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#for only a few months then we’re moving across the country again
atlafan · 3 months
Note
20 & 28 from the prompt list pls!
20. “I’m gonna fuck you so good you forget all about that bastard.”
28. “I love that we both already finished and your legs are still shaking.”
smut prompts
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“He did what?” Harry’s jaw fell open as his dear friend, Y/N, told him about why she was newly single.
“He accepted a job across the country and expected me to drop everything to go with him! He didn’t even tell me he was looking for other opportunities. I mean, it’s a big step up for him, but to assume I’d quit my own job to go play house with him??? My whole family is here. I’d be sick to my stomach knowing I couldn’t see my nephews as regularly as I do now.” She sighed heavily and looked at her friend. “Can I crash here for a few days? If I go back to my place, I know he’ll show up and try to convince me to go with him again.”
“So, it’s over, just like that?”
“Yup. I’m not sabotaging my own career for a man. We’re clearly on different wave lengths, I guess it’s better to find out now.”
“I’m sorry, Y/N. Of course you can stay with me. Stay as long as you like.”
“Thank you.” She wraps her arms around his neck and sighs. “You’re such a good friend.”
Harry’s been waiting for Y/N and her boyfriend to break up for ages. He’s not one of those guys who’s only friends with a girl because he wants it to lead to more. That would be shitty of him. But he and Y/N have been friends for a while now, and as years have gone by, he’s started looking at her differently. A tiny crush started to bloom. He noticed how her laugh made him feel and how her smile gave him butterflies. It was gradual, natural. But he wasn’t sure how to bring this up to her, and there was never a good time. She was in a relationship, and he assumed she was happy, so he never let on about his feelings.
But now, Y/N is single. Harry’s not going to pounce on her right away. He knows she’ll need time to grieve the loss of her relationship. He also doesn’t want her to think he’s taking advantage of the vulnerable state she’s in. So, he’ll continue being the good friend that he is, and when the time is right, he’ll tell her how he feels.
//
Y/N was never one to wear her heart on her sleeve. She didn’t cry in public. She wanted people to think she was fine at all times. But after a month or so of being single, she found herself moping around a lot. She thought about her ex all the time. She hated it, but it was hard not to think of him. She wanted to know how his new job was going because she still cared. But then she’d remind herself that he probably doesn’t care how she’s doing, and then she’d distract herself with something to do.
Then, on a random Tuesday, two months later, a mutual friend sent her a message saying her ex was in a new relationship. He was posting her on main, laughing and smiling.
And that’s when Y/N finally cracked. She cried. She cried her eyes out until they were swollen and puffy. She couldn’t sleep when she tried to go to bed, so she texted Harry and asked if she could come over. He said yes.
“I don’t even know why I care.” She groaned as she told him about the ordeal. “How are men able to move on so quickly? I think about him every day. He always crosses my mind. I’m not even doing it on purpose. He probably never thinks about me.”
“He probably thinks about you all the time and started dating again to fill the void. That’s what I would do if I fucked up as badly as he did.”
“You know what bugs me the most? I have confirmation that he’s having sex. Someone else is giving him orgasms when all I’ve had for the last three months are my own hands and my vibrator. I’m too scared to meet some random dude from an app. I’m losing my mind, Harry. I feel like a feral cat in heat.” She chugs some water and takes a deep breath.
“You’re that horny, huh?”
“You have no idea. Masturbating and watching porn is fun and all, don’t get me wrong, but after a while it’s not exactly exciting. Feels like a chore.”
“I’m going to propose something, and I really want you to think about it before you decide it isn’t a good idea.” He runs a hand through his hair. “What if we had sex?”
“We, like, you and I?”
“Yeah.”
“No offense, but the idea of being pity fucked by my friend isn’t exactly getting my panties wet.”
“It’s not a pity fuck. Don’t be mad, but I’ve wanted to have sex with you for a very long time.”
“Great, so you’ve only been friends with me-“
“Don’t even go there because it’s not like that. We’ve been friends for five years. The last two, you were dating that asshole. A crush sort of snuck up on me around the time you and him started dating. I felt weirdly jealous every time you’d blow our friend group off to go be with him. And when I really thought about why, I realized that it was because I liked you as more than a friend.”
“You’ve liked me for two years?”
“Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“You were in love with him. I didn’t want to get in the way of your happiness. I’m fine if we just stay friends. I want you in my life, I don’t care how.”
“Why didn’t you make a move right after we broke up?”
“Other than not wanting to be your rebound, I knew you just needed a friend. You were vulnerable, I couldn’t take advantage of that.”
“You’d really want to fuck so quickly? Don’t you want to take me out on a date first?”
“You’re not the only one who feels feral, Y/N.”
“I can’t believe how stupid and oblivious I am.” She slides her hands down her face. “You’re a great guy, I’d be lucky to date you. My family already adores you. We practically go on dates all the time as it is.” She facepalms, then looks at him. “You really would fuck me right now?”
“Yes. Do…are you even attracted to me…sexually?”
“Harry, you’re the prettiest guy I’ve ever seen. Of course I’m attracted to you.”
“How would I have known that?! I’m not a mind reader!”
“Don’t raise your voice at me, I’m sad!”
“You’ve been sad for three goddamn months.” He steps towards her, backing her up to the sink counter, caging her in. “And I’m over it. I’m gonna fuck you so good you forget all about that bastard.”
“Oh, wow.” Her eyelids become hooded as she looks at him. “Yes.” She nods. “Please, I want that. I want you to fuck me, Harry.”
“Good. Jump.”
She puts her hands on his shoulders and jumps so she can wrap her legs around his waist. Harry’s mouth crashes to hers as he carries her to his bedroom. Y/N feels lightheaded as he lays her down, staying on top of her. Her fingers squeeze at his hair as she licks into his mouth. He tastes like mint, and it makes her moan. His hands slide up under her shirt, pawing at her breasts over her bra.
“Fuck, just take it off. Take it all off.” She whines, and he smirks down at her.
“Look who’s all eager all of a sudden.” He sits up and takes his own shirt off. Before he can reach for Y/N’s, she’s tackling him down and sponging kisses to his chest. Her tongue glides down over his butterfly tattoo. She inches further down until she’s nosing at his erection over his joggers. “I’m supposed to be taking care of you.”
“Don’t care, want it.” She tucks her fingers into the waistband of his joggers and looks up at him. “Can I?”
“Yes.”
He lifts his hips to help her and she gets the garment off. She kisses him over his briefs and licks his tip through the material. She even takes it into her mouth like this, and it rips a moan from Harry’s throat. Her eyes snap to his, completely blown out.
“God, I should have known you were vocal.” She whimpers. She tugs his briefs down and wastes no time getting the head of Harry’s cock into her mouth. She runs her tongue over his slit and suckles on the blurts of precome oozing out. She wraps her hand around him and slides her mouth off. “Jesus, you’re so big. I’m gonna see if I can get it down my throat.”
“You don’t have to, what you did before felt great.” He runs a hand through her hair and whimpers again.
“No, I want to choke on it. I really like giving head.”
“That’s something we have in common.” He smirks.
She spits onto his tip and takes him back into her mouth. She doesn’t go slow, she goes down fast and chokes, then pulls off, spitting on him to make it wet and messy, then she repeats. She does it until her throat can handle keeping him there for a moment. She swallows around him a few times before coming off and pumping him with her hand.
“Do you want to come in my mouth?”
“Are you gonna be a good girl and swallow it?”
“Fuck, and you’re kinky?! Should’ve done this a long time ago, Harry.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Yes, I’ll swallow it.”
“Then go on and take it.”
She’s not pretty about it. She chokes and gags and sucks and bobs until Harry’s spurting rope after rope down her throat. He sits up after she pulls off and slots his mouth over hers. He grips the hem of her short and lifts it off. She unhooks her bra and lays back on the bed. Her back arches the second Harry’s tongue is circling her nipple.
“Best tits I’ve ever fucking seen.” He growls as he works his way to her other nipple. “So big and soft.”
“You don’t mind that they’re not all perky?”
“Why would I? A boob is a boob is a boob.” He sucks a good amount of one into his mouth, leaving marks from his teeth on her sensitive skin. He kisses down her stomach and hooks his fingers into the waistband of her leggings. “Can I take these off?”
“Yes.” She smiles softly. “And my panties too, please. I don’t like the feeling of sitting in my cold, wetness.”
“Heard.” He pulls both of the garments off and tosses them to the floor before splitting her thighs open. She’s glistening for him. He wells up some spit and watches it fall on and down her slit. “So fucking pretty.”
He spreads her lips apart, running his fingers through her sticky folds. His thumbs spread apart the top so he can find her clit. He taps on it with his finger, making her gasp.
“Did I find it, baby?” It’s rhetorical because before she can answer, his licking over it.
He wraps his lips around it and sucks hard, rapidly. He flicks the tip of his tongue over it, swirls it around, spits on it, then goes back to sucking. The sounds are wet and obscene. Y/N has a hand stuffed in his hair while the other clutches at the sheets. She moans out when she feels his middle finger sink inside her.
“So fucking tight.” He groans.
“I can take another, please, wanna feel you stretch me out.”
Harry grins and lets his ring finger join the middle. He works them in and out of her, wanting to prep her hole for what’s to come. Then he lets them stay deep inside and curls them to her front wall as he shallowly thrusts in and out. He gets his mouth back on her clit and uses his free hand to keep her thigh down and open.
“Fuck, just like that.” Her head rolls back and her mouth hangs open as she rolls her hips forward to meet his thrusts. “Harry, shit, you’re so good. Don’t stop.” Her toes start curling and her legs start shaking, and Harry laughs so sinisterly low that it makes her head dizzy. One of her heels digs into his shoulder blade. She’s panting and moaning and writing under him. “Oh, oh fuck.” She feels the coil deep in her belly about to snap. “Oh, fuck, I’m gonna come, don’t stop.” The bed starts creaking and the headboard starts thudding against the wall. Harry’s rutting his hips into the mattress and moaning into her. “Harry, Harry, Harryyyyyy, fuck, I’m coming, I’m coming, I’m coming.” Her back arches off the bed as she lets go. Harry fucks her through it, keeping his fingers deep inside her. He gives her throbbing clit a break, then slowly takes his fingers out when he hears her breathing evening out.
He sucks his fingers into his mouth, and his surprised when Y/N grips his jaw to pull him down to her. He takes his fingers out and replaces them with her mouth. They moan against each other, both relishing in the filthy kiss.
“Do you want to keep going?” He asks.
“Are you hard again?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s some good stamina.” She smirks.
“Eating you out made me hard again. Taste so fucking good.” He reaches into his side table drawer and pulls out a foil packet. He sits back on his feet and rips it open to roll onto his cock.
“Do you mind if I play the role of a pillow princess? Kind of want you to just do what you want with me.”
“Yeah? Does being used turn you on?”
“Like this…by you…it does.”
“This might hurt a little since it’s been a while for you. If you need me to stop, just tell me and I will.”
“Okay.”
Harry lines himself up and slowly pushes inside. Y/N bites into his shoulder. The stretch burns, but the pain soon turns to pleasure once he’s all the way in. His tip is already nudging into her g-spot.
“Good?” He asks.
“Yes, thank you. You can move.”
He pulls out about halfway before thrusting back in. Y/N is so sweet for him, he slips out a couple of times before he can get a rhythm going. He sits up and throws her legs over his shoulders, pounding into her. The sound of skin slapping against skin fills the room. She raises her hips and starts moaning uncontrollably. The angle is perfect. He thumbs at her clit, and her nails dig into the meat of his thighs.
“I’m getting close.” She twitches under him, wanting to close her legs to get some relief, but she can’t. “Please, don’t stop.” She whimpers up at him. “Feels so good.”
“Love watching you take it.” He grunts. “We fit so perfectly, your pussy was made for me.”
“Oh, fuck!” Apparently, that’s all she needed in order to come. She drenches his cock, which surprises the both of them. “Oh my god!” She cries out, a second wave of pleasure washing over her. It’s like the never ending orgasm. “Please tell me I didn’t just pee on you.” She sits up on her elbows and is mortified by the wet spot between them. “I had all that water beforehand-“
“You didn’t pee, Y/N.” Harry chuckles. “You just squirted a little. Well, a lot, but you know what I mean.”
“I’ve never done that before.” She blinks.
“Poor thing.” He pouts down at her. “Didn’t it feel so good to get a release like that?” He places his hands on the back of her thighs and pushes them down until her knees are on either side of her head. “Hm?”
“Yes, felt amazing.”
“I’ll make you do it again, baby, don’t worry. Gonna give it to you like you deserve. Hold your legs there for me.” He grips her hips and starts moving her on and off his cock. He watches as her eyes roll back and he laughs lowly. “Feel good?”
“Soooo good, oh my god.”
His fingers comes together and he slaps her clit, over and over and over until she’s panting and crying out and making a mess. He pulls out to move her onto her side. She sighs contently, happy to give her legs a break. But it’s not long until Harry is putting one of her legs over his shoulder and sliding back in, fucking her from the side.
“Christ, can feel you in my guts.”
“M’not hitting your cervix right? It still feels good?”
“Feels amazing, keep going.”
“Rub your clit. I wanna come at the same time.”
She slides her hand down and touches herself. She could honestly come from the sound of Harry moaning alone, but his cock beating into her g-spot is also a big help. She screams his name as she comes, making another mess. Harry grunts and whimpers and moans as he fills the condom.
He waits until they’ve both caught their breaths to pull out. Y/N rolls onto her back while Harry throws the condom away. The bed creaks as he lays back down next to her. Her lower half twitches every so often, her thighs still quivering.
“I love that we both already finished and your legs are still shaking.” He turns onto his side and draws shapes into her belly.
“Shut up.” She breathes. “I can’t even feel them.”
“You should really come with me to Pilates more often.”
“Who needs Pilates when you’re going to be fucking me like that regularly?” She turns her head to the side to look at him.
“Oh, am I going to be fucking you regularly? I didn’t get that memo.” He smirks.
“Yes, generally, when two people start dating, they fuck regularly.”
“Are you serious?” He sits up, hope painted all over his face. “You can really see us being a romantic couple?”
“Yeah.” She smiles up at him and caresses his cheek. “I’d really like to give this a shot.”
“Oh, Y/N, that makes me so happy.” He moves to lay on top of her and buries his face in her neck. She holds him to her chest, content with having his weight on her.
“Harry?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for being you.”
He moves to look at her and pecks her lips. “You’re welcome.”
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leilakisakabiri · 1 year
Text
Easy (Gavi)
Summary: You and Gavi have an argument, but he’s not willing to let you go. 
Warning(s): none 
A/N: Please send in any requests if you have any. Short blurb for today while I try to figure out what to write about. 
Word Count: [854]
Lyric series: four
You tell me that I overthink till I ruin a good thing. Anything else? You tell me that you'd rather fight than spend a single peaceful night, with somebody else.
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It was a Tuesday night and you found yourself staring at Gavi from across the island table, stuck in another fight. 
It seemed like for the last two weeks all the two of you did was fight. 
There were a lot of things weighing on your relationship, one of them being the fact that you were moving back to the United States, your home country, in just a week, completing your year abroad. 
The idea of doing long distance, as well as the time difference, weighed heavy on both your minds. Not only were you going to be busy with school when you went back home, but Gavi would also be playing the final games in La Liga which meant a lot of traveling around Europe. 
Today was the first time the two of you had seen each other in a week, and he was leaving again in two days, but you had been busy all day saying goodbye to all your study abroad friends, so you couldn’t come over to his house till late at night. 
That led you to now, as the two of you argued back and forth in his kitchen, hands flailing and voices raised. 
“What the hell Y/n, this is the first time we can see each other all week and you spend the entire day with your friends?” 
You sighed, “Gavi I already told you, today was the only day they could do it, and I really wanted to see them.” 
“What about me?” Gavi asked. 
You rolled your eyes, “Well, I’m here now aren’t I?” 
Gavi took in your expression, annoyance plastered across his face, “Do you even want to be here?” 
You felt yourself getting agitated as he looked at you, waiting for your response. You didn’t know why you couldn’t explain to him that you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, it seemed like over the last few weeks there had been a divide between you and him, and you couldn’t do anything but watch you both slip away from each other. 
Your silence was enough of an answer for Gavi. 
“Are you serious Y/n? You’re going to be gone in a week, and you don’t even want to spend time together?”
You bit your lip, forcing yourself to speak, “Of course I do. But we’ll see each other over winter break.” 
“Winter break?!? It’s August, that’s in 5 months. We’re not going to see each other for 5 months, and that’s okay for you?” He questioned, his face falling. 
You instantly felt bad seeing his hurt expression, you hadn’t meant it in a bad way, just in a way of reminding both you and him that this was not the end, but the more you thought about it, the more it really felt like it was. 
The feeling of losing someone who meant so much to you in such a short period of time was overwhelming you, and you did the only thing you could think of to ease the pain. 
“What are we even doing? Is this even worth it?” You spoke, looking at Gavi with glassy eyes. 
His expression mirrored your own, and you could practically see all the anger leave at your words, his body deflating, “Look, I know long distance will be hard, but it’s worth it to me. You’re worth it to me.” 
You felt yourself exhale at his words, “How can you be sure this will even work out? All we do is fight.”
He came over to you slowly, gently grabbing your hand and intertwining your fingers with his, “Because I know what it’s like to love you and be loved by you, and I would rather fight than lose that and be happy with someone else.” 
You felt your body fill with warmth at his words, and you knew the second he spoke that you could never break up with him because you felt the same exact way he did. 
You pulled him into a hug, cursing yourself for always trying to run away when things got difficult. 
You spoke into his chest, feeling his heartbeat against your ear, “I’m sorry. You’re right, you’re worth it, I’m just scared.” 
He grabbed your chin, looking down at you with a soft smile, “I know, I am too. But I think we can do it. Besides, we’ll have winter break right?” He spoke, teasing you. 
You swatted his chest playfully before snuggling into his embrace, “Haha. So funny.” 
You could hear the grin in his voice as he spoke, “No but seriously, let’s just make the most of the time we have left.” 
You nodded against him, “Deal.” 
“Also sorry for getting mad about today, I just wanted to see you.” 
You slightly pulled away from him, grinning, “Awh Pablito, you missed me that much? Just wait till I record this and share it, no one will believe you’ve gone soft.” 
He mocked your grin before his lips fell into a thin line at your antics, “Don’t you even dare Y/n or we’ll have to make it spring break.” 
Your eyebrows rose in surprise, “Touche.”
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j-u-u-z-o · 9 months
Text
“I Guess I’m Late for Practice?” (Atsumu x F. Reader) R-18+
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Photo: credits to owner. ⚠️
Warning ⚠️: fluff, R-18+, Eventual Smut to SMUT, Grammar.
AN: Hey y’all! I was thinking about writing this scenario after I wrote a small Drabble the other day. I couldn’t stop thinking about it so I wrote a scenario! 🥹❤️ Also, sorry for the wait! I was too lazy to edit it but now it’s ready!
Anyway, please read the warning! Some people are so blind istg. I hope you enjoy! Please like/reblog or comment! it would be greatly appreciated. ❤️
Synopsis: Timeskip! Atsumu has volleyball practice today and his gf (reader) tags along with him because they want to spend time with him before he leaves for the next MSBY tour. So what happens next?
Didn’t read the warning? Need eyeglasses? Don’t skip! Read it again. Okay?😉
Don’t like it? Call 1-800- ignore - it or keep scrolling, Today! 📞👍
_______________________________________________
He’s late.
It’s currently 5:15pm and it’s dark outside.
The sounds of the window wipers wiping away the rain from the windshield and the heavy droplets of rain falling on the roof of the moving silver sedan is sounds depressing. “Ugh. Why does it have ta’ rain all day today.” Atsumu grunted. He was driving to practice after he picked you up from campus. You’re sitting next to him in the car because you chose to tag along for a bit. “Hm. Maybe because you’re leaving me in the next few days.” You looked out the window on your side. You didn’t want him to see you pouting.
A chuckle was heard next to you. Atsumu placed his big hand on your thigh as the other steered the wheel. “Ya don’t have to say that, baby. Ya sound like I’m leaving ya’ tomorrow morning.” He caressed it with his fingers and kept it there. You hummed and placed your hand on top of his and rubbed your thumb across his knuckles.
“It’s only for… a few months.” He said but his tone was not as bright he thought it’d be. He feels the same way you’re feeling. But he to has practice today and so on - with his team before they go on their next tour in three different countries: Argentina, Brazil and then back to their country, Tokyo.
Your hand lifted his own from your thigh and interlaced it with yours. “I know, Tsumu.” You sighed.
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“Alright. We’re here.” Atsumu pulled up to a parking lot and saw a few of his teammates cars in there. “Great, is there any space for me?” He pouted as he searched for a parking spot.
“You didn’t have ta’ come with me, babe.” He said as he looked around. “You had a long day of classes today and you have a project too. Plus, I don’t want you to catch a cold.”
“I know…” you gripped his hand, gently. “But I have time to stay and…I want to watch you play.” You spoke. Atsumu turned his head to you. He lifted your hand with his and kissed it. “I love ya, babe.” He smiled. Moments passed and he finally found a spot next to Bokuto’s black suv. “Let’s go, babe.” The sounds of the heavy rainfall were so strong that you almost thought about staying in the car. However, your thought process was interrupted when he leaned over to give you a quick kiss before the two of you got out of the car.
“Wait by the door, y/n!” He quickly opened the trunk to get his duffle bag. Atsumu didn’t want you to get wet from the rain so he gave you his extra hoodie he found from the back seat. You nodded and quickly ran to the shade. You watched your boyfriend who’s wearing his black sweatsuit, grab his duffle bag, hang it over his shoulder and run to where you stood.
You giggled. “What’s so funny?” He wrapped an arm around your shoulder and opened the door. “Nothing, Tsumu.” He poked your check.
Inside, you can hear sneakers squeaking on the floor, running, the sounds of the volleyball bouncing around the gymnasium. Even the shouting of the team members.
“Alright!”
“Next ball!”
“Left, Kiyoomi!”
“Nice catch, Hinata!”
The familiar voices of his teammates ringing in your ears sounded like they were in an actual game. Atsumu opened the gymnasium’s door and called out, “Oiiii!” and waved. The members looked around and saw Atsumu. You slowly peeked out and smiled at them. “Oiiiii~ Oh! Y/n-chan!” Hinata and Bokuto shouted. The other members greeted the two of you.
They were in their second round of the game. “Hey.” You said softly as if they could hear you. “They can’t hear ya, babe.” Atsumu chuckled. So you waved instead. They waved back. Atsumu then pointed his thumb back towards the gym’s locker room and they nodded. “Be back soon!” Atsumu turned and held your hand as he walked to the “men’s” locker room.
“I’ll sit and wait for you in the gym-“ you reminded him - there could be other people from different teams in the locker room. “It’s just us on the roster today, babe.” Atsumu wrapped an arm around you and opened the door to the locker room. You walked in and noticed that it is very quiet. “See? No one.” He took you all the way to the back of the locker room where his team occupies.
You unzipped the hoodie that you were wearing and hanged it up on a rack. Astumu did the the same; now topless and he opened his locker. You sat down on the bench. He hummed a tune as you opened his duffle bag and took out his volleyball uniform. Your eyes lowered and you tuck in your lips. Number 13. Suddenly a wave of sadness hits you. You really don’t want him to leave you alone for the next few months. You want him to stay with you.
“Babe?” Atsumu noticed how quiet you are and turned his head to see you sad. “Baaabe.” He dragged out, sadly. His hands are on either side of your cheeks and he lifted your head up, gently. “Ya don’t have ta’ cry.” You sniffed and sniffed. You looked anywhere besides him to not get too teary eyed. “Y/n. Look at me.” you looked at him. “I’m not going anywhere soon. I leave in about two weeks.” He said lowly. “I know…but - ” you tried to tell him but your throat started to hurt. He kissed your lips, softly.
“C’mere.” He sat down on the bench and made you straddle him. Both of your legs on either side of his thighs. He held you close to his bare chest. “Y/n. I love you.” He grinned and you kept sniffing. “I love youuuuuu.” He said playfully and nibbled your neck.” You giggled. “I’m not a baby, Tsumu.” You smiled softly as you combed his hair with your fingers. “I know you’re aren’t, baby.” He lifted his head to look at you and wiped your tears.
Your dried tears on your cheeks; your beautiful eyes and smile warmed his heart. Your lips met his once more and you felt the deep desire to kiss him deeply.
Atsumu moaned deeply. His lips enveloped yours easily and smoothly. Your kisses echoed in the room. Just the two of you. You moaned when he pulled up your shirt that was tucked in your uniform skirt and his warm hands stroked your waist from underneath. Your breath hitched in between kisses as you felt his fingertips slowly caress your form. “Ah…” you moaned. He broke the kiss and went down to leave open mouthed kisses on your neck. You gasped when you felt his kisses on that one spot that always makes your pulse flutter. Atsumu chuckled.
You bit your bottom lip and grounded your hips to feel his clothed member under his black shorts. you grinded on him, slowly. Your covered nub seeking relief from how much affection he’s giving you right now. Atsumu groaned and held you tighter as he felt your warmth above his member. He stopped leaving kisses and hid his face in your neck - to focus on the feeling. You rolled your hips up and down to feel some relief. Atsumu helps you by moving his hands down under your uniform skirt - gripped your ass and pulled you closer to him.
“Ah!” You shivered when you felt his member poke your covered nub. Your legs are spread out above his and you wrapped your arms around his shoulders as you bucked against him. You can hear Atsumu exhale a satisfied groan. “Tsumu.” You whispered. He looked up at you - his brown eyes darkened with lust. His attention is only on you. Not saying a word, he leaned forward to meet your lips but you pushed him down on his back on the bench.
Feeling hot and needy - your breathes proving it. Atsumu watched you from below - straddling yourself better on his well built form - putting both of your hands on his chest. He held your waist as you began grinding on him. He closed his eyes and moaned. You breathes echos in the locker room. You felt how hard his member was getting every second as you watched him bite his lips - relishing your warm weight on his member.
Atsumu spread his legs wider to feel your warmth and began bucking his hips up to your warmth. “T-tsu..mu!” The bouncing of your body above his interrupted your call that you leaned forward and placed your hands above his head on the bench, for a better balance. You can feel his hardened girth even more each time you landed on it. “Mmm…oh yeah.” He moaned and bucked a little faster. The bench creaked a little due to his pace that you tried to tip-toe on the floor to reduce the sounds coming from the it, but to no avail.
He wrapped his arm around you and pulled you down to kiss him. his other hand laid on your lower back to keep you above him, closely. He hissed when his tip bumped against your clothed entrance. “Fuck.” He groaned. Held held your form tightly - you’re not going anywhere - his strength is unmatched. “Tsu…mu” you breathed into his mouth. You felt the tip trying to get through your panty and into your entrance.
He clicked his tongue. He rolled his hips up. He doesn’t like the teasing. you looked at how needy he’s being that you raised your upper body and rolled your hips, too. “Yeah. Like that, baby.” His hands rose up to your clothed chest and groped them. You pulled up your shirt along with your bra. A light chuckle was heard from him and he groped them. You twitched when his thumbs brushed your nipples, softly. Each time he did that, you rolled your hips on his member. “Shit, baby.” He rose up and you leaned close to him. He licked your nipple, slowly. Swirling it with the tip of his tongue. You head fell back and you stared at the ceiling.
Atsumu held you by your waist to keep you from moving away. He knows how sensitive you are. His tongue swirled around it more, lovingly. It felt too good. Your shirt is getting wrinkled as your hands tried to hold it up. He looked up at you as he’s licked it and then wrapped his mouth around it. “Ugh…Tsumu.” You push your chest closer to his face as he sucked it and then whimpered when his finger tips traces your form, feathery. he then flicked your nipples, slowly. “Mmm…” he groaned.
Your breathless moans filled his ears that he pulled your hips close to his - encouraging you to ride him again. You submitted as your fingertips caressed his undercut and the other still holding your shirt up. Soon after, atsumu removed your top and whispered, “pull it the side, baby?” He looked at you, pleadingly. You looked at him, surprised. “Eh?” You said breathlessly. He leaves kisses on your neck - waiting for your answer. Breathless and flustered, you looked up at the ceiling to think about this risky move.
Atsumu kissed up to your jaw while he was still waiting for your answer until you stopped him. “But your training…” you whispered, sounding concerned. “just the tip.” He whispered back and you nodded. He kissed you, softly.
Lips wrapped around each other’s, gently. You pulled out his member and stroked it, slowly. Atsumu moaned and went back to kissing your neck. “Oh yeah…” he breathed out on your neck in between kisses. He hissed when you were rubbing the now wet tip with your thumb. His groans made you become more impatient for what’s to come.
You like how satisfied he looks - his head tilted, watching you stroke his length they way he likes you to. Atsumu moaned while he caressed your waist with his fingertips and the other hand on your thigh. “Okay, your turn now, baby.” You placed your hands on his shoulders and looked down in between. He smiled softly as his fingertips pushed your panty to the side. His breath hitched when he felt your arousal rub off on his fingers after he pulled the material away from your heat. “Shit, baby.” He rubbed his fingertips and dipped his fingers in between your folds.
