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misterewrites · 2 years

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Grim Grinning Ghostkeeper (Mirror’s Edge)

E is back with the next chapter! and I just want to thank everyone whose been reading and getting the story more views over at Ao3 and likes here. From the bottom of my heart I really do appreciate everyone who takes their time to read this story. I know original work is hard to sell to readers and everyone has their different taste and I do this for me. I love writing so much but it's hard to gauge whose actually reading you know because this is something I want to share with you all. Aside from those two methods there are very few ways I know who reads my stuff but you are out there so thank you and I hope you keep enjoying my work!

It's rough now. Like. Fucking hell one thing after another but take care of yourself. take care of your loved ones. Enjoy the little things in life and just have fun. Stay informed. Stay positive and if you wanna do something about it, go for it. and if you dont, that's okay too. I get it. Sometimes you just want to exist. The usual: Take care of yourselves, loved ones, wearing mask cuz it's not over. vaccinate if you can, push for everyone to have it because this is just a problem worldwide. and enjoy life where you can.

That's it for me! I have no idea what I'm writing next but it'll be soon! Because I want to write more without month long breaks into between! I got way too many ideas folks! Have a great week and be safe! E is out!

If you want to read this story over on ao3 where it is way more user friendly here’s the link riiiiiight here https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/100580202

if you need a refresh here’s the last chapter https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/97939368 (really it’s just the end of the last arc and the set up for this one)

Hey look the story from the beginning in case you’re curious or bored or need something to do! (it’s pretty decent I swears!) https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/75486005

And if none of this is your speed don’t worry fam I got you. I also write other things (i know right?!) including but not limited to: Legend of Zelda, Arcane, Owl House, and Soul Eater! https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrE42/pseuds/MrE42

Here we are at the keep reading sign. those of you getting off have a wonderful day!

Summary: Casey is trapped in what appears to be another normal Watch meeting. But this isn't the usual meeting and Casey is about to find out their surprise guest brings news that the city is on the brink of a spiritual-lypse (that's spiritual apocalypse in layman terms.) and he'll be a key instrument in preventing it. Never a boring day in the Watch.

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“Hey Case.”

“Hey Bea.”

“Is it hiding in the corner till the meeting’s over time already?”

“You know it.”

Casey took a long drink of his soda, eyes downcast as not to attract any attention from the dozens other people present at the meeting. He just wanted to get through the mandatory meeting same as he did every month.

The Neighborhood Watch existed for one purpose: Supernatural folks didn’t always understand what subtle meant. To be fair to the magical community when you spent hundreds and hundreds of years living openly in the public it isn’t so easy to keep up with modern sensibilities and normalcy. It wasn’t their fault normal people have forgotten their stories but for the sake of secrecy compromises must be made.

A lot of the younger generation took to the smoke and mirrors act extremely well, pretending to be a human was as easy as a duck floating on water to them.

Much more of the older folks took to the whole disguising one’s true nature as well as rocks trying to swim. Which of course meant nonexistent regardless of effort.

There were well over a dozen magical communities hidden and tucked away in the various corners of Newton Haven, each carefully safeguarded and maintained by their own personal Watch designed to help their various supernatural/magical needs as well as provide protection and of course help them live as peaceful a life as possible in this new strange age.

Normally each Watch was comprised of several members. The average was roughly four to twelve people who scheduled their shifts with one another so no one was left overworked or forced to deal with issues all by themselves.

Except Beatriz and Casey. The odd pair ran their respective Watches all by themselves and both had long suspected it was by design.

Beatriz Maria Flores ran the East Town Watch. It was one of the smaller communities in terms of both space and population. A handful of houses in a small roundabout street but no less taxing than any other neighborhood: Mundane folk were literally a stone’s throw away and it wasn’t uncommon for some rouge element to try to spread their influence to disturb the peace.

Luckily Beatriz was small but mighty: a head shorter than Casey with fierce flaming curly hair tied in pigtails and a set of wielding goggles resting peacefully on the top of her head. Her stormy hazel eyes normally burned with a limitless passion and drive though currently they were staring at the clock, trying to speed up the passage of time through sheer will alone. She wore a forest green mechanic shirt with the name “Boss” in fancy cursive font and a pair of thick black jeans with practical boots to match. Hung round her waist was a belt with two holsters on either side: One held a hammer the other a chisel. Normally weapons weren’t allowed in Watch meetings but Bea argued that her weapons of choice happened to be tools that could be used for lethal effect. No argument could be made about her bow however.

“Case, is it me or there’s more members than usual? Most of the time half these jokers are missing.” she paused for a moment “Oh god it’s a special meeting isn’t it? Please don’t tell me it’s Francis’s birthday. I am not staying for that.”

“It’s not Francis’s birthday.” Casey spoke softly, carefully eyeing the crowd for any wandering ears.

“That’s the best news I heard all night. You know he denied my request for holy water. Again.”

Casey took another swig of his drink, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice “Shocking. How much do you need?”

“A gallon. I think one of my tenants is dating a vamp.”

“Let me guess: Pale, dark clothing, only comes out at night?” Casey rattled off the list “You sure it’s not some goth? The movies are making vampires popular again.”

Beatriz let out a heavy sigh “Is there any way to make sure?”

Casey paused thoughtfully “Reflective eyes. Regular folk eyes don’t shine in the darkness.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that. Thanks for the tip!” Bea gave a grateful smile.

“Don’t thank me, Finn’s the one who told me about it.”

“How is he by the way?”

“Driving everyone up the wall. He really hates being sidelined.” Casey chuckled.

“And Jaime?”

Casey could feel his ears turn a bright red, his heart skipping a beat as his face became flushed “Good. Good. Very good. Pretty good. Umm. Watching Finn. And. Grimoire stuff.”

“You should ask her out.” Bea nudged him with a teasing edge “She’s a very pretty woman you know? And wicked smart. Could be fun.”

“How about we don’t do this right now?” Casey replied nervously.

“A bit distracted, are we Mister Remington?” a voice cut in without warning.

The change was abrupt and obvious: what was once a peaceful, playful calm between friends became icy and distantly polite. Casey straightened up while Bea crossed her arms dismissively at the newcomer.

“Miss Flores” Francis greeted indifferently before his tone turned cold “Mister Remington.”

Casey gave a tense smile “Mister Salazar. A pleasure as always.”

Francis Salazar was the head of The Neighborhood Watch program (inherited the position, not elected). Everything from funding to threat assessment went through his desk and he alone decided what was best for each individual Watch. His gray eyes were as cold and calculating as ever behind his glasses though with a hint of distaste while he talked with Casey. His black hair was short and well trimmed as per usual. Normally he wore a simple vest with a collared shirt and dress pants combo but today must’ve been important because he was wearing his three piece gray suit which he only saved for the most important occasions.

“You two are aware this is a special meeting of the Watch, correct?” Francis asked bluntly.

Casey replied honestly “No I was not made aware of that fact. I was under the impression this was to be a regular meeting. And yes.” he cut Francis off before he could start “I checked the email before I arrived today. As per your regulations. I suggest you tell whoever is in charge of passing out information to make sure to consider every Watch member. Common courtesy after all.”

Francis’s grin was strained but he opted to turn his attention to Beatriz rather than pick a losing fight.

“And you Miss Flores? This is hardly special event attire.”

“So fucking what?” Bea raised an eyebrow “I’m not here to show off, I’m here to get caught up to speed before I go protect my neighborhood. You know, the whole reason this exists? And if there’s no new information for me then I don’t really got time to stay for nothings. Sir.”

And just because she was Beatriz she gave a mocking curtsy.

Francis sucked in a breath through clenched teeth “I am aware of our duty. You asked for some holy water correct?”

Bea tightened her hand into a fist, the threat clear in his tone “Yeah but never mind. Casey is going to provide it for me.”

“It’s what we do.” Casey piped up with a grin “Help each other. Right sir?”

“Naturally.”

An awkward, tense silence filled the air for a moment before Francis clear his throat, his voice controlled and neutral once more “Well this is something. We have a special guest gracing our humble abode.”

Casey had noticed the strange woman wandering the hall. At first he assumed she was a new member, waiting to be assigned to a Watch. But the more she wandered about, with a large object strapped to her back, the more he realized she was from out of town and probably requested help from the Watch. He stopped paying attention after that realization: Knowing Francis he would be the first to volunteer his services and give no one else a chance to offer to help.

“I saw.” Casey swirled his cup absentmindedly “What’s her name?”

Francis grimaced “Yorrick. Gravekeeper of Souls whatever that means. A bit….odd.”

Casey pursed his lips “A bit rude no? Who isn’t a little odd among us Francis?”

“Of course.” Francis gritted “By your leave: Miss Flores, Casey.”

As soon as he was out of earshot, Casey sighed in relief.

“He really is the fucking worst huh?” Beatriz kicked at the ground unhappily.

Casey ran a hand through his hair “You should really stop antagonizing him.”

“You first Case.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was engaging in polite conversation.” Casey lied as he struggled to keep his face straight.

Bea gave a hearty chuckle “Bull and shite Case my friend.” she gave a tired sigh “Well since our glorious leader probably already called dibs I’m gonna head out. Want a ride? I got the sidecar today.”

“Nah I’m good. I actually some time off for once so I’m gonna stay here for a few more minutes. Maybe go to Ma’s for some late night dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan. See ya later Case.” Bea gave a little wave before heading for the door.

And like that Casey was alone in a sea of “colleagues.”

It was like this most months especially given how often Bea couldn’t make the meetings (Protecting one’s neighborhood was a valid excuse if you were on guard duty and Bea was always on guard duty with more trouble he usually dealt with.) He would come, he would stand in a corner and he would wait for it to end. Honestly Casey didn’t care he was the black sheep of the Watch for whatever reason Francis lied about. He was here to do his job and nothing, not even a petty childish man baby, would stop that from happening.

Besides he was used to it by this point. No need to sink to Francis's level.

Casey was getting ready to follow Bea out when he felt a chill run down his spine. Someone or something was watching him closely, not in a malicious way per say, but it was with such an intensity he couldn’t help but feel a little unnerved. He tried to act natural as he gave a quick scan of room but found no sign of what was spying on him.

Maybe he was overthinking it. Nobody ever paid him any attention at Watch meetings and he doubt any special guest would change that.

He turned to leave and found a pair ghostly green eyes peering at him with a curious gaze.

“SHIiiiii!” Casey awkwardly greeted “Can I help you?”

The young woman, Yorrick if he had to guess, tilted her head quizzically but remained silent.

Casey cleared his throat politely “My name is Casey Remington. I take you are our guest for the evening Yorrick the Gravekeeper of Souls correct?”

“Wow. You knew my name already? And my title! I usually have to get people to sit still long enough to tell them.” Yorrick’s eyes danced with an excited light.

“Y-yes.” Casey stumbled for a moment, a little caught off guard by her cheerful demeanor “Fran...Mister Salazar told us about you. How you need our help. If there’s anything I can do for you, feel free to let me know.”

Yorrick’s face blanked out for a moment before a smile returned to her lips “Oh right! That thing. Yeah it’s bad. Very bad.”

“How bad are we talking?”

“Total and utter destruction of the city.” Yorrick paused thoughtfully “If we’re lucky.”

Casey knew better than to drag out the what if longer than it had to be “And if we’re unlucky?”

“Every soul within who knows how far will be consumed. Or maybe erased. Destroyed? I don’t know yet but it’s bad.”

“Very bad.” Casey finished for her.

Yorrick nodded grimly “Hence the very. But yeah no I need help.”

“And help you shall have!” Francis's voice interrupted as he cut in between them.

Casey rolled his eyes behind his superior’s back while he started trying to sell his pitch to her “I can assure you Miss Yorrick that…”

“Yorrick.” Yorrick interjected “Just Yorrick. No miss.”

“I see…” Francis cleared his throat, disguising his annoyance “Well for future reference we politely wait for people to finish their sentences and then you may correct me on any mistakes I may have spoke. As a cleric of order I pride myself on many things including my manners.”

Yorrick raised an eyebrow “What manners? You just rudely jumped into our private conversation. I was speaking to Casey here.” she turned to him “Can I call you Casey?”

Watching the color drain from Francis’s face as he struggled to compose some sort of counter argument and coming up empty was well worth the price of a first name basis with Yorrick.

“Of course Yorrick.”

“Excellent!” Yorrick beamed before her face dropped into grim stare while she turned her attention back to the head of the Watch “I believe Casey is more than enough help for my mission.”

It was impossible to tell who was more shocked her declaration: Casey or Francis.

“Mi...Y-Yorrick!” Francis was the first to recover though he stumbled over his words “You said it was of grave importance that we…”

Yorrick gave a cheery chuckle “Hee. Grave.”

“Ye-es but I must insist that at the very least I should join you in your endeavor! You made it abundantly clear the city is at risk!”

A silence fell over the conversation.

Francis waited and waited and waited but the Gravekeeper remained quiet about his request.

After a few minutes Yorrick realized he was awaiting a response “Oh. You’re done?”

Casey nearly grinned at the sight at the forehead vein throbbing angrily on Francis’s otherwise cold mask.

“Yes.” he spoke with gritted teeth “I am calmly awaiting your response.”

Yorrick grinned brightly “Oh okay! No.”

“NO!?”

Evidently it was Casey’s birthday because Yorrick just kept giving him gifts. Watching Francis not only lose his cool in public but whose outburst hushed the entire hall into an awkward silence made his day. Week even!

