My Brain: It’s 4am And I Need To Go To Sleep

Hearing the beginning of “Ice Ice Baby” is the sonic equivalent of opening a cookie tin and finding sewing supplies

Please send me a prompt for inspo. I'm lacking in ideas for my sequel, and my prequel is nearly done

Prompts

1.“Do you want me to leave?”

2,“You are not going without me.”

3.“I can’t believe you!”

4.“I swear it won’t happen again.”

5.“What did you say?”

6.“I’m not jealous.”

7.“You’re jealous, aren’t you?”

8.“We can’t keep doing this.”

9.“Isn’t this amazing?”

10.“I’m going to take care of you, okay?”

11.“Stay the night. Please.”

12.“You can’t die. Please don’t die.”

13.“Run away with me.”

14.“You did WHAT?”

15.“Quit whining.”

16.“Get outta my sight!”

17.“Why are you so annoying?”

18.“Were you ever going to tell me?”

19.“Never in a million years.”

20.“Don’t ask me that…”

21.“I might have had a few shots.”

22.“What’s with the box?”

23.“W- What are you doing?”

24.“Say it!”

25.“I could kiss you right now!”

26.“Are you done with that?”

27.“What’s going on here?”

28.“Stop pinning this on me! You started it!”

29.“It’s your fault we’re in this mess.”

30.“Did you do this on purpose?!”

31.“Kiss me.”

32.“Are you still awake..?”

33.“Excuse you?”

34.“This is all your fault!”

35.“Don’t give me that look! It wasn’t my fault!”

36.“I shouldn’t be in love with you!”

37.“It’s not fair!”

38.“I could kill you right now!”

39.“Knock it off!”

40.“Screw you!”

41.“I can’t be in love with you!”

42.“Make me.”

43.“Don’t tempt me.”

44.“I hate you.”

45.“You are infuriating!”

46.“Just shut up already.”

47.“That doesn’t even make sense.”

48.“Just admit I’m right.”

49.“Just admit you’re wrong.”

50.“You are being ridiculous!”

51.“That’s irrational.”

52.“Listen to me!”

53.“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

54.“Don’t yell at me.”

55.“That’s it. End of discussion.”

56.“I don’t believe you.”

57,“You shouldn’t have said that.”

58.“Shut your mouth before I shut it for you.”

59.“How dare you?”

60.“I dare you!”

61.“It’s you, it’s always been you.”

62.“Well this is awkward…”

63.“Just pretend to be my date”.

64.“Are you really gonna leave without asking me the question you’ve been dying to ask me?”

65.“You think I’m dumb enough to fall for that stupid move?”

66.“When you love someone, you just don’t stop. Ever. Even when people roll their eyes or call you crazy… even then. Especially then!”

67.“I think I’ve been holding myself back from falling in love with you all over again.”

68.“You know we’re supposed to be together. I knew it the first time I saw you, and you know it, too. I know you do.”

69.“Those things you said yesterday… Did you mean them?”

70.“I’m not going to apologize for this. Not anymore.”

71.“That’s almost exactly the opposite of what I meant.”

72.“Could I sit here? All the other tables are full.”

73.“You weren’t supposed to laugh! I’m so embarrassed!”

74.“It must be hard with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line.”

75.“This is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.“

76.“It’s a real shame nobody asked for your opinion.”

77.“It’s midnight, what do you want?”

78.“I think I know how to use a bed.”

79.“I have something to tell you…”

80.“I think I’m pregnant.”

81.“No, no, no, no, no, we aren’t ready… We aren’t ready for kids yet!”

82.“Your hair is so soft…”

83.“You’re so cute when you pout like that!”

84.“Just relax, I’ll wash your hair for you.”

85.“I’m not going to stop poking you until you give me some attention.”

86.“What, does that feel good?”

87.“Are you wearing my shirt?”

88.“You are ridiculously comfortable…”

89.“I’ve had a rough day and honestly all I want right now is a drink and someone to cuddle with…”

90.“You’re so cute when you’re half asleep like this…”

91.“You’re beautiful, you know that?”

92.“Aren’t they beautiful?”

93.“These stars are nothing compared to the ones I’ve seen in your eyes.”

94.“Shooting star, make a wish.”

5.“It’s actually a comet, but I’ll still make one.”

96.“Imagine if it could always be this way, even in the city.”

97.“Wow, you’re hot.”

98.“Keep sweet-talking and this could go a whole new direction.”

99.“Take off your clothes.”

100.“Tell all those other guys/girls you don’t need them ‘cause you got me.”

101.“Don’t give me that face, it’s so cute I might not be able to hold back.”

102.“After everything you did, you’re asking ME to apologize for snapping at you ONCE?”

103.“Are you drunk?”

104.“Are you hitting on her for me?”

105.“Are you kidding me? We’re not ‘fine’!”

106.“Are you okay?” “Why do you ask?” “You’re wearing two different shoes.”

107.“Are you really taking his side against me?”   

