#amelia: for the first time we agree on something

[russellsppttemplates]

I'm right here! (Oscar Piastri)

People seem to forget you're dating Oscar

Note: english is not my first language. Another Oscar piece 🫶

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!

my masterlist

Cw: jealous themes

Tag list: @myloverjk-blog @hiireadstuff @c-losur3

"Do you think this will translate as well on the track though?", Phil, the head of the engineering department, asked as you showed him the latest set of data.

"Even with the interval we've set for changes, these numbers show it could improve performance, especially in race pace", you pointed to the calculations on the side.

"We would only have it for Miami, though", he reasoned, "we don't have enough time to get this done for Shanghai and I don't think it would be wise to test this in a track we haven't raced in five years", Amelia argued as you nodded in agreement, "but it looks promising - good job, Y/N", she patted your back.

"Would you feel comfortable talking about it in the meeting with Zak, Andrea and the mechanics? You have been the one working the most with this, makes sense for you to be the one taking point. Lando and Oscar should join you as well - I think they're doing something on the Sim", William mused.

"Absolutely! Yes, Oscar said he was driving a new set up and strategy Tom also wants to discuss in the meeting", you offered with a smile.

"Having insider information makes this easier - I don't have to check every single e-mail and wonder about things, especially Oscar's schedule", Amelia chuckled, rubbing your shoulder before she got up.

As everyone gathered in the meeting room, you set your laptop up so the latest data would be seen by everyone as you spoke about the changes, "we don't think nor expect this will be ready for China, but we're hoping to have the new package in Miami already - gives us enough time to work on it and the track there is ideal for us to have an idea of how this could play out for the rest of the season", you concluded.

"I agree - I think China will be damage control racing and we're accepting it as it goes", Andrea stated.

"We just need to get going with these then and also get the guys to try it out on the- Oh! Speaking of the devil", Zak chuckled as Oscar and Lando stepped inside the meeting room.

"So that's that, I think - thank you for all your work and let's hope we can bring some points next weekend", the British driver said before everyone scattered out.

Closing your laptop and getting your tablet, you held them against your torso so you could go and set them back to your station before lunch. You didn't make it very far as Oscar stood just outside the room, his hand snaking up your back carefully as he didn't want to startle you.

"Good morning, love", he smiled, kissing your cheek and walking with you.

"Morning, Osc", you kissed his cheek back, "how was training?", you wondered.

"Same old - went for a run this time, though, it was nice enough outside", your boyfriend offered as you reached your desk, tidying it a little bit before leaving to get some lunch, walking hand in hand.

You didn't expect to fall for a driver, especially after the relationship you had with Lando. You behaved like siblings, often pranking eachother, and it had helped you grow more confident around him and the senior staff when you felt you were all but a small intern. Over the years, you grew more comfortable as your ideas and pitches would get considered and tested, finally feeling like your place was well earned and that at the right time, the development would come to bring McLaren to the top where it belonged.

When Oscar joined the team, however, you didn't expect to feel the way you felt about the Australian driver. He was handsome, very shy and very kind and thoughtful as he sat all through the meetings as you explained the changes. Jeopardising your career was something you didn't want to do, but after some not so careful touches and glances, the team assured you it wouldn't be an issue in case you and Oscar were to pursue a relationship together.

"Here's my favourite team-mate! And she brought Oscar with her!", Lando joked as you sat at the same table as him.

Swatting his neck playfully, you sat down next to him so you could face Oscar as he put his tray down, "I will revoke new updates package from you and you'll be stuck in the midfield", you taunted before you started eating.

"Do you want to spend the night at my place? I need to sort a few things out still this afternoon, but I'm hoping I can leave on time today", you squinted your eyes.

"What do you mean on time?", Lando quirked an eyebrow.

"Yesterday, she got so caught up in the calculations, I barely got a text out of her when I asked her if she wanted to have dinner with me", Oscar chuckled as you held hands on top of the table, playing with his fingers, "what was it you texted me? 'I'm having a breakthrough' I think it was", your boyfriend offered.

"I did, though! Amelia checked it over and we might be onto something - I have to go to Race Base this afternoon so they can check them out", you shrugged your shoulders."We're spending the whole afternoon in the sim", Oscar checked with you, "when you get off, then we can leave together - how does that sound?".

Coming back to your place after you stopped by the supermarket, you set the bag on the counter and pulled out all of the ingredients you bought to make sure the dinner would be suitable and appropriate to Oscar's plan.

"I haven't had a proper cuddle today", Oscar pulled you to him, beggining to litter kisses on your forehead all the way to your cheeks and jaw, "I can't ever do this at the center", he mumbled against your neck, tickling you.

"We could, just where there are no other team members", you giggled before cupping his cheeks, "which happens to be nowhere most of the time", before you kissed his lips.

"I'm going to start working on the chicken", Oscar said after you stole a few kisses, "are you going to be in the Center for the race?".

"No, I'm travelling with the team", you smiled as you took the fresh pasta out of the bag, "which means we can spend more time together - and people will actually see us together", you mumbled the last part.

"People know we're together, love", he smiled, cutting up the last bit of garlic and tossing it in the pan.

"Sometimes it doesn't seem like it - they didn't see me in Jeddah and the rumours flew out of control", you wiped your hands on the kitchen towell before hugging Oscar's back, resting your cheek between his shoulder blades.

"You know how the media works - they see the smallest hint to something they want to see and then they're there", he offered, taking one of his hands to squeeze your hip, "you're the one here, aren't you?", he tsked.

.

"Where are you going?", Oscar asked as he saw you grab a tablet and push the chair back under the table, "I thought we could have some time together now".

"The stewards picked out eight cars at random to get checked over a few components - Mike and Barry are waiting for me", you offered, pecking his lips quickly, "hopefully they're just not messing around with our schedule because everything is supposed to be how it is!", you smiled before you started to walk out.

"I'll go with you, then", your boyfriend assured, "can't have you go to the wolves on your own when you can have company, beautiful".

Oscar walked up to the building with you, kissing your temple before you stepped inside, "I left some data from the sprint for you to look at, and tell Lando I also left a file for him with his tire deg - I told Will to do it, but he might forget!", you alerted before letting him go.

Knowing how long it would take, he went back to the McLaren garage, stopping whenever fans snapped a couple of pictures or autographs.

By the time you were back in the hotel room after the sprint and qualifying, Oscar went to the bathroom so he could have a shower, leaving you to lay on the bed and scroll through social media.

You looked at the photos the media team had posted, along with the stories where you could spot yourself in the background and spotted a few comments as you flicked through the carrousel of pictures, the comments under it weren't something you hadn't seen before.

Hear me out, Oscar and Elaine are the perfect match

I know, right? 😭 honestly, they need to get together! They would be so cute together

She's so polite and put together, but I get rhe vibe that she's really shy too, they would be perfect for eachother

Are we forgetting Y/N? aka Oscar's girlfriend

I still can't believe the people at the top have let their engineer date a driver

Y/N's way too out there, I call PR relationship

She couldn't even build a great car, I'm not sure why you would defend her

She was literally the reason the car and the turnaround last year and we started getting podiums?

These have been the best 12 months in terms of development, what are you on about? Just because she's with Oscar, you can't dig at her like that

The last few comments don't come up too often, but you had to admit it was nice when they did even if they did nothing to the way you felt.

The green eyed monster took over more times that you'd like. You work with numbers, probabilities and direct correlations, so it was hard to miss the reason behind how you were feeling.

"Why are you looking at your phone like that? You promised you wouldn't work once we got back to the room", Oscar warned, using the towell to dry his hair before he looked at you again.

"I'm not working", you mumbled, locking the phone and setting it on your stomach, pondering whether or not you should talk to Oscar about this.

"That long silence tells me that there is something bothering you", Oscar began, "I'm not saying you have to talk about it right now - I won't force you to -, but I'm here for you when you want to do it", he offered earnestly.

"I'm jealous of you and Elaine", you stated, earning a quirked eyebrow from your boyfriend.

"Me and Elaine? The communications' intern?", he looked for some clarification.

"Yes!", you answered loudly.

"We don't - I don't even spend that much time with her, what do you mean?", Oscar asked.

"I know you don't, but people online seem to think you should! First, it was that actress that McLaren invited for Abu Dhabi - the weekend where Natalie and Naomi kept approaching us because they wanted to chat and there was actual visual proof we were together after all the rumours -, now they're saying how you should go out with Elaine!", you admitted, "they're all saying you really should have someone and that she should be the one to go, that she has all the qualities you should look for and I-", you took a big breath in, "I'm literally over there, every single day of the races - in the garage, sometimes in the pitwall!", you stated, "I barely do any races from the Center anymore, so it's not like people forgot that I exist!".

"Love, I'd never do that to you - you're the only person I care about like that", Oscar replied instantly.

"I know you don't, but it hurts to see", you admitted, "comments people make about my boyfriend and how he really should start dating someone when our relationship is public - I'm there, I see them, they see me!", you let a tear fall down your cheek, "there's only so much I can do to make it obvious, Osc!".

Oscar sat down next to you on the bed, throwing the towell on the floor for the moment so he could pull you to face him.

"Y/N, I didn't know it was bothering you so much, I don't even notice all of that", your boyfriend craddled your face in his hands, thumbs wiping the tears that continued to fall and looking into your eyes.

"I never told you and I know you don't read all of the comments", you reasoned, "I just thought it would stop at some point! Everyone keeps saying that you should have someone and I want them to think I'm that someone - because I am!", you said bitterly.

"Is there something you'd like me to do? That would make you feel better about it?", Oscar combed your bangs away and behind your ears.

"What can we do anyway? Have you walk around with a t-shirt that says "I have a girlfriend - Y/N, the engineer"?", you scoffed.

"I will do that if you think it will help - throw in a headband with "Y/N's boyfriend" too if it helps!", he tried to pry a smile out of you.

"Don't be silly", you playfully shoved his chest before holding his hands in yours, "I honestly have no idea what to do, but I know I want it to stop without putting our jobs on the line", you pouted.

"Maybe an Instagram post from us then? Something chilled but serious enough so anyone can get the hint - and I wouldn't mind arriving into the paddock with you in the morning", your boyfriend suggested.

"Oscar, I have to be there way earlier than you need to", you argued.

"Then I'll be there earlier, I'll have breakfast there with you and we'll spend more time together in front of everyone - as much as you feel comfortable with", Oscar offered you an assuring smile, "I don't want anyone else the way I want you, I don't love anyone the way I love you, Y/N".

Smiling at the honesty and safety he was transmitting you, you kissed his lips, starting with small pecks before one last long kiss, letting your foreheads touch as you pulled away, "thank you, Osc, I love you".

The next morning, reporters were surprised when they saw the McLaren driver show up in the paddock so early, his hand laced in yours as they asked a couple of questions.

"My girlfriend had to come in earlier, so I thought I'd join her and see a little bit of the preparations", Oscar replied before you continued to walk to the McLaren hospitality.

"Is it bring your boyfriend to work day?", Anna asked after her usual morning greeting.

"He's always with me at work though", you squinted before giggling, "but I really need people to know he's mine and that I'm here!", you half joked.

#oscar piastri imagine #oscar piastri x reader #oscar piastri fanfic #oscar piastri x you #oscar piastri fluff #oscar piastri fic #f1 imagine #f1 fic #f1 fanfic #f1 x reader #f1 x you #f1 fluff

[leclerc-s]

the blue - part eight

series masterlist // previous // next

zendaya amelia grace holland be honest. how many songs ave you written about oscar?

amelia holland

sam holland the better question is how many songs have you written about fake scenarios in your head?

amelia holland oh that one's easy at least five. this month. i've got a really good one called i should hate you, i wrote that one with aaron.

tuwaine barrett DID CHARLES HELP PRODUCE THIS AGAIN??

amelia holland i think he almost shit himself when he found out aaron was also producing this one. tuwaine barrett CHAMELIA MY BELOVED! GET THIS MAN ON STAGE WITH TAYLOR FOR A SURPRISE SONG! amelia holland he's been on my ass about that to. did you team up with him or something? tuwaine barrett why? did he say someting?

harry holland speaking of charles, how's texas? is it fun?

amelia holland it's hot as fuck.

amelia holland you're in texas now? any plans on coming home?

amelia holland kinda promised oscar and lando that i'd stick around for the triple header. there's a week off in between vegas and brazil but lando's birthday is a few days before vegas and abu dhabi is the next weekend. so i'm not sure. might be home for a couple days at most.

harrison osterfield it's almost like oscar's career is monopolizing all of your time

sam holland for the record none of us have problem with it. this is the first time in a long time we've seen you happy. if traveling with oscar makes you happy, do it. harrison's being a dick, ignore him. but like also please come home for the holidays?

amelia holland is that his default setting? - danny ric

amelia holland sorry about that, the fake american took my phone.

amelia holland real american here, is that his default setting? - logan sargeant

amelia holland charles here! is that his default?

amelia holland this group is tragic. ours is much more fun - max

amelia holland I CAN FINALLY STOPPED BE CALLED NORIZZ BECAUSE CLEARLY THE SECOND STRING LOSER HAS LESS THAN ME! - LANDO

amelia holland i would never piss a songwriter off because you'll be branded as the second string loser for the rest of your life. - pierre

amelia holland i swear they’re normally house-trained - oscar

amelia holland he's lying - alex

tom holland YOU HAVE A GROUPCHAT WITH THEM??

amelia holland it's quite fun. murder is threatened at least 3 times a day and lestappen is in full force. it is no just for the camera, i genuinely think they're in love with each other

amelia holland yuki’s quite violent, in case anyone was wondering. he may be pocket sized but he holds a lot of rage

harry holland and who exactly is in this group chat and why haven’t we been invited?

amelia holland the twitch quartet, max, daniel, yukierre, estie bestie and his two husbands, twinkclaren, and me

harrison osterfield you call your boyfriend a twink?

amelia holland it’s a term of endearment - lando

amelia holland she calls lando a fucking weenie and she called someone a weird second string loser, so i’m okay with twink - oscar

amelia holland WE'RE KIDNAPPING AMELIA! WE'RE IN TEXAS BABY! - DANNY RIC

amelia holland SAVE US! - CHARLES & MAX

ameliaholland posted new stories

someone's super excited to be back in texas COTA! pre-quali look with oscaroo. he's not happy at the moment, says it's too hot to be in texas. i agree. :) logan said he knew a place and took us to cane's. clearly one of them is happy to be here.

ameliaholland the plans made it out of the group chat, so when in texas...

tagged: oscarpiastri, lilymhe, francesca.cgomes, alexandrasaintmleux, danielricciardo, landonorris, maxverstappen1, charles_leclerc, alex_albon, logansargeant, yukitsunoda, pierregasly, georgerussell63, estebanocon, mickschumacher, lancestroll

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tuwaine I HAVE NEVER WANTED TO BE IN TEXAS SO BAD

↳ ameliaholland you're missing out so bad tuwaine

tomholland2013 AMELIA GRACE HOLLAND YOU BETTER NOT BE DRINKING!

↳ ameliaholland i'm not? there's a heineken in my hand? it's non alcoholic.

↳ landonorris she literally had shots with max. she's a liar.

↳ ameliaholland shut the fuck up norizz.

username oh god, i've never wanted to be apart of a friend group this bad

username thank goodness someone put boots on the correct way. if i saw another picture or video of the drivers with their jeans tucked into their boots i would riot.

↳ username i hope daniel scolded them for doing so.

samholland1999 PUT SOME PANTS ON AMELIA!

↳ ameliaholland I AM WEARING PANTS! IT'S CALLED SHORTS DINGBAT! IT'S HOT IN TEXAS

username now this is a group i never thought i would see hanging out. at least not all of them together.

username this is so iconic of them wtf?

georgerussell63 i have never met someone who can out drink max, please join us the next time we go out.

↳ harryholland64 did not know my little sister can out drink max verstappen but i'm somehow proud?

↳ username this just in, something max verstappen is not good at doing, out drinking amelia holland.

lilymhe we have to do this again!

↳ francesca.cgomes we do!

↳ alexandrasaintmleux oh, we should

↳ ameliaholland give me a time a place and i'll be there!

↳ carmenmundt count me in too! i would love to meet amelia.

↳ username icons meeting other icons, love to see it.

finish the lyrics with lando norris and oscar piastri

comments

user we were robbed of cowboy oscar!

user lando and the holland brothers being the captains of the oscar x amelia ship is so funny to me

user but who did lando call a dick and why?

↳ user probably harrison, if the context clues we've been provided are anything to go by.

↳ user lando has been their biggest defender since day 1 and i stand by that

user was i the only one who caught that brocedes reference?

↳ user lando knew what he was doing making that joke.

user lando casually wanted to remind everyone that oscar's brother-in-law is spider-man.

↳ user had to quickly flex on spidey's biggest fan, estie.

user and to think this whole joke started because of a taylor song.

user HE CALLED HIM A MUPPET!! THIS IS MONUMENTAL!

user lando is oscar and amelia's biggest defender, you can't change my mind.

↳ user it's oscmelia girl, get it right.

↳ user you're right my bad, terribly sorry.

harrison osterfield i don't exactly appreciate your friend and boyfriend calling me a dick online.

amelia holland and i didn't appreciate being strung along for almost 2 years...

sam holland HOW LONG?

tom holland but he was with his ex for almost a year?

tuwaine barrett oh damn

harry holland you have got to be fucking kidding me harrison.

zendaya never trust blonde men with blue eyes

amelia holland what about max and logan? zendaya never trust blonde men with blue eyes whose name starts with an h or a j. those two you can trust.

tom holland by the way how's oscar doing? we watched the race.

amelia holland a bit bummed about the dnf but that's the way things go in this sport. besides it's not like it can get any worse than this.

TWO HOURS LATER

amelia holland HOW COULD I BE SO FUCKING WRONG?!

ameliaholland posted new stories

💋 i'm totally going to lose tonight... you're looking at the winner of the bowling tournament. it was luck really, but operation cheer up charles and oscar was a success.

taglist: @six-call @1nt3rnetgf @fernandoswarcrimes @skynel09 @arieltwvdtohamflash @Mimolovescookies @brekkers-whore @natcha888 @camdensreg @mycenterfold @woozarts @dear-fifi @tygecjjd @cataf1 @nothaqks @caipng @nataliambc @formulaal @lichterfee @prongsvault @kaa212 @anxxiousaries @julesbabey1 @julesbabey @georgeparisole @hobiismyhopeu @melissayalene @nikfigueiredo @bella-1 @nichmeddar @namgification @anniemae299

strikethrough means i couldn't tag you

¡leclerc-s speaks! just when you think he can't get any worse, he does! i have very strong opinions about texas, in case that wasn't obvious. texas was my breaking point + brazil, in case you couldn't tell who my favorite drivers were, you do now.

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

#leclerc-s #the blue series #formula 1 #oscar piastri #oscar piastri x female oc #formula 1 fic #fanfic #fanfiction #f1 #f1 smau #f1 fic #f1 social media au #f1 instagram au

[merrybloomwrites]

I Hear Them Calling (Chapter 1)

Story Summary: Alpha Harry Styles and omega Y/N Y/L/N meet under less than ideal circumstances. Overtime their paths will cross and they will be drawn to one another in ways they never expected.

Chapter Summary: Y/N attends her first Harry Styles concert and catches the unwanted attention of a knothead alpha. Luckily Harry and his team are able get to you in time, leading to some confusing thoughts about the popstar.

Previous Chapters: Prologue

CW: Attempted assault (nothing too graphic but it is there)

Word Count: 4.7k

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What do you mean you can’t go?” You ask incredulously. Going to the concert wasn’t even your idea. It was your friend Rachel’s and now she’s ditching you.

There’s a pause on the other end of the call before Rachel says, “It’s my dog. Well, my family dog that we’ve had since I was in middle school. She’s not doing well, and they think she only has a couple days left so now I have to drive back to Delaware to see her and say goodbye.”

“Oh my god, Rach, I’m so sorry!” And now you feel like a jerk for being mad at her canceling.

“Thanks. We knew it was coming but I hoped we had a few more weeks. Uhm, anyway, I need to finish packing and get on the road.”

“Of course, yea, safe trip home,” you quickly reply.

“You better take some videos of the concert and send them to me. Especially if he does something different for night one at MSG!”  

“Rachel, I’m not gonna have any idea if he’s doing stuff different from his last shows, as I have no idea what his shows are like. But I promise to send you a couple videos, okay?”

“Still can’t believe you haven’t watched any videos from tour. What rock do you live under again?” You laugh at her teasing, mostly cause it’s true. The fact that you’ve made it this far without knowing much about Harry Styles surprises even you. “Have fun for both of us tonight,” Rachel says.

“I will, give your dog a belly rub from me. Love you!”

“Love you too, bye!”

The call ends and you sit for a moment. You don’t really want to go to a concert alone, but that’s what your night now has in store. Rachel had tried calling some other people in your friend group, but they were all busy. You’d also texted your two best friends, Amelia and Violet, but it was too last minute for them to change plans and go with you.

So, alone it is.

You look at the outfit you had planned but decide against it. The leather pants and crop top ensemble isn’t exactly in your comfort zone, but Rachel chose it and wanted the two of you to match. Now that you’re on your own you switch to a pair of jean shorts with tights underneath and a flowy top, something you’re much more comfortable with. Harry’s music plays in the background while you get ready. You’d been studying the setlist to make sure you would know at least some of the songs he’ll perform. You’re happy when you find yourself singing along, showing that listening on repeat had worked.

After getting dressed you do your hair and makeup, then drive to your local train station. Living in north Jersey has its perks, and the quick train ride directly to Madison Square Garden might just be the biggest.

You get off the train and follow the trail of feathers from the boas which leads you directly to the venue. You show your ticket and are led to the entrance for the pit.

Being in the pit had also been Rachel’s idea. You’d never done that before, and you would have preferred somewhere with a seat, and honestly a better view from a higher vantage point. But you’d agreed to pit and in the weeks leading to the show you’d actually become excited to experience something new.

But now that you’re alone, you’re a bit overwhelmed. You’re one of the last people to arrive, since it’s only half an hour before the opener is set to start, so you end up hanging in the back. But even then, the large amount of people around you has you on edge.

Being a single female is hard. Guys are always hitting on women, feeling entitled to your company, not taking no for an answer. But being a single female omega is even harder. The way you see it betas have it easy, especially since they’re the majority. And alphas? Well, what do they have to worry about? They’re bigger, they’re stronger, they have their alpha voices that can command you and take away your free will if they want. Plus, they have an unmatched sense of superiority, thinking they’re so special just because of their secondary gender.

But you’re an omega. Often considered to be the weakest gender. Which is stupid. You’re the gender that gives birth, which takes way more strength than alphas could ever possess. And yet you’re still looked down upon by plenty of people in society.

So, you choose to hide your secondary gender. Only your family members plus Ameila and Violet know the truth. You don’t need anyone judging you based on one little trait.

Going out in public, especially at places as crowded as MSG always gives you anxiety. You never know if a knothead alpha is going to be there and literally sniff you out as an omega. But you trust your suppressants and soothers and, most importantly, your scent blockers, to do their jobs and hide your omega status from the strangers around you.

The pills have never failed in you in the eight years since you started taking them. You have no reason to doubt them now.

And yet, you can’t help but feel uneasy about the attention a certain man in the crowd is giving you. He is undoubtedly an alpha, one that for sure does not use scent blockers. In fact, you’re almost convinced he’s doing something to broadcast his scent, somehow make it even stronger. It’s an unpleasant odor, one that practically burns your nose, but you pretend you can’t smell it. Afterall, a beta wouldn’t be able to notice the scent.

But as much as you try to ignore the scent, going so far as to move to the entire other side of the pit, it still lingers. Because you are most definitely being followed. Seemingly casual glances at the crowd around you shows that the man has moved with you.

Going closer to the stage is the last thing you want to do, but getting deeper in the crowd might be what you need to shake off the man. The girls around you gladly welcome you and make space for you to join. A moment later the opening act starts to play, and you no longer smell the alpha. You’re relieved and get into the music for a few minutes.

Then the girls around you start to move, and you hear them say something about the bathroom. You decide to go with them since you could use a bathroom break and there will be safety in numbers. You keep your head down and casually follow, in hopes that the man won’t see you leaving the crowd.

