#and he said he's going to a very last minute festival and then straight back to Germany | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vividwritinglove · 2 years

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next door X - a Pierre Gasly series

hey babes - sorry that it took me so long to post another part of this story. but here it is! Enjoy! ♥️

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pairing: Pierre Gasly x fem!reader

warning: language, SMUT (minors dni)

word count: 4.2k

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Monday - the start into the Christmas week.

And there were many festivities coming up for Pierre and you, so that you could hardly see each other. On Tuesday Pierre would already left for Faenza to attend the annual Christmas party of Alpha Tauri. So he would be back in Milan by Wednesday, but at that day there was your Christmas dinner at work. On Friday, was already Christmas Eve and Pierre's flight would be in the morning to his parents in Rouen. You only had today or Thursday evening to spend with each other.

You came home from work in the early evening and went straight to the shower. Before Christmas it was especially stressful at work and you needed a cold shower to come down. Pierre and you didn't made plans for today yet. You had only exchanged messages this morning at work, but nothing more.

It is important to both of you, that everyone has their space and time for themselves. This would also strengthen the trust of your still very young relationship.

Relationship. That sounded so weird to you. After more than one and a half years you had a boyfriend again. A younger one, who is also very attractive and a known racing driver. When you think about it like that, it just sounded totally unreal.

Meanwhile you sat on your couch and made yourself comfortable with a glass of wine. Your cell phone display lit up and you began to hope that it was Pierre after all. Wrong: it was the group chat with your 3 best friends. They asked for a wine evening via Zoom. Since you didn't have plans anyway, already opened a bottle of white wine and actually canceled meetings with them far too often, you accepted the invitation. You set up your laptop on your dining table and made yourself comfortable in one of the lounge chairs.

"Oh my God!" your friends are squeaking in chorus as you join the Zoom meeting.

"The queen graces us."

You toasted to your girlfriends with your wine glass and patted yourself on the back.

"How are you? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

"I'm doing great - going to Milan was the best decision in my life. I love my new job, I'm having an incredible amount of fun, the city is beautiful, I live in this unbelievably amazing apartment..." you gushed and your friends were listening spellbound.

"And what about the neighbor?" the friend, you spoke to on the phone just last week, interrupts you.

"Wait a minute, what neighbor?" the other one asked, looking at you through the screen with wide eyes. You rolled your eyes and took a big sip from your wine glass. Sooner or later they would find out and preferably they should hear it from you.

"Tell me who is this ominous neighbor?!"

"His name is Pierre Gasly and he is a French racing driver in Formula 1." your friend took the answer away from you.

You leaned back in your chair, she should tell first what she had found out about Pierre.

"Look at him!" she said, holding up a photo of Pierre on her phone into her laptop camera, "Unbelievable, isn’t he?".

"Wow, that's what I call a handsome man. But he's younger than you, right?"

"He's 26! 26!!!" again your friend answered for you.

"Can you shut up and let Y/N talk?"

You were very amused by the whole situation. It felt like you have never left Munich. Calming down, you raised your hands and leaned forward to get closer to the laptop. Your friends continued to look at you with big eyes, waiting for you to speak.

"Yes, he's younger and really attractive." you smiled to yourself, making your friends squirm.

"So?"

"So what?" you asked innocently, taking another sip from your wine glass.

"Why are we talking about this hot and young neighbor? There's something you're not telling us..."

Again you just grinned and stroked the back of your neck with one hand, "What can I say...I guess I am not single anymore."

"I knew it! But no, there's nothing going on between the two of you!" your friend almost shouted upset and imitated you. The other two were also kinda shocked at first, however they were happy for you.

"Tell us everything. What's he like?"

"He really has a great character and his heart is in the right place. We used the last 2 weeks intensively to get to know each other better and since a few days we decided to date."

"And how is the sex?"

"You don't ask that..."

"I couldn't give you an answer anyway." you smiled at your friend's curiosity.

"Wait. What? You actually bought a pig in a poke?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, we've only had oral sex so far."

You had no problem talking openly with your girlfriends about your sex life. Ever since you were teenagers, you talked about these topics and even years later you were still giving each other advice or were talking about certain intimate stories and experiences.

"Sorry if I'm being so forward..."

"That's new!" you laughed.

"We've known each other for so long and if he wasn't good in bed, you would never have said yes to be in a relationship with him."

You pressed your lips hard together and automatically thought back to how incredibly well he ate you out and fingered you. Sex in a relationship is incredibly important to you and if the chemistry in the bedroom wasn't right, the relationship would be doomed to fail in your opinion.

Your friend indicated an ever-widening gap with her index fingers, grinning mischievously.

"Forget it! I'm not going to tell you how big his dick is!" you laughed as well.

"Oh, come on." she said disappointedly, "Is it at least a boyfriend dick?".

You smirked at that term, "You have no idea.".

Just as your friends were about to ask you more about Pierre and his sexual skills, there's a knock on your door.

"Is that the sexy neighbor?”

"You mean her boyfriend!"

"Open the door. I want to see him!"

"Oh my god, you guys. Calm down..."

You got up from your seat, "Behave yourselves and don't be too awkward, will you?".

As you left the table to go to your front door, you heard getting huffy comments about your statement.

You opened the door and a gasping out of breath Pierre stands before you.

"Ma belle!" he greeted you joyfully and took your face in his hands to kiss you. In the background you two heard increasing "Awww”‘s.

Pierre interrupted the kiss and looked confused in the direction of your laptop.

"I'm having a spontaneous, virtual wine night with my girls." you explained in a near whisper and Pierre nodded in understanding, "Then maybe I should say hello...".

Without you prompting him, he walked up to the laptop and propped himself up on the tabletop, "Bonjour, ladies!".

He smiled mischievously at the camera and you saw the effect he had on your friends after just a few seconds. They were fascinated by him.

"I'm sorry to crash your wine date. However, I need my girlfriend's expertise urgently."

Your friends could barely get their words out and stammered something to themselves.

"I hope to see you in real life soon. Have a nice evening." smiled Pierre and slowly closed your laptop.

"I'll call you!" you shouted before he closed the laptop completely.

"I guess, I'm not supposed to know what you were talking about?" he asked as he turned back to you.

"Better not..." you whispered against his lips and kissed him passionately in response. After a few moments you detached yourself from him. Only now you noticed that there sweat was on his forehead.

"Why are you so sweaty?"

"Oh!" he said and jogged casually back to your front door, "I have something to show you!".

Skeptically, you followed him. You couldn't place his exuberant joy. Arriving at the door, you saw what was already waiting for you in the hallway: piles of boxes.

"Pierre... what's this?"

"Christmas decorations!" he said proudly, standing right next to the boxes.

"Oh my god!" you gasped in shock. You weren't in the mood for that at all.

"I want to spice up my apartment a little for the holidays and since I already have the world's best interior designer as my girlfriend, I should take advantage of it."

"You're effectively not here as of tomorrow. There's no point in decorating for Christmas."

"Exactly, the only chance left is today!"

Pierre couldn't be dissuaded from his plan, so you helped him carrying the boxes into his apartment.

Half an hour later, you had roughly inspected the contents of the boxes and were putting together a rough concept with the existing decorations in your head.

Pierre, on the other hand, was setting up a small, artificial Christmas tree in the corner of his living room. He was clearly enjoying it and humming Christmas carols to himself. You shook your head with a smile and began to unpack the first decorations out of the boxes. It was still a mystery to you how anyone could love Christmas that much. However, his anticipation was very contagious and so it was easy for you to decorate Pierre's apartment for Christmas.

Although you would call yourself the Grinch, you'll turned Pierre's living area into a cozy winter wonderland. Not too tacky, but still Christmasy enough. Pierre is thrilled and stands in the living room with both hands on his hips to look at everything.

"You really have talent! Ever thought of doing your own business?"

You laughed as you put the leftover decorations back into the boxes, "Too much paperwork!".

Pierre turned to you and helped you pack. In a few minutes, everything was stowed and the boxes were put away in his storage closet. Satisfied, you look at each other. "Good teamwork!" said Pierre with a smile and pulled you closer to him, into a tight hug.

Pleasurably you breathed in his scent and wrapped your arms around his neck. His presence just did you good.

"Thank you." purred Pierre into the crook of your neck and then gave you a loving kiss on the forehead. You looked up to him, into his wonderful blue eyes. You were hopelessly addicted to this man. Pierre puts his forehead against yours, your noses touched. You closed your eyes and you felt his breath on your Cupid’s bow. You two stayed in this position for a few seconds, enjoying the intimacy. Then his lips gently rested on yours. Only too gladly you intensified the kiss and open your mouth. Pierre immediately took this chance and let his tongue slip into your mouth.

After a few minutes, you break off your kiss. Your faces are still close to each other. He puts his hands on your hips to keep you close to him.

"I have to get up very early tomorrow." he sighs against your lips.

"I know..." you whisper disappointedly.

"I would love to take you with me."

"Next time."

Pierre smiled at the thought of taking you to Alpha Tauri's next official event.

"See you on Thursday night?" you asked as Pierre walked you to your apartment door.

"Absolutely!" Pierre agreed immediately and you two kissed goodbye again, "Bonne nuit, ma belle.".

The time without Pierre passed by slower than expected. In the last 2 weeks you saw each other every day, it almost seemed like you were in rehab now. How should you get through the holidays? You are almost embarrassed by your thoughts. Never before have you felt so dependent on the affection and touch of a single man.

Pierre sent you some photos of his stay in Faenza. Among other things, photos and selfies of himself in a suit. He is so insanely attractive, that it was almost outrageous.

A day later you returned the favor and sent him photos of you in a festive dress, elegant but still sexy. Pierre showered you with compliments. He would love to be with you and rip the dress off your body. He couldn't wait to see you on Thursday.

It was already afternoon as you start preparing for your dinner together. For the love of Pierre you had also decorated your apartment a little for Christmas, very discreetly though.

You are excited. You couldn't even explain why. You are just happy to see him again and spend time with him.

You quickly set the table while the food simmers on the stove and in the oven.

Afterwards you freshened up and put on the new lingerie set with the suspenders and stockings that you bought a few days ago. It's supposed to be a surprise for Pierre, so at least he had something to unwrap. Over it you wore a knee-length black silk dress with spaghetti straps. You left your hair open with light curls and put on a scarlet-red lipstick.

As you lit the last candles, there was a soft knock on your door. Your heart beats faster and before you opened the door to Pierre, you checked yourself once more in the mirror, stroke your dress straight and fixed your hair.

With an enchanting smile, you greeted Pierre, whose eyes immediately widened at the sight of you. His mouth was slightly open with excitement and his eyes examined your body several times.

"Are those for me?" you broke the silence and pointed to the large bouquet of red baccarat roses.

Pierre shook his head slightly to wake up from his daydream of you, "Of course, ma belle!".

Gratefully, you took the bouquet and lead the way. On the way to your living area, you wiggled extra with your butt to get Pierre already a little heated. The whole days you were excited and today would have been the last chance for a common night in a longer time.

Your plan worked out. Pierre's gaze immediately wandered to your butt, which was perfectly displayed in the silk dress. His mouth went completely dry, he would have loved to just grab you and fuck you right on the dining table. He wants nothing more than to make love to you. The little teasing and oral sex were great, but he finally wanted to feel you completely.

After putting the flowers in a vase of water, you finally turned to Pierre.

"I can't remember ever getting such a great bouquet of flowers!" you gushed, putting your arms around his shoulders, "Thank you!".

"You look beautiful." sighs Pierre, running his fingers along your sides, over the soft fabric of your dress. His delicate touches and the French accent had you wet right away. How on earth were you going to get through this dinner.

"Are you going to kiss me or not?" you asked Pierre almost impatiently, "By the way, the lipstick is kiss-proof!".

Pierre grinned and pressed a loving kiss on your red and full lips, "Too bad, I wouldn't mind a few marks...".

The sexual attraction between you was almost unbearable. Pierre's hands moved over your hips and pushed you against the edge of the table. He grabbed your thighs and set you down on the tabletop, spreading your legs to stand between them.

With your fingers, you undo the buttons of his sport jacket to run your hands over his torso. During this, you kiss intimately, almost as if you hadn't seen each other in weeks. Pierre's hands pull the silk fabric over your thighs and his fingers move to your inner thighs. Before he can run his hands over your lacy thong, you are startled apart by the oven's alarm clock.

"Dinner's ready," you gasped against his lips.

"I'd rather have dessert right now."

"I’ve put so much effort in it..." you pouted and Pierre can't help but to kiss your pouty lips again.

You let yourself slide off the tabletop and brushed against his hard crotch as you passed by. Pierre moaned slightly under your touch. You felt like playing today. It should be fine with him.

While you prepared the dishes, Pierre admired your small but fine Christmas decoration. He knew that you did it especially for him. He grinned and then spotted a new book display on the large shelf with the books and many picture frames.

A double-page spread of his Monza victory smiled at him. He couldn't help but grin at his photos, "I look pretty good on your shelf!".

"Except for the blonde hair."

"What do you have against the blonde hair?! I thought it looked awesome on me."

Pierre was starting to sound a little appalled by your statement.

"I’m just into brunettes." you laughed placatingly and gestured him to come to the table.

"Good, me too." he said mischievously, winking at you.

Pierre seemed to enjoy the food, even asking for a second serving. You chatted animatedly about the upcoming Christmas with the Gasly family. He loved his many nieces and nephews, but after a few days, the constant exposure to the kids was a bit too much for him.

"Do you have plans now for the up coming days?" he asked you.

"I'm going to stay here. I have a little catching up to do on my Formula 1 knowledge."

Even though he didn't liked to hear that you will be alone for the next few days, he smiled anyway since you are very interested in his passion and his life. Once again you spend a nice evening with many conversations.

"Will you excuse me?" you asked, after emptying your glass of white wine.

"Of course." he answered immediately.

You went to the bathroom and behind the door hung the short satin coat you had bought to match the lingerie set. A little bit of courage you had taken on. You were desperate to impress Pierre. God, it almost felt like you were about to have your first time. Almost timidly, you peeled the dress off your body and let it fall to the floor. You looked at yourself in the mirror, the lingerie set off your body perfectly and the suspenders even made you feel a little sinful.

With this newfound confidence, you put on your coat and tied it loosely so that Pierre could see at first glance what awaited him. Before going back to the living area, you prepared the bedroom by lighting some scented candles and dimming the light.

On tiptoes you went back to Pierre in the living room. He had made himself comfortable on your sofa. He was sitting with his back to you, so he didn't saw you approaching. In the meantime, he had taken off his jacket and was wearing only a dark, tight-fitting T-shirt. Gently you put your hands on his muscular shoulders and massaged him lightly.

Pierre looked up, directly into your angelic face. Your hands now moved over his chest muscles to his abs. Pierre relaxed and puts his head in his neck and the noticed that you have changed your clothes. He immediately turned towards you and can hardly hide his amazement.

A little shy you presented yourself and played with the bow of the silk coat.

"I thought we'd skip dessert and instead you'd unwrap your Christmas present in the bedroom."

"Definitely!" exclaimed Pierre euphorically, jumping over the back of your sofa. You didn't expected such a tumultuous reaction and laughed as he lifted you up and carried you into the bedroom.

Greedily you wrapped your legs around his middle and Pierre placed his hands under your butt. As you enter your bedroom, you are both surrounded by a sensual atmosphere. Pierre laid you down on the bed. Sexy, you placed yourself on it and watched Pierre slipping his t-shirt over his head.

This man is your kryptonite. Aroused at the sight of his naked upper body, you opened your legs. Seeing you in that sexy lingerie was just too much for Pierre. Greedily he licked his lips and now opened his belt. The sexual attraction between you two was so thick, you could’ve cut it with a knife. Pierre stripped off his pants and adjusted his hard cock with one hand through his boxers.

Slowly but firmly, he approached you and climbed onto the bed. His dominant presence left you breathless. With nimble hand movements he opened the bow of your coat and can now admire you in full glory.

"So fucking beautiful." he murmured and kissed your belly button, which was just barely visible above the garter belt.

"This is the best Christmas present ever." he whispered against your skin and moved his mouth up to your breasts. Pleasurably you laid your head back in your pillow and enjoyed Pierre's caresses of your breasts.

"Don't you want to unpack further?" you asked curiously and also impatiently. Pierre's almost naked sight and his touches have already made you so wet.

Pierre straightened up again and looked at you intensely, "Just a little.".

He loosened the suspenders from your stockings to take off your thong, which he threw carelessly behind him and then puts the suspenders back on.

A bit irritated you looked at him. Pierre just grinned, lightly stroking the stockings and the lace of your suspenders, then diving in between your legs to kiss your inner thighs. You were about to burst and to show him how much and where you needed him, you grabbed his hair and directed him to your hot and wet core.

"So impatient." Pierre groaned and his breath against your core made you whimper. He complied with your request by putting his lips around your clit and sucking it into his mouth. You arched your back and moaned lustfully. Damn he was so good at this. Quickly he managed to bring you into ecstasy, your breathing was getting heavier and your moans louder. Pleasurably you closed your eyes and waited for an insane orgasm to rush over you. However, nothing came, simply nothing. Startled, you looked up, Pierre had detached himself from you and was now bent over you.

Gasping and full of expectation you looked at him. His eyes were so dark, hardly a single shade of blue could be seen. His gaze was animalistic and full of lust. The way he was looking at you like that, was driving you crazy.

"Pierre, I need you!" you whispered longingly to his lips, writhing under him. Your pleading was enough. He quickly stripped off his boxers, meanwhile you retrieved a condom from the top drawer of your nightstand and handed it to Pierre.

He deftly unwrapped it and slipped it over his hard cock. Again he bends down to you, this time to kiss you passionately. Eagerly you returned the kiss and put your hands on his neck. Pierre lined himself up in front of your entrance and slowly but firmly entered you.

You had to interrupt the kiss as you felt him completely inside you. Again you moaned and threw your head to the side lustfully as he stretched you out. Pierre now began to move and caressed your exposed neck with kisses.

You wanted more - You needed more. You wanted to feel him even more intensely. Therefore you embraced his center with your legs, so he could thrust into you even deeper. Your hands kept running along his broadly built shoulders. Quickly you found a rhythm that suited both of you and Pierre kept hitting your G-spot, making you claw your nails into his back.

He already knew how beautiful you sounded moaning, but this time it was on a different level. It was so sensual and him fucking you in sexy suspenders was pure satisfaction for him. You looked so beautiful and felt so perfect around him. Pierre could hardly believe his luck. He had imagined your first time to be great, but his expectations were exceeded. He couldn't help but look at you again and again. You were in a sexual delirium by now. Pierre's thrusts were getting harder and harder and that warm and beautiful feeling was spreading inside you. The last few weeks it had built up to this moment and finally it was time for the much longed release.

Pierre increased his speed once again. He also felt that you were getting tighter and tighter - your muscles closed tightly around him.

"Ma belle." he breathed and had to kiss you once more. Your bedroom was filled with your moans. Wonderful erotic sounds. Only a few more thrusts were missing for both of you to climax. Your thighs pressed even tighter around Pierre's middle and then it washed over you.

Out of full passion you almost screamed Pierre's name, which was the last bit for him to cum as well. Together you came down from your highs. Pierre laid on top of you exhausted and buried his face in the crook of your neck.

Immediately your hand wanders into his hair and caressed him. Both of you were completely out of breath, enjoying the moment of togetherness. Pierre rolled over to the other side of the bed and looked at you smiling. He left an emptiness inside you, which you wanted to fill with a second round. You brushed a few strands of hair out of your face and bit your lower lip as you thought about how incredibly well Pierre had just fucked you. You were definitely hungry for more.

Pierre seemed to be able to read your mind, "Just give me a moment." he said, still a little out of breath. Grinning mischievously at him, you sat up. With a quick flick of your hands, you undo the clasp of your bra, toss it at him and lasciviously shook your hair.

"Fuck!" he murmured at the sight of you and licked his lips.

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taglist: @hungryhungarian @scotlynaurora @justthatgirlxox @hannahholland1811 @dr3lover

#pierre gasly #pierre gasly x reader #pierre gasly smut #pg10 #f1 #f1 smut #pierre gasly imagine #pierre gasly fanfic

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talesofsorrowandofruin · 1 month

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OC in Fifteen Tag

Thanks for tagging me, @illarian-rambling! :D

I'll do this for Ilaran from The Power and the Glory:

"Believe me," the prince said, in a quiet but composed voice. He picked up the candle snuffer and began to extinguish the candles. "I'm only making this journey now because of my uncle."

"How can you deliver a message? You don't have pockets as a snake."

"Let me get this straight. You're trying to raise the dead to win a bet?"

"How in the world is it preventing blackmail?" Over the last few minutes Ilaran had gained the bewildered expression common among people who talked to Abi. "You're just creating more blackmail material."

"You're approximately the two hundredth person to tell me that today."

"We'll need alcohol for this discussion. A lot of alcohol."

"She claims a walking corpse interrupted the festival. Very well then, the empress will say, show me the corpse. Obviously she can't. The next question would be, Are you certain it was a corpse? Haliran will be in a predicament. If she insists it was one, she'll have to explain how she's so certain and why it didn't act like any of the other reanimated dead in the records. If she claims you raised it, with no evidence to support any of her story, she'll be laughed out of the palace."

"Well, what are we to do about it? I don't think she'll give up necromancy because we ask nicely. She's obsessed with it. Besides," he remembered the ghosts in Haliran's house, "a necromancer could be very useful in some situations."

"What's happening out there? Another assassin?" Ilaran appeared in the doorway behind Koyuki. "Oh, it's you. What's she done now?"

"What do you mean, I'm not going to stay dead? Dead people don't come back to life."

"I won't let you win. You'll win anyway because I'm terrible at chess."

"Forgive me for not trusting the word of a bastard. Especially not one who'll inherit everything if I die before our dear father."

