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foxes-that-run · 7 months

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2024 Haylor timeline

Timeline Tag, or years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

1 January - 17 HSleaks - Guess I’m alright, One and only Voice note, Spanish Girl.

3 January - Harry in the Caribbean with TR. Taylor LA.

6 January - By your side lately leak on anniversary. Rumour H LA.

7 January - Taylor at Golden Globes in LA.

11 January - Harry bought stake in SS Daley. Taylor in NY zebra top & sunglasses at night

12 January reports Travis and Taylor are fighting after Christmas Day, (helmet throw).

15 January - HS too much sauce leaked. Iheartradio posted it.

17 January - Deux Moi H LA 6 - 16 January

19 January - a photo of TR with Jeff at LOT Wembley last June.

20 January - Joe, TR and Zayn at Loewe show at Paris FW, some guy gives TR a neck rub. Stalker arrested at Taylor’s NY apartment

22 January - a stalker was charged for harassing Harry :( after he came back to London earlier. TS stalker on the same day

29 January - inappropriate viral deepfake images of Taylor. X bans ‘Taylor Swift’ search. TK kiss Back to Nashville after 10 hours.

30 January - Taylor search on now kiss viral.

1 February - Harry’s 30th birthday.

4 February - Grammys, LA TTPD announced

5 February - Joe Alwyn whinging he dated TS. Joe liked tweet

7 February - eras Tokyo, Holy Ground/Dear Reader. Says “I’ve been working on Tortured Poets since right after I turned in Midnights …I’ve been working on it for about two years, I worked on it throughout the US tour” Tyler share snippet of music

9 February - Travis Kelce hasn’t spoken to Taylor in a week since the Grammy’s, didn't know rest of line in Karma or what country she was in said he felt the power of his beard.

11 February - TK wins Super Bowl. Taylor fly's Tokyo-LV-Melbourne to be there and drunk dances. TK yelled at and pushed coach then partied after kids killed at parade for Chiefs. Harry wears packers beanie. Taylor makes ick face when TK screams 'Viva Las Vegas'

14 February - Harry and TR photographed leaving dinner at night. Blind item that TR is calling paps, they are then not seen together again for a month.

15 February - Daily Mail: “Put the beer down, Travis - it's not IF Taylor dumps you... but WHEN: After the coach bashing, drunken disorder and tone-deaf post-shooting selfies, image-obsessed Swift will now shake off brand Kelce”

16 February- Melbourne, Red and YLM

17 February - rumors Joe cheated in October 2021. Taylor said “a song to match the moment” and played a medley of "Getaway Car", "August" and "TOSOTD" , then TIMT

18 February - Taylor “Melbourne, you are the love of my life”. Surprise songs - CBBH (3rd ever play) and Daylight mashup then teardrops on my guitar on piano. Harry then went to a Man U football game (in pants without elastic!!) smiling!!!! With Sony CEO.

20 February - Taylor dinner in Sydney. Harry train London - Paris, bodyguard Paddy indicates work. FW next week

23 February - Travis comes to Australia, not for the 4 days Taylor had off but when she went back to work. Taylor fly's jet back to the US to bring Travis and friend to Australia. Taylor goes to the Zoo twice, once with the band and once with Travis. Travis rents a silver Lamborghini and drives it too fast and runs red lights in the Sydney CBD. Travis comes to one concert. Scott swift again lined up TK for a photo ops to kiss Taylor. Surprise songs HYGTG and White Horse/Coney Island mash up with Sabrina Carpenter.

24 February - Gemma has a baby! 8 months after Harry sung Sweet Creature at Wembley. 💚 Travis flys back to the US to attend a Chiefs party, left noon the day after the show. His total flight time was 26+ hours to spend 51 hours in Australia. Counting return time for the jet the time in air was longer than he spent in Australia. IION/IWYW and Haunted/exile.

26 February - Columbia records shares a TikTok of empty as it was scene ‘where you want to go?’ Maroon

27 February - Scott swift punches a pap in Sydney. Harry at trader Joes in la.

2 March - Taylor plays IDWLF/Dress and Mine/Starlight. At the Brit awards Roman Kemp pranks Calvin Harris to drink a drink called Harry Styles Bath water, a Saltburn joke. This all happened almost on the anniversary of the Shake an Apple of a Tree Tweet

3 March - TR play opens in NY, Harry doesn’t go. He was in LA.

6 March - DBATC/Babe surprise songs. TKs BFF unfollows Taylor

7 March - blind item rumor boybander and GF seeing other people.

8 March TK at the Singapore show, brings a friend and manager, TK texting during IKYWT. Sparks fly/ gold rush and false god/slut surprise song. Harry back in London, TRs play from 3-31 in ny and not seen attending. Pleasing ‘Single at last’. Jacks album released, Taylor didn’t mention.

9 March - TK at last eras for 2 nights looks bored, a bit dazed with glasses in dark, phone taken off him, no kiss at end.

