#*approaches mic* ANGST *leaves*

[saltpepperbeard]

ummmm so what if stede incessantly sticking by ed in season 2 leads to further heartbreak and misunderstanding?

because ed is at what he perceives to be the lowest of lows, the most “monstrous” version of his persona. he’s a beast from the depths, an unforgiving thing of legend, the kraken…

and yet stede sticks by that.

stede ran when he was his softest, his most open, his most vulnerable. so in ed’s eyes, how can it be that stede wholeheartedly loves him? how can it be that stede loves the authentic version of himself?

is he not sticking by to gawk at the legend, at his dreaded mask, just like everyone else?

[tteokdoroki]

𐙚 🪷 TRUTH OR DRINK katsuki bakugou .ᐟ

⋆˙ᝰ about ! “you love me, you take care of me. that’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done f'me." with the release of your husband's newest album and the announcement for his latest tour, the two of you are invited on set to film a special kind of promotional video for newlyweds. hopefully, this married couple leave without a hangover. ( 4.8K )

warnings ! minors blank and ageless blogs do not interact. sfw, fluff, suggestive, angst if you squint, celebrity!au, all characters are aged up to 20s, mentions of sex, mentions of alcohol, drinking, newlyweds, exes, some family issues, long-distance, idol!bakugou, fem + model!reader - not beta read!

aali’s love letter ! happy birthday bakugou! another splendid year for our lord saviour dynamght !! i posted this late boo but its out!! i hope you guys are still able to enjoy <3 ty to @cuntcure for helping out n motivating me !! - m.list ⋆ read on ao3 ! ִ ࣪𖤐₊ ⊹

“fuck, we’re really doing this, huh?”

across from you, katsuki bakugou shifts uncomfortably  — ruby red eyes darting around the plain white set. studio lights glare from all directions, illuminating the slight sweat that beads at the blonde’s hairline. artificial lighting, bright and made to capture everything, refracts of the pearling perspiration and almost creates the illusion of a halo around the crown of your partner’s head. almost as if he’s an angel.

reaching over the small table that the producers have set up between you both, you grasp at katsuki’s rough fingers, toying with them as if to test the waters before you hold them fully — once he’s comfortable enough to accept your physical affection. his palms are warm and a little sweaty, but that doesn’t stop you from giving them a gentle squeeze. 

“it’ll be fun,” you whisper, keeping your voice low and calm as the production crew continues to contrastingly flit around you in preparation for the shoot. “and it’ll be great promo for your album!” lifting his hands, you press a kiss to the blonde’s knuckles as though you’re sealing a promise, ensuring that they’re not empty. you smile reassuringly and bakugou returns it awkwardly, drawing back just a tad when a member of production sheepishly approaches the table to set down three different bottles of alcohol, two shot glasses and a pitcher of pineapple and coconut juice as your mixer of choice. 

glass bottles of whisky, rum, and vodka glit under the white light too.

“we can back out at anytime,” comes your soft reminder once the crew member retreats to check the sound mic and cameras along with some other staff. “i want you to be comfortable.” 

bakugou shakes his head, this time, bringing the backs of your hands to his lips — pale blonde lashes fluttering as he shuts away ruby framed eyes and takes a breath to calm himself. “wanna do it. like y’said it’ll be good. fun.” when he opens his eyes again, he’s looking at you with a toothy smirk that never fails to send a shiver down your spine and butterflies in a flurry through your tummy. “besides, we haven’t been able t’do somethin’ like this together in a while.” 

nothing beats your grin after that and with a few more touch ups to your make up ( the both of you ) — you’re ready to begin filming. 

“okay guys!” the director on set claps their hands. “wanna start us off? who are you and what are you doing here today?” 

you give katsuki’s hands one last comforting squeeze before his crimson gaze slinks towards the camera that’s now rolling, fixating on its blinking red light as it matches his stare. “‘m katsuki bakugou ‘nd this is my wife,” he juts his head over to you gently, muttering your name with love laced between each of its syllables. 

you too turn to face the camera, award winning smile settling gracefully on your lips. “and today we’re playing truth or drink!” you squirm excitedly. “we’re really happy to be here! thank you for having us!” 

“i’m not.” 

“katsuki!” 

with a laugh behind the camera, the producer speaks again. “so, you’re some pretty special guests. what do you guys do? how long have you two been married?”

bakugou rolls his eyes at the enthusiasm. “i’m a singer-songwriter slash idol or whatever you wanna call it…and i’m on tour right now. so buy my album or you’re shit.” 

“and i’m a fashion model slash content creator. we’ve been together for like…five years? married for half a year? a year?” musing out loud, you switch your gaze from the camera to katsuki — letting him know with your eyes that he’s doing a great job.

“eight months, three weeks ‘n two days.” he corrects you seriously, causing sweet laughter to bubble up on your lips. 

“sorry, folks. eight months, three weeks and two days.”  you retort jokingly. bakugou rolls eyes ruby framed eyes again.

“okay, so still pretty new. let’s start with a shot, shall we?”

ever the gentlemen, your husband  pours you a decently sized shot using a drink he knows you like without even asking. he even tops it off with a mixer because he knows that sometimes you can’t get past a bitter aftertaste if the alcohol is too strong. once done with yours, he fills up his own glass before clinking it against yours — both of you knocking back the shot with practised ease. 

“god, that shit’s strong.” the pale blonde grimaces. 

despite having a facial expression to match, you somehow make light of the situation. “really puts hairs on your chest, doesn’t it, kats?”

“you like my tits naked and juicy, shut the hell up,” smirking cockily, katsuki slides your shot glasses to the side and toys with the stacked white question cards in front of him. “her words not mine.” 

“anyways…first card please.” 

doing as he’s told, katsuki flips the first card over — skimming the letters written in bold on the other side before he slams it back down. “‘m takin’ a shot.” 

the shoot has barely begun and you already find yourself bursting into fits of adoring, amused giggles. “no! it’s not even your question to answer! you have to read it, it’s the first card!” you whine playfully.

“alright, fine,” flipping the card over again with a dejected air about him, bakugou announces the question to both you and the camera. “when was the last time we had sex and where did it happen?” 

“oh god.” you pinch your brow.

“told ya. no shots, it’s the first card. y’gotta answer it, babe.” bakugou teases as he casts the card aside, leaning back in his chair slow and sexy like while he watches you hungrily. it’s like making you embarrassed has made him forget that he’s on camera. 

sighing through your nose, you pout at the camera and producers who watch eagerly. “on the way here.” 

“on the way to this shoot? oh my god!” 

“yes! omg. shut up, this is so embarrassing. katsuki don’t laugh!” you practically wail as the set bursts out into laughter. “god, okay. it was on the way here and in the back of the SUV with the partition up. don’t ask me how we had time. katsuki always makes time.” 

said katsuki wiggles two fingers towards the camera knowingly and chokes back a raspy chuckle when you frown in response, scooping up your own card. “next question,” your say as your gaze skims the card. “who is your least favourite parent in law? oooh, spicy.” 

“definitely her dad,” your husband points a thumb in your direction without hesitation but mouths his words straight into the camera. “you’re a piece of shit by the way.” 

the producer pipes in. “can we elaborate?”

“my dad was never the most supportive of my career…but claims everything i have is because of him. it sucks, he's a narcissist and we don’t really speak because of it.” you answer truthfully, attempting to shrug the weight of your familial situation off. you know that most girls dream of having their father walk them down the aisle on their wedding day…but it’s just not in the cards for you. sensing your anger, your hurt and your pain beginning to rise to the surface, katsuki takes the card from you and grasps at your hand — eyebrows raised earnestly into his hairline while he checks to see if you’re okay. a small, wistful smile plays at your lips and you give your partner a gentle nod. “it’s okay though, my mum, mitsuki and masaru have been great parents. katsuki’s mum and dad kept me grounded throughout our engagement, pretty much designed all of my wedding outfits. they were all custom.” 

“outfits? as in multiple?” 

“ah yes! mitsuki insisted that i had changes throughout the day.” you beam, a giddiness replacing any negative emotion you once felt. your future mother in law had done everything in her power to make you feel like a princess on your wedding day — to this day it made you feel extremely grateful for your positive relationship with bakugou’s family.

“they still fuckin’ spoil her, ma styles her for a lot shoots,” the blonde scoffs but the adoration dancing in the almost brown flecks of his carmine eyes tell a different story. “no seriously, ma ‘n pa love you so much. you’re like the daughter they never had.” 

“aw, that’s so cute. i’ll cry.” 

katsuki’s turn to pick a card rolls around again, but he doesn’t let go of your hand the entire time — index finger toying with your engagement ring. “what’s was the most stressful part about planning a wedding?” he reads. “oh, definitely the micromanaging from other people. shit pissed me off,” your husband answers almost straight away, already preparing to fix himself a shot when the producer asks him to elaborate. 

he shakes his head and the producer turns to you. “our managers thought that they could have a say in our ceremony since it was like the celebrity wedding of the year,” shrugging, you fix your own shot which makes your spouse grin. “we ended up having one public and one smaller, private wedding to say fuck ‘em. and no, they didn’t fire me for this.” 

“so a follow up, when you announced your engagement to the world what was a difficult thing you dealt with publicly?” someone from behind the camera asks.

pursing your lips, you look to katsuki for an answer. “the fan wars? some of my fans were…are still caught up on my ex and others think the great singer katsuki bakugou is too good for an influencer like me.” 

“they don’t know shit. you’re too good for the world baby, i don’t deserve you.” 

“corny ass,” you snort directly into the camera’s shot. “i’m sure that’s one of his song lyrics.” 

“is fuckin’ not!” bakugou pouts, though he’ll deny that he was later. “pick another damn card.” 

he pushes the pile towards you once more and you cheekily swipe one from the middle to make the video a little bit more interesting for those watching from home when it comes out. hopefully the viewers get a laugh out of bakugou calling you a cheater and you sticking your tongue out at him in retaliation — he pinches it back. 

“ouch! owie, okay! okay, let go!” flipping the card so that the text is facing you, you begin to read it out loud slowly — nearly bursting out into an incredulous fit of giggles at the question printed in thick black letters. “this is so ironic, baby you’re gonna love this one,” katsuki raises a brow, intrigued by the coy smile you’re barely trying to hide now. “i dare you to call an ex and remind them that you’re happily married.” 

a small silence echoes throughout the studio as you stare at one another, waiting and waiting, until a loud, raspy and haughty laugh rips through bakugou’s throat. 

“what’s so funny?”

the blonde sat opposite you, still as handsome as the day you first met him — with glittering gem eyes that sparkle under the studio lights and a toothy smile that never fails to melt your heart, suddenly grows shy. a rose tint spreads its way over the bridge of his nose and his cheeks that have lost their youthful roundness, katsuki blushes softly but laughs with his entire body — only just embarrassed by the secret he's about to reveal to his most dedicated fans and the rest of the world. 

leaning forward on the table, elbows on the edge, while you tuck your chin in the seat of your palm — biting your lip in amusement. “do you wanna tell them or should i?” 

“i wanna take a fuckin’ short first. can i?” katsuki asks, almost innocently. he knocks back a glass of dark, bitter whisky once he gets the go ahead. “she’s my first. my first everythin’. girlfriend, time, wife—“ 

“i sure hope i’m your first and only wife, kats.” you cut him off swiftly, a mischievous lilt layered thick on your tone.

he slings an arm over the back of his chair, waving you off lovingly. “—you know what i mean, sweets.” bakugou shrugs in the direction of the producers. “i don’t have an ex to call.”

“okay, we’ll have your wife call one.” 

at the film crew’s suggestion, your voice raises an octave, notes of surprise littered through out your melodic voice. “me? who would i even call?” you can’t help but snicker, trying to reach for the juice used for mixer so you can plan your escape route out of the dare. 

your husband snatches the bottle from your reach, holding it protectively against his broad chest. “call shindou.” he grunts out low but highly amused. 

“oh no, i’m not doing that. let me take the shot katsuki.” comes your instant response, tone turning slightly serious.

“who’s shindou?”

“her ex.” 

“my ex.” 

the both of you announce in unison, though you’re a little less entertained by your menace of a blonde husband — still guarding the drinks as he chucks the used question card to the side. 

“why not?” 

“cause it’ll be mean? he still hasn’t recovered from finding out i’m dating the idol he used to train with. yanno, the one who debuted over him.” 

bakugou clicks his tongue cockily.  “he’ll get over it. call him. c’mon, it’ll be funny and you love making me laugh.” 

“alright fine but you have to swear you’ll answer the next one.” you turn to the camera. “he’s right though, his laugh is the prettiest in the world.” 

bakugou blushes as you pull out your phone and scroll to the bottom of your contact list, surprised at yourself for not blocking and deleting the number. holding up the sleek device for everyone to view, you jab a thumb into the speaker button and watch with baited breath as it begins to ring throughout the studio.

“hello, yo speakin’,” a voice a little higher pitched than your husband’s filters through the speaker. it’s familiar, but doesn’t hold any of the comfort that bakugou brings. it’s been years since you ended things with your ex, the relationship was rocky and full of miscommunications and mistrusts before either of you skyrocketed to fame. there’s no malice between you both or a reason to cause katsuki why worry, you hope, but talking to yo shindou nowadays is akin to talking to a stranger. 

giving the camera an awkward thumbs up, you reply shyly. “hi shin, what’s up?” 

“oh hey sweetheart, this is a nice suprise.” your ex purrs through the line. you click the buttons side of your phone to turn up the volume — making sure his every word is picked up by the mics in the room. 

bakugou chimes in, clearly looking for an opportunity to show off. “hey asshole, don’t get too excited.” 

“hello to you too kats, what can i do you for princess?” 

“shin, don’t call me that. also we’re shooting truth or drink right now — newlyweds edition with kats. they wanted me to call, tell you i’m married or something… which i’m sure you know by now.” explaining in a rush, you push at bakugou’s forehead, right between arched, dark blonde brows to keep him and his laughter at bay. 

“it’s all anyone can talk about these days, especially when i’m on set. married couple of the year.” 

the producers mouth to you to ask shindou a question, in which you almost miss underneath the sounds of your newlywed husband suppressing snarky jokes and giggles. “they’re telling me to ask you if you’re happy for me ‘n kats. you don’t have to answer—“ 

“i am. happy for you. katsuki, as big as of an asshole as he is, makes you way fucking happier than i ever did. he’s good to you, but you’re better to him. the world wants to see you guys grow old together… i hope it stays that way or else i’ll have to swoop back in—“

cringing along the millions that will be watching in the near future, you slice through his words politely before bakugou can blow a gasket. “thanks, shin. you’re sweet.” 

“anything for you, sweetcheeks—“ 

“alright, alright. you’re pushin’ it now, freak. r’member i’m the one clapping these sweet cheeks and i’ll always be a better fuck than you—“ abruptly, your newfound husband snatches up your phone — growling possessively down the line as if to ward your ex off. 

“okaybyethankyou!” squealing you hang up the phone and breathe a heavy sigh of relief, head banging on the table in front of you as you try to hide your flustered face. “that went better than expected.” 

the blonde before you shrugs nonchalantly as if he wasn’t seconds away from reaching into the phone and tearing shindou’s head from between his shoulders.  “i do love an opportunity to show you off, rub our marriage in people’s faces.” alas, he pours you both a shot, adding a mixer to yours, sort of as a reward for making it through the call. “kay, next card,” he swipes one from the top of the pile once more, carefully murmuring its contents into the studio’s cool air. “can the both of you name one person you would have invited into your marital bedroom on your wedding night? see if you’re both thinking of the same person. easy. on three?” 

“sure! one, two—“ you count, the temperature of the room raising as it awaits your big reveal. “kirishima.” 

“kirishima.” katsuki says at the same time before smirking cockily at the film crew. “next!”

you join him just as your foot flirtatious slides up his leg from underneath the table. “kats says eijirou is packin’, by the way.” your husband’s smile fades into an embarrassed look, everyone in the room laughing along with you. of course he’s seen it. of course you’ve talked about this before. “anyway, my turn! most romantic thing i’ve ever done for you? c’mon now kats, you can think of something. i’m pretty sweet.” 

reaching for your hand for the nth time during the shoot, bakugou laces his fingers with yours — decadent dark red eyes instantly drawn to the big rock on your engagement ring and the simple gold wedding band that sits above it as he recalls everything you’ve ever done for him. every gesture; every text, every act of physical touch or service. it would be hard to choose just one romantic thing.

the silence as he ponders almost fills you with dread, a nervousness fluttering about in your chest like a butterfly whose wings are beginning to fail them. they’d have to edit this part out if he couldn’t think of anything. 

but then, those plush pink lips that kiss you and call for you, part gently and a soft sentiment escape’s from between them. “you love me,” is all bakugou can say, eyes wide and genuine. “you take care of me. that’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done f'me…and, if we’re talkin’ specifics, you remember that time just before my album came out? before our wedding? i was fuckin’ stressed ‘n i was always locked up in the studio, trying to figure out the track list, the final song…” 

you nod slowly, exhaling deeply through your nose. “yeah?”  the background noise from the crew, cameras and mics wither away until it’s just yourself and bakugou in the room — holding hands as though you’re one another’s life lines. 

“it was three am ‘n you were in another city for a shoot but…you still made the drive over to have dinner with me. to make sure i ate,” the tip of katsuki’s rough and calloused thumb brushes over the bumps formed by your knuckles. “just to help me run through things even though i was freakin’ the fuck out and you had a flight to milan the next day. you ate with me and that meant a lot.” he seems wistful as he talks, forgetting that the world will be able to see his heart beating all tender like when the cameras are put away and the footage is polished up.

perhaps he doesn’t care if the world sees him being so vulnerable with the woman he loves on screen. they’ll usually find such openness hidden between the lyrics of his songs. so, perhaps it’s the little alcohol running through his system. nevertheless, quiet love and appreciation seeps from katsuki bakugou’s pours into the quiet atmosphere of the set, the emotions crash over you in waves that you welcome — almost reducing you to tears brewed just for him.

“you asshole,” you sniff, lacking all the spite the insulting nickname carries. “i didn’t think that night  meant so much to you… i just wanted to see my baby. wanted to make sure you were okay.” 

cocking his head to the side fondly, the blonde singer uses the back of his hand to wipe at your free falling tears you hadn’t realised were there. bakugou doesn’t let go of you the entire time. “don’t cry sweets, you know i hate t’see you cry.” 

watery laughter bubbles up on the seam of your lips. “don’t tell me what to do,”

“you said she drove from another city, would you guys say that distance made things difficult for you?” 

“sometimes,” you answer the director truthfully. “while we were engaged we’d plan our wedding across different time zones. when i was awake walking for fashion week he was sleeping in his studio making songs.” you explain, looking to katsuki to confirm.

he nods along with another squeeze of your hand. “it was hard yeah, but we got through it. now she has my ring on her finger ‘n she’s stuck with me.” 

“send help.” you mouth to the camera.

resuming the game, you snatch up a card and secretly hope that the question is a little more light hearted than the previous. “has my line of work ever made you jealous? oooh, good one,” adding the card to the ones already discarded, you squirm in your seat — excited to know your husband’s answer. “no shots! i want you sober and honest.” 

“i’ve hardly had anythin’ to drink!” katsuki snorts. “what’s the sayin’? a drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts? let me have something.” 

“no! i want sober words and sober thoughts, that’s the aim of the game, stink.” 

katsuki rolls his eyes so hard you fear they might drop out of his skull. “spoiled brat,” he mumbles begrudgingly, sucking his teeth. “okay before anyone says anythin’, i’m a secure guy. i trust and value my girl’s word above anyone else’s. i love seein’ her on billboards in every country i visit, on magazines at every airport I’ve ever flown from…”

“it feels like there’s a but coming.” 

“wait for it…” you hum gleefully.

“but i hate that one cover shoot you did with that nerd, izuku, for vogue. that’s it. never do that shit again.” bakugou finishes, crossing his arms over his chest like a petulant child.

nearly leaping out of your seat, you point at your husband — bewildered. “i knew it! you said it didn’t bother you!”

“of course it did! he had his grubby arms wrapped around you! he stinks.” 

“you did not just call izuku stinky, he’s got a feature on your album!” 

“his feature can kiss my ass,” you know that bakugou is only half serious, the two have written some beautiful songs together and the cover hardly meant anything — izuku models from time to time as well. it just so happens you also work for the same brands. “my turn again, rate my proposal on a scale of one to ten. how good did i do?”

“nine point five.” you nod assertively, speaking to your audience with love bursting through your heart. “he proposed to me at his first sold out concert, like literally stopped singing and apologised to all of his fans because he had something important to say. that’s when he asked me, in front of his entire world. kats’ is real private so it meant so much to me…”

the blonde leans back in his seat but brings your hand to his lips, pressing a kiss directly to your wedding rings. “only nine point five? cheeky fucker.”

“it’s only ‘cause your genius-self decided to chuck my ring into the crowd?” you scoff. 

“oi! i have good aim, you’re just shit at catchin’ things!” katsuki scoffs back, nudging you with his foot under the table. 

“back to the game love birds.” 

the two of you put your playful little spat on the back burner and you grasp the next card. “how many years into our our marriage do you think we’ll stop having sex—?” 

“never,” katsuki cuts you off, looking directly into the lense as he jabs a thumb in your direction. “i can’t ever get her off my cock. she’s fuckin’ insane.” 

heat flares up underneath the surface of your skin in embarrassment. “fuck you.” 

“right after this shoot, sweetheart.” he winks right back at you before nodding down at the cards. “last two, yeah? did your life turn out as expected?”

chewing on your bottom lip, you give the question some thought. life has an unpredictable nature, no matter who you are or where you come from. if someone had told you a year into your college degree, that you’d be in front of sorts of cameras as a profession for the rest of your life — you wouldn’t have believed them. if someone had told you that you’d find the love of your life shortly after, you would have called them a liar too. your past has been heavy, a dark cloud you never thought you’d be able to escape — hauntingly daunting.

and even though you know that it’s a burden to place the weight of your happiness on someone else’s shoulders — but you know that katsuki has always been your golden, blinding light at the end of the tunnel. he’s something you never expected, but someone you entirely deserve after everything life has thrown at you. 

“no, it hasn’t,” you whisper softly, ever so slightly distinct. your lover leans in, watching you curiously from over stacked question cards and bottles of barely touched alcohol. “i never expected to be so famous so young, that a silly little dream of mine could come true. that i never expected, i still can’t believe it…but, it’s like… meeting you. falling in love with you, on top of all that? it’s like i was destined to be with you, kats. you’re my soulmate. i knew that from the start.” 

just like you earlier, emotion wells up inside katsuki. it breaches the cavity of his chest, slows down the rate of his heart and lungs and brings a slight shine to his beautiful blood red eyes. he sniffs but doesn’t dare look away from you — reading deep into your soul despite knowing the pages of it off by heart. “i feel the same,” he mumbles, reaching over to cup your face even with all of the cameras around. “i never expected to go on tour, sell albums and make music…but i feel like my heart always knew you were waitin’ for me.” quietness fills the space between the two of you, neither of you needing to say much. you cup the wrist of his hand that touched your face, leaning into his palm and pressing a kiss to it. “we’re so fuckin’ corny.” 

“you love it.”  you reply instantly. “i love you.” 

“see?” katsuki asks the production crew as he draws the last card for both of you — holding it out for you to read. “cornball.” 

“it’s cute! she’s cute and corny!”

“what about the rest of our marriage do you look forward to most?” since the video shoot is coming to an end, and you hardly want to cry any more, you both decide to make your answers short and sweet. “i look forward to spending forever by your side, taking over the world one continent at a time.” you gush, meaning every single word, smiling adoringly. 

“ditto, can’t wait to grow old with you, brat.” bakugou mirrors your expression and finally, finally ends the shoot by pressing the ghost of a kiss to your awaiting lips. you feel warm knowing how comfortable he’s grown over the course of filming, even more so at all of the truths he’s given you tonight. 

“that’s a wrap! thank you so much guys!”

katsuki salutes the camera, finishing up for you. “we’ve been the bakugous playin’ truth or drink. buy my album, see me on tour, buy a magazine with my wife’s beautiful face on it. like and subscribe.” all the while, you reflect on everything that you’ve learned about your husband whilst filming — that he loves you a lot more than he lets on, that you have his heart for all of eternity, that nothing in this world and cause his love for you to waver, 

and as your matching wedding bands continue to gleam beneath the dimming studio lights, you only hope that he knows that you feel the exact same way about loving him too.

꒰ end. — all rights reserved © tteokdoroki 2024. do not copy, repost, translate, feed into ai & recommend elsewhere.

[talesofely]

The (Wo)Man Who Can't Be Moved

Pairings : Natasha Romanoff x GN/Fem!Reader

Summary : Natasha's your ex-girlfriend, she broke up with you without giving you a solid reason as to why. Obviously, you want her back. One problem, she's unofficially dating Bucky Barnes. So you decided to solve it with a little performance.

Warnings : Angst, Fluff, Hopeful Ending (?), Swearing I think, reader is mostly gender neutral but i envisioned it as a fem!reader soooo, pls tell me if u see anything else

Note : I rlly wanna make a part 2 of this, lmk what u guys think thooo

Word Count : almost 2k

Save My Tears - Part 2

Tony decided to host another one of his famous Stark parties. This time, his excuse was that you are single again, and that Natasha and Bucky had something going on. What he didn't know was you and Natasha didn't quite end in good terms, cause she broke up with you. And of course... that you still miss her so god damn much.

So there you were, in your room, mentally preparing yourself to see the love of your life with her soon to be boyfriend. You didn't want to go, you absolutely wanted to just run away. But you couldn't. You had to show that the break up didn't affect you as much as they thought it did, even if it really did.

A knock on your door pulled you out of your thoughts.

"Come in." The door opened and revealed a redhead. You smiled sadly at the woman, it wasn't your redhead. It was Vision's.

"I told you I'm fine, Wands." You tried your best to give her a genuine chuckle. Wanda didn't seem to be convinced though.

"You look good, L/N. Trying to impress somebody?" Wanda said as she leaned against the closed door of your room.

"You already know the answer to that." You said as you shook your head, standing up to apply perfume.

"Just tell her, Y/N/N. I mean, you should shoot your shot before it's too late. I heard Buck's gonna ask her to be his girlfriend officially tonight." Wanda announced, watching you intently as you try desperately to calm your nerves.

"What am I supposed to say, Wands? Please take me back, I miss you so much, I know you broke up with me but I want you back?" You sarcastically said as you scoffed. "Plus, I don't wanna ruin what she has with Bucky. She must like him so much if she made their relationship public within three days of seeing each other."

"She isn't happy with him, and we both know that. I care about Natasha too, Y/N, I want her to be atleast happy with who she's with. Plus, how can you know she doesn't want you back if you haven't even asked?" Wanda asked with a raised brow. You didn't dare to make eye contact, just staring at the perfume bottle on your hand. "Think about it, alright?"

Wanda left your room, leaving you alone with more thoughts than you had 30 minutes ago.

Stark decided to go to the next level for this party. He had a stage in the middle of the living room, a bunch of speakers, and a mic stand.

The party was more lively than normal. Everyone was teasing the future couple, much to your annoyance. Natasha and Bucky were the center of attention.

Apparently, Bucky loves getting all that recognition and attention, but deep down you know Natasha doesn't. Your ex-girlfriend loves parties, but she doesn't like it when she's the center of attention. Bucky doesn't seem to know it considering he's showing her off like she's just a trophy.

You sat at the bar, alone, drinking your Aunt Roberta cocktail. Clint approached you, Tony right behind him. You didn't acknowledge them, just continuing to watch the 'It Couple' as Tony calls them.

"You okay, Y/n?" Clint asked with a small smile. You're guessing he didn't know what happened, you didn't know if Natasha told him how she broke your heart. You just nodded in response, drinking down the last of your cocktail.

"They're such a nice couple, right? Natasha and Bucky? I'm not glad you and Nat broke up but I'm glad they found each other." Tony said with a grin, oblivious to the fact that you want to punch him in the face.

"Mhm." You responded with another nod. You couldn't do this sober, but the alcohol wasn't doing anything.

"Hey, Y/N, you should sing! You have a great voice, right!? You used to sing for Natasha when you were still together!" Tony slurred out, obviously intoxicated now. Clint nodded in agreement, both trying to convince you to sing.

You didn't want to, you weren't in the right mood to put on a show.

However, when your eyes drift to Natasha and Bucky slow dancing to your song, 'Wonderful Tonight' by Eric Clapton, the same song you two always danced to, you snapped.

You cleared your throat to steal Tony and Clint's attention. You stood up and fixed your suit's jacket. The polo you were wearing underneath had three buttons unbuttoned, showing just enough for men and women to go wild.

"I'll go sing, Anthony. The tablet beside the mic is connected to the speakers, right?" You asked as Tony nodded eagerly. He always liked it when you sang, saying you had a specific vibe he couldn't get from other singers.

Before you could fully walk away, Clint shouted at you, making you turn around and raise a brow at him.

"Go get your girl back." He mouthed then winked. You rolled your eyes at him before flipping him off.

When you reached the stage, Steve got off and handed you the mic with a smile. You sat down on the chair, everyone was surprisingly cheering for you. Mostly everyone's eyes were on you, excited for the song you were about to play.

You didn't dare to look into the audience, in fear of meeting those green eyes you used to call home. The fondness in them wasn't for you anymore, anyways.

"Hey, everyone. I hope y'all are having an amazing night. I do hope you enjoy these songs I'm about to play." You said as you clicked the instrumental version of the song you chose, on the tablet.

Going back to the corner where I first saw you

Gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move

Got some words on cardboard, got your picture in my hand

Saying, "If you see this girl can you tell her where I am?"

(Italics are flashbacks)

Three days after Natasha broke up with you, you decided to drive to a park where you two always went on. You sat on the exact bench where you asked her to be your girlfriend. Not a lot of people walked by, it was a slightly secluded area.

You stared at the lake in front of you, watching as the ducks you always used to feed with Natasha swim towards you. One duck in particular, the one you named Nibbles, the one you considered your child, approached you and stood on your foot.

You smiled sadly at him, caressing his fluffy head.

"Hi, Nibbles. Your mama isn't here, I'm sorry. We won't show up together anymore, buddy. I still promise to visit, okay?"

People were giving you weird looks but you didn't care. You just gave the duck a piece of bread that he dipped in the lake before waddling back to you so he could eat it beside you.

And how can I move on when I'm still in love with you?

You met those green eyes while singing the particular line. You couldn't read it, it had too many emotions for you to decipher. You saw her smile faltered though. You gave her a small bittersweet smile as everyone around you was singing along to the song and nodding their heads to the beat.

'Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me

And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be

"Where the fuck is Y/N, Wanda?" Natasha asked, barging in the younger redhead's room.

Wanda's head snapped to her door. She saw Natasha was holding the letter you left in her room over and over again, memorizing every sentence. A few tears escaped, but she immediately wiped them away. She saw how the 'Love Always, Y/N.' was smudged, like it got wet from a teardrop.

"What do you mean, Natasha? I thought you knew she left. She's gone, Nat. She left for a no-contact mission, even Fury doesn't know when she'll be back." Wanda said flatly, standing up to kick Natasha out of her room.

"Why'd you care anyways? Miss her?" Wanda said sarcastically with an eye roll.

"She didn't tell me." Natasha murmured, stepping out of the room.

"Why would she? You broke up with her, remember?" With that, Wanda closed the door to her room, making sure to lock it.

Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet

And you'll see me waiting for you on the corner of the street

You walked around the park, even walking the streets where you two would 'window shop' but you end up buying her everything she looks at. Your feet stopped when you saw the familiar ice cream parlor on the corner of the street.

You remember taking her there on your first half-anniversary, right after you two finished a mission. The mission was rough, it didn't physically hurt any of you but it did take a toll on your mental states. You wanted to cheer her up and distract her so you made up an occasion to convince her to go eat ice cream.

Policeman says, "Son, you can't stay here"

I said, "There's someone I'm waiting for if it's a day, a month, a year.

Gotta stand my ground even if it rains or snows

If she changes her mind this is the first place she will go"

Your eyes met Steve's and he gave you a small smile. He remembers it too.

It was your first winter without Natasha. You were sitting on a swing in the park right in front of the compound. No one else was there except you cause it was cold and snowing really hard.

You felt someone sit on the swing beside you. It was Steve. He gave you a small comforting smile, nodding his head to greet you.

"You can't stay here all night, Y/N. It's cold, you should come in." He said in a low voice, trying to stay as casual as possible.

"I'm fine." You said, giving him an unconvincing smile.

"You're still waiting for her?" He asked. You looked at him but he was staring ahead.

You nodded timidly. "Always."

There are no holes in his shoes but a big hole in his world

"You're my world, Natasha." You murmured into her hair. You were cuddling in bed, her head on your chest.

She looked up at you, her ethereal green eyes staring up at you, filled with adoration. She smiled, that same smile that never fails to make your heart flutter no matter how many times you've seen it.

"I love you, детка." She whispered as you leaned down to press a soft kiss on her lips.

"I love you more, my Natalia."

Going back to the corner where I first saw you

Gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move

When the last note ended, some were clapping, some were silent and looking at you in worry. You furrowed your brows, realizing a tear was currently rolling down your cheek.

You saw Clint giving you two thumbs up while Wanda was smiling sadly at you. You tried looking for your redhead, but you couldn't see her anywhere. Even Bucky wasn't there.

You bit your lower lip, trying to control your emotions. Did they leave together? Were they currently having the time of their life in Natasha's bedroom? Did Natasha bring Bucky to the rooftop like you two used to? Why did she leave?

You sighed and decided that you're going to take her absence as an answer to all your questions.

She moved on.

[heehoonieluvs]

Gimme attention

Jake x reader

Slight angst, smut

The way that the members are depicted in this story has nothing to do with how they really are or how I feel they are. It is all solely for the storyline so please bear that in mind 🫶

Summary: Ever since Jake had finished his promotions, he had been spending time gaming which lead to a mini argument. You had been giving him the silent treatment since and NOW he wants your attention on him

Warnings: MDNI, arguments, cursing, pet names, oral (f receiving), french kissing, dry humping, unprotected sex (please let me know if I need to add anymore 🤍)

Masterlist

It had been an hour after yours and Jake’s argument which had led to you storming your way to your shared room. You understood that gaming was one of Jake’s favourite ways to spend his time during his free days, but you were completely touch starved and needed some of his attention.

Flashback

“Jakey! I made dinner!” you called from the kitchen

No response

“Jakey?!” You called a second time

Still no response. You sighed at the lack of response from your boyfriend. He and the boys had recently just finished their promotions from their current comeback and ever since, Jake had been locked in his gaming room, playing online with his band mates. Of course you would never stop him from gaming, but 1. He basically acted like you weren’t there and 2. He would forget to have a break to eat

There was no other choice but for you to take the food to him and let him eat in his room while you ate alone in the kitchen… again.

As you made your way up, you could hear him shouting in his mic at someone for killing him. You knew there was no point in knocking with the volume he was screaming at so you let yourself in.

When you approached him, you placed the plate of food on the side of his table and reached over his shoulder to kiss him on the cheek

Jake was startled from the action as he didn’t hear you come in, but he turned to you and moved the left side of his headphones.

“Hey puppy I made you something to eat” you said to him with a small smile and another peck on his lips

“Not now Y/N. Can you please just let me finish this round? We’re losing right now” he responded before turning back to his screen.

You were in disbelief by his reaction. You knew that he was already a competitive person but to talk to you like that when you were doing something nice for him???

“Are you being serious right now Jaeyun? I spent all day preparing your favourite food and brought it to you so you won’t starve and now you dismiss me as if I’m your maid or something? Who do you think you are?” You snapped at him

He obviously was taken aback but he spoke into his mic before pausing the game and responded “Yea but I didn’t ask you to do that for me did I? I was going to come down later to eat. You don’t need to make a fuss when I’m completely fine with eating dinner reheated” followed by a big sigh

From the way you scoffed and let out a slight chuckle, he knew he had just fucked up

“Did you really just say that to me? I made you food, not out of obligation, but because I care about you and now you say that I’m making a fuss? Well I’m so sorry that I wanted to be a good girlfriend that took care of her boyfriend who wouldn’t even spare her a glance. The last time I didn’t make you food, you were up gaming till 5am and made yourself ramen before going to bed. Does that really seem healthy to you?” You didn’t care if his teammates could hear you through his headset but he clearly did since he quickly turned to mute himself

“And I’m grateful for that baby but you don’t need to babysit me though. I’m absolutely fine with taking care of myself. Can I not just have some time to myself to play online? I’ve been waiting for so long to relax after the hectic schedule and want to be alone” he sighed

“Have I not been leaving you alone to play for the past week? I haven’t been ‘bothering’ you except to get you to eat since you forget to do it yourself. And I know that you’ve been waiting to play since schedules ended but I’ve been waiting for months to have a little time to have you to myself. Is that so much to ask for? You’ve been away for so long and all I wanted was your attention but you barely even acknowledge me before heading to this room. But you know what? If you want to be left alone then fine. I’ll leave you alone.” You didn’t let him say anything back as you stormed out

End of flashback

You were currently lying on your stomach on the bed while scrolling through Tiktok and you could only assume that Jake had returned to his gaming to cool off from the previous shouting match. Tears of frustration were pooling at your waterline as you scrolled on your phone but you quickly wiped them away when a faint knock came from the bedroom door

“Baby can I come in?”

You didn’t want to respond as you knew he’d hear you choke up so you remained silent. Either way, the bedroom door opened behind you and you could hear shuffling towards you.

“I’m so sorry from how I’ve been acting baby. I’ve been really inconsiderate of your feelings and I’m so lucky to have someone like you who’s willing to still care about me after all that” he mumbled. You could hear the pout in his voice as he apologised but you weren’t ready to forgive just yet

He got no response from you but he was still determined to let you know how sorry he was. He crawled up the bed from behind you and hovered over your figure. Your body was trapped between his thighs as he leaned down to press lots of kisses to your puffy cheeks that he adored so much. There was no reaction from you that he craved for so he leaned further down to try and kiss you on the lips. But you saw him coming closer and moved your head away. He was hurt by your reaction but understood that you were upset so he carried on pecking your cheek and jawline

“Bubba? Please don’t ignore me. I’m really really sorry and I promise I’ll spend a lot more time with you, just like you deserve. I miss you too, so much. Please don’t take my stupidity and what I said earlier to think that I don’t want you around me, because I really do need you” he said sweetly into your ear before placing a peck

There was still no response as you carried on scrolling on your phone so he nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck and let out a whine “Please talk to me bubby. You can shout at me and tell me how much of a dickhead I am. Just please let me hear your sweet voice. I don’t like it when you ignore me”

The pecks he littered onto your neck slowly became wet open mouth kisses on your sweet spot. He wanted, no needed you to pay attention to him. Your silence was absolute torture to him and he couldn’t stand you being mad at him. So he was determined to get you to forgive him.

As he moved back and sat of his knees that were still caging your legs, you thought he had given up and decided to leave you to have a breather. Not like it stopped you from staring at the device in your hands. At this point you were just scrolling out of boredom

Jake had been looking at the back of you with a pout. Why won’t you give him attention?!? He knew he deserved it as this was payback for ignoring you for the past week. But he was going to get you to talk to him again. Just you wait.

His eyes trailed down your figure. You were wearing his favourite look on you. His oversized sweater, some booty shorts that teased the bottom of your round ass cheeks that he so desperately wanted to sink his teeth into, topped of with some white thigh high socks that accentuated your delicious thighs perfectly. God just looking at you made him so fucking hard that it hurt. If he wasn’t gonna get you to talk to him, he was going to make you moan for him.

He slowly shuffled his way down your body and settled himself so his hands and face were between your spread legs. His hands dragged their way up the back of your thighs and pulled on the elastic of your thigh highs. When they snapped back onto your skin, you slightly flinched and he let out an airy chuckle.

He couldn’t help but stare at your covered crotch in front of him as he massaged the back of your legs. You never wore underwear under your clothes at home which he loved, so he could see the outline of your pussy through the material. And since your shorts were so small, the minimal material wedged between your ass cheeks was so close to exposing what he had been dying to taste.

He brought his nose to where your opening would be and took a big inhale of your scent. He groaned at your addictive smell and went in for another whiff. Who needs oxygen when he could live off breathing your scent right?

He ran his nose up and down your crotch before motor boating your ass cheeks. You so desperately wanted to let out a moan but you didn’t want to give him any reactions. He had to work for it.

He could sense that you were holding back so he hooked his finger on the crotch of your shorts and pulled it to the side, exposing your bare pussy. Without wasting any time, he flattened his tongue onto your pussy and ate you out like a madman. His tongue flicked across your swollen clit and stuck it deep into your wet cunt.

You tried to hold back your moans by biting your bottom lip but it was getting too difficult to stay silent. So you let it all out with a moan of his name

“Oh fuck puppy that feels so good holy shit. Fuck me with that tongue oh my god” you moaned out and brought your knees up to arch your back.

The new angle helped Jake to grab onto your ass and pull you onto his hot tongue. He pulled away and grabbed onto the crotch of your shorts again. He then used the fabric between your pussy lips and pulled it up to create friction onto your clit. The rubbing sensation felt so good and you could feel yourself gushing even more. Jake’s mouth stayed open with his tongue slightly poking out as he carried on tugging the fabric.

All of a sudden, you felt him crawl back up and his weight caged you again as he started to grind his hard erection into your clothed centre. He hooked his chin over your left shoulder and started to let out the most pornographic moans into your ear.

“Please baby can I put it in?” He whimpers pathetically

“Hmm I don’t think you deserve it” you teased. You wanted to see just how desperate he could get by denying him

Jake let out a cry of defeat at he carried on grinding onto you desperately. At this point he wanted to fuck you so bad that he was close to cumming in his pants. The humping didn’t slow down and he angled his hips perfectly so you felt his entire length grind up your pussy through his joggers

“Please please please I need to fuck you princess. Please? I wanna make you feel good”

“Ok puppy. Fuck me”

Jake grinned widely as he pulled your shorts off and stripped himself. You looked over your shoulder to watch him and giggled at his eagerness. When he hovered over you, he grabbed your chin and went in for a wet kiss. Your tongues tangled with each other, fighting for dominance. Because of your awkward angle, Jake used it to his advantage and stuck his tongue into your mouth. He sucked on your tongue and pulled it out of your mouth so you could both wiggle your tongues together.

He pulled away, leaving a trail of a saliva that connected yours mouths, before tugging on your puffy bottom lip with his teeth. As he looked into your eyes, he sucked on his fingers before using them to open your tight hole. The wet tightness caused his mouth to hang open at the feeling

“God baby you’re always so tight for me. I’m gonna fuck you so good and make up for the time I’ve been wasting away from you” he moaned as he pumped his dick and lined up to your entrance.

As he sunk in, the both of you moaned out loud together.

“Fucking hell you feel so good baby. Look at me as I fuck you. Let me see those beautiful eyes” his words were slurred as he carried on fucking you

When you looked over your shoulder and locked eyes with him, his mouth was wide open, letting out his gorgeous moans and his eyebrows were furrowed together

“God I missed this baby. I miss you so much. I’m so sorry for being a shit boyfriend. I should’ve been spending my time buried in you and fucking you just like you deserved. I’ll worship your body like the goddess that you are”

“Oh puppy fuck me faster. Yes. Yes”

Jake broke the eye contact to squeeze his eyes shut and the sight of his pleasure pushed you closer towards the edge.

“Oh fuck puppy I think I’m gonna cum”

“Cum for me my angel. Cum for me. I’m gonna fill you up to the brim till your leaking with my cum and I’ll fuck it back into you”

You could feel a warm sensation bubbling in your stomach as he pounded perfectly into your g spot. Suddenly a wave of overwhelming pleasure washed over you as he buried himself deep into your pussy and filled you up. The two you were shaking as you rode out your orgasms. His sweaty chest and abs rubbed against your back and you could feel his racing pulse from the adrenaline.

As your orgasms started to die down, he grabbed your chin to face him again and started to peck all over your face while whispering about how well you did for him

“You’re so perfect princess. My precious baby. I promise I’ll make it up to you ok. I love you so much” he mumbled and pressed multiple kisses on your lips

“I forgive you bubba. And I love you too” you said between his kisses “Please can we stay like this for a bit?”

He rubbed the tip of your noses together and leaned down to kiss your neck

“Of course my princess. Anything for you”

[luvrodite]

TONIGHT YOU ARE MINE JASON TODD (7.8K)

synopsis you hadn’t meant to screw it all up. only a few months ago, you’d been spending your nights in a bed that wasn’t yours, sure that it would last. it was always going to be him, and then suddenly it wasn’t. OR: an au where jason is your band's guitarist and one single review makes your world come crashing down.

cw: gn!reader, afab! reader, band!au, breakup, angst, self loathing reader, exes to lovers, stephanie brown is a meddler, roy harper cameo, porn with plot, car sex, exhibitionism, piv sex, minor spanking (like once), emotional/angry sex. minors and ageless blogs dni or you will be blocked

Everyone in the crowd can sense the underlying tension. Only a year ago, you’d spent the majority of tour unable to go five minutes without reaching for or looking Jason. 

You’d feel sorry for tonight’s crowd, the last night of tour is always supposed to go out with a bang, but you haven’t been able to so much as approach the pretty guitarist this evening without feeling heat rise in your chest, wicked curls of anger licking at your wounds everytime you near him. November skies descend on the crowd with a chill rivalling your own and you stay a good range away from the taller man at all times, repelled like opposite poles.

Jason, similarly, keeps his eyes on the strings, a hard edge to his jaw. 

On the drums, Steph flicks her eyes between the both of you, sharing a thinly veiled look of discomfort with one of the sound technicians backstage. 

It’s been like this all month, and though the both of you had managed to keep it somewhat professional it’s clear everyone has begun to feel the weight of the awkward silences suffocating the dressing room. The blonde fears if you open your mouth at all, no one will leave the room alive, lips often pursed so tightly as though you’re keeping a barrage of words locked away. 

You refuse to look at Jason at any given moment, and though your voice remains level when you address him, it isn’t so much an address as it is talking at him, instructions doled out like a military seargent, stiff and impersonal.