"I'd like her to see me become king before she dies," he said wistfully. Then he turned to Nuvildu. "Would you help me kill our father?"

"I wish I could go back in time just to tell the emperor of Seroyawa what I think of his parenting methods."

"All right," Ilaran said at last. "But if this goes as badly wrong as I expect, I'll do my best to drag you down with me."

Tagging @sam-glade, @iamwritehere, @emelkae, @dogmomwrites, and anyone else who wants to do this! :D

#tag game #writing #my writing #my WIPs #WIP: necromancer

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elronds-pointy-ears · 1 year

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At your Mercy Chapter 7

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Pairing: Gil-Galad x human! fem! Reader

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1973

Summary: Dramatic elf makes his entrance and cute moment with Gil-Galad. Let the festivities commence.

Thank you for reading 💜

It was a hectic day. You ran from one place to the next. Being the High Kings sort of manager you had a lot to do. Especially the days when his herold was absent. You carried a lot on your shoulders at court. It turned out you were handling it well and the High King appeared to be pleased with the work you managed to get done. Downside was that he had high expectations. He saw your negotiating with other elves, high ranked ones at that and he saw you had a hand for these political matters. You should be proud how far you‘ve come in such a short time but at times like these you would rather just have a simple life with a simple job. Your excellent work had you now running around like a wild chicken because the elven Lord Oropher was yours to take care of.

The elf was a menace. He had much to complain and very little praise for anything. If you had to decide who the most unlikeable elf was you would not have to think long. He stood only 5 feet away from you with his long blonde hair, blowing in the wind. He stood tall next to his kin, head held high and a piercing gaze. „Y/N is it? I want to retreat to my quarters now. Go ahead and tell them to arrange everything!“ You were not sure what exactly he meant so you stood for a moment contemplating what exactly he was talking about. „What are you waiting for? Off you go!“ he commanded. With that you decided to just listen to him and walk straight to the closest maiden. „Excuse me. Lord Oropher sends me to let you know he wants everything ‚arranged‘ in his quarters?“ you told her with a questioning undertone hinting at your confusion. „Lord Oropher oh my? He is here already? I will take care of it right now. Thank you for letting me know.“ With that she was off leaving you still clueless what he meant by „arranged“.

Deciding not to dwell on this arrogant elf and his stupid desires for one more minute you went to the first place that came to mind when you thought about a peaceful moment, the big tree you admired so much. After spending the whole day as Orophers personal slave you had had enough. You needed a break, fresh air and just really some peace.

You made your way up the hill. The sun was about to set and it‘s rays set the land in a golden light. Standing in front of the tree you saw far over the city. The pinkish and orange sky took your breath away. You closed your eyes and you felt your tense shoulders relax. This is more than you initially thought you would get by coming up here but this view was absolutely everything to get your spirits back up. You stood there for a long time just breathing, basking in the warmth of the last rays of light the sun was casting over the lands when you felt a presence next to you. You kept your eyes closed and prepared for someone to interrupt your peaceful moment. A few moments passed and you could not hear anything. Whoever stood next to you granted you a few more seconds of peace. Out of curiosity you decided to open your eyes and see who came to stand next to you.

„Oh. High King“ you blurted. „I uh excuse me your grace I was not aware someone was here.“ you lied trying to smooth out your clothes to make you more presentable. You figured it would be the easiest way out of this situation. „Do not worry Y/N I am just here to do the same as you.“ he said turning his head from looking at you to the far lands ahead. „What I am doing?“ you questioned. Honestly you had no idea what exactly you were doing here. You were just standing around. „You are running away from Oropher.“ he smirked. „I understand how dramatic he can be. I am stressed out as well.“ Another pause. None of you spoke and it was a comfortable silence until Gil-Galad decided to let you in on a tiny piece of information about him no one really knew. „In fact when I am stressed out I come here. It is a peaceful place and usually the only place in the city that can be found free of anyone.“ You turned to face him trying to apologize „Oh I am so sorry I did not know I will not come here if you wish this place to be..“ you babbled but his deep baritone interrupted you „No I am not saying you are unwelcome Y/N.“ he stared back into your eyes. The sun kissed your skin and made it glow in beautiful golden hues. His favorite colour.

„What I am trying to say is that I am grateful you are here. Having to listen to Oropher all day and doing his biddings is exhausting and by handling him you are taking away a lot of that weight from my shoulders.“ You held his gaze. Something about his dark orbs in the light did wonders and you felt drawn to him. „I uh thank you.“ you stammered. His eyes bored into yours and he towered over you, but not in a threatening way. No in a friendly, warm way.

This was the first time you felt relaxed in his presence. Maybe it was the time you spent together, working for him, that you finally got used to it. Maybe it was just the utterly exhausting Oropher who in comparison was way worse than the High King could ever be. Or his soft deep words of gratitude that made your heart swell in your chest. His eyes dipped down to your lips for a moment and your eyes did the same. His lips look so soft and kissable right now. You wondered what they would feel like... STOP!!

You shook your head, feeling your ears heat up from embarrassment. You must have hit your head or something since you‘ve been training with Glorfindel. These inappropriate thoughts had been plaguing your mind recently and it only seemed to happen more often the more time you spent with the High-King.

Little did you know the High King stared at you for a moment longer than he should have. He saw your expression change quickly and it brought a smile to his lips. He saw your ears turning a slight shade of pink like the sky above and he enjoyed seeing you so flustered.

Before he could think of anything to say to make you blush more you straightened up beside him. „Very well I am going to retire to my quarters now. I am sure Lord Oropher will have demands tomorrow morning so I better not get to bed too late. Have a good evening, your grace.“ With that you turned on your heels and headed back down to your room, leaving the High King pondering.

In the morning you woke up tired and sleepy. You had trouble sleeping. The events from yesterday still clouded your mind and you could hardly get Gil-Galad out of your mind. Even though you were alone in your room, he was present in the back of your head. Everything about him seemed to be so perfect. He was not just nice to look at no. What actually surprised you was, that he was actually a good person in just an attractive body. At first you thought he was as arrogant as any elven King would be. But after a while he showed you more facettes of his true character. He was a King and a ruler to most. But there were many other parts of him hidden behind the facade of the High-King. He proved to be kind and warmhearted. You spent most of the night wondering about the many other sides the great elven King might have hidden behind the mask he wore at all times.

Oropher was not helping, as he had requested you to accompany him on his morning ride through the woods. After preparing everything for him you had a few minutes of peace riding alongside the blonde elf. All you had to do now was listen to his endless bickering about humans. He disagreed on many things humans did. Especially the way they treated nature and the very place they call home. Destroying more than creating or nurturing their homeland. After a few minutes he paused and just admired the view.

„I have always preferred the woods. They are so calm and eternal. This is where I feel most peaceful. Don‘t you agree Y/N?“ Oropher said, waiting for your response. „I do like the woods as well, yes. They are full of life and mysterious. You never know what to expect behind the next tree.“ you agreed. As much as you wanted to rebel against Orophers opinions you could not disagree because he was simply stating the truth. Humans were awful beings. Sometimes worse than the dwarves could ever be. It was terrifying to think about all the bad things happening at the very moment, somewhere in the world at the hands of humans. And the woods you did not even have to act like you liked them. How could anyone not like the trees that stood in the very place for thousands of years. The rest of the ride was relatively relaxed and not too exhausting. Oropher seemed to be a better company in the presence of trees you thought.

When you came back to the city you heard Oropher asking for a servant to bring him tea to his quarters and prepare a bath. He talked about not going to the festivities without a proper bath and you nearly facepalmed. You had forgotten about the day. It was the High-Kings birthday. They would hold a ceremony this evening in the High Kings name with music, food and dances. You quickly made your way over to Oropher to ask if he needed anything else. He waved you off, already heading to his quarters.

Nearly tripping over your own feet you speed-walked to your own to get everything sorted before heading to Elrond and the other elves to make sure everything has been prepared and is ready for the celebration held in about four hours from now on. You found Elrond after a while walking around the many elves running around carrying boxes of wine or fireworks, tables and seats had already been arranged and a dancefloor had formed in between them. „Y/N there you are.“ Elrond came strutting over to you and stood beside you. „How has your day been? I hope Oropher behaved?“ he raised one eyebrow at you. You laughed „Ha, you mean to ask if he ever behaved, right?“. The ellon beside you laughed out loud at that. „Just what I‘ve been thinking,“ he mused. Elrond and you helped wherever a set of hands was needed and slowly the gardens turned into a mesmerizing scenery.

Everyone kept working on decorations and preparations for the evening and after about two hours the splace had changed completely. The party was set to be in the already pretty gardens and beautiful lanterns lit every corner in a warm and welcoming light. Pretty flowers adorned the wooden tables creating a magical ambience. Soft tunes could be heard from the musicians that had started to play and you headed back to your quarters to get dressed for the occasion. In about 30 minutes the celebration was supposed to start and you needed to clean up a bit, before jumping in a wonderful dark green dress.

Tagging @lotrnonsense / @captainbutterflygirl2 @thesolarangel @lazymeriadoc @bananaphanta @betty-not-boop @fenharel-enaste @eowyn7023

#at your mercy #at your mercy fic #gil-galad #gil-galad x reader #gil-galad fic #mywork #update

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dragonmuse · 2 years

Text

@believesinponds wanted to see Izzy calling Lucius 'angel' in 'wake myself in the shadows'.

“It’s about buried desire and how that can manifest in other places in someone’s life,” Charlie arched his hand through the air, miming a crash landing. “When you repress one part of yourself and it appears as the things that most frighten you.”

“Is it?” Lucius asked skeptically. They were sitting on the couch in the living room, the last of the sunset spreading over them. He’d only gotten in a few hours ago, but he’d already come twice, gotten mildly stoned, and was now being interrogated about the movies Charlie had asked him to watch. “Cause I was stuck on the creepy fucking clown.”

“He is freaky as fuck,” Charlie agreed with a laugh. “But c’mon, you know what I’m saying.”

“Oh yeah, it’s pretty intensely about pretending you’re not gay, I got it. I just wish it hadn't been via ruining balloons and Paul Bunyan for me forever.”

There was the quiet clink of keys and then the front door swung open. Izzy walked in, discarding some kind of mail into the bin by the door and then bending down to take off his shoes. Charlie was watching him intently even as he kept on talking.

“The thing is, I bet King had no idea what he was really putting in the book. I could write another dissertation on how ostensibly straight authors-”

“Always write the gayest possible books,” Izzy completed for him, striding over. “Are you lecturing again?”

“We were having a very nice conversation,” Charlie said tartly, eyes bright. When Izzy leaned down to kiss him, Charlie slid hands around his waist.

Lucius reached for his water glass. This was probably going to take a few minutes and he was going to watch the show well-hydrated. Sure enough, Izzy practically climbed into Charlie’s lap and the kiss went filthy. Izzy’s shirt was shoved upward, Charlie’s busy hands sliding upwards until Izzy made a deep grunt and pulled very slowly away.

“Demon,” Izzy said, then dusted a kiss over Charlie’s cheek and another on the tip of his nose.

Then he turned to take in Lucius. Lucius gave him a little finger-wave with a shit-eating grin because being obnoxious wasn’t a hobby, but a way of life. Izzy lifted his eyebrows and then he was on Lucius, kissing him with the same intensity. It was a bit of a shock, usually Charlie and Izzy needed a few minutes to bring each other to a boil before they turned that heat on Lucius. Like they were tempering chocolate or something.

“Hi,” Lucius said a little breathless as Izzy pulled back. Izzy’s dark eyes bore into him, and Lucius held eye contact as long as he wanted it. It did something fuzzy to his brain.

“Angel,” Izzy said softly, then pushed up and off the couch. Lucius’ heart stuttered treacherously in his chest.

“I suppose everything’s relative,” he managed to volley back. “I can only be angelic in comparison to a real hellion.”

“Fuck off,” Charlie laughed. Izzy didn’t so much as crack a smile. He just kissed Lucius again, then reached back to rub over Charlie’s head affectionately before disappearing into the bathroom.

“Shit,” Lucius sank back against the couch, almost spilling his water all over himself.

“I know, right?”

Generally, Lucius retreated to the guest room when the festivities were over. This was for both practical (the bed wasn’t really big enough for three) and mental health (time to rebuild boundaries, remember what was what, and text Pete a little) reasons. It was also not something Charlie or Izzy ever tried to re-negotiate. They tended to circle the wagons a bit afterward, collapsing back into their bubble of two.

Tonight, Lucius definitely had to shower before bed. He was slightly tacky to the touch which was gross and thrilling. He sluiced himself off thoroughly, using Charlie’s ludicrously expensive soap that came in a glass bottle and smelled like a rich hot guy. It probably had a real scent profile, but that’s all it made Lucius think of. Sometimes when he got home, Pete would rub himself over Lucius like a cat and Lucius didn't fucking blame him, he smelled amazing.

Izzy used cheap shit, apparently undeterred by Charlie’s better taste.

When Lucius got out of the shower, Izzy was brushing his teeth, still stripped down and his hair a wreck. One of them had left deep scratches on his back, a few dots of dried blood scattered in them.

“You should put some neosporin on those,” Lucius grabbed a towel.

“Mm,” Izzy went on brushing, opened a drawer, found the tube and tossed it at Lucius, who miraculously caught it.

“Demanding,” Lucius snorted, but he threw the towel over his shoulder and started dabbing at the rawer spots.

Spitting into the basin, Izzy caught his gaze in the mirror. Lucius gave him a wink and a turned the last dab into a slight caress before taking a step back. Izzy turned to face him, leaning against the sink.

Naked and unabashed, Izzy didn’t look any younger. There was gray in his pubic hair and his body had clearly weathered more storms. But his strength was more obvious too, the places where he wouldn’t bend or break if you pushed at him. It was all very attractive, even when not counterbalanced by Charlie’s ridiculous swimmer’s build and glowing vitality.

“I made you uncomfortable. Earlier.”

“When?” Lucius yanked his gaze back to Izzy’s face.

“When I called you angel.”

"Uncomfortable?” Lucius considered. “It surprised me. But it’s good. I liked it.”

“Good,” Izzy pushed off the counter, got into Lucius' space, but didn’t press any closer. “You are. Angel of our better natures.”

“I-”

Izzy pulled him down, kissed him thoroughly then turned on his heel and left.

Damn the man.

The name, obviously, stuck after that. Izzy called him ‘angel’ more often than his name. So it was probably inevitable that one day Charlie would be on the phone with him,

“What about the 12th?” he asked.

“Mmm, maybe, but the 18th would be better, “ Lucius had his calendar open. “I would have the whole day free.”

“The 18th....yeah, we can do that. Should I bring the whole costume, you think?”

“Why not? It’ll take up, what? A square inch of your bag?” Lucius grinned.

“Hey, there’s a hat,” Charlie mock pouted at him.

“How could I forget? It really makes the non-existent piece.”

“I- ah crap. I have to run. Talk to you before then?”

“Probably,” Lucius switched tabs, pulling back up the spreadsheet he’d been working on before the call. “Text at least.”

“Okay, angel,” Charlie said lightly. “Talk then.”

And the call ended. Lucius stared blankly at numbers for a solid minute.

Lucius: You really are a demon.

Charlie: Israel never lies. The devil never has to.

#leda house and the kraken verse #ficlet #wake myself in the shadows #charlie bonnet #izzy hands #lucius black

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pleasurebuttonwrites · 1 year

Text

the privateer & me

Chapter 1 sturmhond x ofc | 2.3k | rating: teen Masterlist

Saskia Zimová is part of the crew aboard the Volkvolny. At the annual captain's party, she gets some face time with Captain Sturmhond.

