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avatar-anna · 2 years

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Better Off

(Part 2)

summary: Harry and Y/n are parents at a private school, and they do NOT like each other

words: 9-10k

Series Masterlist

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February

“Y/n!”

I was walking back to my car with Maddison after school when I heard my name being called. Hoping that there was another person with my name walking around nearby, I kept going to my car. Maddie had ballet class today and she didn’t like to be late.

“Y/n! Y/n Y/l/n!”

Looks like they were calling me. I turned around to find a blonde woman who looked to be in her early forties walking with purpose in my and Maddison’s direction. Leaning down to Maddie, I whispered in her ear. “Do we know this woman?”

“That’s Delaney’s mom. At the Christmas concert, you said her highlights looked as fake as her—”

“Okay, thank you my little parrot. I remember her now,” I said hurriedly, putting my hand over my daughter’s mouth. Good timing too because Delaney’s mother finally reached us.

“Goodness, you walk fast,” she breathed, laughing lightly at her own joke.

I gave her a weak smile. “Well, you know, people to see, places to go and all that.”

“Right, right. I won’t keep you long,” Delaney’s mom said. I really needed to be better with names. “So, as you know, I’m our classroom’s Room Mom.”

I did not know that. “Right! Of course. You’re Delaney’s mom, right?”

She seemed a little put off that I didn’t know her by name, but I didn’t spend a lot of time around the school outside of picking up and dropping Maddison off. She recovered quickly, though, and her smile returned to her face with ease. “Yes, I’m Molly. I actually came to talk to you about your participation and involvement in our school’s activities.”

Participation and involvement in our school’s activities? I went to school already, now it was my kid’s turn. Why would I have to participate? But I knew that answer wouldn’t fly with the likes of Molly, so I smiled and apologized.

“Sorry about that. I just have the craziest work hours.” True. “I keep looking for opportunities, but I’m always working on a case.” Half true. I was typically always on a case, but that didn’t mean I was looking for opportunities to help out around school.

“Yes well, you see, all of our parents are required to help out with at least one school sanctioned event each year, and somehow you managed to avoid doing so last year.” As she said the last part, she gave me a pointed glance. “I’ve been working on rounding up you and a couple of other parents from our homeroom who still haven’t signed up to volunteer.”

What kind of school was this? “Oh. Well, If you just send me an email or something, I’m sure we can work something out.”

I had no intention of participating in any school sanctioned events, but I found it easier to rebuff someone over email than in person. But it seemed Molly saw right through me.

“Oh, but we’re right here aren’t we? And I have the perfect opportunity for you. It can be a bonding experience for you and your daughter.”

And that’s how I got roped into working a bake sale at a Valentine’s Day carnival.

I didn’t even know why the first grade parents were in charge of the Valentine’s Day event. My kid was six. She wasn’t the targeted demographic for this holiday. I tried to voice my opinion to Molly, who had been on my ass all week to ensure that I actually showed up today, but she wasn’t having it. So here I was, in the school’s gymnasium on a Friday afternoon, which I had to take off work for, selling all sorts of baked goods to students and parents alike.

I was told there was supposed to be one other parent helping me, but they hadn’t shown up yet, which was making me mad. If I had to be here, then so did this other person. Slipping the little flask I’d brought with me out of my purse, I ducked behind the table and took a sip. I wasn’t typically a day drinker, but I’d already had to put up with parents complaining about the prices of the baked goods on the table before me, and I was not going to go through this by myself. Jose Cuervo was here to keep me company.

“I’m no expert on elementary school rules, but I’m pretty sure drinking on campus isn’t allowed.”

I froze, my hands stilling as they twisted the cap back on. Of all the people to help with the bake sale today, it had to be him. I was bad with names, but I unfortunately had no issue remembering his. I had said it numerous times on Halloween, after all. As much as I wanted to forget that night, my mind circled back to it more than I cared to admit.

After a full day of nursing my hangover, my night with Harry slowly came back to me. I finished the drink he offered to pay for, but when it was done, I surprised the both of us by telling him to stay. The drinks I’d consumed before I saw him had loosened me up a little, and I was less inclined to smack him, which apparently also meant I wanted his company at the bar. Sadie, Harry, and I talked for hours, laughing and drinking like we were college students and not adults with actual responsibilities.

And of course, because I became a total flirt when I had a couple drinks, my hand started to land on Harry’s arm, I gave him looks that were a little more than friendly, spurred on by the fact that he seemed pleased by my actions. Eventually, I stood up and declared that I wanted to dance. Sadie, who knew exactly where I was headed with that declaration, feigned tiredness and claimed she had to be up early the next morning. Harry didn’t even question it, standing up with me and waving to the bartender to close out his tab before moving to the dance floor in the next room over. While he did that, I quickly thanked Sadie and told her she was right. “I do need to let loose a little,” I’d said, hugging her as she collected her things.

“You absolutely do. Just be safe, alright? No buns in the oven a couple of weeks from now,” she’d replied, and after I assured her that my night with Harry would end after some dancing and possibly sucking him off in the bathroom, she was off.

Despite my promise to Sadie, and myself, really, I went home with Harry without question. He had been almost as intoxicating as the alcohol I’d consumed that night, so when he called an Uber for the both of us to bring us back to his place, I was all for it.

We’d hardly made it into the entryway of his house before we were all over each other. The second he turned to face me after locking the front door, I was on him, kissing him feverishly and like my life depended on it. The noises he made as I kissed his neck and jaw, as I gripped him through the sparkly fabric of his costume, only spurred me on, made me feel on top of the world.

“This doesn’t change anything,” I’d panted, helping him out of his costume. “I still hate you.”

“Yeah? You hate me? Is that why you’re about to get on your knees for me?” he replied. His smirk was so cocky and yet so alluring. It made me want to smack it right off of him and let him do whatever he damn pleased with me.

And the way he spoke to me had grated on my nerves in the best way, too. At home and at work, I was in charge and there weren’t very many people that I answered to. I took pride in my power, in being confident, in having a commanding presence when I needed it. And yet Harry’s words lit a fire inside of me just as much as pissing off stuffy old lawyers who underestimated me did. And by the way his smile grew, he knew it too. I knew then before we’d even really done anything that I was in for it, that the man in front of me, who I had loathed for months now, was going to ruin me, and I didn’t even care. As long as it was one night, I didn’t see the harm.

So for the last four months now, I’d been avoiding him like the plague. It was actually easier than I thought, seeing as I rarely saw him picking up or dropping off his son, which was fine by me. I never breathed a word of what happened on Halloween to anyone except Sadie, who got an earful from me when I made her tell me what the hell she was thinking for leaving me alone with Harry that night.

“I was thinking you needed to get laid and he’s hot,” she said, like that was all she needed to say.

“Sadie, you know I don’t like him, why on earth would I ever—”

“You actually liked him quite a bit last night.” Her smug grin made me blush. I knew I had a habit of flirting after having a few drinks, but I’ve always been able to control myself. What the hell was in those margaritas? “And, not that you’ll like, care or anything, but he’s actually quite nice.”

I opened my mouth to tell her about his shitty attitude in Principal Stevens’ office and every interaction I’d had with him afterwards, but she beat me to it. “I know, I know, he was an ass. That’s why I never said anything. But I didn’t see any harm in him taking you home. Sex with someone you hate can be really hot.”

And boy was it ever. By the time I woke up (again) in my own bed that morning after Halloween, everything had come back to me. Just thinking about that night made me blush—the things he did, the things I did, every dirty little comment he whispered in my ear. How the hell was I supposed to get through a whole afternoon with him when just looking at him caused flashes of our night together to flood my mind?

“Yeah, well, when you want a sip after dealing with these parents, don’t come crying to me,” I told Harry, doing my best to pretend that nothing had ever happened between us.

Despite how much I might have wanted to stay hiding underneath the bake sale table, I knew I couldn’t. I stood up and turned around to face him.

He looked good, like really good. He was dressed casually in another pair of jeans and a cardigan, but this one was a patchwork of colors and patterns. I looked down at what I was wearing, a pair of jeans and a hoodie I’d had since college, and my birks over socks with little pink hearts on them. I might have been a little underdressed for this stupid thing, but I didn’t want to be here, and I didn’t really care that parents and school staff were giving me disapproving looks, or if a few people asked if I was enjoying my time in college.

When my eyes flicked back to the man in front of me, I could tell he wanted to say something about Halloween, I could see it in his eyes. But I was going to pretend like it didn’t happen until I was blue in the face, so I spoke before he got the chance.

“So, those are fifty cents, those seventy-five, those a dollar, and those a buck fifty. Easy enough to remember. The cash box doesn’t like to open, but if you just kind of, like, pound the top of it with your fist, it gives a little.”

Harry was grinning, but I couldn’t understand why. I certainly had no desire to be here. The only thing keeping me going at this point was that Maddie and I were going to have a girls night tonight. She was around here somewhere with my brother Javi, playing games and winning prizes while I worked the bake sale table, which was not very popular, if sales were anything to go by.

It was silent for a few minutes while a kid who looked about ten came up to the table, stared at the table, and walked away from it without buying anything. Afterwards, Harry blew out a low whistle.

“This sucks,” he stated.

He was preaching to the choir. “Try actually being here on time.”

“Sorry about that,” Harry said, and he sounded genuine. “I got a call that couldn’t wait as I was leaving my house. Would’ve rather been here, believe me.”

I considered his words, and found them to be true. While I tried to be on time to everything, I knew that life got in the way. Lord knows I’d had Sadie take Maddison home on a few occasions because I was held up at work. “It’s fine, I guess,” I said, a little snark in my tone to let him know that it didn’t actually bother me that he was late.

More silence, which was fine with me. Because if we weren’t speaking, there was less of a chance he’d bring up anything that had happened between us four months ago.

For the next hour or so, Harry and I switched off helping out the few people who walked up to our table. He seemed to know most of them, and I half-listened as he talked about one thing or another with a parent. I also didn’t miss the way that the longer Harry had been here, the more people started to come up to our table, the more women started coming up to our table. It was a little creepy how they batted their eyelashes and laughed at the things he said that weren’t funny, but part of me begrudgingly admired the way some of them shamelessly flirted with him.

When the last one walked away with a little wave over her shoulder, I reached into my purse and pulled out my flask to give to him. “Here. You earned it.”

“Thanks,” he said, surprising me by how easily he took it from my hands to take a swig.

He passed it back, and I took a small sip myself before screwing the cap back on and stashing it back in my purse. “Now I know why Molly had you on bake sale duty. You’re great for sales.”

Harry chuckled lightly. “She’s quite persistent, isn’t she?”

I nodded in agreement and grabbed one of the brownies off the table. Tearing off a piece, I popped it in my mouth, only to grab a napkin and spit it right back out. “Holy shit, that was awful! Who made that?”

“Um, I think I did, actually,” Harry said, his voice sheepish. Giving him a funny look, he continued. “My ex, Devon’s mother. She said she’d take care of it.”

“Well, she sucks at baking,” I told him, tossing the wadded up napkin in the trash. “She should’ve done us all a favor and bought something from the store.”

Once again, Harry took me by surprise by throwing his head back and laughing. It was a cute laugh, I thought, but I quickly shook it away.

“Well, then, what did you make?” he asked when he sobered up.

“Those,” I said, pointing to frosted sugar cookies cut into the shape of hearts. “I wanted to do anatomically correct hearts, but Maddie said it would scare the children.”

“She might’ve been onto something,” Harry agreed.

“Yes, well, she’s the smart one in our mother-daughter duo. I just drive her from place to place.”

It was quiet between us again as more women walked up to our table, and I sat back and let Harry handle the housewives, seeing as they were there for him and not the baked goods. I was pretty sure some of them were even here before. Like I said, shameless. When they all flocked away again, I fished out the flask.

“Hold onto it. Something tells me they’ll be back,” I said while he took a couple more sips.

“Are you trying to get me drunk?” Harry asked. Then, getting close enough so that only I could hear him, he whispered in my ear. “Because you don’t need to do that if you’re trying to get me to take you home again.”

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head, panic and excitement warring inside me. He had no business having a voice that low or gravelly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, trying to feign cluelessness, but my voice was a little higher pitched than usual.

“I think you do,” Harry sing-songed. “And I think you enjoyed it as much as I did.”

I gulped, hating the way his voice alone was having an effect on me. Where were the housewives when I needed them? I chanced a look at his face, and we were practically nose to nose. He grinned, and that infuriatingly cute dimple indented his cheek.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” I blurted, standing up from the stool behind our table. I didn’t even have to go, but I needed to get away from Harry. He was entirely too charming, his smile a little too smug. I hated him. Hated him. I repeated this over and over and over again as I walked around looking for a restroom. Finding one, I slipped inside and leaned my hands against one of the sinks.

“Pull it together, Y/n,” I said, scolding my reflection. “He’s a cocky asshole with a nightmare son. That’s all.”

I turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on my face, hoping that the thoughts of kissing Harry again that had popped up again would go away. Just as I was drying my face with a couple paper towels, the bathroom door quickly opened and shut, and I heard the lock click before I saw Harry through the reflection in the mirror.

“What are you doing in here?” I hissed, my eyes widening as he closed the space between us.

“I thought—Well, I thought…”

“Well you thought wrong!” I whisper-shouted. “We are at our kids’ elementary school, there are children and parents everywhere, and I…hate you,” I finished lamely.

Harry had looked sheepish until that point. That cocky grin of his that I was regrettably familiar with taking over his face. “You hate me? I feel like I’ve heard that before,” he said, his nose pressing against my cheek as he pressed a tiny kiss to my jaw.

He was referring to that night. Halloween. I kept saying that I hated him, but it only seemed to spur him on. I would never admit it to Sadie, but she was right. Sex with someone you hated was thrilling, to say the least.

But he was using his gravelly voice again, the one that both grated on my nerves and sent chills down my spine. Not trusting my voice, I just nodded.

Harry didn’t seem to be swayed by the fact that I nodded. In fact, it only seemed to spur him on, and I hated how thrilled I was by that fact. He stepped closer until there was only an inch between us. “Then I’m very lucky to be hated by you.”

He leaned in so that his lips brushed right up against my ear, and I had to fight off the shiver that was desperately trying to wrack through me. “You wanna know why?”

I gulped again, unable to help my head from bobbing up and down. I felt his hands reach up to my waist and under my hoodie, his thumbs caressing small circles into my skin. My breath hitched in my throat as he spoke again.

“I’ve never been fucked so good in my life. So thank you for hating me.”

His words made me lose all my resolve. Threading my hands through his hair, I brought his lips to mine. It was rushed and hungry, nothing but tongue and teeth as Harry nipped and tugged at my bottom lip.

I absolutely despised how much I enjoyed it, but his lips were too soft, his hands a little too familiar with my body. My eyes fluttered shut as he moved down to my jaw, then the spot just below my ear. Unable to help myself, I gripped his hair harder, and he moaned against my skin. He actually moaned.

His hands reached higher and came dangerously close to my bra when I started to come to my senses again. We were in an elementary school bathroom, for God’s sake. Fuck, my daughter was around here somewhere.

“Harry,” I tried to say, but it sounded breathless.

I felt him grin against my neck. “Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Harry, we—fuck—we have to stop.”

He stayed where he was, his tongue soothing over where his teeth were and his hands splayed against my ribcage for a couple more seconds, but he eventually pulled away. Both of us were panting, lips swollen and red. I cleared my throat, feeling awkward all of a sudden now that we’d stopped.

“I’m, um, I’m gonna go before Molly kills one of us. Probably me,” I said, not making eye contact with him once. Quickly brushing past him, I reached for the door.

Harry had the common sense to wait a few minutes before returning back to the table. While I was alone at the bake sale, I pulled my hair out of my ponytail and combed through it the best I could with my fingers, trying to cover up the mark I knew was now on my neck.

I was not this person. The kind of person who made out in gymnasium bathrooms at a Valentine’s Day carnival for school children. Maybe that’s what it is, I thought. I’m feeling subconsciously lonely because it’s Valentine’s Day. Whatever the case, it needed to end. I needed to go back to ignoring Harry and keeping him in the back of my mind and focus on being the best mom I could be for Madison.

“Mommy!”

I turned around to see Maddison running towards me, Javi not far behind her. She came around the back of the table to where I was sitting and gave me a big hug. I peppered her face with kisses, holding her tighter when she tried to squirm away from me. She finally wiggled enough to the point where I had to let her go, but she stayed close to my side.

“How’d you do, mija? Win any prizes?”

I humored my daughter for a few minutes while she showed me what she won. It was all stuff I’d probably throw away within the next two days, but in the moment I was happy that she was happy. When she was done, I pointed to the table that still had baked goods on it.

“Guess what, Maddie,” I said, pushing her braids behind her shoulders.

“What?”

“The cookies we baked were a hit. Almost all of them are gone,” I told her proudly, pointing to where there were only two left on the little platter we brought.

Maddison’s face broke out into an even bigger smile than the one she was sporting before, and I smiled back at her. I didn’t really want to be here today, but seeing that smile made almost anything worthwhile. My brother gave me a funny look but didn’t say anything to me, probably clocking the way I was still a little red in the face. Instead, he slipped Maddison a dollar so she could buy something from the table.

“Don’t get those brownies over there. Absolutely dreadful, I hear.” I turned my head to find Harry taking his place back at my side. His face wasn’t flushed anymore, but his lips still looked a little swollen, and I prayed I at least looked better off than he did.

I think he was expecting Maddie to laugh or something, but she just tilted her head as she peered up at him. “You’re Devon’s dad.”

It was like a small bomb had been dropped, and I suddenly felt even worse about sleeping with Harry on Halloween and kissing him in the bathroom just now. To his credit, Harry looked embarrassed as well as he scratched the back of his neck. But his next words took me by surprise.

“Yeah, I am. He’s kind of a little shit isn’t he?” My jaw dropped as Maddison giggled. My brother nudged my shoulder, bringing me out of my stupor.

“Harry! You—You can’t say that,” I stuttered. I mean, I agreed, but that didn’t mean he had to swear in front of my daughter. Not to mention that was his kid he was talking about. Harry merely shrugged, and I felt a little sorry for him. I didn’t know what his situation was like, or what kind of relationship he had with his son, but he clearly didn’t like the way Devon was being raised and couldn’t do anything about it. At least that’s what I assumed from the little I’d heard about his ex and the way he talked about her.