Only once in the bathroom do you lift your head up. There’s a small line since most people are out listening to the first band. A moment later it’s your turn and you enter the stall. After using the restroom, you notice a large rip in your tights. You look at them, hoping they can be considered fashionably torn, but then you see another hole and decide to give up on them altogether.

It takes you a couple minutes to get rid of them, needing basically to fully undress from the waist down to get them off. Finally, you’re put together again, and you exit the stall, throw out the destroyed tights, and wash your hands. You notice that the group you came with is gone. In fact, the entire bathroom is now empty.

You sigh, disappointed that you’re on your own again, but you suck it up and start making your way back to the pit.

The second you walk out the bathroom door you smell it. Him. That acrid, somehow fishy, definitely revolting scent that alerts you that the alpha is nearby.

Before you even see him you hear him say, “Be quiet, and follow me.”

Shit. That’s an alpha command. You’re aware of that fact, but unable to fight it. You want to run, go back to the crowd, but you have no choice but to follow this man deeper into the back hallways. You want to scream, but every time you open your mouth, no sound comes out.

He leads you to a deserted corner, pushing you so your back is against a wall, and says, “Now stay quiet, and don’t move.”

Again, you do as he says, not only because of the command that you have to follow, but also due to the fear paralyzing you to the spot and rendering you silent.

“What a good little omega,” he says as he walks closer. He leans towards your neck, breath ghosting over your mating spot, and a loud whimper escapes you.

Realizing that you don’t need words to call for help, you begin to let out whines and whimpers as well as release distressed pheromones. Sure, you have scent blockers, but they’re not perfect and fear this strong will surely overpower them. You hope it’s enough to alert any other alphas nearby that there is an omega in danger.

You see the anger cross the man’s face, note the furious pheromones he’s releasing, but before he even reacts, your world goes dark.

***

Harry’s stylist is putting the finishing touches on his hair when there’s a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Harry says.

The door opens and he sees his band standing just outside the room.

“Blood Orange is about to start,” his drummer, Sarah, says. “You coming to watch with us?”

“Yea, of course. I’ll join you in a minute.”

As soon as he’s left alone, Harry takes some calming breaths. Night one of fifteen consecutive sold out shows at Madison Square Garden. He can’t believe how far he’s come in his career. He takes another deep breath, reminding himself that he’s worked hard for this, that he’s completely ready.

After spraying one more dose of scent blockers, he walks out of his room and goes through the hallways to find his band. They’re at the end of one hall, standing at the opening they’ll use later to walk to the stage. Harry joins them, making sure they’re all back far enough that they are still hidden from the fans.

Harry mingles with his band while they wait for the opener to start their set. But after a minute, Harry starts to get an uneasy feeling. He himself isn’t nervous or scared, so he really doesn’t understand where this sudden anxiety is coming from.

Harry looks around and sees a worried look on Sarah’s face. Aside from Harry himself, Sarah is the only other Alpha in the band. So the fact that they both have a sudden bad feeling while the betas around them seem unbothered has Harry on edge.

He begins to look for any type of potential threat. Right away he notices that the two Alpha security guards are scanning the area as well, hinting that they’ve picked up on the same thing. One of them walks away to start looking for anything that could be going wrong.

Blood Orange takes the stage, and that anxious feeling seems to go away. Harry checks with Sarah and she’s feeling better too, so they assume whatever was wrong has been taken care of.

Everyone enjoys the first few songs, and suddenly, the feeling comes back, way stronger than before. Harry’s alpha is immediately alert. He starts moving before he even realizes what he’s doing. He hears footsteps and sees Sarah and a security guard following close behind.

None of them know exactly where the trouble is, they just follow their instincts through the backstage hallways. Suddenly, the feeling of overwhelming terror hits them, and they can faintly hear whimpers coming from a distressed omega.

They start to run in the direction the sounds are coming from. Rounding a corner, they come across a scene that has their blood boiling.

There’s a female omega, seemingly unconscious, being physically held up against a wall by a male alpha.

“Let her go,” Harry growls out using his alpha voice. It’s less effective on the man than it would be on an omega, but his grip on the girl involuntarily loosens. Harry and the security guard move in to pull the alpha off, and Sarah runs forward to catch the girl.

More security guards move in and drag the alpha away to be questioned.

Harry’s focus shifts to the omega now being held in Sarah’s lap on the floor. Adrenaline is still coursing through Harry’s body, but he feels himself relaxing faster than he thought possible. That’s when he realizes Sarah is releasing calming pheromones. He immediately works to do the same, rather than continue to broadcast the anger he’s feeling.

He knows his emotions can affect the vulnerable omega, and the last thing he wants to do is cause her most stress.

His most pressing worry is that she’s dropped. It wouldn’t be all that surprising. Omegas tend to drop during stressful situations. This can be dangerous for a number of reasons, especially if they don’t have a trusted alpha to keep them safe while they’re under.

Not only can they not protect their bodies, but a drop can also be a scary experience mentally. Omegas have described it as feeling untethered, like they’re stuck in darkness, unable to find a way out. There are good drops as well, ones you go into on purpose to give your mind rest. This is always done when there is an alpha there to hold and scent them and keep them safe and grounded throughout.

But if this is a drop, Harry knows it would be a bad one, and they’d need to gently bring her up immediately.

“Sarah?” Harry says to get the other alpha’s attention.

“Yes?” she replies, not taking her eyes off the girl.

“Do you think she’s dropped?”

“No. At least not fully. I can still catch a bit of her scent. If she went fully under it would have disappeared completely.”

There’s movement all around them, members of venue security and Harry’s team all coming and going to ensure everyone is safe. Music and loud cheers can be heard, meaning the opening act if still playing, that the show was not interrupted by what happened backstage.

Harry and Sarah are focused solely on the omega, until they hear a familiar male voice say, “There you guys are. Sarah, you scared the shit out of me running off like that.”

She looks up at her husband, Mitch, and smiles sheepishly before saying, “Sorry, I really didn’t think. We heard her distressed whines and just reacted.”

“Is she okay?” Mitch asks, crouching down to be level with the group on the floor.

“We think so,” Harry answers. “There was an alpha who had her cornered. Not sure what exactly he was planning but it was obviously nothing good. She was unconscious when we got to her. Just wish she’d wake up so we can check that she’s really unharmed.”

“Is she in a drop?” Mitch asks. Being a beta he’s not as knowledgeable about these things but he knows enough to be concerned about the girl.

“No, definitely not a full drop. But I’ve been flooding the area with calming pheromones and she’s still not waking up,” Sarah says worriedly.

“Maybe she just senses unknown alphas around her. Why don’t I try holding her and you guys move away a bit?” He senses how reluctant they are to move away from the omega, but eventually they listen to Mitch.

He settles on the ground and Sarah passes the omega to him before moving to give them space. After another minute the girl begins to stir, groggily at first before her eyes shoot open and she jumps up to move away from all the people around her. They watch cautiously, unsure what to do with the sudden change in the situation.

***

For awhile you’re stuck in the dark. This isn’t a drop, not really. You’ve only ever dropped twice but you can tell there’s a difference this time. You’re still aware of what’s going on around you, even if the details are fuzzy.

The alpha is gone. That you know for sure. The awful smell is gone, replaced by a much more pleasant one. It’s a mix of black tea and maybe the ocean? Whatever it is reminds you of early morning walks on the beach during family vacations. You relax more into this scent, and then notice that fresh laundry smell which always means someone is releasing calming pheromones.

You start to relax, the adrenaline slowly leaving your body. You can still sense multiple alphas, which keeps you a bit on edge. You try to open your eyes, but you’re still in a deep fog, probably due to the mix of intense emotions and the multiple alpha commands you’d been subjected to.

You don’t realize that someone is holding you until they shift and place you in another person’s arms. The alpha scent fades and you know the person now holding you is for sure a beta.

Finally, you manage to open your eyes. It takes a moment for you to get your bearings, but when you do, you’re overwhelmed, and honestly a bit embarrassed. Harry Styles, the Harry Styles, the world-famous popstar you’re here to see, is sitting across the hall from you, studying you closely. Next to him is a woman you recognize as his drummer.

After these discoveries, you fully realize your current position; that you’re being held in someone’s lap. One glance at the man shows it’s Harry’s guitarist. You’re no longer embarrassed. No, now you’re completely mortified. You quickly extract yourself from his hold and stand up, looking at the group, totally speechless.

They slowly stand as well, all looking at you. And not just them, but the other dozen or so people that are still in the hallway. There are so many eyes on you, watching you, and you just want to disappear.

Picking up on your unease, Harry says, “Why don’t we go somewhere less exposed, hm? You can hang in my dressing room and maybe have a medic look you over if that’s alright?”

Without thinking you begin to nod your head, just wanting to get somewhere quiet with less people. He reaches out as though to place his hand on your back and lead you but seems to think again and pulls his arm back. Instead, he walks ahead, and you follow, Mitch and Sarah coming as well.

You arrive at the room, groaning when you see more people waiting there. One’s the medic Harry mentioned, another is obviously a police officer, and the third is a man you don’t recognize.

“Harry, need to you choose your outfit and get dressed. We’ll take care of, uhm, sorry I didn’t catch your name,” says the man.

“Oh, I’m Y/N,” you say immediately, surprised at just how scratchy your voice comes out.

Sarah must pick up on it because she asks you, “Would you like a cup of tea love?”

You can’t help but smile and let out a laugh at that.

“What’s go funny?” she asks, smiling as well.

“It’s just, your scent, it definitely smells like tea. And the first thing you say to me is about tea. Sorry, I know it’s not polite to comment on someone else’s smell,” you finish, head lowering in a new wave of embarrassment.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m not offended,”

“Plus, you’re right,” Harry adds. “Swear I can’t make a cup of tea without thinking of her.”

“Aw, H, you think of me? How sweet,” she says with a joking tone.

“Real sweet,” Mitch says, then adds, “But stay away from my girl.”

You smile watching the easy interaction, happy to be distracted by their banter, sipping on the tea Sarah brings you.

That is until the man, whom you’ve learned is Harry’s manager, Jeff, reminds Harry that he’s supposed to be getting dressed, and the cop and medic walk over to you. There’s a table in one corner of the room and they lead you to it.

“Y/N, I’m Kate, I’m just going to get your vitals and check you over to make sure you’re okay, is that alright with you?”

“Yes, that’s fine,” you reply.

“And I’m Officer Michaels, is it okay if I ask you some questions about the incident tonight?"

“Of course.”

And so, as Kate does a quick exam you tell the whole story to the officer, starting with the uneasy feeling when you first noticed the man, all the way to him using his alpha voice to corner you in a back hallway.

Harry had reentered the room by this point, dressed in his show outfit and looking completely ready to get on stage. But he’s making no moves to leave the room, even though Jeff is reminding him the show is supposed to start in five minutes. Mitch and Sarah leave to finish getting ready themselves.

“Are we all set here?” You ask Kate and Officer Michaels.

“I have everything I need,” he replies. Kate adds, “Everything checks out just fine,” and they both exit the room as well.

This leaves you with just Harry and Jeff.

“Great, so I guess I should go back to the pit then?” You knew you were holding everything up and didn’t want to be more in the way than you already have been.

“Actually, Y/N, it would probably be best if you stay here for the show. Jeff, can you go grab Jada for me?”

The man nods, leaving you alone in the room with Harry. He motions to the couch, inviting you to sit and you do so. He sits on the coffee table facing you.

“I know you want to see the concert, and I know the man is gone, but I have to admit, my alpha is a bit on edge right now. To be completely honest, I don’t know if I could go out there and perform if you’re not completely safe. I would really like it if you stayed in this room and watched the concert on the TV over there. I promise to get you and your friends tickets to another show, alright?”

You’re taken aback by this, surprised by how much he seems to care about you, a random fan he’s never met before. And knowing that his alpha was triggered by what happened to the point where it’s still uneasy is a pretty big deal. That normally doesn’t happen with strangers. Sarah was no longer worried, and the alpha security guards were completely fine the second they caught the man.

So why was Harry’s alpha still calling the shots? It would make sense if you were partners, or at the very least, friends. Maybe Harry does truly care that deeply about all of his fans. That must be it. Because it certainly can’t be you in particular. There’s nothing special about you, other than being a damsel in distress and nearly derailing his show.

He must see the confusion on your face and continues, “Jada will be here in a moment, and she’ll hang out with you. Anything you need, just ask her. I won’t see you after the show, I leave right from the stage, but talk to Jada and Jeff and they’ll make sure you get home safely.”

“Okay, thank you so much for everything,” you reply.

“Of course. It’s the least I can do. Y/N, I am so very sorry something like this happened to you here. I always want this to be a fun, safe place for everyone.”

“It’s not your fault. Please, don’t feel bad. It is completely that knothead’s fault. You guys are the ones that saved me.”

He reaches forward and places his hand on top of yours, just for a second. Your hand tingles as he pulls away, like a bolt of electricity had just gone through it. You meet his eyes, and see he felt it too. You stare at each other, frozen for a moment, until there’s another knock at the door.

Harry stands quickly and introduces you to Jada as she joins you on the couch.

“Okay, I have to go before Jeff kills me. Y/N please give Jada your contact info so we can get those new tickets to you. Get some safe,” he says.

“Thank you, break a leg,” you reply and a second later he’s gone.

You talk to Jada throughout the start of the show, smiling as she lets you in on some behind the scenes info about the tour. After a few songs she asks if there’s anything she can get you.

“I actually have kind of a weird favor. I was supposed to come with a friend, but she couldn’t come at the last minute. I promised to send her videos and she’s going to be suspicious if I don’t have any. Would you be able to take a couple videos from the pit? I just don’t want to have to explain what happened. At least, not yet.”

“Of course, girl, I’ve got you. I’ll go get a couple of the next songs. Are you okay in here? There’s security outside the door so no one will be able to get in.”

“Yea, I’ll be fine,” you reply with a smile.

She walks out and you sink into the couch, grateful for a few minutes alone. Everyone has been so lovely, but it’s been a lot, and you need a minute just to breathe. You close your eyes, relaxing your body, and when you’re fully calm, you smell it.

There’s another alpha scent, but not one of a person nearby. No, it’s in the fabric of the couch. And the blanket next to you. And the shirt draped over the back of the couch.

It’s Harry’s scent. And it’s amazing. So clean, and fresh, with hints of chocolate, and the forest, and something sweet. Maybe roses, you think. Definitely a hint of floral. And once you catch the scent, it’s all you can think about, like it’s wrapped you in a warm hug. You feel better than you have in hours, the stress of the day fully washing away.

Even when Jada comes back, Harry’s smell is what you focus on the most. She notices you’re quieter than before and must assume you’re just tired from everything that has happened. She goes back out towards the end of the show to grab another video and you can’t help yourself. You turn to the side, right where the shirt is, and purposely take a deep breath. It’s almost overwhelming, your omega telling you to steal the shirt so you’ll always have the delicious scent with you.

That snaps you back to reality. You need to get your omega under control. You’re just like every other fan, thirsting for the amazing Harry Styles. Get a grip, you tell your omega. He’ll never be ours, don’t get attached.

Jada comes back, the show ends, and she leads you to a car that will bring you home. She asks for your car keys and ensures someone else will grab it from the station and drop it off at your place. She rides with you back to your home, along with a security guard.

You exchange numbers during the drive and breathe a sigh of relief when your apartment building comes into view. It’s been an exhausting day, and you can’t wait for a hot shower and your comfy bed.

You thank Jada for everything and notice them waiting for you to get safely inside before driving away.

You scorch your skin in the shower, put on your comfiest pajamas, and burrow under your covers.

You fall asleep that night not thinking of the horrible alpha, and the horrors of the day, but rather of green eyes, soft hands on yours, and the delicious scent that can only belong to Harry.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, (requests), please let me know!

I hope I got everyone who asked to be added to the taglist. If I didn't get you or you want to me added just leave a comment or a message!

Taglist: @akkatz @pandeebearstyles @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite@theekyliepage@numafarawayglxy @booberry019-blog @hillzrry@ssareidbby @gem1712 @acesofspadess@houseofdilfs@shaquille-0atmeal-1@kissitnhekitchen @amateurduck @poguestyleskye@n0vaj3an@snwells@drunk-teens-doing-drugs ; @fdl305 @creativelyeva @daphnesutton @selluequestrian @lovingfurypanda @stardream14 @tbsloneely @eversincehs1

#harry styles x reader #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x you #omegaverse #alpha beta omega #wolfrry

[samwinchesterdefender]

sam winchester and dogs - analysis

nobody really seems to talk about this. the other day, i saw that clip of sam and dean going through the memory of the time sam ran away for the first time in a while, and it made me think. we only see sam with dogs a handful of times in the series, at least owning them, and there’s a reason for that— dogs are a symbol of imperfect happiness for sam winchester.

⚠️there will be MAJOR spoilers in this post⚠️

example 1 - bones

we see bones in the episode when dean and sam are going through some of their best memories. one of sam’s is the time he ran away for two weeks and hid somewhere with a dog he found—bones—and lived off “funions and mr pibb”. people often criticize him for this in favor of dean, because dean tells him that john beat him for losing sam. however, people don’t really seem to mention the backstory for this (probably? not all the details line up, but this is seemingly the first time sam ran away) that we got for this later in the episode with sully.

in the episode, we get flashbacks of one part of sam’s childhood: dean and john were on another hunt and wouldn’t let him come with. he had asked sully, “ever think… about running away?” which sparked a conversation about sam’s future which ended in sam deciding to actually run away and ended with a cut back to present day.

sam had decided to run away because he was tired of feeling unvalued and hated the way he was currently living. he didn’t really hate his family— he was just a kid sick of being alone with no promise of change soon. when he ran away, though, he was still alone. he was just alone without promise of dean and john being home in a few days. he thought it would fix his problems, but it didn’t. he didn’t have the greatest relationship with john, but he did love dean. he didn’t really show it as a kid but dean was the only one who showed him real love, and he needed that. he didn’t have that anymore.

this is the first instance sam is shown owning a dog, and it comes after sam ran away for something he thought would fix his life but ended up not really measuring up in the end. he was ripped back from his little adventure right back into his old life. he couldn’t escape. he was free,

but he didn’t have dean.

example 2 - riot

one of the WORST plot lines on this show. i’ll say that. weird choice for sam. regardless, it stands with the analysis.

we all know how sam hit the dog and went to live with amelia instead of looking for dean. it came from the idea that dean used that one time they had evidently agreed on where if one of them died, the other would live a normal life. personally i don’t think sam would have actually done this at this point in the show, but whatever. dean had lisa and ben, and this was sam’s version. sam’s chance at normalcy. we see bits of his life with amelia develop over multiple episodes, and he was even living with her. amelia made him happy. and they really showed that dog a lot.

the dog lived with them, obviously. the second instance of sam owning a dog. sam was trying to start this new life for himself of being a guy who settles down with someone and lives his life in peace. of course, that didn’t really end up working for him, as he left amelia to go back to hunting.

yet again, we have a dog present during a time sam was trying to escape his problems and start over. sam was starting to get this life for himself that he never really thought he would have, but that he always had as an unattainable dream. he was free,

but he didn’t have dean.

example 3 - miracle

the final instance shown of sam owning a dog. dean had found this one, which, as we’ve seen from the takeaway of the two previous examples, was actually foreshadowing of dean’s death in the final episode.

unfortunately, we all remember how 15x20 starts with sam and dean in a semi-normal life. they’ve beat chuck. they’ve saved the world multiple times, and lost so many people in the process. they finally get some normalcy, while still keeping up the little hunting jobs. and then dean somehow dies on that damn rusty rebar.

immediately proceeding is what i can remember through heavy tears as an extremely sad montage of sam living his life without dean, permanently, with parallels to earlier scenes in the episode. then we get that shot of sam and miracle watching dean’s body burn.

dean had unknowingly found sam a companion before he died. this was what sam had left of his big brother. a dog. he took that dog with him when he left the bunker, and took care of him until the day he died. they had both loved that dog. sam had gotten a taste of a free life— a free life with his brother, unshackled by world-threatening evils. that was then forcibly taken away from him in an instant. he was once again alone. alone with miracle. he was free,

but he didn’t have dean.

#sam ily #sam winchester #sammy winchester #dean winchester #sam and dean #supernatural #spn #supernatural analysis #sam meta #THIS IS NOT WINCEST WINCESTIES DO NOT INTERACT

[iamwhoami]

It Will Get Better (Grey's Anatomy)

Grey's Anatomy

It wasn't that bad. That's what you told yourself each time. But as the excuses start piling up, Amelia Shepherd can't deny what's in front of her any longer and tries to convince you that it was bad enough to finally do something.

Warnings: Domestic Violence/Abuse

Requested = Yes

Y/L/N = Your Last Name

WOW it has been a hot second. A very hot second. A burning second. Maybe I'm back? I'm so sorry to all the other requests that I just haven't gotten to but I'm going to try to make an effort to write more again.

Sometimes you felt stupid.

Here you were, a well accomplished and respected surgeon with a soaring career, yet you just couldn't seem to leave.

Sometimes, you would stop and wonder why you couldn't.

Because you loved him.

Because he loved you.

Sometimes you would convince yourself that you would leave. That when night came and he fell asleep, you'd pack a bag and walk out the door. Of course, that never happened, because each time, you'd convince yourself that it was your fault.

You upset him. You shouldn't have picked a fight with him. You deserved what he did to you.

That he was a good man. That he was going to change.

That he loved you.

After an especially rough night, you woke up groaning. Your body was on fire, resisting every move you made. Aching, you managed to get yourself to the bathroom and in the mirror, you examined the damage.

"Shit..." You cursed softly as your fingers traced the blaring purple splotch along your cheek.

This was going to be difficult to cover.

Sighing, you rinsed your face off with cold water and wiped it dry before pulling out your makeup bag. The bruise was already vibrant and you knew that make up wouldn't make it completely disappear. But you were hoping that between the light and the angle, you could make it work.

It was a routine you were all too familiar with.

~~~

"Y/L/N!"

You turned around, looking up from your patient's chart to see a grinning Amelia Shepherd walking towards you.

"Just the person I was looking for," Amelia grinned, her smile infectious.

Amelia Shepherd was the first person you met when you first started working at Grey Sloan after transferring from your previous hospital. She quickly became the first friend that you made too. Realistically, you trusted Amelia with your life.

"I feel like I haven't seen you around much," Amelia commented. "We should do something on a day off, I need some Y/N time."

You chuckled and agreed despite knowing that you would never spend time with your colleagues outside of work because he would never let you.

"What can I do for you?" You asked and began walking towards the nurse's station. Your body still protested every movement though and you couldn't help but let out a soft groan.

Amelia eyed you carefully but let it slide, "I just need a consult."

You nodded and she pulled up the scans, eyes still trained on your expression for any kind of sign of discomfort.

As you carefully examined the scans on Amelia's tablet, you could feel her gaze trained on your face and you felt yourself staring harder at the tablet than necessary.

However, just when you thought you could get away with it, Amelia spoke up before you could open your mouth.

"What happened there?" Amelia softly asked, her hand reaching to your cheek.

You instinctively flinched and Amelia's hand paused before she lowered it.

"Y/N?"

You blushed, "Don't worry about it Amelia, I'm just clumsy and slipped. I hit my face against the table."

Amelia, of course, was not convinced but she sensed the anxiety in your body and let it slide.

"You would let me know if something was wrong right?" Amelia quietly asked and you nodded before forcing a smile on your face.

"Of course I would."

You felt sick lying to Amelia through your smiling teeth but there was a heavy weight in your stomach that made you do it.

He loved you.

~~~

You made a conscious effort to avoid Amelia after that close call. It hurt your heart to do so but you couldn't risk it. You took longer routes to get to places in the hospital when you could. You avoided break rooms that she was in.

Amelia knew you were avoiding her too. She let you have your space for a while but when it became clear that you weren't going to let up any time soon, she began to try to reach out to you.

It was one missed call. Then two. Then you stopped answering texts. You contemplated blocking her altogether but couldn't bring yourself to do it.

One evening after a long shift, you let yourself melt into the comfort of your couch, your partner watching the Seahawks game next to you.

Your phone sounded and you glanced at your screen to see a text message from Amelia. Sighing, you closed your phone and turned it face down on the coffee table.

But it didn't stop.

A series of text messages resulted in a series of dings but as you were reaching out to grab your phone to silence it, your partner's arm pushed past you and ripped your phone off the coffee table.