“Wow.” He heard the squelching sounds as he rubbed your nub in circles. You squirmed and moaned when he dipped the tip of his middle finger into your entrance. “Ya so wet for me, baby.” He smirked. You pushed him down on his back. Atsumu watched as you took his length and rolled your hips in circles, on the tip. “Ahh.” You moaned as you stroked your sensitive numb around it. Soon after, you lowered your self on his length that atsumu eyes and mouth widened. “Fuuuck.” You softly smiled down at his reaction.
Up and down, just on the tip. Atsumu caressed the back of your thighs as you so. “Oh baby…”. His deep moans made you throb. You couldn’t help yourself so you took in his entire length and seated yourself. “Oh!” The room echoed. You giggled at your boyfriend’s surprised response - as if he just saw an angel. “You little minx.” He laughed and held your hips.
The wet sounds echoed between the two of you in the locker room.
“Oh yeah…ugh.” You moaned out as you bounced off his length, the wet sounds coming from your arousal, slapping his pelvis. Atsumu took your hands and interlaced them with his. From below, you look like a goddess. Your body jolting from his strokes as your tits bounced in front of his face. “That’s it baby. Use me to cum.” Atsumu’s deep thrusts met each time you came down on him. Rough and steady. The veins on his length stroking your plush walls while it rubbed against your nub.
His throaty moans filled your ears when you clenched his length. You leaned forward - your nipples rubbing against his chest and your lips met his. “Mmm.” He pushed his feet in - sneakers squeaked on the floor as used the opportunity to grab your ass and push it down and buck up into your heat, swiftly. “O-oh…atsu-“ you breathed out into his mouth, uncontrollably. His warm breathes hitching into yours. The wet sounds made him go deeper; the bench below the two of you kept rattling. “You feel so good, baby.” He smiled, lovingly.
“Y-you make me feel so good, Tsumu.” He chuckled and abruptly raised his form. You yelped and held on to his shoulders. A chuckle came from him again , “I can make you feel even more better, baby.” Atsumu got up walked to the wall. “I’m a pro. Remember?” You giggled at his smug face. Your back met the cold wall and your legs were under his grip. “This is better.” He rolled his hips up slowly - his length massaging your walls while his pelvis rubbed against your nub. “Ah…” you breathed out. He kept rolling it up, over and over that you were to fall apart. His girth hitting that spot inside of you. You started to feel putty in his hands.
His slow pace felt so good. You gently grabbed his face and kissed him, passionately. “You like that,baby?” He broke the kiss and You nodded. “I know you do.” He grinned and Your lips smacked against his again, with so much love and affection. In between the hot kisses and slow pace, you felt your walls start to pulsate. Atsumu felt it and started began bucking, feverishly. “Ohhh…yeah right there, angel.” Your arousal slapping against his pelvis and your whimpers made his body press closer to yours. You’re both breathing into each other’s faces.
“Oh…my Tsumu…” you whined. you were getting closer to your climax. His deep thrusts stroked your plush walls as pelvis slapped your swollen nub. You lost feeling of your muscles. Your leg, in fact. Dangling in the air. You kept whimpering - your walls and your nub throbbing, all at once. “Almost there. We’re almost there, baby.” He can feel how tight your walls are squeezing him - his climax is reaching for release. “Ah!” body is getting crushed by his and the wall behind you - you couldn’t move. His pelvis kept slamming against your nub - you trembled until you finally released. “Ugh!” Atsumu thrusted once more and froze. His chest heaved against yours.
You both stayed still. You whimpered - your walls still throbbing on his length. You looked at your boyfriend, flushed out. You smiled and you wiped the sweat from his forehead. Atsumu grinned. “I swear ya make me go nuts.” You giggled and kissed him, softly. “Mmm.” He moaned as he rolled his hips into your warmth. You squirmed. Still feeling the after shocks a bit as you rolled nub against his pelvis, to ride the last sparks of your orgasm.
He sighed. “I love you, y/n.” He reluctantly pulled his length out. You winced at the emptiness. He gently put your legs down but you almost fell down since you couldn’t feel your legs after being held up for a while. So he helped you sit down for a bit.
“Well! Time for practice!” He shouted randomly after a while - he helped clean the two of you up with an extra sweat towel and fixed yourselves.
With his arm wrapped around your waist, he kissed your lips once more, softly. You hummed, lovingly. You both walked to the door to the gymnasium from the inside of the locker room. “I’ll call you when I get to my friends place, Tsumu.” He opened the door, “I can drop ya off, babe.” You shook your head, “I have to go start my project. I’ll pick you up.” smiled. “Hm. Okay~.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
He watched you walk to the front door of the building and turned his head to his teammates. Looking at him in disbelief.
“What?”
“Oi Oi Oiiii!!! We’re practicing and you just have to make it obvious , huh?!” Bokuto crossed his arms.
“Hm? No…I didn’t?” Atsumu said with his signature smug face.
“Liar.” Sakusa said in disgust.
“Ohhhhh????” Hinata’s eyes widened.
“I’m serious, guys!” He chuckled and put his hands up to “surrender” but quickly moved it down when a volleyball was aimed at his crotch. “Oi!”
*blinks* “Ohhhh…” Atsumu froze.
He still has a boner.
“I can’t believe this…Hurry up and start stretching, you Idiot!” Inumaki demanded. “We better not lose because of you and THAT!”
“Mad coz ya didn’t get sum.” Astumu mumbled and suddenly screamed as more balls were thrown at him.
🤍 Tags: @darthferbert @idiotlittleme
359 notes · View notes
modernperplexity · 1 year
Text
Mine Ch. 1: Homecoming
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Chapter Rating: E (18+) Minors DNI, mention of alcohol, substance abuse, suggestive language, abandonment.
Word Count: 4K
A/N: Ahh the day is here and Chapter 1 is finally posted! I apologize for the delay. I had originally planned for this to be up sooner but life happened and my week became more busy than expected. You guys, this first chapter is kind of massive as I am introducing characters and setting up the plot. As I mentioned in my previous post, this is my very first fic so please be kind and bear with me. My asks are open to suggestions, questions, comments, etc. I definitely want to grow and improve as a writer <3
Again, special thanks to @ssuperficialspacecadett, your advice on fic writing was truly helpful! <3 Please, please, please be sure to check out her writing! She is SO very talented!
If you'd like to join the tag list click here :)
Happy Frankie Friday y'all!
Mine Masterlist
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Mine Chapter 1: Homecoming
It felt like the billionth-mile marker you had passed on the way to your new apartment. “Almost home, just three more hours to go.” you quietly encouraged your tired self after 18 hrs on the road. You miss the warm kiss of the Florida sun and the palm trees gently swaying in the cool breeze of the beach. The open road ahead was brimming with new possibilities but the closer you came to home, the more daunting it all became. Your hands nervously gripped the steering wheel as you took a deep breath in and slowly out. “It’s the right choice, new job, new era, just with familiar people...It was the right call.” You muttered to yourself, doing your best to quiet the insecure thoughts with your favorite podcast.
You had loved Seattle- absolutely adored it. Your job was amazing, and your apartment beautiful, but tainted. So you pushed through an extra six months after calling off the engagement in an attempt to make the city your own, only to realize you had outgrown it. You had outgrown that relationship too, gave him so many damn chances to fess up about his dubious behavior but drew the line when you serendipitously found a red lacey thong under his bed.
*RINGGG* your phone blared through your train of thought, consequently yanking you back to earth. “Hey, girl! How’s the road?” Michele had been ecstatic at the recent news of your return and proud that you had split with Sam. He was what she often referred to as a “pinche cabron” (fucking idiot). After all, Michele was not the type of person to keep her thoughts to herself. She was always intuitive and strong. Her shoulder being the one you’d lean on time and time again.
“It’s…long” you laughed nervously, “Can’t wait to get my hands on a Cubano and some Tostones.”
“Oh my god! That’s right, you’ve been deprived! I’ll pick some up for us and swing by your new place. Just send me your new address and ETA.”
“You’re an angel! Thank you!” you chirped, your voice betraying your efforts to mask the anxiety boiling up in your chest.
“Hey… you okay?” 
Nothing gets past this woman.
A deep sigh relieves the tension in your body while you shift in your seat, stretching your aching back. “Yeah, just getting in my head. Coming home is the right call…right?”. You almost felt defeated, like you moved across the country and came back with nothing to show for it.
“Absolutely! Honestly, after everything that happened. I don’t blame you. I would’ve done the same thing. You know what? I know just what you need. We’re going out.” 
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The next few days were a blur. The moving boxes in your living room were now nearly gone thanks to Michele and a couple of other friends and family that had stopped by to welcome you back home. Thank goodness for their help, your body was so tired from the trip, it didn’t dawn on you until last night that you’d start your new Speech Language Pathologist Assistant (SLPA) job at the speech clinic the next day. 
The clinic had more Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) and SLPAs than you were used to but that was a blessing honestly. After a day of orientation and introductions, you really felt like you had landed on your feet. The sense of familiarity eased your new job jitters. The lead therapist showed you to your office and you began setting your room up with materials and games for the patients you’d be seeing that day. Lindsay, the sweet SLPA whose office was across from yours, briefly introduced herself and gave you a heads-up about the patients on your schedule. She passed along her notes on the patients who she had seen previously. Their preferences in toys, games, and their progress toward their goals.
“Thank you so much, Lindsay. This is a huge help!” 
“No problem, who’s first on your schedule?”
Your hands scrambled through your notes. “Umm…Camila Morales. Have you done therapy with her before?”
“Nope, must be an initial visit. She’s a little one too, says she’s only 3 years old on her evaluation.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks!” You said as you turned on your heel and continued preparing for the session.
Should be fine. Just interviewing the parent, going over goals, letting the patient get to know me… I got this.
You grabbed your patient’s chart at the front desk as the 9 o’clock patients signed in. Lindsay nudged your side and nodded in the direction of the reception desk as a handsome man in a cap grabbed a pen and a clipboard. “I think that’s your patient being signed in”. With a slight nod, you made your way to meet your first patient of the day. 
“Camila Morales” you called into the waiting room.
Camila slowly and carefully climbed off the waiting room chair as she heard her name. Her dark chocolate curls gathered into two ponytails bouncing as she made her way to greet you.
 “You must be Camila! I’m your speech teacher, it’s so nice to meet you. I’m so excited to show you all the toys we will use for your therapy session today.” You chirped sweetly as you crouched down to her eye level. The corners of her lips slightly curved into a sheepish smile as she held her father’s hand and a light blue stuffed bunny in the other.  
“Morning, Miss. Sorry about Bunzy, she refuses to go just about anywhere without him” he explained. 
Your gaze met the deep brown eyes of the man in the cap. His gaze was strong but warm, his smile immediately charming. “Good morning! Oh please don’t worry, it won’t be a bother.” You give him your name and stretch out your hand “You must be Mr. Morales.” 
“Oh, no. I’m not, uh… I’m Santiago…Santiago Garcia, Cami’s godfather. Fish asked me to bring Cami to her first appointment. He got caught up at work but he’ll be here for the next session.” He breathed. He settled in the chair in your office, watching as Cami eagerly darted to the Dollhouse you brought out for her, already making herself comfortable much to his content.
It took you a moment to register what Santiago said. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I assumed you were her father. Um…did you say Fish?” You said as you grinned at the odd pet name and looked over Camila’s file.
He let out a slight chuckle “I did… My apologies, I meant Mr. Morales...old habits, I guess” he shrugged in awe at himself using a prefix before his best friend’s last name. The way it rolled off his tongue, was unnatural, like a fish out of water.
“Ah,” you smiled, “Got it. Well, today is going to be a pretty easygoing session. I just want to get to know her, let her get to know me, and we will go over her speech goals” You took a packet of speech delay information that you usually handed out to parents and handed them to Santiago. “Please pass along this information to Mr. Morales.. Can you tell me more about Camila?”
Santiago filled you in on Cami’s favorite games, songs, books, and toys. He knew her first words and how frustrated she would get when she could not communicate her wants and needs. He knew Cami quite well and talked about her as if she was his own. She was so comfortable with him, it was easy to see that they had a strong bond. As predicted, the session was a breeze and soon enough Cami was waving goodbye to you as Santiago carried a giggling Cami down the hall, praising her for earning a glittery unicorn sticker. You swear you could hear his smile as he said “Te portaste muy bien preciosa” (You behaved so well, lovely girl).
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It was the 5th attempt at coming up with an outfit tonight. The clock was ticking and you knew you were behind schedule. Michele was on her way and she was never one to be late. The room was a mess and your clothes were everywhere. You glanced at your phone which read 8:50 pm. The time pressuring you to settle on a pair of black distressed wide-leg jeans, block-heeled sandals, and a cowl neck camisole. 
Oh my god! Michele is going to kill me. I haven't even done my makeup!
You went for an easy look, foundation, blush, mascara, light shadow, and eyeliner. Not trying to impress anyone tonight, It was a girl's night after all. As you applied the finishing touches to your make-up, you heard the front door that you had left unlocked anticipating Michele’s arrival, creak open. Soon after, her steps echoed down the hall leading to your bathroom.
Shit, out of time. 
“G’damn, mujer, you’re not ready?” She leaned, arms crossed against the door frame.
Your makeup brush hit the vanity and your hands swung up at the sound of her voice, “I’m ready, I swear... I’m ready” You giggled.
“Okay, Slothy McSlothson. I hope you stocked up your fridge with Pedialite cause we’re probably gonna need it later” she chided “I’ll put in the Lyft request and let the other girls know we’ll be heading out soon”
“You sneaky girl! I’ve been rushing thinking it was pre-scheduled!” a playful scoff leaving your mouth.
“What? I know you! I knew you were gonna run late, so I figured I’d get the Lyft when I got to your place.” She shrugged and reached for the bottle of Gin she brought for you and mixed it with mango juice. 
“Here, I thought we’d pregame before the Lyft gets here. I know you can get a little nervous going out sometimes.”
A small gasp left you, “My little Cuban hero, thanks!” eagerly taking the cup and taking a sip, “Where are we going anyway?”
“Oh, you’ll see.”
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You heard excited squeals as you walked into the lively Cuban bar, the upbeat Salsa filling the space, almost drowning out their enthusiastic embraces. The friends you hadn’t seen in a few years, Crystal, Lexi, and Naomi, ran up to hug you and Michele. After ordering your drinks you sat at a table near the folding window of the bar. They caught you up on their love lives, work, and family. You tried hard to keep the attention on them and not on your failed engagement but it was only a matter of time before it came up.
“Wait, why are we the only ones talking… what happened with Sam?” Crystal asked.
In an instant Michele looked up at you after taking a sip of her drink, attempting to read your expression to know if she needed to change the subject or not. She could read you like a book. 
Your gaze met hers, “It’s fine” you waived her off “Things with Sam are done, turns out he wasn’t as committed to me or the idea of spending the rest of his life with one person.” 
“Awe shit” Lexi added, “so that means..”
“Yep, found a little souvenir his girl left behind” They all groaned, almost in unison.
“It’s okay, I think I’m better off. I’m relieved I found out before I gave up my apartment or started making any deposits on venues.”
“And you’re back now… who knows, maybe you were meant to course correct and come back home.” Crystal chimed in.
“Either way, you seem like you’re doing great. We’re glad to have you back” Michele smiled and squeezed your hand to reassure you.
The night continued as your group bar hopped from place to place. The warm summer breeze enveloped you as you walked arm linked with your friends. Michele led your group to the last stop of the night. You all but stopped in your tracks when you saw the buzzing neon Live Karaoke sign. 
Well, this is going to be fun.
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Frankie couldn’t help his fidgeting tonight, consistently checking his phone for updates on Cami. He wondered if she finished her dinner if she struggled during bath time, or if she gave his mom trouble when it was time to go to bed. He leaned on his mom for support if he absolutely needed to. Only letting her babysit when he was at work or when he ran errands. He was so hell-bent on being a good father and staying out of trouble that he hardly let himself relax. He reasoned he owed Cami that much, especially after Ashley decided to leave. After her frustration with his decision to go on that mission, after he came back distraught by the loss of Tom and the wreck of a mission that he was part of, only to fall into the familiar comfort of his vice. Fed up and devastated, Ashley decided to take Cami to Frankie’s mother’s house after saying she was going out for groceries only to never return. That was the day that changed everything. It was that moment that snapped him back into reality. He needed to do better, be better, for Cami. That was all that mattered.
There was no way in hell Santiago would let him cancel. Not after he, Ben, and Will had planned this night for weeks. It had only been a couple of days since Santiago’s return from traveling around the world. This night was a big deal, it was the first time in a long time they were finally all in one place. Frankie would not hear the end of it if he bailed, especially since Pope was currently staying at Frankie’s until he found a place of his own. Frankie loved his daughter but It did sound nice to let loose with the boys. He had worked so hard to be who he was now.
“Fish, you good?” Santi asked, as he gave him a solid pat on the back “Seemed like you were somewhere else for a sec.”
“Just worried about Cami” he breathed before raising his glass to his lips.
“She’s in safe hands, it’s your mom. She raised YOU, she can handle Cami” Will chimed in and took a sip of his beer.
“You guys have been going on about how you’ve been planning this for weeks and you settled… on a karaoke bar?” Frankie chuckled.
“It was Ben’s idea,” Will and Santiago said in unison.
Ben rolled his eyes, “What? It was an honest mistake, we failed to notice one little detail.” 
“The bar we wanted to go to turns into a club on Saturday nights, and we all know clubbing is not your scene or mine” Will added.
“...and remind me what was wrong with our usual spot?” Frankie pressed.
“C’mon man, It’s a great bar! Brought a date out here last week. Just give it a chance. The live band is great!” 
“As long as you don’t sign me up” Ben gave Frankie a devilish grin and stood up “Ben...Benny…don’t you fucking dare!” Frankie’s grip became tighter around the beer he was nursing.
“C’mon old man, it’s all in good fun! You boys make sure he gets a couple more drinks in him, I’ll be right back” Ben winked as he walked away.
Santiago laughed as Frankie dragged his hands over his face “Tranquilo, I’m sure he just went to the bathroom or somethin’ he’s just busting your balls.” Frankie sighs “He’s right though, you gotta chill... I’ll get us another round”
A group of girls walked by and caught Santiago’s eye as he made it to the bar. Particularly one of the girls. She was pretty- very pretty. He could’ve sworn he’d seen her somewhere. It bothered Santiago for all of two minutes until he decided he’d let it go and focus on the boys. He rounded up the beers he ordered and turned to walk back to the group when he heard you. He recognized your voice. He hardly recognized you without your scrubs on. “Oh shit! That’s Cami’s speech teacher!” he muttered under his breath. He thought it best to keep this to himself, for that moment at least. He returned to the table when his mouth dropped. “No.. way! Is that-”
“Ben. Fucking. Miller…who knew he had it in him!?” Frankie interrupted. His suspicions were half correct. Ben had made his way to sign someone up to the karaoke list- himself. 
Ben taps the mic half haphazardly and clears his throat “Is everyone having a good time!?” the crowd cheers “I said.. Is everyone having a good time!!?” the crowd cheers even louder, “M’names Ben…Ben Miller and I’m about to make it even better.” he chuckled to himself “Alright ‘nuff talk, this one’s for my boys!” he turned to the band drink in hand as they continued the chord progressions to The Boys are Back In Town by Thin Lizzy. 
“That boy…always loved the limelight. He’s eating this shit up” Will chuckled as he shook his head.
“Holy shit” Santiago nodded to the music “not bad either”. He laughed and turned to see a more relaxed Frankie who had his sight set somewhere other than the stage. It seemed that Santiago wasn’t the only one who had noticed you.
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The live karaoke bar had the feel of a big theatre with two levels. Each table had a great view of the stage that had a full live band that had an expansive repertoire of songs available for those brave enough to sign up. The stage was impressive and lively, the stage lights changed colors and moved depending on the song of choice.
After getting your drinks, you and the girls decided on a table close to the stage when a guy named Ben went up to sing. He was really into the song- holding on to the mic stand and swinging it around while he sang. The lights turned blue and yellow around him, highlighting his strong features. 
“Wooo Ben!” Lexi cheered,“he’s hot.. definitely your type, Michele”
“Ooh, she’s not wrong Meesh, he’s right up your alley” you added “Wha- oh… okay” you laughed as you realized you and Lexi hadn’t even noticed that Michele had left the table. “Could’ve sworn she was right next to me” you shrugged.
Ben’s song came to a close and the crowd cheered. He definitely was a crowd favorite, from what you had seen, at least. There was a lull for a few minutes while the live band played an 80’s song in the background when the lights turned down and the stage lights turned red. You heard what you thought was the intro to a Queen song and you knew immediately who’d be up there. A sweet and slightly buzzed Michele appeared on stage. “Hi, I’m Michele and this song goes out to my best friend who just moved back to Florida- put your hands together for her!” the spotlight shone on you and the crowd cheered. Your eyes went wide, and your body stiffened. You tried your best not to cower in the heat of the light. All you could manage was a shy smile and wave. After what felt like an eternity, the spotlight shifted back to the stage, as you heard Michele start to sing and dance to the melody of Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen. The stress of being the center of attention left your mouth dry. You needed a drink- desperately. 
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Frankie’s gaze followed you as you walked to the bar. He was almost mesmerized, maybe this could be a good night but there was no way he could talk to you. He couldn’t even remember the last time he flirted. His whole world had been consumed by NA meetings, work, and taking care of his little girl. 
“Wow, Fish, she’s gorgeous! At least go buy her a drink. If you don’t, I will, and we both know I’ll go home with more than just her number” Ben breathed.
*smack!* Without hesitation Will slapped Benny upside the head
“Shut up Ben!” Santiago retorted, pausing to look at Frankie. “He’s right, you gotta get back out there. It’s been a while since…just…let yourself have some fun. I’ve seen how you've been gawking at her for the last 5 minutes. If you don’t go, I’ll beat Benny to the bar and we all know. it will be over for you then” he winks.
Frankie turns to Will, who had consistently been the voice of reason. “Pope’s right, at least go talk to her. What have you got to lose?”
“I’ll give you a head start” Benny started counting down with a shit-eating grin “Three…two”
Frankie jerked up and out of his seat, beer in hand almost spilling some on his shirt from the sheer force of the movement “You know what?...Fuck all of you!” he said with a wide smirk and middle finger in the air. He started toward the bar, the men’s laughter fading in the background.
His pace slowed down when he saw you sitting at the bar. He could tell you were kind by the way your eyes sparkled and smiled along with your curving lips when you talked to the bartender. You looked so pretty, so sweet, so…unattainable. There was no way he could talk to you. Frankie started to panic. His mind started to race and think of the many ways he would ruin it. What was the point of even trying to talk to someone new? He had ruined his previous relationship and basically tore his family apart. Why run the risk of going through something like that again? He was more than halfway to the bar when you caught him looking at you.
Fuck, there’s no turning back now. 
Frankie groaned at the thought of the plaguing questions he’d receive from Ben and Pope. He thought it best to bring back a round of beers to ease the embarrassment. 
“I’ll have four Blue Moons,” He said, his body tense as he took a seat on the red stool. 
“You wanna close the tab or leave it open?” 
“You can go ahead and close it..thanks.” He said as he shifted in his seat, reaching for his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. The bartender placed the beers on the bar and placed the customer's receipt and a pen in front of him. Frankie was about to sign when he noticed something.
Tequila Sunrise………$6.45
His gaze lifted to look for the bartender, “Uh.. this isn’t my-”
“I think he mixed up our receipts” a kind voice sweetly interrupted. 
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“I couldn’t toss back four bottles in one sitting if I tried” You shrugged, and smiled at the handsome stranger, “Do you mind?” 
“Not at all” he motioned to the seat next to him.
“Rough night, I take it?”
“Oh uh…nah these aren’t all for me but if I was having a rough night, this would be the part where it starts to get better” he flashed you a half smile before taking a sip of his beer. That was the moment when you really noticed his features. The hook of his nose, how his locks curled and peaked under his hat, the small target tattoo on the hand that held his beer.
God, he’s gorgeous.
“So.. tequila, huh,” he said as he handed you your receipts.
“Yeah... I uh, needed something a bit stronger after my friend’s shout-out. It was sweet, but If I’m being honest don’t like being the center of attention.”
“I get that. Well..welcome back. I’m Frankie by the way” he stretched out his hand and shook yours. Your heartbeat reacted to the way his touch felt on your skin. 
You both watched the following performances, giggling as you created silly backstories for each person and why they selected the song they were belting out on stage. This was nice, definitely a breath of fresh air in comparison to the handful of dates you had recently been on- your attempt at getting “back out there”. This wasn’t even a date but you couldn’t help but notice how effortless and natural it felt. You talked about your childhood and your favorite beaches to visit. How you used to love stargazing while listening to the sound of the crashing waves, it was your favorite thing to do especially on a bad day. Frankie shared what brought him to Florida, how he enlisted with his best friend, and what prompted him to begin his career as a pilot. His eyes lit up when he talked about flying, his passion and pride on full display. The beers he had ordered stood forgotten, highlighting the time that had passed.
“Oh wow, I uh.. should get back to my group, and by the looks of it your friends might be needing their beers chilled” you chuckled “But it was really nice talking to you, Frankie,” You said hopping off the barstool.
“I had a great time talking to you too, Hermosa. I hope you have a great rest of your night” His deep chocolate-brown eyes scanned yours. “You too,” You said as you smiled and turned, ready to head back to your group.
“Wait!” he reached out, his fingers gently curling around your wrist, “I didn’t get your name”. The pen the bartender left out came in handy as you reached for it with one hand and held his with the other. Frankie couldn’t help but stare as you bit your lip while you wrote down your name and number on his palm, carefully drawing a small heart next to your name. 
“Call me sometime.”
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  “Aaand he’s back! Pope and I thought we were gonna have to go over there and remind you that tonight was for the boys!” Ben teased as Frankie shook his head as he handed the beers to the men.
“So, how’d it go?” Santi prodded.
“She’s great, we hit it off..” 
“You get her number or is my beer dangerously close to being lukewarm for nothin’?” Will chided with a sly grin.
“Awe shit..” Frankie’s brows furrowed at the sight of ink smeared on his palm, “the fuckin beers” His eyes desperately searched the venue, but you were nowhere in sight.
“The hell happened Fish…OH, damn that sucks.” Ben rubbed the back of his neck “Well.. uh..did ya at least get her name?” 
Frankie dragged his hand against his face cursing himself for not being more careful.
Pope padded him on the back “Well who knows.. if it’s fate” he shrugged with a half smile, “you’ll see her again”.
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You had spent part of your weekend awaiting a text or a call from Frankie. To your dismay, the only notifications causing your screen to glow were Instagram notifications, promotion e-mails, and texts from Michele, who had been eagerly awaiting an update on your situation. By the time Monday rolled around you had given up hope that the brown-eyed pilot you had met that weekend had any interest. You chalked up your connection to him being overly friendly. It wasn’t like he really initiated. Maybe he wouldn’t have talked to you at all had it not been for the bartender’s mistake. You shrugged and shook it off, there wasn’t much you could do about it.
Monday morning’s alarm came a lot faster than you had hoped. You put on your scrubs and grabbed a piece of toast and a cup of coffee before rushing out the door. You were determined to have a great morning. Listened to your upbeat playlist in the car singing your little heart all the way to work. 
You made your way down the clinic hall, excited to meet your first patient of the day. Opening the door to see a sweet little curly-haired girl swaying her legs in her seat.
“Cam- Oof!” Little Cami crashed into you as her little arms wrapped around your legs, “Hello to you too Cami!” you smiled at her as you heard footsteps approaching.
“Hermosa?” Your eyes went wide at the sound of the voice, his voice.
Chapter 2
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Taglist:
@ssuperficialspacecadett @spookyjamie333
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burnthoneydrops · 2 months
Text
Luckiest Man on the Planet (g.d. x fem!reader)
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pairing: graham dunne x fem!reader
word count: 2.9k (whoops, had fun with this one haha)
warnings: talk of having children, use of "she/her" pronouns, Billy (if he counts as his own warning)
a/n: I miss when djats was popular on here so I decided to hopefully help the revival by adding the to the graham fic collection! hope everyone enjoys, this one's just cute. also REQUESTS ARE OPEN
You wanted-no needed- this moment to be perfect. You were not going to be happy if the money you had spent on plane tickets was going towards a ruined surprise, so you absolutely needed this to be perfect. It felt weird complaining about your long distance relationship when it wasn’t long distance all of the time and you knew other couples had it worse, but you’d be damned if your heart didn’t sink a little every time you thought about how far away Graham was, and would continue to be, for the next few months. That distance wouldn’t last forever though, thank the universe, as the people at the gate’s front desk were announcing that your flight to New York would start boarding shortly. 
“Ok, they’re about to start boarding, but I’ll call you when I land ok?” You hugged the phone to your ear, peering over your shoulder to make sure you weren’t missing anything and twisting the spiral cord with your finger. 
“Yeah, sounds good. I told Rod that we’d need an extra car to be sent to the airport so you won’t need a cab or anything,” Eddie replied through the phone. 
“Oh, you didn’t need to do that,” you laughed, flattered by the effort. 
“Oh yes I did. I-We’re not having you come all the way out here just to get stuck in New York traffic”. 
“Anything that gets me to Graham faster. And you guys of course,” you quickly added before saying your goodbyes, noticing the boarding line was getting smaller. 
