#i did one of those things where people give u different parts of a design
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sonic oc i made for fun !! honestly need to draw sonic ocs more this was so fun to design,,,
their name is aryn and they’re a pangolin !! they use they/them/it/its and it’s a dj :3
#i did one of those things where people give u different parts of a design#then u put it all together :3#sonic#sonic the hedgehog#sonic art#sonic fanart#sonic the hedgehog art#sonic the hedgehog fanart#sonic oc#sonic ocs#sonic oc art#sonic original character#sonic original character art#art#drawing#oc#original character#character design#tessa's art
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Hullo! Do you have any tips on just coming up with designs and markings and how to colour those designs/lines without making stuff clash? You're always able to make such creative and nicely made designs and I'm curious if you have anything you get inspiration off of and how you're able to colour your marking lines so smoothly?
i would make a nice image tutorial like i did yesterday but i do Not have the time to Sadly so you get words instead
colouring lineart:
colouring the lineart is easy peasy lemon squeezy. you gotta wait until youve FINISHED the colouring to do this part. okay, so, for the characters ACTUAL LINEART, when i draw their legs & tail & face & whatnot, i colourpick the DARKEST colour on the character, whether it be in their markings, eyes, accessories, or whatever. and then i take that colour and make it just... a LOT darker! and maybe shift the hue around aswell (ex: if the character was mostly yellow/cream i'd give them orange or red lines)! and then for the MARKING LINES i take the darkest MARKING. ignore the accessories and characters eyes they dont matter JUST pick the darkest coloured marking. and then make THAT darker, but not as much as you did the actual lineart!! you can also change the hue on this :3
how i come up with designs + inspirations:
hmm well i'm going to be honest with you i don't exactly know how i come up with my designs? a lot of it just comes from how i picture the character in my head! especially if its a warrior cat design! i don't tend to stray away from those thoughts unless i picture them as like stupidly boring LOL !
inspirations is a biiit tricky, but i guess i kind of just look at a LOAD of other warrior cats animations & art, and uh! anime! lol! looking at how other people draw cats has gotten me better at drawing anatomy & whatnot, and watching various animes is why i started giving my cats hair lol! it's kind of hard for me to explain like, my EXACT process on why & how i design certain characters im sorryyyy x'''P i would if i could but literally 90& of is me drawing whatever and then thinking 'does this look good' and then saying yes or no LOL
how i colour my designs:
similarly to how i DO my designs, it's a lot of my just asking myself if it Looks Good or not, but there are a few things i do!
a lot of designs i do i jump around the colour wheel a LOT! hue wise, i mean. i think i've managed to find different ways to use every single colour on the colour wheel lol! blues and greens and purples are good for greys & blacks, blues & yellows & oranges are good for white/ light markings, red & orange & yellow & purple are good for brown cats, etc etc etc!
the other main thing is layer effects! sooo like if i draw a character but i'm not super happy with their colours, i find it hard & annoying to fiddle around and change each colour individually, so instead i make layer above the colouring, set it to one flat colour, and go through all/most of the layer options (like multiply, linear burn, lighten, glow dodge, difference, subtract, the list goes on) and find something i like! and then i usually do that a BUNCH of times with ALL sorts of different colours until the character ends up looking good!
also hi mossy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i hope this helps maybe? if you wanna get specific with another question, or maybe send some images (u can here on tumblr or message me where ever) then id love 2 help more!!!! this goes for anyone, i'll always accept art-help/tips/how i do things questions lol!
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Heir’s favorite posts of 2022
It’s that time of year again: the end. So I get to talk about my favorite things I posted. It’s funny, I feel like I really didn’t draw that much more than last year, and I certainly didn’t get any better. If anything, I’ve probably regressed. But even then, in these past few months I’ve probably felt more joy about drawing than I have in a long time. In a way, it feels like I’ve removed all my expectations for myself and I just... I just get to draw whatever I want, and it doesn’t matter if it looks sucky to me. “Face didn’t come out right? That’s fine, it still looks cute. It doesn’t look as good as it used to? No worries, you’ve done it before and you’ll do it once more. And even if you don’t, you can still have fun with it and make people happy.”
Maybe I’m just finally done with being mean to myself about my drawings. Maybe I just wanna draw cute/silly stuff for my friends. Because, as I’ve said before, you don’t have to be great and powerful to make something that makes a great and powerful difference in someone’s day. Anyway...
Ol’ Reliable Applejack. This is one of the first drawings I made with my new tablet, and the first one that made me think “Okay... I can still do this.” Even before my bestest most favorite tablet broke, I hadn’t been feeling the whole “drawing” thing in awhile. As simple as this looks, it felt like a real turning point.
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Internet Fuzz Queens. As a very young child, I had this idea in my head that all my favorite cartoon characters lived in a community together and they would hang out and stuff. This is was an extremely self-indulgent comic that required specific knowledge of four different fandoms, and I want to do more like it. I love my blorbos and I want to see them hang out together.
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Angel Byrd. My OC turned space kangaroo in my Scum and Villainy campaign. I’m glad I got to give her a little more pizzazz. I forgot to mention it in the original post, but the reason her dress has a tummy window is because she’s planning on smuggling museum artifacts in her pouch lol. We’re actually doing the second part of the heist tomorrow, wish us luck!
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Kaysee Cadet! A character I made for a dnd Humblewood campaign. I really love how this came out. Ultimately I did settle on the orange fur, but maybe I’ll do something with that black fur design at some point. Gawd I’ve grown really attached to this character. They’re autistic, and they’re not native to the setting of the campaign, so “common” isn’t their first language. It’s been really difficult for them to navigate the world, and some people have been quite cruel to her, including her own family. All she wants is love, and they try SO HARD to help people despite everything, and we’re getting to the part in the campaign where the party transitions from “ragtag group of weirdos forced together” to “found family.” But tragedy struck in the last session of the year, and now it’s more of a “darkest hour” moment. And I’m just... I love my blorbos, especially the ones I made up ;_;
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Give Trans Girls Swords. Winter is this lovely artist’s sheep fursona. I’d been wanting to draw them for awhile, she has such an appealing design. This was so fun to draw, I love making things for friends and also giving trans girls swords.
I really want to make my own fursona one of these days...
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Miss Pie’s Monsters. It was... so nice to see the monster gang again. MPM is absolutely one of those projects that I never stopped thinking about, never lost hope that I could finish it one day, even those it’s been years since its last real update. I’m happy with myself for sticking to the update schedule I promised, even if I was calling it close sometimes lol. I hope people liked seeing them again. And to the people that I know liked seeing them again: first, I love u, I hope I can continue to update it in the coming year. I can’t wait to reveal who the Captain of the guard really is.
Stay fantastic, I hope we all have a better 2023. Or at the very least, make it through it together. <3
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I admit I didn't really like SasuKarin back then but I decided to give it a chance after reading On Sasuke Uchiha and his bonds with Itachi Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Karin Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno and your posts concerning them. I still don't ship them but my opinion has changed of it a lot and I actually think those two had a better chance at becoming a pair. But I think what raised my respect for it even more was their fan children. I have a soft spot for fan children so it's not really a surprise, but they are all so cute and beautiful! My personal favorites are Akari Uzumaki and the U-Twins! Speaking of the U-Twins, you and Pumiih did an awesome job on them! They look so cool and mysterious just like their parents and I love what they are meant to represent! They're hairstyles also remind me of Madara so that's funny to me lol. I also really like the idea of Sasuke growing his hair out into a ponytail to honor Itachi. The side shavings on his hair makes him even cooler in my opinion. I also noticed something. I don't know know how to properly explain it but I'll try. We see more male Uchiha clan members than female (despite there being some such as Naomi, Izumi, and Mikoto) and we see more female Uzumaki clan members than male (despite there being some such as Ashina, Nagato, and Naruto). It's almost as if those certain genders hold the more importance. So I think it's interesting that it's reversed with the U-Twins. Sorry if I didn't explain it well (couldn't really find the right words) but all in all, I'm excited to see what you'll do with them in the future, make sure you don't rush, take your time and rest, and again, awesome job! 💜❤️
Anon, I don't know who you are, but first of all THANK YOU for your kind and introspective message.
I want to say this is one of the messages that definitely won my heart because you SAW what I meant to do. You explained everything PERFECTLY! That's exactly what I wanted to do. A "gender roles swap" to show that change that is meant to bring in more ways than one.
Because while I do express these changes through my preferred ships, I never really forgot about the CORE elements of what made the Naruto story so beloved, and one of that is the clans & the shinobi system.
Their design have a thought about element from the very strand of hair to their overall design... I don't know if you know me for a long time or not, but one of the things I'm obsessed about is symbolism.
So when I create something, there's a symbolic meaning behind almost everything!
When studying Literature, symbolism has been one of my favorite parts. I just love how one can transmit certain themes, ideas, beliefs etc in a symbolic way.
I feel as if this manages to stay with the reader/viewer better. It somehow enters your soul.
Being part of the Shinachiku Kosen team & doing Kaika myself, I can tell you that both Akari & the U twins have a great deal of symbolism behind them & were created with much love.
I know people don't taste SK that good, especially given how the great metas of the past about them has been lost. I only touched in that analysis you mentioned like a small, surface-level way.
If you would've been here in the past when Skania or Homusubi wrote their metas (both great known names in the SK fandom), you would've at least been able to understand where the SK fandom comes from. Or came. There aren't many left anyway.
You don't have to ship them, ofc.
I didn't particularily do it either in the beginning, but then when I saw the symbolism that was building up, Sasuke awakening such power to protect Karin and their similar backgrounds, I couldn't help but fall for the possibility of it.
Plus, the comedic act of it. It was something different about them.
But alas...
Once again thank you for your kind and introspective message! I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. And trust me, as a writer-wanna be, it lit my soul on fire to see someone properly getting the "underneath beneath the underneath" I was trying to show there.
Gives me a lot of mood to keep pushing through this, even if I'm so late with how I planned for the project to go & all that.
But hey, adulting will somehow do that with your plans lol. This year has been quite busy on a personal level for me. But now things start to look up, so I should be able to soon get back to it & bring about all this vision I had in my mind to life.
So thank you once again for your message and your interest in Kaika!
All the best,
Chatte.
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Can you ramble about the Boogeyman mechanic in particular cuz that was probably my favorite part of Last Life. The constant unrest that it created fhfjfjjfjfjjfdjjf
Franny u always respond to my pleas for asks I love u sm ur the best
The boogeyman mechanic is like one of the biggest answers to third life that last life provides - because the thing with third life is that it was relatively peaceful for a while - there was a lot of unrest caused by scar (and scarian in general) but also a general inability to truly act upon it, to the point ren felt the need to let martyn kill him so that he could enact proper war
The other big trend of third life is that allyships were very, very, very strong, and had no reasons to break. Everyone stayed with the person they found on day 1 and had little to no reason to leave them.
And then of course, there's the lack of balance between very skilled survival players and those who aren't used to play in a setting where their deaths matter. It's surprising that that issue didn't rise up as much in third life tbh, but it did enough to be recognised. There needed a way to balance the skill levels, so that we could just have 2 or 3 players on red whilst the rest was still on green and thriving.
The boogeyman mechanic is meant to help with pretty much all of this. Now the random life mechanics seems like it would be counterintuitive to the issue of balance, except that in that season lives are also made to be currencies, and knowing the players that were in the game, Grian or whoever came up with the mechanics themselves, knew what would happen, because the games at this point are specifically designed for the players themselves. And then, in case it still led to a lack of balance, you got the boogeyman. It means that even if you're in a team of greens, you can't just relax. Even if your allies are remarkably loyal, you may be at risk.
And it WORKED. there were so many heart wrenching betrayals and breaks of alliances over the boogeyman. It offers the players a chance to have fun with the narrative, too - a recognition that the narrative woven through their improv was a big draw to third life. It gives them the chance to crank it up to eleven, and makes greens and yellows able to feel included when the majority of the server is red and they, too, want to be part of the blood shed or just show that they need to be respected and feared. It stops players from remaining stuck and hidden within their alliances, and gives them reasons to branch out.
It's not in double life, because the gimmick of the season already worked to equalize the playing field: by linking random players together, it meant that an incredibly skilled player should, in theory, not be at too much of a advantage because they were still taking damage for two. Furthermore, because their lives were linked, it would be counter intuitive to have a mechanic that would push one to betray the other. It doesn't make sense. And I doubt they expected coupled to be close enough allies with each other for the boogey to make a difference between this kind of alliances. In general every player in double life is incredibly fragile, and it just wouldn't work to have the boogey there.
But then limited life rolls around and has one of the most fascinating gimmick yet - it's not just that it's about time, but that it's about gains and losses. The mechanics of limited life encourage players towards risk taking, because suddenly you're not limited to 3 (or more) lives, and you GAIN by being aggressive. It's also the only series that allows yellow to be aggressive towards greens, too. Limited life banks on players becoming desperate, and on pushing the ones that were passive even in last life to be aggressive at all costs. And it shows in the way people played it. Because if you don't kill as the boogey in last life and become red the next session, well you can still get someone to gift you a life, especially if you have an ally with many more lives than you. It's a relatively painless, and very equal exchange. But in limlife? If you're low on time, you have to take so much more from a player than you're receiving. The person you take time from will always lose double what they're giving you, boogey or otherwise. It makes life (or here, time) exchanges so much more desperate, means they need to be so much more calculated, and pushes boogeys to be so much more aggressive than they were even in last life. Because getting out of red, or just out of running out of time, is so much more difficult in limited life, you can't spit on a free hour even if it causes the victim to suffer. Similarly, it really, really makes the weight of your kill so much heavier.
Its such a fun mechanic to add and has so many effects on the psychology of play bro I love it so much
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THE CHAPTER WAS INCREDIBLE. LOTS OF KUDOS FOR YOU MOLLISH!!!
Now for the actual question: So is stablished that U!Ranboo sees things differently as U!Charlie or U!Sneeg do. For example, when Charlie kills Nikki (poor soul, may she rest now), he doesn't want to leave her there, but concludes that she is too heavy to move her bettwen two people, so he decides to atleast close her eyes, only to find that she doesn't have eyelids. Cut to Ranboo finding Nikki and he actually CLOSES HER EYELIDS WHEN SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY. And the obvious part of him seeing Charlie and Sneeg as Showfall Drones. My current theory is that when Hetch putted the anti-hurt themselves shock, he also putted a chip that makes Ranboo see every single human as a Drone, or even just those who are in the "videogame" and are Hero Variants. Also quite nifty of Hetch (or was the automatic response of the disciplinary shock upon detecting Ranboo not breathing?) to give them a shock so they think the "drones" (the Green and Blue duo) did it just to prolong their pain and suffering.
I'm glad you're taking note of these things! Something important to keep in mind, however: Ranboo is the only character that we know of where we can actively see when Showfall is influencing him in some way (i.e. the blinking of the mask). However, the lights on the mask are merely indicators of Showfall's meddling - the lights themselves do not change anything. The thing that is actively making changes to Ranboo's perception is his cerebellar chip, which the mask is merely plugged into. But Ranboo certainly is not the only one who has one of these chips.
Charlie has one too. Not everything that he sees is true. The difficult thing for us, however, is that, unlike Ranboo, Charlie does not have an indicator. We cannot know when Charlie is actively being influenced by Showfall or not.
So, the question becomes: who saw the real Niki: Charlie or Ranboo? Or did either of them really see her as she truly is at all?
As to your last point about the electric shock, however, I do just want to say that that was indeed an automatic response from mask itself rather than an employee administering the shock from afar. But it was no accident - it was designed to do exactly that.
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Golden Sparks
Harry is new to town and signs up his eight-year-old daughter, Josie to the soccer team where he takes an interest in the well-respected Coach Y/N.
Word count: 25,027
A/N: Hello friends! I hope you’ve been well, honestly I had this idea for a while and it wasn’t until I stepped back from another piece and came back this one that it began to flow. im proud of what I wrote and I hope you enjoy. my longest piece to date :) I do hope you all love it.
Warnings: sweet dad harry, slight angst, slight smut
please do let me know what you thought of the story and please reblog! <333
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"You're going to do great."
"I know, dad." Harry's eight-year-old daughter responds.
"Hey, I'm being supportive." Harry shakes Josie's foot, causing her to laugh.
"Thank you, I'm excited. Honest." Josie puts her hand over her heart, making Harry's heart melt.
He hadn't seen his daughter smile this much since they found out about the tryout that was soon to start in fifteen minutes. He felt awful making her move from their home in Georgia, but it was time, and this new opportunity would be good for them. Josie hated to leave her friends but mostly her soccer team with whom she had been with since she started playing at the age of five, but Harry promised he would find her a team, and he did.
The team was different from back home, seeing as it was an all-girl team instead of a mixed team of boys and girls. Not that he minds; he feels this will hopefully allow Josie to branch out and make friends that would not pick on her for playing what they said was "a boy's game." Those parents pissed him off back in Georgia, but he's gone, and he prays this goes well.
"Do you think mom will visit my games more now that we're closer?" Josie's green eyes peer up at him, reminding him that she looks nothing like her mother and is his little clone.
"I hope so. She was excited to hear about the move, remember." Josie nods before glancing at the field where other girls were chatting as they laced up their cleats.
Harry despised his ex-girlfriend, the mother of his child. At the age of nineteen, he became a father, and his ex, three years older than him, didn't want to raise a child to a man who wouldn't marry her. They were together for two months when he called it quits until she came back a month later, calling him an asshole for getting her pregnant. After giving birth to his beautiful girl, she gave him full custody, not wanting to worry about diapers and night cries.
All she worried about was getting her figure back. It wasn't until Josie turned one that she came back and demanded to be part of her life, leading to them going to court and getting to see Josie on the weekends, and it went well because his daughter always came back happy after a visit. When Josie turned five, Claudia moved to California because she fell in love and was going to get married. Claudia didn't care that she was leaving Josie behind. A heartbroken girl not knowing why she couldn't be part of her mother's wedding and why she moved across the country so far from her.
Josie cried for a whole week straight until the ice skates showed up on the front door with a note from Claudia for Josie to chase her dreams. Thus, having Harry sign her up for ice skating classes came to an end in two short weeks when she learned how awful the leotards looked on her.
Josie was then determined to find a sport liking the idea of being active and having the chance to make friends, which led to her seeing soccer on the TV when a commercial of Alex Morgan for Nike came on. She asked question after question until Harry told her okay, and went to call a friend to see where he could find a team for her.
The first team they found was only boys, not wanting to mix, causing both of them to get upset, but a mom took pity on them and told them of the Sunnyville team looking for players. It was perfect; seven girls and eight boys were on the team, and Josie fit in perfectly until she didn't.
At first, Josie wasn't very good; no kid is, but Harry every night took her to their large backyard and practiced with her, and within a few months, she was able to dribble a ball at her feet without looking down constantly. She wasn't the best, but she was improving.
Harry enjoyed every minute he got to help her improve because within the next few years, he saw her go from being timid to push someone away from the ball to beating someone in a sprint.
California was a significant change for Harry and Josie, but this was a big deal for the company, and Josie understood. He was happy he could do something for her now it was her turn to shine and prove why she deserved a spot on the team.
"Now go prove why you're the best, petal." Harry kisses his daughter's forehead, taking her bag over his shoulder.
She takes a step forward before stopping. "Walk with me there, daddy."
Harry's smile softens, "Of course, honey."
They march forward, their steps in sync; Harry can feel eyes on both of them as they pass parents in their chairs, some sitting on blankets spread out on the grass.
There's a woman, dressed in black Nike sweats, some fancy Nike cleats on her feet and a plain maroon tank top and over to cover from the breeze is a windbreaker; the team logo on the left side over her heart and right under is a name he can't quite make out. If Harry's being honest, she took his breath away, she's gorgeous, and she's smiling at him. Harry's sure if he kept looking into her eyes, he would fall in love.
"Hello, I'm Coach Y/N." She greets them with a big smile on their face.
"Hi, I'm Josie, and this is my dad, Harry Styles." Josie steps forward, holding her hand out that the coach is quick to shake.
"Nice to meet you." Harry finally speaks.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Styles. I've got all the paperwork that you submitted, and everything looks good."
"That's great." Harry nods, keeping his eyes on her. "Just Harry is fine, please." She nods, letting him know she heard him.
"Nice accent, you English?" Y/N asks.
"I am, Josie was born there too, but she's lived in the states all her life."
Y/N nods, "No wonder I didn't spot an accent on her." She teases.
"My dad sounds funny, so one of us is okay." Josie jokes at Harry's expense.
"Hey now," Harry pouts, causing both to laugh and his heart to flutter, wanting to make Y/N do it again.
"Now, Josie, how about we introduce you to the girls before we get started."
Josie nods and steps forward to follow Y/N.
Y/N addresses him one last time, "You're welcome to sit by the parents or welcome to stand behind our bench on the sidelines."
"Thank you." Harry watches the walk away, his daughter's bright pink socks standing out around the flash of black, green, and blue. He smiles, knowing he'll have a good eye on her, as will the coach.
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It has been a while since the team had a tryout for the Golden Sparks team. It has not been necessary because most of the young girls are already on the u-9 team.
She had heard the rumor of new people moving into town but wasn't sure, so on a whim, she added them up in places parents were bound to see them; at the grocery store, doctor's office, the school, and the local sports store.
Thanks to the flyers, they got two responses from Mr. Styles and Mrs. Clover, who wanted their girls to join. Mrs. Clover's daughter, Caitlyn, was switching over from a different team, so she knew the girls on the team well. Josie, the daughter of Mr. Styles, would be the only one who needed an introduction as she was new to the town.
After meeting Harry, she was surprised at how handsome and young he was. Most parents here are well over the age of thirty and are married or dating.
She has been coaching for four years now and only started because of her niece Juliet who is part of the team. Y/N's older sister, Clara, had Juliet at 23 a year after her wedding and when Y/N was only 18 and about to start university. It was a good thing she had decided to go to university only three hours away and not across the country as she first thought, or she would have missed so much of her niece's and goddaughter's life.
Y/N had just graduated and knew she would no longer be playing soccer and needed something to do when her sister Naomi approached her and asked her if she could watch over Juliet for the summer so they didn't need to get a babysitter. She was more than happy to accept.
At first, they would paint, color and dance, but they got bored quickly. Y/N wasn't one to spend her time inside, so instead, she decided to take her four-year-old niece to the park with a soccer ball and make the most of it.
At the local park, they both ran around each day, chasing the ball for hours. A week later, Y/N bought Juliet her first pair of cleats, letting her shoot in the nets. As the weeks went by Y/N, saw Juliet improve as well as take direction well. She was a bright young girl, and Y/N knew she was still small, and all she wanted to do was run, but Y/N knew that because Juliet had seen her play, she knew what was right and wrong. There were times when she just ran in circles picking flowers because, after all, she was a four-year-old.
A month into summer, a mom approached her, asking her if she was a coach because she saw her there every day. Y/N laughed it off and told her she was just taking care of her niece. The mom told her it was a shame because her daughter told her it looked like fun. Y/N smiled and said to her that she was welcome to join, and before she knew it, a bunch of little girls came together to kick a ball around.
Only when Y/N had over ten girls showing up every Monday and Wednesday at a designated time did she begin to look at soccer leagues for children, and to her luck, there was one in town, an all-girls league that started from age 4 to age 18. She got the paperwork required for her to be a coach and for the girl's parents to fill out. She pitched the idea, and everyone was aboard.
That is how Golden Sparks was created, and those four-year-olds are now eight. She has watched them grow in front of her eyes. She went through her master's coaching a team. It's just something she does as a hobby, and it's wonderful because she knows how vital her coaches were for her when she was growing up. Now she can do the same.
She loves these girls, which means she had to do trial runs for how well the new girls fit in with the team dynamic. That is why today is an important day for Caitlyn and Josie.
"Ladies, may I please have your attention?" Y/N calls out to all the girls trying to juggle their individual balls as they wait for her.
The girls quickly shuffle over, passing their balls to Kate, who is setting up both nets and getting out the bright pink pinnies that Emilia's parents donated to the team that the girls will be needing.
Josie is standing very close to Y/N, and Caitlyn comes to stand to her other side.
"Now, today's practice is going to be different. We have two guests today. We have Caitlyn, who comes from Ice Angels from across town, and Josie, who comes from Georgia all the way across the country. I hope you will be kind and welcoming because we would be honored to add them to the team."
Juliet raises her hand and smiles, waiting for Y/N to let her speak. "Yes, Miss Juliet," Y/N giggles.
"Can we say something interesting about ourselves when we introduce ourselves?"
"Now, that is a smart idea. I wish I would have thought about it." All the girls smile, waiting for her to share.
"I'll start, I guess." She puts her hand on her hip, exaggerating her thinking face. "My name is Y/N, and I'll be your coach, and something interesting is that I like to paint." She turns to Kate, who is standing there, arms crossed. "You're next."
"I'm Kate, the meaner coach,"
"Kate," Y/N chastise.
"Kidding," Kate laughs, capturing all of the girls' attention. "I'm the assistant coach, and I love making tamales. Next potluck, you'll know how amazing they are."
Kate volunteers Steph, standing next to her, allowing her to share, and before she knows it, all the girls have gone. It's a calm environment, and Y/N is happy she can help these girls be a part of that. There were a total of fourteen girls, sixteen now with the two new girls trying out, meaning they would have even teams of eight, just one more than in an actual game.
Y/N makes two teams by dividing her forwards, midfielders and defenders. Then the scrimmage vest were handed out to the team where the new girls were trying out.
"Four twelve-minutes quarters," Y/N shouts, and in the next second, Kate blows the whistle, and they begin.
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Harry was sweating, his focus was on Josie and how well she was playing, but he also noticed how the coach was whispering to her assistant coach. They were doing a lot of talking, and he did not like it one bit. They had finished two quarters and took a more extended break before the third, where Josie shot him a thumbs up after drinking water. She was too busy talking to a girl to come see him. Harry was happy she no longer felt nervous and was making friends.
He had heard nothing but good things about Golden Sparks and their coaches, but he was nervous about what they thought of his daughter. When they blew that final whistle, Harry let out the breath he was holding. Thankful that Josie would be told her fate on the team.
The coaches rounded them up, and Harry just wanted to rush over there and have them tell him there and then, but no, they were dragging it out for him. Then again, they had more than one player to look after for.
"Golden Sparks!"