"What the fuck is so important that it's interrupting the game," He grumbled and looked at the screen. "Amelia?"

"My coworker," You quickly responded. "She's probably just asking about a patient."

He eyed you and you thought you were going to get away with it until his glare hardened.

"Prove it."

You gulped knowing that Amelia's text messages weren't about a patient. Your heart raced as you stumbled for an excuse but your hesitation was more than enough for him to lash out at you.

You weren't sure how long it would have lasted had your pager not gone off. Maybe the whole night for all you knew. Mumbling that you needed to be more transparent with him, he backed off, leaving you to pick yourself up off the floor.

Your body screamed in protest as you gathered yourself as quickly as possible before rushing off to the hospital. A massive trauma had come in and they needed all hands on deck. On your way out, you managed to pop two Advils into your mouth before grabbing your bag.

As you drove to the hospital, your mind raced with excuses to explain the growing bruises on your skin. You knew that in the moment, the hospital would be too busy to question the blotches but the aftermath would be an interrogation.

~~~

Exhausted and burning, you had finally made it through all the surgeries and now all the patients were in recovery. As you closed your eyes, you let yourself relax into the couch in the break room, a steaming cup of tea in your hands.

You felt someone sit down next to you and you didn't need to open your eyes to confirm it was Amelia.

"Let me guess, you fell again?" Amelia spoke softly and you knew it wasn't actually a question.

She knew.

You couldn't bring yourself to say anything. To lie and deny what she knew. To tell the truth and confirm what she knew. You felt your throat tingle as a lump formed and a tear silently escaped your closed eyes.

"You don't need to keep doing this," Amelia said and gently placed her hand on your arm.

You still didn't respond and Amelia took the cup out of your hands before placing it on the table with a soft clink.

"Y/N, look at me," She said but your eyes remained closed.

"Y/N."

Reluctantly, you opened your eyes even though one was beginning to swell shut.

"You deserve better," Amelia spoke with conviction, her gaze focused on your eyes. "It's not your fault, it was never your fault."

You swallowed and shook your head softly, "I can't."

"Yes you can," Amelia said. "You can. I will be here the entire time but you just have to trust me. It will get better if you just trust me on this one."

"He loves me." You replied but your voice quivered.

Amelia's heart broke at your words, "Y/N, this isn't love. Love doesn't hurt like this."

The singular tear that had slipped through your eyes seemed to have been an invitation for the others to follow as your body began to shake with each sob.

Slowly, Amelia wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you close to her side before stroking your hair.

"I promise Y/N, it will get better," She whispered. "You deserve so much better."

You closed your eyes again and took a deep breath as the tears kept dripping down your cheeks.

"Okay," You mumbled back. "I trust you."

#grey's anatomy #grey's anatomy x reader #grey's anatomy x female reader #grey's anatomy imagine #grey's anatomy imagines #amelia shepherd #amelia shepherd x reader #amelia shepherd x female reader #domestic violent relationships #hurt/comfort

[justanamesstuff]

All I Need

♥ JUST MARRIED ♥

A/N: after months (sorry) i bring you THE PROPOSAL + WEDDING of these two...I hope you like it guys <333

Warnings: none, pure fluff

Word counting: 4.2 K

Blog MASTERLIST - All I Need MASTERLIST

Thinking about it…

Matty took the middle-sized box from the back of his drawer. It took a lot of old memories back. Thinking about his time before having the kids or meeting Y/n felt surreal. 

After moving a few pieces his hand landed on the even smaller box it was strategically hidden so if Y/n snooped there —not that she ever went through his stuff but just in case– she couldn’t find it. 

Matty felt a wave of sadness overtaking him, so he had to sit on his bed. His Nana was –literally– imprinted on his skin, although, he thought about her even now and then. He had been doing it a lot more since, specially Amelia, the kids started asking about his mother’s parents as well as his father’s parents. Mel was learning about families at school, and she was a very curious little girl. Matty loved to have full conversations with her and Arthur at the moment. They did talk about his Nana a lot of times.

The singer slowly opened the box, revealing before his eyes the silver band. Carefully he took it out to examinate it. She passed it down to him before getting really ill. Matty considered it a treasure. It wasn’t exactly a ring designed to propose marriage, although he wanted to give Y/n something special, something meaningful, since she was indeed the most amazing person he had ever met and also the person that gave him two amazing children. 

“Daddy?” Amelia interrupted him, showing up at the door of his room. Matty’s heart jumped, thinking –at first–she was Y/n. He closed his eyes, trying to stabilize his breathing. 

“Mel-mel?” he asked, keeping his back towards her. 

Amelia opened the door fully, staring at her dad’s form. “What do you have there? Chocolate?” she asked, excited about the idea of candy.

Matty chuckled, “No,” he turned around, still keeping the ring away from her eyes. “No chocolate, missy.” he smiled at her turning slightly. 

“What then?” 

Matty doubted about it for a minute, finally agreeing with himself to share the secret with her, “come here, baby.” he instructed, moving his hand signalling her to come closer. “Leave the door half open, please.” 

Amelia did as she was told, moving to sit beside her dad on the bed. 

“Look.” he opened his hand, showing the ring resting on his palm. Amelia looked at it and then up to his face, Matty saw the doubt in her eyes. “This was my Nana’s ring.”

“Oh!” Amelia exclaimed, opening her eyes wide. “Can I…” she started asking.

“Yes, be careful, okay?” Matty warned Mel. 

Amelia kept silence, holding the silver band between her tinny hands. Her curious eyes following the complicated patterns along it.  “What are these?” she inquired, her sight not leaving the ring. “Are flowers?”

“Yes, closer to roses but not exactly.”

“So pretty.” she exclaimed in a whisper. Mel carefully extended her hand, retuning the ring to his dad. “Can I have it?” she asked, making him chuckled.

“No.‘Cause…” Matty started slowly. “I want to give it to your mom.” he smirked, thinking about Y/n wearing it. 

“As a gift?”

“No exactly, baby.” he let his left arm engulfed her. Together they stared at the little item in front of them. “I want to ask mommy to marry me.”

“Why?” her question so genuine to her nature.

“Because I love her, and I want to spend my entire life with her.”

“Ok.”

“What? Don’t you think it is a good idea?” Amelia shrugged her arms. “Do you know that at weddings, people serve cake?”

“Chocolate cake?” Mel jumped in her place.

“We can choose chocolate cake.”

“When are you going to ask mommy then?”

“I’m not sure, baby.” 

“Matty?” Y/n called from downstairs, scaring father and child.

“Shit- You haven’t heard that!” Amelia laughed. “Don’t tell mom.” he begged, going to hide the box. “What?” he shouted louder so Y/n could hear him

“Can you tidy the kitchen as you promised?”

“Coming, my love.” he answered. “Not a word to anyone, Mel.” he took her little hand between his hands. 

Amelia made a signal sipping her mouth. 

“I love you.” Matty left a kiss on her head.

“Love you, daddy.”

***************************************

The actual proposal…

Matty was about to rip his hair off trying to think the perfect proposal for Y/n. 

Fancy dinner out? Not an option, she would leave him for that. 

Anything remotely big and scandalous? Not a chance. 

Okay, simple then, but when? Where?

He didn’t want to start asking his friends or family because they’d know what was happening, and Matty wanted to keep it a secret until he actually bent his knee. 

Matty continued debating herself in silence, waiting for Y/n to come from upstairs. It was her ‘bedtime’ turn that night.

“Matty?” Y/n snapped her fingers in front of his eyes, startling him back to the present moment.

“What?”

“What?” she asked back, placing her hands on her waist, standing in front of him. “You weren’t listening to me!”

Matty opened and closed his eyes quickly. “I’m sorry, baby.” he brushed off her hands softly, replacing her hands with his around her waist. He brought her closer, hiding his face on her belly. Y/n softened with his actions, letting her fingers comb his wild curls.

“What’s going on, huh?” she wanted to know. Y/n’s boyfriend stayed in silence. “Shit…tell me this is not a new drama.” Y/n leaned backwards, searching for his face.

“No, no…” Matty shook his head. “Nothing like that.”

“Then what?” Y/n insisted.

Matty looked up to her eyes, “Can’t tell you.” 

“Why you can’t?” she stared back, a little hurt. 

“I-”

“The band?”

“No.”

“The label.”

“No.”

“Matty, you’re scaring me.”

“‘s nothing wrong. I- Shit- I was, I’m…” he was making little sense.

“Matty, please. Something is clearly bothering you….you’ve been like this for weeks. I tried not to think too much about it, but I’m really worried. Do you want to leave me?”

“Of course not, Y/n! Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know. You’re not speaking to me…and I-”

“Fuck, okay. I’ll tell you, but I need to get something really quick.”

“Are you going out?” Matty stood from the couch.

“No. Just upstairs, okay?” Matty said before pecking her lips and disappearing. 

Y/n lay down against the cushions, thinking about all the possibilities, but Matty ran back minutes after, interrupting her train of thoughts. 

“I’m back.” Matty announced, staring at her eyes closed. “Baby?”

“Yes.” Y/n turned her head slightly to look at him. 

She noticed his hands were hidden behind his back.

“Okay, this is it.” he whispered to himself. “Remember how I always tell you that since the first moment we meet I’ve been in love with you?” this time he talked to Y/n. 

“Yes?” she said, sceptical. “What have you done?” folding her arms, ready for him to say, he had broke something or let the kids do something they weren't supposed to. 

“I’ll do it the rest of my life,” he continued with his speech. “Although, I want to do it at your side. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and the kids.”

“Yes, that’s my plan too, Matty. What are you on about?” Y/n pushed her body forward, invested in the conversation. 

“Shit- This is coming all out wrong…maybe I should've written a song…”

“Matthew!” Y/n snapped him out of his spiral of anxiety.

“Right, right. Fuck.” Matty approached her, showing her his hands holding the little box.

“What do you have there?” 

Matty sank into his knees, making Y/n gasped.

“Matty?”

“Do you want to marry me, Y/n Y/l/n?” Matty inquired, opening the box.

Y/n placed her hands on top of Matty’s. 

“Yes. Of course, yes!” she answered to his question, taking the box, crying in the process. 

Together they opened the little item.

“I know it doesn’t scream engagement ring, but this was my Nana’s ring.” Matty took it out. 

“Baby…”

“I want you to have it.” Matty stated, placing the ring on her ring finger.

“Fuck, Healy.”

“Not the response I’d been picturing inside my mind but-”

“Shut up!” Y/n stopped his teasing. “I love you so much, Matthew Timothy Healy.” she said, taking his face, bringing it closer to hers.

“Now this feels like I’m in trouble.”

“Oh, you’re in so much trouble, mister.” Y/n said before kissing him. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One month after the proposal 

By that time, everyone inside their close circle was aware of the wedding happening as soon as possible. 

That specific day, Matty was in the house’s studio working, and the kids were with his brother, Louis. Grace and Y/n were looking at venues, flowers, and all kind of things for the wedding. Matty walked away from them an hour before, saying he had to work or either the boys would kick him out of the band or something dramatic. He wanted to be there for every detail and not pressure Y/n with everything, it was their wedding at the end. Y/n tried to reassure him it was okay, but it was hard to convince the stubborn singer. 

Grace and Y/n were staring directly at the screen researching about wine, when Y/n started to feel dizzy. She blamed the long hours they had been spent watching stuff in her computer. Y/n tried hard to fight it, but it didn’t go away.

“Fuck.” she closed her eyes, trying to stabilize herself.

“What?” Grace asked, worried. 

“My head is spinning.”

“Okay, that’s our cue to stop for now.”

“No, I-”

“Nah, to the couch…now!”

Y/n did as Grace told her. She didn’t spend five minutes there when a new wave of sickness surprised her. Y/n ran to the bathroom, with Grace following close behind. 

When she stopped puking, Grace stared at her eyes without saying a word but with a knowing look.

“What?” Y/n said.

“Nothing, memories.”

Y/n rested her back into the cold wall, closing her eyes she asked, “Which ones?” 

“Nothing comes to mind?” and Y/n knew what Grace was thinking. 

“Shut up, Grace. It’s impossible.”

“Yeah, you said the same last time…” Y/n’s friend exposed her. “and the time before that one.”

“No, I can’t. The wedding is a few months away.”

Matty walked inside the bathroom after hearing the loud bickering, finding them sitting there. “What’s wrong?” he asked, looking between them, focusing on Y/n’s pale face. 

“Y/n’s puking.” Grace accused her.

“Thanks a lot, Grace.”

“Are you okay, baby?” Matty sat beside his girlfriend

“Mhm, I’m afraid we have to postpone the wedding, Matty.” Y/n looked into his eyes, weakly. 

“What? Don’t you-”

She interrupted before he could think more options.“I think I’m pregnant again.”

“What?”

“Be right back, guys.” Grace exited the house with the plan of buying pregnancy tests for her friend.

“How sure are you?” Matty stoked her hair back. 

“Pretty sure now.” Y/n admitted. “My period had been missing for weeks”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Thought it was a false alarm.”

“Y/n…”

She scrunched her face, “I’m really dizzy to think about this.” Matty chuckled, touching her flat belly.

“Okay. Let’s wait for Grace then.” he said to them both, touching Y/n face, caressing her sweetly.

***********

All positive tests. Matty, Y/n and Grace stood inside the small bathroom looking at the sticks on the sink. 

“Okay, this gives us enough time to find the wine the ratty wants.” Grace said.

“Grace.” Y/n warned her.  

Meanwhile, Matty finally took in the idea of a 3rd baby. “Love…” he whispered, embracing Y/n. 

“I know.” Y/n couldn’t help to start crying. “I can’t believe it.”

“Another baby.”

“Can I be the godmother?” Grace interrupted.

“Course not.” Matty cut her, kissing Y/n shortly. 

Y/n stared instantly down at her belly when Matty placed a hand securely on her –still– flat belly. 

Another baby.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two years later…

As soon as Ruth was old enough to attend and participate in her parent's wedding, Matty and Y/n finally decided the closest date to finally marry. To say that everyone cheered more than the first time they found out speaks for itself.

The night before the big day

“I miss you.” Matty said from the other end of the line.

Y/n hold the blankets of her hotel room higher to cuddle inside. “Haven’t enjoyed your bachelors party?” she inquired, teasing him a little.

“Yes, but I was ready to get in bed with my future wife.”

“Who would’ve thought the big rock star of the century…the problematic…”

“I’m not that any more, I don’t want to either. I need you, inside our bed, in our house with the babies.”

“I do miss them so much.” Y/n admitted 

Matty protested, “No me, then?”

“Yes, I miss you a lot, handsome…but I miss my babies too.”

“I’m your first baby.”

“No, Mel is.” Matty scoffed, keeping the teasing going. 

“I can’t wait for tomorrow.” Y/n changed the direction of the conversation.

“Me too.”

“What if we go and get married right now?” Matty blurbed out the idea.

“Matty, we’ve been waiting years…it’s only a few more hours.”

“I know, I know...but-”

“Sleep, now, Healy.” Y/n instructed. “Can you keep the line going until I feel asleep?”

“Everything for you, wifey.”

“Almost.”

“I don’t need papers.” Matty remind her.

Y/n rolled her eyes, even when he couldn’t see her. “Shut up.”

“I love you.”

“I love you so much, my dear.”

Matty kept rumbling about a quick wedding, until the rhythmic breathing from Y/n side reached his ear, which made him smile a little.

Wedding day

The grooms room 

“Looking dashing as always, Archie!” Ross complimented him. 

“Thanks ‘os.” the little boy giggled due to his godfather’s words.

Matty walked out from the bathroom, asking right away, “How much longer?” to Adam.

“One hour, mate.” the guitarist said for the hundred time in only twenty minutes. 

“Fuck.” he swore and right away heard an ‘oh’ coming from his son. “Sorry! Don’t tell mom.” 

“Fuck.” Arthur repeated, making the entire room laugh.

Matty realized his mistake, adding a “Shit.”

Encouraged by the room, Archie copied again his father’s words, “Shit.”

The room bursted into a group laugh, although before Matty could protest or add another word he wasn’t supposed to say in front of the kids, his mother came through the room’s door.

“Where’s my son?” Denise asked the room.

Being the closer in distance to her, Louis pointed out to Matty’s form standing closer to a window. “Over there.” Louis

“How’s he?” 

Ross joined the conversation, “He’s very anxious.” 

“Do you know that I can still hear you?” Matty reminded them in an exasperated voice.

“What’s wrong Matty?” Denise approached him, sensing his nerves. 

Matty breathed out, “I need to see her. This is worse than being miles way from home. She’s right there.” he pointed with his hand to the other room.

“It’s just one hour.” Denise rearranged his tie, patting his chest. 

“I know but-”

“What’s an hour compared to the rest of your life, Matthew?” his mother spoke the right words. The words he needed to hear right there and then. 

“Right, right.” 

The brides room

Y/n stepped outside the separated room, walking towards her mother, Grace, Denise, and the rest of the bridesmaids. The reaction was unanimous, a general gasp travelled around the room. 

Y/n waited for someone to speak, but the room fell into an intense silence, until Mel stepped towards her mother.

“Mommy, you look really beautiful.” she said, looking up at her eyes. Y/n held the strong urge to burst into tears. 

“Thank you, my love.” 

“You look amazing, Y/n.” Grace approached her, holding Ruth in her arms. “Marry me instead?” 

Y/n rolled her eyes, breaking some tension on her body. “Shut up, Grace.”

Denise and Y/n’s mother shared a couple of tears and a few tissues before approaching the bride. 

Little bit after, the photographer urged Y/n and all women inside the room to exit the room so they can take pictures before the sun disappeared completely. 

The moment was closer and closer. 

The ceremony

Matty turned around when the melody –him and G worked for ages to marvelled it for that exact moment– reached his ears. The presents stayed sited, meanwhile Amelia showed up at the end of the long aisle holding on one hand the box with her parent’s. Amelia stood for a few seconds –waiting for the time of the song, she was supposed to start walking–, sporting a dress similar to the bridesmaids one but with a different style. She kept Ruth closer to her left side, holding her tiny hand, and on her other side Arthur fixed his eyes on her older sister, waiting for her to start the march. 

When the beat was right, Mel started making her way towards Matty and Ross, who officiated as the chief of ceremony. Ruth and Arthur tried their best to follow her. 

Matty didn’t wait a second to approached his children when they were a few meters away from him. 

“Hi, guys.” he kneeled down, forgetting the surroundings. 

A chorus of shy hellos reached Matty’s ears, making him incredible emotional. 

“Do you have something for me, mel-mel?” the singer asked, forcing Amelia to look up at him while she extended the box, nodding repeatedly. “Thank you, baby.”

“You’re welcome, daddy.” 

Matty took a look to each one of their faces, until he broke, saying, “come here.” embracing the three children into a thigh hug.

“Go with grandma, okay?” he encouraged them and they obeyed. 

After the children stood beside Denise and Susanne, Matty returned to his place on the altar, surrounded by the flowers Y/n and him picked for it. He rearranged his tie and his blazer, sensing how Ross placed a comforting hand on his shoulder while the bridesmaids and grooms men walked to their places. George and Charli threw him a knowing look and smiles, meanwhile Grace showed him her tongue in a cheeky action that made him laugh out loud. 

The music changed its tempo and Matty knew it was the time. As if time stopped, he watched Y/n walked down the aisle with her arm hocked on Adam’s bicep. She had asked him if he would do the honour since his father wasn’t there to do it, and he said yes right away. The presents stood up, wanting to look at the gorgeous bride. 

Matty realized he was crying when he heard Ruth cry. He turned a minute away from Y/n to check she was alright, which his future wife copied. The little girl distress was a reaction to see him cry. Denise made a weird sign around her face, but he understood and dried them quickly. Ruth was too young to understand those were happy tears. 

Matty stepped down the altar, coming closer to Y/n and Adam. He kept his eyes on Y/n, smiling at her, until Adam patted his back.

“Take care of her, or I’ll kick your ass. You know that we like her and the kids more than you.” Adam teased him, maintaining a sterned look on his face.

“I know, I will. I promise.”

“All the best, guys.” the guitarist said, after hugging Y/n for half a second. 

“Thanks, Adam.”

“Thanks, mate.”

Once Adam was gone, Matty took her hands on his. He sensed her body trembling. 

“You look amazing, my love.” 

“Not more than you, handsome.” 

“Shall we?”

“Please.”

*****************

The ceremony was short.  Ross started saying a few sweet words and embarrassing them both to lighten the mood. The breeze brushed against the flowers, making them dance all around them and turning the evening into a magic one.

“Who wants to start saying their vows?”

“Me!” Y/n shouted, making the crowd laugh. 

“Ladies first.”

“Only because I know they aren’t as good as yours, since you do this for a living.” Y/n admitted, reaching for the paper that Grace extended for her. “Okay, Matthew...Matty, my love.”

“Yes, dear.”

“Shut up and listen.” Matty did as he was told, holding a belly laugh, while friends and family reacted as expected. “I think it’s important that I start telling you that I love you, Matty Healy. Maybe it didn’t happen right since the very first start, but I don’t care. We don’t believe in the tales we used to read or watch when we were children about the perfect story. 

“Ours was a mess, and I’ll do it all again if this is the end. You and I together against everything, and with our babies very close to us. I love you, Matty. I love every single part of you…I want to continue until the end of our days and so beyond holding your hand, loving you daily. Even though, I hate when you wake me up every time an idea for a melody or half of a lyric pops into your curly head, I won’t change it for anything in this world. The way you are as a partner and as a father to our children is a part not everyone gets to witness, and I wish I’ll be always there to do it.” 

“Thanks for never stop fighting for us even in the hardest moments and for holding me every time that I’ve needed it. I love you, Matty.”

“Okay.” Ross interrupted before Matty could say a word or hold Y/n further than just her hand. “Your turn, mate.”

Matty dried his tears for a second time that night. “You left me speechless, baby. As always…” he talked directly into her eyes. “What I can tell you that you don’t know, Y/n? You know me better than anyone, sometimes you know me better than myself, and that’s a lot. What I can tell you that I haven’t put into the songs I write thinking about you and that are for you?” 

“You came into my life to change it completely, baby. I fell hard and bad for you…my heart didn’t stand a chance, how would it? Y/n, you’re the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me beside the guys and our kids…our babies, as you said…you gave me the honour to be their father, to grow a family. Before you, I thought I was incapable of it…and so much more. I know you don’t like to hear this, but you made me a better man and a better person. Without you, nothing has meaning, my love. Without you beside me, telling me that you love me, I don’t know how to live. So please, make me lucky for the rest of my poor existence and say yes…yes to take me as your husband, yes to love me forever, yes to the bright future we have in front of us…that’s all I need to hear, Y/n.” 

****

Ross started asking Matty, "Matthew Timothy, do you take this woman to be your wife, to live

together in matrimony, to love her, to honour her, to comfort her, and to keep her

in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Matty stated, smiling while holding Y/n’s hands. 

The bassist turned to look at Y/n, "Y/f/n Y/s/n, do you take this man to be your husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, to honour him, to comfort him, and to keep

him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"

Y/n said, "I do."

“Now, Matty.” Ross continued the ceremony. "Repeat after me."

"I, Matthew,”

“I, Matthew,”

“take you Y/n, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."

So Matty repeated staring into Y/n eyes. They maintained the eye contact until Y/n took her turn to repeat the words Ross said. 

“Matty.” his friend interrupted, taking his attention, offering the little box Amelia brought. “Place the ring on Y/n's finger and to repeat the following, I give you this ring as a token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love." 

Matty spoke out loud for everyone to hear his words, placing the ring on Y/n fingers with all the delicacy. Ross urged Y/n to copy Matty’s actions on the other way. Y/n caressed her husband’s hand slightly. That was it. 

Ross said, "By virtue of the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." he finished turning to Matty’s face, saying,  "You may kiss the bride."

“Fucking finally!” Matty protested, embracing Y/n into a thigh hug while his lips met hers into a loving kiss that sealed the pact forever. 

#matty healy fic #matty healy #the 1975 #matty healy x reader #matty healy fanfiction #matty x reader #matty x you #matty healy x y/n #matty healy! dad #all i need

[zablife]

As Long As I Live (Part 4)

Tommy Shelby & Amelia Holland (OC) x Bonnie Gold

Summary: When things go wrong at Lizzie's party, Tommy proposes a solution Amelia finds difficult to accept.

Author's Note: Requested by the lovely @kpopgirlbtssvt. This will be the final part to the series and the longest at 4K words!

Warnings: drinking, language, mention of assault and blood, mention of pregnancy, minor character death

Masterlist

“How long is a fucking ballet anyway?” Arthur asked, fumbling inside his coat pocket for his flask of whisky. Finn only shrugged in reply, barely watching the performance himself in favor of staring at his pocket watch. He ducked his head to study the time, only to find the minutes passing more slowly than before. He gave a tired exhale of breath as a hand clamped over his shoulder.

“Finn, we need to get Tommy,” Isaiah said out of breath and uncharacteristically rattled by something. 

“Thought you were supposed to be with Amelia,” Finn noted. “Tommy’ll have your balls if something happens to her.”

Isaiah’s face turned grim as he confided, “Something’s already happened, mate. She’s probably with Frances by now, but Tommy should come to the garden straight away,” he urged.

“Y-yeah, ok,” Finn stammered as he moved into action, glancing at Arthur who didn't look like he'd be much help in his state of inebriation. 

Quickly shuffling between seats, Finn found Tommy and whispered to him. Watching Tommy excuse himself from the front row, Lizzie pressed her fingertips to her temples, willing away a throbbing headache, unaware the night was about to get worse.

As Tommy rounded the corner of the garden he found Bonnie throttling another man, arm pulled back to deliver a punch. “Oi! Get the fuck up!” he yelled, pulling Bonnie off with all his strength and struggling to contain him.