10 March - twitter users say x, x highly publicised that Taylor and Travis attended exclusive Gucci post Oscar’s party where photos are banned, Taylor not seen. 5 days later a photo of Travis holding an Oscar inside the Gold party…. No Taylor… TK liked photo with trump

12-14 March - TK no Taylor at gym, Justin Timberlake concert and lunch. Taylor hasn’t been seen since Singapore.

14 March - Eternals 2, a marvel movie starring Harry was cancelled because the studio is focusing on movies that are assured success.

14 March - Harry backstage at Mitch’s show in NY!! TRs play was on 10 mins away, she came after, arriving at 9:30/10, they left before encore with TR look to be arguing, Harry was walking alone an hour later. First time seen in a month. New leaked angle of MSG Karaoke with Harry and Taylor - maroon added as a surprise song to eras film

15 March -Harry walking around NY with TR and separately with Maxwell Ritz. And at the white cube gallery.

16 March - page 6 reports Bob Iger who paid Taylor $70m for the eras movie, says saw TS & TK in no photo event.

17 March - Harry in Brooklyn at townhouse with TR with bag, last sighting for another month+. Taylor repeats Joe in Bahamas holiday with TK for beach. 300 photos from Backgrid drop at once and TMZ video.

19 March - Harry returns to London. Seen carrying a white rose with James Cordon.

20 March - on his podcast TK talked about babies life&style. Blind item that Taylor doesn’t appreciate narrative contribution.

22 March - Harry in UK studio RAK. Taylors flight goes via KC>LA. TK Cleveland funeral

24 March - Taylor seen for the first time in a week at Nobu with Travis, Taylor stern words. TK sweatpants with holes. The 300 Bahama's photos all drop the next day.

26 March - TR VF article where she says “My work is the most interesting thing to me, so that’s what I’ll say about that.” And talks about finding safety for herself, in August she talked about safety within a relationship.

28 March - Harry swan lake London, later hosts football party and runs from paps

1 April - TK and umbrellor arrive in LA, plane flew L.A.-Nashville-Philli (his brother)-La for Easter, Taylor not seen for a week, not at iHeartawards. TR Columbia

5 April - Taylor barnies diner no LK

6 April - Taylor releases Apple Music playlists of her own songs in stages of grief. Video emerges of Joe saying his costars Alison’s name in a sex scene (in the Final Cut of CWF episode 3, (at 11:55 in) Character name is Frances (and Joe says F Frances at 12:10). He threw a party in Taylor’s house with the co star on 19 April 22, Taylor’s 22 Brit award is in photo. One tweet Harry in LA Aiport.

7 April - rumour Taylor’s jet went to Nashville. Photo of TR Columbia.

8 April - LT Larry denial got him lots of media.

9 April - Taylor seen in a car LA TK dinner

10 April - second sighting of Harry in LA

11 April - Harry pictured at Masters golf torment, Niall also there! Taylor “recently” with Selena, Sabrina. TK graduation, blind drinking too much.

12 April - DM: “Taylor Swift must be getting sick of this about TKTK & Taylor sushi park in the evening.

13 April - Taylor and TK at Coachella, watch bleachers and ice spice, TK very possessive manhandling, picking her up, shaking and smothering her. Taylor looks out of it, happy

15 April - Harry Japan w/GF Twitter sighting. Also sightings in Hampstead.

19 April - TTPD, Harry seen in Japan. Taylor posted short with TK included

20 April - Harry seen in Japan with TR, TR seen at airport on 24th

25 April - Taylor, Gigi, TK & Bradley Cooper (Gigi's partner) dinner in California. Blind MH didn't sign an NDA and there is mutually assured destruction.

27 April - TK and Taylor at mahomes charity event, Travis embarrassing, yells viva Las Vegas again and Taylor looks intoxicated /out of it while he pulls her along. TK party no TS in Vegas. Plane flew to LA then Nashville next day

29 April - Harry seen in London

#haylor #Youtube #haylor timeline #2024

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oldshowbiz · 2 months

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1975.

Protesting Ilsa She Wolf of the SS in Vancouver, British Columbia.

#cranks #vintage smut #exploitation films #exploitation #grindhouse #vancouver #british columbia #censorship

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homomenhommes · 3 days

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THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … April 27

1906 – Friedrich-Paul von Groszheim (d.circa 2003), born in Lübeck, Germany was an ordinary German man who was imprisoned by the Nazis for the (then) crime of homosexuality under Germany's now-repealed Paragraph 175.

Von Groszheim was one of 230 men arrested in Lübeck on suspicion of being gay by the SS in January 1937 under paragraph 175, which outlawed homosexuality. He was imprisoned for ten months, during which he had to wear a badge emblazoned with a capital A, for Arschficker (arse-fucker):

They beat us to a pulp. I couldn't lie down...my whole back (was) bloody. You were beaten until you finally named names.

Von Groszheim was held in a cell with no heating, very little food, and no toilet facilities. Freed, he was rearrested in 1938 and tortured. Von Groszheim was eventually offered the 'alternative' of castration or Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He 'chose' castration. Terrible as it may seem, it was a decision that probably saved his life. He was then released.

