#bc like he's popular he's a star everyone knows him but no one's nice to him? do we know anything about his family?

[stellarspecter]

okay i don't know if the hyperfixation will hold long enough for me to actually write this but au where everything is the same but the waylon house is just a bit more structurally sound. max doesn't die and is like 'thanks for this guys, is that the whole party or?' and everyone just sort of looks at each other like. well we don't want to anger him so what can we say but yes. and so the nerds and max end up hanging out for a night in the waylon house and the worst thing that happens is grace chastity is tempted to have a beer for the first time (she doesn't though. but with max offering it's very hard for her to refuse. or focus lol) max keeps giving them weird backhanded compliments like 'wow you guys are way cooler than you look, how'd that happen' which is not the best but it's way better than being beat up for daring to be in his line of sight, so they'll take it.

so they all hang out for the night, max is like weirdly chill and friendly, eventually he leaves and they're left standing outside the waylon house like. ?? what the fuck??? did we just befriend max jagerman???? the nerds are still apprehensive considering pete still has a black eye, grace is still boiling with religious zeal and repressed lust, and steph still doesn't really like him, but they can't help but remember how he said that trying to prank him was the nicest thing someone's ever done for him. and that just can't be true, considering he's literally the star quarterback and the main character of hatchetfield high, but.... the fact that he felt like it enough says a lot, doesn't it?

so they decide to leave the prank footage to gather dust and figure this was probably the best outcome they could have hoped for. who knows what they'll walk into at school tomorrow? maybe max will become a friend.

#and he does :) #nerdy prudes must die #npmd spoilers #npmd #i just. the brainworms. they're in me #if anything it would just be a oneshot i'm not trying to rewrite the show or anything #but like yeah max joins the friend group :) #do you ever think about how genuinely touched he was that they basically made him his own haunted house? #that shit was exposure therapy and they didn't even know it #and like dear god 'this is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me'??? lines to go crazy about forever!!!! #bc like he's popular he's a star everyone knows him but no one's nice to him? do we know anything about his family? #and like obviously he's an asshole so like yeah why would people be nice to him if he's such a dick #but like.... consider this: babygirl #he was really endearing in that minute between being pranked and dying ok? #he was like a totally different person the minute the social pressure was gone #ok ok enough tag rambling. if enough people want this i will actually write it #*speaks

[aezuria]

SOMEONE NEEDS TO WRITE AMERICAN FOOTBALLER JASON RIGHT NOW like guys. you can’t tell me he won’t be one of those popular jocks. literally EVERYONE knows abt him and it’s not js cause he’s on the football team it’s cause he’s genuinely so nice and sweet and every girl (me) wants him but he has no girlfriend (cause he’s actually really awkward) literal golden boy, teachers love him bc he actually tries in class (he sits in the back off the class cause his friends want him to and he always forgets his glasses so he has to squint) but when he does bring them??? doves are chirping, trumpets are blaring, WHO is this angel bestowed upon us???? oh yk it’s just JASON star football player GRACE good lord imagine him studying in the library with his glasses sliding down his nose and his hand in his hair as he rests his elbow against the table. his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as the veins on his forearm pop from the way he’s squeezing his pencil. and he’s wearing a TIGHT black shirt that shows off his arms GOD I NEED HIM WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME

#i think i’m the someone that needs to write this #typing this on my phone is crazy #jason grace #hoo #heroes of olympus #he’s not even my main man how can he make me like this bro #i blame it on covey (erm if u see this heyyy 🤭🤭 i mean that in a good way) #*ੈ✎ what is bro yapping about

[sadie-bug345]

I love your writing (: do you think maybe you could do something like hcs of the gang supporting you at like your track meet or something?? Thank you!!

YESS i gotchu 💞🫶🏃‍♀️💨

ponyboy:

my guy is a track star himself so when he’s not currently running he’ll stop and watch you

not crazy loud when it comes to cheering

cause whenever people cheer really loud when he’s running it distracts him

but he’ll compliment you like crazy afterwards which i think is very nice🫶

sodapop:

prob one of the loudest NGL

since he’s so popular he’s got a good amount of friends to come cheer you on

even people you don’t know he still got them to scream your name

so when you’re done you’re walking back towards the bleachers like

”uh who even are these people🧐🤷‍♂️🤨”

LMAOO it’s really sweet and even if you do bad soda will still find some way to cheer you up

johnny:

he seems like a sign maker

bc pictures are worth a thousand words🧐🙏

LMAO

no but he’d probably be pretty quiet but hold up the sign that he and pony made LOUD AND PROUD

when the gang hears that he’s showing up, suddenly everyone wants to go with him and cheer you on🫶

darry:

IK HE AINT A BOOMER

but as a teen athlete himself he enjoys when people pull thru and yell kinda a lot at games

and his voice carries so like you’ll be all the way around the track from him and you’ll still hear him like

”KEEP GOING‼️ONE MORE LAP😃👍”

kinda gives dad vibes but ITS OK cause he acknowledges it and accepts it🙏

dally:

probably just hangs around the fence that separates the field from the bleachers

pretty quiet cause you cannot tell me dally doesn’t get embarrassed by that stuff easily

like even in the movie when cherry rejects him CAUSE HE WAS BEINF A JERK

he was so butthurt abt it and just getting SO defensive like “fine. 🙄 ik when i’m not wanted🫵😧💀”

anyways he’s just kinda hanging out there for the most part pretty quiet

but after the meet he’ll come over and give you an awkward side hug cause you’re all sweaty and he’s super bad at those things

but he means well

AND he takes you out for ice cream later so🤩

two-bit:

LOUD AND PROUD

probably brings cowbells or smth

airhorns

the whole deal

hes honestly rlly fun to hang around though

and he’ll always pull thru and show up

even if it’s at a totally different high school he’ll just spawn in and you’ll hear him while you’re warming up like 😧

i mean he was willing to drive to texas to find pony and johnny sooo he’s willing to go a little outta down to show support 🫶🙏👍

steve:

brings soda to tagalong w him

PUMPED UP

just the most hyped

his voice will carry even farther than darrys

just cause he loud asf😭

BUT you really appreciate it cause everyone’s cheering the most for you like you’re some movie star LMAO🫶

TYSM FOR THE REQUESTTT ILYSM💞🥰

#dallas winston #dallas winston x reader #the outsiders #the outsiders sodapop #johnny cade #johnny cade x reader #ponyboy curtis #the outsiders ponyboy #outsiders #steve randle #two bit x reader #two bit mathews #darry curtis

[r-2-peepoo]

I think Codywan has such a wide appeal and is only growing in popularity (even if they’re still pretty small compared to how huge the whole fanbase is) bc they have a canonical close friendship built on a deep mutual trust so there’s already a foundation for a relationship there (there is the dilemma of ranks but it’s less of an issue imo bc we know Obi Wan isn’t the type to cross anyone’s boundaries like that) but also because it’s simultaneously far enough removed from canon (we see less of them together than other pairings, romantic or otherwise, but still enough that it doesn’t feel forced) that you get quite a lot of creative freedom with them. This works even better when you realise both of them are very reasonable, levelheaded people which explains why so many of the fics about them are just pure fluff or at least hurt/comfort. They provide the best sort of escape from the immediate angst of canon which is why cosy romance really suits them. They’re both also pretty tragic characters and sort of embody the overall tragedy of the entire story in a way so, while angst also works really well, picturing a sadness-free ending for them is always lovely.

Obi Wan’s pain obviously gets more of a focus in canon, what with him being a main character, so it’s so nice to see someone like Cody be able to relieve him of some of it, or at least help him cope. The idea that when you rewatch A New Hope, you could have in the back of your mind that he actually wasn’t alone all that time is just really reassuring to think about.

But also the benefit of seeing so much of Obi Wan is that we know what he’s like as a person really well and so we know he would do exactly the same thing for Cody, hence the real potential for balance in their relationship. I do not think Cody’s pain gets focused on nearly enough in canon (that goes for all of the clones honestly) or in fics, but we can feel safe knowing that if Obi Wan were real, he would be the most accommodating, patient, compassionate person anyone could ever have as their partner or their friend or anything else.

I know I’m just stating the obvious here but there is so comforting about two genuinely kind, good people having a healthy, balanced relationship and that’s why literally no one else compares to them imo. Ik not everyone captures this balances in every fic, but that’s how I view their canon dynamic and how it translates to fanfiction. There doesn’t need to be toxicity because they know how to communicate. They’re definitely both still melodramatic, I mean they are Star Wars characters after all, but it never has to swerve into being unhealthy. They feel like if the feeling of a hug was captured in a ship.

#star wars #commander cody #clone wars #obi wan kenobi #codywan #star wars prequels

[biggest-simp-eversposts]

Made of Ivory and Gold

Lucio x Reader

2k words

Part 1 -> Part 2 -> Part 3

Summary: It’s the night of the ball, anything could happen

AN: hope y’all know this has been out in AO3 since October 4th😂 I just didn’t want to do all the formatting on here bc I’m lazy.. anyway enjoy this chapter and leave a note!! Love y’all <3

—————————————————

It was now the day of the ball. The castle was absolutely bustling with excitement, everyone was ready to welcome in the new year. Servants were hanging decorations, gold stars, white crescent moons, blue and purple fabric draped along the walls. You walked down the hall of the palace as everyone moved around you. The last few days had been nice, getting to spend time doing nothing. Lucio seemed to be in his element, ready to party again after so long. He loved the attention people gave him. After him and you helped save Vesuvia people really came around to the idea of, well, Lucio. He was never very popular with the people of Vesuvia before for obvious reasons. But now, people are starting to see that he has changed, seeing him the way you see him . He really is a good man when he tries.

You walk back into you and Lucio’s room, quietly closing the door behind you. Lucio was still asleep, even though it was already noon. You walk over to the bed where Lucio is fast asleep, hair messy and limbs thrown about. One of the dogs lays next to him, the other on the floor. Kneeling beside the bed you look at him, really just take him in. He truly is beautiful in your eyes. You move a stray piece of hair from over his face. Lucio stirs, slowly peaking an eye open.

“Good morning my love,” you coo gently to your sleepy lover. He lets out a sleepy hum in response. You walk over to the vanity, sitting down and looking at yourself in the mirror. Behind you Lucio finally gets out of bed, stretching his arms above his head as he walks over to you. In the mirror you see him, he leans over you, arms around your shoulders. He leaves a light kiss on the side of your head.

“Where did you slink off this morning?” Lucio askes, right in your ear.

“I wanted to see the decorations,” You say, making eye contact with him in the mirror. He hums.

“Finally getting into the swing of things, ay?” He releases you and walks into the personal bathroom your room had. You stay seated, still looking at yourself in the mirror, really looking . You see all the things wrong with yourself in the mirror, you wonder if Lucio can see them when he looks at you.

“Yes, I think it's going to be a great party,” You respond, trying to put some emotion in your voice.

“That's my girl,” he calls from the bathroom, you can hear the sink running.

---

It was now about eight in the evening, the ball was just starting. You sat at the vanity again, now you really felt like you looked lovely. The makeup you put on just brought together the whole look, your eyeshadow made your eyes pop and your lipstick was the perfect shade. Your mood has really changed since this morning. Standing up you walk over to the dresser to start putting on your jewelry. You call out for Lucio.

“Lucio, love, are you almost ready,” Lucio had taken over the bathroom to get ready, as he always does. You heard the door click while clipping your earrings in.

“Do you not know what ‘fashionably late’ is dove?” Lucio says as he steps from the bathroom. He looked absolutely dashing, impossibly handsome. He had that signature smug smile on his face as he saw your reaction.

“Here, let me help you,” He took your necklace from the dresser. Carefully, he laid the necklace along your collarbone, brushing away any hair that might be in the way before clasping the necklace. His strong arms slowly trace down your shoulders to your hips. Leaning close to you he whispered in your ear, “You are the most beautiful thing I've seen in my life darling.” He pulls away, but not before leaving a soft kiss on your neck. You felt weak in the knees like when you first fell for him.

“Oh, Lucio…” you scold gently “we are late, let's get going,” He slips in front of you and looks you up and down.

“Fashionably late, remember,” He teases with a smirk and a wink. You roll your eyes as he hooks your arms together at the elbow. “And we're off!” he drags you out the door as you laugh. He is the best thing that's ever happened to me , you think.

---

The ball was in full swing, guests as far as the eye could see, music could be heard from everywhere, everyone and everything was decorated to the nines. Beautiful fabrics of purple, blue, gold and silver, streams of purple and yellow light from god knows where, vases of white roses and blue hydrangeas lined the halls, stars hung from the ceiling. Everyone was laughing and dancing. As you and Lucio came down the stairs of the ballroom though, it all seemed to fade, the beautiful shininess of it all. You suddenly felt every single person's eyes on you, criticizing you. You glance at Lucio, he has a glowing smile on his face, he loves it. The attention is everything to him. He is always the center of it. For the sake of your lover, you decide to ignore the terrible nagging anxiousness inside you and put on a bright smile. You reach the bottom of the staircase.

“Y/N, oh, I knew that dress would look just splendid on you,” You turn your head to see Nadia gliding across the floor towards you. You detach yourself from Lucio to meet Nadia in the middle, giving her a warm hug.

“Thank you Nadia, you really do have an eye for style, the dress is beautiful” You smile at her

Lucio walks up behind, resting his hand on your lower back, “But it could use some more gold Noddy, to match mine.”

Nadia rolls her eyes at his antics,“Not everything needs gold Lucio,” Lucio lets out a huff and mumbles something like ‘well maybe you're wrong’.

“Lucio, why don’t you go grab Y/N a drink, I want to talk to her,” Lucio leaves, but not before giving you a kiss on the cheek. You walk across the room with Nadia, “So, how has the adventuring been?” She asks with a smile. You light up.

“It's everything we could have wanted, of course it’s quite hard but it’s what we want to do,” You say cheerfully.

“And your stay at the palace so far?” She raises an eyebrow in question. You take a moment to respond, looking for Lucio across the room. You spot him.

“Good, it’s nice not having to worry about anything for a few days,” You say, still looking at Lucio. He is surrounded by people, beautiful men and women for that matter. He is positively glowing, it’s the attention. You can tell even from a distance that he is having the time of his life telling them all a story, probably about some sort of daring escape. Your brows furrow.

Why do you keep having these thoughts ?

You had never been a jealous person, was this even jealous? No, it wasn’t. You simply didn’t find yourself good enough for Lucio. You hadn’t felt this way for the past 6 months, but all of a sudden, coming home… You and Lucio hadn’t been around people like this for months. But seeing Lucio like this, you realize something. Lucio should be with someone else. Simple as that. He is an extroverted party animal that loves attention and beautiful people. What are you? A magician who barely knew who they were 6 months ago. What did Lucio even see in you?

“Y/N, are you okay?” Nadia's voice cuts through your thoughts. You stutter a bit before finding your words.

“I’m fine Nadia,” You look at her, she can tell your eyes are a bit glossy.

“Are you sure?” she puts a hand on your shoulder, rubbing her thumb up and down. She looks over to where you had been looking, you can see it register in her brain, Nadia is smart.

“Oh dear, Y/N, this is what you're upset about?” she looks back at you.

“I’m not upset,” you can’t keep a straight face.

“Y/N, this is just how he is, trust me I was married to the bastard-” you interrupt her.

“Don’t call him that,” there is no anger in your voice.

“He loves you Y/N, I see it everytime he looks at you, but he also loves attention,” You could feel tears welling in your eyes.

“Excuse me,” you say before rushing off in the opposite direction of Lucio. You hear Nadia call out for you but you don’t look back. You somehow stumble into one of the restrooms open to the public. The tears roll down your cheeks. Why am I like this , you thought. Some other girl walks in, they laugh, are they laughing at you? All you know is you have to get out of here. You swiftly make your way back to you and Lucio’s room. You were sobbing, your head hurt, your heart hurt. You couldn’t figure out why your brain did this to you. This was the last straw, you had to leave, you couldn’t think of any other option.

---

You had changed your clothes and packed some of your things in a bag, it had only taken 20 minutes. The question now was do you leave a note or not. You thought a note would be the best option, so Lucio would know you are doing this because you love him.

Then, you hear the door open.

“ Darling , what are you doing, I've been looking for you,” Lucio laughs as he calls out to you . Your back is to him, and you don’t dare turn around. Lucio’s brow furrows, he hasn’t a clue what was going on. He strides across the room, hand reaching out for you, but before his hand can touch your shoulder you move. You turn around, eyes still looking at the ground.

“I’m leaving, Lucio,” Your voice is more of a whisper.

“What,” He still isn’t understanding the situation.

“Lucio, I-” he cuts you off.

“You can’t leave, what are you talking about,” His voice is getting louder, his anger starting to show. You can feel your eyes getting wet.

“Lucio, just, agh,” you let out a frustrated huff, moving around him to your bag.

“What, what is going on, is it something I did, just talk to me,” Lucio is panicking, he’s racking his brain trying to figure out what he did.

“It’s not you, Lucio, god, it’s me,” You finally look him in the eyes.

“What,” His mouth is open in shock. His hand grabs your arm.

“I’m not good enough for you Lucio, you, agh you deserve better,” You shout, you didn’t understand why he was so confused. “You don’t have to be with me just because we saved the world together,” Your voice has shrunk to more of a whisper. “You don’t have to be with me just because I was the first person you talked to after three years,” The tear finally rolled down your cheeks. Lucio looked at you, crease between his brows.

“ You love the attention more than you love me," You rasp out. You could see the shock on his face, but you knew what you said was true. You grab your bag and flee, slamming the door behind you. You run down the hall, you can hear Lucio calling out for you. His heavy footsteps follow behind you. Turning the corner the next hall is full of guests, but you weave through the crowd with precision, leaving Lucio as far behind you as possible. He is still calling out your name as you make your way down the stairs and out to the garden. As you reach the bottom you hear Lucios hurried footsteps. You make it to the entrance of the maze before you stop, turning to look back.

“Darling, please, don’t leave,” Lucio pleaded, he was still far from you.

“I’m doing this for you,” You whisper softly, you don’t even know if he could hear it. You took off into the maze. Lucio stood, not chasing after you, his mind racing still not understanding what had just happened.