“No.” Yorrick replied calmly, motioning for Casey to quickly follow “We’ll be fine. Besides you’re a little too...odd for my taste.”

And with that declaration alongside an utterly speechless Francis left in her wake, Yorrick made her way out of the hall. Not wanting to give his boss a chance to recover, Casey quickly followed after.

“Hey. Favor.” Yorrick whispered so only the cleric could hear “I forgot to ask you but is it okay if we start tomorrow? It’s kinda late and utterly pointless to go stumbling through the dark now. Especially if the spirits are getting riled up from all the negative spooks energy that might be in the air. Let’s not makie it harder than it has to be.”

Casey couldn’t keep the grin off his face “Sure and I’ll do you one better. You can stay in my house. I’m usually in the office anyway so someone might as well use it. Do you have any bags or stuff we need to get?”

“I’m all good. I got everything important on me already: My lantern, my walking stick, my tombstone.”

“Sounds good!” Casey beamed before realization sunk in, screeching him to a halt as he stared dumbfounded at Yorrick’s retreating form “Did you just say tombstone?”

#original story #Original Work #mirror's edge #my work

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80sdragonbreath · 4 months

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You are undoubtedly one of the dumbest motherfuckers I have ever come across on this shithole site, and I want you to know from the bottom of my heart that A. 99.9% of all the shit you allege to be true is easily disproven by the most cursory google search. and B. you are legitimately a blight on the human race, like a warm turd left on a doormat that some poor fuck inadvertently places their foot into. I don’t want you to think I’m pressed, I’m stoned and bored, I just fucking hate people like you and tumblr in its infinite wisdom, will allow me to verbally insult you more than any other website. In conclusion, the only good cop is a dead cop, vaccines are safe and effective, climate change is real, you really are a fuckin moron, and invite you to lick my nut seam to seam.

You must hate yourself with such a deep, soul-crushing black hole of despair that if someone gave you a free ticket to all-consuming joy and love, you'd likely intentionally drop that ticket into a fire, burning it so that no one else could ever experience that all-consuming joy either.

I feel truly sorry for you. Joy is SO much better than hate.

Get help. You need it much much more than I do.

In answer to your questions/statements:

Google searches do not reveal the truth, they reveal who has paid more to be at the top of that search.

I have actually met good cops. I would never want them dead, I want them on MY side, not the side of the psychopaths in power.

Vaccines are NOT safe. This has already been ruled upon. They are "unavoidably UNSAFE". https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/562/223/

Climate Change (with capital letters) is a hoax. Yes, the climate changes, from hour-to-hour, day-to-day, week-to-week, season-to-season, year-to-year, decade-to-decade, century-to-century, and milennium-to-milennium. The question is "how much of the change (if any) is due to humans. And given that climate change is happening on other planets and moons in our solar system, it absolutely cannot be all due to humans, and might conceivably be ALL natural. One telling iota of evidence is that when the world went into lockdown and passenger transport CO2 emissions declined by 75%, NO CHANGE occurred in worldwide CO2 levels, as registered at Mauna Loa, and NO CHANGE occurred in worldwide temperature levels. It's. A. Hoax.

I would lick your nuts, but you don't have any. You're an NPC drone, conditioned by years of "education" and TV to accept whatever the mainstream says you have to accept. I feel sorry for you and genuinely hope you rise above your programming.

Get help, I urge you.

#npc #drone #mainstream #msm #conspiracy theories #hatred #love #joy #self hatred #seek help now

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txemrn · 1 year

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For the year end asks...

3, 11, 15, 19, and 23

Hey, fran!

Truth be told... I probably enjoy that series a little too much (for obvious reasons LOL)! Thank you so much for sending in these Asks! Let's have some fun, shall we?

3-- Favorite Line/Scene you wrote this year

One of the most memorable scenes for me comes from Chapter 4 from Pour Two Glasses, when Riley asks Drake if he believes in God and the afterlife.

“I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?” Drake smirks, opening his eyes to stare at the ornate cross on the wall. “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” He falls silent again, chewing on his mouth, Riley’s full attention on him. He nervously looks down at his mindless hand-wringing as he takes another deep breath. “As kids, anytime we had a problem, Moma would say, ‘Fix those eyes to the hills. The Lord promises to help you.’” He becomes quiet again, his eyes rapidly blinking as he sucks in his bottom lip. “Then Dad died.”

Riley endearingly pats his shoulder, tears slowly cascading down her cheeks.

“And–” Drake sarcastically chuckles, forcing away his own sobs, “I looked. I looked, and I fucking kept looking to the hills because ‘he promises to help you.’” He blows out a breath, wiping at his lower eyelids. “Dad was gone… and God was no where to be found.” His jaw becomes rigid, his words cutting like a blade. “The Crown cut the funds almost immediately after Dad died, leaving us stranded. I looked, but there was no help from… from God. And then Moma left us…” He sniffles, his hands casually balling into fists. “She just… left us. And I looked–I fucking begged for God’s help. If not for me, then at least for Savannah. But… ” He shakes his head.

Riley remains silent, taking in Drake’s painful memory.

“But,” his voice lightens, more hopeful, “I still keep looking–as fucking stupid as that sounds,” he laces his fingers together, “I have to believe and look for him–for God.”

“Why?”

“Because the thought of being alone–completely alone in this world with no one to turn to?” He peers intently into Riley’s eyes, his voice softening into a small whisper. “That terrifies me… but the thought that my dad is really gone? That–that I can’t talk to him in heaven–?” Drake chokes up. “And now Liam? And–and soon my… my Moma?” He runs his hands down his face. “I have to believe, Ri. I just… have to.”

11-- The fandom you enjoyed writing for the most this year

You're going to get me in trouble. I will say, I have thoroughly enjoyed writing for Open Heart this year, mainly because of 3 things: 1) I got to spend my time, developing a character and her relationship. As you know, Tatum is an OC, so I literally was making up everything, and trying to mix her life with the convoluted story of OPH. 2) Getting to insert little tidbits of my true passion into my writing has been so much fun. Not that I haven't done this with TNA or TRR (or even my little soiree with WTD--remember Covid vaccines? lol), but it's been a lot of fun writing for a couple of doctors! 3) I got to meet some incredible writers and readers that otherwise, I would've never would've interacted with.

15-- Something you learned this year

So. Many. Lessons... but this one sticks out. Sometimes the higher road is quiet and lonely, but it's the most loving thing you can do.

19-- Any New fics to start next year?

Yes! I have 2 that I am personally obsessed with that I'm hoping to start releasing after the new year (The TNA one I'm hoping to release for TNA AW!).

Like Ships in the Night Open Heart; it's a "series" built of mini-stories of when Ethan and Tatum missed seeing each other during their 15 years apart. If you read OPH, you will notice some popular plot points...

Never Really Over The Nanny Affair; this is a sequel to Once... Always... It takes place 10 years after the end of TNA; Sam and Brynn have recently divorced after she found him having an affair with their nanny. But just because they broke up doesn't mean they stopped loving each other. Desperate to get her back, Brynn gives in, agreeing to give Sam one more chance... on one condition: abstaining for 30 days.

23-- Fics you wanted to write, but didn't

BAHAHAHA! Girl... you already know all of my lightbulb moments, but then I realize I don't have time. LOL You know about my Drake RomCom fics (where I leave our precious Bean alone!). I think I've shared with you my 2 Open Heart Mini-Series Knotted and Bumped. I have to finished Ricochet, though before I can even dive into those because I've got some twists to throw out there.

Thanks again for sending these to me, sweet friend! 🖤

#end of the year asks #texemrn #hey queue

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theonewiththefanfics · 3 years

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Don’t Worry, Darling (one-shot)

Synopsis: Falling in love with a co-star is something that can hurt, especially when it seems like they’re talking to other people behind your back, but falling in love with a co-star and being unable to help when they’re sick, is even worse.

Pairing: Harry Styles x fem!Reader

Genre: angst, fluff, SMUT

Warnings: COVID-19, sickness, swearing, SMUT (fingering, m going down on f, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it))

Word count: 11 968 (yoikes)

Please note I’m not trying to make light of the pandemic or the virus and those impacted by it. It’s a very real and serious thing, which is why I decided to use it. Please stay safe and healthy, follow the local health guidelines and if you have the ability please get vaccinated. Let’s keep ourselves and one another safe, frens :)

When Y/N got the call she’d gotten the role of Jack’s ex-wife who’d disappeared in mysterious circumstances, she was over the moon. As a Marvel alumnus, she was excited to work with Florence, as she’d loved Midsommar, and knowing she was going to be one of the new faces carrying the next Marvel chapter, she wanted to get to know her. Having played Tony Stark’s adopted daughter since the age of six, she was very protective of the franchise but was excited to see where it’d go.

Then Shia LaBeouf, Chris Pine as well with Dakota Johnson’s announcements coming soon after, Y/N got even more stoked, and with Olivia Wilde leading all of them, she was sure the movie would be a hit.

Shia and Dakota had to drop out due to scheduling issues (which Y/N couldn’t lie – she was kind of happy Shia couldn’t do it), and that's where Harry Styles took over the role of Jack with Kiki Layne Dakota’s Margaret.

Now, when Y/N had seen Harry’s picture next to the re-cast e-mail the whole production had been sent out, she might’ve had a little (a massive, like a ginormous) freak-out. As much as she’d grown up listening to classic rock, due to Robert Downey Jr. and Iron Man, she’d been an avid One Direction fan. Like to the point, it might even seem a bit creepy. Y/N had sort of grown out of the obsessive phase of it all, but most definitely admired the solo albums they’d been able to produce, and when Dunkirk came out, she was excited to see Harry join the acting world, with the amount of talent he had.

The first table read was sort of awkward, and definitely the weirdest one, given how a pandemic had started, and everyone was at their respective homes using Zoom.

Y/N and Florence had been the first to join the conversation about half an hour before the official beginning, and by the time everyone else did, they were crying from laughter and had to excuse themselves from their computers to collect whatever remaining composure they had.

“You two alright?” Oliva Wilde had raised her eyebrow, as the women re-joined, still chuckling. “Will we have to use body doubles for the scenes you two are in?”

“No!

“Nohooo!” both of them yelled through laughter. “We’ll be as professional as professionals are. Which is very professional.”

Then Y/N made the mistake of glancing at Florence’s square, and the two busted out laughing again, spewing apologies in between, but no one seemed to really mind. In fact, it looked like they appreciated how casual and open everyone was being, hoping the set wouldn’t be stiff either when they moved onto filming.

And for the two women, it wasn’t really. Actually, they grew closer than ever. The amount of time Florence spent in Y/N’s trailer was to the point that the two started to talk about just moving in together. After scouring the nearby apartments for rent, they settled on a three-bedroom apartment, as two-bedroom ones were non-existent.

When Harry grew closer to them as well, given how he spent quite some time with both women, they suggested he move in as well.

“You know, what? I changed my mind. You’re taking away our closet, and I don't like that,” Y/N pouted, watching as Florence lifted a pile of her clothes and moved it to her room. “That’s not very ‘treat people with kindness’ of you.”

All he did was flick a finger at her forehead, which Y/N swatted away with a smile. When he’d double-checked about moving in with them (which, mind you was the seventh time, and half his stuff was already there), the two women were ecstatic. They got along amazingly on set and basically having a sleepover with friends every night suited all of them quite well.

At that moment, Y/N was sitting on the edge of her bed, knitting while Harry painted all of their toes and Florence put on facemasks.

“Wine!” Y/N suddenly exclaimed, almost knocking over the light blue nail polish bottle as she jumped up, throwing her needles back on the bed. “We need wine!”

“Do not ruin my masterpiece!” Harry hollered after her, as she waddled away on her heels, toes separated by foam and hight up in the air. She even had to manoeuvre around the carpet to avoid any hairs and fibres that could get stuck inside the still wet lacquer.

It took her a second to find a bottle all three of them could enjoy, given their tastes were so different – Y/N preferred sweet and red, and didn’t care if it was a three-dollar bottle from Target, Harry had a bit more of an expensive pallet, giving preference to something with a more of a lingering aftertaste and in the higher ranges of price point, while Florence liked rosé and white wines.

Taking two glasses in one hand and the bottle with a third glass between her fingers, she shuffled back to her room when she heard the two muttering something in low voices before Harry whispered harshly, “I’m not telling Y/N that!”

“Won’t me what?” Y/N’s question made him and Florence spring back where they’d been engaged in a heated conversation when she re-entered the room, putting the wine bottle and glasses on the nightstand.

Florence waved her off, giving her a smile, she didn’t believe in. “Nothing. Now come on, Harry will do your fingernails now, and I think it’s about time the mask came off.”

And that’s when Y/N’s heart dropped. She’d been in the industry long enough to know how fake people could be, how they could put on smiles so inviting and friendly while hiding their true intentions behind them. She just didn’t think two people she’d found so genuine and sweet would be like that.

And the thing was – it wasn’t the first time she’d heard the two whispering like that and hushing up when they saw her enter the room or even come somewhere near to them.

In the beginning, Y/N had chalked it up to the two being closer, given they had to spend more time together, so they knew one another better, but this time sort of solidified it wasn’t the fact the two were closer, it had to deal with Y/N specifically.

So, she started to distance herself. She’d had enough users in her life to last her for the rest of it. Y/N excused herself from the movie nights they had on most Fridays, she no longer joined in on the cooking sessions and mostly spent time in her room, or on work calls.