“What’s going on?” he demanded to know, squinting in the dim light to make out the bruised and bleeding figure on the ground. The man rose to a sitting position, holding his ribs and heaving for breath as he searched for a handkerchief to dab at his bloody nose. A sliver of light cut across the garden path illuminating his face and Tommy’s eyebrows raised at the sight of Sir Oswald Mosley.

“One of your thugs attacked me,” Mosley accused, pushing himself up from the ground with great effort. 

Tommy looked to Bonnie for an explanation and Bonnie turned away as he stuttered, “He-he had Amelia. If I hadn’t come-” Tommy held up his hand, his mouth suddenly too dry to speak. He understood Bonnie’s meaning immediately as Mosley’s ghastly reputation preceded him. It wasn’t hard to believe, though he did wonder why Isaiah hadn’t kept her away from the party like he asked. It was no time for that, however, as he attempted to handle the matter at hand.

“I want to know what you’re going to do about this, Shelby,” Mosley demanded, stalking toward Tommy angrily. “This animal belongs in jail for attempted murder,” he seethed, pointing at Bonnie. 

“Nevertheless, you attacked one of my guests first,” Tommy replied, attempting to restrain the venom seeping into his voice. 

Mosley scoffed at Tommy’s comment, taking the handkerchief from his face as he sneered, “One of the whores you employed for the evening?” He waited for Tommy to take the bait, revealing the true nature of the relationship. However, Tommy held firm, swallowing harshly to hold down the bile that threatened to rise in his throat. Seeing no other option, he realized he would have to acquiesce to Mosley’s demands or give that illusion until he could formulate a plan.  

“Alright,” Tommy reluctantly agreed. “If you’ll step inside I’ll make the necessary calls and see that you receive proper medical attention,” he said with lips pursed tight, otherwise expressionless to hide the fear of how he might find Amelia. Tommy exchanged one last concerned look with Bonnie before escorting Mosley inside, his mind preoccupied with his daughter’s well-being before he could begin to think of a solution to this catastrophe. 

———————————-

The next morning blinders guarding the front entrance of Arrow House could hear the shouting from Tommy's office. It reverberated off the paneled walls and down the corridor. The men exchanged nervous glances as pieces of the conversation drifted out toward them. For the better part of an hour Tommy attempted to persuade Amelia to flee without providing details of his treacherous ties to Sir Oswald Mosley. However, his proposal of having her return to a life of travel with Bonnie Gold was not something she was prepared to entertain. 

“How could you do this? Cast me off like some cursed soul?”Amelia yelled. She realized she was being dramatic, but that’s how she felt. 

“Amelia, please, I’m trying to see that you’re taken care of and...,” Tommy trailed off, words failing him suddenly. Was he doing what was right? He’d only just gotten her back. Could he relinquish her so easily? He wasn’t so sure of his decision now that he was saying it out loud, but this was the best plan he could think of on short notice. 

“You’d never do this to Charlie or Ruby!” she shouted, turning to face him with tears stinging her eyes. At a time when she had finally come to believe her father loved his children equally, this was irrefutable proof he saw them very differently. Although she had been attacked in the garden, she felt she was being blamed for it. Her father's insistence on her protection felt more like banishment so he could continue living a life of respectability amongst the toffs he claimed to despise. 

Tommy halted, taking a deep breath as he thought about what he was asking of his eldest daughter. Amelia took his silence as complacency and it infuriated her more. When he finally began to speak she wouldn’t allow more than a few words. He began, “Amelia, I wish you’d consider…” before she interrupted.

“I don’t want to hear about Bonnie Gold again as long as I live!” she said defiantly.

Tommy removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose as he exhaled loudly. She was stubborn and headstrong, qualities he loved about her normally. However, faced with the sickening fingerprint shaped bruises on her neck, he was desperate to get her to safety. “What if Aberama and Polly go with ya?” he pleaded. He clenched his fists to hold back the feelings of helplessness he’d experienced when Izzy disappeared all those years ago, willing this time to be different. 

Amelia looked at Tommy with fiery determination wanting to object, but knowing it was useless because her father was also relentless when he wanted something. It was a battle she would surely loose, a humiliating defeat with only her heart at stake. Finally she gave in with a slow nod of agreement.

Tommy’s posture instantly relaxed knowing he’d found a compromise. “Thank you, Amelia. It’s for the best,” he assured her.

“For me or your fucking career?” she bit back.

“That’s not why I’m doing this,” Tommy urged, holding her gaze in hopes she would recognize the sincerity of his words. 

"It doesn't change the fact that you're giving up on me. Because that's what you do when things are too difficult for you to handle, isn't it? You abandon people... like you did with mum," she confronted him, voice constricting in her throat. 

Tommy felt an uncomfortable weight settle in his chest at her accusation. “I wanted you here, Amelia. It just couldn’t be,” he murmured. He wished to express how much she meant to him, but his words fell away as he noticed the look of disillusionment spreading over her like a disease. 

Amelia’s stare remained harsh as she waited for something more. An apology would have been a start, though she knew her father was unaccustomed to issuing them under any circumstances. 

"You should pack," Tommy finally told her, in a resigned voice.

Amelia shook her head in disgust and turned on her heel, slamming the door behind her as she went. Passing Lizzie in the hallway, she ran to her room.

As Lizzie entered, she found Tommy slumped forward in his chair, elbows on his knees, contemplating what Amelia had said.

“Tommy, what’s happened?” Lizzie asked, pulling her dressing gown closed against the chill.

Tommy exhaled slowly, reaching for a cigarette. He took his time lighting one for his wife and himself before answering, “I’ve fucked it all up, Lizzie, and now she’ll never forgive me.”

“What did you say?” Lizzie asked hesitantly and Tommy told her plainly what was to come. He explained how Moss would arrange Bonnie’s transport early the next morning with just enough time for his men to intercept at a crossroads. Then Aberama and Polly were  to whisk him away deep into the mountains. He held his breath before admitting Amelia would be with them.

“Oh, Tommy, no,” she sighed, abandoning her cigarette in the ashtray and collapsing into a chair. “You promised me she’d be taken care of after everything…” she said, lowering her head into her hands.

“And she will,” Tommy said, coming to stand next to his wife’s side.

Lizzie looked up at him with a shake of her head. “I don’t understand you sometimes. What is this good that you will become?” she demanded to know. “When you turn away your own family. Is this work with bloody fascists so important you’d lose everyone you care about?” 

“Lizzie, please, I need you to understand,” he said, reaching for her hand, but she stood suddenly to avoid his touch. Walking to the door without a backward glance, she left him alone with his thoughts and his regrets.

————————

There was something comforting about being in nature again after nearly a year on Tommy's estate. Now that she was back on the road, it was as though she’d never left. The circling of the crows overheard and the welcoming softness of the velvety moss under her feet were all she needed to feel at home again. Despite the desperate ache she felt leaving her younger siblings behind, she soon found routine in her chores and conversations with Polly, who helped her understand the person her father became in order to survive after the war.  Amelia listened to the stories out of curiosity, but disregarded the silent plea for forgiveness. That wasn’t something she was prepared to give just yet.

Sometimes she contemplated what her life might have been if she’d disobeyed her father and stayed near Small Heath, but those were only fleeting thoughts. She wouldn’t stay where she wasn’t wanted. It was a thought that crept up on her, chilling her even in the warmth of the campfire. Amelia shivered as she stared into the abyss of the flickering light, too lost in the past to notice Aberama approaching. She startled at the feeling of his large palm on her shoulder when he softly asked, "May I sit with you, child?”

She immediately nodded in agreement, gladly accepting his company as she had changed her opinion of him during their travels. He’d proven himself to be generous with her, ensuring her comfort by providing plenty of fresh meat and repairing the old vardo where she slept. She’d also witnessed his fair and honest dealings when trading and felt ashamed at her earlier accusations. 

Taking up a place on a log beside her, Aberama stoked the fire before rubbing his hands together to feel the warmth radiating from the flames. If there was a moment to say what he'd been holding back, now was the time. "You know, I traveled with the Hollands many years ago," he said with a small smile playing on his lips at the memory.

Amelia's head shot up at the mention of her mum’s family, fingers clasping the gem at her throat nervously. "You did?" she asked hesitantly.

"Aye, and I knew your mother," he recalled. "You'd not find anyone better with horses," he mused, eyes drifting upward with the curls of smoke twisting in the night air. Then he added sadly, "She was a rare gem and she would have made a fine wife."

Amelia swallowed a lump in her throat as she asked, “I don’t understand. Were you in love with her, Mr. Gold?”

His head dropped as he huffed out a little laugh, “I think everyone loved Isidora, but we all knew her heart belonged to Tommy Shelby,” he said, reaching for a piece of kindling and his small pocket knife to distract himself with a bit of carving. He was growing nervous at the thought of revealing secrets long buried and looked to his work instead of the girl at his side as he continued. “Amelia. I didn't think it was my place to say anything before, but now perhaps you should know something," he ventured. 

However, Amelia soon grew uncomfortable and attempted to push away the topic that caused a deep chasm to open within her chest. "It's alright, I know my father abandoned her when she was pregnant," she said dismissively, rubbing her thumb over the sapphire in silent apology to her mum. 

Aberama's hands dropped to his sides as he stopped to look at Amelia with a look of confusion, mixed with pain. "No, child, he loved that woman."

Amelia scoffed, "You must have him mistaken for someone else. He never wanted her...or me," she noted bitterly.

"That's where you're wrong," Aberama corrected. “Your parents were very much in love, but your grandfather kept them apart because of a feud.”

“Dad never mentioned that last part,” Amelia said, knitting her brows. 

Aberama considered the piece of wood he held in his hand as he said, “I doubt he knew his father’s deceitfulness caused him to lose Izzy.” He glanced up at Amelia with a mournful look, wishing he weren’t the one to tell her this.

“Your grandfathers were friends. Well, they gambled quite a lot together,” he corrected himself. “Izzy’s father owed money to Tommy's father and in 1914 they began to quarrel," he explained. Amelia leaned forward unsure if she wanted to hear more. Aberama took a deep breath before continuing. "Soon after Izzy fell pregnant and her father came to believe it was some kind of retribution. He was outraged that the Shelbys would collect a debt in such a manner so he sent her away. Said he’d be damned if she married a man with no honor. Of course, your father went to war and by the time he returned, you and your mother were long gone.”

Amelia's eyes were wide with shock and disbelief, wondering if this misunderstanding could be the cause of so much pain. Furrowing her brow she asked the question still lingering in her mind. “But…that doesn't explain why my father never looked for her," she said accusingly.

"He did. For years he asked my family for help, but we never found her,” he said in a voice close to a whisper. Amelia could see the look of regret etched on his face and didn’t ask anything more, choosing to sit in pensive silence. She knew there was little else he could have done to help, time ticking away the years her mother had left before fever claimed her life. She knew from Polly’s stories that in those years Tommy became a hardened criminal and any suspicion the family had about him was cemented in his deeds with the Peaky Blinders.

Amelia’s fingertips lingered over her necklace as she thought of the promise it contained and she realized her father had told the truth when he said he was coming back for his true love after France. She sat back against a log, taking in a deep breath as she closed her eyes and imagined her parents together. It healed her fractured heart to know that they had been happy for a brief time and in a way, their love remained through her.

With the fire crackling between them, Aberama studied Amelia and watched a look of contentment settle over her face. He placed his knife in his pocket with a nod, standing and brushing himself off before leaving the campfire. As she listened to his footsteps, Amelia’s eyes opened and she called out, “thank you.”

Aberama turned back and tipped his head toward her in acknowledgment before joining Polly in their vardo.

———————————

Amelia didn’t spend much time with Bonnie when they first set off into the mountains. He reminded her of the awful night at Arrow House that drove them all away. Sometimes when she looked at him she blamed his jealousy, and the temper Aberama claimed he inherited from his mother, for what happened. However, as time passed, she found it hard to hold a grudge. As her own mood improved she became curious to know Bonnie, though occasions were now rare seeing that he often kept his distance from her.

Sitting by the riverbank, Amelia watched Bonnie cross a log, his feet swift and sure, never faltering, and it reminded her of the day in the boxing ring when he'd shown such promise. Suddenly she found herself thinking of everything he’d given up that night in the garden after she dared to spit in Mosley's face, provoking his animalistic impulses. 

Unable to contain the question as it came to her she blurted out, “Do you hate me?”

Bonnie wobbled on the log for the first time, looking over at her in surprise. He'd waited for the moment Amelia might speak to him again. He feared she might never trust him after the beating he gave Mosley. Thoughts echoed in his mind about the brutality she’d witnessed from him, even after she yelled for him to stop, protesting how she could have managed on her own. But the image of Mosley's hand against her throat as he ripped Amelia's dress replayed on a loop nearly every night and he knew he’d do it all again if necessary to keep her from harm.

Without a hint of hesitation, he replied to her question, “Course I don’t hate ya.” He made his way to the end of the log and jumped down, joining her on the soft grass. “What makes you say that?”

“You’ll never get to live your dream now. Don’t you remember the day in the gym when you told me you wanted to be a champion?” Amelia asked sadly, turning her face away from Bonnie and hiding in her shoulder. 

“I didn’t say that, dove. You did,” Bonnie reminded her gently, looking out over the river.

“What?” she asked in confusion.

“I said I didn’t want to waste my life and I’m not so long as I’m with you,” he replied.

Amelia peeked out from her hiding place, to glance at Bonnie. He laid back against the grass looking up at the passing clouds as he continued, “The day I met you in the stables, I knew you weren’t like anyone I’d ever met. You've got a wild spirit that makes ya fearless. Hell, sometimes I watch you just to see what you'll do next!" An easy laugh escaped his lips and he rolled over to lean on his elbow looking at Amelia as he turned serious. "If I never went back to boxing again, that’d be alright.”

“You’re lying,” Amelia sniffed, though she felt the truth behind the sentiment in the gentle way he spoke, without rushing his words.

Bonnie's heart caught in his chest as she began to cry. He moved toward her slowly, coming to kneel beside her. “M not. Even if you said you hated me, I’d stay.”

“Why?” she asked. “After all this..” she wondered aloud, wiping a tear away with the back of her hand.

Bonnie shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Stubborn, I reckon,” he said with a grin, ducking to catch her gaze.

“That’s it?” she giggled in spite of herself.

“No," he said with a soft shake of his head, hand brushing over the luscious grass as he plucked a daisy from the ground. "I’d like to get to know you better cos there’s something else I think I’d like to ask you one day,” he said, offering her the flower and the whole world all at once.

———————

Eight months later…

Arrow House was quiet with the children at school and Lizzie attending a meeting for one of her charities. Only Cyril was left to keep Tommy company on this cold winter’s day, but he didn’t mind. He was soaking in the last moments of tranquil solitude before the entire family would be reunited at last. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so at ease. With Mosley's assassination, his plans for the party could go forward and Bonnie and Amelia were now safe to return home.

A fortnight ago he sent Johnny Dogs to deliver a handwritten message, asking her home to talk and offering an apology for the way they parted. He finally found the words he’d been unable to speak months ago. Though the letter had unburdened his soul, he hadn't slept until he received word she would see him. He also promised Lizzie not to interfere with Amelia's plans after the visit, allowing her to choose her own path now that she was eighteen. 

As luck would have it, she and Bonnie arrived two days before Christmas looking well and much more agreeable than when they left. Tommy wondered what transpired in their time in the mountains, ushering them into his office for a chat. The pair beamed as they requested an audience with both Tommy and Lizzie, smiling from ear to ear. 

As drinks were poured and everyone found a seat in Tommy’s large study, Lizzie held her breath, noticing the obvious sparks between the young couple. Amelia was the first to speak, a glow about her as she excitedly announced her engagement to Bonnie Gold.

“And what, might I ask, happened to “not as long as I live?” Tommy asked incredulously from his place beside his wife.

“Shhh, Tommy,” Lizzie hushed him. Whispering in his ear, she reminded him of his promise to concentrate on Amelia’s happiness from now on. He waved her off, saying, “Alright, alright, Lizzie.”

“Of course, you have my blessing,” he said, standing and extending a hand toward Bonnie.

“Thank you, Mr. Shelby, sir,” Bonnie replied with a wide grin. He pumped Tommy’s hand with a bit too much vigor, excitement and adrenaline coursing through him. 

Lizzie rose from her seat to offer her congratulations to Bonnie and Amelia faced Tommy. She  clutched his letter she’d kept in her pocket since she’d received it. “I’m sorry too, Dad,” she whispered as he held her in a long embrace.

Tommy pulled away to study her dewy eyes asking, “What do you have to be sorry for, eh?”

“I said the worst things before I left. I was hurt, but I didn’t realize you were in pain too,” she managed in a shaky voice, stopping to look deeply into his eyes. “I’m sorry you lost mum, but you won’t lose me again,” she promised.

The breath left Tommy’s lungs as he listened to Amelia’s heartfelt declaration, leaving him speechless and happier than he’d felt all year. As Lizzie looked to them with a tilt of her head, she decided not to pry into their private moment. Instead, she asked the group, “Shall we ask Frances to open a bottle of champagne? We should celebrate properly!”

“We should,” Tommy agreed with a wide grin. “Me daughter’s home and she’s getting married. It’s a good day,” Tommy declared, staring back at Amelia with a look of pride. 

Lizzie looped her arm in his and they set out toward the dining room, peppering Bonnie with questions about his adventures, his easy laugh filling the corridor. 

Amelia watched them happily as she placed a hand over her necklace, feeling the presence of her mother beside her. She hadn’t experienced this kind of inner peace for a long time. The circumstances of her short life had taught her to be wary of this feeling as it was ever changing and tended to shift beneath her feet whenever she found herself on stable ground. However, when she married Bonnie Gold the following spring she knew it was everlasting. As she stood before him in a flowing white dress and a crown of daisies adorning her thick mane of dark curls, she was comforted by the quiet promise in his voice when he proclaimed, “I will love, honor and cherish you for as long as I live.”

----------

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#Peaky Blinders fanfic #Peaky Blinders imagine #Tommy Shelby fanfic #Tommy Shelby imagine #Bonnie Gold fanfic #Bonnie Gold imagine #Bonnie Gold x OC

[jungle-angel]

The Piano Man (Rhett Abbott x Reader)

Summary: You and Rhett discover that Royal has a serious hidden talent when your little boy asks him to teach him something one day

Tagging: @floydsmuse

"Alright son, that's enough of that," Royal said, dusting the wood shavings off the piece he and Rhett had been working on.

Rhett blew away some of the wood shavings and agreed. Any more work and the piece just wouldn't look right. "Feels like this is taking forever," he yawned.

"I know, I know," Royal told him. "But whatever can help bring in some extra cash we'll take it. You teaching next week?"

"Three days a week at the Amelia County Steiner school that the kids go to," Rhett answered. "Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays."

Royal was relieved. Ever since the woodworking teacher had retired, he had wondered if he should take the job, but the ranch desperately needed running and with the new hands having been hired, it had doubled the work. Brian O'Dowd had proven himself to be an excellent worker, but having done a stint in jail had Royal and Russ Redwood keeping a close eye on him just in case he had gotten in trouble again.

The two of them worked away at the wood, the radio playing on the shelf above Royal's tool bench and the smell of freshly carved woods filling the entire room. The door to the woodshop creaked open and in came Tanner in his little boots, black cowboy hat and his denim jacket that Rhett had gotten him and his twin brother at a ride two weeks before.

"Papa?" he chirped, tugging at Royal's jacket sleeve. "You come play with me?"

"We'll come play in a minute bud," Royal told him. "Daddy and I have to finish something up, but we'll come once we're done."

"Ok," Tanner chirped.

Royal lifted his grandson up off the ground and seated himself on the tool-bench, letting him play with a few of the little wood blocks that he and Rhett had made for him and Tatum to play with.

"Where's Nana bud?" Royal asked him, marking the corner of the wood with a pencil.

"Nana went to Miss Sawah's," Tanner chirped.

Rhett tried to fight back the grin that was beginning to form on his face. Both Tatum and Tanner still had trouble pronouncing their Rs an Ls which their teachers thought was the cutest thing in the world.

As soon as they were both done, Rhett and Royal led him out of the woodshop and closed it up for the day, eager to get back into the warm house. February was always a tough month for Wabang's residents, with spring being around the bend but with winter still clinging on with its death throes.

"Still lesson planning sweetheart?" Rhett asked, sticking his boots on the hard plastic mat near the door.

"Yep and I'm gonna take a break in two minutes," you chuckled. "Block rotations suck no matter how you look at it."

"What is it this time?" he asked.

"Ancient Persia," you yawned. "We start Ancient Greece in two weeks. Greek Games are in May."

Rhett made a face. He loved hearing about your students and the lessons you got to do in school but he had also remembered how exhausted you felt when lesson planning. Thank God you had a mentor like Betsy Livingston, otherwise you would be lost.

"Alright bud, whatcha wanna do?" Royal asked him.

"Can you teach me to pay piano?" Tanner asked him.

"Sure, c'mere," Royal answered.

You and Rhett were a little surprised as the two of them sat on the little bench in front of the piano. "I wan' you to pay a song fist," Tanner told him.

"I want you to play a song first......?" Royal reminded him.

"Peas?"

"Ya'll got it bud," Royal said as Tanner hi-fived his grandfather. "Rhett, can ya'll hand me the book on the coffee table?"

You and Rhett dug through the notebooks, papers and pencils you needed for your main lesson plans when he found the old, dusty book that looked like it hadn't been touched in a while. "The complete book of movie soundtracks for piano players," Rhett read aloud. "Didn't even realize we had this."

Royal didn't say much as he opened it up and cracked his knuckles. Tanner watched his grandfather as his rough, calloused hands began playing away at the keys, hitting almost every note perfectly. It wasn't long before you and Rhett recognized right away what the piece was.

"Is that.......?" you asked.

"I think so," Rhett answered. "Dad is that the theme to Forest Gump?"

"None other," Royal chuckled.

Tanner kicked his little legs and giggled when Royal had finished. "Can you do anuver?" Tanner asked. "Peas?"

Royal gladly obliged, switching the page. As he began playing, you and Rhett once again, recognized what it was, the piece having played every year in the general store around Halloween.

"Das Hawwy Potter!!!" Tanner chirped excitedly.

Royal laughed as he finished off the last note. You and Rhett were hardly able to control the grins on your faces.

You both listened with awe as Tanner kept asking Royal to play more and each time, you and Rhett were surprised by how well Royal could play. He played "Red Warrior" from The Last Samurai, "May It Be" from Lord Of The Rings, "Now We Are Free" from Gladiator and "Tennessee" from Pearl Harbor. Yet you and Rhett were not prepared in the least when he played "Oogway Ascends". It was even more beautiful that you had remembered the first time you had heard it, watching it with the kids one night, the memories of the absent minded master from Kung Fu Panda, still fresh.

"One more Papa, one more," Tanner begged.

"Tanner c'mon, we've gotta take a break," Rhett chuckled.

"Nah Rhett, don't worry about it, he's havin fun," Royal said with a wave of his hand. "Your Ma's gonna be home with Tatum any minute so we might as well enjoy it while it lasts."

You and Rhett couldn't help but smile. If Royal didn't mind, then so be it.

When Royal began to play the next song, you didn't recognize it at first until he really began to get into it, your jaws nearly dropping. It wasn't in the book as far as you knew, but then again, Royal hadn't ever been known for doing anything by the book.

"Rhett is that......?"

Rhett laughed and pulled you close, kissing your forehead. "Fireflies" by Owl City had been a song that had played on your first date and one that you and Rhett enjoyed immensely. You and Rhett sang along to the words as Royal played and when he was done, the look on your faces had been enough.

And every day since then, when he had the time, Royal would sit with Tanner at the piano bench, teaching him little by little how to play.

#rhett abbott #rhett abbott x reader #outer range

[bottlesofrouge]

on one condition.

harry styles x original character

part three.

word count: 9.5K

warnings: homophobia

29 JUNE 2018

whatever made lynn think an hour drive with harry would be fine could not have been more wrong. the two left his apartment complex approximately fourteen minutes ago and they've already argued over what song to play a total of three times and just how high the air conditioning should be set to.

lynn thought 72 degrees was a decent temperature, but harry wanted it set to 62. it wasn't her fault he decided to wear a sweater vest in the middle of june.

a text from jackie comes through on the screen of the car which lynn is used to. but this time, harry's phone was connected to the apple carplay, and he's quick to close out the notification.

"how's jackie?" she can't help but ask.

"she's good," harry's smiling at his phone. "even better in bed."

lynn grips the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turn white. "that's good."