“I gave him a stern talking to a few months ago, and I told him he needed to apologize for all of the trouble he’s been giving you. Did he?”

I knew that for as smart as Maddison was, she, like all six year olds, had a short memory span. She’d moved on fairly quickly, coming home from school with a skip in her step and no more tears because the boy who used to pull the bows out of her hair didn’t anymore. I thought back to Halloween, when I dropped off Maddison at school, and Harry had tried to talk to me then. Maybe he was trying to explain what he was telling Maddie now.

Maddie looked at me, a silent question in her eyes. “Go on,” I told her. Taking my hand in hers, Maddison nodded.

“He did. And he said he liked my backpack too,” she said, her voice shy as she spoke to Harry.

“You never told me that, mija,” I said to her. There was rarely a detail Maddison left out about her day, so why she didn’t tell me about Devon apologizing was beyond me.

“You always call Devon by the wrong name. I didn’t want to confuse you,” Maddie said simply.

“I don’t always say his name wrong,” I muttered, not once looking in Harry’s direction, but I could hear him chuckling quietly to my left.

“Yes you do. Even I noticed,” Javi said, and I cut him a glare for piping up.

Before I could say anything else, Harry and my replacement volunteers came to relieve us. Having recognized them, Harry stayed to talk, but I just grabbed my things, took Maddie’s hand, and started walking with Javi to the car.

As we walked, I asked Maddison what she wanted to watch tonight. It was time to go through the lengthy process of taking her braids out, which was never easy because Maddison always cried and I hated to see her in pain. So I started making a night of it. Anytime I had to take them out, we would watch her favorite movie, eat her favorite foods, and I let her stay up a little past her bedtime.

While Maddison’s father was as white as they came, she took after me in nearly every aspect, especially when it came to looks. Her complexion, while not quite as dark as mine, was still dark, her hair was curly like mine and my mother’s, and she had the prettiest hazel eyes like my father. She was beautiful and she was mine, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Y/n, wait up,” I turned to see Harry rushing to catch up to us, and it occurred to me that this was starting to be a pattern. Harry had jogged over to Maddie, Javi, and me, his hair bouncing up and down with each step. “You were going to leave without saying goodbye?”

I looked at him funny. “Um, yes?” I asked like it was obvious, because I thought it was.

Harry frowned, and I could tell he was thinking about our little moment in the bathroom. And while I could admit that he was an excellent kisser, I knew something like that couldn’t happen again. My hands were full with work and with Maddison (in the best way possible). I didn’t have time for entertaining or flirting with men in my spare time, no matter how attractive or good at kissing they were.

To Harry’s credit, he didn’t give up as easily as I thought he would. “Oh, well, I just came over to say that I’d love to, um, you know, like, get…coffee or something sometime.”

I looked over at my brother, who wiggled his eyebrows at me, and then I looked at Maddie. She watched my exchange with Harry with curious eyes, not quite sure why Devon’s dad wanted to get coffee with me, and quite frankly I wasn’t sure either. I was under the impression that what happened on Halloween was a one time thing, save for the one minor slip up in the gym bathroom today. There was also the fact that his son picked on Maddison the first month of school. It seemed like she and Devon had moved on somewhat, which I would have to ask Sadie and my daughter about later, but I still remembered the way Principal Stevens looked down her nose at me, how furious Harry seemed when I suggested that perhaps his son wasn’t totally innocent. Both of those boys were trouble, and I, and Maddie for that matter, didn’t need trouble.

I decided to let him down easy, and if he still didn’t take the hint, then I’d be more blunt. “That’s nice of you, but with Maddison and work, I hardly have time—”

“She’s free in a couple weeks,” Javi cut in. I whipped my head around to glare at my brother, but he just shrugged his shoulders. “Our parents are taking Maddison out for the day, so Y/n’s free.”

Harry’s brows rose, intrigued by this new bit of information. When he saw that I wasn’t arguing this fact, he grinned. Why did his grin always look so smug? Yet another reason to dislike Harry, more fuel to the fire. “Really? Well, I should probably get your number then, so I can call you about this coffee date of ours.”

“It’s not a date,” I said immediately, but it only made him grin even more.

I walked away from Harry after giving him my phone number. It wasn’t a big deal, I told myself. You can always brush him off over text. Or ignore his calls. Javi thankfully kept quiet as we all piled into his car, but I knew his questions would come later when Maddison wasn’t around. I knew for certain that he had picked up on the fact that something went down between Harry and me. As Javi pulled out of the school parking lot, Maddie piped up from the backseat.

“Mommy, why did Devon’s dad ask you to get coffee? Are you going on a playdate?”

These were the kinds of things I wanted to avoid. In the six years that Maddie had been alive, I kept my dating life, if I could even call it that, separate from her. I knew that none of the few guys I went out for drinks with were permanent, so I didn’t see the point of ever introducing them to her, and Harry was no different. We hooked up, that was it. It’s just that I typically didn’t have to worry about seeing a one night stand again in the pick–up line at Maddison’s school.

“He was putting the moves on your mom,” Javi said when I didn’t answer Maddie’s question. I punched his arm at a stoplight, but he just continued on laughing.

“The moves?” Maddison asked, sounding confused.

“Don’t listen to your uncle, Maddison. He’s being silly. And yeah, I guess you could call it a playdate. Is that okay with you?”

I had no intention of taking Harry up on his offer, but I was curious to know her answer. Part of me still didn’t want to have anything to do with Harry or his son because of Maddie, but she was much better at letting go of things than I was. Through the rearview mirror, I could see her playing with the sleeves of her shirt as she considered my question.

“I think so. Devon’s not really mean to me anymore, and you always say we have to be kind to the people around us right?”

“I do say that, don’t I?” I mused. “You’ve got a point, Maddie mine. Always so wise and mature.”

Maddie grinned, pleased by my words. “And Delaney said he has a pool at his house. Maybe if you go on playdates with his dad I can come too.”

Annnd there it was. Unable to help myself, I laughed, and Maddie joined in too. “You might be onto something, kid. We’ll see if we can do something about getting you into that pool.”

I didn’t want to get her hopes up, but after today, I didn’t plan on seeing Harry except occasionally in the parking lot at school. I didn’t like the way he looked so sure of himself when I gave him my number, like he thought it was some big victory. He could have my number, I had no problem with that, but that didn’t mean I was going to answer any of his calls.

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March

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard Harry’s voice so close to my ear. Looking over my shoulder, I saw him leaning over the little desk he was sitting in behind me. I didn’t see him when I came into the classroom twenty minutes ago, so he must’ve gotten here sometime during Sadie’s presentation. “Jesus, you scared the shit out of me.”

A parent to my left glared at me through her glasses, and I mouthed a quiet sorry to her before facing forward again. Now that I knew he was behind me, I could feel his stare burning holes in the back of my head. I fought the urge to turn around and focused as Sadie gave all the parents an update on what our kids were learning at school. I knew that I didn’t really have to come, Sadie could’ve just given me an update outside of this parent-teacher meeting. But Maddie was excited for me to see all her work and projects displayed in her classroom, so I rushed out the building I worked at and sped over here to make it on time.

“Am I going to have to resort to passing you notes? I think I have some paper somewhere,” Harry whispered, but his voice wasn’t as close as it was before.

Turning in my own desk, I glared at him. “I am trying to listen. Leave me alone.”

Harry only grinned, having finally gotten my attention. He was dressed similarly to when I first met him in the principal’s office, not a full suit, but dress pants and a button up. I wonder what he did for a living.

“Why are you ignoring my calls?” he asked, his voice staying hushed so that we wouldn’t distract the other parents.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I am not talking about this right now.”

To my surprise, he looked a little pissed. “When then? You’re a very hard person to get a hold of, Y/n.”

I hated how much I liked the way he said my name. It brought back memories of Halloween when I was underneath him and he whispered it under the cover of night. Shaking my head, I turned back around before he could see what I was thinking about in my eyes.

Trying my best to focus on Sadie at the front of the classroom, I leaned forward on my desk and as far away from Harry as I could get. Harry thankfully didn’t bother me the rest of the meeting, and when it was over I quickly got up from my seat. He looked like he wanted to follow, but as I predicted, one mom, then two, came up to talk to him. Without a second glance in his direction, I walked towards Sadie.

“Excellent presentation, Ms. Larson,” I said, my voice overly formal. “You had me on the edge of my seat,” I told her proudly, coming to lean against her desk. Looking at the heels I was wearing, I could physically feel how long I’d been on my feet, and was definitely ready to get home and tuck Maddison in for the night and sit in bed while taking one last look at some of my work. Hopefully I could get away without Harry noticing so I could do that.

“Ha. I definitely wasn’t what had you on the edge of your seat. Don’t think I didn’t see you talking to Harry. What did he want?”

I blushed at being caught, but I was glad Sadie didn’t call us out on it during her presentation like we were actual students. “He wants to know why I haven’t answered his calls.”

“Funnily enough, so do I,” Sadie said, tilting her head to the side. “I don’t see the harm in humoring him. It’s one coffee date.”

I sighed, fighting the urge to run a hand through my hair. It was cooperating today and I had no desire to mess it up. I glanced over to where multiple women were vying for his attention. I didn’t blame them, he was a hot young dad who could afford to send his son to private school. And he has tattoos, my mind supplied unhelpfully. If it wasn’t for the way we’d met, maybe I could give him a chance, but I also didn’t need to be public enemy number one with all those mothers, either.

“Look at them, Sadie,” I said, my eyes flicking back to the way they all laughed a little too loudly at something Harry said. “You know how fast gossip travels among these people. If they heard something, I’d have a scarlet letter on my chest. I don’t want that kind of drama for my kid.”

I started helping Sadie pack up her things, not wanting to talk about me or Harry anymore. She could tell I was done talking, and left it at that. While she gathered her stuff, she told me how well Maddison was doing in reading and math, and I couldn’t help the proud smile that erupted on my face. Eventually, though, a couple came up to ask Sadie a question, and I let her be. Picking up my purse and hauling it over my shoulder, I started fishing for my keys so I could head home to Maddie. From the corner of my eye, I could see a pair of shiny black boots walk up and stop right in front of me.

“Done entertaining the bored housewives?” I asked, not even looking up from where I was rooting around my purse. Where were my keys?

“Looking for these?” he fired back, ignoring my jab. Picking my head up, I saw my car keys dangling from Harry's finger. “And before you make some wild accusation about me stealing them so you had to talk to me, it should be known that in your haste to get away from me, they fell out of your bag.”

I tried not to blush because that was exactly what I was going to do. I reached out to take them from Harry, but he pulled them back. I raised a brow at him. “Can I have my keys back?”

“Can you say please?” he asked, that same smug grin on his face. He was enjoying this, I thought. He liked that he had a little power over me. When I didn’t say please like he’d asked, just crossed my arms to show that my patience was wearing thin, he leaned over. “Come on, you’ve said it for me before. Begged for me even.”

My eyes widened. Harry had absolutely no shame. Blushing furiously, I pushed past him and stalked off. I didn’t care if he still had my keys, I’d get a ride home with Sadie, I’d call an Uber. What I wasn’t going to do was let him stand in front of me looking pleased with himself. I meant it when I said that I wasn’t the type of person to kiss some guy I hardly knew in elementary school bathrooms, and I certainly wasn’t the type to make flirtatious remarks or talk about a one night stand in my daughter’s first grade classroom. His comment was disrespectful and out of line, and I wasn’t going to put up with it.

I also didn’t need any of these parents knowing my business. I didn't miss the way the same mothers who had been talking to Harry earlier were watching our interaction like hawks. Harry was definitely more trouble than he was worth. Pulling my phone out of my purse, I started ordering an Uber. I heard the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway, but I ignored them and kept walking.

“Y/n, wait—” he started, but I was suddenly tired of this cat and mouse thing we kept doing. Turning around, I laid into him.

“Am I a joke to you?” I asked.

Harry looked surprised that I turned to face him, but that was quickly replaced by confusion. “What? No, of course not.”

“I don’t know what makes you think you can make comments like that when there are other people around. People who would very much like to hear it and spread that shit around like it’s everyone’s business. This is where my daughter goes to school. Her education, and my reputation, for that matter, is important to me.

“Do you know how many parents here think so little of me because I’m a single mother at my age? The last thing I need is for you to add more fuel to their fire, so what happened between you and me?” I told him, gesturing between the two of us. “It has no business being talked about in public where it could somehow reach my daughter’s ears. In fact, let’s just say it never happened. So do us both a favor and hand me my keys, and leave me the fuck alone.”

He looked startled by my outburst, but he didn’t hesitate in doing as I asked. Taking them from his hand, I turned on my heel and walked out the school’s front doors.

My heart was pounding, my anger levels steadily rising. The audacity of this man, I thought repeatedly. It didn’t matter if people might have heard what Harry said or not, that kind of stuff was private, and he obviously didn’t have to worry about being so cavalier about his sex life. The way the two of us were treated by the other parents at this school, despite us both being young single parents, spoke volumes. I saw the way some parents looked at me when I dropped Maddison off at school, knew exactly what they thought of me. There was clearly a luxury of behaving a certain way that Harry had and I didn’t. If that’s who he was, then fine, but it wasn’t me. That couldn’t be me.

Harry might’ve thought he was being cute or flirtatious, but I couldn’t afford to be scrutinized even more than I already was by the parents at this school. Not to mention the fact that it was wildly inappropriate and rude.

I felt a little bad for snapping at him, but I got the feeling that he was the type of person that if you weren’t absolutely clear about these types of things, he wouldn’t get it. I’d been giving him a little slack because I thought he was cute and he seemed like a decent enough guy, but I didn’t have time for games or decent enough guys. I had Maddison, and she was my whole world. And that world did not involve Harry.

***

A few weeks had passed and they were thankfully peaceful.

I had seen Harry pick up his son on occasion, but he kept his distance. Every time we made eye contact and he quickly looked away, I felt a little bad, but it was for the best. I could only imagine how much messier things would get if Harry had his way and we’d started seeing each other.

It had become a little difficult, though, because after everything that happened, Maddison and Devon had become friends.

It started with Maddie coming home and telling me she and Devon shared the toy cars he'd brought to school. I was happy that they’d come so far since September and that they could play together without any more issues or calls to the principal’s office. But as the days went by and she talked about him more—how they played tag at recess together, or when he showed her his new Black Panther watch—I knew that it was only a matter of time before she asked for a playdate.

Maddie had obviously been on playdates and gone to birthday parties for kids in her class, but I also hadn’t slept or fought with any of their parents. After the little parent-teacher meeting her school hosted a few weeks ago, and Harry and I steered clear of each other, I really didn’t want to have to make that phone call.

I ended up not having to make any calls because Maddison’s birthday rolled around, and she told me she wanted a Marvel themed birthday party and that all her classmates were to be invited. She looked so excited when she came to me about it that I couldn’t say no, even though I knew it would lead to some sort of interaction with Harry. I did my best to keep things as distant as possible, sending Maddison to school with invitations to put in each kids’ cubby for them to take home to their parents.

This was kind of a big deal for both of us. It was Maddie’s first big birthday party with all her classmates, and it was the first time I would have people over at our house. I didn’t mind the fact that Maddison and I lived with my older brother. In fact, I loved it, and I knew she did too. I just knew for a fact that these parents didn’t share a small one story home with their relatives, and I couldn’t help but feel a little insecure about it.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I focused on making this the best birthday party a first grader had ever been to. I bought party favors with the Avengers and Spiderman and other Marvel superheroes on them after work and before I had to pick up Maddison, I ordered a Black Panther themed birthday cake during one of my lunch breaks, and I even had some of my coworkers in my office sign a card for Maddison.

Before she was in school, I often brought Maddie with me to work, handing her off to some of my friends while I was in meetings and putting her down for a nap by reading cases aloud in my office. Because this immigration law office was the first one to take me in after I graduated, she’d grown up a lot there, and the people I worked with had watched her do all that growing up. They were even a little sad when she stopped coming in with me and started going to school instead. I still brought Maddison in from time to time on the days where I had to work and she didn’t have school. The small office and the people in it were like a second family for us, and I knew Maddie would appreciate the card and little goodies my coworkers got for her.

On Saturday afternoon, I got Maddie dressed up in the Dora Milaje costume she wanted and I couldn’t resist buying while Javi helped me put up the rest of the decorations in our backyard, most of which we spent yesterday setting up. Maddie’s friends were due any minute, and I still had to get ready. I just wanted everything to be perfect for her. She deserved the world.

“Mommy, don’t you have to get ready too?” Maddison asked while I straightened out her costume. When she came to me with her birthday party idea, she insisted that it be a costume party, so that’s what we were going to do.

“Yeah, baby, but the birthday girl comes first,” I told her, fixing the two buns on the top of her head. “Annnd done. Now give Mom a kiss and ask Uncle Javi if he needs help.” Maddison gave me a kiss on the cheek and scampered off to find her uncle.

Between working, getting ready for this birthday party, and taking Maddison from place to place on time, I didn’t have time to put a costume together for myself. It was on the warmer side today, so I settled for a blue Captain America t–shirt tucked into a pair of denim shorts, my hair pulled up into a ponytail. As I left our bedroom, I heard the doorbell ring. Time for the chaos to begin.

***

Maddison’s birthday party was fantastic. Every one of her classmates that she invited came, and some of the parents even offered to stay and help keep all the six and seven year olds in line. I was taken aback, to say the least. For most of my time at Maddison’s school, I felt like an outsider, but after spending some time with a girl’s father and another boy’s mother while the kids played pretend in the backyard, I felt like I had made some friends of my own.

One thing that unsettled me was Devon. Not Devon himself, who, after being on his best behavior the whole party, I came to like quite a lot. The weird thing was how he got dropped off. A woman about my age, his mother, I assumed, came to the front door.

Her hair was the perfect shade of blond and styled to perfection. She was tan, but judging by the very subtle lighter tone of her face, it wasn’t natural. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of obnoxiously large sunglasses that I could see my reflection in, and even though I knew we were probably about the same age, I looked like a teenager compared to her. In her jeans that I’m sure cost more than what I paid to put Maddie’s birthday party together and a white tank top tucked into them with an expensive looking jacket over it, a part of me wondered what she or Harry did for a living.

I couldn’t dwell on that, though. Not when she quickly said she’d be back in a couple of hours, and walked off without so much as a glance at Devon, her heels clip-clopping down the front porch of my brother’s house and leaving her son and me alone.

