#Anyhoo have a lovely day everyone! <3
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Henry has been following people around to watch them work all day, it's very sweet. He started by hanging out with Wookshys on the fishing bridge but got bored quickly and decided to trot around after Kaz like a little duckling instead.
Stared at this message for a few long minutes trying to work out how on earth Zonovo managed to "tuck a loose strand of hair" behind Baz's ear when Baz does not have hair. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that Zonovo tucked a strand of Zonovo's hair behind Baz's ear, and I could never resist drawing Zonovo with his hair down, so here you go.
Also loved that their smooches were immediately followed by a deep talk about death. Ah, romance...
Fafo is such a wonderful colonist to have. She's very talented, and I appreciate her a lot. Connie has been upset that her shoes are tattered, so maybe a pair of masterwork boots will make her stop complaining.
Then this happened, which was weird for a bunch of reasons, mostly because Andy is three and also we have no beer in the colony. Nothing actually happened after this notification- Kaz continued cooking, and Andy continued playing with the Comms Console.
The only person affected by this at all, in fact, seems to be Fafo, who now has a "jealous" mood debuff because Kaz was hanging out with someone else (even though he wasn't). I guess the pregnancy is taking its toll on her, poor thing.
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#rimworld#gracie plays#The Animist Alliance#art#my art#traditional art#rimworld art#unpolished art#Henry has put on a helmet and now Connie doesn't hate him#Well aside from the fact that he dares to have recreation time#She wants all the children to be assigned to hard labor#Her religion is weird#Zonovo and Baz continue to be very cute#I'm temped to change Zonovo's hair at the styling station#Any excuse to draw him with long loose hair more often#Though I risk getting him mixed up with Kaz if I do that#Too many impid colonists with glorious long sandy-blonde hair in this colony#Not that I'm complaining mind#I love my pretty impid boys#Anyhoo have a lovely day everyone! <3
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★ library gossip! anthony lockwood x gn!reader
in which you discuss the latest magazine gossip with the world’s best drama queen—apples at hand.
notes: idk how the farts i whipped this up faster than my haikyuu hcs but whatever🔥🔥. | warnings: granny apple haters dni/j
imagine discussing the latest gossip with LOCKWOOD. his eyes were glued to his newly arrived gossip magazine as he took a bite of an apple, which he often forgets on the chair—something you noticed after sitting on a 2 day old rotten apple a few days ago.
you popped into the library, a book in hand. as you walked, you hit the shelf, too focused on your book to care. lockwood’s ears perked up and he tilted his head up to face you.
“woah, you okay there?” he chuckled. “anyhoo, did you know gina—yes, gina, got a divorce with her husband. crazy, right?” he said almost immediately after his last sentence, completely brushing off the past “topic” that he brought up. you listened in, closing your book, making sure you had the bookmark in the right place.
you couldnt help but be pretty well informed with whatever cock and bull lockwood read in his magazines, he talked about it all day, everyday. even on missions. ah, the mission on king’s road, you remembered it very clearly.
the type 2 visitor approached your figures, lockwood with his rapier up, doing his fancy wancy twirly wirly shit. it attacked and as it did so, you could see it’s features, rather clearly at that. his face was structured, his jawline rather clear, and his hair was pulled back neatly, like your average london rich kid—just ugly with half the flesh on his body burned off. both of you jumped out the way and as lockwood landed on the floor, you could practically see the lightbulb beside his head.
“merlin’s beard that guy is exactly how my magazine described the man martha had an affair with!”
“bloody hell lockwood, shut up!”
remembering that past mission, you chuckled, resting your arms on lockwood’s armchair(haha armchair for arms) , leaning on it. “why is everything about relationships and marriage in that magazine?” you asked, running your fingers through his hair. “your hair is so thin.” “come on lad don’t change the subject.” he rolled his eyes and continued.
“apparently, jeffrey—gina’s husband was having an affair with gerlie, the girl next door.”
“why is everyone having affairs?”
“dunno, adults are weird. anyway—oh do you want an apple?” he asked, grabbing a light green granny apple from his little basket. you nodded, relieving it from his hands, taking a bite.
your conversation lasted over an hour, and lockwood had devoured over 3 apples in that time period. if you were standing outside the door in that said hour like a weirdo(*cough* george*cough*) you would have heard laughter almost every 5 seconds.
his smile was so contagious, even a simple sneer caused your own lips to curve up in response. you loved moments like this, laughing your asses off over stupid stuff. you loved all the shits and giggles you and lockwood had.
you giggled as you looked through the pages, stopping at a picture of a couple—the man on the left weirdly resembling lockwood. you looked at him, and he looked at you. a cheeky smile rose to his face as you playfully slapped his cheek.
“are you thinking what im thinking?” he smirked, before he could continue the thought, you slapped him again.
“this is abuse! that could be us if you werent such a meanie.” he rolled his eyes like the drama queen he is, closing the magazine and crossing his arms. you chuckled, he was pouting.
“hey im not a meanie.” you pouted back, ruffling his hair. the smirk on lockwood’s lips never fading.
“guess thats us then.” he said, leaning back in his chair as he crossed his legs.
“i—nevermind, im a meanie.”
(><) wanna support? reblog with tags pookie!! (ps. check out my may 2024 event:3 )
#lockwood & co#lockwood and co#lockwood & co x reader#lockwood x reader#anthony lockwood#lockwood#anthony lockwood x reader#( ˘▽˘)っaki writes#ill add more tags later im lazy#this was originally supposed to be a scenario idk what happened
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Harry Styles is your sworn enemy. You've decided to take a holiday in the Scottish Highlands, and so has he. And there's only one bed…
~~~
A/N: Hiiiiii! I think I announced this like 3 months ago and never finished it, but we're finally here! I actually really fucking love this story. I've never done this 'one bed' trope before, nor an enemies-to-lovers OU, because EVERYONE loves H man, right? Well, not this YN. And he's not too fond of her either. I'm really excited to share it with you. Again, what started as a one shot grew into a two-parter because I simply cannot contain myself when the ball starts rolling. Anyhoo, to my forever friend @all-things-fic, thank you as always for reading this through and making me snort at your comments and being the ultimate validator <3
Word Count: 13,261
Trigger Warnings: Swearing (obvs), vomiting, bed-sharing with a sexy man
~~~
Rain. Persistent, unabated, never-ending, relentless rain. It was all you’d heard and seen all day and you were sick of it. You’d never really minded it until today, but thanks to one shit-show after another, you were ready to relinquish it. You wanted it gone. Your summer holiday was already off to a bad start.
“Bad day?”
Where to begin?
A cabin in the Scottish Highlands had sounded like the perfect escape for a four-week break away from the city. You had work to do, deadlines to meet, but at least you could do it without being interrupted. Without the sounds of pedestrians and car horns and wayward seagulls and bike bells. Yep, the Highlands still sounded perfect, but the endless string of catastrophes made you wonder if it really was perfect or rather just a ridiculous indulgence.
No. You deserved this break. Bad day or not, the holiday was needed.
When your brother had told you a year ago that he’d bought a holiday home in the Highlands you hadn’t exactly been surprised. He and his wife had been talking about it for years, and he’d finally earned enough money through his music career to be able to do it. Sadly, with your own deadlines and packed schedule, this was the first time in said year you’d been able to find time to go.
Apparently the all-knowing entity in your life had other plans.
You were supposed to come by plane first thing this morning, but your car had broken down on the way to the airport and you spent 3 hours waiting for the AA to rescue you. You had then managed to rearrange your flight to a later one, but because of the weather, all other flights out of Bristol had been cancelled for the day. You then spent a ridiculous amount of money on a 10 hour train from Bristol to Inverness with a change at Edinburgh in between, and were now forking out on a taxi to take you the rest of the way.
At that particular point in time, a cabin in the middle of nowhere seemed like a dreadful fucking idea.
“Could say that.” You managed weakly.
The driver chuckled to himself and you tried not to squeal. “Nearly there now. Fifteen minutes or so.”
There is a God!
Forty-five minutes later he finally stopped in the middle of a single track road. Your eyelid had been twitching for half that time, and a headache was forming in your left temple.
He turned over his shoulder and flashed a grin. He was missing an incisor and three of his other teeth were gold. “This is as far as I can get you. Cabin is at the top of that hill.”
You gave him a look, then peered out the window. All you could see was rain and mud and a black night. “What hill?”
“You’ll find it. Fare is sixty.”
“Sixty quid?”
He nodded. “Scottish if you’ve got ‘em. I’m a collector.”
“We agreed on forty. And no, I don’t have any bloody Scottish notes.” A Scottish man collecting Scottish money! On what planet?!
“No, sixty.”
You muttered expletives under your breath and shoved the money at him over his shoulder.
“Y’alright gettin’ your own case, love? Don’t really want t’ get wet.”
“Un-fucking-believable.”
In the shittiest, snappiest manner you could muster, you got out of the car and retrieved your luggage from the boot, slamming every door you touched. The driver immediately pulled off once the boot was closed, pipping his horn.
“Wanker!” You yelled after him.
Finding your bearings, you located the ‘hill’ he’d been talking about, forcing down your frustration at the size of the damn thing as you started up the pathway. You dragged your suitcase behind you through the mud, grateful it had a hard and waterproof plastic exterior. At least after all this you’d be able to take a shower and change into clean clothes.
It took you an embarrassing amount of time to reach the cabin, thanks to not only the rain but also the brutal wind. When you finally reached the porch you fell onto it, greeted by the most intense relief you’d ever felt. You took a minute to recover from your exercise, and then fumbled around on the dark porch for the stone your brother had left the key under.
“Aha.” Delighted when you found it, you pulled the key out of the rock and shoved it in the door, unlocking it.
Heat floated over your body, as did warm, homey light. Weird. Why were the lights on?
Then did your eyes land on the thing that was most definitely out of place.
A loud, shrill scream ripped from your body.
A man was in the cabin. A naked man. Mostly. The only thing saving him and you was the towel wrapped around his waist. Shiny back, muscly arms, damp neck, wet hair. At the sound of your wail he turned around, equally as alarmed.
“What the-?”
In his panic, the grip he had on his towel slipped, and you were given more of an eyeful than you ever bargained for.
You screamed again and reached for the closest thing to you, then lurched it across the room at him. Then your brain caught up with you, and you pulled the door closed again, separating you from him. You were back outside in the cold.
That man wasn’t just anyone. He’d never been just anyone. He was your sister-in-law’s friend. He was your brother’s boss, to a degree. He was your worst fucking nightmare rolled into physical human form.
He was Harry fucking Styles.
This was officially the worst day of your life.
“No, no, no, no, no.” You repeated, over and over again as you paced the porch, head in your hands. You knocked into your suitcase multiple times and it ended up falling down the porch steps into a muddy puddle. You tripped over a loose piece of decking at least twice. You caught your hip on the porch bannister, too. But none of it registered with you while your brain cycled between images of Harry’s naked back and his large appendage.
How could this be happening? What had you done to deserve such a catastrophic start to your holiday? You couldn’t stay here. Not with that man. That man that you hated, and who hated you in return. This was a disaster.
You dug your phone out of your sopping handbag. No signal.
“Oh, come on.” You hissed.
Stubborn as always, you tried to call your brother anyway. Repeatedly. Twenty times, at least, each one failing to connect. You couldn’t even leave a voicemail. You raised the phone to the sky like it was baby Simba. Still nothing.
“Fuck!”
The door swung open, and Harry said your name in a low grunt.
You swivelled, glare like a dagger. “You. Why the fuck are you here?”
“Why am I here?” He scoffed. He was clothed now, in a t-shirt and jogging bottoms. “Why are you here?”
“This is my brother’s cabin! I have a key! He said I could stay here!”
“Well, guess what?” He leaned forward, arms crossed. “Holly said I could stay here, too.”
You wanted to throw your phone at his stupid face. “Fucking great.”
“There’s obviously been some misunderstanding.” He straightened.
“You don’t say…”
His gaze narrowed. “You’re impossible.”
“At least I’m not the one who’s stupid enough to state the obvious.”
You turned away again and tried your brother one more time. The beep beep beep that told you the call had failed yet again had your stomach in knots.
“There’s no phone signal here.”
“Yes, thank you. Just go back inside.”
“No.”
“For the love of Christ, why not?”
“I’d rather see what you’re going to do with yourself.”
You turned another glare on him. “Oh, I’m so glad that the shitty situation I’ve found myself in is entertaining you, Harry. Please, mock me some more. The resulting anger might actually take the chill out of my fucking toes.”
He looked like he was about to open his mouth, but you didn’t let him.
“You know, this really has been the day from hell. It’s been a categorical disaster from start to finish, and finally getting myself here only to find you, of all people, really is the cherry on top of my whopping slice of shit pie. So please, do me this one favour, and sod off back inside.”
His jaw ticked, and he emitted a low growl before he slammed the door of the cabin and left you in the cold, wet night.
A sob wracked through you, and you flopped down on the top step just to let your body deflate for five minutes. It was so cold you were shivering. Your clothes clung to your body like sheets of ice, your lips were cracked, and a bite ate away at your toes.
You knew you couldn’t do much tonight. You’d have to wait until tomorrow, for when the storm hopefully passed, and you could call your brother to give him a gobful and then walk into the village to find a B&B or cheap hotel. You hadn’t forgotten that your train ticket was a set day return for four weeks’ time. You’d just have to wait until Harry was gone before you took your time to enjoy the cabin like you’d planned.
When you finally calmed down you dragged your suitcase out of the mud and dropped it on the driest part of the deck. You dug around for the jumper you’d brought with you and pulled it over your frozen torso. You also took your shoes and socks off and put two clean pairs on. Once you were wrapped back up in your coat, you settled on the armchair that was the least wet and tried to go to sleep.
After five minutes or so, the cabin door creaked open again.
“Come inside, please.” Harry’s voice was void of any emotion.
“No.”
“You’ll get sick if you stay out here.”
“Rather that than share a bed with you.”
“And you think I want to share a bed with you, either?”
“Then we’re both on the same page. I’m fine out here.”
“You are not fuckin’ fine out here. It’s shitting it down, for fuck’s sake, you could get a flu. Or worse.”
You hadn’t opened your eyes so you had no idea what his facial expression read. “I’m surprised you give a shit enough to care.”
“I don’t particularly, but I like your brother and I don’t want him thinking I didn’t at least try to get you to be sensible when it’s fucking biblical outside.”
“I’ll pass.”
Harry took a deep breath, and he muttered, “Bloody insufferable woman,” before he slammed the door again.
You snuggled further into the chair, shoving your hands under your face. You thought that would be the end of it, but no more than thirty seconds later the door swung back open. You pretended to ignore him, expecting a verbal taunt. Instead, all you got was scuffing noises.
Pushing down the urge to growl like he did at you, you squeezed your eyes shut and faked indifference at his huffy grunting. Until he dragged you out of the chair and hauled you into the cabin in three easy movements.
“What are you doing?” You demanded, scowling at him as he locked the door behind you.
“You can be as stubborn and petty as you like about this, but you are not staying outside in the rain. End of story.”
“I was fine!”
“You were not fine.” He folded his arms again. “Look at you, for fuck’s sake. You’re about five seconds away from catching hypothermia. You think I want that on my hands? You, of all people, needing my attention every day for the next five weeks? I don’t, by the way. I came here for a holiday, too.”