There’s no shadow of the playfulness that had just about driven her insane in the spring, no lingering touches and the stolen kisses in the summer when you’d still thought no one had caught on. (They’d all been very aware, given the poorly hidden love bites on the guitarist’s neck and the added secrecy in your shared grins) No whispers in the dressing room, no ganging up on Roy–she felt as though she’d fallen into the worst timeline.

They’re coming up on one of their most popular songs, and Steph’s feeling the heat of the stage lights despite the bite of late Fall, beads of sweat crowding at her temples when you fiddle with your mic on stage and there seems to be no intent of committing to your usual tradition. If the crowd hasn’t already picked up on your obvious tension, they’re sure to when you’re singing almost in the wings instead of wrapping yourself around Jason like you’d made sure to every single concert since your first big gig. 

It’s fine, she tries to assure herself, but her eyes track your movement and you’ve planted yourself firmly away from him and she knows the media is going to have a field day with this. She can already see the headlines, every quack with expertise in body language is going to be crawling out of the woodwork to analyse this–and the worst part is, they wouldn’t be wrong. Her own despair is painted on her face in a frown that she isn’t so sure she can explain as concentration. 

Roy, nearby, looks over his shoulder and she can tell by the slant of his mouth that he’s displeased. He mouths a single word at her.

She looks back to you, to Jason, to the crowd. You close your eyes, arms outstretched as you spin in slow circles, and Jason picks at the strings of his guitar, lifting his eyes only for a moment to gaze at you. It’s the confusion painted on one of the front row attendees that seals her decision. 

Blue eyes narrow at Roy and she tips her chin in agreement.

“No.”

“Are you serious?” Steph explodes in front of you, hands flying up. You look at her evenly, sat on the couch in your dressing room, nursing the bottle of water you’d snagged from the fridge. You’ve changed out of your outfit into something looser, feeling the itch to get out of the get up the moment you’d stepped off stage and into the wings. 

“Does it sound like I’m joking?” you snap. “I get you guys are concerned, but you need to stay out of it.”

“How are we supposed to stay out of it when the both of you can’t even be normal around each other?” she retorts, flicking a heavily hairsprayed lock of blonde hair over her shoulder. Her face gleams in the aftermath of the concert, eyeliner smudged and lipstick all but faded on bitten lips. Even out of her get up, she still looks formidable. 

“Listen,” you say, feeling your chest twist uncomfortably under her piercing gaze. Your hands feel slippery around the cold plastic, and you fiddle with the label, picking at the corner with your fingernail. “I’m sorry we went and made things all weird, but I didn’t mean to. Pretty sure he’ll tell you the same thing. But what do you want from me, Brown? It’s just gonna take a bit of time, I don’t know what else to tell you.”

And it’s the truth.

You hadn’t meant to screw it all up. Only a few months ago, you’d been spending your nights in a bed that wasn’t yours, sure that it would last. You’d never been so careless with anyone, ever, but it was Jason. 

The sound of his name, the very thought of him, empties your lungs of air. He had always been there, constant, steadying, Jason. It had always been the both of you in this together. His had been the hand you sought for when the flashes got to be too much. When the homesickness hit hard and you spent days in bed skipping out on rehearsals and meetings it had been Jason who’d showed up and shoved you into the shower and sat outside talking to you the entire time, who’d stripped your bed and replaced the sheets. 

It was always going to be him, and then suddenly it wasn’t.

How were you supposed to come back from that unscathed? How the fuck were you supposed to go back to teasing touches on stage and near kisses over your microphone like it didn’t mean a thing?

You hadn’t lost your boyfriend, in that fight, but your partner, too. Steph and Roy were your best friends, too, but Jason was your heart. And you’d gone and broken it all on your own. 

Steph must see it in your face, as you slump back into the couch, because she sighs, dropping down into the seat next to you. She kicks her shoes off, sneakers hitting the floor a few feet away with a thud and she curls into your side, pressing her cheek to your shoulder. 

The TV in the corner switches on and some late night talk show provides a soundtrack for you to sit in your despair. 

What a way to finish the tour.

You throw yourself into Jason’s arms with a drunken giggle and he catches you, arms coming up to steady you, an easy grin on his handsome face. In the dim light of the dive bar, the shadows sharpen his already strong features, teal eyes boring down into yours affectionately. You reach up with a careful hand, running your thumb under his brow where a speck of glitter lingers on his skin. 

“Hello,” he rumbles and you can’t help yourself, pushing yourself up in his lap to slant your lips against his. 

“Hi,” you breathe out, starry-eyed. 

“You were amazing tonight,” he tells you, stealing another kiss before tucking you into his side and taking a swig from his bottle. His arm lies heavy around your middle, anchoring you to your seat on his thigh. Across the booth, at the bar, you can see your bandmates arguing as they wait for their drinks.

“Me!” you exclaim, reaching for the slice of pizza on the table. “You were amazing. And distracting. D’you have any idea how many times I almost forgot what I was singing ‘cause you looked at me?”

He laughs and the sound reverberates through your back, drawing a smile from you. You think you’ve barely spent a moment tonight not grinning, feeling the rush of satisfaction from playing the crowd. It’s been a good night–but then again, every night seems to be a good night, you think to yourself. 

How could you not be happy, when it feels as though everything is finally going right?

Jason takes you home that night and kisses you silly in the back of the cab, fingers trailing dangerously under the hem of your shirt and swallowing your whispered protests in his mouth. And when you get home, he draws them from you tenfold, the noise spilling into the air of his bedroom where he can savour them uninhibited.

Having the boy in your bed, the stars within reach, soaring towards the sun, higher, higher with no end in sight. You are foolish to believe it’s everlasting. Being on top of the world blinds you, so focused on the clouds brushing your face that you forget the danger of misstep. 

The end comes on a Wednesday afternoon, when a missive of 2000 words and an unrelenting pen strike you down where you stand, shoot you midair like an arrow. Falling feels like flying but you’ve never felt fear in the air til now.

Freefalling, you are stripped down to your barest parts and sewn back together with a few clumsy words–you can’t help but feel as though you’re missing an organ.

Only the combined efforts of your manager and Jason pull you from bed, four days of missed rehearsals are all they give you to mope before he storms the fortress. 

“Up,” he demands, moving throughout your room and throwing the curtains open. Afternoon sunlight streams in, bright and merciless against your internal plight. Jason tugs the covers off, eyes blazing with forceful determination when you make to pull it back. “No. You need to get up. We gave you space, now you gotta get it together.”

An unintelligible noise is your only response, rolling over onto your stomach and groaning into your pillow. You’ve spent your tears, but you can feel your face burning once more and you refuse to let him see just how much this has affected you. 

Your name leaves his lips, stern and stripped of its usual affection. “Cut the shit. You got a bad review. ‘S not the end of the world, kid. You can’t spend the rest of your life letting it get to you.”

You want to scream at him. You want to take him by the shoulders and yell, did you read the same article? How can you be so unfeeling? 

A nasty, bitter part of you whispers that of course he wouldn’t understand. Why would he? They had nothing but praise for him, the pretty boy wordsmith of your band whose pen had produced the best of the band’s discography. And you know it isn’t unfounded, you know you’re being unfair–Jason is talented. You’d known it at seventeen, when the both of you had been messing around on his dad’s piano and you know it now. You’ve always loved him for it. He’d always celebrated your successes, you knew he deserved every bit of recognition he got.

You only wish it hadn’t come at your expense.

Green curls around your senses as he wrangles you out of bed and into the bathroom, leaking through your veins and only thickening as you wash yourself of the last few days. 

When you emerge from the steam, it is with vengeance and a vow. Reborn, you gather what you can of your wings.

You’ll fly once more.

There are 15 unread messages on your phone and the light of the recording studio is the only thing keeping you company. The clock on the wall points to it being well into the night. 

Your eyes burn as you stare at the pages of your notebook, ivory filled with scribbling you can make little sense of. It’s a brand new one, blue skinned and thick, pages pressed flat with disuse. All around the small coffee table you kneel in front of lie your old books, sheaves of loose paper fluttering under the expulsion of air from the nearby fan. Lines on lines of old writing, crossed out and highlighted and annotated with blood red ink, surround you.

Your muscles lie stiff in your back and hips, fingers curling around your pen. Empty bags of takeout lie abandoned and emptied behind you–you’ll surely be told off in the following morning when your manager returns, either for staying to work so late into the night or for bringing food into the studio. 

“Do you plan to go home at all?”

You don’t flinch at the sound of Jason’s voice behind you. His reflection stands in the glass of the studio window, filling out the doorway in a manner that anybody else might find threatening. You ought to, too. There’s displeasure in his voice, disappointment in your habits. 

Jason lets you get away with most things. His temper is sweet, at least where you’re concerned. You’ve never felt the need to test it, and rarely have you been the subject of his ire, so softened by time that it takes a great deal to be drawn. You’re used to his indulgence, his saved smiles and the gentleness of his hand and tone. This is a stark contrast to the honeyed words he reserves for you. 

But it’s also your new normal. And isn’t that an awful thought, that you’ve grown used to it now, having heard it enough times in the last few weeks for it to lose its weight. Disappointing him, once upon a time, might’ve destroyed you. At seventeen, you couldn’t bear the thought of letting him down. But you’ve lost count of how many times you’ve caught his doleful look cast at you, mouth drawn in a hard line so uncannily like his father–another person you’ve let down, you’re sure, from the messages in your phone from him sitting untouched. 

“I’ll go home when I finish,” you say tersely. Or you try to. It comes out mumbled, eyes tracking across your notes. 

“Yeah?” Jason asks, stepping further into the room, shadow moving in your periphery. His voice is unimpressed, and you can sense the lecture coming. “When, exactly, is that gonna be?”

“Jason,” you hiss out, raising a hand as if to say, please just don’t. 

“What.” he bites out and you squeeze your eyes irritatedly. 

“Look, just–I’m busy. I’ve got to work on this. Go home.”

He ignores your dismissal and moves into your line of sight, and you stare stubbornly at your notes. Even when he drops to his knees across from you, you stare as though through sheer will, the lyrics will write themselves, letters spelling out onto the pages what will bring you back to grace. 

“Work on what?” he presses, and you can feel your own temper beginning to burn. “You’re dead on your feet, you’re not gonna get anything done if you can barely keep your eyes open.”

“I’m–” you try, but he grabs your pen. You grab another, clenching your jaw so hard it hurts and his temper bursts.

“Will you look at me?”

He grabs your chin, and when you look at him finally, he is wide eyed and pleading but you are too far gone, poisoned by your own words and fears. Not even he could bring you back now, you have ventured out of Elysium, where he cannot reach. You find yourself apathetic, jagged, unflinching in the face of his tears. Cruel, and someone neither you nor he know. 

“What is with you?” he demands and in the yellow light he looks a little crazed, hair messed and chest heaving, eyes electric green, almost luminescent. “You don’t talk to anyone, we barely see you, you don’t answer your phone. I’ve been trying to reach you all week, I–”

His face twists and you watch angry tears splash against his cheeks. “I thought something happened to you, you fucking idiot,” he seethes. “What is it, huh? You go totally ghost on us–on me and I find you here working on–what even is this? You never keep stuff from me.”

You watch the moment you break his heart when you shrug out of his hold, crystalline eyes fracturing when you scowl. His shoulders slump and you find just another thing about yourself to loathe.

“I’m fine,” you insist, your breathing growing shallow. Red and green cloud your vision, anger and envy spilling into your every word. “You know, I have my own shit. I don’t have to tell you everything.”

He looks helpless, confusion swimming in his expression. “I…I know that.”

“Do you?” you demand and he blinks rapidly. “You wouldn’t be barging in here like you have the right to know everything I do, if you did.”

“What?” Jason questions, but you’re determined to cut him now, your own angry tears blurring your vision.

“Listen, we can’t all be great like you, okay-”

“-That’s not fair-”

“Some of us,” you say loudly, “have to put in a little work because it doesn’t come to us naturally. We can’t all be goddamn prodigies, so excuse me if I’m just trying to catch up. I thought you’d be happy that I was finally putting effort into this band.”

“Hey,” he snaps. “I’ve never said you didn’t put any effort into this band. You know that I know you work hard.”

“Then what the fuck is your problem?” you exclaim, scrambling to your feet and he follows. The both of you stand toe to toe in the studio, heat in your faces as you descend into what is the first proper argument you’ve had in years. Part of you is screaming not to let it get this far, to quit while you’re ahead, while it’s still salvageable, but it’s drowned out by the roaring in your ears.

“My problem!” Jason echoes, scoffing. “You’re the one who’s lost it.”

“I’m doing this for the band!” you roar and you swear you see lightning in his eyes, teal blazing as he bears down on you.

“That is such bullshit,” he snarls and your heart quivers in its cage. “Do what you want but don’t stand here and lie to my fucking face like all of this is about the band. This is about you!”

You stand, silent as his voice breaks, anger filling the cracks like lava. “This is about you and this…complex you have, like you can’t ever be happy because you care too much about what people have to say–people who mean nothing. And I’m here, telling you otherwise but it’s like you’re so fucking determined to not hear me–like you wanna do it alone. We’re supposed to be in this together.”

It’s a plea and a reminder. Even in his anger he begs, beseeching you to remember, like it’ll somehow get through the wall you’ve constructed between the both of you to remind you–It’s you and me, kid and clasped hands in the back of the bus and the first demo and–please remember. 

All you can hear is the whir of the fan in the wake of his words. Jason stands in front of you, grief lining the features of his beautiful face and you feel as though he will never be this close ever again. You can say nothing, your own tears spilling silent, dripping onto your collar. He closes his eyes, and nods, once. The very air between you shifts and you can feel the moment your heart cleaves in two. 

“You wanna do it alone,” Jason says again and he sounds very, very tired, echoing your unsaid decision. He runs a hand over his face, and you hear him take a shuddering breath. “That’s fine…I won’t stop you. I hope it makes you happy.”

He turns and walks out of the room. 

At your feet, the empty pages flutter.

Steph and Roy are, as far as they’re concerned, the best friends in the world. You aren’t so convinced. 

In the week that follows the end of tour, you all return home. You hear little from Jason, who only speaks in the band group chat, but you aren’t expecting anything anyway. When you recall your words that night, you flinch. His expression is burned into your mind, and you don’t think you’re likely to forget it any time soon. Steph invites you out regularly, both directly and in the group chat. 

You decline. And decline. And decline. 

The pages of your notes remain ever unfinished, and the walls of your writing studio grow increasingly familiar. You think you would know it blindfolded. Pale winter sunlight does not fall here except in thin, ribboned streams, and when you return upstairs, it’s long after sundown. You’re lucky to see a few hours each day before you’re descending into the studio, determined or desperate you aren’t sure. 

Jason has always been quiet on social media, but all of a sudden his face is plastered everywhere. Neither of you have removed the other–you think your manager would actually cuss you out for the stir that would cause. She hadn’t been pleased at your dating, and even less pleased at your separation, brown eyes narrowing at you in a way that left you wondering why you’d hired her at all. 

His brother posts a photo on their family ski trip, and your heart twinges at the unknown girl in the background tucked next to him on the couch, pretty and beaming in a way that is effortless. Jason sits beside her with a half smile playing at his lips. Her account is private, and you switch your phone off when the feeling in your chest at finding he doesn’t follow her feels a little too much like relief that you have no right to feel.

January rolls around. You ring in the New Year alone, over a spread of sheet music and Thai food. 

The world is blanketed in thick, powdery ice. You leave the house when even ordering in loses its charm, craving the warmth of a meal not delivered to your door, and the wind nips at your nose. The scarf around your neck belongs to someone else, but you had reached for it instinctively, hanging around the post by your front door, on your way out. Its weight is familiar in your hands, and your jaw aches as you loop it around yourself.

Lovers huddle close together in the streets, giggling when their shoes slip against the iced over pavement, and you avert your eyes. Holiday music filters through the speakers indoors, familiar jingles you might’ve found amusement in on any other occasion. In the produce section, you stare blankly at the array of greens, and end up exiting laden with a bag of groceries you don’t remember putting into your basket. 

Back outside, you linger outside the store, listless and distracted. It’s then that you hear the call of your name, and a flash of blonde hair appears in your periphery.

“Hey!” Steph chirps, smacking a kiss on your cheek affectionately, arms winding around you tightly. “I haven’t seen you in ages! I didn’t expect to see you today.”

You squirm in her embrace, feeling your face flush. “Hi, Steph,” you murmur. 

She pulls away, blue eyes bright and assessing as she takes you in. She’s lovely, pink cheeked and wind bitten. You know what you must look like, pallid and a little sickly from the lack of sunlight and you fidget, self conscious.

“You look like shit,” she says baldly, and it startles a laugh out of you. She grins at the sound of it.

“Thanks, Brown,” you say dryly, feeling a little easier. “You know exactly what I wanna hear.”

“What can I say,” she shoots back just as quickly, with a wink. “It’s a gift.”

“Definitely something, that’s for sure,” you mutter, cracking a grin and the both of you settle into silence. You eye your car in the distance, parked in the lot next to a red sedan, and then your groceries.

“I should–” you start, lifting the bag, but she cuts you off.

“Come out with us tonight,” she says, an oddly intent expression on her face, and you grimace. “We’re going to the place on Broad.”

“I don’t know…I’m making dinner. Maybe another time.”

You have little interest in dressing up to go out. You have even less interest in figuring out who the ‘us’ in question encompasses. But Steph’s got an unnervingly steely look in her eyes, like she’ll refuse any no’s you give her. Her lips flatten into a line, and she takes your hand.

“I haven’t seen you in months,” she says unhappily.

“You could’ve come by,” you remind her and she levels you with a deadpan look. Would you have let me in? Goes unsaid. 

“That’s not the same and you know it. I miss you,” she stresses, and you have to give it to her–she’s good. Guilt curdles in your stomach and you avert your eyes. “We miss you. I’m the one who has to deal with Roy’s complaining now you’ve decided to hide at home.”

“I’m not hiding,” you mutter lamely, and she raises her brows pointedly, as if to say, really?

“Come out with us,” she says again, squeezing your fingers.

You sigh. 

The snow has begun to fall in soft, light clusters when you get out of your car, streets twinkling in soft white and yellow. A snowflake lands in your lashes and you shiver when it dissolves, a minute stream of ice water running down your cheek.

Through the window of the restaurant, you can see your band mates tucked into a booth. Steph and Roy sit on opposite sides, already squabbling over something, and your heart slows when the latter leans across the table to point out something on his phone and Jason comes into view. Tucked into the corner, he watches the exchange with bored eyes, shaking his head when Steph turns to him. Don’t bring me into this, you can already read his lips, and that old familiar ache you’ve been nursing for the last few couple of months blooms behind your ribs once more.

You’re an idiot and a coward, standing on the side of the street debating on whether or not you should just go home. 

In the end, your decision is made for you when Steph spots you through the window and bounds outside, making a face at you as she loops her arm around yours.

“Were you planning to stand outside all night like a freak?” she laughs, pulling you out of the cold and into the building. The rush of heat overwhelms you, rolling over you in waves as you enter. 

“No, I was just…”

“Hm?” she raises an eyebrow, waiting for your answer. When she knows you can’t come up with one, her face relaxes. “I thought so. You’re here now, so come on.”

Whatever you think is going to happen when you approach the table is severely let down when you’re simply greeted with some semblance of normalcy. It feels like a farce, when Roy stands up to wrap you up into a hug that’s near bone-crushing, and over his shoulder, Jason greets you with a nod. Your throat is dry, and you think it feels worse than being ignored outright, dipping your head back at him as best you can from the grip your red haired bandmate has you in. 

It’s a far cry from the outburst you had agonised over all the way here, imagining Jason fuming at the sight of you, refusing to even look your way. You’d thought maybe he might even leave, picturing his beautiful face colouring red and storming out–he’d more than have the right to. But that isn’t him, and he makes no move to leave his seat, slouching into the booth comfortably and taking a sip of the water in front of him. 

You take a seat next to Steph and the movement feels like you’re cutting through water, limbs thick and heavy with unease. 

The next hour moves agonisingly slowly. You feel every second of every minute, hyperaware of your movements and avoiding Jason’s eye as you eat. The muscles in your face have never felt more rigid, plastic smile holding you together as Steph and Roy weave conversation around the both of you. 

The drinks come and go, various fruity drinks and margaritas littering the tabletop alongside your food. At some point, Steph wiggles out of the booth and pats your arm drunkenly, murmuring something about having to go to the bathroom.

“Do you want me to come with?” you ask, and she grins, giggling. 

“No, no, no. You stay here,” she says. Strangely excited, she squeals and smacks a kiss on your jaw. You can’t help but grin uncertainly. 

“Okay…”

The moment she disappears out of sight, Roy slides out of his seat too and mutters, “Be right back. Have to ask the waiter something.”

You frown. There’s something about the way he looks at you furtively, almost defiant, that makes your stomach twist. Your suspicions are allayed and then confirmed in a matter of seconds.

Several things happen. Roy walks to the register, pulling out his card and you scowl when he points at your table. But then, instead of returning, he bee-lines for the door. When you hear a drunken cackle and see a flash of blonde hair outside, you realise you’ve been set up–Roy and Steph booking it in the direction of his car. 

A text comes through on your phone almost immediately, and you can feel your temper rise when you read Steph’s message.

jason need s a ruide and u gusy need to make up you can thank is layer xoxoxo  i wanne be godmothed  godmother csll me tomororw

“I’m going to fucking kill her.”

“You can’t tell me you came here and expected her not to meddle.”

The sound of Jason’s voice, directed at you for the first time all night, startles you. You turn to where he’s lazily picking at the label on his beer. He looks untroubled, if a little resigned to his fate for the night.

“You knew she’d do this?” you ask, confused. He lifts his eyes and you’re pinned to the spot.

“You didn’t?” he asks, like you ought to have.

“I–of course I didn’t,” you defend yourself. He raises a brow disbelievingly and you frown at him, a noise caught in your throat. “I didn’t.”

“Okay,” he says softly. He stares back at you, and you can feel your palms beginning to sweat. For the first time since you were children, you can’t read the expression on his face. 

You worry your bottom lip with your teeth as you look at him. “Guess I’m driving you home, huh?”

“I can take a cab.”

You shake your head, grabbing your bag. “Save your money. C’mon. At least they had the grace to pay the bill.”

“‘S ‘cause they know we know where they live,” he rumbles behind you as you move through the restaurant. The waitstaff throw you a smile as you exit, but you’re too frazzled to offer a plain upturn of your mouth, a weak imitation of a grin as you open the door. 

“Yeah,” you say absently. “I’m just down here.”

It occurs to you, just how small the space between the both of you is, when he opens the passenger door to your car and slides in.

“Where am I dropping you off?” you ask carefully. You look over and he lets out a scoff of laughter, shaking his head, as if your question amuses him. But he answers, a wry grin playing at his lips. 

“My place, thanks.”

You nod. 

The radio is off, and the silence prickles across your skin uncomfortably as the car drives down the icy road. If Jason’s bothered, he says nothing. You tap your fingers across the steering wheel.

God, what a sad sight you must make. 

“I, um,” you lick your lips nervously. “I saw you guys went skiing.”

“Yeah. Old man wanted to do something with the family.”

You’ve spent Thanksgiving with ‘the family’ more than once. You know Jason’s various family members–the mystery girl was decidedly not among that company.

“Right,” you say. And you suppose something in your tone must tip him off, but then again Jason had always been very good at reading you. In your periphery, he turns his head and you hear him exhale softly, a bitter chuckle.

“You don’t get to be mad,” he says. His voice is devoid of anything, light as air, as though you’re discussing the weather. But still, you’ve been caught out and it makes your face warm.

“I know,” you say, hoarsely. You clear your throat. “I know.”

“You dumped me, you know,” he reminds you and you think that “I know.” is all you know how to say, echoing it once more pathetically. Grief fills the cracks in your heart when you hear the hitch in his breath, cool facade fracturing.

He says quietly, after a few moments, “I didn’t.”

You nod, swallowing past the lump in your throat. The image in your mind had plagued you for weeks, of bodies wrapped up and kisses shared over firelight. His words are a reassurance you don’t deserve. The car turns off the highway, and you bite your lip.

Quiet blankets the car for the remainder of the drive, your engine purring as you steer the car back down familiar roads. 

“Jason, I…” your voice fails you when he turns to look at you, only a few minutes away from his place. “I’m sorry. For how it all went down, how I treated you in the end. I’m sorry.”

He exhales, a ragged breath like you’ve gut him, and you swallow. Misery leaks into your voice as you continue, the words coming out far steadier than you feel.

“You didn’t deserve that from me,” you tell him, gripping the steering wheel and looking over. The car comes to a stop outside his building, and you turn the key, the engine shutting off as you swivel in your seat to face him fully. “I should never have lashed out like at you, not when you were just trying to help.”

He sniffs, and even in the dark you can see the sheen in his eyes. His lips part, tongue darting out to wet his lips.

“Just…” he rasps out, frowning at you. “Why’d you push me away? Wasn’t I good enough? We’re supposed to be partners. You promised me–you remember?”

“I remember,” you say gloomily.

“Then why?” he demands. “You said it was you and me and then all of a sudden you’re closing yourself off. I wouldn’t have cared, y’know, if you were writing your own shit without me. Even if you didn’t wanna tell me. But you pushed me out.” He stresses the last three words, and you can only stare back wretchedly.

“Why?” he whispers.

Your mouth opens and falls, searching for the words and the courage to say them.

“I was jealous.”

The silence in the car is deafening, Jason staring back at you, shell-shocked. Whatever answer he was expecting, this clearly was not it. 

“What?” he murmurs. 

“I was jealous,” you admit woefully, picking at your nails. You tell him then, about the review, about the words and the sense of failure. “I mean, that’s what it was, at first. Jealousy. That at the same time they had all these things to say about me, they were loving you. It felt unfair. And then–and then I realised I was being selfish, ‘cause of course they were going to love you. Everything they said about you was true, it’s what I’ve been saying for years and you deserved that.”

His brows are furrowed still, as he listens to you, eyes growing stormier with every word. Your hands tremble as you continue carefully.

“And then, after that…” you trail off, staring at the console between you both. Shame colours your words, voice dropping steadily as you speak. “I thought, if I could just improve, I’d be doing something right. If I could just catch up to you guys, instead of dragging you down. I’d be someone worth doing it with.”

Jason’s eyes are tearful once more, winter fires raging on in teal seas. He shoots you a frown so fierce as he speaks, voice cracking.

“That’s bullshit.”

“What?–”

He leans back in his seat, hands coming up to his face, scrubbing at the skin. He groans and the sound is muffled by his palms. You watch him, humiliation burning your skin from the inside.

“You are so fucking stupid, do you know that?” he tells you, sounding anguished, and you break, tears crowding your lashline slipping forth and down your face.

“You’ve never, not for one moment, been not good enough,” he tells you angrily. “The fact that you thought you had to earn–to catch up. ‘Be someone worth doing it with’ what the fuck does that even mean? You’ve always been the one we all look to.”

You bring your hands up to cover your face, now openly weeping silently but he catches your wrists in his, the movement drawing you closer to him. You gaze at him through your tears, waterlogged and beautiful. His eyes search yours and he shakes his head, exasperated.

“The fuck ‘m I supposed to do with you, huh?” he asks, tilting forward to press his forehead to yours. “What’ve I gotta do to get it into your head that you don’t have to go it alone?”

“I’m sorry,” you whimper, eyes slipping closed and his breath skitters across your cheek, nose pressing into the skin. You can smell the beer on him, and the cologne you’d gotten him last holidays, so close you can feel the heat radiating off him. 

“It’s not enough, for me to tell you, is it?” he says, and then he’s tugging at your arms. “Get over here.”

Your eyes fly open to stare at him, startled, confused, but there’s no softness in his gaze. He looks at you, eyes steely and firm, head tilting as if to say, well? What are you waiting for?

“What?” you garble, confused. 

“Get over here,” he repeats, and only then do you notice the dangerously low tone his voice has taken on, the darkness of his pupils as they swallow his irises. “Gonna teach you somehow.”

A shiver skates down your spine, and your hands tremble with anticipation as you reach for the console to balance yourself, rising onto your knees shakily and clumsily climbing across the space until you’re in his lap. He nods, leaning below him to move his seat backwards, and you clutch onto his shoulders as the both of you move.

“Someone might see,” you whisper, and he stares up at you, faintly amused.

“Baby,” he says, laughter in his voice, and you soften at the sound, fingers scratching at the nape of his neck. His fingers rub at your hip where your top has lifted. “Take a look around. ‘S the middle of the night, nobody’s awake to see us.”

True enough, the complex Jason lives in is canopied in thick onyx, the quiet street so still you’d be hard pressed to believe anyone lived there at all. You look back to him, shadows turning him sharper, tear tracks smudged below his eyes and marble cut features.

“You gonna listen to me?” he rumbles, chin tilted to look at you. 

You wait, heart beating in your chest, and then you nod. You see a flash of his grin, and then he’s surging upwards to capture your mouth in his, all teeth and tongue as he devours.

Your blood turns molten at the first touch, his thick hands tugging your hips down into his and pressing you closer as he licks into your mouth. The heating has turned off but you’re far from cold, the air thickening as you whimper into his mouth.

“Fuckin…” he groans, and you cry out when his mouth slides across to latch onto your neck, teeth grazing the sensitive skin. “Missed this s’much.”

“Jason,” you sob out, and he rasps out a laugh, rolling his hips upwards. “Jason, I–”

“What, baby?” he hums, lips detaching from your neck with a wet pop. You’re delirious, drunk on the touch you hadn’t felt in months, spending lonely nights reaching out for only to be met with the crushing emptiness of unoccupied space. “Y’miss me? Huh? ‘S that it?”

You whine in response, nodding. He laughs, but it’s a mean sound and it shoots straight to your core, muscles tightening at the sound. 

“No going back after this, hope you know that,” he tells you lowly, tugging at the waistband of your pants. “Off. Need to be inside you.”

You scramble for your button, rising again to tug them off in awkward jerky movements that lack any sort of grace. But Jason doesn’t seem to care, more concerned with the zip of his own jeans, shoving his jeans down roughly and stroking his already hard cock.

He sinks into you in one fluid movement, a groan filling the car as he fills you, stretching you out deliciously. You choke on a gasp, and he stills for a moment, before he’s setting his feet flat on the floor of your car and using that to fuck up into you, rapid, sloppy movements that are desperate and rough. Each thrust has you seeing stars, and you’re scrabbling for his shoulders for some sort of balance, but your arms weaken as he drags along every sensitive part of you.

“Never…fuck…never letting y’go again,” he grits through his teeth, “Had me losing my damn mind. You’re always gonna be mine, you know that. Always. Been. Mine.”

Your breath stutters in your chest when his hands come to your hips, gripping your flesh as he bounces you over his cock, a slew of curses spilling from his lips. “Who do you belong to?” 

“You–you! I’m yours,” you cry out.

“You need me to fuck some sense into you, hm?” he snarls. “Is that what I’ve gotta do? To get it through your fuckin’ head? Tell me.”

“Yes, yes!” you sob out, his name leaving your mouth in a broken cry. 

“Yeah?” his voice drops, condescending and utterly mean. “You’re gonna let me take care of you now? Not gonna argue w’me?”

“Jason I–I’m close,” you squeal, fingers biting into his shoulders and he huffs.

“Not until you answer me,” he says, slapping your ass. “You’re not gonna fucking cum until I tell you.”

He doesn’t slow down, despite this, thrusts growing deeper. The car windows have fogged up, and you’ve not taken any care to quiet down–although nobody is around to see you, they most certainly are around to hear you. But it’s difficult to focus when Jason reaches down between your bodies to rub your clit. You keen, a high pitched sound expelling from your throat and when he sinks his teeth into the skin of your shoulder, your eyes roll back, overwhelmed by the sensations all around and within you.

“What did I say?”

“Please! Oh fuck, Jason, yes right there,” you mewl, tears burning your eyes once more. Your hips roll downwards, meeting his thrusts. 

A large hand comes to grab your chin, firm as the other settles on your hip. You look at him through bleary eyes, sweat matting his hair to his forehead and a flush painting him red that even in the pale moonlight you can make sense of, eyes blazing as he stares at you.

“Say it,” he commands, and you pant into his mouth. “Tell me you’re gonna let me take care of you. ‘s all you gotta say, baby, be good for me, I know you can.”

“‘M gonna let you–” you cry. “Gonna let you take care of me! I’m sorry, please.”

“Yeah?” he grunts, and you nod your head rapidly, feeling your stomach beginning to tighten up. “Y’gonna stop doubting yourself so fucking much? Gonna stop pushing me away?”

“Y-yes!”

“Swear,” he says, and you sob, feeling the tears beginning to stream down your face. It’s stifling in the car, and you’re desperate, but Jason has you ensnared–you won’t come before he lets you. “Swear it t’me.”

“I swear. I swear, Jason,” you gasp. Sweat rolls down your back, your top clinging to you. Jason’s shirt is soaked through, and when you tip your head down, you grow lightheaded at the sight of the mess you’ve both made, white smeared across the inside of your thighs and his stomach. Lewd sounds echo in the small space of your car as you bounce on his cock, and Jason–

“Come for me,” he breathes out harshly, hand slipping from your chin once more to swipe at your clit in broad, firm strokes. In a matter of seconds, you fall apart on him, and he follows soon after, hips stuttering as he empties himself inside you with a loud moan. 

You fall forward limply and he catches you easily in his arms, the both of you breathing heavily. You’re boneless against him, sticky and covered in sweat, and when you go to move off him, his arms around you tighten.

“I meant what I said,” you whisper into the silence of the car, cheek pressed against his shoulder. “About you deserving that recognition. ‘M sorry I was such a dick.”

“I wish you’d just talked to me,” he tells you softly, and now you’re the one clutching him a little tighter, fingers twisting into the fabric of his shirt like he’ll disappear from under you if you look away. “‘S you and me, remember?”

“I forgot for a moment there,” you admit and he breathes out through his nose, a sardonic laugh as if to say yeah, I know, “but I remember.”

“I’m still mad at you,” he says, quietly and you twist your lips in an effort not to cry. “I love you, baby, but that was the worst few months of my life.”

“I’m sorry,” you can only say again. He kisses your temple, and it feels like a step towards forgiveness. “I’m gonna make it up to you.”

“Good,” he says firmly. “I’m never letting you go, you hear me?” 

When you look up, there’s a grin on his face and you lean up to press your mouth to his. It’s chaste, and sweet, softer than your reunion and holding every promise you intend to keep to him, old and new. 

“It’s you and me.”

this took me 2 weeks to write and i didn't think it would be this long. like i thought maybe it might reach 4K? but somehow this managed to become my longest fic!! crazy. i do currently have a longer wip in my drafts that i'm working on but this is one of the longest oneshot fics i've ever written which is mad and i'm kind of thrilled about.

i hope you enjoyed this fic and guitarist!jason and reader's breakup -> reunion. i tweaked the reunion a bit from the initial post i made about it, because i think it just fit better in the moment, but i hope you enjoyed that too! and i hope you don't hate the reader too much for the whole breakup because they genuinely have my entire heart. i think sometimes you get caught up in wanting to be the best that you don't realise you already are good enough to the people that matter – to jason, reader is everything and it's baffling that they don't see that. but i hope i did their reunion justice.

[yeonboy]

𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐬 ♡ choi soobin.

If it was up to you, you would worship the very ground Choi Soobin walks. No, you’re not a simp, he’s just that amazing – the star of your college’s broadcasting club, your role model, the reason why you even have a dream career, and…someone you’d really like to make out with if he’d allow it. But the first ever conversation you have with him has your rose-tinted, star-studded glasses shattering to pieces when he turns out to be a huge jerk. Is this just a misunderstanding or is it the end?

❧ choi soobin x f. reader | 16+ | college!au ♡ strangers to lovers!au ♡ angst ♡ fluff

❧ 10 k words

❧ warnings! inaccuracies wrt broadcasting journalism majors & college broadcasting clubs, profanity, some suggestive language, misunderstandings, allusions to slut-shaming, soobin being an accidental (?) asshole, some heartbreak, some conflict, some yelling, insecurities wrt social standing in college, yn is a certified soob simp™ but goes thru a hater era for half a day </3, stinky cute fluff later on, some cringe, so much blushinG it’ll make u sick, a make out sesh, cameo by yj & his girl from fic 1 bec i love them sm :(

❧ note! set in the same universe as no one but you. i’ve been working on this since marCh, idk why it took me so long to finish? the wc def ran away from me a little whoops! anyways, this gets rough in the middle – soobin might shock u with his behavior but it will all get resolved, i promise!

leave me feedback if you like this! follow for more! (:

❧ masterlist | inbox ⁘

“I’m sorry, the tryouts are closed!”

You blink. Take a step away. Peek at the huge poster stuck on the huger double doors to the auditorium. The notice says the tryouts would run from four to six in the evening – it’s presently five minutes past five. What the heck?

Around you, you notice a number of girls looking as disgruntled as you feel. You approach one. “Uh, hey…did you already do your piece?”

The girl twirls a vibrant purple strand of hair around her finger and rolls her eyes. “Nope. Choi’s bitch ass shut the doors unannounced ’cause he’s pissed off for some reason.”

Choi? Bitch ass? This girl can’t possibly be talking about the Choi Soobin, right? The prince of the university’s broadcasting club who always emcees every single stage performance the university hosts?

No, she can’t be. No one would refer to the Choi Soobin’s glorious behind as ‘bitch ass.’ Besides, you really don’t think he’d sit around judging freshmen entrants to the club when he’s got so many better, so much cooler things on his schedule.

Choi Soobin the Great has been in this club for three years, two of which he has spent as its president. That, in itself, should be pretty explanatory with regards to how skilled he is at the whole announcer, emcee, broadcast business. 

His extraordinary talent with the mic is what inspired you to pick broadcast journalism as your major, in fact. You'd entered the university on jittery, scared steps because you didn't believe you would actually find something that interested you enough to make a career out of. You spent a whole academic year fluttering between psych and communication, aimless and despaired.

But then came sophomore year where you volunteered to set things up for the new freshman batch's orientation week – and that is when you saw Choi Soobin, a fellow sophomore, take the stage and blow everyone away. He was so good with his audience of the new admittees, providing them with all the important information without making them feel nervous because he used the perfect amount of jokes as a buffer.

It was love at first sight for you.

Okay, like, not like that. You did end up making an altar for Choi Soobin the Great where you continue to worship on the daily because he's a god on stage, but what you actually fell in love with was the art of emceeing.

So you registered your major in your third semester and began to work on polishing your skills. Now, two semesters later and midway through the junior year, you finally feel confident and prepared enough to enter your God's actual, holy shrine and join his praying circle.

…maybe you should stop with these metaphors before it gets weird.

Anyways.

Case in point – unlike this uninformed rodent of a girl who found it fit to disrespect your role model and gave up on these tryouts in favor of rolling her eyes and complaining in the hallway, you are nothing if not strong-willed. 

You are finally ready to do something about your one true passion that you can actually see yourself pursuing professionally after college. Being part of the university's broadcasting club means guaranteed dream job; you've seen it happen with your eyes for two consecutive years. You're finally ready to follow suit; finally ready to join the ranks of the elite and learn from Choi Soobin the Great himself – and you are not about to let a gruff call of  "tryouts are closed" from an overworked janitor deter you.

Checking this way and that for any onlookers, you sneak off to the narrow passage to the side that you know connects to this auditorium's back door, and in turn, the cafeteria. You're just gonna casually stroll through it, maybe loiter a bit around the doors until someone from the judges panel steps out so that you can beg them to give you a chance. And if someone catches you? You were just looking for the cafe!

It's the perfect plan.

Until, that is, your loitering ends with the legend himself, Choi Soobin the Great stepping out of the backdoor and freezing you to a statue.

You've seen the man from afar more times than you can count on both hands. You're a true fan, a great admirer, a semi-obsessed devotee (?) of his. But never once have you seen the guy from this up close. Needless to say, your brain's short circuiting a little.

Three things strike you all at one – that the university's emcee prince did, in fact, sit in to judge freshman entrants to the broadcasting club despite his various busy schedules; that the purple haired female auditionee actually did call this great man's glorious behind 'bitch ass' like an uncultured heathen; and finally, that Choi Soobin sporting a combination of dark black hair, bright red lips and stark white t-shirt should be banned because it can cause brain malfunctions in people.

Because while the guy's eyes widen and then squint as he looks at you, and mouth opens as if to say something to you – you stay absolutely frozen, literally turned to stone without a single muscle moving in your body. Including your lungs that are jammed because you're pretty sure you aren't breathing.

"Um… can I help you?"

Oh shit, his dimples…

His dimples!

You realise this is entering borderline creepy territory but you can't help staring at him. He's just so pretty. Though your brain functions are still experiencing a slight lag, you're starting to realize that your crush on the guy is winning over the admiration and respect you have for his talents, at the moment.

He's ethereal. He's unearthly. He's the most beautiful guy you've ever met. You're a simp.

"Excuse me?" Soobin's head tilts to the side in confusion. "Can I help you?"

He definitely can, in more ways than one, but that conversation is for another time.

His impatiently raised eyebrows suddenly push you back into motion, breaking your frozen state, but now you're on an overdrive, very close to hyperventilating in front of him.

"H–hey! I mean, h–hi. I mean, fancy bumping into you here! N–not that we bumped, just, uh—haha, you know? Fancy – fancy seeing you here, how have you been?"

Oh

God.

Did all of that just exit your mouth?

You need a shovel because this calls for digging up a hole and burying yourself alive. What the fuck is wrong with you?

Your entire face feels like it's caught on fire, and all the nerve endings in your body are tingling from embarrassment. You feel like you're vibrating. Wait, if you vibrate at a frequency that's outside of the visible range, can you voluntarily make yourself disappear?

The only thing holding you back from combusting into flames is the amused smile that replaces the previously formal tilt on Soobin's lips. "Hi. I'm sorry, where do I know you from? You look very familiar, but I'm just missing it…"

You look familiar? So he does notice you in class! Maybe getting that hair spa last month has worked in your favor, after all. You're getting a little googly eyed, but you do your best to control your reactions as you gauge his.

He looks so darn cute with his dimpled smile that makes his eyes squint, that you're left gaping for a couple of seconds before you're able to notice the hand he is forwarding you. Nodding haphazardly, you forward yours and let him wrap his huge palm around your significantly smaller one. Even though you try to repress it, the warmth his skin emanates sends a shiver running through you.

If Soobin notices the subtle shake your body gives, he doesn't comment on it.

He's being so angelically patient and kind, you need to get it together! 

So you clap your hands in front of your face and pull your lips up in a smile, preparing yourself to say your thing without any unnecessary words this time. 

"Uh, I'm – I'm in your class? I don't know if you know me, but I know you! I'm, um, I'm here for the broadcasting club. And – and I noticed that the banner said that the tryouts would run from four to six, but I've been told that the gates have been closed when it is barely past five, so I was… w–wondering…" You slowly trail off, stuttering a little when Soobin's facial expressions do a sudden one-eighty.

Gone is the sweet, dimpled, kind guy who was smiling at you with his eyes. Now his lips are pursed and eyebrows furrowed, a clear look of irritation on his face. Well, he's still got a dimple showing, but this one's part of his frowny face so you're not sure if you should be admiring it anymore.

"Wow. You're gutsy." His tone has changed now, too, really stiff with an underlying scoff in words. "Did you follow me here?"

You blink in surprise. "What? Of course not! The – the main doors were closed, so I was looking for another way in and—"

"Good God, please stop talking," he interrupts you with a groan, rolling his eyes as he tilts his head to look skywards – and you're fully paralyzed now, clueless and a little scared because Soobin looks so mean and intimidating with his eyebrows scrunched up like that. "I don't get what you guys' problem is. I'm – I'm trying to do something serious here. Why the hell do you not get it?"

Blinking slowly, you gape at your idol, your icon, the deity of all things broadcasting as he yells at you about something you can make neither head nor tail of. 

'You guys'? Who? 

You know that you of all people definitely get that he's doing something serious. You're as much, if not more, serious about the club yourself; the reason why you've taken so long to decide to audition for it. Besides, how's he judging you when you've never met before?

Willing your frozen lips to move, you attempt to clear the air. "We've – we've never met before. You don't know me. I'm—"

"Oh, I know you enough." This time there is vitriol in his eyes as he spits the words, and you take an actual, vary step away from Soobin. "I've been through twenty auditions and seen fifty applications in the past hour and every single one of the girls like you is dying to get to interview the hockey team and talk to Yeonjun about his strategy for his final season in college. So I know exactly who you are and exactly what you're after."

He is rolling his eyes again, this time with both his hands braced on his waist.

But his words are very confusing and a little hurtful. Why is he grouping you with whatever 'girls like you' he's seen so far? You've been a fan of Soobin for a while now, but you've never encountered any instance of even a mention of him being anything less than courteous and big hearted.

This attitude from him feels like living a fever dream – and not of the good kind.

"So for the last time – I'm not taking any of you groupies into this club because it is not a means to get into the hockey captain's pants! I need serious people who look at announcing and broadcasting with respect and not as something they can use as cover for their ulterior motives. Oh, and if it means anything to you at all, Yeonjun hyung has a girlfriend now. We probably won't even be covering him at all because his fangirls are always a bit too much."

Your head is spinning a little now. 

Did he call you a groupie? Yeonjun's groupie? He thinks you're doing this to get into Yeonjun's… what the hell?

While you're still processing his previous words, Soobin gives a wince. "Look, I'm sorry if all this sounds harsh, but you've left me no choice. Trying to corner me was a really low blow, okay? There's a limit to acting desperate and you're clearly crossing the line, here. If you can't respect me or the club, at least respect yourself."

The pieces have finally fallen in place in your head. You couldn't make sense of it earlier because you didn't really allow yourself to think Soobin would go there. But given his last statement, now you have no doubts.

You don't live under a rock – you really can't afford to when you dream of joining the broadcasting club, of all things – so you obviously know hockey captain Choi Yeonjun and the hype surrounding him. And because you always do your homework well, you also know that he used to be somewhat of a serial dater before he got into a serious relationship with his long time best friend, just last month. All of Yeonjun's fangirls across campus have been disheartened by this development and have been acting desperate ever since.