Devon had looked more than slightly uncomfortable, and in that interaction alone, I could see where him acting out at school came from. It didn’t make his behavior okay, but as a mother, my heart went out to him. Bending down, I took the little gift bag clutched in his hand and brought him inside and towards the backyard where some of the other kids were already playing.

“I love your costume. Is Iron Man your favorite superhero?” I asked him. Devon nodded, but he still looked sullen. I leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Don’t tell Maddie, but he’s my favorite too.”

Devon had the ghost of a grin on his face, and I hoped that once he started running around with his classmates, he would be smiling from ear to ear.

And he did. He laughed, he played with Maddison and the other kids there, and was incredibly polite to me, Javi, and the two parents that stayed to help out. Once I saw that Devon was having a good time, any feelings about his mom were forgotten for the time being, I focused on Maddison. From what I could tell, she had a blast—playing the games I planned beforehand, opening presents, and wiping cake frosting on my cheek after everyone sang her happy birthday.

When it came time for everyone to go home, it didn’t come as a surprise when Devon was the last kid to be picked up. I asked him if his mom said anything about when she was coming, but he just shrugged his shoulders and began to look like he did when he first arrived. Not wanting him to feel bad, I quickly moved on, bringing him and Maddie inside to watch a movie. After everyone else had left and Javi went out for drinks with a couple of his friends, it was just me and the two kids.

“Do you have anything on underneath your costume, bud? Maybe get comfortable until Mom comes to get you?”

Devon nodded, and I sent Maddie to our room to go get changed while I helped our last remaining guest out of his Iron Man suit.

“You and Maddie share a room?” he asked as I helped him with his zipper.

I was quiet for a moment while I held him steady so he could step out of his costume. “Yeah, we do,” I answered honestly. “We live in a bit of a smaller house, so we sleep in the same room. Like roommates.”

Devon blinked, long eyelashes framing bright blue eyes. “I kind of like that. My bedroom is on the other side of our house.”

I knew kids had a penchant for telling the honest truth like nobody’s business, but I didn’t expect him to say that. The few times I heard Harry refer to Devon’s mom, he called her his ex, and from that I had to guess that they didn’t live together, so I wondered where Devon fit in this equation. I didn’t want to ask out of respect for Harry’s and Devon’s privacy, but I was incredibly curious.

A few minutes later, Maddison came out of our room, bounding over to me in her gray sweatpants and the university hoodie I’d gotten for her last year. I put on a movie for the two of them in the living room while I figured out dinner for the three of us. While I considered ordering in or making dinner, my phone chimed.

Unknown: Hey, this is Harry. I’m so sorry. I know the party ended a while ago. I’ll be there within the hour.

After Harry and I exchanged numbers, I never saved his to my phone. It was easier to ignore his calls or texts when it came from someone that wasn’t in my contact list. Now though, I saved it and sent him a text back.

Me: No worries. We’re just hanging out.

I didn’t want to worry him, not when I had gotten a small glimpse at Devon’s situation at home. Obviously I didn’t understand everything, but I knew enough to be sympathetic. Going into the living room, I relayed the information Harry gave to me. Devon didn’t seem to mind, content to play with Maddison and watch their movie. I finally decided that I’d spent enough money on Maddie’s birthday party, so I got started on making rice, beans, and chicken.

“Maddison! Come help me set the table for us and our guest please,” I shouted from the kitchen when I was almost finished, and I heard her shout something back.

I brought plates of food over as Maddison put forks on the table. Devon was still sitting on the couch, but he was watching Maddie and I work with wide eyes. Grinning, I bumped my hip with Maddison’s and called out to him. “Come sit, kiddo. Dinner’s ready.”

Devon grinned and bounded over to where Maddison and I were getting ready to sit down around the dinner table. Sitting down with us, it looked like he’d never had a home cooked meal in his life. I was a little unsure at first about making dinner because I knew kids could be picky, but Devon picked up his fork and happily ate what was in front of him. Halfway through dinner, the doorbell rang.

“Sit tight, you guys,” I said, standing up to answer the door.

When I opened it, Harry was there, looking more frazzled than I’d ever seen him. Even though it was Saturday afternoon, he was dressed in a pair of dark green dress pants and white button down, much in the same way I’d seen him a few weeks ago. The minute I opened the door, he started rambling through an apology and something about being at a work event and it wasn’t his turn to have Devon this weekend and so on.

“It’s fine, Harry,” I told him, opening the door a little wider. “Would you like to come in? Devon’s finishing up dinner, hope that’s okay.”

He stopped his rambling and just stood on my front porch for a few seconds. He looked confused, I thought. I suppose after our last interaction, the way I was acting now might have been cause for confusion. But we were both parents, and young ones at that, I could understand running late for pickup, especially now that I knew a little more about their situation. It also made me feel a little bad for the shit I’d given Harry a few months ago, but that apology would come later.

I led him towards the kitchen where Maddison and Devon were still eating. “Hey, Devon, look who’s here.”

Devon lifted his head and beamed when he saw his father standing next to me. He ran over and hugged his dad, and I had to admit it was a very cute sight to behold. Walking over to Maddie, I leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head and whispered for her to help me clean up the table. Maddison nodded and got up from the table, picking up the empty cups while I took care of the plates. Taking the cups from her and setting everything by the sink, I walked with her back to the kitchen.

“Well, we won’t keep you,” Harry said, his initial panic having worn off. But now I noticed he seemed tentative while speaking to me.

Devon frowned. “Can we stay a little longer? The movie’s almost finished.”

Harry sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired face. I wouldn’t have minded if they stayed, but it was clear Harry had had a long day today and probably wanted to leave. Not to mention the fact that Harry looked the tiniest bit afraid of me, which I kind of liked but mostly didn’t.

“You’ve had a long day, kiddo,” I told Devon gently. “And you know what? This movie will still be here the next time you come over, okay? Maybe you can bring over the lego set you were telling Maddie about too.”

He nodded and grinned a little, the dimple he got from his dad indenting his cheek.

Maddie and I walked Harry and Devon out. When we reached the door, I told Maddie and Devon to go play on the front lawn for a few minutes while I talked to Harry. They ran off, playing a game that only they seemed to know.

Harry turned to me, his face a mix of emotions. “Thank you,” he said when I handed Devon’s costume over. “And I mean for everything. I’m sorry it took so long to get here. Taylor was supposed to pick him up, but she bailed again, and I was on the other side of town—”

“It’s okay,” I cut in. “It happens, and Devon’s great.”

“Really?” Harry asked, like he couldn’t quite believe that those words were coming from me.

I nodded. “Yeah. I’m not going to pretend to know what’s going on at home, but I know now that he was probably just acting out a few months ago.”

Harry’s shoulders slumped and nodded a little, and I could physically see the way that their situation weighed heavily on him. Playing with his lower lip, he looked me in the eye. “Look, I’m sorry. About the Parent Night at school. You were right, I shouldn’t have said those things, I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, you weren't,” I agreed. “But thank you for apologizing.”

“Seems like I do a lot of that around you,” he said, laughing a little but it sounded weak.

“I mean, in fairness, I probably owe you an apology as well. My kid did punch your kid.”

Harry’s laugh was a little fuller this time, and I grinned with him. Looking at where Maddison and Devon were playing on the front lawn now, I was glad they’d made up; it looked like he needed a friend, and maybe so did his dad.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot,” I said, making him look at me.

“That’s a nice way of putting it,” Harry joked. “But yes, I would agree.”

I stuck out my hand for him to shake. “I say we start over. Clean slate and all that.”

Harry grinned, grasping my hand in his. “I'm Harry.

“Nice to meet you, Harry. I’m Y/n.”

#harry styles #harry styles au #single dad!harry #single mom!reader #harry styles blurb #harry styles x reader #harry styles imagine #harry styles fanfic #harry styles oneshot #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x you #harry styles fluff #harry styles writing

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mrvlbimbo · 2 years

Note

Ok, omfgomfgomfg ilysm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went through like a lot of your blog (I think lol) just now at 11:47 bc idc about sleep and ilysm and your blog!!!!!

Can we get something about reader getting into a fight with a jock because he hit and/or upset Eddie? Like, maybe she could kick his ass but she would also have gotten her fair share of hits?

If you don't want to that is absolutely fine!

I love you so much x1000000000000000000000000000000000

Aaaaa I love this. Also I noticed u liking a bunch of my posts hehe.

I’ve been writing sm fluffy stuff lately I’m in my lovey-dovey era ig. Dw though I’m gonna post some full on smut later today I think.

Warnings: fighting, bruises and blood it’s minimal but it’s there, very mildly suggestive I think

“You talk about him like that again and I will fucking kill you,” she snapped at the jock who had been pestering Eddie all afternoon.

Even before that this guy was causing problems for them, him being the reason they were all in detention.

Maybe they were the ones at fault for saying his mom was “way bangable” and questioning how he could even be her son. But that didn’t give him the right to punch Eddie in the face.

So now they were all sitting in a cold and empty classroom, teacher long gone, waiting for the clock to hit 5:00 so they could leave.

The time was almost up when that idiot opened his mouth, prompting her response which he just chuckled at.

“Munson, control your slut,” the jock grumbled, barely able to get the words out before her fist was colliding with his face.

She got the first hit in so she was at an advantage, the solid rings on her fingers snapping against his jaw harshly as she refused to hold anything back.

Despite her ruthlessness, he was far larger and he also got a few hits in in the short time they were tussling. The time was short because before long Eddie was pulling her away, murmuring something under his breath and urging her to leave with him.

And so they left, a subtly awkward silence following them the whole car ride back to his trailer and until they sat down on the couch together.

She fiddled with her rings, trying to find something to say. This motion drew his eyes to her knuckles, which were busted and bruised from her earlier fight.

“C’mon let’s clean you up,” he grumbled, grabbing her forearm and leading her into the bathroom.

She hopped onto the counter infront of him and let him get to work on her hands. He cleaned and bandaged her knuckles while she looked down at his concentrated expression.

His eyebrows were furrowed in concern and he bit his lip slightly, his big brown eyes narrowing at the cuts on her hand and flinching away from the blood. “You didn’t have to do that,” he said finally.

“Yeah I did,” she replied simply, shrugging her shoulders and moving her torso a bit too much. She flinched and he noticed immediately.

“Take your shirt off,” he demanded.

“Ooooo. Gettin risky. I like your style, Munson,” she teased peeling her shirt off and throwing it on the floor haphazardly.

His fingers ghosted over the bruises that were already showing on her torso. “I’m so sorry,” he choked out, his voice was broken as if he was about to cry.

“Eds. It’s not your fault.” She brought her bandaged hands up to cup his cheeks, forcing him to look at her eyes instead of the purple splotches covering her abdomen.

His fingers dug into her waist in spots where there were no bruises. “Fuck. I shoulda stopped him.”

“Do you remember when we were at that rock concert and that rando grabbed my ass? You just fuckin went apeshit on him, I think you broke his nose.”

“Yeah of course I remember that.” He sighed, remembering the scared look on her face and the way she smiled thankfully at him after he dealt with things. They took a long break from concerts after that, his suggestion even though she assured him it was fine.

“We protect each other, that goes both ways,” she asserted, brushing her thumb over the apple of his cheek.

Without thinking, he closed the distance between them. His lips brushed softly against hers, barely even a kiss but the intention was clear.

“Eddie,” she breathed out, threading her hand in the back of his hair and drawing his mouth back to hers. This kiss was much more intense, her tongue slipping into his mouth as he moaned into it.

He pulled back, looking at her sparkling eyes and kiss bitten lips. “That was…wow.” He shook his head, trying to make sure this wasn’t all a dream.

“That was wow,” she giggled, fingers clasped around the neck of his shirt to hold his chest to hers.

Taglist here:

@angelsarecallin @sebby-staan @niviiera @chaoticgurl @evqans @slut-for-matt-murdock @multihaven @tinyboxxtink @hold-our-destiny @weh-heh-heh @battiebabe216 @captain-satan @avril-reblog-cave @dragon-ash13 @stxvercgersslut @fangirl199812 @variety-fangirl @buckybeefybarnes @strangerthings64

(Lmk if u want to be added)

#stranger things season 4 #stranger things #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson stranger things #eddie munson imagine #eddie stranger things #eddie munson #eddie munson smut #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson fluff

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fireemblems24 · 7 months

Text

Azure Gleam Ch 10

Onto AG Ch 10. Slowly making my way through all the Hopes routes.

MAIN STORY

Guys, I finally made AG Ch 10. Between wisdom teeth and a concert and FE Engage and other stuff I haven't had a lot of time to actually play much.

Aegir is not leading Adrestia well. It's so funny to me that so many dads got white-washed but they still left him an idiot.

So we're starting part 2. And Adrestia has gone to shit. I guess the nobles went full maniac the second Edelgard's gone. It's really a nation of sociopaths.

Rhea just said "knaves." I love that word.

Ohhh, Rhea brought up that lack of donations that Dimitri noticed in Houses, cool call out.

And they're putting it all together. Thomas, Cornelia, Thales - I love this, you guys. Dimitri and co getting to go after the people who did Duscur. Don't get me wrong, Edelgard is the far superior villain to TWSITD. And if I had to pick between the two, I'd pick her. But given that Dimitri gets two stories, I'm glad one of them gets this.

Claude is here!??? Does this mean he's not siding with Edelgard in AG? It'll be funny if he's the smartest in Dimitri's route - again.

Oh, we get a Claude and Dimitri team up? That's pretty cool. I doubt we get to use him though.

So it's cannon now that all three (church, Kingdom, and Alliance) are all weaker put together than Adrestia as one.

I also just noticed since Adrestia went full evil, that Dimitri is morally right in invading them to rescue the citizens lamo. He's really the "good boy" in Hopes. Though, he always was if you just removed the massive trauma events.

We're going to reclaim Garreg Mach! Cool.

Pretty cool seeing Rhea, Dimitri, and Claude all talking strategy.

Claude seems like he still wants to get rid of the church. But Dimitri's too realistic about it haha. The only one not living in an anime power fantasy.

Oh, cool, got some Golden Deer members playable now. And Lorenz uses his few lines to drag Claude lol.

If Rodrigue is in the West, does that mean no Rodrigue this chapter? Big sad.

MAP/SIDE QUESTS

Haha, some random merchant just said Dimitri lifted a whole ass cart out of the mud (she only later found out Dimitri did it).

This is the only route that lets Catherine and Shamir be girlfriends. By default it's the most superior.

Ingrid's alive again 😭

Interesting fact, Sylvain's mom actually really cared about Miklain.

Dedue is worrying about Dimitri and his overly enthusiastic work ethic.

I love how Edelgard is like we must have war to end nobility and promote commoners, meanwhile Dimitri is knighting and promoting commoners left and right and no one gives a shit. Meanwhile, Edelgard can't promote willy nilly because the Empire nobles will throw a fit. I wonder if she actually bothered to learn anything about Faerghus she'd realize how different it is and how they'll solve their own issues on their own terms.

SHEZ & ASHE A SUPPORT

Shez didn't get any answers about her mother.

Shez makes peace with it by saying she still loved her mother as a good mother regardless of what past she might has had.

They make some guesses what the mom's past is.

They were happy with the journey even if the destination was a disappointment (or never happened at all)

OH! Ashe got a letter at the end! But that's their A Support. So what's in the letter?????

SYLVAIN & ASHE A SUPPORT

They're learning strategies from Loog's past battles and learning more about Loog (who's pretty mysterious).

Sylvain is impressed with how smart Ashe is.

He's also jealous that Dimitri gets a knight like Ashe and offers to "steal" Ashe, but he shoots that down saying "only Dimitri." That just makes out of AG Ashe hurt worse.

Oh! Dimitri offered for Ashe to take over the land Lonato used to rule rather than always be a knight. Ashe likes that.

Ashe fawns over Sylvain's intelligence too.

I love seeing this mentor, teacher, more mature Sylvain.

ANNETTE & MERCEDES A SUPPORT

It's their only support, but at least it's A!

Since they're both nervous about the battle, they decide to chat.

Awww, I love that we're getting some details about their time at the sorcery school together. Apparently they'd chat together till dawn.

They talk about how they've stuck together through everything. Which makes outside SB Mercedes depressing.

Haha, Annette saved Mercedes from a bandit trap, but was in such a panic that SHE fell into the trap and needed Mercedes to heal her lol.

"Everything's better with you." Annette to Mercedes.

They plan to make lists of things they want to do after the war and then will do them once it ends. (if they had this discussion and then Mercedes defects, that hurts)

That was so wholesome.

MERCEDES & INGRID A SUPPORT

Ingrid is kicking ass in training, so Mercedes brings snacks to reenergize everyone.

Oh course, it tastes amazing, because it's Mercedes.

Ingrid wishes they were as relaxed around her as Mercedes, but Mercedes says that Ingrid is kind to them in a different way (mother Mercedes is here again!)

Mercedes bring up Ingrid's brothers and how it's probably like that.

Hahaha, Ingrid says she's going to show Mercedes her affection. And Mercedes is like "where is this going?!" Poor girl probably got excited lol.

You know what I also just realized? With Dimitri in charge, Ingrid doesn't feel pressured to marry. She's just a knight and living her best life and I love that for her (and we stan a king who stans women)

DIMITRI & BERNADETTA B SUPPORT

Is it petty that I feel a bit smug about Dimitri getting an Empire support but Edelgard didn't get a Kingdom one? lol

She's sneaking about and Dimitri finds her and she freaks out. So typical Bernie support lol. Poor thing trips over crates.

OMG. Bernie is like "this is the worst" and Dimitri naturally assumes HE's the worst lamo. OMG, Dimitri, baby, no. Thankfully she clears that up.

I kinda wondered why these two got a support and it actually makes a lot of sense. Dimitri doesn't sleep and Bernie sneaks out at night, so yeah they'd run into each other.

Dimitri's not offended because her being from the Empire means she's afraid of the Kingdom's king. Fair.

Bernie thinks he's going to execute her and he calls her a valuable ally instead. That's a bit sweet, not going to lie.

Dimitri then swears by his father's name, and Bernie's like "ok, I'll tell you." It's pretty funny how sincere they both are in very different ways.

Bernie exhausts Dimitri lol.

SYLVAIN & YURI C SUPPORT

Starts with the classic "..."