When she re-entered the flat, four weeks after their falling out, they watched as she nodded to them, and went inside her room, closing the door, much like she’d been doing for the past thirty days.

“Do you think she knows?” Harry asked, brows furrowed and bottom lip between his teeth as he hoped the doors would open, yet, obviously, they didn’t.

“Well, I haven’t told her, and unless you did, then I doubt it…”

Harry stood up, running a hand through his hair. “I’m gonna talk to her.”

“You think it’s a good idea?”

“No, but if she’s upset maybe she needs to talk to someone.”

“Or maybe she wants to be alone.”

Harry bit his lip thinking over Florence’s words. When he was upset about something, he himself did like to kind of retreat and become a little bit of a recluse, to sort out his emotions before anyone else tried to jump in and help with it, but the thing was – Y/N’s distancing started the night when she’d walked in on the two of them arguing, and it’d been about the girl in question herself, so he shook his head. “I’ll just ask if she’s alright.”

He took a deep breath and went to enter the room he hadn’t seen in almost a month. “Hey.” Harry poked his head through Y/N’s door, making her swirl around in her chair. She looked adorable to him. She’d changed into a big fluffy nightgown, the hood up, a headband pushing hair away from her face with a green facemask covering her skin. The domestic life flashed through Harry’s head like a freight train, as it was something he craved, but pushed it away. There was no daydreaming before figuring out what was in front of him in reality. “You okay?”

“ 'M fine.” She shot him a quick smile. “Why? Did Olivia send something new for the script?”

“Um, no, ‘s just you’ve been, I dunno – detached a bit?”

“Look, Harry… I may be younger than you, but I’ve been in this industry longer than you or Florence.” Y/N stood and shrugged before crossing her arms. “And the thing is – I don’t care for shit like that. So, you two can gossip and whisper and talk whatever you want about me behind my back. Everyone else is doing that so, you’re not that special. But’ I’d prefer if you did it somewhere else besides my room, my space, and I’ll say this once, but very clearly – we’re not friends. I don’t need friends like you. We’ll be civil and we’ll do our jobs, but…” Harry’s heart broke at her eyes, seeing the pain in them as she nodded and made sure he understood where she stood. “We’re not friends.”

She didn’t leave any room for argument. When Harry left, Y/N didn’t even look over her shoulder to see him exit.

The next couple of mornings she didn’t see them leave nor come back, seeing as Y/N had the week off from filming, but the morning of the seventh day was awkward as hell, given how all of them had to go and get tested, and well, they had their allocated time slots one after the other. Usually, they’d take one car together, but this time, Y/N drove off on her own, while Harry and Florence carpooled on their own.

The tests were always nerve-wracking. If one person went down, the whole production did for at least two weeks. And as much as she hated going in alone, she was glad no one was with her in the car, because as she stepped out, a certain notion swept over her that this would be a lot different than usual.

A doctor dressed head to toe in protective gear motioned for her to sit down, as another processed her ID and work ID. Her leg was bouncing up and down the whole time, and he eyed her. If she could see his lips, she was sure they’d be pursed. “Anything wrong?” He handed her back the IDs before moving to the table where a set of large q-tips seemed to lay in sterile packs.

Y/N sighed, biting her lip and nodded. “Woke up with a sore throat and a small cough appeared on my way here as well. I wiped and cleaned everything down at the apartment I’m staying at and wore gloves and a mask the whole time.”

“Anything else?” the doctor asked, writing down each word as Y/N said. “The feeling of breaking bones, fever, muscle pain, eyes hurting when you look up, lost sense of smell or taste?”

“No, nothing like that. Just a sore throat and a small cough.”

The doctor let out a large sigh, probably from having to wear a full-on hazmat suit. “Alright. Just for safety reasons, so we know who’s a potential contact person, who are you staying with?”

“Florence Pugh and Harry Styles. We’re renting an apartment together.”

“Do you know if they’ve had any symptoms?”

“No,” Y/N shook her head honestly. “And I haven’t really interacted with them this past week, as they’ve been on set, and I didn’t have any scenes to film, and by the time they get back, I’m already asleep, and I’m still asleep when they leave so there’s been no direct contact. We have our own kitchenware, so there shouldn’t be any direct contact. I think.”

That last bit was half-true, seeing as she hadn’t been asleep when they came back, but she might as well have been. The second Y/N heard the door click, she’d place her headphones on or leave the room, only glimpsing the two faces falling as she did that.

The doctor clearing his throat and motioning for Y/N to open her mouth so he could take a swab and then to do the same for both her nostrils, was what brought her out of it. She was so used to it, it was like nothing at that point. “Okay. We’ll need you to stay in the car while the test is being run, and if it comes back positive, you’ll be placed in a separate flat, as to not endanger the rest.”

Her ‘alright’ was barely audible. Fuck. It just felt like the universe was against her. First, the two people she’d gotten closest to were whispering behind her back and being fake to her face, now she might have a super contagious virus to which there was no medicine really, nor was there a vaccine, let alone the thought she’d have to miss filming for potentially more than two weeks.

The thirty minutes of wait were agonizing, her leg bouncing up and down. Y/N’s eyes kept watching the line of cars slowly move forward through the tent and then settle behind hers. She knew Harry was about five cars away, and she was glad he wasn’t closer. They weren’t really allowed to get out of their vehicles while the tests were being run, and Y/N didn’t think she’d be able to not look back at him through her review mirror.

Two more minutes passed when finally, one of the med students in the full hazmat suit came up and knocked on her car window.

“Miss Y/L/N?”

“Yes?”

“ID please.” It was standard so that no med info got leaked. The only reason she had to rummage through her stuff was, because she’d bite the little plastic card in half if she didn’t throw it somewhere deep inside her bag.

“So.” The man sighed, and he didn’t need to elaborate. Y/N understood, but still, he had to confirm it to her. “Your test came back positive for COVID-19. The production has been informed, and for safety reasons, everyone will have to self-isolate for two weeks.”

Y/N’s head slammed against the back of the seat. “Fuck. Okay.”

“Because so far, you’re the only positive case, you’ll be placed into quarantine. We’ll need the address you’re staying at, and if you need anything from your apartment, we can send someone over to grab a few things. You’ll have to follow the black SUV right there.” He pointed further down the lot where indeed a black SUV stood. “They’ll take you to where the quarantine apartments are. Is there anything immediate you’ll need?”

“I – uh – I need my pills, my birth control that is. I take it every evening. Computer, chargers. That’s the most immediate I can think of. Maybe some food? I didn’t get the chance to eat breakfast.”

Even through the mask, Y/N could see the man smile. “Well arrange that. In the meantime, here’s the number for the coordinators who’ll get you the rest of your things and deliver them to you.”

“Thank you. I’ll call my assistant, and she’ll drive down to the apartment. She knows where everything is.”

“Have you been in close contact with her?”

“Just through the phone. She hasn’t been on set in almost a month, as I told her only to come when it’s an emergency… Guess this is it.” Y/N let out an awkward chuckle.

And truly that was it. With one last motion as to where the SUV stood, she started back up the engine, reversed out of the spot and followed the car to where the ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ production had set up a few quarantine apartments, specifically for actors and crew, speed-dialling her assistant Anna and letting her know of the situation.

“Shit, girl,” she’d cursed. “That sucks.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Okay,” Anna huffed. “Do you have a spare key for the apartment by any case or do I need to go down to the lot and ask Harry or Florence?”

“Both of them will be at the apartment, given how everything’s shut down, so they should be able to open the door for you. Hopefully, if both of them are negative. If not, call me, I’ll tell you where we hide the spare. Thank you, Anna.”

“Of course.”

As Y/N pulled up behind the SUV, a man and a woman in face guards and masks stepped out. She ended the call and stepped out as well, pulling on a cloth face mask, an envelope in their hands, which they handed to her.

“Your flat’s on the third floor, 367. When you have the list of things you need, forward them to us, and we’ll gather your things.”

Y/N nodded and gave them a tight smile. “Thank you. I’ll be as quick as I can.”

With a sigh, she took her bag and entered the complex. As much as she’d only had a small cough in the morning and a sore throat, walking up those flights of stairs made her winded more than it usually would. Maybe it was the knowledge she had a sickness, or maybe it was stress about missing work and putting everyone on lockdown, or maybe it was the combination of it all with her falling out with Harry and Florence on top.

She placed the key in the lock and twisted, revealing a studio type apartment, and it was so bare it made her heart clench. As much as she felt awkward being around Florence and Harry, their flat was a bit messy, had little pieces of clothing thrown around, giant knitted blankets on the sofas, a candle always lit whenever someone was home. Harry’s shoes were typically all over the place while Y/N’s make up was scattered around everywhere. Literally. Florence and Harry had gotten back early one morning from a night shoot and found her looking under the sofas for one of her lash glues as she started to get ready for the day. They’d made that flat their home for the time being. This… this was nothing like that.

She threw the keys on the small kitchen counter and shrugged off her jacket. They was going to be a long two weeks. At best.

***

Back at their place, Florence and Harry were pacing around, having heard the news that someone was positive, and everything had to shut down for the time being, yet Y/N was nowhere to be seen when a knock at the door disrupted them.

Harry was there and flinging it open in a matter of a second, only to be stopped by Anna instead of Y/N.

“Hey.” His brows furrowed as she and two people all wearing masks and gloves entered. “What’s going on? Is Y/N alright?”

Anna sighed, nodding her head for the two strangers to go towards the woman’s room. “She was the one who tested positive for the virus. Gave me a list of the things she’d need while in quarantine. We’re here to pick ‘em up and get them to her.”

“And she’s not doing that here?”

“Per the safety instructions, she’s been placed in a separate flat in self-isolation.”

“She could’ve done that here. We’d be fine with it,” Florence butted in, arms crossed over her chest. “We’re more than willing to take care of her. She’ll need someone to help her.”

“You both tested negative.” One of the people piped up, carrying a box of books and yarn. “I’m sorry, but she’ll have to quarantine separately until she’s no longer infected. She’s under the supervision of doctors, and she knows if an emergency happens, they’ll be there in ten minutes tops. I’m sorry, but this is how it has to be.”

Harry sighed, nodding as the people exited their place, but before Anna could leave, he took hold of her bicep. “Hey, can you please tell her to call me? I just wanna talk.”

“I uh – ” Anna furrowed her brows, showing Harry that Y/N hadn’t said anything to her about the falling out they’d had. “I’ll uh, yeah. I’ll do that.”

With that he was left to close the door and just wait for… anything.

***

In the two hours Y/N had spent in the apartment, she already felt like going insane, having been left alone with her thoughts, so how she was going to do another two weeks after finally getting back into the rhythm of work was beyond her. She didn’t have any of her knitting supplies, didn’t have any of her books (yet), and most likely there was no reason to look at her script anymore, as she’d made up her mind about a lot of things.

There was a knock at the door, and Y/N instantly had a mask on her face and gloves on her hands. She peeped through the peephole and when she saw boxes lined in the hallway, three people in masks and faceguards at least six feet away, only then did she open the door and give them a wave.

“Everything should be here, but if you need anything else just pop me a message.” Anna then pointed at a bag that sat atop everything. “There are the most important things, so you don’t have to rummage through everything and a pizza is on the way while I do some grocery shopping for you. And umm, there’s a paper you need to sing that you know you need to be in self-isolation and that you understand what happens if you’re not.”

Y/N hoped all of them understood she was smiling underneath the mask, grateful for having them help her out like that. “Thank you. So much.”

She rushed inside found a pen and signed it, moving between the boxes to place the papers on the stairs so that they could be safely retrieved. With that, the two assigned people left, leaving Anna to say goodbye.

“Call me.” She pointed at Y/N. “No matter what, even if you just wanna talk for five seconds.”

“Will do.” Y/N nodded and gave her a thumbs up. “If I could, I’d hug you.”

Anna sighed, cocking her head. “Same. And umm, Harry told me to ask you to call him.”

“Yeah, uh thank you.” She knew he probably wanted to talk, so it wasn’t that big of a surprise, but it still made her stumble on her words. “Take care, Anna.”

“You too.”

***

The next two days Y/N spent worrying as to how to present her decisions to the cast and crew. She felt worse with every hour, and with that had come her thought process, but as much as everyone was going to be impacted by what she was going to do, Olivia would be the one dealing with it most, so later that night she hopped on a Zoom call with her director.

“Hey, girl.” Olivia gave her a warm smile, and Y/N almost melted. God, she loved that woman. She was like the older sister she never had. “How are you doing?”

“I’m alright. Feelin’ kind of woozy from time to time, throat’s killing me, and I’m fairly certain I’m getting abs from how much I’m coughing.” That made both of them chuckle before Y/N bit her lip and ran a hand through her hair. “Look,” she sighed, looking at Olivia. “The reason I called you is that umm… well, I think it’d be a lot more cost-effective for you to re-cast me. We’ve barely shot one scene with me. I’ll be out of commission for two weeks, as a minimum. It could get worse. And I’m definitely not going to be back before I get two negative consecutive tests.”

Olivia shook her head, running down her hands over her face and then through her hair. “Y/N, I really don’t want to do this. There’s a reason we cast you. You’re amazing, and yours and Harry’s chemistry is off the charts. We’re all quarantining for two weeks, and I’m sure you’ll be fine in no time, back on set and killing it like you always do.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Of course, I do! Nothing’s gonna happen to you.”

