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havethetimeofyourstyles · 3 years

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in which harry joins a new gym and you’re a trainer there.

a/n: happy new years loves! wishing you all a lovely and happy 2021! first fic of 2021 and im so excited to write more stories this year! to start the new year, here is boxer!harry for you, and this is for my very own timetravelathon fic challenge! if you’d like to join, please let me know, I’d love to have you on board! this story takes place in the 1990, and i know some of the songs mentioned weren’t released specifically in 1990 (just a few years after), but just pretend it was lol because they’re too good to not mention in this story hehe, but happy reading and pls reblog and leave feedback <3

thank you to @sunflowers-styles for beta reading this for me, love you always!

WORD COUNT: 22.6k of (kinda) boxer!harry x trainer!yn filled with angst and smut

WARNINGS: mentions of abandonment and blood

COME INTO MY INBOX AND LETS TALK ABOUT ‘143’ i’d love to know your thoughts!

pls rb to share! <3

16 August 1990

With every move he made, Harry felt a bead of sweat drip down the side of his face, down his back, and trailing down his chest. Small huffs of breath were released from his mouth, trying not to make it known that he was exhausted, but he continued until all of his energy was used up through the very end.

“C’mon,” he muttered to himself, anticipating the certain words to be yelled out.

He’d been going at it for a while now, muscles aching as he felt like he was about to collapse any minute. But he was determined to finish, to feel the satisfaction running through his veins, knowing that this was his best round.

“And time!” His trainer yelled at him, clicking the stop button on his timer.

Harry got in one last punch before putting his arms down, the soreness made his limbs feel like jello as he shook them out. The black leather punching bag was swinging back and forth, the chain that held up the speed bag rattled and slid against the metal bar. Harry loved that sound because it indicated that he was going his hardest to where the chain couldn’t keep up.

“Nice one, kid.” Henson, his trainer said as he fist-bumped Harry’s red glove.

Harry simply nodded in appreciation, too exhausted to speak as he placed his gloves onto his knees, leaning down as beads of sweat dripped down onto the matted floor. Several harsh breaths came out of his mouth as he sniffed in the fresh oxygen that was mixed with the musky scent of the gym.

Benny, Harry’s best friend, exited the ring, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his arm before walking towards Harry, who was still leaning on his knees. Benny tapped Harry’s glove, making him stand up straighter, and Harry patted Benny’s back.

“Good job out there, mate,” Harry told his best friend. Benny was in the ring with one of the other trainers, Mike, doing one of the nonstop routines. Harry liked training with Mike in the ring, but not when it was for cardio and timed rounds; he liked when it was chill, so he knew how hard he had to hit the target, which were the pads. But for the timed rounds they did, Harry was usually by the speed bags and Mike was in the ring.

“You too, man,” Benny breathed out with a smile.

They headed over to the bench to take their gloves off and catch a breather. The pair would do a cardio day every Thursday to get a good, sweaty workout in, and it always left them exhausted, but definitely much stronger.

“Hey, I’m not gonna be able to workout next Thursday,” Benny mentioned. Harry furrowed his brows as he put the end of the strap between his teeth to pull it off from the velcro, taking one glove off.

“What? Why not?” Harry asked confusingly. They never really had to call off a workout, especially Thursdays, unless one of them was sick, but other than that, neither of them missed any workout days.

“I’m taking the wife on a date,” Benny smirked, clearly very excited to spend some time with his wife, but Harry wasn’t amused.

“On a Thursday? Why can’t you do that on Friday?”

Benny rolled his eyes. “Because we both called off Friday, so we’re having a four day weekend to ourselves,” he explained.

Harry huffed, clearly not entertained. “Guess so…”

Benny knew Harry was always like this, ever since they were younger. The two had been so close ever since they met, now that Benny had a wife, Harry always felt like the third wheel and that he rarely saw Benny, however, that wasn’t entirely true Benny exercised with Harry every night during the weekdays, and sometimes they even grabbed a bite to eat afterward when Benny could use that time to be with his wife, Marianne.

Harry had an overwhelming fear of abandonment, it led him to have anxieties about how Benny could just get up and walk out of his life, even though he wouldn’t. Maybe it was why Harry is so attached to him; he’s the closest to Harry and it would completely destroy him if Benny ever decided that he didn’t want to be his friend anymore. That fear only grew based on an unfortunate turn of events that happened in college, four years ago, and it left Harry to pieces. Benny had never seen Harry so broken where he literally had to pick him up and take care of him. He never wanted to see his best friend like that ever again because it absolutely crushed him.

“It’s two days that we’re not going to be seeing each other, chill out. Didn’t know you were that in love with me,” Benny joked, hoping to lighten up Harry’s mood. Luckily, it worked because Harry breathed out a chuckle, throwing his towel at Benny’s face.

The two collected their belongings and walked over to the trainers as they always do at the end of every workout to have a light chat with them. Henson and Mike told them they did a great job and asked to confirm if they were still on for tomorrow, which Benny and Harry both agreed to. Benny also mentioned about not being able to work out next Thursday and Friday, including the reason why he wasn’t able to.

Henson and Mike looked at each other as if they were keeping something from the two. Harry titled his head and looked at Benny as if he was asking if he knew the reason why they were looking at each other weirdly, but Benny just shrugged his shoulders, just as clueless as Harry.

“Are you gonna tell us why you’re acting suspiciously?” Harry asked. The two trainers both sighed defeatedly.

“About that…” Henson started. “Next Friday…we’re closing,” he added.

“Like, closing for the day?” Benny asked innocently, hoping they didn’t mean what he really thought.

“No…for good,” Mike stated. Harry and Benny’s eyes both widened, words coming out of both of their mouths profusely. They were both talking over each other, disagreeing and not accepting the fact that the gym was shutting down.

“You can’t just do that-”

“-No, we refuse to let you close down-”

“Alright, guys! Settle down. You’re starting to act like kids, for god's sake,” Henson interrupted the tantrum that was about to start.

“You guys can’t just do that!” Benny exclaimed.

“Why are you guys even doing that?” Harry asked.

Mike sighed. “We mutually decided that it was best to close down because…we really need the money. My rent has been skyrocketing crazy high because more people have just decided that moving to Los Angeles is fun.” He rolled his eyes, and Harry slightly chuckled because it was true. Hollywood was the place to be and people from out of state had just figured out their new profound dream to move to one of the busiest cities.

“Fight Night will never be forgotten, alright? We’re just ready to let this place go. Plus, the roof is leaking and the wall is tearing apart, and that’s gonna be a pain to fix,” Henson added.

Mike and Henson were brothers and built Fight Night when they were in college. With the help of their father, they decided to build a place to gain strength and power, all while helping others defend themselves. Harry and Benny had been frequenting it ever since college, and it felt like home to them. Aside from the yelling and stuffy scent, it was a place for them to release any type of anger or stress.

Benny introduced Fight Night to Harry when he had physically picked Harry up from the ground on, what possibly was, the worst night of his life. It was something Harry looked forward to after classes, anxiously bouncing his leg up and down, waiting to get to the gym. Fight Night helped rebuild him, and now, he was in disbelief that the gym was closing.

“We’re old as fuck now. We wanna live our lives freely. Time to retire now, don’t you think?” Mike said with a sad chuckle. They were both in their late fifties, so Harry and Benny understood why they wanted to be free of work.

The four of them hugged it out, a very emotional and sentimental hug that was heartwarming but sad. Eyes were slightly watered before Henson pushed them and said, “We’re closing the gym next week, not fucking dying! We have time for this bullshit for an entire week.”

Harry and Benny left the gym with bittersweet hearts, but they kept Fight Night close to them, knowing that they owed a lot to the gym and the two men who built the facility. Mike had recommended some gyms that were close by if they were still interested in boxing, which they definitely were, so they were planning to check them out first before signing up.

“Do you wanna get something to eat?” Harry asked once they were outside of the gym. The air was humid, nothing different from inside the gym since it was summer and the sun was beginning to go down.

“Nah, I’m good. Gonna get home to Marianne. I’ll see you tomorrow?” Benny pat Harry’s back, nodding.

Harry waved. “See you.” He watched Benny walk away before getting into his silver 1990 BMW 5 series, sighing. He always hated going home, and he always tried staying out for as long as he possibly could.

As he drove home, he anxiously tapped his hands on the steering wheel as he couldn’t quite keep them still. It’d been happening for a while, a lot more often than he’d like, but he couldn’t help it.

Walking into the darkness and emptiness of his home, he sighed sadly as he sulked all the way to the restroom to shower. The hot steam relieved his achy and sore muscles, but he was hoping for this shower to also release any occurring and bad thoughts he had in his head.

He couldn’t help but think about the gym closing down. After going there for years, he couldn’t imagine going to a new gym; he’d adapted and adjusted to Fight Night that it would take him forever to find a gym that truly made him feel wanted. He was scared, to say the least.

Harry was never a big fan of change. He liked being comfortable and stable and didn't like to move around a lot. So, the thought of going to a different gym that wasn’t Fight Night, terrified him. It only added to the list of things that had abandoned him.

Once he was out of the shower, white towel secured lowly on his hips, showcasing his beautiful toned torso that was filled and inked with tattoos, his pager beeped. He wondered who it was as he walked over to his nightstand, considering that it was nearing nine in the evening.

He deeply sighed when he saw the pager read ‘345987,’ immediately knowing who it was. The pager code meaning ‘I’m horny’ could only mean it’s coming from Lizette.

Deciding not to answer the page, Harry set his pager down before walking back to the restroom, only for his home phone to ring, causing him to stop in his steps and answer the phone.

“Hello?” Harry answered.

“Hey, baby,” Lizette said seductively. His brows furrowed, holding the towel to his waist as it had loosened up a bit.

“What do you want?”

“You know what I want…” He knew exactly what she wanted. If she hadn’t paged him, he would still know what she wanted from him since all he provided to her was sex. “Isn’t it such a coincidence that I’m outside of your door right now?” Harry didn’t say anything but pinch the bridge of his nose before hanging up.

He walked towards his front door, sighing before opening the door that revealed Lizette on the other side, wearing a low cut top, cleavage clearly showing, and high waisted denim shorts. She leaned on the doorframe, smirking as she looked Harry up and down, noticing that he wasn’t wearing anything but a towel. Harry gulped as she stepped forward, placing her hands on his stomach before completely taking the towel off, and a smug smile plastered on her face.

Harry lets her take over like he always did. The feel of someone else’s body holding his, and lips kissing his own and his skin was something he couldn’t compare to anything else. Harry simply only did this to have some companionship, and Lizette made him feel a lot less lonely even if she was only there to have sex with him. He enjoys it twenty-five percent of the time—the other seventy-five percent was him actually wallowing in wanting someone to love him for him.

After they were done, Harry immediately covered himself with the blanket as Lizette got out of the bed to change back into her clothes. Even though they had sex multiple times and she’s seen him naked, there was something about the vulnerability after the sex that he didn’t want her to see because she didn’t quite deserve that if he was being honest.

“I had fun. Call you next time,” Lizette bid him goodbye before smacking a big kiss to his cheek, leaving a lipstick stain on his skin. She walked herself out, and once Harry heard the slam of the front door closing, he cringed slightly, wiping the lipstick off.

He turned onto his side, deeply exhaling. He didn’t feel anything but numbness—it was always like this. He used sex to cope with how he felt, but it only made it worse. Honestly, he didn’t know what else to do, so it was the only thing he turned to, other than boxing.

Harry fell asleep in his lonely room by himself. His heart was empty and felt like an isolated building that only carried his sadness.

The entire week had gone by in a flash — Fight Night was officially closed down for good.

Harry and Benny helped clean the space out as they reminisced and talked about the memories that were made in that gym. A lot of the stories had to do with girls walking by the gym, glancing through the window to see men working out, and then promptly walking into the gym to try and hit on the guys.

Harry had tried convincing Henson that he could run the gym, but he shot down the idea before Harry could convince him.

“Kid, look. If you want to run your own gym, do it. I want you to own a gym under your name. Not mine or Mike’s. You deserve to have something of your own, and whatever that may be, work for it. Work hard for it. I know you got it in you because you’re a hard worker, determined. You need to see that for yourself.”

A conversation that was supposed to convince Henson to let Harry run the gym turned into a sentimental series of words that Harry really needed to hear. Harry didn’t say anything else and nodded as he took in Henson’s words to his heart. Henson was someone Harry looked up to. He was an old man with wise words, and everything he said was either meaningful or mean, in a way to show tough love. So, his words were something Harry lived by.

The following Monday after Fight Night closed, Benny and Harry were on the search for their new gym. They didn’t plan on quitting the gym after their favorite one had closed down, and Henson and Mike made them swear they wouldn’t stop working out.

Now, the two were walking into a gym that was up the same amount of time Fight Night was. ‘Don’s Box’ was what the gym was called. The building was newly reconstructed, making the place seem more modern and a little less dingy. The space was quite big, able to fit two rings, six punching bags spread throughout, eight-speed bags, and a weight rack. The walls were painted black, but the amount of natural light from the window was plentiful enough to make the gym feel bigger and brighter.

A decent amount of people were at the gym, sectioned off with a few kids from eight to twelve on one side, and the rest of the adults on the other. There was a good mix between women and men, and everyone hyped everyone up with motivating words and claps over the music that was playing through two speakers that were hung in the corner.

“Can I help you?” An older man with gray hair had asked the two. He looked quite intimidating; wearing nylon sweatpants and a black long-sleeved shirt that was rolled up to his elbows, showing his gold watch. The look he had on his face was stern as he crossed his arms, waiting for an answer.

“Uh, yeah. We’re interested in joining your gym,” Benny told the man. The man looked the two up and down and scoffed.

“Sure you guys are ready for that?”

“We’ve been boxing for years, so yeah, we are.” Harry chimed in, a slightly defensive tone added to his words.

The man glared at Harry, stepping towards him. Harry was slightly taller than him, but he knew the man could definitely take him at any given moment, but Harry wasn’t looking to fight the man, honestly. He wanted to act and look tough in front of him, so the guy wouldn’t give him any crap for it later down the road during his workouts.

“Alright, alright. Take it easy, pa.” You interrupted, placing a hand on the man’s shoulders, making him turn his head. You raised your brows at him before tilting your head a bit, telling him to step back. The man backed off, giving Harry a snarly glance before huffing.

“I’m just messing. Gotta know how tough my athletes are to be here,” he spoke in a lighter tone than he was to the man in front of him, putting his arm around you.

“Thought you were gonna ‘stay on the sidelines’ and let me handle it?” You quoted your father’s words back to him, and he chuckled, putting his hands up, surrendering as he knew he couldn’t win against you.

“Alright, alright. I’ll let you handle it.” Don, your father, quickly looked at Harry up and down, and you rolled your eyes, knowing he wouldn’t do anything to potential customers. He walked away and you breathed out a chuckle, scratching your head.

“Sorry about that. You two are interested in joining?” You asked the two men in front of you. They were rather…attractive, you noticed. The one on the left was gorgeous with beautiful brown skin that looked so smooth. He was wearing a pair of red short-shorts and a white muscle tee. You noticed that he was wearing a wedding ring, so you averted your eyes off of him. The man next to him, however, was absolutely stunning. His left arm carried a sleeve-full of tattoos, and you wanted so badly to examine and look at every single one. With chocolate brown curls, his green eyes had a tad bit of a glimmer to them, not too much though, because if you were being honest, they were a bit dull, like he was exhausted and needed to let off some of the stress that he held based on how tense he looked.

You tried not to observe and think about it too much as your ability to read individuals thrived while meeting new people. You shook it off the thought, not wanting to assume things about their lives and seem too creepy in front of new and potential members.

“Yeah, we are. I’m Benny, by the way.” He shook your hand, smiling.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Y/N. I run this place.” You offered the same smile back. Your eyes looked over at his friend, and he gave you a soft smile. “Y/N,” you repeated, taking your hand out for him to shake.

“I’m Harry. Harry Styles,” he introduced fully. A beautiful name for a beautiful man, you thought. He shook your hand as you felt the softness of his skin mixed with a tad bit of roughness from the callouses, probably from heavy-lifting.

Something about Harry introducing his full name had made you a bit weak in the knees. His deep and accented voice had made you a bit flustered as chills ran up your body. You’re acting like a fool, your subconscious told you. You were never one to show your obvious attraction for men, you were more into watching them from the side. But once Harry walked in, it seemed like you didn’t know how to keep your chill.

“Perfect. Nice to meet you both. Signing up shouldn’t be too long—don’t want to keep you two from working out.” You led the two men to one of the offices, knocking on the wooden door to greet Jamie. “Hi. These two are looking to sign up. Do you mind helping them out?”

“Of course! Come on in, guys,” Jamie greeted them, offering them to take a seat along with some water, which they both said yes to.

“I have to get back to my session, but you both are in great hands. Jamie is one of our best,” you told the two. You sent an innocent wink at Jamie, which he sent one back while Harry watched the entire interaction, feeling uneasy.

It was quite obvious how attractive and pretty you were. The moment he first saw you, his breath had immediately hitched in his throat. You had the most gorgeous face he’d ever seen, and when you spoke, your voice was soft and gentle, making Harry a bit more safe in a place he’s new to.

Jamie had gotten their details and credit card information down before asking them if they needed a tour of the place. They both had said no, seeing as things were pretty self-explanatory and they’d been to a boxing gym before.

They headed out of Jamie’s office and to the main floor, walking over to the heavy bags since the section was less crowded to start stretching. Harry rolled his shoulders and neck around, swinging his arms forwards and backward as he looked around the gym.

This was something he had to get used to—being in a new place, surrounded by new people. At Fight Night, he was around the same people for four years, and he was comfortable — he was fine with it. But now, he had to go through the same process all over again. Nerves and anxiety crept up his skin as he tried to jump around lightly, warming up a bit but also trying to shake off the unwanted feelings.

“Hey, you okay?” Benny asked concerningly as he stretched.

Harry’s brows raised, covering up his anxiousness. “Hmm, yeah, I am. Y’know, just a, uh, new place, that’s all,” he brushed him off.

“Okay. Well, whenever you’re ready to go, just tell me,” Benny told him before going into his bag to grab the wrapping tape.

Harry nodded, smiling in appreciation. Benny had always been a great friend to him, and Harry was a great friend to Benny as well. They always took each other’s feelings and concerns into consideration—always making sure the other is okay. They both really appreciated it because some friends weren’t lucky enough to talk about their feelings and be that vulnerable with one another. They trusted each other; they were like brothers.

Harry grabbed his jump rope, deciding to do a little five-minute warm-up to get his heart rate going. He faced the boxing ring to the left of him, noticing that you were in the ring, so he decided to casually watch you box. He then noticed that you had boxing pads on instead of gloves, and the people you were training were the kids that he had seen earlier.

He watched you instruct the excited kids who were prancing around with their boxing gloves on, in every color imagined. You helped them fix their form, their stance, and their punch; telling them that they had to be quick with their hit to bring their glove back to the side of their face quickly, so their opponent doesn’t have a chance to take a hit. The kids demonstrated for you, punching your right hand that was covered with the pad. You praised all of them, of course, correcting a few things, but overall, everyone was a natural fighter.

Harry’s heart rate definitely started to pick up, and he didn’t know if it was how fast he was jumping rope or because of the flutter he felt as he watched you interact with the kids. He truly never felt this kind of feeling where his heart picked up from the simple act of looking at someone.

You had definitely noticed Harry staring at you from your peripheral view, and you had thought it was a simple glance, but he never looked away. So, you took the opportunity to take a quick look at him while the kids were practicing.

Your eyes met him and you sent him a small smile, along with a wave with your boxing pads. Harry’s eyes widened, realizing that you were waving at him, and what happened next had embarrassed him even more. With how fast he was jumping, he suddenly got tangled with the rope, causing him to trip against it. Luckily, he caught his fall, but he was already embarrassed enough.

Harry’s heart completely dropped, cheeks flushed. He couldn’t believe he had made a complete fool of himself, especially at his new gym. He so badly wanted to tell Benny that he was ready to leave, but when he looked over at his friend, he had already started his workout, being so focused and in the zone that Harry didn’t want to be a burden.

When he turned back around to see if you were still looking, he jolted back a bit as you were behind him.

“Are you okay?” You asked concerningly.

“Uh, yeah. I…yeah, I’m okay. Thanks.” He cleared his throat, trying to cover up the fact that his voice almost cracked. He was so stunned by you. The way you made sure he was okay was possibly the nicest thing someone had done for him as you looked at him with your sweet eyes, and your posture was giving him your full attention. His heart pounded through his chest; the simple action and effort that was being put into this was making him overwhelmed.

“Okay. Let me know if you need anything, yeah?” You told him as you looked at him intently. He simply nodded, knowing that he couldn’t process any more words.

You gave him one last smile before quickly going back to your students. He watched you climb into the ring so effortlessly before continuing your training class.

Harry took a deep breath before walking over to one of the speed bags that was in the corner, hoping to hide away from the embarrassment that he felt. Wrapping his hands up, he anxiously scanned the room, noticing that everyone was doing their own thing. There was a possibility that no one else had seen him almost fall on his face, except you, which he really wished that it was the entire gym who saw him instead, not you. He lazily hit the speed bag, trying to warm up and shake off his mortification. Harry continued hitting the bag, eventually getting into a rhythm as his fists alternated between one another, along with the rhythm of the music of Montrell Jordan’s ‘This Is How We Do It.’

Soon enough, all the worry and stress that was in Harry’s head and body was shaken off and completely forgotten about as he focused on his strong punches, making sure to connect his mind to his muscles, so he could feel his muscles working.

And for the time being, life wasn’t all that bad.

A month had passed since being at Don’s Box, and Harry and Benny quite liked it. They had newer equipment and their music was always on point, playing the best of 90s R&B and Hip-Hop. It was their favorite music to listen to, especially while working out. The people there were nice and cool, never getting in each other’s way and letting everyone do their own thing while still having fun, keeping the space safe and comfortable.

Harry found himself walking into the gym at nine at night, an hour and a half before it closed. Usually, he wouldn’t work out this late, but during the day, he had felt so unmotivated and lazy to even get out of bed. He could put the blame on Lizette because she had gone to his house the night prior, doing the same thing they always do, but he knew she wasn’t the one to blame. Something about saying no to her and having her not talk to him had physically pained him. They were in a specific arrangement, he knew that. But having someone leave him again was something he couldn’t go through.

‘What’s Luv?’ by Fat Joe, Ja Rule, and Ashanti was playing when he set his bag down onto the ground against the wall, next to the heavy bag. He started to stretch as he took a look around; not many people were working out at this time, which he liked.

His eyes continued to search the gym, in hopes he would find you still here. Before the slightest bit of disappointment could settle, he saw you walk out of the hallway with Jamie, smiling and laughing at something he had said. He made a face as a hint of jealousy rushed through as he saw you with Jamie. He knew that there was no point in being jealous because he barely even knew you. But for the past month that he’s been at Don’s Box, you always had this look of excitement on your face when you saw and greeted Harry. It made his stomach flutter every time you would flash him your beautiful smile as you would carry the conversation, asking him about his day and if the music was good, which he commends you for putting his favorite songs on.

Looking away, he decided to just focus on the quick workout he could get in before the gym closed, so he retained his attention back to stretching before bending down to grab the tape from his bag to wrap his hands.

“Uh, hi, Harry,” you smiled as you greeted him. He looked up at you. The way the light was positioned behind your head made you look like an actual angel; you were ethereal.

He stood up and smiled softly. “Hi. How are you?” He asked, trying to contain his nerves from just looking at you. You were gorgeous, as you always are every day. You were wearing a pair of black leggings and a light pink t-shirt that was tied into a knot with the word ‘angel’ that was surrounded by wings printed in the middle. Kind of a coincidence, he thought, thinking back to when he called you an angel in his head.

“Good, good. You’re here later than usual—without Benny too,” you pointed out, but immediately cursed at yourself for making such an odd observation and telling it to his face as if you were keeping track of the times he’s gone into the gym.

“Yeah, I was pretty…tired during the day, so the only time I got a burst of energy was right now. And Benny is with his wife and in-laws tonight, so it’s just me tonight,” he explained with a soft chuckle.

“Well, glad you got the chance to make it in,” you said genuinely. He simply nodded, not knowing what else to say but instead he captured himself into you as you stared at him with your captivating eyes that spoke right through him. What was happening to him? He thought. This hadn’t really happened before, and he was good at letting his walls go up and guarding his precious heart.

“Hey, I’m gonna head out,” Jamie said, greeting you goodbye, and taking Harry out of his thoughts. “Hey, man. Have a good workout.” He shook Harry’s hand, and Harry smiled, nodding.

“See you tomorrow,” you told Jamie, smiling a bit as you waved. Jamie left the gym, and it was just you and Harry, along with a few other people who were wrapping up their workout.

“Are you not gonna go with him?” Harry asked, and you raised your brows in confusion.

“Why would I go with him?” You wondered.

“Oh, I just thought you would leave with him, y’know, your boyfriend…” he trailed off, slyly slipping in the word boyfriend in that sentence.

You giggled, shaking your head. “No, no. Jamie isn't my boyfriend. I’ve known him since I was ten, but nothing’s ever happened between us. Besides, he has a boyfriend of his own.” Harry raised his brows in shock as his shoulders visibly relaxed. “No need to worry, Harry. I’m all yours,” you flirted a bit. You normally wouldn’t flirt so easily with someone, especially if they were a member of your gym, but something about Harry had made you release all the stress you had once you saw and talked to him.

Harry blushed, grinning as his dimple popped out on his cheek. Your eyes lightened once you noticed that feature, making you think that he was ten times cuter than he already is.

“You’ve been in the ring, right?” You asked curiously. Harry nodded, and the corner of your lips turned up. “Great! We have about a little less than an hour and a half, so if you’re looking for some intense cardio, I could do it with you—y’know, train you and guide you, and whatnot,” you suggested.

If Harry’s being honest, he wasn’t planning on doing cardio today—just a few routines to get his muscles warm, but the way you’re looking at him and how you spoke to him so softly and effortlessly, he couldn’t say no.

“Yeah, I’m up for it,” he responded. Your eye brightened, resisting the urge to squeal from excitement, telling him that you were going to get the mitts and to meet you in the ring. He chuckled slightly as you walked over to the equipment room to get the mitts. Harry quickly hit the speed bag to warm up until he saw you walk out of the room.

He put on his gray sweater and a green packers beanie, so he could sweat more before he met you in the ring with his gloves pressed between his arm and the side of his body. You put the mitts in between your legs as Harry handed you one of the gloves. Holding onto the end of it, he put his hand inside as you pushed the glove towards him, so it would sit on his hand tightly before strapping it securely for him before proceeding to the next one. The proximity between you two was quite close as you helped him put on the gloves, and you could smell the faint scent of cologne mixed with the slightest bit of sweat, giving him that unique musk; the one that doesn’t smell horrible at all but lured you in.

You quickly snapped out of your thoughts and looked up at Harry. “Good?” He nodded, punching the gloves together to make sure they felt comfortable. “Ready?”

“Let’s do this,” Harry said, skipping in place to warm his body up before getting into his stance. His left leg was a few feet away from his right leg as he bounced around a bit, waiting for you.

You faintly smirked, nodding your head before you put on the mitts. Since Harry was very familiar with the mitt workouts, you figured that you didn’t need to explain what each number represented since mostly all trainers and coaches use the same numbers for the same punch.

“Okay, let’s warm up a bit. Give me one,” you instructed. Harry put his gloves up to protect his face as you held your right mitt up. With his left hand, he punched your mitt, not giving his full strength. “Is that all you got?” You challenged, knowing that he had more power in him.

“I-I don’t want to hurt you,” he said honestly with a small pout, standing straight from his boxing stance. Usually, you would take offense to that statement, barking back a comment saying that just because you were a girl it didn’t mean you couldn’t take a hit, but you didn’t go that far into it, knowing Harry didn’t mean it that way whatsoever.

“You’re not gonna hurt me, Harry. I’ve trained so many people—all with different body types and strengths. My hand has felt all different types of power, so hit the mitt like you mean it.” You hit his shoulder, building up his motivation. He nodded, getting back into his stance as did you. “Now, give me one.”

