gravity

magnetism

magnetism is the force between two charges that draws them together

—————

"Is that making any more sense or do y'want to go over it again?"

(Y/N) was trying her hand at transcribing her notes in Harry's fashion, finally using the plain green notebook she'd been carrying around for the last month. She planned on typing them up on her laptop later still, but Harry had said something about handwritten notes retaining better in the mind since it was connected to a muscle memory, or something like that. She was willing to try anything at this point; another failure wasn't much of an option if she planned on passing this course.

"A little," she drawled, gaze pinned on the list of bullet points lining the margin of her notebook, "But, can you go over that formula again—the cen-centri-pedal—I don't know how to say it, but that formula."

An airy laugh was exhaled through Harry's smiling lips before he nodded his head. He started on his second round of explanation, voice soft in their quiet corner of the library. Her eyes pulled from the page in front of her to watch Harry gesticulating beside her. A pale pink blush coated his cheeks as he caught sight of her attentive gaze, forcing (Y/N) to bite back a smile.

She thought it was sweet that he was still so shy around her despite how often they'd been around each other in the last month. The last time they had met up in the back of the library had broken down a layer of the walls separating them, but he still managed to become bashful under her attention. When she'd accidentally brush the back of his hand with her fingertips or bump her shoulder into his while scooting closer to read over the same textbook, he'd stumble over his words or get a stutter caught on his tongue. But, (Y/N) thought the cutest bit was when, for whatever reason be it correcting her notes or showing her a specific passage in the textbook, he needed to get close to her or touch her, he would ask for permission with unwavering eye contact no matter how pink his cheeks blushed. Even when she granted him that clearance, he was shaky and unsure, waiting for her first sign of rejection or shrugging him off. He was very gentle and kind with her, and obviously smart, but he still managed to be unbelievably shy despite it all.

And, (Y/N) was pretty sure she definitely had a crush on him. Talking to Ny about it all—hearing all of those little things about him she adored and the fact that he had dropped everything to be with her—then seeing him, made it all official.

"Did that clear anything up, (Y/N)?"

The sound of his honeyed voice wrapping around her name pulled her from her thoughts, a tint of guilt following after. She hadn't been listening to a single thing he was saying, too wrapped up in watching him rather than paying his words any attention. Besides, it had been a long session today; they'd met up after their last classes at two and the time was just nearing eight at night. How was she supposed to focus on physics when her brain was fried and there were much more pleasant things to pin her thoughts to?

She figured she had gone quiet for too long when Harry let out a short sigh before rubbing at his eyes from under his glasses.

"Okay," he nodded his head, eyes fixed on the textbook in front of him, "That's okay, we'll figure it out. Was there something in specific that was tripping y'up?" He looked just as stressed as she had been only a few days prior; now she knew why he had wanted to comfort her. If she had looked anything like him, she understood his urge to wrap her up and console her.

"Harry, we can stop for the night, you know," she started, taking on a soothing tone that complimented the warmth of the worn books around them, "We've been doing this for almost six hours, and neither of us have had dinner. I don't think it would be a bad idea if we gave it a rest for now."

He peeked at her over the frame of his glasses and the fan of his lashes, swirls of curls flopping over his forehead. "I jus'..." he sighed before trailing off, reclining back in his seat with his hands falling limp in his lap, "I don't want to let y'down again. We only have a few more weeks until your retake and I want y'to feel as prepared as possible."

(Y/N) felt her eyes round out as she listened to him, tilting her head as she traced over his form. A thick black jumper covered his torso, with tan fitted trousers tailored to his hips. The blue paint on his nails was chipped as he plucked at his sweater, finding a loose thread she didn't think had been there before he started toying with the knit.

"You're not going to let me down again, because you haven't even let me down a first time," she countered, "Don't worry about any of that, okay? I failed that exam because of me, not you. You're working yourself harder than I am, and I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be the other way around." She released a breathy laugh, hoping the light-hearted note she ended on would draw the same from him.

"Yeah..." he sighed, mimicking her with a small laugh of his own though his smile was tight. His eyes were pinned on his plucking fingers, unmoving from their position though she was sure he felt her eyes on him. The toes of his Vans kicked at the floor as a beat passed, Harry was clearly still unsure about quitting while he felt like there was so much work to be done.

"Let's just stop for the night, it's okay," she repeated, "We'll come back to this next time, and it'll probably be easier then anyway. We won't be working on two fried brain cells."

Harry sucked in a deep breath, shoulders broadening and chest puffing before he met her eyes. He nodded his head, "Yeah, okay. But only if you're okay with it; I don't want to abandon you."

"Of course, I'm okay with it. It's my idea," she smiled, already shifting in her seat to start packing up.

Following after her, Harry's stress deflated from his shoulders. (Y/N) had her own things tucked away with her bag slung over her shoulder, waiting on him. She knew when he had all of his notes and utensils neatly packed away, he would continue on his routine of asking if he could walk her to her car where he would wait for her to drive away before he would let himself go home. Tonight, she didn't want to leave alone while he went in the opposite direction.

She didn't want their night to be confined to physics talk like it had been every other time they'd seen each other. She figured since it was dinner time already, she hoped to convince him to come along with her for an extra few hours.

"I'll—uh...I'll walk you to your car, if that's okay," Harry recited as they edged out of the library, taking the now familiar route to the first floor.

Sucking in a deep breath, she hoped she wasn't running too far with Ny's small encouragement. "I was actually thinking about getting something to eat before I went home. Would you want to come with me, maybe?" Trying her best to stay casual, (Y/N) feigned nonchalance; she hoped he would accept on the grounds of the impromptu date she was suggesting, but if he took this as a pair of friends getting food before the night ended, she would be able to play along.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks, (Y/N) mimicking his actions when she noticed his lag. She turned on her heel to where he stood with bright red cheeks and raised brows. "Really?" he breathed, green eyes pinned to her face.

"Yeah," she affirmed, nodding her head though she didn't feel very confident anymore, "I was kind of in the mood for pizza, so I was thinking about going to Wanda's."

"And you want me to go with you?"

(Y/N) tried not to feel hurt at the blunt execution of his line of question. If he didn't want to go with her, all he had to do was say so.

"I mean, yeah," she answered, worrying the strap of her bag in her fist, "But if you don't want to, it's totally okay. I understand if you just want to go home, instead."

He reanimated at the sound of her words, practically jumping as he stuttered closer to her in a half step, "No—I mean, yes! Yes, I do want to go with you, I mean." His flustered acceptance drew a laugh from her though Harry's face only flushed a deeper red. Taking a deep breath, Harry centered himself though he kept his eyes closed to keep his head straight. "If you're still offering, I would love to go with you, (Y/N)."

Yeah. She definitely had a crush on him.

"C'mon then," she beckoned, wrapping her fingers around his wrist. He stiffened under her hold for half a second before he happily followed after her, tripping over himself to keep up.

By the time they made it to her car (she had agreed to drive since it was her idea to go out in the first place), Harry was nothing but full smiles, flushed cheeks, and glittery eyes. Her car felt smaller with the two of them inside. The broad of his shoulders took up the full of the passenger seat, legs spread to accommodate his book bag at his feet. Restless fingers scratched at the denim on his thighs, his pink lips rolled between his teeth.

"I need to text my roommate, but you can connect and play some music if you want," (Y/N) said after tossing her bag in the backseat, reaching for her phone she had dropped in the empty cup holder.

Harry's cheeks flushed a brighter red as he nodded his head, grabbing at his own phone. (Y/N) turned her attention to her own illuminated screen, pulling up Naomi's thread.

         i'll be home soon im just now leaving the library but im getting dinner first !

Before (Y/N) could check her other neglected notifications, a round of texts came through from her roommate.

Ny🪴

        Wait are you still with Harry ?

        Omg are you going with him

         Is this a date are you going on a date w him omg ??????

(Y/N) typed back her response, leaving her message vague with a simple Yes, im with harry as his music started filtering through the speakers. The beginning beats of a Mac Miller song played out.

"I love this album! I didn't know you listened to this," she smiled, pressing send on her text before leaving Ny to decipher her own details.

"Yeah," he answered with a toothy grin, "'S one of m'favorites." He seemed to relax into his seat then, fingers still fumbling over invisible threads on his clothes though he never lost his smile.

The drive was short, Harry kept conversation light despite his stuttered words that he spoke through his beaming smile. (Y/N) found it hard to keep her eyes on the road when she wanted to see the dimples dented into his cheeks. She let out a breath as the neon sign hung above the student staffed pizza parlor came into view; now she could put all of her attention on him without the distraction of driving or confusion of physics in the way.

"You've been to Wanda's before, right?" (Y/N) asked as she parked, Harry's attention flicking to her in an instant.

Under the limited light of the neon tubes and the sliver of moonlight above them, Harry was bathed in a pearlescent glow. The rose of his cheeks was highlighted with the help of the pink neon above his head, with the knitted pattern of his jumper becoming prominent with the trick of the light. "Yeah," he nodded his head, waiting for her as she rounded the front of her car to meet him on the sidewalk, "I actually used to work here m'first year."