You left him, just like everyone else did before

#the arcana #the arcana lucio #count lucio #lucio the arcana #lucio morgasson #lucio x apprentice #lucio x reader #lucio x mc

[rottenberries]

heyoo rip not me rockin up fashionably late...... anw hi it's gemma ( s/h, 21+ ) here w my serial monogamist, serial cheater nate archibald knockoff, yoon hanbin! he's the adopted oldest son of old money philanthropists n the founder of the very popular cafe chain, angelique ( cough he also plagiarised the entire idea of angelique frm some underrated cafe during his gap yr in france ). that's the gist of it but u can read a more detailed version of hanbin under the cut! as alw, pls hit that LIKE button n ill come rollin into ur dms!! mwah!!

for my sisters in the church of astrology he is a libra sun / aqua moon / pisces rising so like im not tryna justify his tendency 2 cheat but im saying it's written in the stars

anw hanbin was born broke as shit ill b honest he was put up for adoption @ gangnam orphanage as a newborn god knows why ( jk it's prob bc he's the product of some illicit affair or smt )

he gets adopted j shy of his first bday by philanthropists slash the yoon chaebols ( specifically the ones in charge of the hotel chain!! ) who took helping the less fortunate to the next level ( think angelina jolie )!! he's currently the only adopted child of theirs and they have 2 more kids after him who are both biological children so yeah ngl hanbin has some feelins ab that

said feelins are: growin up a rich kid to chaebols often means that they're far too busy to take care of u even tho it's not like they don't want to so naturally hanbin n sibs deal w some neglect even tho it's compensated w lots of money n maids thrown at them BUT the point is despite facing the same level of neglect as his sibs he kinda takes it personally n thinks maybe ?? it's bc he's adopted OR did they j adopt him for the good publicity despite havin no evidence of this ?? yea gr8 logic

despite that overall he's honestly a p nice kid?? plays w other kids well and doesn't yk misuse his wealth or family's status for Evil or no good he kinda is just vibin frankly

one thing ab hanbin tho is that he is a serial monogamist bc of his upbringing n he kinda looks for love in the wrong places and is constantly jumpin from relo to relo ( even jumpin 2 the next relo before the prev relo is over i.e. Cheating )

finally catches up to him when he's in his high profile relo re the subplot n gets caught cheating fr n is the talk of the town : )) since then it's like the ruse is up he's a cheater n everyone sorta knows but then again everyone forgives him bc yk he's Very Wealthy n very friendly and charming and kind and ""goodhearted"" when he's talking to u

regardless my man Hates drama so by the end of his final yr he jets tf off to france for a gap yr!! the impt part comes when he's staying in this soho part of france n there's this rly small rly underrated family owned cafe near his accom called angelique!! it was named after the owner's daughter n has a rly homey vibe n is beloved by the locals, v warm and friendly and welcoming w dim yellow lights and irregular flower pots and stuff on the menu that genuinely looks like it's baked by ur mom and hanbin alm feels... at home here? it's the most at home he's felt and he frequented this cafe A Lot during his stay in france!!

when he finally makes it back to sk he finds that he rly misses the place so he asks for some money frm his parents to open up a cafe in gangnam that's Just like it so that he can have his own little angelique where he lives!! the Problem is that he never bothered to ask for their rights or anyth ( tho im p sure legally he doesn't need to since they haven't bought any rights for it in sk so he hasn't committed any crime ) but yea he literally ripped off the style n colour palette n menu items,, think red bull origin story

anw the cafe clearly speaks to a lot of ppl bc it became so super popular so his parents being rly nice 2 him kinda "'""invests"" in his cafe to make it a chain1! n within 4y he opens up a bunch of diff angeliques all over seoul and even has the latest branch in busan!!

personality-wise i would say he is genuinely a rich kid down to the core...... n by sayin this i mean he has their honestly blissful ignorance like imagine j being like oh wow i love this cafe let me open a cafe Exactly like it right down my st like no askin them for permission no nth no unds of flopping or bankruptcy to j act on a whim this is some peak rich kid bs

this extends past j business ofc n even to women like !! he is out here serial monogamist and cheating on them bc he's spoiled rotten n also somehow neglected so he looks for love in a lot of women and falls head over heels in love w them then ditches for the next shiny thing like !!! sir is ariana grande atp yes and

but when u meet him in the flesh i would say he's rather soft spoken and gentle natured,, v Pleasant to talk to in general so it's alm easy to be lulled into thinking wait ig he's a good guy?? also born to well-known philanthropists n in yoon fashion donates 50% of proceeds frm his cafe to charity so it's Very easy to think he's a good guy like even he genuinely believes he's a good guy ask any lie detector but it's like .... when ur lookin at him from afar and away frm his charm u realise wait some of the shit he does is rly .... horrendous? like imagine calling a man who chronically cheats and steals ideas a good guy ???

also kinda insecure ab his birth and ig this is also why he so desperately wants to be a good guy!! overcompensates to prove that he's a yoon by doin yoon things so a lot of him being ""good"" is not so much him being a good person but a deep need to show people that he's good and he's earned his place as a yoon, a terrible insecurity that he has zero awareness of so will continue doin thanks

idk why i can never be concise atp it needs to b studied : )) anw here r some plot ideas!!

serial monogamist needs a string of exes so prob a few frm when he got back from france frm 2017-2024!! id say his longest relo would last approx 1y bc my man is honeymoon period ONLY crowd boos

on that note im guessin he is back 2 relevancy re: gg when she posts ab him cheating on his most recent gf ,, basically jan 2024 so anyone wanna have a v fresh break up frm like 2wks ago pls lmk ... also anyone who wants 2 b the person he Cheats w lmk too...

is the type to be totally against bullies then sits w ur bully durin lunch bc that's his friend but He's not bullyin or anywhere near that vicinity so !!! : )) anw that said if ur muse is a menace it don't mean he can't be friends w u bc he will be !!

on the other hand a kid who's been bullied who he's friends w then one day u find out he's friends w ur bully wud u confront his ass !!! him tryna diffuse the tension like hey bro Relax alright ik this is rly difficult for u but we gotta remain civil yea otherwise Ur the bully ( yea he's an ignorant headass )

erm movin away frm that anyone who knows him frm france!! mayb yall didn't rly meet or bump into each other in sch bc diff circles or diff yrs but ur one of the few koreans in france so he's v thankful for that n yall make fast friends!! funny if this is where u caught whiff of angelique that cafe he's obsessed ab n brought u to then now he's the "founder" of angelique in korea n it looks Exactly like the one in france hm .....

nv did uni but i imagine he's taking of getting a cert in business this yr bc it's useful for his business but yea !! if ur muse is doin uni rn mayb they could kinda meet there thru some club or smt? prob some save the planet club lbr also funny if u know ab his cheating shenanigans and how he can be a real ignorant asshole but in the uni he's all smiles n everyone loves him n ur the only one who can see thru him ( truly,, idt he can even see it himself )

someone who frequents angelique!! maybe u got stood up on some blind date set up by ur parents n he came over n tried 2 cheer u up!!!

this needs 2 b plotted extensively but a biological half-sibling ....... im gna say im not keen to explore his life outside being a yoon too much but it'd be fun to kinda allude 2 this n them j being like my mom had a kid in 98 before she was ready 2 settle down or my dad had an illicit affair w some peasant woman n knocked her up n ditched her in 98 n he's like o that's cool hey wait a min .......

er anyth and everything else!!

#𝐢𝐯. OUT OF CHARACTER. #revintro

[ilovehimbos]

anderperry but it's a move in meet cute ! like, instead of them being roommates they're neighbours in a small apartment complex. and btw todd is the one moving in at first !

he’s just moved out of a very toxic household and went to nyc to attend columbia university, and bc he’s alone out there, he’s gotten himself a small but comfortable apartment in a relatively nice area. it’s kinda far from his school but thank god for the subway. and finally, he’s enjoying his life without being under the control of his parents.

he’s also working an internship in a popular newspaper firm in nyc, but he’s only doing lower shit until he can start writing independently. todd has also published some poetry anonymously but that’s just another form of income to him at the moment bc he can’t focus solely on that.

meanwhile, neil has been living in the same apartment complex for a bit longer, and he’s attending his dream school, julliard. his parents aren’t supportive of his career but reluctantly fund some of his necessities, and he maintains a very cold relationship w them. his mentor figure though, mr keating and his friends (who all live rlly close to him) are very supportive of him and attend all neil’s productions.

he regularly auditions for different things and has actually gotten some parts, but he’s on his way to accomplish his dreams woohoo !!! he also works a multitude of small jobs to afford rent.

but yeah, they meet when todd has to haul all his shit (which tbh isn’t a lot) up like three flights of stars bc ofc the is broken on the day he has to move in. but yeah, he gets up some stairs and that’s when this cute boy comes up to him and helps him (even after todd insists he’s ok) and they get to chatting as they move stuff.

and neil goes out w the poets and immediatley gushes about the cute boy that he met in his complex, and they all sigh bc here we go. they almost think he’s delusional bc cmon neil, an angel from heaven? but then. he doesn’t stop. neil is regularly meeting this guy in the halls and shit he’s hooked.

and he doesn’t even know this guys second name. and now everyone is invested into neil getting this guy to know him.

and now, he can’t even hold a conversation with him bc todd is either rushing to class or doing all types of shit at all times of the day for his job and neil just wants to talk to the pretty boy. and he vents this frustration to some of the poets one day at this diner or café that he sometimes works at (not today though) when suddenly he just stops and stares.

because the elusive, pretty guy that he’s talking about, literally just walked in the door.

and he looks fine, the poets can agree. especially in a button down, with sleeves slightly rolled up and a satchel and he’s ordering coffee at this place!!! so after being hyped up, neil gets up and goes over to chat to him. and todd’s face lights up when he sees him bc he likes him back. and todd is like, “look, i gotta go, this is for someone else, but let’s meet up again?” and neil is so happy !!! bc the !! cute boy he likes !! just organised a meet up !!!

and they start going out for coffee or having dinner together and chilling at eachother’s place and they’re dating but forget to make it official until like a month after. and then not too long after that, the probably move in together. it’s totally for rent purposes, if neil’s parents ask.

#anderperry au #dead poets society #dps #dead poets #todd anderson #neil perry #anderperry #dps hcs #dead poets society hc

[perexcri]

twice the fool PLEASE and also idk which one is vampire byler but THAT ONE please 🤲🧎‍♀️i would like to know what ur most excited about in those ones & also if you would mayhaps like to share a line/snippet~

HI LARK thank you so much for stopping by :D 💜

twice the fool (stonathan): this is my stonathan btvs au for the upcoming stonathan week!!

i'm very excited for it because i'm taking one of my favorite btvs episode plots and applying it to stonathan! if anybody can guess which buffy episode it's from i'll give you a gold star and dedicate my next cat to you~

i'm also excited to work with the older teens from st for once, and i think it's been really nice to creatively switch things up for me this way. i've loved getting to apply some of the buffy character archetypes to st characters: Robin is basically Buffy, i've made Nancy a mixture of Willow and Faith, Hopper is Giles (💀), and Steve is kind of the Xander figure

here's a snippet because i am very excited for Chrissy's role in this fic :)

Chrissy Cunningham – The Spelling Bee! – Serving all your Hawkins High magic needs – knock three times on the table in the woods behind the football field – walk-ins only! The teachers had been mercilessly scraping her fliers off the hallways’ corkboards, and Steve had grown so used to them that he hadn’t bothered to really consider them anymore. Since the hellmouth had been opened last year thanks to Will’s disappearance, all kinds of weird shit had been attracted to Hawkins, and Hawkins’ citizens had, in turn, become more attracted to some of their town’s oddities as well. Namely, a lot of the Hawkins High students had become interested in magic, Chrissy being the most interested of them all. She’d transformed from a total popular cheerleader type to the girl who sat in class and played with crystals or read people’s palms. She was still popular as hell and had the top cheerleader spot of course, but everyone had agreed she’d grown a little…odd. But Hawkins has always been weird, just grown a bit weirder, and odd is exactly what Steve needs right now.  Magic is what Steve needs right now. He knows Jonathan still feels something–he saw it in Jonathan’s eyes, in the way his fists had shook against his crossed arms. It wasn’t Jonathan’s heart that had made that decision, but his head, that infernal logic that’s been trained by years of abuse from a deadbeat father that said it was better to cut and run before you end up with a fist against your teeth.

in throes of increasing wonder: an interview with the vampire au i haven't touched in a hot second but never say never amiright lol

working on this one has been most exciting for me because it's set in New Orleans, a city i have spent a lot of time in!! i haven't really seen any byler fics where they're in the south (which like,,,i understand bc the south is The South,,,,,,but also there is some cool stuff here, and not everyone is horrible, right?). so when i have worked on it, it's been fun to incorporate my own knowledge and experiences with the city into my writing. i also will die on the hill that most US cities are largely the same and don't have much variance, but i do think New Orleans stands apart from the rest and has its own really unique vibe/culture. i know every major city will say but like,,,do they have Mardi Gras? do they have king cakes and jambalaya and beignets and a city that sits below sea level? no. they do not.

here's a snippet!

He approaches the mirror, and he examines the damage. Spots speckle all up and down his throat; when he tugs at his collar, they continue down his clavicles and shoulders. His lips are swollen and his hair is a mess, but what draws him in most is the bite. That’s all it can be–what it has to be. Teeth marks, sharp and punctuated against his skin, blood crusted around where the openings have swollen shut. He presses at them, flinches at the throbs of pain they send like shockwaves up to his head, which spins with dizzying delight. More dried blood flakes off and falls like crimson snow against his shirt, which he dutifully swipes away with a half-hearted hand. 

It’s not the strangest thing, especially in a place like New Orleans. He’s seen plenty of people in the wake of a passionate night out with all sorts of discombobulation: torn clothes, patches of hair missing, teeth fillings scraped out and matching tattoos scrawled into each other’s skin. It just means he has to wait for it to heal, to cover his neck like he’d have to anyway. Damn the October warmth; the least he could’ve done is have the foresight to do this in January or February, where he could at least put on a scarf.

thanks again Lark!! i'm wishing you all the best and sending you the best of vibes for writing fantasy au pt 2 :] 💜💜💜

#ask #song of the lark!!

[hadesthewierdo]

the following photos are made with Potatolords picrew!! SandersSides Highschool AU

Logan Berry:

He/They/Star/Orange

gay and ace.

will not cut his hair until the others treat him nicely

frinds with Remus tho not 100% sure about them yet

is the 'Nerd'

Logan is wery parinoid

is wery fasinated by space.

Roman 'Prince' [Insert lastname]:

He/They/Royal/Crown

Gay and Trans masc

good frinds with Virgil Storm

very popular and often holds partys

rich

everyone expects to be mean tho isent really

Remus'es twin

fake blonde

autistic, loves musicals but espetialy heathers.

Virgil Storm:

He/They/It

Gay and Cis

social anxiety and autism

do i need to tell there fav band? you alredy know.

emo/hj

good frinds with roman

wery sassy when comfteble

Remus 'Duke' [Insert Lastname]:

They/It/he/Rat/Worm/she/more

Gay and Nonbianary

autism and adhd

abseloutly insane

dyes hair new color every day

skips class a lot

idk if you can tell but i love they

good frinds with Logan

Patton Heart: He/they/Sweet

Gay and Cis

autistic

really likes good omens.

ppl pleaser

good frinds with everyone

dad type

Janus "Jake" Draco

fluid [mainly he/it/snake

just tells ppl there name os Jake bc of something roman told them once.

good at mimicing voices

good frinds with remus and patton

not the nicest

really likes good omens and snakes (has a pet one)

#sanders sides #logan sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #remus sanders #patton sanders #janus sanders #sander sides au #fandom au #picrew #characters #thomas sanders

[thinkingfandoms]

My opinion abt Glee main cast

Rachel I really couldn't stand her from the beginning: I understand that her character has her own "depth" and I love her friendship with Kurt but she’s a spoiled little girl who steps over her friends just to get to the top. Her voice is beautiful, undoubtedly, but it gets boring by the 10th song you hear.

Finn I never realized how much I liked him until he died. Looking back you see how important he actually was to the club and to the series. He did some mischief and I still don't understand how he put up with Rachel, but he's adorable. His brotherhood with Kurt was beautiful. Interesting voice but nothing great, although some of his songs are iconic.

Mercedes She's the queen. Probably one of the few characters I just love. She has been a good friend to everyone, and personally a good girlfriend to Sam. If you talk about her voice obv it's in top 5, it's just divine. She deserves all her popularity.

Artie My favorite little guy- you don't understand how much I love him. He never gave up and found something he really wants to do and for that I'm so proud of him. His voice is super underrated.

Kurt Seeing him grow up and go from "the bullied gay guy" to being a Broadway star ALSO because he's gay makes me super proud. I don't talk about his relationship with Blaine just bc I would never finish. He's a total fashion icon. His voice? I fell in love with it from his first audition and it's my second favorite.

Tina Uhuh I don't know honestly. She has changed so much during the series that I'm not even sure who she's anymore. She's not a bad character, her voice is nice, but not iconic.

Quinn As it should be, I hated her in the beginning. Sometimes she did crazy things while other times she was super nice and kind. In the end I liked her growth. Nice voice, but not so much above Tina's.

Brittany I love her immensely. Although I'm still very confused about her sex and love life, I knew from the start she would end up with Santana eventually. I love those two lesbians. Hands down one of the best dancers in the series. I was hoping they would show more of her dancing.

Santana What I like most about her is that she's consistent with herself. She's bitchy from start to finish, but at the same time she manages to maintain a kinder side. Let's face it: without her Rachel would not have survived NY. Hers is another unique voice; every one of her songs is top 50.

Mike Despite being a main character I always forget about his existence help- Character growth is almost nonexistent(?) Neither good nor bad. Best dancer ever.

Puck Love of my life. I've loved this idiot from the beginning bc I've always known he had a heart of gold. He deserves someone who really loves him (no hate for Quinn). I've never been able to get used to his voice, but I have to admit that some of his songs are wonderful.

Blaine He is my protégé. If I hear even one negative thing about him I might kill someone. He has been traumatized as much as Kurt and that is why I love how he takes him under his own care even before really falling in love with him. He has a heart of gold and deserves the best. Obv his voice is my absolute favorite, did it need to be said? All his songs are iconic.

Sam I really liked when in s4 started to being more important, he is a good character. I like how he's always in the clouds but still manages to be serious if he wants to be. His friendship with Blaine is too good, definitely a shame they didn't get engaged at least once. Nothing to say about his voice.

Will Great professor undoubtedly, but sometimes I wanted to punch him so hard. His relationship with Emma is super sweet, but it got heavy at one point. I like how he took Finn under his wing. His voice? Thank you but no.

Sue At first she irritated me so much, but I realized almost immediately that she was a good person. She only disliked Will, and I don't blame her. She did a lot as a character (like getting Klaine back together) and is the best rival the club could have.

Rory Special mention for the most underrated voice in the series. And also for the most underrated character. He deserved so much more screen time. His cover of Home is one of my favorites.

#glee

[hanamisofficialspouse]

UFO,Animal and Lear?<3

Ask game!

UFO - Ever gone stargazing with each other? What was it like?

But of course🥰we did a lot of things together, I'm a curious person, and one of Hanamis main love languages is quality time.

We travelled once, in Japan, to a random mountain, the closest we could find, and settled in a forest that night. yK, just to take a breather from everyone else, those three (Dagon, Jogo, Mahito) can get quite... Handful. We found a clearing, so I could show Hanami all the stars and constellations I knew, and the legends behind them! Let's just say Hanami was INVESTED AS FUCK. I mean, they only listened silently, and asked a question couple of times, but they just listened to me rant lol XD

I even explained to him the difference between satelites, planets, and stars! How the stars blink, while planets tend to shine very bright. The satelites can even move across the sky! Lastly, I remember once Hanami telling in confusion that they saw something flash across the sky lightning fast. And I realised my baby saw a shooting star for the first time T0T I quickly told him to make a wish. I still don't know what they wished for, but I hope it was nice ^^

Animal - Are there any pets you have? What kind?

ALRIGHT HERE WE GO S/I LORE

Genesis (aka me) doesn't have a 'normal' pet. Why?

BECAUSE IT'S A LIVING PLUSHIEEEE

Yes, that's right, it's a fucking plush toy of a yellow dog that acts like any normal dog would! The only thing is he can't eat, doesn't really need to sleep, and idk, poop LMFAO Genesis calls him Junior! He is a very energetic lil guy, who's madly curious, overprotective, and overly joyful as fuck. Jogo hates him, Dagon and Mahito love him, as well as Hanami. Junior is also very smart, because he noticed how Hanami tends to be very quiet, so Junie matches his energy for them to be more comfortable. Hanami finds him adorable. Junior, beside Genesis of course, only trusts Hanami and no one else, to hold him, tend to him and such. Hanami is allowed to touch him, and when he does, Junior usually sits on their shoulder, top of head, or just in their lap/arms. The dog likes to gently nibble on their fingies (ofc it hurts shit bc he doesn't have teef uwu) or lick them playfully from time to time, like giving a kiss. (Again, it's not wet, just cotton tongue.)

Leaf - When vacationing, do you prefer a bustling place like the city? Or somewhere quiet like a forest?

HAH AGAIN as I previously just said, we are VERY introverted naturally. AND PLUS, we are both misanthropes XD so ofc, forest all the way! Somewhere private, quiet, and most important, close to nature.

It's usually a camping trip themed vacation! It's a lot more fun when the couple builds their sleeping place, and gather the stuff for the fire, and maybe even hunt for food! How cool is that? And then we can eat s'mores and marshmallows and cooked food, and talk about stuff, and then snuggle in our tent under the blankies KSDHGSJHDJSDG >< (orrrr maybe something more... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°))

(tysm for the ask dear <3333 im kinda insecure people don't really seem to... Like my content? Makes me kind of insecure tbh- Its not so popular like the others, and makes me overthink a lot. Should I stop or not...? Idk.)