Because of the castration, von Groszheim was rejected as physically unfit for military service in 1940. In 1943 he was arrested a third time, this time as a supporter of the former Kaiser Wilhelm II, and imprisoned as a political prisoner at Neuengamme concentration camp.

After the war, he settled in Hamburg.

Von Groszheim was never acknowledged as a victim of the Nazi regime, and due to on-going persecution of homosexuals in Germany, it took nearly half a century before he broke his silence. Eventually he explained why he began to speak out: 'I'm living proof that Hitler didn't win. I'm aware of that every day. If I don't tell my story, who will know the truth?.' He only told his story in 1992, on We Were Marked with a Big "A", a film in German with English subtitles.

In 1995, he was one of eight signers to a declaration given to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. that called for the "memorializing and documenting of Nazi atrocities against homosexuals and others."

Jack Cole rehearsing Marilyn Monroe

1911 – Jack Cole (d.1974) was an American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director known as the father of theatrical jazz dance. He developed an entirely personal mode of jazz-ethnic-ballet that prevails as the dominant look of and technique for dancing in today's musicals, films, nightclub revues, television commercials and music videos.

Jack Cole, a student of Ravi Shankar's older brother Uday (who popularized East Indian dance in the West), danced with the staid orientalist Denishawn troupe, and invented jazz dance by applying what he knew of Indian dance to jazz music.

He stripped in Broadway's Ziegfield Follies Of 1943, opened New York's Rainbow Room, and formed a troupe that eroticized the Radio City Music Hall, Roxy, Ciro's, and the Fairmont and Dunes hotels.

His Hollywood entrance didn't go well: his specialty number for Fox's Moon Over Miami (1941) was cut as too sexy and he was fired by Arthur Freed from MGM's Ziegfield Follies (1946), for "griping about all the 'queen bees' like Cedric Gibbons and Roger Edens." Minnelli, Gibbons, et al, worked within the MGM closet, but Cole was a rebel and didn't hide his gayness.

At Columbia, then a minor studio, he lasted from 1944 until the McCarthy hearings of 1948, when most of his dancers fled to Europe. His first Columbia film was Cover Girl (1944) with Rita Hayworth, working with Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen, and Felix. He worked with Ann Miller and thrice more with Hayworth, his eroticism transferred almost intact to her in the 'Put the Blame on Mame' number in Gilda (1946), his homoeroticism most pronounced in the satirical 'Greek Ballet' in Down To Earth (1947). When Gilda describing herself stops in midsentence, the next word could be "stripper," for Cole based her movements on striptease.

At Fox, Cole vitalized Gwen Verdon in On The Riviera, revitalized Betty Grable in Meet Me After The Show (both 1951), surrounded Mitzi Gaynor with slinky catmen in The I Don't Care Girl (1953) and became Marilyn Monroe's dance guru from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) until the end of her life, surrounding her with musclemen in There's No Business Like Show Business (1954).

He returned to Metro for Vincente Minnelli's Kismet (1955; he had done the Broadway show and the 1944 film); Designing Woman; and, with Gene Kelly, Les Girls (1957).

Back at Columbia, he gave Betty Grable a male harem in Three For The Show (1955). His gayness was hidden within his Orientalism, suggesting to Shirley McLean that "masculinity and gay identity" are not necessarily antithetical, erasing gender (unlike true oriental dance), and sought after by female dancers.

But "for gay audiences, the classic Cole number" is 'Is There Anyone Here For Love?' in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, featuring Physique Pictorial-type gymnasts oblivious to Jane Russell's charms: they even pump "their buttocks up and down in rhythm, an outrageous simulation of gay sex."

Cole lived openly in a mansion with his lover, David Gray. Their pool parties were "very naughty and very gay," with Gray on a diving board in high heels. At a 1974 memorial for Cole, Jane Russell reminisced about Cole's penchant for gay porn.

1951 – Luis Zapata Quiroz is Mexico's most prominent gay author. He rose to popularity in the 1970s with books about the youth subculture of Mexico City. His novels examine the connection between daily life and the popular culture of radio, television, and film.

Born into an upper middle-class family in rural Mexico, Zapata escaped the restrictions of his background by losing himself in the cinema. Popular culture, cinema, melodrama and soap opera have all played a significant influence on his writing.

Unusually for a Mexican writer, most of his novels, and stories feature gay and bisexual characters prominently. Where heterosexual characters appear they are usually within the context of the family and there is some element of hypocrisy and concealment, so the happiness of the normal social order is in some way seen as a smokescreen for more interesting goings on beneath the surface - as is the case with much popular drama and soap opera. His style is very heavily reliant on representing convincing dialogue and conversation - often between people of different social classes.

His work includes Hasta en las mejores familias (Even in the Best Families, 1975), Las aventuras, desventuras y sueños de Adonis García, el vampiro de la colonia Roma ( The Aventures, Misadventures, and Dreams of Adonis Garcia, Vampire of the Roman Colony, 1979), Melodrama (1983), En jirones (In Shreds, 1985) and La hermana secreta de Angélica María (The Secret Sister of Angelica María, 1989)

1953 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs Executive Order 10450 which establishes grounds for investigation and dismissal: "Any criminal, infamous, dishonest, immoral, or notoriously disgraceful conduct, habitual use of intoxicants to excess, drug addiction, or sexual perversion." Without explicitly referring to homosexuality, the executive order responded to several years of charges that the presence of homosexual employees in the State Department posed blackmail risks. As a result, more than 640 federal employees lose their jobs over the next year and a half.