“I didn’t bring myself here to be a God damn burden to you, Harry. Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Why don’t you go and get in the shower, and maybe you’ll calm the fuck down.”
You inched closer to him. “Oh, I’m sure you’d love that. Me, following your orders like some sycophant.”
He took a step closer to me. “I would, actually. It might make you somewhat tolerable.”
“Get fucked, Harry.”
“Sounds like you need that more than I do.”
You produced a noise somewhere between a grunt and a squeal, and shoved at his chest once before you stalked away. “Prick.”
He hummed, entertained. “Try not to think about mine while you’re in there. I’m sure the sight of it has left you with enough to be desired.”
Too tired to argue with him anymore, you threw your middle finger at him over your shoulder.
Whether you’d been forced inside against your will or not, you really did want a shower before a permanent chill settled over you. You turned the water on and let it run hot. The second it swilled over your body you let out a helpless moan.
You stood stoic underneath it for an indeterminate amount of time, just willing your body to warm up. The day washed away from you, worries temporarily forgotten while you soaked up as much heat as you could. Oh, it was glorious. A shower had never been so rewarding.
After a while you realised you didn’t have any of your shower stuff with you, still locked in your suitcase, and you let out a huff. You surveyed what Harry had brought with him and spent too long debating whether it was socially acceptable to wash using your mortal enemy’s shower gel. You decided against it and would properly wash in the morning.
Taking another ten minutes, you decided you were ready to face Harry again and whatever bollocks he might throw your way. You found a towel and gave your hair a dry, then wrapped it around your body. You hadn’t thought this through in your desperation to get away from him.
You stepped out of the room with purpose and marched over to where Harry had abandoned your suitcase after dragging it inside earlier, and carefully picked your way through it to find your pyjamas and toothbrush. Without giving the man even the slightest glance, you locked yourself back up in the bathroom to change and clean your teeth.
“Forget your clothes?” Harry asked at your second reappearance.
“Why ask a question you already know the answer to?” You gave a roll of your eyes.
He sat straighter in the armchair he was settled into, “Why answer a question with another question?”
You ignored him. Instead you gave yourself the opportunity to actually take in your brother’s second home. You realised it was tiny. Like Tiny Home tiny. When he said he’d bought a cabin you thought he meant something like a chalet. But no, this was small. A kitchenette had been built into the right-hand wall by the front door with a fridge, a two-plate hob and a stainless steel sink. Two armchairs sat either side of a small birch table, and a double bed at the back of the room with a cherrywood wardrobe. A woven rug gave the space a homey feel, balancing the bare oak that gave foundation for the rest of the place.
A sinking feeling buried in you when you realised there wasn’t a sofa.
You rubbed a hand into your cheek, feeling slightly cheated by your brother and his wife.
“You look like you’re about to pass out.” Harry said into the quiet, all malice and jest lost.
“I feel like it.” You admitted, turning your stare on the bed. “I’m just tired.”
He cleared his throat and stood. “I sleep on the left.”
You refrained from giving him another eye roll and instead focussed on settling down. You left your phone on the dining table, plugged in to charge overnight, poured a glass of water which you drank in one long swig, and then returned to the bed.
“What are you doing?”
Harry had settled on the left side of the bed but with his head at the foot and his feet at the top. If he slept on the left, did that not completely defeat the purpose of his claim?
“Top and tail.”
“Yeah, no. Absolutely not.” You shook your head.
“Why not?”
“I am not giving you the opportunity to stick your foot in my face at any given point in the night.”
He kissed his teeth and sat up with a scowl. “Woman, you have got some major fuckin’ trust issues.”
“With you I do, absolutely.”
You waited until he was in bed the right way up before you slipped in yourself and turned the light off. The room was cast in darkness and your eyes struggled to adjust. You faced away from Harry on your side, wriggling to find a comfortable position, and you could hear him doing the same.
His foot was definitely on your side of the bed so you kicked it away. He then tried to take the covers off you, but you were quick to snatch them back. He let out a deep sigh.
“Can I have some of the quilt, please?”
“You’ve got some.”
“I have none.”
“Bullshit.”
He ripped the covers away again, and you fought the urge to squeal.
“Give some back.”
“You have some.” He said in the same tone you had.
“Harry.”
“What?”
“I’m cold.”
“You’ve just spent an hour using up all the hot water so I refuse to believe that.”
“What is your problem?”
“You are.”
You grit your teeth. Folding your arms, you scooted as close to the edge of the bed as possible without falling off. Arguing with him was fruitless, it just left you angry and wired.
Tomorrow, you resolved to find somewhere, anywhere else to stay. For now, you’d try to sleep uncomfortable and coverless.
~
Had you slept?
No.
For hours you’d imprisoned yourself on the edge of the bed, cold and coverless, hugging yourself in an attempt to keep warm, and squeezing your eyes closed just praying that sleep would come. But it never did. You’d think after the day you had yesterday it would be easy to just drop off. Why would it be that simple for you?
You knew it was light outside now thanks to the inside of your eyelids. You decided then to give up. Sleep wasn’t coming.
As you opened your eyes you realised how close to the edge of the bed you were. At the same time, Harry wriggled again, further onto your side of the mattress, and his knee nudged your backside.
Oh no.
Struggling to find anything to hold onto, your body tumbled over the edge. A panicked yelp tore out of you, followed by a grunt and a thud when you hit the floor.
“Ow.” You whimpered. You’d fallen on your front, knee and toe first followed by your head. You rolled onto your back and held onto your forehead as if it might stop the pounding you felt.
Laughter started, and your eyes flew open to find Harry hovering over the side of the bed, green eyes shining. You were, actually, somewhat offended by how entertained he was. If it was acceptable to hit people, you’d be hitting him.
“You alright down there?”
“No I’m not fucking alright, Harry.”
Your own anger made the throbbing in your head worse so you stayed on your back.
“Alright, was only a question.”
“This is your bloody fault - you’re a bed hogger!”
“Yeah? Well you snore!”
“Considering I didn’t get a single second of sleep last night I don’t know how you’ve landed on that conclusion, and I can only assume you’ve made it up to piss me off.”
“You were snoring.” He said in a flat voice.
“No I wasn’t.”
The throbbing got worse again, so you squeezed your eyes shut and took a deep breath. Then another.
“You’ve hit your head.”
If the thought of rolling your eyes didn’t make you nauseous you’d absolutely do it. “If there was an award for Best Observationist, you’d win it.”
“Do you need ice or something?”
His voice had changed and it somewhat startled you. You peeled an eye open again to find he hadn’t moved - he was still hanging over the bed. His expression, however, was neutral.
“Yes. Please.”
He gave a curt nod and then disappeared. You closed your eyes again, willing the throbbing away.
“There isn’t any ice.”
You refrained from screaming, knowing it wouldn’t do you any good. “Okay.”
“Here,” his voice was much closer, and he gave a little pat to your knee, “this might help.”
Peeling an eye open, he flashed a couple of boxes of painkillers. “Panadol.” Of course the man had branded paracetamol. The 95p boxes of Sainsbury’s own shoved in your kitchen cupboard looked shameful right about now.
“Extra strength. And that rapid relief ibuprofen.”
“You brought painkillers with you on holiday?”
He shrugged. “I’m here for a long time. Hangovers need encouragement to get fucked.”
You raised a sceptic brow. “And here I thought some magical mystery Nutri-Bullet recipe would be your saviour.”
“Funny.” He muttered.
Huh. How unlike him not to shove a witty rebuttal at you.
“Do you need help getting up or are you just gonna sit on the floor all day?”
Your scowl returned. “I’m fine.”
On shaky legs and with a fuzzy head, you grabbed the side of the bed and hauled yourself up. You weren’t sure if the sudden ringing in your ears was something you should be worried about, but you persisted.
Once sat, Harry handed you the tablet boxes and fetched a glass of water for you while you thumbed out two of each.
“Thank you.” You mumbled.
“Please and thank you in the space of ten minutes?” He goaded. “Sounds like you’ve got a concussion.”
“My parents didn’t raise me in a barn.”
He stood with his broad arms folded across his chest while he watched you swallow down four tablets, face a mishmash of irritation and something else. You refused to believe it was concern so you attributed it to frustration. You were just ruining his holiday the same way he was ruining yours.
You decided to finish the water, and then Harry took the boxes and the glass from you. You laid back down, shielding the room and your eyes with your arms.
“Sure you don’t need a hospital?” His voice was far away.
“Yes. I just need to close my eyes for a bit. I’ll be fine.”
He didn’t answer, and you were thankful. Any more talking and your head might have exploded.
~
You’d fallen asleep. While you hadn’t intended to, you couldn’t help but be grateful for the respite. There was no way you would’ve been able to do anything on zero hours sleep, so a few was better than nothing.
You sat up, noticing that you’d corrected yourself direction-wise on the bed and pulled the covers over you. You must’ve done it subconsciously.
The cabin was quiet. Almost eerily so. There was no sign of Harry anywhere. The only sign that he’d been there at all was his own suitcase tucked away in the corner. No sound came from the bathroom, and all you could hear outside was birds.
Birds. Not rain.
You scrambled out of bed towards the front door and hauled it open, but it was locked. Harry had locked you in. You found the key your brother had left for you on the table and put it to use.
It was glorious outside. Not a cloud in the sky, blue everywhere, green even more so. And it was warm. Summer dress warm. Your feet itched to go outside, but you knew you needed to take it easy. The headache hadn’t completely subsided, but it was tolerable. Barely there. A shower and some food would fix it.
You closed the door and locked it again, determined to start your day. Steadily.
You were about to head straight for the shower when you noticed it. A brown paper bag trapped under a pretty mug, and a jar of instant coffee wedged inside it. The mug lived here - you recognised it from Holly’s old flat. But the greasy brown bag did not. You noticed the letters GF scrawled on the front.
He remembered.
Warning bells started screaming inside your head as you plucked the bag out and opened it up. The smell of cooled buttery pastry wafted from inside, and you pulled out the biggest croissant you’d ever seen.
The message was clear as day. Eat and get some caffeine in you.
This was bad. Angry Harry you could deal with any day of the week at any time of day. You could even cope with jester Harry, because you gave just as good as you got. But this? Base-level concern? It threw you for a loop.
Regardless, you were starving. So you boiled the kettle and made your coffee just how you like it as you tore off pieces of pastry and gobbled it down. While you waited for your coffee to cool once your croissant was demolished, you took a quick shower.
Half an hour later you were out the door and feeling a hell of a lot better than you had done for weeks. You wandered down into the village, the sun a glowing comfort on your bare skin.
You had a mission today: alternative accommodation.
You kept an eye on your phone for patches of signal, and called your brother whenever you found some. He never answered. Part of you wondered if he was ignoring you, and if that was the case you were going to have a very big problem. He only ignored you if he was avoiding you.
And that wasn’t even your biggest problem.
“I’m sorry, we’re full.” The receptionist at the final B&B said with barely an ounce of emotion.
“The sign outside said you had vacancies.”
“I just sold the last one over the phone. Haven’t had time to change it.” She gave me a smile that didn’t touch her eyes.
You fought a petulant sigh. “Do you know where else I can stay? I’ve tried every B&B here and no one has any vacancies.”
“Why don’t you try an AirBnB.” She suggested with a tone dripping in sarcasm. “You young people seem to love those.”
Ah, so this was a territorial issue. You gave her a flat glare and left without another word.
Yet again, you found yourself in a rut. Your good mood had been successfully wiped away. Maybe you would check AirBnB, but the thought of spending another obscene amount on accommodation filled you with a sickly feeling.
Your phone started ringing, much to your surprise. Holly. “Is my brother ignoring me?”
“I don’t know, but if he was, he probably wouldn’t tell me.” She laughed, always a fan of your no-nonsense approach. “I thought I’d call since I haven’t heard from you. Did you make it there alive?”
“Alive is not the word I’d use to describe my current state. It’s also impossible to call someone when the phone signal is worse than a World War II air raid shelter.”
Holly cackled. “You’re such a nerd. What’s wrong?”
“Either you’re playing dumb to avoid my wrath or you’re very stupid.”
She gasped your name but she was most definitely entertained. “What do you mean?”
“Harry is here. Using your holiday home.”
An extended period of silence followed, completed with a breathy, “Oh�� shit.”
Oh shit, indeed.
“Well,” she seemed to shake herself, “it can’t be that bad.”
This one was truly off her rocker. “Can’t be that bad? Holly, how many times have you been in a room with me and Harry at the same time?”
“Plenty.”
“Exactly. How many times have we had a fight whilst in said same room together?”
“Almost always.”
“Not almost always, just always. We. Do. Not. Get. On.”
“Oh, babe, I think you’re being a bit dramatic.”
“There’s only one fucking bed!”
Holly went quiet for a minute, and you realised you’d earned the attention of a few passers by. You sat down on a nearby bench, wary of the throb in your head getting worse.
“Are you okay?” She finally asked.
That set you off. You launched into your shitty day from yesterday, from the car breakdown to the taxi driver to hitting your head this morning. Words without breath had never left you so fast and the feeling you were rewarded with after was less than satisfactory. Deflation. Sadness.
“Oh, hun, I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was going.” You were certain she was lying about that last sentence but you didn’t interrupt her. “I’ll get in touch with Harry and tell him to rein it in.”
“I don’t need you to curb the man on my behalf, Hol. I can handle him myself. I just… I really wish he wasn’t here.”
“Do you want me to make him leave?”
A rare sight of guilt crept its way into the centre of your stomach. You battled the urge to say yes, because you knew if Holly asked him to, he would absolutely go. “No… hardly fair. He was here first.”
“Yeah but I bet you would’ve been if all those things didn’t go wrong yesterday.”
You grunted. You were supposed to arrive just before 9am yesterday morning, not close to 11pm. “Don’t make him leave. I’m a bitch but I’m not a complete cunt.”
“You’re not either of those things by any stretch. My friend just happens to know how to really rattle your cage.”
Ain’t that the truth. “I’m trying to find a B&B or something but they’re all full.”
“Oh, please don’t spend more money.”
“I can’t stay in your cabin, Hol. I didn’t sleep last night and that man does not know how to share a queen bed.”
“It’s actually a three-quarter bed.”
“Fuck off.” You groaned.
“Look, we wanted it to be as spacious as possible there. We didn’t anticipate two people who claim to hate each other having to share it. It’s for cuddling.”
That urge to smack someone reared its ugly head. “You’re ridiculous.”
She laughed from the back of her throat, and as irritated as you were it did make you smile. “Take a long walk, babe. If you’re in the village there’s a great ice cream place near the church that’ll make you forget all about He Who Shall Not Be Named.”
You rolled your eyes. “I can say Harry, for fuck’s sake.”
She screamed as if she’d been burned, teasing you.
“Shut up.” You actually managed to laugh. “Fine. I’ll go find some ice cream. But if they’ve got WiFi I will absolutely be looking for an AirBnB.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
“Do me a favour and tell my brother to stop being a wuss.”
“Oh, come on, you know he can’t handle your wrath. You can tell him yourself, anyway.”
You started looking around to see if they’d actually come up and were just loitering nearby to piss you off.
“What?”
“We were going to surprise you but I think you might murder us if we did. We’re on our way to you. My Nanna will be coming, too - we’ve got a table booked at the pub in the village.”
Unbelievable. “You little minx.”
One of the reasons Holly and your brother bought a holiday home in Scotland was to be able to spend more time with Holly’s family. While she grew up in London and has never left it, her mum’s side of the family are all in Scotland.