honestly, lynn wasn't mad. there wasn't a single part of her that wanted harry for herself. he simply wasn't her type (nobody was her type). however, there was something a little unnerving about harry having an entire college campus full of girls to sleep with and still choosing her childhood best friend.

harry was meeting her family for the first time today and to say she was nervous would be an understatement. she could barely stomach dinner last night and opted to skip breakfast entirely this morning. he wasn't always the most polite person to be around, and lynn was terrified to see how he acted around children.

"we should probably kiss or something," harry pulls her from her thoughts.

"i'm sorry?"

"you know," he waves his hand in the air. "to make it more believable or whatever. we haven't been affectionate around my parents at all, and we've been seeing each other for nearly a month. do you think you can handle it?"

lynn scoffs, "can you?"

"i'm certain i'll be able to hold back the vomit," he says. "nothing too crazy, either. it has to look natural."

"don't be silly," she turns into the parking lot of the performance center. "most men would die for a chance to taste my cherry chapstick."

"alright, katy perry," he rolled his eyes. "try not to look so stiff."

"what's that su-" she's cut off by the sound of harry's door slamming.

when she meets him in front of the car, he takes her hand and leans in with that god-awful dead stare on his face. the kiss is quick, and feels like it looks natural. (at least she thinks so.) lynn hasn't kissed anyone in years. she doesn't want to overthink it, so she pushes it to the back of her mind as the two walk hand in hand to meet her family.

it was just peter, kathy, and amelia, but lynn felt like her heart was going to fall out of her ass as she watched him shake hands with each of them. god, they were going to find out. lynn would never date someone like harry.

"you must be amelia," harry says. "your sister talks about you an awful lot."

lynn watches as amelia smiles at his lie. she had told him her name eight minutes ago and that was literally all he knew about her. the group moves inside and lynn sits in between harry and amelia with her parents on the other side of her sister.

leaning her head against harry's shoulder, she whispers so only he can hear her. "what? no hot and steamy texts that need your constant attention?"

harry hums, "probably. left my phone in the car though. wanted all my attention to be on lane's dance recital."

"jane," lynn corrects. "her name is jane."

"same thing," he rests his hand on lynn's knee, squeezing just once. "now relax, blondie. we have an hour of 'jazztastical fun'," harry underlines the words on the program they were handed at the door with his finger as he speaks.

"that's a stupid word," lynn leans back in her chair, harry's hand still resting on her knee.

"looks like we can finally agree on something."

she wasn't sure what she was expecting 'jazztastical' meant, but surely, it wasn't supposed to be this boring. being in one of the youngest classes, jane was one of the first groups to perform, leaving another five groups to follow after.

lynn usually left the second jane's group was finished, meeting her in the parking lot with a bouquet of flowers and her favorite chocolate afterward. this time she brought harry, and she was going to make him sit through every last second. it was only fair. she's sat through two of his family dinners.

the second family dinner wasn't near as bad as the first. although, this one only consisted of marianne and gemma (and as soon as they left, jackie). marianne brought expensive wine that gemma said paired exceptionally well with the pastries lynn had gifted them.

harry had cooked for them, and it was actually good, just like their dinner conversation. the whole event was a lot more relaxing without john's presence and lynn couldn't help but wonder if that was a common occurrence in the styles' household.

when they meet jane backstage after the recital, she's disappointed to see lynn without her flowers and her usual chocolate bar. and of course, because she's five, she makes it well known to everyone in the tiny room.

"no hershey's?" she looks up at her sister through her thick eyelashes, and god, was lynn done for.

so, because she's lynn, she offers to take her for ice cream across the street. harry doesn't seem entirely against the idea, but he doesn't seem too thrilled either. maybe he had a date with jackie that he needed to get back for. the thought of that makes lynn want to offer to drop jane back at her parents' house and amelia at her friends' just to make him even later.

so she does.

harry and jane both get mint chip ice cream and surprisingly jane actually likes it this time. she couldn't tell if she was pretending because harry liked it, but the girl wasn't complaining so she wasn't too worried.

"are you lynn's first boyfriend, harry?" jane says around a spoonful of her green ice cream.

harry clears his throat and amelia nudges her little sister, "she had one when you were a baby, janey"

"your recital was so good, jane." she rushes to change the subject, and lynn feels her face growing hot because she didn't realize amelia remembered anything about her last serious boyfriend. they never talked about him. "i'm so proud of you."

"ive honestly never seen a better pirouette," harry says, and lynn watches as her sister's face lights up.

"i practiced really good because miss tina said i looked sloppy."

"it looked great, janey. i wish i was half as good as you when i was a dancer," he smiles so warmly at the girl, lynn thinks it might melt all of the ice cream sitting on the table.

"what?" jane throws her hands up in the air and screams so loudly that a little bit of ice cream flies from her mouth. "i didn't know boys dance."

"aiden?" amelia says. "he's in your class, jane. you see him every day."

"oh yeah," jane turns her attention back to her ice cream, and lynn notices she's just eating the chocolate pieces out.

when they drop jane off, she insists on showing harry her entire barbie collection which consists of a total of 68 dolls. whoever said you couldn't buy a child's love clearly has never met kathleen.

lynn leans against the doorframe of her little sister's playroom and watches as harry moves a little doll around while jane's laughing the kind of laugh that is filled with so much happiness it hurts your stomach a little.

and lynn wonders this is the side of harry that jackie gets. the one that has her going to sleep with sore cheeks just from smiling so hard all day. lynn knows that she's not the most approachable, and usually, she's rarely anything but cold, but she can't help but wonder why harry didn't like her.

"harrrrryyyyyy," the girl whines. "dance with me."

"janeyyyyy," he mimics. "i can't. i haven't danced in a few years."

"that's okay. i'll teach you again," she takes his hand, and lynn expects harry to shake her off and decline once again. but, he doesn't. he takes her hand and lets her lead. and lynn stays hidden in the shadows, watching every giggle fall from jane's mouth earn a grin so big from harry, she thinks they might be warmer than luke's sunshine smiles.

peter invites them to stay for dinner, and lynn was about to decline when harry speaks for her and says they would love to stay. apparently, kathleen had spent hours in the kitchen, which was more time than lynn had seen her cooking throughout her entire life combined. peter had said they do big family meals like this once a week, and something deep inside of lynn twists. it was like her father's words tried to erase every night she sat at the breakfast bar alone, eating a kid cuisine that elena had made for her before going out with her friends.

she feels like she's watching this entire dinner play out from a spectator's standpoint. she wants to scream and yell that this isn't them. this is an act that her parents are putting on, and she has a reason to resent them. she really does. she wants to grab harry by the shoulders and shake him. beg him to see right through them because she didn't want to be made out as being the hateful firstborn who does anything to spite her loving parents.

instead, she twirls the spaghetti around her fork and takes another sip of her wine.

"i'm sorry," harry says to her once they're on the way back to his apartment. it was late. the sun had set hours ago, and the only thing lighting up her car were the street lights they passed every few meters.

lynn hums and keeps her eyes on the road because she's not really sure what harry's apologizing for, and she doesn't think she can handle a backhanded remark right now. spending time with her parents took almost everything out of her.

"i blew off your sister's first recital because kids don't like me and i didn't want..."

his voice trails off, and lynn can't hold back the eye roll.

"it's okay to say you didn't want to go."

"to disappoint you," harry leans his head against the window as he speaks, avoiding any possible eye contact with her. "i didn't want to disappoint you. or them. i don't know... probably all three of you all. i was scared."

"jane really likes you, harry. amelia, too. you don't have to be scared around us."

"yeah?"

"yeah," the silence that falls around them is almost comforting in a way, and lynn almost doesn't want to break it but it feels right. "and you are so good with them. especially jane."

she watches the way he smiles to himself in the reflection of the window. the silence is back and lynn thinks it deserves to stay after a day like today. harry closes his eyes, only for a second before opening them again and offering lynn a bed to crash in because he's seen her yawn twice.

and really, who is lynn to say no?

1 JULY 2018

they have their third styles' family dinner at harry's parents' house. he spent nearly the entire drive over there on the phone with his dad, begging him to treat lynn with an ounce of respect. in the end, they weren't allowed to talk about college, jobs, promotions, or income.

the gesture surprised lynn if she was being honest. after the first dinner, she didn't really expect harry to stand up for her at all. and it's not like he needed to. she was perfectly okay with doing it herself.

they remain in silence for nearly the entire drive. nothing but the sound of rain hitting the car could be heard. she wasn't sure if she should thank him for speaking with his dad, or if he was doing it out of guilt after what lynn had witnessed when she got to harry's apartment.

she had walked in on harry knuckles deep inside of jackie, and turned right back around and walked out without saying a word. she took the elevator down and paced around the hallway for a second before sending harry a text to let him know she was outside. she wasn't sure if they knew she saw them, but when harry got into the car with pink cheeks and stuttered over his words, her suspicions were confirmed.

"i was thinking," harry breaks the silence. "you can choose the music for the whole ride. my apology for what you saw earlier."

"i'll play whatever i want," lynn glares at him. "you're in my car."

"damn okay," harry raises his hands like lynn's got a gun to his head. "now i see what jackie means."

"what's that supposed to mean?"

he shakes his head. "said you hadn't gotten laid in a while and you'd probably be uptight all night."

the way lynn swerves when the words leave his mouth lets him know that maybe what jackie said should have been kept between just them.

lynn doesn't end up responding, and really, she shouldn't have to. because jackie knew the real reason she hasn't slept with anyone in ages and she can't help but wonder if she shared that with harry, too.

"i'm sensing you're mad at me," harry says.

"congratulations! you know how to read social cues," lynn rolls her eyes, and the car goes silent again.

when they get there, marianne was in the kitchen preparing dinner while john was relaxing in the living room. lynn could say a thousand horrible things about her own father, but when kathleen was up and contributing to the household, peter was, too.

"lynn, so nice to see you," john smiles at her, but makes no move to get up from the couch. "mari said you brought some lovely pastries last time. i was hoping you'd do the same this time."

"sorry," lynn says. "didn't have time to stop today."

the conversation dies right there as john doesn't bother to reply, and lynn takes it as as sign to go offer her help to marianne. she wasn't the best cook but certainly she would be able to chop an onion.

and maybe she was wrong. because marianne hands her a cutting board along with a knife and a few different vegetables. she slices one carrot and cubes a single potato before the woman puts her hand on her shoulder and asks if she would mind helping harry set the table.

there were only four of them, and they were having soup. setting the table was not a two-person job.

marianne's phone rings while she's trying to take a selfie with the two to send to gemma and she accidentally answers it. an older woman pops up on the screen, and lynn guesses it to be harry's grandmother.

"mom," marianne turns around so it's only her in the frame. she's smiling so brightly, but her tone is a little off. "is everything alright?"

"i just had some free time and i thought i'd give you a call," the older woman says. lynn moves behind marianne to finish setting the table. "is that gemma back there? put her on. i've missed my favorite grandchild."

"that's harry's girlfriend, mom."

"oh... he's there?" the old woman's demeanor completely. she went from sounding so incredibly warm to sounding ice cold with the sourest expression on her face in a matter of seconds. when marianne says yes, the older woman hangs up the call.

"harry..." anne looks up from her phone to look harry who hasn't moved from the spot in front of her.

"it's alright."

"i didn't mean to answer," she says. "i would never do that."

"really, it's okay," he offers her a warm smile, but lynn can tell that it doesn't really reach his eyes. at least not the way it did when he was dancing with jane.

harry excuses himself outside and lynn can't help but to follow when he doesn't return a few minutes later. she finds him sitting on one of the outdoor couches marianne and john have on their back porch. there's an overhang, but the porch isn't entirely closed in, so she's certain he's getting a little damp.

"hey," she leans over the back of the couch. "you alright?"

"hm?" he turns his head ever so slightly to see who it was. "yeah. i'm fine."

"yeah?" because it looks like you've been crying, she wants to say. "you sure?"

"yeah," he leans his face against her hand that's resting on the couch.

so lynn moves it to his cheek, and then his hair, and then to his shoulders, and she doesn't really know why she ends up massaging nearly every part of harry she can reach, but she does. because harry's sad and something really, really deep inside of her wants to make it better.

the way he leans into her touch is so soft, so unlike him. or maybe it is like him. lynn doesn't know. whatever he gave her was surface level and she's certain the most she'll ever get out of him is his favorite color.

"ah, you guys compliment each other so well," marianne's voice comes through the cracked back door. lynn feels her face burn at being caught. and also because how long have they been out there? "i don't want to interrupt, but dinner's on the table."

"thank you," harry says when it's just them outside. it's quiet, and he's following his mom inside before she even has a chance to respond.

dinner is less painful than expected. john follows all of the conversation guidelines he agreed to. except for once, when he made a sly comment about getting a college education. lynn would've made a slight deal about it, but harry had been nearly silent the whole dinner. the only sounds that came from him were the occasional hums of agreement and the occasional scraping of his spoon against the ceramic bowl. she thinks an argument with his father might be just what he needs to set him over the edge.

marianne surprises them with homemade brownies, and lynn ends up eating harry's for him because he said he didn't feel well and she didn't want to hurt the woman's feelings. and also they were extremely good.

when they leave, lynn has the leftovers in her hands, and harry carries the weight of the million 'i'm sorry's that his mom threw at him before they walked out of the door.

"are you up for a little drive?" lynn asks once they're both in the car. harry's putting his shoes on her dash, and she decides that she can let it slide tonight. just this once.

"where to?"

"no where in particular."

"i feel like this is going to lead to my murder," he reclines the seat and leans back, eyes closing.

"ha ha," her voice is monotone."i just," and she knows she shouldn't be prodding, but lynn couldn't help it. she's never seen harry act like that in the entire month she's known him. " i saw the way your demeanor changed after that call with your grandmother."

"lynn-"

"i know. it's not my place. i'm not asking you to tell me. we can sit in silence, or you can put music on. i'm not picky." she looks over at harry. "driving around is what used to help me."

"okay," he says. "but can we get tea or something?'

"sure," lynn opens her maps to see starbucks is the only coffee shop still open and she apologizes for it, but harry assures her that it's okay. starbucks tea was his favorite.

when they get to the drive-thru, lynn's annoyed to see that there's not a single tea menu listed on the board. she asks for a green tea, and the barista replies, asking if she was looking for the emperor's cloud or the jade citrus mint.

"i'll have a honey citrus mint," harry says. "i think you'd like the mint majesty. it's caffeine free, too."

"yeah? okay," she orders the two teas and harry insists on paying because it was his idea and really, she couldn't complain about free tea.

they drive in silence only for a few minutes before harry reaches for her phone to put on some music. he shuffles one of the 1975's albums. lynn really wasn't sure which one it was because she never listens to them, but it wasn't bad. and neither was her tea. in fact, it was good. better than good even. she loved it. lynn would be lying if she said she wasn't curious as to how harry knew she'd like it.

"are you sure you like your tea?" lynn says over a song change. "you've barely touched it, and i don't mind trading with you."

"i know. i used to get it whenever i was sick." his thumb traces the lid as he speaks. "it's more of a comfort thing i guess."

harry's sitting with his hang hanging low almost like it was too heavy for him to hold up. he's either looking at his feet or his face is pressed against the window. seeing him like this makes lynn finally crack, "are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"when my grandmother called my mom today," his voice was scratchy, and he pauses. lynn's not sure if he was clearing his throat or on the verge of tears. "it was the first time i've heard her voice in a year. she doesn't really like me."

"does your stellar attitude have something to do with it?" it was meant to be a joke but harry seemed to find no amusement in it.

"no, it's because i loved a boy."

she laughs a little because harry was the textbook definition of a straight male. besides the fact that he's probably slept with half of the female population, his attitude gave it away. lynn looks over at him expecting a joking smile to be sat on his lips, only she's met with the most stone-cold expression she's ever seen on harry's face.

"oh," she clears her throat and sets her tea in the cup holder. she wasn't expecting harry to be so honest with her. "well, your grandma fucking sucks for that."

"you really think so?"

"i do. i also think that you shouldn't try and change yourself because of your family's shitty opinions... i'm referring to the whole jackie thing if that wasn't obvious."

"wise words, lynn, and your reference was very obvious...but i also like women," he holds his hands in front of his mouth like someone had just told him some life-altering secret. "i know. shocking."

"i read a book in my gender studies class called compulsory heterosexuality. maybe you just think you do because that's what society tells you."

"i am extremely confident when it comes to my attraction to women," he has a small smile on his lips. "would you like a demonstration?"

"and there's the harry i know," she smiles at him, and he only stares at her. "what?"

"i don't think i've ever seen you genuinely smile," lynn wants to say the same about him, but that would be a lie because she's seen him smile with nearly everyone but her.

"yeah, yeah," she waves him off. "if you ever need to vent about your grandmother, i'm all ears. and for the small price of another mint majesty tea, i can even pretend like it never happened afterward."

"you know me too well," he says. "thank you for tonight."

"any time."

"do you think maybe i could sleep at yours?" he asks.

lynn's immediate response is to say no, but she doesn't. she lets a few moments pass and then settles for an "okay, but consider this your warning."

4 JULY 2018

when lynn warns harry about her place, he expects it to be a little messy. clothes thrown around the room, an unmade bed, and perhaps a spider or two lurking in the corner. or maybe it was in a busy neighborhood with lots and lots of loud traffic.

it's neither. lynn's studio apartment is located in a nice, gated apartment complex, far away from any busy street with lots of noisy cars. it's cluttered, but also extremely clean. it smells like freshly washed sheets that were hung on a beach to dry, but also like warm vanilla (which was also how her hands smelled when he pressed his face into them).

there's books laying on a desk in the corner, each one with a dog-eared page near the end. two half-empty mugs sat in her sink, and there was a bouquet of wilting flowers sitting in the middle of the counter. drawings and paintings from jane were stuck on her refrigerator with alphabet magnets, and pictures of her sisters hung front and center.

her bed was in the corner of the room. it was unmade but still looked clean if that made sense. you could tell the sheets were frequently washed and didn't have an ecosystem growing in between one of the layers.

her duvet cover was white, but the blush pink sheets poked out from underneath. and there was a stuffed bear that sat against one of the pillows that had a little too much wear to be amelia's or jane's.

the whole apartment was nothing like what harry imagined lynn was like underneath that cold, hard front she put up. he expected her apartment to be sterile feeling with little to no signs of life. he imagined it to be bigger and practically unused. but this was different. it felt like a home.

he doesn't know what lynn's warning was for until he's wearing her clothes and laying under the blankets that sat on top of some kind of rolled up mattress that she pulled out of a closet.

lynn pulls a key off of her nightstand, and walks over to the door where harry sees the four deadbolts lined up. she locks every single one of them, and then gets into bed, gripping the key in her hand.

"should i be scared?" harry had asked. he doesn't remember the area on the drive in, but certainly there's not enough crime to warrant four locks on the door.

"no," was all she said before rolling over, back facing him. "goodnight, harry."

he so badly wanted to ask what that was about, but he doesn't get the chance because when he wakes up, lynn's gone. nothing but a note stating he has to show up to her family's fourth of july party in return for her hospitality the night prior.

harry could say she's slept at his twice before and he's willing to call it even, but he kind of wants to hang out with her sisters again. so, he puts the note in his pocket, and steals one of her hoodies before calling an uber back to his.

he wasn't really sure what exactly consisted of a family picnic because growing up, the fourth of july meant sparklers and staying up past his bedtime and that was it. there was no family get togethers, and only on special occasions were they allowed to go into town to watch the fireworks.

so harry googles it, and decides to bring a side dish along with jackie. really, she caught harry as he was walking out of his front door, and harry's not one to turn down an environmentally friendly car pool.

"this is my first adams' family picnic," jackie says on the drive over. "silas always raves about them, but i've skipped them so much. lynn's stopped inviting me."

"she didn't invite you?"

jackie shakes her head. "honestly, i'm not surprised. she's been so forgetful recently," she takes his hand and presses her lips to his knuckle. "but, im happy to get to spend some time with you."

"yeah," harry says before thinking. he was okay with people thinking he was in an open relationship, but he wasn't entirely sure if his or lynn's family fit into that category of people. "actually, jackie, i don't know if we should in front of lynn's family."

the girl mumbles something under her breath and looks out the window.

when they get there, lynn's not answering her phone, so he follows jackie through the side gate into the adams' backyard. he wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn't lynn's entire extended family.

"harry, i'm so glad you could make it." kathleen seems to appear out of nowhere and hugs him. she kisses both of his cheeks and then moves to jackie and does the same to the girl. "and jackie, it's so nice to see you. it's been forever."

"it has, miss kathy," jackie grins. "thank you for having me."

"you know you're welcome anytime. and you, too, harry. you must be pretty special to lynn if she's kept you around this long."

"she's pretty special to me, too." harry smiles to hide the way his entire body cringes at the words, and hopes kathleen doesn't notice. he felt so awkward and out of place, and he didn't realize just how much effort lynn put into this whole thing. she was the one who usually took the lead and guided him through these conversations with her parents, and he felt he was a little too far in over his head without her.

what if he said the wrong thing and their parents found out everything was fake? he'd quite literally have to off himself if anyone found out that he was playing pretend with a girl his mom had set him up with at his big age of twenty one. that would be the worst thing to ever happen to him. even worse than the make shift intervention.

"how about we grab a drink?" jackie asks. her brow's raised and she has a smile on her face. harry thinks he'll need quite a few drinks to stomach this party, so he nods and follows her to the coolers.

a hour or two later, harry's stumbling through the sliding glass door that leads to the house. he's not really sure how much time has passed, but he's certain of two things.

1: he really needed to find a bathroom

2: one more drink and he would be borderline obliterated

jackie's behind him, wiping her wet feet on the mat outside. they had been sitting with their feet in the pool, sharing drinks supplied by peter and kathleen and sipping little pink whitney shooters jackie kept in her purse "for emergencies".

the two run into lynn in her parents' kitchen after leaving the bathroom. she was leaning over the counter, pouring some powder into a very expensive looking kitchen aid. silas, who harry didn't expect, was standing behind her with his hand on her lower back.

"hey you two," jackie draws the attention of the pair, her words slurring together.

"oh, jackie," lynn doesn't bother to turn around but harry can see her glance at silas. her voice is so monotone, and she doesn't even try to hide her lack of enthusiasm. "glad you could make it."

"figured you just forgot to text me," jackie raises her brows, and then a little quieter she says, "that seems to be a common occurrence lately."

silence floods the room for a second before silas steps away, extending his had to harry. "i'm silas," he says. "it's nice to finally meet you. lynn always has nice things to say."

jackie laughs loudly at this and harry feels so incredibly awkward. obviously there was some unresolved tension in the group, and perhaps he shouldn't have let jackie carpool with him after all.

"i could say the same," harry shakes his hand, and goddamn, did he have a grip. if silas squeezed any harder, harry thinks there wouldn't be a bone in his hand left unbroken.

"i hope so. she shouldn't have a bad word to say," silas's voice is so cool and even as he walks back over to lynn, pulling her hair from her shoulders. "had an accident a few years ago."

harry looks to see lynn smiling one of those rare, warm smiles she gave him that night in her car, but this time her smile's for silas. "resulted in a very unfortunate bob."

"hmm," jackie hums next to him. "wasn't as bad as your bang era."

harry clears his throat when he sees the very noticeable grown out bangs framing lynn's face. "i um-," he rocks back and forth on his feet, the pink whitney and beer bubbling up in his throat. "i made a pasta salad, but i think i left it on my counter. i'm going to-"