This time, Harry’s glove met your mitt with full potential and force, and you took the hit well—not moving back or being stunned.

“There you go! Keep going,” you told him, and he continued giving you jabs. ‘In Da Club’ by 50 Cent was blaring through the speakers as Harry breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. Several huffs of breath came out loudly as he punched, moving and dancing around the ring with you as the two of you occasionally shifted and switched positions.

Harry got in a few more punches before you switched it up, telling him, “1-2.” Harry jabbed with his left hand and crossed jabbed with his right hand, putting his full range of motion into his right punch. He did that combination five times as he started to feel sweat dripping down his back and the sides of his forehead.

You were yelling out words of encouragement and motivation, praising him for his punches, to which he responded back with a better and solid punch to your mitts.

“Nice!” You took a step back to move around the ring to take advantage of the space as Harry jumped and skipped around to wherever you directed him to. “Wanna take a break?” You asked. He shook his head no, determined to finish this workout that he couldn’t even think about wanting to take a break because he really didn’t want to. “Okay, 1-4-3,” you told him. With force, he jabbed, hooked with his left hand, and hooked with his right hand.

This feeling that he had felt—being in the ring with you—was something entirely different than when he was in the ring with Henson or Mike. The stress that he physically carried onto his shoulder had washed away into nothingness, leaving him with a drive that didn’t include overthinking and fear. The fear that had left him worried and depressed, that his life would amount to nothing—that fear disappeared inside him once he threw the first punch. It was exhilarating and fun, and he didn’t know he could have this much fun in the ring. But this was the most pleasure he’s ever felt while boxing.

You ordered him to do some different combinations, such as ‘1-2-3-5,’ which was a jab, cross jab, leading hook, and rear uppercut. You also included moments when he had to duck because you were swinging at him. He definitely had gotten into a rhythm, punching and moving faster. You were the trainer, the person that was supposed to instruct him, but you matched his rhythm and energy and moved quicker with him as well.

You were starting to get a sweat in as well, and that was mostly because of the adrenaline rushing through your blood as you moved excitedly around the ring.

After a while, a timer had gone off, telling you that it was time to close up as Harry’s focus was cut off—the sound making him look up hastily. Throughout the time you were working out with Harry, people were slowly starting to make their way out, but the two of you were too focused on working out that you hadn’t even noticed that it was just the two of you left in the gym.

“Oh, guess we’re closing.” You stood up straighter, wiping the sweat on your forehead with your forearm. “Feelin’ good?” You asked Harry with a proud smile.

“Feelin’ great,” he smirked.

“Good, I’m glad. You did great!” You complimented, ripping the velcro strap with your teeth as you took off the mitts. Harry did the same, shaking out his arms as he clenched and unclenched his fists to relieve the ache from making a fist for more than an hour.

“Thank you. You’re a really great trainer, by the way. This was…the first time I had fun in the ring,” he told you honestly, and without knowing, the slightest bit of him had opened up to you.

Your eyes brightened, a glimpse of shimmer reflected on your eyes. “Really? Thank you, that makes me really happy, actually.” You felt like you were going to cry on the spot. No one, except your younger students, had ever told you that they had fun in the ring since most people used boxing as a way to get stronger and improve their punches. But fun? That was the first, and you would definitely keep that with you forever.

You and Harry walked to one end of the ring as Harry held open the top two ropes with his hand as he stepped on the bottom two ropes with his foot, holding it open for you to get out. You blushed, thanking him before you got out of the ring as he followed you out.

Once you two were on the ground, you turned around to face him. You watched as he took off his beanie, shaking his hair out as they bounced; curls were now formed into waves because of the heat and the sweat that had produced in his beanie. He looked…extra good right now. With his cheeks flushed, hair messy, and sweat dripping down his forehead, you couldn’t put into words how incredibly sexy he looked.

You cleared your throat, not wanting to get caught for ogling him. “I, uh, have to check on some things before closing. Take your time! And I’ll see you on Monday?” You raised your brows and curled your lips in as you looked up at him. A sense of flustered-ness settled in you as you waited for his answer.

He breathed out a chuckle as he looked down briefly before looking back into your eyes again. “Yeah, I’ll see you.” You nodded your head, waving at him before you headed over to the office. Harry smiled as he watched you walk into the hallway until he couldn’t see you anymore.

A small blush formed onto his cheeks as he contained himself from smiling too big and too wide. He put all of his stuff back into his bag, grabbing his towel, ridding the sweat off his skin. Grabbing his belongings, he took another glance at the hallway, hoping to get another look at you before he took off, but you were occupied with closing the gym, so he didn’t bother staying any longer.

With a small smile on his face, he walked out of the gym, taking in this new profound feeling that he’d never felt before, hoping this feeling would last.

The next morning, Harry had a sudden urge to go back to the gym. His upper body was quite sore, but he figured he could do some leg exercises to balance the soreness he felt. He normally wouldn’t workout on the weekends since those were his rest days, but despite being sore, he didn’t feel tired. It could also do with the fact that he wanted to see you again, not wanting to wait until Monday to do that again.

When he walked into the gym, ‘Ride Wit Me’ by Nelly was playing and his head slightly bopped to the music, walking over to the corner of the gym to warm up. He scanned the gym, looking for a particular person, but couldn’t find you. There were a decent amount of people, not too crowded or too little, so it should’ve been easy to find you. Thinking that you were probably in your office, he shook off the slight disappointment and got ready to workout.

Throughout his workout, his head wasn’t in it. He kept glancing through the mirror to see if you had shown up, but you hadn’t. His eyes were always looking over at the front door every time someone would walk in, but a small frown settled onto his face when he realized it wasn’t you.

He wrapped up his workout an hour later, thinking that he somewhat still got a good workout in. He walked out of the gym, saying bye to some of the guys that had caught him before he left.

It was nearing noon when his stomach had growled, urging him to consume some food. There was a Mediterranean hole-in-the-wall restaurant right across Don’s Box, and his mouth watered at the thought of it. He walked to his car that was parked on the side of the street to drop his bag off before walking across the street to the restaurant.

He scanned the menu, standing on the side since he didn’t know what he was ordering yet. The sound of the door ringing and a voice that was speaking to him brought him out of his thoughts.

“Are you in line?” Harry turned his head towards the voice, and his heart nearly beating ten times faster when he saw you. He had a shocked expression on his face, not expecting to see you, especially when you were wearing the complete opposite of what he normally sees you in. You were wearing a pair of blue denim overalls with a black t-shirt underneath, along with white Reebok sneakers. You had a bit of makeup on; an orange sparkly eyeshadow look with some mascara that made your eyelashes look full and natural. Your lips were painted in a red-orange lipstick stain, bringing out more of your natural lip color.

The beauty that Harry’s eyes were blessed with made his knees weak, sending shivers to his skin. Your angelic appearance had struck him so hard that he was sure he would see the light of day, hoping to meet you up there since you were a real-life angel.

“Y/N…hi,” he managed to spit out.

“Hi, Harry. Did you just workout?” You asked.

He nodded, feeling a bit nervous. “Uh, yeah, I did.”

“You don’t usually go in on Saturdays…” you noticed, only seeing him during the weekdays. You’re off on Saturdays, but there was one Saturday that you had gone into the gym briefly, and you didn’t see him there.

“Yeah, I felt like going in today,” he said, obviously leaving out the part that he only went to the gym to see you again, but you didn’t need to know that bit. There was a moment of silence between you two until Harry remembered that he was probably holding up the line for you. “Oh, you could go ahead. I’m not ready to order yet.”

You smiled, nodding your head as you stepped forward in the line. “Have you ever been here before?”

“No, I haven’t. Do you have any suggestions?”

You slightly squinted your eyes at him. “Do you trust me?” You asked.

That was a difficult question for him, and somewhat vague. Did you mean overall, at the moment, or for his food order? Either way, he nodded because he knew that it didn’t matter what you meant--he had this sense of security with you that he would trust you with his life, and that said a lot, considering that he’d only known you for a month.

“Yeah, I do trust you,” he stated honestly.

His words brought a grin to your face, looking at him appreciatively. Based on your observations of him, you noticed that he was a bit closed off; he didn’t open himself up, and if he did, it took a lot in him to do just that. So, hearing him tell you that he trusts you made you grateful, and you would never do anything to take advantage of that trust because he didn’t just give it out easily.

“I got you,” you simply said before turning back around towards the cashier. Harry softly smirked as he took a step forward to stand next to you. You looked at him, flashing him a toothy grin before quickly facing forward.

You ordered your favorite dish from the restaurant, which was a beef kabab plate, for the both of you. Harry quickly got his wallet out, offering to pay, but you told him that you got it this time, hoping your words conveyed that you wanted there to be a next time. He shyly thanked you for the lunch, keeping your words in mind because he would definitely be up for a ‘next time.’

Luckily, you didn’t have to wait long for your order to come out, which was fortunate for Harry because he was starving. You suggested eating outside since it was a beautiful day out and Harry agreed, following you out of the restaurant.

You two sat on the metal chairs, digging into your dishes. Harry’s mouth watered as he ate, his stomach being satisfied. There was a comfortable silence that settled between you two, only making small conversation when you asked if he liked the food, which you were glad to hear that he loved.

“So, how long have you been running Don’s Box?” He suddenly asked, wanting to get to know you better.

You raised your brows at his question. “For about two years now. My father, Don, opened the gym when he was twenty-five, that’s when he had me as well. But when he opened the gym, it practically changed his life. He’d boxed all of his life, and he was happy training other people when he started getting more people to come into his gym. When I was about six, he told me that he wanted me to run the gym when I turned twenty-five, only if I wanted to. But of course, I did. I looked up to him all of my life, and the gym made me happy as well,” you explained, smiling at the memory of when you were younger, being excited to turn twenty-five to do the same thing your father did.

A soft smile appeared on Harry’s face as you reminisce on the memory.

“How long have you been boxing?”

“Since I was eight. Don showed me the ropes when I told him I was ready. There used to be a seating area on the side of the ring because when I was younger, I used to sit there and watch him work and train people. So, I was pretty interested and intrigued about fighting to get myself stronger, even at the young age of eight,” you chuckled.

You were a daddy’s girl, always had been since you were born. Don had always set a pretty amazing example of how you should go about living your life. He would always say ‘Live your life with a strong punch. Keep your head up, and don’t let anything get to you because you’re so much more than what other people say. But if you need to cry, you can—there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.’

As your eyes watered from the thought of your father’s words, Harry watched as you got emotional and he couldn’t help but think that you’ve crossed a line in asking too many questions.

“Sorry, I always get emotional-”

“I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped—I should’ve kept the questions to myself-”

“Oh, no! You didn’t overstep whatsoever. I’m glad you asked me those questions, I just get soft and emotional over my dad, so hence, I’m tearing up,” you let out a somewhat pathetic chuckle as you couldn’t believe that you almost cried in front of this gorgeous man. You dabbed the corners of your eyes with your napkin, stopping the tears from falling out.

Harry nodded understandingly, waiting for you to regroup yourself. You kept apologizing, but he kept telling you that you had nothing to be sorry for.

“Really, if you need to cry, you can…” he told you. Your eyes widened; you were just thinking about your dad’s words two minutes ago, and for Harry to say the exact same thing Don had always told you without even knowing that Don had said those words.

Not wanting to cry in front of him, you simply nodded your head, holding the napkin on the outer corner of your eye, so the napkin would catch your tears.

Harry quickly changed the subject, sensing that you needed it, and you really did, so you were grateful for that. He busied himself by telling you what his favorite ice cream flavor was since he was suddenly reminded that there was a shop just down the street. He kept you occupied by talking about all the sweet treats that he used to eat with his mom back home, and how much he missed walking down the streets in the city to eat some ice cream.

“My mum used to make this really great chocolate mousse pie, and we would eat it every weekend. It was extremely sweet, but it was delicious. I really miss it…” he told you. That had been a while ago, but it was like he could still taste the dessert as if he just ate it yesterday.

“Is your mom back home in England?” You asked, figuring that there wasn’t any harm in asking to get to know him since he asked you some questions as well.

“Uh…actually, I don’t know where she is…” he said honestly, and you knitted your brows in confusion. “I mean, honestly. I don’t know where she is. Ever since I went to uni, she’s been all over the place, taking vacations and barely calling. I-I feel like she’s forgotten about me,” he spoke ever so softly as he was fragile.

You listened to him intently, giving him your full attention as he was opening up a part of his life that you knew he doesn’t tell a lot of people. A part of him that he’s kept in for so long and just the passing sense of relief he felt saying those words and speaking up about this subject had made him feel so much better.

“I’m sure she didn’t forget about you.”

“Seemed like it. We inherited my grandfather’s will—left us a generous amount for each of us that’ll take care of us for the rest of our lives. And she took that and ran with it. I mean, I get it—she wants to live her life, and now’s the time to do that because she’s got the money for it, but I feel…abandoned. She got up, said goodbye, and just…left. It just makes me think that I’m not good enough—that I wasn’t good enough to stay.” Harry opened a can of worms that he can’t take back anymore. But the trust that he had in you already made him want to talk about everything with you; to open up about all of his stresses and insecurities.

Boldly, you reached your arm across the table but immediately pulled away because you didn’t want to touch him without asking. But before you could open your mouth and ask, Harry had reached forward, meeting your hand halfway as his palm was facing up as if it was a way of saying ‘you can hold my hand if you want.’ Blushing, you reached forward again and took your hand into his.

The touch was sweet and tender as you two held hands; the want to hold each other tighter was present, wanting to take away Harry’s pain.

“Harry, you will always be good enough. I know we just met a month ago, but I already know that you’re the sweetest, kindest person. Please know that. You are enough, and I’m grateful that you’re here and that I’m sitting across from you, eating lunch,” you declared. Harry sniffled, not knowing what to say as he put his head down, so you continued. “For as long as we’re friends, I’m gonna stay.” You spoke with complete honesty as you caressed the back of his hand with your thumb.

Harry’s head lifted up at your last statement in disbelief as if this was the first time someone had ever said that to him.

“Really?”

You squeezed his hand, making his heart flutter. “Yeah. As long as you want me to,” you reassured, nodding.

Harry gave you a soft and appreciating smile as he took a deep breath. The breath that he held in throughout the entirety of the conversation was finally let out in relief. He shrunk back into his seat, still holding your hand as you continued rubbing it, and he breathed out a chuckle. It was an overwhelming feeling that was riddled with happiness and a sense of security washed over him.

It was like he had been waiting for you; someone new that unexpectedly came into his life was scary because it was change, but it was a good change. A change for the better. He had been vulnerable enough to open himself up, and it all led to the tight bond and trust you two had with one another, sealing your friendship and relationship.

And you both knew this moment was going to change everything.

Time had passed by rather quickly as it was nearing the end of October. The weather was getting chillier as the sun was beginning to disappear behind the clouds earlier. There was something about the fall weather that Harry adored. It may have to do with the fact that the gloomy sky had occurred more often, or how he got to call it a night early. Whatever it may be, he liked it, or he used to.

In recent times, he wanted the sun to stay out until it was time to go to bed. He wanted warm days instead of gloomy. His new changed attitude towards life had to do with you.

You and Harry had been hanging out quite a lot; getting to know one another, getting a bite or drink, and working out together, it definitely gave Harry the chance to let go of his past. He was happier, smiled more, and laughed a lot which he didn’t know he was capable of doing those things again until he met you.

Benny loved it, though. He sure cherished it because seeing his best friend happy again was something he was afraid he wouldn’t see again. But that didn’t stop him from having a little talk with you, trying to protect Harry and set you straight.

When Harry was occupied with hitting the speed bag, Benny walked over to the ring, where you had just finished another class with your younger students.

“Hey, Benny!” You greeted him once you saw him walk towards you.

“Hey, do you mind chatting for a minute?” You raised your brows, nodding your head. Benny usually didn’t talk to you privately nor was it anything serious, but by the look on his face, it seemed pretty serious. “So, you’ve been hanging out with Harry a lot, hmm?”

You smiled softly. “Yeah! Hope you don’t mind that? Know I’m taking your best friend and all…”

“No, I don’t mind. I’m actually glad you are. He seems quite taken by you, and I haven’t seen him like that in a very long time,” Benny said honestly. You seemed to know where this conversation was going now, and now that you thought about it, you expected this from Benny because they were like brothers and Benny would do anything to protect Harry. “What I’m trying to say is…if you’re only hanging out with him to fuck with him, don’t bother. He’s been through enough, and I know he can’t handle anymore of that and I can’t stand to see him like that again.”

“Like what?” You hesitatingly asked.

“Like…just know that he was a mess. He couldn’t get up, eat, drink, shower, or anything. I had to physically help him. I don’t want to see him like that ever again.” Benny shook his head as if he was reliving the horrible nightmare that he went through a few years ago.

“Is this about his mom?”

“He told you that?” He asked, just to make sure, and you nodded. “Kind of. But that’s only half of it. He’ll tell you when he’s ready, but I’ve already said too much. Just…take care of him, okay? He tries to act tough sometimes, but he’s trying his best to not break down. Although, I haven’t seen that kind of look on him since he’s been hanging out with you, so you’re probably doing something right.”

You nodded understandingly. “Thanks for talking to me. I don’t plan on breaking his heart at all, and I’m quite taken with him myself,” you admitted.

“Good. I’m glad you are. He’s a great guy.” Benny smiled, and you agreed.

Benny didn’t talk to you for much longer before he started getting cold from standing around, so he ended the conversation and went back to working out.

Meanwhile, as you and Benny were talking, Don took the chance himself to talk to Harry, seeing as you were occupied.

“Harry.” Don made himself present around him.

Harry immediately stopped his workout, greeting your father. “What’s up, Don?”

“So, I’ve noticed that you’ve been hanging around Y/N a lot.” Don’s stance changed as he crossed his arms, sporting a slight frown. Harry gulped; he always found Don to be quite intimidating, ever since he joined the gym, but Harry didn’t want to seem like he couldn’t have a serious conversation with the father of the woman that he’s slowly falling for--no, he couldn’t act like that. “What’s that all about?” Don added.

“I’m just…we’re friends, so we’re just hanging out. Nothing more,” he told Don honestly. Although he would like there to be more, he didn’t know how you felt about him or if you even felt anything for him at all.

Don nodded. He could tell that Harry was holding back on something he wanted to say, and he had an idea of what that was. So, he let loose of the intimidating and protective act, knowing that wasn’t really him anyway, and his expression softened as he uncrossed his arms. He placed a comforting hand on Harry’s shoulder, taking a deep breath.

“You have this look of wanting to say more and you don’t have to tell me, but I will tell you this…if you want to date her and go out with her, you can. This isn’t approval and a ‘yes’ for you to take her out because I don’t need to do that--she can make her own decisions. All I’m saying is that if you want to, go for it. Life is too fuckin’ short to not do anything, to not say anything.”

Harry’s shoulders relaxed and he smiled in appreciation at Don’s words. “Thanks, Don. I definitely want to take her out, but I just don’t know how she feels about me.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure she feels something for you--she hasn’t told me, but I just know. You’re the first guy in a while that she’s been hanging around with consistently, and that comforts me, in a way. Knowing that she’s living her life and not holding back anymore.” Harry stayed silent, taking his words in. He tried not to overanalyze what Don had said because you’ll tell him and open up to him when you want to, just like how you’re patiently waiting for Harry to open up fully as well. “Just…don’t break her heart, okay? She’s been through enough and I just want her to be happy.”

Harry nodded understandingly, saying a soft ‘okay’ before Don changed the subject and talked about how Harry should train with him one of these days, which Harry immediately said yes to and they planned for the following week to train. Don left him to finish his workout, telling him to have a nice night as you and Harry were going out to dinner.

Benny and Harry finished up their workout, and before they were able to head out the front door, Harry stopped, telling Benny to give him a minute. Harry fast-walked towards you, lugging his bag on his shoulder. You were coming out of your office, which was why Harry couldn’t say goodbye to you after his workout.

“Hey, we’re heading out,” he said, wiping the bit of sweat on the back of his neck with his towel.

“Oh, okay. I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, I’ll pick you up,” Harry suggested, pursing his lips into his mouth as he contained his smile. You nodded, eyes sparkling as you looked up at him. “I’ll, uh, page you,” he slightly smirked.

“Okay,” you mindlessly responded as you were getting quite lost in his green eyes that looked at you intently with a gleam that sat so perfectly against his irises, making his eyes glimmer brightly.

He gave you one last smile and a little wave before walking out of the gym with Benny. You were left stunned as you stood there, completely drifted away from reality as you were in a dream about Harry. You felt a small nudge on your shoulder, causing you to snap out of your thoughts and dream as you turned around to see your father laughing.

“Get back to work.” A smug plastered on his face.

A breathy chuckle was released from your mouth as a hint of embarrassment emerged onto your face with wide eyes. You got back to work, focusing your attention on training your next client, but your mind was racing at the thought of Harry.

As he promised, Harry paged you when he was outside of your apartment complex. He wanted to knock on your door like the proper gentleman that he is, but the buzzer machine to let people in wasn’t working, so paging you would have to do for now. He waited for you outside of his newly washed car, making sure it was nice and clean for you as he leaned against the passenger door.

You walked out of your building, and Harry was immediately blown away. You were wearing a black skirt with stockings that hugged your legs, and a white knitted sweater since it was on the chillier side.

Every time he saw you, his heart would beat incredibly fast, pulse pounding through his veins. His stomach was in flits of butterflies, soaring in his heart and stomach, making him extremely nervous. Every time he saw you, everything would stop, like you were the only person in the world and everything was okay.

“Hey, H,” you flashed him your smile, one that he looked forward to every time he saw you.

“H-Hi,” he stuttered, clearing his throat to start over. “Hi. You look really nice.”

You blushed. “Thank you! You look great as well. Love this top.” You reached forward, lightly tugging at his red-orange knitted long-sleeve. He paired it with blue jeans that flared at the bottom with white sneakers. His fingers were covered in beautiful silver rings, making his hands look quite gorgeous.

“Thank you, shall we?”

“Yeah, oh, I got you something.” You reached into your bag to take out the cased CD, and before Harry was about to protest, you handed it to him. “I made you this mixtape. Just some songs that I think you’ll like—I’m sure you know all of them, but they just made me think of you,” you said shyly.

You weren’t normally shy and you would call yourself a pretty strong and confident person, but you had been so nervous to give this to him—even making the tape left you anxious and shaking.

“Wow, this is…very thoughtful of you. Thank you so much.” Harry looked at the CD with the songs written in your handwriting. There were 10 songs, and Harry knew all of them. They were all…romantic songs.

“That’s not weird, right? Y’know, making you a mixtape?” You asked unsurely. The odd feeling had popped into your mind at the last second as you watched Harry observe the CD, not giving a bad nor good reaction to your gift.

“No, not at all! I really appreciate this. No one has ever made a mixtape for me before, so this is really nice and special. Thank you again.” He reached forward, wrapping one arm around your shoulders as both of your arms found their way around his waist. You somewhat weren’t convinced that he liked it, and he could tell just by how you were looking at him--looking for some more reassurance--that it seemed like he didn’t like it. When he pulled away, he looked at you before saying, “Really, it makes me happy that you took the time to make this for me. It’s so sweet and thoughtful of you, and I already love all the songs on here, so I’m one-hundred-percent going to enjoy this.”

You nodded, smiling softly as he opened the door for you and you thanked him, blushing as you got in. It seemed very much like a date and you couldn’t help but smile at the thought of that.

Harry drove to the sandwich shop that waited for you both. It was twenty minutes away on the other side of the town, but Harry had been raving about it so much to you that you told him that you two should go, which Harry was more than happy to take you.

The sound of Boyz II Men filled the speakers of Harry’s car as the two of you sang your hearts out to ‘On Bended Knees,’ putting full emotion and passion into singing. You held up your water bottle, pretending that it was a microphone, and Harry kept shifting his gaze on you, trying to keep his eyes on the road, but also wanting to look at you as you sang. He smiled to himself, absolutely loving how you were so carefree--something that he admired about you.

His heart fluttered, curling his lips into his mouth before he did something that was quite bold of him to do. Reaching over, he grabbed your hand, intertwining your fingers together. Your body was frozen, but you continued to sing, covering up the fact that Harry was holding your hand so casually. You were stiff as a board, so you tried loosening up, swaying your body from side to side, slightly averting your eyes towards him as he continued to drive.

The moonlight cast through the car window, giving him a dim glow, accentuating his features; jawline prominent, his lashes shadowed down onto his cheeks, and his eyes were calm; the light reflecting against his glassy green eyes. Your heartbeat a million miles a minute as you looked at him. You had this appreciation and admiration for him--that you were lucky and grateful that you have him and that there was nothing more beautiful than the man sitting beside you.

With your face on fire, you smiled as you carried on, singing with the warmth of Harry’s hand connected with yours.

You were sitting across Harry, munching on your sandwich as you listened to him talk about how he wanted to actually find a job. He’s been sitting around, living quite wealthy as his inheritance sat safely. But he’d been getting bored. Every day was a routine for him and it was a pretty boring routine, he would say. The only places he really went to were the gym and the places that the two of you went together, but that was it. He needed a hobby, something that he could escape to that doesn’t require breaking a sweat from punching bags and mitts.

“You said you like books, so maybe you could see if the bookstore down the street from the gym is hiring. That would be a nice little place to work at,” you suggested.

Harry’s eyes lightened up, apart from thinking that was a great idea and the other part from being surprised that you remembered such a small detail about him when he’d talked about books briefly with you.

“I should definitely do that, thank you. I love that bookstore, it’s-”

“Y/N?” Harry was interrupted by a man who had walked over to your table. Harry looked up, observing the guy as he was looking at you so intently. He quickly looked at you as you were looking up at the man with a shocked expression on your face, wide eyes and mouth slightly opened.

“Uh, hi,” you said, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Your eyes glanced at Harry and he had a worried expression on his face, eyes asking if you were okay. You nodded softly, bringing your attention back to him.

“I-I’ve been calling the gym and paging you, but you haven’t been answering any of them…” the man mentioned slyly. You were quite speechless, not expecting him to be here and not knowing what to say.

“I, uh-”

“Can we talk right now?” He asked. You were flickering your eyes between Harry, someone that you were completely infatuated with, and the man that you were completely irritated with. But if you didn’t talk to him right now, he wouldn’t leave you alone and wouldn’t stop calling you, so you made the mistake of saying a soft ‘okay’ as you got up, looking over at Harry, giving a subtle smile.

Just by the way he was looking at you, you knew you had regretted your decision and you wished that you hadn’t given in so easily.

Once you were outside, you crossed your arms, in a way to seem reserved and closed off, but in reality, you really were. The uncomfortableness you felt was something you haven’t felt in a while as it felt like your stomach was boiling as bile salivated your mouth. Your fists were hidden underneath your arms, clenching, and your lips were curled into your mouth to immediately spew inappropriate sayings and vile remarks.

“What do you want to talk about?” You asked, brows pinched together.

“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for quite a while now, but I just wanted to talk. I hate how we ended things…” he said remorsefully. You tried not to fall for the pouty look he was giving you as if he knew quite well you would fall for it.

“It’s been six months, Max,” you reminded him. You and Max had an ugly breakup, and you had been picking up your own pieces yourself. You two had been together for nearly a year until he started to act differently. Noticing that he was going home late, staying at the bars until the early hours of the morning, and being quite rude and dismissive towards you, it ended in a screaming match where he ended up spitting out rude comments at you--calling you ugly, useless, and boring. It also caused him to confess that he was cheating on you for half the time you were together with him, and you thought that was a lie he made up just to make you angry, but a month after the breakup, you had found out that was true because you had accidentally bumped into the girl he was cheating on you with. At the time, you couldn’t blame him because the girl was absolutely gorgeous and seemed a lot of fun, but now, you know your worth and you absolutely didn’t deserve that whatsoever.

For six months, you hadn’t seen him, but he had been leaving you countless calls to the gym phone. However, Max wouldn’t dare to step foot in the gym ever again because Don had clearly threatened him when he saw Max on the street, pinning him up against the brick wall by his shirt and yelling in his face that if he ever came close to you or the gym ever again, he wouldn’t see the end of the day.