Holly giggled, obviously delighted with herself. “Sorry. We’re set to arrive in about two hours.”
“But where are you staying?”
“My Nan’s house.”
“Not got a spare room, has she?” You mumbled.
“I know you don’t mean that, but she doesn’t. We’re staying on her pullout.”
“Damn.”
“We’re gonna go straight there and then come to you afterwards, alright?”
You took a deep breath and stood up from your bench. “Yeah, alright. I’ll see you in a few hours, then.”
“Byeee!”
You were already making a beeline for the ice cream shop by the time she put the phone down.
It was a cute little parlour, like something straight out of a movie. Retro tiles covered the walls and floor in pinks and yellows, two long display freezers to the left full to the brim with every single flavour one could ever imagine. Tables spread across the right and spilled onto the street, and booths in the corner each had a miniature jukebox on top.
“How can I help you?” A man behind the counter asked, dressed in a full uniform complete with the little hat.
“Hi, um,” you gave him the best smile you could, even if you were overwhelmed, “do you have any gluten free cones?”
“Sure,” he gestured to the stand on the top with a variety of cones, from small to ridiculously large in size, “just this one.”
The cone in question was the most pathetic-looking of them all. You did your absolute best to hide your disappointment. “Great, then I’ll have one of those. Chocolate, please.”
“Which type?” He lifted a brow.
You realised then that there were about ten different chocolate flavours. “Er… which is the best one in your opinion?”
That perked him up. He spent the next five minutes listing off reasons why the chocolate and hazelnut flavour was his most popular of all his options.
“I guess that’s the one I want, then.” You forced another smile.
“Coming right up.”
Something made you shiver, but it wasn’t a gust of wind or the freezers you stood by.
“At least try and act like you’re excited about it.” A deep voice murmured, far too close to your ear for your liking.
You practically hissed and took a very purposeful step away. “Jesus, Harry.”
He laughed, but the sound wasn’t spiteful like it usually would be. “Only you could make ice cream seem rubbish.”
“I don’t think ice cream is rubbish,” Was your only retort. You just wished gluten free cones didn’t look so fucking sad.
The owner handed you your cone and you paid him in cash. “Do you have WiFi in here?”
“Sure. Password’s on the wall up there.” He pointed at a laminated sign, and then turned his attention to Harry. “Hey, aren’t you that guy?”
Your cue to leave.
While Harry had an awkward conversation with the parlour owner about which guy he was, you connected to the internet and took a seat on the patio outside with your back to the sun. A satisfied hum left you at the warmth on your skin. You concentrated on demolishing your ice cream before you made a mess of yourself.
Unfortunately, Harry decided today wasn’t the day he was going to leave you alone. He sat down opposite you with a three-flavour cone, the colours unsettlingly unnatural. He looked uncomfortable, and this time it wasn’t because of you.
“What on Earth is that?”
“This is a masterpiece.” At least he could still behave like an idiot even when he’d been ‘spotted’.
“It looks disgusting.”
You watched him with a deep-seated discomfort as he shamelessly licked around his cone. Unfiltered moans came out of his mouth, but you were certain he was acting up for your benefit.
“What flavours are they?” You just had to ask.
“Mint chocolate, bubblegum and ginger.”
“Ginger?” You almost choked on a hazelnut. “Sir, you have a serious problem.”
He laughed again, that same obnoxiously easy sound as before. “Did you just call me sir?”
“I did and I immediately regret it.”
He made a noise, an amused squeak of sorts. “Why did you look so horrified by yours, anyway?”
You shifted in your chair, having just popped the end of the cone in your mouth. You glanced over your shoulder to make sure the owner wasn’t listening, pleased to find him distracted by a large family. “The gluten free options for cones was utter shite.”
“How so?”
“Well, he only had one type, and it was poxy as shit.”
He snorted. “I thought it looked small. I don’t imagine it being a lot of fun.”
You were immediately reminded of the croissant he’d picked up for you. You knew that you needed to say thank you, even if it did feel like taking a punch in the gut. “Thank you for the pastry.”
He paused mid-lick as if you’d just spoken a foreign language. He looked ridiculous and almost child-like, green eyes wide and pupils so narrow thanks to the sun they were barely visible. He rescued a drip before he made a mess. “Welcome. How is your…” he tapped his temple.
“Yeah, better.”
“Good.”
You returned to silence, and you got busy looking for a new place to stay. The options were… lacking. You knew the decision to go away during the school holidays would be a silly one anyway, but you wanted the heat. You wanted a summer holiday. Not a cold and wet one. But at such late notice in an area with limited options to begin with, all that was really left were large houses for groups of ten or places miles and miles away that would cost yet more money to travel to. The only other thing you could think of was buying a tent and pitching up on a nearby campsite, but you fucking hated tents and camping.
As time wore on and Harry’s ice cream disappeared, you noticed him growing more restless. You glanced up a couple of times to find him with his head down, but you eventually figured out the source of his discomfort. He was shooting looks at something over your shoulder while constantly readjusting his ball cap.
You straightened in your seat and twisted yourself slightly to get a better look.
“Don’t turn around.” He muttered without looking at you.
You frowned. “Why?”
He never gave you an answer so you did it anyway. A couple of tables over someone was doing a very bad job at hiding their phone.
For God’s sake.
“Do you want to swap seats?” You offered.
He gave you a startled look, and admittedly you were surprised at your own suggestion. “No.”
“You sure? The back of your head is way less appealing than the front of it.”
You could see the confusion spread across his face and you wished immediately that you could take your words back. He was too wound up to mention it now, but you knew he definitely would in the future.
“They’ve already got about fifteen minutes worth of pictures, there’s no point moving now.” He huffed and readjusted the hat on his head once more, eyes downcast.
You pursed your lips in thought. After a moment you readjusted your seat so that you were hopefully positioned right in the way. Harry gave you a blank look, eyes still darting to the people behind you.
“Do you want to go?”
“Not particularly.”
You knew what he meant. He shouldn’t have to leave just because other people didn’t know how to behave like normal human beings.
A minute later the table behind you stood and left, so something had at least worked.
“Thank you.” He said it so quietly you nearly missed it. “Your lack of subtlety was almost entertaining.”
You weren’t offended by that. You hadn’t meant to be subtle. “I know we don’t get on but I respect your privacy. You should’ve asked them to delete it.”
“Then it just makes me look like a prick.”
“But you are a prick.”
He broke into another laugh. That laugh that held no malice or spite. The one he’d only debuted today. Then he slid back to stoicism. “I’ll be all over the Daily Mail again tomorrow anyway.”
Something weird happened. Anger materialised in your chest, and it wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling in the slightest. What was unusual was that it came on Harry’s behalf. Usually you felt this way because of Harry, not for him.
You cleared your throat. “It’s okay to tell people to fuck off every once in a while, Harry.”
“Not when you’re me, it isn’t.”
“It is when people don’t know how to set boundaries.”
“Don’t worry about it. Seriously.” He readjusted his cap again and sunk further into his seat. “Not the first time I’ve been spotted on holiday.”
“With a mystery woman, no less.”
He snorted. “Sorry in advance.”
“For what?”
“You’re about to become the most interesting person on the planet. I’d privatise your Instagram.”
“It already is. Nor is it very interesting.”
“Just… I don’t know. I know what they’re like.”
“You think I give a shit what a bunch of people on the internet think about me?”
“I don’t know, maybe.”
“Have I ever given a shit what anyone else has thought about me?”
He tipped his head. “No.”
“Exactly.”
“It’s their boundaries I’m worried about.”
“Don’t be. If those pictures do make it anywhere, I’ll have no problem telling the next person to fuck off if it comes to it.”
The smallest smile tugged at his lips. “Then I really hope for their sake that there isn’t a next time.”
~
You hadn’t left the parlour until you’d come up with a solution to your living arrangement. It took longer than you’d like, but eventually you settled for the only option; in two weeks you’d let Harry have the cabin and move into an AirBnB a few towns over. A bungalow this time with a very big bed. You’d had to fork out a deposit since it was a booking of more than 7 nights, which put another lovely dent in your bank balance. You were really trying not to think about it.
Harry hadn’t passed comment when you told him. He just gave a blank stare and a curt nod, which was very unlike him. When it came to you, he’d never had any problem parting with his opinions.
You’d been ambushed on your way back to the cabin by your brother and Holly. After changing and freshening up you all walked down to the pub together to meet Holly’s Nanna. You had met her at the wedding but only briefly. Your brother and Holly’s special day had been somewhat dampened by the fact that Harry materialised again whenever you forgot about him and ended up drinking yourself into an early bedtime. The next morning you were rewarded with the worst hangover of your entire life.
Nanna was amazing. One of those larger than life women who weren’t afraid to drop the c word a couple of times without so much as batting an eyelid, and using Malibu as an excuse for a good time. You’d been seated on a round table which relieved you to no end. You were sandwiched between Nanna and your brother which meant there was a decent amount of distance between you and Harry.
“I need you to tell me something.” Nanna patted your arm, giving you her full attention.
It was like being addressed by royalty. “Anything.”
“I hear there’s a story about your brother involving nappies and toothpaste. A serial offence. He won’t tell me and Holly conveniently doesn’t know about it.”
You gave your brother a look.
“Please don’t.” He begged.
“But Nanna asked so nicely.”
“You’re about to embarrass me in front of the man I work for?”
You don’t look at Harry. “It’s not like you haven’t managed that all by yourself on previous occasions.”
“Yeah, don’t stop on my account.” Harry coughed, battling laughter.
“Great, we’re all on the same page.” You grinned. You turned back to Nanna, “Once upon a time, my little brother had to sleep in a crib and wear nappies just like all the other babies. He was cute, it should be said. I have a picture on my phone somewhere of him running around the garden with no clothes on.”
Your brother rolled his eyes and sunk into his seat with a scowl. Holly gave him a patronising pat on the shoulder.
“Anyway, beside the point. Like most toddlers he was an absolute tyrant, compared to me - I was an angel.”
“Hard to believe.” Harry muttered.
“Aye,” Nanna shot him a look. She’d been smitten with him all night until that point.
“Don’t worry about it - we’re in an ongoing feud.” You brushed the matter away and continued with your story. “During his reign of tyranny, he adopted a very obscure but passionate obsession with toothpaste. Colgate Cool Stripe only - no other product lived up to his expectations. It all started when, one day, our mother accidentally used adult toothpaste instead of the toddler stuff. An uphill battle began.
“Any time he had to clean his teeth, he’d try and use Colgate instead of the kiddy stuff, and mum or dad would fight with him until he surrendered in a screaming fit and had a toothbrush forced into his face hole.”
Someone sniggered, and your chest inflated. Making people laugh had always pleased you.
“His addiction got so bad, one night he managed to escape from his cot and into Mum and Dad’s bathroom. They found him on the floor with an empty tube and Colgate smushed all over his cute little face. Hours later he had a terrible accident. I won’t go into graphic detail since we’ve just had our dinner.”
Nanna started laughing, a throaty and hoarse sound. Given the amount of times she’d excused herself for a cigarette, you attributed that habit to the unique noise. “And this happened more than once?”
You nodded. “They tried locking it in the cabinet a few times, but he’d always find it. Eventually they changed tactics and just bought Aquafresh instead.”
Nanna hummed and gave him a pointed look. “I’ve always thought you were a picky bastard.”
“Nanna,” Holly gasped, shaking with laughter. She leaned her forehead against her husband’s shoulder.
“I can’t be that picky if I ended up with your granddaughter.”
Holly threw her hands up. “Does anyone else want to bully me today? Between that and being called very stupid I think I might have room for one more insult.”
“Your shoes don’t go with your dress.” Nanna said.
After a beat of silence, the table erupted into laughter.
The waiter returned to offer dessert, which you would usually forego since pubs rarely tended to offer gluten free choices without putting up a fight. You’d learned to live a sad, dessert-less existence. But everyone else was having one so you succumbed to peer pressure.
“What ice cream flavours do you have?”
“For the sundae?” The young girl asked with a confused frown.
“No, I’m coeliac so I can’t have it.”
“Oh,” her cheeks turned pink, which was not your intention, “sorry. Um, just the usual flavours, then.”
Neopolitan.
“Great, can I have two scoops of chocolate.”
“Sure.”
She was very quick to hurry off. Something bothered you about that whole exchange but you couldn’t put your finger on it.
“Aren’t you bored of chocolate ice cream?” Harry asked, but he was fiddling with his napkin rather than looking at you.
“Never.”
Holly kicked his leg under the table but you pretended not to notice.
After the bill was settled, which Harry tried to sneak off and pay for without telling anyone, you bid goodbye to each other and sent your brother, Holly and Nanna off together in a taxi. The waitress hadn’t stopped giving you wary glances ever since you asked for ice cream, and you still couldn’t place what went wrong. You might have been a little short with her but it wasn’t meant with any malice.
It didn’t really dawn on you what was wrong until you were walking up the hill to the cabin with Harry.
A curdling feeling in your stomach had you feeling very queasy very quickly.
“Oh no.” You mumbled, keeping your gaze on the grass below you. Your vision swung and you struggled to keep your balance.
“What’s wrong?” Harry asked, turning back to you. He’d been a couple of metres ahead of you for the entire walk so you didn’t have to force a conversation.
You sat down on the grass to keep yourself gravitated, but it was no good. You weren’t nauseous because you were dizzy, you were dizzy because you were sick.
You spent the next ten minutes vomiting into the bushes.
Harry had kept a relative distance from you while you were sick, only handing you a bottle of water when you seemed to give up the last of your stomach contents and take a big breath.
“Are you okay?” He asked in a cautious voice.
Unattractively, you swilled your mouth out and then necked the remaining contents of the bottle. “Yeah, fine.”
“What happened?”
“I think something went wrong at dinner.”
���What do you mean?”
You gave him a levelled look, trying to communicate with your eyes. It seemed like a ridiculous idea considering you could barely communicate together with words, let alone silent glances.
“Ah… did it say gluten free on the menu?”
You nodded.
“Did you tell them?”
You shook your head. Sometimes you liked to put faith in humanity and believe you’d be fine putting yourself in the hands of others. When you were dining with practical strangers, making a fuss about your condition made you feel like a twat, so you kept quiet about it. Now you wish you’d said something.
“Are you gonna make a complaint?”
You shook your head furiously and readjusted yourself to sit back on your arse rather than your knees. “Happens all the time, sadly.”
“That girl knew they’d fucked up, didn’t she?”
“You saw that?”
“I saw you looking at her a lot after the ice cream thing.”
You made a strange noise. “It is what it is. I don’t blame her for not saying anything. For all she knows I could be going home unscathed.”
“But you’re not.”
“Don’t worry about it, Harry. I’m not into making a scene.”
“You could’ve been seriously ill.”
“I know that.”
“If you don’t tell them they fucked up, how are they going to know to stop it from happening to someone else in the future?”
You took a deep breath and looked up to the sky. You and Harry had made progress today, on some weird level, but this was not part of that progress. “Fine. I’ll do something about it tomorrow.”
“No you won’t.”
“Leave it alone, Harry!” You finally snapped. “How I handle my health issues is none of your fucking business, especially when you haven’t got a fucking clue what it’s like to have them. Just drop it.”
His jaw ticked. “Fine.”
He disappeared up the hill and into the cabin without so much as another word.