It was shouted out by all the girls, and they rushed over to their bags. Josie walked to her bag, handing her pinnie to the assistant coach while Coach Y/N made her way over to another parent. A young girl with a long french braid made her way to the coach, most likely to talk about her fate on the team. Harry moves his gaze away from them when he spots Josie chatting away to a girl about her age, wearing a black top with the team's logo on it. Usually, after practice, she rushes over to Harry, and she slips out of her cleats in the car. It makes him emotional seeing her make friends, something she didn't have many in her previous team.
Before he knows it, the coach talks with Josie and the other young girl before she nods and gets up, swinging her bag over her shoulder. The three of them make their way over to Harry, chatting softly, not allowing him to hear a word.
"Hi, petal. Did well out there." Harry tells his daughter once she's an arm's length away. He frowns when she doesn't rush into his arms to give him a hug.
"Yeah, it was fun. Everyone is so kind." Josie smiles at her father.
"Mr. Styles," Y/N begins, but Harry has to interrupt.
"Harry, please."
"Sure, Harry," she emphasizes. "Josie is a wonderful player."
"I agree."
"But," Harry frowns, knowing this is not going where he would like it to. "Josie tends to hold the ball too much. When given the opportunity to use her left, she takes that extra pass to switch to her right where it causes her to lose momentum and the opening."
"I get it, she's not perfect, but neither are those players out there."
"Dad." Josie gives him a glare to be quiet and listen.
"As I was saying," Coach Y/N, her voice just a bit less friendly. "She has flaws, but we noticed she has lots of speed; she controls the ball really well. She's stellar in the midfield."
Harry shifts his eyes to Josie, who is holding back a smile, and that is when he knows she's in. "We'd love to have her join the team and help her become an even better player."
"That's wonderful, I accept."
"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm glad you think it's a good idea, but it's Josie's choice to make."
"You're right. I'm sorry. Josie, honey." He steps back, a tad embarrassed.
Josie lets out a nervous laugh, "I had fun."
"How long have you played?" Y/N asks Josie.
"Three years now," Josie says, looking at Harry for confirmation and nods.
"The most important question is how you felt playing with everyone?" Y/N knows how important feeling welcomed to a team can mean to someone.
Josie looks up at her, a smile on her face. "Like I belonged."
"Does that mean you're joining?" The young girl standing behind Y/N answers.
"Yes. I would love to join." Josie says, a grin taking over her face.
"Well then, welcome. Practices are 5-7pm. Sometimes we can have a scrimmage with other teams, and it will be an hour before or after just to take that into consideration. Games are on Saturday, but when we have tournaments, they are Saturday and Sunday."
"That's great. I sometimes get out of work late." Harry confesses.
"It's why practices are later because we know parents work. So just shoot us a text the day before or early morning, and either Kate or I can pick them up as well as other parents. We're great with carpooling."
Harry smiles; he likes how organized they are. He has no worries about Josie joining the team. He's happy, and if he's honest, he is kind of glad to see more of Coach Y/N.
"It was great to meet you, and I'll see you on Monday for practice," Y/N tells both Harry and Josie.
As they are going to walk away, the young girl in two dutch braids speaks, "Auntie Y/N truly is the best. She's the reason I play so well." Juliet tells Harry.
Y/N blushes, "Knock it off. Save the sweet-talk for Kate."
"She's your aunt!" Josie explains. "That's so cool."
"Harry, this is Juliet, my niece and the reason this team exists. I introduced her to the sport at age four."
Juliet nods, "Yeah, because she didn't want to rotten my head with television."
This causes all of them to laugh. Harry and Josie walk away with a smile on both their faces.
Yeah, they would fit just right in. It was beginning to feel like home.
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It's been a month since Josie joined the team, and he's never seen her shine as much as she has since she joined the group. It's like she's a whole new little girl, he hates to admit it, but his little girl is growing right in front of his eyes.
They had recently had a team bonding; they headed to Kate's house to swim and do a little bonfire. Parents were allowed to stick around, but almost none did because they want their daughters to feel comfortable hanging out with their friends and be themselves. Also, all the parents trusted Kate and Y/N with their daughters because of the years of friendship.
Harry wanted to stay the first time, a bit fearful she wouldn't like it and also because he wanted to get to know Josie's coach better. He hadn't had many chances to chat her up, always getting a formal greeting and a goodbye. Harry can proudly say he has a crush on coach Y/N, but he wants to have a chance to take her out and maybe take it further.
Josie begged and begged him not to stay, so he just did a quick hello and then left. What did he do in the four hours his daughter was gone, nothing. He was bored without her. Harry began to watch a movie he'd been dying to see, but it was boring. He went to call his best mate, but it went straight to voicemail, then remembered it was date night for Mitch.
He couldn't drink because he wanted to pick Josie up even though he knew she could carpool, but he wanted to hear all about it right away and maybe get one more glance at Y/N because she looked lovely in her pastel pink shirt, black leggings, and a matching scrunchie. His feelings only grew each time he saw her, but he wouldn't dare pursue anything because his daughter adored Y/N, and he wouldn't do anything to wreck that.
It was Monday, and he was driving his daughter to practice. She was on a high because she spent the weekend with her mom. Claudia managed to make her soccer game and then took her home for the week. Everyone got an insight of his ex and how she was not the kindest, but sure did adore her husband by the way she kissed him the majority of that game. Harry did not want to sit next to them, but she wanted to flaunt her relationship in his face to his luck. Not that he cared one bit, he just cared about his daughter's happiness. That she happened to be a part of.
After they won the game, she sprinted over to them after Y/N congratulated them on the win, and they finished shaking the other team's hands. Josie wrapped her arms around Harry, squeezing him tight before hugging her mother, who just patted her back before letting her go congratulating on her goal.
Claudia's interactions with Josie always made Harry upset, but what was he to do? She gave him full custody and only saw her on weekends. It was easy living, but that doesn't mean he had to like it. He wanted his daughter to have a mother figure to guide her and show her the right and wrong to show her what it is like to be strong and resilient, yet Claudia was none of that for his daughter. Sarah, Josie's godmother, did more of that, and Harry was thankful.
Showing up to practice, Harry was embarrassed and hoped Y/N didn't bring up meeting his ex-girlfriend. Josie was quick to introduce them, but thankfully the conversation didn't last long as she was called over by the other team's coach.
"Can you drive any slower?" Josie pouted, looking out the window as Harry entered the parking lot at a safe speed in case any person happened to cross in front of him.
"Josie, I'm not trying to run anyone over." Harry sighs as he finally eyes an open parking space and signals left, always cautious about an accident.
"Well, I want to talk with my friends before practice." Josie has unbuckled herself and is close to throwing herself out of the car.
Harry puts the car into park, unlocking the car door. "Fly, young one."
The grin that takes over Josie makes Harry happy. "Love you, dad."
"Love you too, Josie."
Harry slides his sunglasses on, hating how bright the sun was; it'd be a few hours until the sunset. He was nervous; he was dressed in black slacks that hugged him in all the right places with a mint button-down shirt that calls attention. He didn't have time to change today; everyone saw him in his casual clothes, never his work attire. Josie said she didn't mind, but he did. Honestly, he was nervous about what Y/N might say about his look. Not that he cared what she thought. Not one bit, right?
He went to his trunk, got out his purple folding chair, and left the matching one there. Harry is a sucker for deals which is why he walked out of the store with two when he only needed one.
He strolled, making sure no eyes were on him, and he was in the clear until he heard a shout, "Dad!" He looked over at the field, and it was Josie waving at him to sit closer to the parents. Harry shot her a thumbs up; he liked the parents genuinely. They have all been so kind and welcoming, telling him the best places to go for the team's discount.
He got along well with Payton's and Stephanie's parents. They had a good sense of humor and liked asking him questions about where he was from and how Josie was growing up. His daughter had become best friends with Juliet. They were two peas in a pod, talking from the beginning of practice to staying almost ten minutes after as they slowly took off their cleats.
Y/N didn't mind seeing as she had to pick up everything, and the girls were eager to help her if it meant spending more time together. Honestly, she was begging for a sleepover, but he kept telling her no because he wanted to meet at least one of her parents first. He wasn't sure what either one did, but Juliet didn't mind if they couldn't make it to a game because her biggest supporter was already there.
Harry approaches where all the parents sit under a shaded tree, waving at everyone before taking a seat next to a man reading on his kindle. He smiled, knowing he loved reading in his downtime as well. This would be an excellent spot to sit, conversation or not he'd be comfortable, but first, an introduction was needed.
"Hello, don't mean to bother you, but I don't think I've seen you before. I'm Harry Styles. My daughter Josie joined the team last month."
"Well, Harry Styles, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard wonderful things about your daughter. I'm Xavier Torres, father of Juliet." Xavier responded with a bright smile on his face.
Harry doesn't hide his surprise. "I've been dying to meet her parents. She's a wonderful girl, glad our daughters decided to get along."
"Yeah, we come as often as we can, but Juliet always assures us she's fine. That she has the best auntie watching over her."
"Coach Y/N is great with everyone. I've never seen anyone so dedicated." Harry shares.
"She's always been like that. I met Clara in my second year of university. She was only fourteen then, but she was so caring. I wasn't introduced to the family until we've been dating for six months, and she was shy but always offered me water or cookies she had baked. I loved having conversations with her; she has always been the smartest person in the room."
Harry grins; this definitely grew his crush on Y/N.
"I hear they are begging for a sleepover," Xavier comments, breaking Harry from his thoughts.
Harry nods, "Yes, I kept saying no because I wanted to meet the parents."
Xavier smiles, agreeing they were the same. "Yeah, we had to meet the dad."
He's shocked Xavier doesn't ask him about a partner, but then again, Y/N could have easily mentioned meeting Claudia and her husband. Harry's grateful if she did not like having to explain how he's a single dad and how he wishes his daughter's mother would do better.
"Well, now that this has happened, I have no problem with a sleepover happening."
"Glad we're on the same page." Harry laughs, grateful, their daughters will be happy with them.
Harry and Xavier spend the entire two hours of practice talking. Harry has close friends, but he wouldn't be opposed to adding Xavier to his guys' nights that happen less frequently now. At the end of practice, they exchange numbers and promise to coordinate a date for the girls. It may be summer, but the girls are still keeping busy during the week instead of doing nothing.
The girls rush over to them at the end of practice, giggling at the two fathers still chatting away.
"Does this mean a sleepover can happen?" Juliet asks, squeezing Josie's hand she's holding.
Harry and Xavier share a look and nod. "Yeah, it can happen."
"Amazing!" Josie cheers jumping up and down.
"We have to plan a day that works for both of us, so it may be a while." Josie frowns but nods. Juliet does not accept it.
"Auntie Y/N can host it."
"Your auntie is going to do what?" Y/N says, sneaking up behind her tickling her sides.
Juliet lets out a loud shriek, not being able to escape her grip. Harry beams at Y/N loving how playful she is with her niece.
"You can host our sleepover. You aren't busy like daddy and Mr. Styles." Juliet says in one breath after Y/N let her go.
"I do have a job, you know," Y/n says in a sing-song voice. Xavier laughs as Juliet pouts. "But I do have more availability than your parents. I'd do it if both of you were comfortable with it." Y/N looks up at Harry and Xavier, letting them have the final say.
Xavier throws an arm over Y/N's shoulder and pulls her in a hug. "Of course, it's a yes; I'm always looking forward to a kid-free house."
"Rude, daddy." Juliet frowns, crossing her arms.
"Only joking, my little flower. How about frozen yogurt on the way home?"
"You're forgiven."
Y/N waits patiently for Harry to answer as he has a staring contest with his daughter.
He sighs, "Yes," Josie cheers, hugging Juliet. "Only if we're really not imposing on Y/N."
"Please, Harry. I'd be honored to have them over. I'm an excellent host, and my movie collection is amazing."
Juliet smiles. "She does, also the biggest backyard so we can run around and do whatever. There's also a pool." She whispers the last part.
"Enough speaking about my house. She'll get the tour soon enough."
"So it's settled," Harry tells them.
"Guess it is; send me when you guys decide. I'm free after twelve on Fridays, and I'll take them to the game on Saturday, of course, or we can do it after a game. All up to you, gents." Y/N gets it all out there, allowing Harry to breathe a little easier.
"Good," Xavier shouts.
"I'm going home, coming Julie?" As Xavier swings his chair over his shoulder. "Daddy, you have to help auntie Y/N. You just sat on your butt for two hours."
"Hey now, I watched you practice."
"I'm going to tell mommy, you know how she feels about you not helping Y/N. She'll give you an earful." Juliet sasses her dad.
"I don't know where you got all that sass from, but I know I'm going to hate it when you're a teenager," Xavier mumbles as he goes to get the goal nets put away.
Y/N laughs before turning to Harry and Josie, "I'll see you both on Wednesday. Have a good night."
Harry watches her walk away as she races Juliet over to the balls scattered around. He smiles at the ground, hoping he could one day make her laugh that much. He doesn't notice Josie watching him, and she grins, happy that maybe one day her daddy will smile as bright as Xavier does when speaking about Juliet's mom.
They walk hand in hand to the car, both comfortable walking in silence for what the future might bring them.
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Y/N enjoyed morning games as opposed to the afternoon, where the sun was blazing high. She had a hat that was helping with the heat, thankful she hadn't started sweating yet. She loves coaching, but during the summer, it isn't the most enjoyable.
"Hi, Coach Y/N."
She turns her head over her shoulder and sees Harry approaching. She checks him out, thankful for her sunglasses; he's got a black short-sleeve button-down that shines in the sunlight, letting her know it's expensive; he paired it with white linen pants and the beat-up Vans he always wore. He always looks good.
"Nice to see you, Harry."
"How are you?"
"Doing good, bracing the summer heat."
"Yeah, not so enjoyable."
"Ready for the game," Harry says, pointing to the field that will soon have fourteen girls running around.
"Yes, they have been working hard. I'm excited, and you?"
"Oh, nervous," he confesses.
"The girls are going to do great. If they start dozing off, then we can start to worry."
Harry laughs, knowing that she is right. It's about the girl's focus.
"How long did you play?"
"Too long." Y/N jokes.
"Haha," he laughs.
"I started at six and played up until I finished university."
"Wow! You must have been marvelous." Harry is amazed that someone can play a sport that long then go to teaching. He was never the most athletic, but he was a beast at ping-pong that was all hand-eye coordination.
"I would like to think I was good."
"You started coaching when?"
"The year I turned four, and soon enough I was running, and by four she bought me my cleats and bam! A team was created." Juliet answered for her.
"I'm pretty sure you told Harry this already." Y/N laughs playfully, nudging Juliet.
Juliet shrugs, "Just like reminding."
Y/N grins, "Okay, lovebug."
"Plus, you're a great coach."
Harry nods. "I can attest to that. All the girls love you, including Josie."
"And I love them," she tells him truthfully. "We don't get many new players, but we're happy to have Josie. She earned the starting spot as right-wing."
Juliet nods, jumping up and down, "Yeah, she's really good."
"Go on, start the girl with four corners." Y/N pats Juliet's back to get her to go on the field.
"Yes, ma'am." Juliet takes off running, talking to Kate, who helps her get started, and Y/N knows it's her cue to walk away from Harry.
"Good luck, coach."
"Thank you, Harry. See you after."
"Sure, of course. I'll be cheering for you. I-i-i- what-" Harry stutters while she stands there holding back a smile as she can see the heat traveling up his face. "I mean you and the girls. A-all as a team."
"Well, we appreciate it."
Harry watches her walk away, letting out a short laugh, not being able to believe he made a fool of himself.
The game was tied 1-1 with only eight minutes left. Harry could see Y/N was calm, voice firm when speaking to the girls. Lola was about to take a corner kick, he saw her take a step back, and Harry was ready for her to strike it, but instead, she shocks him as she passes to a player who ran up to her.
This startles the other team before Brenda sends it to the center midfielder, who passes it to Josie, who is screaming she's open. Brenda sends a through ball, and off his daughter runs. She gets a foot on it, looking at where the goalie stands. She makes the pass strong enough that the goalie doesn't stop it and just for Andy to tip it in, but it's too strong, causing the ball to go over the net. It's a miss but, everyone didn't mind impressed with the play.
The last few minutes were slow as both teams were tired out, and there was no chance for another goal in two minutes. When the referee blows the final whistle, all the girls bring it in, jogging over to Y/N and Kate as they all round up in a group hug. Harry can't hear what she's saying, but he knows it's reasonable considering all the girls are sporting similar smiles. He is quick to pack up his chair, ready to say goodbye to his daughter, who is about to have a sleepover with her coach and best friend.
The girls come back from clapping the other team's hand and are quick to go sit on the bench and take their shoes off. The clean-up was accomplished quickly today. Harry is waiting to talk to Y/N as she speaks with other parents. Caitlyn's dad praises her for that play, but Y/N is quick to tell him it was all the girls; they are the players. Either way, he hugs her, and Y/N pats the older man back softly. She waves goodbye to most girls when he finally gets to approach her.
"Great game today."
"Yes, they played well." Y/N agrees.
"Your coaching reflects on them."
"In a good way?"
He nods, "The best way."
She thanks him, and he knows she's not one to be boastful, so he changes the conversation.
"You are still good to take them for the sleepover."
"Of course, I'm excited."
"That's great. What time should I pick her up tomorrow?"
"Oh, I forgot to mention earlier, my sister and brother-in-law are coming to have dinner if you'd like to join us. Xavier has been dying to use the grill, and you'll get to meet my sister and my nephew."
"Juliet never talks about a brother."
Y/N chuckles, "It's because he barely started walking, so he doesn't hold much of her attention."
"Ah, that makes sense."
"She loves being a big sister, but only when he sleeps or plays blocks."
"Older siblings got to love them."
"Yeah, I know."
"Do you have a sibling?"
"I do. She's 35 and lives in London and runs a law firm. Total badass."
"I bet she is."
"If she ever stops and visits, please bring her around and would love to get all the dirt on young Harry Styles."
"Only if I get to do the same."
"Stop by Sunday, and you'll get the chance." She shrugs at him as she walks away.
"See you Sunday then." Harry shakes his head smiling as she grabs a bag of soccer balls and begins walking to the parking lot.
Josie runs over and gives him a big hug. "See you tomorrow, daddy."
"Bye honey, call me if you need anything."
"Sure, I love you." She yells as she runs to Y/N and Juliet, who are waiting for her at the end of the grass.
Harry knows she's in good hands, but his heart can't help but miss his little girl. He'll see her tomorrow and Y/N as well. He ignored how hard his heart was thumping at his interaction with Y/N instead of letting himself get lost in the idea of the beautiful afternoon that was to come tomorrow.
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Y/N had a great time with the girls. She promised she would let them do their own thing and just supervise, but both girls wanted her involved. As soon as they arrived at her house, Juliet gave Josie a tour of her home, taking her room to room before they ended up in the backyard, both dressed in their bathing suits to go swimming.
She couldn't help but laugh, knowing how eager they were to go jump in the pool despite playing an intense game for an hour in the blazing sun.
"You little ladies must eat first before you can even think of swimming," Y/N says, arms crossed over her chest, knowing Juliet was going to try to fight her on it.
"Auntie, that's not what we want to do."
"Maybe so, but your tummy's say otherwise."
Josie steps over from behind Juliet to stand next to her. "I would like to eat. Dad says we need to regain all the energy we worked off."
"Your dad is a smart man, Jo." Y/N nods to the girl. "It's a 2-1 vote, then."
"Fine," Juliet groans dramatically.
The girls sit at the table as Y/n begins to boil pasta. She decides on pesto as she has had a craving, and both girls happily agree. In just thirty minutes, she serves the girls two even plates, and they have a flowing conversation. Mainly, Josie and Juliet do the talking, occasionally asking YN her opinion or a question they want her to answer.
After the late lunch, she sends the girls to wash up and meet her outside to lather them in sunscreen. She puts most of her dishes in the dishwasher and soaks her pans in water, wanting it to be easier to wash later when the girls give her a free moment.
"Thirty minutes we are waiting," Y/N tells them, the sun lotion bottle in hand.
"Come on, you believe in that?" Juliet asks.
"Okay, little miss rebel, since when do you always question everything I say." Juliet's eyes go wide, and she shrugs.
"Alright, listen. I adore you, Juliet, but it's not nice trying to take advantage of me because you have a friend over."
Y/N waits for her to say something, but she nods her head and moves to hug her around her waist. She hears her mutter a sorry, and when Y/N brushes her hair back, she sees Juliet move back to look up at her. "I'm sorry."
Y/N gives her a small smile. "It's alright. Now sit down so I can get your back."
Josie patiently waits her turn, and just as Y/N finishes Juliet, she speedwalks to the edge of the steps and sits on them, letting her feet get soaked. Josie sits patiently as Y/N spreads the sunscreen to her shoulders, then turns her to get her face and neck, allowing Josie to rub it into her legs.
"All done, Josie." She stays seated on Y/N's patio chairs under the shade. Y/N doesn't question her not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.
"Is it okay if I go join Juliet?" Josie asks in a soft voice.
Y/N almost awes out loud at how polite Juliet is, "Of course, go on. I'll let you know when it's okay to go in."
Looking out at the spacious yard, Y/N frowns, getting lost in thought about how she has the perfect home, but it gets lonely. It might be time she looks into getting a pet. She'll have to go check the local shelter soon but knows she should think about it for a while longer.
The ringer of her phone tears her out of her head when she hears the splashing, "Is it, time auntie?"
"Yeah, sweetie, it is."
Quickly she swipes three pairs of goggles from the table just as she begins to hear their splashing paired with laughter.
"Are we playing mermaids, auntie?" Josie asks as Y/N steps into the water, relaxing in the cool water, not suffering from the heat.
"We sure are," Y/N raises the three goggles and hands over one to each of them.
It's after two hours that they all emerge from the pool, deciding to head into the shower seeing as the sun has begun to set. She ushers them carefully to the shower letting Josie use the guest room and Juliet her room seeing as they are the only two rooms fully equipped with towels and shampoo.
After the three of them are clean and changed in the pj's, Y/N makes popcorn to snack on while they play a few board games. They switch from Uno to Candyland to Mancala. It goes on for a while until they decide to put on a movie deciding on Tangled.
It wasn't until a quarter to ten that Moana watched Maui sing "Your Welcome," they began to yawn and started trying to fight back to sleep. Y/N thought they would never go down to sleep because two eight-year-olds have too much energy. Y/N paused the movie and told them it was time to sleep. Neither girl put up an argument.
She guided them to the guest room that had become Juliet's over the years. The girls get tucked into bed after brushing their teeth.
"Thank you for a great day, Y/N," Josie whispers, grabbing her wrist, halting her, tucking their blanket.
Y/N smiles at the kind girl. "Of course, sweetie. It's been a joy having you here."
Y/N goes to Juliet, gives her a kiss on the forehead, whispering a quiet goodnight who already has her eyes closed, her breathing slow and steady. She goes to Josie, who's looking at her with wide eyes. "Would you be okay with a forehead kiss goodnight? I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Y/N addresses the young girl.
Little does Y/N know that small comment was enough for Josie to seal Y/N in her heart forever for her kindness. "Yes, please." Bright green eyes look up at her with a small smile as she gives her a soft kiss.
"Goodnight, Y/N."
"Night, Jo."
Y/N goes to her room and does her night routine taking extra steps due to getting more sun exposure today. She loves how she feels putting on moisturizer at the end of the night. She lays in bed under her soft white covers. Her eyes shut, and she begins to count backward. She reaches all the way to one and tries again but stops halfway, sighing, knowing there's no chance she'll sleep; she heads to the kitchen to make herself a tea.
With her chamomile tea in hand, she sets it on the chrysanthemum coaster on the side table, picks up the book she left there, and sets it in her lap as she turns on her television to Netflix, deciding on The Great British Baking Show to use as white noise. She presses play on where she last left off, forgetting the book in her lap as the bakers had to make a raised game pie for their signature.
Y/N had already watched collection three, but it was one of her favorites. She loved the bakers and liked watching Nadiya improve each episode. The technical challenge was getting started, the bakers reading their vague instructions to make the tennis fruit cake when she heard small steps down the stairs.
She turns around, spotting Josie making her way down, "Hi there, you alright?"
Josie just nods but continues towards her, joining her to sit on the couch. "Can't sleep?" Y/N asks to share her lavender throw blanket with Josie.
"Not really."
"Yeah, I get restless sometimes as well."
Josie stares, tilting her head as if trying to figure out why she can't sleep, "What do you do to try to sleep?"
"Well, I usually try to read a book in bed, but I decided tea and a bit of tv would help."
Josie nods, and Y/N can tell she's working up the courage to ask her something. "Can I please try with you?"
"Of course, would you like tea as well?"
"Chamomile?"
"Sure, that's what I was drinking."
"Daddy adds a bit of honey."
Y/N smiles, "Honey, I can do that."
She goes to the kitchen alone, getting Josie her favorite mug with bees scattered all around. As soon as she's done making her tea and checking it is at a suitable temperature, she brings it out to her. Y/N sees Josie has put play on the show.
Y/N just grins, happy the girl likes the show as well. "Have you seen this season?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, me too."
"Nadiya is excellent," Josie comments as Nadiya wins first in the technical challenge.
"She is! I'm glad they picked her as the winner though she had strong competition against Ian and Tamal."
Both Y/N and Josie sit there in silence, sipping their teas, watching the bakers now try to make Charlotte Russe cakes for the showstopper. It's not until the presentation begins that Josie breaks their comfortable silence.
"Why can't you sleep?"
"Well, uhh, sometimes I can't get my brain to shut down and have lots of thoughts swirling around."
"Oh," Josie responds. "Do they ever stop?"
"Yeah, usually when I count backward or tell myself a story."
Josie looks delighted at hearing Y/N sharing this with her. "What kind of story?"
"A sweet one, one my grandparents used to tell me, or I make one up."
"And it works?"
"Almost always."
Josie continues with her questions, but Y/N doesn't mind. "Do you get bad dreams?"
"Not always, but sometimes, do you, Jo?"
Josie smiles, "I like that."
"What?" Y/N says, puzzled, aware she avoided the question.
"Jo, dad calls me honey, darling, Josie and Josephine when I do something I'm not supposed to, but no one ever has said, Jo. I like it."
"Oh, I'm glad. It's alright that I keep calling you that then."
Josie repeatedly nods, "Of course."
Y/N looks back at the TV focusing on the new episode that started during the talk.
"Sometimes I dream I'm back in Georgia with daddy." Josie is looking down at her lap, where she draws a circle on the palm of her left hand with her right index finger.
"Yeah, how does that make you feel?"
"Sad sometimes and sometimes happy."
"Why is that?" Y/N asks in a soft voice.
"Well, mommy called me more when I lived farther away. Now I don't get to see her every weekend even though that's the deal. She doesn't even like watching me play."