Don would’ve lost his shit if he saw Max in front of you.

“This is pointless. I was fine living my life for the past six months without you. In fact, I haven’t even thought about you until you showed up. Couldn’t you see I was doing just fine? Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Your tone was scornful, not wanting to be in front of him anymore but instead the lovely man inside.

“I just assumed you wanted some sort of closure…”

“If I wanted closure, then I would’ve called you. But I don’t need closure. I was doing okay-”

“With who? That man inside the restaurant?” He interrupted, brows raised. His demeanour suddenly changed just because you had given him the slightest bit of attitude. Max went from soft, wanting forgiveness to the Max that you saw last--completely offensive, rude, and a dickhead.

“Yeah, his name is Harry, by the way. I was doing okay until you showed up!” You rolled your eyes, making your way back inside to Harry, who was waiting for you inside.

Of course, Max wasn’t done until he got the last word, so he yelled out, “You know, whatever you’re doing with him, he’s gonna leave you; just like how I left you.” You slowly turned around, heart aching as his words had definitely done something this time. “You think Harry cares about you Y/N? Think again, he’s gonna leave you and you’re gonna be alone. You’re nothing, Y/N--not without me, at least. You aren’t worth anything, and you had to take over your dad’s gym to feel like you are. Stop fooling yourself.”

Your eyes watered, trying your hardest not to let them slip from your eyes. You had already felt weak tearing up in front of him, so you couldn’t imagine what he would think if you bawled your eyes out. Suddenly, you heard the bell above the restaurant door chime. You didn’t bother turning around, but you somehow knew that it was Harry who was behind you.

“Everything alright here?” Harry asked warily, eyes pointed towards you.

“Yeah, man. See you, Y/N.” With that, he walked away, hopefully for good. Harry knew everything wasn’t alright with how you’re ready to burst into tears. As much as he wanted to follow him, force an answer out of him as to why you were in such distress, he was more worried about you.

Standing in front of you, Harry placed an arm on your shoulder, his other hand held the brown paper bag that had both of your leftovers as he didn’t want to eat without you. Your body was tense, not because of Harry’s touch but because of the words that had taken such an effect on you, and you were doing everything to not break down in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Hey, you okay?” Harry asked softly, bending down slightly to look you in the eyes. Your eyes were pointed down at the ground, thinking that if you looked Harry in the eyes, you were going to break.

“Uh, c-can you take me to the gym, please?” You asked once you fully gained the courage to speak, but your voice was shaky.

Harry immediately nodded. “Yeah, yeah, of course. Let’s go.” He put his arm around your shoulders and you comfortably nuzzled into his side as he guided you to his car.

The drive back was silent—the complete opposite from the drive to the restaurant. Instead of happiness radiating out of your bodies, the space felt gloomy. Harry’s mind had spiraled as he drove, thinking about what that man could have possibly said to you. He was torn between wanting to be angry, but he was more concerned for you because you had never been this silent before.

Once Harry was in front of the gym, you immediately got out before he was able to turn off the car. Using your keys, you unlocked the front door, turning off the alarm system before throwing your purse, not caring where it landed and rushed towards the heavy bags.

This was where you let all your anger out. The place where you screamed at the top of your lungs with no care on who might hear you. This was your safe space, and if someone was going to judge you for utilizing your safe space, then they didn’t belong there.

You screamed, punched, and kicked the heavy bag with full force as your tears had streamed down your face. Your heart was beating painfully with every scream you forced out of your body. Your punches were solid, making the bag swing back and forth, but your knuckles were starting to redden because you didn’t wrap your hands.

Harry quickly followed you, a frown plastered on his face as he watched you let your anger out all on the heavy bag. He let you do your thing, watching from the sidelines before he waited for the right moment to cut in.

“You. Fucking. Stupid. Piece. Of. Shit,” you yelled out with every punch. You sniffled, continuing to punch the bag, eyes glossy from your endless amount of tears.

The friction from the leather and your bare skin was rubbing against each other, cutting and peeling open your skin. Your hands had numbed the pain, so you carried on with your punches until Harry had wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you into his chest and away from the heavy bag once he started to see redness and blood scattered onto your knuckles. You screamed, your body protesting, wanting to continue punching, but you knew you didn’t have any more energy.

Turning around in his arms, your face was met with his chest, sobbing into his shirt. Harry’s hands soothed your back, comforting you as his heart ached from the sadness you radiated. Your bloody hands clutched his shirt as you cried, tears staining his shirt. Your whines and whimpers filled the empty gym, echoing back at you.

Everything hurt—your heart, eyes, body, and your hands were now starting to sting. Harry held you tighter, carefully taking a seat onto the ground and bringing you down with him. You sat in between his legs and your head rested on his shoulder.

After a moment, he felt you calm down and your body physically relaxed. Mindlessly, his hand brushed your hair back from your forehead, pressing a kiss to your skin. Harry hadn’t realized he did that until he pulled away and he hoped he hadn’t crossed a line by doing that. But when he kissed your forehead, you pulled him closer, burying your face into his neck.

“Talk to me—tell me what you need, angel,” he said softly, wanting to help and be there for you. The nickname had completely slipped out as he’d been calling you that in his head. He’d never seen you break down at all, so this was very new to him.

You shook your head, nickname going over your head. “Nothing. Just you.”

Harry nodded his head, heart fluttering at your words as he held you tighter. He continued to soothe your hair and back as he heard you sigh deeply at the comfort. Looking down at your hands, he realized they were still bloody and cut up, and he knew that your cuts needed to be treated as soon as possible.

“Can I take care of your hands? I’m still gonna be close, just wanna bandage you up.” You sniffled, nodding your head. Harry slightly smiled, carefully getting up before helping you up. He wrapped his arm around your shoulder, first asking you where the first aid kit was, and you two walked to one of the offices to get the kit before going to the restroom. “Wanna sit?” He asked, patting the cold counter. Nodding your head, you placed your hands on the counter, but he quickly stopped you, taking off his jacket for you to sit on.

“Thank you,” you softly said to him gratefully before jumping to sit on the counter.

Harry opened the box that contained multiple and different types of bandages, an instant cold pack, thermometer, antiseptic wipes, and scissors. Harry washed his hands well before grabbing the antiseptic wipe and ripping it open. He situated himself between your legs, gently grabbing your hand to rest on his. He looked up at you, first asking you if it was okay to start, and when you said yes, he slowly and carefully started to wipe the area around the cut.

You watched him as he cleaned your cuts; he was so focused on wiping the blood that stained your skin and was careful not to press too hard because you were starting to bruise already. As you watched him, you felt immensely grateful. It’d been a while since you had a true friend that would help you with anything and take care of you. Your feelings for him had skyrocketed, heart pounding so loud you could feel it in your ears.

“The guy at the restaurant was my ex-boyfriend, Max,” you suddenly said. Harry looked up at you to let you know that he was listening as he continued to clean your hands. “It was a bit of a messy breakup; he called me names, insulted me, and confessed that he was cheating on me. When I saw him at the restaurant, that was the first time since the breakup, and it was like I relived that day again.”

“Did he say anything to you?” Harry asked, holding back his anger because he knew the answer, Harry watched through the window the entire time and noticed your posture and demeanor change, causing Harry to quickly pay and rush outside just in case anything happened.

“Y-Yeah.” Your voice croaked. “Said I didn’t amount to anything—that I wasn’t anything without him-”

“That’s bullshit, Y/N-”

“I’m so mad at myself.” Tears were forming in your eyes again as you looked down at your lap. Redness brimmed your eyelids as you sniffled.

“What? Why?” Harry asked confusingly.

You shook your head at yourself. “For years, I’ve been training—learning how to defend myself for when I need it. I was raised to have a strong mindset, to not take shit from anyone because Don told me not to. But when he came around, I didn't say a word, let alone move a muscle. I hate how he made me weak. I hate how I didn’t stand up for myself.” Your voice was shaky and your tears streamed down your face as you paused for a moment. “He told me that you were gonna leave me just like everyone else in my life did,” you added.

Harry was seething, breathing in through his nose as his face hardened. He masked his anger because his priority was to comfort you, so he tried to let go of his anger for a moment.

“Listen to me.” He placed his hands on the outside of your legs, bending down to look you in the eyes. Your glossy eyes looked at him, a small pout on your face. “You’re the strongest person I know, alright, angel?” This time, you heard the pet name loud and clear, making your heart do backflips. “You didn’t let him walk all over you, no, you’re much more mature than him to ever start something. He wanted to see you angry, and frustrated. He wanted to add fuel to the fire, and you didn’t give him the satisfaction. You aren’t weak at all. You’ve got a strong heart, and I’m sure that punch of yours to his nose would damage it for good.”

You breathed out a chuckle at his last statement, nodding, knowing he was right. Harry smiled, dimples showing proudly as he wiped the tears that were falling from your eyes. Giving him a half-smile, you leaned forward, pressing your face against his collarbones. He stood up straight to wrap his arms around your back. You daringly placed a kiss onto the exposed skin that was peeking out from his shirt. Harry’s face warmed up at the touch that was so soft and delicate, yet felt like it was burning through his skin. You pulled away, looking up at him as you thanked him.

Your eyes darted between his eyes and his lips as your face was just inches away from him. His face was delicate and his beauty shined over the darkness of the world. It was as if he didn’t seem real like you couldn’t believe someone so beautiful and breathtaking was standing right in front of you. You studied every curve, movement, and freckle on his face as they all very well defined him, heightening your admiration with every look of his perfections and imperfections.

Harry blushed under your stare, clearing his throat as he felt nervous. He pulled his face away a tad bit, offering you a small smile. “Of course. Always gonna be here for you. Now, let me just finish cleaning your hands before taking you home.”

You nodded, letting him finish with his task. His hands were gentle as he wrapped the bandage around your hand. Your heart was filled with so much admiration and gratitude that you simply wouldn’t know what to do if Harry weren’t there today. The growing feelings had taken over your heart and mind that you were a bit scared, but nonetheless, you let them take over.

Harry sat at the bar next to Benny, nursing a beer he had ordered ten minutes ago. It had been a while since they hung out together, but that was because Benny was trying to get his wife pregnant, so when Marianne calls, they spent their time baby-making. The other reason was that Harry was spending most of his time with you, which he loved every minute of.

“So, a little bird told me that you’ve been going to the gym on Saturdays now,” Benny mentioned, a hint of tease in his tone.

Harry chuckled. “Really? And who told you that?” He asked, taking a sip of his beer.

“Starts with a D and ends with an N,” Benny laughed, giving you the obvious answer.

“Well, I’ve been going in on Saturdays because Don always schedules our training sessions on Saturdays. Nothing else,” he slightly lied. After his first training day with Don, Harry told Don that he wanted to continue training with him because he gets a good workout with him rather than by himself, hitting the heavy bag or speed bag, so Don always scheduled for Saturdays since those were the easiest days.

But other than the training sessions, he also got to see you on Saturdays, which he really enjoyed because sometimes after his workout, you two would grab a bite to eat or plan to hang out later that day. He liked it, he liked you.

“Hmm, interesting. It doesn’t have to do with a particular trainer who also happens to own the gym?” Benny raised his brows.

“Not really into Don, to be honest,” Harry joked, bouncing around Benny’s question. They both laughed, slamming their hand on the bar top.

“Really, though. I’m happy for you. You’ve been in such a happier mood, and that’s all I want—is for you to be happy. She’s doing a great job,” Benny said honestly. Seeing his friend happy after everything he’s been through had lifted a certain weight off of his shoulders, and it seemed like he didn’t need to worry about Harry.

Harry simply nodded, smiling as words weren’t necessary. He always felt like Benny was always concerned about him, and although he appreciated him being worried, he didn’t need to anymore because Harry was finally feeling much happier than he was before.

“There you are.” A voice was suddenly heard next to Harry along with a hand on his shoulder. Harry tensed up, and he hadn’t in a while, but he knew that wasn’t your voice nor was it your touch. Harry turned his head to the side to find Lizette sitting on the stool next to him, giving him a smug smile. He didn’t say anything but look at Benny, and saw his eyes narrow, confused as to why Lizette was here. “I’ve been calling your home and paging you. Why haven’t you been answering me?” She pouted.

Harry knew that pout all too well. She used it to trick you into saying yes to her and getting what she wanted, but Harry was stronger than that now; he knew how to hold his ground.

He hadn’t seen Lizette ever since the week before he joined Don’s Box. With all of his time spent with you, he hadn’t really thought about Lizette, if he’s being honest. You had fully taken every inch and space of his mind that it was maximum capacity, but he still found a way to make space from the invading thoughts of you.

“Just been…busy, Lizette, that’s all,” he said, not giving her his full attention as he looked at his bottle.

“Too busy for me?”

“Yeah, something like that.” He didn’t want to outright be rude to her because naturally, Harry was a kind and thoughtful man, so he kept his harsh thoughts to himself.

She inched closer to Harry, close enough to where her mouth was against his ear as she whispered, “Well, since I so happened to run into you, how about we go back to yours?”

Harry took a deep breath. He felt like he was his old self again—making impulsive and not so thought out decisions that end up fucking him and his emotions over in the future. Being with Lizette was something, and it helped make him feel a little less lonely, even though she immediately left right after she got what she wanted.

But Harry hadn’t felt lonely at the moment and in months. He had his best friend next to him, having a drink, and he had you. He wasn’t lonely at all. So, why was he getting off the stool and putting his coat on before closing his tab for the night?

Benny’s eyes widened, looking at Harry as if he was asking what the actual fuck was he doing. Harry simply shrugged, patting his friend on the back before following Lizette out of the bar. The air was cold, but it wasn’t a delightful cold that he wanted to be in. It almost seemed kind of eerie as the gray clouds hovered over them.

Lizette hugged Harry’s arm. “I’m glad you agreed.” She leaned up to kiss his cheek, but he immediately pulled away, taking his arm out of her hold.

“You should go home,” he told her. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out as she was confused. “Get a ride home. I’m not taking you home nor am I going with you. I don’t want to do this anymore, Lizette.”

“But you came with me-”

“That didn’t mean I was saying yes to your offer. I came out here with you to get you off of me and not embarrass me in front of my friend and the entire bar.” Harry’s voice was stern as he crossed his arms. “I know you’ve never really cared about me, so please just do me a favor and leave. I’m happier now-”

“You’re happier? With some other girl, huh?” Harry nodded and Lizette rolled her eyes, expression annoyed as she was beginning to get angry and defensive. “You think she cares? Guess what, Harry, she doesn’t. She’s gonna leave you just like your mom left you, your ex-girlfriend left you. Remember when she fucked your best friend in college? That she left you to be with him? And look at them now, they’re married! They don’t give a single fuck about you! What makes you think that this girl you’re seeing does?”

Lizette had definitely hit a nerve. Harry had gone four years without hearing the story on how his ex left him for one of his friends from uni. The situation was quite sad, and it left Harry in pieces. Not to mention, Lizette was his ex’s best friend and she somehow seduced him into regularly having sex with her, which wasn’t entirely her fault because Harry was lonely and needed to feel something to fill the void of his loneliness.

“Don’t think you’re so easy to love, Harry. It takes a lot of effort to do that, especially with you. You’re gonna continue being scared and closed off, and people are gonna continue to run away-”

“Harry?” Lizette was suddenly interrupted by you. You were walking to the bar because Benny had invited you, thinking that it would’ve been a nice surprise for Harry and to hang out with just the three of you. But you had seen Harry and some woman on the street and his face looked angry. “Uh, hi.”

You turned towards the unknown woman as she looked you up and down before turning towards Harry, raising her brows as she figured out who you were and who Harry had been spending so much time with.

Harry completely blocked you out, his attention was towards the statements Lizette had made. He had been doing so much better, and all of a sudden the relapse hit him ten times harder, like his accomplishment of being okay with himself completely disappeared.

Was he that hard to love? He knew that he pushed people away, that’s for sure, but he didn’t realize that it was difficult to love him. Harry then thought about the people that had left him because they didn’t love him enough to stay. His ex left him for his friend, it seemed like his mum had forgotten about him, and soon enough, Benny was gonna get tired of him and so were you.

“And you are?” You asked, scowling at the woman in front of you. Lizette smirked, seeing as there was an opportunity right in front of her. She didn’t find you

intimidating whatsoever.

“Oh, guess Harry didn’t tell you, but we’ve been sleeping with each other for years. Friends with benefits, if you will,” Lizette answered with some sass and a snarl to her tone as she watched your expression turn into a hurtful one.

Your face had softened as your eyes welled up with tears, but you didn’t dare let them fall. You looked at Harry and it seemed like he was in his head, but you had no clue he was ‘seeing someone.’ It felt like you had been cheated on, even though going out as friends didn’t mean anything to a fuck buddy. All of the moments you spent with him—the laughs, storytelling, training, and tension-filled moments had connected you both to one another. It made you feel special that you were seeing a side of Harry that no one else had, but you were wrong.

“Guess you’re the new girl he’s seeing?”

“What’s it to you?” Your brows knitted.

Lizette shrugged. “Nothing. Just know that Harry’s difficult and loveless. So, just get out while you can.” She reached over to touch your shoulder, but you quickly stepped back before she could. She was talking as if Harry wasn’t right next to you two, and if this was a ‘women looking out for women’ type of situation, you weren’t going to accept it because she outright just insulted Harry.

You were livid as your eyes turned dark, stepping closer to her. “Stay away from him, or I swear to god-”

“Or what? What are you gonna do?” Lizette challenged, stepping closer. She was slightly taller than you since she wore four-inch leather boots.

“Wanna find out? Next time I see you with him or hear you talk shit about him again, then you’ll find out because I can guarantee you’ll never see the light of day.” You held eye contact with her as she looked at you with such fierce emotion.

“Cute. Harry’s got a little bodyguard,” she scoffed, stepping back. “I should go,” Lizette suddenly said, breaking you out of your heartbreaking thoughts. “I’ll call you,” she told Harry, despite what you had just said. It seemed like he wasn’t even listening as his blank stare was trained onto the ground. She walked away, her heels clicking against the cement. The satisfaction she felt right now felt good, knowing her words had definitely affected you both.

When Lizette was far enough, you turned back towards Harry. This time, he was looking at you in a confused state, and it didn’t seem like him.

“I-I didn’t know you were seeing someone-”

“You should go…” he said straightforwardly. You raised your brows as you were taken back.

“I’m sorry?”

“You should leave. For good. Get out of my life while you can. I promise I won’t get mad.” His voice cracked and was shaky. He couldn’t even look you in the eye while he was talking because he knew that would break his heart even more, especially if you were to actually leave for good. The negative thoughts had taken over, and this was what he did—pushing people away and giving them a way out before they realized that Harry wasn’t a lovable or worthy enough person to stay around for.

“What makes you think I’m going anywhere?” You questioned confusingly. You wondered if he even thought about the conversation you two had a few moments ago when you had told him that you were staying for good.

“They all do, anyway. They all leave and they never come back.” His voice was starting to raise slightly, frustration and anger pouring out of his veins as his eyes were starting to tear up. A pout remained on your face as you watched the distress never leave his angelic face. “Just please go.”

“I’m not going anywhere-”

“Why won’t you-”

“Because I care! Why don’t you get that?” You raised your voice, not too loud to startle him, but enough to convey your emotions and frustrations to him.

“Because you’re going to eventually! You’re gonna leave and use me and never love me. I’m used to it, so you could go now!” Harry was starting to cry, light sobs were coming out of his mouth as he was trying to hold them back. You took a step forward, wanting to comfort him as your heart broke at the sight, but he stepped back, not wanting your touch.

Your heart sank when he stepped back away from you because he had never done that before. You two were always comfortable with one another that both of your touches had felt like security. Your tears had streamed down your face, quickly wiping them.

“Harry, I’m not gonna leave…”

“It’s fine. You don’t know what it’s like for someone to leave and never come back. You don’t know what it’s like to feel completely loveless that someone physically had to get out of your life and not want to be in it anymore. You don’t know what it’s like!” He spoke firmly as he cried, tugging his curly locks in frustration.

“I don’t know what it’s like?” You spoke loudly, and Harry looked up at you. “I know exactly what it’s like because my own mother left me when I was eleven-years-old, and I have no idea why!” You vented, sniffling. “You don’t think I know what it’s like to constantly wonder what you’re doing wrong because the people that were supposed to be there for you completely vanished? Because I do! I know that feeling quite well. So, don’t tell me I don’t know shit because it seems like we’re in the same boat.”

Harry was speechless. Sure, you two had been close and had talked about your lives and childhood, but this was something that you two had to dig deep for because it wasn’t something you regularly spoke about nor did you tell new people that you’d just met.

“I-I’m sorry I had no idea…”

“You couldn’t have had any idea, Harry. But just know that that day my mom left me still confuses me. The look on my dad’s face when he told me that mom left still haunts me. The crying I did since I was eleven hurts me because she didn’t love me enough to stay.”

“Y/N…”

“It’s fine, I get it. I know we’ve known each other for only a few months, but I did not expect this from you, especially because of all that we’d talked about. I’d say I’m the newest person in your life but I’m also the closest, besides Benny. So, don’t shut me out.” Your heart was beating through your chest and all of your emotions began to pile up like they were leaves, falling from the branches of the trees.

Harry looked defeated, knowing that you were right. He sniffled, not knowing what else to say because all he felt was a painful feeling in his chest since Lizette had gone up to him at the bar.

When he didn’t say anything, you just nodded, knowing that it was best to give him some space so he could realize that you were here for him and that you weren’t going anywhere.

“Call me when you wanna talk…” you told him before turning around. Harry watched you—he knew that he should go after you, not be scared and let you in, perhaps tell you that he’s practically in love with you, but he doesn’t move, feet glued to the ground.

When you were only a few feet away, you turned back around, knowing that you hadn’t gotten your final words out yet. Harry looked up when he heard footsteps approaching him.

“Fuck whatever people say to you; trying to degrade and bring you down because whatever they say, it’s not true. I will always be there to defend you, Harry. Don’t think I won’t be because I will always be on your side.” You paused for a moment. Your heart was fully opening and was beginning to be vulnerable. Trying not to let it overwhelm you, you continued. “Don’t think you’re not easy to love because you are. You’re extremely easy to love, y’know that? I would know because…I love you. And that’s crazy to say because we’ve only known each other for a short period of time, but I can’t help what I feel. So, there you go.”

Before Harry was able to say anything, you walked away, and he could hear you sniffling and crying. Harry’s mouth was ajar, completely speechless and shocked, but his heart fluttered as he took in your words. You really loved him, he thought. No one had said those words and really meant them or they hadn’t felt real to him when he heard them, so the shock that he felt was new.

You were far enough where Harry couldn’t see you. He hadn’t even moved an inch, and he knew that later on, he was going to be very disappointed in himself for not chasing you down and telling you that he loved you too. But for now, he needed to take it all in and hope that when he did tell you, it wouldn’t be too late.

Taking a deep breath, you walked inside to your apartment, sniffling as you went straight to the bathroom to take a long and hot shower. Before you left your place to go to the bar, you had been contemplating your appearance because you wanted to look good. Nerves were all over your body as you were getting ready, and you sulked at how the events had completely turned tonight around.

When you were out of the shower and changed, ready to get into bed despite the night only being nine in the evening, your pager beeped. Picking it up off the bedside table, the message was sent from Harry, reading ‘143.’ You raised your brows, reading it again and reading it once more. Your heart was pounding, studying the numbers to make sure you read them right. The simple code for ‘I love you’ was printed on your pager and you wanted to scream.

Before you could actually scream, there was a knock on your door. You walked quickly, opening it as Harry was standing behind it, holding his pager out as he smiled softly at you. You had just finished crying in the shower, so your eyes were red and a tad bit swollen, but you were close to crying again because of how overwhelmed you felt.

“Did you mean it?” You asked hesitantly, holding your pager up.

“Of course I do. Did you mean it?” He retaliated back, wondering if you meant your three words as well.

“Of course I mean it, Harry. Why wouldn’t I?” You asked, wiping the tear that had slipped down your face.

“Because I love you. I love you so fuckin’ much that it hurts,” he claimed in one breath, feeling the tension and weight that he held in his shoulders release. “You’re everything to me, and you make my world less frightening. I just see your pretty smile and my day completely turns into a great one. I don’t wanna waste a day not telling you that now, and it feels pretty damn good to say it.”

You slightly nodded until you remembered one of your concerns earlier. “What about Lizette?”

“Lizette was someone I used to sleep with. I haven’t seen her nor slept with her in months—before I even met you, I promise. And I’m sorry for assuming that you didn’t know what it felt like for someone to leave and that you had to tell me under those circumstances. But just know, that I’m not gonna leave, unless you tell me to, that is.” Every bit of him was opening up and he wasn’t hiding away. He was being completely vulnerable and it had scared him a bit, but when his words came out, he felt himself get better.

You looked at him through your glassy eyes, vision blurred for a moment until you adjusted them and clearly saw the gorgeous man in front of you. His eyes were filled with tears as well, and you thought, how could someone still look so pretty while they cried? But that was Harry for you; someone who was genuinely beautiful no matter what. Someone who had a heart of gold and a flashing smile that made your heart swoon and knees weak.

You simply reached your hand out and Harry walked towards you, into your apartment as he came close to your face as your bodies were pressed up against one another. The back of his fingertips gently brushed the side of your face, admiring the beauty that stood before him as he opened his heart up completely, not wanting to go another day without saying those three words back to you.

The corners of your lips turned up and your tears were replaced by happy ones. You had walked away from Harry after you said I love you because he was looking at you like he had seen a ghost, not a friendly one, but more of a scary one. So, hearing those words were just music to your ears.

“You mean that? That you love me?” You wanted to hear it again and again and again.

“Ever word. I love you, angel,” he repeated, adding your nickname. He pressed his forehead against yours, inches away from your lips.

“Never stop calling me that,” you instructed him, smiling. The first time he had said it, you came to the conclusion that you absolutely loved hearing that name come out of his mouth, especially if it was specifically for you.

“Only if you never stop telling me that you love me,” he slightly smirked, dimples poking out. He was so immensely happy that his heart could burst just because of the love that he felt for you.

You giggled. “I love you, baby-”

“I, uh, wait. Do you mind…not calling me that?” He hesitated, and you raised your brows confused. “Someone else called me that, and I just don’t like hearing it. Never have since it came out of her mouth,” he explained shyly.

A sudden realization came to your face as you realized that Lizette probably called him that. “Okay. I won’t call you that, ever…darling.” Harry’s lips began to slowly turn up, already liking that name so much better than the other one. He hugged you; and you smiled, closing and opening your eyes to make sure you weren’t dreaming. Your arms snaked around Harry’s waist as he cradled your delicate face in his hands.

“Never stop calling me that,” he repeated your words as you two smiled and laughed until your jaws started hurting.

His eyes flickered down to your lips and back up to your eyes. You pursed your lips, blushing as you watched his eyes glance back up and down. You rubbed the tip of your nose against his, pulling him closer; hearts beating in sync as butterflies filled your stomach.

He brushed his lips against yours before fully connecting them, feeling every spark and shiver that traveled down his spine. You smiled into the kiss as the softness of his lips moved and molded against yours, feeling completely in bliss. The way his lips slotted perfectly with yours made you saturated and dizzy off of his love and touch. Butterflies were still in your stomach, but they were calm like they had been fluttering around for this moment, his touch, in order to relax.

Pulling back, he smiled down at you, eyes love-struck, before giving you another kiss, and pulling away and kissing you again once more.

“Kissing you is my new favorite thing,” he stated, drunk off kisses. You breathed out a giggled, wrapping your arms around his neck as you breathed in his scent. You felt his breath against your neck, feeling completely happy and content in each other’s arms.

There was no fear in the air; just the two of you with open hearts and arms, welcoming in the new and profound feeling that you both took in, knowing that it’s going to change everything for the better.

You pulled him inside and Harry kicked the door closed with his foot. His arms were holding you tight as you walked back to your bedroom. Opening your mouth slightly, Harry took the chance to meet your tongue with his, swiveling and tasting each other causing a shiver to run down your spine.