You collapsed onto your back and let a tight sob wrack through you.
You contemplated what the fuck you were doing. This holiday had been nothing but a shit show from start to day 2 and you didn’t want to do it anymore. You should’ve gone home this morning. You’d refused to quit so early on given how long it had been since you had any real time off, but the universe was clearly working against you and you wished you hadn’t bothered.
As it always did, a second round of vomiting ensued, and you were back on your hands and knees hacking up bile while your stomach protested. You cried more as you threw up.
As the convulsions subsided you collapsed onto your back again, but the smell of it was starting to affect you. Slowly, you stood on shaky legs and attempted to make your way up to the cabin.
You hadn’t realised, but Harry was standing at the top of the hill wearing a frown, hands shoved into his pockets. When you caught sight of him you were ashamed. You knew what he’d said came from a good place, but it just really ground your gears when people who had no idea what it was like tried to tell you how to handle it.
He made his way back to you and silently placed his hand on the small of your back. It was warm and unfamiliar, but you couldn’t work out if the trembling from you was because of that or because you were just sick.
“How much more did you see?” You asked, helpless.
He gave you a startled look, like he was shocked to hear you so vulnerable. “Enough.”
You sighed and kept your gaze on the floor, trying not to fall over.
“Do you have any medication or anything?”
You shook your head. “It doesn’t really work like that.”
Once you got to the cabin you headed straight for the bathroom and changed into your pyjamas. You then poured yourself a glass of water and took it to bed with you. You were asleep within seconds.
~
You slept through the night that night. When you woke you felt a shit-ton better than you had the night before, and it left you with a smile on your face. You wriggled your legs and toes underneath the sheets and stretched your arms.
You realised the bed was empty, but when you peeled an eye open it was obvious Harry had slept on his side at some point. You sat up to an empty room. There was no sign of Harry, again.
You didn’t know much about Harry’s daily routine but you would put money on him being an early morning runner. You shivered at the thought.
He appeared whilst you were in the middle of your second round of toast. It was the only thing you could think to try and stomach after yesterday’s disaster. Harry was in regular clothes, not running attire. You owed yourself a fiver.
“Ah,” he paused at the sight of you eating toast, and limply lifted his hand. The same greasy brown paper bag rustled in his grip.
“Don’t be shy.” You patted the table after swallowing your mouthful. “I’ll still eat it.”
“You’re that hungry?”
You couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s what happens when you’re forced to empty your entire stomach contents.”
His nose wrinkled. “Right.”
You took a sip of coffee while he made himself comfortable in the seat opposite you.
“How do you feel?”
“Well, I slept the night through and didn’t hit my head this morning which is a major improvement on yesterday.”
“That’s something. Do you feel right enough to go out?”
“If I weren’t on holiday I’d be right back to work, Harry. No rest for the wicked and all.”
“Is that a yes, then?” He cocked a brow.
“Yes, Harry.”
“Okay. I was gonna go down to the lake… it’s really warm out.”
“Are you telling me, or is that an invitation?”
He picked his pastry apart. “Both? I don’t know, it might do you some good.”
Concern? From your nemesis? This was bad. “Oh, don’t go coy on me, Harry. It doesn’t suit you.”
“Knew I shouldn’t have bothered.”
“That’s more like it.”
His mouth lifted at the corner for the shortest fraction of a second.
“Is it pebbly or sandy?”
An olive branch.
“Both?”
The worst kind of lake beach, then. “The type that calls for a special type of shoe.”
He grimaced. “I know.”
“It’s fine. We make do.” You pronounced, and stood from the table with your dirty things. “Give me 20 minutes and we’ll go.”
~
“That alright?”
You peered up at the man blocking the sun with a pinched look. He stood before you in a faded white t-shirt and board shorts, holding an ice cream cone with a single chocolate scoop on top.
“As long as it’s the right cone, it’s perfect.”
“I double checked.” He promised as he handed it to you, and then sat with his own.
This was day four on the beach by the lake. While you and Harry spent the time there together, you did your own thing. He spent most of his time in the water like a fucking fish, and you spent yours on a towel with a book and enough food to feed the 5,000.
You’d found a tolerable medium with Harry. In the day you gave each other your needed space, and at night time you tried not to touch each other in bed. Or smother each other. So far it had worked well.
You hadn’t seen Holly or your brother since that night at dinner. They’d actually been visiting for a relative’s birthday party and had already gone home, leaving you and Harry to suffer together.
“I think you’re running low on your special bread.”
You snorted and covered your mouth. ‘Special bread’ made you sound like some kind of escaped lunatic.
“I don’t know why I said it like that.” Harry shook his head. “But the fact remains.”
“We’re running low on a lot.”
“Maybe we should go shopping.”
You groaned. This is what your life had come to: grocery shopping with a celebrity.
“I’ll make it as painless as possible.”
“Where even is the nearest supermarket?”
“I don’t know - I went shopping on the way here.”
“So did I.”
Has there ever been a more ridiculous conversation?
Harry found his phone and checked for signal, soon letting out a soft sigh. “Five weeks without WiFi was a stupid idea.”
“Ain’t that the truth.”
You decided to check a map on the notice board outside the public toilets on the lake site and decided there must be a supermarket in the nearest town. Harry drove you out into the Scottish countryside following his sat-nav’s directions to the closest town.
It was a little odd being in the same car as him. While your brother’s work relationship and subsequent marriage had brought him into your life for many a family gathering, you’d never found yourself in quite such a confined space as this. Apart from the bed situation. You were certain he was being quiet on your behalf, because silence was better than small talk. The decision to go shopping had proven that much.
“Unbelievable.” He muttered the second you entered the supermarket.
You followed his nervous gaze to a man with a camera doing a shitty job at hiding. “Go back to the car if you want to.”
“Hardly fair.”
“Being uncomfortable isn’t fair.” You insisted. “Go take a drive and be back here in half an hour. I don’t mind.”
He sighed and handed you the list you’d prepared before leaving. “I’ll be back.”
“Yes, please don’t use this opportunity to abandon me here.”
He smirked. “Don’t put ideas in my head.” He took his wallet out of his pocket and handed you his card. “Use that.”
You frowned at it, and then him in turn. “I don’t mind paying for it.”
“Pay with my card and then send me half when you find signal or internet or whatever.” He turned away, but threw, “Half an hour,” over his shoulder.
You had to take a moment to collect yourself. Now you weren’t grocery shopping with a celebrity, you were using one’s credit card.
Before you started your shopping, you had one more thing you had to do. Stalking the man who was stalking your reluctant companion was easy because he didn’t try very hard to be subtle. You tapped him on the shoulder.
He spun around with a bewildered look on his face. “Yes?”
“Delete them.”
~
True to his word, Harry returned half an hour later with a confusing smile. “Guess what I found.”
You let him take the bags out of your hands to shove them in the boot of his car. “What?”
“A fucking Costa.”
“No way…”
“Yes way.” He grinned.
“Where?”
“Literally around the corner.” He thumbed in that general direction. “I got two ‘cause I didn’t know which one you liked.”
“As long as it’s got coffee in it, I’ll consume it.”
Sure enough, two starkly different iced coffees sat in the cup holders in his central console.
“Which one do you want?” You asked. He did buy them after all.
“I don’t mind. You choose.”
“Please pick one.”
“No.”
“Harry.”
“Fine.” He plucked one at random and started drinking as he pulled off. “Happy?”
“Yes. Thank you.” And you meant it, too.
Silence settled between you again as you slurped away at your coffee. It was comfortable this time. You put the window down and stuck your arm out to feel the breeze through your fingers.
“Do you ever wonder how we got so…”
You looked over at him with a curious expression, but he never finished his sentence. “What?”
Harry shook his head. “Never mind.”
“Oh, come on, Harry.” You poked his arm. “You’ve never been one to mince your words in front of me before. Don’t start now.”
His lips twitched with a smile, but it was quickly replaced by something else. A kind of sad contemplation. “I don’t want to ruin a rare nice day.”
Now you were the one struggling to find words. Animosity was just the default practice for you and Harry when you were around each other. After so many years of battling over often ridiculous things, he was right. This was a rare nice day. You hadn’t argued once. Come to think of it, you hadn’t argued at all since the day you were sick. That little spat on the hill was the last one.
But curiosity ate away at you. What was he going to say that had the potential to ruin your good time? Knowing Harry, it could be any number of things.
“I promise I won’t lose my shit if you tell me.”
His face lit up with amusement, but he never laughed. “Shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”
Right there, in that single moment, you were reminded just why the world had an obsession with the man sitting beside you. Even in the blandest setting, Harry Styles looked like the man who would promise you everything you’ve ever wanted and be able to deliver it to you. The man who held enough charisma both on and off stage for a hundred other men. The man with pretty eyes and pretty pink lips. The man who looked damn good whether he was clean-shaven or harbouring two weeks of scruff like he was now. The man who would spoil you to no end, who would give you a life of comfort and stability, who would drop everything at a second’s notice to be yours. Fuck, he looked like the man who might even die for you.
You’d seen Harry in love and the man gave his whole fucking heart and soul to the person he was with. His inherent attractiveness was just a bonus.
“Tell me, please.” You tried again.
He considered it for a moment, chewing the inside of his cheek. Eventually he sighed, “Do you ever wonder how things managed to get so bad? Between us?”
Ah.
A loaded question, indeed.
“Do you want the honest answer?”
He glanced your way, jaw suddenly tense. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t tend to wonder about it because I haven’t forgotten at all how we did.”
“Walk me through it.”
“Are you sure you want that?”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from the most honest woman I know.”
You were biding your time, mulling over your response. Perhaps this would ruin your nice day, but this was the most open conversation the two of you were ever going to have. Not talking about it would be both a missed opportunity and a disservice to yourself.
“Okay. You’re not going to like it, though.”
“I didn’t expect to.”
You took a deep breath. “The first time I met you didn’t go at all how I expected it to. In hindsight I guess, to you, I would’ve just been a footnote. Your friends have other friends you probably meet all the time and I was just one of the next hundred. Holly and my brother had only just started dating, but Holly and I got on so well we started doing things together as friends without him. She invited me to lunch with… you know, the usual suspects.”
He nodded once, slowly. The usual suspects he wasn’t speaking to anymore for various different reasons. You didn’t keep tabs on Harry’s life by choice, but Holly and the internet provided more about it than you cared for.
“Maybe you were just young. Or maybe there was something different that I just missed or didn’t understand, but you weren’t at all like I expected you to be. Everyone - my brother, Holly, my parents -, everyone said you were amazing. ‘The nicest boy you’ll ever meet’. And sure, you were nice. Charming, even. And you had everyone’s undivided attention, including Holly’s. And mine. But Holly’s more so.
“That girl loves you. And I watched her love you up close and personal and it was amazing and beautiful and I really wanted her to give just even a portion of that love to my brother. And she did, but it didn’t come without a fight.
“I didn’t care that you spent most of that lunch ignoring everyone else at the table. Or maybe I did. I just knew that you only cared about Holly’s undivided attention and she had no quarrels giving it to you. There was a time I thought you might be secretly in love with each other,” you laughed at the reminder because it seemed stupid now, “but when I brought it up with her she laughed so hard she cried and then pretended to vomit.”
“Damn,” Harry produced an offended laugh. “Didn’t know I was that repulsive.”
“Anyway, it didn’t stop her from loving you. Never has. Soon after, I spent a week with her and my brother in Spain on some all-inclusive thing. Before you ask, I was forced to go. Being a third-wheel is absolutely not my style.”
He chuckled. “I didn’t think it sounded like you.”
You shook your head. “Not at all. Anyway, I watched Holly send constant photos, messages, gifs, any and all digital media to you while we were on that holiday, cataloguing the entire thing. I don’t think you realise how many times I heard oh Harry’s gonna love this. But what got me is you never replying to her. Not once. Her phone screen was just a sea of blue messages against a backdrop of silence. At one point I considered she’d got the wrong number, but then you texted her the day we left with something really dull and generic and I really wanted to hit you.”
“I don’t remember this at all.” He admitted, face paled.
“That doesn’t surprise me. You’re a busy man. I reminded myself of that a lot to start off with, but the whole thing became a recurring pattern. Maybe you think I’m stupid and it’s a bit of an overreaction for it, but I’m quite observant when I want to be. You’re Holly’s best friend, even if she’s not yours. Every time she says it, it’s like she’s been given the greatest gift in the entire world. And she’s such a bright, incredible person. She’s my best friend. Not just because she’s married to my brother, but because she’s the best person I’ve ever met and nothing will ever change that.
“Over the years I’ve watched countless messages and phone calls from her to you go unanswered, seen her face turn down with sadness when you don’t call her back or text out a reply. She deserves more than that.
“I’ve noticed you do it to my brother, too. I know he works for you so maybe it’s not the same, but it’s safe to say that in their house, Harry Styles isn’t a name that lights up their phone screens very often. Ever.”
Harry fidgeted a little and cleared his throat. “All this time I thought I’d done something to you.”
“No. Worse. You continually managed to upset my best friend, even if you didn’t know it, and in turn you upset me.”
“Then I’m sorry.”
“It’s not me you need to apologise to, Harry. She’ll never admit that she’s hurt by your silence because she doesn’t want to lose you. This is why we’re so very different. I don’t hang around for people who don’t appreciate the good they have in their life. I’m a good person, and Holly is an even better one. She deserves more than your attention when she’s only sat in front of you.”
“You’re right. I’m an idiot.”
“Yes you are.”
His lips twitched again. “The next time I’m in the village with signal I’ll call her. Promise.”
“Don’t promise me. Promise yourself, and her. One day she might snap and decide she doesn’t want to wait for months at a time to hear from you. Because hearing about you through my brother doesn’t count.”
“I know. I get it, I really do…”
“Good. Now, my turn.” You let out a long breath and turned in your seat. “Why do you hate me so much?”
“I don’t hate you-,”
“You called me both insufferable and intolerable in the space of five minutes when I got here.”
“Let me finish.” He said, exasperated. “I don’t hate you, I’m scared of you.”
“Calling someone intolerable because you’re scared of them doesn’t make any sense.”
“Well, let’s put it this way. While perhaps you were right, at first I thought you were just another friend of a friend who’d made an appearance for uncertain reasons, it became apparent very quickly that you weren’t going anywhere. It also became very apparent that you were not my biggest fan. That first lunch was one of a kind because you barely said a word. Every other time after that, which I now realise happened to be family-oriented, you hardly shut up.
“I’ve always noticed it. You command the attention of everyone in the room. You’re a storyteller. You could turn an anecdote about a trip to the petrol station into a fairytale. You give everyone in the room your undivided attention, and when I realised you never gave it to me, well… safe to say I was wounded. Holly talked you up to high heaven. Your brother loves you. My own mother loves you even though we don’t get on.
“There’s something about you. And the fact that the only attention you ever gave me was a dirty look or a snippy remark made me petty. So I started giving it back, and I think the more I did it, the more I lost sight of the kind of person you actually are, because I only focused on the side you showed to me.”
He turned into the driveway of the cabin, and you thought he was done. But when the engine shut off, he said one last thing.
“In one of your many little outbursts you said I’ve got a severe case of oosoom syndrome. I never bothered to look it up because I didn’t want to know what kind of idiot you thought I was, but it’s just clicked.”
“Out of sight, out of mind.”
He nodded and turned to you with a calm gaze. “I get it now.” He wasn’t just talking about the idiom.