108.“At what point did you think that was a good idea?”

109.“Come over here and make me.”

110.“Come with me.”

111.“Could you be happy here with me?”

112.“Can I kiss you?”

113.“Come back to bed.”

114.“Be my wife.”

115.“Before I do this, I need you to know that I have always loved you.”

116.“Damn. You clean up good.”

117.“Did I just say that out loud?”

118.“Did I stutter?”

119.“Did you enjoy yourself last night?”

120.“Did you hear that?”

121.“Do you ever think we should just stop this?”

122.“Don’t say that. Not now.”

123.“Do you think she could have loved me?”

124.“Don’t say you love me.”

125.“Don’t you ever do that again!”

126.“Either ask her out or I will do it for you!”

127.“Excuse me, I’m terribly lost. Can you help me?”

128.“Everyone deserves a second chance.”

129.“Everyone keeps telling me you’re the bad guy.”

130.“For some reason I’m attracted to you.”

131.“Frankly, I couldn’t care less.”

132.“Go on then, tell me. Tell me you don’t love me.”

133.“Go then, leave! See if I care!”

134.“H-How long have you been standing there?”

135.“Have I ever lied to you?”

136.“Have you lost your damn mind?”

137.“Hey, have you seen the…? Oh…”

138.“Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.”

139.“His ego is so visible; I can almost watch it grow.”

140.“Hold me back!”

141.“How dare you?”

142.“How could anyone be that cruel?”

143.“How long has it been?”

144.“I almost lost you!”

145.“I am not losing you again!”

146.“I came here to explain what happened, and I’m not leaving until you listen.”

147.“I can manage on my own.”

148.“I can’t… I can’t lose you.”

149.“I can’t get you out of my head.”

150.“I can’t let you do that.”

151.“I can’t start over again.”

152.“I can’t stop thinking about you.”

153.“I choose you!”

154.“I could never leave you, I love you too much!”

155.“I didn’t ask for any of this!”

156.“I didn’t realize I needed your permission.”

157.“I don’t care what he said, it doesn’t mean jack squat.”

158.“I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

159.“I don’t know why I’m crying.”

160.“I didn’t want to hurt you.”

161.“I don’t want to let you down.”

162.“I had a nightmare about you and I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

163.“I had to see you again.”

164.“I hate you!”  “No, you don’t.”

165.“I just need you to do this one thing for me.”

166.“I just really need to have you here right now.”

167.“I just want this.”

168.“I just want to be alone right now.”

169.“I just wanted you to know that when I picture myself happy… It’s with you.”

170.“I know, but I love him… You can’t give up on someone you love.”

171.“I love you.”   “I know.”

172.“I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment I first laid eyes on you and – Oh, screw it!”

173.“I love you for you! Don’t you dare think otherwise!”

174.“I love you more than anything in this world… which is why you have to stay here.”

175.“I made a mistake.”

176.“I may be an idiot but I’m your idiot.”

177.“I need you to forgive me.”

178.“I never meant for anyone to get hurt.”

179.“I see the way you look at me when you think I’m not looking.”

180.“I think I’m in love with you and that scares me to death.”

181.“I think we need to talk.”

182.“I thought you were dead…”

183.“I trusted you!”

184.“I waited and waited, but you never came back!”

185.“I wasn’t planning on asking you, but I’ve come to realize that life is short. Will you marry me?”

186.“I won’t give up if you won’t.”

187.“I-I can’t trust you anymore…”

188.“I’ll be right over.”

189.“I’m flirting with you.”

190.“I’m not good enough for you.”

191.“I’m not the only one who thinks that.”

192.“I’m sick of being USELESS.”

193.“I’m so happy you’re alive!”

194.“I’m so stupid to make the mistake of falling in love with my best friend.”

195.“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

196.“I’m sorry, run that by me again.”

197.“I’m sorry, what were you saying? I keep getting lost in your eyes.”

198.“I’m tired of being your secret.”

199.“I’m up to the challenge.”

200.“I’m yours.”

201.“I’ve been in love with you my entire life. Ever since I met you.”

202.“I’ve moved on.”

203.“I’ve never felt this way about anyone before… and it scares the shit out of me.”

204.“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to seduce me.”

205.“If I ever see you anywhere near her, you’ll have to deal with me!”

206.“If you die, I’m gonna kill you!”

207.“If you keep looking at me like that, we won’t make it to the bed.”

208.“If you walk out right now, it’s over for us.”

209.“Is it really you?”

210.“Is that a challenge?”

211.“Is that an apology?”

212.“Is there a problem?”

213.“Is there a special reason, as to why you’re wearing my shirt?”

214.“Is there something you want to tell me?”

215.“It could be worse.”

216.“It made a difference to me.”

217.“It was just a dream.”

218.“It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.”

219.“It’s all my fault.”

220.“It’s okay, I’m here for you.”

221.“It’s okay to cry…”

222.“Just leave me ALONE.”

223.“Just talk to me.”