“All I’m saying it could take up to a month to get those two negative tests. By that point, you could’ve shot at least a fourth of my scenes. Olivia…” Y/N gave her a small, sad smile. “I know you know I’m right. I hate to pass on this, but I won’t hinder the production. If you want my input, I’ll help with the re-casting, if it takes the guilt away.”

“I still feel like shit this is an option we even have to consider.”

“’S not your fault. You didn’t get me sick. We should be happy it’s just me, not someone else or more than one person.”

***

For two more days, it was radio silence from Y/N, and Harry and Florence were anxious messes. If they could distract themselves from the falling out while on set, then now, having to be cooped up inside the apartment with pretty much nothing to do, was so much worse, not to mention Y/N declined all of their calls and left their messages on read, leaving the only option for checking in either through Anna or what she decided to share on her social media, which wasn’t a lot. But the thing was, Harry knew his best bet was to call Y/N in the middle of the night. Disorientated and barely awake, she probably wouldn’t look at the caller ID once. And he was right.

A bleary face appeared on his screen, eyes squinting as she tried to block out as much of the light as possible. “Hello?” Her voice was scratchy, and Harry’s heart clenched at just how much pain her throat must be in, let alone how she was feeling as a whole.

“Hey, there, lovie.”

It took her a second to comprehend the person who was speaking, and she’d be lying if she said hearing Harry’s voice didn’t bring her some sort of joy. “Hey, H. Are you alright? Why are you still up?”

“I couldn’t sleep. Kept thinking about you.”

Y/N hummed, rolling on her side, and immediately regretting it as the action elicited a coughing fit. “Yeah?” she asked hoarsely. “ ’Nd what about me?”

‘How shitty I feel about everything’, ‘I miss you’, ‘I’m so fucking terrified’, but instead he asked, “How are you doing?”

“Alright,” Y/N croaked out before her body was racked with coughs once more. Harry’s own chest hurt just hearing them. “Fever’s finally down, so I’m getting some sort of sleep. Throat’s killing me though, and they’ve hooked me up to an IV. They’ll be coming in two hours or so to change the bag. How are you?” she asked quietly. “How’s Florence?”

“She’s alright. Upset. Just like I am.”

Y/N’s brows furrowed. “Why’re you upset?”

“Are you kidding me? You’re sick, alone in quarantine and… and we can’t help you. I can’t help you.”

A genuine chuckle escaped her. “Didn’t know you had a medical degree, Styles. Could be my personal nurse. Fetch me my water and shit.”

“No, but at least I’d like to be there for you.”

“Harry…”

“I like you,” he said after taking a deep breath, hoping that the break he’d heard in Y/N’s voice as she’d said his name wasn’t just because of the sickness, but because her heart thudded just as fast as his when he thought of them together, that her mind reeled with the possibilities of where their futures could take them and that whenever they touched, she could feel the electricity that ran through his fingertips, igniting his whole body. “That’s what Florence and I were whispering about all the time. Is that I’m madly crushing on you, and I couldn’t gather the courage to say it to you.”

A strong coughing fit made her drop the phone on the bed and lean over, as she gasped for breath, and through it all, all Harry wanted was to be there. Fuck him possibly getting the virus, as long as he could make it easier for her in some way.

“ ’M sorry,” Y/N whispered, trying to keep her voice as low as possible as to not aggravate her throat. “Harry, I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, there’s nothing to apologise. You’re sick, you can’t help –”

“No,” she shook her head. “I’m sorry I assumed you and Florence were talking bad behind my back. I never should’ve done that. And this is not an excuse, I’m not trying to shift the blame from being in the wrong, but I like you too.” She gave him a shy grin that he thought was as bright as the sun. “I really like you too, Harry. I think that’s why it hurt so much to hear you two whispering ��bout something. And thinking it was about me, and it was something bad, hurt even more, ‘cause I really connected with Flo, and I kinda, well I kind of fell for you. Hard.”

“You did?” His tone was like he didn’t believe what his ears were hearing.

“Yeah. A lot actually… I – I really like you, Harry.”

He couldn’t explain how his heart expanded in his chest while simultaneously was being crushed by his inability to help, by the distance between them, while the hope that glimmered in his eyes at Y/N’s words made her heart break as much as his was, when he asked, “So you won’t resign?”

“Harry,” Y/N made her voice as tough as it could sound with her condition. “I told them to re-cast me not because of you. I’ve been on enough sets and worked with enough pricks, and still gotten the job done. Genuinely, this is not because of you or Florence. I just – I just don’t want to hold up production. You’ll all be out in what – twelve days or something? I’ll be here for at least twice that, if everything goes the way it’s going right now.”

“I don’t want anyone else to play Larie. You are my Larie,” he muttered, which made Y/N smile, but in a true Y/N fashion she just wanted to make others feel better.

“You do know Jack murders Larie in the middle of the night.”

Harry’s mouth opened like a fishes’ while Y/N’s mouth pulled up in a grin. “That’s – that’s not what I mean, and you know it!”

Both of them were laughing now, all tension having evaporated.

“I know.” She bit on her lower lip. “But um… we’ve gotta be practical. I sent Olivia my resignation letter already, and she signed.”

She saw Harry sigh and throw back his head at her words.

“ ’M sorry, Haz. I didn’t want to but –”

“I know.” His smile was gentle, understanding. “You always put everyone before yourself. God, this just sucks major ass.”

“Trust me,” Y/N started before being interrupted by another major coughing fit. “I –,” she took in a breath. “I know.”

Her heart cracked seeing Harry’s face and his green eyes, the eyes she’d gotten lost in more times than she’d ever admitted being lined by tears. “I wish I could help you.”

“But you are. Just by – by talking to me, by keeping my mind off things. You’re helping me more than you’ll ever know.”

“When you get out, I’m taking you on a date.”

Y/N couldn’t help the smile that bloomed on her face. For the first time in a while, she felt good, despite being sick. “Is that a threat, Styles?”

“It’s a fucking promise.”

That night she fell asleep listening to Harry talking, seeing as it became harder and harder for her to do so, so he just took over, telling her stories that lulled her to dreamland where he was there, and she could touch him.

The following days she also had calls with Florence and the rest of her cast to explain the situation, but she wasn’t doing much talking anymore, and one night they’d even seen her almost throw up from coughing so much, which broke everyone’s hearts. They were lucky the only Covid case before Y/N had been a light one, so witnessing just how brutal it could be, made everyone appreciate what they had, but at the same time, feel as helpless as ever.

A week and a half in, that was when shit really hit the fan. Despite her feeling shitty the previous days, now Y/N woke up from the feeling as if she was drowning. She’d fallen asleep while talking with Harry on FaceTime, his features illuminated on her phone. At first, she thought it was just her dream still lingering and causing that effect, but when after a minute or so her lungs still remained on fire, she knew she had to dial the doctors.

In five minutes’ time, an ambulance was at her door, and it was a miracle she’d been able to get out of bed to open it because the second she did, her whole body pretty much collapsed into the arms of one of the nurses.

***

“Come on,” Harry muttered into the phone, pulling on a pair of trousers as quickly as possible and a knitted sweater he took from the floor as he immediately tried to redial her, having heard the call drop. “Come on! Pick up, Y/N!” Her voicemail answered instead.

“Damn it!”

It took Harry seven minutes with the way he was driving to get to her assigned isolation place, only to be greeted by red and blue flashing lights, an ambulance right in front of the entrance, and it took Harry five seconds to feel his heart drop as a team of three doctors wheeled out a gurney on which lay Y/N, face covered in a mask, an IV stuck inside her arm while a huge plastic cover domed over her body.

Without even thinking about himself or his safety, Harry jumped out of his car, rushing towards the ambulance.

“Sir.” One of the doctors extended a palm towards him, keeping him back as Harry tried to get towards the inside of the car. “Sir, you can’t be here.”

“Is that Y/N?” Harry felt like he was spinning out of control, and his mind was dizzy from not being able to take in a proper breath. “Is – is that Y/N?”

“Are you family?”

“I –,” Harry so desperately wanted to say yes, to say he was her boyfriend at least, but he couldn’t lie. “No, I’m just her collegue – friend! I’m her friend. Is she alright?”

“Okay, well is there anyone we can contact from her family?”

Harry nodded, knowing that her mum and dad were on her emergency contact lists. “But her family is out of the country, and they won’t be able to fly out with all the restrictions in place.”

“Alright.” The doctor sighed before looking back inside the car. In a way, Harry was happy he couldn’t see Y/N because he was sure if he did, he’d completely break down and crumble to the ground. “We’ll contact her parents, but if you could leave us your number as an emergency contact on place that’d be a lot of help.”

“Okay, uh…” Harry took in a deep breath, held it for five seconds and then let it out before reciting the number he used while in the USA and his permanent UK number as well, so he could be reachable anywhere and at any point in day or night, no matter the time.

“Well keep you up to date.”

And with that, the ambulance doors shut, and they rushed away, the vailing of sirens echoing in the dark night, leaving Harry with a hand in his hair, tears streaming down his cheeks and without a clue as to what to do.

***

In the end, Harry had gone back to his car and cried for what felt like ages, but instead, it was just twenty minutes. He pulled himself together but was still shaking as he made his way back to the flat where Florence basically ripped open the door. Seeing his face told her everything she needed to know.

“She’ll be alright,” the woman muttered as she soothed Harry by rubbing a palm up and down his back, letting him hide his face in her shoulder. “It’s Y/N. She’d pull through an atomic bomb.”

They spent the rest of the night and the following day on the couch, glued to Harry’s phone waiting for any sort of updates. From time to time a text message came from the hospital letting them know what procedures were being done on Y/N, that her parents have been informed, and if necessary, they’d allowed Harry to be the main contact person because of his proximity to their daughter.

Three days later and the quarantine for the rest of the cast and crew ended, yet when they returned to the set, everyone was in low spirits. Especially, Harry – he was miserable. Every moment spent not reciting lines or acting was occupied with the thoughts of Y/N, how she was doing, was she improving, was she still breathing, how he wanted to just ditch everything and run to her, to help in whatever way he could.

“This sucks,” Florence grumbled, arms crossed over her chest as they took a break while re-setting already in for the fifth day of filming, eight since Y/N’d been in the hospital. “Can’t believe they won’t allow a phone in with her.”

“It’s the same policy for everyone, but trust me,” Harry sighed and looked up at the bright blue sunny sky above. “The number of times I got out of my bed in the middle of the night and had the car keys in hand is ridiculous. And the number of times I’ve thought about breaking into that hospital is even more concerning.”

Florence let out a small chuckle and nudged his shoulder. “I’d cover for you if you did. As long as she doesn’t have to be there alone.” She hung her head, blond strands falling down to curtain her face. “Can’t imagine how scared she must be.”

Harry just sighed. There really wasn’t anything he could say.

Something vibrated in his pocket, but he no longer furrowed his brows when unknown numbers called, knowing it was from the hospital. It was nerve-wracking though to pick up the call each time because he had to mentally prepare himself for the possibility of bad news, even though he always hoped for good ones.

“Yes, hi. Hello. I – oh,” he put a hand over his mouth and sagged down onto a chair. “Oh, thank god, thank you, doctor. Yeah. Yes, I’ll let her know, and someone will be there to open the flat. Thank you again. For everything.”

He took away the phone from his ear and stared at the ground for a minute before leaping up and hugging Florence, laughter escaping his mouth.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong, it’s the opposite. Y/N’s out of the hospital.”

“Oh thank god!” Her hands flew to hug him back.

“She’ll have to stay in self-isolation until the two negative tests and will be monitored by the doctors, but she’s out.”

Immediately he was dialling her, and Harry had never been as happy for the invention of a video call, because when he saw Y/N’s face light up the screen, as tired as she looked, it was the most beautiful sight that graced his eyes.

“Hey, lovie.” His voice was soft and low as if anything louder would worsen her state.

Her ‘hey’ was barely audible, but he heard it, and it made the weight of a boulder drop off his shoulders.

“I’m so – I mean we all are so happy you’re back home.”

Y/N smiled, shaking her head. “I’m happy too,” she whispered. “I missed you. Missed everyone, but most of all I missed you.”

Harry was happy they were separated by a screen because if she was anywhere in a five-mile radius, he was sure she would be able to hear his heart beat out of his ribcage at her words. “How are you feeling?”

“ ‘M alright,” Y/N tried to let him know. “Very tired.”

“Then get back to sleep, lovie.”

Y/N shook her head. “Wanna talk to you.”

“I’ll keep talking,” Harry promised. “Like we did before, okay.”

“Okay…”

And so, he did. He kept talking as Y/N listened, and he watched as her eyes slowly closed before she drifted off to sleep. Even though Harry had to go back to filming, he didn’t dare end the call. He’d never end the call.

***

It took a month and a half for Y/N to get those two consecutive negative tests, to feel somewhat human again and when she did, she probably garnered at least seven speeding tickets with how fast she was driving down to the set.

It was the most inconspicuous outfit she could scramble together, consisting of a hoodie and baseball cap, as she watched Harry as Jack lean down to peck the actress’s lips, then step into the vintage car and rev out in the driveway, while a dishevelled Florence started the scene from the side, eyes racking over Jack’s first wife, who was dressed the exact same way, hair styled like hers and even nails painted the same, her character putting all the puzzle pieces together.