You pulled back when Harry laid down on the bed, taking in the gushy feeling you had as you smiled.

“Want you,” you simply stated.

“You have me, angel.”

“I know, but I want you. Need you,” your eyes pleaded for his touch, to feel him inside of you, for him to make you feel good. You desperately craved for his hands on all of you, his mouth kissing every inch of your skin, and his love passionately pouring out of his veins.

Harry nodded, smiling. “Need you too. Need you forever,” he said, connecting your lips again as he hovered over you.

You two kissed for a while, giggling against each other’s lips and having his weight on top of you as your hands roamed his back. You bucked your hips into his, feeling the hard-on that was growing in his pants, which made Harry grind into your center, moaning softly into your mouth.

“Please do something,” you said, and he nodded, getting off of you before taking his jacket and shirt off swiftly. His tattoos were showcased in front of you and all you wanted to do was kiss every single one of them. “You’re beautiful, Harry,” you complimented, and he blushed, a soft ‘thank you’ came out of his mouth. Next was his pants, and before he was able to take his briefs off, you stopped him, telling him that you wanted to do it.

You got off the bed, switching positions with him as you were now standing up as Harry laid down on the bed. You smiled, eyes glancing all around his body. He suddenly felt shy and intimidated under your stare, but he knew he had no reason to be because you were simply admiring him. This time around when it came to physically be vulnerable with someone, he knew he didn’t have to worry anymore when it came to you.

You took off your lilac nightgown, exposing your body to Harry’s eyes. Your nipples had hardened due to the exposure to the cold. His eyes glimmered as he gazed at your stunning and beautiful body. Every curve and inch was something he tried to remember, and he was quite speechless at the sight. He reached out, gently grabbing your hips as he roamed his hands up your body and to your breasts, grabbing both in each of his hands.

He looked up at you and you smiled down at him as he placed his mouth on your left pebbled nipple, sucking and licking it as his hand fondled with the other. You laced your fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp as he did so, switching over to your right nipple.

Harry pulled away, looking at you. “You’re an actual angel. You’re so beautiful.”

“Harry…” you blushed.

“You are, angel. So beautiful. Can’t believe I get to see you like this.” He kissed the valley of your breasts and down your stomach before getting up and pushing you down onto the bed with ease. He settled in between your legs, arms hooked under your thighs.

Continuing kissing down your stomach, he reached the hem of your underwear, looking up at you before asking, “Can I take these off? Wanna make you feel good—the same way you always make me feel good.”

“Please. Take them off. Wanna feel your mouth on me,” you pleaded as your arousal heightened. You wrapped your legs around his back, eagerly pulling his head towards your center, making Harry let out a chuckle.

“Easy, angel. Not going anywhere.” Harry kissed your stomach once more before pulling off your beige underwear. You were glistening below him; you made a complete mess in your panties. “Fuck, you’re so wet. This all for me?”

“Mhm. All for you, Harry, please,” you whispered impatiently. Harry’s dirty talk had only increased your need for him as it was quite surprising to see this side of him since he was more on the shy and reserved side outside, but nonetheless, you loved both sides—you loved him.

Harry leaned down, pressing multiple kisses to your inner thighs, nibbling on the skin gently. You bucked your hips as he trailed his kisses towards your pussy that was eagerly waiting to be touched and licked. When he got there, he pressed a kiss to your clit before kitten-licking your sensitive button, making you softly moan.

His tongue licked into the entrance of your pussy, gathering your arousal on the tip of his tongue to lubricate your clit even more.

“Fuck,” you groaned as your hands found his curly locks, tugging at them gently.

“You could do that harder, I don’t mind it,” Harry told you before going back to eating you out. You pulled harder and Harry deeply groaned against you, sending vibrations up your body.

His hands wandered around your body, feeling the softness of your skin against his hands. Your skin had formed goosebumps due to his touch, and Harry smoothed out your skin so you were warm. He sucked on your clit quite harshly, earning a moan of his name from your lips as he grabbed both of your tits in his hands, squeezing them.

You placed your hands on top of his, squeezing them with him, and Harry almost came at the sight of that. There you were, moaning his name out, getting your pussy eaten, and squeezing your tits on top of his hands. A sight he truly was lucky enough to see.

Harry pulled one hand away to rub your clit as he tongued around your wet hole before tongue fucking you. He rubbed your clit at a moderate speed, enough for you to thrust your hips off the bed. Harry pulled his other hand that was still on one of your breasts away to pin your hips down onto the bed.

“Stay still for me, angel,” he instructed, voice deep that made you even wetter. “You taste so good. Could eat you out all day.”

“Harry…” you trailed, whining desperately for your release. “W-Wanna…cum…need to.” Your sentences were broken and Harry thought that was a good sign, knowing that he was doing so well you couldn’t form a proper sentence.

“Tell me what you need. Let me know, so I can get you there.”

“F-Fingers,” you told him, and he immediately brought his fingers to your clit, rubbing it before inserting two fingers inside your pussy. He thrust slowly, curling his fingers up to feel your walls.

He felt you pulsing around him as your legs were wrapped tightly around his back as you screamed his name over and over again.

“C’mon, love. Give me one,” he encouraged, thrusting his fingers a bit faster.

Once he hit the spot over and over again, you saw stars. Your vision had gone white for a few seconds, and you felt dizzy. The pleasure that ran through your body was overwhelming in the best way possible and you choked out a few sobs. It had hit you like a brick that you saw coming, but you were still surprised and shocked by the impact.

Your hands held Harry’s hair tight that he thought for a moment that you might actually rip it off. Harry rubbed your pussy as you came down from your high, licking your orgasm that was seeping through your cunt, taking every drop of it. He looked up to see your head thrown back, chest heaving, and a vein that was bulging against your skin. He kissed your thighs while his other hand trailed across your body.

When you finally were able to catch your breath, Harry kissed up your body, leaving the softest and loving kisses to your skin as you were quite sensitive. You grabbed his face, bringing his lips to yours as you immediately stuck your tongue in his mouth, swirling it with his to taste yourself on him—a mixture of his taste and your orgasm all on his tongue had made you wetter.

Harry was grinding himself against your leg, trying to relieve some pressure.

“Want you,” you told him once he pulled away, looking at him intently.

“You sure?”

“Absolutely. Please? Only if you want to-”

“I definitely want to. Just wanna make sure you were sure,” he breathed out a chuckle.

“Course I want to.” There was a bit of silence between you two as you were simply just admiring him as he hovered over you. “Are you gonna fuck me, Harry?” You broke the silence, and Harry broke out of his trance, shyly giggling before getting off the bed.

He peeled away his briefs, cock standing straight up from the slight painful restraint. He was big—girth and length wise, and you felt your mouth salivating from just looking at him. He got back on the bed, in between your legs as he sat on his knees. Spitting on his hand, he grabbed a hold of his dick, stroking it to relieve the pressure. The view was beautiful in every single way possible, and you didn’t dare to bat an eye because you didn’t want to miss one second of it.

Wanting to take over for him, you reached forward, replacing his hand with yours as you slowly stroked his cock for him. Harry had a smug smile on his face but soon changed into a face of pure pleasure as your hand worked against him. His mouth was open as he let out a soft moan, looking down at your eyes as you were looking up, completely loving his reaction to your touch.

“You’re so pretty, Harry,” you complimented as you continued to touch him. Your other hand reached forward to fondle with his balls, rolling them into your hand as Harry whimpered. “Love seeing you like this. Most gorgeous man I’ve seen in my life.”

“Please, angel, you’re being too nice…” he managed to groan out, hands gripping your thighs.

“But it’s true. Look so pretty when you’re like this, but also when you’re hitting the heavy bags. When we go out to eat and you mindlessly drink your entire drink while waiting for the food. But I think you’ll look extra pretty than you already are if you cum.” Your words of declaration were getting him on the edge as you stroke him. The way your voice slightly changed as you looked up at him with the most innocent eyes made him thrust into your hand, gripping the flesh of your skin as he threw his head back.

“You think so?”

“Mhm. Gonna be so pretty when you cum all over my body, my tits. Can you do that? For me, can you do that? Please?” You were completely begging for it, but even with all the begging, he knew that you had all the control right now.

Your feet rubbed his calves up and down, and it was the simplest touch, but it heightened Harry’s need to let go.

“Wanna cum for you, yeah.” His breaths were heavy and harsh as your touch was focused on his tip, wrapping your delicate hands around the head where he was most sensitive.

Harry’s moans stuttered as a series of profanities slipped from his lips, spilling onto your stomach and breasts. You smiled to yourself as you studied his face when he came undone; his mouth was open, occasionally biting his lip, and eyes shut closed as his head was thrown back—he was the most beautiful person you’d ever seen, and the fact that you got to see him like this was an honor.

When he came down from his high, he slowly opened his eyes, meeting yours, staring right at him. You smirked, body covered in his orgasm, and he thought that was a picture worth taking. You were gorgeous covered in his pleasure that you caused, and you seemed to love it too since you made no effort to wipe it off.

Boldly, he leaned down, dragging his tongue from your stomach to your tit, spending the most time on your breasts as he nibbled and licked your nipples, collecting his orgasm from your skin and held it on the tip of his tongue until he reached your mouth. You willingly opened your mouth as his tongue delved right in, feeding you his cum.

You two passionately kissed, tasting him ever so sensually. You moaned into his mouth, thinking about how the sight of Harry licking his orgasm off of your body was the sexiest thing you’d ever seen. With your hips jerking up, you felt yourself getting wet again and in need to release once more.

You whimpered, pulling away. “Please. Need you so bad.” Harry nodded, agreeing.

“Condom?” He asked, and you immediately reached over to your bedside table, ripping open the condom before rolling it onto his dick that was still hard.

Harry curled in his lips, watching you. You gave him a few extra strokes for good measure, earning a soft moan from his mouth. He took his length in his hand, running the tip up and down your slit, collecting your arousal and lubricating his cock. He gave you one last look and you nodded before he slowly pushed in, indulging in your wetness and softness.

A moan came out of both of your mouths, feeling completely full and warm for one another with the stretch Harry had on you. He planted his elbows on both sides of you, holding himself up over you as he slowly began to thrust.

“Fuck,” he groaned. “Feel so good for me.” He placed a kiss on your lips as he whispered. He found a rhythm as he started to move faster, rocking his hips against yours, making you moan.

It was a feeling like no other, and it was the amount of love you two had for one another that made this experience much more special. Love was practically oozing out of both of your veins, filling the room to its maximum capacity as the both of you moaned out in pleasure.

You wrapped your legs around his waist and your arms looped around his back, hugging him closer to you as if he couldn’t get closer. You whined into his ear, the sounds of your pleasure were music to his eyes, sending a shiver down his body, making him jerk. But that jolt had hit your g-spot, and you screamed out in ecstasy.

“Right there. Keep doing that. Keep fucking me,” you managed to say. Harry maintained his pace, going deeper, and fucking you into oblivion as you kept crying and screaming his name out.

Harry’s lips attached to your neck, nibbling and licking your skin, leaving a few decent size love bites that he was sure to admire when they’d fully formed. Your nails had raked down his back, leaving a burning but pleasurable sting down his skin, letting him know that he was doing an amazing job.

“You like that?” He groaned into your ear, leaving chills rising onto your skin.

“Mhm. Just like that. Don’t stop. I-I’m so close.” You threw your head back into the pillows, and Harry took the opportunity to attack your exposed neck with kisses again. Your hands found Harry’s hair, tugging at his curls as he kissed you. That encouraged him to fuck you harder and faster, repeatedly hitting your special spot. “O-Oh…”

“Come on, angel love. Cum for me, please. Wanna see you make a mess around me,” he encouraged you.

With a few more thrusts, you were done. You had fully and completely released around him as your orgasm hit you like a ton of bricks. Your vision had gone white for a few seconds, head dizzy, and your breaths were caught in your throat as your hips involuntarily jolted, meeting his thrusts that were fucking you through your high.

Harry started to thrust sloppily, burying his face in your neck as he spilled into the condom. His hot breath was against your skin as he started to slow down, coming down from his orgasm.

The room was silent as the only sounds present were the heavy breaths and the post-orgasmic whimpers coming from your mouth as you two held one another. Your nails gently scratched down his back, contrasting to the desperate and needy scratches that you had given him just a few minutes ago.

Harry lifted his head up, meeting your eyes before connecting his lips against yours, tongue meeting first before your lips moved in sync so passionately and lovingly that you both unspokenly agreed to never taste another pair of lips again.

“I love you so much,” Harry said, resting his chin on your chest.

You smiled down at him, eyes gleaming as you looked at your love, your entire heart, the man that had stolen your breath and heart just by one look.

“And I love you too.”

Waking up to the warmth of the body next to you was your favorite thing in the morning—had been for six months now. The sight next to you was something you wouldn’t get used to as you always found yourself feeling so lucky every single time you woke up next to him.

But a pout formed onto your face when you saw that the space next to you was empty. The crinkled yellow sheets were left, missing a certain person that you had been excited to see this morning since you closed your eyes the night prior.

Turning over to your bedside table, you grabbed your pager, seeing if you had any messages, and one specifically stood out to you, making you sleepily smile at your pager.

“Goodmorning, angel,” Harry greeted as he stood in the doorway of your bedroom. He was wearing a gray sweatsuit, holding a white paper bag in one hand and a smoothie tray, that held two smoothies, in the other hand with a loving smile plastered on his face, making his dimples poke out.

“Mm. Hi, darling.” Your arms reached forward, gesturing him to come to you, and he gladly did, situating himself on your body as you wrapped your arms around him.

You two stayed like that for a moment, basking in the presence and gratitude of one another. It was nice until your stomach started growling, making Harry chuckle.

“C’mon, gotta feed my girl before we head to the gym.” He got off of you, helping you up and out of the bed before helping you make the bed. He walked over to the kitchen before you went to the restroom, and when you walked out, Harry had your breakfast set on a plate.

You two made light conversation, mostly enjoying the silence and tastiness of the food before you got ready to go to the gym.

When you walked into Don’s Box, you were immediately greeted by a few of the members, giving you high fives, as well as saying hi to Harry. The entire gym had found out you two were together when they started to notice Harry coming into the gym almost every day and staying until the gym closed, so a few people had their speculations. Don was certain you two would get together from the very beginning, and he had told you that the only reason he was trying to act intimidating when Harry first walked in was that he sensed that something would happen, and he was right, something did happen.

Benny was ecstatic; jokingly telling Harry that he could now spend time with his wife since you had taken all of Harry’s time now, which Benny earned a push from Harry towards the ropes of the ring. Benny’s wife was also pregnant and wanted Harry to be the godfather, which Harry immediately took on that responsibility and role. But that also meant since you and Harry were planning on staying together for the long run, you were becoming a godmother as well, which you were very excited about.

You climbed up into the ring as Harry followed. You had a day off, and no one needed your attention other than Harry, so you helped him put on his gloves after you wrapped his hands in tape, and you put on your mitts, making sure they were tight before clapping the mitts together—Harry punched his gloves together, making sure they were comfortable.

You raised your brows at him teasingly. “Ready, darling?”

“Ready as always, my angel,” he responded, and you smirked.

“Give me a good one. Give me 1.”

talk to me about your favorite moments, your thoughts and feelings about this pls! thank you for reading <3

#timetravelathon #harry styles smut #harry styles angst #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fluff #harry styles writing #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagine #harry styles au #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #harry styles x yn #boyfriend!harry #boxer!harry #harry styles solo #harry #harry styles #harry styles story

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voidstilesplease · 2 years

Text

Written for @steodiscord's Steo Secret Santa (2021). This one's for @stilesshipper. Hi Em, sorry the Tumblr post is late. I knew I would pass out after I posted the fic on AO3. It took forever to post because I did everything on mobile 🥴. I'm still drunk on caffeine, I think. LOL. But as promised, here's the amazing aesthetic for the fic created by a dearest friend, @sunel0. Sonya, thank you SO MUCH!!! It was fun designing the mood board with you (and by that, I mean: I'm relieved to finally attach a structured one to my work at last 😂).

title: can't believe his luck

ship: Stiles/Theo | word count: 11.5k | rating: T | tags: AU, A/B/O dynamics, friends to lovers, fluff, getting together, werefoxes & werewolves, Stiles and Theo are neighbors and childhood best friends, their parents are best friends as well, Claudia is alive, Theo's parents are very much alive, Stiles & Theo & Scott are best friends, Jackson's an asshole

summary: Stiles, Theo, a treehouse, two gold rings, and three hundred sixty-five volumes of Stiles's favorite manga.

i. take me back when our world was one block wide

Stiles can't believe his luck.

He springs from his desk over to his open window at the sound of the car horn, eyes glinting in excitement as he eyes the family stepping out of a silver car next door and the giant U-Haul truck tailing them. Their new neighbors have arrived. Oh, how long has Stiles waited.

He flips his storybook close - a tale of adventure and friendship between a young fox, much like Stiles himself, and a young wolf. He enjoys those stories the most.

Stiles loves wolves; his best friend Scott is one. His dad is, too.

He gawks at the group, watching each one like a hawk. There's a couple, about the age of Stiles's parents, and two children. Definitely wolves, Stiles confirms to himself with his nose hunched up the air. While the new neighbors' daughter looks too old to want to hang out with Stiles, their son is definitely young enough to be Stiles' wolf buddy!

When Stiles's parents invite the new family for a welcome dinner, Stiles practically leaps down the stairs in his hurry. And when he comes face to face with his prospective new friend, he grins at him through a missing front tooth.

The boy, Theo, frowns and sticks his eyes down to his plate the entire meal. But Stiles isn't deterred by his rather lackadaisical response. It's understandable to be shy at first, after all. His sister, though, Tara, is more amiable. They quickly find something in common: werefox manga. They chatter about it all night and discover that they have the same favorite: The Fox Prince!

At school, Theo enrolls in Stiles's first-grade class. He immediately becomes friends with Jackson, though, and Stiles deflates. Stiles hardly likes that boy. He's mean and a bully. He picks on Stiles because he's smaller than the average bunch and teases him 'omega' like it's an insult. Stiles isn't an omega. He won't know until he's sixteen - no one knows until they're sixteen. And if he was, it wasn't anything to be ashamed of - his parents always make him repeat that. There are also infographics put up all over the school; even educational tapes during orientation and first day in homeroom are available. Pro-omega rights are all over in different media, but some choose to be ignorant.

Their bedrooms, he realizes, are across from each other, overlooking through the side windows. Every night, Stiles shouts his good night to Theo. Even though he never says it back or closes his window pointedly at his face.

Stiles helps his mom bake cookies every Saturday, and he saves some to bring over next door to see Theo. The boy is always upstairs playing when he comes over, and Tessa, Theo's mom, smiles apologetically before inviting him in for a homemade milkshake. Theo comes down only when Stiles is bidding his thanks and is already by the door to leave.

Siles figures - after a few weeks of this pattern - that Theo dislikes him. But why, is the question? Is it for the same reason that Jackson doesn't like Stiles? Because he's small and clumsy, and his mouth spits rapid fire? He really wants them to be friends.

It's kind of rotten, really, because Theo has no problem befriending Scott. They meet when Melissa drops off Scott for an overnight stay, which coincidentally is on one of the nights when Stiles's parents host dinner with the Raekens. Yes, it's how close their families are now. They have a calendar of alternating schedules for dinner. And Saturday park dates. And even Sunday barbecues.

They hit it off pretty fast, and it... stings. Scott is smaller than some of their classmates, too. He's asthmatic and needs his inhaler most of the time. Though, his lungs are starting to get better as Scott grows older, according to his labs - his wolf-healing doing its job at last. He's not mouthy like Stiles, but he's gullible - even for his age. He likes everyone. Which, Stiles admits, is pretty naive but also admirable. All those, and Theo likes him. Enough to compare canines with him whenever Scott comes over while not sparing Stiles a single glance. So, is it because Stiles is a fox that Theo dislikes him?

In his books, the fox and the wolf become friends even when they start off suspicious of each other. Maybe Stiles will have to wait a bit more for Theo to warm up to him? Yes, he'll do that.

But three months after Theo moves into Beacon Hills, Stiles stops waiting.

In the first grade classroom at lunch, he's flailing his hands, explaining to Scott why the new volume of The Fox Prince is the best one so far.

In the middle of it, he hears Jackson fake-whisper to a friend, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Yeah, because he dreams of becoming the Fox Prince and finding a Wolf Knight to build him a palace, like in the comics," Jackson's friend snickers, spraying food all over their shared desk. Jackson grimaces but waves it off to continue, seeing as he has an audience now. "He's too weak to lift a hammer, you see. So limb-y and small. And he's not even pretty. He's too mole-y." Then he turns to Theo, "Theo, you better start running. We all know he's got the most pitiful crush on you."

Stiles tears up even as the teacher reprimands Jackson and tells his classmates to stop laughing. He looks at Theo, hoping that he, at least, looks the slightest bit chagrined on Stiles's behalf.

But Theo smirks at Stiles and says, "Foxes are naturally faster than Wolves. I think I'll just beat him up."

Stiles speeds out of the room, wiping angry and humiliated tears off his face, with Scott following close behind.

It's not because of Stiles that Theo doesn't like him. This, Stiles is finally sure of. Theo is really only - pardon the language, mom and dad - a natural jerkface.

***

ii. take me back to the house in the backyard tree

Stiles can't believe his luck. That is to say: he can't believe how much the universe hates him.

Five years have gone by, and his parents still insist on shoving Stiles and Theo on each other. It's like they never listen. Stiles tells them, over and over, that his and Theo's friendship is never going to happen. But they only roll their eyes at him.

"You were obsessed with him when you were seven," his mom says, placating like Stiles is just being petulant about this. "Of course, it's going to happen. Just be a little less snotty to him."

Be a little less snotty. Right. As if Stiles is the reason for their nonexistent friendship.

Today's Sunday. Therefore, Stiles finds himself in the Raekens' backyard, sulking on the picnic bench with a smug Theo sitting across from him.

"You're gonna climb up to my treehouse, whether you like it or not," he tells Stiles confidently after Stiles shots him down harshly. "Your mom will make you."

Stiles scoffs.

But Theo's right.

Theo and Stiles's dads man the barbecue, talking about the recent werewolf rugby preliminaries, while their moms are sipping red wine and laughing pleasantly at each other's account of embarrassing baby stories of Stiles and Theo. After all these years, they still have more to tell.

Stiles is huffing and puffing, sipping grape juice while kicking aggressively at Theo's feet under the table.

"Really, Theo built that by himself?" Stiles's dad, the Sheriff, exclaims in surprise.

Theo's dad, Richard, laughs delightfully. "Well, I assisted some."

The two of them look over to their table, grinning proudly at Theo. Theo straightens in his seat, preening at the attention of two elder alphas. Stiles scowls.

"He's going to present as an alpha. I tell you, Rick."

Their moms hum in agreement.

As if strength is all that makes an alpha.

"Unlikely," Stiles mutters under his breath, full of petty disdain. "Omegas create the den."

Theo hears him, but he only smirks.

"It's beautiful, Theo!" Claudia, Stiles's mom, gushes loudly, and Stiles groans into his hands. He knows what she will say next. "Why don't you show it to Stiles, honey? I'm sure he would be ecstatic."

Stiles is not ecstatic.

Especially when Theo's dad jokes to Stiles's dad after he grudgingly stomps behind Theo in the direction of the treehouse, proclaiming, "They look good together, wouldn't you say, Noah?"

"I definitely wouldn't mind having Theo as a son-in-law, Rick."

Their moms coo and Stiles briskly walks away, flushing in embarrassment and avoiding Theo's eyes.

The ladder up to the treehouse is rickety, there's a nail protruding by the door that almost brains Stiles, and there are gaps between some of the wood planks on the floor - obviously, that half is Theo's work because it screams amateur. It's spacious but dusty inside. The window is only the size of Stiles's head enough to poke out, and the sill is rough. And Stiles is sure it shakes just a bit as Theo climbs in after him.

"So, what do you think?"

Stiles looks around some more. A blue paint would be nice, he thinks. There's also a skylight as he looks up. The branches are trimmed mindfully so that the sky is visible from where Stiles is standing. He thinks it's amazing.

"It's all right," he offers, at last.

Theo snorts. After a pause, he says casually, "You can come by whenever."

Stiles turns to Theo, drawing his brows. "Why would I?"

"So they'd stop pestering us to talk to each other."

"So we come here instead," Stiles gestures at the general vicinity. "To do what?"

Theo shrugs. "Anything but talk."

Stiles narrows his eyes suspiciously, but Theo's expression betrays no hints of nefarious plans to smother Stiles when his back is turned.

Stiles huffs. His new mini bookshelf will look nice in that one corner, he admits. It doesn't mean he hates Theo any less, though.

Stiles tells Scott about the treehouse at lunch the next day.

"Theo built a treehouse for you?" Scott blurts out dramatically, attracting the attention of a few lunch-goers.

"Theo built a treehouse," Stiles corrects him, gritting his teeth. His cheeks heat up consciously at the passing glances. "Period." Actually, his dad did while he butchered his part of the share.

Scott looks confused. "You said he told you that you could come."

Stiles rolls his eyes, wiping cafeteria pizza grease on his school pants. "That doesn't mean he built it for me."

"Well, did he ask anybody else to come up to his treehouse?"

"No," replies Stiles, dragging the syllable like explaining to a child. "Not that I know of."

"Then he built it for you," Scott concludes, grinning triumphantly into his soggy burger. He adds thoughtfully a bit later, "Maybe it's his odd way of saying sorry."

Stiles sighs. Scott can be stubborn sometimes; it's really no use arguing with him. It doesn't matter anyway. Theo didn't build it, and definitely not for Stiles. Especially not to apologize for a cruel comment he made when he was seven.

But-

"Why did you even build this treehouse?" Stiles asks during the succeeding Sunday afternoon barbecue at the Raekens.

Last weekend, when Stiles's family hosted the afternoon affair, Theo helped Stiles set up his foldable mini bookshelf in the treehouse. And Stiles, in turn, helped Theo arrange pillows and blankets once they polished the floor together. It was wide enough to give them berth, keep them in their half of the space. It was the most agreeable they'd been together in… ever. Theo didn't act obnoxious, and Stiles didn't act snotty. It was actually quite pleasant. But he refused to make any of it. Theo doesn't add to Jackson's mockery anymore, but he still laughs at Stiles's expense. He's not any less a jerk than he was five years ago.

Theo looks up from his portable gamepad, frowning. He's been moody today. "I told you."

"Why didn't you invite Tara, then? She wanted to see." Stiles challenges. He wants to prove to Scott that Theo did invite someone other than him to his treehouse. He doesn't know why it's so important, but it is.

Tara is sixteen, and she recently presented as an alpha. She's living with her grandparents in their old home city. She's here to visit after her presentation to give the news to her parents.

Theo's chest makes a gurgling sound, and he looks appalled by the idea, "I don't want her to see."

"Why not? You let me see."

Theo growls low in a warning.

Stiles continues hotly, "You let me put my bookshelves and books in. You let me lay in your blankets. You let me stay. My scent is all over the place. But you hate me."

Theo gnashes his teeth, "I don't hate you."

"Right," snorts Stiles. He finds himself so worked up over this. "You just enjoy making fun of me."

Theo's face turns a giant blotch of red. The atmosphere inside the treehouse is dense with the scent of his anger. "I don't enjoy making fun of you. I thought I should, to fit in."

"Oh, yes!" Stiles cries out. "You're doing a spectacular job fitting in with the assholes."

Theo's fists are clenched tightly around the gamepad, and he looks ready to burst. "That's why I asked dad to help me build this treehouse, okay?" snarls Theo. "Because I'm-"

Theo cuts off sharply. Huh. What do you know? So, Scott's right, and Theo's buttering him up for an overdue apology. But he can't even say it. He's gnawing his lips hard, chest heaving, as if it's so difficult to push the words out.

Just say it, Stiles thinks. Just say it, and you have it. I won't even make it hard.

After all these years - underneath his grudge - Stiles still wants them to be friends. Wants to open his side window again and yell good night to the boy across his room. Wants to bake cookies and share them with Theo. Wave at him in the school hallways and get a response.

Stiles scoffs, shaking his head. "You probably can't even say it, even if I dare you to."