#hanami #hanami jjk #jjk hanami #self ship #self shipping #f/o ask game #ask game #selfship ask game #selfship ask meme #ask box #tireddovahkiin rambles #f/o stuff #f/o gush #self ship gush #selfship gush #f/o x s/i #s/i x f/o #f/o x self insert #thank you for the ask <3 #i appreciate it #selfshipper #self insert community #self insert x canon #self ship community #selfship game #fictional other #reblog game

[princessdreamie]

DBH part 20

Few weeks later

At E's home office

E sat on his desk, he was working like usual when he received a wedding invitation in his mailbox. E was about to dispose of it but the name attached to it made him pause.

He opened it and as it turned out, Mt and Co were having a wedding next year. E was hesitant if he should call his assistant but caved in and send him his best wishes to the 2 of them.

Mt was in his apartment, already furiously at planning his big dad, got his boss's text and was happy to receive his approval. He and Co had some run ins, back when Mt and her officially met. But he was not paying much attention to her.

He had no real opinion of her. Most likely bc she was not classy, but Good enough to date his assistant.Co was still at work, her colleagues and superiors asked her to stay home and plan her wedding but the woman politely declined and refused to do so.

She would help Mt once she came back home anyway so there isnt anything to worry about. Mt was already pretty far along with it as well.

From what she could tell, it seemed that he had it all thought out. Both her and his preferences were taken to account all by himself. As if he knew that the day would come.

Co snickered at the thought but went back to work and started checking her files.

At her lunch break, Mt sent her all the flower arrangement options the florist offered them. They all were pretty nice but ultimately chose the light pink roses with apple flower buds.He asked her was what kind of jewels she wanted to wear. Co had to think very hard on that. She really liked jewellery like every other girl and woman does. But she was very picky regardless.

She wrote him back that she needed some time to think about it. Mt understood as he saw her message and left her be.The rest of her break she took to socialmedia to see the newest trends and hot topics aabout necklaces and bracelets. Most topics had various stars and wives from influential families boasting about their latest finds and gifts. None were really standing out for her. Not much to gosh at in her opinion either.

She herself had pretty well off parents but she never liked the popular designers. She used to date a guy who was pretty famous for his stuff. But after sometime he became arrogant and entitled. She had a hard time breaking up with him as well. He was making her feel small and unheard from what she wanted in life.

That was until he got into a car accident back in france. She was sad at first, but also, secretly relieved that she didnt have to be around his toxic presents any longer.

Coincidentally on top of that, that was one year prior when she started her temporary internship where they eventually met for the 1st time.

So all in all she was happy for the out come but also made her reconsider newbies or over confident fashion designers if they make her feel disgusted.

Her late ex was not the only fashikn guru she had know either. At the galas these 2 attended pretty much everyone was a snob or, even worse, nosey. She had to make a clear headed decision if she wanted the wedding to be perfect. But all they had were pictures that either screamed rich kid or over designed junk.

Until she came across a post from a famliar person. She scrolled for a very long time to the point were sje hot old or overlooked revies and pics. It was an old post from E, which the caption 'Gifts that we got from our kids'.

Nobody reacted to it bc the only ppl allowed to see were friends & family. Co and E friended eachother, although the grumpy man was reluctant to do so.

A bottle of wine and a bag came to view and she came to a hold. The handback was nice and all bit she was captivated by the simple yet beautiful trinket hanging from it.

She bookmarked this post to show it to her husband-to-be later at home. She hoped he knows who made it. She didnt want to bother his boss about it. So she wanted it to work out for her.

#chance #dbh #divorced billionaire heiress #eric #eric ferguson #billionaire heiress #better ending #alternative ending #alternative

[cosmos-tree-house]

Apprentice List

un-colored names = this animal probably will not have central focus in the story. this might change as i develop plot and etc tavie isn't in this bc she is. irrelevant for this arc sorry girlie </3 will add later when i get 2 it

Cosmo

- Fort Slybelly, giraffe, he/him notes: Star of the hour. Knows much more than he lets on. Distrusting. A bit of an asshole. Works with Greely's apprentices fairly often for his work. Does not communicate with his colleagues. Has been around the longest out of all apprentices. Orange with white splotches and dark brown eyes - Victory Wittyhoof, clydesdale horse, she/her notes: Nickname is Victoria or Vicky. Isn't horribly into reading or literacy; works to defend protected areas of wildlife. Very nice. Green with light yellow spirals, emerald eyes. Curly-haired with a large, burly body. - Baron Rowdyapple, koala, ze/zeir notes: Oldest age-wise of the Apprentices generally. An absolute gent. Is working to conserve plantlife of Jamaa. Enjoys zeir job immensely. Dark brown with purple star-patterns and a pale undertone. Is beginning to gray. Red-eyed

Sir Gilbert

- Ember The Dragon, tiger, it/its notes: War lieutenant. Orange with rusty red lightning-patterns. Green eyes - Mellow Redflower, moose, she/her notes: Manages weaponry and medical supplies Blue with white undertones, hazel spotting. No eyes - Simple Glamspirit, skunk, ae/aer notes: Mage. Doom-and-gloom Light blue and light red. White leafy patterns. Pale yellow eyes.

Graham

- Juniper Roundeyes, flamingo, she/he notes: Pushy, envious, and annoying. Good at his job. Heavily invested in utilizing levitation and electricity-based magics; currently studying how this can be used in every-day inventions. Probably one of the older Apprentices over-all next to Fort. Green and white with a dark-green beak. Has round yellow eyes and dark-green rune-markings.

- Pioneer Goldenmeadow, wolf, they/it notes: Newest of the bunch, is swamped in work all the time. Hermit. Does not come to parties or functions, seemingly too busy. It is mute. Black/yellow, with orange splotches and navy blue eyes

Greely

- Earl Grandrabbit, hare, he/they notes: Neurotic, paranoid prey animal; everyone thinks he's an absolute freak, but he's fantastic at archival duties. Enjoys reading immensely. Rarely talks to anyone outside of work, but enjoys company. Black pelt with blue crescents; pale orange eyes and skin - Feeble Gentlebug, seal, he/him notes: Caring and analytical. Head librarian at the Chamber Of Knowledge. Enjoys a good mystery. Good friends with Grand. White with blue floral markings and a blue nose. Brown eyes.

Liza

- Nice Frozenmeadow, artic fox, she/her notes: Major diplomat, but unpopular within the public. Seen as cold to most. Very ambitious, fought hard for her position. Has three cubs, all adopted. Comes from a prestigious line of fox ancestry. White with light blue legs and pale grey-blue spotting. Gray eyes. Wears a lot of silver jewelery - Jumping Desertcloud, panda, it/its notes: Handles a lot of Jamaa's whole economics system alongside Liza herself. Loves to party. Likes wine. Allegedly in a romantic relationship with Nice Frozenmeadow. Off-white and pale yellow. No pattern. Red eyes. - Daredevil Loudstar, bald-eagle, they/them notes: Daredevil is like all of the Alpha's mutual publicist. They are generally disliked and also kind of terrible at their job. The public is mildly ambivalent about them though -- they're unpopular within the Apprentice-Alpha circle. Juniper Roundeyes and Daredevil seem to enjoy each-other's company. Tan-and-black eagle with white heart-patterns. Purple eyes.

Peck

- Grand Spikypride, wolf, she/they notes: Party-goer. Popular within the media for her ferociousness. First of Peck's apprentices, and the youngest. Emotional and a little dramatic. Best friends with Feeble Gentlebug Grey-and-pinkish cream with light pink splotches. Pink eyes - Little Desertbuddy, pig, it/she notes: Currently getting absolutely dragged through the dirt by the media. Allegedly paid/cheated to be Peck's apprentice. Gentle soul with a fantastic, showy magical ability. Good friends with Mellow Redflower and Jumping Desertcloud. Well-liked despite rumors. Muted green, light brown eyes. No patterns; extremities are slightly darker.

#animal jam rewrite #list of apprentices #drafting #the story #apprentices

[nationalharryleague]

Two for the Show

Summary: Jeff plans for Harry’s new opening act to be more than that. 

Genre: Famous Fake Dating! 

Word Count: 17.1k!

Pinterest Board

A/N: Hey babes!! This is something I’ve been working on since December now and I’m so fucking proud of it and how it turned out!!! It’s the longest thing I’ve ever written and I’m so so so excited to hear what everyone has to say!! Giant thank you’s go out to the incredible soph (@theharriediaries​) and Lu (@meetmymouth​) bc this never would have come to fruition without them and their help!! Please let me know what you think!! More of my writing can be found in my masterlist!! Happy reading y’all :)

***

Keeping appearances in the public eye is a delicate balance.

If Y/N was being honest with herself, everything Full Stop Management had ever suggested to her had worked, and very well. When they suggested her music took a more pop direction, they set her up with a team of fantastic producers and her music sales and popularity skyrocketed. And when they set up an appointment with a celebrity stylist to figure out her signature style, it worked; they turned her into the 1970’s inspired goddess she had always dreamed of being. Even the hours of media training that she had been put through worked, helping her learn how to bob and weave even the most intrusive of interview questions.

But this time, she thought they might be going too far.

“Jeff,” she began with a sigh and a doubtful shake of her head, “I don’t know about this one.”

“It’s just a few months before and during the tour,” explained the man sitting across from her at the long conference table. “You’ll be seen in public a few times to drum up publicity for the tour and your album, maybe do an interview or two together, and some light PDA.”

His expression was honest and earnest. In the time he had represented her, he had never done anything to her that didn’t help her succeed. It was not hard for her to believe that he just wanted what was best for her and her career.

But something kept holding her back.

“I just got my heart broken in the most public way,” she said softly, absentmindedly fiddling with the base of her ring finger where an engagement ring once sat. “Isn’t it a little too soon to be seen jumping back into a whirlwind romance?”

“I don’t think so. If anything, it will make James look even worse than he already does after what he did to you.” She had to admit the idea of a little revenge did perk her ears up a bit. “And it doesn’t hurt that Harry is so universally loved and known for being such a good guy.”

That was another reason she was skeptical of this entire plot. This was Harry Styles they were talking about; Harry fucking Styles. She had only met him once or twice while working out details for her to be the opening act for his upcoming tour, but she had been a big fan of his and idolized him since she was a teen. Just meeting him threw her inner 16 year old self for a loop, let alone trying to pretend she was in love with him.

In all honesty, it probably wouldn’t be too hard on her end once she got over being starstruck; she wasn’t so sure she still wasn’t kind of in love with him, or at least the version the public saw.

“Listen,” Jeff began again, his voice taking on a bluntness, “no one cares about the opening act. No one bought tickets to see you; they’re there to see Harry.” His words stung but she knew it was the truth. “But if they think you are a part of Harry’s life, they care about you too. And they will keep on caring about you after they leave the show.” Her apprehensiveness must have been clear on her face when he put on a gentle smile. “He’s a really nice person. I promise.”

“I know,” she breathed, a small pout finding its way to her lips. “Fine,” she conceded after a moment, throwing her hands up in the air dramatically to signal surrender. “I’m in.”

A triumphant grin spread across his face. “Thank you. I’ll go call Harry and tell him you’re down.” She watched as he got up from his chair and came towards her, pressing a brief and friendly kiss to the top of her head. “You won’t regret this, Y/N.”

“I better not, Azoff,” she chuckled while shaking her head slightly.

Soon she was alone in the conference room, basking in the light from the floor to ceiling windows that sat before her.

“What did I just get myself into?” she mumbled quietly to herself.

***

The answer to that question came two weeks later when she was sitting across a table from the Harry Styles at a small outdoor brunch spot in LA. Their meeting place was strategic, a small restaurant, not too flashy so it didn’t look like they were seeking attention, but outdoors where anyone could see. It was only a matter of time before he was recognized, and the sighting was almost guaranteed to be trending on Twitter only minutes later.

She couldn’t say that she wasn’t nervous. The inside of her mouth had been chewed raw and the bags under her eyes showed she had been having trouble sleeping in the nights leading up to their first appearance together. By the end of the day, she would most likely have countless articles written about her and possibly have millions of angry fangirls coming after her; even though their “relationship” wouldn’t be officially confirmed for a few weeks.

If all went to Jeff’s plan, she would become an A-lister overnight.

She stood in front of her closet for over an hour, trying on and taking off outfits before finally settling on her favorite pair of bright red corduroy flares and a crisp white textured halter top. She paired the outfit with a new pair of heeled leather boots. They were a flashy pair that were split down the middle, bright yellow on one side and white with yellow stars on the other, hoping Harry would appreciate the bold colors.

She meticulously did her makeup, sure to match her lipstick color exactly to the shade of her pants; and spent far too long in front of the mirror fussing with her hair, praying it would lay the way she wanted it to.

She knew that she was going to be photographed in some way shape or form, and with the fashion icon himself. She had to look good. He had been on the cover of Vogue for god’s sake.

When she finally arrived at the cafe, Harry sat quietly across from her. He looked casual, or as casual as Harry Styles gets. A yellow t-shirt, that was tight enough to look as if it was painted on, showed off his muscular chest and arms. His iconic tattoos illustrated his arms and she hoped he wouldn’t notice as she covertly tried to examine closely. He uncomfortably ran his palms down the legs of his high waisted denim flares that had been paired with his signature pearl necklace and ratty, but well loved, white vans.

And she couldn’t forget his rings. His signature gold ‘H’ and ‘S’ looked back at her as he gently grasped his flute filled to the brim with a mimosa, bringing it to his pink lips that were surrounded by the short stubble he had been wearing lately.

The pair sat in a slightly awkward silence, both seeming to down their mimosas quickly just because it was something to do with their hands and could occupy their lips so they didn’t have to talk.

To say she was panicking, wouldn’t be too much of an over exaggeration. She was sitting across from one of the world’s biggest stars, and as one of his biggest closeted fans. The things he could do for her career were astronomical and it was hard to ignore that, but she also had a hard time getting over the way his hair seemed to fall into perfect tousled curls and his dreamy green eyes.

She had been in love with him (or at least the idea of him) since she was 16. She couldn’t help it.

But the bottomless mimosas helped to break her anxiety, and apparently his as well, as they both began to feel a slight buzz.

“So how did Jeff end up talking you into this?” Harry eventually broke the silence, the alcohol lowering his naturally shy inhibitions just enough to kick off their conversation.

She let a playful eye roll take over her face before she began. “Oh Jeff,” she said jokingly, letting out a long sigh. “I was convinced somewhere in between ‘it’ll make your ex look bad’ and a stern ‘no one ever cares about the opening act,’” she chuckled, while sarcastically wagging her finger in the air, dramatically re-enacting his scolds.

He sucked in a breath through his teeth, letting out a dramatic ‘ouch.’ “He’s not always gentle, is he?” matching her chuckle.

“He knows where to hit you where it hurts,” she laughed, while nodding in agreement. “How did he convince you?”

“Coincidently, he also took a low blow involving my ex. I believe his words were ‘You wrote an entire album about her and haven’t dated anyone since and it makes you look kind of pathetic.’” He dramatically used air quotes and did his best impression of Jeff’s American accent. She couldn’t hold back the giggles that erupted from her.

“Oh my goodness,” she let out through slightly buzzed giggles, “you definitely win.”

From that point, their conversation began to flow more easily, easing her anxiety as she learned he was generally easy to talk to. He laughed at her jokes, and she laughed at his. He really did have the calming and disarming quality that people always said he had, like could melt down any walls and convince you to be honest with him, even if you didn’t really want to be. She was shocked to find that she wanted him to genuinely be a friend to her so badly. He was just so nice and such a good listener.

Their conversation took a turn when Harry’s super power of knowing when his picture was being taken kicked in. “Give me your hand,” he said to her, diverting from the pleasant conversation they had been having about their families. “Don’t look but there’s someone across the street taking photos of us.”

His instructions brought her back to the reality that they weren’t really friends and that all of this was for show.

She brought her hand up to meet his, strategically resting on the side of the table that faced the street, giving the camera the best view. The cool metal of his hand full of rings felt good against her skin that had been baking in the hot LA sun and he passed his thumb over her knuckles with faux affection.

She couldn’t help but feel a dishonest weight pulling on her heart. She knew everything was going to plan and this was all for the best, but it also felt slightly wrong. She played with her small heart shaped earring to distract herself from the sinking feeling.

“Harry,” she began, knowing the people across the street were out of ear shot. Her voice brought his attention from her hand back up to her eyes. “Does this feel wrong to you at all?”

“How so?”

“It just feels dishonest, like we’re lying to millions of people, our–well, mostly your fans.” She couldn’t help but correct herself.

His eyes softened at her words, like he was taking in the innocence she still held onto after only being in the industry for a short time, compared to his decade in the spotlight.

“I try not to think of it as lying,” he spoke slowly after a moment of thinking. He nodded along softly to punctuate his words. “When you think about all this as lying, it starts to weigh pretty heavy on you as a person. I try to be as honest as possible in my music and daily life, but that’s not always what people want to see. They want a show that will entertain them, and it is our job to give it to them.”

“I see,” she mused.

They sat together for another hour or so, allowing their small mimosa buzz to wear off enough for them to drive the short distances to their homes. The pair eventually found their way back to a comfortable conversation, but Harry’s comment about being in the public eye still weighed on her.

Suddenly, she wasn’t sure if all of this was worth it. Y/N was a master at dodging a question and turning the charm to 10 when it was needed, but she wasn’t a liar and she definitely wasn’t an actress. She hoped she (or Jeff) hadn’t bitten off more than she could chew with all of this.

Harry eventually walked her back to her car that was parked a few blocks away, and while she was sure he was doing it for the cameras, she didn’t doubt that he would have done it even if they weren’t there. He just seemed like that kind of guy to her; caring and trustworthy.

“Thank you for a very nice date, Harry,” she said, winking and chuckling along with the extra emphasis she put on the last word.

“My pleasure,” he smiled down at her. He moved along with her as she walked to the driver's side door, opening it for her like a perfect gentleman. The two stood close, his body hovering over her’s as they stood inside the open door. Her heart rose to her throat as he leaned down to her and pressed a gentle kiss to her burning cheek.

Y/N  looked back up at him with rosy cheeks and a tightlipped bashful smile. She watched as he walked backward carefully, taking her hand that had been locked with his until he was too far and let it fall back to her body.

She situated herself in her drivers seat and was ready to leave when she heard a knocking on the passenger side window that startled her. Harry had bent himself over and was motioning for her to roll the window down. When she did, he leaned himself in, an honest look in his eyes.

“Before you go,” he said gently. “A word of advice from someone who had been in the public eye for a long time,” he spoke with a tender yet serious tone, eyes locking with hers. “When you go home today, don’t go on social media. People are mean, and it’s just going to hurt.” She nodded along with his words and watched as he pinched his bottom lip. “And when you inevitably can’t resist, text me if you need to talk about it.”

***

They must have done a good job putting on their show because within an hour of her returning home to her apartment, they were all anyone was talking about. Their names were trending worldwide #1 on Twitter. Streams of Y/N’s debut album were up by 800%, and even Harry’s streams had taken a considerable jump. Y/N had gained 40,ooo new followers and views on every interview she had ever done were steadily rising.

All was going according to Jeff’s plan.

Harry’s words circled her brain for hours. “Don’t go on social media,” she heard him say over and over again as she paced her apartment, only stopping to look at the phone sitting on the kitchen counter every so often.

She had taken a shower, done her hair, tried to watch TV, cooked herself dinner, and even tried to sit down and write a song; it all got her nowhere fast. The unknown was eating at her inside.

Y/N broke when she heard the small ding signaling she had gotten a text message. She had all but sprinted to see who it was, reunited with the outside world through her touch screen. Unsurprisingly, it was from Jeff; the message sent to her and an unknown number she assumed to be Harry’s.

Good job, kiddos., was all it read but there was a photo attached to the message. Her heart stopped while she waited for the photo to load, cursing her slow wifi in the process. After a few breathless moments, the photo came through.

It was a screenshot from the website of one of the biggest entertainment magazines in the country. A picture of him kissing her cheek was the front page of the website.

Harry Styles and Y/N Y/L/N Rumored To Be Music’s New Power Couple Ahead of Tour

She was honestly speechless. This was huge.

She would like to say the sheer shock blurred her judgement, but the curiosity just got the better of her. Harry’s words repeated over and over again in her head, telling her not to, even as her finger connected with the icon of the little blue bird.