But why on earth has Soobin pegged you as one of them escapes you. You did not say a word about the hockey team. You didn't get to tell him what your goals actually are. Hell, you didn't even get to tell him your name before he shut you down.

This is a very overwhelming generalization, and you really wanna give Soobin the benefit of the doubt here because going through fifty bullshit applications can be a lot – but he needs to hear you out for you to do that.

"Soobin," you try again, raising both your palms up in an attempt to placate him, "I don't know how you're getting this idea, but I'm not one of – one of Yeonjun's groupies, or whatever, okay? I literally told you I'm in your class."

“Look, I really don’t have time for all these tales,” Soobin interrupts you with a sigh, a huge hand raised up to shut you up – so you do. “You’re dressed… too prettily to be trying out for the broadcasting club, anyways. Is that a cheerleading skirt?”

He's looking down his nose at your miniskirt that you felt very pretty in, annoyance on his face, and now –

Now you're hurt. Now you're hurt beyond giving him the benefit of the doubt. Now you're hurt enough for your eyes to sting with offense.

“Are you trying to pass a judgment on my…clothes?” you ask him in shock, your voice low and a frown creasing your forehead. 

He looks a little uncomfortable as he clears his throat. “I’ve seen the way Yeonjun’s fangirls dress, and you kinda… fit the description.”

He really isn’t giving up on the groupie allegations…

In any other scenario, you would honestly take that as a compliment. Because you have seen these girls as well and their appearance is honestly on another level. But this guy in front of you definitely means it as an insult. And he is still scowling, as if you have dressed up to personally offend him.

You’re at a complete loss now. He hasn’t let you talk, you haven’t even told him your name, and he is acting like knows everything about you. His mind seems fully made up too. 

What are you supposed to do?

"You know what? Maybe I… I should leave through the front door,” he murmurs in your general direction and then moves to step back through the gates he’d emerged from.

You just stay rooted to your place, offended at his dismissal and still in partial disbelief. 

Choi Soobin is nothing like anything you thought he was. 

The smiling, giggling, squinty-eyed guy that you always heard being called kind-hearted, warm, understanding and sweet? Cannot be the same guy you just met. Part of the reason why you like him so much has been the overwhelming amount of praises you have heard about him. 

At times, you found yourself wondering how such an important and busy guy could muster enough patience to be a sweetheart to everyone. Now you know that it’s all a sham – a character he has created to showcase. It’s all pretend. 

This, the version of him you just met, is what the real Choi Soobin is like when no one’s looking. 

Not just your crush, but your idol has broken your heart. 

How are you gonna move on from this?

"Y/N!"

The sudden shout of your name makes you jump in surprise, wide, watery eyes turning to the end of the hallway. Soobin has stopped in his place as well, a frown on his forehead as he attempts to follow your gaze – but he's a little off center from the curved hallway to be able to locate a bubbly looking Yeji excitedly waving at you. 

Oh fuck. Not right now. You don't need your best friend to witness you experiencing the worst moment of your entire life.

But Yeji being the loudass clown she is, doesn't stop speaking at the top of her voice as she marches down the hallway to you. "Where have you been? The janitor says they closed the tryouts? Did you pass? Oh, and a girl told me Choi Soobin was in the judging panel! Did you get to see him?"

Your eyes jump wide, traveling to the said guy involuntarily to witness the way confusion overtakes his face. He isn't moving, though, probably out of intrigue now that he has heard his name, and you're halfway scared to death that Yeji is about to reveal your secret and bathe you in the kind of embarrassment that you will never be able to live down.

"Yeji, I'm just—"

"Babe, why do you look so pale?" she cuts you off, squinting as she nears you, and before you can get another word out, her lips are tilting mischievously and eyebrows are wiggling. "Did Choi find out about your obsessive crush on him? Did he kick you out? Are you hiding from him?"

Yeji is done walking up to you and is now standing with her back to the still open door to the auditorium to look at you with her head tilted and hands braced on her waist. But your gaze is stuck to the person whose face you can easily see over her shoulder.

Soobin's eyes are impossibly wide and mouth is parted to allow his bunny-like front teeth to peek out. There's a subtle flush covering the top of his cheekbones, ears and the bridge of his nose – a sight that would've had you cooing in adoration if you weren’t so distraught, right now.

And then his lips move to form a broken sentence that makes you want to stab Yeji and then yourself: "You… obsessive crush… me?"

To her credit, Yeji seems to recognise the guy's voice and also the context of this ridiculous situation pretty quickly. Her eyes grow wide immediately before a wince overtakes her face as she mouths the word 'sorry' to you, probably mistaking your fallen expressions to be a reaction to the chaos she has caused. Little does she know.

Just as she has stepped aside, Soobin takes a step closer to you, heavy guilt and bewilderment sewn into the lines of his forehead and the twist of his lips. It's so weird that your heart is still skipping a beat when his gaze searches yours. 

It's so unfair. 

You inhale deeply and shake your head, though, steeling yourself against his deceitful innocent eyes. His dimples are just a facade to hide his arrogance. You know better now.

"Not anymore, don't you worry," you tell him with your chin lifted and eyes narrowed.

And damn, you feel so brave for that one. Especially because the words aren't even true. Getting over him will be a hefty task and you have no idea where to even begin, because your life has pretty much revolved around the guy for over a year.

Soobin frowns at that, looking almost hurt, and you want to laugh in his face at the hypocrisy. But you've had enough of him judging you and you're also ninety-eight percent sure you will end up crying if you tried to laugh, so you choose to just grab onto an embarrassed and confused looking Yeji's wrist and tug her with you to the other end of the hallway, exiting into the college's cafeteria.

"Babe, that was—ow!"

Yeji is cut off by you smacking her upside the head. "You're so fucking stupid, Hwang."

"I know… I'm sorry?" 

"Shut up, you’re buying me lunch."

The next day, while you’re supposed to be attending your Media Law class, a mandatory course in your major, you find yourself sitting (read: sulking) in a corner of the library by yourself, staring at the laptop in front of you unseeingly. Your attendance is good enough to save your grades and you can beg Chaewon for notes later in the week. 

But you truly don’t have enough mental strength to face the class’ star student after the shitshow that went down, yesterday.

While Yeji bought you lunch yesterday, you filled her in on everything that happened. Your best friend provided you with a shoulder for your tears, some tissues for your snot and four golden words of advice: never meet your heroes. Because now everything is ruined, and you’re beginning to wonder if picking this major was even worth it when the reason why you did has turned out to be a sham himself.

Your phone suddenly pings with a message, breaking your chain of spiraling thoughts.

11:03 | yeji 💘 dood. guess who i bumped into omw to the chem lab and guess what he asked me for

You blink and then squint at your phone. Why is your best friend trying to be so mysterious? 

↪ wtf ji…? ↪ who asked u for what? ↪ are u okay?

11:05 | yeji 💘 what? yeah i’m okay choi soobin asked for your number

What? 

↪ yeji… ↪ tell me u didn’t give it to him

11:06 | yeji 💘 of course not bestie <3 i told him to talk to you in person he’ll be there in a min good luck! 💋💋💋

You hadn’t even fully inhaled your breath of relief at Yeji’s first text when she cut it short with the next one. In person? In a minute? 

Did Yeji tell him where you are?

“Uh, hey… Can we talk?”

She did. Shit.

Even if you don’t lift your gaze from your phone, Soobin’s tall form blocks the incoming light from the window you were seated next to and casts such an obvious shadow on your form that you cannot ignore him without making it weird. So you lick your lips and collect your nerves, preparing yourself to face the guy who single-handedly inspired and then shattered your future plans.

Soobin looks as devastatingly handsome as ever, dressed in a white, collared shirt. His hair is just as black, lips just as red, but there’s an additional pair of thick, black, round-framed glasses sitting on his eyes this time that make your heart beat faster. He just had to look like a runway model in glasses. The universe hates you. Figures.

The expressions on his face scream clear distress and the guilt you saw yesterday. He’s nibbling on his bottom lip, which is a great sign because his bitch ass should be antsy about his audacity of talking to you now when he didn’t wanna listen to you yesterday.

Wow. Maybe that purple haired girl really was onto something, yesterday. Choi Soobin’s derriere is most definitely a rude and a bitch ass.

Looking down at your laptop, you clear your throat and ask him, “What do you wanna talk about?”

You don’t ask him to sit, you do not smile, don’t even wave back in response to his lame ass ‘hey’ – just cut straight to business. You’re proud of the way your voice sounds the right amount of impatient and careless.

“I… I owe you an apology.”

That has you looking at him again. He’s frowning now, looking so conflicted, you almost soften. But then you stop yourself. This is probably not even that heartfelt. He heard about your crush on him and now he pities you. You won’t be a vessel for him to pretend to clear his conscience when he wasn’t even willing to get off his judgemental high horse for you.

“Soobin… don’t.”

He takes the seat opposite yours, ignoring your eyebrows that rise up in shocked outrage. "I have to. Please."

"You really don't—"

"I was horribly out of line, ridiculously ignorant, unprofessional and – and an asshole."

You blink at him in mild surprise. At least he knows; that’s an oddly good start. "You can say that again."

He removes his glasses and rests his elbows on the table, leaning towards you with wide, desperate eyes. "I do not expect you to forgive me, I just need you to – to know that I'm not… I'm not who I was yesterday. That's not – I was under pressure and I felt irritated, insecure and a little jealous? And I said everything I didn't mean. Especially that comment about your dress up! I didn't mean it, I swear! You looked pretty, your skirt was really cute, okay? I – I didn't mean to insult you, I would never stoop to that level."

Your cheeks involuntarily heat up at the compliment he tosses at you so casually. "Why say it when you didn't mean it?" you mumble, attempting to hold your ground and stay mad because he's saying all the right things to weaken your resolve and give him an ear.

He hangs his head as if in shame. "Because I'm a moron. None of the stuff I said was aimed at you. As you said, we hadn't even met before, and… I was frustrated and tired and just drew all these wrong conclusions about you and went off like an idiot. I feel so horrible. I'm so fucking sorry..."

Very slowly, you lean back in your chair and shut your laptop. He really knows how to apologize, damn. 

You were preparing to knock Choi Soobin off the throne you had him sitting on, mentally, and then crush that very throne to pieces because if he could disappoint you like this, you were determined to never look for another role model. You were preparing yourself to leave Choi Soobin and his arrogance in dust and move on with your life.

But now here he is – apologizing like the decent human being you always thought him to be, saying everything you’d never admit you needed to hear.

He’s climbing back upon the throne that took you a whole day to make up your mind to remove him from. 

You’re kinda pathetic, to be honest…

In an attempt to regain some of the dignity your inner monologue has stripped you of, you frown at him. But you are definitely intrigued now because if the kindness and sweetness he shows everyone is a facade, why is he being kind and sweet to you in private?

Could there possibly be… an explanation for his behavior yesterday? He said he was under pressure and frustrated. Although you understand the former, given his position and the auditions yesterday, you don’t really get why he would be frustrated.

When you meet his gaze again, you find Soobin looking at you with those wide eyes of his spilling desperate hope. So you decide to bite.

 "You – you keep saying you were frustrated… Why was that? "

He thumps his head against the table with a groan, making you jump a little in surprise, and then looks up with a determined expression on his face. "I'll begin from the beginning. I owe you that much."

"You really don't owe me any—"

"Please, Y/N."

Oh. Did he say your name? Oh.

Wow, this is why crushes are horrible. Now your heart is thumping wildly and your face feels really hot. Honestly, there should be a system where one can run a background check on an individual before they can be deemed safe enough to be crushed on so that one doesn’t end up embarrassing oneself.

You can only hope your face hasn’t heated up to a noticeable degree.

"I… Since the day I was made President of the Broadcasting Club and was given the duty to conduct interviews for the different sports teams our college has, there’s been this – this recurring pattern. Huge throngs of girls that want to join the club for a chance to interview the hockey team and get close to Captain Choi.” He gives a tired exhale and runs a hand down his face. “I’ve seen it repeat every semester. And this time it got really out of hand because I actually decided to sit in for the tryouts…”

You didn’t even notice when you leaned on your elbows to mirror Soobin’s seating position and focused your eyes on his face, so when he looks up to meet your gaze, your breath catches for a moment. And then you see absolute, sheer tiredness reflected by his brown orbs.

He cannot be this good of an actor, can he be? That would mean that he's really been going through something with this whole insincere signing up for the club thing.

"It was really wrong of me to explode on you the way I did," he continues in a softer voice, looking down at the table next to his palms. "I assumed you were one of the girls that had been giving me a hard time and… didn't even let you say your thing. I'm really, terribly sorry for being a jerk to you."

Your jaw drops a little at the sincerity that spills from his apology. He doesn't sound like he's doing this to clear his conscience or out of pity – he sounds really regretful. He almost sounds like he's in pain, in fact. 

Does he really feel that guilty?

He would only be feeling so bad about this if… everything he has said so far is the truth and he’s actually not the kind of person he painted himself as, yesterday. You can sense the way your previously drawn conclusions begin to dissipate little by little.

"After you left," Soobin begins again, this time with a slight twinkle in his eyes and a tilt to his lips that makes his dimples pop, "I went looking for your application form and read about your interest in announcing. You… you picked your major because of me?"

Your cheeks are definitely on fire now and there’s no way Soobin can’t see that. Why did you put that in your form, you embarrassing imbecile? 

Well. If Soobin has been gusty and virtuous enough to come looking for you and make an attempt to honestly explain himself and apologize, maybe you can be a little honest with him as well.

"You see… the freshman orientation you hosted last year left an impact on me," you reveal, unable to look at him. "And then I saw your sports coverage and realized that I want to be a sports announcer in future."

Soobin says your name, making you look up and meet his soft gaze. "I never thought I would do anything in life that would be worth an inspiration… so this means a lot to me. A lot.” His eyes are shining with sincerity and emotion, and you’re looking into them, spellbound. “I am so sorry I hurt you and I’m ready to try and make it up to you for as long as needed. I don’t really expect you to accept my apology, like I told you, but if you would please give me another chance, I would like to show you who I really am. And maybe initiate you, if you’d like?"

He finishes with a sweet, dimpled smile and maybe that is to be blamed for the way his question bounces right off of you.

"Initiate…me?" You cluelessly blink at him.

"Yeah. Into the club. All the members went through your application and some samples of you emceeing. So it’s not just mine, but everybody’s decision. Insistence, if you will. Request? We – we’d really really like to have you on our team."

Your eyes jump open very wide at that. Join the club of your dreams? He’s finally offering you the spot you thought you’d lost forever? 

Wait, did he say samples? Of you emceeing?  What?

"I’m sorry, what samples?"

A blush tinges his ears. "I contacted your friend Yeji about this, last evening. Please don’t be mad at her, she just wanted to help you. She told me how much this means to you… and then sent me a couple of clips of you managing a stage during a kids’ talent show in your neighborhood. You were really impressive, Y/N."

Holy fucking hell, you're going to scream. 

First at Hwang Yeji for going behind your back and selling you to the enemy, no matter what her motivation might’ve been. And then because your idol just complimented you on something you've learned from him.

"Th–thank you, Soobin." You bite your lip at the stutter in your voice, peering up at him with hesitant eyes. And then you decide to be honest with him again: "Your praise… means a lot to me."

Soobin's eyes sparkle at that, a warm smile pulling at his lips. "And I promise to always remember, respect and honor that. Just one chance?”

You stay like that for the next few moments, looking at him with a soft gaze.

You’ve been polishing your skills to prepare yourself for a spot in this club for a year. If you had gotten the chance to audition normally yesterday, there is no doubt in your mind that you would’ve made the cut. So wouldn’t it be unfair if you give up now?

And then there’s Soobin, of course. It’s going to take you some time to trust him. But if he says he’s willing to work on it, says it with a sincerity in his eyes that gives you goosebumps, you believe it’s worth giving him a chance to correct the misunderstanding he caused yesterday.

You exhale, mind made up, and nod at the guy tentatively. “Promise me you will hear what I have to say before you draw any conclusions?”

He leans closer to you, bringing his face at the same level as yours and nods eagerly. “I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die. Do I take this as a yes to joining the club?”

His eagerness makes you crack a smile, which causes Soobin to scrunch his nose bashfully. You inhale deeply and give him another nod. “Yes, you may.”

Time flies really fast after that day as you attempt to find a stable way of juggling your classes and the club duties. 

The work isn’t as much in bulk as it is in the details. Soobin is, as you’d known beforehand, a meticulous perfectionist. Every single activity the club is involved in has to be fully planned in bullet points and a step-wise-step itinerary, and uploaded to the club’s shared Google Drive, days in advance, or Mr. President begins to lose his calm . You, being the newest addition to the bunch of six experienced members, are mostly tasked with assisting the guy on building this very itinerary.

Not that you mind.

The more time you spend next to him, witnessing him in his element up close and actually getting to peer into the creative wonderland that his mind is, the more you find yourself in awe of him. He has been a role model to you for a reason, after all.

With each passing day, you pat yourself on the back for taking a chance by accepting his apology as you slowly begin to see the real him – the version of him that is absolutely nothing like the asshole you met that day. And little by little, your trust in him begins to grow.

Soobin, to his credit, doesn’t leave a single stone unturned to make you feel welcome into the club. He is incredibly patient and delicate with you – always pausing to check whether you have been keeping up with all the new stuff or if you need any guidance.

You’re beginning to understand that it is in his nature to be kind. The word that got around about him has been correct all along – he really is gentle, understanding and sweet. And if he is going an extra mile for you with the intention of appeasing you because he is apologetic? Well… he’s damn well succeeding. 

The two of you have quickly fallen into a routine where you attend your 10 am Media Law class together, collect the communication majors Karina and Jongho from their block, and then report to Arin—the only senior in the club and known to be an effortless ace—in the broadcasting room. After a short briefing about the previous days’ tasks and a rundown of the fresh day’s checklist, you and Soobin depart to the library to work on it. 

After that you both attend your separate afternoon classes, meet up at the broadcasting room at four in the evening for the college announcements that are alternated between Yunjin and Jongin, sophomores and the final two members of the club, and the lot of you finally take your leave some time around six.

The first week is so exhausting for you that you are barely left with enough strength to feed yourself before you collapse into bed every night, let alone think about your academics. You don’t even text Yeji for three whole days, until she accosts you in the library. 

Soobin texts you, that evening, sharing tips on time management, task management as well as a small list of snacks that he munches on to retain energy. To say your heart nearly beats out of your chest at the gesture would be an understatement. 

The following weeks are full of you being on the receiving end of more such thoughtful acts by Soobin. Getting you coffee – one that is made exactly the way you like it – before the evening meet-up, walking you to your dorm if you don’t have anyone from your building accompanying you, repeatedly checking in to ensure you’re well-rested and not overwhelmed by the sudden change in your routine.

And then there is that one time, some three weeks later, when you're filling in for an absent Yunjin and make a mistake during the announcement – landing yourself at the receiving end of Arin's ire. You feel really bad about your mistake as it is, and so the addition of a reprimand from the senior you've come to look up to has you immensely low.

"She said it was a mistake, noona."

Your head snaps up at Soobin's firm statement. His eyebrows are furrowed and arms are crossed as he looks at Arin. You, along with three other pairs of eyes, gawk at the rare sight of Soobin getting angry, and the rarer sight of him going against the club's queen.

"She's apologized thrice. What more do you expect?"

Arin looks taken aback at the brusque interruption, but doesn't put up a fight against the president. "She needs to practice her pauses, Soobin."

"And she will. I'll make sure she does." He gives a small nod to her before turning his gaze to you. Put in spot, you stare back at him with wide eyes. "I'll stay with her while she practices."

Flashing you a small smile of reassurance, Soobin turns back to the other girl and pats her shoulder to calm her down. And because no one in powerful enough to maintain a frown when Soobin unleashes the power of his dimples upon them, Arin eventually smiles in defeated acceptance and dismisses the meeting.

But your heart never quite manages to dismiss the way this incident makes you feel.

Because Soobin holds true to the promise he made as well – accompanying you to the college's courtyard whenever you're both free and practicing speech with you. To be really honest, he seems to be wanting to spend all his free time with you. You find yourself having to say no to his texts at times because you have plans with Yeji, or are too tired to function.

You'd be lying if you claimed that having so much of his attention on you doesn't make your heart to somersaults in your chest. Which is why you begin to wonder where his extra mile of apologetic appeasement ends. 

The whole apology acceptance thing happened between the two of you awhile ago. He really shouldn't have a reason to continue to dote on you as if he has been hired to take care of you. Last time you checked, you were the one with a gigantic crush on him and not the other way round.

A few explanations pop up in your head, but none of them feel plausible enough for you to even think about. So you do the next best thing – share your dilemma with Yeji on an impromptu girls’ night in, one Saturday.

For a moment, your best friend squints her eyes in the way she does when she’s analyzing some complex situation. And then she shrugs a shoulder, pops a pretzel in her mouth and announces: “Sounds like he’s got a crush.”

You blink, caught so off-guard that you’re stunned into silence. It is only when she looks at you with her eyebrows raised that you manage to cough out a scoff. “What? Don’t be ridiculous.”

This time Yeji’s the one to scoff. “Excuse me? What’s so ridiculous about him liking you?”

“Dude. I…” You vaguely gesture to yourself. “I’m me. And he’s…him. Choi Soobin the Great, the prince, the God, the emcee of the year.”

“Uh, I’m sorry, what’s that supposed to mean? You’re you – the princess, the goddess, the prettiest girl on campus and the best student in our year.” She tosses a pretzel at you, scowling. “You’re amazing, bff. Choi Soobin is one lucky motherfucker to have the privilege to spend so much time with you. Of course he’d fall in love! I’d date you if I was into girls!”

The last part of her sentence makes you giggle. “Stop, no one’s talking about love just yet. Do you really think he could be doing all of that with… I don’t know… the intention to woo me?”

“Of course! He’d be a fool not to!” Yeji sits up from her recline on the couch, nearly aggressively grabbing onto your shoulders to shake you. “Didn’t you hear the part where I told you I would date—hell, Ryujin would date you!”

You gape at your best friend, feeling uplifted, reassured and confused all at once. “Wha—? Does Ryujin like girls?”

“No, but she’d still date you. She’s open minded that way.”

“Yeji, what the f—”

“My point is!” She raises a finger up to silence your protest. “You’re fabulous and amazing and gorgeous – have you seen your eyes? Bff, they’re fucking pretty. Do you know what that makes you? More fucking pretty. He likes you, boo, and he's probably got a list of reasons why.”

Yeji’s love language might be words of affirmation through… aggression, but it is surely effective at reminding you of the fact that you’re lovable.

And so more time goes by, with things staying mostly normal if you don’t count the way your cheeks seem to get extra warmer with every cup of coffee that Soobin hands you, lately. If your locked gazes stay locked for longer than necessary, or if his goodbye hugs linger a little and cause your heart to nearly beat out of your chest – it is no one’s business but your own. 

You know, deep in your heart, that you never really got over the guy. He left you heartbroken for a total of 36 hours, while he's spent more than 36 days swirling up a swarm of butterflies in your tummy with every action of his.

It is inevitable for you to fall for him all over again.

You have absolutely no plans of doing anything about it, however, because you have come to really cherish the close friendship you share with Soobin. You like the wheel of routine the two of you constantly spin within and don't wanna change a thing about it.

Although, that is not to say that no change ends up happening.

The wheel of routine makes a detour around a week later, some five weeks after your initiation into the broadcasting club, when you find yourself wrapped in a jacket and still shivering, sitting next to the university’s star athlete on the bleachers in the hockey arena, at six in the morning.

“Is that all? For real?” Choi Yeonjun asks you with his eyes wide in pleasant surprise. “That was quick.”

While you just nod with a chuckle, his girlfriend peers at you from his other side and punches him in the side. “I’ve told you the important questions don’t take that long! Your fangirls just wanna extend the interviews because they wanna ogle you longer.”

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore, I promise,” you tell the girl with a grin, which she returns fully.

“Nah, you don’t even have to tell me because I can see it in your body language,” she mumbles, pressing her cheek into her boyfriend’s shoulder, over which he tips his own head affectionately. “You’re the first ever girl to not view him like a piece of meat. I’m not even kidding.”

“Ah, I’m sorry about that. Your man’s okay, but he’s not my type.”

Yeonjun grins widely at your words, while her girlfriend breaks into laughter because she apparently hasn’t heard anyone use the adjective “okay” for Yeonjun ever before. 

Anyone that tries to get between these two must be crazy, you realize, because you’ve sat with them for less than an hour and can already tell how deeply in love they are. And how stinkingly cute they are together.

Well, the general consensus states that Yeonjun is cute, too. Along with being handsome, beautiful, sexy – and a whole plethora of other adjectives that his fans use for him. But it becomes hard for you to agree with the opinion when your heart, instead, chooses to skip a beat for the dimpled cutie seated two steps away from you, smiling at you from behind his camera.

Right as your eyes meet, Soobin waves a hand at you to let you know he has stopped recording. Nodding, you wave goodbye to the couple next to you and leave the spot to walk up to your cameraman. 

“If I get hypothermia, you’re footing my hospital bills,” you announce as you settle next to a laughing Soobin, intentionally shifting closer to him to hopefully absorb some of his body heat. 

“I told you to bring a jacket, didn’t I?”

“And I did, but it was useless.”

“Because it was denim!” He gives a full belly laugh at that, and the sound is so beautiful to your ears that it becomes hard for you to maintain your scowl of annoyance. “Who brings a denim jacket when asked to carry one?”

“Hey, you texted me at five am!” you whine in complaint. “I could barely open my eyes, my brain wasn’t working!”

“Is that why you didn’t question me?” His tone is a little teasing and so are his raised eyebrows as he smirks at you. “I asked you to come downstairs quickly and you arrived within ten minutes, ready to run away to the mountains with me if I asked. What’s up with that, hm?”

Your cheeks feel on fire at the implication of his words. Clearing your throat, you try to come up with a response, but your heartbeat is too loud in your ears and meeting Soobin’s playful gaze might just make it crash due to the onslaught of overwhelming emotions.

Well. At least you’re feeling a little warmer now.

“You – you said it was a surprise and a huge honor that I’d later thank you for… I got excited,” you mumble, entwining your cold fingers and stuffing your hands beneath your knees to warm them up. “Thanks for thinking of me for this honor but honestly…” You gesture towards Yeonjun with your chin. “I don't really care for athletes. They’re not my type. I prefer brains over brawn. This guy’s taken, anyway, so people should really…”

You trail off when you turn to look at Soobin and find him smiling at you almost knowingly, such unabashed affection in his gaze that your throat closes up with nervousness. 

“I… I – I mean—”

“Yeonjun’s not your type?”

Swallowing past your nerves, you very slowly shake your head. “Is that a surprise?”

He shrugs his shoulders, trying to seem nonchalant, but you see the stiffness that enters his spine at the question. “Yeah, kind of. He’s… well, everyone I know either wants him or wants to be him.”

Wants to be him? Oh… Your lips curve up in a small smile as it begins to make sense to you. “Including you?”

His eyes widen in surprise as he looks at you. “He’s the most popular guy at our uni, Y/N. Who wouldn’t wanna be him?”

You should be surprised by his answer but you somehow aren’t. Because this ties up with a number of things you’ve been unable to fully make sense of about Soobin. Most of all, this explains why it would get him so riled up that people would try to use him and his club – one of the most sacred things he holds in his life – just to get close to Yeonjun. It would also explain why he would have felt insecure and jealous about it.

Emotions such as these are hard to navigate. Within the month that you’ve spent working closely with Soobin, you’ve come to know that he cares about his friends a lot – he truly loves them and would go to extreme lengths to help them whenever and wherever. It pains you that he struggles with this burden on the inside.

You need him to know that he shouldn’t. That he doesn’t need to. 

Which is why you shuffle closer to him, to the point where your thighs brush together, and look into his wide, bunny eyes to tell him that: “When I first saw you, I was fully convinced you were the most popular guy at the uni. And it stayed with me for months until I began my research into uni related facts and opinions and found out about our hockey team. This is why I could never gather enough courage to approach you, you know? You were this tall, handsome and sweet guy – textbook university crush material. How could you not be the most popular?”

Soobin’s cheeks turn pink, then pinker, then bright red, and by the end of your confession, he’s got a trail of redness climbing up to his ears. His eyes stay glued to yours, even as he bites down on his bottom lip.

When you see the way he exhales shakily, you finally release a giggle at his flustered state. “What? Are you really blushing that hard? How're you so cool as an emcee but your cheeks go red when a girl compliments you, Soobin?”

Soobin huffs out a laugh through his nose and rolls his eyes, pursing his lips to bite back his smile. Then he shakes his head. “Not just any girl.” 

This time, you feel a similar blush begin to cover your face. You attempt to joke it away. “I… I’m h–honored, I guess?”

Smirking at your stutters, Soobin simply averts his gaze from yours and goes back to packing up the recording equipment. “Speaking of honors, by the way. This isn't exactly what I was talking about.”

You frown in confusion. “Oh? So what is—wait. Why did you wake me up at five, then?!”

“Woah, easy!” he laughs when you get up and brace your fists on your waist, ready to throw hands. “I brought you here because having your first solo interview with Yeonjun would give you a good boost of publicity for your future with the club.”

“Ow, are we using him for clout?” You scrunch your nose up when Soobin proudly nods.

“Precisely. And also to give you a small rehearsal so that you know what all to focus on when you prepare for the freshman orientation that’s coming up soon.”

You freeze in the middle of a nod.

To prepare you for what? 

Your brain refuses to comprehend the words. He couldn’t possibly be talking about the orientation, right? 

Eyes wide and jaw dropped, you stare at Soobin while he seamlessly continues to speak.

“You're pretty comfortable with the mic and you actually enjoy interacting with groups. I still remember the clips your friend had shown me. Orientation stage requires the ability to interact well and improvise upon the script efficiently, because you’re tasked with making sure these bunch of seventeen year olds feel welcome into their new surroundings. And you, ma’am, happen to be an ace at both the arts.”

Still in disbelief, you sit next to him again and forward a hand to hold onto his forearm, bringing his focus back on you. “Soobin… are you sure? I’ve – I’ve been here for a month, and—”

“And you were amazing even before you joined us.” He turns to you to take both your palms between his, and says your name. A surge of sparks passes through your nerve endings at the warm contact, but Soobin’s gaze grounds you – it’s so open and honest that it compels you to believe every word he says to you. “You’ve only improved with each day, right? You will be great, I’m absolutely sure.”

Nodding slowly, you begin to smile when he does.

Giving your hands a jerk, Soobin points at the couple seated a few feet away. “Just you wait and see, you’re about to go viral when this bit is released. The one girl that remains unaffected by Choi Yeonjun’s charm? Oh, you’re gonna pull so many admirers within a week. Get ready for fanboys crushing on you and sliding into your DMs. Bet they’ll have a fan page up and running before your next public appearance.” 

You break into laughter, craning away from him at his teasing. But Soobin tugs at your hands to pull you back up, this time bringing you closer to him than you were before. The previous traces of playfulness have given way to a small, expectant smile on his face.

"Do I get brownie points for being the first in line?"

What? What? An awkward chuckle leaves you, quickly dwindling when Soobin's smile remains unchanged as he continues to look into your eyes. "What… what are you talking about?"

He tilts his head sweetly, giving your hands a small squeeze as he says your name. "As if I haven't been so obvious… You're the most talented member our group has seen in a while, you know? I can't look away from you when you're working and, like, initially I thought I was being a fan… But then I started to daydream about your bright eyes, gorgeous smiles, your cute giggles, your huge fucking heart that is always so kind to everyone, and…" Soobin pauses with a sigh, cheeks turning red and dimples flashing. "Come on, are you really gonna make me say it?"

Your breath comes in stuttered gasps as you try to gather your thoughts. "Soo–Soobin, I… I… Do you really…?"

"Really like you and really want to go out with you? Yeah, I do.” He smiles at you, bringing your faces close enough to boop your nose with his own. "Is there a problem?"

"You… like me?" You feel terribly confused, somewhat lost, and just a bit scared. If Soobin doesn't mean it with one hundred percent sincerity, you'll never recover from this hurt. So you just try to deflect: "But you barely know me?"

He pulls away with a small scoff of disbelief, eyes widening in surprise. "So it's believable for you to have a crush on me when you'd never even held a conversation with me, but you can't accept that I like you because you're the most beautiful, most intelligent and the most caring person I've ever met in my life?"

Your breath hitches on an exhale – and you're unable to breathe in again for long moments after that. 

He thinks you're beautiful, intelligent and caring.

He likes you.

He actually likes you.

Yeji's words of aggressive affirmative circle in your head: He likes you, boo, and he's probably got a list of reasons why.

She was… actually right? Holy shit…

You're so freaking emotional right now, you might cry.

A cross between a chuckle and a sniffle escapes you despite your attempts of stifling it, catching Soobin by surprise. His hands immediately let go of yours to cup your cheeks in concern.

"Hey, hey, what happened? Please don't think too hard about—"

"Soobin," you cut him off with a whisper. "I like you, too. So, so much."

A slow smile begins to curl his lips up, beautifully. "You do?"

"I have for so long. I… don't think I ever stopped."

"Even with the way I hurt you so bad?" His face becomes somber for a moment. 

"Yes, even then. You've shown me who you really are, Soobin, and that person is amazing. You've proven to me that I caught you in a moment of weakness, and… I think I understand it now more than ever." You smile when his lashes flutter, eyes gazing at you as if in wonder. "Besides, I think I forgave you when you first got me my correct coffee order with that cute smile of yours."

He blushes again. "Ah, so my smile is cute?"

"The cutest." You solemnly nod, cheeks still held in his palms. "Your whole face is."

"Well then, I hope you're okay with my cute face doing this?"

You know what is coming as you watch him erase the space between your mouth and his, and yet you're not nearly prepared for the way your blood turns electric the moment his plush, heart-shaped lips make contact with yours. Pure fire surges through you, body strung tight one moment and then fallen pliant in his hold the next.

Soobin's thumbs brush against the heated flesh of your cheeks, as if attempting to comfort your loud heartbeat – but it's to no avail. Your heart works faster and faster with every push of his mouth against yours, so full of giddiness that it eventually seems to levitaties up and above your body, leaving you weightless and breathless.

You try to kiss him back to the best of your abilities, but you feel like you've been entranced – held in a dreamlike state that has rendered you completely immobile and turned your brain to goo.

Soobin seems to recognise your condition, somehow, pulling away from the kiss with a chuckle brushed against your slightly parted lips. Lidded eyes look into yours with a smile held in them, his chocolate irises turned to thin rings due to how dilated his pupils are. 

"You good?"

His voice comes out all hoarse and breathless, making your stomach clench with desire and you're instantly spurred into motion.

Reaching out with both your hands, you grip onto the back of Soobin's neck and the side of his jaw, and this time pull him in for a proper kiss with equal participation. His breath hitches for a moment, but is released in the form of a small grunt when you open your mouth against his – and that is all you need to absolutely lose yourself into the taste and feel of Choi Soobin.

You would've probably stayed lost for quite a bit too, had a loud whistle not echoed around the arena, making both you and Soobin jump apart with startled gasps. Wide eyed, you look at each other, and then two stairs above you.

Yeonjun's girlfriend is grinning at you with her entire teeth on display, while the guy himself has his arm extended towards the two of you, thumb pointed downwards.

"Her first interview isn't even out yet, dude!" he calls out, booing Soobin with his entire arm. "Literally obliterating her popularity before she could even gather bitches, you're so lame and insecure, Soob, boo hoooo!"

Soobin tosses a random plastic case towards the guy, whining into your ear as he rests his chin on your shoulder grumpily. You giggle at his pout, entwining your hands together to bring them up and press a soft kiss to the back of his.

"Are we going on that date before or after the interview is aired, then?" you tease the guy, wiggling your eyebrows.

Soobin glares at you through playfully narrowed eyes beneath lowered eyebrows, until you're giggling again and he's kissing your smile. "Definitely before."

© yeonboy 2023 // do not steal, copy or repost. respect your local content creators, kaythanks.

[marksmelodies]

switching my positions for you

idol chenle x fem reader

genre: fluff, bit of angst, smut

warnings: suggestive, kissing, mentions of sex, acts of sex

minors dni

———————————————————————————————

you and chenle had the day off today, which was the first time in so long that you both had the same day off, all you wanted to do was spend time with him. you woke up this morning and he was gone, leaving a note on the kitchen counter stating he went to the gym,once he got home he washed up and hopped on a game with some friends. you never wanted to seem clingy.. you knew chenle hated it but the truth is you are clingy you just hide it from him.

you and your boyfriend have very different love languages, chenle shows his love through gift giving and acts of service, you on the other hand needed physical touch and quality time,you understood that chenle had been busy for months on end with all the comebacks he’s participated in this year, that’s why you never bothered him when he would come home from work or spend his day off engulfing himself in things he likes such as gaming and watching sports. you just wished that he spent a little more time with you

he sits in his gaming chair with his headset on in your shared room every so often yelling at his teammates through the mic,you roll your eyes in annoyance as you sit on the couch with daegal

“ your dad is mean huh, he’s ignoring us” you tell the dog

finding things to do around the house only takes so long.. you’re out of things to clean or chores to do ,you gently open the door to your room causing no reaction from chenle as his eyes are glued onto the screen ,you walk behind him massaging his shoulders as he slides one side of his headset off of his ear

“ hey baby” he says looking up at you as you kiss his lips

“ hi le” you comb the back his hair with your fingers for a few seconds before grabbing clean clothes, as you undress yourself to get into the shower

a few hours have passed, you decided to cook dinner tonight

you hear chenle say his goodbyes as he logs off and walks out to the kitchen making your heart skip a beat in excitement,he approaches you snaking his hands around your waist as you chop up vegetables

“ hey”

you take a second to respond back to him

“ hi” you turn around smiling up at him

“ need any help my love” he asked

“ nope i’m all good here”

“ alright i’m gonna go watch the warriors game, it starts in five minutes” he says quickly pecking your lips as he pats your ass walking back into the bedroom

once you finish making dinner you decide to let chenle know the food is ready,walking into your room chenles lays on the bed shirtless with grey shorts as his arms are behind his head, it took everything in you to keep calm

“ dinners ready if you want it” you tell him

“ i’m not hungry yet, just leave a bowl for me in the fridge please ”

you give him a tight lipped smile and nod before closing the door on your way out,eating alone was something you hated yet here you are at the kitchen table eating your boyfriend’s favorite dish without him,eventually you had enough making your way to the room laying on the bed with him,you waited to say anything until a commercial came on

“ baby” you whine at him

“ hm” he looks at you rubbing your thigh

“ i’ve missed you”

“ i’m right here” he chuckles

“ yeah i know” you sigh

“ but i still miss you even when you are here”

he looks at you with furrowed brows, scooting you closer to his chest as he lays your head on it

“ you know i love you right?” he looks down at you

“mhm” you smile at him

as the game came back on his attention averted back to the tv,you scoot your body up a little kissing his collar bone inching up to the side of his neck,chenle says nothing he simply cranks his neck to the side allowing better access to kiss him as he hold your waist ,you lay back down on his chest tracing the outline of his abs and messing with the waistband of his boxers

chenle knows what you want it’s not hard to read you, he knows you like the back of his hand,he doesn’t say anything though, if you want him so bad you can figure out a way to get him yourself,he just sits there trying his best to focus on the game

“ babe can you turn the lights off there’s a glare on the screen” he asks

the room is now dark apart for the glowing tv in front of you enhancing your mood ever so slightly,continuing tracing shapes on his skin as your hand moves farther and farther down his body reaching his clothed dick,you crawl to the side of him taking off his shorts along with his boxers,his hardend cock hits his stomach as you begin stroking it with your hand

looking up at chenle as his eyes are on the screen watching his game as you lick his tip before wrapping your mouth around him bobbing your head up and down as you massage his balls

“ fuck” chenle whispers grabbing onto your hair as his eyes stay glued to the tv,before chenle can reach his high he pulls you off of his cock

“sit on it” he demands

making sure he can still see the tv you hover over his dick, back facing him as you sink down all the way

“ stay still for second baby don’t move yet” moving one of his hands up and down your waist

“ gotta tell the guys how well you treat me, letting me watch my game as you fuck yourself on my cock” he laughs bringing both hands to your hips slowly moving you up and down, moans escaping your mouth and you slam yourself into him

“ shit baby you’re gonna make me cum fast if you keep doing that” chenle exclaims, you turn your body around facing him as he plays with your titties,kissing him all over his shoulders and neck leaving slight marks where no one else can see them but you, you feel yourself tighten around him as you reach your high

“chenle” you moan his name,chenle reaches up and tucks your hair behind your ear “ i’m right here baby, you’re doing so good for me, taking me so well”

chenle pulls you off his member as he tells you to get on all fours facing the tv,ramming his dick back into with no warning causing you to scream as chenle bottoms out,leaving trails of kisses down your spine

“ fuck baby i’m gonna cum” he says pulling out flipping you around so he can finish on your tits,watching chenle above you jerking himself off to reach his high, finally he get closer as strings of cum shoot out onto your body

“ fuckkk” he groans as you watch his expression as he hits his climax

“ you’re so pretty when you cum lele” you lean up on your elbows kissing his lips as he milks the last of his cum out from his dick

“ i can definitely say the same about you pretty girl”

he gets a damp towel from the bathroom as he cleans the mess he made off your chest

“ let’s shower yeah?” he suggests

after you finish getting dressed you walk back into the bathroom where chenle stands in front of the mirror doing his skincare routine

“ babe can i talk to you” you hoist yourself up on the bathroom counter next to the sink

“ of course you can” he moves slightly so that he’s standing in between your legs as they gently swing back and forth

“ dont get mad though” you say looking up at him

“ just say it y/n you’re scaring me”

“ sometimes it hurts my feelings when you come home from a long day at work or have a day off and you spend it playing video games or watching basketball instead of spending time with me, i’m not saying you can’t do any of it at all, i- i just wish you’d spend a little extra time with me because you want to and not because i beg you for it” you look down at the floor. chenle lifts your chin so you’re looking back at him again, “ i’m sorry baby, i never realized that’s now you felt”

“ i don’t want to seem clingy, it’s just that i strive off your touch and spending time with you and you alone, i don’t get many chances to be with you all day everyday and i don’t want to take the days i do get with you for granted”

“ all you had to do was tell me my love, i would never get mad at you for communicating with me, i think sometimes you forget that even though we’ve been together for a long time this is my first relationship, i’m still learning. i’m sorry if i don’t pick up on hints that you drop, sometimes i can be an idiot” he chuckles

“ it’s okay lele, don’t apologize. i love you so much”

chenle places his hand on the side of your face and the other one on your waist as he kisses you passionately

“ i get off early tomorrow, how about i take you on a date hm?”

“ i would love that lele” chenle picks you up walking you out to the kitchen as he heats up his food you made for him

“ you made my favorite?” he asks shocked

“ of course i did, you mentioned how much you wanted it yesterday” he smiles at you kissing you repeatedly

“ i’m gonna marry you one day” he says

“ you better, i refuse to get married if it’s not with you”

he laughs putting his hands around your head

“ and why’s that?”

“ oh come on chenle you know why”

“ i just want to hear you say it” he taunts

“ because no one on this very earth could ever compare to you” you walking out of the kitchen knowing you just inflated his ego

“ and don’t you forget it mrs. zhong” chenle says slapping your ass on your way out ,rolling your eyes you try and hide the smile creeping onto your face.now laying in bed entangled in each others arms you look up at him

“ you better get me the most expensive ring” you joke

“ ugh i forgot you love me just for my money” he jokes back

“ oh yeah totally, sorry to break it to you but i would’ve ran for hills already if that’s what i was after, i don’t think i could’ve handled your loud ass mouth”

“ hey that was mean” he sulks

“ i’m joking”

“ no you’re not”

“ yeah no i’m not” you both burst out laughing as you lean in kissing his lips

“ but i love you and your loudness”

“ thanks babe i love you and your big ass head”

“ chenle baby you have no room to talk” you shove him slightly

“ come here” he pulls you closer tickling your sides as you squirm trying to get out of his reach

“ chenle stop i’m going to pee myself” you laugh he lets you go as you take your chances pulling him into you tickling him back

“ hey that’s not fair you tricked me” he laughs his adorable laugh that you love so much ,you both settle down, silence falls between you two as chenle traces his finger on the side of your cheek, you feel yourself slowly drifting off to sleep

“ ever since i was a kid, i was always busy with work, whether it was in china or abroad, i don’t remember the last time i could genuinely just be a kid, i had to grow up really fast at such a young age, but then i met you, we were just two stupid teenagers at the time but i fell so in love with you. you made me feel like a kid again, so carefree, i didn’t have to have a certain image around you, i could truly just be myself, i’m so lucky that i get to have the relationship i always wished for with the only girl i ever wanted” chenle kisses your head

“ i’m so lucky to have you too chenle, all i ever want to do in this lifetime is make you happy” chenle cuddles up to you laying his head on your chest and you lightly scratch his back

“ in cant wait to spend the rest of my life with you and get you pregnant and have a bunch of mini y/n running around, i cant wait to build a family with you.”

“ i cant wait either chenle i wouldn’t want a family with anyone else, but you do know our kids are going to be carbon copies of you, your genes are too strong” you laugh kissing him

“ i know sweetheart i just said it to make you feel better”

“ i’m happy we’ll have little chenles all over the place, they’ll be so cute, hopefully they don’t come with your stubbornness”

“ hm i don’t about that but i know we will make cute ass babies”

“ one day lele one day”

“ yeah, i gotta put a ring on it first” he says as you look up at him

“ you’ve been talking an awfully lot about marriage lately, you sure you’re not hinting something?” you say

“ i dunno maybe” he smiles kissing your nose

“ don’t play like that chenle” you yawn as you turn around and chenle does the same

“ goodnight my love”

“ goodnight sweet boy”

—————————————————————————

i LOVE writing for chenle so much!! thank you for reading <3

[kiwiokok]

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙒𝘼𝙔 𝙊𝙁 𝙒𝘼𝙏𝙀𝙍

Previous >> Next

Pairing: Ao'nung x omaticayan! fem!reader

Summary: You have a brother??