"Oh!" she gasped, stopping before they reached the graffitied window that marked Wanda's parlor, "We don't have to go then if you don't want to. We can go somewhere else." She knew all too well what it was like to go back to the scene of an old job; at the best of times, the person who'd taken the open position was told about her with all of the good bits and stupid incidents, or she could barely make it to the front doors before turning around and instead placing an online order to avoid any interactions.

"No, 's alright," Harry shrugged her off, the curls of his hair waving with the shake of his head, "I still like it here, jus' didn't really feel like delivering pizzas to frat parties at one a.m. for no tip after a year."

"No way, you were the night delivery guy?" (Y/N) made a face at the new information, already feeling pity over the idea of him being the poor freshman that always drew the short straw and had to deliver to hungry and drunken party goers in a college town. Only for it to be made even worse with the lack of tip.

"Mhm. 'S as awful as it sounds."

An airy laugh breached his lips as Harry reached the door before her, grabbing for the sticker covered handle to let her in first. The familiar sound of Wanda's invited her in. Loud music that probably shouldn't have been playing during business hours filtered through the speakers with the attendants in the open kitchen shouting over the tune. Kids she recognized from some of her classes were seated at tables with worn decals laminated over the top.

"Welcome to Wanda's, how can I help you?" One of the cooks in the kitchen ran out to the front, shouting as he went. His long hair was tied into a bun at the nape of his neck with flour dusting the pieces that acted like fringe around his face.

Harry looked at her with raised brows, a question of if (Y/N) was ready to order. She gave a slight nod, stepping up beside him with a bright smile on her face.

Though this wasn't exactly a proper date, the romanticized idea she'd had when she asked him out with her fleshed itself out. It wasn't what they were doing so much as how (Y/N) wasn't able to shake the jitters bouncing through her veins. She peeked at him from the corner of her eye as he rattled off his practiced order. She had become so used to seeing him in an academic setting, sitting beside her in physics or huddled between bookshelves at the library, to see him in a relaxed environment made it that much easier to confirm her desire to know him. It may not be a first date, but (Y/N) would remember it like it was.

After she recited off her own order, (Y/N) stepped forward as she plucked out her card. Harry gently grabbed for her wrist, a quiet protest ready to fall from his lips.

"(Y/N), let m—"

"I invited you out, let me get this one," she cut him off, thankful for the lagging computer system behind the counter, "And I want to say thank you for helping me again."

The lilypad of his iris wandered over her face, rolling his lips between his teeth as he finally met her eyes. His grasp on her arm loosened until it dropped with a lingering brush of his fingers over the back of her hand. "Thank you," he whispered, the gratitude quiet just for her to hear, "'M going to save us a table then."

After (Y/N) nodded, Harry walked off with a small smile hooking his lips with his signature blushing cheeks. The ding of the computer system finally catching up stole her attention, drawing her eye away from Harry. After running her card and grabbing their collapsing paper plates with the signature massive Wanda's slices, she followed after Harry to the quiet table in the back he had chosen, farthest from the blaring speakers.

When he saw her approaching with her hands full, Harry stumbled over himself to pull her chair out and take the overflowing plates out of her hands. She let out an airy laugh as he settled shakily in his seat, their respective meals placed on the decal covered table.

"Y'really didn't have to do this, (Y/N), but thank you."

"Harry," she started, playful rolling her eyes as she picked up her slice, "You've been helping me a lot with all this physics stuff—for the second time now, and all for free. This is the least I can do, especially since you bought coffee the other day, too. So, thank you."

Truthfully, she didn't want Harry to think she expected any of his help. She had gathered that he was rather sensitive and from the way he'd thank her for agreeing to her own plans, she knew that if she allowed him, he'd take it upon himself to do anything that he thought would make her happy.

Now with food in front of them, (Y/N) realized just how hungry she was. A lull fell between them as they finally ate for the first time in almost eight hours. It wasn't until she had made it halfway through her slice when she figured she should actually take this opportunity to get to know Harry like she had wanted instead of stuffing her face like she could do with Ny for free at home.

"So," she started after swallowing a bite of cheese and pepperoni, "What do you want to do after school? Something with physics or...?"

Harry wiped at his mouth with the paper napkin printed with the parlor's logo, shrugging a shoulder before he managed to swallow. "Probably. I jus' don't know where to go with it sometimes; the field is so tight and competitive. If I want something really worth it, 's going to take some time to get there from where 'm starting. It can be a little overwhelming to think about."

"That makes sense," (Y/N) nodded, sipping from the water she'd grabbed up front, "You're doing social media stuff right now, though, right? That could count for something; if you phrase it right on a resumé, you basically filled a position with computer science skills and required programming qualifications."

A cinch appeared in his brow from across the table, his eyes searching as if he didn't know what she was talking about. After a split second, he straightened up, seemingly remembering his own occupation. "Right, yeah," he nodded with a tight smile, eyes averting to the plain cheese slice in front of him, "But, what about you? I know y'said your roommate kind of dragged you into taking that class, so I doubt 's anything like what 'm looking at."

"Oh, definitely not," she laughed around a bite of pizza, the crust becoming the majority of what she had left, "I honestly want to travel after this, I think. I know it's not the best option to be putting off a job when swimming in student loans, but I think I jumped into school because I thought I had done everything I wanted, but I want more now. I want to see everything we're taught about."

Harry's smile bloomed over his features as he listened to her, the crust of his pizza reduced to a toy being prattled between his fingers. "I know what y'mean. I've been saving up as much money as I can to do the same," he rested his elbow on the table with his chin resting in his palm, "I would love to go to Japan someday. A couple of m'friends have gone, and they've said its the most fast-paced but peaceful place they've ever been. I want to see how that works."

(Y/N) couldn't help the curl that spread over her own lips. In the time that she'd gotten a chance to really talk to Harry, he'd never revealed anything this personal. He was kept tightly under wraps, his shy defenses made it easy for him to keep those secrets and traits all to himself. A bubbling warmth formed in her chest as she finally got a look at what was going on in his head; he wasn't just made up of formulas and quantum theories. Since he seemed much more interested in learning about her than sharing about himself, she was going to hang onto this moment (and probably tell Ny how much it had made her tummy simmer with butterflies when she got home).

Despite the fact both of their dinners were inching towards bare bones with half finished waters, (Y/N) was determined to learn as much as she could about him. She liked him beyond the color-coded notes and the stacks of physics textbooks he could recite from memory, now all she wanted to know was where the rest of him started.

—————

Ny🪴

         do you want to go shopping for halloween costumes when you get home???

(Y/N) perked up as she read the text, messaging back a quick yes with excessive exclamation marks. She hadn't given much thought to her costume for the year though the annual Sigma Pi sorority Halloween party was a little less than two weeks away. She hadn't thought of the party itself much either, too preoccupied with the guy she could see from the corner of her eye beside her.

While she was tapping at her phone, Harry was busy fussing with his usual setup. His previous notebook was now full of annotations and outlines, prompting him to start a new one just a few months into the course. As she glanced at him, (Y/N) wasn't able to shake the butterflies that fluttered through her tummy, the same kaleidoscope that had been cocooned in her abdomen since the night at Wanda's. That night, she had planned on getting home by nine-thirty at the latest, but she ended up staying past ten p.m. talking to Harry over dented bottles of water and pizza crust that was picked apart by nervous fingers. While she had the privilege of learning bits and pieces of the man that made up her physics hero, he still managed to worm around her questions and turn them on her. But, the vision of him happily listening to each of her mundane stories and simple anecdotes like they were fairy tales that made up the facets of her, made it all worth it.

She felt supremely more comfortable with him, but (Y/N) still wanted more. She wanted to see more of him, learn more, and figure out if she could even be more to him. All she needed was more time with him first. Sure, they were still set with study sessions, but she wanted more of the man that sat across from her at Wanda's.

Now with the thought of the Halloween party floating around, (Y/N) figured she might have the right venue to see him. Though she'd never seen him at any parties on Greek Row (it was really only a couple of back-to-back blocks made up of all the sororities and fraternities, but it was just easier to call it one row), she urged to see how he would behave in that kind of environment. She could invite him, and if he said no, at least she tried (she really hoped he wouldn't, though. She wanted to know what he would dress up as). Even if the butterflies in her tummy made her fingers jittery and perked up the nerves in her body at thought of posing the question.

Normally, she would be dying during the sluggish pace that Stanfill taught the class. But, today, the slow ticks of the clock gave her time to work up the courage to ask Harry to the party. More often than not, she felt her gaze instinctually travel to glance at him from the corner of her eye. Like always, she found him scratching out his notes with diligence, the most important bits of information closely followed by a highlighter. She swore (or more likely, hoped) that Harry returned her gaze when she wasn't looking, peeking at her from under the fan of his lashes with a soft smile following on the curve of his lips.

By the time Professor Stanfill officially dismissed class, (Y/N) found herself taking her time to pack up her materials. She remembered the days when she would bolt out of the room with her laptop packed away a full five minutes before the end time just so she could avoid spending a minute passed her required time in the lecture hall. Now, she lingered at the end of the row with her bag hung over her shoulder and her eyes on Harry as she waited. She looked forward to the routine they now had; it almost made coming to this class worth it.

Once they started on the trek to her car, (Y/N) falling into step beside Harry as best she could though his strides were much larger than her own, she sucked in a deep breath and worried the knit of her cardigan between her nails.