Theo straightens at that, lifting his chin in a challenging stance. "I'm not scared of anything," he hisses defensively. "I can do whatever you would dare me to do."

Egotistical jerk.

Stiles rises to the game. "Whatever, huh?"

"Whatever," Theo agrees.

"Anything at all? I'm not so sure about that."

"Stiles,"

He doesn't know what makes him blurt it out. Probably his growing amusement at the strange situation they've fallen in. But whatever it is, Stiles says:

"Then kiss me, I dare you."

He's so sure Theo would blink, balk in disgust, and finally beat him up, as he said many years ago. But, at least, Stiles has made his point, right? So, Stiles is not prepared when Theo stands - his head almost brushing the roof - and stalks forward, crossing the invisible barrier they set to separate the space.

Stiles's smile instantly drops, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to kiss you," Theo replies decisively. "I can't do it from the other side of the room, can I?"

Stiles meeps, eyes quickly darting to the exit. "I- but- what," He's only twelve! Not that having his first kiss hasn't crossed his mind or that he's against sharing it with Theo, but neither is the point.

A lone fox in a fight or flight situation. Of course, Stiles bolts out.

Theo's laughing when he pokes his head out of the window. He shouts down at Stiles, "I thought you were a fox, not a chicken!"

He glares and makes rude gestures at Theo before running back to where their parents are busy with the food prep, unaware that Stiles's fast-beating heart is not because he's been running at all. Stiles is still blushing hard when he settles on the picnic bench with his traitorous brain unhelpfully chanting what if.

He still has the most pathetic crush on Theo, apparently.

***

iii. take me back to the creek beds we turned up

Stiles can't believe his luck.

Being friends with Theo is not, at all, how Stiles imagined it would be. Especially when Theo presents as an alpha shortly after turning sixteen.

Scott has also presented as an alpha. Which, frankly, surprised everyone, even Scott himself. For the longest time, they assumed Scott would be a beta. He's just too easy going to be one of the temperamental knotheads. He knocked everyone's breath away when he came to school smelling like kneel before me. He never exploited that, though. Scott would never. He's still the same Scott who's loyal to Stiles and finds the good in everyone.

Stiles has yet to present, although he's a good few months older than both Theo and Scott. But now, he has two alpha best friends. He's basically untouchable at this point. But Theo's protectiveness is noticeably different from Scott's. Enough to catch the attention of Lydia Martin, an alpha werewolf, top of the class, who never once spoke to Stiles even though they shared plenty of classes in middle school, freshman, and sophomore years.

She sits next to him in AP English. "You're Stiles, right?"

Taken aback, Stiles can only nod.

Lydia hums, her kohl-rimmed eyes giving him a deliberate once over. It's really intimidating. Because it's, well, Lydia. When her eyes settle back on his, she says, "Your boyfriend broke my boyfriend's arm during lacrosse practice yesterday."

His eyes widen. None of what she said computes.

"Jackson," she thankfully clarifies after pursing her lips, noticing his utter confusion. "Theo broke Jackson's arm."

Stiles's eyes widen some more. He didn't know about it. Stiles skipped track practice yesterday, and Theo didn't mention it last night when they played Uno on Stiles's roof until midnight. Everything felt normal, but he does remember Theo saying that his mom's miffed at him. He passed it off as nothing serious because it's a fairly regular occurrence. Then, his forehead creases, processing the rest of Lydia's words.

"Theo's not my boyfriend," he adds hastily.

Lydia scoffs, smiling sharply, "He sure acts like it."

Stiles corners Scott by his locker going to the third period.

"What happened at lacrosse practice yesterday?" he demands without preamble.

Scott blinks at him. "Theo didn't tell you?"

Stiles huffs impatiently, "I wouldn't be pestering you if he did." He can't find Theo anywhere, too. Now of all days.

Scott closes his locker door, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I don't know the entirety of it," Scott starts cautiously. "They were already pretty tense when they came out of the locker room. Then, they just started baring their fangs out and pouncing on each other."

"You've no idea what they could be fighting about?"

Scott looks uncertain for a moment before he sighs resignedly. "Jackson made inappropriate comments about you," he confesses. "I told him to shut up. But Theo totally... snapped."

Stiles pinches the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes with a deep inhale. He opens them again after a second, "Jackson called me omega again, didn't he?"

Scott nods, flattening his lips wryly. "And more."

It's Stiles's turn to sigh. Ever since Theo started hanging out with Stiles, he hung out less and less with Jackson and his lackeys. It's only one more reason for Jackson to hate Stiles and for him to start growing bitter feelings against Theo. They still talk, being in the lacrosse team and all. But Theo openly shuts off anyone who badmouths Stiles and threatens them with bodily harm - and makes good of his promise, see: Jackson - when push comes to shove.

"Theo got suspended for a week," Scott adds after a moment. "He'll also be benched in the next game."

Considering what he did, it's a pretty light punishment. But the new alpha aggression is easy to blame. It's an acceptable excuse. Still.

"Stiles?" Scott places a gentle hand on his shoulder. Stiles looks up, lips wobbling just the slightest. He hates to cause his friends trouble. God knows how many times Scott set aside his amicable nature to warn people off of Stiles's business. Scott's fingers squeeze consolingly, "It's not your fault, okay? He just wants to protect you."

Stiles is not entirely convinced, but he nods.

Later, after school, Theo pulls his truck up deep into the Preserve, to that one spot they both think is the best-hidden treasure within the woods of Beacon Hills: the creek.

They'd discovered it together during a Saturday run after they called a truce and went back there during family date runs, sometimes with Scott. They visit more frequently after Stiles inherited her mom's Jeep and Theo's dad bought him a truck, usually without Scott. He's got a girlfriend now, Allison, who's such a nice girl, a sweet beta. He's trying to win over Allison's family, so he spends a lot of time with her. It's not a problem. Courting is a serious matter, and the Argents are a clan of old conservatives. Stiles and Theo are perfectly capable of enjoying themselves.

It's… nice. Sitting practically flushed together on the tailgate of Theo's truck, their pinky fingers linked innocently in between them. The streaming water, soft snaps of wood in the distance, and their own heartbeats close to each other are the only sounds they can hear. Theo's scent is basically the same as Stiles's own, and it feels like comfort to him.

They're playing sideward footsie with shoes on, and Stiles hates to be the one to break their companionable silence.

"You got suspended," he starts. There's no point posing it as a question. By now, Theo must have figured out that Stiles already knows about it.

Theo nods, hopping off the tailgate.

Stiles tracks his movements. From taking off his shoes and socks, rolling up his pant hems, jumping down a shallow slope to the creek bed, and dipping ankle-deep into the cold water. He picks up a handful of pebbles and starts casting them onto the deeper parts of the creek.

He speaks after a moment, "It's nothing."

Stiles frowns at his dismissive tone. "It's not nothing. You broke Jackson's arm and got suspended."

Theo shrugs. Another throw. "He'll heal."

Stiles sputters in disbelief, "I know he'll heal. But that doesn't mean you had to hurt him."

"I was supposed to do nothing?" Theo snaps, turning bodily to look at Stiles. "He disrespected you."

"It's not like I was there to hear it to get affected," he reasons, though he knows it's a weak argument.

Theo's eyes flash, jabbing at his chest. "Well, I was there to hear it and wanted none of it. Scott and I already warned Jackson, but it's like he's testing me. He thinks my threats are all bluff. They're seriously fucking not."

"Language," Stiles admonishes reflexively.

Theo ignores it, dropping the pebbles mindlessly, as he walks out of the water, up the slope, into Stiles's space. His knees make contact with Theo's abdomen, and they're close enough for Stiles to feel the heat of his body.

Theo's hands settle around his lower thighs, and Stiles's breath catches. "He's not gonna call you a 'hot piece of ass for alphas to bend over', and get away with it unscathed, the sexist bastard."

Stiles inwardly grits his teeth at Jackson's disdainful words. But his indignation is dulled by the fluttering in his stomach. Theo moves just another inch closer. Their position and proximity, Theo's warm hands on him, are distracting. "So, you broke his arm."

"I would have gone for the balls," replies Theo flatly. "If it wouldn't have sent me straight to juvie in two seconds. Procreation is still an alpha's greatest pride, and it's against the law to sabotage it."

Stiles's mouth twitch. Then he remembers, "Lydia called you my boyfriend because of what you did."

Theo pauses, processing the information. Then his face breaks into a grin, "Nah. I'm worse than any boyfriend or girlfriend you will ever have. I'm a permanent fixture."

Stiles throws his head back in laughter because there's no doubt about that. "I'm counting on that."

***

iv. take me back to the time we had our very first fight

Stiles can't believe his luck.

When Stiles's heat finally comes, it comes unexpectedly, as it's wont to do. Stiles in the treehouse with Theo, snuggling under Theo's bedcovers and telling him about the final volume of his favorite manga, The Fox Prince. All day they've been extra tactile. Like it's physically impossible not to reach out and touch each other. The amount of times Stiles stared and nuzzled absently against Theo's neck is embarrassing. And the smell they make together should have been a dead giveaway. But no, they have to suffer the first-hand ramifications of alpha and omega pheromones clouding one's judgment.

"So, they lived happily ever after," Theo comments drily after Stiles's long and detailed regaling, playing with the short strands of his hair.

Stiles twists his head on Theo's chest to send him a narrow-eyed glare. "And what's wrong with that?"

"It's plenty predictable."

Stiles rises on one elbow to properly have a look at Theo's face. "Of course, it's going to end happily. All of the fans knew from the beginning," Stiles says matter-of-factly. "But the ending's hardly the reason why fans stick to their favorite book, or movie, or TV show. It's the in-between that matters the most. How they got their happy end."

Theo arches a brow, and the corners of his lips pull up to a soft smile. His big hands settle around Stiles's hips. "All right. If you say so, Fox Prince."

Stiles's cheeks heat up, glancing at Theo's mouth and looking away quickly. He's been doing a lot of that today. He mutters, "I'm not calling you Wolf Knight."

Unlike Stiles, Theo shamelessly stares at his mouth. Theo's been doing a lot of that today, too. It's a rather jarring development, but he refuses to overthink his way out of this. His body's telling him it's right. Who's he to oppose? Theo's voice lowers imperceptibly, thumbing under Stiles's shirt and tracing circles around his soft skin. "Why not?"

The heat spreads in Stiles's body at once; strong, and all-consuming, making his toes and fingertips tingle and his core burn. He splays his fingers on Theo's chest, pressing himself against his best friend, and slowly rubbing their scents together. His brain turns hazy with the smell of alpha.

He peppers open mouth kisses on Theo's collarbone as the hands around him grasp tighter, running up to his spine. He arches into the touch, kissing the underside of Theo's jaw. Stiles whispers, "Do you want me to?" but he almost forgets what they're talking about, too busy putting his hands under Theo's shirt to clutch mindlessly on his defined torso without the fabric barrier.

Theo moans, maneuvering Stiles so their bodies align. Him underneath and Stiles above him. He slips a knee in between Stiles's legs, taking the back of his head with one hand and gripping meaningfully at his hair.

Stiles obediently bares his neck.

Theo growls, biting the proffered skin with his blunt teeth before nuzzling his nose along the line of Stiles's shoulder. "You smell so good. Why do you smell so good?" He mutters absently.

Somewhere in his brain, Stiles hears a warning that they're moving too fast, close to crossing a line. But most of his senses are clouded with want, a yearning he's never known before.

"You're so hot," Theo whispers.

Stiles kisses the shell of his ear, instinctively grinding against Theo, chasing the satisfaction he instinctively knows he will find in Theo's body. What was it they were talking about earlier? He can't even remember. His mind is filled to the brink of thoughts of alpha, need, and please.

Suddenly, Theo's body goes rigid, and his hands pause. "Stiles," he says, tone sharp. "You're hot."

Stiles's lips journey down to his chin. "You too," he murmurs.

"No," he shakes his head, and suddenly Theo is yanking on Stiles's shoulders to pull them apart. Stiles looks down at him with hooded eyes. "You're burning."

Stiles is confused. But now that Theo mentions it, yes, he does feel unusually… warm. And he can't think straight. He knows he prefers there to be less distance between Theo and him though. He wants to roll around in their den, clinging to the scent of safety, of home, of unbridled want.

When he moves to close their distance again, Theo immediately sits upright, knocking Stiles off of him like it's a do or die to physically separate them. There's panic in Theo's eyes, and Stiles feels the sting of shame and rejection in his bones. His whimpers, feeling small and inadequate.

"Stiles," Theo scrambles to stand, untangling the sheets from around him. His pupils are lust-blown, but the look of abject horror overpowers it. "Oh crap. You're in heat."

He doesn't remember much of what happens after Theo hurries down the treehouse, but he knows it's a torment without his alpha. He whimpers and whines, smelling his own agony overtaking the atmosphere. Then his parents come, the same look of panic he saw on Theo in his dad's eyes before he, too, scurries to the exit. Theo's mother, Tessa, takes his dad's place, and she and Stiles's mother help Stiles down the treehouse and into Stiles's room.

Then eternity of hollow emptiness after that.

But it's actually only a week. After the seventh day, his heat breaks. And all Stiles is, is a mess.

His mother pokes her head into the room, seeing Stiles lying on the bed staring at the ceiling, reeling from the aftermath of his presentation.

So, Jackson is right after all. He's an omega.

Claudia sits on the edge, reaching to pet his head. She smiles, "How are you, honey?"

Stiles manages to croak out, "Like Hell swallowed me and spat me back out."

Claudia chuckles. Then she sobers up and tells him, "You were lucky you were with Theo when you presented."

Anywhere else would have been dangerous, Stiles knows that much. There's always the risk of some alpha taking advantage. Although, it's more uncommon at present, ever since the emergence of more specified omega laws and pro-omega support groups. It's still a terrifying possibility.

Stiles nods, "I was."

Melissa calls him, asks about his well-being, congratulates Stiles, and tells him he will have Scott bring over omega pamphlets from the hospital. Scott rings him next, sounding like he's a mix of ecstatic that Stiles finally presented nine months after he turned 16, and worried about his orientation.

"Are you all right?" Stiles translates it as: are you all right with being an omega?

"I am," replies Stiles honestly. "I think I kinda knew all along." He's only been reluctant to embrace it because of Jackson and a few other sexist dickheads at school.

But this is him now. And like his parents have always implanted in his brain, like the signboards all around the school say, like the theme of the media he consumes: being an omega is nothing different than being an alpha or a beta. It's only biology, and like everything in the ecosystem, has a purpose no less important than the other species.

"I'm glad Stiles," he can hear the sincerity in Scott's voice. "Remember you have me and Theo."

The next time he sees Theo is when it's his family's turn to host dinner. Their eyes meet, and his face goes up in flame. Stiles can't look his best friend in the eyes without the memories of the treehouse flooding to the forefront of his mind.

God, the way he rubbed himself wantonly against Theo. Definitely not the proper thoughts to be having at the dinner table.

He doesn't know the extent of their parents' knowledge on what took place before Theo sobered up and ran out of the treehouse, but Stiles's mom and dad look at Theo like he had saved the world from an extinction-level event.

Noah claps Theo's back and places a hand on Theo's shoulder. He grins, "Son if you ever need it, you have my blessing."

Stiles's mouth drops. He hisses from his seat, aghast, "Dad!" Because now's the time to joke about them getting together, why not. Stiles fights the urge to burrow underneath the table.

Theo's parents only laugh, but their eyes twinkle, too.

"Uh, thank you, sir." stammers Theo. His is bright red, looking to the world like he wants to be anywhere else but there at the moment. At least, that makes two of them.

Claudia rolls her eyes, playfully smacking the Sheriff's arm. "Stop teasing the boy, Noah." she chides with a smile. Then she leans over the back of Theo's chair and pecks his cheek affectionately, "But for what it's worth, you have mine, too."

Stiles groans and sinks lower in his seat. What do they say about grounds opening and swallowing a person whole? Where's one of those when you need it?

After dinner, one spent sending furtive glances at one another across the table, Theo excuses them, asking Stiles's parents for permission to take Stiles driving around for a little bit.

They try to do it surreptitiously, but Stiles catches the knowing looks that both his and Theo's parents exchange as they make their way out the door.

They take Stiles's Jeep. Theo drives - Stiles trusts only two people to drive his Jeep: Theo and Scott - and Stiles fiddles with the pebble he keeps in his Jeep's compartment, doing his best to reign in his thundering heart. This is the first time they're alone together after… that. He doesn't do a very good job at it, he thinks. He can smell his own nerves.

"I didn't know you kept that," Theo says, breaking the silence.

It takes Stiles a moment to understand what he means, "Oh, this?" He raises the pebble, about half the size of Stiles's palm, smooth and distinctly shaped like a deformed heart, but a heart nonetheless. "Yeah," he says, looking at the object fondly. "It's pretty. I've grown attached since the first time you showed it to me."

"Say the word, and I'll scour the entire creek bed for more."

Stiles blushes but laughs, forgetting his previous anxiety. "I don't think the local environment office will appreciate you rearranging the creek bed, but thanks. The one's enough, though."

"If you say so," replies Theo with a grin.

Their eyes meet briefly, and Stiles uses the easing of tension to finally say it. "Thank you, Theo."

Theo's brow arches in amusement, "For giving you a pebble?"

"For the treehouse," Theo glances at him in surprise. Stiles licks his lips, forcing himself to continue speaking before he loses the gall again. "For being more in control and calling for help. For-" the image of them necking and feeling up each other plague his brain, and he feels himself flushing crimson from the neck up again. He also recalls Theo's panic and pushing Stiles away before running. Stiles doesn't want to think about what else he would've done, what he would've let Theo do if Theo's senses got completely fogged by his omega pheromones. "For saving me from complete and utter humiliation."

Theo doesn't say anything for a while, but Stiles can smell the trepidation on him.

"You don't have to thank me," starts Theo. "I-" he cuts himself off and heaves a deep breath, swallows, tries again. "If anything, I should apologize. I'd noticed the change in your scent before we came up, just thought it was because of that manga you were so excited about. I should've known immediately."

"I should've known immediately," Stiles counters. "I couldn't stop thinking about your neck."

Theo snorts, but there's a remaining scent of guilt lingering in the air.

Stiles reaches out a hand to rest over Theo's on the gearshift. It's such a small gesture, one that he's done countless times throughout the years, but Stiles feels the weight of their touch much more now. Theo glances at their joined hands, then at Stiles. Stiles smiles at him in assurance, "I'm glad it was you."

Theo smiles back, his unease settling at Stiles's words. He twines their pinky fingers, something they've also done countless times before but somehow means differently now. Stiles sighs in contentment, and so does Theo.

When he comes back to school, all eyes are on him. All noses, too, it seems. Stiles expects no less. There aren't many omegas in Beacon Hills and much less in BHHS. In fact, there's only one other currently enrolled. She happens to be in Stiles's year and a werefox like him. And they also have homeroom together.

When Kira enters the room, her eyes immediately find Stiles, and she beams, making her way to him. Everyone's eyes track the progress of her steps, shameless in their gossiping and obvious in their sniffing. Apparently, Stiles and Kira are the hottest topics at school now.

"Hi, Stiles!" She gestures at the seat beside Stiles. "May I sit here?"

Stiles nods eagerly. It's not unsurprising that they instantly fall into a comfortable companionship. Stiles had been Kira's first friend when she first came to BHHS freshman year, helping her figure out her schedule and pointing her in the right directions.

At lunch, Stiles waves at Kira to sit with them. Them being: him, Theo, Scott, and Allison. She comes over smiling, bringing a friend in tow.

"Hey," she greets everyone, high-spirited. She points at the boy behind her. "This is my friend, Isaac. Is it okay if we sit with you, guys?"

Stiles readily scoots to make space, and the two set their trays down. Isaac nods at Theo and Scott. They're teammates in lacrosse, so they're familiar. But while Scott moves to start a friendly conversation, Theo swoops in for his neck.

"So," he starts, unmindful of the pleading expression on Scott's face. "How's Jackson's arm these days?"

Isaac stops short, then shrugs. "We don't hang out much lately."

"Really?" The sarcasm drips from Theo's tone, and Stiles sends him a warning glance. "Weren't you one of his most loyal puppies?"

"Theo," Scott sighs tiredly. It's like they've had the same conversation before.

"Well," Isaac straightens, leveling him with the same look. "Weren't you, too?"

Theo scowls, but before he can retort, Stiles grabs his hand. Theo takes one look at his face, then turns away with a roll in his eyes. He picks up curly fries from Stiles's plate, with Stiles forcing himself not to swat his hand, and opens his phone instead. He keeps Stiles's hand curled against his own and doesn't speak to Isaac the whole lunch period.

Later in the afternoon, Stiles finds Isaac loitering by his Jeep in the parking area, in his lacrosse uniform, clearly waiting for Stiles. The boy lifts his head, likely smelling Stiles, and offers a bashful smile.

"Hey," he says when he's near enough. "What are you doing here?" Stiles asks a little dubiously.

It's not that he doesn't trust Isaac. He's friends with Kira, and Kira is the sweetest girl Stiles knows next to Allison. She wouldn't be comfortable with him if he's still an asshole. But the fact remains that everyone else is in practice, and he's here seeking Stiles out. He can't help but be a little conscious of their privacy. Isaac, after all, used to be one of Jackson's closest friends. He used to laugh along at Jackson's gibes against Stiles. He only distanced himself after Theo left.

Isaac shifts on his feet, not quite meeting Stiles's eyes. "I just- wanna say sorry."

Stiles pauses. "What for?"

He shrugs. "For, you know, teasing you before."

He doesn't expect it, but it feels nice all the same. Stiles nods, smiling. "Yeah, dude. It's all good."

"It's just - I was never a popular kid or anything," he sighs, rubbing the back of his neck with his gaze averted over Stiles's shoulder. "So when Jackson wanted to hang out with me, I thought I had to do everything to keep him around."

Stiles eyes him softly. He's never been this up close to Isaac before, always afraid that he might say something awful. Stiles prefers not to hear what they think about him. But here today, he only looks vulnerable and honest. It's probably the omega in him that wants to console people in distress, even ones that used to cause him anxiety, but he moves forward, a display of trust to Isaac.

He rests a hand on one of his shoulders, drawing Isaac's attention to the touch. "You don't have to explain."

Isaac exhales in relief. "If I could take back all the nasty things I did, I would."

Stiles smiles, "As I said, it's all good. Just don't be a stranger."

Isaac and Stiles end up exchanging phone numbers. He gives Kira's to Stiles, too. They sit together every lunch, and Theo gradually starts talking to Isaac, albeit passive-aggressively. Kira and Stiles grow a sort of bond, being the only omegas in a school full of alphas and betas, and it's all nice, adding two more in Stiles's little group of friends.

Junior year passes. Theo gets into another fight with Jackson, but thankfully, nothing gets broken this time. Scott says Allison's father asked him to go on a hunt with him, which is stellar news for the courting couple because it means they're trusting Scott implicitly to provide for the pack. Kira reveals that she's secretly crushing on Isaac, and Isaac enlists Stiles's help on finally asking Kira out.

"I don't know, Stiles," he says nervously over the phone the evening before the first day of Senior year. "I don't think Mrs. Yukimura likes me that much."

"How can you say so?"

"She gives me the stink eye whenever I come over, and I haven't even hinted at my intention to court Kira."

Stiles snorts, "The stink eye. What are you, twelve?"

Isaac huffs, a little annoyed. "Not everyone's parents play matchmaker like yours and Theo's, you know."

Blushing, Stiles ignores the comment. "Look, stop overthinking. Just do it."

It takes a moment for Isaac to form his reply. When he does, his voice is quiet, "I have nothing to boast. I'm an alpha with no self-confidence. An antithesis to my kind." It's like he doesn't mean to say it out loud when he adds, "My father made sure to beat it all out of me."

Stiles closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. It's a subject they don't talk about. Everyone knows that Isaac's father is in prison for domestic abuse of his son - a result of losing his wife untimely, turning to alcohol to quell his grief, and taking out his anger on their only son. It was a whole commotion in their middle school, just a few months short of Isaac leaving Jackson's group. People gossiped. But since Isaac already established a reputation for being an asshole, nobody dared talk about it. At least, to his face. Isaac moved into his aunt's ever since, who doted on him, but instead of growing out of his shell, he burrowed deeper into it. He maintained the asshole persona, joined the lacrosse team, and pretended nothing could shake him.

He met Kira through her dad in their freshman year. Mr. Yukimura teaches history, and during freshman year, Isaac was the first to receive a detention from him. Isaac sorted through a century's worth of archived international print media, and Kira eagerly jumped in assistance when she came in after her class. Mr. Yukimura invited Isaac to dinner the same night, and it had only been the first of many. He became an almost permanent fixture at the Yukimura's, with Kira's dad taking him as his unofficial student assistant. It gave him so much time to know Kira, grow fond of her, and eventually fall for her.

Even though Isaac doesn't talk about his past abuse, it left a dent in his self-esteem, and it shows. He refers to himself as a dysfunctional alpha because of certain societal stereotypes and unworthy of Kira's attention.

"I'm not good enough for her," Isaac says after a long time of silence.

Stiles replies, "Let her decide for herself. You're a good person, Isaac. Kira knows that. Give it a chance to blossom before you try to kill it."

"Theo's a lucky guy," says Isaac after a second of silence. Before Stiles can ask him what he even means by that, he's already saying his goodbye. "Thank you, Stiles. See you tomorrow."

Stiles spends another minute staring at the ceiling of his room, contemplating Isaac and Kira's mutual feelings for each other and the sure chance that, should things go to plan as they likely will, his friends will officially begin courting. The thought brings a smile to his face.

He's settling into his blanket when he hears it: a soft tapping pattern on his window. He gets up, already knowing who he's going to see on the other side. Theo has knocked on his bedroom window - the one facing the front of the house, not the one overlooking Theo's own bedroom - so many times now that Stiles is in tune with the pattern.

He slides the window open, smiling at the beaming face of his best friend. "I thought you guys were doing a family thing?"

Tara is home from college. After tonight's dinner at the Raekens, one which Stiles spent talking to Tara about the ending of The Fox Prince even though they'd already freaked out to each other on Skype the week of the release, Theo understandably cancels their evening stroll in the creek. They are taking Tara out because she's only staying for a few days.

"We just got back," Theo helps Stiles climb out the window and onto the terrace roof.

When they are seated, facing the full moon, Theo says, "I gotta give you something," and takes out a small velvet box from his pocket.

Stiles looks at the box, stunned. The logo at the top makes his mouth drop open, gasping, "It's The Fox Prince limited edition collectible ring set!" Stiles takes the box from Theo with the utmost gentleness, as if the wrong brush of his finger will dissolve it into a mist. "Oh my god!" he exclaims, turning to Theo with shining eyes. "Did Tara give this to you?"

Theo pauses, but Stiles is too busy admiring the box to notice. Instead of answering, Theo nudges Stiles's shoulder, "Open it."

Stiles looks at him again, astonished, and nods. Carefully, he opens the ring box and squeals in excitement at the sight of two gold bands, genuine 18 karat gold bands, that he only ever fantasized about while reading the manga. Now he's holding the impression marriage rings of his most favorite fictional couple.

Theo takes the band with the symbol Ω and takes Stiles's left hand. Stiles watches in awe as Theo smoothly slides the ring to his pale finger, the exact size for it, and drops a featherlight kiss on his knuckles.

Stiles admires the ring as it glows under the moonlight. "It's so beautiful." After a few more seconds, Stiles moves to take it off, but Theo stops him, confused.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking it off," replies Stiles, also confused.

Theo frowns, "I thought you liked it."

"I do!" Stiles hastily affirms. "But if it's Tara's-"

"It's yours," Theo cuts him off, rolling his eyes. "I put it on your finger."

"But-"

Theo abruptly interrupts his protest. "Stiles," he intones his name a little exasperatedly. "Remove it only if you don't want it."

Stiles hesitates, stares at the perfectly-sized ring around his finger, and chooses to indulge. He's wearing the promise of commitment of the Wolf Knight to the Fox Prince. It only took them years to arrive at that moment.