“Good.”
~
The rain was back and heavier than ever. The ground surrounding the cabin was a swamp, the hill that led down to the village was indiscernible thanks to the downpour, and the day was dark and moody. Inside the cabin it was muggy and humid and you felt ridiculous sitting at the dining table in a vest and denim shorts, but you were.
Harry sitting opposite you looked more rugged than usual. His hair was pulled back with a clip, his stubble was shifting into a beard and his clothes were wrinkled.
“Hmm…” He gave an obnoxious tap on his chin.
You rolled your eyes and sunk into the seat. “Just put me out of my misery and show me your cards.”
He laughed, peering at you with a lightness in his eyes that was so unfamiliar it almost had you shell shocked. “Fine.” He placed his hand on the table showcasing his win.
It was day three of this charade. It hadn’t stopped raining and all you’d done was cycle between card games and Monopoly. He always won. You were so fed up of him winning that this was the last straw.
You stood and swiped his hand off the table so that they landed in a flurry on the wooden cabin floor.
“Hey…” he pouted.
“That was childish of me, I’m sorry.” You groaned, and crouched down to pick them up. “I’m so bored, Harry. I think I’m going mad. We don’t even have a TV. We’re in the middle of nowhere with a pack of cards missing the Ace of Spades and Queen of Hearts and an old beat up Monopoly box with half the properties missing.”
He blinked at me. “I know this. I’ve been with you the whole time.”
“Sorry.” You muttered. “When I’m frustrated I just state the obvious.”
“But I thought that was my job.”
You rolled your head back and sighed at the ceiling. “I need to do something. Anything. I don’t want to sit in here anymore. I need air.”
“It’s pissing it down.”
“I’m aware. You have a car… just humour me for a bit. An hour tops.”
“You want me to drive you around for an hour? In a smaller space than we’re already in?”
“Okay, fine,” you sat back down in your chair and attempted to plead with the normal side of him, the non-celebrity side, “what if… when me and my brother were little and we went away with Mum and Dad, if the weather was crap like this we’d get in the car and drive to the nearest supermarket. And we’d have lunch in the cafe and then do a bit of shopping and then come back. And we’d all get one thing to bide the time before the weather got better again. Why don’t we do that?”
A smile was forming on his lips. “You want to try shopping with me again?”
“That prick and his fancy camera won’t be going back there, trust me.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why, what did you do?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.” You patted his hand. “Please, Harry. Rescue me from insanity.”
“Fine, but only ‘cause you asked so nicely.”
“Yay!” You stood and clapped your hands together. “I’m gonna change.”
Half an hour later you were back at the supermarket in the town over and ready to find as much new entertainment as possible.
“Do you think we should buy them a TV?” Harry contemplated aloud as he stood in front of a large flatscreen.
You gave him a scrutinous look. “And put it where?”
“Good point.” He sighed. “We’re missing Love Island.”
You barked a laugh and carried it down the aisle with you. “That is not what I expected you to mourn over.”
“I’m full of surprises.”
You found your way to the games and books. “Can we get a jigsaw puzzle?”
“Why are you asking me? Get whatever you want, mate.”
You perused the options with as much interest as a car fanatic in a vintage car garage. “Farmyard or harbour? Or circus? Or mountains?”
“Whichever will keep you occupied for the longest.” He said absently, moving down the aisle to the board games.
The circus one had the most pieces and highest level of difficulty, so you plucked the box off the shelf and followed after him. “Have they got the Game of Life?”
He started laughing but never answered you.
“Oh,” you pouted, tapping the spin-off version that was much shorter and way less entertaining.
“Bop-It?”
“When I was little I completed that.”
He raised a brow at you. “Can you even complete Bop-It?”
“Yes,” you snatched the box off the shelf, “and I will prove it to you when we get back.”
“We’ll see about that.” He whispered, smirking. “We need an actual board game.”
You gazed over the options with the same level of interest as the jigsaws. “You choose. I’ve picked the last two.”
“Absolutely not, I’ll only pick wrong.”
“What’s your favourite?”
“Cluedo.”
“Then get Cluedo.” You pointed at it and walked away.
Two hours later and three books heavier you were back at the cabin and starting your jigsaw puzzle. You and Harry sat on your claimed sides of the table, box lid propped against the window and a selection of snacks between you.
“Where the fuck is the fourth corner?” You grumbled, digging through the box like a cat in a litter tray.
Harry glanced at the box lid, then at the jumbled selection of tiles, and plucked it out without hesitation. “There y’go.”
You blinked at him. “Is there anything you’re not good at?” You pinched it from him and placed it in the relevant corner. “Thank you.”
“A compliment and gratitude? It is a good day.”
You stuck your tongue out at him.
“I’m not very good at the splits.”
That made you laugh, right from the back of your throat. “Have you tried?”
“Many times.”
“For what purpose?”
“I had a thing for my yoga instructor once and she was convinced I could do it so I kept trying just to impress her.”
“My God, you are a sap.”
“Pathetic, isn’t it?”
“It’s nice to know you failed at something for such a pitiful reason.”
He gave you such a megawatt smile you had to look away. “I’m just like any other boy.”
“I can’t believe you had to try hard to impress anyone. It almost doesn’t seem natural.”
“You make me sound like a robot.”
“I don’t think you’re a robot. I just think sometimes things seem to come a little too easily to you. Skills. Work. Friends. Women. Probably men, too. Some of us have to try really hard to get those things.”
“You have friends. A good job. And I refuse to believe people aren’t interested in you… romantically.”
You lifted a brow at him. “Refuse?”
“Are they not?”
“Have you ever known me to be ‘romantically’ involved with anyone?”
“Yeah, that lad you took to your brother’s wedding.”
Colin.
“He’s gay.”
“Oh.” He scratched his nose. “I wondered why he kept eyeing up one of the groomsmen. Your cousin?”
“Also gay.”
“Have you never had a boyfriend?”
“Not since school, no.”
“Have you… are you… you know?”
You gave him another raised brow. “You’re not seriously asking me that.”
He rubbed his hands down his face and groaned. “I’m sorry. Ignore me.”
“Just because I haven’t had relationships, doesn’t mean I’m a virgin, Harry.”
The tips of his ears turned pink. “I think we’ve gone a bit off track here.”
“You’re tellin’ me.”
He slotted a piece into place next to one of the corners. You slotted another one in after that. The pattern repeated itself, in silence, for the next twenty minutes.
“When do you go to your AirBnB?”
You met his gaze with a calm expression. “Six days. Five nights.”
“Okay.” He said as he stood. “Are you hungry enough for dinner yet?”
“If you are, we can eat.”
He gave a stiff nod. “Okay.”
~~~
Part 2
Talk to me?
#harry styles#harry styles fic#harry styles fanfic#harry styles fanfiction#harry styles writing#harry styles imagine#harry styles imagines#harry styles x reader#harry styles x y/n#harry styles ou#harry styles fluff#harry styles fluff imagine#harry styles fluff imagines#harry styles angst#harry styles angst imagines
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Hi <3
I loved everything you wrote about Aegon. Could you please write some oneshot/headcanons (you decide) in wich Reader is Rhaenyra’s daughter and Aegon always loved her since childhood but they had a enemies to lovers relationship (she is a girl just like Arya/Lyanna personality and is always teasing him). But in episode 8, she is bethroed to Aemond and he needs to say to her his feelings. You can decide the ending, thank you :)
(Sorry my bad english :/)
Quick up 📅 - I kinda forgot abt the part where she's Rhaenyra's kid. It may have slipped my mind as soon as I read Arya's name lol. Anyhoo-
The Wolf And The Dragon
Aegon II Targaryen x Stark!Reader
Oneshot
Warnings: Explicit language
Thou shan't repost/copy/ translate any of my work or I'll sneak into your home late at night and bite your nose off! Maybe indulge in a battle to the death with your sweet ol' granny. Probably steal your beloved pet.
English isn't my first language. I don't proofread. I slap commas wherever I feel they're needed.
A/N: It's kinda long ngl, but sickeningly sweet! Oh, yeah. Aegon isn't married to Helaena in this one. For my own sake, she's with her loving husband, Lord Sth-Sth of Sth-Sth. Cheers!
One of her father's men was dragging the young lady through the training grounds as the boys trained with Ser Criston and Ser Harwin. They all stopped to stare at her and the knight. She was biting, scratching and kicking at him.
"What do you care?! Seven Hells, let go!"
The man stopped and grabbed her by her small shoulders. He'd had enough of the little lady's antics for one day. He shook her as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Child, I've been there for all your life, I won't stand to watch you try and get yourself killed." The knight's face was turning red with anger. "You're of one and ten, you can't be walking around the capital without anyone to keep you safe! Do you realize what could have happened?!"
"Fuck. You." The girl hissed as she stomped down on the man's foot and spat in his eyes. She bolted, the man following close behind, while still trying to wipe the spit from his eyes.
"You wild beast, get back here!"
"She truly is a beast..." Aegon whispered to his brother and nephews as they all watched the knight tackle the kid to the ground.
"Ser Karstark, don't you think that's enough!" Harwin yelled out.
"Oh, want to come and deal with this thing yourself, Breakbones? It's not as easy as I make it look." Ser Brennard Karstark choked on his last few words, a small elbow slamming into his neck.
The girl got back on her feet, making a run for it once more.
On the next day, Ser Karstark was dragged the girl in the opposite direction, towards the training grounds this time. He was sporting a big purple bruise on his neck.
"I've told you so many times now, cub. You want to train, fine! I'll teach you! But picking attacking the guards is not the way to do it!"
The little lady only huffed in response as she reached down to her blade. She turned her head to the side, then struck.
Ser Karstark took a step back, the tip of the dagger almost making contact with his face.
"It is customary to wait for your opponent to bear arms before you try and chop his head off, wildling."
"As if anyone would wait for me."
She struck again, the knight dodging once more. Lady Stark circled around her opponent, her small eyes sizing him up.
To everyone's shock, the knight actually swung at her with his sword. The girl fell to the side as she rolled over, her silk tunic now covered in dirt.
"Good, good!" The knight nodded before he swung sideways.
She lowered her head, the blade of his sword passing right above it.
"Don't stay close to the ground for too long, cub..." Brennard warned as his took ahold of his sword with both hands. "The enemy will catch up on it eventually. And maybe do this!"
He yelled out as he put his whole strength into trying to lodge the sword into the girl's skull. She got back up. Her dagger was quick to find its target, slicing the knight's hand open.
Brennard looked at the blood that was spilling out of his hand, then at her.
"You play dirty, girl..."
"I do not wish to fight with honor when I can just do this."
Her small fist was now aiming for Brennard's nose. He let go of his sword, leaving it to stand there with the tip lodged into the ground below their feet. He caught her small hand by the wrist and punched her instead. The girl fell on her back, head slamming into the ground.
"Karstark!" Both Criston and Harwin yelled out, making their way towards the student and her teacher.
"Stand back! She wants to fight, so she'll fight!" Brennard yelled in return."Get up!"
Lady Stark jumped to her feet, eyes narrowing as she wiped the blood from her mouth. She used the moment to tackle her opponent to the ground.
"Finish the job." Brennard whispered to the child. "Do not let your enemies walk away. Do it!"
The girl's fingers found their way around the dagger that was hanging on the knight's side. She pulled it out and put it to his throat. The child was smiling down at him, eyes glowing.
"I win?"
Brennard laughed out as his hand ruffled through the short locks of hair on her head.
"You win! We'll make a fine soldier out of you, you'll see."
The two got up, each sporting a warm smile.
"Ya promise?"
Brennard nodded his head.
"But your training is not over yet." He turned to look at the two knights that stood close behind him. "We've seen you can tackle a grown man down to the dirt, but how will you manage with someone closer to your age and speed? Perhaps you should go against one of the young princes?"
Criston nodded. Him and Harwin went back to the boys.
"Prince Aegon against lady Stark then." He said as he motioned for the boy to take a step forward.
Aegon didn't move an inch towards the younger girl that was now staring at him with a devilish grin on her face. She scared him. She fought dirty and wasn't scared to take a blow to the face, even when it came from a grown man that was thrice her size. The girl didn't stand above stealing her enemy's weapon and using it against them either. On the contrary, if it were a real threat in front of her, she would have sliced the man's throat. The young prince realized everything he'd learned from both Ser Criston and Ser Harwin was useless against someone like her. Aegon had only heard of tales of the northmen, of their cold hearts and brutal ways. But now there was one in front of him. A child of winter and ice. A ball of rage with unruly, short hair. If Aegon didn't know her already, he would've thought it was a boy that stood in front of him.
There were no lavish dresses for her. No needlework. No singing. She was dirty nails. Unkempt hair. Grime. Blood. Sweat. Dirt. Adventure. Flying arrows. Hiss of daggers. Clash of swords.
"Ye fighting or what, aye? Don't have a whole day to wait ye." Her strong accent came through. She'd gone over and picked her weapon back up. The girl was waiting for the prince to come back to his senses, foot tapping impatiently as she twisted and turned the blade in her hand.
The fight was over pretty soon. The lady had knocked her prince down, elbow to his face. Ser Brennard knew what was going to happen, but made no move to stop his student. She broke his nose with that hit.
"I'd say ya fight like a girl, but... ya know..." She shrugged her shoulders at him as Karstark dragged her away with a proud smile on his face.
Eight years later Aegon had grown into a handsome young man. He'd grown into his soft features. His pale blue eyes stared at his feet, as kicked at some small rocks. Short strands of silver-white hair framed his face perfectly. He kept his hair on the shorter side. It was easier to manage.
Him and his brother stood next to the wide open gates that led into the castle's grounds. Aemond, unlike his older brother, had his hands folded neatly behind his back, waiting patiently.
"I don't understand, why did mother have to send us..."
Aemond nodded his head, signaling to his brother to look ahead. A group of sturdy looking men, covered in steel from head to toe, were coming fast towards them. At the front,just a few feet in away from the rest, a hooded rider. The jet black stallion this mysterious person was riding held its head high. The stomping of the horse's hooves had stopped.
"Prince Aemond! Prince Aegon!" A melodious, yet strong voice rang from underneath the hood.
"Lady Stark." Aemond greeted. "Welcome to the capital!"
The stranger hopped down from the horse and took their hood off. Aegon stared at her slack-jawed. There, in front of him, stood the most magnificent creature that had ever walked the earth. Porcelain skin w a scar here and there she'd most definitely got in battle. Sharp features, almost as sharp as the sword she had on her. Two big, bright eyes that shined with laughter. The only thing that reminded of the girl she once was, was her short dark hair. And her clothing. She'd never been the one to wear dresses. That hadn't changed either. Her long legs were covered in threadbare black pants that matched with her black tunic and boots.
"I trust your journey was pleasant?" Aemond asked out of politeness.
A short "aye" left her full lips, eyes trained on Aegon.
"Yer nose healed well, me Prince. Though it would seem there's something wrong with yer jaw..." She pointed towards his face, calloused fingers showing from underneath the sleeve. Her northern accent made a shiver run down Aegon's spine.
He couldn't bring himself to say something, the words refusing to leave his mouth. He nodded with a faint smile.
"Shall we?" Aemond's voice could be heard again.
"If ye don't mind, me and me men had spent long time on the road without a good challenge. We need a good fight"
Her men had jumped from their horses too, now waiting for their lady. Ser Brennard Karstark was standing next to her.