author's note: this is set prior to the events of shadow & bone. first of 6 chapters. content: alcohol use

~~~

I had been part of the crew for the better part of a year. I had joined just after the last annual captain’s party, and endured the many stories about all that I had missed. Needless to say I was pretty excited to attend tonight.

The annual captain’s party wasn’t as lavish I expected. Sure, the captain himself was dressed in elegance, looking like some kind of nobility. But for the rest of us, we didn’t have any fine clothes. For one, there were no other occasions for it — more likely it would get ruined just being on the ship, or stuffed into our packs in the small space allowed us in our quarters. And for two, none of us had the extra cash to purchase something just for the night. And if we did we wouldn’t waste it on that.

The captain’s quarters — where he held the party — were beautiful. A gorgeous fireplace, surrounded by bookshelves filled with books with leather covers and glittering spines, polished tables and chairs with plush cushions set up for various games, a large seating area with couches and chairs, a long dining table filled with delicacies — which I had been in the galley helping to make all day — and wines and liquor and ale.

When I showed up — after fixing and re-fixing my hair half a dozen times — the party was already in full swing. A few of the crew had brought their instruments and were performing a hearty jig and people were gathered around them dancing. I went straight to the buffet and loaded up a plate. The scent of the food had been tantalizing me all day and we’d had express orders not to sample anything.

I was making the rounds, trying to decide where I wanted to settle for awhile, wolfing down the food, when he came up to me.

“Miss Zimová, welcome,” Captain Sturmhond said. “How are you finding the evening so far?”

He held his hand out to me in greeting. I had to pull my fingers from my mouth and wipe them quickly on my pants before placing my hand in his. I was cursing myself for not grabbing a napkin. To his credit, he didn’t appear to mind.

I chewed quickly and swallowed around the lump of food, which was a pity because I was hoping to savor it. I had to clear my throat before answering. “It’s lovely, Captain. I’m very grateful for your generosity.”

“I’m happy to hear that you find it satisfactory. Please enjoy yourself.”

It wasn’t the first time I’d spoken to him, but it was the first conversation — however brief — that wasn’t about my duties on the ship.

After clearing my plate, I found an open spot at a card table. I played several happy rounds, winning some, losing some, but having fun the whole time. I hadn’t realized Mac was so funny, he was always so grumpy while going about his duties. Marnie promised to show me how to shuffle and spread cards like that. But after a couple of hours, everyone seemed to be well into their cups. What had been funny turned into incomprehensible nonsense. Conversation, connection, severed by glassy eyes and sullen silence. Arguments over the game flared up and no reason or sense could put them out. I excused myself and walked a lap around the room. The dance floor no longer resembled dancing, there were only fools stumbling over each other. The other tables similarly had red faced revelers, swaying unsteadily to some rhythm in their hearts. The crowd had thinned considerably. I had heard that some come for the good food — only made once a year — and wine, and to have their minute of face time with the captain, then leave.

After hearing about the festivities for so long I didn’t want to just leave. After all, what was I going to do? Just go back to my bunk? I spent every night there. Instead, I ignored the people and took a special interest in the room itself. The captain had a special collection of figurines I found rather intriguing. But the man himself was across the room, deep in conversation, and without him to ask about them, there was nothing more to gain from staring at them.

I left the books for last, my true interest. I resolved that if I should not find his taste compatible with mine, I should leave. I was surprised by what I found. I had assumed they would all be tedious novels about man’s love affair with the sea. Instead, there were books about adventure, mysteries, and even romance. It was one of these that I selected from the shelves. A book by a beloved author of mine that I hadn’t had the occasion to pick up from a shop.

There were still some attendees in conversation in the seating area, others were half-asleep and some were lip-locked. I found a seat unattended on one of the couches. I cracked the book and lifted the pages to my nose. It smelled fresh and comforting and full of possibilities.

After a while I had the couch to myself and I laid across it, my preferred position for reading. I was somewhat aware of people leaving, indeed Marnie came over to say good night, as did others I knew from the galley. But I was not aware of time passing.

I turned to the last page, sad that the story was ending, but with my heart full from the events. After I had finished I shut the book and held it to my chest. I wasn’t ready to return to life, wanting to grasp at the ever-dissolving tendrils of the story world instead.

“What did you think?”

His voice pulled me firmly into the real world. I startled and looked over to find Captain Sturmhond seated in one of the arm chairs near the couch. He was facing me and I had the sense that he’d been there for some time.

I sat up quickly. “Forgive me. I-”

I was suddenly aware of the quiet. With a small sense of foreboding, I cast a glance around the room to find it completely empty.

I stood up. “I’m very sorry, Captain. I didn’t realize how late it was.”

I made to go but he said, “Sit.”

I did as I was told. He didn’t seem angry, but my heart was beating fast. I had done something I wasn’t supposed to, I felt that acutely.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

My mind was completely blank and I struggled in my panic to remember what he had asked me.

A smile played on his lips as he said, “What did you think of the book?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry-”

“Miss Zimová, if you apologize to me again, I shall have to make sure there is something for you to be sorry about.”

My breath caught, but something about the mischief in his eyes told me he wasn’t serious.

“S-” I began again and had to bite my lip to stop myself. I think he chuckled.

I cleared my throat and started again. “I found it surprising.”

He leaned forward at that. “How so?”

“Well,” I said thinking, “I was sure Valerie would choose Avery.”

He seemed to find that delightful. “Is that who you would choose?”

I tried to hide my shock. It seemed like such a personal question. I didn’t mind, exactly. I just wasn’t expecting it. “If I felt the way that Valerie had, yes, absolutely.”

“Even though Barnaby could give her the life she deserved?”

“But she didn’t love Barnaby! Not like that. She loved Avery, still loved Avery even as she married Barnaby.”

“But she would’ve had to live a very different life than she expected with Avery. I am sure she would have been miserable.”

“No, she’ll be miserable with Barnaby. Who cares about what kind of life you’ll have if you love someone as passionately as she loved Avery, and as Avery loved her!”

He watched me in silence and I came back to myself, suddenly aware of where I was and who I was talking to. I blushed, and hoped that the light from the fire wouldn’t be enough to show it.

“I’m s-” I almost said it again, but caught myself, swallowing my words. “I should be off to bed, now,” is what I said instead.

He nodded.

“Thank you for allowing me to read your book. I most enjoyed it.” I extended it back to him but he made no move to take it.

“Keep it,” he said. “Since you appreciated it so much.”

“No, I couldn’t,” I tried to protest, but he wasn’t having it.

“In fact,” he said, “since you’ve finished that one, I have another I think you’ll like.”

He got up and went to his bookcase. He seemed to know exactly where the book in question was because he went right to it. He brought it back to me and I recognized the author. I had no idea she’d written another book. It must have been very new.

“Thank you! I’ll take good care of it, and return it to you soon.”

There was an amused twinkle in his eye as he said, “I’m sure you will. I will bid you good night.”

He took my hand, and this time he pressed a kiss against my knuckles. He moved toward his private chambers but paused to say, “Please, have another apricot puff before you go. I believe we have one left.”

He slipped into his chambers, and I was thankful to be alone to lose my composure over the fact that I had been eating an apricot puff when he greeted me several hours earlier.

—

I didn’t go directly to my bunk. I didn’t think I could sit in the small space with the big thoughts I was having. I found a quiet place on the deck — there were still revelers out, singing and drinking from their own lesser quality stock of liquor and ale — but I was able to find a spot apart from them. I licked the last bit of jam off my finger tips and leaned on the railing.

The stars overhead were like bright jewels. The wispy clouds in the sky looked like pieces of a veil, and the cosmos were coyly trying to cover themselves so that when revealed, the majesty was all that much greater. Even with that beauty, I couldn’t stop picturing Captain Sturmhond’s eyes. The gold flecks in his hazel eyes, and the way they lit up during our conversation. I would rather be staring into them right now.

The sea was relatively calm tonight. Just a slight breeze and steady rocking waves. We were the only ones out here for miles around, but somehow, in the night it didn’t feel as lonely as in the day. The darkness was like a soft blanket that hid how large the world was. At night, this ship was the whole world and we were the only ones in it. When put like that, it seemed totally possible that the captain could want my company. I knew that when the sun rose and the world was once more out there, that possibility would seem so far away. The captain probably preferred someone as devastatingly beautiful as he was. Someone refined, someone feminine. But right here, right now, I could pretend. I could easily slip into a story world where tonight wasn’t some aberration, a result of a once in a year camaraderie with the crew.

I clutched the book he had lent me tighter in my arms. Before I left, I had returned the other book he had given me. I just couldn’t keep it. It didn’t feel right. Besides, where would I put it? I already had to keep my book collection thinned down to only my favorites. No. Better that it stayed on his shelves where it belonged.

I stayed out on deck until the chill made me long for my blankets. I wasn’t actually tired, but I thought I’d be more comfortable dreaming in my bunk.

I found my way inside quietly, trying not to disturb the three other occupants. A quick listen to their snores told me I hadn’t needed to be so careful. The more they drank, the louder they were, and I could tell they had drank considerably that night. I climbed into my bunk and sat on something hard. I retrieved it from underneath me and could tell right away it was a book. But why was it in my bed? I sparked the lantern next to me and dialed it bright enough so that I could see. I didn’t want to let myself believe it but it was indeed the captain’s book. Had he really noticed that I put it back?

I thumbed through the pages to smell it once more, and something caught my eye. I turned to the first page. There was some writing scrawled in black ink.

Miss Zimová, I don’t think I fully expressed my opinion of this book. I, too, believe Valerie would have been better off with Avery. However I was not surprised when she chose Barnaby. Such things happen all the time. - Sturmhond P.S. Next time I give you a gift, I expect you to accept it.

I stared at it in disbelief. I must have read the damn thing seventy times. It crossed my mind — more than once — that I might have already been dreaming. But when I woke in the morning, the book was still in my hands and there were two words on my mind: Next time.

#sturmhond #nikolai lanstov #shadow & bone #sturmhond fic #nikolai lantsov fic #shadow & bone fic #shadow & bone spoilers

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whatstheoccasion · 2 years

Text

— THE MOON IS BEAUTIFUL, ISN'T IT?

"More. I want us to be more. Do you understand?"

There. He said it. He slowly sits to his full height, ears burning red and a permanent scowl refusing to leave his face–

And he sighs exasperatedly at the confusion in your face. "You don't get it?"

> Law finally confesses– except, it's not that easy.

warnings: explicit mentions of death, grief and depression. major spoilers for dressrosa and law’s past. +16 for one (1) suggestive line. tags: no pronouns are used except for a stranger calling the reader 'lady' once. fluff. jealous law. can legally count as angst with a happy ending or slow-burn. mushy feelings. title from that old japanese saying.

word count: 5,2k.

playlist: above the clouds – cyndi lauper ft. jeff beck, iris – goo goo dolls, love you 'till the end – the pogue

You squeeze him closer to you, making Law grumble quietly like a cat, mostly out of habit. The sound of the falling autumn leaves and the smooth rising of your chest against his back could easily lull him to a peaceful sleep.

Peace. It’s been a while since the feeling last visited him.

"I'm happy that I met you, Law."

Law cringes, biting his tongue to keep himself from arguing with you.

He finds it very hard to believe he could bring anyone happiness, not when he himself hasn't felt anything but hate for a long, long time. Happiness felt too pure, innocent for a man like him.

But you told him, once, that he needed to start believing in you more.

Trust. That’s the word you used.

He doesn't know what to do with someone so happy to be near him, but it wasn’t a bad feeling at all, if the warmth that now spread across his chest was anything to go by.

"Let's go back to town," he says, letting himself sink in the warmth of your body for just a second longer before he gets up, pulling you up to your feet with him. "It's the final day of the festival."

The band you told me you liked is leaving town tonight, and you wanted to listen to them, he doesn't say. He doesn’t need to.

Making sure you were happy enough not to leave his side was something Law easily can get behind, especially when you beam up to him like this, sweet and excited, taking his hand to lead him straight into the commotion in town.

He would rather have all the cells in his body shrivel up and die before admitting it, though.

☽

Law is eight when he first goes on a school trip.

It wasn't a big deal. A simple walk to the nearest natural escapade, in this case, a winter forest.

Law counted in his head up to 120 until he got bored and distracted on the way there, one of his friends deciding to show him a bad drawing of a crooked, three legged cat. It somehow looked more like a penguin. Law didn't comment on it, instead asking his friend to draw something else, something fierce.

He got the drawing of a very debatable polar bear two minutes later. Law only stared at it. Then told his friend it was ugly, because it was, but all he got was a hearty laugh in response. "If it's so ugly why do you look like you want to keep it? Huh, Law?"

Maybe if he told him the drawing was bad enough, he could get it to himself. That's how asking for something worked, right?

It wasn't much later into his quarrel when Sister stopped, telling the class they arrived. He looks up to see the tiny forest with distrust.

But surprisingly, Law did have fun. He was always physically weaker than the rest of them, and more secluded, but that didn’t stop his friends from hanging out around him. Because they waited for him with easy steps, and laughed when he fell. The girls all have mixed feelings about him ("he's so scary," they whisper to each other, "yeah, but that's what makes him cool!"). But it's okay, because they never exclude him, and he feels just fine.

Maybe he could tell his parents about this place where he felt free. Lami would like the falling snow and crystalized flowers, and his parents could finally be as free as he felt. Law gets a nice memory added up to the bunch, coming home with scraped knees and a sheet of paper holding the face of a strange bear stuffed in his blazer's pocket.

Law saw the same kids screaming for their life two years later, crying for help in the middle of a city filled with Marines.

He couldn't turn a blind eye to his ruined city. As much as he wanted to, as bad as his eyes stinged with fear and worry for himself, he needed to keep them wide open to look at where he's headed to. So he sucks it up, and looks.

His friend was holding the now bloodied sketchbook with a tight grip, standing with as much fight in him as a 10 year old could possibly have.

He can still hear the Marine's clean shot to his head.

A few bodies behind him, Sister's dull eyes stared right into his soul.

Law runs, stumbling over unmoving bodies, eyes open and lifeless, but he can't stay long enough to think about it. Or his parents. Or Lami– he only avoids stepping on corpses and keeps running.

It marks the start.

☽

“You asked me about the name on my coat.” Law's voice fades off, and his eyes fall down to the delicate hand taking hold of the sand beneath him. “Still want to know?”

Your hand stops.

He fights the urge to take his words back. The sudden rush of adrenaline is begging him to drop everything and walk far, far away from you. He shouldn’t have said that. He should never see you and your cursed ability to make him voluntarily open up to you ever again, he needs to leave and never look back.

The thought doesn’t last long, though.

You take a second to answer him, but your eyes are gentle when you look up, if not a little surprised. “Of course I do.”

The beach is calm otherwise. Way past midnight, the crew is soundly asleep many feet behind you both. This whole island is filled with fisherman and kind locals, and this deep into the night, it's very quiet. Tranquil.

He resents it.

There was nothing to keep him distracted, no one to burst into your conversation interrupting like the dramatic movies Shachi and Penguin watched way too loudly with their stolen, fancy den-den-mushi. The sand is steady beneath his feet, exceptionally so for the Grand Line.

So with the sound of soft waves easying his mind, Law sits down, and talks.

There isn’t much to say, really. Sure, at times his voice gets rough and tight around the edges, and his throat is constantly closing down in distress, making the brief story that much harder to tell. But it was okay. Law only takes a second to breathe, to engrave the feeling of your hand tightening around his (when did you come closer, actually?), and continues.

Grief grips him tightly, and he feels sharp claws of regret over his past decisions scratching inside his chest, shoulders and neck, clouding his mind with red, angry thoughts. Unforgiving.

He can’t close his eyes, knowing what awaits him if he dares to do so.

Even now, as he talks, he can see it in a point above the water. The face of a marine walking into a lost child in the raging snow, something he can’t recognize stuck to his face. The same marine carries the child, taking him to his demise with steps certain, firm. Then, the demise itself. The screams, what he thought were his last breaths, the frustration for being so weak and little.

The last smile of a man he loved like his own father.

He’s not ready to tell you just why he was so weak. Why was he too small, easily sickened at age 13. Alone. Not now, anyways. He's already risking a nightmare tonight, by bringing back all these memories to surface.

You’re both sitting up now. The familiar smell of your shampoo flutters with the late night breeze straight to him, bringing Law a sense of comfort– safety, even, and he finds himself welcoming the feeling.

Talking about his past feels less like a weight lifted from his shoulders, and more like yanked off his entire body.

You answer him in quiet hmms, in gasps and involuntarily squeezes of your hand on top of his. Mellow rays of sunlight start to bright his mind slowly, steadily once he finally closes his eyes, and it’s replacing the intimate black fog he was so used to. He’s not quite sure if the light comes from you, or the sunrise.

He had told the story twice before. Once, to his three closest friends (family, now, really). And then the Strawhat kid, keeping the details out. It never quite felt like this, though.

He can only wish to never tell it again.

Silence fills the space between you both once it’s all said and done, and you're still taking his story in, squeezing his hand to your chest. Law doesn't mention the hot tears that fall onto his inked knuckles, his gaze focused on the white polka-dotted hat sitting innocently beside him.

He lets out a tired, long sigh. It almost feels like an out of body experience, having so many feelings yet not a certain way to deliver them, to talk about them. Letting them all out at once, because he doesn’t know how to do this in a different way. His explanation was no short of messy, for sure.

But you seem to get it, and you're holding him so strongly against your body like he'll break apart if you don't, and you're grounding him.

Wherever you touched him, it was a shot of motivation right to his defeated veins. To keep going. To find out why he was brought up in this screwed world. The weight of his name felt lighter where your encouragement touched it.

“There's no despair in this world, Law-kun. Someone will definitely lend you a helping hand.”

“Don’t ever attach a reason to the love you’ve received!”

More than hope, Law had faith. In you, there lived his faith.

☽

But he also knows not to forget his past, darker days with you. He still has to amend. He knows this a little too well.

He remembers yelling and pushing you away, stabbing words into your brain to the point of tears. He remembers thinking "I wish we never met", because everyone he loves dies and never comes back and Law can't go through that again. Not without it changing him for worse. He just can't. And the words die in his mouth before he gets to say them.

Until he does.

He says them, because there’s nothing else he can think of to make you go away, to leave him alone. And when his truthful thoughts and rude comments don’t deter you, he uses spiteful remarks and lies, as many lies as barriers he has around his guarded heart.

"I don't want you in my life. What I want is for you to drop it and leave me alone."

"If you can't be by yourself, fine. Go look for someone who cares."

The thought of Cora-san, of his parents looking down on him with disappointment weren't enough to keep his trap shut.

All he gets in return from you are stubborn glares. For every twisted truth he says, you stand strong, relentless in your way to his heart.

Iron fists are now framing your once gentle hands, thick-skinned and headstrong.

Law loathes it. He’s scared and spiteful, and he hates feeling like this. It shows through cruel lashes out and cold stares, and yet. Yet, you don’t give the fuck up.

You keep breaking down each and every one of his walls, leaving you both exhausted and naked, so vulnerable by the end of it. Your voice is laced with hurt and frustration when you call him out. “You think I'll buy that, Law? You think that you trying so hard to shut me out means that you don't care?"

Then, after a painful beat. "You’re trying damn hard to protect yourself, but what about me?”

You’ve left him bare, and there’s nowhere else to run. So Law chooses to ignore you as his trump card.

(In reality, it feels more like a desperate, ultimate resort. Like a kick without force. The final push before he can’t fight anymore.)

And it doesn’t work, because of course it doesn’t, and he runs out of excuses. Of plans. You won’t leave, Law's exhausted, and he doesn’t know if he feels more fondness or frustration over that fact.

He has no more cards under his sleeve, but even if he did, by now he’s sure you would have teared each one apart. Right in front of his face, too.

It's not a big fight what finally lets you in his life. He has already said everything he needed to say, and a little more. It's more like the calm after the storm.

So when the doctor’s too tired to resist his growing longing, when his words hurt him more than it does you, he relents. White flag waving shamefully. If anyone asks him, he was simply too busy as a doctor and Captain to keep "wasting his time" coming up with silly ideas to push you away.

It's here when “I wish we never met” turns into “Where the hell have you been all this time?”

☽

Law thrives taking beating hearts out of pirate's chests, that's a truth if he ever told one. He likes gruesome medicine cases, he smiles big while knifing some poor bastard up, and you know all of this. Still, your touch is gentle when you take his hand. Your face feels soft when you sleep on him, trusting the Surgeon of Death to keep you safe.

He doesn’t give up the cruel, sadistic part of himself. He doesn’t feel the need to, not when you accept him, a vicious, dangerous pirate part of the Worst Generation, for who he really is. He's purposely shown you his worst, still, you embrace him fully, intimately.

Your acceptance leads him to think of clumsy legs and broken smiles, sometimes. It also reminds Law of two hands much bigger than his own on his frail shoulders, smiling proudly down at him. Then, a tinier hand, gripping excitingly onto his shirt and following him around with an innocent smile. If he looks deep enough, he can see the drawing of a three legged cat, then a bear.

The fight inside you, though, brings other memories to surface; hopping from hospital to hospital on top of a strong back, a back so heavy with the weight of the world on its shoulders. The weight of life, and death.

And he feels undeserving, because living instinctively, impulsively, came to him as natural as his cruelty did, and he didn’t think there was any other way to live his life comfortably without feeling like dying.

Until you happened.

You pop into his brain everytime, fighting and chasing away his nightmares with a small wooden sword against every bad thing that comes to him, no matter how big and strong they are. Just like the soldiers in his dad’s books, you were courageous, and brave enough to try and love him.

Eventually, dream–Law joins you in your fight, side by side. Sometimes he fights for you, protecting you as you sit around waiting for him. Other days you do it for him, or next to him.

Sometimes he doesn't have nightmares at all, but he knows you'll be there when they come back.

“Not the glittering weapon fights the fight, but rather the hero's heart,” his dad once read to a smaller, happier version of himself, on his last peaceful night.

Law couldn’t quite take the words in, worrying about Lami’s eye bags and how tired she looked, not really taking the story in.

He thinks he gets it, now.

☽

Law still remembers sin, feeling like you can't and shouldn't be corrupted, and he now understands the heavy weight of responsibility that Dressrosa's knight had whenever he pushed his dirty hands inside gloves to protect what was innocent. Fearing corruption of the vulnerable is what brings honor to Kyro’s memory.

At times, Law wishes he could do the same with you.

Once he has you, the fear of you being forcefully taken from him is a constant thought in the back of his mind. Somedays, he wants to keep you in his front pocket, safe and protected from all evil.

But the feeling of your skin against his is something he can’t give up, now that he knows that it’s here to stay.

He lives for the gentle way you cup his face, caressing his cheeks. How warm his face feels when you hug him, skin to skin. When the softness of your lips kiss him, needy for his touch.

He relishes in the tight grip he holds against the flesh of your hips, your thighs, breathing in your skin. Your arms clinging to him, blunt nails marking his back as yours. His skilled fingers working in and out of your body.

Well, Law never really thought of himself as an honorable man, after all.

☽

You're in the city again.