"That Halloween party at Sigma Pi is in a couple of weeks, are you and your friends planning on going?" she posed, hiding the cringe of her nerves with a shaky smile. She hoped she didn't sound weird, asking her study buddy about his Halloween plans so stiffly.

"Probably not," he shrugged, directing his gaze towards his feet with rose dusted cheeks, "I don't think 'm really invited, anyway."

"It's a party, everyone's invited! My roommate and I are going," she bubbled, her goal being to wipe the dejected look off his face.

Harry looked up from the path of his feet with his lips rolled between his teeth. "Are you... You're going to dress up?"

"Mhm, Naomi and I are going costume shopping as soon as I get home," she explained, glancing at him over the line of her shoulder to find Harry looking straight ahead with his hand wrapped tightly around the strap of his bag, "But, I'm not sure what I'm going to be yet."

A beat of silence passed as the parking lot drew closer. Harry's gaze was stuck straight ahead while (Y/N) awaited some kind of response. Now that there was a plausible chance he might decline her invitation, she realized just how badly she wanted him to go.

Plucking up her courage, fingers wrapped tightly in the fabric of her cardigan, (Y/N) tried again. "I would really like it if you came, Harry. You don't have to dress up if you don't want to, but I was really hoping we could hang out a little more."

Though the hesitancy wasn't cleared from his tone, Harry finally answered her. "I—uh—I might have to work that weekend, but I'll think about it."

A short smile spread over (Y/N)'s features. At least it wasn't a complete no.

"Of course," she nodded, "And if you can't make it, or don't feel up to it, it's more than okay. I know parties aren't for everyone, I just wanted you to know you're welcome to come—to any of these parties, actually. I want you to be there, at least."

A toothy grin made its way over Harry's features, his face flaming an abundant shade of red. With the dimples denting his cheeks, he chanced a look in her direction with his eyes flitting over her features, "Thank you, (Y/N). That really does mean a lot."

She was starting to curse herself for her impeccable parking jobs, her close spots making their journeys a little too short to her liking (she was still crooked and riding the white lines, so her proximity to the main building was the only impeccable part).

A bright smile covered her features as she turned on her heel to face him. "Well, I'll see you later, right? Wednesday for more tutoring?"

"Yeah," he smiled, voice soft as his gaze matched her's, "I'll see you. Goodnight, (Y/N)."

"Goodnight, Harry."

(Y/N) edged towards her car, chancing a glance at him over her shoulder. Looking at him now, she really hoped he would be able to make it.

—————

Looking in the mirror, Harry found Mitch eyeing him with a raised brow and an incredulous look. He tried his best to school his features into neutrality, but he knew the nerves singing in his veins were clear on his face. Fussing with his last minute Halloween costume, he debated if it really was a good idea for him to go out on Halloween night.

Truth be told, he was planning on staying in tonight and putting on a festive theme for the cam-site in honor of the holiday. But, since (Y/N) had invited him to this party over a week ago, he hadn't been able to shake her words from his head. She wanted to spend time with him, she said; she wanted him there. How was he supposed to pass that up in favor of making a few hundred dollars from strangers?

"H, c'mon, your hair looks fine, stop messing with it. You're just stalling so you don't have to leave yet," Mitch griped from where he was stood lent up against the doorframe of Harry's bedroom. Harry's eyes stayed stuck on his reflection in the floor length mirror pinned on his wall (would he look stupid going to this party dressed up? He really hoped (Y/N) would stick to her promise of coming in costume). Mitch sighed, bringing his attention back to the reflection behind him, "You know, if you want to pregame a little to get rid of some nerves, I can just drive you over and pick you up later."

"No, no, it's okay," Harry declined as used his shaky hands to adjust the bowtie around his neck, "I jus'... You know I've never done this before. I'm-I'm nervous."

Crossing his arms, Mitch raised his brows again, "But your girl will be there, right? So, at least you'll have one person to talk to. Besides, if things aren't going well, you can always just leave."

The blush that rose to Harry's cheeks was involuntary and unstoppable at the sound of Mitch calling (Y/N) his girl. "She's not my girl," he mumbled through a smile, "But, yeah, I guess so."

"It's going to be fine, Harry. You're going to have fun, you're just scaring yourself at this point."

Harry wanted to believe Mitch's words—logically, he knew they were true. He was definitely the type to get into his head and let his uncertainty squander his fun before he'd even had any. But, letting that go was something that was much easier said than done.

Turning away from the mirror with his mock lab coat brushing his shins, Harry faced Mitch with a heavy hand running through his hair, "Do y'think I look alright?"

Mitch rolled his eyes, stepping away from the doorframe to wander back to the main living area. "You know," he called, Harry's jittery form following after him, "If you ask me that one more time, I'm going to tell Pauli that you're doubting their choices and it's going to hurt his feelings."

"'M not, 'm not," Harry countered though his argument barely had legs, "'M jus' nervous, that's all."

Falling into the worn recliner tucked away in the corner of Harry's living room, Mitch heaved a heavy sigh. A look of sympathy shot through his gaze, letting Harry know he understood where he was coming from but was still bent on his tough love approach of making him go. "Have you talked to her at all today?"

Shaking his head, the tea shades perched on the top of his head jostling in his hair, Harry spoke, "No. She doesn't even know 'm coming tonight. She texted me the address this morning and that she hoped to see me there, but I didn't say anything back because I wasn't sure."

A dumbfounded look twisted Mitch's features, the shock of Harry's words pulling him to sit straight in the sagging cushions, "Text her back, then! Tell her you're coming and that you can't wait to see her! What are you thinking?!"

Harry resisted the urge to pick at his freshly painted nails, knowing that if any chips appeared it would only make him spiral further. "I don't know. 'M not sure if she's only doing this to be nice to me because I told her I'd never been invited to any of these things."

The coach facade Mitch had taken on for the night fell at the sight of his friend practically deflating at the thought. "She said she wanted to spend time with you, Harry—you, specifically. If she was only trying to be nice, she wouldn't have said that," Mitch encouraged, sitting with his elbows perched on his knees as he pinned his gaze to Harry across the room, "You've told me you feel like she's a really honest person, so believe her. I think you're going to have a lot of fun tonight, you just have to let yourself."

Harry sucked in a deep breath, his eyes falling to the black loafers he had on his feet. He nodded his head slowly as if the motion was done only to convince himself of the affirmations. "Okay," he breathed, peeking at his friend through the gaps in his lashes, "What time is it?"

Glancing at his phone, Mitch then jerked his chin in the direction of the front door, "Time for you to go if you want to be fashionably late, but not too late to miss anything."

He reached for the plush cat he had resting on the table by his keys, the key accessory to the costume. Harry chanced a glance back at his best friend, "Are y'sure you can't come with me tonight?"

"Nope," he answered simply, a shake of his head rustling the long tendrils of his hair, "Already committed to Sarah's plans of staying in and watching scary movies tonight. Text me if you need a ride home, though."

With the grey kitten tucked under his arm and his friend ushering him out of his own apartment, Harry did anything he could to work up a last minute sprinkling of blind confidence. He hoped he could somehow channel the adrenaline rush a good scary movie gave him, the feeling enough to help him carry through on his plan for the night.

"Thank you for hanging out with me tonight, and helping me get ready, Mitch," Harry smiled, though the curl was shaky. Mitch abandoned his post in the recliner, moving to step beside Harry to follow him out. "Will you tell Sarah I said hi?"

Mitch let out an aerated laugh, "I will."

Once outside his apartment, Mitch eyeing the shaky hands that Harry used to lock the door behind him, he figured more encouragement wouldn't hurt. "I'm happy you're going, H. You'll have to tell me all about it when you get home."

"Me too," Harry swallowed, nodding his head though the motion was slightly disjointed, "I jus' need to get there, and then I'll feel better. This is the hard part."

"Well, then go and I'll talk to you later, okay?" Mitch ushered him as they approached the flight of open stairs leading out of the apartment complex.

Harry took one last glance at his glossy nails and hugged the stuffed kitten to his side in a motion he hadn't meant to make but comforted him nonetheless. He nodded his head to Mitch's words before waving him off to his own car. In the solitude of his slowly heating vehicle, Harry took a deep breath.

He could do this, he knew that. He was going to do this because of (Y/N). And, he was going to have fun with her. He would make sure of it.

—————

Harry couldn't say he'd ever been to this neighborhood without his pizza delivery uniform on.

The Greek lettering that named each of the houses was illuminated at the peak of the architecture. He had driven past the Sigma Pi house a handful of times while searching for a parking spot that wasn't blocking a driveway or would land him with any kind of complaint. That left him to park almost a full block away, just on the edge of the fraternity side of the Row. Now, he had to take a long walk up the only vaguely familiar neighborhood.

Practically every house Harry walked by had flashing lights and the echo of pounding music flooding from inside. The Halloween themed decorations plastered along the outer facade of the party houses were jostled with each whiff of the experience going on inside that was granted every time the door was opened. He, luckily, didn't feel too out of place considering he wasn't the only one dressed up, but he definitely felt a few questioning glances from the handful of sober people that passed him by. He had been prepared with the fact that most of the party-goers weren't going to immediately recognize his costume (Erwin Schrödinger wasn't exactly a trending icon this season), but he liked it and he knew there had to be at least a few people who would get it. He hoped (Y/N) would at least.