"Training grounds are that way, aye?" She nodded to the left, her eyes never leaving the older brother.
"Right, let's get ye to the stables, big boy." She finally looked away as she turned towards the stallion and ran a hand through his black mane.
Lady Stark handed the reins to the stable boy that had approached her with a soft smile and a nod of her head. The lad melted at the sight, tripping over his feet as he walked away.
"Ye two comin'?"
The woman walked away, her father's bannermen following close behind.
"Would love some audience while I kick this old bastard's arse to the ground." She pointed towards Ser Karstark as she and her men laughed.
"We'll see about that, Young Wolf." Ser Brennard said, even though he knew that was going to be the most likely outcome.
Two weeks had passed since lady Stark had arrived to the capital. For Aegon, it felt like it was years ago. They'd been spending most of their time together, much to the Queen's dismay. At least they had the decency to drag Aemond along.
On the first night in the capital, the young woman suggested they go for a drink. When the second born son of Viserys the Peaceful suggested they stay in the Red Keep, both Aegon and her laughed in his face.
They snuck out of the castle later that night in search of a tavern. Aegon, being a frequent visitor to most of them, made the choice.
Soon after they'd entered the establishment, lady Stark challenged them to a bet, saying she'd drink them both under the table. Aemond, being Aemond, refused. Aegon accepted almost immediately.
He was in shock. The woman that sat in front of him was perfect. She cursed like a sailor. Told all the dirty jokes she could think of. Even challenged some stranger to a fist fight to celebrate her winning the bet. The Young Wolf didn't even bother to take his hundred gold dragons she'd won fair and square, but instead slapped his hand away.
"It's not about the money, me Prince!" She laughed out as she punched the stranger square in the jaw. "It's the thrill!"
The three returned back to the castle only when the light of the sun had started to bounce off the waters of Blackwater Bay. Aemond walked in front of them, impatient to get as far away from the two drunk idiots. They walked with a slow pace, hands thrown over eachother's shoulder and words slurring.
"One of them cods got ya good, me Prince, no offense meant" She said to Aegon with a grin. "If it weren't for me, that arse would'a split yer head open."
"Good thing you were around to save me then, my fair lady..." Aegon responded. He came to a sudden stop, his face contorting in agony. His hand unwrapped from the woman's shoulders as he bent forward and let out all he'd consumed right where they stood.
Instead of cringing in disgust, the Stark laughed hard, tears pricking at her eyes. She ran a hand through her short hair.
"Now from that yer knight in shinin' armor can't save ye, I am sorry."
Aemond grabbed his brother by the scruff, pulling him back up.
"We'll get caught with all the noise you're making, we have to go. My lady..." He looked at her, hoping at least one sober thought would make its way back into her head.
The Young Wolf howled again, hand patting Aegon on the back as he choked.
"What got yer knickers in a twist, hm? We've got all the time in the world."
" 'Tis but the truth!" Aegon said through coughs. "Do not worry, brother. I'll escort my, how did you say it...Ah, yes! Knight in shining armor back to her chambers."
Aemond didn't need to hear much else. He turned his back to them abruptly and left. The two snickered as they watched him walk away.
"Yer brother-" The woman threw her hand back over his shoulders as they began walking once more.
"Tell me about it." Aegon interrupted, doing the same as her.
After a detour that led them to the Kitchen Keep where they stuffed their faces with whatever was left from the dinner, Prince Aegon and lady Stark made their way towards her chambers. He'd promised to escort his savior back and he intended to do it.
As they neared the door, Aegon stopped her.
"This was the most fun I've had in a long while. Thank you, my lady."
"Aye, same here. Hanging around those old farts ain't as fun as it may look." She snorted.
The two laughed once more, then she dissappeared into her chambers, ready to sleep off the remainder of the day.
Aegon felt the same. He flopped down on his bed the second he found himself close enough to do it without smacking his head in the floor.
The same thing repeated the next day. Except Aemond wasn't with them. As the good prince he was, he'd ran to tell his mother about what his older brother and the lady Stak were busying themselves with.
The lady found herself sitting between the two brothers on that feast. She'd pulled her chair as close as possible to Aegon. On their last "walk" around the capital, she'd introduced him to the Skull and Dice game. The two now sat close to eachother, whisper-shouting the word "skull" as they rolled the dice and drank from their cups.
Aegon's grandsire and Hand of the King, Otto Hightower, was sitting across them. He smiled softly. The two were perfect for eachother. They shared the same interests- be it in books, hobbies or drinks. Why his daughter refused to give her oldest to the Young Wolf, he had no clue. She came from a great house, was trained in battle and proved to be quite intelligent, from what he'd heard her say. Sure, she liked drinking and venturing out of the Red Keep, and would also pick fights left and right. But so did his grandson.
Otto had come to the realization that the woman that sat next to his grandson was the way she was, not because she got to grow up in a castle where servants tended to each and every need of hers, but because she was raised amongst soldiers. Something her father had made sure of, once he agreed with the fact he won't be getting a proper lady out of her. The soldiers' ways had simply rubbed off on her.
Another thing that Otto had come to realize was how observant lady Stark was. She could be laughing and telling jokes, enjoying herself and her youth, but her trained eyes and ears were always turned to what was going on around her. She was a true northerner- rough and savage, but also loyal to the core and honorable. She'd be the perfect match for Aegon. If only his daughter would come to listen...
"This is an occasion for celebration, it seems." Everyone's attention turned to the King. His gold mask was shimmering in the light of the candles as he spoke. "My grandsons, Jace and Luke, will marry their cousins, Baela and Rhaena..."
Viserys turned to face his second son, eyes darting to his first one and the Stark girl. He could sense it, all Hells were about to break loose with next couple of words.
"And my son, Aemond, will marry lady Stark, further strengthening the bond between our houses. A toast to the young Princes..."
They all raised their cups, except the silver haired man and the woman that was sitting next to him.
"Hear, hear!" Came from the Prince Daemon as he turned to smile at his brother.
Aegon didn't hear him. He was now staring at the Young Wolf, silently asking if what his father had said was true.
"If you'd excuse me!" He damn near shouted, eyes trained on Aemond, who in turn was staring in shock at their mother. Unlike Aegon, he knew a third betrothal would be announced on this feast. What he didn't know was that he'll be the one marrying the Stark.
"Aegon! Come back!" Alicent yelled after him, ready to follow.
"Don't, me Queen. I'll bring him back."
"Did you know?"
The halls were silent, all that could be heard were the muffled, hushed voices of his family, as the lot tried to listen in on the conversation.
"Did you know about it?!"
The woman stomped her booth on the ground, the sword that was hanging on her side shaking with the intensity. It was a warning for the prince to lower his voice.
"Aye, my father sent me for a reason. I didn't know I'd be marrying yer brother though..."
The young woman had shut the doors as she made her way out and into the corridors. There was no point, the whole room was now sitting in silence, listening on Aegon scream his lungs out.
"You can't!You won't!" The prince yelled out.
"Oh, what do ya care? Yer not the one gettin' tied down against yer will! Yer free to do as ye wish!" She said, her voice booming over his.
"So you don't want to marry him?"
"Are ye fuckin' jokin' , Aegon, yer brother is a twat and a half!"
Inside the room, Daemon could be heard laughing without shame. Aemond's jaw clenched, his smirk dissappearing as he stood up. Rhaenyra slapped her husband's arm, even though she herself was sporting a smile.
"Then don't fucking do it!"
"And what am I supposed to do, huh? Get back in there and tell yer father, my King, that I don't approve? That I, the daughter of the man that had sworn an oath to him, will not do as I'm commanded?"
"You and your oaths and orders... Is your pride so important that you'll willingly go against what your heart desires?!"
"Pride?" The word came out as growl." If it were for me pride, I wouldn't even be here. But I gave a word to me father and did as I was told... And what do ya, ye spoiled cod, know of what me heart desires? Hm?!"
"I know I've come to love you. Just as you have." Aegon took her hands in his, soft thumb rubbing over her rough skin. "I know that I love spending time with you. Just as you do."
Silence fell upon the halls once more as the prince thought of his next words.
"I've never met someone like you before. Someone that is so...me. You like to drink, you curse, you fight. You know all the dirty jokes and all drinking games. And even with all that, you know when to put an end to it, even if you don't want to. You're not afraid to sock me in the face when you know I'm being an arse. Or drag me all the way to the small council meetings, so I could fulfill my princely duties. Sit with me through those never-ending history lessons, even though you'd rather go outside and train. You keep me grounded. You always know what to do. You always know what is right. I'd like to think that I, for once, know too. It's you. But if you insist on carrying out this order..."
His hands reached for her face.
"Marry me instead. You came here to a marry a dragon, right? There's one in front of you right now. Begging, pleading for you to take him."
Silence. Again. Aegon searched for her eyes, searched for an answer in them. But found nothing. He sighed heavily, hands falling to his sides. The prince walked around her, head hanging low in embarrassment. He reached for the door handles, ready to get back inside and drink himself into a stupor. Or untill the high-pitched ringing in his ears went away.
"Ye sure talk a lot... It's a good thing though, I won't have to waste my breath no more...with ya around."
Their eyes met.
"What? Ye plan on standin' there all night?"
The doors swung open before Aegon could reach her. He turned back around, his eyes meeting those of his father.
"Or both of you could just come back inside and sit down? Your King is to make a new toast..."
Rough fingers wrapped around Aegon's. She was standing right there, next to him. He looked up from their intertwined hands. A toothy smile had found its way on his future wife's face.
"As me King commands..."
Viserys turned his back to them as he slowly made his way to his seat. The two followed close behind.
"We're finishing the game, right?" Aegon whispered to her.
"Go find the dice, ye threw it as ya stormed out." She laughed quietly.
The Wolf and her Dragon entered the room once more, hand in hand.
#aegon ii x reader#stark!reader#aegon ii targaryen#aegon the second#hotd fanfic#dance of dragons#aemond one eye#aemond targaryen#hotd#game of thrones#daemon targaryen#rhaenyra targaryen#jacaerys velaryon#lucerys targaryen#baela targaryen#rhaena targaryen#accepting requests#requests open
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I rewatched all 3 eps before tonight’s episode and I had a thought during the boar attack scene (and I was totally right!). So the boar attacked Rhaenyra and mounted her. Cristin pierced the boar, and I thought, hmm, so that’s like a foreshadowing for him taking her virginity. But then Rhaenrya pulled out her dagger and went to town on that boar essentially making the kill her own, and I thought! Aha! I bet that means even though Cristin takes her virginity, the actual sex is really all about Rhaenyra’s pleasure.
And that’s exactly what happened! Yes.
Ooh! I loved this. Loved it.
So much great stuff here. Loved that Daemon stopped, looking at her face, no way could he take his girl like this in a brothel, like some common whore. Nope, nope, nope. And if he only wanted Rhaenyra for the throne he would have had sex with her and made sure everyone knew.* He told Viserys that he wanted to wed her because HE WANTED TO WED HER. He wanted Rhaenrya. Basically, he jumped on the opportunity that was suddenly presented to him. Yuppers!
I also liked how the Cristin/Rhaenrya sex scene was essentially youthful, playful -- for lack of a better description. And there was no real connection. No eye contact or anything. But Daemon and Rhaenyra were all about each other. Eye contact, forehead touching, and it was sensual, seductive, mature. It just felt so real. So connective.
Anyhoo, yeah, LOVED. IT!
* ETA: The Inside the Episode talked about Daemon's impotence in that scene and I was like 'whu? no!' But i went back and rewatched the scene two or three (or four) times, and I can see that now.
Still, I don't think it was a calculated plan to marry Rhaenerya and get the throne. And, frankly, quite a few things from ITE were quite similar to the D&D days during GOT that had me scratching my head. Like, nothing in the episode pointed to Daemon trying to get "at" his brother through Rhaenrya.
Also, there was talk of Daemon manipulating Rhaenrya by taking her out that night, but, uhm, we literally had a whole scene explaining why he did that. It was because he was showing Rhaenrya the joys and pleasures that could be found outside of just solitude and in sex. Showing her types of freedom. That was why he did it.
There was also talk of how Otto has loved Viserys all these years, blah, blah, blah, and I'm like he has? Where? All we've seen is a conniving Otto who has been playing Viserys and taking advantage of him. So, I'm like... uh, yeah, no. Don't think I'm gonna be watching these anymore, thank you very much.
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my honorable mentions - my brain will not shut up about these three
YINGXING — i see him as a beta personally that has mostly alpha like traits, but nests are the one thing that sometimes throws people off about what exactly he is (xianzhou beliefs maybe considers nest making to be an omega thing?) anyhoo, yingxing would be neat about it as surprising as it might sound. he thinks of nesting like he does with forging: precise, every little detail matters, and it’s a way of artistic expression. makes nests after he worked all day to be comfy and wore himself out too much, and wants to unwind. i think he’d hide under like 3 blankets and have hot compresses nearby for his hands/wrists
BAIHENG — i can see her being an alpha, but she’s extremely motherly like an omega, and takes care of everyone in the quintet. she’s a messy neat kinda like welt, but they’re aesthetically pleasing to the point where it looks neat. lots of blankets and it’s big enough for everyone in the quintet to come lay with her if they’re around. when yingxing and jing yuan were kids, she’d let them help her and lay in it when they were done. she 100% keeps a shirt or something from those two’s teenage years in her nest to be reminded of them when she’s worried or stressed, and isn’t shy about asking them to re-scent it if it isn’t strong enough.
DAN FENG — alpha, 100%, but likes nests because it comforts him when he’s stressed out from high elder duties. is extremely nitpicky about what the nest is made of, and will destroy it to redo it if he doesn’t like the way it feels to lie in it. he tends to make them bigger since his tail is practically human sized, and his scales are sensitive if they’re touching something not in the nest (he learned that the hard way when he felt more aggressive instead of comfortable coming out of a nest baiheng made for him). if he’s with the quintet and they’re just being lazy in a nest together, he absolutely tries to hold all of them with his tail, i will die on this hill.
- messy nest (my brain is rotting, send help)
There is no help! >:D
I told you the moment you step foot into omegaverse there's no going back! Loving this though, you've got some wonderful ideas! Thank you for the three course meal it's delicious XD
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I absolutely love your "just thinking" series!! They are so butterfly-inducing and believable!! Maybe another one for Binnie? Maybe a mega "just thinking" for Binnie with lots of little scenarios? Can you tell who my bias is? lololol
Anyhoo, just a suggestion since you wanted requests! I hope you have a lovely day!! And thank you for your sweet Skz content!
<3 <3 <3
omg thank you so much ❤️❤️ I’m really glad you loved them. Thank you for requesting too! I really hope you like it, I had fun writing them. I even giggled a couple times!! Have an amazing day my dear!!! Here you go!!!!
Just thinking- Changbin special 💌
These “just thinkings” are all separate from eachother❤️
•
Just thinking💌
Just thinking about long road trips with him, it’s hard to not stare at him while driving. The windows somewhat rolled down, his natural hair flowing ever so slightly. Changbin glances at you and giggles.
“Stop staring at me weirdo.”
You simply smile, “I can’t help it.”
At this response he smiles, feeling as warm as the beginning summer breeze.
Just thinking
Just thinking about college boyfriend Changbin. Him always repping the university’s hoodies and gym shorts. When Changbin’s class ends earlier than yours he will wait for you outside your class with your favorite drink or snack. He absolutely loves to make you feel special in front of everyone. The week before one of the big football games he would bring you flowers after every class when he could. Changbin said your smile brings him good luck.