The plane was incredibly boring, and the baby two rows behind you did not shut up the entire time, but you realised you managed to make that about Graham too, wondering how you two would handle it differently if it was your child screaming in a crowded plane. Luckily you had brought a book with you to zone in on, but nothing holds more power than the lungs of an upset child. You couldn’t stop your knee from bouncing, meaning you accidentally bumped too hard and kicked the seat of the person in front of you, earning some not so polite stares from the elderly man who sat there. Relief flooded over you when you heard the pilot announce that you would soon be landing, so much so that you kicked the seat once again, gaining another dirty look. 
As you stood up to exit your row, you looked across the plane, making eye contact with the previously screaming child. The little girl stopped wriggling around in her mother’s arms, staring at nothing but you as you gave her a little wave with the hand not holding your carry on. You smiled before the man behind you got impatient and cleared his throat as an indication that he wanted to move forward, so you only widened your smile with one last wave before hearing the baby laugh as you left the area. You and Graham hadn’t even had the talk about whether you wanted kids, not to mention how you would raise them or what kind of life they would lead. You had no doubt he would be a great father, but with the band already raising Julia, you figured you could push that thought out of your head for a little longer. 
When you were able to escape the gaggle of people who were standing in the boarding area you had just entered, you visually located the nearest phone, putting your backpack and suitcase aside to call Eddie. You glanced at the hotel’s phone number you had scribbled on the back of your boarding pass when you called from L.A., and started tapping your foot once again as the phone rang aggressively in your ear. 
“Hey, you made it,” you sighed in relief when Eddie answered the phone. 
“The most boring cross country flight of my life, but yes I made it,” you chuckled. 
“The only cross country flight of your life if I’m not mistaken. You rode in the van with us from Pittsburg, remember?” 
“How could I forget the bumpy roads and almost running out of gas in the middle of nowhere Missouri?” 
“But it was more enjoyable than what you just went through?” 
“Well yeah. Anytime with you is more enjoyable than by myself,” you glanced out the window at the line of planes waiting to take off as there’s an awkward pause on the line. “I mean, the band makes everything more fun,” you continued, hoping the conversation hadn’t died. 
“Right, yeah for sure,” Eddie came back to life, informing you soon after that there’d be a taxi driver waiting for you. He shouldn’t be hard to spot, you had been promised, and with how much you just wanted to run into Graham’s arms right now, you hoped for everyone’s sake that that was true. The taxi driver was easy enough to spot, holding a white sign with your name scribbled on it and an uncomfortable look on his face in the crowded area. He reached out his arm to you, which made you chuckle in response before shaking his hand, trying to keep your backpack atop your shoulder. 
“Your bag, miss,” he gestured to the suitcase you currently were wheeling behind you, and you realised that he really didn’t want to shake your hand and now his sweaty palm was awkwardly entangled in yours. You quickly let go before clearing your throat in embarrassment and handing him your bag, after which he quickly made his way to the exit doors so you two could finish this journey as quickly as possible. You used the time in the taxi to take in all the sites of New York. You had been as a kid, but it felt different now, like there was something new in the air. The hotel crept into view as the traffic was touch and go, but soon enough you were informing the lady working the front desk that you had a reservation and picked up a spare key to Graham’s room. You and Eddie agreed that you could use the time the band would be soundchecking at the venue to settle into Graham’s room for after the surprise, and you had thanked him again profusely when you heard Billy yelling down the hallway that they were all going to be late. Billy’s yelling was not something you missed while they were on tour, but if it came as a side effect of being in Graham’s arms again, you would listen to it again and again. 
The buzz in the venue was palpable when you walked in through the side entrance, trying to keep yourself hidden as much as possible given your mission. The bar at the back of the venue seemed like a great place to hide, and you kept yourself occupied by browsing the alcohol choices and chatting with the bartender until you heard three familiar voices making their way over. Warren, Eddie and Graham had decided to come up to the bar and you quickly ducked down under the bar, hoping the bartender wouldn’t expose you while they were there. You kept your back against the main island, facing the wall of bottles and mirrors, just being able to see the top of the familiar head of curls from your angle. The thin bottles distorted him a little bit, but your heart swelled at the sight of Graham just as it did every other time. 
“Tonight’s gonna be great man,” Warren commented, the bartender sliding a glass over to him. 
“Yeah, the fans aren’t even outside yet and the energy is killer,” Eddie replied, and you thought of the line of people you had passed out front on your way around the building. Thankfully no one had recognized you, and it only filled you with pride to see everyone who was there to support them. 
“Yeah,” Graham nodded, sounding more sullen than usual. 
“Come on man, lighten up. You’ve been acting weird since we got in the van this morning,” Warren nudged him, and you heard a leg kick the supporting wall of the island. 
“He’s just upset that his usual good luck call didn’t go through,” Eddie added. 
Graham got in the habit of calling you before every show as a nervous tendency, as the sound of your voice usually calmed him down better than whatever cheesy peptalk Billy wanted to give. 
Warren whistled when Graham didn’t reply, and you figured he made a face of some kind, exposing that Eddie was right. “Man, she has got you hooked, lined and sinkered”. 
“And what if she does? She always answers, so I feel out of sorts I guess. When you guys find people to love, you’ll understand,” Graham replied, trying to keep it light hearted at the end. 
“Hey, that was personal”. 
“Woah dude, what was that for?” He had set the boys in a defensive spiral. 
“We get it, you think she’s the one or whatever,” Warren teased. 
Your cheeks heated up, and it took all of you to stay in your crouched position, hoping nothing was going to squeak or hiss and give you away. The boys finally decided to walk away when Karen called them, saying they had to clear out before they opened the doors. You let out a loud sigh of relief when the bartender gave you a thumbs up to say they were gone, as being able to move your legs from their cramped position was a god send. 
“That kid seems to really love you,” the bartender commented as he gave you his hand to help you up. 
“Yeah well, I really love him too,” you said, not looking at him but at the stage where your boyfriend and his band would soon be standing. 
As the crowd shuffled in, you tried to stay relatively in the middle, hoping that whatever part of the stage Graham stood on he would be able to see you eventually. There was a hushed sensation in the crowd as people chatted and got drinks, but as the lights dimmed, the excitement grew, and a few people started whooping and cheering prematurely. Pretty soon the band was running on stage to an enormous eruption of applause, and the smile on each of their faces made you smile even bigger. From Chuck’s garage in Pittsburg to selling out venues across the country, you could not be more proud of the people in front of you, and you hoped all your efforts today proved that. 
“Well hello there everybody,” the familiar redhead greeted the audience, gaining even more shouts and cheers of joy from the people in front of her. “We’ve got a very special performance for you tonight, so we hope you’re ready to rock just as much as we are. How’s everybody feeling tonight?!” She yelled into the microphone as people clapped and hollered back. “Alright well, let’s see what you’ve got!” She smiled as Warren counted everybody off from his spot on the back of the stage and it was like the gates were opened at the Kentucky Derby. The energy radiating off of the band members and the audience was infectious, but you had your sights set on one person. Graham always did look his happiest on stage, getting to do what he loved with people he loved, and you were always excited when you got to witness that pure, unbridled joy on his face. 
A few songs in, you noticed Karen scanning the crowd, and as she landed on your section, you gave her a small wave. Your hopes that she noticed you were answered as a large smile broke out on her face, glancing back at the keyboard in shock before looking back to make sure it was really you. You laughed and gave her a big thumbs up in confirmation, and she was quick to call Billy’s name, nodding her head in your direction. The second band member to notice you, Billy’s eyebrows went up in shock when he spotted you, a smirk and an eye roll being his secondary reaction before he turned back to the microphone. After you had confirmation that at least half of the stage knew you were there, you kept your attention on the other half, staring at Graham as he shredded the guitar. A light sheen of sweat had gathered on his forehead, and as he wiped his curls back with his sleeve, Billy took a few steps back to get his attention. You saw him whisper something in Graham’s ear before his eyes went manic, scanning the audience with intense feverency.
Once his eyes landed on yours, everything stopped. The people around you seemed to be dancing in slow motion, and the music sounded like blurred-together lines of nothing as you saw the biggest smile form on your boyfriend’s face. Everything might have stopped a little too abruptly, as you saw Daisy look back at him in confusion when there was suddenly no guitar part being played. He shook his head and started playing again, quickly making eye contact with you again; a state he would remain in the entire show. 
When the show was over, security scurried over to you as people filed out, informing you that you were to be taken backstage. You got a few odd looks from a couple of girls who had been standing around you during this invitation, but all you cared about was that the moment you had been waiting for was finally here. You followed behind them until you could see the group of familiar people chatting and packing up their equipment. Graham had his back turned to the door, but Eddie had spotted you first, shoving Graham’s shoulder and pointing to the door. It was then that you couldn’t contain your excitement anymore and you brushed past the security guards, breaking into a full sprint as Graham waited with open arms. He wrapped his arms around your waist as you jumped to wrap your legs around his, his grip tightening with every second as if you’d disappear when he’d let go. He laughed as he leaned his forehead on yours, the shock from your appearance having not quite worn off yet. 
“Oh my god I can’t believe you’re here,” he mutters, leaning his neck further back to actually see your whole face. 
“You didn’t think I’d miss seeing my favourite guitarist did you?” 
“I thought that was me?” Eddie teased from his spot against the wall, which earned him a slap on the bicep from Karen and a strict instruction to shut up. 
“How did you even? What? How are you-?” 
“Eddie and I arranged it all. I missed you too much to be stuck in L.A. all by myself”. 
“Oh my god, I’m so in love with you it’s not even funny,” Graham let out a breathy laugh and your heart almost stopped. Even though you two had been dating for a while, you had said that you wanted to take things slow, given that your last relationship didn’t end so well. This meant that even though you and Graham were both in agreement that you loved each other, this agreement had been almost exclusively nonverbal. Neither of you had said anything yet, partially in fear that you’d take things too quickly and someone would feel pressure (at least that’s what you felt when your ex wanted to take things at what felt like a million miles an hour). So, in an effort to keep things calm and relaxed, neither of you had said anything close to the L word, and this moment took you by surprise. 
Silence fell between the two of you, as Graham was waiting for you to say something and you were frozen. As if just realising what he said, Graham’s face fell into one of panic as he gingerly placed you down on the ground. “Oh no, I didn’t mean-. Please don’t take that to mean you have to say anything back I just-” 
“Graham?” You stopped him rambling as you saw Karen and Daisy corralling the boys out of the room. 
“Yeah?” 
“I love you,” you said without looking at him, mostly because you were scared he would bolt the other direction and you would fly back to L.A. in tears. 
You felt two fingers gently grab your chin, and Graham tilted your head up to look at him. “You sure? Cause I don’t want you to say it just because I said something”. 
You nodded, “I’m sure”. 
He smiled and let out another airy chuckle as he leaned down, grabbing both sides of your face before capturing your lips with his. The electricity between you started buzzing as it always did in moments like these, and he was quick to tap his fingers on your lower back, signalling you to jump up and wrap around him like you had previously. The two of you laughed in between kisses until you heard a gagging sound from down the hall. 
“Get a room!” Eddie yelled. 
“Where do you think we’re going?” Graham yelled back, causing you to laugh in embarrassment and bury your head in his shoulder. 
“I love you Graham,” you commented, though muffled from his shirt fabric. 
“What was that?” He teased. You knew damn well he heard you the first time. 
“I love you,” you said a bit louder, still in his shirt. 
“I’m sorry, one more time. I couldn’t hear you”. 
“God damn it Graham, I love you,” you finally lifted your head and said it while looking directly in his eyes. 
“I love you too, I just wanted to hear you say it again,” he laughed. “I’m the luckiest man on the planet!” He yelled for everyone to hear, gaining groans and yells of embarrassment and annoyance from his bandmates. Not that he cared though, he was just telling the truth.
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callsignspark · 11 months
Text
Mar[r]y Me | part one
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pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Mariella “M&M” Vertucci (fem!OC)
summary: A love story told through friendship, laughter, and food.
series warnings: 18+ minors DNI, discussion of insecurities, difficult family relationships, discussions of food and alcohol use, eventual smut, warnings to be added as needed
word count: 2.0k
main masterlist
note: happy Friday! I'm so excited to share the first part of Bradley and Mary's story! a very special thanks to @gretagerwigsmuse for yelling in the DMs with me over this. Jordan without you the Bradley brain rot would not have taken over, and we wouldn't be here. after you read this, everyone go read about her version of Bradley and Smart Aleck; they are everything.
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part one - indecision cookies
“C’mon, M&M! You’re not deciding on purpose! Just to be annoying!”
She knows he’s teasing; they’ve been friends for over a decade. That doesn’t stop the hurt from bubbling in her stomach or keep her from snapping at him. “Yeah, Reuben! That’s exactly what I’m doing! I’m purposefully going down to the wire on a decision that will change everything in my life just so I can piss you off!”
Guilt settles in her chest the second she finishes. It’s not his fault she can’t make a choice. “I’m sor-”
“No. Don’t apologize. I shouldn’t have made the joke. I know this is stressing you out.” She can hear him pacing through his house. As long as she’d known him, he had walked at the same volume as an elephant. “I know it’s a big change, and there’s a lot of things to consider, but what’s going on?”
“Nothing. I made indecision cookies. So you know… I’m basically there.”
“Wow, okay, never once have you been close to making a choice and made those. So, that literally does nothing except give you delicious cookies to eat. Which is great, but it’s already been a month, and I can’t even tell which way you’re leaning.”
It’s only been twenty-one days. Her brain interjects, but she doesn’t voice the thought, knowing her best friend won’t appreciate the correction.
It’s been twenty-five days since she flew from Pensacola to San Diego. Twenty-four days since she spent the evening with Danielle, Reuben, and his teammates. Twenty-three days since she interviewed for a new position. Twenty-two since she was offered the job, one that came with a big salary increase, better benefits, a higher security clearance requirement, and a thirty-day decision deadline. Twenty-one days since she returned home, a serious case of imposter syndrome setting in, mixing with her anxiety.
“I haven’t decided because I can’t figure out the right answer. It’s a great opportunity, and I know I’d enjoy the work, but it’s such a huge change, and frankly, I don’t know if it’s worth moving across the country. I like what I do now, I’m settled here, and I’m finally starting to make real friends instead of just having acquaintances from work. It’s taken-” A crash interrupts her. “Reuben! What was that?! Are you okay?”
“I tripped over Boo-Boo and almost took out the side table. Stupid ass cat.” She can hear him fighting with the fat, orange tabby under his breath. “I’m fine. Keep going; we’re listening.”
“You were probably in his way!”
“Stop defending the cat! He can’t hear you, and he was in the wrong! And stop deflecting. You were saying it’s taken…”
“It’s taken me four years to get comfortable, to this point where I’m not spending all my free time alone in my apartment. I move, and I have to start all over again. With everything. The search for where to live. Getting comfortable with the job. Making friends.”
“You have plenty of friends out here already!”
“You and Danielle don’t count; we’ve known each other since freshman year.” Her voice is flat, already knowing where his argument is going.
“Okay, fine! You’re friends with Mickey. And you liked Natasha and Bob! Plus, there’s Rooster and the rest of the Dagger Squad!”
“Reuben, knowing your team’s callsigns and spending a few hours drinking with them when I was out there doesn’t mean I actually know them or that we’re friends.”
“Yeah, true, but they’re good people, and you’ll get along with all of them. And you’ll make friends of your own! What I’m saying is that you’re not starting over with friends; you’ve got a foundation to build on, so that’s one less thing to worry about.”
“Okay, well, I’m also thirty-three and not getting any younger. I’d like to have a family one day; I want a husband, a few kids, and maybe a dog. That dream gets harder to achieve if I have to start over again.”
“Is this because of your parents?” Danielle’s voice is a surprise.
“Damn it, Fitch! Have you had me on speakerphone this whole time?!”
“I told you we were listening!”
“I thought you meant the damn cat!”
“Why would I mean the cat?”
“Because you’re an idiot-”
“As fun as it is to listen to the two of you argue.” Danielle’s scolding cuts them off before it can devolve into a repeat of The Incident of 2013. “Let’s get back to my question. Is this indecision because of your parents?”
“No! Why would you even think that?”
“For starters, you’ve never mentioned kids before!”
Danielle smooths over her husband’s indignant statement. “We know it’s something your parents harp on you about.”
The understatement of the decade. 
Mary’s family is a large group of stereotypical Italian immigrant Catholics from New York. Thirty-one people on her father’s side came from Sicily through Ellis Island in the late nineteenth century and settled in East Harlem. The men worked municipal projects, performing back-breaking labor to build bridges and dig subway tunnels, while the women suffered through the dangerous working conditions of the Manhattan garment factories. The family worked hard, the entire brood saving money to open a bakery just like they had back home. Vertucci’s Bakery – named for the family – opened in 1925 and was an instant success; people waited in lines that went out the door to get a taste of the old country. As the family grew, so did the bakery; everyone working to churn out bread, cakes, and pastries as fast as possible. Eventually, they outgrew the first shop, moving to a bigger location in Brooklyn the same year Mary’s father was born.
The other side of her family, the Romanos, immigrated just before World War II. Settling in Carroll Gardens, Mary’s great-grandfather was a dock worker at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, while her great-grandmother took care of the children and worked as a seamstress out of their apartment. Through the generations and the gentrification, the family stayed in Brooklyn, enjoying the strong Italian community.
Carlo and Lisa met on a busy Saturday morning when he was working Vertucci’s front counter. They fell in love quickly and were married just over a year later. Four boys in the four years after they were married, with Mariella “Mary” Vertucci following several years after the twins. She was a happy mistake. Wording that never failed to make her feel like she was two inches tall.
Despite being the youngest by ten years, as the only daughter Mary was subject to the most guilt trips and punishments growing up, her brothers seemingly unable to do no wrong in the eyes of the rest of the family.
When she was little, she didn’t eat enough food, and the women of her family criticized her for being too skinny. Then with puberty, she gained weight, and suddenly she was eating too much food. The yelling she had to endure when she went away to school - the first one in her family to do so - practically shattered the windows in her parent’s living room. Her mother was exceptionally upset because she had found a nice Italian boy for Mary to date, one who didn’t care that she was chubby. Constant complaints about distance when she moved to Missouri after graduation to work for Boeing, where she learned the ins and outs of all the mechanical systems of the Navy’s top fighter jets and worked on maintenance procedures to keep them running. The knock-down-drag-out screaming matches when she announced that she was being transferred to Florida to act as a senior engineering liaison between the company and the Navy, not once receiving any congratulations for her impressively quick advancement.
Not to mention all the subtle implications that she was a bad daughter for not producing grandchildren yet. Despite all of her brothers being married and having provided numerous grandchildren.
“I love kids, I’ve always wanted them, but given my luck with relationships, they’ve always kinda been a pipe dream. And I barely talk to my family anymore, my parents, least of all, no one knows I’m up for a new job. Only a few people here even know I went to California, and they all think I just went for a long weekend to visit some old friends.”
“If you take the job, when are you gonna tell them you’re moving to California?”
She snorts, “I’ll just call Danny’s wife as I’m about to get on the plane, and she’ll do all the work. By the time I touch down in San Diego, the entire Vertucci network will be informed of the address change.”
“You’d do that to your favorite brother?”
Danny is her favorite by default. Being the oldest meant he usually could be counted on to stop the other three from being too brutal in their taunts, but he also joined the teasing as much as he stopped it.
“He left my name off the Mother’s Day bouquet last year; this’ll make us even.”
“You didn’t chip in for flowers?” Reuben sounds shocked, knowing the importance of Mother’s Day flowers in the Vertucci family.
“No, I did. I covered Michael’s portion, too; that’s when Mia was going through treatment. He forgot to put my name on the card.”
“Wow…”
“Yeah, surprised me too. Especially when I got a call at the ass crack of dawn the next day, asking why I was ignoring the woman who gave me life on the most important day of the year.”
“Not to interrupt this venting session, but we still haven’t gotten to why you’re holding back on making a decision.” Danielle interrupts.
Mary hesitates, embarrassed to tell her closest friends about the problem. “I just keep thinking about the worst things that could happen. Which I know is stupid, and it’s just making my anxiety act up even more, but I can’t stop thinking about what could go wrong.”
“Well, that’s obviously not working, so what about the best things that could happen? I can kick Reuben out if you want. He doesn’t need to know everything.”
“Hey! She’s my best friend, too! And I’ve known her longer than you!”
“Only by six months! And you wouldn’t have become friends if she hadn’t taken pity on you and forced you to be her lab partner.”
“Let's see, good things… good things.” She interrupts the argument over who is her bestest friend. “Well, I could live near both my best friends for the first time since college. I could live in the same town as my goddaughter for the first time in her life. I could end up loving the job - not just tolerating it - and work there until I retire. The time difference could be good. I might be able to have a better relationship with my family if there’s extra distance between us. I could…”
She trails off, simultaneously feeling silly about what her next sentence would be and also afraid saying it out loud would jinx it.
“You could?” Danielle gently prods.
I could fall in love. I could be happy.
Her answer is just above a whisper, “I could be happy.”
Reuben gently breaks the silence that follows her vulnerable wish. “Are you not happy now?”
“I’m content. Which is good, but it’s not the same as being happy.”
“What do you think it would take for you to be happy?”
“I really don’t know… Force myself to make some changes? Shake things up?”
“Shit, I hear Annabeth waking up from her nap, but - and I’m sure you’ve already had this thought - but if you think shaking things up could help, I think you have the answer about the job.” Crying crackles over the baby monitor. “Okay, I’m gone. Love you - text me later!”
“Love you too, Dani!”
“So… what are you thinking?”
“How would you feel about turning the office into an official guest room while I find a place to live?”
“As long as you join the diaper-changing rotation, I think we could swing that.”
“Deal.”
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tagging: @gretagerwigsmuse | @bobfloyds | @bussyslayer333 | @hangmanbrainrot | @mothdruid | @notroosterbradshaw | @princessphilly | @rhettabbotts | @roleycoleyreccenter | @roosterbruiser | @seresinsweetie | @thesewordsareallihavetogive | @waklman | @withahappyrefrain | @a-court-of-roscoe-and-baby | @genius2050 | @ohtobeleah
fic tag | credit for dividers here
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Epilogue
Pairing: Billy Hargrove x F!Reader
Warnings: Spoilers for season 3 (do I really need to say this anymore), mentions of death
Word Count: 1271
A/N: I finally finished unpacking! So, here’s the epilogue of nightmares and bruises! I’m planning to write the alternative ending this week, so it will hopefully be up by the end of the week. Hope you like it!!!
Ko-Fi
Series Masterlist
Masterlist
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Three months later
“You got everything?” Jonathan asked as Y/N and her mom climbed out of the Camaro and Steve pulled into the Byers’ drive behind them.
“She better have, we went through the whole house about fifty times.” Her mom smiled.
“More like a hundred.” Steve said as he walked over.
“It wasn’t that many.” Y/N protested. “What about you guys?”
Jonathan nodded. “We’re just grabbing the last few things.”
“I’m going to go and see if Joyce needs any help, and thank her again for letting you make the drive with them.” Her mom walked into the house.
Y/N knew that the only reason her mom was still okay with her going to California on her own was because she could drive the majority of the way with the Byers’. Losing Hopper had been the final straw for Joyce, she sold the house not long after what happened at Starcourt and decided to move across the country to Lenora Hills, California. She had also taken El in, considering she had no where else to go. But luckily their move out dates had coincided, which meant Y/N could make the drive across country with the Byers’, before making the final push to San Diego on her own.
She pushed herself onto the Camaro’s bonnet and Steve joined her. Neil had completely disappeared after Billy’s funeral; even Susan had no idea where he had gone. But he left everything of Billy’s behind, including the wreck of the Camaro. Susan was happy for Y/N to take it. Everyone thought she was crazy; when she had it towed home, it wasn’t even driveable. She knew where Billy kept his savings and she gave half of them to Max to help her and Susan find a new place, and used the other half to rebuild the car. She did the work she could herself and an old friend of her dad’s who had helped him rebuild the mustang helped her with the rest. Now the car looked brand new again.
She also helped Max and Susan clear out Billy’s room. That had been the hardest thing. She kept coming across items that made her breakdown all over again. But eventually they got it done. Max kept a few of his things, records and cassettes mostly. Y/N took the records and cassettes Max didn’t want, his whole paper back collection, a few t-shirts and his denim jacket. His St Christopher’s pendent was hanging around her neck, she hadn’t taken it off since Susan had given it to her at the funeral. Most of Billy’s things were still in her room at home, but she was taking some of his vinyl’s, the t-shirts, the denim jacket, and the mixtapes he had made her were in the glove box, ready to be listened to on the drive. The battered copy of The Catcher in the Rye that held all his photos was safely wrapped up in one of her boxes. She noticed the picture of his mom again when she packed it.
His mom hadn’t been at the funeral. Y/N didn’t know if that was because no one knew how to contact her, Billy had never known her new address or number, if Neil had banned her from attending, or if someone had told her and she just chose not to attend. For Billy’s sake, Y/N hoped it was one of the former reasons.
“You’ll come and visit, right?” Y/N pulled herself out of her own thoughts and took Steve’s hand.
“Of course I will.” Steve smiled, his eyes briefly drifting to the scar on her head. It was the only physical reminder of what had happened. The bruises had faded, her cast had been taken off, the only thing that was left was the scar. “I mean, I’d be an idiot to pass up the chance to spend spring break in California, imagine all of the ladies.”
She laughed. The ache in her chest was still there, but moments like these eased it slightly. “You are not bringing random girls back to my apartment, I do not need to hear that.”
Steve smiled before getting serious again. “But you’ll stay in touch, right?”
“Of course. I’ll write you letters, and you better send me some back, Harrington.” She sent him a faux stern look
He nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, don’t worry, they’ll be pages long, filled with all the shenanigans that come from working in a video store.”
“I think you mean they’ll be filled with your dating escapades and random shit Robin does.” She laughed again.
He joined in. They turned around and climbed off the car as everyone came out of the house with the last few boxes. They walked over to help add the last few things in Jonathan’s car and the U-Haul van which was towing Joyce’s car.
“Everyone got everything?” Joyce looked at her sons before looking towards Y/N and El.
They all nodded, and everyone realised this was it. The goodbyes started and so did the tears. Y/N hugged Dustin, Mike, Nancy and Lucas before moving over to Max. She pulled the younger girl into her and Max clung onto her.
“You call me, or write to me, if you need anything, alright?” Y/N said through her tears.
“Yeah. Have fun in California, he’d be glad you’re going.” Max started crying too.
“I know.” Y/N kissed Max’s forehead and watched as she walked over to say bye to El. Y/N turned back to Steve who had just finished saying goodbye to Dustin. He walked over and pulled her into him. She fisted the back of his shirt in her hands and he tightened his grip on her.
“He’d be proud of you.” Steve told her.
“He’s coming with me.” She confessed, and he was, in the Camaro, the necklace, his belongings.
“Look after yourself, and I’ll see you at Christmas.” He pressed his lips against her temple and pulled back.
“I’ll see you at Christmas.” She turned to her mom, who had been watching the exchange with tears in her eyes. She walked into her mom’s arms.
“I’m so proud of you, and I know your dad and Billy would be as well. Call me whenever you want, and you’ll smash it at college. But remember to have fun. As long as it’s safe.”
“Mom!” She laughed through her tears, her mom doing the same.
“Drive safe.”
“I’ll see you at Christmas.” Y/N walked back over to the Camaro as her mom joined the others who were staying in Hawkins.
El walked over to Y/N. “Can I ride with you?”
“Of course you can.” Y/N smiled and they both climbed into the car. She flashed her headlights when they were ready and Joyce set off, followed by Jonathan. They waved to the others one last time and she pulled the Camaro out of the drive. “Why don’t you pick a mix tape?” She told El.
El grabbed one and pushed it into the cassette player. Rebel Yell by Billy Idol flooded through the car and Y/N smiled, thinking back to the first time she had been in this car. Yes, Billy was coming with her to California after all.
Alternative Ending
Taglist: In the reblogs
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yelenabelovq · 2 years
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iii. the hatred of a minute | m.m.
series masterlist
summary: long nights begin being crowded by things you don't want to see materialize, after your legal battle runs its course. the question stands: can you fight your way out of this one? or will you finally fall?
playlist: permit the righteous to be moved | m.m.
word count: 3.6k
rating: 18+, swf, canon typical violence with a slight trigger warning for assault/SA (latter only mentioned in a medical sense), slight she-hulk spoilers
a/n: (playlist starts after if i'm being honest) this quote comes from an edgar allen poe passage, "years of love have been forgot, in the hatred of a minute." hello all! i know it's been like nine months since my last chapter and honestly i shouldn't promise any more consistent updates lmfao. i've moved twice (once cross country) since my past chapter and i'm moving out of state again in like two weeks. so life has been unreasonably crazy lately, but i watched she-hulk and when she said the accords were revoked i was like are you fr rn bc so much of this fic's plot was in fact based around the accords but also i hadn't been writing bc i didn't know what i wanted to so with it so honestly that little tweak in canon made me wanna overhaul the plot and start writing again so here i am!! this is still the bare bones of where i had planned on going with the series but with some changes so that i'll actually be invested in writing it lol and i hope y'all will be invested in reading it!! also shout out to the three people in my notes who reblogged the first two chapters like two days ago that finally made me start writing, yall are awesome. this is for u. (and she-hulk) (oh yeah also matt in she-hulk!! sexy af)
March 2024
Matt could smell your hangover.