"That must be tough, Jo. Have you shared this with your dad?"
Josie shakes her head no. "He'd get mad at mom, and I don't want anyone fighting."
"Don't think it's fighting. Your dad just wants the best for you and wants your mom to see that as well."
"I guess."
"Did you know I've visited Georgia?"
"You have?" Josie sits up, crawling closer to her, excited at the change in conversation.
Y/N nods, "My grandparents had family there, so every summer, we'd make our way there. Spent all our time at the lake or just walking through the woods. They lived in a secluded area, so lots to roam."
"We lived in the city."
"I bet you still went to neat places."
Josie thinks about it for a minute, "We did, the weekends were for the lake, and it was easy to drive to another state for a week."
Y/N laughs, knowing how exciting it was visiting a new state in a matter of hours compared to how hard it is in California. "Yeah, I liked that as well."
"What's your favorite memory?"
Y/N stops to think about it; it has been a while since she thought back to her times there. She hasn't had the chance to go back since her grandparents passed away.
"The fireflies. I remember we were in one of my uncle's backyard, and he was showing us his peaches. When I saw a buzz of light followed by another, and soon enough, they were all around us. My uncle tells me he'll never forget the look on my face because it was true happiness and disbelief."
Y/N's smile is nostalgic. If she closes her eyes tight enough, she can picture the fireflies surrounding her. She's brought back to the present when she feels a small hand placed over her own.
"Thank you for sharing that with me," Josie says before she leans over, giving Y/N a hug.
Y/N laughs and hugs her back, happy she got to know this sweet girl better.
"I think it's time for bed."
"Okay."
As they begin walking up the stairs after making a stop in the kitchen to put their mugs in the dishwasher, Y/N stops outside the guest room.
"You're really wise for your age."
Josie nods, "My dad tells me that all the time."
Y/N can't help the smile that Josie draws out of her, "Goodnight."
"Night."
Y/N goes to bed with lots more on her mind. Her thoughts on the young girl who is caring more on her shoulder than she lets on. Josie has grown us quicker and doesn't realize it due to her experiences. Y/N goes wondering what tomorrow will bring.
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A lot was running through Harry's mind after the dinner he had on Sunday with Y/N and her family. Trust him; he enjoyed it. He adored seeing her in a different environment, but she seemed distant, and so did Josie. It's as if the two gravitated towards each other more. Always whispering to each other.
He enjoyed seeing them get along; he just didn't like not being included. This also made him second guess in pursuing Y/N. He wasn't willing to risk it not working out. Harry also knows he's not sure if he'd survive the heartbreak.
It's been a while since he's put himself out there, but as a single dad, he feared that no woman he had met was good enough to meet Josie, not after learning that he had full custody.
Y/N's sister was kind, always teasing Y/N but Y/N gave it right back. He could tell the love they had for each other was the kind he shared with Gem. They might not have been that close in age, but they appreciate each other better as adults. Harry loved Y/N's nephew, who stumbled every few steps he took, which is why Y/N took it upon herself to have him attached to her the whole night.
It warmed Harry's heart and gave him all kinds of crazy ideas, for example like a baby that was half him and half her that he'd love just as much as Josie.
Fuck, he had it bad.
Harry's thankful it's Wednesday, and he gets to see Y/N again. He didn't make practice on Monday having Sarah bring her, and today Y/n picked her up from his house where Mitch was watching her because he had a meeting that would be running long. Luckily, he made it just in time before the practice started.
He knew he was going to stand out, showing up wearing creamed flared trousers and a black silk button-down. Harry had taken off his cropped, lapel grey plaid jacket knowing the heat would eat him alive if he left it on.
Harry chuckled to himself as he walked from the parking lot; his folding hair swung on his shoulder. He waved to the parents before setting up alone under a tree, wanting to enjoy the shade today and no conversations unless it was from one specific person.
He sees her pocketing her phone in her bag and knows this is his chance to talk to her. He makes his way discreetly as possible, going behind the parents, who are all currently staring down at their phones.
"Y/N,"
She turns, she scans him head to toe quickly, not wanting Harry to catch her, but he does. He lets it boost his ego a little.
"Harry, a bit dressed up, no?"
He chuckles, doing a little spin for her. "Not at all, haven't you heard business casual is the new uniform."
She shakes her head at him, "We'll take it into consideration."
"That's all I ask."
Y/N looks over to Kate and motions for her to get the girls' warm-up started.
"Dinner was nice."
Y/N nods, "It was. My sister really likes you."
"That's good. She's really funny."
"She knows it." Y/N rolls her eyes playfully.
Harry knocks his hips into her, "Don't worry, you're still my favorite."
"Gee, I was so worried." Y/N fakes dramatically but isn't able to hide how her cheeks heat up at his compliment. "Now, you need to go sit. I have to coach. Parents are going to think I'm flirting."
Harry smirks, "I don't mind the flirting."
"Styles, you'd know if I was flirting."
"I'm just going to say that I very much am."
"Hmm, I'll take that into consideration. For our future conversations."
Y/N joins the girls as they are about to start their second lap; Harry slowly makes his way to his waiting chair, happy that Y/N might like him just as much as he likes her.
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Y/N pulled Josie aside before the scrimmage wanting to speak with her noticing she wasn't connecting with the team as she had on Monday.
"Doing okay?" Y/N asks as Josie gets a drink of water.
Josie nods, "Of course."
"Well, Juliet told me you didn't want to hang out. She said you had wanted to try that donut place with us on Friday."
"Because I had plans with my mom."
"Oh, that's fun."
"No."
"Why not?"
"She said she was busy," Josie murmurs.
"Well, you're still welcome to join us on Friday. I'm going to take Juliet to get ice cream at my favorite shop after practice. You're welcome to join." Y/N offers, knowing the little girl needs something to cheer her up.
"Does my dad have to come?"
"Not if you don't want him to."
Josie shakes her head no.
"Okay then."
"I'll go ask permission now."
"You can wait," Y/N laughs at her eagerness.
"No. I tell him now, and he can think it over while I play."
"Okay, sure. Don't take long."
Josie nods about to take off, but Y/n stops her. "Josie, I'm sorry your plans changed."
"She's been doing that more." She shrugs as if she's not bothered.
"Just because she is doing that doesn't mean you aren't loved. Your dad loves you and your godparents; the team does as well. I do, also. You're amazing, Josie." Y/N tells her, knowing Josie needed to hear it from somebody other than her father.
Josie's eyes shine, but she blinks the tears away. She gives her a quick hug before turning around and running towards Harry. From the corner of her eye, she sees Josie dramatically asking for permission as she lets her father retie the laces of her boots. Y/N smiles because she loves Josie, and if given a chance, she might also get an opportunity to love Harry. Y/N looks forward to watching what the future may bring.
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Kate had organized a pizza party for the girls because they had been doing so well and thought they deserved a reward. Y/N and Kate always talked about motivating and encouraging the girls for their hard work and dedication. They would do small gatherings or bring them a treat to enjoy after practice, and the occasional Monday off that happened on significant dates or when they as a coach needed a break which wasn’t often because they loved this and the girls.
A pizza party was fun, it allowed parents to interact somewhere that wasn’t crazy hot, and the girls got to eat their weight in pizza. Y/N personally loved it because she got to eat crazy good buffalo wings. Kate and Y/N always shared a basket.
Y/N had sat in a booth with Kate across from her knowing the girls would take up two of the long tables. They rather not squeeze in between when they have a good view of them here.
“Anyone I should be aware of, Thomas, was it?”
“Uhh, no. He turned out to be a jerk who couldn’t get me off.”
“Gee any louder, Katie, would you.” Y/N smiles at Cynthia’s parents, who are in line waiting to order themselves around some beers. Y/N was never one who got into drinking, but it doesn’t bother her those who do.
“Anyways, the one who is coming is Tiffany, and we have been talking for a week, and I think I may be in love.” Kate sighs, a faraway look in her eye as the waiter drops by her beer. Y/N eyes it, not liking how much foam was in the cup.
“You say you’re in love each time.”
Kate rolls her eyes at Y/N, “Well, I mean it this time.”
“Sure.”
“No, you’ll see. Tiff should be here soon. She got the most gorgeous curls and the most perfect brown eyes. Then when she talks Spanish to me, I have an idea what she’s saying, but it turns me on like crazy.”
“I can translate for you.” Kate rolls her eyes, knowing Y/N’s Spanish was perfect due to her high school and college years, not to mention she took YMCA classes at seven. “Anyways, let us move on from the conversation.”
“Okay, let’s talk about your sex life.”
Y/N chucks a piece of lettuce at Kate hitting her square on her chin. Before Kate can retaliate, Harry steps towards them, “Hello, ladies.”
“Hi, Harry,” Kate responds by making crazy eyes at Y/N.
“Mind if I join you, don’t think Josie would like me sitting with her or alone.”
Y/N nods, “Of course, but only if you don’t mind sliding in. I like the edge seats, or you can sit with Kate.”
Kate shakes her head no, “No, he cannot. My date should be here soon.”
Y/N gets up to let Harry slide in, he does a little wiggle to get to the other side, and Y/N does her best to hide her laugh. It seems to work, as he didn’t mention it. Y/N feels her body heat up because their thighs are touching. She feels ridiculous getting worked up over a simple touch.
The next hour flies by, and Tiffany arrives during that time, and Y/N loves her. She is as gorgeous as Kate described, her hair long falling down her back in thick ringlets, her brown eyes captivating, and her golden skin shines with just a hint of sunlight. She can see why Kate was smitten, but getting to know her and Y/N can happily say she’s a perfect fit for her best friend. She hopes it works out for Kate because this will be a heavy heartbreak if it doesn’t.
Y/N excuses herself, wanting to check with the girls. She approaches the table sitting by the pinball machines. The girls have question after question for her that she happily answers. She looks to see Juliet, happily leading a conversation with a quiet Jo sitting next to her staring out the window.
She excuses herself from the girls and places a hand on Juliet’s shoulder, who stops her chatter to grin up at Y/N before continuing like she never stopped. Jo just smiles at her before looking at the other girls acting as she was involved in the conversation, but Y/n knows better.
“You alright, Jo?”
“Of course, a bit full, that is all.” Y/N stares at those green eyes long and hard before nodding.
“I’m just over there if any of you need anything.”
“Yes, thank you, coach.” Most girls answer in unison.
Y/N goes back to their table, and Harry smiles, scooting over, “Saved your spot. Susan tried to nab it.”
“My hero.” She giggles.
The conversation around Y/N flows easily; she laughs and comments. There is a moment where Harry squeezes her thigh affectionately when she makes a witty comment defending him and his style. She wishes he’d rest his hand there, but he moves it back on top, also not wanting anyone to be suspicious.
As much as Y/N is having a lovely evening, her gaze drifts over to Josie, who hasn’t uttered a word since she was with her.
Harry is too busy chatting and having a nice time to notice how quiet Josie has gotten, not that she blames him; the place is loud and complete because it’s a Saturday afternoon. This worries Y/n as she has seen Josie withdrawing more and more but didn’t want to believe it. Josie hides it reasonably well.
Y/N hopes she’s wrong and that sweet Josie is only having an off day.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
Harry was happy to see Josie loving California. He knew it was a risk moving across the country when the East coast is all she had ever known. Josie has shown him nothing but happiness; he can't wait to see how she does in the Fall when she goes back to school. The great thing is she will have friends due to the girls on the team. Also, he hates to admit it, but it has been good for Josie to see more of her mom. Allowing them to build a better relationship. Harry only wishes the best for his daughter and hopes he has been doing that so far in her life.
It's Wednesday, and Harry feels his weeks go by faster now that they have a structured routine. He always gets excited because he knows that he'll have a chance to chat with Y/N no matter what.
They arrive five minutes before practice starts, making Harry rush out of the car, holding Josie's hand as she pulls him along, wanting to apologize to Y/N.
Y/N approaches them as they reach the area where all the girls have just started their warm-up lap.
"We're so sorry. We got stuck in a traffic jam." Harry rushes out, hating to get his daughter punished for his tardiness.
She shakes her head at him, not bothered. "Go on join the others, Josie," she gently touched her shoulder. "I've got to chat with your dad."
Josie gives her an uncertain look, but she assures her with a smile. She runs off, joining the second lap at the back of the two lines.
Harry stands there, uncertain, not sure what she needs to tell him. By the solemn look she has, it might not be good.
She walks off to the side a distance from the parents and has an eye on the girls finishing up their warm-up laps before going into a stretch.
"Josie brought up something I think you need to know."
Harry waits, allowing her to go on, knowing he shouldn't interrupt.
Y/N takes a deep breath before looking him in his eyes, "Josie says her mom told her she needs to stop calling her and to stop with the visits. That she's pregnant, and that's her priority, not her."
Harry's jaw drops. He didn't know Claudia could be so cruel to their daughter. He wasn't even aware she was pregnant or that she wanted more children. Mostly he hates that he does not hear this from his daughter.
"She told me she was afraid of how'd you react to the news, but I told her she needed to address it, and by your reaction, I assume she didn't."
Harry shakes his head. "No, we celebrated the win and had a good weekend. Seemed happier than normal honesty."
"It's common for kids to try to block it out. As someone who had to go through her fair share of child therapy, I feel like it would be good for her to see a therapist." Y/N tells him, voice gentle, knowing this is a lot for Harry.
"Why" Harry bites back, defensive. "She's fine, happy, and laughing."
"Harry, I'm not saying she's not, but she needs to talk about it. Jo won't be with you, and it's because she trusts and loves you and doesn't want to hurt you. She thinks she is protecting you; an eight-year-old shouldn't be trying to protect her father."
Harry feels himself boiling, no longer wanting to hear any more of what she has to say.
"The signs are there."
The signs," he scoffs.
"Quietness, sadness, isolation, anxiety." She points to the field, and he turns to see Josie stretching alone, lost in her own head. No longer sitting between Juliet like she always had the last few weeks. A frown on her face seems to be permanently placed.
"You've got no right to say this." Harry wishes she never brought this up.
"I'm doing this for her, not for you."
Harry has had enough; he wants her to hurt her like he is right now, which is why he lets his mouth speak before he can think over what he has said, "Who do you think you are? Honestly, you're a lousy soccer coach who has nothing better to do but judge kids and their parents."
"Harry," she whispers, trying to mask her hurt.
"No, you've said enough. I think you can forget about Josie playing for this team." His voice dripping with venom. "Seems all you wanted was extra cash in your pocket with the addition of a player ."
He walks towards the field. "Josie, we're leaving," Harry doesn't care that the other parents are watching now. He throws Josie's bag over his shoulder as he watches her jog over to him,
"We just got here. I was warming up."
"Josie, we're leaving." No room for argument in his voice, but Josie stands her ground.
"I don't want to leave." Her voice falters as she stares up at him.
"Josie, don't."
"Dad, I like it here, Coach is-"
Harry cuts her off, "Enough, Josephine, you're not coming back here ever."
Those words bring tears to her eyes; she drops her head, defeated. She follows behind Harry and turns to look at Y/N one last time, shooting her an "I warned you look."
Y/N watches them walk away, and she can only hope this is the last she sees of them. She shakes all her feelings out, knowing she has all eyes on her right now. She's got a team to coach, and just like that, she brushes away Harry and his cruel words, knowing they'll resurface later in the appropriate environment.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
After leaving the practice field, Harry And Josie did not speak a word to each other or the next day. They continued in silence, not for Harry's lack of trying to get a word out of Josie; she was just that upset with him.
All he received were head shakes, and Harry was worried. He cooled down after and let everything sink in, but the damage was done; it was too late.
That same night Harry called Claudia to confront her to tell her he would be taking her to court to forget seeing Josephine. All she responded was that it was quite alright. She was giving him full custody and would be sending him the paperwork she had already signed. Then hung up the phone on him.
Harry was appalled that a mother could do this to their child, to abandon them with no care. He always knew Claudia wasn't a good person, but he wished better for his daughter, and right now, even he didn't feel good enough for his angel girl.
On the fifth day of silence between his daughter and him, he received an email he was tempted not to open due to who it read the sender was. He did so anyway; it was the name, phone number, and location of a therapist nearby. The email read professional, not a hint of the last few months of knowing each other. There was an endnote that said to give her as a reference. He knew he would think it over for now.
On the seventh day of his daughter ignoring him, he called the number that he marked down on his phone. He called and set up an appointment for the following day; he knows it could have been longer if he didn't name drop Y/N. Harry knows he needs to apologize, but he's not sure where to begin or if it would be appropriate to show up at her house, but he decided to focus on one thing at a time, and that would be Josie.
Harry would have liked to walk hand in hand into the big building with big windows overlooking a secluded private park, but Josie walked ahead and sat herself on the rainbow-colored couches for kids and picked up a Judy Blume book to read.
Harry walks to the front desk and admires all the photos pinned up behind the receptionist. He knows they must be patients with only their first name signed. His favorite is a dinosaur swimming on a floaty holding a milkshake; there was some natural talent hanging on the wall as well as a lot of imagination.
"Sir, here for?" The receptionist called him for his turn, not noticing the person in front of him was now seated.
"Styles, Harry. Well, Josephine," he corrects. "Sorry."
"No worries, all parents do that their first time."
He awkwardly laughs.
"Dr. Sylvia Hernandedz will be with you shortly." He thanks her, going to sit on the black couch. He sinks right in full of comfort.
Five minutes later, they are called to go. He reaches for Josie's hand, and she lets him take it but doesn't make any move to hold him; it's as if he's carrying dead weight. Harry sighs but follows behind the receptionist.
"Hello, Styles family, lovely to meet you." A woman in her mid-forties greets them, a nice styled bun not a hair out of sight. Glasses on the bridge of her nose. She has a dark blue pencil skirt and a white buttoned shirt tucked in. He feels not as uncomfortable as he thought he would.
"I'm Syliva Hernandez, and you must be Josephine Styles." She leans down to be eye level with Josie and sticks out for her to shake.
"Yes, Dr. Hernandez. A pleasure to meet you." Josie responds politely.
Dr. Hernandez smiles. "Now, how'd you know I was a doctor?"
"The frame behind your desk shows your credentials." She points to the USC doctorate hanging behind a desk full of framed photos.
"Well, aren't you an observant girl?"
"Thank you."
"Would you like to accompany me to this playroom while I chat with your father? I can have my friend Alycia join you if you don't want to be alone."
Josie shakes her head no, "I'll be fine. I like being alone sometimes. I had a very wise person tell me it's okay to want to be alone sometimes, but it doesn't mean you're alone."
"Did your dad tell you that?" Dr. Hernandez asks.
"No."
"Very, well off you go. We'll have an eye on you but feel free to use all the items in there."
"Thank you." Josie slips right in, grabbing paper and colored pencils, carefully pulling out her desired colors.
"Have a seat, please, Mr. Styles."
"Thank you."
He sits in the mahogany chair; he can't say he likes it much.
"These chairs are awful. My office is better furnished, I assure you."
Harry tears his eyes from Josie to look at the therapist.
They are silent, and Harry isn't sure what to do.
"Uhh...Y/N Y/LN recommend us to you. I'm not sure if they informed you or I had to let you know."
"Yes, I'm aware. She's a great person." Shutting down conversation.
"Your daughter's birthday."
"December 13th, she's eight".
"How long have you been separated from her mother?"
"Since before her birth. We have a court agreement that I get weekly, and she gets her weekends, but that has recently changed. I have full custody of her.
"How does that make you feel?"
"Not okay; I grew up with divorced parents. My mother never remarried. I have an older sister, but we live in different countries."
"Do you fear the same for her?"
"Think it's worse for her. Josie's mother told her she didn't want her anymore because she would be having a baby. She didn't even tell me. She told--," he cuts himself off.
"Who did she tell?"
"Her soccer coach."
"A female?
"Yes. They are close. Have a real bond, an understanding of sorts."
"Do you think she is looking for a female to look up to?"
"It would make sense. My mother lives in London, and we only see her on holidays, same with my sister. She gets on well with my best mate's girlfriend, Sarah. She taught Josie to play the drums a bit. Also, Glenne, a dear friend."
"Male figures in life?"
"Too many. Mitch, Jeff, Adam, and his kids. Tyler, a family friend."
"It seems she has paternal figures, but she's searching for maternal figures." She states before continuing, "What's the reason you brought her in?"
"The coach addressed to me that she was worried that she was withdrawing herself, becoming anxious and lonely. Less happy. I didn't see it, but we've gone a week without speaking, and I've seen her mope and stare off a lot."
"Is she still seeing her coach?
"No, that's part of our not talking. I got upset over the suggestion of therapy and took that away from her."
"It led to a negative response."
"Yes, and I feel awful about it."
"It seems that the sport and coach are important to her and who she is. It's what you call a safe place."
"But she was beginning to withdraw from there as well," Harry states, not knowing it couldn't be so safe if she was isolating herself.
"Well, we'll have to talk with her. Are you comfortable with me speaking with her alone? I do have to let you know what I speak with her is confidential. She can tell you about it, but you cannot ask me."
"Yes, of course. It's fine, I understand." Harry knows therapy can be scary, but it can also be the start of something better.
"Well, let me call her back."
Dr. Hernandez stands and opens the door, "Josephine, come with me, please." Josie nods her head, putting the colored pencils away and bringing her picture with her.
"I apologize if we took too long."
"Not long. Enough to finish my drawing." She shares, giving the doctor a small smile.
"Can I have a look?"
Josie hands it over, Dr. Hernandez turns it so they can both see what she drew. It's a photo of a goal net and who he assumes to be himself in the net. A little girl with two pigtails standing there, hands raised, and another female is to the side cheering with a megaphone.
"It's beautiful."
"Thank you," Josie says proudly.
"Do you think I can keep it? Have you sign your name and add it to the front desk."
"Would you?" Josie's eyes go wide at someone other than her dad hanging up her art.
"Of course."
"That'd be wonderful." And for the first time in a week, she turns looking up at Harry. "Did you hear that daddy, Dr. Hernandez wants to keep it?
"I would too; it's beautiful, darling."
"I can make another."
Harry smiles, grateful, his daughter is her vibrant self, "Thank you, honey."
"Josephine, are you okay with your dad stepping out and you talking with me privately one on one?
"Yes, I like you. Also, you can call me Josie."
Dr. Hernandez nods in acknowledgment before turning to address Harry.
"You can wait in the waiting room. Alycia will bring you back to discuss in my office when we are done."
Harry mutters okay and walks out, closing the door behind him. He walks a few steps before laying his head to rest on the wall. This has felt like a lot, but he also feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulder.
Maybe I need to see a therapist. Harry thinks to himself, liking that he got a lot off his shoulders in just a short amount of time.
He's walking down the hallway when he hears a familiar voice, one he didn't think he'd have the pleasure of ever hearing again.
It stops him in his tracks.
He hears her voice once more and follows it out to the waiting room he's supposed to be waiting for his daughter.
Harry sees that she is talking with Alycia, and as he steps closer, he feels like it is harder to breathe.
"I have three more clients before I'm done for the day, but I have a thirty-minute gap, so maybe we can order smoothies, my treat." She tells the secretary handing her two twenty bills so that she can get everyone a drink.
"Y/N," he gasps out.
His eyes roam her body; he's never seen her dressed, so office official always used to see her in shorts, sweats, leggings, and a t-shirt. She's wearing this blue satin silk blouse tucked into high-waisted black trousers and low heels.
She is gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.
Y/N turns, not at all trying to hide the surprised look on her face.
"You're here." She nods; he's not sure why she's here.
"Here's your next client's file. They are doing an intake. You have over half an hour."
"Great."
Harry is now standing in front of her. "You work here?"
Y/N nods.
"You're a therapist." He states.
Y/N can clearly see he wants to talk and knows a better place to do it than their waiting room filled with waiting people.
"Why don't we talk in my office?" Harry nods, ready to follow her, but before he can, she turns to the desk once more, "Hold my calls, please, Alycia."
"Of course."
"Follow me, Harry."
They walk in silence as they pass Dr. Hernandez's door. She opens her door, allowing him to enter first. It feels bright and full of color; the wall's painting is pale green and hanging on the walls; she has lots of scenic photos and drawings. The chairs are nice, a red velvet couch pushed against a wall, her desk is not that big, he notices. It lacks pictures compared to Dr. Hernandez. Her degrees are placed on a bookshelf. She has it color-coded in colors of the rainbow, which is quite impressive.
"Have a seat." She offers all the open space.
Y/N takes a seat on the couch, and he follows.
Harry feels underdressed next to Y/N, and that has never happened before; he is always the one showing up in extravagant and overpriced suits.
"You work here." He waits for her to confirm.
"Yes, I'm a therapist here. Dr. Hernandez was my advisor during my undergrad. She knew what I wanted to accomplish for my career. They offered me a job, and I accepted. They have been supportive of obtaining my doctorate."
Harry is very impressed, "Congrats, that's wonderful."
"Thank you."
They both quiet down, not sure who should go first. Harry is about to start when Y/N begins to speak.
"Listen, Harry, I'm sorry. I went about addressing it wrong, and I never meant to upset you. I apologize." Y/N keeps her eyes on his wanting him to see how sincere she was.
"No need, I've taken a week to reflect on what a jerk I was. Having Josie give me the silent treatment for a week was torture." Harry confesses, scratching his neck to avoid reaching for her hand.
"Is she okay? Harry, that's a long time." Y/N's voice laced with concern.
"I'm sure she's chatting Dr. Hernandez ear off as we speak."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"I brought it on myself by taking her away from one thing she truly loves."
Y/N nods, not able to disagree with Harry. "Yeah, I understand."
"Is that how you know she needed therapy because you're a therapist?"
"Yes. I saw the signs, but I mostly observe and never address it, but from the conversations I've had with Josie and the relationship we built, I felt like I owed it to her to get her help." Y/N pauses, debating if she was ready to share more of herself with Harry. "It was also that I saw myself in her, it felt familiar, and I wanted to help."
"I'm going to tell you a story."
Harry can tell it's not going to be an easy one as she's not staring at her hand, focused on the lone ring she has on her index finger. "You don't have to."
She reaches over and squeezes his hand once to let him know it's alright. "I was nine years old when I walked in on my dad cheating on my mom with his secretary. I told her as soon as she came home and she didn't believe me. She went as far as calling me an attention seeker. By the end of the week, we were living with my grandparents. I didn't see my parents again after that day. At age ten, I started visiting the counselor because I blamed myself for my sister no longer having parents. I wouldn't even allow myself to talk to her; I was just consumed by guilt taking all the blame when I shouldn't have."