“And cut!” Olivia yelled across the lot, nudging Y/N’s side and giving her a smirk. “He’s gonna freak. You’re all he’s been talking about on set. We almost had to put a ban on you as a topic,” she muttered that part so only the woman could hear while telling everyone to re-set, so they could do the scene from another angle, but not before asking the three actors to come and look at the monitors so they could understand how to move in order to keep the continuity.

Y/N moved to the side, ducking her head down as Harry, Florence and Mandy, the actress that took over her role, all leaned closer to watch the monitors. Y/N had to bite on her lip to keep the grin away, as all of them analysed their movements and the scene, nodding along to what Olivia was saying.

“Y/L/N, what do you think?” Olivia asked, grinning.

Y/N stepped forward a bit, seeing all of their shocked faces through her peripheral, as she pointed to the screen, lifting her head so that everyone could see her face fully. “I think it’s great, you might want to step to the side a bit more, Harry, when –” but she was unable to finish the sentence as he swooped her in his arms, lifting her basically off the ground, and burying his face in her neck.

“Watch the hair! Daniele will have a fit if you ruin her masterpiece!” Y/N laughed, holding one of her hands on the base of his neck, the other tightly wrapped around his shoulders, but he just shook his head, and she could feel tears splash her skin.

“Fuck the hair!” He let out a small chuckle, and she could hear the lump in his throat. “I’ve missed you so much. I was so scared.”

“Same,” Y/N whispered. “Missed you like crazy. And your stupid, unfunny dad jokes.”

“ ‘M hilarious, lovie, what are you talking about?”

He finally set her down but didn’t let go of her waist, and she smiled cupping his cheeks. “A true comedian, that’s what you are.”

“I know. Why’dya think I got that SNL slot?”

But his eyes, as he gazed into hers once more glassed over.

“Hey,” Y/N cooed wiping away the tears running down his cheeks. “Don’t cry. Please don’t cry, cause then I’ll cry, and we’re both gonna be crying messes, and then these guys will have to deal with that.”

Harry sighed, leaning into her touch. “Happy tears, lovie. All happy tears.”

The two looked at one another as if there was no one else in the universe. And for the two of them, there really wasn’t. Neither had to say what was on their minds, they already knew.

His face was inching closer to Y/N’s, and heart started to beat erratically, not that Harry minded, as his palm rested in the middle of her back. In fact, his own heart mimicked the rhythm, but it stuttered when someone behind him cleared their throat and interrupted their moment.

Y/N hid her face in Harry’s chest as he sighed at Olivia’s raised eyebrow.

“You’ll be able to smooch as much as you want, but we need him in hair and make-up.”

“Oli-“

“Now,” she let out a small laugh. “Before Daniele removes my head from my shoulders.”

“Go,” Y/N patted his side. “I’ll still be here.”

“Is that a threat?”

She grinned up at him. “A fucking promise.”

Harry dashed away like lightning, hoping that the quicker he was done, the sooner he could have Y/N back in his arms even if it was for a second, but her attention was taken by a woman with long blond curls, a flowing green slip on her figure; her steps unsure as was the wave she gave her, but Y/N’s heart melted at the sight of her.

“Hey, Flo,” she whispered and brought the girl in a bone-crushing hug, holding onto her, trying to convey how much she regretted her words and actions, especially because they were unwarranted.

“I’m so sorry,” Y/N said, and she nodded.

“Me too.”

Y/N shook her head. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry about. I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“And I should’ve made sure Harry pulled his head out of his ass.”

That made both of them laugh, and it was nice to do it not only without having to cough up her insides, but to do it with someone she’d connected with and had become great friends with.

“He did that. I just hope if he wants to make another move, it won’t take me dying to push him to.”

Florence pointed at her, a serious look on her face. “I’ll kill him with my bare hands if he does.”

A small noise of someone clearing their throat from behind Y/N took both of their attentions for them to go onto the actress who’d been cast as her replacement, the woman coming forward and extending her hand for a handshake with a nervous smile. “Hi. I’m Mandy.”

“ ‘S very nice to meet you.” Y/N tried to give off as open and accepting of a vibe as much as possible, because she genuinely wanted Mandy to feel respected and that she wasn’t a threat. “Before you think anything if you’re worried about me taking the role, don’t. It’s all yours, so don’t worry about that. I just stopped by ‘cause I hadn’t seen anyone in almost two months. Never thought I’d say this, but fuck did I missed people.”

Mandy shook her head, her smile a lot lighter and brighter now. “I – uh thank you for that actually. I’m a huge fan of yours, and well, can only try and live up to what you would’ve portrayed.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll absolutely kill it, and I can’t wait for the movie.”

It was great to see Mandy’s shoulders drop in relief. “Would it be too much if I asked for advice on the role?”

“No,” Y/N laughed. “But I would say that you should make this role your own. It is yours. You are Larie now. And Harry’s Jack. Make it yours.”

As she said that, she turned to watch Harry who was practically bouncing on his feet, green eyes flitting back to where she was standing, and when their gazes met, neither could help the smiles blooming on their faces.

“You know he messed up a scene once and said your name?”

Y/N’s brows furrowed as she looked over at Mandy. “What do you mean ‘said my name’?”

“It was a kissing scene. The wedding bit, actually. As Jack and Larie recited their vows, and he leans down to kiss her, he was supposed to say, ‘I’ll love you Larie, until the very end’. He said your name instead.”

That hit Y/N more than a semi-truck wheeling a ton of bricks would. Yes, she knew Harry liked her, and he knew she liked him, but love was a big word, and for him to admit that, whether it was a flub or not, was even bigger.

Harry was a private person. While he openly talked about what he felt, he guarded heart at the same time, much like Y/N did. But she had to wait until Olivia yelled cut for the day, and had to watch him make a mad dash for hair and make-up before running to the dressing trailer as he didn’t want to miss out on a second he could spend with her. Even as they walked up to their shared flat and he opened the door, his fingers stayed intertwined with hers.

“How does it feel to be back?”

“Kinda shitty, honestly,” Y/N laughed throwing the keys to the table and shrugging out of the jacket and taking off the cap, Harry immediately helping her and putting it on one of the racks. “I’ll have to move out, now that I’m not part of the movie.”

“Why? ‘S not like the production is paying our rent, we’re doing it out of our own pocket.”

“Yes, but now that I don’t have a job, I kinda need to look for one.”

“And what says that you can’t live here while you do that?”

“I –,” Y/N’s brows furrowed. “I mean nothing, really… I just… kinda thought because I’m not part of the movie anymore it’d be safer if I found my own place. But um… I think I have something else I’d like to talk about. Mandy,” Y/N dragged out her name a bit, a sly smirk appearing on her face, “told me you had a flub on set.”

Harry’s heart was pounding underneath her palm where she’d grabbed onto the lapels of his dress shirt, so he couldn’t run away.

“I’ve uh,” he let out a nervous laugh. “I’ve had a couple of flubs on set. Who hasn’t?”

“I don’t doubt that. But she said you misspoke a name.”

She made him look into her eyes and wouldn’t dare let their gaze break. “You said my name during the wedding scene. You said Y/N. Not Larie.”

Harry looked like a cross between a deer in headlights and a fish out of the water, eyes wide with his mouth opening and closing, no sound coming out, which made Y/N worry a bit.

She placed a palm against his cheek. “Harry? You alright?”

“I – I meant it.” He let out a deep sigh and leaned down to press his forehead to hers. “And when I thought back on it, I don’t remember seeing her face or Larie’s face. It was yours. And the lips I was kissing belonged to you too. I was holding your hand, and you were holding mine. And I know it’s way too quick, for a wedding -”

“Unless you threaten me with it –”

“I –,” Harry stuttered before laughing, all tension evaporating from his body. “No, that I don’t want to be a threat. That will be a question asked with love and hopefully an answer given to it the same way.”

Y/N nudged his nose with hers. “Well, we’ll see. I mean if you don’t kiss me what makes you th–,”

But she didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence before his lips were on hers, pressing with such gentleness, it made her weak at the knees, and she would’ve crumbled if Harry’s arms handn’t woven around her middle, fingers pressing into the sides, the pressure increasing with each second their mouths were connected.

Harry’s hand drifted up Y/N’s back and settled on her neck as if he could pull her any closer, her own palms slipping over his stomach, pecks and grabbing onto his jaw, fingers lightly scratching at the stubble that’d grown throughout the day. He had to shave every morning for the role of Jack, but each evening she’d see a small, darkened shadow across his skin, and Y/N would be lying that when she’d realised her attraction to him, she hadn’t thought about how delicious it would feel to have it leave small burn marks on the inside of her thighs.

Unconsciously, she clenched her thighs, trying to create some sort of friction which became more and more unbearable as she felt Harry moan into her mouth, tongue sweeping against her lower lip, asking for permission without words, which Y/N granted without a second to spare.

It was heavenly to have him so close to her. She did wonder if the sensation was intensified by the fact, she hadn’t been able to touch anyone properly for almost two months, but that thought vanished when his fingers skimmed underneath her hoodie, brushing against her heated skin. No. It was because it was Harry.

“I –,” he was breathless as he pulled away, but Y/N didn’t let him get too far, her lips attaching themselves to his neck, making him groan in pleasure. “I don’t want to push this too far.”

Her brows scrunched up, as she took a look at him. “What do you mean? If you think I don’t want this, then let me be perfectly clear – I do. A lot.”

Harry chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m so fucking glad you do, but… Y/N you just got out of the hospital, where you were on a ventilator. I don’t want to make anything worse.”

“Not your choice to make.” A devious smile appeared on her face, as she stepped a few feet away and lifted her hoodie over her head, making Harry inhale sharply. “So here are your two options.” Her hands went behind her back, unclasping her bra and letting it slowly drop to the floor, the green eyes that hadn’t left her now wide as saucers. “Number one.” She toed off her boots and popped open the button of her jeans. “We can stop this, obviously, just say the word, and I get to my room, start packing and looking for a new place. We can have some dinner and just chill. Or number two.” Y/N hooked her jeans behind her thumbs and slowly dragged them down her legs, revealing more and more of herself to Harry. “We can go inside your room and make up for the lost time. In every position imaginable, for as long as you want. But.” Y/N’s eyes glimmered with mischief as she made her way to Harry’s room. “I don’t think you wanna take the first option.”

Harry ran a hand through his hair, turning it from the meticulously gelled hairstyle into a mop of messy strands. “You know you’re making it really hard for me to be a gentleman.”

Y/N swayed her hips a bit more as she took another step closer to his room, the door meeting her back, and one of her hands went to the doorknob, pressing down on it. “Well, a gentleman doesn’t kiss before the first date, and definitely not like that.”

He stood there, hands on his hips, eyes not leaving her body, as she cocked her head. “So, what’s it gonna be?”

They were ten torturous seconds for both, hearts beating out of their chests, but it only took three steps for Harry to cross the hallway, his hand sneaking behind Y/N’s back and pressing down on the doorknob as well, revealing the inside of his room. It was messy, much like her own, but it wouldn’t take too much to rip all off the tossed around bedding leaving a whole bed to themselves.

“You. Are. The. Devil.”

Her smile was nothing short of wicked. “I mean you can listen to the angel on your shoulder.”

“I’d rather listen to you.”

Together they stepped inside, and Y/N nodded. “Making good choices already.”

“Can’t get on your bad side, can I now?”

“I mean you can.” Her legs hit the back of his bed and she fell down on it, Harry leaning over, resting his elbows next to her head. “But bad boys get punished.”

His nose skimmed over hers. Now he was the one smiling like a devil. “I’ll hold you to your word. For future reference, that is.”

That kiss was nothing like their first. This was messy, and passionate, all tongue and teeth, hands grabbing everywhere possible to get the other unclothed. Or at least that’s what Y/N was trying to do, seeing as she was pretty much naked already, and Harry was the one still wearing too much.

Her hands pretty much ripped open the shirt. It one of his expensive Gucci ones, she was quite certain of it, but it didn’t seem like he cared, as he shrugged it off, throwing it to land somewhere on the floor.

Y/N sighed into his mouth as her hands were now freely allowed to run over his chest, over the ink embedded into his skin, over taut muscles that relaxed under her touch, and dig into his sides in an attempt to leave her own marks on him, much like he was going to do to her.

“Think you can take your pants off? It’s only fair.” Y/N muttered into his mouth and his own travelled down to her cheek, then neck and to her chest.

“You mean my trousers?”

Her lips quirked up and she shrugged her shoulders. “No, in this case, I meant pants the British way.”

“And if I’m going commando?”

Y/N pressed her hand against his chest and pushed him away from her. “You had nothing underneath all day on set?”

“No! I wouldn’t subject the dressing department to that. But underneath this.” He looked down at his jeans and smiled at her. “I do have nothing.”

“Well then? Get on with it!”

Both of them were giggling, as Y/N tried to unbuckle Harry’s belt, his own fingers mixing with hers as he went for the zipper and the button. He nudged his head towards her. “Your socks and pants come off as well. Or we’ll be unevenly matched.”

Y/N lifted her eyebrow, as she went for her own remaining pieces of clothing. “No socks during sex?”

“No, what kind of a weirdo do you think I am?”

“And if my feet get cold?” She threw them away somewhere.

“We have a blanket.”

As Harry removed his jeans and his own socks, Y/N slipped off the dampened piece of clothing that’d been on her, now both of them completely naked.