224.“Kiss me.”

225.“Let me buy you a drink?”

226.“Look at me – just breathe, okay?”

227.“Look, I don’t have much time, but I wanted to say I love you.”

228.“May I have this dance?”

229.“Meet me at midnight. Alone.”

230.“Meet me on the bridge in an hour.”

231.“No one needs to know.”

232.“No one will ever hurt you again.”

233.“None of that matters now.”

234.“Oh, my God! You’re in love with her!”

235.“Please don’t cry.”

236.“Please don’t do this.”

237.“Please don’t leave…”

238.“Please listen to me…”

239.“Please say something…”

240.“Promise me you won’t let anything happen to him.”

241.“Promise me you’ll stay.”

242.“Shit, are you bleeding?”

243.“Shut up and kiss me?”

244.“Somebody’s in love!”

245.“Sorry, I thought I was alone…”

246.“Stop talking about love for a minute and help me with this bullet wound.”

247.“Tell me a secret.”

248.“That came out wrong.”

249.“That guy at the bar keeps staring at you.”

250.“The way you flirt is shameful.”

251.“There are plenty of people out there who love you.”   “Yeah, like who?”  “Like me.”

252.“There’s something I need to tell you.”

253.“Things don’t always turn out how they should.”

254.“Those things you said yesterday… Did you mean them?”

255.“Wait a minute… Are you jealous?”

256.“Wake up! Please, please wake up!”

257.“Wanna dance?”

258.“We could be amazing!”

259.“Well, don’t keep me waiting!”

260.“Well, this is awkward…”

261.“Well, this is where I live.”

262.“We finish it the same way we started… together.”

263.“What are you afraid of?”

264.“What were you thinking? Were you trying to get yourself killed?”

265.“When you love someone, you just don’t stop. Ever. Even when people roll their eyes or call you crazy… even then. Especially then!”

266.“Where did you learn to dance?”

267.“Where were you? Do you have any idea as to how worried I was?”

268.“Who gave you that black eye?”

269.“Why are you lying?”

270.“Why are you up so early?”

271.“Why can’t you see what you’re doing to me?”

272.“Why choose me?”

273.“Why don’t you just kiss me already?”

274.“You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

275.“You deserve so much better.”

276.“You did this all for me?”

277.“You DID WHAT?”

278.“You don’t have to stay.”

279.“You don’t know you the way I do.”

280.“You don’t need to protect me.”

281.“You fainted… straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

282.“You have the most amazing eyes.”

283.“You have to make a choice.”

284.“You have to remember!”

285.“You heard me. Take. It. Off.”

286.“You know, it’s okay to cry…”

287.“You lied to me!”

288.“You look beautiful!”

289.“You make me feel like I’m not good enough.”

290.“You need to leave. Right now.”

291.“You need to wake up because I can’t do this without you.”

292.“You shouldn’t have even been there!”

293.“You walked away. Not me.”

294.“You weren’t supposed to hear that…”

295.“You’ll be the death of me.”

296.“You’re not alone.”

297.“You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

298.“You’re the only one I trust to do this.”

299.“You’re too good for me.”

300.“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

301.“Have you lost your damn mind?”

302.“Please, don’t leave.”

303.“Come over here and make me.”

304.“Wait a minute… Are you jealous?”

305.“Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?”

306.“I almost lost you.”

307.“Wanna bet?”

308.“Teach me how to play?”

309.“Looks like we’ll be trapped for a while…”

310.“We’re in the middle of a thunderstorm and you wanna stop and feel the rain?”

311.“Just once.”

312.“I can’t believe you talked me into this.”

313.“I got you a present.”

314.“It’s not what it looks like…”

315.“Hey! I was gonna eat that!”

316.“I swear it was an accident.”

317.“Knowing you has made me a better person.”

318.“Just hold me.”

319.“I think I love you.”

320.“I’ve loved you for years.”

321.“Kiss me.”

322.“You’re the best part of me.”

323.“You keep me going.”

324.“You mean everything to me.”

325.“I couldn’t imagine what life would be like without you.”

326.“You’re perfect to me.”

327.“I don’t want to think about what I’d be like without you.”

328.“We’re best when we’re together.”

329.“I can’t stop thinking about you.”

330.“Can I hold your hand?”

331.“Do you want to stay over tonight?”

332.“You’re adorable.”

333.“Everything has been different since I fell in love with you.”

334.“I didn’t think it was possible to love a person as much as I love you.”

335.“I didn’t think love existed until I started loving you.”

336.“Let’s move in together.”

337.“Do you want me to leave?”

338.“You are not going without me.”

339.“I swear it won’t happen again.”

340.“What did you say?”

341.“I’m not jealous!”

342.“We can’t keep doing this.”

343.“Isn’t this amazing?”

344.“I’m going to take care of you, okay?”

345.“Stay the night. Please.”

346.“You can’t die. Please don’t die.”

347.“Run away with me.”

348.“Quit whining. It’s just a bullet.”