Y/N knows Harry's gaze is on her, but she doesn't dare look up, not wanting to see the pity in his eyes. "Don't think I've stopped since then. A big reason I'm doing the job I am now is for those who helped me along the way.
"Y/N,"
"Harry, no pity comments. I've made my peace, sure the trauma never truly leaves, but you overcome it."
"Thank you for sharing that with me, I know I don't deserve it, but I'm grateful."
Harry needs to apologize; he wants to leave here today knowing he didn't lose a friend.
"I'm sorry I hurt you."
"Harry, you-"
"No, I really am; I didn't mean a word I said. I know you're more than a coach, and you're not lousy; you're brilliant. You're my daughter's favorite person. I didn't mean it, and I hope you'll forgive me."
"I accept your apology, that was a bad day for all of us, but I can move past it if you can?"
"Yes, I would love that. I feel awful you're someone I trust, a friend. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.
"Thank you, Harry."
"One more thing."
"Yes, go on."
"Can you recommend a therapist for me? Talking with Dr. Hernandez was amazing, and I think I would benefit from it."
Y/N doesn't make any comment, just nods. "I'll send you a list of therapists but do know you'll always find a friend in me if you ever need a shoulder to cry on or someone to watch over you as you get drunk."
Harry chuckles; he'll keep that in mind for future references.
"There's a knock on the door. "Yes, come in."
"Sylvia is ready for Mr. Styles."
"Thank you, Alycia. I'll walk him to her office."
Y/N stands, and Harry follows close behind as they make their way out to reunite him with his daughter.
"Y/N, can I hug you?"
She bits back the smile threatening to overtake her face at how small he looks asking. "Yes, that's fine."
Harry doesn't wait for another second; he throws his arms around her holding her tight. He hadn't been lucky enough to hug her before, but now doing it, he doesn't think he ever wants to go a day without one.
They walk out, both having heated faces due to enjoying being the embrace of one another. She walks them a few doors down and knocks, waiting for the go-ahead to go in.
"One last thing," She says, pointing a hand to his chest."
"Name it." He'd give her anything.
"Jo comes back to the team. You bring her to the game this weekend."
"Yes, of course."
She beams at his response, "Great."
Y/N peeks her head in, locking eyes with Sylvia. "Alright, to come in, Doc?"
"Of course, Josephine, this is my good friend and coworker Y/N."
Josie turns and smiles wide, jumping up when she sees her walk in with Harry right behind her.
"Hiya, champ. Seems to have found your dad lost out here."
Josie giggles and runs into her arms, hugging her tightly.
"I've missed you."
"As have I little miss sunshine. I missed my fastest midfielder at the game. All the girls missed you."
"Awe, I'll be back," she looks up at Harry with a look of worry on her face. "Right, daddy?"
"Yes, darling. Got a game at ten am on Saturday."
Josie lets out a loud shriek.
"So this is Coach." Dr. Hernandez says with a knowing smile.
"Yes, she's great," Josie responds, holding tight to Y/N's hand.
Y/N chuckles. "How about you and I go draw a picture to add to my office while Dr. Hernandez and your dad tie up some little things."
"Okay."
They walk out hand in hand as Josie catches up with Y/N on everything she did on her week away. Not shying away from how she handled the now resolved issue with her father.
"You don't look as blue," Dr. Hernandez comments."
"Sorry," Harry blushes, having been lost in thought on the two girls who just walked out.
"Mr. Styles, your aura is soft, kinder."
"Yeah, I think she has that effect on people."
"You might be right."
Things are finally looking up, and Harry looks forward to rebuilding his relationship with Josie and hopefully creating one with Y/N besides their parent and coach relationship.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
It's been two weeks since Josie came back to play, and thing's have been going smoothly. Harry begins helping out with cleaning up at the end of practice to talk to Y/N more. He asks more about her job and how the doctorate is going. He worries she might be juggling too much, but she assures him she has a smooth dynamic of handling everything.
It's a cold Saturday morning, it's the quarter-finals, and the nerves are high for everyone. The girls finished on top of the leaderboard, but the league likes doing a championship game to honor all the hard-working teams.
Y/N is quieter this morning, and all the parents have picked up on it. They are used to her light and kind nature, wishing everyone a good day and accepting treats. Cynthia's mom is in charge of snacks for today and offered her a muffin one she never says no to except today.
It immediately puts everyone in a skittish mood.
Truthfully, Y/N isn't here for the parents, but the girls and the team they are against is the dirtiest. Most girls are nine and will be moving up a division, but Coach Roman teaches them that dirty plays will make them win. Her girls are strong players, but she reminds them of the importance of sportsmanship and playing with heart.
Y/N even makes sure she cannot be approached by anyone, only the girls and Kate, as they start to warm up on the field. The girls do their drills as Kate stands quietly by your side.
"Someone can't take their eye off of you."
"Stop."
"It's true though, he was pouting when he saw you on the field clipboard in hand," Kate says with a giggle.
"Shush."
"Going to ask him on a date?"
"Only if we win."
That shuts Kate up, "You're joking."
Y/N slowly shakes her no, "Girls, two lines, run through side net shots."
Kate and Y/n stand back to back as the girls pass, and they kick it-bag, giving them only a second to angle themselves. This is one of their favorite warm-ups, and she's glad she can still talk with Kate during it.
"What made you finally decide?"
"I realized he's not going to make a move because one he fears I'm going to reject him and two it goes horribly wrong, then he might never show his face around here again. I'm positive he likes me."
Kate nods, "he likes you, adores you. He's got it bad." She's quiet for a moment before starting up again, "I know we're going to win, so how are you going to ask him? I'm going to need all the details."
"I'm going to go up to him and ask him out to dinner, simple as that."
Y/N changes the drill marking the end of their conversation; she leads the girl into two groups of keep away while Kate takes Dawson, their goalie, to keep warming up.
Before they know it, captains and coaches are called. Coach Roman is smug and annoying as he shakes her hand. The girls pick heads and win the coin toss. They choose to have kickoff; Roman's girls decide to stay on their side, meaning everything to their advantage as they have the slight uphill to battle through for the first half, and the second will use it to their advantage.
The starting lineup is quick to attack, and in a matter of minutes, Juliet scored a goal from a pass from Imelda. The girls' cheer, happy to be leading the game. They know better than getting cocky; if anything, this intensifies their speed at playing. The next twelve minutes of the second quarter are stressful as Josie makes it a two-zero lead from a corner kick. Just as half-time is to be called, a midfield slips through the defense from the back and gets it over Dawson's head, and just like that, the referee calls it.
Y/N can't remember the last time she was this anxious. It's foul after foul, and she's had enough of it.
Kate is quick to round up the girl, not wanting to monopolize all their time, wanting them to relax mostly to stay in a positive mindset. Kate leads the talk letting them know they are doing well and that the left-wing is getting beat, but having the downhill in favor should help her out now. Y/N went around making sure each girl was safe and had no injuries, only grass stains on their knees.
"Be aggressive, but don't stoop to their level."
"Yes, coach" is heard in unison as a response.
Each girl goes to their bags and starts to stretch, knowing they can't approach their parents because it's easy for them to influence them on how they are playing. Everyone respects it, but there are a few times a parent comes by.
She decides to take a walk, getting away from the girls. She just wants to relax and not be as tense for the end of the half.
She nearly jumps out of her skin when she hears someone call her name.
"Fuck, Harry. You scared me."
He raises his hands up in defense. "Sorry, I was just checking if you are okay?"
Y/N doesn't hesitate to rush into his arms, tucking her head into his neck. Harry, without hesitation, wraps his arms around her. He runs his hand down her back softly, hoping she finds it comforting.
"Hey, hey, it's okay." She holds him tighter, so he goes on. "You're okay, yeah, doing a good job. Girls are playing well. Taking care of each other, just like you taught them."
She slowly nods her head, she's calmed down, and Y/n thinks it might have to do with his soothing heartbeat.
"Deep breaths, love, Come on with me."
Harry breathes in and out until she does it with him. He feels her relax and tries to pull her back, but her grip is tight.
"It's okay, not going anywhere."
"Sorry," she whispers.
"No need to apologize, love."
"I just don't like when coaches teach their girls to play dirty; I hate injuries. They're just kids." She whispers, looking up at him now.
"They'll be okay."
"You don't know that. We have two quarters left."
Harry knows he won't be able to comfort her like he wants when he hears the ref blow the whistle. "Look, the girls are about to start, and they need a coach."
She nods, knowing she has to go back to her coaching mentality. The girls are her main priority; she can do this.
"Thank you, Harry."
"I'm here for you, whenever you need."
Y/N jogs over, nudging Kate playfully, who is shooting her suggestive eyes. They let the captain lead the huddle and listen intently before wishing them luck. The parents clap as the team cheer echoes out.
Only twenty-four minutes left, they can do this. She knows they can. The referees assured them he'd get a better eye on them, not wanting anyone to be carried off injured. Y/N refuses to take her eyes off of her girls. Constantly reminding them to keep communicating with each other when she hears them go quiet.
The last two quarters pass much quicker than the first; the girls play with more fleeting touches, not allowing the other team to put pressure on them.
Just when number eleven is close to getting the ball, Leslie switches the ball over to the other side; Y/N is shocked at how well Josie brings it down, she constantly struggles with this at practice, but she knows that Josie has been putting in the extra work.
She can hear Harry clapping and cheering on Josie; Y/N shouts her praise, letting her know she's doing well. Andie gets a breakaway, and it's a one-be-one versus the goalie. She fakes right as it goes left, touching it in softly, and in it goes. Y/N can't stop cheering, feeling the buzz all over her body. She's incredibly proud of the hard work they have all put in. Just as they reset and the ball is passed back, the whistle is blown and signifies they have won.
Golden Sparks are moving on to the semi-finals.
The girls are quick to jog in and tackle Y/N and Kate in a massive group hug. Y/N is going to be basking in this happiness for the entire weekend.
Y/N sends all the girls to their parents, letting them know she was okay doing the clean-up on her own. Kate stuck around, as did Juliet, because she wanted to have breakfast with Y/N telling her parents they were not welcome to come even though the invitation was extended to them. Clara and Xavier did not take any offense, happy to go back home and nap the morning away if their young toddler would let them.
Y/N approaches Harry after she gets everything settled in her trunk. He smiles at her, walking over helping her close her trunk as they wave by to Kate together. Josie and Juliet hang out in Harry's car, going through his Spotify playlist as they skip song after song, not being a fan of his taste.
Y/N lets out a deep breath, "I've been working up the courage to do this."
"Do what lovely? Harry asks curiously.
"Would you like to have dinner with me?" Y/N feels her stomach tense up as she waits for a response; by his wide eyes, she can tell he wasn't expecting her to say that, but he plays it off well.
"Asking me on a date?"
"I am."
Harry agrees, "I'd like that."
"Does Friday work for you?"
"Yes, great."
"I'll uh, pick you up."
"Proper wine and dine, love." She chuckles because, yeah, she wants to swoop Harry off his feet just like he did to her without even trying.
Y/N gives him a hug holding him tight for a few seconds, smiling up at Harry feeling giddy that they had a date planned after two months of flirting that they weren't sure would go anywhere.
"Juliet, we got to go."
"Okay, auntie." Juliet slams the door just a tad bit too hard, making Y/N mutter an apology.
"Bye, Harry."
"Bye, love."
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
Friday had arrived quicker than Harry expected. He got to see Y/N during the week because of the practices, and he was texting her every chance he got. He wanted to let her know he liked her and he was serious about pursuing her. It's been a long time since his last relationship, but call him cliche with Y/N; it all feels right. That everything is falling into place like it should.
Now here he sat on his couch waiting for Y/N to arrive; he had changed his outfit three times because she told him casually, and he couldn't settle on a look. It wasn't until he put on a plain black tee that hugged her arms just right and white linen cropped pleated trousers that he felt ready. He even broke out his new white Vans for the evening.
Harry was about to check the time when there was a knock on his door. He couldn't tame the butterflies in his stomach if he tried. As he opened the door, Harry let out a laugh because there stood the most beautiful woman holding up a bouquet of red lilies. He's falling in love, and there's no stopping him; he just hopes she's there to catch him.
"Hi Harry, these are for you."
Harry laughs, not knowing how to react to receiving flowers, "I'm speechless." He accepts them and gently cradles them in his arms. "I'll put them in water, and we can go."
"Sure, no rush." Y/N admires his living room, never having stepped foot in his house until today, and it's small but cozy. There are photos of all his family framed on the wall to her right. He has a small bookshelf that holds more vinyl than books.
Harry comes back and sees her staring at a photo of Josie on her first birthday covered in cake from head to toe. "I'd give you a tour, but I'm actually really excited to start our date."
"I'm sure they'll be another time."
She walks down his driveway to her parked car allowing Harry to have a moment to look her over. She's dressed casually; she has high-waisted jeans that show off all her beautiful assets. Her lavender cardigan looks warm; she left it open to expose a white plain top. It is genuinely a casual look, but she makes it look over the top.
"You look beautiful," Harry tells her as she stands by her car door.
Y/N does a small twirl before jokingly curtsying for him. "Glad you think so. Those trousers are doing your thighs justice if I do say so myself."
Harry giggles loving how easy she compliments him.
"Right, I wanted to take you mini golfing but considering it's a Friday and summer, it's going to be packed with teenagers."
"Oh, you definitely saved us."
"Yeah, I thought we could take Josie during the middle of the week as a date. I bet she'd enjoy it. Although, I never keep track of points because I'm too competitive."
The date has barely started, and she's left him speechless twice.
"You want Josie to join us on dates." Harry states.
She looks over at him quickly as they are stopped at a red light, "Of course, Harry. She's your daughter; I don't expect you to find a sitter every time we want to go out together. Isn't it like if you're dating me, you're dating my daughter."
He chuckles, "but not on our first date."
"Honestly, I think we were long overdue for a date."
"Yeah, I wanted to ask you out all summer long," He confesses.
Y/N gasps in shock as she signals a right turn, briefly checking her blind spot before making the turn. "Yet, it only happened with a few weeks left in summer."
"Yeah, but we got here, didn't we?"
Y/N leans over and places her hand on his thigh, squeezing him twice, "Yes, we did."
Harry sees her turn into a diner that looks a bit run down; he doesn't dare question her because she seems so excited as she gets out of the car and waits for him by the trunk. Y/N extends her hand for him to take, and he does without a hint of hesitation.
Y/n leads the way, but he hurries to open the door for her. She thanks him with a squeeze of the hand. Walking in, he was startled at how Harry felt he was transported to a seventies diner. The booths were red and looked sparklingly new. To the left was a jukebox that he was desperate to have a look at, maybe dedicate a song to Y/N. The floor's black and white pattern shined at him as the waiter wore a nice button-up with a black bow tie, a red and white striped apron thrown over, his name tag said James.
"After you," Y/N said, wanting Harry to pick a booth side; he knew better than to fight her and slid in on the left side. Harry is surprised when Y/N slides in right next to him. "This alright, Harry?"
Harry grins at her, dimples on display just for her. "Yeah, just caught me by surprise."
She opens up the menu sliding the other one away so they could share. Y/N points to some of her favorite items on the menu and cringing at ones she disliked.
"You know the menu well." Harry states before deciding on the turkey burger she had raved about.
Y/N chuckles, closing the menu. "My grandparents brought Clara and me here every other weekend, never letting us eat out. My grandmother was against the food industry, and she knew the owner here prided themselves on giving back to the community. Always holding fundraisers or donating to local teams."
"Fast food industry isn't the best, but I thank them because I can get Thai food delivered to my house."
Y/N doesn't have time to respond, as their waiter comes back with two glasses of water. "I'll have the turkey burger, no onions, and fries instead of the salad."
Harry didn't know she didn't like onions but made a mental note on it, "I'll also have the turkey burger and the side salad. Oh, and the couple milkshake, we agreed on strawberry, right?"
Y/N nods her head, "I had forgotten about that, but yeah, two straws, please."
"I'll have that out shortly," James tells them, walking away.
"The shake is too hard to die for; it has whipped cream on the top and bottom. It's freshly made, nothing like the canned kind. It's large! Made to be shared, thank goodness you remembered."
Harry shrugs, "That's what I'm here for."
Harry loves how easy conversation flows with Y/N. He doesn't have to force himself to say try to think of a topic or question to ask her. She's very open in sharing herself with him, he's never had someone drop down all his walls this quick, yet again, he might have dropped back ages ago.
Y/N talks to him about his grandparents and how adoring they were. That they supported all of her dreams, even the ones that we're crazy, like wanting to become a witch because she wanted to make flowers grow from her palm. Harry shared how the first year of Josie being born, he felt like he never slept, always nervous something would happen. He also tells her how living in Georgia is something he didn't enjoy, but he also didn't want to bounce Josie around from school to school. It was only date one, but Harry was excited for what the future had in store for them.
When James came back to drop off their burgers and shake. Y/N didn't even hear him too busy laughing at a dumb joke Harry had told her; he can't even remember the joke he made because her laugh is music to his ears.
Y/N waits for Harry to take his first bite, and he decides to tease her just a bit. He slowly raises the burgers stopping an inch from his lips; Y/N sits there, chin perched on her hand as if she has all the time in the world to wait for him.
"I'm in no rush, casanova." She smirks, not falling for his game.
Harry knows eating burgers is nothing sexual, so he decides to go all in. He moans at the first taste he gets, it's juicy, and the pepper jack cheese is perfectly melted, adding an excellent combination.
"Love, that is an amazing burger."
"I know." She's already gotten a bite in. She eyes his salad plate for a moment before looking back over to her fries.
"You want some, sweetheart?"
Y/N giggles at his comment, "God no. I eat healthy enough already, thanks to Juliet, but can I have some of your ranch?"
Harry understands eating healthy, he does it for Josie, and since Y/N is constantly around Juliet, it makes sense she would change her eating habits but does know as an aunt she's easier to give in to desserts. Not that he minds; he needs more sweetness in his life.
"Sure, you eat it with your fries. That's interesting."
She shrugs, "I don't think it is. Everyone in my family eats fries with ranch, including Josie."
"If Josie starts eating fries like that, I will know who to blame."
Y/N bumps her shoulder with Harry, "Haha."
They eat most of their meal in silence. Occasionally, Harry steals a few fries causing Y/N to chuckle before turning her plate, so Harry didn't have to reach over her. She doesn't chastise him about not ordering fries if he wanted some. Harry likes how much he enjoys spending time with Y/N.
"What's one thing you hope to accomplish within the next five years?" Harry asks as Y/N passes the shake back to him and takes a generous drink. They had finished eating, and now we're trying to finish the shake that Harry thought was smaller than what had arrived at their table.
"My usual answer is a doctor, but what's happening next year, so, give me a moment," Harry waits for her, watching as she plays with the rings on his right hand. They went front sitting thigh to thigh to Y/N, hooking her leg to Harry's, causing her to lean more on him. Harry liked it, and if he wasn't somewhere public or their first date, he would have pulled her into his lap. He took a chance and set his hand on top of her thigh; to his surprise, she placed her hand on top of his, intertwining their fingers together.
Every little thing she did made him fall deeper and deeper.
"I want to run a marathon."
"A marathon? I didn't know you were a runner."
"Oh yeah, last December I ran a half marathon, and it was hell, but once the runner high hits, it's the most wonderful thing."
"Why not do it now?"
Y/N frowns, taking off the rose ring from his finger and slipping it on one of hers. "The training is rigorous. You have to work up the miles constantly and eat better. I would rather enjoy the upcoming year."
"Well, when it happens, I can't wait to be there cheering you on." He tells her with a hopeful look.
"I'll hold you to that, Styles."
Harry smiles, hoping she does, hoping he gets to spend many more years to come with her in his life.
Y/N excuses herself to the restroom, and Harry decides it's a good time to pick a song. He approached it grateful to half a quarter hanging in his pocket. The jukebox looked old but well kept. Harry saw over 100 songs but searched for a specific one in mind; he was thrilled to see it was on there. Just as it started to play, he saw Y/N walking back towards him, so he hurried over to slide into their seat.
"You know, you're kind of clumsy."
"Am not," he denies.
"Oh, sorry, so it wasn't you who bumped into the table as you made your way to sit down."
Harry decides not to respond, knowing she saw him embarrass himself, and instead starts singing along to the song. The smile on her face widens as she hears how good he is.
"I'm not surprised you picked Fleetwood Mac, "songbird" is a sweet song."
"Am I that predictable?"
She nods, "Jo always sings one of their songs; at the sleepover, she said that's what you played most, so I taught her my favorites."
"Is it you I have to thank for the ABBA and Selena obsession?" He playfully glares.
"Guilty. She needed to brighten her horizon."
"Josie doesn't even know Spanish."
"Ah, but she will now."
"You're weird." Y/N shrugs in acceptance, knowing he meant it as a compliment.
As Harry's song comes to an end, she jumps up and rushes over to pick her song. She doesn't shy away about dancing her way back over to him. She mouths along to "The Name of the Game," moving her body to the beat.
"The name of the game?"
"You know it, darling."
Harry feels the heat in his cheek and hopes Y/N won't bring it up. She gets him flustered in just a few words.
"You know this is about falling in love with your therapist," he states
"Harry!" She exclaims. "No, the song is open to interpretation."
"What do you think?"
"I think it's about the early days of your relationship and wondering if it'll be something more or not. Also, that bridge, I mean come on."
Harry loves how passionate she is about the song. He loves that she's not afraid to share her thoughts with him, and he realizes he's doing the same. He can't help himself and leans in to press a kiss to her temple, throwing an arm over her shoulder to pull her close as they sit there listening to the song to the end.
"Ready to go, angel?" He feels her mutter a small okay, as she gets up, offering her hand to him as he's at the edge. "Let's go take care of the bill."
Y/N chuckles, "Already did, Harry."
Harry pulls her back, turning her to face him, "When?"
"The restroom, oldest trick in the book."
"Sneaky, sneaky."
Y/N, let's Harry lead the way out this time; they say goodnight to the staff and hurry over to the car. He didn't bring a coat, and he still wasn't used to how cold California got at night. He thought summer meant warm nights with a gentle breeze, not chilly air. Y/N seemed to not mind it, not hurrying after Harry as he jumped into the passenger seat.
"Afraid of the cold, H."
"Yes, why is it so bad?"
"Didn't you get snow in December up in the peach state? Also, aren't you from where the sun never shines?" Y/N teases him as she settles in her seat, turning on the heater for Harry.
"We visit occasionally; I can handle the weather with the appropriate clothing." He pouts at her, rubbing his arms.
Y/N turns around, reaching for something in the backseat before settling in again and settling it in Harry's lap. She doesn't say anything besides dazzling him with a smile and pulling out of the parking lot.
Harry slips it on over his head and finds it fits him loose, "I hope you know you might not be getting this back."
Y/N turns to look at him as he drags the collar up to his cheek to feel the softness it still holds, "That's my coach sweater. Kate got me a few, all in different sizes; I wear this one because I like baggy hoodies."
Harry smiles at her, he knows everything they have done has been in reverse, but he loves how confident she is. He knows she's been hurt before in the past from what she's shared but not once has he felt her trying to hide or push him away. He wants to tell her everything he's kept locked inside, he's never felt like this before, and he hopes the feeling never goes away.
"You know, if people see you wearing the sweater, they'll start talking."
Harry turns in his seat, facing her as the street lights shine on her face. "Let them. I've got no shame in people thinking you're my girlfriend. If I'm lucky enough, it might come true."
Y/N shakes her head, thankful for the darkness because he won't be able to see how her face heated up. The drive to his house was short, he wished for the night to never end, but even he knows he's not that lucky. Harry lets her know it's okay to pull into his driveway as he had his car parked on the curb right.
"I'll walk you to your door." Harry holds her hand the short way to where they will soon have to say goodnight.
Harry doesn't try getting his keys out; instead, he turns her to look at him, wanting to remember her in this moment forever. His last first date. Call him crazy, but there was no one else for him. It was always Y/N; he just had to find her.
"I had the best night with you," Harry whispers, pulling her close by her waist. She rests her hands on his shoulders and nods. "We're doing this again, Y/N."
"I got a second date." She cheers.
Harry leans his forehead against hers, smirking as he hears her breath hitch. "You get a second, a third, a fifth, a one hundred. You name it, you got it."
He's so close to closing the gap between them, feeling their breaths mix together.
"That means you'd be stuck with me for a long time."
"I want to say forever, but that might be too soon."
"Our secret." She whispers, her eyes dancing from his lips to his eyes. "Please kiss me, H."
Harry knows he won't ever be able to deny anything she wishes in life, mainly because he was close to losing her once before.
His lips moved slowly, savoring the feel of her against him as he pulled her close, letting himself rest against the door. He felt the butterflies in his stomach going crazy as she moved her hands to his hair, tugging on the small curls. Harry pulled back in fear of letting out a moan at the intense pleasure she made him feel.
Y/N pulls back breathless but presses her lips to his cheek, not wanting him to touch to go far. "Will you give me another, darlin'," Y/N nods a starry look in her eye as she lets Harry swoop in and take control of the kiss. This second kiss is faster and more passionate. Harry was holding back before, but now he wants her to feel everything he makes her feel. Harry wants her to know he gives her goosebumps and fireworks.
"I could kiss you all night." Harry trails kisses on her cheeks, loving how lost in his touch she is.
"Too bad, I need to rest. I've got to coach a game tomorrow."
That statement is enough to bring Harry back to reality, where he has to wake up extra earlier to pick up his daughter then drive her to the game. They have to say goodnight, even though neither one of them wants to.
Harry pulls away, dropping his hands from her waist; Y/N follows by letting her hands slide down from his hair.
"See you tomorrow?" He winks at Y/N as she walks backward, creating distance between them.
"Of course, we got a semi-final to win."
Y/N walks to her car, touches her lips feeling the lingering heat on when he kisses her breathless. She is turning on her car, making sure her headlights are on, when she sees Harry rushing down the steps toward her, the smile on his face contagious.
"What is it?" She asks as she rolls down her window, knowing she wouldn't leave soon if she got out.
"A kiss for the road."
Y/N couldn't dare deny him a kiss, especially when she was craving more already.
Harry slipped a hand the back of her neck, fearing she'd pull back sooner than he wanted. Her lips tasted like cherry; he figures she put on chapstick. This was only their third kiss, but it had only gotten better. Harry swiped his tongue against her bottom lip, begging for entrance, but she pulled back, letting out a breathless laugh at the pout he made, no longer able to feel her against him. She leans and pecks at the corner of his mouth, whispering a goodnight as he steps back, letting her drive away.