She was the most talked about topic in the entire world, her name hovering in bold letters on the trending page. She did everything she could to not click on her name, but her fingers did it all on her own.

The first few tweets were nice. Someone said they liked her style and that they looked cute together as a couple. Another said that they had always enjoyed her music and that they were happy for them.

But as she scrolled, it became harsher and just mean. People commented on her weight, said she couldn’t sing, and criticized her personality as seeming fake and forced. Her eyes were locked on the screen, unable to look away, as her heart began to break and few tears began to roll.

It took one final, and the most painful, tweet for her to consider deleting her account completely. She swiped out of the app fast, but the words were still burned into her brain.

Y/N is using Harry, just like she used James before he got rid of her and found someone better.

The words knocked the wind out of her, pouring salt on an open wound that had yet to heal.

She also had the little blue bird for that heartbreak as well. When she opened the app two months ago, the first thing she saw was pictures of her (former) fiance, James, with his tongue down some girl’s throat. At the time she had been devastated, her heart broken beyond repair.

It felt like no one else in the world could understand the way she was feeling. If she was in this position because of another person, they must get it too. The text to Harry was already sent before she had time to think it over.

I looked and I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry that I didn’t listen.

His response came only seconds later.

Don’t be sorry. It’s hard not to. Are you alright?

She had to think about his question, unsure if she knew the answer. Tears were still running down her face and she felt like she was a target the entire world had decided it was open season on. Logically, she knew these people never thought she would see these awful things, but it didn’t excuse the hurt she felt when she did.

I don’t know. I just don’t understand how people can be so cruel.

She felt like she was bothering him, even though he had offered to be there for her. He wasn’t her best friend, or a close confidant; he was her fake publicity boyfriend. He had real friends he wanted to talk to or maybe even a real girlfriend underwraps somewhere. Her body was wracked with guilt as she thought it over.

People are just mean on the internet, okay? They think they can say whatever they want without repercussions. I’m so sorry that you are being targeted because of me.

Before she got a chance to think through a proper response to him, her phone dinged with another text. It was from Jeff again.

Really good job, kiddos.

Y/N was confused. They hadn’t done anything else but be seen together today. Her sick sense of curiosity got her again before she opened Twitter again and looked up Harry’s name. He had tweeted for the first time in six months only a few moments ago.

@Harry_Styles: We treat people with kindness.

***

The next time she saw him was two days later at yet another public meet up Jeff had arranged for them. Unfortunately this time, she had become just as famous as Harry seemingly overnight, the flames of her new found fame growing even larger after he had sent that tweet.

While the fame had grown, the hate had calmed since his statement, which most had taken as an official declaration of their relationship. Now, that was not to Jeff’s plans.

She had to fight her way out of her apartment complex, wearing a pair of massive dark sunglasses with circular lenses and shielding her face with her hands the best she could. But she did have to admit that the electric orange fabric of her jumpsuit probably didn’t do much to help her blend in and avoid the attention of the paparazzi that had now found out where she lived.

Harry was sitting at the table by himself facing the back of the cafe when she arrived, two cups of coffee waiting before him to be drank together placed delicately on the table. He had his head down, buried in a book, before she startled him with a hug from behind. Her cheek connected with his warm neck where she buried her head into him and she took in his dizzying cologne.

She felt him jump beneath her as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing a dramatic and cheesy kiss to his cheek, feeling his light stubble prick her chapsticked lips. “My hero,” she joked, trying to bring at least a little humor to the man who had just about jumped out of his skin at her touch.

It felt like she was crossing a boundary, and she was pretty sure she was, but she just needed to thank him and a hug felt like the best way to do that while in a semi-crowded coffee shop. Also, playing up that they were madly in love didn’t hurt.

“Jesus Christ,” he breathed, a hand flying over his chest in surprise to feel his racing heartbeat. “You scared the shit out of me.” Once he settled for a moment, his arm moved across his chest to rest on her arm. His touch was gentle and soft, holding her there gently like he didn’t want her to release him from her grasp. She tried not to think about it too much as she slipped her arms off of him, making her way to the seat that was clearly meant for her across from him.

“I’m sorry that I scared you. A little jumpy today?” she teasingly questioned.

“Hey, watch it,” he playfully threatened. “I believe you called me your hero about thirty seconds ago.”

“I guess I did,” she quipped over the mug she was bringing to her lips. It was sweet but not too sweet, with cream but not too much, and still piping hot; just the way she liked it. “I don’t think it’s too far off,” she smiled before turning back to the coffee. “Good coffee,” she mused. “Just the way I like it.”

“Good. I texted Jeff for your order,” he informed her, the gesture being so thoughtful and sweet she could have melted into a puddle right there and then. “And I think ‘hero’ might be a bit much,” he tacked on.

“Don’t be humble, Harry.” While her voice was still light and held a jesting tone, she meant her words. “You made the entire internet leave me alone, for the most part,” she clarified as there were definitely some nasty messages still floating around Twitter, “in five words.”

“It was the least I could do,” he said while shaking his head slightly, seeming to deflect her words.

“You could have done absolutely nothing.” She reached across the table and grabbed his hand in hers like they had staged at the cafe a few days earlier; but this time, it was an honest gesture, not one for a role they were both meant to be playing. Her words were serious, punctuating each with a gentle nod of her head. “I mean it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” His eyes held the same truthfulness and honesty she hoped she was mirroring in her own. “I know all of this,” he paused and gestured between them with his free hand, “is for publicity, but I consider you a friend. It was hard to watch it all go down like that. You’re a good person and you didn’t deserve all that. I had to do something.”

There was a warmth that flooded her chest. He called me his friend, she thought to herself, fighting back a big toothy grin. She had been under the impression that all of this was just work for him, something he was doing just to drum up publicity, with no personal connections at all. But him calling her a friend meant so much to her. It meant she was not alone in all this terrifying and overwhelming attention.

“I’m glad you think of me as a friend,” she said, still holding back her smile. “You’re my friend too.” He matched her close-lipped smile that had fought its way onto her face at her words.

They sat in silence together for a few moments. Harry returned to his book and Y/N answered emails; but their hands stayed connected across the small table. This silence was very different from the silence on the day they first met. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence that sat on your tongue, begging you to break the quiet; it was peaceful and safe.

Their silence was broken when a young woman wearing a jittery smile and nervous eyes approached their table. Her voice squeaked out a mouse-like “Hi,” towards the both of them, bringing their eyes up to meet hers and instinctively breaking their hands away from each other.

“I’m so so sorry to be a bother,” she began, cheeks red and hot. “But I’m a really big fan of both of you and I would never forgive myself if I didn’t say hello.” She rambled excitedly, mostly looking at Harry, as she held her slightly shaky hands up to her chest.

“Hello,” Harry said with one of his million dollar smiles. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Emma,” she breathed.

“Well, it’s so nice to meet you Emma.” He spoke gently with her, clearly sensing her anxiety, extending his hand for her to shake. “Thank you for all of your support.”

Y/N watched closely as he spoke with her. He spoke to her like she was the only person in the room, giving her his whole undivided attention, and repeatedly thanking her as she flooded him with compliments about how his music and message of kindness meant so much to her. She was so entranced that she nearly didn’t hear her own name being said as the girl turned towards her.

“I love your music as well,” she grinned, clearly more comfortable after her short conversation with Harry. “And your jumpsuit is just incredible.” Her nervous giggle was contagious, Y/N releasing one as well at the compliment as her cheeks heated slightly. She was shocked she even knew any of her music, clearly being the less popular of the pair.  

“Thank you so much, Emma. It means a lot.”

Emma took a few quick selfies with the both of them (that would be everywhere within a few hours), said goodbye and went to leave the two, but not before she paid them one last compliment. “You two are really cute together. I’m rooting for you.”

Both of their cheeks warmed as they looked back at each other. They were quiet for a moment, unsure how to respond, before Harry turned his attention back to the girl with a coy smile. “I am too,” was all he said.

***

The next three weeks passed in a blur of tour rehearsals, fittings, and public meetings with Harry. And then all of a sudden, it was the night of the first show.

Y/N had never been so nervous in her entire life. She would be the first face seen by just over 19,000 people, tasked to warm up the crowd and prepare them for Harry, which was enough pressure. And then there was the chance that they all hated her guts.

She stood behind the curtain, listening to the loud and inpatient crowd as she paced back and forth. She white-knuckeld her guitar, trying to keep her violently shaking hands from being too visible to the crew around her. Her stomach swirled and her palms were clammy, constantly having to rub them on the pants of her icey blue jumpsuit. It fit her like a glove, the wide legged pants and slight shoulder pads, creating a perfect hourglass silhouette; the only thing she was confident in at the moment was how good she looked in it.

Her heart leapt out of her chest and she almost hit the ceiling when a small voice appeared over her shoulder, whispering “You’re going to do great,” in her ear. If her heart wasn’t about to give out before, it was now. She swung around to face him, almost hitting Harry with her guitar, letting out a small breath of relief when her eyes met his own. They always seemed to calm her down a bit.

“I’m kinda freaking out, H,” she anxiously babbled, using the nickname he had told her to call him. “This is the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of, and they probably all hate me because they think I’m dating you, and I have to make sure I do a good job so they start listening to my music; and I just…” she trailed off for a second, uncomfortably scratching the back of her neck, “I just can’t let you down.”

His face softened at her words, seeming to take pity on her. “Y/N,” he began, resting his hands on her shoulders and looking so deep into her eyes she felt like he could probably see her soul. “We picked you to open because people love your music and the way that you perform. You just have to go out there and do what you do best: sing your heart out and put on a good show. It’s only 25 minutes. I know you can do it.”

Every word that left his lips was laced with honesty and encouragement; just enough for Y/N to relax her furrowed brow and give her lip a break from her constant chewing. “I can do it,” she softly repeated back to him, still not breaking contact with his striking green eyes.

A stage manager passed by them, running to some other important task, but not before tapping her shoulder. “You’re on in 30 seconds,” he spoke, just as she heard the roar of the crowd begin, signalling the dimming of the lights in the arena.

“Go kick some ass,” he winked, stepping backwards from her and releasing her from his grasp. “I’ll be watching.”

Walking on stage, she wasn’t met with ‘boo’s that had plagued her nightmares, or mean looks from the audience, or rotten tomatoes thrown from the crowd.

They were screaming in excitement, screaming for her.

From the second she started playing, the crowd had her back; the ones that knew the words to her songs sang them along with her, and the ones that didn’t, happily danced to her voice. Before long, the smile she had forced onto her face was genuine, and her set passed by with ease. When her 25 minutes were up, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to get off the stage.

She took her final bow as the crowd roared, running off of the stage into the wings, looking for one person in particular. And when she found him, she threw herself into Harry’s open and waiting arms. “I told you that you were going to do great!” He spoke excitedly into her ear and he held her close to his body, his arms wrapped around her waist tight.

She liked the way it felt to be in his arms.

Pulling away from him, she saw the massive grin that he wore for her, noting how adorable his dimples were and how the excited look in his eyes made him look like a little kid. But there was more to his face than excitement, he looked proud.

“They were so nice to me, and they knew my songs, and they were screaming so loud for me, and it just went so well. I can’t believe it!” Her previous anxious chatter had become an exhilarated rambling and she felt on top of the world.

“I can,” he grinned, looking down at his watch quickly. “I have to go get changed.” If she wasn’t so amped up, she might have noticed the disappointment that flashed over his features. “Promise me you’ll watch the show?”

“Pinky swear?” She stuck up her little finger in the air.

“Pinky swear.” He kept their pinkies locked for a moment too long, then released her hand and ran backstage to get dressed.

She kept her promise and watched with excitement as the building shook when Harry took the stage.

She had never heard something quite so loud, sure her ears would be ringing when she snuggled into her bunk on the tour bus that night. Watching him perform was mesmerizing; he knew how to work a stage in every way and make every person in the arena feel like he was singing just for them. He was larger than life while performing and his little dances and mannerisms only got more pronounced the more comfortable he got on stage. He messed with Mitch, who she had only met a few hours ago (he was very nice), and constantly praised Sarah on the drums behind him, while he looked over to Adam and sent him smiles often.

Everyone in the building came for a show, and boy, did he give them one. It was amazing to watch. There was a reason she was a fan.

Bouncing off the stage, full of adrenaline and in a post-show high, he came to find her. It wasn’t hard, as she had never left her spot on the side of the stage, unable to rip her eyes away from the man before her.

“Oh my god, Harry! That was incredible!” she said with delighted amazement.

“I’m glad you liked it.” He was smiling down at her with a big toothy grin, a hand running through his sweaty hair and pushing it off his forehead. “They only get better from here.”

***

He was telling the truth. The shows only got crazier and more exciting as the tour went on, and so did their “relationship.”

About five shows in, Jeff had Harry given her his “H” ring to start wearing. Harry didn’t seem too phased by it all even though she thought it might be too much, saying “it’s like a friendship bracelet.” But it was too big for her fingers, not because she had small hands, but because Harry’s were absolutely massive. She wore it on a chain around her neck from then on and made sure to always be seen playing with it.

Fans took notice and loved it.

A little after that, Jeff sent them off to get matching manicures. Both had a melting rainbow of oranges, pinks, and browns on their fingertips, which looked amazing in the paparazzi photos of them walking around with their fingers intertwined.

The fans loved that too.

But when she “accidentally” posted a photo of Harry on her story, the entire world lost it’s shit. In the photo, he laid sprawled across a bed in only a white hotel robe that was creeping dangerously high up his thigh. He looked sleepy and slightly sweaty, in a post-fuck haze, and clothes that looked very similar to ones she had been seen wearing in public only days before were strewn across the floor. The caption read “I love getting to love you.”

The photo had strategically only been up for about 30 seconds, but by the time it was deleted thousands of people had seen it and screenshots had been taken. They quickly circulated the internet, creating a bit of scandal. But more than anything, people began to love the two of them together even more. Harry looked genuinely happy in the photo, and for most of his fans, that was all that mattered.  

They were creating a fairytale love story for an audience, but she would be lying if she said she wasn’t enjoying her role. She quite liked being his “girlfriend.”

Harry and Y/N had a way of clicking as they grew closer–quite literally as they were crammed together on a tour bus most of the time. They seemed to be able to finish each other’s sentences and always beat the other to the punchline of a joke. The pair had begun to pick up on the other’s mannerisms and habits; Y/N always teasing that Harry was going to rub his nose off one day if he kept rubbing it while he was thinking and Harry always knowing when she got enough sleep by whether or not she had put on eyeliner that morning. They swapped playlists back and forth in their bunks as they tried to doze off and always grabbed a cup of coffee for whoever had decided to sleep in the next day, now knowing the other’s order by heart.

There was only one thing she didn’t know about him that she longed to discover: what his lips felt like against her own. She could never think too hard about it though, or she may just explode.

He had become a calming presence and was currently helping her keep her cool, even though she knew the pair of interviewers across the table were getting ready to grill the pair for every detail they could get. His hand had settled on top of her knee to quell it’s nervous bouncing, but remained after she had stopped, even though no one could see his touch under the table. She watched as his thumb ran itself back and forth along the leg of her flashy orange and yellow patterned overalls and she had a hard time pulling her gaze away when the radio host across the large table began to speak.

“So Harry,” the bald man began. “Fine Line has been one of the biggest albums of the year and I just have to say I love it. It’s truly incredible.” She listened as the man continued on to sing Harry’s praises, going on to list his grammy nominations, sold out world tour, and other accolades. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched his cheeks tinge pink with the praise. She knew anyone watching would pick up on her adoring look and people fawn over it, but she knew her gaze was nothing but truthful.

“Thank you very much,” he said shyly, shaking his head slightly as he spoke into the microphone suspended in front of his face. “You’re too kind.”

“Stop being humble,” she teased him, playfully tapping him on the arm. “All of his music is fantastic,” she said turning her attention back to the man across from them, “especially Fine Line.”

“And there’s Y/N, being the supportive girlfriend,” the man chuckled.

“I support him in everything he does,” she smiled back, not having to embellish the truth at all. “He is an amazing talent and I think Fine Line shows that.”

It wasn’t hard for her to gush about him. It was actually quite easy. She absolutely adored him, as an artist, a friend, and the focus of her affection. She felt an equal warmth in her cheeks as she watched his get even pinker with her compliments.

“That’s actually something we wanted to ask you about,” the blonde woman sitting next to him piped up, a mischievous glint in her eyes that sent nervous butterflies flying around Y/N’s stomach. “One of the songs on Fine Line, Cherry to be specific, actually features the voice of Harry’s ex, Camille. How does that make you feel as his new girl?”

Y/N did her best not to gag at the woman’s question, gritting her teeth as she plastered on a polite smile. “Well, I think Cherry is a really great song and her voice at the end adds a lot,” she spoke as smoothly as she could, refusing to let on that the question rattled her. Harry’s light squeeze on her knee signalled to her that she had answered the question well.

“It’s also been three years since the song was written,” Harry cut in. “Things are obviously a lot different now.” He connected their eyes for a second while he was leaning back into his seat, sending her a short smile, but she knew him well enough to know it was genuine.

“Oh, definitely,” the woman eagerly agreed. “You’re in a great new relationship with a beautiful girl on your arm.”

“Y/N,” he emphasized her name as the woman had referred to her as a possession of his for a second time, “and I are very happy. Thank you.” To an onlooker, he was calm. To her, he was visibly uncomfortable by her words.

Y/N began to notice a clear pattern as the interview went on. Harry was asked exclusively about his music and the tour, while Y/N only became relevant to their interviewers when they wanted to mention their relationship.

When the man asked Y/N if she felt uncomfortable playing to Harry’s mainly female fanbase every night that are “so obviously jealous of her,” something snapped inside of her, sending all her hours of media training out the window. “I’m not uncomfortable at all,” she said curtly. “His music is great and he puts on an awesome show. I don’t think the audience’s gender really has anything to do with the music.” She watched the man’s face fall before she decided to go on. “And I would like to think that at least a few of them are there for me too. You do know I make music too, right?”

An indignant smirk found its way to her lips as the man stammered out, “yes, of course.”

“Okay. I was just wondering since you have only asked me questions about our relationship since we got here.”

She knew Jeff wouldn’t be happy, but at the moment, she couldn’t care less. They may not have really been dating, but the interviewers didn’t know that. All of their dismissal of her and her career was 100% real.

She had been so worked up that she didn’t even realize Harry’s hand had left her knee until it found its way to rest on her back. She leaned into his touch as he rubbed her back softly while she crossed her arms in front of her.

The interviewers looked at the two of them across the table, jaws both lying on the floor. It was quiet until Harry nonchalantly spoke. “She has a point.”

The last few minutes of the interview passed in an awkward blur that felt suffocating. She felt like she could finally take in a deep breath once they were in the back of a massive SUV being driven away from the studio.

“Jeff is going to have my head,” she mumbled under her breath, nose stuck into her phone as she scrolled Twitter to see what people were saying about her outburst. But before she could read any opinions, Harry's tattooed arm blocked her view as he gently pushed her phone down onto her lap.

“Look at me,” he murmured, beckoning her attention to the other side of the back seat. When she connected her eyes with his, his usual calming aura took over her, softening the stressed crease between her brows. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Harry, I just blew my career up into smoke because I couldn’t deal with a rude interviewer,” she huffed at him.

“No,” he disagreed softly, moving the hand that rested on her arms to interlock his fingers with one of hers. “You stuck up for yourself to people who were ignoring your work and whittling you down to your relationship.”

“But it was rude.”

“It was necessary.”

The car ride to the venue for that night’s concert was quiet, but Harry never let go of her hand, brushing his thumb over her knuckles in a comforting touch. She wasn’t sure if she ever wanted him to let go.

***

It was the early hours of the morning by the time the pair returned to their tour bus and went to crawl into their bunks.

Her performance had gone well and Harry was mesmerizing (as always). He was truly hypnotizing to watch while he performed and she hadn’t missed watching him yet, even as they drew close to the end of the tour. It was the best part of her day and she would miss it dearly after the last show.

She was almost asleep, curtain drawn and cuddled under a pile of blankets, when her cell began to ring. Her heart sank, knowing only one person who would know when she had a sliver of free time (even though it’s debatable if sleeping counts as free time). She was going to get scolded like she was a little kid in the principal's office and she knew it.