“Alright.” He leaned over her again, her arms wrapping around his shoulders and pulling them chest to chest. “Happy now?”

Y/N deeply kissed him. “Very. But I think we can make each other even happier.”

“Agreed,” Harry hummed. “Wanna get a taste first.” He attached his lips to her collarbones sucking a bruise there. “Can I?”

She groaned at the feeling, knowing there be a pleasant ache that accompanied mark. “You can. Don’t have to, if you don’t want. No need to do this for me.”

“And if it’s for me?” Harry was moving lower and lower with each word, wet tongue flicking against a perked bud, and making Y/N gasp. “What if I wanna feel you cum on my tongue, and what if I wanna do something I’ve dreamed about for months now?”

His hands were kneading her breasts, mouth having left a trail of kisses down the middle of her stomach as it was moving towards where an ache that’d been left untreated made itself more and more prominent.

“Then please, please, please do something, Harry.”

“With pleasure.”

Luckily for Y/N, she didn’t have to beg any more, as his mouth attached itself to where she wanted him most, tongue sweeping past her lower lips and licking up a broad, steady stripe.

One of her hands went to fist into her hair and the other into Harry’s. “Shit,” she moaned. “Fuck, that feels good.”

“Guide me.” He licked a circle around her clit. “Tell me how you like it.”

“Mhgm, fuck, okay,” Y/N breathed out. “I – I mean you’re doing great on your own.” Her chest was heaving as if she was running a marathon, and Harry shifted her legs so that they lay over his shoulders. “But umm, like if you lick around my clit, but like really press down li – oh, fuuuuck, just like that.”

The coil in her stomach tightened with each pass he did, just like Y/N had instructed, small tight circles just how she did with her fingers, only what took her sometimes half an hour, Harry managed to do in less than ten minutes, to have her toes curling and hands grasping anywhere they could find purchase to just keep onto something real.

The vibrations from Harry humming sent shivers straight to her core. “What else, lovie? What else, do you like?”

“If – if –,” Y/N panted, “if you suck on it, but like – fuck – shit! If you kinda keep a seal around my clit, that fuck! Yes!”

The way Harry was eating her out was almost sensational, but what made it even better wasn’t that he just decided to do something and assumed, she’d like it, he asked, he wanted to learn and discover what made her tick and turn, or in this case – cum.

“Harry, ‘m close,” Y/N warned him, feeling the warmth slowly start to spread all throughout her body.

“I’ll get you there.”

He let his lips go for a moment before slipping two of his fingers so that they pinched her clit and moved them slowly but tightly up and down it, while his tongue went to slip inside her hole, and that did it for her.

With a gasp of air, Y/N’s eyes rolled to be back of her head, hips lifting up as euphoria exploded through her veins. Her mind went completely dizzy, and she was quite sure some drool also dribbled down the side of her mouth because she’d lost all ability to function.

“ -o me, love,” Y/N heard as if through a fog, and then felt two soothing palms running up and down her legs. “Come back, love. There you go.”

A drunken smile bloomed on her face, and she ran a hand down it, the same hand that’d grabbed Harry’s hair like a vice. “Fuck. You’re good, you know what you’re doing.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad you enjoyed yourself because I thoroughly enjoyed myself.”

She watched as he straightened out to sit on his knees, her legs still over his shoulders, cock slapping against his stomach, and when she looked down there was a wet patch on his side of the sheets, a sly grin morphing on her face. “You liked eating me out so much you came yourself?”

“What can I say – bringing pleasure, gives me pleasure. And your cunt’s probably the sweetest I’ve ever eaten. But… do you think you’re ready for me?” Harry asked, kissing the inside of Y/N’s thighs and watching as she vigorously nodded her head, but he just smirked. “I think I need to test it out. Just to make sure.”

“Harry,” Y/N whined as she felt his fingers skim the apex of her thighs, teasing her.

“Don’t wanna hurt you.”

With that, he used one of his hands to open up her lips, his thumb pressing down on her already sensitive clit, eliciting a gasp before he allowed two fingers to skim her entrance and then slipped in.

“Still so tight,” he said, watching as Y/N sighed and her mouth fell open, his fingers curling in a come-hither motion. “Told you needed to check if you were ready. What kind of a gentleman would I be now, if I didn’t make sure you could take it?”

Y/N gritted her teeth. “I can take you.”

“Don’t doubt it.” Harry left kisses along her leg, as he continued on with his movements, noting how her hips slowly started to grind down on his palm, so he pushed his fingers in deeper so that the heel of his hand could rest against her clit, making the pleasure intensify. “But I’d never forgive myself if I hurt you when all I wanna do is give you pleasure. And you weren’t stretched out enough. Not yet at least.”

“Oh, god, Harry,” Y/N groaned, one arm thrown over her eyes as his fingers hit just the right spot.

“That’s it? Right there?”

“Yes, right there,” she moaned. “Just. Fuck! Just don’t stop, please, don’t stop.”

“Gonna cum again?”

“Yes, just – just curl your fingers and twist them a bit more.”

And much like the first time, a couple more times was all it took. Her orgasm was even more powerful than the previous and fully knocked her breath out of her lungs. Her legs fell open around his shoulders, stomach and chest spasming from the intensity.

Gentle fingers skimmed up and down Y/N’s arms and featherlight kisses fluttered over her breasts, then chest, neck and finally were peppered across her cheeks.

“Kinda spaced out on me there. You alright? Not too much?”

“ ’M – I’m good. But I’m pretty sure you’ve killed me.”

Harry chuckled, and Y/N leaned her head to the side so she could press a kiss against the closest of the swallow tattoos. “Hopefully not. I still wanna take you out on that date.”

Her eyes landed on Harry’s left hand’s ring finger, where a golden band still laid.

“Oh, yeah.” He lifted the digits, still covered in her cum before pushing them past his lips and licking them clean. “Forgot to remove it. Hope the prop guys don’t kill me.”

She hated how his eyes sparkled, absolutely knowing what that sight did to her, how it made her stomach flutter and heart thunder against her ribs. Y/N was sure with the force it was pounding, they’d crack.

“Well, if they don’t, I will.” She pulled him down, nails raking on his skin, dragging to rest on his ass as they bit into it. “Now get inside me.”

“Condom.”

“No, ‘m on the pill.”

“I’m clean, I swear, but it’s still not a hundred per cent safe.”

Y/N shook her head. “I’ll buy the morning-after pill. Just need you inside.”

“You sure?” Harry placed a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yeah. I mean I’m clean, and uh… I just wanna feel you.”

He’d cum once already, and Harry would be dammed if he did it again before having the chance to know how heaven feels like. As gently as possible, he took himself, giving a few strokes before nudging the tip against Y/N’s clit, her sharp inhale stalling him until she nodded.

Her nails dug into his biceps, as he finally slipped inside her, making both of them moan at the feeling. Even with all of the stretching out he’d done with his fingers, and the two orgasms he’d drawn from her, the slickness helping everything to be easy and smooth, Y/N still felt a little sting.

Harry’s head dropped to Y/N’s shoulders and even from under him, she could feel his thighs and stomach shaking, as he tried to hold his composure and give her a little bit of time to adjust.

A couple of deep breaths later, she tapped his ribs. “You can move now.”

“ ‘ya sure?”

“Mhm,” Y/N nodded her head and pecked his lips reassuringly. “Please.”

His dishevelled and sweaty hair shook as he nodded and slowly drew back his hips so that just the tip of his cock remained in her before gliding back inside. The sight alone was more than enough to make both of them explode, but they wanted to last longer than thirty seconds, especially for their first time together. There’d be quickies for later, now they wanted to have a proper shag.

Bit by bit, Harry’s pace quickened, pearls of sweat gliding down his skin and dampening the sheets below them, much like it was with Y/N. Her leg slid up to rest around his hips, giving him a better angle and more leverage for him to strike the right spot, as he pushed her knee to rest against her chest, Y/N’s head falling back to the pillow.

Her insides were shaking from the pleasure, and it was like an invisible force was pushing down on her chest, as she struggled for a proper breath. “Harry,” she dragged out his name, the word turning into a high-pitched whine.

“I know,” he responded in the same breathless voice. He could feel her tighten around him and wasn’t sure just how much longer he’d be able to keep up the pace. “Touch yourself ‘f me, lovie. C’mon, use those fingers.”

Y/N did as she was told. It didn’t give her that butterfly feeling like it’d happened when they’d been Harry’s, but it did make her cum faster, and the sensation of her gushing around his cock made him lose all self-control and he spilled inside.

It wasn’t enough for Y/N, but she guessed she needed to settle for it. She knew that nothing really ever touched in the universe, that the closest atoms ever come to touching one another is when their wave packets overlap, much like she and Harry were now overlapping, his body lying on top of hers, skin sweaty and frame trembling as he came down from his own high.

“I uh,” Y/N cleared her throat, finger tracing the outline of one of the butterfly in the middle of Harry’s chest. “When the people came to get my stuff, I umm, asked them to take your rainbow cardigan. Wanted something that smelled like you, so I didn’t feel so alone. Was the first thing I put on when I got out of my hospital gown.”

She felt his body rumble with laughter and a kiss being pressed to her forehead. “I know. Saw Anna stash it inside the suitcase. I uh, I was the one who also put in one of my sweaters. Know how cold you always get.”

She hid her smile against his collarbones. “Thank you. For thinking of me.”

“ 'M always thinking of you… Will you knit me one though?”

Y/N raised her eyebrow. “Knit you one?”

“Yes. I know you knit –“

“Everyone knits nowadays.”

Harry drew himself back a bit, and she pushed away the matted down strands from his forehead, wiping away the sweat from underneath his green eyes as well. “Yes, but the point is – there’ll be a million other Gucci shirts and sweaters and cardigans. But I’d like to have one-of-a-kind made by you. So, I have something to sleep next to when you’re not next to me.”

Y/N ran a finger along his jawline, biting away her grin. “It’ll probably have mistakes. I’m not that good at it. ‘M not a professional.”

“Exactly.” Harry tilted her head up with a finger and their eyes met. “Which is why it’ll be perfect.”

“The arms will most likely be different lengths in the end.”

“Don’t worry, darling.” He pecked her lips before hugging her and not letting go. “It’s flawless for me.”

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differentkettleoffishalltogether · 3 years

Text

Update

Hey I’m not gone! I’ve just been working out my notice in my old job and it’s been a lot of hours and then I got vaccinated and felt like death on my one day off 😖

So I will have the next chapter of An Inconvenient Affection up soon, I’ve got the first 3000 words of it written already, I just haven’t had the time to finish it. If it helps to know, it’s almost entirely fluff and smut 🥰

But as a little treat I wanted to show you guys what I had originally written for chapter 2 of this series. I wanted to make it more of a slow burn so I ended up scrapping it, but I thought I’d show you anyway

Alternate timeline under the cut:

“Well making drinks isn’t the only skillset a bartender possesses” he looks at her quizzically. “You gotta be able to talk to people, or let them talk to you I guess. It’s part of the appeal, getting people to trust you, to like you, and maybe a few drinks in you get them to confide in you, slip up and spill something if you’re lucky” she explains.

“You really have done this before” he raises his eyebrows in mock surprise.

“I told ya so, and on that note, tell me what’s on your mind, what brought you in here this evening?” She takes a dishcloth and begins to wipe up the little spill on the table. Spencer just lets out a small chuckle but stifles it when she looks at him. Her eyes are trained on his, awaiting his response.

“Oh! You’re serious.” He takes a beat, “Well, um, I guess my wife and I have been going through a bit of a rough patch lately” he tries his best to make it sound genuine, but something about the bubbles in the drink and Y/N in her sweats opposite him has him feeling a little giddy.

“Oh that’s terrible I’m sorry to hear that” she sympathizes quickly, encouraging him to keep talking.

“Yeah she’s been sleeping around behind my back, should’ve seen it coming really” he takes a long gulp from his glass, staring into the fizz at the bottom.

“What do you mean?” She probes, “Was she the town bicycle before you got hitched?” She says it as a joke but Spencer’s head just snaps up to look at her with confusion.

“What?”

“Everyone got a ride?” She wiggles her eyebrows as she explains and he can only roll his eyes in response, his face screwing up a little with distaste.

“No!” He’s quick to shoot it down, “Nothing like that!” He waves his hand to dismiss it before downing the remainder of his drink. “She was always out of my league” he says it with a shrug like it doesn’t break her heart a little.

“Spencer” she pleads, it comes out a sort of gentle whisper, “I’m sure that’s not true”

He shakes his head, “Nope, she always has been. To be honest I don’t even know why she liked me in the first place! She’s—” he takes a moment to think, “she’s so incredibly kind, and warm, and she’s so much smarter than I am” he smiles to himself.

“Well that’s definitely not right” Y/N says in an effort to derail him, Spencer’s tolerance for alcohol has always been bordering non-existent. She didn’t want him to say anything he wouldn’t feel good about later. But it was so hard to ask him to stop.

“It is, she’s just not one to gloat about it” he thinks for a second, “y’know what, she actually is one to gloat” he says it like he’s just realized it himself and Y/N lets out a small snort of laughter. “But that’s part of her charm too, she’s funny. The kind of funny that makes my cheeks hurt whenever we hang out.” His lips spread in a wide smile that reaches his eyes as he says it, just from thinking about her. “And on top of all of that, she’s pretty. Like so pretty that when I first saw her I couldn’t remember my own name” He goes to take a sip from his glass once again before noticing it’s empty. Placing it back down on the table with an over dramatic sullen expression. “Shame she had to go cheat on me, but it’s understandable I guess. She’s her, and I’m just—”

“An idiot” she offers and he starts to laugh, nodding his head, “don’t agree with me you fool!” She reaches across the table to punch his arm gently.