It may be too soon, but he might just love her.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
The semi-final had to be one of the most intense games she had seen the young girls play. It was goal after goal from each team, neither one backing down on the pressure.
In the second half, she told them she was proud that if they kept playing how they were, this game was theirs. Going in a 3-2 lead, the girls stood shocked when, in a corner kick, the other team had been able to get it into the back of the net and over Dawson.
Kate thought this might knock them down, but it sparked something in all of them. All the parents stood up from their seats when they saw them dance around the opposing team switching the ball side to side. Honestly, it was something far advanced than they've ever presented.
Y/N was in awe; their communication was at a new level. There wasn't much time left, and Kate feared penalty kicks even if they were prepared for it.
Lani had control of the middle field; she just needed to get it past their defense. Juliet had defenders marking her tight, no way able to make a run towards the goal. If they played it right, Juliet would draw them out, leaving a gap allowing them to make a run for it. That's all they needed for a foot race.
Kate was sitting on the bench holding tightly onto Sarah Beth's hand, not able to take the pressure; then again, no one could take it. It all happened so fast; one moment, Juliet ran towards the midfield, two defenses following close behind when she got a touch on the ball, letting her send it back where it came from, then straight down the line. Jo and Franny ran down both sides too far ahead to be stopped; Jo was able to get a touch on it, crossing it straight to Franny, who shot at goal but was stopped by the opposing goalie. Jo was there for the rebound striking it in.
Goal!
She did it. She made the final goal.
Jo was quick to be bombarded by the rest of her teammates hugging her as they ushered back for the kick-off. Y/N wished she could run in there and hug her, telling her how proud she was, but for now, shouting 'great job' and 'stay focused' would be enough. Y/N looked over at Harry, who was wiping his tears still yelling proudly for his daughter, and like he knew she was staring, he looked over at her giving her the cheesiest grin she had ever seen on him.
The game finished, and the Golden Sparks won another game, taking them to the final the following week. Y/N congratulated the girls telling how proud she was of them and the hard work they put in each game. She told them she can't wait to see them on Monday and to have a wonderful weekend. Then told their parents to spoil them a little extra this weekend that earned a cheer from all the girls.
As Y/N was packing up her things, Kate and a few other parents already helped carry everything over to Kate's car. She felt arms around her waist.
"Hey, quickster," Y/N says, turning, allowing her niece to hug her properly.
"The girls are going to get ice cream if you want to go with them; Emilia's mom will text you the address," Juliet asks, but Y/N has spent enough time with them and wants to let them be.
"Thanks for the offer, but you have a good time. I'll let your mom know Emilia's mom is dropping you off." Juliet nods, giving her one more hug before hurrying over to Emilia's car, where Jo also happens to get in. She sends them away; she notices Harry a few vehicles over putting a bag away when she reaches her car.
Something comes over her because the next thing she knows, she's calling his name and standing next to him.
"Hiya, love. Doing alright?"
Y/N tucks her hair behind her ear and nods, "Yes, all good. That was an exciting game."
"Good to hear."
"You doing anything now?" She asks, peeking over her shoulder, seeing Kate has her eye on her, but she just rolls her eyes before looking back at Harry.
"Going home, my munchkin left me."
"Well, there's a great Mexican restaurant here if you'd like to join me for lunch."
Harry smirks, "Asking me on another date, are you?"
"I have to when I know you're still a bit nervous about making a move," she confesses bashfully.
Harry's not surprised she can so easily read him; all the walls he had left are gone.
"Then I'd be honored."
"Great, uh good. Just follow me then."
Arriving, they were seated quickly. A plate of chips and salsa were delivered shortly, Harry asked for guacamole. Y/N didn't argue, knowing for many people that was one of their favorite dips. Personally, she wasn't a fan. She didn't like the texture. Most people were shocked at the revelation, and no doubt Harry would as well.
"What's good here, love?" Harry says, leaning into her side to peek at her menu instead of opening his.
"Hmmm...honestly everything. I always get something different when I come, but you can never go wrong with tacos."
"Alright, you want to share?"
Y/N shrugs, "We can. I'm not picky, but I am starving."
"Have some guacamole; you haven't gotten any."
"No thanks, I'm not a fan."
"You serious?"
"Yes, Harry."
"That's strange."
"What is?" She sets the menu down to look over at him.
"I mean, it's fine. At least you'll never buy avocado toast for like six dollars." He chuckles, and Y/N can't help but join in.
Their waiter comes over, "Estan listos para ordenar?"
Y/N nods, "Hola, si. Dos tacos de asada, y dos de al pastor. Por favor."
Harry is staring intently at his menu, not speaking a word as they wait for his order. "You alright, darling?"
He leans close to whisper in her ear, not able to focus on the term of endearment, "Can you order for me?"
She doesn't tease him, just smiles, "Y una orden de enchiladas rojas."
Their waiter smiles and walks away, promising to be back shortly.
"Have we discussed you speaking a second language?"
"I thought we had." She brushes it off like it's no big deal.
"I don't think so."
"Okay, I took YMCA classes from age seven and did so all the way until college. Even have a minor in Spanish."
"Impressive."
"Sorry if you felt uncomfortable. They speak English as well but primarily speak Spanish."
Harry shakes his head, not wanting her to feel bad, "No, I was just caught by surprise. Hearing you speak Spanish was a turn-on."
"I'll keep that in mind." She winks at him, glad to see the blush spread on his cheeks.
Lunch went great, just as she had expected. They shared food, Y/N enjoying Harry's enchiladas much more than the tacos. Harry happily ate the three tacos she left after eating most of his plate, not that he minded. Y/N appreciated how open he was in sharing food. She had always done it growing up, so Harry allowing her to do the same made her find more profound comfort in their already growing relationship.
Harry beat her to the bill, and she let him take it not without letting him know she'd get it the next time. They stood outside together, allowing the nice breeze to brush over then neither one was eager to say goodbye. They knew they would see each other soon, but with the growing affection, they just craved more time together, more time getting to know each other.
Harry had her pressed against her car door, hidden from the view of others. "We should do this again."
"We should," she agrees.
"My house Thursday night, Josie is going out with Sarah and Mitch to watch a movie, most likely do a sleepover as well."
"I'd like that. We'll see if you can maybe have a sleepover yourself."
Harry smirks, liking the idea of her spending the night with him, not caring that they both had work the following day.
"Are you going to kiss me?"
"I want to."
"You have my full permission," she teases.
Y/N met him halfway and pressed, letting him press his lips against hers. As she kissed him back, she wanted him to feel how much she liked him, how fast she was falling for him. His hands wrapped around her waist tight; it gave her comfort. She knew he wouldn't let go until she asked.
She felt her beat just a little fast as she left out a soft moan; she shifted closer as his mouth opened over hers and his tongue slid between her lips.
He was in control of her. She did not mind one bit.
With a sigh, she tilted her so he could kiss her more deeply; he didn't need any encouragement to do as she wished. His kiss became more intense, she could feel the burn between her thighs, wanting more, needing more, and that's when she knew she had to pull back, but he beat her to it.
Harry pulls back, staying close enough that he could steal another kiss, "God, I can't get enough of you."
He surprised her, how open he became with her feelings, she hadn't asked how his therapy was going, but god, it must have been doing wonders if she could feel every emotion that was going through him as she gazed into his loving emerald eyes.
"I'll see you soon, darling." Harry took that as his cue to let his hold of her go.
"Not soon enough," he whispers.
"You'll see me Monday," she reminds him.
"Can I steal a kiss then?"
"If you're lucky."
Y/N knew it wouldn't be long until she could say she was in love with Harry.
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Harry never thought he'd be the type of guy to be excited over a simple call or text reading: 'I'm thinking of you." She's made him feel good and confident in their relationship. He sent flowers to her work that led to her sending him a selfie with her face buried in the flowers.
At practice, he knew she couldn't pay attention to him, but that didn't mean he couldn't. He saw how fast she moved with the ball showing the girls a new drill, then doing it again slowed down, making sure they all understood. He admired how she never got frustrated. He knew how hard it was to handle one eight-year-old, but sixteen was impressive. He'd sit there for hours just admiring her if he could.
On Tuesday, he called Alycia, the receptionist at Y/N's office, asking for her lunch schedule, wanting to drop by and leave her lunch. She let him know she was taking it later that day at 2 since she was so busy. He decided that a BLT sandwich from two blocks away would do as she had once expressed to him how well done they were, promising to take him one day.
He walked in, noting how few people were in the waiting room, but eagerly stepped up to the counter. Alycia greeted him kindly, now seeing him more than once when he took Josie to her first session. Josie showed improvement, and each time he brought her, he made sure to leave a note behind for Y/N.
As he told Alycia to give you the food, there Y/N came walking down the hall. He was surprised at how casual, yet professional her look was; she had a silky oversized button shirt tucked into her linen pants, wearing her brown loafers he knew she didn't use often.
"Alycia, can you update this- Harry!" Y/N looks shocked to see him standing in front of her, not at all expecting to see him; she just planned on calling him later at night like they had been doing the past few days.
"Hi, love. Brought you lunch." He smiled sheepishly, holding up the bag.
She laughs, handing over the file to Alycia then stepping towards Harry to wrap him in a hug she has been wanting to do since she laid eyes on him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight against him, taking in her sweet honey scent. Before pulling back, remembering, after all, she was at work.
"I'm starving, thank you, darling. I was about to head out." Y/N rubs her stomach jokingly.
"Well, I'll leave you to it. See you tomorrow."
Y/N pouts, "You're not staying?"
"Well, I didn't want to assume."
"Assume, please." She laughs at the smile she gets Harry to give her.
They excuse themselves from Alycia and walk towards her office. They take a seat on her couch as Harry hands her the sandwich. They ate together, and for the forty-five minutes they had together, it was perfect; they shared stories of how their week was going at how Josie was anxious for the game and just promising to see each other soon. Harry got a kiss goodbye and was glad he would be seeing her the following day.
It's Thursday night, and Harry will finally get her for more than half an hour. Josie left a few hours ago to watch the movie with Sarah and Mitch, her sleepover bag on her shoulder not at all a surprise for Harry. He glanced around his house and knew it wasn't the cleanest. Josie always had some stuff scattered around the house, but he knew it just gave the house character.
"Hey, I'm outside," Y/N tells him on the phone before hanging up.
He rushes to the door, swinging it open to see her shut the door with her hip before making her way to him, a grin on her face as she carries a pink box in one hand and what he assumes to be food in another.
"You said you don't always like having to cook, and I know you said you love Thai." She giggles as he reaches to take the bag out of her hand, letting the smell take over.
"This is sweet, love. I appreciate it."
"Well, of course," she shrugs off his compliment. "I wanted to do something nice."
"I feel like I should be the one doing sweet things for you," he confesses as he guides her to his kitchen.
Y/N frowns, "Darling, we can move past that."
"Can we?"
"Of course, I feel like we've grown in the last few weeks. There's a different type of trust, don't you think?" She turns to face him, knowing the conversation was serious.
"Do you know how sorry I am?"
She nods, slowly stepping towards him, stopping right in front of him. She lifts her hand under his chin to have him look at her. "I do, and I forgive you. Sometimes we let our emotions win."
"I hope you know I'd never do that again." His voice is soft.
"I know."
She leans in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his lips.
"Dinner?" She beams.
"Yes, of course."
The meal is good, probably one of the best foods he's had in a long time. She didn't pick this up from his usual place but wouldn't tell him where she went. Told him she needed to keep some things to herself to keep surprising him. Harry finished most of the meal and then opened the pink box she left on the table that held a mixture of donut holes.
"You've still got room," she exclaims.
"They smell so good." He defends. Y/N laughs but rejects the offer to have one.
After cleaning up, he leads them to the living room, deciding to watch a movie. The scroll endlessly for a few minutes before settling on Life As We Know It. Harry shared that it was one he enjoyed watching back, and she agreed.
They had only gotten thirty minutes in before they began chatting. Y/N went on about how she was planning a trip to take two up north wanting to visit June Lake and hike some trails. Y/N's sister was going to see Xavier's family in San Diego, so they couldn't go up with her. Harry, without thinking, said if she'd have them, they could go. She didn't respond, making him assume she didn't want them to join, but she surprised him by hugging him.
"Best idea you've had tonight. I'll make all the reservations. Just let me know when you're free." She told him before settling back down next to him, her hand on his thigh going back to the movie. She was grinning at the montage of Holly and Eric and how they were learning how to co-parent Sophie. Harry had not taken his eyes off of her; she laughed as Sophie pooped in Eric's old hat.
"You're staring." She narrows her eyes at him, suspicious.
"It's because you're beautiful."
"Thank you," she answers timidly. "Very sweet of you."
"Of course, I'm going to spend the rest of my life telling you how beautiful you are if you let me."
"God, you're smooth."
Harry smirks, "Smooth enough for a kiss."
She didn't answer him; she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him forward so that he could meet her halfway, and pressed her lips against his. Harry was quick to take control, slipping his hands around her waist and placing her on his lap, "this okay," he asked, quickly pulling back making sure she said yes. Once he had a go-ahead, he went back to her lips; she shifted closer, now touching chest to chest, not a single space in between as his tongue slipped into her mouth, prideful of the moan she released against his mouth.
Harry smoothed his hands from down her waist to rest on her ass, then cupped her and held her to him as he thrust against her. He pulled back for a second fearful he went too far; Y/N frowned, slowly opening her eyes whispering "again" against his lips, and who was he to deny her.
She could feel his hesitation, slid her hands up, and cupped his jaw, "You're okay, we're okay. You're taking care of me. I want this."
Harry swallowed hard, noting she never stopped rocking herself on top of him. His mouth curved in a slight grin, pushing up to meet her, he felt her go soft in his arms, and that's when he really realized the effect he has on her.
He needed her lips on him, it had only been a few moments, but he was craving her. He laid a string of kisses up her neck until he reached her mouth, lips swollen, but he knew she was eager for more.
"Harry, please." She had a hand tangled in his curls, needing to close the distance.
"I got you, love."
He tilted her head, allowing him to kiss her deeply, the kiss only more intense than before. If he didn't need to breathe, he would kiss her forever, never stopping.
"So pretty, all those moans just for me,"
"All for you," she breathes out.
Harry smirked, moving her up and down over his pants at a steady rhythm, but she was fighting for control.
"Harry."
"It's alright, love, let yourself go. Show me how pretty you look when you come."
Y/N was so close, tensed her thighs around him about to reach her release when they heard a phone ringing, halting their movements. Harry groans, pressing one more lingering kiss to her puckered lips, before reaching over to the side table to his right for his phone, "not me."
She holds back a whine, getting up for her phone inside her jacket. "Whoever it is, don't answer," he half-jokes.
Y/N giggles and looks at the caller as she swipes right to answer, "it's my niece."
Harry watches as she nods, telling her to relax and that she'd be right over.
"Has our night been cut short?"
"It has. Juliet got in an argument with her dad and is now threatening to move out."
"What," he laughs, standing up as he watches her shrug her jacket on.
"Yeah, to the backyard or with me."
"She really made you a mediator."
Y/N laughs, shrugging.
As Harry is walking her to the car, he can't believe how the night turned or would have. "You know I thought it would have been my child who interrupted us."
"Well, your daughter is an angel next to Juliet."
"You really think so,"
"I know so."
"You make it so easy to fall for you," he confesses, wrapping her in a hug before she leaves him for the night.
"Harry."
"What, I mean it."
She leans up to kiss his cheek, "I'm sorry we didn't get to finish."
"Me too."
"I hope you know once I'm in bed tonight, I'll be thinking of you."
"That's not fair."
"Why not?"
"Because I want to be the one taking care of you, making a mess of you."
"We'll get there," she promises.
Harry leans in and kisses her; it's short and sweet.
"Night, Harry. See you Saturday."
"See you then. Goodnight, love."
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
It's bittersweet honestly, it's the final game of the season. The girls have worked very hard to get where they are now: at the championship game. After this game, win or lose, they'll have a month off. No one will call her asking for an extra jersey, asking her for a ride, or texting her what time the game was, even with them owning the schedule. They'd all get a break until mid-September.
Harry and Josie were the first to arrive, while Kate and Y/N were setting up the warm-up drill.
"Loverboy is here." Kate teases as they walk to the bench.
"Stop." Y/N looks over at them, seeing them heading this way. "Styles family, good to see you."
"Hiya, Coach."
"Hello, Jo. You're going to go get ready?" Y/N says, looking down at the girl's black crocs with Avengers pins.
"Yup," she skips away, sitting on the grass next to Kate, who's pumping air in a few balls.
"Harry, hi."
"No darling," he teases."
She narrows her eyes at him, "I'll have you sit with the other parents if you keep teasing."
Harry looks appalled; she'd suggest such a thing, "Now that hurts."
"You know I thought you'd be sweeter, especially about that wonderful night we had Thursday."
A smile tugs up Harry's face at the memories, "My apologies, didn't want to upset my girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Y/n doesn't hide her surprise.
"Yeah, uh, we've gone out enough. I like you, and I'm going out on a limb here that you like me," she nods, allowing him to continue. "You're marvelous and love, Josie; god, you even gave her a nickname. I want this; I really want to hold your hand and keep going on dates with you and kiss you. I never want to stop.
She smiles, stepping into his embrace, "I'll be your girlfriend, boyfriend."
"Enough to risk a kiss?"
She doesn't reply; instead, she leans in, giving him a chaste kiss.
"Now go be a good parent and take a seat."
Harry does so. The smile on his face mirrors her own.
The game passed in a blur; the four quarters finished quickly. Y/N had thought they lost to the other team carrying a two-one win over them. The girls didn't look defeated, but each girl she subbed came out with a sigh but cheered as the minutes counted down.
Everyone hated losing, including herself.
Then out of nowhere, Priscilla, a usually shy player, gets a touch on the ball and sends it towards the goal. The goalie lets it slip under her, and what do you know they scored. The cheers seem endless; Y/N isn't bothered with the time, knowing there isn't much left in the final quarter.
This gives the girls a new motivation like a spark has been lit. It's a game of keep-away, Blue Devils not giving up easily. Abby gets the ball at her feet, and she freezes; the goalie is running right towards her, the defense kept away by the others; it's not until someone shouts, "Shoot!" that the young girl lifts her left foot shooting it through the goalies' legs and hitting the back of the next. Then just like that, the referees blow the whistle and call the game.
The Golden Sparks had won the championship. Y/N felt the tears in her eyes, thankful for the sunglasses hiding her overflowing emotions.
Y/N laughs as she feels Kate hug her and begin jumping up and down.
"We did it!!"
"They did it!"
Y/N is swept through the motions as she shakes hands with the coaches and claps the opposing team's hands. It's not until Juliet runs towards her with full force, knocking her onto the grass, wrapping her arms around her waist, that she's brought back to the moment. Then before she knows it, there are fifteen more girls joining in on the group hug. She's not sure when Kate was dragged into it, but she feels their joy.
They have a lifetime of wins and losses coming ahead in their young lives, but she's happy to be part of one that brings them so much happiness.
The young girls help her get up before hurrying over to their waiting parents. Juliet is being smothered in kisses by her parents. Josie is passed around by Harry's friends and her godparents, congratulating her on the win. Each girl showing off their small first place trophies, indeed to be displayed for all to see somewhere in their home.
Y/N has waved almost everyone off, telling them she would see them for pizza and drinks at their usual location. She took one look around the emptying field and felt she did well this season, but there was also room for her to grow as a coach.
"Looks like you're a champion, love."
Y/N turns around to find Harry smiling at her, Josie a few feet behind, waving to a couple with a baby. "Think she's the champ; she played the game. You did wonderful out there, Jo." She grins as Jo looks at her proudly.
"I still think you should be congratulated; you led these girls. Taught them and helped them grow into becoming better little humans." he shares, grabbing her hand pulling her into his chest.
"Well, thank you." Y/N looks down at Josie, who's crouched down trying to pick up what's likely to be a worm, "Ready for some pizza, Jo?"
Josie nods, not looking up too entranced on the creature in her hands now.
"Can I give you a gift, you know for uh...winning?"
"Course, I like presents." She grins at him, eager for what it could be.
His fingers curled into her nape and pulled her head into his as he kissed her softly. She felt his full lips move over hers; she felt how much he felt for her. As Harry brought their kiss to an end, he pulled back and looked into Y/N's eyes. "Was it a good gift?"
"The best," she answers before they are interrupted by a giggling Josie, who is staring up at them.
"Does this mean you're together?" Jo asks.
Y/N and Harry share a look before looking back at Josie, who's patiently waiting, "yes."
"Oh my! Dreams come true!" She shouts, running circles around them.
"Isn't meeting dad's girlfriend too soon a bad thing?" Y/N asks Harry.
"Not when you know you're never letting go."
"Oh, I like the sound of that." She lets pull her towards him, his arm resting comfortably over her shoulder.
"Plus, you're meeting all my friends at the pizza place, they all came to cheer on Josie, and you did say everyone was invited."
"I might just regret saying that."
"It'll be fine. Not a chance you don't win them all over."
Y/N brings them to a halt, Harry smiling down at her. This is happiness; she never wants to forget it. Harry leans in, letting their mouths meet in a kiss, soft and passionate as they both spill their feelings for another, hoping that with each passing second, the emotions only get stronger and stronger.
Harry pulls back, resting his forehead against hers, "I don't know what the future will bring, but I'm glad we'll be able to see it together."
Josie walks a few steps in front of them, leading the conversation. Harry and Y/N listen intently, holding each other tightly because this is what their future will consist of; more soccer games, more smiles, more laughs but most importantly, more love.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
thank you so much for reading <3333
I adore you. take care xx
#harry styles#harry styles stories#harry styles fluff#harry styles angst#harry styles fan fiction#harry styles x reader#dad harry#soccer coach y/n#harry x you#harry styles smut#harry styles one shot#harry styles imagine#harry styles au#my writing
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Brothers React to the MC Looking at Them Lovingly
This is a personal experiment. This is the very first time I've written one of these with a goal in mind, "Make them fall in love all over again." It's a tall order. I hope I succeeded. 🙏 Special thanks to @a-chaotic-dumbass for picking the mood for this one!
Intro:
We all know that look. The one where one person stares at another like they just realized they're the only thing in the universe and they're in fucking awe of it. The kind of look that tells you they're utterly enthralled by that other person and just can't get enough of their presence. That look. Yeah, the brothers just got that look out of the MC.
Let's warm some cold hearts, everybody.
Lucifer
Lucifer was always beautiful. Always has been, as an angel or a demon.
A morning star is one that outshines all the rest. It stands out when the other stars have dimmed, holding onto its luster in defiance of the sun.
There couldn't be a truer title for Lucifer to have. Not the horrors of war nor the fires of Hell could tarnish his radiance in any way…
But there were moments, like right then, where the MC caught a glimpse of a different sort of Lucifer.
His brothers would often only see the uptight Lucifer, the practiced visage of perfection that he tried so hard to keep up…
But after a long day, when he thinks he's alone, he retires to his room to listen to his music and the difference is astonishing.
There's something so entrancingly calm about him… How the light of the fireplace flickers and dances across his alabaster skin to the subtle slouch of his posture. His face no longer marred by creases of stress and frustration…
And his expression is so pure… So tranquil and at peace… Beauty without effort. A shine that can't be ignored. A morning star, in the truest sense of the word…
It took awhile for Lucifer to see the MC leaning against his doorframe.
They were staring at him with the oddest look… Smiling like they were enraptured by something, but he didn't have a clue why. He was just sitting there…
So, naturally, he turned to suspicion.
"Am I really that amusing…?"
Frankly, he wasn’t prepared for the little laugh they let out in response.
"Mm? No, no... I'm just always so amazed by you, is all. I'll leave you to your music..."
Having thoroughly ruined the mood, the MC then turned to leave. But Lucifer was already upon them before they could step away, wrapping his arms around their waist and letting contented hum escape his chest.
"Going so soon…?"
Apparently he appreciated the compliment.
Mammon
He didn't have to do it.
When Belphie bumped into one of the House's vases, shattering it against the tile, he didn’t have to take the fall for it.
It wasn’t connected to him at all. He could have stayed quiet and no one would have pointed a finger at him for once.
But he did.
When Mammon set his phone down on the table, MC knew instantly that he had lied in the chat.
He was with them the entire day, he didn't have the time to accidentally break a vase. He hadn't even gone down that hallway all day...
But he said something anyway.
And he didn't even look fazed. He didn't turn towards them seeking approval nor did he look irritated that Belphie didn't speak up. He didn't curse at himself for doing something so self-sacrificing either...
When Mammon leaned back into the cushion of his couch, the MC saw something truly remarkable on his face… A smile. A small one, sure, but relaxed…
Assured in his own actions. Confident in his choice and accepting the consequences… undeserved, and likely thankless, they may be.
A genuine, serene smile…
Mammon wasn't sure what he expected to see when he turned to the MC. Probably confusion or disbelief that he, the Great Mammon, could be so selfless.
Definitely not the awed, lovestruck look he got...
"G-gah!" He panicked slightly and pressed himself back against the armrest of the couch in shock. "Wh-... What'cha lookin at me like that for??"
When the MC didn't answer after a few seconds and just kept staring, he honestly didn't know what to do. Were they broken or something??
"Oi, MC! I asked ya wh-Hey wait a minute!!"
He made a noise between a yelp and a shout when the MC leapt forward and latched their arms onto him. What had gotten into them??
"U-uh… MC? MC?? Damnit MC, answer me already!! Or at least stop squeezin so tight!!... MC!!!"
Leviathan
To anyone else, it was just Levi being Levi.
He had finished a new episode of his latest animated obsession and he had to share it with someone. Anyone would do, but the MC was always willing to lend an ear.
Something about Levi really changes when he talks about his passions… It's like he comes alive in a whole new way.
He speaks at a mile-a-minute, but that's because he's so excited the words fly from his mouth.
Some part of him is always bouncing, be it his leg or body. Sometimes even his tail will swish and curl behind him like an ecstatic puppy. And his eyes…
Citrine pools that glimmer and dilate from the exhilaration of it all. It's his little world and anyone can see he's thrilled to be sharing it.
You'd never know he was shy. You'd never think he'd look down himself. You'd never guess that he hid himself away… Why would someone so full of passion and life ever want to? Some things are just too beautiful to keep hidden...
Levi had only gotten six minutes into his latest rant before he finally registered how the MC was staring at him…
This man has seen enough shoujo to know what that look means and it shut him up sooo quick. If anyone else were in the room they would have seen a beet-red Levi desperately trying to hide his face.
"M-MC…! S-top staring at me like that…!!"
"Like what~?"