It was a town they found in the aftermath of a bad battle, and they urgently needed more medicine provisions. And food. Bepo has already passed out twice today because of blood loss- and then his stomach rumbled. His mood swings were a lot harder to handle.

So you were out shopping for food with Ikakku, and Law stayed back with Penguin and Shachi helping him bandage the rest of the crew up.

You went without him, but he trusted you, now. You would stay safe for him. You would come back to him with no more wounds than the ones you left with, because you promised him.

It was still not easy to deal with.

The thought grows heavy in his mind the longer you take to come back. He grows snappy, easily irritated because of defeat, he tells himself. He's strong and capable, so why did they need to run away again? What was he lacking? How could they improve?

What the fuck was taking you so long?

"You can go with them, Captain. We got this covered."

Law tsks, starting a vain attempt to fight his first mate back. "I'm the only doctor on board, dumbass. This is my job."

"It's not like we're in a life or death situation." Penguin jumps in, wrapping a bandaged arm around his best friend. "You already took care of the worst, we can deal with the rest."

"Your irritation is giving us a headache, Captain. Just go." Jean-Bart says from a corner of the room.

Law frowns, clicking his tongue at the insulting giant. “You’re on cleaning duty until you die,” but relunctantly obeys, light chuckles resounding in his ears as he hops down to town.

They were getting a little too chummy with him. He'll hang them upside down when he comes back to his senses.

He walks the steps leading him to town and finds you both a few minutes later, and the sight before him makes his cold blood boil.

There are bags full of food laying at your feet as you talk to a vendor, and he notices just how close the man is to you, holding your arm to spread a herb on top of your wounds.

Was this lousy man trying to fix you up? Who the hell did he think he was, freely touching you like that?

Why were you letting him.

"Captain! We have everything ready, is everyone okay back there?" Ikakku's voice is ringing in his ears, but he can't pay attention to her.

You finally seem to notice him, turning your head from the stranger to smile at him, quickly turning back to the man and telling him something.

Law scoffs with annoyance. Now he can't even hold your attention for longer than a second. What’s so interesting you can’t go back to your own- to his crew?

"You can take these back to the sub, Ikakku, correct?" His eyes fly down to the woman next to him, making sure she won't lie to him. He could room it out if she asked to.

Ikkaku quickly looks at him, you, then back at him, her big eyes twinkling. "Of course I can, Captain. I'll see you both there."

And then, just because she pities you. "They were talking about you, you know."

Law doesn't have time to answer before she scurries off.

He tsks, walking towards you. His crew sure had the balls and ovaries to tease him, he'll give them that.

The man is still grabbing your arm when he gets there, and Law takes his hand out of his pocket to draw the offending hand off you.

"Don't accept medicine from strangers." He says, not looking at you. "Not when I'm not around."

You roll your eyes, apologising to the vendor. "Hi to you too, Captain. And I wasn't alone. Ikakku was here."

But I wasn’t. He bites off the bitter remark. “Who's this?”

“My name's Iida.” The vendor introduces himself, standing as tall as him, yet meekly. "I was just teaching the lady about our medical herbs.”

He looks at him with desinterest. "Wasn’t asking you, vendor-ya."

Your voice wears a warning tone. “Law.”

Looking down at you with a rude glare, he’s unable to keep the jealousy off his tone. “We won't come back to this lowlife town, and you won't remember his name even if we do." Just why were you standing up for this lanky man? “Let's go.”

He’s careful when he grabs your arm to tug you away, but he’s persistant nonetheless. “I'm sorry, Iida. Thank you for the help!”

Law's fuming, and he hates that you know that, even if he tries to hide it on his face. You know him well enough– too damn well, might you.

After a few moments of moodily dragging you across the town, he gives into his burning curiosity. “What were you talking about?”

“I was merely telling him about our grumpy doctor, and how he would like some of the plants there. You didn’t need to be so rude, you know.” You say, sighting afterwards.

What did you just say?

Your words leave him dumbfounded, and he stops in his tracks. “What?”

“He asked about our wounds, and I told him that he didn’t need to worry. That we had a friend who happens to be a grumpy doctor with us. Is something wrong?”

Law feels his stomach go cold.

There is, in fact, something wrong. There’s so many wrong things about you calling him a friend, and a doctor, that he doesn’t know where to start.

Was that it? After all you've been through, all the fights with teeth and nail to make him yours, he's reduced to his cursed profession? A damn friend?

Or were you just hiding him from the vendor in case something could spark between the both of you? Law's cold hands start to sweat at the thought, his heart plummeting against his chest.

If that was the case, why did it hurt so bad?

It irks him, how two stupid words can stab him right in his heart. Friends. You told him you introduced Shachi and Penguin like that to run away from Marines just last week, disguising their Jolly Roger’s with two big coats before escaping.

Was that the way you talked about him, too?

"Earth to Law?" two fingers snap in front of him. "Are you okay?"

Law blinks once, taking the sight of you in front of him. Twice, and he can feel your soft lips on him an hour before you went to town, telling him to take it easy. Promising to come back. Your hand is warm and safe in his, protected. He couldn’t be the only one dealing with these feelings. He couldn’t.

Right now, with your bag in one hand and his hand held tight in the other, he feels a vague sense of premonition.

☽

You were always begging him to believe in you with a hand over your heart, promising things he was too scared of. Truth is, he’s already found something to believe in– his first religion has surprised him at his big age, laying protected in the stubbornness of your heart.

Now comes the scary part: it's time he puts a name to these feelings.

His voice sounds gruff and firm, calling your name. He’s long since dropped his -ya towards you, his careless façade more difficult to hold onto the deeper you carved your name into him, his bones and marrow marked forever. It’s fine. He accepted defeat long ago.

Your own voice sounds distracted when you answer, not raising your sight from the book in your hands. "Yeah, babe?"

“Yes.” He replies smartly, wincing afterwards. He feels awkwardness creeping up his stomach, making him sick. Why was he doing this again?

Your giggle reels him back. Right. Iida-ya, a few nights ago. You calling him a friend. He had to confront his feelings, no matter how much he wants to not do that. He starts, "I’ve been thinking.”

And cuts himself off, frowning. I think about you too much and it’s infuriating, he doesn't say, then recoils at the thought. You lift your gaze to look at him, and it’s all just too much for him.

Bring him an army of a thousand armed men. Make him participate with the world’s slowest, dumbest people in a fucking mathlaton. Take his arm out permanently. None of the these options can be as painful as this.

Resting his face in his hands, Law breathes out in annoyance. "I don't know how to fucking do this."

Silence. There’s worry in your voice, now. “Do what?”

Law scoffs, and not for the first time, he wishes you could just read his mind, if only to get this over with.

He can’t look at you, sitting all innocent on his bed, oblivious to the tangled thoughts in his head.

The old feeling to fight or flight tries to take over him, so he focuses his gaze on a drawing Bepo had hung on his quarters and takes a deep breath. It was the four of them a few years back, looking young and rowdy as ever. Penguin and Shachi had switched hats. Bepo insisted on paying the artist instead of making a run for it.

He exhales. "I’ve been thinking, and I’ve come to the conclusion that being with me is a dangerous decision. Not to mention foolish, and wrong–"

"Not wrong. Not to me." You say with finality, closing the book to face your captain with a frown of your own. “We’ve been through this, Law. Why are you bringing it up again?"

"You’ll know if you let me finish." Law rolls his eyes, choosing to ignore how you didn’t correct dangerous and foolish. "I know what I said. We both know this.” He says your name with a warning. Don’t fight me on this. “Even so, I want..." structure. To be as important to you as you are to me.

What can he say? How can he say that without saying that?

What feels like hours in silence it’s probably around ten seconds, seconds wasted because Law can’t seem to find the right words. He knows he’s making stupid faces the longer he thinks about it, but it’s hard to keep the cringe off his face at this rate. If anyone saw him right now– no.

No, he would’ve killed them. That’s for certain. He would slice them to pieces, mix their parts up and spread their rests all over the New World.

The morbid thought comforts him a little. Breathing a bit easier, still not looking at you, he all but spits. "More. I want us to be more. Do you understand?"

There. He said it. He slowly sits to his full height, ears burning red and a permanent scowl refusing to leave his face–

And he sighs exasperatedly at the confusion in your face. "You don't get it?"

You're not helping, looking at him like he grew teeth on his forehead, gently shaking your head. "I don’t really follow."

That’s... that’s not what he expected.

In an attempt to save face, he scowls. “What do you not follow? What the hell more do you need?”

You sent him a dirty look. "I need you to tell me what you're thinking about, Law. I'm not a mind reader."

You’re trying so damn hard to protect yourself, but what about me?

His heart stutters inside his chest.

Fine. He can do this. There’s nothing to fear, is there? He can protect you. Law can fall asleep each night in the arms of a lover that welcomes him, with his fucked up soul and twisted mind, and he can protect you. He will put a name to what you both have, let you inside his brain instead of expecting you to read him.

That’s easier said than done, though.

“You okay there?”

Your voice brings him back to reality. You’re standing between his knees now— when did that happen?— so close yet not enough to touch, to overwhelm. And he hates the way his stupid heart sinks with your lack of a nickname.

I was merely telling him about our grumpy doctor.

“I’m fine.” Swallowing the lump in his throat, he tries again. "What I'm trying to say is. I..."

“Yes?”

He stops in his tracks. God, will he be able to say this today? Before he explotes into little pathetic pieces that you could take to back Iida-ya to sell as a haunted herb?

But he’s just distracted by your voice. You sound mischievous yet patient in one little word, like you’re inside a secret with his heart and he’s the only one that hasn’t caught up yet.

Like you know what’s going on, but you’re testing him to see if he can actually go through with it.

Law knows that if he tilts his head a little higher, he'll see you wearing a smile. He can all but feel it beaming over his face, and he didn’t know that was even possible. He almost feels the need to squint his eyes.

That’s it. He needs to say it. He needs to just fucking say it.

He looks constipated for the entirety of ten seconds before he finally locks eyes with you, and awkwardly blurts out, "I love you."

Boom. The three little words that punch him right on the gut. Then, "I want us to be together officially."

You go stiff before him, and his heart is starting to pound painfully hard in his chest. His eager gaze never leaves yours, though, even as he pleads. "Don’t make me repeat myself."

A beat. One, two, three seconds pass. Law’s traitor brain is leading him to believe that you won't answer him at all– until you do.

He can see the moment it clicks.

Your answering smile catches him off guard, wide and beaming so bright he has to squint, or he might go blind. No one’s ever looked at him like that.

You peck him twice before he can react, your shaking hands squishing his face. He’s stunned, red in the face and confused, but you pay it no mind. Not surprisingly.

Then, Law’s ears eat up the sappiest shit you've ever said to him, like a starved man taking his first bite.

“Law, I’m– you idiot, you have me forever.” Tears welling up in your eyes, you swallow hard past the lump in your throat. His eyes uselessly follow the way your throat bobs. “I want more too. In whatever way you’ll have me, for as long as you let me. And I'll have you."

Sweet, carefree and a little breathless, you smile at him like you're telling the truth.

For a second, a frightening instant, the world stumbles beneath his feet. He’s dizzy between your hands, and he’s glad he’s sitting right now.

But his hands fly up to hold yours, tight, like the anchor of his submarine clings onto the wet sand, and his tense heart starts to loosen up with relief. And something akin to solace.

You chuckle wetly. "I love you too."

You have me forever.

It sounded like a promise.

The words finally land on him as he lets you pull his lightheaded head against yours, resting on you. Your hot breaths are mingling together, and if he looks close enough, he thinks he could count each one of your eyelashes.

You cheekily whisper into his open mouth. “Do you understand?”

☽

The weight of your conversation doesn't grasp you yet. You're a stranger to the heaviness your words carry, to the lifelong commitment you signed with both your hearts on the line– but you'll be damned if the small smile he offers you in return isn't undoubtedly worth it.

#one piece x reader #trafalgar law x reader #law x reader #one piece imagine #trafalgar d law x reader #trafalgar d water law x reader #trafalgar law fluff #one piece fluff #trafalgar law scenarios #one piece scenarios #he then falls asleep for like 3 hours bc emotions are exhausting man #trafalgar law imagine #law x you #trafalgar law x you #trafalgar law headcanons #[ champagne hours ]#[ one piece notes ]#k.writes

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aquanova99 · 3 years

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Summary: reader happens to see Edward and Bella’s dramatic reunion in New Moon. Volturi also have to bring her to the throne room where she meets her new mate. What will she choose to do?

A/N: oh my god I’m so sorry I haven’t written in so long. Life, you know? I promise I’ll keep trying to put stuff out more consistently.

A/N: this is not my best work but its been in the drafts for a hot minute. Thank you for reading and sorry for any mistakes. As always requests are open!!

Running into a secret vampire organization was not something on your to do list when visiting Italy. One of your last stops was Volterra, there was a festival going on that day. Everyone was in weird cloaks. I guess now looking back on it, it was extremely elaborate. You’d been close to the castle when you saw a girl running through the fountain. She ran straight towards a man in one of the robes, he looked different. Before she reached him he stepped forward and for a split second you could swear his skin was glowing. It wasn’t human.

Next thing, you knew you woke up in a strange place. How you ended up here you couldn’t be sure. You weren’t awake for long when someone came in. Objectively speaking, he was the most attractive guy you’d ever seen.

“Sorry mia cara. I’m sure you have many questions. I will answer them all later. Right now we need you to answer some questions for us. Would you follow me?”

Whose us? Was the first thing that popped in your mind. Realistically you wouldn’t be able to say no. Even if you did and tried to get out. You had no idea where you were. And this man looked the same as the one in the plaza. His skin tone was a bit different but the same smooth appearance. Except his eyes were blood red. As much as you felt safe around him, there was something he was very clearly leaving out.

“Is everything okay?”

“Not really. But I’m good. Lead the way I guess”

You were led to a throne room, you were surrounded by red eyes. There were three people in the center. The one from the plaza, the girl who ran towards him and a smaller girl. Only the man turned to look at you, and he terrified you more than everyone else. He looked at you like was trying to find something in you.

“Ah welcome my dear.” The one in the middle said to you

“Uhm hi? Did I do something?”

“Not to worry, we won’t harm you.” The ‘you’ was pointed, maybe nothing would happen to you but something is definitely about to happen to somebody else, “my name is Aro, these are my brothers Caius and Marcus. Before I ask any questions, Edward would you come forward you seem uneasy.”

The one from the plaza stepped forward. He extended his hand.

“Interesting. Two people immune to our gifts.”

The taller girl glared at you. All of a sudden all eyes were on you again. Caius smiled at you.

“What’s your name, and where are you from?”

“Uhm I’m y/n, I’m not really from anywhere I’ve always moved from place to place. I was born in the states and I’ve been going around Europe for the past two years?”

“Well y/n. Could you do me a favor and tell me what you saw today at the festival?”

This is what they wanted to know? Just what were these people.

“Well…” you turned back to look at Edward and the other girl. Her eyes had gone from fury to pleading. They expected me to lie. Yeah, no. You didn’t even know these people and this Edward looked like he wanted to kill you. The small one started freaking out.

“What if Bella stays? Can we go?” She offered, the other girl looked like her whole soul was crushed. Edward wasn’t having it.

“Not a chance Alice.” He hissed.

She sighed, “nevermind. It’s too late now. Thanks a lot.” She crossed her arms. She went up to Aro and offered her hand as well.

“Why are you blocking me?” He snarled

Aro nodded and turned back to me, “my dear if you could continue. Sorry for all the interruptions.”

“Well all I know is that, I was by the castle and that girl was running through the plaza. I’m surprised I’m the only one who saw them. The girl ran through a fountain. I don’t know what I saw I just know the ginger over there started half sparkling.”

The attractive vampire next you grinned. “Masters she has answered your questions. May I escort her back to her room?”

“Of course Demetri.” So that was his name. You followed him out of the room. It wasn’t long after the doors closed that you heard a ridiculous amount of crashing, like boulders cracking.

“So can I ask questions now…or am I supposed to keep finding things out by listening to conversations?” You could tell he was leading you back to the original room you’d woken up in

“Sorry about that cara. I know everything has been rather rushed. What would you like to know?”

“Well first what exactly are you?”

“Straight to the important questions I see.” He chuckled

“That’s not an answer.”

“You aren’t going to believe me.”

“Look it’s clear you aren’t human so whatever it is, just out with it. please.” Not to be rude but it’s been a long day, you thought

“Vampires.”

“Okay cool.” You tried to think of another question, but honestly your mind was still wrapping itself around the fact that vampires existed.

“Cool?”

“I mean I think? I’m assuming all the legends about you aren’t true?”

“No they aren— I’m sorry, you seem oddly okay with this.”

“Well when I woke up in a strange room my first thought wasn’t vampires it was humans with bad intentions.”

His eyes went wide, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t even think about how that would seem!”

You let out a giggle, he really was cute all flustered “It’s fine, nothing happened. So, why are you in charge of babysitting me?” Not that you minded.

“Errr. Uhm,” he ran his hand through his hair, “you’re sort of my mate?”

“Okay…lots of follow up questions. Mate? Me? Explain please.”

“It’s hard to explain, well maybe not but it’s a lot to take in. Mates are exactly what it sounds like. Two people pretty much made for eachother. Once mates have met it becomes impossible for them to really be apart, especially on the vampire side.” He started to freak out again, “not that I would force you to stay or anything.”

You nodded, “Not like I have much of a choice though right?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Well you guys called me in there to prove that I saw something I wasn’t supposed to. Which means I shouldn’t know about you guys. So why would I be able to leave?”

He sighed, “well you could leave. But not as a human.”

“…I have to become a vampire.”

“I’m sorry cara.”

You should have probably been terrified, but I guess the mate thing was true because you just wanted to keep hanging out with Demetri. “So what happens when I turn? And also why did that main guy said Edward couldn’t read me?”

Demetri just stared at you for a minute, “what?” You asked him

“I just—I don’t know if I should be impressed you seen so relaxed or worried you aren’t seeing things clearly.”

“It’s death or death. Not very hard to get. I’m hoping one has more perks, and considering I have a very cute mate I’m leaning towards changing.”

Demetri was taken aback. “You-you’ll stay?”

“It is every girls dream to be a princess isn’t it? Living in a castle with my own personal Prince Charming? Sounds like fun.”

“It’s not all fun amore. The change is painful. And there’s a chance I’d be gone a lot because of my gift. I mean if you’re gifted maybe you could come with me but that would be dangerous too.”

“Gifts?”

“Vampires with extra abilities. When your turned you’ll gain incredible strength and speed, you’ll pretty much be indestructible…but others have additional abilities. I can track anyone I’ve met. The twins Jane and Alec, she can make you feel pain and Alec can make you feel nothing at all. There’s more too but…”

“Do I have a gift? They mentioned something about me being immune to something.”

“There’s a good chance.”

“Well okay then.”

“I’m sorry?”

“So when do we get this all over with?”

“You want to do it now?” He was joking but the idea wasn’t all bad.

“Now, later, the result is the same. I’ve lived a pretty okay life. It’d be fun to do it again without any worries.”

“I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation darling.” You rolled your eyes, this was getting ridiculous. You had yourself back in the room you woke up in.

“So make me.” You told him

“What?”

“Make me understand.”

He smirked, “Gladly.”

Taglist: @adaydreamaway08 @artaxerxesthegreat @aunt-pipie @avyannadawn @imtoanonymousforyou @lacychick @minghao3o @quarthly @volturiwolf

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alwaysmarveling · 3 years

Text

To Be Seen

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x gn!reader

Warnings: Hints at neglect

Word Count: 3.5k

Summary: All superpowers seem to have a downside to them. Invisibility is no exception.

You got your first pair of glasses when you turned seven. The black frames were a birthday present of sorts. You had your eye set on a transparent blue pair, or honestly any of the many colorful options that lined the shelves, but your mother had grabbed the black ones without a word to you and placed them on the counter. Then the two of you went home, back to the always busy house, buzzing with the sounds of your siblings’ chatter and the television that entertained your constantly preoccupied father. There was no cake, no other presents, not even a “congratulations” or a “happy birthday,” but that was okay. That was okay because you had already gotten the gift of sight.

“Happy birthday, Y/N,” you whispered to yourself that night, your younger sister already sound asleep beside you while you looked up at the glow-in-the-dark shapes taped to the ceiling. The glasses turned the green fuzzy blobs into actual stars, their points clear and easily counted as you drifted off to sleep with the lenses still on. “You can see now.”

---

You found out you could make yourself invisible on the day you hit ten years old. When you woke up, the first thing you did was look at yourself in the mirror, trying to see if you looked any different from the day before, when you were nine. Double digits should mean double the change, right? But there was no change from when you weren’t in the mirror to when you were.

At first, you thought it must’ve been a prank from your older brother, but one look in the bathroom mirror told you that this was something else. It took you about half an hour before you somehow managed to become visible again, but when you did, you walked into the kitchen to find everything the same as it was the night before. No one hung streamers around the house or left a card on the counter, but that was okay. That was okay because you had a gift.

---

On your twenty-seventh birthday, you were recruited to be an Avenger. Three years ago on that exact day, you had quit your office job and joined SHIELD, only as a trainee, but you made your way through the ranks. You had the advantage of a mastered superpower—turning invisible came useful on the countless days you wished the world would just swallow you whole—but you still had to learn to use it like an agent. You were never remarkable, never being praised as the top of your class nor critiqued as one of the worst. You were always in the middle. Always just… there.

But Fury had seen something in you, and now here you were, packing your things to move into the Avengers Tower. You honestly weren’t sure what he saw in you; no one did. There were other SHIELD agents with far more useful powers and much better combat skills, yet he had picked you and no one else, making you the third SHIELD agent to join the Avengers since Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff.

You looked around the empty apartment, scanning for something you and your imperfect vision might have missed, but saw nothing. Was that what others saw when they looked at you, thinking they had packed the whole room while you were standing right in front of them, arms waving in their face and voice begging for them to acknowledge you? No matter. Fury had told you Natasha would be picking you up at 2, meaning you had just over thirty minutes before she got here. Life moved on, and so would you.

Just like in years prior, there were no claps on the back, shiny bows, or patterned gift wrapping, but that was okay. That was okay because you had gotten the gift to protect and serve others.

---

You laid into the punching bag, twenty-eight non-stop uppercuts for your new age as of today. You brushed one hand across your forehead to interrupt the sweat droplets that ran from your hair, Bruce doing his best to praise you in the meantime.

“Good work, Y/N, yeah. Um, stronger than the ones you’ve been doing in the past. Better form too. I think.” You were sure you weren’t meant to hear his last sentence, but a roll of Natasha’s eyes next to you was enough to make you laugh it off. It wasn’t like you could blame him. Training others wasn’t his forte. You weren’t even sure if he trained himself.

Fury’s interest in you had been short-lived, it seemed. To be fair, you were lucky he recruited you in the first place and even luckier that he let you stay on the team. Still, you’d be lying if you said you weren’t disappointed in how you turned out to just be a new puppy to him. With your novelty now wearing off, you became the responsibility of people like Bruce, who never quite wanted you in the first place.

You had nothing against the gentle and kindhearted scientist, but Steve, Nat, or even Clint would’ve been much more obvious choices. Yet somehow the scientist was who Fury appointed. Maybe he was just the only one who accepted the task, the only one not bold enough to deny Fury’s orders outright. Strangely enough, Nat always showed up, but you weren’t entirely sure why, seeing as she usually sat there silently for most of it. She’d occasionally lean in to whisper something to Bruce, but she rarely said anything to you.