•
Just thinking
Just thinking about having a crush on Changbin. Always looking forward to seeing him at friend hangouts. His eyes lighting up when he sees you, everyone told him you weren’t coming. At the friend hangout you and Changbin never leave eachothers side. The small smiles, the soft giggles from you both. The warm feelings.
Just thinking
Just thinking about being an idol and having a really rough day in the studio. You always helped the other people in your group a little too much. Changbin notices how you always overwork yourself so on top of his own workload he helps you with yours. You two having a lot of late nights together may or may not have led to feelings being stirred for eachother.
•
Just thinking
Just thinking about surprising Changbin with a movie night when he gets home. You set up blankets and snacks, you were so proud of yourself. When he walked in you didn’t hear him.
“What’s all this…?”
“Holy shit you scared me so bad-“
He absolutely loves the surprise and gives you so many hugs and kisses during the movie.
Just thinking
Just thinking about Changbin being so excited to tell you about this place he visited while on tour. He shows you photos on his phone while he holds you in his arms. You snuggling up to him just so content with having your boyfriend back home.
•
Just thinking
Just thinking about borrowing Changbin’s clothes. He gets so smug watching you walk around people you both know. He always loves showing you off.
Just thinking
Just thinking about making friendship bracelets for everyone in the group. You noticed that some people don’t wear there’s as often, but Changbin? Changbin never ever takes his off. If he could he would die in your friendship bracelet that you made for him. Especially because you put little details in it just for him.
•
Just thinking
Just thinking about taking walks with Changbin, he’ll talk about his day and what’s frustrating him. You’ll listen and try to offer any advice if you can. He appreciates that he can vent to you and be open with you. Changbin is relieved he can let down his strong front around you.
Just thinking
Just thinking about going to the beach with Changbin. He made sure to bring his family’s beach blanket and umbrella. As you two relax he will tell you stories about the blanket you two are currently laying on. That was something you always loved about him, how family oriented he is.
•
Just thinking
Just thinking about doing his makeup. You thought he would fight it but he didn’t at all.
“Can I do your makeup?”
“Yes :)” “Why no- wait ACTUALLY????”
Just thinking
Just thinking about feeling so safe with Changbin. You could be anywhere and as long as he’s near you or right by your side, you know you’re safe. You’re safe with him. And he’s safe with you.
•
Just thinking
Just thinking about Changbin finally proposing to you at the place where you two first met. He gets really emotional while he looks up at you praying that you’ll say yes. You mean the absolute world to him, his future.
You do say yes :,)
💌
#straykids#stray kids#kpop#straykids x reader#stray kids x reader#skz#skzxreader#3racha#changbin imagines#changbin#changbin x reader#seo changbin x reader#seochangbin#seo changbin#stray kids imagines#kpop imagines#k pop imagines
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Nuts & Dolts Week 2023 - Day 6 - Future
Hey peeps!
So… how we doing…?
Listen, I need to get my angst out somehow, and this is how. As much as I love Nuts and Dolts fluff, the absolute angst potential of them not having time to figure out their true feelings for each other is too good to pass up.
Anyhoo, I can’t wait for the Volume 10 scene where Ruby find a Penny statue and cries about it <3
(Pyrrha and Penny both having statues will kill me)
I headcanon that Penny’s statue would have been made by the Atlas refugees as an homage to their protector of Mantle, and that it would be made of copper! Because… y’know. Penny. *Cries*
I also headcanon that after Salem’s defeated and everyone lives happily ever after, Ruby has a tradition of visiting Penny’s statue every year and telling her everything that’s happened since she last visited.
*CRIES*
Don’t worry everyone, that’s all the angst I’m making this year! It’s over now :)
#my art#rwby#rwby art#rwby fanart#ruby rose#penny#penny polendina#ruby#rwby penny polendina#rwby ruby rose#RWBY penny#RWBY Ruby#Vacuo#volume 10#RWBY volume 10#angst#nuts and dolts#NND#RWBY NND#rwby nuts and dolts#nuts & dolts#RWBY nuts & dolts#Future#NNDweek2023
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Soft Dieting
I had to boot someone from my Intuitive Eating group yesterday for promoting when I’m going to call “soft dieting”.
She hailed herself as an Intuitive Eating coach, and promised to help people “stop obsessing over food and fitness.”
There were red flags of course. I watched a Ted Talk she did, which was actually fantastic. It was all about fatphobia and how it intersects with social justice. How some people just don’t have access to healthy food or expensive gyms and how we have to look at our attitudes toward health and fatness. All really good stuff.
Except in the group, she keeps posting, encouraging people to participate in “healthy behaviors outside of weight”. OK. Fine. The thing is, there are red flags.
1. During her Ted Talk, she discussed how she used to be obsessed with dieting and weight loss. But how she got over that, and learned to love herself and stopped restricting. Only she’s still thin. So, you were starving yourself for years, and then you stopped starving yourself, and your body stayed at the same exact weight? Maybe she put on five pounds, but when I hear about someone having severe issues with eating, then stopping the behaviors that were keeping them at a low weight, and then they stay at a low weight.... I doubt that they actually did give up dieting.
2. She looks perfect. From her perfect hair to her perfect makeup, perfect clothes. Her photo is on her blog. She needs people to know how attractive she is as a sales technique, and I seriously doubt she’s somehow sloughed off society’s expectations of her looks if she still looks like a model.
3. The emphasis on “healthy behaviors”. I get it. We can all pursue health without dieting. I agree with that. But if you’re claiming to be over healthism, why do you keep talking about it? Why are you posting lists of “healthy activities that don’t involve food.” that include the amount of water you should drink in a day, the hours of movement you should aim for. If you use numbers in your advice about health, you’re still stuck in healthism. You still believe that a certain amount of exercise/sunlight/water etc. is optimal and promotes health.
She needs to learn that everyone is different, and that when you’re in a group full of people who’ve just stopped dieting, or who are still trying to break free of dieting, this focus on gently pursuing health by telling people they should drink this much water, or get at least this much movement per day, is pretty damaging.
These issues are so subtle, and I don’t expect anyone who even has a toe in diet culture to understand, but we are all free to pursue health in our own way, or to NOT PURSUE HEALTH AT ALL. The not at all part clearly didn’t sit well with her. She clearly still thinks that in order to be good, you need to be pursuing health. He whole business is built on it. Because if you aren’t promoting health, then you have no business. There’s nothing to sell. There’s very little money in “Take a walk if that makes you happy, and if you don’t like walking, just... don’t.” And way more money in “you should really be doing *something* for your health at all times, even if it’s gentle and subtle”
Anyhoo. I’ll get down off my soap box, but I really wanted to talk about how deeply insidious this “Soft Dieting” is for a community of people trying to dismantle diet culture. How swiftly it can nose dive back into dieting behaviors as you worry that you haven’t moved enough, or drank enough water to be considered healthy. Don’t fall for it. You do what’s best for your body, regardless of the opinions of fake IE blogs.
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Twice's 10th member during Sixteen ft 6mix
A/N: I got an ask on Tumblr from one of my besties on Tumblr and I loved writing it, ty bae! :D
The request: i will ask anything I want >:D lol, this is a pre-debut ask so like 6MIX like Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Sana, Jihyo and idk Jiwon bc she was a jyp trainee. so they only have..can you count? 5 members :D how is that gonna work they got 6 in their name and we aint doing no seventeen bs anyhoo Jiwon really did not wanna be the maknae she was already being babied by nayeon and Jihyo (mainly jihyo) and she was...not enjoying it so she was thrilled that they added y/n as the maknae of 6MIX (even though 6mix never had their official debut)
PS: Tysm for everyone that reads what I write, I hope I can bring a smile to your faces every time I post! I'd like to thank whoever sent me this idea 'cause I loved to write it <3
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In a bustling metropolis, where dreams and aspirations intermingled, five young girls embarked on a journey that would shape their lives forever. Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Sana, Jihyo, and Jiwon were among the talented trainees at JYP Entertainment, part of a group called 6MIX. Their hopes were high, their spirits unyielding, as they aspired to debut and showcase their talents to the world. Among them, Jiwon, though filled with talent and passion, found herself in a peculiar position. As one of the oldest members of 6MIX and already used to being doted upon by Nayeon and Jihyo, she struggled with the thought of becoming the maknae if they debuted. Jiwon had already experienced the role of being the youngest, and it didn't suit her. To her delight, the agency decided to add a new trainee, Y/N, to the group. It was an unusual decision, given that their name implied six members, but the girls were ready to embrace the change.
Y/N was a bright and spirited young girl who had recently joined JYP Entertainment as a trainee. Her talent was undeniable, and her personality was infectious, quickly making her friends with the other members of 6MIX. From the start, she had a natural chemistry with the group and brought a unique charm to their dynamic. As they practised and prepared for their potential debut, the younger girl effortlessly settled into the role of the maknae, and Jiwon was more than relieved to relinquish the position. With Y/N around, Jiwon no longer felt like the centre of attention and found her place as a reliable older sister figure to the young trainee.
Time passed, and their bond grew stronger, despite the uncertainty of their debut. They supported each other during times of doubt and celebrated every small victory. Their friendship extended beyond the practice rooms and stages, as they became inseparable in their daily lives. Yet, fate had different plans for 6MIX. The group never received an official debut, and their journey took an unexpected turn when they were presented with the opportunity to join a survival program called Sixteen. JYP Entertainment saw this as a chance for the trainees to prove themselves and become part of a new girl group.
Though Jiwon had bonded with her favourite dongsaeng, she decided to pursue a different path. She left the company and joined another, hoping to find her own way to stardom. Despite her departure, Jiwon remained close with the members of 6MIX, knowing that true friendship knew no boundaries.
The remaining five members of 6MIX embarked on Sixteen, each determined to secure a spot in the upcoming girl group. They showcased their skills, poured their hearts out, and faced various challenges throughout the competition. The days were long and tiresome, but their unwavering support for each other fueled their determination to succeed.
As the show progressed, the youngest's presence shone brightly. Her radiant smile and charismatic performances captured the hearts of the audience and judges alike. She made friends easily, always displaying genuine care and concern for others. Despite her talent, 6MIX's angel remained humble and grounded, never letting fame get to her head. Throughout the competition, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Sana, and Jihyo stood by their girl's side, cheering her on with pride. They knew that she embodied the spirit of 6MIX and was a vital piece in the puzzle that would soon become their debut girl group.
The final episode of Sixteen arrived, and the anticipation was palpable. Y/N found herself among the nine trainees who had successfully secured a place in the new girl group, TWICE. With tears of joy streaming down their faces, the five original members of 6MIX embraced the girl they saw as their little sister, celebrating her success as if it were their own.
TWICE debuted with a bang, and their popularity skyrocketed. The bond between the members was unbreakable, stemming from their days as 6MIX. Y/N's addition to the group had transformed them, creating a harmonious balance that complemented each other's strengths. As TWICE took the world by storm, Jiwon cheered from the sidelines, proud of her friends' accomplishments. She might have taken a different path, but she always cherished the memories and experiences they shared as 6MIX. Despite not being part of TWICE, she remained a part of their lives, an irreplaceable friend who would forever be in their hearts.
TWICE's journey was filled with highs and lows, but their unyielding friendship carried them through every challenge. They continued to support and lift each other, standing united through thick and thin. Y/N, the youngest member of TWICE, grew and blossomed alongside her unnies. She never forgot the bond she had formed with the members of 6MIX, treasuring the friendship that was forged before they even became TWICE.
And so, in the book of K-pop history, the tale of 6MIX would remain a daily reminder of the power of friendship and how an unexpected addition could bring about a harmonious destiny. Theirs was a story of dreams, love, and music. A story that would be forever etched in the hearts of those who followed their journey, proving that some bonds are meant to last a lifetime. And with that, Y/N could only have one thought:
I am so proud of my dear unnies.
A/N: I apologise for any errors, English is not my first language. Pls, let me know if there's something wrong, ty for reading <3
#kpop imagines#kpop gg#twice imagines#twice 10th member#twice x reader#twice scenarios#twice#twice fluff#twice added member#twice addition#twice x y/n#twice x you#jiwon imagines#jiwon fromis 9#fromis jiwon#fromis 9#fromis#nayeon#nayeon x reader#jeongyeon#jeongyeon x reader#momo#momo x reader#sana#sana x reader#jihyo#jihyo x reader#mina#mina x reader#dahyun
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I don't know if "Akubra" means something else somewhere, but I've always known it as the Australian hat company. So, in my head, Head Chef Wendy now speaks with an Australian accent. I mean, everyone does because I'm Australian, and so is the narrator's voice in my head, but she's extra Aussie now.
Also, I brought some coffee, and Irwin and Wendy drank all of it before anybody else got any. A bit greedy, but I appreciate the enthusiasm.
I get the feeling Irwin is starting to get a bit irritated about the hat issue that his fiancee won't let go. He grumbled about it with Cinnamon the Steel Construct (a couple of times, actually.)
Fafo and Kaz continue to dance around the idea of actually getting together in favour of repeatedly friendzoning each other, but they apparently agreed to a hookup which is... Good for drama and storytelling tension, I suppose. I don't know if hookups are a mod thing or not. I don't think I've ever seen this interaction before.
Irwin, my sweet baby boy, got shot in the heart while he defended Brennan from a raider. Of course, being the absolute legend that he is, he wandered to the hospital across the base and tucked himself into bed while he waited for Brennan to finish a game of chess before she could patch him up. I would have expected her to be a bit more grateful, considering she's only still alive because of him, but oh well.
Our newest yttakin colonist, Kawoo, is apparently married to a Saurid raider named Andrei. Andrei seemed to be under the mistaken impression we had kidnapped his wife and came to rescue her. Luckily we're correcting him in our jail. We even let him keep a friend named Baz in jail with him until the misunderstanding is cleared up! We're very thoughtful that way.
Last but not least, Big Dipper the baby thrumbo is now Big Dipper the teenaged thrumbo! Hooray! Doesn't he look just like his Mum? How cute!!
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#rimworld#gracie plays#art#my art#traditional art#rimworld art#unpolished art#tw blood#tw death mention#I like this colony :3#I have been thinking about starting a new one though#a nomadic one that moves around a bit#Maybe get the Ship to the Stars ending with the quest from the “friendly AI from my past”#I have never actually finished this game haha#I get too distracted taming thrumbos and watching the drama#it's such a good game isn't it?#Anyhoo I hope everyone is doing well#Love and appreciate you all xoxo#Have a good day!! <3 <3#The Animist Alliance
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Dev Diaries
March 5th, 2024
So. We're 3 months into the new year. Huh.
Updates from me? I started a new job! I've been reading/catching up on a toooooon of manga lately (I'm also sloooooowly making my way through a nonfiction read and can't help thinking how Corey would heavily sympathize with me. Sigh.)
I also got another free month of Spotify (lol, I think I'm the only person I know who only uses the free plan because I'd rather spend that money elsewhere??) so I've been on a listening spree and flagging songs for a writing playlist I will use for the majority of the HSDJY 2 drafting process moving forward.
I still have yet to play BG3. My family gifted me the physical edition, so I've been impatiently waiting for it to ship out. It's been 84 years JFJEHFJHJF!!
Hmmm...nothing else interesting has happened to me (that I can publicly share ☠️) so on with the game development updates!!!!!