He didn't have to look at them to hear the teasing lilt in their voice.
"MC…" He peeked out from behind his fingers to see them still staring and covered himself up more vigorously. "Stoooop…!!!"
But secretly? He wished they'd never stop. His cheeks may have been red from embarrassment, but his heart was trying to hammer its way out of his chest to hug them itself. Hell, he'd have happily given it over to them if they'd asked…
Please just let those loving eyes be for him and him alone...
Satan
Soft isn't exactly a word anybody would use to describe Satan, least of all himself.
His anger was quick to spark, his strength was nothing to scoff at, and even his smiles were nothing but plastic for nearly all of his existence…
Nearly.
The MC learned surprisingly quick that there was one thing that could bypass all of the hidden ferocity to Satan's personality. Something that could make him melt like butter in the summer sun…
Satan had always looked a little cute when he was reading. He was easily at his most expressive when engrossed in a thrilling story or deeply intrigued by something he found between the pages of a book…
But watching Satan read about cats, as he was right then, was really something else entirely.
Maybe it was the way his emerald eyes would sparkle or the lopsided grin he just couldn't hide as he would scan the pages about the playful habits of Bengals or the relaxed nature of Ragdolls…
Maybe it was the sheer impassioned dedication he took the subject, pouring countless hours into collecting and memorizing every fact he could from their diets to coat maintenance.
Or maybe it was the sheer fact that anytime he saw a picture of kitty in-print he looked like a besotted schoolgirl drawing hearts around her crush in a teen magazine.
Really, who's to say? But to the MC, it was proof that under all that anger, there was a tender, loving center even for the smallest, softest creatures…
Satan automatically snapped his book closed when he saw MC watching him from behind a bookshelves. Caught red-handed…
He knows exactly how he looks when he's doing his research internally squealing over cat pictures so he tries to do so in private...
He was about to sputter out a defensive explanation but then he registered their face…
He'd seen that look described in stories, romance novels mostly, but he'd rarely seen it in action… and never once leveled at him with such intensity…
Not to be cliche, but frankly his heart skipped a beat.
Satan forgot about his book briefly and got up to close the distance between them, tilting their chin up to keep their eyes on him.
"Like something that you see, Kitten?"
"You could say that…"
He laughed at their attempt to play coy, but let it slide just this once… Easy to do with them looking at him so amorously.
Asmodeus
Asmo is a very popular demon. Someone so free ought to know quite a lot of people, after all.
And, of course, he had plenty of fans. He made DevilTube videos, hosted radio shows, fashion designed, and even modeled.
So it wasn't very surprising when a young demoness stopped him while he and the MC were out shopping. It wasn’t the first time he had been asked to sign autographs, but this meeting… it was different.
It was clear to them both that this girl was shy. Though she held out the paper, her eyes stayed firmly on the ground and she stumbled on her question… She likely a fan from afar, but everything about her seemed meek… unassuming.
Most people would have just gave the autograph then went on with their day. The interaction could have taken five seconds at most… but not Asmo.
He asked her name… where she was from, how she was feeling, her favorite foods, outfits, makeup, you name it. All with investment.
It was amazing to watch the shy young woman slowly open up, getting more bright and cheerful with each passing question until it evolved into a healthy conversation.
When their little meeting finally wrapped up, he gave her back the paper (now signed) but also fished out a bottle of perfume from among the mountains of bags he was carrying. He gave it to her and wouldn't hear anything to the contrary, he could always buy another.
None of his brothers ever gave Asmo enough credit for his giving nature… even if he had his own way of going about it. Though he cared so much about image and his ability to shine, he never hesitated to make sure that the people around him shined too...
Asmo waved to the fan as she scampered away and was about to apologize to the MC when he saw their face…
The man knows this look well. He's seen it a billion times, though it was particularly cute coming from them.
"Awww MC! Taken by my beauty are you~?"
He was about ready to kiss their cheek when they responded.
"No, not your looks, Asmo… with you."
… Oh.
It was very rare to see Asmo speechless, but for a few seconds his mind seemed to take in their words… letting them fully sink in before his heart utterly melting.
Oh MC… His sweet MC!!
Asmo ended up dropping the rest of his bags just so he could properly litter his human in nuzzles and kisses, the both of them humming and giggling in delight despite their shameless PDA.
Of course it would be his MC to see that part in himself… Who else would take the time?
Beelzebub
Food is a precious resource to Beel. For him, it's a lifeline. A good meal could save him from the brink of starvation…
But that still doesn't make him incapable of sharing from time to time.
He and the MC were walking back to the House after getting takeout from Hell's Kitchen. Beel hadn't even waited until they left the restaurant to start eating his share, spilling the smell of fresh food into the air around them…
Things were going fine on their route back until they heard whimpering behind them…
A hellhound puppy, not quite old enough to bear its fangs, seemingly followed them as they were walking… It looked like it had been out for some time and eyed their food with hungry eyes, but weak posture. Who knows when it last had a meal?
The MC was about to tug at Beel's sleeve and say something, but their demon was ahead of them this time.
A casual observer might have gawked at the sight of Gluttony kneeling down to offer such a lowly creature a sandwich. But the MC knew better. When you spend your whole life hungry, nobody more than you understands that kind of pain in someone else.
This reaction wasn't out of character for Beel, it was elementary.
And when the puppy finished its meal and covered Beel's cheeks with appreciative licks, he just laughed and scratched behind its ears. Amethyst eyes looking more relieved at its health than disappointed he lost some of his lunch...
Food was Beel's lifeline, but kindness is what made him who he was…
When the pup finally scampered off, Beel looked over at the MC to tell them it'd be alright and saw their face…
He wasn't really sure what they were staring at… Did he have something between his teeth again?
"MC? Are you okay...?"
They laughed at him for some reason but pulled him in for a hug so they must have meant well.
"You're so sweet, Beel…"
Beel's never one to refuse a compliment so he just hugged them back, beaming.
"Thank you, MC…"
Belphegor
To say that Belphegor tended to be on the melancholic side would be an understatement… It wasn’t that he was incapable of expressing joy, it was just harder for him to do than most. Not helped, of course, by his tendency to keep his true feelings vague and hard to pinpoint.
But on those rare occasions where he was overjoyed… Belphie could really be something special…
The MC and Belphie were attending one of Beel's games and it was a tight one… Both teams had spent most of it tied and Beel's team was running out of time to overtake that slim margin.
Belphie had always been a supporter of his twin's athletics, but this time it was tense even for him. He kept on the edge of his seat and didn't even nod off during the breaks like he normally would… The MC could just tell how nervous he was for Beel…
But right as the time was about to run out, Beel made a last minute score and sure, the whole field erupted, but Belphie? Belphie hollered.
The normally sleepy and mellow demon was on his feet in an instant and practically shredding his vocal chords in excitement. If his tail had been out, it would have been beating against the bleachers like a war-drum. And his expression?
Belphie's smile is said to stop hearts for a reason. When he puts his all into a grin it's almost like he ascends to Heaven once more, as pure as an angel's choir and as warm as a summer's breeze… Nothing in his eyes but pride and adoration for his beloved twin brother.
Truly, a heartwarming sight to behold…
Belphie didn't calm down until the rest of the crowd settled and was about to point out Beel's skill to the MC when he noticed their face.
… oh no… Why do they look so sappy…?
"You really love your brother, don't you?"
Belphie quickly hid his thoughts behind an irritated frown and plopped back down in his seat… but that didn't shield them from seeing his pink cheeks.
"Of course I do. What kind of question is that?"
He debated just joining Beel on the field to hide his embarrassment when he heard them snicker back.
"Yeah, you're right… Don't mind me."
Oh he minded. He minded a lot that he let his carefully veiled image slip like that. But thinking back to that smile on their face…?
Maybe being a little open wasn't so bad after all...
#obey me#obey me shall we date#shall-we-date-obey-me#obey me lucifer#obey me mammon#obey me leviathan#obey me satan#obey me asmodeus#obey me beelzebub#obey me belphegor#obey me headcanons#obey me hc#obey me scenarios
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Mga ka-tropa {Childe,Tohma + Scaramouche}
Synopsis: What your everyday life looks like with your Barkada (Squad)
- Head canon, Fluff, School AU, Based off of my experience I guess lol (I don't have many friends I just watch my classmates--), Mentions of NSFW jokes
- Filipino Reader, Taglish swearing dialogues
____________________________________________________
- They're the worst, but also the best and ya'll just vibe
Childe
- The rich kid who insists on paying for the food you buy
- Every time in class, he'd tap on your shoulder from where he sat and act like he's paying attention to the teacher whenever you turn to glare at him. Gives subtle side glances and finds your pissed expression hilarious
- The type to place cold drinks against your cheek out of nowhere
"Yah!!? Gago, Ajax-- can you fucking stop!?" You hissed, earning a chuckle from the lad
"It's not that cold, ha-ha"
- You ignored him for the rest of the class which caused him to buy you one of your favorite snacks as he pleads for you to stop giving him the cold shoulder. He's still gonna do it again, but he won't mind buying more food for you (Win-win I suppose)
- His grades are fairly average, but still insists you tutor him. He'll drag Thoma in one of your study sessions to make you accept his request.
- You have a soft spot for Tohma and he takes advantage of it
- He calls you "Ate" as a joke, but it eventually became a natural thing for the both of you
"Ate, when's the deadline for the assignment that Ma'am gave us again?"
- Whether you're older than him or not, he has taken a liking to the Honorific
- You once fell asleep in class and was the only person inside the room, when he arrived, he immediately snapped a few pics of your drooling face before blasting "Never gonna give you up" from the Bluetooth speaker he owns
"D-did you just.. Fucking 'Rick roll' me awake..?"
"Yeah. Pretty hilarious in my opinion,"
- He has Tiktok and forces you all to join his shenanigans
- If he can't annoy you, then he'll annoy Scaramouche. You don't know how, but he got him to be accidentally sent to the elementary department's floor, which made a teacher think he's a 4th grade student.
- He got a lotta bumps in the head from the angry gremlin later on
Tohma
- The goodie two shoes friend and also the teacher's errand boy (next to Aether/Lumine)
- I feel like he has a collection of different bandana's/Headband's with all kinds of designs. He once got you a bear themed headband for your birthday
- Often gets in trouble with Childe (and the rest of you gets into trouble as well) so you all get to clean the classroom
- Kind of the mom friend but not really. Maybe it's the fact that he often notices small things about you and the others. Like the fact that he knows about your obsession with sweet/salty foods, The fact that he knows about Childe's soft spot for whales and that Scaramouche always puts aesthetic shades of eye shadow. He has fun with you all and always points out your small habits that he finds adorable.
- All his pencils are chewed and chucked, and you once thought a dog did that. He often bites into them when he's bored or just in a random trance, you had to stop him before he could finish the whole thing.
"Tohma snap out of it! You're gonna scarf the whole thing at this point!!"
"h-huh..!?" The moment he noticed the bite marks all over the wooden object he only laughed it off. Later on he didn't notice he was chewing it again, which caused it to snap. You let him borrow yours and he made sure not to bite into them this time.
- Though.. you later on find a few nibbles on the top part of the pen, making you sigh
-You bought him a set of Chewable pencil toppers and he was ecstatic to say the least.
- Whenever you guys go to the gym for P.E he always gets hit in the head with the ball, he doesn't know why. The next day he brought a helmet to school and that made Childe go into a fit of laughter
- When he got hit by a ball sometime in P.E, he actually got badly injured, so you both went into the infirmary to treat his injured forehead.
"Punyeta. Why can't those 4th grader brats just stay on their side of the Gym? this shit always happens to you" You scowled as you tend to his wound
"Ha-ha.. even if they were on their side, I doubt the ball won't hit me" He sighs with a sheepish smile
- Has Tiktok as well, but the reason is to like most of Childe's Videos (very supportive friend lol)
- The escort of your class (And Ayaka was the class muse)
- He often get's into those Class Pageant contests (and the UN themed ones as well). He has a wardrobe filled with all the costumes he used lol
"Hold still Tohma! That get up looks great beside the vending machine," Childe cackles as he takes pictures of the blonde
"LMAO-- He's literally in a sparkling suit- HA HAHA" you mirrored his actions, taking out your phone. He plays along, posing with each snap of the camera's, while Scaramouche just deadpans at you three's antics.
Scaramouche
- The Sassy Honor student
- He's cold and snappy to everyone, including you. But don't worry, he warmed up eventually, though he still acts a teensy bit cold towards you.
- You guys were seat buddies while he and Childe were on the same club
- He trusts you to do his eyeshadow so you often both do each other's makeup (It's not allowed in campus so you both have glasses to slightly hide your eye makeup, matching glasses of course.
- He has a small taser keychain in his school ID and bag, and once threatened Ajax with it (He kept calling him short)
- Whenever your group goes out to eat you both get Drinks (Boba) together while Childe and Tohma goes ahead and buy Fish balls (lol)
- He once got a bad grade for the first time and he kept brushing it off whenever people ask about it, but you know that's not how he actually feels
"Hey Scara.. You sure you're ok? " You asked, when the both of you were alone in the classroom.
That's all it took for him to sigh and lean against your shoulder, mumbling a small "No"
It shocked you, but proceeded to place your hand on top of his crown to comfort him, after a few seconds of the both of you sitting in comfortable silence, he speaks up again
"Not a word about this. Or else I'll tase you."
"Sheesh, sunget naman" You giggled
- He sometimes uses you as an arm stand, it doesn't matter if you're taller or shorter, He'll stand on top of a chair just to lay his elbow on your head and he smirks down at you whenever you tell him to get it off, you couldn't convince him to, so you just accepted your fate.
- You were both often the sarcastic duo of your group and would always retort mean insults to the ginger (As a joke though, you three insult each other as friend of course.)
- Intellectual insults, brought to you by our favorite sassy boi
What the squad is like
- Ajax and Scaramouche are your classic Volleyball players and LMAO- they're basically Kageyama and Hinata in reverse
"The fuck kinda serve was that?" The red head teases
"Shut up you orange tree"
"Well, at least no one ever assumes I'm a 4th grader~"
"THE FUCK YOU SAY YOU IMBECILE!?" He snaps, hitting the ball with a strong slap when it reached over the net. And because he was out of focus, that ball ended up landing into Tohma who was cheering in the sidelines with you
"T-Tohma!!!" you shrieked as his soul starts to leave his body
- Whenever Scaramouche is very fired up in a game,you and Tohma would cheer and chant at him with these specific words;
"Scaramouche! Scaramouche! Will you do the Fandango!? ~"
- He tells you to stop cause it's embarrassing, but you don't and he honestly secretly enjoys it
- Your squad would sometimes ask Tohma to buy some snacks in the cafeteria (With Childe paying lol) and at this point he's carrying a reusable bag as if he were going to the market
"Eh? Tohma, why do you have that bag with you?" A student asks "Are you going to the market?.. But School's still going.."
"Oh, this? Ha-ha nah! I'm just going to the cafeteria"
- The Cafeteria staff kinda got used to the same orders he'd often list out so they just dump them in the bag and Tohma gives them the cash with a simple thank you as if it was a routine (Hm, maybe it already is)
- When all of you would hang out, out of school you'd go to the arcade and it takes Childe a whole minute or two in the Claw machine. You almost got banned because kept cursing so loudly (there were little kids around)
- You and Scaramouche would play shooting games and holy shit he's good-
-You asked him if he ever had experiences in actual guns and he responded with;
"Oh, no. I just envision the targets as that Idiot who can't get anything from the Claw machine" He points at Childe
"HEY!"
- Childe and Tohma would battle through DDR and it either ends with a tie or you and Scara having to drag them out cause it was getting late.
-Lots of prizes earned and Childe swore he was close to buying the entire claw machine (Damn rich boi--)
- At the end of the day, all you three would get your preferred drinks as you all gaze at the nearest beach sunset. (You had the classic soda and straw in a bag of course)
- Whenever you plan, get together's like these, you always looked forward to them
- But let's say hypothetically that your parents are strict or didn't let you join them this time, well bestie, it's either they wont go and reschedule or kidnap you lmao
- Childe asked you to come outside of your house and the moment you did, you were met by a car and a laughing Childe and Tohma who carried you bridal style towards the vehicle
"Pukeng ina-- Mom's gonna kill me!!" you laughed into the gingers arms, hitting him playfully
"Quick Tohma!" He calls out to the boy, getting inside the car as he still holds onto you "Drive bitch! drive!!"
- By the time you got home you almost got banned from ever hanging out with them (You got grounded though LMAO)
- Your Group chat's are filled with chaos.
-Memes, Arguments (Scara and Childe) and Assignment answers were the contents of your chats
Tortang talong: [Bitch]
Fandak-go: [Bitcher]
Mama's boi: [Guys can someone send me today's assignments?]
Tortang talong: [*Sends a rick roll*]
Fandak-go: [That's like the 100th time you've sent the same joke as before.]
Fandak-go: [You're so fucking Un-original]
Tortang talong: [Please.]
Tortang talong: [ Compare my sense of humor to yours and you'll see how superior I'am to you]
Mama's boi: Guys, please :"D
Fandak-go: [Superior to me?]
Fandak-go: [Like that'll ever happen.]
Tortang talong: [My level is higher than yours, considering your height-]
Fandak-go: [I'll fucking strangle you.]
Tortang-talong: [I'd like to see you try and reach my head.]
Cult master: [Bitchest]
Cult master: [Awe- I'm too late XC]
Mama's boi: [Y/n help- please-]
Cult master: [Oki hun, what do u need?]
Cult master: [Holy shit wait- we have assignments!?]
- You're a group of chaotic idiots
- But at least you're all in it together and that's what matters<3
Translations
Gago = Stupid/Idiot
Ate = Older sister/ Can be also used as an honorific for women who are a bit older than you
Punyeta = Asshole
"sunget naman" = "so sassy"
Pukeng ina (Putang ina) = Putang ina translates to "You're mom's a whore" but can also be an expression of "Mother whore" leading to something like this "Mother whore! you scared me!!" and 'Puke' means; Pussy, so this dialogue translates to "Pussy Mother" or "Fucking pussy"
Tortang talong = Fried Eggplant omelette
Fandak-go = Fandango and Pandak mixed together. Pandak means short
#genshin impact#genshin x y/n#genshin x reader#childe#tohma#scaramouche#school au#genshin impact school au#filipino reader#fluff#head canon
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🏳️⚧️ Luigi is Trans Masc 🏳️⚧️
Long Post!!!
Now that I have your attention, here are some reasons that I headcanon Luigi as trans, based off of my own experience as a trans masc person.
1) He ghosts hunts even when he has the option to say no.
Could this be a ‘I have to save my loved ones from danger’ or a ‘this is the right thing to do even though I’m scared’ situation? Yeah! But I’m trans and grasping for straws, so let me have this.
I put this as a reason for him being trans, because I believe he’s doing it because he’s a man and he’s ‘not supposed to be afraid’.
Luigi is assumed to be 24, and his character was first introduced in the 1980s, specifically 1983. Assuming he was 24 when the first game released, he would have been born in 1959 (feel free to check my math on that).
Although his character was introduced in the 80s where men tended to be more feminine and flamboyant, he was probably raised with the idea that men should be tough and strong, and should lead. Even if we throw release date and age aside, even if he was born in my generation, those stereotypes of men still exist and are taught within society. Even as those norms are being broken day after day, he would have still been exposed to the toxic masculinity.
Luigi, from what we’ve seen of his adventures, tends to be more scared and less ‘tough’ than what was expected of a man. From what we know of Luigi, we can safely assume that (if he was trans) he would be doing this not only for his family and friends, but to prove he was tough and strong, and that he was manly.
2) He dresses like his brother.
Yes, he is a plumber by trade, but he also ghosts hunts, and makes bank off of that. You think he would wear a different outfit when he ghost hunts simply because denim Isn’t meant for physical activity. Anyone who’s run in jeans knows that it isn’t exactly meant to be stretchy. It’s (supposed to be) designed to withstand the test of time. So why doesn’t Luigi change from plumbing cloths (specifically his denim overalls) to something more suited for the running he has to do in various places for ghost hunting? Because Mario wears overalls and a t-shirt.
From what I’ve seen on social media, other trans people follow the lead of those around them who match their gender identity/their presentation. I would do the same was well. I would look at what my dad wore, what my brother would wear, and what guys at school wore. I developed my style after what I had seen, so I could pass.
While you don’t have to pass to be trans (or even have the desire to), it’s a common theme amongst trans people to try and blend in with cis society. This can be for safety reasons, or just because they want to fit in with their peers.
Luigi clearly looks up to his brother, crying tears of joy whenever Mario is saved from King Boo. He congratulates him when he wins events. He supports him, because he looks up to him. They’re brothers after all!
It makes sense that Luigi would mirror Mario, since they are so close. Since Mario is most often seen wearing his overalls, Luigi follows suit, because it’s what he believes guys do. He’s following the example that Mario set for him.
3) Luigi’s view on gender expression.
Luigi has had a couple of instances where he is known to ignore typical gender stereotypes, specifically with dresses.
In the game super Mario Odyssey, Mario can be seen wear a wedding gown with a veil, and Luigi is only concerned that Mario didn’t tell him about the wedding. There was no wedding, and Luigi didn’t mock Mario when informed that his brother was wearing the gown for fun.
The second major instance is from the New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe website. The website tells us that only Toadette can use the Super crown. The last part of the Super Crown’s description says “Sorry Luigi- Only Toadette can use this item!”
While this could point to Luigi being trans fem instead of trans masc, I would like to point out that recently, it has become more accepted that men can dress feminine. Since this game was released in 2019, it’s completely possible that Luigi has caught onto this, and is becoming more accepted and accepting of his femininity as a man. This would also be plenty of time to unlearn harmful stereotypes from when he was younger, about what men can and can’t do. Although he still sticks with old habits, he’s learning more about how the world around him works, and how it’s changing day by day.
I believe that Luigi has a better understanding of gender and gender expression because he is trans. He’s learning to accept that he doesn’t have to be hyper masculine to be a valid guy.
4) How he got his mustache and flat chest (and… other stuff).
This section will be discussing the effects of hormones, surgeries, and genitalia. Please keep this in mind as you read.
This is more of an explanation for how certain things happened.
How did he grow a mustache? Testosterone. It was likely after helping his brother with his career, and winning sporting events he had a good amount of income to start Testosterone. Another option? Minoxidil. Minoxidil was tested to see if it could cure ulcers in the 50s. Through testing, The Upjohn Company discovered it opened blood vessels and allowed for blood to flow more smoothly. In the late 70s, it was FDA approved for patients to use if they suffer from high blood pressure. Through this, they discovered that minoxidil also has the side effect of hair growth. The FDA approved the product to be sold, and it was called Rogaine. Meaning Luigi would have had access to something to grow facial hair, even if testosterone wasn’t an option.
What about his flat chest?
Binding or Top surgery. Both were an option by the time Luigi was old enough. Laurence Michael Dillon was a trans person who was born in 1915 and died in 1962. While I do recommend you look at more of his story, what I want to focus on is the fact he had top surgery. While the surgery was still fairly early in it’s development, it was possible. Luigi, who wasn’t born until 1959 (as previously discussed) would have the option to get top surgery when he became an adult.
Another option would be binding, though I think this is less likely because of how binding restricts physical activity. Binding in any way makes it difficult to run or exert yourself in general. We see Luigi run a LOT in various games, and for decent amounts of time too. It’s less likely that he’s binding.
The last thing is his penis.
There was a huge joke going around about the bulge we saw in a promotion for Mario Tennis Aces. People were discussing how large it was, and Even Mattpat on Game Theory discussed the measurements to determine how large it was.
Why was it so noticeable? Well bottom surgery was also an option for him pretty early on. Surgeons (from what I’ve been told be social media) will ask how you’d like to look like. Even if he decided to not get bottom surgery, he could be wearing a packer.
A packer is anything you use to give the feeling and or appearance of a penis, specifically used by trans masc people who were not born with a penis. There are many different types of packers (including clean rolled up socks) that people may use. What’s most important to note though, is they have a high chance of moving around.
Even with harnesses or underwear specifically designed to keep a packer in place, they can still shift around in your pants, especially when you’re doing a lot of moving. From my experience, my packers tent to move forward rather than back. Wearing athletic shorts will also make that area more pronounced as the fabric is looser, so if Luigi was wearing a packer, we’d know.
5) He’s trans cause I say so.
Like I said in the beginning, it’s a head canon. I say he’s trans because it’s a cool idea. A Nintendo character that is trans, and isn’t being hidden, explained away, or made fun of (like Vivian from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door). I like the idea that Luigi is a proud trans guy, and we don’t know because it doesn’t matter. He’s a guy because he’s a guy. He doesn’t just ‘become’ a guy because he goes through surgeries or goes in hormones. He’s trans, and t doesn’t matter if we know or not, because his trans identity isn’t important to the story we’re playing, or our knowledge to know. We aren’t entitled to it.
He’s a guy who happens to be trans, and that’s that.
If there is any misinformation above, please let me know so I can correct it. This was meant to be a fun post about my head canon, but I did use real world examples t explain it, and if I got something wrong, I’d like to know. Thanks!
#Luigi is trans#Luigi is a trans guy#trans masc#transgender#ftm#trans#Nintendo#luigi nintendo#Luigi#mario#mario bros#Super Mario Bros#he’s trans because I say he is#I don’t take criticism for my head canon#queer history#binding#chest binding#packing#trans packer#packer#top surgery#bottom surgery#hrt#testosterone
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idk if ur taking asks abt jjk but i was curious on ur thoughts abt gojo i haven’t rlly heard this around but i’ve been thinking abt the fact that gojo desire to basically indoctrinate children to fit his ideal sorcerer society is a bit strange and i saw this on your meta on how the schools only see these kids as tools but doesn’t gojo do the same idk my thoughts are everywhere and i get that gojo was raised in this system so it’s normalised in his eyes but idk gojo’s ideology is lowkey fucked imo and i was curious what u thought
I think Gojo is a product of the same society that raises up kids to be used as tools, and he unintentionally passes that lesson onto his students.Gojo knows that the system is wrong for using kids that way, but he’s such a fundamental part of the system, he doesn’t really know how to overcome it works inside of it instead. I think what he said to Megumi is pretty telling of how he treats these kids in general, he tells him you better get strong or else you’ll get left behind.” He thinks he’s teaching them what’s best, because that’s how Gojo understands the world works, but at the same time he’s telling a five year old kid if he fails to protect his sister it’s all his fault.