Warnings: Angst

Author's note: hellooo, I'm so happy that part 1 of this fanfic got over 10 notes. Thank you so much! Leave a comment I love them

Credits: For the whole plot idea I have for this fanfic I have to credit and thank @lorre-verie <3

- Let me go, pxasik! Lorre seethed with rage, feeling her blood boiling with frustration as she struggled to break free from the grip of the Na’vi boy who was guiding her ahead.

- Hey, do you think sky people let people our age to Pandora now? Spider asked, not far behind Lo’ak

Lo'ak suddenly diverted his attention to the ground as he veered off in the opposite direction of where he was supposed to go.

- What is it? Kiri asked, turning around to her brother in annoyance

- We’re always supposed to be home by eclipse. Tuk said, noticing her brother and Spider kneel down on the ground as they were looking at something.

Lo’ak touched the foot print with his hand, noticing the footprints going toward the deep forest.

- It’s way too big for a human.

- Avatars?

- Maybe, but they're for sure not ours.

- Dad was right. If the sky people are back they are somewhere in here. We have to - Lo’ak! Kiri said, watching her brother follow the footsteps, - What are you doing?

- Shh, I'm tracking. Lo’ak and the spider continued walking, carefully following the footprints left behind. As they moved forward, Lo’ak's grip on Lorre's wrist grew tighter

As they approached the dilapidated shack, Lorre flattened her ears against her head, detecting a new and unfamiliar scent the closer they came.

Suddenly, they stopped. Peering through the bushes, spotting Na’vi’s in uniforms walking around the old shack.

- We are never supposed to come here. Kiri whispered, - Dad is going to ground you.

- Shh. Can you stop?

- For life!

Lo’ak glared at his sister, turning his attention to Lorre before turning to Spider, - Bro, we have got to check this out. Let’s go. Lo’ak and Spider slowly proceeded ahead, releasing their grip on Lorre’s wrist. Lorre exchanged a glance with Kiri, who shook her head and then grasped Lorre's hand.

- I can just leave you guy-

- No.

Lorre let out a slow breath, her lips pressing into a thin line. She squinted, straining to make out the figures of the Na’vi clad in their distinct uniforms.

A few minutes later, Lo’ak and Spider returned.

- We have to call this in. Lo’ak said, pressing on his mic again. Lorre moved, sitting down on the grass when she felt her legs start to hurt.

- Devil Dog, Devil Dog, This is Eagle Eye, Over.

- Are you back already? The voice on the other line asked

Lo’ak cursed under his breath, - No, sir, I got eyes on some guys. They look like avatars, but they're in full camo and carrying ARs. There are six of them. Over.

- What’s your pos? Over.

- Um… we’re at the old shack.

Silence. Lorre bit the inside of her cheek, feeling the anxiety rise in her chest.

- Boy, I told you to get back. Get the hell out of there, you hear me? Move! Over. The voice on the other line raised it’s voice.

Lorre sighed and stood, rising to follow the Na'vi, with Kiri's hand still gently holding hers.

- You’re going to be in so much trouble. Kiri scolded as they all walked at a fast, but quiet pace, further from the old shack.

- Shh! Kiri, stop.

- Guys, come on.

- It’s almost eclipse, come on.

Suddenly, a Na'vi soldier emerged from the bushes, seizing Tuk as she let out a startled scream.

- Tuk!

Spider aimed his bow, snarling in defiance as more Na'vi appeared, their guns trained on us. Lorre's heart raced, oblivious to the fact that Kiri's hand was no longer holding hers.

- Put it down! Down! One of the Navi soldiers yelled

- Put it down or i’ll shoot you!

Lorre fixed a steely gaze on the soldier before hissing, knife in hand, as she stood firmly between Lo’ak and Kiri.

- With me.

Someone said among the chaos, Spider not giving up as his bow was fixed on the Navi holding Tuk.

- Drop it! Right now!

Lorre noticed Lo’ak drop his bow slowly, turning his head to tell the others to drop their bows too.

- Do not move! Put your hands up!

Lorre hissed one last time, dropping her knife on the ground

- Tìyawn fìtseng [put it down]. Lo’ak said to Kiri, who dropped her bow on the ground carefully

- Spider!

- Hands up!

Spider sighed, putting his bow on the ground.

- Get ‘em! Get ‘em!

At the same moment, the Na'vi in uniforms approached and seized your hands. One of them kicked Kiri's legs, causing her to collapse onto her knees while he restrained her.

Another soldier grabbed Lorre by her kuru, making her hiss in pain as she too fell to her knees.

- Kiri!

- Get down!

- Stop fighting!

Lorre grunted, pressing her free hand against her kuru in an attempt to free herself from the Na'vi’s grasp.

- Check ‘em for weapons!

- Kiri! Tuk whimpered, looking at her older sister in fear

- Tuk! Mawey, Mawey. [calm, calm.]

- Shut up. Don't move.

- What have we here? One of the Na'vi in uniform spoke from the center, glancing over all of you.

Lorre’s breath caught in her throat. It was Quaritch. The sight filled her with dread. Terror gripped her as she quickly lowered her head, her heart pounding, praying to Eywa that he wouldn’t notice her.

The pull on her kuru made her wince, but she kept her head lowered in horror. Her father was right in front of her. The one person she feared next to Eywa, was right in front of her.

Quaritch’s gaze moved to Spider, and then he adjusted his gun to his back and turned to face Lo’ak before one of his soldiers got his attention.

- Hey, Colonel, check it out. He held Kiri’s hand in front of him, showing him her fingers. Four fingers. - Check it out. Four fingers. We got a half-breed.

As Quaritch stepped forward to Kiri, the soldier grabbed her kuru, causing her to scream in pain. She breathed heavily, watching as Quaritch turned to Lo’ak.

- Show me your fingers. He pointed to Lo’ak, standing in front of him.

Lorre could feel her heart almost beating out of her chest as she placed her arms behind her back, clinching her five fingers in a fist.

Lo’ak, kneeling with a gun pointed at his head, glared at Quaritch and flipped him off with both hands.

Quaritch chuckled, a smirk appearing on his face, - You’re his, aren't you?

Lo’ak snarled at him, his tail moving to the side.

- You’re his, all right.

Quaritch suddenly grabbed Lo’ak’s kuru, making him stand up as he groaned in pain

- Lo’ak, dont!

He pulled on Lo’ak’s kuru, watching him growl at him, - Where is he?

Lo’ak didn’t speak, earning another pull of his Kuru.

- Ngaytxoa, oe yemstokx't plltxe 'ìnglìsì tsonta tskitan. [Sorry, i don't speak English to buttholes]

- Tsenga lu your sempul? [Where is your father?] Quaritch asked the smirk on his face faded, tugging on Lo’ak’s kuru again.

Lorre could barely make out what he had asked, since his Na’vi was poor. Lo’ak snarled in pain, glaring at Quaritch.

- Really? You wanna play it this way? Quaritch took out his pocket knife, aiming to Lo’ak before dropping him on the ground roughly, walking towards Kiri.

- Kiri, hey, stop!

- Hey, don't touch her!

- Kiri!

Lorre kept her head down in terror, not wanting to look on what’s about to happen.

- Dont hurt her, please.

Quaritch turned to Spider, looking at the human boy hissing at him.

- What’s your name, kid?

Spider panted, - Spider… Socorro.

Lorre’s head jerked up in shock, her ears flattened and her mouth slightly open. Socorro..?

How was he a Socorro when she was a Socorro?

Did she have a brother?

Quaritch looked at the boy in disbelief, taking the information in

No, no, no, no

He can't be

He can't be her br-

Quaritch’s mouth opened slightly, ordering his soldier to let go of Spider as he kneeled to his level.

- Miles?

- Nobody calls me that.

Lorre’s mind reeled. A brother? How could she not have known? Her thoughts scrambled—was he older? Younger? Her breath quickened as she stared at them, panic rising, praying they wouldn’t notice her.

- Well, I’ll be dammed… I figured they sent you back to Earth.

- They can't put babies in cryo, dipshit.

Quaritch tilted his head to the side, and with a simple gesture, one of the soldiers grabbed Spider again while Quaritch stood up.

Lorre let out a quiet gasp, quickly lowering her head again.

- What are we doin’ boss?

Quaritch glanced at Spider for a brief moment before turning away, shifting his attention to the mic on his neck. - Iron Sky, Blue One, Actual.

- Blue One, Iron Sky, send your traffic. The female voice on the other line said.

- We are standing by for the extract, over.

- Dragonfly comin’ left, we are go or extract. The male voice answered

- Be advised, that we are bringin’ in high-value prisoners.

- Let us go!

- Shut up.

- Sit tight, Blue one. We’re inbound to your post.

- That’s bingo in ten. We’re on the clock. Over.

The Na'vi soldiers shoved you forward, compelling you to sit down on the ground.

- Sit down. On the dirt!

- Get down on the ground!

One of the soldiers slammed Lorre to the ground, forcing her into a sitting position while pressing the barrel of a gun against her head to ensure she didn’t move.

- Lyle, Get me some audio on this. Quaritch said, holding one of the Holographic tablets.

Lorre turned her head slowly, watching Lyle press some buttons on the tablet.

- Shut your mouth! One of the female Na’vi said, forcing Kiri to sit down.

- That’s Sully’s woman. Quaritch said, watching the old footage of his human’s form death.

- She’s an animal.

- Give it up, Quaritch. A Na’vi in the tablet footage spoke directly into the camera.

- Sully.

- It’s all over.

- Son of a bitch.

- Nothing’s over while I'm breathin’. Quaritch’s human voice said in the footage

- I kinda hoped you’d say that.

Lorre quickly turned her head around, hearing the screams come from the tablet.

────────

It was well beyond the eclipse, and the night was thick with a heavy, oppressive silence. Lorre felt the cold, uneven raindrops dribble onto her shoulder, each drop sending a shiver racing down her spine. She stood there, forced to remain with the rest of the Sully kids, feeling her legs slowly give up from all the standing, her body rigid with tension.

As she closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath, she tried to center herself, drawing her focus to the surrounding forest. Every subtle rustle and distant murmur made her ears twitch. The weight of impending doom pressed heavily on her, and she knew that if her end was to come by her father's hand, she would seek solace by reconnecting with Eywa.

- Blue One, stand by ready. We are three minutes out. The voice from the mic came through muffled, causing Lorre to furrow her brows in frustration. As she tried to tune into the forest sounds once more, the same fear tightened in her chest, making it difficult to focus on anything but the growing tension around her.

- Heads up, three minutes. Quaritch’s voice filled the backround.

Lorre noticed the way Tuk reacted to the distant yipping. She looked up, not noticing any reaction from the Na’vi soldier who was holding her, she furrowed her brows in confusion.

Turning her head to Spider, whose attention was also drawn to the yipping, this time sounding as if it was approaching closer.

Kiri chanted in Na’vi quietly, earning a tug of her kuru from the Na’vi soldier who was holding her.

- Shut up!

Kiri ignored the pain, chanting a little louder this time.

Suddenly, a bow flew straight into the Na’vi soldier who was holding Kiri. She fell to the ground, dead on the spot.

- Contact near!

The sudden yell made Lorre flinch, noticing that no one was holding Kiri and Spider anymore.

Quaritch began firing in the direction from which the arrow had struck one of his soldiers

The barrage of gunfire erupted around Lorre, forcing her to the ground. She crawled desperately toward Kiri and Spider, her breaths coming in heavy, uneven gasps. Amid the chaos, she glimpsed Lo’ak releasing the green gas from one of the Na’vi soldiers’ camo and biting the Na’vi soldier who still held his Kuru.

Tuk followed along, biting the female Na’vi that was holding her and running off to find Lo’ak.

- Ow! You little shit!

- Lo’ak!

- Tuk, come on. Go, go, go!

Lo’ak led Tuk away from the soldiers, running into the forest

- Get back here!

- Run! Spider’s urgent yell cut through the chaos as he sprinted away with Kiri. Lorre, her heart hammering and fear surging, tore after them, running for her life from her father.

- Grab em’!

One of the soldiers grabbed Kiri by the kuru, halting her escape. In that split second, an arrow struck her directly in the head, dropping her lifelessly to the ground and letting go of Kiri.

- Come on! Lorre yelled, watching as Kiri and Spider followed her as they ran.

They plunged further into the forest, the wet grass nearly causing Lorre to slip. Gasping for air, she glanced anxiously at the dense trees before running forward

- Go, go, go! Spider’s voice sounded right behind Lorre as they stepped onto the large tree branches

The sudden explosion right onto the branch they were walking on, violently threw Spider off balance. He tumbled to the ground with a scream and disappeared around the large wines.

- Spider? Kiri suddenly halted and spun around, causing Lorre to follow suit. She nearly lost her footing, her panic making her struggle to keep her balance.

- Spider! Kiri yelled to the ground, hoping to see Spider anywhere.

Suddenly, their mother, Neytiri, descended onto the branch from the vines above, her gaze shifting between her daughter and Lorre.

- Kiri! Come! Come on! Neytiri shouted to her daughter, leaping over her kneeling form to grasp her hand and pull her to her feet.

Lorre nodded to herself, stepping back before spinning around and sprinting away, the sounds of Neytiri and Kiri’s voices echoing behind her.

She ran straight into the other Sully kids, letting out a startled snarl. The sound of Kiri’s and Neytiri’s approaching footsteps grew louder behind her.

- We’re clear. Everyone okay? Jake asked over the noise, checking his children for any injuries.

Tuk shoved past Lorre and raced toward her mother, who was closing in with Kiri from behind. - Mom!

- Tuk! Neytiri cried, holding her youngest child tightly.

Jake hugged his sons, resting his head on Neteyam’s. - It’s okay, it’s okay, we’re okay.

- Oh, thank you, Great Mother, thank you. Neytiri sobbed, kissing the top of Tuk’s head, reaching out to hug Kiri.

Lorre pinned her ears down, watching the family hug each other as they thanked Ewya for keeping them safe.

- Where’s spider? Jake asked his Kiri

- They took him. Lorre spoke up abruptly, her words drawing their attention. She gulped, feeling the weight of Neytiri’s and Jake’s stares as they turned to her.

- They took him! Kiri repeated, beginning to sob

- Okay, it’s alright, baby girl. Jake soothed his daughter, allowing her to embrace her mother while she sobbed into her shoulder, turning his attention back to Lorre.

- Alright kid, let’s have a look at you. Jake said, stepping forward to the girl. - What’s your name?

Lorre’s mouth slightly parted, feeling their gazes on her, - Lorre. Lorre te Secorra Tsu’li. She whispered, watching Jake’s eyes widen slightly.

- Socorro.. Your mother was Paz Socorro?..

[demigodickrider]

indefinitely, forever ☆ okkotsu yuuta! [1/3]

okkotsu yuuta (post shibuya) x fem!reader click here for: part one | part two | part three - no spoilers from the manga, dwdw ;) - alternative universe where yuuta is an SCP? - [18+] three-part series, 10k+ words in total

(note: not proofread, expect grammar mistakes) warning: contains descriptions of blood, yuuta is a bit OOC/has that gojo satoru influence, romance, happy ending but contains slight angst and comfort, 2nd person pov, reader swears like a sailor

"Slacking off already?"

You scramble into standing at the authoritative tone. You could feel the heavy rush of blood creeping up on your face, and the hammering of your heart in your ears. It pounds almost painfully against your chest, lungs contracting and expanding fast; both out of fear and embarrassment, with the latter being more prominent across your lethargic features as you stared up at your supervisor.

Nanami leers down at you. Disappointment is etched all across his face, followed by a knowing sigh. "I expected better."

"S-Sorry, sir." You apologize profusely, bowing down. The bright red nametag dangles from your neck and you can't help but notice how your leather shoes had worn out a long time ago. "I must've dozed off somehow. It will not happen again."

"Might a coffee help?"

You raise your head to see a paper coffee cup offered to you, light steam still rising from within. While Nanami had been nothing but ridiculously strict from the start, he was considerate enough to check in on you every once in a while. You accepted the coffee in his stead with a smile.

"Thanks, boss. I'll keep watch."

The blonde man simply hums in response. He leaves as quickly as he came, leaving you alone to watch the hallways.  You see him walk down, turn a curve- and then he's out of your sight.

You lean back, the chair creaking as you did. Working as a security officer was more lackluster than you thought it would be; movies portrayed tales of saving and glory, but this was nothing like it. The hours were long and boring, lasting 12 in total. Every four hours you were required to fuck off your post and switch to another one down the hall. Sometimes you regretted signing the NDA that never once stated just how large the underground facility was, and just how much area coverage you'd have to keep watch single handedly.

Not to mention, the anomalies that lie within.

See, the Foundation had just three main jobs for you: Observe, Check-up and Report. The comically huge button was right next to you, shining in all of its glory and always just a stretch away in any case of a problem.

You flicked between CCTV channels. Some displayed the outer areas, hallways going beyond your line of sight and others within the confined cells of those you’re keeping watch about. Most of the anomalies here are kept in solitary confinement. You’ve had your fair share of jumpscares when an entity approached too close to the camera, slobbering all up against the lense; before your screen flickers and the anomaly returns to its restful state. Oftentimes it leaves a foggy residue and a prisoner would be assigned to clean it up.

And more than often, they die doing it.

But with a clean camera and one less burden on the face of Earth— who really gives a shit? Certainly not you. Certainly not when the pay was so damn good you spent it on a trip to Bali the first month you made bank. And certainly not for…

Is that a walking person?

You thrust forward in your seat, eyes glued onto the screen as if you could make his face out in any better resolution than the crappy screen could ever do you service. The choices linger in your head: should you approach or report? One choice would lead to the individual’s death and the other might just lead you to yours.

So you took the third option: to talk to them.

There’s a static in the speaker. You tap the mic briefly, earning the attention of the stranger. They stop mid-track, head turning up and staring almost right into your very eyes, as if they could see through you.

“Identify yourself, or you will be detained.”

Person puts both hands up. “My name’s Yuta.” The voice of a man, no doubt, but you kept your suspicions still. “I woke up in a room and the door was unlocked, so I left. Where am I?”

“What room?” Your tone sharpened in inquiry.

“I don’t know. I don’t even know how I ended up here.”

“Identify yourself.” You repeat, customary of the protocol you learned before you started the job. Half of you thought of contacting Nanami; but it would risk him encountering the mysterious man. On the other hand, you couldn’t just let an unknown person roam around the facility. Much less: what if this person was an entity?

A shapeshifter of sorts, perhaps? You wouldn’t really know considering the fact that half the anomalies here are capable of human speech.

He stays silent for a while.

You repeat, “I said, identify yourself. I will give you 10 seconds to prove your humanity before I hand you over to the authorities.”

“Fuck.” Yuta mumbles, running a hand through his hair. Prove my humanity? A million thoughts ran through his head at once. Clearly, this place he had wandered into is nothing human-like. Rather, it's designed like a prison. He rummages through his pockets— nothing. All items that he brought with him prior to being caught had been confiscated. 

The countdown had started.

10

9

8

7

… “Wait,” He thought of an idea. “I can prove to you that I’m human. You can touch me. That’ll be enough, no?”

You sneer at his idea, “No physical contact.”

Yuta sighs, looking down at his uniform. At least he had his outfit intact, which means that they never intended to strip him bare at all. The man pursed his lips in a line, hands holding onto the clasp of his jacket.

6

5

4

3

2

1

… “What the FUCK do you think you’re doing?!” You yell at him, dashing to the door. You were outside just in time before Yuta could fully undress himself. His hands stop fumbling with the belt of his pants. At a loss for words, you could only watch as he drops his shirt back over his body, leaving little to imagination. 

He cranes his head up at you with a knowing smile, “Have I now proven my humanity, ma’am?”

“Nudity is strictly prohibited in this facility!”

His eyes fold into crescents at the revelation, “I’m sorry. That was the only solution I could think of. Can you show me the way out?”

You folded your arms, “No.”

“I thought so. May I at least use the restroom?”

“No.”

Yuta’s eyes drift upwards, deep in thought. “If so, will I ever make it out of here?”

“That depends,” You answer, crossing your arms together. The taser strapped onto your belt felt heavy and dangerous— more than usual. Something about Yuta just didn’t feel right, and your gut instincts claw at you to run. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.”

The man says nothing, merely watching every step you take as you head back into the control panel.

Your hand rests on the red button, eyes never wavering from the man that stood below you at a safe distance away. “Your choice, Yuta.”

“How must I prove myself then?”

“By showing me the anomaly that you are.”

His eyes visibly harden at your words, no longer having the glimmer that they once did. It was in the present that you felt it— the darkness that radiated off his very body, and the reason that this particular man had been wandering the halls of the facility unbothered. 

“An anomaly?”

“You’re not human.” You simply accuse.

“You might be right about that. But I choose to be human regardless of what I am.” 

You don’t care enough about his reasons. The way his dark eyes reflect absolutely nothing terrified you to the very core, more than any jumpscare you’ve encountered. The bright red button underneath you burns with such ferocity that it was only right to hit it— and send the foreign man back into the cell he once broke out of. You watch as soldiers dressed in hazmat suits flood into the hall at your call, almost always a millisecond away, their specialized guns pointed at the man.

But he did not flinch, not even once spared a gaze to look around him. He stayed his ground, only to be dragged away.

His eyes were trained on you, and only you.

“Did he hurt you?”

You’re now on break in the staffroom with Nanami and another supervisor named Maki, right after he heard of what happened. You shook your head, taking a sip of the fourth cup of coffee you had that day. The caffeine had long worn out its effects on your body that you just had to keep drinking, regardless of how detrimental it might just be to your health.

“Thankfully, no. What the fuck is a Keter class doing out there? How is he uncontained?”

“He broke out.” You turn your focus onto the coffee that had run cold, wedged between your fingers. You’ve always hated how fragile these paper cups were. It reminded you of how easy it was for these entities to crush humans to brine and bone with little to no mercy. Yet at the hands of Yuta, you were miraculously spared.

He was friendly, even.

“What kind of SCP is he?”

“He’s not an SCP. He’s a human host with an SCP living in him. Sometimes it appears, sometimes it doesn’t.” Maki shrugs.

“Damn, that’s cool.”

“He tells us that it was bound to him through love.”

You choked on your drink, splattering brown  everywhere on the table. Nanami sighs and pats your back. Maki looks at you in disgust, wiping the stains off her uniform with a handkerchief. You wanted to laugh. Out of all things, an SCP of love. You chuckle a little, smiling at your supervisor only to be met with a flat stare.

Oh.

“No way.”

“It’s true. The entity demands that no one lays a finger on him. Most times he can control the SCP. But when he’s hurt, it’s a different story entirely.”

“Wait, wait. So how did you guys manage to catch him?”

Maki recounts the details, “Apparently, he was a secret weapon in the military designed to decimate hundreds in one sweep. That SCP came to him naturally as a child, but it wasn’t his actions that got him caught.”

“So what did?”

“His superiors betrayed him and sent him over to us as they feared that he was getting too powerful for them to control.”

Oh. You started to feel a little bad for him now. But a memory crosses your mind and suddenly that sympathy is gone. 

“He almost stripped naked in front of me.”

“Huh?” Nanami was caught off-guard for once, both eyebrows raised instead of one.

“I asked him to prove his humanity.”

“And then he started stripping?” Maki had an equally confused look on her face. She pushes up the frame on her face before leaning forward, “Don’t tell me that you liked it.”

“I mean…”

“Seriously?”

You laugh sheepishly at her words, tossing the empty cup into the bin behind them in perfect accuracy. “I’m just kidding. At least I won’t have to meet him anymore. Can’t have him strip naked around me every time we cross paths.”

Nanami frowns at your words, “Be careful.”

“Sure, sure.” You wave goodbye to them and take your leave, heading towards your last shift of the day.

You found yourself in front of his cell.

Realization only hits you once you read the tag off the door, painted red and in bold: KETER CLASS. DO NOT ENGAGE. Unlike other cells, Keter cells had no windows to peek through. You could only rely on the CCTV back in the control panel room, but you found it unreliable considering how easy it was for Keters to destroy such puny little things. You take a step back.

"I really should stop drinking coffee." You mumble to yourself and turn away.

"Did you come to visit me?"

An all-too familiar voice echoed behind you, and you jump away instantaneously from the door. It's still intact. How he managed to hear you, you don't know. What you do know now is that you're standing in front of his cell.

"No."

"Is no the only word you know?"

Witty. You cough, "I heard about you."

"What about me?"  

You hesitate a little, "That you're not the anomaly."

"So now you know." There's curiosity in his tone, erasing any lethargy you had left in your body. Guilt paws at your heartstrings for doubting his reasons during the encounter earlier, but the man is still Keter class. It doesn't make him any less of a monster compared to others. The only difference between him and others is that he's placed in a jail befitting of lower ranked anomalies. "What else did you hear?"

"That you still pose as a threat to humanity."

"Am I a threat to you?"

"Yes." was your answer. You were here for money, not morality. While the notion that he would rot in his cell for the rest of his years was indeed a question of one, you weren't paid to stay idle and chitchat with an anomaly. You were expected even less: to simply cast morality aside and do as you were told by the Foundation. So you dusted yourself off and turned on your heels to move towards the next post you were supposedly assigned to. 

"I see. Well it was nice to know you..."

At the sound of your name, you freeze yet again.

"How do you know my name?"

"It's on your tag."

"How can you see me?"

Goosebumps prickle your skin all over. Your legs pick up the sudden skip in your heartbeat and in a flash, you start sprinting for your life. You were just in time, out of range as the metal door breaks open with a crash, sending debris everywhere. You were far enough to get hit, but the sound had been loud enough to garner attention from creatures all over the place. Hisses and banging scratched at your ears as you continued down the hall, the opposite direction of where safety should be. But it didn't really matter; people outside would have heard of it and safety would come for you any minute now.

You force a look over your shoulder to see an enormous white creature behind him, large grey claws extended and chillingly long arms draped around his frame resembling a protective stance. Behind the cages of muscle on her head lies a single eye, glaring right into your very soul. It's mouth move in ragged breaths, teeth sharper than its claws ready to bite. If you squint hard enough- the man with his pet monster was smiling at you. 

"You do know its rude to leave without saying goodbye, right?"

And like a predator, he started to chase you.

The entity lets out a bloodcurdling scream, getting on its arms and wriggling towards you. Now you're fully awake and drunk on adrenaline, sweat dripping down your body with how fast you were running. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck..." Curses slew out of your lips as you ran even harder knowing how quickly he was catching up. You focused ahead instead; to the left is a dead end, you know that. And to the right is an even longer hall of agitated anomalies that most likely are on his level too. With a giant monster chasing after you however, were you really on the spot to give a shit about what would happen?

No. Anyone in your spot would've done the same.

It helped that your paycheck had been deposited earlier last week. You could really give less of a fuck about damage control.

Your feet started to hurt. "Fucking leather shoes." You grumble to yourself and skid a turn towards the elongated row of Keter-class anomalies. You pass multiple warning signs, the alarms going off. Eventually you see red all around you, shadows dancing on the walls as they approached even closer, slowing down just to taunt you. 

"Stop running."

"Then stop chasing me, you freak!"

"Well, the 'freak' has a name. It's Yuta." He closes the gap between the two of you, voice steady despite how fast he was chasing up. 

You paid him no mind as you duck underneath a warning sign and roll on your back to avoid a reaching arm from the screeching creature. Stubborn as you are, you notice an emergency exit and made mental note to stay close to it. You unclasp the taser off your belt just in time when a hand grabs your shoulder. You fire up the taser and jab right, but miss and eventually find yourself falling to the ground.

You made romantic contact with the floor, lips on the cold hard tile. "Shit!" You hiss from the pain and roll away just in time as Yuta was about to grasp a hold on you yet again.

Blood gushes from your split lip, and it tastes disgusting knowing that you just made love with the floor. Right before you could get up, though, you found yourself encaged within the palms of the alien-like SCP. Pain bursts through your nerves everywhere, feeling like knives stabbing deep into your gut. You could've swore you heard your ribs break from the amounting pressure.

"Caught you."

"Yuuuuuuta," The creature closes its janky fingers around your body, salivating as it eyed you from head to toe. The pressure around your body tightens and you felt like you could break just from how tight it was gripping you. Hair stuck to your face like a wet rag, leaving you with limited eyesight. "What should I do with herrrrrr?"

"Let.... Go... of me!" You rasp between breaths.

"Don't kill her. She'll be our lifeline, Rika."

Rika lets out a displeased grunt and sets you down on the ground, but has its hands still wrapped around you. Not as tight, but much like a warning that it could break you anytime it needed to. You catch your breath with a chain of fitful coughs, your legs and lungs burning from the marathon. Your chest heaves heavily, sore and most probably bruised. There's splitting pain from your lips, blood dripping onto the very same tile you shared your first kiss with.

You now see him eye-to-eye, close enough to notice his parted hair and sneakers. He couldn't be any younger than 20, but the eyebags that hung below his eyes tell a different story.

"I'm sorry. I need you as a hostage."

"Fuck you." You spat at him coldly.

Yuta kneels and presses a hand to your shoulder, forcing you to stop writhing under his touch. You try shoving his hand away, but the grip stays firm. Some fuck ass glowing magic flowed through his hand and loosened the soreness in your muscles, easing your tension. From your point of view, the man radiated like a glowstick. 

"Don't touch me!"

He locks his eyes with you, "I'm healing you."

"Would've been nice to not get hurt in the first place."

Yuta sucks a sharp breath in, "Look, I'm really sorry for hurting you. I just need to get out of here. You'll have to be my hostage."

You click your tongue in annoyance at his genuine apology, "You won't even make it out the front gate. They'll be all over you soon. You think the Foundation gives a shit about some security guard like me? They'll kill us both, dumbass."

"You're right." Yuta is clearly amused by your personality now that you're being treated as a partner-in-crime rather than a stranger. You stood stunned when his hand moves up and his thumb ghosts over your lips, "Don't worry, I'll get us out of here."

His thumb was cold against your lips. The action felt more intimate than you'd like, and it had you holding your breath.  It needed major balls not to flutter from the contact.

The bleeding stopped, prompting him to move his hand away.

The cold lingered a little longer than you'd like for it to be.

"Us? I'm not going anywhere with you."

"You will. Now that you're with me, they'll think you're complying with me. And if you won't, they'll imprison you." The bleeding stopped, and he wipes the remaining blood off on the side of his pants. 

You fall silent. What he said was roughly the truth. In reality, it would be even worse if you did get caught- not only will Nanami be under fire for the inability to protect you- but you might also be on trial under suspicion of letting Yuta escape. And such trials might just end in your death. All in all, its a lose-lose case; but you'd much rather be on the winning team.

"Damn you."

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

You raise your head to glare at the man who had just obnoxiously turned your own words against you. His eyes light up a little, seeing your reaction. "Your choice."

"Fine."

"What was that?"

"I said yes!" You retort, flipping the bird at him.

He flashes you a grin, "That might've been the first time you've said yes to me!"

Oh, how you wished for supernatural powers like his to decimate the teasing man on the spot. Your fists crumple to a close, keeping that rage preserved in the back of your head. One day you'd get your revenge on him.

"Rika. My katana please." Yuta caresses its face gently.

You could feel her giddiness from the shake of Rika's enclosed palm around you. She reaches up to her neck and pulls out a long blade from within, handing it over to him. "For youuuu, Yutaaa."

He takes it from her, swishing it in the air and stretching his limbs free. "Thanks. Lead the way, I'll keep you safe." There's shouting and stomping from a distance, the roaring of soldiers fending off escaped anomalies. Nanami and Maki are out there too, calling for you. Your heart sinks a little at the prospect of betraying them.

You huff, blowing hair out of your face.

"It's on the other side. Opposite of the way we ran in. But I need you to do me a favor and not kill everyone you see."

Yuta brightens up. The likelihood of him fighting against a large horde of people had him excited. "That's not something I can promise."

"Fine. Then at least spare Nanami and Maki."

"Who's that?" 

"Uh, guy with blonde hair and a woman with green hair."

He shrugs, “I’ll try.”

Deep down inside, you felt a part of you die.

----------------------------------------------------------------------> part 2

[kokinu09]

Let Go of the Reins || Chapter 3

~*~

pairing seungmin x fem!reader

genre strangers to lovers, romance, fluff, slight angst later, happy ending, social media, not meant to be, someday

summary  Australia is considered home for two of the eight members. When two tour dates are scheduled for the land down under, the boys can’t help but want to spend a bit more time there to visit family and do a little sightseeing. So how do they convince the company that they need to stay a couple weeks? Filming some SKZ Code episodes.

A local riding school just outside the city with amazing reviews for their skilled instructors and beautiful horses is hosting a very popular kpop group to film their experiences. Y/N knows the group well and she just so happens to be their star working student. 

status ongoing

taglist OPEN

previous | masterlist | next

~*~

The getting ready part was easy. After Olivia spent a little too long on your makeup (and having to run through the barn to get everything prepped in time), you manage to have all 8 of your selected horses for the guys lined up before the film crew arrives. The other dozen or so horses for the crew were your other coworkers’ problems. You got to pick your lineup and you couldn’t be happier with your bunch. 

You finish securing the saddle on Storm’s back, the last one you needed, and shake out your shoulders. The nerves start to sink in as the seconds tick by. 

Storm nickers by your head, giving you a gentle nudge as if to comfort you. You giggle as your hands reach up to pat his neck, equally as comforting towards your equine companion. “Thanks Buddy. I’m ok,” you say with a smile. 

Your smile falters momentarily as you hear footsteps approaching. Swallowing down your nerves, you turn expecting the group of boys but instead, it is a couple of the staff members approaching with a mic and wires in hand. Right, you’ll need to be just as heard as they do. 

“Hello, are you Miss Y/N?” The young woman asks. 

“Yes, that’s me!” You brighten your smile and offer a polite bow. They both seem pleasantly surprised as they happily return the gesture, quickly getting to work mic’ing you up for the shoot.

“The crew should be over shortly.” The man informs nicely before they both bow and head back the way they came. Leaving you with your nerves to stew in your gut until the boys show up. 

Keeping yourself busy is definitely the best way to prevent a downward spiral into anxiety, so you double-check each horse’s equipment to make sure everything is secure and ready for the ride. Even taking the time to give all the horses a little pep talk. Maybe that was more for yourself but who’s to say?

As promised, it isn’t long before you hear the telltale signs that the boys are coming closer. The loud laughs and teasing bickers pulls an uncontrollable smile onto your face, a giddy feeling replaces your apprehension. This whole situation suddenly feels unreal. 

Yesterday, you’d been too worried about making sure they knew the dos and dont’s of safety to process the fact that you were face-to-face with your favorite group. Now, you just can’t believe you’re lucky enough to get to talk to them! Let alone spend the entire afternoon teaching them about a passion of yours, horses and riding! 

You turn just in time to see the same boy who you’d fateful met yesterday running towards you in the most adorable way; arms hanging at his sides, ‘running’ being a loose term, looking more like a happy trot just to get to you a little quicker than the others, and a huge smile spread across his face. And you can’t help but grin back, your excitement to see him just as high as his to see you it seems. 

“Hello again,” he says in a hushed greeting once he’s close enough. 

“Well hello there,” you return with a giggle. “Feeling up for being on the horse rather than underneath it?” 

Your teasing earns a smirk from the menace himself but he doesn’t get the chance to reply as the others finally have caught up. Chan comes up beside him and ruffles his hair, much to his displeasure. “Looks like you beat us here, Seungminnie!” He teases, turning to you without paying any attention to the glare from the younger. “And you must be Y/N! I’m Chan, it’s nice to officially meet you!” He smiles and bows respectfully.

“Yes! It’s nice to meet you too!” You agree, returning his respect. He grins wide at you then turns to the others. 

“Everyone say ‘annyeonghaseyo’ to Y/N-ssi!” He instructs. 

All the boys turn to you with their hands folded in front of them as they bow, saying in unison, “Annyeonghaseyo, Y/N-ssi.” 

A blush spreads across your face, eyes scanning over them bowing towards you while you catch sight of the cameras in the corner of your eye. Way too much attention is directly on you right now. You have to divert. You hastily bow over and over towards them with a loud, nervous laugh.

“Hello! Thank you!” You straighten up as they do and offer a sincere smile. “It’s wonderful to meet all of you,” you tell them, looking at each of them to show how much it really means to you. Another camera pointed at you catches your eye and your shoulders stiffen, nerves returning. “We should probably get started!” 

That sets the other Aussie member bouncing on his heels.

“Yes please! Which one is mine?? I can’t wait to pet them!” Felix’s excitement sends the group into a fit of laughter as they begin teasing the ball of sunshine in a mix of Korean and English. 

With the boys talking and distracting the cameras, you take the opportunity to turn away to act like you’re adjusting Storm’s harness. But actually, you inhale a shaky breath. 

“Hey,” the soft greeting still startles you slightly. You find Seungmin beside you now, one hand gripping the mic on his shirt, the other lifted to pet Storm’s snout. 

“O-oh! Hey,” your chin ducks in embarrassment. Now you’re stuttering? This is a disaster. 

“Don’t let the cameras scare you. You’re doing great,” he says. And when he looks over to meet your eyes, you can see his sincerity. 

You breathe out a sigh, relieved from the show of support. “Right, yeah,” after just a moment’s pause you add, “Thank you.” 

The smile that lights up his face sends a swarm of butterflies fluttering in your stomach. That expression makes it clear why he’s known as a puppy. You can practically see his proverbial tail wagging behind him and you can’t help but think it is absolutely adorable.

”Ah-yah! Seungmin~!” Felix whines, causing your spine to stiffen like you’ve been caught with your hand in the cookie jar. “You’re already petting the horses?! I asked first!” 

Seungmin releases his muffled mic and turns with that teasing smirk of his. “If you weren’t running your mouth, maybe Y/N-ssi would be able to introduce us to them.” He spouts in Korean. 

At the indignant cry from the younger Aussie boy, you wave your hands in front of you. “No, no! It’s alright! You weren’t interrupting anything! We aren’t in a rush!” You quickly assure…also in Korean. 

All the boys freeze to stare at you with wide eyes. The almost eerie silence from them all draws a cold sweat to your skin. 

“You…speak Korean?” Chan asks, his face reflecting the astonishment, almost skepticism, in his voice. 

“Well, I’m still learning… but I’m getting pretty good at understanding,” you say as your shoes become incredibly interesting. 

Suddenly, a different pair of shoes joins in your line of vision. Your wide eyes lift to find the maknae of the group standing there, looking at you with starry eyes, and before he says, “Noona is so cool!” 

A chorus of agreement from Han, Felix, and Changbin sounds behind the youngest causing your face to erupt into the color of a tomato. Chan, bless his soul, is quick to step in, settling the boys down and regaining focus to their task ahead of them for filming. By the way he talks, they’ll probably be editing a lot of that out. Which you’re beyond grateful for.

“Cool. Now, where were we?” Chan offers the stage back over to you. 

“I was just about to introduce you all to your horse partners for the day!” 

A few of the members can’t help their eager squeals as you go on, walking over to the first horse in line. A gorgeous black stallion. 

“Here at Hooves and Harmony Riding Academy, we’ve been very fortunate to raise a wide variety of breeds on the ranch. Some of those are particularly rare, like this boy here!” You explain, mostly for the cameras. “Chan, you’ll be working with Shadow today. He has high energy but is surprisingly patient with his riders!”

The eldest walks up slowly, his face showing his awe for the creature as he takes your place beside him as you move to the next. This stallion has a thicker build with an almost black mane and solid brown coat. His snout being the exception as it looks like he dipped it in white paint. “Lee Know, this is Copper. He’s big but a total sweetheart. I think you’ll work really well with him.” 

Minho’s lips are pouted in the shape of an O as he places a gentle hand on the white muzzle of the horse. You smile to yourself (so far so good!) before walking to the next. Changbin bounces on the balls of his feet in anticipation, eyes locked on the horse he knows is going to be assigned to him. One of the strongest horses you’d been allowed to pick from. His bulkier muscles covered with a beautiful red-toned coat with black tips to his ears and legs to match his black mane. “I can see you’re excited, so Changbin, this is Jersey. He’s our biggest bay boy!” 

The boy can’t help his ecstatic shout and he gets a few panicked looks that he’ll startle the huge animal. “Don’t worry, he’s super tolerant to noises so you shouldn’t have any issues with him,” you assure everyone with confidence. Changbin hurries over with the biggest smile you may have ever seen on him. 

“Y/N-ssi really has thought of everything!” He cheers, patting his horse’s neck as he takes his place.

You try to push down the blush that heats your face while you make your way over to the dark chocolate spotted mare. “This sweet girl’s name is Daisy. She’s a little dramatic at times but she is one of the most reliable of the bunch!” You explain, looking to Hyunjin. “I thought you’d enjoy this fun little fact too! Most people like to refer to horses with this pattern on her coat as ‘paint’ horses.”

Hyunjin’s eyes widen and sparkle. “Because it looks like she’s been splattered with paint!” He beams, immediately befriending the mare with chin scratches that there’s no way he could have known were her favorite.

You giggle, continuing on to the next; an older mare but no less beautiful. Her white coat littered with hundreds of little brown specks. “And this is Freckles! Our resident leopard! She’s the oldest in this group so she’s very laid back and easy to work with.”

Han gives you a skeptical look, knowing by the order you’ve introduced the members to their horses so far that this is his, then glances at Felix. Thinking you’d accidentally mix them up because they’re so close in age that they’re almost twins. You laugh a little at the subtle implication. “Even though her looks would make you think I’d pair her with Felix, I think you’ll have a lot of fun with her today, Han! She has been known to play little tricks on the other horses from time to time.” You say with a mischievous wink.

The rapper’s heart-shaped smile spreads across his face at this news and he greets the mare with hesitant hands at first. That is until Freckles presses her snout into his palms, impatient for attention. 

When you look over to Felix, you can see his excitement already bubbling over the surface. The boy basically vibrating with the biggest eyes and smile. You walk over to the beauty he will be handling for the day. Her cream-colored coat only a few shades darker than her white mane, the longer hairs adorning a slight curl not super common with their other horses. 

“Felix, I’d like to introduce you to Rosie! She is always so poised and calm, not to mention absolutely stunning! I think you two will have a nice relaxing ride together.” Having been the most giddy of them all from the get-go, it doesn’t surprise you when he sprints to take his place beside the elegant steed. 

Only two more. And so far, they’ve all been super happy with your choices of companions for them. But why are your palms sweaty and your heart racing even thinking about telling Seungmin about your choice for him? 

You manage to swallow the lump of fear in your throat and keep moving, avoiding lifting your head his way. Instead, coming up beside the chestnut spotted mare with more white than spots. You reach up and brush the fringe of her mane away from her eyes. ‘It’s her moment in the spotlight, gotta make sure she’s looking her best!’ The internal monologue makes you chuckle under your breath. 

It’s impossible to avoid the inevitable forever though, so you finally look over to Seungmin. His eyes are watching you. Your gaze meets his and it feels like the world is frozen. Or maybe it’s only you. But you also can’t seem to care. 

You don’t know how long you stand there just staring into his warm brown eyes, but the only thing that snaps you out of it is the smirk that tugs at his lips with a soft chuckle. Eyes blinking rapidly, you take a quick glance around to find everyone looking at you curiously. By some miracle, your face doesn’t turn beet red (at least you don’t think so) when you try to play it off with a little cough to clear your throat. 

“Sorry, uh, this next girl is very special to me. Her name is Pearl.” You say with a smile as you pet her soft nose. “She came to the ranch at the same time as my horse Storm did. And they’re best buddies, virtually inseparable! So, by association, we’re virtually inseparable!” The boys all join in with your laugh. “But I would trust this girl if I was riding blindfolded, so I know she will take good care of you.” You turn to smile warmly at her intended rider.

Seungmin steps forward until he is in your space, casually placing his hand on the horse’s neck. You vaguely hear the other members talking but you’re too busy fighting the racing of your heart. The pounding deafening to your own ears and you’re marginally worried that the mic pinned to your chest will pick up on all of it. 

“Thank you for entrusting me with her.” His voice just over a whisper. You let out a giggle. 

“Or I am trusting her with you,” you counter jokingly. “Can’t say you haven’t given me reason to believe you’ll fall off.” He breathes out a laugh, eyes sparkling with mirth and maybe something else you can’t quite place. All you know is that you’d give anything to turn the cameras off and get to talk to him without these extra nerves buzzing in your gut.

“I’ll try not to, but no promises,” he jokes. 

“I’m still going to hold you to it, Puppy Boy.” 

The two of you laugh a little too loudly and catch the attention of Felix next to you. You don’t see the knowing smile on his face before he gives the younger member a light shove, a gentle reminder of where they are and who is around. Both of you seem to sober up as your backs straighten and he offers you an apologetic smile. 

“Let’s move on while the staff are still distracted by my loudmouth brothers,” Seungmin says with a teasing eye roll. 

“Hey, I heard that,” Felix grumbles under his breath. You giggle at the baritone showing in his voice, the first time hearing it. Momentarily you wonder how many times you might be able to aggravate him enough to hear it during the trail ride. But you catalog that in the back of your mind for later. 

Making your way around the singer, with a shy tip of your head, you come to the last of their partners. The stallion growing excited as soon as he sees you approaching, his head bobbing dramatically up and down as a show. His black mane thrashing in the crisp February air. 

“Hey now, Monster! Behave yourself, we have guests!” You scold without any bite. You manage to catch his bridle and settle him down, rubbing a hand along his strong brown neck. He still attempts to wrap around your front to lay his head on your shoulder but you stop him with a laugh. You release the strap and ruffle his bangs, just over the single white spot on his forehead. 

“Last but certainly not least, I.N you will be working with Monster! He is such a jokester and so fun to ride. I think you two will get along really well!” You tell the maknae who looks giddy with his own excitement. 

The youngest trots over and the big brown horse immediately takes a shining to him, tapping his foot happily as he nudges his hand for pets. It feels good that everyone seems happy with the horses you’ve assigned to them. And the horses seem content with their riders, so you take it as your first win of the day!

You move back to the front of the line and untie Storm’s reins, leading into the space the boys had just occupied, where all of them can see you. “Now that we’ve gotten the introductions out of the way, let’s really get started!” You cheer, ready to get them mounted in their saddles and riding so you can all be back from the first trail by lunchtime.