Nonetheless, Harry held the stuffed cat to his side as he approached the Sigma Pi sorority house. This party in particular was teeming with activity, even with a short line having developed at the front door. He knew some of the Greek party traditions, having been drunkenly quizzed every time he had to deliver a stack of pizzas from Wanda's years ago. Since he was a guy (it was an either an attempt to keep weirdos out or to keep the female to male ratio teetering in the direction of the former), he was going to have to know someone who lived at the house, be someone's plus one, or be recognized enough to be allowed in without question. He knew two of those options weren't going to fit him, leaving the hope that knowing (Y/N) would be enough to get through the door.

The short line that had formed dispersed quickly as it was made up of majority girls who were let in without a hitch. Harry met the wannabe bouncer on the rickety white porch that wrapped around the front of the sorority, with the group of his friends standing off to the side waiting for him to be free.

The guard, dressed as a version of Scooby-Doo with high-tops on his feet, squinted at Harry with puzzlement twitching in his features. Without an introduction, his eyes scanned over Harry's form, "What are you supposed to be? A pussy doctor?"

Harry couldn't stop the huffed laugh that bubbled through at Scooby's guess. He figured he could look like he was trying to make a joking costume of a gynecologist with his lab coat and plush cat. He shook his head though the edges of his lips fought off a smile, "No, 'm Erwin Schrödinger."

A blank look was all he received in response.

Shuffling his feet, Harry tried again. "Like, Schrödinger's Cat?"—he shook the kitten in his hand as if that would jog his memory—"The thought experiment that questions quantum superposition?"

Scooby's brown spotted eyes showed a lack of recognition though he still nodded as if he got what Harry was explaining. "Oh, cool, cool. I see it now, man. So, you know anyone here? I don't think I've seen you around before."

Shaking hands fiddled with the faux glasses tucked into his breast pocket, "Um, yeah. I know (Y/N)—she invited me."

"Oh!" he sounded, eyes brightening at the sound of the familiar name, "(Y/N), yeah, she said she had a friend coming later. You can go on in, man."

"Thank you," Harry smiled through his mumbled words, stepping carefully over the worn boards under his feet.

"Wait, what's your name?"

Harry halted at the sudden question, looking to the side where the now friendly bouncer had stopped him. "I'm Harry."

"Nice to meet you, Harry." Scooby extended his hand out for one of those casual handshakes all frat brothers are expected to know, except for the fact Harry only knew it from the repeated appearance of it on campus. "See you in there. Tell (Y/N) I said hi."

Nodding with a slight smile on his face, Harry escaped the sudden friendship he didn't realize he was forging. He didn't know Scooby's real name, so he wasn't quite sure how he was going to tell (Y/N) about his greetings. But, Harry decided he'd worry about that when he actually found her.

Slipping through the slightly cracked door, he was greeted to the sight of a packed party house. The living room was fit on a lowered platform, leaving a clear border for the makeshift dance floor to be made. Still the flood of people created small dance circles and corners where guests were shuffling to the beat of the song with the limited space they had. The dimmed lights were occasionally swapped out for purple and magenta colored bulbs, glinting over the black and orange metallic garland strung throughout the room and hanging from the banisters. Though it made no logical sense, the music was almost so loud, Harry felt like he couldn't see very well through the throngs of people.

Until he saw (Y/N) bounding down the stairs, of course.

He had been starting to get worried that he should have told her he was coming just in the off chance they could have made a designated meeting spot so he wasn't left standing around like a potted plant. But, it was like she had heard his calls to her he was making in his head and started a stumbling descent down the packed staircase behind a couple other girls he recognized from campus. The hand not holding a red plastic cup was clutched in the grip of the girl in front of her; a platinum blonde with a shag haircut dressed as something of a space cowgirl with neon and LEDs littering her fringed, denim jumpsuit. That had to be Ny, Harry figured, the bubbly blonde (Y/N) lived with and thought so highly of.

The second (Y/N)'s eyes caught sight of Harry standing like a dope in the middle of a bustling party, they widened to match the splitting grin stretching her lips.

"Harry!" She shooed her friends off with a promise to catch up with them later as she stumbled over to him, the only obstacle in her way being her lack of balance and the white go-go boots on her feet. "I didn't know you were coming tonight, hi!"

"Hi," he breathed. A dreamy smile covered his features now that he was in her presence, feeling a weight drift from his shoulders. "Kind of a last minute decision, didn't have time to tell you."

With her free hand, (Y/N) reached out and laid her hand on the bulk of Harry's bicep, her hold gentle as she curled her fingers around. Harry practically froze at the touch, the only thing still reacting in his body being his rapidly beating heart and the rise of blood to color his cheeks. He was going to have to thank Mitch for convincing him to go out tonight; he was suddenly very into the Halloween spirit.

"I'm so happy you made it! You look so good, I love your costume!"—a pause settled as she ran her gaze over his form—"...What is it?"

An airy laugh left his lips, "'M Erwin Schrödinger—you know, Schrödinger's cat?" He offered her the stuffed kitten, hoping for (Y/N) to make the connection to one of the previous week's physics lessons.

Doubtful recognition built in her eyes. "Stanfill talked about him in class the other day, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's him. Quantum superposition, remember?"

"Yeah, that!" (Y/N) bubbled, though Harry was almost completely sure she didn't know what he was talking about outside of the cat reference. At least, she was trying and expressing some interest given the fact he was sure physics was the last thing on her mind on a Saturday night. "I really like it, Harry! You look so cool, and your kitten is cute."

His signature blushed cheeks made their second, full-force appearance in the last few minutes. "Thank you," he smiled, tucking his plushie into one of the deep pockets of his lab coat, "You look really nice, too. Are you from the sixties?" Harry cringed at the stiff compliment; she looked much better than nice but he couldn't get anything else past his lips.

Her small top was colored with psychedelic daisies and swirls in bold yellow, pink and cream tones, the fabric cut short to reveal her midriff and a generous view of her décolletage and cleavage with the way it came to a tie between her breasts. The sleeves were long and trumpeted out to bell shapes around her wrists with a small trim of daisy fringe around the hem. A matching skirt was stretched high over her waist and came to a short stop at the mid of her thighs, the fabric tightly conformed to the silhouette of her hips. Though not much leg was on display with the help of the over-the-knee white boots clinging to the shape of her. Her makeup was simple with glossy lips and bunched lashes to recreate the look of the models of the time-period, leaving the white daisies drawn on the high points of her cheeks to take his attention. She tied the look all together with the daisy studded headband preceding the beehive styled bump of her hair.

She looked gorgeous, really. If Harry worked carefully, he could use his tea shades to his advantage and switch his outfit around to resemble a Beatles member. Then, he would look like he belonged with her.

"Mhm," she eagerly nodded, "I'm a go-go dancer, like at those clubs! You like it?"

It was an innocent question, said through a beaming smile and bright eyes, but Harry couldn't stop the burn in his stomach at the sound of her seeking his approval. She was too cute for her own good—and for his too, if he wanted to return home in one piece.

"I do, yeah," he choked out, swallowing around the words that were able to squeak passed.

"Thank you," she smiled, glancing over her shoulder in the direction she had been headed before she got distracted with him. Her hand on his arm tightened, the weight being something Harry was hyper aware of through the whole interaction. "Do you want to get a drink with me? I was about to go get another when I saw you."

Harry bit back his flustered smile, nodding his head with a nervous jerk. "Yeah, sure. 'M not drinking tonight since I drove, but I'll come with you."

"Okay!" she chirped, drawing her hand down his arm to finish with her fingers wrapped around his wrist.

Following along behind her, Harry felt his blush rise to the apples of his cheeks. He was very aware of the fact that everyone stopping her to say hi and compliment her costume on the way to the makeshift bar set up in the kitchen saw her hand holding onto him. Even one of the guys that had screened him at the door had patted Harry on his back in congratulation as he passed before shooting his eyes to (Y/N) a step ahead with a raised brow. After that, Harry kept his eyes in front of him with his cheeks flushed, his instinctive shyness kicking in knowing that eyes were on him. (The girl in front of him was a welcome distraction, though, especially the shape of her hips and the curve of her ass in the tight cover of her skirt).

The crowd of partygoers thinned once they broke into the kitchen. A few straggling groups were plotted around the island, clearly drunk with matching outfits, but it was much easier to breathe and think in the tiled space. (Y/N) beelined it to the row of drinks and mix-ins settled on the counter, placing her plastic cup on the sticky surface.

Her idle hands fluttered about the many half full liquor bottles and jugs of room-temperature juice, a bright smile on her lips. More than once as she picked out the mix for her drink she looked to her left to find Harry still hovering where she left him. "I still can't believe you made it, Harry; I'm so happy! I was just telling the girls upstairs that I invited you, but I wasn't sure if you were coming since you hadn't texted me this morning. I just figured you got busy or couldn't get out of work tonight, but I'm so excited you're here!"

She looked to him with a large smile on her face, the daisies painted on her cheeks dancing at the movement. He could tell just how genuinely happy she was that he had taken her up on her invitation, the way she couldn't seem to settle now that she was in his presence telling him enough to make his heart burst. Now that he was with her, Harry couldn't believe he was so scared to go and was this close to backing out of attending.