Gojo teaches his students to “get stronger, get stronger” as a response for all of their problems. He takes responsibility for their development as sorcerers, but nothing else really, and especially not their well-being as individuals. Gojo basically treats his students like mini-adults, friends he can pal around with, and that makes sense if you think about it, he’s raising them all to be political allies. He’s not really trying to raise a bunch of healthy adults. I think Gojo genuinely does care for these kids and stick out his neck to protect them, and his goal is entirely an altruistic one to prevent the childhoods of other children from getting destroyed like his did. However, Gojo is fatally a selfish person just like Geto is fatally selfless, he doesn’t offer help out of the goodness of his heart, he barters. He always expects something in return from these children.
So, on one level I believe Gojo yes is intentionally using these children. He only extends help when he gets something in return from them, his helps is always conditional on the fact that he’ll gain another ally. However, at the same time I think the problem more lies in the fact that Gojo doesn’t see individual people as individuals, and therefore doesn’t want to pay attention to the indivdual emotions of his students that he ends up using his students this way. He thinks it’s fine. This is how he was used growing up, but this time, Gojo is using them for good ends instead of a bad one.
I think Gojo’s inability to take care of their needs as individuals, especially attending to their emotional needs is why Tokyo Students are so strong indivudally, but weak as a group. Gojo’s only interesting in fostering their strength as sorcerers, not their emotional health, or their interpersonal relationships, because he doesn’t view those things as necessary. I mean he’s only had one best friend his whole life, and look at him, he’s fine.
To give evidence to my argument though, here’s a comparison between the Tokyo Kids and the Kyoto Kids.
1. Tokyo vs Kyoto
Gojo can be a fantastic teacher when he wants to be, but it requires him paying attention to a student’s individual needs, which he almost never does. When he designs a lesson plan raound Yuji, he does two things that make him better than most Jujutsu Sorcerers already. First, most traditional teachers teach that cursed technique is everything, and would have rejected Yuji outright. Whereas Gojo sees Yuji’s strength as a brawler. He’s willing to go outside the box, and buck tradition to focus on a student’s individual strength and emphasize those rather than telling Yuji he’ll never be a strong sorcerer without strong techniques. The second is he comes up with a method extremely suited to Yuji’s learning style.
However, I think it’s important to note that Yuji and Gojo are actually really similiar. He’s a really receptive student who hangs off of Gojo’s every word. For Gojo it’s like him teaching a younger version of himself, someone who believes that strength is everything, and wants to become the strongeste to be a pillar of support to others. You don’t really get good teacher points for spending the most time with someone who’s easy to teach.
And even with Yuji whose really really receptive to Gojo’s highly individual focused learning style, there are several things that Gojo just neglects to teach or even mention. Basic, fundamental things, that every sorcerer should know.
Nanami has to go out of his way to give Yuji the 101, because Gojo neglected to tell him all the basics. Children are smart of course, especially adolescents who are capable of thinking for themselves, but they also generally know what they’ve been taught up to this point. Yuji is a complete newcomer to the sorcerery world, it makes sense he’d basically be a blank slate having to learn all of this from scratch, but Gojo himself either doesn’t know this, or doesn’t bother with it because it’s too troublesome. He thinks of the kids as miniature adults so, it would make sense that he just assumes they know everything he knows already.
That’s the entire point of introducing Nanami into the story. Gojo teaches Yuji to be a better sorcerer, but not to be an adult, and it’s because he doesn’t really see him as a child to begin with. Gojo thinks becoming a strong sorcerer is the way to teach these kids to be good adults, but he neglects the emotional half of having to teach because Gojo doesn’t deal with emotions well. I mean, even in his training of Yuji, he designs a training method where Gojo doesn’t actually have to be there, and present with him most of the time. He can lock him in a room, and go run off to do Gojo things while Yuji teaches himself. As opposed to a mentor like Nanami who constantly watches and monitors his development.
This is where we start to get to the comparison with the Kyoto students. Because even in the creaive way Gojo taught Yuji, there were some things that Yuji just learned wrong, and internalized wrong from Gojo’s lesson.
Gojo explained the theory behind Yuji’s divergent fist, but Yuji learned it wrong, because he didn’t understand the way cursed energy flowed through the body. If Gojo was paying attention, he would have caught it and corrected it, but Gojo’s teaching style is sink or swim, let students learn or fall entirely on their own. Whereas, when Todo actually sees Yuji’s flawed divertgent fist, he’s able to point out the problem.
Todo actually acknowledges that there’s a difference between beginners and elite sorcerers, that their’s a learning curve to these things, and rather than leaving Yuji to learn it on his own he guides him through these things. While at the same time, expecting Yuji to figure out some things naturally. Todo never once goes easy on Yuji, I’d say his standards for people are as harsh as Gojo’s. You either learn it or you don’t. You’re either strong or you’re not. However, there’s a distinct difference between Todo and Gojo’s teaching styles, and it’s that Todo is emotionally intelligent, and Gojo is not.
Todo pays attention to people, he notices when they’re off, when they’re going through something, and rather than just ignore it, he almost immediately addresses it and tries to talk them thorugh it. It’s not perfect of course, but having his emotions paid attention to, helps Yuji develop as a person moreso than a sorcerer.
The Kyoto students have a teacher who pays attention to their individual needs. A teacher who actually teaches. While we may not know much about Utahime as a character yet, you can see the direct impact she has on her students compared to Gojo.
Gojo’s students are individually strong, but weak as a team,.
Utahime’s students are much weaker individually, but can come together.
It shows both in the Kyoto Battle Event, but also the Shibuya arc. The Kyoto kids are all unstable it’s true, they’re all prone to lashing out, but because they’ve dealt with such dark emotions rather than repressing them they’re also way more capable of talking about their feelings to others.
Yes, the Kyoto kids don’t deserve to lash out at whoever they want. Yes, lashing out is a bad way to attempt communication. However, it’s also true that the Tokyo kids respond with what basically amounts to self-righteousness. The Kyoto kids are lashing out because they are going through something, because they’re suffering, yet the Tokyo kids don’t really try to understand those feelings.
Kamo was seperated from his mother at a young age. Maki left Mai behind in an abusive household. Nobara has never experienced the same abuse that Mai has so she’s not really in a position to judge which twin she thinks is the good twin, and which is the bad one. Mechamaru is chronically ill and in constant agony, and then instead of getting him medical help he’s just being used as a toy soldier.
So.
The problem is.
Gojo’s style of teaching. He wants these kids to be political allies. He wants them to try to make a better world than the one he experienced growing up. However, Gojo doesn’t really teach them to think for themselves. He doesn’t teach them to look at the situation, and the way the Jujutsu World is designed to manipulate and use these children.
Individual responsibiltiy is a good lesson to teach.
Individual responssibility can help someone get over themselves and their issues and work towards self improvement, but it’s also, not the only solution. It’s also, impossible to overcome these circumstances all on their own.
Mai can’t be strong like Maki. She’s not weak for folding under the pressure of being in an abusive household. You could even argue that Maki isn’t stronger than her abuse, because emotionally she’s weak, she can’t even maintain a relationship with her own sister she has to cut herself off from everyone.
Kamo has to follow the clan’s orders, he’s terrified they’ll hurt his mother and he’ll never see her again. She’s actively being used as a tool to manipulate them.
Mechamaru is already strong as a sorcerer, that’s not going to stop the fact that he’s chronically ill.
Basically, in this regard Gojo’s students repeat what Gojo himself always says. “Have you tried getting stronger?” We can see why this approach doesn’t work with Kokichi, because he did do what Gojo would always reccomend. He didn’t want to burden others with his emotions so he tried to be strong and solve everything on his own, and that resulted in his death.
Think if Mechamaru had been supported. If he thought it was okay to confide his problems with others, if it was okay for him to be weak, and ask for help when he didn’t know what to do on his own.
However, when he tried to do that with panda he just got slapped with a “Your behavior is wrong.” It’s why even when telling people, especially children their behavior is wrong you also need to be sure to take care of their emotional needs as well. Especially teenagers, because teenagers are literally all emotions, they’re not minitature, fully-developed adults. Kokichi was wrong to lash out, but his emotions were right. He has every right to be in pain. When he’s told off, he also takes that as a message that he’s weak for trying to confide anything in others, that him complaining about his victimhood made him weak in the first place, so what does Kokichi do. He retreates into himself, he quiets down about his problems, he tries to solve everything on his own and he fails at doing that because you can’t. You cannot solve all your problems by simply being stronger than them.
Gojo’s students aren’t raised as emotionally healthy individuals, and because of that they also can’t really relate to the emotions of other people, especially the negative one. They are, strong willed individuals yes, strong sorcerers, yes, but they’re not really a team.
I think that’s illustrated in how they all fall apart in Shibuya. All of Gojo’s students basically make the same mistake, they don’t listen to the adults, they charge into battle because “I’m strong enough.”
Nobara, the adults literally all told you not to fight.
Nobara: Nah it’s fine I’m strong.
Look at how Nobara loses. The second she starts fighting with Yuji as a team, she makes a sloppy mistake because she 1) underestimated her opponent and 2) was never taught how to fight in a team.
It’s not just Nobara though it’s every single one of them.
Yuji runs off on his own, fights on his own, and loses to Choso.
Megumi suicide attacks to take down one (1) opponent whose just a regular curse user when he reaches his limit.
This is what they are all taught. They all have to fight on their own, be strong on their own, and if they’re strong enough they’ll win, if they’re not strong enough oh well. The Tokyo Kids genuinely like each other as a team but they’re always running away from each other. They all overestimate themselves and what they’re capable of handling and get in over their heads.
And it does go back to the Kyoto Battle arc, because the Tokyo kids are just as emotionally disturbed as the Kyoto kids, they just are repressed about it. Take Megumi for example, Megumi has been abandoned and neglected all of his life, and Gojo never really offered him any support or healing for that abandonment.
There’s no canon indication that Gojo ever raised Megumi or did anything with him other than provide for housing, and protect him from the Zenin clan on the condition that Megumi STILL BECOME A SORCERER, JUST ONE POLITICALLY ALLIGNED FOR HIM AND NOT THE ZENIN.
He didn’t offer Megumi a chance at a normal life, or even help him grow up as an individual because Gojo’s not interested in these things. Gojo’s help is conditional on the fact that Megumi work hard to pay him back, and reach his full potential as a sorcerer. As a result, Megumi is walking around with completely unaddressed abandonment issues as a result of never having a stable adult in his life, and this goes, completely unnoticed, which leads to him constantly risking his own life, endangering and harming himself. Megumi’s just as unstable as the Kyoto kids, he’s going to do something dangerous someday soon. It’s just Megumi’s been taught from a young age, he has to be the responsible one in his household, and he has to take responsibility for everything on his own by working to become stronger, and look like where that has led him.
Hmm, I wonder why Megumi always feels like it’s his responsibility to sacrifice, what could have possibly led him ot that conclusion? Why does he feel so responsible for the actions of other people around him? It’s a geuine mystery.
However, the Kyoto kids are capable of doing something the Tokyo kids can’t do. They can cry and be weak in front of other people. They can support each other as a group. Not only did they help Miwa at her lowest point, but Yuji would have given up, had Todo not shown up when he did.
Yuji actually wasn’t capable of handling it all on his own. He couldn’t defeat Mahito just by being stronger than him, or having a strong will.
Individualism like Gojo teaches is important, but it’s also incomplete. It’s only half the solution. The Tokyo kids need the camraderie of the Kyoto kids, the same way the Kyoto kids need to learn to take responsibility for themselves.
That’s why the Shibuya arc ends the way it does. The Tokyo kids failing as individuals, and the Kyoto kids coming together as team. However, since both sides only have half the answer, neither side is able to defeat Kamo Sr. totally.
However, Gojo’s mistakes are shown even more clearly after the arc resolves. Gojo doesn’t actually teach people to think for themselves, because he’s raising them up to follow his politics. Now, look at what his students are doing in his absence. Gojo wants to fix the broken world, but Yuji’s conclusion he comes too after suffering is that he doesn’t want to think about fixing the world. He just wants to become another cog in the machine.
What was the greatest mistake the previous generation made?
Geto.
Not only in exposing him to the trauma of Riko dying in front of him.
But also, offering him no support a year afterwards.
Yaga completely neglecting him and failing to see what was going wrong.
Then, when Geto finally did break, sending another student to kill him.
Yaga really can’t understand why this eighteen year old would hestiate to kill this other eighteen year old, that’s been his best and only friend for three years. Why is this child not comfortable with an execution mission? It baffles the mind.
Gojo, by failing to raise his students as emotionally healthy individuals repeats the same mistake.
Yuta and Yuji both don’t really care about the world around them, or politics. They don’t pay attention to those things, they weren’t raised to do that. However, now because of that, because both are willing to become cogs in the machine they’re both letting themselves beused right now.
They refused to think for themselves, so now the elders are manipulating them into a conflict against each other. Yuta because he doesn’t see the situation at large, he only wants to protect his friends. Yuji, because the only way he thinks he has value is by killing curses, he’s just going to keep blindly executing them until Yuta comes to kill him. Gojo’s students are divided specially because of that reason. They’re not together as a group, they’re just a group of particularly strong individuals, and Gojo never even thought that these strong individuals with no particular connection to each other might turn against each other. They might lie to each other. They might keep secrets from each other. They might fail to communicate. Because, Gojo doesn’t really pay attention to complex relaitonships like that. He’s only had his one friend his whole life.
Even though that’s also exactly what happened to his one and only friend, his emotional needs were neglected by the system around him until he completely fell apart. Geto and Gojo’s problem wasn’t that they weren’t “the strongest” when they were together. It’s that they were never “together” again after a certain point.
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Fallout new vegas companions taking the courier's place in lonesome road (+ cut companions if that's cool with u) (thanks!!)
The problem with trying to adapt Lonesome Road to another character's experience is that so much of its story hinges on the courier's missing past and the former Frumentarius' struggle to make them understand what happened, why it caused a shockwave across multiple lives, locations and generations, and whether to avenge or let go of the harm that was unknowingly done to the Divide. So if you bring the companions into the mix instead of Courier Six, you either have a long-running story of mistaken identity (a hilarious concept, Ulysses being absolutely positive that the companion is the one who wrecked his dream home while they have no idea who this angry, verbose man is), or a drastically different history for the companions themselves. I say let's give that second option a shot, it seems fun and headcanon-y.
Arcade Gannon: While I don't think Arcade would be directly responsible for the destruction of the Divide, I think he would pale at hearing Ulysses' message searching for Enclave agents and would set out to confront the angry courier on behalf of his hidden family. The Enclave remnants are already hunted by the NCR and the Brotherhood of Steel, and the last thing they need is to be chased out of yet another home over something they didn't personally do. He'd accept ED-E's help wholeheartedly and consider turning back every time he ran into marked men or tunnelers, but his own resolve to save his loved ones would urge him to persevere. I think his determination would intrigue Ulysses, enough to engage the young research scientist in conversation if he arrived at the end of the road in one piece, and the courier might even let go of his vendetta if Arcade revealed that he was doing this out of the goodness of his heart rather than a sense of duty. Arcade would cancel the nuke launch, but would seriously consider blowing up the Legion.
Craig Boone: We know the NCR and Legion were fighting over the Divide before the ICBMs leveled the area. But what if that was by design, rather than by accident? Maybe Boone has more skeletons in his closet than just Bitter Springs, and he was part of a strike team that used old Enclave technology to surprise the Legion forces and seal off an access route, a decision based on math and made by men who had never met the people of Hopeville and Ashton that they sentenced to death. It's yet another weight on the sniper's conscience, and yet another debt he feels obligated to pay, so when Ulysses' call goes out, he answers. The usual dangers of the Divide wouldn't slow him down, but the turbulent weather would irritate him to no end. Upon arrival at the temple, Boone wouldn't mince words because he already knows he's guilty of the charge and he knows Ulysses used to walk for the Legion. If he survived the encounter, Boone would take the opportunity to rain the same destruction down on Caesar's troops.
Lily Bowen: There are about 119 years of Lily's life as a super mutant that are unaccounted-for, and we know she suffers from schizophrenia like many other nightkin. Perhaps it was Lily who discovered the Enclave package and unwittingly left it in the home of America's missiles: Perhaps it was Leo. I'm inclined to think it was Leo, who was probably searching for a cache of Stealth Boys in the old military installations across the desert, and who simply didn't care when a new hole in the earth opened up behind him. Lily, on the other hand, cares deeply, and would set out after Ulysses in the interest of making amends where she could. More so than any other companion, I think Lily would be disturbed by the tunnelers and would go out of her way to crush them wherever they popped up. The marked men would earn her sympathy and she would do her best to knock them out without killing them. After doing the same to Ulysses, Lily would cancel the launch and weep over the subsequent loss of ED-E. She would likely bring the little eyebot back to the Mojave and search for a way to fix it.
Raul Alfonso Tejada: We already know that Raul goes to extreme lengths to avenge the people he cares about, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to mix his backstory into the story of the Divide. Following the murder of Claudia in Tucson/Two Sun, Raul chased Dirty Dave and his brothers across Arizona and into the town of Ashton before killing them. Unbeknownst to him, Dirty Dave had a package with him that could speak to the nuclear missile silos hidden in the Divide, and the earth crumbled behind the vaquero as he made his way back home. Though he'd heard of the devastation, Raul didn't put two and two together until Ulysses sent out his summons, and because he didn't have anything planned that week, the old mechanic decided to answer the call. He would put up with Ulysses' messages like a good sport until he encountered the man in the temple, where he would refuse to fight until the two talked things out like civil people. I think Ulysses would be surprised at the revelation that the ghoul he had cast as a villain was following his own quest for vengeance and unaware of the package, and would come away somewhat amused by the situation. They would most likely team up to fight off the marked men, and Raul would cancel the launch and take a wrench to the machines to prevent any more "misunderstandings."
Rose of Sharon Cassidy: Let's say one of Cass' caravans delivered a package back in the day. Let's say that package accidentally buried the caravan crew and an entire community along with it. Let's say Cass knows, and that's one of the reasons she drinks. While Courier Six walks the Divide out of curiosity about their missing past, I think Cass would do it as a form of penance in and of itself, with a little desire for self-destruction thrown into the mix. The journey would start out as a bender fueled by self-loathing and the fanciful notion of giving her missing caravan a proper funeral, and by the time Cass runs out of whiskey she's already halfway through the Cave of the Abaddon and punching holes through the tunnelers with her shotgun. She would largely ignore Ulysses' cryptic messages and holotapes, but she'd grow fond of the little eyebot that took a shine to her and would tear after it once the mysterious courier repossessed it. Following the final battle, Cass would cancel the launch, but only at the very last second, just to revel in the fleeting feeling of control.
Veronica Santangelo: I just can't see Veronica knowingly or unknowingly waking up a nuclear arsenal with a careless application of tech, but I can totally see her stumbling upon the aftermath of something her old mentor is responsible for. Father Elijah already has a tenuous grasp on the consequences of his own actions, and we know that the prototype tech that controls the Divide's weather is a Big MT project. Maybe Elijah paid Hopeville a visit to check it out and took his investigation a little too far when he discovered the nukes. This would explain Ulysses' directions to the old man to find the Sierra Madre, sealing his doom inside the casino. But where does that leave Ulysses? Along comes Veronica, following her mentor's trail of destruction, and the courier can't help but guide her along the path, show her the meaning of the wreckage and the danger of pre-war technology when left to the discretion of those with old-world values, like the Brotherhood. Along that line, I think Ulysses would try to test her like he does Courier Six, and would schedule a launch to see what she does. Veronica would cancel the launch and resolve to never tell her brothers and sisters in Steel about the secrets of the Divide. She might dump some water on the consoles for good measure. More importantly, I think she might finally realize that the unchanging family she clings to can only die out, or go down the same path that Elijah did.
ED-E: Given that ED-E is a robot, I think Ulysses would be hell-bent on finding whoever sent the little guy rather than consider that the eyebot saw a package with Enclave markings on it, picked it up of its own accord, and deposited it wherever it next encountered old American symbols. Through its communication with the other eyebots in the Divide, I think ED-E would get the picture about the courier's quest for the responsible party and play dumb for as long as possible. The other ED-E would help conceal the mistake to save its new friend, but Ulysses isn't stupid and would eventually figure it out. But how do you effectively punish a robot? Maybe he would set the nukes to target the Divide again, to send any remaining eyebots to the scrapyard for good, but it's a long shot. If he did, ED-E would cancel the launch, but would join its override system capabilities to its counterpart's and use the combined decryption power to ensure that both eyebots make it through the ordeal unharmed.
Rex: This good boy would never even consider entering the Divide. Seriously, what dog in their right mind would go in there? What cyberdog? No thank you. Still, the idea of a dog being responsible for the nukes and Ulysses continuing to hold a grudge is beyond funny. Maybe Rex was part of a mission for the Legion when he still belonged to Caesar, part of the group that leveled the Divide on behalf of the Bull. Maybe that's why Antony says he was "lost in battle," and maybe he's the only surviving member of that squad. I don't see why Ulysses would hang around the Divide waiting for the dog to look upon the hell he'd wrought, and he would more than likely seek the canine out himself as soon as he heard about the King's new pet. From there, the story turns into Courier Six investigating an assassination attempt on a goddamned dog, and the events of Lonesome Road play out pretty much the same way they were written - plus plenty of asides about how Ulysses is going to way too much effort over a creature that can't comprehend what nukes are.
Benny Gecko: Few people know that Yes Man was actually one of two securitrons that Benny managed to incapacitate and reprogram, and while the head of the Chairmen hid his favorite in the Tops for safekeeping, he sent the other out into the world for some recon and experimentation. Imagine his surprise when Yes Man was able to remotely hack into a nuclear missile silo and wipe out a budding trade community. And who would've thought that test run was going to come back to bite him in the ass, right after he was sprung from the Legion camp? I think Benny would do everything in his power to avoid entering the Divide, but I also think Ulysses would have little patience for him and would actively force the disgraced city boy into walking the Courier's Mile by blocking any other path out of the Mojave. Benny would form an attachment to ED-E, similar to Yes Man, but would complain the whole way and confront his tormenter with little remorse. He would also nuke both the NCR and the Legion if he came away alive, probably with some snarky one-liner about "letting the chips fall where they may."
Vulpes Inculta: Vulpes already has a few scorched-earth badges on his Pioneer Scouts belt (Nipton, Camp Searchlight, etc.), so eliminating the Divide is just another tactic in the grand strategy playing out between the Bull and the Bear. All he needed to do was leave a certain package in town, and the problem basically solved itself. Unfortunately, that deserter of his wasn't buried under the wreckage, and now Caesar has ordered him to assassinate the renegade. The fool keeps announcing his whereabouts every few hours or so, making tracking an easy task, but by the third time he feels eyes on the back of his neck and turns to find nothing there, Vulpes can't help but wonder whether the student has surpassed the teacher. The final showdown of Frumentarii would be something for the ages, a clash of philosophies and loyalties with plenty of verbal sparring between the bullets. If he survived the encounter with Ulysses, Vulpes would definitely nuke the NCR.
Ulysses: This cut companion can't very well face off against himself, can he? Unless... he was the courier who accidentally brought the Enclave detonator that sealed the Divide's doom. Given the weight of this grief, I think Ulysses would similarly force himself to walk the length of the Divide, take in the utter destruction that his own actions had wrought, and reflect on the meaning of one man changing the course of history. When it came down to the final room, the final decision, our disillusioned courier would activate the launch as a way of testing himself, testing his own resolve. Like Cass, he would stare at the machines shuddering to life around him until the very last moment, before shutting the system down for good, smiling under his breathing mask and walking away forever.
Victor: The robot cowboy doesn't really know what the angry man on the eyebot keeps talking about. He certainly doesn't remember delivering a package to a place called Hopeville or Ashton. Why would he? Mr. House is very good about covering his tracks, particularly when it comes to eliminating business rivals. Really, it could have been any old securitron. Nevertheless, Victor rolls merrily along in search of the courier who summoned his master, letting his own optics passively take in the devastated wasteland left behind by bombs that launched 200 years too late. Because of his robotic nature, I think it'd be a lot easier for Ulysses to get the drop on Victor and disable him at the temple, then wait until House sent another envoy or came himself. House would probably lose interest as soon as he got his data, which I don't think would stall Ulysses much: Once he figured out the Strip's owner isn't coming, he'd find some way to get inside the Lucky 38. If, however, Victor prevailed in the final struggle, he would nuke both the NCR and the Legion on behalf of Mr. House.
#lonesome road#fallout#fallout new vegas#fnv#fallout companions react#fallout new vegas companions react#fnv companions react#fallout new vegas companions#fnv companions#arcade gannon#craig boone#lily bowen#raul alfonso tejada#raul tejada#rose of sharon cassidy#cassidy#veronica santangelo#ed-e#rex#benny gecko#vulpes inculta#ulysses#victor#the divide#hopeville#ashton#anon ask
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No Strings to Hold us Down | Takami Keigo
(spoilers for chapter 299 ahead!)
requested by @waffleareniceandfluffy: can I request a hawks x reader where yk how ehe in the car with best jeanist faked his death all that yeah and he says he’s free of his shackles can you do where they’re both free and they discuss his backstory (reader is childhood friend she knows about his abuse) and can you include any other thing chapter 299 with him as like can u make it hella angsty but with a little fluff and definitely a fluff ending.
part two
pairing: takami keigo x fem!reader
w.c: 4.269
warnings: spoilers for ch. 299, some amount of angst (with happy ending), mentions of neglectful parents
a.n: so this took me a hot minute and i’m so sorry you had to wait for so long! it’s also like 4 k words and i don’t know how or when that happened i-... i hope it’s angsty enough and i hope you like it! please enjoy :) <3
The silence hung thickly in the air of the freshly washed car, weighing heavily on you. A glance to the side told you that Keigo was still asleep, head propped up against the window.
He’d fallen asleep as soon as you’d taken off from the hospital, the only sign he was still alive was the even lifting and lowering of his chest.
You knew he was fine, Keigo was the most stubborn person you knew and as long as he hadn’t given up yet, there was nothing that could keep him from going on. Still, there was this little voice at the back of your head, barely an itch, that urged you to make sure just once more, if he was still alive, still breathing, still going.
He’d taken a lot of damage during his battle with Dabi. The villain hadn’t held back, hadn’t even hesitated when he’d burned his wings off, almost ruining the cells in his shoulder blades they were sprouting from beyond fixing, before he had moved on to his face and neck, leaving nasty burn marks behind wherever his hands had reached.
You remembered when you had stormed into his room, ignoring everyone who told you to take care of your own injured first, to take it slow, saying Keigo needed rest now, and you had first laid eyes on his battered form. The bandages covering his body, the absence of his wings, the peaceful look on his burned face as he was still sleeping soundly.