~*~

taglist

@kangaracha @rainfallingfromthesky @puppysmileseungmin @defnotfertilizedtoesw @teenyfinds @bbokari711 @lakoya @keepswingin

[mistresslrigtar]

Throwback Tuesday!

I'm currently posting the sequel, Love is Forever, to this Modern Rock Star AU. If you're looking for fluff with a little bit of angst and a lot of spice - you'll find it HERE 😉

Summary:

On the verge of burnout as graduation approaches, Zelda’s friend, Mipha, encourages her to take a night off to go see a local college alt-rock band. That is when Zelda sees Link, the band’s bass guitarist for the first time and falls hard; but when her insecurity and Link’s best friend Ganondorf's drug addiction threatens their budding relationship, Zelda must learn to trust Link, and more importantly herself.

Excerpt:

Daruk looked over at the bassist, who finally lifted his head from where he’d been studying the floor. As he tossed his hair out of his eyes, Zelda’s heart skipped a beat, and her breath caught in her throat. The bassist’s stunning turquoise blue eyes, accented by long, dark eyelashes and smudged kohl eyeliner, seemed to pierce through her as they locked on her. She stared unblinking up at him, even after he tore his gaze away to nod at Daruk, and they began to play.

Now that she had a face to go with the long, nimble fingers that danced so effortlessly on the bass guitar, watching him play sent not-so-nice thoughts of what else those fingers might be good at running like wildfire through Zelda’s brain. She sipped her virgin Noble Pursuit, feeling the drink warming quickly in her hand. Was it her imagination, or had they turned the air off? It was suddenly stifling hot in the bar. She wished she’d allowed herself something stronger to drink, but she hadn’t expected this unexpected rush of attraction. Mipha could’ve warned her that Revali’s bandmate was smoking hot.

It’d been over a year since Zelda had broken up with her boyfriend, Pipit, and ever since then, her focus had been solely on her research, with no room for romantic thoughts. But the blond god on the stage had her blood racing, sending thoughts of her research project scattering like leaves on the wind. Maybe that break Mipha talked her into had been overdue, as her reaction to the bassist was highly illogical. What had their last song been about? Wanting it now? Zelda had never understood words more than at that very moment.

Revali was holding the mic stand like an anchor, gracefully twirling around it, crooning into it, but Zelda had no idea what he was saying. She stared at the bassist, waiting for the chorus to start so he would start singing again. It took forever, as apparently (and much to her disappointment), this was a Revali vocal solo. Finally, halfway through, the bassist leaned into his mic, puckering his full shiny pink lips to ‘ooo’ and ‘ahhh’ warm backup vocals. Was he wearing lip gloss? And if so, she wondered if it was flavored. Wildberry would taste nice, or apple. He looked like someone who would prefer fruity flavors. What was wrong with her? Why did it even matter? She was just another shadow in a sea of faceless spectators. Regardless, she couldn’t stop staring at him.

Mipha clutched Zelda’s arm, squeezing it tightly as she gazed up at Revali with shining amber eyes. “Isn’t he dreamy?”

“Yes.” Zelda feigned agreement, but she couldn’t care less about Revali. Her attention was solely fixated on the bassist. How had she never noticed this man walking around campus before today? His eyes seemed to glow like two burning coals of blue, and she yearned for his gaze to be on her instead of the sticky stage floor. The crowds' energy and the drunk students dancing around her didn’t matter; she was completely transfixed. “Who’s that again?”

“Whos’ what….” Mipha began but then followed Zelda’s gaze and understood her fascination. “Oh....oh! That’s Link.”

Link. Zelda would have to eat her words earlier about alternative music being garbage. Hyrule Warriors had just recruited a new fan.

[honey-flustered]

Cruel Little Vixen 7

Rockstar!Eddie Munson x Journalist!Reader

Summary: The universe continues to teach you and Eddie some important lessons. Tensions rise when the world becomes aware of the rockstar’s girl. And top it all off, you and Eddie are forced to make an important decision regarding your relationship.

NO READ MORE LINE BREAK ADDED DUE TO GLITCH

A/N: It’s been a tough ass road, but I’m back. I’ve experienced challenges with the last two parts of my story being deleted and having to start over, my mental health’s hung by a fucking thread, I’ve been anxious to post because I feel like my work’s not good enough but ya know what I love writing and it keeps me happy! The series is coming to an end. Just one more part (tried making this the last one but the ending’s too damn long). I cannot wait to finish this because I’ve had so many fic ideas I’ve been meaning to share. I wanna complete requests and ask for some of yall ideas or whatever. I just want to have some fun with this. Any this chapter’s filled with slight rom com elements and tropes. It’s definitely a healing experience for both reader and Eddie. Especially Eddie. It’s a wild ride so please enjoy! Also Happy New Years! 🥳

>>>>>Series Masterlist Part 7 of 8

Word Count: 10.8k

Warnings: overload of fluff and 🌽, heavy flirting, idiots in love, airplane jokes, some angst, brief blood and violence, talks of negligent parents and juvenile detention, hinted abuse of a minor character, smutty smut, kissing/making out, fingering, squirting, handjob, light dirty talk, nipple play, mile high club activities, graphic language, Eddie loves drinking his respect women juice

2 years ago…

“We’re Corroded Coffin and we’re the band your parents wished you never listened to! 2, 3, 4!” Eddie shouts into the mic, counting in time to Gareth’s drumstick taps. The drums to Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” are the first to make its noise before the familiar guitar riff picks up after it.

Then, he sings and the crowd’s loving it.

The former nightclub bartender and now manager of Corroded Coffin, Eugene Neds, spotted great potential in the enigma that was Eddie Munson that night. In a band of 19-year-olds passing off as 21 to perform at a venue much too risqué for kids their age, the man only had eyes for the lead guitarist/singer. Eddie was going to be a star, he was sure of it. Eugene just needed to make sure that he would be the one to make it happen.

The music cuts abruptly. “Hey, asshole! Leave her the fuck alone, alright.” Eddie shouts on the mic, pointing over at the bar. The spotlight lands on the inebriated giant of a man towering over a visibly uncomfortable woman.

“Why don’t you mind your goddamn business?” The large man slurs.

“I’m not so sure it’s your business either, man. She wants absolutely nothing to do with you.” Eddie hops off stage, approaching the man as if he were David in Goliath’s presence.

At that moment, Eddie realized he was tired of running, tired of bullies, and tired of being picked on for being different. Those days have been laid to rest along with all his grievances of high school. The man had since gained the grit needed to face danger head on. It was the day he reclaimed the title, ‘The Freak’.

“You looking for a fight, little guy?” The large man attempts to intimidate, towering over him.

“Well, if you won’t leave her alone…then yes…I am looking for a fight.” Eddie stares daggers up at the man.

Not a second longer, the man’s fist connects with Eddie’s jaw, sending him back against a table with a few glasses being knocked over. Eddie’s wild hair covers over his face. He swipes a thumb over his lips. Blood. Blood that was now seeping from his mouth. The room is quiet, not a peep. But then the sound of laughter. It was manic. Wicked. And craziest of all, it wasn’t coming from the man who’d thrown the first punch.

It was the enigma himself.

So this was what it felt like to be punched? To taste blood? To stand up and fight instead of running? To laugh in the face of danger. And it felt so good.

The metalhead looks up at the giant man. His teeth, bloodied red. A terrifying smile of nightmares. He stands planted on his two feet again.

“You want some more, freak?” The large man says, swinging a fist in the air once again only this time Eddie swiftly ducks out the way. He surges forward at the large man, full speed, sliding from under him so that he is now right behind the man.

Eddie quickly climbs on top of the bar table. “You’re not so big from where I’m standing,” He quips then points at the liquor hose in the bartender’s hands. “Hey, could I borrow that?”

The bartender hands it over. Holding the nozzle over the giant man’s head, Eddie's famous smirk is the only warning. The man could barely register what was going on before the trigger’s pulled, beer spraying and trickling down his head.

The large man was now wet and red with anger. Eddie makes no haste with his next move, spatting blood in the bully’s face and uppercutting him with a kick to his chin. The large man goes down with a loud thud. The room is in an uproar of applause and thus the beer dumping incident became a fan favorite legend. To this day, fans of Corroded Coffin pay homage at concerts, dumping cans of beer on their heads.

The band was soon tossed out of the venue that night and although Eddie’s friends had sung their praises, he couldn’t help but to feel guilty having ruined their biggest gig.

Then, he was approached by that very bartender on his way back to his van. The one who’d soon change the trajectory of his life. The one that promised a life of glitters and gold. Eugene Neds had sold Eddie a dream. A dream that was disguised as a lending hand to the young man.

“I can make Corroded Coffin a household name.” He says, holding out a business card.

A former manager of countless failed bands, Eugene was convinced he’d finally found the kind of talent that would free him of the depressing bore of a penniless 9 to 5. Eddie Munson would be his project. His success story of taking a teenage dirtbag with the attitude and skills and molding him into a sex symbol. Thus creating ‘Francis The Freak’.

But then… YOU came along. The rockstar’s undoing. You were tearing down the walls that were so perfectly built.

Mr. Neds calls it: You’ll be the end of Eddie and his band. The only form of control Mr. Neds has now would be keeping your relationship with Eddie under wraps. He’ll be patient, though. He knows this couldn’t possibly last between you two. Certainly, you were just another pair of legs that captured his short attention span until he eventually got bored.

Mr. Neds snaps out of his thoughts at the sounds of your giggling, eyes looking at the rearview mirror from his seat on the tour bus. You and Eddie were cozied up in the back, him showing you some scars.

“So, that explains the NPC-like behavior of your fans dumping beers on their heads or asking you to spit on them,” You deduce. “I’m glad to be in the know. This’ll be great tying that into my last article.”

“Did you really say NPC? As in Non-Player Character? You little nerd, am I rubbing off on you?” Eddie teases, poking your tummy.

“Hey, I know things.” You laugh, poking him back. “But you shouldn’t solve everything with fists. I’ve never known you to be a fighter.”

“I’m a lover, but I’m no pacifist.”

“You, a lover?”

“Mhm, want me to demonstrate?” His mouth attacks your neck, you squeal in delight.

So lost in each other, you couldn’t have noticed the manager’s demands to the driver to halt the bus. He had grown more and more frustrated at the sight of you and Eddie being so close. He decidedly gets out of his seat, walking down the aisle past the bandmates who could immediately sense something about to go down but all they could do was follow with their eyes as the manager made his way over to you.

“Y/n, Eddie…I’ll need you to test a theory for me. Stand beside one another.” The manager demands, breaking your moment together.

“What’s your point?” Eddie asks, squinting his eyes.

“We need to make sure that you both won’t look so ‘friendly’ with one another,” The manager explains. “The media are bloodhounds. One whiff of the hormones circulating between you would send them into a frenzy and next thing ya know you’re on the cover of yet another magazine.”

“Are you suggesting that the chemistry between us is so intense that remotely standing beside each other would give us away?” You ask, incredulously.

“Precisely.”

“Are you familiar with the term ‘delusional’?” You question rhetorically, causing Eddie to chuckle.

“Not delusional. Perceptive.”

“You weren’t very ‘perceptive’ when Eddie and I got together.” You smirk.

“I’ve suspected. I just chose to ignore it. It only became too difficult to deny when the two of you became sloppy with it.” Mr. Neds scoffs.

“We can totally stand beside each other without being ‘friendly’.” Eddie defends.

“Oh, is that so?” Mr. Neds asks, mockingly. “Because right now, right before my eyes, I see you and Eddie sat extremely close on this loveseat with his hand caressing your thigh…and he doesn’t even know he’s doing it.”

Eddie’s eyes widened, looking down at the hand that graced your supple skin lovingly. The two of you jump apart as if burned by the other.

“See what I mean,” Mr. Neds lets out a dry laugh. “Now please stand. Both of you.”

“Fine.” You and Eddie mutter in unison.

Standing up at once, your arms knock against each other’s. Your eyes trained at the contact and how close in proximity you both were. You blush, eyes on him. He notices your flustered state, smirking down at you.

“Jesus Christ.” Mr. Neds rubs at his temple, letting out an exasperated sigh.

“Oh, they’ve got it bad.” Mel says as he walks in biting nonchalantly into an apple.

“It’s worse than I thought,” The manager groans. “You’re like magnets! You’ll need to stand at least 7 feet apart.”

“7 feet?! How the hell am I supposed to interview and complete my article from 7 feet away?” You argue.

“Anything is possible.” Mr. Neds answers.

“You’re being a real pain in the ass, Eugene.” Eddie says to the 40-something man.

“Welcome to my world,” He retorts. “If 7 feet’s such a big deal then I’ll be reasonable. 5 feet. No more negotiations.”

“This is so stupid.” Eddie shakes his head.

“Don’t be so upset, brother. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder or some bullshit like that. It could actually be quite romantic.” Mel chimes in.

“Mel…get the hell outta here.” Eddie and Mr. Neds sneers together.

Mel exits, a middle finger up in the air while the other brings the apple to his lips.

“Now if we’re going to work together and keep the peace,” The manager begins. “We need to do this my way. No, ‘ands’, ‘ifs’, or ‘buts’ about it. We’ll be at the airport to catch a plane to New York soon so—.”

“Whoa,” Eddie interrupts. “I thought we were going back home?”

“Well, I’ve booked a performance for Corroded Coffin to attend. It was an offer that I couldn’t refuse. A Holiday Parade! And it won’t just be televised in Hawkins like you’re used to. It’ll be all over America. No worries about rehearsals either. Just do everything exactly how you did at Mantra•esque. Ever since that performance, word’s been traveling about the new hot band in town. You’ll have an interview with the hosts of the parade right after so please be on your best behavior.”

“Why am I just now hearing about this?” Eddie’s voice raises.

“Well, you would’ve heard about it along with the boys if you hadn’t snuck out last night.”

“I have even caught my breath yet, man.”

“You had countless nights to rest. You spent them sneaking around with your…girlfriend. Eddie, I only ever want what’s best for you. If I hadn’t discovered you, where do you think you would’ve been?” Mr. Neds rests a heavy hand on Eddie’s shoulder. A visual much akin to that of a demon resting on gullible shoulders, pleading for their victim to sign away his rights. “You would have still been living in that shitty trailer park while your uncle picked up 12 and 16 hour shifts just to keep a roof over your heads. Remember, you’re not doing this for yourself. This is survival. You understand I only mean well…do you?”

Eddie’s jaw clenches, a quick nod.

“I knew you would. It’s nothing personal, kid. It’s just what they call ‘business as usual’. It’ll only be for a few more days and then you could enjoy all the time you need in Hawkins before the next tour.” The manager pats his back before making his way back up front to inform the driver to get back on track.

Sitting back on the little loveseat, you climb into Eddie’s lap while your arms wrapped around his neck for a hug. “He shouldn’t be allowed to speak to you that way.”

“He’s right, though.” Eddie huffs, caressing your back.

You felt yourself becoming angry for him, pulling away to look him in the eye. “He’s wrong. With or without him, you could do anything. Anyone could’ve seen that light in you. I have. You’ve got something special and no fucking manager could take that away from you, okay.”

Eddie’s stoic expression softens into a warm smile. “Look at you being all protective. Making you my girlfriend’s made you all soft.” He chuckles.

“No one messes with my man,” You shrugged with a smile. “He talks to you like that again and I’ll knock him down a peg or two.”

“That’s very cute,” He kisses the space between your eyebrows. “But you don’t have to defend me, ya know. I’m a big boy.”

“What? You think I couldn’t do it or something?” You ball your fists into your sides.

“Oh, no. My hesitancy is more concerned with how badly you’ll hurt his ego. I still need the man to be able to stand on his two feet if he’s getting this band going.” Eddie jokes.

“But…i-is that what you want? To keep this going?” You asked, twiddling with your thumbs.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”

“What about taking a break? You’re going to perform in New York then you’ve got Europe in a week or so. It just seems like a lot.”

“It does seem like a lot. But if I have you beside me, it wouldn’t be so bad,” He catches himself. “In New York, I mean.”

Eddie made sure to include that last part not wanting the inevitable conversation to be brought up. Eventually, it will. As you’ve mentioned, the tour for Europe is approaching. The next time you’ll see each other again wouldn’t probably be for another 6 months. Maybe more. But what really affected him was the idea that you wouldn't think to consider going on tour with him. Especially since a little before bed last night, Eddie had asked you a question that tested everything between you two and all you could do was ignore it and say your goodnight.

“You want me to go to New York with you?” You asked.

He shrugs, shyly. “Well, yeah. I thought it was obvious. You’re fine to say ‘no’.” That response was meant for both situations: New York and Europe.

You take a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll go with you…” Eddie’s eyes lit up until you finished the last part of your sentence. “…to New York.”

“Y-yeah,” He clears his throat then echoes. “To New York.”

————

It was greatly in your favor that Eddie’s manager had decided to keep up with his “5 feet apart” rule, sitting you in separate seats across the aisle from one another. Why? Because you couldn’t bring yourself to talk about “the inevitable conversation”. Eventually…you’ll give your answer. Just not now. Not when things are going so well between you two.

You bury your head in your journal not exactly writing anything of importance, simply scribbling away to keep yourself from wondering if he was looking at you. But curiosity gets the best of you, so you peek up from your journal and catch Eddie’s eyes on you, too. You both look away at once, you resume your doodling nervously.

When you went to look over your shoulder this time, Eddie made a face silly enough to make you giggle and roll your eyes. He points at the journal in your hand, gesturing you to slide it over. You check your surroundings to make sure no one’s looking before doing so.

You waited as he proceeded to write something down. Then, he turned the journal to face you. In big letters: “Hi.”

You smile, waving and mouthing a “Hi” back.

He writes something down again and turns it over to face you. “Writing you here so Neds doesn’t try to listen in.”

You nod to confirm that you understand.

He writes. “What were you writing about?”

He could’ve turned the page to see exactly that but he didn’t wish to invade your privacy. You do the honors. Turning the page to which you scribbled different drawing variations of his name. You’re a little embarrassed to show him that he’s all you’ve been thinking about. But then he smiles eager to show you what he’d been reading.

He holds up his book, opening it to the page where his thumb held it open and reveals a polaroid photo of you looking up at him and him, down at you on the Manta•esque stage. This was his way of letting you know he’s thinking about you, too.

You smiled, writing him back. “How’d you get that?”

“Junie.”

“The camera guy?”

“Yep. Begged him to take at least one picture of you for me. It’s my favorite. I was going to share it with you but, selfishly, I want to keep it for myself.”

Is this really the same guy I met in that dressing room some weeks ago?

“Lovely view we have up here.” He writes.

You shoot him deadpan stare, not amused by the airplane joke. He tugs at the collar of his shirt in feigned nervousness before gesturing for the journal again. He writes. “Okay, I can see how that aviation joke went over your head.”

Still unamused. You wrote back. “I really appreciate corny jokes but these are just painfully bad.”

“Are you saying my jokes didn’t…land?”

“Please stop. If you’re going to tell airplane jokes, at least tell the Wright ones.”

Now he’s the one to look at you unamused and confused.

You scribbled quickly to explain yourself. “Get it? Wright. Like the Wright brothers. The first ones to fly an airplane?”

“Sorry, but your knowledge of world history is lost on me. I failed that class miserably.”

“I guess you can say it went over your head.”

“You can’t just repeat my joke. Joke stealing’s no laughing matter.”

Okay, that tickled you a bit. Smiling to yourself, you hadn’t realized Eddie passing you the notebook once again, until you felt the pages brush your arm.

“Think you can meet me in the restroom in 5?”

You scoff out loud. “I hope you're not thinking about what I think you’re thinking about.”

“I wanna talk.” He simply writes.

How could three words be so frightening? So ominous? Your heart pounds hard, daring to jump out of your chest.

“Are we not talking now? What would you need to talk about that can’t be said here?”

You anticipated his reply. Leaning over your seat, trying to peek but more so averting your eyes. You mindlessly picked at the skin around your fingernails, nerves getting the best of you.

With a solemn face, he holds out the journal to you. You meet his eyes then down at his hands, hesitating to reach for the book. The regretful look on Eddie’s face gave away that he was second guessing what he’d written down. When your fingertips grazes it, it falls out of his hand with an audible slap to the ground.

The two of you scramble to reach for it, kneeling down. Your hands accidentally touch in the attempt to take the book for yourselves. Instead of pulling away, you both ceased your frantic movements. Eddie’s thumb caressing the palm of your hand. You focus on this action then look into his big brown eyes.

The bing of the attendant assistance button pulls you out of the trance. Taking the notebook, you stand on your two feet and hug it to your chest. With a stern nod of confirmation, you stride your way down the first class aisle towards the restroom.

You shut the door behind, back rested against it as you let out a breath you weren’t aware you were holding. Eyes closed, you peel the notebook away from you. Your hands are outstretched in front of you and when you were sure it was directly in your field of vision, you opened your eyes and read.

“Europe.”

So it began. The inevitable conversation. There’s rhythmic knock and you were sure it was him, stepping away from the door and facing it. He opens it enough to let him slide through before he closing it behind him quietly.

“Hi.” He breathes out.

“Hi.” You say in quick breath as if you were scared to breathe at all.

“I guess you read the note.”

You don’t say a word, nodding tentatively.

“Y/n, I—“

“Why’re you calling me that?” You interrupt.

“You mean…your first… name?” He says, eyes squinting in confusion.

“Yeah. You usually call me some stupid pet name. What are we on first name bases now?”

“I thought you didn’t like it?” His eyebrow raises.

“It’s grown on me.” Your face grows hot as you cross your arms defensively over your chest. “Besides, do you just call me those names simply because I don’t like it.”

“At first, yeah. But I do it now because I like you.”

Your face grows even hotter, hoping he doesn’t see the effect he has on you right now. You should be upset, girl! “So, what gives? Why aren’t you calling me a vixen or a babe or whatever the fuck?”

“I just figured it’d be more appropriate for what I’ve got to say,” He explains before taking a deep breath. “I’d like to---”

You couldn’t bring yourself to hear much more of it. Okay. So he wants to talk about the tour in Europe? What exactly does he want from you? You couldn’t possibly give him an answer he’d be happy to hear.

“I’m sorry,” You cut him off again. “I didn’t want to talk about it. I wanted to forget. To pretend that there was no tour so that I can enjoy being in the present, being with you. But now I know that sometimes…it’s okay to face the inevitable. So…I think I’m ready now.”

“You’re ready?” He says, eyes shimmering despite the dimly lit environment.

“Yes,” You confirmed, lowering your head to keep him from seeing your tears. “I know what you’re going to say. And you’re right. We should break up and—”

“What the hell are you talking about? I never mentioned breaking up. I hadn’t mentioned much at all since you kept interrupting.”

“You didn’t need to mention it. The signs are all there.”

“Really? Because I’m trying to see them for myself. They must be—I don’t know—invisible. Nonexistent.”

“You can’t possibly think I can just throw my career away to be some groupie for you.”

“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing.” He jokes.

You roll your eyes. “I can’t go on that tour with you, Eddie. I have my dream and you have yours. I can’t put my work on the line when I’ve gotten this far.”

“So long distance not a thing?”

“I couldn’t do that to you. It wouldn’t be right. You’re gonna be a star. You’ll meet plenty of women who’d want you. I don’t want to hold you back. I just won’t do it. You deserve to be free to be with whoever you want.”

“You’re un-fucking-believable, Y/n,” He towers over you. “You have no right to make these decisions for me. That’s for me to decide. I’m tired of people telling me what to do, how to feel, what to think. I may not be the brightest but I’m not stupid. What about what I want?”

“What do you want?!”

“You, woman! I want you!”

“If you want me because you think I’ll be this doting girlfriend of your dreams who’s at your side at all times, who ‘sits down and shuts up’, constantly obeying your wishes; I am not that kind of girl.”

“Okay.” He shrugs, demeanor cool and collected.

“Okay? As in…”

“Okay, as in ‘I’m not asking you to be the girl of my dreams’. You already are, goddamn it. As stubborn, self-righteous and bitchy as you can be, I admire every part of you. Good or bad. I want you to have control over your own decisions and be unfiltered as you are. But sometimes, you do need to learn when to shut the hell up and listen to what I’m trying to tell you.”

You began to seethe at his words, opening your mouth to protest only for him to put his palm over it. He shushes you, his free hand putting a finger to his lips. “I’m gonna remove my hand now. You’ll be quiet, right?” He searches your glass-like eyes. You nod slowly, your stare holding sincerity.

“Good girl,” He praises, pulling his hand away. He straightens his composure as if to prepare himself for his own news. “I won’t be going on tour. I’ll follow you.”

Now you’re shaking your head at him. “No. You couldn’t. This is your chance!”

“There’ll be plenty of tours in the future. We can have time for each other until then. Get to know each other well enough so that you’ll start to believe me when I say there’s no one else I’d want besides you.”

Your eyes, the size of saucers. “Are you out of your fucking mind?! I would never ask you to do something like that.”

“That’s the thing. It’s my choice. I’m practicing this thing called ‘autonomy’. It’s quite refreshing actually.”

“It’s stupid!”

“That’s just your opinion.”

“It’s 100% fact,” You notice him approaching you slowly and closely. He’s got that devilish grin playing on his lips. “Stay away from me. 5 feet apart, remember?”

You place a hand on his chest, stopping any attempt for him to move further. He looks down at your shaky hand. He knows it’s futile, so he laughs. “We followin’ rules now?”

“I said, stay the fuck away, Munson.” You squeaked.

“That doesn’t sound very confident,” He chuckles darkly. “You sure you want me to stay away?”

You let out a shaky breath. He bites his lip. This shouldn’t excite him as much as it did, but he was HARD. And it didn’t help that the turbulence brought his attention to your full breasts bouncing temptingly in his gaze. Even covered by your scantily clad tank top, it was see-through enough to leave little to the imagination. He grasps your wrist, pulling your hand off his chest to hold.

He knew exactly how to push your buttons. You hate to admit it, but you were turned on, too. The wetness pooling in your underwear was undeniable.

“I think you like it when I’m this close,” He lets go of your wrist, testing the waters and taking another step. This time you don’t stop him. “I’m sure you remember the way I make you feel when my hand is between your legs.”

“Eddie…” You pleaded.

“You know what else I think, you wanted me to follow you the whole time. Is that why you ask if I wanted to keep the tour going? Why you’ve made me wait hand and foot for an answer? So, you can break me.”

“Not true.” You whimpered.

“Then, you manipulate me into thinking I’m breaking up with you,” He laughs incredulously. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, little vixen. I thought you were better than that,” His fingers coil around your neck tight, but not tight enough to cut off any air circulation. “But you couldn’t get rid of me that easily. Even if you were to leave me right now, you wouldn’t be able to forget me. You’d still feel me here.”

He cups your mound and your mouth drops, knowing that your cover was blown. You were sure that he’d feel you soaking your underwear. It was a blessing and a curse that you decided to wear a skirt today.

“We shouldn’t.” You gasped as he squeezed you down there enough to feel his rings digging into your cotton panties.

Oh yes, we should!

His lips ghosts over the shell of your ear. “You’ve broken me, kitten. Now’s my turn to break you.”

“Let me go.” You whispered weakly.

“You just don’t get it, do you?” He says, tone rich and deep. “There is no letting you go. You’d think I’d ever let another man touch you like this.”

He rolls a thumb over your nipple, perked up for him to tend to. A small moan escapes your lips, causing you to bite them in an attempt to cease any more sounds.

“I couldn’t even begin to imagine someone else hearing those pretty sounds eaving your lips,” With the hand still cupping your face, he swipes his thumb over your full lips and caresses the slightly-healed scar. “Couldn’t even bring myself to use your moans in my songs cause they’re meant for my ears only.”

“How do you think I feel? I get nauseous just imagining you with another girl,” You admit, eyes staring up in hopeless surrender to him. You grow as intensely possessive as him. Your bodies are so close, chests flushed together. Nails digging into his shoulders, you lay a desperate kiss on his lips that makes him feral. “I’m not usually the jealous type but I want you all to myself.”

“You have me.” He whispers, biting down on your soft bottom lip as he cups your butt and guides you to straddle his thigh. Slipping your panties to the side, he presses his thigh into your now exposed core. You knew exactly what he wanted, grinding against the fabric of his jeans. The rough material of the denim against your clit was a delicious surprise to you.

Eddie slips his tongue into your mouth and you immediately suck on the appendage. It felt like you were so in sync with the rhythm of your bodies. Your moans into the kiss competing with one another.

You loved when you got to hear the effect you had on him even without him being inside you. Your hands travel down to the dip in his back, pulling him closer (if it were even possible to be closer than you already were).

You ride his thigh, foreheads against one another and eyes locked. Noticing the erection straining against his jeans, you palm and squeeze it. He thrusts into your hand, pursuing further contact. The two of you work to unbutton his jeans, lowering the zipper until the pants loosened enough. Spitting into your hands, you dip it past the spandex of his boxers and free him of his restraints. You jerk him in your hands at the same tempo you moved your hips against him.

“I don’t want anyone else to touch you like this,” You pant. “Wanna be the only one.”

“I don’t want anyone else hearing how amazing you look you cum,” Removing his thigh away from between your legs, he shoves two thick fingers into you. You gasp which then melds into a moan at the feeling of being stretched so suddenly. Your eyes roll to the back of your head until Eddie snaps you out of it, gripping your chin and forcing you to face him again. “Eyes on me, little vixen.”

The feeling of his fingers, which were perfectly long enough to hit depths that even your own fingers couldn’t reach, drove you into a level of high you were scared to reach for. You tug his cock harder, faster in your hand and feel the precum coat your fingers with added lubrication.

Your stares grew intensely along with the sounds of your heavy breathing. You were getting lightheaded, knowing that the end was soon approaching.

“Want you inside me.” You begged, not caring enough that you were in an airplane restroom.

“Unh…fuck…not here,” He grunts. “Next time I fuck you will be at my place, in my bed so my sheets could smell like you.”

He wiggles a finger in you, teasing the sensitive trigger. His fingers are shot out of you and you’re squirting before you could even recognize that you’ve come.

“Holy shit, holy shit!” You squeal, vision going white. You convulse under him, hearing him groan and the familiar sticky feeling of his essence running in your hands.

You both cling onto each other moments after, his head to your chest feeling your heart beating erratically. When Eddie finally peels off of you, your body grows cold mourning the loss of his warmth. He cleans the two of you up, taking his time, cleaning between your legs and running a wet paper towel on the palms of your coated hands. He wordlessly watches your eyes tracking his hands, before placing a kiss to your now spotless fingers.

“You ready to go out there?” He asks.

“Could we walk out together?” You curl an arm around his, batting your lashes. You know it’s a risky thing to ask.

“Sure, babe.” A big warm smile plastered on his face.

When he feels as if you’re ready, he gives you a reassuring look before unlocking the door and stepping out. Undeniably, you were sure there would be eyes on you. So, releasing a breath, you walk down the aisle hand in hand with your heads high, ignoring the hushed whispers between passengers.

As the two of you approach the section where Corroded Coffin‘s seated, Mr. Neds looks back furiously in contrast to your blissed out states.

Instead of sitting in his “assigned” seat, Eddie sits beside you, putting an arm around you and smirking at the manager.

“Something wrong…Eugene?” Eddie mocks.

“Really? In the restroom? Are you forgetting we have 15 other passengers with us in a section small enough to hear someone’s heartbeat?” He replies through gritted teeth.

“She was quiet enough. As much as she could, anyway.”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Very.”

“I’ll enjoy myself, too, someday. Currently, I’m thinking of how great that tour in Europe will be for you. It's a shame Y/n’s decided she won’t be joining us, though.” Mr.Neds says sarcastically.

“Don’t be surprised if that tour has no effect on me whatsoever. Almost like I’m not there.” Eddie retorts.

The two of them exchanged heated glares at one another. You sigh, sinking down in your seat.

————

It took longer than expected to arrive due to the weather conditions. A day and some hours and about 2 plane transfers to be concise. By the time you’d touchdown, it was practically evening but you couldn’t wait to get off the plane. You’ve never been to New York but you and Chrissy have talked about one day moving there together to make names for yourselves.

Despite Eddie clearly being exhausted from all the performances and trips, your joy rubbed off on him and soon he was just as determined to explore the big city as you.

Entering the terminal, you rush up to the big glass windows to stare out at the bustling streets. It’s really cold but no snowfall just yet.

You felt Eddie’s body pressed up against you, shivering enough to make you shake along with him.

“You okay, Eds?”

“Not really. I’m not dressed for this kind of weather. Guess fashionably torn shirts and tight jeans just aren't enough.My only saving grace is my leather jacket.”

You felt more bodies lean into you for warmth. The boys in the band huddling for warmth since you're the only one sporting a faux fleece coat.

“Hey! She’s off limits.” Eddie growls.

“Aw, come on, bruv. I’m practically naked in this top.” Judas says, pressing hard into your shoulder.

“Yeah, sharing’s caring.” Mel chimes in.

“If there’s anything you fuckers should know about me is that I don’t like sharing.” Eddie says pulling you into his body only for the men to follow after.

“Can’t we all just go shopping and get you all some decent clothing? Not rockstar-related?” You say, voice strained from being crushed between them.

“Being a star means sacrificing comfort for style.” Mr. Neds answers.

“That isn’t fair,” You protest. “You wouldn’t want them catching colds before their performances, would you? They need warm clothes.”

Mr. Neds stares you down then up at the boys who defensively reciprocated hostile stares at him.

“Fine. The new tour bus is awaiting us outside. We need to board it quickly or else—“

“Oh my god! It’s Corroded Coffin!” A voice rings through the terminal and soon all eyes around the terminal land on your group. There’s a beat of silence before screams and heavy thuds of feet fill the air. The fans sprint determinedly towards you.

Security immediately pushes you all outside of the terminal, blocking an entrance. The doors of another unmanned entrance burst open as floods of people come crashing through, running towards the tour bus.

You were paralyzed, shocked by the amount of people rushing over until you felt a hand take yours and tug you inside the bus. Another group of bodyguards standing between the doors to keep the crowd from hopping on top of the large vehicle. As best as they could the 4 bodyguards shoo away the crowd before hopping in and the driver quickly pulls off. Everyone on the bus, panting from the exertion of escaping.

“Look at that! Just a small town band, now your name’s being heard in even more places. Told you I’d make Corroded Coffin a household name.” Mr. Neds says proudly.

You exchanged a look with Eddie, who groaned at the manager’s lack of awareness. With stardom came lack of privacy. You felt a foreboding feeling that somehow your privacy would be compromised as well.

—————

“What do you think of this?” Eddie steps out of the dressing room, a man disguised. His outfit consisted of some light gray sweatpants, white kicks, and a basic white long sleeve shirt under his leather jacket. To top it off, his signature wilf curls had been stuffed into his black skully hat for better effect.

“You look great but wouldn’t you want to dress in coordination with your band?” You inquire.

Eddie’s bandmates had done the opposite of dressing casually. Going for the flashiest, expensive clothing.

“Nah, they’ll just end up getting us chased again,” Eddie laughs before looking over his shoulders then whispering. “I’m thinking we ditch ‘em.”

“Eddie…” You began but then suddenly you felt like you were in the mood for an adventure. “Know what…I’m ready for anything. What’d you have in mind?”

He’s taken aback. “The good girl’s looking for trouble?”

“I don’t have to look far. You’re the embodiment of it.” You tease.

“Correct as always, my dear.” He says in a silly posh accent, taking your hand and guiding you to sneak past the guards.

Then, you hear the sound of Eddie’s manager yelling from behind you. “Stop those two!”

You turn to your boyfriend, eyes wide. “Run.”

Next thing you knew, you’re both gunning it out the shopping mall, the bodyguards close behind.

To anyone on the outside, you were simply a rowdy couple caught doing something bad enough to be chased by men in black. After a couple twists and turns around the corner and a few “watch where ya goings”, Eddie leads you down the stairs of a subway station. You were sure you’d lost them until you saw them treading down the stairs a few seconds after.

Eddie pulls out a subway card from his pocket.

“Where’d you get that?” You questioned, panting as you ran.

“I swiped it off one of the guards,” Eddie laughs, also panting. “My dad was a pro pickpocketer.”

“We’ll need to unpack that sometime.”

Swiping the card in the machine, Eddie pushes through the turnstiles but when he swipes the card for your entrance, an error message shows up explaining that you have to wait at least 3 minutes for the next swipe. After a couple tries of the turnstiles not budging, you look over your shoulder and notice the guards closing in.

“What do I do?” You panic.

“Jump over!” He holds out his arms.

Grabbing either side of the gate, you hop over the turnstiles and into his arms just as the men reached you. The two of you resume running, this time having some distance from the guards.

As if your prayers had been answered, a train makes its stop at your station. Rushing in, you and Eddie gloat at the approaching bodyguards as the doors shut and the train pulls away. Clinging to the hand rail above you, you both pant in exhaustion which quickly morphed into laughter.

“You’re a bad influence.” You tease, hitting his shoulder lightly.

“You love it.” He retorts.

The words “you” and “love” in the same sentence. It is so strange that you hung onto them at this moment like they had any meaning outside of its context. But what would it be like to hear those words in a different arrangement? One where it felt more of a confession rather than a dismissive play on words.

Your hand slips caused by the jutting train, sending you out of your thoughts and straight into Eddie’s free arm.

“Geez, kitten. If you wanted a hug, you could’ve just asked,” He jokes. “You don’t have to throw yourself at me.”

Wrapping your arms around his waist, you squeeze tight, cheeks squished against his chest. “I could use one.”

He melts into your embrace with an arm around you while the other keeps you both planted to the ground. It doesn’t matter to him that you were in a crowded train where anyone could spot you together because Eddie felt like he'd taken a trip in a time machine.

He’s like a teenager all over again. Sneaking around and running from the trouble he’s caused, but most of all, he felt this way being with you. Maybe he didn’t get that chance to impress you back then… but he has you now.

So lost in you, he hadn’t registered the light tap on his shoulder until accompanied by a said, “Munson?” From a familiar voice. Eddie turns around and his eyes widened in disbelief.

“Emerson?”

“Holy shit! It is you! Almost didn't recognize you with the hat,” A more mature Gareth stood in your presence. The two boys go in for a bear hug while talking over each other in their excitement. “You look great!”

“Can’t say the same for you, man. You look like shit.” Eddie laughs.

“Fuck off,” Gareth laughs. “I just got off my shift. What are you doing in New York?”

“I should be asking you the same. Hadn’t heard from you or Jeff in 2 years.”

“We moved to New York. They say it’s where everyone’s making a name for themselves.”

“You guys still make music?”

“Hell yeah, we do,” Gareth nods. “Ya know ever since, the band got separated. We knew we couldn’t stop rocking. You wouldn’t have wanted that.”

“Good to hear that, bro.”

“And what about you? What’s gotcha in the big city? Tour, maybe.”

“Not exactly a tour. Just a performance and an interview.”

“Aw shit, man. That’s wicked as hell. Rockstar life’s been treating you good it seems. I bet you get tons of chicks,” Gareth says excitedly, ignorant to Eddie’s panicking glare. “How many girls have you—“

He’s interrupted by you clearing your throat stepping out from behind Eddie. “Hello, Emerson.”

He gasps, pointing between the two of you. “Y/n…Eddie…you two are together?”

“Yep, she’s my girl.” Eddie curls an arm around your waist.

“Wow, I’m honestly surprised considering your first article on him. But Eddie did always have a little thing for you back in high school. I’m sure he made it his mission to win you over.”

“S-shut up, dickhead.” Eddie stutters, blushing.

“You read my article?” You ask, a smile creeping up on your lips.

“Oh, yeah. Everyone’s talking about it especially since Corroded Coffin’s performance at Mantra•esque. If ever I need exposure, I’m calling you for an article on mu band. Speaking of which,” Gareth searches through his jeans pocket, pulling out a flier. “You guys should stop by at this Battle of the Bands event tonight at 10. That’s in a couple hours from now so you won’t have to go back and forth until then. It’s at this cool ass venue they call a ‘speakeasy’ in Koreatown. You’ve gotta have a password and everything to get in that shit. Jeff and I will be performing along with our new guitarist, Brody. You’ll dig him. He’s chill.”

You look in the corner of your eye, feeling Eddie tense beside you at the mention of the new member.

“Our band’s called ‘TSNP’,” Gareth continues. “Thou Shall Not Pass. Will you be there, Eds?”

“I…could try. It’s just that I’ll be busy with rehearsals. So, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it, man.” Eddie lies.

“Oh…right. Well, that sucks,” A hint of disappointment in his tone. “Jeff would’ve been super stoked to see you. Sid, too. But I understand you're a big rockstar now.”

There’s silence between them. You shake your head at the men too prideful in expressing their true feelings despite supposedly being best friends.

The rest of the trip remained this way until the train halts to a stop at another station. When the doors open, Gareth makes his way over to them, stopping in his tracks and turning on his heel to look over at his friend one last time.

“When you left, we stopped making music for a while. Just didn’t feel the same. Then, I heard your song on the radio and it brought me back. It would’ve been really great if you had some time to see us play,” Gareth scans Eddie’s features and when he doesn’t get a reaction from him, he sighs. “Have a good night.” Sending you a small wave, he steps out and train’s moving forward again.

You turn to look at Eddie, arms crossed and disappointed. ”There are no rehearsals. It’s not fair to lie to him like that nor is it fair for you not to come and support. They’re your best friends. You have your band, why can’t they?”

“It’s not like I’m the one who chose to replace ‘em.”

“I know. But it’s okay to admit when something hurts,” You give him a small smile to lighten the mood. “I’m sure it hurt them having to make the decision to replace you just as much as it hurt you performing on a big stage without them. They’re chasing their dreams, too. It doesn’t mean they don’t want you to be a part of it. He did invite you, didn’t he? It’s like he said you’re the reason he was brought back.”

“You’re right.” He sighs.

“Of course, I am. I’m always right,” You tease then solemnly say. “No one’s gonna take that bond you all share. Not unless you continue to push them away.”

He nods, not saying a word. Thinking things over until the train makes another abrupt stop. The two of you exit hand in hand into the unexplored territory.

————

You were a lot more appreciative of the quiet moments you and Eddie sometimes had to yourselves. Where you got bask in the intimacy of normalcy. Lately, ever since Corroded Coffin's popularity, it’s constantly felt as if there were people lurking in the shadows, waiting on your next move.

Although, you must say it’s hard basking in the glory with your boyfriend’s face plastered on billboards around the city.

“Your manager’s not entirely wrong,” You say, pointing at the billboard. “Look at you guys up there. You'll probably be as big as Kiss someday.”

“You flatter me…but no,” He pats your head. “They’re untouchable.”

“I mean it, though. You shook the world. I can’t imagine you wanting to leave it behind now. I thought you wanted this tour.”

“I know what you’re trying to do here and I appreciate you considering my career but I’ve got my priorities straight. It took some thinking—not much—but I didn’t need a lot of time to realize I’d rather be with you.”

You try to contain the butterflies fluttering within you. “Now who’s become soft?”

“Shut it,” He laughs, pulling you against him and planting a kiss on your lips then neck until you suddenly pull away. “Did I do something wrong?”

You take him by the shoulders, guiding him to do a 180 degree turn. “There’s Coney Island in the distance. Wanna go?”

“I’m up for it. But just so you know, I like scary rides.”

“Aw, you don’t have to concoct a scheme to get me to cling to you, baby. I like scary rides, too,” Hands clasped behind your back, you teasingly walk circles around him then ahead towards the direction of the bright lights competing with the starry sky. You look over your shoulder and say, “I’ll still hold onto you, though… you’d like.”

He dramatically fakes offense, resting a hand over his heart. “I’m insulted that you would think I’d stoop so low. When would I ever deny the chance for you to hold onto me?”

“Then, what’re you standing all the way back there for? Come here and let me hold you.” You shout from behind you. Something about today made you feel extremely flirtatious. Maybe it was for the reason that Eddie was incognito, allowing you the chance to unabashedly enjoy each other’s company.

Eddie’s eyes now trained on the sway of your hips. “Just a second. I’m enjoying my view.”

You giggle. He rushes up behind you and wraps his arms around you, rocking you side to side. Your cute little game of cat and mouse comes to an abrupt end when you both enter the theme park and are met with scattered patrons all over the park with their heads buried in a magazine…with your faces on them.

“No.” You say, cupping your hands over your mouth in shock.

“Jesus H. Christ.” Eddie voices his frustration, eyes squeezed shut.

“That bastard,” You say through gritted teeth. You would have said that it was your fault for posting the article regarding Cole’s scandal. But you hadn’t gotten the chance to publish it, yet. “He was going to post it regardless of whether I’d accept his terms.”

You spot a nearby telephone pole. “I’m calling him and giving him a piece of my goddamn mind,” You say, strutting towards the payphone when Eddie grips your arm. You sneer a “what” at him.

“It’s not worth it. He’ll just try to provoke you which’ll then provoke me.”

You groan, running your hands over your face. “What do we do?”

“The only thing we can do: accept it.”

“Should we leave?”

“No. We’ll enjoy our time here while we can because as soon as we go back. We face reality.” Eddie holds out his hand.

You take it, exhaling and proceeding forward. “Okay but as a heads up, I’m definitely going to take down that man.”

“By all means, crush him,” Your boyfriend encourages. “Now let’s make you forget.”

“How do you suppose we do that?”

“Ferris Wheel, possibly. It’s the only ride without a giant line to wait in. We could talk…and other things.”

You snort. “What ‘things’ could you possibly do on a ferris wheel?”

He simply smirks, walking ahead of you this time. The boy is a menace.

You were considerably glad no one had recognized you from the magazine despite a good amount of park goers including the person operating the ferris wheel having the magazine in hand. After waiting in line patiently, it was your turn to board the ferris wheel car and take your seats.

“Some much needed alone time.” Eddie exhales his relief, both your heads thrown back against the wall of cart in exhaustion.

Not soon after exclaiming this, you both hear the sound of gum popping which causes you to raise your heads simultaneously. Seated in the chair across was a child, somewhere between the ages of 7-9, smacking away at her gum and kicking her feet.

“Hi!” She says, cheerfully.

“Hi, sweetie,” You return the greeting. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Beverly. Also Bev. I’m 8 years old! What’s your name?”