1963 – Today's the birthday of Russell T. Davies (born Steven Russell Davies). Davies is a Welsh television producer and writer and the prolific writer best known for controversial drama serials such as Queer as Folk and The Second Coming. He's also garnered major Geek love for spearheading the revival of the popular science-fiction television series Doctor Who, and the spin-off Torchwood. Although Doctor Who always had serious levels of camp, Davies really stretched the series into a much more inclusive and sexually playful character.

Born in Swansea, Davies aspired to work as a comic artist in his adult life, until a careers advisor at his school suggested that he study English literature; he consequently focused on a career of play- and screen-writing. After he graduated from Oxford University, Davies joined the BBC's children's department on a part-time basis in 1985 and worked in varying positions, including writing and producing two series, Dark Season and Century Falls. He left the BBC in the early 1990s to work for Granada Television and later became a freelance writer.

Davies moved into writing adult television dramas in 1994. His early scripts generally explored concepts of religion and sexuality among various backdrops: Revelations was a soap opera about organised religion and featured a lesbian vicar; Springhill was a soap drama about a Catholic family in contemporary Liverpool; The Grand explored society's opinion of subjects such as prostitution, abortion, and homosexuality during the interwar period; and Queer as Folk, his first prolific series, recreated his experiences in the Manchester gay scene. His later series include Bob & Rose, which portrayed a gay man who fell in love with a woman; The Second Coming, which focused on the second coming and deicide of Jesus Christ; Mine All Mine, a comedy about a family who discover they owned the entire city of Swansea; and Casanova, an adaptation of the Venetian lover's complete memoirs.

His most notable achievement is reviving and running the science fiction series Doctor Who after a sixteen year hiatus, with Christopher Eccleston, and later David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi in the title role of the Doctor. Davies was awarded an OBE in 2008 for services to drama, which coincided with his announcement that he would step down from as the show's executive producer with his final script, The End of Time (2009-10). Davies moved to Los Angeles, California, to oversee production of Torchwood: Miracle Day and, before the death of Elisabeth Sladen, series five of The Sarah Jane Adventures.He has since returned to Manchester.

His latest show, Cucumber, a spiritual successor to Queer as Folk focuses on middle-aged gay men in the Manchester gay scene, and is accompanied with Banana, an E4 anthology series featuring younger characters across the LGBT spectrum on the periphery of the Cucumber narrative, and Tofu, an online documentary series available on 4oD discussing modern sex, sexuality and issues arisen during the show with the cast and public. The three names reference a urological scale categorising the male erection by hardness from tofu to cucumber, and are used to symbolise differences in sexual attitudes and behaviour between the two generations. Although Cucumber is designed as a self-contained serial focusing on the life of one man, Davies envisions Banana as open-ended and believes it could continue after its sister series finishes.

Davies' next project after Cucumber and Banana will be The Boys, a Channel 4 series about the HIV/AIDS crisis during the 1980s. The Boys will be a dramatised retrospective of the crisis which focuses on the men "living in the bedsits" during the 1980s as opposed to films such as Pride which focus on gay activists; Davies notes that the stories regarding the politics of the crisis and the virus itself has been told, but not those regarding the early victims of the virus itself. Davies describes The Boys as a way of "coming to terms" with his own actions during the 1980s, when the shock of the crisis prevented him from properly mourning the deaths of his close friends. After The Boys, Davies plans to write a series about sextortion that draws inspiration from real-life incidents of blackmail that resulted in suicide.

Davies is openly gay and has been with his partner, customs officer Andrew Smith, since 1999.

1992 – James Duke Mason is an American politician, writer, and political activist. He is the son of singer Belinda Carlisle and film producer Morgan Mason, and the grandson of the late British actor James Mason. In 2010, The Advocate listed Mason as one of the most influential young LGBT Americans in their "Forty Under 40" issue. He was named in OUT magazine's 2011 "Out 100" issue as one of the 100 most influential LGBT people in the world.

Born in Los Angeles, Mason moved to Europe with his parents as a child. In an Attitude Magazine interview, Mason stated that he is openly gay and that he came out to his family and friends at the age of 14 in 2006. After graduating from Mougins School, an international school in the south of France in July 2010, Mason moved back to the U.S. to study Political Science at California Lutheran University. After a year he moved to West Hollywood, California to focus on his efforts in grassroots advocacy.

He was appointed to serve as a Page in the U.S. House of Representatives during the summer of 2008, and also worked as a volunteer for Hillary Clinton during the 2008 Democratic primaries. He has appeared on TV shows such as Dr. Phil, Nancy Grace, and Politicking with Larry King to discuss LGBT issues, has written articles for websites such as The Huffington Post and The Advocate, and did a YouTube video to back the It Gets Better campaign.