"'M happy 'm here, too, (Y/N)," he sighed blissfully, unable to get much more out around the bloating of his heart.

With her poorly mixed, lukewarm drink sitting finished, (Y/N) directed the full of her attention to him at the sound of her name. She gazed up at him with a dreamy smile on her lips, his vision of her shrouded in feathery clouds and a rose-tinted vignette. If he hadn't been so preoccupied with his own bliss-induced outlook, Harry would have noticed the heart shaped lenses she was looking at him through.

"So," she started, breaking the marathon of eye contact Harry was reluctant to pull away from, "How did you get out of work tonight?" She edged towards the kitchen island that was littered with half drank cups of cocktails, hopping up to sit on a cleared section of counter. Swinging her legs, she sipped on her pink lemonade and vodka concoction with the wide of her eyes pinned on Harry.

He swallowed at the sight of her sat in the perfect position for him to spread her legs open and slip between her thighs. That was something he couldn't deny he had dreamed about when setting up for a stream, something to get him hard and in the moment. Most of his pre-show fantasies were built around her, ever since he started that physics class with her almost two months ago. But, Harry refrained from making those short steps to stand between the plush of her thighs, keeping himself stationed at the counter opposite her.

Her question was processed slowly before Harry recalled the lie he had made up when he hadn't been so sure about showing up to the party; a lie he worked on top of the other lie he made about his job. "I—uh—I jus' told m'boss I had food poisoning and I couldn't come in," he laughed, though his smile was a bit stiff.

The truth was, he had planned on doing a special stream tonight on the cam-site, but instead he made a quick post on his page about extra premium content going up over the weekend and got ready to go out instead.

(Y/N) let out an unexpectedly loud laugh at his low-level joke, almost doubling over from where she sat. That's how he knew she was on the edge of tipsy, moving into drunken territory. Nonetheless, it only made Harry think she was even cuter.

"Well, I'm happy you're not really sick," she smiled when she calmed down, looking him over. When she met his own gaze, the edges around her amused eyes softened. "Come here. You're so far away."

Her eyes sparkled in the dim lights that filled the sorority house, drawing Harry even deeper in the dream that made her up. Her lips curled into a smile that matched the soft of her skin as she reached her free hand out towards him to beckon him to the cage of her spread legs. She was asking him to come closer, and Harry was just lucky that his heart hadn't completely beat out of his chest yet.

With his palms clamming up, Harry took careful steps in her direction, unable to deny her of any request. At the sight of him moving closer, (Y/N) dropped her hand and spread her legs wide enough to fit him between despite the short skirt that wrapped around the full of her thighs.

"Do you... Is it okay if I...?" he asked, flicking his eyes to the space she made for him. He eased an extra step towards her, carefully awaiting her permission.

"Yes! Come here, already," she giggled, hooking her gogo-booted ankle around the back of his knee. She tugged him close enough to grab at the fabric of his lab coat, though she kept her ankle hiked around his leg even when he was right where she wanted him.

A bright red blush colored his cheeks as he felt the full of her thighs around his hips. He made a point to keep his hands to himself, his fingers tangling together in an effort to keep from spanning across the smooth skin revealed by the short of her skirt.

(Y/N) gazed up at him perfectly content now that he wasn't a world away like she had felt. The alcohol on her breath was masked by the sweetness of artificially flavored pink lemonade, though it was her smile that drew Harry in and the way she couldn't seem to look at any of his features long enough before she was searching through the planes of his face again.

"What's your favorite color?"

Harry reared back some at the sudden question though his lips still twitched at the edges. He trailed his gaze to the yellow daisies printed on her cheeks before matching her eyes. "Um, yellow. Why?"

Her grin brightened at his answer, twisting dreamily in her spot as she shrugged. "I don't know. I don't feel like I know a lot about you, but I want to."

Practically melting in his spot, Harry felt like his heart couldn't beat any harder. God, she was so cute. She wouldn't make this easy on him, keeping his hands to himself.

"Your favorite color is pink, right?" Harry prompted, biting back his smile to keep it from growing and scrunching his eyes too much to be able to see her.

Bouncing in her spot and tightening her ankle around the back of his knee, (Y/N) perked up at Harry's correct answer. "Yes! How did you know?!"

A breathy laugh preluded his words, "Jus' a good guess. Your laptop case, your bag, and almost everything you wear is pink. Thought it would be a safe assumption."

"You are so good at remembering things, Harry! That's probably why you're so smart." Her words were edging on slurred but he knew they were completely genuine. It still made his chest puff with pride that she thought so highly of him; that she appreciated his brain and intelligence that he worked so hard to cultivate. "You know," (Y/N) continued, "I was telling my roommate how smart you are, and how you want to go into something with physics or engineering when we graduate, but I feel like I couldn't even explain it right. You're just so smart, and I don't know what half of that even means." She finished with an exorbitant laugh, the sound a little too loud to be considered sober.

Harry found his thoughts stuck on the fact that she had spoken about him to her roommate, the notion rounding out his eyes and shrouding his vision of her in a glittering veil of affection. He rolled his lips between his teeth, aware of her eyes glazing over his form. "You're plenty smart, (Y/N), really. Y'don't give yourself enough credit. Jus' because physics is harder for you, doesn't mean you're not smart in so many other ways that I lack."

"See!" (Y/N) bubbled, reaching for the lapel of his lab coat and hiking her leg around his own, "That's why I like you, Harry! You're so smart, but you're not mean about it. You're so kind all the time—like, all of the time!"

She liked him?

Maybe Harry was reading too far into it, but, nonetheless, the childish sentiment that she liked him made his heart race and his blush rise to the tops of his cheekbones. Even though he wasn't the one that had been sipping on the liquid courage, he was going to take advantage of the sweetened mood (Y/N) was in and let some of his own affections slip.

"I like you, too, (Y/N)," he mumbled, just quiet enough for the two of them, "Thank you for always being nice to me, even though I know 'm not the most outgoing person."

(Y/N) settled her plastic cup on the counter beside her (Harry made a note to keep an eye on her drink for her) to free her hands. She reached for the tangle of Harry's own that knotted together in the time he stood between her legs, and laced her fingers between his. Her eyes dropped to their entwined hands as she laid them on the full of her thighs, laying Harry's palm flat over her skin. She slipped her fingers out from between his and moved to wrap them around his wrists before she looked up at him with a smile brighter than any he'd seen cross her features.

She took in a breath like she was going to speak before (Y/N) was abruptly cut off and distracted by the flock of party goers parading through the kitchen. They stumbled towards the glass door that led to the backyard, some stragglers occasionally grabbing for bottles of liquor all the while slurring through conversations. Celebratory hollers were heard throughout the small space, just enough of a commotion to steal (Y/N)'s hazy attention.

The long procession filtered through, some vaguely familiar faces from around campus patted Harry on the back and cheered him on upon seeing the somewhat intimate position he was tangled in. He dropped his gaze to where his hands were splayed over (Y/N)'s thighs with his cheeks flaming to a warm red. It wasn't like that, he knew, but this was now the second time of the night that he had been praised for supposedly winning (Y/N) for the night.

"(Y/N)!" a somewhat familiar voice shouted over the sound of the flock, the chittering of heeled boots on the tiled floor following after.

"Ny!" (Y/N) called back, jumping under Harry's hold with her hands on his wrists disappearing as she reached for the girl behind him. He looked over his shoulder to find (Y/N)'s roommate who he had only seen in flashes of blonde hair and bright colors, though he had heard enough stories to give the illusion she was also his roommate.

"I lost you for a while, where did you go?" Ny slurred, abandoning the group she had been filtering in with to approach the bundle that was made up of Harry and (Y/N).

"I found Harry—see!" She gestured to him in the way of settling her hand on the strong of his bicep, squeezing as if to ensure that this was the one she was talking about, "Ny, this is Harry. Harry, this is my roommate, Naomi!"

Harry intended to reach his hand out to shake hers, a proper introduction to ensure a good first impression, but Ny—Naomi as he was told—only looked at him with a pair of wide blue eyes. She looked to (Y/N) who still held him securely between her thighs with an ankle around his leg, before returning her gaze to his form, "You're Harry?!"

"Yeah, that's me," Harry smiled, a shy pair of dimples denting into his flushed cheeks.

"Nice to finally meet you, Harry," she smiled, flicking her gaze to (Y/N) almost imperceptibly before sliding smoothly back to Harry like nothing happened.

"Nice to meet you, too," he mumbled, itching to turn his gaze to (Y/N) to see if she had any expression on her face he was missing.

"Well, I'll be outside with everyone," Ny smiled, shooting another look towards (Y/N) as she edged out of the kitchen, "Come get me if you need anything."

"Okay! Bye, Ny!" (Y/N) shouted, a little too loud with the words dipped in pink lemonade and vodka.

From outside, the beginnings of a fire smoking from the main pit caught the edge of Harry's attention. He didn't have a good feeling about what was happening out there, but he would keep his eye on it all just in case.

"Harry?"

"Hm?" he hummed, whipping his attention to be placed back on her.

(Y/N)'s wandering hands settled on his shoulders, her glossy eyes trailing over the planes of his face. "Do you want to dance with me?"