Every inch of you was drenched in sweat and vodka and sick. You stumbled into the office of Nelson, Murdock, and Page a little after eleven, half reeling, and rendering Matt more than a little concerned. Foggy met you as you made it in the door, helping you to the small couch next to his desk.
“What the hell happened to you?” Foggy asked, tossing Matt a water bottle to hand to you.
“Have you seen, like, literally any public media source?”
Matt hummed, leaning against the desk across from you. “I did. Imagined you’d take it about this well, too.”
“Thought you couldn’t see, Murdock.”
Matt chuckled. “Good to know your humor’s still in tact.” He unscrewed the bottle an handed it to you. You took it, taking a long sip, then pressing your head to the back of the couch.
“How does, like, the law work?” you asked. “Can I sue? I wanna sue, or something. Get that asshole to put his shield down.”
Foggy laughed sympathetically, walking around to take a seat. He’d told Matt you would be coming in today only about an hour ago, detailing the phone call he’d had with Bucky Barnes. Apparently he’d fished around your purse until he found Foggy’s business card and called, asking if you could come in. Neither of them knew what the topic of your visit was, but after last night’s news spectacle, it wasn’t hard to guess. 
“That’s not how the law works, unfortunately,” Matt answered you. “Also, we’re defense lawyers.”
“Okay, and?”
“We don’t sue people.”
“We protect the people getting sued,” Foggy supplied.
“Assholes,” you mumbled, eyes sliding shut.
“So, what, did you raid a liquor store last night?” he asked, voice dancing with the odd mix of sympathy and humor.
“Tried to outdrink Bucky.”
“How well did that go?”
“Can’t remember a single thing after four p.m., but at least my hangover hurts worse than the news blasts I keep getting on my phone do.”
“You can turn those off, you know,” supplied Foggy helpfully.
“Fuck off, Nelson.” Matt laughed, suddenly acutely aware of the rip in your jeans where your skin poked through unhindered. You were crowding his senses for some reason. He pushed off the desk, walking around just to give himself something to do. He noted what was happening outside the window. Someone was walking a dog, a couple was arguing, a few honks from taxi drivers, the smell of you underneath all the liquor—
Knock it off, he thought. 
He paced back around to the opposite side of the desk, balancing himself on the edge. Your voice coated his thoughts as he tried to focus on what you and Foggy were saying. 
Foggy was explaining something about the legality of the Accords to you that Matt was struggling to catch on to. You swore at whatever he said. Matt let the conversation float over him as his senses crept out to the warmth of your skin and the softness of your voice and whatever shampoo you used that made you smell so good. He dug his nails into the wood of the desk below him, something solid to keep him from drifting into whatever made him like you so much. He knew he couldn’t, knew he shouldn’t, after the alarms went off in his mind the last time he walked you home and you’d leaned into his touch just a little too much. That bit of intimacy you’d offered him, the trust you were putting in him was misguided, unearned, and dangerous. Not with who he was. Not with who you were. 
So he denied himself, as any good Catholic would. 
He was brought back into reality when Foggy directed something at him. 
“What?” he stuttered, willing his brain to come up with something a little bit better. 
“Still with us?” Foggy laughed. 
You remarked, “I thought I was the one who was wrecked,” and he clenched his jaw. 
“My mind wandered.” He took a slow, deep breath. 
He couldn’t ignore the soft laugh you gave, or the way your pulse picked up with awareness under his focus. He could tell Foggy knew he was full of shit. "What did you say?"
"Do you think you could handle a neighborly visit?" Foggy asked.
Matt had no idea what he was talking about.
Thankfully, Foggy saved him the embarrassment of having to ask. "I'm going to do the best I can to figure out how to get around this once Bucky Barnes gets in contact with Sam Wilson. I think you should pay a visit to Mr. Walker."
Matt huffed and shifted from foot to foot. "Um, why?"
"Trying to prevent a murder," he answered dryly, then pointed a finger at you. "You are not to make contact with Walker. At all. I don't care. Relay that message to Bucky as well."
You sighed and rolled your eyes, letting your head lull back onto the couch. Your hair fell away from your neck, exposing more of your skin to the air. No more deep breaths.
"I think it can be arranged," Matt said.
He felt you tense, like you were making to get up, but you didn't move. Matt rounded the desk again, offering his arm to you. "Let's get you home."
You took it, letting him half-haul you up off the couch and into a standing position. Your skin was so soft. "Coffee?" he asked.
"You buying?"
He smirked at you, then turned his attention to Foggy. "Send any updated you find?'
Matt could tell Foggy was giving him a look that he was hoping you weren't picking up on, powers or not. You let yourself be escorted out the door, down the stairs, and out of the building, the entire time not letting go of Matt's arm.
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New York liked to pretend to have spring. There was snow on the ground, and the temperature was barely breaking 65, in a way that let non-locals believe there might be some warmer weather up ahead. He knew better, though. He knew New York would stay icy for a long while longer.
He walked along the streets covered with melting snow, dodging tourists and kids checking out colleges on spring break. No one paid him a second thought. People were too busy thinking about themselves. Everyone is always only ever thinking about themselves.
Even when there was so much hurt in the world. So much that needed to be fixed and yet everyone chooses to think only about themselves. Everyone chooses to ignore the help they could give others and instead make it about them. So selfish, he thought. But he wasn't selfish. He thought about other people. He thought about the betterment of other people. Of a community.
That's why it took him so long to pick the perfect person. He didn't want to call her a victim. A pretty blonde in a pinstripe suit. She had just hung up the phone. Perfect, he thought. She wasn't a victim, no. Even as she thrashed and kicked as he came down hard with a hand over her mouth and dragged her into the alleyway just to his right. She wasn't a victim, she was the beginning to the betterment of a community. Of the world.
He pushed the needle into her skin, letting the dosage sink into the muscle of her arm. He'd had to tear her pretty blazer. He was sure she'd be fine with it if she knew. If she knew she was the beginning to a better community.
She lost her fight as the dose made its way through her system, slowly slumping in his arms as he lowered her to the ground, and he left her there to wake up later, making his way back into the sidewalk as if nothing had happened.
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"Are you sure they're going to let you in in your condition?"
You laughed, still clinging to Matt's arm as you both made your way to the hospital. He'd insisted on ensuring you made it there safely, despite your protests. It's either this or the rooftops, he's said. He'd bought you coffee. You figured you could start your shift off on the right foot.
"They don't care what state I'm in as long as I can change a bedpan and start and IV," you remarked.
Mat laughed, and you liked the sound. "Let me know if you ever want to unionize."
"We're med students, Matt, I'm not even a real employee."
"That... sounds like it should break some labor laws."
You screwed up your face. "Gotta learn somehow. There could be worse ways. Than legalized slavery."
"Oh no," Matt said around another one of those pretty laughs. God. Go back to when you hated him, you thought. It was so much easier than thinking he was beautiful. And God, was he.
"I'll be fine," you stated, trying (and failing) to stop staring at him in the glistening springtime air. "Couple more cups of coffee and I'll be human-shaped again. Or, med student-shaped. How about you go out there and make sure we don't get any stabbings or GSWs? I want a quiet night."
"I'll try my best," he said, releasing your arm so he could slide his hand up and down it. What a gentleman, warming you up. So polite.
You stood there in silence, trying to come up with something to say maybe to extend the moment, or maybe a dig to make it not as incredibly obvious as it felt that you really enjoyed his company. Before you got the chance, a scrub-clad energy ball launched at you.
"You gotta come in here, we got a chick with some weird-ass symptoms, right up your alley. Come do your funky thing." He shivered. "God, it is freezing out here."
"Derek, no, that's not how this works and you know it." You sighed, closing your eyes, and digging your phone, which had begun ringing, out of your coat pocket.
"It is now," Derek said, smiling like he was sharing an inside joke with you. His smile faltered when he realized you were entirely lost. "You didn't see? I thought you would be jumpin' for joy."
"See what, Perez?" you asked, funneling every inch of exasperation into the question.
"The Accords got revoked. You get to be super doc."
"What?" you and Matt snapped in unison.
You looked down at your phone to see Foggy calling and thrust the phone up to your ear.
"Is it true?" you demanded at the same time Foggy said, "I have the best news ever!"
You heard him laugh on the other end of the line. "No more collar or leash for you, baby! The Accords were just revoked for American citizens!"
"Is he serious?" Matt asked you in a low voice.
You felt like you were going to pass out.
"I knew this had been in the works in congress but I didn't want to get my hopes up, but it's happening, baby!" Foggy was going on.
"What?" you snapped.
"Effective immediately, you are no longer required to sign the Accords. No leash, no monitoring. Go have fun."
"I would definitely still check with your higher-ups before using your abilities at work," Matt supplied.
"Is that Matt? Matt, you asshole, I've been calling you for like 10 minutes!"
"Dude," Derek said, "you've gotta come see this girl."
You were frozen in place, frozen with shock until you felt Matt's hand come to rest on the small of your back. You took a shuddering breath. "So, I'm free?"
"You're free," Foggy said gently.
You hung up the phone without saying goodbye, and turned to Matt. "I should get in there." Patients first, feelings later.
"Have a good evening," Matt said, his hand falling from your back. "Text me when you get home.
You knew damn well he would know when you got home without you texting him. But you didn't say anything. Instead, you turned back to Derek as he walked away and you forced yourself not to let your gaze follow him.
"Do I have time to get scrubs?"
"This chick is wild, okay," Derek began, ignoring your question. "I'd just gotten in when she came in. Flu-like symptoms, so the docs put her on me, right? Turns out, she was assaulted walking to work. All shaken up. I went to go get the kit, but she kept refusing, thought she'd probably feel safer with a female doc. So I offered up one of the interns, but she refused again. Said she was conscious for the entire attack, and all that happened was this guy stuck a needle in her arm and left her on the ground." He kept talking as you rounded the corner into the locker room. "Scumbag, right? I wasn't sure I believed her, but she let me do a physical exam and the only signs of struggle were on her face and neck. And her arm, where the needle went in. So she's telling the truth. And here's the catch. Tox screen is nuts."
You shrugged on your white coat. "How so?"
"Lit up like a Christmas tree," Derek said, shaking his head. "Amphetamine, opiates, benzos, tylenol, you name it."
You raised your brow at him. "Wow."
"And get this, she's bleeding from every line we give her. I tried to put in an IV, blew the vein."
"You're bad at IV's."
"Not that bad," he said indignantly. "But even Mar tried, and the line started bleeding. Mar! Best nurse in this place botched an IV. Doc Cohen tried to put in a central line, more bleeding. Her pressure was skyrocketing every time we tried too."
"That would sense," you said following him further into the ER. "Eight million drugs in someone's system ought to thin the blood."
"Yeah but we get at least a central line on druggies. Besides, she doesn't have any past drug use history. Her lines are clean, man." He led you to a private room towards the back of the ER. You pushed open the door with a sigh.
There was a young girl on the bed, two bloody bandages around her arms and a bandage across her chest. She was pretty, twenty-something with her blonde hair falling out of a ponytail at the back of her head. There was what looked like a designer bag and pinstripe pants discarded in the corner, the matching jacket in an evidence bag.
"Hannah Edwards, this is one of my colleagues, she's gonna do a much better job of figuring this out than we are," Derek supplied as you walked farther into the room.
You introduced yourself with as much smile as you could muster, sitting down next to the bed. "Don't sell her lies, Dr. Perez, please. How are you feeling?"
"Like a human pin cushion with a nasty flu," Hannah said with a weak smile.
"Can you tell me when you started getting the flu symptoms?" you asked.
"Like, fifteen minutes after the guy got me. I laid on the floor, not able to move for like ten minutes. When I got up, I started to go home, but I got, like, super dizzy and feverish five minutes later, so I came here instead."
"You were paralyzed?" you asked.
"I guess?" Hannah shrugged. "I got really groggy for a while and then when I tried to move, everything felt super heavy. It took me, like, ten minutes, like I said, to get up and move. Then I felt all dizzy and came here."
"Good thing," you said. You let your ability reach out ever so slightly, creeping out to touch whatever weird sickness surrounded her.
You jumped back.
"What, what is it?" Hannah asked.
"Dr. Perez, could I see that tox screen please?"
Derek handed you the paper. "Told you, there's almost so much on there that it's unusable."
"She shouldn't be upright with all of this in her system. Have you had any vomiting, Hannah?" You read the tox report again and again, begging the number to make sense but--Hannah Edwards should be dead right now if this were true.
"Just a little nausea," Hannah answered.
"Temp's been bouncing between 100 and 102," Derek said from behind you. "That's the third tox I ran. Same result every time."
You stood up, turning to meet his eye. "Let's get this shit out of her system, please."
You walked out of the room, almost slamming face-first into your resident as the door shut behind you.
"Did you do your thing?" Dr. Cohen asked.
"I, uh--"
"She started to, but something weird happened, huh?" Derek supplied. He'd seen you break the rules with your mutation once or twice or enough to tell when you did.
"It was weird. Like her sick pushed against me. She has so much in her system she should be dead or close to it, but there's something to keep her standing," you told them.
"Which is?" Cohen asked.
"I... don't know."
"Okay, so go find out." Cohen flashed her brown eyes between you and Hannah.
You sighed and shook your head before shutting your eyes and willing the hustle and bustle of the ER to go quiet for just a moment. You let your ability reach out once again, tendrils of invisible power creeping toward Hannah in her bed. You let it lace through every drug in her system, finding familiar things like acetaminophen and penicillin, the odd things like an antidepressant, and the less familiar things you were assuming were things like cocaine and meth, until you found... nothing.
"There's nothing there."
Derek and Cohen stared at you.
"What?" Derek asked.
"All that must be a front. She just has the flu." You looked between the puzzled expression the two shared.
"A flu that came on in less than fifteen minutes," Cohen supplied.
"I'm not saying that's all it is, or all that's gonna develop." You shoved the chart back into Derek's hands. "You should admit her for observation. I need a cup of coffee."
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Your phone rang again hours later and as it flashed on the table of the breakroom, you found yourself hesitant to answer.
"Hi, Matt," you said as you brought the phone up to your ear.
"Good evening," he said, his voice silky and husky and you wanted to hang up.
"Hi."
"Are you walking home tonight?"
"Alone," you said. Not the smartest idea, all things considered, but you knew when someone was going to sneak up on you. You were an Avenger for fuck's sake. You could walk home alone tonight.
His voice dropped imperceptibly lower. "What happened?"
"Nothing," you said, carefully keeping emotion out of your voice. "Busy night. And, plus, I don't really need a lawyer anymore, since the Accords were revoked. So."
Matt laughed dryly, and you felt like you could imagine his face on the other end of the phone. He sighed. "You know I can hear your heartbeat through the phone, right?"
"You're so full of shit."
"You're lying to me. Why are you blowing me off?"
"Cause I'm a big girl, Murdock!" You dragged a hand over your face. Attachment was not your style, even Steve knew that, but this guy was making that very difficult. "I don't need you trying to sneak into my bed every night."
"You have got to stop with the lying, it's getting you nowhere with me."
You screwed up your face. "Goodbye, Matt." And you hung up the phone.
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Matt was not having a good night. 
He went out on patrol like he did most nights. Like you told him to that night. That was where he'd called you from, a rooftop in Hell's kitchen. Maybe he did go seeking out trouble. Getting into fights he didn't need to be in. He wasn't unaccustomed to getting his ass kicked. No one knew more than Matt Murdock what pavement tasted like. What differed tonight from most nights, though, was the level at which he got his ass kicked. 
Whatever he was stuck with, it knocked him on his ass for a good ten minutes. Groggy and disorienting, like every cell was magnetized to the floor. His throat hurt, probably a symptom of being out in the cold all night. Even Daredevil wasn't immune to the common cold. He hauled himself off the floor with great effort, shocked his assailant left him there, and a little upset with himself he let the guy get away.
He was beaten and bruised and thoroughly feverish as he sat on the subway to Brooklyn.
He didn't want to show up on your doorstep. And you'd made it very clear you didn't want anything to do with him. But he was tired, and everything ached, and if anyone could fix his potentially broken rib, it would be you.
So, no, he didn't really blame you for the shock when you opened the door to your condo and found him slumped against the doorframe.
"Matt?" Your voice was high and indignant.
"I don't--" He fell forward, and you caught him taking off his mask.
"What the hell happened?" you demanded.
"Lost a fight," he managed, letting you guide him to the couch. He felt... some sort of tickle. Something that relaxed his muscles and felt soft, like how he imagined your skin felt.
"Matt, what the hell? Who did you get in a fight with?"
"I don't--" He grunted in pain, then relief as the pain in his ribs subsided.
He felt your face contort in pain, and your breath hitch.
"Don't--" he started.
"What happened?" you tried again.
His body started to feel light, so light, as if he were floating. Then he felt you slump against him, and suddenly, sleep was grabbing at his senses. He tried his hardest to resist it, tried to shake you awake, but he just ended up falling asleep, a hand snaking into your hair.
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trick-photography1 · 1 year
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The last few days have been a lot in terms of emotions with moving. My Pod was picked up on Monday and started it’s trek across country. Mom and I flew up to Colorado on Tuesday to pick up my apartment keys. We ran errands on Wednesday to pick up some necessities for when I get there - I’m starting my drive on the 20th and arriving on the 21st. 
When I went up a month ago to apartment hunt with my dad, I felt kind of strong armed into the apartment I picked. Logistically, I know it works better. It’s updated, less than a mile from work, more square footage, and 2 bedrooms for $90 more than the condo with a gorgeous view that I really liked but was further from work, smaller, and 1 bedroom. Logical brain won out over emotional brain.
Today I picked up my keys. And wanted to cry when I walked into my apartment. It was nothing like the model that I saw, which I logically know happens whenever you apartment hunt. And it wasn’t ready for move in. They had the head of maintenance touching up the paint as I was walking in. I told my mom that I was regretting my decision. She helped me do the walk in and assured me that it was just cosmetic stuff that needed to be done. Which, yeah. I know that. And I’m pretty sure the move is starting to hit me since I’m officially driving out in less than 2 weeks.
Flew back tonight and spent the night doing digital layouts of my apartment. I feel a bit better now that I can visualize where my stuff is going to go. Now if only I could get the final job offer and what my recruitment incentive is - my start date is supposed to be in 2 weeks. My HR rep told me that everything is cleared, we’re just waiting for one more signature, and it will be delayed because she is on leave for the week. 
I’m excited for the new adventure, but I hate that I’m so far away from my family again, and nervous that this will turn into when I lived in Nebraska and was in the worst mental health space I had ever been in. But we’re gonna think positive. It’s gonna be great.
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tamales78 · 2 years
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My Oc Backstory: Esmerelda pt: 2
Pt: 1
WARNING: ABUSE, FIGHT, CONTROLLING (ATTEMPT), TOXIC! SLENDERMAN
Again, happiness does not last long.
Esmerelda and Slender slowly grew apart and started fighting. Esmerelda wanted to move cause her father of course knew where they lived, but Slender didn’t, since it was the last thing he had to remember his parents off. 
However, Esmerelda now had to care for her sisters, not to mention something else had come up. She got accepted to her dream medical school! 
“YOU WHAT?! WHY DID YOU SIGN UP TO THAT SCHOOL, ESMERELDA?!!”
“MAYBE CAUSE I WANT TO BE A DOCTOR! WHAT ELSE FOR, SLENDER?!”
He glares at her acceptance letter and takes it away from her.
“AND ACROSS THE FUCKING COUNTRY?!!”
“Why the fuck are you mad? You’re supposed to be happy!”
“Happy? Happy?! HAPPY?! THE WOMAN I LOVE IS LEAVING!”
“Yeah, but I’m not leaving you!”
“YOU ARE!”
“Physically yes, I will be leaving, but we’re not breaking up, Slender!”
He groans and sit down on his desk. He loves Esmerelda he does, but he doesn’t want to lose her. He’s scared that if she leaves she might met some other guy and possibly get with him. Plus, even with her here they both rarely see one another, cause of how busy they are. 
“*sigh* Why don’t you three just find a place near here?” He says in anger.
“As long as we’re close my father will find us.” She says trying to reason with him.
“You don’t have to follow ALL your dreams, y’know? You’re just being selfish with this move and action.” He says gritting his teeth.
Esmerelda was left stunned. She has supported him ALL THE WAY WITH HIS GOALS! Damn, she has even helped him! 
“Me, selfish?! I literally can’t believe you, Slender! I’ve supported you all the way with your own goals!”
“DON’T GET MY WORK INTO THIS! I HAVEN’T LEFT OR AM PLANNING TO!” He says slamming his fists to his desk.
“THE FUCKING POINT IS THAT YOU WON’T GO! END OF DISCUSIION!” He says before turning and grabbing some papers.
“NO!”
“What did you say?” He says in anger
“I said no!”
He pulls her arm to him and grabs her arm tight. He slowly grows pressure and she starts pulling away to no avail.
“Dare leave and this will be over. Leave if you want, but if you do this will be over.”
Esmerelda gasps and feels about to cry at this. Is he really willing to force her to stay? Is he really making her choose? 
She gulps and turns to a photo of them. For the first months they were so happy, but then in the last past few weeks...fights. They’ve been fighting for everything! Damn, they even started to throw stuff. They thankfully, haven’t hurt one another, but Esmerelda had already been through this. With her parents, it was so bad that they slept in different beds.
“I love you.” She says nearly tearing up.
She leans in and he too leans in expecting the both of them to kiss, but she places her hand between their lips.
“I love you, I do Slender. I love you more than I’ve ever loved someone. You’ve made me feel....amazing. Like if for once I was important and mean something! However, I love my sisters more. I’m not only moving so I can do something I wish to do, but also for their safety. The moment our mother died I swore to protect them! I love you so much, but this isn’t good for us.”
“E-Esmerelda, please-”
“No! Slender, the past weeks we’ve been fighting and-”
“I-I-It will change. L-Look, it’s just stress, I-I-I didn’t mean to ever fight, Esmerelda. Please-”
She kisses him however before he can kiss back she pulls away.
“I’ve seen this. I’ve been through this, Slender. If protecting my sisters and doing what I love means to leave you...then I will. I love you, but at the same time I don’t want this relationship to hurt us. We’ve gone as far as to throw stuff! I love you, I do, however, this will be better for us. For all of us.”
He grits his teeth and throws a lamp to the wall.
“THEN LEAVE! LEAVE ME IF YOU WANT! JUST NOW I WENT DOWN FIGHTING FOR THIS! FOR YOU! FOR US!” 
She finally breaks down in tears and starts to head out. She turns around and finds him grabbing the picture of them.
“I love you and I always will.” She said before leaving his office.
That night she and her sisters packed up and left. However, Esmerelda left behind a letter. Slender’s brothers came back that night after running some errands and were confused when the girls were gone. Trender entered his brothers office only to find him in tears. He quickly rushes to his crying brother and finds the room a mess.
“Hey, what happened? Where are the girls?”
Slender tears up holding the picture of him and his now ex-girlfriend tight.
“I’m a fucking asshole, Trender. I fucked up real bad.” Slender says tearing up.
Trender comforts his brother and not long after Splendor comes after finding the girls room’s empty. And all of Esmerelda’s stuff gone. However, he did come back with a letter. All of us Slender’s brothers were now in his office trying to know what happened.  
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It’s now been a month since Esmerelda left. Slender has drowned himself in work and hasn’t been in the best mood. His mood got worse, and as for the letter he has just kept it in a safe. He didn’t want anything to do with it. Right now all he tries to do is avoid anything that has to do with the woman he loves.
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crosscanadakate · 2 years
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Living the Dream
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I am going to drive across the country. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’ve even said I was going to do it before. It’s a dream my mind drifts to now and then. It’s felt like something I could probably never do. Definitely not now. Maybe in a few years. Maybe when I retire. Someday.
Things are different for me now, though. I started daydreaming a little more seriously, plotting out an itinerary, asking real questions like “How long would it take?” and “How much would it cost?”. I will write a fuller account of my planning process, but the end result was that it really seemed like the answer to the question “Can I do this?” was yes.
A few months ago COVID restrictions were starting to lift, and travel was becoming easier again. My husband Neil suggested that we could go on a road trip together to Montréal. As we began planning for that, a thought kept tickling my brain. We’re driving all the way to Montréal… Why not keep going? It made sense. It would work.
Now, the trip is planned. Accommodations are booked. It’s happening. Over the course of about a month I’ll be driving across Canada from Halifax to Victoria, camping and driving. Driving and camping. And I’m going to write all about it here.
The Test Drive
The trip I have planned is entirely predicated on the notion that I will be able to drive for 7-9 hours at a time. Logically, this seemed reasonable to me. Eight hours is simply a work day. I could stop and rest any time I need to. I like driving! However, I haven’t actually driven 8 hours in a day. And often when I tell people about my plans, they moan and groan when they imagine driving such distances. I knew that part of my preparation for this trip - part of my training - would need to include some “test drives”. Yesterday was my first test drive.
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Above: A photo of the field at my parents place
My parents happen to live about a 3.5 hour drive from me, so yesterday I drove to their place for lunch and a short visit, and then came right back home. This test drive was a great success! It felt a little strange only visiting so briefly, but when I arrived back home I was very pleased to find that I never felt tired, and I never really longed to be done with driving. It was fun!
I peppered a few stops in throughout the trip - on the way to New Brunswick I stopped at the Masstown Market and picked up some Brother’s pepperoni for Mom and Dad, and I stopped for gas in Sackville just after crossing into NB. These are two pretty classic stopping spots for the trip to my parents place. Then, I stopped at Mom and Dad’s for about 2.5 hours, and I got to visit not only with Mom and Dad, but with my grandparents and my aunt!
There was a pretty intense thunder storm just rolling into Rexton where I was visiting my grandmother, but I saw that the storm was not moving in the direction I was headed. So, I hopped in the car in an attempt to get away before the heavy rain started. I didn’t quite succeed - I drove (slowly) in some pretty heavy rain for 30 to 40 minutes before escaping the storm system. After that, the sun was shining, and it felt like summer. I stopped again in Sackville for gas, and also made a stop at the Nova Scotia Welcome Center to check out the beautiful views from there.
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Above: View from the Nova Scotia Welcome Centre, including the Acadian flag
I did feel a little anxiety at the start of this test drive in the morning. I think I was scared that I would find I couldn’t do it. That after all this careful planning I’d realize that I’d need to start from scratch and re-think my plans. But really, this is what the test drives were for. I took comfort in knowing that anytime I wanted to I could stop. I could turn around and come home. I could even stop and stay somewhere if I needed to. This was true yesterday, and it will be true during the trip. After some initial jitters, my day trip test drive yesterday was so pleasant! I’m looking forward to getting one or two more practice drives in before the trip begins.
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Above: Leaving the Nova Scotia Welcome Centre
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sellieellie · 2 years
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update:
so last night, jason had me, bella, and a few of his other girl friends over so it was kind a girls night with jason. we got drunk and the girls confessed to me that bella told them the whole story about spencer and connor and me.
one of the girls said “this is your summer i turned pretty!! all of those boys are in love with you. we were all watching and could tell that spencer and connor really like you and will might too!” and i told her that things were over with spencer and i wasn’t interested in a relationship with will.
i confessed to bella that she could tell connor to kiss me if he wanted to a few weeks ago and she said she would encourage it. she has no filter when she’s drunk so she’ll do it for sure but i need to make sure to tell her that she shouldn’t force it if he’s not all in because not only is that embarrassing for me, but so uncomfortable for him as well.
i don’t see me and connor really getting together but one kiss wouldn’t hurt. i also wouldn’t mind a little cuddle HAHA.
all of the girls were telling me that i should totally fuck connor and that i need to get some dick before the summer ends LMAO.
i don’t see my first time being this summer but i’m hoping my first kiss will be. what i’m scared of is that it’ll happen when we’re drunk, and then he’ll regret it and totally ghost me. we’re just both so shy so idk if either of us will be brave enough to talk about it the next day.
but it’s cool. i’m also afraid that spencer will be uncomfortable because him and connor are close and i’m afraid that i’ll just be regarded to as a homie hopper lmao. but i know for a fact that spencer would’ve gone for one of the girls that jason is friends with if i wasn’t there so. he’s also talking to other girls right now so if he’s hurt then it’s his fault. he should have taken his chance when he had it. also, the whole “homie hopper” principal is bullshit and just another way to put the blame on a woman. a girl doesn’t owe loyalty to her ex, but his friends owe loyalty to him.
anyways. i’m seeing everyone again on saturday and it’ll be a big group with all of my friends. i’m excited but also kinda scared because this will be the last time i see a lot of them before school. not all of them but at least half. but it’ll be good.
last night we facetimed with one of our friends that i didn’t really get close with while he was here but he moved across the country a month ago so i speak to him more now and he’s a great friend. i’ll call him landon. but i updated him on the situation last night and he was silly lol.
bella said we could go to the art museum on sunday and i might try to get her to see a movie with me that night. who knows maybe we’ll invite the rest of the group.
this is just a little side note but jason put on goblet of fire for me to watch while i fell asleep last night and i forgot how comforting that movie was. i kinda hope connor will fall asleep to it with me on saturday like that would be the ultimate comfort.
also another side note. bella becomes so talkative about her sex life when drunk which, good for her women shouldn’t be shamed for being sexual, but it’s also kind of too much information sometimes. and i feel like she does it to impress the other people in our friend group. and maybe i’m just uncomfortable because i’ve never done it and literally everyone else in the group has but damn.
like she literally told me jason’s dick size, places that they’ve had sex (including his car where i have sat before), times they’ve had sex when i was in the house, and she even told me that they were gonna do it that night after i went to sleep. like jesus christ girl i don’t need that information. she also mentioned to me that one time, the day after a party, when she was supposed to take me home, and i was violently hungover and i waited for her downstairs for hours with people i barely knew and cleaned up a mess i didn’t make, that she was upstairs having sex with jason. like that kinda pissed me off because i wasn’t feeling well that day and i was so tired and my family wanted me to come home but she delayed me hours because she wanted to fuck her boyfriend. like damn. couldn’t wait one more hour?
i also posted an update about how i’m feeling about the spencer situation on my private twitter and she liked all of my other tweets that i posted after that today but not those ones which makes me so insecure because what the fuck. validate me please.
whatever. this is it for the update i think. excited but nervous for saturday. i’ll make sure to update after. either i’ll be super happy or kinda sad or maybe both. probably not neither. bye.