What Has Gemini Been Up To? -> TKD (again)
March 16th!!! Y'all, this is the deadline the team and I are working towards for a finished and published game 😭 unfortunately my plans for full voice work won’t be realized by then (but they will be realized. Just in a few months. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if y'all get the updated HSD 2 demo before the fully voiced TKD….)
What Has Gemini Been Up To? -> HSD:JY and Ko-fi
Ko-fi first!!
It’s only been a few months (since November??) but I’m super proud of my posting consistency! Granted, I’m a little anxious about how posts will look moving forward once I start moving major updates and general silliness to Tumblr. But. We shall cross the bridge when it appears.
March snuck up on me and I only have the free and any-paid-support ready, but the subbies are just There™️. That being said...when I'm quiet or posting non-Hummingbird content here, there's 99.9% chance I've made a free post on ko-fi.
Tumblr is looking like the other social media platforms right now with its flagrant support of AI, and it gives me a headache trying to decide how to keep everyone informed as well as share posts from my peers and new kids on the block. Anyhoo!!!
High School Daze goodies??
At the time of this post, a couple things have been happening that I haven't had the time (or the energy) to talk about. The obvious? HIGH SCHOOl DAZE: JUNIOR 2 HAS AN ITCH.IO PAGE!! I...have no idea when the full game will be out. I have an idea...but I don't want to say it and feel obligated to make that deadline just so I don't disappoint players. (I'm well aware that some people took one look at Crushed, went "Aww, that's nice, Gemini. Now where's HSD??" 🤣)
The first round of sprites have been commissioned!! If you peeped the key art (also done by my sprite artist, heehee she's lovely) you might notice some new outfits, some new hairdos. Fingers crossed I'll be able to update the page--to mirror the debut game's page--at the same time the new demo goes live (which will showcase all of or at least 75% of the common route of the full game. Stay tuned to find out if we'll focus on the friendship route or if I can defeat the Coding Monster to include all the variations for the romances too aha).
Writing wise? Five of the six total routes are outlined. (Florence's I've…barely started 🥲…this pre-production thing is kicking my ass). I’ve started drafting out the friendship route too, as seen by the random posts I’ve made about HSDJY 2. Well, a combination of friendship route + the common route with its lovely variations that aren’t a nuisance at all. Nope. *eye twitch*
I alsooooooo discovered that all the raw and edited music I created for HSD and for personal projects over the years using GarageBand were deleted. And I never backed them up. So. The tracks I made, the jingle for the splash screen, the main theme and it's 2 variations, and alllllll the little cute things I made that are as old as my own high school days are....gone.
Poof!
If I sound very calm about this, what an astute observation! But my anxiety is being used elsewhere, and I decided that I while I can't go back to the original files to tweak them, I've backed up the other files. And I don't mind starting from scratch with this.
But also y'all, please back up your shit. Please. Don't be caught slipping.
That poll I made a while back that now has results and I totally didn't forget about?? The boys won!! And I'm not surprised 🤣 I haven't decided yet if I'll do a live developer stream or a prerecorded one, but either way it'll happen closer to October, the 2nd anniversary date.
What Will Gemini be Up To?? -> Rest?!?!?
I assumed a lot of things about what would be done or not done by March, and that led me to loosely block out March as a 'rest' month. I wouldn't work on any projects, and instead would read, play console and computer games, and basically take the break I didn't take in December.
Well. The Knight Dance is still in production. And I commissioned sprites earlier than expected. And I didn't plan enough ko-fi content to be scheduled in my absence. LOL and I started a new job!? 🥹
But!!! But but but, I do need to take some type of break so I'll do my best to be scarce in this space (and lower the temptation to work because I see y'all are working LOL). Cool? Cool!
- Gemini 💛
#gamedev rambles#gamedev#high school daze: junior year 2#the knight dance#game development#and now we're all caught up!!#yaaaaaay...
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hey hey good morning and salutations and completely optional Ask!
There is RedditDiscourse about the question of if Harry would find it hard to say 'I love you' for the first time, and re-reading Castles, as one does, I notice that you have him fairly easily saying it to Hermione (along with a beautiful little meditation on the different forms of it), in Chapter 2, but yes, struggling with Ginny--a thing I really like is that you portray it as also him struggling to BELIEVE it from her.
So, anyhoo...Deep Thoughts if you'd like, on this somewhat silly but also central topic--saying it versus displaying it non-verbally, what exactly might make it difficult for my boy to say it out loud, and characterization choices you made in having him able to articulate this to Hermione (would she, in your head canon, be the first person he said that to?)
All very optional, of course. Enjoy your day!
oh wow, redditdiscourse™ - sounds frightening lol 😅.
jokes aside, yeah, that's something i did think about quite a lot, especially when i wrote that hermione scene. initially, i was like 'eh, would he say that?' and remember being a bit unsure. i must also come clean on the fact that i did recently ret-con the hinny break-up scene in chapter 3 re: 'i love you,' - originally, harry said it to ginny as they were arguing to try and get her to stay, now he admits it to hermione, when they're talking on the couch instead:
'I fucking love her,' he says. 'Dumbledore said it would always be enough, he said -’
that change wasn't so much due to the fact that i thought he wouldn't admit it, though, it was more to do with the fact that i thought as they're arguing, he's totally in shock, and i thought it just wouldn't actually occur to him to say it in the first place. he's still trying to process and she's slipping away, and it all goes too quickly for him to really do anything. he admits it later to hermione cause he's drunk off his mind and has no filter. but, i might change it again whenever i do another re-read. castles is a work in progress and i do change some things sometimes, and so we'll see where i ultimately land with that.
but coming back to your question, i think it's one of those where, when it comes to characterisation, you can really argue both points. on the one hand, love is everywhere in those books, and harry's never particularly shy about it. it's what saved his life, that of his friends, etc. he argues for love in his last faceoff with voldemort, still believes in love in spite of everything that's happened to him, and that's what's remarkable about him, etc. so, i don't think he's scared of love. he's pretty open about the fact that he loves ron and hermione in narration, although he never actually says it to them "on screen". i'd definitely see him say it to ron pretty routinely, the way men sometimes do - like if ron did something stupid, harry'd laugh and say 'ah, love you mate,' and the like.
that's what made me "side" with keeping that line in when it came to hermione, in the end. i was like: this is someone who won a literal war thanks to love, i can't imagine him being shy about it. it's also what led me to initially write him saying it to ginny so early on. when you've lost so many people you cared about so much, you tell those who remain you love them. and, it kind of feeds into the frantic nature of the early chapters, of this sort of post-war euphoria with a lot of Big Feelings and i-love-you-i-can't-believe-we're-alive. it's not necessarily the same kind of love he later feels, but it's a love that's there. be it hermione or ginny, it's like: 'omg, we made it.'
also, harry's not someone who's particularly private or guarded, most of the time. when he kisses cho, he tells his best mates. when he kisses ginny, he does so in front of everyone without giving a fuck. and, this is obviously castles-canon, but he's also not shy about how he feels re:Mia - he knows he loves her, says it, even if it's not the way she wishes he would. i'm not saying he wears his heart on his sleeve, but he's not someone who's particularly secretive about the way he feels. same thing: when he's upset or angry, everyone knows it.
on the other hand, it's true: i don't think he ever says it in the books. so, you could also conceivably argue that he thinks it a lot but doesn't say it out loud, and that he might think it makes him seem more vulnerable. i think his reluctance to say it a second time in chapter 16 is however more rooted in what you pointed out: he doesn't believe ginny when she says it. so, he's more guarded. and, also, i think it just takes him a while to understand his feelings. they're slowly building themselves back up, you know? and generally, i do think that because of his upbringing, he would find it harder to believe it when it came from other people - not just ginny. i think if hermione or ron said they loved him, part of him would think 'ah, they're just saying that.' he's not someone who grew up being wanted. he loves Other People, but can't imagine Other People loving him.
in terms of headcanon, i think the first person he actually says it to is ron, as i said. but again, i don't think it's such a massive deal to him. i do headcanon harry and ginny as this sort of couple who say 'love you!' every time they hang up the phone. again, they're gryffindors. they're not shy and have Very Big Feels.
thanks for the question though, it's a super interesting one.
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Hi Fluff,
Looking super cute and cuddly 😊
I have a question for you. I'm a lifelong skinny guy (I used to weigh 130 lbs at 5'11") who finally made his way up to 220 lbs. And I had absolutely no intentions of stopping before 300 lbs. I was happier with my body than I'd ever been.
Unfortunately I got really bad reflux/GERD which still plagues me every morning, to the point that I have no appetite for half of the day and even throw up a little almost every day.
I tried some medication (pantoprazole) which works great, but it's not something I want to take forever because it's not without risks or side effects either.
Now I'm wondering where I should draw the line. Throughout the day I keep flip flopping (gain, lose, gain, lose) depending on my stomach, and it's frustrating. So now I've been hovering around 200 lbs for a while.
You've posted about medical issues before so I wanted to know your thoughts and reflections on topics like these.
Thank you so much ❤️
Hey there!! Thank you so much 🥰🙈 Been feeling nice and fluffy lately:3
So, I will preface this with I am not a medical professional at all, and to definitely talk with your doctor about different treatment options that would allow you to get back to eating the things you like. :) Now then, let’s begin…
Honestly, that line depends on each person. And it can change with the same person over time! Gaining and feederism are lifestyle fetishes that unfortunately come with some inherent risks that we all have to wrestle with at times. You are not alone, and whatever you feel about those risks is valid. Period. I’m currently taking pantoprazole, actually, and am going to try getting off of it because yes, it can really fuck up your body long term. Which my doctors didn’t tell me and have been having me take it since fucking September, but anyhoo. 🙃🥲
But I’m right there with you - being in this blubbery, overfed body has made me happier than anything else. I’m so much happier and feel more “at home” in this body compared to when I was 145lbs. We deserve to do the things that bring us joy and fulfillment, and medicine can help us achieve those things. To me, it’s worth it. I see my insulin and my blood pressure medication as tools to help me live the lifestyle I want. Would everyone feel that way? No. And that’s okay! Each of us are on our own journey in life and gaining, and we get to decide what that journey looks like. Not rando feeders telling us what to eat, not our followers (love you guys tho), us. We get to decide. It’s not something to decide lightly, and I can tell you’ve already put a lot of thought into it. But ultimately, where you draw that line is up to you. Talk to your doctor about different treatment options for reflux and GERD (I know I’m going to have to have that conversation with mine, too), and most importantly, listen to your body. You do not have to gain 24/7 to be a “real gainer”. You wanna get fatter? That brings you joy and gratification? Then you’re a gainer, period. It’s inside us - and it doesn’t go away overnight.
I hope my rambling was able to provide some food for thought and some resolve, and know that no matter what you decide to do, you’ve made amazing progress and you’ll always be a gainer in my eyes.
Take care, reach out when/if you need to, and I hope you’re having a fabulous holiday season. ❤️
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I posted 326 times in 2022
That's 306 more posts than 2021!
196 posts created (60%)
130 posts reblogged (40%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@xiacodes
@shahednasser
@programmerhumour
@theinsaneapp
I tagged 240 of my posts in 2022
Only 26% of my posts had no tags
#programming - 205 posts
#coding - 197 posts
#comp sci - 157 posts
#studyblr - 148 posts
#computer science - 121 posts
#100 days of code - 102 posts
#studying - 102 posts
#software developer - 88 posts
#python - 73 posts
#programmer - 68 posts
Longest Tag: 100 characters
#i said no to doing computer science at university but now i have a module all about computer science
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
Calling all computer science/programming blogs!
Hello everyone! ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ
I have been getting dms of people wanting to follow other blogs like mine where I post my progress with programming / experimenting with different programming languages / tips and tricks / resources etc but they can't find them easily soooo I am making a post to reach the blogs these people want to find!
If you post about anything in the list belong, please reblog or comment your blog's @ so the right people can reach your blog:
programming a language
computer science
relevant memes
general talk about either subject
provide resources
student in any of the subjects
do challenges with computer science e.g. 100 days of Code
I just want this to reach as many people so our lil community within Tumblr can grow! Have a lovely day!
563 notes - Posted April 15, 2022
#4
Python Official Roadmap | Resource ♛
* means extras you could learn to enhance yourself
The intent of this guide is to give you an idea about the Python ecosystem and to help guide your learning if you are confused.
Also, please note that the list below is exhaustive, and the items are listed in no particular order. You don't need to learn everything listed in the picture, however, knowing what you don't know is as important as knowing things.
Link to the official site: Python Developer Roadmap by roadmap
-- > must add, the information is from roadmap.sh, but I just put it together in the image
676 notes - Posted April 27, 2022
#3
Python 3 Cheat Sheet | Resource ✎
Link to source: Python 3 Basic Cheat Sheet
1,608 notes - Posted April 20, 2022
#2
Build Your Own X | Resource ✿
GitHub is literally the best, what the fuck? ヾ(･ω･*)ﾉ
Anyhoo! This GitHub repository contains a list of tutorials that will guide you to build almost anything in web development using a range of programming language that best suits you!
Let me give you an example:
I click "Game" in the table of contents, it jumps me to the Game section. I wanna use C# so I pick a random C# game tutorial e.g. C#: Learn C# by Building a Simple RPG and it takes me to the site where someone made a whole project page with step-by-step guide to help build that game!
See the full post
1,666 notes - Posted April 18, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
800 free Computer Science classes | Comp-Sci Resources ♥
800 free Computer Science classes you could take online right with video lectures!
Link: GitHub - Developer-Y/cs-video-courses: List of Computer Science courses with video lectures
I found this link in a tweet and found the site very helpful! Take full advantage comp sci learners!!!
Have a nice day and happy programming ♥
1,711 notes - Posted April 16, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
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~ Intro ~
Hi there! I'm Becca - formerly FlightofIcarus! I'm in the process of making this my lil art space! I love illustration and character creation. The types of art I make/media I use include:
Traditional - Acrylic and watercolour painting, Alcohol Marker drawings, Oil pastels, Clay sculpting, Gouache
Digital Drawing/Illustrating - I've been digitally drawing for about a year now. It's been quite the journey to get used to a completely different form of creating. I mainly use ProCreate for my illustrations.
Character Creation - I absolutely LOVE creating OC's and Self-Inserts! I love creating unique characters with interesting personalities and backstories.
Storybook Illustration - I want to one day publish my own picture book. I also dream to become an Illustrator, illustrating the stories of others!
Mental Health Awareness - Many of my pieces have themes tying into various mental health issues (When I post pieces of this nature I'll make sure to put a lil content warning!) Dealing with all this fun stuff myself, I find creating pieces with these themes helps me cope and process how I'm feeling.
Another few things about me:
Music is a big part of my life - I enjoy listening to a variety of music genres including classic rock, alternative rock, indie, folk pop/rock, and soundtracks to musicals, anime, movies, etc.
Hyperfixations - my brain constantly rotates various hyperfixations including The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings, Demon Slayer, Naruto, Black Clover, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, My Hero Academia, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, etc..The list is seemingly endless.
I also really like mushrooms, frogs, and rabbits! ^ v ^
I also want to make this a safe space for everyone to feel welcomed!
But anyhoo, if you made it this far hi! hello! and thank you for reading!! I'm excited to start posting soon!
Also!! I'm on Instagram @/beccasartspace as well if you'd like to follow me elsewhere!
<3
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