“I’m Y/n. That’s Eddie.” You point to Eddie who seemed uncomfortable.

“He looks scared. Are you scared of the ride, Eddie? It’s not scary. See?” Beverly gestures to herself seated.

“You okay, Eddie?” You asked, concerned.

He leans over, whispering to you as not for the little girl to hear. “It’s just…little kids freak me out, ya know. They always ask so many questions, forcing me to question my own existence.”

“It’s okay. I’ll take it from here,”You turned your attention back to the little girl. “Beverly, what are you doing here all alone? Where are your parents or guardians?”

“I wanted to ride the ferris wheel. Mommy said I couldn’t ride because it was bad. But I really wanted to.”

“Sweetie, it’s not okay to disobey your mother. Especially when she means well. She’s probably worried sick looking for you. I have an idea. Once this ride’s over, I’ll help you find her.”

“But she’ll be so angry.”

“Rightfully so, sweetie. But she’ll only be mad because she loves you.”

“So I can’t stay here?”

“You can’t run away from your problems. There’s a time where you’ve gotta face ‘em head on,” You were thinking maybe you should practice what you preach considering that running is exactly what you’ve been doing. “Tell ya what? I will have a talk with your mother to smoothen things over so she wouldn’t be too angry.”

“You promise?” She says, outstretching her arm and holding out her pinky.

“Promise.” You intertwine your pinky with hers.

“So when do you think we’ll get off this ride?” She asks.

“A few minutes or so.” You answered.

“Really? Even when it’s standing still.”

“Standing still?” Your eyes bugged out, looking over at Eddie who was just the same.

“Fuck! The Ferris Wheel’s stopped!” He exclaims.

“No swearing, Eds. Let’s not corrupt the kid.”

“Did you hear what I said?” He groans, standing up in the cart and walking back and forth.

“Yes! And could you please stop that? You’re wiggling the cart around.”

“I can’t help it. I hate confined spaces.”

“It’ll be okay,” You reassure him. “I’m sure it won’t be long before help.

The sound of a safety horn rings and then the click of a bullhorn. “Passengers, we’re experiencing some technical difficulties. Please allow 30 minutes for help to arrive and another 30 minutes to repair this issue. Please stay put and be safe. Thank you.”

“Well, that’s just fantastic.” Eddie throws his hands up before sinking down to the floor, head in his hands.

You sit beside him. “I didn’t know you were claustrophobic.”

“I’m not but sometimes confined spaces remind me of a certain point in my life…Juvie.”

“You’ve been to juvie?” You asked.

“It’s okay not to be surprised,” He laughs. “But yeah, I have.”

“No, I really am surprised. I never considered it,” You assure. “If you don’t mind me asking…how’d it happen?”

“It’s because I wanted to be like my dad. Ya know, the pro pickpocketer. Well, that wasn’t all he taught me. I learned how to hotwire different vehicles, dismantle and rebuild cars, how to pickpocket, taught me the ins and outs of ‘get rich’ quick schemes, taught me how to deal drugs…the whole nine. I remember wanting to be just like him,” He says. “I never cared much when my mother wasn’t around because he was there. Maybe he wasn’t the best father figure or as present as a parent should be. But when he was there, life didn’t seem so bad. Then one day we’re having some beers on the porch—I was 12, by the way—talking shit and listening to greatest hits. The cops came to arrest me because witnesses saw me stealing parts from a car. Parts that my father begged me to steal because he was too high off his own shit to do it himself. In custody, my dad says, ‘Don’t you worry, buddy. I’ll get you outta there.’ I really wanted to believe he was telling the truth.” Eddie laughs dryly, shaking his head.

Then he continues. “That was the last I saw of him and he didn’t even have the decency to look me in the eyes and say he’s sorry. I was sentenced for 6 months. He never visited me and being in that cell, staring up at the ceiling, alone with my thoughts; I realized it was the first time in my life I knew what it meant to be alone. I found out later he’d been arrested not even a month after my sentencing for serious drug charges. Lock up practically for good. Uncle Wayne took me in even when he hadn’t spoken with my dad in years. Hell, he didn't even know I existed until the guards called him looking for an immediate family member who'd be willing to take me in.”

Your heart broke at the sound of that. To know that he had such a rough childhood but he still managed to be Eddie was remarkable.

“I owe Wayne for everything I am now. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve been a dirtbag just like my dad.”

“I’m so sorry.” You say, rubbing his back.

You weren’t sure the right words to say or if you should say anything at all. The little girl, Beverly, slides off her seat, sitting on the ground along with you. Her tiny backpack in front of her as she rummages through it, pulling out a tiny pink book then holds it out to Eddie.

You both look down at it. Eddie, hesitant but otherwise he takes it in his hands.

“My dad is in jail, too,” Beverly says. “Even though I miss him, I think he’s better there than when he’s with me and mommy. At home, he was mean and scary sometimes. Mommy says he’s better now. I think so, too. He calls me princess like he used to. Once he told me that if I'm ever sad or scared, do something I like. He likes to draw. Like me.” She points at the book.

“It’s not creepy drawings of people being buried, is it?” Eddie says, fear sprinkled in his tone.

You discreetly shove his back with your shoulder. “What he means to say is, ‘are you giving us permission to look at your drawings?’”

Beverly nods, a small smile on her face.

Eddie flips through the pages and he’s caught by surprise. They were quite beautifully drawn for something done by an 8 year old. Gothic drawings of birds, spiders, landscapes and such.

“These are actually really cool.” Eddie praises.

“You’ve done these all by yourself?” You ask, also charmed by the work.

“Mhmm,” The little girl hums proudly. “Well, not all of it. Sometimes, dad starts a drawing and I finish it at home. Then, I start a drawing and he finishes it. He says it’s how we can commemorate with each other.”

“I think you mean, ‘communicate’,” You giggle. “That’s a beautiful story, Bev.”

“He also draws on people’s skin,” She adds, pointing to the matching tattoo you and Eddie had gotten. “Like that.”

You smile at your boyfriend, him, back at you in quiet appreciation; reminiscent of your time together so far.

“Hey, kid, I’ve got a friend I’ll be seeing soon,” Eddie grins. “He’s in a new band and I’d like to give him a little gift. I could use some help with creating a new logo for his band. Think you could make one for me while we kill time?”

Beverly beams. “Yeah!”

The little girl immediately takes out art supplies from her bag, taking the book for him to start on a new blank page.

“Did you mean that? We’re going to Gareth’s show?”

He nods, squeezing your hand. “Yeah.”

“Don’t just sit there?” Beverly chastises. “Gimme some ideas.”

Eddie chuckles, leaning over the page and springing ideas with her while you watch in amusement.

————

After 50 minutes, Eddie and Beverly became a close pair. You’d barely spoken with how much the two had gotten along.

“And she’s all, ‘You’re not invited because you’re weird.’” Beverly says in a mocking tone.

“No.” Eddie says in disbelief.

“Yeah and everyone in class had an invitation. She’s always been a real bully. Sometimes she shoves me, pulls my hair…and it makes me angry. Like I want to hurt her.”

Eddie scoffs. “I’ve known asshats like that back in school, too. Wouldn’t even look in my direction because I didn’t have the latest shoes or clothes.”

“Language, Eddie.”

“Sorry, I meant ‘butthats’,” Eddie says, causing Beverly to giggle wildly and nearly color outside the lines. Eddie whispers. “Some advice: don’t stoop down to a bully’s level because then you’ll become a bully, too. It happened to me. I thought solving everything with fists would somehow get people to stop messing with me but it only made me feel worse. It’s okay to stand up for yourself but it’s also okay to tell someone what you're going through. Like an adult.”

You smile at his advice, realizing that he’d listened to you.

He’s becoming really mature.

“However, she did hit you first so it’s only fair game that you get to hit her back.” He adds.

Ooh, so close.

“All done!” Beverly holds up the drawing.

Eddie takes the page, scanning it. It was of a spider spinning a web in the shape of a guitar, a giant cross in the background. It looks badas—“ You shoot him a look. “It’s really cool, kid.”

A whirring sound picks up and the ride’s moving again, the three of you erupt in cheers. When you’d finally reached the bottom, a woman full of fear stood there waiting on the sidelines. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw Beverly.

“Bev! Baby.” Her mother sobs in relief, arms opened wide.

“Mommy!” The little girl jumps into the mother’s arms.

“What did I tell you about leaving my side?! I knew you’d be here. You just don’t quit, do you?” Her mother scolds.

“Ahem.” Beverly says, clearing her throat cuing you.

“Hello, Beverly’s mother,” You waved, introducing yourself. “It’s wonderful meeting you. I’m Y/n and this is Eddie. We found her riding alone and talked about searching for you when the ferris wheel stopped.”

“Hello. Please call me Martha,” She introduces herself. “I told her that ferris wheel’s always giving up. I’m so sorry. I hope she didn’t cause any trouble with you. She can be quite the handful.”

“No. She was an angel. Even drew us a picture.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Bev,” Her mother smiles down at her. “Thank you so much for keeping her happy. She’s usually scared to ride those things alone. If there’s any way I could thank you…”

“Oh no, that won’t be necessary.” You protest.

“No, no. I’ve got it! If ever you need help planning an event—maybe a party or… wedding,” She darts her eyes between the two of you, handing you a business card. “That's my number right there. I’m a wedding and event planner.”

You blush, profusely. “Umm, okay.”

“Let’s go, Beverly. Say goodbye to the nice people.”

She pouts. “Will I see you guys again?”

You let Eddie have this one. He crouches down to her level and says, “I think so. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be needing a wedding planned or whatever,” You were now blushing so hard that the heat from your face could warm you enough from the cold weather. “Or maybe I could get some cool tattoo ideas from the artist herself.” He finishes, winking at her.

The girl beams. Then, she and her mother were on their way. Eddie, waving at her until they couldn’t see each other anymore.

You smirk at him. “Well, would you look at that. You’ve overcome your fear of children.”

“She’s pretty cool. Reminds me a lot of myself.”

“She’s very special. Bright, too. I think she’s helped me work out a lot up there than any therapy session I’ve had in years.”

“Somehow the universe keeps sending people our way because you and I could use a little push. We’re very stubborn people, ya know. Although, I’m a Taurus. What’s your excuse?”

You laughed. “So are we going to this show or are we going to discuss signs now?”

“Don’t you wanna debate how un-Taurus like I am,” He jokes. “Alright. Let’s go so see TSNP. Dumb name by the way. Hope Gareth didn’t come up with it.”

“Do you think we’ll make it to their performance on time?”

“I think so. But if we don’t, I’d still like to go for the support,” He smiles and curls an arm around your shoulders. “Then you and I could go back and face reality.”

You rest your head on his, walking out of the park; ignorant to the magazines with your faces on them.

Taglist: @that-idiot125 @strangerthingsstories5255 @haylaansmi @tlclick73 @chcolateeyelver @apolixyan @micheledawn1975 @maystecc @gay-weirdo262772 @itswormtrain @httpmedxsa @3m0xbunn1 @bebe0701 @lokiofasgard616 @joeyfilth @secretdryrose @sammararaven @cherrytree69 @bimbobaggins69 @nicolaj1978 @idgafboutyou @eddiesgffff @briasnow-blog @sweetdreamer1010 @sleepyghostygirl @babeyglo @idkidknemore @e0509 @brittney69 @samunson83 @hellfire-puppet @moonisu @mopeymopeymouse @lluviamg06 @shinydixon @cherrysoda444 @lovelyvivii @therese01 @keiracottreau @mirrorsstuff @eddiemunson95 @e-munson666 @munson-fixation @paradoxicalconundrum @lulukings92 @sherrylyn628 @szalipcombo @elamity @munsonswhore86 @kellsck @die-irre-blog @creoleguurl @edsforehead @munsonswhore86 @websterss @screaming-blue-bagel @ick90

[alovesreading]

Constant Repeat | Part 14

Summary: Having worked at Focus Creeps for a year, Ella knows that as a production assistant and part of the crew, there’s one important rule: don’t interact with the talent unless it’s needed. But once she meets Arctic Monkeys, and the recording of the music videos for their upcoming fourth studio album starts, the band seem to become her exception. Not only because they treat her more like a friend than just someone else they’re working with but when Alex continuously makes her blush with his flirting, so enthralled by her that he forgets he’s got a girlfriend, Ella finds herself growing closer to him. As videos are filmed, wrapped and edited, the friendship lines become blurry. Situations unfold, secrets are told and others are kept under lock and key, but how long can Alex and Ella endure being stuck in each other’s minds on constant repeat.

Word Count: 20.5k

Story Warnings: Throughout this series there will be suggestive talk, jealousy, cheating, alcohol and drug use, angst, smut.

A/N: Hi darlings!! I'm so excited to post this but I'm equally as gutted because this is the last part of Ella's UK trip :'( Our girl is going back to LA in no time, but first there's a fun little music video to be recorded hehehe. I hope you all enjoy this thoroughly, I'm so excited to see your reactions to this because it gets a little wild... Anyway, enjoy!!! xx

Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 |

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'Howl At The Moon' welcomed them warmly that Monday afternoon. The crew had gotten there around a quarter to five and even though the pub had allowed them to start their recording process at five, they had let them come into the place and settle as they told the few customers in there that a production would be taking place so they had to leave shortly.

Some people asked the reason why they had to go and after being told that it was a video for a band—keeping it hush about it being for the Monkeys so it wouldn't bring unnecessary attention and halt the production—they decided to stay and be part of it as extras.

Thankfully, the extras they had actually hired through a casting process arrived just in time, merely ten minutes passed after the time agreed on and they were gathered in the middle of the pub and listening to Ella's instructions.

Ben had helped her place the extras around the pub and handing out the drinks that served as props for the video. The staff of the pub were being so lovely, Ella was thanking people left, right and center. It was always so nice to have people working so well with you whilst in the process of recording, everything flowed easier and it made it smoother to get the product desired without stressing about the littlest thing going wrong setting off everything else fucking up.

The band had arrived about fifteen minutes after the clock struck five, making chatter break out inside the pub as they got recognized. They were being dotted by their stylist though, so they couldn't be approached just yet as they got a slight hint of makeup put on and handed over jackets that would go along with their current aesthetic.

When the band was ready, Ella and Ben managed to get everyone's attention so that they could instruct everyone on what they were going to do now that they were going to start recording. They wanted a few shots of the band just chatting by the bar as everyone else did their own thing around them.

Tyler was playing with a few shots as practice, just trying to see which angle could capture the atmosphere better. Ella helped him prop himself by the pool table so they caught people walking around, drinking, playing pool and the band being the main attraction just drinking and talking by the bar.

Cameron was placing lights around the place, the best he could so that it would look good on camera, creating a better atmosphere through the screen. Margaret was fixing the mic's settings, testing it so she was sure she was capturing the noise around the place if it was needed to be used at any moment of the music video.

Ben had placed the band right in the middle of the bar, extras sitting beside them to crowd the shot up. They had given the lads some instructions, but they knew they just had to act like usual when they were hanging about in a pub. Alex had been given a prop phone, less technologically advanced compared to the iPhone he actually had, with a small touchscreen and an actual button keyboard.

As expected, Ella had to explain to him how to use it because he seemed adamant on keeping his 'texting' as real as possible. That alone had taken about five minutes and it had the lads chuckling when Alex hesitated when Ella asked him if he had understood.

Lamie got to the pub just a few minutes before they were about to roll, Ben had Jamie and Nick aside telling them they were in charge of handing out the shots to Alex and Matt and referencing the best way for them to turn around so the camera could capture it, so Alex and Matt were the ones who got to greet her along with Ella.

Ella thanked her for being there and allowed her to just watch as they filmed for they were doing all the shots inside the pub first. Lamie had liked that she could enjoy the production first before having to stand in front of the camera, it was less nerve wracking when she didn't have to be the first to be recorded.

They started recording the extras mingling around the place, some shots showcasing the establishment and shots of the bant chatting by the bar from afar. They recorded multiple of those, half an hour going by before starting to record the band from up close and purely focused on them.

Another half hour went by as they focused every frame on the band, Ella and Ben praising the Monkeys' performances so Alex got more confident in front of the camera as the minutes went by. There were moments when one of them would burst out in giggles, having the cameras too close to them and seeing Ella attentively watching their every move had them breaking character but it worked to loosen them up and make the shots more natural.

It was funny seeing Alex act drunk, but he was doing it great. He had been stumbling a bit more with every shot and when they deemed the last one they'd captured of him stumbling his way to the bathroom the best, they allowed everyone else to take a break whilst the crew followed Alex into the bathroom.

Lydia had managed to score a catering company that got the crew, the talent, the staff and the extras food to snack on, from fruit like watermelon and grapes to small sandwiches, and loads of water bottles and coke cans.

So no one really complained as the crew took a bit inside the bathroom, setting lights up to aid the dim light that the place already had and getting the best position to capture Alex in front of the sink and his reflection on the mirror for the scene.

They got many shots of him strangely looking at himself in the mirror, almost like he was questioning his own reflection, as one does when they're under the influence. Ella had a vision of what this could be and she was going to rely on their talented editing department to get her vision come to life.

Coming back to the main area, they had everyone go back to their original places and that alone took about ten minutes, making sure that everyone and everything was in place so it wouldn't differ from the latest shot they got there.

Alex was recorded stumbling back to the band, just in time for them all to take shots. The shots were just water, ensuring they stayed in their senses throughout what promised to be a long recording day, so it was easy for them to down them over and over for the different angles they captured.

Jamie had messed with Alex in one of the last takes they got of the shots scene, asking the bartender for an actual shot of tequila which the singer didn't even think twice about downing, not having even a second to take a whiff of the spirit which ended up with him coughing. He played it cool for the camera though, and it ended up being Ella's favorite take they'd gotten.

After those frames, it was time for Alex to go full into his drunk act. They used camera movement to aid in the effect of his haziness and had him stumbling and wobbling around multiple times as he stepped around the place.

Lamie was meant to come in the next shot, flirting with some lad by the door of the pub. It was all meant to be a figment of the imagination of Alex's character so it was just a brief frame but they had to get Lamie ready so Ella had the Monkeys' stylist help her with that. They had a selection of clothes they had chosen back home when working with their costume and design department so Lamie got dressed quite quickly, her makeup taking a bit longer as it had to look smokey but clean.

In that time, they allowed everyone to have another break which lasted up until Ella had finished her quick instructions for Lamie.

Thankfully that scene was shot and wrapped over in just ten minutes, and then they went back to Alex stumbling around as he walked past where she supposedly had been.

The last take they did was of Alex walking out the door and into the street, getting about ten takes of it just in case and having him do different clumsy steps every time. When Ella yelled cut, she had a brief talk with Ben and they agreed that was it for the pub, so they wrapped it up and everyone inside clapped.

All of that had taken about three and a half hours so they had everyone take whatever they wanted from the catering table after being thanked for their job as the crew gathered their gear.

Some of the extras were staying for a few more scenes afterwards but most of them were due to leave. And because now the band wasn't really needed apart from Alex, Jamie, Nick and Matt left.

They hugged Ben and Ella and waved everyone else goodbye, and after that it had been a whole hour that it took the crew to settle outside the pub to start rolling again.

Lydia had gone off to figure out the bikes being dropped off for them, leaving the rest of the extras to get ready for their next takes. The Monkeys' stylist really being a lifesaver when it came to that.

Whilst Ben took over the scene of Alex coming out of the bar and walking down the street, Ella walked down the street to see what they could do and she was pleased when she saw a little street kiosk open and its owner willing to be part of the production.

It was nearing eleven in the evening by then so many shops down the street had closed, except for a 24 hour transport service ticket agency which had two men working who were quite interested in what was happening and seeing that it had quite the crew behind it, they asked Ella about what was going on and if they could take part in it.

Getting an extra to come in for the street kiosk scene and one to stand by the transport agency, the production continued. With every take, Alex was getting better at his stumbling and drunk act, as well as letting his eyes swim around the place without staring at the camera like he had accidentally been doing a lot when they first started shooting at the pub.

Further down the road there was a kebab shop, it was still open but empty, its employees chatting about in the kitchen which was in open view for everyone outside so Lydia went in and asked if they could film there. The workers asked about what it was and Lydia told them about the concept for it, which they laughed about the explicitness of it. The PA assured them there was an extra that was gonna play his part along with Lamie and that they could stand in the background. So with a bit of hesitation, they agreed.

Lydia went over to Ella and Ben when they cut a scene of Alex walking down the street as he continued to frustratingly text the girl and told them about the kebab shop news. Both directors were stoked about it, thanking the PA for her initiative and asking her to take Ben over to them so he could further tell them about what would be done.

There was something inherently tricky about explicit scenes, there was a line that couldn't be crossed when recording them so that you kept respect for your talent and their boundaries, but still captured the essence of the take. Yet that wasn't what had been difficult about recording the scene at the kebab shop.

Something hot and bitter grew inside Ella at the concept of watching Alex watching someone else getting fucked, the way that he flustered the first take they did when he heard Lamie loudly fake moans as she acted like she was getting fucked against the window of the shop, the way he cleared his throat and looked away for a minute when Ben cut the scene and went inside the shop to rearrange the people in the background of the shot.

It took a few takes to get the scene how they wanted it and a handful more to get Alex's reaction to it, he had been blushing more than needed so it had taken a few to get him to calm down and have his face look more blank for the camera.

He had gotten better at keeping his reactions neutral when they walked further down the road and found an alleway for a scene they had planned. Lighting took a bit to figure out so they had everyone take a bit of a break as Cameron worked his magic but as soon as he was done, they had two extras standing there as Alex walked past. They were supposed to grow hostile under Alex's gaze so it took a few tries for the scene to look clean.

After that was ticked off though, it was time for Lamie to go back in and get 'fucked' again. Ella was amazed at her confidence, of course everyone was making her feel comfortable and safe enough to do what she was doing but it wasn't something that anyone else could just up and do any Monday evening.

She still felt that nagging feeling growing inside her when Alex had to walk past and stare, and even though his cheeks weren't pink anymore, she knew he was feeling some type of way from how he had his hands in fists, white knuckles clutching onto the phone he had in hand.

When they finally had that scene down, they let go of almost all of their extras. Only the crew, Alex, Lamie and the two extras who were driving the motorbikes were left by two in the morning. Time had gone way too fast and it was mental to think they still weren't even done with half of the video by that time. It was good they had planned it to be a two day shoot.

Whilst the stylist got Lamie undressed and in a robe, the extras were going up and down the road with the camera rolling on them. After a few takes, they had Alex jump in and watch them drive past him almost entirely absentmindedly so that they could get the perfect shot before the one with Lamie.

When Ella had cut that scene and sent someone to get Lamie, they got a fright, finding her lay on top of two chairs that had been pushed close together. Ben had whispered her name to wake her up but she didn't so Lydia took it upon herself to shake her softly and they took a deep breath when the model woke up with a sleepy look on her face.

Ben had fully thought she had passed out because of how cold it was, considering she had no clothes on, but the model reassured him she was just taking a quick nap.

Thankfully for the model, the bikes were rather warm when she got on them and being pressed to the back of one of the extras aided in her finding it easier to shed herself of her robe.

Ben and Ella had them drive up and down multiple times, until they deemed it enough the amount of takes they had gotten and at a quarter to four, they wrapped up the recording for the day. Not really 'the day' because they'd be coming back to record later that afternoon but they were done with the first filming session by then.

Fifteen minutes later, Lamie was saying goodbye to everyone and leaving with a comical "See you in a few hours," that everyone laughed about, a bit like they were all dreading it but excited regardless of it. The extras with the bikes left too, being thanked by Ella and Ben for their work.

The Monkeys' stylist had helped them pack up, and the Focus Creeps crew had thanked her profusely for the help when she didn't have to offer it. Thanks to the extra pair of hands—Alex was helping too—, the crew managed to get everything back in their cases and order a taxi by the time it was half past four.

Ella hugged Alex goodbye before she left on the second taxi they'd had to get—because not everything fit in the first one so they had sent Cameron, Lydia and Margaret with most of their gear—, promising to text him when she'd be leaving the hotel back to the pub's street to start the second day of shooting.

The crew had probably gone to bed by five in the morning, after struggling to get their heavy gear upstairs. So they had brunch when they woke up around noon and once they had something in their stomachs, they took over Ella's room to make some notes on what they needed to get that day.

That helped them loads when they got to recording again, since they only had to get a few more shots of Alex stumbling down the street just in case and two more scenes with the extras and Lamie before they reached the final bit of the music video.

They had gotten a guy to do a stunt, jumping off the window of a house and running across the street to jump over a metal fence, all in front of a 'drunk' Alex and it had gone rather well in the first few takes so the lad had to jump off the side of the brick building a couple of times before they relieved him.

And then the taxi driver scene, which had been a bit more tricky because of the continuous accumulating traffic when they wanted to shoot all due to nosy people wanting to know what was going on.

It had been also complicated because of the intent behind the scene, attracting confused glares their way when they had Lamie 'sucking off' the driver multiple times for the video. But eventually, when the streets cleared out of ogling people, they managed to get the perfect few shots including the ones of Alex confusedly staring at the taxi driver.

After all of that had been recorded, the crew packed up again but this time to head over to the houses they had rented for the day for the video. They only had three extras with them, the roommates that were going to be in the background of Lamie's shot and the old lady that was going to peek through the window to glare at Alex when he was knocking on the wrong door.

When they got there, they all settled inside the house they had agreed would be the one where Lamie would be at. All of the gear was arranged in the foyer so it was easier to pack up when they were done, and Lamie and the two other extras went straight up the stairs with Ella so that they could see what was going to happen.

Ella quickly figured it out, the things inside the house already made the atmosphere casual and homey so she just went on to instruct the girls to pretend to be asleep by each end of the settee. The three girls would be watching TV and then Lamie would stand up from the middle of the sofa to walk over by the window and check her phone, ignoring it to go back to her place.

Whilst Ella arranged that, Ben had crossed the street with the old lady and gave her the easy instructions of what she was meant to do: after hearing Alex knock on the door incessantly, she would turn on the lights and just peek through the window to see who it was at the door.

Shooting those ending scenes had been challenging, they were all tired but they wanted to make it well and it was just the last of it so a hint of perfectionism kept them trying different angles for the takes.

But by half past three in the morning, they did the last take on Lamie walking up to her phone and ignoring the texts and it had gone amazingly swift so with a content feeling rushing through the directors, they finally wrapped up the production.

Usually, the crew used the excuse of another production being successfully wrapped as an excuse to go out for drinks or maybe go to one of the crew member's house and have a little party but this time it wasn't going to happen.

By the time they managed to get out of the houses with their gear and said goodbye to the extras, the crew was knackered and all they wanted to do was go to bed until the latest they could.

It was already Wednesday and they would be leaving later that same night so the crew at least wanted to rest for a bit before having a little stroll around London before they had to go back to LA. Alex had a meeting with his label later that day as well so he couldn't spend the day with the crew before they left.

Alex hugged them all goodbye and wished them a good flight, hoping to see them all soon when the band would eventually land on Los Angeles for a gig later that year, inviting them all to join them whenever that would be. Everyone happily accepted and thanked him for his kindness.

Ella hugged him tightly before he left in a taxi he had ordered, which had arrived way before theirs, and smiled at him softly when he promised he would make it up to her on Thursday.

When the crew eventually woke up later that Wednesday, checking out of the hotel but leaving their luggage there until they had to leave for the airport, they all went straight to have something to eat as they walked out of the hotel.

It was a quick bite from the cafe Ella had gone to with Alex when the crew had gotten there and after that, Ella had taken them through a short version of the stroll Alex gave her when she got there.

They walked to the London Eye but did not get in it, then went to the Big Ben and from there to Buckingham Palace. They marveled at the view of the Palace for a bit before they resumed their walk over to Piccadilly and from there they went to Covent Garden, where they got some late lunch before they took a cab back to the hotel.

They had to leave as soon as they managed to step into the hotel's lobby, and it made Ella emotional to see them go and saying goodbye because she was leaving in just two days. It was like she was watching her future self from the lads' perspective and she wanted to cry about time going by too fast.

A bittersweet feeling drowned her as she tossed and turned in bed that night, willing herself to sleep by closing her eyes shut tightly and slowing her breathing. Eventually, replaying the happy memories she had made in England had been what had pushed her into her slumber, a little smile on her face when Alex kept appearing in all of them.

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A loud "Surprise!" was what Ella heard the second Alex opened the door of his flat and when she walked further inside while Alex got her bag for her, she smiled brightly seeing the rest of the band, the girls, Miles and the 1975 boys there.

"Oh my god! Hi!" Ella said loudly back, walking closer to them with a shocked expression still on her face, her hand on her chest like she was monitoring her heart beats. She hadn't been expecting to see them all together there at all, so she couldn't help asking, "What is this?!"

"Did you really think you were leaving without getting pissed with us one last time?" Flo stood up from her place beside her husband and caught Ella in a tight hug.

Ella giggled as she wrapped her arms around Florence and then playfully narrowed her eyes at everyone to say, "Oh you lot just wanna make me miss my flight."

To which Flo replied with a loud kiss on her cheek before she pulled away and shrugged, "Maybe."

The whole scene settled it for Ella, and despite feeling incredibly sad that she was leaving early the morning after, she was happy she got to share with them all one last time before they had to go back to their responsibilities.

When she had woken up that morning, Ella had been melancholic as she went about her day. She showered slowly and got ready for the day at the same pace, she enjoyed every step she took as she walked from her hotel over to the photolab to pick up her pictures and decided to not take any more pictures of London but instead take it all in with her own eyes. Lord knows she had enough pictures to remember the trip by and now she wanted to properly commit it all to just her memory.

She had checked out of the hotel once she got back and Alex had come to get her when she was ready. Alex had suggested she spent the last night over at his, so she didn't have to stress about checking out at the correct time or forgetting something when she had to rush to the airport. Plus it also gave him leverage to just not miss the chance of going with her so he could spend the most amount of time they could have together.

After they had left Ella's suitcase and her bags at Alex's flat, he had taken her out for brunch. It had been lovely, despite the long silences in between, and they had chatted about all about the time she had spent there. Of course, ignoring the mishaps here and there. They didn't want to waste time thinking back to moments they were upset and Alex didn't know if he could bring those moments up without wanting to spill it all out for her.

He was still trying to figure out the best way to do that, painfully aware of the time ticking.

Alex kept checking his phone when they left the restaurant, he had taken her to one rather far away from his so he could give everyone time to arrive at his flat. Florence had been the first one to get there, using her spare key to go in and her and Matty made sure to set everything up so it was ready when Ella got there.

By the time Ella and Alex were about ten minutes away from his, Flo had texted Alex saying everything was ready and they could come by, so Alex subtly picked up his pace and thankfully Ella didn't notice but followed along subconsciously.

Alex's flat was an open plan one, so Ella could see a good amount of drinks and mixers on the kitchen island along with crips and other snacks. They had moved Alex's settee and the loveseats further away so the high chairs could fit as well.

They all stood up from their places, taking turns to hug Ella. She had tried her best not to make her blushing too noticeable when George came around and clutched her tightly to his chest, whispering "Hi gorgeous," in her ear.

The shower of affection all around was gonna make her cry but thankfully, Katie pulled through taking her over to where the drinks were and Breana had been pouring them all shots.

"Here you go, my love." Kelly said as she handed a filled shot glass to Ella, "A proper farewell."

"Shot to start?" Ella's brow rose as she questioned the decision.

Katie smirked, "Brave choice?"

"Foolish." Ella settled with a sigh which turned into a chuckle when she saw on the microwave screen that it was five in the evening. With a shrug and a deep breath, she mumbled "Fuck it." and tossed it back.

The girls followed and Flo rubbed Ella's back when she coughed at the burning of the alcohol running down her throat, praising her with a "That's my girl." when she set the glass back down on the kitchen island.

Everyone got their drinks ready after that, taking their full glasses back to the living room where they all took their seats. Alex sat on one of the high chairs and Ella took a seat to the left of him with Florence and Matty on a loveseat, Adam took another high chair to their left and on the settee that was to his left was Kelly, Nick, Matt and Breana. To the left of Bre was George and Ross who took a high chair each and to the left of the bassist was a loveseat occupied by Jamie and Katie. Miles was the one closing the circle, sitting on another high chair to Alex's right.

Conversation flowed easily between them all, laughter contagious and constant in between the chatter but after half an hour the chat had steered into work talk and Flo wanted to make things interesting.

"Shall we be kids and just play truth or dare?" The artist suggested, eyes going around the group's reactions and she found herself smug when everyone perked up at the proposition.

Ella had a condition to put forward before she accepted though, knowing how it had gone the last time she had played truth or dare with just the band, "I'm not doing any dares with y'all."

"Then truth or truth if you're willing to spill your secrets then, Eleanor." Flo nudged her softly with her elbow and Ella smiled.

She shrugged and honestly added, "Not many secrets to be fair, but sure."

"Okay then, we'll start with you." Ella scoffed at Flo when she said that, fearing what she could ask when she was the only one apart from Matty and George to know what had happened on Saturday.

To her relief, Flo instead threw out in the air, "Anyone wanna ask Ella anything?" just to give the group a chance to start it.

A few people hummed as they thought about it, Bre having a mischievous look on her face as she looked at Ella. Ella narrowed her eyes at her best friend but Miles beat everyone to it when he asked, "What's the most public place you've ever done anything sexual?"

"Oh we're going straight into it?" Ella sipped on her whiskey and coke, brows shot up at the game starting strong.

"Yep." Miles smirked at her and Ella rolled her eyes at him, flipping him off for being so smug.

"Right. Erm..." Ella took a few seconds to think about it and after doing a quick rundown of her memories, she had her answer and it was, "The woods."

Silence followed her statement, and when Ella turned to Florence to have her choose the next person, Bre chuckled and said what everyone was thinking, "You need to elaborate there babe."

"Seriously?" She asked and seeing everyone nodding, she sighed, "Can't you use your imagination?"

"No, please paint us the picture." Flo replied with a smirk, crossing her legs and getting comfortable on her seat as if she was hoping for a good story.

Defeatedly, Ella took a gulp of her drink and started recounting what had happened then, "We were on a senior highschool camping trip and me and my then girlfriend had just woken up. We were just going for a walk but then we started kissing and getting handsy, we were hiding behind a tree and then... I got dirt on my knees." She thought that was the best way to put it, and she had to hide behind her glass when everyone was staring at her shocked.

"With your schoolmates around?!" Nick let out loudly, his eyes wide.

Ella kissed her teeth, waving his concern off and explaining, "They were a good twenty feet away."

But the bassist wasn't at all relieved by that detail, "Still!" Everyone chuckled at the exchange and Miles added fuel to the fire by commenting, "Jesus Christ, Eleanor, you're dirty!"

Katie was rather intrigued by it so she asked further, "Did they not notice?"

To which Ella shook her head, "We went skinny dipping in the river right after so no."

A low "Dirty, dirty girl." was George's input in the matter and Ella had to take a long sip of her drink so that she could hide the smirk that got out of her.

In an attempt to move on from the conversation and maybe distracting everyone from what she had just shared, Ella looked at the girls before saying, "Oh talking about skinny dipping, I have the pictures of our photoshoot."

Jamie choked on his beer, coughing loudly before asking, "You girls went skinny dipping to take pictures?"

"Kind of." Ella nonchalantly replied, and then turned to Alex when Bre was the one to stand up to look for the pictures, "Where'd you leave my bag Al?"

Alex pointed it to them, "Right over there, on the table by the door."

Before Bre could reach the bag, Ella let her know where she had to look, "It's in the smallest envelope."

But when everyone turned back around to continue the game, while Breana brought the pictures, the attempt to resume the conversation died when Bre gasped loudly.

"Oh my god Ella!"

"What?" Ella turned to see her best friend so quickly and when she saw which envelope she had in hand, her heart sank.

"When was this?!" Breana asked desperately, her eyes wide and jaw dropped.

Ella wanted to die. In any other circumstance, Bre seeing the pictures would've been fine but not then, when everyone was there including who was in the pictures, "Oh for fucks sake, Bre I told you the other envelope!"

But not even that kept Breana from continuing to look through the pictures, her eyes going wider as she flipped through them. Ella just wanted her to stop, so she stood up, leaving her glass on the coffee table and slowly approaching Bre as if she had someone held at gunpoint in her arms, "Put that back." Ella warned sternly the closer she got but Breana shook her head.

"Oh no, this is hot." She said like that was enough of a reason for her not to and then she turned to look at Flo who was smirking at the hint of what she was thinking about being correct, "Florence, have you seen this?"

Breana managed to sprint past Ella and she sighed in defeat when the model went straight to Flo's spot and showed her what she had been seeing.

"Ella..." Florence said with a smirk fighting her dropped jaw and beside her, Matty was just as shocked to see she had taken pictures of it.

"Oh god..." Ella mumbled, covering her face with her hands as it all happened.

Bre was unable to stand still so she jumped back next to Matt so he and Kelly and Nick could also see what had happened. At the same time, Flo looked at George and pointed at him as she called him out, "George you filthy bitch, didn't know you were into capturing this on camera."

"What?! Ella and George?!" Miles gasped out loud, a shocked Jamie and Katie wide eyed next to him and Flo nodded, stretching her hand out over the coffee table so they could see the few pictures she had in her hand.

When she did that though, Alex got a peak of the picture they were talking about and it was an understatement to say that seeing George with his head thrown back, mouth open, eyes shut with Ella's thighs on either side of his chest and his hands clutching them, made him feel jealous.

He felt his blood starting to boil in his veins. Alex had to clench his jaw and bite his tongue not to say something he would regret, and it took a lot of self restraint to not just go up to George and fucking deck him for even coming near Ella.

"Oh, are those the pictures?" George asked innocently, like he didn't know exactly what had been pictured, "Let me see."

"Don't." Ella glared at the drummer like her look alone would stop him.

But he smirked as he got handed the envelope and when he dipped inside to take out a print, his smirk got bigger. "But you look hot, baby." George said to her but his eyes were stuck on the picture, the one he had taken of her after she'd cum on his fingers, "This one's my favorite, don't you like it?"

"Stop." Ella said again but everyone was rotating the pictures around so her dirty little secret was out and she couldn't do anything about it. She begrudgingly took her seat beside Florence and grabbed her glass to down the rest of her drink.

"Wait, I wanna see." Katie said, wanting to check out which picture George was talking about.

The model gasped, knowing exactly what Ella's state in the frame meant and with more curiosity sparking within her, she cheekily asked, "When did this happen?"

Before Ella could even think of answering, Flo quickly let them know, "Saturday."

Alex's heart sank thinking of her going out with George being the plans she had secretly kept for that Saturday. He knew he should've trusted his gut when he felt a hunch about not wanting to find out but this time the information had come to him and unfortunately now he had to deal with it. It was so much worse finding out that way though, especially knowing how much Ella had been avoiding the topic when he asked.

"Florence!" Ella let her mouth open agape at the excitement in the artist to let them all know and she truly felt like she was on fire, her body entirely too hot from the embarrassment.

"What? Everyone knows now." Flo defended herself and when Miles gave the pictures back, she turned to Nick's wife and said with a smirk, "Look at these Kelly."

Kelly flipped through them and when she got to the one of Ella on top of George, she loudly gasped, "Fucking hell Ella!"

Ella fanned herself, seeing the pictures again plus just having everyone find out this way making her too flustered, "I'm burning up."

It only got worse when George said, "Haven't seen you this flushed since Sunday morning babe."

And whilst Ella got even redder and hissed a "George, shush!" back at the drummer, Alex was stuck in his head thinking about how that had been the very same day he had come around and the housekeeper had mentioned Ella being busy.

Alex felt himself wanting to be sick.

"Okay, I need the details right now." Bre demanded, especially offended by the fact that she had no idea about this happening. "Sorry George." She added just in case he took her indiscretion as an offense.

It was the complete opposite, George puffed his chest out and stared right at Ella as he waved Breana's concerns off, "S'alright. Think we had quite a good time, didn't we Ellie?"

But Ella ignored him and turned to Bre, "No one's getting any details right now."

Which George didn't take lightly, "Don't be ignoring me now baby, I know just how to make you beg remember?"

That was enough to have Ella turn to him and with a stern look, she threatened him, "I'll be making you regret opening your mouth later if you keep this up Georgie."

"Oh I like this." George said excitedly, shifting in his seat and looking at her with hunger in his eyes, "Are you all talk, baby? Gonna show me what you'll do if I run my mouth?"

Before Ella could reply, Bre gasped and commented loudly, "Okay this is hot as fuck."

Florence comically turned to her husband and clutched his hand to plead, "Matty, I need you to consider this right now."

Matty had to hold in his laughter, looking around and catching Alex staring into the coffee table with a look that could kill, "Yeah well, I think Turner is fuming too much to let us use the guest room for a foursome sweetheart."

Florence turned to see the singer and she noticed the look in his eyes. She felt bad she had arranged the date before she had heard him confess how he truly felt about Ella but she also thought Ella deserved to have fun and unless Alex was willing to tell the American how he felt, then there was no point in him getting annoyed at Ella's decisions.

Alex got handed the pictures by Miles, a smirk on the scouser's face that just made Alex want to scream even more. He had no intention in seeing the pictures, if anything he wanted them the furthest away from his face so he handed them back to Ella like it was a bomb about to go off.

"Can we continue with the game?" Ella scolded everyone, standing up from her seat to snatch the pictures away from everyone's hands, "Give me back those pictures now."

Thankfully, she was able to get them all quickly, stuffing them back inside the envelope and putting it back in her bag. They all watched in silence as she stomped back into the living room to get her glass so that she could walk over to the kitchen island and get herself a refill.

Only when she got back and she let herself fall back on the loveseat beside Florence, did she speak again, this time saying, "Right, uhm, Miles." so that she could continue the game. "What's the weirdest place you've gotten yourself off?"

Ella was so glad when the scouser actually listened and started thinking about his answer, a few beats of silence going back before he said, "At the sauna."

A string of disgusted reactions broke out, Jamie scowling at his friend and asking, "Are you joking?" as if giving him a chance to redeem himself.

But Miles said, "No." and they all got even louder.

"Mate, that's disgusting." Alex said for everyone, a scowl on his face directed towards his best mate.

Miles rose his hands up in sign of innocence as he said, "Swear down it was just once."

Yet no one took it as a good enough excuse, Ross shaking his head and concluding, "Doesn't make it better."

"Alright, yous are ones to talk." The scouser exasperatedly sighed out, "I bet you lot have done it in worse places." He pointed an accusing finger at everyone in the group.

And Ella watched as a certain drummer's expression changed for one of reminisce as if he was actually thinking about his case being truthful. So the American couldn't keep it to herself and called him out for it, "Ew Matt, that face you've just made. I don't even wanna know."

Matt opened his mouth, about to start bickering but before an argument could ensue, Miles took it into his own hands to continue the night, "Alright I'm gonna choose or else we will be here all night." At the sign of the game resuming, they all shut up, "Florence, my dear."

Flo smirked at Miles, challenging him to, "Do your worst."

And the singer smirked back, assuring her, "Oh I am." It took him about a second to come up with, "Have you ever recorded yourself in bed?"

To which Flo asked for more detailing, "Like shagging or just getting myself off?"

Before Miles could clarify, Adam announced to the group, "I'm covering my ears."

Earning him a scoff from Florence's mouth, "Oh Adam, we've been over this bro." She said like she was tired of having the same argument, and it had chuckles and giggles breaking around the group.

And when Adam did go through with covering his ears and started an incessant sound of, "Lalalalalala." the amusement showed in the growing volume of the laughter.

"Guess both." Miles finally clarified, his voice going up an octave from his laughter.

"Yes." Flo answered quickly and nonchalantly, even going further to confirm, "For both."

Ella watched as Matty threw his arm around his wife's shoulders and pulled her into him. She pulled back slightly to gasp and looked her up and down as if surprised, "Oh you filthy bitch."

"It's fun! You should try it once." Flo told her with a wide grin before hitting Adam's arm in signal that the worst was over and he could stop being a child about it. When she turned back, she took the perfect opportunity to taunt Ella a bit, "Should've done that with George to keep a good souvenir."

The reply Ella had died in her throat when George instantly suggested, "Or we could go again. Record it then." making Ella's jaw drop and throat go dry.

"Ella, I sincerely hate you." Florence concluded, a serious look on her face that made Ella blush.

"I'm right here, Wheels." Matty reminded his wife with a scoff, letting his arm drop until it was around her waist and he could dig his fingers on her skin like he was pinching her back into reality.

"I know Curly, but–" Flo tried to argue, her head trying to come up with the perfect wording for what she was thinking but she gave up. "Whatever," she concluded and resigned to just continue the game, calling out for the person she was choosing and that was, "Alex."

He hummed in response, sipping on his beer as he waited for Flo's question. He fully expected something foul but it ended up being quite wholesome when her inquiry was, "Who would you bring with you to a desert island?"

"Easy," He firstly said before answering, "Ella."

The director cooed, turning to her best friend and clutching his forearm with her right hand, squeezing it with affection as she commented, "Awh, we wouldn't survive at all but thanks, sweets."

"Incredibly offended here." Miles interrupted the cute moment, brows furrowed showing his offended state.

Alex rolled his eyes, "Miles, you would drive me insane in less than a day."

"Exactly, encouraging us to survive." Miles fought back the statement as if that made sense.

But Ella mocked him, with a cackle and a curt, "Encouraging him to get rid of you."

"He would get rid of you too." Miles chatted back, puffing his chest out like it would help him win the argument.

"No, she'd keep me from going mad." Alex sided with Ella, making her incredibly smug.

Everyone was watching the interaction with amused smiles, lips pressed together so they wouldn't laugh and interrupt. It got harder when Ella flipped her hair over her shoulder and added, "See? Fuck you, Miles."

The scouser scoffed but who replied was Bre, who threw into the conversation a teasing, "Yeah, he wishes."

Which gave Ella the opportunity to fake pout at him and with mocking pity ask, "Still?"

An annoyed, "Sod off." was Miles' answer, and Ella would've kept going if it wasn't for someone cutting in the argument.

"Alex, choose someone before they actually fight." Jamie pointed out, knowing full well that could happen and, even though that would be hilarious to watch, they wanted the evening to go well.