Much to Bruce’s—and maybe Natasha’s—relief, Tony strutted into the gym, his charisma already filling in the awkward gaps between you guys that never seemed to disappear, no matter how much time passed.

“Bruce, Nat, just the people I was looking for! It was great to see you guys at the party last night.” You pushed your glasses back up the bridge of your nose before going back to the punching bag; obviously, he was not here to speak with you. As you beat into the bag, getting lost in the rattling of the chain and the rhythm of the combinations, you thought back to last night, when you heard the Avengers’ laughter as they prepared for the gala.

You sat in the living room watching a movie with the tiniest but fiercest hope that someone might see you and ask you to come along. This was a party for the Avengers, after all, to celebrate the success of a mission that you had been part of. It had been up to you to cut the power and incapacitate the leader. Somehow the credit had gone to Clint, all the news stations celebrating the archer and his amazing feat. It was fine, whatever, just another chip to brush off of your shoulder—a teeny, tiny chip, really, honestly probably more of a scratch—but you thought you would’ve at least been invited to the party. Yet there you were, your posture slowly drooping as you sank into the leather sofa while your teammates gathered in the elevator to head up to the party. You had taken your phone out and opened the camera app, checking to make sure you hadn’t somehow triggered your invisibility, but, nope, you were very much there. The tears that fell were very much there.

“Alright, Tony, I’ll be there for Movie Night tonight, but you gotta go. I need to get back to my training duties.” It was then that Tony finally seemed to realize your presence, turning around with a surprised look on his face.

“Oh, hey, Y/N. You, um, you should come tonight too.” All of his charm was gone, the relaxed smile only hanging on by the tiniest lift of the corner of his mouth. So you did your best to reassure him with a small nod. The smile came back immediately. All was well; Tony Stark does indeed have a heart.

Later that night, as you sat alone on the three-person couch, you drew the blankets closer to you. The same movie you had watched last night was playing on the TV. The original plan had been to watch Jaws, but Sam was delighted to find the DVD box to Space Jam on the coffee table, insisting that he’d been wanting to watch it again and how it was such a coincidence it was already out. He wasn’t saying that last night when you asked if anyone wanted to watch it with you, but at least you weren’t watching it alone this time. You looked around at the small groups the Avengers had formed on the other couches, some of them even sitting on the floor—there wasn’t enough space, you guessed—before letting out a sigh. There were no party hats or festive noisemakers, but that was okay. That was okay because… A tap on your knee brought you back to the present moment. You looked down to find the outstretched arm of a familiar redhead, a bowl of popcorn in her hand.

There was no time for wallowing in self-pity. That was okay. You were okay.

---

The harsh sunlight woke you up in time for your thirtieth birthday. Or maybe it was the stiff and lumpy mattress that did it. Either way, you were hoping you’d be able to sleep through it. The rational side of you knew that wasn’t possible—what with being on the run from the US government and all—but one can always hope, right?

You’d stuck with Natasha during the Avengers’ split, pushing for the team to stay together even though you’d never really been part of the team. It wasn’t about you though; you’d seen the amazing things the Avengers could do when they were together. The world needed them.

Well, that line of thinking got you here, in a small cabin in the woods with all the Avengers who had followed Steve, Natasha joining the group later. Happy birthday to you. Although to be fair, it wasn’t like any of your past birthdays had been much better. Once your childish naivety had faded away (which probably took much longer than it should have), the day became something you dreaded, something you hoped each year you would forget about but never quite could. This time, though, you had a small plan. It was going to be different this year.

Your knees cracked as you stood, announcing to no one in particular that you were heading off to bed. Rather than heading straight down the hall to your room, though, you cut through the kitchen and grabbed a few things.

Your shoulders dropped slightly as you closed the door, and you allowed yourself to study the contents of your hands: a lighter, candle, and one of the leftover store-bought cupcakes from Steve’s birthday. The cupcakes weren’t great, but no one had the time, energy, or ingredients to make a cake, and, let’s be honest, most of the people here couldn’t bake anyways. Plus, this one had frosting in your favorite color, so you couldn’t complain, especially since it was more than you’d had for your birthday since you could remember.

The wooden bed frame creaked as you shifted to place the candle in the frosting and light it. For the first time that day, you were grateful the windows had no curtains, as they allowed you to see the stars that dotted the sky.

“Happy birthday,” you murmured to yourself, your eyes never leaving the constellations, instead darting around to watch in awe as more and more of the twinkling lights showed up the longer you cared to look.

Just as you tore your eyes away to blow out the candle, a knock rang out against the door. Were you guys spotted? Did you have to leave? You immediately ran to open the door, running through a list of things you’d have to pack the second you heard the order. You weren’t exactly surprised to see Nat standing outside your door, but you were surprised to see her holding a small rectangular box and a bottle of champagne.

“Hey, um, sorry to interrupt.” Your cheeks immediately heated up when you noticed her eyes dart to the cupcake still in your hand. You must’ve forgotten to put it down in your rush to open the door. At least the candle’s flame had gone out. “I get it if you don’t want to celebrate with anyone, but I figured you still deserve a treat on your special day.”

Natasha’s brows furrowed as your head tilted slightly.

“What special day?”

“Um, well, isn’t it your birthday?” You nodded, still not quite understanding what she was asking. Not to mention, the spy’s continued use of filler words surprised you. Sure, the two of you hadn’t interacted with each other much, but a lack of familiarity didn’t usually make her this uneasy. Were you really that invisible that she felt uncomfortable around you despite having known you for three years? But you couldn’t dwell on it with Nat speaking again, her voice pulling you out of your thoughts. “And, um, I noticed the only alcohol you drink is champagne, so… this is for you.”

You stepped back slightly as she nudged the objects towards you, but the spy misunderstood you, taking your surprise as an invitation to enter the room. Before you knew it, you were asking her to sit next to you on the mattress. It wasn’t like you had much of a choice, though; keeping her standing would be rude, and there were no chairs in your room. The two of you sat at least a foot apart, both of your spines straight and neither of you quite meeting the eyes of the other.

“So, um, do you want to open the present first or have your cupcake? Or we can open the champagne if you want.”

“This is a present?” You eyed the brown box she held in her hand. You weren’t sure what it could be. Based on its size, maybe a watch or a pocket knife? But Natasha laughed, simply pushing the box towards you.

“Of course it’s a present. Open it!” So you set the cupcake down on the unstable bedside table, making sure the dessert wouldn’t fall due to the furniture having one leg shorter than the rest. You cast one last glance at Natasha, who gave you a reassuring yet pointed nod, and with that, you lifted the cover.

It took everything in you to prevent the tears springing in your eyes from overflowing. You lifted the goggles with shaking hands. You had to touch them to make sure they were real, to make sure this wasn’t some sick and twisted dream your brain had forced on you to make you remember how disappointing your past birthdays had been.

“Do you like it?” The blonde asked you softly, her lower lip caught in between her teeth. Had you been thinking clearly, you would’ve been surprised at how apprehensive she sounded, how unsure she was. “I thought it could be something you might want to wear on missions. I noticed your other ones kept slipping down or breaking, and um…” Both of you became antsier as Natasha rambled on, you at how she was being more intimate with you than anyone ever had, and she at how she just couldn’t seem to stop talking despite the fact that, in her opinion, she was digging herself into an increasingly deeper hole. “It’s a lot more sturdy, and there are some other features that I think you’ll appreciate. I had Tony and Bruce make it for you… before, you know, this whole thing happened. And I brought it with me when I left.”

The frames reminded you much of the glasses you had first wanted as a kid, the ones your mother had looked past in favor of the plain black ones. They matched your combat suit, though, even having a small carving of your symbol on the side. You nodded as you choked down a sob, forcing yourself to meet the former assassin’s gaze to try to thank her properly.

“I love it, Natasha. Thank you so much. I- it’s… it’s amazing.” Nat dipped her head as if to nod, but you didn’t miss the way her cheeks flushed red or how a hint of her characteristic smirk appeared.

“Of course. It’s the least I could do.” Your eyes returned to the glasses in your hand. You’d try them out the second Natasha left. “So, cake now?”

“Yes, right, of course,” you nodded immediately, shaking your head at how you had managed to forget about the one thing you had planned to do for your birthday. Before you could reach for the frosted dessert, Natasha relit the candle and handed the cupcake to you as she began to sing “Happy Birthday.” When she reached the last note, you could hold it in no longer, and all the tears immediately began to flow.

“Oh my god, Y/N, I’m so sorry. Is my singing really that bad?” The redhead wasn’t sure whether to pull you closer or move away as she ran a hand through her hair, but she felt slightly comforted when she noticed you shaking your head.

“No, no, it’s just…” Natasha hesitantly began to rub your back in an effort to calm your sobs, “No one’s ever sang that for me before.”

“Ever?” She winced slightly at how her voice cracked, betraying her emotions to you despite her attempts to remain composed.

“Well, there used to be a video of it from my third birthday, but… I was three. So I don’t really remember it.” Natasha thought back to the many birthday celebrations the team had held, none of them being for you. The door to your room was always closed on your birthday. She’d always thought you had just gone out with friends and family, people outside of the Avengers, and who was she to get in the way of you and those you loved? But it had been the opposite. You had been hiding away in your room, and she hadn’t helped matters at all by waiting for three years to do anything. If only she’d gained the courage earlier, she could’ve helped ease your pain much sooner.

But all you saw through your tears was the way her head was cocked to the side, her spy training paying off as you couldn’t even begin to predict what she might be thinking. Your confusion slowed your tears somewhat, but that didn’t last for long as your mind shifted gears. You were ever the fool for sharing something so vulnerable with someone you barely knew.

So it was much to your surprise when Natasha finally reached her hand toward you, using her thumb to brush off the last few tears that made their way down your cheeks.

“You’ve never been invisible to me, Y/N. I see you. Always.” And with that, without responding, you turned away from her with a sniff to blow out the candle. “What’d you wish for?” the spy asked lightly, hoping the joke would help lift your mood.

“Nothing. This was more than I could’ve ever asked for.” Nat nodded slowly, keeping her eyes on you as she reached to take out the candle. Your eyes remained on the cupcake as if it would be ripped away from you if you turned away for a second. With her hand returned to your back, you began to dig into the cupcake, your eyes closing as you savored the taste. A cupcake just for you, on your birthday. Sure, it was a leftover cupcake, the frosting a bit too sweet and the cake itself dry and somewhat stale, but that didn’t matter. It was still the first in thirty years.

That night, you lay in bed with the stars overhead, a smile on your face as you thought about the day’s events, your best birthday ever.

And maybe it was naive of you to believe what Natasha had told you earlier that day—it wasn’t like the thought hadn’t crossed your mind several times in the few hours since she told you that—but then you thought about the champagne and the glasses she’d given you. You thought about the way she’d examined your apartment with you one last time before she brought you to the Avengers Tower, about the way she gave you an encouraging smile during training when you became exhausted with Bruce’s cluelessness, about the way she’d shared her popcorn on movie nights with you and only you.

And in the room next to you, Natasha thought about your confusion, your tears, and the way desperation, hope, and amazement filled your face when you looked at her right before you blew out the candle. It was then that she made a vow to herself, to show you that you’d never be invisible, especially not to her.

“Happy birthday, Y/N,” she whispered, “You are seen.”

-----

🏷 : @vancityfire13 @007giu

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x gn!reader #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff imagine #natasha romanoff #avengers x reader #marvel #mcu #I wrote something #alwaysmarveling

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mercur1e · 3 years

Note

Helllooooo

Soo I just saw you're headcannons are literally 💞💞

It's lowkey the only thing keeping me safe and alive ✋😌......soooooo can I request Gom + kuroko and kagami (if it's to much you can just doo Aomine, Kise and Midorima and akashi)where they accidentally hurt their s/o feelings pleaaseeeeee..... I need some angst but please end it in fluff (cuz i lowkey cannot handle it)

Please take care of yourself, your health always comes first, I love youuuu ❤❤❤

Ofc love! I hope you're doing well and I love you too :) <333

Akashi

He disregarded your hard work :(

You're trying to start your own small business and you're having a little trouble, which is not unusual that happens sometimes!

You were having trouble hiring employees and you were talking to him about it, and he was in a bad mood prior to you approaching him

"You're not going anywhere with this. It would just be better to give up on it. You're not going to make it that far even if you do succeed. And can you leave? I'm busy and all you're doing is acting as a distraction."

You just froze, you couldn't believe what he had just said

Not only did he know how much work you were putting in, he also knew how excited you were for the future of your shop too

You didn't even say anything, you just froze with shock, hurt, and surprise and stomped out of his office

You left the house, you needed some time to cool off and cry

It took Akashi a second to realize what he had said and how hurtful his words were, so he started looking all over for you in the house. He goes into the garage to see your car is gone and he assumes the worst.

You don't pick up the phone when he calls you or answer his texts, opting to turn it off after the fifth call.

You stay by your best friend for the night and they comforted you and told you he probably didn't mean it, and that you can stay as long as you need

After you leave from by your friends place you go to your favorite cafe for some breakfast

And guess who's there, Akashi.

You turn around and walk out because you were honestly not ready to deal with him just yet and it was too early in the morning for all that

He catches you on the way out and apologizes :)

"Love, I apologize for what I said yesterday. It was inconsiderate, hurtful, and wrong. You've been working so hard on your business and you're doing your best to make it happen. I was in a bad mood yesterday and I dont know what came over me. Will you forgive me?"

Looking you in the eye as he spoke every word, holding your hands and rubbing them, you know he was truly sorry and wants to fix what he did.

"I forgive you Sei, but what you said was really hurtful. You know how much this means to me and how much work I've been putting in. But I do forgive you."

He takes you out to eat at your favorite restaurant and watch a movie afterwards back at home, kisses you tons and holds you in his arms when you fall asleep.

He also puts in a good word with his work associates about your business and you gain more employees and popularity! But unless you want to do it completely on your own he's there supporting you every step of the way and giving you advice :)

Midorima

He acts like your affection is kryptonite, even though you're not a clingy or overly-affectionate person

You guys had been together for about 3-4 months

He always brushes you off even at the most simplest acts of affections, you're starting to really question if he even wants to be together.

Well this particular time he embarrassed you in front of the team :/

There was a break in between practice and you went to give him his water bottle and give him a hug

"Hey Shin he's your water bottle, don't work yourself too hard okay?"

After that you went in for a quick hug but he held a hand against your chest and glared at you

"Why are you always so clingy? You're always on me and its annoying. Can you just leave me alone or leave?"

He said that right in the middle of the court, everyone's eyes were on you and you felt embarrassed.

"...alright."

That's all you after said you shoved the water bottle into his hand and walked out of the gym.

Takao was the one to call him out on his behavior and tell him that he was being rude and that he should apologize

Midorima took that advice and after practice, he went to find you and apologize, except you weren't anywhere he checked or thought you would be

You avoided him for 3 days straight until he arrived at your house unannounced

Your lucky item in his hand, he gives you a well deserved apology

"Y/N I- I'm sorry that I was being rude to you. There was no reason for me to act like that and I haven't been appreciating you like I should. That was rude of me and I hope you except my apology. Also- this is your uh lucky item."

He hands you a plushie :)

He gives you hugs and reassures you that he appreciates your affections despite him not being used to it!

He also got an extra lap at practice from Miyaji lol but he decided not to tell you that part

Kise

Is very busy and it's sometimes hard to make time for you :(

And you also couldn't show him affection in public or be around him because his fangirls would throw a hissy fit

He hasn't been answering his phone and he can't really get that close to you at school so you've been feeling left behind

When you finally managed to catch him, you said you wanted to go out and just catch up because you two haven't spent much time together and he agreed

However Kise forgot about the plans and you were waiting at the restaurant, alone.

You went home that night upset, tired, and wondering if you even want to be in a relationship anymore

You stopped texting him and talking to talk to him at school, not that you even had that much time to talk to him and school anyway

Kise had realised a whole day later that he had forgotten about the plans you two had made together

He took off from work the whole week, even though his manager was mad about it and went off to find you

He found you at a park after school and approached you with flowers in his hand

"Y/N baby I'm so sorry I forgot about our date. I can't imagine how you must've felt and to make up for it I called the whole week off! I'm really, really sorry that I havent had time for you. Do you forgive me?"

"Yeah, I forgive you Kise I'm just really hurt that you stood me up. You knew we hadn't spent alot of time together and I was really hoping to catch up with you that night. But I'm just happy you're here."

He takes you to a concert! Your favorite artist was in town and he bought tickets for the two of you!

The whole week was filled with fun, love, and lots of conversations :)

He promises to make more time for you and be there for you whenever he can!

He also posts you on his socials and shows you affection at school, showing his fangirls that he's not for them, but for you and they can go away of they don't like that

Aomine

You feel like he doesn't put any effort into the relationship

It's always you doing everything, it just gets tiring

He doesn't really make an effort to do anything, like plan dates, hang out, or just spend time together

He also uses basketball as an excuse to not hang out with you when you already know he's not at practice

Like if you want alone time man just say that

So you had planned a date for you two, nothing big just going to the movie theaters yk

He cancelled last minute, saying Imayoshi was forcing him to come to practice

It was a sunday, they don't have practice in sunday

You talked to Momoi as she is a close friend of yours too, about how you feel like you're the only one making an effort and that you feel like he doesn't want to spend time with you

She tells you to confront him about it, so you do

The next time Daiki comes to your house you ask him about it

"It just feels like I'm the only one putting work into the relationship and I feel like you're avoiding me. You make up excuses to not be with me and bail on me last minute...do you even want to be with me? And if you do want alone time just be upfront about it, don't give me terrible excuses or flake out on me."

Aomine honestly didn't know you felt that way

Now that he looks back at it, it has been mainly you doing most of the stuff in the relationship, and he can see why you feel like it's only you trying

"You're right, it has been mainly you doing stuff for both of us. I'm gonna start putting in more effort because it's time I do. I'm sorry that I've been making shitty excuses to not hang out with you, and cancelling all of a sudden. I'll be honest when I don't feel like going out and I'll spend more time with you."

He makes it up to you by taking you to a festival and going to see a movie with you

True to his word, he starts putting more effort into y'alls relationship and you two take turns planning dates

And if he doesn't feel like going out you guys have at home dates instead :)

I know this took a little longer than usual, I'm sorry for the little setback. Hopefully you like them! Thank you for requesting and feedback is appreciated! Love you <333

#akashi seijuurou x reader #aomine daiki x reader #midorima shintaro x reader #kise ryota x reader #knb x black! reader #knb x poc!reader #knb x reader #aomine daiki x black!reader #aomine daiki x poc!reader #akashi seijuro x black!reader #akashi seijuro x poc!reader #midorima shintaro x black!reader #midoroma shintaro x poc!reader #kise ryouta x black!reader #kise ryouta x poc!reader #knb angst

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tobesobri · 3 years

Text

Traditions | 17.3k

a/n: it's been a while since I uploaded writing and for some reason I decided to sign up for this challenge and by some miracle actually managed to write something for it 🤯anyways, this is for the Valentine's Day Challenge by @1dffchallenges and it's honestly just a bit of fun, enemies to lovers little bit of angst and some smut! so i hope you enjoy! I'd always love to know your thoughts!! (also pls excuse any errors, I wrote this in a week with little editing lol)

prompt: doube date

dialogue: “So let me get this right. You want to hire me as your date for a Valentine’s Day Party?”

Pink and red were speckled throughout the entire office, whether it was a bouquet of chocolate roses, a banner of hearts, or stuffed bears residing next to bowls full of heart-shaped candies. Every employee’s section of the office had been filled to the brim with decorations as well. Pink and red ribbon taped carefully around the edges of their desktop computer, little store-bought balloons, also heart-shaped, grouped together and tied to desk chairs.

And Y/N, dressed in her typical all black outfit, rolled her eyes as she paced through the office toward the one section in the back that was immune to all things heart-shaped, pink, or stuffed.

She sat down at her desk with a loud sigh, her purse hitting the floor in its usual spot just before she slipped out of her jacket and draped it haphazardly between her back and the chair. It’d be wrinkled by the end of the day, but she didn’t care all that much, nor did she put much thought into the stains on her purse from leaving it on the floor. All she concerned herself with, after settling in, was getting straight to work… which was put on hiatus when she came face-to-face with both a pink and heart-shaped sticky note plastered onto the center of her computer screen.

Groaning, she ripped it off and moved to turn her computer on before she bothered to read whatever was written on the note. She considered three potential suspects while she pulled her keyboard down onto her desk and logged in. There was Kayla, who worked front reception and was one of the main culprits of all the Valentine’s decorations. A strong contender. It could’ve also been Ines or Carmen, her closest work friends whom Y/N knew both owned a pad of pink, heart-shaped sticky notes.

However, when she finally let her eyes fall to the note as her computer loaded up, the handwriting didn’t match any of the women she knew, and she was quite positive that none of them would have written was was sprawled out in black ink either.

Roses are red, violets are blue. I will fill your office with teddy bears and balloons, if you don’t send me your half of the proposal by two.

Harry.

She crumpled the note and tossed it into the bin under her desk. He could go fuck himself for all she cared. Sure, she was nearly done with her portion of the work and would be able to send it to him before then, but now that he’d pestered her about it, he’d be lucky if she even bothered to send it to him at all.

She didn’t doubt the promise, i.e. threat, he made on the note, but being surrounded by teddy bears and balloons would be worth making Harry’s life just a tad miserable.

After opening all the apps she’d need to get her work done, namely Photoshop and Illustrator, she connected her drawing tablet and set up the rest of her work station for the day, both on screen and off.

Harry had worked at the company for about two years longer than her and she’d started off as an intern while she was still in college and, after graduating, was hired as a permanent graphic designer. They had never really gotten along ever since Harry—jokingly—asked her to get him a coffee once… or twice. Unfortunately for her, though, they ended up working well together and their boss had stuck them both on the same projects ever since. Especially after the month-long project last spring that had been their most successful one to date.

While she came up with the design parts of client projects, Harry handled the more technical side of things and they’d never really argued much over each other’s work even though they clashed constantly at a more personal level.

“I see your feeling festive.” Just as she’d gotten into the groove of her typical morning and had forgotten all about Harry’s stupid note, his voice interrupted her entire thought process. So when she swiveled around to find him leaning into her little office space, it was hardly a surprise when she glared at him, even though he feigned offense at her bitterness.

“You got my note, I presume.” He let himself into her space anyway, holding a mug of steaming coffee she was sure he’d just made in the workroom, and leaned up against the opposite side of her desk that housed a much larger, digital drawing tablet for when she needed to do more intricate design pieces.