For a moment, a never ending moment, you had thought he was dead. You wouldn’t have known what to do then, when Keigo had actually left you behind, all alone in a big cold world, a world even colder without his silly jokes and genuine smiles. It had been awful, that feeling of dread, heavy and suffocating, that had taken a grip on your throat and squeezed.
Then the beeping of the vital signs monitor had reached your eyes, barely audible through the ringing of your ears and the loud beating of your eyes and you’d been able to breathe again.
Since then you hadn’t left Keigo’s side, even denied Best Jeanists help when he’d suggested to accompany the two of you. He’d wanted to drive, since you were still heavily injured, but you’d denied.
It felt too personal, visiting the house of Keigo’s mother, a woman you’d only met once before but had heard too many stories about, to not be by Keigo’s side when he had to face her after years of separation.
Luckily, Best Jeanist had realized this and instead agreed to meet you back at the hospital later, leaving Keigo and you alone on your ride to your destination.
Out of the corner of your eyes you saw your friend’s body stirring, straightening out of his hunched over position, his eyes blinking open tiredly before he seemed to recognize where he was.
“I’m sorry. I fell asleep,” the robotic voice of the translation app he was using, chimed through the car.
Another reminder of how close Dabi had gotten to him, you thought.
You glanced at him, your eyes falling on the muzzle he was wearing that prevented him from using his voice.
You smiled at him, hands tightening their grip on the steering wheel as you stopped at a red light.
“It’s okay. I’m glad you’re alright.”
You seemed to repeat yourself around him a lot since he’d woken up. “It’s okay.”, “I’m glad you’re alright.”, “How are you feeling?”. At this point you felt like a broken record. If he noticed, Keigo didn’t mention it.
“I’m glad that everything with Best Jeanist went smooth,” the voice chimed back.
You remembered when Keigo told you about it. The plan involved Best Jeanist. Before he’d even asked the man himself about it. He probably hadn’t been allowed, the commission usually forbade any exchange of important information between the two of you, but Keigo never cared.
He had always told you anything, it’s been like that since forever.
The rest of the 40 minute ride was endured in silence. Keigo was looking out of the window, eyes unfocused, and you tried to focus your attention back on the street. The concerned voice was pushed to the back again.
You arrived soon after, parking the car in an empty spot and exiting the vehicle together with Keigo. The mansion at the end of the street caught your eyes immediately and you were once again impressed how much money the commission was willing to spend to keep their little pet obedient.
“Is that it?” you asked, covering your eyes against the blinding winter sun.
“Inside that house,” Keigo assured, passing you without giving you a second glance.
You let out a sigh, sensing his nervousness, maybe even fear to see his mother again. Locking the car, you followed after him, stomach churning with something you could only identify as dread.
When you arrived at the door Keigo rummaged around in his pockets before he pulled out a key card. He hesitated, grip tight around the little piece of plastic, before turning to you and typing a few words into his translation app.
“Before I fully recover and show my face again...you know there is something I need to be sure of.”
Maybe he felt like he had to explain himself, as if you didn’t already know exactly why he came all the way here to see his mom again after he hadn’t even bothered to keep in touch with her the last few years. His eyes were searching your face, hand on the handle and you gave him a soft nod.
“I know,” you replied quietly.
He opened the door wide and you entered the house.
It looked just as spacey and clean as the outside let suspect. The interior was beautifully put together, the furniture was expensive looking and excessive. It looked all very tidy and you knew that the way everything was decorated has probably been the work of interior designers.
Something about the fact that the place reminded you strangely of where Keigo was living stuck with you. His apartment was just as clean, just as nicely decorated by the hands of strangers, just as well put together.
How ironic.
The similarity of it. Mother and son both separated and still connected through the hands of the commission, the organisation the woman sold her son to.
It made you feel sick, no matter how much Keigo acted like it didn’t bother him, it just seemed to anger you twice as much.
How these people working for the Hero Public Safety Commission managed to make it appear all nice and clean from the outside, sweeping all the unpleasant details under the rug. They made Keigo the perfect hero, paid off his mother and ensured their comfort, ensured your comfort to him. Only to have the man in their debt.
The commission loved how close you and Keigo were, if only to use your friendship against you and use it to their advantage. Although it had only been him they had taken in, fixed up and trained for years, you were just as much controlled by them as he was. Due to your friendship.
They didn’t think of you as talented or as perfect as him. Hawks was charming, impressive, loved by the public, the number two hero! You weren’t even in the Top Twenty, your quirk wasn’t as flashy as most of Japan’s Top Heroes’ and you weren’t as loved by the public either.
You were only useful to them when it came to the dirty work, keeping Keigo in line that was (and you hated it hated it hated it), being the one responsible when he had to get punished after a mistake he made because it was on you when you didn’t pay enough attention, wasn’t it?
And only because the two of you had been childhood friends. Because you knew Keigo better than anybody else in this world, even himself. Keigo did have no issue sacrificing himself, burning himself out in the process if that meant he did a good job. You were the one who had to ensure he was at peak performance at all times.
Of course, being the commission, they had also used their sources (you didn’t believe it was Keigo who had told them, he would have never done as much) to uncover your awful past and find out about your family home just to use those things against you. As leverage. As if Keigo’s safety and wellbeing wasn’t motivation enough.
Your past was filled with pain and regrets.
Your mom, who’d left you with your dad after you were born and your dad who’d turned to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain.
The man had neglected everything. His health, his job, his life...you. So it had been your responsibility to keep the both of you afloat. You had started shoplifting when you were merely old enough to tell the difference between left and right. Everything you’d stolen, you’d taken to keep your dad and you alive.
The commission knew about this and liked to use it against you. It didn’t matter that you’d only been a child, old enough to know better for sure but too young to see any other possibilities for your hopeless situation.
You had met Keigo back then, too, when you’d been 7 and he’d been 8, after you had stolen from a small shop and accidentally caused havoc when you were caught and ran away, causing two cars to crash into each other when you’d crossed the street without looking, which forced one of them to swerve the other way so it wouldn’t hit you.
Keigo had found you hiding behind a group of trash cans in an alleyway crying, saying his feathers had tingled and that’s how he knew something had happened in the city. He had wanted you to return what you’ve stolen but when you had told him in tears about your situation and begged him not to tell anyone he had taken pity on you. Making a promise to not snitch on you if you were being more careful.
That’s how you’d become friends.
Although he’d gotten in trouble for leaving his house, beaten and screamed at by his paranoid piece of garbage of a father, who believed he’d tried to rat him out or something...That didn’t stop Keigo from seeing you again.
You would both sneak out in the middle of the night to see each other, meeting in forests and on playgrounds all around the town. He’d share food with you or bring you little things he’d managed to sneak from his dad’s newest gig.
Since that day in the dirty alleyway, Keigo had never stopped taking care of you. The both of you felt connected through your abusive fathers and (in Keigo's case emotionally) absent mothers. You both had scars you'd rather hide with everyone but never each other and you both felt lost, unable to be yourself in a home you didn't belong in.
You had realized, even at your young age, that you could never let him leave because you’d never find a person like him ever again.
So when the commission got involved, when they took him away, isolated him from his old environment, which involved you as well, your heart broke.
Although Keigo, sweet caring Keigo (who now had to go by Hawks. Commission’s orders.) still never entirely left you. He’d asked the commission for one more favor beside taking care of his mother and him. They had to ensure your safety, get you away from your father and into a better household.
You were the very first person he’s saved and although he tried to downplay it you knew he was proud of the fact that it held him together on days he didn’t feel much like a hero.
These days, it was rather often...
The house remained silent, the calls of the robotic voice for Keigo’s mother echoing through the big room.
No answer followed.
You looked around the room, noticing that what you had called clean before was really just the absence of everything that was supposed to tell someone that this mansion was inhabited. No dirty dishes, no books or newspapers lying around, not even a glass of water on the sink.
“Do you think she left overnight?” you asked, strolling around.
Keigo didn’t answer your question so you turned around to see him standing with his back to you, something clutched into his hand. Curious of what he had found you stepped up from behind him to look over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of what looked like a letter addressed to Keigo.
From his mother.
“Did Dabi use people for this...? How did he even get this far...?”
You hummed softly, reaching up to grasp his shoulder tightly. Keigo had already suspected that it must have been his mother to tell Dabi or people Dabi sent about his real name and family background. Still you knew there was a little part of him that had hoped this not to be true.
Now, though, with the letter that his mom left behind in her abandoned home, there was no doubt about it.
His shoulders sacked and his body hunched over as he let out a deep sigh, barely audible through the muzzle.
“Guess it really was my mother that leaked it then,” for some reason even the robotic voice sounded heartbroken about the fact.
You reached up to card your fingers through the hair at the back of his head, or rather the part that wasn’t covered by bandages.
“I’m sorry, Kei,” you mumbled lowly.
He leaned into your touch and let out another deep sigh, the tiredness that had been edged into his features ever since he had woken up in the hospital bed seemed even more prominent now under the cold lights of the living room.
“When the name “Takami” had been taken from me, the relationship between my mother and i had finally disappeared. I had always thought i was fine with that,” he explained, the robotic voice breaking the silence again.
“What i thought of as being saved was just me turning my back on everything. Even on you, y/n.”
You looked up in surprise at his words, staring at the back of his bandaged head with furrowed brows.
“You’ve never turned your back on me, Keigo,” you assured him, giving his shoulder another squeeze.
How he could even think that he’d ever done as much was beyond confusing to you.
Keigo reached to put his hand on your hand, the skin warm against yours and the touch comforting. He tightened his grip ever so slightly.
“Yes I did,” the speech assistant continued, “After we’ve met again a few years back, I’ve run from you, kept my distance, because you represented what i wanted to be but couldn’t.”
After we met again a few years back.
You’d seen him in the news one day, when you were still training in hero school, and recognized him immediately as your childhood friend, even after all the years you’d been separated.
The huge red wings were a distinct tell.
You had run out of the Starbucks, leaving behind your freshly ordered drink to where you’d heard the incident had occurred. Out of breath and disheveled from all the running you’d gotten there just in time to reunite with Keigo for the first time in years.
Since then you’d never left him out of your sight again, too scared you’d end up losing him again.
Hearing Keigo say that he’d tried the complete opposite, keeping a distance to you because of what you’d represented, something he wanted to be but couldn’t...what did that even mean?
“A guy who helps people...”
Your hand felt cold when Keigo dropped his own again, letting it hang off to his side.
“That’s the only thing that’s returned. Actually it’s refreshing,” he continued.
The air around you felt heavy, suffocating, just like earlier in the car, just like when you’d stepped into his hospital room. Although now the reason for it was a completely different one.
“What do you mean?” you asked quietly, your voice barely a whisper.
“The commission is currently at a stand still, y/n, in total dysfunction.”
You swallowed thickly at the reminder. The commission, the one thing haunting the both of you whenever you were with each other, the organization holding Keigo in an iron clasp and ensuring his obedience with your help...since the Jaku Hospital Raid, since Dabi exposed Endeavor and Hawks, the number 1 and number 2 heroes of Japan, they’d been silent.
Scarily so.
“There is no one to give me orders anymore. And they won’t be able to control you anymore either. I won’t let them.”
You took a step back away from the man when you noticed how violently he smashed the screen, his shoulders tense and the recovering wings under his jacket bulking.
“Keigo...” you tried weakly.
“They won’t get to abuse your kindness anymore, have you chained to me..”
You didn’t have to see the look in his face to know what emotion was displayed on it, neither did you have to hear his voice.
Your heart dropped at the words, at the bitterness he so desperately wanted to put into them but couldn’t because of his injured throat.
“Keigo,” you repeated, this time with more insistence.
“I know why you did it. You wanted to return the favor. I saved you, you save me,” the electronic voice sounded awfully smug all out of the sudden.
Your stomach twisted, a horrible hot sensation built in your chest and you had to clench your jaw to stop yourself from saying the first thing to come to mind.
Which would have been an insult.
You clenched your fists, pinned them to your side as you stared at Keigo’s back, your face twisted into an ugly expression.
“No, fuck that,” you spit, “how dare you?”
His face came into view when he turned half to look at you over his shoulder, eyebrows lifted in surprise at your outbreak.
You snarled, unable to contain the hurt as tears started to build behind your eyes.
You’d always been an emotional crier and you really hated it.
“It’s not about a favor. Don’t say shit like that.”
Hawks cocked his head, eyeing you for a moment before he fully turned towards you. His posture was more relaxed than before but there was a question behind his eyes.
He lowered his glance only to type in the next words...
“What? You care about me so much, sweetheart?”
You scoffed, wiping at your eyes in frustration.
“You know i do, stupid bird brain,” you said, still angry.
How could he even believe for a second that you endured the commission’s whining and yammering out of guilt. How could he not know how much you cared for him after all the years you’d been by his side now, after all the times you’d been there for him.
Keigo grasped your wrist, stopping your frantic wiping to push them away and make place for his own hands, thumbs softly brushing the wetness from your cheeks.
He found your eyes, his own wrinkling at the edges.
“No chains left,” the phone chimed.
You watched in anticipation as Keigo reached behind him, hands moving to his neck, and removed loosened the clasp, pulling the muzzle off.
Now you could see the smile, too.
“To shackle us down,” he told you with a hoarse voice.
“Kei,” you scolded him, looking down at the muzzle between his fingers.
You took a step towards him, closing the distance between you. Then you reached forward to gently run your fingers down his throat. The fabric of the bandages was rough against your fingers.
Hopefully he hadn’t started talking too soon.
“Y/n.”
You looked up at him and caught his eyes that were staring down at you with a determination you’d seen directed at you so often before, but couldn’t deny they had still the same effect on you as if it were the first time. Making your head all dizzy, that was.
“When we’re driven into corners, we find liberation. That’s when a true person’s nature rears its head. That’s why Bubaigawara was such a great guy,” he explained, gripping your wandering fingers into his hand, holding them close.
“At heart, he was desperate to be a help to others. I also want to be like that.”
You smiled up at him, squeezing his skin between yours.
“You’re already like that, Kei. You’ve always taken care of me, haven’t you?” you teased, hoping to ease the tension between the two of you a little.
“I think it was more the other way around, y/n.”
“I don’t-“
“Without you...i would have never known what it is like to have someone care for you. To have someone by your side no matter what. To understand...i think i would have never understood what it meant to love.”
You froze, staring up at Keigo with wide eyes. He tightened his grip around your hand, feeling that you wanted to draw back, instead keeping you close, thumb softly stroking the back of your hand as a way of calming you down.
“I think i love my mother, but that’s more out of obligation than anything,” he explained, searching your eyes but you couldn’t tell what he was looking for, “I never feel like i have to be anything than me when i’m with you. Nothing about being with you feels forced, or like it’s an obligation. It’s just...us.”
The room was spinning suddenly as you felt something cold wash over you. Your chest tightened, your heart daring jump out with every harsh beat against your ribcage.
He couldn’t be saying what he was saying...right?
He didn’t mean that. He couldn’t mean that.
“Keigo...are you saying you love me? As in...in love with me?” you wanted to laugh, just a little, to lighten the mood, but it got stuck in your throat on its way out.
Unlike you the man in front of you looked calm, not at all deterred by your panicked state.
“Yeah, I do. I think I have for a while now, but i didn’t fully realize until recently.”
Still gripping your hand in his left one he raised the other to your face, gently cupping your cheek. You leaned into the touch instinctively.
A faint smile tugged at his lips at your action.
“It’s alright if you don’t return my feelings, but I think you do.”
You frowned in thought.
You’ve never thought of the man in front of you as anything else than just Keigo, the kind hearted boy whom you met in a dirty alleyway, the one that brought a little girl food and presents every now and then. The teenager who wrote letters once in a while to keep you up-to-date. The man who you spend your free days with, eating chicken and watching movies.
You meant it when you’d said you wouldn’t leave his side, not if you had any say in the matter. Now, you weren’t entirely sure what you meant with that.
Stay with him? Forever?
Maybe Keigo was right.
He was always able to read you better than anybody else, just like you were the one to know him best as well. That’s also why he noticed your inner turmoil just by looking at your screwed up face.
“May i kiss you?”
Your breath hitched, warmth spreading through your chest as your heart fluttered in your ribcage.
“Yeah.”
His lips were warm against yours, the touch soft and delicate. Like he was testing the waters, giving you the opportunity to pull away if you wanted to.
The feeling was foreign to you. You had kissed other people before, quick pecks, sloppy kisses, passionate making out...But this, this felt different to all of them.
He kissed you gently, carefully, holding you with a delicacy you weren’t used to.
Your heart pounded in your chest as your knees suddenly grew weak, hand reaching out to curl around the back of Keigo’s head, urging him even closer.
He pulled you in, accepting the closeness happily as he deepened the kiss. The taste of toothpaste invaded your mouth.
Your mind went blank, the only coherent thought you were able to grasp was that you were making out with Keigo...in his mom’s house.
How ironic.
Your lips tingled when the two of you parted again, the aftertaste of peppermint lingering on your tongue. The warmth in your chest had spread to your face and you weren’t sure if you were blushing out of embarrassment or glowing because wow...that was something.
Keigo was staring down at you with an undefinable look in his eyes, but he looked happy, content like this and it made something in your chest flutter softly.
You did that.
“I-“ you started but the wide grin spreading on your face against your will, growing despite your attempts to suppress it with a bite to your tongue, made your voice die with a squeak.
The man chuckled, the outline of his wings moving under the fabric of his jacket and the thought of Keigo ruffling his wings joyfully in response to your obvious happiness...you wanted to kiss him silly.
“I think i love you, too, Keigo.”
He might have been the happiest bird man in the whole entire world when you said those words and for a moment...just one small moment, you really felt like the two of you could be free.
Taglist: @crystal-lilac
#bnha spoilers#bnha#mha#bnha manga spoilers#bnha 299#keigo takami oneshot#keigo takami x reader#keigo takami fluff#keigo takami angst#takami keigo#bnha oneshots#bnha fluff#bnha x reader#mha oneshot#mha fluff#bnha angst#hawks oneshot#hawks x reader#hawks fluff#hawks angst
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raya and the ugliest fucking dragon i've ever seen holy fuck who the hell thought to give a dragon fuckiNG EYEBROWS WHY WHY—
aka the musings of a filo non-binary bisexual who feels victimized by the dragon designs of this fucking movie supposedly centred around THE LAST DRAGON???? MAYBE THEY SHOULD HAVE STAYED STONE GDI WHAT THE FUCK SERIOUSLY WHY DO THE DRAGONS LOOK LIKE THAT
let's get one thing straight.
none of the characters in this movie. rest assured. not a single straight person was in this movie. trust me.
raya and the last dragon had all the foundations of a good movie
IT COULD HAVE BEEN SO GREAT
BUT IT WASNT
AND HERE'S WHY
(in my humble opinion okay pls dont come for me)
a disney movie with sea culture at its heart and soul, i was so hyped to finally watch this movie
(not as hyped as i could have been tho bc let's be honest DISNEY DID SHIT WITH RAYA'S MARKETING)
(AND PERHAPS FOR GOOD REASON LOL I SWEAR I DONT HATE THIS MOVIE OKAY)
you had the amazing score, the amazing concepts for plot and characters, the solid solid worldbuilding???
if you just told me about how raya's setting and premise, i'd probably be "wow this movie sound like the whole package"
and then i'll actually watch the movie and have just as much trust issue as raya did :/
but i digress
A DISNEY MOVIE WITH SEA CULTURE AT ITS HEART AND SOUL
do you know how diverse sea culture is??? VERY
and one thing i was very happy to see was how raya handled it
it was by no means perfect but
the subtle shows of culture in the way the characters acted, and the environment of the movie was just CHEF'S KISS
not only that but the ideas the movie had in terms of its world and the people in it felt genuine, it felt alive
a dragon that isn't the typical fire-breathing lizard
characters who look like they could easily be my neighbours or children i've played with
instead of pandering to this movie felt like an actual homage to sea cultures
and for good reason bc seeing all those familiar names rolling in the credits had me feeling some type of way :")
also that fucking soundtrack gave me chills throughout my watch of the movie
okay now that we've got the things i actually like about the movie, let's talk about what i don't like
if there's one word i could use to describe disney's raya it would be: rushed
like i said in the beginning, all the groundwork for an astounding disney movie were already there
but all of it just goes to waste bc the plot and it's characters feel so Unfinished
the movie felt like a bullet-point presentation of the story
WHICH IS SO FUCKING DISAPPOINTING BC THE CHARACTERS SEEMED SO INTERESTING but all we got were shadows of what they could have been
cardboard cutouts of the archetypes they filled
i'm not asking for a bottomless well of depth, but i at least wanted more for the cast than just: angry misunderstood princess, angry misunderstood princess with an undercut, that one dancing kid from moana but with more spice, boss baby, and the mountain
and i get that they had to sacrifice some of their depth to keep the run time of the movie short but you have got to be better than this disney
i hate to compare but it felt like this movie tried to go beyond what moana gave us, and shot so far that it ended up back to where it started, and then stumbled back a few steps
AND IM NOT EVEN SAYING A DRAGON MOVIE WITH A BIG CAST IS IMPOSSIBLE
BC IT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON DID IT THREE TIMES
and you'd think the plot for one of the few disney movies with a non-western setting would have more than just a macguffin considering how batshit sea folk tales can be
but you'd think wrong folks.
GENUINELY IT FELT LIKE THEY WERE ATTEMPTING SOMETHING BUT WERE SHORT OF BRINGING IT TO FRUITION
sure moana had a macguffin too with the heart of te fiti, but the heart itself wasn't the heart of the movie
it was the journey of moana and maui
it was that BEAUTIFUL TWIST WITH TE KA AND TE FITI
ALL DELIVERED WITH A NATURAL FINESSE THAT HAD YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT
YOU WERE ALONG FOR THE RIDE OF THE STORY INSTEAD OF QUESTIONING EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON LIKE I WAS
maybe this was just me but like, i felt so bad for the friend who watched this movie with me bc all i could go on and on was how the plot felt like it was getting in the way of itself
why didn't the different kingdoms (??) kept the gem in rotation or smth, when did they decide that heart would keep it and then get mad at heart for keeping it????
why didn't awkwafina dragon just show herself to the kingdoms bc everyone seems to be in agreement that dragons good right? that they would be the key to getting rid of the druun right??? SO THEY'D ALL AT LEAST HEAR HER OUT OR SMTH RIGHT????????
and yes raya has trust issues but it seems to only spring up at the most convenient times plot-wise, we didn't really see her learn to trust other people again OTHER THAN THE TIMES WHERE SISU WOULD HAMFISTEDLY SHOVE IT DOWN OUR THROATS THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE GOOD SOMETIMES RAYA
we see it with boun, but then she just trusts noi, her monkeys, and tong THE GUY WHO STRUNG THEM UP AND WAS THREATENING TO TORTURE THEM????????
i'm gonna be honest and say that if it weren't for namaari i'd have absconded the moment sisu came on screen
as far as i'm considered the actual plot of the movie is just the entire sword fight scene between her and raya
and finally
we get to the part i will be erasing from my brain for my own mental well-being
WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT DRAGON DESIGN
WHY OH WHY TH E FUCK DOES SISU SOUND AND LOOK LIKE THAT
my friend said they looked like the ponies from mlp in 3d AND NOW I CAN NEVER UNSEE IT
THEY HAVE EYEBROWS THEY HAVE HUMAN FACES
HUMAN FACES ON MAJESTIC DRAGON BODIES
THE INTERNET HAS COLLECTIVELY DECIDED THAT SISU IS BASICALLY FURRY ELSA
every time we got a sisu close up i lost 5 years to my life
disney i am suing for damages
if you want me to drop the charges i demand raya 2: electric boogaloo but it’s just raya and namaari enemies to friends to lovers ark
and also for them to never say dragon nerds ever again
AGAIN. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON GAVE US BEAUTIFUL DRAGON DESIGNS. HELL IF YOU WANTED MORE EASTERN LOOKING DRAGONS FUCKING SPIRITED AWAY??? HAKU??????????
AND YKNOW WHAT. SISU WOULDN'T EVEN LOOK THAT HORRIFIC IF THE MOVIE WAS IN 2D
im not the first person to be side-eying disney's decision to keep pumping out these 3d movies but like.
no amount of added dimensions could ever make that dragon design okay
and there so many more points i could go off on to show how this movie was rushed
how the other dragons, and even sisu's siblings whom she had been missing for the entire movie DIDNT MAKE A SINGLE SOUND???? NOT EVEN A FUCKING GROWL DISNEY???? DID YOU EVEN TRY WITH THE DRAGONS AT ALL??? THE SUPPOSED CENTRE OF THIS MOVIE'S PLOT?????????
HOW THE CHIEFS OF THE OTHER KINGDOMS WERE BASICALLY PLOT DEVICES????
THAT ONE CHIEF'S SKELETON WAS MORE INTERESTING THAN ANY OF THEM COMBINED ALIVE
kudos to that one granny chief though
u can never have enough bad ass old ladies
AND GOD THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS JUST FELT SO FORCED
ALONG WITH WHATEVER LESSON SISU WANTED TO IMPART ABOUT TRUST
LOVE THESE CHARACTERS THEY ARE FUNNY THEY ARE FRIENDS FOUND FAMILY
TRUST PEOPLE IF U WANT THEM TO TRUST U
TRUST PEOPLE OR ILL LITERALLY FUCKING KILL U
children aren't stupid disney. if you tell your story well enough, they'll pick up on the messages you want to give them. YOU DONT HAVE TO THRUST EVERYTHING IN OUR FACES
i was exhausted by the time i finished this movie
bc i really wanted to love it. i wanted to feel more for it than just: well, it's a movie :)
i dont hate this movie though like it's not even worth the energy for that
i think that ultimately, despite all my issues with it, this movie was a step in the right direction when it comes to having non-western stories being told by non-western people in big name productions
i'm glad raya and the last dragon exists
i just can't help but be dissapointed though bc this movie put so much effort into putting my people and culture at its forefront but at what cost???
good characters and story for a good setting and design????
does it have to be one or the other?????
DOES THE DRAGON HAVE TO HAVE EYEBROWS??????
#disney#raya and the last dragon#raya#namaari#rayaari#ratld#♡ ☆#posted this without ranting in the tags#i jsut have so many feelings abt this movie okay like gosh#THATS WHY I WANTE D IT TO MAKE ME LOSE IT#AND I DID JUST NOT IN THE WAY I WANTED TO#FUCK YOU SISU
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