Harry stilled in his spot at her question. He wasn't much of a dancer, if he was being honest—not without a planned routine and some help and time to learn it, anyway. Tuning into the music that was playing from beyond the cover of the kitchen he found heavy bass notes and the sound of spitfire lyrics filtering through. When his attention zeroed back in on the girl in front of him, and despite the fact he was almost sure he was going to embarrass himself with whatever moves he pulled out, he knew he couldn't say no to her.

Swallowing hard, he gave a short nod of his head, "Um, sure."

Luckily, (Y/N) didn't catch onto the hesitation he showed with the help of the plastic cup she was now abandoning as she jumped from the counter. She chattered off something about following her as Harry stepped back to give her room. He didn't get very far before his hand was caught in the soft of her hold as she dragged him out to the living area fashioned as the dance floor.

The wood laminate floor was sticky under Harry's feet as he followed her, his reciprocating grip on her hand tightening as she led them through the crowd. The floor practically vibrated under his feet, the impact of the bass rattling the floorboards as they went. (Y/N) stopped him in the heart of the room, the music too loud to hear anything but. The others around them tailored their movements to the beat of the song, either drunk or confident enough to not worry about anyone else around them. Looking at them all, Harry realized he really had no idea how to dance to this.

Before he had longer than a second to worry, (Y/N) reached up and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck. She tugged him to her level as she rose to the tips of her toes, angling her head to speak into his ear.

"I love this song!" she shouted over the music, the full of her lips brushing the skin before his ear.

She had already dropped to her normal height (normal with the heels of her boots, anyway) by the time he intended to respond. Slipping her hands from the curve of his neck, she settled them on the broad of his shoulders. Her hips moved instinctively to the sound of the music, easing her closer to Harry. She fell in line with the beat, contentedly lending herself to the sway of the bass.

Hesitantly, Harry reached out towards her. He ghosted his hands over the curve of her waist. "Is this okay?" he called, bending at the knees to meet her height.

"Yes! I want to dance with you, Harry!" she hollered, a bubbling giggle following afterward.

(Y/N)'s eyes closed as she melted in his hold, teeth sinking into the plush of a coral stained bottom lip. Harry followed her lead in hopes that the same confidence and relaxation would leak into his muscles. Her hips glided against his own. It took a bit of coaxing before (Y/N)'s body had convinced him to fit a leg between her own, locking their nearness in place. She was the perfect distraction, he decided; though she wouldn't make him gain rhythm, she took the brunt of his attention and made the rest of the room fall away enough to relax him.

Her movements revealed just how tipsy she was, making Harry that much more careful with his hands on her waist. Every time she made a misstep (even occasionally stepping on his toes), he could just barely make out the sound of her laughter over the sound of the music, though her eyes were still shuddered behind coral shaded eyelids. His fingers slipped over her back, the skin revealed by her crop top feeling soft under his hands as he kept her steady.

Harry had dreamed of being this close to her from the second he found the courage to steal the seat beside her in Stanfill's lecture. He was hyper aware of her hands on his shoulders that squeezed when she stumbled, the brush of her hair against his skin whenever she would flip the tresses out of her way, and the length of her body swaying with the movement of her hips. The already humid room felt hotter with her so near, Harry's heart rate spiking high with his cheeks glowing pink under the deep purple lighting. He felt her everywhere, starting with the curve of her form under his palms to the flocking of butterflies flapping through his stomach.

A few songs later, Harry found himself comfortable with the way (Y/N) was dancing on him and had curated his own moves that helped him blend in with the rest of the crowd. That is until (Y/N) changed the position. This new song playing through the speakers had a baseline heavy enough that it almost came out distorted through the speakers, altering the mood of the other partygoers around them. Some hollered at the song choice, celebrating with varied dance moves and shouts of the lyrics Harry couldn't catch as (Y/N) pulled away from him.

She seemed just as overjoyed with the DJ's choice, a bright smile on her features before she spun around in Harry's hold. She stopped with her back to his chest and her bottom pressed firmly against his crotch.

"Hold me here!" she shouted, reaching for his wrists to slide his hands to rest on the curve of her hips.

If he thought he was aware of her form before this, Harry wasn't going to be able to get her curves out of his head now. The sway of her hips was now exaggerated as she brushed against his own in time to the beat. Her fingers curled into the excess strips fabric that tied her top together making Harry's eyes widen every time she tugged just a bit on the bow. Her hair had been gathered to one side, leaving Harry to see the length of her lashes and the curl of her lips as she enjoyed herself. Harry did his best to follow her lead, but he wanted nothing more than to bask in the show she was giving and let her fill the role of the dancer she was dressed as.

Nonetheless, he imitated the movement of her hips, working as her counterpart to the gentle rolls she delivered into his crotch. He kept his hands steady on her though he felt anything but with the way the curve of her ass ground against him. By the time another song was being transitioned into, (Y/N) broke from the heady character that had taken over. She reached one hand up and back to drape across the nape of Harry's neck, fingertips toying with the baby hairs there.

Pulling him down as she turned her head, she spoke to him in what could be considered a whisper with the volume of the rest of the room, "You're really good at this!"

He couldn't be more thankful for the drink she had prior to this, because this meant she hadn't noticed his clumsy fumbling and the rush he went through to keep up with her. "'M—uh—'m jus' following you," he returned.

Her smile could be felt against his pink dusted cheeks.

(Y/N) allowed him to revel in his moment as she slipped back into the fold of the music, her hand falling from around his neck to resume the dizzying game of how much the bow binding her top together could take before it unraveled. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

His breathing turned heavy the longer she played with him. Harry was more than willing to partake in the game, especially the few times she would bend at the waist just a bit to allow her ass to pop against his hips that much more. Her body moved in smooth rolls that Harry had to withdraw his eyes from in fear that she would notice something that didn't match the soft of her body poking into her behind. All the while, he could hear bits of bubbling giggles and breathy laughter falling from her as if she didn't intend to come off so sexy. He could just see the edging of the smile on her face that told him all he needed to know: this was fun for her. That only made it harder for Harry to keep a lid on the attraction he felt for her right then.

When (Y/N)'s hand returned to Harry's neck a medley of songs later, he couldn't help the tense that tightened his muscles. Her fingers familiarly threaded through the baby curls that lined the back of his neck, a layer of goosebumps trailing in her wake. He automatically understood what she was asking of him as he lent down to have his ear level with her lips. Her breath was warm on the curve of his neck, drawing Harry in as his hands tightened on her hips.

"Did I bring my drink with me?"

A breathy laugh broke the anticipation he felt pattering his heart. He gently shook his head, aware of the tip of her nose just at the level of his jawline. "No, y'left it in the kitchen, remember?"

She all but deflated in his hold. "Oh shoot. Will you come with me to get another, then?"

Besides the fact that she was working as perfect cover for the hint of a hard-on he was sporting in his pants, Harry knew he would follow her anywhere at this point.

"Lead the way."

(Y/N) repeated the ritual of grabbing for his wrist that Harry was now looking forward to when navigating the party. She took him to the kitchen island that acted as the bar, the selection now left with bare bones since bottles were taken to the backyard when Ny's group passed through.

"Do you want a water?" she asked, as she reached for a bottle of rum, "I bet there's some in the fridge!"

Harry gazed at her through the veil of affection, trying to figure how the girl who had been dancing on him on the other side of the wall was the same one offering to get him a bottle of water with a bright smile on her daisy spotted face. "'M okay, but thank you," he declined softly, resting his hip against the counter to watch her.

She bubbled off an okay! as she settled for mixing what could be considered a shot with pineapple juice folded in with the rum. Her pours were sloppy as is, but her skills only worsened when her attention was taken by the small string of people that came in from the outside. Harry made a point to scoot her cup under the stream she splashed out, saving her from the stick that would have rained over the toes of her boots.

"Do you want to go outside with me?!" she peeped, lazily screwing the top back on the remaining pineapple juice. Though her bleary eyes took a second to focus on him, the soft curve of her lips never lessened at the sound of her new idea.

He flicked his gaze to the window that showcased the dwindling fire and the few others that remained huddled around it. He spotted one couple cuddled close to the fire with a blonde-headed nurse sat on the lazy football player's lap, giggling and whispering to one another in a make-believe private moment. Harry's heart thrummed at the idea that that could be him and (Y/N).

"Yeah, let's go," Harry agreed with a soft smile, a flush working its way up his neck as he readily offered her his hand.

After letting out a small cheer, (Y/N) took her shot like a champ. She pulled a puckered face before taking his offered hand and rushing him out the back door with her. The air was crisp and cold once they left the warmth of the party behind them. Harry hadn't realized just how humid it had been when he was dancing with her until the autumnal air shivered over his form and chilled his skin. His hand was kept warm in (Y/N)'s as he followed after her somewhat wobbly bounds off the cracked concrete patio towards the small group around the fire pit.

Harry could practically see the lightbulb go off over her head when her gaze zeroed in on the trampoline set up in the far corner of the backyard. She halted in her steps but bounced in her spot. Beaming, she turned on the chunk of her heel to face Harry.

"Do you think we're allowed to go on that?"

Her eyes were wide with her bunched lashes fluttering under her raised brows with her mouth dropped into a small gape. Harry didn't have an accurate answer for her, he knew that, but he wasn't losing his yes streak now.