She just swiveled back around to face her computer again and went back to work as if he was no longer there. Pretending to ignore his existence proved to be quite difficult when the very particular woodsy, vanilla scents of his cologne met her nostrils and filled her entire office. Not to mention, the sight of what he’d been wearing singed the backs of her eyelids so that she still saw him every time she blinked. It was as if her brain refused to let her forget what he looked like in his white button-up, sleeves rolled to the crooks of his elbows, all tucked into his fitted black trousers that tended to get the imaginations going of all the women in the building.

Not her though, of course. She was better than that. Obviously.

He cleared his throat, still very much present in her space and still very much giving her a migraine. “So will it be ready by two?”

“Well, I planned to send it to you before lunch.” She tweaked the spacing between letters of a potential logo for the millionth time. “But now… I think I might need the rest of the day.”

She heard rustling behind her and knew he was shifting his weight impatiently and running a hand through his hair as he often did when he was… displeased. “I told you I’m leaving early tomorrow and I need it no later than two.”

She cocked her head to the side, still staring at her computer screen and not giving him an ounce of satisfaction. “Did you tell me that?” She teased, an amused smirk lifting the corners of her mouth when she heard him groan behind her. “I must’ve forgotten.” Shrugging, she went back to her work.

“Unlike you,” he snapped, “some of us actually have a love life and I’d appreciate you not fucking up mine.”

She froze then, only for a split second, when his words sank in. Two thoughts raced through her head. The first a string of curse words because of his assumption that she didn’t have a love life. But the more prominent and worrisome part of his statement was that he did have one. And that he was leaving early tomorrow—Valentine’s Day—so he could get ready for a date.

Throwing both her prickly exterior and heartbreaking smirk up again, she turned to face him. “I’ve known you for three years now and if anyone has the potential to fuck up your love life, it’s you.”

He narrowed his eyes at her and her gaze fell to the hand that seemed to wrap a bit tighter around his Bugs Bunny mug. His knuckles whitened and she met his heated stare again, pleased with herself for getting him riled up before he’d even finished his morning coffee.

“So,” she continued before he get get a word of retaliation out, and sat back against her chair, crossing her legs confidently as she folded her hands in her lap. “Who’s the poor girl you’ve tricked into going on a date with you this time?”

Harry had a terrible track record. The longest relationship he’d been in lasted for two months, and that was well before she’d known him. Everything else he had was just a one or two night thing and nothing more. Sure, it was all more than she had, but she preferred it that way. Harry seemed to resent the fact that he couldn’t keep a girlfriend to save his life.

“You don’t know her.”

Her smile widened. “How long have you been seeing her?”

“Couple weeks.”

“Ooh, that just might be your second longest relationship, Styles.”

“Well at least I’ve had one.”

His jab didn’t have an affect on her however, and he knew it wouldn’t because it never did. He knew she didn’t give a damn about relationships, or at least that’s what she claimed anyway. He couldn’t think of many twenty-four year old women who actually wanted to be alone. He actually couldn’t think of a mid-twenties anyone who wanted that.

“You’ll have to try harder than that.” She said nonchalantly, which irked him even more than he already was, and then swiveled away from him one last time, picking up her drawing pen and getting back to work.

“What’s your issue with relationships?” He went on and she knew he was headed right down a path intended to hurt her feelings just as much as she had his. So, she tensed slightly and braced for impact. “Is it a commitment thing? Or can you just not find anyone to put up with you for longer than five minutes?”

She let his words sink their teeth in and then smiled to herself. “Hm. Seeing as you’ve been in my office now for,” she checked the time at the top right-hand corner of her screen, “eight minutes, maybe we should date.” She lifted a brow, awaiting his next response.

It felt a bit like a cat-and-mouse chase bickering with Harry and since she was usually the cat, it brought her way too much pleasure fighting with him.

He scoffed. “Like I’d lower my standards for you.”

That one hurt, she had to admit. Not out loud or to Harry, but it still stung because it was true. He’d have to drop his standards to the floor to even consider dating her and she knew it.

“Maybe,” she began, still half focused on her work, and ignored his comment all together, “some of us like being alone.”

“Nobody likes that.” He responded quickly and she heard a shift of his weight again and then his voice once more a few moments later. “It’s nice to be by yourself sometimes, yeah, but you can’t tell me you don’t want someone to come home to at the end of the day.” He crossed one leg over the other as he gripped the edge of her desk for support and just when she thought he was done, he kept going, “Someone you can vent to about your annoying co-worker.”

She glanced at him through the little portable mirror hanging above her desk—mostly used to make sure she looked decent before meeting with clients or, sometimes, Harry—and saw the tight smile on his lips. Almost as if that’s what he wanted, like he was talking about himself and not her.

She’d slowed her progress down while he’d talked until she was no longer working at all. She no longer swiped her pen across the pad or had any idea what she was even doing when she focused solely on his words. Because, once again, whether he was talking about himself or about her, he was right.

“Yeah well,” she quickly hid herself back behind her wall and made her hands function properly again. “Some of us also don’t have the luxury of choosing whomever we want.”

She imagined him smirking at that one because, buried deep within her words was a compliment. That he was handsome enough to actually have anyone he wanted.

Instead, when she glanced at the mirror again and found him, there was the complete opposite of a smirk on his face, and as he stared down into his mug, clearly lost in thought, she wondered what the tightness in his jaw and the frown pulling on his lips meant.

She sighed and stole his attention away from his coffee. “I’ll have it to you before lunch. You can go now, unless you’d like to argue some more and slow me down by another…” she glanced at her clock again, adding up all the time he’d been standing in her office, “fifteen minutes.”

Without another word, she listened to the drag of his footsteps as he finally left her office space. And although she was glad to be rid of his distraction, the room felt so much bigger and so much colder and emptier without him in it. Shivering, she slipped back into her jacket and spent the next few hours doing nothing but staring straight ahead at her screen as she made final adjustments to her designs.

Any other conversations with Harry were had over email as he worked in his own respective office, messaging her with every little concern he had in order to get his work done efficiently so that he wasn’t stressing to finish it tomorrow before he had to leave. Even though Y/N considered not responding to him a few times, just to spite him and slow him down for her own amusement, she found herself feeling guilty after leaving him hanging a couple times. Sure, she hated Valentine’s Day and everything surrounding it, but she’d almost hate even more the idea of both her and Harry being miserable tomorrow, so she inevitably gave in and cooperated with him. She’d probably regret it when he came back on Thursday spreading around the office all the gory details of his date, but at least he wouldn’t also be in a shitty mood. Her days were both boring and slow whenever Harry wasn’t having a good day. And although she’d blame it all on selfish reasons, it did also make her sad to see him frowning around the office and sulking when all she wanted to do was bicker with him and make him smile again, even just a little bit. But it was easier leaving him to his own devices than risk him finding out she cared about him enough to not wish sadness upon him.

She couldn’t say the same for him. Harry probably relished in the days she came into the office in a sour mood. He probably celebrated and threw a party whenever she was upset, and, even so, it didn’t change how she felt about him.

The sun had long set and most of the office was gone by the time she finally called it quits and began packing up her things and giving her computer a rest for the night. There were still quiet murmurs from other workaholic employees, which comforting her knowing she wasn’t completely alone in the building, since the last time she’d done that, it took everything in her not to have a panic attack all the way to her car.

Even though her boss told her countless times not to stay past five o’clock, as he told every other female employee that worked for him that he didn’t wish to see attacked after sunset in the city. Of course, when she was the only one who didn’t listen to him, he hired more guards and one of them rounded the corner into her office space, ready to escort her all the way down to her car.

“Figured you were still here.” He leaned against the walls of her cubicle and watched as she startled, twisting to meet his eyes for a moment before she settled and returned to slipping her belongings into her purse.

“I don’t need you to escort me.” Zipping her purse, she rose from her chair, checking one last time across her desk to make sure she’d grabbed everything she needed to take home with her before turning to him as he still lingered in the opening of her little office.

William had been hired a couple months ago, and was only a year older than her, but even so he was more than a foot taller than her and his biceps were about as big as her head. While the entire office drooled over him, she tended to keep her eyes and her thoughts to herself.

“You say that every night you stay late. Just let me do my job and shut up about it.” He smirked at her and when her eyes met his again, sharply, glaring at him, she groaned and whirled past him toward the elevators. He followed swiftly behind, knowing she’d close the doors on him if he didn’t keep close enough pace with her, mostly because she’d done it before.

As he took his spot beside her and she pressed the button for the parking garage at the basement of the building, a familiar voice rang out through the office.

“Wait!” As if she wasn’t already annoyed enough with William’s presence, his stupidly large arm held the elevator doors open as Harry slipped inside a moment later.

“Thanks, mate.” Harry said exclusively to William as he caught his breath and stood wedged in the middle between the guard and Y/N, who was inching closer and closer into her corner to get away from Harry.

“You have any plans tomorrow?” Harry asked, his attention solely on William again while the elevator took off down through the levels of their building. Not fast enough for Y/N, of course.

William sighed, crossing his arms and trying to resist smiling. “Me and my girlfriend take turns surprising each other every year. And it’s her turn this year… so I guess I have plans, but I don’t know what they are.”

“Damn, way to make us feel incompetent.”

Y/N whirled her head to glare up at the side of Harry’s face. “Speak for yourself.” She warned.

Harry just ignored her though. “What did you guys do last year?”

Again, William stifled a grin. “I had been saving up for a while and took us both to Paris.”

“Shit.” Harry’s eyebrows rose and Y/N rolled her eyes away from him, watching the LED screen above the elevator doors as they neared the bottom levels of the building. She knew Harry and William had become friends, mostly because Harry was annoying and befriended everyone. Except her, of course. She heard his stupid voice again and wished she could just transport herself directly into the front seat of her car and be done with the both of them. “And now she has to do better than Paris.”

Y/N glanced around Harry just in time to see William smirk and she should have known what was about to come out of his mouth before it did. “Well, I don’t consider much better than her mouth ar—“

Y/N cut him off. “Ew! Are you serious?”

Both men eyed her curiously just as the elevator came to a stop and, with a ding, the doors opened. She flew toward them quickly.

“Y/N wait, I have to—“

Again, she cut him off, turning once she was out on solid ground. “I’ll be fine, besides trying to rid my mind of that image you just burned into it.” She turned on her heel and headed off toward her car.

William made a move toward her and Harry grabbed his arm, “I’ll walk her. Forgot she’s a bit of a prude.” They shared an amused look and Harry jogged out onto the concrete and asphalt until he reached her side.

“I heard that, you know… and I know for a fact your car is not parked in this direction.” She seethed and he just smiled to himself, happier than ever that she was in the mood to bicker with him, because he wasn’t quite in the mood to leave yet, where he’d have to wait till tomorrow morning at nine-thirty to see her again. And she wasn’t always the most talkative person on Valentine’s Day, either.

“Why are you the only female in our building not foaming at the mouth over him?” He asked instead, referring to William.

He heard her scoff. “Just because he’s attractive doesn’t mean I have to be interested… or want to hear about his girlfriend sucking his—“

“Cock?” Harry finished for her and within a second she spun around to face him, forcing him to stop in his tracks just inches from her now. His smirk only grew when he saw just how quickly he’d gotten her all flustered.

And then, as they started each other down, the hardness in her face softened and she drew out a breath, forcing his eyes to fall to her lips and his smirk to fall from his mouth. He thought back to last spring, when there were numerous late nights with her just like this one. When he went home and couldn’t stop thinking about…

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked and he blinked a couple times before he lifted his eyes.

“Like what?” He furrowed his brows, trying to track down all the resentment he had for her but he couldn’t find it anywhere anymore. He couldn’t summon it and say something that would save his ass from being caught looking at her like he wanted to kiss her.

Like he wanted to taste her and feel her against him, and hear what she sounded like when he tugged at her hair for more.

“Nevermind.” She shook her head, silencing the chaos going on in his brain. And then she turned, continuing the walk to her car with or without him, but, when she heard the echoing click of his shoes against the asphalt once more, she knew she wasn’t rid of him yet.

“I don’t suppose you’ll give me a ride back to my car, will you?” He easily stepped back into place beside her like nothing had happened.

She didn’t say anything for much longer than he was comfortable with. And then, finally, they reached her car and she sighed. “Get in before I change my mind.”

As she went for the driver’s side, he took quick steps to the opposite side, watching her over the top of her little Honda as she unlocked her door, and then, after clicking the button, his door as well. They both slipped in at the same time and while she fastened her seatbelt and settled in for her drive home, he sat perched with his backpack in his lap, knowing he’d be out of her car within only a couple minutes.

He still glanced around at his surroundings as she backed out of her parking space. “Should’ve guessed your car would be as neat as your desk.”

She didn’t say anything as she drove in the opposite direction of the exit toward the section of the garage Harry always parked in. It was closer to the elevators because he always came in before her and snagged a prime spot. She preferred an extra few minutes of sleep over walking an extra fifty steps.

And he started up again when she continued to not talk to him. “Most artists I know of are super messy.”

“I’m not an artist.” She gritted out through her teeth as she came to a stop once she spotted the rear-end of Harry’s BMW. Although she knew it well enough to distinguish it from the other black BMWs in the garage, it also helped that Harry had an old, faded license plate cover filled with a collage of cute pictures of puppies. He’d said it won him bonus points with women, but she also knew his screensaver at work was a picture of puppies as well, and no women he was interested in ever saw that.

He peeled his eyes off his car and looked over at her. “I know you can draw, too.”

She paused, gripping her steering wheel. She did enjoy both art and design and she knew Harry knew the difference between the two. She just didn’t know why he always insisted on bugging her about it.

“Yeah, well that doesn’t make me an artist.”

When he didn’t say anything, she glanced at him just in time to find him shrugging a shoulder like he was agreeing to disagree. Even if she couldn’t draw, he’d still consider her an artist because the things she managed to design always blew his mind and if that wasn’t art…

She rolled her eyes. “Are you going to get out, or do I have to drag you?”

He grinned, and it was almost as if her eyes refused to see anything else but his dimples and the bright whites of his teeth, and the birthmark to the side of his mouth…

“I’m going.” He assured, and yet he still hadn’t moved an inch. “Even though I’d love to see you try to drag me.” With her knuckles whitening on the steering wheel, he chuckled and unzipped the small pocket on the front of his backpack, withdrawing his keys as he finally swung her door open.

Once he was out, he gripped the top of the door and leaned back in to find her staring straight ahead. “Drive carefully, yeah? Would be quite tragic for your bitter ass to die on Valentine’s Day.”

She reached over and, despite having to brush her knuckles along the side of his thigh, grabbed the handle of the passenger door and yanked. His body remained in her way, however, and he was unfortunately a lot stronger than her.

Then she finally looked up at him, and those thoughts he had earlier surfaced again as much as he’d tried to bury them. This time though, he didn’t fight it as he glanced at her lips once more, then back at her eyes, which had widened slightly just before the dimples reappeared in his cheeks. “And I guess I would miss bickering with you every day.”

With that, he was gone and she retreated back to her seat as he shut the door for her. She had no idea what to think about what had just happened. Why he’d looked at her like that again. What that look even meant.

By the time she reached the freeway, she’d convinced herself she was just seeing things. Harry wasn’t looking at her in any other way he had before when he was intent on pestering her. But, as she took in the scent of him still lingering in the cabin, she allowed a small part of her to hope she was wrong.

Her eyes fell on the man down the hall from her door as she slipped her key into the lock, her brows furrowing as she watched him. It wasn’t unusual for their paths to cross, as they tended to get home around the same time, but it was quite odd to see him sitting on the floor outside his apartment, his head in his hands.

They’d said hi to each other a couple times in the mailroom, but she definitely didn’t know him well enough to go up and ask what his issue was or try to fix it for him. And after it was confirmed that he hadn’t, in fact, lost his keys, as they sat beside him on the floor along with his phone, she figured it best to leave him be.

Turning her key, she pulled her gaze from him and disappeared from the hallway.

The second she was inside her apartment, she felt all the weight lift right off her shoulders, especially when her cat came racing up, screaming at her from the floor while also coaxing her toward the kitchen to fill the food bowl. Whatever was going on with her neighbor still very much on her mind, she tried to focus instead on relaxing and getting both her and the screaming Pretzel some dinner.

She tried to remember his name as she heated up leftover pasta. She knew it started with an A, but her brain was coming up short. So, while Pretzel crunched on his food in his corner of the kitchen, she tried her hardest to remember.

And it was no question why she cared so much. Her neighbor was someone she was actually interested in, and she had been since she first saw him. Of course, she was never foolish enough to think he was into her, but she still let herself fantasize. He was tall, nearly black curly hair atop his head always in a state of disarray, and he had the most beautiful blue eyes she’d ever seen hidden behind his glasses. And, if she was being honest with herself, he was just a darker-haired version of Harry. Maybe that’s why she liked him.

The beeping of her microwave tore her thoughts from the dangerous path they’d been headed down. Harry’s voice rang in her head a moment later.

Like I’d lower my standards for you.

She’d needed to hear him say that, because sometimes her thoughts got carried away when it came to Harry and sometimes she did let herself be a fool who hoped. But after he’d said that one damning phrase, it was enough for her to stop. She didn’t meet a single one of his standards, inside or out.

Still, she tried her hardest not to go back out into the hall and make sure her neighbor was alright. Maybe he just needed someone to talk to and it wasn’t like she was doing anything important. Even if she didn’t have a dumb crush on him, as she did Harry, she still didn’t enjoy seeing him in the state he’d been in.

Before she could work up the nerve, however, a knock sounded through her quiet apartment.

She held her breath as she opened her door, really hoping it wasn’t the boy from across the hall, since she was still blanking on his name, but she couldn’t imagine anyone else knocking on her door this late into the evening.

So when she inevitably found him there, looking down at her through his annoyingly long lashes as she took in the horrible state he was in—red, inflamed eyes and hair that needed to see a brush rather than his hand—she completely lost her breath instead.

“Uh, sorry, I… saw you come in and I know we don’t talk and this is a weird thing for me to ask but…” He ran said hand through said messy hair and she found her breath again while looking up at him like she’d do whatever he’d asked just so he’d stop frowning.

He sighed, glancing down the hall toward his apartment and then met her curious and somewhat concerned gaze. “Can I come in?”

She recoiled. “Um… why?”

“Well, um, I was hoping you could help me with something and I’d rather not have the entire floor know about it.”

She was beyond confused now, but still, she stepped aside and let him pass, assuming that if he was actually a murderer he would have done her in a lot sooner than this. He had plenty of other opportunities. Plus, something in his face just… made her want to trust him.

She closed the door and turned to him, watching as his eyes scanned her kitchen and where her food still sat before he twisted around, eyes wide. “Shit, I’m sorry for interrupting.”

She shook her head. “It’s fine.” And after clearing her throat, she crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you, um… what do you need help with?”

He swallowed and she watched his Adam’s apple budge in his throat. “I don’t imagine you’ll like me very much after I ask but… I need a date.”

“What?” Again, she nearly flew out of her skin.

His eyes darted back and forth between hers, gauging her reactions and very obviously on the verge of seeing himself out and pretending this never happened. Instead, he stuffed away his pride and went on. “My ex… she, uh… well we broke up a few months ago and I saw her the other day and she’s seeing someone and we were talking and I… told her I was seeing someone too and so she invited me to go on this stupid double date with her… but the thing is… I’m not actually seeing anyone and I just told her that so she’d be jealous but she didn’t seem jealous at all and I don’t exactly have many friends to ask for help and I saw you and…” He rambled, but she managed to understand his predicament just fine.

“A double date? With your ex?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know either. She’s… she does weird shit but… I still want her back.”

Y/N’s heart ached in her chest. As much as she detested relationships, she was a sucker for other people’s relationships and she was definitely a sucker for her beautiful neighbor, even if he was asking to use her to make his ex-girlfriend jealous.

“Not that I’m saying yes but… when? And where?” She finally asked after thinking things over for a moment.

“Tomorrow night… I can pay you. I will pay you, I mean… but, seriously, you don’t have to do it I just thought I would ask.”

“Where is this date at?” She repeated when he didn’t answer that part of her question.

“At this party… and bef—“

She cut him off. “Okay so let me get this right. You want to hire me as your date to a Valentine’s Day party?”

He lifted a brow, “Well, there’s more… she wants to get dinner before going to the party.”

She shook her head, looking away, “I don’t really do Valentine’s Day…”

“You wouldn’t have to do much. I’ll pay for your dinner, too. Whatever you want. I just… really need your help and you’re my only option.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You realize I’m not exactly…” she waved at her face and his eyebrows screwed together in confusion. “I’m not easy on the eyes and I don’t think taking me will make anyone jealous.”

He didn’t say anything for a while, just stared at her incredulously. She shifted her weight nervously and he finally opened his mouth. “You don’t actually think that, do you?”

Her features scrunched up and she kept her eyes planted on the middle of his chest. And then he realized that she, in fact, did.

“I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have asked you to do this.” He also realized that using her to make his ex jealous would possibly hurt her more than it would help him and he could no longer fathom putting her through that. “I’ll figure it out. I’m sorry.” He moved to walk past her, back to his apartment but she stopped him before he got far.

“No… I’ll help you.” And then she realized his identity was still somewhat of a mystery to her. “This sounds even worse than what you just asked me to do, but… I completely forgot your name.”

He breathed out a laugh. “It’s Adam.”

She knew it had started with an A!

“Y/N.”

He smiled wider and nodded. “I know.” And then his face grew sad again. “I am really sorry I’m asking you to do this on Valentine’s Day, it’s definitely not my proudest moment.”

She waved him off. “I wasn’t going to do anything anyway. Just tell me what you need me to do.” She didn’t bother brining up the whole payment thing. She didn’t really care about being paid. He was nice, the only nice person she’d encountered in her apartment building and if getting him back together with his ex meant she’d never have to come home and see him in the fetal position on the floor again, she’d suffer through a date and a party on her least favorite holiday.

It was somehow even worse than it’d been yesterday. The decorations seemed to triple in size. Not an inch of the office was untouched by something pink and she prayed whoever had put up even more decorations had spared her little cubicle.

“Oh, hey, Y/N!” One of the receptionists most responsible for the overflowing decor, Kayla, called her over to her desk not even a minute after Y/N had arrived. And she stalked over until she saw the package Kayla pulled out that instantly lifted her spirits.

She stopped in front of Kayla’s desk and took the thin box from from her, already knowing what it was and thanking god for the timing so that her entire day wasn’t completely miserable. It was a new drawing pad she’d ordered, a bigger one that she hoped would be a bit more efficient to use than her current one.