“Hi Jeff,” she answered with a sigh as she pulled the curtain back and slid from the bunk, the cold air of the tour bus nipping at her legs.

Her gaze was met by a snuggled up Harry wearing a concerned face across from her in his own bed. He never closed the curtain, not even when she asked politely to muffle his snores, always saying something about how it made him claustrophobic. He sent her a tired smile and mouthed “good luck,” extending a hand for a fist bump as she passed. Knocking their knuckles together put a brief smile on her face before she buckled in for the chewing out she was about to get.

Harry watched her intently as she paced up and down the front of the tour bus as she spoke to Jeff, too far away for him to listen in. Her face gradually turned from anxious, to surprised, to something that would have probably been happiness if she wasn’t so tired.

“Alright, thank you for everything.” She spoke softly when she finally returned to be within earshot for him. “Goodnight Jeff.”

“So?” he murmured groggily at her, brows raised in question at her.

“People loved it,” she said shocked, like she didn’t fully believe it herself. “They think I’m some kind of badass for shutting down a sexist. Which is, like, a lot,” she spoke with a disbelieving chuckle, unable to find the right words in her groggy state. “I don’t really know what to make of it.”

Harry seemed to spring up from his spot in his bed, smacking his head on the top of the bunk in the process, prompting them both to dissolve into a puddle of giggles.

“Don’t get too excited for me,” she laughed. “I cannot be the reason that you hurt yourself and have to cancel a show.”

“I was just too excited to say ‘I told you so,’” he smirked, now rubbing the side of his head through his curls.

“Cocky bastard,” she sarcastically murmured under her breath while dramatically rolling her eyes.

She watched with confusion as Harry left his bed, and after a short and frantic search for his pajama pants so he wouldn’t “offend her eyes,” he moved towards the front of the bus. Her eyes trailed him as he bent down to the small mini fridge and pulled out two beers.

“We have to celebrate.”

It was 2 AM and she had been so ready for bed after a long day. But she knew she could never say no to him. She thanked god that they had a day off tomorrow.

After retrieving her massive and lovingly worn Grateful Dead sweatshirt to protect her from the chilly air, she nearly ran to the front of the bus. His painted pink fingers moved with skill as he popped the bottle caps off with one of his rings, handing it to her and gently nudging his bottle against hers.

“Cheers,” he murmured softly as he looked down at her with a kindhearted smile.

“Cheers,” she seemed to whisper back to him, a flutter in her stomach reminding her how badly she wanted to reach out and connect her lips to his. Instead she slid into the small booth across from him, taking a long sip from the bottle as she watched him do the same.

“I want you to know that I was really proud of you today,” he said as he put his beer down on the table. “Rude interviewers are never easy and you handled it like a champ.”

“Thank you, H,” she nodded, suddenly bashful and unable to make eye contact with him. Her cheeks burned hot as she put all her focus into tracing the rim of the bottle with her finger tip.

“Hey,” he called for her attention and her eyes snapped up to meet his. “I mean it, Y/N.”

“I know you do,” she gently nodded at him. “I’m just really happy they didn’t ask about my ex,” she chuckled as she took another sip. “That would have gone very poorly.”

“Oh yeah, I was a little annoyed they brought up my ex but not yours,” he teased. “Not fair if you ask me.”

“Well, then I’m glad no one asked you.”

“Can I ask you?”

“What?”

“About your ex.”

She should have been prepared to talk about it with Harry at some point. Half of this plan had been devised to get back at James anyway. She should be able to talk about it by now, especially with someone she had grown so close to.

“I guess so,” she shrugged, trying to seem casual like the mere mention of him didn’t still hurt her heart a little bit. “What do you want to know?”

“As much as you’re willing to tell me.”

He looked soft like this, eyes slightly sleepy with a tenderness in them as he looked back at her. His hair was unruly and puffy and he was wrapped in the powder blue blanket that lived on the tour bus’ couch. She would have told him anything that he ever wanted to hear if he kept looking like this.

With a deep breath, she began to recount everything that went down.

“I met James while I was still working as a waitress. I recognized him from his movies and started a conversation, and then–to my surprise–he asked me out on a date. I had been in LA for three weeks and this insanely famous actor is asking me to go out with him, so I obviously said yes.” She paused to take a swig of her beer, before mumbling under her breath, “I should have said ‘fuck no’ to that.”

A smile ghosted over her lips as she listened to Harry’s laugh across the table. She swore that laugh could cure cancer.

“But I didn’t,” she continued. “He introduced me to the right people and helped me make the right connections in the industry, which I guess made me feel indebted to him. Does that make sense?”

“Of course,” Harry nodded, eyebrows furrowed and listening intently.

“I should have broken up with him after I signed with Jeff and the label, however awful that sounds. But he just always knew the right things to say to make me feel special and like I was the most important person in the world. Even after I found out he was talking to other girls, he was somehow able to talk himself out of it.” She shook her head as she recalled it. “You wanna hear something fucked up?”

“Always,” he said with a gentle smirk.

“He proposed to me using lines from a romcom he was working on.”

Harry nearly spit out his drink. “Holy shit, you’re kidding!”

“I wish. I didn’t find out until I went with him to the premier a few months later and the proposal scene sounded surprisingly familiar.”

“What a dirtbag.”

“I know, right?” she laughed. “Then a few weeks after that, he got papped with his tongue down another girl’s throat. That finally knocked some sense into me and I ran for the hills.”

“Fuck,” he sighed as he finished his beer. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she breathed. “I don’t even feel hurt by him anymore, ya know? I just feel angry at myself for trusting him.”

“I understand but it’s not your fault he was a piece of shit,” he said as he rose from his seat and traveled to the mini fridge once again. “Another?” he asked, holding the bottle up about his head.

“Fuck it,” she shrugged. “Sure.”

She watched him skillfully pop off the tops again using just his rings, making a mental note to make him teach her how he did that, before he flopped back down in his seat.  

“At the risk of sounding like a Facebook mom, ‘you grow through what you go through,’” she chuckled, taking another long sip as she finished her first. He matched her high pitched giggle across the table and she nearly drooled beer down her front from smiling so wide.

“Amen, sister,” he agreed, raising his beer in the air.

“Oh, that was awful.” She shook her head as she descended into giggles. “Please never say that again.”

“Noted.”

“Anyway,” she began again after another sip of her drink, “I was well prepared to get my heartbroken by untrustworthy men after you, Styles.”

“I’m offended–tell me more,” he spoke quickly, his signature narcissistic smirk settling onto his features.

“I need you to know that Zayn leaving was my first real heartbreak.”

“Were the rest of us chopped liver?”

“You weren’t Zayn, I can tell you that.”

“Ouch!” He let out a loud belly laugh.

“Put yourself in my shoes for a minute, H. So first, the hottest-”

“Rude-”

“-I’m speaking. So the hottest one leaves, and then the rest of you are all like ‘we’ll be back in 18 months,’” she mocked him in a high pitched impersonation with a wave, “and then 6 months later you all mysteriously have solo careers.”

“I do not see you complaining about my solo career now, ya fame leetch.” He spoke with such humor and charisma, she couldn’t have even wished to be offended by his joke.

“Absolutely not, sir,” she said sternly, giving him a dramatic salute. “Deepest apologies from the fame leetch.” The two collapsed into giggles, laughing until their sides began to ache.

“Wait, I have a question for mega superstar Mr. Harry Styles of former One Direction fame,” she announced.

“I believe that’s me,” he bowed his head and raised his hand into the hair. “Shoot.”

She barely could get the question out, laughing too hard at her own joke. “Is Taylor Swift a good kisser?”

“Oh god,” he exasperatedly threw his hands in the air, chuckling while rolling his eyes dramatically before grinning wide as he thought over his answer. “I don’t kiss and tell,” he finally smirked.

“Wait, I have another!”

“Watch it, smart ass.”

“You think I’m smart?” she teased as she feigned flattery. “Have you ever heard of a song called ‘English Love Affair?’” He narrowed his eyes at her, a knowing smirk crossing his lips as he shook his head at her. “Also, when do I get to meet Gemma?”

“I’ll consider it when you stop bringing up her sex life, perv.”

“We’ve been dating for a few months now,” she teased as she continued to prod, emboldened by the liquid courage running through her veins as she was now half way through her next beer. “I think I should be allowed to meet the family soon. They seem delightful.”

“They would love how you have decided to rip into me like this,” he said with a cheeky smile, dimples on full display.

“Rockstars have to get knocked down a peg every once in a while.” She sarcastically shrugged. “Consider it a favor.”

She couldn’t help but think about how right this felt. Their back and forth flowed so smoothly, the banter falling from their lips without effort. Their laughter joined together in a delightful melody and she imagined they could go on this way all night.

Spending any amount of time with him made her so fucking happy; and time spent teasing each other over beers caused her to nearly explode with joy. How much she was enjoying herself was too hard to put into words.

He was safe and he was kind and he made her laugh no matter how bad his jokes were.

He was her best friend.

And for the first time, she was willing to admit that she was in love with him.

“Harry,” she hummed softly as their laughter died down to a comfortable silence. “Thank you for everything. You’ve changed my life forever and I can never repay you.”

“Just remember me when you get famous.”

“Oh shut up, I’m being serious,” she playfully scolded before letting her tone drop back into honesty. “You’re a very good person and I’m eternally grateful for you letting me be your opening act and then agreeing to this whole relationship charade.”

“I didn’t ‘let’ you be anything, Y/N. I picked you myself.”

Her brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I listened to your album when it came out and fell in love with it,” he shrugged, his casual tone contradicting the surprised raise of her pulse. “When I found out Jeff also managed you, I knew I had to have you on the tour.”

Y/N was honestly stunned. She had always assumed that the tour was Jeff’s doing, a careful arrangement pairing Full Stop’s new up-and-comer with their most famous and established talent. Being offered the tour had been the biggest opportunity and honor she had ever been presented with; but she had never considered Harry himself being behind it.

“Oh,” was all she could manage to get out.

It was now his turn to be confused. “What’s so surprising about that?” he asked, reading the shock on her face like she was an open book.

“I just,” she stammered, trying to find the words in her slightly hazy state. “I never would have thought you knew who I was or listened to my music.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know,” she trailed off. “You’re you, and I’m just... me, I guess.”

He didn’t respond right away, just looking at her intently and slightly amused, sea glass eyes boring into her with a pink lip held between his teeth.

He scanned her frame, from the way her hair sat messily on top of her head and the way the massive sweatshirt swallowed her body enough to where she had pulled her knees up to her chest underneath it. Her shoulders were slumped slightly, making her appear smaller as she held her legs close to her torso and her eyebrows were knitted together in worry, slightly nervous under his intense gaze.

She downed the rest of her beer in an attempt to forget his intense attention. It didn’t work.

“You really don’t know how incredible you are, do you?” he finally asked, the corner of his lips twitching into a small smile.

She felt her whole body burn with his compliment, wanting to shrink into herself and disappear completely from his view. She finally shook her head slightly in an attempt to deflect his words, breathing his name under her breath as if to scold him for being too kind.

“You are,” he insisted, ignoring her objection. “You’re so talented and your music deserves all the attention that it gets. I am honored that I get to play a part in helping expose the world to you and what you have to offer.”

“Thank you.” Her words came out as a whisper.

“You’re welcome, love.”

His pet name made her stomach turn in a nervous excitement and a wide grin involuntarily came to her lips.

“I like it when I make you smile like that.” His words only made her beam further. “You look very pretty when you smile.”

“Stop it,” she said softly, cheeks burning hot and having a hard time making eye contact with him.

“Stop what?” He feigned innocence as he lightly teased her, smirk still prominent on his features.

“Are you flirting with me, Styles?”

“Just practicing.”

His words rang through her mind long after they had left the table and crawled back into their bunks for the night. She wished she could see inside his head to understand whatever thoughts were running around his brain.

But for now she could just peak at him through the gap she had purposely left in her curtain, wondering if she ever popped into his dreams as he slept.

He was always in hers.

***

There was a sadness mixed in with her usually thrilled mood as she took the stage for the last show of the tour. While there was an element of relief as she looked forward to some well needed rest, the adrenaline and joy of being in front of a crowd was something that she would miss dearly. She had grown into a real performer over the last two months as they zig-zagged across the US and this period of time would have a special place in her heart long after it had ended.

But there was another reason why she was so sad to see this chapter come to an end. As far as she knew, a staged breakup was not far away and the thought of being without Harry was heartbreaking. He had become her person and soon their feux falling out would be on the front page of every magazine. She wanted nothing more in the world than for their relationship to be real, but it would be forced to end before it had even truely started.

She got choked up as she sang her final song that night, letting a few tears escape as she took in the thousands of people singing her lyrics back to her, flashlights swaying in the air to the beat of the music. Taking a move from Harry’s own playbook, she took her mic and directed it to the crowd to sing as she cried. The vibrations of the drums and bass behind her nestled it’s way into her bones and the chorus of singing voices in the crowd surrounded her in a bittersweet melody.

The past two months she had been on top of the world, and as soon as this song finished, it was the beginning of the end.

She took her final bow, watching as the small tears fell forward onto the dusty stage below her. She waved and blew kisses to the crowd, then nearly ran off the stage looking for the only person she wanted to see.

Harry was right where he always was, just out of view behind the curtain, holding his arms out for her to fall into.

“Awe, babe,” he hummed sympathetically when she settled her head onto his chest, surely ruining his crisp white t-shirt with her now wet makeup. “It’s okay. Final shows are always tough.” He rubbed her back gently, in a soothing rhythm.

He smelled so good. He smelled like home.

She tilted her head up to connect her glassy eyes with his. “I just don’t want this all to end.” She knew she wasn’t just talking about the tour.

“Neither do I,” he said as his lips curved into a devilish smirk that sent her heart into palpitations. “That’s why I have one last surprise for you.”

“Oh, Harry,” she sighed while wiping the remaining tears off her cheeks. “What have you done?”

“You said you liked surprises!” he defended.

“Not surprises in front of 20,000 people!”

“I promise you’re going to love this one, okay?” His voice was softer now, encouraging and supportive. “You’re going to come out and sing an extra song with me during my set,” he revealed.

“Sing what?”

“That’s the surprise.”

“Do I even know the words?”

“You definitely know the words,” he chuckled.

“I just finished sobbing. I can’t go out there like this.”

“You can fix your makeup. I believe in you.”

“What am I going to wear?” she asked, grasping at straws at this point, doing anything she could to get out of this.

“I had Lambert put something together for you.”

“Of course you did.”

She peppered him with a few more questions, but he had a smooth and charming answer to every single one. He had thought every detail out, and as always, she couldn’t say no to him.

“Fine,” she finally exasperatedly agreed, immediately met with his excited and dimpled smile that she had fallen head over heels for.

“Perfect,” he breathed. “I have to go get ready and so do you. I already put everything you need in your dressing room, okay?” She nodded, still biting her lip anxiously. He held her by her shoulders, lowering his head to match their eye level as he leaned in close, before he spoke. “You’re going to have fun. I promise.”

“Pinky swear?”

“Pinky swear.”

Seconds after they locked their little fingers together, he pressed a quick and protective kiss to her forehead that set her whole body ablaze before running off in the direction of his dressing room. She remained stunned and frozen in her spot for a few moments trying to process what it felt like to have his lips on her for the first time since that very first day they had met.

There was no audience to perform it for or an act to keep up behind the curtain. He kissed her because he wanted to.

She was finally snapped out of her daze when a stagehand bumped into her by accident, prompting her to begin the short walk back to her dressing room. But the ghost of his lips remained on her forehead, an incessant tingle placed there by his touch.

The dress she found waiting for her was one of the most beautiful gowns she had ever set her eyes on. Made of a light purple chiffon, the wrap dress’ long sleeves and floor length skirt flowed freely. A belt cinched the wispy fabric close to her waist and a deep-v exposed her neck and chest. But the most dazzling part of the dress were the red sequined hearts that dotted the fabric and reflected the light of the dressing room like a million little mirrors.

Slipping into it, the light fabric was soft against her skin, opaque enough but still slightly sheer to let light through and show off her legs and the bright red shiny pumps Lambert had left for her. She felt the most beautiful she had ever felt in this dress, boosting her confidence and quelling her nerves about whatever the hell Harry was planning.

“One minute to curtain,” was announced in an ominous voice over the arena’s backstage speakers as she finished fixing her makeup and she all but ran to make it back to the stage in time. She only had one more chance to watch him perform and she refused to miss a second of it.

Harry dazzled as the lights focused in on him, his deep blue and fully sequined suit reflecting the light and turning him into a human disco ball. He stood close to the edge of the stage as the beginning notes of the first song began being played by the band, but he made no move towards his mic stand to sing. His eyes were closed and his arms were outstretched to the audience, taking in every scream, every tear, and the thunderous shake of the building; but also giving himself to them.

Then the show began. As usual, he was electric, but tonight was like he had turned himself up to eleven. Every note he sang was full of his heart and every dance move was done with his entire body, even his bad jokes seemed funnier tonight.

She was so mesmerized she almost forgot about his ‘surprise.’ Almost.

“Since tonight is unfortunately our last show,” he pouted. “I thought I would do something special,” he spoke to the crowd as they roared, but quickly connected his eyes with her’s in the wings. By the smirk plastered on his face, she knew she was in for it.

“I recently found out that someone very close to me was a very big fan of…” he trailed off as he dramatically pretended to search for the right words, “my previous work.” He finished with a smirk and his words prompted the loudest reaction since he had been on stage.

“Now, I told her that she would be coming on stage to join me tonight, but I didn’t exactly tell her what we would be singing and I haven’t performed this song in a very long time, so cut us some slack if we mess up. This is very unrehearsed.” He kept sneaking glances back to her, as her eyes grew wider at the stunt he was currently pulling. “But I know for a fact that she knows all the words. I listen to her sing them in the shower quite often.” He wore a cheeky dimpled grin as he looked back at her once again.

The building was shaking due to the suspense he was creating, and looking down at her hands, she realized she was to. She gripped hard onto the mic a stagehand had just shoved at her, pleading with her hands to stop their tremors.

“Now, I would love it if you could all give another warm welcome to one of my favorite people on the planet, Y/N Y/L/N!” He turned his body to her for a final time, extending his hand out for her to take. Her legs felt like jello as she walked out into the bright lights towards him, interlocking her fingers with his as a way to keep her on her feet.

The audience’s screams were deafening at seeing the two of them together and she thanked god she had her earpieces in to protect her ear drums or they would have surely burst. She could only imagine the articles that would be written about this and the thousands of tweets that were probably already being sent.

“I’m gonna kick your ass,” she mouthed at him threateningly, but she couldn’t even get through the sentence before his dazzling smile began to quell her anxiety.

“The look on your face is 100% worth getting my ass kicked,” he answered smoothly before turning his attention back to the audience. “Everyone, sing along if you know the words,” he commanded their attention. “This is Ready to Run.”

Her jaw dropped and the crowd roared as the band behind her began to play the first few chords of the song she loved and knew so well. She had admitted it a few days ago that it was one of her favorites of his ‘previous work,’ but apparently he already knew that from the few showers she had taken on the tour bus.

“There’s a lightning in your eyes I can’t deny,” he began by himself, her brain still too shocked to jump in yet. He sang the first few lines to her with a giant grin plastered on his face, hand still holding tight to hers. His eyes had a playful glint in them that seemed to say ‘just have fun.’

“There’s a devil in your smile, it’s chasing me,” she finally began to sing, Harry fading his voice out so she could take the next few lines by herself as he admired her.

He did have a devilish smile, but it was one she loved with her entire heart. As she began to sing, she felt her muscles begin to relax into the song she had sung to herself so many times before, letting her body begin to bounce to the growing rhythm as her dress flowed around her.

The stage vibrated as Sarah beat her drums to introduce the chorus. “This time I’m ready to run, escape from the city and follow the sun,” the pair sang together, eyes still locked as their voices combined into the most perfect tune. “Cause I wanna be yours, don’t you wanna be mine?” they continued the lyrics. She felt herself meaning the words leaving her mouth more and more as they went on. She did want to be his, she couldn’t deny that. “I don’t wanna get lost in the dark of the night.”

