeper than before and have you quickly approaching your high as you incoherently moan his name.
you feel like your soul has been ripped out of your body, gone through each and every layer of hell, and then put back where it belongs. your legs shake as minhee keeps mercilessly fucking you, mumbling something about how he's going to 'fill you up and keep you forever' that, even in your fucked out state, slightly alarms you, your hands pushing at his shoulders to no avail just to be once again pinned above your head.
minhee knows it's physically impossible for a demon to breed a human, and yet, the idea of somehow making you his through it sounds so appealing, as you sob in overstimulation and keep begging him to pull out. he might be aware of there being no consequences if he cums inside, but what would a human like you know? the way you squirm under him, trying to convince him to pull out is almost endearing.
'you're so well behaved, little human, it would be a shame to let all the results of your hard work go to waste, right?' you keep shaking your head, a high pitched moan leaving you as minhee finally cums deep inside of you, tightly pressed against your cervix to make sure you're marked by him, completely ruined for anyone else who'll ever try to fuck you.
minhee doesn't know why he did that, despite having no plans to keep you he still found himself desiring, needing to claim you as his little human. as he stills inside you, minhee thinks that maybe, just maybe, he might bring you 'back home' with him.
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bi-leth-eisner · 2 years
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Some Nights by Fun. gives off some three houses vibes honestly
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jerard-whey · 3 years
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of the firm belief that the songs that remind one of supernatural should all be ones that would play over a really badly edited amv like thing. examples include angel with a shotgun and some nights
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gucciwins · 3 years
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Golden Sparks 
Harry is new to town and signs up his eight-year-old daughter, Josie to the soccer team where he takes an interest in the well-respected Coach Y/N.
Word count: 25,027 
A/N: Hello friends! I hope you’ve been well, honestly I had this idea for a while and it wasn’t until I stepped back from another piece and came back this one that it began to flow. im proud of what I wrote and I hope you enjoy. my longest piece to date :) I do hope you all love it. 
Warnings: sweet dad harry, slight angst, slight smut
please do let me know what you thought of the story and please reblog! <333
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"You're going to do great."
"I know, dad." Harry's eight-year-old daughter responds.
"Hey, I'm being supportive." Harry shakes Josie's foot, causing her to laugh.
"Thank you, I'm excited. Honest." Josie puts her hand over her heart, making Harry's heart melt.
He hadn't seen his daughter smile this much since they found out about the tryout that was soon to start in fifteen minutes. He felt awful making her move from their home in Georgia, but it was time, and this new opportunity would be good for them. Josie hated to leave her friends but mostly her soccer team with whom she had been with since she started playing at the age of five, but Harry promised he would find her a team, and he did.
The team was different from back home, seeing as it was an all-girl team instead of a mixed team of boys and girls. Not that he minds; he feels this will hopefully allow Josie to branch out and make friends that would not pick on her for playing what they said was "a boy's game." Those parents pissed him off back in Georgia, but he's gone, and he prays this goes well.
"Do you think mom will visit my games more now that we're closer?" Josie's green eyes peer up at him, reminding him that she looks nothing like her mother and is his little clone.
"I hope so. She was excited to hear about the move, remember." Josie nods before glancing at the field where other girls were chatting as they laced up their cleats.
Harry despised his ex-girlfriend, the mother of his child. At the age of nineteen, he became a father, and his ex, three years older than him, didn't want to raise a child to a man who wouldn't marry her. They were together for two months when he called it quits until she came back a month later, calling him an asshole for getting her pregnant. After giving birth to his beautiful girl, she gave him full custody, not wanting to worry about diapers and night cries.
All she worried about was getting her figure back. It wasn't until Josie turned one that she came back and demanded to be part of her life, leading to them going to court and getting to see Josie on the weekends, and it went well because his daughter always came back happy after a visit. When Josie turned five, Claudia moved to California because she fell in love and was going to get married. Claudia didn't care that she was leaving Josie behind. A heartbroken girl not knowing why she couldn't be part of her mother's wedding and why she moved across the country so far from her.
Josie cried for a whole week straight until the ice skates showed up on the front door with a note from Claudia for Josie to chase her dreams. Thus, having Harry sign her up for ice skating classes came to an end in two short weeks when she learned how awful the leotards looked on her.
Josie was then determined to find a sport liking the idea of being active and having the chance to make friends, which led to her seeing soccer on the TV when a commercial of Alex Morgan for Nike came on. She asked question after question until Harry told her okay, and went to call a friend to see where he could find a team for her.
The first team they found was only boys, not wanting to mix, causing both of them to get upset, but a mom took pity on them and told them of the Sunnyville team looking for players. It was perfect; seven girls and eight boys were on the team, and Josie fit in perfectly until she didn't.
At first, Josie wasn't very good; no kid is, but Harry every night took her to their large backyard and practiced with her, and within a few months, she was able to dribble a ball at her feet without looking down constantly. She wasn't the best, but she was improving.
Harry enjoyed every minute he got to help her improve because within the next few years, he saw her go from being timid to push someone away from the ball to beating someone in a sprint.
California was a significant change for Harry and Josie, but this was a big deal for the company, and Josie understood. He was happy he could do something for her now it was her turn to shine and prove why she deserved a spot on the team.
"Now go prove why you're the best, petal." Harry kisses his daughter's forehead, taking her bag over his shoulder.
She takes a step forward before stopping. "Walk with me there, daddy."
Harry's smile softens, "Of course, honey."
They march forward, their steps in sync; Harry can feel eyes on both of them as they pass parents in their chairs, some sitting on blankets spread out on the grass.
There's a woman, dressed in black Nike sweats, some fancy Nike cleats on her feet and a plain maroon tank top and over to cover from the breeze is a windbreaker; the team logo on the left side over her heart and right under is a name he can't quite make out. If Harry's being honest, she took his breath away, she's gorgeous, and she's smiling at him. Harry's sure if he kept looking into her eyes, he would fall in love.
"Hello, I'm Coach Y/N." She greets them with a big smile on their face.
"Hi, I'm Josie, and this is my dad, Harry Styles." Josie steps forward, holding her hand out that the coach is quick to shake.
"Nice to meet you." Harry finally speaks.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Styles. I've got all the paperwork that you submitted, and everything looks good."
"That's great." Harry nods, keeping his eyes on her. "Just Harry is fine, please." She nods, letting him know she heard him.
"Nice accent, you English?" Y/N asks.
"I am, Josie was born there too, but she's lived in the states all her life."
Y/N nods, "No wonder I didn't spot an accent on her." She teases.
"My dad sounds funny, so one of us is okay." Josie jokes at Harry's expense.
"Hey now," Harry pouts, causing both to laugh and his heart to flutter, wanting to make Y/N do it again.
"Now, Josie, how about we introduce you to the girls before we get started."
Josie nods and steps forward to follow Y/N.
Y/N addresses him one last time, "You're welcome to sit by the parents or welcome to stand behind our bench on the sidelines."
"Thank you." Harry watches the walk away, his daughter's bright pink socks standing out around the flash of black, green, and blue. He smiles, knowing he'll have a good eye on her, as will the coach.
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It has been a while since the team had a tryout for the Golden Sparks team. It has not been necessary because most of the young girls are already on the u-9 team.
She had heard the rumor of new people moving into town but wasn't sure, so on a whim, she added them up in places parents were bound to see them; at the grocery store, doctor's office, the school, and the local sports store.
Thanks to the flyers, they got two responses from Mr. Styles and Mrs. Clover, who wanted their girls to join. Mrs. Clover's daughter, Caitlyn, was switching over from a different team, so she knew the girls on the team well. Josie, the daughter of Mr. Styles, would be the only one who needed an introduction as she was new to the town.
After meeting Harry, she was surprised at how handsome and young he was. Most parents here are well over the age of thirty and are married or dating.
She has been coaching for four years now and only started because of her niece Juliet who is part of the team. Y/N's older sister, Clara, had Juliet at 23 a year after her wedding and when Y/N was only 18 and about to start university. It was a good thing she had decided to go to university only three hours away and not across the country as she first thought, or she would have missed so much of her niece's and goddaughter's life.
Y/N had just graduated and knew she would no longer be playing soccer and needed something to do when her sister Naomi approached her and asked her if she could watch over Juliet for the summer so they didn't need to get a babysitter. She was more than happy to accept.
At first, they would paint, color and dance, but they got bored quickly. Y/N wasn't one to spend her time inside, so instead, she decided to take her four-year-old niece to the park with a soccer ball and make the most of it.
At the local park, they both ran around each day, chasing the ball for hours. A week later, Y/N bought Juliet her first pair of cleats, letting her shoot in the nets. As the weeks went by Y/N, saw Juliet improve as well as take direction well. She was a bright young girl, and Y/N knew she was still small, and all she wanted to do was run, but Y/N knew that because Juliet had seen her play, she knew what was right and wrong. There were times when she just ran in circles picking flowers because, after all, she was a four-year-old.
A month into summer, a mom approached her, asking her if she was a coach because she saw her there every day. Y/N laughed it off and told her she was just taking care of her niece. The mom told her it was a shame because her daughter told her it looked like fun. Y/N smiled and said to her that she was welcome to join, and before she knew it, a bunch of little girls came together to kick a ball around.
Only when Y/N had over ten girls showing up every Monday and Wednesday at a designated time did she begin to look at soccer leagues for children, and to her luck, there was one in town, an all-girls league that started from age 4 to age 18. She got the paperwork required for her to be a coach and for the girl's parents to fill out. She pitched the idea, and everyone was aboard.
That is how Golden Sparks was created, and those four-year-olds are now eight. She has watched them grow in front of her eyes. She went through her master's coaching a team. It's just something she does as a hobby, and it's wonderful because she knows how vital her coaches were for her when she was growing up. Now she can do the same.
She loves these girls, which means she had to do trial runs for how well the new girls fit in with the team dynamic. That is why today is an important day for Caitlyn and Josie.
"Ladies, may I please have your attention?" Y/N calls out to all the girls trying to juggle their individual balls as they wait for her.
The girls quickly shuffle over, passing their balls to Kate, who is setting up both nets and getting out the bright pink pinnies that Emilia's parents donated to the team that the girls will be needing.
Josie is standing very close to Y/N, and Caitlyn comes to stand to her other side.
"Now, today's practice is going to be different. We have two guests today. We have Caitlyn, who comes from Ice Angels from across town, and Josie, who comes from Georgia all the way across the country. I hope you will be kind and welcoming because we would be honored to add them to the team."
Juliet raises her hand and smiles, waiting for Y/N to let her speak. "Yes, Miss Juliet," Y/N giggles.
"Can we say something interesting about ourselves when we introduce ourselves?"
"Now, that is a smart idea. I wish I would have thought about it." All the girls smile, waiting for her to share.
"I'll start, I guess." She puts her hand on her hip, exaggerating her thinking face. "My name is Y/N, and I'll be your coach, and something interesting is that I like to paint." She turns to Kate, who is standing there, arms crossed. "You're next."
"I'm Kate, the meaner coach,"
"Kate," Y/N chastise.
"Kidding," Kate laughs, capturing all of the girls' attention. "I'm the assistant coach, and I love making tamales. Next potluck, you'll know how amazing they are."
Kate volunteers Steph, standing next to her, allowing her to share, and before she knows it, all the girls have gone. It's a calm environment, and Y/N is happy she can help these girls be a part of that. There were a total of fourteen girls, sixteen now with the two new girls trying out, meaning they would have even teams of eight, just one more than in an actual game.
Y/N makes two teams by dividing her forwards, midfielders and defenders. Then the scrimmage vest were handed out to the team where the new girls were trying out.
"Four twelve-minutes quarters," Y/N shouts, and in the next second, Kate blows the whistle, and they begin.
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Harry was sweating, his focus was on Josie and how well she was playing, but he also noticed how the coach was whispering to her assistant coach. They were doing a lot of talking, and he did not like it one bit. They had finished two quarters and took a more extended break before the third, where Josie shot him a thumbs up after drinking water. She was too busy talking to a girl to come see him. Harry was happy she no longer felt nervous and was making friends.
He had heard nothing but good things about Golden Sparks and their coaches, but he was nervous about what they thought of his daughter. When they blew that final whistle, Harry let out the breath he was holding. Thankful that Josie would be told her fate on the team.
The coaches rounded them up, and Harry just wanted to rush over there and have them tell him there and then, but no, they were dragging it out for him. Then again, they had more than one player to look after for.
"Golden Sparks!"
It was shouted out by all the girls, and they rushed over to their bags. Josie walked to her bag, handing her pinnie to the assistant coach while Coach Y/N made her way over to another parent. A young girl with a long french braid made her way to the coach, most likely to talk about her fate on the team. Harry moves his gaze away from them when he spots Josie chatting away to a girl about her age, wearing a black top with the team's logo on it. Usually, after practice, she rushes over to Harry, and she slips out of her cleats in the car. It makes him emotional seeing her make friends, something she didn't have many in her previous team.
Before he knows it, the coach talks with Josie and the other young girl before she nods and gets up, swinging her bag over her shoulder. The three of them make their way over to Harry, chatting softly, not allowing him to hear a word.
"Hi, petal. Did well out there." Harry tells his daughter once she's an arm's length away. He frowns when she doesn't rush into his arms to give him a hug.
"Yeah, it was fun. Everyone is so kind." Josie smiles at her father.
"Mr. Styles," Y/N begins, but Harry has to interrupt.
"Harry, please."
"Sure, Harry," she emphasizes. "Josie is a wonderful player."
"I agree."
"But," Harry frowns, knowing this is not going where he would like it to. "Josie tends to hold the ball too much. When given the opportunity to use her left, she takes that extra pass to switch to her right where it causes her to lose momentum and the opening."
"I get it, she's not perfect, but neither are those players out there."
"Dad." Josie gives him a glare to be quiet and listen.
"As I was saying," Coach Y/N, her voice just a bit less friendly. "She has flaws, but we noticed she has lots of speed; she controls the ball really well. She's stellar in the midfield."
Harry shifts his eyes to Josie, who is holding back a smile, and that is when he knows she's in. "We'd love to have her join the team and help her become an even better player."
"That's wonderful, I accept."
"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm glad you think it's a good idea, but it's Josie's choice to make."
"You're right. I'm sorry. Josie, honey." He steps back, a tad embarrassed.
Josie lets out a nervous laugh, "I had fun."
"How long have you played?" Y/N asks Josie.
"Three years now," Josie says, looking at Harry for confirmation and nods.
"The most important question is how you felt playing with everyone?" Y/N knows how important feeling welcomed to a team can mean to someone.
Josie looks up at her, a smile on her face. "Like I belonged."
"Does that mean you're joining?" The young girl standing behind Y/N answers.
"Yes. I would love to join." Josie says, a grin taking over her face.
"Well then, welcome. Practices are 5-7pm. Sometimes we can have a scrimmage with other teams, and it will be an hour before or after just to take that into consideration. Games are on Saturday, but when we have tournaments, they are Saturday and Sunday."
"That's great. I sometimes get out of work late." Harry confesses.
"It's why practices are later because we know parents work. So just shoot us a text the day before or early morning, and either Kate or I can pick them up as well as other parents. We're great with carpooling."
Harry smiles; he likes how organized they are. He has no worries about Josie joining the team. He's happy, and if he's honest, he is kind of glad to see more of Coach Y/N.
"It was great to meet you, and I'll see you on Monday for practice," Y/N tells both Harry and Josie.
As they are going to walk away, the young girl in two dutch braids speaks, "Auntie Y/N truly is the best. She's the reason I play so well." Juliet tells Harry.
Y/N blushes, "Knock it off. Save the sweet-talk for Kate."
"She's your aunt!" Josie explains. "That's so cool."
"Harry, this is Juliet, my niece and the reason this team exists. I introduced her to the sport at age four."
Juliet nods, "Yeah, because she didn't want to rotten my head with television."
This causes all of them to laugh. Harry and Josie walk away with a smile on both their faces.
Yeah, they would fit just right in. It was beginning to feel like home.
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It's been a month since Josie joined the team, and he's never seen her shine as much as she has since she joined the group. It's like she's a whole new little girl, he hates to admit it, but his little girl is growing right in front of his eyes.
They had recently had a team bonding; they headed to Kate's house to swim and do a little bonfire. Parents were allowed to stick around, but almost none did because they want their daughters to feel comfortable hanging out with their friends and be themselves. Also, all the parents trusted Kate and Y/N with their daughters because of the years of friendship.
Harry wanted to stay the first time, a bit fearful she wouldn't like it and also because he wanted to get to know Josie's coach better. He hadn't had many chances to chat her up, always getting a formal greeting and a goodbye. Harry can proudly say he has a crush on coach Y/N, but he wants to have a chance to take her out and maybe take it further.
Josie begged and begged him not to stay, so he just did a quick hello and then left. What did he do in the four hours his daughter was gone, nothing. He was bored without her. Harry began to watch a movie he'd been dying to see, but it was boring. He went to call his best mate, but it went straight to voicemail, then remembered it was date night for Mitch.
He couldn't drink because he wanted to pick Josie up even though he knew she could carpool, but he wanted to hear all about it right away and maybe get one more glance at Y/N because she looked lovely in her pastel pink shirt, black leggings, and a matching scrunchie. His feelings only grew each time he saw her, but he wouldn't dare pursue anything because his daughter adored Y/N, and he wouldn't do anything to wreck that.
It was Monday, and he was driving his daughter to practice. She was on a high because she spent the weekend with her mom. Claudia managed to make her soccer game and then took her home for the week. Everyone got an insight of his ex and how she was not the kindest, but sure did adore her husband by the way she kissed him the majority of that game. Harry did not want to sit next to them, but she wanted to flaunt her relationship in his face to his luck. Not that he cared one bit, he just cared about his daughter's happiness. That she happened to be a part of.
After they won the game, she sprinted over to them after Y/N congratulated them on the win, and they finished shaking the other team's hands. Josie wrapped her arms around Harry, squeezing him tight before hugging her mother, who just patted her back before letting her go congratulating on her goal.
Claudia's interactions with Josie always made Harry upset, but what was he to do? She gave him full custody and only saw her on weekends. It was easy living, but that doesn't mean he had to like it. He wanted his daughter to have a mother figure to guide her and show her the right and wrong to show her what it is like to be strong and resilient, yet Claudia was none of that for his daughter. Sarah, Josie's godmother, did more of that, and Harry was thankful.
Showing up to practice, Harry was embarrassed and hoped Y/N didn't bring up meeting his ex-girlfriend. Josie was quick to introduce them, but thankfully the conversation didn't last long as she was called over by the other team's coach.
"Can you drive any slower?" Josie pouted, looking out the window as Harry entered the parking lot at a safe speed in case any person happened to cross in front of him.
"Josie, I'm not trying to run anyone over." Harry sighs as he finally eyes an open parking space and signals left, always cautious about an accident.
"Well, I want to talk with my friends before practice." Josie has unbuckled herself and is close to throwing herself out of the car.
Harry puts the car into park, unlocking the car door. "Fly, young one."
The grin that takes over Josie makes Harry happy. "Love you, dad."
"Love you too, Josie."
Harry slides his sunglasses on, hating how bright the sun was; it'd be a few hours until the sunset. He was nervous; he was dressed in black slacks that hugged him in all the right places with a mint button-down shirt that calls attention. He didn't have time to change today; everyone saw him in his casual clothes, never his work attire. Josie said she didn't mind, but he did. Honestly, he was nervous about what Y/N might say about his look. Not that he cared what she thought. Not one bit, right?
He went to his trunk, got out his purple folding chair, and left the matching one there. Harry is a sucker for deals which is why he walked out of the store with two when he only needed one.
He strolled, making sure no eyes were on him, and he was in the clear until he heard a shout, "Dad!" He looked over at the field, and it was Josie waving at him to sit closer to the parents. Harry shot her a thumbs up; he liked the parents genuinely. They have all been so kind and welcoming, telling him the best places to go for the team's discount.
He got along well with Payton's and Stephanie's parents. They had a good sense of humor and liked asking him questions about where he was from and how Josie was growing up. His daughter had become best friends with Juliet. They were two peas in a pod, talking from the beginning of practice to staying almost ten minutes after as they slowly took off their cleats.
Y/N didn't mind seeing as she had to pick up everything, and the girls were eager to help her if it meant spending more time together. Honestly, she was begging for a sleepover, but he kept telling her no because he wanted to meet at least one of her parents first. He wasn't sure what either one did, but Juliet didn't mind if they couldn't make it to a game because her biggest supporter was already there.
Harry approaches where all the parents sit under a shaded tree, waving at everyone before taking a seat next to a man reading on his kindle. He smiled, knowing he loved reading in his downtime as well. This would be an excellent spot to sit, conversation or not he'd be comfortable, but first, an introduction was needed.
"Hello, don't mean to bother you, but I don't think I've seen you before. I'm Harry Styles. My daughter Josie joined the team last month."
"Well, Harry Styles, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard wonderful things about your daughter. I'm Xavier Torres, father of Juliet." Xavier responded with a bright smile on his face.
Harry doesn't hide his surprise. "I've been dying to meet her parents. She's a wonderful girl, glad our daughters decided to get along."
"Yeah, we come as often as we can, but Juliet always assures us she's fine. That she has the best auntie watching over her."
"Coach Y/N is great with everyone. I've never seen anyone so dedicated." Harry shares.
"She's always been like that. I met Clara in my second year of university. She was only fourteen then, but she was so caring. I wasn't introduced to the family until we've been dating for six months, and she was shy but always offered me water or cookies she had baked. I loved having conversations with her; she has always been the smartest person in the room."
Harry grins; this definitely grew his crush on Y/N.
"I hear they are begging for a sleepover," Xavier comments, breaking Harry from his thoughts.
Harry nods, "Yes, I kept saying no because I wanted to meet the parents."
Xavier smiles, agreeing they were the same. "Yeah, we had to meet the dad."
He's shocked Xavier doesn't ask him about a partner, but then again, Y/N could have easily mentioned meeting Claudia and her husband. Harry's grateful if she did not like having to explain how he's a single dad and how he wishes his daughter's mother would do better.
"Well, now that this has happened, I have no problem with a sleepover happening."
"Glad we're on the same page." Harry laughs, grateful, their daughters will be happy with them.
Harry and Xavier spend the entire two hours of practice talking. Harry has close friends, but he wouldn't be opposed to adding Xavier to his guys' nights that happen less frequently now. At the end of practice, they exchange numbers and promise to coordinate a date for the girls. It may be summer, but the girls are still keeping busy during the week instead of doing nothing.
The girls rush over to them at the end of practice, giggling at the two fathers still chatting away.
"Does this mean a sleepover can happen?" Juliet asks, squeezing Josie's hand she's holding.
Harry and Xavier share a look and nod. "Yeah, it can happen."
"Amazing!" Josie cheers jumping up and down.
"We have to plan a day that works for both of us, so it may be a while." Josie frowns but nods. Juliet does not accept it.
"Auntie Y/N can host it."
"Your auntie is going to do what?" Y/N says, sneaking up behind her tickling her sides.
Juliet lets out a loud shriek, not being able to escape her grip. Harry beams at Y/N loving how playful she is with her niece.
"You can host our sleepover. You aren't busy like daddy and Mr. Styles." Juliet says in one breath after Y/N let her go.
"I do have a job, you know," Y/n says in a sing-song voice. Xavier laughs as Juliet pouts. "But I do have more availability than your parents. I'd do it if both of you were comfortable with it." Y/N looks up at Harry and Xavier, letting them have the final say.
Xavier throws an arm over Y/N's shoulder and pulls her in a hug. "Of course, it's a yes; I'm always looking forward to a kid-free house."
"Rude, daddy." Juliet frowns, crossing her arms.
"Only joking, my little flower. How about frozen yogurt on the way home?"
"You're forgiven."
Y/N waits patiently for Harry to answer as he has a staring contest with his daughter.
He sighs, "Yes," Josie cheers, hugging Juliet. "Only if we're really not imposing on Y/N."
"Please, Harry. I'd be honored to have them over. I'm an excellent host, and my movie collection is amazing."
Juliet smiles. "She does, also the biggest backyard so we can run around and do whatever. There's also a pool." She whispers the last part.
"Enough speaking about my house. She'll get the tour soon enough."
"So it's settled," Harry tells them.
"Guess it is; send me when you guys decide. I'm free after twelve on Fridays, and I'll take them to the game on Saturday, of course, or we can do it after a game. All up to you, gents." Y/N gets it all out there, allowing Harry to breathe a little easier.
"Good," Xavier shouts.
"I'm going home, coming Julie?" As Xavier swings his chair over his shoulder. "Daddy, you have to help auntie Y/N. You just sat on your butt for two hours."
"Hey now, I watched you practice."
"I'm going to tell mommy, you know how she feels about you not helping Y/N. She'll give you an earful." Juliet sasses her dad.
"I don't know where you got all that sass from, but I know I'm going to hate it when you're a teenager," Xavier mumbles as he goes to get the goal nets put away.
Y/N laughs before turning to Harry and Josie, "I'll see you both on Wednesday. Have a good night."
Harry watches her walk away as she races Juliet over to the balls scattered around. He smiles at the ground, hoping he could one day make her laugh that much. He doesn't notice Josie watching him, and she grins, happy that maybe one day her daddy will smile as bright as Xavier does when speaking about Juliet's mom.
They walk hand in hand to the car, both comfortable walking in silence for what the future might bring them.
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Y/N enjoyed morning games as opposed to the afternoon, where the sun was blazing high. She had a hat that was helping with the heat, thankful she hadn't started sweating yet. She loves coaching, but during the summer, it isn't the most enjoyable.
"Hi, Coach Y/N."
She turns her head over her shoulder and sees Harry approaching. She checks him out, thankful for her sunglasses; he's got a black short-sleeve button-down that shines in the sunlight, letting her know it's expensive; he paired it with white linen pants and the beat-up Vans he always wore. He always looks good.
"Nice to see you, Harry."
"How are you?"
"Doing good, bracing the summer heat."
"Yeah, not so enjoyable."
"Ready for the game," Harry says, pointing to the field that will soon have fourteen girls running around.
"Yes, they have been working hard. I'm excited, and you?"
"Oh, nervous," he confesses.
"The girls are going to do great. If they start dozing off, then we can start to worry."
Harry laughs, knowing that she is right. It's about the girl's focus.
"How long did you play?"
"Too long." Y/N jokes.
"Haha," he laughs.
"I started at six and played up until I finished university."
"Wow! You must have been marvelous." Harry is amazed that someone can play a sport that long then go to teaching. He was never the most athletic, but he was a beast at ping-pong that was all hand-eye coordination.
"I would like to think I was good."
"You started coaching when?"
"The year I turned four, and soon enough I was running, and by four she bought me my cleats and bam! A team was created." Juliet answered for her.
"I'm pretty sure you told Harry this already." Y/N laughs playfully, nudging Juliet.
Juliet shrugs, "Just like reminding."
Y/N grins, "Okay, lovebug."
"Plus, you're a great coach."
Harry nods. "I can attest to that. All the girls love you, including Josie."
"And I love them," she tells him truthfully. "We don't get many new players, but we're happy to have Josie. She earned the starting spot as right-wing."
Juliet nods, jumping up and down, "Yeah, she's really good."
"Go on, start the girl with four corners." Y/N pats Juliet's back to get her to go on the field.
"Yes, ma'am." Juliet takes off running, talking to Kate, who helps her get started, and Y/N knows it's her cue to walk away from Harry.
"Good luck, coach."
"Thank you, Harry. See you after."
"Sure, of course. I'll be cheering for you. I-i-i- what-" Harry stutters while she stands there holding back a smile as she can see the heat traveling up his face. "I mean you and the girls. A-all as a team."
"Well, we appreciate it."
Harry watches her walk away, letting out a short laugh, not being able to believe he made a fool of himself.
The game was tied 1-1 with only eight minutes left. Harry could see Y/N was calm, voice firm when speaking to the girls. Lola was about to take a corner kick, he saw her take a step back, and Harry was ready for her to strike it, but instead, she shocks him as she passes to a player who ran up to her.
This startles the other team before Brenda sends it to the center midfielder, who passes it to Josie, who is screaming she's open. Brenda sends a through ball, and off his daughter runs. She gets a foot on it, looking at where the goalie stands. She makes the pass strong enough that the goalie doesn't stop it and just for Andy to tip it in, but it's too strong, causing the ball to go over the net. It's a miss but, everyone didn't mind impressed with the play.
The last few minutes were slow as both teams were tired out, and there was no chance for another goal in two minutes. When the referee blows the final whistle, all the girls bring it in, jogging over to Y/N and Kate as they all round up in a group hug. Harry can't hear what she's saying, but he knows it's reasonable considering all the girls are sporting similar smiles. He is quick to pack up his chair, ready to say goodbye to his daughter, who is about to have a sleepover with her coach and best friend.
The girls come back from clapping the other team's hand and are quick to go sit on the bench and take their shoes off. The clean-up was accomplished quickly today. Harry is waiting to talk to Y/N as she speaks with other parents. Caitlyn's dad praises her for that play, but Y/N is quick to tell him it was all the girls; they are the players. Either way, he hugs her, and Y/N pats the older man back softly. She waves goodbye to most girls when he finally gets to approach her.
"Great game today."
"Yes, they played well." Y/N agrees.
"Your coaching reflects on them."
"In a good way?"
He nods, "The best way."
She thanks him, and he knows she's not one to be boastful, so he changes the conversation.
"You are still good to take them for the sleepover."
"Of course, I'm excited."
"That's great. What time should I pick her up tomorrow?"
"Oh, I forgot to mention earlier, my sister and brother-in-law are coming to have dinner if you'd like to join us. Xavier has been dying to use the grill, and you'll get to meet my sister and my nephew."