Even with her back turned to the rest of the office, she sensed Harry’s presence long before he stopped beside her with his mug in hand.

He lifted a brow at the package in Y/N’s hands just as she reluctantly turned to look at him. “Getting gifts sent to the office? That’s a first.”

She rolled her eyes and stuffed the box under her arm, holding herself back from running off to her office to set it up. “Jealous?” She cocked her head.

And instead of his condescending smirk and a hateful response to go with it, the sparkle in his eyes seemed to fade as he eyed the box again, genuinely worried now that it was actually a gift from someone.

Before either could say anything, they all turned to find a delivery man walking up to Kayla with a giant bouquet of flowers in tow. And so it began. Although, when Kayla took the vase from the man eagerly, a bright smile on her face because Kayla loved love a little too much, Y/N couldn’t help but think about Adam. About how the only time she’d managed to get a date on Valentine’s Day was when it wasn’t even real. Instead, she’d stupidly agreed to help her cute neighbor win back his ex-girlfriend in exchange for a free dinner.

It was… pathetic. To say the least.

She felt Harry watching her, too, while she eyed the bouquet of flowers as they departed reception with Kayla and made their way to their recipient. As stupid as she found everything about the holiday, she couldn’t help but want someone to send her flowers. To give her anything for that matter. To have thought about her for at least a second of their day. Harry cleared his throat and she tore her eyes away.

“So… what’s in the box?”

“None of your business.” She rounded him, heading to her office, but he grabbed her free arm to stop her short and didn’t speak until she met his gaze again.

“Can we meet up in my office to finish the proposal? Think it’ll be easier to get it done than over email.”

She had every reason to be suspicious of him. They almost never worked in each other’s offices. When they did work together, which was often, it was in one of the empty conference rooms and it was usually at the beginning of the process when they needed the space to plan things out. The last time they’d really been in each other’s offices was last spring. Figuring he just wanted to get things done so he could be out of the office on time, she let it go.

“Give me fifteen minutes.”

He watched her walk away, watched her even as Kayla returned and noticed his gaze and giggled at him as she took her spot back behind her desk.

“It was something she ordered for herself, by the way.”

“What?” Harry whipped around again, not having even realized the other woman until now.

“I know you two pretend to hate each other but I see the way you look at her, Harry.” Kayla lifted a brow at him as she began typing on her keyboard.

He feigned disgust. “I’m seeing someone, you know.”

“Are you?”

“Yes.” He insisted. “I have a date. Tonight.”

She lifted her hands in surrender. “Okay… I’m just saying.”

“I don’t look at her.”

Kayla suppressed a smile and snorted instead. “If you say so. I guess you didn’t also sneak into her office this morning, either.”

“I think all these flowers and stuffed bears and heart-shaped things have gotten to your head.” He pointed around to the decor littering her desk while holding his mug steady.

Kayla met his eyes and her smile slipped off her face. “Harry, please don’t mess with her.”

His face screwed up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“If you don’t like her then don’t lead her on.”

“I don’t think she’s capable of being led on.”

Kayla froze for a moment and then nodded. “You’re right.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant by that either. “Why are you being weird?”

“Because,” Kayla sighed, brushing her curled brunette hair onto one shoulder and then lowered the volume of her voice. “I happen to know she doesn’t think very highly of herself and I’d rather not see her get hurt, especially not by you.”

Now Harry froze. The hand that gripped his mug tightened and he didn’t even flinch as it began to burn his skin. He heard Y/N’s voice in his head then as he drowned out his surroundings.

Some of us don’t have the luxury of choosing whomever we want.

He had instantly regretted what he’d said to her yesterday when she’d told him that. And now hearing Kayla, in a way, confirm what he’d read between the lines of Y/N’s words… his chest tightened in quite possibly the worst way ever. He’d hated himself most of the day after telling her he’d never lower his standards for her and he could say he was just bickering all he wanted, but he knew now for certain she took it the wrong way. And he wished more than ever that he hadn’t said something so horrible to her, especially when it was the farthest thing from the truth.

And the real truth, that he was trying desperately to shove away with stupid remarks like that, was that he didn’t meet her standards. She wasn’t into relationships and he knew he wasn’t good enough to change her mind.

“How do you know that?” He finally asked.

“That Christmas party last year… she’s a really happy drunk until she’s not.”

He flinched. “Did she say something?”

“I don’t want to get into it, mostly because I don’t think she remembers and would probably kill me if I told you but… just leave her be.”

He hardened back up again. “She does’t have any interest in relationships anyway, ‘specially not with me.”

Kayla scoffed. “She’s a really good liar.”

Harry stood there for a few more moments, feeling as if his life had just gotten flipped upside down. He’d been in such a good mood mere minutes ago before his dumbass waltzed into reception all because he’d seen Y/N. Because, despite everything and despite the fact he was already attempting to date someone else, it was Y/N he wanted to be close to all the damn time. Groaning, he turned on his heel and left for his office, hoping she wasn’t there waiting for him so he could have a moment to himself to gather his thoughts.

In a hurry to open her package, Y/N slumped down into her chair tossing her purse on the ground at her feet and pulling out her box cutter in a rush of movements. She was so distracted, in fact, that she didn’t even notice the little stuffed frog, the box of chocolates and envelope sitting on the other side of her desk near her mouse. Instead, she unboxed her new tablet and began setting it up, not noticing the gifts until she went to turn on her computer. And then she froze.

With reluctant hands she grabbed the envelope first, her name printed on it in perfect cursive. She knew nobody in the office who had such good penmanship. Opening the card in hopes of finding out who had placed the items on her desk, instead, she just found it signed as ‘secret admirer.’ Rolling her eyes, she set the card down and realized it had to be from her boss. Sometimes he remembered to go around and give everyone little gifts on the holidays. Obviously he’d remembered this year.

She dug into the chocolates as she set up her tablet and began calibrating it to suit her needs before finally testing it out in the little bit of time she had before she needed to make her way to Harry’s office.

And once that time came, she left everything in its place, besides the box of chocolates, which she continued to pick at while she made her way through the room. What she didn’t notice while stuffing her face with candy was that… no one else had a stuffed frog or chocolates or a cheesy little card on their desks.

She rounded the corner into Harry’s office, which was a real office and not a cubicle that he usually shared with one other person who was thankfully out with clients for the day. She knocked on the doorframe to get his attention after just watching him focus on his screen for a moment. Harry was cute when he was focused.

But then he turned to her and his eyes fell to the box in her hand.

When he didn’t say anything, she held it out toward him. “Do you want some? I think Andrew was feeling generous this year.”

Harry’s eyes quickly panned up to hers and his brows furrowed as if she’d just punched him in the gut. And she couldn’t make out what that expression meant no matter how hard she tried.

“He didn’t give me anything.” Harry motioned around his desk.

“Maybe he doesn’t like you.” She shrugged, setting the chocolates down on his desk while she grabbed his office mate’s chair and pulled it up beside him.

Harry sighed, turning to his computer for a moment and then watching her from his peripheral while she picked out another piece of chocolate. “I didn’t see anyone else with chocolates on their desks this morning.”

Y/N just shrugged. “There was a frog too. And a card.”

“And why do you think he’d give you all of that and no one else?” Harry hoped she’d get the hint but he didn’t hope too hard. She was still Y/N after all. And he really didn’t mean to sound so bitter… well, okay, he did. But he knew she’d misplace his bitterness, crushing what little hope there was to bits.

“Maybe he likes me better than all the rest of you.”

Harry scoffed, shaking his head as he put his attention back on his screen.

“No one else in this office would give me a card signed as a secret admirer so… maybe I did something I don’t remember doing and he’s thanking me?” Now that she really thought about it, and if Harry was right… then it really didn’t make much sense. It’s not like she was Andrew’s favorite employee.

Harry just lifted a brow and then pretended to lose all interest.

Sensing the tension, she slipped the box closer to him. “Here. I think you need a knock-off Snickers if you expect me to work with your grumpy ass.” He made no move to indulge her, however. And so she went on, continuing to poke the bear. “Why are you in a lousy mood anyway? Isn’t this your favorite holiday? And you get to leave early.”

His eyes fell from his screen and he stared at the brick of sticky notes below his monitor before mumbling, “I’m sorry about what I said yesterday.”

Taken aback, she searched what she could see of his face for answers to what he was apologizing for. He’d said a few things she could imagine deserved an apology and yet, so did she. Maybe she should have been the one to apologize to him first.

“I didn’t mean to say what I did.” He finally turned to meet her face on. He’d hoped the frog and the chocolates would have been atonement enough, but considering she thought they were from their boss and not him, he just had to suck it up and actually say what he meant.

She shrugged. “It’s fine. I can be a prude sometimes.”

He searched her eyes for a moment and then shook his head, “No that’s not… I meant what I said earlier in your office… about lowering my standards. It was a stupid thing to say and not true in the slightest.”

But then she smiled and he grew confused. “Yes it is. It’s okay to have standards, you know.”

“I know that. But if we… I wouldn’t have to lower my standards. And it was cruel of me to have said that to you.”

She couldn’t stand looking at him any longer and averted her gaze, clearing her throat. “Well it doesn’t matter so… can we just get this proposal done?”

He’d wanted to spend how ever long it took to convince her that it did, in fact, matter, but Y/N was persistent, more so than him, and so he’d given in and they moved on to being productive with their time. And in less time than he’d anticipated their proposal was finished, being sent off to Andrew for approval before their presentation at the end of the week with their clients.

Harry sat back in his chair and she returned her own to the other desk where it belonged, all while he watched her.

“What do you do on Valentine’s Day?” He asked, just trying to get her to stay longer, knowing that if those were his true intentions, then he was fucked. That he wanted to be around Y/N, even though he was seeing someone else, albeit for just a week so far, even though she’d never want the same from him.

Maybe he was just as terrible with relationships as she claimed if he always chased after what he couldn’t have.

“That is also none of your business.” She grabbed her box of chocolates from his desk, his voice pinning her in place again though.

“Let me guess… it involves chocolate, your cat, and the most anti-romantic movies you can find?”

He would not think her very prudish if he knew what else she did on Valentine’s Day while alone in her apartment, but she figured it was best to keep that to herself. Instead, she smiled at him. “Something like that.”

He narrowed his eyes and threw his arms up behind his head as he laid back in his chair, watching her curiously like he was trying to figure her out. Meanwhile, she was trying to not make it obvious she was staring at his biceps as they just about bulged from underneath the sleeve of his pink button-up. He’d done it on purpose though, so as much as she tried to hide it, he still grinned with satisfaction when she became flustered.

“Well, have fun with that, then.” He nodded, and for a moment while she was lost in his eyes and growing embarrassingly hot, she wondered if he could read her mind. If he knew exactly what not-so-innocent things she did on Valentine’s Day. Then he brought his arms back down to rest his elbows on the edge of his desk, pinching his bottom lip between his fingers and watching as she rolled her eyes, held her chocolates close, and left his office.

Adam arrived right when he said he would at five-thirty. It had given her plenty of time to change out of her work clothes and into one of the few dresses she owned, to at least seem somewhat convincing that this was a real date. She also fixed her makeup and put on a pinkish-nude lipstick before switching out her bulky purse for a smaller crossbody.

When she opened the door to him, he most certainly did not disappoint. She almost let herself get lost in the delusion that it was a real date when she saw him dressed to the nines and cleaned up for the first time since she’d known him. And she especially got a little lost in it when he pulled a small bouquet of flowers from behind his back and handed them to her.

“You didn’t have to—“

“I know.” He gave her a once over when she wasn’t looking. “You didn’t have to do this for me either.”

She quietly accepted the flowers and let him in while she found a vase and filled it with water. He leaned on the counter, watching her as she did so.

“You look… beautiful, by the way.” He blurted out once she had cut and placed the stems into the vase. Her hands froze, though, and when he met her eyes, he knew he’d made a mistake.

“You’re paying me to make your ex-girlfriend jealous. Please don’t flatter me.”

“Sorry.” He muttered, although he was beginning to wonder if the bigger mistake was not taking her out on a proper date that had nothing to do with his ex.

She sighed and adjusted the strap of her purse. “Let’s go then.”

He went over all the final details on the Uber ride to the restaurant. Things about his ex he thought Y/N should know about. And he made sure she knew, for about the hundredth time, that she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to. And she reminded him for an equal amount of times that she never did anything she didn’t want to do. So, settling that, he helped her out of the back of the Uber when they arrived and opened the door to the restraint for her as well. Everything that she’d expect from a normal date, which only left her disappointed when she reminded herself it wasn’t.

She waited quietly, and tried to catch her nerves, while Adam talked to the hostess and gave her his ex’s name for the reservation. The place was packed and anyone who didn’t call ahead surely would not be getting a table tonight. She’d never been out on Valentine’s Day, though, so it was like stepping into a brand new world for her. And as she followed both the hostess and Adam, she paid more attention to all the couples enjoying their meals than anything else.

Except for when he reached back and grabbed her hand, entwining their fingers just before they came to a stop. She blinked her eyes at their hands for just a moment before he gently pulled her around next to him. And whatever way she’d felt about holding Adam’s hand went right out the window when she locked eyes with Harry.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

The last thing she expected to find, while Laura, the gorgeous blonde ex-girlfriend, stood to hug Adam, was Harry fucking Styles. And what a fucking coincidence it was, almost as if this was her karma for feeling the need to constantly help people.

Adam’s hand slipped from hers but she didn’t even notice it anyway. She and Harry still stared each other down and neither of them moved a muscle either. Well, besides the one in his jaw as it tightened. Then he did move, glancing over at Adam with a blank expression before landing his gaze back on her again. And then his eyes fell to the glass of water in front of him and she felt like she’d been released from chains he’d tied around her wrists.

“This is Y/N,” Adam’s hand went to the small of her back, guiding her forward to meet his ex-girlfriend and Harry’s current… whatever they were.

Laura held out her hand, her smile a little too forced. “Laura. It’s nice to meet you. Please, sit.” She ushered them to the table as she took her spot beside Harry again. Adam, of course, took the chair opposite Laura, which left Y/N in the one opposite Harry.

This would be a long, hellish night.

She couldn’t help but wonder what Harry was thinking. That maybe she’d come to crash his date. Or, even worse, that he’d already figured the whole thing out. That Adam was paying her to be here. She really hoped he’d never find out because it was just embarrassing enough to make her want to change her name and move across the country, thousands of miles away from him. Harry finding out that she couldn’t get a real date to save her life… beyond humiliating.

“This is Harry.” Laura motioned to him and he just barely lifted his gaze, nodding at Adam and ignoring Y/N entirely. “You know,” the blonde went on, glancing between Adam and Y/N, “I was a little shocked when you told me you were seeing someone again.”

Adam just shrugged.

“How did you guys meet?”

Y/N left all the talking to him. Mostly because she was still in shock that she was sitting across from Harry. And she hadn’t even taken the time to properly take him in and realized he’d also changed his clothes since work. Swapping his wardrobe out for a fitted black button-up, that wasn’t buttoned all the way to the top as his shirts normally were. The sleeves were already rolled to his elbows. He’d shaved off the scruff along his jaw as well and fixed his hair so that it was combed back out of his face, although a a couple rebellious strands hung down onto his forehead. He looked… like absolute perfection. And he was being forced to be on a date with the ex-boyfriend of the girl he was seeing and his annoying co-worker. She felt terrible for him.

“Oh, uh, well we live on the same floor.”

Laura nodded, clearly anticipating more. “Is that it?”

Y/N felt Adam tense up beside her and so she took over, easily spinning a lie. “I ran out of milk one night a few weeks ago. He’s the only one who answered the door.”

She noticed a flash of movement in her peripheral and turned to find Harry’s gaze on her again, one eyebrow lifted curiously. He was either wondering how she hid it so well, or trying to figure out what to ask in order to reveal their ploy. He never said anything, though.

“Sorry, um,” Laura’s tone changed as she glanced between Harry and Y/N, both of them looking away when the other girl interrupted. “Do you two know each other?”

Harry grinned, sitting back against his seat and folding his hands in his lap. “Something like that.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “We work together.”

“Really?” Although her tone said otherwise, Laura’s face said everything about how she felt upon hearing that bit of information.

Adam twisted his worrisome gaze to Y/N, but she ignored it. Harry, however, did not.

“Don’t worry, mate. I was under the impression she was celibate up until now.” With that, Y/N kicked him under the table and he sat forward to swallow the groan that very nearly left his lips after she’d jabbed him in the shin with the toe of her heels. “Guess she’s really good at hiding things, though.”

Adam just chuckled nervously and Y/N shot him an apologetic smile, trying to reassure him that this date would still work out despite Harry.

“What a small world.” Laura laughed, trying to break the tension but dinner hadn’t even started yet.

Sometime during the main course, Laura excused herself to the bathroom and Y/N almost, in a desperate attempt to flee both Adam and Harry, invited herself along. But she figured it’d be worse to be alone with Laura than with them. Laura might ask questions she wasn’t prepared for. So, she stayed put, as much as it pained her to do so.

“So, Adam, what do you do for a living?” Harry asked suddenly and she wanted to kick him again. Mostly because his tone was that of a jealous teenager and he’d waited until Laura was gone to pester her ex-boyfriend who most certainly did not deserve Harry’s pestering.

“Oh, uh, I’m an artist. I work for an animation studio at the moment but I’m trying to get into freelance.”

Harry’s eyes shot to the suspiciously quiet girl sitting across from him. “So is Y/N.”

Adam turned to look at her, but she just glared at Harry. “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

Harry titled his head as he narrowed his attention in on Adam again. “So you’ve known her for a few weeks and you never asked what she did?”

“Harry.” Y/N warned, trying to kick him under the table again but he dodged out of the way.

“Well… she said she was in graphic design… not art.” She had told him that, during their crash course yesterday while they got to know as much as they could about each other in a span of a couple hours.

“I think it’s the same thing.”

Adam just shrugged. “I guess. I don’t think I could be a designer, though. Most artists make what they think looks good, designers create things to appeal to customers.”

“Just ignore him.” Y/N advised and Harry was the one shooting her daggers and attempting to stomp his foot on top of hers under the table this time.

“You and Laura used to date then? She never told me how you split up.” Harry moved on.

Adam swallowed nervously. “She broke up with me.”

“Why?” Harry pushed and Y/N looked at him like she wanted to kill him, which he ignored.

“I, uh… I had a drug problem for a while. I was not the best person to be around sometimes. But after we broke up, she helped me with rehab and everything.”

“Guess that explains why you’re on such good terms.”

Now Y/N really wanted to do more than just kick him.

Adam grabbed Y/N’s hand under the table and pulled her straight from her violent thoughts about Harry. And he didn’t lace his fingers between hers, instead, it felt as if he had just been looking for something to ground himself with. And her hand resting on her lap was the closest thing he could find. It didn’t, however, go unnoticed by Harry and his jaw clenched as he stared at the point in the table where, just below, there their hands met almost as if he was trying to set everything on fire.

Laura returned shortly after that.

As promised, Adam paid the entirety of both his and Y/N’s bill, even though she attempted to snag it from him, seeing as the date had gone to shit and it was all her fault. Well… maybe it was also Harry’s fault a little bit too. But she definitely did nothing to make Laura jealous. Adam, on the other hand, did a great job at making Harry jealous just by existing and being Laura’s ex, whom she was still friends with.

The four of them stood outside on the curb awaiting their Uber after dinner was over, agreeing upon splitting one car to get to the party instead of taking two. Laura was apparently very cautious about fossil fuel consumption.

Y/N shivered as she stood between Adam and Laura, wishing she’d bright a jacket instead of relying on a long-sleeve dress to keep her warm. Then an arm wrapped around her shoulders and Adam pulled her close, running his hand up and down her arm to form heat. She tensed up, though, forming into an immovable brick. She had no idea the last time she’d been that close to another person, let alone a member of the opposite sex. When he felt her go rigid, he leaned down until his lips were at her ear. “Is this okay?”

She just nodded and tried to relax. Which turned out to be quite easy because Adam was warm and he smelled nice. She, of course, didn’t let her mind wander off too far. He was still in love with his ex. He’d still shove cash into her hand at the end of the night for her troubles and go on with his life.

Adam let go of her when the car pulled up and quickly went to the passenger door to confirm with the driver. Then he opened the back door for the three of them to climb in, Laura going first, then Harry, and, at last, Y/N, while Adam slipped into the front seat beside the driver.

While the car took off, Y/N was shoved into the corner when Harry moved closer to her in order to find both his and Laura’s seat buckles in the dark. Eventually, he settled back into the middle and gave her some space again. When she made no move to do the same as them, Harry turned to look down at her.

“Put your seatbelt on.” He whispered.

Her eyes whirled up to his. Wordlessly, and of course after rolling her eyes, she grabbed her seatbelt and he made room for her to buckle it in. Then she sat back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest while she stared out at the traffic through her window.

She would have stayed in that exact position the entire trip, too, if Harry’s knee didn’t insist on bumping into hers constantly. And she couldn’t tell if he was doing it on purpose or not.

When she glanced up at him, and found the corner of his lips curl upward, she figured it was, in fact, purposeful. So, with the hand closest to him as her arms were still crossed, she poked him in the side, right against his ribs, hoping it hurt.

“Ouch.” He whined, covering the spot with his hand dramatically. Everyone in the car glanced at Harry, all except for Y/N who snickered as she returned to staring out the window.

Harry wasn’t giving up, though. This time, with his arms crossed in his lap, and glancing at Laura to be sure she wasn’t watching, he walked his pointer and middle finger up the outside of Y/N’s thigh, close enough to her hip to make her squirm slightly when his touch tickled her. And as soon as he got her attention, he looked down at what he was doing and pressed his middle finger against her, meeting her gaze with a smirk.

In the same moment, the driver turned up the music in the car as they waited tirelessly at a red light. It was better than silence or listening to his passengers breathing. But Harry mentally thanked him and turned his attention back to Y/N, leaning into her slightly until his lips were at her ear and she shivered for an all new reason.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress before.” He whispered for her ears only. The music was especially loud in the back and he wasn’t sure Y/N had even heard him.

Especially since she didn’t respond right away. But how could she? Harry’s fingertips were still grazing her thigh, as if trying to emphasize the dress she had on. And his stupid knee was pressed right up against hers. She couldn’t think straight.

Though when she finally turned to him and whispered back, “Don’t get used to it,” he knew she had, in fact, heard him well enough.

He leaned again, “Afraid I already am.”

She hated that there were butterflies in her stomach. That he was saying such odd things to her when his date was sitting just on the other side of him. The date who most definitely met all Harry’s standards.

Huddling away from him, she stuck her eyes out the window and kept them there the rest of the trip.

It was just past eight when they arrived, a fifteen-minute trip up through the city taking half an hour due to all the Valentine’s Day traffic. Another reason she hated this holiday.

The party was being held by Laura’s best friend, who’s name Y/N did not care to commit to memory. In the elevator ride up to the penthouse, though, Harry stood close to Laura, his arm wrapped around her waist and Adam to Y/N, although he didn’t touch her. She wouldn’t have minded if he did, but she figured it was best to keep those boundaries in place anyway.