Her apprehensiveness eased further as the music picked up and the hook went on, finally allowing herself to have a bit of fun. “Wherever you are is the place I belong,” they insisted towards each other, leaning in close before Harry grabbed her hand to dramatically spin her, the beautiful shining fabric of her dress splaying out around her. The next line was mumbled through giggles by both of them, but their laughter only added to the perfect moment they were having.

They danced across the stage together like there weren’t 20,ooo pairs of eyes watching them, both singing their hearts out to each other. It began to feel like they weren’t even there. It was just Y/N and Harry, serenading each other to one of her favorite songs.

“There’s a future in my eyes I can’t foresee,” she sang to him to start the second verse.

“Unless, of course, I stay on course and keep you next to me.” Harry grabbed her by her waist and pulled her into his side as he sang the words, prompting more giggles from her. She loved the way he smiled so wide as he sang, never breaking his eye contact with her and emitting pure joy. His eyes looked honest as he sang, like he meant every word just as much as she did.

The pair made their way through the rest of the verse and second chorus, flawlessly moving around the stage like they owned it. Y/N selfishly decided to let him have the bridge all to himself, needing to hear the way his beautiful voice hit the high notes. “This time I’m ready to run,” he sang passionately, executing the downward moving riff perfectly. “I’d give everything that I got for your love,” he pointed across the stage towards her, beckoning her back close to him. She quickly skipped to him at his request.

Like she had blinked, the song was already nearing its end.

“Cause I wanna be free and I wanna be young, I’ll never look back now I’m ready to run,” they belted the last lines out to each other. The band fell quiet on their last chord and the crowd exploded, but their noise fell on deaf ears as the pair stood so close their heaving chests were almost pressed up against each other. His eyes stared down into hers and she watched as his eyes flickered quickly down to her lips.

The world ceased to exist when he pressed his mouth to hers, even if it only lasted a second. It was nothing more than a peck, but it was everything to her. Her body igniting with heat and eyes full of shock, she looked back at him in simultaneous confusion and adoration, before realizing they had been staring at each other for too long. She needed to get off the stage so he could continue with his show. She walked back slowly towards the wings, letting the hand he had still been holding fall to her side. She waved and smiled to the crowd the best she could in her clouded mind.

“Thank you everyone!” she shouted into her mic as she moved out of their view. She shoved her mic into the first set of hands that would take it as she wobbled her way over to a table with water bottles. She nearly choked as she tried to suck one down, hoping it would ease the dizzy feeling he had created with his lips. Her lips burned just as her forehead had earlier in the night.

He had kissed her. He had sang a love song with her and then he had kissed her. She couldn’t decipher if that kiss was a confirmation that he shared the same feelings for her or if it was just another act for the cameras. But his mouth felt so right against hers. They fit together like a pair of puzzle pieces. She tried to suppress the optimistic hope that rose in her chest, but it began to swallow her whole.

When she heard his next song begin, she made her way back to the spot that had become hers at the side of the stage. She watched him perform the rest of the show in a loving haze, doe eyed and hypnotized, lips still buzzing from his contact.

He gave it his all. By the last song he was out of breath, drenched in sweat, and looked like he was about to pass out at any second. The crowd applauded for minutes after he left the stage and they were still cheering when she finally caught sight of him again. His curls were stuck to his forehead and his skin was shiny and flushed. He was panting, still trying to recover from his workout of a finale show; but he was beaming. His smile seemed to turn him into a beacon, emitting a light and positive energy that drew everyone backstage towards him.

She was so transfixed on Harry as he thanked the crew and accepted congratulations from all around that she just about jumped out of her skin when Jeff slinked up behind her and whispered ‘boo’ in her ear.

“What the fuck, Jeff,” she chuckled as she caught her breath, resting her hand on her chest and feeling her racing heartbeat.

“I just wanted to congratulate you on being half of the best fake couple out there,” he teased. “That kiss was perfect. People are losing their minds over it.”

“Oh,” she said softly, feeling every emotion she was distracted from while watching Harry rush back into her. Her heart sank as she remembered all the questions that continued to haunt her since she got off stage. “Thanks,” she murmured, plastering a smile onto her face. “I’m glad we could make you proud.”

“If you two could convince me, you can convince anyone.” Jeff walked off moments later, leaving her to sit in her confused thoughts as he disappeared into the hoards of bodies waiting for their minute with Harry.

She knew that she didn’t ‘convince’ Jeff of anything on her part. Everything she did with Harry was authentic and truthful. Including the thrilled grin that appeared on her face when she finally made eye contact with the exhausted man across the room. She gave him a shy wave that he sheepishly returned, biting back a shy smile. He pointed in the direction of his dressing room and mouthed “meet me in 15.”

She could never say no to him.

Fifteen minutes later, she was knocking on the large wooden door that had a single piece of paper that read STYLES haphazardly taped onto it. When it finally flew open, she was met by a soaking wet Harry with a towel hanging dangerously low on his hips. Her eyes trailed down his body without permission, taking in the toned torso that was decorated with his beautiful tattoos. Her eyes hovered over the two ferns that sat on his pelvis, too fascinated with the dark ink to pull her eyes away just yet.

She had obviously seen him in various states of undress before. They lived together on a tour bus without much space to exist with privacy, but this was different. He wasn’t rushing to get dressed or quickly changing his outfit. And he wasn’t moving away from her gaze at all.

If she hadn’t been so entranced by him, she would have noticed he was looking her up and down in the exact same manner.

She had changed since she had seen him last. The skin-tight black velvet romper she had brought along for the afterparty now fit her snuggly and held her every curve. The dark fabric was tight and appeared almost painted on, a rainbow racing stripe making its way down either side of her chest. The short shorts of the outfit exposed nearly all of her legs and the deep neckline put much of her chest on display as well. It’s long sleeves were her favorite part, as a strip of fringe dangled from below her arms any time she moved.

“You look great,” Harry finally choked out, his voice pulling their eyes back up to the other’s face.

“Oh, thanks,” she said, slightly awkwardly. “You too.”

“Well, I’m hopefully not going to the after party dressed like this,” he chuckled before stepping aside and ushering her into the room.

His dressing room was much larger than hers and she settled herself on the brown leather couch in the corner as she waited for him to get ready, sneaking glances up from her phone often. She chuckled as she watched him spend far too long fussing with his curls in the mirror, but was quickly distracted by the way his back and arms flexed when he reached up to muse his hair. Once he was satisfied with the way it fell, he disappeared into the bathroom at the back of the room. When he emerged, he was finally dressed, allowing her to take a deep breath and to focus on something other than his bare skin for the first time since he had opened the door.

The black satin suit was simple for him, but the tight white tank top that sat underneath hugged every muscle in his torso. She knew as soon as he got in the hot club, he would lose the jacket, and she would be devastatingly distracted once again.

The narcissist took one final look at himself in the mirror before turning to her and extending a hand. “Ready, darling?”

“You just spent 15 minutes exclusively on your hair and you’re asking me if I’m ready?” she teased as she took his hand, weaving her fingers between his as they exited the room together.

He leaned down close to her ear as they walked down the now mostly empty hallway, lips brushing over the hollow of her ear as he spoke. “I could have done it faster, but you were so obviously enjoying the show.”

“Relax yourself, Magic Mike,” she muttered indignantly, but hung her head in a way she hoped he couldn’t see how flustered he made her. Was she really that obvious?

They walked hand in hand out to the parking garage, now caught in a back and forth about whether or not Harry could be a male stripper. He said yes. She said no, although she did admit at one point that he worked his mic stand like a pole.

“Hey Jeff,” he called when they finally reached the parking garage where Jeff and Glenne had been waiting for them to head to the club. “Do you think I could be a stripper?”

“I think people would pay a lot to see it, but they may be disappointed in your dancing skills.”

“Come on,” he playfully whined. “I have some moves.”

“You have one move,” Y/N cut in with a chuckle, “and it’s the wiggle.” She brought her hands up near her chest, tilted her head back while dramatically biting her lip, and swayed her arms by her sides, earning a chorus of laughter from the people around her.

She hadn’t even realized she had done the move without releasing Harry’s hand first, dragging his arm into her dance as well, until their manager commented on it. “You know, you two don’t have to be holding hands all the time and keeping the show up back here,” he said with a slightly suspicious quirk in his eyebrows.

Her smile had been in the process of fading, like they had been caught doing something wrong, before Harry answered smoothly. “We know. Just practicing.”

There were those words again. Just practicing, she thought over to herself. But was he practicing anymore? How many flirty comments, heartfelt compliments, and warm touches did it take to cross the line of practicing to the real thing?

She wasn’t sure about Harry, but she knew that she wasn’t just practicing anymore.

She knew that the way they sat nearly on top of each other in the large SUV on the way to the club felt more than friendly. And the way he hadn’t stopped touching her in some way since they left his dressing room insinuated far more than something with business-like intentions. And the way he looked at her everytime he caught her eye the entire way to the club, always with a bright smile and adoring gaze that she always returned, pulled at her heartstrings far more than they should have if this was all an act.

A sloppy and cheeky grin settled almost permanently on his features after he had a few drinks in him, his arms moving in a lazy and fluid manner as she took in his many tattoos that he had exposed when he ditched his jacket (just like she knew he would). His butterfly was visible through the tight ribbed fabric of the white tank top and the little birds that peaked out from underneath seemed to be inviting her even closer to him in her now inebriated state.

All she wanted to do was to connect her lips with his as she watched him make conversation with someone from his management, entranced by the way his perfect mouth moved as he spoke. She once again craved the shocks of electricity that were created between them at the contact and could not stop thinking about it no matter how hard she tried. The protective hand that had settled onto her hip and continued to hold her close to his body just wasn’t enough anymore.

The pair had been drinking far too much; martinis turning into vodka sodas that had turned into straight tequila shots. She believed it was tequila shot four that did her in. The last thing she remembered was licking the line of salt off the back of her hand, downing the shot, and being entranced by Harry’s eyes as she bit down on the slice of lime he held carefully with his jeweled fingers.  

***

The next morning, Y/N woke up in a hotel room that she didn’t recognize with a pounding headache and a swirling gut. It felt like she had been hit with a truck and she could barely pick her head up off the pillow.

She had so many questions about what had happened the night before. Where was she? Who let her drink that much? Whose clothes was she wearing? But most of all, what the hell happened after that fourth shot?

But she realized the worst was yet to come when she heard soft snoring coming from beside her. She knew that snoring well. It was the snoring that kept her up half the night for the last two months and the one that had almost driven her to suffocating her bus-mate in his sleep; the snoring that matched the crumbled black suit she just noticed in a ball on the floor.

It took every ounce of strength in her body to pull herself from the pillow and turn around in the bed to have her suspicions confirmed.

There he was.

His dark long eyelashes were fluttered down across the tops of his cheeks and his hair was going in every direction, skin clammy like his body was trying to rid itself of all the poison he had ingested the night before. The crumpled comforter was pushed down his stomach, his bare skin holding a sheen that helped define every dip or curve of his muscles and the tiniest bit of the band of his boxers peaked out to assure her that he at least wasn’t fully naked next to her.

Why were they in bed together? And why did he look so good? Oh my god, she thought as a possibility dawned on her. Did we sleep together?

“Harry,” she murmured softer than she intended, voice scratchy and mouth dry. The soreness at the back of her throat clued her into the copious amounts of screaming she must have done last night. He didn’t stir at her gentle coaxing, the light streaming through the windows making him look angelic as it covered him in a blanket of soft light while he continued to sleep.

It was a hard nudge to his chest that finally made him open his eyes, immediately releasing a groan she was sure she made when she regained consciousness too. He looked at her puzzled, still rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he propped himself up on his elbows. He took an equally confused look around the hotel room before looking back at her. She watched as the gears slowly turned in his head until his eyes opened wide and he spring up into a sitting position to mirror hers.

“We didn’t,” he whispered hopefully. “Oh my god, did we?” he asked, a look of horror crossing his face that matched her own.

“I have no idea,” she anxiously replied. “I was hoping you would know!”

“You don’t remember anything?”

“The last thing I remember was doing tequila shots with you.”

“I remember those.” He rubbed his eyes hard like it would somehow jog his memory. His eyebrows knit together, buried in thought as he searched his brain for a timeline. “I can follow the night up until we did karaoke.”

“We did karaoke?” she repeated incredulously and was met with a somber nod. “Do I even want to know what we sang?”

He shook his head slowly, shame clear on his face, before he finally mumbled. “We did ‘It’s Raining Men.’”

“Oh my god, no,” she whined, holding her head in her hands and rubbing her temples. There were surely videos of them sloppily singing on top of a bar circulating online and she wasn’t sure how Jeff would be able to spin that one in a positive light.

“Where’s your phone?” he asked, a hopeful glint in his eye as he reached for his own. “Maybe there’s something on there that can clue us in.” It took her a moment but she finally spotted it on the ground in the corner of the room. She said a silent prayer that it wasn’t dead or broken.

Forcing her heavy limbs out from under the covers she made her way towards the device, but not before she heard a confused sound coming from Harry. “How did you get my clothes?”

Looking down at herself and taking in the red lettering that read But Daddy I Love Him across her chest, it clicked that the t-shirt and baggy basketball shorts were his. But how they hell did she get into them?

“I think we’ve established at this point that I don’t know anything that happened after about midnight, Harry.” Her words came out laced with slight frustration. She hoped he knew she wasn’t annoyed with him, just their situation.

“Just a question, princess.”

She ignored his quip and began to search through her texts, call history, and photos, hoping to find anything at all that could help trace their steps through the night. She found nothing but a few selfies of them still at the club. One was the pair casually smiling, the next was one of him kissing her on the cheek that made her skin warm, but the final one made her snort out a laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“I have a picture on my phone of you with two martini olives shoved up your nose,” she spoke through hysterical laughter. “Definitely birthday post material if you ask me.”

“Let me see,” he demanded with an adorable scowl.

She passed her phone over to him, still letting a few chuckles fall past her lips. “I’m gonna change your name in my phone to ‘Olive Nose Styles.”

“You're cruel.”

“You’re the one that put olives up his nose and then posed for a picture!”

“Whatever,” he grumbled, turning attention back to his own screen to continue his investigation. “There’s nothing of use on my phone either.”

The two flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling in the frustrated confusion. There was so much of their night that had gone up into smoke, completely unaccounted for with no clues as to what they did. Each traced their steps over and over again in their heads as they hoped desperately for a single detail that would lead them down a path to bigger memories, but it never came.

“Are we going to have to call Jeff and ask him what happened?” she finally murmured.

“I think so.”

“He’s going to put us both in client timeout, isn’t he?”

“We’re probably already there,” he groaned as he picked up his phone and hit Jefe Jeff-e in his contact list, putting the call on speaker and resting it on his still bare chest. The man on the other end picked up almost immediately.

“Morning Sleeping Beauty, I was wondering when I was going to hear from you.”

“Hi Jeff,” he groggily started then stopped, searching for the words that would make this all less uncomfortable. “Y/N and I have some questions about last night.”

Jeff let out a strained chuckle. “Yeah, that doesn’t really surprise me after last night’s bar bill.”

“Um,” Harry hummed, stammering but unable to form any real words.

“You sing about sex for a living,” she hissed at the man next to her before yanking the phone off his chest. “Jeff,” she started, taking over the conversation for them both. “Do you know if we slept together?”

“Probably not. You both were pretty unconscious when I put you in the hotel room.” His words prompted a massive sigh from both of them, looking to each other to share a relieved smile.

“Oh thank god,” they mumbled in unison.

“Jinx,” he smirked under his breath, prompting a ‘shut up’ from her.

“How did I get into Harry’s clothes?”

“I stopped by the tour bus when I realized you two probably shouldn’t be trusted not to roll out of your top bunks. I got you some clothes to sleep in before we took you guys to the hotel.”

“But why Harry’s?”

It was Jeff’s term to get squirmy. “I felt weird going through your things.”

“But you were perfectly fine with going through mine?” Harry asked, only half joking.

“Absolutely,” he deadpanned. They were all quiet for a moment before Jeff began again. “You two really don’t remember anything else that happened?”

“Everything after about two is unaccounted for,” she confessed.

“Oh,” Jeff chuckled. “So, you don’t remember when you stuck your tongues down each other’s throats on the ride home?”

Fuck.

Her eyes raced up to Harry’s from the phone she had been staring at like it held all the secrets of the night before. His easily readable features displayed all his emotions that surely matched hers. His pupils had grown in surprise, taking over nearly all the green in his wide eyes, and an embarrassed blush tinted his cheeks in a red hot flush that had reached the tips of his ears. His eyes flashed to the blank wall in front of them, running a stressed hand through his curls, like if he wasn’t looking at her, he would be able to focus better on the newly revealed information.

She couldn’t say that she didn’t relate. Her mind often went blank when she looked at him too. But right now, it was racing, occupied by anxious thoughts and intense emotions she couldn’t quite place, but felt with her entire being.

Her inevitable downward spiral was interrupted when Harry stiffly cleared his throat. “Uh,” he started, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably. “We’ll see you later.”

“Sounds good, love birds,” Jeff replied, a clear snark apparent in his voice. Neither of the pair dignified his teasing with a response, Y/N quickly ending the call.

Silence hung heavy in the air and she let her eyes hover over the phone for too long when she settled it down on the bed, unwilling to connect her eyes with his just yet. Harry always had a way of staring into her and revealing all her cards to him before she even knew them herself. She wanted to hold them close to her chest for a moment, protecting the heart that longed for him more than anything else in the world.

There were no words exchanged between the two for a while as they silently took turns in the bathroom and occupied their hands and thoughts by their phones. They walked on eggshells anytime one neared the other. A tension like this hadn’t existed since the very first day they met, the first day they had begun to pretend.

Maybe that's why Harry was being so quiet. Maybe he never wanted to cross that line of pretending like she did. Maybe she had been blinded by his generally friendly personality and tricked herself into thinking there was anything more than a charade between them. Maybe last night really was just a drunken mistake, no matter how much she wanted it to be more.

“Maybe it’s a good thing that we don’t remember what happened last night,” she finally murmured from the opposite end of the room. She rested the side of her still heavy head and muscles against the wall, arms crossed in front of her as if they could keep her safe from the tension they had created. Her fingers nervously played with the hem of his t-shirt she was still dressed in.

“Why is it a good thing?” he almost immediately responded from the chair on the other side of the room he had settled himself into, running his hands along the satin pants of last night’s outfit he had put back on during their awkward shuffling around the room. He had even put physical space between them since they found out what happened, causing her heart to feel as if it was teetering on the edge of disintegrating.

“Well,” she stuttered, refusing to look at him and continuing to pick at her nail polish. “We’re just pretending so it would be weird if we really remembered it.”

“I don’t think it would be weird.”

“I don’t know,” she tried to maneuver her way around his response. “It might just be embarrassing to think about it.”

He let out a long and frustrated sigh, running his hands down his face. There was so much going on behind his eyes and she wished he would say something, anything, to break down the wall that hadn’t existed between them in months that was slowly reappearing.

“Do you regret it?” he asked bluntly, the abrupt question shocking her body to attention. “Do you regret any of this? Any of us?”

Did she regret drinking too much? Yes. Did she regret making out with him in front of their manager? Yes. Did she regret denying her feelings and pretending they didn’t exist for so long? Of course. But, did she regret falling in love with him? Never, not even for a second.

“No, I don’t,” she let out with a gentle shake of her head, no louder than a whisper.

“Neither do I.”

The words had barely left his lips before he crossed the room and crashed them into hers. The same fire she had felt on stage returned ten times over as his lips moved smoothly over hers, every neuron in her body lighting up like a switchboard. Her fingers reached up to curl into his hair and pull his lips impossibly closer to hers as her heart hammered in her chest with a passionate love she had kept under wraps for so long.

He tasted like the spicy peppermint toothpaste the hotel stocked in the bathroom and smelled like the tiny bottles of shampoo that rested on the side of the bathtub; but there was so much else about him that was completely unique–wholly irreplaceable and indescribable. He was just Harry.