"Juliet never talks about a brother."
Y/N chuckles, "It's because he barely started walking, so he doesn't hold much of her attention."
"Ah, that makes sense."
"She loves being a big sister, but only when he sleeps or plays blocks."
"Older siblings got to love them."
"Yeah, I know."
"Do you have a sibling?"
"I do. She's 35 and lives in London and runs a law firm. Total badass."
"I bet she is."
"If she ever stops and visits, please bring her around and would love to get all the dirt on young Harry Styles."
"Only if I get to do the same."
"Stop by Sunday, and you'll get the chance." She shrugs at him as she walks away.
"See you Sunday then." Harry shakes his head smiling as she grabs a bag of soccer balls and begins walking to the parking lot.
Josie runs over and gives him a big hug. "See you tomorrow, daddy."
"Bye honey, call me if you need anything."
"Sure, I love you." She yells as she runs to Y/N and Juliet, who are waiting for her at the end of the grass.
Harry knows she's in good hands, but his heart can't help but miss his little girl. He'll see her tomorrow and Y/N as well. He ignored how hard his heart was thumping at his interaction with Y/N instead of letting himself get lost in the idea of the beautiful afternoon that was to come tomorrow.
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Y/N had a great time with the girls. She promised she would let them do their own thing and just supervise, but both girls wanted her involved. As soon as they arrived at her house, Juliet gave Josie a tour of her home, taking her room to room before they ended up in the backyard, both dressed in their bathing suits to go swimming.
She couldn't help but laugh, knowing how eager they were to go jump in the pool despite playing an intense game for an hour in the blazing sun.
"You little ladies must eat first before you can even think of swimming," Y/N says, arms crossed over her chest, knowing Juliet was going to try to fight her on it.
"Auntie, that's not what we want to do."
"Maybe so, but your tummy's say otherwise."
Josie steps over from behind Juliet to stand next to her. "I would like to eat. Dad says we need to regain all the energy we worked off."
"Your dad is a smart man, Jo." Y/N nods to the girl. "It's a 2-1 vote, then."
"Fine," Juliet groans dramatically.
The girls sit at the table as Y/n begins to boil pasta. She decides on pesto as she has had a craving, and both girls happily agree. In just thirty minutes, she serves the girls two even plates, and they have a flowing conversation. Mainly, Josie and Juliet do the talking, occasionally asking YN her opinion or a question they want her to answer.
After the late lunch, she sends the girls to wash up and meet her outside to lather them in sunscreen. She puts most of her dishes in the dishwasher and soaks her pans in water, wanting it to be easier to wash later when the girls give her a free moment.
"Thirty minutes we are waiting," Y/N tells them, the sun lotion bottle in hand.
"Come on, you believe in that?" Juliet asks.
"Okay, little miss rebel, since when do you always question everything I say." Juliet's eyes go wide, and she shrugs.
"Alright, listen. I adore you, Juliet, but it's not nice trying to take advantage of me because you have a friend over."
Y/N waits for her to say something, but she nods her head and moves to hug her around her waist. She hears her mutter a sorry, and when Y/N brushes her hair back, she sees Juliet move back to look up at her. "I'm sorry."
Y/N gives her a small smile. "It's alright. Now sit down so I can get your back."
Josie patiently waits her turn, and just as Y/N finishes Juliet, she speedwalks to the edge of the steps and sits on them, letting her feet get soaked. Josie sits patiently as Y/N spreads the sunscreen to her shoulders, then turns her to get her face and neck, allowing Josie to rub it into her legs.
"All done, Josie." She stays seated on Y/N's patio chairs under the shade. Y/N doesn't question her not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.
"Is it okay if I go join Juliet?" Josie asks in a soft voice.
Y/N almost awes out loud at how polite Juliet is, "Of course, go on. I'll let you know when it's okay to go in."
Looking out at the spacious yard, Y/N frowns, getting lost in thought about how she has the perfect home, but it gets lonely. It might be time she looks into getting a pet. She'll have to go check the local shelter soon but knows she should think about it for a while longer.
The ringer of her phone tears her out of her head when she hears the splashing, "Is it, time auntie?"
"Yeah, sweetie, it is."
Quickly she swipes three pairs of goggles from the table just as she begins to hear their splashing paired with laughter.
"Are we playing mermaids, auntie?" Josie asks as Y/N steps into the water, relaxing in the cool water, not suffering from the heat.
"We sure are," Y/N raises the three goggles and hands over one to each of them.  
It's after two hours that they all emerge from the pool, deciding to head into the shower seeing as the sun has begun to set. She ushers them carefully to the shower letting Josie use the guest room and Juliet her room seeing as they are the only two rooms fully equipped with towels and shampoo.
After the three of them are clean and changed in the pj's, Y/N makes popcorn to snack on while they play a few board games. They switch from Uno to Candyland to Mancala. It goes on for a while until they decide to put on a movie deciding on Tangled.
It wasn't until a quarter to ten that Moana watched Maui sing "Your Welcome," they began to yawn and started trying to fight back to sleep. Y/N thought they would never go down to sleep because two eight-year-olds have too much energy. Y/N paused the movie and told them it was time to sleep. Neither girl put up an argument.
She guided them to the guest room that had become Juliet's over the years. The girls get tucked into bed after brushing their teeth.
"Thank you for a great day, Y/N," Josie whispers, grabbing her wrist, halting her, tucking their blanket.
Y/N smiles at the kind girl. "Of course, sweetie. It's been a joy having you here."
Y/N goes to Juliet, gives her a kiss on the forehead, whispering a quiet goodnight who already has her eyes closed, her breathing slow and steady. She goes to Josie, who's looking at her with wide eyes. "Would you be okay with a forehead kiss goodnight? I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Y/N addresses the young girl.
Little does Y/N know that small comment was enough for Josie to seal Y/N in her heart forever for her kindness. "Yes, please." Bright green eyes look up at her with a small smile as she gives her a soft kiss.
"Goodnight, Y/N."
"Night, Jo."
Y/N goes to her room and does her night routine taking extra steps due to getting more sun exposure today. She loves how she feels putting on moisturizer at the end of the night. She lays in bed under her soft white covers. Her eyes shut, and she begins to count backward. She reaches all the way to one and tries again but stops halfway, sighing, knowing there's no chance she'll sleep; she heads to the kitchen to make herself a tea.
With her chamomile tea in hand, she sets it on the chrysanthemum coaster on the side table, picks up the book she left there, and sets it in her lap as she turns on her television to Netflix, deciding on The Great British Baking Show to use as white noise. She presses play on where she last left off, forgetting the book in her lap as the bakers had to make a raised game pie for their signature.
Y/N had already watched collection three, but it was one of her favorites. She loved the bakers and liked watching Nadiya improve each episode. The technical challenge was getting started, the bakers reading their vague instructions to make the tennis fruit cake when she heard small steps down the stairs.
She turns around, spotting Josie making her way down, "Hi there, you alright?"
Josie just nods but continues towards her, joining her to sit on the couch. "Can't sleep?" Y/N asks to share her lavender throw blanket with Josie.
"Not really."
"Yeah, I get restless sometimes as well."
Josie stares, tilting her head as if trying to figure out why she can't sleep, "What do you do to try to sleep?"
"Well, I usually try to read a book in bed, but I decided tea and a bit of tv would help."
Josie nods, and Y/N can tell she's working up the courage to ask her something. "Can I please try with you?"
"Of course, would you like tea as well?"
"Chamomile?"
"Sure, that's what I was drinking."
"Daddy adds a bit of honey."
Y/N smiles, "Honey, I can do that."
She goes to the kitchen alone, getting Josie her favorite mug with bees scattered all around. As soon as she's done making her tea and checking it is at a suitable temperature, she brings it out to her. Y/N sees Josie has put play on the show.
Y/N just grins, happy the girl likes the show as well. "Have you seen this season?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, me too."
"Nadiya is excellent," Josie comments as Nadiya wins first in the technical challenge.
"She is! I'm glad they picked her as the winner though she had strong competition against Ian and Tamal."
Both Y/N and Josie sit there in silence, sipping their teas, watching the bakers now try to make Charlotte Russe cakes for the showstopper. It's not until the presentation begins that Josie breaks their comfortable silence.
"Why can't you sleep?"
"Well, uhh, sometimes I can't get my brain to shut down and have lots of thoughts swirling around."
"Oh," Josie responds. "Do they ever stop?"
"Yeah, usually when I count backward or tell myself a story."
Josie looks delighted at hearing Y/N sharing this with her. "What kind of story?"
"A sweet one, one my grandparents used to tell me, or I make one up."
"And it works?"
"Almost always."
Josie continues with her questions, but Y/N doesn't mind. "Do you get bad dreams?"
"Not always, but sometimes, do you, Jo?"
Josie smiles, "I like that."
"What?" Y/N says, puzzled, aware she avoided the question.
"Jo, dad calls me honey, darling, Josie and Josephine when I do something I'm not supposed to, but no one ever has said, Jo. I like it."
"Oh, I'm glad. It's alright that I keep calling you that then."
Josie repeatedly nods, "Of course."
Y/N looks back at the TV focusing on the new episode that started during the talk.
"Sometimes I dream I'm back in Georgia with daddy." Josie is looking down at her lap, where she draws a circle on the palm of her left hand with her right index finger.
"Yeah, how does that make you feel?"
"Sad sometimes and sometimes happy."
"Why is that?" Y/N asks in a soft voice.
"Well, mommy called me more when I lived farther away. Now I don't get to see her every weekend even though that's the deal. She doesn't even like watching me play."
"That must be tough, Jo. Have you shared this with your dad?"
Josie shakes her head no. "He'd get mad at mom, and I don't want anyone fighting."
"Don't think it's fighting. Your dad just wants the best for you and wants your mom to see that as well."
"I guess."
"Did you know I've visited Georgia?"
"You have?" Josie sits up, crawling closer to her, excited at the change in conversation.
Y/N nods, "My grandparents had family there, so every summer, we'd make our way there. Spent all our time at the lake or just walking through the woods. They lived in a secluded area, so lots to roam."
"We lived in the city."
"I bet you still went to neat places."
Josie thinks about it for a minute, "We did, the weekends were for the lake, and it was easy to drive to another state for a week."
Y/N laughs, knowing how exciting it was visiting a new state in a matter of hours compared to how hard it is in California. "Yeah, I liked that as well."
"What's your favorite memory?"
Y/N stops to think about it; it has been a while since she thought back to her times there. She hasn't had the chance to go back since her grandparents passed away.
"The fireflies. I remember we were in one of my uncle's backyard, and he was showing us his peaches. When I saw a buzz of light followed by another, and soon enough, they were all around us. My uncle tells me he'll never forget the look on my face because it was true happiness and disbelief."
Y/N's smile is nostalgic. If she closes her eyes tight enough, she can picture the fireflies surrounding her. She's brought back to the present when she feels a small hand placed over her own.
"Thank you for sharing that with me," Josie says before she leans over, giving Y/N a hug.
Y/N laughs and hugs her back, happy she got to know this sweet girl better.
"I think it's time for bed."
"Okay."
As they begin walking up the stairs after making a stop in the kitchen to put their mugs in the dishwasher, Y/N stops outside the guest room.
"You're really wise for your age."
Josie nods, "My dad tells me that all the time."
Y/N can't help the smile that Josie draws out of her, "Goodnight."
"Night."
Y/N goes to bed with lots more on her mind. Her thoughts on the young girl who is caring more on her shoulder than she lets on. Josie has grown us quicker and doesn't realize it due to her experiences. Y/N goes wondering what tomorrow will bring.
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A lot was running through Harry's mind after the dinner he had on Sunday with Y/N and her family. Trust him; he enjoyed it. He adored seeing her in a different environment, but she seemed distant, and so did Josie. It's as if the two gravitated towards each other more. Always whispering to each other.
He enjoyed seeing them get along; he just didn't like not being included. This also made him second guess in pursuing Y/N. He wasn't willing to risk it not working out. Harry also knows he's not sure if he'd survive the heartbreak.
It's been a while since he's put himself out there, but as a single dad, he feared that no woman he had met was good enough to meet Josie, not after learning that he had full custody.
Y/N's sister was kind, always teasing Y/N but Y/N gave it right back. He could tell the love they had for each other was the kind he shared with Gem. They might not have been that close in age, but they appreciate each other better as adults. Harry loved Y/N's nephew, who stumbled every few steps he took, which is why Y/N took it upon herself to have him attached to her the whole night.
It warmed Harry's heart and gave him all kinds of crazy ideas, for example like a baby that was half him and half her that he'd love just as much as Josie.
Fuck, he had it bad.
Harry's thankful it's Wednesday, and he gets to see Y/N again. He didn't make practice on Monday having Sarah bring her, and today Y/n picked her up from his house where Mitch was watching her because he had a meeting that would be running long. Luckily, he made it just in time before the practice started.
He knew he was going to stand out, showing up wearing creamed flared trousers and a black silk button-down. Harry had taken off his cropped, lapel grey plaid jacket knowing the heat would eat him alive if he left it on.
Harry chuckled to himself as he walked from the parking lot; his folding hair swung on his shoulder. He waved to the parents before setting up alone under a tree, wanting to enjoy the shade today and no conversations unless it was from one specific person.
He sees her pocketing her phone in her bag and knows this is his chance to talk to her. He makes his way discreetly as possible, going behind the parents, who are all currently staring down at their phones.
"Y/N,"
She turns, she scans him head to toe quickly, not wanting Harry to catch her, but he does. He lets it boost his ego a little.
"Harry, a bit dressed up, no?"
He chuckles, doing a little spin for her. "Not at all, haven't you heard business casual is the new uniform."
She shakes her head at him, "We'll take it into consideration."
"That's all I ask."
Y/N looks over to Kate and motions for her to get the girls' warm-up started.
"Dinner was nice."
Y/N nods, "It was. My sister really likes you."
"That's good. She's really funny."
"She knows it." Y/N rolls her eyes playfully.
Harry knocks his hips into her, "Don't worry, you're still my favorite."
"Gee, I was so worried." Y/N fakes dramatically but isn't able to hide how her cheeks heat up at his compliment. "Now, you need to go sit. I have to coach. Parents are going to think I'm flirting."
Harry smirks, "I don't mind the flirting."
"Styles, you'd know if I was flirting."
"I'm just going to say that I very much am."
"Hmm, I'll take that into consideration. For our future conversations."
Y/N joins the girls as they are about to start their second lap; Harry slowly makes his way to his waiting chair, happy that Y/N might like him just as much as he likes her.
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Y/N pulled Josie aside before the scrimmage wanting to speak with her noticing she wasn't connecting with the team as she had on Monday.
"Doing okay?" Y/N asks as Josie gets a drink of water.
Josie nods, "Of course."
"Well, Juliet told me you didn't want to hang out. She said you had wanted to try that donut place with us on Friday."
"Because I had plans with my mom."
"Oh, that's fun."
"No."
"Why not?"
"She said she was busy," Josie murmurs.
"Well, you're still welcome to join us on Friday. I'm going to take Juliet to get ice cream at my favorite shop after practice. You're welcome to join." Y/N offers, knowing the little girl needs something to cheer her up.
"Does my dad have to come?"
"Not if you don't want him to."
Josie shakes her head no.
"Okay then."
"I'll go ask permission now."
"You can wait," Y/N laughs at her eagerness.
"No. I tell him now, and he can think it over while I play."
"Okay, sure. Don't take long."
Josie nods about to take off, but Y/n stops her. "Josie, I'm sorry your plans changed."
"She's been doing that more." She shrugs as if she's not bothered.
"Just because she is doing that doesn't mean you aren't loved. Your dad loves you and your godparents; the team does as well. I do, also. You're amazing, Josie." Y/N tells her, knowing Josie needed to hear it from somebody other than her father.
Josie's eyes shine, but she blinks the tears away. She gives her a quick hug before turning around and running towards Harry. From the corner of her eye, she sees Josie dramatically asking for permission as she lets her father retie the laces of her boots. Y/N smiles because she loves Josie, and if given a chance, she might also get an opportunity to love Harry. Y/N looks forward to watching what the future may bring.
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Kate had organized a pizza party for the girls because they had been doing so well and thought they deserved a reward. Y/N and Kate always talked about motivating and encouraging the girls for their hard work and dedication. They would do small gatherings or bring them a treat to enjoy after practice, and the occasional Monday off that happened on significant dates or when they as a coach needed a break which wasn’t often because they loved this and the girls.
A pizza party was fun, it allowed parents to interact somewhere that wasn’t crazy hot, and the girls got to eat their weight in pizza. Y/N personally loved it because she got to eat crazy good buffalo wings. Kate and Y/N always shared a basket.
Y/N had sat in a booth with Kate across from her knowing the girls would take up two of the long tables. They rather not squeeze in between when they have a good view of them here.
“Anyone I should be aware of, Thomas, was it?”
“Uhh, no. He turned out to be a jerk who couldn’t get me off.”
“Gee any louder, Katie, would you.” Y/N smiles at Cynthia’s parents, who are in line waiting to order themselves around some beers. Y/N was never one who got into drinking, but it doesn’t bother her those who do.
“Anyways, the one who is coming is Tiffany, and we have been talking for a week, and I think I may be in love.” Kate sighs, a faraway look in her eye as the waiter drops by her beer. Y/N eyes it, not liking how much foam was in the cup.
“You say you’re in love each time.”
Kate rolls her eyes at Y/N, “Well, I mean it this time.”
“Sure.”
“No, you’ll see. Tiff should be here soon. She got the most gorgeous curls and the most perfect brown eyes. Then when she talks Spanish to me, I have an idea what she’s saying, but it turns me on like crazy.”
“I can translate for you.” Kate rolls her eyes, knowing Y/N’s Spanish was perfect due to her high school and college years, not to mention she took YMCA classes at seven. “Anyways, let us move on from the conversation.”
“Okay, let’s talk about your sex life.”
Y/N chucks a piece of lettuce at Kate hitting her square on her chin. Before Kate can retaliate, Harry steps towards them, “Hello, ladies.”
“Hi, Harry,” Kate responds by making crazy eyes at Y/N.
“Mind if I join you, don’t think Josie would like me sitting with her or alone.”
Y/N nods, “Of course, but only if you don’t mind sliding in. I like the edge seats, or you can sit with Kate.”
Kate shakes her head no, “No, he cannot. My date should be here soon.”
Y/N gets up to let Harry slide in, he does a little wiggle to get to the other side, and Y/N does her best to hide her laugh. It seems to work, as he didn’t mention it. Y/N feels her body heat up because their thighs are touching. She feels ridiculous getting worked up over a simple touch.
The next hour flies by, and Tiffany arrives during that time, and Y/N loves her. She is as gorgeous as Kate described, her hair long falling down her back in thick ringlets, her brown eyes captivating, and her golden skin shines with just a hint of sunlight. She can see why Kate was smitten, but getting to know her and Y/N can happily say she’s a perfect fit for her best friend. She hopes it works out for Kate because this will be a heavy heartbreak if it doesn’t.
Y/N excuses herself, wanting to check with the girls. She approaches the table sitting by the pinball machines. The girls have question after question for her that she happily answers. She looks to see Juliet, happily leading a conversation with a quiet Jo sitting next to her staring out the window.
She excuses herself from the girls and places a hand on Juliet’s shoulder, who stops her chatter to grin up at Y/N before continuing like she never stopped. Jo just smiles at her before looking at the other girls acting as she was involved in the conversation, but Y/n knows better.
“You alright, Jo?”
“Of course, a bit full, that is all.” Y/N stares at those green eyes long and hard before nodding.
“I’m just over there if any of you need anything.”
“Yes, thank you, coach.” Most girls answer in unison.
Y/N goes back to their table, and Harry smiles, scooting over, “Saved your spot. Susan tried to nab it.”
“My hero.” She giggles.
The conversation around Y/N flows easily; she laughs and comments. There is a moment where Harry squeezes her thigh affectionately when she makes a witty comment defending him and his style. She wishes he’d rest his hand there, but he moves it back on top, also not wanting anyone to be suspicious.
As much as Y/N is having a lovely evening, her gaze drifts over to Josie, who hasn’t uttered a word since she was with her.
Harry is too busy chatting and having a nice time to notice how quiet Josie has gotten, not that she blames him; the place is loud and complete because it’s a Saturday afternoon. This worries Y/n as she has seen Josie withdrawing more and more but didn’t want to believe it. Josie hides it reasonably well.
Y/N hopes she’s wrong and that sweet Josie is only having an off day.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
Harry was happy to see Josie loving California. He knew it was a risk moving across the country when the East coast is all she had ever known. Josie has shown him nothing but happiness; he can't wait to see how she does in the Fall when she goes back to school. The great thing is she will have friends due to the girls on the team. Also, he hates to admit it, but it has been good for Josie to see more of her mom. Allowing them to build a better relationship. Harry only wishes the best for his daughter and hopes he has been doing that so far in her life.
It's Wednesday, and Harry feels his weeks go by faster now that they have a structured routine. He always gets excited because he knows that he'll have a chance to chat with Y/N no matter what.
They arrive five minutes before practice starts, making Harry rush out of the car, holding Josie's hand as she pulls him along, wanting to apologize to Y/N.
Y/N approaches them as they reach the area where all the girls have just started their warm-up lap.
"We're so sorry. We got stuck in a traffic jam." Harry rushes out, hating to get his daughter punished for his tardiness.
She shakes her head at him, not bothered. "Go on join the others, Josie," she gently touched her shoulder. "I've got to chat with your dad."
Josie gives her an uncertain look, but she assures her with a smile. She runs off, joining the second lap at the back of the two lines.
Harry stands there, uncertain, not sure what she needs to tell him. By the solemn look she has, it might not be good.
She walks off to the side a distance from the parents and has an eye on the girls finishing up their warm-up laps before going into a stretch.
"Josie brought up something I think you need to know."
Harry waits, allowing her to go on, knowing he shouldn't interrupt.
Y/N takes a deep breath before looking him in his eyes, "Josie says her mom told her she needs to stop calling her and to stop with the visits. That she's pregnant, and that's her priority, not her."
Harry's jaw drops. He didn't know Claudia could be so cruel to their daughter. He wasn't even aware she was pregnant or that she wanted more children. Mostly he hates that he does not hear this from his daughter.
"She told me she was afraid of how'd you react to the news, but I told her she needed to address it, and by your reaction, I assume she didn't."
Harry shakes his head. "No, we celebrated the win and had a good weekend. Seemed happier than normal honesty."
"It's common for kids to try to block it out. As someone who had to go through her fair share of child therapy, I feel like it would be good for her to see a therapist." Y/N tells him, voice gentle, knowing this is a lot for Harry.
"Why" Harry bites back, defensive. "She's fine, happy, and laughing."
"Harry, I'm not saying she's not, but she needs to talk about it. Jo won't be with you, and it's because she trusts and loves you and doesn't want to hurt you. She thinks she is protecting you; an eight-year-old shouldn't be trying to protect her father."
Harry feels himself boiling, no longer wanting to hear any more of what she has to say.  
"The signs are there."
The signs," he scoffs.
"Quietness, sadness, isolation, anxiety." She points to the field, and he turns to see Josie stretching alone, lost in her own head. No longer sitting between Juliet like she always had the last few weeks. A frown on her face seems to be permanently placed.  
"You've got no right to say this." Harry wishes she never brought this up.
"I'm doing this for her, not for you."
Harry has had enough; he wants her to hurt her like he is right now, which is why he lets his mouth speak before he can think over what he has said, "Who do you think you are? Honestly, you're a lousy soccer coach who has nothing better to do but judge kids and their parents."
"Harry," she whispers, trying to mask her hurt.
"No, you've said enough. I think you can forget about Josie playing for this team." His voice dripping with venom. "Seems all you wanted was extra cash in your pocket with the addition of a player ."
He walks towards the field. "Josie, we're leaving," Harry doesn't care that the other parents are watching now. He throws Josie's bag over his shoulder as he watches her jog over to him,
"We just got here. I was warming up."
"Josie, we're leaving." No room for argument in his voice, but Josie stands her ground.
"I don't want to leave." Her voice falters as she stares up at him.
"Josie, don't."
"Dad, I like it here, Coach is-"
Harry cuts her off, "Enough, Josephine, you're not coming back here ever."
Those words bring tears to her eyes; she drops her head, defeated. She follows behind Harry and turns to look at Y/N one last time, shooting her an "I warned you look."
Y/N watches them walk away, and she can only hope this is the last she sees of them. She shakes all her feelings out, knowing she has all eyes on her right now. She's got a team to coach, and just like that, she brushes away Harry and his cruel words, knowing they'll resurface later in the appropriate environment.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
After leaving the practice field, Harry And Josie did not speak a word to each other or the next day. They continued in silence, not for Harry's lack of trying to get a word out of Josie; she was just that upset with him.
All he received were head shakes, and Harry was worried. He cooled down after and let everything sink in, but the damage was done; it was too late.
That same night Harry called Claudia to confront her to tell her he would be taking her to court to forget seeing Josephine. All she responded was that it was quite alright. She was giving him full custody and would be sending him the paperwork she had already signed. Then hung up the phone on him.
Harry was appalled that a mother could do this to their child, to abandon them with no care. He always knew Claudia wasn't a good person, but he wished better for his daughter, and right now, even he didn't feel good enough for his angel girl.
On the fifth day of silence between his daughter and him, he received an email he was tempted not to open due to who it read the sender was. He did so anyway; it was the name, phone number, and location of a therapist nearby. The email read professional, not a hint of the last few months of knowing each other. There was an endnote that said to give her as a reference. He knew he would think it over for now.
On the seventh day of his daughter ignoring him, he called the number that he marked down on his phone. He called and set up an appointment for the following day; he knows it could have been longer if he didn't name drop Y/N. Harry knows he needs to apologize, but he's not sure where to begin or if it would be appropriate to show up at her house, but he decided to focus on one thing at a time, and that would be Josie.
Harry would have liked to walk hand in hand into the big building with big windows overlooking a secluded private park, but Josie walked ahead and sat herself on the rainbow-colored couches for kids and picked up a Judy Blume book to read.
Harry walks to the front desk and admires all the photos pinned up behind the receptionist. He knows they must be patients with only their first name signed. His favorite is a dinosaur swimming on a floaty holding a milkshake; there was some natural talent hanging on the wall as well as a lot of imagination.
"Sir, here for?" The receptionist called him for his turn, not noticing the person in front of him was now seated.
"Styles, Harry. Well, Josephine," he corrects. "Sorry."
"No worries, all parents do that their first time."
He awkwardly laughs.
"Dr. Sylvia Hernandedz will be with you shortly." He thanks her, going to sit on the black couch. He sinks right in full of comfort.
Five minutes later, they are called to go. He reaches for Josie's hand, and she lets him take it but doesn't make any move to hold him; it's as if he's carrying dead weight. Harry sighs but follows behind the receptionist.
"Hello, Styles family, lovely to meet you." A woman in her mid-forties greets them, a nice styled bun not a hair out of sight. Glasses on the bridge of her nose. She has a dark blue pencil skirt and a white buttoned shirt tucked in. He feels not as uncomfortable as he thought he would.
"I'm Syliva Hernandez, and you must be Josephine Styles." She leans down to be eye level with Josie and sticks out for her to shake.
"Yes, Dr. Hernandez. A pleasure to meet you." Josie responds politely.
Dr. Hernandez smiles. "Now, how'd you know I was a doctor?"
"The frame behind your desk shows your credentials." She points to the USC doctorate hanging behind a desk full of framed photos.
"Well, aren't you an observant girl?"
"Thank you."
"Would you like to accompany me to this playroom while I chat with your father? I can have my friend Alycia join you if you don't want to be alone."
Josie shakes her head no, "I'll be fine. I like being alone sometimes. I had a very wise person tell me it's okay to want to be alone sometimes, but it doesn't mean you're alone."  
"Did your dad tell you that?" Dr. Hernandez asks.
"No."
"Very, well off you go. We'll have an eye on you but feel free to use all the items in there."
"Thank you." Josie slips right in, grabbing paper and colored pencils, carefully pulling out her desired colors.
"Have a seat, please, Mr. Styles."
"Thank you."
He sits in the mahogany chair; he can't say he likes it much.
"These chairs are awful. My office is better furnished, I assure you."
Harry tears his eyes from Josie to look at the therapist.
They are silent, and Harry isn't sure what to do.
"Uhh...Y/N Y/LN recommend us to you. I'm not sure if they informed you or I had to let you know."
"Yes, I'm aware. She's a great person." Shutting down conversation.
"Your daughter's birthday."  
"December 13th, she's eight".
"How long have you been separated from her mother?"
"Since before her birth. We have a court agreement that I get weekly, and she gets her weekends, but that has recently changed. I have full custody of her.
"How does that make you feel?"
"Not okay; I grew up with divorced parents. My mother never remarried. I have an older sister, but we live in different countries."
"Do you fear the same for her?"
"Think it's worse for her. Josie's mother told her she didn't want her anymore because she would be having a baby. She didn't even tell me. She told--," he cuts himself off.
"Who did she tell?"
"Her soccer coach."
"A female?
"Yes. They are close. Have a real bond, an understanding of sorts."
"Do you think she is looking for a female to look up to?"
"It would make sense. My mother lives in London, and we only see her on holidays, same with my sister. She gets on well with my best mate's girlfriend, Sarah. She taught Josie to play the drums a bit. Also, Glenne, a dear friend."
"Male figures in life?"
"Too many. Mitch, Jeff, Adam, and his kids. Tyler, a family friend."
"It seems she has paternal figures, but she's searching for maternal figures." She states before continuing, "What's the reason you brought her in?"
"The coach addressed to me that she was worried that she was withdrawing herself, becoming anxious and lonely. Less happy. I didn't see it, but we've gone a week without speaking, and I've seen her mope and stare off a lot."