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sommergalloway1 · 2 years
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Pm Dodges Inflation, Wages Duty
On the opposition benches, the leader is paid an extra eighty five per cent while shadow ministers receive an extra 25 per cent of th e base salary (pages 9-10). Universal Agent – Universal agents have full authority to behave on behalf of their shoppers. Agents like these are fully trusted to symbolize one of the best pursuits of property patrons and sellers. First Hand talked to Amanda Hudson, founder of Canadian HR consultancy group A Modern Way to Work, about what this new regulation may imply for Canucks. You can love your job, and you'll love your boss, however your job will never love you again. [newline]A company may say it treats its workers like household, but companies exist to make money, full cease. There could also be instances when you should stick up for your self and ensure that your organization is compensating you fairly. And as Kristen talked about, we expanded a lot in so many markets over 20 markets last yr. So as we look at transactions per principal agent, we typically take a look at it on an LTM basis. And should you take a glance at how that number has trended over the earlier few years, you see it move from 12.5 to roughly 17 to only round 20 over the last three years. And if you take a glance at that on an LTM basis, we're nonetheless proper there. A person working as a Real Estate Agent in South Africa sometimes earns round 28,400 ZAR per thirty days. Employees that help and facilitate the work of income generators. Their experience is usually totally different from that of the core business operations. Revenue GeneratorsSupporting CastEmployees that are immediately concerned in generating revenue or profit for the organization. With over 60 million individuals, the nation is the world's 23rd-most populous nation and covers an space of 1,221,037 sq. kilometres . South Africa has three capital cities, with the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government primarily based in Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town respectively. Cost of living is calculated based mostly on accumulating the price of food, transportation, health companies, lease, utilities, taxes, and miscellaneous. With a concentrate on market reviews, she enjoys researching the state of the true estate market in different cities across the US. Eman also writes about trends, forecasts, and suggestions for beginner buyers to gain the boldness and data they want to make sensible selections. real estate jobs salary Brokers and brokerages also earn money from charging month-to-month “desk fees” to their agents; this can be a flat charge that is billed whether or not agents close sales or not. Though technically an income opportunity for brokers, most places of work that cost a desk charge usually wind up using near one hundred pc of those charges for recurring costs like lease, utilities, expertise instruments, and so on. These completely different niches deliver totally different commissions based on the demand and the present state of the market. Here are a few of the most popular types of niches for real estate brokers. The pre-licensing coursework typically required of prospective real estate agents can take anywhere from about 60 hours to a hundred or extra hours of coursework. The U.S. Army is the Number Two acquisitions specialist employer in the country. The average commercial real estate marketing consultant salary is $71,953. A mortgage skilled takes over on the bank facet of the equation after the appraiser performs his job, whereas any of a number of forms of mortgage professionals will assist the client negotiate the process. As the regulation is written, a non-New York employer must embody a salary range in an commercial for a remote position, supplied that the position might be filled by someone working from New York City. By distinction, a job advertisement needn't include a salary vary if the position might be performed outdoors of New York City, even if the employer is New York-based. At the time of writing, Mr Morrison earns $549,250 as prime minister, which consists of his $211,250 base parliamentary salary plus the one hundred sixty per cent loading. The tribunal also launched the pay loading for shadow ministers value 25 per cent of the bottom salary. Mr Morrison was then serving as shadow immigration minister, which means the combined adjustments lifted his salary sixty four per cent to $231,250. A special agent in real estate can perform a specific task for a consumer.
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gucciwins · 3 years
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Golden Sparks 
Harry is new to town and signs up his eight-year-old daughter, Josie to the soccer team where he takes an interest in the well-respected Coach Y/N.
Word count: 25,027 
A/N: Hello friends! I hope you’ve been well, honestly I had this idea for a while and it wasn’t until I stepped back from another piece and came back this one that it began to flow. im proud of what I wrote and I hope you enjoy. my longest piece to date :) I do hope you all love it. 
Warnings: sweet dad harry, slight angst, slight smut
please do let me know what you thought of the story and please reblog! <333
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"You're going to do great."
"I know, dad." Harry's eight-year-old daughter responds.
"Hey, I'm being supportive." Harry shakes Josie's foot, causing her to laugh.
"Thank you, I'm excited. Honest." Josie puts her hand over her heart, making Harry's heart melt.
He hadn't seen his daughter smile this much since they found out about the tryout that was soon to start in fifteen minutes. He felt awful making her move from their home in Georgia, but it was time, and this new opportunity would be good for them. Josie hated to leave her friends but mostly her soccer team with whom she had been with since she started playing at the age of five, but Harry promised he would find her a team, and he did.
The team was different from back home, seeing as it was an all-girl team instead of a mixed team of boys and girls. Not that he minds; he feels this will hopefully allow Josie to branch out and make friends that would not pick on her for playing what they said was "a boy's game." Those parents pissed him off back in Georgia, but he's gone, and he prays this goes well.
"Do you think mom will visit my games more now that we're closer?" Josie's green eyes peer up at him, reminding him that she looks nothing like her mother and is his little clone.
"I hope so. She was excited to hear about the move, remember." Josie nods before glancing at the field where other girls were chatting as they laced up their cleats.
Harry despised his ex-girlfriend, the mother of his child. At the age of nineteen, he became a father, and his ex, three years older than him, didn't want to raise a child to a man who wouldn't marry her. They were together for two months when he called it quits until she came back a month later, calling him an asshole for getting her pregnant. After giving birth to his beautiful girl, she gave him full custody, not wanting to worry about diapers and night cries.
All she worried about was getting her figure back. It wasn't until Josie turned one that she came back and demanded to be part of her life, leading to them going to court and getting to see Josie on the weekends, and it went well because his daughter always came back happy after a visit. When Josie turned five, Claudia moved to California because she fell in love and was going to get married. Claudia didn't care that she was leaving Josie behind. A heartbroken girl not knowing why she couldn't be part of her mother's wedding and why she moved across the country so far from her.
Josie cried for a whole week straight until the ice skates showed up on the front door with a note from Claudia for Josie to chase her dreams. Thus, having Harry sign her up for ice skating classes came to an end in two short weeks when she learned how awful the leotards looked on her.
Josie was then determined to find a sport liking the idea of being active and having the chance to make friends, which led to her seeing soccer on the TV when a commercial of Alex Morgan for Nike came on. She asked question after question until Harry told her okay, and went to call a friend to see where he could find a team for her.
The first team they found was only boys, not wanting to mix, causing both of them to get upset, but a mom took pity on them and told them of the Sunnyville team looking for players. It was perfect; seven girls and eight boys were on the team, and Josie fit in perfectly until she didn't.
At first, Josie wasn't very good; no kid is, but Harry every night took her to their large backyard and practiced with her, and within a few months, she was able to dribble a ball at her feet without looking down constantly. She wasn't the best, but she was improving.
Harry enjoyed every minute he got to help her improve because within the next few years, he saw her go from being timid to push someone away from the ball to beating someone in a sprint.
California was a significant change for Harry and Josie, but this was a big deal for the company, and Josie understood. He was happy he could do something for her now it was her turn to shine and prove why she deserved a spot on the team.
"Now go prove why you're the best, petal." Harry kisses his daughter's forehead, taking her bag over his shoulder.
She takes a step forward before stopping. "Walk with me there, daddy."
Harry's smile softens, "Of course, honey."
They march forward, their steps in sync; Harry can feel eyes on both of them as they pass parents in their chairs, some sitting on blankets spread out on the grass.
There's a woman, dressed in black Nike sweats, some fancy Nike cleats on her feet and a plain maroon tank top and over to cover from the breeze is a windbreaker; the team logo on the left side over her heart and right under is a name he can't quite make out. If Harry's being honest, she took his breath away, she's gorgeous, and she's smiling at him. Harry's sure if he kept looking into her eyes, he would fall in love.
"Hello, I'm Coach Y/N." She greets them with a big smile on their face.
"Hi, I'm Josie, and this is my dad, Harry Styles." Josie steps forward, holding her hand out that the coach is quick to shake.
"Nice to meet you." Harry finally speaks.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Styles. I've got all the paperwork that you submitted, and everything looks good."
"That's great." Harry nods, keeping his eyes on her. "Just Harry is fine, please." She nods, letting him know she heard him.
"Nice accent, you English?" Y/N asks.
"I am, Josie was born there too, but she's lived in the states all her life."
Y/N nods, "No wonder I didn't spot an accent on her." She teases.
"My dad sounds funny, so one of us is okay." Josie jokes at Harry's expense.
"Hey now," Harry pouts, causing both to laugh and his heart to flutter, wanting to make Y/N do it again.
"Now, Josie, how about we introduce you to the girls before we get started."
Josie nods and steps forward to follow Y/N.
Y/N addresses him one last time, "You're welcome to sit by the parents or welcome to stand behind our bench on the sidelines."
"Thank you." Harry watches the walk away, his daughter's bright pink socks standing out around the flash of black, green, and blue. He smiles, knowing he'll have a good eye on her, as will the coach.
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It has been a while since the team had a tryout for the Golden Sparks team. It has not been necessary because most of the young girls are already on the u-9 team.
She had heard the rumor of new people moving into town but wasn't sure, so on a whim, she added them up in places parents were bound to see them; at the grocery store, doctor's office, the school, and the local sports store.
Thanks to the flyers, they got two responses from Mr. Styles and Mrs. Clover, who wanted their girls to join. Mrs. Clover's daughter, Caitlyn, was switching over from a different team, so she knew the girls on the team well. Josie, the daughter of Mr. Styles, would be the only one who needed an introduction as she was new to the town.
After meeting Harry, she was surprised at how handsome and young he was. Most parents here are well over the age of thirty and are married or dating.
She has been coaching for four years now and only started because of her niece Juliet who is part of the team. Y/N's older sister, Clara, had Juliet at 23 a year after her wedding and when Y/N was only 18 and about to start university. It was a good thing she had decided to go to university only three hours away and not across the country as she first thought, or she would have missed so much of her niece's and goddaughter's life.
Y/N had just graduated and knew she would no longer be playing soccer and needed something to do when her sister Naomi approached her and asked her if she could watch over Juliet for the summer so they didn't need to get a babysitter. She was more than happy to accept.
At first, they would paint, color and dance, but they got bored quickly. Y/N wasn't one to spend her time inside, so instead, she decided to take her four-year-old niece to the park with a soccer ball and make the most of it.
At the local park, they both ran around each day, chasing the ball for hours. A week later, Y/N bought Juliet her first pair of cleats, letting her shoot in the nets. As the weeks went by Y/N, saw Juliet improve as well as take direction well. She was a bright young girl, and Y/N knew she was still small, and all she wanted to do was run, but Y/N knew that because Juliet had seen her play, she knew what was right and wrong. There were times when she just ran in circles picking flowers because, after all, she was a four-year-old.
A month into summer, a mom approached her, asking her if she was a coach because she saw her there every day. Y/N laughed it off and told her she was just taking care of her niece. The mom told her it was a shame because her daughter told her it looked like fun. Y/N smiled and said to her that she was welcome to join, and before she knew it, a bunch of little girls came together to kick a ball around.
Only when Y/N had over ten girls showing up every Monday and Wednesday at a designated time did she begin to look at soccer leagues for children, and to her luck, there was one in town, an all-girls league that started from age 4 to age 18. She got the paperwork required for her to be a coach and for the girl's parents to fill out. She pitched the idea, and everyone was aboard.
That is how Golden Sparks was created, and those four-year-olds are now eight. She has watched them grow in front of her eyes. She went through her master's coaching a team. It's just something she does as a hobby, and it's wonderful because she knows how vital her coaches were for her when she was growing up. Now she can do the same.
She loves these girls, which means she had to do trial runs for how well the new girls fit in with the team dynamic. That is why today is an important day for Caitlyn and Josie.
"Ladies, may I please have your attention?" Y/N calls out to all the girls trying to juggle their individual balls as they wait for her.
The girls quickly shuffle over, passing their balls to Kate, who is setting up both nets and getting out the bright pink pinnies that Emilia's parents donated to the team that the girls will be needing.
Josie is standing very close to Y/N, and Caitlyn comes to stand to her other side.
"Now, today's practice is going to be different. We have two guests today. We have Caitlyn, who comes from Ice Angels from across town, and Josie, who comes from Georgia all the way across the country. I hope you will be kind and welcoming because we would be honored to add them to the team."
Juliet raises her hand and smiles, waiting for Y/N to let her speak. "Yes, Miss Juliet," Y/N giggles.
"Can we say something interesting about ourselves when we introduce ourselves?"
"Now, that is a smart idea. I wish I would have thought about it." All the girls smile, waiting for her to share.
"I'll start, I guess." She puts her hand on her hip, exaggerating her thinking face. "My name is Y/N, and I'll be your coach, and something interesting is that I like to paint." She turns to Kate, who is standing there, arms crossed. "You're next."
"I'm Kate, the meaner coach,"
"Kate," Y/N chastise.
"Kidding," Kate laughs, capturing all of the girls' attention. "I'm the assistant coach, and I love making tamales. Next potluck, you'll know how amazing they are."
Kate volunteers Steph, standing next to her, allowing her to share, and before she knows it, all the girls have gone. It's a calm environment, and Y/N is happy she can help these girls be a part of that. There were a total of fourteen girls, sixteen now with the two new girls trying out, meaning they would have even teams of eight, just one more than in an actual game.
Y/N makes two teams by dividing her forwards, midfielders and defenders. Then the scrimmage vest were handed out to the team where the new girls were trying out.
"Four twelve-minutes quarters," Y/N shouts, and in the next second, Kate blows the whistle, and they begin.
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Harry was sweating, his focus was on Josie and how well she was playing, but he also noticed how the coach was whispering to her assistant coach. They were doing a lot of talking, and he did not like it one bit. They had finished two quarters and took a more extended break before the third, where Josie shot him a thumbs up after drinking water. She was too busy talking to a girl to come see him. Harry was happy she no longer felt nervous and was making friends.
He had heard nothing but good things about Golden Sparks and their coaches, but he was nervous about what they thought of his daughter. When they blew that final whistle, Harry let out the breath he was holding. Thankful that Josie would be told her fate on the team.
The coaches rounded them up, and Harry just wanted to rush over there and have them tell him there and then, but no, they were dragging it out for him. Then again, they had more than one player to look after for.
"Golden Sparks!"
It was shouted out by all the girls, and they rushed over to their bags. Josie walked to her bag, handing her pinnie to the assistant coach while Coach Y/N made her way over to another parent. A young girl with a long french braid made her way to the coach, most likely to talk about her fate on the team. Harry moves his gaze away from them when he spots Josie chatting away to a girl about her age, wearing a black top with the team's logo on it. Usually, after practice, she rushes over to Harry, and she slips out of her cleats in the car. It makes him emotional seeing her make friends, something she didn't have many in her previous team.
Before he knows it, the coach talks with Josie and the other young girl before she nods and gets up, swinging her bag over her shoulder. The three of them make their way over to Harry, chatting softly, not allowing him to hear a word.
"Hi, petal. Did well out there." Harry tells his daughter once she's an arm's length away. He frowns when she doesn't rush into his arms to give him a hug.
"Yeah, it was fun. Everyone is so kind." Josie smiles at her father.
"Mr. Styles," Y/N begins, but Harry has to interrupt.
"Harry, please."
"Sure, Harry," she emphasizes. "Josie is a wonderful player."
"I agree."
"But," Harry frowns, knowing this is not going where he would like it to. "Josie tends to hold the ball too much. When given the opportunity to use her left, she takes that extra pass to switch to her right where it causes her to lose momentum and the opening."
"I get it, she's not perfect, but neither are those players out there."
"Dad." Josie gives him a glare to be quiet and listen.
"As I was saying," Coach Y/N, her voice just a bit less friendly. "She has flaws, but we noticed she has lots of speed; she controls the ball really well. She's stellar in the midfield."
Harry shifts his eyes to Josie, who is holding back a smile, and that is when he knows she's in. "We'd love to have her join the team and help her become an even better player."
"That's wonderful, I accept."
"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm glad you think it's a good idea, but it's Josie's choice to make."
"You're right. I'm sorry. Josie, honey." He steps back, a tad embarrassed.
Josie lets out a nervous laugh, "I had fun."
"How long have you played?" Y/N asks Josie.
"Three years now," Josie says, looking at Harry for confirmation and nods.
"The most important question is how you felt playing with everyone?" Y/N knows how important feeling welcomed to a team can mean to someone.
Josie looks up at her, a smile on her face. "Like I belonged."
"Does that mean you're joining?" The young girl standing behind Y/N answers.
"Yes. I would love to join." Josie says, a grin taking over her face.
"Well then, welcome. Practices are 5-7pm. Sometimes we can have a scrimmage with other teams, and it will be an hour before or after just to take that into consideration. Games are on Saturday, but when we have tournaments, they are Saturday and Sunday."
"That's great. I sometimes get out of work late." Harry confesses.
"It's why practices are later because we know parents work. So just shoot us a text the day before or early morning, and either Kate or I can pick them up as well as other parents. We're great with carpooling."
Harry smiles; he likes how organized they are. He has no worries about Josie joining the team. He's happy, and if he's honest, he is kind of glad to see more of Coach Y/N.
"It was great to meet you, and I'll see you on Monday for practice," Y/N tells both Harry and Josie.
As they are going to walk away, the young girl in two dutch braids speaks, "Auntie Y/N truly is the best. She's the reason I play so well." Juliet tells Harry.
Y/N blushes, "Knock it off. Save the sweet-talk for Kate."
"She's your aunt!" Josie explains. "That's so cool."
"Harry, this is Juliet, my niece and the reason this team exists. I introduced her to the sport at age four."
Juliet nods, "Yeah, because she didn't want to rotten my head with television."
This causes all of them to laugh. Harry and Josie walk away with a smile on both their faces.
Yeah, they would fit just right in. It was beginning to feel like home.
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It's been a month since Josie joined the team, and he's never seen her shine as much as she has since she joined the group. It's like she's a whole new little girl, he hates to admit it, but his little girl is growing right in front of his eyes.
They had recently had a team bonding; they headed to Kate's house to swim and do a little bonfire. Parents were allowed to stick around, but almost none did because they want their daughters to feel comfortable hanging out with their friends and be themselves. Also, all the parents trusted Kate and Y/N with their daughters because of the years of friendship.
Harry wanted to stay the first time, a bit fearful she wouldn't like it and also because he wanted to get to know Josie's coach better. He hadn't had many chances to chat her up, always getting a formal greeting and a goodbye. Harry can proudly say he has a crush on coach Y/N, but he wants to have a chance to take her out and maybe take it further.
Josie begged and begged him not to stay, so he just did a quick hello and then left. What did he do in the four hours his daughter was gone, nothing. He was bored without her. Harry began to watch a movie he'd been dying to see, but it was boring. He went to call his best mate, but it went straight to voicemail, then remembered it was date night for Mitch.
He couldn't drink because he wanted to pick Josie up even though he knew she could carpool, but he wanted to hear all about it right away and maybe get one more glance at Y/N because she looked lovely in her pastel pink shirt, black leggings, and a matching scrunchie. His feelings only grew each time he saw her, but he wouldn't dare pursue anything because his daughter adored Y/N, and he wouldn't do anything to wreck that.
It was Monday, and he was driving his daughter to practice. She was on a high because she spent the weekend with her mom. Claudia managed to make her soccer game and then took her home for the week. Everyone got an insight of his ex and how she was not the kindest, but sure did adore her husband by the way she kissed him the majority of that game. Harry did not want to sit next to them, but she wanted to flaunt her relationship in his face to his luck. Not that he cared one bit, he just cared about his daughter's happiness. That she happened to be a part of.
After they won the game, she sprinted over to them after Y/N congratulated them on the win, and they finished shaking the other team's hands. Josie wrapped her arms around Harry, squeezing him tight before hugging her mother, who just patted her back before letting her go congratulating on her goal.
Claudia's interactions with Josie always made Harry upset, but what was he to do? She gave him full custody and only saw her on weekends. It was easy living, but that doesn't mean he had to like it. He wanted his daughter to have a mother figure to guide her and show her the right and wrong to show her what it is like to be strong and resilient, yet Claudia was none of that for his daughter. Sarah, Josie's godmother, did more of that, and Harry was thankful.
Showing up to practice, Harry was embarrassed and hoped Y/N didn't bring up meeting his ex-girlfriend. Josie was quick to introduce them, but thankfully the conversation didn't last long as she was called over by the other team's coach.
"Can you drive any slower?" Josie pouted, looking out the window as Harry entered the parking lot at a safe speed in case any person happened to cross in front of him.
"Josie, I'm not trying to run anyone over." Harry sighs as he finally eyes an open parking space and signals left, always cautious about an accident.
"Well, I want to talk with my friends before practice." Josie has unbuckled herself and is close to throwing herself out of the car.
Harry puts the car into park, unlocking the car door. "Fly, young one."
The grin that takes over Josie makes Harry happy. "Love you, dad."
"Love you too, Josie."
Harry slides his sunglasses on, hating how bright the sun was; it'd be a few hours until the sunset. He was nervous; he was dressed in black slacks that hugged him in all the right places with a mint button-down shirt that calls attention. He didn't have time to change today; everyone saw him in his casual clothes, never his work attire. Josie said she didn't mind, but he did. Honestly, he was nervous about what Y/N might say about his look. Not that he cared what she thought. Not one bit, right?
He went to his trunk, got out his purple folding chair, and left the matching one there. Harry is a sucker for deals which is why he walked out of the store with two when he only needed one.
He strolled, making sure no eyes were on him, and he was in the clear until he heard a shout, "Dad!" He looked over at the field, and it was Josie waving at him to sit closer to the parents. Harry shot her a thumbs up; he liked the parents genuinely. They have all been so kind and welcoming, telling him the best places to go for the team's discount.
He got along well with Payton's and Stephanie's parents. They had a good sense of humor and liked asking him questions about where he was from and how Josie was growing up. His daughter had become best friends with Juliet. They were two peas in a pod, talking from the beginning of practice to staying almost ten minutes after as they slowly took off their cleats.
Y/N didn't mind seeing as she had to pick up everything, and the girls were eager to help her if it meant spending more time together. Honestly, she was begging for a sleepover, but he kept telling her no because he wanted to meet at least one of her parents first. He wasn't sure what either one did, but Juliet didn't mind if they couldn't make it to a game because her biggest supporter was already there.
Harry approaches where all the parents sit under a shaded tree, waving at everyone before taking a seat next to a man reading on his kindle. He smiled, knowing he loved reading in his downtime as well. This would be an excellent spot to sit, conversation or not he'd be comfortable, but first, an introduction was needed.
"Hello, don't mean to bother you, but I don't think I've seen you before. I'm Harry Styles. My daughter Josie joined the team last month."
"Well, Harry Styles, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard wonderful things about your daughter. I'm Xavier Torres, father of Juliet." Xavier responded with a bright smile on his face.
Harry doesn't hide his surprise. "I've been dying to meet her parents. She's a wonderful girl, glad our daughters decided to get along."
"Yeah, we come as often as we can, but Juliet always assures us she's fine. That she has the best auntie watching over her."
"Coach Y/N is great with everyone. I've never seen anyone so dedicated." Harry shares.
"She's always been like that. I met Clara in my second year of university. She was only fourteen then, but she was so caring. I wasn't introduced to the family until we've been dating for six months, and she was shy but always offered me water or cookies she had baked. I loved having conversations with her; she has always been the smartest person in the room."
Harry grins; this definitely grew his crush on Y/N.
"I hear they are begging for a sleepover," Xavier comments, breaking Harry from his thoughts.
Harry nods, "Yes, I kept saying no because I wanted to meet the parents."
Xavier smiles, agreeing they were the same. "Yeah, we had to meet the dad."
He's shocked Xavier doesn't ask him about a partner, but then again, Y/N could have easily mentioned meeting Claudia and her husband. Harry's grateful if she did not like having to explain how he's a single dad and how he wishes his daughter's mother would do better.
"Well, now that this has happened, I have no problem with a sleepover happening."
"Glad we're on the same page." Harry laughs, grateful, their daughters will be happy with them.
Harry and Xavier spend the entire two hours of practice talking. Harry has close friends, but he wouldn't be opposed to adding Xavier to his guys' nights that happen less frequently now. At the end of practice, they exchange numbers and promise to coordinate a date for the girls. It may be summer, but the girls are still keeping busy during the week instead of doing nothing.
The girls rush over to them at the end of practice, giggling at the two fathers still chatting away.
"Does this mean a sleepover can happen?" Juliet asks, squeezing Josie's hand she's holding.
Harry and Xavier share a look and nod. "Yeah, it can happen."
"Amazing!" Josie cheers jumping up and down.
"We have to plan a day that works for both of us, so it may be a while." Josie frowns but nods. Juliet does not accept it.
"Auntie Y/N can host it."
"Your auntie is going to do what?" Y/N says, sneaking up behind her tickling her sides.
Juliet lets out a loud shriek, not being able to escape her grip. Harry beams at Y/N loving how playful she is with her niece.
"You can host our sleepover. You aren't busy like daddy and Mr. Styles." Juliet says in one breath after Y/N let her go.
"I do have a job, you know," Y/n says in a sing-song voice. Xavier laughs as Juliet pouts. "But I do have more availability than your parents. I'd do it if both of you were comfortable with it." Y/N looks up at Harry and Xavier, letting them have the final say.
Xavier throws an arm over Y/N's shoulder and pulls her in a hug. "Of course, it's a yes; I'm always looking forward to a kid-free house."
"Rude, daddy." Juliet frowns, crossing her arms.
"Only joking, my little flower. How about frozen yogurt on the way home?"
"You're forgiven."
Y/N waits patiently for Harry to answer as he has a staring contest with his daughter.
He sighs, "Yes," Josie cheers, hugging Juliet. "Only if we're really not imposing on Y/N."
"Please, Harry. I'd be honored to have them over. I'm an excellent host, and my movie collection is amazing."
Juliet smiles. "She does, also the biggest backyard so we can run around and do whatever. There's also a pool." She whispers the last part.
"Enough speaking about my house. She'll get the tour soon enough."
"So it's settled," Harry tells them.
"Guess it is; send me when you guys decide. I'm free after twelve on Fridays, and I'll take them to the game on Saturday, of course, or we can do it after a game. All up to you, gents." Y/N gets it all out there, allowing Harry to breathe a little easier.
"Good," Xavier shouts.
"I'm going home, coming Julie?" As Xavier swings his chair over his shoulder. "Daddy, you have to help auntie Y/N. You just sat on your butt for two hours."
"Hey now, I watched you practice."
"I'm going to tell mommy, you know how she feels about you not helping Y/N. She'll give you an earful." Juliet sasses her dad.
"I don't know where you got all that sass from, but I know I'm going to hate it when you're a teenager," Xavier mumbles as he goes to get the goal nets put away.
Y/N laughs before turning to Harry and Josie, "I'll see you both on Wednesday. Have a good night."
Harry watches her walk away as she races Juliet over to the balls scattered around. He smiles at the ground, hoping he could one day make her laugh that much. He doesn't notice Josie watching him, and she grins, happy that maybe one day her daddy will smile as bright as Xavier does when speaking about Juliet's mom.
They walk hand in hand to the car, both comfortable walking in silence for what the future might bring them.
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Y/N enjoyed morning games as opposed to the afternoon, where the sun was blazing high. She had a hat that was helping with the heat, thankful she hadn't started sweating yet. She loves coaching, but during the summer, it isn't the most enjoyable.
"Hi, Coach Y/N."
She turns her head over her shoulder and sees Harry approaching. She checks him out, thankful for her sunglasses; he's got a black short-sleeve button-down that shines in the sunlight, letting her know it's expensive; he paired it with white linen pants and the beat-up Vans he always wore. He always looks good.
"Nice to see you, Harry."
"How are you?"
"Doing good, bracing the summer heat."