349.“Knowing you has made me a better person.”

350.“Just hold me.”

351.“I think I love you.”

352.“I’ve loved you for years.”

353.“Kiss me.”

354.“You’re the best part of me.”

355.“You keep me going.”

356.“You mean everything to me.”

357.“I couldn’t imagine what life would be like without you.“

358."You’re perfect to me.”

359.“I don’t want to think about what I’d be like without you.”

360.“We’re best when we’re together.”

361.“I can’t stop thinking about you.”

362.“Can I hold your hand?”

363.“Do you want to stay over tonight?”

364.“You’re adorable.”

365.“Everything has been different since I fell in love with you.”

366.“I didn’t think it was possible to love a person as much as I love you.”

367.“I didn’t think love existed until I started loving you.”

368.“Let’s move in together.”

369.“Let’s strip down to our socks.”

How "A Hard Day's Night" opening chord was made...

paul: we just need an opening chord

john: any suggestions?

george: *throws his fucking guitar across the room*

john: perhaps, that's it!

Help!  »  attempt #4

Hi if your going to write long stories and use popular tags can you PLEASE use the ‘read more’ function. I have to use tumblr mobile and for me it glitches when I try to scroll past something that long - thanks :)

I thought I added it when I posted it on my PC last night, and I must have backspaced it. I am so sorry! I will fix that as soon as I can!

“'When my hand is on your grease gun.’ That’s very subtle, isn’t it?”

“It’s a metaphor, Brian!”

James (Paul McCartney x Fem!Reader)

Find Part II Here

A/N: Hello! I've decided I have to make a chapter fic for Paulie because I'm in love with him. There are gonna be at LEAST 6 chapters in this fic, so there will be plenty more coming! Stick around, like and comment, and let me know if you want to be tagged when I release more chapters of this!

I want to personally thank my editor @strawb3rri-le for helping me make these ideas come into fruition. Literally cannot do this without you <3

Summary: Paul meets a pretty girl in the library one day, and is elated to find out she is oblivious to who he actually is.

This fic is written in third person from Paul's perspective, which is kind of different to how I normally write my x readers, so it might be a little jarring to read at first, but I just wanted to try something a little different :)

WARNINGS: I'm not certain I wrote any curse words in this one, but I'll say there is just to be on the safer side. Mentions of mushrooms/ fungi; not drug-related, but I figured I'd add that because some people don't like them. I use Y/n like 4 times in here around the end it drives me nuts, but it has to happen. I don't think there's much else.

This one is pretty safe, if I could rate it lower I would, but I'll mark it at T just to be on the safe side.

Paul could have watched the heavy raindrops hit the window pane for hours and hours. the grey clouds drifting in the sky above brought nothing but heavy showers to the streets of London that dark afternoon...

But that's not what he came to the library for.

He came here for some peace and quiet.

He wanted to get some more songwriting done, but the apartment didn't seem to be the place for it that day, and everywhere else just appeared to be crawling with girls. As much as Paul liked girls, he didn't want to be noticed, because then his day would have simply consisted of him trying to escape the hoards that would have started chasing after him.

The library felt like it made the most sense. People were there to read, study, keep to themselves; not to socialize with others and be loud. As long as he found a little private area to sit, he knew he wouldn't be bothered at all. He also figured, if he couldn't come up with any song ideas, he had tens of thousands of books to refer to for inspiration.

And that was the situation Paul was in at that moment. He'd been sitting in his little study nook for a while now, just staring blankly at his notebook, or out the window next to him. Usually the words came flowing from his mind, translated by his hand and onto the paper, yet that particular day, nothing seemed to be inspiring him.

He rose to his feet after a while, notebook shoved under his arm as he wandered off into one of the aisles nearest to him. He wasn't looking for any book in particular. Sometimes he'd just pull one off the shelf, flip to a random page, and read a random sentence in the middle of the text. If it seemed to be interesting enough to inspire even a single line in a song, Paul would use it. If not, off to the next book.

He began to do just that, with older books with worn spines, and newer books with colourful covers. Unfortunately, even after the fourth or fifth book he pulled from the aisle he was in, no inspiration seemed to manifest from what he was reading. He sighed as he pushed the book he was holding back into its place on the shelf before he made his way to the next aisle over.

Paul began repeating what he was doing before, reaching for a book, and flipping through the pages. This particular book, he cut three separate times, and not one sentence seemed to draw any kind of innovation for his songwriting.

Once again, Paul shoved the book back onto the shelf. As he stared ahead at all of the different pieces of literature before him, one book in particular seemed to catch his eye. It was green, with gold accents on the bevelling as well as the raised parts of the spine. Without a second thought, he reached up for it, only for his fingers to come into contact with someone else's.

Paul drew his hand back and glanced to his right, where a young woman about his age stood. He held his breath, fully expecting an overreaction from her at his presence.