"I'd think so," he said with a lopsided smile, shrugging his shoulder.

(Y/N) all but squealed before she rushed them towards the trampoline. Harry was unable to wipe the smile from his face as he followed her and helped lift her through the entrance in the net. He paired their shoes off together beside the broken step stool that creaked with every pace Harry climbed.

With a giggling smile, (Y/N) was already bouncing about the nylon net by the time Harry crawled through the opening. Her hair fluttered around her with the added flourish of the sleeves of her top spiraling. She urged him to hurry, beckoning him to C'mon! Jump with me!

When Harry found his footing, he matched her jumps and completed the circle that she was starting with her own path around the perimeter. Every time his jump impacted her and took her higher than on her own, a screaming laugh left her lips as she sailed through the air. A sheen covering her costume he hadn't noticed before, sparkled in the moonlight, the fringe of her sleeves shimmering each time she shot up to join the stars in the sky. She began to twirl and spin every time she launched over the netting, her eyes closing when she started her descent down.

"Harry, you stole my jump!" she called when he bounced at the same time as her, a faux pout puffing at her lips.

"'M sorry, 'm sorry," he laughed, the sound coming out created a soft in the crisp air around them. He slowed to a standstill, giving her the floor, "Try now, lo—(Y/N)."

He could only be grateful for the fact it was dark out and she was too tipsy to notice the flush climbing up his cheeks at the slip of his tongue.

(Y/N) happily took over the main space and bounced a few more times with a giggling smile on her lips. He couldn't take his eyes off her as he leant against one of the beams spreading the protective net out, feeling winded just watching her.

Eventually, (Y/N) came down and didn't launch herself back in the air. Instead, she settled on her feet and looked to Harry with glazed eyes and glowing cheeks.

"What are you thinking about?" she questioned, sinking to sit on the center of the trampoline. She patted her hand flat on the spot beside her, beckoning Harry to take the space.

"Nothing," Harry said, shaking his head as he took careful strides to stop next to her, "Jus' nice out tonight, that's all."

"Yeah," she sighed dreamily, looking towards the clear sky, "You're right." She lent back with her hands splayed behind her to prop her up. Craning her neck, she gazed all around the starry expanse over their heads. After a moment, she lost some of her balance and fell flat on her back with a feathery smile on her features.

When she didn't sit up and laid with her hooded eyes pinned on the sky, Harry nudged her gently with his knee. "Y'alright?" he prosed, voice gentle.

Her attention slid from the stars and landed squarely on Harry with glossy eyes. "Lay with me?"

The lopsided smile on his features picked a single dimple into his cheek. Nudging her again, he laid himself in the space beside her, taken aback when she pulled on his arm to extend it out for her. Before he even had a chance to settle, (Y/N) was already cuddling into his side with his bicep acting as her pillow.

His heart was beating a mile a minute as he laid down, toes curling in his socks. He knew he was supposed to be staring at the sky and picking out the shapes in the stars with her, but he couldn't stop himself before his eyes shuttered closed with a shaky breath filling his lungs. He felt clean—refreshed—to finally be so close to her. This somehow felt more intense than the way she was dancing on him earlier, the cover of the quiet making it so there was nothing else to concentrate on but the curve of her form pressed into his side.

"Will you play a game with me?" (Y/N) asked quietly, hooking her ankle around his own and effectively stopping Harry's heart.

"What game?"

"Well," she prattled, reaching for the stuffed kitten he had stowed away in one of the large pockets of his coat. She cradled the plush to her chest with her fingertips absently combing through the fur and brushing against it's nose, "I want to get to know you, so—I know it's kind of stupid, but do you want to play twenty questions?"

The butterflies in his stomach moved in a full-fledged kaleidoscope through his stomach and flapped their wings against the chambers of his heart. God, she was so cute.

"You first, then."

—————

Harry hadn't kept count but he was sure they played way more than only twenty questions.

(Y/N) had asked him twice what his favorite animal was (he answered differently both times), and found out what his top five favorite songs were but only after she accidentally answered it herself. The whole time Harry had a smile on his face bright enough to rival the moon above them. He learned that she wanted to dress like a go-go dancer to class everyday, but it took too much effort and yellow wasn't always her color. She told him her favorite subject in high school was a tie between History and Home Ec.—she loved her history teacher, but getting to eat almost every day in home ec. was hard to compete with. All the while, Harry kept his arm securely around her with his shoulder acting as her pillow.

As their game went on, (Y/N)'s words started to slur and grew slower and slower. He figured that all of the alcohol was now starting to catch up with her, but when he asked her a question that gained no response, he chanced a look at her. He found her fast asleep beside him with her hands hiding the prop cat in her chest. She pressed herself into his side for warmth with the sleeves of her top draped over her exposed tummy like a sort of blanket. Her ankle was still hooked around his own, keeping him close as if he had anywhere else to be.

Though his arm was starting to fall asleep with pinpricks of static pain appearing in the muscle, he didn't move her. He tried his best not to even shift in hopes of keeping her quietly asleep cuddled into his side. The stars above him became his entertainment, the game of connect-the-dots in his head suddenly morphing into portraits of the girl under his arm.

When he heard footsteps approaching the trampoline, Harry didn't pay it any mind, figuring it was just another straggler wondering why there were two people laid out in the middle of the nylon.

"Harry, is that you?"

He jumped at the sound of his own name from a semi-familiar voice. He turned his head as best he could without jostling (Y/N) to find Naomi peeking through the unzipped entrance. Her shoulders were tensed with her brows furrowed. "Y-Yeah," he stuttered, voice kept quiet, "Is everything okay?"

"Is that (Y/N) with you?" she pressed, trying to peer over Harry's build to the spot of yellow and pink at his side.

"Um, yeah. She's right here; she fell asleep," he elaborated, fighting the awkward angle in his neck that threatened to pull a muscle with the way he was straining it to face her.

Ny relaxed with the set in her shoulders finally deflating. "Oh, good," she sighed, "I've been looking for her for the last ten minutes. Thank you for hanging out with her all night, though. She was so nervous you weren't going to come."

Harry hoped (Y/N)'s roommate wouldn't catch the brightened hue that flooded his cheeks as he smiled. "Really?"

Her blue eyes scanned over his features and the poorly hidden affection he held in them. He was smitten with (Y/N), what could he say?

She peered over him for a second to catch sight of (Y/N) on the other side. "Don't tell her I told you this because she'd kill me, but," she started before dropping her gaze to match his, "She really likes you. She talks about you all the time at home; she always goes on about how cool and nice she thinks you are. I know she was really wanting to see you tonight, and it made her really happy that you showed up. So, thanks for watching out for her even if all she did was fall asleep on you."

He knew his cheeks must be beet red at this point. The pounding of his heart was loud enough that he feared (Y/N) would feel the vibrations going through his veins and wake up. But, god, how could he be worried or concerned about anything when Ny had told him all of that. (Y/N) was always so cool and collected around him—exceedingly kind, but he figured that was more of  a trait she held instead of something special for him—, so he never quite fathomed that she might have an inkling of feelings for him. Mitch was going to have a heyday getting to tell him I told you so.

Swallowing around his heart in his throat, Harry tried to speak over the sound of the beats. "I... I really like her, too. She's very nice."

He cringed at the impersonal compliment that fell from his lips, but it was all his muddled brain could come up with. Ny let out an airy laugh nonetheless, a knowing smile on her lips. He was exactly like (Y/N) described him, she thought.

"So, I called an Uber for her and I," she said, jerking his chin towards (Y/N), "It should be here in the next couple of minutes... Unless, you were planning on taking her home?"

For a flicker, Harry wanted nothing more than to be selfish and take up the job of getting her home. He would wait until she woke or until he decided it was too cold for her to continue to sleep outside, then he would get the privilege of driving her home and spending that much more time with her. But, when he tossed his gaze back to the go-go dancer beside him, he knew that wasn't fair to her. She was dead on her feet, tired enough to have fallen asleep outside in the middle of talking to him in a mini skirt and crop top. It wasn't fair to keep her out when she had a warm bed at home to fall into.

"No," he shook his head, beginning to gently move his arm out from under her and sit up, "She needs to get some rest in a real bed." He caught just the edge of Naomi's soft smile before he directed the full of his attention to (Y/N). He slipped his arm out from around her, (Y/N) trying to follow the warmth he was taking away as she stretched. He settled his hand on her shoulder, circulation slowly returning in somewhat painful pulses. "(Y/N)," he cooed, voice soft in the dark, "Gotta wake up. Naomi's here and she's got a car waiting out front to take y'home."

A groggy groan came from her lips in conjunction with a stretch of her limbs. Her eyes stayed shuttered closed until Harry uttered another soft call of her name. She blinked them open, gifting him with the eyes he had seen in the stars only ten minutes prior. Though her gaze was hooded, she pinned her eyes right on Harry.

"What?" she sounded, a rasp to her unused voice.

Harry let out an airy laugh. "Ny's here to take y'home."

"Oh," she sighed, relaxing back into the nylon that acted as her mattress. Her eyes flitted over his form before settling on his face, "Are you coming with us?"