In December 2011 it was announced that Mason was appointed to the board of directors of Outfest, making him the youngest member in the organization's 30-year history. He began his term in January 2012.

He served as an official surrogate for the campaign of Barack Obama in the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election. He had a small acting role in the film What Happens Next, which screened as part of the Hollywood Film Festival. He was a candidate for the West Hollywood City Council in the March 3, 2015 election.

1998 – Ghislaine Landry is a Canadian rugby union player. She won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games as a member of the Canadian women's rugby sevens team. During the 2016-17 season, Landry succeeded Jen Kish as captain of the national sevens. On 20 October 2018, Landry became the first woman to hit the 1,000 point milestone in the women's sevens World Series.

In 2016, Landry was named to Canada's first ever women's rugby sevens Olympic team, which won the bronze medal in a match against Great Britain. In 2017, Landry moved into first place all-time in HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens Series scoring with 706 points. In June 2021, Landry was named to Canada's 2020 Summer Olympics team.

Landry attended Saint Francis Xavier University.

She came out as homosexual in 2006 and married her partner in 2018.

In 2021, she announced her retirement from the sport, hanging up the boots at the age of 33 after an illustrious international career that spanned a decade.

2009 – Iowa becomes the third state to allow same-sex marriage.

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spockvarietyhour · 2 months

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Assault on the Qu'Vat colony "Divergence"

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oceanlinersmodeller · 10 months

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The Cargo - a digital illustration drawn in 2019. The ocean liner in the background is based on SS Columbia attraction from Tokyo DisneySea's American Waterfront.

#daryltoh #oceanliner #art #ocean liners #maritime art #tohdaryl #tohdraws #ss columbia #cargo #digital art #digital illustration #ship #mystery #ships

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brianfrench1995 · 9 months

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Late Night vibes.

Victoria-British Columbia, SS Princess Victoria, Postcard

@postcardtimemachine

#ephemera #boats #ocean liners #postcard #nighttime #late night #ships

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postingcards · 3 months

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"rose city bound for frisco on the columbia" rppc postmarked 20 sept 1928

#postcard #postcards #ocean liners #pacific liners #ss rose city #columbia river #oregon #rppc #1920s #sfpdx co

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mischiefmanaged71 · 2 years

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The Love Hypothesis (11/22) - Stephen Strange x Reader

Summary: Y/N Y/L/N is a PhD student who wants to prove to her best friend that she has moved on and dating. With no way to prove it, she kisses the first man she sees, which ends up being none other than Dr. Strange, known as one of the most unapproachable and critical professors in the university.

A/N: AU! Stephen Strange is a Professor/Doctor at Columbia University and reader is a Ph.D. student (Reader - 28, Stephen - 34). Credits to Ali Hazelwood for the original story. This work is a piece of fiction. I have no ownership over anything, this is ff. The playlist is SS - The Love Hypothesis (Spotify)

Pairing: Stephen Strange X FEM! Reader

Word Count: 3.3K

Series Masterlist

Scratching off another task from her checklist, Y/N exhaled deeply. Despite having completed her work for the week, she had yet to find a place to stay the weekend of the conference. All of the hotels nearby were booked, the only available ones being half-an hour away from the SBD conference. It wouldn’t exactly be feasible waking up extra early to catch an Uber before everyone woke up.

Y/N groaned, leaning against her closed fist. A shadow came over her and she looked over. Surprise lit up her features.

“Stephen.” she paused, surprised to see him back so soon. You’re back.”

“I am.” he met her eyes. Y/N hadn’t forgotten his voice, or the warmth his presence brought. She wondered why the thought arose, it having only been a few days since she last saw him. The time moved too fast and she soon found herself memorising the pieces that made up his face.

“We got in this morning.” he sat across from her.

“Don’t you have classes to prepare for?” she leaned forward.

He wore a half smile, “Trying to get rid of me already? Its only been a minute.” he tilted the watch on his wrist, bringing her gaze to it.

She opened and closed her mouth, narrowing her eyes at him. He was teasing her and bringing out that light-relaxed nature with a moment’s notice. It was easy and comfortable. “You know what...” she dared, her smile falling to a sigh as she shut the notebook.

“What’s got you down?”

“What makes you think that there’s something wrong?”

“Well, slumping over a notebook with a forced smile makes me think there’s something bothering you.” he deduced. Her face flushed at the ease at which he read her behaviour.

Y/N cocked her head, glancing at the side. She straightened her posture and clasped her hands on the table, brushing Stephen’s accidentally. He didn’t jump but he glanced down at the contact.

“Okay.” she relented, “I’ve been looking for accommodation for the conference and there’s nothing. My options are sleeping on the floor or paying a fortune for a box 4 miles away.”

“What about your friends?”

“They booked without me.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Well-” she paused, “They kind of assumed I’d be staying with you, since...”

His eyebrows perked up, “Oh,”

“Yeah, I know.” she shrugged.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. They just assumed. I’m considering booking this motel one hour away. It isn’t too pricey either-”

Stephen cut her off, “Why don’t you just stay with me?”