"Is she still seeing her coach?
"No, that's part of our not talking. I got upset over the suggestion of therapy and took that away from her."
"It led to a negative response."
"Yes, and I feel awful about it."
"It seems that the sport and coach are important to her and who she is. It's what you call a safe place."
"But she was beginning to withdraw from there as well," Harry states, not knowing it couldn't be so safe if she was isolating herself.  
"Well, we'll have to talk with her. Are you comfortable with me speaking with her alone? I do have to let you know what I speak with her is confidential. She can tell you about it, but you cannot ask me."
"Yes, of course. It's fine, I understand." Harry knows therapy can be scary, but it can also be the start of something better.
"Well, let me call her back."
Dr. Hernandez stands and opens the door, "Josephine, come with me, please." Josie nods her head, putting the colored pencils away and bringing her picture with her.
"I apologize if we took too long."
"Not long. Enough to finish my drawing." She shares, giving the doctor a small smile.
"Can I have a look?"
Josie hands it over, Dr. Hernandez turns it so they can both see what she drew. It's a photo of a goal net and who he assumes to be himself in the net. A little girl with two pigtails standing there, hands raised, and another female is to the side cheering with a megaphone.
"It's beautiful."
"Thank you," Josie says proudly.
"Do you think I can keep it? Have you sign your name and add it to the front desk."
"Would you?" Josie's eyes go wide at someone other than her dad hanging up her art.
"Of course."
"That'd be wonderful." And for the first time in a week, she turns looking up at Harry. "Did you hear that daddy, Dr. Hernandez wants to keep it?
"I would too; it's beautiful, darling."
"I can make another."
Harry smiles, grateful, his daughter is her vibrant self, "Thank you, honey."
"Josephine, are you okay with your dad stepping out and you talking with me privately one on one?
"Yes, I like you. Also, you can call me Josie."
Dr. Hernandez nods in acknowledgment before turning to address Harry.
"You can wait in the waiting room. Alycia will bring you back to discuss in my office when we are done."  
Harry mutters okay and walks out, closing the door behind him. He walks a few steps before laying his head to rest on the wall. This has felt like a lot, but he also feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulder.
Maybe I need to see a therapist. Harry thinks to himself, liking that he got a lot off his shoulders in just a short amount of time.
He's walking down the hallway when he hears a familiar voice, one he didn't think he'd have the pleasure of ever hearing again.
It stops him in his tracks.
He hears her voice once more and follows it out to the waiting room he's supposed to be waiting for his daughter.
Harry sees that she is talking with Alycia, and as he steps closer, he feels like it is harder to breathe.
"I have three more clients before I'm done for the day, but I have a thirty-minute gap, so maybe we can order smoothies, my treat." She tells the secretary handing her two twenty bills so that she can get everyone a drink.
"Y/N," he gasps out.
His eyes roam her body; he's never seen her dressed, so office official always used to see her in shorts, sweats, leggings, and a t-shirt. She's wearing this blue satin silk blouse tucked into high-waisted black trousers and low heels.
She is gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.
Y/N turns, not at all trying to hide the surprised look on her face.
"You're here." She nods; he's not sure why she's here.
"Here's your next client's file. They are doing an intake. You have over half an hour."
"Great."
Harry is now standing in front of her. "You work here?"
Y/N nods.
"You're a therapist." He states.
Y/N can clearly see he wants to talk and knows a better place to do it than their waiting room filled with waiting people.
"Why don't we talk in my office?" Harry nods, ready to follow her, but before he can, she turns to the desk once more, "Hold my calls, please, Alycia."
"Of course."
"Follow me, Harry."
They walk in silence as they pass Dr. Hernandez's door. She opens her door, allowing him to enter first. It feels bright and full of color; the wall's painting is pale green and hanging on the walls; she has lots of scenic photos and drawings. The chairs are nice, a red velvet couch pushed against a wall, her desk is not that big, he notices. It lacks pictures compared to Dr. Hernandez. Her degrees are placed on a bookshelf. She has it color-coded in colors of the rainbow, which is quite impressive.
"Have a seat." She offers all the open space.
Y/N takes a seat on the couch, and he follows.
Harry feels underdressed next to Y/N, and that has never happened before; he is always the one showing up in extravagant and overpriced suits.
"You work here." He waits for her to confirm.
"Yes, I'm a therapist here. Dr. Hernandez was my advisor during my undergrad. She knew what I wanted to accomplish for my career. They offered me a job, and I accepted. They have been supportive of obtaining my doctorate."
Harry is very impressed, "Congrats, that's wonderful."
"Thank you."
They both quiet down, not sure who should go first. Harry is about to start when Y/N begins to speak.
"Listen, Harry, I'm sorry. I went about addressing it wrong, and I never meant to upset you. I apologize." Y/N keeps her eyes on his wanting him to see how sincere she was.
"No need, I've taken a week to reflect on what a jerk I was. Having Josie give me the silent treatment for a week was torture." Harry confesses, scratching his neck to avoid reaching for her hand.
"Is she okay? Harry, that's a long time." Y/N's voice laced with concern.
"I'm sure she's chatting Dr. Hernandez ear off as we speak."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"I brought it on myself by taking her away from one thing she truly loves."
Y/N nods, not able to disagree with Harry. "Yeah, I understand."
"Is that how you know she needed therapy because you're a therapist?"
"Yes. I saw the signs, but I mostly observe and never address it, but from the conversations I've had with Josie and the relationship we built, I felt like I owed it to her to get her help." Y/N pauses, debating if she was ready to share more of herself with Harry. "It was also that I saw myself in her, it felt familiar, and I wanted to help."
"I'm going to tell you a story."
Harry can tell it's not going to be an easy one as she's not staring at her hand, focused on the lone ring she has on her index finger. "You don't have to."
She reaches over and squeezes his hand once to let him know it's alright. "I was nine years old when I walked in on my dad cheating on my mom with his secretary. I told her as soon as she came home and she didn't believe me. She went as far as calling me an attention seeker. By the end of the week, we were living with my grandparents. I didn't see my parents again after that day. At age ten, I started visiting the counselor because I blamed myself for my sister no longer having parents. I wouldn't even allow myself to talk to her; I was just consumed by guilt taking all the blame when I shouldn't have."
Y/N knows Harry's gaze is on her, but she doesn't dare look up, not wanting to see the pity in his eyes. "Don't think I've stopped since then. A big reason I'm doing the job I am now is for those who helped me along the way.
"Y/N,"
"Harry, no pity comments. I've made my peace, sure the trauma never truly leaves, but you overcome it."
"Thank you for sharing that with me, I know I don't deserve it, but I'm grateful."
Harry needs to apologize; he wants to leave here today knowing he didn't lose a friend.
"I'm sorry I hurt you."
"Harry, you-"
"No, I really am; I didn't mean a word I said. I know you're more than a coach, and you're not lousy; you're brilliant. You're my daughter's favorite person. I didn't mean it, and I hope you'll forgive me."
"I accept your apology, that was a bad day for all of us, but I can move past it if you can?"
"Yes, I would love that. I feel awful you're someone I trust, a friend. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.
"Thank you, Harry."
"One more thing."
"Yes, go on."
"Can you recommend a therapist for me? Talking with Dr. Hernandez was amazing, and I think I would benefit from it."
Y/N doesn't make any comment, just nods. "I'll send you a list of therapists but do know you'll always find a friend in me if you ever need a shoulder to cry on or someone to watch over you as you get drunk."
Harry chuckles; he'll keep that in mind for future references.  
"There's a knock on the door. "Yes, come in."
"Sylvia is ready for Mr. Styles."
"Thank you, Alycia. I'll walk him to her office."
Y/N stands, and Harry follows close behind as they make their way out to reunite him with his daughter.
"Y/N, can I hug you?"
She bits back the smile threatening to overtake her face at how small he looks asking. "Yes, that's fine."
Harry doesn't wait for another second; he throws his arms around her holding her tight. He hadn't been lucky enough to hug her before, but now doing it, he doesn't think he ever wants to go a day without one.
They walk out, both having heated faces due to enjoying being the embrace of one another. She walks them a few doors down and knocks, waiting for the go-ahead to go in.
"One last thing," She says, pointing a hand to his chest."
"Name it." He'd give her anything.
"Jo comes back to the team. You bring her to the game this weekend."
"Yes, of course."
She beams at his response, "Great."
Y/N peeks her head in, locking eyes with Sylvia. "Alright, to come in, Doc?"
"Of course, Josephine, this is my good friend and coworker Y/N."
Josie turns and smiles wide, jumping up when she sees her walk in with Harry right behind her.
"Hiya, champ. Seems to have found your dad lost out here."
Josie giggles and runs into her arms, hugging her tightly.
"I've missed you."
"As have I little miss sunshine. I missed my fastest midfielder at the game. All the girls missed you."
"Awe, I'll be back," she looks up at Harry with a look of worry on her face. "Right, daddy?"
"Yes, darling. Got a game at ten am on Saturday."
Josie lets out a loud shriek.
"So this is Coach." Dr. Hernandez says with a knowing smile.
"Yes, she's great," Josie responds, holding tight to Y/N's hand.  
Y/N chuckles. "How about you and I go draw a picture to add to my office while Dr. Hernandez and your dad tie up some little things."
"Okay."
They walk out hand in hand as Josie catches up with Y/N on everything she did on her week away. Not shying away from how she handled the now resolved issue with her father.
"You don't look as blue," Dr. Hernandez comments."
"Sorry," Harry blushes, having been lost in thought on the two girls who just walked out.
"Mr. Styles, your aura is soft, kinder."
"Yeah, I think she has that effect on people."
"You might be right."
Things are finally looking up, and Harry looks forward to rebuilding his relationship with Josie and hopefully creating one with Y/N besides their parent and coach relationship.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
It's been two weeks since Josie came back to play, and thing's have been going smoothly. Harry begins helping out with cleaning up at the end of practice to talk to Y/N more. He asks more about her job and how the doctorate is going. He worries she might be juggling too much, but she assures him she has a smooth dynamic of handling everything.
It's a cold Saturday morning, it's the quarter-finals, and the nerves are high for everyone. The girls finished on top of the leaderboard, but the league likes doing a championship game to honor all the hard-working teams.
Y/N is quieter this morning, and all the parents have picked up on it. They are used to her light and kind nature, wishing everyone a good day and accepting treats. Cynthia's mom is in charge of snacks for today and offered her a muffin one she never says no to except today.
It immediately puts everyone in a skittish mood.
Truthfully, Y/N isn't here for the parents, but the girls and the team they are against is the dirtiest. Most girls are nine and will be moving up a division, but Coach Roman teaches them that dirty plays will make them win. Her girls are strong players, but she reminds them of the importance of sportsmanship and playing with heart.
Y/N even makes sure she cannot be approached by anyone, only the girls and Kate, as they start to warm up on the field. The girls do their drills as Kate stands quietly by your side.
"Someone can't take their eye off of you."
"Stop."
"It's true though, he was pouting when he saw you on the field clipboard in hand," Kate says with a giggle.
"Shush."
"Going to ask him on a date?"
"Only if we win."
That shuts Kate up, "You're joking."
Y/N slowly shakes her no, "Girls, two lines, run through side net shots."
Kate and Y/n stand back to back as the girls pass, and they kick it-bag, giving them only a second to angle themselves. This is one of their favorite warm-ups, and she's glad she can still talk with Kate during it.
"What made you finally decide?"
"I realized he's not going to make a move because one he fears I'm going to reject him and two it goes horribly wrong, then he might never show his face around here again. I'm positive he likes me."
Kate nods, "he likes you, adores you. He's got it bad." She's quiet for a moment before starting up again, "I know we're going to win, so how are you going to ask him? I'm going to need all the details."
"I'm going to go up to him and ask him out to dinner, simple as that."
Y/N changes the drill marking the end of their conversation; she leads the girl into two groups of keep away while Kate takes Dawson, their goalie, to keep warming up.
Before they know it, captains and coaches are called. Coach Roman is smug and annoying as he shakes her hand. The girls pick heads and win the coin toss. They choose to have kickoff; Roman's girls decide to stay on their side, meaning everything to their advantage as they have the slight uphill to battle through for the first half, and the second will use it to their advantage.
The starting lineup is quick to attack, and in a matter of minutes, Juliet scored a goal from a pass from Imelda. The girls' cheer, happy to be leading the game. They know better than getting cocky; if anything, this intensifies their speed at playing. The next twelve minutes of the second quarter are stressful as Josie makes it a two-zero lead from a corner kick. Just as half-time is to be called, a midfield slips through the defense from the back and gets it over Dawson's head, and just like that, the referee calls it.
Y/N can't remember the last time she was this anxious. It's foul after foul, and she's had enough of it.
Kate is quick to round up the girl, not wanting to monopolize all their time, wanting them to relax mostly to stay in a positive mindset. Kate leads the talk letting them know they are doing well and that the left-wing is getting beat, but having the downhill in favor should help her out now. Y/N went around making sure each girl was safe and had no injuries, only grass stains on their knees.
"Be aggressive, but don't stoop to their level."
"Yes, coach" is heard in unison as a response.
Each girl goes to their bags and starts to stretch, knowing they can't approach their parents because it's easy for them to influence them on how they are playing. Everyone respects it, but there are a few times a parent comes by.
She decides to take a walk, getting away from the girls. She just wants to relax and not be as tense for the end of the half.
She nearly jumps out of her skin when she hears someone call her name.
"Fuck, Harry. You scared me."
He raises his hands up in defense. "Sorry, I was just checking if you are okay?"
Y/N doesn't hesitate to rush into his arms, tucking her head into his neck. Harry, without hesitation, wraps his arms around her. He runs his hand down her back softly, hoping she finds it comforting.
"Hey, hey, it's okay." She holds him tighter, so he goes on. "You're okay, yeah, doing a good job. Girls are playing well. Taking care of each other, just like you taught them."
She slowly nods her head, she's calmed down, and Y/n thinks it might have to do with his soothing heartbeat.
"Deep breaths, love, Come on with me."
Harry breathes in and out until she does it with him. He feels her relax and tries to pull her back, but her grip is tight.
"It's okay, not going anywhere."
"Sorry," she whispers.
"No need to apologize, love."
"I just don't like when coaches teach their girls to play dirty; I hate injuries. They're just kids." She whispers, looking up at him now.
"They'll be okay."
"You don't know that. We have two quarters left."
Harry knows he won't be able to comfort her like he wants when he hears the ref blow the whistle. "Look, the girls are about to start, and they need a coach."
She nods, knowing she has to go back to her coaching mentality. The girls are her main priority; she can do this.
"Thank you, Harry."
"I'm here for you, whenever you need."
Y/N jogs over, nudging Kate playfully, who is shooting her suggestive eyes. They let the captain lead the huddle and listen intently before wishing them luck. The parents clap as the team cheer echoes out.
Only twenty-four minutes left, they can do this. She knows they can. The referees assured them he'd get a better eye on them, not wanting anyone to be carried off injured. Y/N refuses to take her eyes off of her girls. Constantly reminding them to keep communicating with each other when she hears them go quiet.
The last two quarters pass much quicker than the first; the girls play with more fleeting touches, not allowing the other team to put pressure on them.
Just when number eleven is close to getting the ball, Leslie switches the ball over to the other side; Y/N is shocked at how well Josie brings it down, she constantly struggles with this at practice, but she knows that Josie has been putting in the extra work.
She can hear Harry clapping and cheering on Josie; Y/N shouts her praise, letting her know she's doing well. Andie gets a breakaway, and it's a one-be-one versus the goalie. She fakes right as it goes left, touching it in softly, and in it goes. Y/N can't stop cheering, feeling the buzz all over her body. She's incredibly proud of the hard work they have all put in. Just as they reset and the ball is passed back, the whistle is blown and signifies they have won.
Golden Sparks are moving on to the semi-finals.
The girls are quick to jog in and tackle Y/N and Kate in a massive group hug. Y/N is going to be basking in this happiness for the entire weekend.
Y/N sends all the girls to their parents, letting them know she was okay doing the clean-up on her own. Kate stuck around, as did Juliet, because she wanted to have breakfast with Y/N telling her parents they were not welcome to come even though the invitation was extended to them. Clara and Xavier did not take any offense, happy to go back home and nap the morning away if their young toddler would let them.
Y/N approaches Harry after she gets everything settled in her trunk. He smiles at her, walking over helping her close her trunk as they wave by to Kate together. Josie and Juliet hang out in Harry's car, going through his Spotify playlist as they skip song after song, not being a fan of his taste.
Y/N lets out a deep breath, "I've been working up the courage to do this."
"Do what lovely? Harry asks curiously.
"Would you like to have dinner with me?" Y/N feels her stomach tense up as she waits for a response; by his wide eyes, she can tell he wasn't expecting her to say that, but he plays it off well.
"Asking me on a date?"
"I am."
Harry agrees, "I'd like that."
"Does Friday work for you?"
"Yes, great."
"I'll uh, pick you up."
"Proper wine and dine, love." She chuckles because, yeah, she wants to swoop Harry off his feet just like he did to her without even trying.
Y/N gives him a hug holding him tight for a few seconds, smiling up at Harry feeling giddy that they had a date planned after two months of flirting that they weren't sure would go anywhere.
"Juliet, we got to go."
"Okay, auntie." Juliet slams the door just a tad bit too hard, making Y/N mutter an apology.
"Bye, Harry."
"Bye, love."
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
Friday had arrived quicker than Harry expected. He got to see Y/N during the week because of the practices, and he was texting her every chance he got. He wanted to let her know he liked her and he was serious about pursuing her. It's been a long time since his last relationship, but call him cliche with Y/N; it all feels right. That everything is falling into place like it should.
Now here he sat on his couch waiting for Y/N to arrive; he had changed his outfit three times because she told him casually, and he couldn't settle on a look. It wasn't until he put on a plain black tee that hugged her arms just right and white linen cropped pleated trousers that he felt ready. He even broke out his new white Vans for the evening.
Harry was about to check the time when there was a knock on his door. He couldn't tame the butterflies in his stomach if he tried. As he opened the door, Harry let out a laugh because there stood the most beautiful woman holding up a bouquet of red lilies. He's falling in love, and there's no stopping him; he just hopes she's there to catch him.
"Hi Harry, these are for you."
Harry laughs, not knowing how to react to receiving flowers, "I'm speechless." He accepts them and gently cradles them in his arms. "I'll put them in water, and we can go."
"Sure, no rush." Y/N admires his living room, never having stepped foot in his house until today, and it's small but cozy. There are photos of all his family framed on the wall to her right. He has a small bookshelf that holds more vinyl than books.
Harry comes back and sees her staring at a photo of Josie on her first birthday covered in cake from head to toe. "I'd give you a tour, but I'm actually really excited to start our date."
"I'm sure they'll be another time."
She walks down his driveway to her parked car allowing Harry to have a moment to look her over. She's dressed casually; she has high-waisted jeans that show off all her beautiful assets. Her lavender cardigan looks warm; she left it open to expose a white plain top. It is genuinely a casual look, but she makes it look over the top.
"You look beautiful," Harry tells her as she stands by her car door.
Y/N does a small twirl before jokingly curtsying for him. "Glad you think so. Those trousers are doing your thighs justice if I do say so myself."
Harry giggles loving how easy she compliments him.
"Right, I wanted to take you mini golfing but considering it's a Friday and summer, it's going to be packed with teenagers."
"Oh, you definitely saved us."
"Yeah, I thought we could take Josie during the middle of the week as a date. I bet she'd enjoy it. Although, I never keep track of points because I'm too competitive."
The date has barely started, and she's left him speechless twice.
"You want Josie to join us on dates." Harry states.
She looks over at him quickly as they are stopped at a red light, "Of course, Harry. She's your daughter; I don't expect you to find a sitter every time we want to go out together. Isn't it like if you're dating me, you're dating my daughter."
He chuckles, "but not on our first date."
"Honestly, I think we were long overdue for a date."
"Yeah, I wanted to ask you out all summer long," He confesses.
Y/N gasps in shock as she signals a right turn, briefly checking her blind spot before making the turn. "Yet, it only happened with a few weeks left in summer."
"Yeah, but we got here, didn't we?"
Y/N leans over and places her hand on his thigh, squeezing him twice, "Yes, we did."
Harry sees her turn into a diner that looks a bit run down; he doesn't dare question her because she seems so excited as she gets out of the car and waits for him by the trunk. Y/N extends her hand for him to take, and he does without a hint of hesitation.
Y/n leads the way, but he hurries to open the door for her. She thanks him with a squeeze of the hand. Walking in, he was startled at how Harry felt he was transported to a seventies diner. The booths were red and looked sparklingly new. To the left was a jukebox that he was desperate to have a look at, maybe dedicate a song to Y/N. The floor's black and white pattern shined at him as the waiter wore a nice button-up with a black bow tie, a red and white striped apron thrown over, his name tag said James.
"After you," Y/N said, wanting Harry to pick a booth side; he knew better than to fight her and slid in on the left side. Harry is surprised when Y/N slides in right next to him. "This alright, Harry?"
Harry grins at her, dimples on display just for her. "Yeah, just caught me by surprise."
She opens up the menu sliding the other one away so they could share. Y/N points to some of her favorite items on the menu and cringing at ones she disliked.
"You know the menu well." Harry states before deciding on the turkey burger she had raved about.
Y/N chuckles, closing the menu. "My grandparents brought Clara and me here every other weekend, never letting us eat out. My grandmother was against the food industry, and she knew the owner here prided themselves on giving back to the community. Always holding fundraisers or donating to local teams."
"Fast food industry isn't the best, but I thank them because I can get Thai food delivered to my house."
Y/N doesn't have time to respond, as their waiter comes back with two glasses of water. "I'll have the turkey burger, no onions, and fries instead of the salad."
Harry didn't know she didn't like onions but made a mental note on it, "I'll also have the turkey burger and the side salad. Oh, and the couple milkshake, we agreed on strawberry, right?"
Y/N nods her head, "I had forgotten about that, but yeah, two straws, please."
"I'll have that out shortly," James tells them, walking away.
"The shake is too hard to die for; it has whipped cream on the top and bottom. It's freshly made, nothing like the canned kind. It's large! Made to be shared, thank goodness you remembered."
Harry shrugs, "That's what I'm here for."
Harry loves how easy conversation flows with Y/N. He doesn't have to force himself to say try to think of a topic or question to ask her. She's very open in sharing herself with him, he's never had someone drop down all his walls this quick, yet again, he might have dropped back ages ago.
Y/N talks to him about his grandparents and how adoring they were. That they supported all of her dreams, even the ones that we're crazy, like wanting to become a witch because she wanted to make flowers grow from her palm. Harry shared how the first year of Josie being born, he felt like he never slept, always nervous something would happen. He also tells her how living in Georgia is something he didn't enjoy, but he also didn't want to bounce Josie around from school to school. It was only date one, but Harry was excited for what the future had in store for them.
When James came back to drop off their burgers and shake. Y/N didn't even hear him too busy laughing at a dumb joke Harry had told her; he can't even remember the joke he made because her laugh is music to his ears.
Y/N waits for Harry to take his first bite, and he decides to tease her just a bit. He slowly raises the burgers stopping an inch from his lips; Y/N sits there, chin perched on her hand as if she has all the time in the world to wait for him.
"I'm in no rush, casanova." She smirks, not falling for his game.
Harry knows eating burgers is nothing sexual, so he decides to go all in. He moans at the first taste he gets, it's juicy, and the pepper jack cheese is perfectly melted, adding an excellent combination.
"Love, that is an amazing burger."
"I know." She's already gotten a bite in. She eyes his salad plate for a moment before looking back over to her fries.
"You want some, sweetheart?"
Y/N giggles at his comment, "God no. I eat healthy enough already, thanks to Juliet, but can I have some of your ranch?"
Harry understands eating healthy, he does it for Josie, and since Y/N is constantly around Juliet, it makes sense she would change her eating habits but does know as an aunt she's easier to give in to desserts. Not that he minds; he needs more sweetness in his life.
"Sure, you eat it with your fries. That's interesting."
She shrugs, "I don't think it is. Everyone in my family eats fries with ranch, including Josie."
"If Josie starts eating fries like that, I will know who to blame."
Y/N bumps her shoulder with Harry, "Haha."
They eat most of their meal in silence. Occasionally, Harry steals a few fries causing Y/N to chuckle before turning her plate, so Harry didn't have to reach over her. She doesn't chastise him about not ordering fries if he wanted some. Harry likes how much he enjoys spending time with Y/N.
"What's one thing you hope to accomplish within the next five years?" Harry asks as Y/N passes the shake back to him and takes a generous drink. They had finished eating, and now we're trying to finish the shake that Harry thought was smaller than what had arrived at their table.
"My usual answer is a doctor, but what's happening next year, so, give me a moment," Harry waits for her, watching as she plays with the rings on his right hand. They went front sitting thigh to thigh to Y/N, hooking her leg to Harry's, causing her to lean more on him. Harry liked it, and if he wasn't somewhere public or their first date, he would have pulled her into his lap. He took a chance and set his hand on top of her thigh; to his surprise, she placed her hand on top of his, intertwining their fingers together.
Every little thing she did made him fall deeper and deeper.
"I want to run a marathon."
"A marathon? I didn't know you were a runner."
"Oh yeah, last December I ran a half marathon, and it was hell, but once the runner high hits, it's the most wonderful thing."
"Why not do it now?"
Y/N frowns, taking off the rose ring from his finger and slipping it on one of hers. "The training is rigorous. You have to work up the miles constantly and eat better. I would rather enjoy the upcoming year."
"Well, when it happens, I can't wait to be there cheering you on." He tells her with a hopeful look.
"I'll hold you to that, Styles."
Harry smiles, hoping she does, hoping he gets to spend many more years to come with her in his life.
Y/N excuses herself to the restroom, and Harry decides it's a good time to pick a song. He approached it grateful to half a quarter hanging in his pocket. The jukebox looked old but well kept. Harry saw over 100 songs but searched for a specific one in mind; he was thrilled to see it was on there. Just as it started to play, he saw Y/N walking back towards him, so he hurried over to slide into their seat.
"You know, you're kind of clumsy."
"Am not," he denies.
"Oh, sorry, so it wasn't you who bumped into the table as you made your way to sit down."
Harry decides not to respond, knowing she saw him embarrass himself, and instead starts singing along to the song. The smile on her face widens as she hears how good he is.
"I'm not surprised you picked Fleetwood Mac, "songbird" is a sweet song."
"Am I that predictable?"
She nods, "Jo always sings one of their songs; at the sleepover, she said that's what you played most, so I taught her my favorites."
"Is it you I have to thank for the ABBA and Selena obsession?" He playfully glares.
"Guilty. She needed to brighten her horizon."
"Josie doesn't even know Spanish."
"Ah, but she will now."
"You're weird." Y/N shrugs in acceptance, knowing he meant it as a compliment.
As Harry's song comes to an end, she jumps up and rushes over to pick her song. She doesn't shy away about dancing her way back over to him. She mouths along to "The Name of the Game," moving her body to the beat.
"The name of the game?"
"You know it, darling."
Harry feels the heat in his cheek and hopes Y/N won't bring it up. She gets him flustered in just a few words.
"You know this is about falling in love with your therapist," he states
"Harry!" She exclaims. "No, the song is open to interpretation."
"What do you think?"
"I think it's about the early days of your relationship and wondering if it'll be something more or not. Also, that bridge, I mean come on."
Harry loves how passionate she is about the song. He loves that she's not afraid to share her thoughts with him, and he realizes he's doing the same. He can't help himself and leans in to press a kiss to her temple, throwing an arm over her shoulder to pull her close as they sit there listening to the song to the end.
"Ready to go, angel?" He feels her mutter a small okay, as she gets up, offering her hand to him as he's at the edge. "Let's go take care of the bill."
Y/N chuckles, "Already did, Harry."
Harry pulls her back, turning her to face him, "When?"
"The restroom, oldest trick in the book."
"Sneaky, sneaky."
Y/N, let's Harry lead the way out this time; they say goodnight to the staff and hurry over to the car. He didn't bring a coat, and he still wasn't used to how cold California got at night. He thought summer meant warm nights with a gentle breeze, not chilly air. Y/N seemed to not mind it, not hurrying after Harry as he jumped into the passenger seat.
"Afraid of the cold, H."
"Yes, why is it so bad?"
"Didn't you get snow in December up in the peach state? Also, aren't you from where the sun never shines?" Y/N teases him as she settles in her seat, turning on the heater for Harry.
"We visit occasionally; I can handle the weather with the appropriate clothing." He pouts at her, rubbing his arms.
Y/N turns around, reaching for something in the backseat before settling in again and settling it in Harry's lap. She doesn't say anything besides dazzling him with a smile and pulling out of the parking lot.
Harry slips it on over his head and finds it fits him loose, "I hope you know you might not be getting this back."
Y/N turns to look at him as he drags the collar up to his cheek to feel the softness it still holds, "That's my coach sweater. Kate got me a few, all in different sizes; I wear this one because I like baggy hoodies."
Harry smiles at her, he knows everything they have done has been in reverse, but he loves how confident she is. He knows she's been hurt before in the past from what she's shared but not once has he felt her trying to hide or push him away. He wants to tell her everything he's kept locked inside, he's never felt like this before, and he hopes the feeling never goes away.
"You know, if people see you wearing the sweater, they'll start talking."
Harry turns in his seat, facing her as the street lights shine on her face. "Let them. I've got no shame in people thinking you're my girlfriend. If I'm lucky enough, it might come true."
Y/N shakes her head, thankful for the darkness because he won't be able to see how her face heated up. The drive to his house was short, he wished for the night to never end, but even he knows he's not that lucky. Harry lets her know it's okay to pull into his driveway as he had his car parked on the curb right.