Teeth clashed, lips were bitten, and hair was pulled as they took in every sensation the other created. His lips had been the only thought that captivated her mind since they were on stage the night before and her return to them did not disappoint. If her head wasn’t dizzy and her lungs not screaming at her for air, she would have stayed in that moment forever

When they finally disconnected, they stood against each other in a heaving and disheveled mess of heavy breathing and adoringly dazed smiles. She swore she could feel the pounding of his heart under her fingertips that rested on his chest.

“That was nice,” he eventually murmured down at her through heavy breaths, a love drunk grin finding its way onto his swollen lips.

“Yeah, I agree,” she hummed breathlessly, her anxious thoughts quiet and calm for the first time she could remember since she met him.

“I’m kind of disappointed I don’t remember doing that the first time,” he chuckled softly at her, shaking his head lightly in embarrassment with his pink tinged cheeks on full display.

“That’s okay. We were ‘just practicing’ then, right?” A giggle left her lips as she used the words against him. The same words he had used every time they let a glimpse of their true affections for each other slip past their guarded and friendly facade.

His dimples were exposed when he smiled a giant grin and let out a knowing huff, piecing together that she had caught onto his trail of excuses. “Yeah, just practicing,” he repeated softly, before his tone turned sincere and genuine. “I don’t want us to pretend anymore.”

“Good,” she said softly as her fingers slid up his neck to beckon his lips back down to hers. “I never was.”

“Neither was I.” She watched a soft smirk appear on his lips as they hovered over hers. “Do you want to keep not practicing?”

“Depends,” she quipped, lips brushing over his as she spoke. “Am I better kisser than Taylor Swift?

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!! REBLOGS AND FEEDBACK MEAN THE WORLD!!! 

An extra for our babies can be found here!

#harry styles fanfiction #harry styles angst #harry styles fluff #harry styles au #harry styles #harry styles fanfic #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagine #harry styles reader insert #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x you #harry styles drabble #harry styles blurb #harry styles fic #one direction #one direction fanfic #nationalharryleague #mine #harry styles slow burn #harry styles friends to lovers

[silkscream]

Not original request.... I know but I've been thinking about this scenario for a looong while. Let's say reader dislikes Spiderman for sooome reason? Ummm and reader is besties buddies chums pals with Peter and she expresses her dislikes all the time, like he's a poser, he's not a real hero blah blah blah. (bc of this peter doesn't want reader to find out his real identity!) One day somehow somewhere reader finds out our dear Peter is spidey. Reader is kinda upset bro,,, hmmm why tho? Let's see why, flashback! An accident, spiderman was there, reader was there, reader was injured badly but survived, all without spideys help. Is this too much? U can ignore or change it i dont mind, i just wanted to tell this idea to someone since i cannot write 🐸thank u

ty for your idea!!! here it is for u bb

Speaking Terms

pairing: peter parker x reader

genres: (one-sided) enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, angst and fluff

warnings: language, vomiting, alcohol use, making out, unedited

summary: you hate spider-man but you love peter parker. what happens when your worlds collide?

wc: 6k (this was going to be short but alas...)

Peter’s swinging through the city, as a Spiderman does, except it’s rush hour during Tuesday and he promised Aunt May that he’d pick up a few things from the grocery store. Happy was coming over for dinner and although Aunt May was notorious for some subpar cooking, the woman knew how to make a mean spaghetti dish, at least. This is why, at the moment, Peter was swinging through the city with a baguette in one hand, flying through florist kiosks and on the tops of halal carts.

You roll your eyes at the sight of him. Having Spiderman as New York City’s mascot wasn’t as fun as you’d think… at least in your opinion. You considered the hero pompous and obnoxious, annoyed by his popularity like the way you would feel about an earnest football quarterback or valedictorian.

The red-suited spider-human nearly hits you on his way. You flinch, causing one of your earbuds to pop out of your ear. Great, I can’t have one walk home without Spiderman interrupting my SZA session.

“Sorry! ‘Scuse me! My bad! Oh hey, cool shirt, I love Star Wars... OOF—“

You try not to laugh but it’s irresistible. Peter plops right into a pole, sliding down with cartoon-esque gravity.

“Try not to get squashed, Web-head!” you call after him.

Peter shakes his head like an etch-a-sketch and turns to you, waving sheepishly with the baguette.

“Thanks,” he mumbles.

___

“Peter, how are you a fucking Avenger, and yet there are so many Tiktoks of you like this?”

The boy turns towards MJ and peers at her phone screen. He groans at the sight of it and wipes his face with his hand. That god-awful Tiktok song with its high-pitched “oh no!” loops over footage of Spiderman swinging right into a pole. Peter softens slightly when he notices your figure in the video.

“Oh, shit, that’s Y/N!” MJ points. Ned gestures for the phone and examines.

“Dude, when are you gonna tell her?” Ned urges Peter. Peter sighs, knowing full well that his friendship with you would be a whole lot easier if you knew about his secret identity, especially considering how close you were getting. Not to mention you were the only one in the group who didn’t know.

“Tell who what? Is it me? Is someone waiting to confess their undying love for me?”

Peter’s head whips around and meets you with a crinkly-eyed smile. You reciprocate it and set your lunch tray across from his.

“Yeah, that and somethin’ else too,” MJ mumbles to herself. She glares at Peter when she feels his black Van sneaker kick her in the shin. In response, she returns the kick, but three times harder, making Peter verbally yelp in his seat.

“Are you guys good?” you frown, raising an eyebrow.

“Peter’s being shy today! You know how he is,” Ned teases. He pokes Peter in the ribs much to his dismay.

“No, everyone at this lunch table has decided to have it out for me, apparently,” mumbles Peter. “Y/N is the only one here who’s actually nice to me.”

You snort. You wouldn’t admit to anyone else (except maybe Michelle, who knows everyone’s business before they can find out, just by observation), but Peter is probably your favorite person at Midtown High. Your small crush on him since last year only grew exponentially over time and would fluctuate drastically once you started hanging out with him, Ned, and MJ.

Ned laughs at his phone and you glance over his shoulder. A red and blue blur flies through the air between the skyscrapers.

“Oh, hey, I was there when he ran into that pole. Idiot,” you muse. “God, it was hilarious.”

“Yeah, shit’s been trending all over TikTok,” MJ quips.

“I seriously don’t get everyone’s obsession with him.”

“Well… he is a superhero,” Peter tries, shrugging. He feels as though his attempts at being casual are futile. He tries not to make it seem like Spiderman is an awkward subject for him, but you notice he always shifts in his seat when you rant about the masked vigilante.

“Yeah? One out of a dozen. And all they do is fuck up the city as if we aren’t already suffering from horrible infrastructure.”

“Well, Mr. Stark is actually really philanthropic—“ You cut Peter off.

“He’s the worst of them! His whole company is weird and capitalistic and the fact that everyone is so obsessed with him and Spiderman just proves that no one gives a fuck about how the Avengers are essentially no better than our own military. Our country is the one breeding terrorists and now we have some dudes parading in leotards helping the government make nuclear weapons.”

The table goes silent. You sigh heavily, hating to be the outlier because you know your friends are rather fond of Spiderman. You know that Peter interns for Tony Stark, but your dislike for superheroes in general manifests itself in an ugly way sometimes.

“Jeez, I thought I was the buzzkill,” MJ attempts, trying to clear the air with her sarcastic humor. You roll your eyes.

“Sorry for talking shit about your boss.” You flash Peter a small, apologetic smile. He returns it, tight-lipped with pinkish cheeks. He shrugs.

“Nah, everything you said was pretty valid. I just don’t get what the problem with Spiderman specifically is, though.”

“Yeah! He’s just your friendly neighborhood Spiderman! Just some guy,” Ned chimes in.

“Yes, just some guy. Nothing special,” you retort. You lock eyes with Peter and swear you see a glint of melancholy in his brown eyes.

__

You and Peter Parker are friends. This is a mantra you have to tell yourself repeatedly. Especially now at this moment, considering you’re at a party watching Liz Allan kiss him square on the lips. You’ve decided now that your little crush is over and was never sustainable in the first place. Instead, you blame your drunken state for your bad mood. Not them. Everything was perfectly fine in your world. At least until you’re able to stuff your tears into your pillow when you get home.

When Peter pulls away from Liz, his eyes flash at you. You can’t fathom the look on his face, wondering if what he feels is pity or guilt. You smile at him, glassy-eyed and grim, before turning your heels to find MJ and another red solo cup to fill at the keg. You sigh a breath of relief once you find her on the patio outside.

“You okay? You look like you just saw a ghost,” MJ says, twirling the straw in her cup.

“Nope, just Liz making out with Parker.”

“No fucking way! Did he cream his pants?” MJ asks with her mouth agape. You shrug nonchalantly and mumble something incoherent. Her eyes soften at you. “You don’t still have a crush on him, do you?”

“No,” you scoff. She looks at you knowingly. You’ve always been a bad liar — it was Michelle who found out about your feelings anyway just by guessing. You weren’t intending to fall asleep with Peter in his hotel bed on the Washington D.C. trip, but you did. And it didn’t help that that had happened another time at Peter’s after a movie marathon. No, it was fine. Liz Allan wasn’t the most popular girl in school for no reason.

“How much did you have to drink?” Michelle cocked an eyebrow.

“Enough. I think I’m gonna head home,” you murmur, downing the rest of your cup.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, no! I need to walk alone. I’ve been feeling weird all night.” Your voice is small and you’re not exactly lying, so MJ simply nods and gives you a soft smile back.

__

You’re only a couple blocks away from your apartment before you hear whistles from around the alley. Inside your denim jacket, you grip the Swiss army knife that your dad had gifted you last Christmas.

“Look at those legs, mama!”

Your hands are digging into your pockets as you walk faster, not bothering to look behind you.

“Hey, baby, where ya goin’?” Two men block your path. They’re probably twenty years your senior, one sporting a goatee and the other with a five o’clock shadow. Their devilish Cheshire-grins make you shiver, or maybe it’s the wind.

“Fuck off,” you mutter. There’s nowhere to go with them blocking the sidewalk, and for once in all of history, the street you’re on is completely empty. Of fucking course.

“You look lonely, babes, wanna hang out with us?” one of them sneers at you. You shake your head and try to keep your face stoic and hard.

“Don’t tease her, Kenny, she doesn’t seem like much of a talker!” roars one of the men. He looks like an older, uglier version of Robert Pattinson in Good Time. You scan him up and down. You’re supposed to remember as many details as you can about your kidnapper, right? You try to memorize his blue eyes and red Carhartt beanie before his buddy speaks up.

“I know something that’ll loosen her up.”

You’re about to sprint when “Kenny” grabs you by the wrist, snaking you towards his body and holding you by the waist. Your heart beats like a bass drum and your senses are overflowing with anger mixed with adrenaline mixed with sheer, unadulterated anxiety. Suddenly, all those self-defense tactics you taught yourself aren’t anywhere in your brain, mind going blank. Your knee-jerk reaction comes eventually within seconds as your canines bite as hard as they can into the man’s flesh, to which he screams and loosens his grip. Red Beanie subdues you immediately, taking over your smaller size and wrapping his arms around your waist.

Right as you twist around and kick him in the groin, a web rapidly hits him hard enough to propel him into a nearby car. You’re distracted for a second. Somehow seeing the red and blue suit perched on the street lamp above you makes you feel angrier despite the relief he was probably giving you.

“I don’t think so, sir!” Spiderman effectively kicks Kenny to the pavement before he’s able to move. The hero’s foot steps harder on the man’s face as blood permeates the asphalt along with one or two teeth. “That’s not how you try to win over a lady’s attention.”

Releasing him, Kenny attempts to throw a punch at Peter but the boy easily escapes with cat-like (spider-like?) reflexes. He subdues the man and webs him to the alley-wall, to which Kenny reacts with a string of expletives and a whole lot of spitting.

“Guess you guys never learned your manners, huh?”

You roll your eyes and cross your arms, shivering.

“You okay, miss?” Peter asks you, Spider-eyes wide. He doesn’t understand the scowl on your face — shouldn’t you be relieved that he’d just saved you from attempted assault?

“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” you grumble. “I could’ve handled that myself but thanks for the free entertainment. Have you considered changing your script? It’s a bit corny.”

“What, you don’t like my lines?” Peter jokes. You stare at him blankly. Under his mask, he frowns. It didn’t occur to him how much you actually dislike Spiderman until now.

“Have a good night, Spidey,” you grimace, saluting him and going on your way. Peter clearly can’t take the hint, even though your demeanor is like a light-up sign.

“W-wait! Can I walk you home?”

You scoff, laughing darkly. “If that’s what’s gonna help you sleep tonight.”

“I… don’t understand. Are you mad that I just rescued you?”

“You didn’t rescue me. I’ve lived in New York City all my life, of course, I’ve been mugged once or twice,” you snap.

“Listen, you don’t know what could’ve happened to you if I wasn’t there.”

“Are you demanding a thank you? Because I already said thanks. I’m okay. I’m alive.”

“Sorry,” Peter mumbles, still following you to your home. He scratches his head awkwardly. “Are you really okay, though?”

You sigh. First, your ego gets killed by the sight of your crush with someone else. Second, you nearly become an unsolved true crime case for the NYPD. Now, you were walking home with someone you’d rather not encounter at this close of a proximity ever. You bite your tongue. You’ve been rude enough to the hero — commenting on his Spandex-covered appearance wasn’t going to add anything to your already seething rage.

“No. I’ve had a shit night. This really topped it all off, though.”

“At least you’re safe,” Peter tries. He doesn’t know what to say to you. Even at school and during your hangouts, he’s always been a bit shyer around you, especially because you were the newest to the group and not yet a FOS. If anything, you were a HOS (Hater of Spiderman).

“Uh-huh,” you mumble solemnly.

“Um, I like your outfit. Went to a party or something?”

“Uh-huh,” you reply with the same monotony. You don’t know what time it is but you’re absolutely exhausted. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a teenager probably a few years younger than you on a bicycle. His jaw is wide open and you glare back. Your features soften when you remember your unlikely companion beside you. Spiderman waves at the kid and you hear a whispered “holy shit.” It’s the first time you laugh that whole night.

“Does all this popularity ever get to your head?” you cock your head at your companion.

“Nah. Not everyone likes me. You’re an example.”

You take a breath and look at the masked boy apologetically. You may be a bit drunk, but you get it, kind of. Spiderman’s charm. You liked the sound of his voice, you realize, because it feels like something warm and familiar. You realize he’s probably around your age or only a little bit older. It makes you pity him a bit.

Peter notices how slow you’re walking and offers to swing you to your apartment. Fuck it. You agree.

__

Swinging under Spiderman’s grip was probably the worst idea of the night, because your system is full of mixed liquors, and now New York’s favorite superhero is holding your hair back in your own bathroom while you puke your brains out. You decide your life is a comedy. A black comedy.

Despite your protests, Peter carries you bridal-style to your bed, plopping your body down as he helps you take off your jacket. You’re still in a mildly drunken state so you don’t think about how this stranger is in your room, watching you take off your dress. Peter’s eyes widen and he awkwardly turns around for your own privacy. You chuckle at his shyness.

“What, you never seen a girl naked before?” you tease.

“Not really, no,” Peter mumbles.

“For real? You’re a fucking superhero and you’re telling me you get no hoes.”

Peter shrugs. “Too busy saving people and keeping the streets clean, I guess.”

You roll your eyes, remembering your dislike for Spiderman. Although, maybe it isn’t exactly the person in front of you that you dislike, but rather the association you have with Avengers and cops. You absolutely hated systems of authority and considered Spiderman a pawn for the NYPD. You wouldn’t admit this to him now, though, because, for one, you’re too tired, and secondly, you find yourself entranced by the broadness of the hero’s shoulders and thick thighs. You wonder briefly how he looks underneath his suit.

You’re left in your underwear and an oversized t-shirt, so you tell Spiderman he can turn around again.

“Woooow, I see how it is,” he says, and you cackle. “You did that on purpose!”

He sits on your bed and lightly tugs the hem of your t-shirt sporting Captain America’s logo. For the next three hours, the two of you make interesting conversation (save for your interjections at Spiderman’s… craft). The two of you have more in common than you would’ve guessed, and now you’re cursing yourself slightly for how much you want to kiss the masked stranger in front of you. You’re sitting on your bed together, thighs touching.

Mindlessly, you take his hand, examining the thin material of his red suit.

“Sorry for being so mean, earlier,” you mumble. “Guess it’s just ironic how you actually saved me considering the last time.”

“What do you mean, last time?” Peter asks. A beat passes. Your swallow a lump in your throat.

“You don’t remember, do you?” Peter shakes his head. Has he met you before as Spiderman?

“A year ago, I was walking around 8th and there was this huge explosion. The car bomb, remember? And you were there obviously getting the bad guys and shit but right when it happened, you… you saved my friend instead of me. Like, she was completely unscathed meanwhile I got hit by so much fucking shrapnel and then kept getting nightmares about it for months after.”

You purse your lips.

Peter’s eyes widen when he remembers the incident. Before he saved Liz Allan from falling down the suspending elevator at the Washington monument, he saved her a first time in Manhattan. His senses were loud enough to save her before the bomb had gone off. It was a small explosion, but an explosion nonetheless, big enough to fuck up the pizzeria near Port Authority. He suddenly remembered that Liz was hanging out with you.

Peter didn’t remember the exact moment, but you did. The two of you had locked eyes when you had gotten injured despite all the debris, clouding everyone’s vision, and before he could even think about making his way to you, Liz had hugged him as tightly as she could. Seconds later, he was distracted by the culprit of the crime and swung away after Liz’s affections. You were on the ground, slightly bloodied with a bruised rib that took a few weeks to heal. You didn’t want to feel ill will towards Liz, but the incident stuck in your brain. It felt rude and intentional that Spiderman didn’t bother with even trying to save you, but in reality, Peter was just too scatterbrained to pay attention.

How did he not recognize you? He had noticed you had taken a week off at school, but he wasn’t very close to you. All you knew was that you were close friends with MJ and Liz and you shared a few classes.

“Oh, fuck, I’m so sorry, Y/N”, he whispers, taking his gloved hand to cradle your jaw to look up at him. Your eyes narrow.

“Wait, how do you know my name?”

The boy panics, but luckily his eyes fall onto the birthday card taped to your wall behind you. It was from your 16th from MJ, who had drawn a cartoon version of you and her with your name in bubble letters. He nods to it.

“Oh, right.”

“I’m really sorry, I swear. I… I wish I could go back in time. I’m so sorry.”

You turn your face away from him. You feel embarrassed about your dislike for him. Were you just… jealous of Liz? Maybe. But now your body felt hot from shame because of how sweet you learned Spiderman to be. You also feel nervous about how intimate the current moment feels.

“I always beat myself up about that kind of stuff. Not being able to save everyone. I want you to know that everything that happened that day was… was fucked up, but I didn’t turn away from you on purpose,” Peter breathes.

“I don’t need your pity, Spidey. It may have been traumatizing but you made me realize that I can take care of myself just fine on my own. Without anyone’s help.”

“You didn’t deserve what happened to you.”

For some reason, you decide to touch where his neck meets his collarbone, and you lift his mask the slightest bit. Peter feels like he might choke.

“What are you doing?”

You lift higher but not enough to even see Peter’s nose. You see his pale skin and the sharpness of his jaw and you smooth a thumb over it.

“Just remembering that you’re human,” you muse quietly. “I’m sorry, I’m overstepping, aren’t I?”

“You’re fine.” Peter’s head is reeling. He quite literally forgets how to breathe. When did the two of you get so close to each other?

“I forgive you. Sorry for being a cunt.”

“You aren’t… that.” You chuckle in response.

“What are you thinking about?”

Peter swallows before he answers. He feels like he’s teetering on something where he has a higher chance of falling. There’s a pit in his stomach with your name on it.

“How I wanna kiss you,” he replies, his voice just above a whisper.

“Go ahead, Spidey.”

He puts a hand over your eyes, the other on his face to lift up his mask a little more. Slowly, he puts his lips on yours. Peter knows you can’t see his face, but he feels naked all the same. He’s nearly convinced you can hear how loud his heart is beating. Blood rushes to your cheeks as you sigh into his mouth. His thin lips are softer than you’d expected.