The suggestion caused her to freeze, gaping at him. She realised how she would look and shut her mouth, pausing to allow Stephen time to realise and correct himself. Maybe she heard him incorrectly.

“What?” was all she could muster.

“Stay with me. Won’t your friends notice if you are staying somewhere else?”

She sucked in a breath. He had a point there. But it was a terrible idea. There was no way they could room together. There were too many things to consider, including the fact of the beds. She would bet her money that there would end up only being one bed.

“I couldn’t.”

“Why not?” he asked in a calm tone.

“I just couldn’t.” she laughed nervously.

“The room is a double.”

“It won’t matter.” she relented, “It’s not a good idea. People already think...”

“They already do.”

“But...”

“But?”

She stared at him, unsure of what answer to give him. There wasn’t exactly another reason she could possibly give. She was out of options and he was offering a room. She sent a tight lipped smile, shrugging.

“I have the room for the entire conference, but I’ll need to leave for some meetings after night two, so you’d be on your own on night three. We’d only overlap on night two.”

“I’m just not so sure its a good idea.”

“Yeah, I just don’t understand why.”

Because I can’t possibly deal with the fact your in front of me and I can’t stop thinking about you all the time. The idea of being alone with you will probably make it worse and I don’t know if I can deal with that. Because, I’m thinking about how close the twenty-ninth is and I’ve been trying so hard to forget it’s going to be over soon.

“What? Are you afraid I’m going to try and kiss you without your consent? Or sit on your lap? How about fondle you under the pretext of sun-protection-”

She leaned across the table and tried her hardest to slap him upside the head. Stephen instead caught her wrist in a loose hold, stumping Y/N as she stared at him. He studied her eyes before setting her wrist down. She slowly retracted, remembering to breathe.

“You’re really annoying, you know that?”

“I know.” he nodded, although, a little too smugly. His smirk was unnerving to her in the way her heart raced in her chest. Or was it beating that way because of the way he continued to study her face with a soft look she rarely saw.

“I’m never live gonna live any of that down.”

“Nope. If you do, I’ll be fairly surprised if there isn’t more to follow.”

Her eyebrows perked up as she pointed her finger at him in challenge. He let out a breathy laugh at how easy it was to rile her up, smiling at her.

“I can ask Hayden to stay with him, leave you my room. But they know I already have one, so I’d need an excuse.”

Y/N shook her head, “I’m not going to force you out of your room. I’m warning you now, you’d hate rooming with me.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, you seem like...”

Stephen seemed like he didn’t care for what others thought of him. He was strong and equally stubborn when it came to it. He seemed like the type of person to be there when you needed him most. And that made her stomach turn with the prospect of him discovering her feelings. Unrequited feelings were a dangerous game. And she had dived straight into a problem that was seeming to grow worse with each day.

“Y/N. I think it’ll be fine. You’re overthinking it.” he rested his hand on the table, a finger’s gap next to her own hand. “It’s just one night.”

He gulped down the lump in his throat, “We’re friends right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then as a friend, do me a favour and take the empty bed in my room. It’d make me feel better that you’re not staying by yourself or on a floor mattress.”

“Are you sure?”

Stephen nodded.

“Okay.” she smiled, “Thank you.”

A comfortable silence settled and she sought for something to discuss.

“My abstract was accepted as talk.”

“Faculty panel?”

“Yeah.” she seemed glum.

“I assume you’re not happy?”

“I’m ecstatic.” she forced a smile, rubbing her face, “I hate public speaking with a passion.”

“Why?”

“It’ll be awful. I’ll fumble or embarrass myself. Bottom line, not the criteria for success putting me on a stage.”

“When I was in grad school, my advisor sent me in his stead to give a faculty symposium. With two days and no prep.”

“Wow.” she winced, “Why’d he do that?”

“No idea.” he tilted his head back, “Probably had an emergency. Thought it would be a formative experience.”

“Was it?”

“As much as anything that keeps you awake for forty-eight hours.”

“And...how did you do?”

He paused, “Not well enough.”

Her smile faltered. It didn’t seem right for someone so accomplished to speak about themselves in that way. “Nothing was ever good enough.”

“Do you still keep in contact your old adviser?”

“He retired, but Tom took over his lab.”

“And...” she trailed off

“My relationship with him was complicated-brutal. My adviser was brutal.”

She was taken aback. Y/N was trying to understand him, but it was difficult when he looked like he travelled off somewhere far that she couldn’t go.

“Sounds familiar.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, sounds kind of like how some of the students describe you.”

“I’m nothing like him.” his voice was adamant.

Y/N glanced at his clenched jaw, a tense posture settling in “I-Stephen-”

“Everyone has issues with their advisers. They don’t teach you how to mentor. We’re in charge of guiding and making sure students produce their best work. I hold high standards for them to meet their goals. If my students are afraid of me, I’m okay with that.”

Y/N tilted her head, “Do you really not care if people like you as a person?”

“It’s not my job to be likeable. And I don’t like them all that much, either.”

“Yeah, but-” she thought, “Okay. Am I one of those people?”