"I'll walk you to your door." Harry holds her hand the short way to where they will soon have to say goodnight.
Harry doesn't try getting his keys out; instead, he turns her to look at him, wanting to remember her in this moment forever. His last first date. Call him crazy, but there was no one else for him. It was always Y/N; he just had to find her.
"I had the best night with you," Harry whispers, pulling her close by her waist. She rests her hands on his shoulders and nods. "We're doing this again, Y/N."
"I got a second date." She cheers.
Harry leans his forehead against hers, smirking as he hears her breath hitch. "You get a second, a third, a fifth, a one hundred. You name it, you got it."
He's so close to closing the gap between them, feeling their breaths mix together.
"That means you'd be stuck with me for a long time."
"I want to say forever, but that might be too soon."
"Our secret." She whispers, her eyes dancing from his lips to his eyes. "Please kiss me, H."
Harry knows he won't ever be able to deny anything she wishes in life, mainly because he was close to losing her once before.
His lips moved slowly, savoring the feel of her against him as he pulled her close, letting himself rest against the door. He felt the butterflies in his stomach going crazy as she moved her hands to his hair, tugging on the small curls. Harry pulled back in fear of letting out a moan at the intense pleasure she made him feel.
Y/N pulls back breathless but presses her lips to his cheek, not wanting him to touch to go far. "Will you give me another, darlin'," Y/N nods a starry look in her eye as she lets Harry swoop in and take control of the kiss. This second kiss is faster and more passionate. Harry was holding back before, but now he wants her to feel everything he makes her feel. Harry wants her to know he gives her goosebumps and fireworks.
"I could kiss you all night." Harry trails kisses on her cheeks, loving how lost in his touch she is.
"Too bad, I need to rest. I've got to coach a game tomorrow."
That statement is enough to bring Harry back to reality, where he has to wake up extra earlier to pick up his daughter then drive her to the game. They have to say goodnight, even though neither one of them wants to.
Harry pulls away, dropping his hands from her waist; Y/N follows by letting her hands slide down from his hair.
"See you tomorrow?" He winks at Y/N as she walks backward, creating distance between them.
"Of course, we got a semi-final to win."
Y/N walks to her car, touches her lips feeling the lingering heat on when he kisses her breathless. She is turning on her car, making sure her headlights are on, when she sees Harry rushing down the steps toward her, the smile on his face contagious.
"What is it?" She asks as she rolls down her window, knowing she wouldn't leave soon if she got out.
"A kiss for the road."
Y/N couldn't dare deny him a kiss, especially when she was craving more already.
Harry slipped a hand the back of her neck, fearing she'd pull back sooner than he wanted. Her lips tasted like cherry; he figures she put on chapstick. This was only their third kiss, but it had only gotten better. Harry swiped his tongue against her bottom lip, begging for entrance, but she pulled back, letting out a breathless laugh at the pout he made, no longer able to feel her against him. She leans and pecks at the corner of his mouth, whispering a goodnight as he steps back, letting her drive away.
It may be too soon, but he might just love her.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
The semi-final had to be one of the most intense games she had seen the young girls play. It was goal after goal from each team, neither one backing down on the pressure.
In the second half, she told them she was proud that if they kept playing how they were, this game was theirs. Going in a 3-2 lead, the girls stood shocked when, in a corner kick, the other team had been able to get it into the back of the net and over Dawson.
Kate thought this might knock them down, but it sparked something in all of them. All the parents stood up from their seats when they saw them dance around the opposing team switching the ball side to side. Honestly, it was something far advanced than they've ever presented.
Y/N was in awe; their communication was at a new level. There wasn't much time left, and Kate feared penalty kicks even if they were prepared for it.
Lani had control of the middle field; she just needed to get it past their defense. Juliet had defenders marking her tight, no way able to make a run towards the goal. If they played it right, Juliet would draw them out, leaving a gap allowing them to make a run for it. That's all they needed for a foot race.
Kate was sitting on the bench holding tightly onto Sarah Beth's hand, not able to take the pressure; then again, no one could take it. It all happened so fast; one moment, Juliet ran towards the midfield, two defenses following close behind when she got a touch on the ball, letting her send it back where it came from, then straight down the line. Jo and Franny ran down both sides too far ahead to be stopped; Jo was able to get a touch on it, crossing it straight to Franny, who shot at goal but was stopped by the opposing goalie. Jo was there for the rebound striking it in.
Goal!
She did it. She made the final goal.
Jo was quick to be bombarded by the rest of her teammates hugging her as they ushered back for the kick-off. Y/N wished she could run in there and hug her, telling her how proud she was, but for now, shouting 'great job' and 'stay focused' would be enough. Y/N looked over at Harry, who was wiping his tears still yelling proudly for his daughter, and like he knew she was staring, he looked over at her giving her the cheesiest grin she had ever seen on him.
The game finished, and the Golden Sparks won another game, taking them to the final the following week. Y/N congratulated the girls telling how proud she was of them and the hard work they put in each game. She told them she can't wait to see them on Monday and to have a wonderful weekend. Then told their parents to spoil them a little extra this weekend that earned a cheer from all the girls.
As Y/N was packing up her things, Kate and a few other parents already helped carry everything over to Kate's car. She felt arms around her waist.
"Hey, quickster," Y/N says, turning, allowing her niece to hug her properly.
"The girls are going to get ice cream if you want to go with them; Emilia's mom will text you the address," Juliet asks, but Y/N has spent enough time with them and wants to let them be.
"Thanks for the offer, but you have a good time. I'll let your mom know Emilia's mom is dropping you off." Juliet nods, giving her one more hug before hurrying over to Emilia's car, where Jo also happens to get in. She sends them away; she notices Harry a few vehicles over putting a bag away when she reaches her car.
Something comes over her because the next thing she knows, she's calling his name and standing next to him.
"Hiya, love. Doing alright?"
Y/N tucks her hair behind her ear and nods, "Yes, all good. That was an exciting game."
"Good to hear."
"You doing anything now?" She asks, peeking over her shoulder, seeing Kate has her eye on her, but she just rolls her eyes before looking back at Harry.
"Going home, my munchkin left me."
"Well, there's a great Mexican restaurant here if you'd like to join me for lunch."
Harry smirks, "Asking me on another date, are you?"
"I have to when I know you're still a bit nervous about making a move," she confesses bashfully.
Harry's not surprised she can so easily read him; all the walls he had left are gone.
"Then I'd be honored."
"Great, uh good. Just follow me then."
Arriving, they were seated quickly. A plate of chips and salsa were delivered shortly, Harry asked for guacamole. Y/N didn't argue, knowing for many people that was one of their favorite dips. Personally, she wasn't a fan. She didn't like the texture. Most people were shocked at the revelation, and no doubt Harry would as well.
"What's good here, love?" Harry says, leaning into her side to peek at her menu instead of opening his.
"Hmmm...honestly everything. I always get something different when I come, but you can never go wrong with tacos."
"Alright, you want to share?"
Y/N shrugs, "We can. I'm not picky, but I am starving."
"Have some guacamole; you haven't gotten any."
"No thanks, I'm not a fan."
"You serious?"
"Yes, Harry."
"That's strange."
"What is?" She sets the menu down to look over at him.
"I mean, it's fine. At least you'll never buy avocado toast for like six dollars." He chuckles, and Y/N can't help but join in.
Their waiter comes over, "Estan listos para ordenar?"
Y/N nods, "Hola, si. Dos tacos de asada, y dos de al pastor. Por favor."
Harry is staring intently at his menu, not speaking a word as they wait for his order. "You alright, darling?"
He leans close to whisper in her ear, not able to focus on the term of endearment, "Can you order for me?"
She doesn't tease him, just smiles, "Y una orden de enchiladas rojas."
Their waiter smiles and walks away, promising to be back shortly.
"Have we discussed you speaking a second language?"
"I thought we had." She brushes it off like it's no big deal.
"I don't think so."
"Okay, I took YMCA classes from age seven and did so all the way until college. Even have a minor in Spanish."
"Impressive."
"Sorry if you felt uncomfortable. They speak English as well but primarily speak Spanish."
Harry shakes his head, not wanting her to feel bad, "No, I was just caught by surprise. Hearing you speak Spanish was a turn-on."
"I'll keep that in mind." She winks at him, glad to see the blush spread on his cheeks.
Lunch went great, just as she had expected. They shared food, Y/N enjoying Harry's enchiladas much more than the tacos. Harry happily ate the three tacos she left after eating most of his plate, not that he minded. Y/N appreciated how open he was in sharing food. She had always done it growing up, so Harry allowing her to do the same made her find more profound comfort in their already growing relationship.
Harry beat her to the bill, and she let him take it not without letting him know she'd get it the next time. They stood outside together, allowing the nice breeze to brush over then neither one was eager to say goodbye. They knew they would see each other soon, but with the growing affection, they just craved more time together, more time getting to know each other.
Harry had her pressed against her car door, hidden from the view of others. "We should do this again."
"We should," she agrees.
"My house Thursday night, Josie is going out with Sarah and Mitch to watch a movie, most likely do a sleepover as well."
"I'd like that. We'll see if you can maybe have a sleepover yourself."
Harry smirks, liking the idea of her spending the night with him, not caring that they both had work the following day.
"Are you going to kiss me?"
"I want to."
"You have my full permission," she teases.
Y/N met him halfway and pressed, letting him press his lips against hers. As she kissed him back, she wanted him to feel how much she liked him, how fast she was falling for him. His hands wrapped around her waist tight; it gave her comfort. She knew he wouldn't let go until she asked.
She felt her beat just a little fast as she left out a soft moan; she shifted closer as his mouth opened over hers and his tongue slid between her lips.
He was in control of her. She did not mind one bit.
With a sigh, she tilted her so he could kiss her more deeply; he didn't need any encouragement to do as she wished. His kiss became more intense, she could feel the burn between her thighs, wanting more, needing more, and that's when she knew she had to pull back, but he beat her to it.
Harry pulls back, staying close enough that he could steal another kiss, "God, I can't get enough of you."
He surprised her, how open he became with her feelings, she hadn't asked how his therapy was going, but god, it must have been doing wonders if she could feel every emotion that was going through him as she gazed into his loving emerald eyes.
"I'll see you soon, darling." Harry took that as his cue to let his hold of her go.
"Not soon enough," he whispers.
"You'll see me Monday," she reminds him.
"Can I steal a kiss then?"
"If you're lucky."
Y/N knew it wouldn't be long until she could say she was in love with Harry.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
Harry never thought he'd be the type of guy to be excited over a simple call or text reading: 'I'm thinking of you." She's made him feel good and confident in their relationship. He sent flowers to her work that led to her sending him a selfie with her face buried in the flowers.
At practice, he knew she couldn't pay attention to him, but that didn't mean he couldn't. He saw how fast she moved with the ball showing the girls a new drill, then doing it again slowed down, making sure they all understood. He admired how she never got frustrated. He knew how hard it was to handle one eight-year-old, but sixteen was impressive. He'd sit there for hours just admiring her if he could.
On Tuesday, he called Alycia, the receptionist at Y/N's office, asking for her lunch schedule, wanting to drop by and leave her lunch. She let him know she was taking it later that day at 2 since she was so busy. He decided that a BLT sandwich from two blocks away would do as she had once expressed to him how well done they were, promising to take him one day.
He walked in, noting how few people were in the waiting room, but eagerly stepped up to the counter. Alycia greeted him kindly, now seeing him more than once when he took Josie to her first session. Josie showed improvement, and each time he brought her, he made sure to leave a note behind for Y/N.
As he told Alycia to give you the food, there Y/N came walking down the hall. He was surprised at how casual, yet professional her look was; she had a silky oversized button shirt tucked into her linen pants, wearing her brown loafers he knew she didn't use often.
"Alycia, can you update this- Harry!" Y/N looks shocked to see him standing in front of her, not at all expecting to see him; she just planned on calling him later at night like they had been doing the past few days.
"Hi, love. Brought you lunch." He smiled sheepishly, holding up the bag.
She laughs, handing over the file to Alycia then stepping towards Harry to wrap him in a hug she has been wanting to do since she laid eyes on him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight against him, taking in her sweet honey scent. Before pulling back, remembering, after all, she was at work.
"I'm starving, thank you, darling. I was about to head out." Y/N rubs her stomach jokingly.
"Well, I'll leave you to it. See you tomorrow."
Y/N pouts, "You're not staying?"
"Well, I didn't want to assume."
"Assume, please." She laughs at the smile she gets Harry to give her.
They excuse themselves from Alycia and walk towards her office. They take a seat on her couch as Harry hands her the sandwich. They ate together, and for the forty-five minutes they had together, it was perfect; they shared stories of how their week was going at how Josie was anxious for the game and just promising to see each other soon. Harry got a kiss goodbye and was glad he would be seeing her the following day.
It's Thursday night, and Harry will finally get her for more than half an hour. Josie left a few hours ago to watch the movie with Sarah and Mitch, her sleepover bag on her shoulder not at all a surprise for Harry. He glanced around his house and knew it wasn't the cleanest. Josie always had some stuff scattered around the house, but he knew it just gave the house character.
"Hey, I'm outside," Y/N tells him on the phone before hanging up.
He rushes to the door, swinging it open to see her shut the door with her hip before making her way to him, a grin on her face as she carries a pink box in one hand and what he assumes to be food in another.
"You said you don't always like having to cook, and I know you said you love Thai." She giggles as he reaches to take the bag out of her hand, letting the smell take over.
"This is sweet, love. I appreciate it."
"Well, of course," she shrugs off his compliment. "I wanted to do something nice."
"I feel like I should be the one doing sweet things for you," he confesses as he guides her to his kitchen.
Y/N frowns, "Darling, we can move past that."
"Can we?"
"Of course, I feel like we've grown in the last few weeks. There's a different type of trust, don't you think?" She turns to face him, knowing the conversation was serious.
"Do you know how sorry I am?"
She nods, slowly stepping towards him, stopping right in front of him. She lifts her hand under his chin to have him look at her. "I do, and I forgive you. Sometimes we let our emotions win."
"I hope you know I'd never do that again." His voice is soft.
"I know."
She leans in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his lips.
"Dinner?" She beams.
"Yes, of course."
The meal is good, probably one of the best foods he's had in a long time. She didn't pick this up from his usual place but wouldn't tell him where she went. Told him she needed to keep some things to herself to keep surprising him. Harry finished most of the meal and then opened the pink box she left on the table that held a mixture of donut holes.
"You've still got room," she exclaims.
"They smell so good." He defends. Y/N laughs but rejects the offer to have one.
After cleaning up, he leads them to the living room, deciding to watch a movie. The scroll endlessly for a few minutes before settling on Life As We Know It. Harry shared that it was one he enjoyed watching back, and she agreed.
They had only gotten thirty minutes in before they began chatting. Y/N went on about how she was planning a trip to take two up north wanting to visit June Lake and hike some trails. Y/N's sister was going to see Xavier's family in San Diego, so they couldn't go up with her. Harry, without thinking, said if she'd have them, they could go. She didn't respond, making him assume she didn't want them to join, but she surprised him by hugging him.
"Best idea you've had tonight. I'll make all the reservations. Just let me know when you're free." She told him before settling back down next to him, her hand on his thigh going back to the movie. She was grinning at the montage of Holly and Eric and how they were learning how to co-parent Sophie. Harry had not taken his eyes off of her; she laughed as Sophie pooped in Eric's old hat.
"You're staring." She narrows her eyes at him, suspicious.
"It's because you're beautiful."
"Thank you," she answers timidly. "Very sweet of you."
"Of course, I'm going to spend the rest of my life telling you how beautiful you are if you let me."
"God, you're smooth."
Harry smirks, "Smooth enough for a kiss."
She didn't answer him; she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him forward so that he could meet her halfway, and pressed her lips against his. Harry was quick to take control, slipping his hands around her waist and placing her on his lap, "this okay," he asked, quickly pulling back making sure she said yes. Once he had a go-ahead, he went back to her lips; she shifted closer, now touching chest to chest, not a single space in between as his tongue slipped into her mouth, prideful of the moan she released against his mouth.
Harry smoothed his hands from down her waist to rest on her ass, then cupped her and held her to him as he thrust against her. He pulled back for a second fearful he went too far; Y/N frowned, slowly opening her eyes whispering "again" against his lips, and who was he to deny her.
She could feel his hesitation, slid her hands up, and cupped his jaw, "You're okay, we're okay. You're taking care of me. I want this."
Harry swallowed hard, noting she never stopped rocking herself on top of him. His mouth curved in a slight grin, pushing up to meet her, he felt her go soft in his arms, and that's when he really realized the effect he has on her.
He needed her lips on him, it had only been a few moments, but he was craving her. He laid a string of kisses up her neck until he reached her mouth, lips swollen, but he knew she was eager for more.
"Harry, please." She had a hand tangled in his curls, needing to close the distance.
"I got you, love."
He tilted her head, allowing him to kiss her deeply, the kiss only more intense than before. If he didn't need to breathe, he would kiss her forever, never stopping.
"So pretty, all those moans just for me,"
"All for you," she breathes out.
Harry smirked, moving her up and down over his pants at a steady rhythm, but she was fighting for control.
"Harry."
"It's alright, love, let yourself go. Show me how pretty you look when you come."
Y/N was so close, tensed her thighs around him about to reach her release when they heard a phone ringing, halting their movements. Harry groans, pressing one more lingering kiss to her puckered lips, before reaching over to the side table to his right for his phone, "not me."
She holds back a whine, getting up for her phone inside her jacket. "Whoever it is, don't answer," he half-jokes.
Y/N giggles and looks at the caller as she swipes right to answer, "it's my niece."
Harry watches as she nods, telling her to relax and that she'd be right over.
"Has our night been cut short?"
"It has. Juliet got in an argument with her dad and is now threatening to move out."
"What," he laughs, standing up as he watches her shrug her jacket on.
"Yeah, to the backyard or with me."
"She really made you a mediator."
Y/N laughs, shrugging.
As Harry is walking her to the car, he can't believe how the night turned or would have. "You know I thought it would have been my child who interrupted us."
"Well, your daughter is an angel next to Juliet."
"You really think so,"
"I know so."
"You make it so easy to fall for you," he confesses, wrapping her in a hug before she leaves him for the night.
"Harry."
"What, I mean it."
She leans up to kiss his cheek, "I'm sorry we didn't get to finish."
"Me too."
"I hope you know once I'm in bed tonight, I'll be thinking of you."
"That's not fair."
"Why not?"
"Because I want to be the one taking care of you, making a mess of you."
"We'll get there," she promises.
Harry leans in and kisses her; it's short and sweet.
"Night, Harry. See you Saturday."
"See you then. Goodnight, love."
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
It's bittersweet honestly, it's the final game of the season. The girls have worked very hard to get where they are now: at the championship game. After this game, win or lose, they'll have a month off. No one will call her asking for an extra jersey, asking her for a ride, or texting her what time the game was, even with them owning the schedule. They'd all get a break until mid-September.
Harry and Josie were the first to arrive, while Kate and Y/N were setting up the warm-up drill.
"Loverboy is here." Kate teases as they walk to the bench.
"Stop." Y/N looks over at them, seeing them heading this way. "Styles family, good to see you."
"Hiya, Coach."
"Hello, Jo. You're going to go get ready?" Y/N says, looking down at the girl's black crocs with Avengers pins.
"Yup," she skips away, sitting on the grass next to Kate, who's pumping air in a few balls.
"Harry, hi."
"No darling," he teases."
She narrows her eyes at him, "I'll have you sit with the other parents if you keep teasing."
Harry looks appalled; she'd suggest such a thing, "Now that hurts."
"You know I thought you'd be sweeter, especially about that wonderful night we had Thursday."
A smile tugs up Harry's face at the memories, "My apologies, didn't want to upset my girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Y/n doesn't hide her surprise.
"Yeah, uh, we've gone out enough. I like you, and I'm going out on a limb here that you like me," she nods, allowing him to continue. "You're marvelous and love, Josie; god, you even gave her a nickname. I want this; I really want to hold your hand and keep going on dates with you and kiss you. I never want to stop.
She smiles, stepping into his embrace, "I'll be your girlfriend, boyfriend."
"Enough to risk a kiss?"
She doesn't reply; instead, she leans in, giving him a chaste kiss.
"Now go be a good parent and take a seat."
Harry does so. The smile on his face mirrors her own.
The game passed in a blur; the four quarters finished quickly. Y/N had thought they lost to the other team carrying a two-one win over them. The girls didn't look defeated, but each girl she subbed came out with a sigh but cheered as the minutes counted down.
Everyone hated losing, including herself.
Then out of nowhere, Priscilla, a usually shy player, gets a touch on the ball and sends it towards the goal. The goalie lets it slip under her, and what do you know they scored. The cheers seem endless; Y/N isn't bothered with the time, knowing there isn't much left in the final quarter.
This gives the girls a new motivation like a spark has been lit. It's a game of keep-away, Blue Devils not giving up easily. Abby gets the ball at her feet, and she freezes; the goalie is running right towards her, the defense kept away by the others; it's not until someone shouts, "Shoot!" that the young girl lifts her left foot shooting it through the goalies' legs and hitting the back of the next. Then just like that, the referees blow the whistle and call the game.
The Golden Sparks had won the championship. Y/N felt the tears in her eyes, thankful for the sunglasses hiding her overflowing emotions.
Y/N laughs as she feels Kate hug her and begin jumping up and down.
"We did it!!"
"They did it!"
Y/N is swept through the motions as she shakes hands with the coaches and claps the opposing team's hands. It's not until Juliet runs towards her with full force, knocking her onto the grass, wrapping her arms around her waist, that she's brought back to the moment. Then before she knows it, there are fifteen more girls joining in on the group hug. She's not sure when Kate was dragged into it, but she feels their joy.
They have a lifetime of wins and losses coming ahead in their young lives, but she's happy to be part of one that brings them so much happiness.
The young girls help her get up before hurrying over to their waiting parents. Juliet is being smothered in kisses by her parents. Josie is passed around by Harry's friends and her godparents, congratulating her on the win. Each girl showing off their small first place trophies, indeed to be displayed for all to see somewhere in their home.
Y/N has waved almost everyone off, telling them she would see them for pizza and drinks at their usual location. She took one look around the emptying field and felt she did well this season, but there was also room for her to grow as a coach.
"Looks like you're a champion, love."
Y/N turns around to find Harry smiling at her, Josie a few feet behind, waving to a couple with a baby. "Think she's the champ; she played the game. You did wonderful out there, Jo." She grins as Jo looks at her proudly.
"I still think you should be congratulated; you led these girls. Taught them and helped them grow into becoming better little humans." he shares, grabbing her hand pulling her into his chest.
"Well, thank you." Y/N looks down at Josie, who's crouched down trying to pick up what's likely to be a worm, "Ready for some pizza, Jo?"
Josie nods, not looking up too entranced on the creature in her hands now.
"Can I give you a gift, you know for uh...winning?"
"Course, I like presents." She grins at him, eager for what it could be.
His fingers curled into her nape and pulled her head into his as he kissed her softly. She felt his full lips move over hers; she felt how much he felt for her. As Harry brought their kiss to an end, he pulled back and looked into Y/N's eyes. "Was it a good gift?"
"The best," she answers before they are interrupted by a giggling Josie, who is staring up at them.
"Does this mean you're together?" Jo asks.
Y/N and Harry share a look before looking back at Josie, who's patiently waiting, "yes."
"Oh my! Dreams come true!" She shouts, running circles around them.
"Isn't meeting dad's girlfriend too soon a bad thing?" Y/N asks Harry.
"Not when you know you're never letting go."
"Oh, I like the sound of that." She lets pull her towards him, his arm resting comfortably over her shoulder.
"Plus, you're meeting all my friends at the pizza place, they all came to cheer on Josie, and you did say everyone was invited."
"I might just regret saying that."
"It'll be fine. Not a chance you don't win them all over."
Y/N brings them to a halt, Harry smiling down at her. This is happiness; she never wants to forget it. Harry leans in, letting their mouths meet in a kiss, soft and passionate as they both spill their feelings for another, hoping that with each passing second, the emotions only get stronger and stronger.
Harry pulls back, resting his forehead against hers, "I don't know what the future will bring, but I'm glad we'll be able to see it together."
Josie walks a few steps in front of them, leading the conversation. Harry and Y/N listen intently, holding each other tightly because this is what their future will consist of; more soccer games, more smiles, more laughs but most importantly, more love.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
thank you so much for reading <3333
I adore you. take care xx
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meetmymouth · 3 years
Note
ooh I think #7 and #17 from the blurb list would fit very well together! if you want!
THANK YOU LINDS <3<3
prompt list here, send a number!!
#7 If we both want to fit, we’ll have to cuddle
#17 Sleeping in the same bed for the first time
THIS IS 3K IM SORRY I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF SO PLEASE REBLOG LMAOOOOOO!!!!!
"This is my room," comes a gruff voice behind you as you keep looking out the window, taking in the greenery and the beautiful ocean.
See, you knew he would be here.
You knew, because Harry and Mitch were attached at the hip, and you didn't mind. You didn't mind seeing your ex every time you were invited to hang out with MitchandSarah & co, except when said ex decided to be an evil arsehole.
Perhaps, calling him an "ex" was weird, seeing how your time alone only consisted of you both getting high, mostly naked as he whispered the filthiest things in your ear and promised to make you feel good, be the best you've ever had. Other than that, though, he was an insufferable bastard. Since you never hung out with the man without your friends around–getting rat-arsed and high... and the activities that followed aside–, you didn't know if he was always this annoying.
He seemed to be getting along just fine with the others, especially Sarah and the other girls, so you had no problems scratching off the "women hater" off your list. And you can't ever recall him being this insufferable while you both were fucking which was, in his case, miserable. So, it was definitely annoying. You weren't that interested in him to think that he was being mean because he was secretly in love with you. That was a myth, a pathetic myth, wasn't it? No, you wouldn't steep that low. He was just an arse, full stop.
You turn around with an eye-roll, and within seeing his face, you nearly clench your fists like a ten-year-old. "Do you live here?" You ask, hoping the boring expression on your face is also detectable in your tone.
It's certainly not a surprise when Harry scoffs.
"I don't, but I picked this room first. Since, you know," he looks around, and walks further into the room, finally stopping at the feet of the bed. "You were late. As per."
"Oh fuck off. This isn't summer camp. Besides, I don't see any of your shit around. The room was empty when I arrived."
"If you bothered to look inside the wardrobe..."
Seriously, you find yourself thinking, how the fuck did you ever end up with this man. Naked.
There's a commotion downstairs, so you both turn to the door, but much to your dismay, there's no one coming to check up on you and hopefully, save you from Harry Styles' pathetic gob.
You turn towards the window again, eyes squinting briefly at the last bits of sunshine that's glinting from between the branches.
"Well. You shouldn't have left then. You weren't here when I arrived."
Harry shakes his head, and you swear you can see his nostrils flaring if you look carefully. Though, you just watch him with a smug smile on your face as he walks to the wardrobe and pulls open the white doors. True to his word, his clothes are there, perfectly folded, and for a moment you feel a pang of guilt before you look back up at his face and see the furrowed eyebrows.
"See. My clothes. I'm sure Sarah will sort it out for you, find you another room or summat."
"There's only three bedrooms. Can't sleep with a pregnant woman and her boyfriend, can I?"
"What about Rachel and David? Aren't you best friend's with her?"
"Harry, you're ridiculous. Just–" you wipe the sweat off of your forehead, feeling yourself grow hotter and hotter each passing minute. "–just sleep on the sofa. This is my first vacation this year. You go on holidays every week or so. Let us commoners have this."
"Oh, please. Didn't you have a girls weekend getaway or whatever the fuck in Soho Farmhouse two weeks ago?"
You can't help the scoff that leaves your mouth, and a raised eyebrow follows. "How do you know about that?"
"Because," he rolls his eyes, and slams the wardrobe shut. "You post seven hundred stories every day."
"You're a stalker."
"You sleep on the sofa."
You smirk, noticing how he avoided your previous statement.
To be fair, you hated posting on your story. Though, knowing Harry followed you on Instagram made posting on there fun, and seeing his username on the list of who watched your stories pop up at the very top every single time whenever you posted a story almost made you let out a mingy little laugh and rub your hands together, and scream "gotcha!".
"I won't."
"You're getting on my nerves."
"What a coincidence," you ignore the stare he's sending your way and walk towards your carry on, and start taking the contents out one by one, laying everything on the bed.
He watches with a scowl on his face, arms crossed across his chest, and a satisfied smile paints your features as you take out the toiletries bag next.
"Are you seriously unpacking right now?" Harry cranes his neck so he can see better. He looks ridiculous, standing in the middle of the room with arms crossed, but you refrain from saying anything.
In fact, you don't even answer him. Perhaps, you find yourself thinking, it was silly to unpack your underwear first. It wasn't as if you brought super "sexy" shit or lace everything. You can definitely feel his gaze watching your every movement as you take everything out carefully and place them on top of each other. With most of your underwear in hand, you get on one knee in front of the bedside table and open the drawer, placing everything inside and it's surprising how he hasn't claimed the bedside table yet.
"Look," he sighs. "I'll talk to Sarah, maybe you can sleep with her and Mitch–"
"–don't be stupid we're not making them sleep with other people because you can't be a gentleman and sleep on the sofa."
"Oh for fuck's sake," he growls, and you finally look at him, eyebrows raised in hopes of making him feel as stupid as he sounds right now. Unfortunately, though, he continues, "Okay, damn it, I'll sleep on the floor."
Fool.
"Common sense, Harry. Always pick sofa. No matter what."
"Were you born to make my life a living hell?"