The singer nodded and panickedly ended up calling, "Erm, Adam." It took him a few seconds but the best Alex could come up with was, "What's the weirdest thing you own?"

He was expecting the question to earn a really boring answer honestly, but they were all surprised when Adam had a hard time answering for very different reasons.

"Oh, erm..." Adam managed out as his face reddened and that didn't go unnoticed. Suddenly everyone was interested in knowing because this reaction to such a simple question was rare.

Matty chuckled as he pointed out, "Oh this is good, he's gone all red."

"Any kinks you've been hiding Hann?" George teased him with a smirk, wiggling his eyebrows at the guitarist.

Adam glared at him, "Piss off." but kept silent afterwards.

So Ross reminded him, "You gotta answer mate."

And everyone was expecting more silence for a bit longer until he got the courage to say, but Adam ended up blurting the answer out and hearing, "A fucking dick chastity cage." wasn't something people were expecting.

"What?!" Florence gasped out loud, not expecting her cousin to be into that at all.

"Fucking hell Hann!" George cursed loudly as he coughed on the beer he had choked on.

The looks of shock around the room made Adam feel the need to clarify, "I didn't buy it for myself, my girlfriend bought it so we could try it."

"And?" Nick asked curiously, leaning into his knees to watch the guitarist's face.

"And what?" Adam asked rather defensively.

His tone made Nick chuckle lightly as he corrected his question, "Did you enjoy it?"

It was like everyone was holding their breath as they waited for the answer and the group broke in hollers when Adam hung his head and truthfully replied with a quiet, "... Yeah."

"Oh my god!" Flo yelled, bringing both of her hands to slap over her wide open mouth, which made everyone laughed louder.

George's laugh was so contagious and so was Matty's, who struggled to get his words out in between cackles, "I will never let you live this down Hann, hope you know that."

"None of us." Ross nodded, lifting his beer bottle up like he was doing a cheers to Hann's new confession. "Next time we're at yours, we're fucking looking for it." The bassist added in a clear threat.

That made Adam lift his head up quickly and narrow his eyes at the bearded lad, "No, you are not."

"We so are, mate." Ross smirked mischievously, already planning how and when they could pull that off.

There wasn't a way Adam could shut him up other than use something he had against the bassist so he took advantage of the situation and called out for, "Ross." with a look on his face like he was seeking revenge, "Have you ever lied to get out of a date?"

Ross loudly scoffed and that was enough for the group to quiet down, everyone's curiosity sparking inside them, "This isn't fair, you know I have. You just want me to tell the story and make me look like a dickhead."

"Well you did it, so you are a dickhead." Adam shrugged nonchalantly, fully pleased with himself that it had been enough to get him to shut up and turn it onto him.

"Is this...?" Matty started to ask, unsure of why he didn't know about it and a bit offended to be honest.

Ross could see that clearly on the singer's face so he rolled his eyes and sighed, "No. Only Hann knows 'cos I called him."

"Oh I'm intrigued." Flo perched up in her seat, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips at a growing mortified Ross.

"It was this girl I knew from college." The bassist started narrating, "We bumped into each other around Soho and she said something about going for a drink or something so we exchanged numbers and met up a week later."

He took a sip of his beer before continuing, the silence hung heavy over the group, "It was fine, we were hitting it off, until a girl she was friends with recognized her and she went off with her. Left me drinking alone for about fifteen minutes and right as I was about to leave, she came back and got annoyed that I was planning on going."

Bre frowned deeply and chuckled unamused before saying, "The nerve..."

Ross nodded in agreement, "I know. And then she brought her friends over and they were all interrogating me about shit. When I told them I was in a band, but they didn't recognize the name, they started being weird and ignoring me. They even started pointing out different lads in the pub for the girl I was on a date with to go for."

Flo gasped almost horrified, entirely offended for Ross and asking, "Who's that cow? I'll batter her I swear."

George giggled next to Ross, knowing Flo would genuinely do that but instead of letting the bassist give her that information, he encouraged him to continue onto when Adam came into the picture, "What did you lie about then?"

With a heavy sigh, Ross continued narrating, "I had to text Hann to call me like an emergency had occurred and five minutes later I was rushing out because 'he got into a car accident'." He emphasized the lie by doing air quotation marks with his fingers.

Matty grimaced hearing that, "Oh mate, the car crash excuse is so overused."

"Yeah well but it's understandable." Nick sided with Ross, he would've done the same thing in his situation.

"T'was fucking embarrassing." Ross said again, his face said everything and they couldn't imagine if he looked like that just remembering it all, how he must've looked like in the moment it happened.

"Bless you, that sounds so awkward." Flo pouted softly, eliciting a soft side smile from him.

Katie curiously asked, "Did you ever bump into her again?"

To which Ross nodded in anguish and muttered against the rim of his beer bottle, "She asked if my mate was alright the morning after but that was it."

When that was over, people kept to just take sips of their drinks so Ross took it upon himself to continue the game, "Okay, let's lighten up the mood again." He hummed for a second before he chose, "Matty." and he asked him, "What kinks do you have?"

"Oh yes, brilliant ice breaker MacDonald." Matty said sarcastically, clutching Flo tighter against him before he turned to his left to say, "Cover your ears Hann."

Once Adam had covered his ears, he started listing, "Right so: bondage, edging, spitting, hitting, choking, degradation." He was smug watching everyone's eyes widen, and he looked down at his wife when he added, "We tried wax the other day, t'was fun."

Flo smirked up at him and winked, "It was."

"A bit of role play is fun sometimes." He continued when he turned back to look at the group and before he could stop, one last thing came to his mind, "And been developing a slight breeding kink since we got married but that's about it."

"You're animals." Matt concluded, a look of disgust and shock on his face.

Florence exasperatedly sighed before telling him, "Shut up Matt, you're fucking boring."

To her right though, Ella leaned into her and squeezed her hand, "I'm proud of you."

Flo chuckled and she winked at her when she replied, "I know you get me, Ellie."

But before Ella could settle in her seat again, George spoke up, "You into all that baby?"

"A bit, yeah." Ella shrugged it off like it was nothing.

Breana scoffed and called her out though, pointing out how, "She's so downplaying it."

"Breana..." Ella said with a stern look on her face. It had been enough that everyone had seen the pictures.

"What? I've seen all the kinky shit you own!" Her best friend lifted her arms up in a sign of innocence which made Ella giggle and shake her head.

Ella fake sniffling when she said, "Dusting away in my closet." like it was the most heartbreaking thing that could've ever happened to her.

But her act was interrupted when George went in to say, "I'll get Jamie to find us something so we can tour the west coast soon."

"Awfully confident, sir." Ella looked at him with a brow raised, a smirk on her face when thinking back of what she could've done if she had her things with her when she had George on her bed.

And she only grew even more pleased about it all when the drummer pointed out in a warning that only would encourage her more, "Don't call me that or else we're going back to mine right now."

It was a miracle Alex didn't throw his bottle across the room and thankfully, someone heard his silent prayers for Matty stopped the flirting by saying, "And that's my cue." so that he could choose someone to carry on the game.

Alex's relief was devastatingly brief because Matty went on to say, "Ella, what's your dream threesome?"

Ella scoffed at being chosen yet again, especially with that being the question, "Are you serious?"

"Very." Matty replied with a smirk.

She took a bit of time to answer and eventually it came down to her two latest shags, "Alice and George." It made her blush just thinking about having them two at the same time knowing how they both had been in bed.

"Of course." Matt said in a chuckle, which only made Ella blush harder.

But Flo watched out of the corner of her eye just how sorrowful Alex looked and she tried to get something out of the American that could give him a sign, "Sorry Ellie, not valid. Only people in this room."

"Alright then," Ella said begrudgingly, only to change her answer to "George and you."

"Matty, get ready to fight." Miles quickly said just to add fuel to the fire.

Before the curly headed guy could quip back though, his wife shook her head and added another rule, "Gotta be single, babe."

"Fine then..." Ella sighed and tapped her finger rhythmically on her glass as she thought, and the group was all smirks when she concluded her choice was, "George and Alex."

Something lit up inside of Alex, and it shone through his face. He was trying so hard not to let his smile show by wrapping his lips around the tip of his bottle and taking leisure sips of his beer but everyone was staring at him and it was clear that he was happy about it.

"Fourth choice Al, not too bad." Miles said, stirring the pot again like the menace he was which made Ella blush and glare at him.

And, of course, Matt added his two cents in also to add fuel to the fire by emphasizing, "Not great either."

Ella bit back on the drummer's comment before anyone else could add something to it, "You'd be last on the list Matt, don't get too cocky. And your girlfriend would've been my next choice if she was single."

Bre smiled at her best friend, blowing her a kiss, "Thanks my love."

"George stayed there as the only choice, big up mate." Matty toasted to his best mate and George was certainly smug about it.

"Good to know baby." The drummer winked at her, and that combined with the pet name only made her more flustered.

So all she replied was a shy, mumbled, "Shut up George."

That had George chuckling before he went on with his flirting, "Oh but you don't want me to, do you, gorgeous?" He kept his eye contact and she did so as well, he was hypnotizing and she couldn't peel her eyes away from him.

George's smirk grew at the clear hunger in Ella's eyes and it all got confirmed when her gaze dropped to his lips. "See?" He said smugly, because she had proved him right and just to taunt her a bit more, he encouraged her to go through with what was going through her head, "You can if you want to."

All of this flirting happening in front of him had Alex on the verge of just leaving the room. He was debating going downstairs or even to the top of his building to have a smoke. It annoyed him so much that George got all that from Ella when he felt like after everything that had happened, he had stripped himself of the chances of getting Ella to flirt with him.

"It's not that game." Ella reminded the drummer with a challenging look on her face, like she wanted him to make a move first.

But George knew her now and he saw that right through her so he just shrugged and concluded, "What a shame."

Without wasting more time so that no one commented on what had just happened, Ella chose, "Katie!" and she quickly asked, "What's the worst sexual encounter you've had?"

"Oh no Ella, don't make me tell this story." The model pleaded lightly, her answer coming to her mind easily.

"You gotta." Ella said, slightly apologetic but curious.

Katie sighed before giving out her answer, "Alright. So it was literally my second time having sex, I was around seventeen or so, and this guy was so bad." Katie's face said it all and everyone cringed for her even before hearing the actual story, "Had to fake an orgasm because he had been down there trying to eat me out for so long he started asking if I was close over and over. And when he finally fucked me, it was just as bad."

They all thought it was it then but it somehow got worse, "And to make matters worse, the condom broke so I had to rush off to the shops to get a morning after pill, absolutely terrified to my bones that I would have a pregnancy scare at seventeen for an awful shag."

The gasps that had come from the ladies at that were loud, and a wide eyed Adam was the only one to let out a comment which was a breathless, "That's a nightmare."

"Tell me about it." The model shivered at the thought and then went on to choose someone. Her eyes went around the circle and she ended up choosing, "Matt. What's the most embarrassing thing you've done during sex."

He knew exactly what it was so it didn't take him long to reply, "Follow the rhythm of a song and when I messed up, I had to focus on the beat to go again."

"Please tell me there was actually music playing and you're not saying that it was to a song you were playing in your head." Ella said with a scowl on her face, feeling bad for whoever it had been Matt had done that to.

"No, she actually put music on, dickhead." Matt chatted back with a roll of his eyes.

And bit back by turning his words around, "You're the dickhead, you did that."

To that, Matt scoffed, "Oh fuck off, as if you've never done something embarrassing in bed."

Fair enough, Ella admitted, "I have, but not that."

To avoid the argument continuing, despite it being relatively entertaining, Kelly instructed, "Matt, go on, pick someone."

Noticing how she hadn't gone yet, the drummer jumped at the opportunity, "You, Mrs. O'Malley. You've not been picked yet, have you?" Kelly looked unimpressed by the excitement written on Matt's face but shook her head to reply regardless. And her face went even more blank when the drummer asked, "Are you tired of Nick yet?"

"Of course you'd ask that, you shit stirrer." Kelly rolled her eyes, Nick chuckled beside her at his mate's occurrence.

"You aren't answering, though." Matt pointed out as if that meant anything.

Kelly brilliantly answered, "No I am not. But I bet Bre is tired of you, that's why you're asking."

Matt went on to say, "No, she's–" but Kelly interrupted him.

And since it was her turn to pick someone, Kelly started, "Let's ask her something fun. Bre, who would you leave Matt for, in a heartbeat?"

Unfortunately for the group, Breana replied, "No one."

It was hilarious how everyone but Matt scoffed or called her out for it, Matt frowning at everyone for encouraging an answer out of her. Ella calling her best friend out with an unamused, "Breana." was the last push she needed to reconsider her answer.

"Okay, ermm..." Bre started going through her options in her head.

To which Matt was entirely offended, "Why are you trying to answer?"

The group erupted in laughter when Bre shrugged and replied, "'Cause it's funny, plus I doubt Matthew McConaughey would leave his wife for me."

"Oh that's a good choice." Katie praised the answer.

Bre smiled and nodded her head, happy someone agreed, "Right?"

She wasn't the only one though, Flo hummed and added, "Yeah, he's fit as fuck."

Ella was the one to change it up when she remembered one of her favorite rom coms and commented, "Though, I was jealous of him in 'How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days'. Kate Hudson is beautiful."

That sparked a question in Breana's head, and just because she was trying to get to know more about the secret date she'd had with George, did she say, "Oh, on the topic of romance. Ella, what's the best date you've been on?"

Complaining about yet another question coming her way went over her head when the answer came to the forefront of her mind in a flash, "Oh, Valentine's day at Belmont Park last year." She smiled, and turned slightly to Alex to add, "T'was fun, very good company as well."

Alex flashed Ella the biggest smile and offered her a wink which had a little giggle falling from her lips. He was all warm and fuzzy knowing that, a reassurance that maybe all that he'd done hadn't ruined their memories together after all.

Alex was still on cloud nine after hearing that when Ross said, "That must've hurt, G."

"He's a big boy, he can handle it." Ella kissed her teeth, waving it off.

George nodded, not letting the teasing affect him and replied with a simple, "Just need to take you somewhere more fun next time."

"Exactly." Ella agreed, a smile stubbornly making its way to her face at the fact that he was thinking of a second date, despite that being impossible now that she was leaving. She had to snap herself out of her thoughts to continue the game and she did that by complaining, "Why do I keep getting picked? Nick hasn't gone once!" She pointed out and that was her choice made, "Okay Nicholas, have you ever fallen asleep during sex?"

"No, have you?" The bassist said with a confused frown on his face, "How does one fall asleep during sex?"

Ella was glad he had never done that but, at one of her memories, she let out an unamused chuckle and gave him the answer to how, "Have too many drinks and you'll find that out."

"Has someone fallen asleep on you during?!" Nick let out horrified for her, and unfortunately Ella nodded.

"It was awful." She concluded but fearing that they would ask her further about it, she reminded, "Nick, you choose now."

"Who hasn't gone yet?"

Everyone looked around and Miles was the one to say, "George... and Jamie."

Nick nodded and went ahead to choose, "George. Have you ever shagged someone and thought of somebody else?"

Flo giggled and got excited to hear the answer, "Oooo à la Cornerstone?"

The girls chuckled at the pun, while the lads shook their heads with soft smiles on their faces. But all amusement changed to shock on their faces when George ended up saying, "Yes..."

"Ella is fuming." Miles pointed out for everyone to turn and see the frown that Ella had subconsciously let show on her face.

George had been cute and reassured her, "Not with you baby, wouldn't dream of it."

And Ella was certainly pleased by that correction, "That's what I thought."

"But who was it then?" Bre curiously asked.

When the drummer refused to answer by replying with a soft, "I won't say."

Florence rolled her eyes, "Oh you're no fun."

George knew Flo enough to know she'd be asking him about it for ages until he let it out so he figured just saying it now would save him from being bothered about it for eternity, "Just a girl I met out on the pull, shagged her right after I broke up with my ex and I thought of my ex during– It was a mess."

A gasp slipped past Ella's lips and with wide eyes she begged, "Please tell me you didn't moan your ex's name."

The silence that came from the drummer was enough of an answer and everyone winced at the information.

"Oh no George..." Kelly's words came out muffled because her hand was covering her shocked open mouth.

He hung his head and nodded, "I know. It was bad."

"What'd she say?" Ross asked beside him, it was the first time he heard about it so he was intrigued.

The cringing got worse when George said, "She kicked me out of her place."

"Yikes." Adam muttered, feeling his skin crawling for his mate.

Bre had to play devil's advocate when she tilted her head to the side and commented, "Can't blame her though."

To which Alex agreed to an extent, "Tough one that."

"Right, Jamie, mate, it's your turn." George got the guitarist's attention as he was the last one to go, "What's the last sext you've sent?"

"Erm, let me check." Jamie pulled out his phone to scroll through the messages with his fiance.

"Was it that long ago?" Kelly asked rather confused, she would've expected he would keep that up with Katie consistently whilst they were on tour at least.

"No, but I just don't remember what I said." Jamie honestly replied and when he found exactly what he had been thinking about, he smiled to himself, "Katie had this modeling gig for a lingerie line and she sent me some pictures, so I just said 'They better had let you keep them so I can ruin them later' with three kisses and that was it."

Ella smirked, looking at the model when she asked, "Did they let you keep them Katie?"

"Just one." Katie replied with a smirk on her face, sipping on her drink with rosy cheeks.

"And did he keep his word?" Flo asked this time, looking between Jamie and Katie and smirking at their flustered looks.

"He did." Katie confirmed and that was enough for hollering to break out in the living room.

Miles patted Jamie's back as he yelled, "Oi Oiiiiii!!!" only causing Jamie's cheeks to grow redder.

The game ended after that. Half of the group went back to the kitchen to get refills, Matty brought back a bottle of wine that Bre and Flo were drinking so that they didn't have to stand up constantly to get themselves some more, Alex put on some music in the background and with that, everyone fell into entertaining conversation.

Drinks flowed easily as their mouths ran along topics, laughter increased in volume the more alcohol was being ingested and smiles lingered on their faces longer under the influence.

It was when Bre very not subtly asked about Ella's date with George that Ella evaded the questions by standing up from her seat and actually bringing the pictures from their photoshoot so they could finally see how that had come out looking like.

Now these pictures were ones Ella proudly let the group look through, and she let the compliments about her frames rub at her ego a bit. She made sure to let them know which ones Bre had taken because they had turned out beautiful, and she didn't hold back singing her best friend her praises.

They had ended up teasing George when he took a bit longer to look at the pictures which were just of Ella, Matt saying how the drummer should keep some as souvenirs for himself when she was gone.

Ella had let him know he could keep the other ones for himself, the ones from the day they had spent together and when they heard that, they started joking about how if he got handed them again then he'd disappear for a bit to relieve himself. Or worse enough, he'd take Ella with him for a memory refresh.

"You lot are insufferable." Ella rolled her eyes as she drunkenly mumbled, changing the subject back to the prints everyone was looking at, "Ladies you can keep your pictures. I have all the scans so I'll send them for you to keep digitally as well."

The girls chose the pictures they wanted for themselves and gave Ella back the ones that were of her, assuming she wanted to keep them. She clumsily walked up to her bag again, putting the pictures away and bringing back with her the envelope that everyone knew contained the pictures with George.

Ella gave them to George, as promised, and he thanked her by pulling her in by the waist and leaving a kiss on her cheek. Bre screeched when she saw that unfold right next to her, and that only had Ella becoming more flustered.

She loopily smiled at him and patted the hand that was clutching her tightly, "You're welcome."

Florence wiggled her eyebrows at Ella as she poured the little left of the wine and set the empty bottle just as Ella sat beside her and when she did she nudged her as if to tease her further. Ella snorted out a laugh and told her to "Piss off." as she tried to hide her burning cheeks from the onlookers around the living room.

Whilst conversation carried on around her, Ella sat in silence just admiring the chaos surrounding her. She was going to miss this group of people so much, a knot was starting to form in her throat. And Alex noticed her change, the lack of her sweet laughter in the air whenever someone told a joke out of a story that had just been shared, the way she'd recoiled into herself and was almost hidden away in the corner of the loveseat just sipping on her drink.

"Alright, darling?" Alex whispered after he leaned in closer to her so she was the only one to hear.

Ella looked up at him, nodding, "Yeah. Just sad I'm leaving, s'all."

He cooed, grabbing ahold of her free hand and intertwining their fingers to bring the back of her hand to his lips and press a kiss on her skin.

The action did more for Ella that she could let on in front of everyone. She relaxed into his touch, his warmth bringing her peace and she was relishing in it as she continued to just be a spectator of the scene. Alex didn't let go of her hand, he rested their joint hands on the arm of the loveseat and continued rubbing circles with his thumb on the back of her hand.

That lasted for about ten minutes, until Flo went over to the kitchen to get Bre and herself a second wine bottle and came back to see the empty bottle sitting on the coffee table still. She was about to leave it to the side when she realized they could use it for something fun and she started with her suggestion, "Why don't we play something fun? We have this empty bottle now."

"Like what?" Alex replied intrigued, his thumb stopping its movements on Ella's skin.

"How about seven minutes in heaven?" Florence smirked, glancing at Ella and Alex's fingers intertwined.

Ella let go of Alex's hand, taking it to put some strands of hair behind her ear while she said, "Is this your excuse for a quickie with your husband?"

Half the group cackled, Matty sitting a bit straighter at the mention of something like that happening but his smugness was wiped right off him when his wife let out, "I was hoping for George but sure!" in an awfully chipper tone.

"Wheels!" Matty called her out with a scoff, poking at her ribs and making her jump. Ella smiled at the nickname he had for her, she had found it so cute when she first heard it at Glastonbury and it got even cuter when she learned of the story behind it.

"Sorry Curly, you know I can't help it." Was the only excuse Flo had for her husband and it made the group laugh. George was enjoying it though, he winked at Florence and that had her blushing.

The artist grabbed the empty wine bottle and rested it sideways on the coffee table, leaning in so that she could spin it around, but before that could happen, Ella pointed out, "This is the most American thing I'll ever see you do."

And when Flo replied with, "And hopefully the only one, no offense." she couldn't stop the loud laugh that escaped her.

Florence spinned the bottle and they all watched intently as it went 'round and 'round until it landed on no one else but her own husband. The couple were about to stand up and leave when the whole group broke out in complaints, the loudest one being Alex.

"No, not with Matty. They're actually gonna shag and I won't be washing any sheets right now." Alex said sternly, knowing just how the two were.

Almost throwing a fit, Flo let go of her husband's hand, "Alex, you're such a dick."

"Go on, spin again." The singer instructed once more, not letting on to have her get her way.

But Flo was keeping her ground and saying, "No." to him.

"Alright then I'll do it for you." Alex huffed out, standing from his seat and hovering over the coffee table to spin the bottle. "There you go." He said, letting it spin as he went back to his chair.

Yet, when the bottle stopped, Alex wished he hadn't done that because it landing on "George!" seemed like a much worse outcome.

"Get fucked Alexander." Flo cursed out loud as she stood up, flipping him off right before she grabbed George by the hand.

Nick found it incredibly amusing, his laughter loud as he struggled to say, "You did that to yourself mate."

But someone who also wasn't happy about it was Ella, who called Flo out loud, "You lucky bitch." and it had Miles wheezing out a laugh.

What stopped the laughter was Florence shrugging and offering, "You can join us if you want."

Everyone turned to look at Ella expectantly but a fraction of a second went by before Alex put his two cents into the situation, "You either go in right now or we're playing something else."

"Sorry Ellie." Flo said, very not sorry, and snuck away with a grinning George close behind her into the guest room.

"Do not shag in there!" Jamie thought it would be funny to remind her.

And a defeated Matty was relieved to hear, "Not without my husband, no." come from his wife.

"Fucks sake." Ross muttered under his breath, shaking his head at the gray area that would leave room for happening inside that bedroom.

Matty hurried someone up to, "Start a timer." and thankfully, Bre was quick to pull her phone out and start it for them all.

When she was younger, Ella remembered that in this stage of the game everyone went back to their conversation, drinking and making jokes until someone deemed the seven minutes to have gone already so that they could get whoever was inside the room out. But in that moment, everyone stayed silent, almost holding their breaths as they saw the seconds quickly running by, and trying to hear over the music anything that could be happening.

There were still ten seconds left for the seven minutes to end when Matty stood up and went down the hall to press his ear on the door. Everyone was holding back their laughter as they watched his confused face trying to get any noise, but he couldn't hear a thing.

The ringing of the timer going off startled him off the door but he hurriedly knocked on it to let the pair know, "Time's up! Come out now."

To Matty's relief, the door opened merely a few seconds later and Flo pecked his lips as soon as she saw him.

"How was it?" Matty asked her, intrigue written all over his face.

It wasn't until she came back to the loveseat and sat with Matty beside Ella that Flo let out a dreamy sigh and replied, "Unreal."

Matty rolled his eyes, hugging her to his side, "Stop playing."

And Florence rolled her eyes as well, like it was annoying her that her husband wasn't playing into it so she ended up truthfully letting them all know, "We were just chatting."

Of course Ella wanted to taunt her a bit so she put a confused act up and rhetorically asked, "Is that what the kids call it these days?"

"Ha, ha. Funny." Flo replied meekly to her attempt at a joke and to stop the giggles the American was letting out at her own comment, she quickly chose, "Ella, you're next."

Her giggles turned into a scoff, "Of course I am." and she watched as Flo leaned into the coffee table to spin the bottle.

"Oooo" The room rumbled as everyone watched the glass spinning, and when it almost slowed to a stop right on Flo's place, Matty went in to purposely push it a bit further. His wife hissed out a "Matty n–!" which was cut short when the tip of the bottle ended up stopping pointing right at George, "Oh shit, nevermind."

"Cheers mate." George smugly said, tipping his bottle towards his best mate in thanks.

The girls screeched at the reaction, and they looked expectantly at Ella for hers but she was just reddening by the second with her lips pursed as if she was trying not to show how much she was anticipating whatever was going to happen.

"George is the real winner tonight I reckon." Jamie pointed out, looking from Matty to Alex and gauging the fact that they had almost the same expressions on their faces.

"I really am." The drummer easily agreed. He and Flo had just been chatting about his date with Ella and he had enjoyed hearing a bit of what Ella had said about him so now that he had the opportunity to have her alone again, even if it was for a few minutes, he was fucking buzzing.

He stood up and walked over to Ella, extending his hand out for her to grab, "You ready babe?"

Ella only hummed in response, hand coming up to grasp George's and he took her lack of words to tease her, "Cat got your tongue?"

In all honesty, she was trying really hard not to react with so many eyes on her, so she told him to "Shut up before I change my mind."

But George knew she didn't mean that at all and when he called her out for that by confirming, "You wouldn't." and got more of her silence and evading his eye contact, he was incredibly smug about being right.

Alex died a little when the bottle landed pointing at George, and it continued dying a little more each step that the pair took in order to get to the guest room. He was thankful that the second the door closed and the lock was turned, Matt had started the timer.

It was a nightmare of a situation: knowing exactly what he was feeling about Ella but having obstacles like these coming in front of him actually saying something, plus her going back home across oceans while he was off going around the world. But god did the knowledge of what he felt whenever she looked at him, touched him or spoke to him with that voice of hers did to him, burn him.

Alex had no idea what to do with himself, but the bottles he'd had were threatening to let his lips loose and his thoughts escape him and he didn't know if that would be something to be grateful for or regret later. What he did know in that tipsy mind of his was that he didn't want to ever know what was going on behind that door.

And rightly so, because George had barely done one thing before Ella crashed her lips on his and hungrily kissed him like she'd been dying to for centuries. They were sitting at the edge of bed, a bit of space in between them but their hands reaching out to touch each other as their tongues met. And that space started to shorten as their breaths grew heavier and after she had to reluctantly pull back to take a deep breath, she ended up being guided by his strong hands on her hips to straddle his lap.

They lost track of time as they kissed and the room grew hotter as she rolled her hips on him. Slowly he started getting hard and she could feel it so she got more intent with her movements, keeping her eyes on him as she slowly rolled her clothed core over his hardening cock and making his jaw go slack at the friction.

Ella bit her bottom lip as she watched him struggle to keep the noises to himself and when he finally let a low groan rip through his chest, she whined and nodded in approval. She fucking loved watching him slowly fall apart under her and for her, and how she wished they had the time to go further and have him the way she wanted one more time. Her mouth watered at the thought of even getting to taste him again.

But their lack of awareness on how much time they had already spent inside the room did them dirty and loud knocking startled them out of their lustful state.

"Time's up!" They heard Miles' muffled voice through the wooden door and they sighed in defeat.

She begrudgingly got off George's lap and fixed her hair and clothes as she stood up, offering her hand out for him so she could help him stand up as well. And George did accept, standing up a couple feet away from her but he was clearly sporting a hard-on so he had to drop her hand so he could rearrange himself in order to not make it that obvious.

A loud, "Come on out!" interrupted their peace again but they ignored it. George went onto tuck himself in a way it didn't look that obvious and Ella was just shamelessly gawking at him with her bottom lip trapped between her teeth.

Thankfully, George was done by the time another yell came from the other side of the door, "Oi! Come out, you dirty bastards." this time a bit further away, but Ella opened the door aggressively and was met with Miles who had his fist up as if he had been just about to knock.

"We're out, fucking hell. Impatient crowd." She huffed out with her feet quickly taking her back to the living room, looking straight at her forgotten glass so that making eye contact with anyone in the group broke her and made it evident what had happened.

That only made her look more obvious to everyone though, and so Nick teased her by pointing out, "Ella, looking awfully messy there."

"Oh shut up." She replied with an irritated tone to her voice, still taking her fingers through her hair quickly to fix anything messy just in case.

Flo waited until the director had grabbed her drink, taken a gulp and sat back down beside her to loudly ask, "How was it?"

A question which Ella decided to answer with just an "Alright..." that no one bought.

"More than alright I bet, you're bright red." Breana called her out, the flush to her cheeks going all the way to the tips of her ears and that's how she knew Ella was properly flustered.

"Shush." Was the only thing Ella could think of to attack Breana's statement, but in the midst of avoiding everyone's knowing looks, Ella looked to her right and found a silent grumpy Alex which made her frown, "What's up with you? Why are you so pouty?"

What had just happened with George plus the alcohol that she had ingested had Ella entirely distracted, and that only made Matty want to cackle out loud at the fact that she had just asked Alex that as if it wasn't obvious.

And the urge to laugh grew more intense when Ella leaned into the center of the room so she could softly grip the bottle and said, "Right, Al, you're next. Ready?"

"Yeah." Alex softly answered, not really convinced about the game but participating just for the sake of it.

Ella spinned the bottle and when she went back to her seat, she turned to him with a grimace, "Don't sound so sure there, damn."

"Ooooooooo!!" The group loudly rumbled out in anticipation, Alex's eyes fixed on the spins the bottle did, counting twenty seven until it stopped and the gasps that drowned the room were what snapped him out of his trance.

"Fuck off!" Katie cursed loudly, a hand flying over her mouth as she giggled.

Matt wiggled his eyebrows, "Ella going in for the second time in a row..." as if that was the sole reason for the ruckus.

"Calm down now, y'all are shit stirrers." Ella giggled as she shut them up, but they wouldn't so she just stood up and grabbed Alex's hand to drag him over to the guest room. Not really dragging him, he almost had a skip on his step as she followed behind her.

From her seat, Flo was silently praying this was it and especially when the pair walked in the threshold of the room but before the door could close, Ella called out, "See you in seven minutes!"

Silence was incredibly loud outside, Miles going to the lengths of actually turning the music way down until it was almost silent so that they could pry anything that could be heard through the door or the walls.

But Alex was being quite soft when he asked, "Are you having fun?" like he was scared of sound shattering the invisible glass that surrounded them in the moment.

"Of course I am!" Ella was a bit drunker than him so she struggled as she whisper-shouted. She giggled when Alex's eye went wide at her slightly louder volume compared to his and she lowered her voice down to confess, "Wasn't expecting this."

The singer smiled sweetly at her and in his hazy mind, he needed to make sure once more "D'you like it?"

Her enthusiastic nods made him melt inside, "I do. I'm gonna miss y'all so much." She wrapped her arms around his shoulder to hug him, it was a slightly awkward hug since they were sitting on the edge of the bed next to each other so she turned a bit to the right so she could pull him closer properly.

"I know. M'gonna miss you too." He whispered in her ear, drowning in her scent which made him dizzier, "Loads."

Ella's mind went back to a minute prior so she pulled back to see him as she turned the question onto him, "Are you having fun? You were frowning outside."

Alex didn't fully lie when he replied, "Just don't want to see you go, that's it." because that was also what was bothering him, but she didn't need to know it was because of George and her and how clear it was that something had happened in the very room they were currently in.

"I'll try to come visit again soon." Ella promised with a soft pout on her face, "After tour maybe."

"Would you?" Alex asked elated, a sparkle in his eye at the sheer possibility of having her there again soon—not really that soon but at least it wasn't an uncertain space in time.

She nodded, entirely convinced about it, "Of course, I just need to check my schedule."

Alex chuckled at the way she said it, and played onto it by nodding, "Right, busy girl."

"I am though!" She snorted at his sarcastic remark, "Director now, remember?"

He hummed before he pulled her into his chest, "Yeah, I'm so proud of you."

A kiss was left on the top of her head as she wholeheartedly replied, "Thank you, sweets."

Her face was pressed to his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist and a comfortable silence enveloped them, preserving that warmth between them. They were relishing in the feeling until Ella's thoughts managed their way out past her lips, "I'm gonna miss seeing you every day."

And it wasn't at all a struggle for Alex to agree, "Yeah, me too. But we can video call." He was so fucking glad for technology—that he could barely manage—for making it possible to keep in contact.

"You promise you will when you're free?" Ella pulled back a bit so she could look into his eyes.

"I promise, darling." Alex confirmed, drinking in the never ending beauty of her hazel green eyes.

Ella tilted her head to the side and scrunched her nose as in distaste when she remembered he was a busy guy so she probably wouldn't be able to just go around calling him whenever she wanted so she brought up another request, "I don't want to interrupt you so you'll have to call me okay?"

Alex shook his head at her, chuckling at her train of thought and turning it around to her, "And what if I interrupt?"

She waved his worries off in a heartbeat, "It wouldn't be anything special. It could be just a scene I can record again, whereas I can't interrupt an interview, can I?"

The answer she wanted didn't reach her ears, instead she watched Alex smirk at her and playfully roll his eyes before assuring her, "Yes you can."

"I doubt it'll be cool to interrupt your rockstar schedule, sweets." Ella reminded him like he had forgotten just who he was.

But Alex was well aware and he didn't give a fuck about it if it meant something to do with her, "Trust me when I tell you I wouldn't want anything more."

It earned him another snort of laughter and an almost mocking, "You're such a bad liar."

"Not lying darling." He corrected her with a soft look on his face that just had Ella rolling her eyes in a need for at least a fleeting moment of cutting the eye contact short.

Just saying a blunt, "Sure." when her gaze fell on his again.

They stayed there just trying to read what was behind each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity but it had only been a mere few seconds of silence that Alex broke when he whispered, "You've got really pretty eyes, have I told you that?"

His hot breath hit her slightly parted mouth, "I don't know." She replied breathlessly and in a moment of weakness, she admitted, "I like yours."

The chuckle he let out hit her mouth again, but instead of making her breath shaky, it made her smile so big it reached her eyes. "Mine? You're joking." Alex concluded with a raised eyebrow, challenging her to take it back.

But she would never, she loved the richness of the brown of his eyes and nothing compared to how they glowed a golden honey when they were hit by the light. And just as sticky they caught her and it was hard to get rid of the feeling of them on her, "M'not! They're pretty!"

"Nothing in comparison to yours." Alex stated, and then his eyes dropped to the rest of her face, catching the freckles dusting over the bridge of her nose and her cheeks, "I like your freckles too."

She was about to thank him when his brows furrowed and as she stayed quiet because she was thinking something bad was about to happen, Alex instead let out, "You're so beautiful." with a tone in his voice that sounded slightly pained.

Ella could barely manage the soft, "Thanks sweets." she gave him in return, her throat going dry at the proximity so her tongue came to lick at her bottom lip instinctively.

That was when Alex's gaze dropped further down and fell magnetized on her mouth, and his thoughts left him before he could even process them, "You've got a pretty little mouth too."

Ella snorted at that, "Right."

But instead of taking it back, Alex insisted, "You do."

"It talks loads of shit." Ella tried to joke, raising her brows as if to accentuate the fact.

It earned her a soft giggle from Alex but what Ella wasn't expecting was for him to add, "Yeah? Wonder what else it can do."

Against her better sense, she found herself saying, "Wouldn't you want to know." Her subconscious taking over and letting her heart drive her actions.

Her heart rate started increasing in speed when he replied, "I do, actually."

And all she could even let out was a breathless, "Do you?"

That felt like the perfect moment, Alex felt it all coming to him like a wave of words coming up his throat and ready to spill it all out for her but when he opened his mouth, the endless words tangled on the tip of his tongue and he stuttered, "I–, Ella–"

"Alex?" She was frozen in his arms, not knowing what to do or say but something inside her was screaming and burning and she wanted to let it free.

"I am, I–" Alex struggled again, in his eyes she could see the frustration and through them the cogs turning inside his head.

So she encouraged it with a soft, "Yeah..."

But he couldn't trust his words anymore, and instead he decided to finally do what he had been dying to do since the second their first and only date was over.

He trapped her lips in a kiss and he hummed as he melted into the feeling of her plush lips against his. It was heaven. Her short inhales as they kissed, the way her fingers dug into his clothed skin as they went, the warmth of her flushed skin under his fingertips. His hand had come up to cup her jaw softly and he smiled into the kiss when one of her hands came over it, as if to keep him there.

In that very moment it felt like it all made sense, like everything aligned perfectly and maybe every worry they'd ever had was just a silly thought. It felt so right to feel her like this and it felt so right for him to hold her that way, delicately but firmly. He knew he didn't want to let go and she was slowly coming to that conclusion too.

It was like the shock of it all quickened the rate at which they ran out of air, so she pulled back with her chest heaving and her hand still clutching his to her face, "Was that 'cause we're drunk or did you–?"

Alex cut her question short, thinking a second kiss would be enough of an answer but also just because five seconds had gone by and, after finally having properly kissed her, it felt like long enough to wait until kissing her again.

This time it was like a switch had been flipped and the wholesomeness was exchanged for hunger. Their tongues met instantly and they both hummed in bliss at the feeling, he tasted like beer and she tasted like whiskey. Her other hand came up to the back of his head and up until her fingers could clutch onto the longer strands of his hair, intensifying the neediness of the kiss.

Their lips smacked as they kissed, skin growing hot with every passing second and their hands timidly started to roam.

That was until his fingers harshly dug into the skin of her hip which was slightly exposed from their movement lifting up her shirt a bit, but the feeling of him clutching onto her like that was so good it elicited a soft moan out of her, and from then on it became more desperate.

Right as Alex started leaning forward so that she could lie on the bed with him on top, the absurdly loud and incessant knocking started, "Time's up! Come on out!"

That was Matt's voice they'd heard but somehow more people started yelling out for them to come out that it was a choir of chaotic noises that made them both sigh exasperatedly, "God, they're loud." Ella grimaced, throwing herself back on the bed completely defeated.

Alex sat up straight and stared at the door, wishing his deadly glare went right through it and striked whoever was on the other side of it, "Yeah, obnoxiously loud."

Ella pushed herself off the bed to sit back straight beside him, fixing her hair quickly as she started to say, "We should–"

But Alex interrupted by saying something along the same lines, "Right, we should..."

Yet none of them did anything to get out of the room, instead they started leaning closer until their lips were locked together again and with their eyes closed they enjoyed the few seconds of that kiss.

Which was rudely interrupted by Matt now awfully loudly asking, "Are yous shagging in there?!"

Their lips smacked softly when she pulled away and Alex swore she saw her eyes lit up with rage when she roared a harsh "Shut up Matthew!" at the door, followed by a just as annoyed, "We're coming!"

She stood up quickly, smoothing her clothes as she walked over to the door, and before the drummer could be smart about the joke he was trying to make by twisting the meaning of her words, she opened the door aggressively and spit out a venomous, "You're fucking annoying."

"Did you...?" He tried to ask as she walked past.

"No." Ella replied sternly, turning around to watch Alex—who was coming out of the room and brushing his hair with his fingers—and they shared a look that said they would talk about it later.

Flo narrowed her eyes at them both as they walked up to their seats, "You sure look too flushed to not have." and with her words, came the input of everyone else.

It wasn't only their flustered states but their swollen lips and the almost palpable tension that came with the pair coming out of the room. Ella sighed and continued to deny anything happening, Alex doing the same thing before grabbing Ella's empty glass to get her a refill as he went to get himself a new bottle.

"I'm always blushing, especially if you are taking the piss out of me so..." Ella easily found a way out of it and whilst a few people took it as enough excuse, a fair few didn't.

"I don't buy it." Matt said warily, a look on his face that matched the one on his girlfriend's face, which Ella completely ignored just so she wouldn't get caught in her lie.

"Believe what you want Helders." Alex rolled his eyes at his best mate as he walked back into the room, handing Ella her full glass of whiskey and coke and getting a cute little thanks from her before he smirked at the drummer and turned the tables on him, "In fact, you're next mate."

Alex spun the bottle and sat back down, watching it spin mindlessly because his mind was entirely caught by what had just happened, his heart growing in size in his chest and threatening to make him explode, he was just a mush of emotions at that point.

It was the loud complaints and sorrowful comments that made him look down at the bottle who had stopped and it was pointing at Miles, "Oh no."

Matty cackled, "Miles and Matt are gonna trash your guest room mate."

Ella didn't even let the pair consider it a funny joke for a split second, "You better not, I'm sleeping there later."

"Are you actually?" Matt asked, entirely confused, and Ella was just as confused because he knew she had checked out of her hotel room.

"Yes, where else am I gonna sleep?" She scoffed out, taking a gulp of her drink as if that could help her deal with the man.

And she really had needed it when the drummer shrugged and nonchalantly replied, "Dunno, Alex's bed?"

"Oh, piss off." She flipped him off, and then ushered him out of the room along with Miles with a wave of her hand, "Off you go, you have seven minutes."

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

Seven minutes in heaven ended up unleashing a chaos that no one was expecting. It had been hilarious and eventually when things ended after they denied Matt and Breana going into the room after the bottle had landed on the drummer, they had moved onto more conversations and somehow ended up getting a bit of information from George and Ella about their date.

Ella was glad George didn't spill anything non-PG and they just playfully hinted at the rest of their night, keeping to just letting everyone in on where they had gone and how he had taken her around London.

Alex's blood was boiling as he heard it all but he was reassured by Ella resting her hand on his knee and keeping it there as everyone chatted about the newly shared story. And thankfully, Matty and Ross had cackled about a place George had taken her and ended up telling a few of the band's teenage years stories that had everyone creasing.

They all were so entertained that time slipped past them and with it more drinks came until Ella was crashing because of the amount of alcohol she'd had. Breana had already fallen asleep for a bit with her face hidden on the crook of Matt's neck, her legs thrown over his lap; so Ella languidly hugged everyone goodbye, apologizing for going to bed so early—it was almost three in the morning—but her eyes were closing and heading to bed with her best friend sounded amazing.

She got tight hugs and coos from everyone, promises to see her soon and visit her over in LA when time would allow it, and once she managed to escape George's grip—who had hugged her by the waist to his chest and kept her in between his spread legs, leaving kisses on her shoulder and neck—, she got Bre to go with her to the guest room so they could comfortably sleep.

And that was one of the best night's of sleep she'd had. It probably was thanks to the alcohol having dulled her senses enough for everything to feel fuzzy and nice, and how it had helped her fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and Bre's arm was around her waist.

But all the peace she had lingering in her body by her slumber had dissipated like vapor when she opened her eyes and saw the sunlight peeking through the blinds.

Suddenly, the lack of hearing an alarm going off got her springing up from bed in search of her phone. When Ella saw that it was way past eight in the morning, she turned around in a panic and shook her best friend as she whisper-shouted, "Bre! Wake up!"

Breana mumbled something in her sleep, and Ella had to shake her a bit more for the model to finally peel her eyes open and acknowledge her. "Bre, it's eight thirty, we're gonna miss our flight!"

"Oh fuck, we're so late." Bre winced when she saw the time on her own phone, eyes going wide and blinking constantly to wipe the sleep off her face.

Ella ran off to the living room and she was glad to see Matt sleeping on the settee. She came up to him, leaning into him and shaking him softly as she whispered, "Matt! Come on, wake up Matthew."

"What the fuck?" Matt frowned when he opened his eyes and found Ella, looking disheveled and panicked.

Her anxious, "It's half past eight, we're late." was enough explanation for it.

"Fucking hell." He cursed under his breath as he sat up on the settee, rubbing his eyes, "Is Bre awake?"

"Yes." Ella nodded, looking back to the door of the guest room and praying Bre was getting ready as quickly as she could. She wanted to do that as well but asked Matt first, "Can you wake Alex up for me, please?"

And a bit of relief flooded her body when he nodded, "Sure."

With long strides she went back into the guest room and found Breana in a different outfit from the one they had slept in, grabbing her toiletry bag to go to the bathroom and quickly finish getting ready.

Whilst Bre was in there, Ella changed her clothes in record time and ended up knocking on the bathroom door so that she could brush her teeth and wash her face quickly whilst Bre did her own thing.

Breana watched as Ella quickly finished doing that and walked back inside the room, leaving the model to put a bit of makeup on her face while she took the suitcases out of the room and towards the front door.

The next knock on the bathroom door was from Matt, who gave his girlfriend a brief kiss as she walked out and hurried her up to have her things ready so they could leave as soon as possible.

Bre got to where Ella was standing by the door, taking a hurried glance inside the bag she had perched up on her shoulder. And she was stuffing her toiletries bag back inside her suitcase when Ella told her she needed to do something really quickly before they left.

Ella gave Bre no time to ask what on Earth it was that couldn't wait before she was out the door, so she was left making sure she had everything on her and going to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Out on the hallway, Ella was taking quick long strides towards the door to the next flat and silently praying that who she was looking for was home.