Pink and golden balloons littered the ceilings of the penthouse. The drink cups were also pink, as was the communal punch bowl that Y/N steered clear of, having no idea what was in it, or who had already spiked it. She knew nobody at the party besides who she’d come with, though she assumed both Adam and Harry were somewhat acquainted with Laura’s friends.

It was most definitely not someplace Y/N ever saw herself being at, not only because it was a Valentine’s themed party, but also because she wasn’t exactly comfortable around so many people. Especially when those people were all so unfamiliar to her.

“Here,” Adam handed her a drink and then grabbed one for himself. She downed the thing in one go, needing to take the edge off. It might’ve been a slight mistake when the alcohol burned the back of her throat, but she didn’t care too much when she grabbed another.

Then he was leading her into the dancing pit of bodies where they huddled close enough so that his lips were at her ear. “Is it alright if I touch you?”

She glanced over at where Laura and Harry had been left, finding both her hazel eyes and Harry’s green ones glued to the both of them. She wasn’t sure what Harry’s deal was, but this was her moment to fix things and make Laura jealous, so, turning back to Adam, she nodded.

He eased his hands onto her waist as they began swaying to the music. And then he pulled her closer, his hands slipping to the small of her back as her arms wrapped around his neck, being careful with her own movements even though she desperately wanted to sink her hands in his hair.

And, god, he smelled so good as her head rested in the crook of his neck. And he felt good, too, as he moved against her body. She knew it wasn’t real, and that the alcohol was making skewing her perception of things, but it was still nice. Nice to be held and to just let go for a change.

Over Adam’s shoulder, Y/N caught Harry’s eyes again. His jaw clenched and he looked the same as he did back at the restaurant. Angry. And then she realized that maybe she wasn’t really trying to make Laura jealous anymore at all, but rather Harry.

It was dumb, she knew that. He’d have to like her in order for her to make him jealous. But… the way he was looking at her. The way he had looked at her. His eyes lingering too long on her lips. What he’d done in the car ride here.

She heard Adam in her ear again. “I think it’s working. She just stormed off into the kitchen.” Then he pulled away and she realized she hadn’t even seen Laura. Just Harry. Harry and his stupid, obnoxious green eyes.

“You owe me more than just dinner.” Y/N teased but Adam grew serious.

“I know. And since you refuse to accept my money, I’ll have to figure out another way to repay you.” He smiled and then twirled her around so that she no longer had any line of sight toward Harry. He pulled her close again, one hand going to her waist while the other stayed locked to one of hers. “Suppose I could start with making your coworker just as jealous… although I think he already is.”

Confusion flooded her features as she peered up at him.

“Oh, come on! He was ready to rip my head off when he realized I’d grabbed your hand. And when I put my arm around you? I thought I might be better off just giving you my jacket and freezing to death instead.”

“I don’t…” she shook her head in disbelief. It was one thing for her to be pretending to make Harry jealous in some delusional hope that it’d work. But this… this was a whole other thing.

“I’m actually quite interested to see what he does if I kissed you.”

She was shocked at first and then, possibly due to the alcohol, just as interested. “Are you asking my permission?”

“Are you saying yes?”

Y/N hesitated. “Is she back?”

Adam’s eyes scanned the room and Y/N realized he hadn’t asked to kiss her for Laura’s sake at all.

“She is.” He finally announced.

Without any more second guessing, Y/N’s hand slipped to the back of his neck and pulled him in. As soon as their lips collided and she tasted the alcohol on him, she knew that she’d never agreed to this without it. Or maybe she would. Adam spun them back around again, deepening the kiss as her eyes opened and fell into the direction she’d last seen Harry.

He was still there.

Still watching.

His hands in fists. His jaw tightened into a crisp line. His nostrils flared. His eyes… sad.

She pulled away. Adam steadied her, grabbing her shoulders when she swayed. But, as she caught her breath, the dizziness went away.

“I’m going to find the bathroom.” She told him and after he nodded, she left, forming a rift for herself through the bodies that danced all around them until she was in the clear. Then she was avoiding Harry as she walked past him, not so sure his gaze was still set on her. Maybe she’d gone too far. She didn’t often just kiss people for no good reason and that’s exactly what she’d just done with Adam. She barely even knew him.

She didn’t exactly need the bathroom, just an open, empty and quiet place. And so, she fell back against a wall in the foyer and ran a hand through her hair.

“That was quite the show.”

She startled at the sound of his familiar voice and looked up just as he stopped a few feet away from her. “What are you talking about?”

He lifted a brow. “You expect me to believe that that you, anti everything to do with this holiday and with relationships and romance, are actually dating that guy?”

“Is it that hard to believe?” She crossed her arms, willing to go as far as she needed to before she let Harry see the truth. That she was that pathetic.

“Yes.” He didn’t even hesitate to respond and she flinched.

“Well, I’m sorry that you have a hard time believing that someone may actually like me.” She had no reason to nearly be shouting at him and no reason to be saying what she was because Adam didn’t like her.

“That’s not what I said. It’s hard for me to believe you just dropped all your ideas about relationships for some guy with obnoxious blue eyes.”

“I didn’t.”

“So then what is this?”

Y/N hesitated. Hating that the truth was about to boil over out of her mouth for him to see all the embarrassing bits of it, but she had no other way of convincing him. And it didn’t really help that Adam was so far out of her league that it wasn’t even convincing to begin with. Nor did she want to convince Harry of anything either. It was clear now that he hadn’t been jealous, he was just trying to figure out when she stopped hating relationships so much.

And the truth of that was she never really hated them. It was just easier telling herself she didn’t want it than admitting no one ever actually wanted her.

She trembled, not even sure why, but he was making her incredibly nervous, so much that she wished she could rewind and stay squished next to him in the back of the car forever. Being that close to him... his stupid fingers on her thigh, whispering things in her ear that made her head spin. She’d much prefer that than standing in front of him now, seeing every ounce of judgment he was about to throw her way.

“What do you want me to say, Harry?” She shrugged and dropped her eyes to the white marble floors between them, focusing on calming her anxiety while she was no longer looking at him. “He needed a date and I felt bad for him.”

“What does that mean?”

Letting her head fall back against the wall, she stared up at the ceiling this time as her eyes burned with embarrassment. “He paid me to be his date so his ex-girlfriend didn’t find out he wasn’t actually seeing anyone. That’s what it means.”

Harry didn’t say anything.

“So, yeah.” She folded her arms, looking down at the floor again, still unable to meet Harry’s eyes and see the look that would be on his face. A smirk of amusement at her expense. Even probably his dimples, taunting her and turning her into the joke she already was. “You were right. I can’t find anyone to tolerate me, which is why I’m on this stupid date that isn’t even real.”

“Him kissing you seemed quite real to me.”

There was more exasperation than humor to her laugh. “It wasn’t.”

Harry seemed to finally understand. “He’s trying to make Laura jealous.”

Y/N just nodded. “I promise I didn’t know you were going to be there, that he was trying to get her back from you.”

“You still kissed him though.”

She couldn’t argue that, nor could she tell him the real reason she’d agreed to the kiss. That it wasn’t exactly Laura she was trying to make jealous. She’d never live that one down, if she ever managed to live any other aspect of this night down.

When she didn’t say anything, he stepped closer. “Why did you kiss him?”

“I’m sorry, Harry I just... I don’t know.”

He shook his head and took another step, making her eyes widen when he was close enough that she had to crane her head back to meet his gaze. “Seemed like you were trying to make me jealous.”

She swallowed, not exactly in the position to laugh it off and argue with him when he was this close and all she could feel were the traces of his fingertips on her thigh. Her voice was quiet when it finally came out. “Making you jealous would mean I assumed you liked me in the first place... which I’m definitely not stupid enough to assume.”

A crease formed between his brow and his stupidly perfect jaw hardened as if he was biting his tongue from saying something. And fuck him for choosing then to finally stop opening his mouth.

Just then, a pair of drunk guys, one on the other’s back, came racing through the foyer, screaming at the top of their lungs while a few others followed quickly after them. It was enough to force Harry away from Y/N again, enough for the both of them to step out of the little bubble they’d been in together the past ten minutes.

Once they were alone again, their eyes gravitated toward each other and just when she thought Harry might say something after all, he flipped around on his heel and left. And she watched as he turned the corner and mixed back into the party.

After a few moments to gather herself, she followed him, not exactly sure what she was going to do now that Harry wouldn’t talk to her and it felt weird being with Adam while Harry knew everything. But, whatever plans to keep herself occupied no longer matted when she spotted Laura.

Making out with Adam in the middle of the room.

Without even thinking, she turned to locate Harry and he might as well have been a source of gravity because her eyes fell right to him within a second. And he was watching them too. He knew.

He met Y/N’s eyes and she wasn’t quite sure if he was upset or not. She couldn’t really read anything on his face, and stopped attempting to when he moved towards her and she had other things on her mind, like where he was going and if he was going to bother taking her with him.

Shortly after he stormed past Y/N she made sure he wasn’t going to leave her behind and chased after him. She didn’t know Adam very well and definitely not Laura to want to stay with them. And everyone else in the room were complete strangers to her. Adam had promised he’d take her home, but he probably hadn’t expected to be making out with his ex by the end of the night, either.

Harry didn’t say anything, not even when they’d reached the foyer and Y/N asked where he was going. He just located his jacket and slipped it on before making his way out the front door.

And right when she thought he really was going to leave her behind, since she was the reason he’d just lost Laura to her ex, he held the door open and glanced over his shoulder at her while she still stood on the other side of the threshold.

“Are you staying?”

Without a word, she sprung into motion and trailed right behind him into the hallway like a lost puppy, letting the door shut behind her that cut them off from the music as it faded into the background behind them.

It was a silent trip down the elevator, mostly because she had no idea what to say that would sound sincere and he didn’t say anything at all. At least not until she followed him through the lobby until he stopped on the curb just outside the main doors.

She took up the spot next to him, eyes glued to the side of his face as he took in a deep breath of fresh air, or at least as fresh as traffic allowed it to be.

Then he spoke, and it seemed like the first time she’d heard his voice all night. “I’m the one who gave you the chocolates and the frog.”

She narrowed her eyes, both not exactly sure why he’d just said that or if he was even being serious. “What?”

He looked down at her. “It wasn’t Andrew, it was me.”

“Why?” She breathed and while she was positive she’d be freezing cold soon, the fresh air after being surrounded by so many people felt good. It felt freeing and she wondered if he felt that way too.

His eyes scanned hers before he looked away. “Well partly to apologize for what I said.”

“What’s the other part?”

Sighing, he turned his entire body to face her now. “Something else entirely…” He trailed off, only confusing her more as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared at his feet. “I didn’t tell you because I know you don’t like all this stuff, but seeing you with him tonight... I wish I had.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. It’s just a frog.”

He shook his head, grinning. “It’s not just a frog, Y/N... because the thing is,” he paused to catch his breath, “I’ve been in love with you for... a really long time… since last spring. But with you being the way that you are, I never thought you’d feel the same way.”

She opened her mouth and then closed it.

“And then you come in with that guy and...” He pulled his fingers through his hair. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more jealous in my life... because all this time I thought you weren’t interested in relationships, but you just weren’t interested in me.”

Inhaling, she summoned every ounce of courage she could fathom. “You were right about why I kissed Adam.” He lifted a brow, waiting for her elaboration which never came. “You were right about other things, too. I wish I had someone to come home to almost every single night I got to bed alone. No one—“ She cut herself off, trembling again as tears stung her eyes. “I pretend not to be interested so I can ignore the fact that no one’s ever wanted me.”

“That’s not true.” He had that same look on his face as before, when she’d told him she wasn’t stupid enough to think he liked her.

She just nodded. “And I’m sorry but... why would you want me when you could have someone like Laura?”

“Y/N...” He huffed and stepped closer to her, the heat from his body making her shiver. “This is not the first time I started seeing someone to get over you... in fact, all my relationships since I met you have been shit.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Well you’re very anti-relationships so I think I was justified in wanting to avoid you rejecting me… especially since we work together and it would have been really awkward.”

“I don’t, uh... I...” She stammered, not really sure what to say to him even though her heart was screaming at her in full volume.

He held his breath and then, in almost a whisper, “Is this the inevitable rejection?”

“No.” She didn’t even hesitate that time and at this point, her mind no longer controlled the words coming out of her mouth as she let another organ finally speak for itself. “No, I liked you the second I saw you, Harry... and at no point tonight was I ever trying to make Laura jealous.”

The corners of his mouth began to curl into a smile. “That was very cruel of you to do to me.”

“I didn’t think you liked me at all twenty minutes ago, Harry.”

“Twenty minutes ago,” he fully invaded all of her space now, leaving the smallest gap between their bodies as he could get away with, lifting his hand to her jaw and rubbing his thumb over her cheek. “I was still on this date with the wrong person.”

“I think the date is over now.”

“No,” his eyes fell to her lips just like they had before. “It’s not.”

“You’re looking at me like that again.” She mumbled, out of breath.

He lifted a brow and didn’t once remove his eyes from her lips. “Like what?”

“Like…” she trailed off, not having the courage to say it in case she wasn’t right.

“Like I’ve wanted to kiss you for a very long time and I’m tired of pretending?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

He grinned, both of his dimples making an appearance just before he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. And once her brain realized what was happening, she sunk right into him, letting his arm wrap around her waist as his other hand tangled its way into her hair to bring her closer. She threw her arms over his shoulders and he hunched lower to meet her. She staggered back a step when he did, nearly losing her balance but he caught her instantly and then drew his lips back as he laughed.

“This is not how I expected tonight to end.” She couldn’t help but think the way he struggled to catch his breath was possibly the hottest he’d ever been. Not to mention the tiny bit of her lipstick smeared on his face. She could look at him just the way he was right there and then for days and be perfectly satisfied.

“It doesn’t have to end yet.” She fully blamed her sudden burst of confidence on the cold, but refreshing February night. And maybe she also just wanted to get out of it before it caught up to her and she would, yet again, regret not having a jacket.

“Oh?” She wanted to smack the mischievous smirk off his face and leave him there on the curb. “And here I thought you were a prude.”

“You thought a lot of things about me that weren’t true, Harry.”

He thought about that for a moment and after realizing she was right, he then wondered just how wrong he was when he’d called her celibate. “I suppose… I’d quite like to find out just how wrong I was.” He slipped a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear, which is where his lips ended up as he whispered softly, “And I’d also quite like to show you just how wrong you were about me not liking you.”

They stumbled into her bedroom in the dark, Pretzel racing out between their twisted feet in a hurry, screeching at them in the process. Harry giggled against her lips, “Your cat sounds friendly.”

“Well, since I was supposed to be spending tonight with her, and chocolate, and anti-romantic movies…” She pulled away from him, watching as his smile spread further. Maybe she could actually believe he’d been in love all this time.

“Right… I’d be upset too.”

She shook her head and kissed him again, then pulled back a second later. “You know that’s not actually what I do on Valentine’s Day.”

He lifted a brow and waited for her to explain but she didn’t.

“And what is it that you do, then?” He finally asked, curiosity getting the best of him, although he had some inkling as to what she was talking about.

Her smile was devoid of innocence as her hands fell to his belt. Harry’s shirt had already been lost to the kitchen floor. Her dress hardly covering what it was supposed to once Harry had gotten his hands on it.

“Maybe you’ll get to find out.”

When she brought her lips back to his, after undoing the buckle just under his navel, he spun them around and led her backwards to the bed. He wasn’t sure how far it was, but hoped he was headed in the right direction. And because of that, when her knees did finally bend over the mattress, he practically came flying down on top of her.

She squirmed out from under him, crawling back towards the pillows as she watched him at the end of the bed while he stood and removed his belt completely, trying not to drool at the sight of him. At the sight of Harry, her fucking annoying ass, perfect, beautiful, coworker standing shirtless at the end of her bed where he was also about to be…

He pushed his trousers down off his hips and they fell to the floor with ease, almost with the same amount of ease that her eyes fell to the tight boxer-briefs he wore underneath. She swallowed as he adjusted the waistband back into place, quite certain that, even in the low light, her eyes were not deceiving her.

The bed shifted at her feet as he joined her, and then it took all her willpower to not fling herself at him as he crawled up the length of her. As he settled himself between her thighs and she felt every last, very hard, inch of him pressed against her. She couldn’t be blamed for the whining moan that she let out in his ear as his lips became familiar with the shape and taste of her neck. She also couldn’t be blamed when her hips instinctively collided with his.

He just giggled again and shook his head, the loose strands of his curls tickling her forehead. “Easy now.” He warned in a hushed mumble, his lips vibrating right against the vein in her neck that pulsed so much faster the more his free hand began to wander up underneath her dress.

He left her speechless for multiple reasons, but the main one was when she felt his fingers tracing down her thigh and then, moments later, after he shifted his weight and used his knees to keep her legs open, she sucked in a breath of air as she felt him pressed against her clit, forcing her nails to dig into his back but he didn’t seem to mind.

Coming back down to kiss her, he began moving his hand in expert little circles, grinning against her mouth every time her body begged him for more. It wasn’t long that he complied, either, when he sat back on his knees between her legs and tugged her underwear off for good, throwing it to the depths of her bedroom floor. He wouldn’t have known where they landed even if he tried because his gaze belong to her only as he lowered himself to his elbows before her, kissing his way up her thighs until he reached her center.

When she squirmed away from him, he wrapped his arms around her thighs and pressed his hands into her hips after gently moving her dress out of the way.

“You know when we used to stay late at the office working?” He asked suddenly and the heat of his voice against her made her squirm again, but he held on tight. “And you would get sick of sitting in an office chair and made me promise not to tell Jim when you sat on his desk instead?” She had no clue where he was going with it, but still, she nodded. “Every single time I turned to look at you, I thought about doing this.” Before she could get words out or even a coherent thought, she felt his tongue on her. And this time when she jerked against him, she nearly slipped out of his hold until he grabbed her again and pulled her back down, digging himself further into her as she struggled to breathe properly.

She dug her fingers into his hair when he brought her close to the edge and showed no mercy. And somehow, she’d managed to get the sole of her foot up onto his shoulder in order to kick him away, but it didn’t matter much because he never budged. Not that she wanted him to, but he just felt so good…

“Harry!” She shouted, pulling at his hair and making matters worse for herself when he moaned against her sensitive bundle of nerves. He let her come, never once lifting his mouth from her even as her hips jerked off the mattress and she very nearly pulled his hair out. When she stopped screaming, her voice caught in her throat because she was lost to her own orgasm, is when he lifted his mouth, replaced it with his fingers and watched her as she came down. As her eyes fluttered shut and her chest heaved, her lungs struggling to get oxygen back into her system. Her hold on him loosened as she came undone around him, melting into his hands it seemed like.

And when he began rubbing his index and middle finger into her, once she was far and beyond overstimulated, and he knew that, she reached down with a whine and grabbed his wrist with what little strength she had in her and pulled him away. His hand fell to the other side of her hip, which he used to his advantage to pull himself up over her again, his other hand taking her dress with it until he was able to tug it over her head and toss it. Then he came back down to kiss her, letting her taste herself on her lips. He rubbed his thumb across her cheek and when he pulled away, found her looking at him finally. Although it was with heavy lids as she still struggled to regain her bearings.

Before they could get much further, a loud crashing sound from the other room made both of them nearly jump out of their skin. She shot up instantly, grabbing hold of Harry’s bicep before moving him out of the way and sliding off the edge of the bed.

“It’s just the cat.” Harry would have probably said the same thing even if it was not just the cat, he’d say anything just to get her to stay with him.

“I know but it sounded like…” her voice trailed off as her feet hit the floor and the moment she went to stand on her own two legs, her knees buckled. He reached to grab her waist but she righted herself before he could. She didn’t see the way he hid his cheeky smirk at the fact that he’d been so good, she was still dizzy.

“You good?” He asked as she stumbled her way into a shirt. With only a groan in response, and what he was sure was her middle finger, she left him alone in her bed to investigate the noise. Sighing, he laid on his back and got comfortable amongst her pillows. And after about three minutes, decided to locate the remote to her TV to entertain himself.

He flipped onto his side and felt around her bedside table, but his fingers never landed on anything remote-like. So, frustrated, he reached up and switched the lamp on. Again, he found nothing. Looking further, he realized the table had a drawer and so he pulled it open in hopes of finding the damned remote before she got back.

But what he found instead was so much better than turning on late night news.

“Fucking cat knocked over my vase.” Y/N was back within ten minutes. Harry had left the light on, but made sure it wasn’t obvious he’d gone snooping into her drawer, at least not yet anyway. She crawled back into bed beside him and it was then he noticed the bandage on her thumb.

“Are you alright?” He forgot all about what he planned to tease her with when he gently grabbed her hand to inspect the damage.

“Yeah. I was in a bit of hurry trying to clean up the glass…”

Harry rolled his eyes and dropped her hand. “I would have come help you.”

She just smiled up at him as he fit his arm around her shoulders, his bicep under her neck. “That’s alright.”

He shrugged. “It was for the best anyways that I didn’t.” When he smirked, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.

“And why’s that?”

She followed his other hand as he reached for something and then, moments later, it reappeared with a very familiar pink object clutched in his grasp. “Because then I wouldn’t have found this.”

Her first reaction was to pry it from his snooping fingers, but when she reached across him to grab it, he way too easily held her back and, at the same time, held it far out of her reach.

“So this is what you do on Valentine’s Day, then?” He flicked his wrist back and forth, waving her vibrator in the air as he taunted her.

“If you don’t give that back to me,” she reached for it again to no prevail, “you won’t be doing anything, least of all, me.”

He clicked his tongue. “Why would I give it back when I plan on using it?”

She froze and he chuckled at her reaction.

“Would be rude of me to break your traditions, wouldn’t it?”

She swallowed, her eyes slowly meeting his again. The appearance of his right dimple told her he wasn’t playing any games. She had no idea how many times he planned to make her come tonight or whether or not she’d even be able to walk tomorrow at work. But, given the stupid look on his face, she almost began making plans to call out sick instead.

“Do you actually know how to use that thing?” She finally asked, glancing at the wand still held very firmly in his hand.

He looked at her like she was crazy moments before he pivoted and pinned her onto her back, settling himself into the position they’d been in before the interruption of the cat.

Just, this time… he was clicking on her vibrator and watching her face as she began to regret her words.

“‘Course I know how to use it. The real question is,” he brought his lips to her ear, the soft vibrations and the sound of his voice mixing together like sin itself. Even more so when he nipped at her earlobe. “Do you know how to handle it?”

#1dffvalentine #harry styles fic #harry styles smut #harry styles x reader #harry styles writing #harry styles fanfic #harry styles imagine

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