"Look," you sit on the bed, and look around. "This is boring me to death. I'm sleeping on the bed. If you shut your gob, you can sleep with me on the bed."
Harry lets out an obnoxious laugh. "Just admit I was here first and you didn't bother checking the–"
"Yes, I didn't and what about it? I'm here now, aren't I? I'm on the bed, babes. Anyway," you get on your feet, and with one last look at him, you start walking towards the door. "I'll see you in a bit. I guess."
You both manage to avoid each other as much as you can throughout the day, and really, it wasn't that hard considering the good company of your friends, good food and good alcohol. You mainly helped Sarah and Rachel in the kitchen as the men lounged on the sun loungers, Mitch handling the grill and David helping you guys with the drinks that came in and out of the house pretty quickly with the way you lot consumed them like water.
You spend the night eating, laughing and drinking, sometimes singing along to whatever song played on David's fancy Bluetooth speaker, and everyone begins ushering inside with full bellies and most of them–except the very pregnant Sarah–with a tipsy smile on their faces.
You leave before Harry though, leaving him smoking his last cigarette by the pool while you run up the stairs and into the room, closing the door behind you. You quickly get rid of the romper and get your favourite pyjamas on, eyes searching for the orange makeup bag so you can take off the remaining makeup before bed. You knew it was silly not to do your night routine, but you still zip the bag closed with a sad expression on your face, not wanting to see your toner and night cream any more than you needed to as you throw it on the floor next to your bags. It's pathetic really, how determined you are to get in the bed before Harry can that you forego your whole routine and stick to some cotton pads. Though, plugging your charger and getting between the cool sheets make you forget all about it as you let out a sigh, and unlock your phone to do your nightly scroll before falling asleep.
As you double tap on a selfie, the door opens, and you hear him scoff, again. You keep scrolling though, and try to sneak a few glances at him as he makes a beeline for the wardrobe, and to your surprise, begins to undress. You try to stay calm, and not to think about how domestic this whole thing seems; being in the same room as him as he gets ready for bed.
Right, getting ready for bed.
You keep your eyes on your phone as his clothes hit the floor one by one, and when you look up briefly, he's got a pair of joggers on, and he's throwing the clothes he had on in the wardrobe.
He turns around, and find your gaze, and he rolls his eyes.
"I knew you'd be in bed, here, as soon as I heard someone running. Forgot you were a literal five-year-old," he mutters under his breath, loud enough so you can still hear him. "I'm not sleeping on the sofa."
"I love how you're basically arguing with yourself."
"Like I said, I'm not sleeping on the sofa. I didn't come all the way to sleep on a bloody sofa."
"Suit yourself. I guess we're sharing. Unless," you lock your phone, and place it on the bedside table. "You want to share," you shrug, adjusting your pillow and sigh at the cool fabric against your hot cheeks.
You can feel him thinking, the wheels turning in his head, and you finally hear the floorboards creek underneath his feet as he walks closer to the bed, and pushes the sheets off of you. The whole thing.
You blink in surprise. "Stop it, dude! What the fuck."
"I'm getting in! Fuck's sake, be quiet."
"You did that just to annoy me."
You're both quiet for a minute, Harry taking his rings off and then comes his socks, and he finally copies you, laying on his back on the bed. He covers the both of you, though you know it's not intentional since he couldn't do it without covering his own body with the duvet, and then he lets out a strangled sigh.
"The bed's too small."
"Are you calling me fat?"
"What?" He turns his face to you, and perhaps it's the first time he's looking at you– really looking.
His brows are furrowed, and lips turned downwards in a pout.
"I'm taking the piss, Harry. I know you're not calling me fat."
"Good," he says, though his voice isn't exactly soft. "I wouldn't."
"Good."
Silence.
It's unbearable.
Despite the hot weather, you feel yourself shiver, and you wish you were the only one in bed so you could do the whole burrito technique with the duvet. Alas... you stay where you are. You both do.
A dog barks in the distance, the high-pitched bark coming through the open window, and you can feel Harry breathing too fast beside you. You want to shout at him, tell him to fuck off and... not breathe too fast, though it sounds a bit too rude even for you, so you stay silent and wait for the dog to pipe the fuck down.
You try to turn on your side, because you could never see yourself fall asleep laying on your back like a vampire, but you almost fall, not anticipating the tiny space you've got going on. It's bad, and you know you're not going to get a good sleep. So, you find yourself contemplating about getting up and sleeping on the sofa because honestly, fuck him.
Harry shuffles next to you, presumably trying to find a good position to sleep in himself, but he lets out a groan and it startles you.
"What's wrong with you!"
"The bed's too fucking small."
"We've established that."
He sniffs, hands clenching the sheets around his body. "I don't sleep on my back. My back hurts."
You don't say anything, hoping for him to just get up and leave, go sleep on the sofa. He doesn't, though. It's another fifteen minutes before you let out another sigh, trying to get comfortable on the bed, and Harry copies you. You both turn on your sides, facing each other and Harry groans when your knee makes contact with his thigh, making you cringe in embarrassment. A quiet sorry leaves your mouth and he shakes his head, then turns the other way, facing the door.
"Fuck," he spits after a minute. "If we both want to fit, we'll have to cuddle."
"Cuddle? Fuck no."
"Just," he turns to you again, but the bed is too small for you both so his knees touch yours. "Just come closer. Either that, or go sleep on the sofa."
"Why don't you–"
"You're so stubborn! Come closer, I won't eat you or fall in love with you. Fuck."
You groan, but oblige for some reason, feeling your heart beginning to beat faster for some ridiculous reason.
It's been a long time, you find yourself trying to convince your heart. It's been a long, long time since you've been this close to a human being. Too long since you've cuddled with someone, so obviously you were going to feel a little excited, and weird. Yes, definitely weird.
You get closer and he lifts up his arm, you both sharing a look before you roll your eyes and place your hand on his wrist, placing it on your hip. He's quiet, eyes searching yours, and the crease between his brows are gone, and you want to laugh, because who knew it only took your skin against his to wipe that stupid grimace off of his face.
"I still think you're annoying," Harry mumbles, clearly sleepy. His hold on your hip becomes tighter as his thumb strokes your skin over the fabric.
"I know. Just shut up and sleep."
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kaunis-sielu · 3 years
Text
Schoolyard
You’d first met him in second grade. Your dad was a high ranking military man and so your family moved around quite a bit. He had been rowdy but he’d always been nice to you.
You’d become close friends with him and his little group of friends, going to the school for kids whose parents were government officials gave you all kind of a weird perspective of the world. One that was from a more political perspective since many of the kids in your school will end up being involved in the government somehow.
You’d been so close that you’d even had a mock wedding, his best friend knew all the wording for a Nordic wedding and all through middle school he’d joked about being your husband. Even after you’d left Asguard you’d occasionally get emails from him that always started “To my Wifey” but you don’t see him again.
It wasn’t even until you had moved to a new boarding school that you’d even realized who he was. Your new roommate Jane had seen a photo of your friends and had promptly freaked out. She couldn’t believe that you knew Prince Thor, the hottest actual prince in the world.
You’d stayed in touch over the years, through high school and graduation but once college hit you both kind of drifted. You got busy with getting your MD and he, well you suppose that he got busy with learning to run a country.
You know he hasn’t married yet, Jane keeps you updated on that. There have been a few women he’s been spotted with but none seem to actually be dating him or even in the running. Jane always teases you about Thor still being your husband, you still have the little mood ring that he’d given you.
You’ve got about an hour before Jane comes for your monthly pizza night. So you order pizzas and change out of your work clothes into a pair of sweats and an old college tee shirt. Girls night is about being comfy and watching Disney movies so you’re able to catch up without missing anything in the movies.
Jane has her own key so she just lets herself in when she arrives.
“Hey Dummy. When’s the food gonna be here?”
“That’s rich you calling me a dummy. I’m the only real doctor in the apartment.” You fire back and you hear Jane laugh loudly from the living room. “But in all honesty I think it’ll be here in the next ten minutes or so. Pick a movie.”
“Wine first!” She yells and you come out of your room with your hair up and glasses on. Jane is also in a pair of sweatpants but her shirt is one that you’d made her a couple years ago.
“How has your month been?”
“Good, busy. We may have found a new star!”
“What! Jane that’s amazing congratulations!”
“We just have to track it for a bit longer to see if it repeats what it did last year and some other boring shit.” You laugh as she passes you a glass of wine, “How about you?”
“One of my patients came back cancer free the other day!”
“Oh yay!” There’s a knock at the door and Jane sets down her glass before bounding toward it, cash in hand. “Pizza!” She cries just before flinging open the door. She stands in the doorway gawking and you laugh.
“Dude what are you doing? You look like a psycho.”
“Not pizza.” Jane manages to say and you start toward the door eyeing the baseball bat propped against the wall.
“No, not pizza. Had I known you were waiting I would’ve brought some with.” The male voice in the hallway says. It’s accented and familiar but that doesn’t really help you.
“Jane you’re freaking me out.” You tell her scooping up the bat on your way to the door. “Who is at the..door?” You blink up at the large blonde man in the doorway. “Thor?”
“That’s Crown Prince Thor.” A man grumbles from behind him. Thor waves the man off and you understand why Jane is acting so weird now.
“Hi, I’m sorry I should’ve called but I didn’t have your number so that would’ve been hard.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Oh, I needed to talk to you about some things.” He looks good, his hair is short and he’s got scruffy beard going on that isn’t quite a full beard but not a five o’clock shadow. He’s got a dark blue peacoat on but those bright blue eyes are the only thing that haven’t changed. “Can I take you out tomorrow night? To dinner somewhere?”
“Oh, um that would be fine. Seven?”
“Excellent, it’s a date. We will come pick you up.”
“We?”
“Oh, Volstagg and me.” He gestures to the man standing in the hallway behind him. “Odin insists now that I have a bodyguard.” He says with an eye roll, this is so reminiscent of your childhood that you can’t help but smile. “Sorry for interrupting your night.”
“It’s okay, it was nice to see you.” The pizza guy comes up and Thor pulls out his wallet and pays before you can stop him. “Thor you don’t have to.”
“I know.” He says with a wide smile before passing you the box. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Right here at 7.”
“Sounds good.”
“Could I get your number just in case anything changes?”
“Oh, yea sure.” He pulls his phone from his coat pocket and hands it to you. You punch in your number and hand it back, “Let me know who you are when you text okay?”
“Okay. Bye.” He and Volstagg leave then and after you shut the door Jane looks at you and whispers,
“What the fuck?” Then she yells, “What the actual fuck! You have a date with a fucking prince.”
“Oh my god Jane could you chill please?”
“No!” She cries, “forget pizza and a movie we need to find you a dress! I have more fancy dresses than you. We should go to my apartment! You always looked so pretty in that black swoop neck one that I have, or maybe a blue one so it can match his eyes. Have you ever seen eyes that blue.” As she rambles you head to the couch with the pizza then place it on the coffee table. You grab both wine glasses from the kitchen counter and bring them to the coffee table too.
“I am going to sit here, watch a movie, drink wine and eat pizza. You can do whatever the fuck you want.”
“But-but-you have a date with a Prince.”
“It’s not a date.”
“He literally said it was a date!” She protests.
“Turning the movie on now.” You tell her and she lets out a long groan. “Besides I have the black dress here.”
“Oh. Okay.” She sits down on the couch and reaches for a piece of pizza.
You’re actually able to get Jane to focus on something other than meeting with Thor tomorrow. You do wonder what he might need to talk to you about that was so urgent that he needed to come here unannounced, and after so much time.
When the movie is over you watch one more before Jane decides to head home. She hasn’t mentioned your ‘date’ since you’d started the second movie. But when she turns on you at the doorway you know she hasn’t forgotten.
“I want every. Single. Detail.”
“Okay okay, every detail.”
“No, no, every single detail.” She repeats emphasizing the single and you laugh.
“Copy that. I mean who knows I might have to sign a NDA.”
“Ooh, scandalous.” She teases with a raised eyebrow and you shake your head at her.
“You’re such a nerd.”
“Takes one to know one.” She calls as she heads down the hallway.
“Let me know when you’re home!” You call back and she gives you a little wave of acknowledgement.
Now that she’s gone though you’ve got plenty of time to think. What was it he needed to talk to you about? Why couldn’t it wait? Why didn’t you get his number too? You don’t even know how nice you need to dress because you don’t know where you’re going.
You get ready for bed, washing your face and brushing your teeth. You lay in bed for a while, you and Thor had always gotten along well. Now that you knew he was the Crown Prince of Asguard things might be a little, weird, but he’d seemed normal enough other than the bodyguard. Like he wasn’t putting on airs or being all posh, if you didn’t know he was the Crown Prince you’d have thought he was just some hot dude. Which, he is, those damn ocean blue eyes could convince you to do just about anything when you were kids.
Probably still could.
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queenshelby · 3 years
Text
Roommates – Part Five
Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader
Words: 1,056
Warning: None
Note: This plays in 2020. Please interact. Your interactions and comments mean a lot to me.
After Cillian retreated from the kitchen to escape from this awkwardness and have a shower, you stood in the kitchen with Lindsay on your own, helping her chop up some of the vegetables.
Whilst you tried to mind your own business, you couldn’t help but glance over at her on several occasions.
She had long blonde hair which smelled like fruity shampoo and her appearance was almost immaculate. Her make up highlighted the contours of her face while her necklace was the perfect length to elegantly make her breasts stand out.
Unlike yours, her breasts were big and round and her skin was pale. She looked like a model and you could certainly see why Cillian was attracted to her.
In addition to this, she was smart and Cillian certainly enjoyed the company of women with a certain kind of intellect.
‘I was surprised when Cillian told me about you moving in with him for now’ Lindsay eventually said after you were preparing dinner together in silence for about ten minutes while Cillian was in the shower. You weren’t quite sure what she meant by this since Cillian barely mentioned her name since they started sleeping with each other. How much did she know about you, you wondered?
‘I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Lindsay. We’ve been friends for many years and there is nothing between us’ you said, reassuring her, thinking that she might be feeling threatened with you being around him on a daily basis.
‘I am not worried Y/N. This sounds horrible but you aren’t exactly his type’ she went on to say, causing you to put down the knife and look at her with some confusion.
‘Good, I am glad’ you eventually chuckled before inhaling sharply. Whilst you believed this to be true, you were annoyed by her comment. After all, she barely knew you.
‘I remember him saying to me that he doesn’t like tattoos on women’ she then explained before telling you that Cillian thinks that tattoos are tacky.
‘Did he say that?’ you asked surprised and a little upset.
‘Sort of’ she then confirmed which is just when Cillian returned to the kitchen.
***
Over dinner, Cillian was rather quite while Lindsay did most of the talking, boring you to death. It was obvious to you that she didn’t like you and wanted to mark her territory and you certainly didn’t understand how Cillian could listen to her talk about clothes and fashion for at least an hour.  
Little did you know that Cillian didn’t listen to a word Lindsay said this evening. In fact, his focus was on you and he couldn’t help but watch you running your tongue piercing against your teeth as you listened to Lindsay talk. It was obvious to him that you were bored by what she had to say. Yet, he couldn’t get his eyes of you and his manhood began to stir once again.
This was getting ridiculous, he thought. How could he be around you for the remainder of this never-ending pandemic, he wondered.
His cock twitched and strained against his tight jeans as he looked over towards you and thought about you calling out his name as you were pleasuring yourself in the bathroom earlier.
He didn’t know why you did it and whether it meant anything. He was desperate to ask you about it, but decided that he couldn’t because then you would know that he was watching you.
As Lindsay continued talking and ran her hand over Cillian’s thigh suggestively his mind began to ponder about whether or not you wanted him as much as he wanted you.
‘Cillian?’ she eventually repeated, which is when he snapped out of his thoughts about you and looked at Lindsay.
‘Do you want to watch a movie?’ she asked again and he nodded.
***
Half an hour later, you were sitting on one lounge with Cillian’s dog while Lindsay and Cillian sat together on the other.
You tried hard to concentrate on the movie, but couldn’t help but glance over towards your roommate and his visitor on numerous occasions.
His arm was wrapped around her and you could just sense how she enjoyed the feel of his warm skin against hers. She was breathing in his scent while his nose was leaned against her beautifully soft hair.
On occasion, she would move a little and look at him, kissing him gently while Cillian was caressing her face and, eventually, watching them like this, kissing and cuddling, became too much for you.
You were jealous and this was a feeling that was unfamiliar to you when it came to your friendship with Cillian. You knew that you shouldn’t feel this way but you did.
‘I am going to bed’ you eventually blurted out, causing Cillian to look at you with big eyes.
‘Are you alright?’ he asked, looking at his watch. He knew that, normally, you wouldn’t go to bed before midnight and it wasn’t even 9 o’clock yet.
‘Yes, just tired. Have a good night you two’ you said, forcing out a wink before disappearing into the nearby bathroom to brush your teeth.
‘Good night’ Cillian and Lindsay both said quickly before Lindsay pressed her lips onto Cillian’s lips once again.
But Cillian didn’t feel anything when he kissed her. For him, the past hour was like acting out a script, a love scene of some sort with several takes. He was going through the motions while his mind was elsewhere.
‘We should probably take this to the bedroom too, don’t you think?’ Lindsay asked.
‘Yes, sure’ Cillian huffed out in response and, just as you came walking out of the bathroom, you saw Cillian and Lindsay disappear in his bedroom.
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gloomyhearts · 3 years
Text
That's life || Steve Harrington
Chapter ten
October 30, 1984
Y/N POV
Almost a year after Will went missing. The boy did recovery very well at least it looks like he did but this afternoon in the arcade changed my mind.
I started to work at the arcade three months after Will was back. My brother was happy but for him because I could give him coins to play.
So today after school Dustin and his friends wanted to meet at the arcade and Dustin wouldn't be him if he would have to search for some coins. He searched through the whole house including the shed.
"Dusti you're alright?"
"I totally am."
"Do I have to take you to the arcade?" He just nodded as he lifted the pillow from the sofa.
"Dustin Henderson what are you doing? you're scaring Mews" he walked over to the cat and excused himself.
"Dustin I can borrow you some" he turned to face me
"and you're saying this now after half an hour of my search?"
"You could have asked me but you didn't and it looked funny" I laughed and my mom too.
"Mo-om" he threw his arms in the air sighing.
"Dustin don't screw your pants." My mom's a real savage.
"Ready?" He nodded and walked out the door.
We drove to the arcade and I parked the car, "are you staying the whole time?" He nodded and I rolled my eyes, "you're stupid. Call me when something is wrong" he nodded and walked away from me.
Two hours into shift Nancy stormed into the arcade earning glances of the nerdy gamers.
"Nanc what's wrong?"
"There is this Halloween party and I want you to come" she was enthusiastic
"there's no way I'm going"
"please Billy's there too" Billy is the new boy at our school he almost hit me over with his car as I was walking to the entry and then he tried to flirt with me. Nancy thinks I have a little crush on him.
"Y/N please this will be fun. Steve could take you there" yeah Nancy and him are still together and it's still driving me crazy I don't want to be near the couple if I could
"but I promised Jonathan were going with our brothers on trick or treat."
"Jonathan is coming too"
"that's not typical for him. You sure?" Nancy only nodded.
"Y/N" I heard Dustin shout through the arcade. He came running towards me.
"Will is.. He is standing outside and we think he has an episode again."
"fuck" I came forth the counter and walked over to Will.
"call miss Byers" Dustin nodded and walked into the back.
"Will. Hey it's me Y/N I'm here. Everything is alright. You're not going to the other world again" I touched him slightly and he came back from wherever he was.
"Will you're good? Joyce is coming" he didn't say anything and just hugged me. I caresseshis back and whispe, "I'm here Will, it's okay." I noticed that he was shaking and lightly crying.
Five minutes later Joyce arrived at the arcade and thanked me for looking after Will.
"I'm so thankful you were here. Will really likes you. Thank you so much" she hugged me and went to their car.
"Y/N" Dustin walked over to me again.
"Do you know who's mad max?"
"I heard the new kid Billy called a red haired girl Maxime. Maybe her I don't know. I'm sorry Dusti"
"it's alright."
"Oh and Dustin. Only an hour to go buddy" he nodded and joined his friends again.
"I feel so bad for Will. He was such a lovely boy and now he's just scared" I forgot that Nancy was still here.
"Yeah I'm so sorry for the boy and his family" we stood there in silence.
"So you're coming?"
"I have no choice or?" She shook her head.
"Great. Call me when Steve arrives at yours" she nodded and left.
Ok so eventually I like Halloween but not with dozens of teenagers around me and alcohol. I always enjoyed to do trick or treat with my brother and his friends.
"The time is up Dusti time to go. The arcade is closing."
"Noooo I didn't revenge on mad max." He cried out as I drag him out to the car.
"That's so unfair."
"What? You can stay even a few minutes more than the others you should be grateful"
"I'm not because of mad max"
"you're such a stupid boy. Please shut up"
During the drive home we didn't talked that much and when we arrived Dustin ran into the house.
As i passed the bins I heard some hustle but I ignored it.
"Hey darling. How was work?"
"Great as everyday." She smiled and I sat down at the table to start dinner.
"Are you ready for Halloween Dustin?" He stopped eating and smiled as wide as he could.
"And you Y/N?"
"That's it. Nanc asked me to come to the Halloween party" Dustin and my mom widened their eyes.
"You're not coming with us?"
"No but Jon is, you're going to be alright" my mom calmed down after she heard they wouldn't be alone.
"I'm finished can I go upstairs?"
"Yeah honey. Good night" I gave her a quick cheek kiss and left.
When I arrived in my room Steve sat on my bed.
"Who allowed you to come in?"
"You?" He pointed to my window which wasn't closed at all.
"Idiot"
"Love you too dumbass" I sat down next to him and he lays his arm around me.
"How was work?"
"It was boring. I can't believe I took that offer"
"it's okay Y/N only a year and then you're almost off to college" I lay down on my bed and he was now laying next to me
"is this cheating?" I turn in his arms to face him.
"You and me laying here and talking?" I nodded, "when you think that this is cheating then you've got your answer."
"No I don't think so but everyone is interpreting different"
"so what would Nancy interpret as cheating? I mean she laid in the same bed with Jon a whole night and they talked. We are just laying here and talking I'm leaving soon if you want me to go"
"no stay, please. So you're going to the party as well?"
"You're coming?" I nodded, "that's great finally you're interacting with people in your age."
"Shut up" I slapped his chest, "you have to take me with you"
"in my car?" He laughed.
"Yeah Nancy said so"
"so she's now deciding over both our lives?"
"Looks like. Steve I'm so tired"
"do you want me to leave?" I couldn't even answer because I felt asleep on his chest.
Steve's pov
I was laying in her bed waiting for her to come upstairs after having dinner.
Today she worked the longer shift and hasn't really got a break. I'm feeling sorry for her because she's working her ass off and they are paying her like shit. Hopefully she's happy to see me.
"Hey there" I said as she entered the room still in her working clothes.
"Who allowed you to come in?"
"You?" I just pointed towards the window which she didn't closed at all.
"Idiot" she teased me.
"Love you too dumbass" she sat down next to me and I laid my arm around me.
"How was work?"
"It was boring. I can't believe I took that offer"
It was kinda hart to her y/ec full of tiredness, without the sparkle, "it's okay Y/N only a year and then you're almost off to college" She lays down on her bed and I was doing it like her.
"is this cheating?" She looked me in the eyes.
"You and me laying here and talking?" She nodded.
Why would she think over that
"When you think that this is cheating then you've got your answer."
"No I don't think so but everyone is interpreting different"
"so what would Nancy interpret as cheating? I mean she laid in the same bed with Jon a whole night and they talked. We are just laying here and talking I'm leaving soon if you want me to go"
"no stay, please. So you're going to the party as well?"
"You're coming?" She nodded
"that's great finally you're interacting with people in your age," I chuckled and her eyes lit up.
"Shut up" she hit my chest, "you have to take me with you"
"in my car?" I just laughed.
"Yeah Nancy said so"
"so she's now deciding over both our lives?"
"Looks like. Steve im tired"
"do you want me to leave?" She hadn't answered because she felt asleep on my chest.
I totally missed her. I have her back, finally. I won't loose her again I couldn't handle it. I think I love her.
October 31, 1984
Y/N POV
The next morning Steve wasn't there. Steve and I become closer again but I still feel the same towards him and I don't know if he knows. I'm scared that Nancy would assume that Steve would cheat on her with me because he isn't! We are friends!
Today was the day. The party. I hate to interact with others I don't know. I hate being around too much people.
"Dusti could you help me please" Maybe he has an idea what to wear.
"What's wrong?"
"Can you help me? I don't know what to wear," he rolled his eyes and opened my closet.
"Go as Sandy Olsson."
"From Grease? I'm too ugly Dustin"
"okay you're the totally opposite of ugly Y/N!"
"you're only saying this because I'm your sister."
"AAah" He sighed. "maybe a bit but only a quarter."
"Oh thanks Dusti but I don't have any clothes she has worn"
"of course," he went inside to have a better view. He threw a black leather pant into my face followed by a black crop top and a pink jacket.
"And you're taking moms black high heels."
"I'm not wearing heels!"
"of course you will. Please that would suit the outfit so good."
"fine," I sighed and walked to mom asking for her heels which she gave me. "Okay and now?"
"A bit make up," he opened the drawer and picked some utensils. "Great you can do this by yourself," i dragged him towards the door, "thank you Dustin. Love you."
"too," he left the room and I applied the make up.
Nancy called around eight o'clock telling me they would be here around twenty minutes later. I waited outside for the couple and hopped in as soon as they arrived.
Dustin left two hours before so Jonathan could join them for an hour and a half.
"And what do you show?" Nancy turned in her seat to look at me.
"Wait let me guess. A pink jacket. And the black clothes. Mm." She thought.
"She's Sandy Olsson Nancy."
"Steve I wanted to guess," she clapped her hand on his chest, in the raw view I saw him rolling his eyes
"I'm sorry," I smiled lightly.
We arrived to many already wasted teenagers, almost everybody held a red cup in his hand, swaying to the music.
"I'm getting drinks for ya Y/N," I nodded and she walked away.
"You're looking stunning Y/N," I felt heat in my cheeks.
"Mm thanks. You're not that bad yourself," Nancy came back with red cups.
"I'm not drinking Nanc I'm sorry" I put the cup on the counter next to me.
"Oh please only today. It's party time" she threw her hands in the air.
"Mm no thanks Nancy." We stepped on to the dance floor in the living room where everyone were when Billy and his friends including Tommy and Carol arrived.
"They are assholes," Steve muttered under his breath and focused on Nancy again who was drinking her fourth cup.
"Nancy I think that's enough" Steve tried to take the cup away but it spilled over her white blouse.
"Nanc.. I didn't want to. Nancy I'm sorry" she ran upstairs to the bathroom and he followed her leaving me alone in the fully living room.
"Y/N," I felt a tap on my shoulder and as I turned to face the person behind the voice I realized it was Jonathan.
"Jon you're not dressed," he turned a little bit around to show a bunnytail.
"Nice. I like it."
"Where are Steve and Nancy?"
"In the bathroom"
"couldn't they wait until home?"
"No ihhhr.. they're not doing it. Steve spilled Nancy's drink over her shirt"
"that's bad. How is the party"
"as an anti party person I hate it," we laughed when Nancy ran past us.
Jonathan began to walk after her and I wanted to do the same but someone grabbed my arm.
"Y/N can we talk?" I nodded and he lead me to the backdoor.
"What happened?"
"Nancy said that our relationship would be bullshit. That she doesn't love me. That it all is bullshit." A tear rolled over his cheek and I wiped it away.
"I'm so sorry Steve." I looked at him and saw his red eyes. As I saw him like that my heart began to hurt and a tear left my eye too. A strand of hair fall in his face and I pulled it behind his ear. A few moments later I hugged him and we stood like this a few minutes.
"You know Steve when someone is drunk they are saying the truth. Always. I'm not saying this because of you know. I'm saying it as your best friend I just want the best for you," I hugged him again and we drove to my house.
"You want to come in?" He nodded and locked his car.
"Thank you Henderson."
"You're welcome Harrington."
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interstellarflowers · 3 years
Text
Professor Parker Ch. 1| Professor, Peter Parker x Student, Reader
a/n this fic doesn’t follow the marvel cinematic universe but assume that peter has been what he’s been through with the exception that tony lived, and bruce is still bruce, sorry but i just can't deal with endgame hulk/bruce rn emotionally or mentally. im sorry nat is still dead but dw i'll actually treat it with respect unlike endgame like goddamn where was her funeral, am i right? the stages of grief thing they did was interesting though. im sorry i digress, this is set in nyc (because heyo im a new yorka) and the avengers/stark tower is still a thing, peter is fucking traumatized and has turned kind of cold as a result. this fic may contain a smut chapter in the future? not sure yet, where this fic goes depends on the feedback, thanks for reading also sorry im not the proudest of this first chapter so ill probably edit it but promise itll only improve from here just not in the best mental state rn
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University life wasn’t exactly everything that you imagined it to be. There was hardly time to do anything that people claimed was good about coming to university. The parties, the epic heartbreaks, and romances, they were just nowhere to be seen. In fact, there was nothing particularly extravagant about your experience thus far. You went to class, studied, and went to your internship. Your internship was probably the most exciting thing about your life at the moment, you were lucky to be accepted into the Stark Industries student internship, the company paid college tuition and only required around twenty hours of lab work a week, you couldn’t complain. Of course, the exciting part of the whole ordeal was the name attached to it, “Stark,” not that you had ever met him, but it was nice to have a unique feature like that in such an impressive student body.
So here you were on the first day of your third year of university. You lived off-campus, about a five-minute walk from the Stark Tower, but a twenty-minute subway ride to your campus. However, having an 882 square foot space to yourself was really nothing you could truly complain about despite the distance. The studio apartment being yet another benefit reaped from Stark Industries. Thank you Tony Stark, the unseen benevolent God in your life.