Instead, she smiled awkwardly at him, her hand also drawn back close to her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were after that one," she explained gently, and Paul blinked, raising a confused eyebrow before looking back to that specific book. After a moment, he pulled it down off the shelf and examined the cover, the golden text embossed into the front cover reading 'Europe's Most Common Mushrooms, and Fungi: A Field Guide'.

"Do you like learning about Mycology as well?" She asked curiously, and Paul's gaze shot up to her face, eyes squinting a little at her question.

He was half confused on what she was honestly asking him, but he was also kind of surprised she wasn't pointing and shouting at the fact that she found a Beatle in public.

"... Mycology?" He asked back sheepishly, and her awkward smile warmed up a little at his question. She pointed at the book cover before responding with another question. "You know, the study of mushrooms, and fungi?"

Paul's eyes dropped back down to the book before cracking it open and flipping to a random page as he was doing with all the others. A beautifully illustrated picture of a mushroom with a porous underside presented itself to the young man, and his eyebrows furrowed at the image.

"That is a Boletus Edulis," she explained quietly to him. "It's a tasty gourmet mushroom found in Europe, as well as in North America."

Paul looked back up to her briefly before returning to the book and flipping to another page, a red capped mushroom with white spots being the next image to catch his eye.

"Ooh, and that one there is an Amanita Muscaria, also known as the Fly Agaric. It received its name back in the day because grinding it up and putting it in window sills and doorways would repel flies from entering your home."

"... You sure know your mushrooms, huh?" Paul asked carefully, rather impressed with the few bits of information provided to him by this stranger.

"It's definitely a good hobby to get into. Nothing beats going out onto the trail and foraging them for dinner." She paused briefly before adding, "I mean... the boletes are fine, but perhaps not the amanitas." 

Paul closed the book up again before taking a final glance at the front cover.

"I'm uh... sort of grabbing books at random, looking for something inspiring. There needn't be a reason to hang onto this if you need it," Paul explained, presenting it to her so she could take it, and her fingers accidentally brushed against his once again as she took it from him.

The graze was so gentle, yet Paul felt his cheeks warm up at the contact. She was awfully pretty, he decided to himself in silence as he watched the look of joy on her face appear when she flipped the book open herself. She stopped on a page containing a drawing of a white mushroom dripping black ink at its edges.

Paul couldn't help but double take the image. To think there was so much about the world he didn't know a thing about... it made him feel so small, and insignificant.

She must have noticed his gaze on the page, and figured she'd teach him about one more specimen. "These ones," she began, with a rather excited exhale, turning the book Paul's way so he could see, "are Shaggy Mane mushrooms. They are edible and good, as long as you haven't consumed alcohol for a few days prior to, and post consumption. Then they'd be quite toxic."

She smiled at the tidbit and looked up to Paul's face, nose crinkling a little. "Isn't that just the neatest thing?"

Paul couldn't believe what he was hearing. He never really thought about mushrooms before. Sure, he'd seen brown and white ones before in the grass, or growing on trees, but there was something about the way she relayed the information with such passion, that just made it so interesting to him. It was unlike anything he ever experienced before.

"... You have a very natural way of describing this sort of stuff," Paul expressed, nodding his head to her positively. "I honestly never realized there were so many different ones."

"Oh, what I've told you doesn't even scratch the surface of the world of Mycology," she explained, the smile only growing on her face, and Paul couldn't help but smile back at her.

"... I should really leave to let you continue on with what you were doing," she said after a moment. "I do appreciate you listening to my ramblings. I know I can sometimes get carried away with this sort of stuff," her smile fell away a little. "Not many really care about fungi, so it's nice to talk about my interests with someone who's willing to listen."

Paul's own smile began to falter, rather upset that such a pleasant conversation, with such a pleasant person, had to end so soon. He hadn't encountered such a normal discussion in so long. Not that a conversation about mushrooms and fungi was normal, but Paul felt it was just so refreshing talking about anything but him and his fame.

"... well, I rather enjoyed what you had to say," he admitted lightly, an undeniable blush flourishing from the woman's cheeks as she appeared to smile again, a little brighter than before.

"Well... thank you, again. You're very kind," she repeated, waving her hand kindly as she turned on her heel and wandered off to the next aisle.

Paul's eyes watched her round the corner, and he stood there in disbelief. There was so much for him to unpack in his thoughts in that very moment.

She had to have been one of the prettiest girls he'd ever seen; minding her own business in a library by herself, and doing something she really enjoyed. Her intelligence on the subject showed through her excited rambling, which Paul could have listened to for much, much longer.

Her voice was so pleasant, happiness apparent in her words as she described every species effortlessly, as if she'd known it all since the day she was born. It left him wanting to hear more from her.

But the cherry on top of all of this, was that she didn't even acknowledge Paul as anything but another human being. Not some big musician with whom she obsessed over just because of his looks. For someone who remained so calm, and pleasant in conversation, Paul was certain she had no clue who he actually was.

And he loved that.