They're talking about Miklain. Yuri's like the rumors about his violence seem exaggerated. Sylvain's like "naw." You have no idea how much I love that Sylvain is like captain of the "stop making excuses for Miklain club"

Yuri makes it sound like Dimitri preyed on Miklain's inferiority complex to recruit him (saying uncrested people could get a chance to prove themselves).

Sylvain's impressed with Yuri's cunning.

Man, Yuri thinks Sylvain is just waiting to kill him for some reason and has a murderous smile. But this impresses Yuri. Sylvain is like "mixed messages, dude."

SYLVAIN & INGRID A SUPPORT

Ingrid's overwhelmed by noble work, which makes her appreciate Sylvain, Felix, and Dimitri more.

Sylvain responds by . . . asking her out (well, to dinner)

Sylvain said that they're "basically family" and said Felix and Dimitri feel the same way 😭😭😭😭 I can't.

Sylvain says we appreciate the things that stay the same because we can't stay in the past (or shouldn't) which is actually kinda deep for an FE support convo at least

Of course it devolves into Ingrid and Sylvain bickering about him gawking at her eating lol

Hearing them talking about how much they love their friendships and how they'll always be dear to each other makes recruiting any of trio to CF just criminal. I personally find it way more cruel to recruit them away from their homes and families than to kill them (i.e. the true way to play CF in "evil mode" is to recruit most of the Blue Lions and I will stand by that)

SYLVAIN & SHEZ A SUPPORT

Sylvain feels bad that they dragged Shez into the war, and that they only reason they're even fighting it is to keep their homes from getting destroyed.

"If we fail, we'll lose everything. Our houses, our families, the places we grew up." - see this is why recruiting them to CF is actually the evil thing to do. Then they gotta deal with that guilt.

Shez, of course, has nothing at stake unlike the Faerghus people

Poor Shez doesn't know what it's like to have a home.

I had Shez deny that it's just money she's in it for. And then calls Faerghus her home. 😭😭😭😭

Sylvain is inventing weapons. We stan a genius.

This support was seriously so sweet. It made my soft spot for both characters even bigger.

DEDUE & CATHERINE C SUPPORT

I have no idea what these two will have to talk about, but I'm still excited to see it. Maybe Dedue will try to recruit her back.

Dedue is suspicious of her because she shows up to a city where only people of Duscur are living. It's sad that he's got to be that way, but I'm excited if this support gives us more Duscur crumbs.

Neither Rhea nor Dimitri let him know what she's doing there lol, she's just helping after a big fire.

Catherine points out that the church is always helping people out, plus they feel a debt to Faerghus for giving them a home after Edelgard did her usual.

Apparently Rhea "jumped" at the chance to help. No one in the church cares that the people of Duscur don't worship the same religion, they just want to help/pay their debt.

SHEZ & INGRID A SUPPORT

I feel like I unlocked a million supports, but I'm not mad about it

Dedue put Shez on ingredient shopping duty.

Ingrid is flustered getting spotted by Shez in the market though. She looks like a deer in the headlights lol.

She's fangirling over the market since it's more lively and prosperous than Galatea.

Shez asks Ingrid to go on a shopping/eating date, but Ingrid feels she shouldn't be meandering markets as a future count.

Ingrid wants to help and protect Dimitri so bad as a knight. She also brings up her farming endings too.

I had Shez offer to help Ingrid out. She even offers to be Ingrid's personal mercenary. It's kinda cute.

Shez got Ingrid to blush a bit too. Happy Ingrid is a good Ingrid (and Shez too)

DIMITRI & INGRID B SUPPORT

It's sad that they only go to B, especially since we know how badly Ingrid want to be his knight (and has a crush on him, but like, girl, I get it, no one is immune to Dimitri)

Dimitri was planning with Duscur forces - how to use their unique fighting styles and avoid in-fighting with regular Faerghus forces

Dimitri asks her about Duscur, but Ingrid's moved on, and understands that it wasn't just Duscur.

She feels ashamed for putting it all on Duscur, and is not afraid to interact with them.

Dimitri of course blames himself for not insisting harder to Ingrid, but they were both dealing with shit. Dimitri's still upset with himself for not having the right priorities.

But like, Dimitri, even Ingrid herself says they weren't allowed to see each other (fuck Rufus).

Ingrid said she wouldn't have even listened to him. But like Dimitri just wanted to blame someone, so did Ingrid. Which, never really thought about how they dealt with it in a similar way before.

Dimitri takes her to a Duscur run Inn so help bridge the gap. She thinks she can do it with Dimitri there to help her out.

The character growth. Man, this is another missing discussion from AM that AG blessed us with. I swear AG doesn't have a single bad or boring or unnecessary or repeat support (no I'm not biased, why did you ask?)

INGRID & FELIX A SUPPORT

Felix is handing out compliments. Sound the alarm.

Aww, Ingrid has a rough battle, and Felix is worried about her.

Ingrid had Glenn's spur with her. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 She says that helped her through the battle 😭😭😭😭.

Felix is obviously confused and worried that Ingrid is relying too much on remembering the dead, but Ingrid argues it can be a strength too. And Felix . . . AGREES.

GUYS 😭😭😭😭 Felix is growing up. 😭😭😭😭 He's understanding that his views aren't the only ways to exist. 😭😭😭😭

He tells her to visit Glenn 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 OMG, guys, he's encouraging her to keep using Glenn's memory as a source of strength and hoping she'll visit his grave and give him flowers.

Guys, he's not only understanding and accepting that people feel differently, he's ENCOURAGING them to continue using that opposite way because it works for them. Guys, he needs a cookie or something.

Ingrid is just that powerful.

Ingrid wants Felix and Dimitri - Rodrigue, Sylvain, and Gustave - and everyone to come visit and just have a festive time near his gravestone. Haha, Felix gives in too.

SHEZ & DEDUE A SUPPORT

Dedue commanding soldiers. We love to see it.

The people of Faerghus are warming up to Dedue 😭😭😭😭, the wounds of the past are healing (the soldier's mom died in Duscur)

GUYS. DEDUE ARGUED BACK. The soldier gave Dedue shit, and Dedue stood up for himself. OMG. He gets a cookie too!

Both Felix and Dedue showing real growth back-to-back supports, I can't . . . 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Shez called Dedue her friend. 😭😭😭😭 Says that's why she's happy for him, because they're friends. 😭😭😭😭

Shez is determined to prove herself. Dedue says she doesn't have prove herself, that he trusts her.

Shez asks if Dedue really does despite her powers. Dedue doesn't deny that he's concerned about the powers, but it doesn't define Shez.

Haha, Dedue still adds in that if Shez ever did turn on Dimitri, he'd cut her down. Which, yeah, that tracks, which Shez agrees.

DEDUE/INGRID/FELIX PARALOGUE

3 of my favorites in one paralogue about the tragedy of Duscur. Yes please (they're also fully leveled up so I'm not broke!)

Everyone is down in the dumps because they're near where the attack took place. Probably a bit awkward with that trio.

Guys, we're in Duscur, it's exciting.

Aww, Dedue is telling Ingrid she doesn't have to fake being happy while their (because he knows about Glenn).

They're fighting Duscur :( having to put down a rebellion. Not everyone wants peace with Dimitri.

Dimitri keeps coming back in attempt to continue to make peace.

Oh, so the leader of the insurrection lead the group who killed Lambert and Glenn. This is intense.

They aren't allowed to kill him because they need information, but Ingrid wants to kill him, but won't.

Haha, that's why they didn't take Dimitri, well why he didn't go. Dimitri trusted them to handle it.

Felix said king, not boar everyone.

I can't wait to see the end of this paralogue.

Oh, we're rescuing Duscur soldiers? Glad Ingrid is a pegasus knight. She can zip around fast.

We're not killing, just subduing.

Ingrid requested this assignment to help her move on from the past.

Ingrid and Dedue put their faith in Dimitri to figure out the motivation.

Dedue wants to stop by a childhood spot that got trampled and he's wanting to see if it recovered. Ingrid asks to join him and he does. Shez also wants to come. Felix accepts grudgingly lol.

Ingrid has shown such growth in this game. I love it so much.

It's recovered 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 Dedue used to come there with his sister.

Dedue invites Ingrid to come back and keep checking on the field. Felix is just hanging back though. Typical Felix.

Felix says he's focusing on his duty to protect the same things Glenn did and Shez can say the lands or . . . well you know who and you KNOW which one I have to pick.

Felix says protecting Dimitri is the same as protecting Faerghus, and makes Shez swear not to tell Dimitri (well the boar but you know). I had Shez tease Felix big time by claiming she was going to run around and telling everyone lamo.

The Dimilix is real in this game.

MAIN MAP

So the Empire's going full scorched earth tactics.

Annnnd of course Dimitri's blaming himself for other's actions. He's getting all worked up too.

Oh, geeze, they killed all the citizens too. Shez says the Empire was always rough, but not this bad.

I still can't get over the fact they wrote themselves into a corner with Edelgard - either team up with TWSITD again or Dimitri and Rhea, so instead they just zapped her lamo.

Oh, that's cool, the map battle zone flipped spaces because the Western Church attacked.

Arval hoping to strike down TWSITD is rich since you know he's (she's, they're?) connected.

Poor Shez is worrying about her power again. I swear she's much better integrated in AG, then SB, and GW it's like why is Shez even there? They have no plotline.

I think my Dimitri is too strong guys. He just. Kills everything.

Myson escaped. Ohhh, now he's confronting Shez. And asking about Avral I'm assuming.

Arval makes a good point, that the power Shez has keeps saving lives. And brings up Dimitri's point that power isn't evil or good, it's how it's used.

Ashen Demon brought back up again. Arval really wants us to kill Byleth, hunh. Except this time I'm determined to recruit Byleth.

I wonder if Arval will eventually turn on us, esp once I don't kill Byleth. Because he really wants us to kill Byleth.

Rodrigue is back! My beloved.

Oh, hi Claude. Not sure where he stands with me right now. I vastly prefer the Claude who has two braincells.

Judith being alive again is good though.

I do like hearing about how Claude and Dimitri are making plans together to trick the Empire.

So our goal is to retake the Monastery. Makes sense.

xxxxx

#azure gleam #fire emblem #fire emblem three hopes #three hopes #three hopes spoilers #azure gleam spoilers

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dank-meme-legend · 3 months

Text

I Ran Home That Day ♾️

I ran home that day

Sprinted so quickly down the road to finally have an answer

To know why I cause so many problems and why I’m the epitome of, “weird”

A warm day in the middle of May, it was

And my mom stood on the porch, waiting for me

I was grinning, I still don’t know why

I was excited as if I were about to be given a gift or a new toy to play with

My mom’s words came out calmly, a little apprehensively, though

Like she didn’t want to say them out loud

But she did

“Morgan, you have Asperger’s, with the ADHD.”

She couldn’t say, “autism”

Because that word

Was big

And heavy

It had so many connotations

But I was eleven years old

I didn’t know any better

We went inside and I put my backpack away

And cried

Somewhere between relief and fear

What did that mean for me now? For the future? What now, what now?

Relief shined through, though

I had been carrying fear within me that there wasn’t anything diagnosable

My worst fear, that I was just a bad kid

But I wasn’t

I was put into a world that wasn’t made for me

And I dealt with it the best way I could; through tics and fidgets and never shutting up and loving things intently

And I cried

My mom hadn’t hugged me that tight in my entire life

I had to get my sister off the bus

She was the first person I told

She didn’t know what it meant, but ass-burgers was funny to her

She didn’t know any better, either

That night, I had a choir concert for my school

I wore my chorus shirt with black sweatpants

Because I couldn’t stand denim

I stood in the warm-up room off to the side by myself

Knowing something that no one else did

Could they see it now? Did they know before I did?

A few girls from my class came up to me

“Why are you wearing sweatpants?”

But my face had to have shown something— worry, embarrassment, confusion, something— because the girls changed course

“It’s okay, you’re lucky. I wish my mom let me wear sweatpants all the time.”

They didn’t know the battle that went on about that at home; and with brushing my teeth; with showering; with learning how to shave; with talking too much; with not talking at all when stressed; with, with, with

But I wasn’t going to tell them

Less I need another thing to stick a target to my back: Morgan has family issues and is autistic, too

I don’t remember the singing part of the chorus concert

Though, I do remember the song, “Three Quotes” inspired by the works of Mark Twain

One part of the song had all of us kids yell on stage: “Rude, rambunctious crescendo” is what I remember the choir teacher telling us in the rehearsal days we had prior

The days where I sang loud to not think, “What if I’m a bad kid, what if I’m a bad kid? What then, what then?”

And blared music until my ears rang to not think, “What happens then? What will I do if I’m just a bad kid?”

During the crescendo, I went mute

The ringing in my ears and the thoughts in my head were so loud that I believed I was saying them out loud

So loud in my head

I’m autistic, I am on the spectrum, I don’t know what that means

I wanted to go home

Sit in the dark

But I had more songs to smile and dance and off-key sing to

When it was over, I ran to my mom

And hugged her tight

A friend of mine came up to me

Smiling, happy to see me, wanting to tell me I did a good job, even when I really didn’t

She was the second person I told

I don’t know why I brought it up

She had been my friend since the first grade

So I trusted her

“I’m autistic.”

“Oh.”

That’s all she said

Social deficit, I’d made a social misstep

But we pushed on

She hugged me and took a picture with me thanks to both our mom’s insistence

I still have that picture now

Tired eyes, my crooked smile

A forced, crooked smile

But a smile nonetheless

I went home and my mom told me to be comfortable

To relax

I went right to my room, mind racing, to my computer to research

And research

And research some more

My eyes were going wonky

So tired

But I had to know and had to educate myself and had to learn what such a heavy word meant

I went to sleep late that night

Definitely not relaxed

And faced the morning

And faced the day

I pulled my favorite teacher aside and told her

“I have Asperger’s.”

“I have nephews with it. Don’t worry, you’re still a smart girl.”

She hugged me, too

I never said I wasn’t smart

One student overheard

And told another

Then another

And it spread like a wildfire

People knew when I didn’t want them to

I was questioned

If I was bullied for just showing autistic traits, then what do you think happened when people learned that they were right?

Called the r-word in the hallway

Picked last in gym class

Avoided like the plague

How was I supposed to be proud

Of something that made things worse for a long, long time?

I denied all accusations

“I’m not autistic. What are you talking about?”

And went on with my life

I told my best friend

“I’m autistic.”

“That’s okay, your mind is just a little funky. But everyone’s mind is their own kind of funky.”

She was kind to me

I entered high school and met more kids with it

Kids who could say that they were autistic

Proudly

Incredible

I watched them

And wanted to be proud

It got written on my student record

My new choir teacher embraced it fully

She was kind to me

I ran to her class every day

And got picked on for being a kiss-ass

But I slowly didn’t care

There are people who can be kind

The teasing and bullying and cruelty won’t matter in the long run

Though its wounds still stay with me

I stuck with kind people

I ran to them

Ran down to hall to see my friends

Who were all weird and queer and different

But I loved them all

They kept me safe

Kind people kept me safe

I ran to them

Held them close to me

Grew up beside the other weirdos

And didn’t feel alone

Didn’t feel heavy

Wasn’t avoided

Found peace in people like me

Told more people

Found pride

Found pride for the first time

And ran toward better days where I grew up and allowed myself to rest

To take it easy

To find people like me and to love them

To love them

To love me

And to love big, heavy words

And to fly free

And run towards light

#a poem/writing thing about the day I got my diagnosis #and the times that followed it #autism #actually autistic #actually audhd #neurodivergent

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marmixedwithabitofintellect · 2 years

Text

The Story of You

Lovies I'm sorry for the delay! my grandma is leaving for Europe later this week and she wasn't feeling well, thankfully it was just a scare and we were able to say goodbye to her (which was very emotional not going to lie 🥲), this part does not have any visuals because from now on I'll be doing an IG post for each chapter, which I will post tomorrow! I hope you love this chapter as much as I did, it is truly a special one 🤍 All the love, Mar

Disclaimer: In no way do I wish to spread hate or negative opinions about any of the characters here depicted, this is just fiction and with the purpose of entertaining you guys

Part 15: Illusion

October 26, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

New York, New York. 10:00 AM

The heat was welcomed when I opened the door to Betty’s office, the city was finally welcoming the change of weather and I personally wasn’t enjoying it too much, Randy was sitting on the front desk and smiled when she saw me come in, “Well look who the wind brought! Hi honey!”

“Hi Randy! It’s so good to be back!”, she smiled and grabbed the phone, “I’ll let Betty know you’re here, okay?”, I nodded, and she smiled, a few minutes later Betty came out looking for me, “Well hello to my favorite patient! Would you feel comfortable if I hug you?”, I nodded, “Would you feel comfortable?”

She pulled me into a hug, and it as in this moment that I decided I would never ever take for granted being able to hug another human being, she pulled back and we walked into her office, after doing a general checkup she felt my belly to see where my baby is and then used the doppler; I teared up when I heard it go, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get so emotional over this, but man I have missed it”

She gave me a smile, “Never apologize darling, you’re a mom, you deserve to celebrate every single second”, she turned off the doppler and cleaned my belly, “I am happy to report you guys have a very clean bill of health! Which means you will be able to attend the concerts this weekend but if you get tired you need to sit down”

I nodded, “I promise, but he will still make sure I do all of this”, we both laughed, “So I’ll see you on the 29th just for the ultrasounds okay?”, I smiled at her while we walked to the exit, “I’ll see you in three days”, I walked into the subway and sat down to text Harry who was on his way or had already arrived to Atlanta

To H. Styles (11:15 AM): Guess who got a clean bill of health?

From H. Styles (11:16 AM): That’s awesome! You did it!

To H. Styles (20:35 PM): We did. Good luck in Atlanta 💜 I’ll see you in three days!

I smiled and put my phone away, I stopped at the supermarket for some things and then went home, Betty was serious about me taking it slow and I would obey her.

October 28, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

New York, New York. 4:00 PM

A knock on my door had me furrowing my brows, I had no delivery of baby’s things set for today and Harry was playing in Atlanta today, when I opened it a little a surprised look took my face, “Olivia?”, she stood there with a coffee tray and a small smile

“Y/N, hi, uhm I’m sorry for coming out of the blue, but I really want to talk to you”, I closed the door to remove the lock and opened it for her, I moved, and she came in I followed her to my living room, “Uhm, do you want something to eat?”, she placed the coffee cups on the table and removed her coat, “Thank you I had lunch before coming”

I nodded, she handed me a cup, “Harry said you enjoyed a chai latte, so I bought you one”, I took the drink from her hand, “Thanks, how are the kids and Jason?”, “They are doing good, Daisy’s test came back positive even though she has no symptoms so we have to wait another few days before I can see them”, “I’m glad to heart that, please say hello to them”, she nodded.