Typically you would start your mornings off quietly and in no rush, a shower, a cup of coffee, maybe some studying before heading off to your campus, but your phone had other plans for you today. Instead of your alarm going off like it was supposed to, you were woken up by the sound of a particularly loud car horn, and oh how grateful you were for that. As soon as you were jolted awake you shifted to grab your phone and turned it over to see an alarming 8:40am glaring back at you.
Holy shit. You were late.
You scrambled out of bed nearly face planting several times in your hurry to get dressed and only barely ran out the door with everything you needed at 8:47am.
By the time you managed to get to the subway and clamor onto the right train it was already 8:55am. Out of breath and panicking, you considered your options. You could explain after class, you could shoot an email, there were a plethora of things you could do but none of them seemed to justify being late as a third-year to a level 500 class. You had googled all of your professors while registering for classes as was common practice. You couldn’t find a RateMyProfessor on Professor...Parker? You were pretty sure it was Professor Parker, but you do remember seeing on the STEM department page that he was currently a Ph.D. student, so you could only hope that as a fellow student he would be at least a little understanding towards your lateness.
You stood outside of the lecture hall huffing and trying to catch your breath at 9:32am, psyching yourself up, you pushed open the door to the class and attempted to go unnoticed. The class was in a lecture hall despite being only composed of around thirty students, so if you were lucky maybe nobody would even see-
“Ms.(y/l/n), I presume?.” Shit.
“Professor Parker?” Shit.
“You are aware that class starts at 9am, and not 9:30am, would this be correct Ms.(y/l/n)?”
“Yes, Professor, it’s just that I had an emergency.” The lying route. Not exactly the highlight of your academic career.
“I regret to inform you that I only take valid excuses Ms.(y/l/n), please take a seat, and next time, don’t bother disrupting class halfway through the lesson.” Fuck. You mustered a quiet “ok,” and a small nod before escorting yourself to the back of the room, thirty-something eyes following you until you sat down.
You couldn’t focus for the rest of the class, it was just too embarrassing, time moved forward but you couldn’t help but be stuck on what had just happened. For the first ten minutes after sitting down you felt like dropping out of the whole class out of sheer fucking humiliation. This was of course before you reminded yourself that this class was a requirement to graduate in your field of study. You quietly bargained with yourself before sighing quietly and settling on the conclusion that Professor Parker was just a dick. A dick who certainly didn’t deserve the satisfaction of you switching out of his class. If he wanted to be like that, you decided, you would simply return the favor.
“I know, Ms.(y/ln), why don’t you tell us DeBroglie’s equation?”
“With pleasure, Professor Parker.” Yeah, you’d return the favor alright.
“Ms.(y/l/n), you stay.” Fuck that. You looked the other way and feigned ignorance as you kept making your way towards the door. About to leave, the door shut on your face.
“What the fuck!” You jumped before turning around and you felt your face heat up.
“Ms.(y/l/n), please refrain from using profanities in my classroom.”
“I’m sorry Professor Parker. I was just startled.”
“Mhm,” he took his glasses off and laid them on his desk, “Just don’t do it in the future Ms.(y/l/n).”
“Of course. My name is (y/n), by the way, Professor Parker, you can just call me that, actually, I prefer that people refer to me by (y/n).”
“Rest assured, I’m aware of your name, Ms.(y/l/n). My name is Peter, but you can continue to call me Professor Parker.” You could have sworn that you saw a ghost of a smirk on his lips. He knew what he was fucking doing, asshole. You held back from rolling your eyes into the back of your head.
“Of course, Professor Parker.”
“As you know, Ms.(y/l/n), I did request that you stay after class.”
“Oh? I sincerely apologize Professor Parker, I really didn’t hear you.”
“I’m sure, Ms.(y/l/n).” Fucking. Dick.
“Well, what exactly did you want Professor Parker? I do have another class soon.” Professor Parker narrowed his eyes at you in obvious distaste before reaching behind himself into a bin underneath his desk and pulling out a stack of papers,
“These are the handouts you missed from the beginning of the class. Textbook requirements, syllabus...Crucial information to have if you care to succeed in my class Ms.(y/l/n).” So coldly, so maliciously, Professor Parker placed the stack into your arms.
“I take my work very seriously, Ms.(y/l/n), I do my part as your professor so I only have the simple request that my students do the same.” You nodded feeling your face heat up again.
“Of course, Professor Parker, it won’t happen again,” you said with a tightlipped smile.
“Mhm,” Professor Parker turned around and began shuffling around some paper and without giving you a second glance said, “You are dismissed.” You nodded and hurriedly made your way out of his classroom. Of course, you had lied. You didn’t have another class until late in the afternoon. So you called your coworker instead,
“Hey, Harvey.”
“(y/n).”
“Wow, okay, don’t get too excited.”
“Sorry, just woke up.”
“Tsk, the early bird gets the worm, Harvey.”
“I don’t want a worm.”
“Fuck you. I’m headed to the lab, can I expect you?”
“Yeah, yeah.” You had been working with Harvey for around four years now, he was quite the impressive specimen, having attended MIT and graduating Summa Cum Laude at age 20 was no easy feat, he was closer to Tony Stark than you would ever get, he was quite personable, and you couldn’t deny that he was quite good looking. You’d never tell him that though, he didn’t need another ego boost. Besides, you had some connections of your own.
“Hey, (y/n).”
“Banner!”
“Can we expect Harvey today?”
“Honestly, not sure.” You both knowingly smiled at each other before you made your way over to what he was working on,
“Do you ever get bored here?”
“With you and the other idiot always running around? How could I?” You laughed,
“No, seriously, like wouldn’t you rather be doing nerd shit with Tony or something? Isn’t it a little tiresome babysitting us?”
“Tiring? Maybe sometimes, but not nearly as tiring as doing ‘nerd shit’ with Tony. He’s exhausting,” Bruce smiled at his own joke, “I don’t mind playing babysitter at all kid.” He fiddled with the handle of a mug that read, “Don’t be so Na Cl,” which you had gotten him a year back as a joke, but he still used it.
You really loved Bruce for all he was. Since losing your family back in 2012 during the battle in NYC, you didn’t really have any familial figures. But since landing this internship you found yourself with a parental figure again, and you would never be able to put into words how much it meant to you, so you didn’t. Besides, you didn’t want him to feel pressured about it, especially after everything he had been through himself. Frying half your body and losing the love of your life in such a short span of time was really nothing less than horrifying. Yet, here he was, smiling, laughing...You loved him for it.
“First day of junior year? How was that?”
“Shit.”
“Huh?” Bruce stopped tinkering with the device in his hands and looked over at you, “I’ve never heard of a course being too hard for (y/n) (y/l/n), what is it? Aerospace? Quantum?”
“No, just one giant dick.”
“Pardon-”
“My professor, he’s a fucking asshole.”
“Ah, I see. If he’s really harassing you (y/n), I don’t mean to overstep, I really think we should alert administration, what’s his name?” Bruce took a sip of his coffee.
“Professor Parker,” Bruce choked on his coffee, “Oh my God, Bruce, are you okay?”
“Yeah-” he said, still coughing, “Just a little too strong.”
“Okay, are you sure?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Bruce caught his breath, “What did he do kid?”
“He’s just a dick that’s all.”
“You sure you don’t want me to do something about it?”
“Yeah, it’s fine, I don’t know what you could do anyways. Thank you though.”
“Actually, you’d be surprised.”
Sitting at your desk stressing over school work at 3am, it was nothing out of the ordinary for you. Everything appeared ordinary. The ordinary cup of tea, the familiar glow of your computer, and a morning chill creeping through your window. It was all so breathtakingly normal until there was a rap on your window. You took an earbud out of your ear, certain you were just hearing things, you looked to your window. Holy shit.
You opened your window wide so that he could crawl in.
“(y/n)?”
“Mr.Spiderman.” Still too in shock to fully process the situation you started to take in the scene in front of you,
“Please, it’s just Spiderman.”
“Oh-Oh my God, what happened?” Head to toe the suit seemed to have blood seeping through, tears in the body of the suit revealed gashes and a bullet wound.
“Bad guys. I know this guy-said he knew a medical student close by, you are (y/n)? Right?”
“Y-Yeah, but I’m really just a student, I’m not really a prof-”
“This guy, he said you might as well be.”
“I don’t know Mr.Spiderman, really, maybe I could take you to the hospital though.”
“-Spiderman, it’s just Spiderman, listen, (y/n), you know I can’t go to a hospital, it would ruin this whole secret identity thing I got going on here, and this guy, he’s probably the smartest guy I know, so if he says you can handle it, you can.” You swallowed and nodded,
“Yeah-” you wring your hands together, “Yeah-Sorry, let me go get my first aid kit.”
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goldencuffs · 4 years
Text
pen pal
Laurent starts writing emails to inmates in Marlas Penitentiary in his third year of university. The only reason he considers doing it at first is because of Auguste, who writes in one of his weekly emails in the middle of a long, sour summer: These emails help, you know. They keep me sane.
The sadness Laurent feels at reading that is immeasurable. He has to go for a run afterwards, because running is more productive than crying. If Laurent starts crying, he won’t do anything else for the rest of the day. Or week.
He keeps writing to Auguste every week, but as he does so, he feels like he could do more.
A few weeks later, Laurent tells Auguste about it over the phone. Laurent never lies, or keeps things from Auguste. The last time he did, he ruined Auguste’s life. 
Auguste, as usual, sounds tired over the phone, his voice scratchy and low. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Laurent bites his lip, phone pressed against his cheek. He always makes his calls in his room, with the blinds drawn, the lights turned off, the door closed, so the room is washed in darkness. It’s the closest he’ll ever get to understanding how Auguste lives now. This is the only thing he doesn’t share with Auguste, because it would upset him deeply. Auguste always thinks he makes these calls in the open, with the sun beating down on him, the wind through his hair — the kind of life Auguste will never have.
Laurent is acquiescent. He says, “Okay.”
They talk about Laurent’s classes, the new neighbour who has really loud sex, and the cat Laurent is thinking of adopting. Auguste assures Laurent that he is eating and that no one has given him any trouble.
When the call ends, Laurent wants, desperately, to go out on a run. Talking to Auguste always does this to him; leaves him jittery, chest concaved, heart racing. The guilt swallows him. So Laurent punishes himself: he keeps himself locked into his room until the following morning.
Summer ends, but the heat in Marlas is relentless. Laurent and Auguste continue corresponding over email and phone, never talking about things that actually matter.
Laurent gets asked out on a date by Pierre, one of the men who lives in the neighbouring apartments. Laurent says no, and Pierre pushes him, hard, against the wall.
Laurent is left with a large bruise on his bicep. He’s fascinated by the colouring; the purple blends seamlessly in with the blue, which runs into the black. He can’t stop touching it all week, pressing his fingertips down on it until his eyes water.
Pierre is an affable man. He is always polite in the elevators, helps the elderly lady across the hall with her groceries and hosts barbeque parties in the communal area. He hadn’t seemed like the kind of man who couldn’t handle the word no. Then again, Uncle had been like that too.
On Friday, Laurent gets drunk for the first time in eight years.
The following day, he gets to talk to Auguste. Laurent is too hungover to hide his own despondence.
Auguste notices. Laurent doesn’t want to waste their ten minutes on something that will upset Auguste. He will eventually tell him; Laurent doesn’t like keeping secrets anymore.
As the call beeps, letting them know there’s only thirty seconds left, Auguste says. “Look, I’ve been thinking… I think it’d be nice if you sent some of the guys here some emails every now and then.”
Laurent perks up. “Really?”
“Yeah,” says Auguste, a smile in his voice. “But I’m going to send you a list of people, alright? I don’t want you emailing some creep.”
“Of course,” Laurent says, breathless. “Thank you. I love you.”
“I love —” The line cuts off.
Auguste’s email drops in his inbox on Tuesday at eleven am, like clockwork. In it, he includes the names of other inmates that are reasonable, suitable. There are five names. Laurent request the email IDs of all of them and sets about writing.
He only gets two responses. One is from a man named Alexon, who says he isn’t interested in corresponding right now, and the other is from Ancel, who writes fuck of. Im not a cherity progect.
Laurent writes Ancel another email, assuring him he’s not a charity project, but that goes unanswered.
Auguste laughs — or Laurent assumes he does because his email says LOL! — when he tells him about it.
So, Laurent goes on the Marlas Penitentiary website. Underneath the How to contact loved ones tab, there’s a link that says: Become a Penpal! Change a life!
Laurent clicks on it.
There are, surprisingly, hundreds of inmates, all of their pictures shown in neat, square boxes, alongside their name, age, sexuality and religion.
Laurent scrolls through dozens of them. He makes note of the younger ones, the ones he might be able to carry a conversation with. He also filters his search to life sentence because Laurent doesn’t want to give someone the opportunity to demand to see him in a few months.
Near the end, Laurent sees him.
It’s hard not to be captivated by his photo. He’s one of the few people smiling in it, and it was obviously taken outside of prison. A large man with curly, styled hair and dark eyes grins at him, teeth white and straight, cheek dimpled. He’s wearing a suit, arms crossed over his chest, arms bulging, shoulders wide. Laurent has never seen someone so attractive in his life — didn’t think people in the real world could look like this, let alone end up in prison.
His profile says: Vallis, Damianos Theomedes. 27. Bisexual. I’m bored in here. I need to keep myself sane. Send me something if you can actually keep a conversation going. Thank you for taking the time to read through this. Sorry I don’t seem nicer. I used to be.
It’s definitely… different. Laurent marks him as a maybe.
Later, Laurent asks Auguste if he knows anyone called Damianos in Marlas. Auguste responds with a, “Nope. And I know pretty much everyone here. So that’s not a good sign.”
“Why not?”
“It either means the dude is a complete recluse, or that he’s barred from most communal activities. Like I said, not a good sign.”
But something about Damianos’ profile keeps Laurent intrigued for the next several days.
He isn’t sure what it is; the picture, of someone who once led an obviously lavish style, or Damianos’ words, I need to keep myself sane, an echo of Auguste’s sentiments. Also the Thank you had been unusual, as well as the I used to be nicer. Laurent used to be nicer, too.
Laurent ends up Googling Damianos’ full name that night.
There are about twenty articles to sift through. All of them detail a violent, horrific crime, where Damianos murdered his own brother in his penthouse.
But even that doesn’t deter Laurent. He remembers how the media, the court, the lawyers had presented Auguste: as someone vicious, cold and calculated, the complete antithesis of how Auguste really was.
The articles about Auguste had been eerily similar. All of them mentioned how shocking it was that a doctor at the top of his game could senselessly murder his own uncle, but very few of them mentioned why Auguste had done it.
They made it out like Auguste was some bloodthirsty maniac, bent on revenge, and not a caring, protective older brother who had been horrified by their Uncle’s actions.
It’s why Laurent decides to give Damianos the benefit of the doubt. If he does end up being a creep, or a weirdo, then Laurent has the luxury of never speaking to him again. He’s not being stupid about this.
His request is fulfilled two days later. Damianos’ email ID is attached at the bottom.
Laurent sends his first email that afternoon.
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Note
He did? Umm.. what happened exactly?
(referring to this post)
my 11th grade chemistry teacher had an associates degree in liberal arts.
you know how in virtually every class you’ve ever had since middle school, your teachers made a big stink about the syllabus? she didn’t have one. this was her first teaching job, which she got because of her length experience as a substitute, not by her licensing qualifications. we were, at first, excited to have her, because she was a “fun sub” and we were 17 years old and stupid as all shit. we were the “normal chem” class in a system where the only other options were “honors chem” which was filled with children who actually know how to study (or cheat) and have an air of proper student activity, and “AP Chem”, which is clear enough if you’ve been an american student in the last 15 years.
she followed the mcgraw hill chemistry book in order of chapters, despite the fact that our state standardized tests did several of the chapters out of order. ever notice how you’ll suddenly be looking at chapter 11 when just last week you were on chapter 5, then the next week you’re on chapter 8? standardized testing is the reason. anyways by asking my friends in other classes who had chemistry teachers of relative competence, i was able to discern which chapters i should focus on, and while she was distracted with literally watching youtube videos all period, I was turning around in my seat and walking across the classroom helping my friends and enemies with the packets. (she was a two-packets-a-week kinda teacher.)
yes i said enemies too. the people i hated, i hated because they were sons of bitches i wouldnt piss on to put out a fire. i hated them so dearly i used to pray to god that they would bump into me so i could throw myself into the concrete and split my forehead open and get them expelled due to the blood-clause of our “zero-tolerance policy”. two of the kids in my class had, only the previous year, attempted to set my hair on fire.
i hated the teacher more. 
it gave me extreme pleasure to see her fume and clench her fists when a student would say “i need help” across the classroom and she would move to get up and they would say “oh not you miss, im waiting for vicky.” jesus christ the only time ive ever felt a comparable high was when i was at a halloween party in college where i was literally so zooted i couldn’t move.
it got worse over time, her getting more and more angry, my ego growing larger and larger. i was a huge bitch in high school, i really thought i was the smartest bitch in the room at any given moment. severe main character syndrome. imagine that kind of person actually being right for 45 minutes out of every day. can you even comprehend the kind of frustration that would create? in a room full of little sociopaths who dont give a shit about anything but getting this joke of a class over with so they can graduate? your first real teaching job and they look right past you, the teacher, to this annoying little shit whose grades are completely abysmal? how are they managing to learn anything from a child who can barely speak in front of more than 10 people? who turns cherry red in the face of literally every authority figure in the building except you? who can’t concentrate and stay still in one spot for more than five minutes? all of your other classes behave! they listen! they sit down and shut up and do the packets! so what fucking gives!!!
so you say “fine, since you all HATE ME so much i just won’t teach then!!!” on literally week fucking ten of teaching. and instead of prostrating themselves before you, begging you to like... point at transparencies and read directly from powerpoints i guess.
and they all collectively say “okay” and let the chipmunk child flutter between desks and help them memorize formulas and mnemonic devices and shit. surely her grades will suffer if she’s constantly dealing with other people and you’ll have justification that her horseshit is “distracting” and “a detriment to her studies”. she got bored gave up on that after two days after nothing changed.
then we did the midterm.
except at the end of the exam packet was something we never learned because again, she was going through the book chronologically. because i actually enjoyed the chem book (so much that i stole it when the year was up lmao), i knew the material.
it was about lewis dots/structures. i couldn’t tell you a damn thing about it today but in december 2010 i absolutely knew that shit. i didnt have too much of a problem with it in the exam, but the students who had gotten to that point were complaining and at first she pulled that “you should have been studying independently uwu” shit but the class was about to get loud during exam period so she shushed us and said that when we get to that point, just stop, and she’ll mark it correct during grading, no harm no foul just keep it quiet. one of the more confrontational students called horseshit and said theres no way we’re trusting that and there’s definitely no way anyone will keep an entire classroom cheating at the instruction of the teacher quiet.
i offered to teach it.
she scoffed, rolled eyes, said “sure fine but you can’t get your exam back” and i said “okay.” so when everyone was to the point in the exam, we piled them all on her desk and i used the whiteboard to briefly and quietly explain lewis dots, used the book examples and problems, and helped the other kids understand. there were a couple exam questions that were lifted straight from the book problems so i skipped those. while teaching i realized i had gotten a couple wrong which sucked :( it was an incredibly stupid experience overall, and no teacher worth the paper their certification is printed on would have allowed that to happen. and fucking yet.
anyways everyone but me got their exams back and finished it and many of us passed, only a few of them did particularly well.
discussing the chem exam with friends who also took the chem exam, many students found their anecdote about the lewis dots to be confounding, for you see, the exam we took was not, in fact, the midterm, but the god damned final.
she had us taking the fucking final because she didnt read the fucking folders which read “midterm” and “final exam” on them
she was reprimanded severely and we all had to take the exam on different days, in different classrooms, sitting very far apart. after that she hated me even more. like girl it was your fault lmao i am literally a teenager grow up lol. anyways you can imagine how much more fucking insufferable i became, knowing how miserable she was.
it all came to a head in february when some students were giggling quietly following a minor fuck up on her part regarding bellwork. they were making fun of her like “are you sure thats not tomorrows bellwork lol” and a friend next to me did the “hey i need help wait no miss not you sorry” thing and when i answered him, she solidly snapped. blah blah YOURE SOOOO DISTRACTING blah blah YOU THINK YOURE SOOOO SMART DONT YOU blah blah blah and she was like demanding i leave the room and shouting at the top of her lungs at me “ YOU POISON THE MINDS OF EVERY OTHER STUDENT HERE. YOU’RE POISONOUS VICTORIA, YOU’RE A VIRUS IN THIS CLASSROOM.”
i will never forget that line as long as i live. it was like crack to me. i moved to open the door to leave and the vp opened it first. he escorted me to the office and asked me what happened, then told me to keep my head down in class from now on, and that if i wanted to help my friends i should give them my number and help them out on our own time. i was like “bro thats really stupid” and he was like “thats all we can do right now but i promise we’re working on it”
i lasted the rest of the year giving smug smiles as we did packet after fucking packet for the rest of the year. they were all take-home work. i wasnt comfy giving my number to my enemies. the class camaraderie ended.
the final was altered. my class took a different final than the rest of the normal chem classes.
i started 12th grade and got a solid case of senioritis. i told that story to anyone who would listen. while it was happening, i obviously told my favorite teacher everything as it happened. when i mentioned it senior year he was like “oh yeah i forgot about her,
she was fired over the summer.”
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hargrove-mayfields · 3 years
Text
Day five of Horror on Cherry Lane Challenge! Today’s prompt was monsters!
Little brat’s been in the school ten minutes after the bell.
After they both broke curfew, Max staying out late trick-or-treating and going to one of her little friends’ house to trade candy, and Billy crashing at the lingering party until he was sober enough to come home and not get his ass kicked, they were supposed to be straight home today. Used up all their free time for the week apparently.
Max knew that this morning, he already told her to forget about the damn AV club. If he had to cancel on whatever chick he was going to take out (was it Carol? No, Carol is Tommy’s girl. Fuck he doesn’t know anybody yet) Max had to give her shit up to.
He gets bored of waiting for the little twerp and tosses his cigarette to the ground, marching in there his damn self.
Only time he’s ever been in this building was to pick Max up from AV. His dad made him come all the way inside and give his assessment on the teacher. Asked (slapped him and demanded it) that he do so to check on Max. Just to be sure. Like he cares.
But it works out anyways that he knows the way now that Max has decided to disappear and it’s up to him to track her down. Only problem is he gets there, and the room is empty. Not even just that Max isn’t in there, there’s no damn kids or teacher or nothing. Just a knocked over lamp and some shit on the floor.
He ain’t trying to hunt her down, but he has to get her back home in like, the next half-hour, and she’s somewhere she ain’t supposed to be. The school isn’t very big, half the damn building is closed off for the school board to use, so there isn’t much ground to cover.
He’s not trying to get himself arrested either, so he makes quick work of the school, checking all the places Max might be. Still, he comes up empty, and he’s about to just give up and let whoever she was with keep her when he sees something scurrying across the floor out of the corner of his eye.
It’s not really any of his business whether or not the middle school is infested, but it catches his eye for the wrong reasons.
It’s a gnarly little thing, a cross between a frog and rat or some shit, but Billy’d recognize that thing anywhere. It’s a fucking monster, crawling around the halls of his sisters school.
Purely on instinct, he tracks the thing to where it cornered itself, taking advantage of the fact that it’s still small and growing into its demon teeth to stomp on the gross monster. He stops once he’s positive it’s dead and not just faking him out like they do sometimes, he’s not gross or something, but he nearly jumps out of his skin when behind him, Max shouts, “Billy!”
He turns, ignoring the pile of goop that was one of those things to face his, apparently, from the flush on her cheeks and the bitterness in her tone, “Jesus, shitbird. What is wrong with you?”
He’s hardly even got the question out before Max snaps at him, “Why would you kill it!”
“Do you even know what that thing is?” Billy raises eyebrows, no patience for Max telling him what to do, but she counters with something that surprises him, “It was Dustins, he discovered it, you jerk!”
“Yeah, no. These things’ve been around longer’n any of us have been alive. And I don't care who found it first. They’re fucking monsters.”
“How do you even know what he was? You killed him.”
“It. Not him. Don’t humanize them.” Billy hisses, warning Max, “And anyways, I seen some shit kid. Don’t ask. And don’t play around with anymore of these little fuckers. Give ‘im a day or two ‘n he’ll be the size of a gray wolf. Another month or so and he’s seven feet tall.”
“But what is he?” Max demands stubbornly.
Billy answers simply, “Something you don’t want anything to do with.”
By now, the rest of Max’s friends have followed the sound of her yelling to their little showdown, and it’s Dustin, the owner of this thing, that chimes in, “But wait, does that mean you know?”
“Know what?” Max huffs, but she gets ignored, Billy firing back at Dustin, “Do you?”
All four of the kids nod at once. Billy sighs deeply, “Jesus, how the fuck did a bunch of little kids get caught up in this bullshit?”
“How did you?” These kids aren’t very original coming back at him with his own questions like this.
Again Max interjects, being left out of the questioning just making her more confused. “Excuse me, but what exactly are we talking about?”
But again nobody acknowledges her, Billy busy answering the boys’ questions.
“Had a friend came from that lab. You know about that part too?” He clarifies, getting three attentive nods, and this time one disapproving scowl, as he explains, “Well the monsters followed ‘im. Through their portals and his head and shit, they were out in California too. That’s how I know I was right to kill that thing.”
There’s a moment of stunned silence before Mike insists, “I don’t believe you.”
“I don’t know, man. How else would he know about everything?” Lucas shrugs, exciting Dustin and promoting him to ask, “Do you think he knows about Eleven too?”
“I’m still here too you guys. What is going on?” Max interrupts, serving only as a reminder, Lucas turning the conversation back to Billy as he asks, “Why haven’t you told Max?”
Billy smugly tries their little deflecting shtick on them, “Could ask you the same. Why are you showing her the monsters if you ain’t gonna tell her jack about ‘em either? I was keeping her safe. You assholes were keeping her stupid.”
Max interjects, “Hey!”
“No, that’s not fair. We had to sign an NDA.” Dustin corrects, very matter of fact for a kid who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
“Yeah, me too kid. It wasn’t any secret that number six escaped. I’ve had those assholes watchin’ over my shoulder for years and I didn’t even do anythin’.” Billy feels like he’s having a trauma competition with a bunch of middle schoolers, and he hates it. His tone is harsh as he demands, “Which brings us into, what the hell did you do to get caught up in all this?”
“None of your business.” Mike spits, but for the first time in the conversation, Will chimes in, “I got taken. By the demogorgon.”
“Okay. What’s that got to do with this, kid?”
“The demogorgon is what we called the big one. Before El killed it.” Lucas explains.
“Look, I don’t know who El is, but believe me when I tell you, you brats don’t know nothing. There ain’t just one of those, you know. Every last one of those annoying little fuckers like the one I just squished’ll turned into a ‘big one’.” They all look collectively defeated by that, maybe because he knows more than they do, or maybe just because they didn’t want to admit it was that bad.
But none look more ghastly than Will, who barely manages to inform them, “That’s bad. Last night, I heard them while we were trick-or-treating. They were everywhere.”
“Then we’re gonna have to do something.” Dustin declares determinedly, but Billy shuts it down right away, “No. Seriously, what the hell? All you sorry little punks are going right the fuck back home and pretending none of this never happened. If you don’t provoke ‘em, they’ll stop.”
“But they weren’t provoked when they took Will.” One of then argues, but Billys ignoring them now, turning back to a no less calm Max, “I don’t care. I ain’t doing this shit all over again. Come on, Maxine. Gotta leave your little friends to their baby ‘demogorgon’ and their world saving bullshit.”
Max scrunches her face up and argues, “Um, did you forget that I still have no idea what the hell is going on?!”
“Honestly, yeah.” Billy admits, “But s’better if you don’t ask questions. Now if you please, we gotta go.”
“No. You’re being a jerk.” Max crosses her arms and glares at him, a clear sign shes refusing to leave with him.
Billy just shrugs, “M’always a jerk. Thought you’d know that by now.”
“I do. And that’s exactly why I’m not listening to you. If my friends are going to do something, I want in on it.”
“Look what you little fuckers did.” Billy grumbles at the boys before trying to reason with his sister again, “Max. We only got fifteen minutes out of an almost half hour drive to get home. Come on.”
“This is so much bigger than that! I don’t care what your stupid dad says, I want to do something!” Her attitude gets on Billy’s nerves. That’s definitely deliberate if the spite gleaming in her cold eyes is any indication.
“You don’t even know what it is!”
“Then I deserve to find out!”
Billy sighs deeply, done doing this with a bunch of little kids in over their heads, “You know what, fine, but we’re stoppin’ at a payphone and you’re gonna be the one to tell my old man I’m takin’ you out for.. I don’t know, fucking ice cream or some shit. And if we get in trouble, I’m blaming you. Deal?”
Max smiles to herself at having gotten one over on him, “Deal. Where are we going though?”
“I dunno. Ask your nerds. S’their big fucking idea.” Billy grumbles, matching Max’s bitterness.
“We’ll have to call a meeting.”
“Will my basement work?”
“No offense, but I don’t think he’s getting past your mom.” Dustin nods towards Billy, the older boy rolling his eyes even though he’s not wrong, then offers, “My mom doesn’t like visitors. Maybe Will’s?”
“Yeah, Mrs. Byers will let anybody come over.”
“And she already knows what’s going on.”
They all nod again, and Billy rolls his eyes at them again while Lucas relays their decision to Max, “Alright, meet us at Will’s in an hour.”