As much as fame brought excitement to his existence, Paul couldn't deny that the concept of a simple, normal life with someone who loved him for him, and not his popularity to the public, was something he seemed to yearn for more often as of late.

He loved the idea of being a nobody, especially to someone he wanted to be somebody to.

He looked over his shoulder to the empty space where that green and gold book once sat, deciding to reach for the one sitting next to it. It happened to be another book on mushrooms and fungi, but it had a lot more words in it than images. He flipped to the middle of the book and read the fist word he saw.

Symbiosis.

He felt dumb staring at the word. He knew there was only one person he could ask to inquire about what it meant. He glanced up through the bookshelves, eyes searching through the gaps of the works to find her.

She only happened to be in the next aisle over, scanning the book titles off the spines above her head carefully, too in her own world to notice Paul's obvious staring through the shelving units. She pulled a book down and read the summary on the back, Paul watching her eyelashes flit lower and lower as she absorbed the words like a sponge in water.

He noticed that as she read, her lips gently mouthed each word, and he soon found himself stuck in a trance. He observed how her tongue poked out between her teeth to mouth words with the letter L, and how her lips would press tightly together as she read words containing B, and M.

Who would have thought, Paul wondered, something so small could be so hypnotizing?

She made a small face of approval to the book before stacking it on top of the green one she was given by him, and she headed over to an empty table in the corner of the room. She faced towards the shelves, back to the wall so she could see the whole library from her spot.

Despite this, as soon as she made herself comfortable, she was solely focussed on the books, and her dominant hand wrote out her notes almost romantically, notebook pages filling effortlessly with information that brought her joy.

Paul was absolutely mesmerized by her movements. Screw the rain, he could have watched her for hours. He couldn't get over the little flick of her wrist when she ended a point, or the wonderful silent motion of her lips reading out the words.

She drove him mad in the best kind of way.

She flipped to the next page in her notebook, and Paul came back down to earth, realizing then just how creepy he must have appeared, standing close to the shelf, and peering through to the other side to watch the woman simply minding her own business from afar.

His shoes felt like they were filled with cement, but he worked up enough courage to slowly move towards her table, opting to stand by a nearby shelf and stare blankly at the spines as to not look so awkward.

What would I even say to her? was the only thought at the forefront of Paul's mind, the black mushroom book still in his hand, one of his fingers wedged between the pages to mark where that silly word was. He knew he was going to ask her about it, but he needed to smoothly segue into it, somehow.

This situation was rather a bother to Paul. He felt conflicted as to why he seemed so nervous about approaching her. He was a flirt, and he loved making girls feel giddy, why would this stranger be any different?

He was close enough that he could have called for her attention, but her focus was faithfully undivided, completely oblivious to Paul standing only fifteen feet away from her, trying to muster up the nerve to say something, anything.

After talking to her for only a minute and a half, and having parted ways for not even five more, Paul found himself deprived of her voice, longing to hear anything roll off her tongue, as long as it were to him. He was pining to have her attention so badly, but standing and admiring her from only a couple of steps away was only going to get him so far.

His palms were sweaty, and he wiped them on his pants haphazardly as he took a deep breath. He took one more second to nod his head positively for motivation, and he stepped out into the open, facing her completely. His heart pounded in his chest, but he pushed himself to take one more step forward. And that happened to be enough for her to notice.

The stranger raised her gaze up to Paul, the look of neutral concentration on her face softening into a pleasant smile.

Just that made Paul weak in the knees.

"Find anything inspiring yet?" She asked him in a friendly tone, eyeing the book in his hand as his thoughts flatlined. He didn't expect her to speak first. On the one hand, he was relieved that it indicated she was okay with talking to him, but on the other, it put him off-script, and now he had to actually use his brain to initiate discussion.

"I uh..." he struggled for a moment, glancing down at the book in his hand, as well.

"If I'm going to be quite honest... you talking about mushrooms so passionately was pretty inspiring. It's all I can think about."

The woman's eyebrows arched in surprise, a gentle dusting of pink spreading over her nose as she took in his words. She toyed her bottom lip between her teeth, and Paul couldn't help but drop his gaze for just a second to admire her mouth.

"You know, I'm really flattered that you said that," she expressed gently. "That means a great deal to me. Thank you."

Paul couldn't even feel his legs now, basking in her praise, as a flower would to the rays of sun on a warm spring day.

"... I couldn't help but grab another book like the one you're reading," he explained, lifting it up to show her, and the apples of her cheeks rounded as she smiled even wider. Paul hadn't ever recalled seeing such a beautiful face before.

"I... I saw a word I don't know. I think you're the only person who can help me." The confession made Paul feel a little self-conscious; he didn't want to seem entirely stupid in front of her, but she really didn't seem the type to make fun of him over something like this, and really damage his ego.

Without a word, she pulled the chair out next to her as a silent indication for Paul to take a seat, and he took the offer graciously. He set his notebook down onto the table, and then opened the book to where his finger marked the page cut. She leaned in a little to peer down at the text, and he pointed to the word, realizing only seconds after just how close she was to him. He could smell the faintness of her body wash, and it made his head swirl.