"Yeah, not so enjoyable."
"Ready for the game," Harry says, pointing to the field that will soon have fourteen girls running around.
"Yes, they have been working hard. I'm excited, and you?"
"Oh, nervous," he confesses.
"The girls are going to do great. If they start dozing off, then we can start to worry."
Harry laughs, knowing that she is right. It's about the girl's focus.
"How long did you play?"
"Too long." Y/N jokes.
"Haha," he laughs.
"I started at six and played up until I finished university."
"Wow! You must have been marvelous." Harry is amazed that someone can play a sport that long then go to teaching. He was never the most athletic, but he was a beast at ping-pong that was all hand-eye coordination.
"I would like to think I was good."
"You started coaching when?"
"The year I turned four, and soon enough I was running, and by four she bought me my cleats and bam! A team was created." Juliet answered for her.
"I'm pretty sure you told Harry this already." Y/N laughs playfully, nudging Juliet.
Juliet shrugs, "Just like reminding."
Y/N grins, "Okay, lovebug."
"Plus, you're a great coach."
Harry nods. "I can attest to that. All the girls love you, including Josie."
"And I love them," she tells him truthfully. "We don't get many new players, but we're happy to have Josie. She earned the starting spot as right-wing."
Juliet nods, jumping up and down, "Yeah, she's really good."
"Go on, start the girl with four corners." Y/N pats Juliet's back to get her to go on the field.
"Yes, ma'am." Juliet takes off running, talking to Kate, who helps her get started, and Y/N knows it's her cue to walk away from Harry.
"Good luck, coach."
"Thank you, Harry. See you after."
"Sure, of course. I'll be cheering for you. I-i-i- what-" Harry stutters while she stands there holding back a smile as she can see the heat traveling up his face. "I mean you and the girls. A-all as a team."
"Well, we appreciate it."
Harry watches her walk away, letting out a short laugh, not being able to believe he made a fool of himself.
The game was tied 1-1 with only eight minutes left. Harry could see Y/N was calm, voice firm when speaking to the girls. Lola was about to take a corner kick, he saw her take a step back, and Harry was ready for her to strike it, but instead, she shocks him as she passes to a player who ran up to her.
This startles the other team before Brenda sends it to the center midfielder, who passes it to Josie, who is screaming she's open. Brenda sends a through ball, and off his daughter runs. She gets a foot on it, looking at where the goalie stands. She makes the pass strong enough that the goalie doesn't stop it and just for Andy to tip it in, but it's too strong, causing the ball to go over the net. It's a miss but, everyone didn't mind impressed with the play.
The last few minutes were slow as both teams were tired out, and there was no chance for another goal in two minutes. When the referee blows the final whistle, all the girls bring it in, jogging over to Y/N and Kate as they all round up in a group hug. Harry can't hear what she's saying, but he knows it's reasonable considering all the girls are sporting similar smiles. He is quick to pack up his chair, ready to say goodbye to his daughter, who is about to have a sleepover with her coach and best friend.
The girls come back from clapping the other team's hand and are quick to go sit on the bench and take their shoes off. The clean-up was accomplished quickly today. Harry is waiting to talk to Y/N as she speaks with other parents. Caitlyn's dad praises her for that play, but Y/N is quick to tell him it was all the girls; they are the players. Either way, he hugs her, and Y/N pats the older man back softly. She waves goodbye to most girls when he finally gets to approach her.
"Great game today."
"Yes, they played well." Y/N agrees.
"Your coaching reflects on them."
"In a good way?"
He nods, "The best way."
She thanks him, and he knows she's not one to be boastful, so he changes the conversation.
"You are still good to take them for the sleepover."
"Of course, I'm excited."
"That's great. What time should I pick her up tomorrow?"
"Oh, I forgot to mention earlier, my sister and brother-in-law are coming to have dinner if you'd like to join us. Xavier has been dying to use the grill, and you'll get to meet my sister and my nephew."
"Juliet never talks about a brother."
Y/N chuckles, "It's because he barely started walking, so he doesn't hold much of her attention."
"Ah, that makes sense."
"She loves being a big sister, but only when he sleeps or plays blocks."
"Older siblings got to love them."
"Yeah, I know."
"Do you have a sibling?"
"I do. She's 35 and lives in London and runs a law firm. Total badass."
"I bet she is."
"If she ever stops and visits, please bring her around and would love to get all the dirt on young Harry Styles."
"Only if I get to do the same."
"Stop by Sunday, and you'll get the chance." She shrugs at him as she walks away.
"See you Sunday then." Harry shakes his head smiling as she grabs a bag of soccer balls and begins walking to the parking lot.
Josie runs over and gives him a big hug. "See you tomorrow, daddy."
"Bye honey, call me if you need anything."
"Sure, I love you." She yells as she runs to Y/N and Juliet, who are waiting for her at the end of the grass.
Harry knows she's in good hands, but his heart can't help but miss his little girl. He'll see her tomorrow and Y/N as well. He ignored how hard his heart was thumping at his interaction with Y/N instead of letting himself get lost in the idea of the beautiful afternoon that was to come tomorrow.
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Y/N had a great time with the girls. She promised she would let them do their own thing and just supervise, but both girls wanted her involved. As soon as they arrived at her house, Juliet gave Josie a tour of her home, taking her room to room before they ended up in the backyard, both dressed in their bathing suits to go swimming.
She couldn't help but laugh, knowing how eager they were to go jump in the pool despite playing an intense game for an hour in the blazing sun.
"You little ladies must eat first before you can even think of swimming," Y/N says, arms crossed over her chest, knowing Juliet was going to try to fight her on it.
"Auntie, that's not what we want to do."
"Maybe so, but your tummy's say otherwise."
Josie steps over from behind Juliet to stand next to her. "I would like to eat. Dad says we need to regain all the energy we worked off."
"Your dad is a smart man, Jo." Y/N nods to the girl. "It's a 2-1 vote, then."
"Fine," Juliet groans dramatically.
The girls sit at the table as Y/n begins to boil pasta. She decides on pesto as she has had a craving, and both girls happily agree. In just thirty minutes, she serves the girls two even plates, and they have a flowing conversation. Mainly, Josie and Juliet do the talking, occasionally asking YN her opinion or a question they want her to answer.
After the late lunch, she sends the girls to wash up and meet her outside to lather them in sunscreen. She puts most of her dishes in the dishwasher and soaks her pans in water, wanting it to be easier to wash later when the girls give her a free moment.
"Thirty minutes we are waiting," Y/N tells them, the sun lotion bottle in hand.
"Come on, you believe in that?" Juliet asks.
"Okay, little miss rebel, since when do you always question everything I say." Juliet's eyes go wide, and she shrugs.
"Alright, listen. I adore you, Juliet, but it's not nice trying to take advantage of me because you have a friend over."
Y/N waits for her to say something, but she nods her head and moves to hug her around her waist. She hears her mutter a sorry, and when Y/N brushes her hair back, she sees Juliet move back to look up at her. "I'm sorry."
Y/N gives her a small smile. "It's alright. Now sit down so I can get your back."
Josie patiently waits her turn, and just as Y/N finishes Juliet, she speedwalks to the edge of the steps and sits on them, letting her feet get soaked. Josie sits patiently as Y/N spreads the sunscreen to her shoulders, then turns her to get her face and neck, allowing Josie to rub it into her legs.
"All done, Josie." She stays seated on Y/N's patio chairs under the shade. Y/N doesn't question her not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.
"Is it okay if I go join Juliet?" Josie asks in a soft voice.
Y/N almost awes out loud at how polite Juliet is, "Of course, go on. I'll let you know when it's okay to go in."
Looking out at the spacious yard, Y/N frowns, getting lost in thought about how she has the perfect home, but it gets lonely. It might be time she looks into getting a pet. She'll have to go check the local shelter soon but knows she should think about it for a while longer.
The ringer of her phone tears her out of her head when she hears the splashing, "Is it, time auntie?"
"Yeah, sweetie, it is."
Quickly she swipes three pairs of goggles from the table just as she begins to hear their splashing paired with laughter.
"Are we playing mermaids, auntie?" Josie asks as Y/N steps into the water, relaxing in the cool water, not suffering from the heat.
"We sure are," Y/N raises the three goggles and hands over one to each of them.  
It's after two hours that they all emerge from the pool, deciding to head into the shower seeing as the sun has begun to set. She ushers them carefully to the shower letting Josie use the guest room and Juliet her room seeing as they are the only two rooms fully equipped with towels and shampoo.
After the three of them are clean and changed in the pj's, Y/N makes popcorn to snack on while they play a few board games. They switch from Uno to Candyland to Mancala. It goes on for a while until they decide to put on a movie deciding on Tangled.
It wasn't until a quarter to ten that Moana watched Maui sing "Your Welcome," they began to yawn and started trying to fight back to sleep. Y/N thought they would never go down to sleep because two eight-year-olds have too much energy. Y/N paused the movie and told them it was time to sleep. Neither girl put up an argument.
She guided them to the guest room that had become Juliet's over the years. The girls get tucked into bed after brushing their teeth.
"Thank you for a great day, Y/N," Josie whispers, grabbing her wrist, halting her, tucking their blanket.
Y/N smiles at the kind girl. "Of course, sweetie. It's been a joy having you here."
Y/N goes to Juliet, gives her a kiss on the forehead, whispering a quiet goodnight who already has her eyes closed, her breathing slow and steady. She goes to Josie, who's looking at her with wide eyes. "Would you be okay with a forehead kiss goodnight? I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Y/N addresses the young girl.
Little does Y/N know that small comment was enough for Josie to seal Y/N in her heart forever for her kindness. "Yes, please." Bright green eyes look up at her with a small smile as she gives her a soft kiss.
"Goodnight, Y/N."
"Night, Jo."
Y/N goes to her room and does her night routine taking extra steps due to getting more sun exposure today. She loves how she feels putting on moisturizer at the end of the night. She lays in bed under her soft white covers. Her eyes shut, and she begins to count backward. She reaches all the way to one and tries again but stops halfway, sighing, knowing there's no chance she'll sleep; she heads to the kitchen to make herself a tea.
With her chamomile tea in hand, she sets it on the chrysanthemum coaster on the side table, picks up the book she left there, and sets it in her lap as she turns on her television to Netflix, deciding on The Great British Baking Show to use as white noise. She presses play on where she last left off, forgetting the book in her lap as the bakers had to make a raised game pie for their signature.
Y/N had already watched collection three, but it was one of her favorites. She loved the bakers and liked watching Nadiya improve each episode. The technical challenge was getting started, the bakers reading their vague instructions to make the tennis fruit cake when she heard small steps down the stairs.
She turns around, spotting Josie making her way down, "Hi there, you alright?"
Josie just nods but continues towards her, joining her to sit on the couch. "Can't sleep?" Y/N asks to share her lavender throw blanket with Josie.
"Not really."
"Yeah, I get restless sometimes as well."
Josie stares, tilting her head as if trying to figure out why she can't sleep, "What do you do to try to sleep?"
"Well, I usually try to read a book in bed, but I decided tea and a bit of tv would help."
Josie nods, and Y/N can tell she's working up the courage to ask her something. "Can I please try with you?"
"Of course, would you like tea as well?"
"Chamomile?"
"Sure, that's what I was drinking."
"Daddy adds a bit of honey."
Y/N smiles, "Honey, I can do that."
She goes to the kitchen alone, getting Josie her favorite mug with bees scattered all around. As soon as she's done making her tea and checking it is at a suitable temperature, she brings it out to her. Y/N sees Josie has put play on the show.
Y/N just grins, happy the girl likes the show as well. "Have you seen this season?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, me too."
"Nadiya is excellent," Josie comments as Nadiya wins first in the technical challenge.
"She is! I'm glad they picked her as the winner though she had strong competition against Ian and Tamal."
Both Y/N and Josie sit there in silence, sipping their teas, watching the bakers now try to make Charlotte Russe cakes for the showstopper. It's not until the presentation begins that Josie breaks their comfortable silence.
"Why can't you sleep?"
"Well, uhh, sometimes I can't get my brain to shut down and have lots of thoughts swirling around."
"Oh," Josie responds. "Do they ever stop?"
"Yeah, usually when I count backward or tell myself a story."
Josie looks delighted at hearing Y/N sharing this with her. "What kind of story?"
"A sweet one, one my grandparents used to tell me, or I make one up."
"And it works?"
"Almost always."
Josie continues with her questions, but Y/N doesn't mind. "Do you get bad dreams?"
"Not always, but sometimes, do you, Jo?"
Josie smiles, "I like that."
"What?" Y/N says, puzzled, aware she avoided the question.
"Jo, dad calls me honey, darling, Josie and Josephine when I do something I'm not supposed to, but no one ever has said, Jo. I like it."
"Oh, I'm glad. It's alright that I keep calling you that then."
Josie repeatedly nods, "Of course."
Y/N looks back at the TV focusing on the new episode that started during the talk.
"Sometimes I dream I'm back in Georgia with daddy." Josie is looking down at her lap, where she draws a circle on the palm of her left hand with her right index finger.
"Yeah, how does that make you feel?"
"Sad sometimes and sometimes happy."
"Why is that?" Y/N asks in a soft voice.
"Well, mommy called me more when I lived farther away. Now I don't get to see her every weekend even though that's the deal. She doesn't even like watching me play."
"That must be tough, Jo. Have you shared this with your dad?"
Josie shakes her head no. "He'd get mad at mom, and I don't want anyone fighting."
"Don't think it's fighting. Your dad just wants the best for you and wants your mom to see that as well."
"I guess."
"Did you know I've visited Georgia?"
"You have?" Josie sits up, crawling closer to her, excited at the change in conversation.
Y/N nods, "My grandparents had family there, so every summer, we'd make our way there. Spent all our time at the lake or just walking through the woods. They lived in a secluded area, so lots to roam."
"We lived in the city."
"I bet you still went to neat places."
Josie thinks about it for a minute, "We did, the weekends were for the lake, and it was easy to drive to another state for a week."
Y/N laughs, knowing how exciting it was visiting a new state in a matter of hours compared to how hard it is in California. "Yeah, I liked that as well."
"What's your favorite memory?"
Y/N stops to think about it; it has been a while since she thought back to her times there. She hasn't had the chance to go back since her grandparents passed away.
"The fireflies. I remember we were in one of my uncle's backyard, and he was showing us his peaches. When I saw a buzz of light followed by another, and soon enough, they were all around us. My uncle tells me he'll never forget the look on my face because it was true happiness and disbelief."
Y/N's smile is nostalgic. If she closes her eyes tight enough, she can picture the fireflies surrounding her. She's brought back to the present when she feels a small hand placed over her own.
"Thank you for sharing that with me," Josie says before she leans over, giving Y/N a hug.
Y/N laughs and hugs her back, happy she got to know this sweet girl better.
"I think it's time for bed."
"Okay."
As they begin walking up the stairs after making a stop in the kitchen to put their mugs in the dishwasher, Y/N stops outside the guest room.
"You're really wise for your age."
Josie nods, "My dad tells me that all the time."
Y/N can't help the smile that Josie draws out of her, "Goodnight."
"Night."
Y/N goes to bed with lots more on her mind. Her thoughts on the young girl who is caring more on her shoulder than she lets on. Josie has grown us quicker and doesn't realize it due to her experiences. Y/N goes wondering what tomorrow will bring.
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A lot was running through Harry's mind after the dinner he had on Sunday with Y/N and her family. Trust him; he enjoyed it. He adored seeing her in a different environment, but she seemed distant, and so did Josie. It's as if the two gravitated towards each other more. Always whispering to each other.
He enjoyed seeing them get along; he just didn't like not being included. This also made him second guess in pursuing Y/N. He wasn't willing to risk it not working out. Harry also knows he's not sure if he'd survive the heartbreak.
It's been a while since he's put himself out there, but as a single dad, he feared that no woman he had met was good enough to meet Josie, not after learning that he had full custody.
Y/N's sister was kind, always teasing Y/N but Y/N gave it right back. He could tell the love they had for each other was the kind he shared with Gem. They might not have been that close in age, but they appreciate each other better as adults. Harry loved Y/N's nephew, who stumbled every few steps he took, which is why Y/N took it upon herself to have him attached to her the whole night.
It warmed Harry's heart and gave him all kinds of crazy ideas, for example like a baby that was half him and half her that he'd love just as much as Josie.
Fuck, he had it bad.
Harry's thankful it's Wednesday, and he gets to see Y/N again. He didn't make practice on Monday having Sarah bring her, and today Y/n picked her up from his house where Mitch was watching her because he had a meeting that would be running long. Luckily, he made it just in time before the practice started.
He knew he was going to stand out, showing up wearing creamed flared trousers and a black silk button-down. Harry had taken off his cropped, lapel grey plaid jacket knowing the heat would eat him alive if he left it on.
Harry chuckled to himself as he walked from the parking lot; his folding hair swung on his shoulder. He waved to the parents before setting up alone under a tree, wanting to enjoy the shade today and no conversations unless it was from one specific person.
He sees her pocketing her phone in her bag and knows this is his chance to talk to her. He makes his way discreetly as possible, going behind the parents, who are all currently staring down at their phones.
"Y/N,"
She turns, she scans him head to toe quickly, not wanting Harry to catch her, but he does. He lets it boost his ego a little.
"Harry, a bit dressed up, no?"
He chuckles, doing a little spin for her. "Not at all, haven't you heard business casual is the new uniform."
She shakes her head at him, "We'll take it into consideration."
"That's all I ask."
Y/N looks over to Kate and motions for her to get the girls' warm-up started.
"Dinner was nice."
Y/N nods, "It was. My sister really likes you."
"That's good. She's really funny."
"She knows it." Y/N rolls her eyes playfully.
Harry knocks his hips into her, "Don't worry, you're still my favorite."
"Gee, I was so worried." Y/N fakes dramatically but isn't able to hide how her cheeks heat up at his compliment. "Now, you need to go sit. I have to coach. Parents are going to think I'm flirting."
Harry smirks, "I don't mind the flirting."
"Styles, you'd know if I was flirting."
"I'm just going to say that I very much am."
"Hmm, I'll take that into consideration. For our future conversations."
Y/N joins the girls as they are about to start their second lap; Harry slowly makes his way to his waiting chair, happy that Y/N might like him just as much as he likes her.
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Y/N pulled Josie aside before the scrimmage wanting to speak with her noticing she wasn't connecting with the team as she had on Monday.
"Doing okay?" Y/N asks as Josie gets a drink of water.
Josie nods, "Of course."
"Well, Juliet told me you didn't want to hang out. She said you had wanted to try that donut place with us on Friday."
"Because I had plans with my mom."
"Oh, that's fun."
"No."
"Why not?"
"She said she was busy," Josie murmurs.
"Well, you're still welcome to join us on Friday. I'm going to take Juliet to get ice cream at my favorite shop after practice. You're welcome to join." Y/N offers, knowing the little girl needs something to cheer her up.
"Does my dad have to come?"
"Not if you don't want him to."
Josie shakes her head no.
"Okay then."
"I'll go ask permission now."
"You can wait," Y/N laughs at her eagerness.
"No. I tell him now, and he can think it over while I play."
"Okay, sure. Don't take long."
Josie nods about to take off, but Y/n stops her. "Josie, I'm sorry your plans changed."
"She's been doing that more." She shrugs as if she's not bothered.
"Just because she is doing that doesn't mean you aren't loved. Your dad loves you and your godparents; the team does as well. I do, also. You're amazing, Josie." Y/N tells her, knowing Josie needed to hear it from somebody other than her father.
Josie's eyes shine, but she blinks the tears away. She gives her a quick hug before turning around and running towards Harry. From the corner of her eye, she sees Josie dramatically asking for permission as she lets her father retie the laces of her boots. Y/N smiles because she loves Josie, and if given a chance, she might also get an opportunity to love Harry. Y/N looks forward to watching what the future may bring.
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Kate had organized a pizza party for the girls because they had been doing so well and thought they deserved a reward. Y/N and Kate always talked about motivating and encouraging the girls for their hard work and dedication. They would do small gatherings or bring them a treat to enjoy after practice, and the occasional Monday off that happened on significant dates or when they as a coach needed a break which wasn’t often because they loved this and the girls.
A pizza party was fun, it allowed parents to interact somewhere that wasn’t crazy hot, and the girls got to eat their weight in pizza. Y/N personally loved it because she got to eat crazy good buffalo wings. Kate and Y/N always shared a basket.
Y/N had sat in a booth with Kate across from her knowing the girls would take up two of the long tables. They rather not squeeze in between when they have a good view of them here.
“Anyone I should be aware of, Thomas, was it?”
“Uhh, no. He turned out to be a jerk who couldn’t get me off.”
“Gee any louder, Katie, would you.” Y/N smiles at Cynthia’s parents, who are in line waiting to order themselves around some beers. Y/N was never one who got into drinking, but it doesn’t bother her those who do.
“Anyways, the one who is coming is Tiffany, and we have been talking for a week, and I think I may be in love.” Kate sighs, a faraway look in her eye as the waiter drops by her beer. Y/N eyes it, not liking how much foam was in the cup.
“You say you’re in love each time.”
Kate rolls her eyes at Y/N, “Well, I mean it this time.”
“Sure.”
“No, you’ll see. Tiff should be here soon. She got the most gorgeous curls and the most perfect brown eyes. Then when she talks Spanish to me, I have an idea what she’s saying, but it turns me on like crazy.”
“I can translate for you.” Kate rolls her eyes, knowing Y/N’s Spanish was perfect due to her high school and college years, not to mention she took YMCA classes at seven. “Anyways, let us move on from the conversation.”
“Okay, let’s talk about your sex life.”
Y/N chucks a piece of lettuce at Kate hitting her square on her chin. Before Kate can retaliate, Harry steps towards them, “Hello, ladies.”
“Hi, Harry,” Kate responds by making crazy eyes at Y/N.
“Mind if I join you, don’t think Josie would like me sitting with her or alone.”
Y/N nods, “Of course, but only if you don’t mind sliding in. I like the edge seats, or you can sit with Kate.”
Kate shakes her head no, “No, he cannot. My date should be here soon.”
Y/N gets up to let Harry slide in, he does a little wiggle to get to the other side, and Y/N does her best to hide her laugh. It seems to work, as he didn’t mention it. Y/N feels her body heat up because their thighs are touching. She feels ridiculous getting worked up over a simple touch.
The next hour flies by, and Tiffany arrives during that time, and Y/N loves her. She is as gorgeous as Kate described, her hair long falling down her back in thick ringlets, her brown eyes captivating, and her golden skin shines with just a hint of sunlight. She can see why Kate was smitten, but getting to know her and Y/N can happily say she’s a perfect fit for her best friend. She hopes it works out for Kate because this will be a heavy heartbreak if it doesn’t.
Y/N excuses herself, wanting to check with the girls. She approaches the table sitting by the pinball machines. The girls have question after question for her that she happily answers. She looks to see Juliet, happily leading a conversation with a quiet Jo sitting next to her staring out the window.
She excuses herself from the girls and places a hand on Juliet’s shoulder, who stops her chatter to grin up at Y/N before continuing like she never stopped. Jo just smiles at her before looking at the other girls acting as she was involved in the conversation, but Y/n knows better.
“You alright, Jo?”
“Of course, a bit full, that is all.” Y/N stares at those green eyes long and hard before nodding.
“I’m just over there if any of you need anything.”
“Yes, thank you, coach.” Most girls answer in unison.
Y/N goes back to their table, and Harry smiles, scooting over, “Saved your spot. Susan tried to nab it.”
“My hero.” She giggles.
The conversation around Y/N flows easily; she laughs and comments. There is a moment where Harry squeezes her thigh affectionately when she makes a witty comment defending him and his style. She wishes he’d rest his hand there, but he moves it back on top, also not wanting anyone to be suspicious.
As much as Y/N is having a lovely evening, her gaze drifts over to Josie, who hasn’t uttered a word since she was with her.
Harry is too busy chatting and having a nice time to notice how quiet Josie has gotten, not that she blames him; the place is loud and complete because it’s a Saturday afternoon. This worries Y/n as she has seen Josie withdrawing more and more but didn’t want to believe it. Josie hides it reasonably well.
Y/N hopes she’s wrong and that sweet Josie is only having an off day.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
Harry was happy to see Josie loving California. He knew it was a risk moving across the country when the East coast is all she had ever known. Josie has shown him nothing but happiness; he can't wait to see how she does in the Fall when she goes back to school. The great thing is she will have friends due to the girls on the team. Also, he hates to admit it, but it has been good for Josie to see more of her mom. Allowing them to build a better relationship. Harry only wishes the best for his daughter and hopes he has been doing that so far in her life.
It's Wednesday, and Harry feels his weeks go by faster now that they have a structured routine. He always gets excited because he knows that he'll have a chance to chat with Y/N no matter what.
They arrive five minutes before practice starts, making Harry rush out of the car, holding Josie's hand as she pulls him along, wanting to apologize to Y/N.
Y/N approaches them as they reach the area where all the girls have just started their warm-up lap.
"We're so sorry. We got stuck in a traffic jam." Harry rushes out, hating to get his daughter punished for his tardiness.
She shakes her head at him, not bothered. "Go on join the others, Josie," she gently touched her shoulder. "I've got to chat with your dad."
Josie gives her an uncertain look, but she assures her with a smile. She runs off, joining the second lap at the back of the two lines.
Harry stands there, uncertain, not sure what she needs to tell him. By the solemn look she has, it might not be good.
She walks off to the side a distance from the parents and has an eye on the girls finishing up their warm-up laps before going into a stretch.
"Josie brought up something I think you need to know."
Harry waits, allowing her to go on, knowing he shouldn't interrupt.
Y/N takes a deep breath before looking him in his eyes, "Josie says her mom told her she needs to stop calling her and to stop with the visits. That she's pregnant, and that's her priority, not her."
Harry's jaw drops. He didn't know Claudia could be so cruel to their daughter. He wasn't even aware she was pregnant or that she wanted more children. Mostly he hates that he does not hear this from his daughter.
"She told me she was afraid of how'd you react to the news, but I told her she needed to address it, and by your reaction, I assume she didn't."
Harry shakes his head. "No, we celebrated the win and had a good weekend. Seemed happier than normal honesty."
"It's common for kids to try to block it out. As someone who had to go through her fair share of child therapy, I feel like it would be good for her to see a therapist." Y/N tells him, voice gentle, knowing this is a lot for Harry.
"Why" Harry bites back, defensive. "She's fine, happy, and laughing."
"Harry, I'm not saying she's not, but she needs to talk about it. Jo won't be with you, and it's because she trusts and loves you and doesn't want to hurt you. She thinks she is protecting you; an eight-year-old shouldn't be trying to protect her father."
Harry feels himself boiling, no longer wanting to hear any more of what she has to say.  
"The signs are there."
The signs," he scoffs.
"Quietness, sadness, isolation, anxiety." She points to the field, and he turns to see Josie stretching alone, lost in her own head. No longer sitting between Juliet like she always had the last few weeks. A frown on her face seems to be permanently placed.  
"You've got no right to say this." Harry wishes she never brought this up.
"I'm doing this for her, not for you."
Harry has had enough; he wants her to hurt her like he is right now, which is why he lets his mouth speak before he can think over what he has said, "Who do you think you are? Honestly, you're a lousy soccer coach who has nothing better to do but judge kids and their parents."
"Harry," she whispers, trying to mask her hurt.
"No, you've said enough. I think you can forget about Josie playing for this team." His voice dripping with venom. "Seems all you wanted was extra cash in your pocket with the addition of a player ."
He walks towards the field. "Josie, we're leaving," Harry doesn't care that the other parents are watching now. He throws Josie's bag over his shoulder as he watches her jog over to him,
"We just got here. I was warming up."
"Josie, we're leaving." No room for argument in his voice, but Josie stands her ground.
"I don't want to leave." Her voice falters as she stares up at him.
"Josie, don't."
"Dad, I like it here, Coach is-"
Harry cuts her off, "Enough, Josephine, you're not coming back here ever."
Those words bring tears to her eyes; she drops her head, defeated. She follows behind Harry and turns to look at Y/N one last time, shooting her an "I warned you look."
Y/N watches them walk away, and she can only hope this is the last she sees of them. She shakes all her feelings out, knowing she has all eyes on her right now. She's got a team to coach, and just like that, she brushes away Harry and his cruel words, knowing they'll resurface later in the appropriate environment.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
After leaving the practice field, Harry And Josie did not speak a word to each other or the next day. They continued in silence, not for Harry's lack of trying to get a word out of Josie; she was just that upset with him.
All he received were head shakes, and Harry was worried. He cooled down after and let everything sink in, but the damage was done; it was too late.
That same night Harry called Claudia to confront her to tell her he would be taking her to court to forget seeing Josephine. All she responded was that it was quite alright. She was giving him full custody and would be sending him the paperwork she had already signed. Then hung up the phone on him.
Harry was appalled that a mother could do this to their child, to abandon them with no care. He always knew Claudia wasn't a good person, but he wished better for his daughter, and right now, even he didn't feel good enough for his angel girl.
On the fifth day of silence between his daughter and him, he received an email he was tempted not to open due to who it read the sender was. He did so anyway; it was the name, phone number, and location of a therapist nearby. The email read professional, not a hint of the last few months of knowing each other. There was an endnote that said to give her as a reference. He knew he would think it over for now.