I turned to look at her, “Uhm, does Harry know that you’re here?”, she cleared her throat, “No he doesn’t, listen, I really appreciate the fact that you agreed to talk to me; I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk to”, she chuckled, and I gave her a small smile, “Am I that predictable?”, “I mean, if roles were reversed I know you would be”.

She took a sip from her drink, she placed it on the table and sat up straighter on the sofa she was sitting on, “I know there is no apology big enough for what I said to you, to be honest I really don’t have an excuse as to why I said it”, I nodded and spoke up, “I understand that as Harry’s partner you are looking out for him, but you need to understand that there are topics where your role as a partner is limited to a listener, and I think this is one of those topics”

“And I know that now, but at the moment I was so overtaken by so many things, and I don’t want for it to become an excuse, but it is the truth, that week life was just trying to drown me, I really don’t know how much Harry told you about what happened?”

“Not much to be honest, and I don’t really ask; your relationship is yours Olivia, I am just the mother of his child, which in turn means that that relationship is just ours”, she nodded, “I know”, I scoffed, “Do you? Because from what you displayed that weekend, I am starting to doubt that”, she flinched

“I was wrong you know; to have reacted how I did, after all, all you wanted to do was be friends, and there I go and throw in your face the custody thing, and that you looked for Harry and let him know”, she chuckled, “And I didn’t stop there, I even had the audacity to tell you off for meddling on our relationship when I did that first between you and Harry, but I need you to know, that he didn’t cheat while you guys were still together”

She sighed before continuing, “But I was wrong; what you did, telling Harry that he was going to be a father is one of the most selfless and bravest things you have done, because you put your child first, and that is what a mother does”, she turned to look at me, “And that kid is lucky to have a mother like you Y/N and a father like Harry, and I understand that my place as his or her dad’s partner is to take care of them when you cannot do it”

I sat up straighter and ran a hand down my belly before I spoke up, “I will say, I thought honestly that you would never apologize, Harry had tried and apologized for you, but I told him that if you were old enough to say those things you were old enough to hopefully apologize, so I truly appreciate you coming today”, she nodded

“I’m glad you understand where you stand regarding my child’s life, you are his or her father’s partner, and they will always be polite to you because I’ll teach them to, and I know you will always make sure to take care of them when they’re not with me like you take care of Otis and Daisy, but please get it into your head; you’ll never, ever get custody of my kid”

She spoke up, “I know, Harry will not fight for it”, I nodded, “Oh I know, that’s why he sighed an affidavit”, she looked at me surprised, “What?”, I turned to look at her, “He didn’t tell you?”, she shook her head, “Oh, he came and dropped it before leaving for Florida, my lawyer went over it and she’s now in contact with his lawyer, so we’re all good there”, she nodded

“I am glad, that is the most important thing”, we sat in silence for a few seconds until I spoke up, “Olivia, there’s something that has been on my mind since that day”, she nodded for me to continue, “If you and I had already spoken before, why did you say those things?”

I took a sip of my drink, while she continued to talk, “I guess that I got scared; there is so much uncertainty on my life right now, from my past my present and especially my future, I know things are going to change Y/N and I don’t know how much more change I can handle; I mean we are all resilient, but doesn’t resilience have a limit too?”

“It does, I think resilience has become a big part of my life this past year, don’t you?”, she averted her sight, “And the breakup? Why did you bring up the fact that Harry did not cheat Olivia?”

“Because he didn’t, I know that from the pictures and headlines and our own attitudes it seems that way, but he is a gentleman, and we didn’t move forward until he let me know you two broke up”, I placed my cup on his table, “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”, I scoffed and rolled my eyes

She looked at me shocked, “No no no no, I know that nothing will make it better, but if that will give you peace of mind over it, I will be able to breathe”, “Truth is, he did cheat Olivia”, she furrowed her brows, “Because it happened slowly and sadly right in front of my eyes; for weeks I watched him fall out of love with me but keep loving me out of pity, I watched him try and keep alive the love I had worked so hard to protect from anything and everything, except from the real threat”

I let out a shuddered breath, “He may have not been in your bed physically, but he was emotionally, and I truly don’t know which is worse”, she gave me a look of pity and regret, “Y/N I…”

I gave her a sad smile, “Did he ever tell you what happened when we broke up?”, she shook her head, “Not much, just that things were over between you two”, I sniffled, “I broke up with him, before he could break my heart even further and… and before watching him fall in love with you broke me”, she reached to squeeze my hand, “Y/N, I’m sorry”

I stood up, “I truly wish I could believe you Olivia, along with the fact that he didn’t cheat”, she stood up, “Y/N, if you’re still up for it, I would really like for us to get to know each other better”, she settled on her seat and gave me a small smile, I gave her a sad smile

“A few weeks ago, I would have made an effort for this to happen, but now, Olivia, I will put myself first, and that means we’ll limit our contact to the strictly necessary, thank you for coming today”, she gave me a sad smile

“Thank you for your honesty, and for listening to me, I truly appreciate it, take care”, I walked her to the door, and she left, and along with her left the anger I had been feeling against them over the breakup.

October 29, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

Harry. New York, New York. 12:30 PM

I was late. My flight had landed late which meant I had to leave from the airport directly to Betty’s office and I barely made it on time, when I entered Randy smiled at me, “Hey! We just got her back, follow me”,

I waved at her and followed her into the little cubicle, when we got there, Y/N was sitting on the chair on her phone, she put it away and waved at me, “Hello you, how are you?”, I stood up frozen on the door, how on Earth had she managed to get more beautiful since the last time I saw her?

“Hi”, I turned to look at her belly which had also grown, a reminder that we were six weeks away from meeting our love, “You can say hello”, I nodded and kneeled before her, she pulled up her shirt and I placed my hands on her warm belly, “Their head is somewhere around here, and they have been kicking around here”

Sure enough, I felt something hard on the lower part of her belly, and decided to press a little on the upper part hoping to get a kick, but baby was not being cooperative, “Oh come on bubby, you were kicking up a storm while we listened to ‘Style’”, I gave her a smile, “Really?”, she nodded, “Oh, I’ll definitely text Taylor and tell her”

I stood up and she lowered her top, and smiled at her, “Can I hug you, please?”, she nodded and stood up, I reached in and she nuzzled her face in my neck, just like she did when we were together, and I silently thanked whoever listened for the fact that she was okay, that they both were okay, and we were able to be here.

We pulled back and Betty came into the room, “Well hello you! Welcome back to New York!”, i smiled, “Hi Betty, its’ so nice to see you again”, “You too, so, shall we see this little chunker?”, we both nodded, and I helped Y/N get settled on the bed, Betty lowered the lights and turned on the machine.

Betty started moving the probe around her belly while I grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, “Okay, let’s close our eyes because I do have to check down there”, Y/N turned to look at me and I covered our eyes, after a few minutes Betty lets us know she’s done and we turned to see her looking at our baby’s torso and head, “Well this little chunker is looking to weight between five and a half and six pounds right now, so we may be looking at an eight pounder at birth”

A shiver ran down her spine and i laughed, she then switched so that we could see the baby in 4D, Y/N spoke first, “Oh look at those cheeks! I truly cannot wait to kiss them!”, I squeezed her hand, “Can these six weeks fly by?”, Betty laughed, “They will, don’t worry”, after taking some photos and scheduling our next appointment we said goodbye to Betty and left the office, we stood on the sidewalk and we both reached and gave each other a hug.

We pulled back and I kissed her head, “Want to grab some lunch?”, she pulled back, “I would love to, but I promised Sarah we would get pedicures and then we would go to dinner with Elin and Nyoh”, I felt my heart deflater a little, but I understood, “Oh uhm sure, definitely have fun! Can I drive you to the place?”

She nodded and we walked to my car, when I got in, she smiled, “But, we do have a building date planned don’t we? The last box is set to get here tomorrow”, I smiled at her, “We do, Mitch even bought gloves for me” her laugh made me smile, God I truly would give up anything to see her smile

“Think I’ll order some pizzas for dinner, what do you think?”, “Love the idea”, sadly, we arrived at the salon faster than I wanted but knowing that I would see her tomorrow made me happy, I got out and opened her door, “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”, she nodded, “I hope you have your costume ready huh?”, I smirked at her and she scoffed

“Yeah right, I cannot even stand my normal clothing and you want me to wear a costume”, I laughed a little, “I’m kidding love, enjoy your pedicure, okay? Let me know when you get home”, she nodded and reached in for a hug before heading in, only turning to wave at me and blow a kiss which I returned.

October 29, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

New York, New York. 3:00 PM

Sarah had texted me that she was just a few blocks away so I should go ahead and check us in, which I did and picked up the color I wanted for my nails, as I was finishing choosing the door chimed in and she came in giving me a big smile and hugging me, she didn’t want to let go but had to after a few minutes

“Don’t you ever do that again! I was terrified for you”, “I’m okay now, I promise”, we chose our colors and sat down, we caught up on what I had missed up on tour, how her family was and if she was excited for Harryween, she groaned, “Don’t remind me, I feel so bad”, I furrowed my brows, “Why?”

“Rachel, our nanny’s friends are coming, but I haven’t found anyone who can help us take care of the rascal”, I scoffed at her, “I’ll take that as an offense”, she turned to look at me, “Why?”, “I’ll take care of him, give her the day off, I need all the practice I can get”, she smiled but shook her head, “I cannot ask for you to do that”, “Sarah Jones of course you can! I insist! I miss my nephew”

“Babes, are you sure? Like a 100%?”, I nodded, “Well then, it’s settled”, I smiled at her and reached to squeeze her hand, “What am I doing S?”, from my peripheral I could see she turned to see me, “What do you mean?”, I laughed, “I have a baby, that, if all goes according to plan, is supposed to come in six weeks, but could come any minute, and the only thing I have are boxes upon boxes of things, oh and one onesie washed”

I turned to look at her, “I have so much left to do and I feel like so little time to complete it; and when the father is on tour, well things get even crazier”, we both laughed, “Babes, calm down, you are okay, Mitch and H will build all the furniture on Monday and I’ll help you wash, and you can sort little by little”

“When I was as far along as you are now, I was just finishing ordering everything, even diapers, so you’re doing okay”, I nodded and took a sip of my tea, “you know you can talk to me, right?”, I nodded, “I’m terrified S, since I found out I have had everything under control, and for the first time, I feel like I have nothing under control”, I sniffled

“I still cannot believe I’m having a baby, that I will be responsible for a whole person, I feel overwhelmed by it, what if I screw up? I don’t want for him or her to end up hating me”, I sniffled and wiped the tears that had started falling, “I truly cannot understand how I can love him or her so much already, how is that even possible?”

Sarah reached her hand to mine and squeezed it, “It means that you are a mum, and that you care, and it is such a normal reaction; I had the same fears as you babe, but I promise, I swear that they will all dissipate when you meet them, I know it sounds like cliché but it’s true”, I smiled at her

“You’re not your mom, and you’ll never be your mom”, my breath shuddered, “How did you know?”, “I can see the gears turning babe; what you have to do now is get everything ready for them and dream of everything you wanna do together, rest, let everyone spoil you and truly enjoy these last six weeks, because they will fly by”

We finished getting our pedicures and started making our way to the restaurant where we had agreed to meet the girls, just before going in I pulled Sarah in for a hug, “Oh what was that for huh?”, I whispered to her, “For being my best friend and the sister I truly never had”, “Stop, you’ll make me cry” we pulled back smiling and went in to have some dumplings.

October 30, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

Harry. New York, New York. 7:30 PM

Little Rowland and I had just arrived at Madison Square Garden. After Mitch had dropped him off around 9 in the morning and ready for his morning nap, we agreed that I would pop over before showtime so that they could get some family pictures and so that they could take him home after the concert.

We have had such an awesome day of watching Cocomelon, playing with some of the plushies Sarah had packed and even had a picnic on the park near my apartment with pictures sent to parents who were really happy.

I had given little man a bath before leaving my apartment and put him on the Halloween costume Sarah had packed, he looked so cute and I couldn’t wait to see what Alessandro and the Harries had come up with for this year.

We got out of the elevator and walked down the hall that was decorated for the occasion and stopped outside the room Jeff had texted me they were in, I knocked two times and when the door was opened I let out a laugh because right in front of me stood Anna (Jeff) Wintour, who checked me up and down before speaking up, “Classy New York pregnant style, I like it”, he then removed his glasses and gave me a hug

“Oh, Glenne is going to be so jealous that I have already given you a hug and she hasn’t”, I laughed, “Hi Jeffie! I missed you, looking good in your costume”, before I could walk any further, I grabbed little man from the stroller and Lambert stopped me at the door, “Any last guesses?”, I stopped and placed a finger on my chin thinking, “Little man and I think that they will go out dressed as…ABBA”

“Dang it! Why didn’t I think of that? Okay now close your eyes” I did, and he grabbed my arm while Jeff was standing behind me, Lambert spoke up, “Okay, on the count of three you’ll open your eyes; one… two… three!”, when I did I couldn’t hide the shock on my face, they were dressed as the characters from ‘The Wizard of Oz’

Elin was dressed as Glinda the Good Witch, Niji was the Tin Man, Nyoh was the Scarecrow, Pauli was the Wizard of Oz, Sarah as the Wicked Witch of the West, Mitch as the Cowardly Lion and Harry as Dorothy, “OH MY GOD! YOU GUYS! I LOVE THIS!”, Sarah walked to me, and Little man smiled and reached for him mom, Harry made his way to me and gave me a hug, “So, what do you think?”

“I am in love! Truly the costumes and the idea is wonderful! I got to say tho, Mitch looks so happy”, everyone in the room laughed and cooed at the baby who reached to pull his father’s costume, Harry turned back to me, “And how did this little baby behave?”, I grabbed his hand and placed it where Squish was busy kicking up a storm, “Excited for tonight, they love your music”

He smiled and we turned when the door opened and Olivia came in dressed as Dolly Parton, she made her rounds around the room and I told Harry I would see him later, I wasn’t in the mood to talk with her so I got busy with Elin and Pauli; when it was time for them to go on stage Sarah handed me the baby and we both waved at them while we made our way into the changing room where we would be watching the show.

The show was a blast, and the energy was amazing, sadly I was so tired that I fell asleep with mister Rowland in my arms when they were performing ‘Cherry’. I was woken up by Sarah and Mitch who were ready to leave and gave me a ride home, we said our goodbyes and I went through my night routine, when I set my phone to charge, I saw I had a text message from Harry waiting

From H. Styles (11:16 AM): I didn’t get to say good night to you 😔Mitch told me you fell asleep with the baby, if you feel tired and want to skip tomorrow it’s okay, I’ll miss you, but your rest is more important, talk to you tomorrow, okay? Sending you and the baba my love 😘😘

October 31, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

Harry. New York, New York. 8:00 PM

Madison Square Garden was once again full of amazing people dressed in even more amazing costumes but again, I was one tired pregnant woman that did not want to wear a costume. The theme for tonight were clowns, but not the scary clowns, they had chosen to be ‘Pierrot’ style clowns, and I loved it.

The concert was a smash and Harry even sang ‘Medicine’, ‘Toxic’ and ‘Kiwi’ had been my favorites. As instructed by Glenne and Harry, Jeff had been a Godsend and helped me so much, especially when I started feeling faint halfway through, but it was nothing that a bottle of water and some snacks couldn’t fix.

I went backstage with Jeff and sat down on the couches while we waited for the band to come, when they did, we congratulated everyone, Elin came and sat down with me, “How have you been feeling?”, I turned to look at her before answering, “Good, it is so good to be out again, how’s tour for you?”

She sighed, “It’s crazy, I really didn’t think I would ever be doing something like this, I am so thankful Harry chose me to be a part of this family”, that made me smile, he always made sure for each and every one of the crew that joins them on tour to feel like a family, “I am glad to hear that Elin, I really am”

A few seconds later Harry made his way to me, and Elin excused herself, “Hey, I saw you sitting down, everything okay?”, I squeezed his arm, “I’m okay, I get tired a little faster than before and hungry, but Jeff made sure we were fed and happy”, he laughed at that

“We were thinking of going to have some dinner, you up for it?”, I nodded and he squeezed my hand, “Let me go change and we’ll go okay?”, Jeff and Anthony joined me on the couch while we waited for everyone to get ready and hoped crowds went down a little; after everyone was ready we hopped into the vans and made our way to the hotel where everyone was staying.

Harry grabbed my hand and we walked inside, the smell of garlic and tomato made my mouth water and I saw there were boxes of Joe’s pizzas, I sat down to eat with the girls and Pauli, and we had so much fun sharing stories on our childhood and tour memories.

It was around 1:30 when I started getting very sleepy and I went to look for Harry, who gave me big smile when he saw me, “Hey you, everything okay?”, “Yeah just tired, think I’ll head home now”, he stood up, “Let me drive you, yes? Everyone was about to go anyways so”, I gave him a skeptical look, “You sure? I can just order and Uber”

He rolled his eyes, “You still the most stubborn person I know huh? I`m sure, let’s go”, we said our goodbyes to the few people that were still there and made our way along with Jeff to the parking, when we got there, we said our goodbyes and Harry and I got into his car, he turned it on and the turned to look at me, “Shall we?”, I nodded, and we made our way to my house.

A few minutes before we got to my house a call from Jeff came through, which Harry answered over the speaker, “Hey, everything okay?”, Jeff nervously laughed, “uhm, I may or may not have your keys here with me, so…”, I let out a laugh and Harry did too, “So, am I supposed to sleep on my car?”

I cleared my throat, “Or you can take my couch?”, he turned to look at me, his eyes were trying to make sure I was not joking, when I nodded he spoke up, “Okay then, I’ll see you tomorrow Jeff with my keys”, we said goodnight and hung up the phone, “I guess it’s a good thing I decided to wear sweats after the concert huh?”