"... This one." He mumbled, watching her in his peripheral as she read the sentence in her head, and physically mouthing the words as her eyes tracked each letter.

"Ah, symbiosis. It basically means two different organisms are benefitting off each other in some way or another. We would be a good example of this, right now," she offered, tilting her head up to look at Paul, who's ears burned hot at the eye contact, but he kept strong and held it for as long as she wanted to look at him.

"You're keeping me pleasant company, and in return, I'm helping you learn about fungi." He thought her point was going to end there, but she quickly added on, "from a natural standpoint, fungi and trees have a symbiotic relationship. If it weren't for the millions of miles of fungal network underground, connecting all the living organisms together, plants wouldn't be able to communicate to each other, or convert their energy from one to the other to achieve optimal growth."

"So... everything would die without fungi?" Paul asked slowly.

"I believe so," she nodded her head. "They play a role in every step of a plant's life. Take a tree, for example."

She slid the green and gold book over to sit between them, and she flipped through the first few pages until she found a diagram of a tree's life cycle, pointing to the images as she rambled on.

"Fungi help them establish strong roots when they're young. Some fungi actually provide nutrients in the soil for the trees to use as energy to grow tall and strong."

She turned her gaze back to Paul. "Even at the end, if a mother tree is dying, she will begin to use the fungal networks below to disperse her energy to her kin, sacrificing herself so they can grow, instead. They use the networks underground to communicate in their own special way."

The young man appeared to be in a dream-like state, head in his palm as he looked on in favour of her words. But when he noticed she stopped speaking after a while, he blinked, finding she was smiling a little awkwardly again, as if she'd asked him a question.

"Hm?" He asked, propped hand dropping to the table. He felt rather guilty his attention diverted.

"... I'm boring you, aren't I?" There was a hint of sadness in her words, a weak smile at her lips, and Paul shook his head quickly.

"No, no! Believe me, I'm listening." He thought for a beat, face going warm again as he confessed, "I just... I really love the sound of your voice. You have a way with words, and I did get a little distracted by that." The young woman's face fell expressionless, and Paul continued.

"I may be rather daft on the subject, but there's just something in the way you talk about it that makes learning about it so much more enjoyable. Please, don't stop talking."

She opened her mouth to say something, but she shut it as she pondered what to respond to Paul with. Her face was flushed, and she was holding back a grin, which ultimately made Paul a little confident considering he was the one that made her flustered.

"... You probably say that to all of the girls you talk to," she finally replied, eyes casting down to the books to hide her blush, and he couldn't help but bite back a smile of his own.

"Well, none of the other girls I know are quite like you," he stated with poise, eyes still locked in on her, hands clasping together as he noticed her blush deepen, and a smile finally breaking through.

Paul then attempted to downplay such a strong interaction. Despite talking to her the way he wanted to, he didn't want her to be uncomfortable with how forward he felt he was being.

"What does your boyfriend think about your hobbies?" He asked. "He must be so proud, and fascinated by how passionate you are about all of this stuff, surely."

She looked back up to Paul, her smile weakening a little. "Boyfriend? Oh I uh..." she cleared her throat. "I don't... I don't have one of those."

Paul's eyebrows lowered a little. "... As in you just got out of a relationship?" He tried to clarify, to which she shook her head.

"As in I've never really... had one." She had a sheepish look on her face, cheeks now red out of embarrassment rather than flattery. Her response sent Paul's eyebrows shooting up in surprise, to say the least.

"... Never?" He repeated in disbelief. She pressed her lips together in a line tightly, shaking her head once again.

"This," she gestured to the books with her hand, "is my life. It has been my life since my early teenage years. Mushrooms and fungi are... strange, and because I like them, I guess that makes me kind of strange, as well."

Her self-dejecting statement made Paul feel bad. In his mind, someone like her not being taken, though washing the feeling of relief throughout him, didn't add up at all. Not even her fascination in mushrooms made her odd, in his eyes.

"... If it means anything to you, I think you're just absolutely lovely," he said, watching as her lip pressed into a little pout as she regarded his words.

"I'm telling you... every guy out there has no idea what they're missing out on."

Paul desperately wished he could read minds; especially hers. She didn't speak, and Paul assumed that the was simply trying to grasp for some words to say. If he were in her position, he wouldn't have known what to say, either.

"For once in my life, someone has actually made me speechless," she confessed, huffing a sigh as she rubbed one of her cheeks, as if that would have made her blush disappear.

"I want to tell you thank you, but that doesn't feel like nearly enough," she explained. "Honestly, your girlfriend is very lucky to have such a charming boyfriend. You have a way with words, yourself." Her comment made Paul laugh, but only once. Inside his chest, his heart was doing somersaults, but he was trying his hardest to keep his composure.

"What girlfriend?"