On the seventh day of his daughter ignoring him, he called the number that he marked down on his phone. He called and set up an appointment for the following day; he knows it could have been longer if he didn't name drop Y/N. Harry knows he needs to apologize, but he's not sure where to begin or if it would be appropriate to show up at her house, but he decided to focus on one thing at a time, and that would be Josie.
Harry would have liked to walk hand in hand into the big building with big windows overlooking a secluded private park, but Josie walked ahead and sat herself on the rainbow-colored couches for kids and picked up a Judy Blume book to read.
Harry walks to the front desk and admires all the photos pinned up behind the receptionist. He knows they must be patients with only their first name signed. His favorite is a dinosaur swimming on a floaty holding a milkshake; there was some natural talent hanging on the wall as well as a lot of imagination.
"Sir, here for?" The receptionist called him for his turn, not noticing the person in front of him was now seated.
"Styles, Harry. Well, Josephine," he corrects. "Sorry."
"No worries, all parents do that their first time."
He awkwardly laughs.
"Dr. Sylvia Hernandedz will be with you shortly." He thanks her, going to sit on the black couch. He sinks right in full of comfort.
Five minutes later, they are called to go. He reaches for Josie's hand, and she lets him take it but doesn't make any move to hold him; it's as if he's carrying dead weight. Harry sighs but follows behind the receptionist.
"Hello, Styles family, lovely to meet you." A woman in her mid-forties greets them, a nice styled bun not a hair out of sight. Glasses on the bridge of her nose. She has a dark blue pencil skirt and a white buttoned shirt tucked in. He feels not as uncomfortable as he thought he would.
"I'm Syliva Hernandez, and you must be Josephine Styles." She leans down to be eye level with Josie and sticks out for her to shake.
"Yes, Dr. Hernandez. A pleasure to meet you." Josie responds politely.
Dr. Hernandez smiles. "Now, how'd you know I was a doctor?"
"The frame behind your desk shows your credentials." She points to the USC doctorate hanging behind a desk full of framed photos.
"Well, aren't you an observant girl?"
"Thank you."
"Would you like to accompany me to this playroom while I chat with your father? I can have my friend Alycia join you if you don't want to be alone."
Josie shakes her head no, "I'll be fine. I like being alone sometimes. I had a very wise person tell me it's okay to want to be alone sometimes, but it doesn't mean you're alone."  
"Did your dad tell you that?" Dr. Hernandez asks.
"No."
"Very, well off you go. We'll have an eye on you but feel free to use all the items in there."
"Thank you." Josie slips right in, grabbing paper and colored pencils, carefully pulling out her desired colors.
"Have a seat, please, Mr. Styles."
"Thank you."
He sits in the mahogany chair; he can't say he likes it much.
"These chairs are awful. My office is better furnished, I assure you."
Harry tears his eyes from Josie to look at the therapist.
They are silent, and Harry isn't sure what to do.
"Uhh...Y/N Y/LN recommend us to you. I'm not sure if they informed you or I had to let you know."
"Yes, I'm aware. She's a great person." Shutting down conversation.
"Your daughter's birthday."  
"December 13th, she's eight".
"How long have you been separated from her mother?"
"Since before her birth. We have a court agreement that I get weekly, and she gets her weekends, but that has recently changed. I have full custody of her.
"How does that make you feel?"
"Not okay; I grew up with divorced parents. My mother never remarried. I have an older sister, but we live in different countries."
"Do you fear the same for her?"
"Think it's worse for her. Josie's mother told her she didn't want her anymore because she would be having a baby. She didn't even tell me. She told--," he cuts himself off.
"Who did she tell?"
"Her soccer coach."
"A female?
"Yes. They are close. Have a real bond, an understanding of sorts."
"Do you think she is looking for a female to look up to?"
"It would make sense. My mother lives in London, and we only see her on holidays, same with my sister. She gets on well with my best mate's girlfriend, Sarah. She taught Josie to play the drums a bit. Also, Glenne, a dear friend."
"Male figures in life?"
"Too many. Mitch, Jeff, Adam, and his kids. Tyler, a family friend."
"It seems she has paternal figures, but she's searching for maternal figures." She states before continuing, "What's the reason you brought her in?"
"The coach addressed to me that she was worried that she was withdrawing herself, becoming anxious and lonely. Less happy. I didn't see it, but we've gone a week without speaking, and I've seen her mope and stare off a lot."
"Is she still seeing her coach?
"No, that's part of our not talking. I got upset over the suggestion of therapy and took that away from her."
"It led to a negative response."
"Yes, and I feel awful about it."
"It seems that the sport and coach are important to her and who she is. It's what you call a safe place."
"But she was beginning to withdraw from there as well," Harry states, not knowing it couldn't be so safe if she was isolating herself.  
"Well, we'll have to talk with her. Are you comfortable with me speaking with her alone? I do have to let you know what I speak with her is confidential. She can tell you about it, but you cannot ask me."
"Yes, of course. It's fine, I understand." Harry knows therapy can be scary, but it can also be the start of something better.
"Well, let me call her back."
Dr. Hernandez stands and opens the door, "Josephine, come with me, please." Josie nods her head, putting the colored pencils away and bringing her picture with her.
"I apologize if we took too long."
"Not long. Enough to finish my drawing." She shares, giving the doctor a small smile.
"Can I have a look?"
Josie hands it over, Dr. Hernandez turns it so they can both see what she drew. It's a photo of a goal net and who he assumes to be himself in the net. A little girl with two pigtails standing there, hands raised, and another female is to the side cheering with a megaphone.
"It's beautiful."
"Thank you," Josie says proudly.
"Do you think I can keep it? Have you sign your name and add it to the front desk."
"Would you?" Josie's eyes go wide at someone other than her dad hanging up her art.
"Of course."
"That'd be wonderful." And for the first time in a week, she turns looking up at Harry. "Did you hear that daddy, Dr. Hernandez wants to keep it?
"I would too; it's beautiful, darling."
"I can make another."
Harry smiles, grateful, his daughter is her vibrant self, "Thank you, honey."
"Josephine, are you okay with your dad stepping out and you talking with me privately one on one?
"Yes, I like you. Also, you can call me Josie."
Dr. Hernandez nods in acknowledgment before turning to address Harry.
"You can wait in the waiting room. Alycia will bring you back to discuss in my office when we are done."  
Harry mutters okay and walks out, closing the door behind him. He walks a few steps before laying his head to rest on the wall. This has felt like a lot, but he also feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulder.
Maybe I need to see a therapist. Harry thinks to himself, liking that he got a lot off his shoulders in just a short amount of time.
He's walking down the hallway when he hears a familiar voice, one he didn't think he'd have the pleasure of ever hearing again.
It stops him in his tracks.
He hears her voice once more and follows it out to the waiting room he's supposed to be waiting for his daughter.
Harry sees that she is talking with Alycia, and as he steps closer, he feels like it is harder to breathe.
"I have three more clients before I'm done for the day, but I have a thirty-minute gap, so maybe we can order smoothies, my treat." She tells the secretary handing her two twenty bills so that she can get everyone a drink.
"Y/N," he gasps out.
His eyes roam her body; he's never seen her dressed, so office official always used to see her in shorts, sweats, leggings, and a t-shirt. She's wearing this blue satin silk blouse tucked into high-waisted black trousers and low heels.
She is gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.
Y/N turns, not at all trying to hide the surprised look on her face.
"You're here." She nods; he's not sure why she's here.
"Here's your next client's file. They are doing an intake. You have over half an hour."
"Great."
Harry is now standing in front of her. "You work here?"
Y/N nods.
"You're a therapist." He states.
Y/N can clearly see he wants to talk and knows a better place to do it than their waiting room filled with waiting people.
"Why don't we talk in my office?" Harry nods, ready to follow her, but before he can, she turns to the desk once more, "Hold my calls, please, Alycia."
"Of course."
"Follow me, Harry."
They walk in silence as they pass Dr. Hernandez's door. She opens her door, allowing him to enter first. It feels bright and full of color; the wall's painting is pale green and hanging on the walls; she has lots of scenic photos and drawings. The chairs are nice, a red velvet couch pushed against a wall, her desk is not that big, he notices. It lacks pictures compared to Dr. Hernandez. Her degrees are placed on a bookshelf. She has it color-coded in colors of the rainbow, which is quite impressive.
"Have a seat." She offers all the open space.
Y/N takes a seat on the couch, and he follows.
Harry feels underdressed next to Y/N, and that has never happened before; he is always the one showing up in extravagant and overpriced suits.
"You work here." He waits for her to confirm.
"Yes, I'm a therapist here. Dr. Hernandez was my advisor during my undergrad. She knew what I wanted to accomplish for my career. They offered me a job, and I accepted. They have been supportive of obtaining my doctorate."
Harry is very impressed, "Congrats, that's wonderful."
"Thank you."
They both quiet down, not sure who should go first. Harry is about to start when Y/N begins to speak.
"Listen, Harry, I'm sorry. I went about addressing it wrong, and I never meant to upset you. I apologize." Y/N keeps her eyes on his wanting him to see how sincere she was.
"No need, I've taken a week to reflect on what a jerk I was. Having Josie give me the silent treatment for a week was torture." Harry confesses, scratching his neck to avoid reaching for her hand.
"Is she okay? Harry, that's a long time." Y/N's voice laced with concern.
"I'm sure she's chatting Dr. Hernandez ear off as we speak."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"I brought it on myself by taking her away from one thing she truly loves."
Y/N nods, not able to disagree with Harry. "Yeah, I understand."
"Is that how you know she needed therapy because you're a therapist?"
"Yes. I saw the signs, but I mostly observe and never address it, but from the conversations I've had with Josie and the relationship we built, I felt like I owed it to her to get her help." Y/N pauses, debating if she was ready to share more of herself with Harry. "It was also that I saw myself in her, it felt familiar, and I wanted to help."
"I'm going to tell you a story."
Harry can tell it's not going to be an easy one as she's not staring at her hand, focused on the lone ring she has on her index finger. "You don't have to."
She reaches over and squeezes his hand once to let him know it's alright. "I was nine years old when I walked in on my dad cheating on my mom with his secretary. I told her as soon as she came home and she didn't believe me. She went as far as calling me an attention seeker. By the end of the week, we were living with my grandparents. I didn't see my parents again after that day. At age ten, I started visiting the counselor because I blamed myself for my sister no longer having parents. I wouldn't even allow myself to talk to her; I was just consumed by guilt taking all the blame when I shouldn't have."
Y/N knows Harry's gaze is on her, but she doesn't dare look up, not wanting to see the pity in his eyes. "Don't think I've stopped since then. A big reason I'm doing the job I am now is for those who helped me along the way.
"Y/N,"
"Harry, no pity comments. I've made my peace, sure the trauma never truly leaves, but you overcome it."
"Thank you for sharing that with me, I know I don't deserve it, but I'm grateful."
Harry needs to apologize; he wants to leave here today knowing he didn't lose a friend.
"I'm sorry I hurt you."
"Harry, you-"
"No, I really am; I didn't mean a word I said. I know you're more than a coach, and you're not lousy; you're brilliant. You're my daughter's favorite person. I didn't mean it, and I hope you'll forgive me."
"I accept your apology, that was a bad day for all of us, but I can move past it if you can?"
"Yes, I would love that. I feel awful you're someone I trust, a friend. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.
"Thank you, Harry."
"One more thing."
"Yes, go on."
"Can you recommend a therapist for me? Talking with Dr. Hernandez was amazing, and I think I would benefit from it."
Y/N doesn't make any comment, just nods. "I'll send you a list of therapists but do know you'll always find a friend in me if you ever need a shoulder to cry on or someone to watch over you as you get drunk."
Harry chuckles; he'll keep that in mind for future references.  
"There's a knock on the door. "Yes, come in."
"Sylvia is ready for Mr. Styles."
"Thank you, Alycia. I'll walk him to her office."
Y/N stands, and Harry follows close behind as they make their way out to reunite him with his daughter.
"Y/N, can I hug you?"
She bits back the smile threatening to overtake her face at how small he looks asking. "Yes, that's fine."
Harry doesn't wait for another second; he throws his arms around her holding her tight. He hadn't been lucky enough to hug her before, but now doing it, he doesn't think he ever wants to go a day without one.
They walk out, both having heated faces due to enjoying being the embrace of one another. She walks them a few doors down and knocks, waiting for the go-ahead to go in.
"One last thing," She says, pointing a hand to his chest."
"Name it." He'd give her anything.
"Jo comes back to the team. You bring her to the game this weekend."
"Yes, of course."
She beams at his response, "Great."
Y/N peeks her head in, locking eyes with Sylvia. "Alright, to come in, Doc?"
"Of course, Josephine, this is my good friend and coworker Y/N."
Josie turns and smiles wide, jumping up when she sees her walk in with Harry right behind her.
"Hiya, champ. Seems to have found your dad lost out here."
Josie giggles and runs into her arms, hugging her tightly.
"I've missed you."
"As have I little miss sunshine. I missed my fastest midfielder at the game. All the girls missed you."
"Awe, I'll be back," she looks up at Harry with a look of worry on her face. "Right, daddy?"
"Yes, darling. Got a game at ten am on Saturday."
Josie lets out a loud shriek.
"So this is Coach." Dr. Hernandez says with a knowing smile.
"Yes, she's great," Josie responds, holding tight to Y/N's hand.  
Y/N chuckles. "How about you and I go draw a picture to add to my office while Dr. Hernandez and your dad tie up some little things."
"Okay."
They walk out hand in hand as Josie catches up with Y/N on everything she did on her week away. Not shying away from how she handled the now resolved issue with her father.
"You don't look as blue," Dr. Hernandez comments."
"Sorry," Harry blushes, having been lost in thought on the two girls who just walked out.
"Mr. Styles, your aura is soft, kinder."
"Yeah, I think she has that effect on people."
"You might be right."
Things are finally looking up, and Harry looks forward to rebuilding his relationship with Josie and hopefully creating one with Y/N besides their parent and coach relationship.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
It's been two weeks since Josie came back to play, and thing's have been going smoothly. Harry begins helping out with cleaning up at the end of practice to talk to Y/N more. He asks more about her job and how the doctorate is going. He worries she might be juggling too much, but she assures him she has a smooth dynamic of handling everything.
It's a cold Saturday morning, it's the quarter-finals, and the nerves are high for everyone. The girls finished on top of the leaderboard, but the league likes doing a championship game to honor all the hard-working teams.
Y/N is quieter this morning, and all the parents have picked up on it. They are used to her light and kind nature, wishing everyone a good day and accepting treats. Cynthia's mom is in charge of snacks for today and offered her a muffin one she never says no to except today.
It immediately puts everyone in a skittish mood.
Truthfully, Y/N isn't here for the parents, but the girls and the team they are against is the dirtiest. Most girls are nine and will be moving up a division, but Coach Roman teaches them that dirty plays will make them win. Her girls are strong players, but she reminds them of the importance of sportsmanship and playing with heart.
Y/N even makes sure she cannot be approached by anyone, only the girls and Kate, as they start to warm up on the field. The girls do their drills as Kate stands quietly by your side.
"Someone can't take their eye off of you."
"Stop."
"It's true though, he was pouting when he saw you on the field clipboard in hand," Kate says with a giggle.
"Shush."
"Going to ask him on a date?"
"Only if we win."
That shuts Kate up, "You're joking."
Y/N slowly shakes her no, "Girls, two lines, run through side net shots."
Kate and Y/n stand back to back as the girls pass, and they kick it-bag, giving them only a second to angle themselves. This is one of their favorite warm-ups, and she's glad she can still talk with Kate during it.
"What made you finally decide?"
"I realized he's not going to make a move because one he fears I'm going to reject him and two it goes horribly wrong, then he might never show his face around here again. I'm positive he likes me."
Kate nods, "he likes you, adores you. He's got it bad." She's quiet for a moment before starting up again, "I know we're going to win, so how are you going to ask him? I'm going to need all the details."
"I'm going to go up to him and ask him out to dinner, simple as that."
Y/N changes the drill marking the end of their conversation; she leads the girl into two groups of keep away while Kate takes Dawson, their goalie, to keep warming up.
Before they know it, captains and coaches are called. Coach Roman is smug and annoying as he shakes her hand. The girls pick heads and win the coin toss. They choose to have kickoff; Roman's girls decide to stay on their side, meaning everything to their advantage as they have the slight uphill to battle through for the first half, and the second will use it to their advantage.
The starting lineup is quick to attack, and in a matter of minutes, Juliet scored a goal from a pass from Imelda. The girls' cheer, happy to be leading the game. They know better than getting cocky; if anything, this intensifies their speed at playing. The next twelve minutes of the second quarter are stressful as Josie makes it a two-zero lead from a corner kick. Just as half-time is to be called, a midfield slips through the defense from the back and gets it over Dawson's head, and just like that, the referee calls it.
Y/N can't remember the last time she was this anxious. It's foul after foul, and she's had enough of it.
Kate is quick to round up the girl, not wanting to monopolize all their time, wanting them to relax mostly to stay in a positive mindset. Kate leads the talk letting them know they are doing well and that the left-wing is getting beat, but having the downhill in favor should help her out now. Y/N went around making sure each girl was safe and had no injuries, only grass stains on their knees.
"Be aggressive, but don't stoop to their level."
"Yes, coach" is heard in unison as a response.
Each girl goes to their bags and starts to stretch, knowing they can't approach their parents because it's easy for them to influence them on how they are playing. Everyone respects it, but there are a few times a parent comes by.
She decides to take a walk, getting away from the girls. She just wants to relax and not be as tense for the end of the half.
She nearly jumps out of her skin when she hears someone call her name.
"Fuck, Harry. You scared me."
He raises his hands up in defense. "Sorry, I was just checking if you are okay?"
Y/N doesn't hesitate to rush into his arms, tucking her head into his neck. Harry, without hesitation, wraps his arms around her. He runs his hand down her back softly, hoping she finds it comforting.
"Hey, hey, it's okay." She holds him tighter, so he goes on. "You're okay, yeah, doing a good job. Girls are playing well. Taking care of each other, just like you taught them."
She slowly nods her head, she's calmed down, and Y/n thinks it might have to do with his soothing heartbeat.
"Deep breaths, love, Come on with me."
Harry breathes in and out until she does it with him. He feels her relax and tries to pull her back, but her grip is tight.
"It's okay, not going anywhere."
"Sorry," she whispers.
"No need to apologize, love."
"I just don't like when coaches teach their girls to play dirty; I hate injuries. They're just kids." She whispers, looking up at him now.
"They'll be okay."
"You don't know that. We have two quarters left."
Harry knows he won't be able to comfort her like he wants when he hears the ref blow the whistle. "Look, the girls are about to start, and they need a coach."
She nods, knowing she has to go back to her coaching mentality. The girls are her main priority; she can do this.
"Thank you, Harry."
"I'm here for you, whenever you need."
Y/N jogs over, nudging Kate playfully, who is shooting her suggestive eyes. They let the captain lead the huddle and listen intently before wishing them luck. The parents clap as the team cheer echoes out.
Only twenty-four minutes left, they can do this. She knows they can. The referees assured them he'd get a better eye on them, not wanting anyone to be carried off injured. Y/N refuses to take her eyes off of her girls. Constantly reminding them to keep communicating with each other when she hears them go quiet.
The last two quarters pass much quicker than the first; the girls play with more fleeting touches, not allowing the other team to put pressure on them.
Just when number eleven is close to getting the ball, Leslie switches the ball over to the other side; Y/N is shocked at how well Josie brings it down, she constantly struggles with this at practice, but she knows that Josie has been putting in the extra work.
She can hear Harry clapping and cheering on Josie; Y/N shouts her praise, letting her know she's doing well. Andie gets a breakaway, and it's a one-be-one versus the goalie. She fakes right as it goes left, touching it in softly, and in it goes. Y/N can't stop cheering, feeling the buzz all over her body. She's incredibly proud of the hard work they have all put in. Just as they reset and the ball is passed back, the whistle is blown and signifies they have won.
Golden Sparks are moving on to the semi-finals.
The girls are quick to jog in and tackle Y/N and Kate in a massive group hug. Y/N is going to be basking in this happiness for the entire weekend.
Y/N sends all the girls to their parents, letting them know she was okay doing the clean-up on her own. Kate stuck around, as did Juliet, because she wanted to have breakfast with Y/N telling her parents they were not welcome to come even though the invitation was extended to them. Clara and Xavier did not take any offense, happy to go back home and nap the morning away if their young toddler would let them.
Y/N approaches Harry after she gets everything settled in her trunk. He smiles at her, walking over helping her close her trunk as they wave by to Kate together. Josie and Juliet hang out in Harry's car, going through his Spotify playlist as they skip song after song, not being a fan of his taste.
Y/N lets out a deep breath, "I've been working up the courage to do this."
"Do what lovely? Harry asks curiously.
"Would you like to have dinner with me?" Y/N feels her stomach tense up as she waits for a response; by his wide eyes, she can tell he wasn't expecting her to say that, but he plays it off well.
"Asking me on a date?"
"I am."
Harry agrees, "I'd like that."
"Does Friday work for you?"
"Yes, great."
"I'll uh, pick you up."
"Proper wine and dine, love." She chuckles because, yeah, she wants to swoop Harry off his feet just like he did to her without even trying.
Y/N gives him a hug holding him tight for a few seconds, smiling up at Harry feeling giddy that they had a date planned after two months of flirting that they weren't sure would go anywhere.
"Juliet, we got to go."
"Okay, auntie." Juliet slams the door just a tad bit too hard, making Y/N mutter an apology.
"Bye, Harry."
"Bye, love."
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
Friday had arrived quicker than Harry expected. He got to see Y/N during the week because of the practices, and he was texting her every chance he got. He wanted to let her know he liked her and he was serious about pursuing her. It's been a long time since his last relationship, but call him cliche with Y/N; it all feels right. That everything is falling into place like it should.
Now here he sat on his couch waiting for Y/N to arrive; he had changed his outfit three times because she told him casually, and he couldn't settle on a look. It wasn't until he put on a plain black tee that hugged her arms just right and white linen cropped pleated trousers that he felt ready. He even broke out his new white Vans for the evening.
Harry was about to check the time when there was a knock on his door. He couldn't tame the butterflies in his stomach if he tried. As he opened the door, Harry let out a laugh because there stood the most beautiful woman holding up a bouquet of red lilies. He's falling in love, and there's no stopping him; he just hopes she's there to catch him.
"Hi Harry, these are for you."
Harry laughs, not knowing how to react to receiving flowers, "I'm speechless." He accepts them and gently cradles them in his arms. "I'll put them in water, and we can go."
"Sure, no rush." Y/N admires his living room, never having stepped foot in his house until today, and it's small but cozy. There are photos of all his family framed on the wall to her right. He has a small bookshelf that holds more vinyl than books.
Harry comes back and sees her staring at a photo of Josie on her first birthday covered in cake from head to toe. "I'd give you a tour, but I'm actually really excited to start our date."
"I'm sure they'll be another time."
She walks down his driveway to her parked car allowing Harry to have a moment to look her over. She's dressed casually; she has high-waisted jeans that show off all her beautiful assets. Her lavender cardigan looks warm; she left it open to expose a white plain top. It is genuinely a casual look, but she makes it look over the top.
"You look beautiful," Harry tells her as she stands by her car door.
Y/N does a small twirl before jokingly curtsying for him. "Glad you think so. Those trousers are doing your thighs justice if I do say so myself."
Harry giggles loving how easy she compliments him.
"Right, I wanted to take you mini golfing but considering it's a Friday and summer, it's going to be packed with teenagers."
"Oh, you definitely saved us."
"Yeah, I thought we could take Josie during the middle of the week as a date. I bet she'd enjoy it. Although, I never keep track of points because I'm too competitive."
The date has barely started, and she's left him speechless twice.
"You want Josie to join us on dates." Harry states.
She looks over at him quickly as they are stopped at a red light, "Of course, Harry. She's your daughter; I don't expect you to find a sitter every time we want to go out together. Isn't it like if you're dating me, you're dating my daughter."
He chuckles, "but not on our first date."
"Honestly, I think we were long overdue for a date."
"Yeah, I wanted to ask you out all summer long," He confesses.
Y/N gasps in shock as she signals a right turn, briefly checking her blind spot before making the turn. "Yet, it only happened with a few weeks left in summer."
"Yeah, but we got here, didn't we?"
Y/N leans over and places her hand on his thigh, squeezing him twice, "Yes, we did."
Harry sees her turn into a diner that looks a bit run down; he doesn't dare question her because she seems so excited as she gets out of the car and waits for him by the trunk. Y/N extends her hand for him to take, and he does without a hint of hesitation.
Y/n leads the way, but he hurries to open the door for her. She thanks him with a squeeze of the hand. Walking in, he was startled at how Harry felt he was transported to a seventies diner. The booths were red and looked sparklingly new. To the left was a jukebox that he was desperate to have a look at, maybe dedicate a song to Y/N. The floor's black and white pattern shined at him as the waiter wore a nice button-up with a black bow tie, a red and white striped apron thrown over, his name tag said James.
"After you," Y/N said, wanting Harry to pick a booth side; he knew better than to fight her and slid in on the left side. Harry is surprised when Y/N slides in right next to him. "This alright, Harry?"
Harry grins at her, dimples on display just for her. "Yeah, just caught me by surprise."
She opens up the menu sliding the other one away so they could share. Y/N points to some of her favorite items on the menu and cringing at ones she disliked.
"You know the menu well." Harry states before deciding on the turkey burger she had raved about.
Y/N chuckles, closing the menu. "My grandparents brought Clara and me here every other weekend, never letting us eat out. My grandmother was against the food industry, and she knew the owner here prided themselves on giving back to the community. Always holding fundraisers or donating to local teams."
"Fast food industry isn't the best, but I thank them because I can get Thai food delivered to my house."
Y/N doesn't have time to respond, as their waiter comes back with two glasses of water. "I'll have the turkey burger, no onions, and fries instead of the salad."
Harry didn't know she didn't like onions but made a mental note on it, "I'll also have the turkey burger and the side salad. Oh, and the couple milkshake, we agreed on strawberry, right?"
Y/N nods her head, "I had forgotten about that, but yeah, two straws, please."
"I'll have that out shortly," James tells them, walking away.
"The shake is too hard to die for; it has whipped cream on the top and bottom. It's freshly made, nothing like the canned kind. It's large! Made to be shared, thank goodness you remembered."
Harry shrugs, "That's what I'm here for."
Harry loves how easy conversation flows with Y/N. He doesn't have to force himself to say try to think of a topic or question to ask her. She's very open in sharing herself with him, he's never had someone drop down all his walls this quick, yet again, he might have dropped back ages ago.
Y/N talks to him about his grandparents and how adoring they were. That they supported all of her dreams, even the ones that we're crazy, like wanting to become a witch because she wanted to make flowers grow from her palm. Harry shared how the first year of Josie being born, he felt like he never slept, always nervous something would happen. He also tells her how living in Georgia is something he didn't enjoy, but he also didn't want to bounce Josie around from school to school. It was only date one, but Harry was excited for what the future had in store for them.
When James came back to drop off their burgers and shake. Y/N didn't even hear him too busy laughing at a dumb joke Harry had told her; he can't even remember the joke he made because her laugh is music to his ears.
Y/N waits for Harry to take his first bite, and he decides to tease her just a bit. He slowly raises the burgers stopping an inch from his lips; Y/N sits there, chin perched on her hand as if she has all the time in the world to wait for him.
"I'm in no rush, casanova." She smirks, not falling for his game.
Harry knows eating burgers is nothing sexual, so he decides to go all in. He moans at the first taste he gets, it's juicy, and the pepper jack cheese is perfectly melted, adding an excellent combination.
"Love, that is an amazing burger."
"I know." She's already gotten a bite in. She eyes his salad plate for a moment before looking back over to her fries.
"You want some, sweetheart?"
Y/N giggles at his comment, "God no. I eat healthy enough already, thanks to Juliet, but can I have some of your ranch?"
Harry understands eating healthy, he does it for Josie, and since Y/N is constantly around Juliet, it makes sense she would change her eating habits but does know as an aunt she's easier to give in to desserts. Not that he minds; he needs more sweetness in his life.
"Sure, you eat it with your fries. That's interesting."
She shrugs, "I don't think it is. Everyone in my family eats fries with ranch, including Josie."
"If Josie starts eating fries like that, I will know who to blame."
Y/N bumps her shoulder with Harry, "Haha."
They eat most of their meal in silence. Occasionally, Harry steals a few fries causing Y/N to chuckle before turning her plate, so Harry didn't have to reach over her. She doesn't chastise him about not ordering fries if he wanted some. Harry likes how much he enjoys spending time with Y/N.
"What's one thing you hope to accomplish within the next five years?" Harry asks as Y/N passes the shake back to him and takes a generous drink. They had finished eating, and now we're trying to finish the shake that Harry thought was smaller than what had arrived at their table.
"My usual answer is a doctor, but what's happening next year, so, give me a moment," Harry waits for her, watching as she plays with the rings on his right hand. They went front sitting thigh to thigh to Y/N, hooking her leg to Harry's, causing her to lean more on him. Harry liked it, and if he wasn't somewhere public or their first date, he would have pulled her into his lap. He took a chance and set his hand on top of her thigh; to his surprise, she placed her hand on top of his, intertwining their fingers together.