Picking up the box from his lap, he plucks the second gold band, one marked with Α, and smirks playfully at his best friend. "So I take it you want to be my Wolf Knight," he jokes. "You didn't have to beat me up after all."

"I want to be," Theo replies seriously. "If you will allow me."

Stiles shivers slightly from the night air, mostly from the look in Theo's eyes.

He swallows, reaching for Theo's hand. He slides the ring into his finger, and it fits. Stiles can't believe their luck. The rings fit exactly like they're made for them. They fit perfectly like Stiles sometimes thinks he fits perfectly with Theo.

This childhood crush is going to be the death of him.

Or maybe his obliviousness will. And Theo's temper.

It crashes a month into Senior year. Isaac ended up not confessing his intentions of courting Kira the night before Senior year, and both he and Kira are getting frustrated, and by extension, Stiles. The scent is all he can smell from them whenever Stiles is around one or both of them. He takes to spending more time talking Isaac out of his nerves - at school, during track practice together (because Isaac also does track on top of lacrosse), over the phone, even during the weekend. And Kira, too, to listen to her wax poetry about Isaac's blue eyes and blond curls. And how she's sure he feels the same, but he looks away when she thinks they're gaining progress, and she's back to square one.

Ultimately, Stiles has Isaac writing his confession if talking isn't cutting it. Isaac cocks his head thoughtfully, then nods and writes a whole freaking narrative poetry or something. It's so well constructed, all of his thoughts flowing smoothly like the water in the Preserve creek, and Stiles is dumbstruck. They should've done this a long time ago.

He keeps the draft of Isaac's letter, thinking about framing it for his friends' first wedding anniversary in the future, and of course, Theo finds it.

And he absolutely flips.

Stiles can't believe his luck.

"We're you ever going to tell me?" Theo growls in anger, knuckles white on the steering wheel, eyes red as he drives home.

Stiles can't help but whimper. The scent of Theo's fury is sharp against his nostrils, and it hurts. He wants to reach out and appease the alpha, but he's also upset for being yelled at for no reason. His eyes sting with tears threatening to spill any second. He holds onto his own keys, his Jeep abandoned in the school parking lot, and snaps back.

"Tell you what?"

Theo growls again, pressing the car horn hard, the opposing cars veering away in alarm, and bares his fangs at the road. The veins in his arm and neck stick out prominent, and Stiles really sees the physical difference between an alpha and omega. Stiles has always been taller than Theo. His long, lithe, agile legs are the most remarkable features, the apotheosis of a werefox. But while he's always been lean in structure from the omega gene, Theo is broad, strong, and imposing. He loves it about Theo. So Stiles hates that it's scaring him now.

"That you were courting with someone else!"

"I'm not!"

Theo's eyes flash, "I saw Isaac's confession, Stiles. Don't lie to me!" He doesn't give Stiles a chance to speak, to correct his assumption, because he continues, still as livid, but the hurt is also bleeding in his voice. "How are you still wearing my ring if you're breaking intentions with me?"

Stiles is gobsmacked, "Breaking intentions- what?"

"His scent is all over you, fuck!" He swears, turning to their block with a hard turn. He grits his teeth, jaw clenching tight. "How could I be so stupid?"

When Theo screeches to a stop in Stiles's gate, Stiles hurries to get off his truck. The atmosphere inside is suffocating. "Yes!" He cries indignantly. "The confession was for Kira if you cared to read the entire letter before going feral on me. So, yes, how could you be so stupid?"

Stiles slams the door of Theo's truck, the gate, the front door, and the door to his room. He slams his windows shut, both of it, rolls the blinds down because Theo will try to reach out, and Stiles just doesn't have it in him to deal with him right now.

He refuses to go down to dinner, telling his mother to absolutely not let Theo in no matter what he says. Scott drives his Jeep home with the spare key but doesn't ask to talk to him. Scott shoots Stiles a message instead, telling him to call whenever he can. His dad knocks on his door, asking if he needs to snap someone's neck off.

"It's just a misunderstanding, dad," he says weakly.

"You're not eating dinner or going out of your room because of a misunderstanding?"

Stiles sighs, deep-set. "It's a really crap misunderstanding."

His dad also sighs behind the door, "All right. Tell us if you need anything, okay?" He walks away, leaving Stiles to his thoughts.

He's staring at his ring, replaying the conversation in the car again and again, when he hears the faint rhythm of Theo's rapping on his window. He sighs.

"You don't have to let me in, or say anything, or even listen to me," Theo says to begin, sobered up and apologetic. The scent of remorse pouring out of Theo is evident even with the wall barricading them. Stiles hears rustling and the sound of Theo's back thudding against his windowpane. "I just- want you to know I'm sorry."

His heart has always been soft for Theo. He could never resist him when they were boys, and he doesn't know how to start doing it now. Stiles seeks him out, missing him when they're apart for an indefinite amount of time. It's not because he's an alpha or Stiles's best friend. He has two of those. But his affection for Theo is for a different reason.

Theo heaves a deep breath, "I acted terribly out of line."

Stiles throws his blanket aside and gets to his feet. Theo momentarily falters, startled by the sound of Stiles's movement. Stiles imagines him straining his ear, trying to determine whether Stiles is moving closer or away. As Stiles takes his steps toward the window, Theo's heartbeat steadily grows louder and faster, matching Stiles's own. They'd always been perfectly synchronized, now that Stiles thinks about it.

He stops, right by where Theo's sitting. Stiles waits until Theo speaks again.

"I was jealous," Theo admits, voice tinged with embarrassment. "It's not an excuse, but it's the truth. I knew you were friendly with Isaac, and that's fine. But I started catching his scent on you even when he's not around. It drove me insane. The letter was the last straw."

"It wasn't for me," says Stiles quietly.

Theo sighs, swallowing. His head thuds softly against the pane. "I know that now. I was hasty to think of the worst. I just- I was scared."

Stiles takes one more step, putting him right against the window. He places a hand over the blinds and imagines touching Theo's back without the barrier between them. He looks at his ringed finger and says, "You don't have to be. Scared, I mean."

Theo holds his breath in reply.

Stiles rolls up the blinds, revealing Theo, who shifts to face him immediately. Their eyes meet; Theo hopeful and Stiles in wonder.

He lifts his window and leans over the sill. They stare at each other for a few more, Theo not moving further before Stiles finally asks the question he's been longing to ask. "Do you really want to be my Wolf Knight? Like, for real?"

Theo answers without missing a beat. "Since we were twelve."

Stiles is stunned. He gestures at their ringed fingers, "So- the rings-"

"Aren't Tara's," Theo finishes for him. "I've been saving to buy an actual ring since we were fifteen. It's by chance that your favorite book sells an actual pair of gold promise bands. I asked Tara to buy them in Los Angeles before she came home."

Stiles can't believe his ears right now. All this time?

Faintly, he asks. "The treehouse?"

Theo nods, "Is for you. It's an experimental project for when I give you the real thing."

It's taking everything in Stiles not to tear up right now. It's so… romantic, damn it. He wishes he could bottle up this moment to visit it, over and over again. He only ever felt this while reading The Fox Prince.

Stiles moves first, reaching out to curl a hand at the back of Theo's neck. Theo follows his beckoning, crouching low and drawing near until their foreheads are touching and their breaths mingling.

"You have me at day one," Stiles confesses. Theo cups his neck as well, tracing patterns against the moles of Stiles's skin, his own ring glinting in the night light. Stiles grins, "So, all right," Theo's face breaks into a blinding smile of his own. "I'll be your Fox Prince. For real."

Theo closes their distance, and they kiss, the first of many they will share. And it's gentle, no more than a pressing of the lips, but it's a vow. And, god, will they make good of it.

***

v. take me back to the time when we walked down the aisle

Stiles can't believe his luck.

After that first kiss on the window of Stiles's room, Theo officially asks Stiles's parents for their blessing to court him. Their dads shake each other's hands, joking for old time's sake.

"I always said they looked good together, Noah."

"And I always said I would love to have Theo as my son-in-law, Rick."

Their mothers are absolutely delighted with the news, smacking kisses all over their faces.

"My baby," Theo's mom coos, "Not a baby anymore."

Theo groans but doesn't pull away from her.

Claudia cups Stiles's face and whispers so no one else hears. "I'm glad it's Theo."

"Me too, mom." Stiles laughs. "God, me too."

The news quickly spread around the school. After all, the only two omegas in attendance are both exclusively courting almost at the same time. Isaac's letter worked. And though he almost shit himself while revealing his intentions to Mrs. Yukimura, she accepted. With no ounce of doubt that her only daughter is in good hands.

Jackson walks up to Stiles in the cafeteria. Theo moves to intercept him, but Stiles stops him with a hand to his chest. Jackson looks reluctant, but he forces himself to smirk.

"Congratulations, Stilinski," he says. "Although, I think you could do better than Raeken."

Theo growls in warning, and Scott sighs exasperatedly like they've had this conversation before. "Jackson,"

Jackson pays him no mind, slipping his gaze to Theo. He casually shrugs, "You couldn't have run fast enough, anyway. He was always going to catch you."

He backs away, nodding one last time at Stiles. "Have a good life, Stilinski." Then he walks back to his own table and kisses Lydia in the mouth. Their eyes briefly meet over Jackson's shoulder, and she, too, smirks before giving her full attention and brightest smile to Jackson.

It's the closest thing to an apology Stiles could get from Jackson. It's good enough.

Senior year passes by in a blur. Lacrosse finals find BHHS winning against Devenford Prep for the first time in many years. Stiles says goodbye to the track team and grimaces his way through Coach Finstock's speech about how the losers left on the team better start watching werefox documentaries to learn how to match up to the speed of one. Prom comes and goes. A whirlwind of college acceptance letters, and then graduation.

Stiles and Theo work through a long-distance relationship. With Theo attending UCLA - where Tara is taking her graduate studies - to study architecture and Stiles attending a pre-FBI program in Quantico while gearing up for criminology. It's both a surprise and not. Stiles has always admired the work of his father, appreciates law enforcement. And though he never particularly voiced his desire to follow the same steps, his parents support his decision. And so does Theo.

They communicate a lot, but it unavoidably almost fractures their relationship the first year apart. The end of the second year finds them agreeing to take a break from the courting without fully being uncommitted. Stiles struggles the first half of the third year, missing Theo so much and worrying about him finding someone else in his absence. When they come home for Christmas break during the fourth year, Theo drives Stiles up to the Preserve creek.

They sit on the tailgate of Theo's old truck, flushed against each other, their pinky fingers twining in between them. Stiles can feel Theo's Wolf Knight band against his finger and smiles to himself. After they broke up, they never talked about returning or removing the rings. It was to stay true to the plan to pick up their relationship when time allows them a better chance.

Theo hops off the truck, Stiles tracking his movements like he always does. Theo rolls his pant hems up and steps into the flowing water, picking a handful of pebbles and throwing them one by one back a little further.

"You'll be staying in Virginia after graduation, right?" Theo asks suddenly.

Stiles's mouth opens in surprise, hesitates, closes again. Then he clears his throat, "Yeah," he replies tentatively. "How did you know?"

"Your dad told me," Theo admits without breaking his pace.

Stiles sighs. He says weakly, "I was going to tell you."

No answer.

"It's only for a couple of years," he adds abruptly. "Scott's dad, he's an agent, put in a recommendation, and his seniors are recruiting me into the Bureau after my final exams. And they'll be assigning me specifically to the Omega Special Task Force. I just- think I'll do a really great job specializing the omega cases." he finishes, voice getting quieter in the last few words.

Theo stops, turns to Stiles, smiling faintly. "I'm sure you'll be one of the best."

"Are you- " Stiles pauses, dreading the answer to his next question. It's only been companionable thus far, but this crucial discussion about their relationship is always going to come. "Are you upset? Do you want to... terminate our commitment? For real?"

Theo gets off the water, drops all the remaining pebbles with a splash save for one, and walks into Stiles's space without hesitation. He pushes the pebble into Stiles's palm - another heart-shaped one would you look at that - and takes Stiles's face in between his hands. Their gazes lock, and he says, "My love is not fragile, Stiles. It can wait."

Stiles's breath catches. They have never used the word love in their relationship before. But after all this time, he knows what they have is that. He closes his hand tightly around the pebble.

"I love you, too," Stiles whispers.

Theo smiles wide, "Just think of this like that time the Fox Prince and his Wolf Knight had to part to work on making themselves ready, their warring clans consumed by old vendetta ready, for when they fall back together."

They drive back home more faithful of their bond that by the time Christmas and New Year are over, Theo drives Stiles to the airport without the anxiety of separation but the anticipation of seeing each other again.

Two years fly by quickly. They see each other twice in that period: once when Theo and Stiles's parents visit him together. And the other when Theo visits him alone.

They talk through Skype and Facetime and the old school phone call, sometimes with their other friends, too. About what they've been up to, their work, their plans. Theo's been busy; overseeing a project for the past year now, but he says it's almost through. He tells Stiles that he can show it when he comes home for Christmas - two years from the first Christmas when they said their first 'I love you'.

Theo picks him up at the airport, and Stiles launches straight into his arms. He nuzzles Theo's neck, practically inhaling the scent he's yearned for so much, mumbling how much he misses him and pulls him into a passionate kiss right there in the crowded arrival area.

Stiles's parents host the Christmas dinner with the assistance of Theo's parents. Tara comes home, a beta boyfriend named Jordan in tow, who's, coincidentally, Sheriff Stilinski's newest deputy. Melissa comes over with Scott and Allison. Isaac and Kira, too, who's four months pregnant with their first child. When it's time for the presents, Theo leans into Stiles and whispers in his ear that his gift is outside.

Everyone shuffles to the backyard, and Stiles gasps when he sees it: a bed of the first edition copies of The Fox Prince - all 365 of them - lying on the grass in the shape of a heart, surrounded by candles and a smattering of rose petals. Theo moves forward, handing one to Stiles, open to a specific page. Stiles can suddenly hear his heart thundering in his ears because he thinks he knows what he will see when he looks down.

"Spend the rest of your life with me, my Fox Prince."

"My afterlife is yours as well, my Wolf Knight."

Stiles's mother starts to weep behind him, his dad consoling her. Kira is crying, too, full-on sobbing in Isaac's chest. Pregnancy hormones, she will say later. Scott looks like he's close to losing it, too. After all, they're his best friends. And this is a long time coming.

Theo takes Stiles's hand in his, caressing the ring on his finger, the one he slipped into Stiles many years ago.

"Spend the rest of your life with me, my Fox Prince," he says.

Stiles's throat closes up, his eyes welling up in tears. "My afterlife is yours as well," he replies in kind, voice hitching. "My Wolf Knight."

***

vi. take me home where we met so many years before

"Almost there," Theo says, guiding a blindfolded Stiles to the backyard of his childhood home.

Stiles chuckles, holding onto Theo's hand. "Where are you taking me?"

Theo snorts, "Yeah, it's not like you don't have these directions memorized by now."

"Right, okay," concedes Stiles. "So we're going to the treehouse," Stiles laughs, stumbling a little and Theo catching him immediately. "But why?"

"I told you, my wedding gift to you is in there."

"I'm really starting to feel insufficient," Stiles mutters in a half-assed complaint. "First, you give me a real-life 18 karat omega gold ring from my favorite manga's limited collectible items - when you were seventeen. Then you buy me the entire first edition collection of said manga, which, by the way, I'm still not convinced that you got on e-Bay." Stiles practically hears Theo's eyes rolling. "And now, you have this mysterious wedding gift that took you a while, and probably a lot of money, to acquire. But then there's me. Aside from my lifelong devotion and virginity, I gave you nothing on par with what you've given to me."

They stop, Theo taking off his blindfold. Stiles blinks, mouth falling open at the sight of pictures and hanging lights adorning the outside of the treehouse, like a waterfall of stars and memories.

Stiles climbs the same rickety ladder, almost brains himself from the same protruding nail by the door, they have to crouch low to fit inside, the wood planks are old and creaky, and the window is slightly smaller than Stiles's head now. The space is clear save for Stiles's old mini bookshelf full of werewolf and werefox tales, the blue paint is faded, but the branches are still mindfully trimmed for the stars to be visible through the same skylight of their childhood. Stiles thinks it's even more amazing now with the years of memories it holds.

In the center, where the pictures and hanging lights cascade more densely, is a velvet box.

Stiles laughs from inexplicable joy. "I'm already married to you. Why are you still gifting me more rings?"

Theo nudges him forward, "Open it."

Stiles kneels, takes the box, and opens it.

"A key?" He turns to Theo, curious. "A key to what?"

Theo smiles his little lopsided one that always makes Stiles's heart tumble. "To the palace that the Wolf Knight built for his Fox Prince."

Stiles stops short, eyes widening. The project that Theo's been working on for close to two years now, that he's very secretive about. It makes sense now. Stiles almost investigated but reckons Theo will tell him in time. And finally, the key to that pet project is in Stiles's hands.

"Someone told me before that omegas create the den," Theo adds, kneeling in after Stiles. He wipes the wayward tear that escapes Stiles's eye. "And you're wrong, you know. You give me everything I need. I can't wait for you to turn our house into a home."

Stiles sniffles, shaking his head. "I don't deserve you."

"You deserve the world," corrects Theo.

And, oh, Stiles can't believe his luck.

***

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sohin-ace · 3 years

Note

Another kool idea i just thought of. So in Part 4, jotaro shows up with Y/N, and are finally married and have Jolyne after growing up together and killing Dio together. And Josuke and his friends are confused as to how scary Jotaro has a very sweet wife, and one day, after pestering them both, Y/N finally tells them a story about a princess and a prince that grew up together and both went on a journey to slay a demon together. It's actually a story about how they met, they've just disguised it. She ends the story on a cliffhanger, and then the next day, Jotaro continues from where Y/N left off, and he finishes the story. Okuyasu's crying naturally. The thing is, though, both Jotaro and Y/N left small hints that the princess and prince were them. Josuke and his friends realize the next day and asks them both about it. And then they confirm that yeah it's about them, which makes Okuyasu cry harder. It's just a really long thought to think about i guess

Oh I love this so much! This is the cutest and fluffiest idea! Thank you for sharing my gangster!

Jotaro and Y/N arrive in Morioh and Josuke, Okuyasu and Koichi don't even suspect that they are a couple because Y/N is so kind and gentle, while Jotaro is so grumpy and cold. The teens kind of think she's just an old friend of his or maybe a colleague he got close to, but nothing more, right?

They get so confused sometimes when they hear Y/N and Jotaro speak like a married couple. For instance, Jotaro telling her to use his credit card for the groceries, or Y/N talking about Jolyne's school calling and he has to see her teacher as soon as they come back or something. Josuke and Okuyasu are so confused because "Why are you two speaking like you share a house lol?"

Poor boys, they are SO dense. It frustrates Jotaro to no end, but it amuses Y/N, who wants to keep the secret just a little bit longer to mess with them kids.

The teens ask one day how Y/N and Jotaro met and she instantly goes into her storytelling voice "Once upon a time...."

Jotaro just rolls his eyes with a small scoff. He knows she's going to tell them that bedtime story Jolyne loves so much that's just a fairy tale version of their own lives. About a prince and a princess, going on a journey to save the dying queen from an evil demon, all with the help of a Silver Charming Knight, an Ottoman Fire Mage, a Virtuous Pope of Emerald, and an Old Wise King.

They, again, don't make any connexion between the characters and Jotaro or Y/N, and instead are really into the story because it's just so good and what happens next? What happens next?? They need to know!

Y/N stops telling the story with the excuse that it's getting late, and the boys have school tomorrow and they need to go home before their parents get worried.

When Jotaro finishes the story the next day (Not without the burning need to punch these brats who kept pestering him for the rest of the story), the boys are stunned. So many different emotions, the story was beautiful, yet dark, but sweet, and also sad and-

Okuyasu is already in tears because his favourite characters keep dying and even some villains are so cool, could you imagine if there were Stands like that in real life? They can't get enough.

Josuke, Okuyasu and Koichi keep talking about it, but it's only then that a ring bells in Koichi's mind and he lets them know that, "Wait... Isn't the prince a lot like Mr. Jotaro? Like... Too much? He litterally has an attack called 'Platinum Punch'... And Ms. Y/N mentionned he says 'Yare Yare' a lot too... Hmm...."

It takes a good minute for them to put two and two together, rubbing their chin pubes in thought.

If that's not a coincidence.... and the story is really about Jotaro and Y/N.... And the prince and princess get married in the end of the story... well holy shit, that can only mean one thing!!!

Jotaro and Y/N are actually married??!! (Sherlock Holmes moment).

They all eventually ask them about it and when their suspicions get confirmed, it's like the Christ himself got reborn. All three of them just scream and cry and run around like they've discovered the purpose of life itself. It's absolute chaos.

Jotaro wishes they never told the story if he had known they were going to be so loud and obnoxious and God, Y/N do something already! But Y/N is just laughing her heart out at how cute they all are.

The teens can't believe this whole story really happened and oh man, it explains a lot about Jotaro's behavior, yours too. And they get so sad about the fate of their friends, but happy that they were heroes.

But the worst of all, and that's something they can't believe actually happened and is real, is...

"I can't believe Jotaro actually got laid."

Y/N has to remind Josuke again, that he can not fix himself with Crazy Diamond, and thus keep quiet, all as she puts ice on his freshly inflicted bump on his head.

#anon #confession #jotaro confession #4taro confession #part 4 jotaro #what a funny story #thank you gangster

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morwensteelsheen · 2 years

Note

For that ask thingy: 🌈, 🌾, and of course, 🎨! Or just one of those, if you'd rather!

Wahey! Thank you so much!!

🌈 Your favorite tropes to write about?

Oh man, it’s got to be, like, friends to lovers and pretty much anything domesticity-based. I know I’ve been writing a lot of heinously angst-riddled stuff lately but 99% of what I want to write, is, like characters fucking around in their own homes and being lazy lol.

🌾 A fic you really want to write but you haven’t (yet)?

I keep floating this and then running away from it because I’m a coward, but I want to write a fic dealing pretty explicitly with the inevitable political split between Faramir & Aragorn. Faramir’s spiel in Window on the West very prominently features this line:

'I would see the White Tree in flower again in the courts of the kings, and the Silver Crown return, and Minas Tirith in peace: Minas Anor again as of old, full of light, high and fair, beautiful as a queen among other queens: not a mistress of many slaves, nay, not even a kind mistress of willing slaves.

Which seems so totally at odds with everything Aragorn is recorded as having done in the Fourth Age it genuinely surprises me it’s not a more common topic in the fandom. I think that rupture would be pretty jarring, and though I can’t imagine that Faramir would ever do anything to destabilise any of Gondor’s politics, no matter how small, it had to have been a really terrifying thing for everybody involved. Plus probably psychologically hellish for Éowyn, given that her brother also was very gung ho on Aragorn’s imperialist wars. One day…one day…

🎨 Show us a sneak peek from a WIP!

Here’s a short bit from the AFTA sequel, tentatively called Days of Cold Pity.

Éowyn caught Faramir’s eye. He took one final glance at the table to confirm his assessment, then nodded at her.

“I am proposing a comprehensive review of the clans currently occupying Dunland and Enedwaith. Those that can evince their non-engagement with Isengard during the war will be allocated superior land to those that cannot. Those that show sufficient contrition will also be considered for preferential land. It is, ultimately, an act of strategic justice. Rather than punishing all of the Hillmen equally when there is every possibility that they were not all equally culpable, we will punish only those who acted in support of our enemies. And, for the immense knowledge acquisition required to undertake such a large-scale act of mercy, we will better understand who dwells at the borders of the Mark and of the Reunited Kingdoms. No longer will we fumble in the dark to contrive a defence of our borders, precision and accuracy will lead the way.” At her return to her starting position, she leaned on the table, the gold of her ring catching brilliantly under the shafts of light that cascaded from the skylights. Insouciant pride sparked in Faramir’s heart. “My lords, are there any objections?”

He lifted his cup to his lips to mask his smile. There would be none, just as they predicted.

Later, the lords and marshals and captains were sent away with little fanfare; Rohan, Faramir was coming to learn, was a kingdom of zealous truth tellers, and they were wedded to a particularly thorny definition of truth. If they could not earnestly speak niceties to one another, they would, as a rule, choose silence instead. Unlike in Gondor, many meetings in Edoras ended briskly and brusquely, with neither bread broken nor wine shared to mark the occasion. In different circumstances, Faramir might have felt put off by it. Such as it was, the rather graceless end to the council enabled him to chase after his wife with nary a judgemental glance cast in his direction. Some things, he thought, were indeed better in Rohan.

#asks #thank you!!

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bts-ficrecs · 4 years

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Namjoon angst fic recs (no smut)

@ephyra16 asked:

Hey...! Your blog is of so much help to me, thank you for all the hard work you do... I wanted to ask if you know any long Namjoon oneshots or series which mostly have angst but no smut...? Namjoon centered fics are really hard to find. Thanks!!

yes hello for some reason tumblr hates me and idk why everything gets wonky when i try to answer asks so i’m making a new post <3

1) as a jin stan i feel u. is hard to find fics for our mans but that just means when we find one we devour it and cherish it 4 ever lol

2) jsdflajsd you might have more luck asking someone else for straight up angst cause i can barely stomach angst LOL. I tried my best to find some heart breaky fics for you! :”) A majority of these I have not yet read so we will both be riding the emo train together.

As you requested, most of the oneshots are long fics, over 5k but! There are several honorable mentions under 5k are also listed cause they’re great

Thank you for your patience and I’m glad you’re enjoying the fics I reblog! :D so many great stories out there. as always, if there’s a fic that any of you readers think should be on this list lmk!! 🧡🧡 Enjoy!~

A Little Bit Of Sugar by @lthyl

Summary: Namjoon is well aware that some, well actually most people could find his hobby not exactly common, yet he still considers himself to be a man of tasteful words and higher intellect - someone who managed to understand the true, deepest meaning of beauty itself. And so he doesn’t really care if his methods of collecting pretty things end up being darker that expected, once you peek under the surface.

Almost Love by @joonary

Summary: You think you’ve got your life all figured out—after all, you found your soulmate already, and you’re lucky enough to have found him in your childhood best friend. You suppose that maybe, now that you’re older, your luck has begun to run out.

Better To Have Loved by @rkivenamu

Summary: Love, Namjoon had found, wormed its way though people, consumed them whole until it left nothing of the people they had once been. It became a weapon to be used to wound the other. Love, it seemed, was the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

Bloom by @hobidreams

Summary: Family is who you kill for. Who you die for. In this society, you and your kin are shadows, clinging to the darkness to obey orders absolute. But when such orders command you to abandon what little honor remains for wealth and notoriety, you find yourself lost in lonely uncertainty about the only vocation you’ve ever known. That is, until you meet a man with gentle hands, a poet’s heart, and a love for coaxing the world into bloom.

Note: okay, this has smut (there are 2 smut scenes) but… it is too good for me to not add to this list

Breathless by @personawife

Summary: Jungkook was eleven when it had begun. At first, he didn’t realize what was happening to him when he had miraculously coughed up a flower petal. He thought that maybe it had accidentally blown into his mouth with the wind, but then he realized that there were no cherry blossom trees around his house.

Pairing: Namjoon x Jungkook

Catching Fire by @namjoonchronicles

Summary: “If you didn’t want to go, then you should have told me. I wouldn’t have taken you here.”

Cut by @chimchimsauce (>5k)

Summary: Namjoon always hated soulmates.

Chasing Perfection by @shuaffeine-rkive

Summary: Kim Namjoon is the only kid in AP Bio that is smarter than me, and I will make it a point to destroy his perfect record.

Emancipated by @imagniation

Summary: CEO!Namjoon is a hero time and time again when your father takes the villain role.

Five Times by @lordofassgard

Summary: Five times you wished you never met Namjoon.

Sequel (of sorts): Part 2 - Namjoon's POV

For All the Petals by @rosaetae (>5k)

Summary: A story in which you met him in the spring, fell in love with him in the summer, but he left you in autumn and how you missed him in the winter.

Forget Me Not by @fairyjeons

Summary: She fell apart that day. An all white day with crowds of adoring friends and family to see them make the most happiest decisions of their lives, to choose to be together. She chose yes. He chose different.