The woman gasped at his response. "You lie," she accused, yet Paul knew it was all in good nature by the smile on her face. "Even if you were, with a face like that, there's no way you don't have girls chasing after you all the time."

How the tables have turned, Paul thought; a little excited he found himself in the same spot as her only moments after he made the same mistake. Part of him wanted to respond to her with something witty, like "who says I don't?", but the other part of him didn't want that to arouse any questions that would segue into a conversation regarding his job.

He couldn't risk having her know everything, and fall for the idea of him.

"I guess I just... haven't found the right bird yet." He figured that was another truth he could hold by without entirely lying to this poor woman.

"That's fair. Well, whoever has the pleasure of ending up with you is a very lucky woman, indeed." Paul's cheeks darkened again, the compliment making his fingers feel a little numb. He noticed her eyes drifting to the window above his head before she suddenly closed her books shut.

"The rain's stopped. This has been a rather lovely conversation, but I do apologize. I must be leaving now."

Paul felt his stomach drop, and his mouth fell agape, watching worriedly as she gathered her belongings and rose to her feet.

"What-- you're leaving? Right now?"

He felt the same way he did back in the aisle when she cut the conversation short, full of disappointment that it all had to come to an end again.

"I was on my way to my parents' house before the rain started," she explained with a lopsided smile. "I'm helping my mother prepare for dinner tonight, but the rain was so bad, I figured I'd spend some time in here while I waited for it to die down. And I'm very glad I made that decision."

Paul nodded his head, realizing the last part of what she said alluded to making his acquaintance. He also found he couldn't be upset at such a wonderful gesture of kindness, her going to her parents'. "That is very sweet of you to do that for her," he said gently, standing up as well before she disappeared again.

"Before you go," he started, feeling hot beneath the collar as he tried to gather a little bit more courage to speak, her expecting eyes on him making him rather anxious.

"I would like to keep in contact with you," he paused briefly, "only if you want. I just... I've had a really pleasant time talking with you, and learning about your interests, and I would very much like to do all of this again."

Her cheeks rounded out again as her smile widened a little more-- Paul couldn't get over that damned smile of hers.

"You know... I would like that a lot," she finally answered, glancing down at her notebook before flipping to the last page and ripping it out. She folded it in half, and then tore it at the line, handing Paul one of the halves while she began writing on the other one. Paul watched with a pounding heart as she scratched out her phone number, and he began to do the same.

When they exchanged the papers, Paul examined the number she provided him, and then read the name she printed above it, a smiley face drawn next to it. he tried his best to concealing his excitement within.

"Y/n..." he mumbled thoughtfully, eyes casting back up to look at her. She laughed a little as she flipped the paper in her hand to show Paul, which only contained his phone number.

"That's me, but what am I to call you, exactly?"

This is where Paul found himself in another dilemma. He wanted her to call him Paul, but he also didn't want her putting two and two together if she recognized his name. He didn't want to entirely lie to her, either.

That's when a light bulb went off in his head. He realized the greatest loophole, and solution was staring him right in the face.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Paul reached for the paper again, scribbling his name at the top. But he wasn't using 'Paul'; he decided he was going to use his real first name.

"You can call me James," he explained, handing the paper back to her. She surveyed the name at the top of the paper before looking back up to him.

"Finally, a name to a face," she hummed in content. She then offered a hand out to Paul, to which he took so they could shake and say their farewells.

"It was an absolute pleasure meeting you, James."

It was the first time in a very long time Paul had been called that by anyone. He figured he would have hated the sound of it leaving her lips, but instead, it made his heart flutter. His face felt hot again, and it was apparent y/n could see the flush of his skin, because she smirked a little.

"The pleasure is all mine, Y/n. Please be safe." He finally let go of her hand, waving good bye as she did so as well, turning on her heel once again, and heading to the counter with her books to sign them out.

She slid Paul's phone number into her notebook as she walked away, and Paul just stood there for another moment as he watched her leave. He was was still feeling so many emotions now that he was alone, unable to help himself reaching back down to the piece of paper she gave him. He ran his fingers over her name and smiled a little to himself.

"Y/n..." her name was like a breath of fresh air to him. When he looked back up to catch one more glimpse of her, she was already gone. It made him feel a little empty, but when he noticed she left the black mushroom book for him, he felt just a little warmer inside.

Paul reached for the book, sliding her number into the pages, and deciding he was going to sign it out and try to learn a little on the subject. If they ever planned to meet in the future, he could try and impress her with some of the information he learned.

He didn't end up getting what he was looking for at the library, but he felt he was leaving with something he needed.

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A/A/N: Okay, I hope yous enjoyed that! Part 2 will happen as long as I have people requesting it. I have ideas, I'm just missing supporters<3

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I mean... he IS Greg Bryk. He CAN do anything. Who WOULDN'T believe that shit?

I somehow managed to convince a friend that Greg Bryk was cryogenically frozen for three years

Let us all rise for the national anthem

*Bohemian Rhapsody starts playing*