She had no idea why she was nervous, maybe it was the mix of fear of losing her flight and the worry about Alice not being in her flat but she was so happy when only a minute after knocking on her door, the singer opened the door and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips seeing Ella standing before her.

A heavy sigh came from Ella seeing her there and with a soft smile she reminded Alice, "I promised I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye."

"I'm glad you kept your word." Alice replied, melting at the fact that she'd actually pulled through with it.

"I have these," Ella went through her bag in a second and pulled out the envelope with the pictures she'd taken of Alice, handing them to her, "Thought you'd wanna have them. I have the scans."

She smiled at the Allie x written on top of it and when she opened it, her grin morphed into a smirk, "Oh this is perfect." Alice took one of the pictures out, one of her thighs littered with love bites and Ella's hand gripping her leg tightly, Pure Desire tattoo to the right of the frame, "Just what I needed to remember you by."

"You're a tease." The American girl laughed, her cheeks tinting a subtle pink but glad to see she liked the pictures.

"And you love it." Alice winked at her before putting the picture back in the envelope and opening her arms so Ella could give her a hug. They clutched each other tightly, and Alice whispered in her ear, "Have a good flight Ellie. I'm always a text away, or a phone call away. Whichever you prefer."

Ella hummed in content, "Thank you Allie, so am I." She pulled back, taking a step backwards and willing herself to properly take in the moment before she finally said a soft, "Bye."

"See ya' Ellie." Alice said instead, not wanting it to seem permanent, waving at her as she walked backwards but eventually turned around to head back inside Alex's flat.

Before she could open the door, it opened and there was Alex, followed by Bre and Matt. But just the sight of him made her breath hitch in her throat, the kisses they had shared the night before playing in her mind like a film and she had to fight the urge to throw herself at him and repeat it at least one more time.

There's still time, Ella said to herself. They still had to drive all the way to the airport and she wasn't going to say goodbye until they were in Heathrow Airport.

But time was exactly what they didn't have at that moment. The girls basically threw themselves in the back of Matt's car and the lads all but threw their cases in the boot of the car before getting in the front seats and making a dash for the airport.

Forty minutes it took them to get there and another nerve wracking ten minutes to find a parking spot. Ella didn't know if she could've endured this stress if she wasn't in the company of her friends, because her heart was hammering against her chest under the pressure and her panic was threatening to become worse.

The last thing she needed was to have a panic attack in the middle of the airport.

Though that seemed like a very high chance when she and Bre got to the counter of the airline they were flying and the lady who helped them there told them they needed to rush because the gate was quite far away and they were going to start boarding in approximately thirty minutes.

With their tickets in hand and their carry-on bags rolling beside them, the girls walked back to where Alex and Matt were waiting, but Ella was stressed out to the bones about time ticking, "Fuck, we gotta run Bre."

"I know." The model let out a shaky breath, squeezing her best friend's hand as if to say 'we've got this' and offer her some comfort.

"Guys, we need to run. We're boarding in thirty minutes and our gate is on Terminal B." Ella said sadly, pained that they couldn't even fit five more minutes together before having to say goodbye.

"Maybe it was a bad idea to play those drinking games." Matt winced but ended up laughing at the situation.

Bre chuckled, of course this would happen to them for trusting themselves throwing a party the night before their flight, "It was fun though."

They smiled and nodded in agreement and it was Ella to take the first step into starting the goodbyes. She walked over to Matt and hugged him with a pout on her face, "Bye Matt, I'll see you soon, yeah?"

They swayed a bit and Matt squeezed her tightly before pulling back, "See you soon Ellie, love you lots you little shit."

She giggled at him and she reciprocated as he pressed a brief kiss on her cheek, "Love you too dickhead."

Beside her, Bre was hugging Alex goodbye too and the second that she pulled back and saw her boyfriend ready to kiss her goodbye, the model jumped into Matt's arms.

Ella smiled to herself seeing them, not missing a chance to make a gagging noise when they started kissing which ended up with her getting a middle finger from the couple. That was her cue to stop stalling and turn to see Alex, who was patiently waiting for her to crush him in a hug and she did just that.

She hummed in the embrace, trying to memorize the feeling of him pressed against her the best she could because she knew it would be a while until she got the privilege to feel that again. He was desperate, his brain a tangle of thoughts so messy that left him stupefied when trying to come up with an answer to 'is this the right moment to let her know or should i wait?'.

"We'll video call, yeah?" She said in his ear, one last attempt to properly guarantee they wouldn't stray away from each other.

Alex replied, "Promise." in a heartbeat and with such conviction, not even letting her think he would allow that to happen.

And just to make sure she was covering everything, she pleaded, "Text me when you're free okay?"

"'Course darling." Alex nodded, taking in her scent and praying it somehow managed to stick to his top so it would linger in the cotton of his shirt and he could pretend she was there with him for a while. His heart twisted in his chest, he wanted to be selfish so badly and just ask her to stay with him for longer, racking his brain for an excuse to make that possible but there was none.

He felt himself growing upset, the frustration getting to him and a knot started forming in his throat so he spoke very softly and low when he said, "M'gonna miss you so fucking much."

And it made it so much worse when she agreed, "Me too sweets, too much."

When he pulled away and saw her face, he found her eyes filling up with tears and just that had him tearing up with her. He cupped her face with both hands and his thumbs rubbed softly at her cheeks, "Don't cry darling, please. Late September we'll be back in LA alright?." He had that date marked on his calendar already, and it would be a countdown until that day the second that she walked away from them.

Ella sniffled, "I'll see you then." and offered him a sad smile.

He nodded, leaning in to kiss her forehead and she felt his lips brush against her skin as he said, "It'll come quick, you'll see."

She closed her eyes at the feeling, which she lost once he pulled back to look at her and under his burning gaze, she opened her eyes again. He was going to look for that shade of brownish green of her eyes everywhere he went until he saw her again, just to feel a sliver of what she erupted inside him with her presence.

"Take care, darling." His hands were on her shoulders then, squeezing them softly.

Ella nodded again, taking every word of his to heart like a prayer, "You too, and have lots of fun on tour okay? Keep me updated, I wanna hear it all."

"Definitely." He grinned brightly at her, thinking about how he was sure there wouldn't be a thing that happened on the road that he wouldn't want to share with her. "You'll keep me in on what Los Feliz is looking like, yeah?"

The snort of laughter that came from her filled him up with warmth, and after she promised she would with an enthusiastic, "Absolutely." he pulled her back into his chest and hugged her tightly.

"Love you darling." His hot breath hit just behind her ear and it made her shiver, something he felt with her in his arms and god didn't that reaction make him want to just give her his heart entirely.

He clutched her even tighter when she mumbled, "Love you sweetness." back. The fact that they were existing in borrowed time at that moment completely escaped them, their eyes closed as they relished in each other's touch and presence.

But it was cut short when Bre sighed sadly behind her and reminded her, "We need to go Ellie."

Ella didn't even have the privilege to fight for a few more seconds because they really needed to go, so she broke the embrace with pursed lips in an attempt not to pout and let her chin quiver until she cried and she put on a brave face when she turned around to grab her carry-on case and walked along with Bre.

The girls waved them goodbye once more as they walked to the security line and the lads did the same. They watched as they, thankfully, walked down the line at a decent pace since the line was moving quicker than expected and they didn't leave until they managed to see the girls disappearing past that checkpoint.

It had been pure silence after the girls left, the lads only talking when Matt suggested going for some food and Alex agreed, but apart from that, they just seemed to be in their own heads.

Matt was clearly thinking about how hard it was to say goodbye to his girlfriend and endure a month or so without her whilst on tour until they were back in the States and she could join them on the road.

But Alex wasn't as lucky and he was mourning the missed chances he'd had to speak up. He wanted to hit himself in the head for being an idiot, wasting the time he'd had with her by being jealous and fucking shit up instead of coming clean and actually try and see if anything could happen between them.

He felt like he wanted to call Florence and just cry to her on the phone, let her call her a fucking idiot because that's what he was.

Instead, he kept that turmoil to himself all day. From the second he and Matt sat down at the pub they'd chosen to eat at—they'd gotten a text from Bre and Ella saying they had barely made it into their flight and it was all because first class had taken a bit longer to board, Ella comically saying 'thank fuck for the posh dickheads being late!'—up until the moment he got back home.

It was painful having to walk back into his flat and see the living room in the same state they had left it the night before and the door to his guest bedroom open and showing the messy bed.

He was so out of it at that moment that he just went straight to bed and plopped down on it face down, cursing himself out in his head endlessly until his eyes closed and he fully fell asleep.

Yet, he couldn't really escape. His mind tortured him with dreams of Ella, and despite the feeling of emptiness that swallowed him, he really wouldn't wish for something else.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

A/N: So... it finally happened. Sorry it took this many chapter but really not sorry because this is the way I planned it to be - I did say this would be a slow burn so, you were warned. Now, something I really am apologising for, from the bottom of my heart, is for the fact that after this chapter it might take me longer to update. I had up until this chapter done and ready to post, and even though I have every chapter left in this series meticulously planned out, it's been a little hard finding the time to write it properly lately. I'm so very sorry, life has been getting quite stressful lately and there's a lot in my plate right now but I promise I will do my best to upload as quick as possible. My heart is quite literally breaking as I say this, but I hope you can understand and I hope you know I don't take your patience for granted. Once again, my most sincere apologies for this but I'm also sending you my most heartfelt thank yous for all the time you give this story and the support you show me, it means the absolute world to me and I love y'all very much. Yous are all fucking amazing, hope you have the best weekend! Sending lots of love and truly hope to see you really soon xx

Taglist:   @imagine-that-100 @red---moon @kennedy-brooke​ @faveficz @indierockgirrl @ladydraculasthings @moonvr @unwantedlovergirl @eaglestar31 @nikisfwn @funniestpersoninnyc @andrearroe @justacaliforniandreamer @alexturnersgf69 @yourorganiccigarette  

[corn-producer69420]

Aizawa x fem reader

Tw: angst? forgetful Aizawa, suicidal/violent, blood, comfort

I'm back :)

"Class dismissed," Aizawa's usual tired tone reverberated across the classroom, his black hair framing his fatigued face as he brought an end to the chatter of Class 1-A. "We will continue our discussions on internships tomorrow," he sighed, watching his students trickle out of the quiet room. With a furrowed brow, he gathered his heavy bag and exited, closing the door behind him.

The journey home proved irksome, a ride with Present Mic filling the air with relentless chatter during the entire 20-minute drive back to his shared apartment with y/n, fueling his mounting frustration. Upon arriving, he bid his companion farewell before stepping into the silent apartment, purposefully setting down his bag to announce his presence. "Y/n... I'm home," he called out, his mind dwelling on the morning's events.

*"Aizawa... do you remember what day it is today?" Y/n's cheerful voice had been met with dismissal earlier, leaving a pang of regret lingering as he packed his bag for work. Dread weighed heavily upon him throughout the day, his temper flaring at his students, and his frustration boiling over at his colleagues. 'How could I forget our 5th anniversary?' Aizawa tormented himself, preparing for the impending confrontation.*

"Y/n?" he called again, his breath catching as the door creaked open to reveal shattered glass strewn across the floor. Rushing in, panic seized him as he surveyed the room, eyes darting amidst the bloodied tiles and broken shards of glass. "Y/N!" he cried out, spotting a huddled figure beneath blankets. Carefully, he approached, patting y/n's back tentatively. "Aizawa?" Her soft voice offered a measure of solace as she revealed herself. Their eyes met, and a tear escaped Aizawa's, his heart heavy with concern. "I... w...what happened?" he stuttered, settling beside her on the bed. "Sorry... I... I lost control," she managed, breaths shaky with emotion. "That's okay... don't apologize... I... I'm so sorry, y/n," he murmured, hands gripping hers tightly. "I... it's okay," she reassured, grasping onto him as he enveloped her in a tight embrace.

Her fingers threaded through his hair, securing a messy bun with an emerald green elastic from her wrist. "I love you... you know that, right?" Aizawa whispered, her smile a balm to his troubled soul. "Yes... and I you, Zawa," she replied, her usual nickname bringing a hint of warmth to the moment. He sealed their exchange with a soft yet firm kiss, his heart swelling with love and relief as they lay together, wounds tended to, basking in the comforting silence.

"I'll clean up later," he promised, the weight of frustration lifted from his weary shoulders.

[the-bluerecluse]

Midoriya's First Heat

MHA- Dekubowl (Deku x everyone (but really just Deku x Class 1a minus Mineta cause he got expelled or something idk fuck him)) | SFW Omegaverse

Summary: Midoriya begins pre-heat. It's his first heat. How does that work in the dorm system?

Part of my OmegaDekuBowl series

SFW Angst/Fluff

inspiration: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1539151 // https://archiveofourown.org/series/1701352

Thank you so much to @cozysafechaotic for being my beta! Really appreciate it.

btw this is chaptered on my ao3 but here on tumblr im not bothering with chapters anymore for finished fics. one big ol fic for yall.

---

Tired. That was the way to describe Midoriya’s current mental state. 

He had no idea why he was so tired. Too much training? Too little sleep? 

Maybe it was the fact that he’d cleaned the entire common area and cooked dinner all by himself that afternoon. 

His friends had tried to pitch in but he was absolutely adamant about doing everything himself. Why couldn’t they see that he just wanted to take care of them? 

After class had let out, he pretty much beelined for the dorms with nothing on his mind except helping his friends. Cleaning, cooking, all of it. Come to think about it, he’d been pretty huggy too.

Well, he just wanted his class to feel good! What was wrong with that? 

“You good, Midoriya? You’ve been pretty busy.” Kirishima said to him as he walked past. He had a finished plate of curry in his hands, the dinner Midoriya had made for all of them.

“I’m fine, Kiri, really.” He sighed. Why was everyone asking that?

“Alright. Well, you know you can talk to us, right?” 

“I’m fine.” He said, sounding admittedly tired, even to himself. 

Even if he did clean and cook all afternoon, he shouldn’t be this tired. He trained day in and day out, why was this exhausting him? He inhaled. The smells of his class filled his mind, easing his tension bit by bit. 

He spotted a discarded jacket on the floor near the couch. Without thinking, he quickly picked it up. Why did he do that? Oh, probably laundry. Yeah, it needed cleaning.  

He held it up to his face and took a deep breath. It was Kirishima’s.

Alpha.

Warmth filled his core and he smiled. 

“Oh, you found my jacket.” Kirishima yelled from the kitchen with a slight waver in his voice. 

“Oh, uh, yeah. It was on the floor so it’s probably dirty. I’ll clean it for you. No worries!” Midoriya rushed off before he could hear again how he needed to take it easy. 

He rubbed the cotton material in his hands as he rode the elevator up. As he stepped off onto his floor, he found himself entering Tokoyami’s room. He searched the darkened area and found a cloak hanging off the side of the bed. It smelled of him, like ash and a dark roast coffee. 

He grabbed it and exited the room, now holding a hoodie and a cloak as he approached Aoyama’s room. 

…

Jirou stepped off the elevator on her floor. She was still worried about Midoriya but she couldn’t find him on his floor. Eventually, she figured she’d just retire to her room and Midoriya would reach out for help if he needed it. 

What she didn’t expect was to see Midoriya leaving her room with an armful of clothing. 

“Uh, Midoriya? Are you okay?” 

“Huh?” Midoriya blinked and looked at her as if escaping from a trance. “Yeah?”

“What’s… with the clothes?” 

The greenette looked at the clothes in his arms with a puzzled expression. “Um… laundry?” 

“You don’t seem too sure about that.”

“I guess that’s what I’m doing.” He shrugged. 

Wait a minute. 

Cleaning, cooking, extra touchy, and now he was stealing clothes. 

Jirou’s eyes widened. “Midoriya, are you… um,” She winced, not knowing how to phrase it politely. “Are you, uh, nesting… like, in a pre-heat?” 

Midoriya furrowed his brow at her, as if what she said was insane. After a moment, his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “My heat? Oh crap! Am I gonna have my first heat?”

“Wait, your first? I thought Present Mic said omegas got their first heat in middle school?”

“I-I’m a… late bloomer.” Midoriya flushed and grimaced. “Crap, I’m going into heat. I didn’t even think about this when we moved into the dorms. Am I gonna have my heat here? What am I gonna do?!” Midoriya was hyper-ventalating and shaking. 

Jirou focused on pumping out as much soothing beta scent as possible, knowing that her number one goal was calming him down. 

It worked, though just a bit, as Midoriya’s breathing slowed and deepened and he stopped trembling. 

“Let’s head downstairs, we’ll calm down first, yeah? Plus, everyone will be relieved to know what’s been going on. Didn’t we talk about in class how when someone’s in heat they need to feel safe with people they’re close to? I know we’re not family, but we can try and help?” Jirou held out her hand and Midoriya hesitantly took it. She led the omega to the elevator and the two headed to the commons, Midoriya still holding an armful of clothes.

“Do you want to tell everyone when we get down there?” Jirou asked.

“I don’t know.” Midoriya whimpered and gripped the clothes he had tightly. 

“Uh, you don’t have to tell them if you don’t want to. I can probably spin some excuse for you.” 

“I…” Midoriya paused. Jirou sent out more beta scent to help calm him and he continued. “I need to go ask Mr. Aizawa what I’m gonna do for my… heat. I’d like… someone to come with me.”

“That’s no problem. Who do you want?”

…

“What do you think’s been up with Midoriya?” Kirishima asked to the group sat in the living area with him. 

“I’m not sure, but it’s definitely odd behavior.” Todoroki answered. 

“There’s no way the nerd looks that exhausted just from some cleaning and cooking, something else is up.” Bakugou said, looking as unperturbed as ever, though there was still some worry evident, just barely.

“Perhaps something is wrong with Eri. They’ve been particularly close ever since the School Festival.” Iida offered. 

“Nah, Amijiki’s been talking about Mirio and Eri and she’s been totally fine.” Kirishima responded. 

The elevator dinged and Jirou and Midoriya entered the commons. Most of the class turned to look and raised an eyebrow at Midoriya’s armful of clothes. 

“You, like, on a laundry run or something?” Kaminari asked. 

Midoriya ducked his head and flushed. 

Some of the class picked up that something was wrong. The omega was letting out distress pheromones and you could see it all over his face, too. 

“Are you alright, Midoriya?” Momo asked. 

“Do you want me to ask?” Jirou spoke softly to Midoriya so only he could hear. He nodded his head. 

“Midoriya needs to go talk to Mr. Aizawa.” She looked to two alphas near the tv. “Bakugou, Iida, you wanna go with him?” She shot them a very intense ‘go, don’t ask questions’ look. 

“Of course!” Iida shot up in an instant. 

“Tch. Fine.” Bakugou got up, looking reluctant, but Midoriya could tell that he wanted to go. 

“Hey, is he okay?” Kaminari asked. 

“He’s fine, just chill out.” Jirou shrugged, trying to keep people from prying until Midoriya was ready. 

“Thank you.” Midoriya said and handed the clothes in his arms to Jirou so he could begin walking to the door, to which the two alphas singled out followed. 

As soon as the three were outside the dorms, Bakugou broke the silence. “Okay, spill, what’s going on?” causing the omega to wince. 

“I’m… in pre-heat.”

“What?” The two alphas practically yelled. 

“Ah, I assume we are going to Mr. Aizawa to ask about your accommodations during your cycle.” Iida said. 

“So that’s why you’ve been acting weird.” Bakugou muttered. The omega nodded with a red face. 

“Rest assured that we will do anything to help you through your heat, Midoriya.” Iida announced whilst chopping the air. 

That brought at least a little comfort to the omega’s nerves as they made their way to Mr. Aizawa’s office. 

…

Aizawa was grading Kaminari’s paper, making a variety of marks as the door opened. He looked up from the homework and raised an eyebrow at Iida and the two problem children. 

“What is it?” 

“Could you… wait outside?” Midoriya asked quietly to the two other students. 

“Of course.”

“Yeah, whatever.” 

The door closed and Aizawa was alone with a very nervous Izuku Midoriya. This had his attention. 

“Why are you here?”

“So, I know we’re at the dorms because of the league and all, but… what do I do for my… heat? Do I have to have it here?” He asked, voice high and face aflame. 

Aizawa blinked. That wasn’t anywhere near what he was expecting. 

“You all were actually just about to have a class about this kind of thing tomorrow.” The teacher put the papers inside his desk and gave his full attention to his student. “It isn’t safe to send any of you home, so one of the new buildings constructed is what’s known as a Cycle Home. Do you know what that is?”

Midoriya shook his head. 

“A Cycle Home is a building with heat rooms and rut rooms. As you can imagine, these are facilities for taking care of alpha and omegas in heats or ruts. They’re staffed by Cycle Specialists trained to help people through their cycles. UA has specifically hired Cycle Specialists for youths and we have A/B/O support on staff. Think counselors, but specifically for problems relating to secondary gender.”

“So… I stay in a heat room?”

“Pretty much. You’ll be escorted to the heat room and spend the duration of your cycle there under 24 hour supervision. You’ll have a laptop with internet access to attend classes and be provided food, water, medication, nesting materials, and a heat collar.”

“When do I go?”

“How long do your pre-heats usually last?” 

Midoriya winced and went silent. After a moment, Aizawa sighed. 

“If this is your first heat, then I’d say you should go right away. We’ll contact your family and let them know. If you’d like anything from home we can call and have it brought here. For now, you should go pack what you want with you in the heat room. If you want, a teacher can escort you, or you could have some of your classmates go with you.”

“I’ll have my friends come with me.” Midoriya bowed his head. “Thank you, Mr. Aizawa.” 

“If you have any concerns about your heat or secondary gender, there are people in the heat rooms who will help you. Now go pack.”

“Yes, sir.” Midoriya left the room with a very tired Aizawa and explained the basis of what they discussed to the two alphas waiting outside.

“You’re going to be in the heat rooms? Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay with us in the dorms?” Iida asked as they began their walk back to Heights Alliance. 

“I think it’s for the best. I’d be safer there, anyway.”

“Safer? Like anyone could keep you safer than I could. I’d kill anyone who tried to even get close to you.” Bakugou scoffed. 

Midoriya felt his inner omega positively sing at that. 

Alpha will keep us safe in heat. Alpha will protect us. Alpha wants us safe. 

“Really?” He couldn’t keep himself from asking. 

“Hah? You doubting my ability to keep you safe?” 

“N-No, not at all, Kacchan!” 

“So, will you be staying in the dorms with us after all?” Iida’s voice had a lilt of hopefulness to it. 

The omega thought it over for a second or two. “No. This is my first. I don’t know what might go wrong. It’s best if there are professionals around in case something happens.”

“I understand. And I applaud you for taking your health so seriously.”

“Tch. Whatever, nerd.” 

…

Midoriya ran through his packing checklist one more time in his head as he rode the elevator down. 

Blankets, a pillow, my favorite All Might plush, laptop, clothes, underwear, toiletries, anything else? 

His backpack was full to the brim with things for the heat room, causing him to wonder if he overpacked. 

Once the elevator doors opened and his entire class seemed to be waiting in the commons for him. He had texted Jirou earlier that it was okay to tell the class since he had to leave for a week or two and that they should probably know why. 

Turns out they were all quite concerned for him. 

“Aw, Mido, you were being so sweet taking care of us, and now you’re leaving? Not fair!” Mina charged into him with a hug, almost toppling the two of them over. 

“We would be happy to take care of you here, if that’s what you want.” Todoroki offered. 

They really want me to stay, huh?

“Thanks, guys, but I’ve made up my mind.” 

“That’s okay, Midoriya. We hope you feel better.” Tsu said.

“Yeah, for sure.”

“We wish you the best!”

“Au Revoir~”

Midoriya smiled and nodded. 

“Forget it. Me and Glasses are taking him and that’s final.” Bakugou growled. 

Midoriya looked over to see Bakugou baring his teeth at Todoroki and Tokoyami.

“I think it’d be a good idea for me to join you in escorting Midoriya to the Cycle Home.” The bi-colored alpha said.

“As if. The nerd chose me, got it?” 

“Dark Shadow and I wish to join as well.” 

“What part of ‘he chose us’ don’t you idiots get, huh?”

Midoriya walked between them. “All four of you can take me if you stop fighting.”

That shut them up. With a few grunts or nods of approval, the five of them set out for the other side of campus. Midoriya, Bakugou, Iida, Tokoyami, and Todoroki. Four alphas and one omega. 

When they arrived, Midoriya felt like he was sweating through his jacket. All the anxieties were building up and now he was there, about to spend over a week without any of his friends or family in one of the most vulnerable points in his life. 

“Are you feeling alright, Midoriya?” Todoroki asked softly. 

“‘Course he’s not, you idiot.” Bakugou barked, ever the calm one.

They entered the building which had a similar look to Heights Alliance, not surprising, as they were built around the same time. There was a front desk with a friendly looking woman wearing pink glasses and a headband. 

“Hi there, Izuku Midoriya?”

“Um, yes ma’am.” 

“Alright, let me just sign you in. I just need to ask you a few questions about your cycle.”

“Oh, uh, right.” Midoriya nervously approached the desk.

“Have you started yet or are you in pre-heat?”

“Um, pre-heat.”

“This is your first, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you have any medical conditions that we should be aware of?”

“No.”

“What is your pack status?”

“No pack.”

“Alright, that should do it. Allow me to show you to your heat room.” She stood and gestured for Midoriya to follow her. He turned to his friends first and bowed his head. 

“Thank you for escorting me here. I’ll see you after this all blows over.” 

“Of course we’d help. We are your class after all!” Iida proudly announced.

“Yeah, whatever. Don’t slack off. When you come back we’re going at it, 100%!” Bakugou scoffed and walked out of the building, followed by the other three alphas with various goodbyes. 

Midoriya’s expression softened and he turned back to the woman to be led to his room.

The heat room was sort of similar to a hospital room in size. It had a large mattress on the floor with a closet, desk, and window. In the open closet was a large selection of blankets of various colors and sizes, most likely nesting materials. 

“This is where you’ll be staying, feel free to make yourself at home. You’ll have three meals delivered to your room and two snacks a day. The bathroom is down the hall with showers as well. As you’re the only omega checked in at the moment, you have it all to yourself. A Cycle Specialist will be assigned to you to keep track of your progress, temperature, and water intake. We’ve received a delivery of a few blankets and pillows from your home which will be moved here momentarily.”

Modiriya nodded and began unpacking his things as the woman left him to his own devices. He plugged in his laptop and set it on the desk. He stored his clothes in the closet. He poured out all the nesting materials he had packed for himself onto the bed and put his bag of toiletries on the edge of his desk closer to the door for when he got ready for bed that night. 

He stared at the room with a feeling of emptiness. What now? He had finished his homework and he couldn’t train now that he was in the heat room. 

Usually he’d hang out with some of his friends. Talk with Iida and Uraraka, play some videogames with Kaminari and Sero, train with Bakugou, Kirishima, and Todoroki…

He could make a nest. That’s what he was doing earlier, wasn’t it? 

Midoriya grabbed some of the blankets from the closet. They were nesting blankets specifically, long, oddly-shaped, and extra soft. He smiled as he carded his fingers through the fibers. He brought them to his face and smelled… 

Detergent. A nameless detergent that meant nothing to him.

Earlier, the clothes from his class… his friends, it smelled so nice. Warm, comforting, safe. 

But these…

Well, he’d take what he could get. 

As he was setting up the base for his nest, there was a knock. He told them to come in and it was the lady from before with a big box. 

“Your mother sent you these from home. If you need anything, just let us know, your attendant will be here shortly to do a quick check-up.” She said before closing  the door and leaving. 

Finally, nesting materials that smelled safe. 

Midoriya practically tore through the box. Most of them were old blankets that were his, but a few were his moms, smelling like chai tea and fresh dough. 

And so, he got to work. 

…

It was three AM. Midoriya could barely sleep. He felt anxious. He felt tired. Most of all, he felt alone. He had worked on his nest for hours but it just felt empty. He could smell his mom and his old home, but not his current home. Not any of his friends. Not Iida. Not Uraraka. Not Todoroki. Not Kacchan. 

Now that he was aware he was going into heat, he could feel it. This unending tension and clinging exhaustion that wouldn’t let go. If everything he learned in class was right, he should be going into heat within the next day.

He couldn’t help but remember the clothes he had collected earlier. Kirishima’s jacket, Tokoyami’s cloak, Jirou’s hoodie, Aoyama’s shirt, Hagakure’s tank top… they all smelled so secure and reassuring. Throughout everything he and his class had been through together, their scents were a source of calm to him. 

He wanted so badly to go collect nesting materials but he was stuck there now until his heat ended. 

Midoriya pulled out his phone and opened the class group chat. 

‘Midoriya: Hey guys. Do you think some of you would be willing to bring some nesting materials by the heat rooms at some point? Like shirts and blankets and stuff. Don’t feel like you have to though. It’s not super important’

He added the last part, unsure about how the request would make his class feel. An omega taking items for nesting was usually only for people they were close with and/or pack mates. He didn’t want to overstep anyone’s boundaries or sound like he was demanding their things for himself. Though, it couldn’t hurt to ask, right?

He put down his phone and tried to get some sleep before class tomorrow, which he’d be attending virtually. 

…

The omega woke up to his phone alarm and an all-over body ache. He winced and groaned as he sat up and stretched. 

Oh, right. Heat pain.

His usual morning routine went off decently well, a shower, teeth-brushing, taming his messy green lockes with a hairbrush, the usual. As he was just making sure his laptop was ready for the class, a Cycle Specialist knocked and entered. 

He was a taller dark-skinned man with patches of gray scales on his face holding a clipboard and a satchel hanging off his shoulder. “Greetings, Midoriya. I’m your nurse, Mr. Higashi, I’ll be checking your vitals this morning and Nonaka will be here with your breakfast soon. If you could just sit at your desk, I’ll take your blood pressure and temperature.”

Midoriya sat and furrowed his brow as the nurse entered. He was careful not to stray too close to the nest, as entering an omega’s nest without being invited was generally a bad idea. “Is all this really necessary?”

“Technically, no. But, as you’re a hero student having his first heat under the care of UA, the staff want to make sure there’s no negative reaction by the body or that you may have some condition about your secondary gender that might affect your hero work.” Mr. Higashi said as he wrapped Midoriya’s arm in the cuff and took his blood pressure.

“Besides, between you and me, they’re mostly covering their butts. See, if a student has a bad heat experience under their care, you or your family could sue.” The doctor laughed. “And they can’t send you home because of all the villain attacks. So they gotta give you the best, or else they’re in trouble.”

That got a small chuckle out of him. 

“Alright, your heart rate and blood pressure look good. Let’s take your temp.” The nurse scanned a thermometer over his forehead and hummed at the reading. “A little warm there. I’m guessing you’ll be starting your heat within the next 20 hours or so.” He quickly put his medical instruments in a small bag and picked up his clipboard. “I’ll go fetch Nonaka for you, be back in sec.” The nurse offered a cheerful smile and left. 

Higashi walked down the hall and to the front of the building, looking for Nonaka when he saw a small crowd of students at the front holding a massive amount of clothing and blankets.

“Excuse me, may I help you?”

“We’re here to see Izuku Midoriya.” The taller one with glasses and dark blue hair spoke loudly with an air of authority. 

Higashi looked down at his clipboard with Midoriya’s paperwork and scanned the top information section. Just as he thought. “Izuku Midoriya is not in a pack. Only immediate family and pack members are allowed to visit the omegas.”

“What? That’s ridiculous!” A shorter brown-haired girl said with a pout. 

“We were asked to bring him some nesting materials. May we leave them for him?” One of the alphas of the group, the one with red and white hair, asked calmly. 

“I’ll take them for now, go ahead and leave them on the front desk. If Midoriya says yes, then I’ll allow it.”

“Why the Hell wouldn’t he say yes when he’s the one who asked us to come here?” One of them, the winner of the Sports Festival, practically snarled in his face, as two others from the group put all the nesting materials on the desk as asked.

“Believe it or not, there are some people who will try and force nesting materials on omega’s in an effort to get them used to their scent so they may take advantage of them.”

A few in the group recoiled in disgust, while a couple others seemed offended at the implication.

“I’m not saying you guys are definitely doing that, it’s just something we have to be aware of. Midoriya’s still mentally in a place where he can accept and reject things, so I’ll talk with him about it.” 

“Sorry, what did I miss?” Nonaka walked in at that moment, having probably gone to use the bathroom. 

“Just some friends offering nesting materials, Nona, go ahead and grab Midoriya’s breakfast, I’ll take care of this.”

Nonaka nodded her head and left. Higashi looked back at the group. 

“Thank you for the offerings for your friend. We’ll take it from here.” 

“Of course. We thank you for your time.” Glasses bowed and corralled everyone out the door. 

Higashi smiled at all the offerings piled on the front desk now. “Nice kids.”

…

“Midoriya?”

“Come in.” Midoriya said from his desk. 

The lady from earlier with pink glasses, Nonaka, entered with a warm tray of food. “Breakfast. Lunch Rush makes all the food for the Cycle Home, so lucky you. I love his cooking.” She set the tray down on the desk and placed some chopsticks beside them.

“Thank you.” Midoriya quickly grabbed the tray and began eating his grilled fish, suddenly feeling extremely hungry. 

“Also, did you ask for some nesting materials from your friends? A group of students came by with clothing and blankets for you.”

“Mm-hmm!” Midoriya hummed and nodded in between bites of food.

“Alright then.” Nonaka stepped out of the room and Midoriya heard a strained sound from outside. He looked to see Higashi bringing in an absolute mountain of nesting materials. 

Midoriya inhaled in surprise and a bit of rice flew into his throat, causing him to cough and hack it up. As soon as he caught his breath Higashi stepped out and brought another mass of items.

“They brought all that for me?” 

The two attendees laughed. “Yep. You’ve got a good group of friends there.” Higashi said.

“We’ll leave you to it. I’m sure you’re gonna wanna work on that nest now, huh?” Nonaka said, smiling at Midoriya’s vigorous nodding. She chuckled and the two left the room.

Midoriya was on cloud nine as the scents from all his friends filled his nose and head. Forget food, he was on the floor sorting out items in an instant, trying to figure out how each color and each scent would fit together in his perfect first nest. 

There was so much material to work with, layers upon layers of cloth and cushion, Midoriya was in heaven. 

He spent the next twenty minutes carefully placing each item in its exact spot within the nest. Just as he was making the important decision of where the alpha scents went, the alarm on his phone went off, alerting him that class was starting very soon. He reluctantly got up from his nest and went to his desk to start class.

—

The heat was really setting in.

It had been 3 days. He had made the perfect nest and for a moment he thought this might not be so bad.

Well, those anxieties he felt earlier about his first heat were not misplaced. 

He hurt, and not a little either. One thing you could not say about Izuku Midoriya is that he had no pain tolerance. That was the opposite of the truth. He’d shattered his bones over and over again and kept fighting. 

But this wasn’t like that. It was an ache. It was a throbbing burning ache in his core that spread across his body, and he had a headache to match. 

And the actual heat part… Midoriya had fought Todoroki before, he’d been burnt by fire, this was worse.

At least in a fight he had adrenaline coursing through him that kept his mind from focusing on any pain or discomfort, but just sitting there in his nest, he could feel every inch of fire on his skin. 

Heats weren’t normally like this, at least, not for adults, but as he had heard about in health class, heats and ruts when you’re young are irregular and abnormal and can easily be debilitating. 

Lucky him. 

On top of it all, all of his senses were cranked up to a hundred. Increased sensitivity, another effect of heats. Things were bright, pain was more intense, tastes were stronger, sounds were louder. 

Thankfully, since the staff are trained for this sort of thing, they easily communicate and move around without making too much sound. And the food was already pretty bland, probably for this exact reason, so he could still eat pretty easily.

He laid in the fetal position in his nest, all clothes except boxers discarded, and fan on full blast. Classes were over for the day, so he didn’t have to keep trying to focus with his muted thoughts and fuzzy vision. 

There was a knock and the door creaked open. 

“Hey, Midoriya. I need to get your vitals real quick and then we’ll get dinner right out for you.”

Midoriya whined out something hoarsely and slowly sat up, holding out his arm for the blood pressure cuff. 

Higashi gently took a seat beside him and set up the cuff. “At this rate, your peak heat should happen sometime between tonight and this time tomorrow. After that it’ll start to feel better.” He spoke softly as he took measurements. Midoriya was wincing at the cuff squeezing his arm, feeling everything so much more during this period. 

The omega reached for his All Might plushie and held it close, needing something to squeeze. Higashi smiled but didn’t comment. He just scanned his forehead with the thermometer and hummed at the results. 

“Did you finish your water from earlier?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Midoriya practically whispered as he handed him the empty bottle. 

“Alright, let me get you a refill.” He took the bottle and left, allowing Midoriya to dramatically flop back down with a deep sigh. 

The worst part of all of this was that throughout it all… he could only think about how much he wanted to be back at the dorms with his friends. He wanted them there. He wanted to nest there and bring them in, invite them in, and cuddle with them together. He cared about each of them so much. Their scents were great, and just about the only thing keeping him sane, but what he wouldn’t give for them there in person…

For now, all he could do was eat and guzzle water like his life depended on it.

…

“Alpha…” Midoriya whined and whimpered. His peak heat was here. His eyes were glazed over and he couldn’t move his body much. His thoughts were muddled… but there was still something on his mind. “Alphas… where?”

Higashi scribbled a few things down from his seat at the desk. He was required to keep ten minutes of watch over Midoriya every hour to make sure nothing alarming happened. He seemed physically fine, but Higashi was starting to think he did have a pack. Well, not yet, but he seemed very attached to a group of alphas, most likely those kids from earlier, and he wouldn’t doubt if he’d bonded to the betas too. 

“You’re alright, Midoriya. Do you want more water?”

“Alphas… Kacchan. Want Kacchan.” 

“Kacchan isn’t here. Do you want an ice pack?”

Midoriya curled up and whined pitifully. 

“I’ll get you an ice pack in a minute, okay?”

Midoriya didn’t respond. Honestly, Higashi was surprised he had already responded as much as he did during his first peak heat. 

The omega was clearly quite close to his friends. He wouldn’t be surprised if the next time he saw Midoriya he had formed a pack with them. A pack formed at a younger age came with some unique problems, but it wasn’t inherently doomed to fail. He’s seen many young packs who stayed together and made each other stronger, just what heroes in training could use. 

Higashi wrote down a note to recommend A/B/O support to Midoriya. A counselor in secondary gender and pack dynamics could help him navigate a possible pack, or at least his relationship with these alphas. This ‘Kacchan’ in particular seemed to mean a lot to him. 

He’d bring it up to him once he came out of his heat. 

...

Midoriya quickly shoved his laptop and charger into his bag. He was finally getting out of this place! 

His heat ended up lasting 8 days, 8 days too long if you ask Midoriya. He was thrilled to get back to his friends and classes and he was already mulling over which muscle groups to work out and which type of combat training would be best to jump back into after his break. 

He had to request a box to store all the nesting materials his class had brought him. Extra care was taken to neatly fold them so they wouldn’t be so crumpled or wrinkly when he returned them. 

It felt awful to have to take apart his nest that he worked so hard on, but if it meant leaving sooner, then he was all for it.

“Hi, Midoriya, may I come in?” Came Nonaka’s voice. 

“Come in.”

“We’re almost ready for your checkout,” Nonaka said as she entered the room. “However, you’ve still got some lingering heat scent so you’ll be required to wear a heat collar on school grounds. Do you have one? If not, we have one you can take with you.”

The greenette blinked in surprise. “Uh, no, I don’t have a heat collar.”

“That’s alright.” She fished around in her pocket for a moment before pulling out a plain black collar wrapped in plastic. “Here you go. Let me just finish your check-out and you’ll be all good to go.” She waved and exited his room.

Midriya took the collar in his hand and fumbled with the plastic before sliding it off. 

The collar was a thick fabric with two long strips of foam, meant to go over the scent glands, and a thin plastic buckle at the back. It was black and plain, as one should expect from something given out by medical staff. He rubbed his thumbs over the foam. It was soft yet firm, comfortable but still able to soak up the scent. It slid over his neck and snapped in the back with a small click.

Midoriya adjusted the collar a bit, trying to center it over his glands in just the right way before finally letting go with a satisfied smile.

With his bag zipped shut, and the heat room left just as it was found, the omega eagerly left the room and beelined for the lobby. 8am! There was still enough time to take his stuff back to his dorm and make his first class in person.

As he entered the lobby, he saw some familiar faces.

Was that… his entire class?

“Deku, you’re out!” Uraraka called and waved her hand in the air excitedly. 

It’s true. His entire class was there. All 18 of them!

He couldn’t help it. After over a week of being alone in heat he ran up the group, not an ounce of hesitation, and practically tackled Bakugou in a hug. 

Alpha. The words resided in his mind as he clutched onto Bakugou like his life depended on it.

“What the fuck? Deku?” Bakugou yelled, but didn’t push him away. 

“Alpha.” This time he said it aloud in a satisfied sigh.

Though Midoriya couldn’t see it, as his face was buried in Bakugou’s chest, the alpha’s cheeks flared red and his eyes went wide. 

“Midoriya, are you quite alright?” Iida asked, putting a hand on the omega’s shoulder, not paying attention to the death glare now upon him from Bakugou.

Midoriya pulled away with a smile like the sun. “Yeah. I just missed you guys.”

“We missed you too!” Mina, Uraraka, Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari all shouted at once. 

There was a laugh from the desk. “Izuku Midoriya, you’re all checked out. You’ve still got class, but afterwards I’m sure your friends will be happy to keep you company. And be sure to come back if you have any other concerns.”

“I will.” Midoriya waved. 

“Oh, and don’t forget the nesting materials your friends were so nice to have brought you.” Higashi said and he entered with the box of clothes and blankets. 

“I got it!” Kirishima ran to the nurse and grabbed the box before heading back to the group. 

“Alright, we have enough time to take Midoriya’s items to his dorm room and then go straight to class.” Iida announced and waved them all out of the building.

Midoriya practically skipped out of the building with Bakugou’s hand in his right and Iida’s in his left.

“So what was it like in there, Mido?” Mina asked.

“Boring.” He answered honestly. “I really miss classes in person, training, and just hanging out in the dorms with all of you.” 

“Aww, we were missing you too. It’s just not the same without both the problem kids.” Mina snickered, expecting some retaliation from Bakugou, but instead the alpha in question was oddly quiet, staring at Midoriya like some kind of alien. 

“I got an idea! Let’s run back to the dorms. Bet you’re ready to stretch those legs, huh, Midoriya?” Kaminari waved and began running. 

Midoriya chuckled. “You’re right, I do need a run.” He let go off the alpha’s hands and began jogging down the pavement, oblivious to the effect it had on the two alphas. Within seconds, the entire class was running across campus which turned to a race. Midoriya had One For All Full Cowling active as he dashed over the cement and grass. With the wind and sun on his face and class beside him, he finally felt truly happy for the first time in over a week. 

…

[deathbxnny]

Could do mha headcannons for what they would do after a fight with their s/o? Could u do with UA teachers please ❤️ Thank u!

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A/N: Hello there! Thank you for the request, I really like the idea! I didn't know which teachers you wanted exactly, so I hope you're okay with the one's I chose!<3

Mha requests are open btw!

Featured characters: Eraserhead, Present mic, Midnight

Content: Established relationship, angst, hurt/comfort, mentions of fighting, relationship issues, miscommunication, sfw

Reader has no set pronouns!

((Not fully proofread))

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》Eraserhead

Your fight wasn't worth all the trouble that came with it for Aizawa. He had been spending way too much time away from you at UA and forgot the date you were supposed to go on due to his exhaustion. It was a mistake on his part, but not the first time he had done so, which is why this time the argument was far worse than the other one's.

Aizawa was bad at expressing his emotions to you and tried his best to apologise anyways, but it wasn't working, since you were way too heated to listen to him. He knew why you were upset and knew it was his fault... which is why he had to fix this now. You were one of the few things he cared about and losing you too would break him. So, he let you have a couple hours to cool down, before finally approaching you for a talk.

He listens to your complaints and anger, not saying a word until you were finished, before he gently pulled you into a hug and gave you a sincere apology. He was never good with his words however and knew he had to do more than that, which is why he also took a day off the next day to go on a nice date with you. He has alot to make up for and will make sure to not mess up again.

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》Present mic

Hizashi immideatly regretted everything the moment he saw the tears in your eyes. You were just having a petty argument over something so stupid that he couldn't even remember it. And the sadness in your eyes certainly didn't help with his memory either, as he immideatly apologised to you. Nothing in this world was worth your tears to spill over.

However when you just pushed him away to go into your room, he quickly followed after you, not wanting you to go to bed angry and sad. He gently hugs you from behind, completely quiet for once and let's you cry it out, before he tries talking to you again. His voice is gentle and calm, so different from it's usually loud tone. He'll hold you close whilst you sleep and thinks about what he could do to make things up to you.

He brings you flowers and breakfast in bed the next morning, not letting you lift a finger as he pampers you. You can tell that he feels guilty and even with your reassurance that you're not mad anymore, he still doesn’t let up with his affection. He doesn't want you to leave him and makes sure you know how much he truly appreciates you.

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》Midnight

You knew how she was even way before dating her. You knew about how playful and flirtatious she was to everyone around her. You knew how touchy she could get. But it just often made you wonder where the line would be drawn for her, once you started dating. Surely, she knew that it hurt your feelings sometimes, even when you tried to accept that part of her. You loved everything about her after all.

But that didn't stop you from getting a little irritated, when she was very touchy with one of her colleagues infront of you. You slipped away into the crowd, feeling embarrassed and sad about the entire situation. Were you not enough for her? It had always been an insecurity of yours. Midnight quickly noticed that you were gone and followed after you, grabbing onto your wrist as she asks you what's wrong. But at the sight of your tears, she comes to her own conclusion without needing your words.

She takes you home and sits you down, completely serious as she tells you about how you are her one and only and would never want anyone else. She gets caught up in her hero persona often and forgets to step out of it with you around. You have a calm and deep discussion about your boundaries and feelings, something Midnight listens very closely to. And she shows you that she did listen, by keeping your feelings and boundaries in mind whilst in public. You're important to her and she wants you to know that.

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A/N: Alright, I hope this was okay with you! Thank you again for the request, Anon!<33