He knew logically that it was impossible for a heart to bound out of a chest or a smile to embed itself on his lips, but, in this moment, he felt he could question all of that.

"No, not tonight," he reasoned, sliding his guiding hand to sit between her shoulder blades as she sat up, "But, y'can text me when y'get home safely. We can keep talking until y'fall asleep, too, if y'wanted."

A contented smile settled on her lips as she nodded her head, "I do want that."

Harry followed after her like a puppy as they slid off the trampoline. (Y/N) passed the stuffed animal back to him before dropping to the ground, not even bothering to slip back into her boots despite the dew covering the grass. Ny was silent as she watched them interact, Harry feeling her eyes as he helped ensure (Y/N) was steady on her feet and she had everything she needed. Naomi continued to allow them to have their moment as they worked their way through the pulsing party (Harry was especially diligent about ensuring no one stomped on (Y/N)'s bare feet and she didn't step on anything that could hurt her), (Y/N) more than once looking over her shoulder to make sure Harry was still following.

Once they made it to the porch out front, the space much less crowded than when Harry arrived, (Y/N) pivoted on her heel despite Ny continuing her path to the waiting car at the curb. She let go of Harry's hand—to his dismay—, but the disappointment was short-lived before she had her arms wrapped around his middle and her cheek smushed against his chest.

"Thank you for coming tonight, Harry," she mumbled, words distorted from the fact she refused to pull even a hair away from him, "Happy Halloween."

Though his response time lagged as he tried to render if he was in a dream or not, Harry looped his arms around her waist and held (Y/N) tightly to his chest. He didn't mind the way the boots she still held in her hand banged against the small of his back or how far he had to lean down to get a comfortable hold on her. Nothing could ruin this moment for him.

He dared to dip down and rest his nose in her hair, his eyes fluttering closed. "Happy Halloween, (Y/N)," he mumbled into the crown of her head, reveling in her touch.

All too soon, she released him. Taking a step back, she looked up to him with the beaming smile he was hoping to memorize and get him through the weekend. "I'll see you on Monday, right?" she asked as she quietly started edging away to where Ny was waiting.

He swallowed around the raging beats of his heart. "Yeah, I'll see y'Monday."

When he let her go, his hands fell to his sides with his palm brushing against the synthetic fur of his stuffed kitten. Pinning his eyes on her retreating form, Harry had one more idea to get one last spare moment with her before the magic of the night ended when she drove away.

She had only made it down a pair of steps leading to the concrete walkway that led to the sidewalk before Harry stopped her. "(Y/N), wait, hold on."

Perking up at the sound of her name, she turned on her toes with a question lacing her brows together. Harry scrambled to meet her on the steps as he clumsily reached for the cat. "Yo-You can have this," he stuttered, offering up the plush with a bright red flush sitting on the apples of his cheeks, "Since y'fell asleep with it and all, y'can take her home. She's yours."

(Y/N) tucked the length of her go-go boots under her arm, delicately taking the item from his hands with a matching smile on her lips. "She?"

His skin took on an even redder hue as he realized his slip. "Um, yeah," he laughed, fixing his gaze on the stuffed animal as if that would hide his embarrassment from her eyes, "I was jus' thinking of it as a girl, but it can be whatever y'want."

"No, you're right, I like that. She's a little girl." (Y/N) looked to him with the stars in her eyes, rivaling that of the patterns that were hung in the sky above them. Even if they were talking about something as silly as the prop he brought for his costume, Harry wasn't able to shake the rose colored lens he looked at her through.

Peeking over the top of her head, Harry caught Naomi looking at the pair of them with softened eyes before the Uber driver called something out to her—most likely an urge for her to collect her friend so they could leave. Ny nodded her head and said something before casting her gaze back to Harry with an apologetic smile on her face.

"I think your Uber is getting upset," he mumbled to (Y/N), "Y'should probably go."

Glancing over her shoulder, (Y/N) caught Ny beckoning her over with a wave of her hand. "Yeah, probably," she told Harry, edging towards her friend though she never drew her eyes away from him. With the kitten in her arms she asked him, "I'll text you when we get home?"

"Please."

Harry had his eyes on her until she was safe in the right Uber, Naomi tossing him a wave goodbye before she shut the door after them. Something of a daze passed over him as he made his way down to his own car a block over, nothing truly processing until he was in the quiet of his car.

He fucking loved Halloween.

—————

Harry was going to ask (Y/N) on a date.

After the party, he hadn't been able to keep himself from calling Mitch at one a.m. and spilling all the details about the past few hours. Sarah had been with him, and when Mitch transferred him to speaker, he got both of their opinions on all the things they considered "signs" that (Y/N) liked him just as much back (Sarah had cooed when he mentioned the hug), and the small revelation that Naomi had shared with him. In the end, they only backed up his decision to ask her out on Monday come their physics class. Mitch had even sent him a text that morning encouraging him to go for it, a quick pep talk to keep Harry from chickening out.

That's how Harry found himself arriving an additional five minutes early to the usual ten minutes he made it before Professor Stanfill started lecture. He was more than jittery as he took his spot next to (Y/N)'s unassigned-assigned seat. His hands were shaky with sweaty palms as he laid out his materials, eyes darting to the main door every few seconds in anticipation of her arrival. He already had a script of how he wanted to ask her, now all he needed was her.

He was on his fifth rehearsal in his head of how exactly he was going to ask her to dinner with him when (Y/N) finally stepped through the double doors that lead to the hall. She had a sleepy smile on her face as she scaled the stairs, the curl growing wider when she caught sight of him with his eyes already on her.

"Hey Harry," she greeted him once she was in range, "How are you?"

Bundling his hands in his lap to cover their trembling, Harry put a tight smile on his lips. "'M...'M really good," he sighed, his heartbeat growing louder in his ears, "How are you?"

Sitting down, (Y/N) reached for her laptop with an airy smile coloring her features, "Still recouping from Saturday, but I'm honestly doing a lot better than I thought I would be today."

"Saturday was a lot of fun, though," Harry muttered, having to fight off the grin that was threatening to explode over his face. He still had work to do before he could celebrate.

(Y/N) didn't get the memo as her smile grew wide over her cheeks and threatened to crinkle her eyes closed. She glanced at him from where she was pulling up her notes, "Yeah, it was."

Harry took a steadying breath as she paused, finding the right moment to ask the question that was running through his head like a mantra. Tightening his hands into fists, he broadened his shoulders and hoped the coaching Mitch sent him would be enough motivation.

"(Y/N), I wanted to ask y'something before class started actuall—"

"(Y/N)!"

A rowdy call of her name cut Harry off before he could even get the full of his words out. He followed the line of (Y/N)'s sight as she whipped her head toward the main doors she had crossed only a few minutes prior. There, a man stood with bronze hair standing in peeks on the top of his head with an award winning smile on his face. He wasn't anyone that Harry recognized, but (Y/N) was more than familiar with him if the smile on her face was anything to go by.

"Trystan," she called as he drew closer, a togo cup from the coffee shop (Y/N) usually brought with her in his hand, "What are you doing here?"

Harry was sure that if he squinted and read the cardboard sleeve on the cup, it would detail out a chai latte, two pumps of pumpkin flavor with an almond milk substitute.

"Just bringing you the chai I owed you from the other night," he—Trystan—beamed, sliding the cup onto the counter beside (Y/N), "It's still really hot, so be careful, hun."

(Y/N) face lit up at his words, mouth dropping into a grin though her eyes were never taken from his own. "Oh my god! Thank you so much! I wasn't even serious about that, but thank you!"

Trystan shook his head and nudged the cup closer to her, "Don't worry about it—it's the least I could do." Before (Y/N) could even reach for her new latte or take a sip, Trystan stood to the full of his height and opened his arms wide enough to rival his broad smile. "But I'm not leaving without one of these," he sang, a teasing lilt to his voice.

Harry watched on as (Y/N) gave a fluttering laugh and a playful roll of her eyes before standing from her seat. She wrapped her arms around him in the same way Harry had burned into his head. Trystan even dropped his head and whispered something to (Y/N) that caused a laugh to float through the air and travel with enough gusto to bruise Harry's heart. It hurt more than he liked to think about.

"I'll text you later, okay? Let me know how it goes" (Y/N) called as she let go, her friend running off though he tossed bright smiles over his shoulder at her. Harry didn't have it in himself to keep track of Trystan's response, the world around him going out of focus as his heart pumped at a pace that hurt his chest.

What had he been thinking? He really let everyone's encouragement go to his head when he should have listened to his instincts. Of course, she didn't like him, she was just a nice person who liked him as a friend and felt bad about his lack of party experience. She was drunk that night, of course she was going to be affectionate. Maybe he wasn't as smart as he thought he was if something like this had flown right over his head.

As Stanfill puttered about the front of the classroom, readying to begin his lecture, (Y/N) finally turned to face him with a smile he could only describe as smitten and the offending chai latte warming her palm. "Sorry, what were you saying, Harry?

He shook his head, busying himself with reaching for his glasses tucked in his bag. "It was nothing—I already forgot." He forced out a laugh to soften the stiff words.

(Y/N) hadn't a clue in the world as she joined in with a breathy laugh escaping her lips, "Okay, well, let me know if you remember."

"I will."

He wasn't ever going to 'remember'.

—————