We arrived at my place and got out of his car and made our way upstairs, I unlocked the door and we removed our masks, coats and shoes, before he gave me a smile, “Thank you for letting me stay here, I don’t think sleeping in my car would’ve been the best choice”, I shrugged, “i mean, headlines would’ve been pretty funny if you ask me”

He followed me into the living room, and helped me remove the pillows from the sofa, I turned to look at him, “Hey, come help me bring some blankets and sheets?”, he nodded and we made our way down the hall and into the room that would be turning into the nursery, Harry stopped in the door.

I turned to ask him, “Everything okay?”, he nodded and walked inside, “I truly cannot believe this will be a nursery tomorrow”, I smiled and opened the closet, grabbing some blankets, “Well, maybe not a complete one, but the beginning”, we turned off the lights and made our way back to the living room.

After making his bed we went into the kitchen to get a cup of tea and sat down on the sofa again, I groaned when I felt a kick to my rib and he turned to look at me with a worried face, “What? Are you okay?”, I ran a hand down the spot, “Yeah, they tend to get active at this time of the night, think they’re running out of space”, we both laughed, and I placed his hand where I was feeling kicks

“How are we down to the last six weeks?”, I gave him a silent laugh, “I am also in awe about it”, he sat there in silence and a look of anxiousness, “Hey, everything oaky?”, he drank some tea and turned to look at me, “I don’t wanna go”, I squeezed his hand, “Harry…”, he squeezed back, “I live in constant anxiety that you will go into labor and I won’t be here, and as the weeks go by it grows even more”

“Honestly I was so tempted to have my mom fly directly to you instead of coming to California to see me”, I placed my cup on the floor and reached for his hands, “Hey, we both know that is a possibility, but thankfully you are on this side of the planet, so the longest it will take you to come here is six hours”, he laughed at that

“I know it is not ideal, but we have made it work, and I have a feeling this baby is not coming before its due date, even had a discussion on the matter; but… but if I were to go into labor early, these two weeks are the ‘critical’ ones because I would technically be alone, but your mom will be here from the 37 and you too”

He nodded, we finished our teas and while he used the bathroom, I washed the cups and put away some dishes I had around, as I was turning off the lights he appeared in the living room, “Y/N… thank you really for letting me stay here”, I smiled at him, “Sweet dreams H”

November 1, 2021: Week Thirty-Four

New York, New York. 1:45 AM.

I finished setting up the little snacks when there was a knock on my door, when I opened it the first things I heard was, “Well you definitely look like a mom wearing those dungarees”, I laughed and Sarah whacked Mitch on his head, “ouch! What was that for?”, she then reached to hug me

“You look beautiful mama”, Harry came in after them and kissed her head, “Hi you”, we walked into the kitchen where I had set up a little refreshment station for us, Mitch spoke up, “okay, besides being the best host, what are we supposed to do?”, I smiled

“I would really appreciate if you guys could start with the big furniture while S and I start folding all the laundry I did this week?”, Harry and Mitch nodded and they started making their way into the nursery while S and I settled on the couch, “So, I followed your recommendations and got the bins, so we can sort them truth be told we haven’t bought so many clothes, just the basics”

She nodded, “I think you did good, then when he or she gets here we will spoil them with some more clothes huh? But a baby in neutrals has my heart”, I placed a hand on my belly and turned to look at Sarah, “Wanna feel them kick?”, she nodded excitedly and I grabbed her hand, “Well hello to my favorite niece or nephew, we cannot wait to meet you, but you have to wait until we bring your dad back okay?”

When a well-aimed kick was placed where her hand was, I could say that the assignment was understood. While we folded the clothing we could hear Harry and Mitch in the room, and surprisingly there hasn’t been any accidents; we had just finished with the 3-6 month clothes when we decided we should go get the boys and take a break, Sarah stopped me and said, “Harry wants it to be a surprise, so I’ll go get them”

I nodded and stopped at the bathroom, when I came out, they were waiting for me in the kitchen, we ate some pizza and fruit and made our way back into work. “How are you guys holding up?”, Harry smiled, “Pretty good, Mitch has definitely been the MVP here, and I cannot wait for you to see it”, I smiled, “I cannot wait to see it”

It was close to 9 o clock when Harry and Mitch came out of the nursery, Sarah and I had finished a few hours ago and I showed her the bassinet and rocker we had ordered but they had not yet arrived, we turned to see them and I could see the tears in Harry’s eyes, “Hey, what are the tears for?”, he wiped them and grabbed my hand, “Come with me”

I followed him and my heart started beating so fast, he never let go of my hand and squeezed it stopping at the closed door, “I hope this is everything you envisioned when we shared those pictures and ideas”, he pulled back and I walked to the door before opening it, I took a deep breath, opened it and was in awe when I saw the nursery.

“Harry…”, I turned to him, and he came to give me a hug, he swayed us a little and kissed my head, “You like it?”, I pulled back, “Like it? I love it, this is everything I wanted and more” I sniffled and walked in to see the details they had placed, Harry walking alongside me

“I know it is very simple, but we can definitely add details when baby comes huh?”, I nodded, I sat down on the reclining chair and he kneeled in front of me and placed his hand on my belly, “think you’ll be comfortable enough while feeding them?”, I smiled, “Oh yeah, definitely, I kinda wish we settled this in my room now that you mention it”

He moved his hand across my belly hoping to feel some movement, “We can do that, we can do everything you want okay?”, we turned to look at Mitch and Sarah, who were standing at the door, Mitch had the biggest smile and Sarah was teary-eyed, they walking in hand in hand and Mitch side hugged Sarah before she spoke up

“I know we haven’t told you guys enough, but this baby is so lucky to have you two as his or her parents”, we smiled and Harry helped me stand up and went in to hug her and Mitch, we pulled back after a few seconds, “Thank you guys, we couldn’t have done this without you two”, Mitch spoke up, “Anytime, we truly enjoy being with you guys and this little baby”

November 5, 2021: Week Thirty-Five

Harry. Tacoma, Washington. 3:30 PM

After we finished rehearsals Mitch, Sarah and I decided to grab some lunch and rest for the rest of the day, Y/N and I had continued to talk and discuss everything related to the baby, and slowly but surely, I felt us getting closer, while Olivia and I, well things were not really good between us

“H?”, I turned to look at Mitch, “What’s on your mind?”, I shrugged, “Y/N”, they both turned to look at each other, and I furrowed my brows, “What?”, Sarah gave me a small smile, “Nothing, just wanted to know what was going on between you guys?”, “I mean, we have been getting closer, just trying to figure out what we are missing related to the baby”

“Just tell her already”, I turned to look at Mitch, “What?”, he rolled his eyes, “Mate, I don’t know who you are trying to fool, we can all see it, the fact that you are in love with her”, I sighed, “Mitch, we have been over this”, he interrupted me, “Yeah yeah you are with Olivia and you are working in your relationship… how much longer will you keep up that excuse?”

Sarah gasped, “Mitch!”, “What Sarah? We all know it, we all see it, hell even he knows it, but he doesn’t want to admit it, or am I wrong Harry?”, I cleared my throat, “H?”, I sighed, “I don’t know Mitch, I don’t know”, “Mate you do, don’t lie to yourself anymore, please”, I turned to look at him angrily, “And what should I do with Olivia huh?”

“Leave her”, I turned to look at Sarah like she had grown another head, “What?”, she came and sat down next to me on the couch on my dressing room, “H, you're not happy, you know who your heart truly belongs to, so why keep ignoring it? It is killing you to do so, I can see it”

She sat up straighter and told me, “She may not be my best friend, but I've grown to like her, and Olivia does not deserve your false love”, she squeezed my arm, “Harry, don’t fight it anymore, choose yourself to be happy, for once, and choose with your heart”, I smiled at her and sat down to play with the little boy who was in the floor playing on his mat and picked him up.

The little boy in my arms offered me a smile when I pulled a funny face at him, his parents laughed, a few moments later he settled in my arms, I kissed his head and took a swig of my beer

“What if she doesn't love me anymore?”, they both let out a laugh and I turned to look at them, “What?”, Mitch spoke up, “Harry, are you serious?”, I nodded

Sarah came and kneeled in front of me, squeezing my knee, “H, that girl is so in love with you; yes she is hurt and yes she is still healing, but your love goes beyond this”, Mitch then spoke up, “That doesn't mean you don't have to work your ass off for her to forgive you, and you have to respect her grieving and healing process, but things will work out for you two”, I turned to look at him, “You really think so?”, he smiled at me, “I know so, and in the end, I will gladly tell you ‘I told you so’”

I nodded at him, “I think I will need to cancel our plans in California, maybe you can still take my mom, I have a conversation that is overdue”, they both nodded, we continued to lounge and Jeff came to join us, around five we all took our separate ways and Sarah turned to look at me before the door to their room closed, “H, if you need us, just call okay?”, I nodded and went into my room which was further down the hall.

November 8, 2021: Week Thirty-Five

New York, New York. 11:30 PM.

Little Squish, in fifteen minutes time the official countdown will begin! We will have four weeks until you are set to arrive, we are hoping that you will hold up until said four weeks are done, but we will welcome you when you feel like coming to see us.

Your dad is on the edge over this, especially since he is currently touring the West Coast and won’t be back until two weeks from your due date, so you can say that he’s kinda nervous and anxious, but don’t worry he’ll make sure to be here when you decide to be born.

We feel so excited because we have finished your nursery! Your dad, uncle Mitch, auntie Sarah and I worked on getting ready your nursery and baby I am so in love with it, daddy and I cannot really wait to see you there and grow up. Your grandma Anne and your aunt Gemma will be here in three weeks! This is so exciting for everyone here baby, your grandpa Des will also be here, he is your daddy’s father, and even if him and your grandma got a divorce, they love their children above all and they will love you too! I love you so much baby, let the countdown begin <3

Taglist @tinydestinybear @amyleeeee @harry-is-my-sunflower @beachwoodcaferryy @msolbesg @clarawolf22 @harrysficreblog @infinitely-yellow @cherrylovesblog @wherethehellhaveyoubeenharry @harryspirate @kaitieskidmore1 @michellekstyles @qualitygiantshoepsychic @irelilien @futuristicpalacegardenpsychic @shawnsblue @behindmygreyeyes @sunshinemoonsposts @dirtytissuebox @little-freak-satellite @tinydeskwriter @be-with-me-so-happily @watercolorskyy @goldenlouvr @jgoff717

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fancycolours · 1 year

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Details I just had to share about both of the Chicago concerts I went to! 💜

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The April 11th Chicago concert (AKA the special Chicago concert...)

I took a shuttle to get to the concert venue and the shuttle driver told me that Chicago’s crew members were staying at the same hotel that I was at. So cool! Before actually going into the concert venue, I went to a bar next door and just hung out there to pass the time by. The owner of the bar ended up pulling up some Chicago songs on YouTube and played them for me. How sweet of him. He was like “Got to get you ready for the show tonight!” So, I jammed out for a bit and then headed over to the venue and waited to be let in. And you’ll never believe what happened... All the tour buses were parked out front and then out comes the band!!! Guess who happened to walk past me first?! ROBERT FREAKING LAMM. ASDFGHJK. He looked right at me! And we both said hi to each other. And then after him came Lee! I also got to say hi to him too! They’re the only two that said anything! The others just walked by without a single word. They had to get into the venue to prep for the VIP portion. (Which I took part in!) Eventually me and the other people that were waiting got let in and we got to check in with the VIP host! He handed out lanyards and “swag bags” which had some merch in them! The host complimented me and said that he loved my Chicago pins! After that we all got in line and headed backstage! The backstage area was super tiny. Then one by one everybody got to go onstage and take photos with the band!!! Once it was my turn I went to stand in between Jimmy and Robert. Lee was directly behind us, and he asked me how I was doing. There were like three people taking photos of us! They used cellphones and a camera. After that, Jimmy talked to me a bit and he said, “Have fun tonight!” I thanked him and told him that it was nice to meet him. (I brought my mom with me, and she joined in for a couple photos with us as well.) Once she came over, she stood next to Jimmy, and I moved closer to Robert! I wrapped my arm around his back and once I did that, I could hear an audible “Ooooh!” behind us. It was Lee! haha! He knew what was up! I didn’t get a hug from Robert unfortunately; it just wasn’t in the cards. But hey! I wrapped my arm around him, so there’s that, I guess. (Just want to say that our height difference is so freaking adorable! I can’t get over it! I come right up to his shoulder!) After those bunch of photos, I told Robert that it was nice to meet him and then I walked away. He wasn’t very talkative during the “photo shoot”. I don’t blame him. Most of the band didn’t say anything. They just wanted to get it over with and play the show! Ok now, Show time! For this show I had front row seats!!! Smack dab in the center!!! I was so close to the guys! omg! Like almost right up in their faces! During the show all of them made eye contact with me at one point or another. Jimmy pointed at me and winked. lol. At one point I gave him a thumbs up and he gave me one back! Robert was at the front of the stage approximately three times during the concert. At the end of “Beginnings” he normally throws one guitar pick out at every show... but at this show that wasn’t the case... He looked directly at me and threw a handful of guitar picks right in my direction. Everyone in the front row scrambled out to grab some. Between my mom and I we both managed to get seven picks! We asked a few people around us if they got one or if they wanted one. They were all set, so I kept all the ones we got! So flipping amazing! Ok now, fast forward to the last few songs!! Every single person was up on their feet and dancing! Quite a few ran up to the foot of the stage to be even closer to the guys!! I luckily managed to secure a spot up there too!! Had even more interactions with the guys during that part. Got to give Jimmy a high five for one! The horn section, Eric (the bass player), and Tony (the guitar player) all came over to our side and played for us. During “25 or 6 to 4″ Tony played a replica of Terry Kath’s beloved Fender Telecaster! (With all the stickers included!) He knelt down right in front of us as he was playing the solo. That was wicked cool. Alright now, final bow time! After they took their final bow the majority of them lingered onstage for a bit. Lee walked over and I got to shake his hand! And then Robert came over and I got to give him a fist bump! At least I got that too! Once the guys exited the stage, we hung around a bit more. I randomly looked under the chairs and lo and behold I saw yet another guitar pick! So, I of course grabbed it! I ended up with eight guitar picks in total! An even number! huzzah! On the front of the picks, there’s the band logo and then on the back there’s Robert’s name! SO YEAH! I GOT EIGHT GUITAR PICKS FROM ROBERT HIMSELF! I’m so over the moon about it! haha! The fact that everybody else just grabbed one each... and I grabbed as many as I could. pffffft. I deserve them though! I think we can all agree! I’m gonna cherish those forever and ever! Man, I never wanted the show to end! I LOVED being that close to them! So glad I got to experience that! And would I do the VIP thing again?! Absolutely!

The April 12th Chicago concert...

For this show I had 6th row seats off to the right side of the stage. Still pretty close to the guys! The thing was that there were speakers piled up at the sides of the stage so when Robert was playing his keyboard, he was hidden behind them, and I couldn't see him at all. (Only when he came out to the front of the stage with his keytar I could!) At one point this lady and her husband in our row ended up moving a few rows closer so they could be with their friends. Obviously, the seats near their friends were either no shows or weren't purchased at all. Anyway, once they moved down, my mom and I moved over to the left a few seats. And then I was able to see Robert perfectly! Love how this worked out honestly! This theater was kind of set up a bit weird compared to the first theater we went to. And also, it was really hot in there. No A.C. The band were getting really warm up there and we could see them talking about it to each other. Also, there were a few technical difficulties at this show. Mainly the microphones volume being too low. And at the start of the show Robert's keytar wasn't working properly, so one of the crew members rushed out and fixed it right there as he was still playing it! All these minor things didn't prevent the guys from putting on an amazing show as they always do. They just kept on with it! Tony and Eric threw out quite a few guitar picks during this show compared to the first! And then when it was Robert's turn to throw out a pick after “Beginnings” he actually didn't this time! I was surprised. It looked like he was going to (He even pointed at someone), but there was nothing in his hands. At this venue there was a pit in front of the stage with three rows in it. So, at the end of the show, all of us that were a bit further back couldn't get to the foot of the stage. But I'm fine with that. I got to do that at the first show. We still stood up during the same songs we did at the first show too. Then when it came to the final bow, most of the band just waved at the fans, and didn't really linger for too long. No handshakes, high fives, or fist bumps. They just wanted to get the heck out of there! Again, I don't blame them. However, here's the cool thing! Eric stayed out a little bit longer. He still had his bass guitar wrapped around him. Anyway, he looked directly at me all the way back in the 6th row! And then he threw a guitar pick right in my direction! It was a very good throw too! It made it all the way back, but it landed on the chair in front of me. There were still people standing in that row as well, but none of them noticed the pick landing or him throwing it for that matter. Once all those people left, I went down to the row in front of me and grabbed the pick! At that point it was on the floor. Seriously surprised no one noticed that. It was truly meant for me though! 100 percent. My mom and I hung around a bit after that. We were standing by the side door and out popped one of Chicago's crew members/the VIP host from the first show. He said “Hey, I remember you guys from last night! How'd you like the show?” We told him we had a great time at both. After that little chat, my mom and I ventured over to the left side of the theater to see if we could spot any of Tony's guitar picks. (Because who knows if anyone got them or not. Turns out that they must have. Ah well. I now have a goal to get one of Tony's picks so I can complete my set. I've got two pretty good chances coming up. Here's hoping. If not, that's more than alright. I have eight Robert Lamm picks (from the first show!) And one Eric Baines pick (from the second show!) I scored big time! Literally!) Ok, now on our way back to our hotel, we drove past the tour buses! There were some people standing outside of them and we saw Loren (the other keyboardist) and Lee enter a bus. As soon as they did, they started chowing down on some food. I saw Loren shove noodles in his mouth. lol. It was just cool to see them in the bus. Kind of like a little behind the scenes thing. Ray (the saxophonist) was the next one that was going to enter the bus, but he was chatting with someone before he did. At that point we had to keep driving. I really wish we could have attempted to hang outside by the buses, but I don't know if that would've ended well. At least I got to see a couple of them get into one. I just thought that was neat.

#lexie lamm talks #here it is! ✨ hope y'all enjoy! :D #I apologize for how long this is! omg lol!#I just really had to go into detail as you can see!

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kgs10 · 2 years

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A little while

Loona x 13th member (fem) reader

Anonymous asked:

Hello!! I really loved the loona interview. I was hoping you could do loona 0t12 x reader where the reader comes back from hiatus and surprises them!