Ghost In The Machine by @jimlingss

Summary: Kim Namjoon is your android that’s modified to become the best serial killer in all of existence. But when he starts to learn about humanity, he begins to threaten your goals.

God of Destruction by @jimlingss

Summary: Everything he touches breaks; except for you.

Jealous by @btssmutgalore (>5k)

Summary: Namjoon remembered the day you left clearly.

Lit Me Up by @floralseokjin

Summary: You find yourself becoming captivated by a mysterious, handsome author, but you may have bitten off more than you can chew…

No Goodbye by @floralseokjin (>5k)

Summary: Even if you’re the one who ended things, you can still feel pain. Your heartbreak is valid. Your sadness for the past is a grieving process…

Noble Gain and Loss by @jaeminlore (>5k)

Summary: You are a person of nobility preparing with your tutor for your royal debut. The two of you fall into a forbidden love.

Not The One by @personawife (>5k)

Summary: Maybe you should’ve realized early on then, that something was bound to go wrong. Meeting your soulmate at sixteen and living happily ever after? No one’s that lucky. But you refused to believe anything else.

Paracosm by @jimlingss (>5k)

Summary: Namjoon’s always known he was your second choice. He was a substitute for someone who wasn’t there. So when you’re on your deathbed, he intends to reconstruct your memories and remove your regrets.

Press Play by @out-of-jams

Summary: You didn’t mean to. Didn’t intend to fall in love with a dying man.

Submerged by @myfeelsinink

Summary: Kim Namjoon is the man of your dreams; or rather, from your dreams.

Suspended Soul by @justimajin

Summary: A silver ring, a live long promise, and an eternity of happiness. All of which, he had managed to break.

The what Ifs by @ellieljade (>5k)

Summary: You would be able to handle the relationship between Namjoon and your best friend if it weren’t for all those damned “what ifs”

Wishf-oo-l by @sseudanym (>5k)

Summary: To fulfill a good man’s bad dream.

Worshipers of the Soul by @jimlingss

Summary: The King of the Underworld was denounced and exiled from Heaven as a god. But with your help, he may rise to power once more and claim his rightful throne.

You’ve Got That by @mikrksmos

Summary: After making a life-changing decision for your career, you’re unsure of how exactly to bring it up to your boyfriend after your relationship and communication has not really been in sync. Namjoon is ready to take this relationship to the next stage, and he is sure that what he needs to ask you will be the solution to all the problems you have been having. Both know this next move is the right idea, but are unaware of how parallel those ideas really are.

Confirm Or Deny by @dinoyoongi

Status: complete series (6/6)

Summary: You’re a member of the rising group FRNZEE. You’ve been dating Namjoon for years when Dispatch releases an article exposing your relationship. Your company confirms the relationship. Big Hit denies it.

Deeper than Ink by @whoajeon

Status: discontinued series (2/?)

Summary: Should you fall in love with someone, even in the slightest, your skin becomes marked with vibrant colors that depict the story of your emotions. A tattoo, per say. However, should they or you fall out of love, the bright hues dull to black and the feelings you once had for each other melt away. To many, it’s a blessing to not have to live with the pain of your past. But what’s the point when you have too many reminders–say 27?

His Deaf Stars by @jooneos

Status: discontinued series (1/?)

Summary: When Namjoon turned 20 he had been excited to finally find his soulmate. He hadn’t anticipated that finding them would prove to be such a long journey. Now, more than 500 years later Namjoon still hadn’t found them.

Note: ok, yes it’s discontinued and only 1 part is up but still… please read it. It’s an interesting read regardless!

Inked by @kookswife

Status: complete series (6/6)

Summary: The day Namjoon entered your life was the day you were a bit more than utterly fucked.

Monster by @wordycerty

Status: ongoing series (1/?)

Summary: Namjoon as a vampire and you’re locked in a basement with him. For you to escape, he first needs to feed.

Noble Heart by @agustkive

Status: ongoing series (1/?)

Summary: Unrequited love can destroy anyone, and in a society where it could literally do so, it made it difficult to want anything more. Being among the population with Hanahaki disease, you battled with doing what you loved without actually feeling it. That is, until a new florist by the name of Kim Namjoon came into your life to remind you of what it actually felt like.

Reality by @thoughtssilent

Status: ongoing series (11/12)

Summary: Namjoon can’t deal with himself anymore, and to make things worse, BTS is disbanding.

Pairing: Namjoon x OT7

Regrets by @nightbts

Status: complete series (3/3)

Summary: When his eyes met yours, you felt your heart squeeze in your chest at the familiar brown eyes that you once used to know at the back of your hand. The very ones you’d wake up to every morning. The very ones that would gaze at you with so much affection as the words I love you spilled past his mouth during the most random moments of your day. It was him, your ex-boyfriend, the very Kim Namjoon.

Solanacea by @softjeon

Status: complete series (10/10)

Summary: There was something between them that neither could deny. It was like this from the first day they had met.

Pairing: Namjoon x Jimin

The Heiress’ Son by @jimlingss

Status: complete series (3/3)

Summary: Love is never enough. It could never feed you, protect you, stop death from taking you. It chains you down. It compels forgiveness unconditionally. It is dangerous. While it is the most intense of feelings, love is not enough and it will never be. Love never helped anyone.

What If I Said by @thoughtssilent

Status: complete series (3/3)

Summary: If no one is there for him, Namjoon won't be there for them. Or, a collection of sad stories.

Pairing: Namjoon x OT7

#namjoon angst #namjoon fanfic #bts fic recs #rm angst #bts angst #ephyra16 #g recs #g replies #f:knj

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jeonjeonggukenergy · 5 years

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Anti-Hero

summary ~ in search of wine at a party that’s so not your scene, you run into jungkook, the weeb from your film class, and become determined to learn just how much he lives up to his big reputation.

pairing ~ jungkook x reader

genre ~ fluff, light smut w/ more to come - college!au

wordcount ~ 1.7k

warnings ~ light smut, drinking/partying, mentions of dick?, basically just making out, feat. long hair jk :)))))

a/n ~ this is my first time posting a fic!!! costume idea inspired by @ddaenggtan‘s iconic weeb-ass jk in chasing butterflies lol, and I got the idea to write this in general from wondering what a scenario like @joonbird‘s literally flawless fic passionfruit would be like from the opposite perspective bc I kept reading it (and rereading it...and rereading it...) and loving the connection but I’m much more like joon in that au than the reader oooop. anyway thank you to all the writers on here whose work i have loved and my friends who have encouraged me and made me bold enough to embrace such a fun new creative outlet xxx u know who u are :’)

next: chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 4 (coming soon!)

~ read on ao3 ~

CHAPTER 1 ~ dress up

You never intended to end up at this Halloween party. You didn't even know who to expect to see here, other than your roommate's friend from high school, the host, who had invited y'all as a package deal even though she knew you didn't really do parties. At least not ones like hers, where every bedroom ended up occupied by the end of the night and nearly no one went home alone. Thrilled to break out of your lame group of friends for a taste of flirtation and fun, you tried to relax into the scene but the unspoken expectation of casual sex intimidated you the tiniest bit.

Speaking of casual sex, there was Jungkook.

Used to admiring him from afar in your "14 Films To See Before You Graduate" class, you paused to take in the sight of him in what you supposed was a more natural habitat. Everyone knew Jungkook got girls, thanks to the rumor his first freshman-year hookup had started about his seriously impressive dick. He had a beautiful body too, carefully crafted muscles obvious even beneath his usual baggy black clothes, so as the more intimate rumors spread and various co-signers confirmed every detail from length to curve to (you had always hated this word, but...) girth, getting a piece of all that became a badge of honor among the girls in your grade. You had never really understood how the awkward boy who hid manga under his desk in class could supposedly be such a sex symbol, but you almost felt bad for him. That kind of reputation following you around everywhere couldn't be all fun and games. If anything, though, it had intrigued you even more about the rest of him, all his little weeb quirks and the way he debated your points in the discussion boards like he actually cared. He wasn't exactly studious in general, but he clearly loved film and you enjoyed speaking up in class just to see how he would jump off of your observations. You hadn't really talked to him other than that, but he didn't seem to be talking to anyone else tonight either. From the corner, you let yourself appreciate the way his nervous hands tugged at the skinny black tie of his costume, freeing more of his throat from a thin yellow button-down shirt.

At least you no longer felt overdressed in your Nancy Drew outfit. The retro headband, brown loafers, and bookish plaid knee-length skirt set a much more sophisticated tone than most other ensembles you'd seen, but Jungkook's weeb ass had basically worn a full suit to channel Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop. With his grown-out hair tousled and a navy pinstripe jacket cinched tight with two strips of electrical tape over his tiny waist, you couldn't deny that he rocked it. He leaned against a long plastic table left in the hallway, bobbing his head to the music in the next room and adjusting the too-slim suit pants around his thick thighs. His translucent cup stayed hidden behind a hip until he raised it quickly to his face for another sip of...red wine? Probably Franzia, knowing tonight's crowd, but anything was better than beer. You made a beeline for the one boy with taste at this party, your sole mission now to get wine drunk, sneak some Usher throwbacks on this playlist, and drop it low enough to leave some dude hard on the dance floor. #wastehistime2019, yknow.

"Hey!" You got his attention, grabbing the hand with the cup before he could lower it out of view again. His eyes grew comically wide and his mouth formed an "o" in shock before you demanded "Where is the wine?" and he pressed his lips back into a line, stuttering.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I just brought a bottle because the beer here sucks but I think it's all gone by now, I tried to hide it but yeah anyway you can have the rest of this one if you want though." Wincing at his own ramble, he ruffled the retro pouf of his hair with one hand and proffered the plastic cup in another. Both actions highlighted how pretty his hands were and you were just slightly tipsy enough to thread your fingers over his in the also-pretty black waves falling over his yep-still-just-as-pretty cheekbones.

"Aw, it's okay, I don't want to take your wine. No more liquid courage for me," you grinned, dotting the lightest kiss on his nose. It was an innocent gesture, but as your face naturally lowered so your noses touched, leaving your lips centimeters away from each other, something snapped—in him.

His wine discarded on the table, a hand curled around to clutch your ass and you practically felt his tongue before you felt his lips. Slamming your body abruptly into his, he nudged a thigh between your legs to grind it up on your center and as your arm got caught between your bodies, the tension you sensed filling his frame gave you pause. You pushed him away gently but firmly with the hand already flattened against his rock-solid abs. Looking down at the slight space restored between y'all, you removed his hands from his hair and your ass and laced them in yours to guide him back against the wall.

"I...what was that?" you almost giggled. You definitely weren't trying to laugh at him, but you couldn't hide your surprise at this first potential proof of his fuckboy reputation.

"I'm—" his whole face crumpled, both from the simple sting of your seeming rejection and the possibility that he had broken a boundary or forced himself on you against your wishes, which made him so sick he could barely face you. Squirming under your light hold but not quite resisting, he rambled again: "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to force myself on you or anything, don't worry I would never try anything if you didn't want to, I just figured we might as well get to the point if you did because, uh...when girls touch me like that or even talk to me at these things it's pretty much always just because they...want to."

"Jungkook," you breathed, pulsing your hands over his in reassurance. He squeezed his eyes shut, still distraught, and when they opened, you had craned your neck to meet his averted gaze.

"I never said I didn't want to."

His eyes widened again. "Uh...uh...then..." he trailed off, never having needed to directly proposition a girl like this before. He really had been inexperienced before the rapid escalation of college, and was at a loss for how to get to the good stuff from here via anything more eloquent than a rushed "Wanna fuck?" You shook your head silently, nose grazing his again, and let go of one hand to cup his face with care, like he was something precious you were scared of breaking.

"What? You want to get right to fucking me?" you murmured into his ear. He shivered at hearing you curse for the first time, freed from the constraints of class discussions and closer than he ever guessed you'd get to him. "Is that really what you want? Or is it what you think I do? Because if it's alright, I think I want something better. For you."

You pressed a new kiss to his nose, only slightly stronger than the one that had started all this. He held his breath and his untouched, open mouth trembled as you scattered soft introductions of your lips across his forehead, to his temples, over the scar that sliced his cheekbone. Finally inhaling a skittery heave of your shared air as you passed closer to his lips, he forced it back out in frustration when you ducked away to nudge under his jaw instead. Returning your hand to his hair, you grinned, enjoying the spike in his pulse under your thumb and skipping the tip of your tongue lightly over his neck right up to the earlobe. You lifted the choppy ends of his waves away from the dangly silver hoop they hid, tensing the strands just slightly between your fingers in an inability to hide your glee. Something told you this was going to drive him crazy.

Taking a slight detour to suck his pierced lobe between your lips, you responded to Jungkook’s low moan of surprise by wedging your tongue through the first oversized hole and letting your teeth clatter over multiple rings of metal. He was trying so hard to stay pliant under you, but the tease of slight pain in a new and unusual spot made him want your mouth more, anywhere he could get it. No one had ever spent this much time tracing so few inches of skin.

And so many girls had buried his face in their necks, craving evidence of an encounter with the Jeon Jungkook, that a strange kind of empathy caught him off guard when you showed him how good it could feel to receive. You connected your lips to the hollow right under his ear, feeling the tendons stretch as his head lolled away from you. Working him through a cascade of light gasps, you stepped away satisfied once you had sucked a dark bloom to the surface. He watched you leave with his mouth agape and chest heaving, unable to believe you could just walk away with a wave and a "See you in class!"

But you did, and he would.

"Shit!" he swore, a shaky hand darting straight to the spot. Now he had to keep his hair long for at least another two or three days. If he showed up to discussion on Monday and had to watch you admiring your work on his skin, he would probably just die on the spot. And that would not be very Spike Spiegel of him.

next chapter

#jungkook x reader #jungkook smut #jungkook fluff #jungkook x reader smut #bts smut #bts fic #college!jungkook #college au!jungkook #bts college au #jungkook #jeon jungkook #bts jungkook #my writing #anti-hero #anti hero

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the-romantic-lady · 4 years

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English Monarchs Physical Appearance Master Post

I was just reading about the physical about English monarchs from history and decided why not share it with you guys. Obviously, we don’t have the definite for all of them but here is the general information that we do have. Nobody asked for this but I am doing it anyway.

William the Conqueror

Height: 5 ft 10 inches (1.78 m)

Hair Color:Brown

Eye Color:N/A

Any distinctive features: Scandinavian features, clean-shaven, “burly and robust appearance, with a guttural voice”.

William II (Rufus)

Height: Described as not very tall

Hair Color: Blonde

Eye Color: “Eyes of changeable color”

Any distinctive features: “Florid complexion”, “belly rather projecting”

Henry I

Height: Described as being of middle stature

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: “Mildly bright

Any distinctive features: Brawny chest, Fleshy body

Empress Matilda (Yes, I consider her a monarch)

Called beautiful but no detailed prescription survives.

Henry II

Height: Described as medium (Average)

Hair Color: Red

Eye Color: N/A

Any distinctive features: “ His head is spherical...his eyes are full, guileless”, Closely shaved head, broad square lion-like face, “Curved legs, a horseman's shins, broad chest, and a boxer's arms”

Henry the Young King (Co-monarch to his father)

Height: Described as being “tall”

Hair Color: N/A

Eye Color: N/A

Any distinctive features: Known for a very gentle and charming face

Richard I

Height: 6 ft 5 inches (1.96 m). Though this is not confirmed.

Hair Color: Mix between Red and Gold

Eye Color: N/A

Any distinctive features: "He had long arms suited to wielding a sword. His long legs matched the rest of his body”

John I

Height: 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)

Hair Color: Dark red hair

Eye Color: N/A

Any distinctive features: “ powerful, barrel-chested body”

powerful, barrel-chested body

Henry III

Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.68m)

Hair Color: N/A

Eye Color: N/A

Any distinctive features: strong build, drooping eyelid

Edward I (Longshanks)

Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88m)

Hair Color: Blonde curls as a child, darkened with age

Eye Color: N/A

Any distinctive features: long toned legs, drooping eyelid, had a lisp too

Edward II

Height: Described as tall

Hair Color: Light Blonde

Eye Color: N/A

Any distinctive features: Known to be really handsome, long hair parted in the middle and fell over his shoulders, at an old age he grew a mustache and a beard

Edward III

Height: 5 ft 10.5 inches

Hair Color: N/A

Eye Color: N/A

Any distinctive features: N/A

Richard II

Height: I read somewhere that he was around 6 ft but can’t seem to find it again

Hair Color: Blonde

Eye Color: N/A

Any distinctive features: fair and rosy, round face

Henry IV

I legit can’t find anything on his appearance. Yikes...

Henry V

Height: 6ft 3 in

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: N/A

Any distinctive features: clean shaven, iconic ring above ears haistyle, pointed nose, lean slim face and build, also SUPER hot (ok, sorry about that)

Henry VI

Height: 5 ft 9 inches (1.75 m)

Hair Color: N/A

Eye Color: N/A

Any distinctive features: long and boyish face

Edward IV

Height: 6 ft 4 inches (1.94m)

Hair Color: long brown hair (There is a picture of a lock of his hair). It goes a bit blonde at the ends. (My bday is on August 29 so you can but me a strand of his hair, thanks)

Eye Color: N/A

Any distinctive features: was considered VERY handsome in his age, straight nose, small mouth

Richard III

Height: 5 ft 8 inches (1.7 m)

Hair Color: Blonde in young age, dark brown when older

Eye Color: Gray-blue eyes

Any distinctive features: He had scoliosis making one shoulder slightly higher than the other. Just a whole beauty. Here is a reconstruction his face *swoon*

Anne Neville was one lucky woman. Ok, moving on.

From here on, we have contemporary portraits with some level of accuracy. I will try to do a post focusing on contemporary portraits of different kings but for now the focus will remain on their features.

Henry Tudor

Height: Describe as tall and slender

Hair Color: Blonde hair

Eye Color: Blue Eyes

Any distinctive features: bad blackened teeth, sallow face, very fair face

Henry VIII

Height: 6 ft 2 inches (1.88m)

Hair Color: Red/Gold Hair

Eye Color: Dark Blue Eyes

Any distinctive features: considered handsome in young age, became very fat

Edward VI

Height: N/A

Hair Color: Red Hair

Eye Color: Dark Blue Eyes

Any distinctive features: N/A

Queen Mary

Height: N/A

Hair Color: Red Hair

Eye Color: Dark Blue Eyes

Any distinctive features: She was considered somewhat ugly in her time though many attribute it to her difficult life

Elizabeth I

Height: 5ft 3in -5ft 5in

Hair Color: Wavy Golden Red

Eye Color: Dark Brown

Any distinctive features: nose ridged or hooked in the middle, her lips rather thin, and her cheek bones pronounced

James I

Height: N/A

Hair Color: Dark brown hair

Eye Color: Gray-blue eyes

Any distinctive features: mustache and beard like that fashionable in his period.

Charles I

Height: 5 ft 4 inches (1.63m)

Hair Color: Long dark brown hair

Eye Color: Hazel eyes

Any distinctive features: mustache and beard like that fashionable in his period.

Charles II

Height: 6 ft 1 inches (1.85m)

Hair Color: Long black hair

Eye Color: Brown eyes

Any distinctive features: Very curly hair, mustache, known to be very handsome in his time

James II

Height: Exact height not known but he was described as being tall like his brother so probably around 6 ft

Hair Color: Long brown/silver hair

Eye Color: Gray-blue eyes

Any distinctive features: Considered handsome like brother

William III

Height: 5 ft 6 inches (1.67m)

Hair Color: Long black hair

Eye Color: Dark blue eyes

Any distinctive features: Had a hawk nose.

Mary II

Height: 5 ft 11 inches (180 cm)

Hair Color: Long dark brown hair

Eye Color: Dark blue eyes

Any distinctive features: Striking eyes

Anne

Height: N/A

Hair Color: Long brown hair

Eye Color: Blue eyes

Any distinctive features: Considered to have a bad body in her time which made her insecure

George I

Height: N/A (But he was described uninspiring and short of stature)

Hair Color: Long gray hair

Eye Color: Blue eyes

Any distinctive features: Called dull and placid in feautres

George II

Height: N/A

Hair Color: White/silver hair

Eye Color: Blue eyes

Any distinctive features: N/A

George III

Height: 5 ft 10.5 inches

Hair Color: White/silver hair(Like his grandfather and great-grandfather it was a wig and his childhood hair color was blonde)

Eye Color: Blue eyes

Any distinctive features: N/A

George IV

Height: 5 ft 10.5 inches

Hair Color: Dark brown hair

Eye Color: Pale blue eyes

Any distinctive features: Became very fat

William IV

Height: 5 ft 10.5 inches

Hair Color: White

Eye Color: Pale blue eyes

Any distinctive features: N/A

Victoria

Height: 5 ft (1.52m)

Hair Color: Dark brown hair

Eye Color: Pale blue eyes

Any distinctive features: Known to very short and fat

Edward VII

Height: 5 ft 8 inches (1.73m)

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Pale blue eyes

Any distinctive features: N/A

George V

Height: 5 ft 8 inches (1.73m)

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Pale blue eyes

Any distinctive features: N/A

Edward VIII

Height: 5 ft 7 inches

Hair Color: Blonde

Eye Color: Blue eyes

Any distinctive features: N/A

George VI

Height: 5 ft 9 inches (1.75m)

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Blue eyes

Any distinctive features: N/A

Elizabeth II

Height: 5 ft 4 inches (1.63m)

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Blue eyes

Any distinctive features: N/A

Charles, Prince of Wales

Height: 5 ft 10 inches (1.78m)

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Blue eyes

Any distinctive features: N/A

Future William (V), Duke of Cambridge (2nd in line)

Height: 6 ft 3 inches (1.94m)

Hair Color: Blonde (when he had them lol)

Eye Color: Blue eyes (Hoooot)

Any distinctive features: He is one hot daddy (this is getting creepy I am sorry)

Future George (VII), 3rd in line

Height: Still growing!

Hair color: Blonde

Eye Color: Brown

#i am not going to tag them #maybe i will later #anyways #i hope you enjoy this #it was fun researching this for me #i really want to do a painting one #also let's discuss who is your favorite english monarch and why

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houkagokappa · 5 years

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Sarazanmai episode 10 thoughts and impressions

The episode opens with Mabu’s view of Reo as he’s holding him in his arms while he’s dying, which we saw in the after credits scene in dish 6. Thanks Sarazanmai for starting so lightly.

Mabu wakes up at the otter hospital and an otter greets him. I like how the kawauso phrase is used. It means river otter, but taken apart the word is a combination of river and lie. The way the otter says it highlights the uso part, meaning lie, so sometimes when the otter appears and says it, it’s like it’s commenting on how what we’re seeing and hearing isn’t the truth. I’m including this thought here, but it’s better applied elsewhere/throughout the whole series.

The fact that Mabu was always the person he used to be is killing me. They both love each other so much! (I wrote “loved” but for some reason spell check wanted me to change it to “love”. You’re right spell check, they LOVE each other).

We’re only two minutes into the episode and Enta’s lifespan is looking short. I don’t like that one bit...

Turns out that the weird cylinder Kazuki was holding onto in the PV was Keppi. He got jellyfied, although I always thought it looked more like a cheese. Just my preference lol.

I’m not sure if I should feel shock or immediate acceptance by the reveal that Reo and Mabu are kappa as well. This matches with the idea I had of Sarazanmai from long ago, sometime last fall, when thought that ReoMabu and the boys would be on the same side, but aiming for the same thing for their separate personal goals and thus have some conflict (similar to how several characters all had good reasons to get the diary in Penguindrum and were fighting over it). I gave up on that idea and never fully believed they would be otters, but I didn’t think they’d be kappa! I really like this development. I never wanted them to be otters so I’m very pleased that they aren't. This raises some interesting questions in regards to the manga. Is it a sequel to the anime after all? Is that the happy ending they’ll eventually get?

We get confirmation that they were indeed working for Keppi. I believed so after dish 6, but then I wavered when they were so chummy with the otters in the following episodes. It’s weird to see Keppi, Kazuki and Enta be so ...okay in Reo’s presence after what he did to Enta. I love Reo, but I would be a lot more visibly scared of him if I’d be there. I also find it a bit odd how Reo brings them along, although they do have the last plate that he needs so that explains it. He might also be pleasing Keppi.

The “elevator” scene screams ikuhara to me. Reo also says his “that’s hilarious” line from the Tsunagaru PV, which I’ve been waiting to hear in the anime!

“No one hesitates to give up their connections for the sake of their desires” :/

The next scene hurts a lot. It’s painful to watch. The only good thing about it is the promise of a song...

I have to add that while I think Sarazanmai looks amazing, the animation for Reo and Mabu could be a bit better. It looks a bit off and wonky and rough most of the time, at least when we aren’t getting close ups of them. Those are usually beautiful.

I like how Keppi is yet another Ikuhara character who got turned into two beings.

I don’t like that the otter enters Enta through his nostril. ...I’m also not sure if it’s better than entering someone through their butt or not.

So the otter shape shifted into Kazuki! It’s sweet that Enta’s able to break the trance because of how strongly he feels about his connection to Kazuki. I also wonder if what he’s saying is supposed to mean that he has no interest in a relationship with Kazuki. I know that Sarazanmai or Ikuhara doesn't shy away from gay relationships, but a lot of anime do this thing where they have gay characters be okay just staying by their love interests side, and I’m not a huge fan of it, although that’s literally me haha.

Kazuki tries to sacrifice himself for Enta, but he’s not having it. GOOD.

I love how Reo shows up at the right time to collect all the dishes. The scene where Mabu falls down and looks at Reo breaks my heart. No music and it’s prolonged, like torture. But ah, how good!

We get the eyecatch and I can’t believe we’re halfway through the episode. So much has happened, but it doesn’t feel like that much time passed yet. The item for this episode is ningyou-yaki. Mabu’s obsession and Reo’s treat.

Mabu’s judgement falls on desire so he gets turned into a zombie.

Shoutout to the pose Reo makes, ass out for Keppi to turn him into a kappa. I enjoyed that and the yelling. “Sing that song!” has me so hyped. Oh how I've missed Sarazanmai no Uta!!

I’ve seen fanart of Reo as a kappa and it looked just like he actually does! I’m quite amazed by this.

I love that Mabu’s backing his singing. It’s both cool and sad how they’re singing together, but as a kappa and a zombie, so they’re not really a pair. This scene makes me so emotional. I can feel myself crumple up, my heart is hurting and I’m forgetting to breathe. Watching Sarazanmai is a health hazard.

Mabu’s desire is revealed to be staying by Reo’s side. In order to do that he had to give up his connection to him. He has always been the same old Mabu. Can you believe how much he must’ve hurt not being able to say anything to Reo, while Reo’s been rejecting him? Classic misunderstanding, Reo comes in at the wrong time, hears and sees the wrong thing. At least this wasn’t an instance where an explanation would’ve helped. It would’ve literally killed Mabu.

I can’t believe that we get to witness otter-Reo climb into bed to fool around with Mabu. I like that we’re getting both words of love and acts of lust for them, even if the circumstances aren’t optimal to say the least. It’s just nice to see their relationship, or what was/could’ve been their relationship confirmed like this.

Mabu turned into a kappa as well! I really like these kappa, how small and kinda clumsy they are. Especially the sound effects of them dropping down.

Reo’s whole world has been turned around and Mabu’s focused on their mission lol. Then the two of them connect through sarazanmai. “Reo to Mabu Futari wa Sarazanmai”, Reo and Mabu together they [connect through] Sarazanmai. Now we understand the title of their spin-off manga!

The leak gives us flashbacks that we’ve seen before. Reo sees and misinterprets the scene at the hospital, Reo doesn’t accept the new Mabu, and talks about Mabu betraying him.

Mabu is finally able to tell Reo that he loves him. My heart... MABU’S HEART! It blows up and Keppi assimilates Mabu’s desire. Now they get a new silver plate to replace the one Enta broke, so that’s good, but the world is looking bleak for Reo.

There are some interesting things to be said about the rings, but it’s 3AM and I don’t have the capacity to go through them right now.

I like the very amphibian/reptilian traits they’ve given Keppi. He falls on his back and has trouble turning around!