“You’re an idiot for thinking about yourself like that. Like you’re not the most special person. Like you’re not deserving of love, or attention, like you’re not desirable Spence” she reaches out to grab his hand and he just stares down at them, not daring to make eye contact. He had just humiliated himself by accident and had no idea how to walk it back.

“Y/N I—” he whispered but nothing else came out.

“Shut up Spencer” she sighed, “you’re my best friend for so many reasons and I can’t have you thinking about yourself like that” her words of reassurance do little to actually help him feel any better.

He felt like he’d just made this horrifically sappy declaration of love to his best friend and now he was being lectured on his self deprecating tendencies.

“You’re right, I shouldn’t have said anything” he pulls his hand out from her grip, and rising up from the table. “I think I should probably get some rest, it’s been a long day” he wipes his already sweaty palms against his pajama bottoms.

Y/N clambers to her feet to follow him but he reaches his bedroom a little too quickly, shutting the door behind him. It’s not dramatic or petulant, the action just wreaks of upset more than anything.

Y/N didn’t want to pry, especially if he didn’t want to talk but she had no idea what she’d said wrong. For a second there it felt like Spencer might’ve felt the same way she did, she could see that glassy look in his eyes that she recognized from her own. But he’d withdraw as quickly as he’d opened up.

She took some time to think, gathering up the things from the makeshift bar and returning them to their homes in the kitchen. She busied herself until she found herself staring down at the couch, at the little pillow and duvet folded neatly and ready for use in the armchair next to it. She’d slept here so many times before but didn’t want to do it right now.

Carried on an uncharacteristic wave of courage she marched up to Spencer’s door, knocking loud enough that if he was already asleep she had a hope of waking him. He hadn’t done anything other than sit on the edge of his bed and stare at the doorknob since he’d come in. Willing himself to get up and just go back out there.

Thankfully he didn’t have to. All he had to do was open the door to a waiting Y/N, arms awkwardly fidgeting at her sides. He didn’t say anything when he opened the door, just waited patiently. There was a small lull of silence before she spoke.

“Just to clarify” she cleared her throat, “was that all about— were you— did you mean all of that?” She looked up at him, her eyes wide and pleading. He nodded when he didn’t quite have the words yet.

“Yeah, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I just, had to say it sometime”

“Oh god you are an idiot” she breathes out before lunging at him, pulling him down by the lapels of his pajama shirt to capture his lips in a tentative but sweet kiss.

#spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid smut #an inconvenient affection #aia

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lizardrosen · 2 years

Text

"Tell me, Brutus, do you see yourself?"

a playlist for our favorite conspirator!

Songs and key lyrics under the cut

Handlebars - Flobots

My reach is global, my tower secure My cause is noble, my power is pure I can hand out a million vaccinations Or let 'em all die in exasperation Have 'em all healed from their lacerations Or have 'em all killed by assassination

Going down Fighting - Phlotilla

With my fist to the wall like a cannonball I'm gonna take 'em all out, gonna take 'em all

Brutus - Shantilly

My love is patient My love is kind My love is focused My love is blind Enough love

Out of the Black - Billie Marten

And I promised you like you promised me That those vows we made, we messed them up for free

LYTP - Dessa

Maybe that ringing in your ears Is just her bell around your neck And with a smoke ring on her finger She goes and signals for the check

Judas - Lady Gaga

Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain Even after three times he betrays me

Could Have Been Me - The Struts

Don't wanna live as an unsung melody I'd rather listen to the silence telling me I can't hear you, I won't fear you

Brutus - The Buttress

And even if I can't be the one Maybe I could at least help make way for him Until the day that he comes

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead - Set It Off

Sickening static surrounds my mind I'm losing time, and realizing that After days of thought that I'm

Graveyard Dancing - Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows

They just dig up the dirt And bury us into the ground You're not as special as you maybe think that you are

B Is For Brutus - The Hives

Still you can’t get it right Can’t get a lot for a little? You keep trying, ended up in the middle Had an enigma, ended up with a riddle

Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking - Snow Patrol

In slow motion, the blast is beautiful (I could do almost anything to you) Doors slam shut, doors slam shut (I could do almost anything to you)

Get Free - Lana Del Rey

Sometimes it feels like I've got a war in my mind I want to get off, but I keep ridin' the ride

We Have It All - Pim Stones

There's glory ahead, but our love will be forgotten If my heart was still mine, I would go to the bottom And apologise to you until the day it went rotten

Love Love Love - The Mountain Goats

Snakes in the grass beneath our feet, rain in the clouds above Some moments last forever, but some flare out with love love love

It Could Have Been Better - Joan Armatrading

You could have made me laugh if you'd stayed But you left I was more confused than I was before you came I was frightened I saw insanity and tears I shouted for you to stay

Ides Of March - Shag Rock

If I could grow up to be One tenth of my Grandfathers being Nothing would be left in me For accomplishing

#julius caesar #brutus #playlist #music #Spotify

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daggerandrose · 3 years

Text

HSLOT- Raleigh: A Religious Experience

This was the first time I’ve seen Harry as a solo artist, and the first time I’ve seen any of the 1D boys perform since I last saw ot5 in 2014. When I say this was a religious experience, it was a religious experience. My hand was on my heart in awe for the majority of the concert.

Some of the key things I remember (at 2:30am the morning after the concert)

There were a lot of 70s themed outfits. Bell bottoms, crop tops, funky patterns, and boas everywhere. To the point where my flowy floral top and jeans felt out of place, but I didn’t care.

I also saw several “But Daddy I love him” shirts— even on a dad!

Everyone around me (that I noticed) kept their masks on the entire time.

Everyone was really polite while waiting in line too.

Jenny’s outfit had rainbow weed leaves on it which I thought was amazing 😂

The second Olivia started playing, everyone screamed and started clapping. (Also, there’s a clapping thing that happens before the chorus that I was not aware of. 😅)

Everyone lost their shit to Bohemian Rhapsody.

There several banana costumes! I hate that Harry didn’t do the banana song, bc I know there was at least one banana in the Cherry pit.

You could tell who either has seen the show before or was online bc people screamed when Harry-in-a-box rolled in. (I have a video I can post later of the aftermath)

Harry was electric on stage. So full of energy, and very much like a bunny hopping around the stage from one side to the next.

He definitely favors the side opposite of Sarah, so I saw his ass most the show. But, like I said, he moved a lot around the stage.

When he was talking to us, he sang “Caaarrrooolinnaaa” again which I appreciated.

I also got a video of the ass speech which I will cherish 😂

At one point, he ran off stage to (presumably) have a wee. (I forgot what song it was now oops. Maybe Woman?)

Also during his wee break, the band kept playing and Sarah sounded so so good during it.

Mitch’s solo during She was gorgeous. I kept yelling “Fuck it up, Mitch!”

Even though I knew it was coming, the Two Ghosts/Falling match-up was beautifully heart wrenching.

When talking to the birthday girl of the night, he was counting down for us to sing her happy bday and he interrupted the count to check to see if this dad was having a good time. Think Doug from Up cutting himself off to yell “squirrel!”

He didn’t play TBSL which is fine I guess

The pit people of Raleigh must of had terrible aim bc I saw a lot of things being attempted to be thrown on stage. Most things fell off.

But a rainbow flag and a bi flag made it and he had those during TPWK (also have a video of that beautiful moment) the crowd’s yelling got louder when he grabbed the flags and made my heart happy seeing it.

WMYB went so fucking hard! He had us jumping for the last chorus, and I think my video for it is too shaky to be for anyone but me. I realized that jumping up and down while singing and wearing an N95 mask is very difficult. Doable for me, but difficult. Totally worth it though.

Fine Line live is something else. It’s my favorite on the album other than Canyon Moon, and my hand was on my heart the entire song. I was very tempted to lift my hands up like many do during church services. I love it so much.

Despite there being bananas in the audience, no banana song pre watermelon sugar. Little disappointed in that tbh

KIWI WENT SO FUCKING HARD. I lost my absolute shit dancing, jumping, and yelling out the lyrics to it.

I wanted to yell out “don’t go!!” when he left the stage bc the entire night was amazing and felt like it went by so quickly.

I had so much fun tonight. It was completely worth the hassle buying tickets where two years ago. It was worth waiting in line for merch. It was worth wearing a mask and being safe. (I would also say being vaccinated too, but I didn’t get vaccinated solely for this concert.) It was worth the headache I had on my way back home. And it was worth the exhaustion I feel now.

I took a shit ton of pictures and videos I now need to sort through along with the (much much better) pictures on here.

If you have any questions about my tour experience and maybe what you can expect from your own show, please feel free to send me an ask! Now for some well deserved sleep.

#my show #mine #hs tour 2

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misterewrites · 2 years

Text

Wrap-up: The Salt-Irons Case

Hello! E here with the next chapter, little late but I had to deal with a head cold and i freaking hated it! Yay! So here we go the finale of Finn's case and the start of the next arc. Who will get the spotlight? What's going to happen? Find out soon!

I hope you are all doing great, being safe, keeping your loved ones safe and all that jazz. Keep wearing masks because no, despite what everyone wants, the pandemic isn't over especially for a lot of places that need the vaccine. Stay safe, keep your loved ones safe, get vaccinated if you can and stay extra safe if you can't. Push for global vaccinate because a lot of places still need it. Keep Ukraine in your hearts, in your thoughts even if it gets a lot to keep track of. I get it. Also keep your eye on any bullshit somebody is trying to pull cuz right now a lot of places are trying to fuck over everyone but if you want to just exist, i get it. I do I really do. Just keep your health in mind alrighty?

That's it for me! Seriously I cannot thank you all enough for reading my story, for taking the time out of your day to give this a read. I am so surprised and happy how many views this story gets and I am so grateful for them especially since it's an original work i know how really hard it is to get any success out of it. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Tell your friends, recommend it, comment likes, reblogs I love them all! and appreciate every single one. Stay safe, have great days untill the next time I post and thank you for reading. You're the best!. E is out!

So we’re at the part of the tour where I shamelessly plug myself. Yes I know but I have to or else no one will read. I gotta try at least you know?

If you want to read my story on a more user friendly site that doesn’t hate me and where, fun fact, i sometimes correct my work typos and all, here’s the link right down here

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/97939368

If you need a refresher cuz holy snap it’s been a month. I meant it to be two weeks you can click right here https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/96221044

If you are curious about what this is or bored and need something to do, here’s the story from the beginning. I promise it’s actually not bad. evidently. Who would’ve guessed! not me I’m way too modest for that.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/75486005

And here’s link to my page where I have various different stories ranging from some Vi/Cait from Arcane, a story involving Jinx, Soul Eater, Genshin Impact, Owl House and some Red Hood among other stuff because I like to write and let me tell you I do it way too much yet not enough.

https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrE42/pseuds/MrE42

And that concludes this portion of the tour. if you are disembarking here have a great week and be safe. take care of yourself.

For those of you joining us beyond the keep out sign, enjoy!

Summary: Still alive, Finnrick meets up with Eden and Garrus to debrief the M.R.R.D on what happened and answer any lingering questions. Due to his injury, however, he'll be forced to sit out the next adventure which may be sooner than anyone hopes. Luckily there's someone who can help with that. Probably.

-----

“You gotta be fucking kidding me.”

“I am, in fact, not.”

“Hey ya’ll” Maddie cut the conversation with a soft smile, a long line of plates running up her arm in impossible fashion “Make room so I can feed you.”

Given it was a typical day of cheery chatter and utensils hungrily scraping plates to ensure every last bit of food was consume, it was fair to assume Finnrick had survived his deadly encounter with the being from another reality.

The detective awoke several hours later under the care of Doctor Carmichael, a cleric of Altruism and close family friend. Despite both he and Casey’s best efforts, Finn’s injury hadn’t been a clean enough break to mend properly by either cleric. Healing magic, while powerful, included certain requirements to be used safely. So until the bones realigned properly to heal with magic, Finn was on mandatory vacation which meant arm in a sling and no cases for at least three weeks.

Finnrick did not like that but there was little he could do as when he reached to take his plate Jaime smacked his hand away.

“No.” She said firmly “What part of taking it easy do you not understand?”

Finnrick chuckled softly “Jai it’s a plate of eggs. I think I can manage.”

“Mhm. Like you managed to walk out of the cemetery on your own.”

Finnrick opened his mouth to argue but Jaime continued “Because you did not walk out of there on your own. Case and I had to carry you out.”

“Well…” Finnrick tried to chime in.

“You got fat.” Jaime nudged his stomach playfully “Too much of Ma’s food.”

Maddie pretended to be scandalous “Mind your tongue or I’ll take back your French Toast and eggies.”

“Sorry ma’am. No disrespect meant.”

The other occupants of the table began to let out a cheery laugh as Jaime smiled sheepishly.

Maddie pinched her cheeks lovingly “Only joking sweetie.” Jaime let out a sigh of relief “Oh thank god because after the fucking scare my brother gave me I need to treat myself.”

“You.” Maddie pointed accusingly at her “Are just as bad as him. Every day you used to be in here and now I hardly see you!”