Prompt: Reader went on hiatus and surprises o12

Genre- fluff

Warnings- death, dealing with a loss of a sibling

Words-1508

You went on a hiatus after the “why not” era because your mom and dad called you from the hospital saying that they got into a wreck and your little brother didn’t make it. You almost broke down crying but you didn’t want your parents to feel guilty that they weren’t there to comfort you.

After the call, you called your managers and told them what happened and asked if they were okay with you taking a hiatus to help your family out and go back home. They told you that they were fine with it and that you all needed to talk with the CEO about it. You told your managers to set up a meeting with the CEO. You also called Haseul that day and asked if she could be with you at the meeting. She of course said yes but you wanted to wait to tell the rest of Loona after the meeting.

The meeting went well. You had asked them if it was possible to do a video or a vlive after your break to explain why you took a break. They were all hesitant but gave in because they also don’t want the backlash from fans.

Haseul asked “Are you ready to tell the girls? They are already in the dance studio.” You nodded. You said your goodbyes to your managers and the CEO. Then you Haseul linked arms and headed down to the studio.

You and Haseul are close. She took you in when some of the members were hesitant about you joining the group. They eventually warmed up to you. You are really like a family.

The girls were confused when they got to the studio and you weren’t there already because your manager said that you were already there waiting for them. Not long after, you opened the door and walked in. They ran and hugged you two and you said sadly “ Hey girls. Will you all sit down and I have something to say?”

They sat down and looked at you. “So hmm… my parents called me from the hospital and said that they got into a really bad car accident and that my brother didn’t survive. So…. I’m going back home for a little while until they get back on their feet to work and stuff like that.” You teared up and looked up at the ceiling to dry your tears because you hated when people saw you cry.

“Y/n. We are so so sorry.” Sooyoung said while trying to wipe her tears away because she knew how much your little brother meant to you. He was one of your best friends. You started bailing after she said that. Haseul brought you into her arms and comforted you the best she could.

The rest of the day was just you in the arms of some of the best people in your life.

~time skip 2021

You had set up the date to be back in South Korea the same day as the Loona on wave concert “&” 2021. You would get in around the end of it so you planned on surprising the girls right after it ended. You called your manager to help set up one of the conference rooms in the company. You asked them to set it up kinda romantic. You told them to dim all of the lights since they would probably be tired from the concert lights. You bought roses and each of the girls representative flowers. You got them all of their favorite foods. You got the food and flowers on the way to the company.

The managers told them right after the show that they were having a company dinner in one of the conference rooms. They were excited but also tired. They always loved company dinners after a comeback.

You walked in and set down all of the stuff on the table. You took a picture before it got destroyed. “It looks good manager-nim. I missed being here. I even missed y’all.”

They laughed. “We missed you too Y/n. Now they are about to walk in and now go hide.”

You hid behind one of the bigger managers and held the cake and began to light it. They walked in and everyone said “CONGRATULATIONS.”

You came up behind the manager, held the cake, and said “Miss me?” They all screamed. The manager saw that you were about to be tackled to the ground so he took the cake and set it on the table.

“Owww. My ears. Oooof.” You landed on the ground. “We missed you so much Y/n,” Chuu said while crying. “I missed you guys so much. Now get off me.” You laughed.

You got up and pointed at the table and said “So you like?” They all said yes.

They hugged you one by one and whispered about how much they missed you. When Haseul came to hug you she took her hands and put them on your face to examine you.

“You okay up there? Did you sleep on the way here?” Haseul being Haseul she bombarded you with questions. She saw you kinda being hesitant and backed away and said “We are so proud of you Y/n. We missed you so much that it hurt.”

You felt guilty now and Hyunjin saw that and came to rub your back and said “Don’t worry so much about us. You are here now and that’s all that matters.”

You looked at Hyunjin and gave her a big smile which she returned. “Alright enough with this sappy stuff. I’m starving. Let’s eat.”

They laughed and grabbed their plates. You all sat down at the table and you told them about your flight and stuff and how this all got prepared.

“We never knew you could be this romantic Y/n,” Yeojin said while shoving food in her mouth. “Slow down kid. You’re going to choke.” Jungeun said. They all laughed. Yeojin slowed down.

“I’m not that romantic. I wanted it to be nice because you guys have worked so hard this past year and you all deserve the world. If I could give you guys the world I would do it in a heartbeat.” You chuckled and rubbed the back of your neck nervously.

“I thought you said to stop with the sappy stuff,” Hyeju said while wiping her tears away with a napkin. They were all crying. “No don’t cry I was just trying to be sincere. Oh no! What have I done?” You put your hands on her temples and rubbed them.

“Now stop crying. Let’s enjoy the rest of this dinner.” You said. They stopped crying and started eating again. “So Y/n how are you?” Heejin asked. “Better. Now that I’m here. I love my parents don’t get me wrong but I never really had a good relationship with them in the first place. That’s why my brother and I got along really well. You guys are my family. You are my safe place.” You shrugged your shoulders.

“Well, we are glad that you are back. Are you going to announce that you are back or anything like that?” Jinsoul asked. “Do you guys think I should? Or should I wait until we have another comeback? Oh, by the way, love the album. One of my favorites. My favorite song on the album is probably “WOW”. Masterpiece.” You praised them.

They were smiling and glad you liked that song because it was also one of their favorites. “I think you should wait just because so you can have some more time to grieve and live in the moment. It’s up to you. We’ll support you with whatever you pick.” Haseul said. They all agreed with Haseul.

“Can I just let orbits know that I’m okay?” You asked your managers. “I don’t see why not. We’ll release a statement saying that you’re okay and back in South Korea and that you will be in the next comeback. You will be back for the next comeback right?” They asked.“Oh yeah! I will be. I wouldn’t miss it.” You said while smiling at the girls.

They were so happy that everything was semi-normal. They were just enjoying themselves and then they left when they saw Hyunjin falling asleep on the table.

You tapped Hyunjin on the shoulder and said “Ready to go home?” She replied back with an aeong. You smiled and laughed “God did I miss you and your aeongs.”

~A/n sorry this took long. I was working on it the other night then my computer crashed and lost it. I liked the other version better. I just don’t remember what I wrote.

#Loona #loona scenarios #loona reactions #loona x reader #loona imagines #13th member

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ellestray · 9 months

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so. i was lucky enough to see skz at lollapalooza.

my entire body still hurts and my throat is just sore from all the shouting, but lord. i've never been happier about some pain.

i cannot express how wonderful they were. so caring. so passionate. you could absolutely feel their energy and gratitude through their performance, even from the back.

i usually don't move a lot during concerts (although i'm always having the time of my life!), i like soaking in the music and watching intently what the artist worked so hard on. but lollapalooza honestly is a blur.

it was so natural to dance and sing along. honestly, although there was an absurd amount of people, it felt like a safe space where i could care-freely be myself. it just reminded me that beyond the bad apples on social media, the community skz built is at the image of the group- nonjudgmental, all about kindness and, ultimately, music.

i also need to make a quick comment on bangchan- i've always known he's a born leader, of course, everyone does. but seeing his leadership in action during the concert was really different. i've gained so much more respect and appreciation for him, if that's even possible. i've been to a lot of concerts, but i don't think i've ever seen an artist take so much time to ensure the public was safe and anyone feeling sick could be escorted. i know it should be the bare minimum, but he was so genuine and gentle with his worry and kindness, i couldn't help but feel this new found love for him. he also did an amazing job at dealing with such a large crowd and leading the performance overall, still giving every member space to express themselves and hyping them up on stage- he was just everything.

oh, and haven. such an emotional moment. the euphoria we all felt from miroh just being performed. the fireworks. the boys being oh so happy on stage. the crowd dancing around with the biggest smile on their faces. it all felt so safe and comfortable. i wish the kids could've witnessed the scene from the point of view of the public- it was truly magical.

after the end of the concert, as i was walking away from the stage hand in hand with my friend, we saw a little girl with her mom- the image really marked me, for some reason. we shortly talked to them, and this little girl was brought to tears by the moment. the mom was so, so genuinely happy for her daughter, and she also was feeling all this happiness we were sharing from the experience. it made me realize that stray kids makes music for everyone, not just an audience that could turn into full time fans. this performance wasn't just for the little girl who had been dreaming of seeing her idols, it also was for the parents, for the people that didn't know them, for anyone that needed a breath of fresh air after difficult times.

before the concert, i met so many stays. the way we all naturally got along just reminded me of how kind the community skz fostered is. those stays and i went to the eiffel tower at night together and talked for hours, without even knowing each other- it'll be a moment i'll cherish forever.

i have so much more to say, but it's difficult to find the words to describe everything that surrounded this concert. i'm just filled with pride and newfound energy. i've been going through hard times lately, but in those moments, i felt free and at peace.

thank you, stray kids, and thank you stays for being so kind :')

#lollapalooza #stray kids #elle's thoughts #skzpalooza #stay #i am so grateful

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faszaakisshobbi · 1 year

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im back guys and here's my updates on everything!!

the trip was good. I am still exhausted, we walked a lot and my legs are sore. but we got a 99.25 score and 1st place in best school music department and best string orchestra. П seemed happy but exhausted and we embarrassed her a bunch by yelling and cheering whenever they called her name and our school, she would giggle and turn red but it was nice. I feel like we did a lot better than expected! one of the judges also was flirting with her afterwards and tried to get her contact. she just frowned in his face and walked away 💀 I DIDNT SIT NEXT TO HER (she has boundaries and I respect them) BUT I WANTED TO. I COULD HAVE FALLEN ALSEEP ON HER SHOULDER. she looked so great the entire time!! and we convinced her to take a group photo with the orchestra (she is never in photos related to school or with students) but I was the one to convince her!!!! she ran over and stood right in front of me and kind of leaned back a bit into me(?). I almost put my hand on her shoulder but I physically couldn't 😭😭 I didn't drive myself there in the morning and went with a friend, my mom had to pick me up at night and she was 30 minutes late even though I told her when to arrive and П had to wait with me really late I felt really bad. she didn't seem too annoyed though.

I saw Б on Thursday and again Saturday. lesson was very good, she also kept me over 40 minutes gossiping and just giving me more lesson time which was very kind of her. she was pushing me a lot but also I had made a lot of progress in 2 weeks. we are starting a new piece now too im super excited!! she got me 4 free tickets to this cello concerto for Saturday night (IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AND THEN HE DID THIS EXTRA SOLO PIECE HE WAS SO GREAT). I brought a friend and they wanted to meet her and I did the stupidest thing. I got the SECOND CHAIR cellist (that is the director of 3 different organizations and i'm pretty sure has her doctorate and is the most intimidating woman ever) to get Б's attention so my friend and I could talk to her. I only did that after the cellist yelled at me for missing a master class and she was like "uhh you want Б? yeah I suppose??" and then Б came out and was just like "oh hi? I don't know your friend" then we just introduced and her and I talked about my sonata and the concert and my friend was just standing there. I FEEL LIKE I MADE Б UNCOMFORTABLE. my other friends said she looked perfectly happy but I felt really bad. she never comes to talk during intermission because she hates people lol. I just feel really bad but I think its okay. and then she was pointing to me for her stand partner. I hope I didn't deter her too badly to the point of her acting different in lesson. im just overthinking things. maybe she will have thought it was funny how confident I was and she'll be even sweeter??

anyway, if you read the whole thing ty! im sure there will be more to post that I just ended up forgetting, but yeah :)

#teacher crush community #teachercrushcommunity #teacher crush #teacher attachment #female teacher crush #teacher love #tc crush #tc love #tc community #tc feelings #female tc #tc post #tc blog #tc thoughts #tc confessions #tcc thoughts #tcc feelings

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ejzah · 2 years

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In Miss Blye’s Class, Part 12

***

The next day went surprisingly smoothly; there were a minimum of tears and, miraculously, no one went home sick. With the year winding down, each class was preparing for a special concert. Every afternoon, the grades went down in sections to practice their specified song.

It was absolute chaos, but Kensi adored every moment of it. Her students had grown so much over the year each in their own individual ways. The most obvious change had occurred with Caleb Deeks. It amazed her how much he’d opened up in just a few months, going from shy and clinging to his dad to gregarious and curious about everything.

As much as Kensi tried not to play favorites, she couldn’t deny that he’d carved out a special place in her heart. Just yesterday, they’d built a lego village together with him while Deeks made dinner. In between creating a dinosaur music store-a music store run by dinosaurs for the other animals-Caleb shared loosely connected stories about his dad, his old school, and a friend he’d made since moving. Playing and talking with him reminded her of what had inspired her to pursue teaching originally.

He’d only mentioned his mom a few times in passing, proudly showing her the stuffed toy she’d brought him during a visit. He’d informed her that “Talking about mommy makes dad sad. Sometimes it makes sad too,” while petting the teddy bear sized ladybug with an introspective look. He seemed confused by the whole situation, yet understand that it wasn’t a topic Deeks preferred.

Despite her deep curiosity, Kensi didn’t pursue the topic. Deeks had told her as much as he wanted to, getting more out of his five year old would be highly inappropriate. Still, she’d found herself considering taking a page out of Nell’s book and looking Deeks up on Facebook a few times. She held herself back though; she had a feeling that once Deeks’ trust was broken, it would be almost impossible to win it back.

Back at home, she started a load of way overdue laundry, briefly considered tackling the mound of dishes in the sink, and decided on tossing a frozen pot pie in the oven while she finished some grading. Her mom would argue that anything frozen wasn’t real food, but Kensi considered it an improvement over pop tarts or ramen which made up an embarrassingly large number of her dinners.

Kensi made it through a quarter of her work when her phone buzzed with an incoming call, Deeks’ name appearing on the screen. She accepted the call, smiling at the welcome distraction.

“Hey, I didn’t think I’d hear from you tonight,” she said, sinking further into her seat as she tapped her pen against the her knee.

“Yeah, my meeting ended early, thanks to my stunning negotiations skills,” Deeks answered smugly.

“And the award for most humble lawyer goes to…”

“I’m just being honest,” he insisted, laughter in his voice. “How was your day?”

“Good. We actually accomplished a lot, which is always an amazing feat when you’re talking about Kindergartners,” Kensi said. “Only one glue incident all day.”

“That is truly amazing. It’s hard enough wrangling one tiny person, I can’t imagine handling a entire classroom of gremlins,” Deeks agreed. “Endearing gremlins, but gremlins nonetheless.”

Kensi snorted at his amendment, picturing him sitting in his office or at the kitchen table, in a similar position to her own. He probably had shucked off his suit jacket by now, shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. She shivered a little at the thought and quickly straightened before her imagination got any more out of hand.

I also got a little video of Caleb practicing for the end of year performance if you want me to send it to you.”

“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess he’s being a complete ham. He can be so shy sometimes, but get him in front of a camera and he’s a seasoned actor,” Deeks said wryly.

“He gave a truly impressive performance. Oscar worthy I would say.”

“Sound about right.” There was a few seconds of dead air and then he cleared his throat, and Kensi almost felt the shift in demeanor. “So, uh, I actually called for another reason,” he continued. “I have this company dinner and I wondered if you wanted to join me.”

“Oh,” Kensi exclaimed in surprise. She definitely hadn’t expected that. “What kind of dinner party?”

“Formal, edging towards gala kind. Black tie. It’s to celebrate our clients and all that, so I’m kind of required to attend.”

That was a lot more than a simple dinner, and Kensi felt a touch of unease. If it was just a few of his coworkers, she would be less hesitant, but his whole office…she cleared her throat, asking another question to hide her uncertainty.

“When is it?”

“Saturday. This Saturday,” Deeks answered quickly.

“Gee, thanks for the advanced notice,” Kensi drawled.

“I know, it’s super close,” Deeks apologized, and she could almost hear him wince. “I thought I could get out of it, but one of my, ah, shall we say colleagues, is threatening to set me up with a friend of hers if I don’t list a plus one by the end of tomorrow.”

“So I’m the least objectionable option. I see.” She let her voice drop to a scathing tone.

“That is so not what I meant,” he insisted. He sighed heavily, and Kensi could picture him tipping his head back. “Yes, this is very last minute, but I would love nothing more than to take you to the gala.” He was definitely laying on the charm now, but she could tell he was also sincere. She flushed a little at the fondness in in his voice.

“Mm, and what do I get in return?” Kensi asked, playfully.

“Free drinks, overpriced hors d’oeuvres, and my delightful presence,” Deeks replied quickly. “Oh, and the opportunity to meet a few celebrities.” He paused a second and added, “I get it if you can’t. It’s a lot to ask last minute.”

“No, I think I can pull something together.” Mentally, she was indexing her wardrobe, considering anything that would be suitable for a formal event.

“Is that a yes? Because as a lawyer I know how important explicit content is. I can even draw up a contract or a—”

“Yes, Deeks,” Kensi interrupted loudly, laughing despite herself. “I will be your date for the gala.” Deeks released a small breath she wasn’t sure she was meant to hear.

“Alright then,” he said more seriously. “I’ll pick you up around 6 on Saturday?”

“Sounds perfect.”

“Thank you, Kensi.”

They hung up a minute later, and Kensi tossed her phone on the table, lightly smacking her forehead. She stood, pacing the length of her living room.

“Oh my god. What were you thinking, Kensi?” she demanded of herself, quickly descending into a state of slight panic as she realized what she’d just agreed to.

Grabbing her phone again, she dialed Nell’s number, pressing her lips together, still pacing.

“Nell, I need your help. I have to find an evening gown for Saturday.”

***

A/N: After a bit of a break, we’re back. Hope you enjoyed!

Side note, do you think Kensi will remember her pot pie in all the excitement before it burns to a crisp?

#ncis la fanfiction #marty deeks #kensi blye #in miss blye’s class #part 12 #au #lawyer deeks #teacher kensi #self indulgent author #fluff #ejzah fanfiction

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thatbitchkimkelly · 1 year

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So this is the Vanity fair article that all those season 2 predictions came from.

“Although Freaks and Geeks never got within hailing distance of a second season, that didn’t stop Paul Feig and Judd Apatow from imagining what might become of their characters in a further future.

“I would keep my own private notes as the season went along,” says series creator Paul Feig, “but there was never a time when we sat around a table and said, ‘Let’s plan Season Two.’ It was really more just ‘Hey, it would be funny if’ or ‘This would be cool.’ But we so knew the writing was on the wall: We never got too deep into it, because we never thought it was going to happen.”