He looked at her, “No. No you’re not.”

“You are a smart-ass with excellent taste in coffee and snacks.” he smiled, “I’ll help you with your slides. Send them to me.”

“What?”

“I’ll take a look at them for you.”

“You don’t have to do that.” she continued.

“I want to, if it’ll help.”

“Okay. How likely am I going to be crying by the end?”

“Depends on the quality of your slides.”

“Don’t hold back, I guess.”

“I won’t.” he hummed.

A beat passed between them, “Would you come to the talk?”

He paused, “Would you want me to?”

“Yes.”

“I will.” he nodded.

“Okay.” she breathed, eyes brighter.

***

Natasha pressed the clip into Y/N’s hair, clasping the hair back as she looked into the mirror. She smiled warmly at her friend.

“You look beautiful.” Natasha beamed, “Jaw-dropped on the floor, gorgeous. Stephen won’t be able to take his eyes off of you."

She felt herself restrain from smiling at the mention of his name, looking over the dress she picked from her closet. The (colour) complimented her skin nicely and fitted to her body. She did her own makeup, Natasha assisting with hair in her own dorm.

She nervously pressed the creases down with her hands. The thought of dancing, being in close proximity to him again. It wasn’t even the public setting where anyone could see her mess up, make a fool of herself. More so to do with the bachelor who’s opinion she cared about. She felt Natasha’s hands stop.

“Hey. What’s wrong?” Natasha touched her shoulder.

“Nothing.” she smiled, “I’m just a bit nervous about dancing.”

“It’ll be fine. Don’t think too much about it.” she smiled, “It’ll be fun. This is the first formal event we’re all going to together. And hey, we both have dates. Isn’t that great?”

Y/N smiled warmly, nodding her head “Yeah, it is.”

Natasha shared a smile with her, dismissing her friend’s behaviour as nerves.

“You truly look beautiful. Strange won’t be able to take his hands off you.”

“Natasha-”

“What?” she raised her hands, “If he doesn’t appreciate this, then he’s doing something wrong.”

Y/N swatted her hands, laughing shyly at the notion. “When is Sam getting here?”

A knock at the door interrupted, the both of them looking up at the sound.

“Guess that’s him.”

Natasha walked over to the door, her heels clicking against the floor. “You’re here.”

“I’m great, how are you?” Sam replied, walking through the door in his own black suit, tie done up nicely. “You look nice, Nat.”

“Thank you.”

He looked over to the table where Y/N sat, turning from the mirror to greet them. “Wow.”

Y/N smiled shyly, “Is that good?”

“Yeah.” he nodded with a smile, “It’s good. You look great. Strange is a lucky man.”

“Shall we?” she nodded to the door.

Sam extended his arm to her as she grasped it. A second knock at the door and Natasha greeted Steve.

“You look incredible, Nat.”

“Thank you, I spent a lot of time getting ready for this. Lets go.”

***

Entering through the doors, Sam gently tugged her through the hall of the building. The venue was a beautiful museum they had rented for the event, elegantly decorated for the evening. Her eyes traced the well-dressed people and the waiters serving champagne on trays.

“I’d say we’re dressed for the occasion.”

“Would you?” she chuckled.

“Let’s see how long you can keep those heels on.” he replied, knowing how they hurt her feet.

“I will be pushing through to the end of the night.”

Sam’s eyes locked onto a figure in the near distance, halting in his step around the room. “Found your lover boy.”

She did a double take, following his gaze to spot Stephen standing next to Hayden. They both wore black suit and tie for attire, but her attention was evidently enraptured with him. He fit right in, yet he stood out all the same from the crowd. At least, from her perspective.

Hayden looked up, catching her gaze and subtly pointed in their direction. Stephen followed, head darting over and he paused in recognition. His eyes softened, gazing over her entire person and the dress she wore. She smiled shyly and nodded slightly before Sam allowed her to walk over.

Stephen moved to meet her halfway as they crept toward the dance floor. She took smaller steps, a few feet between her and Stephen before her foot slipped. Her heart dropped to the floor, clenching her eyes shut, but something caught her.

Y/N opened her eyes and glanced up. Stephen’s arms were holding up, her hands placed on his chest again. “Hi.”

“Hi.” he smiled, “So was outside the biology building practice for this moment?”

She sighed, closing her eyes in embarrassment, “No. No it wasn’t. You know that.”

“Do I?” he teased, his hands moving down to her elbows. His touch sent shivers along her exposed skin as she looked up at him. Lost in the cerulean blue of his eyes, she held her breath for a moment. He drank in the vision of her beauty, enhanced by the makeup.

“You look beautiful.” he whispered, his hand brushing the hair from her face.

“Thank you." her words but a whisper that he could just hear, but she was otherwise absorbed in him. The room moving around them was not important, fluttering into the background.

"You look..." she exhaled, stumbling for words, "very handsome."

He smiled at her flustered state, "Thank you."

“Would you like to dance?”

She nodded silently and he moved the placement of her hands into his. They were already on the dance floor. It was just a matter of putting it into action, as they took a turn around the room.