Your hand is clenching his thigh and you do everything in your power to not just climb into his lap. You’re on your knees in your bed lifting your head up to meet Peter’s lips, and he removes his hand from your eyes to cradle your cheeks. As if he’s read your mind, he pulls you towards him so that you’re on his lap straddling him.

A groan tickles its way out of Peter’s throat and it sounds like heaven to your ears. You open your eyes as he pulls away slowly and notices the tiniest cut on the corner of his mouth. You close your eyes again and kiss him there, then his jaw, then down his neck until the fabric of his suit prevents you from going lower. You’re reveling at the fact that you’re making Spiderman moan. How are you going to break this news to Michelle?

“Fuck,” Peter murmurs, eyes fluttering at the feeling of your soft lips on his skin. He tilts your chin up so he can kiss you breathless. Your hands are pawing at him now —you’re desperate to feel skin. Before you nearly get on top of him, Peter pulls away, making you whine.

“We can’t get carried away, baby,” he whispers.

“Why not?”

“It’s… it’s not safe for you.”

“I have condoms,” you grin. He laughs at your statement. It’s a high-pitched, boyish laugh. Where have you heard that before?

“You know what I mean.”

He runs his long fingers through your hair and you purr like a kitten. The fabric of his gloved hands makes it so your hair frizzes a bit, which makes Peter chuckle. You look adorable just like this, under your string lights in just a t-shirt with your hair wild.

It makes his heart ache once he realizes what he’s done. He doesn’t know how he’ll react to seeing you in school, in a setting under awful fluorescent lights, and in a group where you’re known as just his friend.

He’s also guilty because Liz kissed him at the party and he has no idea where that’s going, either. It’s not like he can date Liz and have Spiderman date you. Did he want to date Liz? Did he want to date you? He doesn’t know the answer to either of these questions, but at the moment, he’s absolutely smitten with you, and he realizes that he’s fucked either way.

“I think I should go,” the hero gulps.

“Can you at least stay with me until I fall asleep? Please?” you urge.

He sighs and nods. He might as well enjoy his moments with you, your head curled into his chest with his arms around you. He feels silly that he’s in a girl’s bed wearing his suit. It feels like a cheap costume to him right now. He feels like a fraud.

___

It’s three in the morning when you wake up. You don’t know what wakes you up. You were just having a lovely dream about being on a date with Spiderman, which ended right as you were about to lift his mask. Turning to your side, you see that Spiderman is still in your bed, fast asleep as you just were. The sight makes your heart beat faster.

How strange it was, to have a new crush on someone you disliked. On someone whose identity you didn’t even know, though, after the entire night, you feel like you had grown up with the boy next to you. It takes everything in you to not pry off his mask while he sleeps. You know he’d probably hate you for it and you’d never see him again.

Half an hour passes. Or is it an hour? Either way, you can’t get back to sleep, so naturally, you look at your Twitter feed and check your email and other mundane things on your phone. You finally check your texts, something you’re usually awful at, and chuckle at the texts from your group chat. Peter and Ned were gushing about something related to Dune, which you didn’t care about considering you weren’t a science fiction nerd like them. You hold down on MJ’s text mocking them to give it a heart.

Something vibrates. Your eyebrows furrow, looking for the source of it until your eyes settle on a black backpack near your window. You remembered being curious about the backpack when Spiderman was walking you home, but after swinging with him, your brain was a blur by the time you were vomiting. Carefully, you get out of bed and crawl on your carpeted floor so you don’t disturb Spiderman’s slumber. The front pocket is zipped open slightly, and an iPhone is illuminated. You take it out of its pocket and your eyes widen at what you see.

(Y/N) loved a message

Your mouth gapes open. You see your name on the screen, as well as about four texts from Aunt May. It hits you like a train.

Peter is Spiderman. Spiderman is Peter.

You turn around and look back at the masked vigilante. Peter Parker is asleep in my bed right now.

If you weren't wrecked with tiredness, maybe you’d freak out. Well, you are freaking out, but there was nothing you could do unless you felt like waking Peter up just to yell and interrogate him. Instead, you crawl back to bed and attempt to fall asleep, though you’re aching to take off Peter’s mask just to see his face for real. You fall asleep eventually with Peter stirring and wrapping an arm around you.

___

Peter’s gone by the time you wake up. You contemplate texting him but you can’t. You ignore his texts about the physics homework, and the banter in your group chat, and MJ’s questions about whether or not you made it home safely. You don’t say anything to anyone for the rest of the weekend.

By the time Monday rolls around, you’ve still avoided Peter, but you manage to corner MJ privately.

Before she’s able to ask you what’s wrong, you interrupt her.

“I kissed Peter.”

“What?”

Your lips form a thin line.

“Dude, when? At the party? Or after?”

“After.”

“Holy shit. I thought he got with Liz!” MJ whispers, eyes wide. You bite your lower lip.

“I don’t know if he did or not,” you shrug. “I went home and I almost got mugged but Spiderman saved me and then he walked me home and then he stayed over and now I don’t hate him anymore I guess.”

MJ’s eyes are nearly bugging out of her skull with her forehead crinkling in confusion. Suddenly, her face relaxes but her pupils are still black and wide. You see the realization in her face. She knows. Do they all know?

“If I ask you something, do you promise to tell me the truth?” you ask earnestly. For once, MJ is an open book. Her face reeks of guilt in contrast to your begging eyes.

She opens her mouth as if to answer you but closes it. Conveniently, the bell rings.

“MJ, please.” You tug on her arm but she shakes her head.

“You should talk to Peter.” A beat passes and she walks away from you. You sigh in defeat and gather your books from your locker. In the mirror on your locker door, you see a familiar mop of brown hair. Peter watches you from afar with an expression you can’t put a name to. Before you can catch up to him, he slips away.

___

mj: have you talked to Y/N today?

peter: no i havent

mj: ok

peter: why?

mj: nothing, just wondering

peter: she seems kind of out of it today. i feel like she’s avoiding me

peter: …is she avoiding me?

Peter’s in the darkness of his room, face illuminated by his phone screen. He watches an animated bubble at the bottom of his screen, which suddenly stops. He groans. Usually, MJ and he share everything, but now that you were in the mix, he can’t help but speculate that something was wrong.

He knows it’s a bad idea. He knows. But after last night, his heart’s been yearning for you and you wouldn’t bat an eye at him all day. Considering MJ confirmed your suspicions, you decide that school grounds weren’t the most appropriate place to confront Peter about his secret identity. You didn’t know where a good place was, or when a good time was, so you decided to avoid the ordeal completely. Maybe it was a one-time thing. You did watch Peter make out with Liz, and him making out with you was probably just a fluke because of how you’d just spent hours with one another. He didn’t actually like you. Boys are… boys.

You try not to let it get to you. Even when you notice Peter watching you in English class, to which you flash him a quick smile so that he doesn’t notice your somber demeanor. If you looked back at him for too long, you thought you might’ve cried.

You try to forget about the past twenty-four hours by putting on a random Netflix comedy, but it’s merely background noise to your extremely loud thoughts. You jump at the sound of knocking at your window, and when you peel back your curtains, your eyes widen at the sight of a familiar red and blue-suited figure. He waves at you lamely.

“Can I come in?”

You nod, lifting your window open.

“Hi,” you breathe. You try not to give away your grin. You’ve convinced yourself Peter doesn’t like you, nor does Spiderman, yet the sight in front of you makes your heart ecstatic.

“Hi.”

“Shouldn’t you be fighting bad guys or something?”

“You were more important.” Heat rises to your face. You don’t say anything.

“I feel like I’m putting you in danger just by being here but I couldn’t stop thinking about you all day. Couldn’t stop thinking about kissing you,” he says softly.

“Me neither.”

“Can I kiss you?” he whispers and you beam at him, lifting his mask.

Delicately, you kiss him like your mouth is a butterfly landing on his flower of a mouth. He responds with a sweet sigh. It’s like Peter’s brain is short-circuited, glitching, a thousand tabs open in his mind with just you on every page.

He hums as you pull him closer, holding your cheeks until he feels dampness. Opening his eyes, he sees your face littered with tears.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” His heart aches at the sight of you.

“I just feel like no matter what, this is going to end badly.” You don’t say this out loud. Instead, you smile sweetly at him, wiping your tears, and you lock lips again. Peter feels like he’s absorbing your pain. He pushes you towards your bed until you both fall onto it with him on top of you.

He kisses alongside your jaw and squeezes the flesh that’s right above your hip. He’s taking advantage of the fact that you’re wearing a crop top. His hands explore your love handles and the small of your back and the spot in between your underwear and your navel.

“Touch me, Peter,” you whisper. It doesn’t even register in your brain that you actually said that, but Peter hears it as clear as day.

“You called me Peter.”

You don’t know what to say. Your jaw is slack and he pulls away from you, instead sitting at the edge of your bed.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” you stammer. Peter pulls his mask down over his mouth quickly.

“How did you know? Did.. did you know this whole time? And you hate Spiderman and… I don’t…” Peter struggles with things to say because of how off-guard he is. He didn’t know what he was doing. Hell, he was a teenage boy before he was a superhero. He didn’t know what this relationship with you was or how far he was going to let it go, but all he knew was that he wanted to be absorbed in you for however long you’d have him. Separate from his “real life”. Separate from Peter Parker, because God knows how your friendship would be affected.

“I-I didn’t know. Not until last night. We’re in the same group chat, you know,” you explain.

“Fuck, Y/N, you weren’t supposed to find out!” You wince at his raised voice.

“Why not? Doesn’t MJ know? And Ned? Why am I not supposed to know?” you argue.

“You hate Spiderman.”

Your face falls. It hits you that every time you’ve said something harshly negative about Spiderman, Peter was right there to hear it. It makes you sick to your stomach how you must’ve made him feel.

“I love Peter. So I love Spiderman, too. Or I can learn to. I promise.”

“You what?”

“I really like you, Peter.”

With that, Peter takes off his mask and looks at you with his melancholic brown eyes. He stares at you intensely before bridging the gap between you two again. He kisses you properly now like he means it, twirling a lock of your hair in his fingers, leaning into you closer and closer.

“Do you… pity… me?” you mumble in between kisses.

“Why would I?” Peter furrows his brows.

“You like Liz.” You feel pathetic. Everything happening was much too confusing for your brain to handle at the moment.

“I… I thought I liked Liz, but I think I was just in love with the idea of her. I’m pretty sure she kissed me to try to get over Harry Osborn, too. I like you. I didn’t know what to do about it because I feel like there was this weird tension between us and I didn’t know if it was romantic or sexual or negative.”

“Peter, why would it be negative?”

“You just hated Spiderman this whole time that I let myself believe that you hated Peter Parker in the back of your mind, too.”

You laugh and shake your head. You kiss him again passionately, nibbling his lower lip slightly.

“Peter, I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to hate you.”

Before he can answer, his words catch in your throat from being stuffed down with the sensation of your lips. His anxiety dissipates as he takes in the smell of your shampoo and the softness of your skin. He’d stay with you in your room forever if he could.

You didn’t think you’d ever warm up to Spiderman. You were plenty content letting him kiss you all over for the rest of the night — something you wouldn’t be able to fathom a week ago. You sigh at the feeling of Peter’s wet mouth on your neck. The two of you decide that forever can mean just for that night. Eventually, it becomes the next night, then the next, then the next. You never realized how much you actually love red and blue.

#peter parker x you #peter parker x y/n #peter parker x reader #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker angst #peter parker fluff #peter parker imagine #peter parker oneshot

[ootahime]

analyzing every gojohime moment in the manga 😈

this series will probably have more than one part because tumblr only lets me upload ten images per post </3

warning: there are disgustingly long paragraphs in here and delusions

chapter 32

utahime’s first introduction!  akutami lets us know right off the bat that she thinks gojo is an idiot (so true).

chapter 32

i love the contrast between miwa and utahime’s reaction to gojo’s appearance.  

chapter 33

NAH BC TELL ME WHY HE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO NOT GET HER ONE LMAOOOO!!  when he traveled overseas to meet with yuta, he picked up the tribal protection charms and thought to himself, “let’s get enough for the kyoto students as a gift since i am such a great and caring teacher, after all.  mmm, i should skip utahime to make her mad~”  this guy puts way too much effort into getting on her nerves.  his mind = utahime brainrot

chapter 33

she’s laughing at him here because he’s getting disciplined for being a lil shit.  i wonder...what would he say if he saw her laughing at him like that?  

chapter 33

this interaction between them is a little strange don’t you think?   i feel like over the years he’s learned how to pick up her mood based on the way she’s acting towards him.  you’re probably thinking, “well any person can figure out how a person’s feeling based on the way they’re talking or acting.”  yes, that’s absolutely true, but it’s kind of different with this.  she’s acting normal.  utahime has a rather indifferent expression on her face and what she says is spoken in a calm tone, but gojo still asks her if she’s mad at him.  it’s likely that he knows her well enough to be able to notice these subtle things.  even if she wasn’t actually mad at him, he was being considerate for a split second, then he went and said, “of course.  i didn’t do anything wrong and all.”  what a guy LOLOL.  to me, this implies that maybe he made her genuinely angry in the past to the point where he realized that he went too far, and thus decided to be more careful of her feelings.  she has definitely gotten annoyed at him so many times after that so whenever she seems angry, he probably asks himself if he took it too far.  i’m curious to see if he can pick up if she’s upset with something that’s not involving him.  would he console her?  how does gojo satoru console someone?  

despite him always annoying her, she’s still courteous and brings him a cup of tea during their talk.  she didn’t have to go out of her way to get tea for him but she did.  that’s the kind of person utahime is.  a kind and caring woman who would never put her students in danger.  in the anime they were sitting far away and not facing each other like they’re doing in the manga.  she also has her own tea cup.  i think that little panel of her placing the cup down on the table and him picking it up to take a sip is a nice little detail.  it just proves that her hating him most of the time isn’t actually pure hatred but annoyance because of his shenanigans and teasing.

chapter 33

i touched upon this a little bit in my previous post, but i wish to go more in depth about this panel.  first of all, he ends the sentence with her name twice.  two times too many, mr. gojo.  i like how they can be serious with each other too LOL.  i wish we got to see them talk about the traitors because they did figure it out together after all.  does it always end in bickering?  can they interact with each other like adults all the way through?  somehow, i feel like that’s not possible when it comes to these two.  furthermore, notice how gojo confides in utahime about his suspicions.  from what we know, she is the first person he brought it up to.  i mean, i guess he has to start investigating the schools and would need extra assistance to save time, but he could have done it himself if he really wanted to.  by deciding to ask for her help we know that he thinks she’s trustworthy, smart, and strong enough to face whatever considerable risks this task may entail.  

i didn’t point this out in my other posts but see how he makes a hand sign in the last panel when she throws the cup at him?  gojo is manually activating his infinity.  why though?  about a year after the whole star plasma vessel incident happened, gojo develops the ability to keep his infinity up at all times by using the reversed curse technique to consistently heal himself to prevent exhaustion.  this means that it really makes no difference whether he leaves it on or off.  there are a few times where we can witness someone actually touching gojo.  for example, yuuji giving him a hug.  did he turn his infinity off, or was it able to deduce that yuuji was not a threat?  the erasers and pencils shoko and geto threw at him during his demonstration of his new ability aren’t dangerous normally, but is it the speed that makes them dangerous?  even if it did hit him, it wouldn’t hurt.  how does the infinity know when to allow an incoming object to touch gojo?  i believe it is up to gojo himself to let things touch him; his infinity restricts anything and anyone.  some people say it could just be the fact that water is not dangerous to him, so therefore, he has to manually put his infinity up.  i thought this was a reasonable explanation as to why he put up the hand sign when the tea was thrown at him, but then i realized that it couldn’t be.  remember the second opening?  it’s raining and everyone is carrying an umbrella, then it pans to gojo with a bouquet in his hand and rain drops slipping off his infinity.  if he DID manually put his infinity up to prevent getting soaked then that implies that he chose to turn his infinity off.  you can argue and say that jujutsu high is a safe place with students so there’s no need to have his infinity there, but do you remember when he stepped on the ants in front of gakuganji and yaga?  the ants were perfectly fine after which insinuates that his infinity prevented his shoes from crushing the ants.  he most likely had his infinity on during the baseball game even though he was in a safe environment.  how does this long tangent relate back to utahime?  well, it simply indicates that gojo trusts utahime so much to the point where he can be vulnerable around her.  turning off his infinity symbolizes completely letting down his guard  in a way.  

how about what happens next?  utahime throws the tea at him, he turns on his infinity to deflect it, and he responds with, “scary!  hysteric women aren’t popular, you know!”  why would he even say that LMAO??  utahime doesn’t even try to deny what he said either.  she just hits him with the good old, “i am your senpai!”  could it be that he’s trying to poke fun of her relationship status?  maybe, maybe not.  doesn’t he like people a lil crazy?  he did say that all jujutsu sorcerers have to be a little crazy because they’re willing to put themselves in danger constantly.  

chapter 0 p.1

i wonder who he’s thinking of when he said that.  could it be utahime?  it seems like he’s reminiscing or thinking about someone.  he wears an amused expression on his face as he laughs - almost like he’s seen his fair share of how scary women can get :>>

chapter 34

the pattern behind gojo and utahime is called yagasuri “fletching,” a traditional japanese design.  this design is inspired by arrow fletching.  it's a lucky charm for weddings and other celebrations since it's based on the Japanese belief that an arrow shot once never comes back.  brides were given kimonos with this pattern for good luck during the edo era (1603–1868) to ensure they would not have to return to their original family home.  this pattern can have numerous meanings such as steadfastness or determination to achieve a goal, or a wish for the happiness of the bride.  there is a belief that a bow and arrow represent the fight against evil.  honestly, this meaning fits the narrative of the story.  utahime and gojo are unearthing the traitors that are feeding intel to the curse users and cursed spirits.  they are in the middle while the kyoto students surround them, which could mean that it’s their job as adults to protect these children from the grasps of evil slowly making itself more prominent.  do you also notice that the arrows are pointed toward utahime from gojo?  from all the images i’ve seen, the arrows are usually pointed downward.  what could this mean?  is gojo trying to protect her (in the future (?)) or does he have a big fat crush smh...

i think it’s a good time to mention utahime’s clothing.  she’s wearing miko attire.  miko are shrine maidens who were once thought to be shamans (you connecting the dots?).  in their service to shrines, miko used to perform spirit possession and takusen (in which the possessed person acts as a "medium" (yorimashi) to communicate the divine will or message of that kami (god) or spirit; also included in the category of takusen is "dream revelation" (mukoku), in which a kami appears in a dream to communicate its will).  this was back in the old days, of course.  to become a miko back then (shaman), one needed to have potential.  neurosis, hallucinations, odd behavior, and hysteria (HYSTERIA HELLO???) are some of the signs that a person is being called to shamanism.  when a miko is communicating with a kami (god) or spirit by acting as a medium, she is in a trance-like state, and so she must learn techniques to control herself when this happens.  chanting and dancing were used to accomplish this, so the girl was taught melodies and intonations that were used in songs, prayers, and magical formulas.  all of this could give us insight about utahime’s technique and explains why she’s good at singing :)  maybe she can’t control herself when she uses her technique which is why she isn’t shown using it because it should be used for dire situations.  i imagine being possessed by a spirit or god must consume a lot of cursed energy.  it makes sense that utahime and gakuganji wear traditional clothing.  they’re the staff of jujutsu high’s kyoto branch.  in chapter 0, kyoto is known as the sacred land of jujutsu.  it’s more traditional compared to tokyo.  if you want to learn more about miko, you should check out the wikipedia page!  

chapter 34

i swear he tries to annoy her every chance he gets.  i bet he sets a goal for himself to see how many times utahime lectures him about respecting his seniors every time he’s within the same vicinity as her.  at least he called her utahime-sensei!!!

chapter 40

this isn’t even a gojohime moment tbh...i just wanted to share a pic of them sitting next to each other HEHE.  why are they sitting next to each other anyway?  it’s not like they have assigned seating.

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that was so long and i apologize for the gargantuan paragraphs you guys had to read through.  i’m writing this at 4 in the morning and i’m feeling borderline delirious so i apologize if there are any errors.  i’ll edit this when i have time <3

the next part should come shortly.

#gojohime #gouta #gojo x utahime