"what the fuck is going on with you, jackie?" silas turns around and has his back resting on the counter. his arms are crossed in front of him and he watches as lynn leans into him, her hand resting on his chest as she tries to whisper something to him. "lynn, no. she should go."

no one says anything, and harry cannot stop looking at the way silas stands behind lynn with his arm now wrapped around her, holding her against him like she needed some kind of protection.

"silas is right," lynn's voice is soft. "i'll pay for your uber, but you really should go. you're drunk."

"you're both crazy. i'm not drunk."

"we're crazy?" silas steps toward her. "jackie, you're the one who's been fucking lynn's boyfriend."

harry waits for one of the girls to correct silas because harry was lynn's fake boyfriend, but neither do, and harry can feel the cold sweat forming as the realization hits. jackie thought it was all real.

he looks up at lynn, and the look on her face was enough to make harry feel like he's been punched in the stomach, and he can't believe he was the cause of it. he wouldn't let things with jackie go as far as they did if he had known.

harry doesn't say anything when silas walks jackie out. honestly, all harry could think about was lynn and the thousands of ways he needed to apologize to her. maybe it was all the drinks, but he felt so, so guilty.

she's turned away from him, her attention back on whatever she was baking. "do you need any help, lynn?"

"i think you've done enough." as the words leave her mouth, he doesn't feel so bad anymore.. sure, he slept with jackie, but he always assumed she knew about their arrangement just like silas did. there were plenty of opportunities for lynn to tell him that she didn't and that the two seeing each other made her uncomfortable, but she never did. he wasn't going to take the blame for something he didn't know about.

"and what have i done exactly?" she starts pouring the batter into cupcake tins, and ignores his words. "it's okay to say you want me all to yourself, blondie."

"in your dreams, harry." she turns around finally, licking the spoon in a way that has harry's jaw going a little slack. "go do something. you're bothering me."

he hums for a second with his finger tapping his chin like he was actually pondering it, "i don't think i will."

"silas is outside. you could go see how many of my friends you can get to sleep with you."

"i'll think about it. he's not really my type."

"i thought you could always appreciate a good body," harry can't help it when he cracks a little smile.

it's quiet for a beat, and lynn goes to put her cupcakes in the oven. she's wearing a pair of jeans that fit her in all the right ways and when she bends down to slide the pan in, harry can't help himself. "why do you think i'm still sitting here?"

he hears lynn scoff, "i'm not sure what's more unappealing. your personality or the way you always seem to reek of a three day old hangover."

"not true. your father said i smelled lovely when i was sandwiched between him and your mother last night."

"i'll make sure to ask them about it when we're all having lunch," she stands with her back against the oven, now facing him. "maybe we can get the whole extended family's input?"

harry shakes his head and sighs. he leans against the breakfast bar, slouching over counter a bit. "i thought we were going to be more civil with each other, lynn,"

"you think fucking my best friend was going to have me kissing the ground you walk on?"

"how was i supposed to know you didn't tell her?" his arms are crossed in front of him. "you have silas all over you like a goddamn blanket and you expect jackie to think you're in love with me? come on, lynn."

"that's right, harry. blame everyone but yourself," she moves so she's opposite harry, palms smacking the granite counter. "have you been drinking?"

"yes?"

her eyes narrow. "you know, i'm starting to think your grandma was onto something when she stopped speaking to you."

harry sucks in a breath and he feels like the wind's been knocked out of him. he's drunk and there's tears pooling in his eyes, but he can't look away from her. lynn's staring at him with the coldest stare. like she meant every word she said.

"go fuck yourself, lynn." he flicks her off and turns on the balls of his feet, walking back out the sliding glass door. regret comes seeping over him because god, did he want to go home. he really shouldn't have had that much to drink.

he decides on going to sit in his car. he'd sober up and then goes to his parents. listening to a lecture from his dad would surely be better than sitting here and having to act like he wants to be anywhere near lynn. he was so incredibly stupid for thinking that a pointless car drive and a cup of tea was going to change anything about the relationship they had already established.

harry was so good at pretending to be someone he wasn't. he always tried to come off as someone who was always calm and kept himself together. he was confident in just the right ways, and everyone he met loved him. or at least what they saw of him.

there were plenty of people on campus who would say hi to him if they had passed each other in a hallway. they were friendly, not friends. and that was the perfect way to put it. he held everyone he met at an arm's length away.

harry spent years perfecting this stupid act he put on for nearly everyone he met, so he doesn't really understand why lynn seems to be the only person in the world that doesn't fall for it.

"harry!" he looks over to see jane sitting on the raft in a pool, a juice box in one hand and a popsicle in the other. "come push me around."

harry walks over to the edge of the pool, crouching down to be eye level with her. "well, aren't you bossy?"

she laughs and kicks her feet and it's so contagious, he can't help but smile. he doesn't realize the girls' grandmother is with them until she speaks from one of the lounge chairs, her face hiding behind a magazine.

"takes after her sister. that's why she has no friends."

harry's heart jumps in his throat when he sees the little girl start blinking rapidly through her pink flamingo sunglasses. so, he does the only logical thing he can think of, and gets in the pool with his tshirt on and sunglasses in his hair.

when he comes up, jane's peering over the arm of the floatie with a smile that's so big, harry decides he can look past the wet cotton sticking to his skin. "alright, sunflower. tell me where you want to go."

"sunflower? i'm not sunflower! i'm jane!"

"but, you're always so bright and happy, janey," harry laughs. "like a sunflower."

"mmm, okay," and then she offers him a bite of her popsicle which he would have declined in any other situation, but he did not want to see the little girl cry today.

he pushes jane around the pool like he's her personal servant for what feels like forever. she loved asking to go in to the deep end where harry could barely touch. the water would go up to his ears and he'd act like standing on his tip-toes was the most strenuous activity ever. her laugh drowned out every huff and puff her grandmother made, and harry felt like he could finally breathe when she got up and went somewhere else after asking harry if he could watch the little girl.

"how long can you stay under there?" jane says. "go under and i'll count."

and so harry does, and when he comes up, jane's at twenty seven and lynn's standing over him with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"are you fucking kidding me?" her voice is quiet yet there's so much anger in every word she says. harry doesn't even know what he's done wrong. "you're embarrassing me. get some dry clothes on and act like the grown adult you are."

"lynn, i-"

she leaves before he can even ask what's going on, and when he turns around jane's looking at him with big eyes and her hands clasped together under her chin. "can we please play mermaids, harry?"

"of course, sunflower."

peter comes to collect jane later. it was time to eat and he had made her a plate. he offers to make harry one, too, for keeping jane busy while "the adults had fun" (as if he wasn't an adult himself). harry politely declines, and instead takes a seat in a lounge chair, wanting to do nothing more than to dry off.

and to also end whatever the fuck this thing he was doing with lynn had turned in to. they were supposed to be in a fake relationship in order to help stop their borderline insane mothers from meddling in their love lives and instead, harry was surrounded by fifty people he didn't know while lynn was god knows where. probably inside somewhere with silas's hands all over her.

it didn't make sense. why would she even bother to invite harry here when she all planned on doing was staying as far away from him as she could while leaving him to fend for himself. he knew five people here if you included her sisters and her grandmother that he had met briefly at the pool. he didn't even know her name yet he would go as far as to say he hated her for what she said around jane.

"hey, man," silas is sitting at the end of his lounge chair. he's got a pile of neatly folded clothes in his hand that he's holding out for harry. "i've got a change of clothes for you and dinner's ready if you're interested."

harry holds up his hand. "thanks, but i think i'll actually be going. you can tell lynn that this is done."

"listen," silas clears his throat. "lynn is my best friend, and i love her, but she was wrong for not telling you that jackie didn't know."

"you don't have to try to side with me or try to be my friend, silas," harry blinks. "or whatever you're trying to do really. i'm okay with you pretending i don't exist. just like lynn does."

"i'm not going to pretend you don't exist, harry. you two can talk when she wakes up from her nap." silas reaches out with the clothes again, and harry takes them. "meet me in the kitchen when you're ready. i got this new beer from the brewery in town you should try."

silas leaves and harry sits there for a second because what the fuck just happened? he half expected silas to rip his head off and call him a few nasty names before kicking him out of the party, and the other half thought the guy was just going to punch him in the face.

harry debates on calling it a night and going to his apartment instead, but a drink would be nice, especially if it was on silas's dime. so he changes in the bathroom and then meets silas in the kitchen where he has a two plates made and set in front of two cans of some kind of cherry pie cider on the breakfast bar.

"wow, silas," harry says. "are you wining and dining me?"

the guy laughs, face buried in the refrigerator. when he turns around, his arms are full of different condiments and he closes the door with his foot. "these stupid parties used to be so overwhelming for me. i used to always eat in here alone, just so i could have some peace and quiet."

"why are you doing this?" they're sitting next to each other now. silas stops eating, and wipes his mouth with a napkin before turning to harry.

"because you remind me of myself, and i know how hard these things were for me when lynn first started inviting me."

"It's..." harry doesn't really know how to explain how he's feeling, so he turns his attention to the pasta salad that was probably a hundred times better than the one sitting on his kitchen counter right now. "i don't know."

"a lot?"

harry nods. "i just don't think i'm a very social person."

"cheers to that," silas raises his can. "just because you and lynn aren't really together doesn't mean you should feel uncomfortable here." harry thinks if he responds, he'll end up crying. so he doesn't. instead he pushes his food around on the plate, appetite gone.

"pete asked me to start a fire afterwards if you wouldn't mind helping." silas continues, and harry nods.

when they're finished, the two boys go outside with a new cider in hand to where the fire pit was and start the fire that lynn's father had asked for. really, harry started it while silas sat and watched. he didn't mind though, harry was in eagle scouts growing up and building fires was probably the only thing he was good at.

when the sun begins to set, lynn's family moves few by few from the patio and pool area to sit around the fire. silas introduces harry to some of lynn's extended family members, and he starts talking to her aunt cece. she introduces him to her wife like it was nothing. and really, it shouldn't have been a big deal or anything. harry was just used to the judgmental stares and comments made by his family. it never really crossed his mind that entire families could be so accepting.

when his grandmother found out he was dating a boy, she refused to come to any family function he was at. the same with his aunt, uncle, and cousins. the two didn't want their kids around someone like harry.

jane squeezes between the two to sit next to harry on the bench, and she rests her head against his arm. kathleen's sitting across from them, and a few minutes later lynn (and silas of course) sit next to her.

"it seems like you've made a friend," kathy says.

"best friend," jane corrects. she sits up and smacks her hands on her lap. "nana said i didn't have any friends."

"what?" lynn's voice comes from across the fire. "when did she say that?"

"at the pool," jane's grinning. "but i know she was just joking with me. harry said he was my best friend when we were playing mermaids.

harry feels his face warm at her confession. "and i meant it, janey."

the little girl smiles at him in a way that makes it impossible not to smile back.

"we need to have a best friend tea party on saturday. with lots of sunflowers." she says, and then she sighs. "mom you said i could have chocolate if i ate all of my salad and i did."

the way her train of thought changes so quickly makes harry laugh.

i'll get you some, jane," lynn stands up from her spot and harry's quick to do the same and say he'll join her.

"lynn," he calls her name once they get inside. she's a few steps ahead of him and makes no move to answer.

"lynn," he tries again. "can we talk, please?"

she turns to look at him when they're both in the pantry. "there's nothing to talk about, harry." she bends down to get something on the bottom shelf, ignoring him once again.

"there is," he says. "because i don't want to do this anymore."

she tilts her head. "do what?"

"this," his hand is moving between them. "whatever this is. us. i can't do this anymore."

she rolls her eyes at this. "you can only pretend when it benefits you. got it."

"that's not-" his voice breaks, and he's been trying so hard to hold in everything all day. it all just feels too much, and he shamelessly wipes the tears as they fall. "do you not hear the way you talk to me? why am i always in the wrong?"

"sleeping with my friend and being so drunk you're swimming around in your clothes doesn't seem wrong to you?" she faces him with her arms crossed in front of her.

"what? that's not what happened."

"right," she rolls her eyes again and goes back to collecting what she needs. "this act is pathetic by the way."

harry doesn't understand how they even got to this point. he was hoping they'd have a little break up. he'd go back outside and say goodbye to jane, and maybe silas because being around him wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, and then he'd go home.

she turns her attention back to whatever she's been trying to reach for the last few minutes. harry's eyes follow her hand to see a box of graham crackers pushed all the way to the back of the shelf before reaching up to push them into her reach. he wasn't much taller than her but the extra few inches helped.

"your grandmother said jane was annoying and bossy," he feels his throat burn as he speaks and decides to leave out the part where she said that she was just like her sister. "i saw her face when she heard it, and i panicked. i didn't want her to think about it for another second, so i jumped in."

it's so quiet, harry can hear the way lynn swallows at his words. she says nothing though, so he decides to keep going. "you know that one phrase someone said to you, and maybe they didn't mean it, but it still sits in your head? i didn't want that to be hers. i'm sorry for embarrassing you, lynn."

"it hit a little too close to home for you, yeah?" lynn says, realization written all over her face.

"the hurt that comes with hearing someone you admire and love so much say those things about you..." fresh, hot tears are sliding down his face. "i'm trying really hard not to be mad at you because maybe you don't get it, but what you said earlier-"

"i know. it was horrible," she drops the smores ingredients on the floor so she can wrap her arms around him. "god, i'm horrible."

"did you mean it? what you said?"

"when we were in the car, yes," she pulls back so she's looking at him. her hands are still clasped behind him, fingers gently brushing against the nape of his neck. "i meant every word i said that night. but today, you brought jackie, and i didn't want her here. the things she said, and the fact that you two were sleeping with each other...i took it out on you when i shouldn't have. im sorry."

"i didn't know that she thought-" harry doesn't really know why he's sobbing so hard, but he can't stop. the rest of his sentence is stuck in his throat.

"i know," her hand cradles the back of harry's head, softly guiding his face into her shoulder. "i am so, so sorry."

they stand in the pantry for a little while. harry's face is pressed against her neck, and her hands are rubbing his back. she's gently rocking them side to side and harry feels a little sick for letting himself melt into her so easily. he's crying because of her, yet part of him knows he'd let lynn make him feel the way she did today a hundred times over if it meant she'd hold him so close that he could smell the vanilla on her skin.

"what i told you that night, it's not something i usually share," he says, voice a little scratchy. "i really don't want it brought up ever again."

"it won't be. i promise."

harry steps back, palms pressed to his eyes. "i'm sorry for crying this much. i just need a second."

"you have no reason to apologize," lynn's bending down to pick up the items she dropped. "i really am so sorry, harry."

"i know you are. it's okay," harry takes a deep breath and then grabs the chocolate bars from her, holding them in the air. "i think we've kept jane waiting long enough." he reaches for lynn's hand before opening the pantry door for the two. when they step out, peter's standing in the kitchen, staring at them. he's got a beer in his hand, and harry can tell by the way his eyes are glassed over that he wasn't really tuned in on their conversation.

lynn doesn't even acknowledge her father's presence. instead, she wraps herself around harry's arm and pulls him outside with her.

he roasts jane's marshmallow with lynn sitting on his knees, and after hearing harry say he likes his burnt, she decides that she does, too. which makes everything easier for harry and everything harder for silas who took on the chore of building the actual s'more.

when they're finished, lynn leans back against harry's chest, voice soft, "do you think we could be okay, or is tonight it for us?"

he looks over to see jane sitting on silas's lap, her hands and now silas's shirt covered in sticky marshmallow and decides that he could tolerate lynn's mood swings if it meant getting to experience this kind of normalcy again. honestly, today wasn't really normal. it was messy and chaotic and everything that comes with having a family this big, but harry misses the crazy family reunions and loud birthday dinners that came with his own family and maybe holiday picnics like this could fill that void.

"i think we could be okay again," the intensity of his voice matches her, and he can feel her relax into him when he speaks.

the group moves to the park where lynn and harry first met to watch the fireworks put on by the neighborhood. halfway there, jane starts whining about her legs hurting and that's how harry ends up with her on his shoulders.

marianne and john are there when they get there, and they're sitting on a blanket and talking to gemma and drew. harry can't remember the last time his parents came to the event, and he can't help but wonder if that was because they just never invited him.

amelia joins them, too, leaving her group of friends. she takes jane from harry, and silas follows them, leaving only harry and lynn to share the blanket she had brought.

when the fireworks start, she's sitting next to harry with her head on his shoulder and her arm wrapped around his. her fingers are brushing against his knuckles, and when she leans back to look at harry to see if he's enjoying it, he's already looking at her.

his free hand reaches for her face before he dips his head down and kisses her. if she were to ask about it later, harry would say it was because both of their families were around. not because he wanted to.

(he kind of did.)

#harry #enemies to friends to lovers #enemies to lovers #harry styles fluff #harry styles imagine #harry styles one shot #harry styles x oc #harry's house #fine line #dadrry #harry styles #harry styes x original character #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles smut #harry styles au #harry styles fanfic #harry styles writing #harry styles fic rec

[queermania]

Dean does say at one point that it's pointless for Sam to try to keep in touch with his Stanford friends, and eventually calls Dean "anti-social"... which Dean doesn't really argue with:

SAM: I’ve been listenin’, I’m just busy. (He is checking e-mails on his PalmPilot.)

DEAN: Busy doin’ what?

SAM: Reading e-mails. (DEAN gets out of the car and starts to fill the tank with gas.)

DEAN: E-mails from who?

SAM: From my friends at Stanford.

DEAN: You’re kidding. You still keep in touch with your college buddies?

SAM: Why not?

DEAN: Well, what exactly do you tell ‘em? You know, about where you’ve been, what you’ve been doin’?

SAM: I tell ‘em I’m on a road trip with my big brother. I tell ‘em I needed some time off after Jess.

DEAN: Oh, so you lie to ‘em.

SAM: No. I just don’t tell ‘em….everything.

SAM: So, what am I supposed to do, just cut everybody out of my life? (DEAN shrugs.) You’re serious?

DEAN: Yeah, that’s called lying. I mean, hey, man, I get it, tellin’ the truth is far worse.

DEAN: Look, it sucks, but in a job like this, you can’t get close to people, period.

SAM: You’re kind of anti-social, you know that?

DEAN: Yeah, whatever. (SAM continues to read his e-mails.)

Honestly, Dean doesn't strike me as particularly willing to make friendship connections with others unless there is an externally motivating factor.

Benny helped Dean get out of Purgatory. Gordon was a Hunter who was going after the same monster in town as Sam and Dean were, and Castiel was a representative of Heaven first and foremost at his introduction. Dean tried to send Jo Harvelle home rather than let her work a case with them. (And Ellen scolds him because he never told her that he was back from the dead)

I don't think Dean makes connections all that readily with others, unless he's trying to get something out of the other person. He's charming and good at pretending, but ultimately he's focus is usually on the task at hand.

dean: it's kind of pointless to try to maintain a relationship with people you can only ever lie to sam: you're antisocial fandom: this is conclusive evidence

but seriously. does sam end up maintaining a relationship with any of those people? i'm pretty sure the answer is no. and who does he make friendship connections with when there's not an external motivating factor? ruby? nope. jo and ellen? again, no. at least not anymore so than dean does. charlie? nope. dean is the only one who spends time doing non-hunting activities with her in canon. amelia? okay plus one! jody? nope that's just hunting. donna? nope dean is the only one who spends time with her outside of hunting in canon. crowley? nope. cas? nope, again, that's dean's friend. rowena? i would say rowena counts but under your definition, she doesn't. eileen is fifty-fifty because he does spend non-hunting time with her but he only got to know her because of hunting. even the AW hunters are functional, not personal.

so what are we basing all of this on? vibes? just this one conversation in season one where sam says something and dean doesn't dispute it?

tbh i think the entire argument is weak in and of itself. benny is the only one you named who even fits your parameters in my opinion. like, yeah sure dean only met gordon because they were working the same case but i don't think his behavior suggests he's only having a drink with him as a work obligation. his behavior suggests he's excited to have a drink with him because he can be honest and actually connect with him. i'm not really sure why trying to send jo home from a hunt she wasn't invited on and as far as he knows isn't equipped to handle is evidence of dean being antisocial but i guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that one. and the mere fact that dean formed a bond with cas kind of disproves your argument. he did that in spite of cas's ties to heaven, not because of them.

i just... i don't even know how to have this argument because it's so fundamentally flawed. there is evidence spilling out across fifteen seasons that dean enjoys making and maintaining personal connections: lee, the entirety of lebanon, sonny, cassie, lisa (before the s6 of it all at least), that bartender he winked at that he clearly knows, etc. but you've taken something sam said (dean is antisocial) and then used that lens to interpret every relationship he has, instead of looking at every relationship he has and interpreting what that says about him.

#replies #anonymous #dw #sw

[lvlycheri]

❀˳ ⁺ 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧

pairing: arthur havisham x fem!reader (female bodied, she/her pronouns used)

summary: after the death of the patriach of the havisham family, arthur's mom has decided he needed to keep on their bloodline by marring a wife as soon as he could. unfortunely, her son isn't the most wanted in terms of relationship, which leaves her to arrange a marriage with the Y/L/N family, in which you are the chosen one to be arthur's wife

includes: forced marriage, womans being seen as object, dubcon content, arthur being a meanie

word count: 3k

authors note: this is an AU of dickensian where arthur live happily with his mom and father. amelia doesn't exist here.

"Mama, is this all really necessary?"

You say, looking at your image in the mirror while your mother stands beside you. Her tall and elegant greatly contrast your small figure; where her posture is overly confident, yours just show the sadness that is going through your body

"Yes, my darling, this is more than necessary. The Havisham family is known for being very recluse, and to receive such an invitation from them... it's a dream come true, darling!"

Your mother eyes seems to glow with the perspective of being invited to have dinner with such a prestigious family like the Havisham. Being just recently widowed, your mother and Ms. Havisham have been bounding over the loss of their respective husbands, which seemed morbid to you, but you couldn't blame them, since it was a rough situation. And now, you both were getting ready to go to the infamous Havisham manor.

"Darling, you remember what you need to do, do you?" Your mother finishes your hair, looking proud at the result showing in the mirror. You, on the other hand, only look down and recall the words you mother taught you a few weeks ago

"Yes, mother" You agree, and look at your image reflection, staring at your mother cold eyes "Good afternoon, Ms. Havisham, it's a pleasure to meet you and your family in your residence. Me and my mother are very grateful for the invitation and we hope to make a good impression tonight"

"You make me so proud" Your mother's hands rest on your shoulder, and she repeats herself "My pride and joy, you will be our way to a good life"

Your mother's words reverberated through your mind all the way to the Havisham's house, and even the landscape wasn't enough to pull you out of your thoughts. You weren't totally naive, even though your family raised you to be the perfect image of innocence. You knew that after your coming of age ceremony that happened a few months ago, it was only a matter of time before your mother would send you off to some man with good money. You couldn't help but wonder if she was already thinking of marriage for you, neither stop the sad feeling you had for knowing that this was something your mother would gladly do.

Waking up from your thoughts, you noticed that your family carriage had already arrived at the Havisham manor. Taking a deep breath, you prepared yourself for the events of the night that could happen, your thoughts going from the worst to the best results in only a few seconds.