Reo goes crazy, and then the inevitable happens. Mabu was erased from this world so he’s starting to forget about him. This is just heartbreaking to watch!

There’s a gunshot sound and Reo falls down. I was almost expecting him to take his own life in his desperation, but it’s Tooi who shoots him.

Fun fact about character names and romaji. Back when the Reo to Mabu manga was first announced I had to basically flip a coin and decide whether I should use Reo or Leo to refer to my favourite character. I picked Leo, because I thought it was more reasonable and likely to be used. If you go through my blog archives you can find some post where I use it, most notably the synopses I wrote for the chapters as they came out. I changed my mind sometime during the fall when few people and no official sources were referring to him as Leo. That was a good call on my end. However I have do a little cheer now when the レオ ring says Leo. Ha! That’s what I used to use for him!

While I was okay with switching to Reo to accomodate to the rest of the fandom, I’m still pushing hard for everyone to start using Tooi. Leo/Reo was a choice, but Tooi is just a fact.

Anyway back to the episode, Keppi says that ReoMabu can finally get some sleep, so that indicates that they’ll be back. Hopefully. Otherwise a lot of people will be mighty upset.

I had no idea the sara accessories were actual plates. Does that mean that Sara’s could be a wish granting one that will come in handy?

The last scene is so incredibly intense. For some reason I never really considered that Tooi could actually come and try to take the plates from Kazuki and Enta in order to save his brother. Well, in the end he didn’t do that and was very understanding of the situation which I gotta give him props for.

The ED changed again, now that which used to be 3 and got turned into 2 is down to 1. (Shadow and seagull)

The after credits scene starts and Enta’s back! Thank the Great Kappa. Poor Tooi though. Dark Keppi is pretty terrifying.

This has been a rough night. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but damn if I haven’t been through a lot to get there.

Only one episode left and then my life will be over.

I seriously don’t know what I’ll do after that. Cry?

Cry and rewatch everything again.

#sarazanmai #dish 10 #sarazanmai spoilers #sarazamai thoughts and analysis #sarazanmai nonsense #long post #no proofreading #we go to bed like we should instead

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underoossss · 5 years

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More Than A Mission - H.O [Epilogue]

Masterlist

Spy AU

Pairing: Spy!Harrison Osterfield x Spy!reader

Warnings: some swearing and huge amounts of fluff

A/N: Here it is y’all, the last chapter of these two wonderful characters. It’s been a ride, and I loved writing every bit of this. It’s very hard to say goodbye, I’m going to miss them but I hope you like this. Thank you for reading💖💖There’s probably typos in this but I’ll read them over tomorrow probably lol, bear with me.

The soft crashing of the waves and the salty breeze make you sigh in content and close your eyes for a few seconds before opening them again to a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun is hot and high in the sky making the turquoise sea in front of you glitter. It was a busy day at the beach in Montecarlo, which meant you had to be extra alert while scanning your surroundings. So as you lie in a beach chair, white rimmed sunglasses on top of your nose and a book in your hands, you watch people come and go. Families, waiters, groups of friends, rich people jet skiing, there was a little bit of everything but so far no sign of your target.

“How’s everything looking over there?” Harrison speaks through the earpiece in your ear, that was strategically covered by a strand of hair.

It has been a little over a year since the Marioli case, and Harrison and you have been inseparable ever since. You have worked many cases together as partners, all of them successful missions and the FBI has never been happier to have their best agents back. Your missions ranged from cold nights in the streets of Paris, early mornings in Los Angeles and hot days in Bacelona, everything to try to make the world a little safer. It felt like old times, the only thing that changed was going back to your shared bed at a hotel or your shared apartment by the end of the day and not having to hide your feelings anymore. And thank the heavens for that. Now, both of you had been assigned to go undercover to arrest Johnathan Blanche, a rogue agent who stole confidential files and is planning on selling them at a party in Montercarlo’s most luxurious hotel. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts forgotten for the sake of not being discovered, you were now Mr. and Mrs. Blazier. Two rich newlyweds on their honeymoon, who loved the beach, jazz music and had close ties with the most important families in England. Harrison is now forced to wear brown contact lenses while you had to wear a wig to keep your identities hidden during the assignment, just in case someone recognized you and blew off your cover.

“Nothing unusual, which is good since I can actually try to enjoy my book and the sun.” You say under your breath, sighing in content once more. “And yes I know my British accent isn’t the best.”

“I think its cute.” He chuckles and you can picture him smiling to himself. “Anyways, nothing unusual from the bar side of the resort. But now that I’m coming back…”

You furrow your eyebrows and sit up slightly, wondering if Harrison saw Blanche somewhere on the beach. “You have eyes on the target?”

“Nope, only on the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. White rimmed sunglasses, black and white stripped bikini, and I think she’s reading the new Michelle Obama book. Wow.” There’s a hint of a smirk in his voice like he knows how his words make your cheeks burn in a second.

You chuckle and shake your head after he’s done describing you and you shrug your shoulders since you know he can see you. “You should give her your phone number.”

“Do you think she’d give it to me?” His voice is teasing and you just want to kiss the smile off his face as you roll your eyes.

You smile, the perfect answer in your mind already. “Probably not.”

“Ugh, you guys are gross.”Another agent, Bryan, who was also synced to your earpieces teased the two of you. The two of you chuckle, picturing him dying of boredom at his post giving out towels and your flirting not making anymore interesting.

You turn your earpiece off as you see Harrison approach you out of the corner of your eye. His breathtaking body fully on display, his silver chain resting on top of his toned chest and shoulders and those abs… You lower your sunglasses slightly to have a better look, enjoying the way his curls move with the breeze and how hot he looked with those black sunglasses and dark green swimming trunks. And to think he’s all yours.

“You’re impossible you know.” Harrison smiles and presses the button on his earpiece turning it off before handing you a pineapple cocktail. He leans down to brush his nose against yours and places a kiss on your lips.

Your stomach does flips when his lips meet yours and you smile once you pull away, sending a wink his way. “You love me though.”

“Hopelessly.” He shakes his head, moving towards the chair beside you and sipping on his cocktail. “That’s why I married you Mrs. Blazier.”

You set your book down on the glass table by your chair before turning towards Harrison, feeling his loving gaze on you even though it was covered by his sunglasses. “And I you, Mr. Blazier.” You take a sip of your cocktail before holding your right hand out for him to hold. Harrison does in a second, his fingers playing with yours as you look around you, trying to see if you spot Blanche or any of his bodyguards walking around. It’s a beautiful day, even criminals can appreciate that.

Your gaze drifts back to your intertwined hands, perceiving Harrison’s mind racing as his thumb brushed against your knuckles back and forth, pausing over the fake engagement and wedding ring every now and then. You give his hand a light squeeze, bringing his gaze back to yours. “Everything okay, love?”

Harrison nods his head, pulling himself out of his thoughts, and places a kiss in your hand. “Just thinking about how lucky I am, that’s all.” His shoulders move up and down as he shrugs before he takes a deep breath, closing his eyes as the warmth of the sun bathes him in light. “I love this job, and what makes it better is that I get to do it with you.”

“We’re both pretty damn lucky then.” You smile, squeezing his hand before letting go and picking up your book. Your eyes go back to his relaxed profile next to you, heart doing jumping jacks while you smile at the sigh, before you spot your target six chairs over. “Babe?”

“Hm?” He sits up slightly, pushing his sunglasses down his nose.

“Target spotted.” You nod your head slightly towards Blanche’s direction before looking down at your book. “We can’t let him out of our sight, the first chance we get we follow him.”

“Copied.” Harrison nods his head bur furrows his eyebrows a second later. “What if he goes back to his hotel though? We can’t risk sneaking in during the daytime.”

“Chill babe, we can easily plant a bug on him. We just need to confirm he’s going to the party tomorrow night so we can stop him.” You smile softly at him, taking his hand once more before and squeezing it softly. You pretend to adjust your sunglasses and activate your earpiece again, “Anyone undercover as a waiter, we found someone who needs a bug on their drink.”

Harrison can’t help the smile that comes to his face when he looks down at your face resting on his chest. Your eyes are threatening to close as the soft rocking of the hammock lulled you to sleep. It seems unreal he gets to see two completely different sides of you, brave and fierce when on a mission but also incredibly soft when you’re alone. A warm breeze blows from the sea down in front of you to the wide balcony you were currently resting in, soft music playing from his phone. After listening in on Blanche’s conversation during the afternoon until he confirmed his assistance to the party, all agents decided to call it a day and decided to rendezvous the next day to go over the strategy to get the documents back. This left the rest of the night free for him to relax next to you and enjoy the short trip to paradise work had sent the two of you on.

Harrison’s left hand holds your right one over his chest, his eyes roaming freely over your features. The t-shirt that covered your body, the movement of your shoulders as you breathed softly, the barely there sunburn on your face and your slightly wet hair from the shower you took around 30 minutes before. You were perfect and if someone were to tell him many years ago that he would be able to hold you like this in Montercarlo of all places, he would’ve laughed. His thumb brushes back and forth over your knuckles, pausing its movement when it gets to the two bands on your ring finger and lingering there for a while before resuming his previous movement. His mind drifts back to the blue velvet box perfectly hidden in his suitcase, the same way it has been since the moment he got the ring. He needs to get better at not showing he’s thinking about marrying the girl of his dreams, you had already picked up on something back at the beach and would eventually figure it out if he keeps this up. He can’t help it though, not when he’s so lucky to have you.

A familiar knock on the door makes Harrison move his gaze away from you and towards the bedroom. You groan slightly in his arms before shifting so he can stand up, knowing the secret knock meant it was one of the agents outside the door. Harrison places a kiss on your temple and laughs when you pout before he stands up, arms going above his head as he lets out a yawn. The wooden floor is cold under his feet as he reaches the door and checks the keyhole to see Bryan on the other side.

“Good evening, Bryan. Are those for us?” Harrison nods at the two black suit bags and an envelope the red haired man holds on his left hand.

“Yup, just arrived for you along with the invitation. You’re officially on the list for tomorrow’s event.” He hands all three things to Harrison. “They told me to tell you they’re already paid for so don’t worry if anything happens to them.”

Harrison furrows his eyebrows but settles with shrugging his shoulders, “Thank you Bryan, have a good night.”

“Same to you.” Bryan gives him one last nod before leaving.

Closing the door behind him, Harrison moves back inside the bedroom smiling when he spots you sitting on the bed waiting for him. “Are those our clothes for the party?” Your eyes light up in excitement.

“They are, and this is the invitation for Mr. and Mrs. Blazier.” He puts the suit bags side by side on the bed and he opens the envelope to check its contents. “They sound like a hot couple don’t they?”

“Oh and they will look ten times hotter wearing this.” Harrison hears you open the bags before a gasp leaves your lips. “Harrison these are designer.”

“Well, we’re supposed to be one of the wealthiest couples in England.” He moves to the invitation inside the room’s safe before turning back to you and settling in bed as you examined the gowns. He nods appreciatively at the burgundy suit in front of him, the pocket square matching the dress you had on your hands.

“And the people at the party will be able to know if it’s a Dior or a Forever21 dress in a heartbeat.” Harrison smiles when you nod to yourself before standing up and holding the dress in front of you for him to see. “Do you like it?”

The dress was a beautiful champagne color, embroidered with what looked like tiny crystals, it had long sleeves and a flowy skirt. Harrison knew it was safe to say he couldn’t wait to see it on you so he nods his head eagerly, “You’ll look like a goddess wearing that love.”

“You think so?” You smile at him, taking both garments and hanging them in the walk-in closet next to the bathroom.

“Absolutely.” He holds his hand out to you before standing up, unable to push the image of you in a white dress to the back of his mind as you move to close to him. “How could you not when you already look like one right now.” He lets his hands move to your waist, giving your sides a light squeeze.

“Smooth, Osterfield.” You brush your lips against his, leaning back when his lips chase yours. “I think you’ll look amazing in that suit too, by the way. I can’t wait.”

Harrison hums in content when you finally kiss his lips, his mind going blank for a second and only focusing on the feeling of your fingers in his hair and your soft lips. “Dance with me?”

“Always.” You smile brightly at him, arms going around his neck as you start to sway side to side. Harrison’s heart flutters inside his chest when you rest your cheek on his shoulder, humming the song that plays from the balcony. “Please be careful tomorrow.” Your voice is barely a whisper but he hears it.

Harrison pulls you closer to him and kisses your temple. “I will. This isn’t a hands on mission anyway love, and you’ll be by my side all the time. I’d say that’s very safe.”

He feels you chuckle against the soft material of his t-shirt before you relax against him once more. “I know, but still.”

“Everything will be a success, you’ll see.” Harrison smiles as the two of you continue to sway. Your reflection on one of the balcony’s door catches his eyes and he can’t help but let his smile widen at the sight. You looked so good together and he wants it to be that way forever.

There’s a sense of déjà vu in the car as an agent drives the two of you to the Hotel de Paris, the most luxurious in Montercarlo and the venue for tonight’s party. You hold Harrison’s hand and squeeze it tightly to calm down your nerves. There was no reason to be afraid, this mission wasn’t nearly as dangerous as the Marioli case but the idea of so many civilians in that ballroom made you anxious. What if there were casualties and people got hurt, what if Harrison got hurt. You move your gaze towards his profile, his eyes looked ahead as the hum of the engine and soft music filled the car. His dark blond curls were only slightly pushed back per your request, always being partial to a softer look on him, and his face was occasionally illuminated with the street’s lampposts passing by.

You had spent the day planning out the whole evening with the SWAT team, who are currently at the hotel and will wait for the signal to arrest Blanche. There were two possible places where he had the document, the most likely location would be on him, but he could have a copy in his suite. You were to say the keyword when it’s safe for the SWAT team to enter the ballroom and arrest him while another part of the team raids his room. Hopefully it will be a successful and clean mission, but there was still the matter of Blanche’s bodyguards and business partners. It was a mixture of ex-convicts and mob leaders, which could make things go south in a seconds if things didn’t go according to plan.

Your hand leaves his as you open your clutch, the slightly worn down picture of the two of you coming into view when you take it out. The perfect mission and your lucky charm. Shortly after the Marioli case you had both exchanged back your charms given the fact that you were together again, each brush of hands and every kiss being a reminder of the other’s presence. Harrison had gone back to wearing his necklace and you started putting the picture in your back pocket once again. It gave you ease, and it helped you picture a successful mission whenever your felt anxious. How does he know you so well?

“I don’t even remember who took this.” You smile shaking your head, “It just appeared in my office the next day and I’ve carried it with me ever since.” Your fingers play with the edges of the picture before turning it around, the words My lovescribbled on the back fully on display make you look back at Harrison once more.

“Every time I missed you I saw the picture and remembered the good times we had together.” He leans closer to kiss your cheek, a soft smile on his face.

“I got into the habit of playing with your chain.” You confess softly, fingers coming up to his face. “Every time I put it on I felt you were still with me.”

The agent driving you clears his throat, announcing you were about to arrive to the hotel and you nod your head, putting the picture back into your purse. It was showtime, and as the two of you stepped out of the car and the curtain rose, you felt determination flow through your veins. You linked your arm with Harrison’s, posing in front of some cameras by the front door before being asked for your invitation.

Harrison reaches for the inside pocket of his burgundy suit jacket, taking out the envelope you were given the night before. The tall security guy takes a look, his gaze coming up to look at the two of you again before handing the invitation back. “Have a good night.”

“Thanks, you too.” You smile, your hand slipping into Harrison’s and pulling him inside to the ballroom. “Wow.”

You had to contain your amazement as you looked around you. Big and beautiful flower arrangements decorated the entrance, creating a big tunnel that lead into the party. Gorgeous crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings as well as strings of flowers that cascaded above the dance floor. The tables displayed expensive silverware and smaller flower arrangements similar to the ones decorating the entrance, and the band by the dance floor dressed in neat white and gold embroidered suits. “Babe, are you seeing this?”

Your gaze follows the expensive and glamorous gowns the guests were wearing, mentally thanking whoever got your dress for helping you fit in. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Eh, I’ve seen better.” Your hand moves up and down as Harrison shrugs and you chuckles, turning to look at him.

“Really now?” You smile up at him, raising an eyebrow.

He smiles back, turning to his side and sliding an arm around your waist. “You outshine all of it, so yes, I’ve seen way better.”

Your stomach flips at his words and your gaze shifts down to your intertwined hands before you look up again. “I-”

“Oh my god, you guys must be the Blaziers!” Someone speaks up behind you, the sudden noise making you jump slightly where you stood.

Squeezing Harrison’s hand you turn around, a smile on your face as you move closer to his side and remember everything you had made up about the British couple. Harrison is the first one to speak up, the arm around you holding you close. “Yes we are, and you are?”

“Oh Samantha and Gabriel Walter.” Samantha smiles, taking a sip from her champagne flute. Her bright red hair falls just above her shoulders in a low bob, contrasting with the white long sleeved dress she is wearing and making her brown eyes stand out. The man by her side, her husband you assume, wears a black suit with a velvet jacket, his bowtie and handkerchief white like Samantha’s dress. He wears thick black rimmed glasses and a cartilage piercing on his left ear. “We heard about your wedding! They said it was gorgeous.”

You smile at her enthusiasm, pushing some of your hair behind your shoulder and nodding. British accent don’t fail me now. “Yeah, it was. Just a private ceremony but we wanted it to be beautiful nevertheless.”

“Let me see you ring! It’s a Forevermark one right?” She takes another sip of champagne before handing it over to Gabriel. He chuckles and kisses her cheek, stealing a sip of champagne as she steps closer and holds out her hand.

Taking a deep breath you show her your left hand, holding back a laugh when she gasps. “Harrison really surprised me with this when he proposed. I’ve never seen one so beautiful.”

“How did you propose?” Samantha asks letting go your hand and taking her champagne back.

“Babe…” Gabriel gives her a look.

“No, no it’s fine.” Harrison speaks up, smile on his face. “I bet you expect it to be a grand proposal with fireworks and a planned speech. It was the complete opposite.”

You bite your lip as you get ready for Harrison to tell his side of the story, butterflies appearing in your stomach once again at the thought of him proposing. You look up at him and every bit of love you feel for him shows in your smile. “I loved it anyways.”

“I know love.” He kisses your forehead before addressing the couple in front of you once more. “We were in Paris for a short getaway and I had everything planned, the place the time, where I was going to stand everything. But when you feel like it’s the right moment, you just have to do it you know. So the first morning in our hotel room, we were getting ready to go out, or at least I was…” Harrison’s gaze meet yours again and you smile.

“I walk out of the bedroom to the living room and she’s sitting out in the balcony, bathed in sunlight and eating French toast. I don’t know what it was about that moment, but I had never felt more in love with her. I knew I couldn’t wait any longer to ask her marry me.” Harrison’s gaze is soft and his eyes scan your face with the same dreamy look he’s had since he bought the engagement ring he’s hiding in the inner pocket of his suitcase. It was very hard not letting it slip that you knew, but not quite as hard as wondering when he would ask. The answer would be the same though, yes.

“Yes.” You smile, “I saw him get down on one knee and the first thing I said was ‘yes’.”

He leans down and kisses your cheek, smiling against your skin before turning to the couple, “So, yeah. It ended up being better than proposing in front of the Eiffel Tower.”

“You guys are the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” Samantha sighs dreamily, “I love it.”

Gabriel links his arm with Samantha’s. “Come on, honey, I think you’ve interrogated them enough.” He shoots the both of you a kind smile, “Congratulations, both of you. We’ll see you around.”

“Bye!” The two of you smile before you look at Harrison appreciatively. “We’re so great at this.”

Harrison’s hand comes up to cup your cheek, his lips capturing yours in a kiss that leaves you breathless before he nods. “We are.”

“What was that for?” You chuckle. “Not that I’m complaining.”

He shrugs. “Couldn’t help myself… Oh, heads up there’s Blanche.”

Harrison subtly looks to his right, which makes you do the same. Just as he said, Blanche had arrived with two other men and sat down at one of the tables by the band. Clever, that way the music drowns out what they’re saying. He had styled his platinum blond hair to the side and wore an expensive looking navy suit with a velvet jacket similar to Gabriel’s. “It looks like trading state secrets is a good business after all.” You mutter sarcastically, raising your eyebrows at Harrison which makes him chuckle.

“Come on, we can’t just stand here and look at him.” Harrison grabs your hand, tugging you along to the dessert table you had been eyeing since the beginning. “We need to mingle and I know you want a mini cheesecake.”

“I gotta say, I can’t say no to that.” You laugh softly while shaking your head. He knows me too well.

The two of you had ended up getting two plates full of mini-desserts, from brownies to truffles and cheesecake, before making a quick stop at the bar to check in with the agent placed there. He had notified you that the bug was in place and slipped an earpiece for both of you so you can also listen into their conversation. Once they were subtly placed in your ears, Harrison took you hand again and walked towards the table with your names on it. It turns out Gabriel and Samantha were sitting at the same table, which had made for some interesting conversation even though you had to lie almost throughout all of it.

“Would you like to dance?” Harrison smiles as he feeds you the last mini brownie on your plate. His hand moving to push a strand of (fake) hair behind your ear which makes you lean into his touch.

“I’d love to, and guess who’s conveniently sitting near the band.” You smile, standing up and offering him your hand. “Oh this song.”

Harrison smiles at you while you smile dreamily when the band starts to play La Vie en Rose. “Talk about romantic.” One of his hands holds your waist while the other gives you hand a gently squeeze.

You sigh in content, leaning your head against his shoulder while you move along to the music and close your eyes to take the moment in. The man you loved holding you close in a fancy party, perfect music playing and an engagement ring just waiting for the right moment to be shown. If it wasn’t for the mission you’re currently on, you’d enjoy it even more. Dammit Blanche, you just had to ruin the moment didn’t you. You raise your head from where it was resting against Harrison to look up at him, the look on his face making your stomach flutter.

“I love you.” He whispers, his forehead pressing against yours briefly before he raises an arm to spin you around. You twirl in place and sigh once more when he wraps his arms around you once more, his chest pressing against his back.

“I love you too. So much.” You open your eyes and the moment is suddenly gone. You had tuned out Blanche’s conversation, leaving it to the other agents but regret it the minute you see him stand up with some of his men and a new guy tagging along. “Shit. Harrison look.”

You quickly grab his hand and move towards the dessert table, turning the volume on your earpiece up. ‘Gentlemen, I think we have a deal. If you could follow me?’

“SWAT we have movement. Subject is making its way to the bathroom and the deal is happening now.” Harrison speaks into his phone, nodding his head a couple of times before ending the call. “They found copies of the document in his hotel room and online locations but they’ve been recovered. The rest of the team should be here in 3, 2…”

Right that second, a group of armed men with the SWAT logo on their vests walk through the flower entrance and get to Blanche before he could make it to the bathroom. They neutralize the two men he had brought with him and cuff all of them in a matter of minutes. No casualties, only a lot of scared rich people.

“Did you guys just see that?” Samantha asks walking towards you, clutching her chest. “How are you not shocked?”

“I am so shocked.” You say to Harrison, pretending to be shocked and casually eating another chocolate and mint truffle. “We had it worse at our wedding ceremony… Crazy ex you know.” You shrug nonchalantly.

“One hell of a party am I right?” Harrison asks Gabriel who nods slowly, a little spaced out and probably about to pass out.

You can’t help but hum and dance a little on your bathrobe as you finish washing your face back at the hotel. The party had started back up after the arrest and no one had been harmed in the process. You and Harrison had talked to the SWAT team for a little bit and agreed to sign some paperwork the next morning before eating dinner and heading back. We gotta stay for the food, babe, you never leave before the food. Harrison hand merely agreed with a nod of his head and a kiss to your lips. Anything for you, he had said, and your knees had been weak for a moment.

“Hey babe?” Harrison’s head pops in from the bedroom, making you look up as you let down your hair.

“Hm?”

“Let’s take a walk on the beach, its nearly sunrise.” There is a sparkle in his eyes and you have to contain the smile threatening to appear on your face, is this it?

“Sure, let me change and we can go.” You nod your head and wait until he disappears back into the room to take a deep breath. What if this is it? Your heart pounds against your chest while you slip a beige summer dress on and put on your flip flops. “Ready?” You ask Harrison and yourself when you reach for his hand once outside the bathroom.

“Yup.” He beams, and that smile could kill you right there.

The walk towards the elevator, the pool deck and down to the beach was overall quiet. After being surrounded by so many people and having to talk so much throughout the night, you were happy to just enjoy each other’s company.

The salty breeze was warm, even at 5am, and the crashing of waves was soothing while you walked hand in hand. You controlled your heart rate to avoid giving away how nervous and excited you were, you didn’t want Harrison to know you knew. You felt like you were in that Friend’s episode when Rachel and Joy don’t want Monica to know they know. Only that this time it wasn’t about someone else’s relationship, it was about the man of your dreams proposing to you. You can’t help but smile and lean closer to him at the thought, a forever of this. How are we so lucky?

Harrison stops walking after about 10 minutes and you turn back to him in question. “Everything okay?” You bite back a smile when he reaches out and pulls you flush against him.

“Everything’s perfect, you know. You’re here.” His nose brushes against yours, and you don’t hide the sigh that leaves your lips at the gesture. “I can think of something that’s make it better you know.”

“Hmm, and what’s that handsome?” Your lips peck his softly before pulling back to look at him.

“Well, um, it be even more perfect if you’d marry me.” He drops down to one knee and reaches into the pocket of his pants for the blue velvet box.

A knot forms on your throat when he smiles shyly at you as he opens it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring in it. Your face is taken over by a smile and you can’t help being surprised because nothing, absolutely nothing would’ve prepared you for this moment. Not even knowing he was going to propose. The sun starts to make its way up the horizon and the first shades of purplish-orange paint the sky above it. “Harrison?”

“I love you. With everything I’ve got. I love you every minute of every day and I can never stop thinking about you. You are in every dream and every song I hear, I love it when we’re together and how well we know each other. I can’t help but be in awe of how smart, fierce, brave and perseverant you are in everything you do. You’re everything I’ve dreamed off Y/N, and I know I can live without you because I’ve had to do that before, but I don’t want you.” His eyes are tearing up and you only realize yours are too when you nod your head and feel the tears rolling down your cheeks.

“Yes.” You smile, nodding again, “Of course I’ll marry you.”

You let out a teary laugh as Harrison picks you up and sweeps you off your feet before kissing you. “I love you, so much.” He murmurs against your lips while you cradle his face in your hands and kiss him softly.

“I love you too.” A smile makes its way to your lips mid kiss, when you realize the actual proposal was better than all the different scenarios you had come up with. You pull back, your cheeks are hurting but you don’t care as Harrison slips the ring on your third finger and kisses it lightly. Your gaze meets his once more and something in your eyes makes his furrows his eyebrows.

“Did you know already? That I was going to propose?”

“No?” You take a step back and grin innocently before turning around and running away when Harrison starts to chase you. “Okay maybe yes. Yes I did.” Harrison’s arms capture you and tickle your sides making you surrender.

“You did huh?” He picks you up and easily sets your legs around his waist. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Of course I did, I’m a great spy you know.” Your lips leave tiny kisses across his cheeks, “And I didn’t say anything ‘cause I wanted to know what you’d do.”

Harrison laugh when you shrug, his head thrown back a bit before he shakes his head. The sun had risen while you chased each other around and Harrison’s hair turned a gorgeous shade of gold under it. You can’t help but kiss him again before he pulls back to look into your eyes. “You’re impossible.”

“Yeah but you love me.” Your fingers run through his hair briefly before you press your foreheads together. “And I love you, that’s why we’re so good together.”

“Yeah we are.” Harrison smiles and in that moment everything is perfect and you both know it’ll continue to be.

Thank you so much for reading! (crying while I write this)

tagging: @parkerpuff @marvelousxtsh @ganseysblues @spiderboytotherescue @deleteidentity @fairydustparker @marvelousxtsh @sincerelymlg @hazhasmycoffee

#harrison osterfield #harrison osterfield series #harrison osterfield au #harrison osterfield x reader #haz osterfield x reader #haz osterfield #spy!au #spy!harrison #pauwrites

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