“Why that long though? We’re all here right now.”
“Gives us time to cover our tracks, shitbird.” Billy hums in response to Max, stepping forward and asking, “What’s the damn address?”
This ‘meeting’ the twerps called was pretty much everyone in this hick town that knows the same dirty little secret as he does getting together in a tiny house and panicking. Billy and Max get fully interrogated like, a dozen times, once by the damned chief of police himself, all the while everyone is coming up with theories and plots and arguing. So much fucking arguing among this lot.
It gets to be too much pretty quickly, day five in this place and he’s already having to jump back into some of the worst things that ever happened to him. None of these people realize how big this is. Especially not the kids who just think it’s badass to fight monsters.
He leaves without telling anyone, or without anyone noticing among the chaos, to the back porch to light one up. There’re ashtrays all over the house he could use, but looming smoke in that cramped little kitchen wasn’t going to be any better than watching it curl upwards to the stars. So outside it was.
He leans against the wall, gaze fixing straight to what’s above him. He doesn’t notice the presence of another person until he hears them speak, startling slightly at the sound of a voice breaking the calm silence of a humid November night.
It’s Steve, sitting on a rusty and banged up glider at the opposite end on the porch, lit up just like he is. “So, uh. I guess you’re a part of this now?”
“I guess I am.”
Steve just nods and responds simply, effectively ending the conversation, “Right.”
But that’s not satisfying to Billy. He might appreciate peace more than what’s going on in that house, but he doesn’t like empty silence either. “What’re we all awkward like this for, Harrington? Spit out what you’re thinkin’.”
“I dunno, man.”
Billy frowns, prompting, “Come on. I know them gears are turnin’ over there. You've been quiet since we all got here.”
Steve looks away from him, but he does answer, “I dunno it’s just.. We’ve lost so much. People died because of this. People I knew. And I don’t like that anyone else is involved I guess.”
Billy scoffs, “Even me? You don’t even know me other than the asshole you met at the party last night.”
“So? What do you mean even you? I don’t want anyone anywhere near those fucking monsters. Could be my worst enemy and I’d still save them. I’d protect anyone from those things.” The haunted look behind his eyes, which seem so tired the longer Billy looks, tells Billy everything he needs to know.
He doesn’t mean to sound so soft when he asks, “What makes you so confident you can? Save ‘em I mean.”
“I fought a demogorgon myself. Well, not really by myself. Nancy and Jonathan were there. But I took a nail bat to its fucking face. Like hell I’d just let one of those things get anyone. Even you.” Steve
Billy flicks away his burnt out cigarette, sitting next to Steve on the old glider. “That’s real touching H, but I ain’t letting nobody sacrifice themselves for me. Need I remind you I’ve fought these assholes too.”
“But you told the kids you didn’t. Said it was all your friend.” Steve looks at him, sort of doubtful, but Billy blows off the remark, “No shit Sherlock. I ain’t airing all my business to any nosy brats like them.”
“I get that, but.. “ Hesitantly, he clarifies, “Is.. your friend, you know, even real?”
Billy must look at him like he grew a second head, “Shit, man, you think I’m one of those freaky experiments? No way. ‘Course he was real.”
“Oh. You said ‘was.’ Does that mean...” Steve’s voice trails off, sparing him hearing the words out loud.
“Don’t know. He got caught about two years back. Haven’t heard from him since. They might’a brought ‘im back here, they might’a killed him. I dunno.” Billy shrugs, picking at his nails while he talks so he doesn’t have to acknowledge Steve, or the fact that he’s even admitting this shit to him, “That’s why we’re here in Hawkins though. Susan’s got family over in Hope and a little ways up by Indie, so I suggested Hawkins. Just to come see where he came from. Get some closure I guess.”
“Guess he was really important to you then?” Steve smiles softly, but Billy only sighs through his nose, “You got no idea, Harrington.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll meet someone like him again.” He offers.
Somehow that sentiment immediately sets Billy on edge though, something about his tone implying that he knows, knows him and six were more than just friends, and Billy really doesn’t want to face that kind of monster tonight. He snaps, suddenly defensive, “What the hell’s that s’posed to mean?”
Steve’s face falls a little, evidently surprised by how upset Billy is, and he tries to fix it, “Oh I just thought that, the way you talked about him- and you look so sad when you do- that he was, you know, special to you.”
“So what? You gonna leave me to the monsters or some shit for that?” Billy growls, quickly warranting more defense from Steve, “What? No way. No I.. I get it, Billy. I do. More than you probably think I do.”
Billy half nods, his shoulders untensing as he slowly recognizes Steve’s genuinity. He mumbles eventually, working through what he needs to in his head to be comfortable talking openly with him again, “Didn’t expect to be getting relationship counseling too. That your assignment on the team, mister romance expert?”
“Shut up. You’ve never seen me swing a bat before.”
“Oh believe me, I cannot wait to.”
Steve’s smile returns, something Billy is personally glad for, though he might not be ready for that realization yet. He bumps their shoulders together, to hold Billy's attention and let him know he’s genuine, “Still, in all seriousness man, I hope you can find someone else like that for you. I know it’s not really easy pickings around here.”
This time, Billy’s tone is light, his features soft and vulnerable for the boy next to him, for the way he makes him feel less weighed down, less alone in this, “You got no idea, Harrington.”
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sortagaysortahigh · 3 years
Text
Skeletons In The Closet | R.B.
Hey babies, Ive been sitting on this teaser for a while because i wasn’t sure about it but since Im taking a tumblr break i decided to just queue up all of my finished fics across multiple fandoms. So this is my oc x robin fic for stranger things :) it will be following a lot of the canon plot but things are going to be tweaked for obvious reasons
Warnings: cussing, mentions of homophobia, mentions of racism (this takes place in the 80s so), spellinh and grammar errors, mentions of the aids epidemic, stranger things spoilers
Word count: 1.7k
Natalie Sinclair (OC) x Robin Buckley
The sound of her somewhat long acrylic nails tapping on the dingy old countertop blended into the background noise of the busy ice cream shop. It was a habit of hers, one she’d picked up from her mother as a child and it sort of just-stuck.
“Can you quit it?” she blinked a few times, looking from her colorful nails to the white boy across the counter, squinting his eyes trying to read the menu before looking back at her. “Can you order already? It’s been like seven minutes-most people only need about three.” he scoffed, craning his neck back slightly, rolling his eyes while mumbling under his breath.
Most people wondered how she’d managed to keep the job at Scoops Ahoy, considering she was blunt and nonchalant. She wasn’t the type to smile at every customer, nor was she the type to ask them how they were doing and present an obnoxious-overly charismatic facade. But it was also something people really liked about her, things never really got to her-she had a thick skin and she didn’t care for miniscule interactions with people she’d see for a total of fifteen minutes out of her entire day.
The guy looked to be around her age-maybe a year younger-and based on the look he gave her, she knew everything that she needed to know. The looks were easily recognizable-it didn’t matter if it was the eighties, things hadn’t changed that much.
“Lemme guess, something bland and boring-like yourself-two scoops of vanilla on a cone?-” he furrowed his brows, his thin lips slightly parted making her roll her eyes “-yeah I know your type kid. Whatever, that’ll be a buck twenty five, it’s extra if you want sprinkles” her sarcasm made him roll his eyes, she raised a brow watching him dig into his pocket, pulling out the exact change then placing it on the counter instead of in her hand.
“Wow aren’t you such a tough cookie!” she grabbed the money and placed it into the register, then scooped the bland ice cream into a cone, handing it to him with a blank expression. “Aren’t you supposed to tell me to have a good day-” he squinted looking at her name tag “Natalie”. She scoffed “have a splendid day! It would be a shame if you choked!” he blinked a few times, taken aback by her giddy tone.
It couldn’t have been five minutes before her little sister and her posse of overdressed ten year olds walked in.
“Nat we’re here to try some free samples” she scoffed from behind the counter, shaking her head slightly before flipping her blown out black hair over her shoulder. She took a moment to ignore her younger sister, grabbing the compact mirror she kept in her work uniform's apron pocket then adjusted her perfectly bumped bangs.
“Hello! I know you can hear me!” after promptly closing the mirror and placing it on the counter she blinked a few times. “I’m not giving you or ya little friends free samples, I’m not Robin-and I sure as hell am not Steve-so cut the attitude. Erica take ya little butt elsewhere before I call momma and tell her you’ve been running around the mall stealing things and kissing ugly boys, and don’t let me catch you trying to run this game again. I’m nineteen not nine, watch ya mouth”
The ten year old crossed her arms over her chest, her friends biting back laughs while avoiding eye contact with Natalie. “It’s company policy that you have to give us free samples.” “yeah and it’s family policy that I can and will whoop yo little ass so if you’re not here to purchase ice cream, you and the seven dwarves can exit this establishment.”
“One day you’re gonna realize how much you need me!” Natalie laughed at her younger sister, leaning forward, raising her brows with the same smile on her face. “It’s a good thing one day isn’t today, now go on-and I better not see the rest of yall in here again-better ask ya parents for some money next time you decide to spend your day at the mall. Now go on, the doors that way-and Erica if you see Lucas tell his ass that I need to talk to him.”
Natalie smiled when her sister rolled her eyes, turning around and motioning for her friends to follow suit. With that she sat on the back counter, swinging her legs back and forth while the navy blue sailor-themed shorts slightly rode up her thighs, exposing the scooby doo themed bandaid on her upper thigh.
When the sliding etched window opened behind her she leaned back slightly, turning to look at one of her co-workers, her least favorite of the two-Steve Harrington. “Nat you could at least try to be nicer to your sister” she rolled her eyes, ignoring the way he leaned closer to her, resting his palms on the counter.
“We both know Erica likes to think she’s grown-besides if I don’t put her in her place then she thinks it’s okay to talk to me like I’m one of her bratty ass friends-not to mention the way that she somehow manages to walk all over Lucas already, granted she doesn’t know anything about the whole upside down thing, the demodogs, and all the other weird shit we’ve been through-but still”
He nodded his head slowly, taking a second to trail his eyes along her side profile.
It was no secret that Steve Harrington had quite the crush on Natalie Sinclair-everyone knew about it, and the girl had tried countless times to let him know that she’s not interested-however he wasn’t the best at getting hints. He was kind of oblivious, but they both valued their friendship-and oddly enough she was okay with him having a crush on her as long as he understood that it wasn’t going anywhere.
Sure she knew it was kind of messed up to constantly turn him down while simultaneously being close with him-but she had her reasons. Or rather she had one very large, very personal reason that she preferred to keep a secret.
To put it in simpler words, Natalie Sinclair is what one would refer to as a closeted lesbian-something that she hated about herself, but it was also something she couldn’t control. She’d tried dating guys-hell in high school she had a boyfriend for three years-they never did anything more than kiss, but even that was something she forced herself to do.
She wanted to be what was deemed as normal, sure being gay was decriminalized in the late sixties, and the entire gay subculture as a whole was picking up speed-but so was the AIDs epidemic-and it didn’t exactly paint homosexuality in a good light.
It was hard enough being a black woman in America-adding being gay on top of that was welcoming in a lot of other struggles that she wasn’t ready for. So she kept things to herself, she laughed with her friends, told the perfect lies about certain guys-mimicked their behaviors and opinions just to get by. But she knew-she’d always known.
She just knew how to ignore it.
“Hey Lady and Gentle-idiot, what’d I miss?” Natalie turned around slightly, pushing Steve back then jumping into the back room of the storefront, adjusting her shorts accordingly before handing Steve his hat “duty calls Harrington” he nodded his head, snatching the hat from her, holding in a laugh then making his way to the front, closing the window-leaving the two girls alone.
“Your sister came back?” “Of course she did Rob-is that even a question? We both know Erica and her look-alikes love to run games on you and the hair” she nodded her head, grabbing the metal chair, sitting backwards in it while motioning for Natalie to be quiet.
The two of them stared at each other while they listened to Steve’s horrible attempts at flirting with some girls. “Why does he always introduce himself? This isn’t high school, it’s a shitty summer job” Robin stifled a laugh, shaking her head at Natalie’s harsh whispers, the both of them putting a hand over their mouths-trying their best to suppress their obnoxious laughter.
When the sliding window opened again they immediately started laughing.
“It’s not funny! It’s the hat okay! It covers up my best feature!” Natalie shook her head, turning to look at Steve “If your hair is your best feature, you really need to work on your self esteem Stevie” every few words she’d let out a slight giggle-and the evident blush on Steve’s face was proof of that.
“Don’t worry Stevie, one day you’ll actually score-try working on the whole ‘I don’t know what I’m doing with my life and it’s inhibiting my self esteem’ thing first. Girls see right through the facade, and if they don’t-you’re just bad at flirting.” he scoffed, shaking his head, taking off the white sailor hat-leaving it on the countertop then letting out a loud groan, his hands covering his face.
“‘M gonna be single until I die” Natalie leaned forward, grabbing his wrist, pulling one of his hands away “Steve, everyone dies alone-so you’re gonna be single in death too” his mouth dropped at her comment, but Robin’s laughter bounced off the walls, the other two followed suit.
“Your fourteen year old brother has a girlfriend-how does a fourteen year old have a girlfriend and I don’t? Am I repulsive?” Natalie glanced back at Robin who was trying her best to keep a straight face-but the corner of her lips were slightly upturned at his outburst.
Natalie shot the girl a quick wink before turning back to Steve “You’re not repulsive, you’re a hopeless romantic who used to be the king of high school, and now you’re just you. It’s kinda like the assholes who peak in high school-except you almost peaked-but you didn’t.”
But the one thing that Natalie missed was the red flush taking over Robin’s freckled face-she was quick to stand up, walking over to the sink, turning it on-acting as if she was washing some of the extra ice cream scoopers.
“Haha very funny Nat, if only you were as funny as you were beautiful” Robin rolled her eyes at his horrible attempt at flirting, focusing on the pink sponge in her hand, tossing it around the sink-not actually washing any of the scoopers or other miscellaneous utensils-but Natalie’s loud gag made her smile.
“Would you look at that, you’ve earned yourself two more points under the ‘you suck’ category-if you’re lucky you’ll hit ten before the day is over!”
-
Taglist (just my friends as of rn but if yall wanna be tagged the form is in my masterlist overhaul!)
@dmonchld @damndunner @anxietyandtacos @jellyfishbeansontoast @bricksatlandyswindow @babytkachuks @kiedhara
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indigohitoshi · 4 years
Text
through the years & tears || tendou satori (x fem!reader)
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word count: 2.8k-a oneshot, his bday special <3
warnings: fluff, angst in the middle, & sexual themes mentioned :)
-you were five when you came across the park.
“excuse me?” you called, “hi, hi! do you want to play tag?”
tendou shook his head, “im waiting for my friends, it’s my birthday!” the boy beamed, “im tendou, what’s your name?” he stuck out his hand.
you smiled, shaking his, “(first and last name)! but you can call me (first name),” you grinned, “and happy birthday! can i join your party?”
“sorry, invite only,” tendou watched your face fall. you shrugged, reassuring him it was fine and went to go play in the swings.
two hours passed, your mother insisting you to head home but you told her a couple more minutes everytime. you sat at the swings, watching tendou sit patiently at the picnic table. his own mother looked nervous, wringing her hands.
“mom?” tendou didn’t look at the older woman, “no one’s coming, are they? because everyone thinks im a monster?” he felt his party hat sag.
you struck, rushing towards the table, tendou saw you and smiled. your palms pressed against the table as you leaned forward, faces inches apart, “i don’t think youre a monster!” you exclaimed, “i think you’re cute!”
-you were seven when he asked for a promise
“tendou!” you exclaimed, jumping on the swings next to him, “happy birthday!” a soft smile spread across his face as you handed him a neatly wrapped box.
“you didn’t have to get me anything, (name)!” tendou tore the paper apart, a wide grin crept up his face. a jersey, a number five printed on it, “five’s your favorite number!”
“so im there with you on the court!” you wrapped your arms around his neck.
“(name),” tendou wrapped his arms around your waist, “can i ask you for another gift?” he watched you nod, “will you let me marry you when we’re older? i don’t want to love anyone else but you!” tendou exclaimed.
“of course!” you felt him pull away so you did, too.
tendou put out his pinky, “promise?”
you wrapped your pinky around his, “i pinky promise!”
marriage was an odd concept at that age, you both simply saw innocent infatuation that the two of you wanted to last forever. there was no sense of real consequences, just adoration.
-you were thirteen when you had your first sleepover 
“ready, satori?” you watched the timer in your hand countdown slowly.
ten
nine
eight
seven
“tendou?” he looked up at you, you broke the gaze from the timer.
“yeah, what’s up?”
three
two
you took his face in your hands, pressing a quick peck against his lips as the timer sounded; it was midnight, officially tendou’s birthday. tendou pulled back, dazed, “cool! do it again!” he cheered. you giggled, pressing another soft kiss against his lips, “we really are going to get married, you know that, (name)?” tendou held your hand after the small kiss, “and we’ll have the biggest wedding! I'll show everyone you’re my wife! it’ll be great!”
“we should go back to my house before my mom notices we’re gone,” you giggled.
tendou smiled, hopping off of the swings and holding out his hand for you to grab.
-you were fifteen when you broke the news
“hey, satori,” you smiled, “happy birthday.” you sat next to him, your feet used to hang off the swings but now they sat flat on the ground.
you watched his eyes falter, “what’s wrong, babe?” pet names became common between the two of you around fourteen, a sign of comfort that you two trusted each other.
“go ahead and open your gift,” you watched him eye you down.
“aww, (name), are these promise rings?” tendou pulled the two rings out, one on a chain.
“you don’t like rings, so i made it a necklace,” you smiled softly, “satori… i didn’t get accepted into shiratorizawa.”
tendou’s face fell, “what? we’ve always been in the same class since elementary school–(name), do you want me to talk to someone?” he reached over and grabbed your hand, “we… we’ve always been together.”
“i got into karasuno,” you felt tendou tug at the sleeve of your hoodie, meaning to move closer.
“i told you to study,” tendou felt you settle in his lap. he rested his chin on your shoulder, “…will you come and visit me?” tendou felt you nod, “give me your hand.” you shifted so he could grab your hand without making your arm hurt. he placed the ring on your left hand, “we’re still going to get married, (name), we promised.” tendou smiled up at you, kissing the ring lightly.
-you were sixteen when you went to one of his games
“ushijima,” you whispered.
ushijima nodded, walking towards you, “it’s nice to meet you, (name), satori talks a lot about you.” he lead you up to the family stands so you had a better view. no one questioned him even though he was a first year, he was strong.
“weird he has a game on his birthday,” you sighed, “i wish we were at the park.”
“he says that’s where you two met,” ushijima hesitated, “he says youre his wife.”
you choked on your yakult, “he calls me his what?”
“i must go, but im sure he’ll be glad you’re here with him as support,” ushijima didn’t think twice as he left you in the stands. you sat, ‘his wife? that was a joke when we were kids, but we’re in high school now-i have a boyfriend, now.’ you thought. you brushed the ideas aside, you were being dumb. tendou’s always been affection, so maybe it was simply one of those times.
“SATORI!” you cried from the stands, a large number five painted on your cheek. he looked up at the stands, seeing you made him swell with pride.
“hey, semisemi, that’s my wife, you see her-goshiki! that’s my wife!” tendou waved at you which he was not supposed to do. he reached below his jersey, the ring dangling on the flimsy chain. he smiled and tucked it back in. that night, every block he made was for you, all the effort and sweat was for you. the way you cheered kept him going.
tendou looked up and there was another boy, his hands on your waist pressing a kiss to your cheek. his attention was stolen from him to this new guy.
“satori?” you called into the park, “you left right after your game! I brought you your gif-”
“we’re supposed to get married,” tendou looked at you, “who was he.”
“his name is daichi, he’s a first year like us.” you scoffed, “are you jealous, tendou?”
“...tendou, weird, it used to be-”
“don’t finish that sentence,” you two had never fought before, it was weird, foreign. there was this tension in the air, you always held a silver tongue but backed off because this was your best friend.
“you pinky promised.”
“we were seven!” you exclaimed, throwing your hands in the air, “we were kids, tendou. this isn’t some elementary school game.”
“your ring,” tendou motioned to the naked hand, “where is it?”
“I stopped wearing it.”
“why?”
“tendou,” you spoke angrily, “we were kids.”
tendou hummed, reaching below his jersey and ripping off the necklace. you felt your heartstrings tear as the chain shattered. you wanted to cry, take it back and admit the ring was in your back pocket, you just didn’t want daichi to think you were dating tendou.
instead, you scoffed, throwing the gift to the ground, “happy fucking birthday, tendou.” you had tears in your eyes, wiping them away quickly and turning around. there in the bag, sat chocolate ice cream with freezer packs and a new copy of the weekly shonen jump. you were going to let him finally teach you about it, no matter how bored you got.
-you were seventeen when the park was empty
a year, a year with little to no contact with tendou. it got back to last name basis, but surely, he would be here. this park, this swing set was where you’d always meet for his birthday, rain or shine. you had traveled an hour and a half here, just to see him, to talk to him.
“thirteen years,” you mumbled, dropped his gift on the swings, “we’ve been coming to this fucking spot for thirteen years and he doesn’t come because I broke a pinky promise a year ago?” you yelled at nothingness. you’d waited for hours, it was already dark, about ten at night. you’d arrived when the sun was setting.
a small repaired chain sat in the small box, the ring already attached to it. tears pricked in your eyes as you placed it on the swings.
-you were eighteen when you saw him again
“hey, you guys are doing great!” you cheered on your team. your now ex-boyfriend gave you a thumbs up. yachi watched from the stands above, “looks like they’re running lat-” you mumbled, but stopped as the doors parted open.
tendou satori stood in all his glory, walking with the grand team. you looked up for a split second before lowering your gaze. he looked good. after the fight since first year, he seemed to delete you from his memories. no more phone calls, texts, nothing. your mother and his continued to talk, saying you should go over for dinner but you politely declined. your excuse was it was too far, which wasn’t really a lie, it took about and hour and half.
“satori,” ushijima whispered, “isn’t that (name)?”
“i guess,” tendou shrugged, “guess she has a new boyfriend, maybe two.”
nishinoya jumped around her, grinning as he asked for reassurance. tanaka watched you smile at nishinoya’s antics and his eyes looked as if they held stars, “good luck, guys!” you exclaimed, “and tsukki–remember you’re doing great!”
you and tendou’s eyes met, you mouthed a soft happy birthday before looking away and speaking to ukai. when you turned, tendou noticed the ring sitting on your left hand. at first he froze, did you actually marry someone else? you’re a third year, (name). he thought, but squinted to peep it was the ring you had given him when you were fifteen. a tiny grin fell on his face, “that’s my good girl.”
“hey, (name)!” tendou sang on the court. you looked up thinking it was one of yours “kids” but seeing tendou wave, “this game is for you!” he pulled the chain tucked under his jersey.
“you’re still wearing that?” semi rolled his eyes.
“don’t be so mean, semisemi!” tendou pouted, “she is my wife after all.”
your eyes widened, it’s been two years. two years since tendou decided to greet you as anything other than your last name. it made you angry and excited because you missed him. through the years and tears, nothing had ever split you two apart for that long.
each block tendou made, or kill ushijima scored, tendou would look and wave at you. every smile melted your anger and you found yourself rooting for shiratorizawa, ukai sending you a curious look as you jumped when tendou would make a correct guess.
as the game came to a end, a silence fell over the court, “SHOYO!” you cried and ran up to the small boy, wrapping your arms around his neck. you choked on your sobs, after three years, you guys were going to nationals.
tendou’s half smile laced across his face, ducking under the net and grabbing you from the group, arms around your waist.
“satori!” you pressed you hand against your mouth, “sorry… first name-”
“it’s okay,” tendou smiled at you, “it’s okay, don’t worry your pretty face. im sorry, and i want to talk,” he put you down, “are you free today?”
you smiled, “let me call my mom.”
on the phone, your mother squealed, repeating ‘yes, yes, yes!’ for minutes straight before you laughed and hung up. “ukai,” a nervouse stance took over your body, “i have to take care of something here, i have to stay behind.”
ukai glanced at tendou who sent a goofy smile to the two of you, he rolled his eyes, “that your boyfriend?”
“husband.”
ukai’s eyes widened, “…i’ll never understand you, (name).” he sighed, “go ahead.”
“where’s (name) going?” daichi watched you leap into tendou’s arms, noticing you never smiled that hard when you two dated in first year.
“meeting her husband, i guess.”
tendou gripped your hand, rushing you upstairs to the dorm, “im going to shower! feel free to tell ushijima to fuck off out of the dorm since it is my birthday.” he giddily grabbed a towel and ushijima walked in afterwards.
“oh, my apologies,” ushijima started to gather a couple of things.
“hey-ushijima, right?” you played with your fingers as you sat on the bed, “did he talk about me?”
ushijima paused, “he cut you off because he was scared of how you thought of him. he was afraid he wasn’t enough for you because you broke your promise, and maybe thought you were starting to see him as a monster. you know how he is,” ushijima held his gaze with you, “you should marry him. he loves you more than volleyball. every year we offer to change numbers on jerseys, even after you two stopped being friends, he refused.”
you wiped tears from your eyes, “thank you, ushijima.”
“you can call me wakatoshi,” he nodded, leaving the dorm.
an excited tendou rushed through the door, a towel around his waist. blood rushed to your face, “satori!”
“can i talk about shonen jump?! that’s what we were going to do last birthday we celebrated together!” he leapt, “after i give you an explination, of course. i missed you! i missed you a lot,” tendou jumped around like a happy puppy, “and i don’t even care if you have a boyfriend-! or girlfriend, it you started to swing that way! i missed you,” he repeated.
you laid on the bed, “i haven’t dated anyone since daichi.”
“ohh? but a pretty girl like you should have people crawling at her feet,” tendou pulled on boxers under the towel and pants over.
“didn’t say i didn’t,” you teased, “but they’re not you.” you mumbled.
tendou raised an eyebrow, “what do you mean?”
“i mean i always hoped we’d be friends again, but maybe not friends, you know? after we stopped, i cried–i felt it was my fault. but ushijima told me your side, it was a lack of communicatio-”
tendou cut you off, pressing a kiss to your lips, “it was my fault,” he whispered when the two of you pulled away, “i cut you off because i love you, i’ve loved you since you thought i was cute and not some monster. i couldn’t bear the thought of you cutting me off, so i did it first.” he brushed a strand of hair out of your eyes, “i thought you simply weren’t going to come back to me, im sorry.”
you smiled, “i’d always come back to you.”
tendou sat next you, you grinned, “hey–that was cool.”
“what was?”
“the kiss, do it again,” you watched his stupid smile return. he pulled you in his lap, trailing kisses down your cheek to your neck.
“i love you, too.”
-you were twenty two when you had your wedding.
it was the night after the wedding. you had barely changed and you and tendou sat at a picnic table, “do you still like me?” tendou glanced up at you, his head resting on your shoulder.
you understood all the weird looks you two had gotten, it was eleven at night and you were in a wedding gown and tendou was in a tuxedo.
“baby, we’re married.”
“yeah but–you know,” tendou chuckled, “doesn’t mean you like me.”
“...satori,” you rolled your eyes, “no, i don’t like you.”
tendou frowned, “it was a joke–”
“i love you!” you cut him off, cupping his face in his your hands and peppering kisses across his face. tendou grinned at your giggles as he did the same.
“you could’ve thought i was monster,” tendou stopped, “why did you call me cute?”
“i just thought you were, little five year old me was taught to always take opporunities, so i took one to talk to you. a lot of people didn’t talk go me, but you did, you acknowledged that fact i wanted to play tag instead of ignoring me,” you smiled, “kids called me antisocial, closed off, shy, but you… i was drawn to you.”
“some soulmate shit,” tendou smiled.
“hey, look!” you unlocked your phone, “it’s midnight!”
tendou smiled, giving you a quick kiss on your cheek, “it is, isn’t it?”
“happy birthday,” you wrapped your arms around his neck.
“thank you, my love,” tendou burried himself into his neck, “i wouldn’t want to spend it with anyone else.”
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batarella · 4 years
Text
I Don’t Hate You - Part 5 (Jason Todd x Reader)
will i ever find true love? with standards like this? will i ever find someone who’ll quench my thirst like jaybaby does?
nah.
(If you haven’t already noticed, since the reader is inspired by Jade West, ALL the songs in her singing scenes come from the covers by the iconic Liz Gillies! This one’s scene is inspired by Liz’s live story right here)
WORD: 6908 WARNINGS: EVEN MORE FLUFF BWAHAHAHAHA
Masterlist
I DON’T HATE YOU - MASTERLIST
-----
Jason: ‘don’t do it.’
Jerry the science teacher was starting to catch on to him with Jason’s eyes darting to his crotch for no reason and his hand under the desk, but Jason managed to fool him by pulling out his notebook right where his phone was and pretended to take notes with his free hand. It was getting harder to hide it though, especially when he’d crack into a wide grin in the middle of a boring discussion all of a sudden. He looked like an idiot.
Y/N: ‘I’ll fucking do it.’
Jason: ‘she’ss a teaacher.’
Y/N: ‘that hasn’t stopped me before.’
Jason was writing scribbles onto his notebook at that point, lingering his eyes on the teacher for as long as he could while his other hand blindly texted barely readable typos. How were you able to text so well?
You sent another text before he could respond. ‘I’m totally doing it.’
Jason: ‘I’m sure she wasd looookin behind yuu’
Y/N: ‘no. she was definitely looking at me. Who else would she look at when she’s talking about baby murderers.’
Jason: ‘oh.’
Jason really wanted to laugh now. He double texted.
Jason: ‘I get it now.’
Y/N: ‘im not a fucking serial killer.’