You first heard the door cracking open and then you saw it a man, seemingly a little older than you, smiling both at you and your mother. Something seemed off about him, maybe it was his sad eyes or the way his hands were closed in a fist that made you think that maybe, just like you, he wasn't aware of the true intentions of this visit

"Hello Ms. Y/L/N" He said, looking at your mom whom bowed her head down "Hello, miss...?" He then turned to your figure, and gestured with his hands towards you, waiting for your response

"Miss Y/N. It is a pleasure to meet you, sir Havisham" You also bowed your head down, trying to hide the fact that you had just guessed who this man was, and praying to God that you hadn't just embarassed yourself by getting his last name wrong. Thankfully, this didn't seemed to be the case, because after you raised your head, the young man caught your hands on his and gave it a small kiss to the back of it, making your face warm quickly

"I see you have already met my son" You looked behind the man to find that the voice belonged to an woman who seemed your mother age. You presumed that was Ms. Havisham whom your mother talked about "This is Arthur, the new patriarch of the Havisham family"

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you and your family, Ms. Havisham" You started, bowing your head again and trying to remember all the words you have memorized through the week "Me and my mother are very grateful for the invitation we received, and I can't wait to become your acquaintance in this beautiful afternoon"

"You truly were gifted with this young lady, Ms. Y/L/N" Ms. Havinsham said, turning to your mother and ignoring your little speech. You felt heat reaching your cheeks, embarassed that the lady didn't even thought twice about talking to you instead of your mother "I, on the other hand, didn't had as much luck. Arthur is very... timid, you see"

Sharing a little laugh, your mother and the other woman entered the house with arms linked, leaving you and Arthur behind. You looked at him and found that he was already staring at you, his eyebrows furrowed together with what seeme confusion, or even maybe irritation

"Don't worry, little lady. You will become acquaintance with my son on this afternoon, while me and your mother will be doing some arrangements together for dinner" Ms. Havinsham turned her head back for a moment, and then just as fast, went back to walking with your mother and talking with her, sharing the news of the neighborhood

Arthur didn't even gave you a second look before getting inside the house, and then like something clicked inside his head, he turned back on his heels and stared at you again

"Would m'lady give me the... uhm..." He stopped to think "The honor of walking with me through the gardens?"

You gave him a little smile, glad that you weren't the only one feeling awkward because of the situation. Running a little to reach him inside the house, you linked your arms with his and started your walk together

"My mother talked a lot about you, how Ms. Y/L/N had this beautiful daughter who I should meet" He started the conversation, looking at you and giving you a sweet smile which you returned "I see now that this is very much the truth"

"I am glad that she thought so highly of me, and I thank you for your compliment" You smiled brightly, happy with the compliment you just received

Walking side by side, you could feel the heat emitting from him and how it spread towards your body. Your walk towards the garden was silent after that, and you could sometimes feel his warm stares directed at you.

After arriving the garden, you unlinked your arms and went to the closest bush you could find, seeing her full of flowers

"I see you also enjoy the nature" You heard Arthur's voice coming behind you

"I think those specific flowers are rather beautiful and truly makes any space more graceful" You answered shyly

"Truly an gifted woman" Arthur's whisper didn't quite reach your ears, and he was relieved by that, choosing to rather focus on your image that seemed to glow in the garden

"I don't think any flower can compare to your beauty, lady Y/N" Arthur said, and you couldn't help but feel like he was trying to flatter you in hopes to create a friendship quicker

"I appreciate the comment, mr. Havisham"

Before you could keep talking, you were interrupted

"Just Arthur is fine"

You nodded, and went back to admiring the flowers, getting lost in your train of thoughts again. How could a widowed woman keep such a large garden in her house? Something seemed off there, and you couldn't shake the feeling of nervousness that was installing in your body

Choosing to concentrate on the flowers, you took one out of the bush and turned around in your hand, appreciating the small beauty that you were holding

Arthur started to talk again, disrupting your thoughs, though he was already missing the sight of seeing you so absorbed on something you seemed to enjoy. He could only hope one day you would look at him like you looked at the flowers

"It seems that our mothers already want us to discuss the arrangement of our engagement, so we shouldn't lose more time, right?"

Slowly turning to him, your eyes were full of surprise, and you seemed to have lost all the color in your face. The flower you were holding was long lost, falling to the ground, and your other hand was holding thightly the long skirt that adorned your body

"Arrangements of our... engagement?" You said back, trying to ignore the way your heart was skipping beats in your chest

"Oh, it seems I spoiled the surprise, I am truly sorry by that" Arthur responded, not seeming sorry at all, his reaction showing he was more amused by your answer than anything "You see, I am now the patriarch of this family, and my mother expects of me nothing but greatness, for me to create a family as great as the one my father created"

Coming closer to you, he took a hold of your hands and feeling how sweaty they were, started to rub small circles on your palm. His eyes seemed so different than the ones you looked at in the beginning of your visit, it seemed that the thought of having a family, a wife and kids of his own, fueled something inside him that made his pupils dilate

"You will be my wife, and I can only wish to do a great impression that will lasts through our long and sucessful marriage"

His words didn't helped ease the nervousness you felt. He had been so direct about it, it seemed that this was just him talking about sunday church, and not about a future that was slowly taking your dreams away. He sensed the change in your demeanor, and was about to say something when he was interrupted by his own mother voice

"Oh, look, they are already becoming closer" Her voice was filled with pride, and you could see that your mother wasn't much different

"It seems that miss Y/N wasn't informed about our arrangement. I hope you forgive me for spoiling the surprise" Arthur came towards your mother, seeming like a whole different man, with way more confidence

"Don't worry, Arthur. It seems you and miss Y/N have an friendship blossing already, am I right?"

You could only hear his mother's voice in the back of your head. You couldn't believe you were already being sold out, your father would never had accepted this, since you were his princess and his whole world. It seemed impossible to even your mother do this to you, since she always took pride on the fact that her and your father married for love, rather than other interests. She had always wanted the same fate for you, then why has this changed so suddenly?

Then it hit you. She wasn't doing this because she wanted to. Being a widowed woman was already rough, but being a widowed woman to a not so rich man? She was doing this to get the Havisham's money, to pay off your father's debts, to give you a chance at life

Fixing your posture and tapping your cheeks quickly and lightly, you felt a change in your demeanor. This was, unfortunely, the way it had to be. As a woman, this was your future, and you just had to accept to make your mother proud, instead of fighting against it and ruining your family name

"Your son had kept me very entertained, and I can say for sure that I enjoyed his company very much. I can't wait to fulfill my duties as a future wife with him by my side as my future husband"

You felt your mother stares directed at you, and you knew she was full with pride. You were acting just like you need to, guaranteeing your family name some fortune, hoping to make your mother happy, even at the cost of your own happiness.

"Could we have some more time by ourselves, mother? Me and lady Y/N still have a lot to discuss"

Arthur's voice was like honey to your mother's ears, and she couldn't contain her grin after hearing how much the Havisham's son wanted your company to himself. Soon, both woman left and you felt that your hope left with them too. You couldn't handle to keep the act you did moments ago, and you smile dropped quickly

"Let me take you to the room you will be staying while the dinner is made, my lady" Arthur offered his hand and you took it quickly, not wanting him to suspect anything about the change of humour you just went through

You walked back to the house, side by side with him, lost in the thoughts that were going quickly through your head. So this is what your mother wanted, this is why she put so much effort in your appearence today, even choosing to lend you her favorite perfume, as to impress the soon to be your new family. You couldn't help but feel your throat tightening, threatening to make you start sobbing uncontrollably, overwhelmed by sadness. You choose to hold yourself, instead, not wanting to embarass yourself in front of your soon to be fiance, and even sooner to be husband

Again, you were interrupted by both your mothers, walking through the main door. It seemed that Arthur was annoyed by so many interruptions, where you couldn't be more glad to be having your time with the man cut short.

"We will be leaving to the local market to get a few stuff that are missing for our dinner. We will be back before it gets dark, do not worry about us"

You only nodded, not trusting yourself well enough to talk without starting to cry. Meanwhile, Arthur said something you couldn't comprehend and kept walking, guiding you now towards the upstairs

You both reached the door you assumed to be the guest's room, and he opened with a soft motion of his hand, gesturing for you to step in. You did as he wanted, feeling like you should get used to obeying your almost husband

"You see..." He started, stepping inside the room and closing the door behind him. That surprised you, seeing how scandalous it was to have a man in your room like this "You are not the first one to be offered this deal"

He took a step near you, and you took one back. You couldn't comprehend his words, what did he mean by first one? Was he also widowed? Was he someone not even an arranged wife would want to be near?

"Unfortunely, the other womens were not able to please mother like you did. I could see in her eyes that she thinks you are the right one. And so do I" Another step near you, and you took two steps back

"I... I can't understand what you are saying, Mr. Havisham" You tried to reason, your voice coming out almost inaudible

"Your naivety truly is a bless" Another step further from Arthur, another step back from you "The other ladies did not have what we need to keep this manor, to keep our debts paid, to keep our expenses"

Slowly, sense was starting to come over your head. Was his family in the search of the same thing yours were too? But that couldn't be, your mother told you that his family was one of the richest

"The plan was to be married before my late father died, but no woman could satisfy me, so now my time is shortening. I had already lost hope of finding a woman that could perk my interest. That is, until I saw you today in the front door. You are truly gifted, and I cannot wait to have you as my wife"

You took anoter step back, but you hadn't looked behind you and ended up falling into the bed, the mattress flattening underneath you. Arthur, like a predator, finished walking towards you, and kneeled down in the bed, his knees touching your covered legs

"I have to make sure you won't run away, little lamb. And I know exactly what to do to keep you by my side. I cannot wait any longer to have a wife, my family name depends of me, and I won't disappoint"

You closed your eyes, feeling the tears running down your face, and with a weak voice, you tried to plead for mercy

"What will you d-do, Mr. Havisham?" Your voice trembled as you asked him what has going through your mind after his confession

"I'm gonna make sure no other man will want you, that you will be obligated to be by my side, that your mother won't believe you when you say that you cannot marry me. I will make sure that your reputation is ruined, unless you stay by my side"

"I-I don't understand..."

"So innocent" His hands pressed against your body, and his body pressed on top of yours "I will savour each part of your body" His mouth neared your neck, and before you could react, he bit down. The pain was something you never felt before, and you couldn't help but let an scream go through your throat. Arthur only put his hand over your mouth and continued

"I will explore each part of your body" His hand found its way under your long skirt, and started to crawl upwards. Your cries only got louder, but it was no use, since it was muffled by his hand

"And I will take each drop of your innocence. I will make your body reacts only to mine. I will make you..." He pressed himself against you, and you felt something hard poking at your thighs that were now exposed after he lifted your skirt. He got back on his knees, and you closed your eyes, expecting the worst. You heard his belt unbuckle, and pressed your eyes even closer together, trying to not fear that maybe he would hit you. Later, you would wish that this is what he would had done instead

"I will make you my sweet little wife. After tonight, you will only be able to remember how my cock feels inside you. No other man will want a woman who is not pure anymore, right, my little wife?"

You felt his hand caressing your face, but after his declaration, his soft hand against your skin felt like a hard slap. You couldn't believe that this was the man who moments before was flattering you, how could he change so quickly?

"This will hurt. A lot. But your husband is here to help you throught the pain" was the last thing you heard Arthur saying to you, and you dared to open your eyes, only to meet his eyes already locked on yours.

"Now be a good wife, and take all of your husband"

#dickensian #arthur havisham #arthur havisham x reader #joseph quinn #joseph quinn x reader #reader insert #forced marriage #dark content

[sebastianstansqueen]

Lost In The Shadows: Part Two

A/N: I literally suck at author notes, I felt like it was really soon to put this up but I probably wouldn't have had the time this week at any other point to post so here we go, also I'm working on another one-shot and that should be coming out soon and it's my birthday this Friday so yeah that's whats going on right now, hope you guys have a good rest of your weeks as well! If you want to be Tagged, either send an ask or comment on this or click on Taglist open.

Wordcount: 1,777

Warnings:  Angst, drinking, mentions of death but I think that is all actually

Masterlist // Series Masterlist // Taglist open// 

Tags: @cherryblossomsky - - @babylooneytoonz - @wonderlandfandomkingdom - @miraclesoflove - @amelia-song-pond - @leyannrae - @avengerlex - @pineprincess - @nik2write - @dorothea-hwldr - @rosie-posie08 - @scxrletrecsmarvel - @sebsgirl71479 - @missvelvetsstuff - @hadesownhell - @casa-boiardi - @winterslove1917 - @hallecarey1 - @ash-craze - @barnesxstan - @unaxv -

Y/n and James had met days ago, to discuss what he wanted to get in order, first being he had room in the garage to work on his black 1973 Plymouth ’Cuda, she agreed, she wasn’t going to argue about garage space that she herself didn’t use, then again she would have agreed to just about anything James asked because if James had straight away said no, she wouldn’t have probably taken it as an answer. She sat in bed late one night as she slowly sipped on a dark red wine as she watched a movie that came out when she was a teenager, her phone began to ring, she looked at the time it was one in the morning, who would be calling her? She thought to herself, she looked at it seeing it was her cousin, Peggy, she smiled to herself before answering it. “Hello?” She asked after putting the device on speaker. 

“Y/n, did I wake you?” She asked with concern, lacing her voice. 

Y/n sighed with light tiredness. “No, I was watching something.”

“Huh, I heard that you plan to marry again, are you sure it's the right time, it feels kinda quick.” Peggy had a right to be concerned it was Y/n’s image to the other family’s on the line sure her name could provoke fear now, but just above a year ago she was seen as the meek Mrs.Field, after her husband's death they saw how she completely fixed the flaws with in her fathers business and they also saw she wasn’t scared to take on or even kill a man. 

“It’s fine, Peggy, James is nice.” She said not supper confidently, she moved off the bed her body hidden only with a dark red and black robe the thin silk belt had slowly undid and it gave her a glance at her body as she walked into the bathroom, she saw scars on her abdomen that were form when she was a child and others were even from last year, she winced she un-did the robe and started the shower. “I’m doing this mainly because it looks good if I have a husband, James, stepped down from being the head of his family so he clearly doesn't want anything to do with the mafia and I won’t make him, as long as he and I go to the parties, besides i’ve seen him at them before.”

“I know, but I just want you to be making the best decisions for you Y/n, you're my cousin I’ll be by your side no matter what.” She said softly, Y/n sighed and ended the call, she shook her head, Peggy and her got along fairly well, it’s just Peggy tended to ignore Y/n when she actually did need help, when they were kids and Y/n’s family went back over to England to celebrate Christmas, Peggy called her a liar when she tried opening up about her own father abusing her. Y/n shook her head, wanting to quickly finish up the shower and get to bed. She had asked Bucky what he wanted to do wedding wise, he told her that he wanted what she wanted, again she shook her head, the wedding she wanted was reserved for someone special not a business proposition that she made, but at last she wanted to make this her final marriage, so she’d give herself the dream wedding. 

Bucky sat in his presidential suite, trying to figure out how to get all his stuff from Indiana to New York, he also processing the thought of getting married, and Steve was there to help quell his anxieties over this decision. “I don’t even know her, Steve, I don’t know why I agreed.” He had been drinking and decently so. 

“Thomas did use it as his big IOU for marrying Jessica and then taking the family business over which unlike you he wasn’t trained for.” Steve saw both sides of the situation, he understood why Bucky didn’t want to but also had to do this. 

Bucky rolled his eyes and all of that was true. “I know, I know, I know, I have no place to actually be mad at him, but I can be grumpy, I don’t think Y/n will care either way, she’s not shown any emotion towards anything since meeting her. I think I'm gonna take a walk, I’ll call you if something comes up.” Bucky pulled on his leather jacket before leaving. 

As Bucky walked through the dark and still busy streets of late night New York, this was his home once again, and he still preferred Indiana to it. As he walked past bustling bars and clubs that were blasting music or had people cheering for a sports team could be heard from the sidewalk. Eventually as he was tempted into one he walked into a building with a large neon light of blue fire and the name ‘Inferno’ in large white, slim cursive writing. After waiting in a decent length line, he flashed his ID and was allowed in through the class doors, with silver door handles. He walked up to the large bar, it was very nice with large mirror shelves holding years of old along with new alcohols. 

A woman with fiery red hair walked up with a pretty smile. “How can I help you?” She asked, grabbing out a glass. 

“The best you got, price doesn't really matter.” He said as he sat at one of the nice clear plastic stools. 

Y/n stood in The VIP lounge of the club she began building a year ago. It opened just a month ago and she was proud. Inferno was her baby, and she truly enjoyed her time while there. Her eyes glanced towards the bar, it was made with thick and hard to break glass, along with shining blue lights around it that lit the room, along with the tall mirrored shelves that the higher up the shelf someone would look the older the drink was.

 Natasha was a friend of Y/n’s, her eye’s followed as Natasha walked out with what seemed to be some of the nicest stuff she had supplied at the club, Don Julio 1942 Anejo Tequila , who would have ordered it that piqued her interest. She felt a tap on her shoulder. “What are you staring at?” Wanda asked with a smirk. 

“You and I are the only people who order Don Julio 1942, so who else would let alone someone sitting at the bar.” Y/n pointed out, that was a thirty dollar cup Y/n noted as she watched Natasha pour it for a man, Natasha’s eyes met Y/n’s. In a few moments Natasha was walking to her.

“Why are you staring me down?” Natasha asked as she sat down the bottle of Tequila, for Y/n and Wanda. 

Y/n picked up the tall glass bottle. “Who was ordering this at the bar?” 

Natasha sat down next to her. “Some guy, I don’t know? I just put on a smile and sell people alcohol.” She said bluntly towards her friends. “You want to find out, go down there yourself.” Natasha got up from the spot she had taken on the nice gray velvet cushion next to Y/n, and went back to the bar. 

Y/n already had enough drinks that her mind wasn’t as straight and narrow as usual, so she grabbed the narrow neck of the elongated bottle and made her way over. She walked up to the bar putting the bottle down and here is when the drinks that made her more relaxed completely left her system in a second, James was the man, she began to turn and leave, but she’d already caught his attention without realizing it. 

Bucky stood when he saw Y/n clear as day next to the bar just a few places away from him he took her in and she wore a blue-green dress that had a slight under her breast, her dark hair complemented it along with her strappy heels, she quickly turned and began to walk away. Bucky began to follow her, when he was stopped by a security guard. Now Bucky usually wouldn’t use his last name to get into places, but Y/n would have been drinking a bit more than just casual this time, and he wanted to know something. “I don’t think you understand, I’m James Barnes.” He slid out his ID again and the bodyguard looked it over and quickly undid the velvet rope. Bucky walked up the silver stairs that reflected the ceiling, into the area that was draped with light blue, white and gray tool fabric keeping the part of the club fairly disclosed, he could see the area where a table was surrounded by multiple gray velvet seating benches. 

Y/n was huddled with a girl on one of the benches, as they whispered there were a few other people on the seating sprawled out and other people were scattered about the room talking. There was a tray of shot glasses and he grabbed two before walking up to Y/n, she cut off what she was saying to the woman sitting next to her when she saw him walking up, she began to stand to probably leave for the night this time. “Y/n, don’t.” He said, stepping closer towards her. 

“Mr. Barnes, what can I do for you?” She asked, regaining her cold demeanor and voice, she still held a small clutch readying her leave still. 

Bucky’s head hung for a moment but he regained his own composure. “Nothing, clearly, this is just business.”

Y/n was confused by the sadness in his voice, he knew this was business, was he wanting more than that? She thought to herself, her brows furrowed which was cracking her own composure. “You don’t want it to be?” She said in confusion, her voice that when usually talking to James was devoid of emotion. 

“Preferably not. But if that's what you want, whatever I guess.” He shrugged. 

Y/n wouldn’t be broken by James so easily, obviously she wanted it to be a sort of normal marriage; her last two were anything but. She wouldn’t let her guard down probably ever, she didn’t know what James was capable of doing just yet so until she knew she wasn’t going to, she sighed and let him leave, Wanda came up next to her. “Is that husband number three?” Y/n nodded in response and Wanda watched with wide eyes as the man left. 

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes #bucky x you #marvel #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes x reader #mob!bucky x reader #james buchanan bucky barnes #avengers mob au #mob!au #mob au #bucky x reader mob au #mechanic!bucky x reader

[cordonianroyalairlines]

Ball Drop

Series: Cordonian Royal Airlines

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings for series: Various

Pairing for this chapter: Riley x Drake

Word Count: 1,768

Rating: G

Warnings for this chapter: None

“Come on, one more dance!” Riley laughed as she tugged Max toward the dance floor.

“No, really, I’m going to head up to my room now.”

“Really?” She stopped and turned to study him. “With whom?”

“No one!”

“What do you mean, no one?”

“I mean, I’m going to my room alone. To sleep!”

“But it’s not even midnight yet! And I’ve seen at least four hot guys hit on you tonight…” she trailed off as she regarded him thoughtfully. Her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. “Oh. My. God!”

“What?”

“You’re going to your room alone because of Liam!”

Max scoffed loudly. “Why would you think that?”

“Because there’s no other reason you would turn those guys down! Especially the one with the crop top.” She stole a glance across the room as if to verify her previous opinion. “I don’t say this often because you know you’re a ten…but that guy is out of your league. On a scale of one to ten, he’s an eleven.”

“First of all…” Max followed her eyes before turning back to answer, “He’s a nine. Okay, nine and a half. Can’t I just be sleepy?”

“Since when do you lie to your best friend?”

“Okay, fine.” Max’s shoulders slumped as he let out a long, low exhale. “I have an early flight out in the morning. I want to get back home because Liam invited me to a poetry reading or something.”

“And you’re only telling me this now?”

“It just happened this afternoon, and you were busy pulling all this together.” He gestured back toward the VIP lounge area where her sister’s bachelorette party was in full swing.

“Hm.” She pretended to consider the matter deeply before breaking into a huge grin. “Fine. I’ll let it slide this time. But I want full details of this date.”

“I don’t even know if it is a date! What if he just meant get together and hang out as friends?”

“He’s never invited me or any of the other flight attendants to hang out. It’s a date.”

“I hope so! I’m sorry for leaving you alone.”

“I’m not alone. I have my sister and twenty-six of her closest friends. Not to mention the stripper.”

“Yeah. How did we end up with him again?”

Riley shrugged. “He followed us over from the strip club. I’m pretty sure he likes Amelia’s friend Jessica.”

Max laughed. “It’s been a baffling weekend.”

“Yeah.” Riley agreed. Monaco had been fun, but she was ready to go home. “I can’t believe you’re going to bed early, not to mention alone, on New Year’s Eve. You’ve got it bad!”

“I knooooow!” Max wailed. “What the fuck am I going to do about it?”

“Liam, hopefully,” she snickered.

He couldn’t control the grin that engendered as he gave her a playful shove. “Shut up!”

“Never!”

Max’s gaze locked on something over her shoulder. “Well, I was feeling guilty for leaving you to ring in the new year alone, but something tells me you’re going to be just fine.”

Confusion spilled through her. “What?” She angled her body so she could see what he was looking at. Her eyes widened. Her heart started thumping wildly in her chest. Her palms were suddenly clammy. “What is he doing here?”

“I dunno. Let’s find out.” Max raised his arm and waved it in the air as he called out, “Drake! Drake! Over here!”

“Max, no!” She made a swipe for his arm, but it was too late. He sidestepped her and jogged across the room, returning a few minutes later with Drake in tow.