Every little thing she did made him fall deeper and deeper.
"I want to run a marathon."
"A marathon? I didn't know you were a runner."
"Oh yeah, last December I ran a half marathon, and it was hell, but once the runner high hits, it's the most wonderful thing."
"Why not do it now?"
Y/N frowns, taking off the rose ring from his finger and slipping it on one of hers. "The training is rigorous. You have to work up the miles constantly and eat better. I would rather enjoy the upcoming year."
"Well, when it happens, I can't wait to be there cheering you on." He tells her with a hopeful look.
"I'll hold you to that, Styles."
Harry smiles, hoping she does, hoping he gets to spend many more years to come with her in his life.
Y/N excuses herself to the restroom, and Harry decides it's a good time to pick a song. He approached it grateful to half a quarter hanging in his pocket. The jukebox looked old but well kept. Harry saw over 100 songs but searched for a specific one in mind; he was thrilled to see it was on there. Just as it started to play, he saw Y/N walking back towards him, so he hurried over to slide into their seat.
"You know, you're kind of clumsy."
"Am not," he denies.
"Oh, sorry, so it wasn't you who bumped into the table as you made your way to sit down."
Harry decides not to respond, knowing she saw him embarrass himself, and instead starts singing along to the song. The smile on her face widens as she hears how good he is.
"I'm not surprised you picked Fleetwood Mac, "songbird" is a sweet song."
"Am I that predictable?"
She nods, "Jo always sings one of their songs; at the sleepover, she said that's what you played most, so I taught her my favorites."
"Is it you I have to thank for the ABBA and Selena obsession?" He playfully glares.
"Guilty. She needed to brighten her horizon."
"Josie doesn't even know Spanish."
"Ah, but she will now."
"You're weird." Y/N shrugs in acceptance, knowing he meant it as a compliment.
As Harry's song comes to an end, she jumps up and rushes over to pick her song. She doesn't shy away about dancing her way back over to him. She mouths along to "The Name of the Game," moving her body to the beat.
"The name of the game?"
"You know it, darling."
Harry feels the heat in his cheek and hopes Y/N won't bring it up. She gets him flustered in just a few words.
"You know this is about falling in love with your therapist," he states
"Harry!" She exclaims. "No, the song is open to interpretation."
"What do you think?"
"I think it's about the early days of your relationship and wondering if it'll be something more or not. Also, that bridge, I mean come on."
Harry loves how passionate she is about the song. He loves that she's not afraid to share her thoughts with him, and he realizes he's doing the same. He can't help himself and leans in to press a kiss to her temple, throwing an arm over her shoulder to pull her close as they sit there listening to the song to the end.
"Ready to go, angel?" He feels her mutter a small okay, as she gets up, offering her hand to him as he's at the edge. "Let's go take care of the bill."
Y/N chuckles, "Already did, Harry."
Harry pulls her back, turning her to face him, "When?"
"The restroom, oldest trick in the book."
"Sneaky, sneaky."
Y/N, let's Harry lead the way out this time; they say goodnight to the staff and hurry over to the car. He didn't bring a coat, and he still wasn't used to how cold California got at night. He thought summer meant warm nights with a gentle breeze, not chilly air. Y/N seemed to not mind it, not hurrying after Harry as he jumped into the passenger seat.
"Afraid of the cold, H."
"Yes, why is it so bad?"
"Didn't you get snow in December up in the peach state? Also, aren't you from where the sun never shines?" Y/N teases him as she settles in her seat, turning on the heater for Harry.
"We visit occasionally; I can handle the weather with the appropriate clothing." He pouts at her, rubbing his arms.
Y/N turns around, reaching for something in the backseat before settling in again and settling it in Harry's lap. She doesn't say anything besides dazzling him with a smile and pulling out of the parking lot.
Harry slips it on over his head and finds it fits him loose, "I hope you know you might not be getting this back."
Y/N turns to look at him as he drags the collar up to his cheek to feel the softness it still holds, "That's my coach sweater. Kate got me a few, all in different sizes; I wear this one because I like baggy hoodies."
Harry smiles at her, he knows everything they have done has been in reverse, but he loves how confident she is. He knows she's been hurt before in the past from what she's shared but not once has he felt her trying to hide or push him away. He wants to tell her everything he's kept locked inside, he's never felt like this before, and he hopes the feeling never goes away.
"You know, if people see you wearing the sweater, they'll start talking."
Harry turns in his seat, facing her as the street lights shine on her face. "Let them. I've got no shame in people thinking you're my girlfriend. If I'm lucky enough, it might come true."
Y/N shakes her head, thankful for the darkness because he won't be able to see how her face heated up. The drive to his house was short, he wished for the night to never end, but even he knows he's not that lucky. Harry lets her know it's okay to pull into his driveway as he had his car parked on the curb right.
"I'll walk you to your door." Harry holds her hand the short way to where they will soon have to say goodnight.
Harry doesn't try getting his keys out; instead, he turns her to look at him, wanting to remember her in this moment forever. His last first date. Call him crazy, but there was no one else for him. It was always Y/N; he just had to find her.
"I had the best night with you," Harry whispers, pulling her close by her waist. She rests her hands on his shoulders and nods. "We're doing this again, Y/N."
"I got a second date." She cheers.
Harry leans his forehead against hers, smirking as he hears her breath hitch. "You get a second, a third, a fifth, a one hundred. You name it, you got it."
He's so close to closing the gap between them, feeling their breaths mix together.
"That means you'd be stuck with me for a long time."
"I want to say forever, but that might be too soon."
"Our secret." She whispers, her eyes dancing from his lips to his eyes. "Please kiss me, H."
Harry knows he won't ever be able to deny anything she wishes in life, mainly because he was close to losing her once before.
His lips moved slowly, savoring the feel of her against him as he pulled her close, letting himself rest against the door. He felt the butterflies in his stomach going crazy as she moved her hands to his hair, tugging on the small curls. Harry pulled back in fear of letting out a moan at the intense pleasure she made him feel.
Y/N pulls back breathless but presses her lips to his cheek, not wanting him to touch to go far. "Will you give me another, darlin'," Y/N nods a starry look in her eye as she lets Harry swoop in and take control of the kiss. This second kiss is faster and more passionate. Harry was holding back before, but now he wants her to feel everything he makes her feel. Harry wants her to know he gives her goosebumps and fireworks.
"I could kiss you all night." Harry trails kisses on her cheeks, loving how lost in his touch she is.
"Too bad, I need to rest. I've got to coach a game tomorrow."
That statement is enough to bring Harry back to reality, where he has to wake up extra earlier to pick up his daughter then drive her to the game. They have to say goodnight, even though neither one of them wants to.
Harry pulls away, dropping his hands from her waist; Y/N follows by letting her hands slide down from his hair.
"See you tomorrow?" He winks at Y/N as she walks backward, creating distance between them.
"Of course, we got a semi-final to win."
Y/N walks to her car, touches her lips feeling the lingering heat on when he kisses her breathless. She is turning on her car, making sure her headlights are on, when she sees Harry rushing down the steps toward her, the smile on his face contagious.
"What is it?" She asks as she rolls down her window, knowing she wouldn't leave soon if she got out.
"A kiss for the road."
Y/N couldn't dare deny him a kiss, especially when she was craving more already.
Harry slipped a hand the back of her neck, fearing she'd pull back sooner than he wanted. Her lips tasted like cherry; he figures she put on chapstick. This was only their third kiss, but it had only gotten better. Harry swiped his tongue against her bottom lip, begging for entrance, but she pulled back, letting out a breathless laugh at the pout he made, no longer able to feel her against him. She leans and pecks at the corner of his mouth, whispering a goodnight as he steps back, letting her drive away.
It may be too soon, but he might just love her.
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The semi-final had to be one of the most intense games she had seen the young girls play. It was goal after goal from each team, neither one backing down on the pressure.
In the second half, she told them she was proud that if they kept playing how they were, this game was theirs. Going in a 3-2 lead, the girls stood shocked when, in a corner kick, the other team had been able to get it into the back of the net and over Dawson.
Kate thought this might knock them down, but it sparked something in all of them. All the parents stood up from their seats when they saw them dance around the opposing team switching the ball side to side. Honestly, it was something far advanced than they've ever presented.
Y/N was in awe; their communication was at a new level. There wasn't much time left, and Kate feared penalty kicks even if they were prepared for it.
Lani had control of the middle field; she just needed to get it past their defense. Juliet had defenders marking her tight, no way able to make a run towards the goal. If they played it right, Juliet would draw them out, leaving a gap allowing them to make a run for it. That's all they needed for a foot race.
Kate was sitting on the bench holding tightly onto Sarah Beth's hand, not able to take the pressure; then again, no one could take it. It all happened so fast; one moment, Juliet ran towards the midfield, two defenses following close behind when she got a touch on the ball, letting her send it back where it came from, then straight down the line. Jo and Franny ran down both sides too far ahead to be stopped; Jo was able to get a touch on it, crossing it straight to Franny, who shot at goal but was stopped by the opposing goalie. Jo was there for the rebound striking it in.
Goal!
She did it. She made the final goal.
Jo was quick to be bombarded by the rest of her teammates hugging her as they ushered back for the kick-off. Y/N wished she could run in there and hug her, telling her how proud she was, but for now, shouting 'great job' and 'stay focused' would be enough. Y/N looked over at Harry, who was wiping his tears still yelling proudly for his daughter, and like he knew she was staring, he looked over at her giving her the cheesiest grin she had ever seen on him.
The game finished, and the Golden Sparks won another game, taking them to the final the following week. Y/N congratulated the girls telling how proud she was of them and the hard work they put in each game. She told them she can't wait to see them on Monday and to have a wonderful weekend. Then told their parents to spoil them a little extra this weekend that earned a cheer from all the girls.
As Y/N was packing up her things, Kate and a few other parents already helped carry everything over to Kate's car. She felt arms around her waist.
"Hey, quickster," Y/N says, turning, allowing her niece to hug her properly.
"The girls are going to get ice cream if you want to go with them; Emilia's mom will text you the address," Juliet asks, but Y/N has spent enough time with them and wants to let them be.
"Thanks for the offer, but you have a good time. I'll let your mom know Emilia's mom is dropping you off." Juliet nods, giving her one more hug before hurrying over to Emilia's car, where Jo also happens to get in. She sends them away; she notices Harry a few vehicles over putting a bag away when she reaches her car.
Something comes over her because the next thing she knows, she's calling his name and standing next to him.
"Hiya, love. Doing alright?"
Y/N tucks her hair behind her ear and nods, "Yes, all good. That was an exciting game."
"Good to hear."
"You doing anything now?" She asks, peeking over her shoulder, seeing Kate has her eye on her, but she just rolls her eyes before looking back at Harry.
"Going home, my munchkin left me."
"Well, there's a great Mexican restaurant here if you'd like to join me for lunch."
Harry smirks, "Asking me on another date, are you?"
"I have to when I know you're still a bit nervous about making a move," she confesses bashfully.
Harry's not surprised she can so easily read him; all the walls he had left are gone.
"Then I'd be honored."
"Great, uh good. Just follow me then."
Arriving, they were seated quickly. A plate of chips and salsa were delivered shortly, Harry asked for guacamole. Y/N didn't argue, knowing for many people that was one of their favorite dips. Personally, she wasn't a fan. She didn't like the texture. Most people were shocked at the revelation, and no doubt Harry would as well.
"What's good here, love?" Harry says, leaning into her side to peek at her menu instead of opening his.
"Hmmm...honestly everything. I always get something different when I come, but you can never go wrong with tacos."
"Alright, you want to share?"
Y/N shrugs, "We can. I'm not picky, but I am starving."
"Have some guacamole; you haven't gotten any."
"No thanks, I'm not a fan."
"You serious?"
"Yes, Harry."
"That's strange."
"What is?" She sets the menu down to look over at him.
"I mean, it's fine. At least you'll never buy avocado toast for like six dollars." He chuckles, and Y/N can't help but join in.
Their waiter comes over, "Estan listos para ordenar?"
Y/N nods, "Hola, si. Dos tacos de asada, y dos de al pastor. Por favor."
Harry is staring intently at his menu, not speaking a word as they wait for his order. "You alright, darling?"
He leans close to whisper in her ear, not able to focus on the term of endearment, "Can you order for me?"
She doesn't tease him, just smiles, "Y una orden de enchiladas rojas."
Their waiter smiles and walks away, promising to be back shortly.
"Have we discussed you speaking a second language?"
"I thought we had." She brushes it off like it's no big deal.
"I don't think so."
"Okay, I took YMCA classes from age seven and did so all the way until college. Even have a minor in Spanish."
"Impressive."
"Sorry if you felt uncomfortable. They speak English as well but primarily speak Spanish."
Harry shakes his head, not wanting her to feel bad, "No, I was just caught by surprise. Hearing you speak Spanish was a turn-on."
"I'll keep that in mind." She winks at him, glad to see the blush spread on his cheeks.
Lunch went great, just as she had expected. They shared food, Y/N enjoying Harry's enchiladas much more than the tacos. Harry happily ate the three tacos she left after eating most of his plate, not that he minded. Y/N appreciated how open he was in sharing food. She had always done it growing up, so Harry allowing her to do the same made her find more profound comfort in their already growing relationship.
Harry beat her to the bill, and she let him take it not without letting him know she'd get it the next time. They stood outside together, allowing the nice breeze to brush over then neither one was eager to say goodbye. They knew they would see each other soon, but with the growing affection, they just craved more time together, more time getting to know each other.
Harry had her pressed against her car door, hidden from the view of others. "We should do this again."
"We should," she agrees.
"My house Thursday night, Josie is going out with Sarah and Mitch to watch a movie, most likely do a sleepover as well."
"I'd like that. We'll see if you can maybe have a sleepover yourself."
Harry smirks, liking the idea of her spending the night with him, not caring that they both had work the following day.
"Are you going to kiss me?"
"I want to."
"You have my full permission," she teases.
Y/N met him halfway and pressed, letting him press his lips against hers. As she kissed him back, she wanted him to feel how much she liked him, how fast she was falling for him. His hands wrapped around her waist tight; it gave her comfort. She knew he wouldn't let go until she asked.
She felt her beat just a little fast as she left out a soft moan; she shifted closer as his mouth opened over hers and his tongue slid between her lips.
He was in control of her. She did not mind one bit.
With a sigh, she tilted her so he could kiss her more deeply; he didn't need any encouragement to do as she wished. His kiss became more intense, she could feel the burn between her thighs, wanting more, needing more, and that's when she knew she had to pull back, but he beat her to it.
Harry pulls back, staying close enough that he could steal another kiss, "God, I can't get enough of you."
He surprised her, how open he became with her feelings, she hadn't asked how his therapy was going, but god, it must have been doing wonders if she could feel every emotion that was going through him as she gazed into his loving emerald eyes.
"I'll see you soon, darling." Harry took that as his cue to let his hold of her go.
"Not soon enough," he whispers.
"You'll see me Monday," she reminds him.
"Can I steal a kiss then?"
"If you're lucky."
Y/N knew it wouldn't be long until she could say she was in love with Harry.
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Harry never thought he'd be the type of guy to be excited over a simple call or text reading: 'I'm thinking of you." She's made him feel good and confident in their relationship. He sent flowers to her work that led to her sending him a selfie with her face buried in the flowers.
At practice, he knew she couldn't pay attention to him, but that didn't mean he couldn't. He saw how fast she moved with the ball showing the girls a new drill, then doing it again slowed down, making sure they all understood. He admired how she never got frustrated. He knew how hard it was to handle one eight-year-old, but sixteen was impressive. He'd sit there for hours just admiring her if he could.
On Tuesday, he called Alycia, the receptionist at Y/N's office, asking for her lunch schedule, wanting to drop by and leave her lunch. She let him know she was taking it later that day at 2 since she was so busy. He decided that a BLT sandwich from two blocks away would do as she had once expressed to him how well done they were, promising to take him one day.
He walked in, noting how few people were in the waiting room, but eagerly stepped up to the counter. Alycia greeted him kindly, now seeing him more than once when he took Josie to her first session. Josie showed improvement, and each time he brought her, he made sure to leave a note behind for Y/N.
As he told Alycia to give you the food, there Y/N came walking down the hall. He was surprised at how casual, yet professional her look was; she had a silky oversized button shirt tucked into her linen pants, wearing her brown loafers he knew she didn't use often.
"Alycia, can you update this- Harry!" Y/N looks shocked to see him standing in front of her, not at all expecting to see him; she just planned on calling him later at night like they had been doing the past few days.
"Hi, love. Brought you lunch." He smiled sheepishly, holding up the bag.
She laughs, handing over the file to Alycia then stepping towards Harry to wrap him in a hug she has been wanting to do since she laid eyes on him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight against him, taking in her sweet honey scent. Before pulling back, remembering, after all, she was at work.
"I'm starving, thank you, darling. I was about to head out." Y/N rubs her stomach jokingly.
"Well, I'll leave you to it. See you tomorrow."
Y/N pouts, "You're not staying?"
"Well, I didn't want to assume."
"Assume, please." She laughs at the smile she gets Harry to give her.
They excuse themselves from Alycia and walk towards her office. They take a seat on her couch as Harry hands her the sandwich. They ate together, and for the forty-five minutes they had together, it was perfect; they shared stories of how their week was going at how Josie was anxious for the game and just promising to see each other soon. Harry got a kiss goodbye and was glad he would be seeing her the following day.
It's Thursday night, and Harry will finally get her for more than half an hour. Josie left a few hours ago to watch the movie with Sarah and Mitch, her sleepover bag on her shoulder not at all a surprise for Harry. He glanced around his house and knew it wasn't the cleanest. Josie always had some stuff scattered around the house, but he knew it just gave the house character.
"Hey, I'm outside," Y/N tells him on the phone before hanging up.
He rushes to the door, swinging it open to see her shut the door with her hip before making her way to him, a grin on her face as she carries a pink box in one hand and what he assumes to be food in another.
"You said you don't always like having to cook, and I know you said you love Thai." She giggles as he reaches to take the bag out of her hand, letting the smell take over.
"This is sweet, love. I appreciate it."
"Well, of course," she shrugs off his compliment. "I wanted to do something nice."
"I feel like I should be the one doing sweet things for you," he confesses as he guides her to his kitchen.
Y/N frowns, "Darling, we can move past that."
"Can we?"
"Of course, I feel like we've grown in the last few weeks. There's a different type of trust, don't you think?" She turns to face him, knowing the conversation was serious.
"Do you know how sorry I am?"
She nods, slowly stepping towards him, stopping right in front of him. She lifts her hand under his chin to have him look at her. "I do, and I forgive you. Sometimes we let our emotions win."
"I hope you know I'd never do that again." His voice is soft.
"I know."
She leans in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his lips.
"Dinner?" She beams.
"Yes, of course."
The meal is good, probably one of the best foods he's had in a long time. She didn't pick this up from his usual place but wouldn't tell him where she went. Told him she needed to keep some things to herself to keep surprising him. Harry finished most of the meal and then opened the pink box she left on the table that held a mixture of donut holes.
"You've still got room," she exclaims.
"They smell so good." He defends. Y/N laughs but rejects the offer to have one.
After cleaning up, he leads them to the living room, deciding to watch a movie. The scroll endlessly for a few minutes before settling on Life As We Know It. Harry shared that it was one he enjoyed watching back, and she agreed.
They had only gotten thirty minutes in before they began chatting. Y/N went on about how she was planning a trip to take two up north wanting to visit June Lake and hike some trails. Y/N's sister was going to see Xavier's family in San Diego, so they couldn't go up with her. Harry, without thinking, said if she'd have them, they could go. She didn't respond, making him assume she didn't want them to join, but she surprised him by hugging him.
"Best idea you've had tonight. I'll make all the reservations. Just let me know when you're free." She told him before settling back down next to him, her hand on his thigh going back to the movie. She was grinning at the montage of Holly and Eric and how they were learning how to co-parent Sophie. Harry had not taken his eyes off of her; she laughed as Sophie pooped in Eric's old hat.
"You're staring." She narrows her eyes at him, suspicious.
"It's because you're beautiful."
"Thank you," she answers timidly. "Very sweet of you."
"Of course, I'm going to spend the rest of my life telling you how beautiful you are if you let me."
"God, you're smooth."
Harry smirks, "Smooth enough for a kiss."
She didn't answer him; she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him forward so that he could meet her halfway, and pressed her lips against his. Harry was quick to take control, slipping his hands around her waist and placing her on his lap, "this okay," he asked, quickly pulling back making sure she said yes. Once he had a go-ahead, he went back to her lips; she shifted closer, now touching chest to chest, not a single space in between as his tongue slipped into her mouth, prideful of the moan she released against his mouth.
Harry smoothed his hands from down her waist to rest on her ass, then cupped her and held her to him as he thrust against her. He pulled back for a second fearful he went too far; Y/N frowned, slowly opening her eyes whispering "again" against his lips, and who was he to deny her.
She could feel his hesitation, slid her hands up, and cupped his jaw, "You're okay, we're okay. You're taking care of me. I want this."
Harry swallowed hard, noting she never stopped rocking herself on top of him. His mouth curved in a slight grin, pushing up to meet her, he felt her go soft in his arms, and that's when he really realized the effect he has on her.
He needed her lips on him, it had only been a few moments, but he was craving her. He laid a string of kisses up her neck until he reached her mouth, lips swollen, but he knew she was eager for more.
"Harry, please." She had a hand tangled in his curls, needing to close the distance.
"I got you, love."
He tilted her head, allowing him to kiss her deeply, the kiss only more intense than before. If he didn't need to breathe, he would kiss her forever, never stopping.
"So pretty, all those moans just for me,"
"All for you," she breathes out.
Harry smirked, moving her up and down over his pants at a steady rhythm, but she was fighting for control.
"Harry."
"It's alright, love, let yourself go. Show me how pretty you look when you come."
Y/N was so close, tensed her thighs around him about to reach her release when they heard a phone ringing, halting their movements. Harry groans, pressing one more lingering kiss to her puckered lips, before reaching over to the side table to his right for his phone, "not me."
She holds back a whine, getting up for her phone inside her jacket. "Whoever it is, don't answer," he half-jokes.
Y/N giggles and looks at the caller as she swipes right to answer, "it's my niece."
Harry watches as she nods, telling her to relax and that she'd be right over.
"Has our night been cut short?"
"It has. Juliet got in an argument with her dad and is now threatening to move out."
"What," he laughs, standing up as he watches her shrug her jacket on.
"Yeah, to the backyard or with me."
"She really made you a mediator."
Y/N laughs, shrugging.
As Harry is walking her to the car, he can't believe how the night turned or would have. "You know I thought it would have been my child who interrupted us."
"Well, your daughter is an angel next to Juliet."
"You really think so,"
"I know so."
"You make it so easy to fall for you," he confesses, wrapping her in a hug before she leaves him for the night.
"Harry."
"What, I mean it."
She leans up to kiss his cheek, "I'm sorry we didn't get to finish."
"Me too."
"I hope you know once I'm in bed tonight, I'll be thinking of you."
"That's not fair."
"Why not?"
"Because I want to be the one taking care of you, making a mess of you."
"We'll get there," she promises.
Harry leans in and kisses her; it's short and sweet.
"Night, Harry. See you Saturday."
"See you then. Goodnight, love."
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It's bittersweet honestly, it's the final game of the season. The girls have worked very hard to get where they are now: at the championship game. After this game, win or lose, they'll have a month off. No one will call her asking for an extra jersey, asking her for a ride, or texting her what time the game was, even with them owning the schedule. They'd all get a break until mid-September.
Harry and Josie were the first to arrive, while Kate and Y/N were setting up the warm-up drill.
"Loverboy is here." Kate teases as they walk to the bench.
"Stop." Y/N looks over at them, seeing them heading this way. "Styles family, good to see you."
"Hiya, Coach."
"Hello, Jo. You're going to go get ready?" Y/N says, looking down at the girl's black crocs with Avengers pins.
"Yup," she skips away, sitting on the grass next to Kate, who's pumping air in a few balls.
"Harry, hi."
"No darling," he teases."
She narrows her eyes at him, "I'll have you sit with the other parents if you keep teasing."
Harry looks appalled; she'd suggest such a thing, "Now that hurts."
"You know I thought you'd be sweeter, especially about that wonderful night we had Thursday."
A smile tugs up Harry's face at the memories, "My apologies, didn't want to upset my girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Y/n doesn't hide her surprise.
"Yeah, uh, we've gone out enough. I like you, and I'm going out on a limb here that you like me," she nods, allowing him to continue. "You're marvelous and love, Josie; god, you even gave her a nickname. I want this; I really want to hold your hand and keep going on dates with you and kiss you. I never want to stop.
She smiles, stepping into his embrace, "I'll be your girlfriend, boyfriend."
"Enough to risk a kiss?"
She doesn't reply; instead, she leans in, giving him a chaste kiss.
"Now go be a good parent and take a seat."
Harry does so. The smile on his face mirrors her own.
The game passed in a blur; the four quarters finished quickly. Y/N had thought they lost to the other team carrying a two-one win over them. The girls didn't look defeated, but each girl she subbed came out with a sigh but cheered as the minutes counted down.
Everyone hated losing, including herself.
Then out of nowhere, Priscilla, a usually shy player, gets a touch on the ball and sends it towards the goal. The goalie lets it slip under her, and what do you know they scored. The cheers seem endless; Y/N isn't bothered with the time, knowing there isn't much left in the final quarter.
This gives the girls a new motivation like a spark has been lit. It's a game of keep-away, Blue Devils not giving up easily. Abby gets the ball at her feet, and she freezes; the goalie is running right towards her, the defense kept away by the others; it's not until someone shouts, "Shoot!" that the young girl lifts her left foot shooting it through the goalies' legs and hitting the back of the next. Then just like that, the referees blow the whistle and call the game.
The Golden Sparks had won the championship. Y/N felt the tears in her eyes, thankful for the sunglasses hiding her overflowing emotions.
Y/N laughs as she feels Kate hug her and begin jumping up and down.
"We did it!!"
"They did it!"
Y/N is swept through the motions as she shakes hands with the coaches and claps the opposing team's hands. It's not until Juliet runs towards her with full force, knocking her onto the grass, wrapping her arms around her waist, that she's brought back to the moment. Then before she knows it, there are fifteen more girls joining in on the group hug. She's not sure when Kate was dragged into it, but she feels their joy.
They have a lifetime of wins and losses coming ahead in their young lives, but she's happy to be part of one that brings them so much happiness.
The young girls help her get up before hurrying over to their waiting parents. Juliet is being smothered in kisses by her parents. Josie is passed around by Harry's friends and her godparents, congratulating her on the win. Each girl showing off their small first place trophies, indeed to be displayed for all to see somewhere in their home.
Y/N has waved almost everyone off, telling them she would see them for pizza and drinks at their usual location. She took one look around the emptying field and felt she did well this season, but there was also room for her to grow as a coach.
"Looks like you're a champion, love."
Y/N turns around to find Harry smiling at her, Josie a few feet behind, waving to a couple with a baby. "Think she's the champ; she played the game. You did wonderful out there, Jo." She grins as Jo looks at her proudly.
"I still think you should be congratulated; you led these girls. Taught them and helped them grow into becoming better little humans." he shares, grabbing her hand pulling her into his chest.
"Well, thank you." Y/N looks down at Josie, who's crouched down trying to pick up what's likely to be a worm, "Ready for some pizza, Jo?"
Josie nods, not looking up too entranced on the creature in her hands now.
"Can I give you a gift, you know for uh...winning?"
"Course, I like presents." She grins at him, eager for what it could be.
His fingers curled into her nape and pulled her head into his as he kissed her softly. She felt his full lips move over hers; she felt how much he felt for her. As Harry brought their kiss to an end, he pulled back and looked into Y/N's eyes. "Was it a good gift?"
"The best," she answers before they are interrupted by a giggling Josie, who is staring up at them.
"Does this mean you're together?" Jo asks.
Y/N and Harry share a look before looking back at Josie, who's patiently waiting, "yes."
"Oh my! Dreams come true!" She shouts, running circles around them.
"Isn't meeting dad's girlfriend too soon a bad thing?" Y/N asks Harry.
"Not when you know you're never letting go."
"Oh, I like the sound of that." She lets pull her towards him, his arm resting comfortably over her shoulder.
"Plus, you're meeting all my friends at the pizza place, they all came to cheer on Josie, and you did say everyone was invited."
"I might just regret saying that."
"It'll be fine. Not a chance you don't win them all over."
Y/N brings them to a halt, Harry smiling down at her. This is happiness; she never wants to forget it. Harry leans in, letting their mouths meet in a kiss, soft and passionate as they both spill their feelings for another, hoping that with each passing second, the emotions only get stronger and stronger.
Harry pulls back, resting his forehead against hers, "I don't know what the future will bring, but I'm glad we'll be able to see it together."
Josie walks a few steps in front of them, leading the conversation. Harry and Y/N listen intently, holding each other tightly because this is what their future will consist of; more soccer games, more smiles, more laughs but most importantly, more love.
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thank you so much for reading <3333
I adore you. take care xx
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