“Why we picking on me? He’s the one that did something dumb.”

“Stones and glass houses dearie. Casey, honey, here’s your order.”

Casey smiled gratefully as he carefully leaned over Finn to take the plate.

“And officers: Miss Eden and Mister Garrus. Your orders as well.”

Finn felt an odd mixture of annoyance and gratitude as his closest friends and allies were surrounding him in a protective cocoon: Casey and Jaime on either side of him with Garrus and Eden sitting across. It was unlikely someone would attempt to take a swing at the detective in his current state. Injured or not, he remained a powerful spellcaster but people weren’t always logical and sometimes a bad idea was too tempting to pass up.

Jaime had been allowed to take time off until Casey could properly heal him in few weeks time and Casey, who couldn’t take as much time given he was the entirety of the Neighborhood Watch, at least agreed for today. Eden and Garrus claimed they chose Ma’s so Finnrick didn’t have to come all the way down to City Hall for the debriefing but the detective wasn’t fooled: Between two clerics, a wizard, a sharpshooting badass and Maddie herself, Ma’s was probably the safest place at the moment.

And given the fact Eden insisted that they pay for everyone’s meal meant they probably felt guilty about Finn’s injury.

“I can’t believe it.” Garrus mumbled unhappily, his silver-gray eyes still wide “He transferred his soul into another body? Are you sure?”

Finnrick gave a quiet nod, digging into his meal.

Garrus ran his hand through his hair nervously “How is that possible? Drift, how is this possible?”

“I was surprised myself when I confronted him. I was expecting a simulacrum with his personality copied over, an imitation thinking he was the original. I wasn’t expecting….”

He could still remember the dangerous glint in Richard’s eyes, the spark of insane creativity only humans could achieve. Copies lacked the flame of existence, the drive that burned bright in living creatures and it always showed.

“I’m not sure what I was expecting but it sure wasn’t that.”

Eden scoffed in disbelief “Come on don’t be so fucking modest Finny. You must have some idea. You’re Finn! You know everything!”

“Yeah no.” Finnrick chuckled lightly “Fun fact I do not actually know everything. I’m only human guys.”

“But….you’re a detective. Isn’t your job to detect, to know everything?”

“Well yeah but sometimes I just don’t know.”

“But you’re Finn.” Jaime shot him a sideways glare “You always know. That’s like your thing.”

“No.” Finn corrected, playfully tugging his sister’s cheek “It’s not my thing. Guys I’m very good at my job but I’m not a bloody psychic.”

“But you’re Finn....” Eden couldn’t keep the confusion off her face.

“You know most of the time I have the case solved like 80% but for some reason everyone thinks I know everything so by the time I confront them, they assume I already have their entire plan in a notebook somewhere and just blab. It’s honestly very refreshing. Makes my life way easier.”

A hush fell over the table, a quiet realization as everyone present began recounting all the times they just casually revealed their secrets to him under the assumption it was pointless to hide as he would discover it sooner or later.

Eden was the first to recover, eyes narrowing in mock fury “You are so ground…”

“Any theories then?” Garrus cut in gracefully. Eden openly threw a death glare at him but he paid it no mind.

Finnrick paused for a moment, digging into his wizardry knowledge for an answer.

“I suppose...”He started slowly, ideas still poking and prodding at his half formed thoughts “The soul of something could be made out of an energy we don’t understand. I guess with the right spells and tools one could theoretically transfer it into a body though it’s probably insanely dangerous. Too many factors like keeping your sense of self intact, making a human body, souls getting rejected. I mean spirits and ghosts are real but they’re still the person they were in life and don’t require a body to stay in this plane of existence but possession is a thing. Spiritualism isn’t really my cup of tea. I have a friend I could call. Maybe she figure an answer for us but as of now I have no idea how the fuck that works or how to even begin to answer that question.”

“But Richard did.” Eden answered darkly.

“Good thing he’s dead.” Casey replied in kind.

“Worse than dead.” Finnrick corrected.

Garrus glanced out the window thoughtfully.

“Da?” Finn asked, his concern clear.

Garrus took a deep breath, his voice dropping to a whisper. “When I was growing up Mister Valka was very...adamant about certain things. Souls were one of them. I suppose I am just curious how angry this news would make him. I admit it’s affecting me more than I was expecting.”

Eden and Finnrick shared a look, a quiet understanding passing between them.

“So.” Eden cleared her throat loudly “What were the creepy dolls for? Creepy shit right?”

“Oh totally Ma. He was using model art dolls to get his new wooden body’s movements down. Probably freeballed it the first go around and people noticed.” Finnrick explained while popping a piece of bacon into his mouth.

Garrus snapped back to reality “What about the creature getting here? Any ideas on that mystery?”

“Amos” surprisingly Casey was the one who answered.

Garrus shot him a curious glance.

“Sorry.” Casey grinned nervously “Felt a little left out. No I didn’t figure it out” he quickly added “Finn told us on the way. We kinda pestered him about the case too.”

“Amos?” Eden raised an eyebrow “Wasn’t aware he was in town.”

Finnrick gave a hearty chuckle “We’ve long theorized that the Fae Realm is probably whatever connects all the different realities together. To get any other existence means you gotta through the Fae. Amos had been tracking a fae folk creature in London and he told me when he tackled it through a portal and landed here. Distance and time are funky in the Fae so it’s possible the creature was just waiting there, looking for some way in.”

“And the little bit that attacked you outside the Salt-Irons? Inkwell is the name you gave. What about it? Any chance it’ll get punted out of this reality?” Garrus asked hopefully.

“No” Finnrick answered honestly “It seemed to have its own sentience, its own existence. Big daddy ink was aware I fought it but didn’t seem to know where it ended up. My guess it was ‘born’ here so it’s native and reality won’t kick it out.”

Eden straightened up, a bit of professionalism seeping into her posture “Is Inkwell going to be a problem?”

“Well…..”

-----

Somewhere hidden in a forgotten alleyway long thin inky tendrils spread out like spider webs, clinging onto any and everything it could grab: bottles and empty bags, discarded newspaper and bits and parts of random junk. The ink shimmered and pulsated.

Inkwell was weak but soon it would be strong. Soon it will be strong.

All it had to do is wait.

-----

“I’m sure it’s fine.”

It was impossible whose stare was more deadpan: Da or Ma’s.

“You really believe that?” Their voices spoke as one.

“No. but there’s not much I can do about it, is there?” Finnrick gestured to the sling “Besides the city’s huge. There’s no way we can check everywhere and be sure we did. As much as we hate it we’re going to have to wait for Inkwell to make its first move.”

Neither Eden or Garrus liked that answer but they knew Finn had a point. Until Inkwell showed up it was a waste to hunt for it.

“There’s one thing I’m curious about.” Casey piped up after a moment of silence.

Jaime stared at him with a playful grin “Only one?”

“One that I’d admit to yeah.” Casey stuck his tongue at her before continuing “Why did you go alone?”

Finn could feel every pair of eyes fall on him, their gaze half irritated half expectant.

He cleared his throat theatrically “Well it was better that way: It could shatter my shields with little to no effort so taking you Case wouldn’t have been ideal. You’re not exactly graceful on your feet.”

Casey opened his mouth to argue but Jaime had beaten him to the punch “Hey! He’s an excellent dancer and you know it!”

“Naturally” Finnrick agreed “But in an uneven graveyard with fog everywhere? Way more cause to trip up.”

“True….” Casey mumbled unhappily.

“And you Jai.” Jaime jumped back in surprised as her brother whirled around to face her “You are more than agile enough to hand the terrain but you don’t have much experience fighting stuff out of this world. I can’t be worrying about you tucked away in some corner and trying to make sure I don’t get skewered. Either of you actually. Without my shields to cover you I’d be too worry to focus. Better to take less targets than getting everyone killed.”

“And you two.” He faced the officers as they opened their mouths “Red tape. All the fucking red tape. No signal to call out there and no time to wait.”

Garrus and Eden frowned but said nothing.

“And there are my perfectly legitimate reasons why none of you could come with me.” Finnrick gave a short nod, allowing a smug smirk to grace his face.

“Fuck you son.”

“I still think I should’ve been there.”

“I was worried all fucking night bro!”

“With my rifle I could’ve been in the forest. No one had to know.”

“Guys, guys.” Finnrick raised a hand in surrender “It’s over. It’s done and everyone is safe. If a dislocated shoulder is the price I have to pay for it, so be it. Now we gotta get a move on.”

“Another case son?” Garrus stared disappointingly towards the detective.

Jaime scoffed “Not with me on watch. He’s going to get a lot of rest but he wants to make a stop first.”

“I have an idea where to find our little helmeted vigilante.” Finnrick admitted “Going to drop something off and then head home. I’m sorry what my injury is going to do to the streets.”

Garrus waved him off “We’ll do our jobs. Same as always. You get better.”

Casey let out a sigh of relief “Thank god. I got the monthly Watch meeting tomorrow. I need to ask Evan if he could watch the neighborhood.”

“Bye kids!” Eden gave a friendly way at the departing trio “Don’t get into trouble but if you do make sure to kick its ass!”

“Why must you encourage them?”

“Builds character” Eden answered with a smirk “Now pay the bill.”

“Why do I have to pay the bill?” Garrus mumbled grouchily “You’re the one who invited the kids for breakfast.”

“Yes but you’re their ‘father’. You need to show some responsibility for them.”

“Pfft you’re the one that adopted them.”

“We, we adopted them.”

“Then you should pay for our ‘children’.”

“Oh what’s that? Sorry Maddie’s calling me. I’ll just be over here.”

As Eden began making her over to the counter, Garrus shot her a halfhearted glare before pulling out his wallet, a small smile gracing his face as he shook his head in disbelief.

-----

It was 11 at night when there was a knock on the office door.

Frankie, a younger member of the Troll’s Toe Neighborhood Watch, was on call. At first she thought it was the soft pattering of the rain hitting the pavement streets but the tap became increasingly louder and louder, uneven with the torrent outside.

It wasn’t uncommon for members of any Watch to answer calls at all hours of the day but Frankie wasn’t used to anyone seeking help at this time. Most people in the Midtown magical neighborhood were already cozily tucked into bed especially with the sudden thunderstorm.

Frankie drew her weapon, a large wrench she kept under her desk, and slowly inched her way towards the convenient store styled door of the building. She tried to peer outside to see who it was but the shifting shadows from the storm made it impossible to see.

Boom!

Without warning, thunder echoed impossibly loud out of nowhere, rattling the office violently as a streak of lightning bolted across the sky and lit up the figure standing in the doorway.

Frankie screamed at the sight of the tall shadow that stood before her: Covered head to toe in a long black riding cloak with ghostly green eyes peering at her with a soulless gaze. Chains wrapped around their torso tightly as a large stone slab simply hung on their back. Long, wild gray hair hung in front the stranger’s silhouetted face. One hand was outstretched to knock again while the other held onto some sort of walking stick as a rusty faded unlit lantern hung from it and swung menacingly in the breeze.

“Back!” Frankie’s voice squeaked, raising the wrench high in both hands “I armed and not fear to use!”

The figure reached for their hood and Frankie could feel her heart drop at the sight of how toned and muscular this stranger’s arms were. In a straight fight Frankie didn’t like her chances.

The figure pulled back the hood and shook the hair out of her face.

Her face?

“Hi!” the woman smiled brightly as she gave a cheery wave “Sorry to bother you I just got into town.”

“What?” Frankie let the wrench fall out of her hands.

The woman gestured to her ear “Yeah sorry I can’t hear you. Can you open the door?” she pointed at the door between them.

Frankie nodded and opened the door to let the strange woman in.

“Much better” She let out a sigh of relief as the warmth of the office filled her bones “Sorry about that. I just got in and I was told this is where I could get some help.”

“Umm…..what kind of help?”

“Well you see.” The woman began hurriedly “There’s a powerful spiritual disturbance here. I could feel all the way in India!”

Frankie opened her mouth to say something but all she could do is stare at this tall, freckled faced green eyed woman who carried some kind of stone strapped to her back.

“And as The Gravekeeper of Souls, I take my job very seriously. I mean if it’s that powerful that I felt it on another continent, it was going to be bad!”

“Excuse me.” Frankie finally piped up “I’m sorry I don’t follow.”

The woman gave a cute sheepish grin “Oh right. Sorry. I travel a lot so I forget who knows me and who doesn’t. I’m Yorrick! Yorrick the Gravekeeper of Souls!”

“Okay. And you are here….?”

“Oh.” Yorrick gave a little nonchalant gesture “Some powerful spiritual entity is about be unleashed and probably raze your city to the ground.”

“WHAT?!” Frankie could feel her blood pressure rise.

“Raze. You know destroy, obliterate, consume. Hee consuuuuuuume. Fun word.”

Frankie’s face paled “Are you serious?”

Yorrick smiled brightly “As the grave. But I’m here so it’ll be okay. Probably. Anyway I need to call a meeting of the Watch. Can I do that here or…?”

“There’s one tomorrow.” Frankie weakly answered.

“Excellent! I’ll come back then. Good night! Thanks for all the help!”

and just like that, Yorrick vanished into the storm, swallowed whole by the dark though Frankie could hear her excited laughter amid the rain and thunder.

“This is going to be fun!” Yorrick’s voice called happily from the shadows.

Frankie decided it was better to sit on the floor.

For the rest of the night.

#Mirror's Edge #Original Work #original story #my stuff

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