One thing he knew for sure was that, had the show gone on, his kids wouldn’t have stayed in high school forever. “It was going to become much more of a story of a small town and who gets out and who doesn’t.” And he still dreams of turning the series into a stage musical. “I want to bring the spirit of failure that I brought to TV to the Broadway stage. ‘Guys, don’t worry—you’re going to lose a lot of money up front, but 10 years from now people are going to be talking about this play.’”

Read more of Feig's Freaks and Geeks Season Two predictions below:

Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini)

Paul Feig: I always figured something bad was gong to happen to Lindsay when she was out with the Dead. [The series ended with her ditching a summer-school program to follow the Grateful Dead with Kim Kelly.] I was hoping the second season would open with her being taken out of a concert on a stretcher while Queen’s “Tie Your Mother down” plays. That’s all I had. But I thought it would be interesting—she comes back, has completely lost the trust of her family; so she’s in even deeper having been really been outed as a problem. But there wasn’t a strong direction I had for her; I just knew she’d probably end up at some point in her twenties in Greenwich Village as a performance artist, and after that she’d probably become a lawyer—a human-rights lawyer.

Sam Weir (John Francis Daley)

Sam’s future was going to be drama club. Because that was my experience in school: I got deep into drama club. That was the storyline I was most excited about, because I was going to portray what actually happened to me. I thought he’d be more on the stage crew than actually performing, just because that was kind of interesting, the guys that were keeping it together from behind the scenes. But my drama teacher, who was one of the biggest influences on my life creatively, was an alcoholic, and over the course of my sophomore through senior year, she got worse and worse and started depending on me. I’d get called away from class under the guise of an emergency, and it would be her on the phone saying, “You’ve got to come pick me up. I left my car at the bar last night.” So I was really excited to get that going, this weird kind of taking-care-of-an-adult relationship, while he’s still learning amazing stuff from her, this tortured drama-teacher soul. That bummed me out the most, not getting to play that story out.

Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine)

Another burning desire I had was to get Neal into swing choir. Now Glee has taken it and run with it, but I always thought that would be a funny world for Neal to go into. There’s a weird little clique, and you have all these inside jokes, and all these kind of obnoxious performance things you bond with people over—I just thought he would really blossom in there and think he was kind of the king of the school. We figured it could be his outlet while his parents are going through a really horrible divorce. Since Judd had gone through that in his real life, that was kind of going to be his domain—telling all his tales from adolescence through that.

Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr)

With his mom dating Coach Fredricks, Judd and I liked the idea of Bill slowly becoming a jock—that he turned out to be good at basketball and started to get into it, so that he was getting pulled a little more over to the jock side. Which would create an odd little rift with him and the other geeks. Because Martin is quite athletic in real life, and we were like, “Oh, let’s maybe play that out for him.” He works out a lot, Martin does, and at the beginning of the show he would come in with these giant biceps—we had to make him stop doing that.

Daniel Desario (James Franco)

Daniel’s such a drifter. I always liked the idea that eventually Daniel would probably end up in jail. [Laughs.] We were kind of, you know, taking him in this different direction. I wasn’t quite sure where that was going to lead. I knew it couldn’t stay in that world. I always liked the idea of: you go away for the summer and you come back and everybody’s kind of in a different place. But it’s hard to say with him; I think he had too many things pulling him in different directions. Having lost Kim, there would be a weirdness between them. But I wasn’t quite sure yet.

Kim Kelly (Busy Philipps)

I wanted Kim Kelly to be pregnant, but it wasn’t necessarily going to be Daniel’s. I thought this actually happened when she was out on the road with Lindsay following the Dead—that she shacked up with some guy, whether she was high at the moment or whatever, and comes back pregnant. That was another burning desire of mine, because when we were in high school there’d always be a girl or two who were pregnant, and it was so mind blowing. I thought it would be interesting with Daniel kind of around, and it’s not his, and it’s weird—and would he step up, since she doesn’t really know who the dad is, or isn’t really in contact with him? So maybe it was a chance for Daniel to become a young teen father—see what could have happened if we had a second season? And Kim and Lindsay—that would become a true friendship. Obviously they would have to have some back and forth and falling apart, but I like the girl power they had at the end of the last episode—they had both come through the fire in different ways and really bonded hardcore.

The Geeks of “Freaks and Geeks”

Nick Andopolis (Jason Segel)

I liked how we were kind of moving Nick towards having to go into the army, because of his badass dad. ’Cause that was a real option for so many people in my school—but he would be desperately trying to avoid it. But I was never quite clear exactly what direction we were going to go with Nick.

Ken Miller (Seth Rogen)

There was a guy I knew in school who was kind of Ken-like and he moved away to Hawaii; we were told he moved there just so he could smoke pot. I don’t know if that was the direction Ken was going to go. I always liked that we had set up that he had rich parents. But Ken’s such an enigma. I think he’s the guy that just kind of hangs around town. My instinct is we would have had the most fun searching for what his life would be. We liked to surprise people with Ken’s character—what was the thing you’d least expect he would do, or place he’d come from? I can completely see us loading him up with a lot of weird shit. I was sad we never got to show his parents, and God only knows whom we would have had him dating. I can definitely see a scenario where Lindsay would have tried dating Ken—that would be really funny. High-school romances are so flash-in-the-pan; there’s that awkwardness of having your ex walking around the school. Or, in my case, girls who turned me down but I had the awkwardness of them knowing I was into them and they had no interest in me.

Millie Kentner (Sarah Hagan)

We had actually thought about trying to turn Millie into a burnout at some point—“What? You’re what?” It would have been really fun to twist where she was going. I love changing people’s alliances. Because no one knows who they are or what they’re doing—basically they’re trying on different hats, different masks, if you will.

Cindy Sanders (Natasha Melnick)

We ended with Cindy as such a hardcore Republican. I liked her being a weird nemesis for Sam—I would have loved seeing them run against each other for student-council president. There’s nothing funnier to me than when the person you were in love with suddenly becomes this monster. You can’t figure out why you liked them. I think we would have had a lot of fun with Cindy.

Mr. Kowchevsky (Steve Bannos) and Mr. Rosso (Dave “Gruber” Allen)

We established [in the episode “The Little Things”] that [math teacher] Mr. Kowchevsky was gay, but we didn’t end up using that scene. I loved that storyline and was looking forward to playing with that, having it get out. [Guidance counselor] Rosso’s always on such a journey of discovery; it would have been fun to put him through some crises. I love that he had a band—Dave (Gruber) Allen and I actually had a band at the time; we were the house band at a place in Burbank called the Butcher’s Arms. We played there every weekend. There’s something funny to me about guys who won’t have a career in music but who are still trying to start a band at the age when you probably shouldn’t be trying to start a band. We could have had a permanent set of some low-rent club where Rosso was in the house band.

Harold and Jean Weir (Joe Flaherty and Becky Ann Baker)

Mr. and Mrs. Weir just kind of go along their way and have their crises of trying to figure what to do about Lindsay and how to protect her. And then Sam, whatever problems he has coming up.”

——

It’s definitely not as shitty as I thought it was from the one line summaries I had seen going around in comments on videos or on here. Like Lindsay just ODing and that’s her plot. No, they had more ideas for her.

Still it’s not like this was a script. And it wasn’t set in stone. Not only would they actually have to write it into coherent episodic storylines, actors and actresses often do have a lot of input with improv and script changes during the production process. They really didn’t know what the fuck they were going to do.

#freaks and greeks

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sweetdreamsjeff · 1 year

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dara's story...

Okay, so I've been informed that you guys do want to hear my long "how i met jeff" story (stories), so here goes.

My friend Fatin (also a subscriber) and I decided to go to a Velocity Girl show at a place called Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ (go there if you're ever in the area-great place! wanted to move in there for awhile). A band with the name Sunny Day Real Estate was opening up for them and I clearly remember Fatin and I standing outside of Maxwell's looking at the list (they posted the list of upcoming shows on the outside double doors) to see who was going to open up for VG now that we had the tix, and laughing at the name because it sounded so funny! Sunny Day Real Estate! Haha!

Well, we were excited for the show anyway (we were-or at least I was-obsessed with going to as many shows as possible and seeing any band that I'd barely heard of). I was doing a 'zine at the time with my writings and poetry which had my name and address on them. I brought a camera to the show so I could take pix for the next issue of my 'zine which I had decided to make less personal and more music related b/c no one wrote to me (well not no one as you will see). So I went into the show and was won over by the amazing SDRE! I didn't even want to see VG after that (well, actually I did b/c I was curious to see them live). I couldn't believe how the band just hypnotised me! I understood sex, drugs and rock & roll, or I had thought I did, but I had just been thinking of it in a Mick Jagger and Madonna wink wink type of sexuality. I was amazed by how this band had just so much sexuality to them that was not forced. It very much had to do with a love of music on theri part and a love of performance. They were definitely the type of band that I think get off from performing. So I took a lot of pictures, especially of the lead singer just because he was also quite amazing, he was right in front of me, and yes, because he was (and still is) gorgeous.

Well, they ended and VG came on (actually i sat next to Sarah Shannon on the stage for like 5 minutes and couldn't think of a single thing to say-still thinking of SDRE I think) and then they were done (not even half as amazing as SDRE-sorry). I talked to Jeremy a bunch afterwards b/c this girl named Lizzy started talking to me b/c she wanted to get copies of the pix I was taking and so I was talking to him "for her." Well after I talked to him, and Dan and Nate And William (Wm. is a flirt but really cute in person and very funny to watch while drumming-look at all the faces he makes) I went outside the concert hall (there's a restaurant there too) and started talking to some guy along with my friend when who should I spy not ten feet away but Juliana Hatfield. So I went over to talk to her. I wasn't like "wow!" b/c I had just met Evan D. recently at a signing (so cheesy I know, but hey I couldn't resist. He signed a picture I drew of him. We were the first to see him with buzzed hair. Real reason it was buzzzed? He and a friend got drunk and decided to buzz his hair-May 17 was the day of that signing, the day before he went to Cali for the MTV Beach thing)) and I actually disliked Juliana a lot at that point b/c she had recently been on the cover of Spin (long hair, white background) and she had said that she knew of no girls that could play guitar well and my feminism was offended. So I went up to her with the attitude of "oh well, another famous person to add to my collection." She was nice though and she took my 'zine and I asked her if she was here to see VG and she said "No, SDRE." Well, that was about it. Imagine my surprise when one day my mom hands me my mail and the return address says J. Hatfield. No, I'm not kidding. She asked me for copies of the pix of Jeremy which I sent to her and she wrote a lovely little note in reference to my 'zine. Suckered! I liked her now! (I also reread that article and she said "...except Bonnie Raitt, who was the female I had been thinking of, and the only female I could think of so my feminism wasn't offended anymore as much as shocked at the truthfulness of the statement). So I gladly sent her the not-so-great pix (forgot the flash at home-oops) and a letter. She did write back a thank you note. So when I found out she was having a show on June 2nd, 1995, at Roseland Ballroom (in NYC) I got tickets and so did Fatin. Last minute (and I really mean last minute), I called and asked for a back-stage ticket and she gave me one!! I guess it was a return favor. (I forgot to ask for one for Fatin but more on that later). I was ecstatic.

Oh yeah, opening for her was this guy named Jeff Buckley whose picture I had seen on the cover of this really thick magazine whose name I can't remember (not something that's a well-known magazine), and Fatin had told me about him so I was curious and excited to see him too. We got to the show and I stood on line (Fatin with me) for the backstage pass and who should happen to be just a few people behind me but Mr. Dando himself who I had a big crush on at that time (it was b/c Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, the only other one to write me back about my 'zine after I met her after a Rock For Choice show and got backstage to ask her to speak to the newlly formed Gender Equities club at my school and gave her my 'zine too, sent me a 'zine that she was doing then -I think- about her love of Evan Dando and why and other things in her life that I won't mention). Fatin told me to go up to him but I couldn't and I didn't want to lose my place in line. Besides, if he was going to be backstage and I was too, we'd get to talk later.

So we went through the line and (the ticket guy was the same guy who had been at another show that I had free tix to but had forgotten my ID but had let me in anyway so this time I showed him my ID and said "see, I wasn't lying!") went inside, and I went to the platform stage for those with backstage passes and poor Fatin was on the side (I'm so sorry Fatin!) I watched Jeff's show and liked it but I wasn't totally paying attention to it b/c some women invited me to sit in a seat until their friends got back, and one of those friends was Janet Billig (she used to manage Nirvana, Hole, Evan, Smashing Pumpkins and signed them all-I think. She's now Vice-President of Atlantic Records at 29 and she's the one who Courtney Love said at one of her shows a couple of years ago, -paraphrasing here- "Don't fuck with Janet Billig cuz I'll have to fuck with you!" or something like that. There was an article about her in Spin I believe like 3 years ago - it was on my friend's wall), so I was really excited and nervous because this blond woman had come over and I had thought it was Janet so I kept switching my attention between her and Jeff (wasn't Janet by the way).

At the break between bands I went to the bathroom which was backstage (ran into Lewis Largent who used to host 120 Minutes before Matt Pinfield, who I had met at a previous show. Really really nice guy but very shy. He remembered me though!). Well, everyone went downstairs too, so that was weird and cool. I don't remeber this period to well but I do remember seeing Jules before she went on. After the bathroom I got on the corner of the side stage platform (can't really describe it sorry, but it was a very good spot to see the show) and danced through Jules entire set with my new friend Cristy (who looked a bit like Jules and was from Texas and her boyfriend who looked like Thurston Moore and worked at Reprise). After the set and before the encore I went back to the pit where Jules had just come off stage (was very easy then-they have since closed up that area :0( ) and watched her and Evan cutely give each other a big smooch (no tongue. by the way, Evan had a girlfriend who was tall and had brown hair and glasses and I think was his girlfriend. Sorry she wasn't the groupie type and not Mia Kirshner with whom Evan had just gone to her (MK's) opening for that movie she was in where she played a stripper who dressed in school girl outfits who this guy became obsessed with. haven't seen that girl -not MK- since) before Jules went back on for the encore.

After the show I wheedled the guard to let Fatin come backstage (right before that who should I knock into but PAUL MCCARTNEY!! and HIS WIFE! NO JOKE!!) even without a pass, and they let her. I was planning on taking her to meet him b/c I knew it would make her REALLY happy.

Well, we found Jeff looking passed out and sweating right by the stairs off the platform that go towards the backstage but not in the downstairs backstage part sitting on the floor drinking a water bottle and talking to some girl standing up. I said "Good show" he said "Thanks" and then I asked him if he knew where Jules was and he said probably downstairs. I said thanks and we left. Fatin couldn't say anything (I don't think) and at that moment I decided he was pretty cute and talented and I liked him too. Oy vey. Well, we went downstairs and looked for Jules and she told me about SDRE being on the Batman Soundtrack and I gave her my new 'zine issue and she said thanks and went back to talking to her friends. She is very shy and not too comfortable with people she doesn't know, but when she's with her friends she's really comfortable it seems and outgoing and fun. Well, Fatin and I floated around like lost (if you don't know anyone in the biz- and I do mean the business side of it, it can be really uncomfortable and boring) souls, although I talked to Tanya Donnelly (wearing a very cute and cool outfit I remember. Very nice WOMAN, 5 feet tall just like me). I then remember going over to wear Jeff was talking to some chicks with Fatin and we talked to him, standing not two feet from him. He was flirting completely. He gave me a water bottle (he was drinking one too and I asked him where he got it and he just handed me one. I had forgotten that Fatin and I had bought one earlier but oh well, I'll take a water bottle from Jeff anytime, even if I'm drowning), and I lit a cigarette (Newport). He said "Ooh, Menthol" and shared the cigarette with me!! A little later Evan Dando came by and wanted a cigarette and looked to Jeff who looked at and pointed to me and I gave Evan a cigarette and lit it for him off of mine! It was a miracle I seriously believe that I actually lit the cigarette and not something else! Hell, with Jeff and Evan standing around paying atttention to you, wouldn't you have missed? I didn't thank g-d!)

Well Evan left us and he said something really weird like "yeah, i pretended i just did coke" or something like that. don't quote me on that ok? (Evan has a really weird sense of humor. You know that sense of humor where you know you should say something in response but you just aren't on that wavelength yet and you just don't get where they are coming from -much like my sense of humor, which is a big part of the reason that Fatin and I became friends- well that's what Evan's sense of humor is like). The other two women who were hanging in our little circle I don't remember much except one who was tall, thin, black, and looked REALLY familiar, but I still don't know where from! No she wasn't a model (although Melissa auf der Maur was there too - and flirting a bit with Jeff or trying to be near him so no Courtney didn't lie that she had a crush on him - and I knew she looked really familiar but I couldn't figure it out where I knew her from so I thought she was a model till it dawned on me who it was). Well, this particular girl had a broken arm and I asked her how it happened and our Jeff quiped "Masturbating accident." Heehee. He's got a great sense of humor I think.

Well, guess what happened just after that? The clock struck 12:30am (Fatin and I both had Achievement tests to take the next morning!! argh! so we had to be out of there by 12:30) and my MOM came down!! No joke (unfortunately)!! You should have seen the look on Jeff's face when he saw her (and mine!) We had to leave and so I like turned and grabbed his arm with my hand behind my back and said (somewhat jokingly) "No! Don't make me go!" And so we left. I don't blush but I sure as hell was after that (well, it wasn't as bad as when my dad came looking for me after the Pearl Jam show-but that's a whole 'nother story!). Oh, my mom told me later that when she tried to get in (we had agreed to meet at the front doors but they were locked so my 'rents went around to the back doors where a shitload of kids were standing outside with guards and a security block thing, and the guards originally wouldn't let my mom in but then she said that she had a sixteen year old in there -whoa! I was 16!?!? forgot about that!- who had to take the SAT's tomorrow and he let her in - why?!?! - to the jealousy of all the kids outside! When she went downstairs, somebody looked at her and said "uh oh party's over" and my mom replied "do I look that much like a mom?" to which they then replied "uh huh!"). Then we went home and I've been unhappily ever after ever since. Until Lollapalooza.....

But that's Part 2 of the "How I Met Jeff Story" which I'm going to have to write another time because I've been happily procrastinating for way too long now. The last of the name-dropping of that night is that I think Eric Erlandson was there too but not with Drew and only for a short time if he was.

write me if you have any comments, questions, etc.

love to everybody, dara

#jeff buckley #dara's story #daras story #how i met jeff #meeting jeff buckley #fan stories

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