Drake looked a little bemused as Max deposited him in front of Riley, then said his goodbyes and excused himself to his room. Drake waved bye to Max then turned back to Riley. “What are you two doing here?”

“Oh…ah…” she gestured toward the group of rowdy women dressed in sparkly pink t-shirts, “Sister’s bachelorette party. You?”

He nodded as his eyes tracked down her body, taking in her sparkly pink shirt emblazoned with the words Maid of Honor before answering, “Guy’s weekend.”

She tilted her head to one side, then the other, making a show of looking behind him. “Where are the rest of the guys?”

“Ah….” His head swiveled, looking around the club. “That’s a good question. But it’s not guys plural. It’s just me and Leo.”

“I didn’t know you and Leo were close.”

“We’re not…Bertrand was originally supposed to come with him, but he got sick. Then Liam said it wasn’t his scene…”

“So, you were the third choice, then?”

“Fourth, actually. He tried to get Olivia to go, but she told him what he could do with his invitation. In explicit detail.”

Riley tipped her head back and laughed. “That sounds like her!”

“Heh. Yeah.” A soft smile played across his lips as he appreciated the way her face lit up when she laughed. “How was your Christmas?”

“It was good. Yours?”

“Oh, you know, the usual,” he hedged.

“I thought I might see you on Christmas after we landed.”

Surprise flashed across his face. Had she wanted to see him? “I figured you were in a hurry to get to your parents. I guess you made it okay?”

“Oh yes! My mom managed to save me a piece of pumpkin pie. Which is quite a feat in a big family.”

“I can imagine.” He laughed. The way Riley talked about her family made him wonder what it would have been like if his family had stayed close like they had been before his father left.

“Riley? What the hell are you doing here?” Leo stumbled up with his arm slung around a buxom blond that was poured into her gold lame dress. He pointed between her and Drake. “Are you two a thing now?”

“Jesus Rys. You’re fucking drunk.” Drake grumbled.

Leo grinned at him. “That’s the whole point, isn’t it? What happened to that redhead you were with earlier?”

Drake froze as a flush crept up his neck. His eyes slid sidewise to take in Riley’s expression as he snapped, “She wasn’t my type.”

Riley was studiously tracing the lines on the carpet with her eyes as she struggled not to react to the thought of Drake with some gorgeous redhead.

“Sure looked like your type when you were sucking face on the dance floor,” Leo smirked.

“Ah…I should go. Nice seeing you both.” Riley spun and headed blindly across the room.

Drake smacked Leo in the chest. “You’re a real dick, Rys, you know that?”

Leo jolted back in dismay as his drink sloshed over the rim of the glass. Confusion colored his voice. “What did I do?”

But Drake was already gone. “Riley, wait!” He rushed after her, grabbing her arm and spinning her around. “It’s not like that! She’s friends with the girl Leo is with and they kind of pawned her off on me. She kissed me but I-“

“Drake, you don’t owe me an explanation.”

“You’re upset.” He tried to keep the note of surprised happiness out of his voice. He failed.

It was her turn to blush. Embarrassment swirled through her as the music stopped and people started counting down toward the new year. She felt ridiculous. They weren’t a couple. Why did she care what he did? “No, really. It’s fine. I just…after Christmas I kind of thought….I mean….never mind. I should—” She tried to turn and walk away again.

He moved without thought, lunging after her. His fingers wrapped around her arm. He stumbled to get in front of her as he pulled her to stop.

Fury snapped in her eyes. “What?”

“I—”

The room around them finished the countdown. “…three….two….one….happy new year!”

Cheers filled the room as streamers, balloons, and confetti poured down from the ceiling.

It was New Year’s at the stroke of midnight. He was standing in a nightclub in Monaco with the woman who bedeviled him and haunted his dreams. If that wasn’t a sign, he didn’t know what was.

He jerked her body into his and crashed his lips against hers. Her body stiffened in surprise and for half a second he was sure she would pull away, maybe even slap him for his audacity.

Then she leaned into it, melting against him. She arched upwards as she returned the kiss.

Ardently.

Her fingers tangled in his hair and pressed into the back of his neck as her tongue curled around his, slowly at first, then with more urgency as her body responded to his, matching his heat with her own.

The crowd disappeared as they lost themselves in each other, desperately clinging to a moment that might never happen again.

A shrill voice intruded. “Riley! Riley!”

She pulled away from him in bemusement, lips swollen, face flushed, confetti clinging to her hair, blinking as if awakening from a dream. “That’s my sister….”

“Yeah, sorry. You should go.” He forced himself to release her and reluctantly took a step back.

“I don’t want to…”

“Riley—” He took a step toward her, reaching a hand out toward her face.

A blond, drunk version of Riley stumbled between them, giggling, “There you are! I need you to — Oh! Who is this?”

Riley gave Drake an apologetic shake of her head as she tried to introduce him. “Drake, this is my sister, Amelia. Mellie, this is Drake, he—”

“Ooh, you’re very cute!” the blond purred up at him. “Is he another stripper? Tell me he’s a stripper!”

Mortification poured through her. “He is not a stripper, he’s a coworker and you’re drunk. Stop it!”

“Damn.” Amelia continued to eye him up and down. “You could be a stripper if you wanted to.”

Drake grinned at her. “Thanks.”

Riley took her sister firmly by the arm and pulled her away from him. “You’re engaged! Leave him alone!”

Something in Riley’s tone filtered through Amelia’s alcohol-induced fog. Her gaze shifted from Drake to take in her sibling’s expression. “Sorry, didn’t realize this is the one you liked.”

Drake’s eyes snapped to Riley’s face. “Wait. What?”

“Don’t listen to her. She’s drunk! I should get her back to her party, then up to our room.”

“Okay.” He watched as Riley drug Amelia back toward the VIP area. “Hey, Riley?”

She turned her head. “Yeah?”

“Happy New Year.”

That smile that took his breath away broke out across her face. “Happy New Year, Drake. See you at work.”

“Yep.” He turned on his heel with a smile of his own as he murmured to himself, “I’m counting on it.”

#cordonianroyalairlines #trr au #drake walker #the royal romance #drake x mc #choicesholidays #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week #new year

[themultifandomgal]

Jay- Baby Birth Alphabet

A= Aftercare After Birth (How they act after you finish giving birth.):

During delivery, Jay was attentive. He constantly made sure I was ok whether that was asking me or the nurses/midwife's to know how me and the baby were doing.

After I finished giving birth and I was able to go home, Jay made sure that i was comfortable. He wouldn't let me lift a finger so it was like I had my own personal waiter.

B= Baby (Who is the baby more like?):

According to my mum the baby looks exactly like I did when I was born, but I can definitely see Jay's freckles starting to show.

C= Care Taking (Who takes care of the baby more? Do you have someone else take care of the child?):

Jay and I have a good system. While Jay is on paternity leave Jay takes a lot of the shifts giving me time to relax before he goes back to work. When he does go back I tend to look after the baby more for obvious reasons.

During the night I take the most shifts, letting Jay sleep because of work, but he definitely takes his turns.

D= Delivery (How they act when you are in labor, do they stay in the room or outside the room?):

Honestly during labour Jay was a mess. I had woken up in the night due to my waters breaking. Jay was panicking the whole time, said he hated seeing me in pain.

Once at the hospital Jay doesn't leave my side once, he holds my hand the whole time and when it's time for me to push, Jay let's me squeeze his hand hard.

E= Emergencies (How do they act when something happens to the baby? If something happens during labor how do they react?):

Thankfully the labour and delivery is pretty smooth, however once baby is born neither Jay or I can hear the baby cry. Of course I'm worried but Jay is pacing up and down asking if the baby is ok, turns out the baby was just a quiet one and was absolutely fine.

F= Friends/Family (Who visits you in the hospital?):

Both my parents come to visit me after I had the baby, and although Will was working he would pop his head in to cheek on us.

Jay even had the whole of intelligence out to come and see me and the baby.

G= Gender(s) (What do you have?):

A girl Jay and I  named her Amelia.

H= Hair Color (What hair color does the baby inherit):

She is born with Jays brown hair.

I= Illness (How do they react when the baby gets sick for the first time? How about when the baby is ill for a while?):

Amelia was born healthy, but developed a reflux, which meant that she would often throw up after she has eaten. Jay at first was scared there was more to the story, after all Amelia is he's princess. I however was more laid back, telling Jay to calm down.

After a few months Amelia caught a cold which again Jay was super worried about because it sounded like Amelia was struggling to breathe, even though Will told us many times that she was ok. While she had the cold Jay would be up every hour of the night checking up on her.

J= Job (When do you go back to work?):

I wanted to go back soon because I was so bored at home. I asked Voight if I could do paper work after being home for 3 months. He agreed and also allowed me to bring Amelia with me.

After a year we put Amelia into nursery and I started to work out again and would do the odd case here and there until I felt ready to come back full time.

K= Kisses (Do they kiss the baby?):

Jay is very affectionate with Amelia, always giving her kisses on the head or cheeks and he can't just give her one. Everyone notices how sweet he his with Amelia, he even becomes more affectionate to me (if that was even possible).

L= Love (Do they fall in love with the baby right away? What do they love the most about the baby?):

Yes. Jay loves the baby the moment he lays eyes on her. He tells me how much he loves her eyes because they remind him of me.

M= Movement (How do they react to baby first crawling and walking?):

Amelia started crawling at 7 months old. Jay was so sad he missed it, but when she started pulling herself up Jay would act as if no other child has done the same. He encouraged Amelia to walk by holding her hands and praising her when she took her first steps. When she started walking on her own Jay nearly cried with happiness.

N= New People (Taking baby to meet the rest of their/your work colleagues.):

Jay and I take Amelia to meet our friends when she was a month old. Jay was so proud of her and already protective, so it took some convincing to let anyone hold her. Everyone loves her, it's like bringing the baby to meet your family.

O= On Time (Are they there by time you go into labor. Do they arrive before or after the baby is born. How do they feel if they are late. Is the baby on time?):

As I had gone into labour at home, Jay was with me the whole time. Baby was a week late, by that time I was so ready for the pregnancy to be over, although now she's here I miss being pregnant.

P= Pain (How do they react to seeing you in pain due to the contractions? How do they handle seeing you in pain during labor?):

Jay struggled to see me in pain, asking Natalie and the nurses if there was anything I could have to help, even though I was already on gas and air and painkillers. Jay just let me squeeze his hand as hard as I needed to to. He would tell me how much he loves me and how proud he is.

Q= Questions (Do they ask the midwife a lot of questions? Do they keep asking if they are doing something right when they are doing something with the baby?):

Yes. Once Amelia was born and Jay could hold her, he kept asking if he was holding the head right. When we brought her home he would pass her to me if she cried, scared he had hurt her. Soon he realised that he wasn't going to harm Amelia, and he would stop asking questions.

R= Resting (Do they get a lot of rest when the baby is born? Do they stay awake at night worrying about the baby?):

Not at all. If it's not the baby crying during the night it's Jay not being home or both of you being paranoid the first month she came home. Jay, already being a light sleeper, would wake with any noise worried that their was something wrong with Amelia.

S= Singing to the Baby (Do they sing to the baby, or do they listen to you sing to the baby? What is their favorite song to sing to the baby?):

Jay doesn't really sing to Amelia, but he will tell her stories. His favourite being Cinderella. I sing 'You Are My Sunshine' or hum the tune to here.

T= Talking to the Baby (Do they use baby talk?):

Jay doesn't use the typical high pitched baby talk, but he does talk to the baby in a different voice to how he would talk to me or his friends. I also don't talk in the baby talk, but I do find I talk more softly.

U= Underneath the Man/Woman's Heart (How do they truly feel about having a child? Do they feel as though they are ready for a baby?):

Jay loves being a dad. When we decided to have a baby he felt ready, but once the baby was born he told me he didn't feel prepared, neither did I, but we soon figured it out.

V= Vision as in Supervision (Do they keep a close eye on the baby? Do they have someone watching the baby at all times?):

Of course. Jay is super protective of Amelia, if I'm not watching her then he is. When we dod decide to put Amelia in nursery, Jay did a back ground check on the all the staff wanting to make sure she would be safe.

W= When the Baby is Born (What day is the baby born. Are they off work? At work?):

Amelia was born on the 13th June at 2:33 pm. Jay had been off since my due date. He stayed off for 3 weeks following her birth.

X= X-mas (What's their first Christmas like?):

Our first Christmas as a family was amazing. Our friends spoiled Amelia rotten buying clothes and toys for her. We decided to spend Christmas with my parents, which soon becomes a tradition.

Y= Yawning (How tired do they get when dealing with the baby? Their reaction to the baby yawning?):

The first time Jay saw Amelia yaw he fell in love with the little movement her mouth did at the end. He will always comment on her yawns saying how big they are and she must be sleepy.

If Jay gets up in the night with Amelia I can tell how tired he is, but during the day he has no problem.

Z= ZZZ (How much sleep after the baby is born?):

Not a lot at first as we were all trying to figure out a routine that suited us all. Soon Amelia would sleep through most of the night, only waking up once or twice in the night meaning both Jay and I can have a decent sleep.

#jay halstead #jay halstead imagine #jay halstead x oc #jay halstead x yn #jay halstead x reader #jay halstead x you #chicago pd #one chicago #one chicago imagine

[fayes-fics]

Moments: An Art Lesson

Moments masterpost

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

Summary: Benedict and his family enjoy some “new art”

Warnings: none really… fluffy domestic fluff, one or two suggestive lines.

Word Count: 1.0k

Authors Note: Here’s a one shot from the Moments-verse. Set a month after Epilogue 2. I hope you enjoy this little moment that was inspired by a chat with @chaoticcalzoneranchsports. Thanks also to @makaylan for reading it through.

“What is all the noise?” You call as you walk down the hallway towards Benedict’s art studio at the end of your home. You can hear giggling, shrieking and crashing noises. You assume the children are running amok in Benedict’s supplies after their art lesson.

When you round the corner, the first thing you see is multi-coloured paint splatters everywhere. Not only on the floor and walls - which are luckily covered in paper - but also on the French windows and even the glass ceiling. You see fabrics draped over the soft furnishing saving them from ruin. In the midst of this, there are four wriggling humans in what used to be white paint smocks but are now absolutely streaked from head to toe, pealing with laughter and flicking paint at each other from loaded brushes.

James Darby, Isobel Bridgerton, Amelia Bridgerton and, most surprising to you, your husband, one Benedict Bridgerton.

You clear your throat loudly and pointedly.

The noise and movement cease as they all separate and look suitably abashed as you wander in from the safety of the doorway. There is paint in all of their hair and even between their toes, a rainbow of mess. 

They all give you the pleading puppy dog look, knowing they have been caught doing something they probably shouldn’t. Dammit, why did all of your children have to inherit that look from their father?

“I thought this afternoon was supposed to be an art lesson,” you say archly, but there’s a smile tugging at the corner of your mouth.

“Daddy started it,” Amelia immediately confesses, pointing at him.

“Amelia! My heart, how could you? I thought we agreed to keep that a secret,” Benedict cries in mock betrayal from his spot sitting cross-legged, his grin giving him away.

Amelia giggles and launches into his arms, “Daddy in trouble with Mummy,” she singsongs, tapping her finger onto his nose.

Benedict kisses her paint-covered cheek, then looks up at you. “Am I In trouble, Mummy?” He asks, looking up at you through fluttering eyelashes. He knows he wins every time with that face.

You roll your eyes. “Stop with that look.”

You look at each of your children in turn. “All of you, stop with that look,” you add, shaking your head.

“But mummy, you love us, don’t you?” Isobel pipes up, “we will clean up all the mess, we promissssse.” 

“You had better,” your voice carrying no heat.

“Daddy put paper and cloth everywhere so we could have a paint fight. He called it new art. Says each piece will hang in a gallery one day when we are all famous artists like him,” James argues.

“Oh, did he now?” You raise an eyebrow at your husband, who is biting back a laugh, looking down at the ground.

“Children, why don’t you go paint on your easels?” you nod towards the circle of child-sized easels untouched in the far corner of the room.

They follow your advice, bumping shoulders and smiling, knowing they have gotten away without a telling-off.

“Husband, a word?” You aside as he gets to his feet in one swift, athletic movement.

“Yes, wife,” he simpers, moving close, aiming for flattery.

“I do not think it’s fair to ask the staff to clean up this mess, my love. I assume you will be doing so, seeing as this was all your idea?” You chastise gently; your eyebrow raised again.

“Yes. That’s fair,” Benedict huffs genially.

You cast your eyes up towards the glass ceiling. “Better get a ladder, Mr Bridgerton,” you smirk.

“Yes darling, I will,” he promises, moving closer with a look in his eye you have long since labelled as troublesome; when he shoots you that look, you somehow mostly end up naked and often pregnant. The latest example of this is upstairs asleep in the nursery. You waggle a finger as he goes to touch you.

“Not with all that paint, Mr Bridgerton,” you cluck, although he does look particularly kissable, all streaked in paint, the colours making his eyes shine so bright. 

“Darling wife, you didn’t seem to mind paint getting everywhere three nights ago when I was running my brush between your legs,” his voice low and sinful.

“The children!” You admonish under your breath, “they are within earshot.”

“Oh please, look at them; they are totally absorbed in their own world,” he points out as you glance and see them each at their easels, oblivious and calmly painting, little tongues sticking out the corner of each of their mouths, almost comically in unison.

“The girls may look like me, but there’s no denying they take after their father in the art studio,” you concede, your heart always swelling for these wonderful little humans who run your world. Without thinking, you crowd against him for a hug.

“Your dress….” He warns, but his arms wrap tight around you.

“Isn’t one of my favourites,” you assure with a defeated sigh and grab his face, bringing his lips to yours. He won again. But seeing as you get a wonderful kiss, it’s hardly a defeat for you. 

When you emerge from the kiss, you are almost as paint-streaked as the rest of them, but there’s a grin on your face.

“Care to join us in making some new art, my love?” he murmurs against your lips, “it is just so much fun.”

To answer, you reach over and grab a loaded brush and flick it at him, the splatter painting a royal blue diagonal streak from the tip of his left ear across his forehead and into his hair.

His eyes dance with mirth. “Oh, that means war,” he rumbles with amusement and releases his hold, grabbing a brush and firing a huge red streak that runs from your chin down to your waist. 

“Children,” Benedict calls, his gaze still on you, “looks like Mummy wants to be a new artist after all” he raises an eyebrow as you just shake your head affectionately. 

They all cheer and clamber back into the melee.

It takes you and Benedict most of the evening to clean up the glass once the children are bathed clean, and sleeping soundly. He does strip you down and take you hard against the ladder, though, so that’s at least partial compensation.

Benedict taglist: @makaylan @foreverlonginguniverse @iboopedyournose @wysteria-clad @colettebronte @aintnuthinbutahounddog @severewobblerlightdragon @margofiore @writergirl-2001 @heeyyyou @enichole445 @enchantedbytomandhenry @ambitionspassionscoffee @chaoticcalzoneranchsports @nikaprincessofkattegat @crowleysqueenofhell @baebee35

#benedict bridgerton fanfiction #benedict bridgerton fluff #benedict bridgerton x reader #benedict bridgerton x female reader #benedict bridgerton x you #benedict bridgerton x y/n #benedict bridgerton imagine #benedict bridgerton #bridgerton fanfiction #bridgerton imagine #bridgerton

[lutiaslayton]

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

ＰＡＲＴ　１０

〚ＦＩＲＳＴ〛〚ＰＲＥＶ〛〚ＮＥＸＴ〛

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation for the Japan-exclusive novellisation of the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. The original novel was written by Aya Matsui under the supervision of Akihiro Hino, and belongs to Level-5.

This translation only aims to be a pleasant read for non-Japanese fans, nothing more: I made a few deliberate changes while translating in order to get the writing style closer to what is usually found in English fanfictions, as the Japanese storytelling can sometimes be different than what we are used to.

＊ Leaving the Crown Petone

While the professor and Luke were lowering one of the lifeboats into the sea, Melina left Mr Whistler’s side and came to me.

Thank goodness, she was safe… She could hardly imagine how worried I had been.

I was about to tell her just that, but she spoke first.

“Why…?”

I blinked in surprise and confusion.

“Why did you bring Professor Layton?”

“Melina…”

“Don’t let him win!”

This was the fiercest tone I had ever heard from her.

“You’re my best friend. Aren’t you, Janice? Please, let us have our wish!”

“Our…?”

Our wish…

I quickly realised what she meant. This was a display of just how deeply ‘we’ were connected.

But Melina… It was for your sake that I wanted the professor to solve this puzzle. Our sake.

Please… You have to understand.

In the end, two lifeboats quietly left the Crown Petone and ventured into the sea.

In one of them, alongside myself, stood Professor Layton, Luke, Mr Whistler, the girl with the ribbon, and the man in a safari shirt who always kept his backpack with him.

I was extremely worried of what Melina could tell the professor.

‘Do not let him win’… I could not get her face out of my mind. The expression she had when she had said it…

But for the time being, she had taken refuge by Mr Whistler’s side and fallen quiet.

“Where are we going?”

Luke had asked this out of the blue, to no one in particular. This seemed to be a question he had meant to ask for a long time, and could no longer keep to himself.

“We’re here to see the biggest crown. Aren’t you?” the man with the backpack replied.

“B-but, where is it?”

“You will find out in a few more minutes, Luke,” the professor smiled as he continued rowing.

“I can’t believe that you were the one who shouted the boat’s name out loud, and yet that you still haven’t figured out the answer…”

The girl in the ribbon had blurted this out in a huffed mumble. The professor turned to her and asked:

“If I may, Miss…”

“‘Amelia’ will do.”

“Amelia,” he repeated with a light nod. “How did you get involved in this game?”

“Surely, a ticket to that opera is not something that a student like you could afford,” the man with the backpack agreed.

Amelia did not answer. Instead, Mr Whistler replied on her behalf:

“Miss Amelia did not buy a ticket. She was invited.”

This surprised me. Until now, I had assumed that every member of the audience had bought the expensive tickets on their own.

“I have lost my daughter, who so loved to sing… This is why I sent an invitation to some young women, so they could listen to this new opera on her behalf.”

On his daughter’s behalf… This still was the real reason behind the invitation, wasn’t it?

“And I thought that such special invitations should only be sent to equally special ladies. I used the London Times and other sources as reference… Miss Amelia is an incredible chess champion, and at such a young age!”

Mr Whistler’s words of praise were directed at the young lady in question, but they fell on deaf ears. I wondered if she had a different reason for participating… Such a young and pretty girl should not be involved in this sort of eternal life game.

As silence fell once more, I noticed that Professor Layton’s gaze was fixed on Melina. When she saw that he was smiling at her, she leaned closer to Mr Whistler, trying to avoid his gaze.

“She’s a shy little girl…” Mr Whistler said defensively.

“Mr Whistler, is it true that Melina was reborn with eternal life?” the professor asked.

Amelia and Mr Brock were both surprised to hear this, focusing their attention on Melina. Mr Whistler looked at me accusingly for a moment.

“Of course not. I adopted her, and it just so happens that she has the same name as my late daughter. That’s all there is to it.”

“But…”

I tried to tell him what Melina had said, but he interrupted me.

“Janice… I am very touched that you wish Melina could come back to life. But she is no longer with us…”

Tears welled up in his eyes.

“So I decided that I would live long, for my daughter’s sake. Then at some point, that man came to me and offered the idea to create an opera on the theme of ‘eternal life.’ I agreed to it… but I never thought it would come to this.”

Mr Whistler was looking at the floor and wiping his tears. I looked at him with great sadness.

At that moment…

“Aah!”

Luke stood up at the same time as his yell, causing the boat to rock for an instant, and he continued to fumble on his words afterwards. His gaze was fixed on a single thing.

“Professor, the ship! It’s shaped like a crown!”

I followed his finger pointing at the scene, and saw that it was true. The Crown Petone must have been designed in such way that this shape would appear once it became a ship…

“To everyone currently standing in a lifeboat, congratulations.”

The voice resonated from somewhere around us, and my heart immediately lept with fear. That man could not be found anywhere; only the anxiety he caused remained, perpetually close to us all.

His voice had to come from some sort of device, hidden somewhere, in order for it to reach the lifeboats.

“You have all moved a step closer to eternal life… Please enjoy your trip, as it will last for some time.”

To our surprise, mechanical rails emerged out of the lifeboat, and some sort of engine started by itself. The two lifeboats sped up, rapidly moving away from the Crown Petone…

…which, a moment later, exploded.

One, then two, then more deafening detonations resonated and reached our ears from afar. Bright red smoke from the blasts splashed across the night sky and the azure sea.

At the same time, countless debris started to rain down on the lifeboats.

I heard a scream coming from the other one, and it brought me back to reality. Melina! I had to protect this child!

I quickly held her in my arms and took cover at the bottom of the lifeboat.

　⇚　　　　　　　⇛

#professor layton #layton's book club #janice quatlane #melina whistler #oswald whistler #amelia ruth #hershel layton #luke triton #marco brock #eternal diva #eternal diva novel #translation #professor layton and the eternal diva #hey fun fact #at some point she started calling Marco Brock by name in the narration but by that point he didn't get to introduce himself yet #It's likely a mistake but oh well. I left it anyway. #I was curious to see how many of you would notice too :p