Three dots floating in a bubble followed after.
Y/N: ‘yet.’
Jason kept his eyes on the board. Thankfully, this was chemistry. Bruce taught him more about that subject than Jerry ever will. He didn’t need to listen.
Y/N: ‘it’s just her divorce.’
Jason: ‘you have got to stop asking facultyyyt memberd how their divorce is going.’
Y/N: ‘why not’
Jerry definitely caught him by now. His glances at him included unbothered shakings of his head and flattened lips. But he didn’t say anything and went on with the discussion. He probably didn’t bother. Jason would end up with the highest test score no matter what he was doing in his desk. And the man had large bags under his eyes that screamed ‘I really don’t give a fuck about any of you’ to his students.
Jason: ‘you’re worse than a serial killer.’
You: ‘Im no Amelia Dyer.’
Jason: ‘remind me to look her up.’
You: ‘she killed 400 babies and had a infant farm for 20 years before she got caught.’
Jason: ‘sounds like something you’d do’
Y/N: ‘I don’t kill babies. I just scare them.’
Jason: ‘that’s the first step right there.’
You sent a middle finger and it made him silently cackle. Somehow, your sense of humor through came off a lot less dark, maybe because you didn’t sound like you were serious, when in actuality, you probably were. It didn’t matter though. He was smiling like a crazy person in the middle of a discussion about balancing equations.
Jason placed his phone back into his pocket and waited for the bell to ring so he could go meet you at the library for the fifth week since you started. You were halfway through your sentence. He never thought he’d get there. Somehow, he wasn’t exactly looking forward to the end of it as he thought he would.
Just yesterday, he told himself it was wrong to enjoy watching you scream at the stoners hiding behind the encyclopedia sections knowing no one would go in there at all. You were, quite literally, kicking them out of the library while Ms. Peterson backed you up like a shrieking duo. One of them cried while you charged at him, looking like you were about to tear his hair out and you threatening to stick his blunt up his earhole.
It went from something so obnoxious to something so amusing to watch. Perhaps the wrong was in him.
Jason listened to the teacher for the last ten minutes of the class, then the bell rung and everyone started for the exit. He picked up his bag, then took out his phone to tell you he was on his way.
“Texting in class now, Todd?”
He wanted to throw his bag, or anything he had on his hands really, to that source of that voice. Brandon. Fucking Brandon. With his still throbbing new nose and football varsity jacket over his shoulders that made him look even more loathsome than he already does. He came up to Jason and stood him off.
“Every single day for the past week, you text in class.” Brandon brought his leg up to rest on a chair beside Jason. “What? You think you’re so much smarter than everyone now?”
“I’m smarter than you, that’s for sure. But that’s not really much to brag about.”
“I can tell on you, you know. How’d your GPA like that?”
“Didn’t know you were a dirty snitch, Brandon.”
“Who you texting?” he raised his arms up to intimidate him. “That psycho bitch you hang out with all the time?”
Bruce told him to keep his rage in check even more so in class than he barely does in patrols, but at that moment, in a dizzying blur, Jason skillfully pushed Brandon against the wall and pulled his fist behind him without much care for the onlooking crowd.
“Want a new nose again, jackass?”
“Fuck you-“
“ALRIGHT, ENOUGH. STEP AWAY FROM HIS NOSE.”
Jerry. Poor Jerry. The tired teacher grabbed onto Jason’s shoulder and pulled him away from the linebacker. Jason backed down, lowering his arm, then kept his glare on him while he puffed up his jacket.
“Both of you. Get out of here. Todd, you don’t want me to send you to the VP’s office again before I call your father. Everyone walk away. Yes, everyone. Walk on. Get on with your business.”
He kept his head craned down while Jerry screamed at anyone sparing him a look. Jason shoved his bag over his back and stormed out of the room. Slamming the door, he walked to the library and found an empty table waiting for him with a cart full of books at the side. Ms. Peterson had her hand on her hip, snarling at him when he took the seat. “Get to these by today, boy.”
He ignored her and sat down, leaning forward to take yet another nap with his arms folded under his head.
All it takes is one triggering moment. One thug to taunt him. One word from the Joker. One lecture from Bruce. One threat to his humanity. And now his head’s all boiled up and all he wanted to do was block out the rest of the world and take a nap. And even then, he knew he wouldn’t wake up feeling any better.
“Jason,” Bruce told him a five weeks ago, the first day of his library sentence. “Anything going on in school you should tell me about?”
“Nothing. What makes you think that?”
“You caused trouble,” he said. “You picked a fight.”
“I’m fine. I’m not letting it affect my grades.”
“This isn’t about your grades. You can't let your business from the field affect you and hurt innocent people.”
“I’m not-“
“The next time the principal calls me with you starting another fight-“
“You’ll what? Take away my phone privileges?”
“I’m taking away your suit.”
He stormed out of that room before he could say anything more. Bruce never brought it up again, but Jason knew he was going to keep his word no matter what.
Jason didn’t even notice when you took the seat across of him with that prolonged, annoyed grunt that most often came with an eye roll. You placed your bag to your side and poked at his arm.
“Ey. You gotta help me with this.”
He didn’t look up when you pulled out your notes and your textbook. “WAKE UP.”
You repeatedly patted his shoulder until he let out a large enough grunt to make him crane his head up, eye squinting at you and his black hair covering his eyes. He really needed a haircut.
“What do you want now?”
“You weren’t this grumpy this morning.” You smirked. “I have to make a lit paper.”
“Why can't you do it yourself?”
“’Cuz you're the expert here. And I need that A.”
He buried his face back into his arms. “I’m not in the mood, Y/N.”
“Come on,” you said. Your voice prolonged the last syllable and you started to sound more annoying. “Don’t be a baby.”
“Just do it and ask me questions or some shit.”
“But I need your help-“
“And by the end of this, we’re at each other’s throats. I really don’t have the time for that now.”
You backed up, scoffing. “’Cuz you have something so much better to do?”
“Yeah,” he snarled. “Like taking a nap.”
He didn’t even glance at you taken aback and ignored you cursing under your breath. “Fine. Eat a dick, asshole.”
You took your stuff and drowned them into your bag, shuffling out of the table. A girl came up to you with a voice lower than a whistle. “Uhm, excuse me-“
“NO!” you screeched, then headed for the next table before she could ask anything more. The poor girl was trembling on her knees by the time you found an empty seat and pour out everything in your bag. His head was a mess, and the silence was the first step to actually making him clear his grime-covered mind. Jason kept shutting his eyes closed and focused on the blunt colors that appeared before his eyes in the shape of spirals.
For half an hour, he kept at his nap, falling asleep for a good ten minutes before he awoke to the sound of your screaming at a guy too stupid to ask you if the seat next to you was free while you were fumbling with your assignment. Jason groaned into his arm, feeling his head swell and ache and already knowing Bruce was waiting for him at home with yet another long, agonizing lecture on picking fights he never wanted in the first place. His eyes started to hurt from the force he used to shut them close, and everything in his mind was as hot as fire.
Leaning back against the chair, he knew this was going to bite him in the ass, sooner or later.
And one of the very very very few reasons he got to smile or even laugh all day was now violently taking notes while reading a book with the most fed up, furious expression on her face. He pulled out his bag, taking a water bottle and finishing its contents down his throat before he shot up and pushed his chair back.
Jason stood in front of your desk, his hand on the back of the chair across of you and waited for you to take notice of him. Your glare was terrifying. And it actually made him want to step back for once. But he stood his ground and sighed. “Can I help?”
“Get out of here.”
“I can help you.”
“I don’t need an asswipe telling me off.”
He took the chair despite you and you stared at your notebook, still with your eyebrows arched way up.
“Sorry.”
You ignored him and kept with your notes. He peered over, his elbows on the table, and you practically hissed at him when he got too close. Raising his hands up to surrender, he snarled at him before you continued your work.
“How many of reports have you done so far?”
You didn’t look like you were going to respond, and you kept writing like he wasn’t there in front of you at all. Jason couldn’t help but smile seeing you so angry and focused, knowing you were trying your best to block him out and failing miserably when he could see your eyebrow twitch and your eyes darting at him every few seconds.
Squirming his hand to you, his finger tugged on your gray sweater and scratched you like you had an itch. You pursed your lips and pulled your fist out so you looked like you were about to punch him, but he playfully held your hand and backed off. That was when he was fully smiling by now. He could block out all other thoughts easily when it was so fun to bug you.
“I’m sorry,” he said, and you finally looked up to his eyes. “Come on. Let me help.”
You licked the outside of your teeth and let out a long sigh that came with your usual grunt. Knowing you’d hate and love it at the same time, he ruffled your hair and you charged at him, almost stabbing him with your pen.
You finally managed to smile, then you gave in and handed him your notebook.
“The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe,” you said. “What do you think?”
He leaned over the table, glancing at you, then taking the time to read your notes on what you understood from the passage. “This is good.”
“I’ve read the whole book like ten times by now.”
That made his chest feel just a bit warmer. “Really?”
“Yeah,” you took out the collection book he gave you. “Ms. Peterson has no idea. I’m supposed to have four weeks-worth of penalties because of this.”
Knowing he gave you something, and you happened to like it so much that you wanted it to be your report for literature class, and with you writing a decent paper about it, with you reading it over and over, it instantly became one of the things he won't easily forget.
He never grinned so much in a while, probably since a week ago in the gym. Jason watched you take back your notebook, continuing to write as he gazed too long at your parted lips. Feeling his flesh burn, he looked away.
“I won't bite you if you change anything, you know.” you said, your eyes keeping on your notes. “Go nuts.”
You tore off the page and handed it over to Jason, then you gave him a pen. Smiling at you, he took it, then started to circling words he thought you should change and other ideas he had of his own. A moment of silence, you didn’t scream anything at him when you he gave you the corrections. You graciously nodded, then started rewriting them onto a separate page. Your hair was falling to your cheeks, and it touched your skin so delicately and soft. Pretty.
So pretty.
He was gawking. He was so gawking. You’ll never let him hear the end of it. He shook his head and pretended he wasn’t just resting his chin on his hand like a teenage girl.
The thought of you reading Poe’s works still hadn’t left his mind. It wasn’t even a complete collection. There were so many more stories out there, most just on the internet. Maybe tonight, he could send some to you and you might enjoy them, too.
Or, maybe not. Patrol. Bruce has been telling him not to text so much while he was out supposedly beating criminals. But he couldn’t help it.
There was just something about making you happy, or even just smile or let out a bit of a laugh that made him feel a whip of a breezy rush. You were often sad when you were alone, and whatever you felt at school, it was so much worse at home. Everyday, you told him bits more of how it was like with your parents.
He saw so much of himself in you. You were eerily similar. Too similar. The hidden rage, the angst kept within. Maybe that was why he liked making you laugh so much.
“So what story did you like most?”
You grinned. “I’m not entirely sure. The Black Cat’s definitely up there. I don’t know. I really like all of them.”
“I’ve read that. The Black Cat,” he said, leaning back. “What makes you like it so much?”
“I like the idea of a cat being the whole reason his life goes downhill, kills his wife, and eventually gets caught. Like his whole life was being dictated by his pet.”
“That’s dark.”
“I know,” you smirked. “That’s why I like it so much.”
He had his arms crossed over on the table to cover his chest. “You becoming a serial killer seems more possible now.”
“Fuck you,” you said, sticking your tongue out.  
It was almost 4:30. He didn’t even notice the clock. You and Jason had the most civil conversation, not an insult or a mean comment on anything other than a playful back and forth. You closed your notes, then your book, then you stretched out your arms.
“Ms. Peterson’s gonna be pissed. We haven’t done any work today at all.”
“Just put the cart behind that shelf over there. We’ll take care of it tomorrow.”
He laughed, and you went with him as he stood up and did exactly so. “I can take you home today. But we have to leave now. Bruce wants me to go with him on this… thing.”
“Nah.” You pulled on your sweater as you headed out the door. “I’ll stay behind. Dad’s usually awake at this time. He won't be asleep until like, an hour from now.”
Jason respectfully understood, and you watched him as he walked out through the halls, turning at the corner.
He pulled out his phone. There was a text from Bruce.
‘You coming tonight?’
He didn’t bother to respond when he was already on his way home. Yesterday, Penguin and Two Face both had their own bank robberies at opposite ends of town. He repeatedly told Bruce he could handle Cobblepot on his own, but he refused and demanded he go with him while they take them out one by one.
Jason was reluctant of course, and it wasn’t like he had a choice. But he did a great job at finishing off Two Face’s crew that it didn’t take long for them to go all the way to the other bank and catch Penguin before they even got to half the bank’s vaults. Bruce told him he had the option to go with him to patrol tonight or not, but if he were, he had to come home early and not laze around in school like he often did.
Tonight, he chose to go to patrol. He thought he needed an outlet and imagine Brandon’s face on the heads of drug dealers. The thought alone made him grin.
Jason walked out the exit and reached for his keys.
Except he totally forgot he wasn’t even wearing his bag until he’d walked to his motorcycle. Groaning as he walked back into the school’s entrance, he sprinted for the library, catching the door open just as Ms. Peterson was about to walk out with a deathly glare on her face at him. Jason ran for his bag, took it, then gave Ms. P a fun little hug before walking back out.
He took out his phone, expecting a text from you, but there was nothing. So he asked you where you were before heading back out.
Out into the now empty halls, Jason walked pass the lockers, the dark classrooms, the one bright light at the center, he kept his hands in his pockets and sighed.
Piano keys.
Piano keys?
Playing. Simple chords played out but had a familiar tune he couldn’t get out from the back of his mind.
And singing.
A voice he’s only heard so often, yet he could pick out from a million others.
The music room was one he didn’t go in too often, but the sound came from there. The door wasn’t closed, and slowly, he peered it open.
A beam so little from the window, yet he could see how your back was so straight up, how your lean fingers rested gracefully onto the keys, playing the chords in perfectly strewn out notes that he could just tell you’ve been at this for quite some time. From an angle slightly to the left, you couldn’t see him, but he could see a bit of your face, the side of it, how your eyelids looked closed looking down at your own fingers.
Then you sang.
 I've seen the world, done it all
Had my cake now
Diamonds, brilliant, in Bel-Air now
Hot summer nights, mid July
When you and I were forever wild
The crazy days, city lights
The way you'd play with me like a child
Will you still love me
When I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me
When I've got nothing but my aching soul?
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?
 You…
You…
Yeah.
You were beautiful.
So beautiful…
 Will you still love me
When I'm no longer young and beautiful?
 You just… kept going.
And there was nothing, not ever, in the entire length of his existence, of his years at the streets, of his few years as Robin, of his time at either a ratty apartment or a manor, of all the people he’s met, of any song that he’s heard.
Nothing. Nothing compared to your voice. Nothing compared to you.
 Hot summer days, rock and roll
The way you play for me at your show
And all the ways, I got to know
Your pretty face and electric soul
 Breathy, low, and everything he’s kept to remember. His chest never felt so light, yet his heart was beating out of his ribcage. His bag was almost dropped down his shoulder, his mouth was parted, his face deeply flushed. Even when you played the wrong note, cursed, then went on just as perfectly as you ever could, he couldn’t tear his eyes off of you.
His eyes were so relaxed on you, and nothing, not even his trembling shoulders could make him look away.
You reached the higher notes with a perfect falsetto, then your voice echoed out even with the room as small as a stuffy classroom. His eyebrows were up to his forehead and he didn’t know if he was still breathing, when he was standing so still, frozen like a block of ice.
You had so much deepness and soul, and you were often whispering the words, but then your voice would go up in a perfect blend.
Perfect. That was all he could think of. Perfect.
His bag was on the floor now, the only thing keeping it up was a single finger.
Lana Del Ray. You sung it better than her. In his most humble, honest, totally not biased opinion. Shit, he even felt like he wanted to cry. His chest was heaving and his face never burned up so much, at almost the end of the song, he finally had it in him to move from his place and throw himself back against a wall.
Breathe. Fucking breathe.
 Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?
Will you still love me when I'm not young and beautiful?
 That last note, you breathed it out so nicely, it went straight into his soul, biting his lip, then closing his eyes.
He smiled like the biggest fucking idiot for the nth time that very day.
Jason looked like a fourteen year old girl cooing over a boyband. He laid his head against the wall, staring at the ceiling, hearing you sing vocal runs and pressing randomly at the piano. And he couldn’t stop showing his teeth, his face was hurting like a bitch, but fuck.
FUCK.
He’s never felt anything like this. Like his head was lighter than the air around him, lighter than the softness of your falsetto. He was still catching his breath and grinning above him, then at the ground, then back at the wall. It wasn’t on what he stared at. Your voice ringing in his ears, like angels were flying around playing their little harps over his head, like the sun was shining so brightly against him that he couldn’t see even a smidge of darkness anywhere in the world. How your face scrunched up, how your eyebrows raised, how you’d close your eyes and feel the song as it flew out your lips.
He rubbed on his chin and mouth to ease his aching muscles. Jason kept with his breathing, the fluttering in his chest. Everything. Everything.
Jason needed to wash his face with ice cold water at this point, gathering enough courage, he looked back into the room.
You were staring back at him.
-----
You didn’t look mad.
Though you definitely, most probably should.
You didn’t even notice he was there until the end of the song when he hit the wall with his back. Idiot must’ve thought you wouldn’t hear him.
But you weren’t mad. Not at all. Not from the way he was looking at you. Not when he was staring at you in a way no one ever had in your whole life. Not when you could see how his lips were parted and how his chest was visibly rising and how cute his face was all embarrassed and shit.
You could only smile.
Standing from the piano and grabbing your bag, you walked over to him. Jason gulped down and backed up against the wall with you standing right in front of him.
And after five weeks of knowing him,
Jason Todd finally looked like he was scared shitless of you.
But you didn’t want him to be scared of you. Not anymore. It just doesn’t seem like something you wanted anymore.
“You heard all that, huh?”
Jason was an absolute mess. He cleared his throat three times and hesitantly nodded, keeping his head to the ground.
“I-I’m uh,” he mumbled. “Sorry.”
You shook your head. “Don’t be.”
He didn’t look like he had another answer. Jason scratched the back of his head. “Uhm-“
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
You walked first, but looked back to see if he followed. Jason rushed to your side, making sure his blush wasn’t so evident even though it clearly was. You were better at hiding your own embarrassment, so you nudged his shoulder.
Jason laughed out loud and looked at you the same way he looked at the stars. You looked back at him the same way.
“You gonna take me home?”
He managed to form a sentence. “I thought you wanted to stay longer.”
You shrugged. “I guess I can take it.”
When you stepped out the gate, Jason walked you over to his bike and handed you his second helmet. Playfully, you hit the side of his and chuckled when you sat behind him, clutching onto his waist. You felt him tense, but he eventually relaxed and you leaned in to him.
You leaned your head on his back this time. You never did that before. Your clutch was tighter, your eyes closed. If it were anyone, it could pass for simply wanting to be more secure. But that day you just wanted to hold someone you actually didn’t mind being with before you’d get home and all this would end in an abrupt stop.
After a long while, you still couldn’t smell smoke emissions from cars or even hear the horns or bells or shouts from all the city folk near your apartment. Looking up then around you with the sun still shining brightly even at this time of day, you were in the countryside. Away from the city.
“WHERE ARE WE GOING?”
“YOU’LL SEE.”
You could smell cow dung, and the earthy scent of grass you should be more used to than you actually are. The road ahead of you was wide and long, and the air was so much lighter than it was at home. You closed your eyes, this time feeling the wind against your skin.
Jason was smiling through his helmet. Further down the road, you held onto him. “I THOUGHT YOU HAD SOMEWHERE TO GO TONIGHT.”
“I TEXTED BRUCE. I’M NOT GOING WITH HIM. JUST HOLD ON.”
You smiled and looked on when he made a turn into a forest with tall trees getting taller as you rode further down. There were no people around you. Not even houses. You leaned into his shoulder and rested your chin on top.
Jason started to slow down when you reached deeper into the trees, finally stopping his bike by the curb. The air was cold, and you wrapped your sweater tighter around your body after you’ve removed your helmet. “Where are we?”
“Come on.”
Jason walked towards the trees, where there was a little cement pathway now covered in weeds and grass growing out of its cracks. You had trouble making your way through, especially when your boots had a bit of a heel in them, then you walked to Jason’s side as it became clearer what you were there for.
An old, abandoned house. Something out of the dozens of horror movies you’ve saved in your laptop.
“Dude…”
“You like?”
It was small, but its picket fence and flaking white wooden walls just screamed fifties to you, with a triangular roof, two windows on the second level, a half-circle glass wall on the right side of the first floor, and a door so rickety and old, colored in an earthly brown that had mixed in with the debris and rot. Vines were all over its porch, and there was even a rocking chair sitting right outside by the entryway, also covered in vines. Outside of the house was an old pickup truck that had rusted beyond use, sinking into the ground like it was pulled by the earth.
“How’d you know I always wanted to go urban exploring?”
“I just figured.” Jason smiled. “Come on. We can go inside.”
“Are you sure?” you eagerly started for the door. “It won't break?”
“I’ve been here once. The stairs are broken so we can't go to the second floor. Just be careful.”
Pulling the unlocked door open, and Jason right behind you, you flashed him a smile before stepping inside.
It was seriously from the horror movies you’ve watched over and over. The first thing that greeted you was a nice little foyer, with a table in the middle and a vase that used to house flowers for sure. Then behind it was the broken staircase Jason mentioned. It was made entirely out of wood, and it had fallen in so bad that it was basically a wall by now. So much of the wood was on the ground, and there were lots of papers, books, clothes, and several others cluttering all around the floor. You had to walk all over them.
There were two entry ways at the sides of the foyer. One leading to the living room, and one to the dining room and kitchen. Everything further down had been blocked out by wooden planks and even more clutter. The living room was beautiful with the glass walls that formed a half circle and a petite grand piano standing in the middle. Its cover was up, and its keys had completely gone. There was still a bit of light coming in to the windows, which shone on the room so nicely, it was perfect.
The couches were completely ruined, and you wouldn’t dare sit on it. At the center of the room, though, which caught your eye the most, was a beautiful, broken chandelier that had fallen to the ground, which was why there was so much broken glass around the floor.
At the other side, the dining room was a bit more modest. A table seating six was still intact, but the chairs were either toppled over to the ground or broken in half. Even more clutter was on the table. Nearby was the kitchen, with an island in the middle, an old-fashioned fridge you probably wouldn’t want to go near to, and other kitchen supplies scattered around.
You both took out your phones and took pictures of the place. It was too good to witness.
“Jason…”
“I know,” he raised his arms up, putting his phone back into his pocket. “Amazing.”
You covered your mouth, then walked on over to the piano. You ran your hands over it, ignoring the mountains of dust that formed over your fingers. “I dare you to play it.”
“There’s barely any keys left.”
You watched him laugh, then you both walked around the chandelier. “Getting a bit of the Phantom of the Opera vibes in here.”
“Don’t touch it.”
“I wasn’t going to.” You eyed it carefully, then you looked up at the empty ceiling. It looked almost like it was going to fall in. Hopefully it wouldn’t.
“The family that used to live here, they left around fifty years ago. A mom, dad, and two twin girls. They both had tuberculosis and died in this very house. The parents just left it after they died. Never took anything along with them.”
“That’s terrifying. You think they’ve got a listing on this place?”
Jason chuckled. “The twins used to be theater stars. That’s why they’ve got a piano. To practice. And they built the whole place around it so the sounds would echo nicely.”
You finally got it. Shaking your head with a knowing smile, you turned to Jason. He had his hands stuck to his hoodie pockets, his head craned down, his hair falling to his eyes, and his smile all over the bottom half of his face.
“Is that why you took me here?”
“You have…” he gulped, never looking away from your eyes. “The most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard in my life…”
You had to look away. For your own sake. You were turning red so much, it was embarrassing. “Stop.”
“I’m serious. You never told me you sang.”
“It’s not exactly something I hid.  I’ve sung in school a couple of times. Like in middle school graduation.”
“So I’m basically the only one in school who hasn’t heard you sing?” He placed his hand on his chest. Then pretended to scoff.
“Why don’t you sing. Right here.”
“Todd. No.”
“Come on. We have the place for it.”
You looked up at the ceiling, which was high for a house so small. It probably went all the way up to the roof. “No way.”
Jason kept nudging you, but you wouldn’t give in. You couldn’t help your smile though. You and Jason walked over to the kitchen and just looked at all the things the family left behind. Even the toaster was untouched, and you’ve never seen an oven so old fashioned before, it still had that pastel green color on the parts that hadn’t been taken over by rust.
It was starting to get dark. But you never wanted to leave. “Thank you.”
You said it without looking directly at him, but he got it. Going back outside before everything would completely dim out, Jason walked over to the pickup truck and jumped on its back.
You didn’t have the agility to just jump on top of it without possibly pulling a muscle, so you just watched Jason sit on the edge of it and swung his legs in the air.  Standing beside him and leaning your back against the truck, you both watched the house as the sun started to set behind it. You could see the beams scatter just at the center of the roof where it angled down. The sky had grown from a brightly lit yellow to a dark orange.
-----
You and Jason were a recipe for trouble.
Was it because you were too similar? Harbored the same anger? The same hatred for a number of people you didn’t even know? Was it because you both stirred trouble when it wasn’t asked for?
It was a recipe for trouble because, according to the young adult romance novels and movies, Jason was supposed to be with a nice, sweet, innocent girl who’d bring out the good in him and was kind to everyone, have just enough of that spice in her that would draw attention but still be a sweetheart, and she’d be made of happiness and rainbows and would be what brightens up Jason’s darkness.
You were not that girl. You were the opposite. You had that same darkness as he did. You had so much anger, and instilled so much fear onto anyone you didn’t like. Maybe you were even darker. And if it were up to those same novels and movies, you were supposed to end up with basically the same type of person, someone who was bright and yellow and happy. Not Jay.
But with you both being so similar, so full of angst and dread and hate, in a world were opposites were supposed to belong together,
why does he bring so much light and hope?
How does someone just as unhappy as you are come along and make you laugh like the world was about to end?
How does someone just as full of pent up rage as you are come along, and make it all go away for a sweet, short moment?
How was it all possible? How could two people, two very similar people, fit into a puzzle that called for them to fill it what you didn’t have?
How could someone supposed to fuel the fire already inside you end up being the sun?
Jason never thought of that either. In fact, he thought he might end up with someone in his line of work. Another vigilante. Not a mean girl from school who terrorizes students with a pair of fucking scissors.
But, somehow, it all just made everything he was turn into what he was supposed to be. You could say the same.
With you in your little room and Jason in his significantly larger one in the manor, you both sank to the ground, backs against the wall, and you pulled out your phones.
You had left a message first.
Y/N: ‘Urban exploring should be more of a thing.’
Jason smiled.
Jason: ‘Nah. People would crowd those places and vandalize them.’
Y/N: ‘True. I’d want them all to myself anyway.’
Jason: ‘I’m glad you enjoyed it.’
You felt your heart jump. God, this had to stop.
Y/N: ‘I did. Thank you.’
Jason: ‘Should I get used to you being nice to me now?’
Y/N: ‘Probably not.’
He laughed and shuffled his knees.
Y/N: ‘Send me the pictures you took.’
Scrolling through his albums, he selected everything he took that day and sent it all to you. Leaning on his back, looking up at the ceiling as he waiting, Jason imagined the look on your face when you first saw the house. Your eyes never shone so brightly.
You looked through the pictures and found several, about eight of them, centered on nothing else but you smiling at the ceiling, at the piano, at the chandelier, at the tables.
Y/N: ‘Dude. Why this angle of me?’
Confused, Jason looked through the pictures.
And he cursed out loud, over and over, burying his head in his hands when he saw he’d accidentally sent eight pictures he’d secretly taken of you. Fuck it all. This is how he dies. This is the death of Jason Todd.
You were smiling out of your face, and instead of saying anything mean or the thousands of jokes that instantly came up to the front of your mind, you did the same and sent him pictures you took.
And Jason’s heart rose up from where it sank to the floor when he saw you’d taken just as many pictures of him, doing the same things as you did and some with him holding his phone up. One was just his face.
He was a fucking grinning mess by then.
Jason: ‘Don’t I look good.’
Yeah, you cooed. You certainly do. But you didn’t say that to him. You just went along with him and he changed the subject.
Jason: ‘Huge favor.’
Y/N: ‘Shoot.’
Jason: ‘Send me a voice message of you singing.’
Y/N: ‘Absolutely not.’
Jason: ‘Please.’
Y/N: ‘No.’
Jason: ‘I’ll do your library work for three days.’
Y/N: ‘not even if you beg, Todd.’
Jason: ‘I keep my promises, just so you know.’
Y/N: ‘Still no.’
Jason: ‘Sing in the library tomorrow then.’
Y/N: ‘Ms. P will throw me out the fucking window.’
Jason: ‘Yeah, she probably will.’
Y/N: ‘Do my shelving work for three weeks. Then I’ll send you a five second audio message of me humming.’
Jason: ‘Make it a minute of a song of MY choice. Then I’ll do it for a week.’
Y/N: ‘not a chance.’
Jason: ‘what do I have to do then.’
Nothing. You gripped your phone to your chest. I’d sing for you if it makes you smile any day.
Y/N: ’Two weeks. I get to ride on the cart while you shelf my books.’
Jason: ‘Deal.’
You threw your head back, then you made a two second audio message of you screaming “NICE TRY, TODD.”
Jason: ‘Mother fucker.’
Y/N: ‘HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.’
4 am. You slept at 4 am that night. And only because your eyes couldn’t take it and Jason was drooling on his bed after doing exercises to stay up and talk to you.
He had it bad.
Really bad.
And, not surprisingly, so did you.
----
I DON’T HATE YOU - MASTERLIST
-----
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