Y/N could feel her heart fluttering in her chest, the beat of the music fluttering around as she desperately tried to focus on not stepping on Stephen’s feet. He led forward two steps, back one and again. All while, she kept her eyes on his. She wasn’t sure if Sam was watching, but she was sure the look on her face displayed of her feelings. The mellow tones and drum of the song sang around them, but Y/N found herself lost in his embrace. It wasn’t difficult to rush back into it all, each and every time.

"What's on your mind?" She asked.

“Where do you see yourself after this?”

With the confused look, he clarified “After this is all over. ‘Fake-dating’.”

“I guess, finishing my work.” she pondered, the warmth of her hand clutching his. The weight of his hands on her waist. “Finalising it for next year.”

He nodded, the logical parts reading in his mind. Although, there was something in his face that made her think he was unsatisfied. “Moving my things to Boston. Why do you ask?”

Something sparked in his eyes, flickering around anywhere but her gaze “I guess-I want to make sure you’re certain about moving. It’s far from your friends.”

She responded with a warm smile, despite the sadness in her heart at the statement. Rather, expecting something else. Another thing she would hope and miss. One of the things that would hurt leaving behind. But Stephen had someone waiting for him here. He would be fine without her.

“Makes me think you’ll miss me, Strange.”

“Please call me Stephen.” he whispered, flickering from her eyes to her mouth, “Not Strange.”

“Stephen,” she breathed, “It’ll be fine. Things will go back to how they were.”

His paused, his hand travelling down to the small of her back “You say that like it’s a good thing.”

She caught the slightest glimpse of hurt between the shield he put up. “Isn’t it?”

He tilted his head.

“I know.” she looked up, “You’re going to miss our Wednesdays. But hey, more time for reading and running, and...I’ll miss my free coffee.”

He tried to laugh, but it was the forced smile on his face chipped at her heart. that truly caught her off-guard. With a concerned glance, she tried to catch his eyes and compose herself with the burning sensation behind her eyes.

“You’ll do great things at Harvard.” Stephen said, “I know that.”

“I hope everything works out for you. With the grant. And your next project. And...” she paused.

“And whatever is meant for you.” finishing with a sullen look that she hid.

Y/N felt Stephen stop, halting them on the spot. He looked at her through half-lidded eyes and she swore the feeling of his hand burned through to her skin, sending shivers along her skin.

He whispered her name, brushing the hair falling on her neck as they swayed together. Everything faded away when he looked at her with those dreamy blues, and she fell in too deep. Her heart thumped in time with the music, or maybe the thrum of Stephen's heart under the hand that fell onto his chest.

Something struck in her heart, feeling his warm breath on her face. Her eyelids fluttered shut, her heart speeding up as he tilted her chin upward. Time slowed around them, thoughts clouded with a swooning sensation overwhelming her. Was this what falling in love felt like? As Stephen leaned against her forehead, his shaky breath ghosting over her lips. The urge to lean upward and embrace him was strong.

The facts where this; Y/N knew better than anyone you couldn't have everything you wanted. Even if the feeling was the strongest thing you felt. Even if every instinct was telling you to stop, the heart would move forward in retaliation. These facts came to the forefront of her mind in that moment as she regretfully woke up from the dream under her fingertips.

A quiet gasp, the strangled ghost of a sob bubbled from her chest. Knowing she couldn’t have him. Knowing that he wasn't her's. The tears brimmed in her eyes and she clenched them shut, forcing herself to slowly break away in restraint.

“Y/N?”

She forced herself to hold back those tears, putting a pretence that she was fine.

“I-I’m sorry.” she exhaled, “I need-I need a moment. I'm gonna get some air."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"It's fine, really. You enjoy the party." She forced a smile despite the tears brimming in her eyes.

Stephen’s hand reached out in concern, but he brushed Y/N's arm as she walked away.

Through the glassy eyes, she felt someone brush her arm. Y/N jumped, thinking it was Stephen, greeted by Hayden’s concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need some air.”

Hayden was sceptical, looking back to Stephen’s disturbed state, “What did he do?”

She shook her head, “He didn’t do anything, Hayden. Trust me. I’m okay.”

Hayden reluctantly nodded, allowing to her walk out toward the doors to an empty hall, high archways leading into a garden. The dim moonlight cast a beautiful white light over the flowers, bouncing off the water in the central fountain. The tears finally fell, falling as she clutched her arms, holding back quiet sobs.

Stephen was so close, and yet again, Y/N couldn’t have what she wanted. Life had a cruel way of dangling it in front of her before snatching it out from her reach with a fierce grip. Within the last moment, she had pulled away to save them both from hurt. There was only a few weeks left before it would all be over. Y/N had to be strong, no matter the building tension in her chest as she clenched her hand over her mouth to hold it in. All along, she was led right back here. Right where she had to come to terms with losing Stephen, numbered days crossing away at their time.

Approaching footsteps left her on edge as she tensed up, looking to the arm that wrapped around her shoulders. Sam’s expression was sombre as he pulled her into his chest. And then she let herself fall apart.